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Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America
A stirring retelling of the Black Hawk War that brings into dramatic focus the forces struggling for control over the American frontier
Until 1822, when John Jacob Aster swallowed up the fur trade and the trading posts of the upper Mississippi were closed, the 6,000-strong Sauk Nation occupied one of North America's largest and most prosperous Indian settlements. Its spacious longhouse lodges and council-house squares, supported by hundreds of acres of planted fields, were the envy of white Americans who had already begun to encroach upon the rich Indian land that served as the center of the Sauk's spiritual world. When the inevitable conflicts between natives and white squatters turned violent, Black Hawk's Sauks were forced into exile, banished forever from the east side of the Mississippi River.
Longing for what their culture had been, Black Hawk and his followers, including 700 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 peoples embodies so clearly the essence of the Republic's inner conflict between its belief in freedom and human rights and its insatiable appetite for new territory.
Kerry A. Trask gives new and vivid life to the heroic efforts of Black Hawk and his men, illuminating the tragic history of frontier America through the eyes of those who were cast aside in the pursuit of the new nation's manifest destiny.
Until 1822, when John Jacob Aster swallowed up the fur trade and the trading posts of the upper Mississippi were closed, the 6,000-strong Sauk Nation occupied one of North America's largest and most prosperous Indian settlements. Its spacious longhouse lodges and council-house squares, supported by hundreds of acres of planted fields, were the envy of white Americans who had already begun to encroach upon the rich Indian land that served as the center of the Sauk's spiritual world. When the inevitable conflicts between natives and white squatters turned violent, Black Hawk's Sauks were forced into exile, banished forever from the east side of the Mississippi River.
Longing for what their culture had been, Black Hawk and his followers, including 700 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 peoples embodies so clearly the essence of the Republic's inner conflict between its belief in freedom and human rights and its insatiable appetite for new territory.
Kerry A. Trask gives new and vivid life to the heroic efforts of Black Hawk and his men, illuminating the tragic history of frontier America through the eyes of those who were cast aside in the pursuit of the new nation's manifest destiny.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 19, 2025
"The fate of the American Indians hung precariously in the balance, and indeed before the nation—indeed before the entire civilized world—was whether they should exist or be annihilated. pg 68
The Black Hawk War was an armed conflict between the US Army and a loosely fit multi-tribal coalition from April to August 1832. The Sauk and Fox nations launched a war party to reclaim lands lost during the Land Treaty of 1804 (pgs 72-5). Kerry Trask explained the backstory, cultural idiosyncrasies to the related tribes of the region, US policy regarding expansion, and the events leading up this lesser known war.
Intertribal conflicts, increasing friction between the native people and white intruders led to US Army intervention to bring stability to this region (Illinois and Iowa) that was only parented by President James Monroe's Indian Removal Act of 1825.
Overall this was very informative about the tribes of this region, Chief Black Hawk himself, the US government of the time, and the war. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the Indian Wars and US history. Thanks!
The Black Hawk War was an armed conflict between the US Army and a loosely fit multi-tribal coalition from April to August 1832. The Sauk and Fox nations launched a war party to reclaim lands lost during the Land Treaty of 1804 (pgs 72-5). Kerry Trask explained the backstory, cultural idiosyncrasies to the related tribes of the region, US policy regarding expansion, and the events leading up this lesser known war.
Intertribal conflicts, increasing friction between the native people and white intruders led to US Army intervention to bring stability to this region (Illinois and Iowa) that was only parented by President James Monroe's Indian Removal Act of 1825.
Indeed, because the Indians had not voluntarily participated in their own salvation and seemed incapable of even understanding what was in their own best interest, Cass claimed that the government had the moral duty to assume paternalistic responsibility for them. pg 91-2With mounting fears of that the regional elder leader Black Hawk would unite the anti-American confederation into defending their homes on a larger scale, the US government had to activate military intervention forces.
Overall this was very informative about the tribes of this region, Chief Black Hawk himself, the US government of the time, and the war. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the Indian Wars and US history. Thanks!
February 13, 2023
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“You have taken me prisoner with all my warriors. I am much grieved, for I expected, if I did not defeat you, to hold out much longer, and give you more trouble before I surrendered." -– Black Hawk Surrender Speech, 1832
Like some of the previous reviewers, I grew up in Black Hawk country, just south of Rock Island, Illinois, where white settlers squatted on the farm land that had been cultivated by the Sauk and Fox Indians. As a result, I have read many accounts of the Black Hawk War, and this is one of the best.
Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America is fair and balanced. Trask documents the rapacity of the government and the businessmen who cheated the Sauk and Fox out of their lands. He discusses the Indian culture in which internecine warfare, including revenge murders and mutilations, was considered to be an essential element of manhood, and how this reputation led to panic among the whites and the subsequent overreaction to the Sauk incursion into Illinois. He explains how a similar macho culture among the white frontiersmen led many of them to feel they had to prove their own manhood by going out and killing a few Indians. He points out not only Black Hawk's qualities as a leader but also the flaws that eventually contributed to the destruction of his people in a tragic precursor to the massacres at Sand Creek and Wounded Knee.
Trask's book tends to concentrate more on the social and cultural issues behind the conflict rather than on the military campaign. This is appropriate and after reading the book, I feel I have a much better understanding of the background of this significant episode in American history. However, I would have liked to have seen a little more detail about such military events as the Battle of Stillman's Run in which Black Hawk led 40 Sauk warriors against 300 Illinois Militiamen and completely routed them.
I was also annoyed by the fact that Trask chose to end this otherwise excellent book with a rather silly and specious analysis of why so many things in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin are named after Black Hawk. It's guilt; he says. I disagree. People everywhere like to identify with famous people that lived in their area. In central Illinois, things are named after Abraham Lincoln, and across the Mississippi in northern Missouri, after Mark Twain. In my area, it's Black Hawk. If the people south of us feel guilty about Abe and Mark, that's their problem. In northern Illinois, Black Hawk is the only famous and heroic figure we've got, so we build strip malls, bowling alleys, and hockey teams in his honor.
“You have taken me prisoner with all my warriors. I am much grieved, for I expected, if I did not defeat you, to hold out much longer, and give you more trouble before I surrendered." -– Black Hawk Surrender Speech, 1832
Like some of the previous reviewers, I grew up in Black Hawk country, just south of Rock Island, Illinois, where white settlers squatted on the farm land that had been cultivated by the Sauk and Fox Indians. As a result, I have read many accounts of the Black Hawk War, and this is one of the best.
Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America is fair and balanced. Trask documents the rapacity of the government and the businessmen who cheated the Sauk and Fox out of their lands. He discusses the Indian culture in which internecine warfare, including revenge murders and mutilations, was considered to be an essential element of manhood, and how this reputation led to panic among the whites and the subsequent overreaction to the Sauk incursion into Illinois. He explains how a similar macho culture among the white frontiersmen led many of them to feel they had to prove their own manhood by going out and killing a few Indians. He points out not only Black Hawk's qualities as a leader but also the flaws that eventually contributed to the destruction of his people in a tragic precursor to the massacres at Sand Creek and Wounded Knee.
Trask's book tends to concentrate more on the social and cultural issues behind the conflict rather than on the military campaign. This is appropriate and after reading the book, I feel I have a much better understanding of the background of this significant episode in American history. However, I would have liked to have seen a little more detail about such military events as the Battle of Stillman's Run in which Black Hawk led 40 Sauk warriors against 300 Illinois Militiamen and completely routed them.
I was also annoyed by the fact that Trask chose to end this otherwise excellent book with a rather silly and specious analysis of why so many things in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin are named after Black Hawk. It's guilt; he says. I disagree. People everywhere like to identify with famous people that lived in their area. In central Illinois, things are named after Abraham Lincoln, and across the Mississippi in northern Missouri, after Mark Twain. In my area, it's Black Hawk. If the people south of us feel guilty about Abe and Mark, that's their problem. In northern Illinois, Black Hawk is the only famous and heroic figure we've got, so we build strip malls, bowling alleys, and hockey teams in his honor.
November 12, 2019
Another great book of history and being a long time resident of Illinois this is a must read. The author pulls no punches in describing the ruthless rIndian raids on settlers and other tribes and then the bumbling retribution meted out by the regulars and the militia. Hard to believe all this happened in a wild frontier less than 200 years ago and within a few hundred miles from where I now live.
July 20, 2012
I learned more about the history of this area from this book than I have from living here my entire life
October 23, 2024
Books about early US history are fun because you just keep tripping over characters that show up other places. Or that have counties named after them. Or both.
This is actually a fairly thoughtful book about a not very big military campaign that was sort of made into a big deal given when it happened (1832) and where it happened (central Illinois - southern (now) Wisconsin). It's also fun for me that I have family in the area and never expected the confluence of the Rock and Kishwaukee rivers to be important. But it came up. There is also a quote from Stephen Mack, for whom my niece's middle school is named.
Robert Anderson shows up - yes the one who ends up as Union commander at Fort Sumter.
Abraham Lincoln shows up, as do Albert Sydney Johnston and Jefferson Davis. Winfield Scott is involved. There's a St. Vrain who gets killed by the Indians - probably the St. Vrain for whom Fort St. Vrain is named, which then becomes a nuclear power plant name. I never followed up to see if the Major Bliss in this book is the one for whom Fort Bliss is named, but it seems likely.
There are 308 pages in the book, which at times feels like a stretch for what actually happened in the Black Hawk War. The epilogue ties it together nicely, and helps make sense of the lengthy chapter about carving out identities post War of 1812. There's also a little bit of discussion of treating these things more completely and correctly and owning up to what we as a nation did to the indigenous people. Don't just read this book and feel sorry for the Indians and think it makes it better. Feels like a good message.
And the book was written in 2006, before we were quite so concerned about talking about how reading a book and feeling bad doesn't make you a feminist or an anti-racist or a whatever.
So I enjoyed the book on one level for the players that we see early in their careers, I enjoyed it for the geographical connections I have with the places involved, and in the end I enjoyed it for a little bit of a philosophical nudge about why we still go see these historical markers and how do we really atone in any way for the wrongs perpetrated by our fathers who brought forth upon this continent a new nation.
This is actually a fairly thoughtful book about a not very big military campaign that was sort of made into a big deal given when it happened (1832) and where it happened (central Illinois - southern (now) Wisconsin). It's also fun for me that I have family in the area and never expected the confluence of the Rock and Kishwaukee rivers to be important. But it came up. There is also a quote from Stephen Mack, for whom my niece's middle school is named.
Robert Anderson shows up - yes the one who ends up as Union commander at Fort Sumter.
Abraham Lincoln shows up, as do Albert Sydney Johnston and Jefferson Davis. Winfield Scott is involved. There's a St. Vrain who gets killed by the Indians - probably the St. Vrain for whom Fort St. Vrain is named, which then becomes a nuclear power plant name. I never followed up to see if the Major Bliss in this book is the one for whom Fort Bliss is named, but it seems likely.
There are 308 pages in the book, which at times feels like a stretch for what actually happened in the Black Hawk War. The epilogue ties it together nicely, and helps make sense of the lengthy chapter about carving out identities post War of 1812. There's also a little bit of discussion of treating these things more completely and correctly and owning up to what we as a nation did to the indigenous people. Don't just read this book and feel sorry for the Indians and think it makes it better. Feels like a good message.
And the book was written in 2006, before we were quite so concerned about talking about how reading a book and feeling bad doesn't make you a feminist or an anti-racist or a whatever.
So I enjoyed the book on one level for the players that we see early in their careers, I enjoyed it for the geographical connections I have with the places involved, and in the end I enjoyed it for a little bit of a philosophical nudge about why we still go see these historical markers and how do we really atone in any way for the wrongs perpetrated by our fathers who brought forth upon this continent a new nation.
February 16, 2019
As someone who grew up in Illinois and is a Blackhawks fan, I knew embarrassingly little about the Black Hawk War or Black Hawk himself, so this book was a good introduction to that history. It is an incredibly depressing story. Trask does a good job setting the stage from both sides. I had no idea lead mining was so important to early Illinois history. Black Hawk was a complex character and I think Trask did a good job of telling that story. It was hard reading about how avoidable the war was and the disastrous effect it had on the Sauk and Fox tribes. Good read for anyone interested in early 1800s Midwest history.
January 26, 2019
A great history of Sauk chief Black Hawk's life and that of his tribe in the 1830s. Trask always puts events into perspective to avoid bias and to give us both factions' point of view.
A large part of this book is about the Sauk way of life, which is a very interesting addition to the detailed summary of the war. It really pays off in the second half of the book as all information learned before is put into use.
Overall a very interesting read about a not-so-famous event.
A large part of this book is about the Sauk way of life, which is a very interesting addition to the detailed summary of the war. It really pays off in the second half of the book as all information learned before is put into use.
Overall a very interesting read about a not-so-famous event.
March 9, 2013
Lots of good info, but a little hard to follow, but then so is the Black Hawk War. It's a complex subject, with lots of influences from the various sides. A second reading is helping.
August 14, 2024
A very detailed account of the of the Black Hawk War, rich in Illinois history. It was so detailed that left out the enigmatic nature of Black Hawk himself and I found little more than generalizations that described him as confused or powerless.
Trask dutifully chronicles the American side of the conflict with great skill and pace, and for this he should be commended. But the Native side of the story is (as usual) is left out. The book starts off with two promising chapters explaining why the Sauk were so upset in light of the changing world around them. In later chapters he discusses the Sauk practices regarding war and battle, but the rest of the book is devoted to American troop movements and military correspondence. At this point, I couldn't help but feel that the book was being told solely from the American point of view.
It's a bit unclear just what this book was trying to be: biography of Black Hawk? History of the Black Hawk War? Meditation on antebellum American identity and public memory? Maybe each and all, a bit. Aside from the slightly muddled message, it was an engaging take on the guerilla war fought by the Sauk under Black Hawk. What you get in reading this book is more of the same, American's animosity towards Native Americans during that period of history or should I say as Theodore Roosevelt once put it: "The Only Good Indians Are the Dead Indians"
Trask dutifully chronicles the American side of the conflict with great skill and pace, and for this he should be commended. But the Native side of the story is (as usual) is left out. The book starts off with two promising chapters explaining why the Sauk were so upset in light of the changing world around them. In later chapters he discusses the Sauk practices regarding war and battle, but the rest of the book is devoted to American troop movements and military correspondence. At this point, I couldn't help but feel that the book was being told solely from the American point of view.
It's a bit unclear just what this book was trying to be: biography of Black Hawk? History of the Black Hawk War? Meditation on antebellum American identity and public memory? Maybe each and all, a bit. Aside from the slightly muddled message, it was an engaging take on the guerilla war fought by the Sauk under Black Hawk. What you get in reading this book is more of the same, American's animosity towards Native Americans during that period of history or should I say as Theodore Roosevelt once put it: "The Only Good Indians Are the Dead Indians"
December 1, 2021
Kerry Trask blends history, ethnography, and sociology in this well-written book about Black Hawk and the social and historical conditions of his time as he tried to retake the land around Rock Island, Illinois, that belonged to the Sauk people. Trask explains the times, the conditions, the white and militia attitudes in a satisfying read.
September 3, 2022
Well written with enough background information that the book didn't feel like a battle by battle telling. It actually has some great insight.
November 19, 2022
Another example of white male historian who is a terrible storyteller of Native American leaders.
March 17, 2025
Not just a history of Illinois and Wisconsin, but captures a much larger picture of the conflict of new settlers and the local natives. Definitely recommend reading this book.
October 16, 2013
A fine history of the Black Hawk War (1832), which took place in Illinois and Wisconsin. Black Hawk and 700 of his Sauk tribe sought to reclaim their homelands near Rock Island, Illinois. Reader friendly yet scholarly. Focus is more on social and cultural issues rather than military.
February 12, 2008
An extremely detailed account of the Black Hawk War, rich in Illinois history while also providing a taste of what daily life was like during the days of western expansion.
July 8, 2013
Excellent recounting of the interplay between midwestern Native people and those who moved to the area, displacing the Native people from their homes.
July 16, 2019
This is an excellent treatment of an important period in American history.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews