Clark Captures Kaskaskia and Vincennes

George Rogers Clark and about 175 men crossed the Ohio River and took control of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes without firing a shot, as French letters discouraged British support.

People involved

• George Rogers Clark

When this happened

Clark Captures Kaskaskia and Vincennes occurred in July 1778, during the revolutionary era period of American history.

Where this happened

Clark Captures Kaskaskia and Vincennes took place in Indiana. Explore the full history of Indiana and primary source records from this era.

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) grew from colonial resistance to British taxation without parliamentary representation — a dispute that radicalized through the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Boston Massacre (1770). Fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775; the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Army under George Washington faced severe shortages of supplies and troops, enduring the brutal winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778) before French alliance and French financing turned the military balance. Major engagements included Bunker Hill (1775), Trenton (1776), Saratoga (1777) — which secured French intervention — and Yorktown (1781), where British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. An estimated 25,000 American soldiers died in service, from combat, disease, and captivity. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded British territory east of the Mississippi, though it left unresolved questions about Indigenous land rights and the status of Loyalists.

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