Militia.

At the appointed time the militia began to straggle in; the regular
officers had long been busy getting their own troops, artillery, and
military stores in readiness. The regulars felt the utmost
disappointment at the appearance of the militia. They numbered but few
of the trained Indian fighters of the frontier; many of them were hired
substitutes; most of them were entirely unacquainted with Indian
warfare, and were new to the life of the wilderness; and they were badly
armed. [Footnote: American State Papers, Indian Affairs, vol. i., pp.
104, 105; Military Affairs, i., 20.] The Pennsylvanians were of even
poorer stuff than the Kentuckians, numbering many infirm old men, and
many mere boys. They were undisciplined, with little regard for
authority, and inclined to be disorderly and mutinous.

The Army Assembles.

By the end of September one battalion of Pennsylvania, and three
battalions of Kentucky, militia, had arrived, and the troops began their
march to the Miami. All told there were 1453 men, 320 being Federal
troops and 1133 militia, many of whom were mounted; and there were three
light brass field-pieces. [Footnote: _Do._, Indian Affairs, i., p. 104;
also p. 105. For this expedition see also Military Affairs, i., pp. 20,
28, and Denny's Military Journal, pp. 343, 354.] In point of numbers the
force was amply sufficient for its work; but Harmar, though a gallant
man, was not fitted to command even a small army against Indians, and
the bulk of the militia, who composed nearly four-fifths of his force,
were worthless. A difficulty immediately occurred in choosing a
commander for the militia. Undoubtedly the best one among their officers
was Colonel John Hardin, who (like his fellow Kentuckian, Colonel
Scott), was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and a man of experience
in the innumerable deadly Indian skirmishes of the time. He had no
special qualifications for the command of more than a handful of troops,
but he was a brave and honorable man, who had done well in leading small
parties of rangers against their red foes. Nevertheless, the militia
threatened mutiny unless they were allowed to choose their own leader,
and they chose a mere incompetent, a Colonel Trotter. Harmar yielded,
for the home authorities had dwelt much on the necessity of his
preventing friction between the regulars and the militia; and he had so
little control over the latter, that he was very anxious to keep them
good-hu