The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-04-26
SKETCHES OF LINCOLN.
Career as a Soldier In the Black
Hawk War.
HIS FIRST OFFICIAL POSITION.

HIS FIRST OFFICIAL POSITION.
Another Wrestling Match-A Maiden Polit-
ical Effort-Trouble at q Political Meet
ing-How He Inaugurated His Campaign.
His Only Defeat Before the People.
fFrom ''The Life of Lincoln" by William a.
Herndon and Jesse W. Weik. Copyright, 1885,
by Jesse W. Weik. Copyright, 1892, by D. Ap
pleton & Co..
In the neighborhood of the village, or
rather few miles to the southwest,
lay strip of timber called Clary's
grove. The boys who lived there were
a terror to the entire region, seemingly
a necessary product of frontier civiliza-
ton They conceded leadership to one
Jack Armstrong, hardy, strong and
we'll developed specimen of physical
manhood, and under I'm they were in
the habit of cleaning out" New Salem
whenever his order went forth to do so.
Offut and Bill Clary, the latter skep-
tical of Lincoln's strength and agility,
ended heated discussion in the store
one day over the new clerks ability to
meet the tactics of Clary's grove by a
bet OF $40 that Jack Armstrong was, in
the language of the day "a better man
than Lincoln. " The new clerk strongly
opposed this sort of an introduction, but
after much entreaty from Offut at last
consented to make his bow to the social
lions of the town in this unusual way
weighed, as his friend and confdant,
William Greene, tells US with impress
i've precision, "214 pounds.
The contest was to be a friendly one
and fairly conducted. All New Salem
adjourned TO the scene of the wrestle.
Money, whisky, knives and all manner
of property were staked on the result. 1t
is unnecessary to go into the details of
the encounter. Every one knows how it
ended, how at last the tall and angular
rail splitter, enraged at the suspicion of
foul tactics and profting by his height
and the length of his arms, fairly lifted
the great bully by the throat and shook
tablished himself solidly in the esteem
of all New Salem and secured the re-
spectful admiration and friendship of
the very man whom he had so thorough
ly vanquished. From this time forward
Jack Armstrong, his wife Hannah and
all the other Armstrong; became his
warm and trusted friends.
The Black Hawk War.
The great Indian chief, Black Hawk,
who on the 30th of June, 1881, had en-
tered into an agreement, having all the
solemnity of a treaty, with Governor
Reynolds and General Gaines that none
of his tribe should ever cross the Mis-
sissippi "to their usual place of resi-
dence, nor any part of their old hunting
grounds east of the Mississippi, without
permission of the president of the Unit
ed States or the governor of the state of
illinois,, F." had openly broken the COM
pact.
On being informed of the movement
of Black Hawk, Governor Reynolds
called for 200 mounted volunteers to
cooperate with the United States forces
under command of General Atkinson
and drive the willy Indian back across
the Mississippi. The response to the
governors call was prompt and ener-
getic. In the company from Sangamon
county Lincoln enlisted, and now for
the first time entered ON the vicissitu-
dinous and dangerous life of soldier.
That he, in fact, regarded the campaign
after the Indians as a sort of holiday
affair and chicken stealing expedition
is clearly shown in speech he after
ward made i'll congress in exposure of
the military pretensions of General Cass.
However, in grim, soldiery severity
he marched with the Sangamon county
contingent to Nashville, in Schuyler
county, where, much to his surprise, he
was elected captain of the company over
William Kirkpatrick A recital of the
campaign that followed, in the effort to
drive the treacherous Indians back, or
description of the few engagements
none of which reached the dignity of a
battle-which took place, have in no.
wise been overlooked by the historians
of Illinois and of the Black Hawk war.
With the exception of those things which
relate to Lincoln alone, presume it
would be needless to attempt to add any
thing to what has so thoroughly and
truthfully been told.
A Valued Distinction.
On being elected captain, Lincoln re-
piled in a brief response of modest and
thankful acceptance. 1t was the first
official trust ever turned over to his
keeping, and he priced it and the dis
tinction it gave him more than any
which in after years fell to his lot. His
company savored strongly of the Clary's
grove order, and though daring enough
in the presence of danger were difficult
to bring down to the inf1exibilities of
military discipline. Each one seemed
perfectly able and willing to care for
himself, and while the captains author
ity was respectfully observed, yet, as
some have said, they were none the less
a crowd of generous ruffians. " heard
Mr.. Lincoln say once, on the subject OF
his career as captain in this company
and the discipline he exercised over his
men, that to the first order given one OF
them he received the response, go to
the devil, sir"
notwithstanding the interchange of