In the Current of the Revolution 277 



Before daylight on the loth small parties of 

 hunters had, as usual, left Lewis' camp. Two of 

 these men, from Russell's company, after having 

 gone somewhat over a mile, came upon a large 

 party of Indians; one was killed, and the survivor 

 ran back at full speed to give the alarm, telling 

 those in camp that he had seen five acres of ground 

 covered with Indians as thick as they could stand. 26 



Almost immediately afterward two men of Shel- 

 by's company, one being no less a person than 

 Robertson himself, and the other Valentine, a 

 brother of John Sevier, also stumbled upon the 

 advancing Indians; being very wary and active 

 men, they both escaped, and reached camp almost 

 as soon as the other. 



Instantly the drums beat to arms, 27 and the back- 

 woodsmen, lying out in the open, rolled in their 

 blankets, started from the ground, looked to their 



greater, without any authority; Shelby estimates ft at be- 

 tween eight hundred and one thousand. Smith, who gener- 

 ally gives the Indian side, says that on this occasion they 

 were nearly as numerous as the whites. Smyth, who bitterly 

 hates the Americans, and always belittles their deeds, puts 

 the number of Indians at nine hundred ; he would certainly 

 make it as small as possible. So the above estimate is prob- 

 ably pretty near the truth, though it is of course impossible 

 to be accurate. At any rate, it was the only important en- 

 gagement fought by the English or American against the 

 Northwestern Indians in which there was a near approach to 

 equality of force. 



26 Campbell MSS. Shelby's letter. Their names were 

 Mooney and Hickman; the latter was killed. Most histo- 

 rians have confused these two men with the two others who 

 discovered the Indians at almost the same time. 



27 "Am. Archives," IV, Vol. I, p. 1017. 



