Indian warfare in Illinois and Wisconsin The Black Hawk War of 1832 was typical of 19th century confrontations between the United States government and Native-American tribes in as much as it was violent, tragic and potentially avoidable. The tribal leader, Black Hawk of the Sauks, led the so called "English Band" of Sauks, Meskwakis and Kickapoos across the Mississippi River into Illinois, probably to peaceably resettle tribal lands which had been ceded to the United States government. The belief among Americans was that the Indians were hostile and an army, consisting primarily of poorly trained and undisciplined part-time militia because of the lack of regular troops in the area, was mobilised. During negotiations the militia pre-emptively opened fire on the Indians, this immediately flared into open hostility resulting in the Battle of Stillman"s Run and American defeat. Black Hawk, joined by disaffected members of the Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk tribes, then led a raiding war against settlements and forts. After several fiercely contested battles American forces were finally victorious. This very substantial Leonaur book brings together no less than six histories and first hand accounts on the Black Hawk War-including that of Black Hawk himself-to provide a comprehensive overview of this interesting episode in American history. 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.