Attacks at Fort Blue Mounds
Encyclopedia
The attacks at Fort Blue Mounds were two separate incidents which occurred on June 6 and 20, 1832, as part of the Black Hawk War
. In the first incident, area residents attributed the killing of a miner to a band of Ho-Chunk
warriors, and concluded that more Ho-Chunk planned to join Black Hawk
in his war against white settlers. The second incident occurred east of the fort as a Sauk raiding party, estimated by eyewitnesses to be as large as 100 warriors, attacked two militia men who were investigating noises heard the night before. Two members of the militia stationed at Blue Mounds
were killed in the attack, and both their bodies were badly mutilated.
The attacks followed an increase in tension after the Hall sisters were released at Fort Blue Mounds
on June 1. The sisters had been kidnapped during the Indian Creek massacre
in May and were brought to Blue Mounds by a party of Ho-Chunk. Militia leader Henry Dodge
became suspicious of the Ho-Chunk and took them prisoner, though they were later released as tension between the Ho-Chunk and white settlers increased. The attacks also lent credence to the belief that more Ho-Chunk were set to join Black Hawk's war against white settlers in Illinois
and Michigan Territory
. Though other attacks on the fort were expected they never happened and Fort Blue Mounds served as a supply center for the remaining days of the war.
of Indiana Territory
and a group of Sauk and Fox leaders regarding land settlement the Sauk and Fox tribes vacated their lands in Illinois
in 1828 and moved west of the Mississippi River
. However, Sauk Chief Black Hawk
and others disputed the treaty, claiming that the full tribal councils had not been consulted, nor did those representing the tribes have authorization to cede lands. Angered by the loss of his birthplace, Black Hawk led a number of incursions across the Mississippi River beginning in 1830, but each time was persuaded, without bloodshed, to return west. In April 1832, encouraged by promises of alliance with other tribes and the British
, he again moved his so-called "British Band
" of around 1,000 warriors and civilians into Illinois. A number of other engagements followed, and the state militias of Wisconsin
and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band, the conflict that ensued became known as the Black Hawk War
.
Upon hearing of Black Hawk's return, settlers throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin hastily constructed forts. Construction on a fort began at Ebeneezer Brigham's Moundville settlement (now Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
) on May 10. As construction of the fort commenced Black Hawk found no allies so he attempted to return to Iowa
, but events overtook him and led to the Battle of Stillman's Run
. The battle likely caused the builders of Fort Blue Mounds
to accelerate the pace of construction.
One week after the clash at Stillman's Run, on May 21, 1832, the Indian Creek massacre
occurred well south of Fort Blue Mounds, near present-day Ottawa, Illinois
. During the attack, two teenage girls were kidnapped
by a raiding band of Potawatomi
. The girls, Sylvia and Rachel Hall, were released on June 1 at Fort Blue Mounds by the party of Ho-Chunk
who had helped secure their release; the party included several important chiefs. Commander of the Michigan Territory
militia Henry Dodge
arrived with a company to retrieve the girls but became suspicious of the Ho-Chunk and took them prisoner in an attempt to secure the alliance and good behavior of other Ho-Chunk in the vicinity of Blue Mounds. The chiefs were soon released but friction between white settlers at Moundville and the Ho-Chunk residing in the area increased. Indian Agent Henry Gratiot
tried to calm the situation by appeasing the Ho-Chunk through gifts. Despite Gratiot's attempts, the tension exploded into violence a few days later.
warriors on June 6, 1832. According to one witness statement, directly preceding the first attack at Fort Blue Mounds on June 6, there was an argument between William Aubrey's wife and a Ho-Chunk man. During the exchange the Ho-Chunk man threatened to kill her husband. Aubrey was a miner who was working for Brigham about 1½ miles away from Fort Blue Mounds when he was attacked. He and Jefferson Smith were detailed to retrieve water from a spring near the fort when they were ambushed by a small party of warriors. Aubrey was shot twice and stabbed through the neck with a spear
. His companion, though shot three times, managed to escape with his life. Smith fled back to the fort, leaving his gun and horse behind. At the fort, the settlers correctly guessed that the attackers were Ho-Chunk and not the warriors of Black Hawk's
"British Band
," which was 40 miles (64.4 km) away at Lake Kegonsa.
The second attack occurred on June 20, 1832, two weeks after the first incident. In the attack, a large Sauk war party attacked Blue Mounds and two members of the militia
, Emerson Green and George Force, were killed
. Eyewitness accounts estimated the size of the group between 50-100 warriors. The night before the second attack of June 20 strange noises were heard in the vicinity of the fort. Force and Green had left the fort, on horseback, to investigate the previous night's disturbances and were several miles east of Fort Blue Mounds when they came across Black Hawk's band, guided to the fort by sympathetic Ho-Chunk. Force was killed immediately but Green broke for the fort and almost made it back to safety when, in view of the fort's occupants, his horse was shot out from underneath him. Green was surrounded by the war party and killed, eyewitness accounts indicate that his body was badly mutilated.
were involved which exacerbated the fear that more from the Ho-Chunk Nation were set to join Chief Black Hawk's
band against the white settlers in Michigan Territory and Illinois. With the loyalty of the Ho-Chunk in question the possibility of a two-front war emerged. After the deaths of Green and Force, U.S. interrogators questioned two Ho-Chunk warriors they had captured. The braves, members of the Prophet's
Band, took credit for the killings, even boasting of them.
The location of Aubrey's death was in Michigan Territory
near present-day Blue Mounds
, Wisconsin
. Following his death, mounted troops and riders from the fort traced the band responsible for the attack to a recently abandoned camp, and then to the Wisconsin River
, where the search ended. Aubrey was buried on a high piece of land overlooking the fort from the northeast.
Green's body was buried at the fort but Force's remains laid on the prairie for four days before they were retrieved; the fort's residents were too frightened to venture far from the building. On June 24 General Henry Dodge
and Captain James H. Gentry arrived at Fort Blue Mounds with part of Gentry's company. Their purpose was to conduct reconnaissance
operations but they ended up finding the body of Lieutenant Force beneath a tree about two miles (3 km) east of the fort. Early histories indicate Force's body was badly mutilated and missing a "part." Force was buried near the fort, along the main trail about two miles (3 km) east of the fort.
Though Brigham fully expected an all-out attack on Fort Blue Mounds following the incidents, it never came. The only violence that befell the occupants of the fort was that perpetrated on those who left its confines on June 6 and June 20. Dodge left a detachment at the fort for a time but after the June 20 attack the fort was never again a target during the Black Hawk War
. Until the end of the war, Fort Blue Mounds served primarily as a supply center for the militia as they continued their pursuit of Black Hawk across Wisconsin.
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
. In the first incident, area residents attributed the killing of a miner to a band of Ho-Chunk
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
warriors, and concluded that more Ho-Chunk planned to join Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
in his war against white settlers. The second incident occurred east of the fort as a Sauk raiding party, estimated by eyewitnesses to be as large as 100 warriors, attacked two militia men who were investigating noises heard the night before. Two members of the militia stationed at Blue Mounds
Blue Mounds Fort
Fort Blue Mounds, also known as Blue Mounds Fort, was located in Blue Mounds, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA.-History:The settlement of Blue Mounds was founded in 1828 by Ebenezer Brigham on the south slope of the eastern mound of the Blue Mounds...
were killed in the attack, and both their bodies were badly mutilated.
The attacks followed an increase in tension after the Hall sisters were released at Fort Blue Mounds
Blue Mounds Fort
Fort Blue Mounds, also known as Blue Mounds Fort, was located in Blue Mounds, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA.-History:The settlement of Blue Mounds was founded in 1828 by Ebenezer Brigham on the south slope of the eastern mound of the Blue Mounds...
on June 1. The sisters had been kidnapped during the Indian Creek massacre
Indian Creek massacre
The Indian Creek massacre occurred on May 21, 1832, when a group of United States settlers in LaSalle County, Illinois, were attacked by a party of Native Americans. The massacre was sparked by the outbreak of the Black Hawk War, but it was not directly related to Sauk leader Black Hawk's conflict...
in May and were brought to Blue Mounds by a party of Ho-Chunk. Militia leader Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
became suspicious of the Ho-Chunk and took them prisoner, though they were later released as tension between the Ho-Chunk and white settlers increased. The attacks also lent credence to the belief that more Ho-Chunk were set to join Black Hawk's war against white settlers in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
. Though other attacks on the fort were expected they never happened and Fort Blue Mounds served as a supply center for the remaining days of the war.
Background
As a consequence of an 1804 treaty between the GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
and a group of Sauk and Fox leaders regarding land settlement the Sauk and Fox tribes vacated their lands in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1828 and moved west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. However, Sauk Chief Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
and others disputed the treaty, claiming that the full tribal councils had not been consulted, nor did those representing the tribes have authorization to cede lands. Angered by the loss of his birthplace, Black Hawk led a number of incursions across the Mississippi River beginning in 1830, but each time was persuaded, without bloodshed, to return west. In April 1832, encouraged by promises of alliance with other tribes and the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he again moved his so-called "British Band
British Band
The British Band was a group of Native Americans which fought against Illinois and Michigan Territory militia units during the 1832 Black Hawk War. The band was composed of about 1,500 men, women, and children from the Sauk, Meskwaki, Fox, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Ottawa nations;...
" of around 1,000 warriors and civilians into Illinois. A number of other engagements followed, and the state militias of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band, the conflict that ensued became known as the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
.
Prelude
Map of Black Hawk War sites Battle (with name)  Fort / settlement  Native villageSymbols are wikilinked to article |
Upon hearing of Black Hawk's return, settlers throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin hastily constructed forts. Construction on a fort began at Ebeneezer Brigham's Moundville settlement (now Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
Blue Mounds is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 708. The population was estimated at 766 in 2009. The village is adjacent to the Town of Blue Mounds and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Blue...
) on May 10. As construction of the fort commenced Black Hawk found no allies so he attempted to return to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, but events overtook him and led to the Battle of Stillman's Run
Battle of Stillman's Run
The Battle of Stillman's Run, also known as the Battle of Sycamore Creek or the Battle of Old Man's Creek, occurred on May 14, 1832. The battle was named for Major Isaiah Stillman and his detachment of 275 Illinois militia which fled in a panic from a large number of Sauk warriors. According to...
. The battle likely caused the builders of Fort Blue Mounds
Blue Mounds Fort
Fort Blue Mounds, also known as Blue Mounds Fort, was located in Blue Mounds, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA.-History:The settlement of Blue Mounds was founded in 1828 by Ebenezer Brigham on the south slope of the eastern mound of the Blue Mounds...
to accelerate the pace of construction.
One week after the clash at Stillman's Run, on May 21, 1832, the Indian Creek massacre
Indian Creek massacre
The Indian Creek massacre occurred on May 21, 1832, when a group of United States settlers in LaSalle County, Illinois, were attacked by a party of Native Americans. The massacre was sparked by the outbreak of the Black Hawk War, but it was not directly related to Sauk leader Black Hawk's conflict...
occurred well south of Fort Blue Mounds, near present-day Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
. During the attack, two teenage girls were kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
by a raiding band of Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
. The girls, Sylvia and Rachel Hall, were released on June 1 at Fort Blue Mounds by the party of Ho-Chunk
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
who had helped secure their release; the party included several important chiefs. Commander of the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
militia Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
arrived with a company to retrieve the girls but became suspicious of the Ho-Chunk and took them prisoner in an attempt to secure the alliance and good behavior of other Ho-Chunk in the vicinity of Blue Mounds. The chiefs were soon released but friction between white settlers at Moundville and the Ho-Chunk residing in the area increased. Indian Agent Henry Gratiot
Henry Gratiot
Colonel Henry Gratiot was a French-American pioneer, trader and businessman who, during the Winnebago and Black Hawk Wars, acted as both an intermediary and early U.S. Indian agent to the Winnebagos throughout the early 19th century...
tried to calm the situation by appeasing the Ho-Chunk through gifts. Despite Gratiot's attempts, the tension exploded into violence a few days later.
Attacks
The first incident near Fort Blue Mounds occurred when William Griffith Aubrey was attacked and killed by Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
warriors on June 6, 1832. According to one witness statement, directly preceding the first attack at Fort Blue Mounds on June 6, there was an argument between William Aubrey's wife and a Ho-Chunk man. During the exchange the Ho-Chunk man threatened to kill her husband. Aubrey was a miner who was working for Brigham about 1½ miles away from Fort Blue Mounds when he was attacked. He and Jefferson Smith were detailed to retrieve water from a spring near the fort when they were ambushed by a small party of warriors. Aubrey was shot twice and stabbed through the neck with a spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
. His companion, though shot three times, managed to escape with his life. Smith fled back to the fort, leaving his gun and horse behind. At the fort, the settlers correctly guessed that the attackers were Ho-Chunk and not the warriors of Black Hawk's
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
"British Band
British Band
The British Band was a group of Native Americans which fought against Illinois and Michigan Territory militia units during the 1832 Black Hawk War. The band was composed of about 1,500 men, women, and children from the Sauk, Meskwaki, Fox, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Ottawa nations;...
," which was 40 miles (64.4 km) away at Lake Kegonsa.
The second attack occurred on June 20, 1832, two weeks after the first incident. In the attack, a large Sauk war party attacked Blue Mounds and two members of the militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, Emerson Green and George Force, were killed
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
. Eyewitness accounts estimated the size of the group between 50-100 warriors. The night before the second attack of June 20 strange noises were heard in the vicinity of the fort. Force and Green had left the fort, on horseback, to investigate the previous night's disturbances and were several miles east of Fort Blue Mounds when they came across Black Hawk's band, guided to the fort by sympathetic Ho-Chunk. Force was killed immediately but Green broke for the fort and almost made it back to safety when, in view of the fort's occupants, his horse was shot out from underneath him. Green was surrounded by the war party and killed, eyewitness accounts indicate that his body was badly mutilated.
Aftermath
Following the murder of Aubrey, people in the area quickly suspected that the Ho-ChunkHo-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
were involved which exacerbated the fear that more from the Ho-Chunk Nation were set to join Chief Black Hawk's
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
band against the white settlers in Michigan Territory and Illinois. With the loyalty of the Ho-Chunk in question the possibility of a two-front war emerged. After the deaths of Green and Force, U.S. interrogators questioned two Ho-Chunk warriors they had captured. The braves, members of the Prophet's
Wabokieshiek
Wabokieshiek was an important Native American of the Ho-Chunk and Sauk tribes in 19th century Illinois, playing a key role in the Black Hawk War of 1832...
Band, took credit for the killings, even boasting of them.
The location of Aubrey's death was in Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
near present-day Blue Mounds
Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
Blue Mounds is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 708. The population was estimated at 766 in 2009. The village is adjacent to the Town of Blue Mounds and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Blue...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Following his death, mounted troops and riders from the fort traced the band responsible for the attack to a recently abandoned camp, and then to the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
, where the search ended. Aubrey was buried on a high piece of land overlooking the fort from the northeast.
Green's body was buried at the fort but Force's remains laid on the prairie for four days before they were retrieved; the fort's residents were too frightened to venture far from the building. On June 24 General Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
and Captain James H. Gentry arrived at Fort Blue Mounds with part of Gentry's company. Their purpose was to conduct reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
operations but they ended up finding the body of Lieutenant Force beneath a tree about two miles (3 km) east of the fort. Early histories indicate Force's body was badly mutilated and missing a "part." Force was buried near the fort, along the main trail about two miles (3 km) east of the fort.
Though Brigham fully expected an all-out attack on Fort Blue Mounds following the incidents, it never came. The only violence that befell the occupants of the fort was that perpetrated on those who left its confines on June 6 and June 20. Dodge left a detachment at the fort for a time but after the June 20 attack the fort was never again a target during the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
. Until the end of the war, Fort Blue Mounds served primarily as a supply center for the militia as they continued their pursuit of Black Hawk across Wisconsin.