On the morning of November 4, 1791, Major General Arthur St. Clair, along with an estimated 1400 soldiers, came under a coordinated attack by Chief Little Turtle and over 1000 Native American warriors. By the end of the day, the casualties on the American side were well above nine hundred. The Native Americans casualties were fewer than one hundred and fifty. St. Clair’s defeat, or the Battle of the Wabash, resulted in America’s largest defeat in any one battle against Native Americans. President George Washington demanded and received St. Clair’s resignation from the army. St. Clair faced the first Congressional Special Committee investigation and the course of the United States military changed.
The defeat of St. Clair came at a time when the newly formed United States experienced economic and organizational issues. Hoping for a quick victory and control over newly acquired territory, the defeat of St. Clair exemplified the lack of training, procedure, and discipline of the United States Military. Instead of victory, the young United States recognized the need for training, organizing, and equipping a national military. After St. Clair’s defeat, the founding fathers who were leery of any free standing military, understood the need for a well trained, organized, and well funded national army. St. Clair’s defeat proved that a militia failed in properly protecting the country.
After the American Revolution, there was little public interest in entering into the western conflict with the Native Americans. The British, reluctant to release control of forts at Detroit, Mackinaw and Niagara, enjoyed the support of local tribes. The main interest of the British was to preserve lucrative trade along the Great Lakes. The Native America...
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...n Affairs: Laws and Treaties Vol. 2 ." Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties Vol. 2. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/vol2/treaties/six0023.htm (accessed March 1, 2014).
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It had previously been the policy of the American government to remove and relocate Indians further and further west as the American population grew, but there was only so much...
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Washington knew the Ohio Valley well because he was hired by the wealthy Fairfax family, as a land surveyor. This knowledge was valuable to General Braddock, because he was unfamiliar with the American territory. Braddock was appointed by King George III to lead an army against the French. Washington tried to convince Braddock that they would lose if they fought using the standard British field tactics that Braddock was accustomed to. Washington realized that since there were no open fields in the Ohio Valley this style of battle would be unsuccessful. The Indians, who sided with the French, because they thought that the British would lose the war, fought using guerilla warfare. Braddock did not listen to Washington and the English were badly defeated. Braddock was shot off his horse and Washington had to lead the army back to Virginia. Washington's bravery and courage helped get the remaining troops back to safety.
"Official letters of the military and naval officers of the United States, during the war with Great Britain in the years 1812, 13, 14, & 15 : with some additional letters and documents elucidating the history of that period." Internet Archive: Free Movies, Music, Books & Wayback Machine. http://www.archive.org/stream/militarynavalofficer00goverich#page/24/mode/2up (accessed June 26, 2010).
The War of 1812 was a war between Britain and the United States fought primarily in Upper Canada. It had many causes, few which involved British North America. The results of the war include the fact that there was no clear winner or loser among them. The only real losers in the situation were the Natives in the region. They were driven out of their lands and customs. None of the borders was changed by the war, though many attempts were made. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, did nothing to advance the state of the countries. It went so far as to end the war and put things back the way that they were, but the main causes of the conflict were not addressed or dealt with. In order to evaluate the significance of this war, Canadian victories and losses, as well as overall results, must be analyzed.
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6 The battle in which Captain Michael Pierce lost his life is detailed in Drakes Indian Chronicles (pp. 220-222) (http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/massacre.html)
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