Bushy Run Battlefield
Encyclopedia
Bushy Run Battlefield Park is a historical park that was operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
, on 218 acre (0.88221548 km²), in Penn Township
, Westmoreland County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States. It was the site of the Battle of Bushy Run
fought on August 5 - 6, 1763 during the Pontiac's Rebellion
. The battle was a major victory for the British
and enabled them to secure their control of the Ohio River Valley and what was to become the Northwest Territory
. Bushy Run Battlefield Park was established as a Pennsylvania State Park in the 1920s and became a National Historic Landmark
in 1960. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm and hosts a museum exhibit entitled, "The March to Bushy Run", a theater, a gift shop and battlefield tours on weekends. Bushy Run Battlefield Park is only the historic site or museum that deals exclusively with Pontiac's Rebellion. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 993
near Harrison City
and Jeannette
.
In August 2009, the state closed several PHMC museums indefinitely due to a lack of funding as part of an ongoing budget crisis. Bushy Run Battlefield was one of the sites set to be closed. With the help of the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society, the site's volunteer organization, the museum has stayed open despite budget cuts. On May 5, 2010 the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society came to an agreement with the PHMC to allow the volunteers to staff and operate the museum.
The Battle of Bushy Run was fought between a British relief column under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet
and a combined force of Delaware
, Shawnee
, Mingo
, and Huron warriors. In July 1763, a British relief column of consisting of 500 British soldiers was sent to relieve Fort Pitt
, then under siege
. Under the command of Bouquet, the column left Carlisle, Pennsylvania
. On August 5, while passing through present-day Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
, the column was ambush
ed by a large force of Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron 25 miles (40.2 km) east of Fort Pitt. The British managed to hold their ground and, after the natives withdrew after sunset, Bouquet ordered a redoubt
, made of sacks of flour
, constructed on Edge Hill placing their wounded and livestock in the center of the redoubt.
The following morning, after the evening sentries were being relieved, the allied tribes attacked only to be ambushed themselves by the relieved sentries. As the tribal forces were flanked, the warriors fled in a disorganized retreat. With troops under Bouquet, the column dispersed the attackers before heading to Bushy Run, where there was badly needed water. The battle has since been attributed to Bushy Run despite the main fighting taking place in Edge Hill. Bouquet then marched to the relief of Fort Pitt. The battle was costly with 50 British soldiers killed. The confederacy of the Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron also suffered an unknown number of casualties including two prominent Delaware chieftains.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
, on 218 acre (0.88221548 km²), in Penn Township
Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Penn Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 30.5 square miles , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States. It was the site of the Battle of Bushy Run
Battle of Bushy Run
The Battle of Bushy Run was fought on August 5-6, 1763, in western Pennsylvania, between a British column under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet and a combined force of Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron warriors. This action occurred during Pontiac's Rebellion...
fought on August 5 - 6, 1763 during the Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
. The battle was a major victory for the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and enabled them to secure their control of the Ohio River Valley and what was to become the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
. Bushy Run Battlefield Park was established as a Pennsylvania State Park in the 1920s and became a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1960. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm and hosts a museum exhibit entitled, "The March to Bushy Run", a theater, a gift shop and battlefield tours on weekends. Bushy Run Battlefield Park is only the historic site or museum that deals exclusively with Pontiac's Rebellion. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 993
Pennsylvania Route 993
Pennsylvania Route 993 is a long state highway located in Westmoreland county in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 130 in Trafford. The eastern terminus is at PA 66 Business in Hempfield Township...
near Harrison City
Harrison City, Pennsylvania
Harrison City is a census-designated place in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 155 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Harrison City is located at ....
and Jeannette
Jeannette, Pennsylvania
Jeannette is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,788 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jeannette is located at ....
.
In August 2009, the state closed several PHMC museums indefinitely due to a lack of funding as part of an ongoing budget crisis. Bushy Run Battlefield was one of the sites set to be closed. With the help of the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society, the site's volunteer organization, the museum has stayed open despite budget cuts. On May 5, 2010 the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society came to an agreement with the PHMC to allow the volunteers to staff and operate the museum.
The Battle of Bushy Run was fought between a British relief column under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet was a prominent British Army officer in the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. Bouquet is best known for his victory over Native Americans at the Battle of Bushy Run, lifting the siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's War.-Early life:Bouquet was born into a moderately wealthy...
and a combined force of Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, 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...
, Mingo
Mingo
The Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...
, and Huron warriors. In July 1763, a British relief column of consisting of 500 British soldiers was sent to relieve Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
, then under siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
. Under the command of Bouquet, the column left Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
. On August 5, while passing through present-day Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, the column was ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed by a large force of Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron 25 miles (40.2 km) east of Fort Pitt. The British managed to hold their ground and, after the natives withdrew after sunset, Bouquet ordered a redoubt
Redoubt
A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
, made of sacks of flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, constructed on Edge Hill placing their wounded and livestock in the center of the redoubt.
The following morning, after the evening sentries were being relieved, the allied tribes attacked only to be ambushed themselves by the relieved sentries. As the tribal forces were flanked, the warriors fled in a disorganized retreat. With troops under Bouquet, the column dispersed the attackers before heading to Bushy Run, where there was badly needed water. The battle has since been attributed to Bushy Run despite the main fighting taking place in Edge Hill. Bouquet then marched to the relief of Fort Pitt. The battle was costly with 50 British soldiers killed. The confederacy of the Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron also suffered an unknown number of casualties including two prominent Delaware chieftains.