Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1856-11-11
Risedy Rsnipisssnss.

"A correspondent Of tue EHitauei'
;phia Ledger. writing from Camp
Dade, Florida, relates tho terrible
circumstances md sfwhich Maj. Dade,
with ITO men were destroye.i there
inls38. They had bccn detailed to
force their waJ through from Fort
King to TSmpa: =.
i Nothing Vt importance occnrred
till the eighth day. On thu morning
of that day they resumed the march
from their last cncauipel, tabont one
mile ana a half FROM this place and
wore about cutting down come. very
high grass, when "a lncst deadly and
destructive fire was opened on them
hy an unseen enemy, which struck
down every man: Of the advanced
MAJOR Dade and Capt. Frazer now
went forward to ascertain the cause
OF the firing, when they too we're
shot down, and the command derol-
we'd on Gardner, who had his right
thigh shattered. He .kcpthis post
until lie was shot deal. The rear
guard, under the command OF Lieut..
Henderson, now got ready the six
FOUNDER. anil sent such laundering
discharges OF grape into the grass,
5(Elr ~ Jet thcy had not seen . fog
that the enemy we're driven back
nearly halt mile, and Lieutenant
Bal singcr, with a7partv Of men, com
,ncnccd the cutting Of logs, for the
purpose q making a breast-work for
defence. This is still Standing
The IS wcrc not, however, allowed
much time aud had enly>raised their
work about two feet when the In
dams, under Micanopy, came down
On them from another point, and, in
lcss than twenty minutes, the work OF
death was 80 rapid that every officer
bat :Raasinger was either killed or
,nortally wounded, and only seven
men left unhnrt. Lieut.. Keys was
shot in the head, understanding "Oh,
Goal am . dead man !" seated
himself at the foot Of . tree, where
he remained until his head was split
open BIZ the tolnahawk of savage.
Or. Cstlin, who had both legs shat
tered, was dragged into the little
wo.k *, and, seizing double ,barrcled
gun, said, II have two barrels for
then. vet :" but, poor fellow, he soon
ceased TO use them, as5 ball from a
rife entered his heart, killing him
on the spot. Lieut.. Bassinger now
emerged from the works to.piek up
what guns he could, and, as no was
about 10 return, he was shot down,
with his too legs ami enc arm shat.
tered. Tie, however, reached the eli.
closure with a ltew guns, and, for
nearly half an honr, he and three pri-
Yates. kept back the ssrages. At
last, all were entirely disabled but
him sclf AMI private Clark. The fire
having Stacked, the Indians now ap.
preached, and contentcd themselves
with riHing the bodies Of the slain,
Bassiu2er and Clark all the time
~feigning to be dead. ~ =.
: Having. taken everything Of value
they could find, the Indians now. re.
tired. when Clark and passenger con.
suited on what was to be done but,
alaal scarcely an hour had elapsed.
when some negroes, half-breeds and
4 few Indians, returned and com
,neneed n1tillating the bodies Of the
slain in a most barbarous manner. +
Lieut.. Bassinger, on seeiug this,
raised himself up, and, appealing to
a huge negro, who, spoke English,
begged them to spare his life for the
sake Of his wife; but an hundred AK
ca were Immediately raised on him,
and Clark says they literally cut him
TO pieces. CLARK remained quiet till
they had .left1 and, although with
eleven wounds, waited till night,
when he get ont on his return to Fort
Kim 8. This place he finally reached,
anA is now in New York, pcnsioned
on the pitiful sum Of eight dollars per
month. ....+r:r.. - .n's-- ~. )
Such. gentlemen, was the massa'
ere OF Dade and his ill-starred COM
,naud. l have examined the whole
ground for one mile round, and car
not imagine a spot more suitable for
an anbuscades than the one the lndi-
ans selected. About two months af-
ter the massacre, a detachment, under
the command of Major Bonneville,
visited the spotfand buried the dead,
the officers in: one grave, the soldiers
in another. The, officers grave is
now entirely unAcr water; nothing
of il can be. seen buts board at the
hoatfof the grave. >. r.