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Fight at Apple River Fort
Capt. A. W. Snyder's
Company, of Col. Henry's Regiment, was
detailed to guard the country between Galena
and Fox and Rock rivers, and was surprised
on the night of the 17th of June, while
encamped in the vicinity of Burr Oak Grove.
His sentinels, while on duty, were fired
upon by Indians, who did not deem it prudent
to continue the attack, but immediately
fled. As soon as it was light enough next
morning to follow their trail, Capt. Snyder
started with his company, but on reaching
their camp, found that they had fled on his
approach. He redoubled his speed and
continued on their trail until he overtook
them. Finding that there was no escape, the
Indians got into a deep gully for
protection, but were soon surrounded, when
Capt. Snyder ordered his men to charge upon
them. The Indians fired as they approached
and mortally wounded one of his men, Mr.
William B. Mekemson, a brave volunteer from
St. Clair county, (whose father's family
afterwards settled in this, Henderson
county, all of whom, except one brother,
Andrew, a highly respected Christian
gentleman, have, long since, gone to meet
their kinsman in another world.) Mr. M.
being unable to ride, a rude litter was made
and men detailed to carry him back to camp,
at Kellogg's Grove. The company had not
proceeded far before they were attacked by
about seventy-five Indians, and two men,
Scott and McDaniel, killed, and a Mr.
Cornelius wounded. The company was soon
formed into line by the aid of Gen.
Whiteside, who was then acting merely as a
private, and using the precaution of
Indians, each man got behind a tree, and the
battle waxed furiously for sometime without
any serious results, until the Indian
commander was seen to fall, from the well
directed aim of Gen. Whiteside's rifle.
Having now no leader the Indians
ingloriously fled, but for some reason were
not pursued. Our reporter, however, said
that most of the company refused, for the
reason that the second term of their
enlistment had expired, and they were
anxious to be mustered out of service,
although the officers were eager to pursue.
The company then commenced their march to
camp, and on approaching the litter on which
Mekemson lay, found that the Indians had cut
off his head and rolled it down the hill.
Soon after, Major Riley, with a small force
of regulars, came up, and after consultation
with Capt. Snyder, it was deemed best not to
follow the retreating Indians, as their
route probably led to the main army of Black
Hawk. Apple
River Fort
On the 23d of June scouts came into Galena,
and reported at headquarters that a large
body of Indians had been seen about thirty
miles distant, but not being on the march,
they were not able to conjecture to what
point they were going. Col. Strode
immediately made all necessary preparations
to receive them, should Galena be the point
of attack, and dispatched an express early
next morning for Dixon's Ferry. On their
arrival at Apple River Fort they halted for
a short time, and then proceeded on their
journey, and while yet in sight, at the
crack of a gun the foremost man was seen to
fall from his horse and two or three Indians
rushed upon him with hatchets raised ready
to strike, while his comrades galloped up,
and with guns pointed towards the Indians
kept them at bay until the wounded man
reached the Fort. But had the Indians known
these guns were _not loaded,_ (as afterwards
reported) they could have dispatched all
three of them with their tomahawks.
In a very short time after hearing the crack
of the gun a large body of Indians
surrounded the fort, yelling and shooting,
when the inmates, under command of Capt.
Stone, prepared for defense, every port hole
being manned by sharp-shooters. One man, Mr.
George Herclurode, was shot through a port
hole and instantly killed, and Mr. James
Nutting wounded in the same way, but not
seriously; which was the only loss sustained
during the engagement of more than one
hour's duration. A number of Indians were
wounded and carried off the field. Capt.
Stone had only twenty-five men, with a large
number of women and children in the fort,
but had providentially received a quantity
of lead and provisions from Galena only an
hour before the attack, and as he was short
of bullets, the ladies of the fort busied
themselves in melting lead and running balls
as long as the battle lasted. Black Hawk,
finding the fort impregnable from assault
without firing it--an act that he well knew
would, in a very short time, have brought a
large body of troops on his path--concluded
that it would be better to return and carry
with them all the flour they could, killed a
number of cattle and took choice pieces of
beef, and all the homes that were in the
stable. One of the expressmen, not deeming
the fort a place of safety, hurried back to
Galena, but getting lost on the way did not
get in until early next morning. On hearing
the news, Col. Strode took one hundred
picked men, well mounted, and went to the
relief of the fort, and was much gratified
to find that its noble defenders had put to
flight about one hundred and fifty Indians
who had been under the command of Black Hawk
himself. The books presented are for
their historical value only and are not the
opinions of the Webmasters of the site.
Autobiography of Black
Hawk or Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak,
Copyrighted By J. B. Patterson, 1882
Black Hawk Indian WarFree
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