the army went into camp
on the flats near Foot's Corners two miles north of the village of
Kanaghsaws. Boyd and his party left camp at 11 o'clock at night,
passed through the abandoned Kanaghsaws, and from thence pursued the
direct trail which led south westerly up the hill to Gathtsegwarohare.
In the darkness of the night, he passed Butler's right flank, neither
party being conscious of the presence of the other, and reached
Gathtsegwarohare, which the inhabitants had abandoned early in the
morning, without encountering any difficulty. On the morning of the
13th Sullivan advanced to Kanaghsaws, and finding that the enemy had
destroyed the bridge over the inlet, he detailed a portion of the army
to aid the pioneers in its re-construction, and to repair the roadway
over the low grounds leading to it. All of this was directly under the
eye of Butler, who, according to a British account, "lay undiscovered
though only a musket shot from the rebels, and even within sight." On
reaching the town Boyd halted his forces at the suburbs, himself and
one of his men reconnoitered the place, then rejoined the party and
concealed themselves in the woods near the town. He sent back two of
his men to report to General Sullivan, and awaited the light of the
day whose morning was just breaking. These two men got through safely
and reported. About daybreak four Indians were seen to enter the town
by Boyd, one of whom was killed, another wounded, the rest escaped.
Boyd then immediately set out to return, expecting to meet the army on
the march, and when about half way, despatched two more men to inform
the general of his intention to remain "on the path" and await the
coming of the army. These men soon encountered five Indians, and
returned; the entire party then resumed the march, following and
firing on the retreating Indians, who lured them directly into the
lines of the enemy. Colonel Butler hearing the firing on his right and
rear imagined he was discovered, and that instead of ambuscading the
rebels, he was himself to be surprised by this unexpected attack in
the rear. No evidence whatever has appeared to confirm the conjecture,
that Boyd's presence was either known or suspected in that quarter, by
Butler, or any portion of his force, until discovered by the five
retreating Indians, and to them, only by accident; but when discovered
with true aboriginal cunning they allured their unsuspecting victims
to the fatal embrace of the enemy,