Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-06-09

rulers, and that Its penalty, II t0l-
lowed by the defeas Of its armies
was the halter. Nevertheless, they
grandly rose to the height Of the
sacrifice that might bereqaired, and
calmly, deliberately, accepted for
themselves and, fellow-conntrynen
ths alternative Of ssliberty. or death. /"
It was on the second day Of Julv,
lF76, that they adopted this sublime
resolution. Thomas Jefferson then
drafted that famous Declaration of
Independence (which so elOquentlYi
sets forth the Foundation principles.
of our hatf6nal institutions, and
which .swas the genuine efnsitn Of
the soul Of the o0untTyat that tiIne. "
After full discussion, this impeFisha
bic document was finally agreed TO,
authenticated by the signatures OF
the President and Secretary. and
published to theIwOFld on the fonfth
OF July-the day subsequently chps@
en- by the nation as its great anniVer-
isary. This great State paper" was
subsequently, d,eRdorsed Ion pareh-I
ment, and on the nineteenth OF the
month was signed by every member
or Congress. ii ssts.n1ii Tsi7AuP 1ia
This decisive act Of Congress sent
mighty thrill of patriotic Joy
throughout the land. The people
everywhere. received the news with
loud huzzas, beats of drum, and
brilliant illuminations. Colony af-i
ter colony speedily joined in sup
porting it at the risk of their lives
and fortunes, aud the popular feelo
ing was. well expressed by the jabf-a
LIANT soldiers at Tieondefoga, when,
with flashing eyes and exalted mein,
they exclaimed. 4i9ai si alaiii 10 sLi1
=tt.NOWgKe are a free people, and
haYela a name among the States of the
worldp g es bausa !i9a-eis
Whether these rejoicings were the
mere froth of superficial sentiment,
or the genuine oatpoHrings of ear
nest souls inspired by grand pinei-
pies, was. soon tekbe determined.
Even at that moment the hired le-
gions Of England were gathering in
Canada and landing on, Staten Is
land, Her war ships, defying the,
fire of the forts, hadlalready ascend
ed the Hudson river, Very soon, if
our army, then stationed on Leng
Island and in New York, should fail
to overcome Lord Hewe's well 1apv
pointed force in the impending bat
tie, New York city would be under
British rule. Then. the victorious
English would march into the inse-
rior to meet the army of Canada,
sweeping down from the north. The
raw levies of the patriots would thus
be crushed and scattered, New En-
gland, the hot bed of this ReVo-
luton, separated fremoth middle
colonies, and the war speedily end
ed. So reasoned the King of Ei@
glands military commanders; and,
Judging by the light of the worlds
previous history, their opinion that,
thus situated, the patriots were play
ing desperate game, was by no
means to be despised. s'ais gao
The first great battle of the new
born nation was destined TO be
fought on Long Island. d.baGongress
had ordered Washington to defend
New York. He had, therefore, dis
tributed the seventeen thousand half
armed, inexperienced and miserably
oficered men under bis command
partly in that city, and partly with
In fortified lines in Brooklyn. To
hold Brooklyn Heights was to COM
mand New York. It was possible,
nevertheless, that the British, hav-
ing both a powerful heet and an ar
my of some thirty thousand men,
might choose to land in the upper
part of the latter city. For this
reason he could not spare more than
eight thousand men fer the defense
of Long Island. This force ehi
trenched itself behind lines which
extended from Wallabo1t Bay Cd
Gowanus Cove, 3 distance of one
mile and q half, and which we're de-
Tended by twenty cannon, mOHnted
on several redoubts. These lines
were protected in front by bitches
and felled trees. Part of the troops
were. posted under SQlhYapo > on a
ridge Of high, wooded ground which
ran across the island in the vicinity
of Bedford. General Greene, Whc
designed the lines, being unfortu-
nateIy sick with fever, the chief Of
command was given. to Pntnam.' .
On August %, 1870, the British,
covered by their feet, landed with
out opposition in GraVesead Bay.
By the 25th, they had 10000 men,
thoroughly disciplined, completely
equipped, ready to advance upon
the raw, haIf-armed patriots. Thaii
plan Of attack was Co march by three
iinesi one body, under Grant, vas
to take q road running along the
coast to- Gowanus; another, com
posed of Hessians, was to march
from Flatbash along the direct road
4S Brooklyn;i the third aud main
body. led BY Clinton and Cornwall
lis. Syas to make a detour to the
riaht. march by the Jamaica road to
BedfoE9, and 50 turn thele Of the
Americas outpesis. - 9Eae siisi l
AT three te'elock on che morning
Of the 27tb, Grants column drove
i'm fonria pickets, an the Icoast road
P,utnam ordered general Sterling Il
advance beyond the lines and re
pu lse the enemy,1'-z5a rash, ana, as j
proved, - O. fatal eora nAhS Grant,
force being four tunes larger than
Sterling'a littiIs band! laBat, RetSdth
standing his superiority, Grant dle
nothing but skirl. aish until CoFnWal
lis advanced on,stirling's rear. {r.a
The actual fighEinsg was begun Oy
the Hessians, Eho. advancing by the
direct road, attacked Sullivan. lie,
as stated above, was posted on the
wooded heights Of the ridge near
Bedford. His men, nervous from
the beginning, soon broke &Nd fed,
for they found themselves attacked,
not only in front by the Hesaians,
but in the rear also by the maia body
Of the British, which, by q night