The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boon: Containing a Narrative of the Wars of KentuckeFilson, John
History
The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boon: Containing a Narrative of the Wars of Kentucke
Filson, John
Boone, Daniel, 1734-1820; Indian captivities -- Kentucky; Kentucky -- History -- To 1792; Pioneers -- Kentucky -- Biography
On the fourteenth day of July, 1776, two of Col. Calaway's daughters,
and one of mine, were taken prisoners near the fort. I immediately
pursued the Indians, with only eight men, and on the sixteenth overtook
them, killed two of the party, and recovered the girls. The same day
on which this attempt was made, the Indians divided themselves into
different parties, and attacked several forts, which were shortly before
this time erected, doing a great deal of mischief. This was extremely
distressing to the new settlers. The innocent husbandman was shot down,
while busy cultivating the soil for his family's supply. Most of
the cattle around the stations were destroyed. They continued their
hostilities in this manner until the fifteenth of April, 1777, when
they attacked Boonsborough with a party of above one hundred in number,
killed one man, and wounded four--Their loss in this attack was not
certainly known to us.
On the fourth day of July following, a party of about two hundred
Indians attacked Boonsborough, killed one man, and wounded two. They
besieged us forty-eight hours; during which time seven of them were
killed, and at last, finding themselves not likely to prevail, they
raised the siege, and departed.
The Indians had disposed their warriors in different parties at this
time, and attacked the different garrisons to prevent their assisting
each other, and did much injury to the distressed inhabitants.
On the nineteenth day of this month, Col. Logan's fort was besieged by a
party of about two hundred Indians. During this dreadful siege they did
a great deal of mischief, distressed the garrison, in which were
only fifteen men, killed two, and wounded one. The enemies loss was
uncertain, from the common practice which the Indians have of carrying
off their dead in time of battle. Col. Harrod's fort was then defended
by only sixty-five men, and Boonsborough by twenty-two, there being
no more forts or white men in the country, except at the Falls, a
considerable distance from these, and all taken collectively, were but a
handful to the numerous warriors that were every where dispersed through
the country, intent upon doing all the mischief that savage barbarity
could invent. Thus we passed through a scene of sufferings that exceeds
description.
On the twenty-fifth of this month a reinforcement of forty-five
men arrived from North-Carolina, and about the twentieth of August
following, Col. Bowman arrived with one hundred men from Virginia. Now
we began to strengthen, and from hence, for the space of six weeks, we
had skirmishes with Indians, in one quarter or other, almost every day.
The savages now learned the superiority of the Long Knife, as they call
the Virginians, by experience; being out-generalled in almost every
battle. Our affairs began to wear a new aspect, and the enemy, not
daring to venture on open war, practised secret mischief at times.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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