them. Shelby had rallied those that were left of his column and
marched them to Dudley's aid; but they only participated in the
confusion and flight. That became a precipitate and disorderly rout,
and the greater part of Dudley's command were killed or captured.
Dudley himself was overtaken, tomahawked, and scalped. Of the 800 who
followed him from the boats, only 170 escaped to Fort Meigs. Captain
Combs and his spies were among those who were taken and marched to
Fort Miami as prisoners of war."
"Oh, how dreadful it all was!" sighed Grace. "I hope the other two
parties had better success."
"Yes," her father said; "while what I have just been telling you was
taking place on the left bank of the river, General Clay had tried to
land the six remaining boats under his command nearly opposite the
spot where Dudley had debarked with his; but the current, swollen by
the heavy rains, was very swift, and drove five of them ashore. The
sixth, in which were General Clay and Captain Peter Dudley, with fifty
men, separated from the rest, kept the stream, and finally landed on
the eastern bank of the river opposite to Hollister's Island. There
they were fired upon by round-shot from the batteries opposite and by
a crowd of Indians on the left flank of the fort.
"Clay and his party returned the attack of the Indians with spirit,
and reached the fort without the loss of a man.
"Colonel Boswell's command landed near Turkey Point. The same Indians
who fired upon Clay and his men now attacked these. Boswell and his
men marched boldly over the low plain, fought the savages on the
slopes and brow of the high plateau most gallantly, and reached the
fort without much loss. He was greeted with shouts of applause and
thanks, and met by a sallying party coming out to join him in a prompt
attack upon that portion of the enemy whom he had just been fighting.
There was only a moment's delay. Then they went out, fell upon the
savages furiously, drove them half a mile into the woods at the point
of the bayonet, and utterly routed them. So zealous were the victors
that they would in all probability have made the same mistake that
poor Dudley did, had not Harrison, watching them through a spyglass,
on one of his batteries, and seeing a body of British and Indians
gliding swiftly along the borders of the wood, sent an aide to recall
them. He--the aide--was a gallant young fellow, and though he had a
horse shot under him, he succeeded in commu
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