WISCONSIN HEIGHTS–Plan of the battlefield. From the “Life of Henry Dodge,” by William Salter. 216 WOOD, JOHN. Later Governor of Illinois. Private in Capt. Flood’s Company. From photograph owned by D.C. Wood, of Quincy, Ill. 217 WOOD, MAJ. JOHN D. From photograph furnished by Hon. George Vernor, of Nashville, Ill. 197 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: BLACK HAWK.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER I. BIRTH–PERSONAL DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTER OF BLACK HAWK–NOT A CHIEF–MADE A BRAVE–EXPEDITIONS AGAINST THE OSAGES–DEATH OF PY-E-SA–PERIOD OF MOURNING–EXPEDITION AGAINST THE OSAGES–EXPEDITION AGAINST THE CHEROKEES–EXPEDITION AGAINST THE CHIPPEWAS, OSAGES AND KICKAPOOS–THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE AMERICANS. Black Hawk’s name, as given in his autobiography, was Ma-ka-tai-she-kia-kiak[1], and, without reference to the many renditions of it by various writers, is the version that will be adopted in this work as nearest authentic. He was born in the year 1767 at the Sac or Sauk village, located on the north bank of Rock River in the State of Illinois, about three miles above its confluence with the Mississippi. His father, Py-e-sa, a grandson of Na-na-ma-kee or Thunder (a descendant of other Thunders), was born near Montreal, Canada, where the Great Spirit was reputed in Indian lore to have first placed the great Sac nation. Black Hawk was a full blood Sac, five feet eleven inches tall in his moccasins; of broad but meager build[2] and capable of great endurance. His features were pinched and drawn, giving unusual prominence to the cheek bones and a Roman nose, itself pronounced. The chin was sharp. The mouth was full and inclined to remain open in repose. His eyes were bright, black and restless, glistening as they roamed during a conversation. Above these rested no eyebrows. The forehead was given the appearance of unusual fullness and height from the fact that all hair was plucked from the scalp, with the single exception of the scalp lock, to which, on occasions of state, was fastened a bunch of eagle feathers. In his later years it was his boast that he had worn the lock with such prominence to tempt an enemy to fight for it and to facilitate its removal should he be slain in the encounter. This statement, however, must be received as a boast and nothing more, because among the Sacs the custom of plucking from the scalp all hairs save the scalp lock was general and not confined to Black Hawk’s redoubtable person, as he would have us believe. J.C. Beltrami, the Italian traveler, who ascended the Mississippi in 1823, stopping at all the Indian villages, particularly Black Hawk’s upon Rock River, which he reached May 10th, has this to say, which is interesting: