Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1829-02-10

LANCASTER, MASSACHUSETT
British on the ground then occupied BY
the American troops, or retire beyond ;
valley in the rear of the British, in which
the ground was said to be wet, and i'm
passable with artillery, which in case Of +;
defeat, would of course be lost; excepting
that with the left wing commanded BY
Gen. Greene, through which there was {
firm road. BY this time, the fire Of the
troops engaged appeared to be drawing
near. At this moment, the consultation
yet continuing, Col. P. addressed Gen
Washington. Sir, said Col. p, the ad.
"vancing of the British is manifest by the
"reports of musketry. The order of bat
tie is not completed. If we are to fight
the enemy on this ground, the troops
ought to be immediately arranged. II
"we are to take the high ground on the
other side of the valley, we ought to
G march Immediately, or the enemy may
I" fall upon us in the midst of our move-
ments." Let us move"-was the
Generals answer. The movement then
took place. 1t had begun TO rain. The
British army halted. The Americans
formed on the high ground beyond the
valley, and there remained during very
heavy rainy day. They then marched
to place called the Yellow Springs.
The cartridge boxes were bad, and near
y all the ammunition in them was spoiled.
Hence it became necessary to keep aloof
from the enemy till fresh ammunition could
be made up and distributed.
On the 4th of Oct. Gen. Washington
attacked the British troops at German
town. After the right wing, commanded
by Gen. Sullivan, had for some time been
briskly engaged, Gen. Washington sent
Col. 2. forward with an order to that Off
Ger. Having delivered it he returned to
rejoin the commander in chief 1t had
been found that party of the British
troops had taken post in large and
strong house, since we'll known by the
name of Chew's house, on which the
light field artillery of the Americans,
could make no impression. This house
stood back few rods from the road. Col.
P, first discovered the enemy to be there
by their firing at him from the windows
on his return to Gen. Sullivan.
On rejoining Gen. Washington, Col. P.
found a question was agitated, in his pres
ence, whether the whole of the troops
then behind should pass on, regardless of
the enemy in Chew's house, or summon
them to surrender. A distinguished officer
urged summons. He said it would be
unmilitary to leave castle in our rear"
Col. P. answered." doubtless that is
correct general maxim but it does not
apply in this case. We know the extent
of this castle (Chew's house J and to
gpard-against the danger from the enemy's
sallying out and falling on the rear Of our
troops, small regiment may be posted
here to watch them: and if they sally out,
such regiment aoiW take care Of them.
But (he added) to summon them will be
useless. We are now in the midst of the
battle and its issue is unknown. In this
state of uncertainty, and so well secured
as the enemy find themselves, they will
not regard summons: they aUiH fire at
your fag." However, subaltela officer,
with a white flag and drum, was sent with
summons. He had reached the gate
at the road, when shot from win
dow gave him wound Of which he
died.
In December, the army marched to
Valley Forge, and took up their winter
quarters in log huts which they erected at
that place.
Before this, the Congress, then sitting
at Yorktown in Pennsylvania, had elected
Col. Pickering member of the Continen-
tai Board of War. General Gates and
General Mifflin were elected members of
the same board, and before the expiration
of the winter, they all retired to York
town, where the board sat. In this sta
ton Col. P. remained until Gen. Greene
resigned the office of quarter-master-gene-
raj. On the 9Th of August, 1880, Con-
gress elected him Greene's successor and
he continued in the Office of quarter-mas-
ter-general during the remainder of the
war.
The project of besieging the city of
New York, in 1881, having been relin-
pushed, and the seige of Yorktown, in
Virginia, resolved on, Col. P. received
Gen. Washington's orders 10 prepare i'm
mediately for the march of part of the
army at that place, and for the transport
tation of artillery, and of all the stores
requisite for the seige. This was done.
The event is known to every body. Lord
CORVALLIS and his army were made pris-
oners. This decided the fate of the war.
In the succeeding winter, the British
government, despairing ofconquest, aban-
doned all offensive operations in America,
and in November, 1882, articles of peace
were agreed on.