The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-07-27
THE GREAT BOUNDARY BATTLE.
Nov tell us about the .sss
And uhat ,hey slew each other for
- sourHEy's BLEsHEIn.

Now tell about The ~eff
And What they slew each other .or.
SourHEy's BLEsHEin
The author of the original Jack Downlng's
Letters has been Of late engaged ~ cores
rondeuca from near the disputed territory,
with his brother officer, General Morris, oil
the New York Mirror. the most OF which un-
dsy the head Of !" Letters from JOAN SMITH,
~ Smilhyille, Down East, in the State OF
Maine" is composed Of episies from his son,
a private in the border army during the late
terrible campaign.
The following is the sketch of dreadful
discharge of musketry over the boundary line,
which must have carried dismay into every
kingdom of Europe. II is told inimitably,-
We must premise that having nothing TO do,
a detachment of the main army, fred with
valor determined to see the boundary line and
TOE the same Mr.. WIN. Virgins clomb
tree to get the first view.
What upon EARTH said Sargent johnson,
is Billy arrer now 2
"A squirrel, guess said |, Iii bet a po-
tatoe, Billy has tleed squirrel
When we got along up a little nearer, Sar-
gent johnson called out TO him To know what
he was doing up there
Pm Jest looking off here to see if can
see the line said Billy, stretching his head
away eastward, and looking with all the eyes
in his head
Well, do you see it, said Sargent John
son.
See it no. said Bill, don't see nothing
but woods and trees, as fur as can see
Sargent johnson told him he guessed he
would see il quicker if he was on the ground
than he would up there. So Billy came down,
and we logged along. Bime by we came 10
an old tree that had some old marks and spots
on two sides Of it. And we looked along,
north and south Of this tree, for Sargent
johnson said the line run due north from the
monument, and we found some more trees
marked and spotted jest like it.
.Ah,' says Sargent Johnson, we've found
it. This is the boundary line; we've got it
at last Now look and see If you see the
British on 'tother side of it and let every
man hold on to his gun and be ready to fire,
if / say the word
We looked across the line, and looked and
looked, but we couldn't see nothin' but trees
and bushes, and woods and swamps. We
hollored across the line as hard as we could
holler, to see if we could raise any Of the Bril-
fish, for we all felt as if we wanted to have
UIuSu. nuu VIC tuOuSul ~ IISt that 10y
answered US but we come to holler again
we found il was only the echo Of our voices.
that come back from the hills little ways off,
So we marched along the line two or three
miles, but we couldn't see nor hear nothin' of
nobody. At last we sot down, and got the
victuals out of our knapsacks and eat our
dinners and rested awhile. When we got
ready to start to 60 back to our fort Sargent
Johnson said we should give the British one
broadside before we left 'em, jest to let 'em
know what the Yankee boys are made Of.
So he told US to see that our guns wa, all
right and then he told us to st,nd up all in
a row, and toe the line, facing to the British
side and then he gave us off the word
Make ready take aim! fire"
There says Sargent Johnson, now ] can
go home con.ented, war or no war for we've
poured one good grist into their territory, and
they may help themselves u they can
This account which is doubtless from life,
is the only record Of battle during the whole
campaign.