Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1853-09-22
Another Pioneer Gone.

The deceased was born near Fredericks-
burg, 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 serv-
ed on Bowman's campaign in l779. He
was with Gen. George Rogers Clarke in
his expedition against the pickaway towns
in 1881, and in it received a severe wound,
from which he never recovered. Again in
1852 he was on the campaign led by Gen.
Clarke, with Floyd and Logan as colonies.
After performing various and important
military services between 1882 and l784,
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. Harri-
son, in the campaign of 1812-13. He led
the advance of the detachment which fought
the first battle of the River Raisin. Here
he was wounded slightly, and again very
severely by spent ball, on the 22d of jan
uary. On this disastrous 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 Indi an
fighters whose history is identified with that
of Kentucky, few were more distinguished
than the deceased. He was a man of won
derful physical power, of strong native
intellect, of extraordinary sagacity, and of
indomitable courage. These qualities emf
nently fitted him for the pioneer life, and,
together with the extraordinary circum-
stances which surrounded him, make his
history one of the most romantic in the an
nails of Kentucky.
Major Ballard was an uneducated man,
but we have rarely seen one who convers ed
more Auently or described scenes more
graphically. We have often 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 once heard him asked how many In.
dams he had killed in one day. 81 killed."
said he, "six one morning before breakfast,
and it was not very good morning for the
business" This reply, given in his pecu-
LARRY business like style, we will never for
get. If we had not required to the ques-
ton we might have thought that the old
gentleman was speaking of some morning
hunt for sqirrels, deer, or buffalo, SO singu-
larly calm was his manner; but on this, as
;. oniother occasions, Maj. Ballard never ex-
hibited the slightest compunctions on ac-
count of his having killed Indians. His
! family and he, in his own person, had re.
ceived too many injuries from the savage.
a for him ever TO feel the slightest sympathy
for them. He regarded them as faithless
! trsacherous race and the enemy of his own
and therefore sorrowed but little over thei,
probable extinction. But he often spoke o.
: some Of them as brave, chivalrous and gen.
erous, and for them expressed the warmes
admiration.
In 1888, the Indians attacked his fathers
: house, situated near the little fort on Ticl
e creek, few miles northeast of Shelbyville
: The attack was made early in the morning
: and began by the savages shooting down hi
= brother Benjamin, who had gone out of tn
l. house for wood to make fire. They thel
a assailed the house. The inmates barred TIL
!, u door and prepared for defense. The fathe
!, of the subject of the sketch was the onl,
e man in the house, and he and one old mai
IS were the only persons in the fort. ARGUS
e ed by the guns, he snatched up his own riff
:, and rushed to the defense of his Kindred
# He fired and reloaded and fired again as h
d ran, with good effect. In the meantime, tn
Indians broke open the house and killed hi
father, his mother, and two sisters, and to
A mahawked the youngest sister, a child, VIII
Il recovered. When the Indians broke int
6 the house, his mother endeavored to escap
re by the back-door, but a savage pursued he
W and as he raised his tomahawk TO strike he,
the subject Of this sketch fired at him, mo-
however, in time to prevent the fatal blow
IF and they both fell and expired together. TIL
st Indians numbered about fifteen, but, befor
r. they completed their work of death an
k, fled, it is supposed that the subject Of thi
sketch killed six or seven of them.
But it was not merely as warrior an
soldier that Major Ballard rendered impol
= tant service to Kentucky. He frequent
re represented the people of Shelby county i
re- the Legislature. The State in appreciate
e of his services and to prepetuate his nam,
ed have created the county of Ballard, and a
IT. ready in anticipation Of his death, is hi
'g name inscribed on the beautiful marble sha
erected in her public burying ground i
81. honor of her distinguished dead.
~ Now that he is gone, we cannot call