Today in Wheeling History: April 26--Captain Michael Cresap called a council in the settlement of "Zanesburg" (later known as Wheeling), where he read a letter from Fort Pitt's commander John Connolly, leading the assembly to declare war against the Indians, marking a pivotal moment in the escalation of tensions that led to Dunmore's War (1774).
In the spring of 1774, rising tensions between Native Americans and settlers in the Ohio Country led to the outbreak of Dunmore's War. George Rogers Clark and his group, waiting at the mouth of the Little Kanawha River to move downriver and settle in Kentucky, invited Captain Michael Cresap to join them after hearing reports of hostile Indian attacks on travelers along the Ohio River. Cresap suggested they return to Ebenezer Zane's settlement, "Zanesburg" (later Wheeling), to wait out the hostilities. Upon arriving, they found the frontier settlers in a panic, and a message from John Connolly, the garrison commander at Fort Pitt, indicated that local tribes intended war. On April 26, Cresap called a council and read Connolly's letter, leading to a declaration of war against the Indians. The following day, a battle occurred at Pipe Creek, and Clark's party retreated with Cresap to Redstone Old Fort.
The conflict escalated on April 30, 1774, with the Yellow Creek Massacre, where Virginian settlers led by Daniel Greathouse attacked and killed several Mingo Indians near present-day New Cumberland, Hancock County, West Virginia. As tensions rose, the construction of Fort Fincastle (later Fort Henry) began in June 1774 in Wheeling, about 30 miles south of the massacre site, under the supervision of Colonel William Crawford and with the approval of Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Virginia. The fort provided protection for settlers during the ongoing conflict between Native American tribes and Virginian colonists.
The war continued until the defeat of the Shawnee at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774, marking a significant turning point in the struggle for control of the Ohio Country between Native Americans and colonial settlers.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/4ajn4hc3) (https://tinyurl.com/yc26ypme) (https://tinyurl.com/bdewexjc) (https://tinyurl.com/yjjn635m) (https://tinyurl.com/jjtn7h54) (https://tinyurl.com/5n7h6bmd) (https://tinyurl.com/yc58p6dd) (https://tinyurl.com/3ejfrvet)
Photo credits: Wikipedia
In the spring of 1774, rising tensions between Native Americans and settlers in the Ohio Country led to the outbreak of Dunmore's War. George Rogers Clark and his group, waiting at the mouth of the Little Kanawha River to move downriver and settle in Kentucky, invited Captain Michael Cresap to join them after hearing reports of hostile Indian attacks on travelers along the Ohio River. Cresap suggested they return to Ebenezer Zane's settlement, "Zanesburg" (later Wheeling), to wait out the hostilities. Upon arriving, they found the frontier settlers in a panic, and a message from John Connolly, the garrison commander at Fort Pitt, indicated that local tribes intended war. On April 26, Cresap called a council and read Connolly's letter, leading to a declaration of war against the Indians. The following day, a battle occurred at Pipe Creek, and Clark's party retreated with Cresap to Redstone Old Fort.
The conflict escalated on April 30, 1774, with the Yellow Creek Massacre, where Virginian settlers led by Daniel Greathouse attacked and killed several Mingo Indians near present-day New Cumberland, Hancock County, West Virginia. As tensions rose, the construction of Fort Fincastle (later Fort Henry) began in June 1774 in Wheeling, about 30 miles south of the massacre site, under the supervision of Colonel William Crawford and with the approval of Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Virginia. The fort provided protection for settlers during the ongoing conflict between Native American tribes and Virginian colonists.
The war continued until the defeat of the Shawnee at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774, marking a significant turning point in the struggle for control of the Ohio Country between Native Americans and colonial settlers.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/4ajn4hc3) (https://tinyurl.com/yc26ypme) (https://tinyurl.com/bdewexjc) (https://tinyurl.com/yjjn635m) (https://tinyurl.com/jjtn7h54) (https://tinyurl.com/5n7h6bmd) (https://tinyurl.com/yc58p6dd) (https://tinyurl.com/3ejfrvet)
Photo credits: Wikipedia
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