o the relief of the
garrison, although they did not fulfil their promise of entering into
a treaty.

During the time the Indians remained about the fort, there was much
sickness in the garrison; and when they were believed to have retired,
the commandant detached Col. Clarke, of the Pennsylvania line,[8] with
a party of fifteen men, to escort the invalids to Fort McIntosh. They
proceeded but a small distance from the gate, where they were
attacked by some Indians, who had been left concealed near the fort,
for the purpose of effecting farther mischief. A skirmish ensued; but
overpowered by numbers and much galled by the first fire, Col. Clarke
could not maintain the conflict. With much difficulty, he and three
others reached the fort in safety: the rest of the party were all
killed.

Col. Gibson immediately marched out at the head of the greater part of
the garrison, but the Indians had retreated as soon as they succeeded
in cutting off the detachment under Col. Clarke, and prudence forbade
to proceed in pursuit of them, as the main army was believed to be yet
in the neighborhood. The dead were however brought in, and buried with
the honors of war, in front of the fort gate.

In a few days after this, Gen. McIntosh arrived with a considerable
body of troops and a supply of provisions for the garrison. While the
savages were continuing the siege, a friendly Indian, had been
despatched by Col. Gibson to acquaint Gen. McIntosh with the
situation at Fort Laurens, and that without the speedy arrival of a
reinforcement of men and an accession to their stock of provisions,
the garrison would have to surrender; or seek a doubtful safety,
by evacuating the fort and endeavoring to regain the Ohio river,
in the presence of an overwhelming body of the enemy. With great
promptitude the settlers flocked to the standard of Gen. McIntosh,
and loading pack horses, with abundance of provisions for the
supply of the garrison at Fort Laurens, commenced a rapid march to
their relief. Before their arrival, they had been relieved from the
most pressing danger, by the withdrawal of the Indian army; and were
only suffering from the want of flour and meat. A manifestation of
the great joy felt upon the arrival of Gen. McIntosh, had well
nigh deprived them of the benefit to be derived from the provisions
brought for them. When the relief army approached the fort, a
salute was fired by the garrison, which, alarming the pack horses,
caused the