Battle of Great Cacapon

Battle of Great Cacapon
	Part of the French and Indian War
Date	April 18, 1756
Location	near present-day Capon Bridge, Hampshire County, West Virginia
Result	Indian victory
Belligerents
Shawnee; Delaware	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Killbuck	John Mercer †
Strength
Over 100	Approximately 60 Virginia militia
Casualties and losses
Unknown	More than 18 killed All but 6 killed according to Killbuck

The Battle of Great Cacapon — also known as Mercer's Massacre — was fought on April 18, 1756^[2] between members of Colonel George Washington's Virginia Regiment and French-allied Shawnee and Delaware Indians. Captain Mercer and a company of his men were pursuing some Indians when they were ambushed by a larger number of Indian raiders. Mercer and at least 16 of his men were killed.

^ None of the referenced sources indicate that any Frenchmen took part in this event, although there may have been some in the area.
^ ^a ^b Some sources (e.g. Cartmell and Kercheval et al) place this event in 1757, apparently as they rely on Killbuck's account of the events. Correspondence by George Washington concerning Mercer's death is in 1756, and newspaper reports from that year (see Lucier) also place it then.
^ Cartmell, p. 73

[1] None of the referenced sources indicate that any Frenchmen took part in this event, although there may have been some in the area.

[Year-2] Some sources (e.g. Cartmell and Kercheval et al) place this event in 1757, apparently as they rely on Killbuck's account of the events. Correspondence by George Washington concerning Mercer's death is in 1756, and newspaper reports from that year (see Lucier) also place it then.

[Cartmell73-3] Cartmell, p. 73

[2]

[1]

[3]