William B. Brigham 
 
 The Arrowsmith Battlefield.^ 
 
 /y]y-ter,a'js M /s^ r.-y^ Link'y^ /lu^^^^s ///s'c^^-V
 
 nmm mmm survey
 
 1
 
 )77. 35901. 
 5768a 
 
 THE 
 ARROWSMITH BATTLEFIELD 
 
 MYSTERIOUS "MISSING LINK" 
 IN ILLINOIS HISTORY 
 
 BY 
 
 WM. B. BRIGHAM 
 
 BLOCMINerON, ILL.
 
 ""««3K:aiscsm
 
 B 
 O 
 
 '■5 
 
 0) 
 
 a 
 
 X 
 
 u 
 
 0) 
 
 u 
 
 B 
 
 0) 
 
 '5 
 
 a 
 
 a 
 •o 
 D 
 u 
 
 < 
 
 B 
 3 
 
 o 
 O 
 
 B 
 
 o 
 •-> 
 u
 
 9 77.35'?^/ ■•■^'^^ 
 
 '^ ^ ^ o ^ THE ARROWSMITH BATTLEFIELD 
 
 By William B. Brigham 
 
 Soon after their first contact with the French in Wisconsin, 
 the Fox Indians began to develop a feehng of distrust and suspicion 
 which broke out later in hostilities that proved very detrimental to 
 trade and settlement o\er a vast area of New France. The Foxes 
 were a sturdy race— self-reliant and revengeful; cherishing their 
 vengeance long and venting it when the moment seemed opportune. 
 After a great many years of unpleasant relations with this tribe, 
 the French authorities were able to secure the assistance of other 
 Indian nations to aid in their destruction. 
 
 A decisive battle between the Foxes and French (aided by other 
 Indian tribes— enemies to the Foxes) was fought in 1730. This 
 battle, lasting twenty-three days, is recorded on the pages of history, 
 but writers have not been able to tell definitely the location of this 
 fateful struggle. Some historians have said it probably was fought 
 near Starved Rock, while another has it placed (some thirty-five 
 miles to the northeast) not far from Piano in Kendall County, 
 Illinois. None of these locations has been satisfactory to historians 
 because of conflict with the official reports. The best authorities 
 have located it on the uncharted prairies with no nearby landmarks. 
 Under such circumstances, only a careful analysis of all available 
 records and situations will re\eal the true site of the battle. 
 
 At that time, distance and directions could only be given ap- 
 proximately, yet they are definite enough to be of great value in 
 locating this battlesite when other official reports and local records 
 are examined and compared. The location is plainly designated 
 in a statement made by Hocquart, Intendant of New France, who 
 was at. Quebec. On recei\ing the messengers direct from the scene 
 of action, he reported to the French minister as follows: "I have 
 no doubt, Monseigneur, that you have learned, by way of the Missis- 
 sippi, of the defeat of the Renard savages that happened Septem- 
 ber 9, last. (1730) in a plain situated between the River Wabash 
 and the River of the Illinois, about sixty leagues to the south of 
 the extremity or foot of Lake Michigan to the east, southeast of 
 Le Rocher, in the Illinois country." (Le Rocher is French for "the 
 Rock"— now known as Starved Rock.) 
 
 This story* and the facts given here, I believe, conclusively fix 
 the scene of this battle at the long unidentified "mysterious battle- 
 field" in eastern McLean Countv.
 
 On the Jacob Smith farm two and one-half miles southeast of 
 the village of Arrowsmith, McLean County, Illinois, are a few scat- 
 tered trees. This is the remainder of what was formerly known as 
 Little Grove, and is now known as Smith's Grove. The head waters 
 of the Sangamon River flow along the south and southeast of this 
 group of trees. To the north and northwest, there is a hill which 
 rises to an elevation of about twenty feet above the level of the 
 river. The first settlers of this community noticed that there were 
 many depressions and ridges on the top of this knoll, and they were 
 then supposed to be remains of Indian pits or caches. These were 
 said to be irregularly shaped and irregularly placed with the greatest 
 depth not over two and one-half feet from the tops of the ridges 
 to the deepest part of the depressions. 
 
 The following is an excerpt from a discussion of "The Arrow- 
 smith Battle Ground" written by Captain John H. Burnham and 
 published in the Transactions of the Illinois State Historical So- 
 ciety in 1908: "One beautiful day in May, 1897, a party consisting 
 of several pioneers of eastern McLean County and a few of the mem- 
 bers of the McLean County Historical Society made a very inter- 
 esting exploration of the central attraction of the grove, and we shall 
 never forget our intense interest as we made our discoveries. We 
 dug into four or five of the dozen or fifteen of the pits or depres- 
 sions, which were scattered irregularly over the acre of land at the 
 top of the little knoll, and found the apparent bottoms of these 
 pits at depths not exceeding three feet, and mostly two feet from 
 
 the apparent average natural level of the ground. Bones w^ere 
 
 found in nearly all of them, but they nearly all appeared to be 
 bones of animals." 
 
 On several occasions Captain John H. Burnham and Judge H. 
 W. Beckwith of Danville had together investigated places that ap- 
 peared to be of historical significance. Thus, it was only natinal for 
 Captain Burnham to write to his friend at Danville telling him of 
 the 1897 expedition to the Arrowsmith battlefield. Judge Beck- 
 with answered as follows, under date of December 3, 1897: 
 "Dear friend Burnham: 
 
 "I am glad to hear of the finds over on the Sangamon. This 
 may be the missing link in Illinois history. I trust the search will 
 continue until relics are found that will prove conclusively whether 
 the combatants were French or Anglo-Americans. 
 
 "Expeditions were sent out from Ft. Charters prior to 1735
 
 against the Fox Indians. Also forays were made from Kentucky 
 
 into that region around 1812. " 
 
 The Illinois State Historical Society was organized in 1899 
 with Judge Beckwith as president. At the first annual meeting Judge 
 Beckwith outlined the great work to be done by historical societies 
 in Illinois: "Your chairman cannot too forcibly inge the necessity 
 there is to localize many of the recorded events in our early State 
 history. To illustrate: 
 
 "Among the expeditions sent out from Fort Charters to chastise 
 the Sak and Fox Indians, always enemies of the French, was one 
 that foimd and defeated these savages entrenched towards the soinces 
 of the Sangamon river. Now if otu' zealous friend, Captain Burn- 
 ham, and his industrious associates, can identify this battle ground in 
 McLean county, as your chairman hopes they may, it will be an 
 ample reward for the historical society at Bloomington." 
 
 Judge Beckwith passed away in 1903, and Captain Burnham, 
 busv with other activities, did not follow the details to a definite 
 conclusion. 
 
 Some articles collected from the above site, either at the time 
 of the 1897 expedition or by residents of the community over a 
 period of previous years, were presented to Captain Burnham and 
 were given by him to the McLean County Historical Society in 
 Bloomington. They included two hundred bullets; three knife 
 blades (which may have been scalping or dirk knives); various cop- 
 per ornaments; a piece of pistol barrel; parts of nearly straight 
 deer-horn prongs; part of a link of an iron chain; a peculiar piece 
 of iron (flat-scraper on deer skins); a part of a gun barrel which 
 had also been flattened, probably for use as a scraper; a gun lock; a 
 steel blade (possibly the blade of a dirk knife, but more likely a 
 razor blade on which the maker's name, Pierre Minan, could be read.) 
 
 Another interesting fact in connection with this "battle site" is 
 this: About fifty rods to the northeast, on the downward slope from 
 the hill, early settlers of the community noticed what appeared to 
 be rifle pits. They were laid out in the manner of an old-fashioned 
 rail fence. These earthworks were evidently made in haste for they 
 were not dug to a great depth. Though plainly visible before 
 cultivation of the prairie effaced them, they can no longer be seen 
 on the surface of the ground. Pits similar to these were found 
 across the river to the south and southeast of the grove. 
 
 During the years in which the surrounding land was cultivated, 
 great numbers of bullets were found. Most of them were disco\'ered
 
 near the grove, outside of the location of the pits, and in the di- 
 rection of the trenches to the northeast and to the south. How- 
 ever bullets have been picked up in great numbers for a distance 
 of nearly one-half mile in the southern direction. The bullets are 
 of large size and many have the appearance of having been ham- 
 mered into form from bar lead. The type of these bullets suggests 
 a remote date and their surface coating of patina indicates a long 
 exposure to the elements. It is also interesting to note that on 
 some occasions when wood from this grove was being burned in an 
 open grate, melted lead was observed trickling from the fire. In 
 1906, while a large oak tree from this grove was being sawed into 
 lumber, the saw cut through a bullet of the type mentioned above. 
 The bullet was near the heart of the log, which was four feet in 
 diameter. We greath regret that no one, at that time, thought to 
 count the rings of growth to the surface. 
 
 In June 1932, Mr. Frank W. Aldrich, who was present with 
 the party that had investigated this site with Captain Burnham 
 thirty-five years before, together with myself, and several young men, 
 visited this spot with the hope of gaining further information. At 
 this time, there was no trace of anything unusual on the surface. 
 Our excavations on the hill revealed numerous workings of the soil 
 to the depth of about two and one-half feet. Charcoal, bones, 
 teeth, an arrow, and a bullet were found, but we were unable to 
 locate the outline or extent of the early pits or fortifications. It 
 was interesting, however, to visit with the members of the Smith 
 family, who have resided there and tilled the soil since the prairie 
 sod was broken. They have not only gathered quantities of bullets, 
 but in the regular farming routine have recently unearthed numer- 
 ous relics, including six traders' axes and a gun barrel. Nothing 
 was of as much interest to me as a statement from one of the young 
 men relative to a zigzag ridge which had been visible until recent 
 years. He stated that this ridge approached the hill from the north- 
 east, but that continuous cultivation of the soil had entirely obliter- 
 ated it. 
 
 The McLean County Academy of Science became interested in 
 the battlefield. On May 12, 1934, a large group of members and 
 friends visited the site and made excavations. A more systematic 
 investigation than any of recent years was planned. One trcndi 
 dug across the hill in a northernly direction revealed the definite 
 locations of ten of the pits. Worked soil, bones, and charcoal were 
 the indications in each of these pits. Other objects of interest found
 
 at this time Avere a piece of sheet copper, on the apparent bottom 
 of a pit thirty inches below the surface; a number of bullets; and 
 a short section of a gun barrel. With the historical facts before 
 them, the party contemplated the local setting, and returned home 
 feeling satisfied with their efforts. 
 
 The silent remains of this field speak in perfect harmony with 
 this story which is made up from the historical records of the events: 
 
 The Foxes were continuing their depredations against the French 
 and their savage allies. The overt act was the burning of the son 
 of the principal chief of the Illinois tribe. The chief's followers 
 immediately arose against the offenders. The Kickapoos, Mascoutins, 
 and Illinois of Le Rocher (the Rock) made themselves masters of 
 the passes to the northeast. As a result of this careful guarding, 
 the Foxes, who had planned to find refuge for their women and 
 children among the Iroquois, were forced to give up the northern 
 route leading to the East. They then built a fort near the Rock, 
 a league below the enemy. This fort would, undoubtedly, have 
 been the location of the final battle had the Foxes not decided to 
 take the southern route to the east— the trail which followed the 
 Bloomington moraine. Leaving the fort near the Rock, they started, 
 with their women and children, southward. The Illinois warriors 
 followed and harassed them at every opportunity. When the Foxes 
 paused and built a fort (near the present site of Arrowsmith), the 
 Illinois, with others, dug in on a hill on the prairie where they could 
 watch and have protection. Messengers were sent out by these 
 watchers to the various French posts. 
 
 St. Ange was notified at Fort Charters. He put himself at the 
 head of the French there and started in the direction of the Fox 
 fort. On August lOth, 1730, they joined the three or four hundred 
 sa\ages who had preceded them by a few days. On the 12th, scouts 
 who had been sent ahead reported the location of the fort to St. 
 Ange. The march continued mostly through a wooded country 
 and at daybreak on the 17th they came in sight of the Fox fort. 
 According to the report: "This was A small Grove of trees surroimded 
 by a palisade situated on a gentle slope Rising on the AVest and 
 North west Side of the bank of a small River, in such manner that 
 on the East and South east Sides they Avere exposed to our fire. 
 Their Cabins were very small and Excavated in the earth Like the 
 Burrows of the Foxes from which they take their name." St. Ange's 
 men opened fire at once. After the firing began, the Illinois and 
 others who had been watching from the nearby hill, joined them.
 
 The Foxes made t^vo unsuccessful sorties during the day. St. Ange 
 camped to the southeast of the Foxes on the opposite side of the river 
 where that night trenches for fortification were dug. Later redoubts 
 were constructed Avithin two pistol shots of the enemy. These 
 were designed to prevent the enemy from obtaining water, but the 
 Foxes cle\erly excavated underground passages leading to the rixer. 
 
 De Villiers, commander at the post on the St. Joseph River 
 (Niles, Michigan), reports: "I had the honor of sending you a re- 
 port on my first journey to le Rocher, with the nations to prevent 
 the renards (Foxes) from passing o\er to The Iroquois." On August 
 6th, two Mascoutin messengers came to De Villiers and stated that 
 the Renards had struck the Indians of Le Rocher. The Illinois, 
 seeking revenge, pursued them. After a day's battle, the Renards, 
 ■^vith their families, took possession of a small grove of trees and 
 fortified themselves. Mention is also made in De Villier's report of 
 "Watchers" who dug in on a hill on the prairie. "On the following 
 day, they parleyed Avith one another to gain time and to obtain 
 assistance. During these parleys, the Pouatoutamis (Pottawatomies) 
 sent Papissa (an Indian runner), with a yoimg man to the Ouyata- 
 nons (near Lafayette) to ask aid of the tribes and the French at that 
 post." Fox messengers were also there trying to bribe the Ouyatanons 
 to help their people by keeping the road to the East open. The 
 Ouyatanons promisd they would assist the Foxes and assvned them 
 they would soon see them. 
 
 De Villiers, having sent word to the French at Detroit and to 
 De Noyelle of the Miami post (near Ft. Wayne) left his post August 
 10th, 1730. He took with him the French and Indians of that 
 locality and proceeded toward the Fox fort. On the way, he was 
 joined by the Kickapoos and Mascoutins (of Le Rocher). He ar- 
 rived at the encampment of the Renards .\ugust 20th and took 
 charge of the combined forces. His description of the fort is as 
 follows: "The Renards' fort was in a small Grove of trees, on the 
 bank of a little river running through a vast prairie, more than 
 four leagues in circumference, without a tree, except Two groves 
 about 60 arpents from one another." 
 
 The Ouyatanons arrived tlie same day but it was soon ap- 
 parent that they were unwilling to completely break their promise 
 to the Foxes. TJiey tried many times to persuade the enemy to 
 spare the lives of the Foxes. 
 
 De Noyelle, with the French and Indians from the Miamis, 
 arrived on the scene the first day of September. He joined De
 
 Villiers' men on the right of the Fox fort. The governor of Cana- 
 da sent a message by De Noyelle which forbade the making of any 
 treaty with the Foxes. 
 
 Akogether the French and Indian warriors now numbered 
 about fourteen hundred. Much privation and suffering on the part 
 of both the Foxes and the enemy forces caused some desertions. 
 However, the siege lasted twenty-three days. 
 
 On Sptember 8th, an hour before sunset, a violent storm arose. 
 The night came on very dark and foggy, and the Foxes, taking ad- 
 vantage of this started off across the prairie towards the southwest. 
 The French, hearing the crying of the children, were aware of this 
 attempt, but they could not follow them until the next day when 
 the Foxes were overtaken and almost completely destroyed. 
 
 De Villiers at once prepared his report and sent his son, Coulon, 
 and Pierre Reaume, a Fox interpreter, who had been in the West 
 many years, to carry the message to Hocquart at Quebec. Hoc- 
 quart states that he questioned the son on all the facts of the re- 
 port and got some details that had been omitted. He also gathered 
 the expressions of Reaume which were according to Canadian usage. 
 Chaussegros de Lery, chief engineer in building the walls of Quebec 
 under the direction of Vauban, was called in. From the rej:)ort, he 
 drew up a plan of the battle with notes on the same. 
 
 In our description of this battle many interesting details have 
 necessarily been omitted. However, we have included incidents and 
 conditions that aid definitely in determining the location of this 
 conflict. To that end, a summary of our findings, with the con- 
 clusions, follows: 
 
 1. Notes on De Lery's map state that the scene of the battle was 
 east by southeast of Le Rocher. Two reliable messengers, Coulon 
 de Villiers and Pierre Reaume, have said that the battlefield was 
 located between the Illinois and Wabash Rivers, and about sixty 
 leagues south of Lake Michigan. This is the approximate loca- 
 tion of the Arrowsmith field. 
 
 2. Observations of the early settlers of Arrowsmith point to the 
 following facts on De Lery's map: the pits on the hill and the 
 trenches to the northeast and the southeast. At this place, the 
 Sangamon River flows east as is shown on De Lery's map. The 
 trench opened by De Villiers to approach the hill showed for 
 manv veais as a ziozao; ridafe from the northeast. The complete 
 confirmation of the character and location of the pits on the hill
 
 Ul 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 Q 
 
 ^ 
 
 Ul 
 
 t 
 
 o 
 
 ^ 
 
 •4 
 
 «^ 
 
 
 v\ 
 
 K- 
 
 >» 
 
 tc 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 ^ 
 
 k 
 
 •4 
 
 .0 
 
 »H 
 
 k 
 
 UJ 
 
 
 »: 
 
 1- 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 u. 
 
 Ul 
 
 O 
 
 Ui 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 •j: 
 
 K 
 
 ^ 
 
 Ul 
 
 a.cci 
 
 UJ 
 
 
 
 
 l4l 
 
 la 
 
 •d 
 
 e 
 
 
 
 a 
 
 D 
 
 ■-I 
 a
 
 has been brought about by three groups of investigators who 
 have been interested in getting the exact facts. 
 
 3. The two sorties against St. Ange left many bullets for some dis- 
 tance to the south of the fort. This has been verified by the 
 finding of many bullets in this area. Hundreds of crude patina- 
 coated bullets were found. They compare exactly with the type 
 that belongs to the period of this battle. 
 
 4. The Foxes wished to go east to the Iroquois. The passes to 
 the northeast were held by enemies and to avoid the swamps, 
 they were seeking the regular trails along the higher ground. 
 This search brought them along the route which was in the vicin- 
 ity of the Arrowsmith field. 
 
 5. When the distance traveled and the length of time taken by each 
 of the armies to arrive at the battlefield is considered, there is 
 added evidence that this is the site of the battle. 
 
 6. The two following statements of St. Ange and De Villiers are 
 true of the natural setting of the Arrowsmith field: "A small 
 grove of trees on the bank of a little river running through a 
 vast prairie" and "On a gentle slope rising to the west and north- 
 west on the bank of a small river." 
 
 7. Confirmatory to our findings is a letter from the French Com- 
 mander at Detroit in 1752, which states that certain tribes had 
 built a fort on the prairies of the Mascoutins, at the place where 
 De Villiers had attacked the Foxes about twenty years before. 
 This location is without a doubt, the hill five miles to the south- 
 west of the Arrowsmith field where the Illinois and other tribes 
 dug in and watched the Foxes. Messengers were sent out from 
 there. It is positively known that a stockaded fort was located 
 on this hill as late as 1812. 
 
 8. The view of the Arrowsmith field shown by the accompanying 
 photograph from the air is easily recognized as the same scene 
 shown on De Lery's map. 
 
 9. There is no evidence that the battle was fought elsewhere. 
 
 There were indications of a battle-ground near Piano. John 
 F. Steward's boyhood home was near the location and he became 
 greatly interested in identifying it. Sending to France, he secured 
 several manuscripts in 1901. He, at once, interpreted them to show 
 that the unlocated Battle of 1730 was fought there. A few years 
 later Mr. Steward received copies of De Lery's maps of the battle- 
 field, but he found difficulty in applying them to the Piano site. 
 
 10
 
 Recently Stanley Faye, by discrediting the official reports, has 
 placed the battlesite east of Lowell on the Vermillion River. This 
 location deser\es about the same consideration as Steward's Mara- 
 mech Hill. 
 
 With landmarks remote, with the passing of many years, and 
 with the changing ownership of the "Illinois country", the site 
 of this battle was lost. Indeed, when we realize the horrible scenes 
 of bloodshed enacted here, the human suffering and untold agony, 
 it might ha\e been well to have made no effort to remove the veil 
 that has so long obscined the horrors of this field. Yet, to the 
 historian, there is a certain lure for complete records, and senti- 
 ment is abandoned for the truth. To me, it has been a pleasure to 
 gather from various soinces the evidence that so conclusively brings 
 to light a complete story of this long-mysterious battle ground. 
 There in the bosom of the "grand prairie" had been hidden a secret 
 that the ages might never have disclosed. 
 
 BIBILIOGRAPHY 
 
 The Last of a Great Indian Tribe, Osman p. 153 
 
 Wisconsin Historical Record No. 17, 1906 pp. 100-129 
 
 Wisconsin Historical Proceedings, 1907— Kellogg p. 142 
 
 Illinois State Historical Society Transactions: 
 Publication No. VII, 1902 
 
 Destruction of the Fox Indians, J. F. Steward p. 148 
 
 Copies of French Manuscripts p. 189 
 
 Publication No. XIII, 1908 
 
 Mysterious Battle Grounds in McLean County, J. H. 
 
 Biunham p. 135 
 
 Conflicting Accounts in Illinois, Steward p. 251 
 
 Publication No. XIV, 1909 
 
 The sieurs de St. Ange, W. B. Douglas p. 135 
 
 Publication No. XIX, 1913 
 
 De Lery's Error, Steward p. 91 
 
 Pubhcation No. XX, 1914 
 
 Further Regarding the Destruction of the Fox Indi- 
 ans, Steward p. 175 
 
 Joiunal No. XXVIII, 1935 
 
 The Foxes' Fort, Stanley Faye p. 123 
 
 II
 
 Relics found by excavating. Broken gun barrels, gun flints, bullets, 
 war points, knives, copper, axes, bones.
 
 Ancient bullets from this field. 
 Inset: Original lead slug.
 
 D 
 
 a> 
 >< 
 
 T3 
 
 0> 
 u 
 
 ■a 
 
 B 
 3 
 X 
 
 o 
 
 5 
 
 D 
 
 n 
 o 
 H
 
 LAHO-FULLER PRTO. CO. 
 BLOOMINQTON, ILL.
 
 ■ m'aMmcmMm^:m^m 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 fHEARROwSTH BATTLEnJS BLOOMINGTON,