DUNMORE'S WAR
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS
Extract of a Letter from Staunton, in Virginia, Dated November 4, 1774
From American Archives, Series 4, Volume One, 1017
On the tenth of October, our Army being encamped in the Fork of the Great Kenhawa, two men went out early to hunt, but were fired upon by a number of Indians, when one of them was killed; the other made his escape, and brought the intelligence to the Camp. Colonel Lewis immediately ordered out three hundred men, who, after marching about three quarters of a mile before sun-rise, were attacked by a number (supposed to be from eight hundred to one thousand,) of desperate savages. They soon made our men retreat about one quarter of a mile, when a reinforcement coming up, they continued fighting till noon, and were never above twenty yards apart, often within six, and sometimes close together tomahawking one another. The Indians then began to fall back, but continued fighting at a distance till night came on and parted them. Such a battle with Indians, it is imagined, was never heard of before. We had upwards of fifty men killed, and ninety wounded. Amongst the slain were many brave men, both officers and privates; and a Magistrate of this place, Mr. Frog, a very worthy gentleman, was also killed. So eager were the Indians for his scalp, that one man shot three of them over him, endeavouring by turns to scalp him. The number of Indians killed cannot be ascertained, as they were continually carrying them off and throwing them into the River; but from the tracks of blood, the number must have been great. Our men got upwards of twenty scalps, eighty blankets, about forty guns, and a great many tomahawks; and intended in a few days to go over the River to meet the Governour, twenty or twenty-five miles from their Towns. The Indians the Governour lately concluded a peace with, it is assured, were in this battle. We suppose they have had the other strugle before this time, and are very impatient to know the issue.