But I have dwelt long enough on the upper country. I took the stage
and travelled twenty-five miles over an open prairie, passing only one
house, and arrived at night at Holderman's grove. This is a pleasant
grove of excellent timber, having by its side a number of good houses
and large cultivated fields.
The next morning, we rode fifteen miles to Ottawa, where we
breakfasted. Here the Illinois and Fox rivers join, and appear to be
nearly of equal size, both about twenty rods wide. The village is on
the east side of the Illinois river, which we crossed in a ferry boat.
A tavern, some houses and stores are built on a small flat under the
hill, and a number of houses on a bluff, two hundred feet above the
river. Steamboats come up as high as this place, unless the water be
quite low. If it be not a sickly place, I am much mistaken. The fever
and ague seems to be the prevailing disease. I have observed that
situations on the western rivers are generally unhealthy.
The river diverges to the west, and the road down the country
immediately leaves it. In travelling twenty-five miles, I found myself
fourteen from the river. Here, I left the stage, and went to Hennipen,
a small village on the Illinois river. It is regularly laid out on a
high, level prairie, which extends three miles back, and consists of
two taverns, four stores, a dozen dwelling houses and a court house--it
being the seat of justice for Putnam county. I found a number of people
sick in this place with the fever and ague.
Here I crossed the river, about fifty rods wide, in a ferry boat, and
found on the other side about two miles of heavy timbered bottom land,
subject to overflow. From this, I ascended a high bluff, passed three
or four miles of oak openings, and then came into the open prairie.
Ten miles from the river, a new town, called Princeton, is laid out in
the prairie, on the stage road leading from Peoria to Galena. Three
buildings, one of which is a store where the post office is kept, had
been erected when I was there; but as it is in a healthy situation, and
surrounded by a beautiful rich country, it may in time become a large
village.
I travelled some distance in a northerly direction, between great and
little Bureau rivers. The larger stream has a number of mills upon
it. The country around here, is too similar to the upper part of the
State to need a particular description. High rolling prairies, skirted
with timber, every where abound in this region, and present to the
eye a most beautiful landscape. It is mostly settled by people from
New-England; and they appeared healthy, contented and happy--and are in
fact, becoming rich and independent farmers.
One northern man I called upon, whose past and present condition may be
similar to many others. I will state it for the edification of those
who live on the rocky soil of New-England. While at the north, he lived
on a hilly and rocky farm; had a large family, and was obliged to work
hard and use the strictest economy, to support them, and meet the
current expenses of the year. Tired of severe labor and small gains, he
sold his farm and moved to the State of Illinois. He had been here two
years; has now one hundred acres under fence; raised the present season
fifteen hundred bushels of corn, three hundred of wheat; has seventy
head of neat cattle and sixty hogs. He has a fine timber lot near his
house, in which is an abundance of the sugar maple. He had killed, the
present season, four beef cattle, the last one just before I called
upon him; and fatter and better flavored beef I never saw. All the
cattle grow exceedingly fat on the prairie grass; so much so that corn
will add nothing to it. A saw and grist mill are within seven miles
of him. He was getting out timber, and intended to put up a two story
house in the spring. I enquired particularly as to the health of his
family and neighborhood. He informed me it had been very healthy; his
own family had not any of them been sick abed a day, since they came
into the country. Two of his daughters are well married, and settled on
farms near him. Let every farmer at the north, who has to tug and toil
on the sterile and rocky soil of New-England, to support his family,
judge for himself, whether it is better to go to the West, or stay
where he is. Whether, in fact, it is better to struggle for existence,
and feel the cold grasp of poverty, or to roll in plenty and live at
ease.
This region was somewhat the theatre of Indian cruelties in the last
war with the whites. One northern man became their victim in this
settlement. His name was Elijah Philips, of New-Hampshire. When he was
at the age of twenty-one, he took his pack on his back, travelled to
the West, and located himself in what is called the Yankee Settlement,
on the Bureau river. He was a persevering, hardy son of the North. He
built a house, fenced in a field, obtained some stock and a few hogs;
and was in a fair way to gain a competency and become an independent
farmer. Just at this time, the Indian war broke out, with the
blood-thirsty Black Hawk as a leader.
Murders having been committed above them, the settlers deemed their
situation insecure, and fled to the east side of the Illinois river.
After remaining there awhile, the war still raging, and its termination
uncertain, seven of the settlers armed themselves with guns and
bayonets, took a wagon, and went to the settlement to bring away such
articles of household furniture and husbandry as they could; fearing
the Indians might destroy them. They spent the day in collecting their
articles together. At night, they left them and the wagon where they
were, and concluded to go themselves to a house half a mile below,
which was deemed more secure. Here they slept quietly all night, opened
the door early in the morning, looked all around, but saw no signs of
Indians. Philips and another young man said they would go up to the
other house and commence loading the wagon. They started off together.
In about twenty rods from the house, the path led along by a point of
timber that made out into the prairie; and when they had gone about
half way to this point, the other young man stopped, returned back,
and Philips passed on alone. He had just got into the house, when he
heard a piercing cry of alarm from Philips, and in a moment after, the
report of two guns. On running to the door, he saw Philips prostrate on
the ground, and twenty or thirty Indians leaping out of the thicket.
He rallied his companions, as they had not all yet risen, caught two
guns, handed one to a man near him, and by the time they reached the
door, the Indians were coming round the corner of the house. On seeing
the guns with fixed bayonets, they dodged back. In a moment, they were
all at the ends and rear of the house, rending the air with their
astounding war cry, flourishing their tomahawks in menace and defiance;
but took special care not to come in front of the door. The settlers
were all young men--the onset had been so sudden and boisterous, that
they were taken entirely by surprise, and hardly knew what they did.
On a moment's reflection, they concluded, if they contended manfully,
there might be some chance for life. Although the number of Indians
might be ten to one of theirs, yet they had the advantage of being
within a well built log house, impenetrable by balls.
Spirited and prompt action saved them. While the Indians were hovering
round, in doubt what course to take to dislodge them, they dug out a
chink between the logs in the rear, and thrust out their guns. The
moment this was done, the Indians changed the tone of their yells,
leaped for the woods, fell flat on their faces and crawled unperceived
away.
They now felt relieved from immediate danger. They knew there was a
company of horse at Hennipen, fifteen miles distant; and their only
safe course seemed to be, to send for them if they could. They had a
horse with them, and he was feeding on the prairie about thirty rods
from the house, nearly on the opposite side from the spot where the
Indians entered the woods; but as they could not know where they might
be, none deemed it prudent to go out to catch him. They called the
horse, however, and although he was one generally hard to catch, he now
started at once, came to the door, thrust in his head and stood still
while the bridle was put on. One of their number mounted, and rode
express to Hennipen.
In the afternoon, the troop arrived; reconnoitered the neighborhood;
found the Indian trail; followed it a number of miles; but they had
gone beyond their reach. On a further examination of the woods, it was
apparent, the Indians had been hovering around them all the day before
while at work; but were too cowardly to attack them, although they knew
the smallness of their number.
The situation of affairs at night they also knew full well. They truly
supposed that _all_ would pass the spot where they lay in ambush, in
the morning. But accidentally, _one_ passed alone, and discovered them,
and was undoubtedly the cause of saving the lives of all the rest.
But had the other young man passed on instead of returning, and why
he did not, he never could tell, although the question was asked him
immediately after the transaction, he also would have been killed; and
in that event, probably all the others would have been sacrificed; for
it was quite early in the morning, and they had not risen.
On examining Philips, they discovered that two musket balls had entered
his body--one in the region of the heart, so that he must have died
immediately. His remains were carried to Hennipen for interment; and
when I passed that way, I stopped at his grave to show, what I felt,
respect to his memory. On a small eminence in the open prairie, half
a mile east of the village, repose the remains of Elijah Philips. And
although no monumental inscription tells the spot where he so suddenly
started for eternity, or "storied urn" adorns his grave; although of
humble birth, yet he was a young man of much vigor and enterprise, and
bid fair to become a useful member of society. Let his memory live "in
story and in song," and be handed down to posterity with that of the
other victims of savage cruelty.
No apprehensions are now entertained by the settlers, of attacks by the
Indians. Black Hawk and his followers have gone beyond the Mississippi,
and only a few remnants of Indian tribes remain in the whole State.
Years will not efface the memory of the many deeds of extreme cruelty,
committed by the Indians in this short, yet bloody war. Acts of cruelty
and outrage were perpetrated, too horrid and indecent to mention; and
so perfectly useless as it respected the result of the war, that they
could have been committed only to glut a most fiend-like and savage
vengeance.
I cannot admire the Indian character. They are sullen, gloomy and
obstinate, unless powerfully excited, and then, they exhibit all the
antics of madmen.