History Timeline of the Fox Wars |
The History Timeline is split into the First and Second Wars |
First Fox War (1712–1716) |
| 1701 | Fort Detroit was built by by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac to try to keep the British from moving west of New England and to monopolize the fur trade in North America
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| 1702 | Numerous Native Indian tribes were invited by the French to settle in the trading area of Fort Detroit
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| 1702 -12 | Tribes including the Potawatomi, Ottawa, Huron, Miami, and Ojibwa (Chippewa) set up villages in the trading area. The populations of the combined tribes numbered over 6000
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| 1708 | Disputes and conflicts flared up between various tribes. The disputes between the Ottawa and the Miami tribes were so severe that the Miami left the area
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| 1712 | The Fox established a trading village just outside the walls of Fort Detroit (names Fort Pontchartrain)
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| 1712 | The French, under the command of Charles Renaut Sieur Dubuisson, were concerned at the close proximity of the Fox village to the fort, having less than 50 French troops in attendance and two of their closest allies, the Huron and Ottawa, were on hunting trips. | |
| 1712 | Dubuisson sent out messages to the absent tribes to hasten their return. He then requested the Fox to remove their village
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| 1712 | April 1712: Siege of Fort Detroit: The Fox with Sauk and Mascouten warriors totalling nearly 1000 men laid siege to the garrison of Fort Detroit (see the above picture).
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| 1712 | May 1712: When the absent tribes returned, the Fox were then caught between the French and their Allies and were themselves besieged until the end of May. The Fox were forced to surrender so their families would be spared. The French agreed, but after the Fox were disarmed, they and their allies attacked and killed over 500 in what became known as the Fox Indian Massacre.
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| 1712 | The Fox who had escaped the massacre rejoined their communities in Northeastern Wisconsin
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| 1712 - 1716 | They began to intercept French traders using the Fox River exacting tolls from passing boats and canoes, and attempted to prevent guns from reaching their Sioux enemies
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| 1716 | First Battle at Little Butte des Morts: French commander Louis de la Porte de Louvigny led an expedition of 800 to confront the Fox at their fortified village located at Little Butte des Morts. The battle raged for 3 days but the French were the victors.
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| 1716 | The French captured Fox war chief Pemaussa which led to a peace agreement ending the first war
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Second Fox War (1728 - 1733) |
| 1716 - 1724 | Hostilities continued between the French and their Indian adversaries | |
| 1724 - 1728 | Various French expeditions to northern Illinois and Wisconsin were led by Constant Le Marchand de Lignery who negotiated various truces, which were largely ineffective.
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| 1728 | In 1728 King Louis XV of France ordered the complete destruction of the Meskwaki | |
| 1730 | Second Battle at Little Butte des Morts: Captain Pierre Paul Marin leads a surprise a genocidal attack against the village virtually wiping out the settlement
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| 1730 | The survivors retreat to Wauzeka, on the lower Wisconsin. Pierre Paul Marin attacked again. This time Marin took prisoners who he would only release if the Fox permanently left Wisconsin
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| 1730 | The French and their Illinois allies corner the Fox on their way to Lake Michigan | |
| 1733 | The Fox seek refuge with the Sauk tribe near Green Bay | |
| 1735 | French soldiers under Des Noyelles fight battle with Sauk and Fox Indians near present Des Moines
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| 1737 | The French grant a general pardon to the Fox (Meskwaki) thus ending the Fox Wars.
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| 1742 | The remaining Meskwaki prisoners were finally released by the French. | |
The End of the Fox wars |
History Timeline of the Fox Wars |