Fallen Timbers Monument, Maumee, OH - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In the years following the American Revolution, numerous raids had been carried out on settlers in the old Northwest Territory (present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois etc.) by several Indian tribes who had formed a loose confederacy. Moreover, they were being encouraged by the British who hadn’t completely abandoned all their forts in the area as was stipulated in the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

In an attempt to quell these attacks, the government of the fledgling United States, sent a couple of expeditions into the region to confront the Indian Confederacy. The first, led by General Josiah Harmar met with defeat in the fall of 1790. A second expedition, this one led by General Arthur St. Clair in the fall of 1791, also resulted in disaster for the Americans. These two defeats only led to increased raids and mayhem in the area.

After several attempts at negotiating a peace with the Indian Confederacy, the United States reorganized its army and appointed General Anthony Wayne as commander. Wayne had achieved some notoriety during the American Revolution by leading a daring attack on the British outpost at Stoney Point, NY, about 30 miles north of New York City. This attack, which was considered insane by some (along with his short temper) earned the general the nickname “Mad Anthony” Wayne. Wayne focused on training and discipline and dedicated a good deal of time preparing his army before attempting another expedition into the Northwest Territory.

In the late summer of 1794, after taking almost a year methodically moving toward confrontation with the Indian Confederacy, the two forces met in the vicinity of present-day Toledo, Ohio. The Indians had taken up a defensive position behind several hundred large trees that had been felled by a recent tornado (hence the name “Fallen Timbers”). General Wayne ordered a successful cavalry attack which drove the Indians from their position among the downed trees. The Indians retreated to a nearby British fort where they were denied entry, thus securing victory for the Americans.

In the aftermath of the battle, Anthony Wayne drove on eventually establishing Fort Wayne (present-day Fort Wayne, IN) effecting American dominance in the region. The victory led to the signing of a couple of treaties with both the Indian tribes and the British who were forced to withdraw from all their forts. General Wayne personally saw to the British withdrawal. New settlers poured into the area and, in less than ten years, Ohio became the 17th state admitted to the Union.

The monument was designed by sculptor Bruce Wilder Saville and shows General Anthony Wayne flanked by an Indian to his right and a frontiersman to his left. There are also several bronze bas-reliefs around the base. The battle took place on August 20 and the plan was to unveil the statue (and issue the stamp) on that date. But the monument wasn’t quite ready on that day, so the unveiling (and stamp issue) was postponed until September 14.

The location selected for the monument was on the western bank of the Maumee River where it was believed that the battle had taken place. More recent archaeological endeavors, however, have established that the battle actually took place about a mile from where the monument now stands. Today, at the actual battle site, the National Park Service has placed several tree trunks emulating the “fallen timbers” that were present in 1794.

This stamp was not well received, neither by the philatelic community nor the general public. On the stamp, for instance, the figure to the general’s left appears to be standing on one leg. This was because the photograph of the statue that was used by the stamp’s designers was taken in poor lighting and the scout’s right leg was hidden in the shadows. Another complaint was about the unusual anniversary of a rather obscure event. The stamp commemorated the 135th anniversary of a battle that only lasted about an hour. But it was always a favorite of mine since my hometown of Waynesboro, PA was named for General “Mad Anthony” Wayne.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 14-Sep-1929 Denomination: 2c Color: carmine rose Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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