Famous Chiefs

Native Name
Killbuck

White Name
Killbuck

Nation
Delaware

In the 1770s, Moravian missionaries, working with the Delaware Indians, had set up two villages, Schoenbrunn and Gnadenhutten. Because they were so successful, a third village was set up near the present Coshocton, the Delaware's primary village. Netawatwees (Newcomer), Killbuck's grandfather (the Delaware chief) felt that the Natives could benefit from an alliance with the missionaries. When Newcomer died, Killbuck became chief. Killbuck was in a bad position. He received pressure from the British, the Americans and even other Native groups.

Because the missionaries did not believe in war, the natives who joined them were not permitted to participate in a war. Other chiefs believed this pacifism lowered the number of good Native warriors. In 1777, Killbuck invited the Moravians to consolidate their villages. He offered them protection. During the troubled revolutionary times, the Delaware became more divided and some Moravians went back to their original villages at Schoenbrunn and Gnadenhutten in 1778.

"Colonel Daniel Brodhead with three-hundred soldiers left Fort Pitt to destroy the Delaware communities near Coshocton. Brodhead's army did not differentiate between the Delawares and Christian Delawares, destroying Coshocton (Lichtenau) village. Lichtenau was never rebuilt." (Ohio History Central http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ohc/history/h_indian/places/lichtena.shtml)

Killbuck was with White Eyes and Captain Pipe in 1778 and signed the first treaty with the Continental Congress.

Killbuck was pro-American and Captain Pipe was pro-British. This caused a split in the Delaware nation.

Resources

Killbuck http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ohc/history/path/people/killbuck.shtml

Lichtenau http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ohc/history/h_indian/places/lichtena.shtml