Overview
They had defeated the French and now the English possessed the vast North American Empire. Soldiers, traders, settlers—all began the trek across the wilderness to claim the land and its riches. Against this relentless tide Indian warriors rose up in bitter fury exploded in the bloody battle for the conquest of the Northwest territory.'Reading Eckert is like listening to a master storyteller: he presents his material in vivid detail, using the novelist's technique to enhance dramatic events.'— Publishers Weekly
The epic tale of a towering Native American hero by the award-winning author of The Frontiersmen. Published to rave reviews, this extraordinary book tells the story of Shawnee leader Tecumseh, a military genius whose vision was to unite the North American tribes into one powerful Indian nation, capable of forcing back the encroaching white settlers.
Synopsis
The sixth volume of Eckert's The Winning of America Series deals with the Northwest Territories and the Louisiana Purchase during the first half of the 19th century, and events before and during the Black Hawk War of 1832. He recounts history through dramatized stories of individual heroes and scoundrels on both sides, augmented by voluminous endnotes, a bibliography, and an index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Publishers Weekly
Reading Eckert is like listening to a master storyteller: he presents his material in vivid detail, using the novelist's technique to enhance dramatic events. Sixth in the author's Winning of America series, the book focuses on how the whites took North America from the Indians. Eckert chronicles the Black Hawk War of 1832, fought for possession of the rich farmland of the upper Mississippi Valley. Most of the action took place in Illinois and Wisconsin, where both the U.S. Army and local militias were involved in scattered skirmishes for four months. Gen. Winfield Scott was delayed because of an outbreak of cholera, but Col. Zachary Taylor and Lt. Jefferson Davis were present, as was Pvt. Abraham Lincoln of the Illinois militia. We meet the Sac leaders, Black Hawk and Keokuk (loyal to the U.S.), and the treacherous Winnebago chief, White Crow, who played both sides. Eckert has used primary sourcespersonal letters, military correspondence, tribal historiesfor a memorable excursion into a dark chapter of our history. In the final battle, at Bad Axe, 21 soldiers and 350 Indians were killed. Among previous volumes in this series are The Conqueror and The Wilderness War. (October)