The public is invited to Ohio Christian University on Saturday, October 12 at 1 p.m. to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Camp Charlotte. There will be no charge for admission or parking.
This special event is organized by the Camp Charlotte Chapter of the Ohio Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (OHSSAR) and will take place in the Ministry Performing Arts Center. Before the start of the event, they will be displaying artifacts from that period to bring the history alive.
The treaty was signed in October 1774 after the Battle of Point Pleasant, fought between the Virginia militia under Colonel Andrew Lewis and the Shawnee and the Delaware under Chief Cornstalk. An Ohio Historical Marker on Route 56, just west of Leistville in eastern Pickaway County, commemorates the spot where the treaty was signed.
The significance of this treaty is gaining momentum as historians are now suggesting that Pickaway County is where the first battle of the Revolutionary War ended. There is significant evidence to support this contention.
MC Kevin Driesbach will introduce a panel of speakers to discuss the events surrounding the treaty and the evidence supporting the contention. Darlene Weaver of the Pickaway County Genealogical & Historical Library will speak on “A Quirk of Fate.” Christine Lallier of the Pickaway Plains Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will present “A Step Toward Liberty.”
Dorene Soiret, a descendent of Chief Cornstalk, will be traveling from California to present a unique perspective on the historical events.
Local historians Jane Shaw and Rick Hartinger will also present.
The scheduled Saturday Evening Social for the participants and guests has no vacancies, but the Sunday morning bus tour, which starts at 9:00 a.m., and begins and ends at OCU, has room for more. Sign up for the bus tour by contacting Kevin Driesbach at kdriesbach@yahoo.com.
The inscriptions on the historical marker and plaque on Route 56 are given below:
TREATY OF CAMP CHARLOTTE
In an effort to maintain peace with the Native Americans, the British imposed the Proclamation Line of 1763, which prohibited colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Some settlers did not recognize British authority and continued to move westward. Virginia Governor Lord Dunmore, realizing that peace with Native Americans was improbable, amassed troops and headed west, camping at the Hocking River to meet with a unit commanded by Andrew Lewis. En route, Lewis‘s troops were attacked on October 10, 1774 at present day Point Pleasant, West Virginia, by a force of Delaware and Shawnee led by Cornstalk.
After intense battle, the Native Americans retreated north across the Ohio River to villages on the Pickaway Plains. At this point, Dunmore headed to the Shawnee villages to negotiate peace and set up camp at this site. The resulting Teaty of Camp Charlotte ended “Dunmore‘s war“ and stipulated that the Indians give up rights to land south of the Ohio River, and allow boats to travel on the river undisturbed. The Treaty of Camp Charlotte establish the Ohio River as Virginia’s boundary line, aiding in the settlement of Kentucky.
Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Soldiers Monumental Association, The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Ohio, The Ohio Historical Society, 2003
UNTITLED PLAQUE
Near this spot, the famous treaty was made between Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia and Chief Cornstalk of the Shawnee and allied tribes in October 1774.
This camp was named “Charlotte” after the Queen of England.
Erected by Pickaway Plains Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution 1774– 1928
LOGAN'S LAMENT
According to tradition, Chief Logan of the Mingo tribe, a confederation of tribes that included the Cayuga, Seneca, and Lenape, refused to attend the treaty negotiations and instead issued a speech that would become famous as “Logan’s Lament,”
“I appeal to any white man to say, if ever he entered Logan’s cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as they passed, and said, Logan is the friend of the white men. I have even thought to live with you but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This has called on me for revenge. I have sought it: I have killed many: I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. But do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.”
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