When one walks through Kittanning, Pennsylvania today it is difficult realizing a great people once lived and died here many years ago. Those people were mainly the people of the great Lenni-Lenape tribe. They are better known as the Delaware Indians.
These natives lived here, possibly, from as early as 1723. They had been moved west because of the English push and, sad to say, treachery from greedy people of the time. They had lived in peace for many years under William Penn and his fairness to them.
The year of 1755, a different Indian lived in Kit-Han-Ne. (Kittanning) They now had allied themselves with the French and began an all out war with the English, and others to their east.
To thwart these native incursions under the war chiefs, Shingas and Captain Jacobs, a Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong and 307 men traveled east to attack the natives at their home.
The attack came on September the 8th of 1756. The Indians were miraculously taken by surprise. However, the Pennsylvania troops suffered much as well. the force retreated at one point, but the Delaware and Shawnee living there were met with a morale defeat. They eventually moved further east. Their raids, however, continued.
I wrote a book called The ATTACK ON KIT-HAN-NE. The book can be ordered through: Mechling Bookbindery at http://www.mechlingbooks.com
The original 48 X 30 inch painting shown above was started in 2008. I wasn’t excited about the art and shelved it for a time. The art was much too busy. I was trying to show so much of the area and the art just didn’t work. A couple of years ago I “attacked” the painting and eliminated much of the background.
Hope you like the painting.
Larry A. Smail's Blog 
Leave a Reply