Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Richard Johnson 1789

The incident discussed here places a confrontation between settlers and Indians within the boundaries of modern Switzerland County, assuming Johnson’s description of the site—25 miles below the mouth of the Big Miami—is accurate.

Robert Johnson, Lt. of the County of Woodford, to the President of the United States.

DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY, 22d August, 1789.

About the 10th instant, two men were fired on by a party of Indians, but no damage sustained; only one of the horses the men rode was killed; the Indians took the saddle and bridle, and the night following, they stole eleven horses; our men pursued them, next day came up with them, and retook all the horses, together with the said saddle and bridle, and killed two (one of which was a white man.) On Sunday, the 16th, six negroes were taken by a party of Indians in ambuscade, about three quarters of a mile from my house; they carried them about one quarter of a mile, where they were surprised by the noise of some people riding near them; they tomahawked four, two of which died, two were left for dead, which are now in a hopeful way of recovery; the other two made their escape while they were murdering the rest. The day following, the party was seen twice, and the evening or night of the sixteenth they stole some horses from Captain Buford; we pursued them as quick as possible, with about forty men, to the Ohio, about twenty-five miles below the mouth of Big Miami, where twenty-six volunteers crossed the Ohio after them; we came to a large camp of them, early in the morning of the 20th, about twelve miles from the Ohio; we divided our party, and attacked them opposite, on each side; they fought us a short time in that position, until they got their women and children out of the way, and then gave back to a thick place of high weeds and bushes, where they hid very close; we immediately drove up about forty of their horses, and made our retreat across the Ohio. We lost three men and two wounded. The Indians wounded one of our men as we returned.

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