The Winning of the West, Volume 3: The Founding of the Trans-Alleghany Commonwealths, 1784-1790Roosevelt, Theodore
History
The Winning of the West, Volume 3: The Founding of the Trans-Alleghany Commonwealths, 1784-1790
Roosevelt, Theodore
Northwest, Old -- History; United States -- Territorial expansion; West (U.S.) -- History
Often in dealing with the adventures of one of these old-time border
warriors--Kenton, Wetzel, Brady, Mansker, Castleman,--all we can say is
that some given feat was commonly attributed to him, but may have been
performed by somebody else, or indeed may only have been the kind of
feat which might at any time have been performed by men of his stamp.
Thus one set of traditions ascribe to Brady an adventure in which when
bound to a stake, he escaped by suddenly throwing an Indian child into
the fire, and dashing off unhurt in the confusion; but other traditions
ascribe the feat not to Brady, but to some other wild hunter of the day.
Again one of the favorite tales of Brady is his escape from a band of
pursuing Indians, by an extraordinary leap across a deep ravine, at the
bottom of which flowed a rapid stream; but in some traditions this leap
appears as made by another frontier hero, or even by an Indian whom
Brady himself was pursuing. It is therefore a satisfaction to come
across, now and then, some feat which is attested by contemporaneous
testimony. There is such contemporary record for one of Brady's deeds,
which took place towards the close of the Revolutionary war.
Brady's Feats.
Brady had been on a raid in the Indian country and was returning. His
party had used all their powder and had scattered, each man going
towards his own home, as they had nearly reached the settlements. Only
three men were left with Brady, the four had but one charge of powder
apiece, and even this had been wet in crossing a stream, though it had
been carefully dried afterwards. They had with them a squaw whom they
had captured. When not far from home they ran into a party of seven
Indians, likewise returning from a raid, and carrying with them as
prisoners a woman and her child. Brady spied the Indians first and
instantly resolved to attack them, trusting that they would be
panic-struck and flee; though after a single discharge of their rifles
he and his men would be left helpless. Slipping ahead he lay in ambush
until the Indians were close up. He then fired, killing the leader,
whereat the others fled in terror, leaving the woman and child. In the
confusion, however, the captive squaw also escaped and succeeded in
joining the fleeing savages, to whom she told the small number and woful
plight of their assailants; and they at once turned to pursue them.
Brady, however, had made good use of the time gained, and was in full
flight with his two rescued prisoners; and before he was overtaken he
encountered a party of whites who were themselves following the trail of
the marauders. He at once turned and in company with them hurried after
the Indians; but the latter were wary, and, seeing the danger, scattered
and vanished in the gloomy woodland. The mother and child, thus rescued
from a fearful fate, reached home in safety. The letter containing the
account of this deed continues: "This young officer, Captain Brady, has
great merit as a partizan in the woods.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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