Isaac Ruddell facts for kids

Captain Isaac Ruddell (born around 1737, died January 1812) was an important American soldier and pioneer in the 1700s. He served as an officer during the American Revolutionary War and was known for exploring and settling new lands in Kentucky. He founded a fort called Ruddell's Station in what is now Harrison County, Kentucky. In 1780, during the war, this settlement was attacked and destroyed by British, Canadian, and Native American forces. Isaac Ruddell and his family were taken prisoner and held in Detroit for more than two years before they were finally set free.

Isaac Ruddell was also related to other famous Kentucky pioneers: Isaac Bowman, Joseph Bowman, and John Jacob Bowman were his brothers-in-law. His grandson, John M. Ruddell, later became a well-known statesman and landowner in Kentucky.

Early Life and Military Service

Isaac Ruddell was born in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Virginia in the early 1740s. He grew up to become a captain in the local militia in Washington County, Virginia. He married Elizabeth Bowman.

Around 1774 or 1775, Isaac Ruddell traveled with the Bowman family to Kentucky. While living in Boonesborough, Kentucky, he joined his brother-in-law John Bowman, who was leading two Virginia militia companies to Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Ruddell later became one of Bowman's officers. He also served under General George Rogers Clark during the Illinois campaign. He was in charge of the group at Corn Island and looked after the military supplies left there. For his service, he was given 3,234 acres (13.09 km²) of land in what was known as Clark's Grant in the Indiana Territory.

Founding Ruddell's Station

In the spring of 1779, Isaac Ruddell established a fortified settlement on the South Fork of the Licking River. This place became known as Ruddell's Station, or Fort Liberty. It was located in Harrison County, Kentucky, about one mile (1.6 km) from where Lair Station is today. The fort was built on the site of an older, abandoned settlement called Hinkson's Station.

Along with another nearby fort called Martin's Station, Ruddell's Station became home to many families from Pennsylvania, especially those of German descent, over the next year.

Attack and Imprisonment

During the American Revolutionary War, a large group of Native American warriors, including Shawnee people, attacked Ruddell's Station. This group, numbering between 600 and 900, was led by British officer Captain Henry Bird and included 150 British soldiers. The attack resulted in more than twenty settlers being killed.

Isaac Ruddell was the captain of the fort and in command of the soldiers defending it. When the British brought out cannons to break down the fort's walls, which would have allowed the Native American warriors to attack the families inside, Ruddell decided it was safer to surrender. About 470 survivors, including Ruddell and his wife (and captives from Martin's Station), were forced to march to Detroit. They remained prisoners there until the end of the war.

Life as a Prisoner

During the long march to Detroit, Isaac Ruddell was separated from his wife and children. After arriving in Detroit, Ruddell complained to the British commander, Captain Bird, that he had broken his promise of safe passage for the settlers in exchange for their surrender.

Ruddell was reunited with his wife and two daughters. However, his two sons were given to the Shawnee people. His 12-year-old son, Stephen Ruddell, was adopted into the family of Chief Blackfish and later became the adopted brother of the famous leader Tecumseh. His younger son, Abraham Ruddell, was returned from the Native Americans by the War Department in 1794. By then, he could barely speak English. He later settled in Arkansas.

While in Detroit, Ruddell and his family were allowed to live on a nearby island. They grew corn there and provided food for other prisoners. He also reportedly helped some men escape from the camp. In 1782, he and several other prisoners were allowed to return to Virginia.

Return to Kentucky

Soon after returning to Virginia, Isaac Ruddell was accused by some of his fellow prisoners of working with the British. He was charged in Frederick County, Virginia, but he was found innocent. Some believed his good relationship with the British commander was due to the commander's poor treatment of Ruddell's group, and because both men were part of the Masonic fraternity.

In late 1783, Ruddell's written account of the attack on his station began appearing in newspapers. He returned to Bourbon County in 1784. Four years later, he and his family built a home at the source of the Licking River. He also built a grist mill (a mill for grinding grain) on the north side of Hinkston Bridge. In 1795, he built a sawmill, which his son Abram operated. The town that grew around these mills is still known today as Ruddell's Mills. Isaac Ruddell also gave land to the Stoner Mouth Church and its cemetery. He passed away in January 1812.

In 2008, the Ruddell and Martin Stations Historical Association dedicated a new monument in honor of Captain Ruddell.