ed by the
tomahawk.

Soon after the retreat of the enemy, General Clark, who was stationed at
Fort Jefferson, called upon the Kentuckians to join him in an invasion
of the Indian country. The reputation of Clark caused the call to be
responded to with great readiness. A thousand men were collected, with
whom Clark entered and devastated the enemy's territory. The principal
towns were burned and the fields laid waste. But one skirmish was
fought, and that at the Indian village of Pickaway. The loss was the
same on both sides, seventeen men being killed in each army. Some
writers who have not the slightest objection to war, very gravely
express doubts as to whether the expedient of destroying the crops of
the Indians was justifiable. It is generally treated by these men as if
it was a wanton display of a vindictive spirit, when in reality it was
dictated by the soundest policy; for when the Indians' harvests were
destroyed, they were compelled to subsist their families altogether
by hunting, and had no leisure for their murderous inroads upon the
settlements. This result was plainly seen on this occasion, for it does
not appear that the Indians attacked any of the settlements during the
remainder of this year.

An adventure which occurred in the spring, but was passed over for
the more important operations of the campaign, claims our attention,
presenting as it does a picture of the varieties of this mode of
warfare. We quote from McClung:

"Early in the spring of 1780 Mr. Alexander McConnel, of Lexington,
Kentucky, went into the woods on foot to hunt deer. He soon killed
a large buck, and returned home for a horse in order to bring it in.
During his absence a party of five Indians, on one of their usual
skulking expeditions, accidentally stumbled on the body of the deer,
and perceiving that it had been recently killed, they naturally supposed
that the hunter would speedily return to secure the flesh. Three of
them, therefore, took their stations within close rifle-shot of the
deer, while the other two followed the trail of the hunter, and waylaid
the path by which he was expected to return. McConnel, expecting no
danger, rode carelessly along the path, which the two scouts were
watching, until he had come within view of the deer, when he was fired
upon by the whole party, and his horse killed. While laboring to
extricate himself from the dying animal, he was seized by his enemies,
instantly overpowered, and borne off