Much is known about the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Relatively little is known about the wars to conquer the Trans-Appalachian West; the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Yet, in terms of political ramifications and intrigue, military strategies and tactics, and interactions between different entities and individuals, these campaigns rank high on the scale of complexity and interest.
Just as other wars highlighted great generals; Washington, Lee, and Grant, and memorable battles; Spotsylvania, The Bulge, and the Persian Gulf Flank Run, the Trans-Appalachian Wars had impressive features as well. These wars encompassed five action phases:
- The Northwest Indian (or Woodland) Wars, 1790-1795,
- The War of 1812 in the Old Northwest, 1811-1813,
- The Creek War, 1813-1814,
- The War of 1812 in the Old Southwest, 1814-1815, and
- The Stabilization of the Gulf Coast, 1811-1818.
They brought to the fore three great generals; “Mad Anthony” Wayne, William Henry Harrison, and Andrew Jackson, who fought and won five great battles:
- The Battle of Fallen Timbers, August 20, 1794;
- The Battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811;
- The Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813;
- The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, March 27, 1814;
- The Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815.