The express returned at three o’clock in the morning, and reported, he had been at Gen. Tupper’s encampment; at the entrance of which, he saw a man, dead, scalped, and stripped. He concluded that Gen. Tupper was defeated. This news changed the course of Col. Lewis, not knowing their force. The General has thought proper to have this place strongly fortified with breastworks, four and a half feet high.
18th. One of the sentinels of the bullock guard discharged the contents of his gun at an Indian, as he thought, a few miles below camp, where the bullocks were grazing; the guard deserted the bullocks, and retreated to camp. A party was immediately sent in pursuit of the Indians, and behold! they found Michael Paul cutting a bee-tree.
20th. Ruddell returned, who was sent on the 17th to reconnoitre the Rapids, and Tupper’s encampment. He discovered a large body of Indians at the Rapids. He was through Tupper’s encampment, where it was supposed he was defeated He saw the man that was scalped and stripped, and he thought Tupper had retreated, instead of being defeated.
22d. Smith and his party of spies had a little skirmish near Wolftown. Early in the morning they were eating their breakfasts; one of them started to get a drink of water; he had only got a few steps when an Indian fired and wounded him, but not mortally. After snapping twice, he fired and wounded an Indian. Several guns were fired by the Indians afterwards, but no injury was sustained. In returning to camp the wounded man was sent on some distance before, while part of them remained in the rear as a guard.
Capt. Logan, Capt. John, and another Indian, started to the Rapids with the determination to establish their characters (for they were suspected by some to be traitors). Between this and the Rapids, as they were rising a bank, they met seven Indians and a British officer, who took them prisoners, but let them carry their own guns. After taking them some considerable distance, they were determined to liberate themselves or fall a sacrifice. They succeeded in killing at the same time, the British officer[E] and two of the Indians; they stated Logan killed the second, but he got badly wounded through the body; one of the other Indians that were with him got wounded, but not mortally. The two wounded got on two horses that belonged to the dead and rode to camp, leaving Capt. John to take scalps.
23d. Capt. John came in camp this morning with a scalp; he said it was the scalp of a Pottowatomie chief (Wynemack); he broke his knife in scalping him, which prevented him from scalping the others.
24th. Logan died, and was much lamented by the men generally, believing him to be true to the United States, and a brave soldier.
December 1. The troops are engaged in building huts, which are far preferable to tents.
2d. The General has issued an order for the camp to be picketed, which is three-quarters of a mile round. It is on the north side of the river, and is composed of three lines. Col. Wells’s regiment on the right, Col. Scott’s, Lewis’s, and part of Allen’s in front, the remaining part of Allen’s on the left, the river in the rear. The pickets were nearly completed in one day, two feet in the ground and eight feet above.
10th. The General has given orders to the commanding officers of regiments to cause each of their companies to be provided with a good pirogue sufficient to carry its own baggage, and cause all those who are without shoes to make themselves moccasons out of green hides.