The Siege of Boonesborough

In September, 1778 the settlement of Boonesborough in Kentucky, then a part of the Virginia colony and founded by patriot Daniel Boone, was attacked by the Shawnee led by Chief Blackfish.  The Shawnee were allied with the British.  Daniel Boone and a small group of settlers from the fort were hunting in February earlier that year when they were taken captive by Chief Blackfish. Although a prisoner, Boone appeared to be fairly well-treated in his captivity.  In June, he learned that the Shawnee planned to attack Boonesborough on behalf of the British and escaped to alert the settlement.  He made an epic 5 day, 160 mile ride on horseback from the Ohio territory to the fort.  Back at Boonesborough, he and the settlers made plans for the fort's defense.  The Shawnee forces arrived in September and the Siege lasted several days.  The settlement was successfully defended.

While an important battle, it is not one of the more commonly known, but it is the most important to me.  My great-grandfather (x5, I think) was Pvt. Matthias Horn and fought in that battle alongside Daniel Boone.  Matthias, his wife Susannah and their children lived at the fort.  That makes me a daughter of the American Revolution.

The earliest American settler in my family was Johann Kroftt Horn, Matthias' grandfather.  He arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1720.  As lands were opened, they continued to work their way west, making it as far as the Boonesborough settlement by the time of the revolution.

When I think of all my ancestors saw and lived through it explains so much about who I am.  They were here and not only witnessed the birth of our nation, but they were part of it.  They fought for it.  They read the pamphlets of the day first hand.  They were there to vote for our first representatives and president.  They read the Federalist papers and were there when the Constitution was ratified.

As we celebrate this Independence Day, we have allowed our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to be diminished.  Our system of checks and balances is dangerously skewed by an impotent Legislative branch, and arrogant Executive branch and an activist Judicial branch.  Our Bill of Rights only exist to the point that it is politically correct.  Our God, who was repeatedly consulted through the founders' prayers and study of the Bible, has been shut out as our government has become increasingly corrupted.  It is sad to see all that was accomplished being destroyed.  We are seeing a repeat of many of the 27 charges against the crown that gave rise to the Revolution.  It appears as though we are coming full circle.

We have choices.  We can continue to stay on this current path and watch our Republic wither and die, be "fundamentally transformed" or we can remember who we are and stand up and fight for its rebirth.  I choose to fight.  I choose to participate in my country's restoration.  I choose to be like my ancestors and work, explore, learn, vote and do whatever is necessary to protect our precious freedom and the unalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator.

As a daughter of the American Revolution, I repeat the pledge made when the 56 patriots committed treason to the crown and signed the Declaration of Independence: 

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."