On the 15th of April, 1777, a body of one hundred savages invested Boonesborough, the residence of Daniel Boone.  The greater number of the Indians had fire arms, though some of them were still armed with bows and arrows.  This station, having its defence conducted by such a gallant leader, gave them such a warm reception that they were glad to draw off; though not till they had killed one and wounded four of the inhabitants.  Their loss could not be ascertained, as they carefully removed their dead and wounded.

In July following, the residence of Boone was again besieged by a body of Indians, whose number was increased to two hundred.  With their numbers, their hardihood and audacity were increased in proportion.  To prevent the neighboring stations from sending assistance, detachments from their body assailed most of the adjacent settlements at the same time.  The gallant inmates of the station made them repent their temerity, though, as formerly, with some loss; one of their number having been killed and two wounded.  Seven of the Indians were distinctly counted from the fort among the slain; though, according to custom, the bodies were removed.  After a close siege, and almost constant firing during two days, the Indians raised a yell of disappointment, and disappeared in the forests.

In order to present distinct views of the sort of enemy, with whom Boone had to do, and to present pictures of the aspect of Indian warfare in those times, we might give sketches of the repeated sieges of Harrodsburgh and Boonesborough, against which—­as deemed the strong holds of the Long-knife, as they called the Americans—­their most formidable and repeated efforts were directed.  There is such a sad and dreary uniformity in these narratives, that the history of one may almost stand for that of all.  They always present more or less killed and wounded on the part of the stations, and a still greater number on that of the Indians.  Their attacks of stations having been uniformly unsuccessful, they returned to their original modes of warfare, dispersing themselves in small bodies over all the country, and attacking individual settlers in insulated cabins, and destroying women and children.  But as most of these annals belong to the general history of Kentucky, and do not particularly tend to develop the character of the subject of this biography, we shall pretermit them, with a single exception.  At the expense of an anachronism, and as a fair sample of the rest, we shall present that, as one of the most prominent Indian sieges recorded in these early annals.  It will not be considered an episode, if it tend to convey distinct ideas of the structure and form of a station, and the modes of attack and defence in those times.  It was in such scenes that the fearless daring, united with the cool, prudent, and yet efficient counsels of Daniel Boone, were peculiarly conspicuous.  With this view we offer a somewhat detailed account of the attack of Bryant’s station.