Benjamin Logan (May 1, 1743 – December 11, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, then

Shelby County, Kentucky Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was founded in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Shelb ...

. As colonel of the

Kentucky County Kentucky County (then alternately spelled Kentucke County) was formed by the Commonwealth of Virginia from the western portion (beyond the Cumberland Mountains) of Fincastle County effective December 31, 1776. The name of the county was taken ...

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, he was second-in-command of all the trans-Appalachian Virginia. He became a politician and help secure statehood for

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. His brother, John Logan, who at times served under him in the militia and replaced him as delegate, became the first state treasurer of Kentucky.

Early and family life

Benjamin Logan was born in then-vast

Augusta County, Virginia Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its county ...

, the eldest son of Scottish immigrants David and Jane (McKinley) Logan. He had seven siblings by the time his father died, when Benjamin Logan was 15. By primogeniture, Benjamin inherited the family's 860 acre (3.5 km²) farm, but would sell it when he reached legal age, then split the proceeds with his siblings and move across the Appalachian Mountains to the

Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee ...

, where he purchased land and began to farm. He married Ann Montgomery in 1772; they had eight children.

Militia officer

Logan served in the Virginia militia during

Henry Bouquet Henry Bouquet (born Henri Louis Bouquet; 1719 – 2 September 1765) was a Swiss mercenary who rose to prominence in British service during the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. He is best known for his victory over a Native American ...

's 1764 campaign against the

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 ...

. A decade later, he 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 ...

Lord Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War—or Dunmore's War—was a 1774 conflict between the Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indian nations. The Governor of Virginia during the conflict was John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore—Lord Dunmore. H ...

against the same Indian nation. In 1775, Logan joined a party of settlers led by Daniel Boone who traveled to

, then the westernmost portion of

. He left the group in what would become Lincoln County. With the help of his brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and others, he built a stockade known as Logan's Fort which eventually would grow into the town of St. Asaph's near

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

. In 1776, Logan brought his family from Virginia to join him, but initially settled them at Harrod's Fort, as less exposed to Native raids, but in 1777 they joined him at Logan's Fort. However, beginning on May 20, 1777, the fort was besieged by a hundred native warriors. When the garrison's provisions and ammunition ran low, Logan and two companions left during the night and traveled 150 miles to the Holston settlement. Logan returned as fast as he could with powder and lead; his companions followed with a relief party under Col. John Bowman, which caused the besiegers to scatter. Logan was appointed

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of the county and a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. During the American Revolution, he was the second ranking officer in the Virginia militia for Kentucky County, taking part in the defense of the settlements against attacks made by British-led Indians. In July 1779, under Co. Bowman, Logan as second-in-command led 300 men in an expedition across the Ohio River to the native settlement at Chillicothe. He also joined in campaigns against hostile Indians north of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

, serving under

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 ...

. However, Logan and Clark frequently disagreed over strategy. After American independence, Logan became active in the campaign to establish Kentucky as a separate state. He served as Kentucky's representative 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 ...

from 1781 until 1787 when he began arguing for statehood. In October 1786, Logan led a force of Kentucky mounted militiamen against the Shawnee towns in the Ohio Country along the Little Miami River and Mad River (

Logan's Raid Logan's raid was a military expedition in October, 1786 by a Kentucky militia force under General Benjamin Logan against several Shawnee settlements along the Little Miami and Mad Rivers in the Ohio Country. The villages were occupied primarily ...

). These were lightly defended since most warriors had left to defend the villages of Chief Little Turtle from a separate force moving up the Wabash River under the command of General George Rogers Clark. Logan seized and burned thirteen villages, taking prisoner women and children, destroying the food supplies and killing or capturing many, including the aged Chief

Moluntha Moluntha, also spelled Molunthe, Melonthe, and Malunthy (d. 1786), was a prominent civil chief of the Shawnee people in the 1780s. He was murdered by a Kentucky soldier at the outset of the Northwest Indian War (1785–1795). Moluntha belonged to ...

who surrendered under a U.S. flag outside his wegiwa while displaying the Shawnee copy of the Treaty of Fort Finney (1785). Unfortunately, despite the protection of Logan's men, Captain Hugh McGary slipped through the guard and murdered the Shawnee chief. The chief's death infuriated the Shawnee, who retaliated by redoubling their attacks against the whites, and escalating 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 ...

. Logan served as one of Lincoln County's initial representatives to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1781, and also served in the 1785, 1786, and 1787 sessions. Meanwhile, Virginia conducted a tax census, which listed both John and Benjamin as non-residents of Lincoln County, but taxed each for slaves and livestock in the county, John for three enslaved adults and two younger slaves, as well as seven horses, a stud horse, and 30 cattle, and Benjamin for three adult slaves, five younger slaves, eight horses and 70 cattle. Since Benjamin Logan does not appear as a resident of another county, he may have been overlooked or away conducting a military expedition. Benjamin Logan advocated for Kentucky statehood at the Danville Convention and was a delegate when it wrote the first Kentucky constitution in 1791 and 1792. Following statehood, he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1792 to 1795. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1796 and 1800.

Death and legacy

In 1802, Benjamin Logan died of a stroke at age 60, at his home 6 miles southwest of

Shelbyville, Kentucky Shelbyville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,045 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Early hist ...

. He was buried in the family cemetery. Both

Logan County, Kentucky Logan County is a county in the southwest Pennyroyal Plateau area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,432. Its county seat is Russellville. History The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who had ...

and

Logan County, Ohio Logan County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,150. The county seat is Bellefontaine. The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who fought Native Americans ...

were named for him, as is the

Benjamin Logan Local School District The Benjamin Logan Local School District, also known as "Benjamin Logan Schools", is a school district comprising the eastern half of Logan County, Ohio, United States. The district is noteworthy for its commitment to agribusiness education, ...

in Ohio. He was the uncle of

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

associate justice

John McKinley John McKinley (May 1, 1780 – July 19, 1852) was a United States Senate, United States Senator from the U.S. state, state of Alabama and an Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court ...

Notes

References

* Talbert, Charles G. ''Benjamin Logan, Kentucky Frontiersman.'' University of Kentucky Press, 1962, . * *

Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography ''Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography'' is a six-volume collection of biographies of notable people involved in the history of the New World. Published between 1887 and 1889, its unsigned articles were widely accepted as authoritative fo ...

External links

Logan's Fort website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Logan, Benjamin 1740s births 1802 deaths Kentucky militiamen in the American Revolution Kentucky pioneers People from Logan County, Kentucky Logan County, Ohio Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People in Dunmore's War People of Kentucky in the American Revolution People of Virginia of Pontiac's War American people of the Northwest Indian War American people of Scottish descent Virginia colonial people People from Shelby County, Kentucky People from Augusta County, Virginia