The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1906-1908, 1906-06-29

Win logs. On the morning of the
Sd of July his scouts brought inteIli-
gence of the advance of the French.
Meanwhile the French and Indians,
under the command of Coulon de vii
Tiers, had been holding a grand pow
WOW at Fort Duquesne. The French
father" had supplied his children lib
orally with firearms and the where
withal to eat and drink.
The braves after consuming several
oxen and drinking two barrels of wine,
had expressed their willingness to
march against the English and drive
them across the Alleghenies.
De Villiers set out on this expedl-
ton The way through the forest was
a difficult one, and before they reached
Fort Necessity rain began to fall heav-
lily. But the French pressed on, and
before noon of the Sd of July they
were firing upon Washington's de-
lenses
Their position was such, being upon
higher ground, on two slight eleva-
tons, and we'll sheltered by trees and
puollCSs that lDCy COuiu CIOS6 luSlE
fire upon the fort and enfilade a por-
ton of it, without themselves being
exposed to much injury from the Eng
lish.
The rain continued all that day and
night, but the combatants fought on
Washingtons men stood knee-deep In
the mud and water. Twice the fusil-
aiding partially subsidized, and besieged
and beleaguered gazed sullenly at each
other through the thin gauze of mist
and rain
At little after nine o'clock in the
evening the French commander called
out for a parley. Washington's fear
OF treachery led him to ignore the pro-
posal at first, but his position was SO
desperate that he complied thu second
time.
Capt. Vanbraam, a Dutchman. the
only person in his troop who could
talk French, was sent to De Villier's
camp.
After a long preliminary talk the
Frenchman wrote his terms of sur
render by the har@g light of a pine
knot, the rain drops scattering upon
the paper and rendering the writing
almost illegible
The terms permitted Washingtor
and his men to march ont with the
honors of war, retaining their arms.
stores and baggage
Washington signed the paper he-
tween midnight and one O'Clock. and
the rest of the night passed ouiatIv
though the men remained under arms
AT dawn of the Fourth of July the
/ Great Meadows presented an animated
scene. The morning was fair, and the
sun shone brightly over the damn
green forests and the lofty ridge Of
Laurel Hill.
The horses and cattle belonging to
! the garrison had all been killed and
! burdened by the sick and wounded
/ whom they carried on their backs the
English were obliged to leave most NJ
their baggage and cannons behind
Slowly they filed out of the fort ora
began their slow and wearisome march
for Wills Creek, the nearest English
station, So miles over the Allegbenias
Sad must have been the heart NJ
Washington as he surveyed the scena
All his hopes of military glory seemed
blighted in the bud. but whatever NAV
have been his feelings, no word ~
complaint or anger escaped his Inns
Without any doubt, however. II was
the darkest and most miserable morn
lag in his life.
He could not foresee the future hr,
on that other day. when the hell an
the state house at Philadelphia wac
pfoclaiming the Declaration of Inda-
pendence far and wide, and iubilant
crowds we're shouting and throwing
up their hats at the glad tidings there.
of, Washington must have thought Of
the time when he left the walls Of
Fort Necessity, defeated man and
fugitive Golden Days.