Natives versus Settlers: the Battle of Blue Licks, August 9, 1782

The fighting on the eastern theatres of the Revolutionary War may have ended when Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in October, 1781, but nobody on the frontier seems to have gotten the memo.  Working from Fort Detroit, the British and their Indian auxiliaries were determined to maintain control of the Ohio Valley, including Kentucky, against backcountry settlers who were determined to have it for their own.  The conflict would result in a Loyalist-Indian victory in August, 1782 that would wreck the career of an American commander and result in the murder of a Native chief.  And the irony would be that neither man was even there when the battle happened.

As the War wound down and negotiations for a treaty dragged on in Paris, the British were determined to hang on to the Ohio River Valley and the Old Northwest.  The Natives were committed to helping them since they knew that their land rights would be disposed of in the eventual treaty without their say-so.  In July, 1782, a meeting took place at a Shawnee village on the headwaters of the Mad River to discuss what course of action should be taken.  Along with the Shawnee, other tribes represented included the Delaware/Lenape, Mingo, Wyndot, Miami, Ottawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi.  From there, 150 members of Butler's Rangers under William Caldwell and about 300 warriors under Matthew Elliot, Alexander McKee and Simon Girty headed toward Wheeling (now West Virginia), on the Ohio River.  Incidentally, this is one of the few times Girty is known to have led Native warriors in battle against the Americans, though to hear them tell it, he did it almost every day of the War.

Scouts erroneously reported that George Rogers Clark was headed their way with a large force of militia.  Clark was probably the only commander who could strike fear into the heart of any warrior and, indeed, had he been there, the result of this battle might have been different, but it was not to be.  Clark was patrolling the Ohio River, but had no specific plans yet of coming their way.  Most of the Loyalists returned home, but about 50 stayed, along with the 300 warriors, heading from Bryan's Station near Lexington, Kentucky.  Caldwell besieged the fortified frontier outpost, but the Settlers barricaded themselves and held off.  Again, hearing report that Clark was in the area, the Loyalists broke off the siege.  A force of Kentucky militia under John Todd and Stephen Trigg arrived at Bryan's Station, heard what happened and wanted to pursue the Loyalists and Natives.  Daniel Boone counseled them to wait until reinforcements under Benjamin Logan could arrive, but he was outvoted. 

On the morning of August 19, 1782, the militia reached a salt lick on the Licking River near present-day Mount Olivet, Kentucky.  The area was known as the Lower Blue Licks, hence the name of the ensuing battle.  Boone noticed signs that the Natives had been here recently and knew something was up.  Todd and Trigg again asked his assessment and he stated that the Natives were leading them into a trap and they should withdraw and wait for Logan.  The commanders were on the verge of taking his advice this time when a self-proclaimed Indian Fighter named Hugh McGary charged his horse across the small stream shouting, "them that aren't cowards, follow me."  The commanders tried to restrain their men, but it was no use.  Everyone crossed the creek.  Boone threw up his hands with the remark, "we are all slaughtered men," and cross with them. 

They dismounted and formed a line of battle with the commanders front and center, Todd and McGary flanked by Boone and Trigg.  As they advanced, Caldwell's men, who had been concealed in several ravines, opened fire.  Most of the Patriots fell back.  Todd and Trigg, still on horseback, were killed.  Boone was the only commander who kept his men together.  The militia fled, leaving Boone and his men stranded.  Boone found a horse and told his son Israel to get on it and get out of there.  Israel mounted the horse and caught a bullet in his neck, killing him instantly.  This was the second of Daniel Boone's sons to die fighting Natives.  Boone took the horse and made his escape, having to leave Israel's body on the field.  The Patriots lost 72 killed, 11 captured, most of whom would be killed later.  The Loyalists and Natives lost 7 killed, 10 wounded.

Repercussions fell, but not where anyone expected.  Clark, who was on the way with a force of over 1,000 men including Logan's command, was roundly blamed for the disaster, though he had not been there.  He immediately set off on a campaign of retribution, burning unoccupied Shawnee villages as a warning to the Natives to keep their heads down, but it was not enough.  Enemies began a whispering campaign that Clark was a heavy drinker and his career was on the downhill slip.  Four years later, during the Northwest Indian War, Logan would carry out more retributive attacks on the Shawnee and other tribes along the Mad River.  During these engagements, McGary confronted Moluntha, a Shawnee chief who had succeeded Cornstalk.  Without benefit of an interpreter, McGary demanded to know whether Moluntha had been at the Battle of the Blue Licks.  Moluntha misunderstood the question and nodded yes.  McGary struck him with a tomahawk and killed him instantly.  Moluntha hadn't been anywhere near the battle, but he was a Shawnee and that was enough to condemn him.  McGary was court-martialed and stripped of his commission, but otherwise unpunished.

Today, the battlefield site is a Kentucky state park.  The site includes a commemorative obelisk, a burial ground and museum.  Every August, a reenactment commemorates the battle.