Captain Spier Spencer (c. 1770 – November 7, 1811) was an

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

militia officer who commanded a company of mounted riflemen known as the Yellow Jackets at the

Battle of Tippecanoe The Battle of Tippecanoe ( ) was fought on November 7, 1811, in Battle Ground, Indiana, between United States Armed Forces, American forces led by then Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and tribal forces associated with Sh ...

Spencer County, Indiana Spencer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,810. The county seat is Rockport. Despite not being in the Owensboro Metropolitan Area, the entire riverfront of the city of Owen ...

and Spencer County, Kentucky are named in his honor.

Biography

A native of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, Spencer moved to Kentucky with his parents. He married Elizabeth Polk, daughter of the noted Indian fighter Capt. Charles Polk, in Bardstown,

Nelson County, Kentucky Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Bardstown. Nelson County comprises the Bardstown, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also include ...

on January 18, 1793. Spencer and his wife moved to

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in, and the county seat of, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. It was founded in 1732 by F ...

. In 1809 Spencer was appointed by Governor

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

as the first sheriff of

Harrison County, Indiana Harrison County is located in the far southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana along the Ohio River. The County (United States), county was officially established in 1808. Its population was 39,654 as of the 2020 United States census. Its cou ...

. He moved his family to Corydon and served in that office until his death. Spencer and his wife ran "The Green Leaf Tavern," in their large log home on Oak Street. Governor William Henry Harrison and Lieutenant Governor Ratliff Boon stayed there when they came on official business, as did delegates to the 1816 Indiana Constitution Convention. When tensions grew high between the settlers and the Native Americans, Spencer organized the Harrison County Militia known as the "Yellow Jackets" because of the color of their uniforms, for a campaign against them. The Battle of Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811, ended with Captain Spencer being seriously wounded during the battle. He was shot in the head and both thighs. When he was being carried off the field he was killed instantly by another shot. Spencer's horse and sword were brought back from the battle and were returned to his widow. The following account of the battle of Tippecanoe is taken from the official dispatch sent by General Harrison to the secretary of war, on the 18th of November, eleven days after the battle: "...Spencer was wounded in the head. He exhorted his men to fight valiantly. He was shot through both thighs and fell; still continuing to encourage them, he was raised up, and received a ball through his body, which put an immediate end to his existence..." Captain Spencer's bravery and the heroics of his men were lauded by General Harrison. He is the namesake of counties in

and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

as well as the town of

Spencer, Indiana Spencer is a town in Washington Township, Owen County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,217 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Owen County. Spencer is part of the Bloomington, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical A ...

, the seat of Owen County. Spencer's widow continued operating The Green Leaf Tavern. When she married William Boone, she changed the name to the "Billy Boone Tavern". However, the marriage was short lived and she divorced Boone in 1829.

References

External links

* 1811 deaths American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 Military personnel from Kentucky People from Corydon, Indiana Year of birth uncertain People from colonial Virginia 18th-century births Indiana sheriffs {{LouisvilleMSA-stub