35 2 The Winning of the West 



and the startled troops began a disorderly retreat, 

 firing at random. Col. Hammond rallied about 

 twenty of the coolest, and, ordering them to reserve 

 their fire, he charged the fence from behind which 

 the heaviest hostile fire came. When up to it they 

 shot into the dark figures crouching behind it, and 

 jumping over charged home. The Indians immedi- 

 ately fled, leaving one dead and three wounded in 

 the hands of the whites. The action was over; 

 but the by-no-means-reassured victors had lost five 

 men mortally and thirteen severely wounded, and 

 were still rather nervous. At daybreak Williamson 

 destroyed the houses near by, and started to cross 

 the ford. But his men, in true militia style, had 

 become sulky and mutinous, and refused to cross, 

 until Col. Hammond swore he would go alone, and 

 plunged into the river, followed by three volunteers, 

 whereupon the whole army crowded after. The 

 revulsion in their feelings was instantaneous; once 

 across they seemed to have left all fear as well as all 

 prudence behind. On the hither side there had been 

 no getting them to advance; on the further there 

 was no keeping them together, and they scattered 

 everywhere. Luckily the Indians were too few to 

 retaliate; and besides the Cherokees were not good 

 marksmen, using so little powder in their guns that 

 they made very ineffective weapons. After all 

 the houses had been burned, and some six thousand 

 bushels of corn, besides peas and beans, destroyed, 

 Williamson returned to his camp. Next day he 

 renewed his advance, and sent out detachments 



