them, repair to that place by the first day of July next: determine with true hearts to bury the hatchet and smoke the pipe of peace, they will then be restored to you, and you may again set down in security at your old towns, and live in peace and happiness, unmolested by the pecple of the United States, who will become your friends and protectors, and will be ready to furnish you with all the necessaries you may require. But should you fool. ishly persist in your warfare, the sons of war will be let loose against you, and the hatchet will never be buried until your country is desolated, and your people humbled to the dust."

(Signed)

CHARLES SCOTT, Brig. Gen:

GENERAL WILKINSON's EXPEDITION.

GENERAL WILKINSON TO GOVERNOR ST. CLAIR.

"SIR,

HAVING carried into complete effect the enter prize which you were pleased to direct against L'Anguille, and having done the savages every other damage on the Wabash, to which I conceived my force adequate, I embrace the first moment's recess from active duty to detail to your Excellency the operations of the expedi tion intrusted to my conduct.

I left the neighborhood of Fort-Washington on the first inst. at one o'clock, and agreeable to my original plan, feinted boldly at the Miami villages, by the most direct course the nature of the ground, over which I had to march, would permit I persevered in this plan until the morning of the 4th inst. and thereby avoided the hunting ground of the enemy, and the paths which led direct from White River to the Wabash, leaving the

bead waters of the first to my left; I then being about seventy miles advanced of Fort Washington, turned north-west. I made no discovery until the 5th, about 9 o'clock, A. M. when I crossed three much frequented paths within two miles of each other, and all bearing east of north; my guides were urgent for me to follow these paths, which betrayed their ignorance of the country, and convinced me I had to depend on my own judgment only. In the afternoon of that day, I was obliged to cross a deep bog, which injured several of my horses exceedingly, and a few miles beyond I struck a path bearing north by west, marked by the recent footsteps of five or six savages. My guides renewed their applica tion to me to follow this path, but I pursued my own course. I had not got clear of my encampment, next morning, before my advance reported an impassable bog, in my front, extending several miles on either hand, and the guides asserted that the whole country to the Wa bash was cut by such bogs, and that it would be impos sible for me to proceed unless I followed the Indian paths, which avoided these bogs, or led through them at places where they were least difficult. Although I paid little regard to this information, as delay was dangerous, and every thing depended on the preservation of my horses, I determined to return to the right, and fell into the path I had passed the evening before, which varied in its course from N. by W. to N. E. The country had now become pondy, in every direction, I therefore resolved to pursue this path until noon, in the hope that it would conduct me to better ground, or to some devious trace which might lead to the object sought.

At 7 o'clock I crossed east branch of Calumut riyer, about 40 yards wide, and about noon my advance guard fired on a small party of warriors and took a pris ener, the rest run off to the eastward. I halted about a

mile beyond the spot where this affair happened, and on examining the prisoner found him to be a Delaware, living near the scite of the late Miami village, which he informed was about thirty miles distant; I immediately retrogaded four miles, and filed off by the right over some rising ground, which I had observed between the east branch of the Calmut river and a creek four or five miles advance of it, taking my course N. 60 W. This measure fortunately extricated me from the bogs and ponds, and soon placed me on a firm ground; late in the afternoon I crossed one path running from N. to S. and shortly after fell in with another varying from N. W. to N. I pursued this about two miles, when I encampedbut finding it still inclining northward, I determined to abandon it in the morning. I resumed my march on the 6th at 4 o'clock, the Calumut being to the westward of me I was fearful I should strike the Wabash too high up, and perhaps fall in with the small town, which you mentioned to me at the mouth of the former river. I * therefore steered a due west course, and at 6 o'clock A. M. crossed a road much used both by horse and foot, bearing due north. I now knew that I was near a Shawanese village, generally supposed to be on the waters of White river, but actually on the waters of the Calmut, and was sensible that every thing depended on the ce lerity and silence of my movements, as my real object had become manifest, I therefore pushed my march vigorously, leaving an officer and 20 men in ambush to watch the road, in order to intercept or bear off any party of the enemy which might casually be passing that way, and thereby prevent as long as possible the discov ery of my real intentions.

At 8 o'clock I crossed Calmut river, now 80 yards wide, and running down N. N. W. I was now sensible from my reckoning compared with my own observations,

during the late expedition under Gen. SCOTT, and the information received from your Excellency and others, that I could not be very far from L'Anguille. The party left at the road, soon fell in with four warriors encamped half a mile from the right of my line of march, killed one and drove off the others to the northward. My situation had now become extremely critical, the whole country to the north being in alarm, which made me greatly anxious to continue my march during the night, but I had no path to direct me, and it was impossible for me to keep my course, or for horsemen to march through a thick swampy country in utter darkness. I quitted my camp on the 7th, as soon as I could see my way, crossed one path at three miles distance, bearing N. E. and at seven miles fell into another very much nsed, bearing N. W. by N. which I at once adopted, as the direct route of my object, and pushed forward with the utmost despatch. I halted at 12 o'clock to refresh the horses, and examine the men's arms and ammuni tion; marched again at half after one, and at 15 min. utes before five I struck the Wabash, at one and an half leagues above the mouth of Eel river, being the very spot for which I had aimed from the commencement of my march. I crossed the river and following the path at N. by E. course, at the distance of two and an half miles, my reconnoitreing party announced Eel river in front, and the town on the opposite bank. I dismounted, ran forward, and examined the situation of the town as far as was practicable without exposing my. self, but the whole face of the country from the Wabash to the margin of Eel river, being a continued thicket of brambles, black jacks, weeds and shurbs, of various kinds, it was impossible for me to get a satisfactory view without endangering a discovery. I immediately deter mined to post two companies near the bank of the ris

opposite to the town, and above the ground I then otenpied to make a detour with Major CALDWELL, and the second battalion, until I fell into the Miami trace, and by that rout to cross the river above, and gain the rear of the town, and to leave directions with Maj. M'DowELL, who commanded the first battalion, to lie perdue until I commenced the attack, then to dash through the river with his corps and the advanced guard, and assault the houses in front and upon the left.

In the moment I was about to put this arrangement into execution, word was brought me that the enemy had taken the alarm and were flying.-I instantly ordered a general charge, which was obeyed with alacrity, the men forcing their way over every obstacle, plunged through the river with vast intrepidity.-The enemy was unable to make the smallest resistance.--Six warriors and (in the hurry and confusion of the charge) two squaws and a child were killed--thirty-four prisoners were taken, and an unfortunate captive released--with the loss of two men killed, and one wounded. I found this town scattered along Eel river for full three miles, on an uneven shrubby oak barren, intersected alternately by bogs almost impassable, and impervious thickets of plumb and hazle.--Notwithstanding these difficulties, if I may credit the report of the prisoners, very few who were in town escaped; expecting a second expedition, their goods were generally packed up or buried.--Sixty warriors had cros sed the Wabash to watch the paths leading from the Ohio; the head chief with all the prisoners and a number of families were out, digging a root, which they substitute in the place of the potatoe, and about one hour before my arrival, all the warriors, except eight, had mounted their horses and rode up the river to a French store to purchase ammunition.--This ammunition had arrived from the Miami village that very day, and the