1763, Aug.] DISTRESS OF THE TROOPS. 63 



of the morrow, wrote to Sir Jeffrey Amherst, in a 

 few clear, concise words, an account of the day's 

 events. His letter concludes as follows : " What- 

 ever our fate may be, I thought it necessary to give 

 your Excellency this early information, that you 

 may, at all events, take such measures as you will 

 think proper with the provinces, for their own 

 safety, and the effectual relief of Fort Pitt ; as, in 

 case of another engagement, I fear insurmountable 

 difficulties in protecting and transporting our pro- 

 visions, being already so much weakened by the 

 losses of this day, in men and horses, besides the 

 additional necessity of carrying the wounded, whose 

 situation is truly deplorable." 



The condition of these unhappy men might well 

 awaken sympathy. About sixty soldiers, besides 

 several officers, had been killed or disabled. A 

 space in the centre of the camp was prepared for 

 the reception of the wounded, and surrounded by 

 a wall of flour-bags from the convoy, affording some 

 protection against the bullets which flew from all 

 sides during the fight. Here they lay upon the 

 ground, enduring agonies of thirst, and waiting, 

 passive and helpless, the issue of the battle. De- 

 prived of the animating thought that their lives 

 and safety depended on their own exertions ; sur- 

 rounded by a wilderness, and by scenes to the 

 horror of which no degree of familiarity could 

 render the imagination callous, they must have 

 endured mental sufferings, compared to which the 

 pain of their wounds was slight. In the prob- 

 able event of defeat, a fate inexpressibly horrible 



