Chapter IX

Black Hawk at the capture of Fort Erie--At the battle of the Thames--His
account of the death of Tecumthe--His residence and mode of life after
his last visit to the east--His Fourth of July speech at Fort
Madison--His death and burial.

Since the three first editions of this work were published, the death of Black Hawk has occurred; and a few additional particulars of his life have been collected. These, it is proposed to embody in a new chapter.

In the course of the preceding pages, the difficulty of procuring full, and always exact information, in regard to the lives of a people having neither records nor historians, has been alluded to. This difficulty will be encountered by any one who may attempt to chronicle the annals of the aborigines in their aggregate condition, or to portray their individual history. In the compilation of this volume, much pains were taken to obtain all the prominent events in the life of Black Hawk, and, it is supposed, as much success attended the effort, as is usual in similar cases. Since its publication, however, it appears that all his military movements have not been narrated, and we proceed to supply the omission.

At page 82 of this volume, it is stated that Black Hawk was only in two engagements in the late war with Great Britain, and that the last of these was the assault upon Fort Stephenson, in August 1813, then under the command of Major Groghan. It is true that he and his band were with the British army in the attack upon this post, but his connection with that army did not cease until after the capture of Fort Erie. The authority for this fact is to be found in the "Book of the Indians," page 145. The author of that work, in narrating the incidents of Black Hawk's return to the north-west, in 1833, after his imprisonment at Fortress Monroe, says: "Having arrived at Buffalo, on Friday the 28th of June, they (the party returning with the old warrior) remained there until Sunday morning. The day after their arrival, they rode over to Black Rock, where they viewed the union of the grand canal with the lake at that place. From this point they had a full view of the Canada shore, and Black Hawk immediately pointed out Fort Erie, and seemed well acquainted with the adjacent country; he having been there in the time of the last war with England, in the British service; and at the time 'when the Americans walked into Fort Erie,' as he expressed the capture of it." Of the extent of his participation in the events attendant upon this capture, there is no satisfactory information.

Black Hawk was likewise in the battle of the Thames, a fact not previously stated in this work, and which is now given on the authority of a writer in the Baltimore American, to whose respectability the editor of that paper bears testimony. We have, indeed, no reason to doubt the accuracy of this statement, which will be read with the more interest, from the circumstance that it embraces Black Hawk's account of the death of Tecumthe in regard to which much has been written and published. It is not proposed, on the present occasion, to compare the relation given by Black Hawk, of the fall of Tecumthe, with the testimony of others who have appeared as historians of this event, but shall content ourselves with simply quoting the article to which reference has been made. The writer professes to have been intimately acquainted with Black Hawk, and in the brief sketch which he has presented of the life of this warrior, we find corroborating evidence of the truth of many of the traits of character, which, in the course of this volume, has been assigned to him both as a man and a warrior. The article is in these words:

"MESSRS. EDITORS--Hearing of the death of the celebrated Sauk chieftain, BLACK HAWK, I am induced to make you the following communication, which may be interesting to some of your readers.

"During a residence of several years in what is now the Territory of Iowa, I had many opportunities of seeing and conversing with this noted warrior, and often look back with feelings of great pleasure to the many tokens of good will and friendship that he has frequently bestowed upon me. His lodge was always open to a stranger, and he was ever ready to share that with him which he might most want, either his furs and blankets for a couch, or his corn and venison for a repast. He always spoke in terms of high regard of the whites, saying, that in war he fought like a brave man, but in peace he wished to forget that his hand had ever been raised against them. His career as a warrior commenced at a very early age; when he was but fourteen years old, his father, Pawheese, led a war party against the Osages, in which expedition he accompanied him. They succeeded in reaching the village of Osages, which they attacked, and after a very severe encounter, they routed their enemies and burnt their town. In this battle Black Hawk's father was killed, but he revenged his death by killing and scalping the Osage who had slain him. He was fond of recounting his earlier exploits, and often boasted of his being at the right hand of Tecumthe, when the latter was killed at the battle of the Thames. His account of the death of this distinguished warrior, was related to me by himself, during an evening that I spent in his lodge some winters ago. In the course of our talk, I asked him if he was with Tecumthe when he was killed. He replied--

"'I was, and I will now tell you all about it.--Tecumthe, Shaubinne, and Caldwell, two Potawattimie chiefs, and myself, were seated on a log near our camp fire, filling our pipes for a smoke, on the morning of the battle, when word came from the British general, that he wished to speak with Tecumthe. He went immediately, and after staying some time rejoined us, taking his seat without saying a word, when Caldwell, who was one of his favorites, observed to him, 'my father, what are we to do? Shall we fight the Americans?' 'Yes, my son,' replied Tecumthe, '_We shall go into their very smoke_--but you are now wanted by the General. Go, my son, I never expect to see you again.' Shortly after this, (continued Black Hawk,) the Indian spies came in, and gave word of the near approach of the Americans. Tecumthe immediately posted his men in the edge of a swamp, which flanked the British line, placing himself at their head. I was a little to his right, with a small party of Sauks. It was not long before the Americans made their appearance; they did not perceive us at first, hid as we were by the undergrowth, but we soon let them know where we were by pouring in one or two volleys as they were forming into a line to oppose the British. They faultered a little, but very soon we perceived a large body of horse (Colonel Johnson's regiment of mounted Kentuckians) preparing to charge upon us in the swamp. They came bravely on, yet we never stirred until they were so close that we could see the flints in their guns, when Tecumthe springing to his feet, gave the Shawnee war cry, and discharged his rifle. This was the signal for us to commence the fight; but it did not last long; the Americans answered the shout, returning our fire, and at the first discharge of their guns, I saw Tecumthe stagger forwards over a fallen tree near which he was standing, letting his rifle drop at his feet. As soon as the Indians discovered he was killed, a sudden fear came over them, and thinking that the Great Spirit was displeased, they fought no longer, and were quickly put to flight. That night we returned to bury our dead, and search for the body of Tecumthe. He was found lying where he had first fallen; a bullet had struck him above the hip, and his skull had been broken by the butt end of the gun of some soldier, who had found him, perhaps, when life was not yet quite gone. With the exception of these wounds, his body was untouched; lying near him, however, was a large, fine looking Potawattimie, who had been killed, decked off in his plumes and war paint, whom the Americans no doubt had taken for Tecumthe; for he was scalped, and every particle of skin flayed from his body. Tecumthe himself, had no ornaments about his person save a British medal. During the night we buried our dead, and brought off the body of Tecumthe, although we were within sight of the fires of the American camp.'

"This is somewhat different from the account which is commonly given of Tecumthe's death, yet I believe it to be true; for after hearing Black Hawk relate it, I heard it corroborated by one of the Potawattimie chiefs, mentioned by him. I asked him if he had ever fought against the whites after the death of Tecumthe. He said not--that he returned home to his village on the Mississippi, at the mouth of Rock River, and there he remained until driven away by the whites, in the year 1832. The wish to hold possession of this village, was the cause of the war which he waged against the whites during that year. He told me that he never wished to fight; that he was made to do so; that the whites killed his warriors when they went with a white flag to beg a parley, and that after this was done, he thought they intended to kill him at all events, and therefore he would die like a warrior.

"In speaking of his defeat, he said it was what he expected; that he did not mind it; but what hurt him more than any thing else, was our government degrading him in the eyes of his own people, and setting another chief (KEOKUK) over him. This degradation he appeared to feel very sensibly, still he continued to possess all his native pride. One instance that came under my observation, I recollect well, in which it was strongly displayed. He happened to be in a small town in Iowa, on the same day in which a party of dragoons, under Captain ---- arrived: and in paying a visit to a friend with whom he always partook of a meal, whenever he stopped at the village, he met with the Captain, who had been invited to dine. Black Hawk remained, also expecting the usual invitation to stay and eat with them: but when the dinner was ready, the host took him aside, and told him the Captain, or rather the white man's chief, was to dine with him that day, and he must wait until they had finished. The old chief's eye glistened with anger as he answered him, raising the fore-finger of one hand to his breast, to represent the officer, 'I know the white man is a chief, but _I_,' elevating the finger of the other hand far above his head, 'was a chief, and led my warriors to the fight, long before his mother knew him. _Your meat,--my dogs should not eat it!_' Saying this, he gathered the folds of his blanket about him, and stalked off, looking as proudly as if he still walked over ground that he could call '_my own_.'

"Black Hawk possessed, to a great degree, one fine trait which it is not usual for us to concede to the Indian--kindness and affection for his wife. He never had but one, and with her he lived for upwards of forty years; they had several children, three of whom still survive, two sons and a daughter. The eldest son is now one of the most promising young braves of the nation, and bids fair to be one of its most noble men. The daughter is still quite young, and is considered to be the most beautiful maiden belonging to her tribe.

"He has now departed on his long journey, to join those of his people who have gone before him to their happy hunting grounds, far beyond the setting sun. May the Great Spirit grant him a clear sunshine, and a smooth path."

For the particulars, given below, of the last days and death of Black Hawk, we are indebted to a highly respectable gentleman, W. Henry Starr, Esq. of Burlington, Iowa Territory. His communication, under date of March 21st, 1839, is given entire, that the interest of the narrative may be preserved.

"Your letter of the 2nd of January came to hand in due course of mail, in which you make some enquiries concerning the old chief of the Sac and Fox tribes--the venerable BLACK HAWK. I should have replied to it sooner, could I have done so satisfactorily either to you or myself. I knew much by report of the old chief, and something from personal acquaintance; but my knowledge was not so accurate as to be serviceable to a faithful biographer. I have, therefore, taken sometime to make the necessary enquiries, and satisfy myself of their accuracy.

"After Black Hawk's last return from the eastern states, he passed the winter of 1837-8 in the county of Lee, in the south-eastern portion of this territory, on a small stream called Devil-creek. The white settlements extended for forty miles west of him, and the tribe to which he belonged, with the exception of a few old braves, and his family, resided on the frontier. From his tribe he was isolated in position and feeling. His family consisted of a wife, two sons, Nasheaskuk and Samesett, (as they are pronounced here,) a daughter and her husband. They passed their time principally in hunting deer, wild turkies, and the prairie hen, which are abundant in that quarter of the territory. For hunting, Black Hawk is said to have displayed no fondness; but chose to spend his time in improving his place of residence, and exercising his ingenuity with mechanic tools. In the spring of 1838, they removed to the frontier, and settled upon the Des Moines river, about eighty or ninety miles from its mouth, near to a trading post, and in the immediate vicinity of the villages of the other chiefs of the tribe. Here he had a very comfortable bark cabin, which he furnished in imitation of the whites, with chairs, a table, a mirror, and mattrasses. His dress was that of the other chiefs, with the exception of a broad-brimmed black hat, which he usually wore. In the summer he cultivated a few acres of land in corn, melons, and various kinds of vegetables. He was frequently visited by the whites, and I have often heard his hospitality highly commended.

"On the 4th of July last, he was present at Fort Madison, in Lee county, by special invitation, and was the most conspicuous guest of the citizens assembled in commemoration of that day. Among the toasts called forth by the occasion was the following:

"'_Our illustrious guest, Black Hawk_.--May his declining years be as calm and serene as his previous life has been boisterous and full of warlike incidents. His attachment and present friendship to his white brethren, fully entitle him to a seat at our festive board.'

"So soon as this sentiment was drank, Black Hawk arose and delivered the following speech, which was taken down at the time by two interpreters, and by them furnished for publication.

"'It has pleased the Great Spirit that I am here to-day--I have eaten with my white friends. The earth is our mother--we are now on it--with the Great Spirit above us--It is good. I hope we are all friends here. A few winters ago I was fighting against you--I did wrong, perhaps; but that is past--it is buried--let it be forgotten.

"'Rock river was a beautiful country--I liked my towns, my cornfields, and the home of my people. I fought for it. It is now yours--keep it as we did--it will produce you good crops.

"'I thank the Great Spirit that I am now friendly with my white brethren--we are here together--we have eaten together--we are friends--it is his wish and mine. I thank you for your friendship.

"'I was once a great warrior--I am now poor. Keokuk has been the cause of my present situation--but do not attach blame to him. I am now old. I have looked upon the Mississippi since I have been a child. I love the Great River. I have dwelt upon its banks from the time I was an infant. I look upon it now. I shake hands with you, and as it is my wish, I hope you are my friends.'

"In the course of the day he was prevailed upon to drink several times, and became somewhat intoxicated, an uncommon circumstance, as he was generally temperate.

"In the autumn of 1838, he was at the house of an Indian trader, in the vicinity of Burlington, when I became acquainted and frequently conversed with him, in broken English, and through the medium of gestures and pantomime. A deep seated melancholy was apparent in his countenance and conversation. He endeavored to make me comprehend, on one occasion, his former greatness; and represented that he was once master of the country, east, north, and south of us--that he had been a very successful warrior,--called himself, smiting his breast, 'big Captain Black Hawk,' 'nesso Kaskaskias,' (killed the Kaskaskias,) 'nesso Sioux a heap,' (killed a great number of Sioux.) He then adverted to the ingratitude of his tribe, in permitting Keokuk to supersede him, who, he averred, excelled him in nothing but drinking whiskey.

"Toward Keokuk he felt the most unrelenting hatred. Keokuk was, however, beyond his influence, being recognized as chief of the tribe, by the government of the United States. He unquestionably possesses talents of the first order, excels as an orator, but his authority will probably be short-lived on account of his dissipation, and his profligacy in spending the money paid him for the benefit of his tribe; and which he squanders upon himself and a few favorites, through whose influence he seeks to maintain his authority.

"You enquire if Black Hawk was at the battle of the Thames? On one occasion I mentioned Tecumthe to him, and he expressed the greatest joy that I had heard of him: and pointing away to the east, and making a feint, as if aiming a gun, said, 'Chemokaman (white man) nesso,' (kill.) From which I had no doubt of his being personally acquainted with Tecumthe; and I have been since informed, on good authority, that he was in the battle of the Thames and in several other engagements with that distinguished chief.

"Soon after this interview with Black Hawk, he set out for the frontier, where a payment was soon to be made to the tribe, of a portion of their annuity.

"The weather was both hot and wet, and it is supposed, that, on this journey, he imbibed the seeds of the disease which soon after terminated his existence. This journey was in September. Early in October, the commissioner for adjusting claims with the Sac and Fox tribes, was to meet them at Rock Island, and most of the Indians were there on the first of that month. Black Hawk was taken sick and was unable to accompany them. A violent bilious fever had seized upon him, and on the 3d of October, after an illness of seven days, he died. His only medical attendant was one of the tribe, who knew something of vegetable antidotes, and was called doctor. His wife, who was devotedly attached to him, mourned deeply during his illness. She seemed to have had a presentiment of his approaching death, and said, some days before it occurred, 'he is getting old--he must die--Monotah calls him home.'

"After his death, he was dressed in the uniform presented to him at Washington, by the President or Secretary at War, and placed upon a rude bier, consisting of two poles with bark laid across, on which he was carried by four of his braves to the place of interment, followed by his family and about fifty of the tribe, (the chiefs being all absent.) They seemed deeply affected, and mourned in their usual way, shaking hands, and muttering in guttural tones, prayers to Monotah (their deity) for his safe passage to the land prepared for the reception of all Indians. The grave was six feet deep and of the usual length, situated upon a little eminence about fifty yards from his wigwam. The body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a seat, constructed for the purpose. On his left side the cane given him, as I am informed, by Mr. Henry Clay, was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it. Many of the old warrior's trophies were placed in the grave, and some Indian garments, together with his favorite weapons. The grave was then covered with plank, and a mound of earth, several feet in height, was thrown up over it, and the whole enclosed with pickets twelve feet in height. At the head of the grave a flag staff was placed, bearing our national banner; and at the foot there stands a post, on which is inscribed, in Indian characters, his age.

"I do not know the exact age of Black Hawk, but understood from him, that he was seventy-two. His virtues commanded the respect of all the whites who knew him. He possessed much magnanimity of soul, and under all the mortifications to which he has been subjected, and the insults that have been heaped upon him by his tribe, and especially by the haughty Keokuk, he maintained, until the last years of his life, a uniform cheerfulness and resignation of mind, which bespoke a conscious superiority."

* * * * *

With this sketch of the last days of Black Hawk, our narrative of his life is closed. After an eventful and restless career of "three score and ten years," this celebrated Sac has been "gathered to his fathers." His name cannot be forgotten, for his deeds are a part of the history of this country. If not distinguished for a high order of talent, or renowned for great warlike achievements, he has not often been surpassed in the history of his race, for those less dazzling virtues, humanity, courage, and love of country. "He was an Indian who had a sense of honor, as well as policy; a man in whom those who know him confided."[15] In the last speech which he made in the last year of his life, in alluding to his difficulties with the whites, he says, "Rock river was a beautiful country--I liked my towns, my cornfields, and the home of my people;--I fought for it,"--a declaration as creditable to the heart of the speaker, as it is important to a just estimate of his conduct, in resisting the removal of his tribe from their native land. The love of country is not confined to civilized life, but swells the heart and nerves the arm of the untutored man of the woods. "I LIKED MY TOWNS, MY CORNFIELDS, AND THE HOME OF MY PEOPLE;--I FOUGHT FOR IT," should be inscribed over the humble grave of Black Hawk.

* * * * *

NOTE.--Since writing that portion of the foregoing narrative which treats of the causes of the late war with the Sacs and Foxes, the following article, from the able pen of judge Hall, has met our observation. It was published in the Western Monthly Magazine in 1833, one year after the termination of that conflict. The writer was then a resident of Illinois, and intimately acquainted with the relations existing between the whites and Indians. His remarks are valuable. They embrace a graphic description of the region inhabited by the Sacs and Foxes, and fully sustain the position which we have taken in this volume, that the "Black Hawk war" was the result of unprovoked agressions made by the American people upon the Indians.

"I have just returned from a delightful voyage. I have explored a
portion of the exquisitely beautiful shores of the upper
Mississippi; and am ready to confess that until now, I had little
idea of the extent, the grandeur, or the resources of the west. The
world cannot produce such another country as this great valley of
ours. Yet to understand its value, one must ascend the Mississippi
and the Illinois, and see the noble prairies of the two states
which are destined to eclipse all others. I cannot convey to you in
adequate language, my admiration of this attractive region. The
traveller who visits the western country, and fancies he has
acquired _any_ knowledge of it--I say _any_, by simply tracing the
meanders of the Ohio, or spending weeks, or years, if you please,
at Cincinnati or Louisville, is very much mistaken. There is much
to admire in western Pennsylvania and Virginia; Kentucky and Ohio
are full of attraction; but the man who is really an admirer of
nature, and would witness the most splendid exhibitions of the
creative power, must go to Illinois and Missouri.

"I visited this region for the first time four years ago, while the
Sacs and Foxes were at peace with the whites, and before Black Hawk
had got to be a great man. They were friendly and well-disposed,
and the white people residing near them, would almost as soon have
distrusted or disturbed each other, as those peaceful red men. I
took great interest in noticing their dwellings, and remarking
their deportment, as it was the first occasion I had ever enjoyed
of seeing the savage in his own wild home. I had embarked on board
a steamboat at St. Louis, intending to take a pleasant excursion
to the falls of St. Anthony. The weather was very delightful, only
a little too warm; and the river was unfortunately so low, that on
arriving at the _Des Moines_ rapids, we found it difficult to
ascend them, and above that point, our progress was continually
impeded by the difficulty of the navigation. This circumstance,
though vexatious to such of the passengers as had business ahead,
or families at home, was not disagreeable to one who, like myself,
travelled only for amusement, as it afforded opportunities of
exploring the romantic shores. We spent a day at the Lower Rapids,
and I have seldom seen a more attractive country. The land is high
on both sides, and rises gradually in beautiful swells. I saw
hundreds of acres covered with the native buckeye, the most
beautiful tree of the forest--if, indeed, any can be entitled to
that distinction among so great a variety of noble and majestic
trees. Beneath, was a rich undergrowth of wild gooseberry bushes.
Add to these the beautiful creeper, and the wild honeysuckle, which
were occasionally seen, and it is impossible to imagine a
vegetation more splendidly luxuriant and ornamental. The whole
country is based on rock, and the springs which burst out from the
hill sides are clear as crystal and delightfully cold. The shores
of the river are plentifully strewed with crystalizations and
petrifactions. We picked up some fine specimens of cornelian, and
saw a vast number of geodes of every size, from one inch in
diameter to fifteen.

"It was Sunday. Have you ever experienced the singular and pleasing
associations connected with a sabbath passed in the wilderness? I
have often enjoyed these feelings, but never felt them with such
force as on this day. It was calm and sultry. The brilliant
sunbeams were brightly reflected from the broad bosom of the
Mississippi, and the deep green outline of the forest was
splendidly illumined, while the deep shadows underneath the foliage
afforded an attractive appearance of coolness and seclusion. The
passengers and crew were scattered about singly or in small
parties, so that when I wandered but a small distance from the
vessel, and seated myself on a hill which commanded a view of the
river and its banks, I found myself perfectly alone. Not a living
object was visible, not a sound was heard, not a leaf or a limb
stirred. How different from the streets of a city upon a sabbath
morn, when crowds of well-dressed persons are seen moving in every
direction; when the cheerful bells are sounding, and the beautiful
smiling children are hurrying in troops to Sunday school! Here I
was in solitude. I saw not the laborer resting from toil, nor the
smile of infancy, nor the christian bowing before his God; but
Nature proclaimed a sabbath by the silence that reigned abroad, and
the splendor with which she had adorned her works.

"It is natural that these recollections of my first visit to the
frontier should mingle with the observations made in my recent tour
through the same scenes; I shall therefore not attempt to separate
the remarks made on either occasion, but give some of the results
of both voyages.

"I can scarcely describe the sensations with which I first saw the
solitary lodge of an Indian hunter, on the shore of the
Mississippi. In my childhood I had read with thrilling interest,
the tales of border warfare; but I had not learned to hate an
Indian with mortal hatred. I verily believe they have souls. People
may think differently in certain places, which shall be nameless,
but I cannot be persuaded to the contrary. You cannot imagine any
thing more frail than an Indian wigwam--a mere shelter of poles and
mats, so small, so apparently inadequate to any purpose of
security or comfort, that it is hardly possible to believe it to be
intended for the residence of human beings. In such habitations
reside the Indian warrior, whose name is a terror to his enemies;
and the dark maiden, whose story supplies the poet with rich
materials, with which to embellish the page of fiction. In such
wretched hovels reside the aboriginal lords of the soil.

"I _have_ seen in this region, evidences of persecution perpetrated
by our people upon this unhappy race, such as the American people
would scarcely believe; and I am satisfied that if the events of
the late war could be traced to their true source, every real
philanthropist in the nation would blush for his country.

* * * * *

"I could relate many anecdotes, to show the friendly feelings
entertained towards our government and people by the Sacs--feelings
which, whether of fear or of kindness, have rendered them wholly
submissive, and which nothing but the most unprovoked aggression on
our side, could have kindled into hostility. I will only, at this
time, repeat one, which occurred during my first voyage, reserving
others for a future letter.

"One day, when the boat stopped to take in wood, some of us
strolled up to the house of a Mr. D., a respectable farmer from
Pennsylvania. He had been living here several years, at a spot
distant from any settlements, and without a single neighbor. Upon
our inquiring whether he felt no alarm in residing thus alone in
the vicinity of the Indians, he replied that his family had
formerly experienced much uneasiness, but that they had long since
become satisfied that there was no ground for apprehension. He was
convinced that the Sacs, their nearest neighbors, so far from being
disposed to injure the whites, were cautious and timid of giving
offence. In support of this opinion, he related the following
anecdote.

"His house stands on a high bank of the Mississippi, and the family
were one day much alarmed by discovering a large number of Indians
passing up the river in canoes. They passed along in a most
disorderly manner, some paddling their little vessels, and others
strolling along the shore, but the majority evidently intoxicated.
It was the latter circumstance which caused alarm. The Indians had
been to St. Louis to receive their annuities, and had procured a
sufficient supply of whisky to render them unsafe visitors. They
continued, however, straggling along in larger or smaller parties
all day, without stopping. At night, one of them, a young warrior
of prepossessing appearance, came to the house, and in the most
respectful manner, asked permission to sleep upon the floor of the
cabin. Mr. D., although by no means pleased with his guest, knew
not how to refuse. The Indian warrior was invited to supper. A
plentiful meal, such as composed the ordinary repast of the family,
was placed before him, and having satisfied his hunger, he wrapped
himself in his blanket, threw himself on the floor before the fire,
and went to sleep. In the course of the night, Mr. D. happening to
go out, discovered some Indians lying in the bushes not far from
the house; without disturbing them, he proceeded in a different
direction, where he found another party; they were strewed, in
short, entirely around his dwelling. The fact of being thus
surrounded, the concealment, and the silence of the Indians, all
conspired to awaken suspicion, and he passed the night in no small
degree of uneasiness. He rose early in the morning; his Indian
guest also started up, gathered his blanket around him, and took
leave; first, however, explaining to Mr. D. that he belonged to a
party of Sacs who were returning from St. Louis, and that many of
them being intoxicated, it had been thought proper to station a
guard round Mr. D.'s house, to protect him and his property from
injury. He added, that if any depredation should be discovered to
have been committed by the Indians, the chiefs would pay Mr. D. the
full amount. Such an example of the care taken by the chiefs of
this tribe to avoid giving umbrage to the whites, affords the
highest testimony, either of their friendship for our people, or
their respect for our power.

"The Sac and Fox tribe inhabited, at that time, a beautiful tract
of country in Illinois, upon the borders of Rock river. These two
tribes are usually mentioned in conjunction; because the Foxes,
many years ago, having been nearly exterminated in a war with some
of their neighbors, the remnant of the nation, too feeble to exist
as a separate tribe, sought refuge in the Sac villages, and have
remained ever since incorporated with the latter people. They are a
fine looking race of people, and are well disposed towards the
whites. They have long been divided, however, into two parties, one
of which is friendly towards our government, while the other,
called the _British band_, is under the influence of the British
traders. It has always been the policy of the latter, to keep the
Indians upon the western frontier in a state of disaffection
towards the American people, and by these means, to secure to
themselves an undue proportion of the fur trade. So long as it
should remain difficult upon our part to gain access to the tribes,
and our intercourse with them be liable to interruption, jealousy,
and distrust, so long would the British trader possess an advantage
over us in relation to this traffic. The British fur companies,
whose agents are numerous, intelligent, and enterprising, have
always acted upon this policy, and the English officers in Canada,
both civil and military, have given it their sanction. Almost all
the atrocities which have been committed on our frontiers by the
Indians, within the last fifty years, have been directly or
indirectly incited by the incendiary agents of that mercenary
government. The _British band_ of the Sacs and Foxes have been in
the habit of visiting Malden annually, and receiving valuable
presents--presents, which being made to a disaffected portion of a
tribe residing not only within the United States, but within the
limits of a state, could be viewed in no other light than as
bribes,--the wages of disaffection. Black Hawk, though not a chief,
is one of the most influential individuals of the _British band_."

* * * * *

In a late number of the American Museum, we find the following article. It bears intrinsic evidence of coming from the same pen, and presents in a striking point of view the rapid extension of our settlements, and the consequent recession of the Indians.

Most of our readers have become familiarly acquainted with the
name of the redoubted Black Hawk, whose adventures are detailed in
this volume and whose fame has been spread from Maine to Florida.
There was a time when he shared the eager attention of the public
with Fanny Kemble and the cholera, and was one of the lions of the
day; and as regularly talked about as the weather, the last new
novel, or the candidates for the presidency. The war in Illinois,
though of brief duration, and not marked by any stirring events,
came suddenly upon us after a long series of peaceful years upon
the northwestern border. The savages, weary of fruitless conflicts,
or quelled by the superior numbers of a gigantic and growing foe,
seemed to have submitted to their fate, and the pioneer had ceased
to number the war-whoop among the inquietudes of the border life.
The plains of Illinois and Missouri were rapidly becoming peopled
by civilized men. A race less hardy than the backwoodsmen were
tempted by the calm to migrate to those delightful solitudes, that
bloomed with more than Arcadian fascinations of fruitfulness and
beauty. The smoke of the settler's cabin began to ascend from the
margin of every stream in that wide region, and the cattle strayed
through rich pastures, of which the buffalo, the elk, and the deer,
had long enjoyed a monopoly--an unchartered monopoly--wondering, no
doubt, at their good luck in having their lives cast in such
pleasant places.

It was the writer's lot to ramble over that beautiful country while
these interesting scenes were presented; while the wilderness still
glowed in its pristine luxuriance: while the prairie-grass and the
wild flowers still covered the plain, and the deer continued to
frequent his ancient haunts, and while the habitations of the new
settlers were so widely and so thinly scattered, that the nearest
neighbors could scarcely have exchanged the courtesy of an annual
visit without the aid of the seven-leagued boots of ancient story.
But though in solitude, they lived without fear. There were none to
molest nor make them afraid. If they had few friends, they had no
enemies. If the Indian halted at the settler's door, it was to
solicit hospitality, not to offer violence. But more frequently he
stalked silently by, timid of giving offence to the white man, whom
he doubtless regarded as an intruder upon his own ancient heritage,
but whose possession he had been taught to respect, because he had
ever found it guarded by a strong and swift arm, that had never
failed to repay aggression with ten-fold vengeance. Suddenly,
however, a change came over this cheering scene. The misconduct of
a few white men disturbed the harmony of a wide region. The Indians
were oppressed and insulted to the last point of forbearance, and a
small but restless band, regarded as insubordinate and troublesome
even by their own nation, seized upon the occasion to rush to war.

It is wonderful to look back upon this eventful history. The
country over which Black Hawk, with a handful of followers, badly
armed, and destitute of stores or munitions of war, roamed for
hundreds of miles, driving off the scattered inhabitants, is now
covered with flourishing settlements, with substantial houses, and
large farms--not with the cabins and clearings of bordermen--but
with the comfortable dwellings and the well-tilled fields of
independent farmers. Organized counties and all the subordination
of social life are there; and there are the noisy school-house, the
decent church, the mill, the country store, the fat ox, and the
sleek plough-horse. The yankee is there with his notions and his
patent-rights, and the travelling agent with his subscription book;
there are merchandise from India and from England, and, in short,
all the luxuries of life, from Bulwer's last novel down to
Brandreth's pills. And all this has been done in six years--in less
than half the time of Jacob's courtship. In 1832 the Saukie
warriors ranged over that fertile region, which is now (1838)
covered with an industrious population; while the Territories of
Wisconsin and Iowa, and vast settlements in Missouri, have since
grown up, beyond the region which was then the frontier and the
seat of war.