History

 

Legionville

Located in Our North East Corner

In 1792, President George Washington commissioned Wayne a major- general and Commander- in- Chief of the newly legislated Legion of the United States, and ordered him to create a disciplined fighting force capable of subduing the Indians on what was then the northwestern frontier. It was a formidable task. The young country's army had been demoralized and literally cut in half the year before when 657 of Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair's soldiers were killed in a bloody battle with American Indians led by the Miami Chief Little Turtle near Fort Wayne, Ind. George Armstrong Custer's more famous loss of about 270 pales in comparison. In the late 1700's, conditions on the frontier were extremely volatile and politically complex. Treaties made with Indians had been misinterpreted, broken and ignored, including the Fort Stanwix Treaty of 1768 that established the Ohio River as the boundary for western expansion by the whites. Pioneers, fur traders, land speculators and others lured by the riches in the area flooded west. At the same time, the British, who had not yet given up all their forts on the frontier, manipulated the Indians by fanning the flames of their anger against the settlers.

At Legion Ville, Anthony Wayne drilled his troops unmercifully and insisted on strict discipline; flogging and court- martialing offenders. He also instilled pride and espirit de corps, however, by distributing frequent rewards and designing elegant uniforms with distinctive colors for the various units. Several famous Americans trained under Wayne at Legion Ville, including the father of Zebulon Pike, the explorer; William Clark, who with Meriwether Lewis commanded the famous western expedition in 1803-1806; William Eaton, who led the United States Marines ashore in Tripoli in 1806; Henry Burbek, first commander of the Corps of Engineers, and William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, who served as Aide- de- camp. Wayne's tactics worked. He took his troops to Cincinnati in April 1793 and engaged his enemy shortly thereafter. The Delaware called him Blacksnake. To the Miami he was the Big Wind or Tornado. And Chief Little Turtle referred to him as the "chief who never sleeps." In 1794 Wayne defeated an alliance of Indians under the command of Shawnee War Chief Blue Jacket at the famous Battle of Fallen Timbers. The resultant Treaty of Greenville in 1795 opened up two thirds of Ohio and a portion of Indiana to white settlement, and in 1796 Wayne formally accepted the surrender of all seven of the British garrisons along the Great Lakes.

The above historical summary taken from an article by Judith Oliver in the November 28, 1993, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The above is a scanned image of a copy of a rare map of "West Pennsylvania and Virginia," in 1753, which was deposited in the British Museum at an early date. This cut was made from a copy of the original, made specially for W. M. Darlington in 1882, and included in his volume, entitled "Christopher Gist's Journals." It shows in detail the route taken and various points visited by Washington on his mission to Fort Le Boeuf and specifically mentioned in his journals. This route is plainly marked all the way from Will's Creek (the present site of Cumberland, Md.) north to Fort Le Boeuf and shows conclusively that the established trail was along the eastern bank of French Creek all the way northward from its mouth in Venango. It gives the exact location of the old Indian town of "Cussawaga" (now Meadville), at a point on the eastern bank of French Creek north of where Cussawaga Creek empties into the stream; Cussawaga being spelled in the manner of the period. The forts at Le Boeuf and Presque Isle are shown in careful detail. "Mr. Gist's new settlement" is plainly indicated. It will be noted the river Youghiogany is spelled "Yaugh Yaugh Gane," and the Allegheny Mountains, "Aligany." The words "Allegheny River," in brackets, apparently added by Mr. Darlington when his copy was made from the original map, as the river extending north of the site of Pittsburgh was formerly called the Ohio River and was not known as the Allegheny until about the time Washington made his visit to that section. Shanapins Town was the name of the early settlement at the present site of Pittsburgh. The draftsman's name is not given but the map undoubtedly was made by Washington upon his return from Fort Le Boeuf. The writing on the scroll clearly shows that the draftsman had learned of the French designs to acquire that territory, and is thought by some to resemble Washington's handwriting at that time.

Harmony Township 2501 Woodland Road Ambridge, PA 15003

724-266-1910 Office 724-266-7330 Fax Email

 

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