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Page 18
commander, as the men were to be paid by Connecticut, and Massachusetts
had furnished nothing for the enterprise, and Allen had been formally
chosen. Arnold was forced to yield; but he sent a statement of the
matter to the Massachusetts Assembly. That body confirmed Allen's
appointment and directed Arnold not to interfere. On the day of the
capture of Ticonderoga, Colonel Seth Warner, with a small body of our
men, was sent to take possession of Crown Point. But a tremendous storm
arose, and Warner was compelled to put back and pass the night with us.
But the next day, he started and captured Crown Point without firing a
shot. You see the garrison only amounted to a serjeant and eleven men,
and they didn't expect an attack; so that Warner had only to come
suddenly upon them, and make a bold show, and they surrendered. More
than one hundred cannon were taken at that place, and thus, you see, we
had something to begin the war with. Colonel Arnold gave up the idea of
commanding at Ticonderoga, but he would command somewhere, and so he
soon after undertook an expedition against St. John's. It appears to me,
Arnold was very wrong in attempting to remove such a man as Allen from
the command. But I believe he was always thinking of himself alone."
"I can't agree with you, Ransom," said Jonas Davenport. "I think he was
a selfish man in general; but I know he could be generous sometimes. In
that expedition to Canada, he helped his men whenever he could in the
smallest matters, when many other commanders would have minded their own
comfort alone. Let us have justice done to every man. I never liked
Arnold as a man; but I think he was as good a soldier and general as I
ever knew."
"Certainly as good a soldier," said Kinnison.
"His generalship," said Pitts, "never had much play. As far as he had
the chance, he proved that he had the skill and knowledge for planning
military enterprises."
"I preferred old Putnam to Arnold," said John Warner. "He was quite as
daring, and a much better-hearted man."
"Ay, a braver man than General Putnam never drew a blade," said
Kinnison. "That man's adventures would make as interestin' a book as
you'd wish to read."
"I should like to hear some of them," said Hand.
"You've heard of his great feat at Horseneck, I suppose," said Jonas
Davenport.
"Yes," replied Hand, "and often wondered at it."
PUTNAM'S ESCAPE.
"I happened to be on the spot and see that affair," said old John
Warner. "I was on a visit to a friend at a farm near Horseneck, when the
news of Governor Tryon's approach, with a large force, reached me. I
hadn't joined the regular army, for a great many reasons; but I always
took advantage of an opportunity to serve the right side. General
Putnam's picket of one hundred and fifty men, with two field-pieces, was
the only force in that neighbourhood; but I knew Old Put. would have a
shot at the enemy, no matter how few men he had with him. So I
shouldered my firelock and went and offered my services. General Putnam
planted his cannon on the high ground near the meeting-house, and
awaited the approach of the enemy. Directly, we saw Tryon, with a great
force of regulars, coming along the road. Our cannon blazed away at them
and checked their advance for a short time. But pretty soon, we saw the
dragoons and infantry preparing to make a charge, and Old Put. knew
there wouldn't be much chance of our withstanding the shock. So he
ordered us to retire into the swamp just back of our position, where we
would be safe from dragoons, at least, and where we would have an even
chance with the infantry. I expected to see the general follow us; but
he turned his horse towards the stone steps that led down the rocks from
the meeting-house. As we fell back I had time to observe him. When he
reached the head of the steps, the horse stopped as if afraid of the
attempt. But Old Putnam knew there was no time to lose, as the dragoons
were nearly upon him. So he struck his spurs into the horse's sides, and
they plunged down the steps together. I lost sight of the horse and
rider just then; but saw the red-coat dragoons stop short at the head of
the precipice, and fire their pistols after them. Not one among the
red-coats dared to follow, and ten chances to one if they had attempted
it, they would have broken their necks; for the precipice was so high
and steep as to have one hundred steps cut in it. Before they could get
round the brow of the height by the ordinary road, the General was far
beyond their reach. Tryon didn't attempt to follow us into the swamp,
but soon after commenced his retreat. We fell back to Stamford, where we
met the General with some militia he had collected, and marched back in
search of Tryon. The red-coats had completed their work and were out of
our reach."
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