Evening journal., 1915-07-03

aware is not one Of this distinguish
cd company. know how sincerely
he regretted his inability, owing TO
messing ENGAGEMENTS, to accept the
courteous invitations of your govern
or and of ihe other officials. To join N
these most interesting eXercises-and
we. of the little State of Delaware, OF
which Charles r. Miller is the hcnored
executive, dolbly regret his absence
as his genial personality aud cap,i-
waiting address make friends for him
self, and for mis- State, wherever lie
goes.
Wisely or unwisely, Governor
Miller invited me to act as his sub
Etitute and to represent the State Of
Delaware, and today am here 70 tell
YOU very briefly of the part that
Delaware played in that memorable
southern campaign, under the great
soldier Greene, whose memory we
honor today.
when the contest arose between
Great Britain and her little thirteen
colonies scattered along the Atlantic
seaboard, Delaware, through her
chosen representatives. Caesar Rod
ney, John Dickinson, Thomas Mexican
and George Read made herself heard
on the side of independence, and IN
the deliberations of the Continental
Congress the voices of these men, who
stood for the three lower counties on
Delaware, were in harmony with the
patriotic utterances of Adams, Frank
lin and Patrick Henry.
"In 1775 the population of Delaware
was 37,219: of these 1000 we're slaves,
leaving a white population OF 35,2l9.
1t is reasonable to assume that one
half of these we're males and one-fifth
OF the male population is reckoned
between the ages of eighteen and for
ty-fve, and thereby liable for military
service On that basis, about $500
men we're competent for the army in
Delaware at that time, but Delaware
furnished 472S men to the Revolution
airy cause, being over one-fourth OF
her entire male population.
1.-The Delaware Revolutionary line
represented the flower of the State
Neither officers nor men we're trained
in military affairs, but they came from
the learned professors, from the
mills, the forges and the fields.
THE First Regiment under Col.
John Haslet was enlisted early in the
spring of 1876, and served about nine
months, but at the battle of Trenton
in January, 1777 its commander was
killed and the ranks reduced to but
little more than 100, so it was soon
after disbanded.
Later a second Delaware regiment
was enlisted and placed under the
command of Col David Hall, lead
ing lawyer living at Lewes in our
State, with Charles Pope as lieut.. col
and Joseph Vaughan, as major. This
was what was always known as the
famous Delaware regiment. Hall re-
mained with the regiment less than
a year, being seriously wounded at the
battle of Germantown and forced to
retire from the service. The command
of the regiment then Tell to Charles
Pope and afterwards to Joseph Vau-
CHAN.
"The regiment went through the
New Jersey campaign with Washing
ton and after Sullivan and Small
wood fought at Brandywine and Ger
nantown. but it made its great record
in the southern campaign, the stirring
events of which will pass before us
in review today.
Leaving Morristown. New Jersey
April 10, 1880, the Delaware regi-
ment, about 500 strong, started south.
ward. General Horatio Gates having
been assigned to the command of thu
Southern Department, the two Mary.
land regiments and the Delaware reg
iment were placed in the brigade com
manded by Baron DeKalb. They
marched by land TO Elkton. Nd. ther
by water to Petersburg, Va, and or
to Hillsborough, n. c., where they
arrived on June o. AT this time,
one of the men writes. we were mucl
distressed for provisions, men were
sent TO cut the grain for daily sus
tenance-but could scarcely ge
enough to keep lne troops from starv
Ing, and in another, place he says
we lived chiefly on green apples ant
peaches which rendered us weak an'
sickly'
"On August 16. 1880. the battle o
Camden was fought The battle wa
a mistake and it was fought by Gate
against the advice of his officers. Th
Delaware regiment went into the bat
tie 500 strong. They fought lik
brave men long and we'll They stoo
as bravely and as long as men eve
stood before the foe, and we're tn
last to leave the field This repoT
was made afterwards. In this battl
the Delaware regiment was nearly an
initiated. OF 500, there remained af
ter the battle $50 in all, and it mus
be remembered that the battle laste
scarcely an hour. Lieut.. Colone
Vaughan, in command of the regimen
and Major Patten, second in com
mand, we're taken prisoners togethe
with forty-fve of the men,.
1.-THE capture of these officers pu
the regiment in command of Cap
Robert Kirkwood. who in the subse
quent engagements was often in com
mand of a brigade, and at the clos
of the war was made major. The
were in all the battles under Green,
in the south, from the time he too
command on December 6. 1850. a
successor of Gates.
"The Delawares were at the con
f1ict with Morgan. They were wit
Greene in the battle of Guilford foush
here on March Is. 1881. The journs
Of Mayor Kirkwood. happily preserv
ed by the Historical Society OF Della
ware, contains this modest entry a
% the battle of Guilford Court Hous,
March IS. 17si This day com
menced the action at Guilford Cour
House between Generals Greene an
CORVALLIS. in which many wer
killed and wounded on both side
General Greene drew off hi o~r,