The Autobiography of Black Hawk

One of the most respected personages in Native American history BLACK HAWK (1767-1838) Sauk war chief of the Native American tribe in Illinois was already a renowned name in the early 1800s having fought for the British during the War of 1812. By 1832 when Black Hawk led warriors against encroaching European settlers on Sauk lands he was so well-known that the engagement became known as the Black Hawk War. In his 1833 autobiography Black Hawk-dictating to American newspaper editor JOHN BARTON PATTERSON (1805-1890)-tells his tale from the Indian wars as he saw them to his capture in 1832 by American forces and his subsequent meeting with President Andrew Jackson and grand tour of the United States. A provocative look at Black Hawks wisdom and ironically his misunderstanding of the politics of the United States this is a fascinating firsthand account of one of the foundational philosophical battles of American history.