stiffen the backs of our people, surely they got it when seeing those whom
they had once called friends, moving into line to compass their death.

I had thought that the men under General Herkimer's command fought bravely
after the cowards were weeded out, and those who were left understood
that, but for the mutiny in camp, the ambush would not have been
successful; but now they seemed like veritable tigers as the Tories came
into the battle.

There was no longer any thought of fighting from behind trees, but each
man pushed forward intent only on vanquishing the renegades, until none
save Sergeant Corney and I were left to guard our wounded commander.

I will set down here that account of the battle from this point, which I
found some time since in a book containing the story of the fight in the
ravine, sometimes called the Battle of Oriskany:

"Major Watts came up with a detachment of Johnson's Greens to support them
(the savages), but the presence of these men, mostly refugees from the
Mohawk, made the patriots more furious, and mutual resentments, as the
parties faced and recognized each other, seemed to give new strength to
their arms. They leaped upon each other with the fierceness of tigers, and
fought hand to hand and foot to foot with bayonets and knives."

While this portion of the battle was at its height, we suddenly heard the
reports of firearms from the direction of the fort, and my heart leaped
into my throat, for I understood that Colonel Gansevoort was making the
sortie for which we should have waited.

Nor was I the only one who thus realized that the Britishers and their