War Along the Wabash

The Ohio Indian Confederacy's Destruction of the U.S. Army, 1791

by

Steven P. Locke

  The United States was only eight years old when this campaign took place. One tends to be a bit shocked that only after so few years that the country and Army that had defeated Britain was almost totally destroyed by an Indian Confederacy. This book goes back in time a few years to show how the smoldering resentment of both the English and the Native Americans burst forth into war. We are shown that Britain ceded all of the territory up to the Mississippi River to the new United States. There was only a small matter of the indigenous population who were not a part of the treaty. The native tribes had been pushed farther and farther back by the colonists, even though Britain had tried to stop the colonists from encroaching farther inland. 

 As the book shows, the British were still upset about their loss during the American Revolution and were very slow to, or not at all, follow the treaty's stipulations in the Northwest Territories. They refused to leave most of their forts. Not only that, but they were fomenting hatred among the Native Americans for the new rush of settlers that were encroaching on their lands. The British were also arming the Native American tribes of the area.

 The author explains that just like after every war until the Cold War the United States had shrunk its Army to an incredibly small size. Governor Arthur St. Clair was authorized on March 4, 1791, to raise the Second American Infantry regiment. This, along with the First American Infantry Regiment (The U.S. Army at the time) and with some six-month volunteers, only amounted to 4,000 soldiers! This force was to be used to create forts and strike out at the Ohio Indian Confederacy.

 This sets the stage for one of the U.S. worst military defeats with losses more than three times that of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The three Native American chiefs Buckongahelas, Little Turtle, and Blue Jacket are almost forgotten now except for historians. The fame of Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse now far exceeds these earlier warriors. 

 The book goes into the hows and whys of the campaign. It then traces the resulting campaign and the trek through native American land. The battle does not really have a name like Tippecanoe or other battles against the Native Americans. It is called St. Clair's Defeat or the Battle of the Wabash but again it is mostly lost to history.

 The author has given us an excellent book about the era just after the American Revolution in the Ohio River Valley and the Northwest Territory. The book follows St. Clair's expedition day by day and gives all of the bad decisions that were made on many levels to lead to the crushing defeat. Thank you, Casemate Publishers, for allowing me to review this deep and well written book. It is a must for anyone who wants to know about early American history or the history of the Native Americans trying to defend their land.

Robert

Book: War Along the Wabash: The Ohio Indian Confederacy's Destruction of the U.S. Army, 1791

Author: Steven P. Locke

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

 

 Strategy & Tactics #340

by

Decision Games and Strategy & Tactics Press

  The French & Indian War was really the fourth war between Britain and France over the new continent. It is also the name given to the North American part of the Seven Years War. These are the wars, and their dates, fought on the North American continent:

King William's War 1688-1697 - Known as the War of the Grand Alliance in Europe

Queen Anne's War 1702-1713 - Known as The War of the Spanish Succession in Europe

King George's War 1744-1748 - Known as The War of the Austrian Succession in Europe

The French & Indian War 1754-1763 Known as the Seven Years War in Europe

 So, you can see there was a large history of warfare between the colonial powers before the last war for supremacy took place. In actuality, France really had no chance. The British colonies had a population of over a million in 1750. The French colony in Canada had a population of just over 50,000. With that disparity of numbers, it is pretty amazing that the French were able to battle that long for the continent. 

 It seems at times that the first thing that one of Noah's children did after landfall was to start printing Strategy & Tactics magazine. It was a bit heftier then and was written in Cuneiform but if you can find an old copy you will see that the format hasn't changed that much.

Part of the map for the Battle of Lake George 1755

 The articles for this issue are:

Decisive Battles of the French & Indian War by Joseph Miranda

Timur's 1398 Invasion of India and Sack of Delhi by Cam Rea

Goose Green - The Falklands 1982 by Andrew Mulholland

US Armor in the Philippines: 1941-42 by Russell Moore

 The usual departments are listed here:

On Design by Joseph Miranda

Work in Progress: Carolingian Twilight

The Russian Prewar Experience by Dave Schroeder

Did You Know? by Joseph Miranda

Flashpoints

 Iranian Drones in Venezuela by Javier Romero Munoz

 The Emerging Russo-Turkish Axis by Andrew Mulholland

 Cold War Weapons in the Russo-Ukraine War by Gilberto Villahermosa

 Lightning Carriers in the Indo-Pacific by Patrick S. Baker

For Your Information

 The 1946 Azerbaijan Crisis by Vernie Liebl

 The First Arab Siege of Constantinople, 674 -78 by Cam Rea

 Long Rifles in the 1815 Battle of New Orleans by Arnold Blumberg

 The Renault FT-17 Tank by Maciej Jonasz

Media Reviews: 

 Rome & Parthia, Empires at War Ventidius, Antony and the Second Romano-Parthian War 40-20 BC by Gareth Sampson and published by Pen & Sword reviewed by John D. Burtt

 It always happens when I get an issue of S & T that they print an article that interests me even more than my interest in the main article. The French & Indian War really interests me and always has. However, the life and reign of Timur is another bit of history that I have always tried to read everything I could get my hands on. The Falklands article takes a different than usual approach to the Goose Green Battle. As always, each page has something to make you think about or get interested in. 

Counters

 From Sir William Johnson's early victory in the war, to the penultimate Battle of Quebec, where both Wolfe and Montcalm died, along with the Battle for Fort Oswego in 1756. We have a triple dose of grand tactical battles for the French & Indian War to choose from.

 The game scale is 50-100 yards for each hex. Each strength point equals from 40-150 men. The artillery units equal from 2-6 guns. Each game turn represents 10 minutes to one hour. Both of the above vary due to the different scenario sizes.

The map is the standard 22" x 34". The map is split into three sections. The largest is the Battle of Quebec part. Next in size is the Battle of Fort George followed by the smaller Fort Oswego map. The hexes are nice and large. The nature of the terrain is mostly woods and clear hexes with the added fortification lines. The map is a well-done representation of the areas. The counters seem huge at 5/8" for a magazine game. They are also some of the best looking, if not the best, counters I have seen from S & T. The leader counters have small portraits on them. The counters show these units:

Line Infantry

Light Infantry

Grenadier Infantry

Indians

Militia Infantry 

Artillery

Supply Trains

 There are also counters for the different tactics that can be used by each side. These are used in the 'Special Tactics' of the Optional Rules. 

Attack

Volley

Bayonet Attack

Ambush

Forced March

 Each scenario has its own victory conditions. The French and British forces in each battle have a Demoralization Level. The different scenarios have conditions that raise each side's demoralization level. After that level is reached one of the effects are that disordered units cannot rally. The Special Tactics cannot be used on a side that has reached its demoralization level. The different units all have their Combat Factor, Movement Allowance, and Range Factor (if the unit is artillery). Other than some bells and whistles the games rules are pretty standard for this period of warfare. 

 These are some nice small engagements with a minimal of counters and small map footprints. They are a good choice of battles from the war. Players should be able to play a few games easily on game night. Thank you, S & T, for allowing me to review another of your excellent issues.  

Robert

S & T Press

S & T #340