Kittanning Expedition

Immediately after the fall of Fort Granville, Lt. Colonel John Armstrong organized an expedition against Kittanning, the Delaware village that served as the staging point for Indian raids against settlements in western Pennsylvania. On the morning of September 8, Armstrong’s 300-militiaman command launched a surprise attack on Kittanning. Although many Indians fled, Captain Jacobs, who orchestrated the attack on Fort Granville, fought until killed. Armstrong’s command burned Kittanning, but the wounded lieutenant colonel abruptly retreated after learning that a small command (about a dozen men) left behind at the camp had been attacked by Delaware Indians and French soldiers from Fort Duquesne.

Armstrong was regaled as the “Hero of Kittanning” and traveled to Philadelphia where he collected a sizeable reward for Jacobs’ death. Appreciative citizens also awarded him a commemorative medal—the first issued in the American colonies for bravery. Modern historians, however, question Armstrong’s accomplishments. Jacobs’ death ended the career of one of the most hated frontier Indians, but Armstrong’s command suffered greater casualties than they inflicted. Many Delaware escaped, taking with them white prisoners captured earlier. Armstrong’s expedition, according to historian Fred Anderson, “probably aggravated the situation on the province’s frontier” and led to more Indian raids.