The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

32 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [2ET. 22.
very unequal numbers shall compel me to submit or
retreat.
Now, Sir, as I have answered your letter, I shall beg
leave to acquaint you with what has happened since I
wrote by Mr. Gist. I then informed you, that I had
detached a party of seventy-five men to meet fifty of
the French, who, we had intelligence, were upon their
march towards us. About nine o'clock the same night,
I received an express from the Half-King, who was
encamped with several of his people about six miles off,
that he had seen the tracks of two Frenchmen crossing
the road, and that, behind, the whole body were lying
not far off, as he had an account of that number passing
Mr. Gist's.
I set out with forty men before ten, and it was from
that time till near sunrise before we reached the Indians'
camp, having marched in small paths, through a heavy
rain, and a night as dark as it is possible to conceive.
We were frequently tumbling one over another, and
often so lost, that fifteen or twenty minutes' search
would not find the path again.
When we came to the Half-King, I counselled with
him, and got his assent to go hand-in-hand and strike
the French. Accordingly, he, Monacawacha, and a few
other Indians set out with us; and when we came to the
place where the tracks were, the Half-King sent two
Indians to follow their tracks, and discover their lodgement, which they did at half a mile from the road, in a
very obscure place surrounded with rocks. I thereupon,
in conjunction with the Half-King and Monacawacha,
formed a disposition to attack them on all sides, which
we accordingly did, and, after an engagement of about
fifteen minutes, we killed ten, wounded one, and took
twenty-one prisoners. Amongst those killed was M. de
Jumonville, the commander. The principal officers