Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War (1832).This conflict was the last armed resistance in the Midwest to cause federal removal of the eastern Indians beyond the Mississippi River. It resulted from a disputed 1804 treaty signed by a few Sauks unauthorized to take such action. Though the tribe disavowed the treaty, federal officials acted upon it, opening lands in Illinois for settlement.
The conflict began in April 1832, encouraged by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader, when nearly 2,000 Sauks and Mesquakies crossed the Mississippi River, moving into Illinois. That brought about the mobilization of the state militia and the movement of the U.S. Sixth Infantry, commanded by Col. Henry Atkinson, from Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, north into Illinois. There the troops pursued the migrating Indians up the Rock River Valley. On 14 May 1832, militiamen under Col. Isaiah Stillman attacked Indians trying to parley, triggering the actual combat. For...
[The entire page is 307 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
