ecovering from their first
surprise, opened a fire of grape and musketry. Beaujeu and twelve others
fell dead upon the spot; the Indians, astonished by the report of the
cannon, began to fly. Rallied by Dumas, who succeeded Beaujeu, they
resumed the combat: the French in front, the Indians on the flank. For a
time the issue was doubtful: cries of "Vive le Roi" were answered by the
cheers of the English. But while the officers of the Forty-fourth led on
their men with waving swords, the enemy, concealed in the woods and
ravines, secure and invisible, kept up a steady, well-aimed, and fatal
fire. Their position was only discovered by the smoke of their muskets.
Gage, not reinforcing his flanking parties, they were driven in, and the
English, instead of advancing upon the hidden enemy, returned a random
and ineffectual fire in full column.

In the mean time Braddock sent forward Lieutenant-Colonel Burton with
the vanguard. And while he was forming his men to face a rising ground
on the right, the advanced detachment, overwhelmed with consternation by
the savage war-whoop and the mysterious danger, fell back upon him in
great confusion, communicating a panic from which they could not be
recovered. Braddock now came up and endeavored to form the two regiments
under their colors, but neither entreaties nor threats could prevail.
The baggage in the rear was attacked, and many horses killed; some of
the drivers fell, the rest escaped by flight. Two of the cannon flanking
the baggage for some time protected it from the Indians; the others
fired away most of their ammunition, and were of some service in awing
the enemy, but could do but little execution against a concealed foe.
The enemy extended from front to rear, and fired upon every part at
once. The general finding it impossible to persuade his men to advance,
many officers falling, and no enemy appearing in sight, endeavored to
effect a retreat in good order, but such was the panic that he could not
succeed. They were loading as fast as possible and firing in the air.

Braddock and his officers made every effort to rally them, but in vain;
in this confusion and dismay they remained in a road twelve feet wide,
enclosed by woods, for three hours, huddled together, exposed to the
insidious fire, doing the enemy little hurt, and shooting one another.
None of the survivors could afterwards say that they saw one hundred of
the enemy, and many of the officers that were in the heat