The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-04-16


Gen. Harrison
Fort Coriagten, March 10th, 1914.
have the hon1r to sub nit in writing
that TIC expedition sent under my com
Fnars ag3inst the enen,y's posts by your
speciai orders o. the 2lst ul.irno. had the
good f,,rtuDe on the 4,h inst ant TO meet and
snb,lue d force dauH'e is owa, fresh from
t''e barracks, and led by distinguished of
scer.
/ la been cornpeiled to leave the artil,e-
~ by the invincble difficulties of the route
from Paint an Plat tothe Round O. No
wheel carriage Of any kind had ever at
tsmped It bqfore. aud none will ever pass
IL np,il he brush and fallen timber are cut
aw7y, aud the swamp causwayed or drain
ed. As:er i..ipg Capt Gill began the
march teg Fort Talbot, but was soon con-
yiReed Of lis b i'g impossible to reach the
post IN time to secure any force which
might tie there or adjacent. This ccnvic-
sion, unired with the information that the
enemy had free a Delaware upon the
Thames. that sh; uld be expected ut Fort
Talbot, and consequently, that a prevItus
descent upon Oelaw are might deceive the
foe, and lead him to expose Inc some point
IN defending others he might think menaccd,
and coupled with the possibility that hear
j. e ot Captain Gih': m lrch to the Round
9 D. Me- gor's miiiria, whom he had pnr-
sued. "a Detachment had descended the
Thames to intercept him, determined me
tnexerc s. the discretion allowed by the
+r'cr and 20 strike at once upon the river.
- On the 81 inst. when only fifteen miles
fcen Delaware, we received intelligence
ia,,be enemy had left u .laware with the
IN entiop ct descending the river, and that
we should probably meet him i'm an hour
taat his force consisted Of "a light company
sron tis ROYAL Scots. mastering for duty
100 and 30 men a light company from the
s9.h rest. of foot (tfti cheney not knosn)
Caldwei;'s Indians and M'Gregor's militia,
smcun,ing in all TO about SOC mon.
Ny nmand originally had not exceed
ed on hundred * eighty rank & file. Hun
ger. cold and fatigu: had brought on disease,
ard I'll none died, all were exceedingly de.
pressed, aud sixsecn had been ordered home
as unable to continue the march. I resov-
ed therefore TO avoid the conflict on equal
grounds, aud immediately retreated five
nile; i.1r the sake Of good position. on the
western bank of tie Twenty Mile Creek,
leavi g Captain Gill with twenty rangers to
cover the rear. and TO watch the enemy's
motions. We had eDcamped but a few MI
nu,es, when capt. G II joineds after exchan-
Ing shots with the enemy's advance, in vain
~ attempting to reconnoitre his force. The
twenty Mile Creek runs from north to
south through deep and wide ravine, and
u
nights. My camp was formed upon the
wese rn heigh,s. The enemy's upon the
opposite. During the night of the Sd all
wac qniet. At rise on the 9Th, the
eaemy appeared thnly upon the opposite
heights, Fl ed upon us without effect and
vsmshed. After waiting some time for
their reappearance, 1t Knox of the Rang
ers was sent to reconroitre. On his return
he reported that the e,.emy had retreated
with the utmost precipitation, leaving his
baggage scattered upon the road, and that
lis trail and fires made him out not more
than seventy men. Mortified at the sup
position of having refrigerated from this ti-
rnnntive force, / instantly commenced the
pursuit, with the design of attacking Della
ware before the opening of another day.
We had not however proceeded beyond five
miles when Capt. Lee, conn andng the adj
vance, discovered the enemy in considerable
force. arranging himself for battle. The
symptoms OF fear and fight we're now east.