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The Blackhawk War BY HENRY LITTLE, 1875
The great and powerful armies of the United States, commanded by seven different able generals, with vast army stores and munitions of war, and with an immense expenditure of money, and having the friendly Indians to strike the last blow, after three months of hard work, finally succeeded in subjugating those turbulent Saukies to a state of orderly submission.
When that little squad of 368 poor, miserable, ignorant, destitute, beggarly Indians were completely subdued, it was an occasion of great rejoicing throughout the length and breadth of our land, because the thought of the ferocious, murderous Saukies had filled our whole country with terror and dismay.
When the war was brought to a close, and peace once more restored to our bleeding, distracted country, it was thought to be a favorable time to consider the question relating to the purchase of the Indians' land.
Accordingly, as Governor Porter of Michigan was then on the ground, he, with Gen. Scott and some other official functionaries, opened negotiations to that effect, which resulted satisfactorily (at least it was so to the Government).
In process of time Black Hawk, a prisoner of war, was conveyed to Washington, where he met face to face and held converse with his pale faced father, Andrew Jackson.
Black Hawk was also carried to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York In all the places that Black Hawk visited, he received much attention, and . was treated with marked consideration by the dignitaries. Special can was taken to show him all the naval and military works and supplies, and to duty impress upon him a sense of the vastness of the military strength and re sources of the people, against whom he had ventured to lift his little insignif icant tomahawk. After a detention of some months, Black Hawk was safely returned to his western home, where he and his tribe ever after lived in peace with his pale faced neighbors.
Michigan
Page 54
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