Boys' Book of Frontier FightersSabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
History
Boys' Book of Frontier Fighters
Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
Frontier and pioneer life -- United States; Indians of North America -- Wars
In June of this year 1782, while Scout Slover was a captive, a grand
council of the Northern Confederacy and their allies had been called at
the Shawnee town of Wakatomica, to talk matters over. Delegates
arrived from the Ottawas, Chippewas, Delawares, the southern Cherokees,
Potawatomis, Wyandot Hurons, Mingo Iroquois, and from the other Shawnee
towns. They all were alarmed at the unexpected triumph of the Long
Knife people, and were fearful lest they had lost their prized
hunting-ground, Kentucky.
White men were here: Captain William Caldwell, a trader in the British
service; Alexander McKee, George and James Girty, and Simon Girty
himself, coming in with a band of the Wyandots.
He made one of the principal speeches. He said that the war between
the king and the Long Knives was not yet over; but that, anyway, the
Indians did not want a peace in which the British and the Americans
should agree to quit fighting. For if they quit fighting, then the
Long Knives would be free to turn, all of them, upon the Indians and
crush them utterly. (Ugh! Ugh! That is so!) The Indians well knew
how the white men were crowding in upon them, from Virginia--were
stealing Kentucky and threatening the Ohio country. Without the help
from the British father these lands would be swallowed up, the red man
would have no hunting-grounds, no food, no furs, no means of getting
food, rum and blankets. (Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! That is so!) A peace would
be bad for the Indians. Let them join together at once, to wipe out
the Americans and clean the hunting-grounds before too late. Now was
the time. The American soldiers were still busy, and there were many
British soldiers to keep them busy. Strike, strike harder than ever,
in full force, and drive the Long Knives back, or peace might come and
all Kentucky be over-run by the Long Knife soldiers. (Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
Those are good words. Our white brother speaks well.)
There were more speeches, but none better; and the council had agreed.
Runners were sent out to carry the news and bid all Indians to rally
for a great blow upon the Long Knives. The meeting-place should be at
Pickaway, or Chillicothe as it was also called, after the other towns
of Chillicothe. Little Chillocothe had been destroyed two years ago by
the gallant General George Rogers Clark.
Two armies were formed: one of about three hundred warriors, to march
against West Virginia; the other of about four hundred warriors, to
march into Kentucky.
The Kentucky army contained mainly Shawnees and Wyandots, with a
sprinkling of British white men from Detroit. It was commanded by
Captain William Caldwell, who had for his lieutenants Alexander McKee,
Matthew Elliott, and the three Girty brothers, Simon, George and James.
And there were many chiefs.
In the night of August 15 they posted themselves around Bryant's (or
Bryan's) Station of north central Kentucky about five miles north of
little Lexington.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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