On the 1st of October he crept up with his force to the edge of the
American camp. There they saw the assemblage spread out in all the
array of war, with its host of tents, stacked guns, flags, moving men
and sentries, and he prepared to strike it as ordered. One of his
Indians indiscreetly discharged his musket. The camp was in alarm in
an instant. De Salaberry, finding his approach discovered, immediately
collected about fifty of his Voltigeurs, with whom and the Indians he
pushed into the enemy's advanced camp, consisting of about 800 men,
and, catching them in their confusion, drove them for a considerable
distance, until, seeing the main body manoeuvring to cut off his
little handful, he fell back and took up his position at the skirt of
the woods. Once again he sallied out and charged, but with all the
army now thoroughly aroused it was useless, and the Indians having
retreated, most of his own men ran off, leaving him and Captains
Chevalier Duchesnay and Gaucher, officers much like himself in stamp,
with a few trusty Voltigeurs to skirmish with the enemy as long as
daylight permitted it.[17] He then withdrew to Châteauguay, taking the
precaution of breaking up the forest road in his rear, in pursuance of
the general policy of the campaign, which was to destroy and obstruct
as much as possible in the path of the enemy. Acquainting himself also
with the ground over which Hampton was expected to make his way into
the Province, he finally stopped, selected and took up the position
where the battle afterwards took place, in a thick wood on the left
bank of the Châteauguay River at the distance of two or three leagues
above its _Fork_ with English River, where he threw up his works of
defence, with the approval of General De Watteville. The plan of the
British commanders, owing to the smallness and inefficiency of their
forces, was the stern one of burning and destroying all houses and
property, and retreating slowly to the St. Lawrence, harassing the
enemy in his advance.[18] The position chosen was as strong as the