Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 85

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 85

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The First Mill mentioned in the records of Madison county was Ham's, in Oct., 1786; several were built earlier.

The First Minister authorized to solemnize the rights of matrimony was Rev. James How, Dec. 26, 1786.

The First Dutch Emigration to Kentucky, in a group or company, was in 1781, to White Oak Spring Station, on the Kentucky river, 1 mile above Boonesborough-Henry Banta, Sen., Henry Banta, Jr., Abraham and John Banta; Samuel, Peter, Daniel, Henry, and Albert Duryee; Peter Cosart or Cozad, Fred. Ripperdan, and John Fleuty.

The First Hewed Log House in Madison county was built by Gen. Green Clay, at the present home of his son, Gen. Cassius M. Clay. That was replaced in 1799, by a brick house, covered with honey-locust shingles !

The First School in Madison county, so far as is now known, was taught in Boonesborough fort in 1779, by Joseph Doniphan, when 22 years old, grand- father of the late Chancellor aud ex-Judge Joseph Doniphan, of Augusta, Ky., and father of Gen. Alex. W. Doniphan, now of St. Louis, Mo. flis school averaged 17 scholars during that summer. He came out in 1778 and returned in 1780 to Stafford county, Va. ; remaining there until 1792, when he re- moved to Mason county, Ky. While a justice of the peace in Virginia, in 1787, Gen. George Washington was several times a litigant before him, suing for small sums, as high as £31. The small docket containing the record of

* Butler's History of Kentucky, page 31.

+ Same, page 30.

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these suits is still preserved by a grandson, Wm. D. Frazee, Indianopolis, Indiana.

The Original Roll and Muster of Scouts in the service of the United States, ordered by Brig. Gen. Charles Scott, of Ky., on the frontiers of Madison county, from May 1, 1792, to Aug. 22, 1792, embraces 6 names-Alex. Bay- less, Wm. Crawford, David Kincaid, Jos. Logsdon, Jacob Miller, and Win. Moore-and 648 days service. It was sent to the author, April 13, 1973, by the venerable Dr. Alex. Miller, still living, in his 90th year, and a citizen of Richmond since 1806. He was personally acquainted with many of the spies and early settlers. His father-in-law, Col. James Barnett, was one of the first magistrates in Madison county in Aug., 1786, and in charge of the spies in 1784-85; he had been a captain in the Revolutionary war, in the Virginia line on continental establishment, and was colonel of one of three regiments under Gen. Geo. Rogers Clark on his last expedition against the Indians, which proved abortive ; he died on Silver creek, in 1835, aged S6.

More Springs .- One mile s. of Berea are the Slate Lick springs, of fine white sulphur water ; and three miles beyond Kingston, the Red Lick springs, black sulphur and chalybeate.

A Cave, near the Lancaster or Silver creek turnpike, runs through the hill for half a mile.

An old Bear Wallow, so named by Daniel Boone, is at Harris' station, on the railroad, 3 miles s. of Richmond. The pond is still there, and its water, probably slightly salt, is as much sought by stock and domestic ani- mals, as formerly by wild animals.

Boone's Gap is in the Big Hill, 2 miles s. of Berea.

Several Mounds of remarkable size are in Madison county: Two on Cald- well Campbell's farm, 8 miles s. w. of Richmond, on the turnpike to Lan- caster-one small, the other about 225 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 35 feet high. Four miles w. of this, below Kirksville, is a mound about 40 feet high, 225 feet long, and 45 feet wide.

Ancient Cemetery .- A Race of Giants .- On five high points on Caldwell Campbell's farm, and on a farm of Samuel and Walker Mason, adjoining, 8 miles s. w. of Richmond, are burial grounds of pre-historic inhabitants-in all embracing fully 3 acres. On one part, about 1} acres, have been dis- covered the skeletons of giants-the femur, tibia, skull, and inferior maxil- lary bones so large, when compared with the size of the late John Campbell (himself 6 feet 4 inches high), as to indicate a race 7 to 8 feet high. John Campbell slipped the inferior jaw-bone of one entirely over his own, flesh and all. Samuel Campbell, the father of these brothers, emigrated to Madison county in 1778.

Records on Stone .- The most remarkable records of incidents in early Kentucky history on stone-as distinguished from those on trees in Allen, Barren, Greenup, Lawrence, Warren, and other counties, preserved elsewhere in this history-are still plainly visible in the s. E. portion of Madison county.

No. 1 is. a fac simile of the engraving on a hard limestone rock, on the top of Joe's Lick Knob, 10 miles s. E. of Richmond ; supposed to have been done by a Mr. Russell, who about 1797 cut the stone for the residence of Gen. Green Clay, 6 miles N. w. of Richmond, on the Lexington turnpike .* The let- ters are 12 inches long, somewhat rough, but evidently done with good tools, and the work of a mechanic. Of the first name, Jon. Zim, nothing is known. E. Reed was shot by an Indian and killed, while perched in the fork of a hickory tree, on the top of Joe's Lick Knob, watching a " deer lick" in a cove below the rock, within rifle shot of the hunter; the tree, which is now cut down, stood so close to the engraved rock that a hunter could step from the rock into the fork.

No. 2, a fac simile of what is universally known in that region as "Boone's Rock," stands in a rich cove called the Horse cove, about 1} miles s. E. of the Little Blue Lick, and near the Morton Knob. The rock, of limestone, stands

* The original sketches and drawings were made for this work, April 13, 1873, by Albert S. Cornelison and T. B. Ballard, and forwarded by P. P. Ballard, deputy U. S. assessor at Richmond, Ky.

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on edge; is 13 feet thick and 3 feet wide at the base, and tapers to 2 feet wide and 1} feet thick at top ; is 72 feet high on one side, and 63 feet on the other. It is supposed that on his return from Virginia, whither he had gone, on May 1, 1770, " by himself, for a new recruit of horses and ammunition, leaving his brother Daniel by himself, without bread, salt, or sugar, without company of his fellow-creatures, or even a horse or dog," that Squire Boone here carved his name to inform his brother of his safe return, and of the secretion close by of some of his supplies. He found him, on the ensuing July 27, 1770, at the " little cottage which they had prepared to defend them from the winter storms," only 6 months previous .*

1590

On the s. side of the Morton Knob and near the Horse cove is a rock fence, about 500 yards long, put up in a rough manner. The oldest settlers can give no account of it.

1797 JON ZIM,

E.REED.

An Old Indian Town House-so called by the earliest settlers-but really a town house of a pre-historic race, not of the modern Indians, was quite dis- tinct in 1776 and for some years after; but in 1806 had almost disappeared, from frequent ploughings and the rains. It was on the Walnut Meadow fork of Paint Lick creek, in the s. E. part of Madison county, and by actual measure- ment of the county surveyor, was just 33 miles x. of w. from where Boone's trace crossed Silver creek. John Kennedy built a good cabin on the spot, before April, 1776-in which year he cleared 16 acres of ground, raised a fine corn crop, and built a fence around part of it.

Boone's Trace-which, by contract with Col. Richard Henderson, was dis- tinetly marked and sometimes cleared out by wood-choppers, all the way from Cumberland Gap to Boonesborough, and was the first road ever made by con- tract or otherwise in Kentucky-followed from the fort up the Kentucky river one mile, nearly to the mouth of Otter creek, thence up the creek; at half a mile from the mouth. crossed to the E. side; crossed again to the w. side, when 3} miles from the fort; struck the mouth of the East fork of Otter, at 45 miles distance from the fort; thence followed up Otter creek,

# " The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone, formerly a Hunter ; containing a Nar- rative of the Wars of Kentucky."

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diverging westward toward Richmond; then turned again directly s., crossing Pumpkin run, to Estill's station ; thence, a general s. course, to Boone's Gap in the Big Hill; thence over on to the Roundstone lick fork of Rockcastle river, etc .- as per Maj. Crooke's survey, Dec., 1812.

Hancock Taylor, who, in 1769, with his brother, Col. Richard Taylor (father of President Zachary Taylor), and others, descended the Ohio river to New Orleans, came to Kentucky as a surveyor in 1773, again in 1774, and was subsequently killed by Indians, in same year, and buried on Taylor's fork of Silver creek in Madison county (which was named after him). In 1803, his brother Richard came to search out his grave; and Robert Rodes (with his son William, now Col. Win. ) went with and showed him the grave-about 12 miles, a little w. of s., from the court house in Richmond ; they marked the grave by a pile of stones, and by a headstone carved by a boy in the. neighborhood.

A Kentucky Romance of 1776 .- Late in the afternoon of Sunday, July 14, 1776, Elizabeth (or Betsey) Callaway and her sister Fanny, daughters of Col. Richard Callaway, and Jemima Boone, daughter of Col. Daniel Boone- the first named 16 and grown, the others 14 years old-were captured by Indians, while playing in a canoe in the Kentucky river, a short distance below the fort at Boonesborough. Though they screamed with fright, Eliza- beth Callaway fought with her paddle, gashing an Indian's head to the bone. They were dragged from the canoe and hurried off, they knew not whither or to what fate. Colonels Boone and Callaway were absent at the time; but soon returned, and at the head of two parties, one on foot, the other on horse- back, began the pursuit. With Boone, on foot, were Samuel Henderson, Capt. John Holder, and Flanders Callaway (the lovers of the three girls, in the order named, and who afterwards married them), Maj. Wm. B. Smith, Col. John Floyd, Bartlett Searcy, and Catlett Jones-who pressed forward in the direction the Indians had gone, but five miles before dark overtook them. By light, next morning, and all day Monday, they pushed on rapidly, some 30 miles further, fearful the girls would grow weary of traveling and be put to death by the savages. The pursuers took fresh courage from every new sign of life in the carefully concealed, but as carefully followed trail-for Elizabeth broke twigs off bushes, and when her life was threatened. by up- raised tomahawk, for this, tore small pieces of her dress and dropped along the way. She also impressed the print of her shoes, where the ground would allow it-having refused to exchange her shoes, and put on moccasins, which the younger girls in their alarm submitted to. The Indians compelled them to walk apart, as they did, in the thick cane, and to wade up or down the little branches of water, so as to hide their trail and deceive as to their number.

On Tuesday morning, the whites renewed the chase; and after going about five miles, saw a gentle smoke curling in the air, over where the Indians had kindled a fire to cook some buffalo veal for breakfast. Says Col. Floyd, in a letter written the next Sunday .* "Our study had been how to get the prisoners, without giving the Indians time to murder them after they discovered us. We saw each other nearly at the same time. Four of us fired, and all of us rushed on them-by which they were prevented from carrying any thing away except one shot gun without any ammunition. Col. Boone and myself had each a pretty fair shot, as they began to move off. I am well convinced I shot one through the body. The one he shot dropped his gun; mine had none. The place was covered with thick cane; and being so much elated on recovering the three poor little heart-broken girls, we were prevented from making any further search. We sent the Indians of almost naked ; some without their moccasins, and none of them with so much as a knife or tomahawk. [Only one of them ever reached home; the others died from wounds or famine. ] After the girls came to themselves sufficiently to speak, they told us there were five Indians-four

# Letter to Col. Win. Preston, July 21, 1776. Also, letter of Dr. Matthew L. Dixon, son-in-law of said Elizabeth Callaway, afterwards Mrs. Samuel Henderson, July, 1835. Also, deposition of Peter Scholl, nephew-in-law of Daniel Boone, April, IS18, and other depositions.

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Shawanese and one Cherokee; they could speak good English, and said they should go to the Shawanese towns. The war-club we got was like those I have seen of that nation ; and several words of their language, which the girls retained, were known to be Shawanese."

Another circumstance attending the recapture is preserved. Elizabeth Callaway was dark complexioned, made more so by the fatigue and expos- ure. She was sitting by the root of a tree, with a red bandanna hand- kerchief around her, and with the heads of her sister and Jemima Boone reclining in her lap. One of the men, mistaking her for one of the Indians, raised the butt of his gun, and was about bringing it down with all his muscular power upon her defenceless head-when his arm was arrested by one who recognized her. No harm was done; but the narrow escape from a most horrible death at the hands of a friend, produced a melancholy sensation never forgotten by the actors.

Kentucky County was created out of part of Fincastle county, on Dec. 31, 1776; and on April 18, 1777, Col. Richard Callaway and Col. John Todd were elected to represent the people in the general assembly of Virginia. Subsequently, Col. John Miller, Gen. Green Clay, Squire Boone, and Col. Wm. Irvine, living in what is now Madison county, were members of the Virginia legislature.

Ambuscade on Muddy Creek .- In 1781, a company of Dutchmen (Holland ers) came from near Danville to the White Oak Spring fort one mile above Boonesborough, seeking lands for a settlement. In December of that year, Fred. Ripperdan and several others of the number, went over to Estill's station, which was on Little Muddy creek 13 miles from its mouth, and ar- ranged with Capt. James Estill and his brother Sam. (celebrated as an Indian fighter), to show them lands whercon to begin a station .* As they rode along a trace in the cane down the creek, Capt. Estill in front and Sam. in the rear, they passed half a mile from the station, a large red oak tree which had lately fallen close to the trace. It was covered with red leaves; and behind it lay in ambush some Indians, who had cut cane and stuck in a crack of the tree, the better to conceal them. Sam. Estill-whose large grey eyes and almost eagle vision, nothing in the forest, moving or still, could escape-espied a moccasin behind the tree, instantly fired through the cane, then threw him- self off his horse on the opposite side, and shouted " Indians." The Indians fired, too, one shot badly breaking the right arm of Capt. Estill, whose horse wheeled and dashed back to the station. The captain seized the bridle with his teeth, his left hand holding his rifle, but his horse was beyond control. A large, painted-black and horrid-looking Indian sprang over the tree, to- wards Ripperdan, to tomahawk him-all now being off their horses. Ripper- dan in his fright forgot to help himself, but called to Sam. Estill to shoot the Indian. Estill, whose gun was empty, retorted, " Why don't you shoot him, d-n you ! your gun's loaded.' Thus re-assured by Estill's voice and com- mand, Ripperdan jerked his gun to his shoulder and fired, the muzzle almost touching his enemy's breast. The Indian let his gun fall, clutched a sapling for support, uttered a loud noise like a bear and fell dead. The remaming Indians, fearing a still more bloody welcome, retreated through the cane. Sam. Estill was indignant that his brother should have deserted his compan- ions and sought safety in flight ; but on returning to the station and finding him dangerously wounded, and his horse the cause of the undesigned deser- tion, his brother stood with him in higher favor than ever. The broken arm cost the captain his life; confining Inn to the station most of the winter, and at the battle of "Little Mountain," near Mountsterling, on March 22, 1782, giving way suddenly, while engaged in a life and death struggle with a powerful Indian-who buried his tomahawk in the head of his noble victim. (See description of the battle, under Montgomery county.)

The First Settler of Richmond was Col. John Miller (father of Wm. Malcolm Miller), who, in the fall of 1784, settled with his family in the cane near Main street, on Lot No. 4, and afterwards built the first hewed-log house in the

* Depositions of Jos. Ellison and Thos. Warren, Aug., 1809, and Nich. Proctor May, 1311. Also, letter to the author from Col. James W. Caperton, April, 1873.

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place. The town was laid off, " beginning at Col. John Miller's fodder-stack." Ît was to his new stable the county seat was removed from Milford or Old Town (see ante). Col. Miller was born in Albemarle co., Va., Jan. 1, 1750, and died Sept. 8, 1808-aged 58; he was a captain in the Revolutionary war, and at the siege of Yorktown ; was a representative from Madison county in the Virginia, and one of the earliest afterwards in the Kentucky, legislature.

Attacks on Boonesborough .- From the very first, the fort was the central object of Indian hostilities. On April 4, 1775, only three days after it was begun, the Indians killed one of the whites. On Dec. 24, of the same year, they killed one man and wounded another; thus seeming determined to persecute the whites for erecting the fortification.

The infant settlement at Boonsborough continued to be incessantly harassed by flying parties of Indians ; and on the 15th of April, 1777, a simultaneous attack was made on Boonsborough, Harrodsburg and Logan's fort, by a large body of the enemy. But being destitute of artillery and scaling ladders, they could produce no decided impression on the fort. Some loss was sustained by Boonsborough in men, and the corn and cattle of the settlers were partially destroyed, but the Indians suffered so severely as to retire with precipitation.

On the 4th of July, following, Boonsborough was again attacked by about two hundred warriors. The onset was furious, but unsuccessful. The garrison, less than half the number of the assailants, made a vigorous defence, repulsing the enemy with the loss of seven warriors known to have been killed, and a num- ber wounded. The whites had one man killed and two wounded. The siege lasted two days and nights, when the Indians made a rapid and tumultuous retreat.

Some time in June, 1777, Major Smith with a party of seventeen men, followed a small body of Indians from Boonsborough to the Ohio river, where they arrived in time to kill one of the number, the remainder having crossed over. As they returned, about twenty miles from the Ohio, they discovered another party of about thirty Indians, lying in the grass, but were themselves unobserved. They immediately dismounted, tied their horses and left nine men to take care of them. Smith, with the remaining eight men of his party, crept forward until they came near the Indians. At this moment, one of the Indians passed partly by Smith, in the direction of the horses. He was shot by one of the whites. He gave a loud yell, and his friends supposing he had killed some wild animal, burst out in a noisy fit of laughter. At that instant Smith and his party fired on the savages and rushed upon them. The fire was returned, but the Indians speedily gave way and fled. Smith had one man (John Martin) wounded .*

On the 8th of August, 1778, a third attack was made upon Boonsborough. The enemy appeared in great force-the Indians, numbering at least five hundred warriors, armed and painted in their usual manner, were conducted by Canadian officers, well skilled in the usages of modern warfare. As soon as they were arrayed in front of the fort, the British colors were displayed, and an officer, with a flag, was sent to demand the surrender of the fort, with a promise of quarter and good treatment in case of compliance, and threatening "the hatchet," in case of a storm. Boone requested two days for consideration, which in defiance of all experience and common sense, was granted. This interval, as usual, was employed in preparation for an obstinate resistance. The cattle were brought into the fort, the horses secured, and all things made ready against the commence ment of hostilities.

Boone then assembled the garrison, and represented to them the condition in which they stood. They had not now to deal with Indians alone, but with Brit- ish officers, skilled in the art of attacking fortified places, sufficiently numerous to direct, but too few to restrain their savage allies. If they surrendered. their lives might and probably would be saved ; but they would suffer much inconve- nience, and must lose all their property. If they resisted and were overcome, the life of every man, woman and child would be sacrificed. The hour was now come in which they were to determine what was to be done. If they were inclined to surrender, he would announce it to the officer ; if they were resolved to main- tain the fort, he would share their fate, whether in life or death. He had scarcely finished, when every man arose and in a firm tone announced his determination to defend the fort to the last.

* Notes on Kentucky.

OLD FORT AT BOONESBOROUGH, 1775.

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ATTACK ON BOONSBOROUGH.

Boone then appeared at the gate of the fortress and communicated to Captain Duquesne the resolution of his men. Disappointment and chagrin were strongly painted upon the face of the Canadian at this answer ; but endeavoring to dis- guise his feelings, he declared that Governor Hamilton had ordered him not to injure the men if it could be avoided, and that if nine of the principal inhabitants of the fort would come out into the plain and treat with them, they would instantly depart without farther hostility. The insidious nature of this proposal was evi- dent, for they could converse very well from where they then stood, and going out would only place the officers of the fort at the mercy of the savages, not to mention the absurdity of supposing that this army of warriors would " treat," but upon such terms as pleased them, and no terms were likely do so short of a total abandonment of the country.

Notwithstanding these obvious objections, the word " treat," sounded so pleas- antly in the ears of the besieged, that they agreed at once to the proposal, and Boone himself, attended by eight of his men, went out and mingled with the savages, who crowded around them in great numbers, and with countenances of deep anxiety. The treaty then commenced and was soon concluded. What the terms were, we are not informed, nor is it a matter of the least importance, as the whole was a stupid and shallow artifice. This was soon made manifest. Du- quesne, after many, very many pretty periods about the " bienfaisance et humanite" which should accompany the warfare of civilized beings, at length informed Boone, that it was a custom with the Indians, upon the conclusion of a treaty with the whites, for two warriors to take hold of the hand of each white man.

Boone thought this rather a singular custom, but there was no time to dispute about etiquette, particularly, as he could not be more in their power than he already was; so he signified his willingness to conform to the Indian mode of cementing friendship. Instantly, two warriors approached each white man, with the word " brother " upon their lips, but a very different expression in their eyes, and grappling him with violence, attempted to bear him off. They probably (unless totally infatuated) expected such a consummation, and all at the same moment sprung from their enemies and ran to the fort, under a heavy fire, which fortunately only wounded one man.

The attack instantly commenced by a heavy fire against the picketing, and was returned with fatal accuracy by the garrison. The Indians quickly sheltered them- selves, and the action became more cautious and deliberate. Finding but little effect from the fire of his men, Duquesne next resorted to a more formidable mode of attack. The fort stood on the south bank of the river, within sixty yards of the water. Commencing under the bank, where their operations were con- cealed from the garrison, they attempted to push a mine into the fort. Their object, however, was fortunately discovered by the quantity of fresh earth which they were compelled to throw into the river, and by which the water became muddy for some distance below. Boone, who had regained his usual sagacity, instantly cut a trench within the fort in such a manner as to intersect the line of their approach, and thus frustrated their design.

The enemy exhausted all the ordinary artifices of Indian warfare, but were steadily repulsed in every effort. Finding their numbers daily thinned by the deliberate but fatal fire of the garrison, and seeing no prospect of final success, they broke up on the ninth day of the siege and returned home. The loss of the garrison was two men killed and four wounded. On the part of the savages. thirty-seven were killed and many wounded, who, as usual, were all carried off. This was the last siege sustained by Boonsborough. The country had increased so rapidly in numbers, and so many other stations lay between Boonsborough and the Ohio, that the savages could not reach it without leaving enemies in the rear .*

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Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 85

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