Battle of Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, USA
What happened
Virginia militia under Colonel Andrew Lewis fought Shawnee and Mingo warriors led by the Shawnee chief Cornstalk. The battle was part of Dunmore's War, between the colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo. Cornstalk's warriors attacked Lewis's camp where the Kanawha River meets the Ohio. After hours of fighting, the Shawnee withdrew across the Ohio at nightfall.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the only major battle of Dunmore's War and helped end it. The Shawnee gave up their claims to lands south of the Ohio River.
What came next
Cornstalk made peace at the Treaty of Camp Charlotte. A town grew up on the battlefield, taking its name from Lewis's Camp Point Pleasant.
Did you know?
People in Point Pleasant call it the 'First Battle of the American Revolution', but most historians count it as part of Dunmore's War.
Timeline
- 10 October 1774The Battle of Point Pleasant.
- 1774The Treaty of Camp Charlotte.
- 1908The US Senate authorises a monument to the battle.
- 10 October 1974The battle's 200th anniversary is celebrated.