The National tribune., 1881-09-17
BLACK HAWK WAR,

Mr. j. W. Riley, of Holldaysburgh, Pa sends
us an interesting letter referring to the Black
Hawk war, from which we condense the follow
ing: July ;, 1892 he, then sixteen years ofage and
titer attached to Company E, Fourth United
States Artillery, embarked, with Others at the
port of Buffalo on the steamer Henry Clay, bound
for Green Bay, Wis. The expedition numbered
about 500 men, and consisted OF Companies d. f.
and Fl of the Fourth Artillery and four full COM
panies of recruits, all under command of Colonel
David Z. Twiggs afterwards general) Among
the officers were Lieutenant S. H. Drum, brother
of the present Adutmt-Ge of the Army
General John A. Dix, Lieutenant Clay son of
the great Kentucky statesman; Joseph f. John
stOn, the renowned Confederate leader, then a
lieutenant Colonel Hannibal Day (retired), now
living in the city of New York Colonel J. n
MacOmb, of the Engineers, and General J. J.
Cram, residing in the city of Philadelphia
Lieutenant-C Colonel Lorenzo Sitgreaves (retired),
of this city; Brevet BrgadierGeneral Martin
Burke, of New York; Brevet Brigadier-G General
K. E. Clary, Of Washington; Lieutenant Harvey
Brown, (deceased) of Fort Pickens fame and
others, whose names are not remembered.
On the second day after starting from Buffalo
one of the men of f Company, Alexander by
name, stricken down with cholera. soon fol-
lowed by another named Corrigan and in a short
time the fearful disease became epidemic When
the vessel reached Detroit large number of the
men were down and several deaths had occurred.
General Scott and staff. who had expected to
take passage on the Clay from thence on to Green
Bay, on learning Of the condition of affairs pro-
ceeded overland via Chicago, while the steamer
continued the course marked out as far as
Port Huron, where landing was made Up to
the 9th of July nearly fifty men had perished,
and of the two hundred recruits only sixty-eight
remained, the greater portion of them having
deserted Immediately after landing Many of
them died after leaving camp, and, falling by the
roadside, their bodies were eaten by the wild
animals. There were but three or four desertions
among the old soldiers
On the 9Th of July Lieutenant Clay died, and
shortly afterwards Surgeon Josiah Everett also
perished. For several days the mortality
fearful. When the survivors became cOnval-
escent they were transferred to Fort GratiOt,
mile or two distant, to relieve Major NJ. NJ. Paine
and two companies of the Fourth Infantry, COM
manding the post, who was ordered to the front
During their stay at Fort Gratiot monument
was erected in memory of their dead comrades
by the Fourth Artillery. Lieutenant Harvey
Brown, who subsequently distinguished himself
at Fort Pickens, delivered the dedicatory oration
Mr.. Riley subsequently served in the Indian
wars in Alabama and Florida, and also during
the late rebellion.
With the exception Of one person, DR.. c. Coon
now at the Soldiers Home in this city, who be-
longed to Battery H of the Fourth Artillery, and
the officers whose names are mentioned we have
been unable to find any other survivors of the
ll-fated expedition of which the foregoing brief
account is given.