Cornstalk was a Shawnee leader from southeastern Ohio who fought in the French and Indian War and Pontiac's Rebellion. In 1774, he led Shawnee forces at the Battle of Point Pleasant, where they were defeated by Virginia militia. He helped negotiate a peace treaty, but it quickly unraveled with the onset of the American Revolution.

In 1777, Cornstalk returned to Point Pleasant to warn settlers of renewed fighting but was detained as a hostage at Fort Randolph. On November 10, 1777, he and his son were killed by settlers, likely in retaliation for recent attacks unrelated to him.