USA > Kentucky > The history of Kentucky : including an account of the discovery, settlement, progressive improvement, political and military events, and present state of the country > Part 11
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Very early in the succeeding spring, the Indians I ow- ever dissipated those seductive dreams of peace and safe- ty, which the people had previously entertained ;
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and gave ample earnest of the approaching cam- paign. Predatory parties, were dispersed, through the settlements. They killed the cattle, stole the horses, and fired upon the hunters, and travellers.
In the month of May 1782, a party of about twenty- five Wiandots, invested Estill's Station, on the south of the Kentucky river, killed one white man, and took a negroe prisoner ; after destroying a number of cattle. Soon after the Indians disappeared, Captain Estill raised a company of twenty-five men, with which he pursued the Indians, and on Hinkston's fork of Licking, two miles below the Little Mountain, came up with them. Immediately on the appearance of the Indians, some of Capt. Estill's parfy fired on them ; at first they seemed to fly, but their commander, although wounded, gave them orders to stand, and fight ; on which the Indians prepared for battle, by taking each his tree, as nearly in a line as they could be found. In this position, they re- turned the fire, and entered into the battle, which they considered inevitable, with all the fortitude of individual and concerted bravery, so remarkable in this particular tribe. Captain Estill ordered his men to spread along in front of the enemy's line, to cover themselves with the trees as well as they could, within fifty or sixty yards of the Indians, and to fire as the object presented itself, with a sure aim. This order perfectly adapted to the occasion, was as well executed as circumstances would admit, and the desultory mode of Indian fighting, was thought to re- quire. The numbers were equal, some have said exact- ly twenty-five on each side-others have mentioned,
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that Captain Estill upon seeing the Indians form for battle, dispatched one or two of his men upon the back trail to hurry on, a small reinforcement which he expect+ ed was following him, and which circumstance gave the Indians the superiority, without producing the desired assistance.
Now were the parties fairly within rifle-shot, and the action become warm. ' Never was battle more like single combat, since the use of fire arms ; each individual 1 saught his object, and fired only when he saw his mark. Wounds, and death, were inflicted on either side ; nei- ther advanced, nor retreated. The firing was deliberate, the battle had lasted for upwards of one hour ; more than one- fourth of the combatants, had fallen on each side ; and several others were wounded. Never was the native bravery, or cool collected fortitude of men, put to a test more severe. Captain Estill had not a man to spare, and deemed it unsafe to attempt by a movement in front, to force the enemy from their position ; because in such movement, he would expose his men, and some of them must inevitably fall : This, would increase the relative superiority of the enemy, while they would re- ceive the survivors with the tomahawk; in the use of which they were practised, and expert. He perceived that no advantage was to be gained of the Indians, by continuing the action in their own mode of warfare ; that victory itself, could it have been certainly purchased with the loss of his last man, would have been a melachnoly consolation, for the slaughter of his friends, and comrades -but even of victory, without some manœuvre, he
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could not assure himself. The creek was still between the parties. "On the one hand within view, ran a valley, bearing in its direction toward the rear of the enemy's line; and immediately combining this circumstance, with the urgency of his situation, rendered the more ap- parent, by an attempt of the Indians to extend their line, and take him in flank ; Captain Estill determined to detach six, of his men, by this valley, to gain the flank, or rear of the Indians ; while he with the residue maintained his position in front. The detachment was accordingly made under the command of Lieut. Miller, with proper orders, to gain the enemy's flank or rear ; but he either mistaking his way, or intentionally betraying his duty, and his Captain, failed to execute his com- mand; and the Indians soon observing, the weakened condition of their adversaries, rushed upon them and compelled them to retreat, after the loss of their brave commander, with eight of his men killed, and four wounded. There is a tradition, that Miller, with his de- tachment crossed the creek, fell in with the enemy, lost two ofhis men, and had a third, or fourth, wounded before he retreated. It was believed that one half of the Indians were killed, and this idea was afterwards corroborated, by reports from their town.
This action is said to have lasted two hours, and there seems to be nothing wanted in its circumstances-but numbers, with the pomp, and tactics of modern war, to make it equally memorable. Memorable it will be to those friends of the brave defenders of their country, whose hearts received the pang, given by the report of
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its event-memorable it will be, to the few who survived it-whether by absconding with the Lieutenant, in a moment of dismay, they forfeited the praise which they had previously acquired ; or by standing with their Cap- tain until his fall, they yielded to superior numbers, a victory, which they merited, by every right of fidelity, and courage. Memorable it will also be, in the simple annals of Kentucky, for the equality of the opposite num- bers-for the invincible fortitude with which it was maintained=for the great proportion of the slain-for the error of the Lieutenant-and for the death of the Captain. In grateful remembrance of the personal bras very, and judicious conduct of Captain Estill, a coun- ty of the commonwealth has received his name, as a mo- nument of his worth.
In reviewing the incidents of this battle, we can but admire, the determined bravery of the Indians, and the promptitude with which they seized on the absence of the detachment, to ensure the victory to themselves, by a movement on their enemy, equally bold, and judicious. Were such a detail, consistent with the economy of his- tory, and were we possessed of the names of each indivi- dual, in both parties, we should deem them entitled to a place on our pages-while with a tear of regret we should deplore the misconduct of the officer commanding the detachment, as a circumstance of eternal reproach to him, and as the primary cause of the defeat of our country- men. Før had he rejoined his Captain, as he ought, when forced from his ground, the result of the action might have been different. It is believed that none of
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the wounded men were taken by the Indians, while none of the dead, could be removed, but fell into the hands of · the enemy ; who scalped them of course, as the least act of their barbarity. They were afterwards buried on the field of battle. The result of this action had a very se- rious effect on the minds of the resident inhabitants, who felt themselves continually exposed, to attacks from the enemy, or rencounters with them ; and that they now fought with more than their usual obstinacy ; and were likely to derive an increased audacity from their recent success. The Shawanees, Delawares, and Wyandots, in particular, were truly terrible to the exposed stations.
The Indians continued their depredations, and in the month . of August, took two boys prisoners, from Hoy's Station; also on the south side of the Kentucky, in the neighborhood of Boonesborough. . This party, con- sisting of twenty, or upwards, was pursued by Captain Holder, and seventeen men ; who came up with the Indi- ans, and were defeated, with the loss of four men killed, and one wounded; without much resistance, or any known loss to the enemy. "This affair could but deepen the existing impressions ; and overspread the faces of the people with the symptoms of alarm. The men of se- veral new stations discovered the Indians way-laying their paths, stealing their horses, and killing their cattle, as they passed out, or in, about their ordinary business. They found themselves exceedingly circumscribed, and embarrassed in the pursuit of their different occupations.
'In a field, adjoining Lexington, a man was shot by an Indian, who ran up to him, and was himself shot in the
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act of scalping the dead. Another white man, was kill- ed, and scalped on the road to M'Connel's Station.
These occurrences, were but preludes to others of more importance : some renegado white men, who for their crimes, or from motives of licentiousness, had fled fron their own nation, and taken up with the Indians, incessantly instigated them to war, and to plunder. The .most remarkable and ferocious of these, metamor- phosed into savages, were GIRTY, and M'KEE. They had, by adopting the savage manners of their new associates, acquired considerable influence among them ; assisted in their councils ; accompanied them to war ; were made captains; and contrived to unite the different tribes, in their attempts upon Kentucky. As a consequence of former arrangements, the different Indi- on nat ons surrounding the country, were summoned to meet at Old Chilicothe, and thence to proceed on the great expedition, which was to exterminate the LONG- KNIFE, from Kentucky; and to give the country once more to the red men, its rightful owners. At Chilicothe,. the Indians were joined by a detachment from Detroit, as the quota of his Britannic Majesty., When the whole grand army, consisting of detachments, from the Chero- kees, Wyandots, Tawas, Potowatamies, Delawares, and several other nations bordering on the lakes, including the Canadians, and the Shawanees, who were consider- cd the principals, were assembled, they amounted to a- bout five hundred ; painted, and trimmed for war.
The more effectually to unite them in the proposed en- terprise ; and to prepare them for the scenes of conquest,
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and of plunder, which had been held up to their view, GIRTY, made them a speech ; in which he represented, Kentucky as the land of cane, and of clover, which eve- ry year, spontaneously sprung up, and incessantly grew without labor, and without care, to feed the buffaloe, the elk, and the deer ; where the bear, the raccoon, and the beaver, were always fat ; and where all the Indians, from all the tribes, had a right, from time immemorial, to hunt, and kill, as many ofthese animals, as they choose, without being molested by white men ; and of bringing away the skins with which, to buy legings, breach-cloths, and blankets, to put on their backs ; and run, to send down their throats, to drive away the cold, and to make their hearts glad, after the fatigues of hunting, or of war. That now, THE LONG KNIFE (once the children of their great father over the water, who rebelling against him, held him at defiance) had overrun the country, broke the cane, trod down the clover, killed the deer, the buffaloe, the elk, the bear, the raccoon, and the bea- ver, or driven them from the land. That these intru- ders were now building houses, and making roads, where the Indian camp, or war-path, used to be ; that they were planting fruit-trees, and ploughing the land, where was not long since, the cane-brake, and the clover- field ; and that unless they were driven away, or totally exterminated, the Indians might bid adieu to the coun- try-to the delicious meat, with which it once abounded, and the skins, that purchascd their clothing, and their rum.
That the present was the time to do the great work,
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when the red brethren, had assembled from the four winds of the sky, and were joined by their white brothers of the lake :- and before the LONG-KNIFE, had made themselves too strong, asthey soon would be; unless dri- . ven far away, or killed.
Besides, every warrior might take as many scalps, and prisoners, as he pleased ; and as much plunder as his ca- bin could hold; and that after killing all them n, the women, would willingly become their wives, and raise up young warriors for them.
What other motives than these could be presented to the minds of savages, whose occupation is hunting, or war ? There was one other, nor was that forgotten. The LONG KNIFE had invaded their towns, two years be- fore, killed their warriors, burnt their cabins, destroyed their corn, and driven their women, and children into the woods ; where they had nearly perished, with cold, and hunger, before they could build other cabins, or sup- ply them with meat .- And now they might satiate the thirst of revenge, with the blood of the white men. This speech was heard with the utmost complaisancy ; while the deep-toned war-whoop, or the desultory shriek, gave evidence of direful approbation ; and of the fell purpose of those barbarians.
The chiefs led the van-the hostile train followed in long procession of horrid war. Of this formidable ar- mament, the people of Kentucky had no certain intell .- gence at the time. The country was already harrassed by the detached parties ; and the inhabitants even flatter- ed themselves that nothing more terrible was yet to come
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Hasty was the Indian march, nor was there any spy, on the way, to collect and bring an account of their ap- proach. Two years before a like army, had taken Rud- dles', and Martin's Stations, and occasioned that of Grant, to break up, and to seek refuge in Lexington, and other places. Bryant's Station, was now a frontier, containing about thirty, or forty cabins, and from for- ty to fifty men. It had a bastion at either end, compo- sed of strong logs, built in the block house form, with necessary loop holes. The cabins were ranged in two or three lines parallel to each other, and inclosed with strong palisades.
On the fifteenth of August 1782, some few of the men being absent, other's in the adjacent corn fields, but the greater number about the station ; the Indians suddenly appeared before the place, and without any summons, commenced an attack, with their small arms. The gates were immediately manned, and kept for the reception of those who were out of the station ; others fled to the bastions and loop holes, from which they returned the Gre ; and kept off the enemy. Some be'onging to the fort, entered from without, others think- ing it too dangerous to attempt getting into the sta- tion, or deeming it more important to spread the alarm, fled to t e neighbouring 'stations, reported the news, and called upon them for assistance. To render this, the ut nost alacrity was every where shewn.
Onthe next day a small detac' ment, from Boone's, and Strodes, stations, and some individuals from Lexington, voluntarily, and gallantly, threw themselves into the
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besieged station ; which had been defended, by its in- habitants, with all the vigilance, and intrepidity, de- manded by the importance of the crisis, and the nature of the enemy. Robert Johnson, and John Craig, were a nong the most respectable of its inhabitants, while the Stuckers, Mitchells, and Herndon's, were distin- guished, among its best soldiers.
The Indians, had made their camps on both sides of Elkhorn which was in wood, above the station, and so near the spring as to cut it off from the use of the gar- rison ; or at least, to render it extremely dangerous to obtain water from it, by day ; nor was it even safe at night. During the two days of the siege, the Indians, kept up almost a constant' fire, from one, or the other side, by which they killed four men of the garrison, and wounded three. They made an attempt to fire the cabins, and for this purpose shot lighted arrows on the roofs ; and even approached the walls, from which they were repulsed, without effecting their object. They killed a great number of cattle, some of which they eat ; and they took, or killed, some horses. But having suf- fered very considerably in their various attempts upon the station, finding that they made no impression on the place, and apprehending no doubt, that the country would be roused, and brought' upon their backs, they raised the siege, and disappeared, on the morning of the third day ; leaving their fires burning, some bits of meat on their roasting sticks, and took the road to
T
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the Lower Blue Licks. Having lost al out thirty of their warriors, killed, and gotten a number more wounded.
In the mean time, Colo. John Todd, who resided at Lexington dispatched intelligence of the attack on Bry- ants, to Colo. Trigg, who resided, near Harrodsburgl .- and to Colo. Boone, who resided, at Bcone's Station.
These officers løst no time, in collecting the men in their respective neighbourhoods ; and on the eighteenth of the month, soon after the Indians had raised the siege, assembled at Bryant's Station, one hundred and six- ty six men, headed by their appropriate officers-among whom, with the rank of Major, was M'Gary, and Harland, from the vicinity of Harrodsburgh ; and Levy Todd, of Lexington.
A council was held, in which it was promptly decided to pursue the Indians, without waiting for the arrival of Colonel Benjamin Logan, who was known to be collec- ting a strong party, to join them.
The march was immediately commenced upon the rout of the enemy, under the command of Todd, and Trigg, nor had they proceeded very far before Boone, and some others, experienced in the ways of Indians, discovered signs of ostentation, and of tardiness, on their part, indicative of their willingness to be pursued, and calculated to point out their rout ; while apparent caution had been taken to conceal their numbers.
The one, was effected, by chopping the trees on the road, the other, by contracting their camps, and tread- ing in single file, a narrow tract. No Indian was seen until, the pursuers reached the Southern bank of Lick-
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ing, at the Licks ; the van of the party then discover- ed, a few of them on the opposite side, traversing the hill ; and who apparently without alarm, and leisurely, retired over the hills from their sight. A halt was call- ed, and the principal oficers being soon assembled, the point was made, " what should be done"? whether im- mediately to cross the river, and continue the march, or to stand on their ground, until the country round about could be reconnoitered, by proper parties, and mea- sures ultimately taken according to circumstances, either to attack, if the enemy were near, or wait the arrival of ' Colo. Logan ?
Neither of the superior officers, were much skilled in the manners, or customs of Indian warfare ; they were however willing to be advised, and had actually called upon Colo. Boone, for his information, and opinion. These, he was detailing with his usual candor, and cir- cumspection ; as to the number of the enemy, his opinion vibrated, from three, to five hundred ; owing to the am- bigious nature of the sign, they had made on the road. From the careless manner in which the Indians, who had appeared, conducted themselves, he conjectured that the main body was near, and prepared for action-He was particularly well acquainted with the situation ofthe ground about the licks, and the manner in which theriver winds into an irregular ellipsis, embracing the Great Buf- falo: road'and ridge, from the Licks, towards Limestone, as its longest line of bisection ; and which is terminated, by two ravines, heading near together, and extending in opposite directions to the river. He had suggested the
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probability, of the Indians having here formed an am- buscade, the advantages to them, and the disadvantages, to the party of Todd, and Trigg, should this conjecture be realised, and the march continued. He proposed that the party should divide ; the one half march up Licking on the south side ; and crossing over' about the mouth of a small creek, now called Elk-creek, fall upon the outside oftheseravines, while the other half, placed itselfin a situ- ation to co-operate in case of attack. He showed that the whole advantage of position might be thus turned against theenemy ; at least, he insisted it his superiors were deter- mined, not to wait for Col. Logan, that they should have the country explored, before they marched the main body over the river. Already had Boone nearly gained the entire approbation of his superiors, and of those who heard his counsel ; when' Major M'Gary, ardent, and impatient of delay, rushed his Horse forward to the water's edge, then raising the war-whoop, and crying out with a loud voice, ' Those who are not cowards will follow me, I will shew them where the Indians are,' spurred his horse into the water. One followed, and another fol- lowed, in quick succession ; the council was broken up, the officers, who might have been otherwise inclined, ' were forced along in the crowd and tumult-no autho- rity was observed-no command was given ; they crossed the river ; they pursued the road, as the leading guide ; on either side of which parties flanked out, as the unevenness, and irregularity of the ground would per+ mit ; all moving forward, with the utmost disorder, and precipitation, over a surface covered with rocks, laid bare
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by the trampling of the buffaloe, and the washing of the rains for ages past ; taking in front the ridge to the left of the road, which extends for some distance between Licking, and one of the ravines ; and to which they were led by the re-appearance of the Indians, first discover- ed on the approach to Licking.
Near the extreme end of this ridge, it was covered with a forest of oak trees of middling size ; the ravines were covered with small timber, or brush-wood ; while the whole extent of the ellipsis, had been stripped of all herbage, by the herds of buffaloe, which resorted to the licks. Some scattering trees here and there appeared, on a pavement of rock as rude as it was singular, through- out the whole extent of the field.
At the head of the party in front, and which first reached the wood, was M'Gary, Harland, and M' Bride, -here they were met by a party of the Indians, who had been concealed in the wood --- here the action immediate- ly began, and as soon became warm, and bloody ; on either side, the rifle was pointed-on either side, the warrior fell. Immediately it was discovered, that the ravines extending the whole length of the line, of the Kentuckians, had concealed the enemy, from which they fired, and rushed upon their foes, not half their equal in number. Todd, and Trigg, whose posi- 1 tion was on the right, which in the movement of the troops became the rear of the line, had already fallen in battle ; already were the Indians turning the right, or rear of this line ; already had twenty or thirty, of the bravest warriors, breathed their last ; when a retreat
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commenced, under the edge of the tomahawk. At the first crossing of the river, nearly the whole line of march was on horse-back ; when the action began, many dis- mounted ; others did not disnount. Some who had recovered their horses, Red on horseback ; others fled on foot. From the field of battle, to the ford of Licking, was about one mile ; a high and rugged cliff environed either shore, which declined into a-flat, as they approach- ed the salt-spring. The ford was narrow, and the wa- ter deep above, and below ; some of the men were over- taken in the way, and fell beneath the stroke of the In- dian hatchet ; but at the river, was the greatest havoc. Some were slain in the water, some on either shore. Here it was that a singular phenomenon was exhibited ; a man by the name of Netherland, known for his timidity, mounted on one of the fleetest horses, and whose back he had never quitted, having crossed Licking, and finding himself out of danger, takes a back view, sces the Indi- ans preparing to rush into the water, and there to extin- . guish the remains of many lives, almost exhausted, by the fatigue of the flight, cries out with a shrill and com- manding voice, to those who had made the shore; " Halt, fire on the Indians, and protect the men in the river." This call had the desired effect ; ten, or a dozen men, instantly halt, fire on the enemy, and check their pursuit-probably by so doing, as many lives were saved. This resistance, however, proves but momenta- ry ; the Indians are seen crossing the river in numbers, and personal safety, suggests a rapid flight.
The fugitives were pursued for miles, nor did they
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find a place of safety short of Bryant's Station, thirty-six miles from the scene of action. Here many of them on horseback, arrived within six, and others on foot, within eight hours, after the action.
At Bryant's, the survivors of this tragedy recount the exploits oftheir comrades, and their own disasters. "Here they tell that Captain Patterson, exhausted, in the flight -- and ready to yield himself to the scalping-knife of the savages, just in his rear ; is passed by Reynalds, a private soldier, on horse-back, who dismounts, and places Pat- terson in his saddle, whose escape he ensures, and falls himself into the hands, of three, or four of the enemy .-- They have not time to kill him, and they leave him un- der the care of a warrior less expert than the rest of his party, for safe-keeping ; with orders to follow in the rear while they continue the chase ; secure at least of the plex- sure, as they imagine, of torturing to death one wh; man; when they should have more leisure. But the In- dian's moccason comes loose, and while he stoops down to tie it, Reynalds knocks him over, and escapes.
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