Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-03-21

even then, outnumbered four to one as they
were, those stubborn Englishmen not only held
their own, but after two hours fighting forced
the 1000 Americans to retreat with a loss of Is
Killed, 128 wounded and 13 missing. as compared
to the British loss of II killed, DC wounded and
four missing.
In thus indicating that the Battle of LII Cole
MIL was an ignominious defeat for the Ameri-
can arms, let 1t not be supposed that our SOL
diers were less brave than the British. Through
out the battle both officers and men displayed
q g~allantry and a desperate valor worthy of the
best traditions of the American fighting man.
But again 1t was a case of a laundering COM
mander whose incompetence set at nought their
heroic efforts. He was Gen. James Wilkinson,
who allowed himself to be ''outsmarted" by the
commander of the enemy and was the victim OF
a stratagem as old as the history of warfare.
In the midst of the assault on the stone min.
which gave the battle Its name, there came from
the woods nearby the sound of q bugle. BY some
strange process of reasoning, the American COM
mander decided that he was about to be cut off
by q superior force of the enemy and he I'M
medlately ordered a retreat. SO one blast of a
bugle, the clever stratagem of q quick-witted
British officer, turned what might easily have
been an American victory into a dlsgraceful de-
feat-disgraceful, not to the American troops,
but to their leader.
Losing, in his gossipy, rambling pictorial
Field Book Of the War Of 1872" devotes two
pages to this engagement and ends his account
thus: with the dlscreditable affair at La Cole
Mill, the military career of General Wilkinson
was closed" And In that sentence lies the i'm
portance Of what a later historian has called
"the Insignificant little battle at La Collie Mill"
For, no matter how Insignificant 1t may have
been as a military engagement, the fact that 1t
wrote "Finis" to the opportunity for mischief
making by one of the most amazing characters
In American history makes IL an outstanding
event In the annals Of our nation.
OF this man John Randolph Of Roanoke, who
hated him and who. incidentally, was one Of the
best haters Of all time, once said wilkinson Is
the most finished scoundrel that ever lived a
ream Of paper would not contain the proofs"
Even though the waspish Randolph didn't believe
that the proof could be contained In q ream of
paper, a modern biographer has proved that 1t
can be done pretty well In a 300-page book and,
taking Randolphs Characterization for his title,
he proceeds to do 1t. He is Royal Ornan Shreve
and the book is 1.-THE Finished Scoundrel," pub
lished recently by the Bobbs-Merrill company.
Indicative Of what the book contains Ia the
subtitle: General James Wilkinson, sometime
Commander-in-Chie of the Army Of the United
States, who made intrigue q trade and treason
a profession" and in the first chapter you Meet
General Wilkinson" and there begin reading "the
story of an amazing career; Of one Of the most
weird and impossible characters that ever strut
ted his little hour on the stage of a nation of a
man who was without doubt the most clever and
persistent, II not the most dangerous, OF that
small company for whom history reserves the In