The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-03-23

even then, outnumbered four to one as they
were, those stubborn Engshmen not only held
their own, but after two hours fighting forced
the 1900 Americans to retreat with loss of 10
killed, 12S wounded and Is missing as compared
to the British loss Of IL killed, 46 wounded and
four missing.
In thus indicating that the Battle of La Collie
Mill was an ignominious defeat for the Ameri-
can arms, let it not be supposed that our sol
diers were less brave than the British Through
out the battle both officers and men displayed
gallantry and desperate valor worthy of the
best traditions of the American fighting man.
But again 1t was a case of 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
q stratagem old as the history of warfare.
In the midst of the assault on the stone mill,
which gave the battle it's name there came from
the woods nearby the sound of bugle. By some
strange process Of reasoning, the American COM
mander decided that he was about to be cut off
by superior force of the enemy and he i'm
mediately ordered retreat. So one blast of a
bugle, the clever stratagem of a quick-wtted
British officer, turned what might easily have
been an American victory into disgracefu 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 discreditable affair at La Cole
Mill, the military career of General Wilkinson
was closed" And in that sentence lies the i'm
portance of what later historian has called
"the insignificant little battle at La Cole Mill"
For, no matter how insignificant 1t may have
been as a military engagement, the fact that it
wrote "Fns" to the opportunity for mischief
making by one of the most amazing characters
In American history makes it 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 a ream of
paper, a modern biographer has proved that it
be done pretty well in a 300-page book and
taking Randolph's Characterization for his title,
he proceeds to do it. He is Royal Oman Shreve
and the book is "The Finished Scoundrel," pub
lished recently by the Bobbs-Merrill company.
Indicative of what the book contains is the
subtitle: General James Wilkinson, sometime
Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United
States, who made intrigue a trade and treason
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 nation; of
man who was without doubt the most clever and
persistent, If not the most dangerous, of that
small company for whom history reserves the in
famous name of Traitor"
Born in Tidewater Md, in 1857 he was a scion
of the lesser landed gentry with sufficient income
to give him good education. AT the age of ff-
teen he was sent to Philadelphia to study medi-
cine with an uncle and there was every indica-
ton that he was destined for a career of allevf-
atng human distress instead, as it turned out,
of adding to the sum total of human distress.
But it so happened that in Philadelphia he made
the acquaintance of officers of regiment of Brit
ish soldiers, the Royal Irish, stationed there and
that inspired in him that love Of things mill
tary" which was to lead tc his future career In
that profession.
At the outbreak Of the Revolution he put by