Battle of Point Pleasant

[Don Greene]

As part of my ongoing research of the Shawnee I have been compiling a list of which Natives were known to have been in the Battle and which ones were likely to have been in it. I have also compiled a list of the whites and am adding new ones as I find them. Please feel free to contact me about the Natives or the whites. Currently I am nearing the usual totals of both sides. An interesting note is that several of the whites in the Battle had Native wifes either before or after the Battle. Thanks for this site and feel free to contact me. Don

[lvm]

Dear Don, I am writing a novel on this particular period. One of my characters is an English officer of the British Army who took part to the Lord Dunmore War. He should be, possibly, the commanding Officer of the Philadelphia contingent that joined up with general Lewis at Wheeling in 1774. I would like him to have a real name, as all the rest is as real as I can work it. Could you help ? Could you provide such name with credible references. I thank you in advance. lvm

[ed wilson]

hi-looking for roster of troops under dunmore & especially gen lewis--col benjamin wilson ( my 4x uncle )-my 4x granddad-archibald [plus another wilson brother were involved--but looking for names of 2 white brothers--john & william cousins to the wilson's--need conf of their involvement--they supposedly were with gen lewis-along with archibald wilson--pls email with details--thanks ed [e-mail]

[lvm]

dear ed wilson, could you give more details about benjamin and archibald wilson please ? Gen. Lewis moved to wheeling from williamsburg. Were they with him or might have they come from Pennsylvania on the way to Ohio/Virginia ? Any personal data, information on the two officers will help. thank you
lvm

[ladygemini]

Hello everyone, i just wanted to add that my 5th great grandfather died in the Battle of Point Pleasant, his name was Richard Trotter, you can read more about his widow, the famous "mad" Anne Bailey, if you put her name in a search engine. Also would like to hear from anyone that may have info on Richard Trotter, I am not sure where he is buried. Anne is buried in the Point Pleasant National Park. Thank you all.

[ladygemini]

Hello again, i found this site with a list of the names in the battle. I hope this helps someone. www.rootsweb.com/~wvmason/roster.html

[lvm]

thanks for the site address. very useful. But "volunteers" and "militia" sound very much like the American participants to the war.
What about the blood-backs (red-coats) ?
Anyone has information on them ?
I pledge a copy of my book to all contributors.
lvm

[Canaughi]

"Manufactured History": Re-Fighting the Battle of Point Pleasant
Volume 56 (1997), pp. 76-87
www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh56-5.html

Please read down the page at the state link to where the Greatgrandson of General Lewis had to say about it.
Hon. Virgil A. Lewis, the State Historian

With deep respect, May we condole these tragedies. It is not good to speak of the dead, but please remember as you write your book that there are descendants of these.

Mad Ann Baily is our valley's beloved heroine. These brave Virginia Militia was the father of our Virginia and West Virginia National Gaurd, with appreciation in respect. And, Cornstalk tried to keep the peace among bitterness. Captain John Logan was a Fur Trade Porter-Scout and Connolly was the Ohio Company Doctor.

[Note 1: 1 The Shawanese then delivered the following Answer to the Condolence Speeches and Message sent them: --
"Brothers: (Captain Connolly, Mr. McKee, and Mr. Croghan,) We have received your Speeches by White Eyes, and as to what Mr. Croghan and Mr. McKee says, we look upon it all to be lies, and perhaps what you say may be lies also, but as it is the first time you have spoke to us we listen to you, and expect that what we may hear from you will be more confined to truth than what we usually hear from the white people. It is you who are frequently passing up and down the Ohio, and making settlements upon it, and as you have informed as that your wise people have met together to consult upon this matter, we desire you to be strong and consider it well. Brethren: We see you speak to us at the head of your warriors, who you have collected together at sundry places upon this river, where we understand they are building forts, and as you have requested us to listen to you, we will do it, but in the same manner that you appear to speak to us. Our people at the Lower Towns have no Chiefs among them, but are all warriors, and are also preparing themselves to be in readiness, that they may be better able to hear what you have to say.
"You tell us not to take any notice of what your people have done to us; we desire you likewise not to take any notice of what our young men may now be doing, and as no doubt you can command your warriors when you desire them to listen to you, we have reason to expect that ours will take the same advice when we require it, that is, when we have heard from the Governour of Virginia."--American Archives, Fourth Series, Vol. 1. p. 479.]
(Doc's cousins and relatives, of old Conestoga Manor, were recorded as at Shirtee Creek, but, tradition simply has it as Allegheny. Also, Doc was referring to the Maykujay Warriors in particular in another of his reports to his commander Col George Washington.)

The French had provided carpenters and teachers earlier to the centers and helped them set up thier industry loosely shown here. This might help put the comment about "Lower Towns" into a perspective and what the chief was meaning. Local Tradition and Legends has the late Shawnee (Lower Shawnoes) consisted mainly of five areas:

CHALAHGAWTHA Sept of south centarl Ohio,
The counsil holders and trade center.

THAWEGILA Sept of north of Chalagawtha,
The religious and medical skills.

PECKEWE Sept of central Ohio,
Mostly agriculture and craft-wares.

KISPOKOTHA Sept of western Ohio & Indiana,
Makers of hunting and warring skills.

MAYKUJAY Sept of southern Ohio.
Warriors and hunters.

There was an Era that the Delaware was asked to be the "Mother People" which during that Era, they were the ones that all of the other Ohio-Indiana tribes of the various dialects would have settle their disputes. In return, these would protect the Delaware. But, those folks know these things far better than me.

The Ohio Company (est 1748) was fallen apart as several different prominent groups were considering 'Vandalia' of Virginians and 'Pittsylvania' of Pennsylvanians for the 14th Colony and settlement with border questions of which the Treaty of Fort Pitt was also concerned. And then there was the Otswega for the Mohawk mix Colony and sell of the eastern portions to pay New York investors for financing it.

Doc treated both settlers and Indians, employees or not, especially of the Northern Panhandle of (West) Virginia, at Kaskasia and Falls of Ohio.

Doc Connolly was Deputy Indian Agent George Croghan's nephew by Mohawk-Conestoga marriage. He was very fluent in Iroquois and some of the Algonquan dialects of the various Shawnoes and some little of the Sauvanoes, althogh he was not related to these Algonquan groups. Doc's dad was a western Virginian of the earliest British Patrols.

[Canaughi]

Richard Trotter is buried here, Point Pleasant. I think at the battery at Tuenduwe or at the Old settler cemetary. I believe the veterans were move to the battery for the Bi-Centinial. Cornstock was moved from the old Point clinic lawn when the new court house was built to Tuwenduwe State Park (It's not a National Park.) Feds would not fund it for the Bicentinial as they did not consider the site as a Revolutionary event.

[eman]

can someone tell me the route lewis took to and from pickaway plains? did he travel cross country on the kanawha trail or did they go down to the scioto and folow it north / south?
thanks in advance for your assistance

[Matthew S. Schweitzer]

According to Withers Chronicles of Border Warfare, which is usually considered a good source, Lewis marched overland from Point Pleasant to the Scioto River valley following a series of Indian trails, then north to his camp along Congo Creek. According to this source, his final camp before being sent back to the mouth of the Kanawah River was two miles up on Congo Creek, just over 5 miles north of present-day Chillicothe.

On the 18th, Lewis, with Captain Arbuckle as guide, advanced toward the Shawnee towns eighty miles distant in a straight line and probably one hundred twenty five by the circuitous Indian trails. The army marched about eleven miles a day, frequently seeing hostile parties, but engaging none. Reaching the salt licks near the head of the south branch of Salt Creek, they descended that valley to the Scioto and thence to a prairie on Kinnickinnick (not Killkenny) Creek where was the freshly deserted Indian village referred to by Withers. This was thirteen miles south of Chillecothe (now Westfall). Here they were met, early on the 24th, by a messenger from his lordship, ordering them to halt, as a treaty was nearly concluded at Camp Charlotte. But Lewis' army had been fired on that morning and the place was untenable for a camp in a hostile country, so he concluded to seek better ground. A few hours later another messenger came, again peremptorily ordering a halt as the Shawnees had practically come to terms. Lewis now concluded to join the northern division in force at Camp Charlotte, not liking to have the two armies seperated in the face of a treacherous enemy. But his guide mistook the trail and took one leading directly to the Grenadier Squaw's Town. Lewis camped that night on the west bank of Congo Creek, two miles above its mouth, and five and a quarter miles from Chillicothe, with the Indian town half-way between...

[drbob]

I'm a new forum member. My 4x great grandfather was Jonathan Cundiff, Ensign of Captain Thomas Buford's Company
of Bedford County, VA Volunteers; Jonathan Cundiff was killed in the battle. Would love to talk to any other descendants of the battle of Point Pleasant.