 CHAPTER III. PART I. OF THE NARRATIVE OF A REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER by Joseph Plumb Martin. When troubles fall within your dish and things don't tally with your wish, it's just as well to laugh as cry, to sing and joke as moan and sigh, for a pound of sorrow never yet cancelled a single ounce of debt. The spring of 1777 arrived. I had got recruited during the winter and begun to think again about the army. In the month of April as the weather warmed, the young men began to enlist. Orders were out for enlisting men for three years or during the war. The general opinion of the people was that the war would not continue three years longer. What reasons they had for making such conjectures I cannot imagine, but so it was. Perhaps it was their wish that it might be so, induce them to think that it would be so. One of my mates and my most familiar associate, who had been out ever since the war commenced and who had been with me the last campaign, had enlisted for the term of the war in the capacity of sergeant. He had enlisting orders and was every time he saw me, which was often, harassing me with temptations to engage in the service again. At length he so far overcame my resolution as to get me into the scrape again, although it was at this time against my inclination, for I had not fully determined with myself that if I did engage again into what core I should enter. But I would hear just inform the reader that that little insignificant monosyllable, no, was the hardest word in the language for me to pronounce, especially when solicited to do a thing which was in the last degree indifferent to me. I could say yes with half the trouble. But I had enlisted. However, when I was alone and had time to reflect, I began sorely to repent. The next day I met the sergeant and told him that I repented my bargain. He endeavored to persuade me to stick to it, but I could then say no. He told me that he would speak to his captain about the matter, and as I had taken no bounty money, he thought that he would dismiss me. Accordingly, he told the captain of my unwillingness to be held, and he let me run at large once more. I then determined to wait my own time before I engaged again. The inhabitants of the town were about this time put into what were called squads, according to their rateable property. Of some of the most opulent one formed a squad, of others two or three, and of the lower sort of the people several formed a squad. Each of these squads were to furnish a demand for the army, either by hiring or by sending one of their own number. I had an elbow relation, a sort of, as the Irishman said, cousin-in-law, who had been in the army for the two preceding campaigns, and now had a lieutenant's commission in the standing army. He was continually urging my grandparents to give their consent for me to go with him. He told the old gentleman a power of fine stories, and made him promises, respecting his behavior to me, which he never intended to perform, until he obtained my grand sire's consent, and at length, after much persuasion, my consent likewise. One of the above-dimensioned squads, wanting to procure a man, the lieutenant told them that he thought they might persuade me to go for them, and they accordingly attacked me front, rear, and flank. I thought, as I must go, I might as well endeavor to get as much for my skin as I could. Accordingly, I told them that I would go for them, and fixed upon a day when I would meet them and clench the bargain. The day which was a muster day of the militia of the town arrived. I went to the parade where all was liveliness, as it generally is upon such occasions. But poor I felt miserably. My execution day was come. I kept wandering about till the afternoon among the crowd when I saw the lieutenant, who went with me into a house where the men of the squad were, and there I put my name to enlisting indentures for the last time. And now I was hampered again. The men gave me what they agreed to. I forget the sum, perhaps enough to keep the blood circulating during the short space of time which I terried at home after I had enlisted. They were now freed from any further trouble, at least for their present, and I had become the scapegoat for them. Well, I was again a soldier. I stayed at home a few days, which I endeavored to make as agreeable as possible, well knowing that the army would bring trouble enough to counterbalance all the happiness I could procure for myself in the short time I had to terry at home. Just at this time the British landed in Connecticut, and marched twenty miles into the country, where they burnt the town of Danbury with all the public stores it contained, which were considerable, among which was all the clothing of our regiment. The militia were generally turned out and sent to settle the account with them. The newly enlisted soldiers went with the militia. The enemy had, however, executed his commission and made considerable progress on his return before we came up. We had some pretty severe scratches with them, killed some, wounded some, and took some prisoners. The remainder reached their shipping, embarked and cleared out for New York, where they arrived soon after, I suppose, much gratified with the mischief they had done. We likewise returned home, with the loss of three men belonging to the town, one of whom was an enlisted soldier. Major General David Wooster of New Haven, an old and experienced officer, likewise fell in this expedition. General Arnold had a very close rub, but escaped. Soon after the above transaction, we had orders to join our regiment, or rather to begin to assemble the regiment, at Newtown, the residence of our Colonel. We accordingly marched and arrived there. Here we drew our arms and equipments. Uncle Sam was always careful to supply us with these articles, even if he could not give us anything to eat, drink, or wear. We stayed but a short time here, but went on to Danbury, where I had an ample opportunity to see the devastation caused there by the British. The town had been laid in ashes, a number of the inhabitants murdered and cast into their burning houses, because they presumed to defend their persons and property, or to be avenged on a cruel vindictive enemy. I saw the inhabitants after the fire was out, endeavoring to find the burnt bones of their relatives amongst the rubbish of their demolished houses. The streets, in many places, were literally flooded by the fat, which ran from the piles of barrels of pork burnt by the enemy. They fully executed their design. We stayed here but a short time, and then marched to Peekskill, on the Hudson River and encamped in the edge of the Highlands, at a place called Old Orchard. Here we were tormented by the whipper-wills. A potent enemy, says the reader, well, a potent enemy they were, particularly to our rest at night. They would begin their imposing music in the twilight, and continue it till ten or eleven o'clock, and commence again before the dawn, when they would be in a continual roar. No man, unless he were stupefied, could get a wink of sleep during the serenade, which in the short nights in the month of May was almost the whole of the night. I was one day, while lying here, upon what was called a camp guard. We kept a considerable chain of sentinels. In the night there came what in military phrases called the visiting rounds, which is an officer attended by a small escort to inspect the condition of the guards and see that they do their duty. The officer at the time I mentioned was a field officer, a young man. He went to the extreme end of the line of sentinels and began his examination. One sentry he found, who had stowed himself away snuggly in an old paper mill. Another had left his post to procure a drought of milk from the cows in a farmer's guard, and others were found here and there neglecting their duty. He brought off all the delinquents to deliver them up to the righteous sentons of a court-martial. In his progress he came to me, I being at the time on sentry too. I hailed him and demanded of him the counter-sign, which he regularly gave me and passed on. I did not expect to hear anything further about it, as I concluded that I had done my duty to perfection. In the morning, before guard relieving, I happened to be posted at the colonel's marquee door, when the above-dimensioned officer came into the tent and was telling some of our officers the consequences of his last night's expedition. I listened attentively to his recital. At last, said he, I came to a sentinel who challenged me like a man. I thought I had found a soldier after detecting so many scoundrels. But what thank ye? As soon as I had given him the counter-sign, the puppy shouldered his peace, and had I been an enemy, I could have knocked his brains out. At the first part of his recital, I grew a foot in my own estimation in a minute, and I shrunk as much and as fast at the latter part of it. I was confident he did not know me, and I as well knew it was me he had referenced to. Aha! thought I, this admonition shall not lose its effect upon me, nor did it so long as I remained in the army. I was soon after this transaction ordered off, in company with about four hundred others of the Connecticut forces, to a set of old barracks a mile or two distant in the Highlands to be inoculated with the smallpox. We arrived at and cleaned out the old barracks, and after two or three days received the infection, which was on the last day of May. We had a guard of Massachusetts troops to attend us. Our hospital stores were deposited in a farmer's barn in the vicinity of our quarters. One day about noon, the farmer's house took fire and was totally consumed, with every article of household stuff it contained, although there were five hundred men within fifty rods of it, and many of them within five when the fire was discovered, which was not till the roof had fallen in. Our officers would not let any of the inoculated men go near the fire, and the guard had enough to do to save the barn. The fire frequently catching in the yard and on the roof, which was covered with thatch or straw. I was so near to the house, however, that I saw a cat come out from the cellar window after the house had apparently fallen into the cellar. She was all in flames when she emerged from her premises and directed her course for the barn, but her nimble gate had so fanned her carcass before she reached the place of her destination that she caused no damage at all. I had the smallpox favorably as did the rest. Generally, we lost none, but it was more by good luck or rather a kind providence interfering than by my good conduct that I escaped with life. There was a considerable large rivulet which ran directly in front of the barracks. In this rivulet were many deep places and plenty of species of fish called suckers. One of my roommates, with myself, went off one day, the very day on which the pock began to turn upon me. We went up the brook until we were out of sight of the people at the barracks, when we undressed ourselves and went into the water where it was often to our shoulders to catch suckers by means of a fish hook fastened to the end of a rod. We continued at this business three or four hours and when we came out of the water, the pustules of the smallpox were well cleansed. We then returned to the barracks and I, feeling a pretty sharp appetite after my expedition, went to the side of the brook where the nurses had been cooking and eating their dinners. I found a kettle standing there half full of stewed peas and, if I remember rightly, a small piece of pork with them. I knew the kettle belonged to the nurses in our room and therefore conceived myself the better entitled to its contents. Accordingly, I fell too and helped myself. I believe I should have killed myself in good earnest, had not the owners come and caught me at it and broke up my feast. It had like to have done the job for me as it was. I had a sorry night of it and had I not got rid of my fright. I know not what would have been the final consequences of my indiscretion. I left the hospital on the sixteenth day after I was inoculated and soon after joined the regiment. When I was attacked with a severe turn of the dysentery and immediately after recovering from that, I broke out all over with boils. Good old Job could scarcely have been worse handled by them than I was. I had eleven at one time upon my arm, each as big as half a hen's egg, and the rest of my carcass was much in the same condition. I attributed it to my not having been properly physique after the smallpox, in consequence of our hospital stores being in about the same state as the commissaries. In the latter part of the month of June or the beginning of July, I was ordered off in a detachment of about a hundred men under the command of a captain through the lines near King's Bridge to join two regiments of New York troops which belonged to our brigade. Upon the march, which was very fatiguing it being exceeding hot weather, we halted to rest. I went into a house hoping to get something to eat, of which I, as usual, stood in much need. The woman of the house had just been churning. I asked her for a drink of buttermilk. She told me to drink as much as I pleased. I drank as much as I could swallow and went out, but soon after returned and drank again, and as we stayed here for some hours I improved the time by helping myself to the buttermilk. I could never before relish buttermilk, but extreme hunger at this time gave it a new relish. So true is the observation of the wise man, a full belly loatheth a honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. While I was in the house I went into the kitchen where I saw a simple incident which excited my risability, maugre my fatigue. There was a large pot hanging over a considerable fire, but more smoke. The pot contained, to appearance, a large hawk of fresh beef. The water in the pot had edged considerably, and the meat made its appearance someway above it. Upon the top of the meat, surrounded by smoke and fire, sat the old house cat, breathing her head one way and the other, and twisting the beef into her face as fast as possible, winking and blinking in the steam and smoke like a toad in a shower. I left her at her occupation and went out. We arrived upon the lines and joined the other corps which was already there. No one who has never been upon such duty as those advanced parties have to perform can form an adequate idea of the trouble, fatigue and dangers which they have to encounter. Their whole time is spent in marches, especially night marches, watching starving and in cold weather freezing in sickness. If they get any chance to rest it must be in the woods or fields under the side of a fence, in an orchard, or in any other place but a comfortable one. Lying down on the cold and often wet ground, and perhaps before the eyes can be closed with a moment's sleep, alarmed and compelled to stand under their arms an hour or two, or to receive an attack from the enemy. And when permitted again to endeavor to rest, called upon immediately to remove some four or five miles to seek some other place, to go through the same maneuvering as before. For it was dangerous to remain any length of time in one place for fear of being informed of by some Tory inhabitant, for there were a plenty of this sort of savage beast during the Revolutionary War, and ten thousand other causes to harass, fatigue and perplex, which time and room will not permit me to enumerate. We were once on one of those night marches advancing toward the enemy and not far from them when towards the latter part of the night there came on a heavy thundershower. We were ordered into some barns nearby, the officers as usual ordering themselves into the houses. I thought I might get a nap if it did storm, but hardly had I sunk into a slumber when we were informed that we were discovered by the enemy, and that two or three thousand Hessians were advancing upon and very near us. We were immediately hurried out, the shower then began at its height and the night as dark as Egypt, except when it lightened, which when passed only served to render it, if possible, still darker. We were then marched across fields and fences, pastures and brooks, swamps and ravines, a distance of two or three miles, and stationed upon a hill, or rather a ledge of rocks, which was as completely fortified by nature with a breastwork of rocks as it could have been by art. Here we waited for mine hair, till the sun was two hours high, but no one coming to visit us, we marched off and left the enemy to do the same, if they had not already done it. We remained on this hard and fatiguing duty about six weeks, during which time many things transpired incidental to a military life, but which would be of little interest to the reader and tedious for me to relate. We marched to Peekskill and rejoined our regiment sometime in the four part of the month of August. A short time after my arrival at Peekskill, I was sent off to King's Ferry, about five miles below, to take some bateau that were there and carry them to Fort Montgomery, in the edge of the Highlands. While upon this tour of duty, an accident happened to me which caused me much trouble and pain. After we had arrived at the fort with the boats, we tarried an hour or two to rest ourselves, after which we were ordered to take a couple of the boats and return again to King's Ferry. Wishing to be the first in the boat, I ran down to the wharf and jumped into it. There happened to be the butt part of an oar lying on the bottom of the boat, and my right foot, on which the whole weight of my body bore, alighted in my leap directly upon it. Lengthwise, it rolled over and turned my foot almost up to the ankle. So much so that my foot lay nearly at a right angle with my leg. I had then to go to the ferry where I was landed, and having no acquaintance with any of the party, most of whom were New Yorkers, and consequently, at that time, no great friends to the Yankees, I was obliged to hop on one foot all the way, upwards of five miles, not being able in the whole distance to procure a stick to assist myself, although I often hobbled to the fences on each side of the road in hopes to obtain one. It was dark when I was landed at the ferry, and it was quite late before I arrived at the camp. Some of my messmates went immediately for the surgeon, but he was at a game of backgammon and could not attend to minor affairs. However, in about an hour he arrived, bathed my foot, which was swelled like a bladder, fumbled about it for some time when he gave it a wrench, which made me, like an old woman's dying cat, merely yowl out. The next day as I was sitting under the shade before my tent, my foot, lying upon a bench, swelled like a puffball, my captain passed by and must-needs have a peep at it. I indulged his curiosity upon which he said it was not set right, and taking hold of it, he gave it a twist, which put it nearly in the same condition it was at first. I had then to send for Mr. Surgeon again, but he was not to be found. There was a corporal in our company who professed to act the surgeon in such cases, and he happening at the time to be present undertook the job and accomplished it, but it was attended with more difficulty than at the first time, and with more pain to me. It was a long time before it got well and strong again. Indeed, it never has been entirely so well as it was before the accident happened. I was not long confined by it, however, but was soon able to perform my duty in the army again. Our troops, not long after this, marched to join the main army in Pennsylvania. The heavy baggage was left to come on after them, and I, being an invalid, was left as one of the guard to conduct it. The baggage soon followed the troops, and I underwent not a little trouble on the march in consequence of my lame foot. When I joined the regiment, the baggage was immediately sent back to Bethlehem, nearly fifty miles in the country, and I was again sent with it as a guard. It was much against my inclination to go on this business, for I had some time past been under the command of other officers than my own, and now I must continue longer under them. Soldiers always like to be under the command of their own officers. They are generally bad enough, but strangers are worse. I was obliged to obey my officer's orders and go on this duty, but when I was away they could not hinder me from coming back again. I was resolved not to stay at Bethlehem, and as soon as we arrived there I contrived to get the permission of the officers of the guard to return to camp again immediately. I arrived at camp the second day after leaving the baggage. My officers inquired of me why I had returned. If I was able to do hard duty, they said they were glad that I had joined the company again. If not, they were sorry. I endeavored to appear to be as well as possible, for I had no notion of being sent away from my officers and old messmates again if I could avoid it. When I arrived at camp it was just dark. The troops were all preparing for a march. Their provisions, what they had, were all cooked, and their arms and ammunition strictly inspected and all deficiencies supplied. Early in the evening we marched in the direction of Philadelphia. We naturally concluded there was something serious in the wind. We marched slowly all night. In the morning there was a low vapor line on the land which made it very difficult to distinguish objects at any considerable distance. About daybreak our advanced guard and the British outposts came in contact. The Kurds began to bark first and then the Bulldogs. Our brigade moved off to the right into the fields. We saw a body of the enemy drawn up behind a rail fence on our right flank. We immediately formed in line and advanced upon them. Our orders were not to fire till we could see the buttons upon their clothes, but they were so coy that they would not give us an opportunity to be so curious, for they hid their clothes in fire and smoke before we had either time or leisure to examine their buttons. They soon fell back and we advanced when the action became general. The enemy were driven quite through their camp. They left their kettles in which they were cooking their breakfasts on the fire and some of their garments were laying on the ground, which the owners had not time to put on. Affairs went on well for some time. The enemy were retreating before us until the first division that was engaged had expended their ammunition. Some of the men unadvisally calling out that their ammunition was spent. The enemy was so near that they overheard them when they first made a stand and then returned upon our people who for want of ammunition and reinforcements were obliged in their turn to retreat, which ultimately resulted in the rout of the whole army. There were several other circumstances which contributed to the defeat of our army on that day, but as I am narrating my own adventures and not a history of the war, I shall omit to mention them. Those who wish to know more may consult any or all the authors who have given the history of the Revolutionary War. I had now to travel the rest of the day after marching all day and night before and fighting all the morning. I had eaten nothing since the noon of the preceding day, nor did I eat a morsel till the four noon of the next day, and I needed rest as much as Victuals. I could have procured that if I had had time to seek it, but Victuals was not to be found. I was tormented with thirst all the morning, fighting being warm work, but after the retreat commenced I found ample means to satisfy my thirst. I could drink at the brook, but I could not bite at the bank. There was one thing in such cases as I have just mentioned, I mean in retreating from an enemy that always galled my feelings, and that was whenever I was forced to a quick retreat to be obliged to run till I was worried down. The Yankees are generally very nimble of foot, and in those cases are very apt to practice what they have the ability of performing. Some of our men at this time seemed to think that they could never run fast or far enough. I never wanted to run if I was forced to run, further than to be beyond the reach of the enemy's shot, after which I had no more fear of their overtaking me than I should have of an army of lobsters doing it, unless it were their horsemen and they dared not do it. After the army had collected again and recovered from their panic, we were kept marching and counter-marking, starving and freezing, nothing else happening, although that was enough until we encamped at a place called the White Marsh, about 12 miles to the northward of Philadelphia. While we lay here, there was a spell of soft still weather. There not being wind enough for several days to dispel the smoke caused by the fires in camp. My eyes were so affected by it that I was not able to open them for hours together. The ground, which was soft and loamy, was converted into mortar, and so dirty was it that any hog-sty was preferable to our tents to sleep in. And to cap the climax of our misery, we had nothing to eat nor scarcely anything to wear. Being pinched with hunger, I one day strolled to a place where some time before some cattle had been slaughtered. Here I had the good luck or rather bad luck as it turned out in the end to find an ox's milk which had escaped the hogs and dogs. With this prize I steered off to my tent, threw it upon the fire and boiled it, and then sat down to eat it without either bread or salt. I had not had it long in my stomach before it began to make strong remonstrances and to manifest a great inclination to be set at liberty again. I was very willing to listen to its requests and with eyes overflowing with tears, at parting with what I had thought to be a friend, I gave it a discharge. But the very thoughts of it would for some time after almost make me think that I had another milk in my stomach. About this time information was received at headquarters that a considerable body of British troops were advanced and encamped on the western side of the river Shulkill near the lower bridge, two or three miles from Philadelphia. Forces were immediately put in requisition to route them from the fence. Our brigade was ordered off with some detachments from other parts of the army. We marched from camp just before night as light troops, light in everything, especially in eatables. We marched to a place called Barron Hill, about 12 or 15 miles from the city. From here about 10 o'clock in the evening, we forted the Shulkill where the river, including a bare, gravely island or flat, which we crossed, was about 40 rods wide as near as I could judge and the water about to the waist. It was quite a cool night in the month of October. The water which spattered onto our clothes froze as we passed the river. Many of the young and small soldiers fell while in the water and were completely drenched. We however got over and marched two or three miles on a dreary road for that part of the country, surrounded by high hills and thick woods. All of a sudden we were ordered to halt. We were, to appearance, in an unfrequented road cold and wet to our middles and half starved. We were sorry to be stopped from traveling as exercise kept us warm in some degree. We endeavored to kindle fires but were ordered by the officers immediately to extinguish them, which was done by all except one, which having been kindled in a hollow tree could not be put out. I got so near to this that I could just see it between the men's legs which was all the benefit that I derived from it. We lay here freezing about two hours and then were ordered to fall in and march back again. About an hour before day we dashed through the river again at the same place at which we had crossed the preceding evening and I can assure the reader that neither the water nor weather had become one degree warmer than it was then. We went on to Baron Hill again where we lay all the day waiting as it appeared for reinforcements which arrived and joined us towards night. We drew a day's ration of beef and flour what was called a pound of each the flour perhaps was not far from its nominal weight but the beef was as it always was in such cases and indeed in all others in the army not more than three-fourths of a pound and that at the best half bone. And how was it cooked? Well as it usually was when we had no cooking utensils with us. That is the flour was laid upon a flat rock and mixed up with cold water then dobbed upon a flat stone and scorched on one side while the beef was broiling on a stick in the fire. This was the common way of cookery when on marches and we could get anything to cook and this was the mode at the time mentioned. After I had satisfied my hunger I lay down upon the ground and slept till within about half an hour of sunset. When I awoke I was turned quite about. I thought it was morning instead of evening. However I was soon convinced of my error and the son had the good manners to wheel about and put himself in his proper position again. Just at dark the reinforcements having arrived and all things being put in order we marched again and about nine or ten o'clock we tried the waters of the Shulkill once more at the same place where we crossed the proceeding night. It was not so cold as it was then and the crossing was not so tedious but it was bad enough at this time. We marched slowly the remainder of the night. At the dawn of day we found ourselves in the neighborhood of the enemy. I mean in the neighborhood of where they had been for when we were about to spring the net we discovered that the birds had flown and there was not one on the bed. There was a British guard at a little distance from the bridge upon the opposite side of the river. They turned out to do us honor and sent off an express to the city to inform their friends that the Yankees had come to pay them a visit but they were so unmanly as to take no notice of us. After we had taken so much pains and been at so much trouble to come to see them they might have shown a little more politeness considering that it would not have cost them half the trouble to meet us as we had been at to meet them. But perhaps they thought that as we had undergone so much fatigue and vexation on our journey we might feel cross and peeveesh and perchance some unlucky accidents might have happened. The British were politic and it is good to be cautious and discreet. We had nothing to do now but to return as we came. Accordingly we marched off slowly hoping that the enemy would think better of it and follow us for we were low to return without seeing them. However we were lost and we went on. I was hungry tired and sleepy. About noon we halted an hour or two and I went a little way into the fields where I found a black walnut tree with a plenty of nuts under it. These nuts are very nutritious and I cracked an eight of them till I was satisfied. We marched again. In the course of the afternoon I somewhere procured about a half dozen turnips which I carried all the way to camp in my hand to get to eat. About sunsetting we again waited the shulkill at a Ford a little higher up the river. The river was not so wide here as at the former place but the water was deeper. It was to the breast. When we had crossed and it had become dark we met the quarter masters who had come out to meet us with wagons and hog heads of whiskey thinking perhaps a little but we thought that better than nothing. The casks were unheaded and the quarter masters sergeant stood in the wagons and dealt out the liquor to the platoons. Each platoon halting as it came up till served. The intention of the quarter masters sergeant was to give to each man a gill of liquor but as measuring it out by gills was tedious it was dealt out to us in pint measures with directions to divide a well seen by those who served out the liquor each one drank as much as he pleased some perhaps half a gill some a gill and as many as chose it drained the pint we again moved on for the camp distant about five miles we had not proceeded far before we entered a lane fenced on either side with rails in which was a water or puddle the fence was taken down on one side of the road the fence only the two upper rail of which were taken out here was fun we had been on the march since we had drank the whiskey just long enough for the liquor to assume its height of operation our stomachs being empty the whiskey took rank hold and the poor brain fared accordingly when the men came to the fence not being able many or most in their arms some their hats some their shoes and some themselves had the enemy come upon us at this time there would have been an action worth recording but they did not and we that is such as could arrived at camp about midnight where those who had remained with the stuff had made up some comfortable fires for their accommodation poor fellows it was all they could do as to anything to eat accepting the walnuts having been the whole time on my feet unless I happen to fall over the fence which I do not remember to have done and waiting in and being wet with the water of the river I roasted some of my turnips ate them rolled myself up in my innocence lay down on the leaves and forgot my misery till morning end of chapter three the troops of plumb martin this sleep of ox recording is in the public domain the campaign of 1773 part two soon after this affair our two Connecticut regiments they being the only troops of that state then with the main army were ordered off to defend the forts on the Delaware river in a village and were put into the houses of the inhabitants much I suppose to their contentment especially at that time of night sleep took such strong hold of me and most of the others that we soon forgot our wants not so with some five or six of our company who were determined not to die of hunger that night if any means could be devised to prevent it they therefore as soon as all was still sallied out on an expedition they could not find anything to drive which they took the liberty to remove from the beehouse to a place which they thought more convenient I had no hand in the battle and consequently no share of the spoil one man who belonged to this foraging party had rather an uncouth visage he had very thick lips especially the upper woman a large flat nose and quite a wide mouth which gave him as the great forgetting his resentment for the ill usage he had received from this paragon of beauty and his associates in the outrage gave him a severe wound directly in the middle of the upper lip which added very much to his dimensions in the morning when we came to march off oh the woeful figure the poor fellow exhibited a minister in his pulpit would have found it difficult to have kept his risible woman and especially from the officers was ludicrous in the extreme and as long as it lasted it diverted our thoughts from resting on our own calamities we crossed the Delaware between the town of Bristol and Pennsylvania and the city of Burlington in New Jersey we halted for the night at the latter place where we procured some carrion beef for it was no better we cooked it and ate some mutton buns by turns and at this time as we were not over birthing with provisions our mess had put ours into our kettle it not being very heavy as it was made of plated iron before noon I had the carriage of the kettle and its contents and thinking that I had carried it more than my turn and the troops just then making a momentary halt I put the kettle down in the road telling my messmates that if they would not take their turns at carrying it I would carry it no further take it up I was as contrary as they were so we all went on and left it one of our company in the next platoon in the rear of us took it up and brought it on we marched about half a mile and made another halt when I turned round and saw the man who had taken care of our kettle with one or two others helping themselves to the contents of it I wished the kettle in their throats but I had nothing to say it was in part my own fault my messmates looked rather grumb but had as little as I had after the men had quieted their appetites one of them very civilly came and gave me up the kettle but the provisions were mostly absent without leave we halted for the night at a village called Haddington we had nothing to eat nor should we have had if our kettle had kept us constant company we were put into the houses for quarters during the night myself and about a dozen more of the company were put into a chamber where there was a fireplace it looked as if there had been no fire there for seven years we however soon procured wherewithal to make a fire with and were thus enabled to keep the outside comfortable let the inside do as it would there was no other furniture in the room accepting an old quill wheel and an old chair frame we procured a thick board and placed the ends upon the wheel and chair and all sat down to regale ourselves with the warmth when the cat happening to come under the bench the board bending by the weight upon it both ends slipped off at once and brought us all slapped to the floor upon taking up the board to replace it again we found the poor cat pressed as flat as a pancake with her two eyes started out two inches from her head we did not eat her although my appetite was sharp enough to have eaten almost anything that could be eaten after we had gotten regulated again we began to contrive how we were to behave in our regarded belly timber at length after several plans had been devised many results proposed and all refused a passage it was finally determined that two or three of the most expert at the business should sally forth an endeavor to procure something by foraging accordingly two of the club went out and shortly after returned with a hissen a can't word with the soldiers for a goose the difficulty was how to pluck it we were in a chamber however we concluded at last to pick her over the fire and let that take care of the feathers we dressed her and then divided her amongst us if I remember rightly I got one wing each one broiled his share and ate it as usual without bread or salt after this sumptuous repast I laid down and slept as well as a nine stomach would permit in the morning we found a sad witness of our overnight's adventure to testify against us the whole funnel of the chimney was stuck with the feathers from top to bottom and it being a very calm night the street opposite the house was as full of them as the chimney we would have set the chimney on fire but having nothing to do it with we concluded to let the chimney and street unite in their testimony against us if they pleased but as we marched off early in the morning we heard no more about the goose there had been an expedition of the enemies forces 2,000 Germans under the command of Colonel Commandant Donop who had begged the favour of the British commander in chief of having the privilege of cutting the throats of about 500 brave Rhode Island Yankees under the command of Colonel Green uncle to the general of that name who commanded the garrison there and here was fought as brilliant in action as was fought during the Revolutionary War considering the numbers engaged Bunker Hill to the contrary notwithstanding 500 men defeated 1,000 of the enemy killed and wounded a large number and mortally wounded and took prisoner their commander so complete was a discomforture that the enemy threw their cannon into a creek that they might have the carriages to carry off their wounded officers on left their provisions behind and fled for their lives the loss of the garrison was 24 killed and wounded this action happened on the 22nd day of October 1777 I could see the consequences which resulted from it but that is foreign from my business as I was not personally engaged in it but why it has not been more noticed by the historians of the times I cannot tell this day we arrived at Woodbury New Jersey which was the end of our present journey we encamped near the village planted our artillery in the road at each end of it placed our guards and prepared to go into Fort Mifflin that we found several barrels assaulted herrings which the enemy had left in their flight and as we had but a very small quantity of provisions we were glad to get these I endeavored to eat some of them but found them miserable food they appeared to have been caught soon after the flood and could neither be broiled nor boiled so as to be made eatable immediately after our arrival at Woodbury I was ordered into which the tide flowed the enemy shipping lay in the river a little below us they had also a fortification on the shore opposite to their shipping at a place called Billingsport there was a guard of the Jersey militia in advance of us we used to make excursions in parties of three or four from our guard into the neighborhood of the enemy and often picked up stragglers from their post and shipping regiments sent to reinforce those in the fort which was then besieged by the British here I endured hardships sufficient to kill half a dozen horses let the reader only consider for a moment and he will be satisfied if not second in the cold month of November without provisions without clothing not a scrap of either shoes or stockings to my feet or legs and in this condition to endure a siege in such a place as that was appalling in the highest condition of what I have here said I will give the reader a short description of the pen that I was confined in confined I was for it was next to impossible to have got away from it if I had been so disposed well the island as it is called is nothing more than a mud flat in a Delaware lying upon the west side of the channel it is dyked around the fort was slew so constructed that the fort can be laid under water and much higher since on the eastern side next to the main river was a zigzag wall built of hewn stone built as I was informed before the revolution at the king's cost at the south eastern part of the fortification for fort it could not with propriety be called was a battery of several long 18 pounders at the southwestern angle was another battery with four or five 12 and 18 pounders and 132 pounder at the northwestern corner 12 pounders there were also three block houses in different parts of the enclosure but no cannon mounted upon them nor were they of any use whatever to us while I was there on the western side between the batteries was a high embankment within which was a tear of palisades in front of the stone wall for about half its length was another embankment with palisades on the inside of it and a narrow ditch between them and the stone wall on the western side was another block of barracks extending from the northern part of the works to about half the length of the fort on the northern end was another block of barracks which reached nearly across the fort from east to west in front of these was a large square two story house for the accommodation of the officers of the garrison neither this house nor the barracks were of much use at this time the front of the barracks and other necessary places were parades and walks the rest of the ground was soft mud I have seen the enemy shells fall upon it and sink so low that their report could not be heard when they burst and I could only feel a tremulous motion of the earth at the time at other times when they burst near the surface of the ground they would land on the opposite side of the water which separated the island from the main on the west and which was but a short distance across they had also a battery of six guns a little higher up the river at a place called the hospital point this is a short description of the place which I was destined with a few others to defend against whatever force land a 64 gun ship while maneuvering one dark night she got on the chavoid which had been sunk in the channel of the river as soon as she was discovered in the morning we applied her so well with hot shot that she was soon in flames boats were sent from the shipping below to her assistance but our shot proving too hot for them they were obliged to leave her to her fate like a thundercloud which as the air was calm remained an hour or two a 20 gun ship which had come to the assistance of the Augusta in her distress shared her fate soon after our batteries were nothing more than old spars and timber laid up in parallel lines and filled between with mud and dirt the British batteries in the course of the day would nearly ever or half an hour the enemy would let off all their pieces and although we had sentinels to watch them and at every flash of their guns to cry a shot upon hearing which everyone endeavored to take care of himself yet they would ever in a non in spite of all our precautions cut up some of us the engineer in the fort was a French officer there was no chance of escaping from his vigilance between the stone wall and the palisades was a kind of yard or pen at the southern end of which was a narrow entrance not more than eight or ten feet wide with a ditch about four feet wide in the middle extending the whole length of the pen here on the eastern side of the wall was the only place in the fort that anyone could be in any small fire just enough to keep from suffering we would watch an opportunity to escape from the vigilance of Colonel Flurry and run into this place for a minute or two's respite from fatigue and cold when the engineer found that the workman began to grow scarce he would come to the entrance and call us out he had always his cane in his hand and will be tied at him he could he often noticed me and has often threatened me but threatening was all he could never get a stroke at me and I cared but little for his threats it was utterly impossible to lie down to get any rest or sleep on account of the mud if the enemy's shot would have suffered us to do so sometimes some of the men when overcome with fatigue and want of sleep would slip away into the barracks to catch a nap of sleep but it seldom happened that they all came out again alive say in sincerity that I never lay down to sleep a minute in all that time the British knew the situation of the place as well as we did and as their point blank shot would not reach us behind the wall they would throw elevated grape shot from their mortar and when the centuries had cried a shot and the soldiers seeing no shot arrive had become careless the grape shot would come down like a shower of hail about our ears I will hear as I mentioned before a 32 pound cannon in the fort but had not a single shot for it the British also had one in their battery upon the hospital point which as I said before raked the fort or rather it was so fixed as to rake the parade in front of the barracks the only place we could pass up and down the fort the artillery officers offered a gill of rum for each shot fired from that piece on the parade waiting with impatience for the coming of the shot which would often be seized before its motion had fully ceased and conveyed off to our gun to be sent back again to its former owners when the lucky fellow who had caught it had swallowed his rum he would return to wait for another exulting that he had been more lucky or more dexterous than his fellows what little provisions but it was not much trouble to cook or fetch what we had we continued here suffering cold hunger and other miseries till the 14th day of November on that day at the dawn we discovered six ships of the line all 64s a frigate of 36 guns and a galley in line just below the chavoid to freeze a 24 gun ship being an old ship cut down her gun said to be all brass shot of the fort on the western side we immediately opened our batteries upon them but they appeared to take very little notice of us we heated some shot but by mistake 24 pound shot were heated instead of 18 which was the caliber of the guns in that part of the fort the enemy soon began their firing upon us and there was music indeed the soldiers were all ordered to take their post at the palisades which they put under the fire of their cannon and attempt to storm the fort the cannon aid was severe as well it might be six 64 gun ships a 36 gun frigate a 24 gun ship a galley and a sloop of six guns together with six batteries of six guns each and a bomb battery of three mortars all playing at once upon our poor fire was incessant in the height of the cannon aid it was desirable to hoist a signal flag for some of our galleys that were lying above us to come down to our assistance the officers inquired who would undertake it as none appeared willing for some time I was about to offer my services I considered it no more exposure of my life than it was to remain where I was the flag staff was of easy meaning while I was still hesitating a sergeant of the artillery offered himself he accordingly ascended to the round top pulled down the flag to affix the signal flag to the howard upon which the enemy thinking we had struck ceased firing in every direction and cheered up with the flag was the cry of our officers in every part of the fort the flags when he was cut in two by a cannon shot this caused me some serious reflections at the time he was killed had I been at the same business I might have been killed but it might have been otherwise ordered by divine providence we might have both lived I am not predestinarian enough to determine it the enemy shot cut us up I saw five artillery but not stooping low enough split like fish to be broiled about the middle of the day some of our galleys and floating batteries with a frigate fell down and engaged the British with their long guns which in some measure took off the enemy's fire from the fort the cannonade continued without interruption on the side of the British well considering the numbers in the fort which were only the able part of the fourth and eighth Connecticut regiments with a company or two of artillery perhaps less than 500 and all the cannonade continued directed mostly at the fort till the dusk of the evening as soon as it was dark we began to make preparations for evacuating the fort and endeavoring to escape to the Jersey insolation the whole area of the fort was as completely plowed as a field the buildings of every kind hanging in broken fragments and the guns all dismounted and how many of the garrison sent to the world of spirits I knew not if ever destruction was complete it was here the surviving part of the garrison were now drawn off and such of the stores as could conveniently be taken away to destroy and burn all that was left in the place I was in the northwest battery just after dark when the enemy were hauling their shipping on that side higher up to a more commanding position they were so nigh that I could hear distinctly what they said on board the sloop one expression of theirs I well remember we will give it to the damned rebels in the morning they will go off and leave you after the troops had left the fort and were embarking at the wharf I went to the waterside to find one of my messmates to whom I had lent my canteen in the morning as there were three or four hogsheads of rum in the fort the heads of which we were about to knock in and I was desirous to be conveyed to the main to have the last honors conferred upon them which it was in our power to give poor young man he was the most intimate associate I had in the army but he was gone and with many more as deserving of regard as himself I returned directly back into the fort to my party and proceeded to set fire to everything that would burn and then repaired immediately to the wharf were three on another trial before we could embark the buildings in the fort were completely in flames and they threw such a light upon the water that we were as plainly seen by the British as though it had been broad day almost their whole fire was directed at us sometimes our boat seemed to be almost thrown out of the water and at length a shot took the stern post out of the by the assistance of a kind providence we escaped without any further injury and landed a little after midnight on the Jersey shore we marched a little back into some pitch pine woods where we found the rest of the troops that had arrived before us they had made up some comfortable fires and were enjoying the warmth and that was all the comfort they had to partake of except rest for victuals was out of the question I wrapped myself until past noon when I awoke from the first sound sleep I had had for a fortnight indeed I had not laid down in all that time the little sleep I had obtained was in catnaps sitting up and leaning against the wall and I thought myself fortunate if I could do that much when I awoke I was as crazy as a goose shot through the head we left our flag flying when we left the island and the enemy did not take possession of the fort the man in the fort who had taken too large a dose of the good creature he was a deserter from the german forces in the british service the british took him to philadelphia where not being known by them he engaged again in their service received two or three guineas bounty drew a british uniform and came back to us again at the valley forge so they did not make themselves independent fortunes by the capture of him he was arrested as occurred during the revolutionary war thomas pain in one of his political essays speaking of the siege and defense of this post says quote they had nothing but their bravery and good conduct to cover them unquote he spoke the truth I was at the siege and capture of lord cornwallis and the hardships of that were no more to be compared with this than the sting of a bee is to the bite of a rattlesnake of which is there was no washington putnam or wane there had there been the affair would have been extolled to the skies no it was only a few officers and soldiers who accomplished it in a remote quarter of the army such circumstances and such troops generally get but little notice taken of them do what they will great men get great praise little men nothing but it always was so when going out against rebel absalom quote thou shalt not go out with us for if half of us die they will not care for us but now thou art worth ten thousand of us unquote and this has been the burden of the song ever since and I presume ever will be we now prepared to leave redbank I was ordered on a baggage guard it was not disagreeable to me much easier getting along we had been encouraged during the whole siege with the promise of relief stand it out a little longer and we shall be relieved had been the constant cry the second day of our march we met two regiments advancing to relieve us when asked where they were going they said to relieve the garrison in the fort we informed them that the British had done that already our guard passed through haddington in the night morning at a pretty village called milltown or mount holly here we waited for the troops to come up I was as near starved with hunger as ever I wished to be I strolled into a large yard where was several sawmills and a grist mill I went into the ladder thinking it probable that the dust made there was more palatable than that made in the former but I found nothing there to satisfy as gold with the soldiers I filled my pocket with it and went out in the yard and about it was a plenty of geese turkeys ducks and barn door fowls I obtained a piece of an ear of indian corn and seeding myself on a pile of boards began throwing the corn to the fowls which soon drew a fine battalion of them about me into the first house that fell in my way invited myself into the kitchen took down the gridiron and put my file to cooking upon the coals the women of the house were all the time going and coming to and from the room they looked at me but said nothing they asked me no questions and I told them no lies when my game was sufficiently broiled I took it by the hind leg and made my exit from the house with as little ceremony as I had made my entrance when I got and felt as refreshed as the old indian did when he had eaten his crow roasted in the ashes with the feathers and entrails we marched from hence and crossed the Delaware again between Burlington and Bristol here we procured a days rations of southern salt pork three fourths of a pound and a pound of sea bread we marched a little distance and stopped to refresh ourselves we kindled some fires in the road and some broiled their meat as for myself I ate mine raw we quickly started on and marched till evening when we went into a wood for the night we did not pitch our tents and about midnight it began to rain very hard which soon put out all our fires and we had to lie and weather it out the troops marched again before day I had sadly sprained my ankle the day before and it was much swelled my lieutenant told me to stay where I was till day and then come on just as I was about to start off stopped his horse and asked me what I did there I told him that Lieutenant S ordered me to remain there till daylight says he Lieutenant S deserves to have his throat cut and then went on I had finished my pork and bread for supper consequently had nothing for this day I hobbled on as well as I could the rain and traveling of the troops and baggage had converted the road into perfect mortar and it was extremely difficult after noon when I went into a house where I procured a piece of buckwheat slapjack with this little refreshment I proceeded on and just before night overtook the troops we continued our march until some time after dark when we arrived in the vicinity of the main army we again turned into a wood for the night the leaves and ground were as wet as water as fire by flashing powder on the leaves but this and every other expedient that we could employ failing we were forced by our old master necessity to lay down and sleep if we could with three others of our constant companions fatigue hunger and cold next morning we joined the grand army near Philadelphia and the heavy baggage being sent back to the rear here we continued to fast indeed we kept a continual lint as faithfully as ever any of the most rigorous of the Roman Catholics did but there was this exception we had no fish or eggs or any other substitute for our commons ours was a real fast and depend upon it we were sufficiently mortified about this time the whole British army left the city came out really expected an attack from them we had a commanding position and were very sensible of it we were kept constantly on the alert and wished nothing more than to have them engage us for we were sure of giving them a drubbing being an excellent fighting trim as we were starved and as cross and ill-natured as curse the British however thought better of the matter and after several days maneuvering on the hill very civilly walked off around the army and every animal connected with it the oxen brought from New England for draught all died and the southern horses fared no better even the wild animals that had any concern with us suffered a poor little squirrel who had the ill luck to get cut off from the woods and fixing himself on a tree standing alone and surrounded by several of the soldiers huts sat upon the tree till he starved to death and fell off the tree he however was starved by piecemeal six or seven years while we lay here there happened very remarkable northern lights at one time the whole visible heavens appeared for some time as if covered with crimson velvet some of the soldiers pronosticated a bloody battle about to be fought but time which always speaks the truth proved then to be false prophets soon after the British had quit their position on chestnut hill we left this place and after marching forward some days we crossed the shell kill in a cold rainy and snowy night upon a bridge of wagons set end to end and joined together by boards and planks and after a few days more maneuvering we at last settled down at a place called the gulf so named on account of remarkable chasm in the hills and here we encamped some time and here we had like to have encamped forever for starvation here rioted in its glory but at least the reader so much said about starvation I will give him something that perhaps may in some measure alleviate his ill humor while we lay here there was a continental thanksgiving ordered by congress and as the army had all the cause in the world to be particularly thankful if not for being well off at least that it was no worse we were ordered to participate in it we had nothing to eat for two or three days previous except with the trees of the fields and forests and what congress said a sumptuous thanksgiving to close the year of high living we had now nearly seen brought to a close well to add something extraordinary to our present stock of provisions our country ever mindful of its suffering army opened her sympathizing heart so wide upon this occasion as to give us something to make the world stare and what do you think it was reader guess you cannot guess be you as much of a Yankee as you will I will tell you it gave each and every man half a gill of rice and a tablespoon full of vinegar after we had made sure of this extraordinary super abundant donation we were ordered out to attend a meeting and hear a sermon delivered upon the happy occasion we accordingly went for we could not help it I heard a sermon a thanksgiving sermon what sort of one I do not now know nor did I at the time I heard it I had something else to think upon my belly and remembered of the fine thanksgiving dinner I was to partake of when I could get it I remember the text like an attentive lad at church I can still remember that it was this quote and the soldiers said unto him and what shall we do and he said unto them do violence to no man nor accuse one falsely unquote the preacher ought to have added the remainder of the sentence to have made it complete and be content do it would be too apropos however we heard it as soon as the service was over it was shouted from a hundred tongues well we had got through the services of the day and had nothing to do but to return in good order to our tents and fare as we could as we returned to our camp we passed by our commissaries quarters all his stores consisting of a barrel about two thirds full of hawks however one of my messmates perloined a piece of it four or five pounds perhaps I was exceeding glad to see him take it I thought it might help to eke out our thanksgiving supper but alas how soon my expectations were blasted the sentinel saw him have it as soon as I did and obliged him to return it to the barrel again so I had nothing else to do but to go home and make out my supper as usual upon a leg of nothing and no turnips only starved but naked the greatest part were not only shirtless and barefoot but destitute of all other clothing especially blankets I procured a small piece of raw cow hide and made myself a pair of moccasins which kept my feet while they lasted from the frozen ground although as I well remember the hard edges so galled my ankles while on a march that it was with much difficulty and pain that I could endure this inconvenience or to go barefoot as hundreds of my companions had to till they might be tracked by their blood upon the rough frozen ground but hunger nakedness and sore shins were not the only difficulties we had at that time to encounter we had hard duty to perform and little or no strength to perform it with the army continued at and near the gulf for some days after which we march for the valley forge a four lawn condition no clothing no provisions and as disheartened as need be we arrived however at our destination a few days before Christmas our prospect was indeed reary in our miserable condition to go into the wild woods and build us habitations to stay not to live in in such a weak starved and naked condition was appalling no alternative but this or dispersion but dispersion I believe was not thought of at least I did not think of it we had engaged in the defense of our injured country and were willing nay we were determined to preserve as long as such hardships were not altogether intolerable I had experienced what I thought sufficient of the hardships of a military life the year before although nothing in comparison to what I had suffered the present campaign was but we were now absolutely in danger of perishing and that too in the midst of a plentiful country we then had but little and often nothing to eat for days together but now we had nothing and saw no likelihood of any betterment of our condition had there fallen deep snows and it was the time of year to expect them or even heavy and long but then thought fit to pursue us our poor emaciated carcasses must have strewed the plane but a kind and holy providence took more notice and better care of us than did the country in whose service we were wearing away our lives by piecemeal we arrived at the valley forge in the evening it was dark there was no water to be found and I was perishing with thirst I searched for water till I was weary and came to my tent without finding any desperate I felt at that instant as if I would have taken victuals or drink from the best friend I had on earth by force I am not writing fiction all are sober realities just after I arrived at my tent two soldiers whom I did not know passed by they had some water in their canteens which they told me they had found a good distance off but could not find any water to be found they had found a good distance off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off off the same business, whatever it was. We were ordered to go to the quartermaster general and receive from him our final orders. We accordingly repaired to his quarters, which was about three miles from camp. Here we understood that our destiny was to go into the country on a foraging expedition, which was nothing more nor less than to procure provisions from the inhabitants for the men of the army and forage for the poor perishing cattle belonging to it at the point of the bayonet. We stayed at the quartermaster general's quarters till some time in the afternoon, during which time a beef creature was butchered for us. I will remember what fine stuff it was. It was quite transparent. I thought at the time what an excellent lantern it would make. I was notwithstanding very glad to get some of it, bad as it looked. We got, I think, two days allowance of it, and some sort of bread kind, I suppose, for I do not remember particularly about that, but it is probable we did. We were then divided into several parties and sent off upon our expedition. Our party consisted of a lieutenant, a sergeant, a corporal, and eighteen privates. We marched till night when we halted and took up our quarters at a large farmhouse. The lieutenant, attended by his waiter, took up his quarters for the night in the hall with the people of the house. We were put into the kitchen. We had a snug room and a comfortable fire, and we began to think about cooking some of our fat beef. One of the men proposed to the landlady to sell her a shirt for some sauce. She very readily took the shirt, which was worth a dollar at least. She might have given us a mess of sauce, for I think she would not have suffered poverty by doing so, as she seemed to have a plenty of all things. After we had received the sauce, we went to work to cook our suppers. By the time it was eatable the family had gone to rest. We saw where the woman went into the cellar, and she, having left us a candle, we took it into our heads that a little good cider would not make our supper relish any the worse. So some of the men took the water pail and drew it full of excellent cider, which did not fail to raise our spirits considerably. Before we lay down, the man who sold the shirt, having observed that the landlady had flung it into a closet, took a notion to repossess it again. We marched off early in the morning before the people of the house were stirring. Consequently did not know or see the woman's chagrin at having been overreached by the soldiers. This day we arrived at Miltown, or Downingstown, a small village halfway between Philadelphia and Lancaster, which was to be our quarters for the winter. It was dark when we had finished our day's march. There was a commissary and a wagon master general stationed here, the commissary to take into custody the provisions and forage that we collected, and the wagon master general to regulate the conduct of the wagon ears and direct their motions. The next day after our arrival at this place, we were put into a small house in which was only one room in the center of the village. We were immediately furnished with rations of good and wholesome beef and flour, built us up some burst to sleep in, and filled them with straw, and felt as happy as any other pigs that were no better off than ourselves. And now, having got into winter quarters and ready to commence our foraging business, I shall here end my account of my second campaign. Four Part One of A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plum Martin. This sleeper box recording is in the public domain. The campaign of 1778, Part One. A serene and cloudless atmosphere betokens that a storm is near, so when dame fortune proves most kind, be sure misfortunes close behind. As there was no cessation of duty in the army, I must commence another campaign as soon as the succeeding one is ended. There was no going home and spending the winter season among friends and procuring a new recruit of strength and spirits. No, it was one constant drill, summer and winter. Like an old horse in a mill, it was a continual routine. The first expedition I undertook in my new vocation was a foraging cruise. I was ordered off into the country in a party consisting of a corporal and six men. What our success was I do not now remember, but I well remember the transactions of the party in the latter part of the journey. We were returning to our quarters on Christmas afternoon when we met three ladies. One, a young married woman with an infant in her arms. The other two were maidens, for ought I knew then and since they passed for such. They were all comely, particularly one of them. She was handsome. They immediately fell into familiar discourse with us, were very inquisitive like the rest of the sex, asked us a thousand questions respecting our business, where we had been and where going, etc. After we had satisfied their curiosity, or at least had endeavored to do so, they told us that they, that is the two youngest, lived a little way on our road in a house which they described, desired us to call in and rest ourselves a few minutes and said they would return as soon as they had seen their sister and babe safe home. As for myself, I was very unwell, occasioned by a violent cold I had recently taken, and was very glad to stop a short time to rest my bones. Accordingly, we stopped at the house described by the young ladies, and in a few minutes they returned as full of chat as they were when we met them in the road. After a little more information respecting our business, they proposed to us to visit one of their neighbors, against whom it seemed they had a grudge, and upon whom they wished to wreck their vengeance through our agency. To oblige the ladies we undertook to obey their injunctions. They very readily agreed to be our guides as the way lay across fields and pastures full of bushes. The distance was about half a mile, and directly out of our way to our quarters. The girls went with us until we came inside of the house. We concluded we could do no less than fulfill our engagements with them, so we went into the house, the people of which appeared to be genuine Pennsylvania farmers, and very fine folks. We all now began to relent, and after telling them our business, we concluded that if they would give us a canteen, which held about a quart, full of whiskey, and some bread and cheese, we would depart without any further exactions. To get rid of us doubtless, the man of the house gave us our canteen of whiskey, and the good woman gave us a fine loaf of wheat and flour bread, and the whole of a small cheese, and we raised the siege and departed. I was several times afterwards at this house and was always well treated. I believe the people did not recollect me, and I was glad they did not, for when I saw them I had always a twinge or two of conscience, for thus dissembling with them at the instigation of persons who were certainly no better than they should be, or they would not have employed strangers to glut their vengeance upon innocent people, innocent at least as it respected us. But after all, it turned much in their favor. It was in our power to take cattle, or horses, hay, or any other produce from them, but we felt that we had done wrong in listening to the tattle of malicious neighbors, and for that cause we refrained from meddling with any property of theirs ever after, so that good came to them out of intended evil. After we had received our bread, cheese, and whiskey, we struck across the fields into the highway again. It was now nearly sunset, and as soon as we had got into the road the youngest of the girls, and the handsomest and chattiest, overtook us again, riding on horseback with a gallant. As soon as she came up with this, oh, here is my little captain again, said she. It appeared it was our corporal that attracted her attention. I am glad to see you again. The young man, her sweetheart, did not seem to wish her to be quite so familiar with her little captain, and urged on his horse as fast as possible. But female policy is generally too subtle for the males, and she exhibited a proof of it, for they had scarcely passed us when she slid from the horse upon our feet into the road with a streak as though some frightful accident had happened to her. There was nothing handy to serve as a horse block, so the little captain must take her in his arms and set her upon her horse again, much, I suppose, to their mutual satisfaction, but not so to her gallant, who, as I thought, looked rather glum. We had now five miles to travel to reach our quarters, and I was sick indeed, but we got to our home some time in the evening, and I soon went to sleep. In the morning I was better. When I was inoculated with the smallpox, I took that delectable disease, the itch. It was given us, we supposed, in the infection. We had no opportunity, or at least, we had nothing to cure ourselves with during the whole season. All who had the smallpox at peak scale had it. We often applied to our officers for assistance to clear ourselves from it, but all we could get was, bear it as patiently as you can. When we get into winter quarters, you will have leisure and means to rid yourselves of it. I had it to such a degree that by the time I got into winter quarters I could scarcely lift my hands to my head. Some of our foraging party had acquaintances in the artillery, and by their means we procured sulfur enough to cure all that belonged to our detachment. Accordingly, we made preparations for a general attack upon it. The first night one half of the party commenced the action by mixing a sufficient quantity of brimstone and tallow, which was the only grease we could get. At the same time, not forgetting to mix a plenty of hot whiskey toddy, making up a blazing hot fire, and laying down an oxide upon the hearth. Thus, prepared with arms and ammunition, we began the operation by plying each other's outsides with brimstone and tallow and the inside with hot whiskey sling. Had the animacole of the itch been endowed with reason, they would have quit their entrenchments and taken care of themselves when we had made such a formidable attack upon them. But as it was, we had to engage arms in hand, and we obtained a complete victory, though it had liked to have cost us some of our lives. Two of the assailants were so overcome, not by the enemy, but by their two great exertions in the action, that they lay all night naked upon the field. The rest of us got to our burst somehow, as well as we could, but we killed the itch and we were satisfied, for it had almost killed us. This was a decisive victory, the only one which we had achieved lately. The next night the other half of our men took their turn, but, taking warning by our mishaps, they conducted their part of the battle with comparatively little trouble or danger to what we had experienced on our part. I shall not relate all the minute transactions which passed while I was on this foraging party, as it would swell my narrative to too large a size. I will, however, give the reader a brief account of some of my movements that I may not leave him entirely ignorant how I spent my time. We fared much better than I had ever done in the army before or ever did afterwards. We had very good provisions all winter and generally enough of them. Some of us were constantly in the country with the wagons. We went out by turns and had no one to control us. Our lieutenants scarcely ever saw us or we him. Our sergeant never went out with us once all the time we were there, nor our corporal but once, and that was when he was the little captain. When we were in the country, we were pretty sure to fare well for the inhabitants were remarkably kind to us. We had no guards to keep. Our only duty was to help load the wagons with hay, corn, meal, or whatever they were to take off, and when they were thus loaded, to keep them company till they arrived at the commissaries at Milltown. From thence, the articles, whatever they were, were carried to camp in other vehicles under other guards. I do not remember during the time I was employed in this business, which was from Christmas to the latter part of April, ever to have met with the least resistance from the inhabitants, take what we would from their barns, mills, corn-cribs, or stall, but when we came to their stables, then look out for the women. Take what horse you would. It was one or the other's pony, and they had no other ride to church, and when we had got possession of a horse, we were sure to have half a dozen or more women pressing upon us until by some means or other, if possible, they would slip the bridle from the horse's head, and then we might catch him again if we could. They would take no more notice of a charged bayonet than a blind horse would of a cocked pistol. It would answer no purpose to threaten to kill them with the bayonet or musket. They knew, as well as we did, that we would not put our threats in execution, and when they had thus liberated a horse, which happened but seldom, they would laugh at us and ask us why we did not do as we threatened, kill them, and then they would generally ask us into their houses and treat us with as much kindness as though nothing had happened. The women of Pennsylvania, taken in general, are certainly very worthy characters. It is but justice as far as I am concerned for me to say that I was always well treated by both them and the men, especially the friends or Quakers in every part of the state through which I passed, and that was the greater part of what was then inhabited. But the southern ladies had a queer idea of the Yankees, as they always called the New Englanders. They seemed to think that they were a people quite different from themselves, as indeed they were in many respects. I could mention many things and ways in which they differed, but it is of no consequence. They were clever and that is sufficient. I will, however, mention one little incident just to show what their conceptions were of us. I happened once to be with some wagons. One of which was detached from the party. I went with this team as its guard. We stopped at a house the mistress of which and the Wagoneer were acquainted. The foraging teams all belonged in the neighborhood of our quarters. She had a pretty little female child about four years old. The teamster was praising the child, extolling his gentleness and quietness, when the mother observed that it had been quite cross and crying all day. I have been threatening, said she, to give her to the Yankees. Take care, said the Wagoneer. How you speak of the Yankees. I have one of them here with me. La, said the woman. Is he a Yankee? I thought he was a Pennsylvanian. I don't see any difference between him and other people. I have before said that I should not narrate all the little affairs which transpired while I was on this foraging party, but if I pass them all over in silence, the reader may perhaps think that I had nothing to do all winter, or at least that I did nothing, when in truth it was quite the reverse. Our duty was hard, but generally not altogether unpleasant. I had to travel far and near, in cold and in storms, by day and by night, and at all times to run the risk of abuse, if not of inquiry, from the inhabitants when plundering them of their property, for I could not, while in the very act of taking their cattle, hay, corn, and grain from them against their wills, consider it a wit better than plundering, sheer privateering. But I will give them the credit of never receiving the least abuse or injury from an individual during the whole time I was employed in this business. I doubt whether the people of New England would have borne it as patiently. Their steady habits, to the contrary, not withstanding. Being once in a party among the Welch Mountains, there came on a tedious rainstorm, which continued three or four days. I happened to be at a farmer's house with one or two of the wagon masters. The man of the house was from the home, and the old lady rather crowd. She knew our business and was therefore inclined to be rather unsociable. The first day she would not give us anything to eat but some scraps of cold victuals. The second day she grew a little more condescending, and on the third day she boiled a pot full of good beef, pork, and sauerkraut for us. Never mind, said one of the wagon masters to me. Mother comes on. She will give us roasted turkeys directly. There was a little negro boy belonging to the house about five or six years of age, who, the whole time I was there, sat upon a stool in the chimney corner. Indeed, he looked as if he had sat there ever since he was born. One of the wagon masters said to the landlady one day, Mother, is that your son that sits in the corner? My son, said she. Why, don't you see he is a negro? A negro? Is he? said the man. Why, I really thought he was your son, only that he had sat there until he was smoke-dried. While the storm continued to pass our time, several of our party went to a tavern in the neighborhood. We here gambled a little for some liquor, by throwing a small dart or stick armed at one end with a pin, at a mark on the ceiling of the room. While I was at this amusement, I found that the landlord and I bore the same name, and upon further discourse, I found that he had a son about my age, whose given name was the same as mine. This son was taken prisoner at Fort Lee on the Hudson River in the year 1776 and died on his way home. These good people were almost willing to persuade themselves that I was their son. There were two very pretty girls, sisters to the deceased young man, who seemed wonderfully taken up with me, called me brother, and I fared none the worse for my name. I used often afterwards, in my cruises to that part of the state, to call in as I passed, and was always well treated by the whole family. The landlord used to fill my canteen with whiskey or peach or cider brandy to enable me, as he said, to climb the Welch Mountains. I always went there with pleasure and left with regret. I often wished afterwards that I could find more namesakes. I was sent one day, with another man of our party, to drive some cattle to the quartermaster general's quarters. It was dark when we arrived there. After we had delivered the cattle, an officer belonging to the quartermaster general's department, asked me if I had a canteen. I answered in a negative. I had left mine at my quarters. A soldier, said he, should always have a canteen, and I was sorry that I was just then deficient of the article, for he gave us a half-point tumbler full of genuine old Jamaica spirits, which was, like Boniface's ale, as smooth as oil. It was too late to return to our quarters that night, so we concluded to go to camp, about three miles distant, and see our old messmates. Our stomachs being empty, the spirits began to take hold of both belly and brains. I soon became very faint, but as good luck would have it, my companion happened to have a part of a dried neat's tongue, which he had plundered somewhere in his travels. We fell to work upon that, and soon demolished it, which refreshed us much, and enabled us to reach camp without suffering shipwreck. There was nothing to be had at camp, but a little rest, and that was all we asked. In the morning it was necessary to have a pass from the commander of the regiment, to enable us to pass the guards on our return to our quarters in the country. My captain gave me one, and then it must be counter-signed by the colonel. When I entered the colonel's hut, where have you been, calling me by name, this winter, said he, why, you are as fat as a pig. I told him I had been foraging in the country. I think, said he, you have taken care of yourself. I believe we must keep you here and send another man in your stead that he may recruit himself a little. I told him that I was sent to camp on particular business and with strict orders to return, and that no one else could do so well. Finally, he signed my pass, and I soon hunted up the other man, when we left the camp in as great a hurry as though the plague had been there. But the time at length came when we were obliged to go to camp for good and all, whether we chose to or not. An order from headquarters required all station parties and guards to be relieved, that all who had not had the smallpox might have an opportunity to have it before the warm weather came on. Accordingly, about the last of April, we were relieved by a party of southern troops. The commissary, who was a native of Connecticut, although at the commencement of the war he resided in Philadelphia, told us that he was sorry we were going away. For, said he, I do not much like these men with one eye, alluding to their practice of gouging. I am acquainted with you, and if any men are wanted here, I should prefer those from my own section of the country to entire strangers. Although we would have very willingly obliged him with our company, yet it could not be so, we must go to camp at all events. We accordingly marched off and arrived to camp the next day, much to the seeming satisfaction of our old messmates, and as much to the real dissatisfaction of ourselves. At least it was so with me. Thus far since the year commenced, Dame Fortune had been kind, but now Miss Fortune was coming in for her set in the reel. I had now to enter again on my old system of starving. There was nothing to eat. I had brought two or three days rations in my knapsack, and while that lasted I made shift to get along. But that was soon gone, and I was then obliged to come to it again, which was sorely against my grain. During the past winter I had had enough to eat and been under no restraint. I had picked up a few articles of comfortable summer clothing among the inhabitants. Our lieutenant had never concerned himself about us. We had scarcely seen him during the whole time. When we were off duty, we went when and where we pleased, and had none to make us afraid. But now the scene was changed. We must go and come at bidding and suffer hunger besides. After I had joined my regiment, I was kept constantly when off other duty, engaged in learning the Baron de Stuban's new Prussian exercise. It was a continual drill. About this time I was sent off from camp in a detachment consisting of about 3,000 men, with four field pieces under the command of the young General Lafayette. We marched to Baron Hill about 12 miles from Philadelphia. There are crossroads upon this hill, a branch of which leads to the city. We halted here, placed our guards, sent off our scouting parties, and waited for, I know not what. A company of about a hundred Indians from some northern tribe joined us here. There were three or four young Frenchmen with them. The Indians were stout-looking fellows and remarkably neat for that race of mortals, but they were Indians. There was upon the hill and just where we are laying, an old church built of stone entirely divested of all its entrails. The Indians were amusing themselves and the soldiers by shooting with their bows in and about the church. I observed something in the corner of the roof which did not appear to belong to the building and desired an Indian who was standing near me to shoot an arrow at it. He did so and it proved to be a cluster of bats. I should think there were nearly a bushel of them all hanging upon one another. The house was immediately alive with them and it was likewise instantly full of Indians and soldiers. The poor bats fared hard. It was sport for all hands. They killed, I know not how many, but there was a great slaughter among them. I never saw so many bats before nor since, nor indeed in my whole life put all together. The next day I was one of a guard to protect the horses belonging to the detachment. They were in a meadow of six or eight acres entirely surrounded by tall trees. It was cloudy and a low fog hung all night upon the meadow and for several hours during the night there was a jack-o'-lantern cruising in the eddying air. The poor things seemed to wish to get out of the meadow but could not. The air circulating within the enclosure of trees would not permit it. Several of the guard endeavored to catch it but did not succeed. Footnote. Professor Silliman had said on the authority of a certain doctor somebody that jack-o'-lanterns never move. With due submission to such high authority I would crave their pardon for telling them that they labor under a mistake. I have seen many of these exhalations, two of which I am satisfied beyond a doubt removing when I saw them, the one mentioned in the text and the other when I was a youngster. I was one evening walking in a lane in a sequestered place, the road crossing a low boggy piece of land, when I saw one of these meteors, if they may be so called, coming down the low ground before the wind, which was quick, it crossed the road within 10 feet of me and passed on till it was lost in the distance. Now I could not be deceived in this instance. I saw it and I could see with my natural eyes as well as a philosopher could with his. But I have lately heard of a new idea concerning them, that is, that they are a species of glowworm in their butterfly state. If that is the case, they must of necessity move, the opinion of the scientific gentleman to the contrary, notwithstanding. And footnote. Just at the dawn of the day the officers' waders came, almost breathless, after the horses. Upon inquiring for the cause of the unusual hurry, we were told that the British were advancing upon us in our rear, how they could get there was to us a mystery, but they were there. We helped the waders to catch their horses and immediately returned to the main body of the detachment. We found the troops all under arms and in motion, preparing for an onset. Those of the troops belonging to our brigade were put into the churchyard, which was enclosed by a wall of stone and lime about breast high, a good defense against musketry, but poor against artillery. I began to think I should soon have some better sport than killing bats. But our commander found that the enemy was too strong to be engaged in the position we then occupied. He therefore wisely ordered a retreat from this place to the shulkeel, where we might choose any position that we pleased, having ragged woody hills in our rear and the river in front. It was about three miles to the river. The weather was exceeding warm, and I was in the rear platoon of the detachment except two platoons of General Washington's guards. The quick motion in front kept the rear on a constant trot. Two pieces of artillery were in front and two in the rear. The enemy had nearly surrounded us by the time our retreat commenced, but the road we were in was very favorable for us, it being for the most part, and especially the first part of it, through small woods and corpses. When I was about halfway to the river, I saw the right wing of the enemy through a lawn about half a mile distant, but they were too late. Besides, they made a blunder here. They saw our rear guard with two field pieces in its front, and thinking at the front of the detachment, they closed in to secure their prey, but when they had sprung their net, they found that they had not a single bird under it. We crossed the Shilkeil in good order, very near the spot where I had crossed it four times in the month of October the preceding autumn. As fast as the troops crossed, they formed and prepared for action, and waited for them to attack us. But we saw no more of them that time, for before we had reached the river, the alarm guns were fired in our camp and the whole army was immediately in motion. The British, fearing that they should be outnumbered in their turn, directly set their faces for Philadelphia and set off in as much or more haste than we had left Barron Hill. They had during the night, left the city with such silence and secrecy, and by taking what was called the New York Road, that they escaped detection by all our parties, and the first knowledge they obtained of the enemy's movements was, that he was upon their backs between them and us on the hill. The Indians, with all their alertness, had liked to have bought the rabbit. They kept coming in all the afternoon in parties of four or five, whooping and hallowing like wild beasts. After they had got collected, they vanished. I never saw any more of them. Our scouting parties all came in safe, but I was afterwards informed by a British deserter that several of the enemy perished by the heat and their exertions to get away from a retreating enemy. The place that our detachment was now at was the Gulf, mentioned in the preceding chapter, where we kept the rice and vinegar Thanksgiving of starving memory. We stayed here until nearly night, when no one coming to visit us, we marched off and took up our lodgings for the night in a wood. The next day, we crossed the shell keel again and went to Barron Hill once more. We stayed there a day or two and then returned to camp with keen appetites and empty purses. If anyone asked why we did not stay on Barron Hill till the British came up and have taken and given a few bloody noses, all I have to say in answer is that the general well knew what he was about. He was not deficient in either courage or conduct, and that was well known to all the revolutionary army. Soon after this affair, we left our winter contendments, crossed the shell keel and encamped on the left bank of that river, just opposite to our winter quarters. We had lain here but a few days when we heard that the British army had left Philadelphia and were proceeding to New York through the jerseys. We marched immediately in pursuit. We crossed the Delaware at Carroll's Ferry above Trenton and encamped a day or two between that town and Princeton. Here I was again detached with a party of one thousand men as light troops to get into the enemy's route and follow him close to favor desertion and pick up stragglers. The day we were drafted, the sun was eclipsed. Had this happened upon such an occasion in olden time, it would have been considered ominous either of good or bad fortune, but we took no notice of it. Our detachment marched in the afternoon and towards night as we passed through Princeton. Some of the patriotic inhabitants of the town had brought out to the end of the street we passed through some casks of ready-made toddy. It was dealt out to the men as they passed by, which caused the detachment to move slowly at this place. The young ladies of the town and perhaps of the vicinity had collected and were sitting in the stoops and at the windows to see the noble exhibition of a thousand half-starved and three-quarters naked soldiers pass and review before them. I chanced to be on the wing of a platoon next to the houses as they were chiefly on one side of the street and had a good chance to notice the ladies, and I declare that I never before nor since saw more beauty considering the numbers than I saw at that time. They were all beautiful. New Jersey and Pennsylvania ladies are, in my opinion, collectively handsome, the most so of any in the United States. But I hope our Yankee ladies will not be jealous at hearing this. I allow that they have as many mental beauties as others have personal, perhaps more. I know nothing about it. They are all handsome. We passed through Princeton and encamped on the open fields for the night, the canopy of heaven for our tent. Early next morning we marched again and came up with the rear of the British Army. We followed them several days, arriving upon their camping ground within an hour after their departure from it. We had ample opportunity to see the devastation they made in their route. Cattle killed and lain about the fields and pastures. Some just in the position they were in when shot down. Others with a small spot of skin taken off their hind quarters and a mess of steak taken out. Household furniture hacked and broken to pieces, wells filled up and mechanics and farmer's tools destroyed. It was in the height of the season of cherries the innocent industrious creatures could not climb the trees for the fruit but universally cut them down. Such conduct did not give the Americans any more agreeable feelings toward them than they entertained before. It was extremely hot weather and the sandy plains of that part of New Jersey did not cool the air to any great degree but we still kept close to the rear of the British Army. Deserters were almost hourly coming over to us but of stragglers we took only a few. My risability was always pretty easily excited at any innocent ludicrous incident. The following circumstance gave me cause to laugh as well as all the rest who heard it. We halted in a wood for a few minutes in the heat of the day on the ascent of a hill and were lolling on the sides of the road when they're passed by two old men both upon one horse that looked as if the crows had bespoken him. I did not know but Sancho Panza had lost his dapple and was mounted behind Don Quixote upon Rosinat and bound upon some adventure with the British. However, they had not long been gone past us before another about the same age and complexion came stemming by on foot. Just as he arrived where I was sitting he stopped short and looking toward the soldiers said did you see two old horses riding a Dutchman this road up? Hoi! The soldiers set up a laugh as well as they might and the poor old Dutchman finding he had gone Dale Foremost in his question made the best of his way off out of hearing of us. We this night turned into a new plowed field and I laid down between two furrows and slept as sweet as though I had laid upon a bed of down. The next morning as soon as the enemy began their march we were again in motion and came to their last nights in camping ground just after sunrise. Here we halted an hour or two as we often had to do to give the enemy time to advance our orders being not to attack them unless in self-defense. We were marching on as usual when about 10 or 11 o'clock we were ordered to halt and then to face to the right about. As this order was given by the officers in a rather different way than usual we began to think something was out of joint somewhere but what or where our united wisdom could not explain. The general opinion of the soldiers was that some part of the enemy had by some means got into our rear. We however retraced our steps till we came to our last nights in camping ground when we left the route of the enemy and went off a few miles to a place called Englishtown. It was uncommonly hot weather and we put up boost to protect us from the heat of the sun which was almost insupportable. Whether we lay here one or two nights I do not remember. It matters not which. We were early in the morning mustered out and ordered to leave all our baggage under the care of a guard. Our baggage was trifling. Taking only our blankets and provisions our provisions were less and prepare for immediate march in action. The officer who commanded the platoon that I belong to was a captain belonging to the Rhode Island troops and a fine brave man he was he feared nobody nor nothing. When we were paraded now said he to us you have been wishing for some days past to come up with the British you have been waiting to fight now you shall have fighting enough before night. The men did not need much haranguing to raise their courage for when the officers came to order the sick and lame to stay behind his guards they were forced to exercise their authority to the full extent before they could make even the invalid stay behind and when some of their arms were about to be exchanged with those who were going into the field they would not part with them. If their arms went they said they would go with them at all events. After all things were put in order we marched but halted a few minutes in the village where we were joined by a few other troops and then proceeded on. We now heard a few reports of cannon ahead. We went in a road running through a deep narrow valley which was for a considerable way covered with thick wood. We were some time in passing this defile. While in the wood we heard a volley or two of musketry and upon inquiry we found it to be a party of our troops who had fired upon a party of British horse but there was no fear of horse in the place in which we were then. It was ten or eleven o'clock before we got through these woods and came into the open fields. The first clear land we came to was an Indian cornfield surrounded on the east, west and north sides by thick tall trees. The sun shining full upon the field the soil of which was sandy the mouth of a heated oven seemed to me to be but a trifle hotter than this ploughed field it was almost impossible to breathe. We had to fall back again as soon as we could into the woods. By the time we had got under the shade of the trees and had taken breath of which we had been almost deprived we received orders to retreat as all the left wing of the army that part being under the command of General Lee were retreating. Grading as this order was to our feelings we were obliged to comply. We had not retreated far before we came to a defile a muddy slothy brook. While the infantry were passing this place we sat down by the roadside. In a few minutes the commander-in-chief and suit crossed the road just where we were sitting. I heard him ask our officers by whose order the troops were retreating and being answered by General Lee's he said something but as he was moving forward all the time this was passing he was too far off from me to hear it distinctly. Those that were nearer to him said that his words were damn him! Whether he did thus express himself or not I do not know. It was certainly very unlike him but he seemed at the instant to be in a great passion his looks if not his words seemed to indicate as much. After passing us he rode on to the plain field and took an observation of the advancing enemy he remained there some time upon his old English charger while the shot from the British artillery were rending up the earth all around him. After he had taken a view of the enemy he returned and ordered the two Connecticut brigades to make a stand at a fence in order to keep the enemy in check while the artillery and other troops crossed the before mentioned defile. It was the Connecticut and Rhode Island forces which occupied this post notwithstanding what Dr. Ramsey said to the contrary he seems willing to say the least to give the southern troops the credit due to the northern. A historian ought to be sure of the truth of circumstances before he relates them. When we had secured our retreat the artillery formed a line of pieces upon a long piece of elevated ground. Our detachment formed directly in front of the artillery as a covering party so far below on the decleavity of the hill that the pieces could play over our heads and here we waited the approach of the enemy should he see fit to attack us.