The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-09-07

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them again to their shoulders. Five
guns, moreover, played upon us with.
out intermission, in word, | can com.
pare the shower Of balls of all sizes and
descriptions, which whistled around
us, to nothing more aptly than the
peiting of q rain storm, which strong
north-easterly wind drives into your
face. The whole ground at our feet
was plowed up with them, and their
singing was like that of tempest
through the bare cordage of a vessel
at anchor Under this really tremen-
dous fire, Williams bore himself, as
his gallant conduct in the skirmishes
which had diversified our march, led
me to expect that he would bear him
self There was railing, similar to
that behind which the Americans were
drawn up, which cut off the corpse
from the cultivated fields He was one
OF the first to spring over it; and
shouting out to the men to follow, he
called to me by name, and said :"Now,
who will be first in the enemy's line p
Without one pausing to look behind,
he rushed on. kept my eye upon him,
indeed, we were near enough to con-
verse, had it been possible to hear the
sound of human voice in such tu-
multi, and 1 did what l could, rather
to RESTRAIN his ardor, than to give it
encouragement. But at the very mo-
ment when l was repeating my en-
treaties, that he would look to the
men, instead of thus rushing on ahead
of them, muskct ball struck him on
the neck, and he fell dead at my feet.
He never so much as moved. The bull
let passed through his windpipe and
spinal marrow, and he was corpse in
an instant. Poor fellow! even in the
heat of action, looked at him with a
feeling Of bitter agony, of which words
can convey no impression. But l
could not pause to pay the slightest
respect to his remains; | ran past him,
and soon found my attention so COM
pletely occupied by other matters, as
to forget even that such one had liv-
ed and was dead. So overwhelmingly
exciting is the interest of battle, and
so perfectly engrossing are the
thoughts to which it gives birth.
Notwithstanding the paucity of our
numbers, the American line began to
waver as soon as we arrived within
twenty or thirty PAGES Of their front,
and the shouting preliminary to a
charge had hardly been uttered, when
they broke and fled. Our men were
to much fatigued to follow with any
celebrity, but We pursued as quickly rs
we could, and boyonetting some sea-
men, who pertinaciously clung to their
guns, took possession of two, out Of
tue five pieces of cannon, which had so
severely CALLED rs. Our work was
however, but beginning. In five min
utes, we found ourselves in front of Il
second line, more numerous and more
steady than that which we had defeat
ed. 1t was composed wholly of regu-
lar troops. who received us as we came
Oh, with murdelous fire, and instant
ly advanced to the charge. We could
not pretend to meet them. At the
first we hardly mustered a hundred
men, We were now diminished to little
more than half the number; whole
regiment bore down upon us, and We
gave ground. We fell back, however,
slowly and Indignantly, halting from
time to time, and firing with effect,
whilst the enemy, instead of a deter
mined wish, which, if attempted, must
have destroyed us at once, followed at
the very same pace, and with the same
precautions. But their fire was de-
structive; at least it would have been,
had there stood opposed to it men
enough to deserve it.
We had reached almost to the edge
of the ticket, when Col. Thornton, with
reinforcement of fresh troops, COM
ing up, restored to US our former con-
tidencc, and we resumed the offensive
The enemy, in their turn fell back
but we could not follow with our ac-
customed rapidity. Our men were
scarce able to walk, far less to run; so
there was time for their line also to
receive reinforc2mc cnts, before we sue
cccded in weakening it. The battle be-
came now little less then al unremit.
ting exchange of tremendous volleys.
Neither party gained or loss ground,
but. for full half hour, stood still,
loading and firing as quickly as these
operations could he performed. Whilst
this was proceeding, Col Thornton re-
ceivcd Il ball i'll the thigh, and fell.
The Americans, raising shout at this
event, pressed on and our people, a
little disheartened. retired. Charlton,
myself, and several other officers, who
were in the field, did our best to stay
them, and we succeeded, though not
till Col. Thornton, in order to avoid
falling into the hands of the assailants,
had been obliged to roll himself down
the slope, to considerable distance.
We had retired, in part, as far as the
ground where poor Williams lay, when
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