''Warrior'' was a privately owned and constructed steamboat that was pressed into service by the U.S. government during 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 ...

to assist with military operations. ''Warrior'' was constructed and launched in 1832 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Joseph Throckmorton who also served as the vessel's captain. Once constructed the vessel traveled to St. Louis and into the war zone. ''Warrior'' played a key role in the decisive

Battle of Bad Axe The Bad Axe Massacre was a massacre of Sauk (Sac) and Fox Indians by United States Army regulars and militia that occurred on August 1–2, 1832. This final scene of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin in the Uni ...

. Following the war the steamboat continued its service under Throckmorton along the

Upper Mississippi River The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, at the confluence of its main tributary, the Missouri River. History In terms of geologic and hydrographic history, the Upper ...

Launching

The steamboat ''Warrior'' was both privately built and owned.Lewis, James.
The Black Hawk War of 1832
" Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University'', p. 2C. Retrieved August 1, 2007. The 111-foot (33.8 m) boat was built by Joseph Throckmorton, who also owned the vessel in a partnership with

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 ...

resident William Hempstead. Black Hawk. ''Black Hawk: An Autobiography'',
Google Books
, original publication: 1833, republished University of Illinois Press: 1964, p. 137, (). Retrieved October 22, 2007. It was launched in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

during the summer of 1832 with Captain Throckmorton at the helm. The side wheeled vessel had no cabin or accommodations for passengers but towed behind it a

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

meant for passengers. Throckmorton brought the new boat and its barge to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and then set out for the war zone by mid-summer 1832.Petersen, William John. ''Steamboating on the Upper Mississippi'',
Google Books
, Courier Dover Publications: 1996, pp. 175–77, and 199, (). Retrieved October 22, 2007.

Black Hawk War

Background

As a consequence of an 1804 treaty between the governor of

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 Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

leaders regarding land settlement, the 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 into Illinois, but was persuaded each time to return west 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 1,000 warriors and non-combatants into Illinois. Finding no allies, he attempted to return across the Mississippi (to present-day

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 the undisciplined Illinois Militia's actions 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 militia of Michigan Territory and the state of Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band. The conflict became known as the

. The ''Warrior'' was one of several steamboats pressed into service by the U.S. government for use by military forces after the outbreak of the 1832 Black Hawk War. ''Warrior'' was used mostly as a troop transport during the war but it played a key role in the war's final battle.Gould, Emerson W. ''Fifty Years on the Mississippi; Or, Gould's History of River Navigation'',
Google Books
, Nixon-Jones Printing Co., St. Louis: 1889, pp. 604–05. Retrieved October 22, 2007. Some of the other steamboats utilized during the war included the ''Chieftain'' and the ''

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

''.

Battle of Bad Axe

A few days before the decisive Battle of Bad Axe, ''Warrior'' was chartered by a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

major at

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was est ...

for the purpose of delivering a message to the Sioux tribe.Braun, Robert A.
Black Hawk's War April 5 – August 2, 1832: A Chronology
" September 2001, ''Old Lead Historical Society'', p. 2. Retrieved October 22, 2007. Lieutenant James W. Kingsbury, and Lieutenant Reuben Holmes were then ordered to take 15 U.S. Army troops, and six militia volunteers on board the vessel and head northward, toward the village of Sioux chief Wabasha. The men loaded a six-pound

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

and ammunition on the steamboat and set out to deliver the message that the Sauk and

were fleeing the U.S. forces. The meeting was an attempt to gain the alliance of Wabasha's warriors on the west side of 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 ...

. While returning from this mission on August 1, the vessel came across the remnants of Black Hawk's British Band attempting to cross the Mississippi River and flee the pursuing militia force. Waving a

white flag White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...

, Black Hawk tried to surrender, but as had happened in the past the soldiers failed to understand and the scene deteriorated into battle. The warriors who survived the initial volley found cover, returned fire and a two-hour firefight ensued. The ''Warrior'' eventually withdrew from battle, due to lack of fuel, and returned to

Fort Crawford Fort Crawford was an outpost of the United States Army located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the 19th century. The army's occupation of Prairie du Chien spanned the existence of two fortifications, both of them named Fort Crawford. The ...

at Prairie du Chien. Black Hawk and the other British Band leaders fled during the night and on August 2 militia and federal troops attacked the remnants of the group at the mouth of the Bad Axe River. ''Warrior'' returned after obtaining more wood in Prairie du Chien, leaving the refueling point about midnight and arriving at Bad Axe about 10 a.m.

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''
Google Books
, Part II: Documentary, Vol. III, B. Brown,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

: 1854 pp. 229–30. Retrieved October 22, 2007. The battle had already commenced when the steamboat arrived and it joined in on a slaughter that lasted the next eight hours. Following the battle the ''Warrior'' carried Henry Atkinson and his staff to Fort Crawford where they met with

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

, and after a short trip General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

.Armstrong, Perry A. ''The Sauks and the Black Hawk War''
Google Books
, H.W. Rokker: 1887, pp. 470–78. Retrieved October 22, 2007.

Later service

Following the defeat of Chief Black Hawk, Throckmorton continued to operate ''Warrior'' on the

for several years. Historical recordsRecords pertaining to the arrival of steamboats at Fort Snelling were originally compiled by Rev. E.D. Neill in his ''Occurrences in and Around Fort Snelling, from 1819 to 1840''. The records were then included in Vol. II of the Minnesota Historical Collections. Ultimately, they were republished in Vol. VIII of the collections. See ''Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society'', Vol. VIII. indicated that on June 24, 1835 the steamboat Warrior arrived at Fort Snelling,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

with supplies and a party of tourists. The vessel's crew at the time still included Captain Throckmorton, as well as clerk E.H. Gleim, and pilot William White. Among the notable passengers on the list were,

George Wallace Jones George Wallace Jones (April 12, 1804 – July 22, 1896) was an American frontiersman, entrepreneur, attorney, and judge, was among the first two United States Senators to represent the state of Iowa after it was admitted to the Union in 1846 ...

, Marie Pauline Gregorie, who was the widow of slain U.S. Indian Agent Felix St. Vrain, and artist

George Catlin George Catlin (July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American adventurer, lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. Traveling to the American West five times during the 183 ...

. Minnesota Historical Society. ''Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society'',
Google Books
, Vol. VIII, The Society: 1898, pp. 376–78. Retrieved October 22, 2007. ''Warrior'' arrived at Fort Snelling again on July 16.Merrick, George Byron. ''Old Times on the Upper Mississippi: The Recollections of a Steamboat Pilot from 1854–1863'',
Google Books
, A.H. Clark Co., Cleveland, Ohio: 1909, p. 293. Retrieved October 22, 2007. During the 1830s the ''Warrior'' was one of about 12 vessels that carried large amounts of supplies, mostly food and clothing, to Fort Snelling. Old newspapers in Galena, Illinois also give some indication of the ''Warriors activity in the few years after the Black Hawk War. In the fall of 1835 ''The Galena Advertiser'' reported that river navigation was closed as of November 7 and that the ''Warrior'', along with the steamboat ''Galena'', had departed for Pittsburgh. Navigation reopened, after the winter, in April 1836, and the ''Advertiser'' stated that the ''Warrior'' was one of several vessels that had departed for St. Louis.

Notes

{{Black Hawk War (1832) Black Hawk War Steamships of the United States Ships built in Pittsburgh 1832 ships