Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1900-04-05

1
/ found themselves unable to control
the heavy load. Letting the wagon
run down the incline it struck tree
With such force that many Of the
wounded were thrown out and killed
One who had been thrown out at
tempted 10 crawl away and was
knocked IN the head with a musket
butt Cweuty-SiN were carried OF to
| British prison ships. Thrty-tve OF
the most severely wounded were pa
rolled at he request of Ebenezer Led
yard, eldest hroher Of the murdered
ISL into the house Of Ehenezer Avery.
near the place where the enemy were
% embark. Soon after the men had
been taken 10 this house. marauders
fired il in several rooms These fires
We're eN;inguished with difficulty. At
Mr. Ledyards request Capt. Brom-
field posted Il sentinel to defend the
helpless fellows till the last British
soldier had embarked This was not
till II o'clock at night The blood
,hat flowed from their wounds stained
the floor whore the men lay. The
owner of the house, who was one OF
the number, would never allow it to
he washed out. rhese blood stains
can be seen today
Ii WAS a night of terrible anguish.
ih,rty-tiye mangled, exhausted men
suffered by eposure and cold, rackei
by spasms and The fortunes Of UNI
dgysSa wounds, weakened from loss of
blood, parched with thirst not
friendly hand to relieve distress, turn
the aching body. Or Dear last mes
sage from those upon whom the day
would dawn in eternity. But the morn
brought relief. None of the friends
or neighhors DARED to come to their
relief til daylight, not knowing that
the enemy had gone. First to appear
WAS Miss Fanny Ledyard niece OF the
dead colonel. stephen Hampstead
says: I'VE We're a horrible sight at
this time Our friends did not know
us Even my own wife came in the
room to search for me- and did not
recognize me; and as / did not see
her, she left the room to look for me
among the slain, ., 1t was
with the utmost difficulty that many OF
them could be identified and so we
were frequently called upon Ia assist
their friends in distinguishing them,
by remembering particular wounds
etc. Being myself taken out for that
purpose, | met my wife and brother
Never, fer moment have re-
GREETED the share had in it, would
be willing, if possible, to suffer it
again.
The American dead were left un-
buried, mostly within the fort walls
n" British had all that they could do
! To attend to their own wounded and
! slain rheir dead were buried In the
ditch Of the triangular work before the
cate and in shallow graves near it.
| Maj. Montgomery and one or two other
/ officers were buried In the fort. un-
/ der the embrasure where Montgomery
Ifell. Great emergencies call forth acts
Iof pathetic devotion Edward Mills
| iINed three miles from the fort, ana re
| Snondod to the alarm on that fatal
morning Anna Warner was a Nom
Der Of her uncle's household. During
the long hours of that terrible day no
tidines reached the home but the boom
IoI cannon. AT its close no message
Icame. Night passed and morning
daWncd, but no tidings reached the
distracted wife. At an early hour
Anna walked to the fort On the floor
ioI Avery house She found her uncle
! A sight Of her he began to mourn for
his Wife and children. fastening blck
to the lonely home placing the Wife
! and elder child upon the horse and
! taking the babe in her arms, she hur-
/ ricd 10 the dying father and placed the
infant on his breast Capt Burroughs.
hearing the signal gun, left his oxen
! still hitched to the pillow and started
for the fort. taking his son to ride back
/ the horse. when will you get back ?"
asked the wife. Goodbye God
/ knows On the morrow the son rode
back the horse for the body Of his
/ father The wife and daughter Of Bud
dington watched, with anxious eyes. as
he left their home above the fort and
went within its gate. All that dreadful
day they watched the battle and con-
! iiagratlon from the rocks above the
fight. The long suspense ripened into
months of heartache They never
knew whether father and husband were
dead or alive til the starved and sick
survivor Of the prison ship staggered
aross the threshold OF his home. John
! Prcntis, and others who had dropped
among the slain and feigned dead.
arose during the night and minlstered
TO the wants Of their dying compan-
! ions
The defenders of Fort Griswold were
mostly young men. Fifty-two Of their
tombstones give dates of birch. Most
Of them were less than 30; SO were IN.
de- iN only Is were over that ape