Note 115 — Front matter (continued 7)

(page page 353).—This refers to the so-called “battle of the Bad Ax” (see last clause of Note 112). Black Hawk endeavored to surrender, but the party of regulars on the steamer “Warrior” disregarded his white flag, and he was caught between the land forces under Atkinson and the fire of the steamer. The Indians were shot down like rats in a trap; and those who finally managed to swim across the Mississippi, under cover of the islands, were set upon by the Sioux, who had been inspired to this slaughter by the authorities at Fort Crawford. The Black Hawk War, from beginning to end, is a serious blot on the history of our Indian relations.