George Rodgers Clark

Capt. George Rogers Clark saved the settlers in Kentucky from massacre by the Indians and was the hero of the conquest of the Northwest Territory, now represented by Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Military expeditions. - He led his small force of less than 200 men against the French outposts of southern Illinois. With their capture he turned his attention to the British garrison at Fort Sacksville on the Wabash River at Vincennes, Ind. In the capture of this fort Captain Clark and his sturdy band accomplished one of the most difficult marches in military history. Crossing the "drowned lands" of southern Illinois in the month of February, 1779, they carried on through water oftentimes above their waists, without provisions or supplies other than that carried upon their backs. Through a wilderness untraveled and unknown by white men, this small band of backwoodsmen took the British by surprise, demanded and received the unconditional surrender of the garrison. By this remarkable exploit America was forever rid of foreign domination, and title to this region was given to the United States. His monument. - Capt. George Rogers Clark was among the greatest of the forefathers of the mid-West. By the inspiration of his spirit, fortitude, and courage, this handful of men acquired possession of this inland empire of America. By acts of heroism, serving without pay, and assuming the debts contracted in this campaign, Captain Clark magnified his devotion to his country. The memorial to his self-sacrificing service is not to be found in tablets or statues of bronze, but rather in the great Commonwealths that now comprise this territory - the heart of America.