On Nov. 19, 1752, George Rogers Clark - the man who wrested control of Ohio and the rest of the Northwest Territory from the British during the Revolutionary War - was born near Charleston, Va.

In 1772, when he was 20, Clark pushed off from Fort Pitt and rafted down the Ohio River on a survey expedition. The following year, he surveyed land on the north shore of the Ohio River. While in the Virginia militia, Clark gained a reputation as a fearless Indian fighter. He was present at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774.

With the Revolution in full swing, Lt. Col. Clark and his militiamen destroyed several Shawnee villages and defeated the Indians at the Battle of Piqua in 1782. Clark also destroyed Loramie's Store, an English trading post near the Great Miami River that was frequented by the Shawnee. He died in 1818, age 65.

Rebecca Goodman

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com or call (513) 768-8361.