The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-07-18
Angus Corb|y's Captivity
Story of Early Indian Life and Adventure in the Territory
Northwest of the Ohio River.
WRITER OF MARSHALL COUNTY


ward more rapidly, the general disre-
garding the entreaties of Washing
ton and others to proceed with eau
tion and treating a band of friendly
Indians with such naughty disdain
that they left him in disgust. These
Indians would in all probability have
prevented the surprise that followed
had their services been accepted by
the vain and bigoted commander.
Reaching the Monongahela river at
Ia point but eight miles from the
French fort, and forty miles ahead of
DunEar'S detachment, it became nee
essary to cross to the western side to
gain smoother ground, Braddock in
| tending to recross the stream lower
down in order to reach the fort. The
English commander never knew how
close he was to a bloOdleSS victory that
sunny July day as his glittering mus
ketS bore steadily toward the enemy
and his troops rejoiced that their anti
cipated triumph was so close at hand.
The craven ContrecOeur was dismay-
ed by the approach of such an enemy
and hastily common led preparations
to evacuate the fort under his COM
mand and retreat up the Allegheny
river toward his base. But there was
one stout heart among the frantic
French. Captain Beaujeau made
daring proposal to take detachment
of French and Indians out to meet
the oncoming enemy in the hope of
interrupting his march by surprise
and perhaps delaying him until sup
port could come up from Venango and
relieve the threatened garrison. After
much earnest pre- vailing. the Indians
also opposing him because they saw
the timorOuSneSs of the soldiers. he
was. permitted to attempt his plan
and with two hundred and fifty
French troops and six hundred naked
-and painted savages, he set out and
gained q spot where two heavily-wood-
ed ravines formed a natural ambus-
cade near the ford Braddock was
obliged to take i'm crossing the Monon-
ganela for the last time. The rata
plan of the British drums was heard
approaching through the woods as the
last of Beaujeau's force defiled into
the well-chosen ambush to await i'm
silence the appearance of the scar
let columns i'm the narrow road be-
tween the two fatal ravineS.
1t was little past noon when the
guides and six light horsemen, follow
ed by a body of grenadiers under Gage,
(who, twenty years later, met his own
rout at Bunker Hill crossed the river
and marched into the ambuscade, the
long procession of shining muskets
coming close behind With insane
confidence in the prowess of British
regulars Braddock pushed his doomed
men into the trap without taking a
single glance ahead: though he had
with him many scouts who could not
be surpassed in all the world, he OBJ
stinately refused to avail himself of
of their skill.
Sammy John, whose place held him
well back i'm the column, was boiling
with Indignation as he thought of the
danger that little army was in be-
cause of the arrogance of one man,
and he was not even startled when he
heard the sudden rattle of musketry
accompanied by the blood-curdling
war-cries of the savageS: he had been
expecting it for days and now his keen
eyes, his nerves of steel, his muscles
of iron and his intrepid heart answer
ed the call. He could not see the at
tack but he knew instinctively that
the road was blocked with French
men and the ravineS filled with red
devils crouching unseen behind rocks
and trees, all pouring murderous fire
into the astonished vanguard. He
did not know that Captain Beaujeau
was mortally wounded by the first
answering fire of the British and that
the Indians, fearful of an artillery fire.
had begun to WAIVER when the regulars.
not needing Braddock's curses and
pleadings to stand fast, went to pieces
and fell back upon the columns, roll
ling them back upon themselves in
terror and confusion: but he did
know when the surging mass of panic
stricken men came screaming down
the road and plunging into the river
that an awful massacre could not be
averted.
The provincials flew to cover and
fought in Indian style, eachfor him.
self, but General Braddock, never
having seen such tactics on European
battle fields, ordered them to form in
platOonS in the road. where they