Black Hawk War comes to Melville's Albany

The narrative of the Black Hawk War in all versions of Cooke's "Scenes and Adventures in the Army,"  referenced in our post on "wilderness/wilds then," is a rewrite of primary sources, heavily indebted to the eyewitness account (signed "H.") by Henry Smith, "Indian Campaign of 1832", published in the August 1833 issue of the Military and Naval Magazine of the United States. 

via Monroe Memories and More

As soon as it appeared in print, Smith's first-hand narrative of the Black Hawk War was particularly recommended to readers of the Albany Argus:

"The August number of the Military and Naval Magazine, has just been published, and is for sale by the agent, Mr. Little.  It has reached its sixth number, and of course completed its first volume.  The present No. contains several original articles of interest.  It is an improvement in this respect upon the previous numbers, so far as they have met our observation.  Among these is a narrative of the Indian campaign of 1832, being an account, more or less in detail, of the expedition against the Sauks (as the writer has it) and the Foxes."

Albany Argus, Friday, August 9, 1833

Without knowing the identity of  "H.," Cooke's biographer Otis E. Young nevertheless perceived the essential link between Cooke's telling and Henry Smith's article in the Military and Naval Magazine:

"Although certain statements made in this article are in contradiction to known facts of Cooke's life, the style is very similar to his.  Furthermore, the author witnessed the battle of Bad Axe and reported his experiences with about the same emphases and orientation as Cooke in Scenes and Adventures.  This evidence suggests that "H", if not Cooke himself, either owes or is owed something by Cooke." 

(The West of Philip St. George Cooke, page 58, footnote 16)

The debts in this appropriation all belong to Cooke, or Cooke's ghostwriter:  "is owed" is right.