Battle of Great Cacapon

Battle of Great Cacapon
Part of the French and Indian War
DateApril 18, 1756[2]
Location
Result Indian victory
Belligerents
Shawnee
Delaware[1]
 Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Killbuck[3] John Mercer 
Strength
Over 100 Approximately 60 Virginia militia
Casualties and losses
Unknown

More than 18 killed

All but 6 killed according to Killbuck

The Battle of Great Cacapon — also known as Mercer's Massacre — was fought on April 18, 1756[2] between members of Colonel George Washington's Virginia Regiment and French-allied Shawnee and Delaware Indians. Captain Mercer and a company of his men were pursuing some Indians when they were ambushed by a larger number of Indian raiders. Mercer and at least 16 of his men were killed.

  1. ^ None of the referenced sources indicate that any Frenchmen took part in this event, although there may have been some in the area.
  2. ^ a b Some sources (e.g. Cartmell and Kercheval et al) place this event in 1757, apparently as they rely on Killbuck's account of the events. Correspondence by George Washington concerning Mercer's death is in 1756, and newspaper reports from that year (see Lucier) also place it then.
  3. ^ Cartmell, p. 73