A group of us gathered at Uncle Bob’s mancave in the wilds of Tennessee to refight the 1774 (West) Virginia battle of Point Pleasant, said to be the first battle of the Revolution:
The Shawnee had never given up their claims to western Virginia and interpreted the rapid settlement as acts of aggression. Hostilities reached a climax in 1773 when land speculator Michael Cresap led a group of volunteers from Fort Fincastle (later renamed Fort Henry) at present-day Wheeling and raided Shawnee towns in what became known as Cresap’s War. One of the worst atrocities of the conflict was the murder of several family members of Mingo chief Tah-gah-jute, who had been baptized under the English name Logan. Logan, who had previously lived peacefully with the settlers, killed at least 13 western Virginians that summer in revenge.
Virginia Governor John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, plotted to crush the Shawnee and end hostilities. Dunmore drew up a plan to trap the Shawnee between two armies. The governor personally led the northern army while land speculator Andrew Lewis led a smaller force from the south. But Shawnee leader Cornstalk struck the southern regiment before it united with Dunmore’s troops. On October 10, 1774, Cornstalk’s force of approximately 1,200 men attacked Lewis at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio rivers at present-day Point Pleasant. After the battle, which resulted in significant losses on both sides, the Shawnee retreated to protect their settlements in the Scioto Valley in present-day Ohio. As a condition of the subsequent Treaty of Camp Charlotte, the Delaware, Shawnee, and Mingo relinquished all claims to land south of the Ohio River. The Battle of Point Pleasant eliminated Native Americans as a force on the frontier for the first three years of the American Revolutionary War, which began in April 1775, clearing the way for peaceful settlement of the region.
Anyway, the game was played using Brother Against Brother rules with 28mm troops. The militia was cut up pretty badly and fell back to the cow pens. The militia released the cows which held up the Indians for a time. The timely arrival of reinforcements kept the game from a being a slaughter. The Indians beat an orderly withdrawal and a good time was had by all.
Here is the slideshow of the GAME :
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If your Browser will not take the Slideshow here are the native photos:
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