Battle of the Sink Hole
| Battle of the Sink Hole | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of American Indian Wars and War of 1812 | |||||||
 Site of the battle was in Lincoln County, Missouri | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Sauk |  United StatesMissouri Rangers | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Black Hawk | United States Peter Craig | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Band | Company | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed | 8 killed 5 wounded 1 missing | ||||||
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Old Northwest
- 1811
- Tippecanoe
- 1812
- River Canard
- Fort Mackinac (1812)
- Brownstown
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- Detroit
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- Mississinewa
- 1813
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- Longwoods
- Prairie du Chien
- Rock Island Rapids
- Mackinac Island (1814)
- Lake Huron
- Malcolm's Mills
The Battle of the Sink Hole, sometimes known as "Forgotten War", was fought on May 24, 1815, after the official end of the War of 1812, between Missouri Rangers and Sauk Indians led by Black Hawk. According to Robert McDouall, the British commander in the area, the Sauk had not received official word from the British that the Treaty of Ghent had ended the war with the U.S.
The battle was fought in a low spot near the mouth of the Cuivre River in Missouri, site of the present-day city of Old Monroe in what is now Lincoln County near Fort Howard and Fort Cap au Gris.
A contingent of 50 Rangers and Regulars, led by Captain Peter Craig, confronted the Sauk and Fox tribes roughly 300 meters south of Fort Howard. Captain David Musick, with 20 soldiers from Cape au Gris, joined the fray from the Cuivre River, located 3 kilometers south of the initial engagement. The Sauk and Fox forces split, with some retreating north to Bob’s Creek, while Black Hawk and about 20-35 warriors sought refuge in a sinkhole. American forces partially encircled the sinkhole, effectively trapping Black Hawk's group. The karst terrain of the sinkhole provided natural cover, allowing the Native American forces to hold their ground despite being outnumbered by the superior American forces. Both groups pulled back at nightfall, and the outcome of the battle was uncertain.
An ambush by the Sauk of a company of rangers led to a prolonged siege: seven Rangers (including their commander, Captain Peter Craig) and one Sauk were killed and an additional 3 Rangers were wounded. Conflicting accounts of the action were given by John Shaw[1] and by Black Hawk.[2]
After the battle, in 1816 Black Hawk entered into negotiations with the US government, ultimately reaffirming the Treaty of St. Louis.[3]
References
- ^ Stevens, Walter B. (1921). Centennial History of Missouri (The Center State) /One Hundred Years in the Union. St. Louis: S. J. Clarke.
- ^ Black Hawk (1916) [1834]. Milo M. Quaife (ed.). Life of Black Hawk, Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak. Chicago: Lakeside Press. pp. 66–68.
- ^ "Black Hawk: Resisting American Expansion". Eighteen Twelve (Canada). Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
External links
- Geology of the War of 1812: Terrain Influences on the Battle of the Sink Hole, Missouri Territory
- Michael Dickey, "The Forgotten War: Missouri from 1812-1815", Friends of Arrow Rock website, September 2013
- Battle of Sinkhole - Missouri Speleological Survey (Publication)
- Black Hawk's Folly: Battle of the Sinkhole
38°56′00″N 90°41′13″W / 38.933384°N 90.687068°W / 38.933384; -90.687068
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