As numbers grew larger,
dangers became less.
By this time Robertson had become well known through the successful
planting of his two settlements, and for the wisdom and bravery with which
he managed them. As a reward for his valuable services, Washington later
on (1790) made him a general in the army. In 1814 he died.
He is the kind of man we like to think of as a pioneer in the making of
our history. Sturdy and self-reliant, strong and fearless, he cheerfully
faced the unending struggle with the hard conditions of those early days.
Though his life was narrow, it cut deep in its loyalty to friends and
country.
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. What can you tell of Robertson's boyhood?
2. Imagine yourself as one of a group of travellers on the way to Kentucky
or Tennessee, and tell all you can about the journey.
3. Tell all you can about the food, clothing, shelter, and other
conditions of life in these backwoods settlements.
4. What sort of training did the pioneer boy receive in school and at
home?
5. Why did Robertson plant a settlement at the place where Nashville now
stands?
6. How did he save this settlement from the Indians? What do you admire
about him?
7.
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