The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1836-09-14

ed to execute the order with smaller force'l
than was sufficient, which enabled the ene-
my to avoid him in front and attack his
hanks.-The Major was mortally wounded
and his party driven back. The Indians
however were Immediately and gallantly
dislodged from their advantageous position
by Captain Smelling at the head of his com-
pany'" MIR. Marshall proceeds TO remark
And is il in this the General appears
IPho ever heard till General Harrison give
the order here delsiled by him, that dis
mounted dragons armed with swords and
pistols in belt had been ordered to take the
front of foot soldiers armed with muskets
and bayonets, and ~ dislodgc an enemy Is
or 20 PAGES in front of those foot soldies so
armed I We presume TO say it is unmilita-
ry and unprecedented. This same General
has told the public that his enemy was arm
ed with guns and tomabawks, war clubs and
spears. And yet he ordered Major Daviess
with n part of his dismounted dragons to
step in between the musket and bayonets
and that enemy, in order that such euemy
being driven from its stand behind the trees
might no longer annoy those brave troops
who upon the fall of Major Daviess gallant.
ly applied the musket and bayonet to their
proper use and drove the enemy from their
position.
In another place the author says "we do
not mean to aggravate the circumstances.
A bare recital of the facts, that General
Harrison chose the ground for the camp
which had been pointed out to him by his
invaded enemy-and "that he cncamped
his men on it after observing its facilities to
the approach of that enemy without the
precautlon proper TO divert the stratagem
from himself upon the heads Of the savages
is enough to show that he is II mere Militia
General fabricated ont of materials for the
chimney c0rncr--not even fit to fight In
dians though the weakest aud most unskil-
ful of our enemies
General Harrison in his official account
Of this baule says (" A favorable opportuni.
ty was here presented TO pursue the enemy
with dragons, bm being engaged at that time
on the other flank did nU observe it until
(when y at wds too late ~ "Was
ever poor General so unfortunate 7 When
the charge was made on the left flank he
was not there; he was forming the drag
goons. When the charge was afterwards
made on the right flank by the infantry he
was not there he was on the left flank !!
A fine opportunity occurred for charging
the enemy with dragoons," but j, was not
observed until il wos too late Was there
ever so c0nsnmm0tc General Major Stur-
geon indeed Why we protest Major Stur-
geon is no more to General Harrison than
a duck is to a goose.
"It is of no importance to observe that
Governor Harrison is little, selfish inirigu-
ing busy body But when he is exalted in
to the General and pulled and blown into
our faces as possessing military skill in an
eminent degree we can but ask what has
he donel Where did he show his skill 7
Was it in the choice of his campl Was it
by his sagacity in penetrating the design of
The enemy Was it in making ulterior
movements to circumvert them Was it IN
running hther and th'ther through the
Campo Was it in taking upon himself the
command of companies, divisions and pln-
toons Was il in emitting to have the
Dragons ready to charge or to pursue the
enemy But stop-the dragons could not
charge in the swdmps, NTH which he had
fortified his camp. We have said enough
TO set the reader to thinking and that is what
we wanted"
We have thus given our readers few
extracts from the History Of Kentucky
in order to shcw the opinion entertained by
the Historian nearly l5 years ago relative
to the military exploits Of General Harri
son.--We should have been pleased to have
given the whole of the two chapters on this
subject, but their gren, length precludes the
possibility Of our doing so. Enough has
been given however to show that General
Harrison is not the "hero" his friends have
dubbed him,