The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 169 



and Patton, stumbled by accident on a party of In 

 dians, some of whom were friendly Piankeshaws 

 and some hostile Miamis. They attacked them with 

 out making any discrimination between friend and 

 foe, killed six, wounded seven, and drove off the 

 remainder. But they themselves lost one man killed 

 and four wounded, including Hardin, and fell back 

 to Louisville without doing anything more. 47 



These troubles on the Wabash merely hardened 

 the determination of the Kentuckians no longer to 

 wait until the Federal Government acted. With the 

 approval of Governor Patrick Henry, they took the 

 initiative themselves. Early in August the field offi 

 cers of the district of Kentucky met at Harrodsburg, 

 Benjamin Logan presiding, and resolved on an expe 

 dition, to be commanded by Clark, against the hos 

 tile Indians on the Wabash. Half of the militia of 

 the district were to go; the men were to assemble, 

 on foot or on horseback, as they pleased, at Clarks- 

 ville, on September loth. 48 Besides pack-horses, 



47 Letter of Legrace and Filson's Journal. The two con 

 tradict one another as to which side was to blame. Legrace 

 blames the Americans heavily for wronging both the French 

 and the Indians ; and condemns in the strongest terms, and 

 probably with justice, many of their number, and especially 

 Sullivan. He speaks, however, in high terms of Henry and 

 Small ; and both of these, in their letters referred to above, 

 paint the conduct of the French and Indians in very dark 

 colors, throwing the blame on them. Legrace is certainly 

 disingenuous in suppressing all mention of the wrongs done 

 to the Americans. For Filson's career and death in the 

 woods, see the excellent Life of Filson, by Durrett, in the 

 Filson Club publications. 



48 Draper MSS. Minutes of meetings of the officers of the 

 VOL. VII. 8 



