Lord Dunmore's War

Lord Dunmore’s War occurred in 1774 between the Shawnee and Mingo Native Americans and the Colony of Virginia. The clash resulted from increasing violence between the colonists, who were trespassing and expanding westward beyond the Ohio River. The Natives who lived in that region (Shawnee and Mingo) had previous treaties that gave them the right to hunt there. The tribes were fed up, and launched several successful attacks on the settlers. This was the final string that sparked war between the tribes and the British. The fight ended with the British emerging victorious at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774. The British made the Natives agree to certain conditions, such as their lost right to hunt in their previous area, and their recognition that the Ohio River was the border between their land and the British land. The war is named for Governor Dunmore, who had received word that fighting had broken out at Yellow Creek, as well as other locations in Ohio. He made a request to Legislature that he is given military forces to start an expedition into the Ohio River Valley. Dunmore proceeded down the Ohio River until he reached Kanawha, where he sent a message that announced his intentions to reach the Shawnee towns. On his approach, he faced a surprise attack from some warriors from the tribe, and so began the Battle of Point Pleasant. The British won, and the War ended.