The Soldiers of America's First Army: 1791

by Richard M. Lytle

Overview

1791 marked one of the worst military defeats the United States Army ever suffered. As Major General Arthur St. Clair led both regular Army and militia levee soldiers to the banks of the Wabash River, Native Americans rose to stop them—and stop the Army they did. In this fascinating study, Richard Lytle gives historians, genealogists, and local history buffs a monumental resource for the study of St. Clair's soldiers. Not only a detailed narrative of this campaign, this is also the most complete roster of soldiers available, and a comprehensive description of their origins, equipment and organization.

This resource assembles in one place both the narrative and hard to find reference materials that genealogists and historians need to research and better understand this seminal event in America's westward growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810850118
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/22/2004
Pages:	454
Product dimensions:	6.92(w) x 8.44(h) x 1.14(d)

About the Author

Richard M. Lytle is a historian and librarian at Hammond Public Library in Hammond, Indiana.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Acknowledgments Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 1. History of the Miami Indians Chapter 4 2. The United States Army before 1791 Chapter 5 3. Creating the Regiments Chapter 6 4. Recruiting and Forming the Regiments Chapter 7 5. Deployments, April to September 1791 Chapter 8 6. The Question of Numbers Chapter 9 7. Beginning St. Clair's Campaign Chapter 10 8. The Fight on the Wabash Chapter 11 9. Retreat and Recovery Chapter 12 10. Aftermath Chapter 13 Personnel Lists Chapter 14 Appendix: Numbers, Food, Equipment, Clothing Chapter 15 Notes Chapter 16 Bibliography Chapter 17 Index Chapter 18 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

...what Lytle provides is a virtual treasure trove of biographies of the officers and rosters of each formation. While he describes the raising of the forces and the campaign in 135 pages, his detailed biographical data and unit rosters run to 285 pages! The officer biographies are great reading and create a vivid picture of the society of the early republic. While this is not the definitive story of St. Clair's defeat, it is an indispensable account of that event.

On Point: The Journal of Army History

...assembles both the narrative and hard-to-find reference materials that genealogists and historians need...

The Hoosier Genealogist

On November 4, 1791, the US Army, under the command of Major General Arthur St. Clair, suffered a major defeat. Expanding previous accounts, an Indiana historian/librarian includes a more complete roster of the units that fought against the Miami Indians on the banks of the upper Wabash River, a history of the tribe and the formation of the new US army. Lytle implies that, due to intentional as well as accidental destruction of records, the fate of every participant in the campaign may never be known. The roster and related Army details comprise about two-thirds of the book.

Reference and Research Book News

...well researched...excellent job detailing the many difficulties American governmental and military officials faced in raising an army and maintaining it in the field in the Old Northwest....perhaps the most valuable part of the book lies in the nine lists that comprise the bulk of the volume. In the lists, Lytle has painstakingly compiled brief biographies of all the officers who served in the campaign, as well as rosters of the enlisted men who served in the five national units....Lytle's work should be consulted by those with an interest in the history of the United States Army during the early national period. It also should constitute a valuable resource for genealogists.

History Teacher

On November 4, 1791, the US Army, under the command of Major General Arthur St. Clair, suffered a major defeat. Expanding previous accounts, an Indiana historian/librarian includes a more complete roster of the units that fought against the Miami Indians on the banks of the upper Wabash River, a history of the tribe and the formation of the new US army. Lytle implies that, due to intentional as well as accidental destruction of records, the fate of every participant in the campaign may never be known. The roster and related Army details comprise about two-thirds of the book.--Reference and Research Book News

...what Lytle provides is a virtual treasure trove of biographies of the officers and rosters of each formation. While he describes the raising of the forces and the campaign in 135 pages, his detailed biographical data and unit rosters run to 285 pages! The officer biographies are great reading and create a vivid picture of the society of the early republic. While this is not the definitive story of St. Clair's defeat, it is an indispensable account of that event.--On Point: The Journal of Army History

...well researched...excellent job detailing the many difficulties American governmental and military officials faced in raising an army and maintaining it in the field in the Old Northwest....perhaps the most valuable part of the book lies in the nine lists that comprise the bulk of the volume. In the lists, Lytle has painstakingly compiled brief biographies of all the officers who served in the campaign, as well as rosters of the enlisted men who served in the five national units....Lytle's work should be consulted by those with an interest in the history of the United States Army during the early national period. It also should constitute a valuable resource for genealogists.--History Teacher, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Spring/Summer 2006)

From the Publisher

...what Lytle provides is a virtual treasure trove of biographies of the officers and rosters of each formation. While he describes the raising of the forces and the campaign in 135 pages, his detailed biographical data and unit rosters run to 285 pages! The officer biographies are great reading and create a vivid picture of the society of the early republic. While this is not the definitive story of St. Clair's defeat, it is an indispensable account of that event.

On Point: The Journal of Army History

...what Lytle provides is a virtual treasure trove of biographies of the officers and rosters of each formation. While he describes the raising of the forces and the campaign in 135 pages, his detailed biographical data and unit rosters run to 285 pages! The officer biographies are great reading and create a vivid picture of the society of the early republic. While this is not the definitive story of St. Clair's defeat, it is an indispensable account of that event.

On Point