The Meskwaki (Fox) and Mascouten resist the French in 1712.

Official Report, made by the commanding officer, Mr. Dubuisson, to the Governor General of Canada, of the war which took place at Detroit, in 1712.

The Meskwaki, or Fox, nation had been pushed into Wisconsin by the Iroquois wars of the 17th century. Attacked by the Iroquois in the east, harrassed by the Sioux on the west, and insulted by the French, they settled on the strategic Fox River about 1680 and attempted to demand tribute from every tribe or trader who passed. About the year 1700 they began to explore the possibility of trading with the British, and in 1712 a large portion of the nation moved from Wisconsin to Detroit to be closer to both French and English traders. As described in this report, relations between the Meskwaki and the French quickly deteriorated into violence. The Meskwaki and their allies the Mascouten were soon in open warfare with the small French garrison, and only a strategic alliance with other tribes allowed the besieged French to emerge victorious. In the concluding battle described here, the Meskwaki at Detroit were almost entirely annihilated, but the remnants of their nation would go on attacking the French in the west for another three decades.

View the Document

---