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David Williamson (1752–1814) was a mass murderer and colonel in the Pennsylvania Militia during the American Revolutionary War. He was born near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and led American militiamen in the Gnadenhutten massacre of the Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs, though he failed in his plan to massacre the Christian Indians (primarily Lenape and Mahican) in Schoenbrunn. He led Pennsylvanian soldiers in the massacre of peaceful Delaware Indians in Killbuck Island (who were allies of the United States) and was second in command in the Crawford expedition. David Williamson allowed his men to rape women and children in the snow while simultaneously killing them.

Involvement in persecution of Christian Indians

David Williamson led the American soldiers that murdered 100 pacifist Moravian Christian Indians at the town of Gnadenhutten, Ohio in 1782.^[1] It became known as the Gnadenhutten massacre. An account of the persecution of the Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs that described Williamson read as follows: "One Indian [Christian Lenape] female, who could speak good English, fell upon her knees before Williamson, the Commander, and begged most eloquently and piteously for his protection; but all her supplications and pleadings were unheeded by the heartless and dastardly wretch, who ordered her to prepare for death."^[2]

After the Gnadenhutten massacre, Williamson advanced his unit to massacre the Moravian Christian Indians who were peacefully harvesting their crops in Schoenbrunn.^[3] Williamson's plan failed as one of the residents of Schoenbrunn was on his way to deliver a message from David Zeisberger to the Moravian Brethren in Gnadenhutten when he saw the scalped body of Joseph Schebosh, a Moravian of both Welsh and Lenape ancestry that Williamson's soldiers had murdered upon their arrival to Gnadenhutten.^[3]^[4] The Moravian Indian Christian messenger quickly buried Schebosh's body and hurried back to Schoenbrunn to warn them.^[3] The Moravian Brethren of Schoenbrunn quickly departed the village for Sandusky and by the time Williamson and his soldiers arrived, there was no one in Schoenbrunn for them to kill.^[3]

As Williamson and his unit were returning from the Gnadenhutten massacre of the Moravian Christian Indian martyrs, he and his militiamen massacred the peaceful Delaware Indians at Killbuck Island, where forty of them were living. These Indians were allies of the United States and provided intelligence to the Americans at the nearby Fort Pitt.^[5] Chief Gelelemend and a few others (mainly women and children), in addition to a Christian Indian named Anthony who was in Pittsburgh, were able to escape by swimming away;^[1]^[6]^[7] they headed to Upper Sandusky and joined the Christian Munsee, with Chief Gelelemend becoming a prominent member among the Moravians.^[7] Thirty U.S.-friendly Delaware Indians perished during the massacre at Killbuck Island.^[7]

Crawford expedition and the Battle of Olentangy

He was also second in command of the Crawford expedition which was defeated by the combined Native American and British force at the Battle of Sandusky on June 4–6, 1782 near the Wyandot village of Upper Sandusky, Ohio. He led the majority of the remaining force home and was in command during the subsequent Battle of Olentangy during the retreat home on June 6, 1782.

Later life and death

Following the war, Williamson was elected to several terms as sheriff of Washington County, Pennsylvania; however, his attempts at various business ventures failed and he died in poverty in 1814.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Ricky, Donald (1 January 2009). Native Peoples A to Z: A Reference Guide to Native Peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Native American Book Publishers. p. 964. ISBN 978-1-878592-73-6.
^ The Christian Miscellany and Family Visiter, Volume 1. John Mason. 1855. p. 20.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Mansfield, John Brandt (1884). The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Gordon Printing. p. 295-303.
^ ^a ^b Olmstead, Earl P. (1997). David Zeisberger: A Life Among the Indians. Kent State University Press. p. 409. ISBN 978-0-87338-568-8.
^ Griffin, Patrick (April 2008). American Leviathan: Empire, Nation, and Revolutionary Frontier. Macmillan. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-8090-2491-9.
^ Bial, Raymond (15 December 2015). The People and Culture of the Delaware. Cavendish Square Publishing. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-5026-1004-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c Johansen, Bruce E.; Pritzker, Barry M. (23 July 2007). Encyclopedia of American Indian History [4 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 242. ISBN 978-1-85109-818-7.

[Ricky2009-1] Ricky, Donald (1 January 2009). Native Peoples A to Z: A Reference Guide to Native Peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Native American Book Publishers. p. 964. ISBN 978-1-878592-73-6.

[2] The Christian Miscellany and Family Visiter, Volume 1. John Mason. 1855. p. 20.

[Mansfield1884-3] Mansfield, John Brandt (1884). The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Gordon Printing. p. 295-303.

[Olmstead1997-4] Olmstead, Earl P. (1997). David Zeisberger: A Life Among the Indians. Kent State University Press. p. 409. ISBN 978-0-87338-568-8.

[5] Griffin, Patrick (April 2008). American Leviathan: Empire, Nation, and Revolutionary Frontier. Macmillan. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-8090-2491-9.

[Bial2015-6] Bial, Raymond (15 December 2015). The People and Culture of the Delaware. Cavendish Square Publishing. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-5026-1004-1.

[JohansenPritzker2007-7] Johansen, Bruce E.; Pritzker, Barry M. (23 July 2007). Encyclopedia of American Indian History [4 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 242. ISBN 978-1-85109-818-7.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Colonel of American militia}}
 {{Other people|David Williamson}}
-'''David Williamson''' (1752–1814) was a [[Colonel]] in the [[Pennsylvania]] [[militia]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He was born near [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania|Carlisle]], Pennsylvania and led American militiamen in the [[Gnadenhutten massacre]] of the [[Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs]], though he failed in his plan to massacre the [[Christian Munsee|Christian Indians]] (primarily Lenape and Mahican) in [[Schoenbrunn, Ohio|Schoenbrunn]]. He led Pennsylvanian soldiers in the massacre of peaceful Delaware Indians in Killbuck Island (who were allies of the United States) and was second in command in the [[Crawford expedition]].
+'''David Williamson''' (1752–1814) was a [[mass murder]]er and [[colonel]] in the [[Pennsylvania]] [[Militia (United States)|Militia]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He was born near [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania|Carlisle]], Pennsylvania, and led American militiamen in the [[Gnadenhutten massacre]] of the [[Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs]], though he failed in his plan to massacre the [[Christian Munsee|Christian Indians]] (primarily Lenape and Mahican) in [[Schoenbrunn, Ohio|Schoenbrunn]]. He led Pennsylvanian soldiers in the massacre of peaceful Delaware Indians in Killbuck Island (who were allies of the United States) and was second in command in the [[Crawford expedition]]. David Williamson allowed his men to rape women and children in the snow while simultaneously killing them.
-==Gnadenhutten massacre of the Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs==
+== Involvement in persecution of Christian Indians ==
-David Williamson led the American soldiers that murdered 100 [[Christian pacifism|pacifist]] [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] [[Christian Munsee|Christian Indians]] at the town of [[Gnadenhutten, Ohio|Gnadenhutten]], [[Ohio]].<ref name="Ricky2009">{{cite book |last1=Ricky |first1=Donald |title=Native Peoples A to Z: A Reference Guide to Native Peoples of the Western Hemisphere |date=1 January 2009 |publisher=Native American Book Publishers |isbn=978-1-878592-73-6 |language=English}}</ref> It became known as the [[Gnadenhutten massacre]]. An account of the persecution of the Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs that described Williamson read as follows: "One Indian [Christian Lenape] female, who could speak good English, fell upon her knees before Williamson, the Commander, and begged most eloquently and piteously for his protection; but all her supplications and pleadings were unheeded by the heartless and dastardly wretch, who ordered her to prepare for death."<ref>{{cite book |title=The Christian Miscellany and Family Visiter, Volume 1 |date=1855 |publisher=John Mason |page=20 |language=English}}</ref>
+[[File:GnadenhuttenMassacre1852.png|thumb|[[Gnadenhutten massacre]] in 1782]]
-==Failed attempt to massacre pacifist Christian Indians at Schoenbrunn==
-After the Gnadenhutten massacre of the Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs, Williamson advanced his unit to massacre the Moravian Christian Indians who were peacefully harvesting their crops in [[Schoenbrunn, Ohio|Schoenbrunn]].<ref name="Mansfield1884"/> Williamson's plan failed as one of the residents of Schoenbrunn was on his way to deliver a message from [[David Zeisberger]] to the Moravian Brethren in Gnadenhutten when he saw the scalped body of Joseph Schebosh, a Moravian of both Welsh and Lenape ancestry that Williamson's soldiers had murdered upon their arrival to Gnadenhutten.<ref name="Mansfield1884"/><ref name="Olmstead1997"/> The Moravian Indian Christian messenger quickly buried Schebosh's body and hurried back to Schoenbrunn to warn them.<ref name="Mansfield1884"/> The Moravian Brethren of Schoenbrunn quickly departed the village for Sandusky and by the time Williamson and his soldiers arrived, there was no one in Schoenbrunn for them to kill.<ref name="Mansfield1884">{{cite book |last1=Mansfield |first1=John Brandt |title=The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio |date=1884 |publisher=Gordon Printing |page=295-303 |language=English}}</ref>
+David Williamson led the American soldiers that murdered 100 [[Christian pacifism|pacifist]] [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] [[Christian Munsee|Christian Indians]] at the town of [[Gnadenhutten, Ohio|Gnadenhutten]], [[Ohio]] in 1782.<ref name="Ricky2009"/> It became known as the [[Gnadenhutten massacre]]. An account of the persecution of the Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs that described Williamson read as follows: "One Indian [Christian Lenape] female, who could speak good English, fell upon her knees before Williamson, the Commander, and begged most eloquently and piteously for his protection; but all her supplications and pleadings were unheeded by the heartless and dastardly wretch, who ordered her to prepare for death."<ref>{{cite book |title=The Christian Miscellany and Family Visiter, Volume 1 |date=1855 |publisher=John Mason |page=20 |language=English}}</ref>
-==Massacre of peaceful Delaware Indians at Killbuck Island==
-As Williamson and his unit were returning from the [[Gnadenhutten massacre]] of the Moravian Christian Indian martyrs, he and his militiamen massacred the peaceful Delaware Indians at Killbuck Island. These peaceful Delaware Indians were allies of the United States and provided intelligence to the Americans at Fort Pitt.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Griffin |first1=Patrick |title=American Leviathan: Empire, Nation, and Revolutionary Frontier |date=April 2008 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-8090-2491-9 |page=168 |language=English}}</ref> Among the many Delaware Indians murdered by Williamson and his militiamen were "two men whom Congress had commissioned as captains in the Continental Army."<ref name="Mann2005">{{cite book |last1=Mann |first1=Barbara Alice |title=George Washington's War on Native America |date=2005 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-275-98177-8 |page=165 |language=English}}</ref> Anthony, a Christian Lenape, was in Pittsburgh and was thus able to escape to [[Sandusky, Ohio|Sandusky]] where the other Christian Indians were located; Chief Gelelemund and ten others (mostly women and children) fled as thirty Delaware Indians fought the militiamen to give Gelelemund cover.<ref name="Mann2005"/>
+After the [[Gnadenhutten massacre]], Williamson advanced his unit to massacre the Moravian Christian Indians who were peacefully harvesting their crops in [[Schoenbrunn, Ohio|Schoenbrunn]].<ref name="Mansfield1884"/> Williamson's plan failed as one of the residents of Schoenbrunn was on his way to deliver a message from [[David Zeisberger]] to the Moravian Brethren in Gnadenhutten when he saw the scalped body of Joseph Schebosh, a Moravian of both Welsh and Lenape ancestry that Williamson's soldiers had murdered upon their arrival to Gnadenhutten.<ref name="Mansfield1884"/><ref name="Olmstead1997"/> The Moravian Indian Christian messenger quickly buried Schebosh's body and hurried back to Schoenbrunn to warn them.<ref name="Mansfield1884"/> The Moravian Brethren of Schoenbrunn quickly departed the village for Sandusky and by the time Williamson and his soldiers arrived, there was no one in Schoenbrunn for them to kill.<ref name="Mansfield1884">{{cite book |last1=Mansfield |first1=John Brandt |title=The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio |date=1884 |publisher=Gordon Printing |page=295-303 |language=English}}</ref>
-==Crawford expedition and the Battle of Olentangy==
+As Williamson and his unit were returning from the Gnadenhutten massacre of the Moravian Christian Indian martyrs, he and his militiamen massacred the peaceful Delaware Indians at Killbuck Island, where forty of them were living. These Indians were allies of the United States and provided intelligence to the Americans at the nearby Fort Pitt.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Griffin |first1=Patrick |title=American Leviathan: Empire, Nation, and Revolutionary Frontier |date=April 2008 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-8090-2491-9 |page=168 |language=English}}</ref> [[Gelelemend|Chief Gelelemend]] and a few others (mainly women and children), in addition to a Christian Indian named Anthony who was in Pittsburgh, were able to escape by swimming away;<ref name="Ricky2009">{{cite book |last1=Ricky |first1=Donald |title=Native Peoples A to Z: A Reference Guide to Native Peoples of the Western Hemisphere |date=1 January 2009 |publisher=Native American Book Publishers |isbn=978-1-878592-73-6 |page=964 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="Bial2015">{{cite book |last1=Bial |first1=Raymond |title=The People and Culture of the Delaware |date=15 December 2015 |publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing |isbn=978-1-5026-1004-1 |page=99 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="JohansenPritzker2007">{{cite book |last1=Johansen |first1=Bruce E. |last2=Pritzker |first2=Barry M. |title=Encyclopedia of American Indian History [4 volumes] |date=23 July 2007 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-818-7 |page=242 |language=English}}</ref> they headed to [[Sandusky River|Upper Sandusky]] and joined the [[Christian Munsee]], with Chief Gelelemend becoming a prominent member among the [[Moravian Church|Moravians]].<ref name="JohansenPritzker2007"/> Thirty U.S.-friendly Delaware Indians perished during the massacre at Killbuck Island.<ref name="JohansenPritzker2007"/>
+== Crawford expedition and the Battle of Olentangy ==
 He was also second in command of the [[Crawford expedition]] which was defeated by the combined [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] and British force at the [[Battle of Sandusky]] on June 4–6, 1782 near the [[Wyandot people|Wyandot]] village of [[Upper Sandusky, Ohio|Upper Sandusky]], Ohio. He led the majority of the remaining force home and was in command during the subsequent [[Battle of Olentangy]] during the retreat home on June 6, 1782.
-==Later life and death==
+== Later life and death ==
-Following the war, Williamson was elected to several terms as [[Sheriff]] of [[Washington County, Pennsylvania|Washington County]], Pennsylvania; however, his attempts at various business ventures failed and he died in poverty in 1814.<ref name="Olmstead1997">{{cite book |last1=Olmstead |first1=Earl P. |title=David Zeisberger: A Life Among the Indians |date=1997 |publisher=Kent State University Press |isbn=978-0-87338-568-8 |page=409 |language=English}}</ref>
+Following the war, Williamson was elected to several terms as [[sheriff]] of [[Washington County, Pennsylvania|Washington County]], Pennsylvania; however, his attempts at various business ventures failed and he died in poverty in 1814.<ref name="Olmstead1997">{{cite book |last1=Olmstead |first1=Earl P. |title=David Zeisberger: A Life Among the Indians |date=1997 |publisher=Kent State University Press |isbn=978-0-87338-568-8 |page=409 |language=English}}</ref>
 == References ==
@@ Line 23: / Line 25: @@
 [[Category:1752 births]]
 [[Category:1814 deaths]]
-[[Category:American mass murderers]]
+[[Category:American murderers of children]]
+[[Category:American white supremacists]]
 [[Category:Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution]]
 [[Category:Pennsylvania sheriffs]]
 [[Category:People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania]]
 [[Category:People from Washington County, Ohio]]
+[[Category:Native American genocide perpetrators]]