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) *
...assembles both the narrative and hard-to-find reference materials that genealogists and historians need... * The Hoosier Genealogist *
