The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-05-13

CSEs ana the forest Oenfnd him
swarmed with great host Of but
half-discovered men. Upon signal
given, these spread themselves to the
right and left within the shelter of
the forest, and from their covert
poured deadly fire upon Braddock's
advancing lines.
With good, British pluck the steady
regulars formed their accustomed
ranks, crying, God save the king!"
| to give grace to the vo1leys they sent
back into the forest; the ordnance
was brought up and swung to its
work; all the force pressed forward
to take what place it could in the
fight; but where was the use?
Braddock Will Not Listen.
Washington besought General Brad
dock to scatter his men too, and meet
the enemy under cover as they came,
but he would not listen. They must
stand In ranks, as they were hidden,
and take the fire of their hidden foes
like men, without breach Of discipline.
When they would have broken in
spite of him, in their panic at being
slaughtered there in the open glade
without sight of the enemy, Braddock
beat them back with his sword, and
bitterly cursed them for towards
He would have kept the Virginians,
too, back from the covert If he could
when he saw them seek to close with
the attacking party in true forest fash
ion. AS it was, they were as often
shot down by the terror-stricken regu-
lars behind them as by their right
foes in front. They alone made any
head in the fight; but who could tell
in such a place how the battle Jared?
Redskins in Force.
No one could count the enemy
where they sprang from covert to
covert. They were. IN fact, near a
thousand strong at the first meeting
in the way-more than six hundred
Indians, motley host gathered from
far and near at the summons of the
French, sevenscore Canadian rangers,
seventy odd regulars from the fort,
and thirty or forty French officers,
come out Of sheer eagerness to have
hand in the daring game. Con-
trecoeur could not spare more French
men from his little garrison, his con-
nections at the lakes being threat
ened, and he sorely Strengthened for
men and stores. He was stalking
everything. as it was, upon this en-
counter on the way.
If the English should shake the saw
ages off, as he deemed they would,
he must no doubt withdraw as he
could ere the lines of siege were
closed about him. He never dreamed
Of such largess Of good fortune as
came pouring in upon him.
The English were not only check
ed, but beaten.
They had never seen business like
this. Twas pitiful, shameful slaugh-
ter-men shot like bears in
pen there where they covered close
in the scarlet ranks.
Their first blazing volley had sent
the craven Canadians scampering back
the way they had come; Beaujeu, who
led the attack, was killed almost at
the first onset; but the gallant young.
sters who led the motley array wav-
cred never an instant, and readily
held the Indians to their easy work.
Washington did all that furious
energy and reckless courage could to
keep the order Of battle his COM
mander had so madly chosen, to hold
the regulars to their blind work and
hearten the Virginians to stay the
threatened rout, driving his horse
everywhere into the thick of the MUIR
derous firing, and crying upon all
alike to keep to it steadily like men.
He had but yesterday rejoined the
advance, having for almost two weeks
lain stricken with fever in Dunbar's
camp. \
A Charmed Life.
He could hardly sit his cushioned
saddle for weakness when the fight
began; but when the blaze of the bat
tie burst, his eagerness was suddenly
like that of one possessed, and his Inn
munity from harm like that of one
charmed. Thrice a horse was shot,
under him, many bullets cut his cloth
ing. but he went without wound. A
like mad energy drove Braddock
storming up and down the breaking
lines, but he was MORALLY stricken at
last, and Washington alone remained
to exercise such control as was pos
sible when the inevitable rout came.
It was impossible to hold the ground
in such fashion. The stubborn Brad
dock himself had ordered a retreat ere
the fatal bullet found him. Sixty
three out of the eighty-six officers of
his force were killed or disabled: less
than five hundred men out Of all the
thirteen hundred who had but just
now passed so calamity through the
ford remained unhurt: the deadly
slaughter must have gone on to utter
destruction.
Death Of Hraddock.
Retreat was inevitable - twas
blessed good fortune that 1t was still
possible. When once it began 1t was
headlong, reckless, frenzied. The men
ran wildly, blindly, as If hunted by
demons whom no man might hope to
resist-haunted by the frightful cries,
maddened by tho searching and secret
fire of their foes. now coming hot