The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-01-16

place OF their encampment, on W hich a
thriving city now stands.
The new settlements were not Ionp
In organizing themselves into State,
which they called 'Transvlyania. y
Courts were instituted, laws enacted
and militia enrolled, and a delepate
was sent to the Continental Congress-
but finding that Virginia still claimed
their allegiance, they yielded their
pretentions to autonomy, and were
organized as a county of their mother
State.
The so-called county, of Kentucky.
comprising the whole of the presen +
State of that name, with an area one
fourth larger than that of Scotland.
was, indeed, of formidable dimensions
for a county.
The settlement of Tennessee was 90
Ing on at the same time. In 1f68
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 east of the Rocky Mountains.
Here they came into conflict with the
most powerful tribes of southern In
dians.
The Cherokees, like the Iroquois at
the North, had fought on the English
side in the Seven Years War, and had
rendered valuable service at 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 Grown,
and, in company with Tory guerillas,
they carried on the work of butcherv
for more than year, until at last they
were crushed by John Sewer, the '.lion
OF the border" With their villages
and crops destroyed, they were starved
into submission, and by treaty in
l777 they renounced all claim to the
territory between the Tennessee and
Cumberland Rivers.
Such We're 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 1776, 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 ad
venturer, eager to carry the war into
the enemy's country, was ready at
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 |
q few pieces of light artillery, Clark
started from Pittsburgh with one hun
1red and eighty picked riflemen, and
rowed swiftly down the Ohio river a
thousand miles, to its junction with |
the Mississippi. The British garrison
1t Kaskaskia had been removed to |
strengthen the posts at Detroit and
Niagara, and the town was an easy prev.
Hiding his boats in creek, Clark
marched across the prairie and seized
he place without resistance. Tho
French inhabitants were quite we'll dis
posed toward the change, especially
when they heard the new alliance be-
wen the United States and Louis XVI.
Cahokia and two other neighboring
rillages readily submitted for the same
'eason, and all the inhabitants took an
oath of allegiance to the State of Vir-
sinia. a Catholic priest volunteered
o carry Clark's proposals to Vincennes
IN the Wabash, and this important
ost likewise submitted without delay.
IS the Spanish commandant at St.
1ouis was friendly to Clark, he felt
ecure from molestation for the present,
nd sent party home to Virginia with
he news of the bloodless conquest.
The territory north of the Ohio was
nus annexed to Virginia as the '.coun-
2" OF Illinois, and a force of five hum ,
red men was raised for its defense. !
When these proceedings came to the {
ars of Colonel Hamilton at Detroit,
g started out with force of about &
We hundred men, regulars, Tories and
sdians, and, after a march of seventy !
ays through the primeval forest,
cached Vincennes and took possession
it. He spent the winter intriguing
ith the Indian tribes, and threatened
lie Spanish governor at st. Louis with
ire vengence if he should lend aid or
to the nefarious proceed q
gs of the American rebels
While he thus intrigued and blus- n
red. the crafty. young Virginian was a
'eparing catastrophe for him. Send a
g a few boats, with light artillery s
Id provisions, to ascend the Ohio and u
o Wabash, Clark started overland J,
ON Kaskaskia with one hundred and 8
venty men, and, after an arduous !;
inter march of sixteen days across r.
hat is now the State of Illinois, he Il
'peared before Vincennes in time to n
ck up his boats and cannon. a