The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-08-30

of the Chesapeake during a heavy fog, t.
abandon the enterprise.
Lafayette had preceded his expedition Il
| Annapolis and haStenei on down the bay Il
look after the French fleet, but found, much
TO his surprise, that no fleet had made it,
| appearance. After spending some time
near Portsmouth and consulting with Baron
Steuben, under whose command the Other
forces were, Lafayette learned Of the arrival
of the English fleet and was forced TO come
| to the unwelcome conclusion that his eIpe.
dition was n failure. He thereupon sent
orders to the troops which were still at An.
| napoliS to he ready to move ut a moments
notice. At this juncture, Washington, who
had been apprised of the state of affairs,
| recalled the expedition, which at this time
was blockadcd in the hlrbor of Annapolis
| by two vessels detached from the British
fleet for that purpose. Lafayette found
means to rejoin his little fleet at Annapolis
and for a while thought seriously CT return
| ing by land, but that plan was abandoned
as lmpractlcable on account of the want of
horses to transport the artillery and stores.
After much delay, it was resolved to run
| the blockade, if possible, and return to the
| Head of Elk by water. The following plan
was adopted: Two sloops of about sixty
tons burden We're fitted up with two eigh-
teen Founders each in their bows aud a
| travelling forge in their holds. At 10 o'clock
on the morning of the 9th OF April these
vessels, each manned by two hundred vol
| untcerS, sailed boldly out of Annapolis
| Roads to attack the British vessels, which,
on their approach, not relishing the hot
| shot of the Americans, left their moorinCs
| and dropped down the bay, thus opening Il
| Passage for the American fleet, which fol
lowed the two gun boats, and reached the
! Head of Elk the same night. At that place
Lafayette found letters from Washington
| countermanding the order of recall and
ordering him southwark again to assist
General Greene.
We learn from Il letter which LAFAYETTE
addressed from Head of Elk to Gov Thomas
Sim Lee, upon the 10th, that he intended
to march the next day, and that it would b..
| necessary to have horses and wagons at
Baltimore to relieve those which would ac-
company him from that place. lie also ap-
priSed the Governor that two men came on
board his vessel while coming up the bay,
and, mistaking it for y British vessel had
offered to show them the country about the
mouth of the Grinpowdcr river, and accom-
panied by u small detachment which he had
sent for that purpose, had gone there. He
also informed the Governor that he intended
to execute them as spies.
The army under Lafayette left the Head
of Elk on the morning of the 18th of April,
and marched to the Brick Meeting House,
which they reached about an hour before
sunset and encamped in the meeting house
woods. The writer is indebted to James
Trimbla for the following description of the
interesting scene, he having derived his in
formation from those who witnessed it,
The leading divisions We're rapidly follow
ed by others till the whole woods, then con-
tanning about thirty acres, seemed filled
with horses, wagons and men, but the vii
layers were surprised TO see SO many people
settle down so quickly in exact order, the
men cooking their suppers, and sentnels
walking around the entire body. None of
the inhabitants We're moleSted except TO re-
plenish their empty canteens at the old
fashioned draw wells in the vicinity. Will
liam Kirk, then in about his twelfth year,
informed Inc that in company with others
he went the next morning at the first APP
pearance Of daylight to see the Frenchmen
before they left, but found the road already
filed with the army in motion, in compact
order" Upon this occasion, Lafayette spent
the night in the old stone house. a part of
which is now standing upon the plantation
of Marshall j. Hunt, a short distance north
east Of the village of Rising Sun, then oc-
cupied by job HaineS. On taking his leave
the next morning, the General presented
each of Mr.. Hainc,' sons with piece of
money, giving his son Louis Il gold coin,
his name being the same as that of the Cen
erals sovereign.
Some of the army are said TO have en-
camped near Huntsville, the same night,
which seems quite probable when we CON
slider the fact that Lafayette spent the night
about midway between the two places. The
next day The army crossed the Susquelanna
i'll scows at Bald Friar ferry and proceeded
to Baltimore. The troops under General
Lafayette We're all from Northern States,
and though they had willingly engaged in
the expedition down the bay, they became
dissatisfied when ordered to engage in
Summer campaign in the South. They
We're poorly clad and without shoes and
showed so much discomfort that it was pre-
dicted when they left Bald Friar ferry that
not one half of them would reach Balt-
more. But by hanging one deserter and
severely reprinanding some other delin
quentS, Lafayette preserved his little army
intact and safely reached Baltimore, where
the wants of his army were supplied.
In the September following, the American
army, under command of General Washing
ton, passed through the Head of Elk, ell
route to the siege of Yorktown. Claude
blanchard, who accompanied the French
troopS,-1, 200 of whom were in Washing
tons army,-publshcd journal kept by
him during his service in the army in this
country, is commissary, from which we
learn that the troops embarked at Plum
Point, where number of transports from
the French fleet Were waiting to receive
them. Blanchald, on his route northward,
passed through Havre de Grace, in cola-
pany with the army, in August 1882. We
learn from his journal that the army was
nearly two days in crossing the Susquc
hanna, there being but one ferry boat at the
lower ferry. He remarks that the g Head
OF Elk is in Il very dry soil and one is
drowned with dust there. Fever is very
prevalent there, doubtless caused by the
swamps in the vicinity"
After the capture of Yorktown, part f
the American army, under General Lincoln,
passed through the Head of Elk on their
way northward. From requisiticn made
upon Colonel Hollinysworth by IL. Dear
bourn, then Lieufenant-ColonCla and Deputy
Quarter acknowledgements Major-Gnneral
we learn that he was in want of one hum
bred and fifty beef cattle to drive OH with
the army for its subsistence. He also want
ed at least thirty four-horSe teams and init
mated that if they We're not forthcoming,
"he would be under the ;liSagre.abe neces-
sity of making use of the authority of the
army for procuring Them" which he seemed
to regret lest it might distress those who
had already contributed their full share.
He adds in a postscript that 600 Wagon
loads of straw will be absolutely necessary
for the troops in this cold season.
Shortly after this, in December, 1871,
some of the Rhode Island troops, who were
quarterrd in the house of one Jane Clark,
in the Head of Elk, got into a quarrel with
gang of watermen, who attacked them i'll
their quarters, in the night, and being
driven away, returned and renewed the
fight the next morning. Jane Clark kept
hotel, or at least sold liquor, and it was in
| evidence that the watermen were drunk,
and probably the soldiers We're in the same
| condition. The fight was ended by one
| Forteen Stodder, a negro soldier, from Rhode
! Island, shooting James Cunningham, the
| leader of the sailors, from which he died
| shortly afterwards. Stodder was indicted
| for murder and was convicted of man
| slaughter and sentenced to he burnt in the
| B,ulcn of the left thumb with Il hot iron.
| The reLnrd Of the court shows that the SEN