USA > Kentucky > Historical sketches of Kentucky : embracing its history, antiquities, and natural curiosities, geographical, statistical, and geological descriptions with anecdotes of pioneer life, and more than one hundred biographical sketches of distinguished pioneers, soldiers, statesmen, jurists, lawyers, divines, etc. > Part 62
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85
The only historical incident we have from Logan county, is contained in the following short paragraph from Marshall's History, volume 2, page 81: "In Jan- uary, 1793, the Indians stole horses in Logan county ; were pursued, and one of them killed, after he wounded one of the pursuers."
General BENJAMIN LOGAN, from whom Logan county received its name, was among the earliest and most distinguished of those bold pioneers who, penetrat- ing the western wills, laid the foundation of arts, civilization, religion and law. in what was then the howling wilderness of Kentucky. It is among the proud- est of those distinctions which have exalted the character of our ventrabie com- monwealth, that she numbers among her founders, men beneath whose rough and home spun hunting shirts resided qualities of heroism which would have made them prominent in Greece and Rome. As the eye wanders along the ser- ried ranks of those stern and iron men. who stand so firm and fearless amid tho gloom of the overhanging forest. it is arrested by a commanding form which tow- ers conspicuous among them all-tall, athletic, dignified-a face cast in the tiniest mould of manly beauty, dark, grave and contemplative, and which, while it evin- ces unyielding fortitude and impenetrable reserve, invites to a confidence which never betrays. Such was Benjamin Logan.
His parents were Irish. When young, they removed to Pennsylvania, and there intermarried. Shortly afterwards they removed to Angusta county, in the then colony of Virginia, where Benjamin Logan was born. At the age of four- teen he lost his father, and found himself prematurely at the head of a large cim- ily. Neither the circumstances of the country, then newly settled, nor the pe- cuniary resources of his father. had been favorable to the education of the & n : nor is it to be supposed that the widowed mother had it more in her power. what- ever her inclination might have been. to bestow upon him a literary education. His mind was not only unadorned by science, but almost unaided by letters; and in his progress through life, he rather studied men than books.
His father died intestite, and as a consequence of the laws then in force, the lands descended to him by right of primogeniture, to the exclusion of his broth- ers and sisters. He did not, however, avail himself of this advantage, but with his mother's consent, sold the land not susceptible of a division, and distributed the proceeds among those whom the law had disinherited. To provide for his mother a comfortable residence, he united his funds to those of one of his breath- ers, and with the joint stock purchased another traet of land on a fork of James river, which was secured to the parent during her life, it so long she chose to re- side on it, with the remainder to his brother in fee. Having seen his mother and family comfortably settled, he next determined to provide a home for himself.
412
LOGAN COUNTY.
He accordingly removed to the Holston river, purchased lands, married, and commenced farming,
At an early age he had evinced a decided predilection for military life, and when only twenty-one had accompanied Colonel Beanquette in his expedition against the Indians of the north, in the capacity of sergeant. In 1774 he was with Dunmore in his expedition to the north-west of Ohic.
In 1775 he determined to come to Kentucky, and accompanied by only two or three slaves, set out to see the lands and make a settlement. In Powell's valley he met with Boone, Henderson and others. also on their way to Kentucky. With them he traveled through the wilderness ; but not approving of their plan of set- tlement, he separated from them on their arrival in Kentucky, and turning his course westwardly, after a few days' journey, pitched his camp in the present county of Lincoln. where he afterwards built his fort. Here, during the same year, he and William Galaspy raised a small crop of Indian corn. In the latter end of June he returned to Holston to his family. In the fall of the year he re- moved his cattle and the residue of his slaves to the camp ; and leaving them in the care of Galaspy, returned to his home alone, with the intention of removing his family. These journeys, attended with considerable peril and privation. evince the hardihood and energy of his mind, as well as his bodily vigor and ac- tivity. He removed his family to Kentucky in 1776.
The year 1776 is memorable in the early history of Kentucky as one of peculiar peril. The woods literally swarmed with the Indians, who seemed ex- cited to desperation by the formation of settlements in their old hunting grounds, and abandoned themselves to the commission of every species of outrage. Savage ingennity seemed stimulated to the utmost to devise new modes of annoyance to the settlers. and Mr. Logan judged it prudent to place his wife and family be- hind the more secure defences of Harrodsburgh, where they would be less ex- posed to danger than in his own remote and comparatively undefended station. He himself remained with his slaves, and attended to the cultivation of his farm. The year passed without his being engaged in any adventure of consequence.
In the spring of the year 1777 Mrs. Logan returned to her husband, and hav- ing been reinforced by the arrival of several white men, he determined to remain and maintain himself at all hazards. His resolution was soon pat to the test. On the 20th of May, 1777, one hundred Indians appeared before the fort, and having fired on the garrison, then engaged in the fields, commenced a regular siege. This, in the end, proved to be one of the most determined and well sus- tained investments ever executed by Indian hostility and enterprise. The garri- son were in continual danger for several weeks, and many incidents occurred which even at this distance of mine. makes the blood cardie. Never did the high and manly qualities of courage, sagacity and fortitude, for which Mr. Logan was so eminently distinguished, display themselves more gloriously than during those terrible days, when his little garrison was beset for weeks by those howling devils of the forest. A full account of this siege will be found under the head of Lincoln county, to which the reader is referred for particulars.
During this same year, (1777), while on one of his excursions. in search of Indian signs, he discovered a camp of Indians, at the Big Flat lick, about two miles from his station. He inunediately returned, and raising a party of men. attacked them with great resolution. The Indians fled, without much loss on their part and none on his. He was again at the same lick,-it being the resort of game as well as of Indians,-when he received a fire from a concealed party of Indians, which broke his right arm and wounded him slightly in the breast. The savages then rushed upon hitu. and so near was he falling in their hands, that they at one time had hold of his horse's tail. No sooner had his wounds healed, than he resumed his active course of life-shunning no danger, when to incur it was for the benefit of his country or his friends.
In the year 1770, an expedition was set on foot against the Indian town of Chil- licothe. In this expedition, Logan served as second in command : Col. Bowman commanded in chief. The detachment amounted to one hundred and sixty inen ; consisted entirely of volunteers, accustomed to Indian warfire ; and was well of- ficered, with the exception of its commander. The following account of the ex- pedition, is from the graphic pen of Mr. McClung-(see his interesting Sketches of Western Adventure, page 113) :
413
BENJAMIN LOGAN.
"They left Harrodsburg in July, and took their preliminary measures so well, that they arrived within a mile of Chillicothe, without giving the slightest alaun to the enemy. Here the detachment halted at an early hour in the night, uh, as usual, sent out spies to examine the condition of the village. Before thetimes; they returned, and reported that the enemy remained unapprised of their being in the neighborhood, and were in the most unmilitary security. The army was in- stantly put in motion. It was determined that Logan, with one half of the men, should turn to f'- left and march half way around the town, while Bowman, at the head of the remainder, should make a corresponding march to the right ; that . both parties should proceed in silence, until they had met at the opposite extrem ity of the village, when, having thus completely encircled it, the attack was to com- mence.
" Logan, who was bravery itself, performed his part of the combined operation. with perfect order, and in profound silence; and having reached the designated spot, awaited with impatience the arrival of his commander. Hour after hour stole away, but Bowman did not appear. At length daylight appeared. Logan, still expecting the arrival of his colonel, ordered the men to conceal themselves in the high grass, and await the expected signal to attack. No orders. however, arrived. In the mean time, the men, in shifting about through the grass, alarmed an Indian dog, the only sentinel on duty. He instantly began to bay loudly, and advanced in the direction of the man who had attracted his attention. Presently a solitary Indian left his cabin, and walked cautiously towards the party, halting frequently, rising upon tiptoes, and gazing around him.
"Logan's party lay close, with the hope of taking him without giving the aların ; but at that instant a gun was fired in an opposite quarter of the town, as was afterwards ascertained, by one of Bowman's party, and the Indian, giving one shrill whoop, ran swiftly back to the council house. Concealment was now impossible. Logan's party instantly sprung up from the grass, and rushed upon the village, not doubting. for a moment that they would be gallantly supported. As they advanced, they perceived Indians of all ages and of both sexes running to the great cabin, near the centre of the town, where they collected in full force, and appeared determined upon an obstinate defence. Logan instantly took possession of the houses which had been deserted, and rapidly advancing from cabin to cab- in, at length established his detachment within close rifle shot of the Indian re- doubt.
" He now listened impatiently for the firing which should have been heard from the opposite extremity of the town, where he supposed Bowman's party to be, but, to his astonishment, every thing remained quiet in that quarter. In the mean time, his own position had become critical. The Indians had recovered from their panic, and kept up a close and heavy fire upon the cabins which covered his men. He had pushed his detachment so close to the redoubt. that they could neither ad- vance nor retreat without great exposure. The enemy outnumbered him, and gave indications of a disposition to turn both flanks of his position, and thus endanger his retreat.
" Under these circumstances, ignorant of the condition of his commander, and cut off from communication with him, he formed the bold and indicious resolu- tion, to make a moveable breastwork of the planks which formed the floor of the rabins, and, under cover of it, to rush upon the stronghold of the eneiny and carry it hy main force. Had this gallant determination been carried into effect. and had the movement been promptly seconded, as it ought to have been, by Bow noin, the conflict would have been bloody, and the victory decisive. Mest pr bih v not an Indian would have escaped, and the consternation which such aguas ven- geance would have spread throughout the Indian tribes, might have repressed their incursions for a considerable time. But before the necessary steps could be taken, a messenger arrived from Bowman. with orders ' to retreat !'
" Astonished at such an order, at a time when honor and safety required an of- fensive movement on their part, Logan hastily asked if Bowman had been over- powered by the enemy ! No! Had he ever beheld an enemy ! No! What, then, was the cause of this extraordinary abandonment of a design so prosper- ously begun! He did not know: the colonel had ordered a retreat! Logan. however reluctantly, was compelled to obey. A retreat is always a dispiriting movement, and with militia, is almost certain to terminate in a complete rout. As
414
LOGAN COUNTY.
soon as the men were informed of the order, a most irregular and tumultuons scene commenced. Not being buoyed up by the mutual confidence which is the offspring of discipline, and which sustains regular soldiers under all circumstan- ces, they no longer acted in concert.
" Each man selected the time, manner, and route of his retreat for himself. Here a solitary Kentuckian would start up from behind a stump, and seud away through the grass. dodging and turning to avoid the balls which whistled around him. There a dozen men would run from a cabin, and scatter in every direction, each anxious to save himself, and none having leisure to attend to their neighbors. The Indians, astonished at seeing men rout themselves in this manner, sallied out of their redoubts and pursued the stragglers, as sportsmen would cut up a flock of wild grese. They soon united themselves to Bowman's party, who, from some vaaccountable panic of their commander, or fault in themselves, had stocd stock still near the spot where Logan had left them the night before.
" All was confusion. Some cursed their colonel : some reproached other offi- cers : one shouted one thing ; one bellowed another ; but all seemed to agree that they ought to make the best of their way home, without the loss of a moment's time. By great exertions on the part of Logan, well seconded by Harrod, Bul- ger, and the present Major Bedinger, of the Blue Licks, some degree of order was restored, and a tolerably respectable retreat commenced. The Indians, how- ever, soon surrounded them on all sides, and kept up a hot fire, which began to grow fatal. Colonel Bowman appeared totally demented, and sat upon his horse like a pillar of stone, neither giving an order, nor taking any measures to repel the enemy. The sound of the rifle shots had, however, completely restored the men to their senses, and they readily formed in a large hollow square, took trees, and returned the fire with equal vivacity. The enemy were quickly repelled, and the troops recommenced their march.
" But scarcely had they advanced half a mile, when the Indians re-appeared, and again opraed a fire upon the front, rear, and both flanks. Again, a square was formed and the enemy repelled ; but scarcely had the harassed troops re- commenced their march, when the same galling fire was opened upon them from every tree, bush and stone, capable of concealing an Indian. Matters now began to look serious. The enemy were evidently endeavoring to detain them. until fresh Indians could come up in sufficient force to compel them to lay down their arıns. The men began to be unsteady, and the panic was rapidly spreading from the colonel to the privates. At this crisis. Logan, Harrod, Bedinger, &c., select- ed the boldest, and best mounted men, and dashing into the bushes on horseback, sconred the woods in every direction, forcing the Indians from their coverts, and cutting down as many as they could overtake.
" This decisive step completely dispersed the enemy, and the weary and dis- pirited troops continued their retreat unmolested. They lost nine killed and a few others wounded."
No other affair of importance occurred, until the rash and disastrous battle of the Blue Licks, in which Logan was unable to participate, although in full maren for that place at the head of a well appointed force when he received intelligence of the defeat of his countrymen. He immediately retraced his steps to Bryant's station, where he remained until the following day, when he proceeded to the bat- tle ground for the purpose of burying the dead. Having performed this duty. he disbanded his men and returned home.
He remained quietly engaged in agricultural pursuits until the summer of 1;39. when he conducted an expedition against the north-western tribes, which as usual terminated in burning their villages and cutting up their corn, serving to irritate but not to subdne the enemy.
From this tine until the period of his death. General Logan devoted himself to the cultivation of his farm, and engaged actively in the civil and political con- tests which had begun to occupy a large share of public attention. He was a member of the convention of 1792. which formed the first constitution of hon- tucky, and when in 1799, a convention was called for the purpose of remove- ing that instrument. he was a delegate from the county of Shelby, and assisted in the formation of the present constitution. He was repeatedly a member of the State legislature, and it is scarcely necessary to add, stood high in the esteem and confidence of his legislative compeers. After having discharged faithfully an !
.415
BENJAMIN LOGAN.
with ability all the duties of the man. the soldier, the patriot, and statesman. ha died at an advanced age, full of years and full of honors, beloved and mourned by all who knew him. General Logan was the father of the Honorable William Logan, twice a judge of the court of appeals.
Closely connected with the history of General Benjamin Logan is that of a young Indian, distinguished for his high qualities of bravery, generosity, and all those rude virtues which at times impart such nobility to the character of the American aborigines. He was taken prisoner by General Logan in 1786, when a youth. On parting with him to send him back to his people, the general had given him his name, which he retained to the end of his life. Before the treaty of Greenville he had distinguished himself as a warrior, though still very young. Ilis mother was a sister to the celebrated Tecumseh and the Prophet. His death occurred under very tragical circumstances-for an account of which we are indebted to M'Afee's history of the late war.
Shortly after General Tupper's expedition to the Miami Rapids in 1812, Logan was sent by General Harrison with a small party of his tribe to reconnoitre in the direction of the Rapids. He met with a superior force of the enemy near that place, by which he was so closely pursued that his men were obliged to disperse for safety in their retreat. Logan and two of his companions, Captain John and Bright Horn, arrived safe at General Winchester's camp, where he faithfully reported the incidents of the excursion. But there were certain persons in the army who suspected his fidelity, and reproached him with being friendly to and with communicating intelligence to the enemy. The noble spirit of Logan could not endure the ungenerous charge. With the sensibility of a genuine soldier, he felt that his honor should be not only pure and firm, but unsuspected. He did not. however, demand a court of enquiry-following the natural dictate of a bold and generous spirit, he determined to prove by unequivocal deeds of valor and. Adellty, that he was calumniated by his accusers.
On the 22d of November, he set out the second time, accompanied by only the two persons before named, determined either to bring in a prisoner or a scalp. or to perish himself in the attempt. When he had gone about ten miles down the north side of the Miami, he met with a British othcer, the eldest son of Colonel Elliott, accompanied by five Indians. As the party was too strong for him, and he had no chance to escape, four of them being mounted, he determined to pass them under the disguise of friendship for the British. He advanced with confi- dent boldness and friendly deportment to the enemy-but unfortunately one of thein was Winnemac, a celebrated Potawatamie chief, to whom the person and character of Captain Logan were perfectly well known. He persisted however in his first determination, and told them he was going to the Rapids to give infor- mation to the British. After conversing some time he proceeded on his way. and Winnemac. with all his companions, turned and went with him. As they trav- eled on together, Winnemac and his party closely watched the others, and when they had proceeded about eight miles, he proposed to the British officer to seize and tie them. The officer replied that they were completely in his power : that if they attempted to run, they could be shot; or failing in that, the horses could easily run them down. The consultation was overheard by Logan : he had previously intended to go on peaceably until night, and then make his escape : but he now formed the bold design of extricating himself by a combat with double his number.
Having signified his resolution to his men. he commenced the attack by sho - ing down Winnemac himself. The action lasted till they had fired three emails apiece, during which time Logan and his brave companions drove the enemy some distance, and separated them from their horses. By the first fire Winnende and Elliott fell : by the second a young Ottawa chief lost his life ; and another of the enemy was mortally wounded about the conclusion of the combat, at which tane Logan himself. as he was stooping down, received a ball just below the breast bone; it ranged downwards, and lodged under the skin on his back. In the mean time Bright. Horn was also wounded by a ball which passed through his thigh. As soon as Logan was shot he ordered a retreat ; himself and Bright, Horn, wounded as they were, jumped on the horses of the enemy and rode to Win- chester's camp, a distance of twenty miles, in five hours. Captain John, atter
.
1
416
MADISON COUNTY.
taking the scalp of the Ottowa chief, also retreated in safety, and arrived at the camp the next morning. After lingering with his wounds, Logan expired at Winchester's camp on the third day after his arrival. He was buried with all the honors due to his rank.
MADISON COUNTY.
MADISON county was formed in 1785, and named in honor of JAMES MADISON, president of the United States. It is situated in the middle portion of the State, and lies on the waters of Ken- tucky river, which skirts it on the north and west-bounded on the north by Fayette and Clark, east by Estill, south by Laurel and Rockcastle, and west by Rockcastle, Garrard and Jessamine. Madison is one of the largest counties in the State, with a diver- sified surface -- the greater portion being gently undulating. with a rich and productive soil-while other portions are level and hilly, and not so productive. The principal streams are Down- ing, Muddy, Silver, Tate, and Otter creeks, all named by Daniel Boone, and flowing into the Kentucky river. The exports of the county consist of horses, mules, cattle, and hogs, the latter being raised in vast quantities. Indian corn and tobacco are exten- sively cultivated, but the hemp and wheat crops are limited to domestic consumption.
Number of acres of land in Madison county, 277,608; average value per acre in 1846, $12; total valuation of taxable property in 1846, $6,935,495; number of white males over twenty-one years of age, 2,594; number of children between five and six- teen years of age, 2,943. Population in 1840, 16.385.
The towns of Madison are Richmond and Boonsborough. Ricamosp, the county seat, lies fifty miles from Frankfort. It is a handsome town, with a thriving and intelligent population of some 1,000 or 1,200 souls, and surrounded by a beautiful country and a rich and enlightened community-contains a court-house, four churches, (Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Christian), twelve lawyers, eleven doctors, two female schools, one academy, a public library, fourteen dry goods stores, six grocery stores, two taverns, two newspapers, (the Richmond Chronicle and Review), a branch of the bank of Kentucky, one rope factory, and about forty mechanics' shops. This place was first settled by John Miller in 1785, but was not incorporated until 1809.
Bonsborough is a small and dilapidated village, situated on the western bank of the Kentucky river. There is nothing in its up- pearance calculated to impress the beholder ; but the name and the locality have become classical. It was here that Daniel Boone, the great pioneer, built the first fort ever erected in Kentucky, and made the commencement of a permanent settlement ; and it was here there was convened, more than seventy years ago, the
-
ห้องนอน สู่ปวด
OLD FORT AT BOONSBOROUGH, 1773.
27
419
OLD FORT AT BOONSBOROUGH.
first legislative assembly of the great valley of the west .* This fort was built in 1775, having been commenced on the Ist of April, and completed on the 14th of June. An engraving of the fort, from a drawing of Colonel Henderson, is here given.
It was situated adjacent to the river, with one of the angles resting on its bank near the water, and extending from it in the form of a parallelogram. The length of the fort, allowing twenty feet for each cabin and opening, must have been about two hundred and sixty, and the breadth one hundred and fifty feet.t In a few days after the work was commenced, one of the men was killed by the Indians.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.