dreadful flaughter amongst them with their spears and hatchets. Notwithstanding their want of conduct, the militia fhewed no want of courage in their deplorable fituation. In the midft of fuch extreme danger, and fo bloody an execution, rendered ftill more terrible by the horrid appearance and demeanour of the principal actors, they recollected themfelves fo far as to recover an advantageous ground, which enabled them after to maintain a fort of running fight, by which about one third of their number was preferved.

-It was

The lofs was fuppofed to be on their fide about 400 killed, and half that number prifoners. thought of the greater confequence, as almost all those who were confidered as the principal leaders and inftigaters of rebellion in that country were now deftroyed. The triumph and exultation were accordingly great, and all oppofition from the militia in that country was fuppofed to be at an end. The circumftance of old neighbourhood and perfonal knowledge between many of the parties in the prefent rage and animofity of faction, could by no mean, be favourabie to the extenfion of mercy; even fuppofing that it might have been otherwife practifed with prudence and fafety, at a time when the power of the Indians was rather prevalent, and that their rage was implacable. For according to their computation and ideas of lofs, the favages had purchafed this victory exceedingly dear, 33 of their number having been flain, and 29 wounded, among whom were feveral of their principal leaders, and of their distinguished and favourite warriors. This lofs accordingly rendered them fo difcontented, intractable, and ferocious, that the fervice was greatly affected by their ill difpofition. The unhappy prifoners were however its first objects; most of whom Tt they

they inhumanly butchered in cold blood. The New Yorkers, rangers, and other troops, were not with. out lofs in this action.

On the day, and probably during the time of this engagement, the garrifon, having recived intelligence of the approach of their friends, endeavoured to make a diverfion in their favour, by a vigourous and well-conducted fally, under the direction of Colonel Willet, their fecond in command. Willet conducted

his business with ability and fpirit. He did confidera, ble mischief in the camp, brought off fome trophies: no inconfiderable fpoil, fome of which confifted of articles that were greatly wanted, a few prifoners, and returned with little or no lofs. He afterwards under. took, in company with another officer, a much more perilous expedition. They paffed by night through the befiegers works, and in contempt of the danger and cruelty of the favages, made their way for 50 miles through pathlefs woods, and unexplored moraffes, in order to raise the country and bring relief to the fort. Such an action demands the praife even

of an enemy.

Colonel St. Leger left no means untried to profit of his victory by intimidating the garrifon. He fent verbal and written meffages, ftating their hopeless fituation, the utter deftruction of their friends, the impoflibility of their obtaining relief, as General Burgoyne, after deftroying every thing in his way, was-now at Albany receiving the fubmiffion of all the adjoining counties, and by prodigioufly magnifying his own force. He reprefented, that in this flate of things, if through an incorrigible obftinacy, they fhould continue a hopeless and fruitk fs defence, they would, according to the practice of the moft civilized.

nations,

nations, be cut off from all conditions, and every hope of mercy. But he particularly dwelt upon the pains he had taken in foftening the rage of the Indians for their late lofs, and obtaining from them fecurity, that in cafe of an immediate furrender of the fort, every man of the garrifon fhould be fpared; whilft on the other hand they declared with the most bitter execratious, that if they met with any further refiftance, they would not only maffacre the garrifon, but that every man, woman, and child, in the Mohawk country would neceffarily, and however against his will, fall facrifices to the fury of the favages. This point he faid he preffed entirely on the fcore of humanity; he promised on his part, in cafe of an immediate furrender, every attention which a humane and generous enemy could give."

The Governor, Colonel Canfevort, behaved with great firmnefs. He replied, that he had been entrusted with the charge of that garrifon by the United States of America; that he would defend the truft committed to his care at every hazard, and to the utmost extremity; and that he neither thought himfelf accountable for, nor fhould he at all concern himself about any confequences that attended the dif charge of his duty. It was fhrewdly remarked in the fort, that half the pains would not have been taken to difplay the force immediately without, or the fuccefs at a distance, if they bore any proportion at all to the magnitude in which they were reprefented.

The British commander was much difappointed in the state of the fort. It was ftronger, in better con dition, and much better defended than he expected.-After great labour in his approaches, he found his ar tillery deficient, being infufficient in weight to make

any

any confiderable impreffion. The only remedy was to bring his approaches fo near that they must take effect; which he fet about with the greatest diligence. In the mean time, the Indians continued fullen and intractable. Their late loffes might have been cured by certain advantages; but the misfortune was, they had yet got no plunder, and their profpect of getting any feemed to grow every day fainter. It is the pe culiar characteristic of that people, to exhibit in cer tain inftances degrees of courage and perfeverence, which shock reafon and credibility, and to betray in others the greatest irrefolution and timidity; with a total want of that conftancy which might enable them for any length of time to ftruggle with difficulty.

Whit the commander was carrying on his opera, tions with the utmost industry, the Indians received a flying report that Arnold was coming with a thousand men to relieve the fort. The commander endeavoured to hearten them, by promifing to lead them him, self, to bring all his best troops into action, and by car. rying their leaders out to mark a field of battle, and the flattery of confulting them upon the intended plan of operation. Whilft he was thus endeavouring to foothe their temper, and to revive their flagging fpirits, other scouts arrived with intelligence, probably contrived in part by themselves, which firft doubled, and afterwards trebled the number of the enemy, with the comfortable addition, that Burgoyne's army was entirely cut to pieces. The Colonel returned to the camp, and called a council of their chiefs, hoping that by the influence which Sir John Johnson, and the fuperintendants Claus and Butler had over them, they might fill be induced to make a ftand. He was dif appointed. A part of the Indians decamped whilft

the

the council was fitting, and the remainder threatened peremptorily to abandon him, if he did not immedi ately retreat.

August 22d. The retreat was of course precipitate; or it was rather, in plain terms, a flight, attend. ed with difagreeable circumftances. The tents, with, most of the artillery, ftores, tell into the hands of the garrifon. It appears by the Colonel's own account. that he was apprehenfive of danger from the fury of his favage allies, as he could from the refentment of his declared American enemies. It also appears from the fame authority, that the Meffafages, a nation of favages to the weft, plundered feveral of the boats be-. longing to the army. By the American accounts, which are in part confirmed by others, it is faid that they robbed the officers of their baggage, and of eve ry other article to which they took any liking; and the army in general of their provifions. They alfo fay, that at a few miles diftance from the camp, they first stripped of their arms, and afterwards murdered with their own bayonets all those British, German, and American foldiers, who from an inability to keep up, fear, or any other caufe, were feparated from the main body.

The state of the fact with respect to the intended relief of the fort is, that Arnold had advanced by the way of Half Moon up the Mohawk River 2000 men for that purpose; and that for the greater expedition, he had quitted the main body, and arrived by forced marches through the woods, with a detachment of 900, at the fort, on the 24th on the evening, two days after the fiege had been raised.So that upon the whole, the intractableness of the Indians, with their watchful apprehenfious of danger, probably faved

them