Town Destroyer facts for kids

Conotocaurius (pronounced: Koh-noh-toh-KAH-ree-us) was a special name given to George Washington by Native American groups, especially the Iroquois people. This happened in 1753. The name means things like "Town Destroyer," "Town Taker," or "Burner of Towns." It shows how these groups saw Washington.

History of the Name

How George Washington Got the Name

George Washington received this name in 1753. It was given to him by Tanacharison, a leader of the Seneca people. The Seneca are one of the Iroquois nations.

Interestingly, this nickname was not new. It had been given to Washington's great-grandfather, John Washington, many years before. John Washington had been involved in conflicts with Native American groups in Virginia and Maryland. These groups included the Susquehannah and the Piscataway people. The Piscataway were an Algonquian tribe living near the Potomac River, close to where Mount Vernon is today.

After a sad event where five Native American leaders were killed during peace talks with the colonists, the Susquehannah people gave John Washington an Algonquian name. This name also meant "town taker" or "devourer of villages." Because of his great-grandfather's actions, when George Washington met these groups in 1753, they called him by the same name: Conotocaurious.

Washington's Own Use of the Name

George Washington himself used the name "Conotocaurious" in a letter. This letter was written on October 10, 1755, to Andrew Montour. In the letter, Washington was trying to convince the Oneida people to move to the Potomac area.

He wrote: "Tell them how happy it would make Conotocaurious to have an opportunity of taking them by the hand at Fort Cumberland. He would be glad to treat them as brothers of our Great King beyond the waters."

The Sullivan Expedition

Later, during the American Revolutionary War in 1779, George Washington ordered a military campaign. This was called the Sullivan Expedition. Under his command, the army destroyed at least 40 Iroquois villages in New York. The Iroquois had defended their lands against American settlements.

In 1790, a Seneca chief named Cornplanter spoke to President Washington. He reminded Washington of the name. Cornplanter said: "When your army entered the country of the Six Nations, we called you Town Destroyer." This shows that the name stuck with Washington for a long time.