Rediscovering America’s Forgotten Military Catastrophe—And the War for a Forest

Rick M. Schoenfield’s The Soldiers Fell Like Autumn Leaves Brings to Light the Battle of the Wabash—The U.S. Army’s Greatest Defeat in the Indian Wars

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, June 20, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In The Soldiers Fell Like Autumn Leaves: The Battle of the Wabash, the United States’ Greatest Defeat in the Wars Against Indigenous Peoples, author and legal scholar Rick M. Schoenfield delivers a gripping and deeply researched account of a pivotal moment in early American history—one long overshadowed in the national memory.

The Battle of the Wabash, fought in 1791, marked the single greatest defeat ever suffered by the United States military in its wars against Native American nations. Not only did it result in more casualties than the infamous defeat at Little Bighorn, but it also significantly delayed U.S. expansion into the Northwest Territory and Great Plains. Yet this monumental event remains largely unknown outside scholarly circles.

Schoenfield’s work offers more than a military chronicle. It unveils, for the first time, the profound ecological consequences of this conflict. Victory by the Maumee Confederation—an alliance of Native nations—temporarily preserved vast tracts of forest stretching across what is now Ohio and Indiana, delaying widespread deforestation and settlement. In doing so, the book reframes the war not only as a clash of peoples but as a battle over the future of a living landscape.

Critics have praised Schoenfield as “a masterful storyteller,” citing his “exemplary use of primary sources, particularly those from Indian participants or storytellers,” and lauding the book’s vivid, accessible prose and thorough research.

“I wrote this book because I wanted to understand how outnumbered Native Americans were able to decisively defeat the U.S. Army,” Schoenfield explains. “As I dug deeper into the story, I realized there was a vital, untold dimension to the conflict—the fight over the forest itself. That insight changed how I understood both the battle and its legacy.”

Rick M. Schoenfield brings a distinguished background to the subject. He earned both his BA and JD from Northwestern University, successfully argued a pro bono case before the U.S. Supreme Court, and taught negotiations at Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is honored to be the “Special Guest” at the 2025 Culture Event of the Sac River and White River Bands of the Cherokee Nation of Indians of Arkansas and Missouri. His previous works include The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Negotiating Course and Legal Negotiations: Getting Maximum Results (co-authored).

Through rich storytelling and incisive analysis, The Soldiers Fell Like Autumn Leaves offers readers a deeper understanding of a war that shaped a nation—and the forests that still echo its legacy.

The book is available for purchase on Amazon and other online retailers. For more information, please visit https://www.rickschoenfieldauthor.org/.

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Rick M. Schoenfield on Global Book Network with Logan Crawford!