News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-12-04

now could win the day. The attacking
columns on opposite sides Of the hill moved
with unGsd1s unanimity. They cut away
distractions before the ditch and the sally
| ports and mounted the parapets bayonet
| in hand
Wayne was struck outside by Il ball hit
| ting him on the head. He fell, and be.
| liRving that the hurt was mortal he ex
claimed: March on! Carry me into the
fort, for l will die at the head of my col
umn!" Two aids raised him, and carried
him into the work just as the two columns
met on the parade.
Loud huzzahs signalized the victory,
| which, however, had not been won so easily
as it is told. Not n musket was fired by
the Americans, yet they literally fought
their way in. Lieut.. Gibbon lost seventeen
lied and wounded out of his little forlorn
party of twenty.s Col. De Fleury entered
yahe work first and struck the British flag.
"A Maj. Posey mounted the rampant at the
same instant, calling out amid tho battle
lin -the~sign q art fSritish watchword of
Z .he night, TEe inegusedNby the negro, ''The
forts our owusl'
IN the first s. ss'--'se the sisssjieans were
for it y. darSy-by pieces of white
cloth sev yojs, tLair hats for badges The
garr;SSn sz@endered, and not life was
.sKeh after quarter was asked. Such
clemency was not always accorded by the
British when places were stormed, espe-
cially by the foreign mercenaries of that
army Several British vessels lying in the
harbor were not included in the surren-
der, but on the alarm of attack quietly
slipped their cables and dropped down the
river. Daylight found the Americans in
rulI possession, and the commander-in-
chief was apprised of the success of his
mastery and daring plan by note from
Wayne, which read:
STONY POINT 10th July ITO
O'Clock q.
DEAR GEN'L-The fort 6, Garrison with Col
Johnston are ours. Our officers & men behaved
like men who are determined to be free. Yours
most sincerely, ANTHONY WAYNE
Gen1 Washington.
In this exploit, which has been called the
most brilliant in the revolutionary war,
Waynes loss was fifteen killed and eighty
three wounded. This was remarkably
small but the darkness and the firing over
heads, which favors the ass;ilants in
mounting heights, rather than the weak
ness of the opposition, account for this.
The British reported twenty killed, but
the Americans accounted for siXty-three of
the enemy's dead and 643 prisoners, includ-
ing the commander
The rewards for this daring piece of work
show the estimation in which it was held
by the country. Congress ordered gold
medal for Wayne and silver medals for the
division leaders, De Fleury and Stewart.
Lieuts. Gibbon and Knox, leaders of the
forlorn parties, each received the brevet of
captain. On the recommendation of Wash
ington and Wayne the value of the mill
tary stores captured were divided among
the officers and men who took part in the
capture. The sum total was $15S, ,G4O The
first man TO enter the British works re-
ceived $500, the second, S400; the third, $500;
the fourth, $500, and the fifth, 500.
Gen. Wayne, whose success in this haz-
ardOus exploit justified the high confidence
Washington had in him, was lifted at once
into prominence. He was a volunteer. His
home was Pennsylvania, and at the time
of stOrming Stony Point he was "a years