An Essay On The Battle Of Wabash

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Define subject You have most likely never heard of the Battle of Wabash or General Sinclair. This is one of the most significant battles in the history of the United States Army despite the engagement having happened almost 225 years ago. In fact, it was catastrophic to say the least, ridden with plagues of bad decisions, lack of motivation, training and leadership. Was the Battle of Wabash in 1971 the most catastrophic defeat of the United States Army battle in history? Indeed it was. There was a great lead-in to this battle foreshadowing the defeat to come. Although the United States Army was not very large at the time, the aftermath of this battle resulted in a loss of a quarter of the entire Army in a time of less than 4 hours! Setting the stage Set in the middle of the Chickamauga Wars between 1776 and 1794 in which the Native American Tribes attempted to halt the expansion of American settlers into their territories, the Battle of Wabash took place in the fall of 1791. Just two years after the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788, there were challenges the United States faced. The challenges were taking place in the area of the Old Northwest Territory. This territory was occupied by the Western Confederacy, comprised of the Native American Tribes; Ottowa, Ojibwe, Pottawatomi, Miami, Shawnee, Delewares, Wyandot, Mingo and Cherokee. The vital goal of the Native Tribes was to stop the westward expansion of the American settlers. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1786 ending the American War of Independence where the United States gained the territories where the Indians occupied. The natives in this territory, however, did not recognize this treaty and were greatly opposed to the incoming ... ... middle of paper ... ...regulars. At the beginning of the expedition, General St. Clair had the option to wait further until proper supplies were acquired and soldiers properly trained and taken care of, however, this was ignored at a grave expense. An unfortunate placement, General St. Clair’s forces were discouraged, malnourished, over worked and complacent setting the stage for the upcoming defeat. They had setup camp on the frigid night of the 3rd of November, 1791 without fear of any enemy, even though there had been spotting of enemy along their route. The next morning, as complacency in full gear, Soldiers stacked their arms and commenced to eat breakfast, completely unaware they were being watched and about to come under attack. Apart from their arms, they were either bunched up or scattered while eating, unorganized and unprepared for the assault that was about to take place.

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