60 and 80 just as the sun was setting. These tents from my knowledge of them I had no doubt were a part of the tents taken by the indians from St. Clair. They were pitched in a flat ground in the forks of a small stream & we came over the rise back of them & were very close before we discovered them. About the same time we discovered about thirty indians rather in our rear coming to the tents. ''We had no alternative but to fight, retreat or deceive them. WILLIAM WELLS immediately approached a tent with a bunch of black feathers on it &- an indian came out and held a short conversation with WM WELLS but what it was I did not then know. Where we got clear of the indians we were informed the one who talked, asked WM WELLS to light and come in. William replied to him that he had not time, he had a number of skins towards the Ohio & feared the army of the whites would find & destroy them and started off & we followed. When we had travelled '--.bout a mile someone spoke and said he wished we had fired on the indians. Without more ado the company lighted. McClelland proposed to go back & give them a fire. WILLIAM WELLS agreed to it. We left our horses and six men & returned on foot. We went up in five parties & WILLIAM WELLS to enable us to take our position and deceive them more completely approached the same tent as before & stated as he afterwards told me that he had returned for provisions to avoid shooting in the woods. In a few moments the indian became suspicious, told his men as I understood to get their guns and our fire was made upon tham immediately about dusk. The indians returned our fire. I received a flesh wound in the thigh. WM. WELLS had one bone of his right arm broken, McClelland was shot along the sholder & four others were slightly wounded. We retreated to our horses mounted & travelled all night pursued by the indians and on the next morning just as we were finishing the crossing of the Maumee some of the indians reached it. A few words passed between WM ',TELLS 6, them across the river & we continued our retreat and saw no more of them. We reached Cincinnati and were there disbanded. I returned home & a Part of those that were able remained and went out with General Wayne. I was at out in this tour three months & a half. In these two last expeditions as spies our company was mounted, dressed painted as near like the indians as we could from which circumstance and from WM. WELLS, & McClellands knowledge of their language and customs, we were the better enabled to deceive them & conceal ourselves & without which we must have been fired on when we came up to the tents.

CHARLES (X) WELLS

Further down it is signed in Charles Wells own signature

We Jabez Horn a clergyman, county of Montgomery, Asa Manning in said county & CARTY WELLS residing in St. Charles county hereby certify that we are well acquinted with CHARLES WELLS who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration, etc. 7th May 1833.

The above file had been lost or mislaid at the National Archives and when we tried to obtain it through normal channels would come back with notation "no record". I wrote Mr. William E. Lind, of the Central Reference Div. who wrote me "not only was this file not where it is supposed to be, but there is no trace of it anywhere and that both James D. Walker and Charles Shaughnessy informed me that earlier this year they were unable to find this file in spite of extensive searching." This mornings mail brought the file stating "Mr. Andrew Dyer located the file and to him should go the thanks. THANK, YOU MR. ANDREW DYER

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