IN the twilight hours of December 18, 1812, a great battle was fought between the United States and British forces in what is now Grant County, Indiana. The Mississinewa River served as the primary passage between Fort Dearborn, Fort Wayne, and the state of Michigan. With England's recent invasion of Detroit, the Americans needed this critical route if they expected to infiltrate and retake that city. Unfortunately, the valley along the river's banks was home to the .
the Miami and Delaware Indians, known allies to the British Army. In a bloody battle among Americans, Britons and Indians, the United States gained control of the area and the river, and marched forward in glorious victory.
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IT was the morning of October 11, 2003, and Captain Mario Melgar of the 112th Historical Battalion - under General James Zenes - gathered his troops from the Chicago area and headed eastward toward Marion, Indiana. The assignment was to investigate the site of an historic battle, journal any discoveries made, and report these findings back to the General in the form of an essay. The soldiers were eager to begin the expedition, as they had been guaranteed a rather extravagant bounty of 50 extra-credit points upon their successful return. The voyage began with much joy and celebration as members of the two regiments - Melgar's 112th and the 111th - met for the first time. However, the mood was to fade at about the second hour of travel once the regiment had exhausted its arsenal of introductions, jokes, witticisms and conversation. The excursion was then reduced to a droning stretch of silence and asphalt, peppered with the occasional roar of a certain soldier's snoring. At about the third hour of travel our navigations" expert, yours truly, indicated that we were nearing our destination. This caused a resurgence of excitement that filled the air and incited giddy laughter among the weary, bottom-numbed travelers.
