4 THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY: 
taken by Spain in favor of the independence of the United 
States; the friendship of Spain in this instance,"being due 
more to hatred and jealousy of England, than’ any sincere 
love for the struggling American republic. The attack 
was planned as a surprise, and was so far successful in find- 
ing the inefficient military forces unprepared for defence. 
The date of the attack as given by Nicolet was May 6th, 
1780. The Spanish garrison consisting of not more than 
sixty men, did little or nothing in the way of defence, which 
was resolutely made by the inhabitants of the place, inelud- 
ing both men and women. The number of the assailants 
was estimated at nearly one thousand. The resistance was 
so vigorously conducted that the attacking force was obliged 
to retreat, and in so doing, wreaked their vengeance on the 
unprotected outside settlements, when not less than sixty 
persons were killed, and thirteen taken prisoners. This de- 
fence of St. Louis, which if the attack has been successful, 
would have involved according to the experience of those 
times an indiscriminate slaughter of its inhabitants, has 
been partly ascribed to an active interferance by American 
troops, then in possession of the British forts on the east 
bank of the river, but according to Mr. Nicolet, there is no 
reliable evidence in support of this statement, though doubt- 
less, Americans, in their private capacity as citizens of St. 
Louis, took a prominent part in resisting the attack. 
The capture and retention of the British forts in the Illi- 
nois country, and on the Wabash, was a 
planned and successfully carried out by Col. George R. Clark, 
of Virginia, under written instructions from Patrick Henry, 
the eloquent orator, then governor of that state. Fort 
Kaskaskia was taken by surprise, on the 4th day of July, 
1778, and on the 24th of February following, 1779, the 
British fort at Vincennes was also captured, thus effectually 
putting an end to British military occupation in this portion 
of the west. An interesting detailed 
account of this adven- 
military enterprise, 
