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The Americans, it appears, after their first attack by the Indians, charged upon those who had concealed themselves in a sort of ravine, intervening between the sand-banks and the prairie.  The latter gathered themselves into a body, and after some hard fighting, in which the number of whites had become reduced to twenty-eight, this little band succeeded in breaking through the enemy, and gaining a rising ground, not far from the Oak Woods.  Further contest now seeming hopeless, Lieutenant Helm sent Peresh Leclerc, a half-breed boy in the service of Mr. Kinzie, who had accompanied the detachment and fought manfully on their side, to propose terms of capitulation.  It was stipulated that the lives of all the survivors should be spared, and a ransom permitted as soon as practicable.

But in the mean time a horrible scene had been enacted.  One young savage, climbing into the baggage-wagon containing the children of the white families, twelve in number, tomahawked the entire group.  This was during the engagement near the sand-hills.  When Captain Wells, who was fighting near, beheld it, he exclaimed,—­

“Is that their game, butchering the women and children?  Then I will kill, too!”

So saying, he turned his horse’s head, and started for the Indian camp, near the fort, where had been left their squaws and children.

Several Indians pursued him as he galloped along.  He laid himself flat on the neck of his horse, loading and firing in that position, as he would occasionally turn on his pursuers.  At length their balls took effect, killing his horse, and severely wounding himself.  At this moment he was met by Winnemeg and Wau-ban-see, who endeavored to save him from the savages who had now overtaken him.  As they supported him along, after having disengaged him from his horse, he received his death-blow from another Indian, Pee-so-tum, who stabbed him in the back.

The heroic resolution of one of the soldiers’ wives deserves to be recorded.  She was a Mrs. Corbin, and had, from the first, expressed the determination never to fall into the hands of the savages, believing that their prisoners were always subjected to tortures worse than death.

When, therefore, a party came upon her, to make her a prisoner, she fought with desperation, refusing to surrender, although assured, by signs, of safety and kind treatment, and literally suffered herself to be cut to pieces, rather than become their captive.

There was a Sergeant Holt, who, early in the engagement, received a ball in the neck.  Finding himself badly wounded, he gave his sword to his wife, who was on horseback near him, telling her to defend herself; he then made for the lake, to keep out of the way of the balls.  Mrs. Holt rode a very fine horse, which the Indians were desirous of possessing, and they therefore attacked her, in hopes of dismounting her.