Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 64

Author: Collins, Lewis, 1797-1870. cn; Collins, Richard H., 1824-1889. cn
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Covington, Ky., Collins & Co.
Number of Pages: 1654

USA > Kentucky > Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II > Part 64

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Sinking Creek in Jessamine, rises near the Fayette line, about one mile north of old Providence church or station, on the Kentucky Central railroad, runs west, about 2} miles north of Keene, passing through the farms of Nat. Lafon, Nat. Blackford, and Jacob G. Sandusky, and unites in Woodford with a smaller sinking creek from the north, forming Clear creek. It sinks four

CHIMNEY ROCK, KENTUCKY RIVER.

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times-running under ground from one-fourth of a mile to a mile each time. At times in the winter and spring, when the water can not sink as fast as it falls, it is 50 feet deep, and a mile wide; and furnishes fine duck-shooting.

In July, 1824, a " Capillary Steam-Engine," invented by Dr. Joseph Buch- anan, was used in working Mr. Jackson's cotton factory in Nicholasville. Among other advantages it was claimed that it was perfectly safe, and that one cord of wood would sustain a seven-horse power for 24 hours. Induce- ments were held out to owners of steamboats to avail of the capillary engine- because of its great power in proportion to its weight and bulk, enabling boats to outrun all competitors-by changing the boiler for a "generator, thus converting the engines then in use into capillary engines.

Powder .- Maj. Anderson Miller, in 1805, made up a large lot of gunpowder, at his father's residence in the northern part of Jessamine co., hauled it by wagon to Louisville, bought a flat-boat, and shipped it to New Orleans. The venture proved quite profitable.

The following account of some singular natural formations among the cliffs of the Kentucky river-the most remarkable of which is the Devil's Pulpit- was written for the first edition of this work in 1847, by Dr. Christopher Graham, who at the ripe age of 86 is still (Feb., 1873) as keenly appreciative of the beauties and curiosities of nature as ever :

" After much vexation and annoyance occasioned by the difficulties of the road, we arrived near the object of our visit, and quitting our horses, proceeded on foot. Upon approaching the break of the precipice, under the direction of our guide, we suddenly found ourselves standing on the verge of a yawning chasm, and immediately beyond, bottomed in darkness, the Devil's Pulpit was seen rearing its black, gigantic form, from amid the obscurity of the deep and silent valley. The back ground to this gloomy object presented a scene of unrelieved desola- tion. Cliff rose on cliff and crag surmounted crag, sweeping off on either hand in huge semicircles, until the wearied eye became unable to follow the countless and billowy-like mazes of that strange and awful scene. The prevailing charac- ter of the whole was that of savage grandeur and gloom. A profound silence broods over the place, broken only by the muffled rushing of the stream far down in its narrow passage, cleaving its way to its home in the ocean. Descending by a zigzag path to the shore of the river, while our companions were making prep- arations to cross, I strayed through the valley. The air was cool, refreshing and fragrant, and vocal with the voices of many birds. The bending trees, the wind- ing stream with its clear and crystal waters, the flowering shrubs, and cluster- ing vines walled in by these adamantine ramparts-which seem to tower to the skies-make this a place of rare and picturesque beauty. The dew drops still hung glittering on the leaves, the whispering winds played with soft music through the rustling foliage, and the sunbeams struggling through the overhang- ing forest kissed the opening flowers, and all combined made up a scene of rural loveliness and romance, which excited emotions of unmingled delight. "The boat having arrived, the river was crossed without difficulty, and we commenced the ascent, and after measuring up two hundred and seventy feet, arrived at the base of the " Pulpit." Fifty paces from this point, and parallel with it, in the solid ledge of the cliff, is a cave of considerable extent. At its termination, there passes out like the neck of a funnel, an opening, not larger than a horshead. Upon pitching rocks into this cave, a rumbling was heard at an immense distance below the earth. Some are of opinion that this cave contains a bottomless pit. We now ascended the cliffs some fifty feet further, clambering up through a fis- sure in the rocks, having the Pulpit on our right, and a range of cliffs on our left. To look up here makes the head dizzy. Huge and dark masses roll up above you, upon whose giddy heights vast crags jut out and overhang the valley, threatening destruction to all below. The floating clouds give these crags the appearance of swimming in mid air. The ascent up these rocks, though some- what laborious, is perfectly safe, being protected by natural walls on either side, and forming a perfect stairway with steps from eight to ten feet thick. At the head of this passage, there is a hole through the river side of the wall, large enough to admit the body, and through which one may crawl, and look down

* Vide Cist's Cincinnati Miscellany for 1845-6, and Mc Afee's History of the Late War.

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upon the rushing stream below. At the foot of the stairway stands the Pulpit, rising from the very brink of the main ledge, at more than two hundred feet of an elevation above the river, but separated from the portion which towers up to the extreme heights. The space is twelve feet at bottom, and as the cliff retreats slightly at this point, the gap is perhaps thirty feet at the top. The best idea that can be forined of this rock is to suppose it to be a single column, standing in front of the continuous wall of some vast building or ruin, the shaft standing as colonnades are frequently built upon an elevated platform. From the platform to the capital of the shaft is not less than one hundred feet, making the whole ele- vation of the " Devil's Pulpit" three hundred feet. It is called by some the inver- ted candlestick, to which it has a striking resemblance. There are two swells, which form the base moulding and occupy about forty feet of the shaft. It then narrows to an oblong of about three feet by six, at which point there are fifteen distinct projections. This narrow neck continues with some irregularity for eight or ten feet, winding off at an angle of more than one degree from the line of gravity. Then commences the increased swell, and craggy offsets, first over- hanging one side, and then the other, till they reach the top or cap rock, which is not so wide as the one below it, but is still fifteen feet across.

Jessamine County in 1789 .- From the first complete American geography- really a great work, written by Jedidiah Morse, and published in the spring of 1789 at Elizabethtown, New Jersey-we extract the following account of the lands at that early day in the region within 30 miles around Nicholasville :

"Elkhorn river, a branch of the Kentucky, from the southeast, waters a country fine beyond description. Indeed, the country east and south of this, including the head waters of Licking river, Hickman's and Jessamine creeks, ' and the remarkable bend in Kentucky river, may be called an extensive garden. The soil is deep and black, and the natural growth, large walnuts, honey and black locust, poplar, elm, oak, hickory, sugar tree, etc. Grape- vines run to the tops of the trees ; and the surface of the ground is covered with clover, blue grass, and wild rye. On this fertile tract, and the Licking river, and the head waters of Salt river, are the bulk of the settlements in this country. The soil within a mile or two of Kentucky river is generally of the third and fourth rates; and as you advance towards the Licking. the land is in large part poor and hilly.

" The banks, or rather precipices, of Kentucky and Dick's rivers are to be reckoned among the natural curiosities of this country. Here the astonished eye beholds 300 or 400 feet of solid perpendicular rocks-in some parts, of the limestone kind, and in others of fine white marble, curiously checkered with strata of astonishing regularity. These rivers have the appearance of deep artificial canals. Their high rocky banks are covered with red cedar groves.

" The accounts of the fertility of the soil have, in some instances, exceeded belief; and probably been exaggerated. The high grounds of Kentucky are remarkably good. The lands of the first rate are too rich for wheat, and will produce 50 and 60, and in some instances, 100 bushels or even more of good corn, an acre. In common, the land will produce 30 bushels of wheat or rye an acre. Barley, oats, cotton, flax, hemp, and vegetables of all kinds common in this climate, yield abundantly. The old Virginia planters say, that if the climate does not prove too moist, few soils known will vield more or better tobacco."

Camp Nelson .- In the late war between the North and South, this county was the principal point for the concentration of Federal forces and munitions of war, on the Cumberland line. In 1863, Camp Nelson-so called in com- pliment to the late Maj. Gen. Wm. Nelson-was established on the Kentucky river, at the mouth of Hickman creek, in Jessamine county, and occupied till the close of the war. It had a fortified circumference of about 10 miles, formed in great part by the high surrounding hills and cliffs of the Kentucky river, and partly by breastworks thrown up, that yet remain. The lands thus oc- cupied had been heavily timbered, but were rendered a barren waste, though the county elsewhere was not materially damaged-there having been no

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battles of note fought therein. This was the principal camp in the state for the enlistment of colored troops, and the refuge of colored refugees from slaverv. On these lands is now established a U. S. military cemetery, finely and substantially improved, and in which are interred thousands of Federal soldiers.

See sketch of Rev. FRANCIS POYTHRESS, in Vol. I. WM. T. BARRY (see sketch under Fayette county) and JOHN SPEED SMITH, who became one of the most marked men of Madison county, were natives of Jessamine.

Jessamine county derives its name from Jessamine creek, which rises in the northwestern part of the county, and flows southwardly through it to the Kentucky river. The ereek was named in honor of a beautiful young lady, Jessamine Douglass-whose father, a Scotchman, early settled at the head of the creek, entered the land around it, and selected its name. The creek is of good size, and as large near its source as at its termination. It rises at two points, about 10 feet apart; at one it boils up from a bed of gravel; at the other, gushes from between two large smooth roeks, and is very deep. Upon one of these rocks, the fair Jessamine was sitting, unconscious of dan- ger-when an Indian's tomahawk crashed through her brain, and ended her young life there.

JOHNSON COUNTY.

JOHNSON county, the 97th organized in the state, was formed in 1843, out of parts of Floyd, Lawrence, and Morgan, and named in honor of Col. Richard M. Johnson. It is situated on the waters of Big Sandy river, in the extreme eastern portion of the state ; and is bounded N. by Lawrence, E. by Martin, s. by Floyd and Magoffin, and w. by Magoffin county. The surface of the county is hilly, interspersed with fertile valleys ; the soil sandy, based upon sandstone. Exports-horses, cattle, hogs, lumber, and coal. Several mineral springs are found in the county. The south fork of Big Sandy is navigable for flat-boats and small steamboats, during several months in the year.

Paintsville, the county seat, is situated on Paint creek, about 39 miles from West Liberty, 40 miles from Louisa, and 130 miles from Frankfort ; population in 1870, 247-having more than doubled in twenty years, notwithstanding the disasters and draw- backs of the civil war.

STATISTICS OF JOHNSON COUNTY.

When formed .. See page 26 | Tobacco, hay, corn, wheat ... pages 266, 268 Population, from 1850 to 1870 .. p. 258 Horses, mules, cattle, hogs .. page 268

whites and colored. .p. 260 Taxable property, in 1846 and 1870 ... p. 270

towns. .p. 262 Land-No. of acres, and value of .... p. 270

white inales over 21. p. 266 Latitude aud longitude .. .... D. 257

children bet. 6 and 20 yrs. p. 266

Distinguished citizens. .. see Index.

MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE FROM JOHNSON COUNTY.

Seunte .- None resident in the county.

House of Representatives .- Samuel K. Friend, 1844 : Daniel Hager, 1846 : Johr B. Harris, 1848; Garland Hurt, 1851-53 ; Henry G. Hager, 1853-55; John B. Auxier, 1855-57 ;- Samuel Salyers, 1859-61; George H. Whitten, 1863-67. [See Floyd Co.] Thos. J. Mayo, 1873-75.

A copper cross, about one inch and a half long, with an image extended on it, and a crescent about an inch in diameter, made of copper, and having either

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pearl or imitation of pearl on it, was found at the mouth of Paint creek, in this county, about seven years ago, by a gentleman when plowing his corn. On the cross were the letters " Santa Maria."

Colonel RICHARD M. JOHNSON, the third son of Colonel Robert Johnson. of Scott county .* was born in Kentucky in the autumn of 1781. The literary insti- tutions of Kentucky were then in their infancy, and the facilities for thorough education, exceedingly limited. Richard remained with his father until the age of fifteen, receiving only such instruction as the nature of circumstances would allow. At this age he left his father's house, intent upon advantages superior to those afforded in that vicinity, and entered a country school, where he acquired a knowledge of grammar, and the rudiments of the Latin language. Afterwards he entered Transylvania University, where, by unremitted industry, he made rapid progress in the acquisition of classic and scientific knowledge.

Upon quitting the university, he entered upon the study of the law, under the guidance and instruction of that celebrated jurist and statesman, Colonel George Nicholas. On the decease of this gentleman, which took place a few weeks af- ter his young student had entered his office, the subject of this biography placed . himself under the instruction of the Hon. James Brown, late a senator in Con- gress from Louisiana, and subsequently a minister from the United States to the court of France, but then a distinguished member of the Kentucky bar. With this eminent citizen he finished his preparatory studies, and at the early age of nineteen entered upon the arduous duties of his profession.

In his vocation as a lawyer, he was eminently successful, and displayed the same active energy of mind and benevolence of heart, which have since so emi- nently distinguished him in higher and more responsible stations. He despised injustice and oppression, and never omitted an occasion to render his services, without prospect of reward, where honest poverty or injured innocence was found struggling against the oppressions of wealth. The inability of a client to pay a fee, never deterred him from attending sedulously to his cause, no matter how intricate and laborious were the services. By these means, even at so early an age, he secured to himself the just reward of his virtues, and the approbation and esteem of the public.

Scarcely had he been fairly installed in the duties of his profession, before an opportunity was afforded for the development of that high and chivalrous patriot- ism which has since identified him with some of the noblest feats of American valor, and given his name to immortality. In 1802, the port of New Orleans, in violation of an existing treaty, was closed against the United States by the Span- ish intendant. The occurrence gave rise to immense excitement throughout America, especially in the valley of the Ohio and Mississippi, and a rupture be. tween Spain and the United States, likely to end in war, was the consequence. Richard M. Johnson, then only in his twentieth year, with many other young men of his neighborhood, promptly volunteered his services to pass down the western waters and make a descent on New Orleans, in the event of war. In a few days, chiefly through his exertions, a large company was enrolled, and he was chosen to the command. The speedy adjustment of the dispute with Spain, deprived him and the brave youths under his command, of the opportunity of signalizing themselves and the State upon the field of battle.

Before he had attained the age of twenty-one, at which period the constitution of Kentucky fixes the eligibility of the citizen to a seat in the legislature, the citizens of Scott county elected him, by acclamation, to a seat in that body. As a member of the legislature, he acquitted himself with great credit, and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. Having served two years in that station, at the age of twenty-four he was elected a representative in the Congress of the United States ; and in October, 1807, being then just twenty-five, took his seat in that body.

He entered upon the theatre of national politics, at a period when party excite- ment ran high, and attached himself to the republican party, more from a uniform and fixed devotion to the principles of democracy, than from any purely selfish policy. He was immediately placed upon some of the most important commit- tees, and at the second session of the term for which he was elected, was ap-

* See a sketch of Colonel Robert Johnson, under the head of Scott county.

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pointed chairman of the committee of claims, at that time among the most impor- tant of the house committees. His zealous and faithful devotion to business, and the distinction which he had acquired in Congress and throughout the Union, as a genuine friend of the liberty and happiness of his country, increased his popularity at home, and insured his re-election by his constituents, who from that period to the present time, have never failed to manifest their devoted attachment to him, whenever he was a candidate for office, either under the State or national government.

In 1811, our relations with Great Britain were such as, in the opinion of many, to render an appeal to arms inevitable. Richard M. Johnson was among those who were convinced that no other alternative remained to the people of the Uni- ted States ; and accordingly, after supporting, with great energy, all the prepara- tory measures which the crisis demanded, in June, 1812, gave his vote for the declaration of war. This important measure was shortly afterwards followed by an adjournment of Congress, when he hastened home, raised the standard of his country, and called around him many of the best citizens of his neighborhood, some of whom, schooled in the stormy period of the early settlement of the State, were veteran warriors, well suited for the service for which they were in- tended. With this battalion, composed of three companies, he hastened to the frontier, and when arrived at St. Mary's on the 13th of September, his force, by general order, was augmented by a battalion of mounted volunteers, and he elec- ted to the command of the regiment thus formed. A portion of the regiment only, during that season, had any opportunity of an engagement ; and this was a party of the mounted battalion, under Major Suggett, which, in communicating with Fort Wayne, besieged by a superior force, encountered an equal number of the enemy, whom it routed, killing an Indian chief of some distinction. After an active campaign of about ten months, Colonel Johnson returned home for the purpose of proceeding to Washington to re-enter Congress, having added to his reputation as a statesman, that of an energetic and patriotic soldier.

In the winter following while in attendance upon Congress, he rendered mate- rial aid to the president, in arranging the plan of campaign for the ensuing sum- mer, and his views being adopted, were subsequently carried out, and contributed essentially to the successes which followed upon the frontier. Colonel Johnson was authorized by the secretary of war to raise, organize and hold in readiness, a regiment of mounted volunteers, to consist of one thousand men. Accordingly upon the adjournment of Congress in March, he hastened home, and in a few weeks secured from among the most respectable and patriotic citizens of the state, the full complement of volunteers, to the organization and discipline of whoni he gave his most sedulous attention. In this important part of his military duty, he had the valuable aid of his skillful and intrepid brother, Lt. Col. James Johnson, whose military talents, decision and courage in the hour of battle, have entitled him to a full share of the glory acquired by the regiment. Colonel Johnson, with his accustomed energy, lost no time in repairing with his command to the frontier of Ohio, then the theatre of operations. His regiment soon acquired a name that attracted the admiration of the country. Never did soldiers perform their arduous duties with more alacrity and cheerfulness, nor were the services of any more useful and extensive. In making inroads upon the enemy, and in various skir- mishes, their success was always complete.

In October, 1813, the decisive crisis in the operations of the north-western army arrived-the battle of the Thames, which led to a termination of hostilities in that quarter, was fought and won. The distinguished services of Colonel Johnson, and his brave regiment, in that sanguinary engagement. have scarcely a parallel in the heroic annals of our country. The British and Indians, the former under the command of General Proctor, and the latter under that of Tecumseh, the cele- brated Indian warrior, had taken an advantageous position, the British in line between the river Thames and a narrow swamp, and the Indians in ambush on their right, and west of the swamp, ready to fall upon the rear of Colonel John- son, should he force a retreat of the British. Colonel Johnson, under the orders of the commander in chief, divided his regiment into two battalions, one under the command of his gallant brother James, and the other to be led by himself. Col. Johnson with his battalion passed the swamp and attacked the Indians, at the same moment that his brother James fell upon and routed the British regulars

II ... 26

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RICHARD M. JOHNSON.

The contest for a while between Colonel Johnson's battalion and the Indians, was obstinate and bloody, the slaughter great, but success complete. The gallant Colonel was in the very midst and thickest of the fight, inspiring by his presence and courage the utmost confidence of his brave followers, and though perforated with balls, his bridle arm shattered, and bleeding profusely, he continued to fight until he encountered and slew an Indian chief who formed the rallying point of the savages. This chief was supposed to be the famous Tecumseh himself, upon whose fall the Indians raised a yell and retreated. The heroic Colonel, covered with wounds, twenty-five balls having been shot into him, his clothes, and his horse, was borne from the battle ground, faint from exertion and loss of blood, and almost lifeless. Never was victory so complete or its achievement so glorious. Fifteen hundred Indians were engaged against the battallion of Col. Johnson, and eight hundred British regulars against that of his brother. Both forces were completely routed, and an effectual end put to the war upon the north- ern frontier, distinguished as it had been by so many murderous cruelties upon the part of the savage allies of the British.

The war in that quarter being now ended, in a short time the army took up its march homeward; but Colonel Johnson being unable to continue with his regi- ment, was carried to Detroit, from whence after a short confinement he departed for home. After a distressing journey, during which he endured the most painful suffering, he reached his home in Kentucky early in November. In February 1814, still unable to walk, he reached Washington city, and resumed his seat in Congress. Every where upon the route, and at the metropolis, he was met with the most enthusiastic and cordial greetings of a grateful people. Even his polit- ical opponents, deeply sensible of his sincerity, his patriotism and his valor, cor- dially united in doing honor to the man who had at so much sacrifice, rendered such glorious service to the country. Congress by joint resolution, made appro- priate acknowledgment of his gallant deeds, and directed him to be presented with a suitable testimonial of his services.

He continued to serve his constituents in Congress until the year 1819, when he voluntarily retired, carrying with him the esteem of the whole nation. But his native state, of which he was justly the idol, would not suffer him to remain in retirement. The people of Scott county immediately returned him to the state legislature, and that body elected him to the United States' senate. An honor so exalted, from a source so honored, he could not resist ; and accordingly in De- cember 1819 he took his seat in the United States' senate, and after serving his term was unanimously re-elected, a circumstance which serves to show how well he preserved the confidence of the people of his native state, and how deeply he was enshrined in their affections.

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Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 64

Author: Collins, Lewis, 1797-1870. cn; Collins, Richard H., 1824-1889. cn Publication date: 1874 Publisher: Covington, Ky., Collins & Co. Number of Pages: 1654

Author: Collins, Lewis, 1797-1870. cn; Collins, Richard H., 1824-1889. cn
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Covington, Ky., Collins & Co.
Number of Pages: 1654