CHAPTER VIII 



CONTINUANCE OF THE STRUGGLE IN KENTUCKY 

 AND THE NORTHWEST, 1779-1781 



/""^LARK'S successful campaigns against the II- 

 \^s linois towns and Vincennes, besides giving 

 the Americans a foothold north of the Ohio, were 

 of the utmost importance to Kentucky. Until this 

 time, the Kentucky settlers had been literally fight- 

 ing for life and home, and again and again their 

 strait had been so bad that it seemed and was 

 almost an even chance whether they would be driven 

 from the land. The successful outcome of Clark's 

 expedition temporarily overawed the Indians, and, 

 moreover, made the French towns outposts for the 

 protection of the settlers; so that for several years 

 thereafter the tribes west of the Wabash did but little 

 against the Americans. The confidence of the back- 

 woodsmen in their own ultimate triumph was like- 

 wise very much increased ; while the fame of the 

 Western region was greatly spread abroad. From 

 all these causes it resulted that there was an im- 

 mediate and great increase of immigration thither, 

 the bulk of the immigrants of course stopping in 

 Kentucky, though a very few, even thus early, went 

 to Illinois. Every settlement in Kentucky was still 

 in jeopardy, and there came moments of dejection, 

 VOL. VI. (121) F 



