at the fort. The column had gone about a quarter-mile when a small party of confederate warriors attacked the supply column and drove them back to the fort, while the rest of the army remained in position. At the sounds of gunfire and fleeing herd animals, the fort quickly sent a reaction force of dragoons along the road and riflemen in the woods. The main body of the confederate force waited until the dragoons were at close range, then fired a mass volley which killed several of the dragoons and horses, including the officer in charge, Major William McMahon. The riflemen under Captain Asa Hartshorn were flanked by small parties and cut off from the fort, then attacked by the main body of confederate warriors. An injured Hartshorn was confronted by Thomas McKee, who demanded his surrender. Captain Hartshorn swung his pike at McKee and was quickly killed by McKee's slave and a Native American warrior. Captain Gibson sent a detachment under LT Drake to cover the retreat to the fort. They advanced to the edge of the forest with bayonets and momentarily slowed the confederacy's advance, but were soon forced to retreat. LT Drake had to be dragged back to the fort after being shot. The Legion's dragoons cut a retreat back to the fort, losing thirty-two killed (including Cornet Daniel Torrey) and thirty wounded, while inflicting an unknown number of casualties on their attackers. Some of the dragoons took shelter at a detached blockhouse by a stream, but most were forced to retreat again to the main fort. Many confederate warriors tried to capture the horses during the dragoon's retreat. The blockhouse itself remained under Corporal White and 6 privates, who may have killed more confederate warriors than the rest of the Legion inside the main fort. The Native Americans captured or scattered several hundred pack horses used for supply convoys. The combined Native American force had only suffered 3 killed in the coordinated ambush, but Odawa and Ojibwa forces attacked the fort directly. A party of British officers under Captain Matthew Elliott argued against the attack, since they had already inflicted great damage on the Legion but had little chance of success against the fort. The attack was quickly neutralized by defenders from within the safety of the fort, including infantry, dragoons, and Chickasaw scouts. Captain Gibson also brought up the recovered artillery to defend the fort.