Life of Daniel Boone, the Great Western Hunter and Pioneer

Cecil B. Hartley

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• Publié par: zaut
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 32
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg eBook, Life
& Times of Col. Daniel Boone, by
Cecil B. Harley, et al
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Title: Life & Times of Col. Daniel Boone
Author: Cecil B. Harley
Release Date: November 11, 2004 [eBook #14023]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE & TIMES OF COL.
DANIEL BOONE***
E-text prepared by Curtis Weyant, Thomas Hutchinson,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
The Old Fort at Boonesborough
BOONE'S INDIAN TOILETTE. PAGE 132
LIFE OF DANIEL BOONE,
The
GREAT WESTERN HUNTER ANDPIONEER,
Comprising An
Account Of His Early History; His Daring And
Remarkable Career As The First Settler Of
Kentucky; His Thrilling Adventures With The
Indians, And His Wonderful Skill, Coolness And
Sagacity Under All The Hazardous And Trying
Circumstances Of Western Border Life.
BY CECIL B. HARTLEY.
To Which Is Added
His Autobiography Complete As Dictated By Himself, And Showing
His Own Belief That He Was An Instrument
Ordained To Settle The Wilderness.
PREFACE
The subject of the following biography, the celebrated Colonel Daniel Boone, is
one of the most remarkable men which this country has produced. His
character is marked with originality, and his actions were important and
influential in one of the most interesting periods of our history—that of the early
settlement of Kentucky. Boone is generally acknowledged as the founder of
that State. His having explored it alone to a considerable extent; his leading the
earliest bands of settlers; his founding Boonesborough, the nucleus of the
future State; his having defended this and other stations successfully against
the attacks of the Indians; and the prominent part which he took in military
affairs at this period of distress and peril, certainly render his claims to the
distinguished honor of founding Kentucky very strong.But Boone, personally, reaped very little benefit from his patriotic and
disinterested exertions. The lands which he had first cultivated and defended,
were taken from him by the chicanery of the law; other lands granted to him by
the Spanish government were lost by his inattention to legal forms; and in his
old age he was without an acre of land which he could call his own. A few
years before his death a small tract, such as any other settler in Missouri was
entitled to, was granted him by Congress. But he has left to his numerous
posterity a nobler inheritance—that of an imperishable fame in the annals of his
country!
CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHAPTER I.
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.
CHAPTER II.
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.
CHAPTER III.
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.
CHAPTER IV.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.
CHAPTER V
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.
CHAPTER VI.
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.
CHAPTER VII.
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.
CHAPTER VIII.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.
CHAPTER IX.
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.
CHAPTER X.
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.
CHAPTER XI.
Arrival of George Rogers Clark in Kentucky—Anecdote of his
conversation with Ray—Clark and Jones chosen as de