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"Black Sparrow Hawk" was born in 1767 in the village of Saukenuk, in northwestern Illinois. At 15, he joined a raid against the Osage, one of his tribe's principal enemies. At this early age, he succeeded in becoming a Sauk warrior. Not long afterwards, "Black Sparrow Hawk", later to be called Black Hawk by whites, led an attack upon 100 Osages with only seven Sauk warriors. Black Hawk killed the enemy and escaped without losing a single one …

…and Winnebago Indians who had joined with the federal troops. Black Hawk and the Sauk warriors kept Federal forced checked for fifteen weeks, however at the Battle of Bad Axe on August 2, 1832, they were cornered and defeated. Black Hawk was made a prisoner, as was his son, Whirling Thunder. President Andrew Jackson showed them around the country as spoils of war, and his people were removed to what was deemed "Indian Territory" in the west.