The Washington herald., 1912-05-12
CHAPTER XI.
The March to Point Pleasant.

kCVATELL, Tommy" said Jack
" to his boon companion,
as they stood near the
camp of the newly formed army of
Virginian Rangers, Il believe that we
will have a tough fight before the
campaign is ended, because l heard a
man from the western portion of Vir-
gina tell Gen. Lewis this morning that
the ShawneeS had been joined by the
DelawareS, Mingoes, Wappitomicas-
who are already their allies-and the
Tawas. He also said that they had a
force of about 1000, well armed with
rifles which they obtained from the
French traders and from scurrilous
English fur swappers, since the close
of the French and Indian campaign.
Is there any news from Lord Dun
more"
Yes, there is good news, too, for he
has gathered a body of frontiersmen at
Fort Pitt with great ease and has sent
word to Gen. Lewis to march at once
to the juncture of the Ohio and Great
Kanawha Rivers, where he understands
that the Indians have a large encamp-
ment and where they will make their
stand against the whites. see no rea-
son why we should not wipe them up
completely, for how is it possible for
these half-educated savages to stand in
front of an Overwhelming number of
troops, such as we will launch upon
them?"
As he spoke, he looked around the
camp, where several hundred hardy
men of the settlements were busily pre-
pairing breakfast. washing their clothes
in the stream which ran near by, and
laughing with one another as if they
were off upon a picnic and not upon
an affair of the most serious nature.
Standing before large tent, upon the
right, was a good-sized fellow in a
fringed hunting shirt, whose face was
deeply scanned and tanned by exposure
TO the weather. and who, from the
difference which was shown him by the
other men, was easily marked as their
commander. All looked able to handle
themselves with ease in the woods, sand,
from their extreme good humor II was
only too apparent that they had no fear
of savages or other foes that might
come in their path.
The camp chosen fer the rendezvous
was in the far western county of Vir-
ginis-Greenbriar- was named
Camp Union. About 100 miles from
Winchester, near the White Sulphur
Springs, II afforded an excellently sit
uated spot for such gathering, as the
Indians were known to be at the mouth
of the Great Kanawha River, which
had its origin about twenty-five miles
from the camping ground, where the
New, Blue Stone, and Greenbrier Riv-
ers met. From Camp Union to Point
Pleasant was about 100 miles-the coun-
try intervening being a trackless des-
ert known to few OF the soldiers, and
so scout named Matthew Arbuckle
was paid to conduct the troops by the
shortest and safest route to the Indian
encampment. Hundreds of packhorses
were taken along. upon whose backs
were loaded the -four, bacon, and am
mHnltion; because the paths through
the forest were so rough that no wagon
could ever have been drawn through
such dense underground.
Lord Fairfax had not Joined the ex-
petition, as his business at home kept
him away, but. under the able care of
old Flint Lock, he had allowed Jack
and Tommy TO become part of the
American force under Col, now Gen.
Lewis. They had come on horseback
from Winchester, and the journey had
been a long one, but. fortunately, most
Of the Indians had Withdrawn from