Lochry's Defeat was a battle fought on August 24, 1781, near present-day Aurora, Indiana, in the United States. The battle was part of the American Revolutionary War (1775–83), in which American Indians were allies of the British. The battle was short and decisive: about one hundred Indians under Joseph Brant (pictured), a Mohawk war leader, ambushed about an equal number of Pennsylvania militiamen led by Archibald Lochry, and killed or captured them all without suffering any casualties. Lochry's force was part of an army being raised by George Rogers Clark for a campaign against Detroit, the British regional headquarters. In early August 1781, Clark and about 400 men left Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania by boat on the Ohio River, a few days ahead of Lochry and his men. Brant's force was part of a combined British and Indian army being raised to counter Clark's offensive. Brant had too few men to challenge Clark, but he intercepted messengers between Clark and Lochry and learned about Lochry's smaller group. When Lochry landed to feed his men and horses, Brant launched his overwhelming ambush. The loss of Lochry's men resulted in the cancellation of Clark's expedition.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochry%27s_Defeat

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1194:

King Richard I of England gave the city of Portsmouth (Old Portsmouth pictured) its first Royal Charter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth

1757:

Konbaung forces captured the city of Bago, Burma, to end the Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konbaung%E2%80%93Hanthawaddy_War

1885:

A small force of Cree and Assiniboine defeated a larger Canadian force in the Battle of Cut Knife, the natives' most successful battle during the North-West Rebellion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cut_Knife

1995:

Croatian War of Independence: Serb forces began firing rockets on the Croatian capital of Zagreb, killing 7 and injuring at least 175 others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb_rocket_attacks

2011:

The Conservative Party of Canada won enough seats in the Canadian federal election to establish their first majority government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_2011

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Penrose stairs: An impossible loop of endlessly ascending and descending stairs, or an optical illusion appearing to depict such a loop. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Penrose_stairs

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Friends, the soil is poor, we must sow seeds in plenty for us to garner even modest harvests.   --Novalis https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Novalis