Brutal Warfare Continues on the Frontier in 1782

Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington at Yorktown in October 1781, but the harsh warfare in Kentucky continued unabated. Forty-seven Kentuckians were killed or captured in the first three months of 1782, and it got worse after that. But the ruthlessness on the frontier cut both ways. In March, three hundred Pennsylvania militiamen went in search of hostiles, but only found a tribe of Christian pacifists known as the Moravian Indians. Frustrated by years of suffering at the hands of Indians, the militiamen rounded up ninety-six innocent Moravians and proceeded to tomahawk and scalp all of them, including twenty-nine women and thirty-nine children.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the brutal warfare inflicted on the frontier in 1782, and why it still matters today.
Photo Credits:
Yale University Art Gallery
Library of Congress
New York Public Library