Scott County Historical
Society
Scott County, Virginia
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Historical Sketches
Historical
Sketches of Southwest Virginia DANIEL BOONE IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA "The Story as Told by Lyman
Coleman Draper"
Edited by James William Hagy
In the
middle of the 19th century Lyman Copeland Draper hurried about the
United States collecting manuscripts promising to use them in writing
about frontier history. Draper collected a tremendous volume of
documents but he could never give up the search and settle down to
writing for any length of time. He was always searching for one more
document, one more eyewitness account. The people who entrusted Draper
with the documents were, of course, highly upset when the promised
volumes never appeared - and the documents were not returned. Draper did
succeed in writing his long "King's Mountain and Its Heroes"
which was published in 1881. A second word which he never finished was
his "Life of Boone." Consequently this work has never been
published but has been invaluable
All of Draper's manuscripts ended up at the Wisconsin Historical
Society where they have been of tremendous aid for research in frontier
history. The manuscripts can be obtained on microfilm and though this
medium is of great importance in making documents available to many
people, microfilm is maddening to read for any length of time.
Furthermore, one has to be at a library where there is a microfilm
reader. Therefore the story of Boone in Southwest Virginia, which is
certainly one of the most important periods of his life, is being
presented here in order that a wider audience might appreciate the work
of Draper who, had he finished his book, would have been the authority
on Daniel Boone.
The "Life of Boone" is a handwritten manuscript which
frequently wanders from the subject. Therefore a few passages have been
edited out. Also the footnotes have been slightly altered so that the
sources mentioned by Draper might be located, and a few changes have
been made in grammar and punctuation. But for the most part the story
reads as Draper wrote it. The
early part of the manuscript deals with the Boone family coming from
How he spent the ensuing two and a half years after returning
from his extended ramblings in Kentucky, his own scanty narrative is
entirely silent. He was however, busily employed during the cropping
season at home, assisted by his sons James and Israel, while the
remainder of each year found him searching the western wilderness for
game and a suitable country for a new settlement. During this period,
one Joe Robertson, and old weaver who had a famous pack of bear dogs and
was devoted to the chase, often accompanied Boone into the Brushy
Mountain, and over to the Watauga, securing loads of bear skins, which
they packed to the settlements and sold. On one of their adventurous
trips, they penetrated as far as the French Lick on Cumberland, and
found several French hunters there. (1)
In May, 1772, Isaac Shelby, then a young man, met Boone below the
Holston settlement alone - such was his passion for adventure; and
rehearsed to his new acquaintance the story of his former Kentucky
exploration, and robbery by the Indians (2). There is also reason to
believe, that about the year 1772, Boone removed his family to Watauga,
and there resided awhile; and then, from some cause, returned to his old
place on the Yadkin. (2)
Early in 1773, Daniel Boone, Benjamin Cutbirth, and a few others,
explored Kentucky and were greatly pleased with the country. Boone then,
for a period, reoccupied his old cave on the right bank of Little
Hickman Creek, in what is now Jessamine County, Kentucky, in which he
had, probably three years before taken up his temporary abode; there he
carved the initials of his name and the year on the side of the cavern -
"D. B." - 1773", and also, in like manner, on several
beach trees near the mouth of the cave. Tradition has not preserved the
particulars of this journey, and hence we may infer that only incidents
of common occurrence attended the adventurers. So gratified were they
with Kentucky, that they resolved at once to remove and settle
permanently in the country. (4)
It would appear, that Boone, on his way home, made the
acquaintance of Captain William Russell, then residing near Castle's
Woods on Clinch River, who entered so heartily into Boone's views with
reference to settling Kentucky, that he agreed to join him in the
enterprise. Somewhere in this region, the McAfee company, on their way
home from Kentucky, met Boone, about the 12th of August, then making
preparations to migrate to that country. (5) Returning to the Yadkin
Boone paid a visit to the Bryan Settlement, sixty miles southeast of his
residence, where his brother-in- law, William Bryan, several other
members of the Bryan connection, together with Benjamin Cutbirth and
other hardy adventurers, consented to try their fortunes in the
wilderness. It was arranged, that the Bryan party, who could cross the
mountains more conveniently to the eastward of Boone's intended route,
should join Boone's company in Powell's Valley on a specified day, and
pass the most dangerous part of the journey together. Hastening home,
Boone sold his farm, and such household goods, produce and farming
utensils as he could not well convey so great a distance, when joined by
five other families, they "bade farewell to friends," as Boone
tells us in his Narrative, and took their departure for Kentucky on
September 25th, 1773. Fifty-six years before Squire Boone, with his
parents, had bid adieu to friends and kindred in England, and set sail
for the New World; thirty-three
The Bryan party, numbering forty men, overtook the van as agreed
on; those of them having families, had left them at home, designing to
commence a settlement, and, should circumstances favor, remove their
families and effects out afterwards. This reinforcement was not
exclusively composed of men from the Valley of South Yadkin, for several
had joined them in the Fort Chiswell and Holston Valley regions, among
whom were Michael Stoner, William Bush and Edmund Jennings. They had
successively passed Clinch Mountain and river, Powell's Mountain and
Walden's Ridge, and fairly entered Powell's Valley. Boone pronounced the
aspect of those several mountain cliffs "wild and horrid."
Yet, it must be confessed, that there is a grandeur in beholding the
mighty growth of forest trees, rising in gradual succession one above
another from the base to the mountain's summit, their leaves presenting
the varied tints of autumn, with here and there an old gray rock jutting
from the foliage, or a bank of moss peeping through, with the earth
beneath covered with a luxuriant growth of herbs
Here, at or near the western base of Walden's Ridge, where
Powell's River flows along a lovely vale, Boone and his party pitched
their camp, and awaited the arrival of the rear. James Boone, and two
brothers named John and Richard Mendinall, from Guilford County, North
Carolina, had been dispatched from the main company, probably at the
Wolf Hills, now Abingdon, across the country to Captain Russell's at
Castle's woods, for the double purpose of notifying him of the advance
of Boone's Kentucky adventurers, and procuring a quantity of flour. Pack
loads of flour were provided, and Captain Russell sent forward his
oldest son Henry, a youth of seventeen, two Negroes names Charles and
Adam, together with Isaac Crabtree and a youth named Drake, with several
horses ladened with
It was now the 9th of October, and, after dreaming, of danger,
the party under young Boone and young Russell pushed on cheerfully, and
as rapidly as possible, endeavoring to reach the advance party that
evening. Night overtaking them, and probably not aware that the company
in front was only three miles distant, they encamped on the northern
bank of Walden's Creek, at the old ford near the head of that stream, a
southern tributary of Powell's River. Unknown to this little band, a
party of stealthy Indians had that day dogged them a considerable
distance; and, during the evening, while young Boone and companions were
seated around their blazing campfire, they heard the howl of wolves, or
a successful imitation on the part of the Indians, when the Mendinalls,
unused to such frontier serenades, dropped some expressions of fear.
Crabtree, a regular backwoodsman, laughed heartily at their
apprehensions, and jeeringly told them that they would hear as well the
bellowing of buffaloes as the howling of the wolves in the treetops in
Kentucky.
Locked in the sweet embrace of balmy sleep, all unconscious of
danger, this little band of emigrants was attacked about daybreak next
morning (6) by the Indians, who, creeping close to camp, fired upon
their unsuspecting victims, killing some and wounding others. A heart
rending scene ensued. Young Russell was shot through both hips, and was
unable to attempt an escape. As the Indians would rush up with their
knives to stab him, he would seize the naked blade with his hands, and
thus had them badly mangled, and was finally tortured in a most
barbarous manner. Young Boone was also shot through the hips, breaking
them both, and rendering him helpless. He recognized among the Indians
Big Jim, a Shawnee warrior, who had often shared the hospitalities of
his father's house. His unusually high cheek bones and broad face, with
a singular peculiar chin, rendered it almost impossible for anyone, who
had ever known him, to fail instantly to recognize his remarkable
features. James Boone implored him by name warrior.
The Indians tortured the young Boone by pulling out his toe and finger
nails, when he besought Big Jim at once to put him out of his misery. At
the same time young Russell was suffering similar tortures, when Boone
remarked to him that he presumed his parents, brothers and sisters were
all killed by the Indians. At length both the young sufferers were
severely stabbed, and probably tomahawked when death, like an angel of
mercy, came to their relief.
Both of the Mendinalls and young Drake were among the slain, one
of whom at the time ran off, and was neither found nor heard of at that
period; but many years after, some of the family of Mr. John Sharp,
residing nearby, found the bones of a man between two high ledges of
rocks, about an eighth of a mile above the defeated camp, which were
supposed to have been those of the missing man, who had probably been
mortally wounded, in the attack, fled as far as he could, crawled
between the ledges and died. The Negro Adam fortunately escaped unhurt,
hid himself in some driftwood on the bank of the creek close at hand,
and was an unwilling spectator of the painful scene enacted at the camp.
Crabtree, though wounded, also effectedhis escape, and first reached the
settlements; while Adam, getting lost, was eleven days in making his way
to the frontier inhabitants. The other Negro, Charles, older and less
active than Adam, was taken prisoner by the Indians, who carried him off
with the horses and every article they esteemed of any value. When they
had gone about forty miles, getting into a dispute about the ownership
of the Negro, the leader of the party put an end to the quarrel by
tomahawking the poor captive.
In the advance camp was a young fellow who had been detected in
pilfering from his comrades, and had become the butt of contempt and
ridicule of the camp to such an extent, that he resolved secretly to
abandon the party and return to the settlements. He took his silent
departure awhile before day on the morning of the fatal 10th of October;
and, on the way, stole some deerskins which Daniel Boone had left hung
up beside the trail for the rear to bring along. Reaching the ford at
Walden's Creek when the Indians could have but a few minutes before
decamped, he came upon the mangled remains of the unfortunate slain;
when, dropping the skins, he hastened back to the main camp, where he
arrived, about sunrise, with the unhappy intelligence. Fear, sorrow and
confusion more or less agitated every breast, and could be seen depicted
on almost every countenance.
While a small party under Squire Boone was sent back to bury the
dead, recover whatever property the Indians may not have carried off,
and ascertain their strength by their sing. Daniel Boone remained with
the most of the men, ready to repel any attack that might be made on the
main camp; and as they, at first, had no means of knowing the strength
of the Indians who had made the fatal onslought on the rear, they set
themselves about making a rude fortification, probably by falling trees
around their encampment.
When Squire Boone's burial party reached the defeated camp, they
found Captains Russell and Gases already arrived there, viewing the
melancholy scene. In young Russell's body, which was mangled in an
unhuman manner, was left sticking a dart arrow; and beside all the
bodies were left several painted hatchets and war clubs, a sort of
Indian declaration of war. Mrs. Daniel Boone had sent sheets for
shrouds, and young Boone and Russell were wrapped in the same winding
sheet and buried together. Like Saul and Jonathan, they were lovely and
pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided. The
other two slain were also decently interred. The bodies of all were
ripped open, but none of them were scalped, as the Indians would not
venture to take white scalps to their towns in time of professed peace.
The Indians had taken all the plunder, and the cattle were much
scattered.
Squire Boone and party, with Captains Russell and Gases, returned
to the main camp, where a general council was held. Though it was Daniel
Boone's wish to continue the journey, the most of the emigrants were so
much disheartened by the check they had received, and thought that only
repetitions of Indian cruelty could be expected should they persevere in
their attempt, that it was deemed best to abandon the enterprise and
return. By this time the cattle had become considerably dispersed, and
when collected, and the emigrants satisfied that the Indians, who had
done the mischief, were only a small party and had departed, they
commenced retracing their footsteps with indescribable feelings of
sorrow and disappointment. With Boone the blow was doubly severe, the
loss of his oldest son, and the postponement, perhaps forever, of his
daring plan of rescuing Kentucky from the grasp of the savage and the
wilderness. Such a heavy loss sustained, and such long and deeply
cherished hopes deferred, made his very Virginia
and Carolina, Boone accepted the invitation of Captain Gases to take up
his temporary abode in a cabin on his farm, about seven or eight miles
below Captain Russell's at Castle's Woods, and a little south of Clinch
River. Boone was, most likely, induced to this step by the hope of being
joined, the ensuing spring, by Captains Gases and Russell in another
attempt to permanently occupy Kentucky.
It was a matter of much public concern to learn, with certainty,
to what Indian tribes the perpetrators of this Powell's Valley tragedy
belonged, and the causes that produced its commission. A considerable
time elapsed before these facts were clearly ascertained. It then
appeared, that two Cherokee chiefs were concerned in it, and the others
were Shawnees. When Governor Dunmarra made a demand upon the Cherokees
for satisfaction, John Stuart, Superintendent of Indian Affairs,
dispatched his deputy, Alexander Cameron, to Chotee, where he arrived in
the beginning of September ensuing, and succeeded, after much opposition
from the young warriors, in having the chief principally implicated in
the murder, named Nottawagua, put to death. The executioners first
appointed to carry the sentence into effect wounded the culprit in
several places and left him for dead; but recovering, and almost out of
danger from his wounds, Mr.
Boone, as we have seen, retired forty miles to Clinch River, and
made
Alas, exclaims a faithful writer on western
history - alas for our woodman! Another year of quiet, stupid repose and
farm labor seemed destined to try his patience. Dozing in security under
his stoop by the westward flowing stream, he sighed for the howl of the
wolf, and the stealthy, scarce-leaf-rustling tread of the Shawnees. He
dozed, but dreamed not how rapidly, since he left them, his fellow white
men had desecrated the solemn forest temples he had wandered and
worshiped in. (9)
How the winter of 1773-1774, passed away with Boone, we must
leave the reader to judge. Hunting, however, must have been his chief
occupation for the supply of his family with meat, and the procurement
of other necessaries by the sale or barter of pelts and furs. He used to
relate this hunting adventure, which occurred at that period and in the
Clinch region, with the parties to which he was well acquainted. One
Green and a brother-in-law, who resided near Blackmore's on Clinch,
about fifteen miles below Captain Gases' place, where Boone was
sojourning, went out some considerable distance among the mountains to
hunt. They selected a good hunting range, erected a cabin, and laid up
in store some jerked bear meat. One day when Green was alone, his
companion being absent on the chase, a large bear made his appearance
near camp, upon which Green shot and wounded the animal, which at the
moment chanced to be in a sort of sink hole at the base of a hill.
Taking a circuit to get above and head the bear, there being a slight
snow upon the ground covered with sleet, Green's feet slipped from under
him, he partly slid and partly rolled down the declivity till he found
himself in the sink hole, when the wounded bear, enraged by his pain,
flew at poor Green, tore and mangled his body in a shocking manner,
totally destroying one of his eyes. When the bear had sufficiently
gratified his revenge by gnawing his unresisting victim as long as he
wished, he sullenly departed, leaving the unfortunate hunter in a
helpless and deplorable condition, all exposed, with his clothing torn
in tatters, to the severities of the season.
His comrade at length returning, found and took him to camp.
After a while, thinking it impossible for Green to recover, his
companion went out on pretense of hunting for fresh meat, and
unfeelingly abandoned poor Green to his fate, reporting in the
settlements that he had been killed by a bear. His little fire soon died
away from his inability to provide fuel. Digging, with his knife, a hole
or nest beside him in the ground floor of his cabin, he managed to reach
some wild turkey feathers which had been saved, and with them lined the
excavation and made himself quite a comfortable bed; and with the knife
fastened to the end of a stick, he cut down, from time to time, bits of
dried bear meat hanging overhead, and upon this he sparingly subsisted.
Recovering slowly, he could at length manage to get about. When spring
opened, a party, of whom Boone is believed to have been one, went from
Blackmore's Settlement to bury Green's remains, with the brute of a
brother-in-law for a guide; and, to their utter astonishment, they met
Greenplodding his way towards home, and learned from him the sad story
of his sufferings and desertion. The party were so indignant that they
could scarcely refrain from laying violent hands on a wretch guilty of
so
At this point, Chapter IX of Draper's Manuscript ends. The
succeeding chapter deals with Boone's participation in Dunmore's War. NOTES:
(5)
General R. B. McAfee's "Sketches of the Settlement of Kentucky,"
in the |