noon
Before ten o'clock all of the garrison were aware that five of the force had deserted , and those men who had been loudest spoken regarding the wisdom of surrendering , were now moving about very uneasily , doubtless fearing they might be called upon to answer for some of the unsoldierly remarks in which they had indulged . There was no real confusion in the fort , but a general air of disquietude and apprehension , which I thought quite wholesome , since it caused every man to do his duty more promptly and more thoroughly than I had ever seen it done . When those who had been summoned to headquarters appeared on the parade-ground once more , they were surrounded by eager comrades , all anxious to know what had been said to them ; but they could give very little definite information , and were unwilling to talk openly regarding the matter , for the reason , as I fancied , that some of them , being privy to the desertion , had denied such fact to the officers . Well , by noon it seemed as if the matter had entirely blown over . Everything went along much as on the day previous , save that , according to my idea , there was a more healthy tone among the men , because we no longer heard talk of surrender , and I suggested that perhaps Colonel Gansevoort was as glad to be rid of his mutinous soldiers as Sergeant Corney had been to see them depart . It goes without saying that all of us , whether on duty or not , kept a sharper lookout over the enemy 's encampment than ever before , for there was good reason to expect that St. Leger would order another assault ; but not one of us dreamed of that horrible spectacle which was to be presented , much as if Thayendanega 's murderers were of a mind to give would-be deserters such a lesson as could never be forgotten . The afternoon passed quietly and without unusual incident ; but when the sun was just about to set we observed the Indians crossing the river from their encampment to the meadow at a point near the creek , where it was possible for us to hold them in plain view , while they were yet beyond range of any except the heavier guns , which could not be brought to bear upon them .