The Plight of the Frontier Militia

As soon as the hostilities began, Tecumseh joined forces with the British just as predicted.  In fact, he even wore a British uniform.  Congress was still considering a declaration of war when President Madison requisitioned 1200 miles along the Ohio, and in early summer the Governors of Indiana and Illinois called up hundreds of volunteers into the service.  Guns and ammunition, and tents, were in desperate quantities, but enthusiasm was high. Also lacking was capable leadership to train those settlers to be a winning army.

Like most frontier wars, the volunteer militia were untrained and raw.  The men could shoot well, were brave, and could endure well, however, there was little or no systematic training.  They had little patience with waiting on command and shunned discipline.  Drill duty was not taken seriously and many didn't even bother to report.  Those that did enjoyed horse races, wrestling matches and shooting contests along with drinking and brawling.  In those times when there were drill exercises, there were few guns, so men put cornstalks over their shoulders.  This became a frontier derision known as "cornstalk drills." 

Officers were chosen by the men - mostly for political and community standing .  The officers were as untrained as the men.  The men threatened and ridiculed their officers, claiming equality rather than subordination.  Not until later in the war when Harrison took over command did they become a true fighting force.

Nothing was more costly than the lack of transportation to the war effort.  Even in Ohio, the oldest settled region, the roads were few and poor, if they existed at all.  Other regions were too sparsely populated to be able to furnish supplies or food.  Materials had to be shipped from the East by river, lake or wilderness trail.

One of the tragedies of the war was the suffering of the troops while waiting for supplies of clothing, tents, medicine and food, mostly stuck in swamps or frozen in lakes and rivers.  Men became ill with pneumonia, pleurisy, or rheumatism in winter, fevers in summer - always vulnerable to Indian attacks.

Next time...The War from the words of a volunteer
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Today in Pioneer History: "On May 20, 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss, along with Nevada tailor, Jacob Davis, were given a patent to create work pants with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world's famous pieces of clothing - the blue jean.