p383  Lieut. Robert Rich Mudge​a

Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, Jan. 1836.

Dear Sir, — It is with the profoundest feelings of grief and melancholy that I undertake to inform you of the probability that your son, Lieutenant Robert R. Mudge, of the 3d Artillery, was killed upon the field of battle in an engagement with the Indians on the 28th of December, •sixty-five miles from this post on the road to Fort King.

On the morning of the 23d ult., the detachment to which Lieutenant Mudge belonged, being one hundred strong, B company, 3d Artillery, and C company, 2d Artillery, under the command of Brevet Major F. L. Dade, of the 4th Infantry, set out for Fort King, in compliance with the instructions some time previously received from General Clinch. Although there had been a few hostile demonstrations,  p384 we were most sanguine the command would go through safe. But how wofully deceived! We heard from the field of battle on the 29th by a wounded soldier, who had escaped, and his account has been confirmed by the statement of two others, who have since come in.

At eight o'clock on the morning of the 28th, when sixty-five miles from Fort Brooke, and north of the forks of the Ouchlacouchy, the detachment was attacked by an immense body of Indians in ambuscade and completely cut to pieces. Lieutenant Mudge was in the right wing, and fell among the first. He died bravely and nobly, and struggled to exert himself to the last. He was wounded in the right breast, from which blood was seen to flow.

He for a moment leaned against a tree, and was finally seen to fall. No officer appears to have survived.

The above are all the particulars we can glean. The detachment fought with the most desperate but unavailing bravery.

The names of the other officers are as follows: Major Dade, Captains Fraser and Gardiner, Lieutenants Basinger, Keais,º Henderson, and Assistant Surgeon Gatlin. They were a noble set, but have met with a disaster rarely equalled in our contests with the Indians.

There were two attacks, separated by about an hour and a half. It was in the first part of the fight that Lieutenant Mudge fell.

Lieutenant Mudge was a classmate of mine, and it is quite needless to mention our estimate of his virtues, of his industry, of his officer-like qualities, and our profound sorrow for his loss to us as a friend and an officer. Would to Heaven it were in my power in any way to convey this information in a manner to diminish the distress it will occasion.

If any further particulars are known, I will certainly communicate them, — but there is no doubt left in our minds.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Benj. Alvord,

2d Lieutenant 4th Infantry.

"Our detachment, consisting of 110 men, under command of Major Dade, started from Fort Brook,º Tampa Bay, on the 23d of December, and arrived at the scene of action about eight o'clock on the morning of the 28th. It was on the edge of a pond, •three miles from the spot where we had bivouacked on the night previous. The pond was surrounded by tall grass, brush, and small trees. A moment before we were surprised, Mr. Dade said  p386 to us, 'We have now got through all danger — keep up good heart, and when we get to Fort King, I'll give you three days for Christmas.'

"At this time we were in a path, or trail, on the border of the pond, and the first notice that we received of the presence of the enemy, was the discharge of a rifle by their chief, as a signal to commence their attack. The pond was on our right, and the Indians were scattered round, in a semicircle, on our left, in the rear, and in advance, reaching at the two latter points to the edge of the pond, but leaving an opening for our entrance on the path, and a similar opening at the other extremity, for the egress of our advanced guard, which was permitted to pass through without being fired on, and of course unconscious of the ambuscade through which they had marched. At the time of the attack, this guard was •about a quarter of a mile in advance, the main body following in column, two deep. The chief's rifle was followed by a general discharge from his men, and Major Dade, Capt. Frazier, and Lieut. Mudge, together with several non-commissioned officers and privates, were brought down by the first volley. Our rear guard had a six-pounder, which, as soon as possible, was hauled up, and brought to bear upon the ground occupied by the unseen enemy, secreted among the grass, brush, and trees. The discharge of the cannon checked, and made them fall back, for about half an hour. About twelve of us advanced, and brought in our wounded and the arms, leaving the dead. Among the wounded was Lieut. Mudge, who was speechless. We set him up against a tree, and he was found there two months after, when General Gaines sent a detachment to bury the bodies of our soldiers. All hands then commenced throwing up a small triangular breast-work of logs, but just as we had raised it •about two feet, the Indians returned and we renewed the engagement. A part of our troops fought within the breast-work, and a part outside. I remained outside till I received a ball in my right arm, and another near my right temple, which came out at the top of my head. I next received a shot in my thigh, which brought me down on my side, and I then got into the breast-work. We gave them forty-nine discharges from the cannon, and while loading for the fiftieth (the last shot we had), our match went out. The Indians chiefly levelled at the men who worked the cannon. In the meantime, the main body of our troops kept up a general fire with musketry.

 p387  "The loss of the enemy must have been very great, because we never fired till we fixed upon our men, but the cannon was necessarily fired at random, as only two or three Indians appeared together. When the firing commenced, the advanced guard wheeled, and in returning to the main body were entirely cut up. The battle lasted till about four in the afternoon, and I was about the last one who handled a gun, while laying on my side. At the close, I received a shot in my right shoulder, which passed into my lungs, — the blood gushed out of my mouth in a stream, and, dropping my musket, I rolled over on my face. The Indians then entered the breast-work, but found not one man standing to defend it. They secured the arms, ammunition, and the cannon, and despatched such of our fallen soldiers as they supposed still to be alive. Their negroes then came in to strip the dead. I had by this time somewhat revived, and a negro who observed that I was not dead, took up a musket and shot me in the top of the shoulder, and the ball came out at my back. After firing, he said, 'There, damn you, take that.' He then stripped me of everything but my shirt.

"The enemy then disappeared to the left of the pond, and, through weakness and apprehension, I remained still till about nine o'clock at night. I then commenced crawling on my knees and left hand. As I was crawling over the dead, I put my hand on one man, who felt different from the rest, — he was warm and limber. I roused him up, and found it was De Coursey, an Englishman, and the son of a British officer, resident in Canada. I told him that it was best for us to attempt to travel, as the danger appeared to be over, and we might fall in with some assistance. As he was only wounded in the side and arm, he could walk a little. We got along as well as we could that night — continued on till next noon, when, on a rising ground, we observed an Indian ahead, on horseback, loading his rifle. We agreed that he should go on one side of the road, and I on the other. The Indian took after De Coursey, and I heard the discharge of his rifle. This gave me time to crawl into a hummock, and hide away. The Indian soon returned, with his arms and legs covered with blood, having, no doubt, according to custom, cut De Coursey to pieces, after bringing him down with his rifle. The Indian came riding through the brush in pursuit of me, and approached within •ten feet, but gave up the search. I then resumed my route back to Fort Brook, crawled and limped through the nights and forenoons, and  p388 slept in the brush during the middle of the day, with no other nourishment than cold water. I got to Fort Brook on the evening of the fifth day, and in five months afterwards was discharged as a pensioner at eight dollars per month. The doctor attributes my not dying of my wounds to the circumstance that I bled a great deal, and did not partake of any solid food during the first five days.

Two other soldiers by the name of Thomas and Sprague, also came in afterwards. Although badly wounded, they ascended a tree, and thus escaped the enemy on the evening of battle. They joined another expedition, two months after, but before their wounds were healed, and soon died of them."

Western Dep't, Fort King, Fla., Feb. 22, 1836.

General, — Agreeable to your directions, I observed the battle ground, •six or seven miles north of the Ouithlacooche River, where Major Dade and his command were destroyed by the Seminole Indians on the 28th of December last, have the honor to submit the following report:—

The force under your command, which arrived at this post to‑day, from Tampa Bay, encamped on the night of the 19th instant on the ground occupied by Major Dade on the night of the 27th of December. He and his party were destroyed on the morning of the 28th of December, •about four miles in advance of that position. He was advancing toward this post, and was attacked from the north, so that on the 20th instant we came upon the rear of his battle ground about nine o'clock in the morning. Our advanced guard had passed the ground without halting, when the General and his staff came upon one of the most appalling scenes that can be imagined. We first saw some broken and scattered boxes, then a cart, the two oxen of which were lying dead, as if they had fallen asleep, their yokes still on them. A little to the right, one or two horses were seen. We then came to a small enclosure, made by felling trees in such a manner as to form a triangular breastwork for defence. Within the triangle, along the north and west faces of it, were about thirty bodies, mostly mere skeletons, although much of the clothing was left upon them. These were lying, almost every one of them, in precisely the position they must have occupied during the fight — their heads next to the logs over which they had delivered their fire, and their bodies stretched with striking regularity parallel to each other. They had evidently been shot dead at their posts, and the Indians had not disturbed them,  p389 except by taking the scalps of most of them. Passing this little breastwork, we found other bodies along the road, and by the side of the road, generally behind trees, which had been resorted to for covers from the enemy's fire. Advancing about two hundred yards further, we found a cluster of bodies in the middle of the road. These were evidently the advanced guard, in the rear of which was the body of Major Dade, and to the right that of Captain Fraser.

These were all doubtless shot down on the first fire of the Indians, except, perhaps, Captain Fraser, who must, however, have fallen very early in the fight. Those in the road and by the trees fell during the first attack. It was during a cessation of the fire that the little band still remaining, about thirty in number, threw up the triangular breastwork, which, from the haste with which it was constructed, was necessarily defective, and could not protect the men in the second attack.

We had with us many of the personal friends of the officers of Major Dade's command, and it is gratifying to be able to state that every officer was identified by undoubted evidence. They were buried, and the cannon a six-pounder, that the Indians had thrown into a swamp, was recovered and placed vertically at the head of grave, where it is to be hoped it will long remain. The bodies of the non-commissioned officers and privates were buried in two graves, and it was found that every man was accounted for. The command was composed of eight officers and one hundred and two non-commissioned officers and privates. The bodies of eight officers and ninety-eight men were interred, four men having escaped, three of whom reached Tampa Bay; the fourth was killed the day after the battle.

It may be proper to observe that the attack was not made from a hummock, but in a thinly wooded country; the Indians being concealed by palmetto and grass, which has since been burned.

The two companies were Captain Fraser's of the 3d Artillery, and Captain Gardiner's of the 2d Artillery. The officers were Major Dade, of the 4th Infantry, Captains Fraser and Gardiner, Second Lieutenant Basinger, Brevet Second Lieutenants R. Henderson, Mudge and Keais, of the artillery, and Doctor J. S. Gatlin.

I have the honor to be, with the highest respect, your obedient servant,

E. A. Hitchcock,

Captain 1st Infantry, Act. Insp'r General.

Major Gen. Edmund P. Gaines, Com. West'n Dpt. Fort King, Fla.