American Revolution

The American Revolution was fought between Great Britain and thirteen of its North American colonies. Most historians maintain that the war began on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, although the colonies did not officially approve and issue a Declaration of Independence until July 4, 1776. The American Revolution lasted until 1783, although the final major battle between the British Army and the Continental Army took place at Yorktown, Virginia, in October 1781. Few major battles occurred in the Ohio Country during the American Revolution. There was, however, tremendous bloodshed as the Americans and the British struggled to gain the support of the Indians. Many tribes, such as the Shawnee Indians and the Delaware Indians, initially hoped to remain neutral in the conflict. Most eventually sided with Great Britain. They feared that, if the Americans emerged victorious, white settlers would flood into the Ohio Country.

To learn more about this important event in Ohio's history, please browse these entries at your leisure.

There are 95 entries matching this topic. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

American Revolution: The American Revolution was fought between England and thirteen of its North American colonies. Most historians maintain that the war began on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, although the colonies did not officially approve and issue a Declaration of Independence until July 4, 1776. . . .
Battle of Piqua: Throughout the American Revolution, Shawnee warriors conducted raids against American settlements in Kentucky. In November 1782, George Rogers Clark, hoping to prevent further attacks, led a detachment of militiamen against the Shawnee Indians living at modern-day Piqua, Ohio. . . .
Battle of Point Pleasant: The Battle of Point Pleasant, fought on October 10, 1774, was the decisive battle of Lord Dunmore's War. . . .
Battle of the Olentangy: In 1782, William Crawford led a combined force of Virginians and Pennsylvanians in an attack on Mingo Indians and Delaware Indians along the Sandusky River. David Williamson and a number of the men who had participated in the Gnadenhutten Massacre of Delaware Indians were among his troops. . . .
Battle of the Sandusky: In 1782, William Crawford led a combined force of Virginians and Pennsylvanians in an attack on Mingo Indians and Delaware Indians along the Sandusky River. David Williamson and a number of the men who had participated in the Gnadenhutten Massacre of Delaware Indians were among his troops. . . .
Bird, Henry: During the American Revolution, Captain Henry Bird led a combined force of British troops and Shawnee Indians against white settlements in Kentucky. In 1779, Colonel John Bowman and a band of three hundred Kentuckians attacked Native Americans living near modern-day Xenia, Ohio. . . .
Boone, Daniel: Daniel Boone was a man of the frontier in early America. As the frontier moved, he moved with it and became one of the most well-known men of his time. . . .
British Era: The British Era began with England's victory over France in the French and Indian War. The British acquired the Ohio Country through the Treaty of Paris (1763), although many of the Native Americans living in the area did not agree with the loss of French influence. . . .
Brodhead, Daniel: During the American Revolution, Daniel Brodhead served for a brief time period as the commander of Fort Pitt. . . .
Canadian Ohioans: Numerous Ohioans are descended from both French and English Canadian ancestors. Today, Canadian Ohioans continue to enhance Ohio's cultural and social landscape. . . .
Chippewa Indians: The Chippewa Indians, also known as the Ojibwa, lived mainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario, Canada. . . .
Clark, George R.: George Rogers Clark was born near Charlottesville, Virginia, on November 19, 1752. He received little formal schooling, but in his late teens, Clark's grandfather taught him how to survey the land. In 1772, Clark put his training to use. . . .
Cleaveland, Moses: Moses Cleaveland was the founder of Cleveland, Ohio. . . .
Confederation Congress: The Confederation Congress was the legislative branch of government established by the Articles of Confederation of the newly independent United States of America. . . .
Coshocton, Ohio: Coshocton is the county seat of Coshoston County in east central Ohio. . . .
Crawford, William: William Crawford was born in Virginia in 1732. He was a farmer and a surveyor for most of his life, although he is more commonly known for his military experiences. . . .
Cresap, Michael: Michael Cresap was a frontiersman born in Maryland on April 17, 1742. He spent part of his adult years in the Ohio Country as a trader and land developer. . . .
Cutler, Manasseh: Although he did not spend that much time in the state, Manasseh Cutler was a major figure in the settling of Ohio in the years after the American Revolution. . . .
Declaration of Independence: On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally approved and issued the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the document. . . .
Declaration of Independence (Transcript): A transcript of the Declaration of Independence. . . .
Delaware Indians: The Delaware Indians, also called the Lenape, originally lived along the Delaware River in New Jersey. They speak a form of the Algonquian language and are thus related to the Miami Indians, Ottawa Indians, and Shawnee Indians. . . .
Dohrman's Grant: During the American Revolution, Arnold Henry Dohrman (1749-1813) served as a representative of the Confederation Congress to Portugal. . . .
Dohrman, Arnold H.: During the American Revolution, Arnold Henry Dohrman (1749-1813) served as a representative of the Confederation Congress to Portugal. . . .
Dunmore, John M.: John Murray, Lord Dunmore was a royal governor of Virginia in the years before the American Revolution. He was born in Scotland in 1732. He came from a noble family and was descended from royalty. In 1761, at the young age of twenty-nine years, . . .
Elliott, Matthew: Matthew Elliott was a British Indian Agent and militia officer in the years between the American Revolution and the War of 1812, Born in Ireland about 1739, Elliott migrated to America in 1761, . . .
English Ohioans: Numerous Ohioans are descended from English ancestors. Today, English Ohioans continue to enhance Ohio's cultural and social landscape. . . .
Ephraim Kimberly Tract: Ephraim (sometimes spelled Ephriam) Kimberly received three hundred acres of Congress Lands from the United States Congress for his service in the American Revolution. . . .
Episcopal Church: The Episcopal Church was founded in 1789 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. . . .
Firelands: The Firelands was part of the Western Reserve of Connecticut in the Northwest Territory. . . .
Fort Detroit: French explorer and soldier Antoine Laumet de la Mothe Cadillac originally built Fort Detroit in 1701, naming it Fort Pontchartrain. The French hoped to use the fort to build alliances with the Indians living in the Ohio valley in order to protect their interests in the region from British encroachment. . . .
Fort Duquesne: Fort Duquesne was a French fort in western Pennsylvania in the French and Indian War (1756-1763). . . .
Fort Gower Resolutions: The Fort Gower Resolutions were an expression of the increasing spirit of American independence as the American Revolution was about to begin. . . .
Fort Laurens: Fort Laurens was constructed in the Ohio Country in 1778. During the American Revolution, most Native Americans residing in the Ohio Country allied themselves with the British. . . .
French Ohioans: Numerous Ohioans are descended from French ancestors. Today, French Ohioans continue to enhance Ohio's cultural and social landscape. . . .
Gelelemend: Killbuck was a tribal leader of the turtle clan of the Unami branch of the Delaware Indians. He became a chief when his grandfather, Newcomer, died in 1776. . . .
Girty, Simon: Simon Girty was a notable frontiersman in the Ohio Country in the years before, during, and following the American Revolution. . . .
Gist, Samuel: Samuel Gist was a resident of Great Britain and Virginia. In his will, Gist freed all slaves that he owned in Virginia. Many of these newly freed people moved to Ohio, hoping to live a better life. . . .
Gnadenhutten: In 1772, Moravian missionaries founded a mission for Native Americans in the Ohio Country at Schoenbrunn ("Beautiful Spring" in German). Because of its success, Rev. David Zeisberger founded a second village in the same year at Gnadenhutten ("Tents of Grace" in German). Life at Gnadenhutten was similar to life at Schoenbrunn. . . .
Gnadenhutten Massacre: On March 8 and 9, 1782, a group of Pennsylvania militiamen under the command of Captain David Williamson attacked the Moravian Church mission founded by David Zeisberger at Gnadenhutten. . . .
Hamilton, Henry: Henry Hamilton was the Lieutenant Governor of Canada and British commander of Fort Detroit during the American Revolution. . . .
Hand, Edward: Edward Hand was an American military and political leader in the American Revolution and the early years of the new nation. . . .
Hardin, John: John Hardin was a soldier in the American Revolution and in the early years of the new nation. He was born in Fauquier County, Virginia, in 1753. . . .
Harmar, Josiah: Josiah Harmar was born on November 10, 1753, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although he attended a Quaker school, he did not share the religious beliefs of the Society of Friends. . . .
Heckewelder, John G.: John Gottlieb Ernestus Heckewelder was a Moravian Missionary in the Ohio Country in the American Revolution and the early years of the new nation. . . .
Hokolesqua: Cornstalk was a leader of the Shawnee Indians. He was born about 1720. His Indian name was variously pronounced as Hokolesqua, Colesqua and Keigh-tugh-qua and was freely translated to mean "blade of corn". . . .
Hull, William: William Hull was a military and political leader in the Midwest in the years after the American Revolution. He was born in 1753 in Massachusetts. . . .
Isaac Zane Tract: Isaac Zane received three square miles of Congress Lands from the federal government for his contributions during the various Indian conflicts that occurred in the Northwest Territory during the early 1790s. . . .
Jefferson, Thomas: Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States. . . .
Kaskaskia Indians: The Kaskaskia Indians lived mainly in Illinois and eastern Missouri when Europeans began to settle in North America. They were closely related to the Miami Indians. . . .
Kenton, Simon: Simon Kenton was a legendary frontiersman in Ohio and the Midwest. . . .
Konieschquanoheel: Captain Pipe was an hereditary chief of the Munsee-Delaware Indians during and after the American Revolution. . . .
Koquethagechton: White Eyes was a leader of the Delaware Indians. His Indian name was Koquethagechton. Due to his fair coloring, he was known to the settlers and frontiersmen as White Eyes. . . .
Lichtenau: In 1776, missionaries of the Moravian Church founded the settlement of Lichtenau. The purpose of the village was to convert the Delaware Indians of Ohio to Christianity. This was the third Moravian village built in the 1770s in the Ohio Country. . . .
Lochry, Archibald: Archibald Lochry was a Pennsylvania militia leader in the American Revolution. . . .
Logan: The American Indian leader who came to be called Logan was born in Pennsylvania circa 1725. His father was a Cayuga Indian named Shikellamy. . . .
Logan's Lament: Logan was a leader of the Mingo Indians. He was a war leader but often urged his fellow natives not to attack whites settling in the Ohio Country. His attitude changed on May 3, 1774, when a group of Virginia settlers murdered approximately one dozen Mingos. . . .
Logan, Benjamin: Benjamin Logan was a military and political leader in the Ohio Country during the American Revolution and in the early years of the new nation. . . .
Looker, Othniel: Othniel Looker was the fifth governor of Ohio and the only governor of Ohio who actually fought in the American Revolution. . . .
Loramie's Store: In 1769, Pierre Loramie came to the Ohio Country as one of its earliest European settlers. Formally a citizen of France who lived in Canada, Loramie became an English citizen with the Treaty of Paris (1763). The English defeated the French in the French and Indian War. . . .
Miami Indians: The Miami Indians originally lived in Indiana, Illinois, and southern Michigan at the time of European arrival. The Miamis moved into the Maumee Valley around 1700, and they soon became one of the most powerful Indian tribes in Ohio. . . .
Moravian Church: The Unity of the Brethren Church, often referred to as the Moravian Church, was founded during the 1400s in Moravia in central Europe. Several principles guided the members' beliefs. . . .
New Philadelphia, Ohio: New Philadelphia is the county seat of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. . . .
Newburgh Petition: The Newburgh Petition was an effort by officers in the Continental Army to be paid in land rather than money in the closing years of the American Revolution. . . .
Ohio Country: The Ohio Country was the name given to the territory roughly west of the Appalachian Mountains and north of the Ohio River prior to the American Revolution. . . .
Ohio Indian Wars: The Ohio Indian Wars were a series of struggles between white settlers from the newly independent United States and Native American residents of the Ohio Country in the years after the American Revolution. . . .
Ohio's State Seal: The State of Ohio has had an official seal for more than 200 years. Over that time, the state government has modified the seal several times. . . .
Ojibwa Indians: The Ojibwa Indians, also known as the Chippewa Indians, lived mainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario, Canada at the time of European contact. They were part of the Algonquian Indians. . . .
Ordinance of 1784: The Ordinance of 1784 was an early effort by the government of the newly formed United States to deal with the territory north and west of the Ohio River. . . .
Ottawa Indians: The Ottawa Indians originally lived along the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario and western Quebec at the time of European arrival in the early 1600s. They moved into northern Ohio around 1740. . . .
Parsons, Samuel H.: Samuel Holden Parsons was an American political and military leader in the years following the American Revolution. He was one of the first settlers in the Northwest Territory and one of its most prominent early leaders. . . .
Patterson, Robert: Robert Patterson was a soldier and early settler in Ohio after the American Revolution. . . .
Phelps, Oliver: Oliver Phelps was a political leader, soldier and early investor in land in Ohio after the American Revolution. . . .
Potawatomi Indians: The Potawatomi Indians lived mainly in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario, Canada at the time of European contact in the early 1600s. They were part of the Algonquian Indians. . . .
Proclamation of 1763: The Proclamation of 1763 forbade English colonists to live west of the Appalachian Mountains. . . .
Putnam, Israel: Israel Putnam was a political and military leader during and after the American Revolution. . . .
Putnam, Rufus: Rufus Putnam was a soldier and early settler of Ohio after the American Revolution. . . .
Quebec Act: In 1774, the English Parliament enacted the Quebec Act. The Quebec Act gave the English colony of Quebec control of all lands west of the Appalachian Mountains and north of the Ohio River. . . .
Real Estate Speculators: Real estate speculators, people who sought to purchase land cheaply and then resell it for a profit, were among the first European settlers of what would become Ohio. . . .
Schoenbrunn: In 1772, David Zeisberger, a missionary of the Moravian Church, established the village of Schoenbrunn on the Tuscarawas River, near present-day New Philadelphia. The word Schoenbrunn means "beautiful spring" in German. The purpose of this community was to provide Moravian missionaries a place to teach Christianity to Native Americans residing in Ohio. . . .
Smith, James: James Smith was a frontiersman and early settler of the Ohio River Valley in the years after the American Revolution. . . .
Society of the Cincinnati: Following the American Revolution, some Continental Army officers formed the Society of the Cincinnati. They named the organization after Roman dictator Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, who had left retirement as a farmer to lead the Romans to victory over their enemies. . . .
Squaw Campaign: In 1778, General Edward Hand, the American military commander at Fort Pitt, decided to punish the Mingo Indians in the Ohio Country for siding with the British. . . .
St. Clair, Arthur: Arthur St. Clair was a political and military leader in the Ohio country in the years of the American Revolution and the new nation. He was the first governor of the Northwest Territory. . . .
Thayendanegea: Joseph Brant was a prominent leader of the Mohawk Indians in the American Revolution and the years shortly thereafter. . . .
Treaty of Paris (1783): The Treaty of Paris (1783) formally brought the American Revolution to a close. England recognized the independence of the United States. In addition, the United States secured all of the land east of the Mississippi River except for British possessions in Canada and Spanish territory in Florida. . . .
Treaty of Paris (1783) (Transcript): Original text of the Treaty of Paris (1783). . . .
Tupper, Benjamin: Benjamin Tupper was a prominent early settler of the Northwest Territory. . . .
United States Military District: The land in the United States Military District in what is now central Ohio was reserved for veterans of the American Revolution. During the war, American soldiers were issued land warrants to help compensate for their service. . . .
Varnum, James: James Varnum was an early American political leader and one of the first judges of the Northwest Territory in the years after the American Revolution. . . .
Virginia Military District: In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Virginia Military District was an early land division in what would eventually become Ohio. . . .
Washington, George: George Washington was the first president of the United States. He was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. . . .
Wayne, Anthony: Anthony Wayne was an important American military leader during and after the American Revolution. . . .
Williamson, David: David Williamson was a militia officer and public official in the Ohio Country in the years of the American Revolution and the early nation. . . .
Wyandot Indians: The Wyandot Indians originally lived in southern Ontario. They were also called Hurons. But they called themselves "wendat" which in time became "Wyandot" or "Wyandotte." . . .
Zeisberger, David: David Zeisberger was a Moravian missionary in the Ohio Country during the American Revolution and the early years of the new nation. . . .