the evening of November third, the tired and
hungry army of St. Clair emerged on the headwaters of the river Wabash.
"There was a small, elevated meadow on the east banks of this stream,
while a dense forest spread gloomily all around." A light snow was on
the ground, and the pools of water were covered with a thin coat of
ice. The Wabash at this point was twenty yards wide. The militia were
thrown across the stream about three hundred yards in advance of the
main army. As they took their positions, a few Indians were routed out
of the underbrush and fled precipitately into the woods. The main body
of troops was cooped up in close quarters. The right wing was composed
of Butler's, Clark's, and Patterson's battalions, commanded by Major
General Butler. These battalions formed the first line of the
encampment. The left wing, consisting of Bedinger's and Gaither's
battalions, and the Second United States Regiment of regulars, under the
command of Colonel William Darke, formed the second line. An interval
between these lines of about seventy yards "was all the ground would
allow." St. Clair thought that his right flank was fairly well secured
by a creek, "while a steep bank, and Faulkner's corps, some of the
cavalry, and their picquets, covered the left flank." No works whatever
were thrown up to protect the army, but the great camp-fires of the
soldiers illumined the whole host. In the circumjacent forests, and a
little in advance of the position occupied by the militia, was a camp of
over eleven hundred Indians, composed of Miamis, Shawnees, Potawatomi,
Delawares, Ottawas, Chippewas and Wyandots, with a number of British
adherents from Detroit, waiting for the first hours of dawn of the
coming day.

What strange sense of security lulled the vigilance of the American
leaders will never be known. During the night the frequent firing of the
sentinels disturbed the whole camp, and the outlying guards reported
bands of savages skulking about in considerable numbers. "About ten
o'clock at night," says Major Denny, "General Butler, who commanded the
right wing, was desired to send out an intelligent officer and party to
make discoveries. Captain Slough, with two subalterns and thirty men, I
saw parade at General Butler's tent for this purpose, and heard the
general give Captain Slough very particular verbal orders how to
proceed." Slough afterwards testified before a committee of Congress,
that he was sent out during the night