Library of 
 The University of North Carolina 
 
 COLLECTIOX OF 
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 •loilX SIMM'XT IlILI 
 
 of the Cla^s of 1880 
 
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 I^Mtzi'^^'^ilr-- 
 
 BOONE- 
 
 ffl|g||AN TOlLETTE^g^ 
 
LIFE AND TIMES 
 
 OF 
 
 COLONEL DANIEL BOONE 
 
 COMPEISINQ 
 
 listorg of % ^aiig Scttknuitt of pcntut%. 
 
 By CECIL B. HARTLEY. 
 
 to WHICH IS ADDED, 
 
 COLONEL BOONE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY COMPLETE, 
 
 AS DICTATED TO JOHN FILSON, AND PUBLISHED IN 1784. 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS, 
 
 FROM 
 ORIGINAL DRAWINGS, BY G. G. WHITE AND OTHER EMINENT ARTISTS. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 PUBLISHED BY G. G. EYANS, 
 
 43 9 CHESTNUT STREET. 
 1859. 
 
Entered accordiug to Act of Congress, in the year 1SJ9, by 
 
 G . G . EVANS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, 'd and for tha 
 Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 STEREOTYPKD BY GEOKGE THARLES, 
 
 607 Sansom Street. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The subject of the following biography, the 
 celebrated Colonel Daniel Boone, is one of the 
 most remarkable men which this country has 
 produced. His character is marked with origi- 
 nahty, and his actions were important and influ- 
 ential in one of the most interesting periods of 
 our history — that of the early settlement of 
 Kentucky. Boone is generally acknowledged as 
 the founder of that State. His having explored 
 it alone to a considerable extent : his leadins: 
 the earliest bands of settlers ; his founding 
 Boonesborough, the necleus of the future State ; 
 1% his having defended this and other stations suc- 
 ?- (3) 
 
4 PKEFACE. 
 
 cessfully against the attacks of the Indians ; and 
 the prominent part which he took in military 
 afEairs at this period of distress and peril, cer- 
 tainly render his claims to the distinguished 
 honor of founding Kentucky very strong. 
 
 But Boone, personally, reaped very little 
 benefit from his patriotic and disinterested ex- 
 ertions. The lands which he had first cultivated 
 and defended, were taken fi'om him by the 
 chicanery of the law; other lands granted to 
 him by the Spanish government w^ere lost by his 
 inattention to legal forms ; and in his old age he 
 was without an acre of land which he could 
 call his own. A few years before his death a 
 small tract, such as any other settler in Missouri 
 was entitled to, was granted him by Congress. 
 But he has left to his numerous posterity a 
 nobler inheritance — that of an imperishable fame 
 in the annals of his country! 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAoa 
 The family of Daniel Boone— His grandfather emigrates to 
 America, and settles in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — 
 Family of Daniel Boone's father — Account of Exeter, the 
 birth-place of Boone — Birth of Daniel Boone — Religion of 
 his family— Boone's boyhood — Goes to school— Anecdote 
 — Summary termination of his schooling 18 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Removal of Boone's father and family to North Carolina — 
 Location on the Yadkin River — Character of the country 
 and the people — Byron's description of the Backwoodsmen 
 — Daniel Boone marries Rebecca Bryan— His farmer life 
 in North Carolina — State of the country — Political troubles 
 foreshadowed — Illegal fees and taxes — Probable effect of 
 this state of things on Boone's mind— Signs of movement.. 23 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Seven Years' War — Cherokee War — Period of Boone's 
 first long Excursion to the West— Extract from Wheeler's 
 History of Tennessee — Indian accounts of the Western 
 country — Indian traders— Their Reports — Western travel- 
 ers — Doherty — Adair— Proceedings of the traders — Hun- 
 ters — Scotch traders — Hunters accompany the traders to 
 the West — Their reports concerning the country — Other 
 
 (5) 
 
6 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 adventurers — Dr. Walker's expedition— Settlements in 
 South-western Virginia — Indian hostilities — Pendleton 
 purchase — Dr. Walker's second expedition — Hunting 
 companj of Walker and others— Boone travels with them 
 — Curious monument left by him 29 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Political and social condition of North Carolina — Taxes — 
 Lawsuits — Ostentation and extravagance of foreigners 
 and government officers — Oppression of the people — Mur- 
 murs — Open resistance — The Regulators — Willingness of 
 Daniel Boone and others to migrate, and their reasons — 
 John Finley's expedition to the West — His report to 
 Boone — He determines to join Finley in his next hunting 
 tour — New company formed, with Boone for leader — Prep- 
 arations for starting — The party sets out— Travels for a 
 month through the wilderness — First sight of Kentucky 
 — Forming a camp — Hunting buffaloes and other game — 
 Capture of Boone and Stuart by the Indians — Prudent 
 dissimulation — Escape from the Indians — Return to the 
 old camp — Their companions lost — Boone and Stuart 
 renew their hunting 43 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Arrival of Squire Boone and a companion at the camp of 
 Daniel Boone — Joyful meeting — News from home, and 
 hunting resumed — Daniel Boone and Stuart surprised by 
 the Indians — Stuart killed — Escape of Boone, and his re- 
 turn to camp — Squire Boone's companion lost in the 
 woods — Residence of Daniel Boone and Squire Boone in 
 the wilderness — Squire returns to North Carolina, obtains 
 a fresh supply of ammunition, and again rejoins his 
 brother at the old camp — Daniel Boone's own account of 
 this remarkable period of his life — His return to North 
 Carolina — His determination to settle in Kentucky — Other 
 Western adventurers — Ihe Long hunters — Washington in 
 Kentucky — Bullitt's party — Floyd's party — Thompson's 
 survey — First settlement of Tennessee 67 
 
CONTENTS. 7 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Dauiel Boone remains two years in North Carolina after liia 
 return from the West — He prepares to emigrate to Ken- 
 tucky — Character of the early settlers to Kwntucky — The 
 first class, hunters — The second class, small farmers — The 
 third class, men of wealth and government officers 71 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Daniel Boone sets out for Kentucky with his family and his 
 brother, Squire Boone — Is joined by five families and forty 
 men at Powell's Valley — The party is attacked by Indians, 
 and Daniel Boone's oldest son is killed — The party return 
 to the settlements on Clinch River — Boone, at the request 
 of Governor Dunmore, goes to the West and conducts a 
 party of surveyors to Virginia — Boone receives the com- 
 mand of three garrisons and the commission of Captain — 
 He takes a part in the Dunmore war — Battle of Point 
 Pleasant and termination of the war 81 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The militia discharged — Captain Boone returns to his family 
 — Henderson's company — Various companies of emigrants 
 to Kentucky — Bounty lands — Harrod's party builds the 
 first log-cabin erected in Kentucky, and founds Harrods- 
 burg — Proceedings of Henderson's company — Agency of 
 Captain Boone — He leads a company to open a road to 
 Kentucky River — Conflicts with the Indians — Captain 
 Boone founds Boonesborough — His own account of this 
 expedition — His letter to Henderson— Account of Colonel 
 Henderson and the Transylvania Company — Failure of 
 the scheme — Probability of Boone having been several 
 years in the service of Henderson 91 
 
 HAPTER IX. 
 
 Description of the Old Fort at Boonesborough — Usual 
 methods of fortifications against the Indians — Arrival of 
 
8 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 more settlers at Boonesborougli — Captain Boone -eturns 
 to the Clinch River to bring out his family — He enlists 
 new emigrants and starts for Kentucky — Reinforced by a 
 large party at Powel's Valley — Arrival at Boonesborough 
 — Arrival of many new settlars at Boonesborougli and Har- 
 rod's settlement — Arrival of Kenton, Floyd, the McAfees, 
 and other distinguished persons — Arrival of Colonel 
 Richard Callaway 102 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Disturbed state of the country in 1775 — Breaking out of 
 the Revolutionary war — Exposed situation of the Ken- 
 tucky settlements — Hostility of the Indians excited by 
 the British — First political convention in the West — Cap- 
 ture of Boone's daughter and the daughters of Colonel 
 Callaway by the Indians — Their rescue by a party led 
 by Boone and Callaway — Increased caution of the col- 
 onists at Boonesborough — Alarm and desertion of the 
 Colonies in the West by land speculators and other ad- 
 venturers — A reinforcement of forty-five men from North 
 Carolina arrive at Boonesborough — Indian attack on 
 Boonesborough in April — Another attack in July — Attack 
 on Logan's Fort, and siege — Attack on Harrodsburg 108 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 Arrival of George Rogers Clark in Kentucky — Anecdote of 
 his conversation with Ray — Clark and Jones chosen as 
 delegates for the Colonies to the Virginia Legislature — 
 Clark's important services in obtaining a political organi- 
 zation for Kentuclsy, and an abundant supply of gun- 
 powder from the government of Virginia — Great labor 
 and difficulty in bringing the powder to Harrodstown — 
 Clark's expedition against Kaskaskias — Surprise and cap- 
 ture of their fort — Perilous and difficult march to Vin- 
 cennes — Surprise and capture of that place — Extension of 
 the Virginian settlements — Erection of Fort Jefferson.... 117 
 
CONTENTS. V 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 Scarcity of salt at Boonesborough — Boone goes to Blue 
 Licks to make salt, and is captured by the Indians — Taken 
 to Chilicothe — Aflfects contentment, and decives tlie 
 Indians— Taken to Detroit— Kindness of the British offi- 
 cers to him — Returns to Chilicothe — Adopted into an la- 
 dian family — Ceremonies of adoption — Boone sees a large 
 force of Indians destined to attack Boonesborough — 
 Escapes, and gives the alarm, and strengthens the fortifi- 
 cations at Boonesborough — News of delay by the Indians 
 on account of Boone's escape — Boone goes on an expedi- 
 tion to the Scioto — Has a fight with a party of Indians — 
 Returns to Boonesborough, which is immediately besieged 
 by Captain Duquesne with five hundred Indians — Sum- 
 mons to surrender — Time gained — Attack commenced — 
 Brave defense — Mines and countermines — Siege raised — 
 Boone brings his family once more back to Boonesborough, 
 and resumes farming 128 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Captain Boone tried by court-martial — Honorably acquitted 
 and promoted — Loses a large sum of money— His losses 
 by law-suits and disputes about land — Defeat of Colonel 
 Rogers's party — Colonel Bowman's expedition to Chili- 
 cothe — Arrival near the town— Colonel Logan attacks the 
 town — Ordered by Colonel Bowman to retreat — Failure of 
 the expedition — Consequences to Bowman and to Logan.. 141 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Invasion of Kentucky by Captain Byrd's party — He captures 
 the garrisons at Ruddle's Station and Martin's Fort — Col- 
 onel Clark's invasion of the Indian country — He ravages 
 the Indian towns — Adventure of Alexander McConnell — 
 Skirmish at Pickaway — Result of the expedition — Boona 
 goes to the Blue Licks with his brother — Attacked by the 
 Indians — Boone's brother killed — Boone promoted to the 
 
10 C0NTEI5TS. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 rank of Lieutenant Colonel — Clark's galley — Squire 
 Boone's Station removed to Bear's Creek — Attack by the 
 Indians — Colonel Floyd's defeat — Affair of the McAfees — 
 Attack on McAfee's Station repelled— Fort Jeflferson 
 evacuated — Attack on Montgomery Station — Rescue by 
 General Logan 152 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 News of Cornwallis's surrender — Its effects — Captain Estill's 
 defeat — Grand army of Indians raised for the conquest of 
 Kentucky — Simon Girty's speech — Attack on Hoy's Sta- 
 tion — Investment of Bryant's Station — Expedient of the 
 besieged to obtain water— Grand attack on the fort — Re- 
 pulse — Regular siege commenced — Messengers sent to 
 Lexington — Reinforcements obtained — Arrival near the 
 fort — Ambushed and attacked — They enter the fort — 
 Narrow escape of Girty — He proposes a capitulation — Par- 
 ley — Reynolds' answer to Girty — The siege raised — Retreat 
 of the Indians 170 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Arrival of Reinforcements at Bryant's Station — Colonel 
 Daniel Boone, his son and brother among them— Colonels 
 Trigg, Todd, and others — Consultation — Apprehensions 
 of Boone and others — Arrival at the Blue Licks — Rash 
 conduct of Major McGary — Battle of Blue Licks — Israel 
 Boone, Colonels Todd and Trigg, and Majors Harland and 
 McBride killed — Retreat of the whites — Colonel Boone 
 nearly surrounded by Indians — Bravery of Netherland — 
 Noble conduct of Reynolds — The fugitives meet Colonel 
 Logan with his party — Return to the field of battle — 
 Logan returns to Bryant's Station 189 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The Indians return home from the Blue Licks — They attack 
 the settlements in Jefferson County — Affair at Simpson'g 
 
CONTENTS. 11 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Creek — General Clark's expedition to tlie Indian country 
 — Colonel Boone joins it — Its effect — Attack of tlie Indians 
 on the Crab Orcliard settlement — Rumor of intended in- 
 vasion by the Cherokees — Difficulties about tlie treaty 
 with. Great Britain — Hostilities of the Indians generally 
 stimulated by renegade whites — Simon Girty — Causes of 
 his hatred of the whites — Girty insulted by General Lewis 
 — Joins the Indians at the battle of Point Pleasant — Story 
 of his rescuing Simon Kenton — Crawford's expedition, 
 and the burning of Crawford — Close of Girty 's career 204 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Season of repose — Colonel Boone buys land — Builds a log 
 house and goes to farming — Kentucky organized on a new 
 basis — Colonel Boone surprised by Indians — Escapes — 
 Manners and customs of the settlers — The autumn hunt 
 — The house-warming 236 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Condition of the early settlers as it respects the mechanic 
 arts — Throwing the tomahawk — Athletic sports — Dancing 
 — Shooting at marks — Scarcity of Iron — Costume — Dwell- 
 ings — Furniture — Employments — The women — Their 
 character — Diet — Indian corn 252 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Indian hostilities resumed — Expedition of Davis, Caffre, and 
 McClure — Attack on Captain Ward's boat — Affair near 
 Scagg's Creek — Growth of Kentucky — Population — Trade 
 — General Logan calls a meeting at Danville — Convention 
 called — Separation from Virginia proposed — Virginia con 
 sents — Kentucky admitted as an independent State of tho 
 Union — Indian hostilities — Expedition and death of Col 
 onel Christian — Expedition of General Clark — Expedition 
 of General Logan — Success of Captain Hardin — Defeat of 
 Hargrove — Exploits of Simon Kenton — Affairs at the Elk- 
 horn settlements — Treaty — Harman's expedition 275 
 
12 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 Colonel Boone meets with the loss of all his land in Ken- 
 tucky, and emigrates to Virginia — Resides on the Ken- 
 hawa, near Point Pleasant — Emigrates to Missouri — Is 
 appointed commandant of a district — Mr. Audubon's nar- 
 rative of a night passed with Boone 307 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Colonel Boone receives a large grant of land from the Span- 
 ish Government of Upper Louisiana — He loses it — Sketch 
 of the history of Missouri — Colonel Boone's hunting — He 
 pays his debts by the sale of furs — Taken sick ja his 
 hunting camp — Colonel Boone applies to Congress to re- 
 cover his land — The Legislature of Kentucky supports 
 his claim — Death of Mrs. Boone— Results of the applica- 
 tion to Congress — Occupations of his declining years — 
 Mr. Harding paints his portrait 319 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Last illness, and death of Colonel Boone — His funeral- 
 Account of his family — His remains and those of his wife 
 removed from Missouri, and reinterred in the new ceme- 
 tery in Frankfort, Kentucky — Character of Colonel Boone. 330 
 
LIFE AND TIMES 
 
 OF 
 
 COLONEL DANIEL BOONE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The family of Daniel Boone — His grandfather emigrates to 
 America, and settles in Bucks Countj, Pennsylvania — Family 
 of Daniel Boone's father — Account of Exeter, the birth-place 
 of Boone — Birth of Daniel Boone — Religion of his family — 
 Boone's boyhood — Goes to School — Anecdote — Summary ter- 
 mination of his schooling. 
 
 The immediate ancestors and near relations of the 
 American Boone family, resided at Bradwinch, about 
 eight miles from Exeter, England. George Boone, 
 the grandfather of Daniel, emigrated to America, and 
 arrived, with Mary his wife, at Philadelphia, on the 
 10th of October, 1717. They brought with them, 
 
 (13) 
 
14 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 eleven cliildreii, two daughters and nine sons. Tlie 
 names of tliree of the sons have come down to us, 
 John, James, and Squire. The last of these. Squire 
 Boone, was the father of Daniel. 
 
 George Boone, immediately after his arrival in 
 America, purchased a large tract of land in what is 
 now Bucks County, which he settled, and called it 
 Exeter, after the city near which he was born. The 
 records distinguish it only as the township of Exeter, 
 without any county. He purchased also various other 
 tracts in Maryland and Yirginia; and our tradition 
 says, among others, the ground on which Georgetown, 
 District of Columbia, now stands, and that he laid the 
 town out, and gave it his own name. His sons John 
 and James lived and died on the Exeter purchase.* 
 
 Daniel Boone's father, Squire Boone, had seven 
 sons and four daughters, viz. : James,t Samuel, Jona- 
 than, Daniel, George, Squire, Edward, Sarah, Eliza- 
 beth, Mary, and Hannah. 
 
 Exeter Township is situated in Bucks County, 
 
 ^ '* Pittsburg Gazette," quoted by Peck. 
 
 f The eldest, James, was killed by tlie Indians in 1773, and 
 his son Israel was killed at the battle of Blue Licks, August 
 19th, 1782. 
 
HIS BIETH-PLACE. 15 
 
 Pennsylvania; and now has a population of over two 
 thousand. Here Daniel Boone was born, on the 11th 
 of February, 1735 * 
 
 The maiden name of Boone's mother was Sarah 
 Morgan. Some dispute has arisen respecting the re- 
 ligious persuasion of the Boone family. It would 
 appear, on a review of the whole controversy, that 
 before their removal to this country, the Boones were 
 Episcopalians; but during their residence in Pennsyl- 
 vania they permitted themselves to be considered 
 Quakers. What sort of a Quaker Daniel Boone him- 
 self was, will be apparent in the course of our narrative. 
 Exeter, the native place of Daniel Boone, was at 
 this period a small frontier settlement, consisting of 
 log-houses, surrounded with woods, which abounded 
 with game of various kinds and were occasionally in- 
 fested with hostile Indians. It is not surprising that 
 Daniel, passing the period of his boyhood in such a 
 place, should have acquired at an early age the ac- 
 
 * Bogant gives llth of February, 1735. Peck, February, 1735. 
 Another account gives 1746 as the year of his birth, and Bucks 
 County as his birth-place. The family record, in the hand- 
 writing of Daniel Boone's uncle, James, who was a school- 
 master, gives the 14th of July, 1732. 
 
16 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 complisliments of a hunter and woodsman. From a 
 mere child it was his chief delight to roam in the 
 woods, to observe the wild haunts of Nature, and 
 to pursue the wild animals which were then so 
 abundant. 
 
 Of the boyhood of Daniel Boone, one of his biog- 
 raphers gives the following account. Speaking of the 
 residence of the family at Exeter, he says :* 
 
 ''Here they lived for ten years ; and it was during 
 this time that their son Daniel began to show his pas- 
 sion for hunting. He was scarcely able to carry a 
 gun when he was shooting all the squirrels, raccoons, 
 and even wild-cats (it is said), that he could find in that 
 region. As he grew older, his courage increased, and 
 then we find him amusing himself with higher game. 
 Other lads in the neighborhood were soon taught by 
 him the use of the rifle, and were then able to join him 
 in his adventures. On one occasion, they all started 
 out for a hunt, and, after amusing themselves till it was 
 almost dark, were returning homeward, when suddenly 
 a wild cry was heard in the woods. The boys screamed 
 out, ' A panther I A panther !' and ran off as fast as 
 
 * * 'Adventures of Daniel Boone, tlie Kentucky Rifleman." By 
 the author of " Uncle Philip's Conversations." 
 
BOYHOOD. 17 
 
 they could. Boone stood firmly, looking around for 
 tbe animal. It was a pantlier indeed. His eye liglited 
 upon liim just in the act of springing toward him : in 
 an instant he leveled his riflC; and shot him through 
 the heart. 
 
 " But this sort of sport was not enough for him. He 
 seemed resolved to go away from men, and live in the 
 forests with these animals. One morning he started 
 off as usual, with his rifle and dog. Night came 
 on, but Daniel did not return to his home. Another 
 day and night passed away, and still the boy did not 
 make his appearance. His parents were now greatly 
 alarmed. The neighbors joined them in making 
 search for the lad. After wandering about a great 
 while, they at length saw smoke rising from a cabin 
 in the distance. Upon reaching it, they found the 
 boy. The floor of the cabin was covered with the 
 skins of such animals as he had slain, and pieces of 
 meat were roasting before the fire for his supper. Here, 
 at a distance of three miles from any settlement, he 
 had built his cabin of sods and branches, and sheltered 
 himself in the wilderness. 
 
 " It was while his father was living on the head- 
 waters of the Schuylkill that young Boone received, 
 
18 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 SO far as we know, all his education. Short indeed 
 were his schoolboy days. It happened that an Irish 
 schoolmaster strolled into the settlement, and, by the 
 advice of Mr. Boone and other parents, opened a 
 school in the neighborhood. It was not then as it is 
 now. Good school-houses were not scattered over the 
 land; nor were schoolmasters always able to teach 
 their pupils. The school-house where the boys of this 
 settlement went was a log-cabin, built in the midst of 
 the woods. The schoolmaster was a strange man ; 
 sometimes good-humored, and then indulging the lads ; 
 sometimes surly and ill-natured, and then beating 
 them severely. It was his usual custom, after hearing 
 the first lessons of the morning, to allow the children 
 to be out for a half hour at play, during which time 
 he strolled off to refresh himself from his labors. He 
 always walked in the same direction, and the boys 
 thought that after his return, when they were called 
 in, he was generally more cruel than ever. They 
 were whipped more severely, and oftentimes with- 
 out any cause. They observed this, but did not 
 know the meaning of it One morning young 
 Boone asked that he might go out, and had scarcely 
 left the school-room when he saw a squirrel run- 
 
AT SCHOOL. 19 
 
 nmg over tlie trunk of a fallen tree. True to his 
 nature, he instantly gave chase, until at last the 
 squirrel darted into a bower of vines and branches. 
 Boone thrust his hand in, and, to his surprise, laid 
 hold of a bottle of whiskey. This was in the direc- 
 tion of his master's morning walks, and he thought 
 now that he understood the secret of much of his 
 ill-nature. He returned to the school-room ; but, 
 when they were dismissed for that day, he told some 
 of the larger boys of his discovery. Their plan was 
 soon arranged. Early the next morning a bottle of 
 whiskey, having tartar emetic in it, was placed in the 
 bower, and the other bottle thrown away. At the 
 usual hour, the lads were sent out to play, and the 
 master started on his walk. But their play was to 
 come afterward ; they longed for the master to return. 
 At length they were called in, and in a little time saw 
 the success of their experiment. The master began 
 to look pale and sick, yet still went on with his work. 
 Several boys were called up, one after the other, to 
 recite lessons, and all whipped soundly, whether right 
 or wrong. At last young Boone was called out to 
 answer questions in arithmetic. He came forward 
 with his slate and pencil, and the master began : ' If 
 
20 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 you subtract six from nine; what remains ?' said he. 
 ' Three, sir/ said Boone. ' Yery good/ said the mas- 
 ter ; ' now let us come to fractions. If you take three- 
 quarters from a whole number, what remains ?' ' The 
 whole, sir/ answered Boone. ' You blockhead !' cried 
 the master, beating him ; ' you stupid little fool, how 
 can you show that ?' ' If I take one bottle of whis- 
 key/ said Boone, 'and put in its place another in 
 which I have mixed an emetic, the whole will remain 
 if nobody drinks it !' The Irishman, dreadfully sick, 
 was now doubly enraged. He seized Boone, and 
 commenced beating him; the children shouted and 
 roared ; the scuffle continued until Boone knocked 
 the master down upon the floor, and rushed out of the 
 room. It was a day of freedom now for the lads. 
 The story soon ran through the neighborhood ; Boone 
 was rebuked by his parents, but the schoolmaster was 
 dismissed, and thus ended the boy's education. 
 
 Thus freed from school, he now returned more 
 ardently than ever to his favorite pursuit. His dog 
 and rifle were his constant companions, and day after 
 day he started from home, only to roam through the 
 forests. Hunting seemed to be the only business of 
 his life ; and he was never so happy as when at night 
 
o 
 
 TRAINING AS A HUNTER. 21 
 
 Le came liome laden with game. He was an untirin 
 wanderer." 
 
 Perhaps it was not a very serious misfortune fc-r 
 Daniel Boone that his school instruction was so scantj-, 
 for, ''in another kind of education/' says Mr. Peck;^' 
 ''not unfrequent in the wilds of the West, he was 
 an adept. ]^o Indian could poise the rifle, find his 
 way through the pathless forest, or search out the 
 retreats of game, more readily than Daniel Boone. 
 In all that related to Indian sagacity, border life, 
 or the tactics of the skillful hunter, he excelled. The 
 successful training of a hunter, or woodsman, is a kind 
 of education of mental discipline, differing from that 
 of the school-room, but not less effective in giving 
 vigor to the mind, quickness of apprehension, and 
 habits of close observation. Boone was regulai-ly 
 trained in all that made hmi a successful backwoods- 
 man. Indolence and imbecility never produced a 
 Simon Kenton, a TecumthC^ or a Daniel Boone. To 
 gain the skill of an accomplished hunter requires tal- 
 ents, patience, perseverance, sagacity, and habits of 
 thinking. Amongst other qualifications, knowledge 
 
 * ''Life of Daniel Boone." By John M. Peck. 
 
22 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 of human nature, and especially of Indian character, 
 is indispensable to the pioneer of a wilderness. Add 
 to these, self-possession, self-control, and promptness 
 in execution. Persons who are unaccustomed to a 
 frontier residence know not how much, in the preser- 
 vation of life, and in obtaining subsistence, depends 
 on such characteristics I" 
 
 In the woods surrounding the little settlement of 
 Exeter, Boone had ample opportunity for perfecting 
 himself in this species of mental discipline, and of 
 gaining that physical training of the limbs and mus- 
 cles so necessary in the pursuits of the active hunter 
 and pioneer. We have no record of his ever having 
 encountered the Indians during his residence in Penn- 
 sylvania. His knowledge of their peculiar modes of 
 hunting and war was to be attained not less thor- 
 oughly at a somewhat later period of life. 
 
CHAPTER IL 
 
 Removal of Boone's father and family to North Carolina — Loca- 
 tion on the Yadkin River — Character of the country and the 
 people — Byron's description of the backwoodsman — Daniel 
 Boone marries Rebecca Bryan — His farmer life in North Car- 
 olina — State of the country — Political troubles foreshadowed — 
 Illegal fees and taxes — Probable effect of this state of things 
 on Boone's mind — Signs of movement. 
 
 Whek Daniel Boone was still a youth, his father 
 emigrated to North. Carolina. The precise date of 
 this removal of the family residence is not known. 
 Mr. Peck, an excellent authority, says it took place 
 when Daniel was about eighteen years old. This 
 would make it about the year 1752. 
 
 The new residence of Squire Boone, Daniel's father, 
 
 was near Holman's Ford, on the Yadkin River, about 
 
 eight miles from Wilkesboro'. The fact of the great 
 
 backwoodsman having passed many years of his life 
 
 there is still remembered with pride by the inhabitants 
 
 of that region. The capital of Watauga County, 
 
 which was formed in 1849, is named Boone, in honor 
 
 (23) 
 
24 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE 
 
 of Daniel Boone. The historian of North Carolina* 
 is disposed to claim him as a son of the State. He 
 says : " In Xorth Carolina Daniel Boone was reared. 
 Here his youthful days were spent ; and here that 
 bold sjDirit was trained, which so fearlessly encoun- 
 tered the perils through which he passed in after life. 
 His fame is part of her property, and she has inscribed 
 his name on a town in the region where his youth was 
 spent." 
 
 " The character of Boone is so peculiar," says Mr. 
 Wheeler, "that it marks the age in which he lived ; 
 and his name is celebrated in the verses of the immor- 
 tal Byron : 
 
 <' 'Of all men 
 
 Who passes for in life and death most lucky, 
 
 Of the great names which in our faces stare. 
 
 Is Daniel Boone, backwoodsman of Kentucky, 
 •x- * * -X- 
 
 Crime came not near him — she is not the child 
 
 Of Solitude. Health shrank not from him, for 
 
 Her home is in the rarely-trodden wild. 
 .;f -x- * * 
 
 And tall and strong and swift of foot are they, « 
 
 Beyond the dwarfing city's pale abortions, 
 
 *Jolin II. Wheeler. "Historical Sketches of North Carolina.' 
 
MARRIAGE. 25 
 
 Because tlieir thoughts had never beeu the prey 
 Of care or gain ; the green woods were their portions ; 
 No sinking spirits tohl them tliey grew gray, 
 No fashions made them apes of her distortions. 
 Simple they were, not savage ; and their rifles, 
 Though very true, were not yet used for trifles. 
 
 Motion was in their days, rest in their slumbers, 
 And cheerfulness the handmaid of their toil. 
 Nor yet too many nor too few their numbers ; 
 Corruption could not make their hearts her soil ; 
 The lust which stings, the splendor which encumbers, 
 With the free foresters divide no spoil ; 
 Serene, not sullen, were the solitudes 
 ^f this unsighing people of the woods.' " 
 
 We quote these beautiful lines, because they so 
 aptly and forcibly describe the peculiar character of 
 Boone ; and to a certain extent, as Mr. Wheeler inti- 
 mates, his character was that of his times and of his 
 associates. 
 
 It was during the residence of the family on the 
 banks of the Yadkin, that Boone formed the acquaint- 
 ance of Kebecca Bryan, whom he married.* The 
 
 * The children by this marriage were nine in number. 
 Sons: James, born in 1756, Israel, Jesse, Daniel, and Nathan. 
 Daughters: Susan, Jemima, Lavinia, and Rebecca. 
 
 The eldest, James, was killed, as will appear in our subs - 
 
26 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 marriage appears, by comparison of dates, to have 
 taken place in tlie year 1755. " One almost regrets," 
 says Mr. Peck, '' to spoil so beautiful a romance, as 
 that which has had such extensive circulation in the 
 various ' Lives of Boone,' and which represents him 
 as mistaking the bright eyes of this young lady, in 
 the dark, for those of a deer ; a mistake that nearly 
 proved fatal from the unerring rifle of the young 
 hunter. Yet in truth, we are bound to say, that no 
 such mxistake ever happened. Our backwoods swains 
 never make such mistakes." 
 
 The next five years after his marriage, Daniel 
 Boone passed in the quiet pursuits of a farmer's life, 
 varied occasionally by hunting excursions in the 
 "vvoods. The most quiet and careless of the citizens 
 of Korth Carolina were not unobservant, however, 
 of the political aspect of the times. During this 
 period the people, by their representatives in the 
 Legislature, began that opposition to the Eoyal au- 
 thority, which was in after years to signalize North 
 Carolina as one of the leading Colonies in the Revo- 
 lutionary struggle. 
 
 quent narrative, l)v the Indians, in 1773; and Israel fell in tlie 
 battle of Blue Licks, May 17th, 1782. In 184G, Nathan, a cap- 
 tain in the United States service, was the only surviving son. 
 
RESIDES ON THE YADKIN. 27 
 
 The newly-appointed Eoyal Governor, Arthur 
 Dobbs, arrived at Newbern in the autumn of 1754. 
 '' Governor Bobbs's administration of ten years," says 
 the historian Wheeler, " was a continued contest be- 
 tween himself and the Legislature, on matters friv- 
 olous and unimportant. A high-toned temper for 
 Eoyal prerogatives on his part, and an indomitable re- 
 sistance of the Colonists. * - ^ ^ The people 
 were much oppressed by Lord Grenville's agents. 
 They seized Corbin, his agent, who lived below 
 Edemon, and brought him to Enfield, where he was 
 compelled to give bond and security to produce his 
 books and disgorge his illegal fees." 
 
 This matter of illegal fees was part of a system of 
 oppression, kindred to the famous Stamp Act— a 
 system which was destined to grow more and more 
 intolerable under Governor Tryon's administration, 
 and to lead to the formation of the famous company 
 of Eegulators, whose resistance of taxation and 
 tyranny was soon to convulse the whole State. 
 
 AYe are by no means to suppose that Daniel Boone 
 was an unobservant spectator of what was passing 
 even at the time we are speaking of, nor that the 
 doings of the tax-gatherers had nothing to do with 
 
23 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 his subsequent movements. He not only hated op- 
 pression, but he hated also strife and disturbance; 
 and already began to long for a new migration into 
 che distant woods and quiet intervales, where politics 
 and the tax-gatherer should not intrude. 
 
 The population in his neighborhood was increasing, 
 and new settlements were being formed along the 
 Yadkin and its tributary streams, and explorations 
 were made to the northwest on the banks of the Hol- 
 ston and Clinch Rivers. The times were already be- 
 ginning to exhibit symptoms of restlessness and stir 
 among the people, which was soon to result in the 
 formation of new States and the settlement of the far 
 West. 
 
CHAPTEE III. 
 
 The Seven Years' War — Cherokee war — Period of Boone's first 
 long excursions to the West — Extract from Wheeler's History 
 of Tennessee — Indian accounts of the western country — In- 
 dian traders — Their reports— Western travelers— Doherty — 
 Adair — Proceedings of the traders — Hunters — Scotch traders 
 — Hunters accompany the traders to the West — Their reports 
 concerning the country — Other adventurers — Dr. Walker's 
 expedition — Settlements in South-western Virginia — Indian 
 hostilities — Pendleton purchase— Dr. Walker's second expe- 
 dition — Hunting company of Walker and others — Boone travels 
 with them — Curious monument left by him. 
 
 The reader will recollect that tlie period referred 
 to in tlie last chapter, comprehended the latter years 
 of the celebrated Seven Years' "War. During the 
 chief portion of this period, the neighboring Colony 
 of Virginia suiFered all the horrors of Indian war on 
 its western frontier — horrors from which even the 
 ability, oonrage, and patriotism of Washington were 
 for a long time nnable to protect them. The war was 
 virtually terminated by the campaign of 1759, when 
 
 (29) 
 
30 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL EOOXE. 
 
 Quebec was taken. The next year Canada was ceded 
 to England ; and a Cherokee war, which had disturbed 
 the border setters of North Carolina, was terminated. 
 Daniel Boone's biographers all agree that it was about 
 this time when he first began to make long excursions 
 toward the West ; but it is difficult to fix exactly the 
 date of his first long journey through the woods in 
 this direction. It is generally dated in 1771 or 1772. 
 We now make a quotation from Eamsay's Annals 
 of Tennessee, which shows, beyond the possibility of 
 a doubt, that he hunted on the Wataga Eiver in 
 1760, and renders it probable that he was in the 
 West at an earlier date. Our readers will excuse 
 the length of this quotation, as the first part of it 
 gives so graphic a picture of the hunter and pioneer 
 life of the times of Daniel Boone, and also shows 
 what had been done by others in western explora- 
 tions before Boone's expeditions commenced. 
 
 ''The Colonists of the Carolinas and of Yir2:inia 
 had been steadily advancing to the West, and we have 
 traced their approaches in the direction of our eastern 
 boundary,"^ to the base of the great Apalachian range. 
 
 * That is, the eastern boundary of Tennessee, which was then 
 a part of North Carolina. 
 
DESCRIPTION OF THE WEST. 31 
 
 Of tlie country beyond it, little was positively 
 known or accurately understood. A wandering In- 
 dian would imperfectly delineate upon tlie sand, a 
 feeble outline of its more prominent physical features 
 — its magnificent rivers, with their numerous tribu- 
 taries — its lofty mountains, its dark forests, its ex- 
 tended plains and its vast extent. A voyage in a 
 canoe, from the source of the Hogohegee* to the 
 "Wabashjf required for its performance, in their figur- 
 ative language, 'two paddles, two warriors, three 
 moons.' The Ohio itself was but a tributary of a still 
 larger river, of whose source, size and direction, no 
 intelligible account could be communicated or under- 
 stood. The Muscle Shoals and the obstructions in 
 the river above them, were represented as mighty 
 cataracts and fearful whirlpools, and the Suck, as an 
 awful vortex. The wild beasts with which the illim- 
 itable forests abounded, were numbered by pointing 
 to the leaves upon the trees, or the stars in a cloud- 
 less sky. 
 
 " These glowing descriptions of the West seemed 
 rather to stimulate than to satisfy the intense curi- 
 
 * Holston. 
 
 \ The Ohio was known many years by this name. 
 
82 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 osity of the approaching settlers. Information more 
 reliable, and more minute, was, from time to time, 
 furnished from other sources. In the Atlantic cities, 
 accounts had been received from French and Spanish 
 traders, of the unparalleled beauty and fertility of the 
 western interior. These reports, highly colored and 
 amplified, were soon received and known upon the 
 frontier. Besides, persons engaged in the interior 
 traffic with the south-western Indian tribes had, in 
 times of peace, penetrated their territories — traded 
 with and resided amongst the natives — and upon their 
 return to the white settlements, confirmed what had 
 been previously reported in favor of the distant 
 countries they had seen. As early as 1690, Doherty, 
 a trader from Virginia, had visited the Cherokees 
 and afterward lived among them a number of years. 
 In 1730, Adair, from South Carolina, had traveled, 
 not only through the towns of this tribe, but had ex- 
 tended his tour to most of the nations south and west 
 of them. He was not only an enterprising trader 
 but an intelligent tourist. To his observations upon 
 ihe several tribes which he visited, we are indebted 
 tor most that is known of their earlier historj'. Tlicj 
 were published in London in l"i 75. 
 
INDIAN TRADERS. 83 
 
 "In 1740 other traders went among the Cherokees 
 from Virginia. They employed Mr Yaughan as a 
 packman, to transport their goods. AYest of Amelia 
 County, the country was then thinly inhabited ; the 
 last hunter's cabin that he saw was on Otter Kiver, a 
 branch of the Staunton, now in Bedford County, Ya. 
 The route pursued was along the Great Path to the 
 centre of the Cherokee nation. The traders and pack- 
 men generally confined themselves to this path till it 
 crossed the Little Tennessee River, then spreading 
 themselves out among the several Cherokee villages 
 west of the mountain, continued their traf&c as low 
 down the Great Tennessee as the Indian settlements 
 upon Occochappo or Bear Creek, below the Muscle 
 Shoals, and there encountered the competition of 
 other traders, who were supplied from Kew Orleans 
 and Mobile. They returned heavily laden with 
 peltries, to Charleston, or the more northern markets, 
 where they were sold at highly remunerating prices. 
 A hatchet, a pocket looking-glass, a piece of scarlet 
 cloth, a trinket, and other articles of little value, 
 which at Williamsburg could be bought for a few 
 shillings, would command from an Indian hunter on 
 the Hiwasse or Tennessee peltries amounting in value 
 
C)4 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 to double the number of pounds sterling. Exchanges 
 were necessarily slow, but the profits realized from 
 the operation were immensely large. In times of 
 peace this traffic attracted the attention of many ad- 
 venturous traders. It became mutually advantageous 
 to the Indian not less than to the white man. The 
 trap and the rifle, thus bartered for, procured, in one 
 day, more game to the Cherokee hunter than his bow 
 and arrow and his dead-fall would have secured 
 during a month of toilsome hunting. Other advan- 
 tages resulted from it to the whites. They became 
 thus acquainted with the great avenues leading through 
 the hunting grounds and to the occupied country of 
 the neighboring tribes — an important circumstance in 
 the condition of either war or peace. Further, the 
 traders were an exact thermometer of the pacific or 
 hostile intention and feelings of the Indians with whom 
 they traded. Generally, they were foreigners, most 
 frequently Scotchmen, who had not been long in the 
 country, or upon the frontier, who, having experienced 
 none of the cruelties, depredation or aggressions of the 
 Indians, cherished none of the resentment and spirit of 
 retaliation born with, and everywhere manifested, by 
 the American settler. Thus, free from animosity 
 
HUNTERS ACCOMPANY TRADERS. 35 
 
 figainst the aborigines, the trader was allowed to remain 
 in tlie village where he traded unmolested, even when 
 its warriors were singing the war song or brandishing 
 the war club, preparatory to an invasion or massacre 
 of the whites. Timely warning was thus often given 
 by a returning packman to a feeble and unsuspecting 
 settlement, of the perfidy and cruelty meditated against 
 it. 
 
 '^This gainful commerce was, for a time, engrossed by 
 the traders ; but the monopoly was not allowed to con- 
 tinue long. Their rapid accumulations soon excited 
 the cupidity of another class of adventurers ; and the 
 hunter, in his turn, became a co-pioneer with the trader, 
 in the march of civilization to the wilds of the West. 
 As the agricultural population approached the eastern 
 base of the Alleghanies, the game became scarce, and 
 was to be found by severe toil in almost inaccessible 
 recesses and coves of the mountain. Packmen, re- 
 turning from their trading expeditions, carried with 
 them evidences, not only of the abundance of game 
 across the mountains, but of the facility with which it 
 was procured. Hunters began to accompany the tra- 
 ders to the Indian towns; but, unable to brook the 
 tedious delay of procuring peltries by traffic, and im- 
 
36 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 [patient of restraint, they struck boldlj into the wilder- 
 ness, and western-like, to use a western phrase, set up 
 for themselves. The reports of their return, and of 
 their successful enterprise, stimulated other adven- 
 turers to a similar undertaking. 'As early as 1748, 
 Doctor Thomas "Walker, of Yirginia, in company with 
 Colonels "Wood, Patton and Buchanan, and Captain 
 Charles Campbell, and a number of hunters, made an 
 exploring tour upon the western waters. Passing 
 Powel's valley, he gave the name of ' Cumberland' to 
 the lofty range of mountains on the west. Tracing 
 this range in a south-western direction, he came to a 
 remarkable depression in the chain : through this he 
 passed, calling it ' Cumberland Gap.' On the western 
 side of the range he found a beautiful mountain stream, 
 which he named ' Cumberland River,' all in honor of the 
 Duke of Cumberland, then prime minister of England.* 
 These names have ever since been retained, and, with 
 Loudon, are believed to be the only names in Tennessee 
 of English origin. 
 
 ''Although Fort Loudon was erected as early as 1756, 
 
 * Monette. The Indian name of this range was Wasioto, and 
 of the river, Shawnee. 
 
PENDLETON'S PURCHASE. 37 
 
 upon tHe Tennessee, yet it was in advance of any 
 white settlements nearly one linndred and fifty miles, 
 and was destroyed in 1760. The fort, too, at Long 
 Island, within the boundaries of the present State of 
 Tennessee, were erected in 1758, but no permanent 
 settlements had yet been formed near it. Still occasional 
 settlers had begun to fix their habitations in the south- 
 western section of Virginia, and as early as 175i, six 
 families were residing west of New Eiver. ' On the 
 breaking out of the French war, the Indians, in alliance 
 mth the French, made an irruption into these settle- 
 ments, and massacred Barke and his family. The 
 other families, finding their situation too perilous to 
 be maintained, returned to the eastern side of 'New 
 Eiver ; and the renewel of the attempt to carry the 
 white settlements further west, was not made until 
 after the close of that war.'* 
 
 " Under a mistaken impression that the Yirginia line, 
 when extended west, would embrace it, a grant 
 
 1756 , 
 
 of land was this year made, by the authorities of 
 
 Yirginia, to Edmund Pendleton, for three thousand 
 
 acres of land, lying in Augusta County, on a branch of 
 
 * Howe. 
 
1760^ 
 
 88 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 tlie middle fork of the Indian river called West Creek,"^ 
 now Sullivan County, Tennessee. 
 
 In this year, Doctor Walker again passed over Clinch 
 
 j- and Powell's Eiver, on a tour of exploration into 
 
 what is now Kentucky. 
 
 " The Cherokees were now at peace with the whites, 
 
 and hunters from the back settlements began with 
 
 safety to penetrate deeper and further into the wilder- 
 
 {ness of Tennessee. Several of them, chiefly from 
 Virginia, hearing of the abundance of game with 
 which the woods were stocked, and allured by the 
 prospects of gain, which might be drawn from this 
 source, formed themselves into a company, composed 
 of Wallen, Scaggs, Blevins, Cox, and fifteen others, 
 and came into the valley since known as Carter's Val- 
 ley, in Hawkins County, Tennessee. They hunted 
 eighteen mouths upon Clinch and Powell's Rivers. 
 Wallen's Creek and Wallen's Ridge received their 
 name from the leader of the company; as also did 
 
 * The original patent, signed hy Governor Dinwiddie, and 
 now in tlie possession of the writer, was presented to him by 
 T. A. R. Nelson, Esq., of Jonesboro, Tennessee. It is probably 
 the oldest grant in the State. 
 
FIRST APPEARANCE IX THE WEST. 39 
 
 the station whicli they erected in the present Lee 
 County, Virginia, the name of Wallen's station. They 
 penetrated as far north as Laurel Mountain, in Ken- 
 tucky, where they terminated their journey, having 
 met with a body of Indians, whom they supposed ^o 
 be Shawnees. At the head of one of the companies 
 that visited the West this year ' came Daniel Boon, 
 from the Yadkin, in North Carolina, and traveled with 
 them as low as the place where Abingdon now stands, 
 and there left them.' 
 
 " This is the first time the advent of Daniel Boon to 
 the western wilds has been mentioned by historians, 
 or by the several biographers of that distinguished 
 pioneer and hunter. There is reason, however, to be- 
 lieve that he had hunted upon Watauga earlier. The 
 writer is indebted to N. Gammon, Esq., formerly of 
 Jonesboro, now a citizen of Knoxville, for the following 
 inscription, still to be seen upon a beech tree, standing 
 in sight and east of the present stage-road, leading from 
 Jonesboro to Blountsville, and in the valley of Boon's 
 Creek, a tributary of Watauga : 
 
40 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 D. Boon 
 OillED A. BAR On 
 
 Tree 
 in TUB 
 
 yEAR 
 
 1760 
 
 " Boon was eiglity-six years old when lie died, which 
 was September, 1820. He was thus twenty-six years 
 old when the inscription was made. When he left the 
 company of hnnters in 1761, as mentioned above by 
 Ha3rwood, it is probable that he did so to revisit the 
 theatre of a former hunt upon the creek that still bears 
 his name, and where his camp is still pointed ont near 
 its banks. It is not improbable, indeed, that he be- 
 longed to, or accompanied, the party of Doctor \Yal- 
 ker, on his first, or certainly on his second, tour of 
 exploration in 1760. The inscription is sufficient au- 
 thority, as this writer conceives, to date the arrival of 
 Boon in Tennessee as early as its date, 1760, thus pre- 
 ceding the permanent settlement of the country nearly 
 ten years." 
 
 It will be observed that the historian in this extract, 
 spells Boon without the final c, following the orthogr:i 
 
ON CUMBERLAND MOUNTAIN. 41 
 
 phj of the hunter, in his inscription on the tree. This 
 orthography Boone used at a later period; as we shall 
 show. But the present received mode of spelling the 
 name is the one which we have adopted in this work. 
 
 On a subsequent page of Wheeler's history, we find 
 the following memorandum : 
 
 "Daniel Boon, who still lived on the Yadkin, 
 though he had previously hunted on the Western 
 waters, came again this year to explore the country, 
 being employed for this purpose by Henderson & 
 Company. With him came Samuel Callaway, his 
 kinsman, and the ancestor of the respectable family 
 of that name, pioneers of Tennessee, Kentucky, and 
 Missouri. Callaway was at the side of Boon when, 
 approaching the spurs of the Cumberland Mountain, 
 and in view of the vast herds of buffalo grazing in 
 the valleys between them, he exclaimed, " I am richer 
 than the man mentioned in Scripture, who owned the 
 cattle on a thousand hills ; I own the wild beasts of 
 more than a thousand valleys." 
 
 After Boone and Callaway, came another hunter, 
 Henry Scaggins, who was also employed by Hender- 
 son. He extended his explorations to the Lowei 
 Cumberland, and fixed his station at Mansco's hick. 
 
42 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL EOOXE. 
 
 "We shall tiave occasion to speak more particularly 
 of Henderson's company and Boone's connection with 
 it ; but we will first call the reader's attention to the 
 state of affairs in North Carohna at this period, and 
 their probable influence on the course pursued b}'- 
 Daniel Boone. 
 
CHAPTER lY. 
 
 Political and social condition of Nortli Carolina — Taxes — Law- 
 suiis — Ostentation and extravagance of foreigners and gov- 
 ernment ofl5.cers — Oppression of tlie people — Murmurs — Open 
 resistance — Tlie Regulators — Willingness of Daniel Boone 
 and others to migrate, and their reasons — John Finley's ex- 
 pedition to the West — His report to Boone — He determines 
 to join Finley in his next hunting tour — New company 
 formed, with Boone for leader — Preparations for starting — 
 The party sets out — Travels for a month through the wilder- 
 ness — First sight of Kentucky — Forming a camp— Hunting 
 buffaloes and other game — Capture of Boone and Stuart by 
 the Indians — Prudent dissimulation — Escape from the In- 
 dians — Return to the old camp — Their companions lost — 
 Boone and Staart renew their hunting. 
 
 There were manj^ circumstances in tlie social and 
 
 political condition of tlie State of North Carolina, 
 
 during tlie period of Daniel Boones residence on tlie 
 
 banks of the Yadkin, which were calculated to render 
 
 him restless and quite willing to seek a home in tlie 
 
 "Western Avilderncss. Customs and fashiuns wci-e 
 
 changing. 'J'he Scotch trailei's; tu whom we have I'c- 
 
 (43) 
 
44: LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 ferred in tlie last cliapter, and others of the same class 
 were introducing an ostentatious and expensive style 
 of living, quite inappropriate to tlie rural population 
 of the colony. In dress and equipage, they far sur- 
 passed the farmers and planters; and they were not 
 backward in taking upon themselves airs of superi- 
 ority on this account. In this they were imitated by 
 the officers and agents of the Eoyal government of 
 the colony, who were not less fond of luxury and 
 show. To support their extravagant style of living, 
 these minions of power, magistrates, lawyers, clerks 
 of court, and tax-gatherers, dem.anded exorbitant fees 
 for their services. The Episcopal clergy, supported 
 by a legalized tax on the people, were not content 
 with their salaries, but charged enormous fees for their 
 occasional services. A fee of fifteen dollars was ex- 
 acted from the poor farmer for performing the mar- 
 riage service. The collection of taxes was enforced 
 by suits at law, with enormous expense; and execu- 
 tions, levies, and distresses were of ever3^-day occur- 
 rence. All sums exceeding forty shillings were sut^d 
 for and executions obtained in the courts, the original 
 debt being saddled with extortionate bills of cost. 
 Sheriffs demanded more than was due, under thrcjA^s 
 
DESIRE TO LEAVE FOR THE WEST. 45 
 
 of sheriff's sales; and they applied the gair»s thus 
 made to their own use. Money, as is always the case 
 in a new country, was exceedingly scarce, and the 
 sufferings of the people were intolerable. 
 
 Petitions to the Legislature for a redress of griev- 
 ances were treated with contempt. The people assem- 
 bled and formed themselves into an association for 
 regulating public grievances and abuse of power. 
 Hence the name given to them of Regulators. They 
 resolved "to pay only such taxes as were agreeable 
 \o law and applied to the purpose therein named, to 
 vay no officer more than his legal fees." The subse- 
 quent proceedings of the Regulators^ such as forcible 
 i:esistance to officers and acts of personal violence 
 toward them, at length brought on an actual collision 
 between them and an armed force led by the Royal 
 Governor, Tryon, (May 16,1771,) at Alamanance, in 
 which the Regulators were defeated ; and the griev- 
 ances continued with scarcely abated force till tlic 
 Revolution brought relief. 
 
 Under these circumstances, it is not sui-jirising tliat 
 Daniel Boone and others w^ere quite willing to migrate 
 to the West, if it were only to enjoy a quiet life ; the 
 dangers of I»idiaji \ggrtn5s:cn being less dreaded than 
 
46 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 the visits of the tax-gather and the sheriff; and the 
 solitude of the forest and prairie being preferred to 
 the society of insolent foreigners, flaunting in the 
 luxury and ostentation purchased bj the spoils of 
 fraud and oppression. 
 
 Among the hunters and traders who pursued their 
 avocations in the "Western wilds was John Finley, or 
 Findlej, who led a party of hunters in 1767 to the 
 neighborhood of the Louisa River, as the Kentucky 
 Pdver was then called, and spent the season in hunt- 
 ing and trapping. On his return, he visited Daniel 
 Boone, and gave him a most glowing description of 
 the country which he had visited — a country abound- 
 ing in the richest and most fertile Land, intersected by 
 noble rivers, and teeming with herds of deer and buf- 
 faloes and numerous flocks of wild turkeys, to say 
 nothing of the smaller game. To these descriptions 
 Boone lent a willing ear. He resolved to accompany 
 Finley in his next hunting expedition, and to see 
 this terrestrial paradise with his own eyes, doubtless 
 with the intention of ultimately seeking a home in 
 that delightful region. 
 
 Accordingly, a company of six persons was foi'nujd 
 for a new expedition to the West, and Booiio was 
 
FIRST SIGHT OF KENTUCKY. 47 
 
 chosen as leader. The names of the other members 
 of this party were John Finley, John Stuart, Joseph 
 II olden, James Moncey, and "William CooL 
 
 Much preparation seems to have been required. 
 Boone's wife, who was one of the best of housekeepers 
 and managers, had to fit out his clothes, and to make 
 arrangements for house-keeping during his expected 
 long absence. His sons were now old enough to assist 
 their mother in the management of the farm, but, 
 doubtless, they had to be supplied with money and 
 other necessaries before the father could venture to 
 leave home ; so that it was not till the 1st of May, 
 1769, that the party were able to set out, as Boone, in 
 his autobiography, expresses it, *' in quest of the coun- 
 try of Kentucky." 
 
 It was more than a month before these adventurers 
 came in sight of the promised land. We quote from 
 Mr. Peck's excellent work the description which un- 
 doubtedly formed the authority on which the artist has 
 relied in painting the accompanying engraving of 
 "Daniel Boone's first view of Kentucky." It is as 
 follows : 
 
 ''It was on the 7th of June, 1769, that six men, 
 weary and woyworn, were seen winding their way up 
 
48 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 the steep side of a rugged mountain in tlie wilderness 
 of Kentucky. Their dress was of the description 
 usually worn at that period by all forest rangers. 
 The outside garment was a hunting shirt, or loose 
 open frock, made of dressed deer skins. Leggings or 
 drawers, of the same material, covered the lower ex- 
 tremities, to which was appended a pair of moccasins 
 for the feet. The cape or collar of the hunting shirt, 
 and the seams of the leggings, were adorned with 
 fringes. The under garments were of coarse cotton, 
 A leather belt encircled the body ; on the right side 
 was suspended the tomahawk, to be used as a hatchet ; 
 on the left side was the hunting-knife, powder-horn, 
 bullet-pouch, and other appendages indispensable for 
 jt hunter. Each person bore his trusty rifle ; and, as 
 the party slowly made their toilsome way amid the 
 ehrubs, and over the logs and loose rocks that accident 
 had thrown into the obscure trail which they were 
 following, each man kept a sharp look-out, as though 
 danger or a lurking enemy was near. Their garments 
 were soiled and rent, the unavoidable result of long 
 traveling and exposure to the heavy rains that had 
 fallen ; for the weather had been stormy and most 
 uncomfortable, and the}^ had traversed a mountainous 
 
APPEARANCE OF KENTUCKY. 49 
 
 wilderness for several hundred miles. The leader of 
 the party was of full size, with a hardy, robust, 
 sinewy frame, and keen, piercing, hazel eyes, that 
 glanced with quickness at every object as they passed 
 on, now cast forward in the direction they were trav- 
 eling for signs of an old trail, and in the next moment 
 directed askance into the dense thicket, or into the 
 deep ravine, as if watching some concealed enemy. 
 The reader will recognize in this man the pioneer 
 Boone, at the head of his companions. 
 
 Toward the time of the setting sun, the party had 
 reached the summit of the mountain range, up which 
 they had toiled for some three or four hours, and 
 which had bounded their prospect to the west during 
 the day. Here new and indescribable scenery opened 
 to their view. Before them, for an immense distance, 
 as if spread out on a map, lay the rich and beautiful 
 vales watered by the Kentucky Eiver ; for they had 
 now reached one of its northern branches. The coun- 
 try immediately before them, to use a Western phrase, 
 was " rolling," and, in places, abruptly hilly ; but far 
 in the vista was seen a beautiful expanse of level 
 country, over which the buffalo, deer, and other forest 
 animals, roamed unmolested while they fed on the 
 4 
 
50 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 luxuriant herbage of tlie forest. The couiiteuances 
 of the party lighted up with pleasure; congratulations 
 were exchanged, the romantic tales of Finley were 
 confirmed by ocular demonstration, and orders were 
 given to encamp for the night in a neighboring ravine. 
 In a deep gorge of the mountain a large tree had 
 fallen, surrounded with a dense thicket, and hidden 
 from observation by the abrupt and precipitous hills. 
 This tree lay in a convenient position for the back of 
 their camp. Logs were placed on the right and left, 
 leaving the front open, where fire might be kindled 
 against another log ; and for shelter from the rains 
 and heavy dews, bark was peeled from the linden 
 tree." 
 
 This rude structure appears to have been the head- 
 quarters of the hunters through the whole summer and 
 autumn, till late in December. During this time, they 
 hunted the deer, the bear, and especially the buffalo. 
 The buffaloes were found in great numbers, feeding 
 on the leaves of the cane, and the rich and spontaneous 
 fields of clover. 
 
 During this long period, they saw no Indians. That 
 part of the country was not inhabited by any tribe at 
 that time, although it was used occasionally as a hunting 
 
LEAVE CAMP. 51 
 
 ground by tlie Shawanese, the Cherokees and tlie 
 Cbickesaws. The land at that time belonged to the 
 colony of Virginia, which then included what is now 
 called Kentucky. The title to the ground was acquired 
 by a treaty with the Indians, Oct. 5th, 1770. The Iro- 
 quois, at the treaty of Fort Stanwix, in 1768, had al- 
 ready ceded their doubtful claim to the land south of 
 the Ohio Eiver, to Great Britain ; so that Boone's com- 
 pany of hunters were not trespassing upon Indian ter- 
 ritory at this time."^ But they were destined neverthe- 
 less to be treated as intruders. 
 
 On the 22d of December, Boone and John. Stuart, 
 one of his companions, left their encampment, and fol- 
 lowing one of the numerous paths which the buffalo 
 had made through the cane, they plunged boldly into 
 the interior of the forest. They had as yet, as we have 
 already stated, seen no Indians, and the country had 
 been reported as totally uninhabited. This was true 
 in a strict sense, for although, as we have seen, the 
 southern and northwestern tribes were in the habit of 
 hunting here as upon neutral ground, yet not a single 
 wigwam had been erected, nor did the land bear the 
 slightest mark of having ever been cultivated. 
 
 ^ Peck. Life of Boone. 
 
52 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Tlie difierent tribes would fall in with eacli other, 
 and from the fierce conflicts which generally followed 
 these casual rencounters, the country had been known 
 among them by the name of ' tlte darJc and hloody 
 ground P 
 
 The two adventurers soon learned the additional 
 danger to which they were exposed. While roving 
 carelessly from canebrake to canebrake, and admiring 
 the rank growth of vegetation, and the variety of tim- 
 ber which marked the fertility of the soil, they were 
 suddenly alarmed by the appearance of a party of In- 
 dians, who, springing from their place of concealment, 
 rushed upon them with a rapidity which rendered es- 
 cape impossible. 
 
 They were almost instantly seized, disarmed, and 
 made prisoners. Their feelings may be readily im- 
 agined. They were in the hands of an enemy who 
 knew no alternative between adoption and torture; 
 and the numbers and fleetness of their captors, rendered 
 escape by open means impossible, while their jealous 
 vigilance seemed equally fatal to any secret attempt. 
 
 Boone, however, was possessed of a temper admira- 
 bly adapted to the circumstances in which he was 
 placed. Of a cold and saturnine, rather than an ardent 
 
ESCAPE FEO:\r THE INDIAN'S. 53 
 
 disposition, lie was never eitlier so much elevated by 
 good forinne or depressed by bad, as to lose for an 
 instant the full possession of all his faculties. He saw 
 that immediate escape was impossible, but he en- 
 couraged his companion, and constrained himself to 
 accompany the Indians in all their excursions, with so 
 calm and contented an air, that their vigilance insen- 
 sibly began to relax. 
 
 On the seventh evening of their captivity, the yen- 
 camped in a thick canebrake, and having built a large 
 fire, lay down to rest. The party whose duty it was 
 to watch, were weary and negligent, and about mid- 
 night, Boone, who had not closed an eye, ascertained 
 from the deep breathing all around him, that the whole 
 party, including Stuart, was in a deep sleep. 
 
 Gently and gradually extricating himself from the 
 Indians who lay around him, he walked cautiously to 
 the spot where Stuart lay, and having succeeded in 
 awakening him, Avithout alarming the rest, he briefly 
 informed him of his determination, and exhorted him 
 to arise, make no noise, and follow him. Stuart, al- 
 though ignorant of the design, and suddenly roused 
 from sleep, fortunately obeyed with equal silence and 
 
54 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 celeritj; and within a few minutes they Avere beyond 
 hearing. 
 
 Rapidly traversing the forest, by the light of the 
 stars and the bark of the trees, they ascertained the 
 direction in which the camp lay, but upon reaching it 
 on the next day, to their great grief, they found it 
 plundered and deserted, with nothing remaining to show 
 the fate of their companions : and even to the day of 
 his death, Boone knew not whether they had been 
 killed or taken, or had voluntarily abandoned their 
 cabin and returned."^ 
 
 Indeed it has never been ascertained what became 
 
 of Finley and the rest of Boone's party of hunters. 
 
 If Finley himself had returned to Carolina, so re- 
 markable a person would undoubtedly have left some 
 
 trace of himself in the history of his time ; but no trace 
 exists of any of the party who were left at the old camp 
 by Boone and Stuart. Boone and Stuart resumed their 
 hunting, although their ammunition was running low, 
 and they were compelled, by the now well-known dan- 
 ger of Indian hostilities, to seek for more secret and 
 secure hiding-places at night than their old encamp- 
 ment in the ravine. 
 
 * McClung. "Western Adventures." 
 
 ' Jfr 
 
BAKKING OFF SQUIRRELS. 55 
 
 The only kind of firearms used by the backwoods 
 hunoer is the rifle. In the use of this weapon Boone 
 was exceedingly skillful. The following anecdote, re- 
 lated by the celebrated naturalist, Audubon,* shows 
 that he retained his wonderful precision of aim till a 
 late period of his life. 
 
 '' Barking off squirrels is delightful sport, and, in 
 my opinion, requires a greater degree of accuracy than 
 any other. I first witnessed this manner of procuring 
 squirrels whilst near the town of Frankfort. The 
 performer was the celebrated Daniel Boone. We 
 walked out together, and followed the rocky margins 
 of the Kentucky Eiver, until we reached a piece of flat 
 land thickly covered with black walnuts, oaks, and 
 hickories. As the general mast was a good one that 
 year, squirrels were seen gambolling on every tree 
 around us. My companion, a stout, hale, and athletic 
 man, dressed in a homespun hunting-shirt, bare-legged 
 and moccasined, carrfed a long and heavy rifle, which, 
 as he was loading it, he said had proved eflicient in 
 all his former undertakings, and which he lioped 
 would not fail on this occasion/as he felt proud to 
 show me his skill. The gun was wiped, the powder 
 measured, the ball patched with six-himdred-thread 
 * Ornithological Biography, pp. 293-4. 
 
56 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 linen, and the charge sent home with a hickory rod 
 We moved not a step from the place, for the squirrels 
 were so numerous that it was unnecessary to go after 
 them. Boone pointed to one of these animals which 
 had observed us, and was crouched on a branch about 
 fifty paces distant, and bade me mark well the spot 
 where the ball should hit. He raised his piece gradu- 
 ally, until the head (that being the name given by the 
 Kentuckians to the sight) of the barrel was brought to 
 a line with the spot which he intended to hit. The 
 whip-like report resounded through the woods and 
 along the hills in repeated echoes. Judge of my sur- 
 prise, when I perceived that the ball had hit the piece 
 of the bark immediately beneath the squirrel, and 
 shivered it into splinters, the concussion produced by 
 which had killed the animal, and sent it whirling 
 through the air, as if it had been blown up by the 
 explosion of a powder magazine. Boone kept up his 
 firing, and before many hours had elapsed, we had 
 procured as many squirrels as we wished; for you 
 must know that to load a rifle requires only a mo- 
 ment, and that if it is wiped once after each shot, it 
 will do duty for hours. Since that first interview with 
 our veteran Boone, I have seen many other indi- 
 viduals perform the same feat." 
 
CHAPTEK Y. 
 
 Arrival of Squire Boone and a companion at tlie camp of Dauid 
 Boone— Joyful meeting — News from home, and hunting re- 
 sumed — Daniel Boone and Stuart surprised bj the Indians, 
 Stuart killed — Escape of Boone, and his return to camp- 
 Squire Boone's companion lost in the woods — Residence of 
 Daniel Boone and Squire Boone in the wilderness — Squire 
 returns to North Carolina, obtains a fresh supply of ammu- 
 nition, and again rejoins his brother at the old camp — Daniel 
 Boone's own account of this remarkable period of his life — 
 His return to North Carolina — His determination to settle ia 
 Kentucky — Other Western adventurers — The Long hunters- 
 Washington in Kentucky — Bullitt's party — Floyd's party- 
 Thompson's survey — First settlement of Tennessee. 
 
 In the early part of tlie montli of January, 1770, 
 
 Boone and Stuart were agreeably surprised by the 
 
 arrival of Squire Boone^ the younger brother of 
 
 Daniel, accompanied by another man, whose name 
 
 "has not been handed down. The meeting took place 
 
 as they were hunting in the woods. The new-comers 
 
 were hailed at a distance with the usual greeting, 
 
 *' Ilolloa ! strangers, who are you ?" to which they 
 
 (57) 
 
58 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 answered, ''White men and friends." And friends 
 indeed tliej were — friends in need ; for they brought a 
 supply of ammunition, and news from Daniel Boone's 
 home and family on the Yadkin. They had had a 
 weary journey through the wilderness, and although 
 they had met with no Indians on their way, they had fre- 
 quently come upon their traces in passing through the 
 woods. Their purpose in undertaking this formidable 
 journey had been to learn the fate of Boone and his 
 party, whose safety was nearly despaired of by his 
 friends in Is'orth Carolina, to hunt for themselves, and 
 t-o convey a supply of ammunition to Boone. It is 
 difficult to conceive the joy with which their oppor- 
 tune arrival was welcomed. They informed Boone 
 that they had just seen the last night's encampment 
 of Stuart and himself, so that the joyful meeting was 
 not wholly unanticipated by them. 
 
 Thus reinforced, the party, now consisting of four 
 skillful hunters, might reasonably hope for increased 
 security, and a fortunate issue to their protracted 
 hunting tour. But they hunted in separate parties ; 
 and in one of these Daniel Boone and Stuart fell in 
 with a party of Indians, who fired upon them. Stu- 
 art was shot dead and scalped by the Indians, but 
 
RESIDENCE IX THE WILDERNESS. 59 
 
 Boone escaped in tlie forest; and rejoined his brotlier 
 and the remaining hunter of the party. 
 
 A few days afterward this hunter was lost in the 
 woods, and did not return as usual to the camp. 
 Daniel and Squire made a long and anxious search 
 for him ; but it was all in vain. Years afterward a 
 skeleton Y/as discovered in the woods, which was sup- 
 posed to be that of the lost hunter. 
 
 The two brothers were thus left in the wilderness 
 alone, separated by several hundred miles from home, 
 surrounded by hostile Indians, and destitute of every 
 thing but their rifles. After having had such melan- 
 choly experience of the dangers to which they were 
 exposed, we would naturally suppose that their forti- 
 tude would have given way, and that they would in- 
 stantly have returned to the settlements. But the 
 most remarkable feature in Boone's character was a 
 calm and cold equanimity which rarely rose to enthu- 
 siasm, and never sunk to despondence. 
 
 His courasre undervalued the dansrer to which ho 
 
 o o 
 
 was exposed, and his presence of mind, which never 
 forsook him, enabled him, on all occasions to take the 
 best means of avoiding it. The wilderness, with all 
 its dangers and privations, had a charm for him, which 
 
60 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL EOOXE. 
 
 is scarcely conceivable by one brought up in a cit}' ; 
 and lie determined to remain alone wbile bis brother 
 returned to Carolina for an additional supply of am- 
 munition, as their original supply was nearly ex- 
 hausted. His situation we should now suppose in the 
 highest degree gloomy and dispiriting. The dangers 
 which attended his brother on his return were nearly 
 equal to his own ; and each had left a wife and chil- 
 dren, which Boone acknowledged cost him many an 
 anxious thought. 
 
 But the wild and solitary grandeur of the country 
 around him, where not a tree had been cut, nor a 
 house erected, was to him an inexhaustible source of 
 admiration and delight ; and he says to himself, that 
 some of the most rapturous moments of his life were 
 spent in those lonely rambles. The utmost caution 
 was necessary to avoid the savages, and scarcely les^ 
 to escape the ravenous hunger of the wolves that 
 prowled nightly around him in immense numbers. 
 He was compelled frequently to shift his lodging, and, 
 by undoubted signs, saw that the Indians had repeat- 
 edly visited his hut during his absence. He some 
 times lay in canebrakes without fire, and heard the 
 
IN THE WILDERNESS. 61 
 
 yells of the Indians around liim. Fortunatel}^, how- 
 ever, he never encountered them/^* 
 
 Mr. Perkins, in his Annals of the West, speaking 
 of this sojourn of the brothers in the -wilderness, says : 
 And now commenced that most extraordinary life on 
 the part of these two men which has, in a great mea- 
 sure, served to give celebrity to their names ; we refer 
 to their residence, entirely alone, for more than a year, 
 m a land filled with the most subtle and unsparing 
 enemies, and under the influence of no other motive, 
 apparently, than a love of adventure, of Nature, and 
 of solitude. Nor were they, during this time, always 
 together. For three months, Daniel remained amid the 
 forest utterly by himself, while his brother, with cour- 
 age and capacity equal to his own, returned to North 
 Carolina for a supply of powder and lead ; with which 
 he succeeded in rejoining the roamer of the wilderness 
 in safety in July, 1770. 
 
 It is almost impossible to conceive of the skill, cool- 
 ness, and sagacity which enabled Daniel Boone to 
 spend so many weeks in the midst of the Indians, and 
 yet undiscovered by them. He appears to have 
 changed his position continually — to have explored 
 * McClung. 
 
82 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL LOOXE. 
 
 the whole centre of what forms now the State of Ken- 
 tucky, and in so doing must have exposed himself to 
 many different parties of the natives. A reader of 
 Mr. Cooper's Last of the Mohicans may comprehend, 
 in some measure, the arts by which he was preserved ; 
 but, after all, a natural gift seems to lie at the basis 
 of such consummate woodcraft ; an instinct, rather than 
 any exercise of intellect, appears to have guided Boone 
 m such matters, and made him lore-eminent among 
 those who were most accomplished in the knowledge 
 of forest life. Then we are to remember the week's 
 captivity of the previous year ; it was the first practi- 
 cal acquaintance that the pioneer had with the Western 
 Indians, and we may be assured he spent that week 
 in noting carefully the whole method of his captors. 
 Indeed, we think it probable he remained in captivity 
 so long that he might learn their arts, stratagems, and 
 modes of concealment. We are, moreover, to keep 
 in mind this fact : the woods of Kentucky were at that 
 period filled with a species of nettle of such a charac- 
 ter that, being once bent down, it did not recover 
 itself, but remained prostrate, thus retaining the im- 
 pression of a foot almost like snow — even a turkey 
 might be tracked in it with perfect ease. This weed 
 
PHILOSOPHIC CONTENTMEiST. gg 
 
 Booue would carefuUy avoid, but the natives, uumer- 
 ous and fearless, would commonly pay no regard to 
 it, so that the white hunter was sure to have palpable 
 signs of the presence of his enemies, and the direction 
 they had taken. Considering these circumstances, it 
 is even more remarkable that his brother should have 
 returned in safety, with his loaded horses, than that 
 he remained alone unharmed ; though in the escape 
 of both from captivity or death from January, 1770, 
 until their return to the Atlantic rivers in March, 
 1771, there is something so wonderful that the old 
 pioneer's phrase, that he was '' an instrument ordained 
 to settle the wilderness," seems entirely proper. 
 
 Daniel Boone's own account of this period of his 
 life, contained in his autobiography, is highly charac- 
 teristic. It is as follows : 
 
 " Thus situated, many hundred miles from our fami- 
 lies in the howling wilderness, I believe few would 
 have equally enjoyed the happiness we experienced. 
 I often observed to ray brother, ' You see now how 
 little nature requires to be satisfied. Felicity, the 
 companion of content, is rather found in our own 
 breasts than in the enjoyment of external things ; and 
 I firmly believe it requires but a little philosophy to 
 
64 LIFE OF COr,OXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 make a man happy in whatsoever state he is. This 
 consists in a full resignation to Providence, and a 
 resigned soul finds pleasure in a path strewed with 
 briers and thorns.' 
 
 "We continued not in a state of indolence, but 
 hanted every day, and prepared a little cottage to 
 defend us from the winter storms. We remained 
 there undisturbed during the winter; and on the first 
 of May, 1770, my brother returned home to the set- 
 tlement by himself for a new recruit of horses and 
 ammunition, leaving me by myself, without bread, 
 salt, or sugar, without company of mj fellow-creatures, 
 or even a horse or dog. I confess I never before was 
 under greater necessity of exercising philosophy and 
 fortitude. A few days I passed uncomfortably. The 
 idea of a beloved wife and family, and their anxiety 
 on account of my absence and exposed situation, made 
 sensible impressions on my heart. A thousand dread- 
 ful apprehensions presented themselves to my view, 
 and had undoubtedly disposed me to melancholy if 
 further indulged. 
 
 " One day I undertook a tour through the country, 
 and the diversity and beauties of Nature I met with 
 in this charming sea^n expelled every gloomy and 
 
IMPKESSIONS WHILE ALONE. 65 
 
 vexatious thought. Just at the close of day the gentle 
 gales retired; and left the place to the disposal of a 
 profound calm. Not a breeze shook the most tremu- 
 lous leaf. I had gained the summit of a commanding 
 ridge, and, looking round with astonishing delight, 
 beheld the ample plains, the beauteous tracts below. 
 On the other hand, I surveyed the famous river Ohio, 
 that rolled in silent dignity, marking the western 
 boundary of Kentucky with inconceivable grandeur. 
 At a vast distance I beheld the mountains lift their 
 venerable brows, and penetrate the clouds. All things 
 were still. I kindled a fire near a fountain of sweet 
 water, and feasted on the loin of a buck, which a few 
 hours before I had killed. The fallen shades of night 
 soon overspread the whole hemisphere, and the earth 
 seemed to gape after the hovering mqisture. My 
 roving excursion this day had fatigued my body, and 
 diverted my imagination. I laid me down to sleep, 
 and I awoke not until the sun had chased away the 
 night. I continued this tour, and in a few days ex- 
 plored a considerable part of the country, each day 
 equally pleased as the first. I returned to my old 
 camp, which was not disturbed in my absence. I did 
 not confine my lodging to it, but often reposed in 
 
6(J LIFE OP COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 tMck canebrakes to avoid the savages, wlio, I believe, 
 often visited my camp, but fortunately for me in my 
 absence. In this situation I was constantly exposed 
 to danger and death. How unhappy such a situation 
 for a man tormented with fear, which is vain if no 
 danger comes, and, if it does, only augments the pain. 
 It was my happiness to be destitute of this afflicting 
 passion, with which I had the greatest reason to be 
 affected. The prowling wolves diverted my nocturnal 
 hours with perpetual bowlings; and the various 
 species of animals in this vast forest in the daytime 
 were continually in my view. 
 
 " Thus I was surrounded with plenty in the midst 
 of want. I was happy in the midst of dangers and 
 inconveniences. In such a diversity it was impossible 
 I should be disposed to melancholy. 'No populous 
 city, with all the varieties of commerce and stately 
 structures, could afford so much pleasure to my mind 
 as the beauties of Nature I found here. 
 
 " Thus, through an uninterrupted scene of sylvan 
 pleasures, I spent the time until the 27th day of July 
 following, when my brother, to my great felicity, met 
 me, according to appointment, at our old camp. 
 Shortly after we left this place, not thinking it safe tq 
 
HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY DEFENDED. 67 
 
 stay there any longer, and proceeded to Cumberland 
 Eiver, reconnoitering that part of the country until 
 March, 1771, and giving names to the different 
 waters. 
 
 " Soon after, I returned home to my family, with a 
 determination to bring them as soon as possible to live 
 in Kentucky, which I esteemed a second paradise, at 
 the risk of my life and fortune. 
 
 " I returned safe to my old habitation, and found 
 my family in happy circumstances." 
 
 This extract is taken from the autobiography of 
 Daniel Boone, written from his own dictation by John 
 Filson, and published in 1784. Some writers have 
 censured this production as inflated and bombastic. 
 To us it seems simple and natural ; and we have no 
 doubt that the very words of Boone are given for the 
 most part. The use of glowing imagery and strong 
 figures is by no means confined to highly-educated 
 persons. Those who are illiterate, as Boone certainly 
 was, often indulge in this style. Even the Indians 
 are remarkably fond of bold metaphors and other 
 rhetorical figures, as is abundantly proved by their 
 speeches and legends. 
 
 While Boone had been engaged in his late hunting 
 
68 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 tour, Other adventurers were examining tlie rich lands 
 south of the Ohio." Even in 1770, while Boone was 
 wandering solitary in those Kentucky forests, a band 
 of forty hunters, led by Colonel James Knox, had gath- 
 ered from the valleys of New Eiver, Clinch, and Hol- 
 ston, to chase the buffaloes of the "West ; nine of the 
 forty had crossed the mountains, penetrated the desert 
 and almost impassable country about the heads of the 
 Cumberland, and explored the region on the borders 
 of Kentucky and Tennessee. This hunting party, from 
 the length of time it was absent, is known in the tra- 
 ditions of the West as the party of the Long Hunters. 
 While these bold men were penetrating the valley of 
 the Ohio, in the region of the Cumberland Gap, others 
 came from Virginia and Pennsylvania, by the river ; 
 among them, and in the same year, that the Long Hun- 
 ters were abroad, (1770), came no less noted a person 
 than George Washington. His attention, as we have 
 before said, had been turned to the lands along the 
 Ohio, at a very early perod; he had himself large 
 claims, as well as far-reaching plans of settlement, and 
 he wished with his own eyes to examine the AYestern 
 lands, especially those about the mouth of the Kan- 
 
 * Perkins. "Annals of the West." 
 
AFFAIRS IN THE OHIO VALLEY. 69 
 
 awha. From the journal of his expedition, published 
 by Mr, Sparks, in the Appendix to the second volume 
 of his Washington Papers, we learn some valuable 
 facts in reference to the position of affairs in the Ohio 
 valley at that time. We learn, for instance, that the 
 Virginians were rapidly surveying and settling the 
 lands south of the river as far down as the Kanawhas ; 
 and that the Indians, notwithstanding the treaty of 
 Fort Stanwix, were jealous and angry at this constant 
 invasion of their hunting-grounds. 
 
 " This jealousy and anger were not supposed to cool 
 during the years next succeeding, and when Thomas 
 Bullitt and his party descended the Ohio in the sum- 
 mer of 1773, he found that no settlements would 
 be tolerated south of the river, unless the Indian 
 hunting-grounds were left undisturbed. To leave them 
 undisturbed was, however, no part of the plan of these 
 white men. 
 
 '* This very party, which Bullitt led, and in which 
 were the two McAfees, Hancock, Taylor, Drennon 
 and others, separated, and while part went up tho 
 Kentucky Kiver, explored the banks, and made im- 
 portant surveys, including the valley in which Frank- 
 fort stands, the remainder went on to the Falls, and 
 
70 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 laid out, in behalf of John Campbell and John Connolly, 
 the plan of Louisville. All this took place in the sum- 
 mer of 1773 ; and in the autumn of that year, or early 
 in the next, John Floyd, the deputy of Colonel William 
 Preston, the surveyor of Fincastle County, Yirginia, in 
 which it was claimed that Kentucky was comprehen- 
 ded, also crossed the mountains ; while Greneral Thomp- 
 son of Pennsylvania, made surveys upon the north 
 fork of the Licking. When Boone, therefore, in Sep- 
 tember, commenced his march for the West, (as we 
 shall presently relate), the choice regions which he had 
 examined three years before, were known to numbers, 
 and settlers were preparing to desecrate the silent and 
 beautiful woods. Nor did the prospects of the English 
 colonists stop with the settlements of Kentucky. In 
 1773, General Lyman, with a number of military ad- 
 venturers, went to Natchez and laid out several town- 
 ships in that vicinity ; to which point emigration set 
 so strongly, that we are told, four hundred families 
 passed down the Ohio on their way thither, during 
 six weeks of the summer of that year."* 
 
 * Perkins. "Annals of tlie "West." 
 
CHAPTER YI. 
 
 Daniel Boone remains two years in Nortli Carolina after his re- 
 turn from the West — He prepares to emigrate to Kentucky — 
 Character of the early settlers to Kentucky — The first class, 
 hunters — The second class, small farmers — The third class, 
 men of wealth and government officers. 
 
 DaisIEL Boone had now returned to his home on 
 the banks of the Yadkin, after an absence of no less 
 than two years, during which time he had not tasted, 
 as he remarks in his autobiography, either salt, sugar, 
 or bread. He must have enjoyed, in no ordinary 
 degree, the comforts of home. Carolina, however, 
 was to be his home but for a short time. He had 
 fully determined to go with his family to Kentucky, 
 and settle in that lovely region. He was destined to 
 found a State. 
 
 After Boone's return to !N"orth Carolina, more than 
 two years passed away before he could complete the 
 arrangements necessary for removing his family to 
 Kentucky. He sold his farm on the Yadkin, which 
 
 (71) 
 
72 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 had been for many years nnder cultivation, and no 
 donbt brought him a sum amply sufficient for the ex- 
 penses of his journey and the furnishing of a new 
 home in the promised land. He had, of course, to 
 overcome the natural repugnance of his wife and 
 children to leave the home which had become dear to 
 them ; and he had also to enlist other adventurers to 
 accompany him. And here we deem it proper, be 
 fore entering upon the account of his departure, to 
 quote from a cotemporary,* some general remarks on 
 the character of the early settlers of Kentucky. 
 
 "Throughout the United States, generally, the most 
 erroneous notions prevail with respect to the character 
 of the first settlers of Kentucky ; and by several of 
 the American novelists, the most ridiculous uses have 
 been made of the fine materials for fiction which lie 
 scattered over nearly the whole extent of that region 
 of daring adventure and romantic incident. The com- 
 mon idea seems to be, that the first wanderers to Ken- 
 tucky were a simple, ignorant, low-bred, good-for- 
 nothing set of fellows, who left the frontiers and 
 sterile places of the old States, where a considerable 
 amount of labor was necessary to secure a livelihood. 
 * W. D. Gallagher, ''Hesperian," Vol. IL, p. 89. 
 
CHAEACTER OF SETTLERS IN KENTUCKY. 73 
 
 and souglit tlie new and fertile country southeast of 
 the Ohio Kiver and northwest of the Cumberland 
 Mountains, where corn would produce bread for them 
 with simply the labor of planting, and where the 
 achievements of their guns would supply them with 
 meat and clothing ; a set of men who, with that in- 
 stinct which belongs to the beaver, built a number of 
 log cabins on the banks of some secluded stream, 
 which they surrounded with palisades for the better 
 protection of their wives and children, and then went 
 wandering about, with guns on their shoulders, or 
 traps under their arms, leading a solitary, listless, 
 ruminating life, till aroused by the appearance of 
 danger, or a sudden attack from unseen enemies, 
 when instantly they approved themselves the bravest 
 of warriors, and the most expert of strategists. The 
 romancers who have attempted to describe their 
 habits of life and delineate their characters, catching 
 this last idea, and imagining things probable of the 
 country they were in, have drawn the one in lines 
 the most grotesque and absurd, and colored the other 
 with a pencil dipped in all hues but the right. To 
 them the early pioneers appear to have been people 
 of a character demi -devil, demi-savage, not only with- 
 
74 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 out the remains of former civilization, but witliout 
 even the recollection that they had been born and 
 bred where people were, at the least, measurably sane, 
 somewhat religiously inclined, and, for the most, 
 civilly behaved. 
 
 " Both of these conceptions of the character of the 
 Pioneer Fathers are, to a certain extent, correct as 
 regards individuals among them; but the pictures 
 which have often been given ns, even when held up 
 beside such individuals, will prove to be exaggerations 
 in more respects than one. Daniel Boone is an in- 
 dividual instance of a man plunging into the depths 
 of an unknown wilderness, shunning rather than 
 seeking contact with his kind, his gun and trap the 
 only companions of his solitude, and wandering about 
 thus for months, 
 
 * No mark Tipon the tree, nor print, nor track, 
 To lead him forward, or to guide him back.' 
 
 contented and happy ; yet, for all this, if those who 
 knew him well had any true conception of his cha- 
 racter, Boone was a man of ambition, and shrewd- 
 ness, and energy, and fine social qualities, and ex- 
 treme sagacity. And individual instances there may 
 
INACCURATE DESCRIPTIGN-S OF PIONEERS. 75 
 
 have been — thoiigli even this possibility is not sus- 
 tained by the primitive histories of those times — of 
 men who were so far outre to the usual course of their 
 kind, as to have afforded originals for the Sam Huggs, 
 the Nimrod Wildfires, the Ralph Slackpoles, the Tor)i 
 Bruces, and the Earthquakes, which so abound in most 
 of those fictions whose locale is the "Western country. 
 But that naturalist who should attempt, by ever so 
 minute a description of a pied blackbird, to give his 
 readers a correct idea of the Gracula Ferruginea of 
 ornithologists, would not more utterly fail of accom- 
 plishing his object, than have the authors whose crea- 
 tions we have named, by delineating such individual 
 instances — by holding up, as it were, such outre speci- 
 mens of an original class — failed to convey any thing 
 like an accurate impression of the habits, customs, 
 and general character of the western pioneers. 
 
 "Daniel Boone, and those who accompanied him 
 into the wildernesses of Kentucky, had been little 
 more than hunters in their original homes, on the 
 frontiers of North Carolina ; and, with the exception 
 of their leader, but little more than hunters did they 
 continue after their emigration. The most glowing 
 accounts of the beauty and fertihty of the country 
 
78 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 nortliwest of the Laurel Eiclge, had reached their ears 
 from Finlej and his companions ; and they shouldered 
 their guns, strapped their wallets upon their backs 
 and wandered through the Cumberland Gap into the 
 dense forests, and thick brakes, and beautiful plains 
 which soon opened upon their visions, more to in- 
 dulge a habit of roving, and gratify an excited curi- 
 osity, than from any other motive ; and, arrived upon 
 the head-waters of the Kentucky, they built them- 
 selves rude log cabins, and spent most of their lives 
 in hunting and eating, and fighting maurauding bands 
 of Indians. Of a similar character were the earliest 
 Virginians, who penetrated these wildernesses. The 
 very first, indeed, who wandered from the parent 
 State over the Laurel Kidge, down into the unknown 
 regions on its northwest, came avowedly as hunters 
 and trappers ; and such of them as escaped the toma- 
 hawk of the Indian, with very few exceptions, re- 
 mained hunters and trappers till their deaths. 
 
 ''But this first class of pioneers was not either 
 numerous enough, or influential enough, to stamp its 
 character upon the after-coming hundreds ; and the 
 second class of immigrants into Kentucky was com- 
 posed of very difierent materials. Small farmers 
 
SECOND CLASS OF PIONEERS. 77 
 
 from ISTortli Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, for 
 the most part, constituted this ; and these daring ad- 
 venturers brought with them intelligent and aspiring 
 minds, industrious and persevering habits, a few of 
 the comforts of civilized life, and some of the imple- 
 ments of husbandry. A number of them were men 
 who had received the rudiments of an English educa- 
 tion, and not a few of them had been reared up in the 
 spirit, and a sincere observance of the forms, of re- 
 ligious worship. Many, perhaps most of them, were 
 from the frontier settlements of the States named; and 
 these combined the habits of the hunter and agri- 
 culturist, and possessed, with no inconsiderable knowl- 
 edge of partially refined life, all that boldness and 
 energy, which subsequently became so distinctive a 
 trait of the character of the early settlers. 
 
 " This second class of the pioneers, or at least the 
 mass of those who constituted it, sought the plains 
 and forests, and streams of Kentucky, not to indulge 
 any inclination for listless ramblings ; nor as hunters 
 or trappers ; nor yet for the purpose of gratifying an 
 awakened curiosity : they came deliberately, soberly, 
 thoughtfully, in search of a home, determined, from the 
 outset, to win one, or perish in the attempt; they 
 
78 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 came to cast tlieir lot in a land that was new, to 
 better their worldly condition by the acquisition of 
 demesnes, to build up a new commonwealth in an un- 
 peopled region ; they came with their wives, and their 
 children, and their kindred, from places where the 
 toil of the hand, and the sweat of the brow, could 
 hardly supply them with bread, to a land in which 
 ordinary industry would, almost at once, furnish all 
 the necessaries of life, and where it was plain well- 
 directed effort would ultimately secure its ease, its 
 dignity, and its refinements. Poor in the past, and 
 with, scarce a hope, without a change of place, of a 
 better condition of earthly existence, either for them- 
 selves or their offspring, they saw themselves, luiih 
 that change, rich in the future, and looked forward 
 with certainty to a time when their children, if not 
 themselves, would be in a condition improved beyond 
 compare. 
 
 '' There was also a third class of pioneers, who in 
 several respects differed as much from either the first 
 or the second class, as these differed from each other. 
 This class was composed, in great part, of men who 
 came to Kentucky after the way had been in some 
 measure prepared for immigrants, and yet before the 
 
FOUNDERS OF KENTUCKY. 79 
 
 setting in of that tide of population whicli, a year or 
 two after the close of the American Eevolution, 
 poured so rapidly into these fertile regions from 
 several of the Atlantic States. In this class of immi- 
 grants, there were many gentlemen of education, re- 
 finement, and no inconsiderable wealth; some of 
 whom came to Kentucky as surveyors, others as com- 
 missioners from the parent State, and others again as 
 land speculators; but most of them as bona fide immi- 
 grants, determined to pitch their tents in the Great 
 "West, at once to become units of a new people, and to 
 grow into affluence, and consideration, and renown, 
 with the growth of a young and vigorous common- 
 wealth. 
 
 ''Such were the founders of Kentucky; and in 
 them we behold the elements of a society inferior, in 
 all the essentials of goodness and greatness, to none 
 in the world. First came the hunter and trapper, to 
 trace the river courses, and spy-out the choice spots 
 of the land; then came the small farmer and the 
 hardy adventurer, to cultivate the rich plains dis- 
 covered, and lay the nucleuses of the towns and 
 cities, which were so soon, and so rapidly, to spring 
 up ; and then came the surveyor, to mark the bound- 
 
80 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 aries of individual possessions and give civil sliape 
 and strength to the unformed mass, the speculator to 
 impart a new activity and keenness to the minds of 
 men, and the chivalrous and educated gentleman, to 
 infuse into the crude materials here collected together, 
 the feelings and sentiments of refined existence, and 
 to mould them into forms of conventional beauty and 
 social excellence. Kentucky now began to have a 
 society, in which were the sinews of war, the power of 
 production, and the genius of improvement ; and from 
 this time, though still harassed, as she had been from 
 the beginning, by the inroads of a brave and deter- 
 mined enemy on her north, her advancement was 
 regular and rapid. 
 
CHAPTER YII. 
 
 I>aniel Boone sets out for Kentucky with his family and his 
 brother Squire Boone — Is joined by five families and forty men 
 at Powell's Valley — The party is attacked by Indians and Dan- 
 iel Boone's oldest son is killed — The party return to the set- 
 tlements on Clinch River — Boone, at the request of Gover- 
 nor Dunmore, goes to the West and conducts a party of sur- 
 veyors to Virginia — Boone receives the command of three gar- 
 risons and the commission of Captain — He takes a part in the 
 Dunmore war — Battle of Point Pleasant and termination of 
 the war. 
 
 Having completed all his arrangements for the 
 journey, on the 25th of September, 1774, Daniel Boone, 
 with his wife and children, set out on his journey to 
 the West. He was accompanied by his brother, Squire 
 Boone ; and the party took with them cattle and swine, 
 with a view to the stocking of their farms, when they 
 should arrive in Kentucky. Their bedding and other 
 baggage was carried by pack-horses. 
 
 At a place called Powel's Yalley, the party was rein- 
 forced by another body of emigrants to the West con- 
 6 (81) 
 
82 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 sisting of five families and no less than forty able-bodied 
 men; well armed and provided with provisions and 
 ammunition. 
 
 They now went on in high spirits, " camping out '* 
 every night in woods, under the shelter of rude tents 
 constructed with poles covered with bed-clothes. They 
 thus advanced on their journey without accident or 
 alarm, until the 6th of October, when they were ap- 
 proaching a pass in the mountains, called* Cumberland 
 Gap. The young men who were engaged in driving 
 the cattle had fallen in rear of the main body a dis- 
 tance of five or six miles, when they were suddenly 
 assailed by a party of Indians, who killed six of theii 
 number and dispersed the cattle in the woods. A sev- 
 enth man escaped with a wound. The reports of the 
 musketry brought the remainder of the party to the 
 rescue, who drove off the Indians and buried the dead. 
 Among the slain was the oldest son of Daniel Boone. 
 
 A council was now held to determine on their fu- 
 ture proceedings. Notwithstanding the dreadful do- 
 mestic misfortune which he had experienced in the loss 
 of his son, Daniel Boone was for proceeding to Ken- 
 tucky ; in this opinion he was sustained b};^ his brother 
 and some of the other emigi-ants ; but most of them 
 
RESIDENCE ON CLINCH RIVER, 83 
 
 were so much clislieartened by tlie misfortune they had 
 met with, that they insisted on returning ; and Boone 
 and his brother yielding to their wishes, returned to 
 the settlement on the Clinch Kiver, in the south-wes- 
 tern part of Virginia, a distance of forty miles from the 
 place where they had been surprised by the Indians. 
 
 Here Boone was obliged to remain with his family 
 for the present ; but he had by no means relinquished 
 his design of settling in Kentucky. This delay, how- 
 ever, was undoubtedly a providential one ; for in con- 
 sequence of the murder of the family of the Indian 
 chief Logan, a terrible Indian war, called in history 
 the Dunmore War, was impending, which broke out in 
 the succeeding year, and extended to that part of the 
 "West to which Boone and his party were proceeding, 
 when they were turned back by the attack of the In- 
 dians. 
 
 In this war Daniel Boone was destined to take an 
 active part. In his autobiography, already quoted, he 
 says: 
 
 " I remained with my family on Clinch until the 6th 
 of June, 1774, when I and one Michael Stoner were 
 solicited by Governor Dunmore, of Virginia, to go to 
 the Falls of the Ohio, to conduct into the settlement a 
 
84 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 number of surveyors that liad been sent thither by him 
 some months before ; this country having about this 
 time drawn the attention of many adventurers. We 
 immediately complied with the governor's request, and 
 conducted in the surveyors, completing a tour of 
 eight hundred miles, through many difficulties, in six- 
 ty-two days ! 
 
 " Soon after I returned home, I was ordered to take 
 command of three garrisons, during the campaign which 
 Governor Dunmore carried on against the Shawanese 
 Indians." 
 
 These three garrisons were on the frontier contigu- 
 ous to each other; and with the command of them 
 Boone received a commission as captain. 
 
 We quote from a contemporary an account of the 
 leading events of this campaign, and of the battle of 
 Point Pleasant, which may be said to have terminated 
 the war. Whether Boone was present at this battle 
 is uncertain ; but his well-known character for ability 
 and courage, renders it probable that he tok a part in 
 the action. 
 
 The settlers, now aware that a general warfare 
 would be commenced by the Indians, immediately 
 sent an express to Williamsburg, the seat of govern- 
 
THE DUNMORE WAB. 85 
 
 ment in "Virginia, communicating their apprehensions, 
 and soliciting protection. 
 
 The Legislature was in session at the time, and it 
 was immediately resolved upon to raise an army of 
 about three thousand men, and march into the heart 
 of the Indian country. 
 
 One half of the requisite number of troops was 
 ordered to be raised in Virginia, and marched under 
 General Andrew Lewis across the country to the 
 mouth of the Kenhawa ; and the remainder to be ren- 
 dezvoused at Fort Pitt, and be commanded by Dun- 
 more in person, who proposed to descend the Ohio 
 and join Lewis at the place mentioned, from where 
 the combined army was to march as circumstances 
 might dictate at the time. 
 
 By the 11th of September the troops under General 
 Lewis, numbering about eleven hundred men, were in 
 readiness to leave. The distance across to the mouth 
 of the Kenhawa, was near one hundred and sixty 
 miles through an unbroken wilderness. A competent 
 guide was secured, the baggage mounted on pack- 
 horses, and in nineteen days they arrived at the place 
 of destination. 
 
 The next morning after the arrival of the army afc 
 
86 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAMEL BOOXE. 
 
 Point Pleasant, as the point of land at the junction 
 of the Kenhawa and the Ohio was called, two men 
 were out some distance from the camp, in pursuit of a 
 deer, and were suddenly fired upon by a large body 
 of Indians ; one was killed, and the other with diffi- 
 culty retreated back to the army; who hastily re- 
 ported " that he had seen a body of the enemy cover- 
 ing four acres of ground, as closely as they could 
 stand by the side of each other." 
 
 General Lewis was a remarkably cool and con- 
 siderate man ; and upon being informed of this, '^ after 
 deliberately lighting his pipe," gave orders that the 
 regiment under his brother, Colonel Charles Lewis, 
 and another under Colonel Fleming, should march 
 and reconnoiter the enemy, while he would place the 
 remainder of the troops in order for battle. The two 
 regiments marched without delay, and had not pro- 
 ceeded more than four hundred yards when they were 
 met by the Indians, approaching for the same pur- 
 pose. A skirmish immediately ensued, and before 
 the contest had continued long, the colonels of the 
 two regiments fell mortally wounded, when a disorder 
 in the ranks followed, and the troops began a pre- 
 cipitate retreat; but almost at this moment another 
 
BATTLE OF POINT PLEASANT. 87 
 
 regiment under Colonel Field arriving to their aid, 
 and coming up with great firmness to the attack, 
 eJBfectually checked the savages in the pursuit, and 
 obliged them in turn to give way till they had retired 
 behind a breastwork of logs and brush which they 
 had partially constructed. 
 
 Lewis, on his arrival at the place, had encamped 
 quite on the point of land between the Ohio and Ken- 
 hawa, and having moved but a short distance out to 
 the attack, the distance across from river to river was 
 still but short. The Indians soon extending their 
 ranks entirely across, had the Virginians completely 
 hemmed in, and in the event of getting the better of 
 them, had them at their disposal, as there could have 
 been no chance for escape. 
 
 Never was ground maintained with more obstinacy ; 
 for it was slowly, and with no precipitancy, that the 
 Indians retired to their breastwork. The division 
 under Lewis was first broken, although that under 
 Fleming was nearly at the same moment attacked. 
 This heroic officer first received two balls through nis 
 left wrist, but continued to exercise his command 
 with the greatest coolness and presence of mind. His 
 voice was continually heard, ''Don't lose an inch of 
 
88 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 ground. Advance; outflank the enemy, and get be- 
 tween tliem and the river." But his men were about 
 to be outflanked by the body that had just defeated 
 Lewis ; meanwhile the arrival of Colonel Field turned 
 the fortune of the day, but not without a severe loss ; 
 Colonel Fleming was again wounded, by a shot 
 through the lungs ; yet he would not retire, and Col- 
 onel Field was killed as he was leading on his men. 
 The whole line of the breastwork now became as a 
 blaze of fire, which lasted nearly till the close of the 
 day. Here the Indians under Logan, Cornstock, 
 Elenipsico, Ked-Eagle, and other mighty chiefs of the 
 tribes of the Shawneese, Delawares, Mingos, Wyan- 
 dots, and Cayugas, amounting, as was supposed, to 
 fifteen hundred warriors, fought, as men will ever do 
 for their country's wrongs, with a bravery which 
 could only be equaled. The voice of the great Corn- 
 stock was often heard during the day, above the din 
 of strife, calling on his men in these words : '' Be 
 strong! Be strong!" And when by the repeated 
 charges of the whites, some of his warriors began to 
 waver, he is said to have sunk his tomahawk into the 
 head of one who was basely endeavoring to desert. 
 General Lewis, finding at length that every charge 
 
DEFEAT OF THE INDIANS. 89 
 
 •apon the lines of the Indians lessened the number of 
 his forces to an alarming degree, and rightly judging 
 that if the Indians were not routed before it was dark, 
 a day of more doubt might follow, he resolved to throw 
 a body, if possible, into their rear. As the good fortune 
 of the Virginians turned, the bank of the river favored 
 this project, and forthwith three companies were de- 
 tached upon the enterprise, under the three captains, 
 Isaac Shelby (after renowned in the revolution, and 
 since in the war with Canada,) George Matthews, and 
 John Stewart. These companies got unobserved to their 
 place of destination upon Crooked Creek, which runs 
 into the Kenhawa. From the high weeds upon the 
 bank of this little stream, they i ushed upon the backs 
 of the Indians with such fury, as to drive them from 
 their works with precipitation. The day was now 
 decided. The Indians, thus beset from a quarter they 
 did not expect, were ready to conclude that a rein- 
 forcement had arrived. It was about sunset when 
 they fled across the Ohio, and immediately took up 
 their march for their towns on the Scioto." 
 
 Of the loss of both Indians and whites in this en- 
 gagement, various statements have been given. A 
 number amounting to seventy-five killed, and one 
 
90 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 hundred and forty wounded of tlie whites, has been 
 rendered ; with a loss on part of the Indians not so 
 great, but not correctly known* This was the 
 severest battle ever fought with the Indians in Vir- 
 ginia. Shortly after this battle the Indians sent mes- 
 sengers to Governor Dunmore, suing for peace, and a 
 treaty was accordingly concluded. In this treaty the 
 Indians surrendered all claim to Kentucky. The Six 
 Nations had already done the same thing at the 
 Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768. The Cherokees had 
 sold their claims to Henderson's company; so that 
 when Boone settled in Kentucky it was effectually 
 cleared of all Indian titles. 
 
 * '< History of the Backwoods.** 
 
CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 The militia discliarged— Captain Boone returns to Hs family- 
 Henderson's company — Various companies of emigrants to 
 Kentucky — Bounty lands — Harrod's party builds the first log- 
 cabin erected in Kentucky, and founds Harrodsburg — Pro- 
 ceedings of Henderson's company — Agency of Captain Boone 
 —Ho leads a company to open a road to Kentucky River — 
 Conflicts witli tbe Indians — Captain Boone founds Boones- 
 borougb — His own account of this expedition — His letter to 
 Henderson — Account of Colonel Henderson and the Transyl- 
 vania Company — Failure of the scheme — Probability of Boone 
 having been several years in the service of Henderson. 
 
 On tHe conclusion of Dunmore's war, the militia 
 were discharged from service, the garrisons which 
 had been under Captain Daniel Boone's command 
 were broken up, and he once more returned to his 
 family, who were still residing on Clinch River. But 
 he was not long permitted to remain comparatively 
 idle. Captain Boone's character as an able officer and 
 a bold pioneer, was now well known and appreciated 
 by the public. The marks of confidence bestowed on 
 
 (91) 
 
92 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 him by Governor Dunmore rendered him one of the 
 most conspicuous men in the Southern colonies, and 
 his services were soon to be put in requisition by the 
 most considerable and remarkable of all the parties 
 of adventurers who ever sought a home in the West. 
 This was Henderson's company, called the Transyl- 
 vania Company, to whose proceedings we shall pre- 
 sently refer. 
 
 Between 1769 and 1773, various associations of 
 men were formed, in Virginia and North Carolina, for 
 visiting the newly -discovered regions and locating 
 lands; and several daring adventurers, at different 
 times during this period, penetrated to the head-waters 
 of the Licking River, and did some surveying ; but it 
 was not till the year 1774 that the whites obtained any 
 permanent foothold in Kentucky. From this year, 
 therefore, properly dates the commencement of the 
 early settlements of the State.* 
 
 The first great impetus given to adventure in Ken- 
 tucky was by the bounty in Western lands given by 
 Virginia to the officers and soldiers of her own troops 
 who had served in the British army in the old war in 
 Canada between the English and French. These lands 
 
 * Qallaglier, 
 
HARROD ARRIVES IN KENTUCKY. 93 
 
 were to be surveyed on the Ohio Eiver, and its tribu- 
 taries, by the claimants thus created, who had the 
 privilege of selecting them wherever they pleased 
 within the prescribed regions. The first locations 
 were made upon the Great Kenawha in the year 1772, 
 and the next on the south side of the Ohio itself the 
 following year. During this year, likewise, extensive 
 tracts of land were located on the north fork of the 
 Licking, and surveys made of several salt-licks, and 
 other choice spots. But 1774 was more signalized 
 than had been any preceding year by the arrival, in 
 the new " land of promise," of the claimants to por- 
 tions of its territory, and the execution of surveys. 
 Among the hardy adventurers who descended the 
 Ohio this year and penetrated to the interior of Ken- 
 tucky by the river of that name, was James Harrod, 
 who led a party of Virginians from the shores of the 
 Monongahela. He disembarked at a point still known 
 as " Harrod's Landing," and, crossing the country in 
 a direction nearly west, paused in the midst of a beau- 
 tiful and fertile region, and huilt the first log-cabin ever 
 erected in Kentucky, on or near the site of the present 
 town of Harrodsburg. This was in the spring, or 
 early part of the summer, of 1774.* 
 * Gallagher. 
 
94 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 The high-wrought descriptions of the country north 
 west of the Laurel Ridge, which were given bj Daniel 
 Boone upon his return to North Carolina after his 
 first long visit to Kentucky, circulated with great 
 rapidity throughout the entire StatC; exciting the 
 avarice of speculators and inflaming the imaginations 
 of nearly all classes of people. The organization of 
 several companies^ for the purpose of pushing adven- 
 ture in the new regions and acquiring rights to land, 
 was immediately attempted; but that which com- 
 menced under the auspices of Colonel Richard Hen- 
 derson, a gentleman of education and means, soon 
 engaged public attention by the extent and boldness 
 of its scheme, and the energy of its movements ; and 
 either frightened from their purpose, or attracted to 
 its own ranks, the principal of those individuals who 
 had at first been active in endeavoring to form other 
 associations. 
 
 The whole of that vast extent of country lying 
 within the natural boundaries constituted by the Ohio, 
 Kentucky, and Cumberland rivers, was at this time 
 claimed by a portion of the Cherokee Indians, wlio 
 resided within the limits of North Carolina ; and the 
 scheme of Henderson's Company was nothing less 
 
Henderson's purchase. 95 
 
 than to take possession of this immense territory, un- 
 der color of a purchase from those Indians, which they 
 intended to make, and the preliminary negotiations 
 for which were opened with the Cherokees, through 
 the agency of Daniel Boone, as soon as the company 
 was fully organized. Boone's mission to the Indians 
 having been attended with complete success, and the 
 result thereof being conveyed to the company, Colonel 
 Henderson at once started for Fort Wataga, on a 
 branch of the Holston Eiver, fully authorized to effect 
 the purchase ; and here, on the 17th of March, 1775, 
 he met the Indians in solemn council, delivered them 
 a satisfactory consideration in merchandise, and re- 
 ceived a deed signed by their head chiefs. 
 
 The purchase made, the next important step was to 
 take possession of the territory thus acquired. The 
 proprietors were not slow to do this, but immediately 
 collected a small company of brave and hardy men, 
 which they sent into Kentucky, under the direction of 
 Daniel Boone, to open a road from the Holston to the 
 Kentucky Eiver, and erect a Station at the mouth of 
 Otter Creek upon this latter. 
 
 After a laborious and hazardous march through the 
 wilderness, during which four men were killed, and 
 
96 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 five others wounded, by trailing and skulking parties 
 of hostile Indians, Boone and his company reached 
 the banks of the Kentucky on the first of April, and 
 descending this some fifteen miles, encamped upon the 
 spot where Boonesborough now stands. Here the 
 bushes were at once cut down, the ground leveled, the 
 nearest trees felled, the'^foundations laid for a fort, and 
 the first settlement of Kentucky commenced. 
 
 Perhaps the reader would like to see Boone's own 
 account of these proceedings. Here is the passage 
 where he mentions it in his autobiography. He has 
 just been speaking of Governor Dunmore's war against 
 the Shawanese Indians: "After the conclusion of 
 which, he says, the militia was discharged from each 
 garrison, and I being relieved from my post, was so- 
 licited by a number of North Carolina gentlemen, that 
 were about purchasing the lands lying on the South 
 side of Kentucky Eiver from the Cherokee Indians, to 
 attend their treaty at Wataga, in March, 1775, to ne- 
 gotiate with them, and mention the boundaries of the 
 purchase. This I accepted ; and at the request of the 
 same gentlemen, undertook .to mark out a road in the 
 best passage through the wilderness to Kentucky, with 
 
BOOXESBOROUGII FOUNDED. 97 
 
 sucli assistance as I thought necessary to employ for 
 sucli an important undertaking? 
 
 " I soon began this work, having collected a num • 
 ber of enterprising men, well armed. We proceeded 
 with all possible expedition until we came within 
 fifteen miles of where Boonesborough now stands, and 
 where we were fired upon by a party of Indians, that 
 killed two, and wounded two of our number; yet, al- 
 though surprised and taken at a disadvantage, we stood 
 our ground. This was on the twentieth of Marcli, 
 1775. Three days after we were fired upon again, and 
 had two men killed and three wounded. Afterward 
 we proceeded on to Kentucky Eiver without opposition, 
 and on the fifth day of April began to erect the fort 
 of Boonesborough at a salt-lick, about sixty yards from 
 the river, on the south side." 
 
 " On the fourth day, the Indians killed one of our 
 men. "We were busily engaged in building the fort, 
 until the fourteenth day of June following, without any 
 further opposition from the Indians." 
 
 In addition to this account by Captain Boone, we 
 have another in a sort of official report made by him 
 to Colonel Eichard Henderson, the head of the com- 
 7 
 
98 LI Ft; OF COT.ONEL DAXIEL BOO\E. 
 
 pany in whose service Boone was then employed. It 
 is cited by Peck in his Lite of Boone, as follows : 
 
 ^'Ajrril loth, 1775. 
 - " Dear Colonel : After my compliments to you, I 
 shall acquaint you with our misfortune. On March 
 the 25th a party of Indians fired on my company 
 about half an hour before day, and killed Mr. T witty 
 and his negro, and wounded Mr. Walker very deeply, 
 but I hope he will recover. 
 
 " On ^[arch the 28th, as we were hunting for pro- 
 visions, we found Samuel Tate's son, who gave us an 
 account that the Indians fired on their camp on the 
 27th day. My brother and I went down and found 
 two men killed and scalped, Thomas McDowell and 
 Jeremiah McPeters. I have sent a man down to all 
 the lower companies in order to gather them all to the 
 mouth of Otter Creek. My advice to you, sir, is to 
 come or send as soon as possible. Your company is 
 desired greatly, for the people are very uneas}^, but 
 are willing to stay and venture their lives with you ; 
 and now is the time to flusterate their (the Indians) 
 intentions, and keep the country whilst we are in it. 
 If we give way to them now, it will ever be the case. 
 
COLONEL IIEXDEnSOX. 99 
 
 riiis day we start from the battle-ground for tlie 
 mouth of Otter Creek, where we shall immediately 
 erect a fort, which will be done before you can come 
 or send ; then we can send ten men to meet you if 
 you send for them. 
 
 " I am, sir, your most obedient, 
 
 "Daniel Booxe. 
 " N". B. — We stood on the ground and guarded our 
 baggage till day, and lost nothing. We have about 
 fifteen miles to Cantuck, at Otter Creek." 
 
 Colonel Henderson was one of the most remarkable 
 men of his time. He was born in Hanover County, 
 Virginia, April 20th, 1735, the same year with Boone. 
 He studied law, and was appointed judge of the Su- 
 perior Court of North Carolina under the Colonial 
 government. The troubled times of the Eegulators 
 shut up the courts of justice. In 1774 he engaged in 
 his grand scheme of founding the republic of Tran- 
 s}' Ivania, and united with him John Williams, Leonard 
 Hendly Bullock, of Granville ; William Johnston, 
 James Hogg, Thomas Hart, John Lutterell, Nathan- 
 iel Hart, and David Hart, of Orange County, in the 
 company which made the purchase of the immense 
 tract of lands above referred to. 
 
100 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 The company took possession of the lands on the 
 20th of April, 1775 ; the Indians appointing an agent 
 to deliver them according to law. 
 
 The Governor of Korth Carolina, Martin, issued 
 Lis proclamation in 1775, declaring this purchase 
 illegal. The State subsequently granted 200,000 acres 
 to the company in lieu of this. 
 
 The State of Virginia declared the same, but granted 
 the company a remuneration of 200,000 acres, bounded 
 by the Ohio and Green rivers. The State of Ten- 
 nessee claimed the lands, but made a similar grant to 
 the company in Powell's Valley. Thus, though the 
 original scheme of founding an independent republic 
 failed, the company made their fortunes by the specu- 
 lation. Henderson died at his seat in Granville, Jan- 
 uary 30, 1785, universally beloved and respected. 
 
 What makes Henderson and his company particu- 
 larl}^ interesting to the admirers of Daniel Boone is, 
 the strong probability that the purchase of the Chero- 
 kees was made on his representation and by liis advice. 
 This is the opinion of Judge Hall and of Mr. Peck, 
 who also believe that Boone was already in tlie ser- 
 vice of Henderson when he made his long journey to 
 Kentucliy. "This theory," says !Mr. Peck, '-'explains 
 
 ■*•■ 
 
SUGGESTS HENDEESON'S PURCHASE. 101 
 
 why his brother, Squire Boone, came out with sup- 
 plies, and why they examined the country so fully 
 and particularly between the Kentucky and Cumber- 
 
 land rivers. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Description of tlie Old Fort at Booneslborougli — Usual metliods 
 of fortification against tlie Indians — Arrival of more settlers 
 at Boonesborougli — Captain Boone returns to the Ciincli River 
 to bring out bis family — He enlists new emigrants and starts 
 for Kentucky — Reinforced by a large party at Powell's Valley 
 — Arrival at Boonesborougli — Arrival of many new settlers at 
 Boonesborougli and Harrod's settlement — Arrival of Kenton, 
 Floyd, tbe McAfees, and other distinguished persons — Arrival 
 of Colonel Richard Callaway. 
 
 As the old fort at Boonesborougli became so cele- 
 brated in the Indian wars which followed its erection, 
 our readers may be curious to know what sort of 
 structure it was. We have accordingly copied from 
 a print in Collins' Historical Sketches of Kentucky a 
 view of the fort, from a drawing made by Colonel 
 Henderson himself, and the following description : 
 "It was situated adjacent to the river, with one of the 
 angles resting on its bank near the water, and extend 
 ing from it in the form of a parallelogram. The length 
 of the fort, allowing twenty feet for each cabin and 
 (102) 
 
FORT AT BOOXESBOKOUGH. lOS 
 
 opening, must have been about two liuiidrecl and sixty, 
 and the breadth one hundred and fiflv feet. In a few- 
 days after the work was commenced, one of the men 
 "was killed by the Indians." The houses, being built 
 of hewn logs, were bullet proof. I hej'' were of a 
 square form, and one of them projected from each 
 corner, being connected by stockades. The remaining 
 space on the four sides, as will be seen by the en- 
 graving, was filled up with cabins erected of rough 
 logs, placed close together. The gates were on oppo- 
 site sides, made of thick slabs of timber, and hung on 
 wooden hinges. This was in accordance with the 
 fashion of the day. 
 
 *' A fort, in those rude military times," says Butler,* 
 ^'consisted of pieces of timber sharpened at the end^ 
 and firmly lodged in the ground: rows of these 
 pickets enclosed the desired space, which embraced 
 the cabins of the inhabitants. A block-house or more, 
 of superior care and strength, commanding the sides 
 of the fort, with or without a ditch, completed the 
 fortifications or Stations, as they were called. Gen- 
 erally tliC sides of the interior cabiiis formed tlic sides 
 of the fort. Slight as this advance was in the art of 
 
 * Ilistorr of Kentucky'. 
 
104: LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 war, it was more than sufficient against attacks of 
 small arms in the bands of such desultory warriors, 
 as their irregular supply of provisions necessarily 
 rendered the Indians. Such was the nature of the 
 military structures of the provision against their 
 enemies. They were ever more formidable in the 
 canebrakes and in the woods than before even these 
 imperfect fortifications." 
 
 We have seen in Boone's own account that the fort 
 at Boonesborough was completed on the 14th of June, 
 1774. The buildings necessary for the accommoda- 
 tion and safety of the little colony, and of the relatives 
 and friends by whom they expected to be joined 
 during the summer and fall, were completed about 
 this time. Colonel Henderson, Mr. John Luttrell, and 
 Mr. !N"athaniel Ilart, three of the proprietors, an-ived 
 at the station, which was now named Boonesborough, 
 in compliment to the intrepid pioneer. These gentle- 
 men brought out with them between thirty and forty 
 new settlers, a goodly number of pack-horses, and 
 some of the necessaries of civilized life ; and the Sta- 
 tion, upon which various improvements were soon 
 made, at once became quite a bustling, life-like, im- 
 portant />2i7/7a/-y place. Much pleased with the manner 
 
REMOVES HIS FAMILY TO KENTUCKY. 105 
 
 in wliicli he had commenced the settlement of a new 
 commonwealth, and laid the foundations of what he 
 doubted not was soon to become a great city, Boone 
 took a part of his men and returned to the settlement 
 on Clinch Eiver, for the purpose of setting an example 
 to others by moving out his own family. 
 
 The daring pioneer was now in high spirits, and 
 more than ever enraptured with the deep forests and 
 rich plains of Kentucky. He sounded their praises 
 without intermission among the settlers on Clinch 
 River, and soon induced a number of persons to agree 
 to accompany him on his return to Boonesborough. 
 He then went about makinsr his domestic arrano^e- 
 ments, for a final removal to Kentucky, with great 
 energy ; and these being soon completed, in Septem- 
 ber or October he turned his back upon his old home 
 forever, and started with his family and a few fol- 
 lowers toward that which his unsurpassed daring and 
 rude skill had prepared for them in a new land. In 
 Poweirs Yalley he found Hugh McGary, Richard 
 Hogau, and Thomas Denton, with their iamilies and 
 followers, awaiting his arrival. His companions, as 
 now increased, amounted to twenty -six men, four 
 women, and four or five boys and girls, perhaps half 
 
106 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 grown ; and placing himself at the head of this inter- 
 esting little colony, he proudly led it through the 
 Cumberland Gap into the wilderness beyond, where 
 it was destined to be the germ of a great State. 
 
 "When this party had arrived at the head of Dick's 
 River, ^FcGary, Denton, and Hogan. with their fami- 
 lies and a few followers, separated themselves from 
 the rest, and struck through the forest for the spot 
 where Ilarrod and his Monongahelians had built their 
 cabin the year before. Boone, with the main body 
 of the party, continued his original course, and in 
 due time arrived safely at Boonesborough ; ''and Mrs. 
 Boone and her daughter," it is always recorded with 
 an air of pleasant exultation by the admirers of the 
 old pioneer, " were the earliest white women in that 
 rcG^ion, and the first of their sex and color that ever 
 stood upon the banks of the w^ild and beautiful 
 Kentucky." 
 
 During the latter part of the year 1775, a great 
 many adventurers and surveyors, principally from 
 Virginia and North Carolina, made their appearance 
 in Kentucky ; and for all such, Boonesborough was a 
 place of general rendezvous. Some united themselves 
 to Boone's colony, and reniained permanently at his 
 
PROGRESS OF THE SETTLEMENT. 10/ 
 
 Station ; others clustered around Harrod's Old Cabin, 
 and tlie Fort whicli had by tins time been erected by 
 Logan, and made '' improvements " in the vicinity of 
 each; but most of them returned to their several homes 
 after having made such locations and surveys as they 
 thought proper. Among those by whom Boone was 
 visited in the course of this year, were several men who 
 have subsequently rendered very important services 
 in the settlement of the West, and attained great and 
 deserved celebrity: such were Simon Kenton, John 
 Floyd, the four brothers McAfee, and others. A tol- 
 erably good road, sufiicient for the passage of pack- 
 horses in single file, had been opened from the settle- 
 ments on the Holston to Boonesborough, by the party 
 which Boone led out early in the following spring ; 
 and this now became the thoroughfare for other adven- 
 turers, a number of whom removed their families from 
 North Carolina to Kentucky, and settled at Boones- 
 borough, during the fall and winter of this year. Col- 
 onel Eichard Callaway was one of these; and there 
 were others of equal respectability. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Di>turbed state of tlie countrj in 1775 — Breaking out of the 
 Rovolutionary war — Exposed situation of the Kentucky set- 
 tlements — Hostility of the Indians excited by the British — 
 First political convention in the West — Capture of Boone's 
 daughter and the daughters of Colonel Callaway by the In- 
 dians — Their rescue by a party led by Boone and Callaway — 
 Increased caution of the colonists at Boonesborough — Alarm 
 and desertion of the Colonies in the West by land speculators 
 and other adventurers — A reinforcement of forty-five men 
 from North Carolina arrive at Boonesborough — Indian attack 
 on Boonesborough in April — Another attack in July — Attack 
 on Logan's Fort, and siege — Attack on Harrodsburg. 
 
 The reader will not fail to remark tliat the period 
 
 at wliich Daniel Boone commenced the settlement of 
 
 Kentucky, was the most eventful one in the history 
 
 of our country. In the year 1775 hostilities between 
 
 Great Britain and her American Colonies commenced 
 
 at Lexington and Concord, and the whole country 
 
 was mustering in arms at the time when Boone and 
 
 the other western emigrants were forming settlements 
 (108) 
 
HOSTILITY OF THE INDIANS. 109 
 
 four hundred miles beyond the frontiers of Virginia 
 and the Carolinas. Encouraged by the treaty of Lord 
 Dunmore with the Indians in 1774, and knowing the 
 Indian titles to the lands they were occupying to have 
 been extinguished, they naturally counted on an un- 
 molested possession of the region they were settling. 
 But in this expectation they were sorely disappointed. 
 The English officers and agents in the northwest were 
 indefatigable in stimulating tLe Indians to attack the 
 American colonists in every quarter. They supplied 
 them with arms and ammunition, bribed them with 
 money, and aided and encouraged them to attack the 
 feeble settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee. But 
 Providence overruled these circumstances for the 
 benefit of the "Western country. " The settlement of 
 Kentucky led to the conquest of the British posts 
 in Illinois and Indiana, in 1778, and eventually threw 
 the wide valleys of the West under control of the 
 American Union.""' 
 
 The settlers in Kentucky in 1775, were still acting 
 under the belief that the claims purchased by Hen- 
 derson and Company from the Cherokees were valid, 
 and that " the Proprietors of the Colony of Transyl- 
 vania" were really founding a political State. Under 
 
 * Peck. "Life of Daniel Boone." 
 
110 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAI^'IEL BOONE. 
 
 this impression they took leases from the Company, 
 and in the course of the year, eighteen delegates as- 
 sembled in convention at Boonesborough, and ac- 
 knowledged the Company as lawful proprietors, 
 " established courts of justice, and rules for proceed- 
 ing therein ; also a militia law, a law for the preser- 
 vation of game, and for appointing civil and militia 
 officers.""^ This was the first political convention 
 ever held in the Western Yalley for the formation 
 of a free govern ment.f 
 
 The winter and spring of 1776:}: were passed by the 
 little colony of Boonesborough in hunting, fishing, 
 clearing the lands immediately contiguous to the 
 station, and putting in a crop of corn. The colonists 
 were molested but once by their enemies during the 
 winter, when one man was killed by a small band of 
 marauding Indians, who suddenly appeared in the 
 vicinity, and as suddenly departed. 
 
 ■^Butler. "History of Kentucky." 
 
 t Peck. " Life of Daniel Boone." 
 
 X Mr. Peck mentions tlie spring of 1776, as the date of the 
 arrival at Boonesborough of Colonel Richard Callaway, and an 
 intimate friend of Boone, with his family, and the family of 
 Benjamin Logan, who had returned for them the preceding 
 autumn. 
 
CAPTUKE OF THREE FEMALES. HI 
 
 111 the middle summer month, an incident of a 
 thrilling character occurred, Avhicli cast a deep but 
 only momentary shadow upon the little society of 
 Boonesborough. This was the capture, by some 
 skulking Indians belonging to a numerous band who 
 were now prowling through the woods and brakes of 
 Kentucky, and occasionally approaching the settle- 
 ments for the purpose of plunder, of three young 
 females, members of the families of Boone and Calla- 
 way. 
 
 This incident, which has been taken as the £cround- 
 work of two or three western fictions, and also had 
 thrown around it all the warm coloring of romance, 
 by writers professing to deal only with the authentic, 
 is thus briefly related in the papers of Colonel John 
 Floyd, as quoted by Mr. Butler: 
 
 " On the 7th of Julj^, 1776, the Indians took out 
 of a canoe which was in the river, within sight of 
 Boonesborough, Miss Betsey Callaway, her sister 
 Frances, and a daughter of Daniel Boone. The last 
 two were about thirteen or fourteen years of age, and 
 the other grown. 
 
 " The affair happened late in the afternoon, and the 
 spoilers left the canoe on the opposite side of the river 
 
112 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 from US, wliicli prevented our getting over for some 
 time to pursue them. Next morning by daylight we 
 were on the track, but found they had totally pre- 
 vented our following them by walking some distance 
 apart through the thickest cane they could find. We 
 observed their course, however, and on which side they 
 had left their sign, and traveled upward of thirty 
 miles. We then imagined that they would be less 
 cautious in traveling, and made a turn in order to 
 cross their trace, and had gone but a few miles before 
 we found their tracks in a buffalo-path. 
 
 " Pursuing this for the distance of about ten miles, 
 we overtook them just as they were kindling a fire to 
 cook. Our study had been more to get the prisoners 
 without giving their captors time to murder them 
 after they should discover us, than to kill the Indians. 
 
 " We discovered each other nearly at the same time. 
 Four of our party fired, and then all rushed upon 
 them, which prevented their carrying any thing away 
 except one shot-gun without any ammunition. Mr. 
 Boone and myself had a pretty fair shot, just as they 
 began to move off. I am well convinced I shot one 
 through; the one he shot dropped his gun, mine had 
 none. 
 
,1111 " i;i!j' 
 
 I 
 
 ii« I 
 
 K; 
 
 II' 'Ml' 
 
 I 'I' 
 
 I I H W 
 
 III Mill!' ''I'M 
 
 idiii'^ 
 
DEPARTURE OF SPECULATORS. 113 
 
 " Tlie place was very thick with cane ; and being so 
 much elated on recovering the three little broken- 
 hearted girls, prevented our making any further 
 Bearch. We sent them off without moccasins, and 
 not one of them with so much as a knife or a toma- 
 hawk." 
 
 Although the people of the little colony of Boones- 
 borough were not aware of the fact at the time, the 
 marauding Indians who thus captured Miss Boone 
 and the Misses Callaway, as they were amusing them- 
 selves by paddling about the foot of the rock in the 
 canoe, were one of the many scouting parties of 
 Indians who were scattered about watching all the 
 different settlements in Kentucky, and preparing to 
 attack them. The incident of the capture of the girls 
 spread an alarm, and guards were stationed to defend 
 the hands who were engaged. in cultivating the ground. 
 
 Toward autumn the alarm of Indian hostilities, 
 and the knowledge that war was raging throughout 
 the Colonies east of the mountains, excited so much 
 alarm, that some three hundred land speculators and 
 other adventurers deserted the Western country and 
 returned to their old homes.- 
 
 8 * Peck. 
 
114 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 With the exception of the capture of the young 
 girls mentioned above, no incident is recorded as 
 having disturbed the tranquillity of Boonesborough 
 during the year 1776. An occasional immigrant 
 added a new member to its little society, who assisted 
 in the labors of the hardy colonists on the surround- 
 ing grounds. But its numbers received no consider- 
 able increase till the following summer, when (25th 
 July, 1777,) a party of immigrants from North Caro- 
 lina, consisting of forty-five men, arrived in the 
 country, and took up their first abode in the wilder- 
 ness at Boonesborough. 
 
 This was a fortunate circumstance for that station, 
 and great cause of rejoicing among all the settlements, 
 for there were none of them that had not been much 
 molested by the Indians since the opening of spring, 
 and one or two of them had undergone long and 
 reo^ular Indian siesres. 
 
 Boonesborough had been surrounded by about one 
 hundred of the enemy, as early as the middle of April, 
 1777, and fiercely attacked. But the Indians were so 
 warmly received by the garrison on this occasion, 
 tiiat they in a ycvy little time withdrew, having killed 
 
SIEGE AND REPULSE OF THE INDIANS. 115 
 
 one of the settlers, and wounded four others. Their 
 own loss could not be ascertained. 
 
 Increased to two hundred warriors, this party had 
 returned to the attack of Boonesborough on the fourth 
 of Julj.* On the present occasion, having sent de- 
 tachments to alarm and annoy the neighboring settle- 
 ments, in order that no reinforcements should be sent 
 to Boonesborough, the Indians encamped about the 
 place, with the object of attempting its reduction by 
 a regular siege. After a close and vigorous attack 
 for two days and nights, in which they succeeded in 
 killing but one man and wounding four others, the 
 Indians, losing all hope of success, suddenly, and with 
 great clamor, raised the siege, and disappeared in the 
 adjacent forest. Their own loss was seven warriors, 
 whose fall was noted from the fort. 
 
 After this attack, Boonesborough was disturbed no 
 more by the Indians during the year. Had it been 
 after the arrival of the immigrants above referred to, 
 it would, in all probability, have taught its indefati- 
 gable enemies a lesson such as they had never then 
 received at the hands of the Kentuckians. 
 
 But notwithstanding these two considerable attacks, 
 * Gallagher. 
 
116 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 and the "signs" of Indians in the surrounding forests 
 for the whole summer, the men continued to clear the 
 lands adjacent to the Station, and to cultivate corn and 
 garden vegetables, some alwaj^s keeping a vigilant 
 look-out while the others labored. For supplies of 
 meat they depended upon the forests, each of the men 
 taking his turn as a hunter, at great hazard. 
 
 Meantime, the other settlements in Kentucky had 
 suffered attacks from the Indians. Logan's Fort was 
 invested by a force of one hundred Indians on the 
 20th of May, 1777, and after sustaining a vigorous 
 siege for several days, was finally relieved by the 
 timely arrival of a reinforcement commanded by Col- 
 onel Bowman. On the 7th of March, 1777, the fort 
 at Harrodsburg, then called Harrodstown, was assailed 
 by a body of Indians, but they were speedily driven 
 off, one of their number being killed. The whites 
 had four men wounded, one of whom afterward tlied 
 of his wounds. 
 
CHAPTER XT. 
 
 Arrival of George Rogers Clark in Kentucky— Anecdote of liis 
 conversation with Ray — Clark and Jones chosen as delegates 
 for the Colonies to the Virginia Legislature — Clark's import- 
 ant services in obtaining a political organization for Kentucky, 
 and an abundant supply of gunpowder from the government 
 of Virginia — Great labor and difficulty in bringing the powder 
 to Harrodstown— Clark's expedition against Kaskaskias— Sur- 
 prise and capture of their fort— Perilous and difficult march 
 to Vincennes— Surprise and capture of that place— Extension 
 of the Virginian settlements — Erection of Fort Jefferson. 
 
 Among the most celebrated pioneers of the West, 
 was General George Rogers Clark, who, at the time 
 we are now writing of, bore the rank of Major. 
 Anxious for the protection of the Western settle- 
 ments, he was already planning his celebrated con- 
 quest of the British posts in the northwest. 
 
 He first came to Kentucky in 1775, and penetrated 
 to Harrodsburg, which had been reoccupied by Col- 
 onel Harrod, In this visit, from his well known and 
 commanding talents, he was voluntarily placed in 
 
 (117) 
 
lis LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 command of tlie irregular troops then in Kentucky. 
 In the fall he returned to Yirginia, and came back 
 again to Kentucky in 1776. Mr. Butler relates the 
 following anecdote, received from the lips of General 
 Ray, as having occurred with General Clark upon his 
 second visit: "I had come down," said General Ray, 
 *' to where I now live (about four miles north of Har- 
 rodsburg), to turn some horses in the range. I had 
 killed a small blue-wing duck that Avas feeding in my 
 spring, and had roasted it nicely on the brow of the 
 hili, about twenty steps east of my house. After 
 having taken it off to cool, I was much surprised on 
 being suddenly accosted by a fine soldierly-looking 
 man, who exclaimed, ' How do you do, my little fel- 
 low ? What is your name? Ain't you afraid of 
 being in the woods by yourself?' On satisfying his 
 inquiries, I invited the traveler to partake of my 
 duck, which he did, without leaving me a bone to pick, 
 his appetite was so keen, though he should have been 
 welcome to all the game I could have killed, when I 
 afterward became acquainted with his noble and gal- 
 lant soul." After satisfying his questions, he inquired 
 of the stranger his own name and business in this re- 
 mote region. "My name is Clark," he answered, 
 
DELEGATES CHOSEN. 119 
 
 " and I have come out to see what you brave fellows 
 are doing in Kentucky, and to lend you a helping 
 hand if necessary." General Eay, then a boy of six- 
 teen, conducted Qark to Harrodsburg, where he spent 
 his time in observation on the condition and prospects 
 of the countr}^, natural to his comprehensive mind, 
 and assisting at every opportunity in its defense. 
 
 At a general meeting of the settlers at Harrodstown, 
 on the 6th of June, 1775, General George Rogers 
 Clark, and Gabriel John Jones, were chosen to repre- 
 sent them in the Assembly of Virginia. 
 
 This, however, was not precisely the thing contem- 
 plated by Clark.* He wished that the people should 
 appoint agents^ with general powers to negotiate with the 
 government of Virginia, and in the event that that com- 
 monwealth should refuse to recognize the colonists 
 as within its jurisdiction and under its protection, he 
 proposed to employ the lands of the country as a fund 
 to obtain settlers and establish an independent State. 
 The election had, however, gone too far to change its 
 object when .Clark arrived at Harrodstown, and the 
 gentlemen elected, although aware that the choice 
 could give them no seat in the legislature, proceeded 
 
 * Collins. 
 
120 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 to Williamsburg, at that time the seat of government. 
 After suffering tlie most severe privations in their 
 journey through the wilderness, the delegates found, 
 on their arrival in Virginia, that the Legislature had 
 adjourned, whereupon Jones directed his steps to the 
 settlements on the Holston, and left Clark to attend t. * 
 the Kentucky mission alone. 
 
 He immediately waited on Governor Henry, then 
 lying sick at his residence in Hanover County, to 
 whom he stated the objects of his journey. These 
 meeting the approbation of the governor, he gave Clark 
 a letter to the Executive Council of the State. With 
 this letter in his hand he appeared before the council, 
 and after acquainting them fully with the condition 
 and circumstances of the colony, he made application 
 for five hundred- weight of gunpowder for the defense 
 of the various stations. But with every disposition to 
 assist and promote the growth of these remote and 
 infant settlements, the council felt itself restrained by 
 the uncertain and indefinite state of the relations ex- 
 isting between the colonists and the state of Virginia, 
 from complying fully with his demand. The Ken- 
 tuckians had not yet been recognized by the Legisla- 
 ture as citizens, and the proprietary claimants. Hen- 
 
TROCSEDINGS OF CLARK WITH THE COUN'CIL. 121 
 
 derson & Co., were at this time exerting tlieniselves to 
 obtain from Virginia, a relinquishment of her jurisdic- 
 tion over the new territory. The council, therefore, 
 could only afford to lend the gunpowder to the colonists 
 as friends, not give it to them as felloiv-citizens.'^ 
 
 At the same time, they required Clark to be person- 
 ally responsible for its value, in the event the Legisla- 
 ture should refuse to recognize the Kentuckians as citi- 
 zens, and in the mean time to defray the expense of 
 its conveyance to Kentucky. Upon these terms he 
 did not feel at liberty to accept the proffered assistance, 
 lie represented to the Council, that the emissaries of 
 the British were employing every means to engage the 
 Indians in the war ; that the people in the remote and 
 exposed Stations of Kentucky might be exterminated 
 for the want of a supply which he, a private individ- 
 ual, had at so much hazard and hardship, souglit for 
 their relief, and that when this frontier bulwark was 
 thus destroyed, the fury of the savages would burst like 
 a tempest upon the heads of their own citizens. 
 
 To these representations, however, the Council re- 
 mained inexorable ; the sympathy for the frontier set- 
 tlers was deep, but the assistance already offered waa 
 * Collins. 
 
122 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 a stretch of po^Ye^, and tliey could go no farther. The 
 keeper of the public magazine was directed to deliver 
 the powder to Clark ; but having long reflected on the 
 situation, prospects, and resources of the new country, 
 his resolution to reject the assistance, on the proposed 
 conditions, was made before he left the Council chamber. 
 He determined to repair to Kentucky, as he had at 
 first contemplated, to exert the resources of the country 
 for the formation of an indej^endent State. He accord- 
 ingl}^ returned the order of the Council in a letter, set- 
 ting forth his reasons for declining to accept their 
 powder on these terms, and intimating his design of 
 applying for assistance elsewhere, adding " that a 
 country which was not worth defending was not worth 
 claiming." On the receipt of this letter the Council 
 recalled Clark to their presence, and an order was 
 passed on the 23d of August, 1776, for the transmis- 
 sion of the gunpowder to Pittsburg, to be there 
 delivered to Clark, or his order, for the use of the 
 people of Kentucky. This was the first act in that 
 long and affectionate interchange of good offices which 
 subsisted between Kentucky and her parent State for 
 so many 3^ears; and obvious as the reflection is, it 
 may not be omitted, that on the successful termination 
 
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF KENTUCKY. 123 
 
 of this negotiation hung the connection between Vir- 
 ginia and the splendid domain she afterward acquired 
 west of the Alleghany Mountains. 
 
 At the fall session of the Legislature of Virginia, 
 Messrs. Jones and Clark laid the Kentucky memorial 
 before that body. They were, of course, not admitted 
 to seats, though late in the session they obtained, in 
 opposition to the exertions of Colonels Henderson and 
 Campbell, the formation of the territory, which now 
 comprises the present State of that name, into the 
 County of Kentucky. The first ef&cient political 
 organization of Kentucky was thus obtained through 
 the sagacity, influence, and exertions of George Kogers 
 Clark, who must be ranked as the earliest founder of 
 that Commonwealth. This act of the Virginia Legis- 
 lature first gave it form and a political existence, and 
 entitled it, under the constitution of Virginia, to a 
 representation in the Assembly, as well as to a 
 judicial and military establishment. 
 
 Having obtained these important advantages from 
 their mission, they received the intelligence that the 
 powder was still at Pittsburg, and they determined to 
 take that point in their route home, and carry it with 
 them. The countrj- around Pittsburg swarmed with 
 
124 LIFE OF COLOXKL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 Indians, evidently hostile to the whites, -who Avould 
 no doubt seek to interrupt their voyage. 
 
 These circumstances created a necessity for the 
 utmost caution as well as expedition in their move- 
 ments, and they accordingly hastily embarked on the 
 Ohio Y/ith only seven boatmen. They were hotly 
 pursued the whole way by Indians, but succeeded in 
 keeping in advance until they arrived at the mouth 
 of Limestone Creek, at the spot where the city of 
 Maysville now stands. They ascended this creek a 
 short distance with their boat, and concealed their 
 cargo at different places in the woods along its banks. 
 They then turned their boat adrift, and directed their 
 course to Harrodstown, intending to return with a 
 sufficient escort to insure the safe transportation of 
 the powder to its destination. This in a short time 
 was successfully efiected, and the colonists were thus 
 abundantly supplied with the means of defense against 
 the fierce enemies who beset them on all sides.* 
 
 It was fortunate for Virginia, says a recent writer,f 
 that she had at this time, on her western borders, an 
 individual of rare mxilitary genius, in the person of 
 
 " Collins. ''Historical Sketches of Kentucky." 
 t Howe. "PHstorical Collections of Virginia." 
 
EXPEDITION AGAINST KASKASKIAS. 125 
 
 Colonel George Eogers Clarke, " the Hannibal of the 
 WeM,''^ who not only saved her back settlements from 
 Indian fury, but planted her standard far beyond the 
 Ohio. The Governor of the Canadian settlements in 
 the Illinois country, by every possible method, insti- 
 gated the Indians to annoy the frontier. 
 
 Virginia placed a small force of about 250 men 
 nnder Clark, who, descending the Ohio, hid their 
 boats, and marched northwardly, with their provisions 
 on their backs. These being consumed, they sub- 
 sisted for two days on roots, and, in a state of famine, 
 apj)eared before Kaskaskias, unseen and unheard. 
 
 At midnight they surprised and took the town and 
 fort, which had resisted a much larger force ; then 
 seizing the golden moment, sent a detachment who 
 with equal success surprised three other towns. 
 Eocheblave, the obnoxious Governor, was sent to 
 Virginia. On his person were found written instruc- 
 tions from Quebec to excite the Indians to hostilities., 
 and reward them for the scalps of the Americans. 
 
 The settlers transferred their allegiance to Virginia, 
 and she, as the territory belonged to her by conquest 
 and charter, in the autumnal session of 1778 erected 
 it into a county to be called Illinois. Insulated in the 
 
% 
 
 i 
 
 126 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 heart of the Indian countiy, in the midst of the mosi 
 ferocious tribes, few men but Clark could have Die- 
 served this acquisition. 
 
 Hamilton, the Governor of Detroit, a bold and 
 tyrannical personage, determined, with an overwhelm- 
 ing force of British and Indians, to penetrate up the 
 Ohio to Fort Pitt to sweep all the principal settlements 
 in his way, and besiege Kaskaskias. Clark despaired 
 of keeping possession of the country, but he resolved 
 to preserve this post, or die in its defense. While he 
 was strengthening the fortifications, he received in- 
 formation that Hamilton, who was at Fort St. Yincent^ 
 (Vincennes,) had weakened his force by sending some 
 Indians against the frontiers. 
 
 This information, to the genius of Clark, disclosed, 
 with the rapidity of an electric flash, not only safety 
 but new glory. To resolve to attack Hamilton before 
 he could collect the Indians was the work of a mo- 
 ment — the only hope of saving the country. With a 
 band of 150 gallant and hardy comrades, he -marched 
 across the country. It was in February, 1779. When 
 Avithin nine miles of the enemy, it took these intrepid 
 men five days to cross the drowned lands of the 
 Wabash, having often to wade up to their breasts 
 
CAPTURE OF FORT ST. VINCENT. 127 
 
 ill Avater. Had not the weather been remarkably 
 mild, tliey must have perished. 
 
 On the evening of the 23d, they landed in sight 
 of the fort, before the enemy knew any thing of 
 their approach. After a siege of eighteen hours it 
 surrendered, without the loss of a man to the be- 
 siegers. The Governor was sent prisoner to AYil- 
 liamsburg, and considerable stores fell into the pos 
 session of the conqueror. 
 
 Other auspicious circumstances crowned this re- 
 sult. Clark, intercepting a convoy from Canada, on 
 their way to this post, took the mail, forty prisoners, 
 and goods to the value of $45,000; and to crown 
 all, his express from Yirginia arrived with the 
 thanks of the Assembly to him and his gallant 
 band for their reduction of the country about Kas- 
 kaskias. This year Yirginia extended her western 
 establishments through the agency of Colonel Clark, 
 and had several fortifications erected, among which 
 was Fort Jefferson, on the Mississippi.* 
 
 * Howe. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Scarcity of salt at Boonesborougli — Boone goes to Blue Licks to 
 make salt, and is captured bj the Indians — Taken to Chilli- 
 cotlie — Affects contentment, and deceives tlie Indians— Taken 
 to Detroit — Kindess of tlie British, officers to him — Returns to 
 Chillicothe — Adopted into an Indian family — Ceremonies of 
 adoption — Boone sees a large force of Indians destined to 
 attack Booneshorough — Escapes, and gives the alarm, and 
 strengthens the fortifications at Booneshorough — News of 
 delay by the Indians on account of Boone's escape — Boone 
 goes on an expedition to the Scioto — Has a fight with a party 
 of Indians — Returns to Booneshorough, which is immediately 
 besieged by Captain Duquesue with five hundred Indians- 
 Summons to surrender — Time gained — Attack commenced — 
 Brave defense — Mines and countermines — Siege raised — Boono 
 brings his family once more back to Booneshorough, and re- 
 sumes farming. 
 
 "While George Eogers Clark was engaged in liis 
 campaign against the Britisli posts in the northwest, 
 Daniel Boone was a prisoner among the Indians. 
 The people at Booneshorough were suffering for want 
 of salt. It could not be obtained conveniently from 
 (128) 
 
Boone's second captivity. 129 
 
 tlie Atlantic Colonies, but it could be manufactured 
 at a place called the Blue Licks, from salt water, 
 which abounded there. 
 
 In January, 1778, accompanied by thirty men, 
 Boone went to the Blue Licks to make salt for the 
 different Stations: and on the 7th of February follow- 
 ing, while out hunting, he fell in with one hundred 
 and two Indian warriors, on their march to attack 
 Boonesborough. He instantly fled, but being upward 
 of fifty years old, he was unable to outstrip the fleet 
 young men who pursued him, and was a second time 
 taken prisoner. As usual, he was treated with kind- 
 ness until his final fate should be determined, and 
 was led back to the Licks, where his party were still 
 encamped. Here Boone surrendered his whole party, 
 to the number of twenty-seven, upon a promise on 
 the part of the Indians of life and good treatment, 
 both of which conditions were faithfully observed. 
 This step was apparently unnecessary ; but the result 
 showed that it was a master-stroke of policy on 
 Boone's part. He knew the nature of the Indians, 
 and foresaw that they would forthwith return home 
 with their prisoners, and thus save Boonesborough 
 
 from attack, 
 9 
 
130 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BoONE. 
 
 Had the Indians gone on to that place, by showing 
 their prisoners and threatening to put them to the 
 torture, they might have obtained important results. 
 But they did nothing of the kind. As Boone had 
 calculated, they went home with their prisoners and 
 booty. 
 
 Captain Boone has been censured for the surrender 
 of his men, which he made at his own capture, and at 
 a subsequent period was tried by court-martial and 
 acquitted. This was a just decision. The surrender 
 caused the Indians to return home with their pris- 
 oners instead of attacking Boonesborough, which 
 would almost certainly have been taken and de- 
 stroyed if this surrender had not been made. 
 
 Elated with their unexpected success, the Indians 
 now returned at once to old Chilicothe, the principal 
 town of the Shawnees, on the Little Miami, treating 
 their prisoners, during a march of three days in very 
 cold and inclement weather, as well as they fared 
 themselves, as regarded fire and provisions. Boone 
 and his companions were kept in captivity by the 
 Indians, and closely watched for several weeks, when 
 the old pioneer and ten of his men were conducted to 
 Detroit, then a British garrison, and all but Boqiiq 
 
ADOPTED INTO AN INDIAN FAMILY. 131 
 
 presented to the commandant, by whom they were all 
 well treated. For the old pioneer himself, the Indians 
 had conceived a particular liking; and they stub- 
 bornly refused to give him up, though several gentle- 
 men of Detroit were very anxious they should leave 
 him, and the commandant offered to ransom him by a 
 liberal sum. He was therefore compelled to accom- 
 pany them back to Chillicothe, their town on the 
 Little Miami, which they reached after a march of 
 fifteen days. 
 
 Boone was now formally adopted as a son in one 
 of the Indian families. " The forms of the ceremony 
 of adoption," says Mr. Peck,* " were often severe and 
 ludicrous. The hair of the head is plucked out by a 
 painful and tedious operation, leaving a tuft, some 
 three or four inches in diameter, on the crown, for the 
 scalp-lock, which is cut and dressed up with ribbons 
 and feathers. The candidate is then taken into the 
 river in a state of nudity, and there thoroughly washed 
 and rubbed, ' to take all his white blood out.' This 
 ablution is usually performed by females. He is then 
 taken to the council-house, where the chief makes a 
 speech, in which he expatiates upon the distinguished 
 
 * ** Life of Daniel Boone." 
 
132 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 honors conferred on him. His head and face are 
 painted in the most approved and fashionable style, 
 and the ceremony is concluded with a grand feast and 
 smoking." 
 
 After undergoing after this fashion what was not 
 inaptly termed the Indian toilette, Boone was con- 
 sidered a regular member of the tribe, and by judi- 
 ciously accommodating himself to his new condition, 
 he rapidly won upon the regards of the Indians, and 
 soon secured their confidence. They challenged him 
 to a trial of skill at their shooting-matches — in which 
 he took care not to excel them — invited him to ac- 
 company them on their hunting excursions, bestowed 
 particular notice upon him in various ways, and 
 always treated him with much consideration. As re- 
 garded merely his physical comfort, Boone's situation 
 was, at this time, rather enviable than otherwise ; but 
 he felt a depressing anxiety with regard to his wife 
 and children, and doubted the safety and prosperity 
 of the Station, without his own watchfulness and 
 superintendence. He therefore determined to escape 
 from his captors at the earliest possible period, and 
 very impatiently waited an opportunity for accom- 
 plishing this purpose. 
 
ESCAPE FROM THE INDIANS. 133 
 
 Early in June, a party of Indians went to the Scioto 
 Licks to make salt. Boone was taken with them, but 
 kept so constantly employed at the kettles, that he 
 found no chance of escaping. Having sufficiently sup- 
 plied themselves with the desired article, the party re- 
 turned ; and at the Chillicothe town, Boone found four 
 hundred and fifty Indian warriors, armed well and 
 painted in a most frightful manner, ready to march 
 against Boonesbofough : this was on the fifteentb or 
 sixteenth of the month. 
 
 Boone now saw the absolute necessity of escaping 
 at once, and determined to make the attempt without 
 delay. He rose at the usual time the next morning, 
 and went out upon a hunt. His object was to give 
 his wary masters the slip, in such a manner as would 
 be least likely to excite their suspicions, and be the 
 longest in determining them upon a pursuit. 
 
 No sooner was he at such a distance from the town 
 as would prevent observations of his movements, than 
 he struck out rapidly in the direction of Bobnes- 
 borough. So great was his anxiety, that he stopped 
 not to kill any thing to eat ; but performed his journey 
 — a distance of one hundred and sixty miles — in less 
 than five days, upon one meal, which, before starting, 
 
13-i LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 he had concealed in his basket. On arrivino- at 
 Boonesborough, he found the fort, as he feared he 
 should, in a bad state for defense ; but his activity soon 
 strengthened it, and his courage at once reinspired the 
 sinking hearts of the garrison. Every thing was im- 
 mediately put in proper condition for a vigorous de- 
 fense, and all became impatient for intelligence of the 
 movements of the enemy. 
 
 A few days after Boone's escape from the Indians, 
 one of his fellow- prisoners succeeded likewise in elud- 
 ing their vigilance, and made his way safely and ex- 
 peditiously to Boonesborough. This man arrived at 
 the Station at a time when the garrison were hourly 
 expecting the appearance of the enemy, and reported 
 that, on account of Boone's elopement, the Indians had 
 postponed their meditated invasion of the settled re- 
 gions for three weeks.* It was discovered, however, 
 that they had their spies in the country, watching the 
 movements of the different garrisons ; and this rendered 
 the settlers wary and active, and gave all the Sations 
 time and opportunity to strengthen themselves, and 
 make every preparation for a powerful resistance of 
 what, they could not but believe, was to be a long and 
 * Gallaccher. 
 
A FIGHT WITH THE INDIANS. 135 
 
 great effort to drive them from the land, and utterly 
 destroy their habitations. 
 
 Week passed after week, bnt no enemy appeared. 
 The state of anxiety and watchfulness in which the 
 garrison at Boonesborough had, for so long a time, been 
 kept, was becoming irksome, and the men were begin- 
 ning to relax in their vigilance. This Boone observed, 
 and it determined him to undertake an expedition, 
 which he had been probably meditating for some time. 
 On the 1st of August, therefore, with a company of 
 nineteen of the brave spirits by whom he was sur- 
 rounded, he left the fort with the intention of marching 
 against and surprising one of the Indian towns on the 
 Scioto. He advanced rapidly, but with great caution, 
 and had reached a point within four or five miles of 
 the town destined to taste of his vengeance, when he 
 met its w^arriors, thirty in number, on their way to 
 join the main Indian force, then on its march toward 
 Boonesborough 
 
 An action immediately commenced, which termi- 
 nated in the flight of the Indians, who lost one man 
 and had two others wounded. 
 
 Boone received no injury, but took three horses, 
 and all the "plunder" of the war party. He then 
 
136 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 dispatclied two spies to the Indian town, who re- 
 turned with the intelligence that it was evacuated. 
 On the receipt of this information, he started for 
 Boonesborough with all possible haste, hoping tc 
 reach the Station before the enemy, that he might 
 give warning of their approach, and strengthen its 
 numbers. He passed the main body of the Indians 
 on the sixth day of his march, and on the seventh 
 reached Boonesborough. 
 
 On the eighth day, the enemy's force marched up^ 
 with British colors flying, and invested the place. 
 The Indian army was commanded by Captain Du 
 quesne, with eleven other Canadian Frenchmen and 
 several distinguished chiefs, and was the most formid- 
 able force which had yet invaded the settlements. 
 The commander summoned the garrison to surrender 
 " in the name of his Britannic Majesty." 
 
 Boone and his men, perilous as was their situation, 
 received the summons without apparent alarm, and 
 requested a couple of days for the consideration of 
 what should be done. This was granted ; and Boone 
 summoned his brave companions to council : but fifty 
 men appeared I Yet these fifty, after a due considera- 
 tion of the terms of capitulation proposed, and with 
 
ATTACK UPON" BOONESBOKOUGH. 137 
 
 the knowledge that they were surrounded by savage 
 and remorseless enemies to the number of about five 
 hundred, determined, unanimously, to " defend the fort 
 as long as a man of them lived T^ 
 
 The two days having expired, Boone announced 
 this determination from one of the bastions, and 
 thanked the British commander for the notice given 
 of his intended attack, and the time allowed the gar- 
 rison for preparing to defend the Station. This reply 
 to his summons was entirely unexpected by Duquesne, 
 and he heard it with evident disappointment. Other 
 terms were immediately proposed by him, whi(Si 
 *' sounded so gratefully in the ears" of the garrison 
 that Boone agreed to treat; and, with eight of his 
 companions, left the fort for this purpose. It was soon 
 manifest, however, by the conduct of the Indians, that 
 a snare had been laid for them ; and escaping from 
 their wily foes by a sudden effort, they re-entered the 
 pallisides, closed the gates, and betook themselves to 
 the bastions. 
 
 A hot attack upon the fort now instantly com- 
 menced ; but the fire of the Indians was returned 
 from the garrison with such unexpected briskness and 
 fatal precision that the besiegers were compelled to fall 
 
138 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 back. They then sheltered themselves behind the 
 nearest trees and stumps, and continued the attack 
 with more caution. Losing a number of men himself, 
 and perceiving no falling off in the strength or the 
 marksmanship of the garrison, Duquesne resorted to 
 an expedient which promised greater success. 
 
 The fort stood upon the bank of the river, about 
 sixty yards from its margin ; and the purpose of the 
 commander of the Indians was to undermine this, and 
 blow up the garrison. Duquesne was pushing the 
 mine under the fort with energy when his operations 
 were discovered by the besieged. The miners precipi- 
 tated the earth which they excavated into the river ; 
 and Boone, perceiving that the water was muddy be- 
 low the fort, while it was clear above, instantly divined 
 the cause, and at once ordered a deep trench to be cut 
 inside the fort, to counteract the work of the enemy. 
 
 As the earth was dug up, it was thrown over the 
 wall of the fort, in the face of the besieging com- 
 mander. Duquesne was thus informed that his design 
 had been discovered; and being convinced of the 
 futility of any further attempts of that kind, he dis- 
 continued his mining operations, and once more re- 
 newed the attack upon the Station in the manner of 
 
THE SIEGE RAISED. 139 
 
 a regular Indian siege. His success, however^ was no 
 better than it had been before ; the loss appeared to 
 be all upon his side; his stock of provisions was 
 nearly exhausted; having for nine days tried the 
 bravery of his savage force, and tasked his own in- 
 genuity to its utmost, he raised the siege, and aban- 
 doned the grand object of the expedition. 
 
 During this siege, " the most formidable," says Mr. 
 Marshall, " thfit had ever taken place in Kentucky, 
 from the number of Indians, the skill of the com- 
 manders, and the fierce countenances and savage dis- 
 positions of the warriors," only two men belonging 
 to the Station were killed, and four others wounded. 
 
 Duquesne lost thirty-seven men, and had many 
 wounded, who, according to the invariable usage of 
 the Indians, were immediately borne from the scene 
 of action. 
 
 Boonesborough was never again disturbed by any 
 formidable body of Indians. New Stations were 
 springing up every year between it and the Ohio 
 Eiver, and to pass beyond these for the purpose of 
 striking a blow at an older and stronger enemy, was 
 a piece of folly of which the Indians were never known 
 to be guilty. 
 
140 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 During Boone's captivity among tlie Shawnees, liiFJ 
 family, supposing tliat he had been killed, had left 
 the Station and returned to their relatives and friends 
 in North Carolina: and as early in the autumn as he 
 could well leave, the brave and hardy warrior started 
 to move them out again to Kentucky. He returned 
 to the settlement with them early the next summer, 
 and set a good example to his companions by indus- 
 triously cultivating his farm, and volunteering his 
 assistance, whenever it seemed needed, to the many im- 
 migrants who were now pouring into the country, and 
 erecting new Stations in the neighborhood of Boones- 
 borough. He was a good as well as a great man in 
 his sphere, says Mr. Gallagher, (our chief authority 
 for the foregoing incidents); and for his many and 
 important services in the early settlements of Ken- 
 tucky, he well deserved the title of Patriarch which 
 was bestowed upon him during his life, and all the 
 praises that have been sung to. his memory since his 
 death.* 
 
 * W. D. Gallagher, in "Hesperian.'* 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Captain Boone tried by court-martial— Honorably acquitted and 
 promoted— Loses a large sum of money— His losses by law- 
 suits and disputes about land— Defeat of Colonel Rogers's 
 party— Colonel Bowman's expedition to Cbillicotbe— Arrival 
 near the town— Colonel Logan attacks the town— Ordered by 
 Colonel Bowman to retreat — Failure of the expedition Con- 
 sequences to Bowman and to Logan. 
 
 Some complaint having been made respecting Cap- 
 tain Boone's surrender of his party at the Blue Licks, 
 and other parts of his military conduct, his friends 
 Colonel Eichard Callaway and Colonel Benjamin 
 Logan, exhibited charges against him which occa- 
 sioned his being tried by court-martial. This was 
 undoubtedly done with a view to put an end to the 
 calumny by disproving or explaining the charges. 
 The result of the trial was an honorable acquittal, 
 increased popularity of the Captain am.ong his fellow- 
 citizens, and his promotion to the rank of Major * 
 
 While Boone had been a prisoner among the In 
 
 * Peck. 
 
 (141) 
 
l-i2 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 dians, his wife and family, supposing him to be dead, 
 had returned to North Carolina. In the autumn of 
 1778 he went after them to the house of Mrs. Boone's 
 father on the Yadkin. 
 
 In 1779, a commission having been opened by the 
 "Virginia Legislature to settle Kentucky land claims, 
 Major Boone "laid out the chief of his little property 
 to procure land warrants, and having raised about 
 twenty thousand dollars in paper money, with which 
 he intended to purchase them, on his way from Ken- 
 tucky to Eichmond, he was robbed of the whole, and 
 left destitute of the means of procuring more. This 
 heavy misfortune did not fall on himself alone. Large 
 sums had been intrusted to him by his friends for 
 similar purposes, and the loss was extensively felt." 
 
 Boone must have suffered much anxiety in conse- 
 quence of this affair. Little is known respecting it, 
 excepting that it did not impair the confidence of his 
 friends in his perfect integrity. 
 
 This appears in the following extract of a letter 
 from Colonel Thomas Hart, late of Lexington, Ken- 
 tucky, to Captain Nathaniel Hart, dated Grayfields, 
 August 3d, 1780. 
 
 " I observe what you say respecting our losses by 
 
SEVERE LOSSES. 143 
 
 Daniel Boone. [Boone had been robbed of funds in 
 part belonging to T. and N". Hart.] I bad heard of 
 the misfortune soon after it happened, but not of my 
 being partaker before now. I feel for the poor people 
 whO; perhaps, are to lose even their pre-emptions : but 
 I must say, I feel more for Boone, whose character, I 
 am told, suffers by it. Much degenerated must the 
 people of this age be, when amongst them are to be 
 found men to censure and blast the reputation of a 
 person so just and upright, and in whose breast is a 
 seat of virtue too pure to admit of a thought so base 
 and dishonorable. I have known Boone in times of 
 old, when poverty and distress had him fast by the 
 hand : and in these wretched circumstances, I have 
 ever found him of a noble and generous soul, de- 
 spising every thing mean; and therefore I will freely 
 grant him a discharge for whatever sums of mine he 
 might have been possessed of at the time." 
 
 Boone's ignorance of legal proceedings, and his 
 aversion to lawsuits, appear to have occasioned the 
 loss of his real estate ; and the loose manner in which 
 titles were granted, one conflicting with another, oc- 
 casioned similar losses to much more experienced and 
 careful men at the same period. 
 
144 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 ^ During tbe year 1779 tlie emigration to Kentucky 
 was mucli greater than any previous one. The set- 
 tlers do not seem to have been so much annoyed by 
 the Indians as formerly. Yet this year is distinguished 
 in the annals of Kentucky for the most bloody battle 
 ever fought between the whites and Indians within her 
 borders, with the single exception of that of the Blue 
 Licks. 
 
 It took place opposite to Cincinnati. Colonel Eo- 
 gers had been down to Xew Orleans to procure sup- 
 plies for the posts on the Upper Mississippi and Ohio. 
 Having obtained them, he ascended these rivers until 
 he reached the place mentioned above. Here he found 
 the Indians in their canoes coming out of the mouth 
 of the Little Miami, and crossing to the Kentucky 
 side of the Ohio. He conceived the plan of surprising 
 them as they landed. The Ohio was very low on the 
 Kentucky side, so that a large sand-bar was laid bare, 
 extending along the shore. Upon this Eogers landed 
 his men, but, before they could reach the spot where 
 they expected to attack the enemy, they were them- 
 selves attacked by such superior numbers that the 
 issue of the contest was not doubtful for a single mo- 
 ment. Kogers and the greater part of his men were 
 
EXPEDITION TO CHILLICOTHE. 14:5 
 
 instantly killed. The few who were left fled toward - 
 the boats. But one of them was already in the pos- 
 session of the Indians, whose flanks were extended in 
 advance of the fugitives, and the few men remaining 
 in the other pushed off from shore without waiting to 
 take their comrades on board. These last now turned 
 around upon their pursuers, and, furiously charging * 
 them, a small number broke through their ranks and 
 escaped to Harrodsburg. The loss in this most lament- 
 able affair was about sixty men, very nearly equal to 
 that at Blue Licks. 
 
 The Kentuckians resolved to invade the Indian 
 country, and Chillicothe was selected as the point to 
 feel the weight of their vengeance. Colonel Bowman 
 issued a call, inviting all those who were willing to 
 accompany him in the expedition to rendezvous at 
 Harrodsburg. This was the manner of organizing 
 such expeditions in Kentucky. An officer would 
 invite volunteers to participate with him in an incur- 
 sion into the Indian country. All who joined were 
 expected to submit to his direction. 
 
 On this occasion there was no want of zeal among 
 
 the people. Bowman's reputation as a soldier was 
 
 good, and three hundred men were soon collected, 
 10 
 
146 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 amoBg whom were Logan and Harrod ; both holding 
 the rank of captain. It does not appear that either 
 Boone or Kenton engaged in this enterprise. Indeed, 
 the first is said to have been absent in North Carolina, 
 his family having returned there after his capture in 
 the preceding year, supposing him to be dead. 
 
 The expedition moved in the month of July — its 
 destination well known — and its march so well con- 
 ducted that it approached its object without discovery. 
 From this circumstances, it would seem that the In- 
 dians were but little apprehensive of an invasion from 
 those who had never before ventured on it, and whom 
 they were in the habit of invading annually ; or else 
 so secure in their own courage that they feared no 
 enemy, for no suspecting spy was out to foresee ap- 
 proaching danger. Arrived within a short distance 
 of the town, night approached, and Colonel Bowman 
 halted. Here it was determined to invest and attack 
 the place just before the ensuing day, and several dis- 
 positions were then made very proper for the occa- 
 sion, indicating a considerable share of military skill 
 and caution, which gave reasonable promise of a suc- 
 cessful issue. At a proper hour the little army sep- 
 arated, after a movement that placed it near the town ; 
 
ATTACK UPON CHILLICOTHE. 147 
 
 tlie one part, under the command of Bowman in 
 person — tlie other, under Captain Logan ; to whom 
 precise orders had been given to march, on the one 
 hand, half round the town ; while the Colonel, passing 
 the other way, was to meet him, and give the signal 
 for an assault. Logan immediately executed his or- 
 ders, and the place was half enveloped. But he neither 
 saw nor heard the commander-in-chief, Logan now 
 ordered his men to conceal themselves in the grass and 
 weeds, and behind such other objects as were present, 
 as the day began to show itself, and he had not yet 
 received the expected order to begin the attack ; nor 
 had he been able, though anxious, to ascertain what 
 had intercepted or delayed his superior officer. The 
 men, on shifting about for hiding-places, had alarmed 
 one of the Indians' dogs, who forthwith set to barking 
 with the agitation of apparent fright. This brought 
 out an Indian warrior, who proceeded with caution on 
 the way that the dog seemed to direct his own atten- 
 tion, and in a short time, if he had continued his 
 progress, might have been made a prisoner ; but, at 
 this critical moment, one of the party with the Colonel 
 fired his gun; which the Indian, well understanding 
 as coming from an enemy, gave an instantaneous and 
 
148 LIFE OF COLON-EL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 loud whoop, and ran immediately to his cabin. The 
 alarm was instantly spread through the town, and 
 preparation made for defense. The party with Logan 
 was near enough to hear the bustle and to see the 
 women and children escaping to the cover of the 
 woods by a ridge which ran between them and where 
 Colonel Bowman with his men had halted. 
 
 In the mean time, the warriors equipped them- 
 selves with their military habiliments, and repaired to 
 a strong cabin ; no doubt, designated in their councils 
 for the like occurrences. By this time daylight had 
 disclosed the whole scene, and several shots were dis- 
 charged on the one side, and returned from the other ; 
 while some of Logan's men took possession of a few 
 cabins, from which the Indians had retreated — or 
 rather perhaps it should be said, repaired to their 
 stronghold, the more effectually to defend themselves. 
 The scheme was formed by Logan, and adopted by 
 his men in the cabins, of making a movable breast- 
 work out of the doors and floors — and of pushing it 
 forward as a battery against the cabin in which the 
 Indians had taken post; others of them had taken 
 shelter from the fire of the enemy behind stumps, or 
 Xogs, or the vacant cabins, and were waiting orders ; 
 
FAILURE OF THE EXPEDITION-. 149 
 
 when the Colonel finding that the Indiana were on 
 their defense, dispatched orders for a retreat. This 
 oraer, received with astonishment, was obeyed with 
 reluctance ; and what rendered it the more distressing, 
 was the unavoidable exposure which the men must 
 encounter in the open field, or prairie, which sur- 
 rounded the town : for they were apprized that from 
 the moment thej left their cover, the Indians would 
 fire on them, until they were beyond the reach of 
 their balls. A retreat, however, was deemed neces- 
 sary, and every man was to shift for himself. Then, 
 instead of one that was orderly, commanding, or sup- 
 ported — a scene of disorder, unmilitary and mortify- 
 ing, took place : here a little squad would rush out 
 of, or break from behind a cabin — there individuals 
 would rise from a log, or start up from a stump, and 
 run with all speed to gain the neighboring wood. 
 
 At length, after the loss of several lives, the rem- 
 nant of the invading force was reunited, and the re- 
 treat continued in tolerable order, under the painful 
 reflection that the expedition had failed, without any 
 adequate cause being known. This was, however, 
 but the introduction to disgrace, if not of misfortune 
 still more extraordinary and distressing. The Indian 
 
150 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 "warriors, commanded by Blackfish, sallied from tlie 
 town, and commenced a pursuit of the discomfited in- 
 vaders of their forests and firesides, which they con- 
 tinued for some miles, harassing and galling the rear 
 of the fugitives without being checked, notwithstand- 
 ing the disparity of numbers. There not being more 
 than thirty of the savages in pursuit. Bowman, find- 
 ing himself thus pressed, at length halted his men in 
 a low piece of ground covered with brush ; as if he 
 sought shelter from the enemy behind or among them. 
 A situation more injudiciously chosen, if chosen at all, 
 cannot be easily imagined — since of all others, it most 
 favored the purposes of the Indians. In other re- 
 spects the commander seems also to have lost his un- 
 derstanding — he gave no orders to fire — made no de- 
 tachment to repulse the enemy, who, in a few min- 
 utes, by the whoops, yells, and firing, were heard on 
 all sides — but stood as a mark to be shot at, or one 
 panic struck. Some of the men fired, but without 
 any precise object, for the Indians were scattered, and 
 hid by the grass and bushes. What would have been 
 the final result it is difficult to conjecture, if Logan, 
 Harrod, Bulger, and a few others, had not mounted 
 some of the pack-horses and scoured the woods, first 
 
BOWMAN AND LOGAN. 151 
 
 in one direction then in another; rushing on the 
 Indians wherever they could find them, until very 
 fortunately Blackfish was killed ; and this being soon 
 known, the rest fled. It was in the evening when 
 this event occurred, which being reported to the col- 
 onel, he resumed his march at dark — taking for his 
 guide a creek near at hand, which he pursued all 
 night without any remarkable occurrence — and in 
 quiet and safety thence returned home, with the loss 
 of nine men killed and another wounded: having 
 taken two Indian scalps: which, however, was thought 
 a trophy of small renown.'^ 
 
 A somewhat different account is given by some, in 
 which Bowman is exculpated from all blame. Ac- 
 cording to this, it was the vigorous defense of the In- 
 dians which prevented Mm from fulfilling his part of 
 the combinations. Be this as it may, it is certain that 
 Bowman lost reputation by the expedition ; while, on 
 the other hand, the conduct of Logan raised him still 
 higher in the estimation of the people. 
 

 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 Invasion of Kentucky by Captain Byrd's party — He captures 
 the garrisons at Ruddle's Station and Martin's Fort — Colonel 
 Clark's invasion of the Indian country — He ravages the In- 
 dian towns — Adventure of Alexander McConnell — Skirmish at 
 Pickaway — Result of the expedition — Boone goes to the Blue 
 Licks with his brother — Attacked by the Indians — Boone's 
 brother killed — Boone promoted to the rank of Lieutenant- 
 Colonel^ — Clark's galley — Squire Boone's Station removed to 
 Bear's Creek — Attack by the Indians— Colonel Floyd's defeat 
 — Aflfair of the McAfees — Attack on McAfee's Station repelled 
 —Fort Jefferson evacuated — Attack on Montgomery Station — 
 Rescue by General Logan. 
 
 The year 1780 was distinguislied for two events of 
 mucli importance ; the invasion of Kentucky by tlie 
 British and Indians, under Colonel Byrd ; and Gen- 
 eral Clark's attack upon the Shawanee towns. The 
 first of these, was a severe and unexpected blow to 
 Kentucky. Marshall says, that the people in their 
 eagerness to take up land, had almost forgotten the 
 existence of hostilities. Fatal security ! and most fatal 
 (152) 
 
bykd's invasion. 153 
 
 with sucH a foe, whose enterprises were conducted 
 with such secrecy that their first announcement was 
 their presence in the midst of the unprepared settle- 
 ment. In fact, the carelessness of the Western bor- 
 derers is often unaccountable, and this is not the least 
 surprising instance of it. 
 
 That they did not anticipate an attempt to retaliate 
 the incursion of Bowman into the Indian country, is 
 indeed astonishing. It was very fortunate for the 
 Kentuckians that their enemies were as little gifted 
 with perseverance; as they were with vigilance. This 
 remark is to be understood in a restricted sense, of 
 both parties. When once aroused to a sense of their 
 danger none were more readily prepared, or more 
 watchful to meet it than the settlers ; and on the other 
 hand, nothing could exceed the perseverance of the 
 Indians in the beginning of their enterprises, but on 
 the slightest success (not reverse) they wished to re- 
 turn to exhibit their trophies at home. Thus, on 
 capturing Boone and his party, instead of pushing on 
 and attacking the settlements which were thus weak- 
 ened, they returned to display their prisoners. 
 
 The consequences were that these defects neutralized 
 each other, and no very decisive strokes were made by 
 
15i LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 either side. But the English Governor Hamilton, who 
 had hitherto contented himself with stimulating the 
 Indians to hostilities, now aroused by the daring and 
 success of Clark, prepared to send a powerful expedi- 
 tion by way of retaliation, against the settlements. 
 Colonel Byrd was selected to command the forces, 
 which amounted to six hundred men, Canadians and 
 Indians. To render them irresistible, they were sup- 
 plied with two pieces of artillery. The posts on the 
 Licking were the first objects of the expedition. 
 
 In June they made their appearance before Euddle's 
 station; and this, it is said, was the first intimation 
 that the garrison had received of their danger, though 
 Butler states that the enemy were twelve days on their 
 march from the Ohio. The incidents of the invasion 
 are few. The fort at Euddle's Station was in no con- 
 dition to resist so powerful an enemy backed by ar- 
 tillery, the defenses being nowise superior to those we 
 have before described. 
 
 They were summoned to surrender in the name of 
 his Britannic Majesty, with the promise of protection 
 for their lives only. What could they do ? The idea 
 of resisting such a force was vain. The question pre- 
 sented itself to them thus. Whether they should sur- 
 
155 
 
 render at once and give up their property, or enrage 
 the Indians by a fruitless resistance, and lose their 
 property and lives also. The decision was quickly 
 made, the post was surrendered and the enemy 
 thronged in, eager for plunder. The inmates of the 
 fort were instantly seized, families were separated ; for 
 each Indian caught the first person whom he met, and 
 claimed him or her as his prisoner. Three who made 
 some resistance, were killed upon the spot. It was in 
 vain that the settlers remonstrated with the British 
 commander. He said it was impossible to restrain them. 
 This doubtless was true enough, but he should have 
 thought of it before he assumed the command of such 
 a horde, and consented to lead them against weak set- 
 tlements. 
 
 The Indians demanded to be led at once against 
 Martin's Fort, a post about five miles distant. Some 
 say that the same scene was enacted over here ; but 
 another account states that so strongly was Colonel 
 Byrd affected by the barbarities of the Indians, that he 
 refused to advance further, unless they would consent 
 to allow him to take charge of all the prisoners who 
 should be taken. The same account goes on to say 
 that the demand was complied with, and that on the 
 
156 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 surreuder of Martin's Fort^ this arrangement was ac- 
 tually made; the Indians taking possession of the 
 property and the British of the prisoners. However 
 this may be, the capture of this last-mentioned place, 
 which was surrendered under the same circumstances 
 as Kuddle's, was the last operation of that campaign. 
 Some quote this as an instance of weakness ; Butler, 
 in particular, contrasts it with the energy of Clark. 
 
 The sudden retreat of the enemy inspired the people 
 with joy as great as their consternation had been at the 
 news of his unexpected advance. Had he pressed on, 
 there is but little doubt that all the Stations Avould 
 have fallen into his hands, for there were not men 
 enough to spare from them to meet him in the field. 
 The greatest difi&culty would have been the carriage of 
 the artillery. The unfortunate people who had fallen 
 into the hands of the Indians at Euddle's Station, were 
 obliged to accompany their captors on their rapid re- 
 treat, heavily laden with the plunder of their own 
 dwellings. Some returned after peace was made, but 
 too many, sinking under the fatigues of the journey, 
 perished by the tomahawk. 
 
 Soon after the retreat of the enemy, General Clark, 
 who was stationed at Fort Jefferson, called upon the 
 
claek's invasion. 157 
 
 Kentuckians to join him in an invasion of the Indian 
 country. The reputation of Clark caused the call to 
 be responded to with great readiness. A thousand 
 men were collected, with whom Clark entered and 
 devastated the enemy's territory. The principal towns 
 were burned and the fields laid waste. But one skir- 
 mish was fought, and that at the Indian village of 
 Pickaway. The loss was the same on both sides, 
 seventeen men being killed in each army. Some 
 writers who have not the slightest objection to war, 
 very gravely express doubts as to whether the expe- 
 dient of destroying the crops of the Indians was justi- 
 fiable. It is generally treated by these men as if it 
 was a wanton display of a vindictive spirit, when in 
 reality it was dictated by the soundest policy; for 
 when the Indians' harvests were destroyed, they were 
 compelled to subsist their families altogether by hunt- 
 ing, and had no leisure for their murderous inroads 
 upon the settlements. This result was plainly seen on 
 this occasion, for it does not appear that the Indians 
 attacked any of the settlements during the remainder 
 of this year. 
 
 An adventure which occurred in the spring, but 
 was passed over for the more important operations of 
 
158 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 the campaign, claims our attention, presenting as it 
 does a picture of the varieties of this mode of warfare. 
 We quote from McClung : 
 
 " Earlj in the spring of 1780, Mr. Alexander Mc- 
 Connel, of Lexington, Kentucky, went into the w^oods 
 on foot to hunt deer. He soon killed a large buck, 
 and returned home for a horse in order to bring it in. 
 During his absence a party of five Indians, on one of 
 their usual skulking expeditions, accidentally stum- 
 bled on the body of the deer, and perceiving that it 
 had been recently killed, they naturally supposed that 
 the hunter would speedily return to secure the flesh. 
 Three of them, therefore, took their stations within 
 close rifle-shot of the deer, while the other two followed 
 the trail of the hunter, and waylaid the path by which 
 he was expected to return. McConnel, expecting no 
 danger, rode carelessly along the path, which the two 
 scouts were watching, until he had come within view 
 of the deer, when he was fired upon by the whole 
 party, and his horse killed. While laboring to extri- 
 cate himself from the dying animal, he was seized by 
 his enemies, instantly overpowered, and borne off as 
 a prisoner. 
 
 " His captors, however, seemed to be a merry, good- 
 
m'connel's adventure. 159 
 
 uatared set of fellows, and permitted him to accom- 
 pany them unbound ; and, what was rather extraor 
 dinarj, allowed him to retain his gun and hunting 
 accoutrements. He accompanied them wdth great 
 apparent cheerfulness through the day, and displayed 
 his dexterity in shooting deer for the use of the com- 
 pany, until they began to regard him with great par- 
 tiality. Having traveled with them in this manner 
 for several days, they at length reached the banks of 
 the Ohio Eiver. Heretofore the Indians had taken 
 the precaution to bind him at night, although not very 
 securely ; but, on that evening, he remonstrated with 
 them on the subject, and complained so strongly of 
 the pain which the cords gave him, that they merely 
 wrapped the buffalo tug loosely around his wrists, and 
 having tied it in an easy knot, and attached the extremi- 
 ties of the rope to their own bodies in order to prevent 
 his moving without awakening them, they very com- 
 posedly went to sleep, leaving the prisoner to follow 
 their example or not, as he pleased. 
 
 "McConnel determined to effect his escape that 
 night if possible, as on the following night they w^ould 
 cross the river, which would render it much more 
 dif&cult. He therefore lay quietly until near mid- 
 
IGO LIFE OF COLOXEL DAN"IEL BOOITE. 
 
 niglit; anxiously ruminating upon the best means of 
 effecting his object. Accidentally casting bis eyes in 
 the direction of his feet, they fell upon the glittering 
 blade of a knife, which had escaped its sheath, and was 
 now lying near the feet of one of the Indians. To 
 reach it with his hands, without disturbing the two 
 Indians to whom he was fastened, was impossible, and 
 it was very hazardous to attempt to draw it up with 
 his feet. This, however, he attempted. With much 
 difficulty he grasped the blade between his toes, and, 
 after repeated and long-continued efforts, succeeded at 
 length in bringing it within reach of his hands. 
 
 " To cut his cords was then but the work of a mo- 
 ment, and gradually and silently extricating his person 
 from the arms of the Indians, he walked to the fire 
 and sat down. He saw that his work was but half 
 done. That if he should attempt to return home 
 without destroying his enemies, he would assuredly be 
 pursued and probably overtaken, when his fate would 
 be certain. On the other hand, it seemed almost im- 
 possible for a single man to succeed in a conflict with 
 five Indians, even although unarmed and asleep. He 
 could not hope to deal a blow with his knife so silently 
 and fatally as to destroy each one of his enemies in 
 
m'connel's adventure. 161 
 
 tnra without awakening the rest. Their slumbers 
 were proverbially light and restless ; and, if he failed 
 with a single one, he must instantly be overpowered 
 by the survivors. The knife, therefore, was out of 
 the question. 
 
 '^ After anxious reflection for a* few minutes, he 
 formed his plan. The guns of the Indians were 
 stacked near the fire; their knives and tomahawks 
 were in sheaths by their sides. The latter he dared 
 not touch for fear of awakening their owners ; but the 
 former he carefully removed, with the exception of 
 two, and hid them in the woods, where he knew the 
 Indians would not readily find them. He then re- 
 turned to the spot where the Indians were still sleeping, 
 perfectly ignorant of the fate preparing for them, and, 
 taking a gun in each hand, he rested the muzzles upon 
 a log within six feet of his victims, and, having taken 
 deliberate aim at the head of one and the heart of 
 another, he pulled both triggers at the same moment. 
 
 " Both shots were fatal. At the report of the guns 
 
 the others sprung to their feet and stared wildly 
 
 around them. McConnel, who had run instantly to 
 
 the spot where the other rifles were hid, hastily seized 
 
 one of them and fired at two of his enemies who hap- 
 11 
 
162 LITE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 pened to stand in a line with each other. The nearest 
 fell dead, being shot through the centre of the body ; 
 the second fell also, bellowing loudly, but quickly re- 
 covering, limped off into the woods as fast as possible 
 The fifth, and the only one who remained unhurt, 
 darted off like a deer, with a yell which announced 
 equal terror and astonishment. McConnel, not wish- 
 ing to fight any more such battles, selected his own rifle 
 from the stack, and made the best of his way to Lex- 
 ington, where he arrived safely within two days. 
 
 " Shortly afterward, Mrs. Dunlap, of Fayette, who 
 had been several months a prisoner amongst the In- 
 dians on Mad Eiver, made her escape, and returned to 
 Lexington. She reported that the survivor returned 
 to his tribe with a lamentable tale. He related that 
 they had taken a fine young hunter near Lexington, 
 and had brought him safely as far as the Ohio ; that 
 while encamped upon the bank of the river, a large 
 party of white men had fallen upon them in the night, 
 and killed all his companions, together with the poor 
 defenseless prisoner, who lay bound hand and foot, 
 unable either to escape or resist." 
 
 In October, 1780, Boone, who had brought his 
 family back to Kentucky, went to the Blue Licks in 
 
ORGANIZATION OF MILITIA. 163 
 
 company with his brother. Tbej were attacked by a 
 party of Indians, and Daniel's brother was killed ; and 
 he himself pursued by them with the assistance of a 
 dog. Being hard pressed, he shot this animal to 
 prevent his barking from giving the alarm, and so 
 escaped. 
 
 Kentucky having been divided into three counties, 
 a more perfect organization of the militia was effected. 
 A Colonel and a Lieutenant-Colonel were appointed 
 for each county ; those who held the first rank were 
 Floyd, Logan, and Todd. Pope, Trigg, and Boone 
 held the second. Clark was Brigadier- General, and 
 commander-in-chief of all the Kentucky militia; besides 
 which he had a small number of regulars at Fort Jef- 
 ferson. Spies and scouting parties were continually 
 employed, and a galley was constructed by Clark's 
 order, which was furnished with light pieces of artil- 
 lery. This new species of defense did not however 
 take very well with the militia, who disliked serving 
 upon the water, probably because they found their 
 freedom of action too much circumscribed. The reg- 
 ulars were far too few to spare a force sufficient to 
 man it, and it soon fell into disuse, though it is said to 
 have been oi considerable service while it was employed. 
 
164 " LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Had the Kentuckians possessed sucli an auxiliary at 
 the time of Byrd's invasion, it is probable that it 
 would have been repelled. But on account of the re- 
 luctance of the militia to serve in it, this useful vessel 
 was laid aside and left to rot. 
 
 The campaign, if we may so term it, of 1781, began 
 very early. In March, several parties of Indians en- 
 tered Jefferson County at different points, and am- 
 bushing the paths, killed four men, among whom was 
 Colonel William Linn. Captain Whitaker, with fif- 
 teen men, pursued one of the parties. He followed 
 their trail to the Ohio, when supposing they had cross- 
 ed over, he embarked his men in canoes to continue 
 the pursuit. But as they were in the act of pushing 
 off, the Indians, who were concealed in their rear, fired 
 upon them, killing or wounding nine of the party. 
 Notwithstanding this heavy loss, the survivors landed 
 and put the Indians to flight. Neither the number of 
 the savages engaged in this affair, or their loss, is men- 
 tioned in the narrative. In April, a station whicli had 
 been settled by Squire Boone, near Shelbyville, became 
 alarmed by the report of the appearance of Indians. 
 After some deliberation, it was determined to remove 
 to the settlement on Bear's Creek. While on their 
 
AFFAIR OF THE MCAFEES. 165 
 
 way thither, they were attacked by a body of Indians, 
 and defeated with considerable loss. These are all the 
 details of this action we have been able to find. 
 Colonel Floyd collected twenty-five men to pursue the 
 Indians, but in spite of all his caution, fell into an am- 
 buscade, which was estimated to consist of two hundred 
 warriors. Half of Colonel Floyd's men were killed, 
 and the survivors supposed that they had slain nine or 
 ten of the Indians. This, however, is not probable; 
 either the number of the Indians engaged, or their 
 loss, is much exaggerated. Colonel Floyd himself had 
 a narrow escape, being dismounted; he would have 
 been made prisoner, but for the gallant conduct of 
 Captain Wells, who gave him his horse, the colonel 
 being exhausted, and ran by his side, to support him 
 in the saddle. These officers had formerly been ene- 
 mies, but the magnanimous behavior of Wells on this 
 occasion, made them steadfast friends. 
 
 ''As if every month," says Marshall, ''was to fur- 
 nish its distinguishing incident— in May, Samuel 
 McAfee and another had set out from James McAfee's 
 Station for a plantation at a small distance, and when 
 advanced about one-fourth of a mile they were fired 
 on; the man fell— McAfee wheeled and ran toward 
 
166 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOI^E. 
 
 the fort ; in fifteen steps he met au Indian — they each 
 halt and present their guns, with muzzles almost touch- 
 ing — at the same instant they each pull trigger, 
 McAfee's gun makes clear fire, the Indian's flashes in 
 the pan — and he falls : McAfee continues his retreat, 
 but the alarm being given, he meets his brothers, 
 Robert and James — the first, though cautioned, ran 
 along the path to see the dead Indian, by this time 
 several Indians had gained the path between him and 
 the fort. All his agility and dexterity was now put to 
 the test — he flies from tree to tree, still aiming to get 
 to the fort, but is pursued by an Indian ; he throws 
 himself over a fence, a hundred and fifty yards from 
 the fort, and the Indian takes a tree — Eobert, sheltered 
 by the fence, was soon prepared for him, and while he 
 puts his face by the side of the tree to look for his ob- 
 ject, McAfee fires his rifle at it, and lodged the ball in 
 his mouth — in this he finds his death, and McAfee es- 
 capes to the fort." 
 
 In the mean time, James McAfee was in a situation 
 of equal hazard and perplexity. Five Indians, lying 
 in ambusb, fired at, but missed him ; he flies to a tree 
 for safety, and instantly received a fire from three or 
 four Indians oii the other side — the bullets knock tho 
 
MAJOR MAGARY'S PURSUIT. 167 
 
 dust about his feet, but do him no injury ; he aban- 
 dons the tree and makes good his retreat to the fort. 
 One white man and two Indians were killed. Such 
 were the incidents of Indian warfare — and such the 
 fortunate escape of the brothers. 
 
 Other events occurred in rapid succession — the In- 
 dians appear in all directions, and with horrid yells 
 and menacring gestures commence a fire on the fort. 
 It was returned with spirit ; the women cast the bul- 
 lets—the men discharged them at the enemy. This 
 action lasted about two hours; the Indians then with- 
 drew. The firing had been heard, and the neighbor- 
 hood roused for the fight. Major Magary, with some 
 of his men, and others from other stations, to the 
 number of forty, appeared on the ground soon after 
 the Indians had retreated, and determined on pursuing 
 them. This was accordingly done with promptitude 
 and celerity. At the distance of a mile the enemy were 
 overtaken, attacked, and defeated. They fled — were 
 pursued for several miles — and completely routed. 
 Six or seven Indians were seen dead, and others 
 wounded. One Kentuckian was killed in the action ; 
 another mortally wounded, who died after a few days. 
 Before the Indians entirely withdrew from the fort, 
 
168 LIFE OF COLONEL DAKEEL BOONE. 
 
 they killed all the cattle they saw, without making 
 any use of them. ^ 
 
 From this time McAfee's Station was never more 
 attacked, although it remained for several years an 
 exposed frontier. Nor should the remark be omitted, 
 that for the residue of the year, there were fewer in- 
 cidents of a hostile nature than usual. 
 
 Fort Jefferson, which had been established on the 
 Mississippi, about five miles below the mouth of the 
 Ohio, had excited the jealousy of the Choctaws and 
 Chickasaws, who claimed the territory in which it 
 was built. In order to appease them, it was deemed 
 advisable to evacuate the post. 
 
 The hostile tribes north of the Ohio had by this 
 time found the strength of the settlers, and saw that 
 unless they made a powerful effort, and that speedily, 
 they must forever relinquish all hope of reconquering 
 Kentucky. Such an effort was determined upon for 
 the next year ; and in order to weaken the whites as 
 much as possible, till they were prepared for it, they 
 continued to send out small parties, to infest the 
 settlements. 
 
 At a distance of about twelve miles from Logan's 
 Fort, was a settlement called the Montgomery Station. 
 
ATTACK ON MONTGOMERY'S STATION. 169 
 
 Most of the people were connected with Logan's 
 family. This Station was surrounded in the night. 
 In the morning an attack was made. Several persons 
 were killed and others captured. A girl who escaped 
 spread the alarm ; a messenger reached Logan's Fort, 
 and General Logan with a strong party pursued the 
 Indians, defeated them and recovered the prisoners. 
 
CHAPTEH Xy. 
 
 News of Cornwallis's surrender — Its effects — Captain Estill's de- 
 feat — Grand army of Indians raised for tlie conquest of Ken- 
 tucky — Simon Girty's speecli — Attack on Hoy's Station — In- 
 vestment of Bryant's Station — Expedient of tlie tesieged to 
 obtain water— Grand attack on tlie fort — Repulse — Regular 
 siege commenced — Messengers sent to Lexington — Reinforce- 
 ments obtained — Arrival near tlie fort — Ambusbed and at- 
 tacked — They enter tbe fort — Narrow escape of Girty — He 
 proposes a capitulation — Parley — Reynolds's answer to Girty 
 — Tbe siege raised — Retreat of tbe Indians. 
 
 In October, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered at York- 
 town. This event was received in Kentucky, as in 
 other parts of the country, with great joy. The 
 power of Britain was supposed to be broken, or at 
 least so much crippled, that they would not be in a 
 condition to assist their Indian allies, as they had pre- 
 viously done. The winter passed away quietly enough, 
 and the people were once more lulled into security, 
 from which they were again to be rudely awakened. 
 Early in the spring the parties of the enemy recom- 
 (170) 
 
ESTILL'S DEFEAT. 171 
 
 menced their forays. Yet there was notliing in these 
 to excite unusual apprehensions. At "first they were 
 scarcely equal in magnitude to those of the previous 
 year. Cattle were killed, and horses stolen, and in- 
 dividuals or small parties were attacked. But in May 
 an affair occurred possessing more interest, in a mili- 
 tary point of view, than any other in the history of 
 Indian wars. 
 
 ''In the month of May, a party of about twenty- 
 five Wyandots invested Estill's Station, on the south 
 of the Kentucky Eiver, killed one white man, took a 
 negro prisoner, and after destroying the cattle, re- 
 treated. Soon after the Indians disappeared. Captain 
 Estill raised a company of twenty-five men; with 
 these he pursued the Indians, and on Hinkston's Fork 
 of Licking, two miles below the Little Mountain, came 
 within gunshot of them. They had just crossed the 
 creek, which in that part is small, and were ascending 
 one side as Estill's party descended the other, of two 
 approaching hills of moderate elevation. The water- 
 course which lay between, had produced an opening 
 in the timber and brush, conducing to mutual dis- 
 covery , while both hills were well set with trees, in- 
 terspersed with saplings and bushes. Instantly after 
 
172 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 discovering the Indians, some of Captain Estill's men 
 fired at them ; at first they seemed alarmed, and made 
 a movement like flight; but their chief, although 
 wounded, gave them orders to stand and fight — on 
 which they promptly prepared for battle by each man 
 taking a tree and facing his enemy, as nearly in a liDe 
 as practicable. In this position they returned the fire 
 and entered into the battle, which they considered as 
 inevitable, with all the fortitude and animation of in- 
 dividual and concerted bravery, so remarkable in this 
 particular tribe. 
 
 In the mean time. Captain Estill, with due attention 
 to what was passing on the opposite side, checked the 
 progress of his men at about sixty yards distance from 
 the foe, and gave orders to extend their lines in front 
 of the Indians, to cover themselves by means of the 
 trees, and to fire as the object should be seen — with a 
 sure aim. This order, perfectly adapted to the occa- 
 sion, was executed with filacrity, as far as circum- 
 stances would admit, and the desultory mode of In- 
 dian fighting was thought to requir^Ay, So that both 
 sides were preparing and ready at the' saine time for 
 the bloody conflict which ensued, and which proved 
 to be singularly obstinate. 
 
ESTILL'S DEFEAT. 173 
 
 The numbers were equal ; some have said, exactly 
 twenty -five on each side. Others have mentioned 
 that Captain Estill, upon seeing the Indians form for 
 battle, dispatched one or two of his men upon the back 
 trail to hasten forward a small reinforcement, which 
 he supposed was following him ; and if so, it gave the 
 Indians the superiority of numbers without producing 
 the desired assistance, for the reinforcement never 
 arrived. 
 
 Now were the hostile lines within rifle-shot, and the 
 action became warm and general to their extent. 
 Never was battle more like single combat since the 
 use of fire-arms ; each man sought his man, and fired 
 only when he saw his mark ; wounds and death were 
 inflicted on either side — neither advancing nor re- 
 treating. The firing was deliberate ; with caution 
 they looked, but look, they would; for the foe, although 
 life itself was often the forfeit. And thus both sides 
 firmly stood, or bravely fell, for more than an hour ; 
 upward of one-fourth of the combatants had fallen, 
 never more to rise, on either side, and several others 
 were wounded. Never, probably, was the native 
 bravery or collected fortitude of men put to a test 
 more severe. In the clangor of an ardent battle, when 
 
174 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 death is forgotten, it is nothing for the brave to die — 
 when even cowards die like brave men — but in the 
 cool and lingering expectation of death, none but the 
 man of the true courage can stand. Such were those 
 engaged in this conflict. Never was maneuvering 
 more necessary or less practicable. Captain Estill 
 had not a man to spare from his line, and deemed un- 
 safe any movement in front with a view to force the 
 enemy from their ground, because in such a movement 
 he must expose his men, and some of them would 
 inevitably fall before they could reach the adversary. 
 This would increase the relative superiority of the 
 enemy, while they would receive the survivors with 
 tomahawk in hand, in the use of which they were 
 practiced and expert. He clearly perceived that no 
 advantage was to be gained over the Indians while 
 the action was continued in their own mode of war 
 fare. For although his men were probably the best 
 shooters^ the Indians were undoubtedly the most expert 
 hiders ; that victory itself, could it have been purchased 
 with the loss of his last man, would afford but a mel- 
 ancholy consolation for the loss of friends and com- 
 rades ; but even of victory, without some maneuvre, 
 he could not assure himself. His situation was criti- 
 
DEATH OF CAPTAIN ESTILL. 175 
 
 cal ; his fate seemed suspended upon the events of the 
 minute ; the most prompt expedient was demanded. 
 He cast his eyes over the scene ; the creek was before 
 him, and seemed to oppose a charge on the enemy — 
 retreat he could not. On the one hand he observed a 
 valley running from the creek toward the rear of the 
 enemy's line, and immediately combining this circum- 
 stance with the urgency of his situation, rendered the 
 more apparently hazardous by an attempt of the In- 
 dians to extend their line and take his in flank, he 
 determined to detach six of his men by this valley to 
 gain the flank or rear of the enemy ; while himself, 
 with the residue, maintained his position in front. 
 
 The detachment was accordingly made under the 
 command of Lieutenant Miller, to whom the route was 
 shown and the order given, conformably to the above- 
 mentioned determination ; unfortunately, however, it 
 was not executed. The lieutenant, either mistaking 
 his way or intentionally betraying his duty, his honor, 
 and his captain, did not proceed with the requisite 
 dispatch; and the Indians, attentive to occurrences, 
 finding out the weakened condition of their adversa- 
 ries, rushed upon them and compelled a retreat, after 
 Captain Estill and eight of his men were killed. Four 
 
1T6 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Others -were badly wounded, who, notwithstanding, 
 made their escape; so that only nine fell into the 
 hands of the savages, who scalped and stripped them, 
 of course. 
 
 It was believed by the survivors of this action that 
 one half of the Indians were killed ; and this idea was 
 corroborated by reports from their towns. 
 
 There is also a tradition that Miller, with his de- 
 tachment; crossed the creek, fell in with the enemy, 
 lost one or two of his men, and had a third or fourth 
 wounded before he retreated. 
 
 The battle lasted two hours, and the Indian chief 
 was himself killed immediately after he had slain 
 Captain Estill ; at least it is so stated in one account 
 we have seen. This action had a very depressing effect 
 upon the spirits of the Kentuckians. Yet its results 
 to the victors were enough to make them say, with 
 Pyrrhus, ^' A few more such victories, and we shall 
 be undone." It is very certain that the Indians would 
 not have been willing to gain many such victories, 
 even to accomplish their darling object — the expul- 
 sion of the whites from Kentucky. 
 
 The grand army, destined to accomplish the con- 
 quest of Kentucky, assembled at Chillicothe. A de- 
 
ATTEMPTED CONQUEST OF KENTUCKY. 177 
 
 tacliment from Detroit reinforced them, and, before 
 setting out, Simon Girty made a speech to tliem, en- 
 larging on the ingratitude of the Long-knives in rebel- 
 ling against their Great Father across the water. He 
 described in glowing terms the fertility of Kentucky, 
 exhorting them to recover it from the grasp of the 
 Long-knife before he should be too strong for them. 
 This speech met with the cordial approbation of the 
 company ; the army soon after took up its march for 
 the settlements. Six hundred warriors, the flower of 
 all the ^Northwestern tribes, were on their way to make 
 what they knew must be their last effort to drive the 
 intruders from their favorite hunting-ground. 
 
 Various parties preceded the main body, and these 
 appearing in different places created much confusion 
 in the minds of the inhabitants in regard to the place 
 where the blow was to fall. An attack was made 
 upon the garrison at Hoy's Station, and two boys were 
 taken prisoners. The Indians, twenty in number, 
 were pursued by Captain Holden, with seventeen men. 
 He overtook them near the Blue Licks, (that fatal spot 
 for the settlers,) and after a sharp conflict was obliged 
 to retreat with the loss of four men. 
 
 News of this disaster arrived at Bryant's Station, 
 12 
 
178 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 ^'a post on tlie Elkliora, near the road from LexingtoD 
 to Maysville,) on the fourteenth of August, and the 
 garrison prepared to march to the assistance of Hoy's 
 Station. But in the night the main body of the enemy 
 arrived before the fort, it having been selected as the 
 point for the first blow. 
 
 The water for the use of the garrison was drawn 
 from a spring at a considerable distance from the fort, 
 on the northwestern side. Near this spring the greater 
 part of the enemy stationed themselves in ambush. 
 On the other side of the fort a body was posted with 
 orders to make a feint of attacking, in order to draw 
 the attention of tlie garrison to that point, and give 
 an opportunity for the main attack. At daylight the 
 garrison, consisting of forty or fifty men, were pre- 
 paring to march out, when they were startled by a 
 heavy discharge of rifles, with an accompaniment of 
 such yells as come only from an Indian's throat. 
 
 " All ran hastil}^ to the picketing," sa3^? McOlung, 
 "and beheld a small party of Indians exposed to 
 open view, firing, yelling, and making the most furious 
 gestures. The appearance was so singular, and so dif- 
 ferent from their usual manner of fiu^htin^-, that some 
 of the more wary and experienced of the garrison in- 
 
ATTACK UrON BRYANT's STATION. 179 
 
 stantly pronounced it a decoy party, and restrained 
 the young men from sallying out and attacking them, 
 as some of them were strongly disposed to do The 
 opposite side of the fort was instantly manned, and 
 several breaches in the picketing rapidly repaired. 
 Their greatest distress arose from the prospect of suf- 
 fering for water. The more experienced of the garri- 
 son felt satisfied that a powerful party was in ambus- 
 cade near the spring ; but at the same time they sup- 
 posed that the Indians would not unmask themselves 
 until the firing upon the opposite side of the fort was 
 returned with such warmth as to induce the belief that 
 the feint had succeeded. 
 
 Acting upon this impression, and yielding to the 
 urgent necessity of the case, they summoned all the 
 women, without exception, and explaining to them 
 the circumstances in which they were placed; and the 
 improbability that any injury would be offered them, 
 until the firing had been returned from the opposite 
 side of the fort, they urged them to go in a body to 
 the spring, and each to bring up a bucketfull of 
 water. Some of the ladies, as was natural, had no 
 relish for the undertaking, and asked why the men 
 could not brino; water as well as themselves ? Ob- 
 
180 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 serving that tiLcy were not bullet-proof, and that the 
 Indians made no distinction between male and female 
 scalps. 
 
 To this it was answered, that w^omen were in the 
 »\abit of bringing water every morning to the fort, 
 and that if the Indians saw them engaged as usual, it 
 would induce them to believe that their ambuscade 
 was undiscovered, and that they would not unmask 
 themselves for the sake of firing at a few w^omen, 
 when they hoped, by remaining concealed a few 
 moments longer, to obtain complete possession of the 
 fort. That if men should go down to the spring, the 
 Indians would immediately suspect that something 
 was wrong, would despair of succeeding by ambus- 
 cade, and would instantly rush upon them, follow 
 them into the fort, or shoot them down at the spring. 
 The decision was soon over. 
 
 A few of the boldest declared their readiness to 
 brave the danger ; and the younger and more timid 
 rallying in the rear of these veterans, they all marched 
 down in a body to the spring, within point-blank shot 
 of more than five hundred Indian warriors. Some of 
 the girls could not help betraying symptoms of terror, 
 but the married women, in general, moved with a 
 
FIRST ATTACK REPULSED. 181 
 
 steadiness and composure wliicli completely deceived 
 the Indians. Not a sHot was fired. The party were 
 permitted to fill their buckets, one after another, with- 
 out interruption; and although their steps became 
 quicker and quicker, on their return, and when near 
 the gate of the fort, degenerated into a rather unmill- 
 tary celerity, attended with some little crowding in 
 passing the gate, yet not more than one-fifth of the 
 water was spilled, and the eyes of the youngest had 
 not dilated to more than double their ordinary size. 
 
 Being now amply supplied with water, they sent 
 out thirteen young men to attack the decoy party, 
 with orders to fire with great rapidity, and make as 
 much noise as possible, but not to pursue the enemy 
 too far, while the rest of the garrison took post on the 
 opposite side of the fort, cocked their guns, and stood 
 in readiness to receive the ambuscade as soon as it 
 Avas unmasked. The firing of the light parties on the 
 Lexington road was soon heard, and quickly became 
 sliarp and serious, gradually becoming more distant 
 from the fort. Instantly, Girty sprung up at the 
 head of his five hundred warriors, and rushed rapidly 
 upon the western gate, ready to force his way over 
 the undefended palisades. Into this immense mass of 
 
182 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 dusky bodies, tlie garrison poured several rapid vol- 
 lej^s of rifle balls with destructive effect. Their con- 
 sternation may be imagined. "With wild cries they 
 dispersed on the right and left, and in two minutes 
 not an Indian was to be seen. At the same time, the 
 party who had sallied out on the Lexington road, 
 came running into the fort at the opposite gate, in 
 high spirits, and laughing heartily at the success of 
 their maneuvre." 
 
 After this repulse, the Indians commenced the at- 
 tack in regular form, that is regular Indian form^ for 
 they had no cannon, which was a great oversight, 
 and one which we would not have expected them to 
 make, after witnessing the terror with which they 
 had inspired the Kentuckians in Byrd's invasion. 
 
 Two men had left the garrison immediately upon 
 discovering the Indians, to carry the news to Lexing- 
 ton and demand succor. On arriving at that place 
 they found the men had mostly gone to Hoy's Station. 
 The couriers pursued, and overtaking them, quickly 
 brought them back. Sixteen horsemen, and forty or 
 fifty on foot, started to the relief of Bryant's Station, 
 and arrived before that place at two o'clock in the 
 afternoon. 
 
ARRIVAL OF REINFORCEMENTS. 183 
 
 To tliG left of the long and narrow lane, where 
 the Majsville and Lexington road now runs, there 
 were more than one hundred acres of green standing 
 corn. The usual road from Lexington to Bryant's, 
 ran parallel to the fence of this field, and only a few 
 feet distant from it. On the opposite side of the road 
 was a thick wood. Here, more than three hundred 
 Indians lay in ambush, within pistol-shot of the road, 
 awaiting the approach of the party. The horsemen 
 came in view at a time when the firing had ceased, 
 and every thing was quiet. Seeing no enemy, and 
 hearing no noise, they entered the lane at a gallop, 
 and were instantly saluted with a shower of rifle balls, 
 from each side, at the distance often paces. 
 
 At the first shot, the whole party set spurs to their 
 horses, and rode at full speed through a rolling fire 
 from either side, which continued for several hundred 
 yards, but owing partly to the furious rate at which 
 they rode, partly to the clouds of dust raised by the 
 horses' feet, they all entered the fort unhurt. The 
 men on foot were less fortunate. They were advan- 
 cing through the corn-field, and might have reached 
 the fort in safety, but for their eagerness to succor 
 their friends. Without reflecting, that from the 
 
184 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 weigbt and extent of tlie fire, the enemy must have 
 been ten times their number, they ran up with incon- 
 siderate courage, to the spot where the firing was 
 heard, and there found themselves cut off from the 
 fort, and within pistol-shot of more than three hun- 
 dred savages. 
 
 Fortunately the Indians' guns had just been dis- 
 charged, and they had not yet had leisure to reload. 
 At the sight of this brave body of footmen, however, 
 they raised a hideous yell, and rushed upon them, 
 tomahawk in hand. Nothing but the high corn and 
 their loaded rifles, could have saved them from de- 
 struction. The Indians were cautious in rushing upon 
 a loaded rifle with only a tomahawk, and when they 
 halted to load their pieces, the Kentuckians ran with 
 great rapidity, turning and dodging through the corn 
 in every direction. Some entered the wood and 
 escaped through the thickets of cane, some were shot 
 down in the corn-field, others maintained a running 
 fight, halting occasionally behind trees and keeping the 
 enemy at bay with their rifles ; for, of all men, the In- 
 dians are generally the most cautious in exposing them- 
 selves to danger. A stout, active, young fellow, was 
 so hard pressed by Girty and several savages, that lie 
 
EXCITIN-G SCENE. 185 
 
 was compelled to discharge his rifle, (however un- 
 willing, having no time to reload it,) and Girty fell. 
 
 It happened, however, that a piece of thick sole- 
 leather was in his shot-pouch at the time, which received 
 the ball, and preserved his life, although the force of 
 the blow felled him to the ground. The savages halted 
 upon his fall, and the young man escaped. Although the 
 skirmish and the race lasted more than an hour, during 
 which the corn-field presented a scene of turmoil and 
 bustle which can scarcely be conceived, yet very few 
 lives were lost. Only six of the white men were killed 
 and wounded, and probably still fewer of the enemy, 
 as the whites never fired until absolutely necessary, 
 but reserved their loads as a check upon the enemy. 
 Had the Indians pursued them to Lexington, they 
 might have possessed themselves of it without resist- 
 ance, as there was no force there to oppose them ; but 
 after following the fugitives for a few hundred yards, 
 they returned to the hopeless siege of the fort."* 
 
 The day was nearly over, and the Indians were dis- 
 couraged. They had made no perceptible impression 
 upon the fort, but had sustained a severe loss; the 
 country was aroused, and they feared to find them- 
 
 * McClung. 
 
186 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 selves outnumbered in their turn. Girty determined to 
 attempt to frighten them into a capitulation. For this 
 purpose he cautiously approached the works, and sud- 
 denly showed himself on a large stump, from which he 
 addressed the garrison. After extolling their valor, he 
 assured them that their resistance was useless, as he ex- 
 pected his artillery shortly, when their fort would be 
 crushed without difficulty. He promised them perfect 
 security for their lives if they surrendered, and menaced 
 them with the usual inflictions of Indian rage if they 
 refused. He concluded by asking if they knew him. 
 The garrison of course gave no credit to the promises of 
 good treatment contained in this speech. They were 
 too well acquainted with the facility with which such 
 pledges were given and violated ; but the mention of 
 cannon was rather alarming, as the expedition of Colo- 
 nel Byrd was fresh in the minds of all. None of the 
 leaders made any answer to Girty, but a young man by 
 the name of Eeynolds, took upon himself to reply to 
 it. In regard to the question of Girty, " Whether the 
 garrison knew him?" he said : 
 
 "'That he was very well known; that he himself 
 had a worthless dog, to which he had given the name 
 of ' Simon Girty,' in consequence of his striking re- 
 
EETEEAT OF GIBTY. 18T 
 
 semblance to the mau of that name; that if he had 
 either artillery or reinforcements, he might bring them 
 
 up and be d d ; that if either himself, or any of the 
 
 Bated rascals with him, found their way into the fort, 
 they would disdain to use their guns against them, but 
 would drive them out again with switches, of which 
 they had collected a great number for that purpose 
 alone; and finally he declared, that they also expected 
 reinforcements; that the whole country was marching 
 to their assistance; that if Girty aud his gang of mur- 
 dercrs remained twenty-four hours longer before the 
 fort, their scalps would be found drying in the sun 
 upon the roofs of their cabins. ' "* 
 
 Girty affected much sorrow for the inevitable destruc- 
 tion which he assured the garrison awaited them, in 
 consequence of their obstinacy. All idea of continu- 
 ing the siege was now abandoned. The besiegers evac- 
 uated their camp that very night; and with so much 
 precipitation, that meat was left roasting before the 
 flres. Though we cannot wonder at this relinquishing 
 ► of a long-cherished scheme when we consider the char- 
 acter of°the Indians, yet it would be impossible to ac- 
 count for the appearance of precipitancy, and even ter- 
 
 * MoCIung. 
 
188 LIFE OF COLONEL DaNIEL BOOXE. 
 
 ror^ Avitli which their retreat was accompanied, did we 
 not perceive it to be the first of a series of similar ar- 
 tifices, designed to draw on their enemies to their own 
 destruction. There was nothing in the circumstances to 
 excite great apprehensions. To be sure, they had been 
 repulsed in their attempt on the fort with some loss, 
 yet this loss (thirty men) would by no means have de- 
 terred a European force of similar numbers from pros- 
 ecuting the enterprise, 
 
 Girty and his great Indian army retired toward 
 Buddie's and Martin's Stations, on a circuitous route, 
 toward Lower Blue Licks. They expected, however, 
 to be pursued, and evidently desired it, as they left a 
 broad trail behind them, and marked the trees which 
 stood on their route with their tomahawks.* 
 
 * Frost: ''Border Wars of the West." Peck: " Lif° of 
 Boone." McClung : "Western Adventure." 
 
CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 Arrival of reinforcements at Bryant's Station — Colonel Danie^ 
 Boone, Ms son and brother among tliem — Colonels Trigg, 
 Todd, and otliers — Great number of commissioned officers — 
 Consultation — Pursuit commenced without waiting for Colonel 
 Logan'sreinforcement— Indian trail— Apprehensions of Boone 
 and others — Arrival at the Blue Licks — Indians seen — Con- 
 sultation — Colonel Boone's opinion — Rash conduct of Major 
 McGarey — Battle of Blue Licks commenced — Fierce encounter 
 with the Indians — Israel Boone, Colonels Todd and Trigg, and 
 Majors Harland and McBride killed — Attempt of the Indians 
 to outflank the whites — Retreat of the whites — Colonel Boone 
 nearly surrounded by Indians — Cuts his way through them, 
 and returns to Bryant's Station — Great slaughter — Bravery 
 of Netherland — Noble conduct of Reynolds in saving Captain 
 Patterson — Loss of the whites — Colonel Boone's statement — 
 Remarks on McGary's conduct — The fugitives meet Colonel 
 Logan with his party — Return to the field of battle— Logan 
 returns to Bryant's Station. 
 
 The intelligence of the siege of Bryant's Station 
 
 had spread far and wide, and the whole region round 
 
 was in a state of intense excitement. The next morn- 
 
 (189) 
 
190 LIFE OF COLONEL PAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 ing after the enemy's retreat, reinforcements began to 
 arrive, and in the course of the day successive bodies 
 of militia presented themselves, to the number of one 
 hundred and eighty men. 
 
 Among this number was Colonel Daniel Boone, his 
 son Israel, and his brother Samuel, with a strong 
 party of men from Boonesborough. Colonel Stephen 
 Trigg led a similar corps from Harrodsburg ; and 
 Colonel John Todd headed the militia from Lexington. 
 Majors Harland, McGary, McBride, and Levi Todd 
 were also among the arrivals * 
 
 It is said that nearly one-third of the whole force 
 assembled at Bryant's Station were commissioned offi- 
 cers, many of whom had hurried to the relief of tlieir 
 countrymen. This superior activity is to be accounted 
 for by the fact that the officers were generallj'- selected 
 from the most active and skillful of the pioneers. 
 
 A consultation was held in a tumultuous manner, 
 and it was determined to pursue the enemy at once. 
 The Indians had retreated by way of the Lower Blue 
 Licks. The pursuit was commenced without waiting 
 for the junction of Colonel Logan, who was known to 
 be coming up with a strong reinforcement. The 
 
 * Peok. 
 
AREIVAL AT THE BLUE LICKS. 191 
 
 trail of the enemy exhibited a degree of careless- 
 ness very unusual in an Indian retreat. Various arti- 
 cles were strewn along the path, as if in terror they 
 had been abandoned. These symptoms, while they 
 increased the ardor of the young men, excited the 
 apprehensions of the more experienced borderers, and 
 Boone in particular. He noticed that, amid all the 
 signs of disorder so lavishly displayed, the Indians 
 seemed to take even unusual care to conceal their 
 numbers by contracting their camp. It would seem 
 that the Indians had rather overdone their stratagem. 
 It was very natural to those not much experienced in 
 Indian warfare to suppose that the articles found 
 strewn along the road had been abandoned in the 
 hurry of flight; but Avhen they found that the utmost 
 pains had been taken to point out the way to them by 
 chopping the trees, one would have thought that the 
 rawest among them, who had only spent a few months 
 on the border, could have seen through so transparent 
 an artifice. But these indications were disregarded in 
 the desire felt to punish the Indians for their invasion. 
 Nothing was seen of the enemy till the Kentuckians 
 reached the Blue Licks. Here, just as they arrived at 
 Licking Eiver, a few Indians were seen on the other 
 
192 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 Side, retreating without any appearance of alarm. 
 The troops now made a halt, and the officers held a 
 consultation to determine on the course to be pursued. 
 Colonel Daniel Boone, on being appealed to as the 
 most experienced person present, gave his opinion as 
 follows : 
 
 '' That their situation was critical and delicate ; that 
 the force opposed to them was undoubtedly numerous 
 and ready for battle, as might readily be seen from the 
 leisurely retreat of the few Indians who had appeared 
 upon the crest of the hill ; that he was well acquainted 
 with the ground in the neighborhood of the Licks, and 
 was apprehensive that an ambuscade was formed at 
 the distance of a mile in advance, where two ravines, 
 one upon each side of the ridge, ran in such a manner 
 that a concealed enemy might assail them at once both 
 in front and flank before they were apprized of the 
 danger. 
 
 " It would be proper, therefore, to do one of two 
 things. Either to await the arrival of Logan, who 
 was now undoubtedly on his march to join them ; or. 
 if it was determined to attack without delay, that one- 
 half of their number should marcli up the river, 
 which there bends in an elliptical form, cross at the 
 
RASH CONDUCT OF M'GARY. 193 
 
 rapids, and fall upon the rear of tlie enemy, while the 
 other division attacked them in front. At any rate, 
 he strongly urged the necessity of reconnoitering the 
 ground carefully before the main body crossed the 
 river."^ 
 
 McClung, in his ''Western Adventures," doubts 
 whether the plan of operation proposed by Colonel 
 Boone would have been more successful than that 
 actually adopted ; suggesting that the enemy would 
 have cut them off in detail, as at Estill's defeat. 
 
 But before the officers could come to any conclusion, 
 Major McGary dashed into the river on horseback, 
 calling on all who were not cowards to follow. The 
 next moment the whole of the party were advancing 
 to the attack with the greatest ardor, but without any 
 order whatever. Horse and foot struggled through 
 the river together, and, without waiting to form, 
 rushed up the ascent from the shore. 
 
 " Suddenly," says McClung, '' the van halted. They 
 had reached the spot mentioned by Boone, where the 
 two ravines head, on each side of the ridge. Here a 
 body of Indians presented themselves, and attacked 
 the van. McGary's party instantly returned the fire. 
 
 13 * McClung. 
 
194 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 but under great disadvantage. They Tvere upon a 
 bare and open ridge; the Indians in a bushy ravine. 
 The centre and rear, ignorant of the ground, hurried 
 up to the assistance of the van, but were soon stopped 
 by a terrible fire from the ravine which flanked them. 
 They found themselves enclosed as if in the wings of 
 a net, destitute of proper shelter, Avhile the enemy 
 were in a great measure covered from their fire. Still, 
 however, they maintained their ground. The action 
 became warm and bloody. The parties gradually 
 closed, the Indians emerged from the ravine, and the 
 fire became mutually destructive. The officers suf- 
 fered dreadfully. Todd and Trigg in the rear, Har- 
 land, McBride, and young Israel Boone in front, were 
 already killed. 
 
 The Indians gradually extended their line to turn 
 the right of the Kentuckians, and cut off their retreat. 
 This was quickly perceived by the weight of the fire 
 from that quarter, and the rear instantly fell back in 
 disorder, and attempted to rush through their only 
 opening to the river. The motion quickly communi- 
 cated itself to the van, and a hurried retreat became 
 general. The Indians instantly sprung forward in 
 pursuit, and, falling upon thern with their tomahawks, 
 
BATTLE OF BLUE LICKS. 195 
 
 made a cruel slaughter. From the battle-ground to 
 tne river the spectacle was terrible. The horsemen, 
 generally, escaped ; but the foot, particularly the van, 
 which had advanced furthest within the wings of the 
 net, were almost totally destroyed. Colonel Boone, 
 after witnessing the deatli of his son and many of his 
 dearest friends, found himself almost entirely sur- 
 rounded at the very commencement of the retreat. 
 
 Several hundred Indians were between him and the 
 ford, to which the great mass of the fugitives were 
 bending their flight, and to which the attention of the 
 savages was principally directed. Being intimately 
 acquainted with the ground, he, together with a few 
 friends, dashed into the ravine which the Indians had 
 occupied, but which most of them had now left to join 
 in the pursuit. After sustaining one or two heavy 
 fires, and bafiling one or two small parties who pur- 
 sued him for a short distance, he crossed the river 
 below the ford by swimming, and, entering the wood 
 at a point where there was no pursuit, returned by a 
 circuitous route to Bryant's Station. In the mean 
 time, the great mass of the victors and vanquished 
 crowded the bank of the ford. 
 
 The slaughter was great in the river. The ford 
 
196 LIFE OF COLO^^EL DAXIEL BOOITE. 
 
 was crowded with horsemen and foot and Indians, all 
 mingled together. Some were compelled to seek a 
 passage above by swimmiog ; some who conld not 
 swim were overtaken and killed at the edge of the 
 water. A man by the name of N'etherland, who had 
 formerly been strongly suspected of cowardice, here 
 displayed a coolness and presence of mind equally 
 noble and unexpected. Being finely mounted, he had 
 outstripped the great mass of fugitives, and crossed 
 the river in safety. A dozen or twenty horsemen 
 accompanied him, and, having placed the river between 
 them and the enemy, showed a disposition to continue 
 their flight, without regard to the safety of their 
 friends who were on foot, and still struggling with the 
 current. 
 
 Netherland instantly checked his horse, and in a 
 loud voice, called upon his companions to halt, fire 
 upon the Indians, and save those who were still in 
 the stream. The party instantly obeyed ; and facing 
 about, poured a close and fatal discharge of rifles upon 
 the foremost of the pursuers. The enemy instantly 
 fell back from the opposite bank, and gave time for 
 the harassed and miserable footmen to cross in safety. 
 The check, however, was but momentary. Indians 
 
defjbJAt and loss of the whites. 197 
 
 were seen crossing in great numbers above and below, 
 and the fliglit again became general. Most of the foot 
 left the great buffalo track, and plunging into the 
 thickets, escaped by a circuitous route to Bryant's 
 Station." 
 
 The pursuit was kept up for twenty miles, though 
 with but little success. In the flight from the scene 
 of action to the river, young Eeynolds, (the same who 
 replied to Girty's summons at Bryant's Station,) on 
 horseback, overtook Captain Patterson on foot. This 
 officer had not recovered from the effects of wounds 
 reoeived on a former occasion, and was altogether un- 
 able to keep up with the rest of the fugitives. 
 
 Eeynolds immediately dismounted, and gave the 
 captain his horse. Continuing his flight on foot, he 
 swam the river, but was made prisoner by a party of 
 Indians. He was left in charge of a single Indian, 
 whom he soon knocked down, and so escaped. For 
 the assistance he so gallantly rendered him, Captain 
 Patterson rewarded Eeynolds with a present of two 
 hundred acres of land. 
 
 Sixty whites were killed in this battle of the Blue 
 Licks, and seven made prisoners. Colonel Boone, in 
 his Autobiography, says that he was informed that 
 
19S LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 the Indian loss in killed, was four more than that of 
 the Kentuckians, and that the former put four of the 
 prisoners to death, to make the numbers equal. But 
 this account does not seem worthy of credit, when we 
 coDsider the vastly superior numbers of the Indians, 
 their advantage of position, and the disorderly manner 
 in which the Kentuckians advanced. If this account 
 is true, the loss of the Indians in the actual battle 
 must have been much greater than that of their oppo- 
 nents, many of the latter having been killed in the 
 pursuit. 
 
 As the loss of the Kentuckians on this occasion, 
 the heaviest they had ever sustained, was undoubtedly 
 caused by rashness, it becomes our duty, according to 
 the established usage of historians, to attempt to show 
 where the fault lies. The conduct of McGary, which 
 brought on the action, appears to be the most cul- 
 pable. He never denied the part which is generally 
 attributed to him, but justified himself by saying that 
 while at Bryant's Station, he had advised waiting for 
 Logan, but was met with the charge of cowardice. 
 He believed that Todd and Trigg were jealous of 
 Losan, who was the senior Colonel, and would have 
 taken the command had he come up. This statement 
 
THE TR00P3 DISBANDED. 109 
 
 he made to a gentleman several years after the battle 
 took place. He said also to the same person, that 
 when he found them hesitating in the presence of the 
 enemy, he "burst into a passion," called them cow- 
 ards, and dashed into the river as before narrated. 
 If this account be true, it may somewhat palliate, but 
 certainly not justify the action. 
 
 Before the fugitives reached Bryant's Station, they 
 met Logan advancing with his detachment. The ex- 
 aggerated accounts he received of the slaughter, in- 
 duced him to return to the above-mentioned place. 
 On the next morning all who had escaped from the 
 battle were assembled, when Logan found himself at 
 the head of four hundred and fifty men. "With this 
 force, accompanied by Colonel Boone, he set out for 
 the scene of action, hoping that the enemy, encouraged 
 by their success, would await his arrival. But when 
 ne reached the field, he found it deserted. The bodies 
 of the slain Kentuckians, frightfully mangled, were 
 strewed over the ground. After collecting and in- 
 terring these, Logan and Boone, finding they could 
 do nothing more, returned to Bryant's Station, where 
 they disbanded the troops. 
 
200 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 "By such rash men as McGarj," says Mr. Peck,* 
 " Colonel Boone was charged with want of courage, 
 when the result proved his superior wisdom and fore- 
 sight. All the testimony gives Boone credit for his 
 sagacity and correctness in judgment before the action, 
 and his coolness and self-possession in covering the 
 retreat. His report of this battle to Benjamin Har- 
 rison, Governor of Yirginia, is one of the few docu- 
 ments that remain from his pen." 
 
 '^Boone's Station^ Fayette County, August 80^A, 1782. 
 
 " Sir : Present circumstances of affairs cause me to 
 write to your Excellency as follows. On the 16th in- 
 stant, a large number of Indians, with some white 
 men, attacked one of our frontier Stations, known by 
 the name of Bryant's Station. The siege continued 
 from about sunrise till about ten o'clock the next 
 day, when they marched off. Notice being given to 
 the neighboring Stations, we immediately raised one 
 hundred and eighty-one horse, commanded by Colonel 
 John Todd, including some of the Lincoln County 
 militia, commanded by Colonel Trigg, and pursued 
 about forty miles. 
 
 * "Life of Boone, "p. 130. 
 
LETTER TO GOVERNOR HARRISON. 201 
 
 ''On the 19th instant, we discovered the enemy 
 lying in wait for us. On this discovery, we formed 
 our columns into one single line, and marched up in 
 their front within about forty yards, before there was 
 a gun fired. Colonel Trigg commanded on the right, 
 myself on the left. Major McGary in the centre, and 
 Major Harlan the advanced party in front. From the 
 manner in which we had formed, it fell to my lot to 
 bring on the attack. This was done with a very 
 heavy fire on both sides, and extended back of the 
 line to Colonel Trigg, where the enemy were so strong 
 they rushed up and broke the right wing at the first 
 fire. Thus the enemy got in our rear, with the loss 
 of seventy-seven of our men, and twelve wounded. 
 Afterward we were reinforced by Colonel Logan, 
 which made our force four hundred and sixty men. 
 "We marched again to the battle-ground ; but finding 
 the enemy had gone, we proceeded to bury the dead. 
 
 •' We found forty-three on the ground, and many 
 lay about, which we could not stay to find, hungry 
 and weary as we were, and somewhat dubious that 
 the enemy might not have gone off quite. By the 
 signs, we thought that the Indians had exceeded foui 
 hundred; while the whole of this militia of the 
 
202 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 count\- does not amount to more than one hundred 
 and thirty. From these facts your Excellency may 
 form an idea of our situation. 
 
 "I know that your own circumstances are critical; 
 but are we to be wholly forgotten ? I hope not. I 
 trust about five hundred men may be sent to our as- 
 sistance immediately. If these shall be stationed as 
 our county lieutenants shall deem necessary, it may 
 be tbe means of saving our part of the country ; but 
 if they are placed under the direction of General 
 Clark, they will be of little or no service to our settle- 
 ment. The Falls lie one hundred miles west of us, 
 and the Indians northeast: while our men are fre- 
 quently called to protect them. I have encouraged 
 the people in this county all that I could ; but I can 
 no longer justify them or myself to risk our lives 
 here under such extraordinary hazards. The in- 
 habitants of this county are very much alarmed at the 
 thoughts of the Indians bringing another campaign 
 into our country this fall. If this should be the case, 
 it will break up these settlements. I hope, there- 
 fore, your Excellency will take the matter into 
 consideration, and send us some relief as quick as 
 possible. 
 
LETTER TO GOVERXOR HARRISON. 203 
 
 '' These are my sentiments, without consulting any 
 person. Colonel Logan will, I expect, immediately 
 send you an express, by whom I humbly request 
 your Excellency's answer. In the meanwhile, I 
 remain, Daniel Boone." 
 
CEAPTER XYII. 
 
 The Indians return home from the Blue Licks — They attack the 
 settlements in Jefferson County — Affair at Simpson's Creek- 
 General Clark's expedition to the Indian country— Colonel 
 Boone joins it — Its effect — Attack of the Indians on the Crab 
 Orchard settlement — Rumor of intended invasion by the 
 Cherokees— Difficulties about the treaty with Great Britain — 
 Hostilities of the Indians generally stimulated by renegade 
 whites — Simon Girty — Causes of his hatred of the whites — 
 Girty insulted by General Lewis — Joins the Indians at the 
 battle of Point Pleasant — Story of his rescuing Simon Kenton 
 — Crawford's expedition, and the burning of Crawford — Close 
 of Girty's career. 
 
 Most of the Indians who had taken part in the battle 
 of the Blue Licks, according to their custom, returned 
 home to boast of their victory, thus abandoning all 
 the advantages which might have resulted to them 
 from following up their success. Some of them, how- 
 ever, attacked the settlements in Jefferson County, 
 but they were prevented from doing much mischief 
 by the vigilance of the inhabitants. They succeeded, 
 (204) 
 
CLARK'S EXPEDITIO^^. 205 
 
 however, in breaking up a small settlement on Simp- 
 son's Creek. This they attacked in the night, while 
 the men, wearied by a scout of several days, were 
 asleep. The enemy entered the houses before their 
 occupants were fully aroused. Notwithstanding this, 
 several of the men defended themselves with great 
 courage. Thomas Randolph killed several Indians 
 before his wife and infant were struck down at his 
 side, when he escaped with his remaining child through 
 the roof On reaching the ground he was assailed by 
 two of the savages, but he beat them oJBf, and escaped. 
 Several women escaped to the woods, and two were 
 secreted under the floor of a cabin, where they re- 
 mained undiscovered. Still the Indians captured 
 quite a number of women and children, some of whom 
 they put to death on the road home. The rest were 
 liberated the next year upon the conclusion of peace 
 with the English. 
 
 General George Eogers Clark proposed a retaliatory 
 expedition into the Indian country, and to carry out 
 the plan, called a council of the superior officers. The 
 council agreed to his plan, and preparations were made 
 to raise the requisite number of troops by drafting, if 
 there should be any deficiency of volunteers. But it 
 
206 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 was not found necessary to resort to compulsory mea- 
 sures, both men and supplies for the expedition were 
 raised without difficulty. The troops to the number 
 of one thousand, all mounted, assembled at Bryant's 
 Station, and the Falls of the Ohio, from whence the 
 two detachments marched under Logan and Floyd to 
 the mouth of the Licking, where general Clark as- 
 sumed the command. Colonel Boone took part in this 
 expedition ; but probably as a volunteer. He is not 
 mentioned as having a separate command. 
 
 The history of this expedition, like most others of 
 the same nature, possesses but little interest. The 
 army with all the expedition they could make, and for 
 which the species of force was peculiarly favorable, 
 failed to surprise the Indians. These latter opposed 
 no resistance of importance to the advance of the army. 
 Occasionally, a straggling party would fire upon the 
 Kentuckians, but never waited to receive a similar 
 compliment in return. Seven Indians were taken 
 prisoners, and three or four killed ; one of them an old 
 chief, too infirm to fly, was killed by Major McGary. 
 The towns of the Indians were burnt, and their fields 
 devastated. The expedition returned to Kentucky 
 
ATTACK OX CRAB ORCHARD SETTLEMENT. 207 
 
 with the loss of four men, two of whom were acci- 
 dentally killed by their own comrades. 
 
 This invasion, though apparently so barren of re- 
 sult, is supposed to have produced a beneficial effect, 
 by impressing the Indians with the numbers and cour- 
 age of the Kentuckians. They appear from this time 
 to have given up the expectation of reconquering the 
 country, and confined their hostilities to the rapid in- 
 cursions of small bands. 
 
 During the expedition of Clark, a party of Indians 
 penetrated to the Crab Orchard settlement. They made 
 an attack upon a single house, containing only a 
 woman, a' negro man, and two or three children. One 
 of the Indians, who had been sent in advance to re- 
 connoitre, seeing the weakness of the garrison, thought 
 to get all the glory of the achievement to himself. 
 
 He boldly entered the house and seized the neoro, 
 who proving strongest, threw him on the floor, when 
 the woman dispatched him with an axe. The other 
 Indians coming up, attempted to force open the door 
 which had been closed by the children during the 
 scuffle. There was no gun in the house, but the 
 woman seized an old barrel of one, and thrust the muz- 
 zle through the logs, at which the Indians retreated. 
 
208 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 Tlie year 1783 passed away without any disturbance 
 from the Indians^ who were restrained by the deser- 
 tion of their allies the British. In 1784, the southern 
 frontier of Kentucky was alarmed hj the rumor of an 
 intended invasion by the Cherokees, and some prepa- 
 rations were made for an expedition against them, 
 which fell through, however, because there was no au- 
 thority to carry it on. The report of the hostility of 
 the Cherokees proved to be untrue. 
 
 Meanwhile difficulties arose in performance of the 
 terms of the treaty between England and the United 
 States. They appear to have originated in a dispute 
 in regard to an article contained in the treaty, provid- 
 ing that the British army should not carry away with 
 them any negroes or other property belonging to the 
 American inhabitants. In consequence of what they 
 deemed an infraction of this article, the Virginians 
 refused to comply with another, which stipulated for 
 the repeal of acts prohibiting the collection of debts 
 due to British subjects. The British, on the other 
 hand, refused to evacuate the western posts till this 
 article was complied with. It was natural that the 
 intercourse which had always existed between the 
 Indians and the garrisons of these posts, during the 
 
CAUSES OF INDIAN HOSTILITY. ?,09 
 
 period they had acted as allies, should continue, and it 
 did. 
 
 In the unwritten history of the difficulties of the 
 United States Government with the Indian tribes 
 within her established boundaries, nothing appears 
 clearer than this truth : that the fierce and sanguinary 
 resistance of the aborigines to the encroachments of 
 the Anglo- xlmericans has ever been begun and con- 
 tinued more through the instigations of outlawed 
 white men, who had sought protection among them 
 from the arm of the law or the knife of individual 
 vengeance, and been adopted into their tribes, than 
 from the promptings of their own judgments, their 
 disregard of death, their thirst for the blood of their 
 oppressors, or their love of country.* 
 
 That their sense of wrong has at all times been 
 keen, their hate deadly, and their bravery great, is a 
 fact beyond dispute ; and that they have prized highly 
 their old hunting-grounds, and felt a warm and lively 
 attachment to their beautiful village-sites, and regarded 
 with especial veneration the burial-places of their 
 fathers, their whole history attests ; but of their own 
 weakness in war, before the arms and numbers of their 
 
 * Gallagher: "Hesperian," vol. i., p. 343. 
 
 14 
 
210 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 enemies, they must have been convinced at a very 
 early period : and they were neither so dull in appre- 
 hension, nor so weak in intellect, as not soon to have 
 perceived the utter hopelessness, and felt the mad folly, 
 of a continued contest with their invaders. Long 
 before the settlement of the whites upon this conti- 
 nent, the Indians had been subject to bloody and ex- 
 terminating wars among themselves; and such con- 
 flicts had generally resulted in the flight of the weaker 
 party toward the West, and the occupancy of their 
 lands by the conquerors. Many of the tribes had a 
 tradition among them, and regarded it as their un- 
 changeable destiny, that they were to journey from 
 the rising to the setting sun, on their way to the bright 
 waters and the green forests of the " Spirit Land ;" 
 and the working out of this destiny seems apparent, 
 if not in the location, course, and character of the 
 tumuli and other remains of the great aboriginal na- 
 tions of whom even tradition furnishes no account, cer- 
 tainly in what we know of the history of the tribes found 
 on the Atlantic coast by the first European settlers. 
 
 It seems fairly presumable, from our knowledge of 
 the history and character of the North American In- 
 dians, that had they been left to the promptings of 
 
CAUSE OF INDIAN HOSTILITY. 211 
 
 tlieir own judgments, and been influenced only bv the 
 deliberations of tlieir own councils, they would, after 
 a brief, but perhaps most bloody, resistance to the en- 
 croachments of the T/hites, have bowed to what would 
 have struck their untutored minds as an inevitable 
 destiny, and year after year flowed silently, as the 
 European wave pressed upon them, further and further 
 into the vast wildernesses of the mighty West. But 
 left to their own judgments, or their own delibera- 
 tions, they never have been. Early armed by rene- 
 gade white men with European weapons, and taught 
 the improvement of their own rude instruments of 
 warfare, and instigated not only to oppose the strides 
 ♦ of their enemies after territory, but to commit depre- 
 dations upon their settlements, and to attempt to chas- 
 tise them at their very thresholds, they drew down 
 upon themselves the wrath of a people which is not 
 slow to anger, nor easily appeased ; and as far back as 
 the Eevolution, if not as the colonizing of Massachu- 
 setts, their breasts were filled with a hatred of the 
 whites, deadly and unslumbering. Through all our 
 subsequent transactions with them, this feeling has 
 been increasing in magnitude and intensity : and re- 
 cent events have carried it to a pitch which will 
 
212 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 render it enduring forever, perhaps not in its activity, 
 but certainly in its bitterness. Whether more ami- 
 cable relations with the whites, during the first settle- 
 ments made upon this continent by the Europeans, 
 would have changed materially the ultimate destiny 
 of the aboriginal tribes, is a question about which di- 
 versities of opinion may well be entertained ; but it is 
 not to be considered here. 
 
 The fierce, and bloody, and continuous opposition 
 which the Indians have made from the first to the en- 
 croachments of the Anglo-Americans, is matter of 
 history ; and close scrutiny will show, that the great 
 instigators of that opposition have always, or nearly 
 so, been renegade white men. Scattered through the 
 tribes east of the Alleghanies, before and during the 
 American Eevolution, there were many such mis- 
 creants. Among the Western tribes, during the early 
 settlement of Kentucky and Ohio, and at the period 
 of the last war with Great Britain, there were a num- 
 ber, some of them men of talent and great activity. 
 One of the boldest and most notorious of these latter, 
 was one whom we have had frequent occasion to 
 mention, SiMOX Girty — for many years the scourge 
 of the infant settlements in the West, the terror of 
 
girty's treachery. 213 
 
 women, and the bugaboo of children. This man was 
 an adopted member of the great Wyandot nation, 
 among whom he ranked high as an expert hunter, a 
 brave warrior, and a powerful orator. His influence 
 extended through all the tribes of the West, and was 
 generally exerted to incite the Indians to expeditions 
 against the "Stations" of Kentucky, and to acts of 
 cruelty to their white prisoners. The bloodiest coun- 
 sel was usually his; his was the voice which was 
 raised loudest against hia countrymen, who were pre- 
 paring the way for the introduction of civilization 
 and Christianity into this glorious region ; and in all 
 great attacks upon the frontier settlements he was one 
 of the prime movers, and among the prominent 
 leaders. 
 
 Of the causes of that venomous hatred, which 
 rankled in the bosom of Simon Girty against his 
 countrymen, we have two or three versions : such as, 
 that he early imbibed a feeling of contempt and ab- 
 horrence of civilized life, from the brutality of his 
 father, the lapse from virtue of his mother, and the 
 corruptions of the community in which he had his 
 birth and passed his boyhood ; that, while acting with 
 the whites against the Indians on the Virginia border, 
 
till LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 he was stung to the quick, and deeply offended by the 
 appointment to a station over his head, of one who 
 was his junior in years, and had rendered nothing- 
 like his services to the frontiers; and that, when 
 attached as a scout to Dunmore's expedition, an in- 
 dignity was heaped upon him which thoroughly 
 soured his nature, and drove him to the Indians, that 
 he might more effectually execute a vengeance which 
 he swore to wreak. The last reason assigned for his 
 defection and animosity is the most probable of the 
 three, rests upon good authority, and seems sufficient, 
 his character considered, to account for his desertion 
 and subsequent career among the Indians. 
 
 The history of the indignity alluded to, as it has 
 reached the writer"^ from one who was associated with 
 Girty and a partaker in it, is as follows : The two 
 were acting as scouts in the expedition set on foot by 
 Governor Dunmore, of Yirginia, in the year 1774, 
 against the Indian towns of Ohio. The two divisions 
 of the force raised for this expedition, the one com- 
 manded by Governor Dunmore in person, the other 
 by General Andrew Lewis, were by the orders of the 
 governor to form a junction at Point Pleasant, where 
 
 * Gallaglier. 
 
girty's treachery. 215 
 
 the Great Kenhawa empties into the Ohio. At this 
 place, General Lewis arrived with his command on 
 the eleventh or twelfth of September ; but after re- 
 maining here two or three weeks in anxious expecta- 
 tion of the approach of the other division, he received 
 dispatches from the governor, informing him that 
 Dunmore had changed his plan, and determined to 
 march at once against the villages on the Scioto, and 
 ordering him to cross the Ohio immediately and join 
 him as speedily as possible. It was during the delay 
 at the Point that the incident occurred which is sup- 
 posed to have had such a tremendous influence upon 
 Girty's after-life. He and his associate scout had ren- 
 dered some two or three months' services, for which 
 they had as yet drawn no part of their pay ; and in 
 their present idleness they discovered means of enjoy- 
 ment, of which they had not money to avail them- 
 selves. In this strait, they called upon Gen. Lewis in 
 person, at his quarters, and demanded their pay. For 
 some unknown cause this was refused, which produced 
 a slight murmuring on the part of the applicants, 
 when General Lewis cursed them, and struck them 
 several severe blows over their heads with his cane. 
 Girty's associate was not much hurt ; but he himself 
 
216 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 was SO badly wounded on tlie foreliead or temple that 
 the blood streamed down his cheek and side to the 
 floor. He quickly turned to leave the apartmeot ; 
 but, on reaching the door, wheeled round, planted his 
 feet firmly upon the sill, braced an arm against either 
 side of the frame, fixed his keen eyes unflinchingly 
 upon the general, uttered the exclamation, ^'By God, 
 sir, your quarters shall swim in blood for this /" and in- 
 stantly disappeared beyond pursuit. 
 
 General Lewis was not much pleased with the sud- 
 den and apparently causeless change which Governor 
 Dunmore had made in the plan of the expedition. 
 Nevertheless, he immediately prepared to obey the 
 new orders, and had given directions for the construc- 
 tion of rafts upon which to cross the Ohio, when, be- 
 fore daylight on the morning of the 10th of October, 
 some of the scouts suddenly entered the encampment 
 with the information that an immense body of Indians 
 was just at hand, hastening upon the Point. This 
 was the force of the brave and skillful chief Corn- 
 stalk, whose genius and valor were so conspicuous on 
 that day, throughout the whole of which raged the 
 hardly-contested and most bloody Battle of the Point. 
 Girty had fled from General Lewis immediately to the 
 
217 
 
 chief Cornstalk, forsworn his white nature, and 
 leagued himself with the Redman forever ; and with 
 the Indians he was now advancing, under the cover 
 of night, to surprise the Virginian camp. At the dis- 
 tance of only a mile from the Point, Cornstalk was 
 met bj a detachment of the Yirginians, under the 
 command of Colonel Charles Lewis, a brother of the 
 general ; and here, about sunrise on the 10th of Oc- 
 tober, 1774, commenced one of the longest, severest, 
 and bloodiest battles ever fought upon the "Western 
 frontiers. It terminated, as we have seen, about sun- 
 set, with the defeat of the Indians it is true, but with 
 a loss to the whites which carried mourning into 
 many a mansion of the Old Dominion, and which was 
 keenly felt throughout the country at the time, and 
 remembered with sorrow long after. 
 
 Girty having thrown himself among the Indians, as 
 has been related, and embraced their cause, now re- 
 treated with them into the interior of Ohio, and ever 
 after followed their fortunes without swerving. On 
 arriving at the towns of the Wyandots, he was adopted 
 into that tribe, and established himself at Upper San- 
 dusky. Being active, of a strong constitution, fear- 
 less in the extreme, and at all times ready to join 
 
218 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 tlieir war parties, lie soon became verj popular among 
 his new associates, and a man of much consequence. 
 He was engaged in most of the expeditions against 
 the frontier settlements of Pennsylvania and Virginia 
 — always brave and always cruel — till the year 1778, 
 when occurred an incident which, as it is the onh^ 
 bright spot apparent on the whole dark career of the 
 renegade, shall be related with some particularity. 
 
 Girty happened to be at Lower Sandusky this year, 
 when Kenton — known at that period as Simon Butler 
 — was brought in to be executed by a part}^ of Indians 
 who had made him a prisoner on the banks of the 
 Ohio. Years before, Kenton and Girty had been 
 bosom companions at Fort Pitt, and served together 
 subsequently in the commencement of Dunmore's ex- 
 pedition ; but the victim was already blackened for 
 the stake, and the renegade failed to recognize in him 
 his former associate. Girty had at this time but just 
 returned from an expedition against the frontier of 
 Penns34vania, which had been less successful than he 
 had anticipated, and was enraged b}^ disappointment. 
 He, therefore, as soon as Kenton was brought into the 
 village, began to give vent to a portion of his spleen 
 by cuffing and kicking the prisoner, whom he event- 
 
GlRTr RESCUES KENTON. 219 
 
 ually knocked down. He knew that Kenton had 
 come from Kentucky ; and this harsh treatment was 
 bestowed in part, it is thought, to frighten the pris- 
 oner into answers of such questions as he might wish 
 to ask him. He then inquired how many men there 
 were in Kentucky. Kenton could not answer this 
 question, but ran over the names and ranks of such 
 of the officers as he at the time recollected. '' Do you 
 know William Stewart?" asked Girty. "Perfectly 
 well," replied Kenton ; "he is an old and intimate 
 acquaintance." ''Ah! what is your name, then?" 
 '' Simon Butler," answered Kenton; and on the in 
 stant of this announcement the hardened renegade 
 caught his old comrade by the hand, lifted him from 
 the ground, pressed him to his bosom, asked his for- 
 giveness for having treated him so brutally, and prom- 
 ised to do every thing in his power to save his life, 
 and set him at liberty. "Syme!" said he, weeping 
 like a child, " you are condemned to die, but it shall 
 go hard with me, I tell you, but I will save you from 
 
 ihaC 
 
 There have been various accounts given of this in 
 teresting scene, and all agree in representing Girty as 
 having been deeply affected, and moved for the mo- 
 
220 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 ment to penitence and tears. The foundation of Mc- 
 Clung's detail of the speeches made upon the occasion 
 was a manuscript dictated by Kenton himself a num- 
 ber of years before his death. From this writer we 
 therefore quote : 
 
 "As soon as Girty heard the name he became 
 strongly agitated; and, springing from his seat, he 
 threw his arms around Kenton's neck, and embraced 
 him with much emotion. Then turning to the assem- 
 bled warriors, who remained astonished spectators of 
 this extraordinary scene, he addressed them in a short 
 speech, which the deep earnestness of his tone, and 
 the energy of his gesture, rendered eloquent. He 
 informed them that the prisoner, whom they had just 
 condemned to the stake, was his ancient comrade and 
 bosom friend ; that they had traveled the same war- 
 path, slept upon the same blanket, and dwelt in the 
 same wigwam. He entreated them to have com- 
 passion on his feelings — to spare him the agony of 
 witnessing the torture of an old friend by the hands of 
 his adopted brothers, and not to refuse so trifling a 
 favor as the life of a white man to the earnest inter- 
 cession of one who had proved, by three years' faith- 
 
GIRTY AND KENTON. 221 
 
 ful service, that lie was sincerely and zealously devoted 
 to the cause of the Indians. 
 
 " The speech was listened to in unbroken silence. 
 As soon as he had finished, several chiefs expressed 
 their approbation by a deep gutteral interjection, while 
 others were equally as forward in making known 
 their objections to the proposal. They urged that his 
 fate had already been determined in a large and sol- 
 emn council, and that they would be acting like 
 squaws to change their minds every hour. They in- 
 sisted upon the flagrant misdemeanors of Kenton— 
 that he had not only stolen their horses, but had 
 flashed his gun at one of their young men— that it 
 was vain to suppose that so bad a man could ever be- 
 come an Indian at heart, like their brother Girty— 
 that the Kentuckians were all alike— very bad people 
 —and ought to be killed as fast as they were taken— 
 and finally, they observed that many of their people 
 had come from a distance, solely to assist at the tor- 
 ture of the prisoner, and pathetically painted the dis- 
 appointment and chagrin with which they would hear 
 that all their trouble had been for nothino- 
 
 "Girty listened with obvious impatience to the 
 young warriors who had so ably argued against a re- 
 
222 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 prieve — and starting to his feet, as soon as the others 
 had concluded, he urged his former request with great 
 earnestness. He briefly, but strongly recapitulated 
 his own services, and the many and weighty instances 
 of attachment he had given. He asked if he could be 
 suspected of partiality to the whites ? When had he 
 ever before interceded for any of that hated race? 
 Had he not brought seven scalps home with him from 
 the last expedition ? and had he not submitted seven 
 white prisoners that very evening to their discretion ? 
 Had he ever expressed a wish that a single captive 
 should be saved ? This was his first and should be 
 his last request : for if they refused to him, what was 
 never refused to the intercession of one of their 
 natural chiefs, he would look upon himself as dis- 
 graced in their eyes, and considered as unworthy of 
 confidence. Which of their own natural warriors had 
 been more zealous than himself? Erom what expe- 
 dition had he ever shrunk ? — what white man had ever 
 seen his back? Whose tomahawk had been bloodier 
 than his ? He would say no more. He asked it as a 
 first and last favor, as an evidence that they approved 
 of his zeal and fidelity, that the life of his bosom 
 Mend might be spared. Fresh speakers arose ui)on 
 
GIRTY AND KENTON". 223 
 
 each side, and the debate was carried on for an hour 
 and a half with great heat and energy. 
 
 " During the whole of this time, Kenton's feelings 
 may readily be imagined. He could not understand 
 a syllable of what was said. He saw that Girty spoke 
 with deep earnestness, and that the eyes of the as- 
 sembly were often turned upon himself with various 
 expressions. He felt satisfied that his friend was 
 pleading for his life, and that he was violeutly op- 
 posed by a large part of the council. At length the 
 war-club was produced, and the final vote taken. 
 Kenton watched its progress with thrilling emotion — 
 which yielded to the most rapturous delight, as he 
 perceived that those who struck the floor of the coun- 
 cil-house, were decidedly inferior in number to those 
 who passed it in silence. Having thus succeeded in 
 his benevolent purpose, Girty lost no time in attend- 
 ing to the comfort of his friend. He led him into his 
 own wigwam, and from his own store gave him a pair 
 of moccasins and leggins, a breech-cloth, a hat, a coat, 
 a handkerchief for his neck, and another for his head.'^ 
 
 In the course of a few weeks, and after passing 
 through some further difficulties, in which the rene- 
 gade again stood by him faithfully, Kenton was sent 
 
224 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 io Detroit, from wliicli place tie effected his escapo 
 and returned to Kentucky. Girty remained with the 
 Indians, retaining his old influence, and continuing 
 his old career ; and four years after the occurrences 
 last detailed, in 1782, we find him a prominent figure 
 in one of the blackest tragedies that have ever dis- 
 graced the annals of mankind. It is generally be- 
 lieved, by the old settlers and their immediate de- 
 scendants, that the influence of Girty at this period, 
 over the confederate tribes of the whole northwest, 
 was almost supreme. He had, it is true, no delegated 
 authority, and of course was powerless as regarded 
 the final determination of any important measure ; but 
 his voice was permitted in council among the chiefs, 
 and his inflaming harangues were always listened to 
 with delight by the young warriors. Among the 
 sachems and other head-men, he was what may well 
 be styled a ''power behind the throne;" and as it is 
 well known that this unseen power is often "greater 
 than the throne itself," it may reasonably be presumed 
 that Girty's influence was in reality all which it is 
 supposed to have been. The horrible event alluded 
 to above, was the Burning of Craiuford; and as a 
 knowledge of this dark passage in his life, is neces- 
 
okawford's expedition. 225 
 
 sary to a fall development of the character of the 
 renegade, an account of the incident, as much con- 
 densed as possible, will be given from the histories 
 of the unfortunate campaign of that year. 
 
 The frontier settlements of Pennsylvania and Vir- 
 ginia, had been greatly harassed by repeated attacks 
 from bands of Indians under Girty and some of the 
 Wyandot and Shawnee chiefs, during the whole 
 period of the Eevolutionary War ; and early in the 
 spring of 1782, these savage incursions became so fre- 
 quent and galling, and the common mode of fighting 
 the Indians on the line of frontier, when forced to do 
 so in self-defense, proved so inefficient, that it was 
 found absolutely necessary to carry the war into the 
 country of the enemy. For this purpose an expedi- 
 tion against the Wyandot towns on the Sandusky, 
 was gotten up in May, and put under the command 
 of Colonel William Crawford, a brave soldier of the 
 Revolution. This force, amounting to upward of four 
 hundred mounted volunteers, commenced its march 
 through the wilderness northwest of the Ohio River, 
 on the 25th of May, and reached the plains of the 
 Sandusky on the 5th of June. A spirit of insubordi- 
 nation had manifested itself during the march, and on 
 15 
 
226 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 one occasion a small body of the volunteers abandoned 
 tiie expedition and returned to their homes. The clis- 
 aifection which had prevailed on the march, continued 
 to disturb the commander and divide the ranks, after 
 their arrival upon the very site (now deserted tempo- 
 rarily) of one of the enemy's principal towns ; and the 
 officers, yielding to the wishes of their men, had actu 
 ally determined, in a hasty council, to abandon the 
 objects of the expedition and return home, if they did 
 not meet with the Indians in large force in the course 
 of another day's march. Scarcely had this determi- 
 nation been announced, however, when Colonel Craw- 
 ford received intelligence from his scouts, of the near 
 approach of a large bod}^ of the enemj'. Preparations 
 were at once made for the engagenient, which almost in- 
 stantly commenced. It was now about the middle of the 
 afternoon ; and from this time till dusk the firing was 
 hot and galling on both sides. About dark the Indians 
 drew off their force, when the volunteers encamped 
 upon the battle-ground, and slept on their arms. 
 
 The next day, the battle was renewed by small de- 
 tachments of the enemy, but no general engagement 
 took place. The Indians had suffered severely from 
 the close firing which ensued upon their first attack, 
 
RETREAT OF CRAWFORD'S TROOPS. 227 
 
 and were now maneuvering and awaiting the arrival 
 of reinforcements. No sooner liad nigut closed upon 
 this madly spent day, than the officers assembled in 
 council They were unanimous in the opinion that 
 the enemy, already as they thought more numerous 
 than their own force, was rapidly increasing in num- 
 bers. They therefore determined, without a dissent- 
 ing voice, to retreat that night, as rapidly as circum- 
 stances would permit. This resolution was at once 
 announced to the whole body of volunteers, and the 
 arrangements necessary to carry it into effect were 
 immediately commenced. By nine or ten o'clock 
 every thing was in readiness — the troops properly 
 disposed — and the retreat begun in good order. But 
 unfortunately, says ^IcClung, ''they had scarcely 
 moved an hundred paces, when the report of several 
 rifles was heard in the rear, in the direction of the In- 
 dian encampment. The troops instantly became very 
 unsteady. At length a solitary voice, in the front 
 rank, called out that their design was discovered, and 
 that the Indians would soon be upon them. Nothing 
 more was necessary. The cavalry were instantly 
 broken ; and, as usual, each man endeavored to save 
 himself as he best could. A prodigious uproar en- 
 
228 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 sued, which quickly communicated to the enemy that 
 the white men had routed themselves, and that they 
 had nothing to do but pick up stragglers." A scene 
 of confusion and carnage now took place, which 
 almost beggars description. All that night and for 
 the whole of the next day, the work of hunting out, 
 running down, and butchering, continued without in- 
 termission. But a relation of these sad occurrences 
 does not properly belong to this narrative. The brief 
 account of the expedition which has been given, was 
 deemed necessary as an introduction to the event 
 which now claims attention. 
 
 Among the prisoners taken by the Indians, were 
 Colonel Crawford, the commander, and Dr. Knight of 
 Pittsburg, who had gone upon the expedition as sur- 
 geon. On the 10th of June, these gentlemen were 
 marched toward the principal town of the Wyandots, 
 where they arrived the next day. Here they beheld 
 the mangled bodies of some of their late companions, 
 and were doomed to see others, yet living, butchered 
 before their eyes. Here, likewise, they saw Simon 
 Girty, who appeared to take an infernal delight in 
 gazing upon the dead bodies, and viewing the tortures 
 which were inflicted upon the living. The features 
 
BURKTING OP CRAWFOBD. 229 
 
 of tHis wretch, who had known Colonel Crawford at 
 Fort Pitt, were clad in malicious smiles at beholding 
 the brave soldier in his present strait ; and toward Dr. 
 Knight he conducted himself with insolence as well 
 as barbarity. The Colonel was soon stripped naked, 
 painted black, and commanded to sit down by a large 
 fire which was blazing close at hand ; and in this situ- 
 ation he was surrounded by all the old women and 
 young boys of the town, and severely beaten with 
 sticks and clubs. While this was going on, the In- 
 dians were sinking a large stake in the grc and, and 
 building a circle of brushwood and hickoiy sticks 
 around it, with a diameter of some twelve or fifteen 
 feet. These preparations completed, Crawford's hands 
 were tied firmly behind his back, and by his wrists he 
 was bound to the stake. The pile was then fired in 
 several places, and the quick flames curled into the 
 air. Girty took no part in these operations, but sat 
 upon his horse at a little distance, observing them 
 with a malignant satisfaction. Catching his eye at 
 the moment the pile was fired, Crawford inquired of 
 the renegade if the savages really meant to burn him. 
 Girty coldly answered ''Yes," and the Colonel calmly 
 resigned himself to his fate. The whole scene is 
 
230 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOONE. 
 
 minutely described in the several histories which have 
 been written of this unfortunate expedition ; but the 
 particulars are too horrible to be dwelt upon here 
 For more than tw^o hours did the gallant soldier sur- 
 vive at that flame-girdled stake; and during the latter 
 half of this time, he was put to everj torture which 
 savage ingenuity could devise, and hellish vengeance 
 execute. Once only did a word escape his lips. In 
 the extremity of his agony he again caught the eye 
 of Girty ; and he is reported to have exclaimed at this 
 time, '^ Girty ! Girty ! shoot me through the heart ! 
 Do not refuse me! quick! — quick!" And it is said 
 that the monster merely replied, " Don't you see I 
 have no gun, Colonel?" then burst into a loud laugh 
 and turned away. Crawford said no more ; he sank 
 repeatedly beneath the pain and suffocation which he 
 endured, and was as often aroused by a new torture; 
 but in a little while the ^' vital spark" fled, and the 
 black and swollen body lay senseless at the foot of 
 the stake. 
 
 Dr. Knight w^as now removed from the spot, and 
 placed under the charge of a Shawanee warrior to be 
 taken to Chillicothe, where lie was to share in the tcr 
 rible fate of his lato companion. The Doctor, how- 
 
PARTICULARS OF GIRTY S LIFE. 231 
 
 ever, was fortunate enough to effect his escape; and • 
 after wandering through the wilderness for three 
 weeks, in a state bordering on starvation, he reached 
 Pittsburg. He had been an eye-witness of all tlie 
 tortures inflicted upon the Colonel, and subsequently 
 published a journal of the expedition ; and it is from 
 this that the particulars have been derived of the 
 several accounts which have been published of the 
 Burning of Craioford!^ 
 
 It was not to be expected that such a man as Simon 
 Girty could, for a great many years, maintain his in- 
 fluence among a people headed by chiefs and warriors 
 like Black-Hoof, Buckongahelas, Little Turtle, Tarhe, 
 and so forth. Accordingly we find the ascendancy of 
 the renegade at its height about the period of the ex- 
 pedition against Bryant's Station, already described ; 
 and not long after this it began to wane, when, dis- 
 content and disappointment inducing him to give way 
 to his natural appetites, he partook freely of all intoxi- 
 cating liquors, and in the course of a few years became 
 a beastly drunkard. It is believed that he at one time 
 seriously meditated an abandonment of the Indians, 
 and a return to the v/hites ; and an anecdote related 
 
 ^ Gallagher. 
 
232 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 by McClung, in his notice of the emigration to Ken- 
 tucky, by way of the Ohio Eiver, in the year 1785, 
 would seem to give color to this opinion. But if the 
 intention ever was seriously indulged; it is most likely 
 that fear of the treatment he would receive on being 
 recognized in the frontier settlements, on account of 
 his many bloody enormitieS; prevented him from car- 
 rying it into effect. He remained with the Indians in 
 Ohio till "Wayne's victory, when he forsook the scenes 
 of his former influence and savage greatness, and 
 established himself somewhere in Upper Canada. He 
 fought in the bloody engagement which terminated 
 in the defeat and butchery of St. Clair's army in 1791, 
 and was at the battle of the Fallen Timbers in 1794 ; 
 but he had no command in either of those engage- 
 ments, and was not at this time a man of any particu- 
 lar influence. 
 
 In Canada, Girty was something of a trader, but 
 gave himself up almost wholly to intoxicating drinks, 
 and became a perfect sot. At this time he suffered 
 much from rheumatism and other diseases; but he 
 had grown a great braggart, and amidst his severest 
 pains he would entertain his associates, and all who 
 were willing to listen, with stories of his past prowess 
 
BIRTH-PLACE OP GIRTT. 233 
 
 and cruelty. He had now the most exaggerated no- 
 tions of the honor attaching to the character of a great 
 warrior ; and for some years before his death his con- 
 stantly-exjDrcssed wish was, that he might find an 
 opportunity of signalizing his last years by some 
 daring action, and die upon the field of battle. 
 Whether sincere in this wish or not, the opportunity 
 was afforded him. He fought with the Indians at 
 Proctor's defeat on the Thames in 1814, and was 
 among those who were here cut down and trodden 
 under foot by Colonel Johnson's regiment of mounted 
 Kenl^ckians. 
 
 Of the birth-place and family of Simon Girty we 
 have not been able to procure any satisfactory infor- 
 mation. It is generally supposed, from the fact that 
 nearly all of his early companions were Virginians, 
 that he was a native of the Old Dominion ; but one 
 of the early pioneers, (yet living in Franklin County,) 
 who knew Girty at Pittsburg before his defection, 
 thinks that his native State was Pennsylvania. This 
 venerable gentleman is likewise of the opinion, that it 
 was the disappointment of not getting an office to 
 which he aspired that first filled Girty's breast with 
 
234 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 hatred of tlie whites, and roused in him those dark 
 thoughts and bitter feehngs which subsequently, on tho 
 occurrence of the first good opportunity, induced him 
 to desert his countrymen and league himself with the 
 Indians. That Girty was an applicant or candidate 
 for some office, and was defeated in his eftbrts to cjb- 
 tain it by an individual who was generally considered 
 less deserving of it than he, my informant has distinct 
 recollections ; and also remembers that his defeat was 
 occasioned principally through the exertions, in be- 
 half of his opponent, of Colonel William Crawford. 
 This affords a key to the cause of Girty's fiendlike 
 conduct toward the Colonel when, some ten years 
 afterward, the latter was bound to the stake at one of 
 the "Wyandot towns, and in the extremity of his 
 agony besought the renegade to put an end to his 
 misery by shooting him through the heart : it ofi'ers 
 no apology, however, for Girty's brutality on that 
 occasion. 
 
 The career of the renegade, commenced b}^ treason 
 and pursued through blood to the knee, affords a good 
 lesson, which might well receive some remark ; bit 
 this narrative has already extended to an unexpor-ted 
 
LESSOX OF GIRTY'S LIFE. 235 
 
 itint-tli, and must here close. It is a dark record ; but 
 the histories of all new countries contain somewhat 
 siniL.t!-r passages, and their preservation in this form 
 may nii \^ '■].k<jethor without usefulness."^ 
 
CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 Season of repose — Colonel Boone buys land — Builds a log-liouse 
 and goes to farming — Kentucky organized on a new basis — Tlie 
 tliree Counties united in one district, and Courts establisbed— 
 Colonel Boone surprised by Indians — Escapes by a bold strat- 
 agem — Increase of emigration — Transportation of goods com- 
 mences—Primitive manners and customs of tbe settlers — 
 Hunting— The autumn bunt— The hunting camp— Qualifi- 
 cations of a good hunter — Animals hunted— The process of 
 building and furnishing a cabin— The house-warming. 
 
 After the series of Indian hostilities recorded in 
 the chapters immediately preceding this, Kentucky 
 enjoyed a season of comparative repose. The cessa- 
 tion of hostilities between the United States and Great 
 Britain in 1783, and the probable speedy cession of 
 the British posts on the Northwestern frontier, dis- 
 couraged the Indians, stopped their customary incur- 
 sions on the Kentuckians, and gave them leisure to 
 acquire and cultivate new tracts of land. 
 
 Colonel Boone, notwithstanding the heavy loss of 
 (236) 
 
NEW ORGANIZATION. 237 
 
 money (whicli lias been already mentioned) as he was 
 on his journey to North Carolina, was now able to pur- 
 chase several locations of land. He had been com- 
 pensated for his military services by the Common- 
 wealth of Virginia; to which Kentucky still belonged. 
 On one of his locations he built a comfortable log- 
 house and recommenced farming, with his usual in- 
 dustry and perseverance; varying the pursuits of 
 agriculture with occasional indulgence in his favorite 
 sport of hunting. 
 
 In 1783 Kentucky organized herself on a new basis, 
 Virginia having united the three counties into one 
 district, having a court of common law and chancery 
 for the whole territory which now forms the State of 
 Kentucky. The seat of justice at first was at Har- 
 rodsburg; but for want of convenient accommodations 
 for the sessions of the courts, they were subsequently 
 removed to Danville, which, in consequence, became 
 for a season the centre and capital of the State.'^ 
 
 A singular and highly characteristic adventure, in 
 which Boone was engaged about this time, is thus 
 narrated by Mr. Peck : 
 
 " Though no hostile attacks from Indians disturbed 
 
 * Perkins. Peck. 
 
238 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 t!ic settlements, still there were small parties discov- 
 e.-ecl, or signs seen on the frontier settlements. On 
 one occasion, about this period, four Indians came to 
 the farm of Colonel Boone, and nearly succeeded in 
 taking him prisoner. The particulars are given as 
 they were narrated by Boone himself, at the wedding 
 of a granddaughter, a few months before his decease, 
 and they furnish an illustration of his habitual self- 
 possession and tact with Indians. At a short distance 
 from his cabin he had raised a small patch of tobacco 
 to supply his neighbors, (for Boone never used the 
 'filthy weed' himself,) the amount, perhaps, of one 
 hundred and fifty hills. 
 
 ''As a shelter for curing it, he had built an enclosure 
 of rails, a dozen feet in height, and covered it with 
 cane and grass. Stalks of tobacco are usually split 
 and strung on sticks about four feet in length. The 
 ends of these are laid on poles, placed across the 
 tobacco house, and in tiers, one above the other to the 
 roof Boone had fixed his temporary shelter in such 
 a manner as to have three tiers. He had covered the 
 lower tier, and the tobacco had become dry, when he 
 entered the shelter for the purpose of removing the 
 sticks to the upper tier, preparatory to gathering the 
 
BOLD ESCAPE FROM INDIANS. 239 
 
 remainder of the crop. He Lad hoisted up the sticks 
 from tiie lower to the second tier, and was standing on 
 the poles that supported it while raising the sticks to 
 the upper tier, when four stout Indians, with guns, 
 entered the low door and called him byname. 'ISTow^ 
 Boone, we got you. You no get away more. We 
 carry you off to Chillicothe this time. You no cheat 
 us any more.' Boone looked down upon their up- 
 turned faces, saw their loaded guns pointed at his 
 breast, and recognizing some of his old friends, the 
 Shawanees, ^vho had made him prisoner near the Blue 
 Licks in 1778, coolly and pleasantly responded, 'Ah ! 
 old friends, glad to see you.' Perceiving that they 
 manifested impatience to have him come down, he 
 told them he was quite willing to go with them, and 
 only begged they would wait where they were, and 
 watch him closely, until he could finish removing his 
 tobacco. . 
 
 While parleying with them, inquiring after old ac- 
 quaintances, and proposing to give them his tobacco 
 when cured, he diverted their attention from his pur- 
 pose, until he had collected together a number of 
 sticks of dry tobacco, and so turned them as to fall 
 between the poles directly in their faces. At the same 
 
240 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 instant, he jumped upon tliem with as much of the 
 dry tobacco as he could gather in his arms, filling 
 their mouths and eyes with its pungent dust ; and 
 blinding and disabling them from following him, 
 rushed out and hastened to his cabin, where he had 
 the means of defense. Notwithstanding the narrow 
 escape, he could not resist the temptation, after re- 
 treating some fifteen or twenty yards, to look round 
 and see the success of his achievement. The Indians, 
 blinded and nearly suffocated, were stretching out 
 their hands and feeling about in different directions, 
 calling him by name and cursing him for a rogue, and 
 themselves for fools. The old man, in telling the 
 story, imitated their gestures and tones of voice with 
 great glee. 
 
 Emigration to Kentucky was now rapidly on the 
 increase, and many new settlements were formed. 
 The means of establishing comfortable homesteads in- 
 creased. Horses, cattle, and swine were rapidly in 
 creasing in number ; and trading in various commo- 
 dities became more general. From Philadelphia, 
 merchandise was transported to Pittsburg on pack- 
 horses, and thence taken down the Ohio River in flat- 
 boats and distributed among the settlements on its 
 

 \\\ 
 
HUNTING IN KENTUCKY. 241 
 
 banks. Country stores, land speculators, and paper 
 money made their appearance, affording a clear 
 augury of the future activity of the West in com- 
 mercial industry and enterprise. 
 
 Most of the settlers came from the interior of N"orth 
 Carolina and Virginia; and brought with them the 
 manners and customs of those States. These man- 
 ners and customs were primitive enough. The fol- 
 lowing exceedingly graphic description, which we 
 transcribe from " Doddridge's Notes," will afford the 
 reader a competent idea of rural life iu the times of 
 Daniel Boone. 
 
 " Hunting. — This was an important part of the em- 
 ployment of the early settlers of this country. For some 
 years the woods supplied them with the greater amount 
 of their subsistence, and with regard to some families, 
 at certain times, the whole of it ; for it was no uncom- 
 mon thing for families to live several months without a 
 mouthful of bread. It frequently happened that there 
 was no breakfast until it was obtained from the 
 woods. Fur and peltry were the people's money. 
 They had nothing else to give in exchange for rifles, 
 Bait, and iron, on the other side of the mountains. 
 
 *' The fall and early part of the winter was the season 
 16 
 
242 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 for hunting deer, and tlie whole of the winter, in- 
 cluding part of the spring, for bears and far-skinned 
 animals. It was a customary saying that fur is good 
 during every month in the name of which the letter 
 
 o 
 
 K occurs. 
 
 " The class of hunters with whom I was best ac- 
 quainted, were those whose hunting ranges were on 
 the eastern side of the river, and at the distance of 
 eight or nine miles from it. As soon as the leaves 
 were pretty well down, and the weather became rainy, 
 accompanied with light snows, these men, after acting 
 the part of husbandmen, so far as the state of warfare 
 permitted them to do so, soon began to feel that they 
 were hunters. They became uneasy at home. Every 
 thing about them became disagreeable. The house 
 was too warm. The feather-bed too soft, and even 
 the good wife was not thought, for the time being, a 
 proper companion. The mind of the hunter was 
 wholly occupied with the camp and chase. 
 
 '' I have often seen them get up early in the morning 
 at this season, walk hastily out, and look anxiously to 
 the woods and snuff the autumnal winds with the high- 
 est rapture, then return into the house and cast a quick 
 and attentive look at the rifle, which was always sus- 
 
A HUNTING CAMP. 243 
 
 pended to a joist by a couple of buck hornS; or little 
 forks. His hunting dog, understanding the intentions 
 of his master, would wag his tail, and by every bland- 
 ishment in his power express his readiness to accom- 
 pany him to the woods. 
 
 " A day was soon appointed for the march of the little 
 cavalcade to the camp. Two or three horses furnished 
 with pack-saddles were loaded with flour, Indian meal, 
 blankets, and every thing else requisite for the use of 
 the hunter. ♦ 
 
 " A hunting camp, or what was called a half- faced 
 cabin, was of the following form ; the back part of it 
 was sometimes a large log ; at the distance of eight or 
 ten feet from this, two stakes were set in the ground a 
 few inches apart, and at the distance of eight or ten 
 feet from these, two more, to- receive the ends of the 
 poles for the sides of the camp. The whole slope of 
 the roof, was from the front to the back. The cover- 
 ing was made of slabs, skins, or blankets, or, if in the 
 spring of the year, the bark of hickory or ash trees. 
 The front was entirely open. The fire was built di- 
 rectly before this opening. The cracks between the 
 logs were tilled with moss. Dry leaves served for a 
 bed. It is thus that a couple of men, in a few hours, 
 
244 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 will construct for themselves a temporary, but toler- 
 ably comfortable defense, from tbe inclemencies of the 
 weather. The beaver, otter, muskrat and squirrel are 
 scarcely their equals in dispatch in fabricating for 
 themselves a covert from the tempest ! 
 
 "A little more pains would have made a huntmg 
 camp a defense against the Indians. A cabin ten feet 
 square, bullet proof, and furnished with port-holes, 
 would have enabled two or three hunters to hold 
 twenty Indiansr at bay for any length of time. But 
 this precaution I believe was never attended to ; hence 
 the hunters were often surprised and killed in their 
 camps. 
 
 " The site for the camp was selected with all the sa- 
 gacity of the woodsman, so as to have it sheltered by 
 the surrounding hills from every wind, but more es- 
 pecially from those of the north and west. 
 
 " An uncle of mine, of the name of Samuel Teter, oc- 
 cupied the same camp for several years in succession. 
 It was situated on one of the southern branches of 
 Cross Creek. Although I lived for many years not 
 more than fifteen miles from the place, it was not till 
 within a very few years ago that I discovered its sit- 
 uation. It was shown me by a gentleman living in 
 
SKILL OF THE HUNTER. 245 
 
 the neigHborhood. Viewing tlie hills round about it, 
 r soon perceived the sagacity of the hunter in the site 
 for his camp. Not a wind could touch him ; and un- 
 less bj the report of his gun or the sound of his axe, 
 it would have been by mere accident if an Indian had 
 discovered his concealment. 
 
 " Hunting was not a mere ramble in pursuit of game, 
 in which there was nothing of skill and calculation ; on 
 the contrary, the hunter, before he set out in the morn- 
 ing, was informed, by the state of the weather, in what 
 situation he might reasonably expect to meet with his 
 game ; whether on the bottoms, sides or tops of the hills. 
 In stormy weather, the deer always seek the most 
 sheltered places, and the leeward side of the hills. 
 In rainy weather, in which there is not much wind, 
 they keep in the open woods on the highest ground. ' 
 " In every situation it was requisite for the hunter to 
 ascertain the course of the wind, so as to get the lee- 
 ward of the game. This he effected by putting his fin- 
 ger in his mouth, and holding it there until it became 
 warm, then holding it above his head, the side which 
 first becomes cold shows which way the wind blows. 
 "As it was requisite too for the hunter to know the 
 cardinal points, he had only to observe the trees to as- 
 
246 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 certain them. The bark of an aged tree is thicker and 
 much rougher on the north than on the south side. 
 The same thing may be said of the moss : it is much 
 thicker and stronger on the north than on the south side 
 of the trees. 
 
 *' The whole business of the hunter consists of a suc- 
 cession of intrigues. From morning till night he was 
 on the alert to gain the wind of his game, and approach 
 them without being discovered. If he succeeded in 
 killing a deer, he skinned it, and hung it up out of the 
 reach of the wolves, and immediately resumed the 
 chase till the close of the evening, when he bent his 
 course toward the camp ; when he arrived there he 
 kindled up his fire, and together with his fellow 
 fiunter, cooked his supper. The supper finished, the 
 adventures of the day furnished the tales for the 
 evening. The spike buck, the two and three-pronged 
 buck, the doe and barren doe, figured through their 
 anecdotes with great advantage. It should seem that 
 after hunting awhile on the same ground, the hunters 
 became acquainted with nearly all the gangs of deer 
 within their range, so as to know each flock of them 
 when they saw them. Often some old buck, by the 
 means of his superior sagacity and watchfulness, saved 
 
THE HOUSE-WARMING. 247 
 
 his little gang from the hunter's skill, by giving 
 timely notice of his approach. The cunning of the 
 hunter and that of the old buck were staked against 
 each other, and it frequently happened that at the 
 conclusion of the hunting season, the old fellow was 
 left the free uninjured tenant of his forest; but if his 
 rival succeeded in bringing him down, the victory 
 was followed by no small amount of boasting on the 
 part of the conqueror. 
 
 " When the weather was not suitable for hunting, 
 the skins and carcasses of the game were brought in 
 and disposed of. 
 
 " Many of the hunters rested from their labors on 
 the Sabbath day ; some from a motive of piety ; others 
 said that whenever they hunted on Sunday, they were 
 sure to have bad luck on the rest of the week. 
 
 " The House-Warming.— I will proceed to state the 
 usual manner of settling a young couple in the world. 
 
 '' A spot was selected on a piece of land of one of the 
 parents, for their habitation. A day was appointed 
 shortly after their marriage, for commencing the work 
 of building their cabin. The fatigue-party consisted 
 of choppers, whose business it was to fell the trees 
 and cut them off at proper lengths. A man with a 
 
248 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 team for hauling them to the place and arranging 
 them, properly assorted, at the sides and ends of the 
 building; a carpenter, if such he might l.c sailed, 
 whose business it was to search the woods for a proper 
 tree for making clapboards for the roof The tree for 
 this purpose must be straight-grained, and from three 
 to four feet in diameter. The boards were split four 
 feet long, with a large frow, and as wide as the tim- 
 ber would allow. They were used without planing 
 or shaving Another division were employed in get- 
 ting puncheons for the floor of the cabin ; this was 
 done by splitting trees, about eighteen inches in diam- 
 eter, and hewing the faces of them with a broad-axe. 
 They were half the length of the floor they were in- 
 tended to make. The materials for the cabin were 
 mostly prepared on the first day, and sometimes the 
 foundation laid in the evening. The second day was 
 allotted for the raising. 
 
 " In the morning of the next day the neighbors col- 
 lected for the raising. The first thing to be done was 
 the election of four corner men, whose business it was 
 to notch and place the logs. The rest of the company 
 furnished them with the timbers. In the meantime 
 the boards and puncheons were collecting for the floor 
 
EAISIXG A LOG-HUT. 219 
 
 find roof, so that bj the time the cabin was a few 
 rounds high, the sleepers and floor began to be laid. 
 The door was made by sawing or cutting the logs in 
 one side so as to make an opening about three feet 
 wide. This opening was secured by upright pieces 
 of timber about three inches thick, through which 
 holes were bored into the ends of the logs for the pur- 
 pose of pinning them fast. A similar opening, but 
 wider, was made at the end for the chimney. This 
 was built of logs, and made large, to admit of a back 
 and jambs of stone. At the square, two end logs pro- 
 jected a foot or eighteen inches beyond the wall, to 
 receive the butting poles, as they were called, against 
 which the ends of the first row of clapboards was sup- 
 ported. The roof was formed by making the end logs 
 shorter, until a single log formed the comb of the roof, 
 on these logs the clapboards were placed, the ranges 
 of them lapping some distance over those next below 
 them, and kept in their places by logs, placed at 
 proper distances upon them. 
 
 " The roof, and sometimes the floor, were finished on 
 the same day of the raising. A third day was com 
 monly spent by a few carpenters in leveling ofl' the 
 floor, making a clapboard door and a table. This last 
 
250 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 was made of a split slab, and supported by four 
 ronnd legs set in auger-holes. Some three-legged 
 stools were made in the same manner. Some pins 
 stuck in the logs at the back of the house, supported 
 some clapboards which served for shelves for the table 
 furniture. A single fork, placed with its lower end 
 in a hole in the floor, and the upper end fastened to a 
 joist, served for a bedstead, by placing a pole in the 
 fork with one end through a crack between the logs 
 of the wall. This front pole was crossed by a shorter 
 one within the fork, with its outer end through 
 another crack. From the front pole, through a crack 
 between the logs of the end of the house, the boards 
 were put on which formed the bottom of the bed. 
 Sometimes other poles were pinned to the fork a little 
 distance above these, for the purpose of supporting 
 the front and foot of the bed, while the walls were tho 
 supports of its back and head. A few pegs around 
 the walls for a display of the coats of the women, and 
 hunting-shirts of the men, and two small forks vi 
 buck-horns to a joist for the rifle and shot-pouch, 
 completed the carpenter work. 
 
 " In the mean time masons were at work. With the 
 heart pieces of the timber of which the clapboards 
 
HOUSE-WARMINa. 251 
 
 were made, they made billets for chunking up the 
 cracks between the logs of the cabin and chimney ; 
 a large bed of mortar was made for daubing up these 
 cracks; a few stones formed the back and jambs of 
 the chimney. 
 
 " The cabin being finished, the ceremony of house- 
 warming took place, before the young couple were 
 permitted to move into it. 
 
 " The house-warming was a dance of a whole night's 
 continuance, made up of the relations of the bride and 
 groom and their neighbors. On the day following 
 the young couple took possession of their new man- 
 
 sion." 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 .'Condition of the early settlers as it respects the mechamo 
 arts — Want of skilled mechanics — Hominy block and hand- 
 mill — Sweeps — Gunpowder — Water mills — Clothing — Leather 
 — Farm tools — Wooden ware — Sports — Imitating birds — 
 Throwing the tomahawk — Athletic sports — Dancing — Shoot- 
 ing at marks — Emigration of the present time compared with 
 that of the early settlers — Scarcity of iron — Costume — Dwell- 
 ings — Furniture — Employments — The women — Their charac- 
 ter — Diet — Indian corn — The great improvements in facili- 
 tating the early settlement of the West — Amusements. 
 
 Before leaving the subject of the actual condition 
 of the early settlers in the West, we take another 
 extract from "Doddridge's Notes," comprising his 
 observations on the state of the mechanic arts among 
 them, and an account of some of their favorite sports. 
 
 ^' Mechanic Arts. — In giving the history of the 
 state of the mechanic arts as they were exercised at 
 an early period of the settlement of this country, I 
 shall present a people, driven by necessity to perform 
 works of mechanical skill, far beyond what a person 
 (252) 
 
MANUFACTURES OF THE PIONEERS. 25B 
 
 enjoying all the advantages of civilization would ex- 
 pect from a population placed in such destitute cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 '' My reader will naturally ask, where were their 
 mills for grinding grain ? Where their tanners for 
 making leather ? Where their smiths' shops for making 
 and repairing their farming utensils ? Who were 
 their carpenters, tailors, cabinet- workmen, shoemakers, 
 and weavers? The answer is, those manufacturers 
 did not exist ; nor had they any tradesmen, who were 
 professedly such. Every family were under the neces- 
 sity of doing every thing for themselves as well as 
 they could. The hominy block and hand-mills were 
 in use in most of our houses. The first was made of 
 a large block of wood about three feet long, with an 
 excavation burned in one end, wide at the top and 
 narrow at the bottom, so that the action of the pestle 
 on the bottom threw the corn up to the sides toward 
 the top of it, from whence it continually fell down 
 into tne centre. 
 
 " In consequence of this movement, the whole mass 
 of the grain was pretty equally subjected to the strokes 
 of the pestle. In the fall of the year, while the In- 
 dian corn was soft, the block and pestle did very well 
 
254 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 for making meal for johnny-cake and musli ; but were- 
 rather slow when the corn became hard. 
 
 " The sweep was sometimes used to lessen the toil of 
 pounding grain into meal. This was a pole of some 
 springy, elastic wood, thirty feet long or more ; the 
 butt end was placed under the side of a house, or a 
 large stump ; this pole was supported by two forks, 
 placed about one-third of its length from the butt end, 
 so as to elevate the small end about fifteen feet from 
 the ground : to this was attached, by a large mortise, 
 a piece of sapling about five or six inches in diameter, 
 and eight or ten feet long. The lower end of this was 
 shaped so as to answer for a pestle. A pin of wood 
 was put throught it, at a proper height, so that two 
 persons could work at the sweep at once. This sim- 
 ple machine very much lessened the labor and expe- 
 dited the work. 
 
 " I remember that when a boy I put up an excellent 
 sweep at my father's. It was made of a sugar-tree 
 sapling. It was kept going almost constantly from 
 morning till night by our neighbors for a period of 
 several weeks. 
 
 In the Greenbriar country, where they had a num- 
 ber of saltpetre caves, the first settlers made plenty 
 
MANUFACTURES OF THE PIONEEKS. 255 
 
 of excellent gunpowder by the means of those sweeps 
 and mortars. 
 
 '' A machine, still more simple than the mortar and 
 pestle, was used for making meal while the corn was 
 too soft to be beaten. It was called a grater. This 
 was a half-circular piece of tin, perforated with a 
 punch from the concave side, and nailed bj its edges 
 to a block of wood. The ears of corn were rubbed 
 on the rough edge of the holes, while the meal fell 
 through them on the board or block, to which the 
 grater was nailed, which, being in a slanting direction, 
 discharged the meal into a cloth or bowl placed for 
 its reception. This, to be sure, was a slow way of 
 making meal ; but necessity has no law. 
 
 "The hand-mill was better than the mortar and 
 grater. It was mxade of two circular stones, the lowest 
 of which was called the bed-stone, the upper one the 
 runner. These were plr^ced in a hoop, with a spout 
 for discharging the meai. A staff was let into a hole 
 in the upper surface of the runner, near the outer 
 edge, and its upper end through a hole in a board 
 fastened to a joist above, so that two persons could 
 be employed in turning the mill at the same time. 
 The grain was put into the opening in the runner by 
 
256 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 hand. The mills are still in use in Palestine, the an- 
 cient country of the Jews. To a mill of this sort our 
 Saviour alluded when, with reference to the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, he said : ' Two women shall be 
 grinding at a mill, the one shall be taken and the 
 other left.' 
 
 " This mill is much preferable to that used at present 
 in upper Egypt for making the the dhourra bread. 
 It is a smooth stone, placed on an inclined plane, 
 upon which the grain is spread, which is made into 
 meal by rubbing another stone up and down upon it. 
 
 " Our first water mills were of that description de- 
 nominated tub-mills. It consists of a perpendicular 
 shaft, to the lower end of which an horizontal wheel 
 of about four or five feet diameter is attached, the 
 upper end passes through the bedstone and carries the 
 runner after the manner of a trundlehead. These 
 mills were built with very little expense, and many 
 of them answered the purpose very well. 
 
 " Instead of bolting cloths, sifters were in general 
 nse. These were made of deer skins in the state of 
 parchment, stretched over a hoop and perforated 
 with a hot wire. 
 
 " Our clothing was all of domestic manufacture. We 
 
MANUFACTURES OF THE PIONEERS. 257 
 
 had no other resource for clothing, and this, indeed, 
 was a poor one. The crops of flax often failed, and 
 the sheep were destroyed by the wolves. Linsey, 
 which is made of flax and wool the former the chain 
 and the latter the filling, was the warmest and most 
 substantial cloth we could make. Almost every 
 house contained a loom, and almost every woman was 
 a weaver, 
 
 " Every family tanned their own leather. The tan 
 vat was a large trough sunk to the upper edge in the 
 ground. A quantity of bark was easily obtained 
 every spring in clearing and fencing land. This, after 
 drying, was brought in, and in wet days was shaved 
 and pounded on a block of wood with an axe or 
 mallet. Ashes were used in place of lime for taking 
 off the hair. Bears' oil, hogs' lard, and tallow an- 
 swered the place of fish oil. The leather, to be sure, 
 was coarse ; but it was substantially good. The opera- 
 tion of currying was performed by a drawing-knife 
 with its edge turned, after the manner of a currying- 
 knife. The blocking for the leather was made of soot 
 and hogs' lard. 
 
 ^' Almost -every family contained its own tailors and 
 
 shoemakers. Those who could not make shoes, could 
 17 
 
258 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 make shoepacks. These, like moccasins, were made 
 of a single piece on the top of the foot. This was 
 about two inches broad, and circular at the lower 
 end. To this the main piece of leather was sewed, 
 with a gathering stitch. The seam behind was like 
 that of a moccasin. To the shoepack a sole was 
 sometimes added. The women did the tailor- work. 
 They could all cut-out, and make hunting-shirts, leg- 
 gins, and drawers. 
 
 " The state of society which exists in every country 
 at an early period of its settlements, is well calculated 
 to call into action every native mechanical genius. So it 
 happened in this country. There was in almost every 
 neighborhood, some one whose natural ingenuity 
 enabled him to do many things for himself and his 
 neighbors, far above what could have been reasonably 
 expected. With the few tools which they brought 
 with them into the country, they certainly performed 
 wonders. Their plows, harrows with their wooden 
 teeth, and sleds, were in many instances well made. 
 Their cooper-ware, which comprehended every thing 
 for holding milk and water, was generally pretty 
 well executed. The cedar- ware, by having alternately 
 a white and red stave, was then thought beautiful ; 
 
SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 259 
 
 many of their puncheon floors were very neat, their 
 joints close, and the top even and smooth. Their 
 looms, although heavy, did very well. Those who 
 could not exercise these mechanic arts, were under 
 the necessity of giving labor or barter to their neigh- 
 bors, in exchange for the use of them, so far as their 
 necessities required. 
 
 *' Sports. — One important pastime of our boys, was 
 that of imitating the noise of every bird and beast in 
 the woods. This faculty was not merely a pastime, 
 but a very necessary part of education, on account of 
 its utility in certain circumstances. The imitations 
 of the gobbling, and other sounds of wild turkeys, 
 often brought those keen-eyed, and ever-watchful 
 tenants of the forest within the reach of their rifle. 
 The bleating of the fawn, brought its dam to her death 
 in the same way. The hunter often collected a com- 
 pany of mopish owls to the trees about his camp, and 
 amused himself with their hoarse screaming ; his howl 
 would raise and obtain responses from a pack of 
 wolves, so as to inform him of their neighborhood, as 
 well as guard him against their depredations. 
 
 "■ This imitative faculty was sometimes requisite as 
 a measure of precaution in war. The Indians, when 
 
260 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 scattered about in a neighborhood, often collected 
 together, by imitating tnrkejwS by day, and wolves or 
 owls by night. In similar situations, our people did 
 the same. I have often witnessed the consternation 
 of a whole settlement, in consequence of a few 
 screeches of owls. An early and correct use of this 
 imitative faculty was considered as an indication that 
 its possessor would become, in due time, a good 
 hunter and valiant warrior. Throwing the tomahawk 
 was another boyish sport, in which many acquired 
 considerable skill. The tomahawk, with its handle 
 of a certain length, will make a given number of 
 turns in a given distance. Say in five steps, it will 
 strike with the edge, the handle downward ; at the 
 distance of seven and a half, it will strike with the 
 edge, the handle upward, and so on. A little experi- 
 ence enabled the boy to measure the distance with 
 his eye, when walking through the woods, and strike 
 a tree with his tomahawk in any v/ay he chose. 
 
 " The athletic sports of running, jumping, and wrest- 
 ling, were the pastimes of boys, in common with the 
 men. 
 
 "A well-grown boy, at the age of twelve or thirteen 
 years, was furnished with a small rifle and shot-pouch. 
 
SHOOTING. 261 
 
 He then became a fort-soldier, and had his port hole 
 assigned him. Hunting squirrels, turkeys, and 
 raccoons, soon made him expert in the use of his 
 gun. 
 
 " Dancing was the principal amusement of our young 
 people of both sexes. Their dances, to be sure, were 
 of the simplest form. Three and four-handed reels 
 and jigs. Country dances, cotillions, and minuets, 
 were unknown. I remember to have seen, once or 
 twice, a dance which was called "The Irish Trot," 
 but I have long^ since forojotten its fio^ure. 
 
 o o o 
 
 " Shooting at marks was a common diversion among 
 the men, when their stock of ammunition would allow 
 it ; this, however, was far from being always the case. 
 The present mode of shooting off-hand was not 
 then in practice. This mode was not considered 
 as any trial of the value of a gun, nor indeed, as 
 much of a test of the skill of a marksman. Their 
 shooting was from a rest, and at as great a distance 
 as the length and weight of the barrel of the gun 
 would throw a ball on a horizontal level. Such was 
 their regard to accuracy, in those sportive trials of 
 their rifles, and of their own skill in the use of them, 
 that they often put moss, or some other soft substance 
 
262 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 on the log or stump from wliicli they ^hot, for fear 
 of having the bullet thrown from the mark, by the 
 spring of the barreh "When the rifle was held to the 
 side of a tree for a rest, it was pressed against it as 
 lightly as possible, for the same reason. 
 
 " Eifles of former times were different from those of 
 modern date ; few of them carried more than forty-five 
 bullets to the pound. Bullets of a less size were not 
 thought sufficiently heavy for hunting or war." 
 
 Our readers will pardon the length of these extracts 
 from Doddridge, as they convey accurate pictures of 
 many scenes of Western life in the times of Daniel 
 Boone. We add to them a single extract from "Eam- 
 say's Annals of Tennessee." The early settlement of 
 that State took place about the same time with that 
 of Kentucky, and was made by emigrants from the 
 same region. The following remarks are therefore 
 perfectly applicable to the pioneers of Kentucky. 
 
 " The settlement of Tennessee was unlike that of the 
 present new country of the United States. Emigrants 
 from the Atlantic cities, and from most points in the 
 Western interior, now embark upon steamboats or 
 other craft, and carrying with them all the convo- 
 niences and comforts of civilized life — indeed, many 
 
SETTLEMENT OF TENNESSEE. 263 
 
 of its luxuries — are, in a few days, without toil, dan 
 ger, or exposure, transported to their new abodes, and 
 in a few months are surrounded with the appendages 
 of home, of civilization, and the blessings of law and 
 of society. The wilds of Minnesota and Nebraska, 
 by the agency of steam, or the stalwart arms of 
 Western boatmen, are at once transformed into the 
 settlements of a commercial and civilized people. 
 Independence and St. Paul, six months after they are 
 laid off, have their stores and their workshops, their 
 artisans, and their mechanics. The mantua-maker 
 and the tailor arrive in the same boat with the car- 
 penter and mason. The professional man and the 
 printer quickly follow. In the succeeding year the 
 piano, the drawing-room, the restaurant, the billiard- 
 table, the church bell, the village and the city in 
 miniature, are all found, while the neighboring in- 
 terior is yet a wilderness and a desert. The town and 
 comfort, taste and urbanity are first; the clearing, 
 the farm-house, the wagon-road and the improved 
 country, second. It was far different on the frontier 
 in Tennessee. At first a single Indian trail was the 
 only entrance to the eastern border of it. and for many 
 years admitted only of the hunter and the pack-horse 
 
264 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 It was not till the year 1776 that a wagon was seen in 
 Tennessee. In consequence of tlie want of roads — as 
 well as of the great distance from sources of supply — 
 the first inhabitants were without tools^ and^ of course, 
 without mechanics — much more, without the conve- 
 niences of living and the comforts of house-keeping. 
 Luxuries were absolutely unknown. Salt was brought 
 on pack-horses from Augusta and Eichmond, and 
 readily commanded ten dollars a bushel. The salt 
 gourd, in every cabin, was considered as a treasure. 
 The sugar-maple famished the only article of luxury 
 on the frontier; coffee and tea being unknown, or 
 beyond the reach of the settlers, sugar was seldom 
 made, and was only used for the sick, or in the prep- 
 aration of a sweetened dram at a wedding, or the arrival 
 of a new-comer. The appendages of the kitchen, the 
 cupboard, and the table were scanty and simple. 
 
 " Iron was brought, at great expense, from the forges 
 east of the mountain, on pack-horses, and was sold at 
 an enormous price. Its use was, for this reason, con- 
 fined to the construction and repair of plows and 
 other farming utensils. Hinges, nails, and fastenings 
 of that material, were seldom seen. 
 
 " The costume of the first settlers corresponded well 
 
DRESS OF EARLY TENNESSEANS. 265 
 
 •witli the style of their buildings and the quality of 
 their furniture. The hunting-shirt of the militiaman 
 and the hunter was in general use. The rest of their 
 apparel was in keeping with it — plain, substantial, and 
 well adapted for comfort, use, and economy. The 
 apparel of the pioneer's family was all home-made ; 
 and in a whole neighborhood there would not be 
 seen, at the first settlement of the country, a single 
 article of dress of foreign growth or manufacture. 
 Half the year, in many families; shoes were not worn. 
 Boots, a fur hat, and a coat with buttons on each side, 
 attracted the gaze of the beholder, and sometimes 
 received censure and rebuke. A sti*anger from the 
 old States chose to doff his ruffles, his broadcloth, and 
 his queue, rather than endure the scoff and ridicule 
 of the backwoodsmen. 
 
 *' The dwelling-house, on every frontier in Tennes- 
 see, was the log-cabin. A carpenter and a mason were 
 not needed to build them — much less the painter, the 
 glazier, or the upholsterer. Every settler had, besides 
 his rifle, no other instrument but an axe, a hatchet, 
 and a butcher-knife. A saw, an auger, a froe, and a 
 broad-axe would supply a whole settlement, and were 
 used as common property in the erection of the log- 
 
266 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 cabin. The floor of the cabin -was sometimes the 
 earth. No saw-mill was yet erected ; and, if the means 
 or leisure of the occupant authorized it, he split out 
 puncheons for the floor and for the shutter of the en- 
 trance to his cabin. The door was hung with wooden 
 hinges and fastened bj a wooden latch. 
 
 " Such was the habitation of the pioneer Tennes- 
 sean. Scarcely can one of these structures, venerable 
 for their years and the associations which cluster 
 around them, be now seen in Tennessee. Time and 
 improvement have displaced them. Ilere and there, 
 in the older counties, may yet be seen the old log 
 house, which sixty years ago sheltered the first emi- 
 grant, or gave, for the time, protection to a neighbor- 
 hood, assembled within its strong and bullet-proof 
 walls. Such an one is the east end of Mr. Martin's 
 house, at Campbell's Station, and the centre part of 
 the mansion of this writer, at Mecklenburg, once Gil- 
 liam's Station, changed somewhat, it is true, in some 
 of its aspects, but preserving even yet, in the height 
 of the story and in its old-fashioned and capacious 
 fire-place, some of the features of primitive architec- 
 ture on the frontier. Such, too, is the present dwell- 
 ing-house of Mr. Tipton, onEllejoy, in Blount County, 
 
rUENITUEE OF A LOG-CABIN. 267 
 
 and tliat of Mr. Glasgow Snoddy, in Sevier County. 
 But these old buildings are becoming exceedingly 
 rare, and soon not one of tliem will be seen. Their 
 unsightly proportions and rude architecture will not 
 much longer offend modern taste, nor provoke the 
 idle and irreverent sneer of the fastidious and the fash- 
 ionable. When the last one of these pioneer houses 
 shall have fallen into decay and ruins, the memory of 
 their first occupants will still be immortal and inde- 
 structible. 
 
 '' The interior of the cabin was no less unpretending 
 and simple. The whole furniture, of the one apart- 
 ment — answering in these primitive times the purposes 
 of the kitchen, the dining-room, the nursery aiid the 
 dormitory — were a plain home-made bedstead or two, 
 some split-bottomed chairs and stools ; a large punch- 
 eon, supported on four legs, used, as occasion required, 
 for a bench or a table, a water shelf and a bucket ; 
 a spinning-wheel, and sometimes a loom, finished the 
 catalogue. The wardrobe of the family was equally 
 plain and simple. The walls of the house were hung 
 round with the dresses of the females, the hunting- 
 shirts, clothes, and the arms and shot-pouches of the 
 men. 
 
268 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 " Tlie labor and employment of a pioneer family 
 were distributed in accordance with surrounding cir- 
 cumstances. To the men was assigned the duty of 
 procuring subsistence and materials for clothing, 
 erecting the cabin and the station, opening and culti- 
 vating the farm, hunting the wild beasts, and repel- 
 ling and pursuing the Indians. The women spun the 
 flax, the cotton and wool, wove the cloth, made them 
 up, milked, churned, and prepared the food, and did 
 their full share of the duties of house-keeping. An- 
 other thus describes them : ' There we behold woman 
 in her true glory ; not a doll to carry silks and jewels ; 
 not a puppet to be dandled by fops, an idol of profane 
 adoration, reverenced to-day, discarded to-morrow; 
 admired, but not respected ; desired, but not esteemed ; 
 ruling by passion, not affection ; imparting her weak- 
 ness, not her constancy, to the sex she should exalt ; 
 the source and mirror of vanity. We see her as a 
 wife, partaking of the cares, and guiding the labors 
 of her husband, and by her domestic diligence spread- 
 ing cheerfulness all around ; for his sake, sharing the 
 decent refinements of the world, without being fond 
 of them ; placing all her joy, all her happiness, in the 
 merited approbation of the man she loves. As a 
 
SOCIETY AMONGST THE SETTLERS. 269 
 
 mother, we find her the afifectionate, the ardent in- 
 structress of the children she has reared from infancy, 
 and trained them up to thought and virtue, to medi- 
 tation and benevolence ; addressing them as rational 
 beings, and preparing them to become men and women 
 in their turn. 
 
 " ' Could there be happiness or comfort in such 
 dwellings and such a state of society ? To those who 
 are accustomed to modern refinements, the truth ap- 
 pears like fable. The early occupants of log-cabins 
 were among the most happy of mankind. Exercise 
 and excitement gave them health ; they were practi- 
 cally equal; common danger made them mutually 
 dependant; brilliant hopes of future wealth and dis- 
 tinction led them on ; and as there was ample room 
 for all, and as each new-comer increased individual 
 and general security, there was little room for that 
 envy, jealousy, and hatred which constitute a large 
 portion of human misery in older societies. Never 
 were the story, the jokC; the song, and the laugh 
 better enjoyed than upon the hewed blocks, or punch- 
 eon stools, around the roaring log fire of the early 
 Western settler. The lyre of Apollo was not hailed 
 with more delight in primitive Greece than the advent 
 
270 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 of tlie first fiddler among the dwellers of the wilder- 
 ness ; and the polished daughters of the East never 
 enjoyed themselves half so well, moving to the music 
 of a full band, upon the elastic floor of their orna- 
 mented ball-room, as did the daughters of the emi- 
 grants, keeping time to a self-taught fiddler, on the 
 bare earth or puncheon floor of the primitive log- 
 cabin. The smile of the polished beauty is the wave 
 of the lake, where the breeze plays gently over it, and 
 her movement is the gentle stream which drains it ; 
 but the laugh of the log-cabin is the gush of nature's 
 fountain, and its movement, its leaping water.'^ 
 
 "On the frontier the diet was necessarily plain and 
 homely, but exceedingly abundant and nutritive. The 
 Goshen of Americaf furnished the richest milk, the 
 finest butter, and the most savory and delicious meats. 
 In their rude cabins, with their scanty and inartificial 
 furniture, no people ever enjoyed in wholesome food a 
 greater variety, or a superior quality of the necessaries 
 of life. For bread, the Indian corn was exclusively 
 used. It was not till 1790 that the settlers on the 
 rich bottoms of Cumberland and NoUichucky discov- 
 
 * KendaU. f Butler. 
 
INDIAN CORN IN TENNESSEE. 271 
 
 ered the remarkable adaptation of the soil and climate 
 of Tennessee to the production of this grain. Emi- 
 grants from James Kiver, the Catawba, and the Santee, 
 were surprised at the amount and quality of the corn 
 crops, surpassing greatly the best results of agricul- 
 tural labor and care in the Atlantic States. This 
 superiority still exists, and Tennessee, by the census 
 of 1850, was the corn State. Of all the farinacea, 
 corn is best adapted to the condition of a pioneer peo- 
 ple; and if idolatry is at all justifiable, Ceres, or 
 certainly the Goddess of Indian corn, should have 
 had a temple and a worshipers among the pioneers 
 of Tennessee. Without that grain, the frontier settle- 
 ments could not have been formed and maintained. 
 It is the most certain crop — requires the least prep- 
 aration of the ground — is most congenial to a virgin 
 soil — needs not only the least amount of labor in its 
 culture, but comes to maturity in the shortest time. 
 The pith of the matured stalk of the corn is esculent 
 and nutritious ; and the stalk itself, compressed be- 
 tween rollers, furnishes what is known as corn-stalk 
 molasses. 
 
 '* This grain requires, also, the least care and trouble 
 in preserving it. It may safely stand all winter upon 
 
272 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 the stalk without injury from the weather or appre- 
 hension of damage by disease, or the accidents to 
 which other grains are subject. Neither smut nor 
 rust, nor weavil nor snow-storm, will hurt it. After 
 its maturity, it is also prepared for use or the granary 
 with little labor. The husking is a short process, and 
 is even advantageously delayed till the moment arrives 
 for using the corn. The machinery for converting it 
 into food is also exceedingly simple and cheap. As 
 soon as the ear is fully formed, it may be roasted or 
 boiled, and forms thus an excellent and nourishing 
 diet. At a later period it may be grated, and fur- 
 nishes, in this form, the sweetest bread. The grains 
 boiled in a variety of modes, either whole or broken 
 in a mortar, or roasted in the ashes, or popped in an 
 oven, are well relished. If the grain is to be con- 
 verted into meal, a simple tub-mill answers the pur- 
 pose best, as the meal least peifectl^ ground is always 
 preferred. A bolting-cloth is not needed, as it dimin • 
 ishes the sweetness and value of the flour. The cata- 
 logue of the advantages of this meal might be extended 
 further. Boiled in water, it forms the frontier dish 
 called mush^ which was eaten with milk, with honey, 
 molasses, butter or gravy. ]\Iixed with cold water, it 
 
VARIED USES OF INDIAN CORN. 273 
 
 is, at once, ready for the cook ; covered with hot ashes, 
 the preparation is called the ash cake ; placed upon a 
 piece of clapboard, and set near the coals, it forms the 
 journey -cake ; or managed in the same way, upon a 
 helveless hoe, it forms the hoe-cake ; put in an oven, 
 and covered over with a heated lid, it is called, if in a 
 large mass, a pone or loaf; if in smaller quantities, 
 dodgers. It has the further advantage, over all other 
 flour, that it requires in its preparation few culinary 
 utensils, and neither sugar, yeast, eggs, spices, soda, 
 potash, or other et ceteras, to qualify or perfect the 
 bread. To all this, it may be added, that it is not 
 only cheap and well tasted, but it is unquestionably 
 the most wholesome and nutritive food. The largest 
 and healthiest people in the world have lived upon it 
 exclusively. It formed the principal bread of that 
 robust race of men — giants in miniature — which, half 
 a century since, was seen on the frontier. 
 
 "The dignity of history is not lowered by this 
 enumeration of the pre-eminent qualities of Indian 
 corn. The rifle and the axe have had their influence 
 in subduing the wilderness to the purposes of civiliza- 
 tion, and they deserve their eulogists and trumpeters. 
 Let paeans be sung all over the mighty West to Indian 
 18 
 
274 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 corn — without it, the West would have still been a 
 wilderness. Was the frontier suddenly invaded? 
 Without commissary or quartermaster, or other 
 sources of supply, each soldier parched a peck of 
 corn ; a portion of it was put into his pockets, the 
 remainder in his wallet^ and, throwing it upon his 
 saddle, with his rifle on his shoulder, he was ready, in 
 half an hour, for the campaign. Did a flood of emi- 
 gration inundate the frontier with an amount of con- 
 sumers disproportioned to the supply of grain ? The 
 facility of raising the Indian corn, and its early ma- 
 turity, gave promise and guaranty that the scarcity 
 would be temporary and tolerable. Did the safety of 
 the frontier demand the services of everj adult militia- 
 man ? The boys and women could, themselves, raise 
 corn and furnish ample supplies of bread. The crop 
 could be gathered next year. Did an autumnal inter- 
 mittent confine the whole family or the entire popula- 
 tion to the sick bed ? This certain concomitant of 
 the clearing, and cultivating the new soil, mercifully 
 withholds its paroxysms till the crop of corn is made. 
 It requires no further labor or care afterward. Pa3ans, 
 say we, and a temple and worshipers, to the Creator 
 of Indian corn. The frontier man could gratefully 
 
SPORTS OF THE FRONTIER. 275 
 
 say : ' He maketli me to lie down in green pastures. 
 He leadetli me beside the still waters. Thou ^jre^^ares^ 
 a table before me in presence of mine enemies^ 
 
 ''The sports of the frontier men were manly, 
 athletic, or warlike — the chase, the bear hunt, the deer 
 drive, shooting at the target, throwing the tomahawk, 
 jumping, boxing and wrestling, foot and horse-racing. 
 Playing marbles and pitching dollars, cards and back- 
 gammon, were little known, and were considered base 
 or effeminate. The bugle, the violin, the fife and 
 drum, furnished all the musical entertainments. These 
 were much used and passionately admired. Weddings, 
 military trainings, house-raisings, chopping frolics, 
 were often followed with the fiddle, and dancing, and 
 rural sports." 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Indian hostilities resumed — Expedition of Davis, Caffree and 
 McClure — Murder of Elliot — Marshall's river adventure — At- 
 tack on Captain Ward's boat — Affair near Scaggs' Creek — 
 Growth of Kentucky — Population — Trade — General Logan calls 
 a meeting at Danville — Danger of the country from Indian hos- 
 tilities, andnecessityof defense considered — Convention called 
 — Separation from Virginia proposed — Other conventions — 
 Virginia consents — Kentucky admitted as an independent 
 State of the Union — Indian hostilities — Expedition and death 
 of Colonel Christian — Attack on Higgins' Fort — Expedition of 
 General Clark — Its utter failure — Expedition of General Lo- 
 gan — Surprises and destroys a Shawanese town — Success of 
 Captain Hardin — Defeat of Hargrove— Affairs in Bourbon 
 County — Exploits of Simon Kenton — Affairs at the Elkhorn 
 settlements — Treaty — Harman's expedition — Final pacification 
 of the Indians after Wayne's victory. 
 
 Kentucky was not yet entirely freed from Indian 
 hostilities. There was no formidable invasion, such 
 as to call for the exertions of Boone, Kenton and the 
 other warriors of the border, but there were several 
 occurrences which occasioned considerable alarm. 
 
 In the spring of 1784, a number of families started 
 (276) 
 
INDIAN HOSTILITIES RESUMED. 277 
 
 down tlie OHo from Louisville in two flat boats. They 
 were pursued by Indians in canoes, but awed by the 
 determined aspect of the whites, they drew off, without 
 so much as a gun being fired on either side. 
 
 This same spring a party of southern Indians stole 
 some horses from Lincoln County. Three young men, 
 Davis, Caffree and McClure, pursued them, but failing 
 to overtake them, concluded to make reprisals on the 
 nearest Indian settlement. Not far from the Tennessee 
 Eiver, they fell in with an equal number of Indians. 
 The two parties saluted each other in a very friendly 
 manner, and agreed to journey in company. The 
 whites, however, were by no means convinced of the 
 sincerity of theif companions, and, seeing them talking 
 together very earnestly, became assured of their hos- 
 tile intentions. It being determined to anticipate the 
 Indians' attack ; Caffree undertook to capture one of 
 them, while his companions shot the other two. Ac- 
 cordingly he sprung upon the nearest Indian, and bore 
 him to the ground ; Davis' gun missed fire but McClure 
 shot his man dead. The remaining Indian sprung to 
 a tree from which shelter he shot Caffree, who was 
 still struggling with the Indian he had grappled. He, 
 in his turn was immediately shot by McClure. The 
 
278 LIFE OF COLOXEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 Indian whom Caffree liad attacked, extricated himself 
 from the grasp of his dying antagonist, and seizing 
 his rifle presented it at Davis, who was coming to the 
 assistance of his friend. Davis took to flight, his rifle 
 not being in good order, and was pursued by the 
 Indian into the wood. McClure, loading his gun, fol- 
 lowed them, but lost sight of both. Davis was never 
 heard of afterward. 
 
 McClure now concluded to retreat, but he had not 
 proceeded far, before he met an Indian on horseback 
 attended by a boy on foot. The warrior dismounted, 
 and seating himself on a log, offered his pipe to Mc- 
 Clure. Soon other Indians were seen advajicing in 
 the distance, when McClure's sociable ^iend, informed 
 him that when his companions came up, they would 
 take him (McClure) and put him on a horse, tying his 
 feet under its belly. In order to convey to his white 
 brother aa adequate idea of the honor intended him, 
 the Indian got astride the log and locked his feet to- 
 gether. McClare took this opportunity of shooting 
 his amiable but rather eccentric companion, and then 
 ran off into the woods and escaped. 
 
 This affair the reader will bear in mind, was with 
 southern Indians, not with those of the north-western 
 
A WARNING FROM GIRTY. 279 
 
 tribes, from whom the Kentuckians had suffered most. 
 The only demonstration of hostility made by these, 
 this year, appears to have been the pursuit of the boats 
 mentioned before. In March, 1785, a man of the name 
 of Elliot, who had emigrated to the country near the 
 mouth of the Kentucky Eiver, was killed by Indians, 
 and his house destroyed and family dispersed. 
 
 As Colonel Thomas Marshall from Virginia was de- 
 scending the Ohio, in a flat boat, he was hailed from 
 the northern shore by a man, who announced himself 
 as James Girty, and said that he had been placed by 
 his brother Simon, to warn all boats of the danger of 
 being attacked by the Indians. He told them that ef- 
 forts would be made to decoy them ashore by means 
 of renegade white men, who would represent themselves 
 as in great distress. He exhorted them to steel their 
 hearts against all such appeals, and to keep the middle 
 of the river. He said that his brother regretted the 
 injuries he had inflicted upon the whites, and would 
 gladl}^ repair them as much as possible, to be re-admit- 
 ted to their society, having lost all his influence among 
 the Indians. This repentance on the part of Girty 
 seems to have been of short duration, as he remained 
 among the Indians till his death, which according to 
 
280 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 some took place at the battle of the Thames, though 
 others deny it. 
 
 However sincere or lasting Girty's repentance had 
 been, he could never have lived in safety among the 
 whites; he had been too active, and if common ac- 
 counts are to be credited, too savage in his hostility to 
 them, to admit of forgiveness ; and it is probable that 
 a knowledge of this prevented him from abandoning 
 the Indians. 
 
 '^ About the same time," says McClung, " Captain 
 James Ward, at present a highly-respectable citizen 
 of Mason County, Kentucky, was descending the Ohio, 
 under circumstances which rendered a rencontre with 
 the Indians peculiarly to be dreaded. lie, together 
 with half a dozen others, one of them his nephew, em- 
 barked in a crazy boat, about forty-five feet long, and 
 eight feet wide, with no other bulwark than a single 
 pine plank, above each gunnel. The boat was much 
 encumbered with baggage, and seven horses were on 
 board. Having seen no enemy for several days, they 
 had become secure and careless, and permitted the 
 boat to drift within fifty yards of the Ohio shore. 
 Suddenly, several hundred Indians showed them- 
 selves on the bank, and running down boldly to tho 
 
ward's rencontre with INDIANS. 281 
 
 water's edge, opened a heavy fire upon the boat. The 
 astonishment of the crew may be conceived. 
 
 Captain Ward and his nephew were at the oars 
 when the enemy appeared, and the captain knowing 
 that their safety depended upon their agility to regain 
 the middle of the river, kept his seat firmly, and ex- 
 erted his utmost powers at the oar, but his nephew 
 started up at sight of the enemy, seized his rifle, and 
 was in the act of leveling it, when he received a ball 
 in the breast, and fell dead in the bottom of the boat. 
 Unfortunately, his oar fell into the river, and the Cap- 
 tain, having no one to pu.ll against him, rather urged 
 the boat nearer to the hostile shore than otherwise. 
 He quickly seized a plank, however, and giving his 
 oar to another of the crew, he took the station which 
 his nephew had held, and unhurt by the shower of 
 bullets which flew around him, continued to exert 
 himself until the boat had reached a more respectable 
 distance. He then, for the first time, looked around 
 him in order to observe the condition of the crew. 
 
 His nephew lay in his blood, perfectly lifeless ; the 
 horses had been all killed or mortally wounded. Some 
 had fallen overboard; others were struggling violently, 
 and causing their frail bark to dip water so abundantly, 
 
282 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 as to excite the most serious apprehensions. But the 
 crew presented the most singular spectacle. A captain, 
 who had served with reputation in the continental 
 army, seemed now totally bereft of his faculties. He 
 lay upon his back in the bottom of the boat, with 
 hands uplifted, and a countenance in which terror was 
 personified, exclaiming in a tone of despair, " Oh Lord ! 
 Oh Lord !" A Dutchman, whose weight might amount 
 to about three hundred pounds, was anxiously engaged 
 in endeavoring to find shelter for his bulky person, 
 which, from the lowness of the gunnels, was a very 
 difficult undertaking. In spite of his utmost efforts, a 
 portion of his posterior luxuriance appeared above 
 the gunnel, and afforded a mark to the enemy, which 
 brought a constant shower of balls around it. 
 
 "In ^ain he shifted his position. The hump still 
 appeared, and the balls still flew around it, until the 
 Dutchman losing all patience, raised his head above 
 the gunnel, and in a tone of querulous remonstrance, 
 called out, ' Oh now ! quit tat tamned nonsense, tere, 
 will you !' Kot a shot was fired from the boat. At 
 one time, after they had partly regained the current, 
 Captain Ward- attempted to bring his rifle to bear 
 upon them, but so violent was the agitation of the 
 
boat, from the furious struggles of tlie horses, that he 
 could not steady his piece within twenty yards of the 
 enemy, and quickly laying it aside, returned to the 
 oar. The Indians followed them down the river for 
 more than an hour, but having no canoes they did not 
 attempt to board ; and as the boat was at length trans- 
 ferred to the opposite side of the river, they at length 
 abandoned the pursuit and disappeared. None of the 
 crew, save the young man already mentioned, were 
 hurt, although the Dutchman's seat of honor served as 
 a target for the space of an hour ; and the continental 
 captain was deeply mortified at the sudden, and, as he 
 said, 'unaccountable' panic which had seized him. 
 Captain Ward himself was protected by a post, which 
 had been fastened to the gunnel, and behind which he 
 sat while rowing."^ 
 
 "In October, a party of emigrants were attacked 
 near Scagg's Creek, and six killed. Mrs. McClure, 
 with four children, ran into the woods, where she 
 might have remained concealed, if it had not been for 
 the cries of her infant, whom she could not make up 
 her mind to abandon. The Indians guided to her 
 
 * McClung. 
 
284 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 hiding-place by tliese cries, cruelly tomahawked the 
 three oldest children, but made her prisoner with her 
 remaining child. Captain Whitlej^, with twenty-one 
 men, intercepted the party on its return, and dispersed 
 them, killing two, and wounding the same number. 
 The prisoners were rescued. A few days after, another 
 party of emigrants were attacked, and nine of them 
 killed. Captain Whitley again pursued the Indians. 
 On coming up with them, they took to flight. Three 
 "were killed in the course of the pursuit ; two by the 
 gallant Captain himself. Some other depredations 
 were committed this year, but none of as much im- 
 portance as those we have mentioned." 
 
 These acts of hostility on the part of the Indians led 
 to the adoption of measures for the defense of the 
 Colony, to which we shall presently call the reader's 
 attention. 
 
 '* Although," says Perkins,'^ " Kentucky grew 
 rapidly during the year 178-i, the emigrants number- 
 ing twelve, and the whole population thirty thou- 
 sand; although a friendly meeting was held by 
 Thomas J. Dalton, with the Piankeshaws, at Vin- 
 
 * " Western Anuals." 
 
MEETING OF CONVENTION. 285 
 
 cennes, in April; and though trade was extending 
 itself into the clearings and among the canebrakes — 
 Daniel Brodhead having opened his store at Louisville 
 the previous year, and James Wilkinson having come 
 to Lexington in February, as the leader of a large 
 commercial company, formed in Philadelphia, still 
 the cool and sagacious mind of Logan led him to pre- 
 pare his fellow-citizens for trial and hardships. He 
 called, in the autumn of 1784, a meeting of the people 
 at Danville, to take measures for defending the 
 country, and at this meeting the whole subject of the 
 position and danger of Kentucky was examined and 
 discussed, and it was agreed that a convention should 
 meet in December to adopt some measures for the 
 security of the settlements in the wilderness. Upon 
 the 27th of that month it met, nor was it long before 
 the idea became prominent that Kentucky must ask 
 to be severed from Virginia, and left to her own 
 guidance and control. But as no such conception was 
 general, when the delegates to this first convention 
 were chosen, they deemed it best to appoint a second, 
 to meet during the next May, at which was specially 
 to be considered the topic most interesting to those 
 who were called on to think and vote — a complete 
 
286 LIFE OF COLOXKL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 separation from the parent State — political indepen- 
 dence. 
 
 Several other conventions took place, in which the 
 subject of a separation from Virginia was considered. 
 In 1786 the Legislature of Virginia enacted the neces- 
 sary preliminary provisions for the separation and 
 erection of Kentucky into an independent State, with 
 the condition that Congress should receive it into the 
 Union, which was finally effected in the year 1792. 
 
 Previously to this event, Indian hostilities were 
 again renewed. 
 
 "A number of Indians in April, 1786, stole some 
 horses from the Bear Grass settlement, with which 
 they crossed the Ohio. Colonel Christian pursued 
 them into the Indian country, and, coming up with 
 them, destroyed the whole party. How many there 
 were is not stated. The whites lost two men, one of 
 whom was the Colonel himself, whose death was a 
 severe loss to Kentucky. The following affair, which 
 took place the same year, is given in the language of 
 one who participated in it : 
 
 " 'After the battle of the Blue Licks, and in 1786 
 our family removed to Higgins' block-house on Lick 
 ing Kiver, one and a half miles above Cynthiana 
 
HIGGINS* FORT ATTACKED. 287 
 
 Between those periods my father had been shot by the 
 Indians, and my mother married Samuel Yan Hook, 
 who had been one of the party engaged in the defense 
 at Euddell's Station in 1780, and on its surrender was 
 carried with the rest of the prisoners to Detroit. 
 
 '' ' Higgins' Fort, or block-house, had been built at 
 the bank of the Licking, on precipitous rocks, at least 
 thirty feet high, which served to protect us on every 
 side but one. On the morning of the 12th of June, 
 at daylight, the fort, which consisted of six or seven 
 houses, was attacked by a party of Indians, fifteen or 
 twenty in number. There was a cabin outside, below 
 the fort, where William McCombs resided, although 
 absent at that time. His son Andrew, and a man 
 hired in the family, named Joseph McFall, on making 
 their appearance at the door to wash themselves, were 
 both shot down— McCombs through the knee, and 
 McFall in the pit of the stomach. McFall ran to the 
 block-house, and McCombs fell, unable to support 
 himself longer, just after opening the door of his 
 cabin, and was dragged in by his sisters, who barri- 
 caded the door instantly. On the level and only ac- 
 cessible side there was a corn-field, and the season 
 being favorable, and the soil rich as well as new, the 
 
288 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 corn was more than breast liigTi. Here the main body 
 of the Indians lay concealed, while three or four who 
 made the attack attempted thereby to decoy the whites 
 outside of the defenses. Failing in this, they set firo 
 to an old fence and corn-crib, and two stables, both 
 long enough built to be thoroughly combustible. 
 These had previously protected their approach in that 
 direction. Captain Asa Eeese was in command of our 
 little fort. ' Boys,' said he, ' some of you must run 
 over to Hinkston's or Harrison's.' These were one 
 and a half and two miles off, but in different directions. 
 Every man declined. I objected, alleging as my rea- 
 son that he would give up the fort before I could 
 bring relief; but on his assurance that he would hold 
 out; I agreed to go. I jumped off the bank through 
 the thicket of trees, which broke my fall, while they 
 scratched my face and limbs. I got to the ground 
 with a limb clenched in my hands, which I had grasped 
 unawares in getting through. I recovered from the 
 jar in less than a minute, crossed the Licking, and 
 ran up a cow-path on the opposite side, which the 
 cows from one of those forts had beat down in iheir 
 visits for water. As soon as I had gained the bank 1 
 shouted to assure my friends of my safety, and to dis- 
 
INVASION OF INDIAN COUNTRY. 289 
 
 courage the enemy. In less than an hour I was back, 
 with a relief of ten horsemen, well armed, and driving 
 in full chase after the Indians. But they had de- 
 camped immediately upon hearing my signal, well 
 knowing what it meant, and it was deemed imprudent 
 to pursue them with so weak a party — the whole force 
 in Higgins' block-house hardly suf&cing to guard the 
 women and childreu there. McFall, from whom the 
 bullet could not be extracted, lingered two days and 
 rights in great pain,, when he died, as did McCombs, 
 on the ninth day, mortification then taking place.' 
 
 " While these depredations were going on, most of 
 the Northwestern tribes were ostensibly at peace with 
 the country, treaties having recently been made. But 
 the Kentackians, exasperated by the repeated out- 
 rages, determined to have resort to their favorite ex- 
 pedient of invading the Indian country. How far 
 they were justified in holding the tribes responsible 
 for the actions of these roving plunderers, the reader 
 must judge for himself. We may remark, however, 
 that it does not seem distinctly proved that the Indians 
 engaged in these attacks belonged to any of the tribes 
 against whom the attack was to be made. But the 
 
 backwoodsmen were never very scrupulous in such 
 19 
 
290 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 matters. They generally regarded the Indian race as 
 a unit : an offense committed by one warrior might 
 be lawfully punished on another. We often, in read- 
 ing the history of the "West, read of persons who, 
 having lost relations by Indians of one tribe, made a 
 practice of killing all whom they met, whether in 
 peace or war. It is evident, as Marshall says, that 
 no authority but that of Congress could render an 
 expedition of this kind lawful. The Governor of 
 Virginia had given instructions to the commanders 
 of the counties to take the necessary means for de- 
 fense ; and the Kentuckians, giving a free interpreta- 
 tion to these instructions, decided that the expedition 
 was necessary and resolved to undertake it. 
 
 " General Clark was selected to command it, and to 
 the standard of this favorite officer volunteers eagerly 
 thronged. A thousand men were collected at the Falls 
 of the Ohio, from whence the troops marched by land 
 to St. Yincennes, while the provisions and other sup- 
 plies were conveyed by water. The troops soon be- 
 came discouraged. When the provisions reached 
 Yincennes, after a delay of several days on account 
 of the low water, it was found that a large proportion 
 of them were spoiled. In consequence of this, thci 
 
RETrRN" OF IXVADIXG FORCES. 291 
 
 men were placed upon short allowance, with which, 
 of course, they were not well pleased. In the delay 
 in waiting for the boats, much of the enthusiasm of 
 the men had evaporated ; and it is sai<] by some that 
 General Clark dispatched a messenger to the towns, 
 in advance of the troops, to offer them the choice of 
 peace or war, which greatly lessened the chances of 
 the success of the expedition. Though this measure 
 would be only complying with the requirements of 
 good faith, it is very doubtful if it was adopted, so 
 utterly at variance Avould it be with the usual manner 
 of conducting these expeditions. 
 
 " At any rate, when the army arrived within two 
 days' march of the Indian towns, no less than three 
 hundred of the men refused to proceed, nor could all 
 the appeals of Clark induce them to alter their deter- 
 mination. They marched off in a body ; and so dis- 
 couraged were the others by this desertion, and the 
 unfavorable circumstances in which they were placed, 
 that a council held the evening after their departure 
 concluded to relinquish the undertaking." 
 
 The whole of the troops returned to Kentucky in 
 a very disorderly manner. Thus did this expedition, 
 begun under the most favorable auspices — for the 
 
292 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 commander's reputation was greater than any other 
 in the West, and the men were the elite of Kentucky 
 — altogether fail of its object, the men not having 
 even seen the enemy. Marshall, in accounting for 
 this unexpected termination, says that Clark was no 
 longer the man he had been ; that he had injured his 
 intellect by the nse of spirituous liquors. Colonel 
 Logan had at first accompanied Clark, but he soon 
 returned to Kentucky to organize another expedition ; 
 that might, while the attention of the Indians was al- 
 together engrossed by the advance of Clark, fall upon 
 some unguarded point. He raised the requisite num- 
 ber of troops without difficulty, and by a rapid march 
 completely surprised one of the Shawanee towns, 
 which he destroyed, killing several of the warriors, 
 and bringing away a number of prisoners. In regard 
 to the results of the measures adopted by the Ken- 
 tuckians, we quote from Marshall : 
 
 ''In October of this year, a large number of families 
 traveling by land to Kentucky, known by the name 
 of McNitt's company, were surprised in camp, at night, 
 by a party of Indians, between Big and Little Laurel 
 Elver, and totally defeated, w^ith the loss of twenty-one 
 persons killed ; the rest dispersed, or taken prisoners. 
 
HARGROVE'S DEFEAT. 293 
 
 *' About the same time, Captain Hardin, from the 
 south-western part of the district, with a party of men, 
 made an excursion into the Indian country, surround- 
 ing the Saline; he fell in with a camp of Indians, 
 whom he attacked and defeated, killing four of them, 
 without loss on his part. 
 
 " Some time in December, Hargrove and others were 
 defeated at the mouth of Buck Creek, on the Cumber- 
 land Eiver. The Indians attacked in the night, killed 
 one man, and wounded Hargrove ; who directly be- 
 came engaged in a rencontre with an Indian, armed 
 with his tomahawk ; of this he was disarmed, but es- 
 caped, leaving the weapon with Hargrove, who bore 
 it off, glad to extricate himself. In this year also, 
 Benjamin Price was killed near the three forks of 
 Kentucky. 
 
 '' Thus ended, in a full renewal of the war, the year 
 whose beginning had happily witnessed the comple- 
 tion of the treaties of peace. 
 
 " By this time, one thing must have been obvious to 
 those who had attended to the course of events — and 
 that was, that if the Indians came into the country, 
 whether for peace or war, hostilities were inevitable. 
 
 ' If the white people went into their country, tne 
 
294 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 same consequences followed. The parties were yet 
 highly exasperated against each other ; they had not 
 cooled since the peace, if peace it could be called ; and 
 meet where they would, bloodshed was the result. 
 
 " Whether the Indians to the north and west had as- 
 certained, or not, that the two expeditions of this year 
 were with or without the consent of Congress, they 
 could but think the treaties vain things ; and either 
 made by those who had no right to make them, or no 
 power to enforce them. With Kentuckians, it was 
 known that the latter was the fact. To the Indians, 
 the consequence was the same. They knew to a cer- 
 tainty, that the British had not surrendered the posts 
 on the lakes — that it was from them they received 
 their supplies ; that they had been deceived, as to the 
 United States getting the posts, and they were easily 
 persuaded to believe, that these posts would not be 
 transferred; and that in truth, the British, not the 
 United States, had been the conquerors in the late 
 war. 
 
 " Such were the reflections which the state of facts 
 would have justified, and at the same time have dis- 
 posed them for war. The invasion of their couiitiy 
 by two powerful armies from Kentucky, could leave 
 
INCIDENT IN BOURBON COUNTY. 295 
 
 no doubt of a disposition equally hostile on her part. 
 Congress, utterly destitute of the means for enforcing 
 the treaties, either on the one side or the other, stood 
 aloof, ruminating on the inexhaustible abundance of 
 her own want of resources — and the abuse of herself 
 for not possessing them." 
 
 After this year, we hear of but few independent ex- 
 peditions from Kentucky. Their militia were often 
 called out to operate with the United States troops, 
 and in Wayne's campaign were of much service ; but 
 this belongs to the general history of the United States. 
 All that we have to relate of Kentucky now, is a series 
 of predatory attacks by the Indians, varied occasion- 
 ally by a spirited reprisal by a small party of whites. 
 It is estimated that fifteen hundred persons were 
 either killed or made prisoners in Kentucky after the 
 year 1783. 
 
 "On the night of the 11th of April, 1787," says 
 McClung, " the house of a widow, in Bourbon County, 
 became the scene of an adventure which we think 
 deserves to be related. She occupied what is gener- 
 ally called a double cabin, in a lonely part of the 
 country, one room of which was tenanted by the old 
 lady herself, together with two grown son?, and a 
 
296 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 ■widowed daughter, at that time suckling an infant, 
 while the other was occupied by two unmarried 
 daughters, from sixteen to twenty years of age, 
 together with a little girl not more than half grown. 
 The hour was eleven o'clock at night. One of the 
 unmarried daughters was still busily engaged at the 
 loom, but the other members of the family, with the 
 exception of one of the sons, had retired to rest. 
 Some symptoms of an alarming nature had engaged 
 the attention of the young man for an hour before 
 any thing of a decided character took place. 
 
 •■' The cry of owls was heard in the adjoining wood, 
 answering each other in rather an unusual manner. 
 The horses, which were enclosed as usual in a pound 
 near the house, were more than commonly excited, 
 and by repeated snorting and galloping, announced 
 the presence of some object of terror. The young 
 man was often upon the point of awakening his 
 brother, but was as often restrained by the fear of 
 incurring ridicule and the reproach of timidity, at 
 that time an unpardonable blemish in the character 
 of a Kentuckian. At length hasty steps were heard 
 in the yard, and quickly afterward, several loud 
 knocks at the door, accompanied by the usual excla- 
 
INCIDENT IN B0I3'RB0N COUNTY. 297 
 
 mation, ' Who keeps house ?' in very good English. 
 The young man, supposing from the language that 
 some benighted settlers were at the door, hastily 
 arose, and was advancing to withdraw the bar Avhich 
 secured it, when his mother, who had long lived upon 
 the frontiers, and had probably detected the Indian 
 tone in the demand for admission, instantly sprung 
 out of bed, and ordered her son not to admit them, 
 declaring that they were Indians. 
 
 ''She instantly awakened her other son, and the 
 two young men seized their guns, which were alwaj^s 
 charged, prepared to repel the enemy. The Indians, 
 finding it impossible to enter under their assumed 
 characters, began to thunder at the door with great 
 violence, but a single shot from a loop-hole compelled 
 them to shift the attack to some less exposed point ; 
 and, unfortunately, they discovered the door of the 
 other cabin, containing the three daughters. The 
 rifles of the brothers could not be brought to bear 
 upon this point, and by means of several rails taken 
 from the yard fence, the door was forced from its 
 hinges, and the three girls were at the mercy of the 
 savages. One was instantly secured, but the eldest 
 defended herself desperately with a knife which she 
 
298 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 liacl been using at the loom, and stabbed one of the 
 Indians to the heart before she was tomahawked. 
 
 "In the mean time the little girl, who had been 
 overlooked by the enemy in their eagerness to secure 
 the others, ran out into the yard, and might have 
 effected her escape, had she taken advantage of the 
 darkness and fled; but instead of that, the terrified 
 little creature ran around the house wringing her 
 hands, and crying out that her sisters were killed. 
 The brothers, unable to hear her cries without risking 
 every thing for her rescue, rushed to the door and were 
 preparing to sally out to her assistance, when their 
 mother threw herself before them and calmly declared 
 that the child must be abandoned to its fate ; that the 
 sally would sacrifice the lives of all the rest, without 
 the slightest benefit to the little girl. Just then the 
 child uttered a loud scream, followed by a few faint 
 moans, and all was again silent. Presently the crack- 
 ling of flames was heard, accompanied by a triumph- 
 ant yell from the Indians, announcing that they had 
 set fire to that division of the house which had been 
 occupied by the daughters, and of which they held 
 undisputed possession. 
 
 '' The fire ^^ as quickly communicated to the rest of 
 
TERRIBLE MASSACRE. 299 
 
 the building, and it became necessary to abandon it 
 01 perish in the flames. In the one case there was a 
 possibility that some might escape ; in the other, their 
 fate would be equally certain and terrible. The 
 rapid approach of the flames cut short their moment- 
 ary suspense. The door was thrown open, and the 
 old lady, supported by her eldest son, attempted to 
 cross the fence at one point, while her daughter, 
 carrying her child in her arms, and attended by the 
 younger of the brothers, ran in a different direction. 
 The blazing roof shed a light over the yard but little 
 inferior to that of day, and the savages were distinctly 
 seen awaiting the approach of their victims. The old 
 lady was permitted to reach the stile unmolested, but 
 in the act of crossing received several balls in her 
 breast and fell dead. Her son, providentially, re 
 mained unhurt, and by extraordinary agility effected 
 his escape. 
 
 " The other party succeeded also in reaching the 
 fence unhurt, but in the act of crossing, were vigor- 
 ously assailed by several Indians, who, throwing 
 down their guns, rushed upon them with their toma- 
 hawks. The young man defended his sister gallantly, 
 firing upon the enemy as they approached, and then 
 
800 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 wielding the butt of his rifle with a fury that drew 
 their whole attention, upon himself, and gave his 
 sister an opportunity of effecting her escape. He 
 quickly fell, however, under the tomahawks of his 
 enemies, and was found at daylight, scalped and 
 mangled in a shocking manner. Of the whole family 
 consisting of eight persons, when the attack com- 
 menced, only three escaped. Four were killed upon 
 the spot, and one (the second daughter) carried off as 
 a prisoner. 
 
 " The neighborhood was quickly alarmed, and by 
 daylight about thirty men were assembled under the 
 command of Colonel Edwards. A light snow had 
 fallen during the latter part of the night, and the 
 Indian trail could be pursued at a gallop. It led 
 directly into the mountainous country bordering upon 
 Licking, and afforded evidences of great hurry and 
 precipitation on the part of the fugitives. Unfortu- 
 nately a bound had been permitted to accompany the 
 whites, and as the trail became fresh and the scent 
 warm, she followed it with eagerness, baying loudly 
 and giving the alarm to the Indians. The consequen- 
 ces of this imprudence were soon displayed. The 
 enemy finding the pursuit keen, and perceiving that 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL ARTIFICE. gQl 
 
 the Strength of the prisoner began to fail, instantly sunk 
 their tomahawks in her head and left her, still warm 
 and bleedings upon the snow. 
 
 As the whites came up, she retained strength enough 
 to waive her hand in token of recognition, and ap- 
 peared desirous of giving them some information, with 
 regard to the enemy, but her strength was too far 
 gone. Her brother sprung from his horse and knelt 
 by her side, endeavoring to stop the effusion of blood, 
 but in vain. She gave him her hand, muttered 
 some inarticulate words, and expired within two min- 
 utes after the arrival of the party. The pursuit was 
 renewed with additional ardor, and in twenty min- 
 utes the enemy was within view. They had taken 
 possession of a steep narrow ridge and seemed desirous 
 of magnifying their numbers in the eyes of the whites, 
 as they ran rapidly from tree to tree, and maintained 
 a steady yell in their most appalling tones. The pur- 
 suers, however, were too experienced to be deceived 
 by so common an artifice, and being satisfied that the 
 number of the enemy must be inferior to their own, 
 they dismounted, tied their horses, and flanking out 
 in such a manner as to enclose the enemy, ascended 
 
802 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 the ridge as rapidly as was consistent with a due re- 
 gard to the shelter of their persons 
 
 The firing quickly commenced, and now for the first 
 time they discovered that only two Indians were op- 
 posed to them. They had voluntarily sacrificed them- 
 selves for the safety of the main body, and succeeded 
 in delaying pursuit until their friends could reach the 
 mountains. One of them was instantly shot dead, and 
 the other was badly wounded, as was evident from the 
 blood upon his blanket, as wxU as that which filled 
 his tracks in the snow for a considerable distance. 
 The pursuit was recommenced, and urged keenly until 
 night, when the trail entered a running stream and 
 was lost. On the following morning the snow had 
 melted, and every trace of the enemy was obliterated. 
 This afi'air must be regarded as highly honorable to 
 the skill, address, and activity of the Indians ; and the 
 self-devotion of the rear guard, is a lively instance of 
 that magnanimity of which they are at times capable, 
 and which is more remarkable in them, from the ex 
 treme caution, and tender regard for their own lives, 
 which usually distinguished their warriors. 
 
 From this time Simon Kenton's name became very 
 prominent as a leader. Tliis year, at the head of 
 
INDIAN RAIDS. 303 
 
 fortj-six men, lie pursued a body of Indians, but did 
 not succeed in overtaking them, wliich lie afterward 
 regarded as a fortunate circumstance, as lie ascertained 
 tliat they were at least double the number of his own 
 party. A man by the name of Scott, having been 
 carried off by the Indians, Kenton followed them over 
 the Ohio, and released him. 
 
 As early as January, 1783, the Indians entered 
 Kentucky, two of them were captured near Crab Or- 
 chard by Captain Whitley. The same month, a party 
 stole a number of horses from the Elkhorn settlements ; 
 they were pursued and surprised in their camp. Their 
 leader extricated his band, by a singular stratagem. 
 Springing up before the whites could fire, he went 
 through a series of the most extraordinary antics, leap- 
 ing and yelling as if frantic. This conduct absorbing 
 the attention of the whites, his followers took ad- 
 vantage of the opportunity to escape. As soon as 
 they had all disappeared, the wily chief plunged into 
 the woods and was seen no more. The attacks were 
 continued in March. Several parties and flimilies suf- 
 fered severely. Lieutenant McClure, following the 
 trail of a maurauding party of Indians, fell in with an- 
 
804 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 otlier body, and in tlie skirmisli that ensued, was mor- 
 tally wounded. 
 
 In 1789, a conference was held at the mouth of the 
 Muskingum, with most of the northwestern tribes, 
 the result of which was the conclusion of another 
 treaty. The Shawanese were not included in this 
 pacification. This tribe was the most constant in its 
 enmity to the whites, of all the Western Indians. 
 There was but little use in making peace with the In- 
 dians unless all were included ; for as long as one tribe 
 was at w^ar, restless spirits among the others were found 
 to take part with them, and the whites, on the other 
 hand, were not particular to distinguish between hostile 
 and friendly Indians. 
 
 Though the depredations continued this year, no af- 
 fair of unusual interest occurred ; small parties of the 
 Indians infested the settlements, murdering and plun- 
 dering the inhabitants. They were generally pursued, 
 but mostly without success. Major McMillan was at- 
 tacked by six or seven Indians, but escaped unhurt 
 after killing two of his assailants. 
 
 A boat upon the Ohio was fired upon, five men killed, 
 and a woman made prisoner. In their attacks upon 
 boats, the Indians employed the stratagem of which 
 
INDIAN OUTRAGES CONTINUED. 805 
 
 the whites had been warned by Girty. White men 
 would appear upon the shore, begging the crew to res- 
 cue them from the Indians, who were pursuing them. 
 Some of these were renegades, and others prisoners 
 compelled to act this part, under threats of death in 
 its most dreadful form if they refused. 
 
 The warning of Girty is supposed to have saved 
 many persons from this artifice ; but too often unable 
 to resist the many appeals, emigrants became victims 
 to the finest feelings of our nature. 
 
 Thus in March, 1790, a boat descending the river 
 was decoyed ashore, and no sooner had it reached the 
 bank than it was captured by fifty Indians, who killed 
 a man and a woman, and made the rest prisoners. 
 An expedition was made against the Indians on the 
 Sciota by General Harmer, of the United States army, 
 and General Scott, of the Kentucky militia, but noth- 
 ing of consequence was achieved. In May a number 
 of people returning from Divine service, on Bear Grass 
 Creek, were attacked, and one man killed, and a 
 woman made prisoner, who was afterward tomahawked. 
 Three days after, a boat containing six men and sev- 
 eral families was captured by sixteen Indians without 
 
 loss. The whites were all carried off by the Indians, 
 20 
 
30($ LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 who intended, it is said, to make them slaves ; one of 
 the men escaped and brought the news to the settle- 
 ments. 
 
 In the fall Harmer made a second expedition, 
 which was attended with great disasters. Several 
 marauding attacks of the Indians ensued; nor was 
 peace finally restored until after the treaty of Green- 
 ville, which followed the subjugation of the Indiana 
 by General Wayne in 1794. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Colonel Boone meets witli the loss of all his land in Kentucky, 
 and emigrates to Virginia — Resides on the Kenhawas, near 
 Point Pleasant — Hears of the fertility of Missouri, and the 
 abundance of game there — Emigrates to Missouri — Is ap- 
 pointed commandant of a district under the Spanish Govern- 
 ment — Mr. Audubon's narrative of a night passed with 
 Boone, and the narratives made by him during the night- 
 Extraordinary power of his memory. 
 
 A PEKIOD of severe adversity for Colonel Boone 
 
 now ensued. His aversion to legal teclmicalities and 
 
 his ignorance of legal forms were partly the canse of 
 
 defects in the titles to the lands which he £ad long ago 
 
 acquired, improved, and nobly defended. But the 
 
 whole system of land titles in Kentucky at that early 
 
 period was so utterly defective, that hundreds of others 
 
 who were better informed and" more careful than the 
 
 old pioneer, lost their lands by litigation and the arts 
 
 and rogueries of land speculators, who made it their 
 
 ousiness to hunt up defects in land titles. 
 
 The Colonel lost all his land — even his beautiful 
 (307) 
 
808 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXTEL BOOXE. 
 
 farm near Boonesborough, which ought to have been 
 held sacred by any men possessed of a particle of 
 patriotism or honest feeling, was taken from him. He 
 consequently left Kentucky and settled on the Ken- 
 hawa Eiver in "Virginia, not far from Point Pleasant. 
 This removal appears to have taken place in the jear 
 1790. He remained in this place several years, culti- 
 vating a farm, raising stock, and at the proper seasons 
 indulging in his favorite sport of hunting. 
 
 Some hunters who had been pursuing their sport 
 on the western shores of the ]\Iissouri Kiver gave Col- 
 onel Boone a very vivid description of that country, 
 expatiating on the fertility of the land, the abundance 
 of game, and the great herds of buffalo ranging over 
 the vast expanse of the prairies. They also described 
 the simple manners of the people, the absence of law- 
 yers and lawsuits, and the Arcadian happiness which 
 was enjoyed by all in the distant region, in such glow- 
 ing terms that Boone resolved to emigrate and settle 
 there, leaving his fourth son Jesse in the Kenhawa 
 valley, where he had married and settled, and who did 
 not follow him till several years after."^ 
 
 Mr. Peck fixes the period of this emigration in 1795. 
 
 * Peck. 
 
RECEIVES A SPANISH COMMISSION. 809 
 
 Perkins, in his '' Western Annals," places it in 1797. 
 His authority is an article of Thomas J. Hinde in the 
 " American Pioneer," who says : " I was neighbor to 
 Daniel Boone, the first white man that fortified against 
 the Indians in Kentucky, In October, 1797, I saw 
 him on pack-horses take up his journey for Missouri, 
 then Upper Louisiana." 
 
 Mr. Peck says:-^ ''At that period, and for several 
 years after, the country of his retreat belonged to the 
 Crown of Spain. His fame had reached this remote 
 region before him; and he received of the Lieutenant- 
 Governor, who resided at St. Louis, ' assurance that 
 ample portions of land should be given to him and 
 his family.' His first residence was in the Femme 
 Osage settlement, in the District of St. Charles, about 
 forty-five miles west of St. Louis. Here he remained 
 with his son Daniel M. Boone until 180-1, when he 
 removed to the residence of his youngest son, Nathan 
 Boone, with whom he continued till about 1810, when 
 he went to reside with his son-in-law, Flanders Calla- 
 way. A commission from Don Charles D. DeJassus, 
 Lieutenant-Governor, dated July 11th, ISOO, appoint- 
 ing him commandant of the Femme Osage District, 
 
 * Life of Boone. 
 
310 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 was tendered and accepted. He retained this com- 
 mand, which included both civil and military duties ; 
 and he continued to discharge them with credit to 
 himself, and to the satisfaction of all concerned, until 
 the transfer of the government to the United States. 
 The simple manners of the frontier people of Missouri 
 exactly suited the peculiar habits and temper of 
 Colonel Boone." 
 
 It was during his residence in Missouri that Colonel 
 Boone was visited by the great naturalist, J. J. Audu- 
 bon, who passed a night with him. In his Ornitho- 
 logical Biography, Mr. Audubon gives the following 
 narrative of what passed on that occasion : 
 
 " Daniel Boone, or, as he was usually called in the 
 "Western country, Colonel Boone, happened to spend 
 a night with me under the same roof, more than 
 twenty years ago * "We had returned from a shooting 
 excursion, in the course of which his extraordinary 
 skill in the management of the rifle had been fully 
 displayed. On retiring to the room appropriated to 
 that remarkable individual and myself for the night, 1 
 felt anxious to know more of his exploits and adven- 
 tures than I did, and accordingly took the liberty of 
 
 *• This would be about the year 1810. 
 
A NIGHT WITH AUDUBON. 311 
 
 proposing numerous questions to him. The stature 
 and general appearance of this wanderer of the "West- 
 ern forests approached the gigantic. His chest was 
 broad and prominent ; his muscular powers displayed 
 themselves in every limb ; his countenance gave indi- 
 cation of his great courage, enterprise, and persever- 
 ance ; and when he spoke, the very motion of his lips 
 brought the impression that whatever he uttered could 
 not be otherwise than strictly true. I undressed, 
 whilst he merely took off his hunting-shirt, and ar- 
 ranged a few folds of blankets on the floor, choosing 
 rather to lie there, as he observed, than on the softest 
 bed. When we had both disposed of ourselves, each 
 after his own fashion, he related to me the following 
 account of his powers of memory, which I lay before 
 you, kind reader, in his own words, hoping that the 
 simplicity of his style may prove interesting to you : 
 *• ' I was once,' said he, ^ on a hunting expedition 
 on the banks of the Green Eiver, when the lower 
 parts of this State (Kentucky) were still in the hands 
 of Kature, and none but the sons of the soil were 
 looked upon as its lawful proprietors. We Virginians 
 had for some time been wae^ino^ a war of intrusion 
 upon them, and I, amongst the rest, rambled through 
 
312 LIFE OF COLOXEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 the woods in pursuit of their race, as i now would 
 follow the tracks of any ravenous animal. The In- 
 dians outwitted me one dark night, and I was as un- 
 expectedly as suddenly made a prisoner by them. 
 The trick had been managed with great skill ; for no 
 sooner had I extinguished the fire of my camp, and 
 laid me down to rest, in full security, as I thought, 
 than I felt myself seized by an indistinguishable num- 
 ber of hands, and was immediately pinioned, as if 
 about to be led to the scaffold for execution. To have 
 attempted to be refractory would have proved useless 
 and dangerous to my life ; and I suffered myself to be 
 removed from my camp to theirs, a few miles distant, 
 without uttering even a word of complaint. You are 
 aware, I dare say, that to act in this manner was the 
 best policy, as you understand that by so doing I 
 proved to the Indians at once that I was born and 
 bred as fearless of death as any of themselves. 
 
 " ' When we reached the camp, great rejoicings 
 were exhibited. Two squaws and a few papooses ap- 
 peared particularly delighted at the sight of me, and I 
 was assured, by very unequivocal gestures and words, 
 that, on the morrow, the mortal enemy of the Ked- 
 skins would cease to live. I never opened my lips, 
 
NARRATIVE TO AUDUBON. 313 
 
 but was bus}^ contriving some scheme wbicli might 
 enable me to give the rascals the slip before dawn. 
 The women immediately fell a searching about my 
 hunting-shirt for whatever they might think valuable, 
 and, fortunately for me, soon found my flask tilled 
 with Monongali.ela (that is, reader, strong whisky). A 
 terrific grin was exhibited on their murderous counte- 
 nances, while my heart throbbed with joy at the an- 
 ticipation of their intoxication. The crew immedi- 
 ately began to beat their bellies and sing, as they 
 passed the bottle from mouth to mouth. How often 
 did I wish the flask ten times its size, and filled with 
 aquafortis! I observed that the squaws drank more 
 freely than the warriors, and again my spirits were 
 about to be depressed, when the report of a gun was 
 heard at a distance. The Indians all jumped on their 
 feet. The singing and drinking were both brought 
 to a stand, and I saw, with inexpressible joy, the men 
 walk off to some distance and talk to the squaws. I 
 knew that they were consulting about me, and I fore- 
 saw that in a few moments the warriors Avould go to 
 discover the cause of the gun having been fired so 
 near their camp. I expected that the squaws would 
 be left to guard me. Well, sir, it was just so. They 
 
314 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOOXE. 
 
 returned ; the men took up their guns, and walked 
 away. The squaws sat down again, and in less than 
 five minutes had my bottle up to their dirty mouths, 
 gurgling down their throats the remains of the whisky. 
 
 " ' With what pleasure did I see them becoming 
 more and more drunk, until the liquor took such hold 
 of them that it was quite impossible for these women 
 to be of any service. They tumbled down, rolled 
 about, and began to snore ; when I, having no other 
 chance of freeing myself from the cords that fastened 
 me, rolled over and over toward the fire, and, after a 
 short time, burned them asunder. I rose on my feet, 
 stretched my stiffened sinews, snatched up my rifle, 
 and, for once in my life spared that of Indians. I 
 now recollect how desirous I once or twice felt to lay 
 open the skulls of the wretches with my tomahawk ; 
 but when I again thought upon killing beings unpre- 
 pared and unable to defend themselves, it looked like 
 murder without need, and I gave up the idea. 
 
 '' 'But, sir, I felt determined to mark the spot, and 
 walking to a thrifty ash sapling I cut out of it three 
 large chips, and ran off. I soon reached the river, 
 soon crossed it, and threw myself deep into the cane- 
 brakes, imitating the tracks of an Indian with my feet, 
 
NAERATIVE TO AUDUBON. 815 
 
 SO that no chance might be left for those from whom 
 I had escaped to overtake me. 
 
 " 'It is now nearly twenty years since this hap- 
 pened, and more than five since I left the whites' set- 
 tlements, which I might probably never have visited 
 again had I not been called on as a witness in a law- 
 suit that was pending in Kentucky, and which I really 
 believe would never have been settled had I not come 
 forward and established the beginning of a certain 
 boundary line. This is the story, sir : 
 
 " ' Mr. moved from Old Virginia into Ken- 
 tucky, and having a large tract granted to him in the 
 new State, laid claim to a certain parcel of land ad» 
 joining Green Eiver, and, as chance would have it, 
 took for one of his corners the very ash tree on which 
 I had made my mark, and finished his survey of some 
 thousands of acres, beginning, as it is expressed in 
 the deed, '^ at an ash marked by three distinct notches 
 of the tomahawk of a white man." 
 
 '' ' The tree had grown much, and the bark had 
 
 covered the marks ; but, somehow or other, Mr. 
 
 heard from some one all that I have already said to 
 you, and thinking that I might remember the spot 
 alluded to in the deed, but which was no longer dis- 
 
816 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOOXE. 
 
 coverable, Avrote for me to come and tr}^ at least to 
 find the place or the tree. His letter mentioned that 
 all my expenses should be paid, and not caring much 
 about once more going back to Kentucky I started 
 and met Mr. . After some conversation, the af- 
 fair with the Indians came to my recollection. I con- 
 sidered for a while, and began to think that after all I 
 could find the very spot, as well as the tree, if it was 
 yet standing. 
 
 " 'Mr. and I mounted our horses, and off we 
 
 went to the Green Eiver Bottoms. After some diffi- 
 culties — for 3^ou must be aware, sir, that great changes 
 have taken place in those woods — I found at last the 
 spot where I had crossed the river, and, waiting for the 
 moon to rise, made f3r the course in which I thought the 
 ash tree grew. On approaching the place, I felt as if 
 the Indians were there still, and as if I was still a 
 
 prisoner among them. ]^[r. and I camped near 
 
 what I conceived the spot, and waited until tbe return 
 of day. 
 
 " ' At the rising of the sun I was on foot, and, after 
 a good deal of musing, thought that an ash tree t'nen 
 in sight must be the very one on which I had made 
 my mark. I felt as if there could be no doubt of it, 
 
EEM ARK ABLE POWER OF MEMORY. 317 
 
 and mentioned my thought to Mr. . * Well, Col- 
 onel Boone; said he, ' if you think so, I hope it may 
 prove true, but we must have some witnesses ; do you 
 stay here about, and I will go and bring some of the 
 
 settlers whom I know.' I agreed. Mr. trotted 
 
 off, and I, to pass the time, rambled about to see if a 
 deer was still living in the land. But ah 1 sir, what a 
 wonderful difference thirty years make in the country ! 
 Why, at the time when I was caught by the Indians, 
 you would not have walked out in any direction for 
 more than a mile without shooting a buck or a bear. 
 There were then thousands of buffaloes on the hills 
 in Kentucky ; the land looked as if it never would 
 become poor : and to hunt in those days was a pleasure 
 indeed. But when I was left to myself on the banks 
 of Green Eiver, I dare say for the last time in my life, 
 a few signs only of deer were to be seen, and, as to a 
 deer itself, I saw none. 
 
 <' ' ^{^, returned, accompanied by three gen- 
 tlemen. They looked upon me as if I had been 
 Washington himself, and walked to the ash tree, 
 which I now called my own, as if in quest of a long- 
 lost treasure. I took an axe from one of them, and 
 cut a few chips off the bark. Still no signs were to 
 
be seen. So I cut again until I thought it was time 
 to be cautious, and I scraped and woi'ked away with 
 my butcher-knife until I did come to where my toma- 
 hawk had left an impression in the wood. We now 
 went regularly to work, and scraped at the tree with 
 care until three hacks, as plain as any three notches 
 
 ever were, could be seen. Mr. and the other 
 
 gentlemen were astonished, and I must allow I was 
 as much surprised as pleased mj'self. I made affidavit 
 of this remarkable occurrence in presence of these 
 
 gentlemen. Mr. gained his cause. I left Greeo 
 
 River forever, and came to where we now are ; and 
 sir, I wish you a good-night.' '* 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Colonel Boone receives a large grant of land from tlie Spanisli 
 Government of Upper Louisiana — He subsequently loses it 
 by neglecting to secure the formal title — His law suits in liis 
 newliome — Character of tlie people — Sketch of the history 
 of Missouri — Colonel Boone's hunting — He pays his debts by 
 the sale of furs — Hunting excursions continued — In danger 
 from the Indians — Taken sick in his hunting camp — His rela- 
 tives settled in his neighborhood — Colonel Boone applies to 
 Congress to recover his land — The Legislature of Kentucky 
 supports his claim— Death of Mrs. Boone — Results of the ap- 
 plication to Congress — He receives one-eleventh part of his 
 just claim — He ceases to hunt — Occupations of his declining 
 years — Mr. Harding paints his portrait. 
 
 In consideration of liis official services as Syndic, 
 ten thousand arpents'^ of excellent land were given 
 to Colonel Boone by tlie Government. Under the 
 special law, in order to make his title good, he should 
 have obtained a confirmation of his grant from the 
 immediate representative of the Crown, then residing 
 in New Orleans. But his friend, the Commandant at 
 
 * An arpent of land is eighty-five -hundredths of an acre. 
 
 (319) 
 
320 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 St. Louis, undertook to dispense with his residence on 
 the land which was another condition to a sound title, 
 and Boone probably supposed that ''all would be 
 right" without attending to any of the formalities, 
 and neglected to take the necessary steps for holding 
 his land securely. 
 
 It is probable that he foresaw that Missouri would 
 soon become a part of the United States, and expected 
 justice from that quarter. But in this he was disap- 
 pointed, for when that event took place, the comission- 
 ers of the United States appointed to decide on con- 
 firmed clains felt constrained by their instructions and 
 rejected Colonel Boone's claims for want of legal for- 
 malities. 
 
 Thus was the noble pioneer a second time deprived 
 of the recompense of his inestimable services by his 
 inattention to the precautions nesessary for securing 
 his rights. This second misfortune came upon him 
 some time after the period of which we are now writing. 
 
 Meantime Colonel Boone found his residence in 
 Missouri agreeable, and in every respect congenial to 
 his habits and tastes. His duties as Syndic were light ; 
 and he was allowed ample time for the cultivation of 
 his land, and for occasional tours of hunting, in which 
 
HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 321 
 
 he so greatly delighted. Trapping beaver was another 
 of his favorite pursuits, and in this new country ho 
 found abundance of this as well as other species of 
 game. 
 
 A greater part of the people of Missouri were emi- 
 grants from the United States, pioneers of the West, 
 who had already resisted Indian aggressions, and 
 were welcomed by the French and Spanish settlers as 
 a clear accession to their military strength. 
 
 A brief notice of the history of this State, showing 
 how the different kinds of population came there, will 
 be not inappropriate in this place. 
 
 Though the French were the first settlers, and for 
 
 a long time the principal inhabitants of Missouri, yet a 
 
 very small portion of her present population is of that 
 
 descent. A fort was built by that people as early as 
 
 1719, near the site of the present capital, called Fort 
 
 Orleans, and its lead mines worked to some extent the 
 
 next year. St. Genevieve, the oldest town in the State, 
 
 was settled in 1755, and St. Louis in 1764. At the 
 
 treaty of 1763 it was assigned, with all the territory 
 
 west of the Mississippi, to Spain. "In 1780, St. Louis 
 
 was besieged and attacked t)y a body of British troops 
 
 and Indians, fifteen hundred and forty strong." Dur- 
 21 
 
S22 LIFE OF COLONEL DAXIEL BOOXB. 
 
 ing the siege, sixty of the French Avere killed. The 
 siege was raised by Colonel George Eogers Ciark, who 
 came with five hundred men to the relief of the place. 
 At the close of the American Eevolution, the territory 
 west of the Mississippi remained with Spain till it was 
 ceded to France, in 1801. In 1803, at the purchase of 
 Louisiana, it came into the possession of the United 
 States, and formed part of the territory of Louisiana, 
 until the formation of the State of that name in 1812, 
 when the remainder of the territory was named Mis- 
 souri, from which (after a stormy debate in Congress 
 as to the admission of slavery) was separated the pres- 
 ent State of Missouri in 1721.'^ 
 
 The office of Syndic, to which Colonel Boone had 
 been appointed, is similar to that of justice of the peace 
 under our own government: but it is more extensive, 
 as combining military with civil powers. Its exercise 
 in Colonel Boone's district did not by any means oc- 
 cupy the whole of his time and attention. On the 
 contrary, he found sufficient time for hunting in the 
 winter months — the regular hunting season. At first 
 he was not very successful in obtaining valuable fars ; 
 but after two or three seasons, he was able to secure a 
 
 ^ Lippincott's Gazetteer. 
 
PERILS WHILE HUNTIXG. 823 
 
 sufficient quantity to enable him, by the proceeds of 
 their sale, to dischar2:e some outstandins: debts in Ken- 
 tucky ; and he made a journey thither for that purpose. 
 When he had seen each creditor, and paid him all he 
 demanded, he returned home to Missouri, and on his 
 arrival he had but half a dollar remaining. " To his 
 family," says Mr. Peck, '' and a circle of friends who 
 had called to see him, he said, 'Now I am ready and 
 willing to die. I am relieved from a burden that has 
 long oppressed me. I have paid all my debts, and no 
 one will say, when I am gone, ' Boone was a dishonest 
 man.' I am perfectly willing to die."* 
 
 Boone still continued his hunting excursions, at- 
 tended sometimes by some friend: but most frequently 
 by a black servant boy. On one of these occasions 
 these two had to resist an attack of Osage Indians, 
 whom they speedily put to flight. At another time, 
 when he was entirely alone, a large encampment of 
 Indians made its appearance in his neighborhood; and 
 he was compelled to secrete himself for twenty days in 
 his camp, cooking his food only in the middle of the 
 
 •^ The ownfers of the money of which he was robbed on his 
 journey to Virginia, as already related, had voluntarily relin- 
 quished all claims on him. This was a simple act of justice. 
 
824 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 night, so that the smoke of liis fire would not be seen. 
 At the end of this long period of inaction the Indians 
 went off. 
 
 At another time, while in his hunting camp, with 
 only a negro boy for his fttendant, he fell sick and lay 
 a long time unable to go out. When sufficiently re- 
 covered to walk out; he pointed out to the boy a place 
 where he wished to be buried if he should die in camp, 
 and also gave the boy very exact directions about his 
 burial, and the disposal of his rifle, blankets and 
 peltry."^ 
 
 Among" the relations of Colonel Boone, who were 
 settled in his neighborhood, were Daniel Morgan Boone, 
 his eldest son then living, who had gone out before 
 his father; IN'attra, with his wife, who had follow^ed 
 in 1800 ; and Flanders Callaway, his son-in-law, who 
 had come out about the time that Missouri, then Upper 
 Louisiana, became a part of the United States ter- 
 ritory .f 
 
 We have already stated that the land granted to 
 Colonel Boone, in consideration of his performing the 
 duties of Syndic, was lost by his omission to comply 
 with the legal formalities necessary to secure his title. 
 
 * Peck. t Ibid. 
 
PETITION TO CONGRESS. 325 
 
 In addition to tlie ten thousand arpents of land thus 
 lost; he had been entitled as a citizen to one thousand 
 arpents of laad according to the usage in other cases ; 
 but he appears not to have complied with the condition 
 of actual residence on this land, and it was lost in con- 
 sequence. 
 
 In 1812, Colonel Boone sent a petition to Congress, 
 praying for a confirmation of his original claims. In 
 order to give greater weight to his application, he pre- 
 sented a memorial to the General Assembly of Ken- 
 tucky, on the thirteenth of January, 1812, soliciting 
 the aid of that body in obtaining from Congress the 
 confirmation of his claims. 
 
 Tlie Legislature, by a unanimous vote, passed the 
 following preamble and resolutioub . 
 
 " The Legislature of Kentucky, taking into view the 
 many eminent services rendered by Col. Boone, in ex 
 ploring and settling the western country, from which 
 great advantages have resulted, not only to this State, 
 but to his country in general ; and that from circumstan- 
 ces over which he had no control, he is now reduced 
 1o poverty, not having, so far as appears, an acre of 
 Lmd out of the vast territory he has been a great in- 
 strument in peopling; believing, also, that it is as un- 
 
just as it is impolitic, that useful enterprise and emi- 
 nent services should go unrewarded by a government 
 where merit confers the only distinction ; and having 
 sufficient reason to believe that a grant of ten thousand 
 acres of land, which he claims in Upper Louisiana, 
 would have been confirmed by the Spanish govern- 
 ment, had not said territory passed, by cession, into 
 the hands of the general government : wlierefore. 
 
 '' Eesolved, by the General Assembly of the Com- 
 monwealth of Kentucky, — That our Senators in Con- 
 gress be requested to make use of their exertions to 
 procure a grant of land in said territory to said Boone, 
 either the ten thousand acres to which he appears to 
 have an equitable claim, from the grounds set forth to 
 this Legislature, by way of confirmation, or to such 
 quantity in such place as shall be deemed most advis- 
 able, by way of donation." 
 
 Notwithstanding this action of the Legislature of 
 Kentucky, Colonel Boone's appeal, like many other 
 just and reasonable chains presented to Congress, was 
 neglected for some time. During this period of anx- 
 ious suspense, Mrs. Boone, the faithful and affectionate 
 wife of the venerable pioneer, who had shared his toils 
 and anxieties, and cheered his home for so many years, 
 
GRANT OF LAND BY CONGRESS. 827 
 
 wa? taken from his side. She died in March, 1813, at 
 the age of seventy-six. The venerable pioneer was 
 now to miss her cheerful companionship for the re- 
 mainder of his life ; and to a man of his affectionate 
 disposition this must have been a severe privation. 
 
 Colonel Boone's memorial to Congress received the 
 earnest and active support of Judge Coburn, Joseph 
 Vance, Judge Burnett, and other distinguished men 
 belonging to the Western country. But it was not 
 till the 24th of December, 1813, that the Committee 
 on Public Lands made a report on the subject. 
 
 The report certainly is a very inconsistent one, as 
 it fully admits the justice of his claim to eleven thou- 
 sand arpents of land, and recommends Congress to 
 give him the miserable pittance of one thousand ar- 
 pents, to which he was entitled in common with all the 
 other emigrants to Upper Louisiana ! The act for the 
 confirmation of the title passed on the 10th of Feb- 
 ruary, 1814. 
 
 For ten years before his decease, Colonel Boone 
 gave up his favorite pursuit of hunting. The infirmi- 
 ties of age rendered it imprudent for him to venture 
 alone in the woods. 
 
 The closing years of Colonel Boone's life were 
 
328 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL SOOXE. 
 
 passed in a manner entirely characteristic of the man. 
 He appears to have considered love to mankind, rev- 
 erence to the Supreme Beings delight in his works 
 and constant -usefulness, as the legitimate ends of life. 
 After the decease of Mrs. Boone^ he divided his time 
 among the different members of his family, making 
 his home with his eldest daughter, Mrs. Callaway, 
 visiting his other children, and especially his youngest 
 son, Major Nathan Boone, for longer or shorter periods, 
 according to his inclination and convenience. He was 
 greatly beloved by all his descendants, some of whom 
 were of the fifth generation ; and he took great delight 
 in their society. 
 
 ''His time at home," says Mr. Peck; "was usually 
 occupied in some useful manner. He made powder- 
 horns for his grandchildren, neighbors, and friends, 
 many of which were carved and ornamented with 
 much taste. He repaired rifles, and performed various 
 descriptions of handicraft with neatness and finish." 
 Making powder-horns — repairing rifles — employments 
 in pleasing unison with old pursuits^ and by the asso- 
 ciations thus raised in his mind, always recalling the 
 pleasures of the chase, the stilly whispering hum of 
 
MR. HARDING PAINTS HIS PORTRAIT. 329 
 
 the pines, the fragrance of wild flowers, and the deep 
 solitude of the primeval forest." 
 
 In the summer of 1820, Chester Harding, who of 
 American artists is one of the most celebrated for the 
 accuracy of his likenesses, paid a visit to Colonel Boone 
 for the purpose of taking his portrait. The Colonel 
 w^as quite feeble, and had to be supported bj a friend, 
 the Rev. J. E. Welsh, while sitting to the artist."^ 
 
 This portrait is the original from which most of the 
 engravings of Boone have been executed. It repre- 
 sents him in his hunting-dress, with his large hunting- 
 knife in his belt. The face is very thin and pale, and 
 the hair perfectly white ; the eyes of a bright blue 
 color, and the expression of the countenance mild 
 and pleasing. 
 
 * Peck. Life of Boone. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Last illness, and death of Colonel Boone — His funeral — Account 
 of his family — His remains and those of his wife removed 
 from Missouri, and reinterred in the new cemetery in Frank- 
 fort, Kentucky — Character of Colonel Boone. 
 
 In September, 1820, Colonel Boone had an attack 
 of fever, from whicli lie recovered so as to make a 
 visit to the house of his son, Major Xathan Boone. 
 Soon after, from an indiscretion in his diet, he liad a 
 relapse ; and after a confinement to the house of only 
 three daj^s, he expired on the 26th of September, in 
 the eighty-sixth year of his age. 
 
 He was buried in a coffin which he had kept ready 
 for several years. His remains were laid by the side 
 of those of his deceased wife. The great respect and 
 reverence entertained toward him, attracted a large 
 concourse from the neighboring country to the funeral. 
 The Legislature of Missouri, then in session, passed 
 a resolution that the members should wear the badge 
 of mourning usual in such cases for twenty days ; 
 and an adjournment for one day took place. 
 (330) 
 
REINTERMENT AT FRANKFORT. 331 
 
 Colonel Boone had five sons and four daughters 
 The two oldest sons, as already related, were killed 
 by the Indians. His third. Colonel Daniel- Morgan 
 Boone, resided in Missouri, and died about 1842, 
 past the age of eighty. Jesse Boone, the fourth son, 
 settled in Missouri about 1805, and died at St. Louis 
 a few years after. Major Nathan Boone, the youngest 
 child, resided for many years in Missouri, and received 
 a commission in the United States Dragoons. He 
 was still living at a recent date. Daniel Boone's 
 daughters, Jemima, Susannah, Eebecca, and Lavinia, 
 were all married, lived and died in Kentucky. 
 
 In 1845 the citizens of Frankfort, Kentucky, hav- 
 ing prepared a rural cemetery, resolved to consecrate 
 it by interring in it the remains of Daniel Boone and 
 his wife. The consent of the family being obtained, 
 the reinterment took place on the 20th of August of 
 that year. 
 
 The pageant was splendid and deeply interesting. 
 A few survivors of Boone's cotemporaries were 
 present, gathered from all parts of the State, and a 
 numerous train of his descendants and relatives led 
 the van of the procession escorting the hearse, which 
 was decorated v/ith forest evergreens and white lilies, 
 
332 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 an appropriate tribute to tlie simple as well as glori- 
 ous character of Boone, and a suitable emblem of bis 
 enduring fame. The address was delivered by Mr. 
 Crittenden, and the concourse of citizens from Ken- 
 tucky and the neighboring States was immense. 
 
 The reader of the foregoing pages will have no diffi- 
 culty in forming a correct estimate of Boone's charac- 
 ter. He was one of the purest and noblest of the 
 pioneers of the West. Eegarding himself as an in- 
 strument in the hands of Providence for accomplishing 
 great purposes, he was nevertheless always modest 
 and unassuming, never seeking distinction, but always 
 accepting the post of duty and danger. 
 
 As a military leader he was remarkable for pru- 
 dence, coolness, bravery, and imperturbable self-pos- 
 session. His knowledge of the character of the In- 
 dians enabled him to divine their intentions and 
 baffle their best laid plans; and notwithstanding his re- 
 sistance of their inroads, he was always a great favorite 
 amongst them. As a father, husband, and citizen, 
 his character seems to have been faultless; and his 
 intercourse with his fellow-men was always marked 
 by the strictest integrity and honor. 
 
COLONEL BOOM'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 
 
 [The following pages were dictated by Colonel Boone to John Filson, and published 
 in 1784. Colonel Boone has been heard to say repeatedly since its publication, 
 that "it is every word true."] 
 
 Curiosity is natural to the soul of man, and interesting ob- 
 jects have a powerful influence on our affections. Let these 
 influencing powers actuate, bj the permission or disposal of 
 Providence, from selfish or social views, yet in time the myste- 
 rious will of Heaven is unfolded, and we behold our conduct, 
 from whatsoever motives excited, operating to answer the im- 
 portant designs of Heaven. Thus we behold Kentucky, lately 
 a howling wilderness, the habitation of savages and wild beasts, 
 become a fruitful field ; this region, so favorably distinguished 
 by nature, now become the habitation of civilization, at a period 
 unparalleled in history, in the midst of a raging war, and under 
 all the disadvantages of emigration to a country so remote from 
 the inhabited parts of the continent. Here, where the hand of 
 violence shed the blood of the inAocent ; where the horrid yells 
 of savages and the groans of the distressed sounded in our ears, 
 we now hear the praises and adorations of our Creator ; where 
 wretched wigwams stood, the miserable abodes of savages, we 
 behold the foundations of cities laid, that, in all probability, 
 will equal the glory of the greatest upon earth. And we view 
 Kentucky, situated on the fertile banks of the great Ohio, rising 
 from obscurity to shine with splendor, equal to any other of the 
 stars of the American hemisphere. 
 
 The settling of this region well deserves a place in history. 
 Most of the memorable events I have myself been exercised in ; 
 and, for the satisfaction of the public, will briefly relate the cir- 
 
 (333) 
 
334 COLONEL BOONE's AUTOBIOGPvAPHY. 
 
 cumstance of my adventures, and scenes of life from my first 
 movement to this country until this day. 
 
 It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my 
 domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable 
 habitation on the Yadkin River, in North Carolina, to wander 
 through the wilderness of America, in quest of the country of 
 Kentucky, in company with John Finley, John Stewart, Joseph 
 Holden, James Monay, and William Cool. We proceeded suc- 
 cessfully, and after a long and fatiguing journey through a 
 mountainous wilderness, in a westward direction. On the 7th of 
 June following we found ourselves on Red River, where John 
 Finley had formerly been trading with the Indians, and, from 
 the top of an eminence, saw with pleasure the beautiful level 
 of Kentucky. Here let me- observe that for some time we had 
 experienced the most uncomfortable weather, as a prelibation 
 of our future sufferings. At this place we encamped, and made 
 a shelter to defend us from the inclement season, and began to 
 liunt and reconnoitre the country. We found everywhere 
 abundance of wild beasts of all sorts, through this vast forest. 
 The buffalo were more frequent than I have seen cattle in the 
 settlements, browsing on the leaves of the cane, or cropping 
 the herbage on those extensive plains, fearless, because ignorant 
 of the violence of man. Sometimes we saw hundreds in a drove, 
 and the numbers about the salt springs were amazing. In this 
 forest, the habitation of beasts of every kind natural to America, 
 we practiced hunting with great success until the 22d day o^ 
 December following. • 
 
 This day John Steward and I had a pleasing ramble, but foi- 
 tune changed the scene in the close of it. We had passed 
 through a great forest, on which stood myriads of trees, some 
 gay with blossoms, and others rich with fruits. Nature was 
 here a series of wonders, and a fund of delight. Here she dis- 
 played her ingenuity and industry in a variety of flowers and 
 fruits, beautifully colored, elegantly shaped, and charmingly 
 flavored ; and we were diverted with innumerable animals pre- 
 senting themselves perpetually to our view. In the decline of 
 the day, near Kentucky River, as we ascended the brow of a small 
 hill, a number of Indians rushed out of a thick canebrake upon 
 us, and made us prisoners. The time of our sorrow was now 
 
COLONEL BOOXE's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 335 
 
 arrived, and the scene fully opened. Tlie Indians plundered us 
 of what we had, and kept us in confinement seven days, treating 
 us with common savage usage. During this time we discovered 
 no uneasiness or desire to escape, which made them less suspi- 
 cious of us ; but in the dead of night, as we lay in a thick cane- 
 brake by a large iire, when sleep had locked-up their senses, my 
 situ'ation not disposing me for rest, I touched my companion, 
 and gently awoke him. We improved this favorable opportu- 
 nity and departed, leaving them to take their rest, and speedily 
 directed our course toward our old camp, but found it plundered, 
 and the company dispersed and gone home. About this time 
 my brother. Squire Boone, with another adventurer, who came 
 to explore the country shortly after us, was wandering through, 
 the forest, determined to find me if possible, and accidentally 
 found our camp. Notwithstanding the unfortunate circum- 
 stances of our company, and our dangerous situation, as sur- 
 rounded with hostile savages, our meeting so fortunately in the 
 wilderness made us reciprocally sensible of the utmost satisfac- 
 tion. So much does friendship triumph over misfortune, that 
 sorrows and sufferings vanish at the meeting not only of real 
 friends, but of the most distant acquaintances, and substitute 
 happiness in their room. 
 
 Soon after this, my companion in captivity, John Stewart, was 
 killed by the savages, and the man that came with my brother 
 returned home by himself. We were then in a dangerous, help- 
 less situatiou, exposed daily to perils and death among savages 
 and wild beasts — not a white man in the country but ourselves. 
 
 Thus situated, many hundred miles from our families in the 
 howling wilderness, I believe few would have equally enjoyed 
 the happiness we experienced. I often observed to my brother, 
 " You see now how little nature requires to be satisfied. Felicity, 
 the companion of content, is rather found in our own breasts 
 than in the enjoyment of external things ; and I firmly believe 
 it requires but a little philosophy to make a man happy in what- 
 soever state he is. This consists in a full resignation to the 
 will of Providence ; and a resigned soul finds pleasure in a path 
 strewed with briers and thorns." 
 
 We continued not in a state of indolence, but hunted every 
 day, and prepared a little cottage to defend us from the winter 
 
336 
 
 storms. "We remainecT there undisturbed during the wintei , 
 and on the first day of May, 1770, my brother returned home to 
 the settlement by himself, for a new recruit of horses and am- 
 munition, leaving me by myself, without bread, salt, or sugar, 
 without company of my fellow-creatures^ or even a horse or 
 dog. I confess I never before was under greater necessity of 
 exercising philosophy and fortitude. A few days I passed un- 
 comfortably. The idea of a beloved wife and family, and their 
 anxiety upon the account of my absence and exposed situation, 
 made sensible impressions on my heart. A thousand dreadful 
 apprehensions presented themselves to my view, and had un- 
 doubtedly disposed me to melancholy, if further indulged. 
 
 One day I undertook a tour through the country, and the 
 diversity and beauties of nature I met with in this charming 
 season, expelled every gloomy and vexatious thought. Just at 
 the close of day the gentle gales retired, and left the place to 
 the disposal of a profound calm. Not a breeze shook the most 
 tremulous leaf. I had gained the summit of a commanding 
 ridge, and, looking round with astonishing delight, beheld the 
 ample plains, the beauteous tracts below. On the other hand, 
 I surveyed the famous river Ohio, that rolled in silent dignity, 
 marking the western boundary of Kentucky with inconceivable 
 grandeur. At a vast distance I beheld the mountains lift their 
 venerable brows, and penetrate the clouds. All things were 
 still. I kindled a fire near a fountain of sweet water, and 
 feasted on the loin of a buck, which a few hours before I had 
 killed. The sullen shades of night soon overspread the whole 
 hemisphere, and the earth seemed to gasp after the hovering 
 moisture. My roving excursion this day had fatigued my body, 
 and diverted my imagination. I laid me down to sleep, and I 
 awoke not until the sun had chased away the night. I contin- 
 ued this tour, and in a few days explored a considerable part of 
 the country, each day equally pleased as the first. I returned 
 again to my old camp, which was not disturbed in my absence. 
 I did not confine my lodging to it, but often reposed in thick 
 canebrakes, to avoid the savages, who, I believe, often visited 
 my camp, but, fortunately for me, in my absence. In this sit- 
 uation I was constantly exposed to danger and death. How 
 unhappy such a situation for a man tormented with fear, which 
 
COLONEL BOOXE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 337 
 
 is vain if no danger comes, and if it does, only augments the 
 pain ! It was my happiness to be destitute of this afflicting 
 passion, with which I had the greatest reason to be affected. 
 The prowling wolves diverted my nocturnal hours with per- 
 petual howlings ; and the various species of animals in this vast 
 forest, in the daytime, were continually in my view. 
 
 Thus I was surrounded by plenty in the midst of want. I 
 was happy in the midst of dangers and inconveniences. In such 
 a diversity, it was impossible I should be disposed to melancholy. 
 No populous city, with all the varieties of commerce and stately 
 structures, could afford so much pleasure to my mind as the 
 beauties of nature I found here. 
 
 Thus, through an uninterrupted scene of sylvan pleasures, I 
 spent the time until the 27th day of July following, when my 
 brother, to my great felicity, met me, according to appointment, 
 at our old camp. Shortly after, we left this place, not thinking 
 it safe to stay there longer, and proceeded to Cumberland River, 
 reconnoitering that part of the country until March, 1771, and 
 giving names to the different waters. 
 
 Soon after, I returned home to my family, with a determina- 
 tion to bring them as soon as possible to live in Kentucky, 
 which I esteemed a second paradise, at the risk of my life and 
 fortune. 
 
 I returned safe to my old habitation, and found my family in 
 happy circumstances. I sold my farm on the Yadkin, and what 
 goods we could not carry with us ; and on the 25th day of Sep- 
 tember, 1773, bade a farewell to our friends, and proceeded on 
 our journey to Kentucky, in company with five families more, 
 and forty men that joined us in Powel's "Valley, which is mie 
 hundred and fifty miles from the now settled parts of Kentucky, 
 This promising beginning was soon overcast with a cloud of 
 adversity ; for, upon the 10th day of October, the rear of our 
 company was attacked by a number of Indians, who killed six, 
 and wounded one man. Of these, my eldest son was one that 
 fell in the action. Though we defended ourselves and repulsed 
 the enemy, yet this unhappy affair scattered our cattle, brought 
 us into extreme difficulty, and so discouraged the whole com- 
 pany, that we retreated forty miles, to the settlement on Clinch 
 River. We had passed over two mountains, viz., Powel's and 
 
 22 
 
338 COLONEL booxe's autobiography. 
 
 Walden's, and were approaching Cumberland mountain when 
 this adverse fortune overtook us. These mountains are in the 
 wilderness, as we pass from the old settlements in Virginia to 
 Kentucky, are ranged in a southwest and northeast direction, 
 are of a great length and breadth, and not far distant from each 
 other. Over these, nature hath formed passes that are less diifi- 
 cult than might be expected, from a view of such huge piles. 
 The aspect of these cliffs is so wild and horrid, that it is impos- 
 sible to behold them without terror. The spectator is apt to 
 imagine that nature has formerly suffered some violent convul- 
 sion, and that these are the dismembered remains of the dread- 
 ful shock ; the ruins, not of Persepolis or Palmyra, but of the 
 world ! 
 
 I remained with my family on Clinch until the 6th of June, 
 1774, when I and one Michael Stoner were solicited by Governor 
 Dunmore of Virginia to go to the falls of the Ohio, to conduct 
 into the settlements a number of surveyors that had been sent 
 thither by him some months before ; this country having about 
 this time drawn the attention of many adventurers. We imme- 
 diately complied with the Governor's request, and conducted in 
 the surveyors — completing a tour of eight hundred miles, 
 through many difficulties, in sixty-two days. 
 
 Soon after I returned home, I was ordered to take the command 
 of three garrisons during the campaign which Governor Dun- 
 more carried on against the Shawanese Indians ; after the con- 
 clusion of which, the militia was discharged from each garrison, 
 and I, being relieved from my post, was solicited by a number 
 of North Carolina gentlemen, that were about purchasing the 
 lands lying on the south side of Kentucky River, from the Cher- 
 okee Indians, to attend their treaty at Wataga, in March, 1775, 
 to negotiate with them, and mention the boundaries of the 
 purchase. This I accepted; and, at the request of the same 
 gentlemen, undertook to mark out a road in the best passage 
 from the settlement through the wilderness to Kentucky, with 
 such assistance as I thought necessary to employ for s\ich an 
 important undertaking. 
 
 I soon began this work, having collected a number of enter- 
 prising men, well armed. We proceeded with all possible ex- 
 pelitiou until we came within fifteen miles of where Boones- 
 
COLOXEL boone's autobiogeaphy. 339 
 
 borough now stands, and where we were fired npon "bj a party 
 of Indians, tliat killed two, and wounded two of our number ; 
 yet, although surprised and taken at a disadvantage, we stood 
 our ground. This was on the 20th of March, 1775. Three days 
 after, we were fired upon again, and had two men killed, and 
 three wounded. Afterward we proceeded on to Kentucky River 
 without opposition ; and on the first day of April began to erect 
 the fort of Boonesborough at a salt lick, about sixty yards from 
 the river, on the south side. 
 
 On the fourth day, the Indians killed one of our men. We 
 were busily employed in building this fort until the fourteenth 
 day of June following, without any further opposition from the 
 Indians ; and having finished the works, I returned to my family 
 on Clinch. 
 
 In a short time I proceeded to remove my family from Clinch 
 to this garrison, where we arrived safe, without any other diffi- 
 culties than such as are common to this passage ; my wife and 
 daughter being the first white women that ever stood on the 
 banks of Kentucky River. 
 
 On the 24th day of December following, we had one man 
 killed, and one wounded by the Indians, who seemed determined 
 to persecute us for erecting this fortification. 
 
 On the fourteenth day of July, 1776, two of Colonel Calaway's 
 daughters, and one of mine, were taken prisoners near the fort. 
 I immediately pursued the Indians with only eight men, and 
 on the 16th overtook them, killed two of the party, and recov- 
 ered the girls. The same day on which this attempt was made, 
 the Indians divided themselves into difi"erent parties, and 
 attacked several forts, which were shortly before this time 
 erected, doing a great deal of mischief. This was extremely 
 distressing to the new settlers. The innocent husbandman was 
 shot down, while busy in cultivating the soil for his family's 
 supply. Most of the cattle around the stations were destroyed. 
 They continued their hostilities in this manner until the 15th 
 of April, 1777, when they attacked Boonesborough with a party 
 of above one hundred in number, killed one man, and wounded 
 four. Their loss in this attack was not certainly known to trs. 
 
 On the 4th day of July following, a party of about two hun- 
 dred Indians attacked Boonesborough, killed one man and 
 
340 COLOXEL booxe's autobioghaphy. 
 
 wounded two. They besieged us fortj-eiglit hours, during 
 which time seven of them were killed, and, at last, finding 
 themselves not likely to prevail, thej raised the siege and de- 
 parted. 
 
 The Indians had disposed their warriors in dififerent parties at 
 this time, and attacked the different garrisons, to prevent their 
 assisting each other, and did much injury to the distressed in- 
 habitants. 
 
 On the 19th day of this month, Colonel Logan's fort was 
 besieged by a party of about two hundred Indians. During this 
 dreadful siege they did a great deal of mischief, distressed the 
 garrison, in which were only fifteen men, killed two, and 
 wounded one. The enemy's loss was uncertain, from the com- 
 mon practice which the Indians have of carrying off their dead 
 in time of battle. Colonel Harrod's fort was then defended by 
 only sixty-five men, and Boonesborough by twenty-two, there 
 being no more forts or white men in the country, except at the 
 Falls, a considerable distance from these ; and all, taken col- 
 lectively, were but a handful to the numerous warriors that 
 were everywhere dispersed through the country, intent upon 
 doing all the mischief that savage barbarity could invent. Thus 
 we passed through a scene of sufferings that exceeds description. 
 
 On the 25th of this month, a reinforcement of forty-five men 
 arrived from North Carolina, and about the 20th of August fol- 
 lowing, Colonel Bowman arrived with one hundred men from 
 Virginia. Now we began to strengthen ; and hence, for the 
 space of six weeks, we had skirmishes with Indians, in one 
 quarter or another, almost every day. 
 
 The savages now learned the superiority of the Long Knife, 
 as they call the Virginians, by experienee ; being out-generalled 
 in almost every battle. Our affairs began to wear a new aspect, 
 and the enemy, not daring to venture on open war, practiced 
 secret mischief at times. 
 
 On the 1st day of January, 1778, I went with a part}' of thirty 
 men to the Blue Licks, on Licking River, to make salt for the 
 different garrisons in the country. 
 
 On the 7th day of February, as I was hunting to procure meat 
 for the company, I met with a party of one hundred and two 
 Indians, and two Frenchmen, on their march against Booues- 
 
COLONEL BOONE's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 841 
 
 borougli, tliat place being particularly the object of the enemy. 
 They pursued, and took me ; and brought me on the 8th day 
 to the Licks, where twenty-seven of my party were, three of 
 them having previously returned home with the salt. I, know- 
 ing it was impossible for them to escape, capitulated with the 
 enemy, and, at a distance, in their view, gave notice to my men 
 of their situation, with orders not to resist, but surrender them- 
 selves captives. 
 
 The generous usage the Indians had promised before in my 
 capitulation, was afterward fully complied with, and we pro- 
 ceeded with them as prisoners to Old Chilicothe, the principal 
 Indian Town on Little Miami, where we arrived, after an uncom- 
 fortable journey, in very severe weather, on the 18th day of 
 February, and received as good treatment as prisoners could 
 expect from savages. On the 10th day of March following, I 
 and ten of my men were conducted by forty Indians to Detroit, 
 where we arrived the 30th day, and were treated by Governor 
 Hamilton, the British commander at that post, with great 
 humanity. 
 
 During our travels, the Indians entertained me well, and their 
 affection for me was so great, that they utterly refused to leave 
 me there with the others, although the Governor offered them 
 one hundred pounds sterling for me, on purpose to give me a 
 parole to go home. Several English gentlemen there, being sen- 
 sible of my adverse fortune, and touched with human symp°athy, 
 generously offered a friendly supply for my wants, which I re- 
 fused, with many thanks for their kindness— adding, that I never 
 expected it would be in my power to recompense such unmerited 
 generosity. 
 
 The Indians left my men in captivity with the British at 
 Detroit, and on the 10th day of April brought me toward Old 
 Chilicothe, where we arrived on the 25th day of the same month. 
 This was a long and fatiguing march, through an exceedingly 
 fertile country, remarkable for fine springs and streams of water. 
 At Chilicothe I spent my time as comfortably as I could expect ; 
 was adopted, according to their custom, into a family, where I 
 became a son, and had a great share in the affection of my new 
 parents, brothers, sisters, and friends. I was exceedingly 
 familiar and friendly with them, always appearing as cheerful 
 
342 COLONEL BOOXE's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 
 
 and satisfied as possible, and tliey put great confidence in me. 
 I often went a hunting with them, and frequently gained their 
 applause for my activity at our shooting-matches. I was care- 
 ful not to exceed many of them in shooting ; for no people are 
 more envious than they in this sport. I could observe, in their 
 countenances and gestures, the greatest expressions of joy when 
 they exceeded me ; and, when the reverse happened, of envy. 
 The Shawanese king took great notice of me, and treated me 
 with profound respect and entire friendship, often intrusting me 
 to hunt at my liberty. I frequently returned with the spoils 
 of the woods, and as often presented some of what I had taken 
 to him, expressive of duty to my sovereign. My food and lodg- 
 ing were in common with them ; not so good, indeed, as I could 
 desire, but necessity makes every thing acceptable. 
 
 I now began to meditate an escape, and carefully avoided 
 their suspicions, continuing with them at Old Chilicothe until 
 the 1st day of June following, and then was taken by them to 
 the salt springs on Scioto, and kept there making salt ten days. 
 During this time I hunted some for them, and found the land, 
 for a great extent about this river, to exceed the soil of Ken- 
 tucky, if possible, and remarkably well watered. 
 
 When I returned to Chilicothe, alarmed to see four hundred 
 and fifty Indians, of their choicest warriors, painted and armed 
 in a fearful manner, ready to march against Boonesborough, I 
 determined to escape the first opportunity. 
 
 On the 16th, before sunrise, I departed in the most secret 
 manner, and arrived at Boonesborough on the 20th, after a jour- 
 ney of one hundred and sixty miles, during which I had but one 
 meal. 
 
 I found our fortress in a bad state of defense ; but we pro- 
 ceeded immediately to repair our flanks, strengthen our gates 
 and posterns, and form double bastions, which we completed in 
 ten days. In this time we daily expected the arrival of the 
 Indian army ; and at length, one of my fellow-prisoners, escap- 
 ing from tlieni, arrived, informing us that the enemy had, on 
 account of my departure, postponed their expedition three 
 weeks. The Indians had spies out viewing our movements, and 
 were greatly alarmed with our increase in number and fortifica- 
 tions. The grand council of the nations were held frequently. 
 
COLONEL BOONE's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 343 
 
 and with more deliberation than usuaL They evidently saw 
 the approacliing hour when the Long Knife would dispossess 
 them of their desirable habitations ; and, anxiously concerned 
 for futurity, determined utterly to extirpate the whites out of 
 Kentucky. We were not intimidated by their movements, but 
 frequently gave them proofs of our courage. * 
 
 About the first of August, I made an incursion into the Indian 
 country with a party of nineteen men, in order to surprise a 
 small town up Scioto, called Paint Creek Town. We advanced 
 within four miles thereof, when we met a party of thirty Indians 
 on their march against Boonesborough, intending to join the 
 others from Chilicothe. A smart fight ensued between us for 
 some time ; at length the savages gave way and fled. We had 
 no loss on our side ; the enemy had one killed, and two wounded. 
 We took from them three horses, and all their baggage ; and 
 being informed by two of our number that went to their town, 
 that the Indians had entirely evacuated it, we proceeded no 
 further, and returned with all possible expedition to assist our 
 garrison against the other party. We passed by them on the 
 sixth day, and on the seventh we arrived safe at Boonesborough. 
 
 On the 8th, the Indian army arrived, being four hundred and 
 forty-four in number, commanded by Captain Duquesne, eleven 
 other Frenchmen, and some of their own chiefs, and marched 
 up within view of our fort, with British and French colors flying ; 
 and having sent a summons to me, in his Britannic Majesty's 
 name, to surrender the fort, I requested two days consideration, 
 which was granted 
 
 It was now a critical period with us. We were a small num- 
 ber in the garrison — a powerful army before our walls, whose 
 appearance proclaimed inevitable death, fearfully painted, and 
 marking their footsteps with desolation. Death was preferable 
 to captivity ; and if taken by storm, we must inevitably be de- 
 voted to destruction. In this situation we concluded to main- 
 tain our garrison, if possible. We immediately proceeded to 
 collect what we could of our horses and other cattle, and bring 
 them through the posterns into the fort ; and in the evening of 
 the 9th, I returned answer that we were determined to defend 
 our fort while a man was living. *' Now," said I to their com- 
 mander, who stood attentively hearing my sentiments, "wt 
 
844 COLONEL booxe's autobiography. 
 
 laugh at your formidable preparations ; but thank you for 
 giving us notice and time to provide for our defense. Your 
 efforts will not prevail ; for our gates shall forever deny you 
 admittance." Whether this answer affected their courage or 
 not I cannot tell ; but contrary to our expectations, they formed 
 a scheme to deceive us, declaring it was their orders, from Gov- 
 ernor Hamilton, to take us captives, and not to destroy us ; but 
 if nine of us would come out and treat with them, they would 
 immediately withdraw their forces from our walls, and return 
 home peaceably. This sounded grateful in our ears ; and we 
 agreed to the proposal. 
 
 We held the treaty within sixty yards of the garrison, on 
 purpose to divert them from a breach of honor, as we could not 
 avoid suspicions of the savages. In this situation the articles 
 were formally agreed to, and signed ; and the Indians told us 
 it was customary with them on such occasions for two Indians 
 to shake hands with every white man in the treaty, as an 
 evidence of entire friendship. We agreed to this also, but were 
 soon convinced their policy was to take us prisoners. They 
 immediately grappled us ; but, although surrounded by hun- 
 dreds of savages, we extricated ourselves from them, and escaped 
 all safe into the garrison, except one that was wounded, through 
 a heavy fire from their army. They immediately attacked us 
 on every side, and a constant heavy fire ensued between us, day 
 and night, for the space of nine days. 
 
 In this time the enemy began to undermine our fort, which 
 was situated sixty yards from Kentucky River. They began at 
 the water-mark, and proceeded in the bank some distance, 
 which we understood by their making the water muddy with 
 the clay ; and we immediately proceeded to disappoint their 
 design, by cutting a trench across their subterranean passage. 
 The enemy, discovering our countermine by the clay we threw 
 out of the fort, desisted from that stratagem ; and experience 
 now fully convincing them that neither their power nor policy 
 could effect their purpose, on the 20th day of August they raised 
 the siege and departed. 
 
 During this siege, which threatened death in every form, we 
 liad two men killed, and four wounded, besides a number of 
 cattle. We killea of the enemy thirty-seven, and wounded a 
 
COLONEL BOONe's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 845 
 
 great number. After they were gone, we picked up one Imn- 
 dred and tAventy-five pounds weight of bullets, besides wliat 
 stuck in the logs of our fort, which certainly is a great proof of 
 their industry. Soon after this, I went into the settlement, and 
 nothing worthy of a place in this account passed in my affairs 
 for some time. 
 
 During my absence from Kentucky, Colonel Bowman carried 
 on an expedition against the Shawanese, at Old Chilicothe, witli 
 one liundred and sixty men, in July, 1779. Here they arrived 
 undiscovered, and a battle ensued, which lasted until ten 
 o'clock, A. M., when Colonel Bowman, jBnding he could not 
 succeed at this time, retreated about thirty miles. The Indians, 
 in the meantime, collecting all their forces, pursued and over- 
 took him, when a smart fight continued near two hours, not to 
 the advantage of Colonel Bowman's party. 
 
 Colonel Harrod proposed to mount a number of horse, and 
 furiously to rush upon the savages, who at this time fought 
 with remarkable fury. This desperate step had a happy effect, 
 broke their line of battle, and the savages fled on all sides. In 
 these two battles we had nine killed, and one wounded. The 
 enemy's loss uncertain, only two scalps being taken. 
 
 On the 22d day of June, 17S0, a large party of Indians and 
 Canadians, about six hundred in number, commanded by Colo- 
 nel Bird, attacked Riddle's and Martin's stations, at the forks 
 of Licking River, with six pieces of artillery. They carried this 
 expedition so secretly, that the unwary inhabitants did not dis- 
 cover them until they fired upon the forts ; and, not being pre- 
 pared to oppose them, were obliged to surrender themselves 
 miserable captives to barbarous savages, who immediately after 
 tomahawked one man and two women, and loaded all the others 
 with heavy baggage, forcing them along toward their towns, 
 able or unable to march. Such as were weak and faint by the 
 way, they tomahawked. The tender women and helpless chil- 
 dren fell victims to their cruelty. This, and the savage treat- 
 ment they received afterward, is shocking to humanity and too 
 barbarous to relate. 
 
 The hostile disposition of the savages and their allies caused 
 General Clarke, the commandant at the Falls of the Ohio, imme- 
 iiately to begin an expedition with his own regiment, and tho 
 
S46 
 
 armed force of tlie country, against Pecaway, tlie principal town 
 of the Shawauese, on a branch of Great Miami, whicli he fiiiislieil 
 with great success, took seventeen scalps, and burnt tlie town 
 to ashes, with the loss of seventeen men. 
 
 About this time I returned to Kentucky with my family ; and 
 here, to avoid an inquiry into my conduct, the reader being 
 before informed of my bringing my family to Kentucky, I am 
 under the necessity of informing him that, during my captivity 
 with the Indians, my wife, who despaired of ever seeing me 
 again — expecting the Indians had put a period to my life, op- 
 pressed with the distresses of the country, and bereaved of me, 
 her only happiness — had, before I returned, transported my 
 family and goods on horses through the wilderness, amid a mul- 
 titude of dangers, to her father's house in North Carolina. 
 
 Shortly after the troubles at Boonesborough, I went to them, 
 and lived peaceably there uutil this time. The history of my 
 going home, and returning with my family, forms a series of 
 difficulties, an account of which would swell a volume ; and, 
 being foreign to my purpose, I shall purposely omit them. 
 
 I settled my family in Boonesborough once more ; and shortly 
 after, on the 6th day of October, 17S0, I went in company with 
 my brother to the Blue Licks ; and, on our return home, we 
 were fired upon by a party of Indians. They shot him and 
 pursued me, by the scent of their dog, three miles ; but I killed 
 the dog, and escaped. The winter soon came on, and was very 
 severe, which confined the Indians to their wigwams. 
 
 The severities of this winter caused great difficulties in Ken- 
 tucky. The enemy had destroyed most of the corn the summer 
 before. This necessary article was scarce and dear, and the 
 inhabitants lived chietly on the flesh of Du5'alo. The circum- 
 stances of many were very lamentable ; however, being a hardy 
 race of peox)le, and accustomed to difficulties and necessities, 
 they were wonderfully supported through all their sulferiugs, 
 until tlie ensuing autumn, when wo received abundance from 
 the fertile soil. 
 
 Toward spring we were frequently harassed by Indians ; and 
 in May, 1782, a party assaulted Ashton's station, killed one man, 
 and took a negro prisoner. Captain Ashton, with twent3''-five 
 men, pursued and overtook the savages, and a smart fiijbt 
 
COLONEL BOON^E's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 347 
 
 ensued, which lasted two hours ; but the}'', being superior in 
 number, obliged Captain Ashton's party to retreat, with the loss 
 of eight killed, and four mortally wounded ; their brave com- 
 mander himself being numbered among the dead. 
 
 The Indians continued their hostilities ; and, about the 10th 
 of August following, two boys were taken from Major Hoy's 
 station. This party was pursued by Captain Holder and seven- 
 teen men, who were also defeated, with the loss of four men 
 killed, and one wounded. Our affairs became more and more 
 alarming. Several stations which had lately been erected in the 
 country were continually infested with savages, stealing their 
 horses and killing the men at every opportunity. In a field, 
 near Lexington, an Indian shot a man, and running to scalp him, 
 was himself shot from the fort, and fell dead ujjon his enemy. 
 
 Eveiy day we experienced recent mischiefs. The barbarous 
 savage nations of Shawanese, Cherokees, Wyandots, Tawas, 
 Delawares, and several others near Detroit, united in a war 
 against us, and assembled their choicest warriors at Old Chili- 
 cothe, to go on the expedition, in order to destroy us, and en- 
 tirely depopulate the country. Their savage minds were 
 inflamed to mischief by two abandoned men, Captains M'Kee 
 and Girty. These led them to execute every diabolical scheme, 
 and on the 15th dny of August, commanded a party of Indians 
 and Canadians, of about five hundred in number, against Bryant's 
 station, five miles from Lexington. Without demanding a sur- 
 render, they furiously assaulted the garrison, which was happily 
 prepared to oppose them ; and, after they had expended much 
 ammunition in vain, and killed the cattle round the fort, not 
 being likely to make themselves masters of this place, they 
 raised the siege, and departed in the morning of the third day 
 after they came, with the loss of about thirty killed, and the 
 number of wounded uncertain. Of the garrison, four were 
 killed, and thi-ee wounded. 
 
 On the 18th day. Colonel Todd, Colonel Trigg, Major Harland, 
 and myself, speedily collected one hundred and seventy-six men, 
 well armed, and pursued the savages. They had marched be- 
 yond the Blue Licks, to a remarkable bend of the main fork of 
 Licking River, about forty-three miles from Lexington, where 
 we overtook them on the 19th day. The savages observing us, 
 
848 COLONEL booxe's autobiography. 
 
 gave waj ; and we, being ignorant of tlieir numbers, passed the 
 river. When the enemy saw our proceedings, having greatly 
 the advantage of us in situation, they formed the line of battle 
 from one bend of Licking to the other, about a mile from the 
 Blue Licks. An exceeding fierce battle immediately began, for 
 about fifteen minutes, when we being overpowered by numbers, 
 were obliged to retreat, with the loss of sixty-seven men, seven 
 of whom were taken prisoners. The brave and much-lamented 
 Colonels Todd and Trigg, Major Harland, and my second son, 
 were among the dead. We were informed that the Indians, 
 numbering their dead, found they had four killed more than 
 we ; and therefore four of the prisoners they had taken were, 
 by general consent, ordered to be killed in a most barbarous 
 manner by the young warriors, in order to train them up to 
 cruelty ; and then they proceeded to their towns. 
 
 On our retreat we were met by Colonel Logan, hastening to 
 join us, with a number of well-armed men. This powerful 
 assistance we unfortunately wanted in the battle ; for, notwith- 
 standing the enemy's superiority of numbers, they acknowledged 
 that, if they had received one more fire from us, they should 
 undoubtedly have given way. So valiantly did our small party 
 light, that to the memory of those who unfortunately fell in the 
 battle, enough of honor cannot be paid. Had Colonel Logan 
 and his party been with us, it is highly probable we should 
 have given the savages a total defeat. 
 
 I cannot reflect upon this dreadful scene, but sorrow fills my 
 heart. A zeal for the defense of their country led these heroes 
 to the scene of action, though with a few men to attack a pow 
 erful army of experienced warriors. When we gave way, they 
 pursued us with the utmost eagerness, and in every quarter 
 spread destruction. The river was diflicult to cross, and many 
 were killed in the flight— some just entering the river, some 
 in the water, others after crossing, in ascending the cliffs. Some 
 escaped on horseback, a few on foot ; and, being dispersed every- 
 where in a few hours, brought the melancholy news of this 
 unfortunate battle to Lexington. Many widows were now made. 
 The reader may guess what sorrow filled the hearts of the inhab- 
 itants, exceeding any thing that I am able to describe. Being 
 reinforced, we returned to bury the dead, and found their 
 
COLONEL BOONE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 349 
 
 bodies strewed everywhere, cut and mangled in a dreadfnl man- 
 ner. This mournful scene exhibited a horror almost unparal- 
 leled : some torn and eaten bj wild beasts ; those in the river 
 eaten by fishes ; all in such a putrefied condition, that no one 
 could be distinguished from another. 
 
 As soon as General Clark, then at the Falls of the Ohio — who 
 was ever our ready friend, and merits the love and gratitude of 
 all his countrymen — understood the circumstances of this 
 unfortunate action, he ordered an expedition, with all possible 
 haste, to pursue the savages, which was so expeditiously effected, 
 that we overtook them within two miles of their towns ; and 
 probably might have obtained a great victory, had not two of 
 their number met us about two hundred poles before we came 
 up. These returned quick as lightning to their camp, with the 
 alarming news of a mighty army in view. The savages fled in 
 the utmost disorder, evacuated their towns, and reluctantly left 
 their territory to our mercy. We immediately took possession 
 of Old Chilicothe without opposition, being deserted by its in- 
 habitants. We continued our pursuit through five towns on 
 the Miami River, Old Chilicothe, Pecaway, New Chilicothe, 
 Will's Towns, and Chilicothe— burnt them all to ashes, entirely 
 destroyed their corn, and other fruits, and everywhere spread a 
 scene of desolation in the country. In this expedition we took 
 seven prisoners and five scalps, with the loss of only four men, 
 two of whom were accidentally killed by our own army. 
 
 This campaign in some measure damped the spirits of the 
 Indians, and made them sensible of our superiority. Their 
 connections were dissolved, their armies scattered, and a future 
 invasion put entirely out of their power ; yet they contimied 
 to practice mischief secretly upon the inhabitants, in the ex- 
 posed parts of the country. 
 
 In October following, a party made an incursion into that 
 district called the Crab Orchard ; and one of them, being ad- 
 vanced some distance before the others, boldly entered the 
 house of a poor defenseless family, in which was only a negro 
 man, a woman, and her children, terrified with the apprehen- 
 sions of immediate death. The savage, perceiving their defense- 
 lesss condition, without offering violence to the family, attempted 
 to capture the negro, who happily proved an overmatch for him, 
 
350 COLONEL BOOXF/S AUrOBIOGRAPIIY. 
 
 tlirevr liim on the ground, and in the struggle, the mother of the 
 children drew an axe from a corner of the cottage, and cut his 
 head oflF, while her little daughter shut the door. The savages 
 instantly appeared, a^d applied their tomahawks to the door. 
 An old rusty gun-hrrrel, without a lock, lay in a corner, which 
 the mother put through a small crevice, and the savages, per- 
 ceiving it, fled. In the meantime, the alarm spread through the 
 neighborhood ; the armed men collected immediately, and i)ur- 
 sued tlie ravagers into the wilderness. Thus Providence, by 
 the means of this negro, saved the whole of the poor family 
 from destruction. From that time until the happy return of 
 peace between the United States and Great Britain, the Indiana 
 did us no mischief. Finding the great king beyond the water 
 disappointed in his expectations, and conscious of the impor- 
 tance of the Long Knife, and their own wretchedness, some of 
 the nations immediately desired peace ; to which, at present 
 [1784], they seem universally disposed, and are sending embas- 
 sadors to General Clarke, at the Falls of the Ohio, with the 
 minutes of their councils. 
 
 To conclude, I can now say that I have verified the saying of 
 an old Indian who signed Colonel Henderson's deed. Taking 
 me by the hand, at the delivery thereof — "Brother," said he, 
 "we have given you a fine land, but I believe you will have 
 much trouble in settling it." My footsteps have often been 
 marked with blood, and therefore I can truly subscribe to its 
 original name. Two darling sons and a brother have I lost by 
 savage hands, which have also taken from me forty valuable 
 horses, and abundance of cattle. Many dark and sleepless nights 
 have I been a companion for owls, separated from the cheerful 
 society of men, scorched by the summer's sun, and pinched by 
 the winter's cold — an instrument ordained to settle the wilder- 
 ness. But now the scene is changed : peace crowns the sylvan 
 shade. 
 
 What thanks, what ardent and ceaseless thanks are due to 
 that all-superintending Providence which has turned a cruel 
 war into peace, brought order out of confusion, made the fierce 
 savages placid, and turned away their hostile weapons from our 
 sountry I May the same Almighty Goodness banish the accursed 
 monster, war, from all lands, with her hated associates, rapine 
 
COLONEL BOONE's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 851 
 
 and insatiable ambition ! Let peace, descending from her native 
 heaven, bid her olives spring amid the joyful nations ; and 
 plenty, in league with commerce, scatter blessings from her 
 copious hand ! 
 
 This account of my adventures will inform the reader of the 
 most remarkable events of this country. I now live in peace 
 and safety, enjoying the sweets of liberty, and the bounties of 
 Providence, with my once fellow-sufferers, in this delightful 
 country, which I have seen purchased with a vast expense of 
 blood and treasure : delighting in the prospect of its being, in a 
 short time, one of the most opulent and powerful States on the 
 continent of North America ; which, with the love and gratitude 
 of my countrymen, I esteem a sufficient reward for all my toil 
 and dangers. 
 
 DANIEL BOONE. 
 Fayette County, Kentucky. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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 LIVES OF FEMALE MORMONS. 
 
 A Narrative of facts Stranger than Fiction. By Metta Victoria 
 Fuller, izmo., cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS WOMEN OF ALL AGES. 
 
 Containing the Empress Josephine, Lady Jane Gray, Beatrice 
 Cenci, Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Charlotte Corday, Zenobia, 
 &c., &c. Embelhshed with Fine Steel Portraits, izmo., cloth. 
 Price $1.00. 
 
 THE LIVES AND EXPLOITS OF THE MOST NOTED 
 BUCCANEERS & PIRATES OF ALL COUNTRIES. 
 
 Handsomely illustrated, i vol. Cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 HIGHWAYMEN, ROBBERS AND BANDITTI OF ALL 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 With Colored and other Engravings. Handsomely bound in one 
 volume, izmo., cloth. Price .^i. 00. 
 
 HEROES AND PATRIOTS OF THE SOUTH; 
 
 Comprising Lives of General Francis Marion, General William 
 Moultrie, General Andrew Pickens, and Governor John 
 Rutlcdge. By Cecil B. Hartley. Illustrated, izmo., cloth. 
 Price $1.00. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 THE PRINCE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HOUSE OF DAVID; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THREE YEARS IN THE HOLY CITY. 
 
 BEING 
 
 A SERIES OF THE LETTERS OF ADINA, A JEWESS OF ALEXANDRIA, SUPPOSED 
 
 TO BE SOJOURNING IN JERUSALEM IN THE DAYS OF HEROD, 
 
 ADDRESSED TO HER FATHER, A WEALTHY JEW IN EGYPT, 
 
 AND RELATING, AS IF BY AN EYE-WITNESS, 
 
 ALL THE SCENES and WONDERFUL INCIDENTS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH, 
 
 FROM HIS 
 
 Baptism in Jordan to his Crucifixion on Calvary. 
 
 NEW EDITION, CAREFULLY REVISED AND CORRECTED BY THE AUTHOR, 
 
 REV. J. H. INGRAHAM, LL.D. 
 
 Rector ef Christ Church, and of St. Thomas'' Hall, Holly Springs, Miss. 
 
 WITH FIVE SPLENDID ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 One Large izmo. volume. Cloth, S1.25. 
 
 THE SAME WORK IN GERMAN. One volume izmo., 
 cloth. Price $1.00 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 THE PILLAR OF FIRE; 
 
 OR, 
 
 ISRAEL IN BONDAGE, 
 
 BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 WONDERFUL SCENES IN THE LIFE OF THE SON 
 OF PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER, (MOSES.) 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 PICTURESgUE SKETCHES OF THE HEBREWS UNDER 
 THEIR TASK-MASTERS. 
 
 BY REV. J. H. INGRAHAM, LL.D., 
 
 Author of the " Prince of the House of David." 
 
 PRICE, $1.25. 
 
 **The Pillar of Fire," is a large i2mo. volume of 600 pages. 
 Illustrated, and contains an account of the wonderful scenes in 
 the life of the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter, (Moses,) from his youth 
 to the ascent of Sinai : comprising as by an eye-witness, his 
 Miracles before Pharaoh, Passage of the Red Sea, and the reception 
 of the Law on Mount Sinai, &c., &c. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 RECORDS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 
 
 Containing the Military and Financial Correspondence of distin- 
 guished officers; names of the officers and privates of regiments, 
 companies and corps, with the dates of their commissions and 
 enhstments. General orders of Washington, Lee, and Green ; 
 with a list of distinguished prisoners of war ; the time of their 
 capture, exchange, etc. ; to which is added the half-pay acts of 
 the Continental Congress ; the Revolutionary pension laws ; and 
 a list of the officers of the Continental army who acquired the 
 right to half-pay, commutation, and lands, &c. By T. W. Saf- 
 FELL. Large izmo., $1.25. 
 
 THE ROMANCE OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 Being a history of the personal adventures, romantic incidents and 
 exploits incidental to the War of Independence — with tinted 
 illustrations. Large i2mo., $1.25. 
 
 THE QUEEN'S FATE. 
 
 A tale of the days of Herod. i2mo., cloth, with Steel Illustra- 
 tions. $1.00. 
 
 " A recital of events, of an awe-arousing period, in a familiar and interest- 
 ing manner." 
 
 "LIVING AND LOVING." 
 
 A collection of Sketches. By Miss Virginia F. Townsend. — 
 Large 1 2mo., with line steel portrait of the author. Bound in 
 cluth. Price $1.00. 
 
 We might say many things in favor of this delightful publication, but we 
 deem it unnecessary. Husbands should buy it for their wives : lovers should 
 buy it for their sweet-hearts : friends should buy it for their friends.— Gorfcy's 
 Lady's Book, 
 
 WHILE IT WAS MORNING. 
 
 By Virginia F. Townsend, author of " Living and Loving." 
 i2mo., cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 THE ANGEL VISITOR ; or. Voices of the Heart. 
 l2mo., cloth, with Mezzotint Engraving. Price $1.00. 
 " The mission of this volume is to aid in doing good to those in affliction.** 
 
lO LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 THE SPIRIT LAND. 
 i2mo., doth, with Mezzotint Engraving. Price 81.00. 
 
 " These pages are submitted to tlie public with the counsel of the wisest 
 and best of all ages, that amid the wiley arts of the Adversary, we should cling 
 to the word of God, the Bible, as the only safe and infallible guide of Faith 
 and Practice." 
 
 THE MORNING STAR; or. Symbols of Christ. 
 
 By Re\ Wm. M. Thayer, author of " Hints for the Household," 
 " Pastor's Holiday Gift," &c., &c. l2mo., cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 " The symbolical parts of Scriptures are invested with peculiar attractions. 
 A familiar acquaintance with them can scarcely fail to increase respect and 
 love for the Bible." 
 
 SWEET HOME ; or. Friendship's Golden Altar. 
 
 By Frances C. Percival. Mezzotint Frontispiece, 1 2mo., cloth, 
 gilt back and centre. Price $1.00. 
 
 "The object of this book is to awaken the Memories of Home — to remind 
 us of the old Scenes and old Times." 
 
 THE DESERTED FAMILY ; 
 
 Or, the Wanderings of an Outcast. By Paul Creyton. i 2mo., 
 cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 ''An interesting story, which might exert a good influence in softening the 
 heart, warming the affections, and elevating the soul." 
 
 ANNA CLAYTON; or, the Mother's Trial 
 A Tale of Real Life. i2mo., cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 *' The principal characters in this tale are drawn from re.il life — imagina- 
 tion cannot picture deeper shades of sadness, higher or more exiiuisite joys, 
 than Truth has woven for us, in the Mother's Trial." 
 
 " FASHIONABLE DISSIPATION." 
 
 By Metta V. Fuller. Mezzotint Frontispiece, i2mo., bound in 
 cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 THE YANKEE SLAVE DRIVER; 
 
 Or, the White and Black Rivals. i2mo., cloth. Illustrated. 
 Price $1.00. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 " TO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE." 
 
 WOMAN AND HER DISEASES. 
 
 From the Cradle to the Grave ; adapted exclusively to her instruc- 
 tion in the Physiology of her system, and all the Diseases of her 
 Critical Periods. By Edward H. Dixon, M.D. izmo. Price 
 $i.oo. 
 
 DR. LIVINGSTONE'S TRAVELS AND RESEARCHES 
 OF SIXTEEN YEARS IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH 
 AFRICA. 
 
 One volume, i2mo., cloth, line edition, printed upon superior 
 paper, with numerous illustrations. Price $1.25. Cheap edi- 
 tion, price $1.00. 
 
 This is -a work of thrilling adventures and hair-breadth escapes among 
 savage beasts, and more savage men. Dr. Livingstone was alone, and unaid- 
 ed by any white man, traveling only with African attendants, among different 
 tribes and nations, all strange to him, and many of them hostile, and alto- 
 gether forming the most astonishing book of travels the world has ever 
 seen. All acknowlodgo it is the most readable book published. 
 
 ANDERSSON'S EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOVERIES. 
 
 Giving accounts of many Perilous Adventures, and Thrilling Inci- 
 dents, during Four Years' Wanderings in the Wilds of South 
 Western Africa. By C. J. x'\ndersson, LL.D., F.R.S. With 
 an Introductory Letter, by J. C. Fremont. One volume, izmo., 
 cloth. With Numerous Illustrations, representing Sporting 
 Adventures, Subjects of Natural History, Devices for Destroy- 
 ing Wild Animals, etc. Price $1.25. 
 
 INDIA ^ND THE INDIAN MUTINY. 
 
 Comprising a Complete History of Hindoostan, from the earliest 
 times to the present day, with full particulars of the Recent 
 Mutiny in India. Illustrated with numerous engravings. By 
 Henry Frederick Malcom. This work has been gotten up 
 with great care, and may be relied on as Complete and Accu- 
 rate ; making one of the most Thrillingly Interesting books pub- 
 lished. It contains illustrations of all the great Battles and 
 Sieges, making a large i2mo., volume of about 450 pages. 
 Price I1.25. 
 
12 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 SEVEN YEARS IN THE WILDS OF SIBERIA, 
 
 A Narrative of Seven Years' Explorations and Adventures in 
 Oriental and Western Siberia, Mongolia, the Kir his Steppes, 
 Chinese Tartary, and Part of Central Asia. By Thomas 
 William Atkinson. With numerous Illustrations, izmo., cloth, 
 price $1.25. 
 
 SIX YEARS IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa, being a 
 Journal of an Expedition undertaken undei the auspices of 
 H. B. M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855. By Henry 
 Barth, Ph. D., D.C.L., Fellow of the Royal Geographical and 
 Asiatic Societies, &c., &c. i2mo., cloth, price Si. 25. 
 
 THREE VISITS TO MADAGASCAR 
 
 During the years 1853, 1854, 1856, including a journey to the 
 Capital ; with notices of the Natural History of the Country 
 and of the present Civihzation of the People, by the Rev. Wm. 
 Ellis, F.H.S., author of "Polynesian Researches." Illustrated 
 by engravings from photographs. Sec. izmo., cloth. $1.25. 
 
 CAPT. COOK'S VOYAGES ROUND THE WORLD. 
 
 One volume, i2mo., doth. Price $1.00. 
 
 BOOK OF ANECDOTES AND BUDGET OF FUN. 
 
 Containing a collection of over One Thousand Laughable Sayings, 
 Rich Jokes, etc. i2mo., cloth, extra gilt back, $1.00. 
 
 " Nothing is so well calculated to preserve the healthful action of the 
 human system as a good hearty laugh." 
 
 BOOK OF PLAYS FOR HOME AMUSEMENT. 
 
 Being a collection of Original, Altered and well-selected Tragedies, 
 Comedies, Dramas, Farces, Burlesques, Charades, Comic Lec- 
 tures, etc. Carefully arranged and specially adapted for Private 
 Representation, with full directions for Performance. By Silas 
 S. Steele, Dramatist. One volume, 1 2mo., cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 1 3 
 
 A HISTORY OF ITALY, 
 
 AND THE WAR OF 1859. 
 
 Giving the causes of the War, with Biographical Sketches of Sov- 
 ereigns, Statesmen and Military Commanders ; Descriptions and 
 Statistics of the Country ; with finely engraved Portraits of Louis 
 Napoleon, Emperor of France ; Frances Joseph, Emperor of 
 Austria ; Victor Emanuel, King of Sardinia, and Garribaldi, the 
 Champion of Italian Freedom. Together with the official ac- 
 counts of the Battles of Montebello, Palestro, Magenta, Maleg- 
 nano, Solferino, etc., etc., and Maps of Italy, Austria, and all 
 the adjacent Countries, by 
 
 MADAME JULIE DE MARGUERITTES. 
 
 With an introduction by Dr. R. Shelton Mackenzie, one volume, 
 i2mo., cloth, price Si. 00. 
 
 From the New York Courier and Enquirer. 
 
 " This is an able, interesting and lively account of tlie War and the circum- 
 Btances connected with it. The author's residence in Europe has given her 
 facilities for preparing the volume which add much to its value. 
 
 "Not only does she give a description of Italy in general, but of each Sov- 
 ereignty, and State, showing the Extent, Resources, Power and Political sit- 
 uation of each. Throughout the volume are found Anecdotes, Recollections, 
 and even Ondits, which contribute to its iaterest." 
 
 THE BOOK OF POPULAR SONGS. 
 
 Being a compendium of the best Sentimental, Comic, Negro, Nation- 
 al, Patriotic, Military, Naval, Social, Convivial, and Pathetic 
 Ballads and Melodies, as sung by the most celebrated Opera 
 Singers, Negro Minstrel?, and Comic Vocahsts of the day. 
 
 One volume, i2mo., cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 THE AMERICAN PRACTICAL COOKERY BOOK; 
 
 Or, Housekeeping made easy, pleasant, and econmical in all its 
 departments. To which are added directions for setting out 
 Tables, and giving Entertainments. Directions for Jointing, 
 Trussing, and Carving, and many hundred new Receipts in 
 Cookery and Housekeeping. With 50 engravings. i2mo., 
 cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
14 I-IST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 A BUDGET OF 
 
 HUMOROUS POETRY, 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 Specimens of the best and most Humorous Productions of the 
 popular American and Foreign Poetical Writers of the day. 
 By the author of the " Book of Anecdotes and Budget of 
 Fun." One volume, izmo., cloth. Price $i.oo. 
 
 From the Philadelphia North American. 
 "This collection includes specimens of the Humorous Writings of English 
 and American authors, and the preference is given to contempuraries. The 
 compiler has aimed to produce a volume in which every piece should provoke 
 *a good hearty laugh.' In one thing he has certainly shown a wisdom which 
 might be imitated by compilers of more pretension. He does not claim that his 
 work represents the ' entire humorous literature of the language,' but a col- 
 lection of poetical effusions, replete v*ith wit and humor." 
 
 THE 
 
 The World in a Pocket Book. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAAl H. CRUMP. 
 
 NEW AND REVISED EDITION, BROUGHT DOWN TO 
 
 i860. 
 
 This work is a Compendium of Useful Knowledge and General 
 Reference, dedicated to the Manufacturers, Farmers, Merchants, 
 and Mechanics of the United States — to all, in short, with whom 
 time is money — and whose business avocations render the acqui- 
 sition of extensive and diversified information desirable, by the 
 shortest possible road. This volume, it is hoped, will be found 
 worthy of a place in every household — in every family. It 
 may indeed be termed a library in itself. Large izmo., $1.25. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY C. C. EVANS. 
 
 THE 
 
 LADIES' HAND BOOK 
 
 OF 
 
 FANCY AND ORNAMENTAL 
 
 NEEDLE-WORK, 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 FULL DIRECTIONS WITH PATTERNS 
 
 FOR WORKING IN 
 
 Embroidery, Applique, Braiding, Crochet, Knitting, Netting, 
 
 Tatting, Quilting, Tambour and Gobelin Tapestry, 
 
 Broderie Anglaise, Guipure Work, Canvass Work, 
 
 Worsted Work, Lace Work, Bead Work, 
 
 Stitching, Patch Work, Frivolite, 
 
 etc., etc., etc. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH 262 ENGRAVED PATTERNS, 
 
 TAKEN FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS. 
 
 BY MISS FLORENCE HARTLEY. 
 
 ONE VOLUME, QUARTO CLOTH, Price $1.25. 
 
i6 
 
 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 Lectures for the People 
 
 Rev. H. STOWELL BROWN, 
 
 Of the Myrtle Street Baptist Chafel, Liverpool^ England. 
 
 FIRST SERIES, 
 
 PUBLISHED UNDER A SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH THE AUTHOR. 
 
 WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION BY 
 
 DE. R. SHELTON MACKENZIE. 
 
 WITH A SPLENDIDLY ENGRAVED STEEL PORTRAIT. 
 One Volume, 414 pages, izmo. Cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 CONTENTS OF LECTURES FOR THE PEOPLE. 
 
 1 The Lord's Prayer. 
 
 2 The Golden Rule. 
 
 3 The Prodigal Son. 
 
 4 There's a good time coming. 
 
 5 Turning over a new leaf. 
 
 6 Taking care of Number One. 
 
 7 Penny Wise and Pound 
 
 Foolish. 
 
 8 Cleanliness is next to God- 
 
 liness. 
 
 9 A Friend in need is a Friend 
 
 Indeed. 
 10 Five Shillings and Costs. 
 
 14 
 16 
 
 17 
 18- 
 20 
 21 
 
 Saturday Night. 
 
 There's nae Luck about the 
 
 House. 
 The road to Hell is paved 
 
 with good Intentions. 
 Poor Richard's Almanac. 
 Waste not. Want not. 
 Tell the Truth and Shame 
 
 the Devil. 
 The Seventh Commandment. 
 -19 The Street. 
 Stop Thief. 
 The Devil's Meal is all Bran. 
 
 Mr. Brown's lectures fill an important place, for wnich vee have no other 
 book. The style is clear, the spirit is kind, the reasoning careful, and the 
 argument conclusive. We are persuaded that this hook will render moro 
 good than any book of sermons or lectures that have been published in this 
 19th century. — Liverpool Mercury. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 1 7 
 
 LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF A PASTOR'S LIFE. 
 By S. H. Elliott. One volume, i2mo., cloth. Price $i.oo. 
 
 ** This is a well-written, highly instructive hook. It is a story of the life- 
 teachings, and life-trials of a good man, whose great aim was to elevate, 
 morally and intellectually, his fellow-men. Like many of his nature and 
 temperament, some of his views were Utopian. But his successes and 
 failures, with the causes of these, are painted with a masterly hand. There 
 is unusual strength and vitality in this volume." 
 
 THREE PER CENT. A MONTH; 
 
 Or, the Perils of Fast Living. A Warning to Young Men. 
 By Chas. Burdett. One volume, i2mo., cloth. Price $i.oo. 
 
 "The stylo of this book is direct and effective, particularly fitting tho 
 impression which such a story should make. It is a very spirited and in- 
 structive tale, leaving a good impression both upon tho reader's sensibilities 
 and morals." 
 
 EVENINGS AT HOME; 
 
 Or, Tales for the Fireside. By Jane C. Campbell. One 
 volume, i2mo., cloth. Price $i.oo. 
 
 " "We know of no book in the whole range of modern fictitious Hteratura 
 we would sooner select for a delightful and instructive companion." 
 
 RURAL LIFE; 
 
 Or, Prose and Poetry of the Woods and Fields. By Harry 
 Penciller. One volume, cloth, izmo. Price $i.oo. 
 
 " Beautiful landscapes, family scenes and conversations, rural sketches of 
 woods and vales, of the beauties of verdant fields and fragrant flowers, of 
 the music of birds and running brooks, all described in an original and un- 
 studied manner, which cannot fail to delight every one whose character is 
 imbued with a love of nature." 
 
 JOYS AND SORROWS OF HOME; 
 
 An Autobiography. By Anna Leland. One volume, i2mo., 
 cloth. Price $i.oo 
 
 "This^is one of the most beautiful domestic stories we have ever read, 
 intensely interesting, with a natural flow and easiness which leads the reader 
 imperceptibly on t© the cloge, and then leaves a regret that the tale is done." 
 
 2* 
 
1 8 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED Bif G. G. EVANS. 
 
 BEAUTY OF WOMAN'S FAITH; 
 
 A Tale of Southern Life. One volume, izmo., cloth. Price 
 $1 oo. 
 
 <'This volume contains the story of a French Emigrant, who first escaped 
 to Enii:lan(l, and afterward settled on a plantation in Louisiana. It is charm- 
 ingly told, and the strength and endurance of woman's faith well illustrated." 
 
 THE ORPHAN BOY; 
 
 Or, Lights and Shadows of Northern Life. By Jeremy Loud. 
 One volume, izmo., cloth. Price 61.00. 
 
 "This is a work illustrating the passions and pleasures, the trials and tri- 
 umphs of common life; it is well written and the interest is admirably sus- 
 tained." 
 
 THE ORPHAN GIRLS; 
 
 A Tale of Life in the South. By James S. Peacock, M.D., 
 of Mississippi. One volume, i2mo., cloth. Price Si. 00. 
 
 "The style is fluent and unforced, the description of character well limned, 
 and the pictures of scenery forcible and felicitous. There is a natural con- 
 veyance of incidents to the denouement, and the reader closes the volume with 
 an increased regard for the talent and spirit of the author."' 
 
 NEW ENGLAND BOYS; 
 
 Or, the Three Apprentices. By A. L. Stimson. One volume, 
 izmo.. Cloth. Price $1 00. 
 
 " This is a very agreeable book, written in a dashing independent style. Tho 
 incifients are numerous and striking, the characters life-like, and the plot 
 sufficiently captivating to enchain the reader's attention to the end of tho 
 volume." 
 
 THE KING'S ADVOCATE; 
 
 Or, the Adventures of a Witch Finder. One volume, i zmo., 
 cloth. Price $1.00. 
 
 "This is a book so thoroughly excellent, so exalted in its character, so full 
 of exquisite pictures of society, and manifesting so much genius, skil). and 
 knowledge of human nature, that nu one can possibly read it without admit- 
 ting it to be, in every way, a noble book. The story, too, is one of..stirring 
 interest; and it either sweeps yon along with its powerful spell, or beguiles 
 you with its tenderness, pathos and geniality." 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY O. G. EVANS. 
 
 SIBYL MONROE; or, THE FORGER'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 By Martha Russell. One volume, izmo., cloth. Price $i oo. 
 
 " It is a spirited, charming story, full of adventure, friendship and love, with 
 characters nicely drawn and carefully discriminated. The clear style and 
 spirit with which the story is presented and the characters developed, will 
 attract a large constituency to the perusal." 
 
 THE OPEN BIBLE; 
 
 As shown in the History of Christianity, from the time of our 
 Saviour to the Present Day. By Vincent W. Millner. With 
 a view of the latest developments of Rome's hostility to the 
 Bible, as exhibited in the Sandwich Islands, in Tuscany, in 
 Ireland, France, &c., and an expose of the absurdities of the 
 Immaculate Conception, and the Idolatrous Veneration of the 
 Virgin Mary. By Rev. Joseph F. Berg, D. D., author of 
 "The Jesuits," "Church and State," &c., &c. Illustrated with 
 numerous Engravings, izmo., cloth, gilt back. Price $i.oo. 
 
 LIFE* OF CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES. 
 
 By the Rev. John Fleetwood. With a History of the Jews, from 
 the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Large izmo., bound 
 in Cloth. Illustrated. Price $i.oo. 
 Octavo edition, with steel engravings. Turkey Antique, $3.50. 
 
 BUNYAN'S PILGRIM^S PROGRESS. 
 
 Including, "Grace abounding to the Chief of Sinners." Large 
 izmo., 500 pages. Cloth. Beautifully Illustrated. Price$i.oo. 
 Octavo edition, with steel engravings. Turkey Antique, $3.50. 
 
 SCRIPTURE EMBLEMS AND ALLEGORIES. 
 
 Being a series of Emblematic Engravings, with explanations and 
 religious reflections, designed to illustrate Divine Truth. By 
 Rev, W. Holmes, izmo., cloth. Price $i.z5. 
 
 HOME MEMORIES; 
 Or, Social half hours with the Household. 
 
 Octavo, 400 pages. Illustrated with fme steel plates. Cloth, 
 Price $z.oo. Turkey Antique, $3.50. 
 
20 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY C. G. EVANS. 
 
 EVANS* POPULAR SPEAKER, 
 
 Lyceum and School Exhibition Declaimer. 
 
 Comprising a Treatise on Elocution and Gesture, with Illustrations, 
 and a choice collection of pieces in Prose and Verse, and selec. 
 Dialogues, specially adapted for School and Lyceum Exhibitions, 
 and Private Representations. i2mo.,cloth. Price $i.oo. 
 
 PANORAMA OF THE OLD WORLD AND THE NEW; 
 
 Comprising a view of the present state of the Nations of the World, 
 their Names, Customs and Peculiarities, and their Political, 
 Moral, Social and Lidustrial Condition. Interspersed with 
 Historical Sketches and Anecdotes. By William Pinnock, 
 author of the Histories of England, Greece and Rome. Enlarged, 
 revised and embellished with several hundied Engravings, 
 including twenty-four finely colored Plates, from designs by 
 Croome, Devereux, and other distinguished artists. In one vol. 
 Octavo, over 600 pages, bound in embossed morocco, gilt back. 
 Price $2.75. 
 
 GREAT EVENTS IN MODERN HISTORY. 
 
 Comprising the most remarkable Discoveries, Conquests, Revolu- 
 tions, Great Battles and other Thrilling Incidents, cniefly in 
 Europe and America, from the commencement of the Sixteenth 
 Century to the Present Time. By John Frost, LL.D. Embel- 
 lished with over 500 engravings, by Croome and other eminent 
 artists. With a Map of the World, 20 by 25 inches, with side 
 Maps of California, Oregon, Hungary, A^ustrian Dominions, &c. 
 Royal Octavo over 800 pages, bound in embossed morocco, 
 gilt back. Price ^3.00. 
 
 HUNTING SCENES IN THE WILDS OF AFRICA. 
 
 Comprising the Thrilling Adventures of Cumming, Harris, and 
 other daring Hunters of Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, 
 and other Animals. With Illustrations. i2mo., cloth. Gilt 
 back. Price $1.00. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 21 
 
 THE BATTLE FIELDS OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 Comprising descriptions of the Different Battles, Sieges, and other 
 Events of the War of Independence. Interspersed with Char- 
 acteristic Anecdotes. Illustrated with numerous Engravings, 
 and a fine Mezzotint Frontispiece. By Thomas Y. Rhoads. 
 Large izmo., cloth. Price $1.25. 
 
 PERILS AND PLEASURES OF A HUNTER'S LIFE. 
 
 With fme colored plates. Large izmo., cloth. Price $1.25. 
 From the table of contents we take the following as samples of 
 the style and interest of the work : 
 
 Baiting for an Alligator— Morning among the Rocky Moun- 
 tains — Encounter with Shoshonees — A Grizzly Bear — Fight 
 and terrible result — Fire on the Mountains — Narrow Escape 
 — The Beaver Region — Trapping Beaver — A Journey and 
 Hunt through New Mexico — Start for South America — Hunt- 
 ing in the Forests of Brazil — Hunting on the Pampas — A Hunt- 
 ing Expedition into the interior of Africa — Chase of the Rhinoc- 
 eros — Chase of an Elephant — The Roar of the Lion — Herds of 
 Wild Elephants — Lions attacked by Bechuanas — Arrival in the 
 Region of the Tiger and the Elephant — Our first Elephant Hunt 
 in India — A Boa Con^trictor — A Tiger — A Lion — Terrible 
 Conflict — Elephant Catching — Huntmg the Tiger with Ele- 
 phants — Crossing the Pyrenees — Encounter with a Bear — A 
 Pigeon Hunt on the Ohio — A Wild Hog Hunt in Texas — 
 Hunting the Black-tailed Deer. 
 
 THRILLING ADVENTURES AMONG THE INDIANS. 
 
 By John Frost, LL.D. Comprising the most remarkable Personal 
 Narratives of Events in the Early Indian Wars, as well as of 
 Incidents in the recent Indian Hostilities in Mexico and Texas. 
 Illustrated with over 300 engravings, from designs by W. Croome, 
 and other distinguished artists. It contains over 500 pages. 
 i2mo., cloth. Gilt back, $1.25. 
 
 PIONEER LIFE IN THE WEST. 
 
 Comprising the Adventures of Boone, Kenton, Brady, Clarke, the 
 Whetzels, and others, in their Fierce Encounters with the 
 Indians. With Illustrations, i2mo., cloth. Gilt back. Price 
 $1.00. 
 
22 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED BY G. G. EVANS. 
 
 McCULLOUGH'S TEXAN RANGERS. 
 
 llie Scouting Expedition of McCullough*s Texan Rangers, inclu- 
 ding Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of 
 the Storming of Monterey, &c., with Anecdotes, Incidents and 
 Description of the Country, and Sketches of the lives of Hays, 
 McCallough and Walker. By S. C. Reid, Jr., of Louisiana, late 
 of the Texan Rangers, izmo., cloth. Price $i.oo. 
 
 THE DOOMED CHIEF. 
 
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