Narrative of the Captivity of William Biggs among the Kickapoo Indians in Illinois in 1788

In the spring of 1788 a young trader rides between Bellfontaine and Cahokia, when a sudden volley of musket fire shatters the quiet road. His horse is crippled, his coat riddled with bullets, and a desperate sprint across the wilderness follows, as the rider struggles against tangled garments and a relentless, shouting war party. The frantic chase tumbles him to the ground, and despite his frantic effort to stay ahead, the Kickapoo warriors close in, forcing him into a perilous surrender.

Now a captive among the Kickapoo of Illinois, he records the daily rhythms of a people whose customs are both alien and strikingly human. He describes the food, the language, the rituals, and the uneasy negotiations that shape his survival in their village. The narrative offers a vivid, first‑hand glimpse of frontier life and the complex frontier relationships that defined a turbulent era.