The Alexandria Herald

MILLEDGEVILLE, AUGUST 14.

NEWS

It will be seen by the following letter from Col. Clinch to the Executive of this state, that the Fort on Appalachicola Bay in East Florida, where the refugee Nichol's commanded a motley force of British Indians and Negroes during the late war, and which has since been occupied by runaway negroes and hostile Indians was completely destroyed by our troops on the 27th ultimo.

Mr. Hughes the bearer of Col. Clinch's letter to Gov. Mitchell, and who accompanied the detachment of our troops on that expedition, states that the celebrated Chief M'Intosh with a considerable number of Indians, had reached the Fort & commenced an attack upon it, which had continued several days before the arrival of Col. Clinch's detachment. The fire was returned by those in the fort, but no injury sustained on either side. While Col. Clinch was erecting a battery to play on the fort, three of the Gun Boats from New Orleans arrived below it. In ascending the bay, 7 men who had landed from one of these boats were attacked by the negroes and six of them killed; the seventh made his escape by swimming. The Gun Boats having been brought up (by order of Col. Clinch) opposite the Fort, commenced firing on it with heavy ordnance. After the proper elevation of the gun had been ascertained by three or four discharges, a hot shot was fired, which penetrating one of the three magazines, containing two barrels of powder, created a dreadful explosion, which our informant supposes must have killed more than an hundred—the others were taken prisoners without making further resistance.

Copy of a letter from Lieutenant Colonel Duncan L. Clinch, to his Excellency Governor Mitchell, dated

"Camp Crawford,

4th August, 1816.

"Sir—I have the honor to inform you that on the 27th ultimo, the Fort on the Appalachicola in East Florida, defended by one hundred Negroes and Choctaws, and containing about two hundred Women and Children, was completely destroyed. I have the honor to enclose you the names of the negroes taken and at present in confinement at this post, who say they belong to citizens of the State of Georgia. I have given the chiefs directions, to have every Negro that comes into the nation taken and delivered up to the commanding officer at this post, or at Fort Gaines."

Communicated for the Federal Gazette.