Assault on Backmetack Marsh

As Lieutenant Colonel James Johnson's horsemen charged the British front line, his brother Colonel Richard Johnson led an attack against the First Nations warriors in Backmetack Marsh. The mounted infantry charged the Native left flank behind 20 riders known as the Forlorn Hope, whose purpose was to draw the warriors' fire and empty their guns. Tecumseh's allies answered with a devastating close-range volley that cut down 15 of those riders. Among the casualties was Colonel Johnson, who was wounded five times but managed to shoot a Native chief as the warrior was about to strike him with a tomahawk. The horsemen became so entangled in the marsh growth that they had to dismount and fight on foot. On the First Nations' extreme right, General Desha's infantry division attacked but was driven back by Oshawana and his warriors, who fought gallantly and effectively for 30 minutes. Additional Kentucky Militia were then sent in, and together with the collapse of the British lines and spreading news that their leader had been killed, this shattered the warriors' spirit and they slowly dispersed into the forest. General Harrison reported 33 Native dead on the battlefield, including Wahsikegaboe, while the Americans suffered 12 fatalities, including Lieutenant Colonel Whitley, and 17 wounded, including both Johnson brothers.

Ontario · Canada