Charles Scott (April 1739October 22, 1813) was an American military officer and politician who served as the
governor of Kentucky
The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...
from 1808 to 1812. Orphaned in his teens, Scott enlisted in the
Virginia Regiment
The Virginia Regiment was formed in 1754 by Virginia's Royal Governor Robert Dinwiddie, as a provincial corps. The regiment served in the French and Indian War, with members participating in actions at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity in 1754, ...
in October 1755 and served as a scout and escort during the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
. He quickly rose through the ranks to become a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. After the war, he married and engaged in agricultural pursuits on land left to him by his father, but he returned to active military service in 1775 as the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
began to grow in intensity. In August 1776, he was promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
and given command of the
5th Virginia Regiment
The 5th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775, at Richmond, Virginia, for service with the U.S. Continental Army. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, B ...
. The 5th Virginia joined
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
later that year, serving with him for the duration of the
Philadelphia campaign
The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to draw ...
. Scott commanded Washington's light infantry, and by late 1778 was also serving as his chief of intelligence.
Furlough
A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...
ed at the end of the Philadelphia campaign, Scott returned to active service in March 1779 and was ordered to
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
to assist General
Benjamin Lincoln
Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...
in the
southern theater. He arrived in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, just as
Henry Clinton had begun his
siege of the city. Scott was taken as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
when Charleston surrendered. Paroled in March 1781 and
exchanged for
Lord Rawdon in July 1782, Scott managed to complete a few recruiting assignments before the war ended.
After the war, Scott visited the western frontier in 1785 and began to make preparations for a permanent relocation. He resettled near present-day
Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...
, in 1787. Confronted by the dangers of Indian raids, Scott raised a company of volunteers in 1790 and joined
Josiah Harmar
Josiah Harmar (November 10, 1753August 20, 1813) was an officer in the United States Army during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. He was the senior officer in the Army for six years and seven months (August 1784 to Ma ...
for an expedition against the Indians. After
Harmar's Defeat, President Washington ordered
Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During ...
to prepare for an invasion of Indian lands in the
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...
. In the meantime, Scott, by now holding the rank of
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the Virginia militia, was ordered to conduct a series of preliminary raids. In July 1791, he led the most notable and successful of these raids against the village of
Ouiatenon
Ouiatenon ( mia, waayaahtanonki) was a dwelling place of members of the Wea tribe of Native Americans. The name ''Ouiatenon'', also variously given as ''Ouiatanon'', ''Oujatanon'', ''Ouiatano'' or other similar forms, is a French rendering of a ...
. St. Clair's main invasion, conducted later that year, was a failure. Shortly after the separation of Kentucky from Virginia in 1792, the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in the ...
commissioned Scott as a
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
and gave him command of the 2nd Division of the Kentucky militia. Scott's division cooperated with
"Mad" Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...
's
Legion of the United States
The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the Continental Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne. It represented a political shift in the new United States, which had recently adopte ...
for the rest of the
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...
, including their decisive victory at the
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United States ...
.
Having previously served in the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
and as a
presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
, the aging Scott now ran for governor. His 1808 campaign was skillfully managed by his step-son-in-law,
Jesse Bledsoe
Jesse Bledsoe (April 6, 1776June 25, 1836) was a slave owner and Senator from Kentucky.
Life and career
Bledsoe was born in Culpeper County, Virginia in 1776. When he was very young, his family migrated with a Baptist congregation through Cumber ...
, and he won a convincing victory over
John Allen and
Green Clay
Green Clay (August 14, 1757 – October 31, 1828) was an American businessman, planter, military officer and politician from Kentucky. Clay served in the American Revolutionary War and was commissioned as a general to lead the Kentucky militia ...
. A fall on the icy steps of the
governor's mansion early in his term confined Scott to crutches for the rest of his life, and left him heavily reliant on Bledsoe, whom he appointed
Secretary of State. Although he frequently clashed with the state legislature over domestic matters, the primary concern of his administration was the increasing tension between the United States and Great Britain that eventually led to the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
. Scott's decision to appoint
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
as
brevet
Brevet may refer to:
Military
* Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay
* Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college
* Aircre ...
major general in the Kentucky militia, although probably in violation of the
state constitution as Harrison was not a resident of the state, was nonetheless praised by the state's citizens. After his term expired, Scott returned to his Canewood estate. His health declined rapidly, and he died on October 22, 1813.
Scott County, Kentucky
Scott County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,155. Scott County is part of the Lexington–Fayette, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Native Amer ...
, and
Scott County, Indiana
Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 24,181. The county seat is Scottsburg.
History
Scott County was formed in 1820 from portions of Clark, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, and Washington ...
, are named in his honor, as is the city of
Scottsville, Kentucky
Scottsville is a home rule-class city in Allen County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 4,226 during the 2010 U.S. Census.
History
The site along Bays Fork was settled in 1797 and developed into ...
.
Early life and family
Charles Scott was born in 1739, probably in April, in the part of
Goochland County, Virginia
Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727. Its county seat is Goochland.
Goochland County is includ ...
, that is now
Powhatan County
Powhatan County () is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,033. Its county seat is Powhatan.
Powhatan County is included in the Greater Richmond Region.
The James River forms the cou ...
.
[Harrison, p. 803]["Charles Scott". ''Dictionary of American Biography''] His father, Samuel Scott, was a farmer and member of the
Virginia House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...
.
[Ward (2004), p. 16] His mother, whose name is not known, died most likely around 1745.
[Ward (1988), p. 2] Scott had an older brother, John, and three younger siblings, Edward, Joseph, and Martha.
He received only a basic education from his parents and in the rural Virginia schools near his home.
Shortly after his father died in 1755, Scott was apprenticed to a carpenter.
[Ward (1988), p. 3] In late July 1755, a local court was preparing to place him with a guardian, but in October, before the court acted, Scott enlisted in the
Virginia Regiment
The Virginia Regiment was formed in 1754 by Virginia's Royal Governor Robert Dinwiddie, as a provincial corps. The regiment served in the French and Indian War, with members participating in actions at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity in 1754, ...
.
He was assigned to David Bell's
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
.
During the early part of the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, he won praise from his superiors as a frontier scout and woodsman.
Most of his fellow soldiers were undisciplined and poorly trained, allowing Scott to stand out and quickly rise to the rank of
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 4] By June 1756, he had been promoted to
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
.
Many biographies state that Scott served under
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
in the
Braddock Expedition, a failed attempt to capture
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed a ...
from the French. This, however, is unlikely. There is no record of his claiming participation and his enlistment in the Virginia Regiment occurred after the date of the battle.
For most of 1756 and the early part of 1757, he divided his time between
Fort Cumberland
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
and Fort Washington, conducting scouting and escort missions.
[Ward (1988), p. 5] In April 1757, David Bell was relieved of his command as part of a general downsizing of Washington's regiment, and Scott was assigned to
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Robert McKenzie at
Fort Pearsall
Fort Pearsall was an early frontier fort constructed in 1756 in Romney, West Virginia (then known as Pearsall's Flats, Virginia) to protect local settlers in the South Branch Potomac River valley against Native American raids. The area around pr ...
.
In August and September, Washington sent Scott and a small scouting party on two reconnaissance missions to Fort Duquesne in preparation for an assault on that fort, but the party learned little on either mission.
[Ward (1988), p. 6] In November, Scott was part of the
Forbes Expedition
The Forbes Expedition was a British military expedition to capture Fort Duquesne, led by Brigadier-General John Forbes in 1758, during the French and Indian War. While advancing to the fort, the expedition built the now historic trail, the Forbes ...
that captured the fort.
He spent the latter part of the year at
Fort Loudoun, where Washington promoted him to
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
.
Scott spent most of 1759 conducting escort missions and constructing roads and forts.
[Ward (1988), p. 7] During this time, Virginia's forces were taken from George Washington and put under the control of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
William Byrd
William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
.
In July 1760, Scott was named the fifth captain of a group of Virginia troops that Byrd led on an expedition against the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
in 1760.
Scott's exact role in the campaign is not known.
The expedition was a success, and Virginia Governor
Francis Fauquier
Francis Fauquier (1703 – 3 March 1768) was a lieutenant governor of Virginia Colony (in what is today the United States), and served as acting governor from 1758 until his death in 1768.
He was a noted teacher and close friend of Thomas Jeffers ...
ordered the force disbanded in February 1762; Scott had left the army at some unknown date prior to that.
[Ward (1988), p. 8]
Sometime prior to 1762, Scott's older brother, John, died, leaving Scott to inherit his father's land near the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
and
Muddy Creek.
Having left the army, he had settled on his inherited farm by late 1761.
On February 25, 1762, he married Frances Sweeney from
Cumberland County, Virginia
Cumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,675. Its county seat is Cumberland.
History
Cumberland County was established in 1749 from Goochland County. ...
.
With the help of approximately 10
slaves
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, Scott engaged in growing
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
and milling flour on his farm. In July 1766, he was named one of two captains in the local militia.
[Ward (1988), p. 9] Over the next several years, Scott and his wife had four boys and four or five girls.
Revolutionary War
As the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
intensified in 1775, Scott raised a company of volunteers in Cumberland County.
It was the first company formed south of the James River to participate in the Revolution.
The company stood ready to aid
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first an ...
in an anticipated clash with
Lord Dunmore
Earl of Dunmore is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.
History
The title was created in 1686 for Lord Charles Murray, second son of John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl. He was made Lord Murray of Blair, Moulin and Tillimet (or Tullimet) and V ...
at
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...
, in May 1775, but Dunmore abandoned the city in June, and they joined units from the surrounding counties in Williamsburg later that month.
[Ward (1988), p. 10] In July, the
Virginia Convention created two regiments of Virginia troops, one under Patrick Henry and the other under
William Woodford
William Woodford (October 6, 1734 – November 13, 1780) was a Virginia planter and militia officer who distinguished himself in the French and Indian War, and later became general of the 2nd Virginia Regiment in the American Revolutionary War ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 12] As those leaders departed for Williamsburg, the Conventions acknowledged Scott as temporary commander-in-chief of the volunteers already assembled there.
On August 17, 1775, he was elected
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
of Woodford's regiment, the
2nd Virginia.
His younger brother, Joseph, served as a
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
in the regiment.
In December, Woodford dispatched Scott and 150 men to
Great Bridge, Virginia
Great Bridge is a community located in the independent city of Chesapeake in the U.S. state of Virginia. Its name is derived from the American Revolutionary War Battle of Great Bridge, which took place on December 9, 1775, and resulted in the fi ...
, to defend a crossing point on the
Elizabeth River.
[Ward (1988), p. 14] Days later, this force played a significant role in the December 9, 1775,
Battle of Great Bridge
The Battle of Great Bridge was fought December 9, 1775, in the area of Great Bridge, Virginia, early in the American Revolutionary War. The victory by colonial Virginia militia forces led to the departure of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore and any r ...
by killing British Captain
Charles Fordyce, thereby halting the British advance on the crossing.
[Ward (1988), p. 15] Following the battle, colonial forces were able to occupy the city of
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, and Lord Dunmore eventually departed from Virginia.
[Ward (1988), p. 17]
On February 13, 1776, the 2nd Virginia became a part of the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
; Scott retained his rank of lieutenant colonel during the transition.
[Ward (1988), p. 19] After spending the winter with part of the 2nd Virginia in
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, Scott was chosen by the
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...
as colonel of the
5th Virginia Regiment
The 5th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775, at Richmond, Virginia, for service with the U.S. Continental Army. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, B ...
on August 12, 1776; he replaced Colonel
William Peachy
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...
, who had resigned.
[Ward (1988), p. 20] The 5th Virginia was stationed in the cities of
Hampton
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
*Hampton, New South Wales
*Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
*Hampton, Victoria
Canada
*Hampton, New Brunswick
*Hamp ...
and
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
through the end of September.
They were then ordered to join George Washington in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, eventually repairing to the city of
Trenton in November.
Serving as part of
Adam Stephen
Adam Stephen ( – 16 July 1791) was a Scottish-born American doctor and military officer who helped found what became Martinsburg, West Virginia. He emigrated to North America, where he served in the Province of Virginia's militia under Georg ...
's brigade, Scott's 5th Virginia Regiment fought in the colonial victory at the December 26
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American m ...
.
[Ward (2004), p. 17] During the subsequent
Battle of the Assunpink Creek
The Battle of the Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, was a battle between American and British troops that took place in and around Trenton, New Jersey, on January 2, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, a ...
on January 2, 1777, the 5th Virginia helped slow the advance of a combined force of British light infantry and
Hessian
A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse.
Hessian may also refer to:
Named from the toponym
*Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire
**Hessian (boot), a style of boot
**Hessian f ...
mercenaries toward Trenton. Major George Johnston, a member of the 5th Virginia, opined that Scott had "acquired immortal honor" from his performance at Assunpink Creek.
[Ward (1988), p. 26] Following these battles, Washington's main force prepared to spend the winter at
, while Scott's regiment was based at nearby
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 28] From this base, he led light infantry raids against British foraging parties.
In his most notable engagement – the February 1
Battle of Drake's Farm – he performed well against a superior combination of British and Hessian soldiers.
[Fredriksen, p. 623] He led another notable raid against a large British force of about 2,000 at the February 8
Battle of Quibbletown
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
.
Philadelphia campaign
![General George Washington at Trenton by John Trumbull](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/General_George_Washington_at_Trenton_by_John_Trumbull.jpeg)
In March 1777, Scott returned to his Virginia farm, taking his first
furlough
A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...
in more than a year.
[Ward (1988), p. 31] In recognition of his service with Washington, Congress commissioned him a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
on April 2, 1777.
[Trowbridge, "Kentucky's Military Governors"] At Washington's request, he returned to Trenton on May 10, 1777.
His 4th Virginia Brigade and another brigade under William Woodford constituted the Virginia
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
, commanded by Adam Stephen, who had been promoted to
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
.
With Stephen and Brigadier General
William Maxwell ill, Scott assumed temporary command of the division between May 19 and 24.
[Ward (1988), p. 32] Washington spent much of mid-1777 trying to anticipate and counter the moves of British General
William Howe, and the lull in the fighting allowed Scott time to file a protest with Congress regarding how his seniority and rank had been calculated. After eight months of deliberation, Congress concurred with Scott's protest, placing him ahead of fellow brigadier general
George Weedon
George Weedon (1734–1793) was an American soldier during the Revolutionary War from Fredericksburg, Colony of Virginia. He served as a brigadier general in the Continental Army and later in the Virginia militia. After the Revolutionary War e ...
in seniority.
[Ward (1988), p. 34]
At the September 11
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...
, the 4th Virginia Brigade stubbornly resisted the advance of General
Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...
, but was ultimately forced to retreat.
Following the British victory, Howe marched toward
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, stopping briefly at
Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
United States
* Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County
* Ger ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 37] Scott persistently advocated for an attack on Howe's position at Germantown, and although he was initially in the minority among Washington's generals, he ultimately prevailed upon Washington to conduct the attack.
[Ward (1988), p. 39] On October 4, 1777, the 4th Virginia attacked the British in the
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...
.
[Fredriksen, p. 624] Because of their circuitous route to the battle, the field was already covered by heavy smoke from
musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...
s and a fire set by the British in a dry
buckwheat
Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...
field when they arrived; they and the other colonial forces were lost in the smoke and retreated.
After the defeat at Germantown, Washington's troops took a position in the hills surrounding
Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania
Whitemarsh Township is a Home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It retains its former classification of "Township" in its official name despite being a home rule municipality. The population was 17,349 at the 20 ...
, about from Philadelphia.
[Ward (1988), p. 40] Scott and four other generals initially favored an attack on Philadelphia in December, but after hearing Washington's assessment of the enemy's defenses there, they abandoned the idea. After
a series of skirmishes with Howe's men near Whitemarsh, Washington's army camped for the winter at
Valley Forge
Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...
.
Scott was afforded the luxury of boarding at the farm of Samuel Jones, about three miles from the camp, but rode out to inspect his brigade daily. Washington granted him a furlough in mid-March 1778, and he returned to Valley Forge on May 20, 1778.
[Ward (1988), p. 46]
When Washington and his men abandoned Valley Forge in mid-June 1778, Scott was ordered to take 1,500 light infantrymen and harass the British forces as they marched across New Jersey.
[Ward (1988), p. 48] On June 26, the
Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...
joined Scott with an additional 1,000 men, in anticipation of a major offensive the next day.
General
Charles Lee was chosen to command the operation, which was delayed by one day due to inadequate communications and delays in forwarding provisions. Lee shared no battle plan with his generals, later claiming he had insufficient intelligence to form one.
[Ward (1988), p. 49] On the morning of June 28, Lee launched the attack, beginning the
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...
.
During the battle, Scott observed American artillerymen retreating.
Not realizing that the men had only run out of ammunition, Scott believed the retreat was a sign of the collapse of the American offensive and ordered his men to retreat as well.
Lacking a battle plan for guidance, William Maxwell and
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...
, whose units were fighting adjacent to Scott's men, also ordered a retreat.
With such a great number of his men retreating, Lee fell back and eventually aborted the offensive.
Although Washington's main force arrived and stopped the British advance, Scott's retreat was partially blamed for giving them control of the battle.
[Ward (1988), p. 51] Tradition holds that, in the aftermath of the battle, Scott witnessed Washington excoriating Lee in a profanity-laden tirade, but biographer Harry M. Ward considered it unlikely that Scott was present at the meeting. Lee was later
court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
ed for the retreat and suspended from command.
[Ward (1988), p. 52]
Following the Battle of Monmouth, the British retreated to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
On August 14, Scott was given command of a new light infantry corps organized by Washington.
[Ward (1988), p. 53] He also served as Washington's chief of intelligence, conducting constant scouting missions from the Americans' new base at
White Plains, New York
(Always Faithful)
, image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png
, seal_link =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State
, su ...
.
While Scott's men engaged in a few skirmishes with British scouting parties, neither Washington's army nor the British force at New York City conducted any major operations before Scott was furloughed in November 1778.
Service in the southern theater and capture
A March 1779 letter from Washington to Scott, still on furlough in Virginia, ordered him to recruit volunteers in Virginia and join Washington at
Middlebrook on May 1.
[Ward (1988), p. 68] Men and supplies proved difficult to obtain, delaying Scott's return; during the delay, Washington ordered the recruits to
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
to join
Benjamin Lincoln
Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...
, who was in command of the militia forces there.
[Ward (1988), p. 69] Reports of significant British troop movements toward
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
had convinced Washington that the enemy was preparing an invasion from the south.
![General Benjamin Lincoln-restored](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/General_Benjamin_Lincoln-restored.jpg)
Soon after Washington's orders were delivered, a British raiding party under
George Collier
Vice Admiral Sir George Collier (11 May 1732 – 6 April 1795) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the fourth-rate shi ...
and
Edward Mathew
Edward Mathew (1729 – 25 December 1805) began his military career in the British Army as a commissioned officer. By the time of the American Revolutionary War he had risen to the rank of colonel. Promoted to brigadier general, he was assigned ...
arrived in Virginia to capture or destroy supplies that might otherwise be sent southward to aid the reinforcements going to South Carolina.
[Ward (1988), p. 70] Scott's orders changed again; the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
ordered him to immediately prepare defenses against Collier and Mathew's raids.
When it became clear to both the legislature and Washington that Collier and Mathew intended only to raid supplies, not to invade, they concluded that the local militia would be able to sufficiently protect Virginia's interests and that Scott should continue to recruit men to reinforce the south.
[Ward (1988), p. 71] The legislators presented him with a horse, a firearm, and 500
pounds sterling
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO 4217, ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of #Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, its associated territori ...
for his quick response to the threat.
Scott's recruiting difficulties in Virginia continued, despite the implementation of a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...
by the state legislature.
[Ward (1988), p. 72] Finally, in October 1779, he forwarded troops sent to him from Washington's Northern Army on to Lincoln in South Carolina, fulfilling his quota.
[Ward (1988), p. 73] He retained only
Abraham Buford
Abraham Buford (July 21, 1747 – June 30, 1833) was an American soldier. He was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War, best known as the commanding officer of the American forces at the Battle of Waxhaws. After the ...
's regiment with him in Virginia.
In February 1780, about 750 men sent by Washington under William Woodford arrived at Scott's camp in
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 74] Virginia authorities, fearing that the British force to the south under General
Henry Clinton would turn north to Virginia, detained Scott and Woodford until it was clear that Clinton's object was Lincoln's position at
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
.
On March 30, 1780, Scott arrived in Charleston just as Clinton was
laying siege to the city.
He was captured when the city surrendered on May 12, 1780, and was held as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
at
Haddrell's Point near Charleston.
Although he was a prisoner, he was given freedom to move within a six-mile radius and was allowed to correspond and trade with acquaintances in Virginia. With the death of William Woodford on November 13, 1780, he became primarily responsible for the welfare of the Virginia troops at Haddrell's Point.
[Ward (1988), p. 78] He requested his parole on account of ill health on January 30, 1781, and in late March, Charles Cornwallis granted the request.
[Ward (1988), p. 81]
In July 1782, Scott was
exchanged for
Lord Rawdon, ending his parole.
Washington informed him that he was back on active duty and ordered him to assist General
Peter Muhlenberg
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (October 1, 1746October 1, 1807) was an American clergyman, Continental Army soldier during the American Revolutionary War, and political figure in the newly independent United States. A Lutheranism, Lutheran minis ...
's recruiting efforts in Virginia, then to report to General
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 83] Greene wrote that he did not have a command for Scott, and requested that he remain with Muhlenberg in Virginia.
The few troops he was able to recruit were sent to a depot at
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 86] When the preliminary articles of peace between the United States and Great Britain were signed in March 1783, recruiting stopped altogether.
Scott was
brevetted
In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...
to major general on September 30, 1783, just prior to his discharge from the Continental Army.
Following the war, he became one of the founding members of the
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...
.
Settlement in Kentucky and early political career
![Peyton Short](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Peyton_Short.jpg)
In October 1783, the Virginia Legislature authorized Scott to commission superintendents and surveyors to survey the lands given to soldiers for their service in the Revolutionary War.
Enticed by glowing reports of Kentucky by his friend,
James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies.
He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, b ...
, he arranged for a cabin to be built for him near the
Kentucky River
The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 13, 2011 in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Kentuc ...
, although the builder apparently laid only the cornerstone.
[Ward (1988), p. 90] Scott first visited Kentucky in mid-1785.
[Ward (1988), p. 91] Traveling with
Peyton Short, one of Wilkinson's business partners, he came to Limestone (present-day
Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville is a home rule-class city in Mason County, Kentucky, United States and is the seat of Mason County. The population was 8,782 as of 2019, making it the 51st-largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, north ...
) via the
Monongahela and
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
Rivers.
Scott and Short then traveled overland to the Kentucky River to examine the land they would later claim.
Scott's stay in Kentucky was a short one; he had returned to his farm in Virginia by September 1785.
On his return to Virginia, Scott employed
Edward Carrington
Edward Carrington (February 11, 1748 – October 28, 1810) was an American soldier and statesman from Virginia. During the American Revolutionary War he became a lieutenant colonel of artillery in the Continental Army. He distinguished himself a ...
, former quartermaster general of the Southern Army, to set his financial affairs in order in preparation for a move to Kentucky.
Carrington purchased Scott's Virginia farm in 1785, but allowed the family to live there until they moved to the frontier.
[Ward (1988), p. 92] In 1787, Scott settled near the city of
Versailles, Kentucky
Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...
.
Between his military claims and those of his children, the Scott family was entitled to in
Fayette and
Bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by Bras ...
counties.
[Clark and Lane, p. 13] Scott constructed a two-story
log cabin
A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers.
Eur ...
, a stockade, and a tobacco inspection warehouse.
In June 1787,
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
warriors killed and
scalped
Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the tak ...
his son, Samuel, while he was crossing the Ohio River in a canoe; the elder Scott watched helplessly from the riverbank.
[Ward (1988), p. 96] Although a small party of settlers pursued the Shawnees back across the river, they were not able to overtake them.
[Ward (1988), p. 97] In volume three of
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
's ''The Winning of the West'', he stated that Scott "delighted in war" against the Indians after the death of his son.
[Nelson, p. 220]
Scott focused on the development of his homestead as a way to deal with the grief of losing his son.
The settlement became known as Scott's Landing, and Scott briefly served as a tobacco inspector for the area.
Determined to make Scott's Landing the centerpiece of a larger settlement called Petersburg, he began selling lots near the settlement in November 1788.
[Ward (1988), p. 98] Among those who purchased lots were James Wilkinson, Abraham Buford, Judge
George Muter, and future
Congressman
A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
and
Kentucky Governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...
Christopher Greenup
Christopher Greenup (c. 1750 – April 27, 1818) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and the third Governor of Kentucky. Little is known about his early life; the first reliable records about him are documents recordin ...
.
Scott was one of 37 men who founded the Kentucky Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge in 1787.
[Ward (1988), p. 99] Although he did not participate in any of the ten statehood conventions that sought to separate Kentucky from Virginia, he supported the idea in principle.
[Ward (1988), p. 100] When
Woodford County was formed from the part of Fayette County that included Scott's fledgling settlement, Scott declined appointment as the new county's lieutenant.
[Ward (1988), p. 101] He consented to be a candidate to represent the county in the Virginia House of Delegates.
During his single term, he served on the committee on privileges and election and on several special committees, including one that recommended that President George Washington supply a military guard at
Big Bone Lick
Big Bone Lick State Park is located at Big Bone in Boone County, Kentucky. The name of the park comes from the Pleistocene megafauna fossils found there. Mammoths are believed to have been drawn to this location by a salt lick deposited around t ...
to facilitate the establishment of a
saltworks
A saltern is an area or installation for making salt. Salterns include modern salt-making works (saltworks), as well as hypersaline waters that usually contain high concentrations of halophilic microorganisms, primarily haloarchaea but also othe ...
there.
Northwest Indian War
![Josiah Harmar by Raphaelle Peale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Josiah_Harmar_by_Raphaelle_Peale.jpeg)
As tensions mounted between the Indians in the
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...
and settlers on the Kentucky frontier, President Washington began sanctioning joint operations between federal army troops and local frontier militia against the Indians.
[Nelson, p. 223] In April 1790, Scott raised a contingent of volunteers from Bourbon and Fayette counties to join
Josiah Harmar
Josiah Harmar (November 10, 1753August 20, 1813) was an officer in the United States Army during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. He was the senior officer in the Army for six years and seven months (August 1784 to Ma ...
in a raid against the
Western Confederacy
The Northwestern Confederacy, or Northwestern Indian Confederacy, was a loose confederacy of Native Americans in the Great Lakes region of the United States created after the American Revolutionary War. Formally, the confederacy referred to it ...
along the
Scioto River
The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...
in what would become the U.S. state of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
.
[Nelson, p. 224] The combined force of regulars and militia departed from Limestone on April 18, 1790, crossing the Ohio River and marching to the upper Scioto.
From there, they headed south, toward the present-day city of
Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky, just east of the mouth of the Scioto River. ...
, and discovered an abandoned Indian camp.
[Ward (1988), p. 102] Fresh footprints, including those of a well-known Shawnee warrior – nicknamed Reel Foot because of his two
club feet
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
– led away from the camp site.
Scott sent a small detachment to follow the tracks; ultimately, they discovered, killed, and scalped four Shawnees, including Reel Foot.
Other than this, the expedition accomplished nothing, and it disbanded on April 27, 1790.
In June 1790, Harmar and
Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During ...
were ordered to lead
another expedition against the Indians.
[Ward (1988), p. 103] Harmar had hoped that Scott,
Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic an ...
, or
Benjamin Logan
Benjamin Logan (May 1, 1743 – December 11, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia, then Shelby County, Kentucky. As colonel of the Kentucky County, Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War, he was se ...
would join the campaign and lead the Kentucky militia, but all three declined.
Scott had been elected to represent Woodford County in the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...
, and his legislative duty prevented his service.
He believed that the Kentucky militiamen would only serve under Colonel Robert Trotter, a veteran of Logan's earlier Indian fighting campaigns.
Ultimately, command of the Kentucky militiamen was given to Major John Hardin, and many militiamen refused to join the campaign, just as Scott had predicted.
During the expedition, Scott's son, Merritt, who was serving as a captain in the Woodford County militia, was killed and scalped.
The entire expedition was a failure, and it solidified the Kentucky militiamen's strong distrust of Harmar; most vowed never to fight alongside him again.
During Harmar's Campaign, Scott was serving in the state legislature in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 104] He was once again appointed to the committee on privileges and election.
He also served on the committee on propositions and grievances and several special committees.
On December 30, 1790,
Virginia Governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022.
Oath of office
On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...
Beverley Randolph
Beverley Randolph (1754February 7, 1797) was an American politician from Virginia. From 1788 to 1791, he served as the eighth Governor of Virginia.
Biography
Randolph was one of four children born to Peter Randolph, son of William Randolph II ...
, possibly acting on a recommendation from Washington, appointed Scott brigadier general in the Virginia militia and gave him command of the entire District of Kentucky.
[Nelson, p. 227] His primary responsibility was overseeing a line of 18 outposts along the Ohio River.
[Ward (1988), p. 108] In January 1791, President Washington accepted
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
's suggestion to appoint a Kentucky Board of War, composed of Brown, Scott, Isaac Shelby,
Harry Innes
Harry Innes (January 4, 1752 – September 20, 1816) was a Virginia lawyer and patriot during the American Revolutionary War who became a local judge and prosecutor as well as helped establish the state of Kentucky, before he accepted appointment ...
, and Benjamin Logan.
[Harrison and Klotter, p. 70] The committee was empowered to call out local militia to act in conjunction with federal troops against the Indians.
[Ward (1988), p. 107] They recommended assembling an army of volunteers to locate and destroy Indian settlements north of the Ohio River.
Later that month, Washington approved a plan to invade the Indians' homelands via a raid from
Fort Washington (near present-day
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
).
[Nelson, p. 228] Most Kentuckians were displeased with Washington's choice of Arthur St. Clair, by then suffering from
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...
and unable to mount his own horse unassisted, as overall commander of the invasion.
Scott was chosen to serve under St. Clair as commander of the 1,000 militiamen who took part in the invasion, about one-third of the total force.
The Blackberry Campaign
Washington ordered Scott to conduct a series of preliminary raids in mid-1791 that would keep the enemy occupied while St. Clair assembled the primary invasion force.
[Nelson, p. 229] Both Isaac Shelby and Benjamin Logan had hoped to lead the campaign, and neither would accept a lesser position.
[Ward (1988), p. 109] Shelby nevertheless supported the campaign, while Logan actively opposed it.
Scott issued a call for volunteers to assemble at
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the prin ...
, on May 15, 1791, to carry out these raids.
Kentuckians responded favorably to the idea of an all-militia campaign, and 852 men volunteered for service, although Scott was only authorized to take 750; Senator John Brown was among the volunteers.
After a brief delay to learn the fate of a failed diplomatic mission to the
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
tribes in the Northwest Territory, Scott's men departed from Fort Washington on May 24. The militiamen crossed the Ohio toward a clutch of Miami,
Kickapoo,
Wea
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami.
Today, the descendants of the ...
, and
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
settlements near the location of present-day
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...
.
[Nelson, p. 230] For eight days, they crossed rugged terrain and were bedraggled by frequent rainstorms.
The harsh conditions spoiled the militia's supplies, and they resorted to gathering the blackberries that were growing in the area; for this reason, the expedition earned the nickname the "Blackberry Campaign".
As Scott's men reached an open prairie near the Wea settlement of
Ouiatenon
Ouiatenon ( mia, waayaahtanonki) was a dwelling place of members of the Wea tribe of Native Americans. The name ''Ouiatenon'', also variously given as ''Ouiatanon'', ''Oujatanon'', ''Ouiatano'' or other similar forms, is a French rendering of a ...
on June 1, they were discovered by an enemy scout and hurried to attack the villages before the residents could react.
When the main force reached the villages, they found the residents hurriedly fleeing across the
Wabash River
The Wabash River ( French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows fro ...
in canoes.
[Nelson, p. 231] Aided by cover fire from a Kickapoo village on the other side of the river, they were able to escape before Scott's men could attack.
The river was too wide to ford at Scott's location, so he sent a detachment under James Wilkinson in one direction and a detachment under Thomas Barbee in the other to find a place to ford the river.
Wilkinson did not find a suitable location, but located and killed a small band of Indians before returning.
Barbee located a crossing and conducted a brief raid against the Indians on the other side before returning to Scott.
The next morning, Scott's main force burned the nearby villages and crops, while a detachment under Wilkinson set out for the settlement of Kethtippecannunk.
The inhabitants of this village had fled across
Eel Creek, and after a brief and ineffective firefight, Wilkinson's men burned the city and returned to Scott.
In his official report, Scott noted that many of Kethtippecannunk's residents were French and speculated that it was connected to, perhaps dependent upon, the French settlement of
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 112]
Low on supplies, Scott and his men ended their campaign.
[Nelson, p. 232] On the return trip, two men drowned in the
White River; these were the only deaths among Scott's men.
[Ward (1988), p. 114] Five others were wounded but survived.
In total, they had killed 38 Indians and taken 57 more prisoner.
Scott sent 12 men ahead with the official report for Arthur St. Clair's review; the rest of the men arrived at Fort Steuben (present-day
Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville is a town in Clark County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River and is a part of the Louisville Metropolitan area. The population was 22,333 at the 2020 census. The town was founded in 1783 by early resident George Rogers Cla ...
) on June 15.
The next day, they recrossed the Ohio River and received their discharge papers at
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 115]
St. Clair expedition
Scott's Wabash Campaign was well-received both in Kentucky and by the Washington administration.
On June 24, 1791, Arthur St. Clair encouraged the Board of War to organize a second expedition into the Wabash region and to remove their outposts along the Ohio River to free up manpower and finances as a prelude to his larger invasion.
[Nelson, p. 233] Scott questioned the wisdom of removing the outposts and convinced his fellow members of the Board of War to retain one at Big Bone Lick and one guarding an
ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''.
Ironworks succeeded bloomeri ...
at the mouth of the Kentucky River.
His instincts later proved to be right; a month later, Indian raiders tried to deny the frontier settlers access to salt by capturing Big Bone Lick, but they were repelled by the militia stationed at the outpost there.
Scott also did not believe that 500 men, St. Clair's requested number for the second Wabash expedition, was sufficient for an effective operation.
![ArthurStClairOfficialPortrait-restored](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/ArthurStClairOfficialPortrait-restored.jpg)
In July, Scott gave permission to Bourbon County resident
John Edwards
Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...
to lead 300 men against a band of Indians suspected of stealing horses on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River.
Although Edwards' expedition almost reached the
Sandusky River
The Sandusky River ( wyn, saandusti; sjw, Potakihiipi ) is a tributary to Lake Erie in north-central Ohio in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Ma ...
, they found only deserted villages.
[Ward (1988), p. 116] Unknown to the volunteers, they narrowly missed being ambushed by the Indians in the area.
Many of the men who accompanied Edwards accused him of cowardice.
Due to illness, Scott was unable to lead the expedition St. Clair requested; instead, he chose his friend, James Wilkinson, to lead it.
Wilkinson's men departed on August 1.
During their expedition, they destroyed the evacuated village of Kikiah (also called
Kenapocomoco), the rebuilt settlement of
Ouiatenon
Ouiatenon ( mia, waayaahtanonki) was a dwelling place of members of the Wea tribe of Native Americans. The name ''Ouiatenon'', also variously given as ''Ouiatanon'', ''Oujatanon'', ''Ouiatano'' or other similar forms, is a French rendering of a ...
, a small Kickapoo village, and several other small settlements in the area.
Returning by the same route that Scott's previous expedition had, Wilkinson's men were back in Kentucky by August 21.
Scott's and Wilkinson's campaigns took a heavy toll on the Northwest Indians.
In particular, the and Kickapoos signed a peace treaty with the United States the following year, and the Kickapoos migrated farther into
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
and
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
.
St. Clair continued his preparations for invading the northwest despite the fact that, by now, he admitted he was unfit for combat due to his ill health.
[Nelson, p. 234] Like Harmar, he was also unpopular in Kentucky, and Scott had to conduct a draft to raise the militiamen needed for St. Clair's expedition.
[Harrison and Klotter, p. 71] He and most other officers in Kentucky claimed they were too ill to lead the men; most actually feared losing the respect of Kentuckians through their association with St. Clair.
Colonel William Oldham was the highest-ranking soldier willing to lead the Kentuckians.
St. Clair's party left Fort Washington on October 1.
On November 3, he ordered his men to make camp on a small tributary of the Wabash River, mistakenly believing they were camping on the
St. Marys River.
His intent was for the men to construct some protective works the next day, but before sunrise, a combined group of Miami and
Canadians
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
attacked the party, routing them and capturing part of their artillery and most of their supplies.
Of St. Clair's force of 1,400 men, 600 were killed and 300 captured during the attack.
The Kentucky militiamen scattered during the attack, and their leader, Colonel Oldham, was killed.
Nevertheless, they and most citizens in Kentucky blamed St. Clair for the entire debacle.
St. Clair retreated to Fort Washington, and on November 24, Scott joined him there with 200 mounted volunteers in case the Indians decided to pursue him and invade Kentucky.
[Nelson, p. 235] When it became apparent that no Indian invasion was imminent, Scott's men returned home.
[Ward (1988), p. 118] As a result of St. Clair's campaign, tribes that had previously been neutral in the conflict – including the
Delawares
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
and
Wyandots
The Wyandot people, or Wyandotte and Waⁿdát, are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. The Wyandot are Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of North America who emerged as a confeder ...
– allied with the Miami and Shawnee against the frontiersmen.
Service with the Legion of the United States
After
St. Clair's Defeat, President Washington asked Congress to authorize the formation of the
Legion of the United States
The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the Continental Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne. It represented a political shift in the new United States, which had recently adopte ...
, a 5,000-man force to fight the Indians in the Northwest.
[Nelson, p. 236] Congress approved the proposal in March 1792, and Scott learned from a friend in Philadelphia that he was being considered as commander of the Legion.
Ultimately Washington concluded that he was "of inadequate abilities"; his known vice of drinking too much alcohol also concerned Washington.
Instead, Washington chose "Mad" Anthony Wayne to command the Legion.
On June 4, 1792 – just days after Kentucky officially gained statehood – the
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The General Assembly meets annually in the ...
commissioned Scott and Benjamin Logan as major generals in the state militia.
[Nelson, p. 237] On June 25, Scott was given command of the militia's 2nd Division, which was charged with operating north of the Kentucky River; Logan's 1st Division operated south of the river.
[Ward (1988), p. 120]
The new state legislature had also appointed a five-man committee to select a city to be the new
state capital
Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities.
National capitals
*List of national capitals
*List of national capitals by latitude
*List of national capitals by population
*List of national capitals by area
*List of capital citie ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 123] Scott applied to have Petersburg, still a fledgling settlement, designated as the capital.
Other localities – including Frankfort,
Lexington, Louisville, and
Boonesborough Boonesborough or Boonesboro may refer to a place in the United States:
* Boonesboro, Iowa, now part of Boone, Iowa
*Boonesborough, Kentucky
*Boonesboro, Missouri
Boonesboro is a community in Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is located o ...
– also applied. Frankfort was eventually chosen,
as Scott's failure to secure Petersburg's designation as the state capital contributed more than anything else to the settlement's failure to even become a viable city.
Scott's son, Charles, Jr., wrote to his brother Daniel that their father was planning to run for Congress in 1792; although Charles, Jr. expressed confidence that his father would be elected, his campaign apparently never materialized or faltered shortly after it began.
[Ward (1988), p. 125] He was chosen as a
presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
in 1793.
![Anthony Wayne, uniform](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Anthony_Wayne%2C_uniform.jpg)
Wayne originally intended to use Kentucky militiamen in preemptive strikes against the Indians and to conduct the main invasion using only federal troops, but by the time he moved to Fort Washington in mid-1793, he had assembled fewer than 3,000 of the 5,000 troops he had anticipated.
[Nelson, p. 239] He now requested that Scott's and Logan's men join his main force.
[Nelson, p. 240] Logan flatly refused to cooperate with a federal officer, but Scott eventually agreed, and Wayne commissioned him an officer in the federal army on July 1, 1793.
He and Governor Isaac Shelby instituted a draft to raise the 1,500 troops he was to command in Wayne's operation.
[Ward (1988), p. 130] When he joined Wayne at
Fort Jefferson on October 21, 1793, he had only been able to raise 1,000 men.
[Nelson, p. 241][Ward (1988), p. 131]
On November 4, Wayne ordered Scott's militiamen to destroy a nearby Delaware village.
[Nelson, p. 242] Still resentful and distrustful of federal officers and aware that Wayne would not launch a major offensive so close to winter, the men were not enthusiastic about the mission, which many of them considered trivial.
[Ward (1988), p. 134] That night, 501 of them deserted their camp, though Wayne noted in his report that he believed Scott and his officers had done all they could do to prevent the desertions.
Scott attempted to continue the mission with his remaining men, but inclement weather prevented him from conducting a major offensive.
Ultimately, the men were only able to disperse a small hunting camp before continuing on to Fort Washington and mustering out on November 10.
Wayne ordered Scott to return with a full quota of troops after the winter.
Tensions cooled between Wayne and the Kentuckians over the winter of 1793–94.
[Nelson, p. 243] Wayne noticed that, despite their obstinance, the Kentucky volunteers appeared to be good soldiers.
The militiamen, after observing Wayne, concluded that he – unlike Harmar and St. Clair – knew how to combat the Indians.
Wayne augmented his popularity in Kentucky by building
Fort Recovery
Fort Recovery was a United States Army fort ordered built by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne during what is now termed the Northwest Indian War. Constructed from late 1793 and completed in March 1794, the fort was built along the Wabash River, with ...
over the winter on the site of St. Clair's defeat.
[Ward (1988), p. 136] The Indians' victory over St. Clair had become a part of their lore and inspired them to continue the fight against the western settlers; Wayne's construction of a fort on this site was a blow to the Indian psyche, and his re-burial of some 600 skulls that the Indians had dug up and scattered across the area was popular with Kentuckians, since many of their own were among the dead.
While Scott came to respect Wayne personally, his friend, James Wilkinson, began an anonymous campaign to tarnish Wayne's image, coveting command of the Northwest expedition for himself.
[Nelson, p. 244] Scott, on leave in Philadelphia at the time, wrote to
Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
Henry Knox
Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...
to defend Wayne's reputation, breaching his friendship with Wilkinson.
Scott returned to Kentucky from Philadelphia in June 1794, mustered 1,500 militiamen, and joined Wayne at
Fort Greeneville on July 27.
[Nelson, p. 245] He and Thomas Barbee led this force in support of Wayne's 1,000 regular troops.
The combined force marched quickly and captured the recently evacuated Indian town of Grand Glaize on August 8.
[Nelson, p. 246] Here, Wayne ordered the construction of
Fort Defiance, which took approximately a week.
Scott was responsible for the naming of the fort; while observing its construction, he declared, "I defy the English, Indians, and all the devils in hell to take it."
Based upon intelligence provided by Scott's mounted volunteers, Wayne ordered his force to march toward
Fort Miami on August 14, anticipating a battle with a combined British and Indian force of 2,400 there.
[Nelson, p. 247] About 8:45a.m. on August 20, Major William Price's brigade of volunteers engaged the Indian force near Fort Miami, beginning the
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United States ...
.
The well-positioned Indian force turned back Price's men, but Wayne ordered his regulars to conduct a vigorous
bayonet
A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
charge, which routed the Indians.
[Nelson, p. 248] Major William Campbell, the British commander of Fort Miami, refused to open the fort to his Indian allies, and Wayne's force won a decisive victory.
Following the battle, Wayne ordered Scott's volunteers to conduct numerous raids within a fifty-mile radius of their position.
[Nelson, p. 249] Due to a lack of pack horses in Wayne's force, the mounted volunteers were also employed transporting supplies between forts throughout September 1794.
[Ward (1988), p. 145] They eventually grew weary of garrison duty and complained that the use of their personal horses to transport goods had injured the animals.
Many threatened to
mutiny
Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...
if not discharged.
On October 13, 1794, Wayne finally ordered them home.
[Nelson, p. 251] In a commendation of Wayne issued on December 4, 1794, the U.S. House of Representatives specifically thanked Scott and his men for their service at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
[Nelson, p. 250] The
Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville, formally titled Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., was a 1795 treaty between the United States and indigenous nations of the Northwest Territory (now Midwestern United States), including the Wyandot and Delaware peoples, ...
formally ended the war in mid-1795.
Later political career
In 1795, Scott traveled to Philadelphia to help clarify service records that would determine the final pay of the men who served under him before returning to his farm in Kentucky. He continued to serve, nominally, as major general of the 2nd militia division of the state militia until 1799.
[Ward (1988), p. 152] Celebrations of Scott's military heroism were held all over Kentucky, sparking his interest in a political career.
With the advent of the
First Party System
The First Party System is a model of American politics used in history and political science to periodize the political party system that existed in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824. It featured two national parties competing for ...
, he declared himself a
Democratic-Republican
The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...
, as did most Kentuckians.
In 1800, he was chosen as a presidential elector for his district by a vote of 75 to 44 over
Caleb Wallace
Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Academy of the Hebrew Language, Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe ...
.
Scott and his fellow electors all cast their votes for the ticket of
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
and
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...
.
In 1803, Secretary of War
Henry Dearborn
Henry Dearborn (February 23, 1751 – June 6, 1829) was an American military officer and politician. In the Revolutionary War, he served under Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, of which his journal provides an important record ...
appointed Scott and Governor
James Garrard
James Garrard (January 14, 1749 – January 19, 1822) was an American farmer, Baptist minister and politician who served as the second governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. Because of term limits imposed by the state constitution adopted in ...
to evaluate sites in Kentucky on which to construct a replacement for Fort Washington.
[Ward (1988), p. 153] Garrard, a central Kentucky native, insisted that the fort should be built at Frankfort.
Scott disagreed, contending that the fort should not be in the state's interior and that the hilly terrain around Frankfort was unsuitable for constructing a fort.
He waited several days for an appointment with Garrard to try and reach an agreement, but when he was unable to secure one, he asked Dearborn for permission to act alone.
Dearborn granted the request and accepted Scott's recommendation of a site in
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers in Campbell County, Kentucky, Campbell County, Kentucky. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 United ...
.
In 1804, Scott was again chosen a presidential elector with minimal opposition.
In 1797, Scott's son Daniel, who had settled in Virginia, died.
[Ward (1988), p. 151] In late 1799 or early 1800, his last son, Charles, Jr., also died.
His daughter Martha married future U.S. Senator
George M. Bibb
George Mortimer Bibb (October 30, 1776 – April 14, 1859) was an American lawyer and politician and the seventeenth United States Secretary of the Treasury. He was chief justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals and twice represented Kentucky as ...
in 1799 and moved to
Daviess County.
[Ward (1988), p. 155] Daughter Mary had married and left the farm prior to Scott's return from military service, and youngest daughter Nancy left the farm near the turn of the 19th century, although she never married.
[Ward (1988), p. 156] After the death of his wife on October 6, 1804, he moved in with his daughter and son-in-law, John and Mary Postlethwait, in Lexington.
He sold his farm in Woodford County in October 1805.
As tensions between the U.S. and Great Britain escalated in the wake of the June 22, 1807,
''Chesapeake''–''Leopard'' affair, Scott applied to Governor Christopher Greenup to raise a mounted militia unit in anticipation of an outbreak of hostilities.
[Ward (1988), p. 159] Although Greenup granted the requested authorization, Scott remarried on July 25, 1807, and never assembled the militia unit.
His second wife, Judith Cary (Bell) Gist, was the 57-year-old widow of Colonel
Nathaniel Gist
Nathaniel Gist (15 October 1733 – 1812) was born in Maryland and fought during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. He was reputed to be the father of Sequoyah the famous Cherokee by Wurteh Watts. Like his father Christ ...
, who had been a prisoner of war with Scott during the Revolutionary War.
After their marriage, they moved to Canewood, Gist's family's plantation in Bourbon and
Clark
Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...
counties.
Gubernatorial election of 1808
![General Green Clay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/General_Green_Clay.jpg)
As the celebrations in honor of Scott's military career continued across Kentucky, he began to consider the possibility of running for governor in 1808.
[Ward (1988), p. 158] By mid-1806, state senator
Thomas Posey
Thomas Posey (July 9, 1750March 19, 1818) was an officer in the American Revolution, a general during peacetime, the third Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and a Louisiana Senator.
Early life
Family and back ...
and Lexington lawyer
Thomas Todd
Thomas Todd (January 23, 1765 – February 7, 1826) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1807 to 1826. Raised in the Colony of Virginia, he Read law, studied law and later participated in the founding of K ...
had already declared their candidacies.
Posey had been chosen speaker pro tem of the state Senate and, with the death of
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
John Caldwell in 1804, had assumed the role of acting lieutenant governor and presiding officer in the Senate.
He subsequently lost his senatorial re-election bid, but continued to act as lieutenant governor and preside over the Senate.
His opponents claimed that since he was no longer a member of the Senate, he was not qualified to act as lieutenant governor; additionally, they charged that he was sympathetic to the hated
Federalist Party
The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
De ...
, even though he self-identified as a Democratic-Republican.
Although he was not successfully unseated as the Senate's presiding officer, the controversy diminished his chances in the 1808 election.
In 1807, Todd removed himself from contention as well, accepting Governor Greenup's appointment to the
Kentucky Court of Appeals
The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky.
The ...
.
Posey's diminished candidacy and Todd's exit from the race left only one major impediment to Scott's potential candidacy.
A movement began in Kentucky to draft former Governor Isaac Shelby as a candidate for another term.
Known as "Old King's Mountain" for his heroic role in the Revolutionary War
Battle of King's Mountain, Shelby could match Scott's military appeal, and as a former delegate to Kentucky's statehood and constitutional conventions and a former governor, his political experience far exceeded Scott's.
Ultimately Shelby declined to run, and Scott officially declared his candidacy on February 11, 1808.
[Ward (1988), p. 161] John Allen had by then declared his candidacy and
Green Clay
Green Clay (August 14, 1757 – October 31, 1828) was an American businessman, planter, military officer and politician from Kentucky. Clay served in the American Revolutionary War and was commissioned as a general to lead the Kentucky militia ...
's announcement followed Scott's by about a month.
Scott's campaign was managed by his stepson-in-law,
Jesse Bledsoe
Jesse Bledsoe (April 6, 1776June 25, 1836) was a slave owner and Senator from Kentucky.
Life and career
Bledsoe was born in Culpeper County, Virginia in 1776. When he was very young, his family migrated with a Baptist congregation through Cumber ...
, a law professor at
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
.
Bledsoe was among the most able politicians in the state, though he preferred the role of "kingmaker" to that of candidate.
[Ward (1988), p. 162]
Allen and Clay, both lawyers by profession, were hurt by a general distrust of lawyers by the Kentucky electorate.
[Ward (1988), p. 163] Further, Allen had served as general counsel for
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...
, and several anonymous letters to the state's newspapers accused him of being privy to
Burr's alleged scheme to create an independent state in the southwest.
Henry Clay
Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...
was among those who vigorously defended Allen from the charges.
Scott also frequently spoke in highly complimentary terms of Allen.
As a legislator, Green Clay pushed for measures favorable to debtors; he consequently enjoyed strong support from settlers south of the
Green River Green River may refer to:
Rivers
Canada
* Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River
*Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte
*Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...
, many of whom were
squatters
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
and land speculators who owed substantial debts to the state.
[Ward (1988), p. 164] To counter Scott's hero image, Clay supporters pointed to his service with
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, soldier, and militia officer from Virginia who became the highest-ranking American patriot military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Ame ...
in a 1782 expedition against the Shawnee, but the impact of this line of campaigning was minimal.
[Ward (1988), p. 165] As the most senior Revolutionary War officer in Kentucky, Scott became the recognized leader of the state's veterans' lobby.
The
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
celebrations held around the state just before the August 1 election provided a boost for his campaign.
[Ward (1988), p. 166] On election day, he garnered 22,050 votes, compared to 8,430 votes for Allen and 5,516 votes for Clay.
Governorship
![Old Kentucky Governor's Mansion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Old_Kentucky_Governor%27s_Mansion.jpg)
Among Scott's first acts as governor was appointing Jesse Bledsoe as
Secretary of State.
[Ward (1988), p. 170] Bledsoe delivered Scott's first address to the legislature on December 13, 1808.
[Ward (1988), p. 171] Later that winter, Scott was injured when he slipped on the icy steps of the
governor's mansion; the injury left him confined to crutches for the rest of his life and rendered him even more dependent on Bledsoe to perform many of his official functions.
[Ward (2004), p. 18] His physical condition continued to worsen throughout his term as governor.
[Ward (1988), p. 182]
In domestic matters, Scott advocated increased salaries for public officials, economic development measures, and heavy punishments for persistent criminals.
While he desired a tax code that would preclude the need for the state to borrow money, he encouraged legislators to keep taxes as low as possible.
He also urged them to convert the militia into a youth army.
The General Assembly routinely ignored his calls for reform but did pass a measure he advocated that allowed debtors a one-year stay on collection of their debts if they provided both
bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemical ...
and
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
.
[Ward (2004), p. 19]
Scott frequently clashed with the legislature, including once when the Senate refused to confirm the appointment of Dr. Walter Brashear as lieutenant colonel commandant of the state militia's second regiment.
[Ward (1988), p. 174] The governor refused to nominate anyone else for the position, saying that Brashear was the best person for it, and he assumed the senators would not want to be sent a worse nomination.
He employed his gubernatorial veto three times over the course of his tenure, but all three were overridden by the legislature.
[Ward (1988), p. 175] Measures creating
Harrison County and allowing squatters to purchase occupied land on more favorable terms were both vetoed because Scott felt that they had been passed too hastily to allow proper debate.
Scott also vetoed the revocation of a pension granted to recently retired Kentucky Court of Appeals justice
George Muter, because he felt it undermined citizens' confidence in the promises of their government.
Throughout his term, Scott was dogged by rumors of heavy drinking and frequent use of profanity.
[Harrison, p. 804] On one occasion, an unnamed individual believed his reputation had been injured by something Scott had said and challenged him to a
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
.
[Clark and Lane, p. 14] He ignored the challenge, after which the challenger threatened to expose him as a coward.
Scott was supposed to have replied, "Post and be damned; but if you do, you will only post yourself a damned liar, and everybody else will say so."
On another occasion, after reviewing a speech written for him by Bledsoe, the governor was said to have remarked, "Well, Mr. Bledsoe, I know you think you are a damned sight smarter than I am, and so you are in many respects; but this message as it is now, won't do at all; I'll be damned if it will."
When Bledsoe asked what was wrong with the speech, he reportedly replied, "Why, damn it to hell, why don't you put a good solemn prayer at the end of it, and talk about Providence, and the protection of Heaven, and all that?"
After the governor campaigned for
Humphrey Marshall Humphrey Marshall may refer to:
*Humphry Marshall (1722–1801), botanist
*Humphrey Marshall (general) (1812–1872), Confederate general in the American Civil War
*Humphrey Marshall (politician)
Humphrey Marshall (1760 – July 3, 1841) wa ...
's opponent in the 1809 legislative elections, Marshall published an article in the ''Western World'' newspaper that accused him of appearing in front of the court house drunk on election day.
[Ward (1988), p. 178]
For most of Scott's tenure as governor, tensions between the U.S. and Great Britain escalated.
[Ward (1988), p. 180] Sentiment in favor of a U.S. declaration of war against the British was particularly strong in Kentucky.
[Ward (1988), p. 181] Most Kentuckians resented the replacement of the
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a general trade embargo on all foreign nations that was enacted by the United States Congress. As a successor or replacement law for the 1806 Non-importation Act and passed as the Napoleonic Wars continued, it repr ...
with the weaker
Non-Intercourse Act of 1809 and
Macon's Bill Number 2
Macon's Bill Number 2, which became law in the United States on May 14, 1810, was intended to motivate Great Britain and France to stop seizing American ships, cargoes, and crews during the Napoleonic Wars. This was a revision of the original bill ...
.
Kentucky Senator Henry Clay became the acknowledged leader of the
war hawk
In politics, a war hawk, or simply hawk, is someone who favors war or continuing to escalate an existing conflict as opposed to other solutions. War hawks are the opposite of doves. The terms are derived by analogy with the birds of the same name ...
s in Congress.
During an address to the General Assembly on December 4, 1810, Scott expressed little hope of peacefully resolving U.S. grievances against Great Britain.
[Ward (1988), p. 183] He reminded the General Assembly that France had also violated the United States' maritime rights and urged equal treatment of the two countries for their offenses.
![William Henry Harrison by Rembrandt Peale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/William_Henry_Harrison_by_Rembrandt_Peale.jpg)
In September 1811,
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
, then governor of
Indiana Territory
The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a United States Congress, congressional act that President of the United States, President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an Historic regions of the U ...
, visited Kentucky and directed Colonel Samuel Wells to recruit Kentuckians for a new federal regiment then being formed by the authority of Secretary of War
William Eustis
William Eustis (June 10, 1753 – February 6, 1825) was an early American physician, politician, and statesman from Massachusetts. Trained in medicine, he served as a military surgeon during the American Revolutionary War, notably at the Bat ...
.
[Ward (1988), p. 184] Harrison had not applied to Scott for permission to recruit in the state, and many Kentuckians – from Scott's political enemy, Humphrey Marshall, to his trusted advisor, Jesse Bledsoe – perceived this as a slight to the governor.
[Ward (1988), p. 185] Ignoring Bledsoe's indignation, Scott refused to make an issue of the ''faux pas'' and instead became one of the staunchest supporters of Harrison's rising career.
In November 1811, a messenger brought news to Kentucky of former
Kentucky Attorney General
The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. (Ky.Const. § 91). Under Kentucky law, they serve several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor (KRS 15.700), the state's chief law enforcement officer (K ...
Joseph Hamilton Daveiss
Major Joseph Hamilton Daveiss (; March 4, 1774 – November 7, 1811), a Virginia-born lawyer, received a mortal wound while commanding the Dragoons of the Kentucky Militia at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Five years earlier, Daviess had tried to warn ...
's death at the
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe ( ) was fought on November 7, 1811, in Battle Ground, Indiana, between American forces led by then Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American forces associated with Shawnee leader Tecums ...
, amplifying Kentuckians' outcry for war with the British and Indians.
[Clark and Lane, p. 15] In anticipation of a federal call for volunteers, Scott published messages in the state's newspapers in February and April 1812 whipping up support for the impending war effort.
[Ward (1988), p. 188] By the end of July, the state's quota of 5,500 volunteers had been met.
[Ward (1988), p. 189] On August 14, 1812, Scott greeted two regiments of soldiers at the governor's mansion just prior to their muster at
Georgetown.
[Ward (1988), p. 190] He hobbled among the soldiers with his crutch, then turned and hammered it against the mansion's steps and was heard to mutter "If it hadn't been for you, I could have gone with the boys myself."
[Ward (1988), p. 191]
On August 25, 1812, Scott's last day in office, he appointed Harrison brevet major general over the Kentucky militia.
[Harrison and Klotter, p. 91] The appointment was made on advice from incoming Governor Isaac Shelby and Henry Clay.
The brevet ensured that Harrison, and not
James Winchester James Winchester may refer to:
* James Winchester (general) (1752–1826), an American Revolutionary War officer and brigadier general during the War of 1812
* James Winchester (Maryland judge) (1772–1806), Maryland politician and judge
* James ...
– who was unpopular in Kentucky and with his own troops – would lead the state's military forces in the war.
Biographer Harry M. Ward noted that Harrison's commission was unconstitutional both because he was not a citizen of the state and because the state militia's allotment of major generals had already been filled.
Kentucky historian
Lowell H. Harrison
Dr. Lowell Hayes Harrison (October 23, 1922 – October 12, 2011) was an American historian specializing in the U.S. state of Kentucky.
Biography
Harrison graduated from College High (Bowling Green, Kentucky). He was a veteran of World Wa ...
concurred that the commission was "probably illegal", but further noted that it was "acclaimed across the state".
The show of confidence from Scott and his aides influenced President
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
to appoint Harrison as supreme commander of the
Army of the Northwest.
[Ward (1988), p. 192]
Death and legacy
Following his term as governor, Scott retired to his Canewood estate with his wife and youngest step-daughter, Mary Cecil Gist.
[Ward (1988), p. 194] Two of his stepdaughters had married during his term as governor.
In 1809, Anna Maria Gist married Captain
Nathaniel G. S. Hart
Nathaniel Gray Smith Hart (c. 1784 – January 23, 1813) was a Lexington, Kentucky lawyer and businessman, who served with the state's volunteer militia during the War of 1812. As Captain of the Lexington Light Infantry from Kentucky, Hart and m ...
, who was killed in the
River Raisin Massacre
The Battles of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin and the River Raisin Massacre, were a series of conflicts in Michigan Territory that took place from January 18–23, 1813, during the War of 1812. It was fought between the ...
in January 1813.
[Ward (1988), pp. 193–194] Eliza Violet Gist married
Francis Preston Blair
Francis Preston Blair Sr. (April 12, 1791 – October 18, 1876) was an American journalist, newspaper editor, and influential figure in national politics advising several U.S. presidents across party lines.
Blair was an early member of the De ...
on July 21, 1812, just prior to the expiration of Scott's term as governor.
The governor opined that Blair, who was slightly built, stoop-shouldered, and suffering from
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
, would leave Eliza a widow within six months.
Blair survived the tuberculosis and went on to become a trusted advisor to President
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
.
He outlived Scott's prediction for him by more than sixty years.
By mid-1813, Scott's health had begun to fail rapidly.
[Ward (1988), p. 195] He died on October 22, 1813, and was buried on the grounds of Canewood.
At the time of his death, he was one of the last surviving generals of the Revolutionary War.
His remains were re-interred at
Frankfort Cemetery
The Frankfort Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors and a ...
in 1854.
Scott County, Kentucky
Scott County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,155. Scott County is part of the Lexington–Fayette, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Native Amer ...
, and
Scott County, Indiana
Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 24,181. The county seat is Scottsburg.
History
Scott County was formed in 1820 from portions of Clark, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, and Washington ...
, are named in his honor, as are the cities of
Scottsville, Kentucky
Scottsville is a home rule-class city in Allen County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 4,226 during the 2010 U.S. Census.
History
The site along Bays Fork was settled in 1797 and developed into ...
, and
Scottsville, Virginia
Scottsville is a town in Albemarle, Buckingham and Fluvanna counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 566 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
According tScottsville's ...
.
[Powell, p. 20]
References
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External links
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The Battle of Drake's Farm 8thVirginia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Charles
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