The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-13
RICHMOND, January II. l

RICHMOND. January Ill, 1901.
EDITORS Dispotch: lsce from yoor issue
this moruiue thai there IL now W the STATE
Library n portrait OF General George hog
ers Clarke, BY Jarvis. Please give your
readers short outline OF the lie OF Gene
rul Clarke. Indicating In what respect his
seryiccs we're of 80 much advantage to Nir-
s,nis, and why his portrait deserves place
ia vsrgiusa's Pantheon, and obli2e
AN INQUIRER.
0s~scalSHeorse Regcss Clarke.
We take pleasure IN complying with the
request Of IAN Inquirer "ss TO the ''ie
end services OF General Clarke. We do this
the more cheerfuIly since there are so lew
In his native State who know anything OF
his life, end fewer still who have an AGE
uussc appreciation Of the vast services ne
performed for the State OF Virginia, ana
indirectly for iheIUnited States. "A pare
stateE,cnt Of the facts connected with MS
lie ought to establish beyond cavi' hts
reputation as o statesman and soldier.
General George Rogers Clarke was porn
IN the county OF Albemar'e, Na.' NoVem'
her 10, 1859. He commanded company 10
the expedition of,Lord Duumore, Governor
OF Virgins. against the .Ind''ns, ana be-
haved 50 CALAMITY that he was offered q
commission in the British army. which he
declined because, Of the increasing dlfficu'-
ties between the Colonies and The mother
country. In I.76 he moved to Kentucky
then an unorganized Territory. and In dis
pu,e between the Colonies 81 Virginia ana
North Ga, olina, the latter claiming under a
purcbase from The Cherokee Indians MADE
by Henderson & Co., the former claiming
under her royal charter. In the fall OF l''0
he succs etled 10 getting the Virginia House
OF Burresses 10 organize the disputed Ter
ritory into the county 81 Kentucky, and thus
became the founder OF the State OF Ken
lucky.
In the winter Of TITS he submitted TO
the Governor Of Virginia plan for the re-
duc,ion Of the several military posts held
by the British between the OHIO and Mis-
sissippi rivers. Being commissioned by
Governor Henry 10 undertake the eXpedi-
ton, he al once raised in the county OF
West Augusta. which stretched to the Ono
river. about $50 men, and with these, aud a
few Keutuckiaus. he commenced bis famous
expedifiou. lie captured kaskaskia. Ca
hokia. and 81. Vincennes. after exposures
and adventures wbnh caused him to be
usily styled BY John Randolph OF Roa-
noke "tbe Hannibal OF the West His
military occupation OF The Northwest
ern territory was followed by its or
ganizatiou, in IT'S. into the county Of
Illinois, by the Virginia Assembly, and
thus at the close Of The Revolutionary war,
after much dispute, ii bad TO be conceded
as belonging to Virginia, and was so recoe-
nized in The treaty al peace. Had the Eng
lish not lost possession of this territory they
would have held II as part OF Canada. and
our eXtension-6rst TO the Mississippi ana
afterwards TO the Pacife=wOuld have been
prevented. Our present vast territory west
OF the Ohio and Mississippi rivers is, there
fore. the natural res ult OF Clarke's clmpaign,
conducted as it was with a military genus
OF the first order.
General Clarke afterwards commanded In
several expeditions against the hostile H.
dians, driving them completely from Ken
lucky. He also aided in the defence OF Viz
ginia during It's invasion by the traitor
Benedict Arnold, in the winter OF 17S0-'S1.
After the organization of The Federal Gov
eminent he accepted a CONN ission as major
general IN the armies Of France, and the
conduct Of an expedition, planned by the
French Minister Genet, against the Spanish
possessions on the Mississippi. Before the
project was put into execution, however, Il
counter.revolution bad occurred in France,
and Genet received bis recall.
Clarke died in February, 1918, and is
buried at Locust Grove, near Louisville,
Ky.