Apple River Fort.. Where's the lead?

[Robert Braun]

In a preliminary study written in August, 2002 regarding Captain Clack Stone's Company at Apple River Fort, I estimated the following:

• According to the available lists of settlers known or believed to have been inside Apple River Fort (n = 41) let us assume that thirty of them had some sort of firearm. Following the assumption of a 45 minute battle, and likewise presuming a rate of fire equal to one shot per minute (much slower than the traditionally prescribed 'three shots per minute') this means 30 x 45 = 1,350 rounds fired.
  
  
• Eyewitness John Flack indicated a Sauk war-party of 150 men. Presuming that only 80% were actively engaged (the rest looted nearby cabins) means 120 warriors. Presuming that each warrior had a firearm, and a shot pouch with say twenty shot, and further presuming that each warrior only expended half of his ammunition (n= 10 shots per warrior) that means that 120 x 10 = 1,200 rounds fired.
  
  
• According to Floyd Mansberger and Christopher Stratton's “Perfectly Panic Struck” The Archaeology of the Apple River Fort (Jo Daviess County) Illinois, Springfield: Fever River Research, 1996, ninteen musket balls or lead pieces identified as same were unearthed during the site investigation. All of these appeared to be unfired 'drops,' meaning that none appeared to indicate signs of flattening or other evidence of having been fired. Instead, they were dropped, or otherwise lost, when fumbling in a shot pouch or pocket, or by some other means.
  

With something like 2,500 projectiles flying around, why weren’t more discovered at the fort site? Some struck fort pickets; some struck trees or the walls of nearby cabins; some were overshots… but the rest?

Where's the lead?

[Laurel]

I know that this is going to sound like a really simplistic possiblilty but what about souvenir hunters? I don't mean to imply that all the lead was taken by these but it's amazing how many stories I've heard about people finding lead bullets from many sites, why should Apple River Fort be different. Not only could they have been picked up shortly after the battle but people have been relic hunting for years.Another thougth, what is the feasiblity that the lead was picked up and reprocessed in the smelters in the area once the hostilities were over. These are just thoughts off the top of my head to get the discussion going. If the sound totally childis just put it down to a blonde moment.

Betsy

[Robert Braun]

Souvenir hunters are always an unfortunate possiblity. I am struck with the continued tale that after a few generations, the locality of the fort gradually slipped from public memory. If true, this would dilute somewhat the souvenir hunting theory. That being said, I don't think that souvenir hunting can be ruled out!

As reported by Marge, there is little doubt that the plat which contained the fort included a lead digging and processing operation. Reprocessing is also an option. IMHO, the quantities of lead we're talking about would probably not warrant an exhaustive search for expended musket balls-- larger pieces of galena would be easier found and processed.

On the other hand, the archeological investigation was not exhaustive, neither did it extend much beyond the boundaries of the fort proper. This may begin to explain why more projectiles were not found.

[mpcavanaugh]

I would say that the lack of an extensive search may account for the lack of lead and also reprocessing would have played a role too. Another option could be that the 2,500 or so musket balls is a high number (I don't really think this just mearly throwing out ideas). I should say first and formost that I don't really know anything about this battle I am mearly playing devil's advocate based on the numbers provided in this forum. A 4-1 warrior to American ratio is a daunting number perhaps it was inflated by John Flack to make things seem more of..... an almost an Alamo like setting (yes I know the Alamo has yet to "happen")? A sort of a against-all-odds type situation? Again I'm mearly playing devil's advoate I don't really think this, the numbers seem pretty sound.

Mike

[Larry Koschkee]

There are probably several explanations why more spent lead balls were not discovered in the archealogical investigation. Some valid reasons have been already posted here.

Mr. Braun's mathematical excercise gives one perspective to the Apple River Fort attack and is important in answering his basic question. The major assumptions were the "45 minute battle," rate of fire, and the amount of shot or musket balls in a shot pouch.

John Flack said: "There was a very heavy fire kept up for the space of one hour on both sides." 15 minutes one way or another is not critical to my premise that I would like to submit.

First of all, we can not assume that all of the "150" Indians were armed and those that were armed may have not all been carrying rifles, rather some could have been packing fowling pieces. John Flack may have given us a clue that the Indians were not heavily armed because when one of the express riders was shot off his horse in an ambush outside of the fort, he recovered from the fall and got off a shot at the Indians at "a distance of fifteen steps." Instead of shooting the rider on the gorund "the Indians made towards him with their hatchets." The other two express riders came to his rescue with "their empty guns" pointed at the Indians and kept them at bay for about 300 yards until they reached the safety of the fort. If the Indians were heavily armed all three riders should have been shot to hell. "The Indians pursued these men within firing distance of the fort, all on horseback."

It is my opinion, there was probably a rapid exchange of gun fire as the Indians tested the strength of the forticaiton, but then, in typical fashion, finding a lot of resistance, pulled back out of firing range or found protection in the nearby houses. Indian fire then was intermittent, pinning down the milita and their families in the fort, while others pillaged the settlement. Perhaps there was just as much lead expended killing the livestock as there was towards the people in the fort.

Another thought is: If the Indians did engage in extensive firing at the fort, how could it be possible that two days later mount a running gun battle with Dement's milita and then "The Indians kept a brisk fire on the stockade for nearly an hour." How could they have possibly packed all the lead for two battles?

In closing, I would like to comment on the suggestion that "larger pieces of galena would be easier found and processed." If the Apple River fort was near "a lead digging and processing operation," how does that square with Flack's following statement: "...the day before a waggon had been despatched to Galena for the purpose of bringing a supply of lead and meat, which had run short in the afternoon on Sunday, the waggon arrived with a supply of meat and lead."

Interesting post.....

Boots and Saddles!

[Robert Braun]

Interesting perspective, Larry... as always.

I would like to add additional information from two eyewitnesses. The first we have already discussed. John Flack wrote a letter to John A. Wakefield regarding the attack at Apple River Fort... which letter was published in Wakefield's 1834 book on the BHW. The second eyewitness acccount is from William "Bushy Bill" Johnson, who was eighteen at the time of the attack.

Regarding numbers, John Flack wrote:

The Indians pursued these men within firing distance of the fort, all on horseback, they rode up, dismounted and hitched their horses, and I think in about three minutes the fort was surrounded by about one hundred and fifty Indians, with all the savage ferocity and awful appearance, that those monsters could possibly appear in.

Regarding the firing, Flack wrote:

There was a very heavy fire kept up for the space of one hour on both sides. Early in the engagement a Mr. George Herclurode was shot in the neck, and never spoke afterwards, he being at a port hole trying to defend himself and the helpless inmates of the fort; a Mr. James Nuting was also shot at the same time in the head, but not mortally...

...The Indians got into those houses before spoken of, and knocked out the chinking and kept up their fire until they got discouraged. They then commenced plundering the houses…

William Johnson cooberated Flack's account regarding some in the Sauk war-party advancing with hatchets. This does not surprise me, having just discharged their single-shot firearms. Rather than a commentary on the quantity of arms in the war-party, I suggest the Sauk were following traditional frontier fighting techniques... when your rifle no longer works, better pick up something that does!

Writing many years after the fact, Johnson recalled:

It was evident that the Indians had but just arrived, as they seemed as much surprised as Welsh, to see him ride so unceremoniously into their midst. On the arrival of the retreating dispatch riders at the entrance to the fort, Capt. Stone asked of Dixon how many Indians he thought there were. His reply was, ‘Captain, I’m afraid there’s too many.’

...With whoops and yells, as though ten thousand devils had just been turned loose, the red devils came tearing down the hill, some on horses and some on foot. Their numbers were variously estimated at from two to three hundred. As soon as they came within range, firing was begun on both sides, and the nearer they approached the fort the thicker the deadly missiles filled the air, and the louder their fiendish howls echoes and reechoed across the valley… Some came to within forty yards of the fort, but were careful to screen themselves behind trees or other objects.

This report of the action appears to support Larry's contention of testing the firepower of the fort's defenders... and their resolve.

I point to these accounts, note the occasions where firing is mentioned on both sides, and again ask: "Where's the lead?" All we really have from the Mansberger investigation are 'drops.'

Puzzled Bob.

[Robert Braun]

What constitued a "very heavy fire" as remembered by John Flack?

Alright.. I concede that's not really a very fair question.

That being said, Flack was neither at Guadacanal, nor was he likely on the Plains of Chalmette on January 8, 1815. Rather than attempting to attach a 'volume' or otherwise quantify Flack's comment, might we agree that the volume of fire from both sides would have been significantly less that that expected from trained forced fighting in 'typical' early ninteenth century fashion?

Regards, Bob.

[Gene]

I think the answer in ths thread is quite elemetary, I'd be willing to guess, that most of the shots fired, reached their intended mark, being the stockade walls, so most of these disappeared with the disappearence of those walls. I would also suspect that these rounbds were fired at a slow aim and fire. I think these folks were accutely aware of the difficulty of obtaining replacement ammunition, so the careless expenditure of ammunition would be a concern.

[Gene]

This is from Elizabeth Illinios Chamber of Commerce Web-site, I obviously can't swear on the validity of what their saying, but my suspicions are that there were probably not many shots fired from the fort as one might like to think, but on the other side of the coin, fifteen minutes of a fire-fight would have been more than enough for those experiencing the battle, let alone forty five minutes to an hour.

About 45 men, women and children were inside the fort when Black Hawk and some 150 warriors attacked. The men scrambled for the guns, leaped to the firing benches and took their places at the block house portholes. The women huddled in the cabins on the back wall. Then Elizabeth Armstrong rallied the women. They molded musket balls and loaded weapons so that the men could keep up a steady stream of fire. The battle raged for about 45 minutes. Black Hawk, thinking the fort was heavily armed, abandoned the battle, raiding the nearby cabins for supplies as he and his warriors departed. Considering the ferocity of the fighting, casualties were light: in the fort, two men were wounded, one killed; the number of Sauk casualties was undetermined. The war itself ended on August 2, when U.S. Army troops caught the last of Black Hawk’s band at the Bad Ax River, attempting to cross the Mississippi into Iowa.

[Gene]

Oops, forgot to post my name, the last two posts were from Gene Stevens, Member of the Black Hawk War Society.

Gene

[Robert Braun]

Let's review:

1. John Flack, an eyewitness, stated: "There was a very heavy fire kept up for the space of one hour on both sides."

2. "Bushy Bill" Johnson rememebered: "As soon as they came within range, firing was begun on both sides, and the nearer they approached the fort the thicker the deadly missiles filled the air, and the louder their fiendish howls echoes and reechoed across the valley… Some came to within forty yards of the fort, but were careful to screen themselves behind trees or other objects. "

3. Black Hawk lent no clues to the firing, chosing to recall only the shooting of Herkleroad (which BH likely witnessed) and the fact that the people could not be killed without setting fire to the structure.

I have thought more about this matter, and have arrived at the following:

A. The settler's volume of fire was likely heavier, as indicated by Johnson and Flack, particularly as the distance between the opponants closed;

B. Per Larry's observations, while BH's soldiers did return fire, their shooting was done sparingly, or when a target like Hercleroad presented itself. This left little shot in/around the fort area that was actually shot at the fort's compliment;

C. An archaeological investigation of Apple River Fort as a battle site was not undertaken;

D. Some lead shot certainly could have served as souvenirs of the action, as suggested by Laurel. Were other picked up or picked out of the log pickets for re-use, as already indicated in this thread by Laurel, and was actually done at at battle sites like Boonesboro during the American Revolution?

Regards,

Bob Braun

[Rusty Ayers]

Remember as well that Indians were indifferent marksmen at best, the fort is not that large, and that most of Black Hawk's band would have been firing uphill. It's quite possible that the majority of their fire (except for the balls that struck unlucky Herclerode and the other casualty) sailed OVER the palisade and ultimately landed hundreds of yards away. Maybe the archaeologists need to dig further down the hill, or at least get the metal detectors out, work downhill and see what they find.