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A
HISTORY OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF
KENTUCKY. BY MANN BUTLER,
LOUISVILLE,
A. M.
KY.:
PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR BY WILCOX, DICKERMAN & CO. PRINTED BY
J.
A.
JAMES, CINCINNATI.
18 34.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1834, by
MANN
BUTLER,
in the Clerk's Office of the District
A. M.,
Court of Kentucky.
Stereotyped by J. A. James, Cincinnati.
DEDICATION, TO
GENERAL WILLIAM CLARK, OF THE
STATE OF MISSOURI. Sir:
numerous friends whom the undertaking of Kentucky has procured for me, I know of no one who has conferred such signal obligations upon me, as The papers of your illustrious brother, George Rogers yourself. Clark, so liberally placed by you in my hands, have shed most the
Among
the History of
curious and interesting lights upon the affairs of the western country; and particularly of Kentucky. These could have been
procured from no other source. To whom then, can I so well dedicate self,
who have
memorials of our history, and
this History, as to
your-
some of
the most precious have so kindly contributed them
so faithfully preserved
Were this not the case, who is for the public information! so properly the representative of the pre-eminent founder of Kentucky, and the successful negotiator for its Virginia acknowledgement,
as his only surviving brother]
me to associate your ancient friend in arms, General William H. Harrison, as one to whom the author is next most deeply indebted, for interesting illustrations of the After yourself, allow
early military
Wayne,
movements
of your
common commander.
as well as for the elucidation of
General
some of the obscure
vicissitudes of Indian history.
Be pleased then, to accept this dedication of this work, as a testimonial of my high and unfeigned sense of the obligations conferred upon the great community of the west,
than on
my humble
historical labors.
much more
in your generous co-operation with In the interim I have the honor to remain self,
Your
my'
obliged friend,
MANN
iWticol
BUTLER.
»:
CONTENTS. CHAPTER
I.
Earliest condition of Kentucky— Iroquois, or Jlohawks, known in 1603— Early seatsProgress to the Mississippi and tiie Illinois— Appeal to the Colonial CommissionersGeneral Riaridock's talk— Treaties with the Enslish—Great treaty of 1768—OpmJon of Supreme Court on Indian title—Opinions of General Harrison— Treaties of 1//4— 1775—1785—1795 and 1819. [page 1.
CHAPTER
II.
Government— Prociamation of 17C3—Violations of it—Visit of Dr. Walker in 1747— Xanie the Shawanee river, CumlK.'rland— Visit of John Finley—of Daniel Koone— Long hunters— Visit of Capt. Thomas Bullitt and JIcAfees— Surveys of Louisville—Simon Keulon— Burning of Hendricks— Adventures of the McAfees—
Policv of
tiie
British
JaoiPS Harrod settles Karrodsburg— Battle of Point Pleasant— Treaty of 1774— Treaty Settlement of Booneshorouch and St. Asaphs ^Indian jliethod Of sieie. [page 17.
of 1775
—
—
CHAPTER
III.
—Cliosen a delegate to the VirJohn Jones — Calls on Governor Henry — Receives — Procures the of creation Kentucky county — Brings gun Kentucky gunpowder — on the tanks of Limestone creek — Blackf.sh powder from Fort Pitt Conceals attacks Harrodstown — Singular escape of Kay — Plans approved hy Governor end Council —Spies in Illinois— Arrives at the Falls of Ohio— Eclipse of "the Sun—Passes the Fails— Reaches Kaskaskia— Surprises the 'own — Takes Cahokia. [page
First visit of Clark to [jiiiia
Kentucky— Visits Harrodsiown
Lesislature with Galiriel for
it
35.
CHAPTER —
IV.
—
Plan azainst St. Vincents ^Thanks of ^'irginia St. Vincents revolts from the BritishIllinois county er. Girault Negotiations with Sew Orleans— Indian negotiations.
—
—
[page 58.
CHAPTER
V.
—
St. Vincents hy tl;e Eriti^^l;— Plans aaainst -Americans— French volunteers J'arch to St. Vinjeuts— -Capture—- Return to Kaskaskia. [page 79.
Recapture of
CHAPTER —
VI.
CHAPTER
VII.
First Colonel—Siege of St. Asapbs, or Loran's First Court of Kentucky—Its ofncers Station— -British Proclamations—Capture of Boone -Siege of Eoonesborough— -Land
Law— Its
Commissioners.
[page S8.
Coloiel David Rogers' Exje'^ition to .New OrieaT^s— Defeat—Captain Eenham -Colonel Bowman's Expedition: -Colonel Pyrd's E.ypialition up Licking— General George Rocers Clark's inarch from Fort JeSersor.-— .^huis up the Land office at Kanodsbura
—
Erpodition against Pickaway.
[pa.?e 1C2.
CHAPTER
VIII.
into Lincoln. Fayeuc and Jtilerson— -Erection cf Fort Jefferson on the Mississinpi— Spanish and Fien-li inlrigue."? at Paris against thewcsteni hoinuia'-v of the United SMtes— -McKpc and Girty— -Vltack on Bryant's Station -Battle of tlie F'lio Licks- -Ex|)C(iition of General Clark to the Cliilicothcs in 17P-2— -Early manners and state of the nrif in Kentucky. [page 116.
Kentucky county divided
CHAPTER
IX.
Land Titiej— Attempts tn sever Kentucky from the United States— -John Jay resists tiieni— Supreme District Court cstaWishcd— -James Wilkinson-—Commerciai Associa lion in Philadelphia--Scttlenieiit of Washiufflon. in Mason county—Indian ricprcrla tlons --Fir.'=t Convciiti.m— Vjr\
-
rcnce, above Quebec, and on both sides of the lakes Ontario. -»
Prfsent state of North America, nolsliy,
17,"(."i,
p. 14, 18,
'20.
Comnmnicatod
!>y
tlii;
politencsfi of Isaac Ncwiiall, Esq. of Salem, .Matsarhuictts, from the Historical Roon,* in that City, derived from Coldcn'i Five Nations, and confinued by thie btter work.
A
nisTOEv OP KEN'xrcEir,
il
Erie and Huron. In this career of conquest, with a magnanimity s^agacious spirit worthy of the ancient Romans, and supe-
and
cotemporary tribes, they successively incorporated the victims of their arms, with their own confederacy. Under this comprehensive policy, some of their greatest
rior to all their
sachems are said
to
have sprung from conquered but concilia-
ted confederates.
In 1672 these tribes are represented as having conquered the Oillinois cr Illinois residing en the Illmois river; and they are likevv'ise at the same time, said to have conquered and incorporated the Satanas, the
Chawanons
they had forinerly driven from the
or Shawanons,
To
la.kes.
they are said by the same high authority,
to
whom
these conquests,
have added
in
iGS5,that; of the Twightwces, as they are called in the Journal
These of Major Washington to Gov. Dinv.iddie, of Virginia. this known as the at more are Miamis, tribes, day, generally and they lived on the river St. Jerome, as the Wabash was first called l)y the French. About the same time, the Mohawks carried their victorious
"arms
to the Illinois
and Mississippi rivers west-
v/ard, Georgia southward." *About 1711, they incorv>iicn driven from Carolina, and they the Tiiscaroras, porated continue at this day, to constitute a part of this once memora-
and
to
and thus changing
ble confederacy; forming the sixth nation,
name of their union, from the Five Nations to that The rifc and progress of these most remarkable Six.
the
of the tribes,
have worthily employed tlic pens of several historians, both French and English; they have even seduced the mind of Dc Witt Clinton, from the cares of the great State of New York, to investiga'.e the history of her most ancient and faithful allies.
To
this
summary, other
authorities
may
well be added,
on a point, so vital to tlie early, history of Kentucky, and of Western America. This becomes more necessary, since the connection of these tribes with the history of Kentucky, has escaped the notice of all our recent writers. Even the emi-
nent biographer of our
illustrious
Washington, .=ccms
neglected these annals, in their relations
to
TLUcI.cr's Lives of Ihe Indians,
to
havt
our colonial history.
p. 39.
3
HISTORY OP KEXTrCKY. Yet-, it
could not be from
which attaches
to
any dubious
them,
since
or unimportant charactei-, they are derived from the
highest colonial authorities and embrace the treaty history oi' The tribes in question, says Governor Western America. in his "Administration of the British Colonies," about 1664, carried their arms, as far south as Carolina, and as far west as the Mississippi, over a vast country, which extended twelve hundred miles in length, and about six hundred in
Pownal
breadth; where they destroyed whole nations, of whom there are no accounts remaining among the English. "The rights of these tribes," says the same respectable authority, "to the
hunting lands of Ohio, (meaning the river of that name) may be fairly proved by the conquest they made in subduing the
Shavanocs, Delawares, Twictwees, and
Oillinois, as
they stood
possessed thereof, at the peace of Ryswick in IGQiy In further confirmation of this Indian title, it must be mentioned, that Lewis Evans, a gentleman whom Dr. Franklin compli-
ments, as possessed "of great American knowledge," represents in his m^p of the middle colonies of Great Britain on this
Ohio
continent, the country
on the south-easterly
side of the
hunting lands of the Six Nations. In his his map, he expressly says, * "that the Shawanese
river, as the
analysis to
who were formerly one of
the most considerable nations of
these parts of America, whose seat extended from Kentucke, soutb-westward to the Mississippi, have been subdued by the confederates, (or Six Nations) and the country since their property,"
This chain of testimony
is
become
corroborated by the statements of
the Six Nations to the commissioners of the provinces of
Penn-
sylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, at an Indian council held v/ith them in 1744. When at this meeting, the Indian Chiefs were called upon by the colonial commissioners "to tell what nations of Indians they had conquered lands from in Virginia,
and
to receive satisfaction for
to;" they are said
such lands, as thev had a ri^ht
by Dr. Franklint
to
have made
this reply:
* Franklin's Works, vol. 4. f Franklin's Works, vol. 4, 271. Oliscrvations on the conlucl of the French, dedicated to Win. Shirley, Gov. Boston, 1753; p. 4.
HISTOKY aV KENTUCKY.
4
W6 conquered
"All the world knows-, that
the several nationis
Jiving on the
Susquehannah, Cohongoranto (now Potomack) and back of the Great Mountains in Virginia j" "we conquered the nations residing there, and that land, if the Virginians ever get a good right to
These
it
it,
had
tribes
themselves under the
must be by us." as early as
previously,
1701,
placed
protection and government of Great
In their deed, or treaty of the 4th of September, 1726^ this disposition of their country. confirmed Calculating they Britain.
implicitly in
on
this
acknowledgment, General Braddock, when^ to command one of the military expe-
1755, he came over
ditions, directed against the
Such a treaty appears at this day, to be utterly beyond tions," the advantages which could have been claimed from Dunmore's The principal blow had been struck by the left expedition. his army apart from him, at the bloody battle of Point Pleasant, in which, under Gen. Andrew Lewis, with the choicest of the western backwoodsmen, the Indians fought v/ith an
wing of spirits
open resolution worthy of their highest military fame, although they retreated. Gov. Dunmorc crossed the Ohio seventy-five miles above the mouth of
him, little
Kenhawa, and ordered Lewis
to join
towns eighty miles from the river. Hero but said to have taken place, when the Governor
at the Indian
fighting
is
have little deserved the suhpatched up a peace, which would the evinced by legislature of Virginia,t gequent suspicions *3vn, which after having been abandoned by Colonel Harrod, on the late rupture, with the Indians, had been re-possessed by him. In this visit, he either had a commission of major, or
was from
Dunmore's war and prominent talents, head of the irregular troops, then in
his service in
voluntarily placed at the
Kentucky.
He
himself only speaks of settling in the fall of Kentucky militia which would confirm
'77, the accounts of the
the idea of his previous
command, besides being known
at that
In the ensuing autumn Clark returned to back to Kentucky in the spring of '76.* came and again Virginia, its value to Virginia ?.sa frontier, as well on reflected He deeply
time as Major Clark.
as to the rest of the confederacy.
The
result of these meditations
suo-uested to him, the importance of assembling the people of
the country at Harrod's
Town, as
vise a plan for the public defence.
it
was then called, to deAt this time the claim of
Henderson and Company, acquired under the treaty of WataTrcKV. officers
59
on the opposite side of the Mississippi as every influto counteract the extended agency and con;
ence was required trol
of the British;
hatchet from
who had
Lake Superior
distributed the
to Detroit,
bloody belt and and the Mississippi. In
tliis long chain of intrigue with the Indians, post St. Vincents formed an important link; not only from the warlike character of the adjacent tribes, but from their contiguity to Kaskaskia, it was utterly beyond the " of force at the command Clark, joined by every man in Kentucky ;" he, therefore, resorted to other means. The American soldiers were instructed to speak of the Falls of Ohio, as the
and the settlements of Kentucky. Yet
head quarters of the army, from which the present troops were only a detachment; that reinforcements were daily expected from that point, which was fortifying, and that when they arrived,
more extensive military movements would take place. Some such artifice was necessary to excuse the apparent rashness of invading the
Illinois,
with so small a force.
Courts of civil ju.
were likewise established by Clark, which were held by French judges, freely chosen by the people, leaving an apAbout this time, M. Cere, who was mentioned peal to Clark. that his family at Kaskaskia should be the only before, uneasy
risdiction
one placed under a guard, and fearful of venturing into the power of the American officer without a safe conduct; procured the reconunendation of the Spanish Governor at St. Louis, as
well as the
commandant
at St.
Genevieve, supported by the
in-
fluence of the greater part of the citizens, for the purpose of obIt was all in vain; Colonel Clark perempand intimated, that he wished to hear no more such applications; that he understood M. Cere was " a sensible
taining this security. torily refused it;
man,'' and if he was innocent of the charge of inciting the Indians against the Americans, he need not be afraid of delivering himself up. This backwardness would only increase tlie Shortly after this expression of Clark's suspicion against him.
M. Cere to whom they were no doubt communicated, repaired to Kaskaskia, and without visiting his family, immediately waited on Colonel Clark; who informed him that the sentiments,
crime with which he stood charged was, encouraging the In-
HISTORY OF KE^'TTCKV.
60
dians in their murders and devastations on our
An
enormity, whose perpetrators,
own
frontiers-
continued the American
commander, it behooved every civilized people to punish, whenever they got such violators of the laws of honorable war-
To this accusation, M. Cere frankly was a mere merchant, and had never been conaffairs of state beyond what the interests of his busi-
fare within their power. replied; that he
cerned
in
ness required; moreover, his remote position had prevented him from understanding the merits of the war, now raging between the United States and Great Britain. He defied, he said,
any man
to prove, that
he had encouraged the Indian barbari-
many could be produced, who had heard him express his disapprobation of all such cruelties; though, at the same ties; while
time,
it
was necessary
numbers indebted
to
to
inform Colonel Clark, that there were who might, by his ruin, seek to dis-
him,
In charge their pecuniary obligations to him. nent French merchant declared his willingness strictest inquiry
into the
fine, this
emi-
to support the
only heinous charge against him.
This was every thing the American officer required; he desired M. Cere to retire into another room, while he sent for his accuby the greater part
sers; they immediately attended, followed
M. Cere was summoned
confront them, the former immediately shewed their confusion at his appearance; the parties were told by Colonel Clark, that he had no disposition
of the inhabitants.
to
condemn any man unheard; that M. Cere was now present, and he (Clark) was ready to do justice to the civilized world by punishing him if guilty of inciting the Indians to commit their
to
enormities on helpless
gan left
women and
children.
The
accusers be-
whisper to one another and retire: until but one was of six or seven at first; this person was asked for his proof, to
but he had none to produce, and M. Cere was honorably acquitted, not more to his own satisfaction, than to that of his
neighbors and friends. He was then congratulated by Colonel Clark upon his acquittal, and informed, that although his be-
coming an American
citizen, would be highly acceptable, yet he did not sincerely wish to do so, he was perfectly at liberty to dispose of his property, and to remove elsewhere. Cere deif
HISTORY OF KENTUCKY. liorhted
at the
fair
61
and generous treatment he had met with, became a " most
immediately took the oath of allegiance, and valuable" friend to the American cause.
So successful was
the
management of
Clark, that whether he
bribed, or whether he punished, both methods
ducive to the public interest.
were made con-
In this case, he seems to have
kept up an appearance of rigor for the very opportunity of enhancing the indulgence, he wished and determined to exercise :
As an reserve in favors, was a common feature of his policy. exhibition of Colonel Clark's tact in governing under the critical circumstances in
which he was placed,
The
narration has
this detail
has been
now
arrived at the comthought necessary. the French in of the present State reduction settlements, plete of Illinois; not more by the force of arms than by the adroit policy of the
American commander, and the good disposition of The American government, too, was then in
the inhabitants.
alliance with their ancient countrymen, Avhose dominion, no still clung affectionately round their hearts. In this wav
doubt,
the ancient town of Kaskaskias, which had been two years before the city of Philadelphia, now flourishing so nobly under the auspices of American liberty; as disand in the arts, as she is retinguished for her fame in learning
was reduced settled
nowned
for her virtues
and opulence.
While
to
exhibit the
fluctuating condition of things, Kaskaskia, her predecessor planted under the protection of a powerful monarchy, numbers
but ninety-six persons,* and is almost a deserted village, filled with ruins of the nicest masonry. Colonel Clark, with his brave
and men, on the 23d of November, 1778, was voted the thanks of the House of Delegates, " for their extraordinary reso-
officers
and perseverance in so hazardous an enterprise, and for the important services thereby rendered their country."
lution
Post St. Vincents still continued to occupy the thoughts of Clark as a point of great importance to the safety of his present " It was position, and to the extension of the Virginia dominion.
never" he says, "out of my mind;" it had indeed occupied his it has been seen in his first descent down the Ohio,
thoughts
;
* Censua of 1830.
F
HISTORY OF KE>TrcKY.
62
and was only relinquished at that time from his weaknessHis early inclinations were revived by his success at Kaskasfor M. Gibault, the Roman Catholic kia, and he sent priest of This gentleman, received the thanks of who subsequently public Virginia for his had been attached to the Ameristeadily distinguished services, his village, as well as that of St. Vincents.
can cause
;
he readily gave Colonel Clark every information he him that Governor Abbot had lately gone on busi-
desired; told
ness
to
Detroit, and that a military expedition from the Falls
ao-ainst St. Vincents,
which Clark pretended
to raeditatey
waa
He indeed offered, if it met the approbascarcely necessary. " take the business on tion of Colonel Clark, to himself, and he had no doubt of
American
his
being able to bring that place over to the he said, " my being at the trouble
interest without"
of marching against patriotic priest
it."
Nor
is
must have taken
it
unfair to believe, that this
into consideration the interests
of his parishioners, by endeavoring to save them, if possible, from the chances of military spoil and violence. The generous and equal spirit which, the ancient church of
Rome had so rightfully, yet so rarely has met, at the hands c^ Protestant conquerors, and the beneficent administration of Clark, all united, no doubt, to propagate the American influence, and extend
its
To
arms.
readily acceded; for
these offers of
M.
Gibault, Clark most
was the fondest wish of his
heart, yet he scarcely ventured to believe he should realize it; and, moreover, at the desire of the clergyman, a Dr. Lafont was associated it
member
of the embassy. The principal charge hands M. Gibault. of On the 14th of July, was, however, the French gentlemen accompanied by a spy of Clark's, an as a temporal
in the
additional security
which he seems, scarcely ever
to
lected in his enterprises, set off for St. Vincent's, or
have neg*0. Post,
After full explanations of the state as it was very often called. of affairs between the priest and his flock, in two or three days, the inhabitants threw off the British government, and assembling in a body at the church, they, in the most solemn took the oath of allegiance to the commonwealth of »
A
corruption of
Au
Poste.
manner, Virginia.
63
HISTORr OF KENTUCKY.
A
commandant was
elected,
and the American
flag
immediately
astonishment of the Indians. displayed over the fort, to the Thus again fell another of the French villages established about 1745, owing to the pure good will of the inhabitants towards the American government; and another barrier of counteract-
was ing influence over the barbarous hostilities of the Indians,
The savages were told by their French " that their old Father, the King of France, was come to friends, life again, and was mad with them for fighting for the English
gained for Kentucky.
;
that if they did not wish the land to be bloody with war, they must make peace with the Americans."
About
the 1st of August,
M. Gibault and
party, returned with
the joyful intelligence, of having peaceably adjusted every American interest; no less thing at St. Vincents in favor of the
astonishment of Clark, than of the inhabitants of Kaskaskia.
to his gratification,
to the
jiow opened itself on Clark
months
for
which
his troops
;
it
and that
A new
source of perplexity was the expiration of the three
had been
enlisted.
But the discre-
tionary powers so wisely lodged with an officer acting on so remote a stage, and under such embarrassing difficulties, de-
termined him not to divest himself of the only American {>ower, on which he could rely upon any emergency; and to strain his authority, for the preservation of that interest, for
which
was conferred upon him.
it
men upon a new
He, therefore, re-enlisted
footing, raised a
company among the naown officers, established a garrison at Kaskaskia under the command of Captain Williams, and another at Cahokia, under that of Captain Bowman. Colonel William Linn, who had accompanied the expedition as a volunteer, now took charge of the troops, who wished to rehis
tive inhabitants
commanded by
their
turn and was the bearer of orders from Colonel Clark,
by building a stockade Twelfth opens
street,
to
the
fort at the
to es-
This order was executed
tablish a fort at the Falls of Ohio.
termination of the present
on the easterly side of the large ravine, that river
at
that
point.*
Here was planted
the
* The fort here mentioned, was in 1782, succeeded by a larger one, built by the rejular troops assisted by the militia from all the settled parts of the district. It was situated be-
64
HISTORY OP KENTUCKY.
thrifty
germ of Louisville, now
which seems
emporium of Kentucky, and grow with the countless proswith whose remotest commerce the
fairly destined to
perity of this great republic,
and continued union, she
is
vitally connected.
Captain John
Montgomery was despatched to Richmond, in charge of M. Rocheblave, the British commandant of Kaskaskia. In regard to this officer, who expressed himself with great bitterness of the Americans,
and the natives who had sided
with them. Colonel Clark exerted himself very much, to pi'ocure a restoration to Mrs. Rocheblave, of his slaves, that had
been seized as public plunder. This was attempted by inviting to a dinner with some of the officers, as well as with his
him
acquaintance, where this restitution was, it seems, to have offered; but it Avas entirely frustrated by the violent and insulting language of the former commandant; he called them
been
a parcel of rebels, and provoked such indignation that he was immediately sent to the guard house all further thoughts of sav;
ing his slaves were now abandoned. They were subsequently sold for the amount of five hundred pounds, and the proceeds divided among the troops as prize money. The Governor of Virginia
was informed of the whole of Clark's proceedings, and the civil commandant was desired by him, who
appointment of a
should take charge of the political afl'airs of this secluded portion In consequence of this recommendation, of the commonwealth.
was passed in October, 1778, establishing the county of Illinois, and embracing within its boundary all the chartered an
act
limits of Virginia,
west of the Ohio river.
There was
thorized the raising of a regiment of five hundred
opening communications with
New
also au-
men, and the
Orleans for their support.
twccn llio prrscnl Sixth niid KigliUi strpcts, on tlir iiortlicrn sido of Main street, immediately on the I'link ofthe river. In honor of tlie third repnhliraii (5ovcrnor of Virginia, the fort vvasrallcd Fort Nelson. Hcventh street passed tlnonch tlie lirst gate opposite to the head quarters of General Clarli Tlie principal military defence in this part of the country deserves n few more partiiularp. It contained aliont an acre of ground, and was snrroun