The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
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FALL 2014 19 Honoring Our Colonial Ancestors If you are an American and a direct male descendant of someone who rendered civil or military service in one of the 13 American colonies be- fore July 4, 1776, consider joining the NATIONAL SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMERICAN COLONISTS. For information on its activities and eligibility requirements, contact: Registrar General R.D. Pollock 3504 Wilson Street Fairfax, VA 22030-2936 www.americancolonists.org COMPATRIOTS! You MaY Be eligiBle for MeMBership in a VerY select order numerous sar members are already affiliated coMpatriots! Eligibility founding ancestor prior to 1657 and a revolutionary War patriot in the same male line. Male line may be from: (1) father's father; (2) Mother's father; (3) father's Maternal grandfather; (4) Maternal grandfather of Mother's father; (5) Maternal grandfather of father's father. for information, contact: daniel c. Warren 1512 steuben road gloucester point, Va 23062 or www.founderspatriots.org Their highest-ranking officer was Col. John Todd, and under his command were two lieutenant colonels, Stephen Trigg and Daniel Boone. The militia immediately began to pursue the enemy without waiting for the reinforcements being gathered by Col. Benjamin Logan of the Lincoln County militia. They followed the Canadians and Indians for about 40 miles, but Boone sensed a trap because the Indians were leaving a trail that could be followed too easily. Against Boone's advice, the outnumbered Kentuckians attacked. During the attack, they fell into an ambush along the Licking River, near a spring and salt lick known as the Lower Blue Licks. The Kentucky militia suffered a disastrous defeat and heavy losses in the ambush. The Battle of Blue Licks was fought on Aug. 19, 1782, and it and the siege of Bryan's Station were the last two battles of the American Revolutionary War, even though they took place months after Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown. There were many heroes of the siege of Bryan's Station, including Capt. John Craig, whose ruse gave time for the fort to be reinforced; Thomas Bell and Nicholas Tomlinson, who escaped the encircling hostiles to go for help; and Daniel Boone, whose arrival with the Kentucky militia caused the enemy troops to abandon the siege. But the women and their daughters who left the protection of the fort to walk through woods under the muskets of enemy troops to get the day's water supply were, perhaps, the bravest of them all! In the spring following the siege, many of the families of Bryan's Station moved from the fort to their own lands in surrounding Fayette County, which, at the time, made up most of the counties that now are central and northern Kentucky. Many of these pioneers became leading lawmakers, educators and patriotic defenders of their country. Men who were just babies or young boys during the siege became heroes in the War of 1812. Perhaps the most prominent of this group was Richard Mentor Johnson, who was in command of a regiment during the war, and later became the 9th Vice President of the United States of America. The Lexington, Kentucky Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution built a memorial to the women of Bryan's Station that was dedicated on Aug. 18, 1896. The Memorial Wall is located around the spring from which the women and their daughters carried water to supply the fort during the siege. The wall is made of Kentucky limestone, and the names of the defenders of Bryan's Station are carved into the rock. This appears to be the first monument in the United States that was built by women to honor other women. References Howard, Virginia Webb, 1932, Bryan Station Heroes and Heroines. Commercial Printing Co., Lexington, Kentucky. (Reprinted 2009, Higginson Book Company, Salem, Massachusetts). Elliot, Lawrence, 1976, The Long Hunter: A New Life of Daniel Boone. Reader's Digest Press: Distributed by Crowell. Durrett, Ruben T., 1897, "Bryant's Station and the memorial proceedings held on its site under the auspices of the Lexington Chapter, D.A.R. August the 18th, 1896, in honor of its heroic mothers and daughters." Filson Club Publications, Vol. 12, pp. 47-83. Kerr, C., 1922, History of Kentucky, Vol. 1, American Historical Society, Chicago and New York. Acknowledgment The author thanks Christine S. Vaughn for her valuable help in the research and genealogy used in preparing this article. About the author: James E. Vaughn Jr. is the maternal fifth great-grandson of James "Parson" Suggett, who raised the alarm about the siege of Bryan's Station in the late summer of 1782. John Suggett, the son of James, also was a defender of Bryan's Station, and was the patriot through whom Vaughn joined the Sons of the American Revolution. John Suggett's wife was Mildred Davis Suggett, one of the women who marched under the muskets of the hostile force to get water for the impending siege. Vaughn obtained "Supplemental Ancestor Certificates" from the Sons of the American Revolution because of both Mildred Davis Suggett's and James Suggett's roles in the defense of Bryan's Station. There were many heroes of the siege of Bryan's Station, but perhaps the bravest were the women who left the fort to get the day's water supply.