La Balme Expedition Destroyed by Little Turtle

French officer Augustin de La Balme led a militia to capture Fort Detroit but was intercepted by Miami warriors under Chief Little Turtle along the Eel River, and the entire militia was killed or captured.

People involved

• Augustin de La Balme
• Chief Little Turtle

When this happened

La Balme Expedition Destroyed by Little Turtle occurred in 1780, during the revolutionary era period of American history.

Where this happened

La Balme Expedition Destroyed by Little Turtle took place in Indiana. Explore the full history of Indiana and primary source records from this era.

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) grew from colonial resistance to British taxation without parliamentary representation — a dispute that radicalized through the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Boston Massacre (1770). Fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775; the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Army under George Washington faced severe shortages of supplies and troops, enduring the brutal winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778) before French alliance and French financing turned the military balance. Major engagements included Bunker Hill (1775), Trenton (1776), Saratoga (1777) — which secured French intervention — and Yorktown (1781), where British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. An estimated 25,000 American soldiers died in service, from combat, disease, and captivity. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded British territory east of the Mississippi, though it left unresolved questions about Indigenous land rights and the status of Loyalists.

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