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Show 130 LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. CHAP. of the arrival of this additional strength, instantly orIV. dered a charge; when the enemy, foreseeing their ....,..,..._,doom, fled in consternation, and were pursued with 1814. dreadful slaughter. It is believed tltat at th 1' s place none escaped. Thus drew to a close, a day of almost continual fighting.* Having brought in and buried the dead, and dressed the wounded, preparations were made, to guard against an attack by night, should one be attempted, by ordering a breast-work of timber around the el\' campment; a measure the more necessary, as the spirits of our troops, most of whom had never before seen an enemy, were observed visibly to flag, towards the evening. Indeed, during the night, it was with the utmost difficulty the sentinels could be kept at their posts, who, expecting, every minute, the appearance of the enemy, would, at the least noise, fire and run ' in. The enemy, however, whose spies were around our encampment all night, did not think proper to attack us in this position. The next day, general Jacksou, having effected, as he believed, so far as he could, the main objects of the expedition, a diversion in fa· :. The Indians had designed their plan of operations well, though the execution did not succeed. It was intended to lning on the attack at three different points, at the same time; but a 11arty of the Chealegrans, one of the tribes which compose the Creek confederacy, who had been ordered to assail the light extremity of our front line, instead of doing so, thought it more Jlrudeut to proceed to th'cir villages, happy to have passed, undisco,'ered, the point they had been ordered to attack. But for this, the contest miglft have terminated lcs.s advantageously. LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. 151 vour of general Floyd, who was, at this juncture, sup- CHAP. posed to be carrying on his operations, lower down on IV. the Tallapoosa, and the relief of Fort Armstrong be-...,...,..._, I 0 k f 0 , 1814. gan to tun o returmng to tl1e TeAt Islands. Many· reasons concurred to render such a measure proper, and indeed indispens.'lble. Not having set out pre-pared to make a permanent establishment, his provi- ~ions were growing extremely scarce ; a~d the country 1tself afforded no means of subsistence, either for his men or their horses. His wounded, many of whom were exceedingly dangerous, required to be speedily taken care of; whilst the present temper of his soldiery precluded all hope that he should be able to effect anv thing further, of great consequence. Besides, if th~ object were still further to cripple the enemy, this would be more certainly attained, by commencing a return, wl~ich, lmving the appearance of retreat, would pr~bably mduce a pursuit, than by attacking them in therr strong holds ; in which event, too, the diversion contem. plated would be the more complete, by dr,a w ·m g them m a different direction. Determined bv th 'd . ese cho ns1 eratwns, Jackson ordered litters to be for~ed " 0 , lOr t e transportation of the sick and wounded and the other pr';parati~ns to be made, for a retu;n march. Every thmg bemg ready, it was commenced at ten ~'clock next morning, and continued without interrup. .bon, until nearly ~1ight; when the army \vas encamped a quarter of a 1111le on the south side of . Enoticho ck'h'' pco ree , 1~ t e drrectlon to the ford, at which it had been passed, m procee.ding out. As.it wa~ ptetty evident that the enemy had been in pursmt durmg the dav a breast-work \'M th - ' '"li rown up, |