The Legacy of George Rogers Clark

American Revolution
Written By Tom Hand

Simply based on results, George Rogers Clark was the most successful American field commander of the American Revolution. He never lost a battle or failed to accomplish whatever military mission he started. No other American commander can make that claim, not Washington or Arnold or Greene. Sadly, following the war, as disappointment built on disappointment, Clark turned from the country he had fought so hard to defend, and offered his services to both Spain and Revolutionary France. Nothing ever came of these intrigues, but they forever sullied Clark’s reputation, the commodity upon which he placed the most value.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores the legacy of George Rogers Clark, and why it still matters today.

Images courtesy of Indiana State Library Digital Collections, The White House Historical Association, Gilcrease Museum, Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, The New York Public Library, Wikipedia.

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Kentucky had suffered greatly from Shawnee raids in June 1780 and Colonel George Rogers Clark decided it was time to take the fight into their homeland. His invasion across the Ohio would lead to the largest battle west of the Appalachians during the American Revolution.

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With the capture of Fort Sackville, Kaskaskia, and Cahokia, Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark had gained control of the southwestern portion of the Province of Quebec, better known as the Illinois Country, for the United States. Clark was at the height of his popularity, but the ambitious twenty-six year old wanted more and turned his attention to the crown jewel of British possessions in that part of the world, Fort Detroit.

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Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark and his band of 120 determined men arrived on the outskirts of Fort Sackville in the fading sunlight on February 23, 1779, undetected by the British garrison. They were tired and hungry, filthy and unshaven; they had not eaten for four days. After a two hundred mile trek across the flooded fields of what is now eastern Illinois, with their goal before them, Clark prepared to attack.

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Following the British retaking of Fort Sackville on December 17, 1778, Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark’s plan to conquer the Illinois Country for the United States was in peril. Without this strategic location in American control, his invasion of the southwestern portion of the Province of Quebec would be for naught, and continued incursions into Kentucky by Britain’s Indian allies would continue unabated.

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The capture of Kaskaskia and Cahokia by Colonel George Rogers Clark had been surprisingly easy, with no bloodshed whatsoever. Not one to rest on his laurels, Clark immediately began to formulate a plan to crack a potentially tougher nut located about 180 miles to the east, the British post of Fort Sackville.

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As the American Revolution continued in the east, the British removed all regular troops from their western outposts to assist in the more active theater. Naturally, that exposed a weakness in their defense, one that the intrepid George Rogers Clark would soon exploit with an invasion of the southwestern region of the Province of Quebec. The results of this conquest would be felt several years later when this land captured by Clark was granted to the United States by the Treaty of Paris.

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Soon after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the fledgling United Colonies invaded the British Province of Quebec. Despite the heroic efforts of men like General Richard Montgomery, Colonel Benedict Arnold, and Colonel Daniel Morgan, the 1775-76 invasion failed at the granite walls of Quebec City. A second, lesser known invasion, led by George Rogers Clark succeeded wonderfully a few years later, resulting in the largest capture of British territory during the American Revolution.

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On the eve of the American Revolution, the lands west and south of the Appalachians were ripe for conquest. All that was needed to exploit this cauldron of trouble and take over this vast land was an intrepid man with a vision and a band of determined followers. That leader would emerge in the person of George Rogers Clark, and his extraordinary efforts would secure the Ohio River Valley for the United States.

Tom Hand
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