Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1837-10-26
MISCELLANY.
REVOLUTIONARY SCENE.

The following revolutionary incident Is
extracted from an interesting volume EMIT
sed Letters about the Hudson River" by
EREEMAN Hunt.
have before alluded 10 the capture of An
Hse, by Pauding and his associates bu,
shere Is a Evolutionary circumstance which
occurred in Peekskili, or rather in Court.
land, 81 which Peekskiii is The principal viii
sage. that placed Major Andre in the path Of
fhe captors. For the facts connected with
this tradition, I am indebted 10 e. f. Ward,
Esq. Ii seems that in the autumn of 1889,
farmer of this village was making cider, hav.
ing been released for few days from his
couniry's service, 10 follow his agricultural
pursuits. The i'll in which he was at work
was situated on the east bank OF the Hudson,
near That part of fIaversiraw bay, called
'Mether's Lap While busily employed in
The manufacture Of the cider, two young men
(sheTwood and Peierson) with their mus
keis, (the usual accompaniment in those
days approached the farmer, and after pas
sing the usual saiutatiuns, and refreshing
themselves with the new cider, seated them
selves upon log that lay near the mill.
The farmer observing them in clase con-
Versation, and looking very intenlly on some
distant object, asked them the cause of their
alarm and anxiety.
Hush ~ speak low, says Sherwood, ",he
red coats are about us.''
"W here :" asked the farmer, in q Bis
par.
Yonder, yonder, just within the Lap"
answered Peterson, pointing al the same
time to spot where an English gun boat,
with twenty four men were laying upon
their oars. "Re!urn TO Your mill, % he adj
died.; and addressing himself 10 Sherwood,
eve will crawl TO the bank of The river, and
give The red boys shot.'
Peterson and Sherwood drew near the
margin OF Hudson, and placed themselves
behind large rock, which was directly be.
tween them and the gun boat. After exam
ihing their guns they fred upon The crew,
and killed two persons The soldiers that
manned the gun boat, belonged To the Brit>
ish slooP Of war Vulture, which lay al anchor
in tho Hudson, off Teller's Point Not ex-
pecling TO meet with an enemy, they had
prepared themselves with no weapons of at
tack or defence, except blunderbuss This
they hastily fred towards the shore, but
without producing any effect. Quickly peI,
ceivins that al! their efforts 10 defend Them
selves must &c unavailing, as they were
conteDding with hidden foe they .,ut their
boat about as speedily as possible, and pro-
cseded towards the Vulture, presuminp that
lis heavy arms would secure TO them far
DelteT protection from rebel outrage, than
their own small biunderbuss. In proceeding
back 10 the Vullure, they kept proper dis
lance from the shore, for the purpose of eva
ding all further annoyance from the rebel
Tnuskets. The retreat was made good, and
as The sun was just losing himself behind the
towering mountains that border the Hudson
in The vicinity Of Haversttaw bay, the dis,
appointed sailors might have been seen lift
ing themselves mp The side OF the Vuture
Peterson and Sherwood remained in their
place of concealment, until some time afler
the crew Of Inc gun,bost had reached their
vessel, expecting that reinforcement might
probably he sent on shore TO reconnoiire
But ne movement of the kind W as made, and
they abandoned the rock, and reioined the
old farmer al the mill
"Wbat luck with The red coais!" inquir-
cd The farmer hastily.
Good luck and bad luck, If il is possible
thing" replied Peterson.
How Can that be % says the farmer
Easy enough" answered Peterson. w C
had the good luck to come off unhurt, and
the bad luck TO kill two OF the sailors in the
gun-boai, whose only crime was 10 being en-
gagged IN arms against us"
While Sherwood and Peterson were in
forming the farmer Of the result Of the Skin