Uncommon Defense: Indian Allies in the Black Hawk War

by John W. Hall

In the spring of 1832, when the Indian warrior Black Hawk and a thousand followers marched into Illinois to reoccupy lands earlier ceded to American settlers, the U.S. Army turned to rival tribes for military support. Elements of the Menominee, Dakota, Potawatomi, and Ho Chunk tribes willingly allied themselves with the United States government against their fellow Native Americans in an uncommon defense of their diverse interests. As the Black Hawk War came only two years after the passage of the Indian Removal Act and is widely viewed as a land grab by ravenous settlers, the military participation of these tribes seems bizarre. What explains this alliance?

In order to grasp Indian motives, John Hall explores their alliances in earlier wars with colonial powers as well as in intertribal antagonisms and conflicts. In the crisis of 1832, Indians acted as they had traditionally, leveraging their relationship with a powerful ally to strike tribal enemies, fulfill important male warrior expectations, and pursue political advantage and material gain. However, times had changed and, although the Indians achieved short-term objectives, they helped create conditions that permanently changed their world.

Providing a rare view of Indian attitudes and strategies in war and peace, Hall deepens our understanding of Native Americans and the complex roles they played in the nation's history. More broadly, he demonstrates the risks and lessons of small wars that entail an "uncommon defense" by unlikely allies in pursuit of diverse, even conflicting, goals.

Genres: History, American History, War, American

384 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2009

Reviews

[Jonna Higgins-Freese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and helpful, though I found _An Infinity of Nations_ more helpful in setting the larger historical and political context: that the idea that it would be strange for various tribes to ally themselves against each other rather than against the US simply ignores the fact that for three hundred years, the European empires had not been the primary shapers of reality in this geographical space. Instead, until the early 1800s the Upper Midwest was only nominally a part of any European empire, and instead was controlled by native social formations. Within this context, the actions of various tribes in the Black Hawk war make much more sense, and do not seem like an aberration.

[Susan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth look at the complicated politics and native sovereignty issues in the Great Lakes region during the era of the Black Hawk war. Starvation drives the indigenous narrative and the good Christians of the region were driven by fear and greed. The lead mines and lands were desired and nothing could stop the white squatters and thieves. Some indigenous leaders allied with the U.S. military as a means of survival and they believed the government's paper promises. We all know where that trust got them.

I would highly recommend the book to all Midwestern historians.

[Cayden Kirkpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covered a wide array of history from a military perspective (which was novel to me)

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid history book that details the 1830s. I only read the first 75 pages or so, mainly to get information on the Sauk and other tribes during the War of 1812. Black Hawk took part in that, but there's not a whole lot of focus on his activities with the British at that time.

We do get a lot of detailed information on the tribes of the area going all the way back to the 1600s. I particularly liked the information on the Ho-Chunk, or Winnebago, which only numbered around 4,000 or so and sometimes as low as 1,500.