Simon Kenton demonstrated stunning endurance and fortitude during his escape from the British

When the Revolutionary War landed in Kentucky and Ohio, the frontiersman Simon Kenton was already well-known. Kenton was well-known to the Shawnee of the Ohio Valley and was a close friend of Daniel Boone as well as one of the first settlers in Kentucky. Kenton was taken captive by the Indians in 1778 after several years of conflict between the Shawnee and the White settlers of Kentucky. The Shawnee made the decision to provide Kenton the same "honors" they bestowed upon their worst foes. These included many types of torture, such as the gantlet.

The gantlet was made up of two rows of Native Americans, some of them women, who were equipped with clubs, poles, and leather straps. Kenton was made to run between them, taking the beatings without being able to fight back. Before the Shawnee believed he had earned enough respect, they marched him to Detroit where their British allies paid a ransom for the prisoner. He reportedly raced the gantlet up to nine times. In the winter of 1778–1779, Kenton walked the distance to the British outpost.

He managed to escape from his captors in July of that year. Since Kenton had to travel more than 400 miles across hazardous territory inhabited by the Shawnee and many other tribes before reaching home, the British opted against pursuing him. The British believed they would soon either see Kenton or his head. They were mistaken. Simon evaded the avidly pursuing Indians for nearly 30 days as he traveled from Detroit to the Falls of the Ohio (modern-day Louisville). After engaging in too many adventures to mention, Kenton rose to fame as a legendary frontiersman in American history.

Born: April 3, 1755 Prince William County, Virginia
Died; April 29, 1836 (aged 81)New Jerusalem, Logan County, Ohio