As neutrality became increasingly precarious in Ohio Territory, leaders of the Delaware (Lenape) people signed the first U.S.-Indian treaty in 1778. They did so to assert their independence from other Native nations in the region and protect their lands. When the U.S. failed to fulfill its promise to protect Delaware territory, many defected to the British—but not all.
This payroll is for a detachment of Delaware soldiers who served in the Continental Army late in the Revolutionary War. Faced with starvation and ongoing frontier violence, many peaceful Delaware eventually sought safety farther west.
