Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-02-11
Lincoln
In the
Black Hawk
War
By FRANK WALKER JAMES
By FRANK WALKER JAMES
Copyright. 1905. by C. N. Lurie

company formation. Unable to recall
the proper order, he commanded the
company to break ranks. The soldiers
then got through the pass, one ut a
time, as best they could, and Lincoln
reformed the company on the other
side.
Lincoln got his first lesson in disci
pline while the army was encamped al
HenderSOn'S river General Whiteside
mad issued an order of the day forbid
ding the discharge of firearms within
nifty PAGES of the camp. A military or
der was to Lincoln only one mans
word, and he proceeded to fire off his
pistol almost under the generals nose
For this his sword was taken from him
and he was placed under arrest for q
whole day.
The youthful captain again ran Ill
against the rules and regulation dur
ing the march up the Rock river, but
this time he was generally regarded as
blamelesS. General Whiteside had
moved from Henderson river to yellow
Banks, on the Mississippi, and from
there to the mouth Of the Rock river
From this point he was to march to
ProphetstOwn and there await the
arrival Of General Atkinson and the
regulars with provisions. When the
order was given to advance it was dis
covered that there was something rad
ically wrong in LincOln's corner of the
camp. His orderly sergeant attempted
to form company" but the company
declined to be formed. The men re
manned between their blankets III
sweet repose The sad fact was that
every private in the company was I'M
mistakably and gloriously drunk. II
appears that one Rial Green had with
some assistance and a tOmahawk bro
ken into the officers liquors the night
before and had distributed his booty
with impartial generosity Whiteside
marched off. leaving Lincoln to follow
with his men when their legs got
Strengthened out. The company made
start at 10 O'Clock, but before it had
marched two miles it had to lie down
and sleep off it's debauch. Lincoln
overlook Whiteside that night and was
promptly arrested and made to carry a
wooden sword for two days
Reaching Prophetstown, General
Whteside disregarded his agreement
with General Atkinson and decided ia
push on to DiXu's Ferry, forty miles
farther up the river. leaving his wagon
train behind. AT Dixon's Ferry he
found Majors Stilman and Bailey. with
two battalions Of mounted men. clam
Oring for something to do Whiteside
sent them on ahead to feel and disclose
the body Of Indians supposed to be
near at hand
Stillman was about to go into camp
twenty miles above Dixon when sew
eral Indians were seen lowering on the
horizon. A contingent of troopers re-
mounted silently, one by one. and with
out officers or orders put off in pur-
suit Three Of the Indians We're over
taken and slain but the others success
fully performed their mission which
was to lead the whites into an am
buscade where lay Black Hawk himself
with 700 braves. Those Of Stillman's
men who were not killed in the mo-
ment Of the surprise turned and rode
for their lives back to the camp. car
rying CONSERVATION with them. Still
man gave the order to fall back, and
the men never faced about or even
stopped until they had reached White
sides army. All that night sole sur
vivors" came struggling in with fearful
stories respecting the numbers and fe-
rocity of the enemy.
Whiteside moved as fast as possible
to the scene of the ambuscade. but