Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 January 1885 — A DESPERATE BOAT FIGHT. [ARTICLE]

A DESPERATE BOAT FIGHT.

In Mav, 1778, a fiat boat loaded with kettles, intended for the manufacture ■of aalt at Bullitt’s Lick, left Louisville with thirteen persons—twelve armed men and one woman—on board. The Boat and cargo were owned by Henry ■Crist and Solomon Spears; and the company consisted of Crist, Spears, Christian Crepps, Thomas Floyd, Joseph Boyce, Evans MoOre, an Irishman named Fossett, and five others, and a woman whose name is not preserved. On the 25th of May the boat entered Salt River, and the hands commenced working her up with sweep-oars. There was no current one way or the other. While in the Ohio the great breadth of the river secured them Against any sudden attack, but when tljev came into Salt River they were witliin reach of the Indian rifle from the shore. It became necessary, therefore, to send out scouts to appraise them of any danger ahead. In the evening of the first day of their ascent of the river, Crist and Floyd when ashore to reconnoitre the t» nk of the river ahead of the boat. Late in the evening they discovered A Iresh trail, but for the want of light they could not make out the number of Indians. They remained out all night, but made no further discoveries. In the morning, as they weie returning down the river toward the boat, they beard a number of guns, which they believed to be Indians killing gamo for breakfast. They hastened back to the boat and communicated what they had heard and seen. They then pulled on up the river until 8 o’clock, and arrived at a point eight miles below the mouth of the Rolling Fork, where they drew in to chore on the north side of the river, now in Bullitt County, intending to laud and cook and eat their breakfast. As they drew in to shore, they heard the gobbling of turkeys (as they sup Jtosed) on the bank a here they were going to land, and, as the boat touched Fossett and another sprang ashore, with their guns in their hands, to shoot turkeys. They were cautioned of their danger, but, disregarding the admonition, hastily ascended the bank. Their companions in the boat had soaroely lost sight of them, when they heard a volley of rides discharged all at once on the bank immediately above, succeeded by a yell of savages so terrific as to induce a belief that the woods was filled «ith Indians. This attack, so sudden and violent, took the boat’s company by surprise, and they had barely time size their rifles and place thernin a posture of defense, when Foa.set! and his companion came dashing down the bank, hotly pursued by a large body of Indiana Crist stood in the Ik>w of the boat with his rifle in his band. At the first sight of the enemy, he brought bis gun to his face, but instantly perceived that the object of his Aim was a white man, and a sudden idea flashed across his mind that the enemy was a company of surveyors whom he knew to be then in the woods, and that the attack was made in sport He left his gun down and, at the same time, bis white focman sank out of his sight behind the bank. But the firing had begun in good earnest on both sides. Crist again brought his- rifle to his face, and, as he did so, the white man’s ■head was rising over the bank, with his -gun. also, drawn up and presented. Crist got the fire on him, and at the «rack of his rifle the white man fell lorward dead. 6* intent were the Indians on the ’ pursuit of their prey, that many of them ran to the water’s edge, and struck snd •hot at Fossett and his companion while getting into the boat, and some oven seized the boat and attempted to draw it nearer the shore. Repulsed in their efforts to board the boat, the savages withdrew higher np the bank, and, taking their stations behind trees, commenced a regular and galling fire, which was .returned with die spirit of brave men rendered desperate by the certain knowledge that mo quarter would be given, and that it was an issue of victory or death to •every soul on board. The boat had a log-chain for a cable, *4*nd when'she was first brought ashore, the chain was thrown round a small ; tree that stood on the water’s edge, and j Abe hook run through one of the links. | This had been done-before the first fire [ was made upon Fossett on shore. The HE£ °p halong the sides, leaving an open ganggfcwy through the middle of the boat

•o that the gens of th* Indiana raked the whole length of the gangway, and their fire was constant and destructive. Spears and several others of the bravest men had already fallen, some killed and others mortally wounded. .From the commencement of the battle, matiy efforts had been made to disengage the boat from the shore, all of winch had failed. The hope was that, if they could once loose the cable, the boat would drift out of the reach of the enemy’s guns; but any attempt to do this by hand would expose the person to» certain destruction. Fossett’s right arm was broken, and he oould no

longer handle his rifle. He got a pole, and placing himself low down in the bow of the boat, commenced punching at the hook in the chain, but the point of the hook was turned from him, and all his efforts seemed only to drive it further into the link. He at length discovered where a small limb had been cut from the pole, and left a knot about an inch long. This knot, after a number of efforts, he placed against the point of the hook, and jerking the pole suddenly toward him, threw the hook out of the - link. The chain fell, and the boat drifted slowly out from the bank; and, by means of an oar worked overhead, the boat was brought into the middle of the river, with her side to the shore, which protected them from the fire of the Indians.

The survivors had now time to look round upon the havoc that had been made of their little band. Five of their companions lay dead in the gangway ; Spears, Floyd, Fossett, and Boyce were wounded ;Crepps,Crist, and Moore remained unhurt. It was evident that Spears’ wound was mortal, and that he could survive but a few moments. He urged the survivors to run the boat to the. opposite side of the river, and save themselves by immediate flight, and leave him to his fate. Crepps and Crist positively refused. ■ »

But the boat was gradually nearing the southern shore of the river. At this time, the Indians, to the number of forty or fifty, were seen crossing the river above, at a few hundred yards distance, some on logs, and some swimming and carrying their rifles over their heads. The escape of the boat was now hopeles, as there was a large body of Indians’on each side of the river. If the boat had been oarried to the opposite side of the river as soon as her cable was loosed, the survivors might have escaped; but to such minds and hearts, the idea of leaving their dying friends to the mercy of the Indian tomahawk was insupportable. The boat at length touched the southern shore; a hasty preparation was made to bury the dead in the woods; Floyd, Fossett, and Boyce got to land, ai d sought concealment in the thick; ts. Crepps and Crist turned to their suffering friend, Bpears, but death had kindly set in and cut short the savage triumph. The woman now remained. They offered to assist her to shore, that she might take her chance of escape in the woods; but the danger of her position and the scenes of blood and death around her, had overpowerod her senses, a;:d no entreaty or remonstrance oould prevail wish her to move. She sat with her face buried in her hands, and no effort could make her sensible that there was any hope of escape. Crepps and Crist seized a rifle apiece and ascended the river bank. At the top of the hill they met the savages and charged them with a shout. Crepps fired upon them, but Crist, in haste, had taken up Fossett’s gun, which had got wet as he swam with it to the boat on the opposite side—it missed fire. At this time, Moore passed them and escaped. The Indians, when charged by Crepps and Crist, fell back into a ravine that put into the river immediately above them. Crist and Crepps again commenced their fight The Indians rallied and rose from the ravine, and fired a volley at them as tuey fled. Crepps received a ball in his left side; a ballet struck Crist’s heel, and completely crushed the bones of his foot They parted and met no more. The Indians, intent on plunder, did not pursue them, but rushed into the boat Crist heard one long, agonizing, shriek from the unfortunate woman, and the wild shouts of the savages, as they possessed themselves of the spoils of a costly, but barren victory. Crepps, in the course of the next day, arrived in the neighborhood of Long Lick, and being unable to travel further, lay down in the woods to die. Moore alone escaped unhurt, and brought in tidings of the defeat of the boat. The eonntry was at once aroused. Crepps was found and brought in but died about the time he reached home. Crist was so disabled by the wound that he oould not walk. The bones of his heel were crushed. He crept into a thicket and laid down. His wound bled profusely. He could not remain there long. His feet were of no use to him., He bound his moccasions on his knees and commenced his journey. Piece by piece his hat, hunting-shirt, Kind vest were consumed to shield his hands against the rugged rocks which lay in his way. He crawled on all day np the river and at night crossed over to the north side upon • log that he rolled down the bank. He concealed himself in the thicket and tried to sleep; but pain and exhaustion and loss of blood had driven sleep from his eyes. His foot and leg were much swollen and inflamed. Guided by the stars, he crept on again. Between midnight and day, he came in eighty of' a campfire, and heard the barking of a dog. A number of Indians rose up from around th* fire, and he crept softly away from the light. He- laid down and remained quiet for some time. When all was still again, -he resumed his slow and painful journey. He crawled into a small branch and kept own down it for some distance uppn the rocks, that he might leave no trace behind At daylight he ascended an eminence of considerable height to ascertain, if possible, where he was, and ,how to shape his future course; but all •round was wilderness. He was aiming to reach Bullitt's

Lick, now about eight miles distant, and his progress vu not ahalf *mile an honr. He toiled, bn all day; night came on—the seoond night of his painful journey. Since leaving the small branch the night before, he had found no water—sinoe the day before the battle he had not tasted food. Worn down with hunger, want of sleep, acute pain, and raging thirst, his sufferings were not to end here Guided again by the stars, he struggled on. The morning came—the morning ol the third day. It brought him but little hope, but the indomitable spirit within him disdained to yield, and during the day he made what progress he could.* As the evening drew on, he became aware tbat he was m the vicinity of Bnllitt’s Lick; but he eonld go no further—nature had made her Inst effort, and he laid himself down and prayed that death would speedily end liis sufferings.

When darkness came on, from where he lay he could see the hundred fires of the furnaces at the licks all glowing; and he even fancied he oould. see the dusky forms of the firemen as they passed to and fro around the pits; but they were more than half a mile off, and how was he to reach them ? He had not eaten a morsel in four dajts; he had been drained of almost his last drop of blood; the wounded leg had become so stiff' and swollen that for the last two days and nights he had dragged it after him; the flesh was worn from his knee and from the palms of his hands. Relief was in sight, but to reach it was impossible. Suddenly he heard the tramp of-a horse’s feot approaching him, and hope sprang up once more in his breast The sound came nefirer and still more near. A path ran near the place where he lay; a man on horseback approached within a few rods of him; lie mustered his remaining strength and hailed him; but, to his utter surprise and dismay, the horseman turned suddenly and galloped off toward the licks. Despair now seized him. To die alone of hunger and thurst, in sight ol hundreds and of plenty, seemed to him the last dregs of the bitterest cap that Fate could offer to mortal lips. Oh, that lie could have fallen by the side of his friend in the proud battle!—that he could have met the Indian tomahawk, and died in the strength of his manhood, and not have been doomed to linger out his life in days and nights of pain and agony, and to . died by piecemeal in childish despair! While these thoughts were passing through his mind, the horseman, a negro, regained the licks and alarmed the people with the intelligence that the Indians were approaching. On being interrogated, all the account he could give was that some person had called to him in the woods, a half mile off, and called him by the wrong name. It was manifest it was not Indians, and forthwith a number of men set out, guided by the negro, to the place. Crist’s hopes again revived when he heard voices, and saw lights approaching. They came near and hailed. Crist new the voice, and called to the man by name. This removed all doubt, and they approached the spot. A sad and mournful sight was before them, A man that had left them but a few days before in the bloom of youth, health, and buoyant spirits,, now lay stretched upon the earth, a worn and mangled skeleton, unable to lift a hand to bid them welcome. Tliev boro him home. The ball was extracted, but his recovery was slow anq doubtful. It was a year before he was a man again. The woman in the boat was caried a prisoner to Canada. Ten years afterward Crist met her again in Kentucky. She had been redeemed by an Indian trader, and brought to Wayne’s camp on the Maumee, and restored to her friends. She informed Crist that the body of Indians which made the attaok on the boat numbered over 120, of whom about thirty were killed in the engagement The account was confirmed by the Indians that Crist met with afterward, and who had been in the battle. They told Crist that the boat’s crew fought more like devils than men, and if they had taken one of them prisoner, they would have roasted him alive. Crist was afterward a member of the Kentucky Legislature, and in 1808 was a member of Congress. He died at his residence in Bullitt county, in August, 1834, aged 80 years.