A Diner out--The "Hannibal of the West"--Election of General Clark
and Gabriel Jones as Delegates to the Virginia Legislature--Their
Journey to the Capital--General Clark obtains the Loan of a Large
Supply of Ammunition--Erection of the County of Kentucky--General
Clark attacked and pursued by Indians on his Voyage down the
Ohio--Conceals the Ammunition and delivers it safely at the
Border Stations--General Clark marches upon Kaskaskia and
captures the obnoxious Governor Rocheblave--Governor Hamilton of
Detroit organizes an Expedition against the Settlements--General
Clark captures Fort St. Vincent and takes Governor Hamilton
a Prisoner--Captures a Valuable Convoy from Canada and Forty
Prisoners--Secures the Erection of Important Fortifications by
Virginia.
One day a boy sixteen years old, who lived four miles above
Harrodsburg, went out in the woods to hunt game. The name of the lad
was Ray, and he afterward became the General of that name who is so
closely identified with the settlement of the West.
Like all boys in Kentucky he was a good shot, and he was not out
long before he brought down a small blue-wing duck, which he picked,
dressed, and roasted to a rich, juicy brown, building his fire on the
brow of a hill, a few rods east of his home.
Just as young Ray had gotten the bird in a shape to delight the palate
of an epicure, a fine, soldierly-looking man came out of the woods and
called in a cheery voice:
"How do you do, my young man?"
The boy looked up in surprise and said--
"I am very well, sir, thank you."
"What is your name?"
"Ray, and I live in the house down yonder."
"Ain't you afraid to hunt alone in the woods, when the Indians are
making so much trouble?"
"Well, I try to be careful, but there is danger in these times
everywhere, as it seems to me; but won't you help me eat this duck
which is now ready for the table?"
"I'm obliged to you, for I am quite hungry."
Accordingly he sat down and attacked the duck, which he remarked was
very toothsome, especially when a person was so a-hungered as he, and
complimenting the boy upon his culinary skill, he kept at work until
there wasn't a particle left for young Ray, who was somewhat astonished
and not altogether enthusiastic over the style in which his visitor
disposed of the bird.
"But," said General Ray afterward, "he would have been welcome to all
the game I could have killed, when I afterward became acquainted with
his noble and gallant soul."
When the meal was finished, the visitor thanked the lad for his
hospitality and said:
"My name is Clark, and I have come out to see what you brave fellows
are doing in Kentucky, and to give you a helping hand if necessary."
Young Ray conducted him to Harrodsburg, where he spent some time in
carefully noting the capacity of the station in the way of defence
against the attacks that were pretty certain to be made very soon.
The gentleman was General George Rogers Clark, who at the time was a
Major in the Army, and was engaged in forming his grand scheme for
the conquest of the British posts in the Northwest. He was one of the
most conspicuous figures of the times, and is known in history as the
"Hannibal of the West."
The first visit which he made to the frontier was in 1775, when he
spent several days at Harrodsburg. His military genius was so well
known that the command of the irregular troops in Kentucky was given
him. He remained in the West until autumn, when he went back to
Virginia, but returned to Kentucky the succeeding year, which was the
occasion of his introduction to the embryo General Ray, as we have just
related.
At a public meeting of the settlers at Harrodsburg, held on the 6th of
June, 1775, General George Rogers Clark and Gabriel Jones were chosen
to represent the territory in the Colony of Virginia. The all-important
point at that critical juncture was whether Virginia would consider the
colony under her protection and render her the assistance she needed
against the combinations of the Indians.
It will be borne in mind that Colonel Henderson claimed Kentucky
by virtue of purchase from the Cherokees, and if such claim was
recognized, then no protection could be demanded from Virginia, no more
than from Pennsylvania. In General Clark's judgment the wiser course
was for the people to appoint agents with the power to negotiate with
Virginia, and in the event of the State refusing to acknowledge the
claim of the colony upon her, then General Clark proposed to use the
lands of Kentucky as a fund with which to obtain settlers and establish
an independent State. The sovereign people had determined otherwise,
and with many misgivings as to their recognition, General Clark and his
colleague set out for the capital of Virginia.
The way was long, and there were no public conveyances of which to
take advantage. When they reached Williamsburg, the legislature had
adjourned _sine die_. Thereupon Gabriel Jones made his way to the
settlements on the Holston, while General Clark, with the resolution
to accomplish something for the imperiled settlers on the frontier,
proceeded to the home of Governor Henry, who was lying sick in his room.
The Governor was so impressed by the statements of Clark, that he
gave him a letter to the Executive Council of the State, and, with
this document, the officer hastened to that body, and briefly but
graphically depicting the needs of the colony, asked the Council to
loan him five hundredweight of powder to be used in the defence of the
several stations.
The members of the Council expressed themselves as anxious to do
everything in their power for the endangered colonists, but there
was a threatened legal entanglement, which prevented them from
making the loan in the manner desired. On account of the efforts of
Colonel Henderson and Company, the inhabitants of Kentucky had not
yet been recognized as citizens, and until that important question
was settled, the utmost that could be done was to loan the ammunition
to the Kentuckians as friends, at the same time holding General Clark
personally responsible, in case of the failure of the State to give
citizenship to the colonists.
General Clark lost his patience with this proposition. He had made his
way to Virginia at great personal risk, to obtain the gunpowder, and he
was ready to give his utmost services in defending the colony, but he
could not admit the justice of becoming responsible for the value of
the ammunition so sorely needed by the settlements, and he therefore
declined to receive it upon such terms. Rather than do so, he announced
that he would go back to Kentucky, put in operation his original
scheme, and use all the resources of the territory to erect it into an
independent and sovereign State.
This determination General Clark declared in a letter to the Council,
after taking time to deliberate fully over the proposition. Its
reception produced a result which he hardly dared hope. The Council
called him before it, reconsidered their action, and ordered that the
powder be sent to Pittsburg at once, where it was to be turned over to
General Clark to be used in the defence of the settlements of Kentucky.
This took place in the latter part of August, and in the autumn of
the same year the memorial was laid before the Virginia Legislature.
The delegates could not be admitted to seats, but, before the session
was over, they secured legislative action that marked an epoch in
the history of the colony, which was its erection into the county of
Kentucky, by which it was entitled to a separate county court, two
justices of the peace, a sheriff, constables, coroners, and militia
officers. Thus to General Clark must be given the credit of securing
the first political organization of Kentucky, by which it was entitled
to representation in the Virginia Assembly, and to a separate judicial
and military establishment.
Having accomplished this important purpose, General Clark and Gabriel
Jones made ready to start to Kentucky again. The powder and a large
quantity of lead were still at Pittsburg, awaiting them, and they
proceeded to that point and took charge of the supplies. With seven
boatmen they started on their voyage down the Ohio.
General Clark felt the importance of making all possible haste in the
matter, for the Indians were sure to attempt its capture if they knew
of the prize passing through their country.
By some means or other they learned the truth, and the boat, with its
small crew, was scarcely out of sight of Pittsburg, when the Indians
appeared along the banks and began firing upon it with the hope of
disabling the crew. Then they entered their canoes and began a pursuit
of the boat containing the ammunition.
Without offering resistance, General Clark devoted his energies to
flight, and his men plied their oars with such success that they held
the advance all the way to the mouth of Limestone Creek, where General
Clark resorted to stratagem to save the valuable property in his hands.
His men had rowed with such unremitting energy that they could not hold
out much longer. The boat was therefore turned up Limestone Creek,
speeding along between the banks with such swiftness, that it kept out
of sight of the Indians for a long time.
At the proper point, the craft was run ashore, the men sprang out,
and the powder was concealed in the bushes. Then the boat was turned
adrift, and the little party started overland for Harrodsburg, where
they arrived without mishap. A few days later, the General returned
with a strong force, recovered all the ammunition, delivered it at
Harrodsburg, without the loss of a pound, and shortly after it was
distributed among all the stations, which were thus provided with the
indispensable means of defending themselves against the impending
assaults.
It will be admitted that General George Rogers Clark did a most
important service for Kentucky in thus furnishing her with ammunition,
and in securing her erection into the County of Kentucky: but this did
not end his services, and when it was least expected by his enemies, he
assumed the offensive.
General Clark possessed rare military gifts, as he demonstrated on more
than one important occasion. The Governor of the Canadian settlements
in the Illinois country was using his utmost endeavor to incite
the Indians to devastate the American frontier. This being established
beyond question, the Governor of Virginia placed two hundred and fifty
men under Clark, with permission to march against the settlements.
He descended the Ohio, landed and hid his boats, and then started
overland for his destination, his soldiers carrying the small amount
of provisions they had on their backs. These were soon exhausted, and,
for two days, they ate nothing but roots and a few berries, but all the
time pushed vigorously forward.
As silently as phantoms, and as totally unexpected, it may be said,
they appeared before Kaskaskia in the dead of night. The place was
captured before anything like resistance could be thought of. This
was a noteworthy exploit, for Kaskaskia but a short time before had
resisted a much larger force.
General Clark understood the value of promptness and celerity in
military movements, and without an hour's unnecessary delay he sent out
detachments against three other towns, which in every instance were
captured, the obnoxious Governor Rocheblave himself being one of the
prisoners. He was sent to Virginia, there being found among the papers
on his person instructions from Quebec to do his utmost to rouse the
Indians against the settlers, and even to go to the extent of offering
bounties for the scalps of Americans.
The Illinois settlers transferred their allegiance to Virginia, which
owned the territory by right of charter and conquest, and, in the
autumn of 1778, erected it into the County of Illinois--thus sealing
an act of brilliant generalship on the part of Clark, which has few
parallels in the history of the West.
The danger, instead of being over, only deepened, for Hamilton, the
Governor of Detroit, was a resolute official, and, burning under
the smart inflicted by the audacious American officer, began the
organization of an overwhelming force of British and Indians, with
which to move up the Ohio, to Fort Pitt, capturing all the settlements
on the way, purposing also to lay siege to Fort Kaskaskia itself.
This was alarming tidings to Clark, who saw no probability of being
able to hold the country, though he resolved to make its re-conquest
dear to the invaders. The forces which Governor Hamilton was gathering
far outnumbered his and were equally experienced, and their march up
the country promised to be practically irresistible. Besides this,
the Governor gathered hundreds of Indians, who were thirsting for the
opportunity for massacre and plunder. Thus, never in the history of the
frontier did a more portentous cloud gather in its sky.
In this hour of gloom and almost despair, General Clark learned that
Governor Hamilton, who had reached Fort St. Vincent--now known as
Vincennes--had divided his force, by sending most of the Indians
against the adjoining settlements.
This opportunity was similar to those the great Napoleon was so quick
to perceive, nearly a half century later, and which did so much to
establish his marvelous military genius in the eyes of the world.
It was in the dead of winter, being February, 1779, and yet the runner
had scarcely come into Kaskaskia with the important tidings, when
General Clark, with one hundred and fifty picked men, was threading his
way through the wilderness in the direction of Vincennes. Fortunately
the weather was unusually mild, but when within nine miles of the
enemy, they reached the drowned lands of the Wabash, where they were
compelled to wade to their armpits for a long distance, and to use so
much caution in advancing, that it was five days before the entire body
got safely across.
On the 23rd of February, the American force appeared before the fort,
and General Clark demanded its surrender. This was promptly refused,
and Clark made his preparations to take it. As the garrison had not
expected them, he began a siege, carefully investing it as best he
could, and confident that it could not hold out long.
So it proved. At the end of eighteen hours it was surrendered by
Governor Hamilton, the Americans not losing a man. The governor was
sent a prisoner to Williamsburg, and a large quantity of stores fell
into the hands of General Clark.
This was a brilliant achievement indeed, but it was not all. General
Clark captured a convoy from Canada on its way to the post which had
just surrendered, and secured the mail, $45,000, and forty prisoners.
Shortly after an express arrived from Virginia, thanking him and his
gallant companions for the reduction of the Kaskaskia country; and not
long after, Virginia, through the agency of General Clark, extended her
western establishments and erected a number of fortifications.