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« Lewis & Clark road trip: The Knife River Villages
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William Clark and the Notorious Simon Girty

November 18, 2009 by Frances Hunter

On Monday, March 26, 1804, William Clark made a remarkable journal entry:

a verry Smokey day    I had Corn parched to make parched meal, workmen all at work prepareing the Boat, I visit the Indian Camps, In one Camp found 3 Squars & 3 young ones, another 1 girl & a boy    in a 3rd Simon Girtey & two other familey—    Girtey has the Rhumertism verry bad    those Indians visit me in their turn, & as usial ask for Something    I give them flour &c.

Clark’s attitude about encountering Simon Girty is remarkably nonchalant. A 21st century equivalent would be: “You’ll never guess who I saw at Starbucks. Osama bin Laden! He was reading the paper and drinking a vanilla latte.” For in the early 19th century, Simon Girty was one of the most vilified, feared, and hated men in America.

Simon Girty

Simon Girty

Born in 1741 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Girty personified the era of frontier violence. His father, an Irish drover and trader, was killed during a drunken frolic by an Indian named The Fish, who was in turn killed by a man named John Turner, who later married Simon’s mother. During the French and Indian War in 1756, the family was captured at Fort Granville by a band of Delaware, Shawnee and Seneca Indians.  They burned the stockade and marched the captives away to a nearby Indian village. Girty’s stepfather was tortured, scalped, and burned at the stake, while his wife and her five sons watched in horror. Simon was adopted by the Seneca Indians and readily learned their language, though he could neither read nor write English.

Released as part of a peace agreement in 1759, Girty found work as an interpreter and scout. He was involved in translating the famous speech of Logan, chief of the Mingoes, during the conflict known as Lord Dunmore’s War. At one point, Lord Dunmore asked Girty and his brother to dance in the Indian fashion, which they did, to the astonishment of an observer: “They interspersed the performance with Indian songs and yells that made the welkin ring.”

When the revolution broke out, Girty wavered in his loyalties. He joined the American army, but in the spring of 1778, he deserted Fort Pitt and struck out for Indian country, determined to help the British and Indians fight the Americans. Hired as an interpreter by the “Hair-Buyer” General Henry Hamilton at Detroit, Girty took up the hatchet and participated enthusiastically in marauding and raiding parties against settlers on the Kentucky frontier.

As the Revolution dragged on in the west, Girty returned to live with the Wyandot Indians. He participated in raids and supported the Wyandot chief, known as the Half-King, in his efforts to harass, persecute, and drive out Moravian missionaries in the area who were trying to Christianize the Indians. In May 1782, a force of about 500 mounted men under Colonel William Crawford marched against the Wyandots.  With the help of British agents, the Indians along the Sandusky River quickly mobilized and defeated the Americans on June 5, 1782. Colonel Crawford ended up a prisoner. When Crawford learned that Girty was at the Half-King’s town, he asked to be taken there, somehow hoping that Girty would persuade the Indians to spare his life.

Colonel William Crawford

Colonel William Crawford

Crawford’s fate was related later by the only surviving witness, Dr. John Knight, who did more than anyone to seal the reputation of Simon Girty in the American mind. According to Knight’s account, when he and Colonel Crawford reached the Half-King’s town on the Upper Sandusky, they were stripped naked and forced to sit on the ground, while a crowd of sixty or seventy Indians beat them with sticks and fists. Crawford was tied by his wrists to a post. The Indians took up their guns and shot powder into his naked body. The mob then cut off his ears. They built a fire six or seven yards from the post to which he was tied, and the men took turns picking up burning hickory poles and touching them to Crawford’s body, surrounding him. They also threw hot coals at him, so soon he had nothing to walk on but burning coals and ashes. In the midst of this torture, Crawford called to Girty and begged him to shoot him. Girty replied, laughing, that he had no gun.

Crawford lasted about two hours before he gave out and lay down on his stomach, at which point the Indians fell upon him and scalped him. They threw the scalp in Knight’s face. As Knight was dragged away from the dreadful scene to be taken to the Shawnees, Crawford was roasting alive in the slow fire. After he died, it was said the Indians heaped sticks upon his body and danced around his charred remains for hours. According to Knight, Girty made no effort at all to end Crawford’s suffering.

When the Revolution ended, Girty returned to Detroit, still in the pay of the British. He played a prominent role in agitating among the frontier Indians for the next ten years. Girty led a force of 300 warriors against the Ohio River settlement of Dunlap’s Station in January 1791. Girty’s party killed several soldiers outside the fort, captured another, and fiercely but unsuccessfully laid siege to the fort. The captured prisoner was tortured within earshot of the fort, so the soldiers within could hear his agonized screams as flaming brands were “applied to his naked bowels” and the Indians kindled a fire on his belly.

After Anthony Wayne defeated the Indians in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794, Girty tried to dissuade as many chiefs as possible from going to the treaty negotiations at Greenville, but most of the chiefs were tired of fighting and wanted to bury the hatchet. In November 1794, John Jay negotiated a treaty with Britain, which stipulated that the Western posts should be vacated by British soldiers.

Simon Girty Memorial

Simon Girty memorial stone, Detroit Riverfront, Malden, Ontario

When the Americans arrived to take possession of the fort at Detroit, they found that “the wells had been filled with stones, the windows broken, the gates locked, and the keys deposited with an aged Negro, in whose possession they were afterward found.” There were no British officers on hand to transfer possession of the fort, but Simon Girty was in the town, drunk and raving, declaring that he would not stir one inch unless driven out. However, at the sight of American troop boats coming up river, Girty became so alarmed that he plunged his horse into the stream without waiting for the ferry-boat, and, at the risk of drowning, made for the Canada shore.

The last known sighting of Girty in America—besides the March 1804 account of William Clark—occurred during the War of 1812, when Detroit was temporarily recaptured by the British. As the redcoats took possession of the town, Girty crossed the river, exclaiming, “Here’s old Simon Girty again on American soil!” He visited the town frequently over the next few  months.

After Commodore Perry’s victory over the British fleet in September 1813, Girty’s friends persuaded him to leave before American troops invaded Canada. Old, nearly blind, and crippled with rheumatism, Girty sought refuge with a band of Mohawks on the Grand River. He returned to his home in Canada in 1816, blind and depressed. In February 1818, he died in the presence of his wife and family, having asked forgiveness for his sins. He was buried on his farm, and British soldiers fired a salute over his grave.

Simon Girty memorial marker

The British see it differently than we do.

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Posted in American Revolution, Frontier legends, Frontier warfare, Native Americans, Ohio, William Clark | 33 Comments

33 Responses

  1. on August 19, 2010 at 10:54 pm The Unknown Battle of Blue Licks « Today's History Lesson

    […] more about this man (who was one of the most hated men in America at the time), check out an excellent piece from Frances Hunter’s website…it’s well worth the […]


  2. on June 3, 2012 at 6:24 am Danielle

    As a descendant of Simon’s brother, Thomas, I find this article to not hold the full truth on my ancestor. He simply believed in the way of the Indians, which was that no one should own nature. Was he a killer? Yes, but who wasn’t in those turbulent times. But to liken him to Osama Bin Laden is revolting!


    • on May 11, 2014 at 9:27 am Bob

      To liken him to Osama bin Laden is an insult to Osama bin Laden.


    • on August 4, 2014 at 10:05 am Robert Kuck

      I am doing some writing about Ohio frontier life and would like to communicate with you. I am especially interested in information about your ancestors as well as Peter Loramie whose trading post was south of Girty’s town aka St. Marys, OH.


    • on October 14, 2014 at 12:44 pm Sierra

      I somewhat agree with you,he just sounds like someone who was very common in those days. He seems most…interesting.If you have any info on him I would love it!


  3. on July 29, 2012 at 9:58 pm fhsi

    Fascinating (though somewhat horrific) piece and Danielle’s perspective is interesting too.


  4. on August 6, 2012 at 4:51 pm Eric

    Your site would be enhanced by a photograph of the historical marker at Girty’s birthplace 6 miles north of Harrisburg, PA and the burial yard on his farm in Pittsburgh where lie the bones of his mother and brother.
    Girty was one of the very few individuals of that period who was a person of standing among the native Americans, the colonials, and the British. The French & Indian War and the American Revolution as fought in the Westt (PA,
    Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan) was not a struggle over Grand Ideas about freedom and the Rights of Man- it was a rapacious struggle over the possession of land by the French, English, Americans, and, oh, by the way, Indians. Girty was one of the few prominent people who held sympathies for more than one of the belligerent groups and who exercised acts of conscience.
    Read Eckert’s Dark and Bloody River for more info.


  5. on October 1, 2012 at 11:08 pm alex

    I am a direct descendant of simon girty. Osama bin laden was a blood thirsty terrorist who should have been killed a long time ago. my ancestor was a person who defended the lands and people that he cared about. The american colonists killed many thousand more people than simon girty and his native allies. But then again americans are always bending the truth to make their causes just.


    • on October 9, 2012 at 5:02 pm Danielle

      Alex….. This is VERY true! I descend from Thomas and feel this article doesn’t reflect even 10% of who Simon was. I was fortunate to grow up with Girtys Run in my back yard so I have always been interested in this particular lineage. Were you at the Girty reunions in the mid 90’s? Are you in Pittsburgh, Canada or elsewhere? Us Girtys need to stick together, especially when people use Osama Bin Laden as a comparison. Once again the Natives are lost to the white people’s agenda.


  6. on October 5, 2012 at 7:52 pm AJ Jackson

    A. Jackson
    If Simon Girty was ever captured during his sojourn with the natives he would have been brought before a military courts marshal and then after witnesses to his crimes against humanity who had survived would be more than enough evidence to ensure that Simon would have been hung for treason. In conclusion, he was a deserter, and in treason, he continued to lead native Indian tribal forces against the US, and non-combatants. The British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) during the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812 -1814 along with their Indian allies- continued making war along the U.S. frontier until well into 1815 instilling rebellion. Protection of the lucrative Fur trade was economic reason enough to try to retain these frontier areas. In the end the Indian nations once allies of the BEF against the Yankees..


  7. on November 25, 2012 at 9:50 am coyotejoe

    Girty was a deserter and a turn coat who was never totally loyal to any nation. I think the author has been more than fair with Girty, including the comparison to Bin Laden. Don’t forget that Osama was once our ally and is still a hero to many people around the world.


  8. on January 12, 2013 at 9:34 pm Jim Sellars

    The Simon Girty that William Clark encountered most likely was not the famous Simon Girty, the white man. The Simon Girty of Illinois was a half white, half Delaware Indian who later migrated to Arkansas and then to Oklahoma settling with the Cherokees. His descendants still live in Oklahoma. The Simon Girty William Clark saw was born about 1775 and died in 1833 in Arkansas. This Simon Girty may have been a son of the famous Simon Girty from one of his many Indian wives. Delaware Simon’s children may be George Girty (killed by the Plains Indians in the 1830s), Isaac Girty, and Jack “Panther” Girty. The famous Simon Girty was quoted as having a wife in every tribe (Shane Manuscripts).


    • on January 14, 2013 at 9:43 am coyotejoe

      Very interesting, I’d like to learn more about Simon Girty.


    • on March 24, 2014 at 9:46 pm Andrew Waller

      I came across the name George Girty, who married Sarah Waller, in Ohio about 1833, in my family tree. Was wondering if anyone out there had any information as to whether there was a relationship to Simon or his brothers. Thanks


  9. on March 17, 2013 at 7:46 am wayne

    Simon Girty was was a coward ,turn coat and deserter… some one only the English would defend as they have a history of doing that very well.


  10. on April 4, 2013 at 5:38 am MadElf

    The Frontiersmen: A Narrative by Allan W. Eckert. A very accurate portrayal of the people and places of that time. A truly invaluable read.


  11. on May 30, 2013 at 4:25 pm James

    Girty’s Run was named for Thomas Girty who was Simon’s brother. Thomas lived at the mouth of the creek where it spills into the Allegheny River.


  12. on September 27, 2013 at 10:43 am John hoffman

    They only compared girty to bin Laden in the respect that he was hated by Americans deserved or not. Which he was


    • on September 30, 2013 at 10:14 am Frances Hunter

      Appreciate the reading comprehension, John!


  13. on October 22, 2013 at 1:45 am Dave

    I am a descendant of one of the 16 soldiers who fought off the siege of Bryan’s Station and then joined the Battle of the Blue Licks. Girty was involved in that. One of the many interesting aspects of that battle was that it was fought after Cornwallis had surrendered to Washington at Yorktown.
    Very interesting reading. That is the battle where Daniel Boone said “We are all slaughtered men”. His son Isaac died there and also his nephew, a son of Squire Boone.


  14. on January 27, 2014 at 9:50 pm pande2012

    The problem with drawing distinctions between Girty and Osama bin Laden is that there are thousands, maybe millions of people who would say that Osama bin Laden was a hero who is just standing up for the Muslims against the evil (fill-in-the-blank). Girty assisted the English against the Shawnee in Lord Dunmore’s war, and though one of his good deeds was to save Simon Kenton from Indian tortures, Kenton’s hands were no more clean than William Crawford’s. The frontier was a raw, violent place with acts of cruelty and kindness on both sides. It’s better not to twist facts to fit today’s “political correctness.” Truth should always trump political correctness–of any stripe.


  15. on July 9, 2014 at 12:59 pm Jill

    It was a completely violent time in which to live. All committed various atrocities. The desire to view this one or that one as entirely, spotlessly virtuous seems a bit childish, doesn’t it? I’ve many ancestors from early PA history, as well as early VA history. I’ve read quite a bit on this subject. It seems somewhat appalling to ignore the obvious sin of slavery whilst admiring my many tidewater Va ancestors. We need to be much more realistic about these things. Time to grow up a little, and think a bit harder about what is really virtuous. Don’t forget that we (whites) have eliminated an entire culture (natives) for our own benefit!


  16. on October 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm Sierra

    Shame on people,I’m researching him and I know he was also a hero to many.True, he was a bit of a bad person here and there but everyone has a good side!


    • on October 15, 2014 at 10:28 am Joe Houseman

      The same could be said for Osama Bin Laden. It really is a fair comparison.


      • on November 4, 2014 at 12:39 pm Sierra Franklin

        For shame to the people that think it’s a fair comparison,Osama was a monster,we should never forget that.


      • on November 5, 2014 at 12:06 pm Joe Houseman

        Bin Laden was fighting for a cause in which he believed and while he may be a “monster” to you, he was a hero to many millions. Just like Simon Girty.


      • on November 5, 2014 at 1:40 pm Sierra

        So you may say, but he was the cause of many needless deaths…Girty was different,better.just because somebody says that cats don’t have teeth,that doesn’t mean they don’t.


  17. on November 5, 2014 at 1:47 pm Sierra

    The article is very interesting, but the comparison to Osama bin laden is…kind of…horrific?


  18. on March 25, 2015 at 4:02 am johnnydee99

    my cousins wife is descended from Simon Girty’s 1/2 brother, John Turner. I found his memorial today and was surprised to learn his connection to Girty, who has, with Simon Kenton, been a hero of mine since boyhood. Simon was her 4th great grand Uncle. Fascinating stuff history, and so many perspectives. Osama bin Laden, my lands! There’s a bit of hyperbole. Oh well, every one has admirers and haters.


  19. on March 25, 2015 at 11:56 am Andrew Waller

    Doing research on my family tree, I came across the husband of my 1st cousin, 5x removed, George Girty, b. 1807 Ohio. Can’t find any info more on him. Just wondering if anybody had any info on the Girty descendants to see if their was a relationship. Thank you


  20. on April 11, 2015 at 12:27 am theo g. valcis

    hi i was told that one the older, or the younger was killed by the the sheriff of phildelhia,PA.,
    also that fort Hunter was the location.a man named fireway was also a ref,
    saddly he is gone.thank you.
    the goldbug.


  21. on April 23, 2015 at 7:20 pm Good American Joe

    “My ancestor was a person who defended the lands and people that he cared about.”

    Unlike that Osama bin Laden!


    • on April 25, 2015 at 7:21 pm joe Houseman

      Osama Bin laden was born into wealth which through his own industry he expanded to great wealth. He could have lived the life of ease, luxury and privilege as so many oil sheiks do but he chose instead to devote his life to driving out decadence and restoring his lands to the true Muslim faith. He fought and died for his beliefs. Just like your ancestor he was an enemy of the USA and that does not make him any less a hero to his own people.



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