"During the engagement I tried to throw a strong force through the canon, but I was obliged to use it elsewhere before it had gotten to the supposed location of the village"

This quote by George Crook is referring to a battle he was associated with. He was trying to send out a strong force through a canon to the location of the village, however he was required to utilize it elsewhere before it had actually reached its location. This suggests that the battle was not going as planned and that Crook had to make a fast decision to utilize his forces somewhere else. This could have been due to a lack of resources or a surprise attack from the enemy. It is likely that Crook was disappointed that he was not able to send out the force to the village as he had actually planned, but he had the ability to make the best of the scenario and use his forces in other places. This quote reveals Crook's resourcefulness and quick thinking in the face of difficulty.