fort. MacDonald had hardly gone half the distance, when out of the fort burst nearly three hundred wildly yelling French and Indians under command of Captain Aubray, whose Louisiana troops composed most of the force.
They fired as they advanced. MacDonald was killed almost at the first fire and his force thrown into confusion. The companies of Monro and MacKenzie descended from the elevation to the assistance of MacDonald's command, but were also soon in disorder; both captains were killed and the men rushed back pell-mell up the elevation again. More of the enemy pushed forward, keeping the trees in front of them, from behind which they fired, and fell on the forces on the elevation on both flanks, driving them into the woods. By this time, seven or eight hundred Frenchmen and an unknown number of Indians were engaged with the British, who were hard pressed and dissolving fast. Grant says he endeavored to rally his men, and sent an officer back to Major Lewis, directing him to make the best disposition possible of the Royal Americans and Virginians, until he could come up, as he intended to make a stand there. Lewis, however, did not wait until the remnant of Grant's force came flying back, but at sound of the firing, pushed in all haste with his entire force over the hills and hollows, through woods and open ground, in the direction of the firing. When he reached the elevation, all breathless, he found no one there but the enemy, who fell on him furiously. For a while he held his ground, his men firing from behind trees; but having lost many men, this force, too, gave way and scattered into the woods, fleeing in the direction taken by Grant's men. Major Lewis was taken prisoner.
Back with the supplies, Captain Bullet attempted to stem the flight with his fifty men. But the Highlanders were panic-stricken. Grant says, "Fear had then got the better of every other passion." After two-thirds of his men had fallen, Bullet abandoned the provisions—the horses had been already ridden off by some of the frightened Highlanders—and beat a retreat toward the Allegheny river, where he found Grant with a handful of Highlanders. The French were soon on all sides of them, and several officers recognizing Grant, offered him quarter, which he accepted and was made prisoner. Bullet continued firing until a number of his men jumped into the river and attempted to swim across to the other side, where they were fired on and most of them drowned, when he also made his escape through a clump of trees.
The English loss was two hundred and seventy-three
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