Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-07-28

Nom"m, ~, q sir Wayne.
The imposing ceremony at laying thu corner
stone of monument in honor Of Gen, WAYNE
took place at Stony Point, New York on the 10th
instant large number If the citizens Of Rock
land county being present with guests from the
city of New York Westche ster. West Point, and
from other parts of the State. The corner stone
was laid according to Masonic forms and cere.
monies. mud preceded and followed by music, the
booming of cannon. and other imposing ceremo-
MES by military and civic associations. The or
alton was delivered by the Hon. AMAsA j, PAR
KER, and addresses were made h. the Hon. Il +
BUTLER and ERAsrus Books. The New York
Express, in its comments on the subject, embo
dies some historical "reminiscences, which we
Py:
THE SrpSy PoSr GeLrBaAftoN which called to-
geher some eight or ten thousand citizens, mainly
from Roekand county on the 10th Of July, to com
memorate the stormng OF the Point, soon after mid
night, seventy eight years previously hope is to
inangurate many other celebrations Of like charac
ter all over the land There it is true, the his
tory of the war not many events striking this,
which of the most briilinut achey ements
Of ancient or modern warfare. The fort was strong
~ defended by nature and art, and it would to
l. almost iooI-hardy, but for what know OF the
man who planned the enterprise, aud of the who
eXeen,edit The British had six hundred skilltul
and br.yemcn in the fort and the Americans UNDER
took to take aud hold it with less than three hun
drei When Washington asked Wnyne--then but
thirty -four years old-if ho would command the ex-
petition which he had planned the answer of Mad
Anthony more aconic than reserent, was "Yes; I'll
storm he'll ITSELF il yon will only lay the plan lie
had confidence IN the skill of his General II was on
18th of July, 1879. that Wayne started from Sandy
Beach, over twelve or fourteen miles nbovcnnd came
by rugged and most impossible route to the scene
OF his ltbors. At half past eleven the following night
he prepared for the attack. Every thing around
y still rs ght aud death Every charge had been
Withdrawn from the guns of the picked for the
occasion. Neutrality-suspicious. letter to Wayne is
worth reading many timcs--lnstrucied his chosen
officer no, TO make the attack at early morning when
"A foe might be most expected, and was the Gus
tom, but during the Arst sumbcr and rs soon after
midnight as practicable Between eleven aud twelve
Wayne the line of the morass waiting for the
reeedlng tide, and as it some of his bad to
wade for two or three feet IN the water. How he
passed the sentnels isye well told in the address Of
Judge Parker;
There an old negro, a slave OF Captain Lambs
who, though his skin black had as good II heart
rs any body. lie was ia the habit of coming to the
fort to sell berries to the officers and men, who
always anxious 10 see him. They wanted him to
come ottener, andhe said he could not unless he
came in the night, he had to hoe corn all day for
his master. They were therefore obliged to give him
the conntcrsgn, and he promised to come aud he did
come. But with him came two honest looking men,
to be sure, dressed ns plain farmers. They passed
the sontinels aud gave the conntersgn, and the
two sentrics were seized and bound by two stout
men, aud thus the surprise effected"
After that the torlorn hope of twenty men entered
the tort, but not until the alarm had been given
within aud So fierce and bloody the resistance
that of the twenty men who first entered seventeen
either killed wounded. The forlorn hope
were the first to expose themselves to the deadly
fire of the enemy, without being able to return it
still they marched on. Wayne WAS first struck by II
mHsket ball and thought he MORALLY wounded.
lie told his aids he wished to be taken to the fort to
die Mt the heal of his column. He was among the
first who entered the fort, and spared to serve
his country in many future encounters: When they
came to count the killed and wounded, they found
that, while they had lost but fifteen killed and eighty
three wounded, there were hitythree of the British
killed aud over five hundred men taken prisoners
We liz. see bravery and humanity go hand in
hand - aSer alluded to spoke in eulogy of the
brilliant II, ment by which the place thus
captured. presented to Wayne and
Colonies Dc and p oser. Wayne announced
his victory to Geu al Washington In these brief
words
SroSY poINr, JULy 10, l779-2 o'clock A. NJ.
DEAR GENERAL: The fort aud prisoners, with Col
one jackson, are ours Our officers aud men beha-
we'd like men who were determined TO be free.
Yours, most respectfully,
ANTHONY WAYNE.
But we did not mean SO much to recall attention to
the brilliant plot at Stony Point to the daty OF