CHAPTER XV.
Military Affairs—Story County In Earlier Days Of Warlike Action—Mexican War Volunters—Events Preceding The Presidential Campaign Of 1860—War Issues Defined—The Question Of Slavery—An Agitated Subject—Fall Of Sumter—Companies Organized—Character Of Troops—Recruiting—Drafts—History Of Affairs Hereabouts From 1861 To 1865—Closing Year Of The War.
War is honourable
In those who do their native rights maintain.-Baillie.
STORY COUNTY was the happy hunting-ground of the Iowas and Foxes when the French were compelled to let go their hold on the great Mississippi Valley by Gen. Wolf, at Quebec, in 1759. The Indians were still the only denizens of the Skunk and Indian Creek forests and prairies when Gen. Washington forced the British to give up all claim to the new country east of the Mississippi, called the United States. Not only that, but the Story County Indians were subjects of their " Spanish father," and were indignant when they were turned over to their new "American father " in 1803. Indeed they stopped fighting among themselves, in order to join the old British enemies of the "Great Father at Washington," in the War of 1812, under their Sac leader, Black Hawk. Still more, scarcely a score of years later, as this keen-eyed Indian leader saw this rising young empire steadily absorbing the lands of his people-the Sacs and Foxes, and purposely or accidentally precipitated the famous Black Hawk War-even then the " pale-face " was a stranger to Chicaugua bottoms and the prairie grass. This was 1832. A decade later and the Indians left all silent in the present boundaries of Story County, and it was not until after our conflict with Mexico, in 1846, that white men inhabited it.
Those who came, however, had taken part in these wars from other parts of the United States. Among, these may be mentioned Michael French, who was a soldier of 1812. Among those in the Mexican War, the following names are obtainable: Col. John Scott, Stephen P. O'Brien, Fred. Eckhart, Henry Cameron, L. Q. Hoggatt, J. J. Butler, A. J. Marshall, and, it is thought, a few others. A few, no doubt, were also in the Black Hawk War.