The Black Hawk War 1831 1832

The most up-to-date narrative of the Blawk Hawk War

Discusses the life and times of the Sauk chief who led his people in a struggle to prevent the advance of white settlers in Illinois that culminated with the Black Hawk War of 1832.

In the spring of 1832, when the Indian warrior Black Hawk and a thousand followers marched into Illinois to reoccupy lands earlier ceded to American settlers, the U.S. Army turned to rival tribes for military support. In order to grasp Indian motives, John Hall explores their alliances in earlier wars with colonial powers as well as in intertribal antagonisms and conflicts. Providing a rare view of Indian attitudes and strategies in war and peace, Hall deepens our understanding of Native Americans and the complex roles they played in the nation's history.

Of all the Native American leaders who attempted to resist the westward expansion of the United States and further white settlement during the 19th century, few fought as long or as hard as Black Hawk, a leader of the Sauk in the present-day Midwest. Though he is no longer as well-known as his contemporary Tecumseh, or subsequent Native American leaders like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Geronimo, his eventual surrender and trip east as a prisoner turned him into one of the first Native American celebrities in the country. Long before curious Americans came out in throngs to get a glimpse of him, Black Hawk played a crucial role in some of the seminal events of the 19th century, including the negotiations of several treaties and the War of 1812. Today, of course, he is best known for leading a band of about 1,500 during the Black Hawk War in 1832, a series of small battles fought in the Wisconsin territory after Black Hawk led his people east across the Mississippi River in an attempt to reclaim his people's old lands in Illinois. One of the earliest battles in the war resulted in a shocking defeat of American militia and one of America's most notorious losses before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but the fighting ultimately lasted only a few months, culminating in a massacre of Native Americans at the Battle of Bad Axe. During the fighting there, American soldiers literally pushed the Native Americans back to the Mississippi River and then shot men, women and children as they attempted to cross the river to safety. Given the limited amount of fighting, the Black Hawk War was hardly a war in the traditional sense, but it is still well-known among Americans today, and it was truly a seminal moment in American history. Black Hawk's defeat essentially ended all Native American resistance east of the Mississippi River and opened up the rest of Illinois and Wisconsin to white settlement. The war also provided an opportunity for some of the era's most famous Americans to get military experience, including several U.S. Senators, several Territorial Governors, future Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and most famously, Abraham Lincoln.

The Expedition Against the Sauk and Fox Indians 1832 by Henry Smith Sac and Fox Indians in Kansas by C. R. Green The Great Indian Chief of the West: or, Life and Adventures of Black Hawk by Benjamin Drake Narrative of the Capture and Providential Escape of Misses Frances and Almira Hall by William Edwards The Black Hawk War from the perspectives of those involved This book contains four accounts of the Black Hawk War on the American frontier of 1832. The so called 'British Band' of Sauk and Fox Indians, under the leadership of the war chief Black Hawk, were moving across the Mississippi River from the Iowa Territory into Illinois. According to authorities on the subject, the band was attempting to avoid bloodshed by this migration to what they hoped would be a more secure location, but their actions were misconstrued by local settlers and a militia was sent out to deal with them. This unit pre-emptively attacked the Indian band which fiercely fought back, defeating the militia at the 'Battle of Stillman's Run'. The conflict then escalated as other tribes began raiding in the area while Black Hawk and his warriors moved into the southern Wisconsin Territory. An army force under Colonel Henry Dodge caught up with the 'British Band' and defeated it at the 'Battle of Wisconsin Heights' forcing it to retreat. The Indians were finally defeated at the 'Battle of Bad Axe' after which Black Hawk escaped but was later captured and briefly imprisoned. The four accounts here give a flavour of the times of these events in several ways. Readers will discover the military expedition from the perspective of those who campaigned, hear the voices of settlers whose fear and hatred of the Indians was palpable, understand the conflict from the perspective of Black Hawk and his followers and gain an insight into a common factor of the wars between the pioneers and the Indian tribes--that of the capture and abduction of settler women and children. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.