immense mass of dusky bodies, the garrison poured several rapid volleys of rifle balls with destructive effect.  Their consternation may be imagined.  With wild cries they dispersed on the right and left, and in two minutes not an Indian was to be seen.  At the same time, the party who had sallied out on the Lexington road, came running into the fort at the opposite gate, in high spirits, and laughing heartily at the success of their maneuvre.”

After this repulse, the Indians commenced the attack in regular form, that is regular Indian form, for they had no cannon, which was a great oversight, and one which we would not have expected them to make, after witnessing the terror with which they had inspired the Kentuckians in Byrd’s invasion.

Two men had left the garrison immediately upon discovering the Indians, to carry the news to Lexington and demand succor.  On arriving at that place they found the men had mostly gone to Hoy’s Station.  The couriers pursued, and overtaking them, quickly brought them back.  Sixteen horsemen, and forty or fifty on foot, started to the relief of Bryant’s Station, and arrived before that place at two o’clock in the afternoon.

To the left of the long and narrow lane, where the Maysville and Lexington road now runs, there were more than one hundred acres of green standing corn.  The usual road from Lexington to Bryant’s, ran parallel to the fence of this field, and only a few feet distant from it.  On the opposite side of the road was a thick wood.  Here, more than three hundred Indians lay in ambush, within pistol-shot of the road, awaiting the approach of the party.  The horsemen came in view at a time when the firing had ceased, and every thing was quiet.  Seeing no enemy, and hearing no noise, they entered the lane at a gallop, and were instantly saluted with a shower of rifle balls, from each side, at the distance of ten paces.

At the first shot, the whole party set spurs to their horses, and rode at full speed through a rolling fire from either side, which continued for several hundred yards, but owing partly to the furious rate at which they rode, partly to the clouds of dust raised by the horses’ feet, they all entered the fort unhurt.  The men on foot were less fortunate.  They were advancing through the corn-field, and might have reached the fort in safety, but for their eagerness to succor their friends.  Without reflecting, that from the weight and extent of the fire, the enemy must have been ten times their number, they ran up with inconsiderate courage, to the spot where the firing was heard, and there found themselves cut off from the fort, and within pistol-shot of more than three hundred savages.