Apple River Fort State Historic Site

The Apple River Fort was the site of a battle during the Black Hawk War of 1832. The war was fought by the Sauk (Sac) and Fox (Meskwaki) tribes against the Anglo-American settlers in northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Led by the famous war leader, Black Hawk, the Sauk and Fox hoped to reclaim their tribal lands, after a series of previous altercations and treaties had forced them west into the Iowa territory. The people of the Apple River Settlement hastily constructed the Apple River Fort upon Black Hawk's return to Illinois. It was defended by these civilians, including the 27th Illinois militia led by Captain Clack Stone.

The Fort was attacked on June 24, 1832 by Black Hawk himself, along with 200 warriors. 45 civilians, mainly women and children, defended the Fort. The battle lasted less than an hour, and there was only one casualty. The Fort stood through the end of the war and was occasionally occupied by squatters through 1847, when it was torn down. In 1996, the Apple River Fort Historical Foundation carried out a full archeological excavation and found the original Fort site and thousands of artifacts. From 1997-1998, they rebuilt the Fort to perfect scale right next to its original location. The site became an Illinois State Historic Site in 2001. Today, visitors may tour the reconstructed Fort, explore exhibits in the accompanying Interpretive Center, and see the Fort come to life during several living history special events throughout the year.

The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the Sauk (Sac) and Fox (Meskwaki) tribes and growing population of American settlers to the northwest of Illinois and southwest of Wisconsin. The Sauk and Fox lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle, which followed the natural cycle of the seasons. This conflicted with the average settler's lifestyle, who usually remained at one location year-round, mining lead and farming. Between the growing settler population and the disputed 1804 Treaty of St. Louis, the Sauk and Fox had been pushed out from their land and towns, and forced to move across the Mississippi River into the Iowa territory. After a few failed attempts to reclaim their property, the 63-year-old experienced war leader Black Hawk led about 1,200 of his people (500 warriors and 700 civilians) back into Illinois in the spring of 1832. They traveled up the Rock River, hoping to gather enough allies to reclaim and resettle their land.

By this time, the U.S. Army and the Illinois governor became aware of Black Hawk's return. General Henry Atkinson, commanding from Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, hoped to resolve the conflict without bloodshed, and sent out messengers to try to find the Sauk warrior. However, Illinois Governor John Reynolds had already called for volunteers, raising a 2,100-man militia by the end of April. Reynolds tasked one 275-man detachment, led by Major Isaiah Stillman, to follow Black Hawk's trail and force him back to Iowa. They found him near present-day Stillman's Valley, IL. Black Hawk sent emissaries to negotiate a peaceful resolution with Stillman's militia. The militia, however, was nervous and one of the emissaries was shot and killed. The others ran back to Black Hawk, who waited nearby with some warriors, the militia following closely behind. The two sides collided, and the ensuing Battle of Stillman's Run kicked off the Black Hawk War. Black Hawk won this first battle, despite being outnumbered 275 to 40 or 50.

Black Hawk's early success in battle kicked the entire region into a frenzy. Many left, but those that stayed formed militias and built, often crude, fortifications. This included the people of the Apple River Settlement. The settlers used a nearby settlement, which already had a living cabin and a storage cabin, adding an additional storage cabin, a second floor to the original storage cabin to form a block house, and a palisaded wall around the perimeter. The Company of Captain Clack Stone, part of the larger 27th Regiment of the Illinois Militia, along with their families and other nearby settlers, garrisoned the Apple River Fort.

On June 24, 1832, roughly halfway through the war, Black Hawk attacked the Apple River Fort. By this point, Black Hawk and his warriors, though still doing well in battle, were low food, munitions, and other necessary supplies. Throughout June and into early July, Black Hawk led a series of raids on settlements, such as the Apple River Settlement, to resupply. On that Sunday afternoon, four dispatch riders stopped at the Fort for a brief break before continuing on the road up the ridge. At the top, they came upon Black Hawk and 200 of his warriors, watching and waiting for an opportunity. After a brief standoff, three of the riders made it back to the Fort, collecting what civilians that could; the fourth rode past and back towards Galena for reinforcements. The following battle raged for nearly an hour. The 45 or so Fort defenders were mainly women and children. At first, only the men took up arms. But after one young man, George Herclerode, was shot and killed, the men lost morale. Seeing this, Mrs. Elizabeth Armstrong, rallied the women and older children into action, taking up arms themselves to defend the Fort. Black Hawk eventually moved on, after some of his warriors had finished raiding the nearby settlement for much-need supplies.

The war continued on, and Black Hawk's luck changed. His people were weak and starving, their numbers dwindling. By mid-July, Black Hawk began a desperate attempt to cross southern Wisconsin and make it back over the Mississippi River into Iowa before the Illinois militia and U.S. army could catch him. They were first caught near present-day Sauk City, WI, as they slowly crossed the Wisconsin River. The ensuing Battle of Wisconsin Heights on July 21st was the most devastating yet for the Sauk and Fox, as American forces outnumbered them 750 soldiers to 80 warriors. Black Hawk and what remained of his people managed to escape, before being cornered on August 1st at the confluence of the Mississippi and Bad Axe Rivers. The two-day Battle, or Massacre, at Bad Axe brought the war to a bloody close.

Less than half of the Sauk and Fox who came with Black Hawk at the beginning survived the war. Black Hawk survived, escaping Bad Axe and moving deeper into Wisconsin. He evaded capture for weeks, until he surrendered himself on August 27, 1832. After spending a few years as a prisoner of the United States, Black Hawk returned to his remaining people in Iowa, where he died in 1828. The Apple River Fort stood until 1847, when it was torn down and the lumber used for a barn; its history faded into local lore. The settlement grew, incorporating into the Village of Elizabeth, named for Mrs. Armstrong and two other Elizabeths who defended the Fort so bravely. The Fort was eventually recovered and rebuilt in the 1990s. Today, visitors are welcome year-round to the Apple River Fort State Historic Site, which strives to proudly tell the history of the brave people on both sides of the Black Hawk War.

Black Hawk. Autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak, or Black Hawk. Originally published 1833, various reprints since.

Bonvillain, Nancy and Frank W. Porter III, ed. The Sac and Fox (Indians of North America). New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1995.

Hagan, William T. The Sac and Fox Indians. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958.

Jung, Patrick. The Black Hawk War of 1832. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008.

Thayer, Crawford B, ed. Hunting a Shadow: The Search for Black Hawk. Menasha, WI: Banta Press, 1981.

---. The Battle of Wisconsin Heights. Menasha, WI: Banta Press, 1983.

---. Massacre at Bad Axe in the Black Hawk War. Menasha, WI: Banta Press, 1984.

Trask, Kerry. Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2006.

Whitney, Ellen. The Black Hawk War, 1831-1832. Springfield, IL: Illinois State Historical Library, 1970.

Willcockson, Tom and Elizabeth Carvey. Twelve Moons: A Year with the Sauk and Meskwaki, 1817-1818. Rock Island, IL: Black Hawk State Historic Site, 2012.