As soon as General Clark, then at the Falls of the Ohio—­who was ever our ready friend, and merits the love and gratitude of all his countrymen—­understood the circumstances of this unfortunate action, he ordered an expedition, with all possible haste, to pursue the savages, which was so expeditiously effected, that we overtook them within two miles of their towns; and probably might have obtained a great victory, had not two of their number met us about two hundred poles before we came up.  These returned quick as lightning to their camp, with the alarming news of a mighty army in view.  The savages fled in the utmost disorder, evacuated their towns, and reluctantly left their territory to our mercy.  We immediately took possession of Old Chilicothe without opposition, being deserted by its inhabitants.  We continued our pursuit through five towns on the Miami River, Old Chilicothe, Pecaway, New Chilicothe, Will’s Towns, and Chilicothe—­burnt them all to ashes, entirely destroyed their corn, and other fruits, and everywhere spread a scene of desolation in the country.  In this expedition we took seven prisoners and five scalps, with the loss of only four men, two of whom were accidentally killed by our own army.

This campaign in some measure damped the spirits of the Indians, and made them sensible of our superiority.  Their connections were dissolved, their armies scattered, and a future invasion put entirely out of their power; yet they continued to practice mischief secretly upon the inhabitants, in the exposed parts of the country.

In October following, a party made an incursion into that district called the Crab Orchard; and one of them, being advanced some distance before the others, boldly entered the house of a poor defenseless family, in which was only a negro man, a woman, and her children, terrified with the apprehensions of immediate death.  The savage, perceiving their defenseless condition, without offering violence to the family, attempted to capture the negro, who happily proved an over-match for him, threw him on the ground, and in the struggle, the mother of the children drew an axe from a corner of the cottage, and cut his head off, while her little daughter shut the door.  The savages instantly appeared, and applied their tomahawks to the door.  An old rusty gun-barrel, without a lock, lay in a corner, which the mother put through a small crevice, and the savages, perceiving it, fled.  In the meantime, the alarm spread through the neighborhood; the armed men collected immediately, and pursued the ravagers into the wilderness.  Thus Providence, by the means of this negro, saved the whole of the poor family from destruction.  From that time until the happy return of peace between the United States and Great Britain, the Indians did us no mischief.  Finding the great king beyond the water disappointed in his expectations, and conscious of the importance of the Long Knife, and their own wretchedness, some of the nations immediately desired peace; to which, at present [1784], they seem universally disposed, and are sending ambassadors to General Clarke, at the Falls of the Ohio, with the minutes of their councils.