In 1791, Northwest Territory governor Arthur St. Clair led a campaign north from Fort Washington to pacify the Western Confederacy at Kekionga.

St. Clair's Defeat remains the greatest loss by the United States Army to a Native American force.

[7] As a direct result of the Native American victory, the Legion of the United States was founded and placed under the command of General "Mad Anthony" Wayne.

In late 1793, Wayne led 300 men to the site of St. Clair's defeat and deliberately had Fort Recovery built there.

[8] On June 30 of the following year, a large Native American force and a few British officers conducted the Siege of Fort Recovery.

Although the Legion suffered high casualties, they were able to maintain control of the fort, in part because they had recovered cannons lost by St. Clair in 1791.

[9] In 1818, a Virginia soldier who fought at the battle of St. Clair's Defeat returned to the area in search of silver he left by a standing oak tree.

The metal was iron bands encasing a small wooden box, and 900 Spanish doubloons were found, valued at $14,000 (equivalent to $512,736 in today's dollars)[10].