American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-06-16
From Noah's Weekly Messenger
Y A N kEE TRIO KS.
REVOLUTIONARY mcrDENr.

Common consent Is very queer sponsor
Common consent makes wits of stupidltieC;
fools of wise men, gallants of Josephs, and ras-
Gals of homes: individuals. Common consent
stamped "Yenkees"-in their first days-,es
shrewd Incompatible tricksters, and comnon
consent was pretty near right just at that time
Whether the ankees are match for oppoCi-
ton now, we leave to- older and User heads TO
determine. Ne gained our independence by
sheer force Of arms. New and then fort3ne
would favor cur side with little extraordinary
good event or circumstance, but not very fire.
quenty. 1t was fight twenty times where it
was maneupre successfully once. The English,
always on the look out for Squalls" and cyan
kee tricks" not unfreguently deceived them
selves in the most ludcrous manner.
In the month of May, lSl4, Sir James Yee,
with feet of vessels to the number of thir-
teen, of various sizes, appeared off the mouth
of the Genesee, threatening to annihate Ro.
chester, and destroy every improvement aud
person in the vicinity. Great alarm was Gre
ated by this. Messengers were despatched at
once Throughout the country for aid. The pee
pie were arorsed-like the fiery cross of Rhed-
erick Dhu the summons Sped and what, think
We, was the RESULT In Rochester there were
then just thir.y-three people capable of bearing
arms, and about half a, dozen came in to help
them. Truly "a formidable army to repel all
English feet, and oppose a clever ofshoot o.!
the British forces. The FIRST thing that the lit.
tie band of Americans did was to throw up
breast-work-rude and slight-near the deep
hollow, beside the Lower Falls. This breast.
work was called Fort Bender. They then
hurried down tie junction Of the Genesee and
lake Ontario, because there the enemy declar-
ed they would land. They left behind them
two old men, with several small boys, to re-
move the women and childen into the woods
in case the British should land for the provi-
sions, and the destruction Of the bridge at Ro-
chester.
The Rochester forces were commanded by
Francis Brown and Elisha Ely, who acted as
captains. Isaac w. Stone was appointed ma
ior. The Americans were elegantly accoutred
in various garments of shapes and makes al
most antedeuvian. No two men were dressed
alike. No two men we're armed with the like
weapons. Certainly they had ell firearms; but
they were not fashioned in the same STYLE
The discipline of these troops were as curious
as their costume and equipments. But 1t they
displayed an awkward front to the warEke eye,
they also exhibited sagacity and eourage-two
qualities quite as much needed as a pretty uni
form and good tactics. The enemy watched
the oil-shore proceedings with considerable in
terest They beheld, as they supposed, nume-
.rous bodies of militia marching to head quar-
tiers, and preparing to give them warm recep-
tion. To deceive the English, the forty men
marched and countermarched necessarily thro'
the woods, from point to point, in such man
ner as to convince the soldiers in the vessels
that the whole country was aroused and pre-
pairing for action. The English thought it was
high time to be cautious, and therefore sent an
officer with flag of truce to the shore. One
of the militia captains, with ten OF the best
looking and most soldier-like men, were sent to
meet the officer. The men carried their arms
as upright as might be consistent with their
plan of being ready for action, by keeping hold
of the triggers.
The British officer was astonished. He look
ed all kinds OF things, utterabe and unuttera-
BILE, and with swelling crest said:--
"Sir, do you receive flag of truce, under
arms and with cooked triggers"
excuse me, beg" said the American cap
tain, "wc are not soldiers, only backwoodsmen,
and know more about telling timber and fol-
lowing the plough than of military tactics''
saying which the American, to rectlfy his first
error, ordered his men to ground arms!
This, ofcourse still more astonished the Br-