Blue Jacket, Anthony Wayne, and the Psychological and Symbolic War for Ohio, 1790–95

Abstract

The conclusion of the American Revolution ended hostilities on the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains, but a volatile and violent situation persisted in the Ohio Country. Unlike the sporadic traders, who for over a century wandered their way through the region, a new stream of settlers poured over the Ohio River, intent on becoming permanent residents. The numerous indigenous nations of the region resolved that they would not give up their homelands without a fight. As white settlers traveled down the Ohio River in 1788, Indian raiding parties destroyed white settlements with disturbing effectiveness, frequently dispatching their floating targets.1 Peace negotiations stalled as the United States failed to control its settlers, and the Indian nations failed to restrain their warriors. The ratification of the Constitution and the election of George Washington brought a new phase to the struggle for the Northwest Territory. Afraid of losing the region to Great Britain or even Spain, the new commander in chief ordered an official government campaign to subdue the hostile Indians and pacify the Ohio Country for white settlement. This would prove to be a difficult task as two different American military campaigns ended in humiliating defeats. In the autumn of 1790, Gen. Josiah Harmar led an unsuccessful attack against the Indian town of Kekionga (Fort Wayne, Indiana), where a coalition