On the 14th of June, a mall scouting party of Sacs killed five men at
the Spafford farm, and on reception of the news next day, Gen. Atkinson
ordered Col. Henry Dodge to take command of Posey's brigade, then
stationed near Fort Hamilton, and while on his way from Fort Union,
where his regiment was in camp, to visit the brigade, he heard the sharp
crack of a rifle, and instantly looking in the direction of the sound,
saw a man fall from his horse, who had been shot by Indians nearby.
Instead of going forward as he set out to do, he hastily returned to his
command, mustered a portion of his cavalry and went in pursuit of the
Indians, and soon got on the trail of twenty-five warriors, who had
commenced their retreat soon after shooting, and espying him, hastened
back to the front. The Indians crossed and recrossed the Pecatonica
river several times, being closely pushed by Col. Dodge and his men,
and finding escape hopeless, made a stand. The colonel immediately
dismounted his men and picked his way cautiously, with the intention
of firing and then charging upon them. But the Indians, being on the
lookout, watched their opportunity and got the first fire, by which a
brave soldier named Apple was killed, and another by the name of Jenkins
was wounded. The fight continued vigorously until the last Indian was
killed, several of them having been shot while trying to escape by
swimming. At the commencement of the fight, the forces on each side
were nearly equal, but the Indians, in swimming the river, had got their
powder wet, and although they made desperate efforts to close in on our
men with knives, they were shot down in their endeavors.
Col. Dodge, in speaking of this engagement, at Galena, after the close
of the war, said he was amazed at the desperation displayed by a big,
burly brave, who came towards him with gun at his shoulder and halted
quickly when only a few paces from him, drew the trigger, and was sorely
disappointed in his gun not going off. Quick as thought the colonel
brought his rifle in position, pulled the trigger, but, owing to the
dampness of the powder, it failed to go off. In the meantime the brave
was coming towards him, knife in hand and desperation in his eye,
and when only a few feet from him the colonel shot him down with his
revolver. At the same time one of his brave boys, by the name of Beach,
was engaged in a desperate encounter with the last remaining savage,
in which both used knives; the Indian was killed and Beach very badly
wounded.
Thus ended one of the most sanguinary engagements of the war.