A delaying action by Black Hawk's outnumbered warriors allowed Sauk and Meskwaki civilians to cross the Wisconsin River, preceding the final Bad Axe massacre.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 21, 1832
- Location
- Dane County, near Sauk City, Wisconsin
- Conflict
- Black Hawk War
- Position in war
- Penultimate engagement of the Black Hawk War
- Tactical outcome
- Sauk/Meskwaki civilians escaped across Wisconsin River
- Subsequent event
- Bad Axe massacre at mouth of Bad Axe River
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the 1832 Black Hawk War, United States state militia and allied forces pursued Black Hawk's band of Sauk and Meskwaki people across Wisconsin. Black Hawk's warriors were vastly outnumbered, yet needed to buy time for the large number of civilians accompanying them to reach safety across the Wisconsin River.
On July 21, 1832, Black Hawk's warriors engaged the combined U.S. militia forces near present-day Sauk City in Dane County, Wisconsin. Despite heavy casualties and severe numerical disadvantage, the warriors conducted a fighting withdrawal that delayed the government forces long enough for most Sauk and Meskwaki civilians to cross the Wisconsin River.
The escape across the Wisconsin River proved only a temporary reprieve. The militia eventually caught up with the fleeing band, resulting in the Bad Axe massacre at the mouth of the Bad Axe River, which effectively ended the Black Hawk War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Black Hawk.