BENJAMIN LINN’S FORT
Written by David Hall and published in the Kentucky Standard, May 29, 1985
Exactly who was Ben LINN and where did he come from? My attempts to determine his ancestry have,
so far, proved fruitless, but he probably came from the Monongahela country.
Like many others, we may surmise he was one of those brave young adventurers raised along the old
colonial frontiers who, collectively, made settlement of the Kentucky wilds possible.
Chinn’s Kentucky Settlement gives us this clue to his early life. LINN, one of the finest marksmen
in the west, had spent 4 years among the Shawnee, Delaware, Maumee and Kickapoo, speaking all languages
fluently. He likely was captured while young and this experience gave him unique insight into the Indian
ways.
In Kentucky very early, he is closely linked with the desperate events during the time when
Harrodsburg withstood repeated Indian attacks. He had certainly arrived at Fort Harrod sometime in
1776, if not earlier.
On Jan. 2, 1777, LINN was one of 30 men led by James HARROD, who retrieved a crucial cache of
hidden gunpowder near present day Maysville. Fort Harrod was short of powder and all signs were ominous.
Had the tense mission been a failure and the gunpowder fallen into Indian hands, the continued assaults
on against Harrodsburg, Logan’s and Boonesborough throughout 1777 may well have succeeded.
If settlement had been interrupted at this critical juncture, Kentucky and the Northwest Territory
might still be part of Canada.
Of interest is a look at LINN’s companions on the gunpowder mission. Besides Col. James HARROD,
some of the other members were David GLENN, who was active in the Nelson County area from 1774 on; Isaac
HITE, who had some of the earliest improver’s claims in Nelson; the legendary Simon KENTON; Jacob SODOWSKY
(also often called SANDUSKY), who with his brother, James, established Sandusky’s Station on Pleasant Run
in Washington County about 1776; and Samuel MOORE, who would soon accompany Ben LINN on an incredible
spy mission for George Rogers CLARK.
Recorded in Chinn’s Kentucky Settlement is the following incident which occurred as the Indians
laid siege to Fort Harrod in March 1777, only a few months after the gunpowder incident; Several men
rushing out (of the Fort) to extinguish the flames (in a cabin), discovered the fire was no accident. A
number of Indians hiding near the building attempted to encircle the men. Several shots were
exchanged … In the midst of a shower of bullets … Benjamin LINN paused long enough to whip out his
hunting knife and take the scalp of an Indian he had just killed … using trees to cover the men worked
their way back to the Fort.
A month later, April, 1777, Ben LINN and Samuel MOORE were dispatched on a secret mission of the
utmost importance. George Rogers CLARK sent the pair to Kaskaskia, in the Illinois country. Posing as
trappers the pair were to determine British strength and preparedness to meet an attack. CLARK was
already planning the conquest of the Northwest Territory. The settlers at Harrodsburg were led to
believe LINN and MOORE were making a trip to dispose of beaver pelt. Everything depended on the success
of this spy mission. Thus all the responsibility lay with the two young scouts charged with a round trip
journey through hundreds of miles of wilderness right into the enemy stronghold.
Without hard intelligence information CLARK could not proceed with his plan. The information had
to be accurate and it had to be favorable.
Luckily for the besieged frontier, CLARK had chosen the right young men. Barely 3 months later,
Ben LINN and Samuel MOORE returned, their mission a complete success. The British forts were well
stocked but many troops … French … sympathized with the Americans. No attack by the colonists was
expected, thus Clark’s planned offensive was ripe for execution.
Promptly upon returning, Ben LINN launched into a new adventure. On July 9, 1777, he married
Hannah SEVERNS (Sovereighns) at Fort Harrod. The bride had also been an Indian captive for 6 years.
George Rogers Clark noted the ceremony was celebrated with great merriment because a buffalo bull
(good omen) had walked up to the Station with the domestic cattle, promptly been dispatched (food was
scarce) and furnished meat for the reception.
Ben Linn’s adventures were just hitting full stride. There’s more to come.
Benjamin Linn's Adventures
From the Filson Club is the story of
Benjamin Linn
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