Fort Recovery

Fort Recovery was constructed on the site of a previous battle led by Miami leader Little Turtle and a coalition of Native Americans. Under the command of General St. Clair, 900 American soldiers were killed and 350 wounded. It would be the largest defeat of American soldiers in the history of the army against Native American forces.

Under pressure from Congress and the American people, President Washington appointed Arthur St. Clair to head a military expedition into the Ohio Country to quell an increasing hostile resistance coming from Native Americans. Starting out from Fort Washington along the Ohio River, General St. Clair ordered several forts built, but when his troops arrived at the Wabash River, they were exhausted and had not yet built a fortification or taken other precautions a military expedition would normally take . It had been 2 months since St. Clair's men had left the comforts of Fort Washington, trekking through the wilderness and now a cold winter was beginning to be felt.

With that in mind, perhaps some of General St. Clair's men were grumbling amongst themselves as they settled in around their warming camp fires for the night, complaining that their 54 year old general may not be the right person to lead them. It was early morning, the stars could still be seen pinpointing the morning sky when the first sounds of 1,500 Miami, Shawnee and Delaware Indians began rushing through their camp, screaming war whoops louder than any of the soldiers had ever heard before. These war cries were quickly over-taken by the cries of the men being slaughtered. A few of the waking soldiers realized what was happened and grabbed their muskets and managed to get off a few shots. In all there were maybe 30 or so fallen enemy, maybe a few more. Those furthest from the attackers were able to slip into the woods and escape. They were the lucky few

Later the soldiers trying to document what happened were having trouble remembering all the details. What they remembered in detail was wave after wave of Native Americans killing their comrades. In all 900 American soldiers died during that early morning raid on November 4, 1791. Among the dead was Major General Richard Butler, who remains to this day as being the highest ranking army official killed in battle. Overall, it was the worst-ever defeat of the U.S. Army by Native Americans in a single battle.

This was the history of the area and President Washington had a problem. He needed to gain control of country's western frontier before the British could establish a strong foothold here along with many of the Native American's who saw the new American republic as an ever growing threat to their influence over the land.

With St. Clair's defeat, Washington made the decision he needed a stronger, better trained force that would not make the same mistakes. He asked his old Revolutionary War friend General Anthony Wayne, to come out of retirement and head the U.S. Army.

General Wayne spent some time organizing and training his new army before leading them into what was sure to be a heated conflict. Well organized and disciplined, Wayne's army left Fort Washington (now Cincinnati) and made its headquarters at a location where Wayne established the largest fort ever built to date that he named Greene Ville.

In December 1793, General Anthony Wayne sent an artillery unit and 8 infantry companies to the site where St. Clair was soundly defeated. Here they were to build a fort on the former battlefield. Wayne intended to use this fort as a staging area for his assault against Ohio natives when the weather warmed the following spring. He named the stockade Fort Recovery. Once the fort was completed, Wayne spent the remainder of the winter moving additional soldiers to the fort.

The Shawnee, Miami, and Delaware Indians all feared the presence of the Americans and sent representatives to Fort Recovery to ask for peace. Wayne demanded all native chiefs in the surrounding area attend a peace conference and that the Indians return any white captives that they currently held.

Fearing for their own safety and not trusting the Americans, the natives refused this demand. Instead they prepared to isolate the fort. By attacking the garrison's supply lines stretching back to Fort Washington, they figured they could starve the Americans, forcing them to abandon the fort. That June a force of of 2,000 Shawnee, Delaware, Ottawa, Miami, and Ojibwa Indians attacked a pack train returning from Fort Recovery to Greene Ville. Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, and Simon Girty led the assault.

The attack was made less than 1000' from Fort Recovery. Of the 140 American soldiers escorting the wagons, the natives killed or wounded 15. They also seized 300 horses. Indian casualties amounted to 3 dead warriors. Soon after this attack, the Indians, emboldened by their success, launched a night attack against Fort Recovery.

Inside the stockaded fort, 250 American soldiers succeeded in defending against the night assault, losing 22 men. The natives suffered 40 dead and 20 wounded. After this assault, the Native Americans were forced to withdraw further north with General Wayne pursuing. Fort Recovery then became another foothold in the lengthening supply line that would eventually reach almost to Lake Erie.

Later that summer in August, the Battle of Fallen Timbers was fought along the Maumee River. It was this decisive battle that most of the Indians realized they had little chance in stopping the American settlement of their lands. A year later in 1795, many Native Americans, although reluctantly, agreed to sign the Treaty of Greene Ville. By signing this document, they officially gave up all claims to the land south and east of a line extending from Lake Erie south along the Cuyahoga River, to the Tuscarawas River, and then to Fort Laurens. From Fort Laurens, the line ran west to Fort Loramie, then northwest to Fort Recovery, and then straight south to the Ohio River.

ABOVE: Surveyors mark installed on the 200th Anniversary of the Greenville Treaty located just outside of the partially reconstructed Fort Recovery western wall indicates the exact location of the northwest corner of the Greenville Treaty Line.

Through General Wayne's organized military expeditions, he had secured from the natives the majority of modern-day Ohio with the exception of the extreme northwestern corner of the state. This land would later be taken at the conclusion of the War of 1812 when many of Ohio's Native Americans once again sided with the British / Canadians in an attempt to defeat the Americans. The Treaty of Greeneville opened the Ohio Country for peaceful settlement and lead to Ohio's statehood 8 years later in 1803.

Fort Recovery is located about 20 miles southwest of Grand Lake St. Mary not far from the Ohio / Indiana border. The city of Fort Recovery stands today on the site of the frontier fort.

Fort Recovery State Museum

The museum features Anthony Wayne’s legionnaires and a typical Native American from the 1790s. Life size mannequins show an officer & artillerymen operating a Howitzer cannon, an infantryman making use of the stockade, and a dragoon complete with his horse. Information and maps explain both the Harmar and St. Clair campaigns along with a detailed explanation of Wayne’s campaign and the construction of the fort.

The original flagstaff from the fort as well as many artifacts from the 1790 campaigns are proudly displayed. Fort Recovery was a pivotal point on the Greenville Treaty Line.

Visit the balcony to see a large display of prehistoric artifacts found in the local area. Artifacts date back to 14,000 years B.C. This is one of the largest displays of prehistoric arrow points, spear points, and stone axes in Ohio. The gift shop has numerous books, maps, postcards and other items relevant to Fort Recovery.

ABOVE: Fort Recovery Historical Society Tool Cabin.

Along with the museum are several relocated 1840 log houses, one of which has been turned into what a typical blacksmith shop might have looked from the early 1800s.

ABOVE: The depression in the foreground of this photograph shows the actual river bank of the Wabash River at the time Fort Recovery was constructed. In the early 1900s the river channel was changed moving it further west.

See also: Fort Recovery Memorial