St. Clair and Wayne 65 



a struggle as that in which they were engaged. 

 They were hemmed in by foes who showed no 

 mercy and whose blows they could in no way return. 

 If they charged they could not overtake the Indians ; 

 and the instant the charge stopped the Indians came 

 back. If they stood they were shot down by an un- 

 seen enemy ; and there was no stronghold, no refuge 

 to which to flee. The Indian attack was relentless, 

 and could neither be avoided, parried, nor met by 

 counter assault. For two hours or so the troops 

 kept up a slowly lessening resistance ; but by degrees 

 their hearts failed. The wounded had been brought 

 toward the middle of the lines, where the baggage 

 and tents were, and an ever growing proportion of 

 un wounded men joined them. In vain the officers 

 tried, by encouragement, by jeers, by blows, to drive 

 them back to the fight. They were unnerved. As 

 in all cases where large bodies of men are put in 

 imminent peril of death, whether by shipwreck, 

 plague, fire, or violence, numbers were swayed by 

 a mad panic of utterly selfish fear, and others be- 

 came numbed and callous, or snatched at any animal 

 gratification during their last moments. Many 

 soldiers crowded round the fires and stood stunned 

 and confounded by the awful calamity; many broke 

 into the officers' marquees and sought for drink, or 

 devoured the food which the rightful owners had 

 left when the drums beat to arms. 



There was but one thing to do. If possible the 

 remnant of the army must be saved, and it could 

 only be saved by instant flight, even at the cost of 



