Bloody Lake is the site of the historic battleground of the Battle of Pecatonica, located in Black Hawk Memorial Park.
The battle was fought on June 16, 1832, at an oxbow lake in present-day Wisconsin known as "Horseshoe Bend," formed by a change in course of the Pecatonica River.
Wisconsin pioneers under Colonel Henry Dodge and a band of Black Hawk's Kickapoo Indians fought. Of the 21 volunteer soldiers engaged, three died and one was severely wounded. According to the historic marker at Bloody Lake, erected in 1922, 17 Indians died.
"The annals of Indian warfare offer no parallel to this battle," the marker says. "Thus was our land made safe for settlement."
The battle was a major turning point in the Black Hawk War, despite being of only minor military significance.
The small victory won by the U.S. militia at Horseshoe Bend helped restore public confidence in the volunteer force following an embarrassing defeat at Stillman's Run.
The militia men involved in the Battle of Pecatonica proved their ability to obey orders, act as a disciplined unit and show bravery. Unlike at Stillman's Run, the troops waited for Dodge's commands before acting on the field of battle.
When ordered to charge, the men obeyed and eventually won a fight that descended into a bloody hand-to-hand battle.
After the militia advanced about 200 yards, the Kickapoo suddenly let loose a loud yell from their hidden position on the bank of an oxbow lake along the river. The warriors fired a volley toward the advancing militia and three men, Samuel Black, Samuel Wells and Montaville Morris, were hit and went down.
Dodge did not hesitate and ordered his men to charge, they obeyed and waited until they were within six feet of the Kickapoo before discharging their weapons.
The fight, after the initial charge and volley, descended into a hand-to-hand struggle with tomahawks, bayonets, muskets and spears the weapons of choice.
The fighting only lasted a few minutes; nine Kickapoo were killed on the spot and the other two were felled while fleeing across the lake.
The battleground is the site of the annual Bloody Lake Rendezvous, which this year is April 29-May 4.
The battle was fought on June 16, 1832, at an oxbow lake in present-day Wisconsin known as "Horseshoe Bend," formed by a change in course of the Pecatonica River.
Wisconsin pioneers under Colonel Henry Dodge and a band of Black Hawk's Kickapoo Indians fought. Of the 21 volunteer soldiers engaged, three died and one was severely wounded. According to the historic marker at Bloody Lake, erected in 1922, 17 Indians died.
"The annals of Indian warfare offer no parallel to this battle," the marker says. "Thus was our land made safe for settlement."
The battle was a major turning point in the Black Hawk War, despite being of only minor military significance.
The small victory won by the U.S. militia at Horseshoe Bend helped restore public confidence in the volunteer force following an embarrassing defeat at Stillman's Run.
The militia men involved in the Battle of Pecatonica proved their ability to obey orders, act as a disciplined unit and show bravery. Unlike at Stillman's Run, the troops waited for Dodge's commands before acting on the field of battle.
When ordered to charge, the men obeyed and eventually won a fight that descended into a bloody hand-to-hand battle.
After the militia advanced about 200 yards, the Kickapoo suddenly let loose a loud yell from their hidden position on the bank of an oxbow lake along the river. The warriors fired a volley toward the advancing militia and three men, Samuel Black, Samuel Wells and Montaville Morris, were hit and went down.
Dodge did not hesitate and ordered his men to charge, they obeyed and waited until they were within six feet of the Kickapoo before discharging their weapons.
The fight, after the initial charge and volley, descended into a hand-to-hand struggle with tomahawks, bayonets, muskets and spears the weapons of choice.
The fighting only lasted a few minutes; nine Kickapoo were killed on the spot and the other two were felled while fleeing across the lake.
The battleground is the site of the annual Bloody Lake Rendezvous, which this year is April 29-May 4.