206 HISTORY OF OHIO. 



The enemy left fifteen dead in the open field, but as the 

 principal fighting took place in the woods, about dark — and 

 from appearances, next day, on that portion of the battle 

 ground, from which the enemy had carried off his killed and 

 wounded, his loss must have been very severe. The enemy 

 was commanded by major Reynolds of the regular British 

 army. He had one thousand regulars and four hundred Indi- 

 ans under him, in this contest. 



Our troops were now located in a village where they had 

 all the necessaries of life, and many of its comforts. The 

 wounded were well accommodated and faithfully nursed. 



Lewis informed Winchester of his success on the night af- 

 ter the battle, the express reaching the rapids before daylight 

 next morning. This news inflamed the minds of our troops at 

 the rapids, with a determination to march forward and sus- 

 tain the advanced corps, now though victorious, evidently in 

 peril, from its vicinity to the British head quarters, only eigh- 

 teen miles distant from Frenchtown. General Winchester, 

 with two hundred and fifty men, which were all that could be 

 spared from the rapids, on the evening of the 19th of January, 

 marched directly towards Frenchtown where he arrived on 

 the evening of the 20th. On the right of Lewis's encamp- 

 ment, in an open lot of ground, Winchester on his arrival 

 posted his two hundred and fifty men. Lewis had encamped 

 where he was protected from small arms by garden pickets. 



On the south side of the river, three hundred yards distant 

 from his army, lying on the north side of the river, Winches- 

 ter took up his quarters for the night. That same evening, 

 the 20th, a Frenchman came from Maiden to Winchester, 

 and informed him that a large force amounting to three thou- 

 sand men was on the point of leaving the enemy's head quar- 

 ters, for Frenchtown. To this news, Winchester paid no at- 

 tention. A most fatal security prevailed in our army ; many 

 of the soldiers wandered about the town, until a late hour at 

 night. On the next night, guards were stationed as usual, 

 but no guard was placed on the road leading to Maiden. On 

 this road, unmolested and unobserved by our troops, the ene- 



