1896-97-] BRANT IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 259 



officers and about thirty privates of the Continentals were killed or taken 

 in their quarters, besides many of the militia. The remainder scurried 

 into the fort and hurriedly shut the gates upon their pursuers. A block- 

 house close by was taken and burnt, but it was useless to attack the fort 

 itself without artillery. 



With mingled dismay and horror Butler then beheld many of the 

 Indians break away from their officers and disperse in all directions, 

 killing numbers of the miserable inhabitants and plundering and burn- 

 ing their houses. This wretched misconduct forced him to draw 

 together his little party of white troops to overawe and hold in check 

 the exasperated garrison, who, by a bold sally, might easily have 

 revenged all their losses. Seizing a spot of high ground near the fort, 

 he was obliged to remain on guard the whole day, exposed to a cease- 

 less, chilling rain, while revolting scenes of slaughter were being enacted 

 in the settlement around. When night at length descended upon this 

 dismal tragedy, Butler retired a mile and rescued some of the survivors, 

 who were placed under a strong guard to protect them. Already most 

 of the buildings throughout the length and breadth of the valley had 

 been destroyed and many cattle killed or driven off. In the morning 

 Captain John Macdonnell (afterwards the first speaker of the Legislative 

 Assembly of Upper Canada), with a party of Rangers, and Brant with 

 fifty Indians, returned to complete the work of desolation, covered by 

 Butler himself, with the main body of the Rangers, while the remainder 

 of the Indians were sent away in disgrace. 



" I have much to lament," Butler frankly admitted, in his report to 

 Colonel Bolton, " that notwithstanding my utmost precautions and 

 endeavours to save the women and children, I could not prev^ent some 

 of them falling victims to the fury of the savages. They have carried 

 off many of the inhabitants and killed more, among them Colin Cloyd, a 

 very violent rebel. I could not prevail on the Indians to leave the 

 women and children behind, though the second morning Captain John- 

 son (to whose knowledge of the Indians, and address in managing 

 them, I am much indebted), and I got them to permit twelve who were 

 loyalists, and whom I had concealed, with the humane assistance of Mr. 

 Joseph Brant and Captain Jacobs, of Ochquaga, to return. The death 

 of the women and children on this occasion may, I believe, be truly 

 ascribed to the rebels having falsely accused the Indians of cruelty at 

 Wyoming. This has much exasperated them, and they were still more 

 incensed at finding that the colonel, and those who had then laid down 

 their arms, soon after marching into their country intending to destroy 

 their villages, and they declared they would be no more falsely accused 



