The Americans clearly did not anticipate being ambushed here.
Wilkinson’s mind was consumed with the image of the entire French Army following Napoleon to Huntsville, reenacting the scene from years past of penetrating deep into the East.
Thus, under his orders for a rapid march, the entire American Army stretched into a thin line 1.5 miles long, with a significant amount of baggage left 6 miles behind.
Captain Pearce’s two cavalry battalions were quickly defeated by the French Hussars—Pearce intended to disperse the enemy’s reconnaissance cavalry, but instead encountered an equal number of Hussars in formation charging, losing over 30 men before he had time to react, with the rest being reaped by the trailing French skirmishers.
Wilkinson only heard continuous gunfire from the East but never received Pearce’s enemy report, faintly sensing something was amiss.
He had just issued the order to consolidate his troops for defense when the French Hussars cut across the American Army lineup from a kilometer in front.
The combat level of the US Army in this era was quite average, plunging the troops into chaos. Regardless of the officers’ commands, the soldiers fled in all directions. Especially those veterans who had fought with the French years ago, recalling the moment when large numbers of Indian soldiers suddenly emerged from the dense forest, ran faster than ever.
By the time the French Hussars regrouped in the distance and charged from the West, the French infantry column also joined the battle.
Wilkinson only heard chaos erupt on the Northern side, continuously receiving officer reports of "attacks by large numbers of French troops," with a ghostlike expression on his face.
Clearly, the French main force was still near Florence; how could they suddenly emerge to attack him?
Florence was indeed a full 40 miles away!
Little did he know, the French troops attacking him numbered only about a thousand, yet as Napoleon said, as long as an army appears in the right place at the right time, even if outnumbered and outgunned, they can still easily achieve victory.
Moreover, these thousand soldiers were the most combat-capable, French and Spanish soldiers under Napoleon.
Dalmagne gave the Americans no chance, commanding the infantry columns to approach and immediately forming a line to conduct volleys.
As the American army was split into two segments, front and back, the French Hussars started chasing the smaller enemy group to the North, continuously swinging their horse sabers along the way, claiming the lives of American Infantry one after another.
In reality, the French cavalry consisted of less than two battalions, totaling 210 men, while the Americans they chased numbered ten times as many.
Even if American officers reacted and tried to rally the soldiers for defense, they simply couldn’t achieve it.
Not to mention the sound of drums had long been drowned out by the panicked shouting of those fleeing for their lives—even if some soldiers heard the commands, they couldn’t stop to form ranks—those desperately fleeing would knock them down and mercilessly trample over them.
On the other side, Dalmagne commanded the infantry to turn South, forming a thin infantry line to encircle American forces several times their size in an arc.
Not long after, his artillery arrived, with three six-pound cannons starting to barrage the already chaotic American army—Napoleon concentrated all the artillery here, leaving only a few for show on his front.
It wasn’t until after four in the afternoon that Wilkinson personally organized a defense line barely three miles south of Shore Creek with the guards and the elite Virginia 9th Infantry Regiment.
At this point, he had only over four thousand soldiers left by his side.
In the drizzling rain, Wilkinson stood in the makeshift shelter made of branches by the guards, staring at the wounded soldiers groaning under the trees, with an expression dourer than the sky—it was because all his baggage vehicles had been abandoned during the retreat, resulting in even the absence of tents now.
In truth, he should be grateful for the rain, otherwise the patchwork defense line would hardly withstand Dalmagne’s assault.
Major Zebulon Pike, standing behind him, reminded, "General, I suspect there are more enemy forces nearby, not just those towards Shore Creek direction. Bonaparte should be encircling us from some direction."
Wilkinson nodded gravely.
If the French army could emerge from the heart of Alabama, they could potentially appear to the West or even the South.
In his mind, Napoleon had become a magical creature.
In reality, Napoleon’s main forces were indeed still in Florence at this time. He chose to march along the north side of the Tennessee River to attract Wilkinson’s attention as much as possible.
Along the Tennessee River is the most populous region in the Western United States, where more than a hundred thousand Americans reside.
Napoleon was grandly marching through the major towns along the way, and the news would soon reach Wilkinson.
And three days before leaving Jackson Town, he had already ordered Dalmagne to lead the most combat-capable thousand French and Spanish soldiers to detour through the wastelands of Mississippi State from the South, then turn West and march rapidly to arrive south of Wilson Lake ahead of time—this was the necessary route for Wilkinson from the Yazoo River to Huntsville.
The reason for planning such a strategy was because the vast lands from Southern Mississippi State to Northern Alabama were uninhabited. Even if any were occupied, they were Indian Tribes.
Among his Indian soldiers, many had previously lived in the area and were very familiar with the terrain, ensuring the army could bypass all potential American positions.
This was why Dalmagne suddenly appeared in the heart of Alabama.
Two days later.
Florence, the largest town in the Northwestern Alabama.
The Americans in town nervously watched soldiers in French Army uniforms, yet with Indian faces, loading their wheat, corn, oats, and such onto wagons, handing them a "requisition receipt" signed by Napoleon, and then riding off into the distance.
Well, Napoleon chose to march along the Tennessee River not just to reveal his position, but acquiring supplies from these relatively affluent towns was a key factor.
Inside a fur trader’s house, several Indian soldiers were rummaging through the cupboards for cured meats, loudly conversing in Creek, "When Colonel Dalmagne appeared, the Americans were still desperately rushing."
"I heard he defeated Wilkinson’s army in a mere morning."
"Indeed, the remaining American forces are now holed up around Halyville. Once we’ve gathered enough supplies, General Bonaparte will lead everyone to deal with them."
"Aren’t we heading to Huntsville?"
"I heard from the colonel that we should take advantage of Wilkinson’s lack of preparedness to annihilate the Southern American forces first."
After those French troops departed, the fur trader hurried to the Sheriff’s house.
He had long been purchasing animal hides from the Indian Tribes, and knowing some Creek language, he had to report the important information he’d just overheard.
All for the flour and cured meats that were forcibly "requisitioned" from him!