Pluggy
Encyclopedia
Pluggy (d. December 29, 1776) was an 18th-century Mingo
chieftain and ally of Logan
during Lord Dunmore's War. During the American Revolutionary War
, he allied with the British and commanded a series of raids against American settlements throughout Ohio
and Kentucky
before his death against McClelland's Station in 1776.
band, Pluggy gathered a number of Mingo
and Iroquois
followers and moved westward eventually setting on the site of Delaware, Ohio
in 1772. During Lord Dunmore's War, he was one of the most active chieftains allied to the Shawnee
conducting extensive raids against settlements as far as western Pennsylvania
and Virginia
from his base at Pluggy's Town, 18 miles north of present-day Columbus, Ohio
. Despite the peace following the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, Pluggy remained a fierce and particularly hostile enemy after finding "his blood relations lying dead" by Virginian colonists. Throughout the late-1770s, Pluggy's Town was used by Pluggy and other renegade Chippewas, Wyandots, and Ottawas to stage raids against American settlements. In late-1775, he joined the British at the start of western operations
in the American Revolution.
In December 1776, Pluggy led a band of thirty warriors up the Ohio
and Licking River
s attacking Harrod's Town on Christmas
morning and, later that day, ambushed a 10-man party under John Todd
and John Gabriel Jones
. The men had been marching down the valley towards the Ohio River, where Jones and George Rogers Clark
had stored 500 pounds of gunpowder
, when they were attacked killing Jones and another man in the fusillade
and capturing another four men in the final charge. The remaining four were able to escape, the story later being told by one of the survivors, pioneer and hunter David Cooper, in the 1987 book The Kentuckians by Janice Holt Giles.
Several days later, he arrived at McClelland's Station, a settlement of thirty families located in present-day downtown Georgetown
and defended by twenty settlers including frontiersman Robert Todd
, Robert Ford, Robert Patterson, Edward Worthington
, Charles White and founder John B. McClelland
. On December 29, Pluggy led between forty and fifty warriors against the fort and retreated after several hours of fighting leaving a number of men dead including Charles White and John McClelland. During the retreat, Pluggy himself was shot and killed by four of the fort's defenders in retribution for the death of McClelland.
He was later buried by members of his tribe on a bluff overhanging the nearby spring and, for a number of years afterwards, a popular legend claimed that the echo heard in the area was the death cry of Pluggy.
Mingo
The Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...
chieftain and ally of Logan
Logan
Logan was a Native American leader.Logan may also refer to:- Australia :* Logan City, a local government area in Queensland* Electoral district of Logan, an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly...
during Lord Dunmore's War. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, he allied with the British and commanded a series of raids against American settlements throughout Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
before his death against McClelland's Station in 1776.
Life
Originally from a MohawkMohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
band, Pluggy gathered a number of Mingo
Mingo
The Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...
and Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
followers and moved westward eventually setting on the site of Delaware, Ohio
Delaware, Ohio
The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...
in 1772. During Lord Dunmore's War, he was one of the most active chieftains allied to the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
conducting extensive raids against settlements as far as western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
from his base at Pluggy's Town, 18 miles north of present-day Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. Despite the peace following the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, Pluggy remained a fierce and particularly hostile enemy after finding "his blood relations lying dead" by Virginian colonists. Throughout the late-1770s, Pluggy's Town was used by Pluggy and other renegade Chippewas, Wyandots, and Ottawas to stage raids against American settlements. In late-1775, he joined the British at the start of western operations
Western theater of the American Revolutionary War
The Western theater of the American Revolutionary War was the area of conflict west of the Appalachian Mountains, the region which became the Northwest Territory of the United States as well as the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri...
in the American Revolution.
In December 1776, Pluggy led a band of thirty warriors up the Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and Licking River
Licking River (Kentucky)
The Licking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river and its tributaries drain much of the region of northeastern Kentucky between the watersheds of the Kentucky River to the west and the Big Sandy River to the east.-Origin of name:The Native...
s attacking Harrod's Town on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
morning and, later that day, ambushed a 10-man party under John Todd
John Todd (Virginia)
John Todd was a frontier military officer during the American Revolutionary War and the first administrator of the Illinois County of the U.S...
and John Gabriel Jones
John Gabriel Jones
John Gabriel Jones was a colonial American pioneer and politician. An early settler of Kentucky, he and George Rogers Clark sought to petition Virginia to allow Kentucky to become a part of the Colony of Virginia at the outset of the American Revolution.He was named in honor of his uncle, the...
. The men had been marching down the valley towards the Ohio River, where Jones and George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
had stored 500 pounds of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, when they were attacked killing Jones and another man in the fusillade
Fusillade
A fusillade is the simultaneous and continuous firing of a group of firearms on command. It stems from the French word fusil, meaning firearm, and fusiller meaning to shoot....
and capturing another four men in the final charge. The remaining four were able to escape, the story later being told by one of the survivors, pioneer and hunter David Cooper, in the 1987 book The Kentuckians by Janice Holt Giles.
Several days later, he arrived at McClelland's Station, a settlement of thirty families located in present-day downtown Georgetown
Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts...
and defended by twenty settlers including frontiersman Robert Todd
Robert Todd (pioneer)
Brigadier General Robert Todd was an 18th century American pioneer, politician and soldier. As an officer in the Continental Army under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, he took part in the Indian Wars and the western campaign during the American Revolutionary War.Together with his brothers John Todd...
, Robert Ford, Robert Patterson, Edward Worthington
Edward Worthington
Edward Worthington was an 18th-century American pioneer and soldier who explored and later helped settle the Kentucky frontier. A veteran of the American Revolution and the Indian Wars, he also served as a paymaster under George Rogers Clark during the Illinois campaign. His grandson, William H...
, Charles White and founder John B. McClelland
John B. McClelland
John B. McClelland was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by American Indians during the Crawford Expedition and tortured to death at the Shawnee town of Wakatomika, which is currently located in Logan County, Ohio, about halfway between West Liberty, Ohio and...
. On December 29, Pluggy led between forty and fifty warriors against the fort and retreated after several hours of fighting leaving a number of men dead including Charles White and John McClelland. During the retreat, Pluggy himself was shot and killed by four of the fort's defenders in retribution for the death of McClelland.
He was later buried by members of his tribe on a bluff overhanging the nearby spring and, for a number of years afterwards, a popular legend claimed that the echo heard in the area was the death cry of Pluggy.
Further reading
- Taylor, James W. History of the State of Ohio. Cincinnati: H.W. Derby & Co. Publishers, 1854.