5. The Shawnee captured Boone and his men in 1778
Thirty men accompanied Daniel Boone to the salt licks in January. The following month Boone was hunting to feed the men when he was captured by Shawnee warriors and taken to Chief Blackfish. Surprised to discover such a large war party south of the Ohio in the dead of winter, Boone convinced Blackfish that he could induce his men to surrender without a fight. Boone’s party surrendered to the Indians on February 8. Blackfish considered continuing to Boonesborough to capture the women and children there, valuable as hostages. Boone managed to convince the Shawnee Chief that the women in Boonesborough were in no condition to make the long journey to Detroit, and promised to return with the Indians in the spring to convince them to surrender.
Boone and his men were carried to Chillicothe, a village north of the Ohio, where they were tortured by running the gauntlet. Those few, Boone among them, who impressed the Shawnee with their bravery were adopted into the tribe. The rest, under guard, were sent to Hamilton in Detroit. Boone was given the name Sheltowee (Big Turtle) and over the winter gained the trust of the Shawnee. He spent a portion of the winter repairing the muskets provided by the Shawnee by the British. In the spring he joined in some hunting parties. In June, 1778, Boone escaped, stealing a horse and covering the 160 miles to Boonesborough in five days. When he arrived at the fort he discovered his family, convinced he was dead, had returned to North Carolina.