|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 36
"But we know enough to say it was a very wild idea to send men up to a
fort in open day, and over ground where they could have no cover,"
remarked Ransom. "I know General John Stark would never have sacrificed
his men in that way."
"Perhaps," said Hand, coming to the rescue of his hero, "a desperate
measure was necessary. I've heard that at the time, Lord Rawdon was
marching very rapidly to relieve the garrison, and Colonel Lee thought
that every means should be tried to reduce the Fort ere the siege was
abandoned."
"You say well," said Kinnison. "As I said before, we should never judge
commanders without knowing the facts of the case. Never say a man has
committed a fault, unless it sticks out plain to the eye. Harry Lee was
as a common thing very sparing of the lives of his men, and he never
made any military movement without very strong driving from reason, as
General Greene himself would have told you. Whaling was a brave man and
a strict soldier, or he would never have dared to approach the fort in
such a way. But as I said before, they were all daring men that belonged
to Lee's Legion. There were two soldiers of the cavalry, named Bulkley
and Newman, who had been the warmest and the closest friends from
infancy. They had both joined the army at the same time--that is, at the
commencement of the war; and through the greater part of the southern
campaign, they fought side by side, and each one strove to lighten the
sufferings of the other. Brothers could not have been more attached to
each other. In the fight at Quimby, where Captain Armstrong made a
famous dragoon charge upon the 19th British regiment, the friends were
among the foremost. The dragoons had to pass a bridge in which the enemy
had made a large gap. Captain Armstrong led the way, but not more than a
dozen men followed, to support him. At the head of this little band,
Armstrong cut his way through the entire British regiment. But then a
well-aimed fire brought down several of the dragoons. Bulkley and Newman
were mortally wounded at the same fire, and fell, locked in each other's
arms."
"A kind of Damon and Pythias friendship," observed Hand.
"Yes, I believe they would have died for each other," said Kinnison. "A
friend told me that they were never separated, in camp or field. If one
was sick, the other watched by his side. I had a comrade of the same
kind during the greater part of my life; his name was Williams, and he
was one of the best-hearted men I ever knew. We fought through the
Revolution together, and both entered the army in 1812. But I lost him
during the attack on Fort Erie. Poor Williams was killed by a shell. It
has been a long while since then, but I still feel as if I had lost a
part of my heart when he fell. Poor Williams!" and Kinnison appeared to
be busy with the mournful recollections of the "friends of his better
days."
"Well, you may talk as much as you please about Henry Lee and Marion,
and your other men in the south," said Ransom, "but John Stark or Ethan
Allen was worth as much as either of them."
"My favourite leader was Mad Anthony Wayne," said Colson. "A better
soldier or a more wide-awake general was not to be found in the army
during the revolution."
"I know General Wayne was a whole soldier," observed Davenport.
"Did any of you ever hear or read an account of the night-attack on
General Wayne, near Savannah, just before the close of the war?"
enquired Colson.
"I have read something about it, and know it was a warm struggle," said
Kinnison.
THE ATTACK ON GENERAL WAYNE.
"One of Parker's Light Infantry told me all about it," said Colson. "He
says that General Wayne, with eight hundred men--infantry, artillery and
dragoons--were encamped at Gibbons' Plantation, about five miles from
Savannah, where the British were posted. It was the early part of
February. General Wayne had no idea that an enemy was nearer than
Savannah. But the brave Creeks had been taken into the pay of the
British, and their chief, Gurestessego, formed a plan to surprise the
Continentals. Never was an attack better planned; our men were sleeping
with a feeling of security, when, about midnight, the Creeks fell upon
the camp. The sentinels were captured and the Indians entered the camp,
and secured the cannon; but while they were trying to make the cannon
serviceable, instead of following up their success, Wayne and his men
recovered from their surprise and were soon in order for battle.
Parker's Infantry charged with the bayonet and after a short struggle
recovered the cannon. Gunn, with his dragoons, followed up the charge,
and the Creeks were forced to give way. General Wayne encountered the
chief Gurestessego in hand-to-hand combat--the General with sword and
pistols, and the chief with musket, tomahawk and knife. The struggle was
fierce but short. The chief was killed, and Wayne escaped without any
serious injury. Seventeen of the Creeks fell and the rest escaped in the
darkness, leaving their packhorses and a considerable quantity of peltry
in the hands of the victors. Wayne conjectured at once that the Indians
would not have dared to make an attack, without being assured of the
approach of the British or Tories to support them, and a rumour spread
that Colonel Browne was marching towards the camp for that purpose. In
the fight, Wayne had captured twelve young warriors, whom he doomed to
death to prevent them joining the enemy. This was a rash act. The rumour
of Browne's approach was false; but the young warriors had been
sacrificed before this was known. General Wayne felt many a pang for
this rash command, as he was a man who never would shed blood without it
was necessary in the performance of his duty."
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|