1920-22 Draft of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom – Page 320

Half a dozen wounded & seventeen private Soldiers lost saturday night last ab lebanon were taken prisoners by the remaind'r that made their escape who also inform us they were pursued ab eight milles or better ab sav Sav in georgia by ab 200 or upwards of Creek Indians where they sustained another engagement, in which she lost one man kill'd & several wounded. The day after the indns with their prison'rs & what plunder they had got sat off for their Nation by the way of St. Marks. For these two actions with a suff'nr Detachment with an officer I could not at that time from the want of men nor magazines of provisions &c &c disperse the enemy from St. Marks. His Maj's troops with a detachment of upwards of Sixty four rank & file from the Regt of Georgia under the Command of Maj. Mudd, I expected wod be a sufficient reinforcement to enable me to strike a Decisive Blow ab that Quarter & Dislodge those Faithless Vagrants from the Spanish Territory, more especialy as it wod give confidence to our frindly Creek to act with vigor vs the enimy. But my hopes & wishes is frustrated, Major Mudd has thought proper not to Join us, al'tho' positively ordered. He I learn from good authority is loitering on the frontiers of Georgia under pretence of guarding that exposed part of the Country against the inroads of the Sav Sav, waiting the arrival of an officer sup'd to be appointed to the Command of the Troops ordered on this expedition. The enclosed papers with the demand made by Lt Campbell to the Commandant of St Marks with his answer will convince you sir of the propriety of using Coercive meas'rs with those faithless miscrants in Order to bring them to a due sense of their Conduct & of preventing them from affording an Asylum & resources to our inveterate enemies the red Sons of the forest. This inattention to orders and want of support from the Militia has somewhat disconcerted my plan of operation against the enemy, & detained me much longer on this side than I expected. As soon as I can collect a sufficiency of prov'n (which is an Object or precarious tenure) to render my movements secure, I shall recross the River & stretch along the east Bank, until I fall in with the main Body of the hostile Indians who are embodied somewhere to the westward of the suwany river. I have just rec'd Advice, that a large Body of Indians were seen steering ab eighty or ninety miles to the westward of this place between the Suanse & little Suwany making directly for this river, which it is probable they mean to cross & proceed on by some of the routes leading out of this Territory. I have in consequence detached ab sixty or seventy mount'd Infantry to endeavour to strike their trail, with directions to kill men women & children indiscriminately during the continuance of the havoc they have committed on our generous & unoffending Citizens who are emigrating to the shores of the Mobile & Mississippi for settlement. I am sir very respectfly your obt. & hble servt. (and another section) If the Commandant will not give up the fort, he must be responsible for the consequences which must involve the fort & property in the same ruin.