New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-08-04
NUMBER 100
DAILY CRESCENT.
DANIEL MORGAN,
IND HIS AMERICAN RLPLEMEN.

t. DANIEL MORGAN, saFs
IND HIS .4MERIc.aE RLPLEMEE
| REVOLUTIONARY SKETCH
| The outposts Of the two armies were yer,
near to each other, when the American com
| mander. deslrous of obtaining particular in
formation respecting the position of his adver.
sary, summoned the famed leader of the Rifle
4 men, Col. Daniel Morgan, to head quarters
1t was night, and the chief was alone. After
his usual polite, yet reserved and dignifed salu
tafion, Washington remarked: 8. have sent fol
| you, Col Morgan, to entrust to your courage
and ssgaeity small, but important enterprise
| wish you to reconnoitre the enemy's line, with
a view 70 your ascertaining correctly the posi-.
| ton Of their newly constructed redoubts, also
the encampments of the British troops that
have lately arrived, and those of their Hessian
auxilIarles. Select, sir, an officer, nom commits.
| stoned officer, and about twenty picked men,
/ and under cover of the night proceed, but with
| all caution, get as near as you can, and by day
dawn retire and make your report to head
| quarters. But mark me, Col. Morgan, mark
me well; upon no account whatever are you to
bring On any skirmish with the enemy if dis
1 covered, make speedy retreat; let nothing in
| duce you to fire single shot. repeat, sir,
| that nc force of circumstances will excuse the
| discharge of single rifle on your part and for
| the extreme preeiseness of these orders, permit
| me to say, l have my reasons p Filling two
glasses of wine, the General continued: ssAnd
now, Cal. Morgan, we will drink good night,
| and success to your enterprise" Col Morgan
| quafed the wine, smacked his lips, and assured
| his Excelleney that his orders should be pune
tually obeyed, and left the tent of the Comman-
der-in- Chief 5a55E LIN r4 rs :
Charmed at being chosen as the executive of.
hcer OF daring enterprise, the leader of the
woodsrnen repaired to his quarters, and calling
for Gabriel Long, his favorite captain, ordered
him to detail a trusty sergeant and twenty
prime fellows, who being mustered and ordered
to lay on their arms, ready at q moments warn
ing, Morgan and long stretched their manly
| forms before the watch fire to wait the going
down Of the moon, the signal of departure
little after midnight, and while the rays of
the setting moon still family glmmered in the
western horizon, &C Up, Sergeant cried Long,
stir up your men, and twenty athletic figures
were on their feet in moment. sc Indian file,
march,, and away they all sprung with the
quick, and yet light and stealthy step of the
woodsman. They reached the enemyis line,
crawled up SO close to the piekets of the Hes
slams as to inhale the odor of their pipes dis
covered by the newly turned earth the position
of the redoubts, and by the numerous tents that
dotted the field for g many a rood around and
showed dimly, amid the light haze, the encamp-
| ment of the British and German re-inforcements g.
and in short, performed their perilous duty
without the slightest discovery, and, pleased
with themselves and the success of their enter
prise, prepared to retire, just as a chanticleer
from neighboring farmhouse was 's bidding
salutatien to the morn ... 5.... e.5Z.~ NJ
The adventurous party reached a small emf
nence at some distance from the British camp,
and commanding an extensive prospect over the
adjacent country. Here Morgan halted to give
his men little rest, before taking up his line Of
march to the American outposts. Scarcely had
they thrown themselves upon the grass, when
they perceived issuing from the enemy's adj
vanced piokets body of horse, commanded by
an officer, and proceeding along the road that
led directly by the spot where the rihemen had
halted, No spot could be better chosen for an
ambuscade, for there were rocks and ravines,
and also scrubby oaks, that grew thickly on the
eninenee by which the road which we have just
mentioned passed, at not exceeding q hundred
yards. 7G s4- aT 5i-
g Down, boys, down. cried Morgan, as the
horse approached; nor did the clansmen of the
Black Roderiek disappear more promptly amid
their native heather than did Morgan's woods
men, in the present instance, each to his tree OF
rock. Lie close there, my lads, till we see
what these fellows are about 4l4 Fl.
Meantime the horsemen had gained the height,
neck, with spy glass reconnoitered the American
lines The troops closed up their files. and were
either earessing the noble animals they rode
adjusting their equipments, or gazing upon the
surrounding scenery, now fast Frightening in
the beams Of rising sun.
Morgan looked at Long, and Long at his su-
perior, while the rifemen, with painting chests
| and sparkling eyes, were only waiting some
signal from their officers '' to let the ruin fy't
/ A 4 1ap.r rtb fba +So1 -
came his prudence and sense of military subor
dination. Forgetrul of consequences, reckles
| Of every thing but his enemy, now within hi.
| grasp, he waved his hand, and loud and sharj
rang the report of their rifles amid the sur
rounding echoes. ss IA
| At point blank distance, the certain ant
| deadly aim of the Hunting Shirts of the Revo
lutionary army is too we'll known to history t
need remark at this time Of day. In the in
stance we have recorded, the effect of the fire Q
| the riaemen was tremendous. 0fthe horsemen
] some had fallen to rise no more, while thei
| liberated chargers rushed wildly over the ad
joining plain. others, wounded, but entanglet
with their stirrups, were dragged by the in
| furiated animals expiringly along, while th,
very few who were unscathed spurred hard t,
regain the shelter Of the British lines
| While the smoke yet canopied the scene o
slaughter, and the picturesque forms of tn,
| woodsmen appeared among the foliage, as they
were reloading their pieces, the colossal fgur,
of Morgan stood apart. He seemed the very
genius Of war, and gleomily he contemplated
the havoc his order had made. He spoke not
he moved not, but looked as one absorbed in tn,
intensity of thought The martial shout Will
which he was wont to cheer his comrades in til,
hour of combat, was hushed; the shell from
which he had blown full many note of battl
and of triumph on the field Of Saratoga, hun,
by his side; no order was given to spoil tn
slain, the arms and equipments, for which ther
was always bounty from Congress, the shirt
of which there were such a need, at that, th
sorest period of our country's priyation, all, all
were abandoned, as, with an abstracted air an,
o voice struggling for utterance, Morgan sud
denly turning to his captain exclaimed, :. Long
to the camp, to the camp" The favorite cap
tain obeyed, the riiemen with trailed arms fel
into file, and Long and his party soon disap
peared, but not before the hardy fellows hat
exchanged opinions on the strange termination
of the late affair. And they agreed, mem con.
that their colonel was tricked, (conjured,) fol
! assuredly after such fire as they had given thu
| enemy, such an emptyiag of saddles and scat
tering of the troopers, he would not have or
dered his poor rifle boys from the field, withou
so much as a few shirts or pair of stocking
being divided among them. ssYes, ? said d tail