The Victory with No Name

The Native American Defeat of the First American Army

By: Colin G. Calloway

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1791, General Arthur St. Clair led the United States Army in a campaign to destroy a complex of Indian villages at the Miami River in northwestern Ohio. Almost within reach of their objective, St. Clair's 1,400 men were attacked by about 1,000 Indians. The U.S. force was decimated, suffering nearly a thousand casualties in killed and wounded, while Indian casualties numbered only a few dozen. But despite the lopsided result, it wouldn't appear to carry much significance; it involved only a few thousand people, lasted less than three hours, and the outcome, which was never in doubt, was permanently reversed a mere three years later. Neither an epic struggle nor a clash that changed the course of history, the battle doesn't even have a name. Yet, as renowned Native American historian Colin Calloway demonstrates here, St. Clair's Defeat - as it came to be known - was hugely important for its time. It was both the biggest victory the Native Americans ever won, and, proportionately, the biggest military disaster the United States had suffered. With the British in Canada waiting in the wings for the American experiment in republicanism to fail, and some regions of the West gravitating toward alliance with Spain, the defeat threatened the very existence of the infant United States. Generating a deluge of reports, correspondence, opinions, and debates in the press, it produced the first congressional investigation in American history, while ultimately changing not only the manner in which Americans viewed, raised, organized, and paid for their armies, but the very ways in which they fought their wars.

Emphasizing the extent to which the battle has been overlooked in history, Calloway illustrates how this moment of great victory by American Indians became an aberration in the national story and a blank spot in the national memory.

©2015 Colin G. Calloway (P)2014 Audible Inc.

very good

short and to the point. another great book from this author. I would recommend this if you want to learn a little more of USA history

Really Enjoyed

I found this book very compelling. Gave great depth to a rather under covered specific event in earlier American history. Did a great job in covering the context to the battles lead up and it’s aftermath. I wished their was a bit more military/tactical detail on the engagement itself, but I’d imagine historical record is hard to come by

Forgotten history brought to life

The Battle of the Wabash and the surrounding period is a passion of mine. I’ve read several books on the subject but never before have I found such a highly detailed work that focuses exclusively on this campaign. I’ve previously read Calloway’s The Indian World of George Washington so I knew he held a similar passion for this era’s history, which is so often ignored. I loved his breakdown of the events as well as his approach to contextualizing the battle with the rest of American History. It’s an easy listen that is concise yet superbly rich in detail. Perfect if you’re learning about St Clair’s Defeat for the first time or if you’re looking for another perspective on the campaign.