"In a single day, a quarter of the then US Army was destroyed"

Contrary to what his name might suggest, Little Turtle (Algonquian: Michikinikwa = little turtle) was a stately figure. His father had been a chief of the Miamis, a Native American tribe that lived in what is now northern Indiana in the 18th century. He was also elected Warchief because of his courage and ability to quickly grasp and react to situations. In this role he became one of the most feared opponents of the US Army during the "Northwest Indian War" in the early 1790s.

After their victory in the War of Independence against the British colonial power, the USA focused on expansion. The numerical ratios had long since shifted to the disadvantage of the indigenous people. In 1790 the young state had 200,000 Indians, four million Euro-Americans and almost 500,000 African slaves. With the "Northwest Ordinance" in 1787, the "Northwest Territory" was created, which later included the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota and represented the framework for the "inner colonization".

True, Indian lands could only be possessed by treaties accepted by Congress. But in fact the rule was easily subverted by the settlers on the frontier. Tens of thousands migrated west in search of fortune and property. The army tried to stop the wild settlement. But as early as 1791, 160,000 whites lived on the Ohio frontier.

"You spread like oil on water, we melt away like snow under the spring sun," observed Little Turtle (1752–1812). To stop this, he developed an ambitious plan to merge the Miami with the neighboring tribes of Shawnee, Delaware, Seneca, Ottawa and others into a confederation large enough to resist the Whites.

This escalated the small war on the frontier. Farms were raided, and settler militias wiped out entire villages in return. In October 1790, General Josiah Harmar received orders from President George Washington to maintain order. With 1,400 soldiers, including a good 1,000 poorly trained militiamen, the Miami villages and economic bases in the headwaters of the Maumee River were to be destroyed.

The historian Aram Mattioli describes the incompetent advance as the soldiers trampled through the undergrowth of the dense forests like a herd of elephants. The Indians cleared their villages and left Harmar empty-handed. With 180 dead and dozens wounded, the action was a costly failure. Bolstered by the success, Little Turtle intensified the war on the border.

Then the order was issued to the governor of the Northwest Territory Arthur St. Clair to take care of the matter personally. Having fought against the French and their Indian allies in the Seven Years' War and had some successes in the War of Independence, the Scotsman, who was born in Scotland, seemed like the right man for the punitive expedition. However, he now suffered from gout, so that he had to be carried on a stretcher at times and the pain clouded his mind.

St. Clair set out from Fort Washington in October 1791 with 2,000 men. This time his corps was made up partly of militia, but regular veterans formed the core of the force. She marched awkwardly through the woods of the Ohio Valley. It was already snowing and supplies were faltering. Numerous militiamen deserted, so that on November 3, only about 1,400 men reached the Wabash River in present-day Ohio. There were also numerous civilians, coachmen, traders and women. Confident of victory and in order to protect his people, St. Clair refrained from a consistent reconnaissance.

On the other side, Little Turtle, the Shawnee Blue Jacket and the Delaware Buckongahelas had assembled 1400 warriors. It is said to have been the largest number ever fielded in a war against the whites. Early in the morning, Little Turtle and the other leaders gave the signal to attack. Many of their warriors were armed with British firearms. They fought for the survival of their families and tribes. Also, scouts had reported the poor condition of the enemy.

The whites were caught in their sleep and didn't even get to take up battle formation. Most militias immediately gave up fighting and fled. The soldiers tried to break out with a bayonet attack, but failed. The battle turned into a massacre. Even the few cannons fell into the hands of the Indians. The warriors pursued the fleeing for kilometers, which many of them did not survive. They were scalped, and some had dirt stuffed into their gaping mouths as a sign of contempt for their hunger for land.

US casualties were about 700 soldiers, including 59 officers, plus 100 civilians and 350 wounded, while Little Turtle lost 35 lives. "In a single day, a quarter of the entire US army at the time was destroyed," writes Aram Mattioli. "The defeat was so devastating that the battle has remained a blank spot in the collective memory of Americans to this day, not least because it does not fit at all with the heroic legends with which the 'conquest of the West' is otherwise associated in the United States national narrative is portrayed.”

But the victory changed little in the balance of power. President Washington initiated another expedition, this time under the experienced Anthony Wayne. He left nothing to chance, but subjected his 3,700-strong "Legion of the States" to rigorous training. At the same time, he had a chain of forts built in Indian territory for logistics. Congress ensured the company's financial security.

Little Turtle warned against continuing the fighting and advised accepting a peace treaty, but was overruled by Blue Jacket and other chiefs. This split the Confederacy. Only a few tribes took part in the battle that was fought at Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794. They lost. In the Treaty of Greenville, the indigenous people had to give up large parts of the Northwest Territory.

Disillusioned, Little Turtle retreated to the Eel River. In 1797 he traveled to Washington, where he met George Washington. His contacts with the whites and the land sales he agreed with them diminished his reputation with the Indian peoples. He even agreed to support US authorities against the "prophet" Tecumseh, who led an Indian alliance against the US during the British-American War (1812-1815). Little Turtle, on the other hand, supported the USA. On a visit to Fort Wayne in July 1812 he succumbed to gout.

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