AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Ethan A. Schmidt for the Master of Arts in American History presented on September 7,2001. Title: Wilderness Warrior:- Life ofGeor e Ro ers Clark. Abstract approved: C/1/:1::. ~ 5'Jv--­ When asked about th('American Rev~lution, most Americans relate images of philosophically enlightened leaders at the head of regular armies. The war that most Americans picture largely took place near the major urban centers ofthe east coast. Yet, a vicious guerrilla war often involving neighbors, brothers, women and children raged across the American frontier from the so-called "shot heard 'round the world" in 1775 to the Peace ofParis in 1783 and beyond. Out ofthis conflict came several ofthe new nation's early military heroes. Certainly, George Rogers Clark was one ofthe foremost ofsuch men. Born in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1752, he rose to fame as the most successful American commander in the Old Northwest Territory. Yet, despite his celebrity, George Rogers Clark quickly fell into disrepute after the revolution. In fact, his reputation plummeted so far that by the time he was thirty years old, his public image was all but ruined. This thesis will present a complete picture of George Rogers Clark and will spend considerable time analyzing his penchant for brutality and his expertise at psychological manipulation as well as his daring and courage. It will examine Clark's faults as well as his successes and endeavor to unravel the confusion surrounding speculations about his romantic life and his rapid descent from hero to charity case. In short, the aim of this project is to present a scholarly biography of Clark the man, not a romantic myth of Clark .. the hero. In a larger sense, by examining Clark this thesis will also present an overall picture ofthe harsh realities of frontier warfare and attempt to analyze its effects on the moral compass ofthose who participate in it. ill.. Wilderness Warrior: The Life ofGeorge Rogers Clark A Thesis Submitted to The Division of Social Sciences Emporia State University In Partial Fu1:fi1lment ofthe Requirements for the Degree Master ofArts by Ethan A. Schmidt August 14,2001 --- Q3A(EISffiI SlHDnI 'TTY lP~unF'S .\1 UBlllt{ lOOl lll'a~lAdoJ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In any work similar in scope to this one, there are many individuals, in addition to the author, who play an integral part in its production. This thesis is no different. First of all, the members ofmy thesis committee deserve special recognition. Dr. Ron McCoy has been a valuable participant in both my thesis committee and in my overall graduate education. Dr. Karen Manners-Smith has been involved in this project since its inception as an independent research project in the summer of2000. Her efforts in critiquing those fIrst chapters produced that summer cannot be underestimated. My thesis director, Dr. John Sacher, while serving in that capacity for the fIrst time in his young career, has been an invaluable mentor and sounding board for me in this process. I am eternally grateful to all three ofthese individuals for their expertise, dedication and caring. I am also deeply indebted to the staffs ofthe Missouri State Historical Society, Wisconsin State Archives, Watson Library at the University ofKansas and William Allen White Library at Emporia State University. In particular, I wish to thank Steve Hanschu for his help in obtaining materials through Interlibrary Loan. I would also like to thank my uncle, Layne Pierce for donating his library skills on occasion to help me locate resources. I would like to thank all of my past teachers in general and two in particular. Faie Frederickson fIrst kindled a spark of intellectual curiosity in me when I was in the fourth grade, and it has burned ever since. Dr. Christopher Phillips did more than anyone to fuel that tiny spark into the fIre it has become. I will never forget his many contributions to my career and life. Finally, my family has done more than anyone to encourage and strengthen me in my quest to become an historian. In particular, I want to say thank you to my parents, Tom and IV Susie Schmidt for raising me to believe in myself, and for allowing me to explore my thoughts and feelings at an early age. I would also like to tell my wife/research assistant how much I appreciate her support and love as I continue along the path I have chosen. Were it not for her love and encouragement, this work would not have been possible. v PREFACE I first became aware ofGeorge Rogers Clark in 1994 while I was still in high school. I encountered him while watching a documentary series on the Arts and Entertainment network about the American Revolution. At that time, I considered myself quite the expert on the struggle for independence. So I was very surprised when the documentary spent ten minutes (out ofsix hours) discussing a general I had never heard of, who operated in an area I did not realize was inhabited during the revolution. That general ofcourse was George Rogers Clark, and the area was the Illinois Country. As the documentary recounted the story ofhis epic starvation march to retake the post ofVincennes, in present-day Indiana, I grew more and more fascinated with Clark. As I began my work toward a Master ofArts in History in the winter of 1999-2000, that fascination with Clark resurfaced. In the intervening six years, I had learned that I was not the only one who had never heard ofhim. I then began to think that he might be a credible subject for a thesis. As I examined the topic further, I discovered that contemporary historians had largely forgotten him as well. The last biography of Clark, Lowell H. Harrison's George Rogers Clark and the War in the West, was published in 1974. Since it's aim was simply to highlight Clark's wartime service, it offered little or no insight into his early life and his post-war years and therefore consisted ofa little more than one hundred pages. The only full-scale biographies ofClark, James Alton James's The Life ofGeorge Rogers Clark and John Bakeless's Background to Glory: The Life ofGeorge Rogers Clark, were published in 1928 and 1957 respectively. With this in mind, I decided that the topic of George Rogers Clark deserved are-evaluation. vi The aim ofthis work is to present a well rounded and therefore, much more human picture of George Rogers Clark. While many of Clark's exploits were certainly heroic, there is much more to him than has made it into the pages of history. Past historians dismissed his penchant for brutality and psychological manipulation in favor of a more benign portrayal of the man known to his enemies and friends as "The Long Knife." Yet, to emphasize only Clark's positive attributes and contributions (of which there are many) constitutes a disservice to those who seek the full picture of America's beginnings. George Rogers Clark the man, as opposed to George Rogers Clark the hero, existed in a world where the line between wrong and right often blurred into the line between winner and loser. George Rogers Clark was a true wilderness warrior. He lived and fought in a place radically different from the eastern side ofthe Appalachians. Frontier inhabitants, ate, drank, dressed, loved, and fought differently from their contemporaries in the east. In a larger sense, this thesis deals with those differences via the use of Clark as the epitome ofthe frontier fighter. Chapters one and two compose a general introduction to Clark and recount his exploits up to the eve ofthe American Revolution. The next four chapters focus on his successful invasion ofthe Illinois Country in 1778 and 1779, which represents the pinnacle ofhis life. Chapters seven, eight and nine detail the deterioration of his career and reputation toward the close ofthe conflict, while chapter ten centers around his final descent into bitterness and alcoholism. While this thesis is by no means intended to be the final word on George Rogers Clark, it is the hope ofthis author that it will contribute in some way to our understanding ofClark and to the American Revolution on the frontier. Vll LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 2. I-CLARK GENEALOGY ACCORDING TO DRAPER AND JAMES 13 FIGURE 2.2-CLARK GENEALOGY ON WHICH SOURCES AGREE 13 FIGURE 5.1-RETURN OF DETACHMENT OF THE ROYAL ARTILLERY, CAPTAIN LAMOTHE'S COMPANY OF VOLUNTEERS AND THE VOLUNTEER MILITIA OF DETROIT WHO OFFERED THEMSELVES BETWEEN THE 17TII & 24TII OF SEPTEMBER 1778 TO SERVE ON AN ENTERPRISE AGAINST THE REBELS 60 IX LIST OF MAPS THE WEST DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1 VIRGINIA COUNTIES 1751-1760 16 CAMPAIGNS IN THE WEST AND SOUTH 1778-1781 61 x TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv PREFACE vi TABLE OF CONTENTS viii LIST OF FIGURES ix LIST OF MAPS x Chapter INTRODUCTION 2 2 BEGINNINGS 12 3 A DARING PLAN 32 4 THE EXPEDITION TO THE ILLINOIS COUNTRy 40 5 THE FALL OF VINCENNES 51 6 THE BIG KNIFE STRIKES 68 7 SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR 93 8 DISAPPOINTMENT 107 9 INDEPENDENCE AND RUIN 127 10 LAST DAYS OF THE BIG KNIFE 140 BIBLIOGRAPHY 167 Vlll ~ ... .. -... • • • .. - - .... - --------.- 1 iii The West During the American Revolution OU""'T·jVw /' l "I IE AKf t.. c:. Am4IriCCln Fartl • 9rilieh Fort. 0 I"dian Villa;•• • HI.'orlc. "<JInl a 0 Settlem."'. Reprinted by permission of the University Press of Kentucky Chap~rI Introduction On a winter day in January of 1778, a twenty-five year old, red-headed giant of a Virginian set out from Williamsburg for Redstone on the Ohio River.