War with the Western Indians: Second Regiment and Scott
"Another charge was made here by the Second Regiment, Butler and Clark's battalions, with equal effect, and it was repeated several times, and always with success; but in all of them many men were lost, and particularly the officers, which, among raw troops, was a loss altogether irremediable. In that I just spoke of, made by the Second Regiment and Butler's battalion, Major Butler was dangerously wounded, and every officer of the Second Regiment fell, except three, one of which, Captain Greaton, was shot through the body. Our artillery being now silenced, and all the officers killed, except Captain Ford, who was badly wounded, more than half of the army fallen, being cut off from the road, it became necessary to attempt the regaining it and to make a retreat if possible. To this purpose the remains of the army was formed, as well as circumstances would admit, towards the right of the encampment, from which, by the way of the second line, another charge was made upon the enemy, as if with the design to turn the right flank, but it was in fact to gain the road. This was effected, and as soon as it was opened the militia entered it, followed by the troops, Major Clark with his battalion covering the rear.
"The retreat in these circumstances was, as you may be sure, a precipitate one. It was, in fact, a flight. The camp and artillery were abandoned; but that was unavoidable, as not a horse was left alive to have drawn it off, had it otherwise been practicable. But the most disgraceful part of the business is that the greatest part of the men threw away their arms and accoutrements, even after the pursuit, which continued about four miles, had ceased.
"I found the road strewed with them for many miles, but was not able to remedy it, for, having had all my horses killed, and being mounted upon one that could not be pricked out of a walk, I could not get forward myself; and the orders I sent forward, either to halt the front or prevent the men from parting with their arms, were unattended to.
"The rout continued quite to Fort Jefferson, twenty-nine miles, which was reached a little after sunset. The action began half an hour before sunrise, and the retreat was attempted at half-past nine o'clock.". .
The defeat of General St. Clair took place within three miles of the Miami village. The loss on this occasion was about six hundred killed and wounded (said to be nearly equal to Braddock's defeat), with seven pieces of artillery and all the stores. General St. Clair had about eleven hundred men, had reason to expect an attack, and kept his men under arms all night, drawn up in a square. The attack commenced about dawn of day on all the lines, but principally on the rear line, which was composed of the militia. The Indians gave one fire and rushed on, tomahawk in hand. The militia gave way to the centre, and before the artillery could be brought into action the matrosses were all killed, and it fell into the hands of the enemy. It was retaken, but was useless for want of men to manage the pieces. The action was continued obstinately until nine o'clock, when the troops gave way. St. Clair rallied his men, and brought them off in tolerable order, with most of the wounded, to Fort Jefferson, thirty miles in the rear of the action. The enemy pursued five miles.
Few officers of distinction escaped, except General St. Clair, who had many narrow escapes. Eight balls passed through his clothes. The attack was conducted with as tonishing intrepidity on the part of the Indians. In a few moments the general's tent was surrounded. However, he was rescued by a party of regular soldiers, who repelled the enemy with fixed bayonets. .
The Indians in this disastrous affair claim to have been four thousand strong, and to have lost but fifty-six warriors killed. They took no prisoners, but treated the wounded on the field with great inhumanity.
A few weeks after the defeat of the troops under General St. Clair, General Scott despatched from the men under his command two spies to reconnoitre the enemy, who, when they arrived at the distance of a few miles from the fatal spot where the bloody action was fought, discovered a large party of Indians, diverting and enjoying themselves with the plunder they had taken, riding the bullocks, etc., and appeared to be mostly drunk. The men returned and communicated this most important information to General Scott, who immediately divided his troops into three divisions and advanced on the enemy by surprise. The contest was short, but victorious on the part of the American troops. Two hundred of the enemy were killed on the spot, all the cannon and stores in their possession retaken, and the remainder of the savage body put to flight. General Scott, losing but six men, returned to head-quarters in triumph, with most of the cattle, stores, etc.
General Scott gave the following affecting account of the appearance of the field on which the bloody action between the American troops under General St. Clair and the savages was fought: "The place had a very melancholy appearance. Nearly 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, about five miles on, the road through the woods was strewed with skeletons, muskets, etc."