Capture and rescue of Jemima Boone facts for kids
The capture and rescue of Jemima Boone and the Callaway girls is a famous event from the early history of Kentucky. Three teenage girls were captured by a group of Cherokee and Shawnee warriors on July 14, 1776. They were rescued just three days later by Daniel Boone and his group. This exciting story became very well-known. It was even shown in books and paintings from the 1800s. For example, James Fenimore Cooper wrote a fictional story about it in his novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826).
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The Story of the Capture
After the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, there was more fighting in Kentucky. This fighting was between Native American tribes and the new settlers. Tribes like the Shawnee, who lived north of the Ohio River, often raided the Kentucky settlements. They hoped to make the settlers leave, as they saw them as invaders on their land.
The Cherokee tribe, led by a chief named Dragging Canoe, also attacked settlers. Many settlers and hunters left Kentucky because of these attacks. This was part of a 20-year effort by the Cherokee to resist settlers. By the spring of 1776, fewer than 200 Americans remained in Kentucky. They mostly stayed in strong forts like Boonesborough, Harrodsburg, and Logan's Station.
The Girls Are Taken
On July 14, 1776, three teenage girls from Boonesborough were floating in a canoe. They were on the Kentucky River. These girls were Jemima Boone, who was Daniel Boone's daughter. The other two were Elizabeth and Frances Callaway, daughters of Colonel Richard Callaway.
A raiding party of five warriors caught them. This group included two Cherokee and three Shawnee warriors. The Cherokee chief Hanging Maw led them. The girls' capture caused great alarm in the settlement. Daniel Boone quickly put together a rescue party to find them.
The Race to Rescue
Meanwhile, the warriors hurried the girls north. They were heading toward the Shawnee towns across the Ohio River. The girls were very clever. They tried to leave clues by breaking twigs and stepping on plants. This helped the rescuers follow their trail. However, the warriors soon noticed what they were doing. They threatened the girls, so they had to stop leaving marks.
On the third morning, the warriors were building a fire for breakfast. Suddenly, the rescue party arrived. One of the warriors was shot. Jemima Boone immediately recognized the sound. She famously said, "That's daddy's!" meaning her father's gun. Two of the wounded Native men later died. The remaining warriors quickly retreated. They left the girls behind. The settlers then took the girls safely back home.
Life After the Rescue
The rescue was a great success. It showed the settlers in the Kentucky wilderness that they needed to be careful. It also made them stay closer to their forts. Many people worried the girls might have been harmed. However, Jemima Boone later said something important. She stated, "The Indians were kind to us, as much so as they well could have been, or their circumstances permitted."
After this event, the girls grew up and got married. Jemima Boone married Flanders Callaway. He had been one of the brave people in the rescue party. Elizabeth Callaway married Samuel Henderson. Frances Callaway married John Holder.
How This Story Was Told
The story of Jemima Boone's capture and rescue became very famous. It inspired many artists and writers.
- The incident helped inspire a chase scene in a famous book. This book is James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In the book, characters like Hawkeye and Uncas chase after a group of Hurons. The Hurons had captured two sisters, Cora and Alice Munro.
- The event was also shown in paintings from the 1800s. These paintings often showed the dramatic clash between two cultures. Charles Ferdinand Wimar painted The Abduction of Boone's Daughter by the Indians around 1855.
- The rescue was also featured in a book called Pioneers in the Settlement of America. This book by William A. Crafts was published in 1877. It included an illustration of the exciting rescue.
