They brought back word that, though some of the adventurous young men often joined either the British or the Indian war parties, yet that the bulk of the French population took but little interest in the struggle, were lukewarm in their allegiance to the British flag, and were somewhat awed by what they had heard of the backwoodsmen.

[Footnote: The correctness of this account is amply confirmed by the Haldimand MSS., letters of Hamilton, _passim_; also Rocheblave to Carleton, July 4, 1778; and to Hamilton, April 12, 1778.] Clark judged from this report that it would not be difficult to keep the French neutral if a bold policy, strong as well as conciliatory, was pursued towards them; and that but a small force would be needed to enable a resolute and capable leader to conquer at least the southern part of the country.

It was impossible to raise such a body among the scantily garrisoned forted villages of Kentucky.
The pioneers, though warlike and fond of fighting, were primarily settlers; their soldiering came in as a purely secondary occupation.
They were not a band of mere adventurers, living by the sword and bent on nothing but conquest.

They were a group of hard-working, hard-fighting freemen, who had come in with their wives and children to possess the land.

They were obliged to use all their wit and courage to defend what they had already won without wasting their strength by grasping at that which lay beyond.