The Republican journal., 1910-06-09
The Queen of the Kennebec.
Or The Last of The Wampanoags.
BY FRANK w. GOWEN.
No, Is,

Several hours before Mrs. Warner
overlook the main army she found a
number of dead soldiers, many of them
with their white, cold faces frozen to the
ground; then she would pass struggling
parties of starving, dying soldiers, stag
gering, and some of them even creeping,
along down the bank Of the dark, icy
river-all begging pitifully for food and
drink. Every trace of sorrow for her
husband, whom she had hastily buried in
the wilderness, vanished as she beheld the
misery and suffering around her. All
other emotions gave way for the time to
pity and grief and she lent every assist
ance in her power to relieve the suffer-
mos of the men who were starving to
death in those fearful solitudes far from
their homes and loved ones. When talnt
and weary she reached the main army
then within thirty miles OF the French
settlement from which Arnold had sent
back supplies-then on the way-for his
starving army, she found THAT the last
bit of food had given out and the soldiers
were in deep despair. Many OF them
were eating bark from the trees and Dig
cling the snow away to find acorns. on
nv God" cried Burr in tones OF anguish
as he folded Jacataque to his breast, AL
the food of the army has given out and
despair has settled on every heart. Our
brave boys have given up hope in looking
for any relief from Arnold because they
believe now that he and Captain Morgan
have persisted in the angry waters OF this
dark river" Then, as he turned his deep
penetrating eyes upon the worn and bag
gard face of the beautiful princess, ne
said 1.-THE orders are that unless RELIEF
arrives by noon tomorrow that each SOL
der who is able must shift for himself
and am ready to die for you. mo,
no." cried Jacataque, clasping her hands
and looking at Burr piteously, don t say
that YOU are to die; take my hte's blood
TO keen YOU alive cried the brave girl as
she tore away her waist and exposed her
beautiful bosom. ooh merciful father
in Heaven" she cried, wrlnglng her
hands. what are we to do" Captain
Dearborn is sick unto death and our
brave soldiers are starving and dying. -
In the agony of his soul Burr groaned
aloud, then taking the brave and heart
broken girl in his arms he soothed and
Quoted her as best he could.
All night long he remained by her side
and when morning broke over the en-
campment the sights that met his eyes
were enough to appall the stoutest heart.
Many of the soldiers who had craWled
into camp during the night lay dead;
others were dying, writing helplessly
in their last agony. The temporary hos
pital which had been hastily and rudely
constructed was crowded with sick and
dying soldiers whose cries of pain rent
the morning air. The suffering army
had made it's last stand. 1t was now
starving and in rags amidst the frost
and snow of a Canadian winter. Oh,
what scenei All the horrors OF Valley
Forge cannot compare with the awful
suffering which had overtaken Arnold's
army in the dark and stormy northern
wilderness. The wild region in which
his soldiers We're starving to death was
destitute of every means of subsistence,
while at Valley Forge the situation was
different.
About clock shout was heard far
down the river and soon after one of
Arnod's picked men came running into
camp shouting, "Arnolds picked men
under Lieutenant Church, with oxen and
carts laden with provisions, will soon be
here"
No pen nor tongue can describe the
scene when the army learned that the
long-delayed relief had arrived. The
poor, starving, dying soldiers sent up
those too weak from hunger and sickness
even to rise from the ground mingled
their weak voices of joy with those of
their stronger comrades at arms. Many
of the soldiers cried like children, and
whole companies of them fell upon the
ox-carts and provisions and before they
could be restrained and order restored
a number lost their lives by over indul-
gence of appetite.
Rev. Jacob Bailey, one of the early
missionaries on the kennebec, and his
torian, says in journal of this invasion
that "when relief came to them in the
wilderness near Sartigan, or the French
settlement in Canada, the soldiers were
mere skeletons and many were bare
footed and covered with vermin. They
had lost all their boats, and after the
ragged army arrived at Sartigan Arnold,
the rebel, who had taken up arms against
his king, found that 300 of his soldiers
had persisted in the deep, dark wilder
ness"
The army was rested and fed for three
days, and on the afternoon of the second
day all the dead received Christian bur-
ial, Rev. Mr.. Spring, the chaplain, pray
ing fervently with fearful eyes over the
new made graves. Sleep on brave heroes