Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-07-27
IT WAS AN UNnoLY MASSACRE.
Dr. Porter Gives Some Historical Faoss
Respecting the Battle of Bad AK that
VIA. Eniighten Many.


Dr. Porter Gives Some Historical Faoss
Respecting the Battle of Bad AK that
VIII. Eniighten Many.
EDITOR censor: One paper speaks
of the fight at the Bad AK, in August
1882, as celebrated battle. 1t was
| little else than a massacre of starving
men, women and children There were
1900 white soldiers, fighting sgainst
some 800 brave Nearly Thousand
Indians had Gre ssed the Mississippi in
April, 1882 They did not come TO
fight; war parties do rot take their
women snd children with them. One
pretext for their return was the starry
Ing condition of the Saxes, because the
government had not supplied them with
corn, according to contract. Therefore
they went over the river 'to steal corn
from their own fields" Troops were
sent up Rock river after them. G4n
Atkinson peremptorily ordered Bl4ck
Hawk to return across the Mississippi,
that chief as peremptorily answered,
shat h. would not leave the country;
that he was going up Rock river to the
Pro. bets village to make corn, to which
he had been invited, and the whites
might attack him if they chose, but
they would not find him unprepared;
yet he would not begin with them" He
hoisted the British flag and went up to
the Prop let's village. On May 18th,
near S 'camore creek, Msjor StilIman,
with 275 mounted volunteers, searching
for Black Hawk, discovered small
party of Indians approaching them
The chief aware of Stillman's approach,
had sent out three young men with
white flag TO invite a conference with
the officers and, as he says, if that was
refused them, to say he would himself
go to the American camp; his desire he
tells us, up to this time, was to make
peace aud at all events to offer no re-
sistance unless he should be STACKED
by the whites.
| Those Indians bearing the flag of
truce, were seen by Stillman's men and
taken prisoners, aud carried to camp,
and one OF them was shot. In the mean
time, Back Hawk had dispatched five
other braves to ascertain what had be.
come of his first party these were at
tackled by Stillman's men and two we're
killed; the others reported to their chief
the circumstances. With only forty
braves he sounded the war whoop and
rushed upon the drunken horsemen,
whom he followed dozen miles; he
routed the entire force, which fled in a
most d'sorderly manner, and did not
stop until 81 miles away. This engage
ment is known as the fight at Stillman's
Run.
Alcohol played promin mt part in
this war. 1t was, perhaps,a prime cause
of it. The honest old chief tells us that
in 1904 the Sacs sent four men to st.
Louis to secure the release of Sac
Indian who had killed white man.
They were sent for no other purpose.
After long time they returned, clothed
in fine uniforms, and encamped near
/ the Sac village. They had been drunk
nearly all the time they had been away
Without any authority they had coded
to the govern pent 81 million acres of
land, containing their village at Rock
river, and the graves of their people.
At Stillman's run the drunken volun-
teers would not respect white flag, and
this caused the first bloodshed IN the
war. Blood had been shed by the whites
while the victims were extending as
surances of peace. At Wisconsin
Heights, the night after the battle, "the
voice of an Indian was heard hailing
the American camp, snd speaking in an
| Indian tongue, which was not under
stood. 1t was Black Hawk, speaking
! in the Winnebago tongue and offering
I TO surrender"
| At the Mississippi, Aug. 1st, he tried
to surrender to the steamboat captain,
Throck Morton. 81 knew the captain
and was determined to give myself up
to him. sent for my white flag, and
while the messenger WIS gone I took a
small piece OF white cotton and .ut it
on pole, ar d called to the captain, and
told him to send his little canoe ashore
and let me come on board. The people
on the boat asked whether we were Sacs
or Wipebagoes. l told them we were
| . tCb hud Wdub6u W give OURSELVES u y.
A Winebago on the boat called to us to
run and hide; that thu whites were go.
ing to shoot. The firing then com
menced from the boat, which was re-
turned by my braves" Next morning
the Indian outpost three miles from the
river were approached by Dickson's
spies, immediately attempted to sur
render by DISPLAYING white flag; but
the whites paid no attention to their en-
treaties but commenced staying them"
So says Black Hawk and the white men
told the same story.
The spot where that band of Saes was
annihilated, we call Battle Hollow. ard
Battle Is AMI; the little hamlet near by
we call Victory. These names are
misnomer Take the map of the fair
state Of Wisconsin; study the history of
all the bloody Indian masacres of the
pas, and point to ore spot if you can,
that is SO black as this One hundred
and fifty Indians were killed, and as
many more drowned. 1t is related of
Capt. Dickson that he shot squaw. who
on her KIN es was pleading for her life;
and that he ordered soldier to shoot
two little children who jumped from the
brush wood. Contrast this with Black
Hawk, who spared two white boys and
Thought OF his own children"
G V. Z.