George Washington Papers

To George Washington from George McCarmick, 31 October 1786

From George McCarmick

Octbr 31th 1786

Sir

I here inform you of the two Expedition against the Indians. the Seventeenth of Sept. Genl Clark Crossed the ohio River at the falls, to Go up the wawbash River, with aleven hundred and Eighty men and artilrey. the artilarey went up the wawbash and the men and Cattle and baggage went by land—Colo. lowgan Crossed the ohio, the first Day of Octobr with Eight hundred and Seventy men at the Mought of limestone, to Go to the Shawneys towns. brice Virgan was present when the Started—there is no accounts arived here yit what Sucksess the have had1—my Son John McCarmick, on his way from Detroyet ther Come with Simon Gurty and Colo. Brant to the upper Sunduskey on there way to the Grat Shawney town to a Grat Counsell, which was to be the fifteenth of Octbr he parted with them the tenth, which we all Expect that Colo. Lowgan, will take them in there Counsell; there is but ⟨a majr⟩ and Sixty men of the british, at Detroyet2—my Son went there with a Drove of Cattle and was there about two weeks—I ashoure you that these accounts Can be Relyed on And beg leve to Subscribe my Self your freend and Most hum. Sart

Go: McCarmick

N.B. I hope you will Excuse me for feeing of Mr Ross for you he is the first Loyer in this part of the world, and was the Most Ablest Loyer at your tryall—and laid Down Sulch points of law that Could no be Got Over. G.M.

1Gen. George Rogers Clark assembled the Kentucky militia on the Ohio opposite Louisville and on 14 Sept. ordered Col. John Logan to attack the Shawnee towns on the Great Miami. Logan burned a number of towns and killed ten chiefs. Clark established an unauthorized garrison at Vincennes and illegally seized private property, which led to his repudiation by Gov. Edmund Randolph and the Virginia council (see George Muter to James Madison, 20 Feb. 1787, and notes 10, 11, and 12 of that document in Rutland and Rachal, Madison Papers, description begins William T. Hutchinson et al., eds. The Papers of James Madison, Congressional Series. 17 vols. Chicago and Charlottesville, Va., 1962–91. description ends 9:279–84). In 1779 Brice Virgin was living in Ohio County, one of the three counties formed in 1776 from the West Augusta District of Virginia.

2Simon Girty and Joseph Brant were on their way to the Shawnee town of Wakotomica for a grand council of the Iroquois and their allies when Logan’s raid prevented the meeting. Brant had a leading role in the council held in Detroit in December 1786.

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