he messengers had been despatched by Herkimer on the evening of the
5th, and he had calculated that they would reach the fort at a very
early hour in the morning. Through some delay, they did not reach it
until between ten and eleven o'clock. Gansevoort instantly complied
with the message. Three signal-guns were fired, and Colonel Willet, of
the New York Continentals, with two hundred and fifty men and an iron
three-pounder was detached to make a diversion by attacking that part
of the enemy's camp occupied by Johnson and his royalists. The delay
of the messengers in the night, however, disconcerted the plan of
Herkimer. He marshalled his troops by daybreak and waited for the
signal-guns. Hour after hour elapsed, but no gun was heard. His
officers became impatient of delay, and urged an immediate march.
Colonels Cox and Paris were particularly urgent for an advance. Paris
was a prominent man in Tryon County, and member of the committee of
safety, and in compliance with the wishes of that committee,
accompanied Herkimer as his volunteer aide. Losing his temper in the
dispute, he accused the latter of being either a tory or a coward.
"No," replied the brave old man, "I feel toward you all as a father,
and will not lead you into a scrape from which I cannot extricate
you." His discretion, however, was overpowered by repeated taunts, and
he at length, about nine o'clock, gave the word to march.

The march was rather dogged and irregular. There was ill-humor between
the general and his officers. About ten o'clock they came to a place
where the road was carried on a causeway of logs across a deep marshy
ravine, between high level banks. The main division descended into the
ravine, followed by the baggage-wagons. They had scarcely crossed it,
when the enemies suddenly sprang up in front and on each side with
deadly volleys of musketry and deafening yells and war-whoops. In
fact, St. Leger, apprised by his scouts of their intended approach,
had sent a force [of Johnson's greens, rangers, and Indians] to waylay
them. The rear-guard, which had not entered the ravine, retreated. The
main body, though thrown into confusion, defended themselves bravely.
One of those severe conflicts ensued, common in Indian warfare, where
the combatants take post with their rifles behind rock and tree, or
come to deadly struggle with knife and tomahawk.

The veteran Herkimer was wounded early in the action. A musket ball
shattered his leg just belo