By the winter of 1791, two American armies had been repelled from northwestern Ohio by collective Indian resistance. Miami Chief Little Turtle and his confederacy of tribes held the Americans at bay for nearly two years as a result of well coordinated ambushes against superior numbers. One such engagement resulted in more casualties than any subsequent battle in America’s numerous “Indian Wars.” For the American president, gaining control over this unruly alliance and establishing American dominance over the northwestern territories was of the utmost importance to the security of the nation. Hardly dissuaded by the defeat of his first two forays, Washington organized a third offensive and chose a man of considerable frontier experience as its commander.
The president appointed General Anthony Wayne to command the third invasion force and instructed him to put an end to Indian resistance in the northwest. Wayne was a careful tactician and spent the next year and a half building his army and drilling to counter the hit, run, and ambush strategy of Little Turtle’s forces. While Wayne gathered his strength, the United States government made peace overtures towards the principal leaders of the Miami Confederacy. Though used primarily as a delaying tactic, the American representatives offered Little Turtle and his deputies a truce to discuss the possibility of reaching a settlement. Despite the reticence of many of his fellow leaders, Little Turtle agreed to a conference in Sandusky, Ohio in the summer of 1793. As a means of ensuring an amiable environment, the Indian confederacy requested a delegation of Pennsylvania Quakers to act as a neutral third party. Despite the presence of these observers, negotiations broke down over the issue of who had the right to posses the embattled territory. The U.S. commissioners adamantly maintained that the Treaty of Paris gave the new republic the authority to possess Ohio, Indiana, and any other lands west of the original demarcation line (outlined in the Proclamation of 1763). Little Turtle’s delegation responded that the nations of the confederacy were not included in the talks, did not sign the treaty, and in fact had been illegally dispossessed of their lands as a result of it. The Indian delegation furthermore demanded a buffer zone between the United States and Indian Territory, with all American settlements removed east beyond the Ohio River. The talks broke down on this point and the Indian delegation walked out of the meeting and returned to their defensive preparations.
By the time the Indian delegation walked away from the Sandusky conference, General Wayne’s invasion force was almost ready to begin its mission. As he set out from Ft. Washington in the fall of 1793, he followed the original path of his two predecessors. He strengthened the existing defensive lines by erecting Forts Recovery and Greenville as he slowly penetrated deep into Ohio. Little Turtle ordered a full scale offensive against Ft. Recovery in June of 1794, but was unable to breach its walls. Forced to retreat, Little Turtle began to reconsider his strategy. He had considered the possibility of gaining assistance from the British, who still maintained a presence in the disputed regions. However, the British government was unable to render the Indian alliance any military assistance. Realizing that the Americans would never end their drive to posses the region, Little Turtle saw only doom and destruction in continued resistance. Traveling to various villages and war camps throughout the confederacy, Little Turtle urged his fellow chiefs to reach a settlement with the United States. This drastic change in philosophy concerned many of his deputies and he soon fell out of favor with the leadership of the alliance that he had forged. A fatal change was about to occur.
for more:
http://nativeamericanfirstnationshistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/ohio_indian_wars
http://nativeamericanfirstnationshistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_confederacy_of_little_turtle
