COWARDICE OF COL. WELLS.



to fall back.  During three hours the
battle raged, the American detachment lost
eleven killed and fifty-four wounded. About
dusk Major Graves was sent by Colonel
Lewis to strop the pursuit of the enemy, and
direct the officers commanding the right
and center, who had been hotly engaged in
the conflict, and had killed many of the
enemy, to return to Frenchtown, bearing
the killed for interment. and the wounded
for treatment. Nothing of importance oc-
curred until the morning of the 20th, when
General Winchester,'with a command of 200
men, under Colonel Wells, reached French-
town.   Wells'   command    was   ordered
to encamp on    tne right of   tne  de-
tachment,   who     fought   the    battle
of the 18th, and to fortify. The spies
were out continually, and brought word on
the 21st that the enemy were advancing In
considerable force to make battle. On the
21st morning Wells asked leave to return to
the camrp, which he bad recently left, for
his baggage. General Winchester declined
giving leave, informing Wells that we would
certainly and very soon be attacked. In the
afternoon Wells again applied for leave to
return for his bargage. General Winchester
again replied, "The spies bring intelligenee
that the enemv have reached Stony Ureek,
five miles from here. If you are disposed to
leave your command in the immediate vicin-
itv of the enemy, when a battle is certain,
you can go." Wells left and went back.
  OD the 22d, just as the reveille was arous-
iDg the troops, (about daybreak,) the first
gun was fired. Major Graves had been up
some hours, and had gone to the several
companies of his battalion, and roused them.
Upon the firing ot the first gun he imme-
diately left his quarters and ordered his men
to stand to their arms. Very many bombs
were discharged by the enemy, doing, how-
ever, very little execution, most of them
bursting in the air, and the fighting became
general alone the line, the artillery of the
enemv being directed mainly to the right of
our lines, where Wells' command had no
protection but a common rail fence, four or
five rails high. Several of the Americans
on that part of the line were killed, and their
fence knocked down by the cannon balls,
when General Winchester ordered the right
to fall back a few steps, and reform on the
bank of the river, where they would have
been protected from the enemy's guns.
Unfortunately, however, that part of the
line commenced retreatinz, and reaching
Hull's old trace along the lane, on either
side of which the grass was so high as to
conceal the Indians. At this time, Colonels
Lewis and Allen, with a view of rallying the
retreating party, took 100 men from
the stockade and endeavored to arrest their



flight. Very many were killed and wounded,
and others made prisoners, among the former
Colonel Allen, Captains Simson, Price, Ed-
mundison, Mead, Dr. Irwin, Montgomery,
Davis, McLlvain and Patrick, and of the
latter, General Winchester, Colonel Lewis,
Major Overton, etc. The firing was still
kept up by the enemy on those within
the pickets and returned with deadly
effect.  The   Indians,  after  the  re-
treat of the right wing.    got around
in the rear of the picketing, under the bank,
and on the same side of the the river, where
the battle was raging, and killed and
wounded several of our men. It is believed
that the entire number of    killed and
wounded within the pickets did not exceed
one dozen, and the writer doubts very much
whether, if the reinforcements had not come,
those who fought the first battle, although
their number had been depleted by sixty
five, would not have held their ground, at
least until reinforcements could have come to
their relief. Indeed, it was very evident the
British very much feared a reinforcement,
from their hurry in removing the prisoners
! they bad taken, from the south to the west
of the battle ground, and in the direction of
Fort Malden, from which they sent a flag,
i accompanied by Dr. Overton, aid to General
Winchester, demanding the surrender of the
detachment, informing they had Generals
Winchester and Lewis, and in the event of
refusal to surrender, would not restrain their
Indians. Major Graves being wounded,
Major Madison was now left in command,
who, when the summons to surrender came,
repaired to the room in which Major Graves
and several other wounded officers were, to
consult with them as to the propriety of sur-
rendering. It is proper here to state that
our ammunition was nearly exhausted. It
was finally determined to surrender, requir-
ing of the enemy a solemn pledge for the
security of the wounded. If this was not
unhesitatingly given, determined to fight
it out, but oh, the scene which now took
place! The mortification at the thought of
surrendering the Spartan band who had
fought like heroes, the tears shed, the
wringing of hands, the swelling of hearts,
indeed, the  scene beggars description.
i Life seemed valueless. Our Madison replied
to the summons, in substance. '-We will
not surrender without a guarantee for tne
safetv of the wounded and the return of
side arms to the officers.," (We did not in-
tend to be dishonored.) The British offi-
cer haughtily responded: "Do you, sir,
claim the right to dictate what terms I am
to offer" Major Madison replied: "No,
but I intend to be understood as regards the
i orily terms on which we will agree to sur-
I render." Captain William Elliott, who had



2