120 HISTORY OF OHIO. 



grass near the garrison. Having thus secreted themselves, in 

 the high weeds and grass, they rattled the horse bells, at the 

 end of the line of those farthest from the fort, who formed this 

 ambuscade. The stratagem succeeded perfectly: sixteen men, 

 from the fort, were sent out for the horses, and of these, four- 

 teen, were killed by the Indians, the other two, were made prison- 

 ers, and but only one of them returned, after the peace, or was 

 ever heard from by his friends. 



On the evening of the same day, the Indians, marched 

 slowly, in single file, across the prairie, in full view of our people 

 in fort Lawrens. Dressed and painted, in their best war style 

 they thus marched along, in full view, to the number of eight 

 hundred and forty seven warriors. Having shown themselves, 

 they took their position on a high piece of ground, on the oppo- 

 site side of the river, south of the now town of Bolivar, and 

 so near the garrison, that they could be heard distinctly, and 

 easily from the fort. This body of Indians continued to invest 

 the fort, during six weeks, at the end of which time, they pre- 

 tended to go off, but, in reality, divided into small parties, they 

 continued in the vicinity, for the purpose of doing mischief, 

 more effectually, in which, the;/ but too well succeeded. Colo- 

 nel Gibson and his men, supposing the Indians to be gone off, 

 started off Colonel Clark, of the Pennsylvania line, with some 

 twelve or more invalids, to Fort Mcintosh, but being way- 

 laid, the most of them were killed by the Indians, about two 

 miles from the fort. The Colonel and three others, saved their 

 lives, by running to the garrison. A party from the fort, on 

 the same evening, made a sortie and recovered the dead bodies 

 of the invalids, and buried them in front of the gate, at the fort. 



Three or four days after this disaster, General Mcin- 

 tosh, with seven hundred men, arrived, bringing provisions. 

 Overjoyed at the sight of this relief, Gibson's command, 

 fired volleys, of firearms in honor of the occasion. The pro- 

 visions were on packhorses, and these horses taking fright 

 at the firing of the guns, ran off into the woods, and scat- 

 tered the provisions through the forest and prairies, far and 

 wide all around the fort. Thus it was mostly lost or fell into 



