Monthly Return of the United States Second Regiment Following St. Clair's Defeat   Save
Ohio History Connection Archives/Library
Description: On November 4, 1791, along the banks of the Wabash River (near near present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana), the United States suffered the greatest defeat ever inflicted upon it by American Indians. During this two-hour, hard-fought action, nearly 2,000 regulars, levies and militia were utterly routed by a force about one-half that number. This large alliance of American Indians, led by Shawnee chief Weyapiersenwah (Blue Jacket) and Miami chief Mishikinakwa (Little Turtle), was comprised of seasoned volunteer warriors from nine different American Indian tribes, including the Wyandots, Seneca, Cherokee, Ojibwe, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Delaware, and Miami. This manuscript is the official November 1791 return of the 2nd United States Regiment's seven companies, taken at Fort Washington following the retreat from the Wabash. Dated December 1st, the document lists thirteen of its officers "Killed on 4th Novr." with only eight surviving, of which only two were "present", the remainder "On Command" and two "On furlough". Among the dead is the regiment's commanding officer, Major Jonathan Heart, as well as Revolutionary War hero Captain Robert Kirkwood. Of the enlisted men, 101 privates were listed as "Killed in Act[ion]" from among the six companies that fought in the battle. More than fifty are listed in the "Missing" column under the following notation: "There's fifty privates, belonging to Phelons, Newmans, & Hughes Detachments Cannot at present be accounted for." This poignant document is signed by Lieutenant Richard Bissell, the most senior of the two surviving officers present. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3740_6643185_001
Subjects: American Indians in Ohio; Military Ohio; St. Clair, Arthur, 1734-1818
Places: Fort Washington (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)