The Road Ahead ................. (Florida Ride 2013): Fort Recovery, Ohio

June 11, 2013

In the fall of 1791, gout-suffering General Arthur St Clair led an under-trained and poorly-equipped army of soldiers into the northwestern frontier, under orders from President George Washington, to suppress ongoing Indian hostilities against white settlers in that region ceded by the British at the end of the American Revolution. The Indians, most of whom were confederates of the British during the war, were considered by President Washington in violation of the Treaty of Paris, the document marking an end to the war and relinquishing all formerly held British land east of the Mississippi River to the new nation, The United States of America. Of course the Indians disagreed. They hadn't been represented at the Treaty of Paris and had signed nothing. To them, the unwanted settlers were intruders, as was any army sent to protect them.

Plagued by desertion and illness during the month-long march from Fort Washington to the intended destination near present day Fort Wayne, Indiana, St Clair's army of 600 regulars, 800 six-month conscripts and 600 poorly disciplined militia had dwindled from 2,000 to 1,486. They were massacred by a confederation of Indian tribes in early morning (Nov 4th) before they could break camp. Only 48 survived uninjured and only by running for their lives. The human loss is said to have been 3 times greater than the Custer slaughter 85 years later.

The 4-hour battle would come to be known as St. Clair's Defeat, though its official name would be Battle of The Wabash for its location at the headwaters of the Wabash River. Among the 39 officers killed was 32-year-old Inslee Anderson, a veteran of the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown during the American Revolution. He is listed among the dead only as "Adjutant Anderson." He left behind two orphaned sons, their mother having died 5 years earlier. The boys would be raised by Inslee's brother, Joseph Inslee Anderson, who became the 4th state senator in the newly formed state of Tennessee and, later, the first Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury. One of the boys, also named Joseph Anderson, would grow up and have descendants of his own, one of whom is my wife, Sherry. Adjutant Anderson was her 5th great grandfather.

Three years after St. Clair's Defeat a better prepared army, commanded by General Anthony Wayne, waged a victorious fight against the Indians and built a fort on the site of the original battle, aptly naming it "Fort Recovery". The village that later formed retains the name and maintains a replica of the original fort that has long since weathered away.

And so it is, I have personal reasons for visiting the little known town of Fort Recovery, Ohio. Because it's apparently too small to have a motel I'm staying 13 miles west in Portland, Indiana at the Holiday Express where I've booked two nights.

Today was beautiful riding weather, all 255 miles of the ride. Though I could have shaved off an hour, and 50 miles, by traveling the direct route through Indianapolis, I chose to meander the numerous two lane highways that weave a diagonal path across the state. The GPS was on her best behavior. Led me through mazes all day with nary a glitch. Highlights from today's ride are shown in the video below:

Smugmug

After off-loading my gear at the motel, I decided to spend what was left of this bright and clear afternoon at Fort Recovery, a short distance away. Standing in the city park, and visible from most areas of town, is a tall obelisk, a monument commemorating the victims of St. Clair's Defeat erected in 1913 atop the mass grave where their remains are buried. Though all soldiers are not listed, names of the officers are engraved on the walls at the base of the monument.

By the time I finished with pictures and pondering the history, the nearby fort and museum were closed. Not a problem in that I fully intend to return tomorrow.