Campbell to Preston, 12 October 1774

MaJ. Arthur Campbell to Col. William Preston. 3QQn8.] ROYAL-OAK Od*. 12^. 1774. Yesterday your letter by Mr. Cummins and instructions by John Kinkead came to hand; which Instructions I will strictly adhere to, as far as I think your general intentions for the protection of the whole Frontier will anywise admit. Yesterday also I had an Express from Clynch, with the following intelligence. Thursday ye. 6th. Ins. at Blackmores one Deal Carter was killed and Scalped within 55 Steps of the Fort. Mr. Anderson who h ad a man with him, fired at the Indian as he was Scalping the Man killed, while the other Man shot at another Indian. The Indians fired several .shots at Anderson & the other, when they fired off the Bastion at them. The Indians had like to done Andersons Job, having struck into the stockade a few Inches from his Head. Evidently the indi ans intentions was to have made a bold push to enter the Fort as the People was ch[i]efly all some distance away from the Gate upon Logs, the Enemy it seems had silently crept along under Bank of the River completely out of view, until poor Carter discovered them, he immediately commenced hallooing Murder; one Gun fired and missed — another shot him thro the Thigh, but not mortal, he could not Escape, as he was too lame : One fellow more bold than the rest, soon ran up and toma- haked and scalped him, the remainder of the enemy escaped at the distance of about loo Yds. and fired as mentioned before.