sufferings, until the ensuing Fall, when we received abundance from the
fertile soil.

Towards Spring, we were frequently harassed by Indians; and, in May,
1782, a party assaulted Ashton's station, killed one man, and took
a Negro prisoner. Capt. Ashton, with twenty-five men, pursued, and
overtook the savages, and a smart fight ensued, which lasted two hours;
but they being superior in number, obliged Captain Ashton's party to
retreat, with the loss of eight killed, and four mortally wounded; their
brave commander himself being numbered among the dead.

The Indians continued their hostilities; and, about the tenth of August
following, two boys were taken from Major Hoy's station. This party was
pursued by Capt. Holder and seventeen men, who were also defeated, with
the loss of four men killed, and one wounded. Our affairs became more
and more alarming. Several stations which had lately been erected in the
country were continually infested with savages, stealing their horses
and killing the men at every opportunity. In a field, near Lexington, an
Indian shot a man, and running to scalp him, was himself shot from the
fort, and fell dead upon his enemy.

Every day we experienced recent mischiefs. The barbarous savage nations
of Shawanese, Cherokees, Wyandots, Tawas, Delawares, and several others
near Detroit, united in a war against us, and assembled their choicest
warriors at old Chelicothe, to go on the expedition, in order to
destroy us, and entirely depopulate the country. Their savage minds were
inflamed to mischief by two abandoned men, Captains McKee and Girty.
These led them to execute every diabolical scheme; and, on the fifteenth
day of August, commanded a party of Indians and Canadians, of about five
hundred in number, against Briant's station, five miles from Lexington.
Without demanding a surrender, they furiously assaulted the garrison,
which was happily prepared to oppose them; and, after they had expended
much ammunition in vain, and killed the cattle round the fort, not being
likely to make themselves masters of this place, they raised the siege,
and departed in the morning of the third day after they came, with the
loss of about thirty killed, and the number of wounded uncertain.--Of
the garrison four were killed, and three wounded.

On the eighteenth day Col. Todd, Col. Trigg, Major Harland, and myself,
speedily collected one hundred and seventy-six men, well armed, and
pursued the savages. They had