Qualla: St. Clair's Defeat https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:15 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/5/t/st-clair-s-defeat-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: St. Clair's Defeat https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat St. Clair's Defeat: Introduction https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat/ Photo credit Dana60Cummins, CC0. Only 24 men walked away unharmed. On the morning of November 4, 1791, near the headwaters of the Wabash River in what is now western Ohio, more than 1,000 warriors of the Northwestern Confederacy fell upon a sleeping American camp and delivered the most devastating defeat the United States Army would ever suffer at the hands of Native Americans. The casualty rate among soldiers reached 97 percent. A total of 832 Americans were killed, more than three times the toll at Little Bighorn 85 years later. When 300 soldiers arrived two years afterward to build an outpost on the site, they found the ground so thick with human remains they had to clear bones before they could lay their bedrolls.

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Image: Dana60Cummins | CC0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/5/t/st-clair-s-defeat-wp/dp5t-st-clairs-defeat-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full St. Clair's Defeat: A Campaign Doomed Before It Began https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat/ Photo credit John W. Barber and Henry Howe, Public domain. President George Washington ordered Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, to march north and crush the Miami and their allies at their capital of Kekionga. But everything went wrong before the first shot was fired. Recruits were poorly trained, food supplies were...

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Image: John W. Barber and Henry Howe | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/5/t/st-clair-s-defeat-wp/dp5t-st-clairs-defeat-a-campaign-doomed-before-it-began.mp3 0:06 2 full St. Clair's Defeat: Thirty Minutes to Encirclement https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat/ Photo credit Benson J. Lossing, Public domain. The Americans camped on a high meadow on the evening of November 3, splitting their force across the Wabash with the militia on one side and regulars on the other, a fatal mistake that prevented quick reinforcement. No defensive works were built despite reports of Native scouts i...

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Image: Benson J. Lossing | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/5/t/st-clair-s-defeat-wp/dp5t-st-clairs-defeat-thirty-minutes-to-encirclement.mp3 0:06 3 full St. Clair's Defeat: Flight Context https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat/ Photo credit Benson J. Lossing, Public domain. Located at 40.41N, 84.78W, near the village of Fort Recovery in Mercer County, western Ohio. The battlefield sits on rolling agricultural land near the headwaters of the Wabash River. From altitude the terrain is flat Midwestern farmland with scattered woodlots. Best viewed at 2,000-4,000 feet AGL. Nearby airports: Neil Armstrong Airport (KAOH) in Sidney 25nm southeast, Mercer County Regional (GMER) 15nm southwest. Fort Recovery State Museum marks the approximate site of the battle.

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Image: Benson J. Lossing | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/5/t/st-clair-s-defeat-wp/dp5t-st-clairs-defeat-a-flight-through-the-snow.mp3 0:06 4 full St. Clair's Defeat: Washington's Fury and a New Army https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat/ Photo credit Benson J. Lossing, Public domain. When Major Ebenezer Denny brought the official report to Philadelphia in December, President Washington erupted in a fury recorded for posterity. He forced St. Clair to resign, though he then reappointed him governor of the Northwest Territory. Congress launched the first-ever in...

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Image: Benson J. Lossing | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/5/t/st-clair-s-defeat-wp/dp5t-st-clairs-defeat-washingtons-fury-and-a-new-army.mp3 0:06 5 full St. Clair's Defeat: The High-Water Mark https://qualla.com/st-clair-s-defeat/ Photo credit Canute, CC BY-SA 4.0. In December 1793, the Legion of the United States built Fort Recovery on the battlefield itself, clearing the mass of bones that still covered the ground. In the summer of 1794, General Anthony Wayne led this new professional force to a decisive victory at the Battle of Fallen Ti...

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Image: Canute | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/5/t/st-clair-s-defeat-wp/dp5t-st-clairs-defeat-the-high-water-mark.mp3 0:06 6 full