Dear Sirs— I wish through the columns of your paper to call the attention of the inhabitants of LaFayette County, and especially those who have been subscribers for the history of LaFayette county, to some of the most flagrant, unjust and false statements made in that so called history.
On page 474, fifth paragraph, these words appear: “The order was then given to advance at full speed, but nine fell back.” It will bee seen by reading the above that this means nine of the volunteers fell back and refused to go in pursuit of the Indians who had killed Apple and which pursuit led to the battle of Pecatonica. I was one of the participants in the pursuit of the Indians, and in the battle, and have no hesitation in denouncing this statement as being utterly false, and as a mean slander upon as brave and determined a set of men as ever went into any Indian engagement. General Dodge in reporting this battle said: “The volunteers under my command acted with great gallantry and bravery upon this occasion. I could make no distinction.” Every man was eager for the chase, and one poor fellow (Samuel Black) went into the pursuit with a strong presentiment that he would be killed; and most unfortunately he was killed.
This battle took place forty-nine years ago, and this is the first intimation that anyone has ever heard that any cowardice was shown on that occasion.
On page 430, the troops were at Fort Winnebago under orders to return to General Atkinson at the Rock River. In the sixteenth line of the second paragraph, this language appears:
“On proposing to return to the main body, much rebellious discussion was aroused, as the men one and all, were opposed to the snail-like progress of the regular army, preferred to march to the headwaters of Rock River, in hope of overtaking and chastising the Indian Chief. Col. Dodge, although expressing doubts of their ability to master Black Hawk, freely promised to accompany them. After reflection, General Henry promised to cast his lot with the mining regiment in pursuit of Black Hawk.”
From this language, it would seem that Col. Dodge and Gen. Henry were merely instruments in the hands of their men, and only promised to accompany their men in pursuit of Black Hawk to appease their rebellious feelings, Col. Dodge at the same time expressing doubts of their ability to master Black Hawk. Such are by no means the facts in the case, and I speak almost from positive knowledge—I was there and my father Col. D. M. Parkinson, was there and commanded a company as captain. He was somewhat a compeer of Col. Dodge and Gen. Henry, and a warm personal friend of both, and was admitted to their councils on this and all other occasions; so was Captain Gentry, to whose company I them belonged, and my father informed me at the time that Col. Dodge was the suggester and prime mover in this matter, Gen. Henry assenting to and approving of the course suggested by Col. Dodge at once. The idea that Dodge’s men had to urge him on in the pursuit of the Indians is quite absurd to those who knew him, or that he should express doubts as to their ability to master Black Hawk is equally absurd. There is no act of Col. Dodge’s life that would justify such a belief. His policy and practice was to encounter Indians under all circumstances, regardless of numbers or circumstance, and he was never unsuccessful.
Again on the same page, second paragraph appears this remarkable statement: “Prior to marching up the Rock River country two barrels of flour were served out to each company. By design or oversight, the barrels sent to Clark’s corps were musty and sour. Col. Dodge refused to replace them with flour of a palatable quality. On being acquainted with the refusal, Lieutenant Magoon selected a file of his best men and marched to the staff quarters, deliberately bore off the precious goods. This pre-emptory course becoming known to the officers of the staff, caused some comment, but beyond a feeble demur no action was taken.”
This statement is so remarkable, and so at variance with anything reasonable, and such a break of all rules, regulations and practices at all allowable in a well regulated army, and so unlike Lieutenant Magoon to have done it, and so unlike Col. Dodge to have permitted it to have been done, that it requires a greater stretch of credulity than I am capable of possessing for me to believe there is one word of truth in it; and for one other very obvious reason I do not believe it. We were then under and in obedience to orders of Gen. Atkinson; our requisition for provisions was from him and they were issued out to us by the orders of the commandant of Fort Winnebago, and Col. Dodge had nothing whatever to do with the matter in any way whatever. Mr. Absolem Townsend, formerly of this county, who was present upon this occasion, says he believes the statement to be false; I have his letter in relation to all matters connected with this communication, which will be found at its close.
Again on page 431, the army was encamped on the second of the four lakes. This same history says: “The camp was early astir, breakfast was gulped hurriedly and accouterments donned, so as to be prepared at a moment’s notice. The morning wore away without any command being issued and the impatience of the men manifested itself in murmurings at the protracted delay. At 9 o’clock orders were issued to mount.”
This statement as to the mutterings of the men and the order for mounting not having been given until 9 o’clock, is most certainly untrue, and was made by the author no doubt, for no other purpose than to throw discredit upon the commanding officers of the occasion.
Governor. Reynolds, of Illinois, who was then Governor of the State, in his “My Life and Times” in his account of the Black Hawk war, on page 408, speaking of this very morning says: “By the time it was light the whole army were on the Indian trail and in hot pursuit.” This statement of Governor Reynolds is precisely in accordance with my recollection of the matter. The sun was just rising as we marched over the ground where the Capitol of the State now stands, and which was then an unbroken wilderness.
On page 432 of this remarkable history appears this still more remarkable statement. It is speaking of the close of the war, and the paying off of the troops, then comes this remarkable, unjust, and untruthful statement, as I think I shall show to the entire satisfaction of all unprejudiced minds.
The statement is: “By an infamous arrangement of the commanding officer of the forces, (Col. Dodge) the two mining companies known respectfully as Captain Clark’s and Captain Gentry’s men, were forced to assume the expenses of their own corps during the campaign. The sum of over $4,000 was accordingly deducted from the pay of the men by the paymaster, acting under orders from Col. Dodge.”
In reference to this statement I have to say that I was a member of Captain Gentry’s company during the war, was paid off in Mineral Point the fall after the war, and no deduction was made form my pay for subsistence, for either myself or my horse. To strengthen my statements and recollection of these matters, I have procured the statements of Mr. Absolem Townsend, formerly of this county, Mr. Oliver Holtshouser, of Belmont, and Mr. John Lindsay, of Iowa county, the two latter gentlemen being members of Gentry’s company. From which it will be seen that their statements corroborate mine.
HON. PETER PARKINSON—
Dear Sir:
Your favor of the 20th of April was read some ten days after its date. You ask me some questions in reference to matters that took place in the Black Hawk war. First, I was not in Captain Clark’s company, I was in Robert C. Hoard’s company. I went to Fort Winnebago with the troops, and at that place we were furnished by Major Lowe, who was in command then, with such provisions as he had in his possession, to-wit: coffee. Sugar, pork, flour and some army crackers. I know while Captain Clark’s company was with us they were furnished by the government the same as the rest of the troops were furnished. I know that Captain gentry’s men drew their provisions from the government stores at all times. I never heard of Lieutenant Magoon’s taking back of the two barrels of sour flour and taking two barrels of good flour in their stead, and as far as I know there was not one cent deducted from the pay of any soldier on account of anything that was furnished them by the government, and I am proud to say that I never knew a braver or kinder-hearted officer than Col. Henry Dodge. He was beloved by all his men, and he was proud of the behavior of the men under his command and I do believe the statements alluded to to be utterly false. I was with Col. Dodge’s command from the time that Berry was killed by the Indians at Blue Mounds, until the closing up of the Bad Axe, on the 2d of August, and I think I would have known of these charges if such had been the case.
Very truly yours ABSOLOM TOWNSEND.
BELMONT June 21, 1881 I hereby certify that I served in the Black Hawk war, and that I was a member of Captain Gentry’s company; was with the troops at Fort Winnebago, just previous to starting in pursuit of Black Hawk up Rock River, and was at the battle of Wisconsin heights, and have no hesitation in stating that the statements made in the History of LaFayette County, just published, in relation to the two barrels of bad flour, and the taking of two barrels of good flour from the staff officers by Lieutenant Magoon in their stead is untrue, and also that Col. Dodge had to be urged to go in pursuit of the Indians or that he expressed fears that we would not be able to master Black Hawk are also untrue. And especially do I contradict the statement that Col. Dodge entered into any infamous arrangement by which Captain Gentry’s men were defrauded out of any of their pay for services rendered during the Black Hawk war. I was mustered out of service as a member of that company, and received every dollar of my pay, without any deduction whatever, and I was never more surprised than when I read the statement in the history referred to, as Col. Dodge was considered (as I thought) by all to be one of the best as well as one of the bravest of men. I was intimate with Captain Gentry, lived in his family constantly from 1830 to 1836, and I am certain he had the full confidence of Col. Dodge, and I have often heard him say that he was at the council of officers at Fort Winnebago, at which it was determined to go immediately in pursuit of Black Hawk, and not return directly to General Atkinson on Rock River, and that it was Gen. Dodge who made the proposition for the army to take the course that it did, and it was by his advice and direction that it did so. And I have heard him say also that only for Col. Dodge, old Black Hawk would never have been overtaken and whipped out of the country.
Mr. Lindsay, in writing to me says: “I paid no part of the expenses during the war, and was fully satisfied with my pay.”
The statements of these gentlemen, two of them well known in our county, and whose word would not be doubted by any man in the county who know them, would perhaps be sufficient to sustain my own statements, but to be more fully sustained and to place beyond dispute the incorrectness of the statements in controversy, the records of the War Dep’t. at Washington, have been consulted and they too prove the incorrectness of the county history, so far as payment of the soldiers is concerned.
U. S. SENATE CHAMBER WASHINGTON, MAY 4, ’81
HON. A. C. DODGE, Burlington, Iowa
Dear Sir:
I hearwith enclose a letter from the Secretary of War, addressed to me, dated May 3d, 1881. Also a copy of the letter from the Adjutant General to the Secretary of War, dated April 30th. It will be seen from the letter of Gen. Drum, that chargews made in the History of LaFayette County against your father, Gen. Dodge, are not sustained by the records in the War Department.
Truly yours,
ANGUS CAMERON
WAR DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON CITY, May 3, ’81.
Sir: Referringto your letter of the 18th ultimo, requesting evidence from the records of the War Department, to refute certain charges made in a printed history of LaFayette county, Wisconsin, against Colonel Henry Dodge in the Black Hawk war, I have the honor to transmit herewith, a letter from the Adjutant General of the Army, dated the 30th ultimo, containing a full statement of facts, from which it will be seen that the charges in the book referred to are not sustained by the records.
Very resp’y your ob’t servant, ROBT. LINCOLN, Sec’y of War HON. ANGUS CAMERON, U. S. Senate.
WAR DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON, April 30, ’81.HON. R. T. LINCOLN, Secretary of War Sir:
Referring to the letter addressed to you on the 28th inst. by Senator Angus Cameron of Wisconsin, requesting evidence from the records of the War Department to refute charges made in a recently printed history of LaFayette county, Wisconsin, against the late Col. Henry Dodge, I beg to state that a careful and exhaustive examination of the records of this office, as well as those of the Paymaster General, establishes the following facts: Then comes a lengthy statement of facts, and in conclusion the Adjutant General (Mr. Drum) says: “As the payrolls of those companies (referring to Clark’s and Gentry’s) were carefully scrutinized, not only in the office of the Paymaster General, but by the accounting officers of the treasury, it is not seen, in view of the instructions to the Paymaster making the payments, how an injustice could have been done to the men of these companies. There is no record of any complaint having ever been made to the War Department in this matter of payment to the troops.”
Very resp’y your ob’t servant R. C. DRUM, Adj. Gen.
Having, as I think, proven beyond doubt or cavil, the incorrectness of these statements made in the County History referred to, perhaps further comment might be unnecessary on my part, except to say, that my object in the matter was to vindicate the truth of history, and the character and reputation of one of the bravest and best men I ever knew; to whose valor, prudence, and wisdom, this county and this state are more indebted, than to that of any other man; and also to expose, to some, extent, the carelessness and recklessness with which history is gotten up of late years.
Respectfully, PETER PARKINSON, JR.
[Webmaster’s note: Peter Parkinson Jr., son of Daniel Morgan Parkinson, was a teenager during the Black Hawk War, and outlived most of the veterans with whom he fought—including his father. Parkinson’s refutation of segments of Lieutenant Richard Magoon’s commentary, published in the History of LaFayette County, is typical of his style. Parkinson did not shrink for challenging the recollections of veterans he felt were in error. By incorporating the testimony of fellow veterans, Parkinson strengthened his arguments and provided modern readers with a rich source of commentary. While the History of LaFayette County, including Magoon’s erroneous statements, has recently been reprinted, Peter Parkinson’s letter remains all but forgotten today. This of course, leaves Lieutenant Magoon’s unchallenged charges freely available for use by subsequent generations of investigators.]
Source: The Republican (Darlington) August 19, 1881.
