Brodhead's Coshocton expedition was a military expedition carried out by American forces against the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

in the

Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...

in April 1781 during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Led by Daniel Brodhead, the Americans raided and burnt the neutral Christian Munsee village of Indaochaic before attacking the Lenape village of Goschachgunk, massacring 16 prisoners before burning it as well.

Background

On April 7, 1781, Daniel Brodhead led an American force of 150

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

troops and 134 Pennsylvania militiamen out along the Ohio River. Fearing the neutral Turtle Clan of the

in Goschachgunk would soon be joining the British as the more aggressive Wolf Clan had, they embarked with the initial purpose of securing the Turtle Clan's alliance. However, the ever-increasing attacks against American settlers made by the Wolf Clan caused many within Brodhead's ranks to seek retribution, and the mission became an active military campaign.

Expedition

Brodhead first reached the main Turtle Clan village of Gekelmukpechunk. He requested a discussion between the principal chiefs of the village, and three were sent to meet him. His initial hope was to secure the allegiance of the villagers and enlist Lenape warriors into his campaign. Unfortunately, one of Brodhead's militiamen,

Lewis Wetzel Lewis Wetzel (1763–1808) was an American scout and frontiersman. Because of how feared he was by the Native American Tribes, he was nicknamed "Death Wind". He stood about 5ft 10in with knee length black hair. He was an expert with a knife and ...

, killed one of the peaceful chiefs just as they had crossed the river to meet. Fearing massive losses and an unplanned battle, Brodhead retreated and refocused his troops on their initial goal of reaching Coshocton. On April 20, Brodhead and his men, including some American-allied Lenape, raided and destroyed the neutral Christian Munsee village of Indaochaic. Then, aided by Lenape chief Gelelemend, they traveled to the nearby village of Goschachgunk. He divided his men into three regiments and laid their village to waste. On the first night, 16 Lenape warriors were captured, taken south of the village, and massacred by the Americans; another 20 were killed in battle, and 20 non-combatants were taken prisoner. Five of those captured were Christian Munsees, who were released. Brodhead and Colonel Davis Shepherd did not further attack the Moravian Christian settlements, such as Schoenbrunn, Gnadenhutten and Salem, which housed Christian Indians and American missionaries such as

John Heckewelder John Gottlieb Ernestus Heckewelder (March 12, 1743 – January 21, 1823) was an American missionary for the Moravian Church. Early life Heckewelder was born in Bedford, England and came to Pennsylvania in 1754. After finishing his education, he ...

, as Brodhead declared that "these Indians had conducted themselves from the commencement of the war in a manner that did them honour." Brodhead and his soldiers received food from these villages. Feeling his expedition at the end and his troops' anger satiated, Brodhead returned to Pennsylvania.

Aftermath

In 1782, American troops from Pennsylvania came back to the area. This was a force made up of primarily Pennsylvanian settlers attempting to avenge attacks on American settlers in Western Pennsylvania. After falsely promising protection to the Moravian Christian Lenape and Moravian Christian Mahicans, the Pennsylvania militia massacred residents of the pacifist Moravian Christian settlement of Gnadenhutten in what would become known as the Gnadenhutten massacre, with those who were murdered being recognized as

Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person who was killed for their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In the years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, or ...

s. This is also the settlement which housed many of the surviving people from the previously raided and destroyed the settlement of Lichtenau. There is now a historical marker in the city of Coshocton at 40° 16.554' N, 81° 50.659' W.

References

External links

By State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Lyman Copeland Draper, Reuben Gold Thwaites, Milo Milton Quaife

By HMdb.org, The Historical Marker Database, William Fisher Jr., Keith W. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brodhead's Coshocton Expedition 1781 in the United States Battles of the American Revolutionary War in Ohio Battles in the Western theater of the American Revolutionary War Conflicts in 1781 Lenape 1781 murders Massacres in the 1780s Massacres committed by the United States Massacres in the American Revolutionary War Massacres of Native Americans Tuscarawas County, Ohio