The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-17

w dI O1OON OA
 January 17S1 I enlisted in the Continental service, engaged for three years. On the 9th day or April following marched to join the army at the Highlands. Ar- rived at camp on the Sth of the month, where I was joined with Col. Sherman's regiment, in Capt. Benton's company. (Sela Benton, of StratfOrd). Our business at present is learning the military art.
 "May 5th-Plenty of provisions coming again from Waterbury.
 May 15th--I set out, which was very unexpected, to join the Inc fantry down at the southward.
 "This day (June 6, 178D we pass General Washington'S. plan- tation, which is of large extent. We pass his Excellency's house, and 'tis said we march 10 miles on his land. We also went into beautiful church and saw his pew.
 June 17th. we are all in pursuit of the British enemy. At night we passed General Wayne and joined infantry at 8 o'clock on the morning of the 11th, after a long and tedious march of more than 600 miles, which cost Us nearly Q months time together with much atigue and great hardships. Gen- eral Wayne joined soon after, and the militia are coming soon. We march at 2 o'clock and expect to come up with the enemy in a day or two. We had our Generals (Wayne) applause for our forti- tude to bear hardships with pa tience.
 At the rising of the sun on the 14th we marched 12 or 15 miles before we halted. The next day we began our route at break Of day and continued till the middle of the afternoon and then et1- camped in the woods about 50 miles from Richmond.
 "Six hundred men have attacked and stood the fire. sword, and bay onet of the force of an army of 5,O00-yea, of the whole army of Cornwallis. Our General, the Marquis Nafayette) had two horses shot under him, yet he is not daunted.
 July 21st (On the James river).
 "At 10 o'clock we received in- telligence of 4 gunboats coming up the river, supposed to be in order to catch our General-the Mar quis, who quartered near the river.
 "On this about 500 of us pressed forward with 2 field pieces to scare them back again. We marched miles and came upon them. Our engineer directed his shot 50 well as to strike through the hull and cut away the fore- mast of one of the boats.
 "The second shot took away the rudder, and what our other 28 shots must have done, 1t appears must have been considerable. They immediately turned down the riv- CT. We followed them 4 miles, but could get no more shots at them.
 We retired and came to camp that evening, hat4ng traveled "A miles.
 Here must take notice of some villany. Within these days past l have marched by IS or 20 Negroes that lay dead by the waySide, pu- trifying with the smallpox. How such a thing came about, appears to be thus: The Negroes fiocked in great numbers to CornwalliS. This artful general takes a num- Der of them Several hundred), inoculates them, and just as they are growing sick, he sent them out into the country where our people had to pass and repass. These poor creatures, having no care taken of them, many crawled into the bushes about and died. This is a piece of COrnwallisean cruel- ty. He is not backward to own that he has inoculated 400 or 500 in order to spread the smallpox through the country, and sent them out for that purpose, which is another piece of his conduct that wants Q name. But there is 8 King far above tine British King, and Lord superior to their lords.
 ''The 18th (June) we lay still; sent out scouts, and took some prisoners belonging to Tarlton's light horse. When we went after Tarlton's light horse. we went without our pieces being loaded and with our Hints taken out. that no one might fire a gun. General Wayne. whom they call Mad An. thony' and 'Sword-in-hand' in- tended to have put them all to tIie a.