eagerness to plunder the
slain, and gather what else of booty might be found on the field.

Thus ended this bloody battle, or rather slaughter; for in truth it
could be called nothing else. Of the sixteen hundred valiant men who
had that morning, in all the bright array of gleaming arms and waving
banners, marched along the banks of that beautiful river, nearly
one-half, ere the sun went down, had fallen on Braddock's Hill. What
made this disaster more shameful still was the weakness of the enemy's
force, which did not exceed eight hundred, of whom only a fourth were
French; and, of all this number, scarcely forty fell in the fight.

Col. Washington was now ordered to ride back with all speed to
Dunbar's camp, to fetch horses, wagons, and hospital-stores for the
relief of the wounded. Although still quite weak from his ten days'
fever, which indeed had left him with no more strength than should
have sufficed for the fatigues of that trying day, yet he set out on
the instant, and, taking with him a guard of grenadiers, travelled the
livelong night. What with those terrible sights and sounds still
ringing in his ears, and flashing before his eyes; what with the
thought of the many dead and dying that lay on the lonely hillside far
behind, with their ghastly upturned faces, more ghastly still in the
light of the moon; and what with the bitter, bitter reflection, that
all this would never have been but for the pride and folly of a single
man,--that ride through the dark and silent woods must have been a
melancholy one indeed. He pushed on, without leaving the saddle, till
late in the afternoon of the following day, when he reached Dunbar's
camp; and gathering together, without loss of time, the necessaries
for which he had been sent, started on his return that same night,
scarcely allowing himself and men an hour for food and rest. Early
next morning, he met the main division at Mr. Gist's plantation,
whither they had dragged their shattered lines the evening before.
From thence they all went on together to the Great Meadows, where they
arrived that same day, and halted.

For the four and twenty hours following the battle, Braddock had
remained sad and silent; never speaking except to say, "Who would have
thought it?" The second day, he seemed more cheerful; for he said, "We
shall better know how to deal with them another time." He spoke in
high praise of the skill and courage shown by the Virginia rangers and
other prov