St Clair set out from Fort Washington in September 1791 and proceeded in the direction of the Miami villages, to the south-west of Lake Erie.  As he advanced, he found himself worried by bands of redskins who hung upon his line of march.  By November 3, however, he had come within fifteen miles of the Indian villages.  When he pitched his camp, his army of militiamen and regulars numbered about fourteen hundred men all told.  The Indians were also fairly numerous, and were under the guidance of Little Turtle, a brave chief of the Miamis.  Though drawn from various nations, their hearts were knit together by the peril which confronted them.  Within their ranks were a hundred and fifty stalwarts of the Mohawk tribe, as well as a number of white men and half-breeds from Canada, who had come to their assistance.

When the fight began the Mohawks were seen to do the bidding of a tall and agile chieftain.  Though Little Turtle was the nominal leader, it is conceded that the main antagonist whom St Clair had pitted against him in this engagement was Joseph Brant.  Having sent his militiamen on in advance, the American general had bivouacked with the regulars by the side of a small stream, which ran into the Wabash.  Just before daybreak on November 4, the raw militiamen found themselves suddenly attacked by a force of redskins.  The Americans, who were about a quarter of a mile from the principal camp, turned and fled in confusion.  This was what the Indians desired.  So hotly did the militiamen retreat towards the camp that St Clair’s main force was almost carried off its feet.  A rally was made, but the Indians dashed forward with swiftness and daring.  Following on the heels of the fleeing militiamen, they were soon at the very edge of the encampment.  There they began to pick off the American gunners one by one.

In a short time St Clair’s invading army was hemmed in on every side and many of his officers had fallen.  Charge after charge was made by his men, but all to no avail.  At length he saw that the day was lost and gave orders for retreat, hoping to save what was left of his force.  A weak spot was found in the redskins’ line, and a remnant of St Clair’s proud army went free, scurrying off in wild precipitation to Fort Jefferson, thirty miles away.  The ground was thickly strewn with their dead.  It has been computed that in this battle eight hundred of St Clair’s force were killed or wounded.

This disaster in the country of the Miamis showed the United States how hard it would be to break the spirit of the red men.  War having effected nothing, it was again decided to resort to entreaty.  A number of chiefs of different tribes were invited to go to Philadelphia, and among them was Captain Brant.  ‘I can assure you,’ wrote the secretary of state in the federal government to Brant on February 2, 1792, ’that the President of the United States will be highly gratified by receiving and conversing with a chief of such eminence as you