Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-11-21
"D'ARCY OF THE GUARDS"

"D'Arcy Of the Guards" by Henry Miller at
The Grand Opera House Saturday, November
The Hateful roar of Waterloo could
not drown the rev elry of love. A lover
10 the uniform of a soldier is irresisti.
BILE; for the hero who in battle would
smile at death rather than yield to
conquest bows the first under the
thraldom of woman's charms.
Major Jack DARCY, the son OF an
Irish nobleman, adorns the profession
| OF arms with the sprightliness of wit
and gayety OF soul, characteristic of
the Celt. Cultured and gay, adorned
by the graces acquired In the military
and diplomatic circles OF the European
capitals, Major DARCY preserves in
the rough and tumble of camplife
the indetnsble charm of manner aud
bearing marking the conduc. of the
cultured lrishman in contact with the
feminine world. The instant champion
| OF the weak, where beauty ~ in dis
tress, he would rather fight than eat.
On September Goth, l777. the British
forces under Lord CORVALLIS entered
Philadelphia. the then capital of the
warning colonies, with all the paDoIly
Of war. Those who had fol owed that
energetic general had slept on no bed
of roses. Eng land had been the nursery
of great warriors She has sent from
| her bosom few more brilliant soldiers
or juster men than Lord CornwalliH.
The gloom Of defeat fell upon him at
| Yorktown: but no one can rise from
study Of his campaigns without inspira-
ton from the splendid genius Of his
tragetio skill; while his magnau imous
and chivalrous tribute to the military
genius Of Washington after his sur
lender at Yorktown proved HIM cul.
tured gentleman as bis prowsss in the
| field had proved him brave and
dauntlesH soldier. darcy was ON the
staff of this remarkable man when he
was ordered to sail from Ireland in the
squadron commanded by Sir Peter
Parker. After tempestuous voyage,
lasting nearly three months, Lord Corn
wallis arrived off the coast of South
Carolina, and beheld the British forces
| under Sir Peter Parker and Sir Henry
Clinton repulsed by the gallant Col.
| Moultrie. from his hastily improvised
fort of palmetto logs thrown up for the
| protection of Charleston.
The crushing blow delivered to the
British at the South in the battle OF
Fort Moultrie. added to the gallant
fight. made by the Continentals IN the
North at Bunker Hill, convinced British
statesmen that the American colonies
had become at last a compact ard
united fighting force. Then hogan
stragetic move which theY have never
entirely ceased to hope to 500 succeed.
1t has been the dream of English
statesmen that the power of the Ameri-
can people would be destroyed by break
ing In two the vast territory of the Re
| nnhlin- With tblu ahianf in uia 81, a..
sought to use New York as a base and
from thence to seize the Mohawk VA. ey
aud the waters OF the upper Hudson,
thus forming a strong division line be-
tween New England on the one side
and the central and southern colonies
on the other. Gen. Sir Guy Carlton
| was to descend from Canada by way of
Tioonderoga, control the upper Hudson
and the Mohawk, and effect junction
with Sir William Howe, who was to
commence his operations with the
| capture of New York. Lord CORVALLIS,
sailing from the South, arrived In time
to take an important oommnrd under
Sir William Howe at the battle of Long
Island, August eth. l776. 1t is a
cause Of local pride that the brunt Of
that hard fight was borne in part by our
brave soldiers Of the Delaware line,
fighting under Marlborough, Caldwell
and the gallant Kirkwood. BY the
brilliant night march of CORVALLIS
| enabling him to strike the American
forces in the rear as he hurled his com-
mand along the Jamaica road, our arms
SUSTAINED a serious reverse, Lord Stirl-
| ing was captured, and but for the mag
niticent braye cry Of Smallwood's Mary
| land Brigade, with whom fought the
| as,lltaR hnva 81 nnIn
would have been annihilated
CORVALLIS continued to push Wash
ington across New Jersey and at the
close of the fall campaign he had driven
him across the Delaware, broken the
spirit of his army, captured Gen.
Charles Lee, and reduced the American
cause to the verge of despondeney.
CORVALLIS, confident that his work was
done, returned to New York for the
Christmas holidays, intending to sail
for England; but Washington. by his
brilliant stroke at Trenton, wrought
havoc in the British lines and gave now
life and vigor to his cause. Corn wallis,
energetic as usual, FASTENED to the scAne
of disaster and here, lagRin, displayed
military genius of the highest order,
Washington had taken HE army from
Trenton and stationed them south of
| the Assunpink, where he stubbornly
resisted every effort of CORVALLIS to
GROSS. His troops tirsd, CORVALLIS
postponed an engagement till the fol-
lowing day, sending post-haste for his
reserve force, which was posted at
Princeton. By this augmented army
CORVALLIS could croas the Assuming
above Washington's lines, turn his right
flank, and, the Delaware River being
IL the rear, deal crushing blow, fore
ing Washington to surrender, With
the praoticed eye of soldier CORVALLIS
perceived his advantage, and retired
for rest that night, boasting with great
satisfaction, lat last we have run
down the old fox, and we will bag him
in the morning -
The Assunpink might have been the
Waterloo of the Am ericau liherty
Washington saw and realized his danger,
4 hat night he deceived the pIckets Of
the enemy by keeping his camp fires
burning brightly and by keeping up
the din of wariike preparations Tor
coming battle. But under cover of
night he Withdrew his army, which
was well on the road to Princeton when,
in the morning, much To his chagrin,
CORVALLIS discovered the escape of his
enemy.
CORVALLIS also took Part in the
somewhat incomprehensible campaign
of Sir William Howe for the capture
Of Philadelphia. Lord Howe, frus-
trated by the superb tactics IF Wash /
ington in bis original design of pressing
on TO Philadelphia through New Jersey,
sailed, after much delay, 10 the head
waters uf the ChasauaalSe dieaubark