Clack Stone Clack Stone ( fl . 1827 – 1839 ) was a captain in the 27th Regiment Illinois Militia during the 1832 Black Hawk War . He was in charge of a company mustered into service in May 1832 from Jo Daviess County , Illinois . Stone was in charge of the garrison at the Apple River settlement in present - day Elizabeth during two war - related incidents . In the first event , some horses were stolen from the fort in the prelude to the Battle of Waddams Grove . The second event was an intense battle known as the Battle of Apple River Fort . After the war , Stone operated a general store and helped establish the village of Elizabeth . Early life . John D . Winters moved from Kentucky or Tennessee to central Illinois , and then to Jo Daviess County in 1827 . Sometime after this , Winters and Clack Stone purchased a tract of land 127 feet ( 38 . 7 m ) above the waters of the Apple River . Military service . In April 1832 , encouraged by promises of alliance with other tribes and the British , Sauk Chief Black Hawk moved his so - called " British Band " of around 1 , 000 warriors and non - combatants into Illinois . The conflict that followed became known as the Black Hawk War . Between May and June 1832 , eight companies were mustered into service in the volunteer Illinois Militia under the command of Colonel James M . Strode . All eight companies of the 27th Regiment of Illinois Militia were from Jo Daviess County . One of the eight companies in Strode ' s 27th was a 47 - man unit eventually commanded by Captain Clack Stone . Stone ' s company was mustered into service by order of Illinois Governor John Reynolds on May 15 , 1832 , one day after the first engagement of the war at Stillman ' s Run . Initially , Stone ' s company , based at the Apple River settlement , was commanded by Captain Vance L . Davidson . When Davidson left for the Plum River settlement at present - day Savanna , Stone took over command . One of the longest serving groups of volunteers during the war , the 27th Regiment was mustered out of service on September 6 , 1832 . Upon hearing of Black Hawk ' s return , settlers throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin hastily constructed forts . The Apple River Fort was constructed by the early settlers at present - day Elizabeth for protection during the war . At the onset of the Black Hawk War , settlers in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois constructed a series of hastily built forts ; Apple River Fort was one of the forts erected after the militia ' s defeat at Stillman ' s Run . The small fort was completed on May 22 , 1832 under the supervision of Stone , one week after the battle at Stillman ' s Run . The Apple River settlement , at the time of the fort ' s completion , was home to about 40 settlers . Stone was in command at the fort during two war - related incidents . In the days immediately preceding June 18 , 1832 , Apple River Fort ' s stables were broken into and horses were stolen during the night . This incident was one of several around that time which led Illinois militia officer James W . Stephenson to clash with British Band warriors at Waddams Grove on June 18 . On June 24 , the Battle of Apple River Fort commenced at the fort . Approximately 150 – 200 Sauk and Fox warriors under the command of Black Hawk attacked the fort , which was defended by about 25 militia . The militia was shorthanded during the battle , as most of the fort ' s detachment were not present . Inside the fort , the people of the nearby settlement had taken refuge . One woman , Elizabeth Armstrong , was singled out for her bravery after the battle . She rallied the fort ' s women to assist during the battle by making musketballs and reloading weapons . Fierce fighting ensued for at least 45 minutes with both sides exchanging heavy gunfire . Believing the fort to be more heavily defended than it was , Black Hawk and his band eventually retreated . Casualties were few , given the intensity of the battle . Militia member George Herclerode was shot in the neck or head early in the battle and died ; it has been documented that he was killed while peering over the stockade wall ' s pickets . The number of Sauk casualties is unknown . Later life . Immediately following the Black Hawk War , Clack Stone opened a store near the site of present - day Elizabeth . The store was directly across the street from the house of John D . Winters , who established a tavern around the same time . In 1839 , surveyor Charles R . Bennett laid out the village of Elizabeth on Winters ' and Stone ' s land . The original village had twelve named streets .