The Northern star, and farmers' and mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1830-1834, 1833-06-22
RECOLLECTIONs OF THE REV
$500 OLUTION.

Read before the Albany Institute,
March 7th, 1888, by +. II. WARD.
Everything relative 10 the revolution,
that resulted IN the establishment vi A
uerican Independence, must be deeply
interesting ~ every American. Even the
smallest act that tsnded to produce thai
event, SO much more esplendeBt from the
gloom that proceeded II, possesses an M
terrst emitting II to attention Il not respect
Facts in themselves unimpoita.t oil, II
becone invested with peculiar Interes,
wheh considered in reference TO the re-
suits flowing from them. Ci this charac-
ter are these contained in the simple mar
raiive which have ahought might not br
uainterestlng ON this occasi.n. 1t r.Iates
to an event ot no less magnitude than the
capture Of Major Andre; to which pc
cuiiar interest has been attached, growing
out Of the character Of the man, and the
Importance of the event. Had Andre al
iected his arrival at Newly ork with the
iH,portalt commune atoms oi Arnuid, in
relation to West Point, II Is hardly possi-
BILE to calculale the result upon our ma
iionad struggle. Happily ior us, that al
rival was never ~ take i4ace; ard the Tor
tunate prevention of it has generally betn
nitributIngto Williams, Paulding and Van
Vert, his captors. 1tre strong probaDll-
iiy, however,is, that had not The iacis NC
Cured which 1 am about To mention, the
capture would never have taken place, ,be-
| cause, in the event, he never would have
been in situation to be captured. The
substance Of the following narrative Oi
facts is taken from tradition. The truth
ofthe facts may be relied upon.
cit was in the autumn oitIC year 1880
that farmer living in the town of Cortland
in the CO. OF Wcschester, was making ci-
= der, having been for few days released
from his country's service, to follow his
agricultural pursuits. The mill in which
he WIS ut work, was situated on the east
bank ofthe Hudson, near that part uf
Havcrs,raw b., !, called "Moihers Imp"
or Tor brevit,'s sake, the ''Lap." While
'busiiy enpiuysd in the manufacture Of his
cider, two yoaDg men, whose names were
Sherwood aud Peterson, with their mus
kets, (the usual accompaniment IN those
days, (approached the TURNER, and after
passing the usual salutations, and refresh.
ling themselves with the new made cider
seated themselves on log that lay nsa'
tho mill. Tire lafmer observing them in
close conversation and looking intshsi,
on some distant object, asked them TO ac-
quaint him with the cause of their alarm
and anxiety. crush, speak low" snyS
Sherwood, 1.-The red coats are about us. "
"Where," asked the farmer, i'm whisper
"Yonder, yonder, just within the lap"
answered Peterson, pointing at the same
time to spot where was an Engisr gun
boat, with "A men laying upon their oars
Return TO your mil, he added, and ad-
dressing himself to Sherwood, Eve will
crawl Ia the bank .f the river and give
them red coats -hut.
Peterson aud Sherwood drew near to
the malgln OF the hudson, and placed
themselves behind Il large rock (; which
vas directly between them and the gun
boat. Here after reconncilering the
situation Of the gun boat, and examining
their guns, they fired upon the crew, and
killed two persons. The British sofdirrs
that munned the gun boa, belong to the
British sloop of war Vulture, which lay at
anchor in the Hudson, oil Ieller's Point:
Mt expecting to meet with the enemy,
they had prepared themselves, with no
weapons Of attack or defence, exceIt a
bIunderbuss. This they hastily fred to-
wards the shore, but without g,vng It any
particular direction, aud oi course not pro-
ducipg any effect. Quickly perceiving
ttat all their efforts To defend themselves
must be xnavailing as they were contend
ing with hidden foe, they put their boat
aouut as speedily as possible, and pro-
ceeded towards the Nullure, presuming
that its heavy arms would secure To them
a f,r better protection fiom rebel outrage
than their own small blunderbuss. In
proceeding back 70 the Vul,ure, they
kept proper distance llom the shore, for
tho purpose oi evadin2 all Iar,he- ann"y-
ance from the ttLeI nusket. Peterson
and Sherwood soon alter rcjoined the I'D
'tamer at the mil. "Whal luck with the
red coats" inquired the farmer. Good
luck aud bad tuck, if i, is apostolic thing,
answered Peterson. 1--WE have had the
good luck to come or unhut, aud the bad
luck To- kill two at the sailurs, whose Unly
crime L. IN being engaged 'n ar'ns against
us.o While Sherwood and Peterson ", re
informing the tanner oI the result al the
skirinish, n man was observed e. min2
Down the east bank oi ,h iN,r, anu rau-
tiousiy examining e,eGJ Thug around h'ut,
the stranger had geind the spot nrariy
opposite where the gunboai had been sia-
ti.u.d, brforc'h observed the meu at tIr !
NIL, upon dicove,ng thrni, nc r,tiuced
his steps for lew rods ond thea took nn
eaSierly course lhr"ug'i the heids towards
the C,oton river. 1nst n,au ~as u" lcss |
a prrsu,a,,c than A.ei Andre, braiinu