The Buffalo Grove ambush was an

ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind mo ...

that occurred on May 19, 1832 as part of 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 ...

. A six-man detail carrying dispatches from United States Colonel James M. Strode at

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The c ...

to General Henry Atkinson at

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 ...

was ambushed by Native Americans during the attack. William Durley was killed and buried near the site of the ambush. Durley's remains were initially interred by the party that would become victims of the

St. Vrain massacre The St. Vrain massacre was an incident in the Black Hawk War. It occurred near present-day Pearl City, Illinois, in Kellogg's Grove, on May 24, 1832. The massacre was most likely committed by Ho-Chunk warriors who were unaffiliated with Black ...

. Two other men had bullet holes in their clothing, but were uninjured. In 1910 the Polo Historical Society moved Durley's remains to a plot beneath a memorial they erected west of

Polo, Illinois Polo is a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,355 at the 2010 census, down from 2,477 in 2000. History The community was named after Marco Polo. Polo was incorporated in 1856. Geography Polo is located at (41.986 ...

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

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 ...

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 Chief 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, between 1830–31 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.Lewis, James.
The Black Hawk War of 1832
," Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University''. Retrieved August 1, 2007. 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 ensuing events 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 followed, and the state militias of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band. The conflict became known as the

Prelude

When the

began in the spring of 1832, the settlers at Buffalo Grove were notified of Black Hawk's victory at Stillman's Run and ordered to leave the grove.Buffalo Grove
," Polo Community High School, ''Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education #47. Retrieved July 30, 2007. Most of the settlers went to Peoria where they remained for the duration of the war. On May 19, 1832 a small unit was detailed to carry dispatches from Colonel James M. Strode in Galena to General Henry Atkinson at

(present-day Dixon, Illinois). The group of men, which included soldiers Fred Stahl, William Durley, Vincent Smith, Redding Bennett, James Smith, and mail contractor John D. Winters, left Dixon around 3 p.m. on May 19.Kett, H.F. and Co.
The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois
', (

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.F. Kett & Co., Chicago: 1878, p. 284. Retrieved August 13, 2007

Ambush

The Buffalo Grove ambush occurred near

Buffalo Grove Buffalo Grove, officially the Village of Buffalo Grove, is a village in Lake and Cook County, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of Downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo Grove has a population of 43,212. It tota ...

, a small, unincorporated settlement in present-day

Ogle County Ogle County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 53,497. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle. Ogle County comprises Rochelle, ...

.Buffalo Grove is also the name of the geographic area surrounding the old town. See "Buffalo Grove," ''Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education #47''. As the group neared the edge of the grove one of the party noted the increased chances for

and suggested that the party avoid the usual route by taking a more roundabout route. The suggestion was opposed and Durley reared his horse and entered the wooded area within the grove. He had traveled only a few "bounds" when he was cut down by gunfire from the previously suggested ambush. Hoffman, Charles Fenno.
A Winter in the West
', (

), Harper: 1835, p. 297. Retrieved August 5, 2007. On May 20, 1832, Sergeant Stahl returned to Dixon's Ferry with the other four survivors of the attack and reported that his party had been ambushed by a group of Native Americans the evening before on the edge of the grove.Braun, Robert A.
A Chronology
" Black Hawk's War April 5 - August 2, 1832, September 2001, ''Old Lead Historical Society''. Retrieved August 6, 2007. He reported that Durley was killed instantly, scalped, and left on the spot.

Smith, William Rudolph William Rudolph Smith (August 31, 1787August 22, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, pioneer, and historian from Pennsylvania who served as the 5th Attorney General of Wisconsin and the first President of the Wisconsin Historical Society. ...

.
The History of Wisconsin: In Three Parts, Historical, Documentary, and Descriptive
', (

), B. Brown: 1854, p. 267. Retrieved August 5, 2007. Stahl and James Smith both had bullets rip through articles of clothing but were uninjured and only Durley died in the attack.

Aftermath

The events of the Buffalo Grove ambush are closely interrelated with those of the

. A group of four men, including Aaron Hawley and John Fowler, both casualties of the St. Vrain massacre, was en route to Galena when they stumbled upon the body of Durley at Buffalo Grove. The group returned to Dixon's Ferry, reported their find and stayed there overnight.Stevens, Frank E.
The Black Hawk War
'', Frank E. Stevens 1903, pp. 169-171. Available online at Northern Illinois University Libraries Digitization Project. Retrieved July 30, 2007. When Atkinson returned to Dixon on May 23 it was with dispatches destined for

Fort Armstrong 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'' ...

. He ordered

Indian Agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

Felix St. Vrain to join the group that had discovered Durley's body and travel with them to Galena. The group left Dixon and traveled north where they found, and interred the remains of Durley at Buffalo Grove.The Killing of Felix St. Vrain
" Historic Diaries: Black Hawk War, ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved July 30, 2007. The Polo Historical Society erected a memorial to Durley on May 19, 1910, the 78th anniversary of the attack. At that time, Durley's remains were moved from where St. Vrain's party buried him, near where he had fallen, and interred beneath the memorial. The Buffalo Grove ambush historical marker and memorial to Durley are located west of the city of

along Eagle Point Road.William Durley Monument
" Illinois Digital Archives, ''Illinois Secretary of State/State Librarian'', to access ( PDF) click access this item. Retrieved July 30, 2007.

Notes

{{good article 1832 in the United States

Polo, Illinois May 1832 events