The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1906-06-29

He now fell back upon Fort Neces-
sity. His situation was a critical one.
His men had but little ammunition,
and no bread of any kind, having lived
for several days on fresh meat alone,
and even this was not plentiful.
Washington spent his single day OF
respite in strengthening his rampant
with logs. On the morning of the
Sd of July his scouts brought intelli-
gence of the advance of the French.
Meanwhile the French and Indians,
under the command of Coulon de VIII
liers, 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 expedi-
ton. The way through the forest was
a difficult one, and before they reached
lily. But the French pressed on, and
before noon of the Sd of July they
were firing upon Washingtons de-
lenses.
Their position was such, being upon
higher ground, on two slight eleva-
tons, and well sheltered by trees and
bushes, that they could cross their
fire upon the fort and enfilade a por-
ton of it, without themselves being
exposed to much injury from the Eng
lish.
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 the 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
rem Ter by the iaring light of a pine
knCt, the rain drops SCATTERING upon
the paper and rendering the writing
almost illegible.
The terms permitted Washington
and his men to march out with the
honors of war, retaining their arms,
stores and baggage.
Washington signed the paper be-
tween midnight and one o'clock, and
the rest of the night passed quietly,
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 snone brightly over the damp.
green forests and the lofty ridge of
Laurel Hill.
The horses and cattle belonging to
the garrison had all been killed. and.
whom they carried on their backs, the
English were obliged to leave most of
their baggage and cannons behind.
Slowly they filed out of the fort and
began their slow and wearisome march
for Wills Creek, the nearest English
station, 50 miles over the Alleghenies.
Sad must have been the neart OF
Washington as he surveyed the scene.
All his hopes of military glory seemed
blighted IN the bud, but whatever nay
have been his feelings, no word OF
complaint or anger escaped his lips.
Without any doubt, however. it was
the darkest and most miserable morn
ing in his life.
He could not foTesee the future. bu,
on that other day, when the bell on
the state house at Philadelphia was
proclaiming the Declaration of Inde-
pendence far and wide, and jubilani
crowds were shouting and throwing
up their hats at the glad tidings there.
of, Washington must have thought OF
the time when he left the walls oil
Fort Necessity. a defeated man and a
frgitivs.--Golden Days.