spatched those half
smothered devils. Mrs. Merril was all this while busily engaged in
defending the door against the efforts of the only remaining savage,
whom she at length wounded so severely with the axe, that he was glad
to get off alive.

A prisoner, who escaped from the Indians soon after the happening of
this transaction, reported that the wounded savage was the only one,
of a party of eight, who returned to their towns; that on being asked
by some one, "what news,"--he replied, "bad news for poor Indian, me
lose a son, me lose a brother,--the squaws have taken the breech
clout, and fight worse than the Long Knives."

The frequent commission of the most enormous outrages, led to an
expedition against the Indians, carried on by the inhabitants of
Kentucky alone. An army of one thousand mounted volunteers was
raised, and the command of it being given to Gen. Scott, he marched
immediately for their towns.[26] When near them, he sent out two spies
to learn the state of the enemy; who reported that they had seen a
large body of Indians, not far from the fatal spot where St. Clair's
bloody battle had been fought, enjoying themselves with the plunder
there taken, riding the oxen, and acting in every respect as if drunk.
Gen. Scott immediately gave orders to move forward briskly; and
arranging his men into three divisions, soon came upon and attacked
the savages. The contest was short but decisive.--Two hundred of the
enemy were killed on the spot, the cannon and such of the other stores
as were in their possession, retaken, and the savage forces completely
routed. The loss of the Kentuckians was inconsiderable,--only six men
were killed and but few wounded.

Gen. Scott on his return, gave an affecting account of the appearance
of the field, where Gen. St. Clair had been encountered by the
savages. "The plain," said he, "had a very melancholy appearance. In
the space of three hundred and fifty yards, lay three hundred skull
bones, which were buried by my men while on the ground; from thence
for miles on, and the road was strewed with skeletons, muskets, &c." A
striking picture of the desolation wrought there on the bloody fourth
of November.

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[1] The "Wilderness Road" (or "trace") was the overland
highway through Cumberland Gap. It was sometimes called
"Boone's trace." From North Carolina and Southern Virginia, it
was the nearest road to Kentucky; to those living farther
north