The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-03-05
The journal Of q Hessian baro-
ness.
COMMUNICATION LAST WEEK.

"All this naturally made my siumoers
ANYTHING but tranquil. | sat down on a
chair and laid my head on the bed. But
at last | fell asleep, and my JOY was great,
when | awoke and heard that it was four
o'clock in the morning, and that every
thing was ready for our departure. |
mt nv head out of the window, and
perceived in the wood which surrounded
us a great number of nightiugales, which
by their sweet singing made me forget
the terrors of the past night.
The songs of the nightingales proved a
favorable omen Tor the travellers, tor they
mad no more adventures OF an unpleasant
nature. aud arrived safely at Ca ais.
To the housekeeping German
the terrors of this unknown sea we're
almost as great as those of the robber-
haunted forest. To quote her own
word. -
Il was obliged to spend two days in
Calais, on account of unfavorable winds.
At length | was summoned TO the ship.
[ must confess that my heart began to
beat faster. Ny elder children were very
happy, for In order to keep up their our
age | had told them that when We had
crossed the sea they would see their faith
er. | appeared as brave as | could, so
that they should not be afraid. We
drove 10 the wharf. The boatslen took
the two elder children and carried them
10 the boat. | had the younges, in my
arms. [ looked round after the Children,
and saw, to my great astoniShment, that
they were already in the boat, and were
jumping about among the sailors. | had
my baby lifted in, too and then | had
magnets enough to give me courage to
follow myself. and did not tind it 50 bad
as | had thought it would be-"
Madame Won Riedesel had expected to
proceed at once to America but she was
detained in England month after month,
by various circumstances for which she
was not responsible, and it was not until
April l6, 1777, that she finally sailed
from Portsmouth for Quebec, where she
landed safely after a voyage of two
months. Here she learned, to her great
disappointment, hat her husband had
already left Quebec to join the army in
tbs field, and she made preparations to
follow immediately.
The weather was frightful, and it was
a weary journey, made partly in a small
boat, partly in an uncomfortable Quebec
caleche, and partly in a birch-bark canoe
in which she had to cross three rivers in
a heavy storm of rain and hail. When
she at length arrived at Trois- Rivieres,
the Hessian officers who met her threw
up their hands In horror at the bare
thought of the risk she had run in her
frail bark with three little children, where
the slightest movement would have been
almost certain destruction. Though the
~. LII aonr,nl 70 ha orn tho
~stout-hearted baroness determinedly push
ed on to the Chamble, only to find, when
she reached there, that her husband had
started to meet her, had missed her OF
the road, and could not be back until the
following day. When he did arrive,
they had only two happy days together,
and then General Won Riedesel was obliged
to return to his troops. while his wife
went back to Trois Rivieres, where she
led an anxious life until permitted to re
join her husband at Fort Edward. Only
a few days after she had reached the
camp, there came the announcement that
they were cut off from Canada by the
American forces so that this proved to
have been the last opportunity she would
have had for making the journey for three
years. She kept with the army from
this time until the surrender of Burgoyne
at Saratoga.
The army began to move on the l1th
of September, III. AT first" she
writes, ali went well. We had the
pleasant hope of certain victory and of
coming into the Promised Land ; and
when we passed the Hudson River, and
General Burgoyne said, 'Engishmen
never give in, we were all of good couit
age. But what surprised me most was
that the officers wives knew beforehand
all the expeditions that were to be made;
aud this seemed al the more extraordin
airy to me, as | had observed in Duke
Ferdinand army, during the Seven
Years War, that everything of the kind
was kept a profound cret. Here, how
ever, the Americans were informed In
advance Of all our plans, and wherever
we wcnt.they were all ready for us, greatly
to our disadvantage and loss. On the 10Th
of September there was a skirmish. which
terminated fortunately for US, but it
obliged US to make a halt at a place call
ed Freeman's Farm....W we con-
tinued our march | had a large caleche
made, in which had room enough for
my three children and my two women T;
and SO followed the army among the
soldiers, who sans and were merry and
eager to conquer. We passed through
dense forest aud a magnificent country.
which, however. was deserted, as all the
inhabitants fled before US, and fiocked to
the army OF the American General Gates.
his was unfortunate for Us, as every one
OF thee country people Is a soldier by
nature, and can 81 DOT extremely well
and besides. the thought that they are
fighting Tor their country and for free
dom gives them all The more courage.
AT length he whole army was obliged to
encamp for a while. On the eth ofOc-
tober my husband, with all the staff Of
generals, again broke camp. From that
moment all our misfortunes began. |
was at breakfast with my husband, when
| discovered that something was about
to occur. General Fraser. and | think
General ~i;urgoyne and Phillips also, were
to dine with me that day. | noticed a
great commotion among the troops, but
my husband said there was to be a recon.
noissance, which did not strike me as
anything remarkable, as it often hap
pened. As | was going back to nv
block-h0uSe, a great many Indians mel
me, in full war-paint and with their guns
When | asked them where they were 60
ing, they cried out, 'Warp War! = That
meant that they were going TO battle.
and | was quite overcome. | had hardly
reached home when heard shots. and
the firing gradually grew louder, till at
last the noise was dreadful. 1t was a
f arful ~cJrnonade, and | was more dead
than alive. About three O'Clock in the
afternoon, instead Of the company who
should have arrived, poor General Fraser.
one u the expected guests, Wa brought
in Cd a litter, MORALLY wounded. Our
dlnneI-table. which was already laid No.