Bayonets in the Wilderness: Anthony Wayne's Legion in the Old Northwest by Alan D. Gaff

Abstract

156 Michigan Historical Review also an invaluable work for researchers interested the expansion of American suburbs in the twentieth century. Walter D. Greason Department of History Ursinus College Alan D. Gaff. Bayonets in theWilderness: Anthony Wayne's Legion in the Old Northwest. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. Pp. 419. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. Notes. Cloth, $39.95. Given the awesome might of the armed forces that won the Civil War and both World Wars, it is easy to forget that the United States Army was once a humble, ragtag force hindered by a great many obstacles: a lack of resources, recruiting difficulties, American hostility to standing armies, and nearly constant pressure from both unfriendly Natives and European interlopers. In an elegantly written and eminendy readable book, Alan D. Gaff successfully documents this chapter inAmerican military history. On November 4, 1791, American military power ebbed to its lowest point when a confederacy of northwestern Indians defeated General Arthur St. Clair in the Battle of Wabash River. President George Washington had to pick up the pieces from this disastrous defeat and rebuild. Gaff traces this process, from the painstaking choice of a new commander, through the recruitment and training of new troops, and finally to the ultimate victory of the U.S. Army over the northwestern confederacy. It is a compelling drama full of intrigue, political maneuvering, desperation, and chicanery. Besides serving as a tighdy constructed history of the early years of the American army, Gaffs book doubles as a biography of Anthony Wayne, best known by the moniker "Mad Anthony." The nickname was used byWayne's men as a term of affection, but over the centuries it has encouraged the easy?and lazy?assumption that he was imbalanced, or at the very least incompetent. Gaff is careful to correct this false impression, building a persuasive case thatWayne was a skillful soldier who played an instrumental role in the growth and professionalization of the American military. There is also another poorly understood part of American history woven in among the events Gaff documents. Less is known about the tribes of the Old Northwest than those of any other region. Here, regrettably, Bayonets in theWilderness has little new to offer. Gaff himself Book Reviews 157 acknowledges asmuch, observing that "the lack of awritten language has hamstrung any attempt to relate to the Indian version of events. It is an immeasurable loss to history" (p. xiv). Alan Gaff is an independent scholar and is careful to define his audience broadly. His clear prose, skillful use of anecdotes, and unobtrusive footnotes will certainly appeal to readers outside of academia. The book is not lacking in scholarly rigor, however. Indeed, thanks to the time Gaff spent examining previously unused newspaper accounts, the book surely sits on a firmer evidentiary basis than any previous work on this topic. Consequendy, Bayonets in theWilderness will find a place both in survey courses on early American history and in the libraries of military enthusiasts. Christopher Bates University of California, Los Angeles Sharon A. Roger Hepburn. Crossing theBorder:A Free Black Community in Canada. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007. Pp. 272. Bibliography. Index. Notes. Photographs. Cloth, $40.00. The past few years have seen an outpouring of writing on black Canadian history and black migration studies. Among these texts is Sharon A. Roger Hepburn's Crossing theBorder:A Free Black Community in Canada. A substantive book with a brief introduction and ten complex chapters, Crossing the Border has four notable features. First, Hepburn squarely takes on the espousal by abolitionists that Canada was a promised land of black freedom and equality as well as the fable touted by Southern slave owners that it was barren, frozen tundra. Second, Hepburn offers a comprehensive profile of the Reverend William King, the founder and primary financier of Buxton, the main community she examines. Third, Crossing the Border explains the inner workings of the Elgin Association and the Buxton Mission, the two rather distinct administrative entities that comprised the Buxton setdement. Finally, Hepburn sustains a narrative throughout her text that emphasizes the experiences of the ordinary people who transformed Buxton from a setdement into a community. Crossing the Border illustrates that Buxton was a...