Part 3 - “Early Success” ACT IV: BATTLE OF BUFFALO GROVE, IL. MAY 19, 1832 BLACK HAWK
WE ARE DOING WELL. I PREDICT HARD TIMES AND MANY SKIRMISHES AHEAD. THE GREAT SPIRIT TELLS ME THAT WE NEED TO BE FOREVER STRONG TO SURVIVE AS A TRIBE.
WHIRLING THUNDER
FATHER WE HAVE SEEN TROOP MOVEMENTS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS SURROUNDING OUR ENCAMPMENT. Site of Bad Axe River Battle
BLACK HAWK
YES, I’M WELL AWARE OF THE ILLINOIS MILITIA. I HAVE IN FACT MET WITH THEIR COMMANDER, ATKINSON. HE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED.
WHIRLING THUNDER
WHAT DID HE SAY?
BLACK HAWK
HE WENT THROUGH A DIATRIBE THAT WE WERE ON UNITED STATES LAND BY TREATY. HE WENT SO FAR AS TO CLAIM PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON HAD ORDERED US OFF THE LAND.
WHIRLING THUNDER
Black Hawk
SO WHAT THEN DID YOU SAY TO THAT?
BLACK HAWK
I TALKED OPENLY HOW WE WERE FORCED OFF OUR LAND AND THAT IN FACT THE UNITED STATES WAS TRESPASSING ON OUR LAND. I EVEN OFFERED THAT WE COULD COEXIST.
WHIRLING THUNDER
NO ONE REALLY OWNS THE LAND OTHER THAN OUR GREAT SPIRIT - RIGHT?
BLACK HAWK
Sauk & Fox Indians
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SAUK CUSTOM PROVIDES THAT THE LAND IS TO BE USED BY EVERYONE. NO ONE HOLDS TITLE AS THEY SAY IN THE UNITED STATES. NO ONE CAN POSSESS THE LAND BY THEMSELVES. IF ANYTHING, THE WHITE SQUATTERS AND ILLINOIS MILITIA ARE TRESPASSING ON OUR LAND. THIS IS SAUK INDIAN LAND. WE WERE HERE LONG BEFORE THE WHITE MAN CAME.
WHIRLING THUNDER
AND THE WHITE MAN EXPECTS US TO JUST LEAVE AND CONTINUE TO GO WEST?
BLACK HAWK
YES, THE WHITE MAN EXPECTS OUR TRIBE TO FIND A NEW HOME WHILE THEY MOVE INTO OUR TRIBAL LANDS WHICH THEY SAY KEOKUK TRANSFERRED. IT IS OBVIOUS THE WHITE MAN NEVER DISCUSSED THIS WITH THE SAUKS WHO WERE LIVING ON THIS LAND FOR YEARS. I FEAR THEIR ASSAULTS ON OUR LAND RIGHTS WILL NEVER END. WE WILL BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GREAT MOUNTAINS IF THIS CONTINUES - ALL THE WAY TO THE GREAT OCEAN I’VE HEARD ABOUT. OUR TRIBE AND MANY OTHERS MAY NEVER STOP RUNNING UNTIL OUR TRIBE DIES. OUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN WILL NOT SURVIVE THE HARSH WINTERS WITHOUT FOOD, SHELTER, BLANKETS, AND GOOD MORALE.
Lithograph of battle scene
WHIRLING THUNDER
MANY OF THE WARRIORS ARE TALKING ABOUT HEADING BACK TO THE NORTHERN COUNTRY FOR MORE FERTILE LAND. IT APPEARS THE WHITE MAN HAS SCALDED THE LAND OF CROPS AND ANIMALS FOR HUNTING. THERE APPEARS TO BE LITTLE LEFT.
BLACK HAWK
AGREED. THE WHITE MAN HAS LITTLE RESPECT FOR THE LAND. IF ONE DOESN’T TREAT THE LAND WELL, THE LAND ITSELF WILL REBEL AND BECOME VIOLENTLY UNPRODUCTIVE. A PERSON CANNOT SURVIVE ON LAND THAT HAS BEEN INJURED.
WHIRLING THUNDER
MY GENERATION WILL TAKE A STAND RIGHT HERE IN THE ROCK RIVER BASIN, HEAD NORTH AS A TRIBE, AND FIND FERTILE HUNTING, FISHING, AND FARMING GROUND.
Depiction of the Bad Axe battle scene
BLACK HAWK
I FEEL FULL SCALE WAR IS INEVITABLE IF THE WHITE MAN HAS NOT ALREADY DECREED A WAR. THEY WILL NOT GO QUIETLY. MY DREAM OF A LARGE INDIAN CONFEDERATION IS MOST LIKELY DOOMED DUE TO TRIBAL DISPARITIES AND LACK OF UNION - MAINLY DUE TO KEOKUK SELLING OUT TO THE WHITE MAN AND THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
WHIRLING THUNDER
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR A TRIBE TO SURVIVE WHEN CONSTANTLY MOVING. SOME MOVEMENT FOR A FEW SEASONS IS OK, BUT CONSTANT MOVEMENT TO AVOID WAR WILL LEAD TO OUR DEATH AND DESTRUCTION AS A TRIBE. WE NEED TO WIN THE WAR QUICKLY.
President Andrew Jackson
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BLACK HAWK
WE MAY INDEED HEAD BACK SOUTH AND TAKE A STAND AT SAUKENUK, MY BIRTHPLACE. AT SOME POINT IF OUR TRIBE AND MANY OTHER TRIBES ARE TO SURVIVE, WE WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE A VIGOROUS STAND SOMEWHERE.
WHIRLING THUNDER
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 500 SUPERIOR WARRIORS AND 500 NEW WARRIORS UP AGAINST GOVERNOR REYNOLDS NOW GROWING MILITIA OF 9000 MEN.
BLACK HAWK
Chief Shabona
MANY OF THESE MEN IN THE MILITIA ARE THERE FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES, OR TO ADVANCE THEIR APPEAL TO A WOMAN, A FAMILY, OR AN OFFICE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. KILLING SAVAGE INDIANS OR AT LEAST CHASING THEM ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SOUNDS ROMANTIC IN CIVILIZED SOCIETY. I’VE HEARD THESE WHITE MEN TALK.
WHIRLING THUNDER
FATHER WE DON’T NEED TO FOLLOW THEIR WAYS AS KEOKUK HAS DEMANDED. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS WHICH WE SHOULD NOT ASPIRE TO. I LOVE MY SAUK TRIBE WITH ITS TRADITIONS AND CULTURE. I DON’T WANT TO LOSE IT.
BLACK HAWK
Black Hawk
I NEVER HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE INDIANS LEAVING THE TERRITORIES WE HAVE SETTLED FOR GENERATIONS IN EXCHANGE FOR LAND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI WHICH OTHER TRIBES OCCUPY. NOW WE ARE REQUIRED TO GO ONTO LANDS OCCUPIED BY IOWAY, SIOUX, APACHE, COMANCHE, OMAHA, FOX, CHIPPEWA, OSAGE, AND MANY OTHERS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
DON’T FORGET THE $1000 PER YEAR PAYMENT FATHER WHICH THE WHITE GOVERNMENT NEVER PAID.
BLACK HAWK
WHO WOULD THEY PAY IT TO? KEOKUK?
WHIRLING THUNDER
US steamboat Warrior engages Indians in canoes, Bad Axe Crossing
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HE IS OFF SMOKING PEACE PIPES WITH ANY WHITE MEN WHO WILL LISTEN TO HIM. HE DOESN’T REPRESENT THE SAUK OR ANY OTHER TRIBES IN THIS AREA. HE BELIEVES THE INDIAN TRIBES SHOULD DO WHAT THE WHITE MAN DOES. BUT POTAWATOMI, HO CHUNKS, SAUK, WINNEBAGO, AND FOX DO NOT AGREE. KEOKUK WANTS TO PREVENT WAR, TO PEACEFULLY COEXIST AND MAKE THE BEST OF THE
SITUATION OF THIS WHITE EMPIRE. HE DOESN’T REALIZE THAT HE IS SELLING OUT TO THE WHITE MAN WITH NOTHING IN RETURN.
BLACK HAWK
I WILL NEVER ALLOW OUR TRIBE TO STARVE. WE CANNOT GO HUNGRY OR WE DIE AS A TRIBE. I WILL CONTINUE TO DO WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO TO SURVIVE AS A TRIBE. I AM THE WAR AND CIVIL CHIEF OF THE SAUK. I WILL GO BACK TO THE IOWA COUNTRY IF NECESSARY. WE WILL NOT BE DETERRED BY THE ILLINOIS MILITIA. WE WILL RETURN TO IOWA ONLY IF WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE.
WHIRLING THUNDER
FATHER, DID YOU SEE THE LARGE NUMBER OF WHITE MEN IN UNIFORM?
BLACK HAWK
NO I DID NOT, BUT I SUSPECT THAT THEY ARE HERE. THEY ATTACKED AT BUFFALO GROVE. LET’S GET THEIR SCALPS.
Paintings such as this reflect the fear among whites of the Indians
WHIRLING THUNDER
THERE GOES THE MILITIA. THEY HAVE INJURED A YOUNG WARRIOR. WE WILL TAKE HIS SCALP. WE ARE GAINING. OUR HORSES ARE BETTER THAN THE WHITES. WE HAVE ALMOST ARRIVED AND YES WE NOW HAVE TWO SCALPS.
BLACK HAWK
IT APPEARS WE HAVE A FEW MORE SCALPS COMING WHIRLING THUNDER. GOOD WORK. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ATTACK IF PROVOKED, OR IF IT APPEARS WE ARE TO BE ATTACKED. THIS IS OUR LAND AS MUCH AS THE WHITE MAN. IT IS THE WHITE MAN WHO HAS COMMITTED A TRESPASS, NOT OUR TRIBE. WE ARE OFF TO A BETTER HUNT TOMORROW HEADING FURTHER TOWARD THE GREAT LAKE. WASHTE! WASHTE!
Depiction of the Bad Axe battle scene
WHIRLING THUNDER BLACK HAWK
ACT V: BUFFALO GROVE, IL. AMBUSH: MAY 19,1832 POLO,IL.
Apple River Fort
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WHIRLING THUNDER
WHAT A GREAT FEELING FATHER KNOWING WE ARE RECLAIMING OUR HOMELAND. MY ONLY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN RECLAIM SAUKENUK, YOUR HOMELAND.
BLACK HAWK
WE NOW MUST HEAD AWAY FROM HERE AND BEGIN TO HEAD FURTHER NORTH. THE KICKAPOO, FOX, AND WINNEBAGO FOR THE MOST PART HAVE JOINED THE SAUK CAUSE.
WHIRLING THUNDER
YES WE WILL NOW BE STRONGER WITH 1000 WARRIORS OR MORE.
BLACK HAWK
Bad Axe Battle Marker
BUT WE STILL NEED FOOD TO SURVIVE. THE STOLEN MUSKETS AND SOME BRITISH AMMUNITION SUPPORT HAVE HELPED. THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND ITS PEOPLE ARE NOW CALLING US THE BRITISH BAND.
WHIRLING THUNDER
WE WILL SURVIVE AND FLOURISH. WE ARE NOW STRONGER. I’M SENSING A MUCH STRONGER INDIAN CONFEDERATION. FATHER, IT APPEARS WHAT YOU HAVE DONE HAS INSPIRED NOT ONLY THE SAUK BUT MANY OTHER TRIBES WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO VACATE THEIR LANDS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
BLACK HAWK
Black Hawk
I FEAR THE MILITIA. THEY ARE STRONG, AND CONTINUE TO GROW. CHASING INDIAN TRIBES WEST OF THE GREAT RIVER IS THEIR GOAL. I FEAR THEY WILL NOT STOP.
WHIRLING THUNDER
EVEN IF WE DEFEAT THEM FATHER....
BLACK HAWK
MORE WILL COME. THEY ARE TRESPASSING ON OUR LANDS. THE CEDED LANDS DID NOT HAVE FULL TRIBAL AGREEMENT AMONGST THE INDIANS AND KEOKUK STILL DOES NOT SPEAK FOR OUR TRIBES.
WHIRLING THUNDER
Wisconsin Heights
I AGREE. BY THEIR OWN TERMS THE WHITES ARE TRESPASSING. WE CAN ONLY FIGHT ON AND WIN. I FEEL ANOTHER VICTORY COMING. LOOK! THERE GOES A BAND OF WHITES IN THE WOODS.
BLACK HAWK
OUR WARRIORS ARE WAITING AND NOW YOU HEAR THE WAR 6
CHANT. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SCALPS ARE TAKEN. YES I HEAR THEM NOW. THE WHITES WILL SURELY RECONSIDER TRESPASSING ON OUR LANDS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
I SAW THE SCALPS TAKEN NEAR BUFFALO GROVE. IT IS A GREAT PLACE TO HUNT FOR WHITE SCALPS.
BLACK HAWK
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE. NEWS OF THE SCALPINGS WILL OCCUR SOON. THE MILITIA WILL BE IN FORCE. I WOULD NOT TRUST WHITE TRUCE FLAGS EVER AGAIN.
WHIRLING THUNDER
SO WE WILL MOVE ON TONIGHT?
BLACK HAWK
YES. WE NEED TO REGROUP AND MOVE NORTH. OUR TIME IS COMING. WE WILL NEED TO FIGHT FOR OUR SURVIVAL CONSTANTLY. I SENSE A BIG BATTLE UPCOMING.
Gen E.P. Gaines
WHIRLING THUNDER
I WILL MEET YOU NEARBY AT ST. VRAIN. WASHTE! WASHTE!
BLACK HAWK WHIRLING THUNDER
ACT VI: PLUM CREEK BATTLE AND INDIAN CREEK MASSACRE: MAY 21,1832 NW ILLINOIS.
Depiction of the Bad Axe battle scene
BLACK HAWK
THE WHITE POPULATION THAT HAS SETTLED IN OUR LANDS HAS BEEN USING ADVERSE POSSESSION PROPERTY LAW AS A WAY TO CLAIM OUR LANDS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS.
BLACK HAWK
DEPENDING ON THE LAW IN A GIVEN AREA, IF YOU RESIDE IN ON A LAND PARCEL EXCLUSIVELY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME 5,10,15, OR 20 YEARS - THEN THE LAND IS YOURS BY ENGLISH PROPERTY LAW. THE WHITE SQUATTERS ARE SAYING THEY
Gen Henry Atkinson
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ARE HOLDING LAND ADVERSELY TO OUR CLAIMS, AND SINCE WE DID NOT RUN THEM OFF, THE LAND IS NOW FREE AND CLEAR IN THEIR OWNERSHIP.
WHIRLING THUNDER
SO THE WHITE MAN NOW HOLDS TITLE TO OUR PROPERTY AS WE DISCUSSED BEFORE?
BLACK HAWK
Bad Axe River as it appears today.
EXACTLY. THE WHITE MEN WERE EXCLUSIVE, ADVERSE, HOSTILE, VISIBLE, AND HAD ACTUAL POSSESSION VISIBLY IS WHAT THE WHITES ARE TELLING THE BRAVES. THEY KNOW THE LAW. THEY SAY EVEN THE ADVERSE POSSESSION OVER RIDES A TREATY.
WHIRLING THUNDER
WE HAVE JUST RECEIVED REPORTS THAT PLUM CREEK HAS BEEN A SUCCESS. NO ONE WAS KILLED OR INJURED BUT THE INHABITANTS HAVE FLED TO GALENA.
BLACK HAWK
YES, GENERALS STRODE, ATKINSON, AND ZACHARY TAYLOR WILL BE DIRECTING ATTACKS ON US SHORTLY. WE WILL CONTINUE OUR AMBUSH STYLE OF FIGHTING.
WHIRLING THUNDER
WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD FATHER?
BLACK HAWK
Black Hawk
WE WILL ASK THE SHABONNA AND WAUBONSEE TRIBES TO JOIN OUR BRITISH BAND CAUSE AGAINST THE UNITED STATES, AS THEIR TRIBES WILL VANISH IF THEY DO NOT FIGHT.
WHIRLING THUNDER
ARE NOT THEY ALIGNED WITH KEOKUK?
BLACK HAWK
MANY FACTIONS OF THESE TRIBES HAVE ALIGNED WITH KEOKUK. WE WILL TRY TO CONVINCE THEM THAT IN TIME THEY WILL HAVE NOTHING FROM THE WHITE MAN.
WHIRLING THUNDER
Lithograph from the middle 1800’s.
YOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE TRIBAL CHIEFS HAS LED TO FEW GAINS AMONGST THOSE ALIGNED WITH KEOKUK. WE HAVE HOWEVER PICKED UP POTAWATOMI TRIBE MEMBERS, AS WELL AS THE FOX AND SOME HO CHUNK WARRIORS.
BLACK HAWK
SCALPING WHITE MEN WILL BE THE ONLY WAY WE CAN END THIS TRESPASS OF OUR HOMELANDS. 8
WHIRLING THUNDER
OUR ATTACK AT INDIAN CREEK LASTED ONLY 20 MINUTES, BUT 20 SCALPS WERE TAKEN. WE WILL NEED TO HEAD NORTH AS A STRONG TRIBAL GROUP. THE MILITIA WILL FOLLOW OUR TRAIL. AND NOW WE HAVE PRISONERS.
BLACK HAWK
WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO SACRIFICE THESE PRISONERS, AS WE NEED TO FLEE QUICKLY SINCE THE MILITIA WILL BE HOT ON OUR TRIBE’S TRAILS. WE WILL NEED TO ESTABLISH SOME FALSE TRAILS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
Historical Marker of the Battle
INDIAN CREEK WILL NOT LEAVE THE WHITE MAN’S MIND. IT WAS A BLOODY MASSACRE. BUT HIGHLY NECESSARY.
BLACK HAWK
WE HAVE JUST HEARD FORM A SCOUT THAT WAMPUM WILL BE EXCHANGED FOR THE PRISONERS. THAT WILL WORK AS WE HAVE SOME MARRIAGES WITHIN THE TRIBE UPCOMING. STRONG WARRIORS NEED WIVES TO SURVIVE WHO CAN BREED MORE SAUK WARRIORS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
I AGREE. SO IF WE COMPLETE THE PRISONER TRADE FOR WAMPUM, WE WILL BE MUCH BETTER OFF AS A TRIBE, AS THE INDIAN WOMEN LOVE WAMPUM.
BLACK HAWK
WE HAVE MANY PREGNANT SQUAWS NOW WHO NEED MORE FOOD. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH NORTH AS A TRIBE. IT APPEARS WE WILL NOT BE WELCOME IN THE ROCK RIVER BASIN MUCH LONGER. THE NEWS OF THE INDIAN CREEK MASSACRE WILL TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON DC AND BEYOND.
Depiction of the Bad Axe battle scene
WHIRLING THUNDER
I HAVE NOT SLEPT WELL FOR MANY EVENINGS. I FEAR MANY BATTLES LAY AHEAD BEFORE OUR TRIBE IS FINALLY SETTLED. SHOULD WE RETURN TO IOWA?
BLACK HAWK
NO, IOWA WILL CAUSE MUCH DISRUPTION TO OUR TRIBE, MANY WILL DIE, AND WE WILL BE EVENTUALLY CHASED INTO THE MOUNTAINS AND GREAT WATERS BEYOND. I HAVE ONLY HEARD ABOUT THESE WATERS - I HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM.
Captain Henry Gratiot
WHIRLING THUNDER
CAN WE NEGOTIATE WITH THE WHITE MEN BLACK HAWK?
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BLACK HAWK
THE WHITE MAN DOESN’T KEEP HIS WORD AND IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED. UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE NOT UPHOLDING ANY TREATIES BECAUSE KEOKUK DID NOT REPRESENT ALL OF OUR TRIBES, AND THE HOMELANDS WE HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS ARE OUR VERY OWN TERRITORIES. AGAIN THE WHITE MAN HAS COMMITTED A TRESPASS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
WILL IT BE ACTUALLY SAFER TO THE NORTH?
BLACK HAWK
THERE ARE FEWER WHITE MEN THERE, THOUGH THEY CONTINUE TO COME. ALL WE CAN DO IS TO CONTINUE TO TAKE SCALPS, AND THE WHITE MAN AND THE UNITED STATE GOVERNMENT MAY LEAVE US ALONE.
WHIRLING THUNDER
White Cloud
I’M LYING DOWN FOR A COUPLE HOURS. I HAVE SOME CORN AND SQUASH TO EAT. THERE IS COOKED DEER FOR LATER. I WANT TO FIGHT LIKE YOU FATHER TO PRESERVE OUR HOMELANDS. WASHTE! WASHTE!
Black Hawk
BLACK HAWK WHIRLING THUNDER
ACT VII: MAY 24,1832 KELLOGG’S GROVE, IL. THE ST. VRAIN MASSACRE. BLACK HAWK
WE HAVE PUSHED NORTH THROUGH DIFFICULT MARSHES, STREAMS, AND SPRING RIVERS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
FATHER WE HAVE NEARLY ARRIVED TO THE WISCONSIN BORDER.
BLACK HAWK
Shaman
THERE ARE CONTINUING REPORTS OF MUCH BETTER FISHING AND HUNTING NORTHWARD.
WHIRLING THUNDER
WILL WE RUN INTO KEOKUK?
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BLACK HAWK
POSSIBLY. HE MOSTLY HAS BEEN SITED AT THE ILLINOIS RIVER BASIN.
WHIRLING THUNDER
BUT HE HAS GONE AS FAR NORTH AS PRAIRIE DU CHIEN THE FORT CRAWFORD AREA WHERE HE IS FRIENDLY WITH WHITE MEN.
BLACK HAWK
YES ONE OF HIS TREATIES WAS SIGNED THERE. HE IS SO WELL KNOWN AMONGST THE WHITES THAT HE IS LEFT ALONE SO THAT HE CAN CONVINCE OTHER TRIBES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI TO SURRENDER.
WHIRLING THUNDER
I KNOW IN PREVIOUS YEARS WE HAD BECOME VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH THE WHITES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. THEY SEEM TO BE MUCH MORE RECEPTIVE TO INDIANS.
Keokuk
BLACK HAWK
YES THEY ARE FRIENDLIER BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO BE SCALPED, HAVE REAL TRADING NEEDS, AND ARE NOT IN THE NUMBERS THAT THE WHITES HAVE IN ILLINOIS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
SO YOU FEEL THAT IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE WE WILL BE CHASED BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS.
BLACK HAWK
ABSOLUTELY, AND THAT IS WHY WE TAKE OUR STAND RIGHT NOW - HERE IN ILLINOIS.
Depiction of the Bad Axe battle scene
WHIRLING THUNDER
IT APPEARS SAUKENUK WILL NEVER BE RETURNED TO THE INDIANS. IT IS NOW FORT ARMSTRONG AND WILL BE A MAJOR TRADING POST AND MILITARY FORT FOR YEARS TO COME.
BLACK HAWK
IT IS RIGHT AT THE MOUTH OF THE ROCK RIVER - MY HOMELAND AND BIRTHPLACE. THIS IS THE BIGGEST TRESPASS OF ALL. OUR GREAT FATHER CREATED THIS LAND FOR SUBSISTENCE BY ITS OCCUPIERS. WE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR GENERATIONS AND NEVER HAVE ABUSED THE LAND. IT IS OURS.
WHIRLING THUNDER
Fort Armstrong
THE WHITES CLAIM THAT SPAIN, THEN FRANCE, AND NOW THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OWNS OUR LAND. HOWEVER WE HAD NO PART IN A CEDING OF OUR LANDS. IT 11
WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT IF WE WERE TO CROSS THE GREAT OCEAN EAST AND CLAIM THEIR LANDS FOR OUR USE. YES THEY WOULD STRONGLY OBJECT TO INDIANS STEALING THEIR HOMELANDS IN AMERICA OR EUROPE.
BLACK HAWK
YES THE WHITES HAVE IT ALL WRONG. THEY HAVE SLAIN OUR WARRIORS, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN. WE HAVE MAINTAINED PEACEFUL EXISTENCE. WE NEVER ATTACK.
WHIRLING THUNDER
DOESN’T IT SEEM TO YOU FATHER THAT A WHITE MAN CAN COMMIT WRONGS ALL HIS LIFE AND THEN AT THE VERY END CONFESS AND OBTAIN SALVATION? AND THEN EVERYTHING IS AS IF NO BAD WAS EVER DONE.
BLACK HAWK
Historical Marker, “Red Bird’s Village”
MOST ASSUREDLY WHIRLING THUNDER. AS INDIAN CULTURES HAVE MATURED, THE ONE COMMON THEME IS THAT WHEN ANOTHER INDIAN NEEDS ASSISTANCE IT IS GIVEN. WHEN ONE FAMILY HAS ENOUGH FOOD, AND ANOTHER IS SHORT, THE FOOD IS SHARED. WHITES DO NOT NORMALLY ACT LIKE US. THEY ARE FAR MORE SELFISH.
WHIRLING THUNDER
AND YET WE ARE CALLED SAVAGES. I SAY IT IS THE WHITES WHO ACT MORE FOR THEMSELVES AND SHOULD BE CALLED SAVAGES. THE BIGGEST SIN THEY HAVE COMMITTED IS THE TRESPASS ONTO OUR LAND, AND THEN HAVE THE GALL TO CLAIM IT AS THEIRS BY A TREATY IN WASHINGTON DC., FORT ARMSTRONG, OR FORT CRAWFORD. Black Hawk
BLACK HAWK
I HAVE JUST HEARD A REPORT THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BLUFF A FEW SCALPS WERE TAKEN. WHITE MEN WITH CATTLE WERE ATTACKED. IT APPEARS THAT A BAND OF HO CHUNK WARRIORS MAY HAVE BEEN TO BLAME.
WHIRLING THUNDER
SOME ESCAPED INTO GALENA. BUT THE SAUK OR FOX TRIBES WILL RECEIVE THE BLAME. THERE IS NO AVOIDING THE NEGATIVE PUBLICITY WE WILL RECEIVE.
BLACK HAWK
Pecatonic Battle Site
OH, HERE THE WARRIORS COME WITH A COLLECTION OF SCALPS. IT LOOKS AS IF A WAR DANCE WILL OCCUR THIS EVENING.
WHIRLING THUNDER
THIS WAR COULD ERUPT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REGION. GENERALS ATKINSON AND THE MAN KNOWN AS ST. VRAIN 12
WILL ATTACK US.
BLACK HAWK
I DOUBT THAT. OUR SCOUT STATES THAT ST. VRAIN WAS MUTILATED ALIVE AND THEN SCALPED. I FEAR REPERCUSSIONS AND RETALIATION.
WHIRLING THUNDER
WE COULD BE ATTACKED ALL ALONG THE ROCK RIVER BASIN. IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY. WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE THE TRIBE FURTHER NORTH TONIGHT. I WELL MEET YOU UP THE RIVER BY THE BLUFF. WE WILL LIGHT A FIRE AND HAVE DEER AND CORN THIS EVENING. WE HAVE SOME CORN AT OUR WINTER CAMP WHICH SHOULD GO WELL WITH THE FRESH DEER. WASHTE! WASHTE!
BLACK HAWK
Henry Dodge
WHIRLING THUNDER
Depiction of the Bad Axe battle scene
Modern Historical Marker
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