Daniel Boone by John Stevens Cabot Abbott : Chapter 10

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Episode Transcript

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Chapter ten of Daniel Boone by JohnS. C Abbot. This LibriVox recording
is in the public domain, recordedby Alison Hester, Chapter ten British Allies.
It was in the autumn of theyear seventeen eighty that Daniel Boone with
his family returned to Boonesboro. Ayear before, the legislature of Virginia had

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recognized essentially what is now Kentucky asone of the counties of Virginia, and
had established the town of Boonsboro asits capital. By this act, Daniel
Boone was named one of the trusteesor selectmen. Town lots were ordered to
be surveyed, and a very liberalgrant of land was conferred upon every one

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who would erect a house at leastsixteen feet square with either brick stone or
dirt chimney. For some reason,Colonel Boone declined this office. It is
probable that he was disgusted by hisown experience in the civil courts. There
was little danger now of an attackupon Boonsboro by the Indians. There were
so many settlements around it that nofoe could approach without due warning and without

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encountering serious opposition. On the sixthof October Daniel Boone, with his brother
Squire, left the fort alone forwhat would seem to be an exceedingly imprudent
excursion. So defenseless to the BlueLicks, they reached the licks in safety.
While there they were discovered by aparty of Indians and were fired upon

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from ambush. Squire Boone was instantlykilled and scalped. Daniel, heart stricken
by the loss of his beloved brother, fled like a deer, pursued by
the whole band, filling the forestwith their yells like a pack of hounds.
The Indians had a very powerful dogwith them, who, with unerring
scent, followed closely in the trailof the fugitive for three miles. This

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unequal chase continued, the dog,occasionally embarrassed in his pursuit, would be
delayed for a time in regaining thetrail. The speed of Boone was such
that the foremost of the savages wasleft far behind. He then, as
the dog came bounding on, stopped, took deliberate aim, and shot the
brute. Boone was still far fromthe fort, but he reached it in

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safety, leaving upon the Indians theimpression that he bore a charmed life.
He was very deeply afflicted by thedeath of his brother. Squire was the
youngest of the sons, and thetie which bound the brothers together was unusually
tender and confidential. They had sharedin many perilous adventures, and for months

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had dwelt entirely alone in the wilderness, far away from any other society.
The winter of seventeen eighty was oneof the saddest in the annals of our
country. The colonial army everywhere defeated, was in the most deplorable state of
destitution and suffering. Our frontiers weremost cruelly ravaged by a barbarian foe.

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To add to all of this,the winter was severely cold, beyond any
precedent. The crops had been sodestroyed by the enemy that many of the
pioneers were compelled to live almost entirelyupon the flesh of the buffalo. Virginia,
in extending her jurisdiction over her westernlands of Kentucky now for the sake

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of a more perfect military organization,divided the extensive region into three counties,
Fayette, Lincoln, and Jefferson.General Clarke was made commander in chief of
the Kentucky militia. Daniel Boone wascommissioned as lieutenant colonel of Lincoln County.
The immigration into the state at thistime may be inferred from the fact that

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the Court of Commissioners to Examine Landtitles, at the close of its session
of seven months, had granted threethousand claims. Its eatings had been held
mainly at Boonsboro, and its laborsterminated in April seventeen eighty. During the
spring, three hundred barges loaded withemigrants were floated down the Ohio to the

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falls at what is now Louisville.As we have stated, the winter had
been one of the most remarkable onrecord. From the middle of November to
the middle of February, the groundwas covered with snow and ice without a
thall. The severity of the coldwas terrible. Nearly all unprotected animals perished.
Even bears, buffaloes, wolves,and wild turkeys were found frozen in

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the woods. The starving wild animalsoften came near the settlement for food.
For seventy five years, the winterof seventeen eighty was an era to which
the old men referred. Though theIndians organized no formidable raids, they were
very annoying, no one could safelywander any distance from the forts. In

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March seventeen eighty one, several bandsentered Jefferson County, and, by lying
in ambush, killed four of thesettlers. Captain Whittaker, with fifteen men,
went in pursuit of them. Hefollowed their trail to the banks of
the Ohio. Supposing they had crossed, he and his party embarked in canoes
boldly to continue the pursuit into theIndian country. They had scarcely pushed a

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rod from the shore when hideous yellsrose from the Indians in ambush and a
deadly fire was opened upon the canoes. Nine of the pioneers were instantly killed
or wounded. The savages, havingaccomplished this feat, fled into the wilderness,
where the party, thus weakened innumbers, could not pursue them.
A small party of settlers had rearedtheir log huts near the present site of

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Shelbyville. Squire Boone had been oneof the prominent actors in the establishment of
this little colony. Alarmed by themenaces of the sages, these few settlers
decided to remove to a more securestation on Bear's creek. On their way,
they were startled by the war whoopof They knew not how many Indians

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concealed in ambush, and a stormof bullets fell upon them, killing and
wounding many of their number. Themiscreants, scarcely waiting for the return fire,
fled with yells which resounded through theforest, leaving their victims to the
sad task of burying the dead andnursing the wounded. Colonel Floyd collected twenty
five men to pursue them. Thewary Indians, nearly two hundred in number,

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drew them into an ambush, andopened upon the party a deadly fire,
which almost instantly killed half their number. The remainder, with great difficulty,
escaped, leaving their dead to bemutilated by the scalping knife of the
savage. Almost every day brought tidingsof similar disasters. The Indians, emboldened

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by these successes, seemed to rousethemselves to a new determination to exterminate the
Whites. The conduct of the Britishgovernment, in calling such wretches to their
alliance in war with the colonies,created the greatest exasperation. Thomas Jefferson gave
expression to the public sentiment in theDeclaration of Independence, in which he says

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an arraignment of King George the third, he has endeavored to bring on the
inhabitants of our frontiers, the mercilessIndian savages, whose known rule of warfare
is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. There were
two wretched men, official agents ofthe British government, who were more savage

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than the savages themselves. One ofthem, a vagabond named Simon Girdie,
had joined the Indians by adoption.He had not only acquired their habits,
but had become their leader in themost awful scenes of ferocity. He was
a Tory, and as such wasthe bitterest foe of the colonists who were

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struggling for independence. The other,Colonel McGhee, with a little more respectability
of character, was equally fiendlike inexciting the Indians to the most revolting barbarities.
Thus, incited and sustained by Britishauthority, the Indians kept all the
settlers in Kentucky in constant alarm.Instigated by the authorities at Detroit, the

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warriors of five tribes assembled at OldChillicothee to organize the most formidable expedition which
had as yet invaded Kentucky. Thesetribes were the Shawneese on the Little Miami,
the Cherokees on the Tennessee, theWyandots on the Sandusky, the Tawas
on the Maumi, and the Delawareson the Muskingham. Their choicest warriors,

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five hundred in number, rendezvoused atOld Chillicothee. This Indian village was built
in the form of a square,enclosing a large area. Some of their
houses were of logs, some ofbark, some of Reed's filled in with
clay. Boone says that the Indiansconcentrated their utmost force and vengeance upon this
expedition, hoping to destroy the settlementsand depopulate the country at a single blow.

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Not far from Boone'sborough, in thesame valley of Kentucky, there was
a small settlement called Bryant's Station.William Bryant, the founder, had married
a sister of Colonel Boone. Onthe fifteenth of August, a war party
of five hundred Indians and Canadians underthe leadership of Simon Gurdy, appeared before
this little cluster of log huts eachof which was, of course bulletproof.

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The settlers fought heroically. Gurdy waswounded and thirty of his band were killed,
while the garrison lost but four.The assailing party, thus, disappointed
in their expectation of carrying the placeby storm, and fearing the arrival of
reinforcements from other settlements, hastily retired. Colonel Boone, hearing of the attack,

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hastened to the rescue, joining troopsfrom several of the adjacent forts.
The party consisted of one hundred andeighty men under the leadership of Colonel Todd,
one of nature's noblemen. Colonel Booneseems to have been second in command.
Two of his sons, Israel andSamuel, accompanied their father upon this

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expedition. The Indians, led byBritish officers, were far more to be
dreaded than when left to their owncunning, which was often childish. As
the little band of pioneers, rushingto the rescue, approached Bryant Station and
were informed of the retreat of theinvaders, a council of war was held

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to decide whether it were best fora hundred and eighty men to pursue five
hundred Indians and Canadians through a regionwhere every mile presented the most favorable opportunities
for concealment and ambush. Gertie wasa desperado who was to be feared as
well as hated. Contrary to thejudgment of both Colonels Todd and Boone,

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it was decided to pursue the Indians. There was no difficulty in following the
trail of so large a band,many of whom were mounted. Their path
led almost directly north to the LickingRiver and then followed down its banks towards
the Ohio. As the pursuers werecautiously advancing, they came to a remarkable

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bend in the stream, where therewas a large and open space with prairie
grass very high. A well trampledbuffalo track led through this grass, which
was almost like a forest of reeds. Along this street, the Indians had
retreated. The scouts who had beensent forward to explore, returned with the
report that there were no signs ofIndians, and yet four hundred savages had

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so adroitly concealed themselves that their linereally extended bank to bank of the river,
where it bent like a horse shoebefore them. The combined cunning of
the Indian and the intelligence of theirwhite leaders was now fatally enlisted for the
destruction of the settlers. A hundredand eighty men were to be caught in

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a trap, while five hundred demonsprepared to shoot them down. As soon
as Colonel Todd's party passed the neckof this bend, the Indians closed in
behind them, rose from their concealment, and with terrific yells, opened upon
them a still more terrific fire.The pioneers fought with the courage of desperation.

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At the first discharge, nearly onethird of Colonel Todd's party fell dead
or wounded, struck fatally by severalbullets. Colonel Tod himself fell from his
horse, drenched with blood. Whilea portion of the Indians kept up with
fire, the others, with hideousyells, sprang forward with tomahawk and scalping,
the completing their fiendlike work. Itwas a scene of awful confusion and

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dismay. The survivors, fighting everystep of the way, retreated towards the
river, for there was no escapeback through their thronging foes. Colonel Boone's
two sons fought by the side oftheir father. Samuel, the younger,
struck by a bullet, was severelybut not mortally wounded. Israel, his
second son, fell dead. Theunhappy father took his dead boy upon his

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shoulders to save him from the scalpingknife. As he tottered beneath the bleeding
body, an Indian of herculean staturewith uplifted tomahawk, rushed upon him.
Colonel Boone dropped the body of hisson, shot the Indian through the heart,
and, seeing the savages rushing uponhim from all directions, fled,
leaving the corpse of his boy toits fate. Being intimately acquainted with the

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ground, he plunged into a ravine, baffling several parties who pursued him,
swam across the river and entering theforest, succeeded in escaping from his foes,
and at length safely, by acircurtuous route, returned to Bryant's station.
In the meantime, the scene oftumult and slaughter was awful beyond all
description. Victors and vanquished were blendedtogether upon the banks of the stream.

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In this dreadful conflict, there werefour Indians to each white man. There
was a narrow ford at the spot, but the whole stream seemed clogged,
some swimming and some trying to wade, while the exultant Indians shot and tomahawked
without mercy. Those who succeeded incrossing the river, leaving the great buffalo

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track which they had been following,plunged into the thickets, and though vigorously
pursued by the Indians, most ofthem eventually reached the settlements. In this
dreadful disaster, the colonists lost sixtymen and killed, and seven were taken
prisoners. The Indians, in countingup their loss, found that sixty four
were missing. In accordance with theirbarbaric custom, they selected in vengeance four

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of the prisoners and put them todeath by the most terrible tortures which savage
ingenuity could devise. Had Colonel Boone'sadvice been followed, this calamity might have
been avoided. Still, characteristically,he uttered not a word of complaint.
In his comments upon the event,he says, I cannot reflect upon this

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dreadful scene, but sorrow fills myheart. A zeal for the defense of
their country led these heroes to thescene of action, though with a few
men to attack a powerful army ofexperienced warriors. When we gave way,
they pursued us with the utmost eagerness, and in every quarter spread destruction.

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The river was difficult to cross,and many were killed in the flight,
some just entering the river, somein the water, others after crossing and
ascending the cliffs. Some escaped onhorseback, a few on foot, and
being dispersed everywhere in a few hours, brought the melancholy news of this unfortunate
conflict to Lexington. The reader mayguess what sorrow filled the hearts of the

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inhabitants, exceeding anything I am ableto describe. Being reinforced, we returned
to bury the dead, and foundtheir bodies strewed everywhere, cut and mangled
in a dreadful manner. This mournfulscene exhibited a horror almost unparalleled. Some
torn and eaten by wild beasts,those in the river eaten by fishes,

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all in such a putrefied condition thatno one could be distinguished from another.
This Battle of Blue Licks, asit is called, occupies one of the
most mournful pages in the history ofKentucky. The escape of Boone adds another
to the extraordinary adventures of this chivalricand now sorrow stricken man. Colonel Boone

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communicated an official report to the Governorof Virginia, Benjamin Harrison, father of
William Henry Harrison, subsequently President ofthe United States. In this report,
it is noticeable that Boone makes noallusion whatever to his own services. This
modest document throws such light upon thecharacter of this remarkable man and upon the

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peril of the times, that itmerits full insertion here. It is as
follows Boone's Station, Fayette County,August thirtieth, seventeen eighty two. Sir,
present circumstances of affairs calls me towrite to your excellency as follows.
On the sixteenth instant, a largebody of Indians with some white men,

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attacked one of our frontier stations,known as Bryant's Station. The siege continued
from about sunrise until two o'clock ofthe next day, when they marched off,
notice being given to neighboring stations.We immediately raised one hundred and eighty
one horsemen commanded by Colonel John Todd, including some of the Lincoln County militia,

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and pursued about forty miles. Aftera brief account of the battle,
which we have already given, hecontinues. Afterwards, we were reinforced by
Colonel Logan, which made our forcefour hundred and sixty men. We marched
again to the battle ground, butfinding the enemy had gone, we proceeded
to bury the dead. We foundforty three on the ground, and many

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lay about which we could not stayto find. Hungry and weary as we
were, and dubious that the enemymight not have gone off. Quite by
the sign, we thought that theIndians exceeded four hundred, while the whole
of the militia of the county doesnot amount to more than one hundred and
thirty. From these facts, yourExcellency may form an idea of our situation.

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I know that your own circumstances arecritical, But are we to be
wholly forgotten? I hope not.I trust that about five hundred men may
be sent to our assistants immediately,if thee shall be stationed, as our
County Lieutenant shall deem necessary, itmay be the means of saving our part
of the country. But if theyare placed under the direction of General Clark,

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they will be of little or noservice. To our settlement. The
Falls lie one hundred miles west ofUS, and the Indians northeast. While
our men are frequently called to protectthem. 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 undersuch extraordinary hazards. The inhabitants of this

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county are very much alarmed at thethoughts of the Indians bringing another campaign into
our country this fall. If thisshould be the case, it will break
up these settlements. I hope,therefore, that your Excellency will take the
matter into your consideration and send ussome relief as quick as possible. These
are my sent months without consulting anyperson. Colonel Logan, will, I

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expect immediately send you an express bywhom I humbly request your Excellency's answer.
In the meantime, I remain yours, et CE Daniel Boone. General Clark,
who was the military leader of Kentuckyunder the colonial government, was established
at the Falls. The British authoritiesheld their headquarters at Detroit, from which

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post they were sending out their Indianallies in all directions to ravage the Frontiers.
General Clarke was a man of greatenergy of character, and he was
anxious to organize an expedition against Detroit. With this object in view, he
had, by immense exertions, assembleda force of nearly two thousand men.

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Much to his chagrin, he receivedorders to remain at the falls for the
present to protect the frontiers then soseverely menaced. But when the tidings reached
him of the terrible disaster at BlueLick, he resolved to pursue the Indians
and punish them with the greatest severity. The exultant savages had returned to Old

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Chillicothee and had divided their spoil andtheir captives. Colonel Boone was immediately sent
for to take part in this expedition. Clark's army crossed the Ohio, and,
marching very rapidly up the banks ofthe Little Miami, arrived within two
miles of Chillicothee before they were discovered. On perceiving the enemy, the Indians

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scattered in all directions. Men,women and children fled into the remote forest,
abandoning their homes and leaving everything behindthem. The avenging army swept the
valley with fire and ruin. Theircorn just ripening and upon which they mainly
relied for their winter supply of food, was utterly destroyed. Every tree which

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bore any fruit was felled, andfive of their towns were laid in ashes.
The trail of the army presented ascene of utter desolation. The savages
were alike astonished and dismayed. Theyhad supposed that the white men, disheartened
by their dreadful defeat at the BlueLick, would abandon the country, instead

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of that with amazing recuperative power,they had scarcely reached their homes. Ere
another army, utterly resistless in numbers, is burning their towns and destroying their
whole country. This avenging campaign sodepressed the Indians that they made no farther
attempt for the organized invasion of Kentucky. The termination of the war with England

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also deprived them of their military resourcesand left them to their own unaided and
unintelligent efforts. Still, miserable bandscontinued prowling around waylaying and murdering the lonely
traveler, setting fire to the solitaryhut, and inflicting such other outrages as
were congenial with their cruel natures.It thus became necessary for the pioneers always

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to live with the rifle in hand. Colonel Boone had become especially obnoxious to
the Indians. Twice he had escapedfrom under them under circumstances which greatly mortified
their vanity. They recognized the potencyof his rifle in the slaughter of their
own warriors at the Blue Lick,and they were well aware that it was
his sagacity which led the army ofGeneral Clarke in its avenging march through their

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country. It thus became with theman object of intense desire to take him
prisoner, and had he been taken, he would doubtless have been doomed to
the severest torture they could inflict.Mister Peck, in his Interesting Life of
Boone, gives the following account ofone of the extraordinary adventures of this man,
which he received from the lips ofColonel Boone himself. On one occasion,

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four Indians suddenly appeared before his cabinand took him prisoner. Though the
delicacy of Colonel Boone's organization was suchthat he could never himself relish tobacco in
any form, he still raised somefor his friends and neighbors, and for
what were then deemed the essential rightsof hospitality. As a shelter for curing

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the tobacco, he had built anenclosure of rails about a dozen feet in
height and covered with canes and grass. Stalks of tobacco are generally split and
strong on sticks about four feet inlength. The ends of these are laid
on poles placed across the tobacco house, and in tiers one above another to
the roof. Boone had fixed histemporary shelter in such a manner as to

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have three tiers. He had coveredthe lower tier, and the tobacco had
become dry when he entered the shelterfor the purpose of removing the sticks to
the upper tier preparatory to gathering theremainder of the crop. He had hoisted
up the sticks from the lower tothe second tier, and was standing on
the poles which supported it, whileraising the sticks to the upper tier,

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when four stout Indians with guns enteredthe low door and called him by name.
Now, Boone, we got you, you know, get away more.
We carry you off to Chillicothee.This time, you know, cheat
us anymore? Boone looked down upontheir upturned faces, saw their loaded guns

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pointed at his breast, and recognizingsome of his old friends, the Shawnees
who had made him prisoner near BlueLicks in seventeen seventy eight, 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 onlybegged that they would wait where they were

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and watch him closely until he couldfinish removing the tobacco. While thus parleying
with them, Boone inquired earnestly,respecting his old friends in Chillicothee. He
continued for some time to divert theattention of the simple minded men by allusions
to past events with which they werefamiliar, and by talking of his tobacco,

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his mode of curing it, andpromising them an abundant supply. With
their guns in their hands, however, they stood at the door of the
shed, grouped closely together, soas to render his escape apparently impossible.
In the meantime, Boone carefully gatheredhis arms full of the long, dry
tobacco leaves filled with pungent dust whichwould be blinding and stifling as the most

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powerful snuff. And then, witha leap from his station twelve feet high,
came directly upon their heads, fillingtheir eyes and nostrils, and so
bewildering and disabling them for the momentthat they lost all self possession and all
self control. Boone, agile asa deer, darted out at the door,

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and in a moment was in hisbulletproof log hut, which to him
was an impregnable citadel. Loophole guardedevery approach. The Indians could not show
themselves without exposure to certain death.They were too well acquainted with the unerring
aim of Boom's rifle to venture withinits range. Keeping the log cabin between

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them and their redoubtable foe, thebaffled Indians fled into the wilderness. Colonel
Boone related this adventure with great glee, Imitating the gestures of the bewildered Indians.
He said that, notwithstanding his narrowescape, he could not resist the
temptation as he reached the door ofhis cabin to look around to witness the

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effect of his achievement. The Indians, coughing sneezing, blinded and almost suffocated
by the tobacco dust, were throwingout their arms and groping about in all
directions, cursing him for a rogue, and calling themselves fools. And of
chapter ten,