o'clock, as Col. DODGE was approaching the fort to take command of the troops, he heard three guns fired, which proved to be from the hostile Indians, who were lying in ambush, and who killed, in his saddle, a German named APPLE, who was preparing to join in the pursuit, and whom they butchered and scalped. Col. DODGE immediately ordered the mounted men under arms in pursuit of the savage foe. Fortunately they were enabled soon to come upon the Indian trail, and after running their horses about two miles they came in sight of the retreating enemy, who were seeking the low ground where it was difficult to pursue them on horseback. The Indians directed their course to a bend in the Peckatonica covered with a deep swamp, which they reached before their pursuers crossed the stream.

The following account of the action which for daring bravery and cool, undaunted courage, is not excelled in the history of Indian warfare, is from the official report of General DODGE to General ATKINSON:

"After crossing the Peckatonica, in the open ground, I dismounted my command, linked my horses and left four men in charge of them, and sent four men in different directions to watch the movement of the Indians. I formed my men on foot at open order, and at trailed arms, and we proceeded through the swamp to some timber and under-growth where I expected to find the enemy. When I found their trail, I knew they were close at hand. They had got close to the edge of the lake, where the bank was six feet high, which was a complete breast-work for them, They commenced the fire, when three of my men fell, two dangerously wounded, one severely but not dangerously. I instantly ordered a charge made on them by eighteen men, which was promptly obeyed. The Indians being under the bank, our guns were brought within ten or fifteen feet of them before we could fire on them, Their party consisted of thirteen men. Eleven were killed on the spot, and the remaining two were killed in crossing the lake, so they were left without one to carry the news to their friends. The volunteers under my command behaved with great gallantry. It would be impossible for me to discriminate among them. At the word 'charge,' the men rushed forward, and literally shot the Indians to pieces. We were, Indians and whites, on a piece of ground not to exceed sixty feet square."

The precise spot on which this terrific battle occurred is section eleven, town two, range five east, in the town of Wiota.

The following, as near as can now be ascertained, is a complete list of the names of the persons, who in one way or another, as duty was assigned them, took part in the battle of the Peckatonica:

Col. HENRY DODGE Commanding; Captain JAMES H. GENTRY; Lieutenants--CHARLES BRACKEN, PASCAL BEQUETTE and -PORTER; Surgeon ALLEN HILL-doing duty as a private.

Privates-(alphabetically arranged)-ED. BOUCHARD, SAMUEL BLACK, WM. CARNS, -DEVA, ASA DUNCAN, MATTHEW G. FITCH, ALEXANDER HIGGENBOTHEM, JOHN HOOD, THOMAS JENKINS, R. H. KIRKPATRICK, BENJAMIN LAWHEAD, LEVIN LEACH, DOMINICK MCGRAW, MCCONNELL, JOHN MESSERSERSMITH, Jr.,-MORRIS, D. M. PARKINSON, PETER PARKINSON, Jr., SAMUEL PATRICK, THOMAS H. PRICE, -RANKIN, -TOWNSEND, -VAN WAGNER, -WELLS, and

WOODBRIDGE. Of these BLACK, MORRIS and WELLS were killed, and JENKINS Wounded, while the others escaped without injury.

Col. HAMILTON arrived with the friendly Sioux Indians about an hour after the battle; and some Winnebagoes who professed to be friendly came with them, among whom was the chief DE-KAU-RAY. The friendly Indians went to the ground where the Sauks were killed. They scalped them, and literally cut them to pieces, and appeared to be delighted with the scalps.

On the 18th of June, while a company under the command of Capt. STEPHENSON were engaged in scouting, three of his men were killed and himself wounded by Indians near the Peckatonica, among whom BLACK HAWK was said to have been present.

On the 24th of the month, BLACK HAWK, with a large body of Indians, made an attack on Apple river Fort, near the present village of Elizabeth, which was vigorously defended. The battle lasted fifteen hours. The loss of the Indians was considerable; that of the whites one man killed, and one wounded.

In the "Life of Black Hawk," dictated by himself, and edited by J. B. PATTERSON, of Rock Island, and undoubtedly authentic, BLACK HAWK gives the following account of his attack on this garrison:

"When we arrived in the vicinity of the Fort, we saw four men on horseback; one of my braves fired and wounded a man, when the others set up a yell as if a large force was ready to come against us. We concealed ourselves. No enemy came. The four men ran to the Fort and gave the alarm. We followed them and attacked the Fort, and killed one man who raised his head above the picketing to fire at us. Finding that these people could not all be killed without setting fire to their houses and Fort, I thought it more prudent to be content with what flour, provisions, cattle and horses we could find, than to set fire to their buildings, as the light would be seen at a distance, and the army might suppose we were in the neighborhood, and come upon us with a force too strong. Accordingly we opened a house and filled our bags with flour and provisions, took several horses and drove off some of their cattle."

BLACK HAWK in this marauding raid was accompanied by about two hundred of his warriors. The next day on their return to Rock river, the savages met Maj. JOHN DEMENT in command of a spy battalion, near Kellogg's Grove. A severe contest ensued, in which five whites were killed, and three wounded, while nine Indians were left dead on the field, and five others carried away.

BLACK HAWK in his "Life" gives the following account of this engagement:

"We started in a direction toward 'sun-rise.' After marching a considerable time, I discovered some white men coming toward us; we concealed ourselves in the woods, and when they came near enough, we commenced yelling and firing and made a rush upon them. About this time, their chief, with a party of men, rushed up to rescue the men we had fired upon. In a little while they commenced retreating and left their chief and a few braves, who seemed willing and anxious to fight. They acted like braves; but were forced to give way, when I rushed upon them with my braves. In a short time the chief returned with a large party. He seemed determined to fight and anxious for a battle. When he came near enough, I raised a yell, and firing commenced from both sides. The chief (who seemed to be a small man) addressed his warriors in a loud voice; but they soon retreated leaving him and a few braves on the battle field. A great number of my warriors pursued the retreating party, and killed a number of their horses as they ran. The chief and his few braves were unwilling to leave the field. I ordered my braves to rush upon them, and had the mortification of seeing two of my chiefs killed before the enemy retreated. This young chief deserves great praise for his courage and bravery; but fortunately for us, his army was not all composed of such brave men. During this attack we killed several men and about forty horses, and lost two young chiefs and seven warriors."

On the 29th of June, three men were attacked in a field near Sinsinawa Mound, two of whom, JOHN THOMPSON and JAMES BOXLEY, were killed, while the Indians, though pursued by Captain STEPHENSON, made their escape by crossing the Mississippi in a canoe. The Indians were probably a straggling party of Sauks, as the principal body had already returned with BLACK HAWK to Rock river.

During the months of May and June the number of settlers who fell victims to the merciless warfare of BLACK HAWK and his followers, was probably not less than fifty. But by the early part of July, such was the organization and vigorous pursuit by the whites of all straggling bands of marauders, that the great mass of the Indians were concentrated upon Rock river, above Lake Koshkonong, where General ATKINSON was now encamped, and where he had been joined by General ALEXANDER'S brigade.

While Maj. DEMENT was engaged with BLACK HAWK at Kellogg's Grove, he sent an express to Gen. POSEY, at Dixon, for relief, who marched with his whole brigade for that pur

pose; but did not arrive until after the retreat of the Indians. Gen. POSEY awaited the arrival of his baggage wagons, and then proceeded with his brigade to Fort Hamilton, where he was met by Col. DODGE with his entire command of mounted volunteers. In pursuance of the plan of the campaign, as formed at headquarters at Ottawa, on the 17th of June, these two commands composed the left wing of the army. Gen. ALEXANDER'S command formed the center, and Gen. ATKINSON, with Gen. HENRY's brigade, formed the right wing, and advanced up Rock river.

The left wing marched across the country by the way of the Peckatonica battle ground and Sugar river, to the first of the Four Lakes, being re-enforced at Sugar river by the Galena company of volunteers. At the First Lake they were joined by WHITE CROW and about thirty Winnebago warriors, who avowed their purpose of showing the path of the Sauks to the pursuing army.

Some dissatisfaction existing between Col. DODGE'S command and Gen. POSEY'S brigade, a change of position was made, whereby Gen. ALEXANDER'S command was associated with Col. DODGE'S, while POSEY'S brigade took the place of ALEXANDER'S.

The left wing as reorganized then moved up the right bank of Rock river, accompanied by their volunteer guides, the Winnebagoes. Having marched two days, until Rock river was reached a short distance above the mouth of Bark river, they retraced their steps in consequence of an express from Gen. ATKINSON, and crossed Rock river below the mouth of Bark river, where is the present village of Fort Atkinson. Here they met Gen. ATKINSON.

At this time, and at Gen. ATKINSON'S encampment, Capt. CHARLES DUNN, subsequently appointed Chief Justice, on the organization of the Territory of Wisconsin four years later, while acting as officer of the day, and going around to relieve the guard, was accidentally shot by one of the sentinels, and dangerously wounded. He was so disabled. as to be compelled to return home, and was conveyed to Dixon by an escort.

It appeared subsequently, by discovery of the trail and other evidences, that a considerable ambush had been formed on the east bank of Rock river, at a point where the left wing would have been obliged to cross the stream. WHITE CROW had been anxious that Col. DODGE and Gen. ALEXAN

DER should continue their march up the river, where they had been recalled by Gen. ATKINSON; and it was supposed that this treacherous Indian was acting in concert with BLACK HAWK, and was guiding the army to this point. This suspicion was strengthened by his conduct at the Blue Mounds at the time of the surrender of the Hall girls.

The Indians, in the meantime, finding themselves closely pressed by the advancing troops, had pushed up the river, evidently more anxious to escape their pursuers than to make war upon them.

General ATKINSON being short of provisions, now dispatched DODGE's command of about two hundred and fifty men, together with HENRY'S and ALEXANDER'S brigades, to Fort Winnebago for supplies, and General POSEY's brigade was ordered to the Mining Region for the protection of the forts and settlements in that quarter.

The detachment arrived at the Fort on the second day without casualty, and secured the requisite supplies. Colonel DODGE, finding a large number of Winnebagoes at the Fort, and the faithful Pauquette the interpreter, with whom he was well acquainted, and in whom he had the utmost confidence, at once set to work to find out from them the position of the Sauks and Foxes. He soon learned that they were encamped at the Rapids of Rock river, since known as Hustisford. To return by this route would require a divergence to the east of more than thirty miles from the route by which they had come. A council of the officers was held. General ALEXANDER objected that the divergence would be a violation of General ATKINSON'S orders, which required the detachment to return immediately. Colonel DODGE insisted that as there was no route specified in the orders, they might return by any route they should deem proper. General HENRY concurred in this opinion, and he and Colonel DODGE agreed to return by way of the Rapids, while General ALEXANDER was to return with the supplies, by the route they had all come.

The worn down horses were sent home, and the forces thereby reduced, so that the effective men which went to the Rapids were about seven hundred, accompanied by Pauquette and twelve Winnebagoes as guides. The command reached its objective point on Rock river the third day; but no indications of the Indians of whom they were in pursuit were found, except some trails that appeared to be several