Narratives of Black Hawk's War, 1832 - Henry Smith

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.