ere again fired
on. And so we kept them running from one line to the other, constantly
under a heavy fire, until we had killed upwards of four hundred of them.
They fought with guns and also with their bows and arrows, but at length
they made their escape through a part of our line, which was made up of
drafted militia. We lost fifteen of our men, as brave fellows as ever
lived or died. We buried them all in one grave, and started back to our
fort, but before we got there two more of our men died with wounds they
had received.

We now remained at the fort a few days, but as no provisions came, we
were all liable to perish. The weather also began to get very cold, our
clothes were nearly worn out, and our horses getting very feeble and
poor; so we proposed to General Jackson to let us return home, get fresh
horses and fresh clothing, and so be prepared for another campaign. The
sixty days for which we had enlisted had long gone out. The General,
however, issued his orders against it. Nevertheless, we began to fix for
a start home, but the General placed his cannon on a bridge we had to
cross, and ordered out his regulars and drafted men to keep us from
passing. But when the militia started to guard the bridge, they would
shout back to us to bring their knapsacks along when we came, for they
wanted to go as bad as we did. We moved on till we reached the bridge,
where the General's men were all strung along on both sides, but we all
had our flints ready picked, and our guns ready, so that if we were
fired upon, we might fight our way through or all die together. When we
came still nearer the bridge, we heard the guards cocking their guns,
and we did the same; but not a gun was fired nor a life lost. When we
had passed the bridge, no further attempt was made to stop us. The
General said we were the worst volunteers he had ever seen. That we
would volunteer and go out and fight, and then that we would volunteer
and go home again in spite of the devil.

After we had procured fresh horses and a more suitable supply of
clothing, a few of us pushed on to the army again. I joined Major
Russell's company of spies and overtook General Jackson, where we
established Fort Williams. Then we pushed on to the Horseshoe bend of
the Tallapoosa River, where we began to find Indian signs in plenty.

Here we struck up camp for the night; but about two hours before day we
heard our guard firing and were all up in little or no time. We mended