Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/70

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60
John Minto.

It is not the purpose of the writer to mar Mr. Randall's fine description of the battle of Point Pleasant, October, 1774, but to show the names of leaders in the fight and the extraordinary proportion who never fought again. Beginning with that of General Andrew Lewis we have in Mr. Randall's, list Colonel Charles Lewis, brother of the general, Colonel William Fleming. Colonel John Field, Captain Thomas Buford, Captains Evan, Shelby, and Herbert. Captains Shelby and Russell were part of Colonel Christian's force which, by faster marching, arrived in time to take part in the battle.

Miss Poage's admirable paper is written from the native Kentuckian's standpoint, and she confesses that it is "now impossible to secure a complete list of the Kentuckians who fought in the battle of Point Pleasant." I transcribe the names she mentions who did: Isaac Shelby, Samuel M. Dowell, Silas Harlan, Aezercah Davis, Abraham Chapline, Colonel George Slaughter, James Trimble, Wm. Russell (afterward colonel, but fifteen years of age when this battle was fought), two brothers, James and John Sandusky, Simon Kenton, who arrived as a messenger from Governor Dunmore, Captain James Mongomery, James Knox, James Harrod leader of the first settlers of Harrodsburg, Kentucky John Crawford, Colonel Joseph Crockett. This last is the name which attracted the writer and led to writing this paper in hope of stimulating pioneers to Oregon to gather up all they can for the annals of this State on their origin. It has been well said by one who has labored in this direction that the time will come when the record of a pioneer to Oregon will be equal to a title of nobility. Believing that, I give Miss Poage's note on Colonel Crockett who was in Captain Russell's command at Point Pleasant: "For services in the battle of Monmouth he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He spent the winter with Washington at Valley Forge and was second in command to General Clark in the campaign against the Northwestern Indians. He moved to Jessamine County, Kentucky, in 1784. President Jefferson appointed Colonel Crockett United States marshal for the District of Kentucky, which office he held for eight