The Ohio union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1849-1854, 1853-06-01
5sIett MisrrIIunll.
A TALE OF NEW YORK.
A Scene in the Park, or Fields, in I776
BY HENRY A. BUCKINGHAM.


Scotch Ballad.
The close OF the month of September,
in l776, was dreary and disastrous pe
riod for the friends Of the thirteen conipd
Grated States. Washington, with few
thousand followers, was encamped near
Harlem heights His army possesscd mn
military chest, their camp cquipoge was
scanly. a hard winter was brlnre them.
md behind victorious and wrll supplied
loe. The battle Of l.ong Island, in mid.
summer, terminated in leaving two thou.
SAINT prisoners aud Generals Sterling and
Sullivan, caphves 10 Sir William Howe.
while an entire regiment from MARYLAND,
all ptrkrh Young men, The pr de of The
army, had been cni In pieces in the same
action. . the 18Th of November, Furl
Washington, On Harlem heights, after un.
drrgolng avigurous seige and attack, was
compelled 10 capltuiate with three liuu.
saud oI The best lroops in cur ser,iee, and
a heavy battery Of mounted cannon. he.
sides a large quantity If MILITARY stores
aud IN The nexlday Furl Lee, On the Jer
sey side. was evacuated. It's now well
known that it was WA,hrnglon's inlen,on,
If IuIced Ia cross the Drlaware at lhls time
by the superior numbers uf The pntmv, and
'he inhablIanis were unwilling To favor the
cause longer, IN retreat through Ppnus\ !.
vana 10 Western Virginia, and there anlnng
the old Blue monnlains, defy pursuit or
attack. Fortunately, Sir Williqm Howe
was not very active campaigupr. lie
went into winter quarters, from which he
was only aroused by The news of Wash,
lngun's splendid victory at Trenton. Ii
was in the week succeeding The evacuation
Oi New York that the events now related
took place.
Dusk had closed over the victorious
troops Of the King in the city Of New
York, on the evening Of the 2lsl Of Sep
temher, l776. The prospect ui the speedy
crushing 0l the "rehcllion," US the revulu.
lion was termed at lis commencement,
seemed certain. Five thousand American
prisoners were confined in the stone sugar
houses, churchrs, jails aud hridcwelIs ol
New York. Julily and merrimrnl echoed
and re'rchoed amid the thirty thousand
troops that lay in and around the city -
Despair ard gloom rested upon The brows
d every luger Of his country. Hope,
iIself, 10 them was almost dead.
Within small room, heavily grated,
that ted of from The old j,if (now the Hall
OF Records sat iva invn IN undress uni.
form, drinking and smoking A large fire
made of hickory logs bIazeJ brightly from
the fireplace in nne corner, and on a IA.
BILE before them was huge howl of reek.
ing hot punch (he Civorle liquor of the
Iimr) ilanked by two or three dishes con.
timing cold roast chicken and ham well
cut into. a heavy bunch of keys lay on
the tnd Of The table. The Younger Of the
two mtn was subal'ern in The thirlv.third
regiment, the officer of The guard detailed
on duty for the interior ol the iail. The
elder individual must be more minutply
described, as he WAS one whose memory
is sill held in utter deleslaion hy the few
surviving sufferers of his lnhumanity, hug
erng veterans Of the revelation. lie was
large, athletic man, uf great apparent
strength, and coarse, lorbld,ling asperL-
His features were s'rongly Irish, without
any Of thai twinkle Of good humor which
is often seen in the faces Of The lower class.
rs oi that unfortunate nation. When pcr-
(ecNb sober (whlch by the BY was srIdom)
he was reserved and quiet, huugh hrnral
still; but when under the influence Of Ii
quur, cruelty aud tyranny were his lead
ing companions This is corrrc, por
uail uf the notorious William Cunningham,
provost marshal Of the royal army. i
Cunningham was native oI Nrwrv, in
Ireland, and served from early life in the
BRUSH dragouns. He cumem New York
before the revolution, was here a violent,
tory. fom whrrre he ard aud jnmed Sir
Wlllmm Howe. in Boston. Returning Ia
New York with The Blush Iroups in 1870. |
he was appointed provost marshal, and |
iul, Fazelird in the Brush Annual r, gis
Ter oiIha' year with The Kings approval
Thus was an office or large pmolUmpnl, but
nI still greater power in the hands of ruff /
ian. Mr.. Niles, in his re, olulonary doe.
lments, publishes a confession, purporliug