On November 4, St. Clair's forces were ambushed and soundly defeated by tribal forces with few survivors,[336] despite Washington's warning of surprise attacks. Washington was outraged over what he viewed to be excessive Native American brutality and execution of captives, including women and children.[337]
St. Clair resigned his commission, and Washington replaced him with the Revolutionary War hero Major General Anthony Wayne. From 1792 to 1793, Wayne instructed his troops on Native American warfare tactics and instilled discipline which was lacking under St. Clair.[338] In August 1794, Washington sent Wayne into tribal territory with authority to drive them out by burning their villages and crops in the Maumee Valley.[339] On August 24, the American army under Wayne's leadership defeated the Northwestern Confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, and the Treaty of Greenville in August 1795 opened up two-thirds of the Ohio Country for American settlement.[340]

Second term
Portrait of the USS Constitution commissioned and named by President Washington in 1794
Washington initially planned to retire after his first term, while many Americans could not imagine anyone else taking his place.