The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-03-26

be employed as a flank patrol. The
column having formed in marching Or
der, we, who stood at its head, were
ordered to cast off our blankets, and
dash into the woods; and we had hard
ly done so, when bugle from the rear,
sounding the advance, warned us to 60
on. We delayed not one moment in
obeying the signal. The rain had
ceased, but the branches of the trees,
the underwood, and long grass, were
all loaded with water These, how
ever, were circumstances which we
never dreamed of taking into consider
ation-we pushed on. Wet enough
we were already-every step that we
took made us more so; for the grass
reaching to our middles, had all the in
huence of a mire equally deep; yet we
contrived to keep our arms dry, and
doing that we cared for little besides.
A brush of a few minutes put our blood
in circulation; no leisure was granted,
in which it could again become stag
nant; and it was speedily apparent
enough, that our minds would receive
to the full as much enjoyment in this
excursion as our bodies We had not
proceeded quarter of mile before
We fell in with about twenty armed
men. They were stragglers from yes
terday's battle, and submitted imme-
diately; but they informed us that the
whole of the wood was filled with rifle
men; and that our progress. five made
any progress at all, would be effected
by dint of hard fighting.
1t will be readily imagined, that,
with such prospect before us, we
pushed on eagerly and rapidly, but
with extreme caution. The face of the
country was even more wild than any
which, on the present excursion at
least, we had yet passed The high
road wound for many miles through
the centre of a dark forest; and the
course Of the tiankers was rarely indeed
diversified with any other prospect, be-
sides that of an apparently intermiha-
bic wilderness of trees. At last, how
ever, a few open and cultivated spots
burst upon us. Sweeping along. at the
distance of not less than quarter of
mile from the column. the section which
l commanded arrived suddenly at
hamlet: completely embosomed in the
woods, and to all appearances cut off
from intercourse with every other part
of the world. 1t consisted, as far as
my memory may be trusted, of five
houses, each of which stood stones
throw apart from the rest, and was sur
rounded 10y little enclosure, in the
highest state OF cultivation, and even
of beauty.
But the circumstances which delight
ed us most of all, was to find, that not
one cottage out of the whole cluster
was deserted by its inhabitants. There
they were, males and females, young
men and maidens, old men and child
ren; and they scrupled not to assure
us, that our own proclamations had
kept them there, because they believed
that British soldiers were incapable of
violating their promises. need
scarcely add that both their persons
and property were treated with the
same respect as would have been shown
to the persons and property ofan Eng
lish village. The milk, bread, cheese
and whiskey, which they were good
enough to offer, we, Of course, made no
scruples to accept; but not one among
them had occasion to complain ofa Sol.
itary act of violence committed. Our
stay among them, indeed, exceeded not
five minutes; and we left them as we
found them.
We had quilted the village about a
quarter Of an hour, when, pushing my
way through the middle of copse
more than ordinarily close, | suddenly
found myself opposite to two Ameri-
can soldiers | Was alone; that is to
| say, my men, though following the
same tract, had diverged to the right
and left of this thicket, whilst forced
myself, with some difficulty, through
its centre. " neither felt in any de-
gree alarmed 10y the vision, is prob
lem which, at this distance of time, |
cannot undertake to solve; all that |
remember is that holding cooked pis-
tol in my hand, ran towards them,
and commanded them on pain oi death.
to surrender. When | first caught
sight of them, the one was lying at
length upon the grass.-the o-her, in
a kneeling position, was hanging over
him; but the latter, rs soon as he OIL
served my approach. sprung upon his
feet, and leveling short rifle at me
demanded parley. could not under
such circumstances grant his request;
but rushing forward, knocked up the
muzzle of the picc, which he not
through any deficiency i'll courage,
clearly enough, but from motives OF
proper prudence, abstained from dis.
charging; and then required that both
he and his companion, who still remain.
ed motionless, should regard themselves
as prisoners of war. The reader will
guess my surprise when | beheld the