Editing Vincennes, Indiana (section)

===Post-Revolution turmoil===
[[File:GRC P8290050 Am Rev Marker.JPG|thumb|upright|This [[American Revolutionary War]] historic memorial plaque is in Vincennes.]]
Although the Americans remained in control of Vincennes, it took years to establish peace. In 1786, Captain [[John Hardin]] led a mounted [[Kentucky]] militia across the [[Ohio River]] and destroyed a friendly Piankeshaw town near Vincennes.  This led to a series of [[Battle of the Embarras River|attacks]] and counter-attacks between Wabash Indians and American settlers.  Finally, on July 15, 1786, the Wabash landed in forty-seven war canoes at Vincennes to drive the Americans back to Kentucky.<ref>Allison, p. 57.</ref> The Indians warned the Canadians in advance of their attack and assured them that they would not be harmed, but the Canadians warned the Americans.  They quickly supplied Fort Patrick Henry and waited out the [[siege]].  One American was killed and four wounded, and the war party left after destroying the Americans' farms.

In response, Virginia governor Patrick Henry authorized George Rogers Clark to raise the Kentucky militia and mount an expedition against the warring tribes. General Clark gathered a force of 1,000 militia and departed [[Clarksville, Indiana|Clarksville]] September 9, 1786, along the [[Buffalo Trace (road)|Buffalo Trace]].<ref>Allison, p. 58.</ref>  The militia spent ten days in Vincennes before marching north along the Wabash, but men deserted by the hundreds.  Clark was soon forced to return to Vincennes without any action taken.  Clark left 150 men to help defend Vincennes, but this force soon turned into a lawless mob, and the citizens of Vincennes petitioned Congress for help.<ref>Allison, p. 58: One resident of Vincennes was heard to pray "Lord, please send the Kentuckians home and bring back the Indians."</ref> Secretary of War [[Henry Knox]] sent Colonel [[Josiah Harmar]] and the [[First American Regiment]] to restore order.  The Kentucky militia fled Vincennes at the approach of [[Regular Army (United States)|U.S. Regulars]].<ref>Allison, p. 61.</ref>

Colonel Harmar left 100 regulars under Major [[Jean François Hamtramck]] and directed them to build a fort, [[Forts of Vincennes, Indiana#Fort Knox abandoned|Fort Knox]].<ref>Allison, p. 62.</ref> Vincennes remained an isolated town, difficult to supply due to its position deep within Indian territory.  Secure transport to and from Vincennes meant travelling with a large, armed party, whether over land or via the Wabash River.  On September 30, 1790, Major Hamtramck led 350 men from Vincennes as far north as the [[Vermilion River (Wabash River tributary)|Vermillion River]], to engage some of the Indian villages which had been at war with Vincennes.  The [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoo]] tracked the party, however, and evacuated every village along the way before the Americans arrived.<ref>Allison, p. 68.</ref>  Hamtramck destroyed some abandoned villages, but he did not engage any war parties.  Faced with desertions from Kentucky militia, Hamtramck returned to Vincennes.  The expedition had done no serious harm to the enemies of Vincennes, but it distracted some of the Wabash villages while Josiah Harmar, now a General, led a much larger [[Harmar's Defeat|expedition]] up through Ohio country towards ''[[Kekionga]]''.