His plan of battle was precisely the same as that which Coffee had adopted at Tallushatchee, and Jackson at Talladega--that is to say, he planned to surround the town and destroy the fighting force within; but in this case the scheme miscarried. In the first place, McIntosh and Mad Dragon's Son were ordered to cross the river and cut off retreat to the opposite shore, and they failed to do what was required of them. Whether this was due to the unforeseen difficulties of crossing, as the Indians alleged; or to the reluctance of the Indians to swim the river on a cold, frosty morning, as some historians say; or to a failure of their courage, as was charged at the time--there are now no means of determining, and it is not important. It is enough to know that they did not cross the river as or
