Hoosier Dusty Files - October 19, 1790 - Battle of Heller's Corner

A Year of Indiana History - 2016

October 19, 1790 - Battle of Heller's Corner
United State Army forces under the command of Colonel John Hardin met an Amerindian force at Heller's Corner, near Fort Wayne, in battle. The native tribes dealt the Americans a terrible defeat.
John Hardin (Oct 1, 1753 - circa May 1792)
The son of Martin Hardin and Lydia Waters, John was native to Elk Run, Virginia. The family moved to George’s Creek, Pennsylvania in 1765. Growing up on the frontier provided Hardin with an education in the ways of the woods, and he became an expert in the art of woodcraft. He put those skills to use in the 1774 Lord Dunmore’s War and later with Daniel Morgan’s Rifle Corps during the Revolutionary War. Hardin saw plenty of action during the Northwest Indian Wars in the Northwest Territory. In the future state of Indiana Hardin led strikes against the natives near Vincennes in 1786 and to Terre Haute in 1789. After the Battle of Heller's Corner, Hardin would die in May 1792 in an ambush while on a special mission for President George Washington.
Battle of Heller's Corner
General Josiah Harmar had led a large military force into the Northwest Territory to try to quell native resistance to white settlement. Harmar departed with this force of about 1500 men on October 7, 1790 with the objective of destroying the Miami village of Kekionga, at the forks of the St. Joseph's, St. Mary's and Maumee River. Harmar sent Hardin out on October 15 with about 200 men to scout the area. This force consisted of about 30 United States regular troops and about 170 militia.  Hardin's rode into an ambush in a swampy lowland near the Eel River. The natives killed twenty-two of the regulars and forty militia. Some refer to the battle as Hardin's Defeat. Many credit Miami Chief Little Turtle with leading the attack, however there is conflicting evidence that he did.

It is fun to experience Indiana's rich history. The easy to read “this day in history format” of the Hoosier Dusty Files makes it easy for readers to learn the history of the Hoosier state The author has excerpted articles his "A Year in Indiana History" book. . Visitors may read the articles as they appear or purchase the book:
A Year of Indiana History - 2016
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