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Page 44
[Illustration: EXPLOIT OF COLONEL M'LEAN.]
"Beaten, beaten!" exclaimed Pitts. "I admit that, in resolution and
daring, Francisco was surpassed by M'Lean. He _was_ a hero!"
"Major Garden, in his Anecdotes of the Revolution, eulogizes McLean's
courage and enterprise," said Hand.
"If courage and resolution make up the hero, our country didn't hunger
for 'em during the Revolution," said Davenport.
"Yes, it's a difficult and nice matter to say who bears away the palm.
But I do not believe that Col. M'Lean was surpassed," said Kinnison.
"Col. Henry Lee was a man of the same mould," added Colson.
"Aye, he was; and that reminds me of an adventure of his which displays
his courage and resolution," replied Kinnison.
THE ADVENTURE OF MAJOR LEE.
"In the Revolution, a prison was erected at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for
those red-coats who fell into our hands. The prisoners were confined in
barracks, enclosed with a stockade and vigilantly guarded; but in spite
of all precautions, they often disappeared in an unaccountable manner,
and nothing was heard of them until they resumed their places in the
British army. It was presumed that they were aided by American tories,
but where suspicion should fall, no one could conjecture. Gen. Hazen had
charge of the post. He devised a stratagem for detecting the culprits,
and selected Capt. Lee, afterwards Maj. Lee, a distinguished partisan
officer, to carry out his plan. It was given out that Lee had left the
post on furlough. He, however, having disguised himself as a British
prisoner, was thrown into the prison with the others. So complete was
the disguise, that even the intendant, familiar with him from long daily
intercourse, did not penetrate it. Had his fellow-prisoners detected
him, his history might have been embraced in the proverb, 'Dead men tell
no tales.'
"For many days he remained in this situation, making no discoveries
whatever. He thought he perceived at times signs of intelligence between
the prisoners and an old woman who was allowed to bring fruit for sale
within the enclosure: She was known to be deaf and half-witted, and was
therefore no object of suspicion. It was known that her son had been
disgraced and punished in the American army, but she had never betrayed
any malice on that account, and no one dreamed that she could have the
power to do injury if she possessed the will. Lee matched her closely,
but saw nothing to confirm his suspicions. Her dwelling was about a mile
distant, in a wild retreat, where she shared her miserable quarters with
a dog and cat.
"One dark stormy night in autumn, Lee was lying awake at midnight. All
at once the door was gently opened, and a figure moved silently into the
room. It was too dark to observe its motions narrowly, but he could see
that it stooped towards one of the sleepers, who immediately rose. Next
it approached and touched him on the shoulder. Lee immediately started
up. The figure then allowed a slight gleam from a dark lantern to pass
over his face, and as it did so whispered, impatiently, 'Not the
man--but come!' It then occurred to Lee that it was the opportunity he
desired. The unknown whispered to him to keep his place till another man
was called; but just at that moment something disturbed him, and making
a signal to Lee to follow, he moved silently out of the room. They found
the door of the house unbarred, and a small part of the fence removed,
where they passed out without molestation. The sentry had retired to a
shelter, where he thought he could guard his post without suffering from
the rain; but Lee saw his conductors put themselves in preparation to
silence him if he should happen to address them. Just without the fence
appeared a stooping figure, wrapped in a red cloak, and supporting
itself with a large stick, which Lee at once perceived could be no other
than the old fruit-woman. But the most profound silence was observed: a
man came out from a thicket at a little distance and joined them, and
the whole party moved onward by the guidance of the old woman. At first
they frequently stopped to listen, but having heard the sentinel cry,
'All's well!' they seemed reassured, and moved with more confidence than
before.
"They soon came to her cottage. A table was spread with some coarse
provisions upon it, and a large jug, which one of the soldiers was about
to seize, when the man who conducted them withheld him. 'No,' said he,
'we must first proceed to business.'
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