Framed George Rogers Clark Leading American Forces on the Wabash River by Frederick Coffay Yohn

George Rogers Clark Leading American Forces on the Wabash River by Frederick Coffay Yohn depicts a pivotal moment from George Rogers Clark’s Illinois Campaign during the American Revolutionary War. Clark, a Virginia militia officer born in 1752, emerged as a key figure in the war’s western frontier, where the British, operating from posts like Detroit, allied with Native American tribes to harass American settlers in Kentucky and beyond the Ohio River. By 1778, Clark had convinced Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to authorize an expedition to seize British outposts in the Illinois Country, believing this would weaken British influence and secure the region for the fledgling United States. On February 5, 1779, Clark set out from Kaskaskia with roughly 170 men—half Virginia frontiersmen, half French volunteers—facing a 180-mile trek across flooded terrain in the dead of winter. The Wabash River and its tributaries, swollen by rains and snowmelt, turned the journey into an ordeal. For 18 days, the men slogged through waist- to chest-deep water, often without food, sleeping on soggy ground, and battling hypothermia. Clark kept morale high with songs and encouragement, famously wading ahead to inspire his troops. By February 23, they reached the Wabash near Vincennes, built canoes to cross the final stretch, and surrounded Fort Sackville. Using tactical deception—marching flags to exaggerate his numbers—Clark convinced Hamilton to surrender on February 25, 1779, after a brief siege and skirmish that left a few casualties on both sides.