Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-05-07


two in Virginia. that each company snail marcn
to ioin The army near Boston to be there EN-
ployed as light infantry under the command VI
the chief officer of that army
There was good reason for congress Gaining upon
these colonies for expert rilemen" for their cti
zens had been among the first to push across the
Appalachians and 1t was a Pennsylvania gun
smith, one Dechert or Decherd (Deckard or Deck
hard he is also called and his apprentice, Mills,
who put into the hands Of these frontiersnen the
weapon which made them famous-the fong rlne.
So while the New Englanders were still ci1nglng
to the clumsy old Queen Anne musket or the Brown
Bess the men of the southern colonies were
scorninp to shoot squirrel anywhere except
through the head And what they could do TO q
: SQUIRREL was not so difficult to do to any redskln
who would block the course of empire westward.
rs one Of the first to respond to the call OF con-
press was Daniel Morgan of Frederick county,
Virginia. He had been WAGNER in Braodocks
ar,mv and he still bore on his back the marks OF
q british lash because he had knocked down leu
tenant who had struck him with the nat OF MS
sword Small wonder that Morgan was anxious to
renay these "doings Of old King George as ne
called those scars
within ten days after receiving his commission
Morgan had raised company and early in July,
1775 he started from Winchester His marching
orders were simple-"A bee-ne for Boston, Doys!
within twenty-one days he covered the distance OF
600 miles without losing man through sickness
or desertion and offered to his excenency' OeoIse
washington, the services of SO expert rlnemen
"from the right bank Of the Potomac, SIT
Nv the end of August all of the rifle companies
/ 400 men in all had arrived in the camp at Cam
bridge Pennsylvania had sent nine companies IN
stead of six and these nine companies Wele
formed as one battalion under the command u
col William Thompson of Carlisle with EdWaru
Hond &C lieutenant colonel. Their captains were
the following: James Chambers, Robert Cluggage,
Michael Doudel William Hendricks, Abraham NIL
Iar George Nagel James Ross, Matthew smith
and John Lowdon
Tn Iowdon's company were two men destlheu
Yor later renown One was a 19-year-olu, red-iedu-
ed Irish lad who became Capt Sam Brady, cllel
If rangers on the Pennsylvania and ONO Dorder'
hero of "Brady's Leap and dozen other mar
breadth escapades The other was five years Old
.r than Brady He was somewhat under the aver
age height but well-built and muscular, lean OF
flank and swift of foot, typical plack-nalreu'
dark-eyed Celt and no history OF the New 1ork
frontier during the later days of the Revoiutlon
would be complete without mention OF LII
Murphy the "Scout of the Schoharie"
IN one of the Maryland companies, LED Dy capt
Gabriel Long was a frontlersman nalheu Daviu
Eerson or Ellison, who had already proved MN
self a daring fighter and dead shot IN the wars
on the Virginia frontier. But he won even greater
foma both in fact and in fiction, as the boon COM
nanion of Tim Murphy The other Maryland COM
many was commanded by man of tragic history
Can't. Michael Cresap name familiar to every
school boy who has ever recited that winch ends
"Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one IS
History has long since absolved Cresap from the
guilt of the murder of Logans family, put 50 long
as this famous bit of Indian oratory is preserved
the chiefs mistaken accusation will cast shadow
unon the fame of gallant rifeman who died be-
fore he had chance to distinguish himself in the
war for independence.
Such were the outstanding figures in this group
,Jxf, vyoI0n n1nH
army For it was such stark hunters and bush
aohters as these that he had led ten years before
In the fateful Braddock expedition and 1t was
through their cool daring and stubborn lighting
onalities that he had been able to save remnant
Of the British army from slaughter.
Take look at Murphy, Elerson and their mates
as they swagger along the streets OF Cambridge