White Eyes was born about 1730. In 1776 he became chief
of the Turtle Clan of the Delawares replacing Newcomer. He
worked to get the Delaware to consolidate and settle in Ohio.
He tried to make peace with the white settlers, including
the Moravian missionaries who settled near the Delawares
in 1770.
White Eyes spoke before the Continental Congress in 1776.
Congress officially thanked him for encouraging peace between
the Natives and the settlers. He strove to keep the Delaware
neutral, but said that if there was a war with the British,
the Delawares would be on the sides of the Americans. He
also proposed that the Delawares form the 14th state of a
newly independent America. A treaty was signed in 1778 and
the 14th state was to be for Native Americans.
White Eyes was given a commission
as a lieutenant colonel in the American army. He died under
suspicious circumstances
in 1778 while guiding troops to the site at Fort Laurens.
There are at least four possible explanations of his death,
from smallpox to "friendly fire."
After White Eyes died, the relationship between the Delaware
and the Americans was weakened. Most Delaware remained neutral
early on in the war. After White Eyes' death, many supported
the British.
Resources
Koquethagechton
http://www.famousamericans.net/koquethagachton
White Eyes
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=407
White Eyes Coquetakeghton 1730-1778
http://www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/nativeamericans/whiteeyes.htm
