The Northwest Indian War

In the Treaty of Paris (1783), the British ceded the Northwest Territory to the United States.  The area included what would eventually be the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.  The native tribes in the region had fought on the side of the British during the Revolution and were thus viewed as enemies to be pushed aside for a wave of settlers.  The British still supported the tribes.  To strengthen their position, the many tribes joined into the Western Indian Confederacy to fight as one against the encroaching Americans.  It proved a very effective tactic.

Along the Ohio River, clashes between the Western Confederacy and settlers were common.  More than a thousand settlers were killed in the region, and it became a priority for the newly inaugurated President George Washington.  He would need to send an army and choose a commander.

Brigadier General Harmar

He dispatched Josiah Harmar, a veteran officer of the Revolutionary War.  General Harmar assembled an army of 1,400 soldiers (320 regulars, and 1,133 militia) at Fort Washington (Cincinnati) and set out on October 7, 1790.  Major Hamtramck set out from Vincennes with 330 soldiers to provide a distraction, splitting the enemy forces.  A threat of mutiny by his militia men required Hamtramck to withdraw, but he did draw some warriors away from Harmar's army.

On October 19th, General Harmar sent Colonel John Hardin with 180 militia and 30 regulars to determine the enemy strength and raid a village.  The force was lured into an ambush which resulted in the death of most of the regulars and 40 militiamen.  Harmar's army had been burning villages and crops along the way, so he viewed his mission as complete despite Hardin's defeat.  He ordered a return to Fort Washington.  On the 21st, his scouts reported a force of Indians in the area.  Wanting to both avenge the losses suffered by Colonel Hardin and to prevent attacks on his return march, Harmar planned an attack.  He divided his army into four and set them to attack at dawn of the 22nd.  The surprise was lost almost immediately, the detachments did not move to properly support one another, and the Indians easily outmaneuvered the Americans.  129 men were killed and 94 wounded.  Harmar's army was trounced and could only retreat, leaving their dead on the battlefield.

The campaign proved to be the worst defeat suffered by an American army against Indians.  Harmar was court-martialed but cleared of wrongdoing.  His mission had been a success even if the battle had not gone well.  Despite being cleared, he was removed from command and a replacement was selected.

Major General St. Clair

Arthur St. Clair, another veteran of the Revolutionary War, was instructed to set out during the summer months.  He didn't leave Fort Washington until October.  He had 600 regulars and a constantly shrinking number of militia as desertions took a heavy toll.  Nonetheless, St. Clair marched to war.  There were skirmishes along the way that further drained his army's strength.  On November 3, 1791, the army camped on hill near the Wabash River.  Having failed to erect any defensive works or post sufficient sentinels, the army was taken by surprise when Indians swept into the camp while sharpshooters killed officers and artillerymen to prevent an organized resistance.  The battle soon turned into a rout as the survivors fled with haste to Fort Jefferson, nearly 30 miles south.

The army, which had numbered about 1000 soldiers at the time of the battle, was crushed.  656 soldiers were either killed or captured and another 279 were wounded.  It was the worst defeat ever suffered by any American unit.  One quarter of the US military had been erased that day.  St. Clair wanted a court-martial to clear his name, but Washington demanded immediate resignation.  Washington then appointed St. Clair as governor of the Northwest Territory.

A bad situation had become much worse.  The British, who had been supplying and supporting the Northwest Confederacy were eager to strengthen this buffer state between the US and Canada.  Washington needed a better general, a more competent army, and improved logistics.

Major General Wayne

"Mad" Anthony Wayne had proven himself as one of Washington's best generals during the Revolutionary War.  Washington called Wayne out of retirement and dispatched him to the Northwest Territory.  Wayne did not rush and nor could he.  The recent disasters made recruiting more difficult.  Moreover, he intended to make extensive use of skilled woodsmen who could counter the guerrilla tactics of the Indians.  He proved to be a harsh disciplinarian, but his competence reassured the newly formed Legion of the United States.

Wayne spent much of his time maintaining the existing forts, building confidence in his men as they convoyed supplies to the forts - such as Fort Jefferson - that projected force beyond the Ohio River.  In 1793, Wayne led 300 men to the site of St. Clair's defeat.  Bones still littered the battlefield.  In January 1794, Fort Recovery was built on the site and garrisoned.  The British saw signs of a new campaign and built Fort Miami (modern day Toledo, OH).  Wayne responded by calling up the Kentucky militia and preparing a campaign.

Fort Recovery was put under siege in June but held off the massive assault.  By the middle of August, General Wayne had marched the Legion up the Maumee River to face the might of the Northwest Confederacy.  On August 20, 1794, the Battle of Fallen Timbers proved to be a short but decisive battle.  Wayne burned everything in sight, right up to the walls of Fort Miami.  The British had declined to provide sanctuary for the fleeing Indians and dare not engage the Americans; they were not authorized to start a war.

Following the battle, the Treaty of Greenville (1795) acquired most of Ohio for American settlement and signified the end of the Northwest Indian War.  The Jay Treaty (1796) provided for the withdrawal of the British from forts in the Northwest Territory.