Natives versus Settlers: Lochry's Defeat, Augut 24, 1781

As the Revolutionary War ground to a weary halt with the siege and surrender of Yorktown in October, 1781, things were far from quiet on the frontier.  The British at Fort Detroit continued to encourage attacks by their Native auxiliaries against American outposts and settlements.  As was discussed in an earlier post, George Rogers Clark, the leading American commander in the backcountry, nourished a dream of taking Fort Detroit, but could never get his pet project off the ground.  One reason was lack of men. 

With the British bottled up on the Virginia coast, Washington believed he could spare a few men to assist Clark.  He sent 100 men under Archibald Lochry marching toward Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) and a rendezvous with Clark.  They hadn't counted on Joseph Brant and his volunteer force, made up mostly of Native but even of some Whites were who willing to fight under his command.  Brant teamed up with Simon and George Girty and Alexander McKee to meet Clark in August, 1781.  At the last minute, they realized that Clark had a far larger force then they expected.  Simon and Alexander missed an opportunity to ambush part of Clark's men in their camp on the banks of Ohio River due to lack of reinforcements coming up in time.  Through captured prisoners, Brant learned of Lochry's force on its way to join Clark.  He and George Girty put their heads together and came up with a plan. 

Lochry's party landed on the banks of the Ohio River near the Great Miami River, expecting to meet up with Clark.  They had seen injured Americans left on the bank by Brant and believed they were picking up survivors of a routine brush between Natives and Settlers.  As Lochry's men came ashore, started breakfast and began making camp, Brant and George sprung their trap.  As Brant's men descended on them, Lochry's men tried to go for their guns, but some had left their weapons behind in the canoes.  The Americans headed that way, before realizing that Brant had dispatched men to take possession of the canoes.  There was no escape and Lochry called for his men to surrender.  The totals were 37 Americans dead and 64 captured.  Some of the dead were executed after they had surrendered, including Lochry.  A Shawnee encounter him sitting on a log unawares and killed him with a tomahawk blow.  Brant intervened before more prisoners could be killed. 

Brant hurried his prisoners toward Fort Detroit, intending to rendezvous with McKee, Simon and units of Butler's Ranger to go after Clark.  They received word that Clark had turned back and, once again, given up on Fort Detroit.  He was fortunate.  Had Simon and McKee been able to spring their part of the trap, or had Clark continued further upriver, he and his men would have suffered ambush after ambush by prepared Native war parties, resulting in disaster.  Meanwhile, the men of Lochry's command who survived were divided up amongst the various tribes.  Some were adopted into the tribes, others ritually executed, others turned in to the British at Fort Detroit where they spent several months in a prison in Montreal.  About half the survivors eventually made it back to their families. 

Lochry's Defeat spread alarm and panic on the frontier.  Clark would try a few more times to float his scheme to capture Fort Detroit, which ultimately make sense in hindsight, but few if any state authorities, let alone Washington, were prepared to release more men.  Though Clark may not have realized it yet, his spectacular career as the Washington of the West was in decline.  Two other commanders were also locked in drama of their own.  Simon Girty and Joseph Brant had never liked each other.  Simon dismissed Brant as a drinker and bragger.  Brant just wished Simon would go away.  After the battle, they met up in Detroit and began drinking.  Simon heard Brant bragging about the victory over Lochry and felt incensed that Brant was shading George Girty by not giving him any of the credit.  The two had words and both drew swords.  Brant slashed Simon on the front of his head and down his face.  Simon wounded Brant in the leg so badly that it almost had to be amputated.  Both would take months to recover and neither voluntarily entered each other's presence again.   

Natives versus Settlers: the Battle of Blue Licks, August 9, 1782

The fighting on the eastern theatres of the Revolutionary War may have ended when Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in October, 1781, but nobody on the frontier seems to have gotten the memo.  Working from Fort Detroit, the British and their Indian auxiliaries were determined to maintain control of the Ohio Valley, including Kentucky, against backcountry settlers who were determined to have it for their own.  The conflict would result in a Loyalist-Indian victory in August, 1782 that would wreck the career of an American commander and result in the murder of a Native chief.  And the irony would be that neither man was even there when the battle happened.

As the War wound down and negotiations for a treaty dragged on in Paris, the British were determined to hang on to the Ohio River Valley and the Old Northwest.  The Natives were committed to helping them since they knew that their land rights would be disposed of in the eventual treaty without their say-so.  In July, 1782, a meeting took place at a Shawnee village on the headwaters of the Mad River to discuss what course of action should be taken.  Along with the Shawnee, other tribes represented included the Delaware/Lenape, Mingo, Wyndot, Miami, Ottawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi.  From there, 150 members of Butler's Rangers under William Caldwell and about 300 warriors under Matthew Elliot, Alexander McKee and Simon Girty headed toward Wheeling (now West Virginia), on the Ohio River.  Incidentally, this is one of the few times Girty is known to have led Native warriors in battle against the Americans, though to hear them tell it, he did it almost every day of the War.

Scouts erroneously reported that George Rogers Clark was headed their way with a large force of militia.  Clark was probably the only commander who could strike fear into the heart of any warrior and, indeed, had he been there, the result of this battle might have been different, but it was not to be.  Clark was patrolling the Ohio River, but had no specific plans yet of coming their way.  Most of the Loyalists returned home, but about 50 stayed, along with the 300 warriors, heading from Bryan's Station near Lexington, Kentucky.  Caldwell besieged the fortified frontier outpost, but the Settlers barricaded themselves and held off.  Again, hearing report that Clark was in the area, the Loyalists broke off the siege.  A force of Kentucky militia under John Todd and Stephen Trigg arrived at Bryan's Station, heard what happened and wanted to pursue the Loyalists and Natives.  Daniel Boone counseled them to wait until reinforcements under Benjamin Logan could arrive, but he was outvoted. 

On the morning of August 19, 1782, the militia reached a salt lick on the Licking River near present-day Mount Olivet, Kentucky.  The area was known as the Lower Blue Licks, hence the name of the ensuing battle.  Boone noticed signs that the Natives had been here recently and knew something was up.  Todd and Trigg again asked his assessment and he stated that the Natives were leading them into a trap and they should withdraw and wait for Logan.  The commanders were on the verge of taking his advice this time when a self-proclaimed Indian Fighter named Hugh McGary charged his horse across the small stream shouting, "them that aren't cowards, follow me."  The commanders tried to restrain their men, but it was no use.  Everyone crossed the creek.  Boone threw up his hands with the remark, "we are all slaughtered men," and cross with them. 

They dismounted and formed a line of battle with the commanders front and center, Todd and McGary flanked by Boone and Trigg.  As they advanced, Caldwell's men, who had been concealed in several ravines, opened fire.  Most of the Patriots fell back.  Todd and Trigg, still on horseback, were killed.  Boone was the only commander who kept his men together.  The militia fled, leaving Boone and his men stranded.  Boone found a horse and told his son Israel to get on it and get out of there.  Israel mounted the horse and caught a bullet in his neck, killing him instantly.  This was the second of Daniel Boone's sons to die fighting Natives.  Boone took the horse and made his escape, having to leave Israel's body on the field.  The Patriots lost 72 killed, 11 captured, most of whom would be killed later.  The Loyalists and Natives lost 7 killed, 10 wounded.

Repercussions fell, but not where anyone expected.  Clark, who was on the way with a force of over 1,000 men including Logan's command, was roundly blamed for the disaster, though he had not been there.  He immediately set off on a campaign of retribution, burning unoccupied Shawnee villages as a warning to the Natives to keep their heads down, but it was not enough.  Enemies began a whispering campaign that Clark was a heavy drinker and his career was on the downhill slip.  Four years later, during the Northwest Indian War, Logan would carry out more retributive attacks on the Shawnee and other tribes along the Mad River.  During these engagements, McGary confronted Moluntha, a Shawnee chief who had succeeded Cornstalk.  Without benefit of an interpreter, McGary demanded to know whether Moluntha had been at the Battle of the Blue Licks.  Moluntha misunderstood the question and nodded yes.  McGary struck him with a tomahawk and killed him instantly.  Moluntha hadn't been anywhere near the battle, but he was a Shawnee and that was enough to condemn him.  McGary was court-martialed and stripped of his commission, but otherwise unpunished.

Today, the battlefield site is a Kentucky state park.  The site includes a commemorative obelisk, a burial ground and museum.  Every August, a reenactment commemorates the battle.