Discussion of Native American Participation in "White" Wars to Wrap Up Summer Speaker Series

The Historic Indian Agency House 4-part summer speaker series, with one lecture a month held from June to September, wraps up on September 27, 2011.  The series, entitled “To Arms: Wisconsin and 19^th-Century Military Conflicts,” explores the participation of Wisconsinites and the impact of our state’s geography on several military engagements of the 1800’s.   Each installment of the series—all offered free of charge—is held on the final Tuesday of each month at 6:30PM.
 
The fourth and final installment of this popular 2011 series is set for the evening of Tuesday, September 27. At this time, UW-Madison Professor Dr. John W. Hall, will discuss the often-occurring historical phenomenon of Native American participation in European and Anglo-American wars.  What were the motivations of these Native Americans? How did they reconcile their own traditional beliefs regarding honor and warfare with those of the European cultures they were aligning themselves with?
 
Dr. Hall will broadly address the early colonial period through the 19^th century, demonstrating the ubiquity of this phenomenon. Dr. Hall will also challenge common misperceptions about the nature of this Native-white collaboration, as exemplified by such stereotyped characters as the villainous Pawnee scout in “Dances with Wolves.”
 
Dr. Hall is the inaugural holder of the Ambrose-Hesseltine Chair in U.S. Military History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  A Wisconsin native, Dr. Hall is a graduate of the U.S Military Academy at West Point and received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He previously served fifteen years as an officer in the U.S. Army and taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  Dr. Hall is the author of Uncommon Defense: Indian Allies in the Black Hawk War (copies of which will be available for sale and signing by the author on September 27) and several book chapters dealing with irregular warfare in early America. You may also recognize him as a commentator from the History Channel series, “The Revolution.” He is presently working on a military history of Indian removal in the Southeastern United States.
 
The museum and visitor’s center exhibits, always free to the public, will be open 5PM until the lecture begins, and a guided tour of the Historic Indian Agency House itself will also be offered for a minimal fee at this time.  Light refreshments will be provided for lecture guests.
 
For the second year, the speaker series is free to the public and made largely possible by a generous grant from the Great Circle Foundation, Inc. of East Northport, New York, with additional financial support provided by the City of Portage Historic Preservation Commission and Forever Yours Jewelry of Portage.
 
The “To Arms” 2011 lecture series is part of a yearlong Civil War theme, commemorating the 150^th anniversary of this transformative era, at the Historic Indian Agency House. Visit www.agencyhouse.orgfor a full listing of events, or call 608-742-6362 for further information.

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