Only a few of these early western historians had the least conception of the value of evidence or of the necessity of sifting it, or of weighing testimony.
On the other hand, Mr.Butterfield is drawn into grave errors by his excessive partisanship of the borderers.

He passes lightly over their atrocious outrages, colors favorably many of their acts, and praises the generalship of Crawford and the soldiership of his men; when in reality the campaign was badly conducted from beginning to end, and reflected discredit on most who took part in it; Crawford did poorly, and the bulk of his men acted like unruly cowards.]; though they included a few veteran Indian fighters.
The party left Mingo Bottom on the 25th of May.

After nine days' steady marching through the unbroken forests they came out on the Sandusky plains; billowy stretches of prairie, covered with high coarse grass and dotted with islands of timber.

As the men marched across them they roused quantities of prairie fowl, and saw many geese and sand-hill cranes, which circled about in the air, making a strange clamor.
Crawford hoped to surprise the Indian towns; but his progress was slow and the militia every now and then fired off their guns.

The spies of the savages dogged his march and knew all his movements [Footnote: Heckewelder, 336.