Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-07
IS La z X 2 p E B
By MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOoD

bearer hurried the American within the
| gates.
General Proctor regretted that so fine
young man as Major CroBhan should
| fall into the hands OF savages, who were
not to be restrained.
''when this fort is taken" said
Croghan, on hearing the message there
| will be nobody left in II to KILL"
British gunboats drawn up on the San
| dusky River. and howitzer on the shore
| opened fire, and cannonaded all day with
| the poor execution of long range artil-
| lery. The northwestern angle of the fort
! was their target. Groghan foresaw that
the enemy's intention was to make
| breach and enter there. When night
came again. his one six-pounder was
! moved with much labor from that anglo
| into the southwest blockhouse, as noise
| lessly as possible. He masked the em-
brasure and had the piece loaded with a
| double charge of slugs and grapeshot and
half a charge of powder. Perhaps the
British thought him unprovided with any
| heavy artillery.
They were busy themselves. bringing
three of the Intellectual six-pounders and
| the howitzer, under darkness, within two
| hundred and fifty yards of the fort; Civ
| ing a background of woods to their bat
| terry. About dawn we saw what they had
| been doing. They concentrated on the
|
piled only with muskets, waiting for them
to storm.
so It went on all day, the gun-proof
| blockhouse enduring its bombardment and
smoke thickening until It filled the stock
| ade as water fills a well, and settled like
| fog between us and the enemy. An at
tack was made on the southern angle
| where the cannon was masked.
"This Is nothing but feint," Croghan
said to the younger officers.
While that corner replied with mus
kerry, he kept n sharp lookout for the
safety Of the northwest blockhouse.
one soldier was brought down the lad
| der and carried through the murky pail
to the surgeon, who could do nothing for
him. Another turned from a loophole
with blood upon him, laughing at his mis-
hap. For the grotesqueness and incon-
venience of a wound are sometimes more
swiftly felt than its pain. He came back
presently with his shoulder bandaged and
| resumed his place at the loophole
The exhilaration of that powder atmos-
phere and its heat made soldiers throw
| off their coats, as IL the expanding human
body was not to be confined in wrap
pings.
In such twilight of war the twilight of
| nature overlook us. Another feint was
made to draw attention from a heavy
force of assailants creeping within 20
PAGES, under cover OF smoke, to surprise
the northwest blockhouse.
Musketry was directed against them;
they hesltated. The commander led n
charge, and himself sprang first into the
ditch. We saw the fine fellows leaping
to carry the blockhouse, every man deter
mined to be first In making a breach.
| They filled the ditch.
This was the instant for which Gro
| CHAN had waited. He opened the portfolio
and unmasked his exactly trained cannon
1t enfladed the assailants, sweeping them
at a distance of 30 feet; slugs and grape
| shot hissed, spreading fan rays OF death I
By flash of the reloaded six-pounder,
we saw the trench filled with dead and
wounded.
The besiegers turned.
Croghan's sweating gunners swabbed
and loaded and fred. roaring like lions.
| The Indians, OF whom there were nearly
thousand, were not In the charge, and
when retreat began they went In panic.
We could hear calls and yells, the clat-
ter OF arms. and a humping of the earth;
the strain OF men tugging cannon ropes
the swift withdrawal OF a routed force.
Two thousand more Indians approaching
under Tecumseh were turned back by
refugees.
Croghan remarked, as We listened to the
uproar, Fort Stephenson can hardly be
called untenabie against heavy artillery"
Then arose cries in the ditch, which
penetrated to women's ears. Neither side
before the rout was complete, Croghan
had water let down In buckets to relieve
their thirst. and ordered a trench cut
under the pickets OF the stockade.
Through this the poor wretches who were
able TO crawl came In and surrendered
themselves and had their wounds dressed.
BY three o'clock in the morning not a
British uniform giimmered red through
the dawn. The noise OF retreat ended.
Pistols and muskets strewed the ground
Even a sailboat was abandoned on the
river. holding military stores and the
''rhey thought General Harrison was
coming" laughed Croghan. as he sal
down TO an early breakfast. having re-
lieyed all the living in the trench and
detailed men 10 bury the dead. I'VE have
lost one man, and have another undel
the surgeons hands. Now I'm ready e
appear before a court-martial for dis
obeying orders"
You mean you're ready for your Inn
mortal page IN history"
Paragraph" said croghan; 'and tn,
dislike OF poor little boys and girls who
will stick their fists in their eyes wher
they have to learn II at school"
Intense manhood ennobled his long, ami
mated face. The President afferwars
made him lieutenant colonel, and WON
en- and his superior officers praised him
but he was never more gallant than whsr
he said:
MY uncle. George Rogers Clark, woult
have undertaken to hold this fort; ans
by heavens. we were bound 70 try itf'
The other young oficers sat at mes
with him, hilarious over the outcome
picturing General Proctor's state OF mins
when he learned the age OF his con
queror.
None Of them cared a rap that DAME
| Webster WAS opposing the war In tn,
House Of Representatives az WashlnEton
and declaring that on land II was 4 fail
/. ufe.
subaitern came to the meas room
door. touching hie cap end asking 10 spsal
with Major eroEhan.
THE men working outside At IN
trsnchea aaN = boy coma ~ from ~