Thursday, August 21, 2008

Battle of the Wabash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Battle of the Wabash

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The 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe was also once known as the Battle of the Wabash.

Battle of the Wabash

Part of the Northwest Indian War

Date
November 4, 1791

Location
near present-day Fort Recovery, Ohio

Result
Overwhelming Native American victory

Belligerents

Western Confederacy
United States

Commanders

Little Turtle,
Blue Jacket,
Buckongahelas
Arthur St. Clair,
Richard Butler

Strength

1000
1000

Casualties and losses

21 killed and 40 wounded
total: 61
623 soldiers killed or captured
258 soldiers wounded
24 workers killed,
14 wounded
33 women killed
total:952

[hide]

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Northwest Indian War

Logan's RaidHardin's DefeatHarmar's DefeatBig BottomDunlap's StationSt. Clair's DefeatFort RecoveryFallen Timbers

The Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair's Defeat and the Battle of Wabash River, was fought on November 4, 1791, in the Northwest Territory between the United States and the Western Confederacy of American Indians, as part of the Northwest Indian War. It was a major Native American victory.

The American Indians were led by Little Turtle of the Miamis, Blue Jacket of the Shawnees, and Buckongahelas of the Delawares (Lenape), who led his 480 men to join the 700 warriors of Little Turtle and Blue Jacket. In comparison, the opposing force of about 1000 Americans were led by General Arthur St. Clair who had proved to be an able commander during the American Revolutionary War. However, the Indian confederacy eventually was victorious. The battle was the most severe defeat ever suffered by the United States at the hands of American Indians; indeed, in proportional terms of losses to strength it was the worst defeat that United States forces have ever suffered in battle. As a result, President George Washington forced St. Clair to resign his post, and Congress initiated its first investigation of the executive branch. Of the 1,000 troops that Saint Clair led into battle, only 48 escaped.

Contents

[show]

[edit] Background

The Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the War of American Independence, recognized United States sovereignty of all the land east of the Mississippi River and south of the Great Lakes. The Indian tribes in the Old Northwest, however, were not parties to this treaty, and many of them, especially leaders such as Little Turtle and Blue Jacket, refused to recognize American claims to the area northwest of the Ohio River. During the mid- and late 1780s, white settlers in Kentucky and travelers on and north of the river suffered approximately 1500 deaths during the ongoing hostilities, in which white settlers often retaliated against Indians. As a result of the continual violence, President Washington and his Secretary of War, Henry Knox, decided to use military force to pacify the region.

A force of 1,453 men (320 Regular U.S. Troops and 1,133 militia) under Brigadier General Josiah Harmar marched northwards from Fort Washington on the Ohio River at 10:00 a.m. on October 7, 1790. On October 22, near present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana, Harmar committed only 400 of his men under Col. John Hardin to attack an Indian force of some 1,100 warriors. When a courier informed Harmar (rumored to be drunk) of the size of the enemy force, out of fear he refused to come to Hardin's aid. Had he supported Colonel Hardin with the other 800-900 men, the Indian force might have been defeated. Instead, Harmar formed his portion of the army into a hollow defensive square, and did not move. Hardin, expecting reinforcements, put up a valiant fight for over three hours, then fell back to the main army's encampment and Harmar ordered a retreat back to Ft. Washington. (See main article: Hardin's Defeat).

At least 129 of Hardin's troops (14 officers, 115 enlisted) were killed in action and another 94 wounded, for a total of 223 casualties. Estimates of total Indian casualties, killed and wounded, range from 120 to 150. George Washington then ordered St. Clair, who served both as governor of the Northwest Territory and as a major general in the army, to mount a more vigorous effort by summer 1791. Congress agreed to fund the expedition as well as to authorize the raising of an additional U.S. Army regiment for the purpose, bringing the total number of army regiments in existence to just two (the 1st and 2nd American Regiments). St. Clair augmented this force with Kentucky militia as well as five battalions of six-month levies.

[edit] The campaign

While Washington was adamant that St. Clair move north in the summer months, various logistics and supply problems greatly slowed his preparations in Fort Washington (present-day Cincinnati, Ohio). The new recruits were poorly trained and disciplined, the food supplies substandard, and the horses, low in number, were of poor quality. The expedition thus failed to set out until October 1791. Building supply posts as it advanced, the army's objective was the town of Kekionga, the capital of the Miami tribe, near present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana.

When it did get underway, the force, including some 200-250 camp followers (wives, children, laundresses, and prostitutes) numbered around 1,486. Going was slow and discipline problems were severe; St. Clair, suffering from gout, had difficulty maintaining order, especially among the militia and the new levies. The force was constantly shadowed by Indians, and skirmishes occasionally erupted.

By the end of November 2, through desertion and illness, St. Clair's force had been whittled down to around 1,120, including the camp followers. He had 52 officers and 868 enlisted and militia present for duty on November 3. At dawn on November 4, St. Clair's force was camped near the present-day location of Fort Recovery, Ohio. An Indian force consisting of around 1,000 warriors, led by Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, and Tecumseh, struck quickly and, surprising the Americans, soon overran their perimeter. The Americans almost immediately collapsed into disorder. St. Clair had three horses shot out from under him as he tried in vain to rally his troops, many of whom hid beneath wagons and behind trees despite goading from their commander (who at one point moved among them chanting "Cowards, cowards, cowards,") and from female camp followers.

The casualty rate was the highest percentage ever suffered by a United States Army, and included St. Clair's second in command. Of the 52 officers engaged, 39 were killed and 7 wounded, around 88% of all officers became casualties. After two hours, St. Clair ordered a retreat, which quickly turned into a rout. "It was, in fact, a flight," St. Clair described a few days later in a letter to the Secretary of War. The American casualty rate, among the soldiers, was 97.4 percent, including 632 of 920 killed (69%), and 264 wounded. Nearly all of the 200 camp followers were slaughtered, for a total of 832 Americans killed. Approximately one-quarter of the entire standing United States Army had been wiped out. Only 24 of the 920 troops engaged came out of it unscathed. Indian casualties were about 61, with at least 21 killed. The number of soldiers killed alone was more than three times the number the Sioux would kill 85 years later at Custer's last stand at the Little Big Horn. The next day the remnants of the force arrived at the nearest U.S. outpost, Fort Jefferson (then Fort Hamilton) and from there returned to Fort Washington.

  • Casualty statistics from "That Dark and Bloody River", by Allan W. Eckert, Bantam Books, December 1995.

[edit] Aftermath

St. Clair himself soon traveled to the national capital at Philadelphia to report on what had happened. Blaming the quartermaster as well as the War Department, the general asked for a court-martial in order to gain exoneration and planned to resign his commission after winning it. Washington, however, denied him the court-martial and forced St. Clair's immediate resignation.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, began its own investigation into the disaster. This was the first investigation that Congress had ever undertaken, as well as the first investigation of the executive branch, and as part of the proceedings, the House committee in charge of the investigation sought certain documents from the War Department. Knox brought this matter to Washington's attention, and because of the major separation of powers issues involved, the president summoned a meeting of all of his department heads (Knox, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph). This was one of the first meetings of all of these officials together, and some scholars consider this occasion the beginning of the Cabinet.

At this and subsequent meetings, the president and his advisers established, in theory, the concept that the executive branch should refuse to hand over any papers or materials that the public good required them to keep secret, and that at any rate they not hand over any originals. This is the earliest appearance of the doctrine of executive privilege, which later became a major separation of powers issue in matters such as Aaron Burr's treason trial, Watergate, the Iran-Contra affair, and the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. In the end, though, Washington authorized the release of copies of the materials that the committee sought.

The final committee report sided largely with St. Clair, finding that Knox and other War Department officials had done a poor job of raising, equipping, and supplying St. Clair's expedition. Other than issuing these findings, however, neither the committee nor the House of representatives took any further steps, such as recommending impeachment.

In 1794, a new U.S. force under Major General "Mad Anthony" Wayne achieved what St. Clair had not when he decisively defeated the Indians of the Old Northwest at the Battle of Fallen Timbers

[edit] References

  • Sugden, John, Blue Jacket: Warrior of the Shawnees. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8032-4288-3.
  • Sword, Wiley, President Washington's Indian War: The Struggle for the Old Northwest, 1790-1795. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985. ISBN 0-8061-1864-4 (hardcover); ISBN 0-8061-2488-1 (paperback).
  • Guthman, William H., March to Massacre: A History of the First Seven Years of the United States Army. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970. ISBN 0-07-025297-1.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Wabash"

Battle of the Wabash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Russian Military Equipment Quality

Algeria plans to return 15 fighter jets to Russia: report




MOSCOW (AFP) - Algeria wants to return 15 fighter jets it bought from Russia because of their poor quality, the Kommersant daily reported on Monday, citing an official from Russia’s state United Aerospace Corporation.


The official said Russia was proposing to take back the MiG-29 jets, which were delivered to Algeria in 2006 and 2007, but only if Algeria bought more modern and expensive planes such as the MiG-29M2 or the MiG-35.





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Thursday, August 07, 2008

Mig-35 a fifth genereation aircraft

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laDmDOr6YoA

Guardium Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV)

 

Guardium UGV modelled for military applications. Photo: G-NIUS

The Guardium UGV uses the TomCar chassis. The vehicle is equipped with an automated tactical positioning system and can operate autonomously on and off road, at speeds up to 80 km/h. The vehicle can carry a payload of up to 300 kg, including light armor shield to protect vital systems. The UGV can carry a wide variety of sensors, including video and thermal cameras, with auto-target acquisition and capture, sensitive microphone, powerful loudspeakers and two way radio. The vehicle can also be equipped with lethal or less than lethal weapons which can be directed and operated from the Main Control Center (MCC). A fleet of Guardium vehicles can be used as sentries, controlled from the MCC, from where they are launched on routine patrols, ambushes or operating in response to events received from an early warning or perimeter defense system. The MCC is also provided with automatic tactical area definition, by terrain, doctrine and intelligence, which assist in preparation of the operational planning and programming for USVs. Each USV can also be manually controlled by remote control.

Following a successful evaluation in 2005 Guardium was selected by the Israel Defense Forces to operate as part of the border security operations. By May 2008 the IDF received the first batch of Guardium UGVs scheduled to enter fully operational service along the countrie's borders by the year's end. In 2008 Israel's Airport Authority conducted an evaluation of the system as part of possible integration of an autonomous UGV as part of its airport security system.

In 2008 Israel's Airport Authority conducted an evaluation of the system as part of possible integration of an autonomous UGV as part of its airport security system. Photo: G-NIUS

Guardium Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV)

 

Technorati Tags:

MQ-9 Reaper Hunter/Killer UAV

 

MQ-9 Reaper Hunter/Killer UAV

Developer & Producer: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI)

Recent news / Predator users

A reaper loaded with missiles and laser guided bombs flown on a test flight. Photo: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
Reaper, (also known as Predator B) an outgrowth of the combat proven Predator A UAS, became operational in 2007 and as it began flying combat missions over Afghanistan. This Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV overcomes most of the difficulties encountered with previous UAVs that commonly must compromise between conflicting demands for payload, speed, altitude, speed and persistence. With an operational ceiling of 50,000ft, and higher cruising speed, Reaper can cover a larger area, under all weather conditions carrying payloads of more than 1.5 tons. The aircraft is powered by a single Honeywell TP331-10 engine, producing 950 shp, provides a maximum airspeed of 260 kts and a cruise speed for maximum endurance of 150-170 kts.

Reaper loaded with weapon taxy for takeoff at Bagram, Afghanistan. Photo: USAF
A view of the proposed advanced cockpit ground station  currently designed for future Reaper pilots and weapon systems operators. Photo: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems The Reaper is capable of carrying maximum internal payload of 800 lbs, it will carry more advanced sensors at weight almost twice as the MQ-1. Furthermore, The Reaper can carry much more external stores, up to 3,000 pounds total – 1,500 on each of its two inboard weapons stations, or 500-600 lb. on the two middle stations and 150-200 lbs. on the outboard stations. In total, the aircraft can carry up to 14 Hellfire missiles, compared with two carried on the Predator. The Reaper can stay airborne for up to 14 hours fully loaded.

Trading off some of the missiles, Predator B can carry laser guided bombs, such as the GBU-12. MQ-9 is equipped with both Lynx II SAR and the MTS-B 20" gimbal, an improved, extended range version of the MQ-9's EO payload. The availability of high performance sensors and large capacity of precision guided weapons enable the new Predator to operate as an efficient "Hunter-Killer" platform, seeking and engaging targets at high probability of success. It is equipped with an L-3 Communications Tactical Common Datalink (TCDL).

The Air Force is deploying the Reaper with the 42nd attack squadron based in Nevada and operating from forward locations in Afghanistan. By 2009 the service is scheduled to decide whether it wants a full production run. The USAF plans to equip three unmanned attack squadrons in the next decade.

Inside a control ground station - RAF and USAF aircrew remotely fly a Reaper on a mission – Photo: RAF The MQ-9 Reaper will employ robust sensors to automatically find, fix, track and target critical emerging time sensitive targets. In the MQ-9 the SAR was replaced with the AN/APY-8 Lynx II radar, replacing the TESAR with more advanced high resolution radar-imaging system. The ground control segment of the Predator B is common with all previous Predator systems. The USAF is developing the ability to operate multiple aircraft from a single ground station, in effect, multiplying the overall combat effectiveness over the battlefield.

Britain ordered three MQ-9 systems. Their configuration is be similar to that of the USAF operated MQ-9 Reaper, and includes Ground Control Station, Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems, Mobile Ground Control Station, Lynx Synthetic Aperture Radar (airborne), Ku-Band Communications link etc. Although the RAF did not plan to employ its Reapers in armed configuration, such capabilities are integral with the aircraft. According to British MOD sources, during combat operations in Afghanistan on early June 2008 British Reapers did get their chance to drop ordnance on targets, in support of ground forces.

Recent News:

March 2007: The first MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft arrived at Creech Air Force Base, NV this week after completing flight tests in California. This is the first of 18 aircraft to be operated by the 42 attack squadron from this base.

July 2007: The US Air Force is planning to accelerate the fielding of Combat Air Patrols (CAP) maintained by MQ-1 armed Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, from 12 orbits currently operating in Iraq and Southwest Asia to 21 Predator combat air patrols by December 2009.

A prototype MQ-9 demonstrates its weapon carrying capability  loaded with two GBU-12 laser guided bombs.
October 2007:
First combat mission of the MQ-9 Reaper in Afghanistan. The RAF Announce the deployment of the first MQ-9 to Afghanistan.

MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B) Users

Reaper/Predator B UAVs are currently fielded with the USAF, US Navy and the Royal Air Force. Non military users of the Predator B include: NASA and the US Customs and Border Protection.

A Predator B UAS Operated by teh US Customs and Border Protection agency. Photo: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
The Royal Air Force's new Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle takes to the skies at Kandahar airfield. Photo: UK MOD

MQ-9 Reaper Hunter/Killer UAV

Friday, August 01, 2008

YouTube - Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV)

This is the first time I have seen this USV

YouTube - USAF MQ-9 Reaper deploys to Afghanistan

 

This video shows the operation of the Reaper.  It is much larger than the Predator and newer.