Amaziah Morgan (abt. 1753 - 1791)

Born about 1753 in Bedford, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Died 10 Oct 1791 at about age 38 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan Territory, United States

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Biography

Amaziah Morgan was born about 1753 at Lunenburg County (current Bedford County), Colony of Virginia. Amaziah is the child of Lewis S. Morgan (1728-abt.1814) and Cristinia Ann (White) Morgan (1726-1816).

Amaziah was captured by the Indians in Virginia when he was five years of age and carried into the wilderness to Paint Valley, which is located in what is now Ross County, Ohio. Ten years later he was discovered by some Indian traders. His father was notified of his discovery and an attempt was made to recover him. The father made various offers for his release, but without avail. By his own will Amaziah remained with his captors, married an Indian woman and reared three daughters. He was killed as a chief fighting with the Indians in St. Clair's defeat.^[1]

St. Clair's defeat, also known as the Battle of the Wabash, the Battle of Wabash River, or the Battle of a Thousand Slain,^[2] was a battle fought on 4 November 1791 in the Northwest Territory of the United States of America. The U.S. Army faced the Western Confederacy of Native Americans, as part of the Northwest Indian War. It was "the most decisive defeat in the history of the American military"^[3] and its largest defeat ever by Native Americans.^[4][5]

The Native American war party numbered more than 1,000 warriors. The opposing U.S. military force led by General Arthur St Clair numbered about 920 men and 200 camp followers. The forces of the American Indian confederacy attacked at dawn, taking St. Clair's men by surprise. Of the 1,000 officers and men that St. Clair led into battle, only 24 escaped unharmed. As a result, President George Washington forced St. Clair to resign his post, and Congress initiated its first investigation of the executive branch.^[6] No mention is made of the number of Native American warriors who died during this battle.

Research Notes

Although some researchers have assigned a death date of 10 October 1791 to Amaziah, this dates appears to be incorrect if we also believe that he was killed at St Clair's defeat which took place on 4 November 1791.

Sources

1. ↑ "A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio" by Lyle S Evans, ed. 1917.
2. ↑ Cornelius, Jim (4 November 2012). "The Battle of a Thousand Slain". FrontierPartisans.com. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
3. ↑ Landon Y. Jones (2005). William Clark and the Shaping of the West. p. 41. ISBN 9781429945363.
4. ↑ Calloway, Colin G. (9 June 2015). "The Biggest Forgotten American Indian Victory". What It Means to be American. The Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
5. ↑ St. Clair's defeat; Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Clair%27s_defeat).
6. ↑ ]Waxman, Matthew (4 November 2018). "Remembering St. Clair's Defeat". Lawfare.