The Penn's Grove record., 1923-03-23

men"
"Well then, my brave fellows, (said
"Morgan) wake up the troops, and
prepare for action"
The ground on which this very me-
morable battle was fought, was an
open pine barren. The militia were
drawn up about two hundred yards
in front of the regulars, and the horse
some small distance in the rear. Just
after day-break, the British came in
sight, and hating within a quarter of
a mile of the militia, began to prepare
for battle. The sun had just risen,
as the enemy, with loud shouts, adj
vanced to the charge. The militia
hardly waiting to give them a distant
fire, broke and fled for their horses,
which were tied at some distance on
the wings of the Maryland line. Tarle-
toms cavalry pushed hard after the
fugitives, and coming up with them
just as they had reached their horses.
began to cut them down. Unable to
bear that sight, Col. Washington, with
his corps dashed on to their rescue.
AS if certain of victory, Tarleton's
men were all scattered in the chase!
W~ashington's on the contrary sensible
of the fearful odds against them.
advanced close and compact as the
Spartan PhalanX. Then sudden and
terrible the charge was made! Like
men fighting, life in hand, all at once
they rose high on their s%tirrups!
while in streams of lightning their
swords came down, and heads. and
arms, and caps, and carcasses, distained
with spouting gore, rolled f~earfully
all around. Mou1nfully from all sides
the cries of the wounded were heard,
and the hollow groans of the dying.
Agonizing with rage and grief,
Tarleton beheld the flight of his boast
ed victory, and the slaughter of his
bravest troops. He flew to reanimate
them-he encOuraged-he threatened
stoTmed and raved; but all in
vain; no time vas given to rally; for
like the heavy ship under crowded
canvas, bursting through the waves,
so strong and resistless Washington's
squadron went on, hewing down and
overthrowing everything in the way.
COMPOUNDED by such a fatal charge;
the British cavalry could not stand it,
and broke and fled in the utmost pre-
cipitation, while, bending forward over
their horses, and waving their blood
stained swords, the loud shouting
Americans pursued. The woods re-
sounded with the noise of their flight.
As when a mammoth dashes in
among a thousand b~uffaloes, feeding
at large on the vast plains Of Mis-
souri,; all at once the numerous herd
with wildly rolling eyes,, and hideous
bellowings, break forth into flight,
while close at their heels. the roaring
mon to,, fO1loyr-@ oo,11 +roA,I1o- -.
they fly. Such was the noise in the
cast of Tarleton, when the swords of
W~ashington's cavalry pursued his
1t was like a peal of thunder, loud
roaring at first, but gradually dying
on the ear as it rolls away along the
distant air.
By this time the British infantry
were come up; and, having crossed a
little valley, just as they assembled
the hill, they found themselves with
in twenty steps of Howard and his
regulars, who received them with a
right sOldierly welcome, and taking
good aim, poured in a general and
deadly fire-a slaughter so entirely
unexpected threw the enemy into
confusion. Seeing this wonderful
change in the battle, the militia re-
covered their spirits, and began to
form on the right of the regulars.
Morgan, waving his sword, instantly
rode up to them, and with a voice of
thunder roared out, "Hurra! my
brave fellows, form, form! Old Nor
gan vas never beat in his life-One
fire more, my heroes, and the day is
our own!" With answering shouts,
both regulars and militia then adj
vanced up on the enemy, and follow
ing their fire with their bayonet, in
stantly decided the conflict. The
ground was covered with the dead; the
tops of the aged pines shook with the
ascending ghosts. With feeble cries
and groans, at once they rose, like
f1ocks of snow-white swans when the
cold blast strikes them on the lakes
of Canada, and sends them on wide
spread wings, far to the south to seek
a happier cline.
Washington pursued Tarleton 20
miles! and during the race was often
so neal him, that he could easily have
killed him with a pistol shot. But
having strictly forbidden his men to
fire a pistol that day, he thought it
would never do to break his own or
ders. However there was one of his
men who broke them. At one time
Washington was 80 or 40 yards ahead
of him men-TarIeton observing this,
suddenly wheeled with a couple of his
dragons to cut him off. Washington,
with more courage than prudence per-
haps, dashed IT, and rising on his
%stirrups, made a blow at Tarleton,
with such force, that it beat down his
guard and muti1ated one or two of his
fingers. In this unprotected state, one
of the British dragons was aiming a
stroke which must have killed him.
Confirmed on naUa T