US ResearchConflictsEarly Republic and War of 1812IndianaSiege of Dunlap's Station
Early Republic and War of 1812

Siege of Dunlap's Station

1791
Indiana
Era
Early Republic and War of 1812
Year
1791
Location
Indiana
Status
Historical record
The Battle

History & Significance

Siege of Dunlap's Station was a Early Republic and War of 1812 engagement fought in Indiana, 1791. It was an American victory.

On the night of January 10 into January 11, 1791, fighters from the Northwestern Confederacy of American Indians laid siege to Dunlap's Station, one of many clashes in the Northwest Indian War pitting the confederacy against European American settlers pushing into what would become southwestern Ohio. Unlike most engagements of that period, this assault ended in failure for the Indians. It came not long after Harmar's campaign, whose attacks had produced a startling and unprecedented defeat for t

Result
American victory
Forces engaged
~30 vs ~300-500
Casualties
2 killed vs ~12-15 killed
Background and account

Siege of Dunlap's Station in detail

On the night of January 10 into January 11, 1791, fighters from the Northwestern Confederacy of American Indians laid siege to Dunlap's Station, one of many clashes in the Northwest Indian War pitting the confederacy against European American settlers pushing into what would become southwestern Ohio. Unlike most engagements of that period, this assault ended in failure for the Indians. It came not long after Harmar's campaign, whose attacks had produced a startling and unprecedented defeat for the U.S. Army.

Within a few months, however, American forces would again face a crushing loss at Indian hands. The siege itself, occurring only a week after the Big Bottom massacre in what later became southeast Ohio, grew into something larger than its size suggested. For many Ohioans, the episode came to symbolize the belief that Native Americans had subjected innocent settlers to torture.

Background

Long before the conflict itself, native communities of the northeastern woodlands had spent generations improvising and struggling to endure whatever pressures came their way. Yet by 1690, as the record shows, the Iroquois and their allies had pushed many of the region's eastern native peoples from their homes. Meanwhile, settlers of European descent kept pressing into Indian lands, often holding deeds or grants to parcels in the Ohio Country that had been bought or bestowed upon them, a situation that inevitably put them at odds with the tribes already established there.

It was in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War that the Northwest Indian War erupted, and communities stationed at frontier posts north of the Ohio found themselves especially vulnerable to Indian raids.

Fiction

Robin Leanne Wiete's novel When Morning Comes came out through Penguin Group (Canada) in 1993, running 384 pages under ISBN 978-0451403360.

A separate reference turns up in Indian-Artifact Magazine, volume 14-3, page 5, where the battle forms part of a narrative touching on Tecumseh and other figures.

Allan W. Eckert also brings up the engagement in his 1992 work The Life of Tecumseh, citing it on page 407 and in note 381.

Source: Siege of Dunlap's Station on Wikipedia, cited as a reference.

Approximate location. The nearest recorded settlement is shown; the exact site is unrecorded.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Siege of Dunlap's Station take place?
Siege of Dunlap's Station took place in 1791.
Where was Siege of Dunlap's Station fought?
Siege of Dunlap's Station was fought in Indiana, United States.
What was the significance of Siege of Dunlap's Station?
On the night of January 10 into January 11, 1791, fighters from the Northwestern Confederacy of American Indians laid siege to Dunlap's Station, one of many clashes in the Northwest Indian War pitting the confederacy against European American settlers pushing into what would become southwestern Ohio
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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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All battles in IndianaEarly Republic and War of 1812conflicts ›Historic sites in Indiana
Source

The account on this page is written by Aubrey Research from cited sources. Wikipedia is cited as a reference; its text is not reproduced.

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