Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1853-09-22

leksburg, Virginia, In August, 1859,
and came to Kentucky in 1879. He
Immediately joined the regular militia,
which was kept up for the defense OF
the country, and served on Bowman's
campaign in. 1779. He was with Gen.
George Rogers Clarke in his expedition
against the Pickaway towns in 1871,
and in it received severe wound, from
which he never recovered. Again in
1882 he was on the campaign led by
Gen. Clarke, with Floyd and Logan as
colonies. After performing various and
important military services between
1889 and 1894, he was present under
Gen Wayne at the decisive battle fought
on the Goth of August in that year,
and he commanded company in Col.
Aliens regiment, under Gen. Harrison,
in the campaign of 18l9-'13. He led
the advance Of the detachment which
fought the first battle of the River Raj
sin. Here he was wounded slightly,
and again very severely BY spent ball,
on the 92d Of January. On this disas-
trous occasion he was taken prisoner
and suffered severely by the march
through snow and ice from Maiden to
Fort George.
Of all the remarkable pioneer Indian
fighters whose history is identified with
that of Kentucky, few were more dis
tinguished than the deceased. He was
a man of wonderful physical power, Of
strong native intellect, of extraordina-
ry sagacity, and of indomitable courage
These qualities eminently fitted him for
the pioneer life, and, together with the
extraordinary circumstances which sur
rounded him, make his history one of
the most romantic in the annals of Ken
lucky. The whole of his early life
abounded in adventures and feats so
that they could be scarcely
credited now, were not the truth of some
Of them attested by others, and the
whole of them supported by the de-
ceased's own unquestioned and unques-
tionable veracity.
Major Ballard was an uneducated
man, but we have rarely seen one who
more fuently or described
scenes more graphically. We have Of
ten seen him on the street dressed in his
buckskin hunting shirt, surrounded by
crowds of men and boys listening with
breathless attention to his wonderful
stories. We ourselves have listened to
them many an hour, and often through
The livelong night without fatigue and
wholly unconscious of the approach Of
"
. We once heard him asked how many
Indians he had killed in one day. al
1ilt," said he, ''six one morning before
and it was not a very good
morning for the business either" This
-eply, given in his peculiarly business
ike style, we will never forget. If we
lad not required to the question We
might have thought that the old gen
.leman was speaking of some morning
hunt for squirrels, deer, or buffalo, so
calm was his manner; but,
On this as on other occasions. Maj. Bal
ard never exhibited. the slightest COM
FUNCTIONS on account of his having kill
ID Indians. His family, and he, in his
,wn person, had received too many in
uries from the savages for him ever to
eel the slightest sympathy for them.
lie regarded them as faithless, treach-
erous race and the enemy of his own,
and therefore sorrowed but little over
heir probable extinction. But he often
spoke OF some of them as brave, chival
rous, and generous, and for them ex-
pressed the warmest admiration.
The history of Major Ballard abounds
IN many thrilling adventures and anec-
iotes which we could relate and which
might interest our readers, but which
.he occasion forbids. We cannot, how
ever, close this sketch without referring
% one of them. !
In 1888, the Indians attacked his ia
hers house, situated near the little fort
IN Tick creek, few miles northeast of
The attack was made ear
Y in the morning and began by the
'avages shooting down his brother Ben
amin, who had gone out Of the house
or wood to make a fire. They then
.ssailed the house. The inmates barr
ID the door and prepared for defense.
The father Of the subject of this sketch
vas the only man in the house, and he
md one old man were the only persons
n the fort. Aroused by the guns, he
matched up his own rife and rushed To
he defense of his kindred. He fired
md reloaded and fired again as he ran,
With good effect. In the meantime, the
Indians broke open the house and killed
lis father, his mother, and two sisters,
md tomshawked the youngest sister, a
,hild, who recovered. When the Indi-
ms broke into the house, his mother en-
leavored to escape by the baek-door,
,ut savage pursued her and as ne
aised his tomahawk to strike her the {
ubject of this sketch fred at him, not,
in time to prevent the fatal :
low, and they both fell and expired to-
,ether. The Indians numbered about
fifteen, but, before they completed their I
york of death and fed, it is supposed
hat the subject of this sketch killed SIX
II seven Of them H
But it was not merely as a WARRIOR
md soldier that Maj. Ballard rendered
important service to Kentucky. He
represented the people of