Battle of Stillman's Run

The Battle of Stillman's Run, also known as the Battle of Sycamore Creek or the Battle of Old Man's Creek, occurred on May 14, 1832. The battle was named for Major Isaiah Stillman and his detachment of 275 Illinois militia which fled in a panic from a smaller number of Sauk warriors. The engagement was the first battle of the 1832 Black Hawk War which had ignited after Black Hawk crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois with his "British Band" of Sauk and Fox. Following a failed attempt at truce negotiations by emissaries sent by Black Hawk, and probable deception by Warriors under his command. The militia pursued a group of Sauk scouts back to the main British Band camp.

During the engagement 12 militia men were killed while making a stand on a small hill. The rest of the militia fled back to Dixon's Ferry where they spread news of a terrible slaughter at Stillman's Run. It is believed that militia volunteer Abraham Lincoln helped bury the dead at the battlefield following the fight; this claim, however, was still under investigation as of 2003. An article published in 2006 corroborated Lincoln's presence at the burial; though there is little agreement amongst various other sources. In 1901 a monument was erected in Stillman Valley, Illinois commemorating the battle.