Excerpt from Biographical Sketches of General Nathaniel Massie, General Duncan McArthur, Captain William Wells, and General Simon Kenton: Who Were Early Settlers in the Western Country There are certain epochs in the history of every country which indissolubly fix themselves in the memory of its inhabitants, from generation to generation. The war for independence, and the first settling of the western country being simultaneous, these were the starting points, from which we date our national existence. The brilliant achievements performed by our forefathers to effect these memorable objects appear to have formed the critical mu, on which long hung, in doubtful suspense, the destiny of these United States. It will be admitted by all, that the old Indian war was a continuation of the war of the Revolution. And, as Thomas Paine eloquently said in his Crisis, these are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of his country - but he that stands it out now de serves the love and thanks of man and woman. In many scenes of the grand drama, were tragedies performed which, for boldness and sublimity of execution, throw romance into shade. The names and characters of some of the actors have found a place in the history of the country - but of many, very many, who in that crisis performed brilliant exploits, the names and memories are lost forever; whilst the names of others are only remembered in lingering, changeful, traditionary legends. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.