The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-09-11

man in Bridgeton, Me-, an aged vet
Gran of the war Of lS1s-l5, an honest,
truthful excellent man, over whose
honored grave the grass has waved foi
many a day,
And yet 1t seems only recently that !
listened to his narrative of personal ex-
periences and observations III connec'
lion with one of the most remarkable
and important military events in Amer
lean history, It was the battle of Platts-
burg, N. Y, fought in September, 1914,
between $4,000 of Wellington's troops,
under Sir George Provost, the governor
general of Canada, and about one-third
of that number OF Americans, chiefly
raw militia, with few regulars, led by
General Macomb, and constituting all
the available forces in that immediate
region. The fight eliminated in stimuli
taneous land and naval engagement.
The British feet was commanded by
Captain Downie; the American feet by
Commodore Marlborough, and by so
simple and pivotal procedure as the
swinging round of Macdonoughs flag
ship at critical moment the British
fleet was captured, and the appalling
power welded by the combined land
and naval forces of great nation was
shattered In moment.
Before taking up Private Caswells
narrative, u brief glance at the military
situation is necessary for clear under
standing of the matter,
IN Anpr,t Ianarnl T1or6 ,ubn
had succeeded General Hampton in
command of the right wing of the
American army, was ordered to leave
Plattsburg, with the most of his troops,
and go to the relief of General Brown,
beleaguered at that time in Fort Erie, oh
the Niagara frontier. This he did, leav-
ing General Macomh at Plattsburg
with only 1900 effective men, and cheer
fully predicting that the place and its
garrison would soon be in the hands Of
the enemy!
But Macomb was not the kind of a
man to give up before the battle was on,
as the event signally proved.
Neither was Macdonough, who lay
ready with his hastily prerared-almost
improvised-aeet to dispute the passage
of the British feet into Plattsburg bay.
The news of the advance from Canada
Of Prevost's magnificent army, and the
we'll equipped British feet having pene-
trated the adjacent districts, the militia
poured into Plattsburg. AS fast as they
arrived they were placed under the i'm
mediate command of General Mooers,
whose force, when complete, was in all
about 5000 men.
General Macomb stationed his troops
on the south bank of the river Saranac,
on the peninsula formed by the bend of
that stream as it empties into Burling-
ton (Plattsburg) bay. Having strength
ened his position by three redonbts and
two blockhouses. and made every other
preparation feasible in so short time
and under such pressing circumstances,
he posted bodies of militia at different
points on the route by which the enemy
was expected, and quietly awaited the
progress of events.
The 9th day of September, 1914, will
ever be memorable in Plattsburg his
tory. On that day there suddenly ap-
peared the advance guard of the British
army. 1t marched in two columns
along the roads from the north.
Some of the militia now adopted the
Concord-Lexington mode of warfare
firing from ambush, and harassing the
invaders in every practica BILE manner, but
still the majestic body moved on. MOI
until it had arrived within a short dis
lance of the village was any seriou.
show of resistance made by the Ameri
cans. This was by a detachment Of
light artillery, which Macomb had sent
out, and which fired and retreated alter