Customer Reviews

Twilight of Empire (Winning of America Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the last book in Allan Eckert's Winning of America Series. "Twilight of Empire" chronicles the little-known but bloody Indian uprising in western Illinois in 1832 that became known as Black Hawk's War.

The war was named after the leader of the uprising, an old battle-hardened Sauk war chief named Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak...Black Hawk. In the years following the War of 1812, white settlers flooded into Sauk and Fox lands and the native tribes were forced into signing treaties that gave up their ancestral lands to the United States. In the spring of 1832, Black Hawk, in defiance of the United States and some of his own tribal leaders, led a large band of his starving people back across the Mississippi into northern Illinois to reclaim their stolen lands. This large movement of Indians was seen as hostile by the local white settlers and the militia was called out to subdue Black Hawk's band. The fatefull encounter at what would become the Battle of Stillman's Run would start off what would be the last major Indian war of the midwest. In the end, Black Hawk and his people would be decimated by pursuing American troops under General Atkinson at the Battle of Bad Axe, where hundreds of Indian women and children were shot or drowned while trying to escape back across the Mississippi River. This sad event marked the end of Indian wars east of the Mississippi and signaled the end of the way of life for the woodland Indians.

This story is deeply moving and involved and tells the history of a people and events not generally known today. Highly recommended.

ALLAN ECKERT GOT ME FOREVER HOOKED ON THE FASINATING HISTORY OF BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR. HIS STORY TELLING STYLE AND ACCURATE ACCOUNTS OF THIS IMPORTANT PART OF THIS AREAS HISTORY MAKES IT A MUST READ.

Born and raised in Chicago it is difficult to think of Illinois as a frontier: Wisconsin, Kentucky, Minnesota, yes; but Illinois, no. To me there were too few Native American names to associate with specific places and until this work by Alan W. Eckert I was completely unaware that actual battles were fought in Illinois and the Native Americans sometimes won.

This is the story of the Black Hawk Indian War that was fought in today's northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin in 1832. Little remembered today, it resulted in a major mobilization of US troops from as far away as New York City, Fort Monroe at Point Comfort, Virginia and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. With the advent of steam power, it also resulted in the longest amphibious and most rapid deployment of men and material in our Nation's then current history. Troops embarked from New York's Sackets Harbor, sailed past Detroit, through Lake St. Clair to the Straits of Mackinaw and down the entire length of Lake Michigan to Chicago.

But on arrival at Chicago, cholera prevented further movement and the troops were quarantined north of the city at Evanston on the land that became the campus of today's Northwestern University. Heading west (on today's Army Trail Road) Federal troops finally rendezvous with local militias and begin an arduous chase of the Sac and Fox tribes under Black Hawk up into Wisconsin and across the southern portion of the State. Intercepted by a Federal gunboat at the Mississippi River, the Indians are literally slaughtered. Trapped on the Mississippi's eastern shore over 300 Native Americans are killed as opposed to just a few soldiers.

This is quite a detailed look at what led up to this war, its prosecution and ultimate conclusion. It was the last major engagement fought against the woodland Indians and oddly enough includes the worst single defeat ever experienced by the US Army. The cast of characters is literally a who's who of the times: General Winfield Scott, Lewis Cass, General Henry Atkinson, David Twiggs, William Clark, Philip St. George Cooke, Keokuk, Albert Sidney Johnson, 2 future US Presidents, Zachary Taylor and Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederate States of America.

As usual Allan W. Eckert's research is flawless. But his amazing attention to detail sometimes gets in the way of his story. I found this work somewhat laborious compared to his prior works; the writing is clear but not as concise as it has been, so the story line becomes muddled. But make no mistake Eckert's writing is effective: When was the last time anyone thought of Illinois as the wild frontier?

Not only is Twilight of Empire a great book, but the whole winning of america series are, without a doubt, the best stories ever told. I would recommend them to anyone, even those not very interested in history. You have got to read these!

This is one of the weaker books in Eckert's series, but it was still a good read. I'd recommend it for any Eckert fan, or any other American-History fan. You should definately read the other books in the series!!!

I only rate this book a 4, because the first book in the series, "The Frontiersman" is the best, and I rated it a 5. But really, this book is great reading. The Black Hawk War is a story not told often, but like usual, Eckert tells it very well here and keeps the reader's interest all the way through.

If your kid is bored with history, this series of books should make him not so bored.

Allan Eckert is in my opinion one of the very best story tellers ever! If you like early American history then you would like this series. I highly recommend it to all of my friends.

Eckert's hardest book to read felt like he just sometimes wanted to just fill pages, still a great teller of stores. Also felt he wrote for the money! I hope he finds new subjects because he's a great writer and story tell of history.