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Greene, Ohio · Native · 1779

Col. John Bowman at Old Chillicothe

In late May 1779, Col. John Bowman—Kentucky County’s first county-lieutenant—led roughly 160–300 mounted militia (with Benjamin Logan and Levi Todd) against the Shawnee town of Old Chillicothe near today’s Xenia, Ohio.

AI illustration of Col. John Bowman of Harrodsburg, about 1779
John Bowman AI illustration · Kentucky History Drive; no known likeness exists

They burned dozens of cabins and cornfields and drove off about 163 horses, but could not take the warriors’ blockhouse. Chief Blackfish was mortally wounded. Contemporaries first called it a failure; later voices, including Theodore Roosevelt, ranked the raid as strategically valuable for discouraging further Shawnee war parties into Kentucky.

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Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Col. John Bowman at Old Chillicothe." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 12, 2026. Last revised September 24, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/col-john-bowman-at-old-chillicothe/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Col. John Bowman at Old Chillicothe." Kentucky History Drive, published 12 Sept. 2026, last revised 24 Sept. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/col-john-bowman-at-old-chillicothe/.

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