The War of 1812 in Wisconsin: The Battle for Prairie du Chien

In The War of 1812 in Wisconsin, author Mary Elise Antoine brings a little-known corner of Wisconsin's history to life. Prairie du Chien, located just above mouth of the Wisconsin River, was the key to trade on the upper Mississippi. Whoever controlled the prairie commanded the immense territory inhabited by thousands of American Indians-and the fur they traded. When war broke out between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, British and Americans fought to maintain the ever-shiftin...