The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-09-17
SINGULAR ADVENTURE OF A BRIT.
ISL SOLDIER


upon that continent, division of the Brit
ish army was encamped on the banks of a
river, and in position SO favored by ma
ture, that it was difficult for any military
art to surprise it. War in America was
rather species OF hunting than regular
campaign. "If you fight with art" said
Washington to the soldiers, "you are sure
to be defeated. Acquire discipline enough
for concert, and the uniformity of combined
attack, and your country will prove the best
of the engineers" So true was this maxim
of the American general, that the English
soldiers had TO contend with little else
The Americans had incorporated the In
dams into their ranks, and had made them
useful in species of war to which their
habits of life had peculiarly fitted them.
They sailed out of their impenetrable for
ests, and jungles, and, with their arrows and
tomahawks, committed daily waste upon
I the British Army, surprising their sentinels,
cutting off their stragglers, and even when
the alarm was given, and pursuit commence
ed, they fled with a swifness that the speed
of cavalry could not overtake, into rocks
and Businesses whittier it was dangerous TO
follow them. In order to limit as far as
possible this species of war, in which there
was SO much loss AMI so little honor, it was
the custom with every regiment to extend
its outposts to great distance beyond the
encampments; to station seutinels some
miles in the woods, and keep constant
guard round the main body. A regiment of
foot was, at this time, stationed upon the
confines of the boundless Savannah. Its
particular Office was to guard every avenue
of approach TO the main body the sent-
nels, whose post penetrated into the woods,
were supplied from the ranks, and the SER
vice of this regiment was thus more hazard
Gus than that of any other. Its loss was
| likewise great. The sentinels were per
petually surprised upon their posts by the
| Indians, and, what was most astonishing,
! they were borne of their stations without
communicating any alarm, or being heard
of after. Not trace was left OF the man
ner in which they had been conveyed away,
except that, upon one or two occasions, a
few drops of blood had appeared upon the
leaves which covered the ground. Many
imputed this unaccountable disappearance
to treachery, and suggested, as an unan-
swerable argument, that the men, thus sur
prised, might at least have fired their mus
kets, and communicated the alarm to the
! contiguous posts. Others, however, who
could not be brought to consider it as treach
cry, were content to receive it as mystic
ry which time would explain.
( One morning, the sentinels having been
stationed as usual over night, the guard
went at sunrise to relieve a post which ex
tended a considerable distance into the
woods. The sentinel was gone The sur
prise was great but the circumstance had
occurred before. They left another man,
and departed wishing him better luck.
You need not be afraid" said the man,
with warmth, 81 shall not desert" The
relief company returned to the guard house.
| The sentinels were replaced every four
hours, and, at the appointed time, the guard
again marched TO relieve the post. To their
inexpressible establishment, the man was
gone They searched round the post, but
no traces could be found of his disappear
ance. 1t was necessary that the station,
| from a stronger motive than ever, should
not remain unoccupied: they were compell-
ed to leave another man, and returned, ru-
minating on this strange circumstance, to
| the guard house. The superstition of the
soldiers was awakened, and terror ran
| through the regiment. The Colonel being
apprised of the occurrence, signihed his in
tention to accompany the guard when they
relieved the sentinel they had left. At the
appointed time they all marched together;
and again, to their unutterable wonder,
they found the post vacant, and the man
gone Under these circumstances, the
Colonel hesitated whether he should station
whole company here, or whether he should
again submit the post to single sentinel.
! The cause of these repeated Disappearance
] Of xyb 4 ctU W. arn
never suspected, must be discovered; and
it seemed not likely that this discovery could
be obtained by persisting in the old method.
Three brave men were now lost to the reg
iment, and, to assign the post to fourth,
seemed nothing less than giving him up to
destruction. The poor fellow, whose turn
it was to take the station, though man in
other respects of incompatible resolution,
[ treHluIeu IroIn HSdu ~ IvvJ.-- -s.s.Ss ~
my duty" said he to the officer, 81 know
that; but should like to lose my life with
more credit" 81 will leave no man." said
the Colonel, "against his will" A man i'm
mediately stepped from the ranks, and de-
sired to take the post. Every mouth COM
mended his resolution. 81 will not be TAX
Ell alive," said he, and you shall hear of
me on the least alarm. At all events, will
fire my piece if | hear the least noise. If a
crow chatters. or leaf falls, you shall hear
my musket. You may be alarmed when
nothing is the matter; but you must take
the chance of that, as the condition of my
making the discovery" The Colonel ap-
plauded his courage, and told him he would
be right to fire upon the least noise which
was ambiguous. His comrades shook hands
with him, and left him with melancholy
foreboding. The company marched back
and waited the event in the guard house
with the most anxious curiosity.
An hour had elapsed, and every ear was
upon the rack for the discharge of the mus
ket when, upon sudden, the report was
! hoorI Tho cuord od,o talr, ma cd