Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-05-29
HAYWOOD'S
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE
[coNTrsuED FROM LAST WEEK.


in the fort, mounted their horses, and
followed them: when they came to the
branch over which the stone bridge
now is they discovered the Indians in
the creek, and in the thickets near it;
they rose and fired on the horsemen;
the latter dismounted to give them bat.
tie, and returned their fire with great
alacrity. Another party of Indians
lay concealed in the privy, aud brush,
and cedars, near the place where De
Mumbrune's house is, who were ready
to rush into the fort on the back of the
combatants, The horses ran to the
fort, and left their owners on foot.
Hearing the firing, those in the fort
closed the gates; such of the nineteen
as were left alive, retreated to the fort; {;
several of them were killed on the spot,
namely, Peter Gill, Alexander Buch
anon, George Kennady, Zachariah
White and Captain Leiper; others of
them were wounded, namely, James
Mauifee and Joseph Moonshaw. At
the place where the stone house of
Cross now stands, Isaac Lucas had his
thigh broken by ball, and being left
by his comrades who ran into the fort,
the Indians rushed upon him to take
his scalr. One of them running to-
wards him, and being at short dis
tance, Lucas having his gun charged,
fired upon, and shot him through the
body, and he died instantly. The peo.
pie IN the fort, in order to save Lucas,
kept up brisk and warm fire upon the
parties of Indians who attempted to
get to him, and finally succeeded in
drawing them off, when he, Lucas,
was taken and brought into the fort by
his own people. When the Indians
fired upon the horsemen at the branch,
the body which lay in ambush at De
Mumbrune's rose and marched to
wards the river, forming line between
the combatants and the fort.
When those from the bluff dismount.
ed to fire upon the Indians in the
branch, and the firing on both sides
actually commenced, their horses took
fright and ran in full speed on the
south side of the Indian line, towards
the French lick, passing by the fort on
the bluff. Seeing this, a number of
Indians in the line, eager to get pos.
session of the horses, left their ranks
and went in pursuit of them; and at
this instant the dogs in the fort, seeing
the confusion, and hearing the firing,
ran towards the branch, and came to
that part of the line W hich remained yet
unbroken; and as they had been trained
to hostility against Indians, made a
most furious onsetupon them, and dis
abled them from doing anything more
than defending themselves. Whilst
thus employed, the retreatipg whites
passed near them, through the interval
made by the desertion of those from
the line, who had gone in pursuit OF
the horses; had it not been for these
fortunate circumstance, the whites
could never have retreated TO the fort,
through the Indian line which had
taken post between them and the fort.
Such of the nineteen who survived
when they retreated, would have had
to break through the line, their own
guns being empty, whilst those Of the
Indians were well charged. Amongst
those who retreated towards the fort,
was Edward Swanson, who was pur.
sued by an Indian that overlook him,
punching him with the muzzle Of bis
gun in the back, and drawing the trig.
ger, when the gun snapped. Swanson
laid hold of the muzzle, and wringing
the lock to one side, spilled the prim.
ing from the pan. The Indian looking
into the pan, and not seeing powder in
it, struck him with the gun barrel, the
muzzle foremost: the stroke not bring.
ing him to the ground, the Indian
clubbed his gun, and striking Swanson
with it near the lock, knocked him
down on all fours. At this time John
Buchanon, the elder, father Of the
present Major Buchanon, rushed from
the fort to the assistance of Swanson,
who was about twenty yards from it,
Here he discharged his gun at the In
dian, who gritting his teeth, retired to
the stump, upon which Buchanon and
Swanson went into the fort From the
stump to which the Indian retired
was trail made by body dragged
along upon the ground, much marked
with blood. The Indians retired, leav
ing upon the field the dead Indiar
VIII )m Lucas had killed; another they
buried on the east side of che creek, in
a hollow north of the place where Mr.
Hume now lives; the white peopl,
afterwards dug him up. Many of tn,
Indians were seen hopping with lam,
feet or legs; they got nineteen horses
saddles, brides and blankets, ant
could easily remove their dead ant
wounded. The white people coult
never learn the exact loss they sus
tained.
On the night of the same day il
which this affair took place, anothe
party of Indians who had not come ul
in time to be present at the battle
marched to the ground now occupied
by Poyzer's and Condon's houses ant
lots, and fred upon the fort for som,
time, till a swivel was charged will