outraged by the events at fort prince george, the cherokee, led by standing turkey and willenawah, launched an attack against fort loudoun on march 20, 1760. the fort's cannons prevented them from getting close enough to inflict serious damage, however, and after firing on the fort for four days, the cherokee settled in for a long siege. in june 1760, a force of 1,300 british regulars led by archibald montgomerie destroyed several of the lower towns and invaded the middle towns, but after encountering stiff opposition at etchoe pass, retreated to charleston. during the same period, a force led by william byrd iii marched down the holston valley from virginia with plans to relieve the fort, but their progress was very gradual.