While Keokuk had managed to prevent a skirmish between Black Hawk’s British Band and a group of white settlers that had occupied Saukenuk in 1829, he was not able to stem the tide of discontent that rippled through the Sauk and Fox union in the years to follow. Nor could he have predicted Black Hawk’s blooming popularity among other tribes in the Illinois and Michigan territories. As he had promised, Black Hawk returned to Saukenuk in 1830. Moving in on his home village with 300 warriors, the Sauk war chief demonstrated his resolve to the settlers. The territorial administration was quick to realize that it would take more than the token force it could muster to counter the threat posed by Black Hawk and his army.
A Compromise to Buy Time
When federal reinforcements arrived in June of 1830, they moved on Saukenuk fully prepared for a prolonged siege. Upon reaching the village, however, the troops were shocked to discover that Black Hawk and his army were gone. Realizing that the federal government would be more than capable of calling up an even larger force, Black Hawk relocated to a more secure redoubt across the Mississippi River. Recognizing that a prolonged engagement would seriously endanger his army and threaten his overall goal, Black Hawk returned to Saukenuk under a flag of truce. By agreeing to the terms set forth by the territorial administration and representatives of the federal government, Black Hawk was required to vacate Saukenuk and supplicate himself to Keokuk’s authority. By recognizing Keokuk as the titular leader of the Sauk and Fox, Black Hawk had convinced the Americans that his war with the settlement movement was at an end. In fact, the war had not yet begun.
Black Hawk in the Ascendancy
Keokuk had gained the confidence of American leaders by agreeing to cede vast tracts of Sauk and Fox land. He maintained the legality of the Treaty of St. Louis, which ceded all Sauk and Fox territory in Illinois and part of Wisconsin. In 1815, he signed the Treaty of Portage des Sioux, which reaffirmed this controversial agreement. While Black Hawk himself had also signed this treaty, he maintained that he was duped into agreeing to terms. To Black Hawk, Keokuk lacked the legal authority to cede Sauk and Fox land due to the fact that he was not a recognized national leader. Furthermore, Black Hawk believed that no one had the right to sell the land because no one truly owned the land. He began to speak out publicly against Keokuk and the American government. His popularity grew among other Sauk and Fox communities. While falling short of gaining the support of these nations as a whole, Black Hawk did manage to recruit the leaders of several Ho-Chuck (Winnebago), Potawatomi, and Kickapoo communities--especially after it was learned that the settlers were engaging in military actions of their own. In just under one year, the British Band grew from 300 to 600. By the beginning of 1831, Black Hawk commanded an army dedicated to repelling the American settlers and regaining Indian land. The march to war had begun.
Sources:
Mark M. Boatner III, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. (Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1994).
Mark C Carnes, Ed. U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1998).
Peter Matthiessen, ed. George Catlin: North American Indians. (New York: Penguin Group, 1989).
Marilyn Miller and Martin Faux, American History Desk Reference. (New York: MacMillan, 1997).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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