Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-06-27
ON THE DEATH OF GENERAL ROSS.
Eto,a the Turf Register for June, 1888.

From the Turf Register for June. 1883.
! Ma. EprroR:--In your April number their 70
! communication from I" Leather Stockings
upon rife shouting, which contains the following
remark: 8. Baltimore owed her safety, during the
! last war. TO the skill and intrepdty OF rille;
man.. To what he al!udes, do not precisely
know, There have been several absurd stories
circulated as 20 the manner in which Geni koss
was shot; and some one Of these appears 10 nave
reached the ears Of your distant correspondent.
One was, that a riHeman climbed up into tree.
and sat there concealed amongst the branches
until the British troops came along, when ne took
aim AZ General Ross and shot him. Another
: equally ridiculous was, that some one hid him
! self behind tree, and was thus enabled TO des'
troy the active leader Of the inyaders--his own
life falling sacrifice to his hardihood Now
although the tactics of rife corps admit, and
ometimes require, that the men should lie 10
ambush; vet there is something not aHogether
agreeable to the feelings in the idea Of an ind'-
vidual thus concealing himself and snoot'ng
down gallant foe. At any rate, De thls as
NAV, in the case referred to, Gen Ross was SLAIN
! in fair, open fight; where little more cover
! Ito use sportsman's phrase) would have oeeh
highly acceptable to US. Although your Regis
ter is not exactly the work IN which sunJccts OF
this serious nature should be discussed. yet peg
permission to use oae OF its pages, to place upon
record contradiction of all such idle tales as
the one alluded to by your correspondent; and
will. in a few words, relate how the affair hap.
,eued. You must be aware that my opportun-
ty of knowledge wa. as good as that of any other
person. Thus then the story runs.
The American line of battle-was formed early
in the murning. and awaited the approach Of the
British. Hour after hour wore away, and still
they came rot. The affair was becoming almost
| as tedious as dinner party delayed by back
ward cook, except that the appetite was not I'M
paired. After more than one unsuc cessful effort
to know precisely where his approaching vislters
we're, and what they were about, our gene raj de-
taehed Maj Richard K. Heath, with two compa..
MES uf infantry, party OF rihemen. piece OF
artillery, and some cavalry, with orders To have
a personal interview with these unwecOme &C.
quaintanc.s, supposed to be about two miles of.
Accordingly. away went the Major with his par
". After proceeding about half mile, he or.
dered the rfenen to cover the tanks, whilst the
other troops KEEP. the road Whilst this order
was in execution, we moved slowly along; hav-
| ing upon the right wood, and upon the LETT
large open field first, and then little patch OF
green Corn. We had just reached the end OF the
little corn patch, and had the open field again up
on our leff, when, to our great asOushment, as
the head OF our column rose the brow OF little
ascent, we met our industrious advrrsaries COM
| ing from below. The position OF our little de-
tachment at that time vas this: The Independent
Blues (nfantry) in frnnt, marching IN platoons;
the Mechanical Volunteers Infantry next, both
fianked by the riiemen. who were just commencing
to spread out; the piece OF artillery and cavalry
being still 10 therear. The meeting was unexpect.
80 fhae lnfof Inn al N
on such occasions Immediately exchanged The
first order issued, upon our part, was to bring
forward the piece Of artillery. and put upon the
brow OF the ascent, where the head Of our col
umn was: but before it could be used, il was
found that We we're in the presence OF too strong
force to think OF maintaining the position, and
the order was countermanded.
The Mechanical Volunteers happened to be
Just in the hollow when the action commenced;
but. in very short time, they discovered place
| upon the brow Of the hill, aud were marched up
to occupy it. Just as they came up, 1t SO hap
pened that an officer. with non commissioned
officer at each stirrup was distinctly observed to
ride round the turn Of the road below. and come
up to the front of the British skirmshers He
was aimed at, know, BY many Of the infantry,
and was seen to fall from his horse. The rifle.
men, during all this time, were firing away. do
ing their duty manfully; but. ss the combatants
were not more than hundred yards apart, IL
is manifest that no one could have been between
them; and besides, before we left the ground. the
enemy's light troops had taken possession OF the
wood upon our right; for the messages that they
kept sending to US from that quarter were OF the
most uncomfortable description. According to
their general practice. the British hankefs had
also passed into the open field upon our left; and
| amused myself with watching the effect Of
some shots made by riAemen. with the advantage
Of rest upon the fence. But, in all recorded
instances Of good shooting, | doubt whether
=. Leather Stockings" has ever met with case
where STOPPING, trottIng man was biz with
riAe--the man crossing the Ilne Of sight too. =
Your correspondents N. s. j. or J s d would
have brought down snipe possibly, upon the
same ground, at half the distance; but hunting
with pointers for snipe, and with North Pointers
for men. are quite different things.
After keeping up this contest for few rounds,
it was discovered by our commanding officer
that the place was no longer to be held, and he
tiordorod rnfraaf OF ma hero nav a nassinp