The First Fox War The French slowly reopened the fur trade in the west. They built forts in outlying areas. They invited Indians to settle nearby. Indian trappers and hunters were sent out to get furs. All others stayed near the forts. They could learn the French language and the French way of life. This was called the Policy of Concentration. There was an outpost at New Orleans. There were outposts at Lake Pretoiria and Chicago. There were others along the Mississippi River, but none was in Wisconsin.
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac built a fort near Detroit. He invited several tribes to move there. The fox tribes were some of those invited. They had controlled much of Wisconsin. Their enemies, the Sioux, lived farther west. The Fox tried to keep traders from reaching Sioux. They closed the Fox-Wisconsin waterway. They charged a toll for traders who wanted to cross. Detroit had been the Fox homeland. Some Fox wanted to go home. About 200 Fox wanted to go home. They arrived at Detroit in 1712. However, other tribes there did not trust them. The other tribes thought that the Fox were friends of the Iroquois. A quarrel started. By that time, Cadillac had left Detroit. The new commander sided against the Fox. The cannon at the French fort fired against the Fox stockade. The fox fought
hard and long, but they could not defeat the French weapons. Most of the Fox were killed. The Fox in Wisconsin heard what had happened to their brothers at Detroit. It made them angry. They then killed Frenchmen traveling through Fox territory. In 1716, a Frenchman named Louvigny decided to put an end to the fox attacks. He wanted to kill all of the Fox. He left Montreal with 200 men. On his way to Mackinac, he got Indian warriors to join him. He gathered about 1,000 Indians from among the Fox s enemies. This was the first army to invade Wisconsin. The Fox had heard that the army was coming. They prepared to defend themselves. They built a stockade near Menasha. Louvigny s army attacked for three days. Finally, the Fox asked for peace. The fox were still angry, but they knew what had happened to their kinsmen at Detroit. They probably
wanted to avoid a massacre. They agree to the French leader s terms. They even agreed to give furs to the army leaders. This was the end of the first Fox War. The Second Fox War After the death of King Louis XIV in France, the Policy of Concentration ended. Traders were licensed. They were allowed to go back and forth into the forests to trade with the Indians.
New forts were built on the frontier to protect people. For La Baye was built at Green Bay. Fort La Pointe was built at Chequamegon Bay. In 1727, a man named Beauharnois became governor of New France. A new fort was built on the Minnesota bank of Lake Pepin. It was called Fort Beauharnois. The soldiers were there to control the Sioux tribes. The Sioux, the Iowa, and the Missouri tribes had joined the Fox in a confederacy. They wanted to make all the Frenchmen leave west. The following year, another army invaded Wisconsin. There were about 400 white soldiers. About 1,200 Indian warriors were with them. They were led by Sieur de Lignery. The army marched from on fox village to another. All of the villages were deserted. There was no Fox. It was
hard to travel in the wilderness. Finally, some of the white soldiers refused to go on. Lignery turned his army back. In anger, they burned their own fort at Green bay. For the next two, the Fox suffered. Often small group of Fox were attacked in the wilderness. They were killed by Indians who were loyal to the French. The confederacy became weak. Some members began to trust the French. The Fox felt that they were surrounded by enemies. Their numbers grew fewer and fewer. The Fox decided to go back east. They were going to join the Iroquois. The French learned of their plans. Three hundred Fox warriors and their families were surrounded. They were traveling through Illinois. Most of them were killed. Kiala, the leader, was captured. He spent the rest of his life as a slave in the French West Indies.
The few Fox who were alive went to Sauk villages. The Sauk let them stay. They gave the Fox food and shelter. In 1733, another army went to a Sauk village near Green Bay. An army leader ordered the Sauk to give up the Fox. The Sauk refused. There was a battle. The army leader and two of his sons were killed. The French became angry with the Sauk. The French army chased Sauk and Fox to a place near Menasha. A terrible battle took place there. Later, the place was named the Buttes des Morts or Hills of the Dead. Later, an army of Frenchmen chased the Sauk and Fox into Iowa, but the Sauk and Fox escaped. The fort at Green Bay was rebuilt. A new commander came. He wanted peace. He did not want to chase the Sauk and Fox any longer. The Fox wars ended.