Hello everyone! Sorry for taking so long, finals came and I had a little bit less time to write. And, this update was intended to cover both the continuing Ohio War, and a concurrent war that's about to break out in the Union. But, that second bit's taking a bit longer to write, so instead, here's the continuation of the Ohio War.
"I hold that no man has a right to withhold his services when his country needs them."
--Arthur St. Clair
Following James Wilkinson’s ousting for treason, Governor of the Northwest, Arthur St. Clair assumed control of American forces in the Northwest, in turn taking direct control of Legion II. St. Clair’s first target was the republican stronghold on the Wabash River, Fort Liberty, with the Legion II departing for the fort in late August, and arriving on September 12th.
St. Clair expected Fort Liberty to be garrisoned with at most two hundred republicans as it was little more than a small stockade. Instead, nearly twelve hundred New Legionnaires and other republicans were present at the fort. The Lenape and Legion I’s victory at Coshocton had led to the New Legion and most other republicans retreating to Fort Liberty for an organized withdrawal north; most republicans feared that individual Patriot Corps would be picked off one by one if they retreated individually, so they had begun assembling at Fort Liberty in preparation.
As the sun had just began to set, the Legion II reached Fort Liberty, dropping practically on top of the encamped republican forces. When the Legion II was spotted by the republicans, the republicans outside of the fort began to retreat inside. However, the number of republicans and the relatively small size of the fort led to the republicans crowding, becoming a tightly packed mob as they pushed through the fort’s entrance, slowing down the retreat inside enough that forces from the Legion were able to begin attacking the retreating republicans. Republicans mounted a chaotic defense, even as more continued to retreat into the fort. A few minutes into the battle however, the shouts of the republicans outside began to be met with those of republicans inside the fort, and the tide of republicans retreating inside collided with a crowd attempting to get out of the fort.
Republicans climbed on top of the fort’s walls, attempting to shout commands to the republicans outside, only for them to be shot by Legion forces. After a few attempts however, a white flag arose above the stockades, ending the battle. As republicans continued to pour out of the fort, smoke began to rise from the fort as well. At some point during the republican’s hasty retreat into the fort, a dropped lamp or accidental spark caught the dry grass and scattered hay of the parade ground ablaze. Thanks to a breeze, the small flame shot across the parade ground, catching republicans with cotton or silk articles of clothing on fire which is what had sparked the panic. More troublingly was the fact that one of the storehouses had also caught on fire which threatened to ignite the republicans’ stores of gunpowder. After the fort was evacuated, both republicans and Legionnaires worked to put out the blaze however less than ten minutes after the evacuation finished, the gunpowder would catch fire and detonate.
Nearly one hundred republicans, and thirty Legionnaires lay dead by the end of the day, with three hundred republicans scattering and the rest being taken prisoner. While it was a tremendous victory for the Legion, rumours would spread through the Northwest that St. Clair had attempted to force the republicans into the burning fort so that the gunpowder’s detonation would kill the republicans and spare the effort of taking them prisoner. While the rumour failed to catch on with all but the most radical of republicans back east, it just so happened that those same radical republicans were those who made up the Patriot Corps moving west. This led to many republicans assuming St. Clair was going to take a merciless stance towards the republicans, which in turn led to the natives of the Protectorate assuming St. Clair would intend to take the same stance against them; after all, if the Legion wouldn’t have any mercy towards their own countrymen, why expect they would have any against them?
Despite the rumours of brutality, St. Clair would actually treat the captured prisoners with considerable kindness for the time. The act likely wasn’t out of the kindness of St. Clair’s heart, but a political maneuver to prevent republicans back east from gaining political ground, although it likely wasn’t necessary as the Title War had begun. St. Clair’s treatment of the prisoners would prevent further operations by Legion II and prevented St. Clair from launching a final offensive before the winter. General Simcoe and Little Turtle would undertake the offensive instead, attacking south and east towards the Lenape.
Both the Lenape and Legion I met Simcoe and Little Turtle outside of the ruins of Gnadenhutten. While not a deliberate choice of location by either side, it was a highly symbolic location for the battle. In 1782, Gnadenhutten had been the site of a massacre of Christian-convert Lenape by American militiamen. It was a part of the reason Chief Buckongahelas had once advocated moving west and even after a decade, the memory still burned bright in the hearts of the Lenape. Outnumbered and with terrain that didn’t assist in defense, the Lenape and Legion would suffer a defeat at Gnadenhutten, but ultimately that mattered little. At Gnadenhutten, Lenape and Legion forces fought side-by-side, allowing for a propaganda victory. Future generations of the Lenape would consider the Battle of Gnadenhutten as the beginning of the Mèlikën Kaskahtèna (literally the American Embrace) or the rising period of friendship between the Lenape and the Americans.
Back east, debate had begun over how or even if the Ohio War should continue. The British embargo had severely harmed the American economy, and in July, the embargo had been extended to Rhode Island, cutting out the chief method American traders had to bypass the embargo. Some politicians, chiefly those from New England, had begun to push for a peace settlement between American and Britain, a few going so far as to suggest abandoning the Northwest.
This option was generally unacceptable for most American politicians, but there were still a number of questions on the future of the war. The four Legions were somewhat expensive for the very indebted Union to maintain, and the states weren’t very happy with the prospect of paying for it. Proposals were put forward to decrease in their pay as a monetary saving measure. The military did have an interesting champion in Congress however, the recently elected representative from New York, Major General Horatio Gates. General Gates had a mixed reputation and his service in the American Revolution was not well considered, but in a rousing speech in mid-August, Gates would remind Congress that not paying the army could have disastrous consequences, drawing comparisons to the Newburgh Conspiracy that almost saw the army marching on Congress in 1783.
While comparisons to the Newburgh Conspiracy was hyperbolic on the part of Gates, it did get the point across that the economic situation ought to be resolved without harming the military. The question, of course was how. Many proposals would be made, and with the other various reforms and amendments to the constitution that were being passed and proposed at the time, some expected economic reform was the next economic step.
However, on March 16th, 1783, Virginia would declare itself a Grand Duchy and talks of economic reform and of the conduct of the Ohio War were buried as the Title War began.