There was a dangerous scarcity of
powder and lead. The nearest points at which these necessaries
could be procured were the Watauga and Holston River settlements,
which were themselves none too well stocked. Harrod and Logan,
some time in 1777, reached the Watauga fort with three or four
packhorses and filled their packs from Sevier's store; but, as
they neared home, they were detected by red scouts and Logan was
badly wounded before he and Harrod were able to drive their
precious load safely through the gates at Harrodsburg. In the
autumn of 1777, Clark, with a boatload of ammunition, reached
Maysville on the Ohio, having successfully run the gauntlet
between banks in possession of the foe. He had wrested the powder
and lead from the Virginia Council by threats to the effect that
if Virginia was so willing to lose Kentucky--for of course "a
country not worth defending is not worth claiming"--he and his
fellows were quite ready to take Kentucky for themselves and to
hold it with their swords against all comers, Virginia included.
By even such cogent reasoning had he convinced the Council--which
had tried to hedge by expressing doubts that Virginia would
receive the Kentucky settlers as "citizens of the State"--that it
would be cheaper to give him the powder.
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