Battle of Piqua
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Piqua, also known as the Battle of Pekowee or Pekowi, was part of the western campaign
during the American Revolutionary War
. Led by General George Rogers Clark
, over 1,000 soldiers (among them Daniel Boone
and Simon Kenton
) crossed the Ohio River
near present-day Cincinnati and burned five Shawnee
villages, including Old Chillicothe, along the Little Miami River
. Peter Loramie's Store, a British trading post
-located in what was later Fort Loramie, Ohio
in Shelby County, Ohio
-, was also burned by Clark's men. The Shawnee gradually withdrew during the first few days before finally engaging American forces 7 miles west of Springfield, Ohio
on August 8, 1782. Joseph Rogers, a cousin of George Rogers Clark, had previously accompanied him to Kentucky and was later captured by the Shawnee near Maysville
. Despite having been adopted by the tribe, he was killed during the battle while trying to join American forces.
After several hours of fighting, both sides suffered moderate casualties before scattering the small Shawnee rearguard
. The campaign against the Shawnee in the Miami River Valley was intended to discourage further raids against Kentucky and other parts of the American frontier, and while no further raids were made by the Shawnee for the remainder of the American Revolutionary War, hostility greatly increased among the tribes living in the Ohio Country for years afterwards.
The battle was the only major engagement fought in Ohio during the American Revolutionary War and a memorial trail and state park, the George Rogers Clark Memorial and Tecumseh State Park, was later built on the site of the battle by the Clark County Historical Society.
An official ceremony was held on the 142nd anniversary to commemorate a monument to George Rogers Clark, a 18 ft. marble statue, as well as the birthplace of Tecumseh
. The park was enlarged in 1930 and, on the sesquicentennial celebration of the battle, an historical conference was held at nearby Wittenberg College on October 9, 1930.
Western theater of the American Revolutionary War
The Western theater of the American Revolutionary War was the area of conflict west of the Appalachian Mountains, the region which became the Northwest Territory of the United States as well as the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Led by General George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
, over 1,000 soldiers (among them Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
and Simon Kenton
Simon Kenton
Simon Kenton was a famous United States frontiersman and friend of Daniel Boone, Simon Girty, Spencer Records and Isaac Shelby.-Family and early life:Simon Kenton was alive even before Ohio was a state...
) crossed the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
near present-day Cincinnati and burned five Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
villages, including Old Chillicothe, along the Little Miami River
Little Miami River
The Little Miami River is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows through five counties in southwestern Ohio in the United States. The Little Miami joins the Ohio River east of Cincinnati. It forms parts of the borders between Hamilton and Clermont counties and between Hamilton and Warren...
. Peter Loramie's Store, a British trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
-located in what was later Fort Loramie, Ohio
Fort Loramie, Ohio
Fort Loramie is a village in Shelby County, Ohio, United States, along Loramie Creek. The population was 3,045 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1837.-History:...
in Shelby County, Ohio
Shelby County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,910 people, 17,636 households, and 13,085 families residing in the county. The population density was 117 people per square mile . There were 18,682 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
-, was also burned by Clark's men. The Shawnee gradually withdrew during the first few days before finally engaging American forces 7 miles west of Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
on August 8, 1782. Joseph Rogers, a cousin of George Rogers Clark, had previously accompanied him to Kentucky and was later captured by the Shawnee near Maysville
Maysville
Maysville is the name of several places in the United States of America:* Maysville, Alabama* Maysville, Colorado* Maysville, Georgia* Maysville, Indiana* Maysville, Iowa* Maysville, Kentucky* Maysville, Maine* Maysville, Missouri...
. Despite having been adopted by the tribe, he was killed during the battle while trying to join American forces.
After several hours of fighting, both sides suffered moderate casualties before scattering the small Shawnee rearguard
Rearguard
Rearguard may refer to:* A military detachment protecting the rear of a larger military formation, especially when retreating from a pursuing enemy force. * Rear Guard , a computer game released in 1982...
. The campaign against the Shawnee in the Miami River Valley was intended to discourage further raids against Kentucky and other parts of the American frontier, and while no further raids were made by the Shawnee for the remainder of the American Revolutionary War, hostility greatly increased among the tribes living in the Ohio Country for years afterwards.
The battle was the only major engagement fought in Ohio during the American Revolutionary War and a memorial trail and state park, the George Rogers Clark Memorial and Tecumseh State Park, was later built on the site of the battle by the Clark County Historical Society.
An official ceremony was held on the 142nd anniversary to commemorate a monument to George Rogers Clark, a 18 ft. marble statue, as well as the birthplace of Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
. The park was enlarged in 1930 and, on the sesquicentennial celebration of the battle, an historical conference was held at nearby Wittenberg College on October 9, 1930.
Further reading
- Bakeless, John Edwin. Background to Glory: The Life of George Rogers Clark. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Lippincott, 1957.
- Barnhart, John D., ed. Henry Hamilton and George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution: With the Unpublished Journal of Lieut. Gov. Henry Hamilton. Crawfordsville, Indiana: R. E. Banta, 1951.
- Barr, Daniel P., ed. The Boundaries Between Us: Natives and Newcomers Along the Frontiers of the Old Northwest Territory, 1750–1850. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2006.
- Bond, Beverley W., Jr. The Foundations of Ohio. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, 1941.
- Flavell, Julie, and Stephen Conway, eds. Britain and America go to War: The Impact of War and Warfare in Anglo-America, 1754–1815. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2004.
- Harrison, Lowell Hayes. George Rogers Clark and the War in the West. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1976.
- Hurt, R. Douglas. The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720–1830. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1996.
- James, James Alton. The Life of George Rogers Clark. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1928.
- Juday, Richard Roland. The Battle of Piqua: Revolutionary Encounter in Ohio. Dayton, Ohio: Grove-Merrit Publications, 1976.
- Knepper, George. Ohio and Its People. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2003.
- Nester, William R. The Frontier War for American Independence. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2004.
- O'Donnell, James H., III. Ohio's First Peoples. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2004.
- Palmer, Frederick. Clark of the Ohio: A Life of George Rogers Clark. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1930.
- Ricky, Donald B., ed. Encyclopedia of Ohio Indians. St. Clair Shores, Michigan: Somerset Publishers, Inc., 1998.
- Skardon, Mary A. The Battle of Piqua, Aug. 8, 1780: Focal point in Ohio revolutionary history. Clark County Historical Society, 1964.
- Waller, George Macgregor. American Revolution in the West. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1976.
External links
- George Rogers Clark papers on 1782 expedition pp. 476–484{Just after crossing the Ohio River a party of 30 men from 2 companies under Hugh McGary encountered Indians while hunting; McGary's casualties were 9 killed/wounded.}
- Ohio Moments: 'Savage fierceness' marked Battle of Piqua
- George Rogers Clark and the Battle of Piqua
- account which reports 5 Indians killed and 2 of Clarks men mortally wounded
- The First Century of Piqua Ohio .p.11 1910 report of casualties of George Rogers Clark forces