Speech The Battle of Point Pleasant The Treaty of Camp Charlotte and Chief Logan: An Indian Identity Crisis
U.S. Copyright Registration No.: TX 9-440-928
Copyrighted text of the speech penned by Dorene Soiret, which she later presented to the Sons of the American Revolution in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Camp Charlotte held on October 12th, 2024, at Ohio Christian University, Circleville, Ohio.
In the spring of 1774, a succession of unprovoked murders had been carried out in Virginia and Pennsylvania, targeting the family of an important Indian chief known by the English surname of Logan. The perpetrators? The calculating Colonial government and greedy land speculators whose motives were to incite a regional Indian war — not only to divert attention from the steadily growing rift between the British and the American Colonists, but in hopes of personal financial gain that would ultimately result from defeating the Indians, forcing them to cede their lands and opening them up for sale and settlement. This chain of tragic events set in motion Lord Dunmore’s expedition against the Ohio Indians, which includes what is said to have been the first battle of the American Revolution — The Battle of Point Pleasant and the Treaty of Camp Charlotte that followed.
October 2024 marked the 250th anniversaries of the Battle of Point Pleasant and the Treaty of Camp Charlotte. Ms. Soiret is a seventh great granddaughter of Shawnee Chief Cornstalk. In this paper, Ms. Soiret not only honors her grandfather, but also discusses sentiments and events surrounding this important period in time. She also presents the results of her research into Chief Logan, the renowned author of Logan’s Lament, wherein she reveals, after more than 250 years, Chief Logan’s true identity and tribal affiliation.
