The Buffalo Grove ambush was an ambush that occurred on May 19, 1832 as part of the Black Hawk War. A six-man detail carrying dispatches from United States Colonel James M. Strode at Galena, Illinois to General Henry Atkinson at Dixon's Ferry was ambushed by Native Americans during the attack. William Durley was killed and buried near the site of the ambush. Durley's remains were initially interred by the party that would become victims of the St. Vrain massacre. Two other men had bullet holes in their clothing, but were uninjured. In 1910 the Polo Historical Society moved Durley's remains to a plot beneath a memorial they erected west of Polo, Illinois.

Background

As a consequence of an 1804 treaty between the Governor of Indiana Territory and a group of Sauk and Fox leaders regarding land settlement, the Sauk and Fox tribes vacated their lands in Illinois and moved west of the Mississippi in 1828. However, Sauk Chief

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus ur ...

and others disputed the treaty, claiming that the full tribal councils had not been consulted, nor did those representing the tribes have authorization to cede lands. Angered by the loss of his birthplace, between 1830–31 Black Hawk led a number of incursions across the Mississippi River, but was persuaded to return west each time without bloodshed. In April 1832, encouraged by promises of alliance with other tribes and the British, he again moved his so-called "British Band" of around 1000 warriors and non-combatants into Illinois.Lewis, James.
The Black Hawk War of 1832
," Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University''. Retrieved August 1, 2007. Finding no allies, 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.

Prelude

When the Black Hawk War began in the spring of 1832, the settlers at Buffalo Grove were notified of

's victory at Stillman's Run and ordered to leave the grove.Buffalo Grove
," Polo Community High School, ''Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education #47. Retrieved July 30, 2007. Most of the settlers went to Peoria where they remained for the duration of the war. On May 19, 1832 a small unit was detailed to carry dispatches from Colonel

James M. Strode James McGowan Strode (1804–1857/1860) was a militia officer and politician from the U.S. state of Illinois. He served in the Illinois militia during the Winnebago War and the Black Hawk War. Strode, originally from Tennessee, lived much of his ...

Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...

to General Henry Atkinson at Dixon's Ferry (present-day

Dixon, Illinois Dixon is a city and the county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 in 2000. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the R ...

). The group of men, which included soldiers Fred Stahl, William Durley, Vincent Smith, Redding Bennett, James Smith, and mail contractor John D. Winters, left Dixon around 3 p.m. on May 19.Kett, H.F. and Co.
The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois
', ( Google Books), H.F. Kett & Co., Chicago: 1878, p. 284. Retrieved August 13, 2007

Ambush

The Buffalo Grove ambush occurred near Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a small, unincorporated settlement in present-day Ogle County.Buffalo Grove is also the name of the geographic area surrounding the old town. See "Buffalo Grove," ''Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education #47''. As the group neared the edge of the grove one of the party noted the increased chances for ambush and suggested that the party avoid the usual route by taking a more roundabout route. The suggestion was opposed and Durley reared his horse and entered the wooded area within the grove. He had traveled only a few "bounds" when he was cut down by gunfire from the previously suggested ambush. Hoffman, Charles Fenno.
A Winter in the West
', ( Google Books), Harper: 1835, p. 297. Retrieved August 5, 2007. On May 20, 1832, Sergeant Stahl returned to Dixon's Ferry with the other four survivors of the attack and reported that his party had been ambushed by a group of Native Americans the evening before on the edge of the grove.Braun, Robert A.
A Chronology
" Black Hawk's War April 5 - August 2, 1832, September 2001, ''Old Lead Historical Society''. Retrieved August 6, 2007. He reported that Durley was killed instantly,

scalped Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the tak ...

, and left on the spot. Smith, William Rudolph.
The History of Wisconsin: In Three Parts, Historical, Documentary, and Descriptive
', ( Google Books), B. Brown: 1854, p. 267. Retrieved August 5, 2007. Stahl and James Smith both had bullets rip through articles of clothing but were uninjured and only Durley died in the attack.

Aftermath

The events of the Buffalo Grove ambush are closely interrelated with those of the St. Vrain massacre. A group of four men, including Aaron Hawley and John Fowler, both casualties of the St. Vrain massacre, was en route to Galena when they stumbled upon the body of Durley at Buffalo Grove. The group returned to Dixon's Ferry, reported their find and stayed there overnight.Stevens, Frank E.
The Black Hawk War
'', Frank E. Stevens 1903, pp. 169-171. Available online at Northern Illinois University Libraries Digitization Project. Retrieved July 30, 2007. When Atkinson returned to Dixon on May 23 it was with dispatches destined for Fort Armstrong. He ordered Indian Agent

Felix St. Vrain Felix St. Vrain, born Felix August Antoine St. Vrain (March 23, 1799–May 24, 1832), was an American United States Indian agent who was killed by Native Americans during the Black Hawk War. St. Vrain died along with three companions while on ...

to join the group that had discovered Durley's body and travel with them to Galena. The group left Dixon and traveled north where they found, and interred the remains of Durley at Buffalo Grove.The Killing of Felix St. Vrain
" Historic Diaries: Black Hawk War, ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved July 30, 2007. The Polo Historical Society erected a memorial to Durley on May 19, 1910, the 78th anniversary of the attack. At that time, Durley's remains were moved from where St. Vrain's party buried him, near where he had fallen, and interred beneath the memorial. The Buffalo Grove ambush historical marker and memorial to Durley are located west of the city of Polo, Illinois along Eagle Point Road.William Durley Monument
" Illinois Digital Archives, ''Illinois Secretary of State/State Librarian'', to access (

PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...

) click access this item. Retrieved July 30, 2007.

Notes

{{good article 1832 in the United States Buffalo Grove Polo, Illinois May 1832 events