Black Partridge: Or, the Fall of Fort Dearborn

by Colonel H. R. Gordon

In August of 1812, news of the outbreak of hostilities between England and America has not yet penetrated the wilderness. Although the inhabitants of northern Illinois and Indiana are aware that there is a plot by the British to incite the local Indian tribes against them, there seems to be little reason for Auric Kingdon of Fort Wayne to decline the invitation of his friend Jethro Judd to visit Fort Dearborn some 200 miles to the northwest. Traveling the well blazed trail between the two settlements. Auric encounters Indians of the Winnebago tribe in war paint, but feels in command of the situation until shortly after he meets Jethro on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Here the boys’ adventures begin. Captured by a band of hostile Indians, they are rescued by Black Partridge, a friendly Potawatomie chief who escorts them to Fort Dearborn in time to help in the preparations to abandon the fort on order from Washington, and to witness the massacre of the troops and their families as they retreat toward Fort Wayne.

145 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2024

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction, which recounts the Battle of Fort Dearborn in 1812. Dearborn was later rebuilt and the area developed into Chicago. The story is primarily told following the activities of two fictional 16-year-old young men. It was a good, focused history lesson and an introduction to a broader perspective of that era of U.S. history.