The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-08-22
From the .Ns,o York Commercial .idrertiSer-
THE INDIAN WAR.

Black Hawk and his three or Tour hundred
miserable followers, have been dispersed, after
an apology tor battle, OF less Importance than
Il respectable skirmish, and the whites are III
full pursuit q er brakes ard bogs aud ienS, OF
foe whom they are destined not 20 oyertake.
Gen. Scott can now return To MS quarters IN
New York, while his subordinate officers are
left Ia collect the remains OF their scattered bat
,ahons- scattered by disease. or slam by the
DESTROYING Anacl-and bring back the remains
in the best manner they can.
When, Messrs. Editors will the American
people open their eyes to the deceptinnS prac-
Used upon them by those enjoying their ms
placed confidence The fact Is, in the first
place, that these troubles with the Sacs and
Foxes. under Black Hawk, had their origin IN
the injustice of the whites, combined with the
ignorance Of the Indians and. secondly, as VIII
presently be seen, in the boasled system oi
JdckSOh Reform. And as for the war, 1t has
been one OF the sheercst humhugs ever played
off upon a crednlous people. have Just risen
from a full and highly interesting coversation
with distinguished gentleman from Illinois,
who is Intimately acquainted with the whole
matter. and who has not only personal knowl
edge of Black Hawk, but has conveTsed with
him upon the very subject OF the existing dith'
eulttes
1t was, believe, in 1925, that the last treaty
negotiated with Black Hawk and his fellow
chiefs, Tor cession OF territory to ihe United
States Ii was the deslre of the Commissioner
on the part of the latter to have the line Of puv-
chase drawn from the held of Lake Michigan
directly across to given point on the Mlssis'
sppi. To this arrangement Black Hawk for a
long time oblected--alleglng his apprehen-
sions that the line proposed would include his
own village. But after strong assurances that
the said line would yet leave his village some
thirty or more miles north OF 1t. he consented to
the sale, and the new boundary. liz due time,
however, il appeared that the fears OF the chief
were well founded, and the line was ascertained
to run some two or three miles north OF the IA
vorite village of the Hawk. The chief and his
tribe were misunderstanding that in equity
they ought not to be deprived of their village
the site of which they had positively refused to
sell Meantime, well knowing where the line
would strike, on an actual survey, several de-
termined border men from Ohio penetrated
farther into the wilderne; >, and planted them.
selves upon several tracts of fertile land IN the
ueighboIhood Of the village, at different points,
on a semi-crcular line, as il were with an Inten-
ton OF completely surrounding the lodges of the
wild men The Indians demonstrated against
this nrOad upoa territory considered yet TO be
their own, and threatened frequently to drive
the lntruders away; but To no purpose. The
cUltivating The land. After the line had been
ascerlaIned by actual survey, an act was passed
by Congress, giving to the squatteIs upon the
newly acquired territory, the pre-emptive right
to the lands in their Immediate oCcupation-ot
which Indulgence the troublesome neghbors of
the Black Hawk lost no time in avaIiing them.
selves. and took tie necessary measures TO Sc
cure their titles.
But the Indians understood not this proceed
ing. The intruders exhibited their certificates
urder the new law, but the Indians knew moth
ing Of the nature of pre-emptve rights, and
continued to threaten them as before. 1t was
sometime previous to this stage of The coniro
versy, that a serious obstacle was thrown in the
way OF good understanding, by Gen. jackson
himself in the application OF his miserable svs
TEN of REFORM To the Indian agencies. The
Indian Agent for thus station, (Major Forsyth
was removed, to make place for some parti-
Fan iavorlte: and tins piace filled by the
appointment of somebody from Virginia, who
had probably never even looked upon a wild
Indian AT any rate, he was wholly unac-
quainted with the language of the Indians
among whom he was to reside, and knew moth
ing Of thei: manners, habits, customs DISPOSE
ton, Nc. He, OF course, could not possess The
confidence of these children of nature, and the
removal of their former friend, Major Forsyth,
WIN was III iespGEiS all CACGllCul oNnttT,
only served further to annoy them with further
suspicious of medltated wrong. But for this
untmely and unnecessary change, such explain
atoms would doubtless have been made as
would have prevented mischief, although they
might not have been perfectly satisfactory at
first TO the Indians. Such. however, was not
the case; the new Agent, although probably a
good eleclioneerer in Virginia, knew nothing Of
hS duties among the Sacs and Foxes The
feud between The Indians and their before men.
toned intrusive Delghbors. continued, and be-
came more aggravated. The former, in the
night lime. would 90 and throw down the fen
ces o! the white men +; and the latter In turn
threatened to shoot the trespassers Thus mat.
ters stood tor months The intruders armed
themselves aud watched the Indians by night !;
but when thus on the watch, their fences were
not molested. No sooner, however, we're their
backs turned, than their fences were again
overthrown. But the Indians committed no
further hostltles than these. They drew not
drop Of blood until several Of their o1cn mum
Der had been killed by the nhite nen.
Meantime, however, on complaint of the
repeated Uutrages of the indians upon the
aforesaid fences, aud before any other act OF
hostility had been committed Governor Rey-
nods of Illinois, whose political situation rem.
dereG action VI some description necessary, tn
Il
thousand militIa.men 10 take the field, or ra her
the forest, against the Indians. This was the
signal for the accounts OF Indian hos, ltIes-oi
massacres and murders which forthwith re
sounded throughout the whole nation. Ana oil
course it was the signal for the Indians to lake
up the tomahawk, and raise the warwhOop -
The subsequent incidents of this eventful his
tory, are pretty well known; and am sorry 10
add my conviction, that the whole affair will
rebound little to The credit OF the United States
or to the parties more Immediately concerned
The whole western country has been kept IN a
state Of confusion, and some tunes OF positive
alarm, by the exaggerated stories spread abroad
Of murders, aud sea pings, and burnngs, of the
most startling description, few OF which ever
took place. Countless hundreds and even thou.
sands, of Indians, have been represented as
prowling along the frontier settlements, com.
hitting such ennrmIlles as would - freeze the
young blond, aud make each individual HAIR to
stand erect like quilts upon fretful porch,
pine :" while III fact, the whole armed force OF
Black Hawk has never, at any one time, ex.
ceeded four hundred aud fifty or five hundred
warriors. And II is to conquer these poor hun.
Cry, ignorant, nay, injured, natives, that the
militia forces of the West have been so fre.
quently dragged into the field by thousands
and at length the whole disposuble force of our
little army, with the gallant Scott at their head,
collected at all parts Of tho Union, and des-
patched fifteen hundred miles up the great
lakes, at the expense Of one or two millions of
the revenue o It's pil'ul, lis wondrous pit.
hul! Bet we must submit, and the glofies Of
this contest-ior no doubt the results will be
chained as such-will all be poured into the
" mcasnre' Of the " HEBo's" popularity!
"a 49, ! I,lt. il,