In 1832, facing white expansion, the Sauk warrior Black Hawk attempted to forge a pan-Indian alliance to preserve the homelands of the confederated Sauk and Fox tribes on the eastern bank of the Mississippi. Here, Patrick J. Jung re-examines the causes, course, and consequences of the ensuing war with the United States, a conflict that decimated Black Hawk's band. Correcting mistakes that plagued previous histories, and drawing on recent ethnohistorical interpretations, Jung shows that the outcome can be understood only by discussing the complexity of intertribal rivalry, military ineptitude, and racial dynamics.

"Longing for the life they has lost, Black Hawk and his followers, including more than six hundred warriors, rose up in a rage in the spring of 1832, and defiantly crossed the Mississippi from Iowa to Illinois in order to reclaim their ancestral home. Though the war lasted only three months, no other violent encounter between white America and native people embodies so clearly the essence of the United States' inner conflict between its belief in freedom and human rights and its insatiable appetite for new territory.".

In the spring of 1832, when the Indian warrior Black Hawk and a thousand followers marched into Illinois to reoccupy lands ceded to American settlers, the U.S. Army turned to rival tribes for military support. In order to grasp Indian motives, Hall explores their alliances in earlier wars with colonial powers and in intertribal conflicts.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

An Indian leader's struggle against the tide of westward pioneer expansion Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk Indian tribe born in the Illinois Territory in 1767. He was not an hereditary chief but became leader of a 'band' and war chief, principally because he had demonstrated his prowess in action. Black Hawk fought for the British against United States forces during the War of 1812 in an attempt to keep American settlers away from Sauk territory. By the 1830s Black Hawk was leader of the so called 'British Band' of Sauk and Fox Indians with whom he became famous for his resistance against settlers in Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory during the 'Black Hawk War' of 1832. On the close of this war he was captured by American forces and transported to the eastern states. Before his eventual release Black Hawk dictated his autobiography, included in the Leonaur edition, which notably was the first work of its kind to be published in the United States. Also included here, from the perspective of the Americans, is a history of the Black Hawk War by Frank Everett Stevens. The conflict was typical of those between native Americans and settlers, since the perennial issue was always about the occupancy of land. In this instance the Indians were pre-emptively attacked by militia who were convinced that the 'British Band' had hostile intent. The Indians responded decisively--and initially successfully--in pitched battle, but after an intensified campaign was waged against them they were inevitably defeated. These two combined works will give students of the period valuable insights from both sides of the conflict. 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.