CHAPTER XXXV.

EXAMINATION OF THE INDIANS–BLACK HAWK A PRISONER. With the exception of Black Hawk’s immediate party, the prisoners were sent to Fort Armstrong, and in a report from General Scott to Hon. Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, dated at Fort Armstrong, August 19th, he states that he had examined many of the 118 prisoners taken, from whom he had learned that at one time ten lodges of Winnebagoes had been with Black Hawk’s party, and that Winnebagoes brought in scalps eight different times. They also stated that the Agent St. Vrain was killed by Winnebagoes; in consequence whereof, the general had sent a talk to the Winnebagoes, demanding of them that their chiefs, warriors and principal men meet him on the 10th of September and bring such Sacs, Foxes and Kickapoos of Black Hawk’s party as may have taken refuge amongst them, and such Winnebagoes as may have been engaged in the war, or may have given assistance to the enemy. Ne-a-pope, the principal war brave of Black Hawk’s band, in his examination[244] said: “I always belonged to Black Hawk’s band. Last summer I went to Malden; when I came back, I found that, by the treaty with General Gaines, the Sacs had moved across the Mississippi. I remained during the winter with the Prophet, on Rock River, 35 miles above the mouth. During the winter the Prophet sent me across the Mississippi to Black Hawk with a message, telling him and his band to cross back to his village and make corn. That if the Americans came and told them to move again, they would shake hands with them–if Americans had come and told us to move, we should have shaken hands and immediately have moved peacefully.[245] We encamped on Sycamore Creek–we met some Pottowattamies and I made a feast for them. At that time I heard there were some Americans near us (Stillman’s). I prepared a white flag to go and see them, and sent two or three young men on a hill to see what they were doing. Before the feast was finished I heard my young men were killed; this was at sunset. Some of my young men ran out; two were killed, and the Americans were seen rushing on to our camp. My young men fired a few guns and the Americans ran off, and my young men chased them about six miles.”[246] Ne-a-pope continued by stating that the Pottowatomies of the village immediately left them, and that no Kickapoos joined them but those who were originally with Black Hawk; but the Winnebagoes did, and brought in scalps frequently; that at last, when they found the Sacs would be beaten, they turned against them. Na-ni-sa, a Sac woman, aged 25, sister of a head warrior, stated that in the hottest of the fight of August 2d she kept her infant close in her blanket by the force of her teeth, seized a horse’s tail, and got across the Mississippi, where they were afterwards attacked by the Sioux. She ran off, but during the firing she heard some of those who fired, hallo–“I am a Winnebago.” When, on August 27th, Black Hawk was brought a prisoner before General Street, he is reported to have addressed the latter as follows:[247] “My warriors fell around me. It began to look dismal. I saw my evil day at hand. The sun rose clear on us in the morning; at night it sunk in a dark cloud, and looked like a ball of fire. This was the last sun that shone on Black Hawk. He is now a prisoner to the white man, but he can stand the torture. He is not afraid of death. He is no coward. Black Hawk is an Indian. He has done nothing of which an Indian need be ashamed. He has fought the battles of his country against the white man, who came year after year to cheat his people and take away their lands. You know the cause of our making war. It is known to all white men. They ought to be ashamed of it. The white men despise the Indians and drive them from their homes. But the Indians are not deceitful. Indians do not steal. Black Hawk is satisfied. He will go to the world of spirits contented. He has done his duty. His father will meet and reward him. The white men do not scalp the heads, but they do worse–they poison the heart. It is not pure with them. His countrymen will not be scalped, but they will in a few years become like the white man, so that you cannot hurt them; and there must be, as in the white settlements, as many officers as men to take care of them and keep them in order. Farewell to my nation! Farewell to Black Hawk!” Black Hawk and his fellow prisoners were placed aboard the steamboat to be delivered to General Scott at Fort Armstrong, where treaties were to have been negotiated at once with the Sacs and Foxes and Winnebagoes. Soured at his restraint he sought, in a speech at Galena, to shift his guilt to the shoulders of Keokuk, as has been reported in the Galenian of September 5th, 1832: “Black Hawk this morning desired to speak to General Street. The amount of what he said was: That he was not the originator of the war. He was now going where he would meet Keokuk and then he would tell the truth. He would tell all about this war which had caused so much trouble. There were chiefs and braves of his nation who were the cause of the continuance of the war. He did not wish to hold any council with him. He only wanted to tell him that when he got where Keokuk was, he would tell the whole of the origin of the differences and those who continued them. He wanted to surrender long ago; but others refused. He wanted to surrender to the steamboat Warrior, and tried to do so till the second fire. He then ran and went up the river and never returned to the battleground. His determination then was to escape if he could. He did not intend to surrender after that; but when the Winnebagoes came upon him, he gave up–and he would tell all about the disturbances when he got to Rock Island.” It is a noteworthy fact that when he did meet Keokuk he made no startling disclosures. On the contrary, he leaned upon Keokuk and cultivated the latter’s assistance, with the expectation that Keokuk would be able to aid him to escape further captivity. Upon the arrival at Fort Armstrong of the boat, the cholera was raging with such virulence that General Scott directed the prisoners to be taken on down to Jefferson Barracks until the fury of the disease had abated.[248] This angered Black Hawk, for he was determined to make a speech to Scott and doubtless endeavor to unload all his offenses upon Keokuk. This memorable trip from Prairie du Chien to Jefferson Barracks was made in charge of Lieut. Jefferson Davis, and of his kindness and consideration for the feelings of the distinguished prisoners, Black Hawk has this to say:[249] “We remained here (Prairie du Chien) a short time, and then started for Jefferson Barracks in a steamboat under the charge of a young war chief (Lieut. Jefferson Davis) who treated all with much kindness. He is a good and brave young chief, with whose conduct I was much pleased. On our way down we called at Galena and remained a short time. The people crowded to the boat to see us, but the war chief would not permit them to enter the apartment where we were–knowing, from what his feelings would have been if he had been placed in a similar situation, that we did not wish to have a gaping crowd around us.” Arriving safely at Jefferson Barracks,[250] the prisoners were delivered to General Atkinson, who put them in irons and thus laid the finishing stroke to Black Hawk’s pride. On this feature of his captivity he had Colonel Patterson write: “We were now confined to the barracks and forced to wear the ball and chain. This was extremely mortifying and altogether useless. Was the White Beaver (Atkinson) afraid I would break out of his barracks and run away? or was he ordered to inflict this punishment upon me? If I had taken him prisoner on the field of battle I would not have wounded his feelings so much by such treatment, knowing that a brave war chief would prefer death to dishonor. But I do not blame the White Beaver for the course he pursued, as it is the custom among the white soldiers, and I suppose was a part of his duty.” The White Beaver probably had in mind the many previous breaches of faith exhibited by the prisoner, after having made promises and treaties to behave himself, when he applied the shackles, and Black Hawk realized for the first time that the whites would suffer him to disturb them no longer. In his lofty speech to General Street, stating that “he can stand the torture,” one would expect to find Black Hawk glorifying the pleasure of manacled martyrdom; but in the contrast between the speech and the complaint, we find the true Black Hawk, from young manhood to his capture. The inconvenience of prison life made of him the poorest example of martyrdom that ever posed. ----- Footnote 244: Made on the 19th. Footnote 245: He entirely forgot the many requests of Atkinson to move peacefully. Footnote 246: Also copied in 43 Niles Reg. for Sept. 29, 1832, p. 69. Footnote 247: Fulton’s “Red Men of Iowa,” p. 210. Footnote 248: The Captain, prior to leaving, had pledged his passengers not to stop at Ft. Armstrong, Mo. Rep., Sept. 11, 1832. Footnote 249: Autobiography 2d Ed., p. 111. Footnote 250: Mo. Republican of Sept. 11, 1832, contains statement that steamboat Winnebago arrived in St. Louis en route for Jefferson Barracks “ten miles below,” on Sept. 10. That the “boat left Galena with Black Hawk, The Prophet, two sons of Black Hawk and nine braves, together with about 50 warriors.” The latter were landed south of the lower rapids on their pledge of neutrality. Black Hawk, The Prophet, two sons and nine braves were taken to Jefferson Barracks to remain as hostages. On the preceding Thursday Ne-a-pope and six or seven warriors were taken there by Lt. Cross and five men under his command. ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------