Siege of Fort Wayne - Aftermath

Aftermath

The siege of Fort Wayne prompted Harrison to order punitive expeditions against the Miami which culminated in the Battle of the Mississinewa in December, 1812. Influential Miami Chief Pacanne had remained neutral in this latest war, but after the destruction of so many Miami villages (many were also neutral), he openly declared for the British.

The defeats at the Battle of Fort Harrison and at Fort Wayne caused many Native Americans to lose confidence in their chiefs. Many of them turned instead to the influential leadership of Tecumseh and joined his confederacy. No major Indian attacks occurred in the Indiana Territory for the rest of the war, but it was not until Tecumseh's defeat at the Battle of the Thames that the Indian threat was really eliminated.

On 7 July 1813, Colonel Richard Mentor Johnson arrived at Fort Wayne with 700 dragoons and a flotilla of flatboats with supplies. As the last boat came into view of the fort, however, it was suddenly attacked, and the three men manning the boat were killed. Johnson's dragoons chased the attackers for over ten miles, but were never able to catch them. Johnson then led raids on several Native American villages- including Five Medals' village, as retribution for the attacks, but all of the villages were evacuated as the army approached, and a heavy summer rain kept the dragoons from burning any villages. Frustrated with his failure to encounter any Native Americans, Johnson escorted the empty flatboats back to Ohio. Unknown to him, a force of over a thousand Native Americans under Robert Dickson passed through White Pigeon's Town on their way to join Tecumseh at Detroit- just days after Johnson had tried to destroy the village.

Three active battalions of the current 3rd Infantry (1-3 Inf, 2-3 Inf and 4-3 Inf) perpetuate the lineage of the old 1st Infantry Regiment, which had a detachment at Fort Wayne.