Sandusky

The Sandusky River flows north across Ohio to a broad bay of Lake Erie. Wyandot and Lenape towns stood along its course in the eighteenth century, linked to the lake and the interior by water and overland paths. During the American Revolution, the Sandusky country became a battleground between these communities and American forces advancing from the Ohio frontier.

In 1782 Colonel William Crawford led volunteers against the Indigenous towns on the river. His men found the Wyandot village of Upper Sandusky abandoned, then encountered a force of Wyandot, Lenape and other allies, reinforced by British troops. The Americans withdrew; Crawford was captured during the retreat and killed. The failed expedition left the Sandusky towns beyond American control for the remainder of the war.