AN ODD CHAPTER IN POLITICAL HISTORY—THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
Gen. Winfield Scott, when a young man, was stationed at Fort Snelling, at that day perhaps the remotest outpost of the United States. When the Black Hawk War was inaugurated some militia from Illinois proffered their services to aid in conquering the savages. With a view to mustering them into the service of the United States two lieutenants were sent by Scott to the then village of Dixon. One of these was a very fascinating, good-looking, easy-mannered, affable, and fluent young gentleman. The other equally pleasant, but an exceedingly modest young man. On the morning when the mustering in was to take place a tall, gawky, slab-sided, homely young man, dressed in a suit of home-made blue jeans, presented himself to the two lieutenants as the captain of the recruits, and was duly sworn in. This was he who afterward became the president of the United States—the lamented Lincoln. One of the lieutenants, the modest youth, was he who fired the first gun from Sumter, Maj. Anderson. The other, and he who administered the oath, was in after years president of the southern confederacy, Jefferson Davis.