“In my opinion there are at least 400 warriors at the Sac village which I visited yesterday, apparently determined to defend themselves in their present position. On the receipt of your letter of the 4th instant, I immediately hastened to this place with a view to give you the most satisfactory information upon the subject of it and tender my services in any way you may think useful.
Annals of the West, Perkins & Peck Edition, pp. 713, 795.
U.S. Stat., p. 223, and comment in above Annals, p. 796.
Vol. 5, Wis. Hist. Colls., p. 130, _et seq._
Annals of the West, pp. 796-7; Brown’s Hist. of Illinois, p. 357.
December 24, 1811; January 11, 1812, and December 10, 1814.
Peck’s Gazeteer for 1825. The land was surveyed in 1815 and 1816.
By letter of the Surveyor-General, August 10, 1815, we are informed that lands were selected in Southern Michigan, Northern Ohio, the military tract in Illinois and in Missouri, but by reason of Indian hostility the first two selections could not be surveyed that year.–Niles Reg., Vol. 9, p. 15.
Annals of the West, p. 797. In 1828 the President issued his proclamation opening this land, which had been previously surveyed, and the following year was occupied, and later sold.
In 1828 some few lingered, but by May all but Black Hawk’s band and Quash-qua-me remained.
The planting of the corn in 1829 by the squaws was done to feed those who had gone to the Iowa River and were there preparing new fields, which could not then be used.
Wakefield, Appendix, Note 1, pp. 107-116.
Forsythe’s letter of 1829, _ante_, was one of them.
See letter Col. Henry Gratiot, next following.
COUNCIL–MILITIA ORGANIZED–MARCH TO BLACK HAWK’S VILLAGE–FLIGHT–VILLAGE BURNED–TREATY OF 1831.
Once awakened, General Gaines lost no time in bringing about a convention with the Indians, to avoid, if possible the trouble of a demonstration, but Black Hawk was fired with hatred and unprepared to accept any terms whatsoever. A council or talk was had in the council chamber at Fort Armstrong, which Black Hawk and his British sympathizers attended in numbers, and all fully armed. General Gaines opened the council by stating that the great father at Washington desired only what was right, and closed by insisting that the Indians should remove peaceably. Black Hawk replied that the Sacs had never sold their lands and were determined not to give up their village. General Gaines then asked: “Who is Black Hawk? Is he a chief? By what right does he appear in council?” To these questions Black Hawk that day made no reply, but on the following morning he was again in his seat. When the council opened he arose and, addressing General Gaines, said: “My father, you inquired yesterday, ‘Who is Black Hawk? Why does he sit among the chiefs?’ I will tell you who I am. I am a Sac; I am a warrior, and so was my father. Ask those young men who have followed me to battle, and they will tell you who Black Hawk is; provoke our people to war and you will learn who Black Hawk is.”[74] It is further recorded of this meeting that in the heat of passion Black Hawk called General Gaines a liar and made demonstrations to kill him, which were only averted by the coolness of Gaines in parrying his threats by words of calmness. In this delicate affair Antoine LeClaire, the interpreter, was a powerful factor in smothering the threatened disturbance. The situation has been briefly set out in fortieth of Niles Register, page 310, as follows: