OCTOBER 4, 1754

CATAWBA/SENECA LEADER TANACHARISON (HALF-KING) DIED

Likely born into the Catawba tribe about 1700 near modern Buffalo, New York, Tanaghrisson was captured by the French and later adopted into the Seneca. He hated the French claiming that they boiled and ate his father. By 1747, the Iroquois chose Tanaghrisson to lead the Native tribes living in the Ohio River Valley. In the French and Indian War, he aided the British who gave him the title “Half King.” He urged the Virginians to build a fort near what is now Pittsburgh, he also accompanied Colonel George Washington as he delivered a letter to the French from the Governor of Virginia insisting on French departure from the area. On May 27, 1754, Tanaghrisson and Washington successfully surrounded a French camp. Washington asked Half King to fight with him at Fort Necessity, however he decided to leave saying that Washington would never listen to them. He [Washington] insisted on them fighting by his directions.” Tanaghrisson moved to central Pennsylvania where he died.   

Source: “Tanaghrisson, the Half King,” U.S. National Park Service.  Retrieved 11/23/2023,Tanaghrisson, the Half King (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Sketch & Engraving:  Artist—John McNevin (1771-1888); Engraver--Henry Bryan Hall (1808-1884), 1856. The evening council of George Washington at Fort Necessity. Public Domain. Source The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1856. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-f488-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.