at war he had become a true American citizen of
Pennsylvania, and as colonel and major-general had served with the
Buff-and-Blue in the war for American independence.

He had been unlucky in his campaigns, but nobody ever doubted his
courage. General Washington thought highly of him, and now took pains
to say, in person, to him, before the start was made:

"Beware of a surprise. You know how the Indians fight. So I
repeat--beware of a surprise."

General Saint Clair had been promised three thousand men, but when
early in September of this year 1791 he left Fort Washington, he had
only two thousand men. Still, it was a strong army, comprising the
greater portion of the whole army of the United States. There were the
First and Second Infantry, half a battalion (two companies) of the
regular artillery, a company of mounted riflemen volunteers, and six
hundred Kentucky militia.

Major-General Richard Butler of Pennsylvania, and of the Continental
army in the Revolution, was field officer in command; and a number of
the other officers had been trained under Washington. But the Second
Regiment was new, the last spring, and largely of recruits; and the
Kentucky militia had not wanted to come.

Part of them deserted, on the way out. The First Regiment was sent to
catch them. This left fourteen hundred men, to march on into the
Indian country. General Saint Clair was so crippled with the
rheumatism and the gout that he could scarcely mount a horse.

Twenty miles north of Fort Washington he halted long enough to erect
Fort Hamilton--Hamilton, Ohio; twenty miles farther he erected Fort
Saint Clair; and twenty miles farther, Fort Jefferson, near the present
city of Greenville, Ohio.

He was following up along the Indiana-Ohio line, to strike the Miami
villages. By the night of November 3 he had arrived within about fifty
miles of Little Turtle's principal town. The place on the modern map
is Fort Recovery, northern Ohio, close to Indiana.

Little Turtle was ready. He had twelve hundred men. Buckongahelas the
Delaware, and Blue-jacket the Shawnee were helping him. So was a
Missisauga chief who had been drilled under British officers. So was
Simon Girty the white-Indian savage. So were a number of Canadians and
French half-breeds, from Canada and from the Illinois country. And so,
it is stated, were several British officers from Detroit, who wished to
see their old foes, the Continentals, licked. Their red