The Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair’s Defeat, is a little-known battle that occurred in November 1791 in what is today west-central Ohio. A force of some 1400 regular US Army and militia soldiers under the command of Major General Arthur St. Clair was attacked by a slightly smaller Indian coalition. In terms of the soldier death toll, the Wabash was the worst defeat ever inflicted upon the US Army and associated militia units by Native American forces. This presentation will describe how white American settlements in the Northwest Territory angered Indian tribes already living in the area, leading to violence between the two groups, and how that violence led to calls for the US Army to pacify the Indians. The creation of St. Clair’s force, its march north into the woods from Cincinnati, the battle itself, and the conflict’s aftermath will be detailed.


LLI Coordinator: Mike Ahern