The large force of Native Americans gathered on the Sandusky River under the direction of Simon Girty. Girty had been captured by natives as a child and grew up in their society, gaining notoriety for his savagery towards settlers. This force met with Butler's Rangers and the entire company was put under the direction of Captain Pratt. The Rangers, a Loyalist Provincial unit from New York, had participated with Native Americans in the massacre of Patriot prisoners, women and children early in the war during the 1778 Wyoming and Cherry Valley massacres.