"This chronology traces life on the Upper Mississippi River during the sixteen-year operation of the War Eagle as revealed through newspaper accounts and recorded memories of crewmen, passengers and those who watched her from ashore. In this chronology we unravel the ball of string that was a jumbled history and lay out the past in a straight line. The stories of competitor and companion boats, and life on the river through the seasons, gives a fuller context to the era of the steamer. This is the first complete history of the War Eagle built 1854." -- Author.