Natives versus Settlers, Little Turtle's War, 179-1794

We've devoted posts to Little Turtle of the Miami (1747-1812), a renowned war leader of the same caliber as Dragging Canoe, Buckongahelas, Blue Jacket and others whom we've already met.  We've also covered the Northwest Indian War (1785-1794).  Now it's time to drill down on a specific subset of that war known as Little Turtle's War.  That he had an entire portion of the larger war named after him shows just how effective a leader Little Turtle was, particularly at capturing the attention of his enemies.

The Treaty of Paris of 1783 which ended the American Revolutionary War did not deal with any land claims by the original inhabitants of the Ohio River Valley.  It only specified that the British would surrender their forts there and leave, which they had no intention of doing.  Native leaders, particularly White Eyes of the Delaware, conceived of the Ohio Valley as being a Native buffer state, where Natives could live without any encroachment by Settlers.  But it was not to be.  Even before the Revolution ended, Settlers were pouring into Ohio and skirmishes with local Natives were inevitable.  Little Turtle was already a renowned war leader by 1785 and led several war parties against American settlers, often cooperating with Blue Jacket of the Shawnee, with whom he is most closely associated.  By 1790, he would command a share of fame of his own with two ambushes against columns led by Josiah Harmer. 

In 1791, Little Turtle's daughter was captured in a raid led by James Wilkinson.  More on him later, because he was one of the more disreputable men ever to live on the frontier or just about anywhere else.  Little Turtle made getting his daughter back a priority.  He was one of the Native commanders at the Battle of Wabash, on November 4, 1791, when a combined force of Miami, Wyandot, Delaware and others inflicted a defeat on General Arthur St. Clair that was far worse than that suffered by Custer.  For comparison, the loss at Little Big Horn (Greasy Grass) was 268 killed and 46 wounded.  The Battle of the Wabash saw 632 killed/captured, along with 264 wounded.  Civilian casualties were 24 killed, 14 wounded, bringing the total to approximately 933. 

Little Turtle would add to his record with a raid in 1792 on Fort St. Clair, in present-day Preble County, Ohio, that would make American military planners wonder if holding onto the Ohio Valley was even feasible.  The Washington Administration turned to one commander whom George Washington knew from Revolutionary days and believed he could trust, Anthony Wayne.  Like George Rogers Clark before him, Anthony Wayne garnered a reputation among the Natives as a formidable enemy.  On June 30, 1794, Little Turtle's contingent of Miami participated in an attack on Fort Recovery, near the present-day town of Fort Recovery, Ohio.  The fort held out and Little Turtle knew that they faced an enemy of a more skilled caliber than Arthur St. Clair or Josiah Harmer.  Prior to the Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794, he counseled caution and that perhaps their best course lay with negotiating with Wayne rather than fighting him.  Nevertheless, when the consensus was to give battle, he led his Miami warriors with his usual skill.  This time, it was not enough.  Wayne inflicted a resounding defeat on the Natives.

Little Turtle was a signatory to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.  During the gathering for the treaty signing, his wife died and was given a military funeral out of respect for this formidable adversary.