It is considered the single greatest defeat of an American Army by Indians, but it isn’t nearly as well known as many other battles of the Indian Wars. The Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair’s Defeat, is not merely an important battle for the sake of American history, but also for the sake of military history and strategy. A cascade of failures ultimately led to the destruction of General Arthur St. Clair’s army, but there are many things believed about this battle-turned-massacre that are misunderstood.

Alan D. Gaff is an independent scholar and the author of several works, including the bestselling “Lou Gehrig: The Lost Memoir”; “Blood in the Argonne: The ‘Lost Battalion’ of World War I”; “Bayonets in the Wilderness: Anthony Wayne’s Legion in the Old Northwest”; and his latest book that came out this year, “Field of Corpses: Arthur St. Clair and the Death of an American Army.”