1 72 The Winning of the West 



fused the court-martial, for fear of creating further 

 trouble. The bane of the frontier military organi 

 zation was the helplessness of the elected command 

 ers, their dependence on their followers, and the in 

 ability of the decent men to punish the atrocious 

 misdeeds of their associates. 



These expeditions were followed by others on a 

 smaller scale, but of like character. They did 

 enough damage to provoke, but not to overawe, the 

 Indians. With the spring of 1787 the ravages be 

 gan on an enlarged scale, with all their dreadful 

 accompaniments of rapine, murder, and torture. 

 All along the Ohio frontier, from Pennsylvania to 

 Kentucky, the settlers were harried; and in some 

 places they abandoned their clearings and hamlets, 

 so that the frontier shrank back. 56 Logan, Kenton, 

 and many other leaders headed counter expeditions, 

 and now and then broke up a war party or de 

 stroyed an Indian town ; 57 but nothing decisive was 

 accomplished, and Virginia paralyzed the efforts of 

 the Kentuckians and waked them to anger by for 

 bidding them to follow the Indian parties beyond 

 the frontier. 58 



The most important stroke given to the hostile 

 Indians in 1787 was dealt by the Cumberland peo 

 ple. During the preceding three or four years, 

 some scores of the settlers on the Cumberland had 



M Durrett MSS., Daniel Dawson to John Campbell, Pitts- 

 burg, June 17, 1787. Virginia State Papers, Vol. IV, p. 419. 



" Draper MSS., T. Brown to T. Preston, Danville, June 

 13, 1787. Virginia State Papers, Vol. IV, pp. 254, 287, etc. 



58 Virginia State Papers, Vol. IV, p. 344. 



