Hoosier Dusty Files - August 24, 1781 - Lochry's Massacre

A Year of Indiana History - 2016

August 24, 1781 - Lochry's Massacre
Lochry's Lost Battalion
Lochery and his battalion of Pennsylvania militiamen were traveling on the Ohio River, proposing to meet up with George Rogers Clark, who was planning an attack on the British garrison at Fort Detroit. The expedition sighted a buffalo standing along the bank of the river, near the mouth of a large creek. They shot it from the river and landed to prepare a meal. Chief Joseph Brant and a band of Indian warriors had been tracking the group of soldiers, and the Indians lost no time in taking advantage of this opportunity. They swept swiftly down upon the unsuspecting militiamen.
Lochry's Defeat
The battle raged for only a few minutes. About forty of Lochry's men were killed in the conflict, and some others, including Lochry, were executed in its aftermath. The rest were taken as prisoners to Detroit. It was August 24, 1781, and the battle is called “Lochry's Massacre”. A battle of the Revolutionary War had raged for a few minutes at the mouth of Laughery Creek near the banks of the Ohio River, with devastating consequences for the American combatants. A government clerk on the first documents misspelled the name ‘Laughery’, and the name has remained unchanged. Riverview Cemetery, the approximate location of the battle near Aurora, contains a monument to Lochry and his men, and a list of the soldiers who took part in the battle.
Laughery Creek
Laughery Creek is named in honor of Colonel Archibald Lochry, a revolutionary war soldier. Big Laughery is about ninety miles long, beginning in Ripley County and it forms the boundary of Ohio and Dearborn Counties.
Laughery Creek drains the majority of Ripley County. Its source is southeast of Napoleon, in the northwest corner of the County, and exits the county near Friendship, in the southeast corner. The Laughery Creek valley serves as the basin for Versailles Lake in Versailles State Park. The Busching Covered Bridge spans Laughery Creek just south of the Park and east of Versailles, Indiana. It is still an active bridge.

Indiana possesses a rich history that is fun to read and learn. This Hoosier Dusty Files is in an easy to read “this day in history format” and includes articles from the author's A Year in Indiana History series. Visitors may read the articles as they appear or purchase the book:
A Year of Indiana History - 2016
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