BLACK HAWK, or Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah, was 47 at the time of the battle of the Sink-Hole. He had scalped
his first enemy 31 years before, when he was 16. Son of Py-e-sa, he was born in 1767, in the principal Sauk village,
near the junction of the Rock river with the Mississippi. When he was 16, he was permitted to paint and was ranked
among the braves of his tribe.
In 1783, in an expedition against the Sauk tribal enemies, the Osages, Black Hawk had slain and scalped an Osage
warrior, for which deed of Indian bravery he was permitted to join in the scalp dance. In succeeding expeditions
down the western border of present Pike county, he waged successful war on the Osage and Cherokee tribes, and in
a severe battle with the latter, near the present city of St. Louis, his father was slain, and he, taking possession
of the "Medicine Bag," announced himself chief of the Sauk nation. Having conquered the Cherokee, about
the year 1800, at the head of 500 Sauk and Foxes and 100 Iowas, he subdued the Osage nation.
Black Hawk, therefore, in 1814, when occurred the battle of the Sink-Hole, was a renowned chieftain, with many
scalps and many victories to his credit. Shortly after the beginning of the war, in August, 1812, at the head of
about 500 braves, he had marched to join the British forces at Detroit, passing on his way to site of Chicago,
where the Fort Dearborn massacre had occurred a few days before, August 15, 1812.
In the battle of the Sink-Hole were several settlers of Missouri and Illinois Territories who were identified later
with the early history of Pike county; among them, in addition to John Shaw, the narrator of the battle story,
were Levi Roberts, Barnabas McGary, John M. Smith, Abner Blasdale, Amos Eveland, Daniel Moore, Patrick McCarthy,
Paul Jones, together with the wives and children of some of those named. More than a dozen men, women and children
involved in this battle afterwards resided in Pike county. Five of them were among the petitioners for the erection
of the county in 1820.
Pike county people going to St. Louis via Missouri Route 79, the river south from Louisiana through Clarksville,
pass near the scene of the battle at the crossing of the Cuivre river at Old Monroe. Fort Howard, near which the
battle was fought, stood near the site of present Monroe and about three miles (as the crow flies) west of the
Mississippi, on the crooked Cuivre river.
At the conclusion of the preceding chapter, the Indians, who had shot down and tomahawked some whites who had gone
from the fort to a neighboring deserted farm house for a grindstone, had in the main sought refuge in the Sink-Hole,
which had been invested by Rangers from the fort under Captain Craig, who had fallen in battle, and by a scouting
party of Rangers from Fort Cape au Gris, under Captain Musick. Shaw thus continues the story of the battle:
"The Indians in the Sink-Hole had a drum made of a skin stretched on a section of a hollow tree, on which
they beat quite constantly; and some Indian would shake a rattle, called she-shu-qui, probably a dried bladder
with pebbles within; and even for a moment would venture to thrust his head in view, with his hand elevated, shaking
his rattle and calling out ‘Peash! Peash!' which was understood to be a note of defiance, or as Black Hawk, who
was one of the party, says in his account of that affair, a kind of bravado to come and fight them in the Sink-Hole.
When the Indians would creep up and shoot over the rim of the Sink-Hole, they would instantly disappear, and while
they sometimes fired effectual shots, they in turn became occasionally the victims of our rifles. From about 1
to 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the firing was inconstant, our men generally reserving their fire until an Indian
should show his head, and all of us were studying how we could more effectually attack and dislodge the enemy.
"At length Lieutenant Spears suggested that a pair of cart wheels, axle and tongue, which were seen at Allen's
place, near at hand, be obtained, and a moving battery constructed. The idea was entertained favorably, and an
hour or more consumed in its construction. Some oak floor puncheons, from 7 to 8 feet in length, were made fast
to the axle in an upright position, and port-holes made through them. Finally, the battery was ready for trial,
and was sufficiently large to protect some half a dozen or more men. It was moved forward slowly, and seemed to
attract the particular attention of the Indians, who had evidently heard the hammering and pounding connected with
its manufacture, and who now frequently popped up their heads to make momentary discoveries; and it was at length
moved up to within less than ten paces of the brink of the Sink-Hole, on the southeast side. The upright plank
did not reach the ground within some 18 inches, our men calculating to shoot beneath the lower ends of the planks
at the Indians; but the latter, from their position, had the decided advantage of this neglected aperture, for
the Indians, shooting beneath the battery at an upward angle, would get shots at the whites before the latter could
see them. Lieutenant Spears was shot dead through the forehead, and his death was much lamented, as he had proved
himself the most active and intrepid officer engaged. John Patterson was wounded in the thigh, and some others
also were wounded behind the battery. Having failed in the object for which it was designed, the battery was abandoned
after sundown.
"Our hope all along had been that the Indians would emerge from their covert and attempt to retreat to where
we supposed their canoes were left, some three or four miles distant, in which case we were firmly determined to
rush upon them, and endeavor to cut them totally off. The men generally evinced the greatest bravery during the
whole engagement.
"Night now coming on, and having heard the reports of half a dozen or so of guns in the direction of the fort,
by a few Indians who rushed out of the woods skirting Bob's Creek, not more than 40 rods from the north end of
the fort, this movement on the part of a few Indians who had escaped when the others took refuge in the Sink-Hole
was evidently designed to divert the attention of the whites and alarm them for the safety of the fort, and thus
effectually release the Indians in the Sink-Hole. This was the result, for Captain Musick and his men retreated
to the fort, carrying the dead and wounded, and made every preparation to repel a night attack. As the Mississippi
was quite high, with much backwater over the low grounds, the approach of the enemy was thus facilitated, and it
was feared a large Indian force was at hand. The people were always more apprehensive of danger at a time when
the river was swollen, than when at its ordinary stage.
The men in the fort were mostly up all night, ready for resistance if necessary. There was no physician at the
fort, and much effort was made to set broken bones. There was a well in the fort, and provisions and ammunition
to sustain a pretty formidable attack. The women were greatly alarmed, pressing their infants to their bosoms,
fearing they might not be permitted to behold another morning's light; but the night passed away without seeing
or hearing an Indian.
"The next morning a party went to the Sink-Hole and found the Indians gone, who had carried away all their
dead and wounded, except five dead bodies left on the northwest bank of the Sink-Hole; and by the signs of blood
within the Sink-Hole it was judged that well nigh 30 of the enemy must have been killed or wounded. Lieut. Drakeford
Gray's report of the affair made eight of our party killed, one missing, and five wounded, making a total of 14;
I had thought the number was nearer 20. Our dead were buried near the fort, when Captain Musick and his men went
over to Cape au Gris where they belonged, and of which garrison Captain Musick had the command. We that day sent
out scouts while I proceeded to St. Charles to procure medical and surgical assistance, and sent forward Doctors
Hubbard and Wilson.
"It may be proper to remark that from the crossing of Cuivre river to Fort Howard was a mile, from the fort
to the Sink-Hole half a mile, and nearly a quarter of a mile from the fort to Bob's Creek. The fort was an oblong
square, north and south, and embraced about half an acre, with block-houses at all the corners, except the southeast
one. Lieut. Drakeford Gray was left in command there; he belonged in the New Madrid region, and did not long survive
the war. Captain Musick resided near Florissant and lived, I think, to a good old age.
"Black Hawk's published narrative of this affair and particularly of all the preliminary incidents prior to
taking refuge in the Sink-Hole is quite strange and confused, and I can only account for it by supposing that he
has related as occurring here what really transpired at a different time and occasion. He represents that there
were only 18 Indians with him in the Sink-Hole, while there must have been more than twice as many; he speaks of
only one Indian and two whites being killed, and that when they emerged from the Sink-Hole in the evening, they
placed their dead Indian on top of a dead white man; of this latter circumstance I have no recollection.
"In July, 1814, two families had been killed by the Indians in the Wood River settlement, east of Alton; their
names were Moore and Reagan. Capt. Samuel Whiteside, who shortly after served on Major Taylor's expedition, immediately
pursued the Indians with some 30 to 50 Illinois Rangers. Being then in that region seeking supplies as commissary,
I went along as a spy and volunteer. We trailed the Indians towards the junction of the Sangamon with the Illinois;
we got distant glimpses of them several times in the hot pursuit; and just at the dusk of the evening we last saw
them enter a thicket in the bottoms of the Illinois, just below the mouth of the Sangamon, where the Indians had
probably left their canoes. We had chased them that day what we judged to be 60 miles; and one old Indian, wearied
out, gave out and stopped on the prairie just before the other Indians entered the thicket. As several of our party
approached him, the old fellow raised his gun, and pointed it rapidly from one to another as if to deter them from
firing; but about a dozen fired and killed him. We camped near there that night and then returned home.
"In the spring of 1814, Governor Clark headed an expedition to Prairie du Chien, met the Indians of the region
in council, established a fort, and returned to St. Louis. In July, 1814, the British, under Colonel McKay or McCoy,
retook the place. McKay's force must have been less than 200 whites, and perhaps two or three thousand Indians.
(This estimate of the Indian force appears to be much too large, as newspapers of the period speak of the Indian
force being at least 1,000.) The force consisted of all the nations of the Northwest except the Menomonees."
Shaw relates how the British and Indian forces descended the Wisconsin, landed, and then marched overland some
seven miles to Prairie du Chien, Colonel McKay sent a flag demanding the surrender of the fort, but Lieutenant
Perkins, in command at the fort, said he would defend it to the last. The attack commenced, the assault upon the
fort being made by a large body of Indians. Lieutenant Perkins concluded it was folly to resist, and surrendered.
Shaw says that the greatest exertion were required on the part of Colonel McKay to preserve Perkins and his men
from the fury of the Indians; after almost superhuman efforts he was at last successful. Colonel McKay paroled
all the Americans and sent them down the river in a gunboat, the Governor Clark, and sent a force with them for
safety beyond Rock Island; they were dogged all the way by a large number of canoes of Indians. After passing below
the mouth of Rock river, the British escort withdrew and, in due time, Shaw says, the gunboat arrived safely in
St. Louis.
"Of Lieutenant Campbell's expedition, destined for the relief of Prairie du Chien, in July, 1814," continues
Shaw, "I need say but little. The attack on Campbell was made about three miles below Rock Island, at a small
island, near the Illinois shore, ever since known as Campbell's Island. Lieutenant Campbell disobeyed orders, was
heedless, and kept out no spies; and in the attack he was badly shot through the left wrist."
Among the 108 men sent on this expedition to strengthen the garrison at Prairie du Chien were 66 Illinois Rangers,
some of whom afterwards settled in Pike county; they being under Captains Rector and Riggs, who occupied two boats,
the remainder being with Lieutenant Campbell. Campbell had been warned to turn back, on nearing Rock Island. The
other boats had passed on up the river and were some two miles ahead when Campbell's barge was struck by a strong
gale which forced it against the small island above referred to. Thinking it best to lie to until the wind abated,
sentinels were stationed while the men went ashore to cook breakfast. At this time a large body of Indians on the
main shore under Black Hawk commenced an attack. The savages in canoes passed rapidly to the island and with a
war-whoop rushed upon the men, who retreated and sought refuge in the barge. A battle of brisk musketry now ensued
between the few regulars aboard the stranded barge and the hordes of Indians under cover of trees on the island,
with severe loss to the former. Meanwhile, Captains Rector and Riggs, ahead with their barges, seeing the smoke
of battle, attempted to return; but in the strong gale Riggs' boat became unmanageable and was stranded on the
rapids. Rector, to avoid a similar disaster, let go his anchor. The Rangers, however, opened with good aim and
telling effect upon the savages.
A sharpshooter by the name of Paul Harpole, the story of whose exploits in these wars has been repeated at Harpole
firesides in Pike county for more than a hundred years (the first Pike county Harpole, another Paul, having settled
with his family in what is now Pleasant Hill township in 1825), here first appears, spitting death at the swarming
savages from Campbell's disabled barge, now (with many wounded and several dead on board, among the former of whom,
very badly, the commander, Campbell, himself) discovered to be on fire.
Rector and his brave Illinois Rangers, comprehending the horrid situation, thereupon performed, without delay,
as cool and heroic a deed-and did it well-as ever imperiled the life of mortal man. In the howling gale, in full
view of hundreds of infuriated savages, and within range of their rifles, they deliberately raised anchor, lightened
their barge by casting overboard quantities of provisions, and guided it with the utmost labor down the swift current,
to the windward of the burning barge, and under the galling fire of the enemy rescued all the survivors, and removed
the wounded and dying to their vessel.
"This," says Chapman's "History of Pike County," published in 1880, and from which and Shaw's
"Indian Wars" the above account of the battle has been drawn, "was a deed of noble daring and as
heroic as any performed during the war in the west."
Rector had hurried with his overcrowded vessel back to St. Louis. It was feared that Riggs and his company had
been captured and sacrificed by the savages. His vessel, which was strong and well armed, was for a time surrounded
by the Indians, but the whites on the inside were well sheltered. The wind becoming allayed in the evening, the
boat, under cover of the night, glided safely down the river without the loss of a man.
Shaw relates that Campbell, the commander of the ill-fated expedition, was known after the war as Major Campbell
and that he settled at Louisiana, about a mile and a half below the mouth of Salt River, Missouri, and there lived
many years. Says Shaw: "He was a great spendthrift and fond of drinking. He left two sons, sort of traders
at Louisiana, who sometimes traded among the Indians."
Shaw has now come in his recital to Major Zachary Taylor's memorable expedition up the Mississippi river to relieve
Prairie du Chien and punish the Indians on Rock river for their hostile attacks under the leadership of Black Hawk.
Shaw says it was in August, 1814, that Taylor headed north from old St. Louis in 22 boats loaded with Rangers.
Shaw accompanied Taylor (later President of the United States), riding with the commander in his boat, the Commodore.
Says Shaw: "I accompanied Major Taylor. Near Rock Island it was discovered that a large body of Indians had
collected; it seemed to me there were about two to four thousand men. The British had erected a battery on the
left or eastern bank of the Mississippi; in a row with two real 12-pounders, they had six painted wooden guns,
all on a knoll or elevation on the river bank, and there were apparently some 50 men dressed in British uniform
- some of them may have been Indians so dressed."
In the following chapter, Shaw's power as a narrator rises to heroic heights as he describes the rescue of Rector's
disabled barge, and how Paul Harpole came to his death and a deathless glory in the most thrilling sacrifice of
the border wars.