Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-10-20
A DUEL AT YORKTOWN.
Two Cousins Gross Swords During Night
Attack ON the British.


/ DR.. Weir Mitchell's novel Of the
American Revolution, Hugh
Wynne, = in The Century, contains
highly dramatic incident The
hero, who is on Washington s staff,
obtains permission from the COM
mander to serve as a volunteer un-
der the Marquis Lafayette in anight
attack on the redoubt at Yorktown
There he meets his English cousin,
with whom he is at enmity on
grounds of love as we'll as of loyal
ty. The following scene occurs:
To left and right was still mad
struggle, and what with the Bengal
fires still blazing and a heap of brush
in flames at one side of the redoubt
there was light enough to see. Near
about was clear space. and there
was pause such as occurs now and
then in such a scrimmage. There
we're still men who held back and to
whom, as pushed on, called;
Come on! We have themr A
great wind from the sea blew the
smoke away, SO that it was easy to
see. AS I called out to the men who
hesitated on the outer slope, as some
will, / heard before me a voice cry,
"This way, menu and, turning,
caught sight of the face of Arthur
Wynne. He, too, saw and knew me.
He uttered an oath. / remember
crying out, AT lastr' as ! dashed
at him.
/ heard ahead of me cries for
Quarter, quarter'' The mass Of
striving men had fallen back, and,
in fact, the business was at an end.
I saw Jack run from my left toward
me, but he stood still when he saw
what was happening, and instantly
as he came Arthur and I crossed
swords What else CHANGED or who
else came near knew not. / saw
for the time only that one face go
hated, for the heap of brush in the
work was still blazing.
AS is true of every Wynne I ever
knew when in danger I became cool
at once. lost no time, but pressed
him hard, with a glad sense that he
was no longer my master at the
game. meant to kill him, and as
he fell back / knew that at last his
hour had come. / think he, too,
knew it. He fenced with caution
and was as cool as l. Just as /
touched him in the right shoulder I
felt a wounded Hessian clutch my
leg. I fell squarely backward, my
cousin lunging savagely as drop
ped I had been done for had not !
Jack struck up his blade as / lay,
calling out:
Coward
Twas up in a moment, pretty saw
age, and caught sight of my Jack |
fencing with my man, as calm as if |
we were in old Pixies. gallery. AS
I stood, painting It was but mo-
ment-I saw Jacks blade whip vi
ciously round Arthur's and pass
through his breast, nearly to the |
guard.
My cousin cried I know not what,
fell to one side and then in heap
across a dead grenadier.
Better / than thou, cried Jack,
blowing hard He will play no
more tricks Come on.
With a glance at my enemy I hur-
ried past him over dead and wound
ed men, a cannon upset, muskets
cast away and what not.
This way, Wynne, said the
marquis. "C'est fni! Get those
fellows together, gentlemen. .
Our men were budding the pris-
oners in corner and collecting
their arms, A red faced New Hamp-
shire captain was angrily threaten
ing Major Campbell, the commander
of the redoubt, who had just surren-
dered Colonel Hamilton struck up
the captains blade, or do believe
he would have killed the major.
liz Was lUI4OuS OVGI lu0 U0dGu VI |
Colonel Scanned, who was greatly
beloved and had been killed by
Hessians after having given up his
sword
It was over, and / went back to
see what had become of Arthur. He
was alive, and, having dragged him
self to the inner wall Of the redoubt,
was now seated against it. Jack
soon found a lantern, and by it's
light we looked at Arthur He was
covered with blood, but was con-
scious and stared at me with dull
eyes, without power to Say a word
Take care of him, Jack, said /,
and went away down the crumbled
slope and through the broken abatis,
while overhead the bombs howled
with unearthly noises and the cam
nonry broke out anew
Dukes Snuffboxes.
The snuffboxes presented to the
~ n