One of the most respected personages in Native American history, BLACK HAWK (1767-1838), Sauk war chief of the Native American tribe in Illinois, was already a renowned name in the early 1800s, having fought for the British during the War of 1812. By 1832, when Black Hawk led warriors against encroaching European settlers on Sauk lands, he was so well-known that the engagement became known as the Black Hawk War.

In his 1833 autobiography, Black Hawk-dictating to American newspaper editor JOHN BARTON PATTERSON (1805-1890)-tells his tale, from the "Indian wars" as he saw them to his capture,...