406 The Winning of the West 



was led by Wyllys in person, and included the regu 

 lars and a few militia. The rest of the militia com 

 posed the flank columns and marched under their 

 own officers. 



Immediately after crossing the Miami, and reach 

 ing the neighborhood of the town, Indians were 

 seen. The columns were out of touch, and both 

 of those on the flanks pressed forward against small 

 parties of braves, whom they drove before them up 

 the St. Joseph. Heedless of the orders they had 

 received, the militia thus pressed forward, killing 

 and scattering the small parties in their front and 

 losing all connection with the middle column of 

 regulars. Meanwhile the main body of the Indians 

 gathered to assail this column, and overwhelmed 

 it by numbers; whether they had led the militia 

 away by accident or by design is not known. The 

 regulars fought well and died hard, but they were 

 completely cut off, and most of them, including 

 their commander, were slain. A few escaped, and 

 either fled back to camp or up the St. Joseph. 

 Those who took the latter course met the militia 

 returning and informed them of what had hap 

 pened. Soon afterward the victorious Indians them 

 selves appeared, on the opposite side of the St. 

 Joseph, and attempted to force their way across. 

 But the militia were flushed by the easy triumph 

 of the morning and fought well, repulsing the In 

 dians, and finally forcing them to withdraw. They 

 then marched slowly back to the Miami towns, 

 gathered their wounded, arrayed their ranks, and 



