Life of Daniel Boone, the Great Western Hunter and Pioneer

The family of Daniel Boone--His grandfather emigrates to America, and settles in Bucks County, Pennsylvania--Family of Daniel Boone's father--Account of Exeter, the birth-place of Boone--Birth of Daniel Boone--Religion of his family--Boone's boyhood--Goes to school--Anecdote--Summary termination of his schooling.

Removal of Boone's father and family to North Carolina--Location on the Yadkin River--Character of the country and the people--Byron's description of the Backwoodsmen--Daniel Boone marries Rebecca Bryan--His farmer life in North Carolina--State of the country--Political troubles foreshadowed--Illegal fees and taxes--Probable effect of this state of things on Boone's mind--Signs of movement.

The Seven Years' War--Cherokee War--Period of Boone's first long Excursion to the West--Extract from Wheeler's History of Tennessee--Indian accounts of the Western country--Indian traders--Their Reports--Western travelers--Doherty--Adair--Proceedings of the traders--Hunters--Scotch traders--Hunters accompany the traders to the West--Their reports concerning the country--Other adventurers--Dr. Walker's expedition--Settlements in South-western Virginia--Indian hostilities--Pendleton purchase--Dr. Walker's second expedition--Hunting company of Walker and others--Boone travels with them--Curious monument left by him.

Political and social condition of North Carolina--Taxes--Lawsuits--Ostentation and extravagance of foreigners and government officers--Oppression of the people--Murmurs--Open resistance--The Regulators--Willingness of Daniel Boone and others to migrate, and their reasons--John Finley's expedition to the West--His report to Boone--He determines to join Finley in his next hunting tour--New company formed, with Boone for leader--Preparations for starting--The party sets out--Travels for a month through the wilderness--First sight of Kentucky--Forming a camp--Hunting buffaloes and other game--Capture of Boone and Stuart by the Indians--Prudent dissimulation--Escape from the Indians--Return to the old camp--Their companions lost--Boone and Stuart renew their hunting.

Arrival of Squire Boone and a companion at the camp of Daniel Boone--Joyful meeting--News from home, and hunting resumed--Daniel Boone and Stuart surprised by the Indians--Stuart killed--Escape of Boone, and his return to camp--Squire Boone's companion lost in the woods--Residence of Daniel Boone and Squire Boone in the wilderness--Squire returns to North Carolina, obtains a fresh supply of ammunition, and again rejoins his brother at the old camp--Daniel Boone's own account of this remarkable period of his life--His return to North Carolina--His determination to settle in Kentucky--Other Western adventurers--the Long hunters--Washington in Kentucky--Bullitt's party--Floyd's party--Thompson's survey--First settlement of Tennessee.

Daniel Boone remains two years in North Carolina after his return from the West--He prepares to emigrate to Kentucky--Character of the early settlers to Kentucky--The first class, hunters--The second class, small farmers--The third class, men of wealth and government officers.

Daniel Boone sets out for Kentucky with his family and his brother, Squire Boone--Is joined by five families and forty men at Powell's Valley--The party is attacked by Indians, and Daniel Boone's oldest son is killed--The party return to the settlements on Clinch River--Boone, at the request of Governor Dunmore, goes to the West and conducts a party of surveyors to Virginia--Boone receives the command of three garrisons and the commission of Captain--He takes a part in the Dunmore war--Battle of Point Pleasant and termination of the war.

The militia discharged--Captain Boone returns to his family--Henderson's company--Various companies of emigrants to Kentucky--Bounty lands--Harrod's party builds the first log-cabin erected in Kentucky, and founds Harrodsburg--Proceedings of Henderson's company--Agency of Captain Boone--He leads a company to open a road to Kentucky River--Conflicts with the Indians--Captain Boone founds Boonesborough--His own account of this expedition--His letter to Henderson--Account of Colonel Henderson and the Transylvania Company--Failure of the scheme--Probability of Boone having been several years in the service of Henderson.

Description of the Old Fort at Boonesborough--Usual methods of fortifications against the Indians--Arrival of more settlers at Boonesborough--Captain Boone returns to the Clinch River to bring out his family--He enlists new emigrants and starts for Kentucky--Reinforced by a large party at Powel's Valley--Arrival at Boonesborough--Arrival of many new settlers at Boonesborough and Harrod's settlement--Arrival of Kenton, Floyd, the McAfees, and other distinguished persons--Arrival of Colonel Richard Callaway.

Disturbed state of the country in 1775--Breaking out of the Revolutionary war--Exposed situation of the Kentucky settlements--Hostility of the Indians excited by the British--First political convention in the West--Capture of Boone's daughter and the daughters of Colonel Callaway by the Indians--Their rescue by a party led by Boone and Callaway--Increased caution of the colonists at Boonesborough--Alarm and desertion of the Colonies in the West by land speculators and other adventurers--A reinforcement of forty-five men from North Carolina arrive at Boonesborough--Indian attack on Boonesborough in April--Another attack in July--Attack on Logan's Fort, and siege--Attack on Harrodsburg.

Arrival of George Rogers Clark in Kentucky--Anecdote of his conversation with Ray--Clark and Jones chosen as delegates for the Colonies to the Virginia Legislature--Clark's important services in obtaining a political organization for Kentucky, and an abundant supply of gunpowder from the government of Virginia--Great labor and difficulty in bringing the powder to Harrodstown--Clark's expedition against Kaskaskias--Surprise and capture of their fort--Perilous and difficult march to Vincennes--Surprise and capture of that place--Extension of the Virginian settlements--Erection of Fort Jefferson.

Scarcity of salt at Boonesborough--Boone goes to Blue Licks to make salt, and is captured by the Indians--Taken to Chilicothe--Affects contentment, and deceives the Indians--Taken to Detroit--Kindness of the British officers to him--Returns to Chilicothe--Adopted into an Indian family--Ceremonies of adoption--Boone sees a large force of Indians destined to attack Boonesborough--Escapes, and gives the alarm, and strengthens the fortifications at Boonesborough--News of delay by the Indians on account of Boone's escape--Boone goes on an expedition to the Scioto--Has a fight with a party of Indians--Returns to Boonesborough, which is immediately besieged by Captain Duquesne with five hundred Indians--Summons to surrender--Time gained--Attack commenced--Brave defense--Mines and countermines--Siege raised--Boone brings his family once more back to Boonesborough, and resumes farming.

Captain Boone tried by court-martial--Honorably acquitted and promoted--Loses a large sum of money--His losses by law-suits and disputes about land--Defeat of Colonel Rogers's party--Colonel Bowman's expedition to Chilicothe--Arrival near the town--Colonel Logan attacks the town--Ordered by Colonel Bowman to retreat--Failure of the expedition--Consequences to Bowman and to Logan.

Invasion of Kentucky by Captain Byrd's party--He captures the garrisons at Ruddle's Station and Martin's Fort--Colonel Clark's invasion of the Indian country--He ravages the Indian towns--Adventure of Alexander McConnell--Skirmish at Pickaway--Result of the expedition--Boone goes to the Blue Licks with his brother--Attacked by the Indians--Boone's brother killed--Boone promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel--Clark's galley--Squire Boone's Station removed to Bear's Creek--Attack by the Indians--Colonel Floyd's defeat--Affair of the McAfees--Attack on McAfee's Station repelled--Fort Jefferson evacuated--Attack on Montgomery Station--Rescue by General Logan.

News of Cornwallis's surrender--Its effects--Captain Estill's defeat--Grand army of Indians raised for the conquest of Kentucky--Simon Girty's speech--Attack on Hoy's Station--Investment of Bryant's Station--Expedient of the besieged to obtain water--Grand attack on the fort--Repulse--Regular siege commenced--Messengers sent to Lexington--Reinforcements obtained--Arrival near the fort--Ambushed and attacked--They enter the fort--Narrow escape of Girty--He proposes a capitulation--Parley--Reynolds' answer to Girty--The siege raised--Retreat of the Indians.

Arrival of Reinforcements at Bryant's Station--Colonel Daniel Boone, his son and brother among them--Colonels Trigg, Todd, and others--Consultation--Apprehensions of Boone and others--Arrival at the Blue Licks--Rash conduct of Major McGary--Battle of Blue Licks--Israel Boone, Colonels Todd and Trigg, and Majors Harland and McBride killed--Retreat of the whites--Colonel Boone nearly surrounded by Indians--Bravery of Netherland--Noble conduct of Reynolds--The fugitives meet Colonel Logan with his party--Return to the field of battle--Logan returns to Bryant's Station.

The Indians return home from the Blue Licks--They attack the settlements in Jefferson County--Affair at Simpson's Creek--General Clark's expedition to the Indian country--Colonel Boone joins it--Its effect--Attack of the Indians on the Crab Orchard settlement--Rumor of intended invasion by the Cherokees--Difficulties about the treaty with Great Britain--Hostilities of the Indians generally stimulated by renegade whites--Simon Girty--Causes of his hatred of the whites--Girty insulted by General Lewis--Joins the Indians at the battle of Point Pleasant--Story of his rescuing Simon Kenton--Crawford's expedition, and the burning of Crawford--Close of Girty's career.