The
British Band was a mixed-nation group of
Native Americans commanded by the
Sauk leader
Black Hawk, which fought against
Illinois and
Michigan Territory militias during the 1832
Black Hawk War. The band was composed of about 1,500 men, women, and children from the Sauk,
Meskwaki,
Fox,
Kickapoo,
Potawatomi,
Ho-Chunk, and
Ottawa nations; about 500 of that number were warriors. Black Hawk had an alliance with the British that dated from the
War of 1812, giving them their colloquial name. The band crossed the
Mississippi River from Iowa into
Illinois in an attempt to reclaim their homeland and in violation of several treaties. Subsequently, both the Illinois and Michigan Territory militia were called up and the Black Hawk War ensued.