AC. He Hung Their Scalps Over His Fireplace: Bland Ballard’s Kentucky Home Attacked By Indians, 1788

Shelby County Kentucky, 1788. A group of about 15 Delaware Indians descend on the home of Bland Ballard, a man who fought as a teenager during the Revolutionary War, and who had served as a spy under General George Rogers Clark in the ongoing battles with Delaware and Shawnee Indians in what would come to be known as the Northwest Indian War.

Although the British had ceded the lands of Kentucky and other eventual states in the Ohio country to the Americans at the Treaty of Paris in 1783, these Indian tribes refused to recognize such a treaty. Kentucky had long been known as that dark and bloody ground. Both the southern and the northern tribes had used it as a hunting grounds, and these hunting parties would sometimes meet and battle with each other.

When Americans began moving into Kentucky in the 1770s, and even more so after the end of the Revolutionary War, the Shawnees and Delawares began their ruthless depredations on the settlers, which led to open war by 1785. In this episode, we will first hear about an attack led by Colonel John Hardin on a village of Indians near present-day Vincennes, Indiana in 1786.

We will then hear about the life of Bland Ballard the third. Both Hardin and Ballard were noted Indian fighters, and we will hear about how Ballard’s family was attacked by Delaware Indians in 1788 in what became known as the Tick Creek Massacre. We will be reading from this book, Our Western Border.

This book was published by Charles McKnight all the way back in 1875. So, here’s the story of two of the most notable Indian fighters in the early settlements of Kentucky. This first sketch is titled Captain William Hardin, Pioneer of Kentucky. One of the earliest settlers in Kentucky was Captain William Hardin, a noted hunter and Indian fighter, a man of dauntless courage and resolution, cool, calm, and self-possessed in the midst of the most appalling dangers, and perfectly skilled in all the wiles and arts of border warfare.

Soon after Captain Hardin had erected a station in what is now known as the county of Breckenridge, intelligence was received that the Indians were building a town on Saline Creek in the present state of Illinois. Hardin, not well pleased that the Indians should establish themselves in such close vicinity to his little settlement, determined to dislodge them.

He soon had collected around him a force of 80 select men, the hardiest and boldest of those noted hunters whose lives were passed in a continual round of perilous adventure. When this force reached the vicinity of the lick, they discovered the Indian signs, and approaching the town cautiously, they found it in possession of three warriors who had been left to guard the camp.

Hardin ordered his men to fire on them, which they did, killing two. The third attempted to make his escape, but was shot down as he ran. He succeeded, however, in regaining his feet, and ran 50 yd, leaped up a perpendicular bank 6 ft high, and fell dead. In the meantime, Hardin, correctly supposing that the main body of the Indians were out on a hunting expedition and would shortly return, made immediate preparation for battle.

He accordingly selected a place where a few acres of timbered land were surrounded on all sides by the prairie. Here he posted his men with orders to conceal themselves behind the trees, and reserve their fire until the Indians should approach within 25 yd. Soon after the little band had taken their position, they discovered the Indians rapidly approaching on their trail, and numbering apparently between 80 and 100 men.

When the Indians had arrived within 100 yd of the position of the Kentuckians, one of the men, in his impatience to begin the battle forgot the order of the captain and fired his gun. Immediately the Indians charged and the fight commenced in earnest. At the first fire Captain Hardin was shot through the thighs without however resigning his command or yielding to the pain of his wounds.

He sat down on a large log and during the whole action continued to encourage the men and to give forth his orders as if engaged in the most ordinary avocation. This more than Spartan firmness and resolution was not however anything very remarkable in the early history of Kentucky. Every battlefield furnished many examples of similar heroism.

The iron men of these times indeed seem to have been born insensible to fear and impregnable to pain. The coolness, courage and unyielding determination of Hardin in this trying situation no doubt contributed greatly to the success of the day. And after a severe contest in which some 30 of the Indians fell, they were finally repulsed.

The loss of the whites in killed and wounded was very considerable. During the action the parties were frequently engaged hand-to-hand. So that was the story of John Hardin’s attack on an Indian town near present-day Vincennes, Indiana in 1786 after the outbreak of the Northwest Indian War. Some viewers have been asking for more stories about the white settlers attacking Indian towns.

So let us know in the comments what you think of that story. We will now read the next sketch in this book about another Kentucky pioneer. It is titled Captain Bland Ballard and his adventures. This distinguished pioneer went to Kentucky in 1777. He was like his compeers long engaged in the defense of the country of his adoption and after serving in Bowman’s campaign in ’79 accompanied General Clark’s expedition against the Pickaway towns in ’81, on which occasion he was severely wounded.

In 1786, he served as a spy for General Clark and in ’91 as a guide and was with General Wayne in the decisive battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. During his 3 years service as spy with Clark, he had many exciting run-ins with Indians. One occurred near Louisville. He was scouting down the river and heard early one morning a noise on the Indiana shore.

He sought concealments and when the fog cleared, discovered a canoe with three Indians approaching. When within range, he fired and killed one. The others jumped overboard and tried to get their canoe into deep water, but before they succeeded, he shot the second and finally the third. Upon reporting to General Clark the game he had bagged, a party was sent down and buried the three bodies.

For this service, Clark gave him a linen shirt, of which the tough pioneer was very proud, his previous shirts being only of buckskin. A few years later in 1788, the savages attacked the little fort on Tick Creek, where his father resided. Ballard senior had moved outside the fort to be near a sugar camp. When a younger brother had gone out to chop some wood for the fire, he was shot by prowling Indians who then assailed the cabin.

The inmates barred the door and prepared for defense. His father was the only man in the house and the only man in the fort were one old man and Bland Ballard. The latter of whom, as soon as he heard firing, proceeded as near as was safe to his father’s cabin and commenced using his unerring rifle with the best effects.

The Indians had burst into the cabin and killed old Ballard, but not before he had first killed two of them. They also murdered young Ballard’s full sister, as well as a half sister, his stepmother, and tomahawked his younger sister, who however afterwards recovered. His stepmother was pursued out of the back door by an eager Indian, and just as his tomahawk descended, a bullet from young Ballard’s rifle laid him low.

The Indians numbered 15, but before they got fairly off with their booty, had lost six or seven. At one time, Ballard was taken captive by five Indians a little above Louisville, and taken to their camp where he was treated well, but they neglected to tie him. The next day, while they were engaged in horse racing, his guards left him to enjoy the sport.

Near him stood a fine black horse recently stolen from Beargrass. Springing to his back, Ballard made off. When the character of the race changed, it being now one for life and death. He was pursued for over 20 miles to the river, but succeeded in making good his escape. The gallant horse who had saved him dying, however, shortly after from his extraordinary exertions.

At another time, the Indians stole his horse at night. He distinctly heard them when they took the beast from the door to which he was tied. Ballard’s energy and sagacity, however, were such that by taking a shortcut across country, he was enabled to get in advance of the exultant thieves before they reached the Ohio.

Putting himself in an ambush by the trail they would most likely pass, a party of three soon hove in sight. Drawing a careful bead on the Indian mounted on his own horse, he dropped him. And Ballard not only succeeded in catching the frightened animal in its flight, but in escaping without any injury. In after life, Major Ballard repeatedly represented the people of Shelby County in the legislature, commanded a company under Harrison in 1812 and 1813, and was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of the Raisin.

In 1847, Ballard was living yet, a fine specimen of the old style Kentucky pioneer. So, that is the sketch of Bland Ballard’s life from Charles McKnight’s 1875 book, Our Western Border. This story was probably at least partially based on Lewis Collins’ sketch of Bland Ballard’s life from his 1848 book, Historical Sketches of Kentucky.

Here are a few other stories about Ballard’s encounters with Indians from this book by Lewis Collins. Captain Bland Ballard, in honor of whom this county was named, was born near Fredericksburg, Virginia, on the 16th of October, 1761, and is now in his 87th year. He came to Kentucky in 1779 and joined the regular militia, which was kept up for the defense of the country.

And after serving on Bowman’s campaign in 1779, accompanied the expedition led by General Clark against the Pickaway towns in Ohio in 1781, on which occasion he received a severe wound in the hip, from the effects of which he is suffering at this day. At the time of his wound, he was near bleeding to death before he could procure surgical aid.

While on a scout to the saline licks on one occasion, Ballard, with one companion, came suddenly upon a large body of Indians just as they were in the act of encamping. They immediately charged, firing their guns and raising the yell. This induced the Indians, as they had anticipated, to dispense for the moment until the strength of the assailing party could be ascertained.

During this period of alarm, Ballard and his companion mounted two of the best horses they could find, and retreated for two days and nights until they reached the Ohio, which they crossed upon a raft, making their horses swim. As they ascended the Kentucky bank, the Indians reached the opposite shore. At the time of the defeats on Long Run, he was living at Linn’s Station on Beargrass, and came up to assist some families in moving from Squire Boone Station near the present town of Shelbyville.

The people of this station had become alarmed on account of the numerous Indian signs in the country, and had determined to move to the stronger stations on the Beargrass. They proceeded safely until they arrived near Long Run, when they were attacked front and rear by the Indians, who fired their rifles and then rushed on them with their tomahawks.

Some few of the men ran at the first fire. Of the others, some succeeded in saving part of their families or died with them after a brave resistance. The subject of this sketch, Bland Ballard, after assisting several of the women on horseback who had been thrown at the first onset, during which he had one or two single-handed combats with the Indians, and seeing the party about to be defeated, he succeeded in getting outside of the Indian line.

When he used his rifle with some effect until he saw that they were totally defeated. He then started for the station, pursued by the Indians, and on stopping at Floyd’s Fork in the bushes on the bank, he saw an Indian on horseback pursuing the fugitives ride into the creek. And as he ascended the bank near to where Ballard stood, he shot the Indian, caught the horse, and made good his escape to the station.

Many were killed, the number not recollected, some taken prisoners, and some escaped to the station. They afterwards learned from the prisoners taken on this occasion that the Indians who attacked them to attack the station the whites had deserted. But learning from their spies that they were moving, the Indians turned from the head of Bullskin and marched in the direction of Long Run.

The news of this defeat induced Colonel Floyd to raise a party of 37 men with the intention of chastising the Indians. Floyd commanded one division and Captain Holden the other, Ballard being with the latter. They proceeded with great caution but did not discover the Indians until they received the first fire, which killed or mortally wounded 16 of their men.

Notwithstanding the loss, the party under Floyd maintained their grounds and fought bravely until overpowered by three times their number, who appealed to the tomahawk. The retreat, however, was completed without much further loss. This occasion has been rendered memorable by the magnanimous gallantry of young Wells, afterwards Colonel Wells of Tippecanoe, who saved the life of Floyd, his personal enemy, by the timely offer of his horse at a moment when the Indians were near to Floyd, who was retreating on foot and nearly exhausted.

In afterlife, Major Ballard repeatedly represented the people of Shelby County in the legislature and commanded a company in Colonel Allen’s regiment under General Harrison in the campaign of 1812 and 1813. He led the advance of the detachment which fought the first battle of the River Raisin, was slightly wounded on that day, and severely by a Spence ball on the 22nd of January.

This wound also continues to annoy his old age. On this disastrous occasion, he was taken prisoner and suffered severely by the march through snow and ice from Malden to Fort George. The generation now on the sphere of action and the millions who are to succeed them in the great valley will have but an imperfect idea of the character and services of the bold patriotic men who rescued Kentucky from the forest and the savage.

The subject of this sketch, however, is a fine specimen of that noble race of men, and when his gray hair shall descend to an honorable grave, this short biography may serve in some degree to stimulate the rising generation to emulate his heroic patriotism. So, those are a few more details about Bland Ballard’s life from Lewis Collins’ 1848 book, Historical Sketches of Kentucky.

On Shelby County history.org, there is a short biography of Bland Ballard and some mention of the Tick Creek Massacre, where his father and several other family members were killed. It says that he was with General Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, and he continued his military service into his 50s by fighting at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

This website says of the Tick Creek Massacre, “Depending on the storyteller, Ballard killed anywhere from three to seven of the Indians that day, but not before Bland’s father, stepmother, a brother, and two sisters were murdered.” One younger sister was scalped in the attack, but she amazingly recovered and lived to a ripe old age.

Bland had quite a reputation for killing Indians and even displayed some of the scalps he had acquired over his fireplace. >> [snorts] >> Historian Lewis Collins described Ballard as, “One of the bravest and most daring spirits in the early history of Kentucky.” Blandville, Kentucky and Ballard County, Kentucky are both named in his honor.

By Bland Williams Ballard’s death in 1853, there were no remaining Native Americans in the area. So, let us know in the comments what you think about Bland Ballard. This story is of special interest to me because Bland Ballard was my first cousin six times removed. His father, Bland Ballard II, was my fifth great-granduncle.

And his father, Bland Ballard I, was my sixth great-grandfather. This channel was begun because history like this, which tells of the true struggles of the early pioneers of this country, is now viewed as unworthy of airtime on history channels on TV and unworthy of display in our modern captured museums. So, here on this channel, our mission is to keep this worthy history of our ancestors alive by reading directly from old books.

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