Page:Tupper family records - 1835.djvu/229

Rh line of movement up the river Thames, which falls into Lake St. Clair, above the Detroit, and the bridges over that river were carefully repaired; the heavy stores, the sick, women and children, were sent to the rear by the water carriage. On the 27th of September, General Harrison landed below Amherstburgh, with his army of between five and six thousand men, and, on the same day, General Proctor broke up from his position and slowly retired to an advantageous spot, near the mouth of the Thames, where he had determined to make a temporary stand. But while the general, on finding that the enemy did not advance, had left the troops in position, to examine with his principal engineer the heights near the Moravian village, at some distance in the rear, which he intended to fortify and occupy during the winter, the officer next in command withdrew the troops from their strong post without orders, even before the appearance of the Americans; and thus caused the loss of the boats, containing the remnant of the stores and artillery with a guard, which could not ascend higher up the river from the nature of the navigation. The general, on hastily rejoining his troops, found that this unauthorized measure had left him no alternative but a battle. The Indians had, on the continued retreat of the British, forsaken them in great numbers, and of above three thousand, no more than five hundred warriors remained with the brave and faithful Te-cum-seh. The position chosen to await the attack of the American army was covered on either flank by the river Thames and an impassable swamp, and was calculated to render their immense superiority of numbers in a great degree unavailing. Here, on the morning of the 5th of October, the regular force (about five hundred effectives) were drawn up in open files in a straggling wood, which prevented any attack upon them in regular order; their left secured by the river, a gun flanking the road, and their right extending towards the Indians, who were posted where the wood thickened, so as to form a retiring angle with them, and to turn the enemy's flank on their advance. This disposition was shown to Te-cum-seh, who expressed his satisfaction at it; and his last words to the general were: 'Father, tell your young men to be firm, and all will be well:' he then repaired to his people and harangued them before they were formed in their places. The small band of our regulars, discouraged by their retreat and by the privations to which they had been long exposed, gave way on the first advance of the enemy, and no exertion of their commander could rally them. While they were thus quickly routed,