Military officer; born in
Philadelphia in 1753; was educated chiefly in the school of Robert Proud, the
Quaker and historian; entered the army as captain of a Pennsylvania regiment in 1776; was its lieutenant-colonel in 1777; and served faithfully through the war in the
North and the
South.
Made brevet colonel in the United States army in September, 1783, he was sent to
France in 1784 with the ratification of the definitive treaty of peace.
He was made Indian agent for the territory northwest of the
Ohio, and in 1787 Congress made him a brevet brigadier-general.
On Sept. 29, 1789, he was appointed commander-inchief of the army of the United States, and had charge of an expedition against the
Miami Indians in the fall of 1790, but was defeated.
Harmar resigned his commission in January, 1792, and was made adjutant-general of
Pennsylvania in 1793, in which post he was active in furnishing
Pennsylvania troops for
Wayne's campaign in 1793-94.
He died in
Philadelphia, Aug. 20, 1813.
At the time of his expedition against the Indians, the
British, in violation of the treaty of 1783, still held
Detroit and ether Western military posts.
British agents instigated the Indians of the
Northwest to make war on the frontier settlers, in order to secure for British commerce the monopoly of the fur-trade.
This had been kept up ever since 1783, and the posts were held with a hope that the league of States would fall to pieces, and an opportunity would be afforded to bring back the new republic to colonial dependence.
Sir John Johnson, former Indian agent, was again on the frontier, and Lord Dorchester (
Sir Guy Carleton) was again governor of
Canada, which gave strength to the opinion that the discontents of the Indians were fostered for a political purpose.
The Northwestern tribes, encouraged by the
British agents, insisted upon re-establishing the
[
249]
Ohio River as the
Indian boundary.
Attempts to make a peaceable arrangement were unsuccessful.
The
Indians would listen to no terms; and in September, 1790,
General Harmar led more than 1,000 volunteers from
Fort Washington (now
Cincinnati) into the
Indian country around the head-waters of the
Maumee (or
Miami), to chastise the hostile
Indians.
He did not succeed.
He found the Indians near the head of the
Maumee, at the junction of the St. Joseph's and
St. Mary's rivers, late in October, 1790. Four hundred men were detached to attack them, of whom sixty were regulars, under
Major Wyllys.
These reached the
Maumee after sunrise on Oct. 23.
Militia under
Major Hall proceeded to pass around the
Indian village at the head of the
Maumee, and assist, in their rear, an attack of the main body on their front.
The latter were to cross the
Maumee at the usual ford, and then surround the Indians, who were led by the celebrated chief,
Little Turtle.
Before this could be effected the
Indian encampment was aroused, and a part of them fled.
Some of the militia and the cavalry who had passed the ford started in pursuit, in disobedience of orders, leaving the regulars, who had also passed the ford, unsupported, when the latter were attacked by
Little Turtle and the main body of the Indians, and driven back with great slaughter.
Meanwhile the militia and cavalry pursuers were skirmishing with the Indians a short distance up the
St. Joseph's. They were compelled to fall back in confusion towards the ford, and followed the remnant of the regulars in their retreat.
The
Indians did not pursue.
The whole expedition then returned to
Fort Washington.
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The Maumee Ford, place of Harmar's defeat. |
