Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-09-15

Colors of the Goth Royal Ameri-
cans in the Chapel Of Saint Cornelius
the Centurion, Governors Island,
New York.
own regiment, the Goth Royal Amer
leans, and portions of two regiments,
the And Highlanders (the famous
"Black Watch") and the 77th Mont
gomery's) Highlanders, which had
recently been invaded home from
the West Indies.
With this army Bouquet
reached Fort Bedford, the first leg
of his 200-mile journey, on July Is.
There force of experienced rangers
joined him and they proved invalua-
BILE as an advance guard against am
bush. By August S he was nearing
his goal. About noon of that day,
after forced march of II miles
through the hot forests, he reached a
place called Edge Hill, Is miles from
Fort Pitt. Suddenly there were rifle
shots ahead and screaming war;
whoops. The Indians had attacked
his advance guard.
The two light infantry companies
of the "Black Watch" went to their
support and scattered the Indians.
But they came swarming back i'm
mediately and within a short time
his little army was surrounded and
fighting for their lives behind a has
tily constructed defense on top of the
hill. By nightfall Bouquets losses,
in killed and wounded, were more
than 60 officers and men.
A Desperate Situation.
1t was probably as desperate
situation as any military command
er had ever faced. In the dark for
est around him swarmed force of
savages three or four times the size
of his. Flushed with their recent
successes in capturing the British
posts and remembering how they
had overwhelmed Braddock who had
more than three times as many SOL
diers as did Bouquet, the Indians
were confident of another great VIC
tory. Outside the little circle of
piled-up supplies, which formed the
walls of his fort" lay the bodies of
Is soldiers, killed in the fighting that
afternoon. Inside there was suffer-
ing from undressed wounds and heat
and thirst. For there was little wa
ter to be had-except for few pre-
cious mouthfuls, brought in the hats
of some Of the rangers who risked
their lives to creep down to spring
nearby to get it.
The hot dawn of August 6, 1853,
brought renewal of the Indian at
tack. Slowly but surely their plung-
ing fire cut down the number of
defenders on the hill. At last, Bou-
quet, seeing that destruction of his
command was inevitable if this I'M
equal kind of fighting continued, re-
solved to attempt one risky maneu-
yer and wager everything on one
desperate chance. If he could get
the enemy out into the open long
enough to give his Highlanders an
opportunity for bayonet charge,
one such decisive stroke might end
the affair.
Explaining clearly to his men
what he wanted them to do, so there
would be no mistake and no confu-
sion when the crisis came, Bouquet
ordered the two companies of High
landers to withdraw suddenly from
the line, retreat rapidly across the
hill until they reached a little ra-
vine which ran along one side of the
eminence. They were then to ad-
vance down this ravine and be ready
to attack from it when necessary.
Meanwhile the Royal Americans
were to extend their line across the
hill to replace the Highlanders.
AS the killed Scotsmen withdrew,
the Indians, seeing this maneuver
and believing it to be the beginning
of a retreat, came screeching out
from their hiding places like a pack
of famished wolves. Charging out
into the open they struck the thin
and weakened line of the Roval