“I believe in looking bad matters squarely in the face, and, judging from what has been seen, your plight is likely to continue as it has been until Butler’s gang makes a direct assault. You should have more of a force here.” “Very true, Master Bartlett,” I replied, with a laugh, in which was no mirth, “and mayhap you will be able to tell us how our numbers can be increased? There are not enough men, counting the cripples, in all the valley to defend the blockhouses which are scattered from here to Wilkesbarre, therefore how may we expect that any will come to us?” “It would be wiser for them to abandon some of the stockades lower down, in order to hold this one, where the heaviest fighting will come, and it may be that those to whom Elias Shendle speaks will understand such to be the case.” “I am not minded to build my hopes on getting reinforcements,” I replied, and then, because the subject was not heartening, I begged the old man to tell us what had been done by our people. He made a long story out of little, and yet in that little was considerable meat. In the first place, the people at Wilkesbarre had information that General Schuyler had written a letter to the Congress, detailing the situation and forecasting the probabilities, urging that such recruits in the American army as came from Wyoming be allowed to return on furlough, in order to defend their homes, but thus far no attention had been paid to the communication. The women of the valley, knowing well all the needs, and how put to it we were for ammunition, had taken it upon themselves not only to plant the gardens and till the farms, but to make gunpowder for the several garrisons. They had taken up the floors of their houses, dug out the earth, and put in casks in order to make saltpetre. Then mixing charcoal and sulphur with it, and grinding the whole in a small mill which Master Hollenback had brought, made such powder as we could use; but it fouled the guns so badly that not above a dozen charges might be fired without cleaning the weapons. Word was also received that John Butler had gathered two companies of Tory rangers, a detachment of Johnson’s Royal Greens, and from five to six hundred Indians, who were advancing from Niagara, intending to overrun the valley. The men already at Wintermoot’s were probably the advance of this large army. To oppose this force, Giles and I knew full well that, taking every man in the valley who could fire a musket, we would not be able to raise more than two hundred at the most. It was a situation of affairs such as might daunt even the bravest spirits, and we Minute Boys, ignorant of all the rules of warfare, a mere handful, as compared with the Indians which already surrounded us, were expected to hold in check the Tories and savages which Butler was leading against us.