The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-05-01

derland, and Kelly, and sergeant and SIX
privates, were reported 20 have been wounded
N the same time, It has never been acCu.
rately ascertaincd how Fnany privatcs suffer
ed in this engagement. More than dozen
had their wounds dressed in the vi,lsgc by
Drs. Minot and Cummings, and, of course
there were surgeons with the cNpeditionary
force Many Of The troops were covered with
blood as they passed the houses on their re-
treat to the village, and were seen in this
condition from the windows. The sudden
flight of such veteran soldiers showed that
the fire of che Americans must have been
very severe
The British, stunned by the attack, tell
back into the village, and for an hour, by
their marches and cOuntermarches, discover
cd great fcklencss of mind. 1t was finally
decided to retreat to Boston. They left the
village about II O'clock and retreated in the
same order rs they entered. The Americans,
among whom now there was no pretcnsc Of
organization, managed the pursuit in true
bushwhackcr style. At every turn and be
hind every tree or knoll, the British met enc.
mics and suffered from their deadly fire. In
fact,
The British were driven before the Amer
cans like sheep" and had to run the gaunt-
let 1t was race for life with them The
highway was lined with Americans, whose
accurate ain generally produced the desired
result. They made up in courage and aCcu
rate shooting what they lacked in military
organization and discipline. Most of them
were without cartridges and cartridge boxes;
they had to rely upon their muskets and pow
derhorns. With their military drill, the
British could, perhaps, load and fire more
rapidly than the Americans, bu. not with tho
same execution, as the British soldiers fired
from the breast and not from the shoulder
With thIer experience as markSmen, the Amer
cans intercepted the enemy at every point
and at every turn on the highway. Shots
we're fired from behind every house, barn,
wall, fence, tree, and corner. After firing
from one position the Americans would Iall
back, run forward across the fields, and re-
peat the manpuvre at a lower point on Che
road Their knowledge of the country gave
them this immense advantage, while the
British were compelled 30 keep together on
the highway, which made the retreat more
disastrous one to them. Any one can imqg,
inc how terribly they suffered in all these en-
gagements, ambuscades, and skirmishes On
that bright and glorious day for America.
Several of the enemy were killed near Nile's
tavern. Colonel Smith was wounded in the
leg at Fiske's Hill, and Major Pitcairn hit in
the arm and endorsed there. His charger, a
fine animal, ran over the fields, riderless, till
captu0cd by an American, and, witE the ac-
coutrcmentS was subsequently sold at auction
in Concord. Captain Nathan Barrett bought
the holsters and pistols, marked with Pit
cairn name, and gave them to General lsra-
Ell Putnam
Another paper is given of the series on the
First Century of our Republic, tde present
being on our agricultural progress, by Pro
fessor Brewer, of New Havcn These papers
are to be contiaued, each by some master ir
the department to be treated. James Parton
has another Of his attractive articles on Car;
catsge, the present one covering the puritan
period. The Stone Age in Europe is con
tinucd by Prof. Rau, asd Hon, IS. Cox csl
Times his pleasant paper on American hi
NOR We have more installments of Miss
Thaokeray's charming serial, Miss Angel =
and then we have several excellent shog.cr
stories; besides poetry, and theusu fullGnd
interesting EDITORIAL departments