individual who would bear fresh orders to colonel Dudley and his men, to return to their boats and cross over the river to the fort.  The service was undertaken by lieutenant Campbell.  “About the time when the batteries were taken a body of Indians, lying in ambush, had fired on a party of spies under captain Combs, who had marched down on the extreme left of the detachment.  Presently colonel Dudley gave orders to reinforce the spies, and the greater part of the right and centre columns rushed into the woods in confusion, with their colonel among them—­to fight the Indians, whom they routed and pursued near two miles.  The left column remained in possession of the batteries, till the fugitive artillerists returned with a reinforcement from the main British camp, and attacked them.  Some of them were then made prisoners, others fled to the boats, and a part, who were rallied by the exertions of their major, marched to the aid of colonel Dudley.  The Indians had also been reinforced, and the confusion in which major Shelby found the men under Dudley, was so great as to amount to a cessation of resistance; while the savages, skulking around them, continued the work of destruction in safety.  At last a retreat commenced in disorder, but the greater part of the men were captured by the Indians, or surrendered to the British at the batteries.  The gallant but unfortunate colonel Dudley, after being wounded, was overtaken and despatched with the tomahawk.  The number of those who escaped and got into the fort, out of the whole detachment, was considerably below two hundred.  Had the orders which colonel Dudley received, been duly regarded, or a proper degree of judgment exercised on the occasion, the day would certainly have been an important one for the country, and a glorious one for the army.  Every thing might have been accomplished agreeably to the wishes and intentions of the general, with the loss of but few men.  When the approach of the detachment under Dudley was reported to Proctor, he supposed it to be the main force of the American army, from which he was apprehensive that he might sustain a total defeat:  he therefore recalled a large portion of his British and Indians from the opposite shore.  They did not arrive, however, in time to partake in the contest on the north side."[A]

[Footnote A:  M’Affee.]

After the fighting had ceased on the fifth, the British general sent a flag to the fort by major Chambers, and his introduction to general Harrison was succeeded by the following significant dialogue: 

“Major Chambers. General Proctor has directed me to demand the surrender of this post.  He wishes to spare the effusion of blood.

“General Harrison. The demand, under present circumstances, is a most extraordinary one.  As general Proctor did not send me a summons to surrender on his first arrival, I had supposed that he believed me determined to do my duty.  His present message indicates an opinion of me that I am at a loss to account for.