﻿70 
  HISTOEICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  foreign 
  rulers, 
  and 
  feeling 
  a 
  false 
  confidence 
  in 
  their 
  

   superior 
  force, 
  and 
  having 
  little 
  else 
  to 
  employ 
  them, 
  the 
  

   people 
  ran 
  to 
  arms 
  in 
  a 
  spirit 
  of 
  reckless 
  frolic 
  and 
  

   bravado, 
  without 
  duly 
  considering 
  their 
  true 
  situation, 
  

   and 
  the 
  great 
  evils 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  exposing 
  them- 
  

   selves. 
  

  

  An 
  old 
  damaged 
  field-piece, 
  ploughed 
  up 
  at 
  the 
  French 
  

   Meadows 
  on 
  the 
  St. 
  Catharine's, 
  probably 
  left 
  there 
  by 
  

   the 
  French 
  at 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  Natchez 
  massacre, 
  and 
  

   two 
  swivels, 
  captured 
  from 
  a 
  boat 
  ascending 
  the 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi, 
  which 
  w^as 
  waylaid 
  below 
  Natchez, 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  

   where 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  compelled 
  the 
  crew 
  to 
  

   land, 
  were 
  mounted 
  near 
  Row's 
  house 
  to 
  the 
  southeast 
  

   of 
  the 
  fort, 
  where 
  the 
  assailants 
  were 
  protected 
  by 
  a 
  

   deep 
  ravine. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  attack 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  against 
  the 
  

   fort, 
  Blomart 
  being 
  in 
  command, 
  aided 
  by 
  Captain 
  Win- 
  

   frey 
  and 
  Lieutenant 
  Smith. 
  A 
  small 
  house, 
  behind 
  

   which 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  besiegers 
  had 
  sheltered 
  themselves, 
  

   was 
  demolished 
  by 
  the 
  guns 
  of 
  the 
  fort, 
  and 
  a 
  shot 
  from 
  

   the 
  assailants 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  commandant's 
  house 
  

   in 
  the 
  fort, 
  and 
  a 
  corporal 
  in 
  the 
  garrison 
  was 
  killed, 
  

   the 
  only 
  life 
  lost, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  during 
  the 
  attack. 
  

  

  The 
  fort 
  was 
  strong, 
  the 
  ramparts 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  feet 
  

   thick, 
  of 
  solid 
  earth, 
  and 
  protected 
  by 
  a 
  stockade 
  of 
  

   thick 
  cypress 
  timber. 
  The 
  guns 
  of 
  the 
  assailants 
  were 
  

   too 
  light, 
  and 
  at 
  too 
  great 
  a 
  distance 
  to 
  do 
  much 
  damage, 
  

   and 
  the 
  siege 
  was 
  continued 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  week 
  with 
  

   more 
  noise 
  than 
  effect, 
  when 
  an 
  emissary 
  or 
  spy 
  of 
  the 
  

   insurgents 
  found 
  means 
  to 
  introduce 
  himself 
  into 
  the 
  

   fort, 
  and 
  represented 
  to 
  the 
  commandant 
  that 
  the 
  fort 
  

   was 
  undermined 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  blown 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  as 
  if 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   some 
  proceeding 
  in 
  a 
  deep 
  ravine 
  which 
  ran 
  near 
  the 
  

  

  