The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-10-06
For The Cecil Wing.
Historical Researches that QuiIp Made
as a Bohemian.
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER ~.
The mother of Miss Mary Gilpin lived
at that time QS13) at the house near Gil
pins bridge. She, like every one else, shared
in the alarm, and sent her most valuable
goods to "Cat swamp to a secluded place,
to keep them from falling into the hands of
the British. Some of the people of Elk
ton removed their goods to the house OF
Mrs. Gilpn, thinking they would be safer
there than in the town.
Mrs. Mary Gilpin had an old and faith
full negro slave named Lucy" and favo
rote pony called {" Bonaparte." She loaded
the pony with some of the most valuable of
her goods, and put it and her four sons
then probably from ten to fifteen years of
age in charge of the old slave and sent
them to Lancaster to her brother in law,
Mr.. Passmore, who was man of promi-
nence there at that time.
1t may probably have been owing to the
influence of Mr.. Passmore that two com
panes of volunteers from Lancaster soon
afterwards came to Elkton. One of these
companies was called the infantry CON-
and the other the Grille corps, commanded
by Captain Shippen."
James Buchanan, then a young man, was
an officer in one of these companies. They
she arose and entertained the officers and
men with coffee and other refreshments.
1t may be mentioned as an interesting
incident of these troublesome times that
after Mr.. Buchanan returned to Lancaster
he complimented the daughter of his hos
tess Mrs. Gilpin) when speaking to her
brother in law, Mr.. Passmore, about his
adventures at Elkton. Miss Mary after
wards became well acquainted with him
when visiting her uncle, Mr.. Passmore in
Lancaster, and was much pleased when he
was elected President of the United States
The directors Of the Elht0n Bank thought
it best, in view of the anticipated raid of
the red coats, to remove the specie from
the bank to place Of safety, and so they
ostensibly loaded a large wagon with it and
put the wagon, which was drawn by six or
eight horses, i'll charge of a military escort
composed of number of soldiers mounted
and on foot and made believe they were
transporting the specie to Lancaster. This
procession made quite an excitement in the
country through which it passed, but was
only ruse on the part of the officers of the
bank, designed to mislead the British and
direct them from the real place of conceal
ment of the specie.
Some considerable time before the wagon
and its escort went from Elkton to Lancas-
ter, Levi Tyson, then a director of the
bank and the owner of a grist mill on the
Big Elk, where Brewster's cotton factory
now stands, quietly went down to Elkton
one evening with his team and two negro
men and brought the specie home with
him that night, and placed the chest,
which contained it, under his bed, where
it remained till the danger of the inva-
sion was over. The two colored men,
that assisted in the removal, were told
that the chest contained bullets to be used
if the British made raid upon Mr.. Tyson's
mill Mrs. Tyson told my informant the
story of this removal with much satisfac-
ton and delight and thought it good joke.
1t may seem strange that all the specie of a
bank could be carried by two colored men in
a small chest; but we must not forget that
at that time, and many times since, banks
did not have a very large amount of specie
on hand, and probably if the truth could
be known, Mr.. Tyson could have carried
it in his hat.
The ostensible removal of the specie to
Lancaster was probably made with the
view of adding to the reputation of the
bank, by making the impression upon the
minds of the community, through which
the escort passed, of its sound financial
condition and ability to redeem its notes,
many of which were in circulation. And
probably the cream of the joke was to be
found in the fact that the creditors of the
bank were quite as much fooled as the
British would have been, had they come.
After burning Freuchtown, the British,
on the 3rd of May, captured pillaged and
burned Havre de Grace. About the same
time they sent detachment of troops up
to Lapidum, then called Creswell's ferry,
and burned and destroyed considerable
property there, but were deferred from
visiting Port Deposit by hearing of strong
body of ritlemen being stationed there.
After these exploits they went up the Sas
safras river on the 9th of May and burned
Fredericktown and Georgetown. Our ven
reable citizen, Mr. John Thomas, whose
in Sassafras Neck, and who was then about
eight years of age, was near the river and
says their appearance as they passed up the
river " was the most beautiful sight he ever
saw" The soldiers on board OF the barges
were clad in scarlet uniforms, which no
doubt added much to the beautiful appear
ance of the squadron. There were large
number of barges, and they formed a line
four abreast, or alongside of each other
and several hundred yards long. A barge,
which we suppose contained Rear Admiral
Cockburn, passed along one side of the
line aud crossed ahead of the front tier of
boats and waited until the rear came up,
and then passed along the other side, thus
bringing all the squadron under review.
The following extract from Mes Regis
ter is interesting, and being published on