As Dr. Gustavus Bower later described what transpired with the Indians: "They did not molest any person or thing upon their first approach, but kept sauntering about until there were a large number collected (one or two hundred) at which time they began plundering the houses of the inhabitants and the massacre of the wounded prisoners."
Even then, the killings followed a method that -- however brutal -- might be described as utilitarian. The wounded who could nottravel were the primary victims, and they were killed swiftly. The looting, the taking of able-bodied and the burning of buildings and structures were done methodically -- Dr. John Todd, a surgeon with the Kentucky 5th Regiment Volunteer Militia later described these actions as a kind of "orderly conduct."
(By the way, seeing the name John Todd in the paragraph above and him being from Kentucky, I had to wonder if this man might be related to Abraham Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. He was. He was her uncle. Small world. For more on him in the War of 1812 click on the label below.)
(I am taking these last two paragraphs directly from the article and have a hard time accepting them. There is no such a thing as a utilitarian or orderly conduct massacre.)
A Massacre Is a Massacre. --Brock-Perry
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