Lochry's Defeat

Lochry's Defeat was a battle fought on August 24, 1781, near present-day Aurora, Indiana, in the United States. The battle was part of the American Revolutionary War (1775–83), in which American Indians were allies of the British. The battle was short and decisive: about one hundred Indians under Joseph Brant (pictured), a Mohawk war leader, ambushed about an equal number of Pennsylvania militiamen led by Archibald Lochry, and killed or captured them all without suffering any casualties. Lochry's force was part of an army being raised by George Rogers Clark for a campaign against Detroit, the British regional headquarters. In early August 1781, Clark and about 400 men left Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania by boat on the Ohio River, a few days ahead of Lochry and his men. Brant's force was part of a combined British and Indian army being raised to counter Clark's offensive. Brant had too few men to challenge Clark, but he intercepted messengers between Clark and Lochry and learned about Lochry's smaller group. When Lochry landed to feed his men and horses, Brant launched his overwhelming ambush. The loss of Lochry's men resulted in the cancellation of Clark's expedition. (Full article...)

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