Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-07-27
crombie with the left.

crombie with the left.
On the morning of September %,
Washington and the allied army moved
forward from Williamsburg for the
| investment of Yorktown-a march of
eleven miles. That night they encamp-
ed within a mile and half of the ene-
my's position On the 29th they ap-
preached still nearer, and some skirm-
ishing followed. On the same day
CORVALLIS received dispatches from
Clinton which decided him to evacuate
his outworks at Pigeon Quarter, and
retire within the lines Immediately sur
rounding the town. This move became
the subject of criticism. The posses
sion of the works in question by the
British would have delayed the be-
siegers, but CORVALLIS justified his
action by the tenor of his dispatches,
which he claimed contained promises
| from Clinton that relieving forces
would sail from New York about the
5th of October, and that until their ar
rival he could hold out within his in-
terror position. He claimed, further,
that Washington, by crossing Worme-
ly Greek below, would soon turn his
left, and compel him to fall back Clin-
ton, however, seems to have been dis
inclined to accept this explanation, and
insisted that CORVALLIS had represent
ed, some weeks before, that the exte-
rior position had been surveyed, and
would be fortified, leaving Clinton to
infer that he would hold it as long as
possible. Clinton also explains that
his dispatches only held out hopes that
fleet would sail about October 5, re-
lieving troops not being mentioned. In
short, he insinuates that CORVALLIS
had not done all in his power to gain
time-then the one thing to be gained.
But whether Cornwallis's reasons were
sufficient or not, his move precisely
suited the Americans and French. who,
on the 30th, occupied the abandoned
works, and thus found themselves in
an Unexpectedly favorable position for
advancing their siege operations. The
French manned two of the redoubts,
while the Americans reversed another
and built fourth, which effectually
hemmed in the British in the town.
The working parties were covered by
the American light-infantry, whose
loss that day, the 30th, was trifling in
numbers, but serious in the fall Of the
brave and much-loved Colonel Alexan-
der Scammell, of New Hampshire. AS
officer Of the day, he advanced with a
small party to reconnoitre the deserted
works, when he was suddenly surpris-
ed by Lieutenant Cameron and some
troopers of Tarleton's legion, and NOR
tally wounded the moment after his
surrender. His wounds were dressed
in Yorktown, when he was returned on
parole to Williamsburg where he died
on the evening of the 9th OF October.
One Of the heroes Of Saratoga, lately
adjutant-general Of the army, noble
and gifted soul, with enviable prospects
before him, his fall was hardly less
than public loss.
The allied forces now spread out
into permanent camps, and prepared
for vigorous work. The French ex-
tended on the left from the river above
the town half way around, and the
Americans continued the limo along
the right to the river below. The
camps themselves were some two
miles from the enemy's works, the
pickets within half o mile. In round
numbers there were on both sides OF
the river sixteen thousand besiegers
against seven thousand besieged,
though in point Of effectiveness the
the proportion was more in favor of the
latter The American wing was CON-
posed Of three divisions OF Continen-
tails, two brigades in each-in oil, five
thousand men--and between three and
four thousand Virginian militia under
General Nelson, whose brigadlers were
Generals Weldon, Stevens, and Lawson,
all good officers. For the division
commanders VIC have Generals Lin
coin, La Fayette, and Steuben. La
Fayette's division, which took the
right of the entire line, included tho
select troops of the army known as the
corps OF light-nfantry. General
Muhlenburg commanded the First
Brigade. General Hazen the Second
The three battalions Of the First were
led by Colonel Vose, Of Massachusetts,
Lieutenant. Colonel Gimat, aid to La
Fayette, and Lieutenan- g olonel Barber,
OF New Jersey those Of the Second
by Lieutenant Colonel Huntington. of
Connecticut, Licutcnant-C Colonel Alex
under Hamilton, Of New York, and
Licutenant-C Colonel Laurens, of South
Carolna, aide to Washington. Bri-
gaded with these, also, was Hazen's old
Canadian regiment, no me two hundred
and fifty strong. Excluding the latter,
the light-infantry numbered about
fourteen hundred men, nearly oil Of
whom had been detached from the
New England lines. The First Bri-
gade, which had been with him
trough the Virginia campaign, was La
Faycttc's favorite, and he used TO say
OF II that finer troops could not BIO found
the world over. Steuben's division in
cludcd the brigndes under Generals
Wayne and Gist. In the former were
two Pennsylvania regiments, COM
mandcd by Colonels Richard Butler
and Walter Stewart, and n lately rails
cd Virginia Continental regiment,
under Lieutenant Colonel Gaskins,
while two Maryland regiments, under
Colonel Adams and Major Roxburgh,
composed Gist's brigade In Lincoln's
division we have the two New York
regiments Of Van Cortlandt and Van
Schaik forming one brigade, under
General James Clinton, and Olney's
full Rhode Island regiment, with
Dayton's and Ogdcn's New Jersy bat
talions, making up the remaining bri-
gndc, under Colonel Dayton. On the
side OF tho French we find seven
regiments, under the names Of Bour-