the road
(that it might be, in some measure, protected by the trees
from the artillery), its left upon the swamp, and to charge, at
full speed, as soon as the enemy delivered their fire. The few
regular troops of the 27th regiment, under the command of their
colonel (Paul), occupied, in column of sections of four, the
small space between the road and the river, for the purpose of
seizing the enemy's artillery, and some ten or twelve friendly
Indians were directed to move under the bank. The crotchet,
formed by the front line and General Desha's division was an
important point. At that place the venerable governor of Kentucky
was posted, who, at the age of sixty-six, preserves all the
vigour of youth, the ardent zeal which distinguished him in the
Revolutionary war, and the undaunted bravery which he manifested
at King's Mountain. With my aids-de-camp, the acting Assistant
Adjutant-General, Captain Buttler, my gallant friend Commodore
Perry, who did me the honour to serve as my volunteer
aid-de-camp, and Brigadier-General Cass, who, having no command,
tendered me his assistance, I placed myself at the head of the
front line of infantry, to direct the movements of the cavalry
and give them the necessary support. The army had moved on this
order but a short distance, when the mounted men received the
fire of the British line, and were ordered to charge; the horses
in the front of the column recoiled from the fire; another was
given by the enemy, and our column, at length getting into
motion, broke through the enemy with irresistible force. In one
minute the contest in front was over. The British officers seeing
no hopes of reducing their disordered ranks to order, and our
mounted men wheeling upon them and pouring in a destructive fire,
immediately surrendered. It is certain that three only of our
troops were wounded in this charge. Upon the left, however, the
contest was more severe with the Indians. Colonel Johnson, who
commanded on that flank of his regiment, received a most galling
fire from them, which was returned with great effect. The Indians
still further to the right advanced and fell in with our front
line of infantry, near its junction with Desha's division, and,
for a moment, made an impression on it. His Excellency, Governor
S