In the decades between the American Revolution and the American Civil War, the United States government was engaged in an ongoing war against several Native American tribes. Collectively, historians refer to the series of wars between the U.S. government and the American Indians simply as "The Indian Wars," or "The American Indian Wars." The Americans argued that they needed the land west of the Appalachian Mountains for development and settlement, while the various American Indian tribes argued that the land was their birthright; both sides were willing to shed blood to accomplish their goals! Perhaps the greatest series of battles between the Americans and Indians was the Northwest Indian War (1785-1795), which took place in what was then known as the Northwest Territory and what today comprises the states of Ohio and Indiana. On the one side was a modern army, ready to conquer the land, while on the other was a coalition of Indian tribes who were much better organized and equipped than their adversary believed. The result of the war proved to be a turning point not only in the history of the United States, but also in Native American History. The highpoint of the war for the Indians and the low point for the Americans was a battle often referred to as the "Defeat of St. Clair" for the American general who lost hundreds of men in a well-organized massacre to Indian forces led by chief Little Turtle. The following book brings St. Clair's defeat to life in a way that has never been done before by using historical documents combined with Native American tales to create a narrative that is as exciting as it is edifying. Truly, once you read this book you will never look at American history in the same way!

"A balanced and readable account of the 1791 battle between St. Clair's US forces and an Indian coalition in the Ohio Valley, one of the most important and under-recognized events of its time"--

A THOUSAND SLAIN: ST. CLAIR'S DEFEAT AND THE EVOLUTION OF A NATION by KURT WILLIAM WINDISCH (Under the Direction of Claudio Saunt) ABSTRACT On November 4, 1791, Indian warriors defeated the US Army under Arthur St. Clair at present-day Fort Recovery, Ohio. It was the worst defeat US soldiers ever incurred at the hands of Natives, three times more deadly than Custer's Last Stand, wiping out over half of the entire US Army. Its importance is often overlooked, however. It was not merely a singular event in the Northwest Indian War, but rather the culmination of one hundred eighty-four years of English colonialism in North America. The US government was unable to effectively manage the difficult conditions that it faced after the American Revolution. The national economy was mired in a depression, the national and state governments owed large debts, and the central government created by the Articles of Confederation did not have the power to effectively manage foreign and domestic policy. The lands acquired from England in the Treaty of Paris were seen as a potential remedy, but the possibility achieving of peaceful westward expansion was undermined by a flawed Indian policy, a weak army, and the aggressive actions of white frontier settlers. The Indians who lived east of the Mississippi River also faced an uncertain future after American independence. The United States saw the Natives as conquered people because of their alliance with Great Britain during the late war, and demanded massive land cessions in the Ohio Country as indemnification. To protect their lands, Indians formed a pan-Indian resistance movement that vexed US government for the next decade both militarily and diplomatically. The Northwest Indian War played a significant role in the creation of a strong federal government under the Constitution. But the new republic found that its western problems were intractable, especially Indians, protecting federal sovereignty, and peaceful territorial expansion, all of which required a strong US Army to bring to completion. It was only after the Battle of a Thousand Slain that US politicians and citizens realized a standing army was not a threat to liberty and self-government, but perhaps the only thing that could save it.

Written from Fort Washington, near present-day Cincinnati, Ohio. Battle report providing extensive details of the defeat of General [Arthur] St. Clair at the hands of the Miami Indians on the Northwest Frontier. Docketed by George Washington.

On July 9, 1755, British and colonial troops under the command of General Edward Braddock suffered a crushing defeat to French and Native American enemy forces in Ohio Country. Known as the Battle of the Monongahela, the loss altered the trajectory of the Seven Years' War in America, escalating the fighting and shifting the balance of power. An unprecedented rout of a modern and powerful British army by a predominantly Indian force, Monongahela shocked the colonial world--and also planted the first seeds of an independent American consciousness. The culmination of a failed attempt to capture Fort Duquesne from the French, Braddock's Defeat was a pivotal moment in American and world history. While the defeat is often blamed on blundering and arrogance on the part of General Braddock--who was wounded in battle and died the next day--David Preston's gripping new work argues that such a claim diminishes the victory that Indian and French forces won by their superior discipline and leadership. In fact, the French Canadian officer Captain Beaujeu had greater tactical skill, reconnaissance, and execution, and his Indian allies were the most effective and disciplined troops on the field. Preston also explores the long shadow cast by Braddock's Defeat over the 18th century and the American Revolution two decades later. The campaign had been an awakening to empire for many British Americans, spawning ideas of American identity and anticipating many of the political and social divisions that would erupt with the outbreak of the Revolution. Braddock's Defeat was the defining generational experience for many British and American officers, including Thomas Gage, Horatio Gates, and perhaps most significantly, George Washington. A rich battle history driven by a gripping narrative and an abundance of new evidence,Braddock's Defeat presents the fullest account yet of this defining moment in early American history.