The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-10-26


glistenin6 with sweat, and ferocious
for closer fighting. yelled in my ear:
'They say we shall die like brave
men r.
! did not desire to be slaughtered,
as the uselessly heroic never appealed
to me. But the Dinwold girl was
cooped up inside the devilish circle
and there are certain things man
must always do. She was Of my race
and I was especially bound to find
her. With the Onondaga the case was
different. He had a fair chance of
winning clear Of the terrible mistake,
and urged him to do so. He asked
me If would keepwith him, and when
answered that must End the witch
woman he whooped hoarsely and took
the lead in line that ran parallel
to the blood-soaked road.
We heard the drums sound the re-
treat and knew that Braddock was
dead or had lost his naughty pride.
We heard the firing down the line as
the enemy attacked Halket's men at
the baggage-train, and from the les
SEEMING volume of the return fire we
knew our losses must be tremendous.
or else the ammunition was failing.
At the time Braddock ordered the
retreat to he sounded only third of
the army was left. We learned that
much afterward. The smoke made 1t
impossible to see clearly. and the indi-
yidual combats between rangers and
Savages served to confuse further our
sense of direction. remember the
Onondaga giving mighty grunt as
he crashed his ak through the head
Of Huron who bumped into US. l.
recall mechanically staving in another
red skull with the butt of my loaded
rifle. And then to my surprise both
the Indian and I were in the road.
surrounded by the dead and dying,
and those who fired blindly. and more
often killed friend than they wound
ed a foe.
'sThese men are fooIs!" cried the
Onondaga, lodging a blow from
mllsket swung by mailman "The
woods The weOds!"
But now we were In the road it was
most difficult to leave It without be-
ing shot in the back; yet to remain in
the frenzied crowd meant death with
out chance to strike back. We were
only short distance above the bag
gage-train, and toward ii we began
making our way. Guns were squirting
flame from the bushes at our feet.
The guards were pointing their mus.
kets high and firing thin volleys into
the foliage. Once the retreat was
sounded panic had seized upon the
survivors. and In stumbling, insane
rush those who could walk made a
last attempt to reach the river.
The bowling of the Indians in
creased in volume as they realized
the extent of their unexpected
triumph. A few hours back the fort
(. Indians had fatty refused to follow
Beaujeu, and now they were lusting
like demons to kill, kill, until not an
Englishman was left alive. The saw.
ages, observing the mad fear now pos
sessing the army, grew holder and
began to appear from behind the
great trees, from under the grape and
pea-vines, and through the tall grass.
Cory hands darted out to seize some
dead or dying man and drag him into
the cover. The best equipped and
proudest army England had ever sent
to North America was q rabbie of
crazy men.
Captain Orme of the regulars, and
Captain Stewart of the Virginia rifle
men, aided by another American Of
ficer did not know, came through
the mass bearing heavy figure. 1t
was General Braddock and he was
putting for breath and was wounded
through the chest.
"Braddock's killed. Braddock's
killed!" was the despairing cry raised
as the commander was carried to the
rear.
"Rally the fools at the ford"
gasped the commander.
"Braddock's killedl" howled a drill
sergeant, although he must have
heard his general speak.
And he danced up and down until
red hands shot out from the bushes
and caught him by the ankles and
jerked him from our sight.
Colonel Washington now had all
the riflemen fighting In the Indian
fashion, and only his maneuver saved
the army from being annihilated. As
1t was. four hundred and fifty officers
and men were dead, slain outright,
and nearly as many more wounded.
Out of eighty-nine commissioned Of
ticers sixty-three were killed or
wounded: and not field-officer had
escaped unhurt. Lean Virginians
from behind trees were shouting en-
enlargement to one another and cali
ing for the regulars to fall back out
Of the way and cross the river. 1t
was the first time our rifiemen and
England's carefully drilled regulars
had gone into battle together, and al
-onaus fho nolopfolc ryn,o ds~nox,o~s..~