Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1901-09-02

great, dignified structure. with
penteayes across the end and capacious
back buildings, that is now sporting
modern beer signs that are SO SADLY
out Of tune with its ancient grandeur.
over there along the Christiana are
a lot OF picturesque hip-roof houses
that were doubtless old when curious
eyes peeped through tiny panes to see
the illustrious Commander-in.Chief
with his staff ride out from Wilmington
on their daily expeditions TO the camp.
or beyond the lines on business of the
army. One rather fingers longer over
old Newport than over the new painted.
wooden, picket-fenced Newport and
cannot help wishing that the fashion
in houses as set by those builders OF a
century and more ago was still good!
A little northwest of Newport lives
lS7-year-old Benjamin Rothwell, grand
son of another Benjamin, who was a
fighter in the Revolution, "from Bunk
er Hill clean down" The present Mr..
Rothwell has the evidence of that in
the shape of great stores OF Revo.u-
tionary lore handed down from one
generation to another He has also a
lspike or spear carried In the war, an
implement which the senior Mr.. Roth
we'll used to call "splantoon." 1t is
a weapon consisting of an iron point
lset on a tough wood pole about six
feet long and 1t was appropriately
photographed in the hands Of its pres
lent inheritor.
In the wooded bluff above Red Clay
lcreek, Just opposite the Kiamensi mill,
is still another tangible relic OF those
times. The course OF a line of earth
works can be plainly traced for at least
/ Ia hundred yards; in some places their
, contour seems quite as pronounced as
lwhen they were first constructed Mr..
! lRothweil remembers the existence OF
, the line when it was much longer than
I lnow. but the need of the land for farm
ling necessitated the destruction of the
work
7, Stanton, too. has number Of Revo-
: lutionary landmarks, the most interest
I ling, of course. being the house which
! Islands near 10 the pike at the point
I Iwhere the road crosses the mill race,
Z not far from the bridge over White
= Clay creek. II was anciently known
. as the William Marshall house, and in
: II Washington made hts headquarters
! in the field while the army was en-
{ camped in that vicinity.
9 On the high ground facing the Mar
lshall place, and about half mile
8 Iacross the meadow is a decaying house
: LOT noble proportions, that was once the
= Ihome of Miller Byrnes. OF his mill
!. There is nothing left save an unmean-
= ling pile Of stones, and a ditch that was
once a raceway. 1.-THE road to the
,sl1nill' is now a green-carpeted cleft
I, Through the thiclSet, and Miller Byrnes
: is now as silent as the footballs OF in
!. lquisitive strangers or the old-time clot-
: ter OF the damsel on his miIlstones. But
4 ionce Miller Byrnes told his son, aud
= the son wrote il in diary, that one
= Cay he looked along the ridge toward
the right Of the front door OF his house
a and he saw cannon planted as thick as
they could be crowded together: the
10 SOLDIERS told him there was going TO be
\, a battle. and that he had better get his
{ wife and children TO place of safety
M (which the wife thought would be un-
" der big stone arch in the cellar. Sc
= they didn't leave, and the expected Del
m aware battle-the big one-never came
n of. after all, for the British made q
AhcAO NellAeAlS NAAOAt W Set oAOWAAQ lAt
" Americans by other roads and SO sir
:. Into Philadelphia without the fight FOL
a which the Americans were spoising.
Ia. On Tuesday. September 8, Washing
ton reported to the president of Con.
a gress that the enemy had approached
Ia the American lines the previous day t.
er a point about two miles away, and hat
IA there stopped. The movement was
as only a diversion, for the main army
in was getting away by other roads. The
to game was seen through, however, ant
Fix at o'clock in the morning Washing
al ton left his now-useless defenses OF
le Newport Heights, marched to Chaddl
SO Ford. and was securely posted on thu
ut upper side OF the Brandywine in gooC
a time.