Monongalia County Militia

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Monongalia County Militia of Virginia
Map of Ohio, Monongalia, & Yohogania Counties.jpg
A Map of Monongalia County, Virginia in 1776 (purple area). Note the areas of modern-day counties that fall under the jurisdiction of Monongalia County at the time.
Active1774-1782
CountryFlag of the United States (1776-1777).svg United Colonies 1774-1776
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States 1776-1782
AllegianceFlag of Virginia.svg Virginia
TypeMilitia of Frontier Riflemen
Sizeapprox. 1,000 men
Part of Virginia Militia, Western Department of the Continental Army
EquipmentKentucky Longrifle
Engagements Clark's Illinois Campaign, McIntosh Expedition, Crawford Expedition, Western Theater of the American Revolution
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Thomas Gaddis William Haymond Zackquill Morgan

The Monongalia County Militia was a component of the Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War. It was based in Monongalia County, Virginia. It mostly fought invading Indian tribes who crossed the Ohio River as well as local Tories loyal to the British Crown, but it is said to have participated in George Rogers Clark's Campaign in 1779 and other expeditions against hostile Indians. [1]

Contents

Size and Composition

According to Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, the company consisted of about 1,000 men. [2] The number of companies is unknown, but according to Glenn Lough's Now and Long Ago: A History of the Marion County Area, companies were stationed in local civilian forts across the frontier of Monongalia County: such as Prickett's Fort, Morgan's Fort, and Statler's Fort. [3] [ self-published source ] The band of 1,000 men from the backwoods of western Virginia and Pennsylvania all hailed from Monongalia County, Virginia: made up of modern-day counties of Monongalia, Marion, Barbour, Harrison, Tucker, Randolph, and several others in north central West Virginia; and Washington, Greene, and Fayette counties of Pennsylvania. [4]

Combat Chronicle

The unit of Monongalia County Militia took part in the defense of the territories of western Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania from before the Revolution in 1774, to the resurgence of hostilities in 1775, to the final Indian Battle on the eastern side of the Ohio River at Fort Henry in 1782. Pre-war, elements of the company constructed forts across western Virginia to defend against Chief Logan’s party of Natives following the Yellow Creek Massacre. However, the Battle of Point Pleasant of the short-lived Lord Dunmore’s War quickly drove off the party, and peace was restored across the land for less than a year. When Revolution began, companies drove invading Indian parties away from their local forts and homesteads, countered Indian attacks on nearby Fort Pitt in present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and defended the Backcountry area from Tory attacks and British interference in the early years of 1775 and 1776. Later on, threats of a Tory uprising in late 1777 and early in the year 1778 kept many elements of the unit at home [5] . Two American leaders, Simon Girty and Alexander McKee, defected to the British Army in an attempt to hire Indians to attack American settlements in the Monongahela and Ohio Valleys. [1] Meanwhile, a small contingent of men from Monongalia County marched with Clark in his Illinois Campaign of 1778-1779 [1] . The Tory threat was diminished following several small skirmishes (as well as legal action), and the Americans had a firm grasp on the western British and Indian territories. [6] At the same time, other detachments fought with General McIntosh in his invasion of Indian towns in the lands West of the Ohio River, notably at the Siege of Fort Laurens when frontier units attempted to control Northwestern Indian Territories during McIntosh's Campaign in 1778 into early 1779 [1] . From 1780 onward, for Monongalia Militiamen, the Revolution was spent doing the typical frontiersmen duties of fighting off Indian and Tory invaders. Monongalia County Militia participated in some strength in 1781 during Brodhead's Coshocton Expedition [7] , and considerably in 1782 in Crawford's Expedition: another failed attempt to take British Fort Detroit. [8] Over time, several of the local civilian forts of Monongalia County were attacked: some stood the test of time and kept fighting for freedom (such as Fort Martin), while many others were ransacked and destroyed by adversaries (such as Fort Coburn). [8] Fighting on the frontier during the American Revolution arguably ended in 1782 after the last elements of Americans invaded Indian territories West of the Ohio River, and the Second Siege of Fort Henry was lifted. While the unit as a whole does not have campaign credit for several battles of the Revolution, many of it's members are credited for such action while serving with the 13th and 7th Virginia Line Regiments, 8th Pennsylvania Line Regiment, or the Virginia and Maryland Rifle Regiment: Siege of Boston, Battle of Trenton, Battles of Saratoga. [6]

Timeline of Events

1774Hostilities following the Yellow Creek Massacre force settlers to establish the Monongalia County Militia (Mon. County Militia), as the frontier fighters construct civilian forts across the county to defend against possible Native aggressors. Such aggressors were defeated and were forced to sue for peace following defeat at the Battle of Point Pleasant.
1775Occasional hostility between militia and Natives, relative peace is achieved via the Treaty of Camp Charlotte of 1774 ratified following Lord Dunmore's War. [1]
1776Peace is maintained, Mon. County Militia is originally ordered to raise 234 men including 12 officers: the first of several such drafts throughout the war. [1]
1777"The Year of the Bloody Three Sevens." Native hostilities renew as raids continue in newfound strength. A Tory revolt is quelled following the acquittal of Zackquill Morgan (He had supposedly drowned a Tory sympathizer in the Cheat River), and minor skirmish pushed said Tories and hired Natives across the Ohio into British Territory. Mon. county is ordered to raise an additional 40 men. [1]
1778Militiamen participate in McIntosh's Campaign in the Ohio Country as well as Clark's Campaign into the Illinois Country. Fort Coburn is destroyed by Natives. [9]
1779The draw at the Siege of Fort Laurens between frontier militia and Natives marks the end of McIntosh's Campaign. Elements of Mon. County militia recapture important British outposts in the Illinois Country, as Clark's Campaign ends in an American victory. Natives renew hostilities in Mon. County as Fort Martin defeats invaders. [10]
1780American frontier militia remain at home, defending attacks from Natives, as fighting intensified. [11]
1781Native attacks on settlements in Mon. County reach their peak: more and more civilians are killed and scalped, while local forts continue to "hold out." [1]
1782Mon. County Militiamen participate in the failed Crawford Campaign in an attempt to defeat Native attackers once and for all. Natives make last attack at Fort Henry, marking an end of hostilities of the American Revolution in Mon. County as well as western Virginia. [12]
1783-1795Treaty of Paris marks an official end between British and American forces. Native threats against Mon. County frontiersmen did not end until the defeat of Natives at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1795. [1]

Fort Commands

This is a list of civilian and military forts located in then-Monongalia County and/or under command of Monongalia County Militia: [13] [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lough, Glenn (1969). Now and Long Ago: A History of the Marion County Area (Reprint ed.). Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Printing Company (published 1994). pp. 332–361. ISBN   0-87012-513-3.
  2. ↑ "Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826. Notes on the State of Virginia". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  3. ↑ https://revwarapps.org/b111.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. ↑ "WV: Individual County Chronologies". publications.newburry.com.
  5. ↑ Sullivan, Ken (April 25, 2024). ""The Revolutionary War"". e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "History of Monongalia County, West Virginia, from its first settlements to the present time; | Library of Congress". www.loc.gov. p. 54-71. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  7. ↑ De Hass, Wills (2019). History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of West Virginia (Reprinted ed.). Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Publishing Company (published 1851). p. 179. ISBN   978-0-87012-002-2.
  8. 1 2 "Founders Online: Session of Virginia Council of State, 10 November 1778". Archives.gov. 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  9. ↑ De Hass, Wills (2019). History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of West Virginia (Reprinted ed.). Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Publishing Company (published 1851). pp. 166–196. ISBN   978-0-87012-002-2.
  10. ↑ De Hass, Wills (2019). History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of West Virginia (Reprinted ed.). Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Publishing Company (published 1851). pp. 166–196. ISBN   978-0-87012-002-2.
  11. ↑ De Hass, Wills (2019). History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of West Virginia (Reprinted ed.). Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Publishing Company (published 1851). pp. 201–276. ISBN   978-0-87012-002-2.
  12. ↑ De Hass, Wills (2019). History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of West Virginia (Reprinted ed.). Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Publishing Company (published 1851). pp. 197–199. ISBN   978-0-87012-002-2.
  13. ↑ Lough, Glenn (1969). Now and Long Ago: A History of the Marion County Area (Reprinted ed.). Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Printing Company (published 1994). pp. 298–314. ISBN   0-87012-513-3.
  14. ↑ "List of Early Forts". History of West Virginia-The Rearguard of the Revolution. July 1, 2025.
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