| Webmaster's Note: Dr. C. V. Porter, an avocational historian, worked to assemble as accurately as possible, the trail of Black Hawk and his followers during the final weeks of the Black Hawk War. He interviewed many landowners and persons claiming knowledge of Black Hawk's trail after crossing the Wisconsin River. His work is an important starting point for persons interested in reconstructing the route of both Black Hawk and Gen. Atkinson's pursuing army in the days leading up to the fighting along the Mississippi, August 1-2, 1832.
The following article was published in the De Soto Chronicle, February 5, 1887, and is reprinted here substantially as written.
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The Black Hawk War.
Second Battle of the Bad Axe.
[..there was a fording place at Haney Valley where the Indians crossed with their ponies; there was another good ford ¼ mile above Soldiers Grove.] The Black Hawk trail passed from the latter place a little north of Pine Knob, Sec. 27, T. 11, R. 4, struck the Towerville Creek at the old John Woodburn farm Sec. 19 and kept the ridge to Rising Sun.It crossed the Black River Road about eight rods south of the Wilder’s House and some 15 rods north of the cluster of houses at Rising Sun.
A few rods north of Wilder’s house is a spring where in 1852 the bones of two men were found. On the knoll east of the road were found a quantity of bones of animals. From Rising Sun the trail kept the ridge west for about two miles and there turned into a valley near the Norweigian church and passed into Vernon Co. and across the country to the pond on the old Bates farm, Sec 11. T. 11, R. 6, where it is said the Indains camped for one night. Le Sterling Grant informs me that a soldier, Leach, told him that at this pond, on Hyde’s farm the whites overtook the first Indians since crossing the Kickapoo and killed 5 or 6 old Indians who had given out. Mr. Sterling found a handful of silver brooches at the pond where those sixIndians were killed, hence he concluded they were squaws. The army under Atkinson encamped on the night of August 1, at Mr. Hunt’s place, Sec. 3 ¾ mile north of the Indian camping ground. The spring where they obtained water is a quarter of a mile north of Hunt’s house, in a ravine, and answers the description given in the narritive quoted above. It is saidn a part of the army encamped on the ground where stands Mr. Hunt’s house.
I am told that an officer lost a fine pistol on the morning of the fight and that after the battle he went back to the camping ground to search for it, but did not find it. Years after Mr. Chase, father of Arvin and A. D. Chase, who settled on Sec. 3 found a barrel of a pistol which was undoubtedly the one lost by the soldier.
The trail from Hunt’s passed north of Broadhead’s and it is claimed along the ridge directly over where Dr. Bean’s house stands; a little north of the Red Schoolhouse, and followed not far from the present highway, past the Law house, over the site of the Central church, and along the ridge past the forks toward Victory. When about three miles from the present village of Victory the Indian outpost was attacked very near the spot where later Robt. E. Lemen on Sec. 35, T 12. R. 7. Built a house of logsset upright and which, partly sided up, still stands.
Here, in 1846, Mr. Le Grand Sterling saw twelve skeletons of Indians. And in 1852 H. H. McAuley saw the bones of an Indian with a bullet hole in the top of the skull. C. M. Sterling informs me that the trail from the Lemens house, as seen by his father, Lewis Sterling, passed west across Sec. 35. 34, and 33, and struck the river bank at the low place in the bluff below Conway’s house which is ¾ mile north of Battle Hollow. It is not probable that the troops went further north than that point. Gen. Alexander, one of the progenitors of the Editor of the De Soto CHRONICLE, with his brigade, remained up river to prevent the Indians from escaping to the north.
Le Grand Sterling informs me that the main part of the fight was about ¾ of a mile from Battle Island in Battle Hollow, or about a half mile below Mr. Wilt’s house. That Capt. Lindsay told him that Gen. Atkinson kept on the bluff north of Battle Hollow and kept about 300 men near him during the fight. Wm. T. Sterling claims that the principle men in this fight were Generals Dodge and Henry; the latter being the better military man. Henry Dodge, afterwards Governor of the territory was the best Indian fighter. Both were better soldiers than Atkinson, who was said to have been in a state of intoxication much of the time. Mr. Sterling says that Lindsay told him that during the fight the river was full of Indian ponies with women and children clinging to them. Lindsay saw six persons hanging to one pony. Many children were supposed to have drowned. Mr. James Fisher of Eastman, the oldest settler of American descent living in Crawford Co. says that the soldiers he conversed with 50 years ago informed him that Gen. Atkinson sounded the call and tried to stop the slaughter of women and children. But Col. Zachary Taylor told the Regulars not to mind it but go ahead.
All the aged pioneers with whom I have conversed speak of this so called Battle of the Bad Ax as a creul butchery of women and children.
Henry McAuley who cut wood on Battle Island in 1852 said the trees were literally full of bullets.
He relates the story told him of a soldier killed in the fight who [was] buried on the island by two brothers, and at the head of his grave they buried an iron kettle containing quite a sum of silver money. Over the kettle they stuck a cottonwood slip which grew to be a large tree. Years after the battle the two men came and dug up the money. Mr. McAuley was told that some of the Illinois troops went doen the bluff below Victory at Conway’s; that the battle was fought from Conway’s down to the dyke. A soldier named Rittenhouse, a spy, related his experience with an Indian in the driftwood at Battle Island. The Indian has wounded several soldiers and Rittenhouse climbed a tree to get a view of the warrior who shot at him inflicting a wound on the scalp. The spy saw the Indian in the act of reloading his rifle and shot him.
