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Lord Dunmore

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Video: Lord Dunmore delayed his advance to go duck hunting. One minute, 20 seconds.

Narrator: A cultured Scottish gentleman known for hosting lavish balls, Dunmore was also a veteran officer who insisted on walking into battle carrying his own equipment. He ordered Major Andrew Lewis to prepare for a combined assault on the Shawnee villages.

“The unhappy situation of the people settled over the Allegheny Mountains makes it necessary to give the enemies a blow that will break the Indian confederacy.” Lord Dunmore

Narrator: Lewis was to take troops from Camp Union in the Greenbrier Valley west to the Ohio River. Dunmore would lead a force down the Ohio from Fort Pitt and join them.

As Lewis advanced, Dunmore and a thousand troops reached Fort Pitt where he delayed heading south. Instead, the Governor went duck hunting with hounds brought along from Williamsburg.

An incredulous frontiersman called Dunmore the most unfit, the most trifling person living.

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  • Series Title: West Virginia: A Film History
  • Company: West Virginia Humanities Council
  • Filmmaker: Mark Samels
  • Distributor: N/A
  • Format: DVD