History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1755] FOURTH FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 269
very liaiidsome retreat they made, by continuing tlieir fire
and tlien retreating a little, and then rise and give them a
brisk fire and so continued till they came within about f of
a mile from our camp—then was the last fire our men gave
our enemies, which killed great numbers of them ; they
were seen to drop as pigeons that put the enemy to a little
stop— they very soon drove on with undaunted courage
down to our camp, the regulars came rank and file about 6
abreast so reached near 20 rods length in close order ; the
Canadians and Indians took the left wing helter skelter
down along towards the camip ; they had the advantage of
the ground—passing over hollow and rising a knoll within
gun shot, then took trees and logs and places to hide themselves—we
made the best shift we could for batteries to get
behind but had but few minutes to do it in ; as soon as they
all came within shot of the regulars rank and file they
came towards that part of the camp, where we had drawn
up 3 or 4 field pieces, the others towards the west part of
the camp, there I placed myself and part of Col. Ruggles
and of our regiment along together—the fire began between
11 and 12 of the clock and continued till near five in the
afternoon—the most violent fire perhaps that ever was
heard of in this country in any battle. Then we beat them
off the ground—we took the French General wounded, and
near 30 of his men, a considerable number dead on the
ground, and by the account of the General and others we
took— the greater part of his officers killed and his army
broken to pieces—the number they lost we have no certain
account but by what we found and what the prisoners tell
us their loss is not less than 4 or 500 men.
Tuesday, Sept. 9. This a fair hot day. We are about
the melancholy work of burying our dead that were killed
here in the camp yesterday ; their number is and we
are making some sort of a fortification or battlement to
stand behind to fight in case the enemy should attack us
again which we daily expect.
Wednesday, 10*''. A fair day and hot. I went out today
with the command of about 400 men to bury the dead
bodies of those slain in battle the 8"' inst. We spent the
day in a melancholy piece of business and put into the
ground 136 bodies of men, we put up and brought in a great