The encounter was brutal and brief, just a minor skirmish in a war that stretched all the way to Europe. There were fifteen minutes of fighting and an Indian victory that proved to be a Pyrrhic one that only delayed them from being exiled further west, opening the Illinois Territory to white settlers. For the whites, it convinced them that Indians could not be allowed to continue living in Illinois.
As soon as the Indians were spotted, Captain Nathan Heald ordered a charge which separated the troops from the wagons carrying the civilians and a small militia group. Indians poured into the gap and surrounded both groups. Hand-to-hand combat ensued with soldiers falling under tomahawk blows and Indians being bayoneted. Within minutes, the Americans were forced to surrender.
The soldiers were shocked by what they saw back at the wagons as they were being led away. According to Lt. Linai Helm, "When we arrived at the bank and looked down on the sand beach I was struck by the horror of men, women, and children lying naked with principally all their heads off."
Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
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