The Battle of Fallen Timbers
Following St. Clair’s disaster at the Battle of the Wabash, a reluctant Congress finally agreed to President George Washington’s request to create a force capable of conquering the Northwest Territory. The result was a 5,000-man force called the Legion of the United States, the forerunner of today’s Army. Washington entrusted its command to General Anthony Wayne, a trusted officer from the American Revolution. In July 1794, following countless delays, General Wayne began his final thrust into the Shawnee’s heartland, searching for the large Indian force he knew awaited him.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores how General Wayne and the Legion brought about an end to the Northwest Indian War, and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Carnegie Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, Wikipedia.
Tecumseh’s War was the last great Indian war in the Northwest Territory and raged from 1811 to 1817. The cause of the conflict was Indian anger at the numerous land cessions made between Indian nations and the United States from 1803 to 1809. While this war overlapped with the War of 1812, the two conflicts were separate events with different goals for the participants.