William Whitley
William Whitley (August 4, 1749 – October 5, 1813), was an American pioneer born in what was then Augusta County, Virginia, and the son of Solomon and Elizabeth Whitley. He was important to the early settlement of Kentucky and fought in both the Indian wars and the War of 1812.
In early 1775, he married Esther Fullen, and by the spring he set out on an expedition with his brother-in-law, George Clark, to explore what is now Kentucky. They chose a spot for a settlement near the Cedar Creek branch of the Dix River and returned to Virginia to bring back settlers to establish a community. Returning in November of that year with his family and supplies, he planted 10 acres (40,000 m2) of corn and began to settle the area, but quickly moved to the newly built fort several miles away at St. Asaph's Creek, also known as Logan's Fort (now Stanford, Kentucky). Finding this fort unsuitable for protection against attack (a complete stockade having not yet been erected), he and his family, along with Benjamin Logan and his family, further removed to the protection of Fort Harrod near present-day Harrodsburg, KY. It was during this time that Whitley saw the mutilated body of William Ray. Whitley would remark many years later when he dictated his memoirs to his son-in-law, Phillip Soublett, that Ray's body was the first time he had ever seen a man scalped. This mutilation remained indelibly etched into Whitley's perception of Indian brutality for the remainder of his life. As is the case with much of guerilla warfare throughout history, escalation of atrocities on both sides ensued. Whitley would scalp many natives during his career as a militia leader and frontiersman.
By the 1790s, as the settlement at St. Asaph's began to expand into the town of Stanford, William Whitley and his family built a large brick house outside town, near what would later become Crab Orchard, Kentucky. The estate was named Sportsman's Hill. It was the first brick house built in Kentucky and still stands, preserved as the "William Whitley House" State Historic Site. The house includes a secret passage for escape and survival during raids by Native Americans, and originally included a racetrack. This racetrack set several traditions for horse racing in the United States. It had the first clay (instead of turf) track in the United States and raced horses counterclockwise (instead of clockwise, as was the British tradition).
In 1792, Isaac Shelby, the first governor of the new Commonwealth of Kentucky, commissioned Whitley as a major in the Kentucky Militia (6th Regiment). He was promoted to lieutenant colonel the next year. In 1794, he led 200 militiamen to destroy the village of the Chickamauga tribe.
In 1797, he was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly and served one term. He also served as a commissioner of the Kentucky River Company in 1801. In 1813, at the age of 61, he volunteered in the Kentucky Mounted Infantry as part of the War of 1812. In the Battle of the Thames, on October 5, 1813, he led the "Forlorn Hope" charge against Tecumseh's forces. Both Tecumseh and William Whitley were killed in the battle. There is much evidence from primary accounts that Whitley, and not Richard Johnson, was likely the person who slew Tecumseh. He was buried near the battleground, in Chatham, Ontario. His horse, Emperor, who had one eye and two teeth shot out during the charge, his powder horn, strap, and rifle were returned to his wife in Kentucky. The rifle is currently on display at the William Whitley House State Historic Site.
He left behind three sons and eight daughters. In 1818, Whitley County, Kentucky, and its county seat, Williamsburg, were named for him. In 1838, Whitley County, Indiana, was named after him. In addition, the census-designated place Whitley City, Kentucky, is named after Whitley. The Andromeda-class attack cargo ship USS Whitley was named in honor of the counties in Kentucky and Indiana which were named in honor of Col. Whitley himself. Whitley was also the grandfather of William L. Sublette, co-owner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company with Jedediah Smith and David Edward Jackson and member of the original fur-trapping contingent Ashley's Hundred.
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[edit] Theatrical Portrayal
Since 2006, Whitley has been theatrically portrayed by Matt Bryant of Mount Vernon, KY at the William Whitley House State Historic Park and elsewhere. Bryant also played the role of Whitley in the theatrical documentary William Whitley: Guardian of the Kentucky Road which was produced by That's Just Muggs Productions.
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[edit] Books
- Allen, William B. (1872). A History of Kentucky: Embracing Gleanings, Reminiscences, Antiquities, Natural Curiosities, Statistics, and Biographical Sketches of Pioneers, Soldiers, Jurists, Lawyers, Statesmen, Divines, Mechanics, Farmers, Merchants, and Other Leading Men, of All Occupations and Pursuits. Bradley & Gilbert. pp. 47–50. http://books.google.com/books?id=s_wTAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- Kleber, John J. et al. (1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
