Native Fighting
From 1809 through 1818 fighting Native Americans was almost an everyday occurrence with the few settlers in south central Indiana. In 1811, Ketcham moved to Fort Vallonia.
Ketcham's fort was built on Ketcham's land and lay between Huff's fort and the Fort Vallonia in what is now Jackson County making it of vital importance for settlers for security and safety prior to and after the Treaty of Grouseland. Most of the fighting between settlers and Indians took place from 1812-1813. In his own words:
"In June 1813 I enlisted in the United States service as a mounted ranger. In my first month's service I killed and scalped an Indian, was very proud of it, got leave to go home and show it to Daddy and Mama. I guess they thought I had done about right. I continued in the rangers two whole years, saw some hard times, was eighty days from my family on one campaign, and lived seventeen days on seven days rations." --John Ketcham
Read more about this topic: John Ketcham (Indiana)
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