﻿HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  47 
  

  

  wouncledj 
  were 
  the 
  Chevalier 
  d'Noyan, 
  the 
  nephew 
  of 
  

   Bienville, 
  who 
  led 
  the 
  attack, 
  D'Hautrive, 
  Grondel, 
  and 
  

   others. 
  It 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  Bienville 
  to 
  say 
  

   that 
  he 
  alleged, 
  in 
  defence 
  of 
  his 
  retreat, 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  

   reason 
  to 
  apprehend 
  the 
  desertion 
  of 
  the 
  Choctaws, 
  and 
  

   could 
  place 
  no 
  reliance 
  upon 
  the 
  cowardly 
  vagabonds 
  

   who 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  hiin 
  as 
  soldiers, 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  whom 
  

   were 
  five 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  under 
  that 
  

   stature. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  expedition 
  against 
  the 
  unsubdued 
  Chicka- 
  

   saws 
  was 
  recommended 
  to 
  the 
  French 
  government 
  by 
  

   Bienville, 
  to 
  proceed 
  up 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  instead 
  of 
  by 
  

   the 
  more 
  direct 
  and 
  truly 
  less 
  objectionable 
  route 
  up 
  the 
  

   Tombigbee, 
  formerly 
  pursued, 
  to 
  be 
  undertaken 
  when 
  

   the 
  proper 
  force, 
  and 
  an 
  armament 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  object, 
  

   could 
  be 
  furnished. 
  

  

  The 
  plan 
  was 
  approved, 
  and, 
  after 
  considerable 
  delay, 
  

   Bienville 
  was 
  supplied 
  with 
  artillery, 
  arms, 
  ammunition, 
  

   and 
  provisions, 
  and 
  seven 
  hundred 
  men. 
  With 
  these 
  

   was 
  M. 
  de 
  Noailles 
  d'Aime, 
  with 
  bombardiers, 
  cannoniers, 
  

   and 
  miners, 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  this 
  second 
  expedition 
  if 
  

   deemed 
  of 
  absolute 
  utility. 
  

  

  D'Noailles 
  was 
  especially 
  recommended 
  "as 
  having 
  

   the 
  necessary 
  talents 
  and 
  experience 
  to 
  command," 
  an 
  

   intimation 
  that 
  implied 
  a 
  doubt 
  very 
  mortifying 
  to 
  Bien- 
  

   ville 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  fitness 
  for 
  such 
  service. 
  

  

  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1739 
  was 
  occupied 
  with 
  

   preparations 
  for 
  this 
  expedition. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  mean 
  time, 
  the 
  Choctaws 
  had 
  become 
  somewhat 
  

   disaffected, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  espoused 
  the 
  English 
  

   interest. 
  This 
  produced 
  a 
  civil 
  war 
  among 
  them, 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  French 
  party 
  were 
  predominant, 
  and 
  contin- 
  

   ued 
  to 
  harass 
  the 
  Chickasaws; 
  and 
  the 
  English 
  traders 
  

   were 
  plundered 
  and 
  put 
  to 
  flight. 
  

  

  