F 
 
 •F7Mt 
 
 THE OLD FORT AT FORT ATKINSON 
 
 BY 
 
 D. D. MAYNE 
 
 City Superintendent of Schools, Janesville 
 
 [From Proceedings of The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 
 
 MADISON 
 
 State Historical Society of Wisconsin 
 1899 
 
Class F^80 ■ 
 
THE OLD FORT AT FORT ATKINSON 
 
 BY 
 
 D. D. MAYNE 
 City Superintendent of Schools, Janesville 
 
 [From Proceedings of The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1898] 
 
 MADISON 
 State Historical Society of Wisconsin 
 
 1899 
 
40076 
 
 
 
 :--^5^i 
 
 
 5 ^ 
 
 4J <a 
 
THE OLD FORT AT FORT ATKINSON. 
 
 BY D. D. MAYNE. 
 
 The history that is being made from day to day does not 
 seem to us of great importance. The greater personal interest 
 we may have in passing events, the less likely are we to make 
 a careful record that may be of value to future historians. An 
 old settler naively remarked, " If I had known sixty years ago 
 that any one would be asking about the old fort, I would have 
 given more attention to it." When history must depend upon 
 fickle memory and careless observation, it behooves us to 
 "prove a'l things," and hold fast to but little. 
 
 Records with reference to the old fort are entirely wanting, 
 and the remembrances of the early settlers are so conflicting as to 
 make the whole account legendary rather than historical. The 
 history of the operations of the army sent against Black Hawk 
 does not aid materially in clearing up the difficulty; on the con- 
 trary, it makes "confusion worse confounded." Many of the 
 operations of the army, as described, are manifestly errors, for 
 they do not correspond with the geography of the country ; and 
 no two accounts agree. In July, 1832, General Henry Atkinson, 
 with his division of the regular army, together with some inde- 
 pendent companies of volunteer from Illinois, came up the east 
 side of Rock River, hoping to overtake Black Hawk and his war- 
 riors in the marshes about Lake Koshkonong. He came, however, 
 a few hours too late. Black Hawk had escaped. From Lake Kosh- 
 konong the army went to Burnt Village, on Bark River, at the 
 point where Whitewater Creek empties into it, near what is now 
 known as Cold Spring. Here Atkinson was assured by some Win- 
 nebagoes that on the other side of the Bark Rivei', Black Hawk 
 was secreted on an island. Crossing to the other side, some of 
 
 1 Address before the State Historical Convention at Madison, February 
 23, 1899. 
 
Iq8 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 the scouts saw what they supposed to be the trail, and the task 
 of transporting the army across the small stream was begun. 
 On account of the marshiness of the ground, this was a difficult 
 task. In many places they found, after crossing, that what 
 seemed to be solid ground was no more than a vast area of 
 liquid mud, covered with a few inches of sod. Horses would 
 sink in this, and all efforts to extricate them seemed unavailing. 
 The building of a bridge was an impossibility because no foun- 
 dation could be obtained. At last they made a bridge of marsh 
 grass, which they cut and piled in the river. Reports of all 
 kinds were being circulated as to the presence of Black Hawk, 
 and some Indians were actually seen just across the river. 
 
 While floundering about in the morasses of this so-called 
 island, across the Bark River, Capt. Jacob M. Early's independ- 
 ent company of Illinois rangers, in which Abraham Lincoln was 
 a private, becoming discouraged and disgusted with the at- 
 tempt to find the Indians, left for home — some on furlough, 
 but many without that formality. The muster rolls showed the 
 absentees amounted to nearly one-half. The word " deserted " 
 seldom occurs, however; in lieu thereof, the words " Supposed 
 to be discharged," "Name omitted on muster roll," "Ordered 
 to Dixon," or "Absent without leave," were substituted. In 
 one instance "He says he had to plow " is used.' 
 
 Atkinson, bewildered, but knowing that the Indians must be 
 driven by famine to give battle or to retreat, determined to cut 
 off retreat and provide a place for provisions and for the sick, 
 by building a fort. He dropped down Bark River to the point 
 whei'e the Bark enters the Rock, and there erected the fort 
 called Fort Koshkonong.- Later, the name was changed, in 
 honor of the General, to Fort Atkinson. Operations were prob- 
 ably commenced on the fort July 11, 1832. 
 
 The stockade, for such it was, was erected a little east of 
 north of where the residence of E. P. May now stands, about 
 six rods from Rock River, and one hundred rods west of the 
 
 'Armstrong, The Sauks and the Black Haick War (Springfield, 111., 
 1887), p. 443. 
 
 2 Wakefield, 7//.s/or^ of Late Indian Tr«r (Jacksonville, 111., 1834), 
 p. 47. 
 
THE OLD FORT AT FORT ATKINSON. IQ9 
 
 mouth of the Bark.' The enclosure included, it is estimated, 
 from one-half to one acre of land. It was built about square, 
 and had two very rude block houses, one on the southeast and 
 the other on the northwest corner.- 
 
 The stockade was formed by digging a trench about four feet 
 deep, and placing oak logs on end, so that they would extend 
 above the ground about eight or ten feet. Loop-holes were left 
 between the logs, so that muskets might be used from within in 
 case of an attack. A short distance east of the fort was a large 
 windlass used to draw up cattle for slaughter. General Atkinson 
 had at one time 4,500 regular soldiers encamped in and about 
 the fort. 
 
 During the latter part of July, 1832, accurate information was 
 obtained that Maj. Henry Dodge •had discovered Black Hawk 
 iind his entire army flying towards the Mississippi.'' Atkinson 
 sent 3,000 of bis troops to Helena, on the Wisconsin River, to 
 join the pursuing division under Dodge, while thirt}" or forty 
 men w^ere left to garrison the fort. The next month, the fort 
 was abandoned, having been used about two months. 
 
 Much criticism was passed on Atkinson by the Eastern jiress, 
 and by some of the old Indian fighters, because of his failure to 
 ■capture Black Hawk at Lake Koshkonong. • Some intimated that 
 he was cowardly, and erected forts and breastworks when there 
 was little necessity. It was evident that Black Hawk was trying 
 toescaipe from Atkinson, and it was charged that Atkinson was 
 doing all in his power to avoid Black Hawk. However much 
 criticism he deserved for building this fort, and for his failure 
 to capture Black Hawk at this point, he retained the respect 
 and loyalty of the soldiers of the regular army. Wakefield, who 
 was with Atkinson, thus describes* the precautions taken by 
 him just before reaching Lake Koshkonong: "Here Gen. At- 
 kinson had on this night (July 1) breastworks thrown up which 
 was easy done; as w>? were encamped in thick, heavy timber, 
 this was a precaution which he was always afterwards famous 
 
 ' Mrs. C. A. Southwell, Fort Atkinson as it Was. 
 nVis. Hist. CoUs., viii, p. 313. 
 3Id., vi, p. 40C. 
 ^ Page 47. 
 
200 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 for, and which went to show that he set a great deal by the- 
 lives of his men and by no means was a mark of cowardice; for 
 generalship comes more in good management than in anything, 
 else. " 
 
 One of the soldiers ' while stationed here, went to the Bark 
 River to fish. An Indian skulking in the high grass on the 
 other side shot him, the wound proving fatal. He was buried 
 on the top of the hill, about six rods north of where the Luth- 
 eran Church now stands. The grave was surrounded with oak 
 logs and covered with pebbles from the river. A stave at 
 the head of the grave bore the name " Peter Dobbs, " rudely 
 carved, though with evident pains. This grave was shown to- 
 visitors up to 1890, when the hill was removed. Tradition says 
 that one other soldier was shot hei'e, and another died of disease. 
 Both of these were buried east of and near the foot of the hill 
 dedicated to Peter Dobbs. 
 
 In the fall of 1836, Dwight Foster and family, accompanied 
 by Aaron Rankin, came to Fort Atkinson and erected a log 
 cabin about fifteen feet square, four rods west of the fort. The 
 fort, at that time, was partially demolished, and after a few 
 years there was little left of the old stockade. 
 
 Mr. Foster's house 'was the first one built in the settlement of 
 Fort Atkinson, and was used as the post office and as an inn* 
 for travelers.-' A. F. Pratt, with A. Story, made a trip from- 
 Milwaukee to the lead mines in February, 1837. In an account, 
 he speaks of the difficulty of the trip after leaving Prairie Vil- 
 lage (Waukesha), and then says: 
 
 We reached Rock River just as the god of day was sinking in the west,, 
 and as good luck would have it we discovered a light a short distance from' 
 the river and directed our steps toward it. Upon our arrival at the spot 
 from which it proceeded we found some old friends whom we had previ- 
 ously seen at Prairie Village, the Messrs. Foster of Fort Atkinson. This 
 was the only cabin in the place. It had just been completed and was 
 located near the old fort. 
 
 Reader, if you are ever cold, hungry, weary, " dry " and wet at the same 
 time you can imagine our feelings at that time. The accommodations- 
 were somewhat limited, it being a log cabin of about the usual size and 
 
 ' Aaron Rankin is my authority. 
 2 Wifi. Hist. Colls., i, p. 140. 
 
THE OLD FORT AT FORT ATKINSON. 201 
 
 ■contained but one room, occupied by two families. Ten travelers besides 
 ■ourselves had bespoken lodgings for the night, still we were comfortably 
 provided for. 
 
 In the subjoined sketch of the old fort as seen in 183G, Mr. 
 Foster's hospitable residence is included. The sketch is of 
 •course an ideal one, and is made from descriptions of those 
 who saw the fort at that time. 
 
 Tt is a pleasant fiction often recounted, that Abraham Lincoln 
 •was at Fort Atkinson. As with Homer and his birth place, it 
 is feared that there must be many Lincolns to satisfy the 
 desire of all places to claim the presence of our national hero. 
 Abraham Lincoln, with a companion, was undoubtedly traveling 
 on foot towards his Illinois home, before Fort Atkinson was 
 built. Although this honor cannot be ours, there is some evi- 
 deuce that Jefferson Davis spent some time in the fort.' It is 
 stated that he was at this time a lieutenant under Captain Low 
 at Fort Atkinson. Major Davies said, "he was as gentlemanly a 
 man as I ever saw." But even this modicum of notoriety must 
 be denied. There is better evidence that Jefferson Davis was 
 not with his command at Fort Atkinson. He took part in 
 transporting prisoners from Fort Crawford to St. Louis, but 
 that is probably his only connection with the Black Hawk War.^ 
 
 Even though the old stockade was of no particular value in 
 defense, and even though none of Black Hawk's braves ever had 
 the slightest intention of making an attack on Atkinson's army, 
 it has served the purpose of making an interesting historical 
 center, and probably of locating the beautiful and thriving city 
 of Fort Atkinson. 
 
 1 Wis. Hist. Coifs., vi, p. 407. 
 -Anderson, Wis.Hisf. Colls., x, p. 172.