﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  45 
  

  

  afford 
  some 
  provisions, 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   need, 
  overruled 
  the 
  designs 
  of 
  the 
  commander. 
  

  

  Against 
  this 
  stronghold 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  Bienville 
  was 
  

   therefore 
  led, 
  powerless 
  to 
  inflict 
  damage 
  on 
  an 
  enemy 
  

   thus 
  j)i'otected, 
  whilst 
  the 
  assailants 
  were 
  exposed 
  and 
  

   galled 
  by 
  an 
  incessant 
  shower 
  of 
  balls, 
  which, 
  however, 
  

   was 
  sustained 
  for 
  several 
  hours, 
  when, 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  

   best 
  officers 
  being 
  killed 
  or 
  disabled, 
  a 
  retreat 
  was 
  or- 
  

   dered, 
  after 
  a 
  loss 
  of 
  thirty-two 
  killed 
  and 
  sixty-one 
  

   wounded. 
  

  

  The 
  French 
  did 
  not 
  renew 
  the 
  attack. 
  The 
  followimr 
  

   day 
  the 
  Choctaws 
  had 
  some 
  desultory 
  skirmishing 
  with 
  

   the 
  enemy, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  29th 
  the 
  army 
  commenced 
  its 
  

   retreat 
  for 
  the 
  landing-place, 
  where 
  it 
  arrived 
  on 
  the 
  

   third 
  day 
  with 
  the 
  wounded. 
  After 
  distributing 
  the 
  

   remainder 
  of 
  his 
  goods 
  to 
  his 
  Choctaw 
  allies, 
  Bienville 
  

   re-embarked 
  his 
  troops, 
  floated 
  down 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  re- 
  

   turned 
  to 
  New 
  Orleans 
  ; 
  thus 
  terminating 
  a 
  most 
  disas- 
  

   trous 
  expedition, 
  reflecting 
  the 
  deepest 
  disgrace 
  upon 
  

   the 
  French 
  arms, 
  the 
  prowess 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  lowered 
  im- 
  

   measurably 
  in 
  the 
  estimation 
  of 
  the 
  savage 
  foe. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  mean 
  time, 
  the 
  gallant 
  but 
  unfortunate 
  D'Arta- 
  

   guette, 
  suffering 
  with 
  his 
  wounds, 
  had 
  been 
  kept 
  a 
  pri- 
  

   soner, 
  with 
  his 
  captured 
  companions, 
  under 
  the 
  belief 
  

   that 
  their 
  ransom 
  would 
  secure 
  favorable 
  terms 
  from 
  

   Bienville, 
  of 
  whose 
  imposing 
  force, 
  on 
  its 
  approach, 
  they 
  

   were 
  in 
  great 
  dread. 
  When 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  

   been 
  repulsed, 
  and 
  had 
  ingloriously 
  withdrawn, 
  these 
  

   gallant 
  men 
  were 
  brought 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  plain, 
  and 
  D'Ar- 
  

   taguette. 
  Father 
  Senac, 
  and 
  fifteen 
  others 
  were 
  burned 
  

   alive. 
  A 
  sergeant 
  of 
  D'Artaguette's 
  party 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   obtaining 
  his 
  liberty, 
  reached 
  New 
  Orleans 
  on 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  

   July, 
  and 
  made 
  known 
  the 
  fate 
  of 
  his 
  gallant 
  commander. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  unfortunate 
  expedition 
  

  

  