The Battle of Kellogg's Grove is either of two minor battles, or skirmishes, fought during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, in present-day Stephenson County at and near Kellogg's Grove. In the first skirmish, also known as the Battle of Burr Oak Grove, on June 16, 1832, Illinois militia forces fought against a band of at least 80 Native Americans. During the battle, three militia men under the command of Adam W. Snyder were killed in action. The second battle occurred nine days later when a larger Sauk and

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

band, under the command of Black Hawk, attacked Major John Dement's detachment and killed five militia men. The second battle is known for playing a role in

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's short career in the Illinois militia. He was part of a relief company sent to the grove on June 26 and he helped bury the dead. He made a statement about the incident years later which was recollected in Carl Sandburg's writing, among others. Sources conflict about who actually won the battle; it has been called a "

rout A rout is a panicked, disorderly and undisciplined retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale (''esprit de corps''). History Historically, lightly-e ...

" for both sides. The battle was the last on Illinois soil during the Black Hawk War.

Background

As a consequence of an 1804 treaty between the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

and a group of Sauk and Fox leaders regarding land settlement, the Sauk and Fox tribes vacated their lands in

and moved west of the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

in 1828. However, Sauk Black Hawk 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, from 1830 Black Hawk led a number of incursions across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

, 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. Finding no allies he attempted to return to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, but events overtook him and led to the

Battle of Stillman's Run The Battle of Stillman's Run, also known as the Battle of Sycamore Creek or the Battle of Old Man's Creek, occurred in Illinois on May 14, 1832. The battle was named for the panicked retreat by Major Isaiah Stillman and his detachment of 275 I ...

.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 and massacres followed, and the militias of Michigan Territory and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band.

Prelude

In the days preceding the second Battle of Kellogg's Grove a raid occurred on Bureau Creek, between the

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and Illinois Rivers. Major John Dement's

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

was ordered to the scene to protect settlers and ascertain the presence of Native Americans in the area, they were to report to Colonel

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

Dixon's Ferry Dixon's Ferry was the former name for Dixon, Illinois, United States. It was located on the bank of the Rock River near present-day Illinois Route 26. John Dixon operated a rope ferry service to transport mail from Peoria to Galena, and he al ...

. On June 22 Dement reached Dixon's Ferry where he reported to Taylor. Taylor then ordered him to cross the Rock River to take a position between Dixon's Ferry and Galena. Additionally, Taylor ordered Dement to set up his headquarters at Kellogg's Grove. With a command of 140 inexperienced men, Dement set out for the grove to replace a group of volunteers led by a Major Riley who had abandoned the fort on June 23. The troops that abandoned the

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

had skirmished with the Native Americans two or three times and were defeated in all clashes, according to the soldiers stationed there.''Autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak'',
Kellogg's Grove Fort
." Retrieved August 1, 2007. Major Dement's group crossed the Rock River on June 24 and reached the small fort at Kellogg's Grove where they camped for the night.''Autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak'',
Major Dement's Battle with the Indians
." Retrieved August 1, 2007. The day before the second Battle of Kellogg's Grove, June 24, Black Hawk was leading his band in an attack on

Apple River Fort Apple River Fort, today known as the Apple River Fort State Historic Site, was one of many frontier forts hastily completed by settlers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin following the onset of the 1832 Black Hawk War. Located in presen ...

. During the Battle of Apple River Fort the Sauk besieged the small stockade for much of the day. Other warriors were dispatched to gather food, horses and other supplies, all of which were badly needed by the band. The following day the group would reach Kellogg's Grove where they would engage Dement's militia forces.

Battles

First Battle of Kellogg's Grove

The first Battle of Kellogg's Grove, or the Battle of Burr Oak Grove, occurred on June 16, 1832. Men from Captain Adam Wilson Snyder's company engaged part of a group of about 80 Kickapoo warriors resulting in three militia deaths and six Kickapoo deaths.Lewis, James.
The Black Hawk War of 1832
," Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University'', 2000, p. 2B. Retrieved July 26, 2007.Armstrong, Perry A.
The Sauks and the Black Hawk War
', (

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

) H. W. Rokker: 1887, p. 891. Retrieved August 6, 2007. On the night of June 15, 1832, Captain Snyder and his men were in Kellogg's Grove when Native Americans were discovered in the area, during the night a horse was stolen. The next day, June 16, Snyder and his men pursued the Native Americans to the southwest; they came upon four natives and killed them. During the ensuing

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

, Private William B. Mecomson was fatally wounded. The

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

men put the wounded man on a litter and began to carry him back to the Kellogg cabin, along the way Mecomson asked that the group stop to rest. The group stopped and some of the men went for water while the rest waited with Mecomson. As they waited, a large group of Native Americans came upon them; a short battle followed and two more militia members were killed. After the short skirmish, the natives left the area and the militia men returned to the Kellogg cabin and buried their dead the next day.Dameier, Evelyn.
Kellogg's Grove
," ( PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, January 18, 1978, HAARGIS Database, ''Illinois Historic Preservation Agency''. Retrieved July 26, 2007.

Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove

The Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove occurred on June 25, 1832, after Major

John Dement John Dement (26 April 1804 – 16 January 1883) was an American politician and militia commander from the U.S. state of Illinois. Born in Tennessee, he migrated with his family to Illinois when he was in his early teens. His first political offic ...

and his men, while camped at Kellogg's Grove on Sunday June 24, learned of a large group of Native Americans nearby. The battle pitted a large band of Native American warriors led by Black Hawk and his warchiefs

Neapope Neapope (''Na-pope'' meaning "Broth" in the Sauk language) was a spiritual leader of the Sauk tribe and advisor to Black Hawk during the Black Hawk War. Biography A prominent chieftain of the Sauk prior to the Black Hawk War, Neapope was first ...

and Weesheet against Dement's spy company of militia men. Dement's company had been searching the area for bands of warriors sent out by Black Hawk and their trail had led to Kellogg's Grove. During the night, three of the militia's horses wandered off; the next day, June 25, three men went in search of the animals while the rest stayed behind. At the cabin, seven Native American braves appeared in the distance. Dement, John.
Report of the Battle at Kellogg's Grove
" Historic Diaries: Black Hawk War, June 25: The Battle of Kellogg's Grove, ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Originally published in: Whitney, Ellen M., ed. ''The Black Hawk War, 1831-1832'', Springfield: Illinois State Historical Society, 1970, p.680. Retrieved July 26, 2007. The troops immediately began pursuing the natives, who fled into the woods, instead of reporting the sighting to Dement. The Native American warriors, as had been done other times during the course of the war, set an ambush for the militia men in the forest. The militia pursued the natives into the woods and, as they entered the forest, the natives opened fire, the volley instantly killed two militia men and wounded another. The militia retreated and formed a battle line but the native forces would not relent. The rest of Dement's company attempted to rescue the outmatched militia men but were unable to beat back the native warriors. Black Hawk's band attacked the militia men, again forcing the beleaguered force to fall back to the Kellogg cabin and barn. As the militia fell back, the three men who had set out in search of their horses returned and they too were killed by the Native American forces. The natives continued to assault the barn and cabin; their attacks did not cease and during the battle about 25 horses were killed. Finally, the native forces withdrew, leaving nine of their own dead behind. The June 25 battle was the last of the

soil. Dement's company lost five men with another three were wounded, many horses were killed as well. That night American reinforcements arrived under the command of General Alexander Posey, who chose not to pursue the attackers and instead reported the situation to Colonel Zachary Taylor. Black Hawk asserted later that had Posey chose to attack him and his warriors that the blow dealt Black Hawk's band would have been decisive and war-ending. In fact, Dement's opinion was that there were more Native Americans at Kellogg's Grove than at any other engagement during the war. The next day more reinforcements arrived when Captain Jacob Early's detachment reached the grove.

Lincoln's role

Abraham Lincoln's service during the Black Hawk War has been a source of discrepancies and questioning, with two major battle sites being affiliated with Lincoln in the aftermath of combat. A number of sources assert that on June 26, 1832, the morning after the second battle, members of the company of Captain Jacob M. Early arrived at Kellogg's Grove to help bury the dead. One of the soldiers in the company was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln assisted with the burial and later made a statement about the experience that has been connected with both the battle at Kellogg's Grove and the fight at Stillman's Run.Stillman's Run Memorial
" Historic Places, ''Abraham Lincoln Online''. Retrieved August 11, 2007. The Lincoln quote appeared both in William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Wiek's ''Life of Lincoln'' and Carl Sandburg's Lincoln biography, ''Abraham Lincoln The Prairie Years''. Lincoln's presence at Stillman's Run was still under investigation , but his presence at Kellogg's Grove has been corroborated by several sources. Davis, William.
Lincoln's Men
' (

), Simon and Schuster: 1999, p. 12, (). Retrieved August 11, 2007.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. Lincoln made a humorous remark during an 1848 speech before the U.S. Congress in which he referenced his Black Hawk War service, mentioning Stillman's Run by name. The marble facade at the monument, erected in 1901, commemorating the battle in Stillman Valley, Illinois includes the reference to Lincoln's, "The presence of soldier, statesman, martyr, Abraham Lincoln assisting in the burial of these honored dead has made this spot more sacred."

Aftermath

Sources vary concerning exactly which side was victorious during the battle. The Battle of Kellogg's Grove, like many of the battles and skirmishes during the Black Hawk War, had no real order or strategy. Early sources indicated that the battle was a complete victory for the

state militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, declaring the battle a

and noting that the Sauk lost 15 while the militia only suffered 5 men killed. Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin
''State Historical Society of Wisconsin'', 1892. Retrieved July 27, 2007. Conversely, according to the

Illinois Department of Natural Resources The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is the code department of the Illinois state government that operates the state parks and state recreation areas, enforces the fishing and game laws of Illinois, regulates Illinois coal mines, ...

, the result, essentially, was that the band of approximately 50 Sauk warriors routed the 300 or so ill-disciplined white troops.Blackhawk's Last Battle in Illinois
," The Sugar-Pecatonica Rivers Basin: An Inventory of the Region's Resources, ''Illinois Department of Natural Resources'', Office of Realty and Environmental Planning, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2007. The battle site at Kellogg's Grove was listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on June 23, 1978. The listing included a 1 acre public park where a stone monument and memorial cemetery is located. The cemetery holds the interred remains of the militia who died during both battles at Kellogg's Grove. The men were initially buried in other spots around the grove but during the 1880s local farmers banded together to collect the remains of the Black Hawk War dead and inter them in one spot beneath a memorial.

Notes

References

* Hawk, Black, LeClaire, Antoine, interpreter; Patterson, J. B., ed.,
Autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak
', or ''Black Hawk, Embracing the Traditions of his Nation, Various Wars In Which He Has Been Engaged, and His Account of the Cause and General History of the Black Hawk War of 1832, His Surrender, and Travels Through the United States''. Also ''Life, Death and Burial of the Old Chief, Together with a History of the Black Hawk War'', Oquawka, IL: J. B. Patterson, 1882, "Kellogg's Grove Fort". Retrieved August 1, 2007.