Thirteen families rafted down the Ohio with Clark and his small army but they were unaware of his covert mission to capture the British Forts that were supporting Indian raids on Kentucky’s settlers.

It is doubtful that any of the soldiers that accompanied Clark had any idea of the profound affect their actions would have on the future of the United States .

On June 24, 1778, Clark and his men, “left our little island and Run about a mile up the River in order to gain the main Channel and shot the Falls at the very moment of the suns being in a great Eclips which caused Various conjectures among the superstitious."  Clark proceeded downriver for four days and went ashore about one mile above the old Fort Missack. He and his men rested overnight before marching 50 miles to the northwest “until we came into those level Plains that is frequent throughout this extensive Country.”  On July 4, 1778, Clark took Kaskaskia within minutes without loss of life. Clark’s benevolent treatment of the French inhabitants surprised and pleased them.  Clark next sent Simon Kenton to Vincinnes to determine the strength of that garrison. Joseph Bowman went to Cahokia and convinced the 300 French there to take an oath of allegiance to the new nation.  Clark decided that Vincinnes should be taken by mediation since the inhabitants were already aware of the loss of Cahokia, and Kaskaskia. The French Priest Father Gibault and Jean Laffont headed a French/American delegation that convinced the inhabitants to swear an oath of allegiance on July 20, 1778.

Clark now controlled most of the Northwest Territory. Only Detroit, the headquarters of British Governor Henry Hamilton (the Hairbuyer) remained an obstacle to Clark and his men.  George Rogers Clark remained in the Illinois country during the fall of 1778. He managed to reenlist many of his men but sent the reminder back to the Falls with instructions for the settlers to move to the southern shore of the Ohio. 

The Fall of 1778 was also a busy time for Henry Hamilton who gathered 162 British Soldiers and 70 Indians and departed Detroit on October 7, 1778 to retake the lost fortifications. This move took Clark and his men by surprise since everyone assumed that any military response would come in the spring.  Hamilton arrived in Vincinnes on December 17, 1778 and easily took the village from the meager force that Clark left to defend it over the winter. 

Clark now made the decision which separated him from other military commanders …..he determined to retake Vincinnes in the middle of winter in conditions that would appear impossible to most military strategists.  In a Feb 3 letter to Virginia Governor Patrick Henry, Clark wrote, “I know the Case is Desperate but Sir we must Either Quit the Cuntrey or attact Mr. Hamilton.”  And attack he did. The party of 170 men departed for Vincinnes on Feb 5, 1779 and crossed the 180 miles of flooded prairie in 15 days. They took no provisions with them and were often marching through deep water. This journey was attended by near-starvation, intolerable cold wet camps, and constant talk of mutiny. In the face of all this, Clark was the consummate leader….proving by example that his men could overcome staggering odds just to make it to the battlefield.  Finally arriving at Vincinnes on Feb 23, Clark was able to rally his troops and put on a display that led the British to believe that there were 1,000 men preparing to lay siege to the fort.  Clark had the reputation of a man who was not to be trifled with and he now proved it by capturing a returning scalping party of six Indians and tomahawking them in plain site of the fort. He demanded unconditional surrender of Hamilton and got it. 

Clark’s exploits earned him the moniker, “the Hannibal of the West” and assured him a place in the annals of history. His successful campaign against Vincinnes in impossible conditions is still considered one of the most remarkable feats in American military history and is testimony to his leadership ability, physical stamina, and strength of will.  George Rogers Clark was at the pinnacle of his life at age 26. He had personally assumed the costs of his campaigns and later sold all of the thousands of acres of land he was given to pay his debt. He died at age 66 at his sister’s home – LOCUST GROVE in Louisville, KY.

"If a Cuntrey was not worth protecting it was not worth Claiming" - George Rogers Clark

"Great things have been affected by a few men well conducted." - George Rogers Clark

THE GROWTH OF LOUISVLLE

At about the time Clark was re-taking Vincinnes, the settlers on Corn Island constructed a stockade on the bank of the Ohio near the corner of 12th and Rowan. They called this structure “Fort on Shore”.

In 1781, Clark built “Fort Nelson” which was located near the corner of 7th and Main - now the site of Fort Nelson Park.

The low, swampy land around the falls led to cholera epidemics which gave Louisville the nickname, “the graveyard of the west”.

Shippingport was the hub of commerce since the falls were the only obstacle to River traffic from Pittsburgh to New Orleans.

The Portland Canal was built in 1830 to eliminate portaging.

The first horse racing track in Louisville was built at Shippingport in 1805 at what was called Elm Tree Gardens

Louisville, first surveyed in 1773 by Thomas Bullitt, incorporated in 1828.

Corn Island, excavated for its limestone and submerged when dams were constructed, is now just a shallow place in the river right off the Belvedere.

Falls Landing Foundation
PO Box 125
Buckner, KY 40010
Phone ( 502) 243-0301
Or
502 947-8898
www.fallslanding.org
info@fallslanding.org