Today in Wheeling History: August 9--General George Rogers Clark, writing from Middle Island, sends a letter to Colonel Archibald Lochry expressing regret at their missed rendezvous in Wheeling and urging Lochry to catch up with his expedition (1781).
Lochry's Defeat, also known as the Lochry massacre, was a battle that occurred on August 24, 1781, near present-day Aurora, Indiana during the American Revolutionary War. The engagement was part of a larger campaign planned by Virginia governor Thomas Jefferson and led by Brigadier General George Rogers Clark to capture the British stronghold of Detroit. Colonel Archibald Lochry of the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania militia raised about 100 volunteers to join Clark's expedition of 400 men, which departed from Fort Pitt in early August.
Clark's force first proceeded to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), intending to rendezvous with Lochry at Fort Henry. Wheeling, established in 1769, was a strategic location on the Ohio River and an important frontier outpost. Fort Henry, built in 1774, was a key defense against Indian attacks and a vital stop for settlers moving westward. After waiting five days beyond the planned meeting time, Clark continued downriver, leaving instructions for Lochry to follow. When Lochry reached Wheeling on August 8, he found Clark had already left. He sent a message to Clark, who replied from Middle Island on August 9, expressing regret at the missed rendezvous but urging Lochry to catch up.
On August 24, Lochry's group landed on the northern bank of the Ohio River, about 11 miles downstream from the mouth of the Great Miami River. There, they were ambushed by a force of approximately 100 Iroquois, Shawnee, and Wyandot warriors led by Mohawk chief Joseph Brant and George Girty. Despite even numbers, Brant's forces achieved a decisive victory, killing 37 Americans, including Lochry, and capturing the remaining 64 without suffering any casualties themselves.
The defeat had significant repercussions, forcing Clark to abandon his Detroit campaign and depriving the Americans of a chance to neutralize the base from which the British coordinated Indian raids on frontier settlements. The loss was particularly devastating for Westmoreland County, which lost many of its most experienced soldiers. This battle was part of a larger series of events in the western theater of the Revolutionary War, occurring in the context of ongoing conflicts between American settlers and Native American tribes, with the British in Detroit actively supporting and supplying Indian war parties. It highlighted the complex and often brutal nature of the frontier warfare that characterized the American Revolution in the West.
To learn more: (https://shorturl.at/qeg4N) (https://shorturl.at/LIjp8) (https://shorturl.at/0Kgml) (https://shorturl.at/ow7zw) (http://alturl.com/ky35x)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons
Lochry's Defeat, also known as the Lochry massacre, was a battle that occurred on August 24, 1781, near present-day Aurora, Indiana during the American Revolutionary War. The engagement was part of a larger campaign planned by Virginia governor Thomas Jefferson and led by Brigadier General George Rogers Clark to capture the British stronghold of Detroit. Colonel Archibald Lochry of the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania militia raised about 100 volunteers to join Clark's expedition of 400 men, which departed from Fort Pitt in early August.
Clark's force first proceeded to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), intending to rendezvous with Lochry at Fort Henry. Wheeling, established in 1769, was a strategic location on the Ohio River and an important frontier outpost. Fort Henry, built in 1774, was a key defense against Indian attacks and a vital stop for settlers moving westward. After waiting five days beyond the planned meeting time, Clark continued downriver, leaving instructions for Lochry to follow. When Lochry reached Wheeling on August 8, he found Clark had already left. He sent a message to Clark, who replied from Middle Island on August 9, expressing regret at the missed rendezvous but urging Lochry to catch up.
On August 24, Lochry's group landed on the northern bank of the Ohio River, about 11 miles downstream from the mouth of the Great Miami River. There, they were ambushed by a force of approximately 100 Iroquois, Shawnee, and Wyandot warriors led by Mohawk chief Joseph Brant and George Girty. Despite even numbers, Brant's forces achieved a decisive victory, killing 37 Americans, including Lochry, and capturing the remaining 64 without suffering any casualties themselves.
The defeat had significant repercussions, forcing Clark to abandon his Detroit campaign and depriving the Americans of a chance to neutralize the base from which the British coordinated Indian raids on frontier settlements. The loss was particularly devastating for Westmoreland County, which lost many of its most experienced soldiers. This battle was part of a larger series of events in the western theater of the Revolutionary War, occurring in the context of ongoing conflicts between American settlers and Native American tribes, with the British in Detroit actively supporting and supplying Indian war parties. It highlighted the complex and often brutal nature of the frontier warfare that characterized the American Revolution in the West.
To learn more: (https://shorturl.at/qeg4N) (https://shorturl.at/LIjp8) (https://shorturl.at/0Kgml) (https://shorturl.at/ow7zw) (http://alturl.com/ky35x)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons
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