New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-11-18
NUMBER 221.
Can't. Bland Ballard.

| who died recently in that city:
Capt Bland Ballard was born near Freder-
icksburg, Va, on the 18th of October, 1871,
| and at the time Of his death was in his 61th
year He came to Kentucky in 1873, and Joined
/ the regular militia which was kept up for the
| defense of the country and after serving on
| Bowman's campaign in 1T79, accompanied the
| expedition led by Gen. Clark against the Pick
| away towns in Ohio in 1881, on which occasion
1 he received severe wound in the hip, from the
| effects of which he suffered to his death. At
| the time of the wound he was near bleeding to
/ death before he could procure surgical aid. In
| 1882 he was on the campaign led by Gen CLARK,
with Floyd and Logan as colonels, that de-
| stroyed the Pickaway towns. In 1875 he was
| spy for Gen. Clark in the expedition to the Wa
| bash rendered abortive by the mutiny of the
/ soldiers In the summer of 1871 he served as
guide under Gems Scott and Wilkinson, and
was present under Gen Wayne at the decisive
| battle on the 25th of August, 1874.
When not engaged in regular campaign, he
| s,erved as hunter and spy for Gen. Clark, who
VI, ss stationed at Louisville, and in this service
| he continued for two years and half During
| this .ime he had several rencounters with the
| Tndians One of these occurred just below
| louisville He had been sent in his character
| of snv to explore the Ohio from the mouth OF
| Salt River to the falls, and from thence up to
| what is now the town of Westport On his way
| down the rive e. when six or eight miles below
| the falls he heard, early one morning, o noise
| nm the Indiana shore. He Immediately con-
| eesled himself in tie bushes, and when the fog
had scattered sufficiel' 'tly to permit him to see.
he discovered canoe ued with three @ lnolans, q
approaching the KENTUCKY s1ore "heh !ney
had approached within ram re ne nred anu Killed
one. The others jumped o,'efpoaru, anu en
deavored to get their canoe into deep water ous
before they succeeded, he killed Y secoho' ana
finally the third Upon reporting Is morning
work to Gen Clark, detachment was sen.
down, who found three dead Indians alsd ourleu
them. For this report Gen Clarke 1ese MIN u, ! :
linen shirt, and some small pressefs Ihis
shirt, however, was the only one he had for ssv-
eral years, except those made Of leather o.
this shirt the pioneer hero was doubtless justly
proud.
While on a scout to the Saline Licks, on one
occasion, Ballard, with one companion, CAME
suddenly upon large body of Indians, just at
they were in the act of encamping. They I'M
mediately ch arged, firing their guns ana rais.
ing the veil. This induced the Indians, as they
had anticipated, to disperse for the moment
until the strens .th of the assailing party eoulc
be ascertained During this period Of alarm
Ballard and his CO mpanion mounted two OF th'
best horses they co, lid find, and retreated fol
two days and nights, until they reached I'M
Ohio, which they cross ell upon raft, ma9lns L ~
their horses swim. AS they assembled the men
lucky DHHk, The luu1&QS L0oSAS4 sAAS NfE~N-
shore.
4 At the time of the defeat OIL Long Run he wa
living at Lynn's Station l8eal"grass. ana cam
mp to assist some families in moving from SOUR
Boone's Station, near the pr esent town OF oael
byville. The people of this station had necom q
alarmed on account Of the numel GUS lnaia !.
signs in the country, and h ad dete rmineo .
move to the stronger stations on the ead
They proceeeed safely until they arriv ed hea
Long Run, when they were at tackled, fro NJ an
! rear, by the Indians, who fired their rims an
J then rushed en- them with their tolnaha'W Wh' :
Some few of the men ran at the hrst hrses ol n
others, some succeeded in saving part ot tns
! families. or died with them after brave resis
ance The su bieet of this sketch, after assls
ing several Of the women on horseback, WHO ~
been thrown at the first onset, during Will en- !,
: had one or two single handed combats with y
4 Indians, and seeing the party about to be q
feated, he succeeded in getting outside the II
] dian line, when he used his rifle to some ehec
until he saw they were totally defeated
then started for the station, pursued BY the u
dians, and on stopping at sloyd's ork, IN VI VI
bushes on the bank, he saw I'm INDIAN on hers
back pursuing the fugitives l. ide into the cree
and as he assembled the bank near to Whe
' Ballard stood, he shot the Ind ian, caught I
!. horse, and made good his escape to the sta TIC
:. Many were killed, the number nj It recoli iecte
: : some taken prisoners, and some es, iaped to- 7
: station. They afterward learned fr, 1m the pA"
: oners taken on this occasion, that he Indian
who attacked them were marching 10 attae
4 the station the whites had deserted, bu learl
. ing from their spies that they were movi ng, Il
= Indians turned from the head of Bullsk IN al
= marched in the direction of Long Run.
= The news of this defeat induced Col. Floyd
= raise party of thirty seven men, with the il
= : tention of chastising the Indians. Floyd CON
- manded one division and Captain Holden I'll
~ nfb Rail lopIh ha5rr IL 6
: proceeded with great caution, but did not dl.
a cover the Indians until they received their frt
which killed or mortally wounded sixteen
their men. Notwithstanding the loss, the part
!. under Floyd maintained their ground, an
. fought brayely until overpowered by thrs
: times their number, who appealed to the tomf
= hawk The retreat, however, was complete
= = without much further loss. This occasion hi
u been rendered memorable by the magnanime,
= gallantry of young Wells afterwards the Ce
~ Wells, Of Tippecanoe,) who saved the life
Floyd, his personal enemy, by the timely oft
"a of his horse at a moment when the Indians we
W. near to Floyd, who was retreating on foot an
10 nearly exhausted.
III ~ In 17s8, the Indians attacked the little fo
ss on Tick creek, few miles east of Shelbyvill
ID where his father resided. It happened that
father had removed a short distance out of &
fort, for the purpose of being convenient to d
a sugar camp. The first intimation they had
.t the Indians, was early in the morning, VIII
,er his brother BENJAMIN went out to get wood
70 make fire. They shot him and then assail
y. the house. The inmates barred the door al
prepared for defense. His father was the on
man in the house, and the only men at the fo
of were the subject of this sketch and an old ma
of As soon as he heard the guns he repaired
nd within shooting distance of his fathers, b
ra dared not venture nearer. Here he commenc
in using his rifle with good effect, In the mes
time the Indians broke open the house al
killed his father, not before, however. he hi
n killed one OF two of their number The India
ay also killed one full sister, one half sister, /
step mother, and tomahawked the youngest 81
ter, child, who recovered. When the India
re broke into the house, his step-mother endeayor
ad. to effect her escape by the back door, but
nd Indian pursued her and, as he raised his tom
for hawk to strike her, the subject of this sket
fred at the Indian, not, however, in time
:. prevent the fatal blow, and they both fell a
II, expired together. The Indians were suppos
ce, to number about fifteen, and before they col
H. pleted their work of death, they sustained a Ii
Tor Of six or seven
nd During the period he was spy for Gen. Clar
be he was taken prisoner by five Indians on t
other side of the Ohio, few miles above Lou
Nv Vile, and conducted TO an encampment twent
-, FIVE miles from the river. The Indians treat
-Ae aa him comparatively we'll, for though they Ike
a,s him with a guard they did not tie him. On t.
y next day after his arrival at the eneampmen