USA > Missouri > Cooper County > History of Cooper County, Missouri > Part 9
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The Indians, who pursued Savage in his successful endeavor to escape to the fort, came into full view of the settlers in the fort, and several of them might have been killed had the settlers deemed it wise and expedient to do so.
Indeed, it is said that Samuel Cole, who was in the fort at the time, begged his mother to let him shoot an Indian. Samuel then was but a little shaver about twelve years of age. Doubtless he burned with ambi- tion and his little heart throbbed by reason of his eager and earnest desire to kill the red men, thinking not of the consequences. However his mother, Hannah Cole, with wisdom born of experience, forbade him to shoot.
The Indians had as yet shown no disposition to fire upon the fort, and the inmates, there being but six men in the fort, did not wish to rouse their anger by killing any of them. They also hoped that before an attack
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was made by the Indians, that those settlers who were yet out hunting would arrive and thus augment the forces within the fort.
They realized that against such overwhelming forces they could not long maintain themselves, and that their only hope was escape. During the following day the remaining settlers who were outside the fort evaded the vigilant cordon of savages, and doubtless following the route up or down the river reached the fort. However dire their straits, aid came fortuitously, or by act of Providence. On the following day a boat loaded with Indian goods and containing 25 kegs of powder, 400 pounds of balls, and a keg of whiskey, in charge of Captain Coursault and belonging to French traders of St. Louis, was going up the river for the purpose of trading these articles with the Indians.
Capture of Coursault-Escape of Settlers .- This aroused the indigna- tion of the settlers, and Benjamin Cooper admonished Coursault of the danger and impropriety of supplying the Indians with ammunition under existing conditions, for with the ammunition the white settlers would be slain. Coursault seemed to see and appreciate the danger of this and promised to return down the river. It seemed to the settlers, however, that he agreed with reluctance, and as they were in doubt whether or not he would descend, they established a guard on the river. Their suspicion was well founded, and their caution well taken, for a day or so afterwards, about two o'clock in the morning, Coursault was intercepted attempting to go up the river, the oars of his boat muffled. He was commanded to run his boat ashore, but he did not stop, and refused to obey the com- mand. Then Captain Cooper fired, but Captain Sarshall Cooper knocked the gun up, thus saving Coursault's life. Coursault, realizing that the settlers were in deadly earnest, brought his boat to the shore. The ammunition and whiskey were confiscated by the settlers and Coursault himself held captive for a short time .. He was finally allowed to return home with his goods, except the ammunition and the large keg of whiskey.
After this, however, Coursault proved himself loyal to the Americans in the War of 1812. He bravely assisted in the defense of Cotesans Des- sein, when it was attacked by the Indians, and during the war he loyally aided in the defense of the country against the Indians. He was captain of the Cote sans Dessein Company. In this engagement, an account of which is given in this chapter, Coursault lost his life.
By reason of the capture of this boat, the settlers were enabled to make their escape from Fort Cole. They crossed the river in this boat to
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Fort Kincaid or Fort Hempstead, which was located about one mile from the end of the great iron bridge over the Missouri River at Boonville. They succeeded in taking with them their families, all their stock, furni- ture and belongings of other nature. The fort was surrounded by savages on all sides, save on the river front, and yet, in the face of all this, the white men saved not only themselves, but all their personal property in the fort, as well as their live stock.
After they had crossed the river, the Frenchmen and their leader, Coursault, were permitted to return down the river with their boat, with the strong admonition that if they ever dared come up the river again with supplies for the Indians they would handle them with "short shrift".
The ammunition captured and confiscated at this time, was sufficient to last the settlers for a long time.
Previous to this, Joseph Jolly had supplied them with powder, manu- factured by himself from saltpeter found in a cave near Rocheport. Whence came the saltpeter? "If true," as Houck says in his history of Missouri, "it is a fact also to be noted."
Smith was the first man killed within the present limits of Cooper County. All the settlers on the south side of the river had now moved to the north side.
Todd and Smith Are Killed .- In the early spring of 1812 prior to the killing of Smith on the south side of the river, Jonathan Todd and Thomas Smith started down the Missouri either to pick out a piece of land on which to settle, or to find a stray horse, possibly both. Todd and Smith lived on the north side of the Missouri. They had gone as far as the present line between Howard and Boone Counties, when they were unex- pectedly attacked by the Indians. The struggle was long and hard, and several Indians were killed, but Todd and Smith eventually paid the forfeit of their hardihood with their lives. The savages, after killing them, cut off their heads, and literally cut out their hearts and placed them on poles by the side of the trail. Soon the news of the killing of Todd and Smith was brought to the fort, and a party of men was sent out to recover their bodies. After they had traveled several miles, they captured an Indian warrior, who seemed to be spying on their movements, and they started to the fort with their captive in order to secure information from him. On their return, when they arrived within two miles of the fort, the Indian prisoner suddenly broke away from them, and attempted to make his escape. The Indian was fleet of foot, and although the settlers pursued
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him about one-half a mile, they found that they could not overtake him and capture him alive. Then with unerring aim they shot him, killing him instantly.
The killing of these white settlers happened before the settlers on the south side had moved to the north side of the river. Immediately the settlers on both sides of the river organized and began to act with one accord. They sent out scouting expeditions in different directions to ascertain the lay of the ground, whether the Indians were in the neighbor- hood and whether they were really upon the warpath.
Discover Indians .- James Cole and James Davis were sent out upon one of these scouting expeditions. After scouting around for some time, they were unable to discover any trace of the savages in the neighborhood, or to find out anything about their plans. They were preparing to return to the fort, when they discovered a large band of Indians in pursuit of them, and directly between them and the fort, in which were their fam- ilies and friends, unconscious of their danger. They could not withstand the attack of the large body of Indians in the open woods, and they knew that they would soon be surrounded. Their return to the fort was seem- ingly cut off. However, they started for what then was called Johnson's Factory, a trading post kept by a man named Johnson. It was situated on the Moniteau Creek, in what is now Moniteau County, about two hun- dred yards from the Missouri River. They reached the factory or trad- ing post that afternoon, and the Indians immediately surrounded the place. Cole and Davis knew, as true scouts, that it was their duty to warn their friends and neighbors, and that unless they received the warning they would easily fall prey to the savages. That the forts might be warned of their danger in time to prepare for the attack, which seemed certain, these hardy rangers and scouts determined at all hazards to escape and bear to them the tidings. As long as they remained at the trading post, they were safe from the shots of the enemy, at least for a time. To leave the fort, they ran the hazard of the scalping knife, and mutilated bodies. They resolved upon a daring method. At about midnight, with the utmost caution as to noise, they took up a plank from the floor of the factory, crawled through the floor, and with stealth and cunning reached the creek. Fortunately, there they found a canoe, and silently floated down to the river, evading the vigilance of the savages. But just as they reached the river, an unlucky stroke of the paddle against the side of the canoe, revealed them to the Indians, who at once started in pursuit in canoes.
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The Indians pursued them to what is known as Big Lick, in Cooper County, where being closely pressed, Cole and Davis turned, and each killed an Indian. The Indians then left off pursuit. The two settlers reached Cole's Fort in safety, and announced to the astonished settlers that they were indeed on the verge of a long and blood war, with Indians on the war path in the immediate vicinity.
From there the tidings were conveyed to the other forts. The hearts of the bravest were filled with dismay. They knew that their numbers were few, and that to withstand the attack of the great Indian nations living around them would try the courage and the sagacity of the stoutest.
However, no attack was made by the band of Indians who had pur- sued Cole and Davis. Doubtless because they knew that their presence was known in the neighborhood, and they well knew that the forts would be prepared and expecting to receive them.
Chased by Indians .- Nothing being seen or heard of Indians for some time, in the summer of the same year, Samuel Cole, Stephen Cole and Muke Box started from Kincaid's Fort on a hunting expedition and crossed the river where Boonville now stands, penetrating the forest to the Petit Saline Creek. They hunted and fished for two days and were preparing to return upon the third, when they heard the sound of shooting in the direction of the river, where they had left their canoe. Knowing that there were no whites on the south side of the river, except themselves, they concluded that the shots were fired by Indians. However they im- mediately started by a circuitous route to the river, to gain possession of their canoe. When they arrived at the residence where once lived Delaney Belin, they discovered that a band of Indians was in pursuit of them. Not knowing the number in pursuit, but supposing them to be numerous, they immediately separated, and took different routes through the woods. They agreed to meet at the place where they had left their canoe. Here they met, but the Indians had stolen their canoe. As the Indians were still in hot pursuit of them, they hastily lashed three cotton- wood logs together, placed their guns, clothing, equipment, etc., upon this small but hastily constructed raft, and swam over the river, pushing it before them, and landed on the north side of the river, about two and one-half miles below the present city of Boonville. They reached the fort in safety that evening, and reported their adventure with the Indians. The settlers then made their preparations against any attack by the savages. Next morning tracks of Indians were discovered around and
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near the fort, and it was found that the fort had been reconnoitred during the night by a band of eight Indians.
At this time there were very few men in Fort Kincaid. They, there- fore, sent to Cooper's and McLean's Forts for reinforcements, as they supposed that this band of eight was but the scouting party of a large number of Indians.
Settlers Take Up Trail of Indians .- The other forts sent reinforce- ments to the number of forty-two, which soon arrived, and. together with the men belonging to Kincaid's Fort, they started in pursuit of the Indians of whom by this time they had discovered to be but a small band. They found their trail, pursued them for some distance, and surrounded them finally in a hollow within about four miles of the present site of New Franklin.
The Indians concealed themselves in the brush and thickets, and behind timber, not being able to see the Indians, the fire of the settlers at first was very much at random. The fight continued for a long time. However, four Indians were killed, and the remaining four, though badly wounded, escaped. None of the settlers were killed and only one, a man named Adam Woods, was severely wounded, but he afterwards recovered.
Night came on and the pursuit was deferred. The next day the rangers again took up the trail of the surviving four Indians, which was plainly marked with blood. They followed it to the river, and there found the canoe, which the savages had two days before stolen from Samuel Cole and his companion. In this canoe the Indians had hoped to make their escape. The sides of the canoe were covered with blood, showing that the Indians had attempted to push it into the river, but on account of being weakened by loss of blood, could not do so. After hunting them for some time in vain, the party returned to the fort.
In August a band of eight Indians was followed by a party of 25 or 30 men from Cooper's and Kincaid's Forts. These Indians had killed some cattle and had stolen about 10 or 12 horses. They drove the horses away to the high ground not over three or four hundred yards from the bottom to a place about three miles from the present town of Franklin, where they tied the horses in the thicket.
Captain Cooper, with 25 or 30 men, among them Lindsay Carson, the father of Kit Carson; David Boggs, Stephen Jackson; William Thorpe, afterward a Baptist preacher; and James Cole, who in 1867 gave Draper this version of the affair, found the horses in the thicket, and then fol- lowed the trail of the Indians into the hollow below.
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After going not much more than a quarter of a mile, they divided into three parties; Captain Cooper, with one party, going up to the left, another party going direct up the hollow, and the third party up the eastern bank, skirting the hollow.
After entering the mouth of the hollow, five of the men, whose feet had become blistered from long and hot pursuit, remained behind and sat down on a log, some one hundred yards above where the hollow commenced at the river bottom. Among them was James Barnes, whose horse had given out. As the three parties of whites advanced, the Indians, who as the event proved were in the hollow, seeing that the approaching settlers were too numerous for them, hid in the bushes till they passed. Then they ran out and came unexpectedly upon the men on the log, who when they saw the Indians fired on them. The Indians returned the fire and wounded Francis Woods through the thigh; they also wounded Barnes' horse. Both parties then sought the protection of the trees; this was about mid-day. When the three parties heard the firing they quickly re- turned, being but a short distance away, arrived nearly simultaneously and surrounded the Indians before they were aware of it. Captain Coop- er's party was on the high point skirting the western side of the banks, twenty or thirty feet above the Indians and fired down on them. The Indians concealed themselves in the thick fern grass which was three or four feet high and they would rise up and shoot, then drop down and reload their guns.
Captain Cooper then ordered a charge and the whole party being near enough to hear, suddenly ran down upon the Indians. One Indian who had his ball about half way down his rifle was knocked down by Lindsay Carson, and David Boggs shot off his gun between Carson's legs, the muzzle close to the Indian's head, shattering his head beyond recognition. Just then, Lieutenant McMahan with savage ferocity ran up and plunged his knife into the Indian's dead body, broke off the blade and made a flourish of the handle. In this encounter five Indians were killed, all shot to pieces.
A few days afterwards another dead Indian was found on the river two or three miles above the scene of conflict. He had attempted to leave there, but was too feeble to do so, and had died on the bank of the river. Unquestionably he was one of the band Captain Cooper had encountered. The above account we take from Honck's History of Missouri.
The party of whites then took possession of the horses and the Indians' guns and carried home Woods, who though badly wounded, recovered.
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It is not known to what tribe these Indians belonged. However, it is thought that they were affiliated with the Saukees and Renards, or they may have been, as General Dodge supposed, Miamis.
Campbell Killed .- In July, 1812, a man by the name of Campbell, com- monly called by his associates, "Potter", because of his trade, was killed on the north side of the river, about five miles northwest of the present site of Boonville. He and a man named Adam McCord went from Kin- caid's Fort to Campbell's home to tie some flax. Savages, who were in ambush, concealed in some underbrush, fired upon them and shot Campbell through the body, but he ran about a hundred yards, climbed the fence, and pitched into the trunk of a tree which had blown down and there expired. The Indians, though they hunted for the body, did not succeed in finding it.
Adam McCord escaped without injury, and going to the fort, reported the death of Campbell, and the circumstances under which he had been killed.
The fact that later in 1814, Campbell's gun was found in the possession of the Miamis, by Colonel Cooper, when he had his altercation with General Dodge, on the south side of the river opposite Arrow Rock, leads us to believe that the savages that killed Campbell were a party of Miamis. The finding of Campbell's gun in the camp of the Miamis led up to the memor- able quarrel between Colonel Cooper and General Dodge.
Settlers Move to South Side of River .- Not having seen any Indians for several months, in the spring of 1813 the settlers from the south side of the river who had gone to Kincaid's Fort in the previous spring, returned to their homes on the south side.
The year before, no crops had been raised, and they were anxious to put in their crops for the coming year. In order that they might put in their crops with safety, and be advised of the approach of the Indians, they stationed a guard in each corner of the field in which they were at work. From this time on, even after the establishing of peace in 1815, the settlers were kept continually on the watch against the savages, for every month or two, some small band of Indians would suddenly attack and slay some unsuspecting settler who had for the moment forgotten his usual caution, and who feeling secure from attack, because the Indians had not appeared for some time, suffered the severe penalty of his negligence.
The Indians, from this time on, never marched in large bands against the settlements, but came in small scouting parties, with the hope of way- laying and shooting down some unsuspecting, unwary settler, or murder unprotected women and children.
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Several men of the Boonslick country were killed by the Indians during the two or three years following the return of the settlers from Kincaid's Fort to this side of the river. There may have been others of whom we can gain no trace, or find any record. .
Braxton Cooper, Jr., Killed .- Braxton Cooper, Jr., was killed in Sept., 1813, two miles north of the present site of New Franklin. The Indians attacked him as he was cutting logs to build a house. He was a young man of much physical strength and courage. He was armed with rifle and hunting knife. The trampled condition of the ground and broken bushes gave certain evidence that the fight had been fast and furious. The howling of young Cooper's dog attracted attention from the fort, and this faithful friend of his master stood watchful sentinel until David Boggs and Jesse Turner crawled out during the night to the place. There they found Cooper dead, lying on his face. By his side lay his gun, and in his clenched right hand was his knife, bloody to the hilt: He was not scalped nor mutilated, positive evidence that the savages were put to flight before Cooper succumbed to his wounds. Not far from him was found an Indian buckskin shirt, with two holes in it, saturated with blood. How many of the Indians were killed or wounded the settlers could not determine, for the savages had removed all that might have given information, except the hunting shirt. The Indian trail was followed for a short distance, but was soon lost, and the settlers abandoned the pursuit as useless.
Joseph Still Killed .- Joseph Still and Stephen Cooper, the latter a youth of sixteen years, both belonging to the rangers of Fort Cooper, were sent up the Chariton River on a scouting expedition. On their return, when within about twenty miles of the fort, a band of one hundred Sac Indians intercepted them. The course that seemed most feasible was for them to break through the savage band and make for the fort. So the two rangers with cocked rifles unswervingly rode forward toward the waiting enemy. When within one hundred yards of the band, both fired and putting spurs to their horses charged furiously upon the Indians. Cooper killed one Indian brave and Still wounded another, but Still on reaching the Indian line was shot dead from his horse. Cooper, however, was more fortunate, and with waving rifle and strident battle cry suc- ceeding in escaping the shower of bullets, arrows, and missiles aimed at him. He rode a fleet horse, and thus soon outdistanced his pursuers and reached the fort. This was in October, 1813.
Killing of William McLean .- William McLean was killed in Oct., 1813, by the Indians in what is now Howard County near the present site of
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Fayette. William with Ewing McLean and four other men went to Mc- Lean's Fort, to pick out a piece of land, on which some one of them ex- pected to settle. When they arrived at a short distance southwest of the present site of Fayette, they were attacked by a band of about 150 Indians. As soon as McLean and his companions saw them, McLean retreated- towards the fort, and just as the white men were ascending a slant lead- ing from a long, deep ravine, to the Moniteau Creek, the Indians fired a volley at them. One shot struck William McLean in the back of the head and he dropped dead from his horse. After satisfying themselves that he was dead, his remaining companions left his body, and continued their retreat to the fort, which they reached in safety. The Indians scalped McLean, cut out his heart, and literally hacked him to pieces.
Attempt to Kill Austin .- Not long before the negro "Joe" was killed, a man by the name of Austin, who was stopping at McLean's Fort, while coming around the corner of a fence about two miles from the fort, dis- covered an Indian in the act of firing upon him. He suddenly reined up his horse and the ball passed through his horse's head. The horse fell upon Austin.
One Hough and Nicolas Burckhardt, who were some distance in the rear, saw what had happened, and Hough shot and wounded the Indian as he was jumping over the fence to kill Austin. Austin soon extricated himself, and reached the fort; so did Hough, but Burckhardt, who ran into the woods, did not come in until the next morning. This man Hough remained temporarily in the Boonslick country. He was a hunter and trapper on the Upper Missouri.
Gregg Killed and Daughter Patsy Captured .- Jesse Cox, and his son- in-law, William Gregg in 1814 made a settlement on the south side of the river above Arrow Rock. There they built a block house, a sort of family fort, and called it Cox's Fort. They began to make improvements, hunt- ing also for subsistence. Gregg and Cox killed a bear on the twenty-third of October, and the next day Gregg went out on his horse to get it. He subsequently went to feed his hogs, and while doing so, was shot by an Indian lying in ambush. Gregg ran to the blockhouse, a hundred yards off, got inside the stockade, grasped his gun, and fell dead. It is said that seven bullets hit the gate-post of the stockade. It is said that after the Indians killed Gregg, they made an attack on the cabin and captured his daughter Patsy, and took her away as a prisoner. A party was immedi- ately organized among the settlers to pursue the Indians. The girl was riding on horseback behind an Indian brave. One of her hands was tied
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to the Indian's hand. The horse, on account of this double load, lagged behind the others. She in the hope of seeing some of the settlers fol- lowing to rescue her, constantly looked behind. At last she discovered horsemen approaching, and prepared to escape, waiting until the white men were within 50 yards of her, when with her unbound hand, she sud- denly seized and extracted the Indian's knife from its sheath, and cut the thong which bound her hand to his. She sprang to the ground and rushed into the brush on the side of the trail and disappeared. The pursuing party then fired on the Indians, who fled precipitatly. Jesse Cox and William Gregg were members of Sarshall Cooper's company.
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