Battle of the Sink Hole
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Sink Hole was fought on May 24, 1815, after the official end of the War of 1812
, between Missouri Rangers and Sauk Indians led by Black Hawk
. The Sauk were unaware, or did not care, that their British patrons had signed the Treaty of Ghent
with the U.S. The battle was fought in a low spot near the mouth of the Cuivre River
in Missouri
(present day City of Old Monroe), near Fort Howard and Fort Cap au Gris
. An ambush by Sauk on a group of rangers led to a prolonged siege in which seven Rangers and one Sauk were killed. Conflicting accounts of the action were given by John Shaw and by Black Hawk.
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, between Missouri Rangers and Sauk Indians led by 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...
. The Sauk were unaware, or did not care, that their British patrons had signed the Treaty of Ghent
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent , signed on 24 December 1814, in Ghent , was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
with the U.S. The battle was fought in a low spot near the mouth of the Cuivre River
Cuivre River
The Cuivre River is a river in the east central part of the state of Missouri, north of the Missouri River terminus. A good part of its course marks the borders between Lincoln and St. Charles counties before emptying into the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. The Cuivre River State Park near...
in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
(present day City of Old Monroe), near Fort Howard and Fort Cap au Gris
Fort Cap au Gris
Fort Cap au Gris, also called Capo Gray, was a temporary fort built in September 1814 near Troy, Missouri during the War of 1812 by Missouri Rangers under the direction of Nathan Boone, son of Daniel Boone. After the defeat of Fort Johnson, U.S...
. An ambush by Sauk on a group of rangers led to a prolonged siege in which seven Rangers and one Sauk were killed. Conflicting accounts of the action were given by John Shaw and by Black Hawk.