Most historians maintain that the war began on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, although the colonies did not officially approve and issue a Declaration of Independence until July 4, 1776 Many American Indian nations, such as the Shawnee and the Delaware, initially hoped to remain neutral in the conflict. Most eventually sided with Britain. They feared that, if the Americans emerged victorious, white settlers would flood into the Ohio Country.
