17. The Indians remained in a single group as they withdrew to the north
None of the militia officers present at Bryan’s Station voiced much opposition to immediate pursuit, and about 200 men set off after Girty. Shortly after they started out, Boone noticed several strange signs. The Indians had not dispersed, they were traveling in a single large group. Several attempted to conceal their numbers by walking in the footprints of those who preceded them. Boone reasoned that the Indians were deliberately leading the militia into a trap. His warning was debated by his fellow officers, and disregarded. Moving in such a stealthy manner slowed the Indians’ march, and the militia closed on them quickly.
On August 19, 1782, the militia reached Blue Licks, a salt gathering site on the Licking River about fifty miles northeast of Lexington. It was not far from the site where Daniel Boone had been captured five years earlier. Indians were spotted on a hilltop near a ford across the river. Boone knew the area well from his many earlier visits and hunts conducted over the landscape. During an officer’s conference, he warned that the land on the opposite side of the hill on which the Indians were spotted was deeply creviced with several ravines, a perfect spot for an ambush. Boone recommended they wait for Logan to arrive with his larger force. Colonel Todd agreed. But militia discipline differed from regular Army, and Boone and Todd were called cowards by another officer.