Native Name
Meshikinquah or Michikinqua
White Name
Little Turtle
Nation
Miami
Little Turtle was born in 1752.
Immediately after the Revolutionary War settlers started streaming into Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. More than 45,000 people moved into Ohio in the next 20 years. A coalition of Native people attempted to maintain their hunting grounds and raided settlements taking the lives of as many as 1,500 settlers. The new American government was upset about these losses. Washington sent Gen. Josiah Harmer to present-day Cincinnati with 1,500 troops. Harmon was soundly defeated by the Native people in 1790.
Washington then sent General St. Clair to try again. In 1771 he had 2,300 soldiers. He sent some soldiers to build a new fort. Some deserted. He camped with 1,400 men on a dangerously exposed plateau. Little Turtle attacked. “His force inflicted the worst defeat ever suffered by the U.S. Army at the hands of native Americans. St. Clair’s army consisted of 1,300 soldiers. In the battle, 602 were killed and about 300 wounded. The Indian force consisted of approximately 1,000 warriors. Only 66 Indians were killed in this battle! It was the greatest defeat the Americans ever suffered at the hands of the Indians. Even worst than the loss suffered at the Battle of Little Big Horn or Custer’s Last Stand. Custer only lost about 210 men compared to St. Clair’s loss of 602 killed!” (Roebuck, Doug. Meshekinoqual aka Little Turtle. 1/29/04 <http://users.anderson.edu/~roebuck /Little_Turtle.html >.)
This period of time and series of skirmishes became known as Little Turtle’s War. Washington sent “Mad Anthony” Wayne to take care of the “Indian problem.” Wayne recruited 2,000 men who trained an entire year and added 1,000 Kentucky sharpshooters. Wayne prepared to attack, but in 1774 Fort Recovery was attacked by a band of Ottawa. They were repulsed by cannon fire. This was the first defeat of the coalition. Little Turtle saw continuation of the fight as futile. He said, “We have beaten the enemy every time; we cannot expect the same good fortune always to attend us. The Americans are now led by a chief who never sleeps. In spite of the watchfulness of our braves, we have never been able to surprise him. There is something that whispers to me that it would be prudent to listen to offers of peace.” He was stripped of being War Chief and Blue Jacket was put in his place. This resulted in the Battle of Fallen Timbers and ultimately, the Greenville Treaty. Little Turtle died in 1812 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Resources
Little Turtle Ohio History Central
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=240
Meshikinquah or Michikinqua
White Name
Little Turtle
Nation
Miami
Little Turtle was born in 1752.
Immediately after the Revolutionary War settlers started streaming into Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. More than 45,000 people moved into Ohio in the next 20 years. A coalition of Native people attempted to maintain their hunting grounds and raided settlements taking the lives of as many as 1,500 settlers. The new American government was upset about these losses. Washington sent Gen. Josiah Harmer to present-day Cincinnati with 1,500 troops. Harmon was soundly defeated by the Native people in 1790.
Washington then sent General St. Clair to try again. In 1771 he had 2,300 soldiers. He sent some soldiers to build a new fort. Some deserted. He camped with 1,400 men on a dangerously exposed plateau. Little Turtle attacked. “His force inflicted the worst defeat ever suffered by the U.S. Army at the hands of native Americans. St. Clair’s army consisted of 1,300 soldiers. In the battle, 602 were killed and about 300 wounded. The Indian force consisted of approximately 1,000 warriors. Only 66 Indians were killed in this battle! It was the greatest defeat the Americans ever suffered at the hands of the Indians. Even worst than the loss suffered at the Battle of Little Big Horn or Custer’s Last Stand. Custer only lost about 210 men compared to St. Clair’s loss of 602 killed!” (Roebuck, Doug. Meshekinoqual aka Little Turtle. 1/29/04 <http://users.anderson.edu/~roebuck /Little_Turtle.html >.)
This period of time and series of skirmishes became known as Little Turtle’s War. Washington sent “Mad Anthony” Wayne to take care of the “Indian problem.” Wayne recruited 2,000 men who trained an entire year and added 1,000 Kentucky sharpshooters. Wayne prepared to attack, but in 1774 Fort Recovery was attacked by a band of Ottawa. They were repulsed by cannon fire. This was the first defeat of the coalition. Little Turtle saw continuation of the fight as futile. He said, “We have beaten the enemy every time; we cannot expect the same good fortune always to attend us. The Americans are now led by a chief who never sleeps. In spite of the watchfulness of our braves, we have never been able to surprise him. There is something that whispers to me that it would be prudent to listen to offers of peace.” He was stripped of being War Chief and Blue Jacket was put in his place. This resulted in the Battle of Fallen Timbers and ultimately, the Greenville Treaty. Little Turtle died in 1812 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Resources
Little Turtle Ohio History Central
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=240