74 The Winning of the West 



two regular regiments, the only trustworthy por- 

 tion of his force, on the eve of the battle. He 

 should never have posted the militia, his poorest 

 troops, in the most exposed situation. Above all 

 he should have seen that the patrols and pickets 

 were so numerous and performed their duty so 

 faithfully as to preclude the possibility of surprise. 

 With the kind of army furnished him he could 

 hardly have won a victory under any circumstances ; 

 but the overwhelming nature of the defeat was 

 mainly due to his incompetence. 



