Indiana Palladium, Volume 2, Number 19, Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, 20 May 1826 — Page 1
WW H 2 1 i '1 EQUALITY OF RIGHTS IS NATURES PLAN AND FOLLOWING NATURE IS THE MARCH OF MAN. Barlow. Volume II. LAWRENCEBURGII, INDIANA; SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1826. Number i9.
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Frora the Missouri Republican. ple shot over on them, arid never would
correct Xarraiive. of the Battle of Fort,e ?ave relinquished our arms, had we GrisivoU, Sept. 6. 1781. had the least idea that such a catastro-
put; v. ouiu nine jonoweo. iu ufiirnie
On the morning of the 5th of Sept. 1781,-twenty-four sail of the enemy's
shipping appeared to the westward ofj
New-London harbor. The enemy landed in two divisions, of about COO men each, commanded by that infamous traitor to his-country, Benedict Arnold, who headed the division that landed on the lieu -London side, near Brown's farms; the other division, commanded by Col. Eyre, landed on Gioton Point, nearly opposite. I was first sergeant of Capt. Adam Shaplcy's company of state troops, and was stationed with him, at the time
with about 23 men, at Fort Trumbull.
(on the New-London side.) This was a mere breastwork or water battery, open from behind, and the enemy coming on us from that quarter, we spiked our cannon, and commenced a retreat across the
river to r-ort Griswold in three boats. The enemy were so near that they overshot us with then-muskets, and succeed
ed in capturing one boat, with six men.
commanded by Josiah Smith, a private. They afterwards proceeded to New-London, and Burnt the town. We were received by the garrison with enthusiasm being considered experienced artillerists
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wnom inev mucn nceueu; ana we were immediately assigned to our stations. The Fort was an oblong square, with bastions at opposite angles, 'its longest fide fronting the river, in a N. W. and S. E. direction. Its walls were of stone
and were 10 or 12 feet high on the low
er side, and surrounded by a ditch. On the wall, were pickets, projecting over 12 feet; above this, was a parapet, with embrasures, and within, a platform for the cannon, and a step to mount upon to shoot over the parapet with small arms. In the S. W. bastion was a flag-staff, and1 in the side, near the opposite angle, was the gate in front of which was a triangu
lar breastwork to protect the gate; and J
this scene I must be permitted to go
back a little in my narrative. I commanded an 18 pounder on the south side of the gate, and while in the act of sighting my gun, a ball, passing through the embrasure, struck me a little above the right ear, grazing the scull, and cutting oil" the veins, which bled profusely. A handkerchief was tied round it and I con-'
tinued at my dutv. Discovering, some
little time after, that a British soldier
had broken a picket at the bastion on my
left, and was forcing himself through the hole, whilst the men stationed there
were gazing at the battle which raged
opposite to t! em. and observing no oiheer
in tnat direction lumped from the plat
form and ran to them crying m brave
fellows- the enomv are breaking in be hind you; and raised my pike to des
patch the intruder, when a ball struck
my left arm at the elbow, and my pike fell to the ground. Nevertheless, I
grasped it again with my right hand, and with the men, who turned and fought
manfully, cleared the breach. The en
emy, however, soon after forced the S.
W . bastion, w here Capt. Simpler, Capt.
refer Richards, Lieut. Richard Chap man, and several other men of distinc
tion, and volunteers, had fought with un
conquerable courage, and were all ei
ther killed or mortally wounded,! and which had sustained the brunt of every attack. Col. Lodyard, seeing the ene
my within the fort, gave orders to cease firing, and to throw down our arms, as the fort had surrendered. We did so; but they continued tiring upon us, crossed the Fort and opened the gate, when they marched in, tiring in platoons npon those who were retreating to the magazine and barrack rooms, for safeJy. At this moment, the renegadoCol, commanding cried out, who ccrmnds thi- gar-
to the right of this was a redoubt, with aison? Colonel Ledvard, who was
three pounder in it, which was abouth" near me, answered, "I did, s'r, IvA
120 yards from the gate. Between the Fort and the river was another battery, with a covered way but which could not be used in tins attack, as the enemy appeared in a diffjront quarter. The car-
point towards himself. At thi?
1 perceived a soldier in the act of bayoneting me from behind. I turned su 1-
rison with the volunteers, consisted of;denly round and grasped his bayonet,
about 160 men. Soon after our arrival the enemy appeared in force in some wo jds about half a mile S. E. of the Fort, from v. :. . -ice they sent a ting oi truce, winch wm 'net bv Captain Shapley, demanding asi a. (Conditional surrender, threatening at the same time, to storm the Fort instantly, if the terms were not accepted. A Council of War
was held, and it was the unanimous voice that tiie garrison were unable, to defend them-elves against so superior a force. Bui a militia Col. who was then in the Fort, and had a body of men in the immediate vicinity, said he would reinforce them with 2 or 300 men in iiftccn
tvithout fire or light, parched with ex
crutiating thirst, not a wound dressed
mr n soul to administer to one of oui
wants, nor an assisting hand to turn us during these tedious hour of the night: nothing but groans and unavailing sigh.'were heard, and two of our number did net liv to seo the light of the morning, whirh brought with it some ministering
vou do new," rt the ar? time steppingjar.gols to our relief; the first was in t re
nin Iii:-swci a w itsi ihrd verson of Ahss b ann Ledyard, of South-
i
in its arrest was like bursting the cords of life asunder, and caused us to shriek with almost supernatural force. Our cries wfie distinctly heard and noticed on the opposite side of the river (which is more than a mile wide) amidst all the confusion which raged in burning and sacking the town. We remained in the wagon more than an hour before our hu
mane conquerors hunted us up, when we were again paraded and laid on the bench, preparatory to embarkation. But by the interposition of Ebcnezer Ledyard (brother to Col. L.) ft ho humanely
represented our deplorable situation and the impossibility cf our being able to reach New-York, 35 of u; were patroled in the usual form. Bein near the house of Ebenezer Avery, who was also one ot our number, we were aken into it. Here we had not long re.nained, before a marauding party set tire to every rccm evidently intending to burn us up with the house. The party seen left it, when it was with difliculty extinguished and we were thus saved from the flames. Ebenezer Ledyard again interfered and obtained a sentinel to remain and guard
us until the last of the encmv embarked about 11 o'clock at night. None of our own people came to us till near daylight
the next morning, not knowing previous to that time that the enemy had depart
ed.
Such a night of distress and anguish
was scarcely ever passed bv mortal.
Thirty-five of us were h ing on the hare
floor stiff, mangled, and wounded in; in Sdim, and drawing his clamcrc
every manner, exhausted with pain, fr- began to pitch and prance about, cuttigue and loss of blood, without clolhrstting and slashing the empty air, as if he
or any thing to cover us, trembling wiihihad a score of enemies before him, and cold, and spasms of extreme anguish jtver and ancn, rearing cut: uliuzza,
aid, with four volunteers and go into the enemy's lines and see what they were doing. On approaching the town they met an old tory: one of your half-witted fellows whom neither side regarded more than a Jew does a pig, and therefore suffered him to stroll when and where he pleased. The old man knew capt. Witheis very well; and as soon as he had got near enough to recollect him,
bawled out, ''Gods mercy, master U lthers! why, where are you going this course?' 'Going, old daddy! why to the devil perhaps," replied W ithers. "Well faith! that's like enough cap
tain," said the old man "especially if you keep on this track much longer. But before you go any further, suppose you tnke a pull of this with me,' holding up a stout tickler of brandy ; you may not get such liquor where you are going." "With all my heart, daddy," answered Withers, and twigged the tickler to the tunc of deep dram; then passed it round to jU'Donald ; ho also t igged it. "and Tom twigged it, Dick twigged it, and Harry twigged it, and so they all twinred it." In the mean time the chat
went round very briskly , and dram after
dram, of the brandv, until the tickler was drained to the bottom. And then tie subtle spirit of the brandy ascending (o their noddles, worked such wonders.
that they a!i began to feel themsches as log as field oil cers. JVTDonald, for his pair with a face as red as a comet, reintd
tand-
lerward, nan
endeavoring to unship it, and knock oil
the thrust. But in vain having but one hand, he succeeded in forcing it into my right hip, above the joint and just below the abdomen, and crushed me to Jhe ground. The first person I saw afterwards was my brave commander, a corpse by my side, having been run thro
I the body with his own sword, bv the sav-
aire renerado. Never was a scene or
more brutal wanton carnage witnessed, than now took place. The enemy were still u via g unon us in platoons, and in the barrack rooms, they - discovered they were in danger of being blown up by
communicating fire to the powder scat-
hold L. I. (then on a visit to her unc
our murdered commarder.) who held to my lips a cup of warm chocolate, and soon after returned with wine and other refreshments, which revived us a little. For these kindnesses, she lias never ceased to receive my most grateful thanks, and fervent p ravers for her felicitv. The cruelty ofour enemy cannot be conceived, and our renegado countrymen surpassed, in this respect, if possible, our British foes. We were at least an hour, after the battle, within a fewsteps of a pump in the garrison, well sup
plied with water; and, although, we were suffering with thirst, tley would
boy s ! damme, let's charge !"'
K e, hosl' cried all the rest, reining up their hoi fees, and flourishing their a words. Where the plague are you going to charge?' asked the old tory. V by into Georgetown right cfi !' rcplie d they. 'Well you had better have care boys, he w you charge there, for I'll be blamed if you do r et get voursclve into bu-sinss-pretty quick; for the town is chock full of red coals.' 'Red coats!' one and all roared out, 'red coats! egad, that's just what we want. Charge boys! charge! huzza for the red coats, damme!' Then clapping spurs to their steeds, off went these six voting mad-caps.
of courts and monarchies, will probably be assigned as the cause of the refinement. No one denies this invention J be modern: But some of the more zealous partizens of the ancients, hava asserted it to be foppish and ridiculou&j and a reproach, rather than a credit, to the present age. . It may here be pro per to examine this queion. Nature has implanted in all living creatures an affection between the sex es, which, even in the fiercest and most rapacious animals, is not mearly confined to the satisfaction of the bodily ap petite, but begets a friendship and mutual sympathy, which runs through the w hole tenor of their lives. Nay, even
in those species, w here nature limits the indulgence of this appetite to one season &c to one object, &: forms a kind of marriage or association between a single male cc female, there is y eta visible complacency and benevolence, which extends farther, ar.d mutually softens the affection towards each other. How much more must this have place in man wh -e. the confinement of the appetife is t naturnl; but either is derived accidemljr fromstome strong charm of love, orarises fiem refections cn duty and convenience? Nothing, therefore, can proceed
less from aflectaticn than the passion of
gallantry.
Art, and education, in the
It is ratuiai in the highest
u eg: eo.
most elegant cruris, make no more alteration on it than all the other laudable passions. They only turn the mind more towards it; and give it a proper expression. Eut gallantry is as generous as it is??a tural. To correct such gross vices, as lead us to commit real injury on others i the part of morals, and the object of the mcst ordinary education. Where that is not attended to, in seme de gree, no human society can subsist. But in order to render conversation, and the intercourse of minds more agee able, good-manners have been invented and have carried the matter somewhat farther. Wherever nature has givers the mind a propensity to any vice, or to any passion disagreeable to others, re fined breeding has taught men to thrcT the bias on the opposite side, and to preserve, in all their behaviour, the apperar.ee of sentiments derived from those to which they mutually incline. Thusj as we are commonly proud and selfish, and apt to assume the preference above
others, a polite man learns to behave
huzzaing and flourishing their swords, jwith deference towards his companion?, and charging at full tilt, into a Britishjand to vield the superiority to them in
garrison town of SCO men!!! The enemy supposing that this was only cur advance; and Marion, with his whole force, would presently be upon them, flew with all speed to their redoubt; and there lav as snug as flees in
not permit us to take one drop of it, nor a sheep skin. But all cf them were not
while delivering out catridges; nor did
it then cease in the rooms for some mm-
minutes, if they would hold out; Cohered at the mouth of the magazine
JLe lyard agreed to send back a defiance unon.the most solemn assurance of im-
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mediate succor. For this purpose Col.js longer. All tms time me oayonei , started, his men being then ins '"freer even on those who sight; but he was no more seen, nor did were helplessly wounded, and m the aghe even attempt a diversion in our favor.! ies of death. I recollect Capt. WTm.
give us any themselves. Some of our
number, who were not disabled from going to tiie pump were repulsed with the bayonet, and not one drop did I taste after the action commenced, although begging for it, after 1 w as w ounded, of all who came near me, until relived by Miss Ledyard. We were a horrible sight at tins time. Our own friends did not know us even my own wife came in the room
quite so !'.:ckv, for several w ere ovcrta
ken and cut down in the streets, among!
them was a sergeant-major, a stout greasy fellow, who strove hard to waddle away with his bacon: but Selim was too
juJck for him; and Mr. M'Donald with
all incidents of society. In like manner, wherever a person's situation may naturally beget any disagreeable sus1 picion in him, it is the part of goodmanners to prevent it, by a studied
display of sentiments, directly contrary to those of which he is apt to be jealous.. Thus, old men know their infirmities,' and naturally dread contempt from the youth: Hence, well-educated youth redouble the instances of resoect
and deference to their elders. Stangers and foreigners are without protection:
i . . - i.i it
been returned bv CaDt. Shanlev: the had 13 bayonet wounds, alilmngti ms
. 1 . 1 ,J 7 . 1 l 1 : 1.- 1 ,l,f..rl
enemy were soon m motion, and march- Knee nau previously uei-.i auam.i
cd with freat raniditv. ir a solid roiu-rin a ball, so much so, that it was oolsged; I. ad been collected under a large Llm'cern.
to within a short distance of the Fort -; to be amputated the next day. But Ijtree near the house. It was with the; The British having for so
ullf.rv dividing both columns, thev rush-! need not mention particular cases. 1-utmost diff.cultv that many of them W I ked ior .Iari-n, began
r.l fnrio.isiv a id Minult i neou-1 v "to thelhavc already said we had 6 killed and! could be identified and we were fre-i'-Vk, and in great wrath
the backhanded stroke of his clavmore,; Hence, in all polite countiies, they re
ceive the highest civilities, and are entitled to the first place in every company A man is lord in his own family, his guests are in a manner, subject to his authori
ty: Hence, he is alway s the lowest per-
sent his frightened ghost to join the ma
jority.
thus cleared the streets,' our
Having
'
Wh'n the answer n their domitid li-nP Seymour, a: volunteer from If ARTroRn.Sin search of me, and did not recognize; voting troopers then called at the houses
me, and as I did not sec her. she left theiol tlieir menus: asked them trie news,
room to seek for me among the slain, who. and drank their grog with great uncoii-:son in the company; attentive to - ths-
wants of every one; and giving himselt
me time vain- all the trouble, in order to please, which
to smell the! may not betray too visible an affecta-
sallied forth, tion, or impose too much constraint cn
os-au't of fie W bastion and theoo- " wounded, previous to their storming; nueivuv called upon to assist tneir men nr vengeance, our aovnuuers memnis guests, uauamry is noining dui an
l f I. HI- II nr i f.- I t iV i - - iT" . r . 1
our lines: nj were kI eu. in ail. no mor- in uisunrruismnEr tnem. nv rcmemnen: l . m uur, were ia::i 10 scampi, r on as lasuir.sia
a tu re has given man the superiority
above uo?:wn, by endowing him with, greater strength both of body and mind ; it is his part to alleviate that superiority , as much as possible, by the generosi
ty of his behaviour, and by a studied
Tliflp n-or mu-orr iWour tines: no were Knleu. in ail, oo mor- m (I'siinguismpg tnem, nv rcmemnen: c m u.ir, were ia::i 10 scaim,.r on as last! i. stance or inesnu.e generous auenuon-
f cvitli rr.Mf ;!..n(r!ir- thrir rom- tally and dangerouslv wounded, and 40; particular wounds, &c. Being mysfdf.'a tncy hau nude, the others before, . As n
m inder mortally wounded, and Major! taken prisoners to New-York,-most of j taken out by two men for this purpose-: hit wiih l etter success; for though hun-Mont-omrv, next in rank,' killed, hav-j them slightly hurt. j I met my wi-taand brother, who after myjdi eds. cf muskets were tired at them, tVrmf tlroiitdi the ho Iv whikt After the massacre, they plundered us; wounds were dressed by Dr. Downer,; they got clear without recieving aj
V4 c i-,r. r thf walk nt i ho S of every thing we had, and left us liter-ifrom Preston, took me not to my own' scratch;
"W
ba?i;r bv Capt Shaplcv. The
command tnea divvoed on Col. Bcckwith, a refugee from New-Jersey, who commanded a corps of that description. The enomv rallied and returned to the
attack with gre.it vigor, but were receiv
ed. When they commenced home for that was in ashes, a? also every j But nothing ig us up together with their own-particle of my property, furniture and ish, as did this
ally nal
gathering
wounded, thev put their's under thei clothing but to my brother's, w here- lja dozen d-
But notlih.g ever so mortified the Brit-
3 mad frolick. 'That half, deference and complaisance for all her
d young rebels,' they said,
we remained over an hour. Those that verelv.
ed and repulsed w ith equal iirmncs?eu!d stand were then paraded, and or-, ? ;ch was the battle of Groton Heights : During the attack, a shot cut the hal-jdored to the landing; w hile those tnat! and such, as tar as my imperfect manner ' rards of the. Hag, and it fell to the ground.ould not (of which mi me or I was one,;ar.d language can desenU-, a part f the but wa. instantly remounted on a pikepvere put in one ofour ammunition wag-,suiiering5 which we endured. Never, Ti, arridpnt nrov.l fntn! t., nJfms. and taken to the hew oi the hilL!tora moment, have I regretted the share
WIM. r -.-- - - -
as Hie struck
and
shade of the platform, and exposed us tojlay eleven months as helpless as a child, '.'should thus dash in among us in open
the sun, in front of the barracks, where; and to this day feel the effects of it se-jday light, and fall to cutting and clash
ing the "king? troops at this rate. And after all to gallop away without the least harm in hair or hide! 'Tis high time to turn our bayonets into pitchforks, rs.d go to foddering the cows."
can
til
enemy, supposing it tiau heenlv, A llu;u l,,'' vi-'. --i'? .... ... . .,ww.u j w . hv it defendersrallied aiin. rods in descent,) from whence it as per-! of honor, aI)t thc pro?perity w hich las
rushing with redoubled impetuosityinnttcd to run down ny itseir, out was w- resui.eu to my country irom the uevoiu-
. , ic i : tt., roJui in i f o mi rip. npa r i no r l v e r. n an tion. oe n riff, it nnsin o tn sot or n-
"ied me 3i t yrtruuu y tiuu. un-:'-'-"" - , j , 7 . t .
thic m.,m,t. nur loss was triilinz in annle tree. I he nam and anguisn we gain, i regret, very much, my not te-
in number, being 6 or 7 killed, and ISiall endured in this rapid descent, as tr.e
wagon jumped and jostled over rocks and holes, is inconceivable; and the jar
or 20 wounded. Never was a post more bravely defended, nor a garrison more barbarously butchered. We fought with all kinds of weapons, and at . all places with a courage that deserved n better fate. Many of the enemy were killed under the walls by throwing 6im-
By the names of Stanton, Palmer, Snath, c. fCapt. P. Richards, Lieut. Chapman, and sereral others were killed in the BdBtion; Capt.
Sbapley, and others wounded. He died of
hit wound ia Jtauarj folloiviu;.
ing able to be with my compatriots atid
co-veterans at the late celebration.
S. II.
Revolutionary Anecdote.
general Marion, still encamped in the
aeigiiuornoou ot Ueorgetown, ordered
v-apt. v uners to take sergeant M'Dcn
Ext met from Hume's Escys. No advantages in this world are pure and unmixed. In like manner, as modren politeness, which is naturally so or
namental, runs often into affectation
and foppery, disguise and insincerity; so
the ancient simplicity, which is naturally so amiable and affecting, often degenerates into imticity and abusejscurrilitvand obscenity. jf the superiority in politeness should be allowed to modern times, the modern
notions of gallantry, the natural produce
inclinations and opinions. Barbarous
nations display this superiority, by reducing their females to the moit abject slavery; by confining them, by beating them, by selling them, by killing them Hut the male sex, among a polite people, discover their authority- in a mere generous, though not a less evident in liner; by civility, hy respect, by com plaisance, k., in a word, by gallantry. In good company, you need not ask, "Who is master of the feast? The man, who sits in the lowest place, and who is always industrious in helping every one, is certainly the person. We must either condemn all such instances of generosity, as foppish and affected, or admit of gallantry among the rest. The ancient Muscovites wedded their wives with a whipi instead of a ring. The same people, in their own houses took always the precedency above foreigners even foreign