126 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



}t was necessary to attempt an immediate re- 

 lief. Geneial Herkimer, a man of miich influx 

 pnce in Tryon county, marched to its relief 

 "U'ith eight hundred militia. St. Ledger had 

 with him seven hundred Indian warriors, with 

 their wives and children, and others ; amount- 

 ing in the whole, to nearly fourteen hundred per- 

 sons. Sir John Johnson was detached with 

 some regulars, his own regiment, and all the 

 Indians, to lie in ambush in the woods, and in- 

 tercept the militia. Herkimer fell into the snare, 

 and was surprised, August the sixth ; but his 

 men at their first fire killed several of the In- 

 dian chiefs. Discipline and order in Johnson's 

 army was soon lost, and a scene of confusion 

 ensued which exceeded any thing the Indians 

 had ever seen. The white people, consisting of 

 the militia, and Johnson's tory troops, made up 

 of former neighbors and acquaintances, inflamed 

 with mutual hatred, got together in parties of 

 twenty or thirt}^ so near that they could not 

 fire ; pulled, hauled, drew their knives, and 

 stabbed each other. The Indians alarmed with 

 their own loss, became suspicious both of John- 

 son's and Herkimer's men ; and at length by 

 the advice of some of their chieis went to work 

 to butcher all the white people they could find. 

 In the midst of this scene of butchery and 

 slaughter, two hundred and fifty men under the 

 command of lieutenant colonel Willet, sallied 

 out from the fort, and routed two of the Indian 

 and tory encampments ; destroying their provi- 

 sions, kettles, blafikets, cloathing, muskets, tom- 

 ahawks, and five pair of colors. During the 

 confusioUj, themost of the militia escaped i the 



