Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-12-16
Gen. JacksOn--His valor when Boy.

The following incident of boyhood of
Gen. jackson is copied from Parton's
Life of jackson. 1t occurred during
the partisan war in the Waxhaws:
In that fierce, Scotch Indian warfare,
the absence of father from home was
often better protection to his family
than his presence because his presence
invited attack. The main object of both
parties was to kill the fighting men, and
to avenge the Staying of partisans. The
house of the quiet here, Hicks, for ex-
ample, was safe until it was nosed about
among the tories that Hicks was at home
And thus it came to pass, that when
a whig soldier of any note desired to
spend u night with his family, his neigh
bors were accustomed to turn out and
serve as guard to his house while he
slept. Behold Robert and Andrew Jack
son, with six others, thus employed one
night in the spring of 1871 at the domi-
Gil of neighbor, Capt. Sands. The
guard on this occasion was more friend.
ly tribute to an active partisan than a
service considered necessary to his safety.
In short, Tie night was not far advanced
before the whole party were snugly
housed ana stretched upon the floor, all
sound asleep, except one, a British de-
serter, who dozed at intervals
Danger waa near A band of tories,
bent on taking the life of Capt Sands,
approached the house in two divisions
one party moving towards the front door
the other towards the back. The wake.
full soldier, hearing suspicious noise
rose, went out of doors to learn its cause
aud saw the foe stealthily nearing The
house. He ran in in terror, aud seized
Andrew jackson, who lay next the door
by the hair. and exclaimed:
The tories are upon us p
Andrew sprang up and ran out. See
ing body of men in the distance, he
placed the end of his gun in the low
fork of tree near the door, and hailcC
them. No reply. He hailed them {
second time. No reply. They quick
ened their pace, and had come within I
few rods of the door. BY this time
too, the guard in the house had beer
reused, and were gathered in a grouI
behind the boy Andrew discharged hii
musket, upon which the tories fred ;
volley, which killed the hapiess desertel
who had given the alarm The othei
party of tories, who were approaching
the house from the other side, hearing
this discharge, and the rush Of bullet,
above their heads, supposed that thu
firing issued from a party that had ISSUED
from the house. They now fired vol.
ley, which sent a shower of balls whis.
fling about the heads Of their friends on
the other side Both parties hcsitated
and then halted Andrew having thus
by his single discharge, puzzled and
stopped the enemy, retired TO the house
where he and his comrades kept up 0
brisk fire from the windows. One Of
the guard fell MORALLY wounded by his
side, and another recrived a wound less
severe. In the midst Of this singular
contest, bugle was heard some distance
off, sounding the cavalry charge; where.
upon the tories, concluding that they
had come upon an ambush Of wings, and
were about to be assaled by horse and
foot, fed to where they had left theil
horses, mounted, dashed pell-mell into
the woods, and were seen no more. i
appeared afterwards that the bugle.
charge was sounded by noighbor, who
Judging from the noise of musketry that
Capt. Sands was attacked, and having
not single man with him in bis house
gave the blast upon the trumpet, think
ing that even trick so stale, aided by
the darkness of the night, might have
some effect in alarming the assailants.