User:BlueBetta23/sandbox

Reverend James Copus (1775-1812) was one of the first white settlers in what later became Richland County, Ohio. The Methodist preacher and his seven children built a home near the Native American village of Greentown. During the War of 1812, Reverend Copus was ordered by the commander of the nearby military outpost in Mansfield, Ohio to persuade the Native Americans of Greentown to relocate. Because he was trusted by many of the local Native Americans, they agreed to relocated until the local skirmishes were over. Although they had promised that the village would be protected, some of the soldiers set fire to the village, angering the Native Americans. Due to hostilities, Copus and his family fled to the local blockhouse for safety, but returned to their home after several days accompanied by nine soldiers. Blaming James Copus for the breach of trust, a number of Native Americans returned to the Copus homestead on September 12, 1812, killing Reverend James Copus and three soldiers. The battle became known as the Copus Massacre, and in 1882 a monument was placed on the location of the Copus homestead, also known as Copus Hill.