Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-12-03
Prehistoric Warfare.

The Bowling Green (ky.) Pdntdgrdph
publishes the following:
:" If the full and complete history of
Kentucky were known and written from
the earliest annals of her time till the
present her patent TO the proud but
melancholy title of dark and bloody
ground would no doubt be more pre-
eminently appreciated and doubly sacred.
All over the State, especially in this, the
southern, part of it, are indications of
pre-existent civilization, of fierce strifes,
storms and battles, the details and
records of which are involved in the
mists of tradition and fable. Old pio-
neers and their immediate descendants
are still living furnish us, in all their
horrid vividness, the particulars of In
dian warfare, border forays, and savage
ambuscades when cleaned on these
lands the tomahawk and flashed the
merciless and CORY scalping- knife. But
there are remains, fragmentary portions
of utensils, vast earthworks, parallels,
excavations, missiles of warfare, etc,
that bespeak much higher grade of civ
ilization than was known to any of the
wild Indian tribes first found upon these
western shores. No county in the State,
perhaps, is more prolific of these than is
citizens remember even as far back as
twenty and thirty years ago when there
were in various localities along brakes
Creek and Barren River, near the bluffs,
solid cast-metal balls from the size of a
walnut up to four and six Founders, un-
earthed and plowed up and gathered in
quantities eastward of this place. In al
most every instance where these balls
were found, and are occasionally still
found, there were in close proximity vast
burying grounds, remains, arrow-heads,
etc. These balls were hurting missiles
and could not possibly have been used
for other than battle purposes. As to
who shot them, and whence they came,
will probably forever remain mystery;
and as to what tribes and races once en-
gagged in battle.tilt along our stream be-
fore we were born no one will likely ever
know These fields and mounds, exca-
vations and parallels are well worthy the
attention of the archeologist and the
student. They are numerous and in
many localities. There is, nearly
thirteen miles east of this city,
on brakes Creek, and not far
from the confluence of that
stream and Middlefork, locality of
this description which is wonderful and
curious, suggestive of wide thought and
conjecture. AT that point the stream
makes one of the most singular and
angular bends we have ever seen on any
water course. The creek comes down
for long distance from the eastward,
when, at that place, it curves suddenly
to the west, the water running down
stream on "a parallel with the eastward
up stream, the bend being somewhat ac-
curately described by the shape of the
common oX-boX. Around this bend or
bow the distance is several miles, while
across by land, from point to point, the
distance Is but few hundred yards.
Along the stream, around the inside
curve, the bluff is steep and precipitous,
being almost, as a general thing, mac.
cessible. A line drawn across from the
upward course of the current to its
lower course would embrace in a curve
vast space of ground Well. across
this neck, the open country TO the west,
there are these parallel lines of forts or
earthworks, some of them of huge dinen-
| sions, thrown up very close together,
and with the regularity Of potato.hills in
| a row. No one can look at them for a
moment without knowing that they are
the work of human hands In this
almost impregnable position, inaccessible
! in the rear, some hostile forces, in years
long gone, evidently took their stand,
and threw up these forts protecting their
front, both TANKS being protected by the
stream and the high bluffs. Iron balls,
grape and canister, corroded with rust
and corrugated with partial decay, have
been found there, as well as fragments Of
other warlike paraphernalia. Large and
| small trees grow upon these forts, and
undergrowths fill the excavations made
in digging the dirt to throw them up.
They were strengthened in many places
by huge stones, wrcnched from the ada
cent bluffs for that purpose. In days
and years past there were battles and
belligerent times along there; but as TO
who fought them or participated In
them, and the causes for which they
fortified and fought, we will not even
venture conjecture. We give the facts
as presented to our observation. leaving
others TO draw their conclusions"