Indian camp: captain Ward was to occupy
the ground in the rear; and captain Kenton one side, while the river
presented a barrier on the fourth, thus guarding against a retreat of
the Indians. It was further agreed that the attack was not to commence
until there was light enough to shoot with accuracy. Before Kenton and
Ward had reached the positions they were respectively to occupy, the
bark of a dog in the Indian camp was heard, and then the report of a
gun. Upon this alarm, Baker's men instantly fired, and captains Kenton
and Ward, with their companies, raising the battle cry, rushed towards
the camp. To their surprise, they found Baker and his men in the rear,
instead of the front of the Indians, thus deranging the plan of attack,
whether from design or accident is unknown. The Indians sent back the
battle cry, retreated a few paces, and treed. It was still too dark to
fire with precision, but random shots were made, and a terrible
shouting kept up by the Indians. While the parties were thus at bay,
Tecumseh had the address to send a part of their men to the rear of the
Kentuckians for the horses; and when they had been taken to the front,
which was accomplished without discovery, the Indians mounted and
effected their escape, carrying with them John Ward, the only one of
their party who was shot. This individual, a white man, had been
captured when three-years old, on Jackson, one of the tributaries of
James river, in Virginia. He had been raised by the Indians, among whom
he had married, and reared several children. He was the brother of
James Ward, one of the leaders of this expedition, and died of his
wound a few days after the engagement, as was subsequently ascertained.
No Indian was killed in this skirmish, and but one of the Kentuckians,
Jacob Jones, a member of Baker's detachment. No pursuit of the Indians
was made from this point, nor did they prove to be the same party who
had been engaged in the attack upon the Slate creek station.[A]

[Footnote A: For the foregoing details of this little expedition, the
author is indebted to captain James Ward, of Mason county, Kentucky,
who commanded one of the detachments on this occasion.]

In McDonald's Sketches, it is stated that "three Indians were killed in
this action; and that when fired upon by their assailants, they dashed
through the creek, and scattered through the woods, like a flock of
young partridges."

On these points, the worthy author of the "Sketc