Tag Archives: Native Americans
Down the Rabbit Hole with Three Captains Johnny
On the afternoon of June 4, 1782 in the grasslands of western Ohio, a Pennsylvania volunteer named Francis Dunlavy spent a portion of his time trying to shoot a Native American he later called “Big Captain Johnny.” For his part, the … Continue reading
Review: Russell Mahan, The Kentucky Kidnappings and Death March: The Revolutionary War at Ruddell’s Fort and Martin’s Station, Kindle ed. (West Haven, UT: Historical Enterprises, 2020).
In the summer of 1780, Captain Henry Bird crossed the Ohio River with some 800 Native Americans from various British-allied tribes and two companies of soldiers from Detroit (roughly 50 Canadians and Tories and a mixed group of regulars from … Continue reading
Book Review: The Indian World of George Washington by Colin G. Calloway
Multiple tomes grace bookshelves in libraries, book stores, and personal residences that depict various aspects of George Washington’s life and legacy. Historian Colin G. Calloway’s “The Indian World of George Washington” deserves a space on that bookshelf. Long overdue, this volume … Continue reading
ERW Weekender: Wheeling
Emerging Revolutionary War welcomes guest historian Jon-Erik Gilot. A short bio is attached at the bottom of this post. Though perhaps more widely known as the birthplace of West Virginia during the Civil War, Wheeling and its environs retains several … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Emerging Revolutionary War, ERW Weekender, Memory, Militia (Patriot) Leadership, Native American, Revolutionary War, Western Frontier
Tagged 1774, 1777, 1782, American Revolution, American Revolutionary War, Emerging Revolutionary War Symposium, ERW Weekender, Fort Henry, Jon-Erik Gilot, Lewis Wetzel, Major Samuel McColloch, National Road, Native Americans
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Groundhog Day and the Legend of Ponks Uteney
Before Americans began relying on a local groundhog to predict the weather, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania had a legend attached to it. In 1772, Native Americans converted to Christianity under the tutelage of missionaries from the Church of the United Brethren (known … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Uncategorized, Western Frontier
Tagged Missionaries, Moravians, Native Americans, Punxsutawney
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McColloch’s Leap
“By no means comparable with the feats of a similar character” and “performed an act of daring” and “nay, desperate horsemanship” and “seldom been equaled by man or beast.” All these describe the amazing escape of Major Samuel McColloch in … Continue reading
Posted in Common Soldier, Emerging Revolutionary War, Memory, Militia (Patriot) Leadership, Monuments, Native American, Uncategorized, Western Frontier
Tagged 1774, 1777, Emerging Revolutionary War, Fort Henry, Lord Dunmore, Major Samuel McColloch, Native Americans, Patrick Henry, Phillip S. Greenwalt, Virginia, West Virginia, Wheeling
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A Portrait of John Cuppy
Emerging Revolutionary War welcomes guest historian Gabriel Neville Most of the enlisted men of the Revolutionary War are faceless and forgotten—just names on lists. Biographies and painted portraits are honors that were reserved for officers. Even so, it is possible … Continue reading
Battle of Fort San Carlos – Westernmost Battle of the American Revolution
St. Louis, Missouri is considered the gateway to the west for the United States beginning in the 19th century. In the 18th century, St. Louis was not on the radar of many in the burgeoning United States. However, the westernmost … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Campaigns, Civilian, Common Soldier, Memory, Revolutionary War
Tagged 1780, African Americans, Battle of Fort San Carlos, Emerging Revolutionary War, Fort San Carlos, Francois Valle, French, Gateway Arch National Park, George Rogers Clark, King Carlos III, Mississippi River, Native Americans, Sioux, St. Louis
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Norman MacLeod’s Campaign Journal, October 13, 1778
In the summer of 1778, Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark of the Virginia militia launched one of the most daring American military operations of the Revolutionary War when he invaded the “Illinois country” and captured Cahokia and Kaskaskia in modern-day … Continue reading
Posted in British Leadership, Campaigns, Militia (Loyalist) Leadership, Personalities, Revolutionary War, Uncategorized
Tagged Detroit, Fort Sackville, Frontier, George Rogers Clark, Henry Hamilton, Illinois Country, Indiana, Indians, Native Americans, Norman MacLeod, Northwest Campaigns, Ohio, Vincennes, Wabash
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Missionary Extraordinaire: David Zeisberger
Over the summer, I took a family excursion to several Revolutionary War sites in Ohio, some of which I recently wrote about. In particular, I wanted to trace the experience of several Moravian missionaries and their congregations in the no-man’s … Continue reading
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