The 1700s: From Trade to Total War
The 18th century saw the Ohio Valley transform from a trade zone into a "dark and bloody ground."
The French and Indian War (1754–1763)
This was a global struggle between Britain and France.
The Conflict: The French built a string of forts (like Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh) to keep the British out of the Ohio Valley. Most Ohio tribes, including the Shawnee in the Clermont area, sided with the French, fearing that British victory would lead to white settlers taking their land.
The Outcome: The British won, and France ceded all claims to the Ohio Valley in 1763. However, the British King forbade settlement west of the Appalachians (the Proclamation of 1763)—a rule that American colonists promptly ignored.
Lord Dunmore’s War (1774)
As Virginia colonists pushed into Kentucky, they used the Ohio River as their Southern main highway. The Shawnee launched raids from the northern banks (modern Clermont and Hamilton counties) to stop the invasion. This led to a short, brutal war that forced the Shawnee to recognize the Ohio River as a boundary—though neither side truly respected it.
The Revolutionary War and the "Kentucky Raids"
During the American Revolution, the Clermont region was a "front line."
British Influence: The British, operating out of Detroit, armed the Shawnee to attack American settlements in Kentucky.
The Bowman and Clark Expeditions: In 1779 and 1780, American Colonel John Bowman and General George Rogers Clark led retaliatory strikes. They crossed the Ohio River near Cincinnati and marched through what is now Clermont County to destroy Shawnee villages like Old Chillicothe.
Notable Conflicts in the Region
| Event | Date | Significance |
| Battle of Piqua | 1780 | George Rogers Clark’s army marched through the Little Miami valley, essentially "clearing" the path for future Clermont settlement. |
| St. Clair’s Defeat | 1791 | The greatest defeat of the U.S. Army by Indigenous forces occurred north of here, but caused massive panic for early Clermont settlers. |
| Battle of Fallen Timbers | 1794 | General "Mad" Anthony Wayne defeated the Western Confederacy, leading to the Treaty of Greenville. |
The Final Conflict: Grassy Run (1792)
Even as pioneers moved in, the tension didn't vanish instantly. The Battle of Grassy Run (near modern-day Marathon) was the largest frontier battle in the county between frontiersmen and Native Americans.
The Combatants: Legendary frontiersman Simon Kenton led a raiding party against a Shawnee village inhabited by a then-young warrior named Tecumseh.
The Legacy: Though the frontiersman retreated, the battle marked the beginning of the end for Indigenous resistance in the region. The last Wyandot village in Clermont County remained until 1811 also near the mouth of Grassy Run.
The Turning Point: 1795
The Treaty of Greenville (1795) ended the major Indian Wars in Ohio. The Shawnee were forced to give up their claims to Southern Ohio. Almost immediately, the Virginia Military District opened up. This allowed veterans of the Revolutionary War to claim land in what would become Clermont County as payment for their service.
The wilderness of the 1600s was officially gone, replaced by the surveyed townships and cabins of the new American frontier.
Following the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, Clermont County transformed from a contested "shatter zone" into one of the earliest hubs of American westward expansion. Here is the story of the pioneers who built the foundations of the county.
The Land of Veterans: The Virginia Military District
Most of Clermont County lies within the Virginia Military District. Because Virginia had no money to pay its Revolutionary War soldiers, it gave them "land warrants" in the Ohio Country.
Surveyors First: Before families arrived, surveyors like William Lytle (the "Father of Clermont County") trekked through the woods to mark boundaries. This was dangerous work, as small bands of Indigenous warriors who had not signed the treaty still patrolled the area.
The "First" Families: While an attempt at settlement was made at Stonelick in 1792, it was abandoned due to conflict. The first permanent settlements began in 1796.
Williamsburg (1796): Founded by William Lytle, it became the county's first seat. Lytle built "Harmony Hill," which included a stone dairy house (1800) that still stands today as the oldest structure in the county.
Life on the Edge: The Pioneer Experience
Early life in Clermont was defined by "The Three C's": Clearing, Corn, and Cabins.
The First Home
Pioneers lived in temporary "pole cabins"—simple structures made of unhewn logs with dirt floors. Later, they built "double log cabins" with a breezeway in the middle.
Did you know? Joseph Davis, an early settler in Union Township, arrived in 1803 with all his goods on one horse. His wife followed on foot, carrying her pewter dishes in her apron. Their first bed was made of saplings stuck into the cabin walls.
Survival and Industry
The Corn Cycle: Corn was the most vital crop because it grew quickly in partially cleared forest. It was used for everything: cornmeal for bread, fodder for cattle, and—most importantly for trade—distilled into whiskey, which was easier to transport than bulky grain.
Salt & Mills: Salt was a luxury. Many early settlers traveled to Salt Run Creek to boil their own. Water-powered grist mills and sawmills quickly sprang up along the Little Miami & East Fork Rivers and Ten-Mile Creek to process grain and timber.
The Ohio River: For towns like New Richmond and Moscow, the river was a lifeline. Families arrived on "flatboats," which they often dismantled upon arrival to use the wood for their first homes.
Notable Early Settlements (Pre-1810)
| Settlement | Founded | Key Figure | Significance |
| Williamsburg | 1796 | William Lytle | First county seat; center of surveying. |
| Milford | 1797* | Francis McCormick | Established the first Methodist class in the Northwest Territory; later formally laid out 1806 and inc.1836 |
| Bethel | 1798* | Obed Denham | An anti-slavery stronghold; Denham famously declared that no slaveholder could own land in his town. laid out 1802. |
| Ohio Township | 1796* | Isaac Ferguson | Home to early ferries that connected Ohio to Kentucky; laid out 1801 at the time also consisted of Tate, Union & Pierce Townships. |
| Batavia | 1797* | Ezekiel Dimmitt | Dimmitt built the first cabin here in 1797; later formally laid out and inc. 1814. |