Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-06-02
ening to burn it if attacked while


aud eleven huadred lOyalist refugees
At eleven the feet with its one hun
dred and twenty Transports, sale,
for Halifax, leaving behind a S
quantity of military stores, whlcl
were of almost priceless value t.
WashingtOn's troops; then the pat
riot army marched triumphahtly III
to Boston, amid the enthusiastic &C
ciamation of its citizens. Thus
without the loss of a siugle man
did the great Continental chief rio
Boston and New England of tn,
proud army which had been sent fol
their subiugation. 1t was marvel
ous as we'll as a bloodless victory
Had he been suitably supplied viii
artillery aud ammunition, he would
in all probability have compelled il
to surrender. But his magazines
were nearly empty when the enemy
fed, and he did wisely in permitting
them TO depart without moiestatiOn.
Moreover, he was 10th TO expose the
city to the revengeful torch threat
ened by Howe. lie rightly thought
that ii had suffered enough. 8 "a
Washington, knowing that En-
gland was preparing large feet
and army to occupy New York, now
,st no time in removing thither with
the best of mis- troops. There be
busted himself, with hIs wonted in
dustry, in collecting such men and
means as the country afforded, for
the purpose of counteracting the de-
signs OF The enemy.
Meanwhile, another force, origin
ally intended to operate in Virginia
and North Carolina, made its ap-
pearance in the waters of Charles
ton. The South Carolinians were
preparing to defend their city and
pi ovince with vigor and resolution
worthy of the cause. They had
erected a tort of palmetto logs on
Sullivan's Island, which must be
passed by ships intending to attack
the city. This fort was commanded
by the intrepid William Moultrie. 1t
mounted ffty-six pieces of cannon,
but seemed SO unlikely to hold out
against the powerful feet about to
attack it that Captain Lempriere, a
very daring man. walked with Moul-i
trie along It's platform, in sight of
the ships of war, and said to him:
s'Well, Colonel, what do you think
of itnow ?" ~ -
'eWe shall beat them," replied
Moultrle. la
@Ele men-of-war," rejoined the
Captain, "will knock your fort down
in half an hour. -"
ssThen," replied Moultrie, grimly,
Eve will lie behind the ruins and
prevent their men from landing"
Such men are hard to beat, as the
British found out to their sorrow, on
the tweAty eighth of June, when
their nine men-Of-war, carrying two
hundred and fifty guns, opened fire
upon the fort. The shock of their
broadsides was terrible. The fort
trembied. But the soft palmetto
neither splintered nor broke. The
iron hail only sunk into it fand re-,
NAMED fast, doing little harm to
Moultrie and his brave companions.
But the effect ofsthefire from the
fort was very different. Having on
IL a small supply of powdeE9 Moul-
trie ordered his men tofire with de-
Liberation and precision. They did
SO, and their shots told fearfully on
the English ships and their unfortu-
nate crews. Hour. after hour the
deadly strife went on. The hsg of
azure. blue, with its white crescent,
and its motto, Liberty" was shot
from the bastion of the fort. In
staRtIy Sergeant Jasper turned to
MonltIie and said:. y
t"Colonel, don't let US fight with
out a flag" - =
sNhat can you ,do?" asked Moul-
trie, who was coolly smoking his ci-
gar; 'sthe staff is broken Off" f
''Then I'll fix it on HALBERD, and
place it on the bastion nearest the
enemy ? replied the resoIute Jasper.
The next moment the da1ntless
sergeant leaped through an embras
ure, and, amid a shower of shots,
picked up the flag, secured it to e
HALBERD, and planted it onthe para
pet of the fort. 1t was a daring,
even reckless, deed, yet it had the
effect of .iHspiFitingf his eonrades,
and encouraging the thousands of
anxious patriots who were watching
this unequal battle from the hun
dreds of roof-tops in Charleston.
Better, still, it discouraged the enc
my. i4it ID
AT nine o'clock, the British ships,
badly crippled, and bleeding with
the loss of over two thousand men,
withdrew from 5he sightszall but
one, the Action, which had ground
ed, and which the sailors set on fire
because they could not get her of.
Eleven patriots only had been killed
and twenty-six wounded. The Brit
ish made no second attempt. Corn
wallis and Clinton re-embarked the
troops they had nselesslY landed on
an island next to Sullivan's, and a.
few days after the transports sailed
with their convoy to New York,
where Washington awaited their
coming. q