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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 Illinois militia after being attacked by many fewer Sauk warriors of Black Hawk's British Band. The engagement was the first battle of the Black Hawk War (1832), which developed after Black Hawk crossed the Mississippi River from Iowa into Illinois with his band of Sauk and Fox warriors to try to reclaim territory. The militia had pursued a small group of Sauk scouts to the main British Band camp following a failed attempt by Black Hawk's emissaries to negotiate a truce. During the engagement, 12 militia men were killed by Band warriors while making a stand on a small hill. The remainder of the militia fled back to Dixon's Ferry. Citizens erected a monument in 1901 in Stillman Valley, Illinois commemorating the battle. A 2006 article corroborates that militia volunteer Abraham Lincoln was present at the battleground's burials; sources agree about little else. Investigation continues in the early 21st century about facts of the skirmish. == Background == Black Hawk, a Sauk chief, believed that the Treaty of St. Louis (1804) was invalid. It ceded Sauk territory to the US that included his birthplace. He led a number of incursions across the Mississippi River from Iowa to Illinois beginning in 1830. Each time, he was persuaded to return west without bloodshed. In April 1832, encouraged by promises of alliances with other tribes and the British, he again moved his "British Band" into Illinois.〔The group was referred to as the "British Band", because of their earlier support to the British during the War of 1812 and continued reliance on British trade, as well as flying a British flag in their camp in defiance of American authority. See Lewis, "Background."〕〔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, but ensuing events led to the Battle of Stillman's Run.〔"(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 and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band. The conflict became known as the Black Hawk War. On April 5, 1832, Black Hawk and around 1,000 warriors and civilians recrossed the Mississippi River into Illinois in an attempt to reclaim their land. About half of Black Hawk's band were combatants and the rest were a combination of women, children, and elderly. The band consisted of Sauk, Fox, some Potawatomi, and some Kickapoo; in addition some members of the Ho-Chunk nation were sympathetic to Black Hawk.〔Lewis, James. "(Introduction )," The Black Hawk War of 1832, Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University''. Retrieved August 1, 2007.〕〔Harmet, p. 13.〕〔"(April 6: The U.S. suspects Black Hawk is crossing the Mississippi )," Historic Diaries: The Black Hawk War, ''Wisconsin State Historical Society''. Retrieved August 1, 2007.〕 Black Hawk's reason for crossing into Illinois was that he wanted to reclaim lost lands, and perhaps, create a confederacy of Native Americans to stand against white settlement.〔〔Lewis, James. "(Background )," The Black Hawk War of 1832, Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University''. Retrieved August 1, 2007.〕 Other Illinois tribes promised aid to the British Band and Black Hawk believed that he had been promised assistance by the British in Canada.〔 Black Hawk led the march of the group along the Rock River into Illinois. Illinois Governor John Reynolds perceived the return of Black Hawk as an invasion, and he immediately called up the militia.〔 General Henry Atkinson, whom Black Hawk addressed as "White Beaver," commanded the military expedition.〔Lewis, James. "(The Black Hawk War of 1832 )", Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project, ''Northern Illinois University'', p. 2D. Retrieved August 1, 2007.〕〔Hagan, William T. "General Henry Atkinson and the Militia," ''Military Affairs,'' Vol. 23, No. 4. (Winter, 1959-1960), pp. 194-197.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Stillman's Run」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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