This past January, the newly elected governor Scott Walker declared war on Wisconsin's progressive roots. Under the guise of budget repair, he and his Republican colleagues in the state legislature introduced a whole host of initiatives meant to roll back hard-won gains for workers and recast the role of government in the state to fit his own conservative ideology. In The Battle for Wisconsin, the labor historian Andrew E. Kersten shows just how far-reaching these "reforms" really are—and why they fly in the face of the state's long progressive tradition. Kersten is a Wisconsin native, a product of the state's renowned public education system that is now under attack. In this eye-opening new book, he takes us back to the days of the robber barons, explaining why our forefathers fought so hard for real reform in the Progressive Era and why those principles are worth protecting today.

The story of a devastating episode of the brief, bloody Black Hawk War—includes illustrations. The brief war that Black Hawk waged against the United States in 1832 saw half of the people under his leadership killed in savage massacres and the entire Sauk tribe removed to Iowa. Yet this dismal outcome cannot obscure the superb military leadership that Black Hawk demonstrated during many phases of the war. His crowning glory occurred at a place called Wisconsin Heights, where his force of about 120 warriors held off an estimated 700 American militia volunteers while the women, children and elderly under his protection escaped across the Wisconsin River. This book tells the dramatic story and includes maps and illustrations.

Wisconsin troops fought and died for the Union on Civil War battlefields across the continent, from Shiloh to Gettysburg. Wisconsin lumberjacks built a dam that saved a stranded Union fleet. The Second Wisconsin Infantry suffered the highest percentage of battle deaths in the Union army. Back home, in a state largely populated by immigrants and recent transplants, the war effort forced Wisconsin's residents to forge a common identity for the first time. Drawing on unpublished letters and new research, Ron Larson tells Wisconsin's Civil War story, from the famous exploits of the Iron Brigade to the heretofore largely unknown contributions of the Badger State's women, African Americans and Native Americans.

The innovative format of Exploring Civil War Wisconsin makes it easy for Civil War buffs, genealogists, and students to find and effectively use the vast array of historical materials about the Civil War found in archives, military and census records, published firsthand accounts, newspapers, and even on the Internet. This lively, illustrated guide focuses on Wisconsin in the Civil War, but is broadly applicable to Civil War research anywhere. Images of original documents and historic photographs illustrate every chapter, acquainting readers with both the Civil War and its sources. The easy-to-use and informative text is unlike anything else currently on the market. Throughout the book, boxed features and sidebars provide background information and tips on how to do research. Author Brett Barker explains how to uncover the history of an individual soldier, his regiment, and his role in the Union Army using rosters, military records, pension files, and memoirs. And, he shows how to explore the home front during the war using the census, newspapers, city directories, and government records.