9. Boone was court-martialed after the siege
Richard Callaway charged Daniel Boone with several acts which endangered the settlement which bore his name. He was accused of cowardice for surrendering the salt party; treason for agreeing to surrender Boonesborough; and exposing his senior officers to ambush during the ill-fated parley at the beginning of the siege. Boone was acquitted of all charges and promoted to major of the Virginia militia, but he was outraged at the damage to his reputation. He left Boonesborough, returned to North Carolina, and was reunited with his family. He then brought them back to Kentucky, settling at Boone’s Station.
Boone and his family, with several other families, arrived at the site of the new settlement in December, 1779. The ground was snow-covered, and half-shelters were erected after the snow was scraped from the ground. The winter of 1779-80 was the worst of the Revolutionary War in terms of temperature and precipitation. Not until after the spring thaws could cabins be erected and their log walls chinked to keep out the wind and weather. The choice to endure the bitter winter in poorly built huts rather than the relative comfort of Boonesborough was an indication of Boone’s bitterness over his court-martial. He remained at Boone’s Station until 1782, with most of his family around him.