Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-05-03

Thing OF the enemy. on pasS'hs nI'.ho ,ha
'h;s hammock, into an old field the
+ indians were seen collected around hre
a, the distance OF three or four hundred
Yards. On being discovered they sprans
from their seats around the He' SCI up
veil. or war.hoop, and rcireated 2oo yards
hack 10 = hammock, on the edge OF "h'ch
and (or some distance in tront' were
number Of pine trees. The battalion ad-
and when within proper distance
frod mon thcm--,hey firing all the time
mnon the battalion from behind the trees.
The battalion was ordered to charge Win
t;xed havoncts; which was promptly DONE
and the sayages fled precipitatcly from
their ground. On reaching the hammock
it was found impossible to penetrate 1t,
the mud aud water being very deep, anu
the battalion was ordered back TO Their
former ersund in tho field, within iir'ng
distance. OF the hammock. When Oh the
edge of this hammock, and some a short
distance into it upio 'thelrwa'sts IN mud
and water, we were 6rcd upon fram the
swamp, the balls cutting the Enbs oitrees
over our heads. suppose rilata thousand
bullets were discharged by the battalion,
with what effect is rot known. Ii was
remarked, that during the engagement,
which was kept up brishly for about
twenty minutes, patty Of tiTe or slS
were repeatedly seen employed as though
they were carrying of'th dead or wounded
which is their custom. We perceived,
when on the ground which the enemy had
occupied, that the trees were cut at a
proper height and with sufficient force to
have done execution. The mounted men
were sent down to charge the hammock
and outfiank the enemy on their right,
which was attempted in vain. There rs
not in all Florida more secure position
for hostile Indians to occupy than this
yery hammock. There are various
opinions as to the number of Indians in
this engagement-some thought 40 or SO,
others 80 or 100. From their audacity,
and the distance for which they extended
along the edge of the hammock, the latter
opinion is most probably correct. One
man Of the U. S. Artillery was shot and
badly wounded in the jaw, another struck,
but not hurt. A bundle Of clothes, with
blood upon them, was found in the ham,
mock, dropped by an Indian who was
killed or wounded.
On the day after this skirmish the troops
reached Pilaklikaha, and burned it. 1t
had been abandoned apparently. for. scv-
eral months. We were not attacked again
on our march to this place. On the Hills
borough river, % miles from tfis port,
on the road leading to Fort King, n Fort
was erected by the troops from Alabama
and Florida under command Of Col. Lind
say, ard Capt. Marks, with a company of
from 70 to 80 mea, from n. Orleans, left
in command Oft Col. Lindsay marching
to the Ouithlac oochy with the main body
of his regiment This garrison was at
tackod on the 9th u!,. Oh every side
at the same time by about 200 Indians
who kept up a brisk fire for two hours,
in that time firing as many thousand balls
into the picket. Finding they were obi
ting against fle," they retiring, dIscom-
fitted BY the fight. One of Marks men,
who was outside the-pickcts, was caught,
butchere1 and scalped and one inside
was wounded. |, is said IL or Is of the
Indians were killed--onc was shot out Of
a tree from which he was firing down into
the garrison:
The regiment Of mounted men from S.
C. arrived at this place on the 5th instant.
Col. Brisbane's regiment Of Infantry, and
Maj. Kirby's battalion were left at a camp
l3 miles back-which is digniGed by the
name of Camp Shelton. Col. Lindsay,
with his forces arrived the day before.
lie had marched within ten miles OF the
Oui,h!acoochy, had little skirmishing
with detached parties of the enemy, but
no very important engagement. Gen.
Scott, with Cliuch's command, consisting
of troops from Louisiana, yho had been
with Gaines, and the troops from Georgia
lin all, l700,) arrived also on the 9th, and
cncampcd two miles from this place.
They left Fort Drane on the Goth ult. WIS.,
itcd the battle ground on the Ou;thlscoo-
chy upon which the enemy had engaged
Gems. Clinch and Gaines, and discover
ed that the bird had flown" The In
dians, always tigilant, had retrcated to
some other strong hold which we have
yet to find: 10 passing hammock ten
miles from the river, they were attacked
on the 3o.h by aparty of ofIndians, surpo-
ssd to be 100 in number; battle ensued
the hammock was charged and the enemy
as usual, routed. They fred as they re.
treated, killing four and wounding seven
Of Clinch's men.
This letter further adds that half breed In.