Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-03-25
lFrom the United States Maga1inel
THE WOMAN CAPTURING A HEssIAN


ty thereof, and that part of the State of New
Jersey embraced within circle of ten or
twelve miles Of Perth Amboy, was the favorita
foraging ground of the royal troops. Numerous
are the traditions preserved among the families
and decendents of the sufferers from their rav
ages of the midnight excursion, the bloody
skirmish, the hasty retreat. or the rapid pursuit
as the various patrolling parties of British SOL
dlers. Hessian hirelings and American militia
met on This, the bloody neutral ground of New
Jersey.
Dunlap, in his History of the Arts of De-
sign" describes some of the scenes which be
was an eyewitness of while boy at Perth
Amboy. In the following iangtsasse .-.s Here was
to be seen party of forty-second Highlanders
in national costume and there regiment of
Hessians, their arms and dress perfect con-
trast to the first The slaves of Auspach and
Waldeck We're there-the first sombre as night
the second g audy as nnon Here dashing by a
party of the seventeenth Dragons and there
scampered party of Yagers The trim, neat.
and graceful English grenades the careless and
! haf-savage Highlander, with his flowing robes
and naked knees, and the immovaby stiff Ger
man, could hardly be taken for parts of one
army. Here might be seen soldiers driving in
cattle, and others guarding wagons loaded with
household furniture, instead of the hay and
oats they had been sent for
The landing of the grenadiers and light in
flnty from the ships which transported the
toops from Rhode Island their proud march
into the hostile neighborhood to gather the pro-
duce of the farmer for the garrison the sound
of musketry, which soon rolled back upon us !;
the return of the disabled veterans who could re-
trace their steps, and the heavy march of the
discomfitted troops, with their wagons of groan-
ing wounded, in the evening, are all impressed
upon my mind, pictures of the evils and the
soul-stirring scenes of war"
/ So frequent were these incursions, so danger
Gus was this proximity to the enemy's strong
hold, that frequently whole neighborhoods were
left without the protection of solitary able
bodied man. All who were capable of shoul-
dering musket were either enrolled in the
ranks of the army, or banded together in small
companies of independent militia which We're
constantly patrolling the country in the hope of
cutting off the foraging parties of the British
/ The women who were left at home, in constant
fear of attack, and never knowing when the
brutal soldiery might make their appearance
constantly kept horse in harness, ready at a
moments warning to hitch up to the wagon,
into'which they would throw such valuables as
the exigency Of the case would allow them to
seize, start for the mountains, some miles dis
tant, where they would remain until the threat
ened danger was averted, or the troops had de-
parted. The women, however, sometimes exhib-
tied a spirit worthy of the vi ives and daughters
of revolutionary sires and husbands, and many
incidents related Of their daring and cour-
age.
On one occasion, young woman, whom
shall call Nancy Field, was going from her own
home, in Woodbridge, to the house of friend
at the other end of the village She had been
urged by her mother not to trust herself out of
doors, as party of soldiers bad but Just passed
through the place, and there was great danger
that some straggler might still be lurking in the
rear, whose respect for persons might not be so
great as to prevent him from abusing the fair
/ Nancy, should she fall into his hands But
she, being Of bold aud daring disposition, and
fearing no danger, determined to go upon her
. errand. She did so, and as she was passing a
| deserted house, she observed some one moving
/ about in one OF the lower rooms. Being attract
ed by curiosity 10 know who could be an in
mate of the empty dwelling, she approached
the window and looked in. Her gaze rested
upon the figure of half-drunken Hessian SOL
dier, " ho had straggled from his company, and
was engaged in rummaging among the odds and
ends which lay scattered about the floors
and in the cupboards of the deserted mansion.
For moment Nancy was disposed to run, but
rejecting that in his half-maudlin state the SOL
dier was not very dangerous. and thinking
that now was an opportunity Of exhibiting her
courage and fearlessness, she turned her steps
homeward and there invested herself in suit
of her brothers clothes, and sbouldering old
rusty firelock which had been cast aside as use
less, she returned to where she had left the Hes
sian. Carefully reconnoitering the premises
she discovered that he had lit his pipe and was
having a quiet smoke in the chimney corner,
sitting On a bundle which he had made up.
Entering the house. she made boldly at him
and presenting her frelock demanded his i'm
mediate surrender The first impulse of The
drunken German, was to raise his musket which
Law upon the floor before him, but in his en-
deavor to reach it, he tumbled over upon all
fours, and having still sense enough left to see
his apparent danger, lie exclaimed IN pitlfGl
tones. Il gifts up, mine Got don't shoot, /
gifts up" Whereupon Nancy took possession
of his musket and ordered him 10 get up and
march. Staggering to his feet, the captive in
the huublcst manner besought his captor by
signs not to kill him. Nancy in imperative
tones ordered him to move on, which the poor
fellow was perfectly willing to do. provided hs
knew whittier his captor would lead him This
, was stickler, for now that Nancy had secured
her prisoner, she did not know " bat to do Will
him: Luckily, she bethought herself OF ;
: picket of Americans, which shc had heard wai
stationed two or three miles from the village, Il
whom she determined to deliver her charge, anc
ordered him TO move In that direction. ~
good luck would hare it, she met patrol Il
whom she delivered him up glad to rid Lersel
: of her charge.
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