Weekly Messenger, Volume 4, Number 199, Vevay, Switzerland County, 17 October 1835 — Page 1

PRINTER'S RETREAT, INDIANA, SATURDAY, OCTORER 17, 1835. VOL. IV. NO 109

'HilM For hi'v-two number... thup.i. iou:,v.i-,it ! )l pi:d -v.vW l ue expiration of the -'ir r. i v.;.:t-. and nu v cunts, if paid witYta the ye ir and r . . o noi.i. vns, paid i.i ;. ! v:;'. . . v vi'.-cn Hon nceivod for loss than six in Kith. unless paid in advance. Sab-rribers, .vho re.-t ivc their papers byprivate pot. to pay 2; rents postage. Xo p tp-M" .Iiconti:ni-..l until all arrearages are p ii.l, and notice to stop it sent to the offie" it writing. Ailvertisenvnts inserted, at the usual r ites. Exc -pt persons alvertising eloped eomrsar.i :i, wljca s.) will hj demanded for a

it

in iie, ani .Sj iora male. fi7 Mroe.l pr xl ire. delivered at this of-

lr', or suc'i on. taken i:i -.,. I1." '."J. ?

:er

dare

payment.

as ni;iv le

agreed up-

Froryi ilc Indiana Journal. It has been frequently remarked a? a mater of surprise, by those who emigrate here otn other states, that, considering the great vantages possessed by this country, so little hould have been heard of it abroad. It is ..ertainly true that the important we might i.ideed siv superior advantages possessed bv Indiana, especially as regards soil, have, tiiiiil a very recent pciod, been greatly overlooked. The. beautiful country bordering or, the Waba.h, whose rich and sightly pararies could not fail to attract a'lention, has indeed been regarded w ith an eye of interest, and ihe chvv.ee parts of it have long since been jni-chiscd and are now in a high stale of cultivation. Thf! extensive and fertile country, .lowevcr, w hic! is watered by White river nnd its tribu'aries, a.'hough it has populated

with great rapidity, lias not until recently, at traded, in anv considerable degree, the no

tire of men of large capital. This lias been the result of a variety of causes, among the most prominent of which, probably was the dense forest with which it was ovcrspre id, tendering its preparation for tillage apparently very ditlicult. Another cause of no small

consideration, doubtless, in keeping this conn

.St. Joseph and Elkhart gave about 5000

leach. I We have not the mcana u ..and to show

the annual increase of votes in the various

counties during the last ten or fifteen years,

but the following statement will give a pretty correct idea of the increase of the whole state since the year IS'.M: The number of votes given at the presidential election 1824 was about 16,000 the number given at the same election in IS'JS was about 39,000 the number given at the same election in 1832 was 57,021 and the number given for members of Congress at the last August election was GS.010. We think it altogether probable that at the Presidential election in 1830 the number of votes will fall little if any short of CiO.OOJ. So that, notwithstanding the little noise which has been made about Indiana, the foregoing statements will show that it has peopled with uncommon rapidity, and that it bids fair to contain, before a score of years shall pass away, as dense a population as is now found in almost any part of the United

States. No section of our country in fact, of

which we have any knowledge, presents a belter prospect for a numerous population than does a very large portion of the state of Indiana, and for the very good reason that almost every acre of it is susceptible of profitable cultivation and it has been purchased and is likely to be purchased in small quanti ties, by bonajide settlers, who calculate to make it their permanent homes. The glance which we have taken of the increase of our population, cannot fail to convey the idea that very great improvement has also been going forward. The almost illimitable fjrest, with which the eye was presented when we took up our residence here, has been in a good degree mastered by the enterprise of industrious freemen, and is now every where chequered with productive farms. The same enterprising spirit which caused

J the reclamation of this immense wilderness, is

also calling loudly for outlets for the transpor

tation to other markets of the vast amount of

surplus produce which it must inveitably yield. It is this spirit among the yeomanry of the country which caused the important movement in our last General Assembly in

favor of internal improvements; and the same

ir i : i i l a. .!.. u

land speculators did not happen to make car.!?d.0Pt," J a .'stem of measures which will )v investments here as they did in Ilhnois and b""S th,s ert,,u ref .n 10 ? th neighborhood some of the other western states, whose inter-Klh: ?ts. d g' the : state of Indiana i Lirrh ct'iiwlinrr Mi r i rr I ril r I tin llmrn

est it was lo cause extravagant descriptions " '"ft" "6 """"b"" " - .

,i.-. i 1 1 vc stated in tne commencement

of this

desultory article that this country had notun-

we have reason to believe,

interest with that class of

of its surpassing advantages to be sent abroad I

i....,..k .i... ..Ki... ;..,.,( .. oi. -;.n. .f ;.;"t-ll,-u,J

IIIIUUCU lit- UUU1I . I';UIIIIIC M till 11 1 IV." VI 111" ., . . . . " . i....:... m:V...,: ' .v.., e.i ,i ! t'l lately in any consideraable degree, attrac

i .r ti. ...c f ted the attention of men of large capital. It

which thev had acquired at low rale, by thci15 n0.w. bf nS i 'r :i:.... ic !,,. an object of great

. 'neonle. who. on oassins1-tnrouph it. unilorm

!n.i nnotnrr raiico wnirn nas upon 7 ' o ----o

iiieir -Uiiuise inai a country !o

rtile, and possessing such obvious

should have remained so Ion? in

irnriwuxr r : ni i a i i nrnn i. is nit. lac.i o o

. . .w, - . rnmn:irhvp nhcrnrilir. I nnitl is nnnr nnnr,

..ki.. Mfrt It n.:.v be nnssibh. that some U,S ,n' and Property is rising in a ratio which

j i remissness on this score may be chargeable lo the newspaper press, but this journal during the twelve or thirteen years of its existence, (and especially during the first four years.) lias cndeaored, in too modest a manner it may be, to set forth the important, and in main repects, superior advantages which we

wise. Ana anomer cause miiii nas ueen j . frequently mentioned to us as contributing ePrcss much to keep this fertile region out of notice "J" a,Kl k,r of enterprising capitalists abroad, is the fact !a(n anMges

with it, the loss of ourNavM ascendency upon the Lake, or the capture of our boats, would have presented the attainment of the objects of the campaign. ; and the Indians flushed with success, would have spread along the frontiers of Ohio, carrying with them the usual horrors of savage warware. Being at the time within hearing of ht guns fired by the British, and waiting with

anxiety the issue, the importance attached to

the result is fresh in my recollection. Very respectfuily Your obedient servant. LEW. CASS.

Hon. W. C. Preston,

Military Committee, U. S. Senate. Washington City, March 25th 1831. Dear Sir Your letter of the 20th has been

received, and I most cheerfully comply with

your request, in giving such an account of the

transactions at bandusky as my memory at this late period, and my time will enable me to do. I

About the 20th of July, 1S13, General

Harrison, then at Lower Sandusdy, hearing

that the British army had crossed lake Erie to Fort Meigs, being about five thousand strong, immediately changed his head quarters to Seneca, seven or eight miles up the Sandusky River where he assembled his forces then on the march from the interior, leaving Major Croghan with about 150 men to defend Fort Stephenson, with an understanding, or an order, as it was understood by me at the time, that the Fort then in a weak and

wretched condition, was to be ababandoned,

should the enemy advance with artillery, but if not, to be defended to the last extremity.

Harrison, with his force, then small, had

scarcely left us before Croghan commenced

putting the fort (which was only a stockading

of small round logs and a few log storehouses) in a proper state of defence in whieh he evinced great judgment, and the most untir

ing preseverance.

During the ten or twelve days that inter

vened between the time that General Harrison left us, and the appearance of the enemy, a ditch was dug, four feet deep and six feet

wide entirely round the Fort outside of the

stockading the ground for 200 yards round

the fort was cleared of timber and brush and many other preparations made for the enemy.

About this time General Harrison received

information that the enemy had raised the siege of Fort Meigs, and had started in the direction of Sandusky and Camp Seneca. On receiving this intelligence he determined

to retreat from his position, and immediately sent an express to Fort Stephenson, which ar

rived about sun rise, ordering Major Croghan to burn the fort with all the munitions and stores and retreat without delay to Head Quarters, giving also some precautionary in

structions about the route, dec.

On receiving this order Croghan instantly

placed it in the hands of the officers Jwho were

all present, and required them to consider it

have always regarded this state as possessing.

excites the astonishment of those who came

here when it was so cheap. Every descrip

tion ol real estate has been lor sometime rap

idly advancing. Actual sales of lots in this town have been made for more than three

times what they were sold for two or three

years ago. In business part of the town sales of lots running back only 120 feet, have been

made at 50, 02, and 75 dollars a foot, and it

l . I , I .... I ....oiiJ. - r t l.n rAiintrr tvnrr

iopoS..M.,t.... .3 is believed that other lots, if vacant and otfer-

citen oi . . . ...-:... - .

in bv none days, pretty extensively

the then new parts ol our

irress of improvement, with

loping advantages ol the country, lias at various times continued to find a place in our column?. But although our section of country may have baen overlooked by men of large capital and by speculators, (the latter of whom are probably among the heaviest curses that can befal a new country,) it has nevertheless settled with a rapidity which we believe has been nowhere surpassed. In proof of this we need only refer the reader lo the number .of votes given in the various counties in the middle and northern parts of our state, the

whole of which, Ulleen years ago, were an entire wilderness. These counties contain generally :i little over 409 square miles, or a

little more than 23 miles square, and at

l c. l u I iru'k jii - r.i

Mtnl iho nnv. -u ,JI Bi,IKi v ouiu commaiiu iw uouais n louw

., ..;.iir .Wo. 'n fi,ct 'ots every where in town, notwith

-...);.-- ti. : --.- -i..t , a -. l,: ,i.

.iiniiuuig nit; ii.t u l nit pin i, iuiuiiiiiiiu (l iiigu

price. We believe it wojild be safe to say

mat tne value ol all tne lots on an average

has at least doubled within two years. Honor to the Brave. ConcludetiJ

We add the letters of Gov. Cass and Gen

Duncan, and the report of the Senate's Mill

tary Committee, and avail ourselves of the oc

casion to express our gratification that the

honor so nobly won ha! receiveu its appiopn

ate reward. Washington, June 4th, 1831.

Sir: I have had the. honor to receive your letter of the 29th ultimo, and in answer beg

leave to observe, that the incidents connected

the

last August election, when we know there was with the defence of Fort Stevenson at Lower

Sandusky, by Col. L roghan, are now matters

not a full vote in some of them, Marion county

gave for representative in Congress 1,800 votes, Rush gave, 2,110, Putnam gave 2,010, Shelby gave, 1,199, Decatur gave 1,271, Henry cave 1,059, Johnson ijave I.08G, Bar

tholomew gave 1,198, Morgan gave 1,153,

Hendricks gave 1,082, Montgomery gave 1,-

414,'Boon.e gave Hamilton gave 510,

Madison gave 720, and Hancock gave 012,

These are the interior counties surrounding the seat of government and commenced set

tling in 1821. The largest of what are call

cd the upper Wabash counties, whose settle

ments generally commenced somewhat Utcr, gave, at the late Congressional election, the following number of votes: Barke 1,558, Ver

million 1.033. Fountain 1.303, Warren 819,

Tippecanoe 1,102, CarroU 509, and Cass 923

One of the counties in the extreme north of

this state (Laportc) whoso, settlement com

menced only three or four years ago, gave at

the Itte election, about b'AI votes, wlnl

siasm rarely, if ever surpassed, and which alone renders man invincible. The fort was forthwith besieged, cannonaded and bombarded from the gun boals, and the batteries on land, for nearly four hours, without cessation during al) which time, every officer and soldier appeared to be animated by the cool and manly bearing of their commander. I well remember his expression at the first sound of the bugle given by the enemy as a signal for the charge upon the works; we were sitting together; he sprang upon his feet, saying, Duncan, every man to his post, for in ten minutes they will attempt to take us by storm. Recollect, when you hear my voice

crying rrnr, come to me with all the men

that can bespared from your part of the line." He instantly passed up the line repeating the the order to every officer, and had scarcely

got the men in place, before the whole British Army, divided into three columns, march

ed 'Upon the fort and made a desperate assault,'

continuing it for near an hour, when they were repulsed with a loss of killed and wounded,

estimated at the time to be near double the

number in the fort, and is stated by English

writers to be about ninety. During the engagement I saw Croghan often, and witnessed with delight his intrepid

and gallant conduct, which 1 firmly believe

never has been surpassed at any time or on any occasion. In the heat of action I frequently heard him exclaim, " Huzzah my brave fellows, we are hewing them to pieces; five minutes more and we'll blow them to hell. By II n every officer and soldier has immortalized himself, &c. &c. and throughout the whole affair evinced the greatest solicitude for the safety of every one but himself. The sagacity displayed in arranging the cannon so as to open a mask embrasure to rake the enemy in the ditch, at the point evidently selected by them for the breach in placing logs on pins near the top of the pick

ets which o-uld be tilted offby one man, and being from 20 to 30 feet long, of heavy timber swept every thing before them his tack in

piling bags of sand against the pickets whereever the enemy attempted to make a breach

with their cannon, by which means each point of altck grew stronger from the moment it was assailed are worthy of any general of any age. You arc right, sir, in my j'udgment, in saying that the Government has not done justice to Col. Croghan, for his conduct in that affair, which is without parallel in the military annals of our country As to myself havine acted but a very sub

ordinate part, I never did nor do no. now set up any claim for distinction. To know that i I did my duty to my country, though not bar-! dened into manhood, was then and is now e-

was referred a resolution " That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of giving suita able testimonials to Major George Croghan (now a colonel in the army of the United States.) and to the officers and soldiers under his command, for their gallantry and good conduct in defending Fort Sandusky against the attack by the combined forces of British and Indians during the last war,' have had it under consideration, and beg leave to report That few events durinsr the late war are

entitled to more honorable mention than the defence of Fort Stephenson on the 1st and 2d of August, 1813, whether we consider the

boldness of the design, the gallantry of the

execution, and the important consequences

which icsultcd from its success. The cour

of the campaign on the northwestern frontier up to that period had throw n the main body

of the American army under the immediate

command ol General Harrison in the rear of Fort Stephenson, and rendered a still fur

ther retreat into the interior not improbable.

The commanding general, upon assuming his :.. ci - i r. V, .o.. . D

pobiuou .uoeiieca town, leu rort Otephenson under the command of Major Croghan, with orders that, if the enemy approached with

cannon, he should relinquish the post, and fall

back upon the main army at loeneca town, where the general had established his head

quarters. Fort Stevenson was at that time in a perfectly ! defenceless state. It was a slight stockade, planked with block houses,

without a ditch or any other exterior defence, to be defended by between 130 and 140 effective men, provided with one six pounder, having seven charges of powder and a pig of lead, and the ammunition only amounting to forty rounds of musket cartridges. Upon receiving the command, Colonel Croghan addressed himself with great assiduity to such preparations as would enable him to with

stand an attack: with an insufficient and ac

cidental supply of tools and implements he surrounded the fort by a ditch, cul down and removed the forest to musket-shot distance from the fort, and made such repairs as were absolute necessary upon the stockade.

1 hese improvements, pushed on with unceasing diligence and labor, were just completed when intelligence was received at head quarters that the enemy had raised the siege of Fort Megis, and that General Proctor, at the head of the British and Indian forces, and provided with cannon and howitzers, was approaching the American stations on Sandusky. This state of things seemed to make the contingency upon which Fort Stephenson was to be abandoned, and accordingly an order from the commander in chief was sent to colonel Croghan, directing him to fall back upon Seneca town. Upon consultation

w ilh his officers, Colonel Croghan came to the

and express an opinion as to the propriety of historians.

i r n r i - ! it- ..-...-

i.ougu lor me. nm oi nun i leei no uencaey condusiion that the forr ought to be Jlcid ou r rntfinn f h f --'. na-4nA !.'' lr-r- !- - I C7

... .ju.s, ..cy ijici iiijusuiv and that it was proper to make the effort notto'him in being overlooked by the govern-' with?landin lhe orders. Whereupon the

tr n t W r . . l I r !- niir kimik clntn rw-i .. r I 1 -. '

commanding general superseded him, and ori it . i . i.i.i .

nhptincr nr HUrht ina it. Th hnnrl . , . . , cterea mm lo neaa quarters; while there the

a -3 . 7 in a cc. uie iiiMui laii vi inu i;ue wi emu ..j:...

... . . . . I CUII!IMrtl!Uil

formed, and on putting the question, begin

ning as usual, with the youngest officer, it was . f

Dawson, the biographer of general Harrison,

;g general became satisfied of the

nronriplv r.f rol. .rnclmn's rnnrsfi en far. (Vint

i;i vp studious! v Lfiit nut rf vimv flint thr nh. . i . .

aorprfainorl that a mainritv nf us was f,.r dU- ' V , . J . . , , . , lie was perm. ilea to resume lus commai.Q at ascertained mat a majority oi us was lor uis- iiect r , ,e nv as ul, w as t bed cstr uction of our'.. r. 1 c -. i: .. ,l

. . , ... . line inn. ouum tiu.-i uia iciumi, iiic ciii-niy

obeying the order. Croghan returned to the

room, and being inlormed ol our decision, remarked, " am glad of .', had resolved to dis

obey at all hazards, and immediately despatch-

with orders

Head Quarters

another

this time

erceablv to his expectations and

" . ......

orders, the

i i 11 . i . 11

snips unaervommouore erry at rresque iMe,.aembcd and maJe lhe ugua, forma! 6um.

and boats and stores at Cleveland these were ;mons (o sliri endort ant ,he flag.0flir.er receivlooked upon with great solicitude by the Brit-!cd lhe u8ua, dcnarjce. This tonference being isli were reconnoiled and on one or two i fi . . ,, iirW.i. rnrtu,itu ..mm.n..

cannonade was opened from

from some pieces stationed the firing was continued

with but little cessation for nearly forty hours.

of the force in the fort render-

practicable, and the scarceness

prevented a return of the ene-

uuring this period, there is per-

rrl h w a v n vea rr I nn Ho rricnn mtrinir him . .

- "i .. , s. . i j occasions, w ere auempiea 10 oc ues nn eu vy . rt a that information. Immediately on the arrival ! i .i n i i-r.i..:n llM- "

i.iihiiii" nil- Milan nut. uii uu.iiu ui uitii ut-ii .I irunfin-ite unrl of this express, Gen. Harrison despatched Lt. T, ftavc aUo f;lilod to account for lhc move-1 "'e,P;' "d Pint llal w!tk h a smmdrnn nf nrntronn. J. r .. ...... .. . . On the Shore, and

-1 "."t,- - mene oi inn wnoie i.ruisn lorces oown ine

tn arrest Croatian, brintr him to! t : a- rci i i i i

" o ' o i i.;iki! ill ii i' uii t'i inn iii i .it'vri l in a iu iiiiLi iim 11

fivliirh v:ia lnn nnrl ri t i . . . . . t, . i i i ' Smaillit..

v hp ore tneir fieieat at nanciusKV. which was i :

officer to take the command. Bv . -.r.. i...i:..i'n:. ea a soruc ,m

... . . J aiia.Ki-u iu ii i . 1 1 1 1 iiii-u iiiui.iu vniua, """;f ,imrn.,n 1 nn in rnnwniiPhrP nf hie nnt nrrivmrr n- . ... .. ! -Ol ammunition

, -.v-.i-M"-"'-"- w" "'K .imnnnon I n em ir.e :iiwi nimwii-r ni inp n rf. . .-

iii-iiiir-

Ine iiiI nlniwli-r nf thf nl.'i

I " r inv s

..-I . . . . A .1 . . .

I iiov navp k-.'iir rmr ni view ine laci inai . . i . r n. .1 i

General abandoned all idea of a retreat, "l-lera! Harmon had determined to retreat IJ? Z " 5' though hii munitions and stores were piled jto thc intcrior llftcr burnillE the supplies ' n! r

which he had collected, that he oidered Ma

jor Croghan to abandon and burn Fort Ste-

up ready to be set on fire as soon as Croghan

should reach oenecn; and it is not doubted that if Croghan had arrived according to orders. General Harrison would have retreated

instantly, leaving the whole i trontier, our licet ;retrcat nnU tunse(,lK,ru destruction of our A. 1. . . r n4 I-a hnnte nrl tki f livrtlml ' - 1

of August, the elcorre sound of a bugle ga.'e notice to the besicired that the Briti?u were

phenson; that his rclusal to oiey and laiiurei c par;iu. for ,,P M?S:U1., and they were seen

tn nrni'f it lli-i.l I Iii:iilcre. I.rivrnll!i 1 1 1 IS 1 1 . 1

of history; and that from my personal recol-

cction, 1 can add little or nothing to the prin

cipal facts, which are already well known. I

have always considered the repulse ot the en-

em-, at that place, a3 among the most brill

iant achievements of the late war; the de

fences were incompetent and hastily construe

ted; the desparity of force was great; the re-

istance was vigorous and successful, and an

unusual number of assailants were killed and

wounded.

1 believe thc capture of that post would

have produced very unfortunate effects upon

the operations on me ironuer. ven u 11

had not compelled General Harrison eventu

ally to fall back upon the settlements it would

have given confidence to the enemy's troops,

and to the Indians. It might have encouraged them to make an attack upon our boats at Cleveland, and upon our vessels at Eric. The destruction of our armed vessel?, and

advancinc in several columns under cover ci

a fire from their artillery. The first attempt

(the destruction of which was the object of!of five hundred cs

the invasions ano movements aown tne L.aicc; ;jJjl)ed ciu iuy. at the mercy of the enemy. j JJoUi have stated that Gcnrrr.l Harrison After being detained one night, Croghan n(.ve(. doul),.d lhat Major Cro.dian would be

wn rptnrerl tn -and.isK v and riunstatrd in . . . . unili. K d on n i

hUcomm occon whleh gave .I.Tlffw"? TZVJZ STiS ' - . " ''"" .h..

hablp inv tn th nflirers and snl.liprs in tb..l , ...J J V - en antry, recovered ine assamnui u.c. norm-

.... v .u J J - , 1 hnilCin.I With nnn huh 1 rrf 'i Mil 1 I . i r-f i' mn r

or H.rip. nnn inp nnnis ami sinrpsaii.icvri.ind. n n- . i

". :.:-.. :etI munons oi nunnc stores, and exposure . ,..,, .,Mr. thp r.P,h.nt front of Hip f.ut

of frontier lo the com-; . r . , , ' . , T.,i,c,,.n

. III. I . IIU. U IIV . ..n.lt llillll tfiniii.niii i"

assistance Knsign Hunt an promptly hastened, and, by their united eff i ts, the enemy's col,J , i . . .. ...

umii. led on ny i.ieuieiiaiu u'i.ohum,

cri

fort, and which could only be equalled in in tensity of feeding by the chagrin and morli

hcation felt at his arrest. Jbsnccially was

this event pleasing to those officers who had sustained him in disobeying the order, resol

ved as they were, when he was arrested, to share his fate, be it good or evil. Soon after his return, the enemy, so long expected, made his appearance and demanded a surrender Croghan answered by directing Ensign Shipp to assure General Proctor that he would be blown to hell first! I need hardly say after what has been related, that their appearance, relieving us from our long suspense, was hailed with seeming

joy the Major, and most, if not by all, of his

command. The excitement produced by what had occurred, and his return just in time to meet the

(his effective force on lhe day of the battle.) one six pounder with ammunition for only seven shots, and about forty rounds for the small arms; when the fact was notorious that

General Harrison was heard lo say, during the siege, when thc firing could be he:rd in his camp, speaking of Crogan," the blood be on his own head; 1 wash my hands of it:'' not doubing for a moment, nor did any one with him, that lhe garrison would be cut oil. With great respect your obn't servant. b 1 JOSEPH DUNCAN. Col. Preston, Mil. Com. Senate. IN SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. June 1 8, lo.H. Head, and ordered to be printed. Mr. I'bkston made thc following REPORT, WITH SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 15.

enemy, inspired his command with an cnthu-1 Thc committee on Military Affairs, to which

le delVndi d by Lieutenant Meek,

western anirie

and Ensign Ship. These officers, tn ohcdience to the en met injunctions of Colonel ('rog

han, reserved their nre unm tne enemy approached within thirty feet, and then ponied it unon him with dcadlv aim: for a moment he

rccoilod, but recovering hitnL-f, with a gallant effort, he threw ii.o the ditch. The.

six-pounder had been placed in a position to rake the ditch, masked and heavily charged

with slugs bealen out of the pig of lend. It

was under thc command of Sei leant W eavcr.

and manned by five or six Pittsburgh and Vc-

tcihurg volunteers. At the instant that the ditch was filled with "llie enemy this piece was discharged uot.n them, and, raking its whole exle.it wiih Icnden slugs, flier ted the most fatal slaughter; a second" discharge of this piero accompanied with a fire of musketry, crowded thc ditch with billed and wound-