Washington telegraph., 1851-09-03
RATTLE OF GERMANTOWN.
THE REvEL OF DEATH.
Within Chew'S house. this was tn,

hand OF DrlLlSu Objects, WHO gave the
,rord to the men, directed the dead to be
t.ken from the floor, or gazed out upon
The lawn in the endeavor to pierce the
Gloom of the contest.
Some were young and handsome Off
,ors others were veterans who had NOV
ed their way through many fight, and
al were becrimed with the blood and
smoke en- of the battle. Their gaudy coats
were rent, the plume dropped from the
head of one aud another fell into his COM
,aGe's arms, as he received the ball in
his heart.
While they were gazing from the win
dow singular incident occurred.
Young officer, standing in the midst
of his comrades, felt something drop from
the ceiling and trickle down his cheek.
The fight was fierce and bloody in the
ot,ic overhead They could hear the can
non balls tearing the shingles from the
roof-.hey could hear the low deep
rroans of the dying.
Another drop fell from the ceiling
another and another.
cit is blood,' said his comrades, and
Iauoh went round the group.
Drop after drop fell from The ceiling;
and in a moment thin liquid stream
came trickling down, and spattered upon
the blood stained floor.
The young officer reached forth his
hand, he held it extended beneath the
falling stream; he applied it to his lips.
Not blood but wine'' he shouted
noood old Madeira winen'
The gloup gathered round the young
officer in wonder. 1t was wine-good
old wine-that was dropping from the
ceiling. In a few moments the young
officer running through the gloom and
confusion of the stairway, had ransacked
the attic, had discovered under the aves
of the roof, between the rafters and the
floor, some three dozen bottles of old
MADEIRA wine, placed there for safe keep
ing, some score of years before the battle;
these bottles were soon drawn from their
resting place, and the eyes of the group
below were presently astOnished by the
vision of the ancient bottles, all hung
with cobWebs, their sealed corks all
covered with dust.
In a moment the necks were struck
OIL SOIlc lidI uOACh OOIIlCS, duo WlluC
the fire poured from the window along
the lawn, while cries, shrieks and groans
broke on the air; while the smoke came
rolling in the window, now in folds of
midnight darkness, and now turned to
lurid by the glare Of the flashing cannon;
while the terror and gloom of battle rose
around them, the group of officers poured
the wine in all ancient goblet-discover-
ed in closet of the mansion-lhev filled
it brimming full of wine and drank
royal health to good King George.
They drank and drank again, until
their eyes sparkled, and their lips grew
with royal words; and their thirst for
blood-the blood of the rebels-was ex-
cited TO madness. Again and again were
the soldiers shot down at the window,
again were their places filled, and once
more the goblet Welt round from lip to
lip, and the old Wine was poured like
water, in health to King George.
And as they drank one by one of the
soldiers were swept away from the Win
dows, until at last the officers stood ex-
posed to the blaze of the American fire,
flashing from the lawn.
'Health to King George, death to the
rebeln'
The shout arose from the lips of grey
headed veteran, and he fell to earth a
mangled corpse. The arm that raised
the goblet was shattered at the elbow
by one musket ball, and another penetrat-
ed his brain.
The goblet was seized by another hand
and the revel grew loud and wild, the
sparkling wine was poured forth like
water, healths were drank, hurrahs were
shouted, and, another officer measured
his length on the floor. He had receiv-
ed his ball of death.
There was something Of ludicrous hor-
ror in the scene.
Those sounds of revei and bachanalian
uproar breaking on the air, amid the short
and terrible intervals of battle-those
faces flushed by wine, and agitated by
al the madness Of the moment, turned
from one side to another, every lip wear
ing ghastly smile, every eye glaring
from its socket, while every voice echoed
the drunken shout and the fierce hurrah.
Another officer fell wounded, and an
other, and yet another. The young Off
Ger who had discovered the wine alone
remained
Even in this moment of horror, we
cannot turn our eyes away from his young
countenance, with its hazel eyes, and
thickly clustered hair.
lie glanced around on his wounded
and dying comrades--he looked vacantly
IN the faces of the dead. he gazed upon
the terror and confusion of the scene
and then he seized the goblet. filled it
brmming full of wine; and raised it to
his lips.
His lip touched the edge of the goblet,
his face was reflected in the QuiVering