The Ordway new era., 1913-07-04

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Washington did all that furious
energy and reckless courage could 10
keep the order OF battle his com.
mander had 80 madly chosen. to hold
the regulars to their blind work and
hearten the Virginians to stay the
threatened rout, driving his horse
everywhere into the thick of the mur-
derous firing. and crying upon all
alike to keep to 1t steadily like men.
He had but yesterday rejoined the
advance. having for almost two weeks
lain stricken with a fever in Dunbar S
camp.
A Charmed Life.
He could hardly sit his cushioned
saddle for weakness when the fight
began. but when the blaze of the bat
tie burst, his eagerness was suddenly
like that Of one possessed. and his I'M
munity from harm like that OF one
charmed. Thrice a horse was shot
under him. many bullets cut his cloth.
ing. but he went without a wound. A
like mad energy drove Braddock
storming up and down the breaking
lines. but he was mortally stricken at
last. and Washington alone remained
to exercise such control as was pos
sible when the inevitable rout came.
1t was impossible to hold the ground
in such fashion. The stubborn Brad
dock himself had ordered retreat ere
the fatal bullet found him. Sixty
three out Of the eighty-six officers OF
his force we're killed or disabled: less
than five hundred men out of all the
thirteen hundred who had but Just
now passed SO gallantly through the
ford remained unhurt: the deadly
slaughter must have gone on to utter
destruction.
Death Of Braddoek.
Retreat was Inevitable twas
blessed good fortune that it we1 still
possible. When once it began 1t was
headlong, reckless. frenzied. The men
ran wildly. blindly. as II hunted by
demons whom no man might hope to
resist-haunted by the frightful cries.
maddened by the searching and secret
fire of their foes, now coming hot
upon their heels Wounded comrades.
military stores. baggage. their very
arms. they left upon the ground.
abandoned. Far into the night they
ran madly on. in frantic search for the
camp of the rear division. crying. as
they ran. for help; they even passed
the camp. in their uncomfortable ter
ror of pursuit. and went desperately
on toward the settlements.
A.. 4
provincials who scorned the terror
found the utmost difficulty In bringing
of their stricken general. where he
lay wishing to die. Upon the fourth
day after the battle he died. loathing
the sight of redcoat. they said. and
murmuring praises OF the blues" the
once despised Virginians. They buried
his body in the road, that the army
wagons might pass over the place and
obliterate every trace of a grave their
savage enemies might rejoice to find
and desecrate.
A Craven Commander.
He had lived to reach Dunbar's
camp, but not to see the end OF the
shameful rout. The terror mastered
the rear guard, too. They destroyed
their artillery. burned their wagons
and stores, emptied their powder into
the streams. ana themselves broke in
to a disordered feverish retreat which
was a mere flight. their cravan com
mander shamefully acquiescing He
would not even hold or rally them at
Fort Cumberland, but went on. as If
upon hurried errand, all the way to
Philadelphia, leaving the fort, and
all the frontier with it, ito be de-
Tended by invalids and a few Vir-
ginians."
Il acknowledge" cried Dinwiddle, 81
was not brought up to arms: but I
think common sense would have pre-
vailed not to leave the frontier expos
ed after having opened road over
the mountains to the Ohio, by which
the enemy can the more easily invade
us. The whole conduct of Colonel
Dunbar seems to be monstrous" And
SO. indeed it was.
But the colonies at large had little
time to think of it. Governor Shirley
had gone against Niagara only to find
the French ready for him at every
point. now that they had read Brad
docks papers. taken at Duquesne. and
to come back again without doing any
thing. Beausejour had been taken In
Acadia. but 1t lay apart from the main
field OF struggle. johnson beat the
French off at Lake George when they
attacked him. and took Dieskau, their
commander; but he contented himself
with that. and left Crown Point un-
touched. There were other frontiers
besides those of Virginia and Pennsyl-
vania to be looked to and guarded.
Three Years Of Frcneh Success.
For three long years did the for
tunes of the English settlements go
steadily from danger to desperation.