146 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
tion. During the night Indians were discovered lurking about, and 
the camp was placed on the alert two hours before daybreak. While 
it was yet dark one of the pickets was surprised and driven in with 
the loss of its commanding officer and several men. This was followed 
by a general attack on the right flank and rear, during which the as- 
sailants directed much of their fire upon the horses, causing indescrib- 
able tumult and confusion. As soon as daylight returned they retired, 
having so roughly handled Campbell’s force in the course of an hour 
that he abandoned his design of advancing against their principal 
village about twelve miles farther on and decided to return to Greenville 
at once. He had lost two officers and six men killed and four officers 
and forty-four men wounded, besides 107 horses killed and many 
wounded. His departure was hastened by a false report that the 
redoubtable Tecumseh, with several hundred warriors, was not far 
distant. Many men were suffering from frost-bites, and there was a 
danger that their provisions would be exhausted before they could 
obtain a fresh supply, as their movement must be necessarily slow, on 
account of the wounded and many dismounted men. An officer was 
accordingly despatched in haste to request that a reinforcement with 
supplies should be sent forward to meet them. During the retreat, 
whenever they encamped they surrounded their position with a strong 
breastwork, and one-third of the entire force was placed on guard. 
Several of the wounded died of exposure, and when at length they 
arrived at Greenville, fully three hundred men were found to be disabled 
from further duty. Of Gerrard’s company, which had marched out 
with seventy-two effectives, only seven remained fit for service on the 
last day of December. Simrall’s regiment was so much reduced that 
it was at once disbanded. The expedition had resulted in the destruc- 
tion of Harrison’s cavalry without inflicting any serious loss upon the 
Indians. He was so greatly disappointed that he undertook a special 
journey from Lower Sandusky to Chillicothe for the purpose of pro- 
posing to Meigs to despatch a body of Ohio troops to destroy the re- 
maining villages. When this plan was rejected, he advised Winchester 
to abandon his intention of advancing to the rapids and fall back to 
Fort Jennings.’ He attempted to conceal his failure by the publica- 
tion of a general order announcing that Campbell’s operations had 
been attended with complete success. 
Yet the paralyzing effect of the mud had so greatly discouraged 
him that he broadly hinted to the Secretary of War that it might be 
expedient to defer any further advance until a sufficient naval force 
could be created to protect the movement of his supplies by the lake. 
' Armstrong I, 65-8; McAfee, 177-82; Atherton, 28-9. 
