1901-2.] Joseph Brant in the American Revolution. 395 



Nations will continue to kill and devastate the whole length of the 

 river we formerly resided on. 



" I greet your wife. I hope she is still well and that you yourself 

 may also be well." 



On the same day that this letter was written Sullivan was joined by 

 Clinton's brigade which floated down the Tioga on the crest of an 

 artificial freshet they had created by damming that river near its source, 

 and increased his force to above 5,000 effective men. The Indians 

 became panic-stricken at the appearance of such an overwhelming army 

 which was attended by a multitude of packhorse drivers and boatmen, 

 and the majority seemed to think only of placing their families and 

 moveable property in a place of safety. Butler bitterly complained that 

 he was unable to assemble more than 300 warriors to resist the enemy's 

 advance when their chiefs had promised to join him with at least a 

 thousand. He had brought with him from Niagara to their support 

 about three hundred of his corps of rangers and fourteen volunteers 

 from the detachment of the 8th or King's Regiment then stationed at 

 that post. With this comparatively small force be kept up a show of 

 confidence and assured the faltering chiefs that he hoped to repel the 

 invaders with the rangers, assisted only by their brethren led by Brant 

 even if they declined to come to his assistance. 



On August 27th, he advanced a few miles nearer the enemy's camp 

 and occupied a position selected by the Delawares as the place where 

 they should await an attack. It was a ridge extending from the river 

 to the foot of the mountain and covered in front by a large creek, but 

 was much too extensive to be held by so small a force. The defence of 

 the right flank in the low ground next the river was entrusted to 

 Captain John Macdonnell with sixty rangers assisted by Brant with 

 thirty volunteers from the loyalists and Indians. 



Two days later Sullivan advanced and after cannonading their 

 position for several hours turned their left flank when the Indians in 

 that part of the field made such a precipitate retreat that the rangers 

 and Brant's volunteers were nearly surrounded before they became 

 aware of this movement and forced to disperse to eflect their escape 

 which they succeeded in doing with slight loss. 



The Indians were so thoroughly dispirited by this affair, which was 

 called by the Americans the battle of Newtown, although they had lost 

 only five men killed and nine wounded, that they could not be induced 

 to make another stand even by the influence and example of Brant and 



