The Indian: On the Battle-Field and in the WigwamFrost, John
History
The Indian: On the Battle-Field and in the Wigwam
Frost, John
Indians of North America
About the first of August I set out with nineteen men, to surprise Point
Creek Town, on Sciota, within four miles of which we fell in with forty
Indians, going against Boonesborough. We attacked them and they soon
gave way without any loss on our part. The enemy had one killed and two
wounded. We took three horses and all their baggage. The Indians having
evacuated their town, and gone altogether against Boonesborough,
we returned, passed them on the 6th, and on the 7th arrived safe at
Boonesborough.
On the 9th the Indian army, consisting of four hundred and forty-four
men, under the command of Captain Duquesne, and eleven other Frenchmen
and their own chiefs, arrived and summoned the fort to surrender. I
requested two days’ consideration, which was granted. During this we
brought in through the posterns all the horses and other cattle we could
collect.
On the 9th, in the evening, I informed their commander that we were
determined to defend the fort while a man was living. They then proposed
a treaty, they would withdraw. The treaty was held within sixty yards of
the fort, as we suspected the savages. The articles were agreed to and
signed; when the Indians told us it was their-custom for two Indians
to shake hands with every white man in the treaty, as an evidence of
friendship. We agreed to this also. They immediately grappled us to take
us prisoners, but we cleared ourselves of them, though surrounded by
hundreds, and gained the fort safe, except one man, who was wounded by a
heavy fire from the enemy.
[Illustration: 0282]
The savages now began to undermine the fort, beginning at the water
mark of the Kentucky river, which is sixty yards from the fort; this we
discovered by the water being muddy by the clay. We countermined them
by cutting a trench across their subterraneous passage. The enemy
discovering this by the clay we threw out of the fort, desisted. On
the 20th of August, they raised the siege, during which we had two
men killed and four wounded. We lost a number of cattle. The enemy had
thirty-seven killed, and a much larger number wounded. We picked up one
hundred and twenty-five pounds of their bullets, besides what stuck in
the logs of the fort.
In July, 1779, during my absence, Colonel Bowman, with one hundred and
sixty men, went against the Shawanese of Old Chilicothe. He arrived
undiscovered. A battle ensued which lasted until ten in the morning,
when Colonel Bowman retreated thirty miles. The Indians collected all
their strength and pursued him, when another engagement ensued for two
hours, not to Colonel Bowman’s advantage. Colonel Harrod proposed to
mount a number of horses, and break the enemy’s line, who at this time
fought with remarkable fury. This desperate measure had a happy effect,
and the savages fled on all sides. In these two engagements we had nine
men killed and one wounded. The enemy’s loss uncertain. Only two scalps
were taken.
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