Ambush

To survive on the edges of the frontier as it continually pushed westward into hostile territory, the settlers and long hunters, while going through the hardships of everyday life also had to constantly be alert for Indian attacks. During the French and Indian War, the French encouraged their Indian allies to continually harass the settlements to retard advancement of the English into territory which they claimed. During the Revolutionary War, the British did the same thing against the upstart Americans. By keeping constant pressure on the rebels in the border areas, the British forced many frontiersmen to defend their homes and families, thereby depriving Washington's Continental Army of much needed recruits. Militias were established and all able-bodied men had to help defend the frontiers. Some became rangers and constantly searched for indications of enemy activity.

The preferred method of Indian fighting was to use existing cover whenever possible and not fight unless the odds favored overwhelming victory The most effective mode of wilderness fighting was the use of the ambush.

A classic example of the use of these tactics occurred on August 19, 1782 at the Battle of the Blue Licks. A force of approximately two hundred Huron, Delaware, Shawnee and Mingo warriors with thirty British Rangers lead by Captain William Caldwell, and accompanied by Matthew Elliott, Alexander McKee and Simon and George Girty were returning to the Ohio country from an unsuccessful attack on Bryan's Station in Kentucky, when they became aware that they were being pursued by a large group of Kentucky militiamen. Among the one hundred eighty two pursuers were noted frontiersmen Daniel Boone, John Todd, Stephen Trigg and Hugh McGary. Caldwell took advantage of the hills on the north side of the Licking River, I,ear the Blue Licks, which provided an ideal location to set-up an ambush. As the militia reached the river, Boone, Todd and some of the more experienced woodsmen weren't foobd by the tracks plainly visible on the north side of the ford, nor by the two straggling decoy Indians further up the slope. Their suspicions were over-ruled by the majority which 9uickly formed a vanguard of twenty mounted men lead by McGary, followed by three columns of dismounted men who crossed the river and charged up the hill after the perceived retreating enemy. Caldwell's hidden rangers rose from concealment and fired a solid volley of blJckshot anc1 lead balls into McGary's men killing or wounding all but three. These rangers were extremely skilled at loading their cut-off Brown Bess smoothbore muskets while running and were able to advance, load and fire up to five shots per minute at close range while the accurate long rifles of the Kentuckians took nearly a minute to load and fire each shot. Two ranks of rangers, firing alternately, produced an almost continual curtain of fire and with the Indians closing in on their flanks, the militiamen died by the dozens One hundred-forty-six men were killed or captured in a few minutes.

Boone and a small group fought a fighting withdrawal by staying together and using alternating fire from tree to tree in the woods to the left. They crossed the shallow river beyond the range of the muskets, mounted their horses and made a hasty retreat. It was during this final action that Boone lost his twenty three-year-old son, Israel. None of Caldwell's rangers had been killed or wounded and only ten Indians were killed with a few wounded. This ambush was an over-whelming success.

The highly detailed painting entitled "Ambush" has been reproduced as a very limited edition, archival quality, giclee canvas print of only ten individually signed and numbered reproductions.

The giclee process, especially in small quantities, is an extremely costly endeavor, however, it allows the collector to obtain a superior quality, lasting work of art which can be displayed without the need of protective matting or glass.