Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-01-24

flame. One of our schOOners was
manned by British sailors who had de-
serted from the British. tell ye, II
they didn't fight! 1t was life or death
with 'em. certainly thought she was
on fire number of times. l wasn't a
mile from the ships. The way the can
non balls skipped on the water was won
derful. The noise kept gettin' worse
and worse all the time. 1t was enough
to deafen body. | didn't know for
spell which would lick; but our folks
was too spry for the Britishers. Cap'n
McDonough was very smart man. He
had anchored all our vessels on spring
cables. They could fire one brOadside
and, while they were loadln' that side
again, could swing on them spring cables
and let 90 the other side. That's what
fixed the British. They didn't know we
had them springs, and they couldn't have
helped it If they had. They had to go
right between our vessels, anyhow, and,
tell you, they got terrible raking.
You would have laughed If you could
have seen our row-galleys! They pitched
right into the big British ship. They
didn't seem to be bit afraid. What
with the broadsides fired so quick and
these galleys pesterin' of her, it was
awful. She stood it about two hours
and then hauled down her colors. When
she surrendered, they all hauled down
their colors except the British row gal
leys. They took to their heels and got
away, everybody was so busy. Holler?
Well. guess | did Fact is, din't know
: what did do.
"Well, that was about twelve o'clock.
Pretty soon [ saw two or three men push
in out boat down in ROckwelfs Bay.
That was near by, down on the shore
near the hill, | was bound to go on
board the ships, so ran down and Jump
ed in. 1t was four-cornered boat, and
was rowed out to the big British ship.
, She was made of solid oak timber, sawed
, with a handsaw. You could see the way
: it was sawed. The plankin' was white
, oak six inches thick. The small balls
r did not go through these planks. They
looked Just like some of these new
/ fashioned pastered houses, plastered on
; the outside where they throw gravel into
r the soft plaster. 1t seemed as if you
5 couldn't git any more balls in. The
5 grape-shot and rife balls pooty nearly
4 covered the plankn' all over. The rig
e GIN was cut all to pieces. There wasn't
r any of it left. Our folks used chaln-shot
t That is, they bored holes in the cannon
q balls and fastened them together with
/ big chain, They cut the shrouds and
e everything right off. The decks was the
f the most awful sight ever saw. 1t was
t it was awful"
v blood. blood was everywhere. The
: decks were covered were arms and legs
. and heads, and pieces of hands'and bodie:
o all torn to pieces. / never see anything
. in this world like it Seemed as if every
n body had been killed. They must hav,
}. fought terribly before they hauled dowr
~ the flag. 1t most made me sick Tit
# Yankee ships was badly damaged, too
II and lots of Gus folks were killed; espec
e tally them British deserters. They
d fought worse than anybody. Thu
prisoners? They was all put down ii
r the hold.
Y "Long in the afternoon | went ashor
f and got the folks, and we went home. TO
q | had to do the chores about shutdown
d The women was consid'bl scared, bu
q they didn't mind after we beat. Tn
g girls? Oh, yes, they died long ago, Ions
ago. I'm the only one left now of all tn
Q folks. My boy out here is goin on sew
o enty.
e "Well, when we got home, | put VI
e the horses. We felt worried about faith
e er. | told YOU he was orderly sergeant
|. We knew he had been in the fight some
Y where on shore, but not Just where no
d what had happened to him. While tn
e British vessels was comm up the lake t.
1T the bay, the British army was marchin
n along the western shore towards Platts
g burg. They got there Just about th
he time the vessels got into the bay. Gener
o al Macomb commanded our troops. y
?. we had only about a thousand men,
he locked as if the British would have
ID pooty easy time of it. They seemed t
n think so anyway. The trouble was, tn
| river ran right through Plattsburg. Gu
" folks fortified the further side, and tn
r. British knew a lot of them would be Kill
rs ed if they tried to git across. OF cours
,e they had to git across somehow and TAX
re our forts. So they pretended to b
D, maxim an attack in front along the river
" But that was just blind. While the
ne were pretendin' to get ready for battle i
ut the town, they sent lot of soldiers, on
to of sight in the woods, up stream to eros
ne the river at the bridge or at the ford i
ne the woods, and come down on our sid
Id and surprise the Yankees. But our folk
n was watchin' 'em. Father told us abou
y it in day or two, when he came home
n. see how things were gettin' on. Hi
s. company was sent up the river, Au Sable
ht to guard the bridge and IT, ford. The
tie took every single plank off the the bridge
tn OF course the British column had to &
lie higher up stream, then, to the ford. Ths
ur was about three miles up the Au Sabl
IN There was Just about foot Of water {
st the ford. Fathers company guarded tn
IN ford all day. The British did not kno