244 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 43 



for although it was not preciselj' known where the Nachez were, they were 

 supposed beyond doubt to be on the Black, or river of the Ouatchitas, which 

 empties into the lied 10 leagues above its entrance into the Micissipi. 



On the 22d they set out from the Bayagoulas in this order: The army was 

 divided into three battalions or three squadrons. The marines under de Salvert 

 on the right, the militia under de Beuac on the left; the general in the center, 

 having under him the Baron de Cresnay, commandant of the Louysiana troops, 

 the Chevalier d'Artaguette commanding, the grenadier company, the Sieur 

 Baron acting as engineer, and the fusileers. A part of the latter were at the 

 French fort at Natchez, whence Mr. de Lusser was to march with them to 

 Red river. The negroes were scattered in different boats, and the Indians, who 

 had not all assembled yet, were to form a corps by themselves. 



Ou the 27th they had made but little progress, as snows and rain had 

 swollen the river and increased its currents, while the fogs were so dense and 

 continual as to force them every moment to stop. 



This day news came that de Coulonges and de Beaulieu had been attacked by 

 the Natchez and that of 24 men in the French batteau 16 had been killed or 

 wounded ; Beaulieu among the former and Coulonges among the latter. To 

 crown the disastrous intelligence, it was also reported that the Akansas, weary 

 of hearing no tidings of the French force, had gone home. Perrier halted some 

 time at the bay of the Tonicas to assemble the Indians, who had not yet come in ; 

 he was blamed for not having arranged to send them on in advance to blockade 

 the Natchez in their fort ; but he probably had not suthcieut confidence in these 

 Indians to intrust them with a movement on which all the success of the 

 campaign depended.** The Canadian?, who readily blamed everything that was 

 done, since the colony was no longer governed by one of themselves, judged the 

 Louysiana by the Canada Indians, and in this were mistaken. Perrier might 

 have maneuvered differently if he had had Abenaquis, Hurons, Algonquins, and 

 Iroquois to deal with, all Christians [ !], and long domiciliated among us. 



That general rejoined the army at the mouth of Bed river on the 4th of 

 January, 1731, with several Indians, who now amounted to 150 of various 

 nations. He had some days before ordered de Benac to ascend to our Natchez 

 fort to obtain information. He returned ou the 9th without having seen any- 

 thing or heard any intelligence. The same day the Indians and 150 volunteers 

 were detached to take the advance under Captain de Laye of the militia and 

 blockade the Natchez as soon as they were discovered ; but this detachment did 

 not proceed far, the Indians not going willingly on this expedition. On the 11th 

 they ascended Red river, and at noon the next day they entered the Black. The 

 general had commanded the greatest precaution to avoid being discovered by 

 the enemy, but his orders were unavailing, as the Indians, recognizing no 

 authority and observing no discipline, continued to fire, as usual with them, at 

 all game that showed itself, so that it is rather astonishing that they succeeded 

 in finding the enemy in his fort after so long a march and so little secrecy. 



It was on the 20th of January that they discovered the enemy.* Orders were 

 at once given to invest them, and as this was done closely, and they were within 

 speaking distance, the besieged began by invectives. The trenches were opened 

 and skirmishing kept up all day and all night. The next day the mortars and 

 all things necessary for the siege were landed. Some shells were then thrown 

 which fell inside the fort.'' The besieged made a sortie, killed one Frenchman 



"This seems to contradict what Perrier himself says (sec p. 343), but perhaps the 

 blockade he there refers to applies to an earlier date, and had not been maintained. 



"This was done through a Natchez hoy who was surprised by some Frenchmen while 

 fishinj;. — Du Pkatz, Hist, de La Louisiane, iii, 322. 



"^According to (Jayarr*'' tlm two mortars first put in position and which were made of 

 wood soon burst and a tliird luul to be sent for to the boats. — Hist. Louisiana, i, 466. 



