Lochry's Defeat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lochry's Defeat
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Lochry's Defeat, Will Vawter, c. 1895
Date August 24, 1781 Location Near present-day Aurora, Indiana 39°3′31″N 84°54′23″W / 39.05861°N 84.90639°W / 39.05861; -84.90639 Result British-Native American victory
Belligerents
Great Britain Native Americans white Loyalists	United States  Pennsylvania Militia
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Brant, George Girty	Archibald Lochry  †
Strength
Native Americans: Iroquois Shawnee Wyandot *few white Loyalists (total 90–100)	100+
Casualties and losses
none	37–41 killed, 60–64 captured

Lochry's Defeat, also known as the Lochry massacre, was a battle during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). It happened on August 24, 1781, near what is now Aurora, Indiana. The war started between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies. It then spread to the western frontier, where Native Americans joined the British side.

This battle was short and decisive. About 100 Native American warriors, led by Joseph Brant, a Mohawk leader, ambushed a similar number of Pennsylvania militiamen. These militiamen were led by Archibald Lochry. Brant and his men killed or captured all of the Pennsylvanians. They did not suffer any losses themselves.

Lochry's group was part of a larger army. This army was being put together by George Rogers Clark. Clark planned a campaign against Detroit, which was a British headquarters. Clark and Governor Thomas Jefferson of Virginia hoped to capture Detroit. They believed this would stop British support for the Native American war effort.

In early August 1781, Clark and about 400 men left Fort Pitt. They traveled by boat down the Ohio River. Lochry and his men were a few days behind, trying to catch up. Joseph Brant's force was part of a British and Native American army. They were trying to stop Clark's attack. Brant had too few men to fight Clark directly. But he learned about Lochry's smaller group from captured messengers. When Lochry landed to feed his men and horses, Brant launched his successful ambush. Clark's campaign was canceled because he lost Lochry's men. He already had too few soldiers for his mission.

Why the Battle Happened

The American Revolutionary War in the Ohio River valley was mainly fought between American colonists and Native Americans. The colonists lived south and east of the Ohio River. The Native Americans and their British allies lived north of the river. The British in Detroit helped Native American war parties. These parties attacked American forts and settlements. This was meant to distract American forces from the main war in the East. It also helped the British keep control of the valuable North American fur trade.

Native Americans in the Ohio Country wanted to protect their lands. These included the Shawnee, Mingo, Delaware, and Wyandot tribes. They hoped to push American settlers out of Kentucky. They wanted to reclaim their hunting grounds. These lands had been lost in earlier agreements.

Americans wanted to keep Kentucky. They also wanted to claim more land in the region. They launched attacks against Native American settlements north of the Ohio River. George Rogers Clark, a Virginia officer, believed that capturing Detroit would win the border war. He had already captured the British outpost of Vincennes in 1779. He also captured the British commander of Detroit, Henry Hamilton. Clark tried to plan a Detroit campaign in 1779 and 1780. But he always had to cancel it because he didn't have enough men or supplies.

Planning Clark's Big Trip

In late 1780, Clark met with Thomas Jefferson, the governor of Virginia. They planned a large expedition for 1781. Jefferson wanted Clark to lead 2,000 men to Detroit. They hoped this would stop a rumored British attack on Kentucky. Clark was made a "Brigadier General" by Virginia. In January, he went to Fort Pitt to gather his men and supplies. He wanted to leave Fort Pitt by June 15.

Getting enough men was a big problem. Jefferson asked Virginia's western counties to provide soldiers. But local officials said they couldn't spare the men. Soldiers did not want to leave their families and homes unprotected. There were threats from Lord Cornwallis's army in the east. There were also Native American raids from the north. So, Jefferson asked for volunteers instead of ordering the militia to go.

Clark also had trouble getting men from Pennsylvania. There were old disagreements between Virginia and Pennsylvania. This made Pennsylvanians unwilling to join an expedition led by a Virginian. One Pennsylvanian who supported Clark was Colonel Archibald Lochry. He commanded the Westmoreland County militia. On July 4, Lochry wrote to Joseph Reed, a Pennsylvania leader. He said his county was suffering from constant attacks. He believed they needed to attack the enemy. He also said General Clark had asked for their help.

With approval, Lochry began recruiting men. Many Westmoreland men did not want to leave their homes. So, Lochry could only get about 100 volunteers. When Clark finally left Fort Pitt in August, he had only 400 men. He expected to meet Lochry and his Pennsylvanians at Fort Henry. Clark was upset about the lack of support. But he still hoped that Kentucky militia would join him later. He planned to at least attack enemy Native Americans if he couldn't attack Detroit.

British and Native American Plans

British officials and their Native American allies knew about Clark's plan early on. In April, a meeting was held in Detroit to prepare a defense. Major Arent DePeyster was the commander in Detroit. He worked with British agents like Alexander McKee and Simon Girty. These agents had strong ties with Native Americans in the Ohio Country. They helped organize British and Native American military actions.

Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), painted in London by George Romney in 1776

Joseph Brant (also known as Thayendanegea) joined the Detroit meeting. He was a military leader of the Mohawks, part of the Iroquois Confederacy. Brant was important to the British because he could speak English. He also had good connections with British officials. He encouraged the Iroquois to join the war as British allies. Four of the Six Nations eventually did so.

Brant became a skilled commander during the war. He led about 100 men, mostly white Loyalists. He gained more Native American followers later. Brant was perhaps the only Native American to become a British captain. In April, Brant was moved to Detroit. The official reason was to help rally Native American support against Clark.

At the Detroit meeting, DePeyster encouraged the Native Americans to unite. He wanted them to send a force to stop Clark. In May, Native American leaders and British agents gathered warriors. They met at the Wyandot town of Upper Sandusky. In mid-August, Brant and George Girty, Simon's brother, headed south. They went to the Ohio River with about 90 warriors. These warriors were Iroquois, Shawnee, and Wyandot. They also had a few white men with them. McKee and Simon Girty continued to gather more fighters.

Lochry Chases Clark

Lochry's and Brant's routes to the battle. Not all settlements are shown.

In early August, Clark moved his troops down the Ohio River to Wheeling. He was supposed to meet Lochry there. Clark waited five days longer than planned. Then he decided to leave Wheeling without Lochry. Soldiers were leaving the expedition. Clark thought if they were further from home, they would be less likely to run away. When Lochry finally reached Wheeling on August 8, Clark had left just hours before. Lochry sent a message to Clark. He said he had arrived but found no boats, food, or ammunition. He asked Clark what to do and where to meet. Lochry said he had over 100 men.

Clark replied from Middle Island on August 9. He was sorry they didn't meet at Wheeling. He explained that his men kept leaving. So he couldn't stay in one place for long. He said he would move slowly. He told Lochry to hurry and catch up.

After building boats, Lochry and his men left Wheeling. They hoped to catch the main expedition. Clark left Major Charles Cracraft with supplies and a small group of men. They were on Camp Three Island, waiting for Lochry. Further down the Ohio, Clark stopped at the mouth of the Kanawha River. But he decided to keep moving to prevent more desertions. Clark left a letter on a pole telling Lochry to keep following.

On August 14, Lochry wrote to Clark. He said his men were "in great spirits" and ready to go. He had even caught 16 soldiers who had left Clark's force. He was bringing them along. The next day, Lochry found Major Cracraft. Cracraft gave Lochry a large horse boat. Then Cracraft left to rejoin Clark's troops. On August 16, Lochry sent Captain Samuel Shannon and seven men with a letter to Clark. Lochry asked Clark to leave more food. He was running low on flour. He didn't want to be delayed by hunting. The next day, Lochry sent two men to hunt, but they never came back.

Ambush on the Ohio River

On the night of August 18, Clark and his men floated past the mouth of the Great Miami River. This was near the border of present-day Ohio and Indiana. Brant's group was hidden on the northern bank of the Ohio. But Brant had too few men to fight Clark's larger force. So, Brant stayed hidden and let Clark pass. This was a missed chance for the British and Native Americans. If McKee and Simon Girty had arrived with more men, they could have ambushed Clark.

Even though he missed Clark, Brant soon found another target. On August 21, Brant captured Major Cracraft and six men. They were trying to catch up with Clark. Brant also captured some men from Captain Shannon's group. From letters the prisoners carried, Brant learned that Lochry's group was not far behind. Brant sent a letter to McKee, urging him to hurry. He wrote that "whilst the enemy are scadred [scattered] we can easy manage them." Brant planned to attack Lochry even if McKee's reinforcements didn't arrive in time.

At about 8:00 a.m. on August 24, Lochry's group landed. They were on the northern bank of the Ohio River. This was near the mouth of Laughery Creek, about 11 miles (18 km) below the Great Miami. Lochry's men had traveled for two days without stopping. They needed to feed themselves and their horses. After landing, the Americans cooked breakfast and cut grass for their horses. They did not seem to be taking proper safety steps.

Brant's men were hidden in the nearby woods. Brant moved his men into position. Then they opened fire, completely surprising the Americans. Some Americans fought until they ran out of ammunition. Others did not have their weapons ready. Some tried to escape by boat. But Brant had planned for this. He had men in canoes to block any escape. Seeing that they were trapped, Lochry told his men to surrender.

Brant won a huge victory. Both sides had about the same number of men. But all of the Americans were killed or captured. None of Brant's men were hurt.

What Happened Next

After the battle, the Native American warriors and rangers did not immediately attack Clark's main force. Brant marched the prisoners up the Miami River. On August 27, he met with about 300 Native Americans led by McKee. He also met about 100 Butler's Rangers led by Captain Andrew Thompson. They left some men to guard the prisoners. The combined force of about 500 then went after Clark's army.

On September 9, two captured Americans revealed that Clark's expedition had been called off. This was because he didn't have enough men. Most of the British-Native American army then went home. McKee convinced 200 men to go with him on a raid into Kentucky. This led to what Kentuckians called the "Long Run Massacre".

The 64 American prisoners were divided among the tribes. A few of these prisoners were later killed. As was their custom, some prisoners were adopted by Native American families. This was to replace fallen warriors. Most, however, were sold to the British in Detroit. They were then sent to a prison in Montreal. A few managed to escape. The rest were set free after the war ended in 1783. Of the 100 or more men who were with Lochry, it's estimated that less than half to more than half eventually made it home.

Lochry's Defeat was a terrible blow to the people of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Almost every home was affected. People in the county were worried. They had lost so many of their best soldiers. These soldiers were needed to defend the frontier.

The loss of Lochry's group was the final setback for Clark's 1781 campaign. In early September, Clark met with Kentucky militia officers. Clark still wanted to go into the Ohio Country. But the council decided to stay on defense. They planned another campaign against Detroit for the next year. On October 1, a disappointed Clark wrote, "My chain appears to have run out." He felt trapped with few troops in a small fort. Clark led an expedition against the Shawnee towns in 1782. This was one of the last actions of the war. But he was never able to attack Detroit.

Images for kids

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  A drawing showing the ambush at Lochry's Defeat.