The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-07-03
SIX BRAVE
KENTUCkIANS
Slain BY Indians Led BY
Little Turtle.
Their Graves Naar Eaton Ohio
Annually Decktd With
Rational Fig.

~ e mufi'C cd drum sad roll has boat
the soldiers last tattoo,
No more on lies parade shall NEE;
tnat brave and fallen few;
On fame's eternal camping ground
their silent t,nis afe spread,
And glory guards WIN -olemn rounds
the blvouac of Il e d. "a
About one mile We. e Z ION, in
the edge of a picturesque woodland IS
littie.plot cf ground IT, It IS of more
tnan ordinary interest. One has but
TO stand upon 1t, roll back the s-rci-
of history, connecting, as it were. the
dim misty past with the present and
feel that he is upon sacred ground.
Ii is the resting place OF six Kentu ky
mlitiamen, who were killed in the
battle of Fort St. Clair, November 6,
1892, in combat with some $50 Mingo
and Wyandot Indians, led by the Gel
ebrated Chief, Little Turtle.
The graves are ON the south side
of where the stJckade stood. T hey
are just beneath the long, projecting
branches of a giant oak--mOnarch of
the forest-so grand Old nature stands
and holds her outstretched hands as
if in silent benediction and like lone
sentinel guards the graves of the fall
EN- heroes.
Over an hundred years have passed
since the conflict in the forest but the
fallen are not frogotten. Though the
war cry of the red man is heard no
more; the hunting knife is turned into
the pruning knife; the bayonet into
the plowsnare; and once dense forests
are now waving fields of green, yield
ing abundant harvests TO the hands
of sturdy toll. the people of this cul-
tured and enlightened land pay tribute
to those VINO left home and loTed ones
to battle with the Indian for supre-
macy. Time and the onward march
of progress nave wrought many
changes; our land has been deluged
with the blood of ITS best sons; old
glory mas unfurled its folds to heav-
ems gentle breeze in the PARKWAY
land of the setting sun, but through
it all shines brighter and brighter with
each successive generation, the valo
and sacrifices of the heroes of pioneer
days.
Annually on memorial day a COM
mittee is sent to the lonely graves in
the woodland and tiny flag floats
from the six mounds, their colors
seeming to blend with the foliage of
the forest and the blue sky overhead.
On a recent afternoon, the writer in
company with Thomas Goode, VIM.
Icenour, Hawkins Clear and Ed Need
ham, journeyed to the site of the old
fort for the purpose of erecting a pole
and raising flag. Upon our arrival
we found that old nature had aided
in the effort to commemorate the
place. A few feet from the graves
was found tree some fifty feet in
height; the limbs were cut and at
its top was placed the colors of our
country. The underground was cut,
the leaves raked and the little grave
yard put on a different appearance.
The soldiers sleep where they fell
and neat hesdstones mark their graves.
The stones were placed there by Mr..
GLEN Gilmore, the owner of the land
surrounding the site of the old fort.
The names on the markers read as
follows: Liutenant Job Hale, Matthew
English, Robert Bowling, Joseph Clon-
ton, Isaac Jett and John Williams. A
few yards south of the soldiers graves
are buried two Indians. About 100
Kentuckians were engaged in this hat
tie The haunted riflemen were COM
manded by Captain John Adair, of
Kentucky, and all were said to be
splendid specimen OF physical man
mood. The Indians made their attack
a short time before daylight keep
ing behind trees. With the first
streaks of dawn, when the sons of
the Dark and Bloody Grounds could
distinguish "a white man from an In
dian they charged them, using tne,r
guns for clubs. The Indians retreat
ed, taking with them all but six head
of horses belonging to the troops. The
Indians were pursued to where Eaton
now stands, when the soldiers return
ed to the fort to Look after the wouad-
ed and bury the dead.
In this age of our country's history,
with its advanced civilization and liv-
ing as we are, in a land of plenty, a
land upon which the smiles Of heaven
beam with uncommon refulgence-
would it not be the proper thing to
have this small piece Of ground Ia
closed and converted into little park?
In doing this the place would be
more inviting to all wac appreciate
their country aud would know its his
tory. over IN old Keatncky. with ,ts