Now, this wasn’t news to the Shawnee. They had been watching Clark and his thousand men ever since they took log rafts across the Ohio River, at a place that would later be called Cincinnati. For days they had spied on the American army dragging a cannon along the muddy trails of southern Ohio. Chief Black Hoof knew they were coming and he prepared his people. The women and children packed important items and headed north.
Peckuwe village was located on that wide flat area along the northern banks of the Mad River. It was surrounded by 800 acres of corn that grew tall in the rich black soil of the flood plain. Kispoko was tucked back into the woods a short distance along the river to the east not far from the cliffs. The corn was being grown to feed the village and to sell to the British army, which had built a log stockade in the town. The Revolutionary War was going on and the British were encouraging attacks on the American settlements in Kentucky. The Shawnee were unhappy about the settlements in land they considered to be theirs and were willing allies.
On their way, Clark and his men had first come upon an evacuated Shawnee village called Chalagotha, on the Little Miami River, just north of where Xenia would eventually be. They burned the hundreds of acres of corn and the cabins.
It was very important to Clark’s men that the crops be destroyed. You see, many of the volunteers had family who had been recently killed or captured at the British and Shawnee attacks on Martin’s and Ruddle’s stations in Kentucky. Many of their women and children had died in the brutal attacks. Some were prisoners in Detroit. Col. Clark felt that destroying the food supplies that the native people were raising for the British army just might stop the attacks.
We don’t know exactly where Clark and his men crossed the Mad River, but there are two natural fords. One is near the canoe rental across the river from the villages and one is near the bridge at Enon. Getting the cannon across the river had to be a chore.
When the Americans arrived at Peckuwe the British soldiers were nowhere to be found, so the Shawnee men stood alone to defend their village and fort.
The battle began on the flatlands near where Lower Valley Furniture and the Davidson Interpretive Center are now, and spread into the surrounding hills. The fighting was fierce and the warriors defended the British fort. No one knows where exactly the fort was located, but most believe it was near the monument on the hill. After the cannon fired a few times at the fort from a neighboring hill, the warriors knew they could not prevail so they blended into the woods and left. They took all their wounded and dead with them. To this day no one knows exactly how many casualties there were.
Clark’s men burned the cornfields and the cabins of Peckuwe and Kispoko, buried their own dead, then they headed home with their wounded. The Shawnee remained north at the villages near West Liberty, and the British no longer had supplies for their raids into Kentucky.
Fifteen years later, the first of the settlers would arrive. Some of them planted corn in the fields along the river.
The Battle of Peckuwe is remembered because it was the largest Revolutionary War battle fought west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was significant in securing the Northwest Territory for the United States instead of Canada. Col. Clark was soon made a General. In 1817, the new county that was created out of the southern half of Champaign County would be named Clark.
Sometime this week, drive out to George Rogers Clark Park and try to imagine what it was like here 235 years ago. There were no roads, no modern buildings, bridges, or electric lines, no gravel pit, no Hertzler House and no jets flying overhead. The cornfields were cleared for planting, but the trees on the hills were huge.
The only thing that looks pretty much as it did then was the Mad River, which is in its natural channel in this area.
Corn still grows tall in the adjacent fields, but much of the battlefield is now prairie with a grouping of historical markers on a sidewalk behind the Davidson Interpretive Center, 5638 Lower Valley Pike. The Davidson is full of detailed displays about the battle, and some life size models of Shawnee that look very real. Sometimes fascinating history walks on the battlefield are scheduled. Admission is free and the air conditioning is lovely so take time to enjoy this place.
In George Rogers Clark Park, a small recreated Shawnee village can be found. Peckuwe and Kispoko would have looked like this, only full of people.
The Heritage Center of Clark County at 117 S. Fountain has a colorful mural of the battle, a movie, and a very rare bow among other artifacts from the battle.
At noon on Saturday, next to the memorial spire on the hill, a brief memorial ceremony will be held. The First Mad River Light Artillery will fire a salute with muskets, and with a full sized replica of Clark’s cannon. The public is invited.
There was so much change in the last 235 years. I wonder what this place will be like in 235 more years. I hope the corn is still growing.
About the Author