Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-02-17

high we had to look twiee to see Ithei
tops, were selected to meet the flag
Terms of surrender we're finally con
cluded. Our brigade was order ed t.
T march down the hill, and parade OF
the road leading south, with all th'
music Of the brigade in the centre
playing yankee Doodle" VIZ were
but Just paraded, when the british
General officers and staff, and Gen
eral Gates and staff, met close By
where / stood in the ranks, and SC
near that / could hear all that was
said. An American officer said
General Burgoyne Gen. Cat es. =
"Your servant, sir,1' "Your SO rvant,
sir," passed around. Gen. BuIgoyne
said: Through the misfortune Of war,
Gen. Gates, l am your prisoner : SIT
is not through any misconduct ol
yours, Gen. Burgoyne,' replied Gates.
Then came the British troops in col
nmns, as richly dressed, clean, and
sizeable men as | ever saw. | saw
not Il smile on the face Of AM merlcan
or British. Next came the Ii essians
and how shall l describe the he most
miserable, filthy, Unlocking b Pings /
ever saw in human form? But the
fag-end was the women, sup pose
Many of them led Eorses, UPON the
! backs Of which were thrown Ii Irge OBJ
long bags, sewed up at the ends
These bags contained pro visions,
blankets, clothing, utensils, &c-, and
in many cases were the heads OF chil.
dren sticking up above the horses
backs, through holes in the bags
Sometimes there we're t*o smaller
children on the.other side to balapee
Our orders were to maintaih a re
spectful silence, but this last WIS too
mucll One ventured to suppress
Iaush--llis neiglbor took the dis
ease in Il more violent form, until, IN
a few moments, the whole A Imerican
lines were conyulsed with I'll le most
uproarious laughtcr,and all at the ex-
pense of the poor IIessiaIs IS, their
women, children, and cquipag ge-
"As soon as they had all passed,
we marched south few miles and
halted for the night, but by sunrise
next morning we were on ou p way to
Albany, and by marching all day
and night, the next mornlngItound Us
upon the east side Of tho flyer, or
posite Albany, where the bafe ground
Was an easy bed for short t me. The
reason Of this forced march was that
the enemy were descending the river
to join Bargoyne, but hearing OF his
defeat, they returned to n ew YORK.
In few days we went down the river
several miles in sloops = landed On
the west side, crossed tn Jerseys,
Joined Washington in Penn psylvanla,
(the British being in possession Of.
philadelphia and arrived ht Valley
Forge in the latter part 3f Deem
ber, l777 Some time previous
ly we had lost our tents, cooking
utensils, sc and, as we did not draw
bread,we kneaded our hcur IN knap-
suck, kept clean for the purpose, and
baked it by the fire or in liot embefs,
if We had any. One of my mess
had small copper tea-ke ttle, which
7 snnpD Dse he siole. We made bush
hu.s, and afterwards those Of fags.-
After sleeping during thG night on
the ground, have awaked IL the
morning and found nlyS eli covered
with now, but did not S hiter much
from c bid.
an ! term of enlistment soon ex-
pired, and / was discl Iarsfd 2UOI
miles from home, without money, as
government had none t b pay US
Washington sent an officer to draw
rations from the country stores On
the route. After a ma rrow escape
from drowning in crossing the North
river, in tweve days we arFiyed at our
homes in Connecticut"