Gunnison news-champion., 1912-11-08
on1ADeea xxsu.

0aaASsGa xzss.
essstso c$s~sss - ouasDl
waD hsfi behtad af Coryelis Ferry.
sor the purpose ~ hasseuiag forward
any sspplemeatsry oraers from Wash.
inetea. when Maxwell. and the Jersey
militiamen. pressed forward In en- ef-
fort TO retard the march of the enemy.
froR the reports 81 scouts ~e began
TO understand what was occurring
Before dawn on the eighteenth Of june
the British army began having the
city. crosssas the Delaware at Giouees
ter point. and by evening the motley
host, comprising Regulars. Hessians,
Loyaaists. and q swarm Of camp fol
lowers. we're halted near Haddeniield
hve miles southeast Of Camden.
The moment this knowledge reached
Washington. he acted. In spite Of ep-
position from some II his leading ON
GERS. his own purposs remained stead
fact, and every preparation had sl
ready been carefully made for ener.
settle pursuit. Our troops At for serv.
ice numbered less than FIVE thousand
men. many Of these hastily gathered
G'lttia, some Of whom had never been
under hre. but the warmth and com.
Hort u the summer time, together
with the good news from France. had
tnspired all with fresh courage. What.
ever Of dissension existed was only
among the eoterie Of general ofRcers.
the men in the ranks being eager for
battle, even though the odds were
strong against us. There was no de.
lay, no hitch in the promptness Of ad.
vance. The department Of the Quar-.
termaster(seneral had every plan
worked out In detail, and, within tive
days, the entire army had crossed the
river, and pushed forward to within .
few miles Of Trenton. Morgan, with
six hundred men, was hurried forward
- the reinf0rcement Of MARVEL, and,
relieved from my duties at the ferry,
] IVES permitted to join his column.
I know not when, during all my
army life. | was more deeply i'm
pressed with the awful solemnity of
war, than as ! watched these volun.
teer soldiers land on the Jersey shore,
and tramp away through the dust. In
thoee ranks were sick and wounded
scarcely able to keep up; occasionally
one would crawl aside but the moment
he was able would join some new body,
and resume the march.
They were animated by q stern pur.
pose which yielded power. Such as
these were not to be trified with. 9th
ers might scon at their raggedness Of
line. their carelessness Of discipline,
their nondescript garments, and vari
sty Of equipment. but to one who had
seen such In battle-who had been
with them at Trenton, Brandywine
and Germantown-they were warriors
not to be despised. stern, grim fight
erS, able to hold their own against
England's best drilled battalions.
watched them file past-Wayne's, Var
NUNS. Scotts brigades, and Jackson g
and Grayson's regiments-markins
the brown, dust -caked faces, the eager
eyes. the sturdy. tireless tread, the
well OILED nuskets. Boys, men, gray.
boards. all alike exhibited in their
faces the same expression. They were
anticipating battle against . hated foe,
and counted hardship as nothing COM
pared with the joy Of conflict. Every
step brought them closer to the
grappIe Of arms-to that supreme test
Of strength. courage. endurance. for
which they had left their homes. They
might be poorly drilled, fll-dressed,
variously armed, yet these were fight
ing men.
1t was midnight when Morgan led us
mp the steep blum. and out upon the
candy road. We advanced silently.
and in struggling column through the
darkness. passing the embers of
camp fires for several miles. the re-
cumbent soldiery of other commands
sleeping on the ground. At Hopewell,
Washington was holding another coun-
ell with his oficers As we swung
past We could perceive his tall figure
standing IN the glow q a fire. and
here arose from the lips OF our men
. sudden. Involuntary cheer, breaking
upon the solemn silence OF
the night. The group about him wer>
and looked about. and he
paused 4 moment shading his eyes.
What troops are these7" he asked.
his voice cutting across the distance.
4 hundred answered him:
MorgaRs rifiemeni"
Good. my lads!" and even At that
9istance I could see his face brighten.
There will be work for you at dawn"
With . rolling cheer. echoing down
our ranks from front to rear. we an
swered. swinging the guns over our
heads, - We swept forward into the
4ark night There might be discus
sion, dissension about tnat council fire,
but there was none in the hearts OF
those who were going out to die. Al
ready rumors were flying about re
garding Lees unwillingness to engage