In June, when Amherst had finally come to the conclusion that he had a real war on his hands—­and had, as we have seen, dispatched Dalyell to Detroit—­he had, at the same time, sent orders to Colonel Bouquet to get ready a force for the relief of Fort Pitt.  Bouquet, like Ecuyer, was a Swiss soldier, and the best man in America for this particular task.  After seven years’ experience in border warfare he was as skilled in woodcraft as the Indians themselves.  He had now to lead a force over the road, two hundred odd miles long, which connected Fort Pitt with Carlisle, his point of departure in Pennsylvania; but every foot of the road was known to him.  In 1758, when serving under General Forbes, he had directed the construction of this road, and knew the strength of every fort and block-house on the way; even the rivers and creeks and morasses and defiles were familiar to him.  Best of all, he had a courage and a military knowledge that inspired confidence in his men and officers.  Cool, calculating, foreseeing, dauntlessly brave—­there was not in the New World at this time a better soldier than this heroic Swiss.

Amherst was in a bad way for troops.  The only available forces for the relief of Fort Pitt were 242 men of the 42nd Highlanders—­the famous Black Watch—­with 133 of the 77th (Montgomery’s) Highlanders, and some Royal Americans.  These, with a few volunteers, made up a contingent 550 strong.  It was a force all too small for the task before it, and the majority of the soldiers had but recently arrived from the West Indies and were in wretched health.

Bouquet had sent instructions to Carlisle to have supplies ready for him and sufficient wagons assembled there for the expedition, but when he reached the place at the end of June he found that nothing had been done.  The frontier was in a state of paralysis from panic.  Over the entire stretch of country from Fort Pitt the Indians were on the war-path.  Every day brought tragic stories of the murder of settlers and the destruction of their homes.  There was no safety outside the precincts of the feeble forts that dotted the Indian territory.  Bouquet had hoped for help from the settlers and government of Pennsylvania; but the settlers thought only of immediate safety, and the government was criminally negligent in leaving the frontier of the state unprotected, and would vote neither men nor money for defence.  But they must be saved in spite of themselves.  By energetic efforts, in eighteen days after his arrival at Carlisle, Bouquet was ready for the march.  He began his campaign with a wise precaution.  The last important fort on the road to Pitt was Ligonier, about one hundred and fifty miles from Carlisle.  It would be necessary to use this post as a base; but it was beset by Indians and in danger of being captured.  Lieutenant Archibald Blane in charge of it was making a gallant defence against a horde of savages.  Bouquet, while waiting at Carlisle, engaged guides and sent in advance thirty Highlanders, carefully selected men, to strengthen the garrison under Blane.  These, by keeping off the main trail and using every precaution, succeeded in reaching the fort without mishap.