Outdoorillinois January 2009 Lincoln the Soldier

2009 marks the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. His rise to leadership began on a military march across the prairies and forests of Illinois. Lincoln the Soldier Story By Rich Wagoner In this the bi-centennial celebration of Painted by Fletcher Ransom in 1941, this Lincoln’s birthday, we retrace Lincoln’s Photos Courtesy Abraham Lincoln scene depicts the people of New Salem min - travels during the Black Hawk War. gling cheers and farewells as Lincoln and Presidential Library and Museum In April of 1832, the Sauk, led by some of his men leave to serve in the Black Black Hawk, returned from Iowa and captured the attention of the pioneer Hawk War. The painting is part of a series be Lincoln drifted into cen - settlers in the new state of Illinois. The commissioned annually for 25 years by the tral Illinois just as he had men of New Salem voted to give Lin - Chicago & Illinois Midland Railroad Compa - drifted his whole life—aim - coln his first leadership role—captain ny to be used on the company’s calendars. lessly. But he knew he was of the New Salem Militia. He later headed somewhere. wrote that he had not had “any such when they marched off to war. Lincoln AThe fact that he had never stayed in success in life which gave him so much could now hone the mental tools need - one place long hadn’t bothered him. It satisfaction.” ed to be a leader. was as if his long legs were perfectly Lincoln’s command was a volunteer Lincoln lived in New Salem from suited for wandering. He was a rare company comprised of farmers and 1831 to 1837, working at Denton man, noted by others for his likeability rural men from the New Salem area. Offutt’s store. Things weren’t going and willingness to accept any type of The men were asked to line up and well at the store and Abe was glad living conditions, and he seemed happy step next to the man that they wanted when asked to fight in the Black Hawk wherever he went. as their leader. Lincoln was the War. A group of men gathered to He was quickly accepted by his new favorite. Instantly, the lost and self- march to war, many never having been acquaintances at New Salem in 1831, doubting Lincoln found a reason to be farther from home than the Sangamon his 22nd year. No one envisioned this confident and self worthy. He had County boundary. gentle soul as the commander-in-chief already shown the men his great physi - From Richland, 8 miles south of of more than 2 million soldiers 30 years cal strength when he bested the leader New Salem, the militia marched to later during the Civil War. of a gang of ruffians, Jack Armstrong, Beardstown where they met up with who became his friend and was other troops called up by Illinois Gover - 4 / Outdoor Illinois January 2009 appointed as Lincoln’s first sergeant nor Reynolds. The militia camped at Beardstown for several days. Lincoln and Lorenzo Thompson, from Captain William Moore’s company, wrestled for the best camping spot. Lincoln lost. Twenty-six years later Lincoln returned to Beard - stown to participate in his most famous legal battle, defending a relative of Jack Armstrong in a murder trial called the “Almanac Trial.” Today, visitors can stand in the courtroom where the trial took place and see the crude jail that ) . n e held Duff Armstrong, who Lincoln s s a H l saved from the noose. a H y Lincoln’s men thought they were on s e t r u o a grand excursion, but soon learned c o t o that soldiering was a serious matter. At h P first the men cavorted and fired ( weapons in camp—whooping that they nor Reynolds’s men, creating a contin - Apple River Fort, a hastily erected structure were out for revenge for damages done gent of 1,500 troops. They left for the measuring 50 feet by 70 feet, provided refuge in the supposed Native American upris - “Yellow Banks” (Oquawka) on April 29, for 45 area settlers during the estimated ing. During his 30-day enlistment, Lin - 1832. On May 1st, the men hiked 25 45-minute attack on June 24, 1832. coln was arrested twice—once because miles to Crooked Creek west of one of his men fired a gun in camp and Macomb, beginning their march for home and family. the second time he had to wear a through the raw wilderness of western Black Hawk felt the treaties that wooden sword for two days when he and northern Illinois. The fun was over. ceded the Sauk lands were illegal and he accepted responsibility for his drunken Men walked waist-deep in mud. Many was determined to try to stay in his troops after they broke into the store officers’ horses soon died from fatigue. ancestral lands—the bountiful streams room and stole whiskey. Fighting malarial mosquitoes, constant and rich land of the Sinnissippi (Rock In Beardstown, Lincoln’s troops physical activity and food shortages River). Black Hawk had re-crossed the were combined with the rest of Gover - hardened the men and made them wish Mississippi River at the Yellow Banks and Reynolds’s army, under the com - mand of Brig. General Samuel White - side, headed there to pick up their trail. Black Hawk sent messages to U.S. authorities that his intentions were peaceful. However, the pressure from mining and agricultural interests pres - sured the military to expel the Sauks. Progress was coming to this region and the native people were not to be a part of its future. Lincoln would soon realize from this early experience that not all intelligence derived from legitimate sources was to be believed at face value. The next day the men marched 20 miles through wet prairie, camping south of the Yellow Banks on the Mis - sissippi. Yellow Banks, so called because of the yellow-colored sand, was the home of the Sauk and Fox and they fished and hunted from both sides of the river. Lincoln loved this area and became friends with Alexis Phelps, founder of Oquawka. Phelps was a friend of the Sauk and saved many from being killed at the hands of unfriendly settlers. Lincoln returned there in 1858, when running for the Senate, and Numerous historic structures and parks may be visited when retracing Lincoln’s travels during the Black Hawk War. January 2009 Outdoor Illinois / 5 South of U.S. Route 20 near Kent is a mon - walked and canoed to Havana, then ument located on the site of Kellogg’s walked 20 miles to New Salem, glad to Grove, an early settlement established in be back home among his many friends. Meanwhile, Black Hawk and his peo - 1827 on a mail route between Peoria and ple were captured or killed. After Black Galena. Now on the National Register of Hawk’s capture, Zachary Taylor Historic Places, it honors those killed in assigned Jefferson Davis, the future the Black Hawk War. Lincoln helped to president of the Confederacy, to escort bury five of the slain men. Black Hawk to prison. Black Hawk died in Iowa on October 3, 1838, banished from his beloved Sin - so he savagely ambushed Stillman’s nissippi. much larger force and killed several Lincoln was greatly affected by the ) . poorly prepared men. Stillman fled west Black Hawk War. He experienced the n e s s a toward Fort Armstrong claiming that difficult life of a soldier and met people H l a thousands of Indians had attacked him. H along his march who would influence y s e t Old Man’s Creek has been renamed r his life, including his future law part - u o c Stillman’s Run in memory of Stillman’s o ner, John T. Stuart, who encouraged t o h P disreputable actions. A monument and ( Lincoln to run for office. plaque there tell of Lincoln helping to No longer would these men march attended Phelps’ funeral with, as it is bury the fallen soldiers of Stillman’s with him and listen to his campfire sto - told, teary eyes. Massacre. ries. Now they would advise and sup - Hungry and tired, the men resumed Lincoln and his men never engaged port him for postmaster, state represen - marching on May 5, heading toward in battle. They marched southward tative, congressman, senator and finally Fort Armstrong at the mouth of the toward Ottawa, following the Fox the greatest office of all—president of Rock River. The fort was located near River, where they were discharged. the United States. the site of the former Sauk Indian vil - Lincoln then re-enlisted under Elijah In 1865 those men wept by Lin - lage, Saukenuk, capitol of the Sauk Iles (Springfield’s Iles House has been coln’s body. nation and a large, well-organized com - beautifully restored and is open to visi - And they were there to lay him to munity. U.S. troops occupied the site tors) and was given the oath of service rest in the Prairie State—a land that he and there began their campaign to cap - by Lt. Robert Anderson. Anderson later had loved and volunteered to protect as ture Black Hawk. commanded Fort Sumter, where the a soldier in the Black Hawk War. A 50-mile march brought White - Civil War began. side’s troops to the mouth of the Rock The seeds of fate were sown. Men River, whose clear waters were full of who would play important roles in Lin - fish and mussels and beloved by the coln’s life during the Civil War ordered Sauk.

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