﻿4S 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  D'Novnii, 
  \vlio 
  Avas 
  sent 
  into 
  the 
  nation, 
  sncceeded 
  in 
  

   engaging 
  thirty-two 
  ont 
  of 
  forty-two 
  villages 
  in 
  tlie 
  

   French 
  cnnse, 
  and 
  parties 
  of 
  warriors 
  M'ore 
  formed 
  to 
  

   nnite 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  expedition 
  now 
  on 
  foot. 
  

  

  In 
  Anii'nst, 
  1730, 
  D'Xovan, 
  with 
  the 
  advance 
  i;-nard 
  of 
  

   the 
  army, 
  arrived 
  near 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  city 
  of 
  

   Memphis, 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  rendezvons 
  appointed 
  ; 
  the 
  troops 
  

   from 
  Illinois 
  and 
  Canada, 
  inclnding 
  a 
  company 
  of 
  cadets 
  

   nnder 
  Celeron, 
  soon 
  after 
  joined 
  him, 
  and 
  whilst 
  await- 
  

   inu' 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  bodv 
  of 
  the 
  armv, 
  erected 
  a 
  

   fort 
  called 
  Assnmption. 
  

  

  Bienville, 
  leaving 
  New 
  Orleans 
  on 
  the 
  12th 
  of 
  Sep- 
  

   tember, 
  claims 
  mnch 
  credit 
  for 
  the 
  celerity 
  of 
  his 
  move- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  arriviniT 
  with 
  his 
  armv 
  in 
  onlv 
  two 
  months. 
  

  

  Much 
  precious 
  time 
  had 
  already 
  been 
  lost 
  ; 
  the 
  troops 
  

   fresh 
  from 
  Europe, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  more 
  northern 
  districts, 
  

   exposed 
  for 
  months 
  during 
  the 
  most 
  sickly 
  season 
  to 
  the 
  

   miasma 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bottom, 
  became 
  fatally 
  diseased, 
  and 
  

   a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  perished. 
  

  

  Bienville's 
  foi*ce, 
  when 
  reviewed 
  after 
  his 
  arrival 
  on 
  

   the 
  12th 
  of 
  November, 
  amounted 
  to 
  twelve 
  hundred 
  

   white 
  men, 
  and 
  two 
  thousand 
  four 
  hundred 
  Indians. 
  

   Yet, 
  with 
  this 
  imposing 
  force, 
  under 
  the 
  pretence 
  of 
  

   seeking 
  a 
  practicable 
  road 
  to 
  the 
  Chickasaw 
  towns, 
  the 
  

   armv 
  remained 
  here 
  inactive 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  indecision 
  

   until 
  February, 
  1740, 
  when, 
  their 
  provisions 
  becoming 
  

   nearly 
  exhausted, 
  a 
  council 
  of 
  war. 
  composed 
  of 
  the 
  

   principal 
  otlicers 
  of 
  the 
  expedition, 
  decided 
  that, 
  under 
  

   all 
  the 
  untoward 
  citvumstances, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  Jiazardhxj 
  

   the 
  reputation 
  of 
  the 
  Txinijs 
  arms 
  to 
  march 
  against 
  the 
  

   enemy. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  feature 
  of 
  this 
  aifair 
  was 
  that, 
  

   after 
  the 
  principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  army 
  had 
  moved 
  oft' 
  down 
  

   the 
  Mississippi, 
  Celeron 
  led 
  his 
  company 
  of 
  cadets, 
  to- 
  

  

  