The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-12-26
{ Vol. S-----.---No. 20.

(andf,iey yards from the right flank. term;-
mated III an abrupt point. The two columns
Iof infantry occupied the front and rear OF this
Iground at the distance of about one hundred
ahe fifty yards from each other ON the left &
Isopsething more than half tn at distance On,
the right fank-these TANKS were filed M
tbs first by two companies of mounted re
Ifiemcn amounting to about one hundred and
twenty men, under the command of Major
General Wells of the Kentucky militia. who
served as Major; the other by Spencer's
company of mounted riflemen which amounts.
ed TO eighty men. The front line was cnnp.
posed Of one battalion of United States in
PANTRY under the command of Major Flnyd,.
flanked on the right by two companies ofmf-
iitia, and on the left by one company The
rear hnc was composed of battalion Of sni-
ted States troops under the command of cap.
tam Baen, acting as Major, and four com
panics of militia infantry under Lieutenant
Col. Decker. The regular troops If this
line joined the mounted rifiemen under Gen.
Wells on the left flank, and Col Decker's
battalion formed an angle with Spencer,s
company on the left.
Two troops Of dragons, amounting 10 il,
the aggregate about sixty men, were en-
camped in the rear of the left flank. and
captain Parker's troop, which was larger
than the other two, in the rear of the front
line. Oar order of encampment varied lit
w iaoh Nhal aDoVS ueSCr1Oeu, eXCcptiDe-s
when some, peculiarly of the ground made
! it necessary. For night attack the order
OF encampmant was the order of battle, and
each man slept Immediately opposite To his
post in the line. In the formation of nv
troops used single rank, or what is called
Indian hle--beCause in Indian warfare.
where there is no shock to resist, one RANK
is nearly as good as two, and in that kind of
warfare the extension of line is a matter of
m rtap Ram III 2.
n9uvrc with muclr more facility in single
than III double ranks. 1t was my constant
custom to assemble all the field cnicers at.
my tent every evening by signal. to give them
the watch word and their instructions fol,
the night-those given for the night Of the
9th were, that each corps which ferreed a
part OF the exterior line of the encampment,
should hold itsow ground until relieved-
he Dragons were directed to parade dis
mounted In case of night attack, with their
pistols In their belts, and to act as corps
de reserve. The camp was defended bv two
cap, aims guards, consisting each of four nom
commissioned officers aud 40 privates-and
two uoalterns guards of twenty nom comniis..
stoned officers and privates tie whole un,.
der the Command of field Officer ef the
day. The troops were regularly called up
an hour before day, and made 70 continue
under arms until it was quite light On the
morning of the 9TH, had risen at a Quarter
after four o'clock, and the signal foY calling
out the men would have been gi, en in two
minutes, when the attack commenced It
began ON our left ilank-but single gun was
tired by the centinels or by the guard in
hat direction, which made not the least re-
sistance, but abandoned their officer 81 fed
into camp, and the first nGtice " hich the
troops of that flank had of the danger. was
from tie yelis OF the savages within a short
distance OF the line-but even under these
circumstances the men were not wanting to
themselves or to the occasion. Such Of
them as were awake, or were easily AVA
kened, seized their arms and took their sta
tons; others which were more tardv, had
to contend with the enemy in the doors Of
their tents The storm first fell upon capt.
Barton's company of the 4th u S. regiment,
nj capt. Geiger's company Of incurred RI
femen, which formed the left angle vi the
ear line. The fire upon these was Excess
vely severe and they suffered considerably
before relief could be brought to them
rome few Indians passed into the encamp-
ment near the angle, and one or two pene-
trated to some distance before they were
killed. believe all the other companies
were under arms and toerably formed be-
fore they were fired OIL. The morning was
dark and cloudy--our fires afforded parti-.
al light, which if it gave us some opportuni-
ty OF taking our positions, was still more adj
NdnldSeouS 10 the enemy, aHOrulng them the
means OF taking surer aim-thcy we're
therefore eXtinguished as soon as possible
Under all these discouragihg circumstances,
the troops (nineteen twentieths of whom had
never been in action before) behaved in
manner that can never be too much applau-
ded. They teok their places without noise
and with less confusion than could have been
expected from veterans placed in similar,
situation. As soon as l could mount my
horse, j rode to the angle that was attacked
Il found that Barton's company had suffer-
ed severely, and the left Of Geiger's entire
ly broken. / Immediately ordered Cooks
company and the late captain Wentworth's,
under lieut.. Peters, to be brought up from
the centre of the rear line, where the ground
was much more defensble, and formed a.
cross the angle in support OF Barton's and
Geiger's. My attention was there engaged
| by a heavy firing upon the left of the front
line, where were stationed tie small Gem
pany of u. S. Rifemen (theh however armed
with muskets) and the companies Of Baen.
Smelling & Prescott of the An regiment
| found major Daveiss forming the Ora
goohs in the rear Of those Companies, and
understanding that the heaviest part OF the
enemy's fire proceeded from some trees "a
boat fifteen or twenty PAGES in front Of those
companies, directed the major TO dislodge
I them with part q the dragons Unfor-
itunately the majors qaIlantrV determine1