The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-11-09
THE MASTER OF APPLEBY:
S-- BY Francis Lyndo. -
BY Francis Lynde.

would find it's mark in me and let me
die a soldiers death.
So it was that [ saw little more of the
battle detail, and Of that fierce frenzy
time I have memory pictures only of
the dead and dying; of the torn and
wounded and bleeding men with whom
we wrought. striving as We might to
stanch the ebbing llfe-tide or to ease
the dying gently down into the valley
of shadows.
And as for my prayer, it went all
unanswered. once when I had a dy-
ing Tory's head pillowed on my knee
l saw a riheman thrust his weapon
between the wheel spokes CT the outer
wagon and draw a bead on me. 1
heard the crack of the Deckard, the
zip of the bullet singing at my ear,
and the mans angry oath at his miss
ing of me. Once again a rifle ball
passed through my hair at the braid
ing of the queue and l felt the hot
touch of it on my scalp like a breath
of flame. Another time a mountaineer
leaped the rock barrier to beat me
down with the butt of his rife-and in
the very act Tybee rose up and throt-
tied him. L saw the grapple, sprang
to my feet and whipped out my sword.
Stop I commanded; you a
broken your parole, L~ieutenant!'
The freed borderer glared from one
to the other of US. "Loonies.' he
yelled; I'll slaughter the both of vel"
And so he would have done, I make no
doubt, had we not LAID hold of him to-
gether n heaved him back over the
breastwork.
These are but incidents. points of
contact where the fray touched us
two at the wagon barricade. l pass
them by with the mention, as 1
have passed by the sterner horrors
Of that furious killing time. These
last are too large for my pen. AS we
could gather in the din n tunult, the
mountain men rushed again and again
to the attack. and as often the brave
major, or De Peyster, led the bayonet
charges that pushed them back. Yet in
the end the unerring bullet suppressed
the bayonet; there came a time when
flesh and blood could no longer endure
the d~eath-dealing cross-tire from front
n rear.
I saw the end was near when the
major ordered the anal charge, and
Captain De Peyster formed his line and
led it forward at q double-quick. The
mountaineers held more than half the
hilltop now, and this forlorn hope was
to try to drive them down the farther
slopes. On it went, and I could see the
men pitch n tumble out of the line
until at bayonet reach of the riflemen
Nf@~AS 'St~ 4SSS AitI14 ca NAte
fit to make the rush.
De Peyster fought his way back to
the wagons, gasping II bloody. Some
Of the tories croWding around raised a
white flag. The major, sorely wounded
now and all but disabled, swore a great
oath and rode rough-shod into the ruck
of covering militiamen to pull down the
flag. Again the white token Of surren-
der was raised, and again the major
rode In to beat it down with his sword.
At this Captain De Peyster put in his
word.
Ills no use, major; there's no more
fight left IN us. Five minutes more of
t hlsand We'll be shot down to a mani"
~Ferguscn's reply WAS a raging oath
broad enough to cover all the enemy
and his own remnant as we'll; and then,
before a hand could he lifted to stay
him, he had wheeled his horse and was
gallopinE straight for the patriot line
at the farther extremity of the hilltop.
What he meant to do will never be
known till that great day when all Sc
crets shall be revealed. For that fu-
rlous oath was this brave gentleman's
last word to us or to any. A dozen
bounds, it may be, the good charger
carried him; then the storm of rifle
bullets beat him from the saddle. And
SO died one of the g%allartest officers
that ever did an unworthy kings work
on the field Of battle.
I would l might forget the terrible
scene which followed this killing of the
British commander. Twas little to our
credit, but l may not pass it over in
silence, De Peyster quickly sent a man
to the front with q white flag. and the
answer vas a murderous volley which
killed the ~fag-bearer and many others
Again the flag was raised on a rifle
barrel. and once more the answer was
a storm of the leaden death poured into
the panic-stricken crowd huddled like
sheep at the wagons.
Cod" said De Peyster: and with
that he began to beat his men into line
with the fiat of his sword in q frenzy
OF desperation, being minded, as he
afterward told me, to give them the
poor chance to die a-fghting.
l saw not what followed Upon his
last despairing effort, for now Tybee
was down M l was kneeling beside
him to search for the wound. But
when l looked again, the cracking
crashes Of the rife-fring had ceased.
A stout, g~ray-headed man, whom I af-
terward knew as Isaac Shelby's father,
was riding up from the patriot line to
receive Captain De Peyster's sword.
and the battle was ended.
CLj p1,Ep VT