, 1877-07-01

and finally hs pleas for ut least scouting part
IN the VAN, aud soma degree Of order In march
ing, are greeted by shouts Of derision anl lou.
erica Of =
"LEAn Us ONT LEAD Us oN!"
aherktmer, IN despair, turns to the cluster O.
officers, but finds no support from them. On
or tWo OF the more elderly do indeed yield
vacillating sort Of support, but are speedily 81
lenecd BY the Young Colonels, now cia1norou
Tor action Fearing that he may lose all contro
evye by apS {urtsr fsae sE that IL
restraint, hsrktncr gives reluctant assent tt
the nov almost uniyersa! demand. lie and
such other officers as are fortunate enough K
possess horscs. spring into their saddles; th,
triVts, starts rulnblius down the rough road
and with cheers OF qualification the inpatien1
rank aud tile shoulder their Hint-iocks, aul in
utter disre9ard for order discipline, OF anything
else save reaching their destination as quickly
! us possible, swarm around it, aud trulgo Of
| impetuousfy-
The old rond that led west from Fort Darton
was at best but rude path through the wilder.
ncss, in many places almost impossible; and,
dsspt9 tSa tnsf ht es srdoF the
| river at CID Fort Schuyler {now Utica), and Gu
| campcd tue next day some Six miles further on,
! little west Of the present Village of Whites.
( borough. From this point Gen. ue1.imes
! oEtt AOA AtU aH GApFcSb, CunSlSLlDE Au1In
Hel1ner and two associates, to apprise Col. Gan
scvoort Of his approach, and to concert meas
| ures Of cooperation Their arrival at the fort
was to be announced by three successive dis
| charges Of cannon. The task assigned this trio
! WAS, as may be imagined, none OF the easiest,
since the Intervening forests were filed with
hostile indians intent upon preventing any COM
uiuhtcatfon between the settlements and the
bclcagucred fortress However, they succeeded
ln rcathiug tile fort late in the foreuoon Of the
hA rfaAc
fred. Gen. Herkin,cr's intention WIS to tut IN
entrance through to the fort, und arrangements
for sally were accordingly made by Col. Gansc-
yoort,w with the purpose Of diyertinG the encmy's
attention from Hcrkimer's movements.
Unfortunately the old General had, In forming
this plan,
CALCULATED WITHOUT HIS HOST.
On the morning Of the 9th, his men, who had
bcen with difficulty persuaded to remain quiet
during the preceding day, broke out IN sotne-
express had in all probability been captured or
murdered, and that the same fate WAS In store
for them If they lrlttereu away their time iu
idle waiting, while their brothers, fathers, and
friends were starving in the fort, only eight
miles away. Thur loud compfafnings alarmed
the Commander, and he hastily summoned q
council Of bis more prominent officers, and laid
the situation before them, with aview to deter
mining upon some course OF action. The Of
nrcrs we're unanimous in rheir desires to press
forward.
Among them We may see spruce young Coils.
Cox aud Paris, standing, slim anl straight, gilt
terng in tho morning sunlight, not
without sense Of their own dignity ard
10 istai a., , importance, wratttfuly inpatient
per'or, and smiling contemptuously 1t his cau-
tiaus prudence Coils Vissehcr und klock, anu
others in authority, We see dltnly in the Intugre
chronicles, grouped about, Also with 4 tendency
toward insubor1lnatlon, OF at best with wayer-
ir,ttrt i,r1t
Here, too, Is hotStcrous, burly SAMPSON Sam
mons, whose irrcpressiblc love Of liberty and
brawls had long ago lifted him into notoricty
and quasi-leadeEsbip among the more adven-
turous Of the settlers, and who Is, we doubt
not heartily sick Of all this talking aud inaetion.
Before this council Herklrnes graveiy
LAYS THE SITUATION,
urges the Impatient leaders to remain where
they arc until relnforcemeuts caa come up, or
at least until the signal OF sortie shall be heard
from the fort. In his opinion it was folly for 4
thousand i>ly~equipped militia to attack an in
trcnched force OF twice that number Of we'll
armed troops and notoriously cunning Indians
the flower of the famous Sir Nations.
His temperate words only added fuel to the
fiamc. Cols. Cox and Paris angrily retorted
that they had come to fight, not to watch others
fight, and wound up by denouncing Herkimer
to his face as Tory and coward. Suppress
piled, with forced calrnness, that be considered
himself placed over them rs father, and that
be did not want to get them into any tll1lcul1y
from which he would be- powcrie5s to e1tricate |
them. 'tYou," saii hc, "who want to fight SO
badly now, will be the dfst to run When you
smell burnt powdcr,'
Swelling with yirtuops wrath at this insin1a-
ton, the young officers hotly renewed their re-
proaehes OF scnle cowartlice and want OF tidcl;-
ty 10 'the cause, !" which this time met with all
echo OF approval from those around.
Thoroughly cErascd, at last, the stout old |
General, With flushed face aud cleaning eye, /
cricd |
MARCH ON, THES!'
In an Instant with great shout, the troops |
grnsped their arms. the camp Was str1cI, and the
little army rushed forward in the utmost con-
fusion.
In the mcautime, Col. st. Leger appriscd BY |
bis scouts Of the advance Of the militia, had.
very carly on the morning OF the 9TH, dispatched
ncut Of Johnson:s tsreens, with instructions 70,
ii possible, prevent their farther progress, lcar-
Ing to Brant's discretion the means TO be en-
poyed.
Tho van Of Hcrkirncr's motley host MRS DE-,
scen.Iing the steep slope Of q raSine, some
.wo miles west Of Oriekany, in hot haste and
disorder, when suddenly the guards, both
|rnnt and Tanks, were shot down, the forest
,ang with tho sharp crack Of uutkctry and
:hc boodcnrt1ipg wells Of roncealc,l savagcs.
md in twiHklng the greater part of the diE1s- |
ou found itself heuimc0 in, as II we're, by cir
lie ot irs that moved down the outer ranks like
rrass before i scythc. Thrown into utmost irze-
rieyahle confusion By tllc euiuenness OF The at |
ack and the flash and w!lir Of lcaLci lightning
tUuut their heads, dropping like leaves III the
ofcst before the deadly prWisipn OF tle ef'e'nv's
ill., tioyndeyi,ls, for tho ntoss part, kltce-dccp
n the uorAss tiiat, with tlte exception Of liar-
o,Y lto.r calscwav in thu. centre, constituted the
,ota ON f tho vine, and utterly unable torienu
themselves from hidden tUe. II seems miraculous
i,at thu uetacftncnt csca!wd total anntht{atiutt.
;ul all the deviiish ingenuity ~ Juscuh brant
--aud surely he has loft upnn record ho actiievt-
ncut moro Worthy OF h!nself-was mol match
or the
pAGxrt. sss COURAGE AND ESuEKDSCE
i the brawny frnnticrsf1,cE.
4 portion Of Col. Vissc1.F's reriincnt, which |
orCr,. the rcar~.uarl of th3 advancing lurcr, |
vas cut ofI from the main body hy the prccipi-
ant ;1.tion OF tho savages in et'sih1 tile sc.-
omen ut the roal-of their circular |
and, rs Hcrkinser liatl predicted,
cd jpyloriousEy from The field in heuitong
astt, led by their erstshife Courageous tUton-
l.. History takes q grim satisfaction In record
III that they were pursued by Mollagks, and |
,ete ,,1n. .:lcd nuxh more severely than would |
ave been the case had they stood bY their
bmradcs in distress.
But the environed militia, after the terrible
heck OF the surprise had passed away, exhh-
I'd an amount OF bravery and intrepid self .
that has seldom bccn ettudled In our :
yentfui history Of forest fights, and that must .
O far toward atoning for their previous rash
nd rcprcllensblc conduct. In this they were !,
,rnisbel d magnificent example bv their Gem :
7E$rkIj <Hr nnWlF