Delaware gazette and American watchman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1837, 1831-08-12


appalling rapidity--the shrieks & screams Of the
burning victims pierced EN- the hearts Of the i'm
furAted Frenchmen; but five Indians stood in tAsir
places like adamant, with consiancy Of purpose
that the adventurers Of European var have never
surpassed. by the light ef the flames, tbs fndi-
ans were enabled to make fearful rstalistiou---
they bent their bows and drew arrows from THAR
quvers, and in the FIRST shower Of their shafts ey
cry arrow bore message 70 the heart Of an enes
my. Another such Jesoiating voley had destroy
ed the French, but at this crisis Of The sach.
ems, fixing his eyes on La Porte, called on his In,
dian companions TO stay their arrows for momspt:
and placing one on his own boystring, he leveled
it at the breast Of the intrepid Frenchman.
The Sachem Was standing al the time beai,le
Madame la Porte. and from that Circumstances no
was protected from the muskets Of the assailants.
On both sides there was pause--the fate Of IN
Porte seemed inevilabe--when his lady, with liz
utmost presence OF mind, as the bow was drawn
to it's full bent, snatcheda bnrnipg brand and dash
ed il at the head of the sacheni-th arrow ,lsop,
ped harmless al his feet, the French raised shout
LA Porte rashed on the sachenl, and sabfed hiia
10 the ground. I'll is decided the contest for q
time. The Indians made no further resistance,
but fled the encampment, and abandoned MI 20
their enemies.
Here the curious sagaciiy of the Indians in this
desperate condition OF their affairs, showed Itself.
On escaping from the entrenchment Of the eamp,
stinctively ran as if they had been directed by
command, to a spot where the boats of their enc
mics we're lying, and Gu. them adrift. They plan-
ted'themselyes under the bank, and, with bent
bows and fixed arrows, waited the return Of the
French. La Porte, when be found their camp a.
bandoned, mustered his men, and led them back
to where they had left the boats with the nten.
ton of re-embarking. The French drew near'
and went straight to embark; those who wsre fore
most gave the alarm that the boats were gone. In
the same moment shower Of Indian arrows made
dreadful havoc among them. La Porte was stand
ing with his wife and her child leaning on his arm,
when this terrible smbuscads 90 suddenly burst
upon his men. But possessing shat presence Of
mind which qualified him 70 undsEssks the aiaicais
enterprise IN which he was engaged. he directed
his wife to lie down with her child, and calling 20
such of the soldiers as had torches and eombasti-
bles, to light them and to plant them on the ground,
he charged the Indians in their lurking places un-
der the bank and before many Of tiem could sss
cape, he was their master again. The contest wac
now equal. The Indians however rallied on the
top ct the bank; and torches Illuminating Che shore,
enabled them to take perfect aim ct the French.
La Porte, though he escaped himself sex with dreds
fulteeling his men falling around him one by ons.
by this time the garrison OF Fort VI. Louis,apx-
ious spectators, had discerned by tbs lights on
the shore that the boats were thrown adrift, and
Justly apprehending from that circumstances that
their comrades had The worst of the conflict, an-
ned the two or three boats which remained at the
garrison, aud went to their assistance. They ar
rived at the critical moment when the Chevalier
La Porte and his few remaining companions vera
exhausted with fatigue and their ammunition iear-
Ily expended. The reinforcements cheered she
French and dismayed the Indians, who nevershe-
ess, with the consistency of their fearless nature.
maintained themselves upon the top Of the bank,
and the heavens having by this time clesred 10,
their tall FORMS darkly seen by starlight, present.
ed conspicuous targets, as it were to the aims ef
he French; thus in their turn, they fell as fast "a
he soldiers Of La Porte, whom they had so nearly
destroyed. Victory being now decidedly with tka
FRENCH LA Porte wac anxious to re.embark hss
few remaining men; but as the Indians stood srm-
the honor OF the French would not permit them "a
listen to prudent counseIss and with voice thsy
declared their determination not to retreat.
In the mean time Madam La Porte, who wish
her child had continued lying on the ground. %
escape the arrows of the Indians, during a shors
pause in the battle raised herseif holding her
child in her arms, 20 the aspect Of the conflict:
while in this position she discovered by an In
liam, and almost at the same moment the infant
was pierced with an arrow. She felt him shuddef;
aud then he dead; but she chung to the liieless
body, and again stretched herself on the ground.
"At this moment La Porto seeing tho hrmness
II the Indians was not 10 be overcome by attack.
ing them in front despatched a few Of his men UNI
der the bank Of the river to attack them in tue
ear. This mannuvre was successtul--~Ihe InLi.
ans, finding themselves between two fires, uttered
wild shout, and again fled; but il was not ths
light of defeat. They rallied in the darkness,
and before the French could catch them they were
descending to the landing placed through q, mar.
low path which wound through the bushes towards
the bank where the boats lay. Here they found
Madame La Porte lying on the ground, still en-
hracing her lifeless infant, and one of them was
en- the point OF despatching her with his toma.
hawk. 1t happened however, that among The
French who had fallen, there was one who, though
severely wounded, was able TO use his right arm,
with which he graspedhis sword. Seeing the per-
il Of the lady, at the same moment the Huron raj
sed the tomahawk, the wounded man, with des-
perate effort, plunged his sword into the heart Of
the savage. by the exertiOn he in the same mo.
ment expired.
at day light the two bodies were seen as they
died. The Indian, holding the tomahawk, was
still in the same position, though he lay upon his
back, in which he had raised his arm; and the
Frcnchman's sword stood in the heart Of the In
dian, grasped seemingly with the energy with
l