Captain Abraham Lincoln
A. Lincoln - Black Hawk War
The most distinguished alumnus of the Black Hawk War, Captain Abraham Lincoln, is remembered not because of his campaigning, but in spite of it. A reasonably honest man, Lincoln in later years never denied that he had served in the war; but, when he alluded to his campaign at all, he mentioned the slaughter of mosquitoes, not Indians. Yet he had volunteered eagerly. Only hindsight permits us to see that his pursuit of Black Hawk proved to be but the first leg of a public career that eventually ended in the White House.
His service in the Black Hawk War gave him some acquaintance with military life and helped him to make important political contacts throughout the state.
Lincoln’s last official duty in the Black Hawk War "was to write out Jacob Early’s company role for Lieutenant Robert Anderson." Lincoln ended his third term of service on July 10, 1832 as a private in Captain Early’s Independent Spy Company. He returned home with difficulty because his horse was stolen.
gatita_63109