The Indians of southern Wisconsin, the Fox included, often hunted buffalo on the Illinois prairie without the permission of the latter. In 1722, the Illinois captured the nephew of Oushala, a Fox chief, and burned him alive. Shortly thereafter, the Fox sent a strong force down into the Illinois Country to exact revenge. They forced the Illini to take refuge on top of Starved Rock where earlier Tonti had driven off the Iroquois. A runner was sent to Fort de Chartres for help. However, by the time de Broisbriand and a relief force of French and Indians arrived, the Fox had already retreated, leaving behind 120 dead.
Angered by Fox raids, the French decided to take the offensive. In 1726, the Marquis de Beauharnois, the Governor of Canada, sent an expedition against the Fox which linked up with a force from Illinois. The Illinois contingent was commanded by Desliettes, the Commandant of the Illinois District. He led a force of twenty French soldiers and 500 Illini warriors. However, the Fox learned of the coming assault and escaped before they could be attacked.
In the summer of 1730, the Iroquois League invited the Meskwaki nation to join them. Under constant pressure by the French and their allies, the Fox chose to accept. But to get to the Iroquois, they had to pass across Illini territory. The Fox dispatched an envoy to negotiate passage, but a quarrel ensued. No doubt the Illini were reluctant to see their two greatest enemies united. A short time later near Starved Rock, the Fox captured the nephew of a Cahokia chief and burned him at the stake. That of course ended any possibility of a peaceful resolution to the problem. The Fox fled the area with the Illini in pursuit.
The Illini caught up with the Fox in the open prairie buffalo country of Central Illinois. This was near the headwaters of the Sangamon River in present-day McClean County, Illinois (see end note). The Fox retreated into a grove of trees and set up a defensive position which they fortified.
The fortification, when completed, consisted of a log palisade reenforced with earth. A series of trenches connected the fortification with a nearby small river. Within the compound were cabins. The roofs of these were formed by laying woven mats across sturdy rafters, then covering the construction with earth. The Illini lay siege to this fort and dispatched runners to summon their allies. The response was greater than they could have anticipated.
St. Ange marched north from Fort de Chartres with a force of 100 Frenchmen and 400 Cahokia, Peoria, and Missouri warriors. St Ange arrived on August 17, 1730. In the meantime, 200 Kickapoo, Mascouten, and Potawatomi had already arrived on the scene to aid the Illinois. De Villiers and Reaume came down from St. Joseph (Michigan) at the head of a force of 400 Sauk, Potawatomi, and Miami. Piankeshaw and Ouiatenon warriors led by de Noyelle arrived from the Miami post on September 1st. De Noyelle brought an order from the Governor of Canada that there would be no peace made with the Meskwaki. This fight was to the finish. In all, about 1000 Fox (men, women, and children) were invested by about 1400 allied warriors. The Native American nations represented were the Illinois, Sauk, Potawatomies, Kickapoos, Mascoutens, Miamis, Ouiatenons (Weas), and Piankeshaws.
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