Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-01-31
VOLUME VII. NO. s.

ou' hahKs, whlle the steady advancing cannon
CALLED the ranks with most destructive fro
oUr ""oie line of battle began to shake, Wash,
Ihs'oh' with the rear division. was mot vet nm
u"u every moment threatened to throw Lee,
r"0'' s"a'tered corps back IN disorder upon il.
every oi'nS qulvered in the balance, but at this
'etr'Oie cf'SlS' the noble, the chivalrc Hamilton.
with MS hat Oft, and his hair STREAMING in tho
"."u' was 'ee" Crossing the field in sweeping
galop, making lor Lee, Knowing that the fate
ofthe battle rested on HIS frmness, and fearing
he Nigh shrink again under the heavy onsets of
the enemy, he flew to his relief po;D;nr .h;.
foam covered steed beside him s "p "''
that lofty enthusiasm. which tha, s. NS.a.'l'.u ~
army" will stay with you, my T., s@sau Gona, us
and die ,c'ih you. Let us all die here '.,a'
retreat" NobIy said, brave Hamilton! w., w. e a'"
est prop of American liberty stands fast ~ ~ 49,:
dreadful hour.
In this critical moment, Washington appears,
on the field, and rapidly formed his division in
front of the enemy. Casting his eye over the
battle, he saw at glance the whole extent Of
lHC uuUSeI anu CFCl HCIfC W avert U
His orders flew like lightning in every direction,
while full on his centre came the shouting bat
talions of the enemy. Both his right and left
flank were threatened almost simultaneously;
yet calmly and collected he sternly surveyed the
steady advancing columns, without one thought
of retreating. Never did his genius shine forth
with greater splendor than at this moment Or
dering up Sterling with the artillery on the left,
and the other portion of the army to advance, he
watched for moment the effect of the move.
ments Sterling came up on furious gallop
with his guns, and unlmbering them, poured
such sudden fire on the chasing columns, that
they recoied before it. At The same time the
veteran Knox hurried up his heavy guns on the
right and began to thunder on the dense masses
of the enemy, while the gallant Wayne, at the
head of his chosen infantry charged like fire
full on the centre. The battle now ragged along
the whole lines, and the plain shook under the
uproar. But nothing could withstand the i'm
petuosity of the Americans, and the fierce fire of
our artillery. The hotly worked batteries Of
Knox and Sterling were like two spots Of flame
on either side; while the head of Wayne's COL
umn enveloped in smoke and fame, pressed
steadily forward, bearing down every thing in its
passage, and sweeping the field with shouts that
were heard above the roar of the artillery. Ev-
cry step had been contested with tho energy of
despair, and under the oppressive heat, scores of
hrauo falft1p had cnIIon 10 L
the foe.
The whole English army retreated, and took
up strong position on the ground Lee had oc-
cupied in the morning. Almost impenetrable
woods and swamps were on either side while
there was nothing but a narrow causeway in
front, over which an army could advance to the
attack. The battle now seemed over; for un.
der that burning sum- the temperature at ninety
six degrees, the exhausted army could hardly
stir. Even Washlngton's powerful frame was
overcome by the heat and toll he had passed
through, and as he stood begrimed with dust and
the smoke of battle, and wiped his brow, the
Precipitation fell in streams from his horse which
looked as if it had dragged through muddy
stream, rather than rode by a living man. The
tired hero gazed long and anxously on the enc
mys position, and. notwithstanding its strength,
and the heat of the day, and the state Of his ar
, my, determined to force it. His strong nature
had been thoroughly reused, and the battle he
, sought, thrown Unexpectedly upon him, and now
, he resolved to press it home on the foe All a
, round him lay the dead. and the cry for water
. was most pteous to hear; while those who bore
= back the wounded, were ready themselves to
: sink under the heat The eye of Washington
I however, rested only on the English army, and
4 ordering up two brigades to assist IT. one on me
= right flank and the other on the left, he brought
|, the heavy guns of Knox forward to the 'front.'
:, In few minutes these tremendous Oal'efes y
o pened, and the English cannon rePleo' u'' -
= was one constant peal of thunder there over '"'
o hot plain. stoop.
. In tho mean time the burning sun was s'DiT i1b
inc to the western hills and ''r''"g :" dnst.f-
# its level beams to pierce the SloN' ,,J aver the
!, cd otmospbere that spread ike 81 1,OIr made the
= Co.. us Sin that heavy cannoHnae D, 1oswere
"7'u' an ~ and still those gallant Dry uueY ood.
is earth sr0aI w,v onward through the deep |oou'
l. forcing their way hos ,o the attack. But the al
= and over the ohstacles that crossed the'r
moot ""'"r'',"~ ''ad ,beir march, that night came
l. pa'", n,s,re they could reach their reSpsC"yo 0.
o" '.Oos Oe The firing then ceased anu a0sns, sn..
s sl'loi the scene For awhile the tread OIL 0u'-
sn"' 'i"os mixing up their positions for the night
, Iho % ho,vv mmbling of artillery wagons and the
man oftbe wounded, and pteous prayer Tor wa
fer, disturbed the calmness OF the sabbath even
ing and then all was still. The poor soIdiers'
o,'o..or,e with heat and toll, lay down upon the
,,onrd with their arms in their hands, and the
two tired armies slept Within sight OF eacn
other thew sunk on the field, while the silent
cannon. loaded with death, still trowned daFNY
from the heights upon the foe. Inc young moo"
49,. .,orced n moment on the slumoef-"g hos's'
!u'' aas boh;nd the hills. The stars, one after
t"el ii0u ''''1 .,non the sky like silent watch
a'o'i'e' an, w.. smoke of the conflict hung in va
e's' 'sses over the woods and plain. WASH
pory determined with the dawn of day to re-
lns ,be battle, wrapped his military cloak a.
; md him. and throwing himself on the ground
,OD. o.,b tree, slept amid his followers. So did
U"".Dare, on the first night of the battle of
,,yanram, slept by the Danube, lulled by its tur
bulent waters
But at midnight, the English commander
reused his sleeping army, and quietly withdrew,
and before morning, was beyond the reach of
Woshington's arm So profound were the slum-
hers of our exhausted troops, that no intimation
of the departure of the enemy was received un-
I'll the morning light revealed their deserted
camp. The prey had escaped him, and as Wash
ington slowly followed on, moving bis army by