ADS, signed “Wm. H. Harrison A.d.C.,” one page, 4.75 x 2.5, March 12, 1795. Request for one quart of whiskey for Native American Chief Mashipinashiwish, signed by William Henry Harrison while serving as aide-de-camp at Fort Greenville. In very good to fine condition, with an old tape stain to the left edge.
In 1792 President George Washington ordered Revolutionary War hero General 'Mad Anthony' Wayne to lead an army against a Native American alliance fighting to keep settlers out of their traditional lands in Ohio, part of the Northwest Territory. U.S. soldiers had been struggling against persistent Indian warriors. Harrison, from Virginia, who had enlisted in the army in 1791 at Philadelphia, served under Wayne in Fort Washington at present-day Cincinnati in southwestern Ohio. Harrison rose through the ranks quickly and became Wayne’s aide-de-camp in 1793.
On August 20, 1794, General Wayne’s 3,000-man army defeated an alliance of 1,500 warriors, which included British support, in the Battle of Fallen Timbers at present-day Maumee, Ohio, northeast of Cincinnati. The victory was the last major battle of the Northwest Indian Wars. Wayne commended Harrison for his role in the battle, saying, 'I must add the name of my faithful and gallant Aide-de-camp…Lieutenant Harrison, who…rendered the most essential service by communicating my orders in every direction…conduct and bravery exciting the troops to press for victory.'
The Treaty of Greenville was signed on August 3, 1795, less than two weeks after Harrison submitted this document. The treaty was signed at Fort Greenville, which, at 55 acres, was one of the largest of the many wooden forts that troops built in Ohio to protect settlers and soldiers. Harrison was a signatory to the treaty, which brought peace and increased settlement to the area for more than a decade.
Native American Chief Mashipinashiwish (Bad Bird) (ca. 1735-1805) led three allied Michigan tribes and represented the Three Fires at the peace negotiations. He was one of more than 100 people who signed the treaty, including Native American leaders, U.S. military officers, interpreters, and witnesses. The Three Fires were the related tribes of the Potawatomi, Chippewas, Ottawas.
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