Battle of Bad Axe

Bad Axe Massacre
Part of the Black Hawk War
The American steamboat, Warrior at the Battle of Bad Axe attacking fleeing Sauk and Fox Indians trying to escape across the Mississippi River which resulted in a massacre in the last major engagement of the Black Hawk War
Date August 1–2, 1832 Location Near present-day Victory, Wisconsin 43°27′33″N 91°13′5″W / 43.45917°N 91.21806°W / 43.45917; -91.21806 Result United States victory[1]
Belligerents
Sauk and Fox affiliated with the British Band	United States Dakota Sioux
Commanders and leaders
Black Hawk (Not present on second day)	Henry Atkinson Henry Dodge James D. Henry Alexander Posey Milton Alexander Wapasha II
Strength
appx. 500 (including non-combatants)	appx. 1,300
Casualties and losses
at least 150 KIA (including non-combatants) 75 captured	5 KIA, 19 WIA
class=notpageimage| Location within Wisconsin Show map of Wisconsin Battle of Bad Axe (the United States) Show map of the United States

The Bad Axe Massacre was a massacre of Sauk (Sac) and Meskwaki (Fox) Native Americans by United States Army regulars and militia that occurred on August 1–2, 1832. This final scene of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin, in the United States. It marked the end of the war between white settlers and militia in Illinois and Michigan Territory, and the Sauk and Fox tribes under warrior Black Hawk.

The massacre occurred in the aftermath of the Battle of Wisconsin Heights, as Black Hawk's band fled the pursuing militia. The militia caught up with them on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, a few miles downstream from the mouth of the Bad Axe River. Historians have called it a massacre since the 1850s. The fighting took place over two days, with the steamboat Warrior present on both days. By the second day, Black Hawk and most of the Native American leaders had fled, though many of the band stayed behind. The victory for the United States was brutal and decisive and the end of the war allowed much of Illinois and present-day Wisconsin to be opened for further settlement.