Peter Hackett facts for kids
Peter Hackett (born around 1763 – died 1828) was an American frontiersman. He was an early settler in what became Kentucky, known for his adventures and role in the American Revolutionary War on the frontier.
Biography
Peter Hackett was born around 1763 in the English colony of Virginia. It's thought his father was Thomas Hackett from Montgomery County, Virginia. When Peter was about eight years old, around 1771, he was sent to live and work with Captain James Estill.
Peter was part of a big movement of Scotch-Irish settlers who traveled along the Wilderness Road. This famous path went through the Cumberland Gap from Virginia into the area that later became Kentucky in the late 1700s.
In 1779, Peter lived in Boonesborough. This was one of the first English-speaking settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains. He stayed there until 1780. That same year, Hackett helped set up Estill's Station, Kentucky, another important settlement. He lived there until about 1788. Peter Hackett passed away around 1828 in Scott County, Kentucky.
Life at Estill's Station and a Frontier Battle
West of the Appalachian Mountains, the American Revolutionary War was often called an "Indian War." Many Native American groups sided with the British. The British gave their allies muskets and gunpowder and encouraged them to raid settler communities.
Fort Estill, built near Boonesborough in 1779, was home to James Estill, Peter Hackett, and others. In March 1782, Wyandot warriors attacked it. Colonel Benjamin Logan, a military leader in the area, heard that Wyandot warriors were on the warpath. These Native Americans, helped by the British from Detroit, had raided from Boonesborough past Estill's Station along the Kentucky River.
Colonel Logan sent 15 men to Captain Estill at Estill's Station. He ordered Estill to gather 25 more men and explore the land to the north and east. Following these orders, Captain Estill reached the Kentucky River and camped for the night.
The very next day, March 20, a group of Native Americans appeared at Estill's Station at dawn. They raided the fort, killed a woman named Miss Innes, captured Monk (a slave of Captain Estill), and killed all the cattle.
As soon as the Native Americans left, two young men, Samuel South and Peter Hackett, were sent to follow the trail of Estill's men and tell them what happened. The boys found them early on the morning of March 21. About 20 of the 40 men had families back at the fort. They returned with the boys to Estill's Station. The rest of the men crossed the Kentucky River and found the Native American trail.
Captain Estill formed a group of 25 men and followed the Native Americans. This led to a difficult fight known as Estill's Defeat, or the Battle of Little Mountain, on March 22, 1782. Captain Estill and nine of his men were killed. Peter Hackett, who was about 18 years old, was wounded in the battle. Both sides suffered losses, but the Native Americans had more casualties. It is believed that Peter Hackett was holding Estill's horse when Estill was badly wounded and killed by a Native American chief.
Frontiersman Life
Peter Hackett worked as a hunter for James Estill. Later, he became a surveyor for Madison County, Kentucky. A surveyor is someone who measures and maps land.
Peter Hackett's family continued to move west. His descendants, including John Hackett (who lived around the same time as Abraham Lincoln), moved to Sangamon County, Illinois around 1829. They then moved to Coles County, Illinois by 1841. Lincoln's father also settled his family in Coles County around 1832.
A family story says that Lincoln stayed at the Hackett farm during the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858. This claim might be true because both families came from similar areas and had similar political ideas. Peter Hackett's grandson, O. C. Hackett, was the first Supervisor of Tuscola, Illinois. He also took part in the California Gold Rush, a time when many people rushed to California hoping to find gold.
See also
- Hackett (surname)
- Western theater of the American Revolutionary War
