the fort. Parties attempted in vain to surprise him. A few of his party were taken, one of which was Maisonville, a famous Indian partizan. Two lads that captured him, tied him to a post in the street, and fought from behind him as a breastwork-supposing that the enemy would not fire at them for fear of killing him, as he would alarm them by his voice. The lads were ordered, by an officer who discovered them at their amusement, to untie their prisoner, and take him off to the guard, which they did; but were so inhuman as to take part of his scalp on the way; there happened to him no other damage. As almost the whole of the persons who were most active in the Department of Detroit, were either in the fort or with Captain Lamotte, I got extremely uneasy, for fear that he would not fall into our power; knowing that he would go off, if he could not get into the fort in the course of the night. Finding that, without some unforeseen accident, the fort must inevitably be ours, and that a reinforcement of twenty men, although considerable to them, would not be of great moment to us in the present situation of affairs, and knowing that we had weakened them by killing or wounding many of their gunners, after some deliberation, we concluded to risk the reinforcement in preference of his going again among the Indians: the garrison had at least a month's provisions, and if they could hold out, in the course of that time he might do us much damage. A little before day the troops were withdrawn from their positions about the fort, except a few parties of observation, and the firing totally ceased. Orders were given, in case of Lamotte's approach, not to alarm or fire on him, without a certainty of killing or taking the whole. In less than a quarter of an hour he passed within ten feet of an officer and a party that lay concealed. Ladders were flung over to them, and as they mounted them our party shouted; many of them fell from the top of the walls-some within, and others back; but as they were not fired on they all got over, much to the joy of their friends. But, on considering the matter they must have been convinced that it was a scheme of ours, to let them in; and that we were so strong as to care but little about them * ** or the manner of their getting into the garrison. * The firing immediately commenced on both sides with double vigor; and I believe that more noise could not have been made by the same number of men: their shouts could not be heard for the fire arms; but a continual blaze was kept around the garrison, without much being done, until about day-break, when our troops were drawn off to posts prepared for them, about sixty or seventy yards from the fort. A loop-hole then could scarcely be darkened but a rifle ball would pass through it. To have stood to their cannon would have destroyed their men, without a probability of doing much service. Our situation was nearly similar. It would have been imprudent in either party to have wasted their men, without some decisive stroke required it. "Thus the attack continued, until about nine o'clock on the morning of the 24th. Learning that the two prisoners they had brought in the day before, had a considerable number of letters with them, I supposed it an express that we expected about this time, which I knew to be of the greatest moment to us, as we had not received one since our arrival in the country: and not being fully acquainted with the character of our enemy, we were doubtful that those papers might be destroyed; to prevent which, I sent a flag, [with a letter,] demanding the garrison." The following is a copy of the letter* which was addressed by Colonel Clark to Lieutenant Governor Hamilton, on this occasion: "SIR: In order to save yourself from the impending storm that now threatens you, I order you immediately to surrender yourself, with all your garrison, stores, &c. &c. For if I am obliged to storm, you may depend on such treatment as is justly due to a murderer. Beware of destroying stores of any kind, or any papers or letters that are in your possession, or hurting one house in town-for, by Heavens! if you do, there shall be no mercy shown you. [Signed,] *Extracted from Major Bowman's MS. Journal. G. R. CLARK." The British commandant immediately returned the following answer: "Lieutenant Governor Hamilton begs leave to acquaint Colonel Clark, that he and his garrison are not disposed to be awed into any action unworthy British subjects." "The firing, then," says Clark, "commenced warmly for a considerable time; and we were obliged to be careful in preventing our men from exposing themselves too much, as they were now much animated-having been refreshed during the flag. They frequently mentioned their wishes to storm the place, and put an end to the business at once. **** The firing was heavy through every crack that could be discovered in any part of the fort. Several of the garrison got wounded; and no possibility of standing near the embrasures. Towards the evening a flag appeared with the following proposals: "Lieutenant Governor Hamilton proposes to Colonel Clark a truce for three days; during which time he promises there shall be no defensive works carried on in the garrison, on condition that Colonel Clark shall observe on his part, a like cessation of any defensive work: that is, he wishes to confer with Colonel Clark as soon as can be; and promises that whatever may pass between them two, and another person mutually agreed upon to be present, shall remain secret till matters be finished, as he wishes, that whatever the result of the conference may be, it may tend to the honor and credit of each party. If Colonel Clark makes a difficulty of coming into the fort, Lieutenant Governor Hamilton will speak to him by the gate. [Signed,] HENRY HAMILTON. 24th February, "79." "I was at a great loss to conceive what reason Lieutenant Governor Hamilton could have for wishing a truce of three days, on such terms as he proposed. Numbers said it was a scheme to get me into their possession. I had a different opinion, and no idea of his possessing such sentiments; as an act of that kind would infallibly ruin him. Although we had the greatest reason to expect a reinforcement in less than three days that would at once put an end to the siege, I yet did not think it prudent to agree to the proposals; and sent the following answer: "Colonel Clark's compliments to Lieutenant Governor Hamilton, and begs leave to inform him that he will not agree to any terms other than Mr. Hamilton's surrendering himself and garrison prisoners at discretion. If Mr. Hamilton is desirous of a conference with Colonel Clark, he will meet him at the church, with Captain Helm. [Signed,] February 24th, "79." G. R. C. "We met at the church,* about eighty yards from the fort - Lieutenant Governor Hamilton, Major Hay, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Captain Helm, their prisoner, Major Bowman and myself. The conference began. Hamilton produced terms of capitulation, signed, that contained various articles, one of which was that the garrison should be surrendered, on their being permitted to go to Pensacola on parole. After deliberating on every article, I rejected the whole. He then wished that I would make some proposition. I told him that I had no other to make, than what I had already made that of his surrendering as prisoners at discretion. I said that his troops had behaved with spirit—that they could not suppose that they would be worse treated in consequence of it - that if he chose to comply with the demand, though hard, perhaps the sooner the better-that it was in vain to make any proposition to me that he, by this time, must be sensible that the garrison would fall-that both of us must [view?] all blood spilt for the future by the garrison as murder-that my troops - - *During the conference at the church, some Indian warriors who had been sent to the Falls of the Ohio, for scalps and prisoners, were discovered on their return, as they entered the plains near Post Vincennes. A party of the American troops, commanded by Captain Williams, went out to meet them. The Indians, who mistook this detachment for a party of their friends, continued to advance with all the parade of successfui warriors." "Our men," says Major Bowman, "killed two on the spot; wounded three; took six prisonors, and brought them into town. Two of them proving to be whites, we released them, and brought the Indians to the main street, before the fort gate-there tomahawked them, and threw them into the river."--[Major Bowman's MS. Journal. were already impatient, and called aloud for permission to tear down and storm the fort: if such a step was taken, many of course would be cut down; and the result of an enraged body of woodsmen breaking in, must be obvious to him: it would be out of the power of an American officer to save a single man. Various altercation took place for a considerable time. Captain Helm attempted to moderate our fixed determination. I told him he was a British prisoner, and it was doubtful whether or not he could with propriety speak on the subject. Hamilton then said that Captain Helm was from that moment liberated, and might use his pleasure. I informed the Captain that I would not receive him on such terms- that he must return to the garrison, and await his fate. I then told Lieut. Governor Hamilton that hostilities should not commence until five minutes after the drums gave the alarm. We took our leave, and parted but a few steps, when Hamilton stopped, and politely asked me if I would be so kind as to give him my reasons for refusing the garrison on any other terms than those I had offered. I told him I had no objections in giving him. my real reasons, which were simply these: that I knew the greater part of the principal Indian partizans of Detroit were with him that I wanted an excuse to put them to death, or otherwise treat them, as I thought proper-that the cries of the widows and the fatherless on the frontiers, which they had occasioned, now required their blood from my hands, and that I did not chose to be so timorous as to disobey the absolute commands of their authority, which I looked upon to be next to divine: that I would rather lose fifty men, than not to empower myself to execute this piece of business with propriety: that if he chose to risk the massacre of his garrison for their sakes, it was his own pleasure; and that I might perhaps take it into my head to send for some of those widows to see it executed. Major Hay, paying great attention, I had observed a kind of distrust in his countenance, which in a great measure influenced my conversation during this time. On my concluding, "Pray, sir," said he, "who is it that you call Indian partizans?" "Sir," I replied, "I take Major Hay to be one of |