The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-06

ofing. and moreover. seven hundred
armed men calling themselves Friends
of Liberty" were In camp at Frederick.
ready for duty, under command OF
Col. Hugh Mercer. who q year later fell
In the action at Princeton.
Scarcely was the brow OF Bunker Hill
clear OF Its battle smoke than the peer
less soldier OF the Virginia colony was
at his new post, ut the head OF the
army. at Cambridge. II Virginia had
contributed nothing else to the Gauge
than Washington 1t would have done
enough. In that alone. to entitle 1t to be
glorlHed OF posterity. Modest gent!e-
man. incompatible statesman, skllltul
soldier. II Is Idle to mention any name
with that OF Washington and SUPERB
rogatory In me TO speak Of him here at
greater length. But after Washington,
OF all the officers Virginia SEM to the
war Daniel Morgan was the greatest.
In priority and wide extent OF service,
In value, In %brlliancy, In valor. none
surpassed him. few equa!led him. One
or the very first acts OF the second
continental congress prior to the fight
at Bunker Hill WIS to order ten rife
companies TO be raised. Two OF these
were to come from Virginia. Morgan's
response to this call was instantaneous.
and his company, historically, regarded
as the first body OF men In the fed reg.
ularly recruited under act Of congress
and commanded by an officer with a
commission from congress. 1t was
dated June 20, 17I5-hve days after
Bunker Hill.
By July We find him at the head
Of his men. on the move to Boston, to
be followed q few days later by Captain
Hugh Stephenson's company, recruited
ut Shepherdstown, Va. There are many
things, widely commemOrated in both
prose and poem that have come down 10
US through the ages less worthy OF such
COMMUNICATION than this march OF
MorgaD's riilemen from the woods OF
Virginia to WashlnGton's camp ut
Cambridge. They were a hundred men
OF tail and stalwurt build. picked out OF
the many for skill as marksmeR. clad
In buclskin legSins and linsey- woolsey
shirts, fringed with the trophies of the
chase. belted Mt the waist with sheath
ed knife and tomahawk in place, and
wearing caps on which, in white let
tiers. was the short legend. Liberty or
Death Is 1t any wonder, as they
passed the lonely farm houses on the
way or halted in the streetsI OF the ln-
frequent Village. that they left In their
wake 4 white heat of patriotic feeling?
AS an example, an incentive. this early,
this prompt action of the Virginia rifle
men, Of Itself. was OF priceless value to
the patriotic cause In the revolution.
This perhaps pleasant march, now un-
der the summer skies. now beneath the
matted shade of the primeval forest.
was soon TO change for one. the like of
which in severity and suffering. history
flC srn rpA n M - 11aI . for liz a p,rtNf 4. pf .
ter Its arrival at Cambridge Morgan's
company was assigned to the expedition
urder Arnold against Quebec and Cor
three months these sons OF the valley
of Virginia fought the 'tempests OF wind
and rain n Sleet and SHOW, buffcted
with and met death in the Wild and
rocky torrents of the Ciaudiere, at last
to star.d barefoot In the SNOW, clothed
in rags, gaunt with hunger and sadly
decimated. under the wallslof Quebec.
We know how they storned the place,
Montgomery on Il side. to die in tie
attempt, Arnold on the other. to fail
wounded and leave the command 10
Morgan. and how he captured one bar
Tier after another and penetrated to
the appointed place Of junction with
Montgomery. only to learn there Of the
latter's gallant death, and then 10 sur
render, outnumbercd. unsupported, des-
tltute OF ammunition and bayorets,
hopeless OF success. Afterward also, in
the several sharp and decisive engage
meHtS leading up to the surrender of
BurSoyne near Saratoga, the men Of
The valley. later recruits under the
l!on-hearted Morgan. led the van.
Wherever Burgoyne threw out his most
gallant ard effective fighters they. were
sure 10 be met ard driven back by the
irresistible ~impetuosity of these rifle
men under the lead OF their quick. sup
pie. ingenious. ubiquitous commander.
The mortality among the officers OF
the BurSoyne's army Is 4 special remark
OF history. and Is attributed to the uner-
ring craftsmanship OF Morgan's rifle
men. Sir" said Burgoyne 10 Morgan,
after the surrender, you have the finest
regiment In the world" But time for
bids me to pursue this reference further,
except to say, that US q field executive,
Morgan had his greatest opportunity to
show the reach of his genius In the
splendid action at the Cowpens. in South
Carolina, where practically he annihi-
lated the command OF Tarleton, the ccle-
brated rough-rlder and scourge Of the
Carolinas. who was by all odds the most
capable. the mos. effective minor officer
England sent to this country during the
war.
II Is. I trust. with n ~pnrdonable pride
| refer to the fact that my ancestor,
through whom 1 hold membership in
this society, was a private soldier In the
Eleventh regiment OF the Virginia line,
recruited in the winter OF 1TT6-17 by the
intrlpld Morgan and afterwnrd shared
It's fortunes at Valley Forge. In the nc
lions at the Brandywine. at German
town. Monmouth and later throughout
the campaigns In the 'Cnrolinas, In the
years 11S0-'Sl, thence returning 10 be In
at the "%rOund.up" at Yorktown. The
wide scope OF territory covered by the
service OF the Virginia troops is thus
seen. None OF the troops OF the north
participated In the Carolina campaigns.
but the Virginia troops are spoken Of In
reports as participants in every Import
ant action from Quebec 10 the Cowpens.
excepting the three on the soil or
Massachusetts aud those OF Bennington,
Vermont. and ~Ticondcroga. Their first
rcglmental appearance in battle, was
that OF the Second regiment under Colo
mel. afterwards General Woodford, De-
cember 9th, LIS. In an engagement.
short md severe, with Dunmore's forces
Of grenadlers and royalls.s. near Nor
folk, Va.
This fight IL known az the battle OF
Great Bridge. or the miniature Bunker
,Hill," following In order. next after chat
action. and Is the first date OF the shed.
ding OF revolutionary blood on the soil
OF Virginia. The first regimentai APP
pcarance Of Virginia troops IN an en-
gagement at the north. was In the bat
tic OF Long Island. August, 1fI6. and
subsequent to that, the record of scarce
ly a sklrmish, certainly OF no battle, !s
complete without some reference to the
brigadcs under Muh!cnbcrg, Weldon,