﻿44 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  a 
  fort 
  on 
  the 
  Tombigbee, 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  fift}^ 
  miles 
  

   above 
  Mobile, 
  as 
  a 
  depot 
  for 
  his 
  provisions 
  and 
  ammuni- 
  

   tion, 
  with 
  the 
  regular 
  troops 
  at 
  his 
  disposal, 
  two 
  compa- 
  

   nies 
  of 
  militia 
  and 
  nearly 
  fifty 
  negroes 
  officered 
  by 
  free 
  

   blacks, 
  a 
  force 
  amounting 
  altogether 
  to 
  nearly 
  six 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  men, 
  he 
  embarked 
  on 
  the 
  Bayou 
  St. 
  John 
  with 
  

   thirty 
  boats 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  of 
  March, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  arrive 
  at 
  

   the 
  fort 
  on 
  the 
  Tombigbee 
  until 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  April. 
  On 
  

   the 
  4th 
  of 
  May 
  he 
  reached 
  his 
  landing-place 
  within 
  

   twenty-seven 
  miles 
  only 
  of 
  the 
  nearest 
  Chickasaw 
  vil- 
  

   lage 
  ; 
  here 
  the 
  last 
  detachment 
  of 
  his 
  Choctaw 
  auxilia- 
  

   ries 
  joined 
  him, 
  amounting 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  now 
  to 
  twelve 
  

   hundred 
  warriors. 
  Here 
  they 
  loitered, 
  erecting 
  houses 
  

   and 
  stores, 
  within 
  a 
  day's 
  march 
  of 
  the 
  enemy, 
  for 
  more 
  

   than 
  twenty 
  days.* 
  

  

  At 
  last 
  their 
  march 
  commenced, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  following 
  

   day, 
  the 
  26th 
  of 
  May, 
  1736, 
  at 
  noon, 
  the 
  army 
  arrived 
  

   before 
  an 
  entrenched 
  village 
  protected 
  by 
  a 
  strongly 
  

   constructed 
  fort. 
  

  

  The 
  British 
  flag 
  was 
  flying, 
  and 
  several 
  Englishmen 
  

   were 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  fort, 
  which 
  was 
  surrounded 
  by 
  thick 
  

   palisades 
  pierced 
  with 
  loopholes 
  for 
  firing 
  through 
  ; 
  and 
  

   within, 
  the 
  Indians 
  were 
  further 
  protected 
  by 
  trenches, 
  

   from 
  which 
  they 
  could 
  securely 
  fire 
  without 
  exposing 
  

   themselves 
  to 
  the 
  shot 
  of 
  their 
  assailants. 
  

  

  Bienville 
  wished 
  to 
  avoid 
  this 
  village, 
  and 
  attack 
  a 
  

   neighboring 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Natchez, 
  against 
  whom 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   pedition 
  was 
  chiefly 
  designed 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  Choctaws, 
  sup- 
  

   posing 
  this 
  town 
  would 
  yield 
  the 
  most 
  plunder 
  and 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  landing-place 
  and 
  depot 
  of 
  Bienville 
  was 
  doubtless 
  at 
  the 
  

   point 
  now 
  known 
  as 
  Cotton-gin 
  Port. 
  Since 
  the 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  inhabitants, 
  two 
  small 
  field-pieces 
  and 
  a 
  box 
  

   of 
  bullets 
  have 
  been 
  here 
  recovered 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  into 
  which 
  they 
  

   were 
  probably 
  thrown 
  on 
  the 
  retreat 
  of 
  the 
  French 
  army. 
  

  

  