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The Black Hawk War was fought in 1832 in the Midwestern United States . The war was named for Black Hawk , the leader of a band of Sauk , Fox , and Kickapoo Native Americans , whose British Band fought against the United States Army and Militia from Illinois and the Michigan Territory (present-day Wisconsin ) for possession of lands in the area. BACKGROUND Following the Fox Wars in the western Great Lakes and Detroit regions the remaining Sauk and Fox sought refuge together in lands further west, extending north from the Wisconsin River to the Illinois River in the south. Other settlements were established north of the Missouri River . These lands were the area that Black Hawk and his band viewed as their homeland in 1832. The Sauk's main village, Saukenuk , was established in the mid-18th century. Black Hawk was born there in 1767 and lived much of his life in the village. In 1804, William Henry Harrison , Governor of Indiana Territory (which then included what would become Illinois), negotiated a treaty in St. Louis, Missouri with a group of Sauk and Fox leaders, in which they ceded lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for $1,000 per year and the condition that the tribes could continue to reside there until the land was surveyed and sold by the U.S. government. It was Article 2 which ceded the land to the United States "forever," and raised the ire of the Sauk and Fox tribes. Compensation for the land cession was stipulated at US$2,234.50 . In addition article 3 of the treaty provided for the annual compensation. Thus, the ultimate source of the conflict was in a land dispute and centered around the 1804 treaty. The 1804 Treaty with the Sauk and Fox included articles aimed at promoting friendship and peace, such as trade provisions and protection guarantees as well.Kappler, "Treaty with the Sauk and Foxes, 1804." This treaty was subsequently disputed by Black Hawk and other members of the tribes, since the full tribal councils had not been consulted, nor did those representing the tribes have authorization to cede lands. After the War Of 1812 , in which Black Hawk had fought against the U.S., he signed a peace treaty in May 1816 that re-affirmed the treaty of 1804, a provision of which Black Hawk later protested ignorance. While Black Hawk was away during the War of 1812, Keokuk had risen in prominence, and the two men became rivals. The White population of Illinois exploded after the War of 1812, exceeding 50,000 in 1820 and 150,000 in 1830. In 1825, thirteen Sauk and six Fox signed another agreement re-affirming the 1804 treaty. In 1828, the U.S. government liaison, Thomas Forsyth, informed the tribes that they should begin vacating their settlements east of the Mississippi. On , 1831 . Retrieved 1 August 2007 The treaty ceded about 26,500,000 acres (107,000 km&2) of Sauk land east of the Mississippi to the Government Of The United States . It also created a "Neutral Ground" boundary between the Sauk and Foxes and their traditional enemies, the Sioux , for the purpose of preventing future hostilities between the tribes. The treaty was signed by Keokuk, and in November 1830 was approved by the Dakota Sioux.Hurt, R. Douglas, ''The Indian Frontier: 1763-1846'' (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2002), pp. 176-7, (ISBN 0826319661). TRIGGER The land ceded in the treaty included the village of Saukenuk, but Black Hawk did not sanction the sale of this land and was determined to remain in the village. Despite opposition by Keokuk and the US authorities, Black Hawk's band returned to Saukenok in 1830 following their winter hunting. After a year of tension, they returned again in 1831, and Illinois Governor John Reynolds proclaimed it an "invasion of the state." Responding to Illinois Governor John Reynolds ' call, General Edmund Pendleton Gaines brought his federal troops from St. Louis, Missouri to Saukenuk to insist upon Black Hawk's immediate departure. Black Hawk departed but soon returned, without bloodshed, west across the Mississippi, threatened by Gaines' troops and an additional 1,400 militia called up by Reynolds on June 25 , 1831 . On June 30 , Black Hawk and the chiefs of the " British Band " were forced to sign a surrender agreement in which they promised to remain west of the Mississippi. On 2007 . Black Hawk's British Band was composed of about 500 warriors and 1,000 old men, women and children when they crossed the Mississippi on April 5 . The group comprised members of the Sauk , Fox and Kickapoo Nations. They crossed the Mississippi near the mouth of the Iowa River and then followed the Rock River northeast. Along the way they passed the ruins of Saukenuk and headed for the village of Ho-Chunk prophet White Cloud.Lewis, "Introduction." Brevet Brigadier General Henry Atkinson was given charge for prosecuting the war. Federal authorities, along with Sauk and Fox tribal councils, ordered Black Hawk and his band to retreat west of the Mississippi, but they refused to leave. Soon after, Black Hawk conferred with the Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi tribes and learned that none of the Illinois or Michigan tribes, or the British, would aid his band.Harmet, "Apple River Fort," p. 13-13. CHRONOLOGY Hostilities begin .]] On 9 May , a small Illinois militia battalion began the pursuit of Black Hawk from the army's point of rendezvous on the Rock River at Dixon . On May 10 , 1832 the state militia burned the Prophet's Village , upon hearing of this Black Hawk decided to return, with his band, to Iowa . Ensuing events at Stillman's Run prevented this; the Black Hawk War had begun. commanded the Illinois Militia troops present at Stillman's Run .]] The first named confrontation of the Black Hawk War occurred on 2007 . Soon after the Battle of Stillman's Run, at present-day Stillman Valley, the exaggerated claim that 2,000 "bloodthirsty warriors . . . sweeping all Northern Illinois with the bosom of destruction" sent shock waves of terror through the region.''Illinois State Military Museum'', "Black Hawk War." After this initial skirmish, Black Hawk led many of the civilians in his band to the 2007 . Massacres and skirmishes After the first engagement of the war several small skirmishes and "massacres" ensued. On ) click access this item. Retrieved 30 July 2007 . is located beneath a monument in Kellogg's Grove, Illinois .]] One of the Black Hawk War's most famous and well publicized events is also considered a peripheral event that was not directly connected to the war or Black Hawk and his "British Band."''Wisconsin State Historical Society'', "May 21, Indian Creek, Ill.: Abduction of the Hall Sisters." The 2007 . Retrieved 5 August 2007 . The same day as the massacre at the Indian Creek settlement, a settlement on the Plum River Was Raided by a party of Sauk or Fox warriors. Though the battle was bloodless, it was one of many incidents that contributed to the atmosphere of fear.Trask, ''Black Hawk'', p. 197-198. The ), D.B. Cooke & Co., 1887, pp. 207-210. Retrieved 31 July 2007 . The massacre led to unwarranted fear of all 2007 . Cholera epidemic as he appeared in his younger years.]] On May 27 and May 28 , their one month enlistment being expired, Reynolds mustered the first of the militia out of service. The federal government then ordered General Winfield Scott 's 1,000 regulars and 300 mounted volunteers into action. For the moment it looked as though Atkinson's role in the war would end soon, but a Cholera epidemic struck much of the United States. Winfield Scott's troops would bring it over from the east into Illinois. General Scott assembled a force of about 1,000 federal troops.''Wisconsin State Historical Society'', "July 12: The Most Painful Situation Which Can Well Be Imagined." They embarked on boats from Buffalo, New York , making their way towards Chicago . To wide-spread horror, cholera was reported among the troops. The expedition was doomed. Troops became ill, and many of them died. At each place the vessels landed, the sick were deposited and soldiers deserted. Efforts to prevent the immediate spread of the illness into the population of the towns the expedition passed were largely successful as only 3 civilians died in the initial outbreak. However, later, in 1833 a larger-scale cholera epidemic affected large regions of the United States, its roots can be traced to the Scott expedition.Olson, Greg. " Plague on the Prairie " ''Illinois Heritage'', February 2002. Retrieved ), University of Northern Iowa, Explorations in Iowa History Project, 2003. Compiled from: Sage, Leland L. ''A History of Iowa'', Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa: 1974, (ISBN 0813807166). More raids occurred.]] Public confidence in the militia, eroded since the outbreak of hostilities at Stillman's Run, was still low when the month of June began. Small attacks and skirmishes continued to plague the frontier of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Though Fort Blue Mounds, in present-day ), 1854, B. Brown, p. 213. Retrieved 1 August 2007 . Another event, the Spafford Farm Massacre , also known as the Wayne massacre, occurred on June 14 , 1832 near present-day South Wayne, Wisconsin . A band of Native Americans attacked a group of 7 men working on the farm of Omri Spafford, 5 men, including Spafford, were killed.Butterfield,''History of LaFayette County, Wisconsin'', p. 599. Two men escaped, one of them killing an attacker before individually making their way to Fort Hamilton . One of the men spent several days hiding in the forest because he was under the erroneous impression that the fort was being overtaken by friendly Menominee who had arrived around the same time. Wakefield, John Allen; Stevens, Frank Everett, ed. '' History of the War between the United States and the Sac and Fox Nations of Indians, and Parts of Other Disaffected Tribes of Indians, in the Years Eighteen Hundred and Twenty-Seven, Thirty-One, and Thirty-Two ''; Reprinted as: ''Wakefield's History of the Black Hawk War'', Original Publication: Jacksonville, Ill.: Calvin Goudy, 1834. Reprint Publication: Chicago: The Caxton Club, 1908, Chapter 4, Section 70. Retrieved 1 August 2007 . Renewed confidence The second half of June 1832 brought more battle, this time the militia would be dominant. After Colonel 2007 . The clash helped restore public confidence in the volunteer militia force. The Black Hawk War also included two clashes at Kellogg's Grove, in present-day Stephenson County, Illinois . The first battle took place the same day as Dodge's clash with the Kickapoo, on June 16 , 1832 , and was really nothing more than a minor skirmish. Forces commanded by Adam W. Snyder fought with a band of about 80 Kickapoo warriors. During the fighting three militia members were killed and six Kickapoo warriors died. The 2007 . The battle served to restore confidence in the militia within the population of the area, who were still afraid following the defeat at Stillman's Run. The dead militia men were eventually buried in a memorial cemetery in Kellogg's Grove, Illinois.Dameier, "Kellogg's Grove." The 2007 . The second, and larger, Battle Of Kellogg's Grove commenced on June 25 , 1832 when forces commanded by Major John Dement met and fought with a large band of Native Americans at the grove. The Native forces, under the command of Black Hawk mounted an unrelenting attack during which 25 horses and five militia men were killed and at least of nine of Black Hawk's band died. On July 21 , 1832 Illinois and Wisconsin militia men under the command of Generals Henry Dodge and James D. Henry caught up with Black Hawk's British Band near present-day Sauk City, Wisconsin .Cole, Harry Ellsworth, ed. '' A Standard History of Sauk County, Wisconsin: Volume I '', Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1918, pp. 170-171. Available online via The State of Wisconsin Collection , University of Wisconsin. The clash became known as the 2007 . Despite the relatively high casualties the battle did serve to allow much of the band, including many women and children, to escape across the Wisconsin River . The reprieve was temporary for the group of Sauk and Fox, the militia would eventually catch up with them at the mouth of the Bad Axe River resulting in the decisive battle of the war. Bad Axe AFTERMATH Military results The Black Hawk War of 1832 resulted in the deaths of 70 settlers and soldiers, and hundreds of Black Hawk's band. As well as the combat casualties of the war, a relief force under General Winfield Scott suffered hundreds dead and deserted. The war also resulted in the settlement of Illinois, 2007 . Political results 2007 . The Black Hawk War was similar to other frontier wars fought in the United States in that in provided a boost to several political careers. Besides the notable involvement of Lincoln and Davis, four Illinois governors served during the war: Thomas Ford , John Wood , Joseph Duncan and Thomas Carlin . The conflict also helped in the political careers of a future governor in both Michigan and Nebraska as well as boosting at least 7 U.S. Senator s. In 1836, Henry Dodge was appointed governor of the Wisconsin Territory . Henry Atkinson , however, did not fare as well following the war and spent the last decade of his life at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. Most of those affiliated with the conflict, subordinates and superiors believed that Atkinson had handled the prosecution of the war badly. U.S. President Andrew Jackson was looking for someone to blame for the conflict even as it was ongoing. After the war Congressional reports glossed over Atkinson's failings but privately others still criticized him. Zachary Taylor stated he believed that had Atkinson's regulars met with Black Hawk in the war's first battle instead of the militia under Isaiah Stillman the war could have ended without a single shot being fired.Lewis, James. "The Black Hawk War of 1832", p. 2D. SEE ALSO NOTES REFERENCES
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