The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-12-21

State of that name. with an area one
fourth larger than that of Scotland.
was, indeed. of formidable dimensions
for county.
The settlement of Tennessee was GO
Ing on at the same time. In 1868
James Robertson. OF North Carolina.
crossing the Great Smoky range, be-
gan planting colonies by the waters OF
the Holston and the French Broad, in
the midst of the most magnificent
scenery cast of the Rocky Mountains.
Here they came into conflict with the
most powerful tribes of southern In
dams.
The Cherokees. like the Iroquois at
the North, had fought on the English
side in the Seven Years. War, and had
rendered valuable service az the cap
ture of Fort Duquesne. At the out
break of the Revolutiona ry War. fierce
feuds with the encroaching settlers led
them to take the part of the Crown.
and, in company with Tory guerillas,
they carried on the work of butchery
for more than a year, until at last they
were crushed by John Sewer. the s.lion
of the border" With their villages
and crops destroyed, they were starved
into submission, and by u treaty in
1777 they renowned all claim to the
territory between the Tennessee and
Cumberland Rivers.
Such were the beginnings of Ken
lucky and Tennessee, and such was
the progress already made to the west
OF the mountains, when, in the spring
of 1778. 1t was discovered that Colonel
Hamilton. the British commander at
Detroit, was engaged in stirring up
the western Indians to make con-
certed attack along the entire frontier.
Patrick Henry, Governor OF Virginia,
considering the matter. soon made up
his mind that an ounce of prevention
was worth pound of cure. A bold adj
venturer, eager to carry the war into
the enemy's country, was ready st
hand.
George Rogers Clark. a youth of
twenty-five years. had already proposed
to Thomas Jefferson the conquest of
the northwestern territory. and the
plan had been favorably considered.
Accordingly, having collected boats and
a few pieces of light artillery, Clark
started from Pittsburgh with one hum
dred and eighty picked rihemen. and
rowed swiftly down the Ohio river
thousand miles, to its junction with
the Mississippi. Tie British garrison
at Kaskaskia had been removed to
strengthen the posts at Detroit and
Niagara, and the town was an easy prey.
Hiding his boats in creek. Clark
marched across the prairie and seized
the place without resistance. The
French inhabitants were quite we'll dis
posed toward the change, especially
when they heard the new alliance be-
TWEEN the United States and Louis XVI.
Cahokia and two other neighboring
villages readily submitted for the same
reason, and all the inhabitants took an
oath of allegiance to the State OF Vir-
GINA A Catholic priest volunteered
to carry Clark's proposals to vincennes
on the Wabash, and this important
post likewise submitted without delay.
As the Spanish commandant at st.
Louis was friendly to Clark. he felt
secure from molestation for the present,
and sent party home to Virginia with
the news of the bloodless conquest.
The territory north Of the Ohio was
thus annexed to Virginia as the ''coun-
ty'' of Illinois, and force of five hum
dred men was raised for its defense.
When these proceedings came to the
ears of Colonel Hamilton at Detroit,
he started out with force of about
five hundred men. regulars. Tories and
Indians, and, after march of seventy
days through the primeval forest,
reached Vincennes and took possession
of il. He spent the winter intriguing
with the Indian tribes, and threatened
the Spanish governor at St. Louis with
dire vengence II he should lend aid or
countenance to the nefarious proceed
ings of the American "rebels."
While he thus intrigued and blus-
tered. the crafty young Virginian was
preparing acatastrophe for him. Send
ing few boats, with light artillery
and provisions, to ascend the Ohio and
the Wabash, Clark started overland
from Kaskaskia with one hundred and
seventy men, and, after an arduous
winter march of sixteen days across
what is now the State of Illinois, he
appeared before Vincennes in time to
pick uT his boats and cannon.
In the evening of February 23d the
town surrendered, aud the towns-people
QladlY insisted In the ashanti rnon the