From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Battle of Bad Axe, the last major battles during the Black Hawk War, was fought between the combined forces of the Sauk (Sac) and Fox tribes and United States Army troops under Gen. Henry Atkinson. The battle marked the last conflict east of the Mississippi River.

Following the Battle of Wisconsin Heights, Sauk (Sac) and Fox forces (referred to as the "British Band" as a distinction between pro-American forces) fled westward across northeastern Illinois and southwestern Wisconsin from the pursuing Gen. Henry Atkinson's troops, consisting of members of the Illinois and Wisconsin militia. Reaching the mouth of the Bad Axe River and Mississippi Rivers near present day Victory, Wisconsin, the tribes were forced to halt their retreat as, intending to escape across the Mississippi, they began to construct bark rafts to transport the 500 men, women and children across the river.

On the afternoon of August 1, 1832, however, as the rafts were nearing completion, the steamboat Warrior arrived with U.S. troops. As the tribes attempted to surrender, due to a miscommunication, the commanding officer, a Lt. Kingsley, ordered troops to open fire at the approaching tribesmen, which instigated the battle. After two hours, the Warrior withdrew from battle due to lack of fuel and returned to Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, leaving twenty-three tribesmen dead.

Despite Black Hawk and the Winnebago prophet White Cloud's advice against the long process of stripping elm trees and cutting timber (with Atkinson's forces only 10 miles behind them), instead advising to head north and find refuge with the Winnebago, the majority of the tribe chose to continue constructing rafts as Black Hawk left with thirty to forty followers upriver.

The following morning, the remainder of the tribe was met by Atkinson's forces, which, with Col. Henry Dodge, launched another attack. With the confusion among the mass of fleeing Sauk and Fox, as well as a number of non-combatants including women and children hiding in the surrounding forests and underbrush, over one hundred and fifty members of the tribe were killed and around seventy-five were taken prisoner with minimal losses by US forces. Although some were able to escape across the river during the fighting, they were soon attacked by Sioux war parties in Iowa.

The battle would end the Black Hawk War but would be remembered as a massacre.

• Keenan, Jerry. Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars, ABC-CLIO, Inc.: California, 1997.

• St. Paul District History - Battle of Bad Axe
• The Battle of Bad Axe by Peter Shrake
• The Black Hawk War of 1832 by James Lewis, Ph.D