Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-04-13
" hen General Wayne had sup9.

W
ing huge and vigorous few years ago
Pompey took charge Of the forces, chic
pilot At half-past eleven O'Clock tn
silent march began. Gathering oud
obscuref the sky and deeper sha les o
night favored the bold enterprise
Wayne was PIT the head of the righ
column, and all moved on as stealthily
as a leopard preparing to spring upon
its prey. Major Hull with his three
hundred Massachusetts light troops
was with that column. Pompey anG
two stout men preceded Knox and hi,
forlorn hope few PAGES. The negro
approached the first sentinel on the
high ground westward of the morass
gave the countersign and was recogniz-
ed as the fruit peddler. While Pom
pey was talking with this guardian ot
the fort his two stout companions
sprang from the gloom and seized and
gagged the soldier The silence of the
ed in the same way, and up to past
midnight the garrison was slumbering,
without a suspicion of danger nigh.
| THE SURPRISE.
So soon as the tide had ebbed as was
supposed sufficiently TO allow passage
by the causeway and along the beach
| the two columns which had marched
side by side in platoons separated, the
right divergiRg southward for the pur-
pose Of crossing the morass and strik-
| ing the beach which extended along
| the southern and southwestern shores
of the peninsula At the same time
| the left column moved toward the cause
way, which Colonel Buffers regiment
instantly passed in water two feet deep,
and at the foot of the slope diverged TO
the left and secured picket guard. AT
| the same time the column with Wayne
at its head passed the marsh on the
southern side in the water knee deep
(for the tide was not DOWN and reach
ed the beach Before doing 50 they
were discovered and fired upon BY a
picket guarG This aroused the garri-
son and they flew to arms. The as
sailing column was now directly under
the fort. 1t closed in solid order and
pressed up the steep hillside in the face
of tempest from mu -kets and artille-
ry-the missiles from the Latter doing
very little harm, for they passed over
the heads of the assailing force At
the same time Major Murfree, of the
left column, had made feint against
the fort ON the northwest side with
his North Carolinians, but this did not
weaken the resistance TO an advance of
tie rig bit column, which was galIantly
struggling with the half removed abat-
tis part way up the bill to gain the sal
ly-port OF the fort. Every ledge OF
rocks above the ascending column were
surrounded with British infantry who
with taunts and imprecations, poured
down an incessant storm of bullets.
But not patriot faltered. S eadily,
and as silently as on the night march
from the walnut tree, the brave sold .ers
followed Wayne, who, with spear in
hand, directed every movement, as inch
by inch they approached the breast
works and pushed back the foe Not
a gun was fired by the patriots. They
turned the abattis, pushed on toward
the breastworks, cut and tore away the
palisades and cleared the checa ride
frise at the sally-port.
Within the inner abattis flying 6ul-
let had struck Wayne glancing blow
on the head and stunned him. Ie fell
upon his knees. His two aides (Fish-
borne and Areher) partially raised him
to his feet. Ia moment he recovered
full consciousness and requested his
aides to carry him within the works
where, in case his wound should prove
mortal, he desired to die But the hurt
was not severe The troops dashed
forward with fixed bayonets-the main
column following the advance closely.
The charge was led by Lieutenant Col
onel De FIeury, followed by Febigpr's
regiment The ramparts were carried;
De FIeury seized the colors of the fort
with his own hands, and his assailing
column entered the works in triumph,
shouting the significant watchword
The forts our own" De Fleury,
Lieutenant Knox, Sergeant Baker, of
the Virginia line (bleeding from four
wounds), Sergeant Spencer. of the
same line with two wounds) and Ser
geant Dunlop, of the Pennsylvania line
(also twice wounded), were the first
five to enter the works and win the
reward offered by Wayne. In his or
der of battle, the General had engaged
to reward the five men who should first
enter the works with promotion, honor
able mention, and with $500, $400,
$500, 5000 and 800 respectively.
1.-THE FoRT's OUR OWN
Almost at the moment when De
Fleury entered the fort Lieutenant
Gibben with the assailing party of the
left, closely followed by Major Stewart,
burst in on the opposite side. The ter
riied garrison, perceiving resistance to
he useless, surrendered Immediately.
the men, especially the loyal Ameri
cans" falling on their knees and cry
ing out piteously Mercy, mercy, dear
Americans = To the honor of the con-
ouerors, it is asserted that not Il man Of
the garrison was injured after they
cedScU W IcSISG anu DSSS5Co W. puditc
Major Hull. and Wayne's aides carried
the bleeding General into the fort,
where he heartily joined in the shouts
of triumphs by the victors, and soon af-
terward with vigorous hand wrote the
following dispatch to Washington:
SToNEY POINT, July IS, 1779,
2o'clock a. m.
DEAR GENERAL The fort and gar
risop, with Colonel johnson, are ours.
Our officers and men behaved like
men who are determined to be free.
Yours, most sincerely,
ANT'Y WAYNE
GEN'L WASHINGTON
The victory was complete. The
British ships lying on the Hudson
near Stony Point hastily slipped their