Battle of Fallen Timbers
Part of the Northwest Indian War
An 1896 depiction of the battle from Harper's Magazine
Date: August 20, 1794 Location: near present Toledo, Ohio Result: Decisive United States victory Casus belli: {{{casus}}} Territory changes: {{{territory}}}
Combatants
Blue Jacket's confederacy	United States
Commanders
Blue Jacket Buckongahelas	Anthony Wayne
Strength
1,500	3,000
Casualties
40	33 killed 100 wounded
{{{notes}}}

The Battle of Fallen Timbers (August 20, 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indians and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory. The battle, which was a decisive victory for the United States, ended major hostilities in the region until "Tecumseh's War" and the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The Northwest Indian War (1785-1795), often known as Little Turtles War in older reference works, was a war fought between the United States and a large confederation of Native Americans (Indians) for control of the Old Northwest, which ended with a decisive U.S. victory at the Battle... Image File history File links Fallen_timbers. ... An issue of Harpers Magazine from 1905 Another issue, from November 2004 Harpers Magazine (or simply Harpers) is a monthly general-interest magazine covering literature, politics, culture, and the arts. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: The Glass City Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... Blue Jacket or Weyapiersenwah (c. ... Blue Jacket or Weyapiersenwah (c. ... Buckongahelas (1725?–May 1805) was a Delaware (Lenape) war leader who led his followers against the United States during the American Revolutionary War and again in the Northwest Indian War; in the latter war he helped win the most devastating military victory ever achieved by American Indians against the United... Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 - December 15, 1796), was a United States Army general and statesman. ... The Northwest Indian War (1785-1795), often known as Little Turtles War in older reference works, was a war fought between the United States and a large confederation of Native Americans (Indians) for control of the Old Northwest, which ended with a decisive U.S. victory at the Battle... Combatants American Indian confederacy United States Commanders Michikinikwa Blue Jacket Arthur St. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Northwest Indian War (1785-1795), often known as Little Turtles War in older reference works, was a war fought between the United States and a large confederation of Native Americans (Indians) for control of the Old Northwest, which ended with a decisive U.S. victory at the Battle... A Sioux in traditional dress including war bonnet, circa 1908. ... The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and the Territory North West of the Ohio, was a government and region within the early United States. ... At Vincennes in 1810, Tecumseh loses his temper when William Henry Harrison refuses to rescind the Treaty of Fort Wayne. ... The Battle of Tippecanoe was a decisive victory by United States forces led by then-Governor of the Indiana Territory William Henry Harrison over the forces of Tecumsehs growing American Indian confederation. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Background

An Indian confederacy—one of the strongest Native American alliances to date—had achieved major victories over the United States in 1790 and 1791, alarming the administration of President George Washington. In 1792, Washington called upon Revolutionary War veteran General "Mad Anthony" Wayne to build and command a new army. Wayne believed the previous expeditions against the Indians had failed because of the poor training and discipline, and so he began rigorous preparations. 1790 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1791 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the successful Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and later became the first President of the United States, an office to which he was elected, unanimously, twice (1789-1797). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 - December 15, 1796), was a United States Army general and statesman. ...

Wayne had plenty of time to train his new army, as peace negotiations were undertaken in the summer of 1793. The Americans sought to confirm possession of lands north of the Ohio River that they had claimed from Great Britain after victory in the American Revolutionary War. Indeed, the Americans were already moving into the Ohio lands. 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Ohio River viewed from Liberty Hill in Ripley, Ohio. ...

However, Shawnee war chief Blue Jacket and Delaware (Lenape) leader Buckongahelas, encouraged by their recent victories over the United States and the hope of continued British sponsorship, pressed for the Ohio River boundary line established by the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768; they rejected subsequent treaties that had ceded lands north of the Ohio River to the United States. A faction of Indians led by the influential Mohawk leader Joseph Brant attempted to negotiate a compromise, but Blue Jacket and his allies would accept nothing less than an Ohio River boundary, which the United States refused. The Shawnee are a people native to North America, and are therefore considered to be Native Americans. ... Blue Jacket or Weyapiersenwah (c. ... The Lenape or Lenni-Lenape (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans) were, in the 1600s, loosely organized bands of Native American people practicing small-scale agriculture to augment a largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region around the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. ... Buckongahelas (1725?–May 1805) was a Delaware (Lenape) war leader who led his followers against the United States during the American Revolutionary War and again in the Northwest Indian War; in the latter war he helped win the most devastating military victory ever achieved by American Indians against the United... Two different treaties between Native Americans and European-Americans were signed at Fort Stanwix, which was located near present-day Rome, New York. ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Mohawk (Kanienkeh or Kanienkehaka meaning People of the Flint) are an indigenous people of North America who live around Lake Ontario and the St. ... Joseph Brant, painted in London by George Romney in 1776 Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (sometimes spelled Brandt or Brand) (c. ...

Battle

Wayne's new army, the Legion of the United States, marched north from Fort Washington (Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1793, building a line of forts along the way. Wayne commanded more than 3,000 men, with some Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians serving as scouts. The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the United States Army in 1791 under the command of General Mad Anthony Wayne. ... Nickname: The Queen City Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Pushmataha was the most famous leader of the Choctaws. ... Young Chickasaw warrior The Chickasaws are a Native American people of the United States, originally from present-day Mississippi, now mostly living in Oklahoma. ...

Blue Jacket's army took a defensive stand along the Maumee River (not far from present-day Toledo, Ohio), near a number of uprooted trees ("fallen timbers") that had been leveled by a tornado or heavy storm. They reckoned that the trees would hinder the advance of the army, if they came. Nearby was Fort Miamis, a British outpost from which the Indian confederacy received provisions. The Indian army, about 1,500 strong, consisted of Blue Jacket's Shawnees and Buckongahelas's Delawares, Miamis led by Little Turtle, Wyandots, Ojibwas, Ottawas, Potawatomis, Mingos, and even some Canadian militia. See also List of Indiana rivers List of Ohio rivers External link EPA Maumee River site Categories: US geography stubs | Indiana rivers | Ohio rivers ... Nickname: The Glass City Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Fort Miami was the name of several forts in what is now the United States. ... The Miami are a Native American tribe originally found in Indiana and Ohio. ... Michikinikwa (Little Turtle) (1752-July 14, 1812) was a chief of the Miami tribe in what is presently Indiana. ... The Wyandot or Wendat (also called the Huron) are a First Nations people originally from modern day Southern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. ... The Ojibwa, Aanishanabe or Chippewa (also Ojibwe, Ojibway, Chippeway, Anishinaabe, or Anishinabek) are the largest group of Native Americans/First Nations north of Mexico, including Métis. ... The Ottawa (also Odawa, Odaawa, Outaouais, or Trader) are a Native American and First Nations people. ... Rain dance, Kansas, c. ... // Tribal Name Mingo is thought to be a corruption of mingwe, which is an Algonquian word meaning stealthy or treacherous. ...

The battle did not last long. Not only were the Indians greatly outnumbered—many were getting provisions from the fort when the battle began—they were also outflanked by American cavalry. The Indians were quickly routed, and fell back to Fort Miamis, only to find the gates closed. The British commander, not authorized to start a war with the Americans, refused to give shelter to the fleeing Indians. The American troops destroyed Indian villages and crops in the area, and then withdrew. Each side lost about 40 men.

The defeat of the Indians led to the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, which ceded much of present-day Ohio to the United States, paving the way for the creation of that state in 1803. One veteran of Fallen Timbers who did not sign the Greenville treaty was a young Shawnee war leader named Tecumseh, who would renew Indian resistance in the years ahead. The Treaty of Greenville was signed on August 3, 1795 between a coalition of Native Americans (Indians) and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 34th 116,096 km² 355 km 355 km 8. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... This 1848 drawing of Tecumseh was based on a sketch done from life in 1808. ...

References

• Sudgen, John. Blue Jacket: Warrior of the Shawnees. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2000.
• Sword, Wiley. President Washington's Indian War: The Struggle for the Old Northwest, 1790-1795. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985.

External links

• The Fallen Timbers battlefield today
• Ohio History Central
• Ohio Indian Wars Message Board