Abraham Lincoln served as a volunteer in the Illinois Militia from April 21, 1832 to July 10, 1832, during the Black Hawk War. Lincoln never saw combat during his tour, but he was elected captain of his first company. He was also present in the aftermath of two of the war's battles, where he helped to bury the militia dead. He was mustered in and out of service during the war, going from captain to private and finishing his service in an independent spy company commanded by Captain Jacob Early.
Lincoln's service had a lasting impression on him, and he related tales about it later in life with modesty and humor. Through his service he forged lifelong political connections. In addition, he received a land grant from the U.S. government for his military service. Though Lincoln had no military experience when he assumed command of his company, he was generally regarded as an able and competent leader.
Background
Angered by the loss of his birthplace via prior disputed treaties, and against the best interests of other tribes affected, Black Hawk led a number of incursions across the Mississippi River beginning in 1830. Each time, he was persuaded to return west without bloodshed. In April 1832, encouraged by promises of alliances with other tribes and the British, he again moved his "British Band"The group was referred to as the "British Band", because of their earlier support to the British during the War of 1812 and continued reliance on British trade, as well as flying a British flag in their camp in defiance of American authority. See Lewis, "Background." into Illinois.Lewis, James. "The Black Hawk War of 1832 ," Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, Northern Illinois University. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
On April 5, 1832, Black Hawk and around 1,000 warriors and civilians recrossed the Mississippi River into Illinois in an attempt to reclaim their land. About half of Black Hawk's band were combatants and the rest were a combination of women, children, and elderly. The band consisted of Sauk, Meskwaki, some Potawatomi, and some Kickapoo; in addition, some members of the Ho-Chunk nation were sympathetic to Black Hawk.Lewis, James. "Introduction ," The Black Hawk War of 1832, Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, Northern Illinois University. Retrieved August 1, 2007.Harmet, p. 13."April 6: The U.S. suspects Black Hawk is crossing the Mississippi ," Historic Diaries: The Black Hawk War, Wisconsin State Historical Society. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
Black Hawk's reasons for crossing into Illinois were to reclaim lost lands, and perhaps create a confederacy of Native Americans to stand against white settlement.Lewis, James. "Background ," The Black Hawk War of 1832, Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, Northern Illinois University. Retrieved August 1, 2007. Promises of aid from other Illinois tribes were made to the British Band, and Black Hawk believed that promises of assistance were made by the British in Canada. Map of Black Hawk War sites Battle (with name) Fort / settlement Native villageSymbols are wikilinked to article Despite this, Black Hawk found no allies, and he attempted to return to Iowa, but ensuing events led to the Battle of Stillman's Run."May 14: Black Hawk's Victory at the Battle of Stillman's Run ," Historic Diaries: The Black Hawk War, Wisconsin State Historical Society. Retrieved August 6, 2007. A number of other engagements followed, and the state militias of Wisconsin and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band. The conflict became known as the Black Hawk War.
At the time of Black Hawk's incursion into Illinois, Lincoln was living in New Salem, where he had lived for two years. Prior to the Black Hawk War, in March 1832, Lincoln announced his candidacy for the Illinois House of Representatives, but the election was several months away.McGovern, George S. et al. Abraham Lincoln, (Google Books), Macmillan, 2008, p. 21, (). One month later, he responded to the governor's call for volunteer militia."April 21: Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hawk War ", Historic Diaries: Black Hawk War, Wisconsin Historical Society, accessed April 12, 2009.
Enlistment and election as captain On April 21, 1832, Lincoln and the other volunteers gathered at the property of Dallas Scott. Lincoln rode a horse from New Salem to Richland Creek, where neighbors had gathered to form a company of volunteer militia near Beardstown, Illinois. The men were officially sworn in and began the process of electing a company commander who would hold the rank of captain. In the choice between Lincoln and William Kirkpatrick, Lincoln received three-fourths of the votes.Sandburg, Carl and Goodman, Edward C. Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years, (Google Books), Illustrated and abridged edition, Sterling Publishing Company, 2007 p. 30, (). Many years later, Lincoln said this election as captain was "a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had since."
Lincoln was commissioned as a captain in Sangamon County's 31st Regiment, a unit of the militia's 1st Division. By April 30, he had been placed in charge of a rifle company in the 4th Regiment of Mounted Volunteers, a unit of Samuel Whiteside's Brigade.Lincoln Company was part of the formation in the lineage of the 130th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The men spent time in Beardstown, where they drew provisions and weapons (as many of the men, including Lincoln, owned no weapons). Other downtime in Beardstown was occupied by inter-company rivalry. An incident occurred on April 22, when Lincoln was challenged for a prime camping spot. Lincoln and his challenger, private Lorenzo Dow Thompson, wrestled for the spot and Lincoln was beaten before a crowd of fellow soldiers.Jung, The Black Hawk War of 1832, pp. 79-85. After the wrestling match, Lincoln and the other commanders spent April 23–26 conducting light drills and drawing supplies."April, 1832 ", The Lincoln Log. On April 28, Lincoln's company was enrolled into state service by Colonel John J. Hardin, and Lincoln drew further supplies (including whiskey, food staples, and tin pans). The volunteers marched to Rushville, a distance of , on April 30, 1832.
Following their arrival in Rushville, the troops continued marching for several days toward the mouth of the Rock River. Much of the rest of early May was spent marching and resupplying. General Samuel Whiteside, the brigade commander, moved the volunteers to the Prophet's Village, which they burned on May 11, and then continued the men toward Dixon's Ferry, another upstream.Holland, Josiah Gilbert. Holland's Life of Abraham Lincoln, (Google Books), University of Nebraska Press, 1998, p. 50-51, (). The men reached Dixon's Ferry on May 12, and the next day, Isaiah Stillman and David Bailey led their troops toward Old Man's Creek, where it was rumored that Black Hawk and his men were encamped.
War
Stillman's Run
Lincoln engaged in no combat during the Black Hawk War,"NIU-produced Lincoln documentary, local history Web site debut April 28 ", (Press release), Northern Illinois University, April 19, 2005, accessed April 12, 2009.Monroe, R.D. "Indian Fighting and Politics in New Salem, 1831–1836 ", Lincoln/Net: Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, Northern Illinois University libraries, accessed April 12, 2009. as Lincoln's own recollections of this time attest.Tripp, C.A. and Gannett, Lewis. The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln, (Google Books), Simon and Schuster, 2005, p. 54, (). He did, however, see scalped corpses and witness the results of the war's atrocities. Lincoln was 23 years old at the time of the Black Hawk War, and his experience in the volunteer militia was his only military experience prior to becoming president.
Various sources, many compiled at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, document the movements of Lincoln's company after the outbreak of hostilities at the Battle of Stillman's Run. On May 15, 1832, Lincoln's company set out under the command of Whiteside and reached the site of Stillman's Run by sunset. According to letters from Whiteside to militia commander Henry Atkinson, the soldiers, including Lincoln, arrived to find militia men dead, scalped, and mangled.
In a 2006 article, author Scott Dyer asserted that Whiteside's men, including Captain Lincoln, "paraded" the area the morning after, and buried the dead from Stillman's Run. Their movements were in an unsuccessful effort to draw out the Sauk, after which they returned to Dixon's Ferry.Dyar, Scott D. "Stillman's Run: Militia's Foulest Hour," Military History, March 2006, pp. 38–44, 72. Lincoln's presence at Stillman's Run was still under investigation .Braun, Robert A. "Abraham Lincoln's Military Service During the Black Hawk War: An Introduction, November 2002 and March 2003, Old Lead Historical Society. Retrieved August 11, 2007. Archived 2009-10-24.Davis, William. Lincoln's Men (Google Books), Simon and Schuster: 1999, p. 12, (). Retrieved August 11, 2007.
The marble facade on the Stillman Valley monument, erected in 1901, commemorating the battle, includes the reference to Lincoln's presence at Stillman's Run, "The presence of soldier, statesman, martyr, Abraham Lincoln assisting in the burial of these honored dead has made this spot more sacred."
Still, other sources assert that it was General Whiteside who originally buried the dead in a common grave on a ridge south of the battlefield, marked with a rudimentary wooden memorial. These sources make no mention of Lincoln.Ford, Thomas and Shields, James. A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847, (Google Books), Ivison & Phinney: 1854, p. 123. Retrieved August 12, 2007.The Lakeside Classics, (Google Books), R.R. Donnelley and Sons, Co: 1903, p. 179. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
From captain to private
Two days after Stillman's Run, Lincoln and his company drew 10 quarts of meal and 10 pounds of pork from supply at Dixon's Ferry, Illinois. After a march on May 25, Lincoln's company camped near Paw Paw Grove. The next day, Lincoln and his company marched another and camped two miles (3 km) above the mouth of the Fox River. On May 27, Lincoln's company was mustered out of service. Lincoln was discharged from his command, and he re-enlisted as a private in the company of Captain Elijah Iles in Ottawa, Illinois."Captain Abraham Lincoln", Illinois State Military Museum, Illinois National Guard, accessed April 12, 2009.
Henry Atkinson, a militia commander, arrived in Ottawa on May 28, and on May 29 Lieutenant Robert Anderson formally mustered Lincoln and a hodgepodge of 71 other former officers into a company of mounted volunteers under Iles. Atkinson left and met with Governor Reynolds; Atkinson then returned to Ottawa on May 30 and decided not to pursue Black Hawk until further militia reinforcements arrived on June 15. On June 6, 1832, Captain Iles' company, including Lincoln, began the march to Dixon's Ferry; they arrived during the afternoon of June 7.
From June 8 to June 10, the company moved on orders toward Galena; on June 8, the group camped from Dixon's Ferry, and on June 9 near the Apple River Fort. The company found the people in Galena demoralized and was ordered to return to Dixon's Ferry on June 11. On the march back, the group made camp at the same campsites it used on its march toward Galena. The men arrived back in Dixon's Ferry on June 13, and on June 16, Anderson mustered them out of service at Fort Wilbourn.
From June 16 until July 10, Lincoln served as a private in Captain Jacob Early's independent company. Early's company was known as an "independent spy company", which was ordered into federal service by Atkinson and meant to operate separately from the other brigades.