\ 



The War in the Northwest 19 



of the boats became very slow, and it was not until 

 April 24th that they reached the Big Salt Lick, and 

 found Robertson awaiting them. The long, toil 

 some, and perilous voyage had been brought to a 

 safe end. 



There were then probably nearly five hundred set 

 tlers on the Cumberland, one half of them being 

 able-bodied men in the prime of life. 11 The central 

 station, the capital of the little community, was that 

 at the Bluff, where Robertson built a little stock 

 aded hamlet and called it Nashborough ; 12 it was of 

 the usual type of small frontier forted town. Other 

 stations were scattered along both sides of the river ; 

 some were stockades, others merely block-houses, 

 with the yard and garden inclosed by stout palings. 

 As with all similar border forts or stations, these 

 were sometimes called by the name of the founder; 

 more rarely they were named with reference to some 

 natural object, such as the river, ford, or hill by 

 which they were, or commemorated some deed, or 

 the name of a man the frontiersmen held in honor; 

 and occasionally they afforded true instances of 

 clan-settlement and clan-nomenclature, several kin 

 dred families of the same name building a village 

 which grew to be called after them. Among these 



11 Two hundred and fifty-six names are subscribed to the 

 compact of government; and in addition there were the 

 women, children, the few slaves, and such men as did not 

 sign. 



12 After A. Nash ; he was the Governor of North Carolina ; 

 where he did all he could on the patriot side. See Gates 

 MSS. Sept. 7, 1780. 



