The Unpopular History of the United States
for one year. Revolutionary failures had taught nothing to the Congress which refused to be weaned away from its militia delusion.
By this time, my son, you must have grown tired of hearing about our militia fading away into thin mists when confronted by the rock-like ranks of regular troops. But doesn’t it give you a pain to know that they did precisely the same thing when Lo, the poor Indian, let loose a war whoop? Our first military expedition after the Revolution was led by General Joseph Harmar against the Miami Indians—320 regulars and 1,133 militia. Sixty regulars and 330 militia attacked the Indian village, losing 183 killed and 31 wounded. The humiliating details were developed at the coroner’s inquest—otherwise called Congressional investigation. Congress had a way of probing calamities after their occurrence, instead of preventing them in advance. Naturally they probed General Harmar’s conduct, and judicially determined that “amongst the militia were a great many
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