The attacks at Fort Blue Mounds were two separate incidents which occurred on June 6 and 20, 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 ...

. In the first incident, area residents attributed the killing of a miner to a band of Ho-Chunk warriors, and concluded that more Ho-Chunk planned to join Black Hawk in his war against white settlers. The second incident occurred east of the fort as a Sauk raiding party, estimated by eyewitnesses to be as large as 100 warriors, attacked two militiamen who were investigating noises heard the night before. Two members of the militia stationed at Blue Mounds were killed in the attack, and both their bodies were badly mutilated. The attacks followed an increase in tension after the Hall sisters were released at Fort Blue Mounds on June 1. The sisters had been kidnapped during the

Indian Creek massacre The Indian Creek Massacre occurred on May 21, 1832 with the attack by a party of Native Americans on a group of United States settlers in LaSalle County, Illinois following a dispute about a settler-constructed dam that prevented fish from reach ...

in May and were brought to Blue Mounds by a party of Ho-Chunk. Militia leader

Henry Dodge Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was a Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son, Augustus C. Dodge, served a ...

became suspicious of the Ho-Chunk and took them prisoner, though they were later released as tension between the Ho-Chunk and white settlers increased. The attacks also lent credence to the belief that more Ho-Chunk were set to join Black Hawk's war against white settlers 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 Michigan Territory. Though other attacks on the fort were expected, they never happened and Fort Blue Mounds served as a supply center for the remaining days of the war.

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 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 Sauk and Fox tribes vacated their lands in

in 1828 and moved west 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 ...

. However, Sauk

Chief Black Hawk Black Hawk, born ''Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak'' (Sauk: ''Mahkatêwe-meshi-kêhkêhkwa'') (1767 – October 3, 1838), was a Sauk leader and warrior who lived in what is now the Midwestern United States. Although he had inherited an important his ...

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, Black Hawk led a number of incursions across the Mississippi River beginning in 1830, but each time was persuaded, without bloodshed, to return west. In April 1832, encouraged by promises of alliance with other tribes and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, he again moved his so-called " British Band" of around 1,000 warriors and civilians into Illinois.Lewis, James.
The Black Hawk War of 1832
," Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University''. Retrieved August 1, 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 that ensued became known as the

Prelude

Upon hearing of Black Hawk's return, settlers throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin hastily constructed forts. Construction on a fort began at Ebeneezer Brigham's Moundville settlement (now

Blue Mounds, Wisconsin Blue Mounds is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 948. The village is adjacent to the Town of Blue Mounds, and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Blue Moun ...

) on May 10.Term: Brigham, Ebenezer 1789 - 1861
" Dictionary of Wisconsin History, ''Wisconsin State Historical Society''. Retrieved 8 August 2007. As construction of the fort commenced Black Hawk found no allies so 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 events overtook him and 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 6 August 2007. The battle likely caused the builders of Fort Blue Mounds to accelerate the pace of construction. One week after the clash at Stillman's Run, on May 21, 1832, the

occurred well south of Fort Blue Mounds, near present-day

Ottawa, Illinois Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the navigable Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The Illinois River is a conduit for river barges and connects Lake Michigan at Chicago, to the Mississippi Ri ...

. During the attack, two teenage girls were kidnapped by a raiding band of Potawatomi.Barton, Albert O.
Echoes of the Black Hawk War
''Wisconsin Magazine Of History'', Vol. 16 Issue 4 (1932-1933). Retrieved 5 August 2007. The girls, Sylvia and Rachel Hall, were released on June 1 at Fort Blue Mounds by the party of Ho-Chunk who had helped secure their release; the party included several important chiefs. Commander of the Michigan Territory militia

arrived with a company to retrieve the girls but became suspicious of the Ho-Chunk and took them prisoner in an attempt to secure the alliance and good behavior of other Ho-Chunk in the vicinity of Blue Mounds.Birmingham, Robert.
Uncovering the Story of Fort Blue Mounds
" ''Wisconsin Magazine of History'', Spring 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2007. The chiefs were soon released but friction between white settlers at Moundville and the Ho-Chunk residing in the area increased.

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 ...

Henry Gratiot Colonel Henry Gratiot (April 25, 1789 – April 27, 1836) was a French-American pioneer, farmer, and mill owner. During the Winnebago and Black Hawk Wars, he acted as both an intermediary and early U.S. Indian agent to the Winnebagos throug ...

tried to calm the situation by appeasing the Ho-Chunk through gifts. Despite Gratiot's attempts, the tension exploded into violence a few days later.

Attacks

The first incident near Fort Blue Mounds occurred when William Griffith Aubrey was attacked and killed by Native American warriors on June 6, 1832.Beaouchard, Edward D.
Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin
', "Edward D. Beaouchard's Vindication," Wisconsin State Historical Society: 1908, pp. 293-294. Retrieved 31 July 2007. Trask, Kerry A.
Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America
', (

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 ...

), Henry Holt: 2006, pp. 220-221, (). Retrieved 31 July 2007. According to one witness statement, directly preceding the first attack at Fort Blue Mounds on June 6, there was an argument between William Aubrey's wife and a Ho-Chunk man. During the exchange the Ho-Chunk man threatened to kill her husband. Aubrey was a miner who was working for Brigham about 1½ miles away from Fort Blue Mounds when he was attacked. He and Jefferson Smith were detailed to retrieve water from a spring near the fort when they were ambushed by a small party of warriors. Aubrey was shot twice and stabbed through the neck with a

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

. His companion, though shot three times, managed to escape with his life. Smith fled back to the fort, leaving his gun and horse behind. At the fort, the settlers correctly guessed that the attackers were Ho-Chunk and not the warriors of Black Hawk's " British Band," which was away at

Lake Kegonsa Lake Kegonsa State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, United States, on the northeast shore of Lake Kegonsa. It is located in Dane County southeast of Madison, Wisconsin. The park consists of forest, prairie, and wetlands. Known for its camp ...

. The second attack occurred on June 20, 1832, two weeks after the first incident. In the attack, a large Sauk war party attacked Blue Mounds and two members of the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, Emerson Green and George Force, were killed. Eyewitness accounts estimated the size of the group between 50-100 warriors. The night before the second attack of June 20 strange noises were heard in the vicinity of the fort. Force and Green had left the fort, on horseback, to investigate the previous night's disturbances and were several miles east of Fort Blue Mounds when they came across Black Hawk's band, guided to the fort by sympathetic Ho-Chunk. Force was killed immediately but Green broke for the fort and almost made it back to safety when, in view of the fort's occupants, his horse was shot out from underneath him. Green was surrounded by the war party and killed, eyewitness accounts indicate that his body was badly mutilated.

Aftermath

Following the murder of Aubrey, people in the area quickly suspected that the Ho-Chunk were involved which exacerbated the fear that more from the Ho-Chunk Nation were set to join Chief Black Hawk's band against the white settlers in Michigan Territory and Illinois. With the loyalty of the Ho-Chunk in question the possibility of a two-front war emerged.Most of the Ho-Chunk in the region were aligned with the United States during the conflict. See "The Killing of Felix St. Vrain," ''Wisconsin State Historical Society''.June 10, Blue Mounds: Report of William Aubrey's Murder
" Historic Diaries: The Black Hawk War, ''Wisconsin State Historical Society''. Retrieved 8 August 2007. After the deaths of Green and Force, U.S. interrogators questioned two Ho-Chunk warriors they had captured. The braves, members of the Prophet's Band, took credit for the killings, even boasting of them. The location of Aubrey's death was in Michigan Territory near present-day Blue Mounds,

.Adams, Barry.
Rounding up its rich past
," ''Wisconsin State Journal'', Capital Newspapers. Retrieved 31 July 2007. Following his death, mounted troops and riders from the fort traced the band responsible for the attack to a recently abandoned camp, and then to the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskous ...

, where the search ended. Aubrey was buried on a high piece of land overlooking the fort from the northeast. Green's body was buried at the fort but Force's remains laid on the prairie for four days before they were retrieved; the fort's residents were too frightened to venture far from the building. On June 24 General

and Captain James H. Gentry arrived at Fort Blue Mounds with part of Gentry's company. Their purpose was to conduct

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

operations but they ended up finding the body of Lieutenant Force beneath a tree about two miles (3 km) east of the fort. Early histories indicate Force's body was badly

mutilated Mutilation or maiming (from the Latin: ''mutilus'') refers to severe damage to the body that has a ruinous effect on an individual's quality of life. It can also refer to alterations that render something inferior, ugly, dysfunctional, or imper ...

and missing a "part."

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
', (

), 1854, B. Brown, p. 213. Retrieved 1 August 2007. Force was buried near the fort, along the main trail about two miles (3 km) east of the fort. Though Brigham fully expected an all-out attack on Fort Blue Mounds following the incidents, it never came. The only violence that befell the occupants of the fort was that perpetrated on those who left its confines on June 6 and June 20. Dodge left a detachment at the fort for a time but after the June 20 attack the fort was never again a target during the

. Until the end of the war, Fort Blue Mounds served primarily as a supply center for the militia as they continued their pursuit of Black Hawk across Wisconsin.

Notes

References

*''Wisconsin Historical Society'',
The Killing of Felix St. Vrain
," Historic Diaries: Black Hawk War. Retrieved 28 July 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Attacks At Fort Blue Mounds Blue Mounds 1832 in Michigan Territory Dane County, Wisconsin June 1832 events