Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-04-10

One a. The plfsaE 1ss c. kanR "a.
land. q what iheEe e i. = nsaI
the corner 81 Flfsb nps sna TkirE'
..:sss s.;ss =! s,s .e.s ..:..... ID i :.
qusTters. =. she tile bon populns
saeelion, and ncz hsstorr. TIE
part played by tbs tnnn u TIE bna.
lle Of Long IslanE @ y. &s-ieny told.
o. tie morning e & - 1pen9t.
1TT0. Lord SlIrlinH a
oI fhs AmeFirsa q sssSs !
~ 9B06l ,OU0 81 the nemY of Wyc-
'koiPs Hill. between Eighteenth and
Twentieth streets, near the present site
OF Greenwood Cemetery. He made q
stubborn fight Of IL, but was obliged to
fall back step BY step, and finally near
noon found dhumself hemmed in between
the forces in has front and the main body
under Lord CornwallIs. what then
occurred 10 told by Henry p. John
son in his Champaign OF I776 aroend
New York and Brooklyn" as follows :
Stirling. realizing bis danger, deter
mined upon the only msnGuVre thai
promised escape Cor any Of bis COM
mand. Upon bis lett lay Cowsnus
Marsh and Creek. where both were at
their broadcast and where aeFossing had
never been attempted; but now the at
tempt must be made, or every man is
lost. Upon the other side Of the creek
are Brooklyn Peninsula, the lines and
safety. Stirling therefore ordered his
men 10 make their way across rs they
could, while to protect them as they
forded or swan, he himself took Guest
aEd half the Maryland battalion and
proceeded to attack CORVALLIS. Against
all the misiortunes Of the day, this
prince Of good resolution and true sol
diership stands out IN noble relief
The MaryIanders followed their Gen
erai without Ainching. and were soon
warmly engaged with .he enemy, who
had posted themselves at the old Cor
telyo0 house. above the upper mills,
near the intersection OF the Port and
Gowanus roads. ss,
The story OF the 6ght is told by Thos.
w. Field, in has. "Battle OF Long Is
land" Alter saying that CORVALLIS
had occupied the old house asa redoubt,
he say that IL was attacked by q part
OF Maryland regiment under Major
Caest. They numbered about 400 men.
while the enemy were at least FIVE
times as many. Notwithstanding this
in force, he says, Lord Stir
ling placed himself at their head and
the light column advAneed along the
Gowanus road into the jaws Of battle
with unwaveFing front. The artillery
ploughed their fast-thinning ranks with
the awful bolts Of iron, while the in.
fantry poured its volleys Of Inusket-baIls
in almost solid sheets Of lead upon them,
and from the adjacent hills tine deadly
Hessian Yagers sent swift messengers
OF death into many manly torm.-
Still above the roar OF cannon, muske.
try and rides was heard the shout OF their
brave leader "Close up. close up !"
ard again the staggering yet unflinchInS
files, grown fearinlly thin, turned their
stern young faces 10 otheir cOuntry's foe.
Atthe head oGthisd devoted band marched
their General, to whom victory had be-
come Tess important than an honorable
death which might purchase the safe
retreat Of bis army. There was no hur-
w, no confusion--only n grim despair
which their courage and seli-devotion
digni6ed into martyrdom. The ad-
vanced bodies of the enemy were driV-
en- back upon the Cortelyou house, now
becoming a formidable redcubt, from
the windows Of which the Ieaden hail
was poured through the patriot ranks as
they approached. Lord CORVALLIS hur-
riedly broughttwoguns into position near
one corner Of the house and added their
and grape TO The tempest Of
death. AZ last the little column halted,
powerless 10 advance in the face Of this
mprderous FIRE yet disdainIng to retreat
with the disgrace Of . fight. Again
and again these devoted heroes closed
their ranks over the bodies Of their
aud still turned their faces 10
The foe. But,the limit Of human en-.
durance had for the time been reached,
and the shattered column was driven
back. Their task vas not, however,
yet fully performed. rs Stirling looked
across the salt meadows away 10 the
scene Of bis late struggle At Buckles
Barracks, and saw the confused masses
Of bis conntFymen cr0wding the narrow
causeway over Freek's mill.pond OF
struggling through the muddy tide
stream. be felt how pFeeiouss 70 their
hberty were the lives Of his
rrtreaiing soldiers. and againhe neFSed
himself for the combat. whieh he knew
could only prove n sacrifice. Once more
he called upon the suFEIvOFs of the pre-
vious dreadful assault. and again the no
bic young men gathered sr0nna their
Geheral. How sadly he must have
looked upon thems scarcely mote than
boys-xo young. 50 brave. aad 20 meet
again the pitiless iron haill The im-
petnous spirit % this charge carried The
balislIion over every obstacle Quite 70
the house. The eunners were driven
IRON their battery and Corn wailisseemed
about 10 abandon the position. Bot the
CALLING Gre from The iniesioe of the
house and from tie sdjacens high ground
with the overwhelming numbefs uf tha
enemy, who we're now approaching,
again compelled retreat. Three times
more the sarvisoFs rallied. fiinging them
selves spon The eomstantiy reinforced
Fznis of the eneny: bos the e0m5aa 80
long. 50 nnequslly sustained. wss nov
hastenine % . cl6sss A few minutes
more of this destroying Gre, and as ct
The noble youth Of Maryland were eth
CT prisoners IN the hands Of the enamy