and calculate, were opened in the different stations. Perhaps the children studied as hard (being grateful for any opportunity to learn) as the boys and girls do to-day, who have cultured teachers and attractive text-books.

Ruddle's and

The spring brought many men of talent and education to Kentucky; it brought, also, continued warfare with the British and Indians. Captain Henry Bird, a capture of British officer, with six hundred Canadians Martin's and Indians, invaded the settlements on the stations Licking River, June 22, 1780, and captured Ruddle's and Martin's stations. These garrisons offered no resistance to an army so formidable in numbers and supplied with artillery. Everything valuable that the forts contained was carried off by the savages. The inhabitants were captured and taken to the Northwest, where they were scattered among the Indians. Many of the women who

could not travel fast enough were tomahawked.

Kentucky County established.
Harrodsburg the county seat.

RECAPITULATION

Men of ability compose the first court.
Indians attack Harrodsburg, then
Boonesborough.

Logan's fort attacked.

Second attack of Boonesborough.
Population increases.

The British aid the Indians.

-Clark's expedition.

His military genius.

He conquers the Illinois country.

John Todd made governor of the

Illinois country.

-Clark the founder of Louisville.

Christmas party at Louisville.
Boone and others captured at the
Blue Licks.

A third siege of Boonesborough
planned by the Indians.

Boone escapes to warn his fort.
Boonesborough attacked.
Indians commanded by Captain de
Quindre.

Boone declines to surrender.
De Quindre's tricks unsuccessful.
The siege ended after nine days.
The population increases.
Lexington founded.

Land commissioners appointed.
Court opened at Logan's fort.
Speculators come to Kentucky
The "Hard Winter."

First schools in Kentucky.

Capture of Ruddle's and Martin' stations.

the county

CHAPTER IV

DIVISION OF THE COUNTY, 1780-1782

THE population steadily increased. In 1780, the legis lature of Virginia thought it advisable to divide the County Division of of Kentucky into three counties, — Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln. John Floyd, John Todd, and Benjamin Logan were appointed colonels of their respective counties, and William Pope, Daniel Boone, and Stephen Trigg, lieutenant colonels. Colonel Clark was raised to the rank of, brigadier general.

Eagerness for land

The most important consideration of the newly settled country was military protection from the Indians. The next interest was the proper distribution of its lands. Each county had its special surveyor, George May for Jefferson, Thomas Marshall for Fayette, and James Thompson for Lincoln. So great was the desire to gain property in this beautiful Kentucky country that on one occasion when General Clark had planned an attack upon certain Indian towns, he was obliged to order the surveyor's office to be closed, and to state that it would not be opened until after the expedition was over, before he could induce any one to listen to his call for volunteers.

Raids were no less frequent during the year 1781, but they were less carefully planned than formerly. The Continued Indians were preparing for war on a larger scale, which they hoped would drive out the

warfare

intruders from their hunting ground. But through all this tale of disheartening warfare runs the invigorating story of the valor of the Kentuckians, and pictures of noble magnanimity stand out to refresh us.

John Floyd, the colonel commandant of Jefferson County,

Wells's

and was retreating on foot before the pursu- magnanimity ing Indians, when he was overtaken by Captain Samuel Wells, who was also fleeing for his life. Floyd and Wells had been enemies, but the past was forgotten. Instantly the

generous captain sprang from his horse, lifted Floyd into the saddle, and ran by his side to support him, thus risking his life for his enemy. Both were saved and were

friends ever afterward.

The following spring opened with a fierce conflict which has always been known as Estill's defeat. A party

of twenty-five Wyandots were seen passing Estill's defeat Boonesborough. News of the fact was brought to Captain James Estill at his station on the south of the Kentucky River, near where Richmond now stands, and he started in pursuit of the Indians, with forty men. Shortly after his departure the savages came upon his unguarded fort, killed and scalped a young girl, and destroyed the cattle, before they departed. Two boys were sent as runners to bear the news of the tragedy to Estill. A party of the men returned to protect the women, while the rest, to the number of twenty-five, pushed on and overtook the Indians, not far from the present town of Mount Sterling. The fight which then occurred required hearts of unwavering courage. It was not a battle, but a combat of man with man. For nearly two hours the struggle lasted, each one of the company from behind a tree shooting toward the Indian he had selected. At last the whites were overcome. Nine were killed, including the brave Estill, and four were wounded. The latter, however, escaped with those who were uninjured.

In the month of July, two British captains, McKee and Caldwell, with a company of rangers from the British posts at Detroit, gathered together over one thousand Indians, the largest body of troops up to that time collected west of the Alleghanies. It was their intention to attack Wheeling, but on their march thither, news reached them that General Clark was

McKee and Caldwell's army

on his way to surprise the towns of the Shawnee Indians. They turned back to defend these towns, and, to their mortification, found that the report was false. This so discouraged the Indians that a large number of them deserted; but the more resolute British officers were not to be thus deterred from their purpose to harass and fight the Americans. They succeeded in holding a company of over three hundred Indians and rangers, with which they pushed on into Kentucky, to attack the weak stations in Fayette County.

Bryan's sta

tion attacked

They reached Bryan's station on the morning of the 16th of August, 1782. Halting in the neighborhood of the fort, they sent a few Indian spies ahead to draw out the whites, meaning then to rush upon them with the whole body of their forces. Most fortunately, the majority of the men were inside the fort, making ready to go to the assistance of the stations on the south of the Kentucky River, whither the Wyandots had gone after Estill's defeat. The spies were discovered; and the oft-tried Kentuckians, wise in the tactics of Indian warfare, understood the meaning of their presence, and immediately began preparations for a siege.

Now there was no spring inside the walls of the fort; and water would be a necessity if the attack should continue long. The fetching of water was everywhere Heroism of the the work of women, a fact which the Indians women

knew. If the men should go for it now, the spies would immediately suspect that they had been discovered. The attack might then begin at once, which would be fatal to the garrison.

It was unlikely, however, that the women would be disturbed, and they were called together. The situation was explained to them. They were urged to go for the