Attack at Ament's Cabin

An 1887 depiction of the attack

Date	June 17 or June 18, 1832
Location	Near present day Dover, Illinois.
Result	No military result

Belligerents

United States

Potawatomi

Commanders and leaders

Mike Girty

Strength

Casualties and losses

1 KIA

The Attack at Ament's Cabin was an event during the Black Hawk War that occurred on 17 or June 18, 1832. The cabin site, in present-day Bureau County, Illinois, was settled by John L. Ament and his brother in 1829, although Ament's brother was quickly bought out by Elijah Phillips. After the 1832 Black Hawk War broke out, Ament and Phillips evacuated the site but later returned to collect belongings. On the morning of 17 or 18 June, the men were attacked by a band of Potawatomi, led by Mike Girty, probably those responsible for the Indian Creek massacre in May. Phillips was killed and the other men took shelter in Ament's cabin. Soldiers from Hennepin arrived after the attack and found Phillips' badly tomahawked body where he had fallen. They set off in a short pursuit of the attackers but eventually returned to Hennepin, Illinois with Phillips' remains.

The site of Ament's cabin was settled in 1829 when John L. Ament and his brother Justin staked claim on adjacent claims Berlin and Dover Townships, in present-day Bureau County, Illinois. Shortly after settling, Elijah Phillips bought Justin Ament's land and built his own cabin. West of Ament's and Phillips' settlement was a large Native American sugar camp, part of this camp was included in Ament's claim. The camp was a place where Native Americans lived during the winter and spring on an annual basis. The group, a band that included about a dozen families, was led by a chief named Meommuse. By the time Ament's cabin was constructed, the group had been making sugar at the location for 42 consecutive years. When the area was settled by Ament and Phillips, relations between the settlers and the Native American tribes began to deteriorate.

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