Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-12-30

REVOLUTIONARY AbV ENTJRE.
In the year 1880, while the war was
still vigorously prosecuted between Great
Britain and her North American colonies.
number of remarkable and painful oc-
curlences, arising out of this unhappy
dispute, took place on the borders of
Canada and the levoltcd districts. Among
these events, the following may convey
to our readers an idea of the suffering to
which our people were sometimes exposed
during that war
Old Mr.. Sammons, with three sons and
one or more daughters, lived upon the old
johnson estate, in the western portion of
New York, which had been sequestered.
Sampson Salninons, the father, was a
sturdy old wing, and well known to the
British commander. Sir John johnson,
whom he often talked with about the re-
bellion. His sons, Frederick, Jacob, and
Thomas, the youngest eighteen at the
time of which we write, were much OF
the same mind and body-young Samp.
sons, khotty and fearless. Sir John,
knowing their characters, thought he
would catch them alive, and take them
to Canada; so he sent his Indians out of
the way, and by good management, cap.
tured the whole race carly in the morning
without blow. The old man and his boys
were at once bound, and marched off in
the direction of Canada, though but a
little way. That night, the youngest
boy, by the aid Of the wife of British
officer, managed to escape; and the next
morning, the father, having procured an
interview with the tory chief, read him
such lecture upon the ingratitude of
thus treating one who had formerly stood
by hiR,, and upon the inquity of bis con-
duct gcnerelly, that he, too, was set free,
and a span of his horses returned to him.
But Frederick and Jacob were less fortu-
nate, and were taken to the fortress of
Chamblee, just within Canada, between
Lake Champlain and the st. Lawrence.
At that post there were about seventy
prisoners, and not a very strong garrison,
so that the first thing to which the young
SammOns made up their minds was an
escape. Finding, however, their fellow
captlves lndisposcd to do anything for
themselves, Jacob and Frederick deter
mined to act without the rest and, ac-
cordingly, the first time they were taken
out of the fort together, to assist in some
common Service, they sprung from the
ranks at concerted signal, and "put,"
as tie phrase is in the west The guards,
startled, and less feet of foot, could not
catch them; and though Jacob fell and
sprained his AMI kle, he managed, under
cover of the stnoke produced by the gun
shots made at them, to hide himself in
clump of bushes, which his pursuers did
not think of searching. 1t had been
agreed previously between the brothers,
that, IN case OF separation, they were to
meet at a known spot at ten o'clock at
night. Jacob, the lame one, mistook the
hour, and having gone to the spot, and
not finding his brother there, he left it,
with the intention of getting as far from
the fort as possible before daylight, his
accident making time especially import
ant to him. He accordingly pushed up
the western bank of the Sorel river to-
wards Lake Champlain, intcndingt to swim
it just below the lake, and then find his
way along the eastern shore. Various
events, however, occurred to prevent his
doing this; but, after running great risk,
by putting himself within the power of a
tory, whose chiefeXcel!ence seems to have
been the possession of most kind and
fearless wife, he was SO lucky as to find a
canoe, of which he took charge, and in
which he made good Roadway towards
home, until, in one of the narrow passes
of Champlain, the British fortitications,
Oh both sides, forced him to leave his YES
sci, and take to the woods again,
He was without shoes, food or gun, and
had to find his way to Albany throug gh
an unknown wilderness. along the Ver-
mont shore. For four days he lived on
birch bark, then he caught few fish, and
| managed also to secure wild duck
The fish and duck he ate raw Ihus ne
labored on during tor, uays. His feet,
meanwhile. bad become so badly cut and
50 intuIerably sore that he &C euld hardly
crawl, and swarms of mosquitoes made
every moment'of rest a moment of misery.
| " hile thus wretched and worn out, he