James Smith (frontiersman)
Encyclopedia
James Smith was a frontiersman, farmer and soldier in British North America
. In 1765, he led the "Black Boys
", a group of Pennsylvania men, in a nine-month rebellion against British rule, ten years before the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War
. He participated in the war as a colonel of the Pennsylvania militia and was a legislator in the Kentucky General Assembly
. Smith was also an author, publishing his analysis of Native American
ways of fighting in Narrative in 1799.
. He had little formal education, but could read and write.
In May 1755, he was helping build the westward road for General Edward Braddock
's ill-fated expedition against the French
when he was taken captive by Delaware Indians
. Smith was brought to Fort Duquesne
at the Forks of the Ohio River, where he was forced to run a gauntlet before being given over to the French. He was eventually adopted by a Mohawk family, ritually cleansed, and made to practice tribal ways -- ultimately gaining respect for Indian culture before escaping near Montreal
in 1759. He returned to the Conococheague Valley
in Pennsylvania and took up farming, marrying Anne Wilson in May 1763.
During Pontiac's War, he fought in the 1763 Battle of Bushy Run
and accompanied British officer Henry Bouquet
's 1764 expedition into the Ohio Country
. When the unrest subsided, however, the British allowed trading with the Native Americans to resume, arousing the anger of the colonists.
" (so called because they blackened their faces while engaged in their unauthorized activities) in protecting settlers in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio from Native American attacks. On March 6, 1765, they stopped a pack train and burned illegal goods, including rum and gunpowder, that British official George Croghan
was trying to trade to the Native Americans. The British authorities, however, sided with Croghan.
This led to the Black Boys Rebellion or Smith's Rebellion, armed resistance to British rule in North America. The rebels laid siege to Fort Loudoun
. They captured enough soldiers to exchange
them two-for-one for settlers imprisoned, rightly or wrongly, for raids on wagon trains. The rebellion died down after the Black Boys succeeded in forcing the British 42nd Highland Regiment
to abandon the fort in November. The Black Boys also captured Fort Bedford
, the first fort taken from the British by the colonials.
Smith left to explore Kentucky the following year.
at the 1776 Constitutional Convention
.
After his wife died in 1778, Smith moved to Westmoreland County. In 1785, he married Margaret Irwin. By the late 1780s, he and his family were living in Bourbon County, Kentucky
. He served as a member of the Kentucky General Assembly
for a number of years. In 1799, he published his Narrative, an analysis of how the Native Americans fought.
Smith became a Presbyterian
missionary to the Native Americans, aided by the knowledge he had acquired of their customs in his early captivity. His son became a Shaker
, but he himself, after living with his son and among the Shakers for a few months, concluded they were a cult and denounced them in a pamphlet entitled Remarkable Occurrences Lately Discovered Among The People Called Shakers, printed in 1810.
He died in either 1812 or 1814.
in the 1939 movie Allegheny Uprising
, which was based on the book. A segment in the 2006 PBS miniseries The War that Made America
shows a reenactment of Smith running the Native American gauntlet following his capture in 1755.
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
. In 1765, he led the "Black Boys
Black Boys
The Black Boys, also known as the Brave Fellows and the Loyal Volunteers, were members of a white settler movement in the Conococheague Valley of colonial Pennsylvania sometimes known as the Black Boys Rebellion...
", a group of Pennsylvania men, in a nine-month rebellion against British rule, ten years before the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He participated in the war as a colonel of the Pennsylvania militia and was a legislator in the Kentucky General Assembly
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
. Smith was also an author, publishing his analysis of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
ways of fighting in Narrative in 1799.
Early life and capture
Smith was born in what is now Franklin County, PennsylvaniaFranklin County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
. He had little formal education, but could read and write.
In May 1755, he was helping build the westward road for General Edward Braddock
Edward Braddock
General Edward Braddock was a British soldier and commander-in-chief for the 13 colonies during the actions at the start of the French and Indian War...
's ill-fated expedition against the French
Braddock expedition
The Braddock expedition, also called Braddock's campaign or, more commonly, Braddock's Defeat, was a failed British military expedition which attempted to capture the French Fort Duquesne in the summer of 1755 during the French and Indian War. It was defeated at the Battle of the Monongahela on...
when he was taken captive by Delaware Indians
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
. Smith was brought to Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....
at the Forks of the Ohio River, where he was forced to run a gauntlet before being given over to the French. He was eventually adopted by a Mohawk family, ritually cleansed, and made to practice tribal ways -- ultimately gaining respect for Indian culture before escaping near Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1759. He returned to the Conococheague Valley
Conococheague Creek
Conococheague Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is a free-flowing stream that originates in Pennsylvania and empties into the Potomac River near Williamsport, Maryland. It is in length, with in Pennsylvania and in Maryland...
in Pennsylvania and took up farming, marrying Anne Wilson in May 1763.
During Pontiac's War, he fought in the 1763 Battle of Bushy Run
Battle of Bushy Run
The Battle of Bushy Run was fought on August 5-6, 1763, in western Pennsylvania, between a British column under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet and a combined force of Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron warriors. This action occurred during Pontiac's Rebellion...
and accompanied British officer Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet was a prominent British Army officer in the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. Bouquet is best known for his victory over Native Americans at the Battle of Bushy Run, lifting the siege of Fort Pitt during Pontiac's War.-Early life:Bouquet was born into a moderately wealthy...
's 1764 expedition into the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
. When the unrest subsided, however, the British allowed trading with the Native Americans to resume, arousing the anger of the colonists.
Black Boys Rebellion
In the 1760s, Smith led an unofficial band called the "Black BoysBlack Boys
The Black Boys, also known as the Brave Fellows and the Loyal Volunteers, were members of a white settler movement in the Conococheague Valley of colonial Pennsylvania sometimes known as the Black Boys Rebellion...
" (so called because they blackened their faces while engaged in their unauthorized activities) in protecting settlers in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio from Native American attacks. On March 6, 1765, they stopped a pack train and burned illegal goods, including rum and gunpowder, that British official George Croghan
George Croghan
George Croghan was an Irish-born Pennsylvania fur trader, Onondaga Council sachem, land speculator, British Indian agent in colonial America and, until accused of treason in 1777, Pittsburgh's president judge and Committee of Safety Chairman keeping the Ohio Indians neutral...
was trying to trade to the Native Americans. The British authorities, however, sided with Croghan.
This led to the Black Boys Rebellion or Smith's Rebellion, armed resistance to British rule in North America. The rebels laid siege to Fort Loudoun
Fort Loudoun (Pennsylvania)
Fort Loudoun was a fort in colonial Pennsylvania, one of several forts in colonial America named after John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun...
. They captured enough soldiers to exchange
Prisoner exchange
A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners. These may be prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc...
them two-for-one for settlers imprisoned, rightly or wrongly, for raids on wagon trains. The rebellion died down after the Black Boys succeeded in forcing the British 42nd Highland Regiment
42nd Regiment of Foot
The 42nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally the 43rd Highlanders they were renumbered the 42nd in 1748.- Early history :...
to abandon the fort in November. The Black Boys also captured Fort Bedford
Fort Bedford
Fort Bedford was a French and Indian War-era British military fortification located at the present site of Bedford, Pennsylvania. The fort was a star-shaped log fortress erected in the summer of 1758.-Background:...
, the first fort taken from the British by the colonials.
Smith left to explore Kentucky the following year.
American Revolutionary War and later life
When the American War of Independence broke out, he joined the Pennsylvania militia and was made a colonel in 1777. He also represented Westmoreland County, PennsylvaniaWestmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
at the 1776 Constitutional Convention
Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776
The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 was the state's first constitution following the Declaration of Independence, and has been described as the most democratic in America. It was drafted by Robert Whitehill, Timothy Matlack, Dr. Thomas Young, George Bryan, James Cannon, and Benjamin Franklin...
.
After his wife died in 1778, Smith moved to Westmoreland County. In 1785, he married Margaret Irwin. By the late 1780s, he and his family were living in Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the remnant of what was previously a much larger Bourbon County, established as part of Virginia in 1785, and comprising what are now thirty-four modern Kentucky counties...
. He served as a member of the Kentucky General Assembly
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
for a number of years. In 1799, he published his Narrative, an analysis of how the Native Americans fought.
Smith became a Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
missionary to the Native Americans, aided by the knowledge he had acquired of their customs in his early captivity. His son became a Shaker
Shakers
The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
, but he himself, after living with his son and among the Shakers for a few months, concluded they were a cult and denounced them in a pamphlet entitled Remarkable Occurrences Lately Discovered Among The People Called Shakers, printed in 1810.
He died in either 1812 or 1814.
Book, film and television
James Smith was the subject of the 1937 book The First Rebel by Neil F. Swanson. He was portrayed by John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
in the 1939 movie Allegheny Uprising
Allegheny Uprising
Allegheny Uprising is a 1939 film produced by RKO Pictures, starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne as pioneers of early American expansion in south central Pennsylvania. Clad in buckskin and a coonskin cap , Wayne plays real-life James Smith, an American coping with British rule in colonial America...
, which was based on the book. A segment in the 2006 PBS miniseries The War that Made America
The War that Made America
The War that Made America is a PBS miniseries about the French and Indian War, which was first aired in January 2006. The series features extensive reenactments of historical events, with on-screen narration provided by Canadian actor Graham Greene...
shows a reenactment of Smith running the Native American gauntlet following his capture in 1755.