Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-10-18
"a dollars per annum

ed The old line of pickets stood and the
Indians upon rushing in at the gate obtained
/ possession of this additional part, and thro,
the port holes of the old line Of pickets fir
ed on the people who held the interior. On
! the opposite side of the fort, an Offset or
bastion was made round the back gate.
which being open on the outside was also ia
Ken possession OF by the Indians, who with
! the axes which lay scattered about inmedi-.
! ately began to Cut down the gate. There
was large body OF Indians. tho they pro-
badly did not exceed 400. Our people
seemed to sustain the attack with undaunt-
ed spirit. They took possession of the bort
ho'es IN the other lines of the fort and fired
ON the Indians who remained in the field
Some OF the Indians got On the block-house
at one OF the Corners {: but after firing a good
deal down upon the people they were dis
lodged. They succeeded however in set.
ting flre To house near the pckets. from
winch 1t was communicated to the kitchen
and from thence to the main dwelling house.
They attempted to do it by burning arrows
out faiied. When the people in the fort
saw that the Indians retained full possess
sion of the outer court that The gate con-
tinued open, that their men fell very fast.
and that their houses were in flames they
began to despond. Some termined tn cnt
their way through the pickets and escape.
OF the whole number of white men and half
breeds in the fort, it is supposed that not
more thon % or so escaped and of these
many were wounded. The rest, and almost
all the women and children, fell sacrifice
etherto the arms Of the Indians or to the
flames. The battle terminated about an
hour or an hour and5a halfbeiore sunset.
The information thus far was given to me
by aperson of character and credibility. who
was present during the whole scene and
who escaped through the opening made in
the pickets. The women and children took
refuge in the upper story Of the dwelling
house and IT is said shat the Indians, when
the buildings were in flames, danced round
them with savage delight. The helpless
victims persisted in the flames Ii is also
reported, that when the buildings were burn
ing and the few who remained were expos.
ed to the heavy fire of the enemy, they coll
lectcd rs many as they Ould of the guns OF
the deceased, and threw both them and the
remaining stock of ammunition into the
hamcs, TO prevent their becoming, subscribe
ent in the hands of the Indians, 20 the des.
truction of their fellow citizens Surely this
was an instance of determined resolution &
benevolent foresight OF which there are nos
many examples.
But, Notwithstanding the bravery of our
fellow citizens the Indians carried all before
,hem and murdered the armed and the
helpless without discrimination. Our loss
is commissioned officers and about IOo
noncommissioned officers and privates Of
the first regt. of Mississippi territory yoIun-
teers. There were about q families of men.
women and children in the FORT of whom all.
most all have persisted, amounting to about
16C souls. i reckon, however, among them :
about families of halfbreeds, and seven u
dians There were also about 100 nee roes
of whom large proportion we're killed =
The halfbresds have uniformly ,ort,s then5..
selves honor, and those who Survived viii &c.
ford great assistance in the prosecution of
the war. Some of ene most respectable a.
mong them were at Pierce's fore. and sre,
ready, VIII all their dexterity and all their
courage, to avenge the d ath of their friends.
and the destruction of theirproperty. 1t was
principally through them that we learn thai
the real object Of the Indians, in obtaining
ammunition at Pensacola, was to make
immediate war on the white people, and
that the idea entertained in the eastern part
of the Greek Nation, that this was only a
secondary and remote object, was not POUNDS
ed in fact, aud probably suggested merely
for the purpose of putting us of our guard.
and keeping out OF sight the real intention
OF theirSrevolt against the constituted authos
rites of Their nation.
The mourniul tale OF the disaster of Nina
reached the cantonment near Fort Stoddert'
distance of 10 miles. nor till about 10 o.
clock on Tuesday night. This cantonmene
(cailed Mount NernoR) was very IN cslcu-
lated Cor defence, and was like the fort on
Tensaw wonderfully incurbered bv helplcsa
fseIdies. IL mad beensuggested in the morning
ofthat day, that the removal Of the nelplesS
T. place ct security would be highly expe-
dent but the difficulties Of removal and of
support when removed, presented them
selves more f0rcbly to the minds of n,anv
than the danger OF delay; and even those
who saw the prcprety ofthe measure, could
not reconcile Themselves 10 the idea If a.
bandonng their fellow citizens
When, however, the news of the massap
ere at Fort Minis arrived, there was M
longer any hesitation; and such was the
hurry OF fight conducted almost ~ mid.
night, that few took any thing with them. e
ven to support themselves on their way 10
Mobile. Some pushed ofFby water, others
fled by land m the darkness of the night
and the whole face Of the country exhibited
scene OF CONSERVATION and distress---wiL
dows He'd for the preservation of Their own
lives, willis tortured by belief in The dire
FIJI death of their husbands or frieuds-and
some escaped from Fort Stoddcr., lament
ing in the bitterness Of agouised zrief the
murder Of mothers, fathers, sisters, and bro
theirs The river was strewcd with boats
from Fort Stoddert to Mobile and there
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