By order of Governor Reynolds, a call was made for two thousand
additional volunteers, a part of whom were directed to rendezvous at
Hennepin, and a part at Beardstown. The year previous the Adjutant General
of the State had commissioned John Strawn, of Putnam, a Colonel of Militia,
and he was now ordered to assemble his command, designated as the Fortieth
Regiment of Mounted Volunteers, and rendezvous at Hennepin for further
orders. Word was swiftly sent among the settlers asking their immediate
attendance, and in obedience to the request, nearly every able-bodied man
presented himself for enrollment. Four companies were quickly organized,
commanded by Captain Barnes, Captain Willis, Captain Hawes, and Captain
Stewart - the last three named at Hennepin, and the first at Columbia.
Captain Thompson, of Putnam, also commanded a company.
Sunday
morning, May 20, 1832, the day appointed for the rendezvous, the settlers of
the infant colony gathered on the site of the future city of Lacon, then
without a single inhabitant. From the south came Babb and Cassell and
Easter, and from the north the Sawyers, the Forbes, etc., while from the
immediate vicinity came John Wier, the Bullmans, Wauhobs, Reeders,
Buckinghams, Iliff, Swan, and others; but Round Prairie sent the greater
number, with Robert Barnes, then in the prime of life, as a leader. They met
on the ground where the Eagle Mill stands, and Colonel Strawn, dressed in
full regimentals, with military chapeau, nodding plume and golden epaulets,
formed them in line, and assuming a warlike attitude, addressed them as
follows:
"Ye sons of thunder! Our country is in danger, and the call
is 'to arms!' The great chief Black Hawk, with ten thousand warriors at his
back, has invaded our State, defeated our armies, and slain our citizens!
Not a soldier can be spared for the defense of our frontier, and the safety
of our homes and our firesides, our wives and little ones, depends upon
ourselves. Our country calls for volunteers. As many of you as are willing
to enroll yourselves among her defenders will step three forward. Halt! The
next thing is to choose your officers, and all who wish to present
themselves as candidates for Captain will step forward. All those who wish
Robert Barnes to be their Captain will step to his side, and those who wish
- to lead them will join him."
In this way the officers were
elected, and in the afternoon of the same day the men were mustered in at
Hennepin. The force thus organized was divided into detachments, and
detailed for scout duty. A close watch was kept at the various fords, all
canoes were removed from the river, and a vigilant, active search for
Indians kept up for weeks. They at one time went as far north as the
Winnebago Swamp, but as a general thing service was confined to guarding the
liver from the mouth of Crow Creek to the mouth of the Vermilion. After the
defeat of Stillman the Indians went northward, and the war was transferred
to other fields. There being no longer any enemies to contend with, there
was no necessity for keeping the men in the field, and they were paid off
and mustered out of service on the 18th day of June. For their one month of
soldiering, each volunteer, and all who could "ring in," received at the
hands of the Government a title to 160 acres of land. The Putnam County
volunteers were also discharged.
The muster rolls of a portion of
Captain Barnes' and Captain Hawes' companies are hereby given, copied from
the returns in the War Department, and are correct:
Muster Roll of
the Field and Staff Officers of the Fortieth Regiment of Mounted Volunteers,
employed in the service of the United States, by order of the Governor and
Commander-in-chief of the Militia of the State of Illinois, from the 20th
day of May, 1832, to the 18th day of June, 1832, the day of disbandment:
1. John Strawn, Colonel.
2. William Cowen, Lieut. Colonel.
3.
Elias Thompson, Major.
4. Henry K. Cassell, Adjutant.
5. Jeremiah
Strawn, Qr. Master.
6. Peter Barnhart, Paymaster.
7. B. M. Hayse,
Surgeon.
NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF.
8. Roland Mosley, Q. M.
Sergeant.
9. Richard Hunt, Surgeon's Mate.
10. William Myers, Sergt.
Major.
11. Ward Graves, Drum Major.
12. Michael Reeder, Fife Major.
Muster Roll of Captain Robert Barnes' Company of Mounted Volunteers,
belonging to the Fortieth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, and First Division of
Illinois Militia, called out by the Governor and Commander-in-chief; was
mustered into the service of the United States by Colonel John Strawn, at
Columbia, on the 20th day of May, 1832, and mustered out of service at
Hennepin, Putnam County, Illinois, by the said Colonel John Strawn, on the
18th day of June, 1832:
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Robert
Barnes, Captain. | Wm. McNeal, 1st Lieut. | John Wier, 2d Lieut.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
1. James Dever, Sergeant.
2. James Hall, Sergeant.
3. James N.
Reeder, Sergeant.
4. Nathan Owen, Sergeant.
1. Belisha Griffith,
Corporal.
2. Wm. Gallaher, Corporal.
3. James Harris, Corporal.
4.
H. Buckingham, Corporal.
PRIVATES.
1. John Kemp.
2. Joseph Burt.
3. Joseph Phillips.
4. Howell Doddy.
5. Milton Davis.
6. William A. Hendricks.
7. John G. Hendricks.
8. Samuel
Hawkins.
9. John Darnell.
10. William Burt.
11.
William Davis.
12. W. W. Davis.
13. John Bird.
14.
Elmore Keys.
15. Robert Bird.
16. William Byrnes.
17. David Hamilton.
18. Hiram Barnhart.
19. William Forbes.
20. Jordan Sawyer.
21. Philip McGuyre.
22. Samuel
Russell.
23. George Easter.
24. Benjamin Babb.
25.
Peter Barnhart.
26. Jacob Smally.
27. Joshua Bullman.
28. Robert Ileff.
29. Elisha Swan.
30. John Johnson.
31. David Stateler.
32. George H. Shaw.
33. Johnson
Edwards.
34. Henry K. Cassell.
Muster Roll of Captain
William Hawes' Company of Mounted Volunteers, belonging to the Fortieth
Regiment, Fourth Brigade and First Division of Illinois Militia, commanded
by Colonel John Strain, called into service by the Governor of Illinois, and
mustered out of the service of the United States at Hennepin, on the
Illinois River, in the State of Illinois, on the 18th day of June, 1832:
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Wm. Hawes, Captain. | Jas. Garvin, 1st
Lieut. | Win. M. Hart, 2d Lieut.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
1. Thomas Gunn, Sergeant.
2. George Hiltebrand, Sergeant.
3.
Jacob Greenwald, Sergeant.
4. John Hunt, Sergeant.
1. John
Hant, Corporal.
2. William Kincaid, Corporal.
3. William
Knod, Corporal.
4. William Lathrop, Corporal.
PRIVATES.
1. Hiram Allen.
2. Julius Stacey.
3. Thomas Glenn.
4. Asel Hannum.
5. Obed Graves.
6. Samuel Glenn.
7. Reuben Ash.
8. Abner Boyle.
9. George Dent.
10. Joseph Ash.
11. William Hart.
12. John Loyd.
13.
Christopher Winters.
14. Hartwell Healey.
15. Little Neal.
16. Aaron Whitaker.
17. Elias Isaacs.
18. Garrison
Wilson.
19. Hosea Stout.
20. George Martin.
Soon as the call was made for troops the settlers began
building blockhouses, or forts, which will be referred to more in detail
hereafter. The southernmost of these in the county was situated on the farm
of James Dever, at the lower edge of Round Prairie, seven and a half miles
from Columbia. It was about eighty feet in length from east to west, and
seventy in width; and was built by strongly fastening pickets of some twelve
feet height in the ground, with square bastions at the corners, pierced with
port-holes and so placed as to rake the sides of the fort, in case of
attack. The cabin of Mr. Dever was inside, and tents were pitched within to
accommodate the numbers who fled there during the season of alarm.
About twelve miles north-east of the Dever Fort, and four miles south of
Magnolia, was a similar protection around the dwelling of Jesse Roberts,
Esq., where seven or eight families gathered for safety 5 and five miles
east, on the farm of Mr. Darnell, near the "head of Sandy," was another, the
outpost in that direction. Several forts were constructed on the Ox Bow
Prairie one on the land of Ashael Hannum, where Caledonia now stands;
another in the woods within a few miles, at Mr. Boyle's; and a third around
a large barn belonging t James W. Willis, near the site of Florid, where
twenty-two families (including a hundred small children, one having been
born there) and a number of rangers were "forted" at one time. This station
was called Foil Cribs x from the number of corn-cribs in and about the
building, and was generally in command of Captain Stewart. A portion is
still standing.
A good-sized block-house, well adapted to resist a
siege, was erected on Front street, in Hennepin, chiefly of the timbers of
Hartzell's old trading-house; and a smaller one at a little distance from
Granville, on the farm of Joseph Warnock. Still farther north was the
outermost fort toward the scene of warfare a mere picket around the dwelling
of Mr. John Leeper. There were no defenses of the kind west of the river in
Putnam County, that region being quite or nearly deserted.
In that
part of the county which was thus defended, hostile Indians were very rarely
seen; and it is believed that attacks were prevented solely by the
completeness of the arrangements for protection and the vigilance of the
rangers. Black Hawk's spies were occasionally skulking about. Two were
noticed in the edge of the woods near Fort Warnock, and their trail followed
to the river. Others in one instance a considerable company were seen near
Hennepin; but the savages made no hostile demonstrations on the east side of
the river.
On the 17th of June,
Elijah Phillips was murdered at the Ament cabin, sixteen miles north-west of
Hennepin. Along with J. Hodges, Sylvester Brigham, John S. Ament, Aaron
Gunn, James G. Foristal and Zeba Dimmick, a lad of sixteen, he left Hennepin
in the morning to look after their cattle, now running at large on the
prairie. Arriving at Ament's cabin, in the edge of the timber, a mile and a
half north of the present town of Dover, they prepared and ate their
dinners, designing to return to Hennepin. Soon after it began to rain, and
as no Indian signs had been seen, it was deemed perfectly safe, and the
conclusion was reached to remain all night.
The windows and doors
were barricaded with puncheons, and the men with loaded rifles by their
sides, extinguished the lights and lay down to sleep. Adjoining Ament's
cabin was an extensive sugar camp, which for nearly fifty years a band of
Indians had run, and every spring made sugar on the premises. The place was
sacred to them, and when the white man came and opened a farm, it created
bitter feelings of resentment. When Phillips and his company arrived at the
cabin, a party of Indians from Black Hawk's camp were hiding in the woods.
Cautiously they approached to reconnoitre, with the intention of attacking
the party as they came out of doors, but the rain continued to fall, and the
party deciding to remain all night, no disturbance came, and at daylight
Phillips rose first, and was going to the spring, when the Indians fired,
and he fell pierced with two bullets. The savages, with deafening yells,
rushed from their hiding places, tomahawked the victim, and surrounded the
cabin. The inmates closed the door and made ready to fire, when the Indians
retreated, and as subsequently learned, went northward.
After
remaining on the watch for several hours, with Phillips' bloody corpse at
the door, the settlers took courage and canvassed how best to extricate
themselves. Young Dimmick volunteered to carry the news to Hennepin. It was
a desperate undertaking, for the Indians were supposed to be still in the
vicinity, but calling a horse to the window, he bridled and mounted it, and
was off with the speed of the whirlwind. Eager eyes watched his departure,
and they listened with beating hearts for the expected crack of the rifle
that should tell of his death. But when he disappeared in the distance,
still safe, they took hope again.
At Hennepin was a company of
Rangers being mustered out of service. None dreamed of danger, and when the
messenger, hatless and coatless,
"Bloody with spurring, Fiery red
with speed,"
rode into town with the fateful news, it created an
excitement those present never forgot. As usual, a variety of counsel
prevailed, and some were so base as to propose leaving them to their fate.
But volunteers being called for, thirty brave men responded, and were
quickly ferried across the river to their rescue. A gallop of fifteen miles
brought them into the vicinity, when a slower pace was struck to give the
now well blown horses a breathing spell, preparatory to the expected sharp
work ahead. Belts were tightened, primings looked to, and every preparation
for deadly conflict made, when they saw a white flag rise above the cabin,
and knew the inmates were safe. The body of Phillips lay where it fell. One
bullet had pierced his heart, and another his stomach. Several strokes of
the tomahawk were visible, but the villains had not taken his scalp, and the
remains were taken to Hennepin and buried. His body was prepared for
sepulture at the house of Hooper Warren, and he was the second person
interred in the Hennepin cemetery.
The Rangers followed the trail of
the enemy a short distance and then returned. It afterward transpired that
they remained in the vicinity until the next day, and then went north.
Adam Payne, a Dunkard preacher, who had for many years been a missionary among the Indians, became a victim to savage barbarity during the fall of 1832. He had long been a preacher among the Indians, was a man of fervent piety, and guileless as a child. When told of the risks he ran and warned to beware, he gave no heed, believing they would never harm one who had so often proven himself their friend. His long black beard reaching nearly to his waist gave him a venerable appearance, and every settler was his warm friend. He was murdered near Holderman's Grove, and when found his head had been cut off and stuck on a pole, where the red fiends had held a dance of jubilee around it.
Extracted 30 Aug 2018 by Norma Hass from Records of the Olden Time, 1880, by Spencer Ellsworth, pages 121-127.
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