~Trr 



^\)C iTiumcr's iUciiatl)li) llisitor. 



121 



from nine lo titne, as the events liaiis|iirt(l. — 

 Tliiiiiiii.s Aiihiiicy, the aialioior ihe.-e h'lhis, \\a^ 

 a yiiiiiif' iifHcer, ah eii^itiii in the IJi ili.-h ai rnj ; a 

 youth !>(' line iil' the nuMe liiiniln s, he was inli- 

 mate wiili the rn>t ufl'ieirs ol the IJnli^li army 

 lhinui;li the eveiilliil rani|iaijjn. Mis ^ol^llnl^ 

 ooinriile almost exactly hiiIi the account j:iven 

 in a volume pulilislied liy Gen. Burgojneliimselt 

 ill 1780. 



'J'he maniisriipls of onr friend first came to 

 our persuiial aci|naliilaiice jiisl as we were selling 

 out on oni- joiiiiu-y soiilli last fiill : these »\e pin 

 in our tiiink ami cai rie<l ahoiit ^^ iili ns as we did 

 the pocket liilile coiitniniu'; llje maiksol a Mess- 

 ed deceased child ol our adoption : one or both, 

 ill imafiiiiation, iiiif;lit h.-iie lieeii ihe talisman ol 

 preseriaiion in peiiN last uinier };rialer lijan 

 those who " f!o down in ships lu the (;reat ileep" 

 of the oiiaii waters. Finilmf; no time liir Ihe 

 peros.il of these mannscripls nmil onr return, 

 we have since ;:oue ihiou;;li v\ illi them and owe 

 our correspondent this or tome other excuse lor 

 the loiii; uejilect. 



The leading of the manuscript at once remind- 

 ed us that ihi'ie was J ct Mvin:; w ithin a lew miles 

 of us one relic of the Kevoliilion, whose pro- 

 truded existence is no less out ol the common 

 course of nature tliaii his escapes wiih lile were 

 remarkahle. In a huiiihle one story house, whose 

 ori'iinul cost could not h ive i xceeded one hun 

 dre<l dollars, on the li(.rders (d' the town id Con- 

 cord, near Soiicook river on the east, on that 

 strip of land extending some ten tniles on the 

 river tormerly kiioivii as " IJow <rore," attached 

 to the low n of l5ow on the west siile, has resided 

 for more than forty years Thomas Haines: for 

 thirty-six years have we known hiiii nniler the 

 familiar cognomen of "t^ohlier Haines." We 

 visited the old soldier ahout one year ayo, and an 

 early ride of one of the hot, dry moininjisol ihe 

 present August found us at ihi; home of this 

 worthy, who was seated at the liieakliist l.[lj|e 

 beside of his wife and two daughlers, smronnil- 

 cd with a lioiise full (A' descendants, of the Ihiid 

 generation, destined, proliahly, to go tiirth lo fu- 

 ture enieiprises which may make of them distin- 

 guished men and women of a new er.i. 



f^ohliei' Haines was horn in that part of old 

 HamploN near the Little Bom's Head, formerly 

 called North Hill, now North Hariipioii, on the 

 4lh of July, 1700, and was (jo the lasi 4ili ol July 

 eighty-tive years of age. He entered the revo- 

 lutionary army at the age of fbtnteeu years he- 

 fore he was large enough to shoulder a musket, 

 as a waiter of the g.dlani Col. ('illey, w hose name, 

 with that of Stark, Sullivan, .M'Claiy, Poor and 

 Scammcl of the higher cla?s of New Hampshire 

 voliiiiteers of the levolntioii, will descend to 

 posterity as " hrave>t among the brave." The 

 old soldier, now grown forgellid of recent evenis, 

 but more aecmale ihaii a bixik in his recollec- 

 tion of the exciting events of his youth, siys of 

 Col. Cilley that " he was a stout large man, that 

 he was a good officer," and what may he ( oiisid- 

 ered characlerisiic ot' the blood and ruce, " that 

 he would swear at his men if they did not do 

 ii;;ht in hallle." Soldier Haines pla\ed the boy 

 no more llian one j ear under Col. Cillej ; having 

 arrived at a man's slalme al the age of fifteen, 

 he re-enlisted, ami in the _\ears ]77(j and 1777 

 was foui;d of Cijlev's corps al Ticondeioga. As 

 did ihe lamented Col. Francis, who fell on the 

 retreat (roni Tiiomleroga al MnberKai, and of 

 whom wi- intend to speak before concluding this 

 article. Col. Cilley cnn^M'anded a regiment. 



Gen. Biirgoyne's Narrative presents accurate 

 plans not only of the great hatlles near Saratoga, 

 of the I7th Sepiember and 7ili' Orioher, but of 

 Ihe previous severe battles at linheiton and at 

 Beiiniugion. The former occmied on the 7tli 

 July, imntdiately on ihe leiieal of ihe Amei i- 

 caii army from 'I'lconderog.i helbie the over- 

 V hehning foice which ihe British commander 

 brought up the Lake against il. Ticonderoga 

 fort stands on a (loint of land (i)rmed by the 

 stream which ccniimunicates between Lake 

 Champlaiii and Lake George, the latter l)eing 

 several feet higher ihiin the former. At this 

 point Champlaiii lake is nearly as narrow ,is 

 the stream coming into it. On the e;islein, oi- 

 Vermont (iheii called ihe F4ampshire Grantsjside 

 of lake Champlain, wasaii American lorlificalion 

 c.-dleil ftloiini Independence. Overlooking both 

 the forts Ticonderoga and Independence, and 

 within cannon reach (1400 yards from the one 



and 1500 from the other) was a higher elevation, 

 a ragged, abrupt and sleep succession of ledges, 

 id' wliich the Americans had never dreanipt that 

 their t;nen ies wttnid lake po-se...si<tn. l''roin An- 

 burey's hook it seems that a Lt. Tw iss, an engineer 

 of the Biiiish arm}, assuring his commander that 

 cannon ciadd be dravMi up that rarely explored 

 emineiice which had been regaided as m ihe ex- 

 clusive nccnpaiicy of raltlesuaki s and beasts and 

 birds td'pri'y, under the active personal diiection 

 of iMaj. Gen. Phillips, second in comm.'md, this 

 work wa^ accompli.-hed in the space ol about 

 iwenty-lonr hours ati<r it was begun. I'loin this 

 poirii c'dli d Sugar Hill,liom its ie>eiiiblniice pridi- 

 abl) to a sugar leal, beuind the reach of the Aini,'- 

 ricaii artillery, the Biitish caiinon briflled \\iiha 

 eommeuceu.ent of discharges direcll) over ihe 

 heads of llie Americins, and cnmmandiiig a full 

 view within reach of every point ol What had 

 been considered the stioiige.-t and mostinviil- 

 iieiahle fort of North America. The hn>iiie.>sof 

 occupying Sugar Hill was d<iije on the 5ili July 

 Making a virtue ol necessity, the Americans le- 

 ireated from this l<)rl and Iroiii Independence on 

 the VeriiKJiil side wiib ihe best grace they could. 

 The sharp .iciinii ol Iluberlon, oil this retreat, 

 occiirreil on the 7ih of this iiionih. 



From the plan of this hallle published by 

 Gen. BnrgoMie, it seems the attack was fir^t 

 made Iiy ihe Auierieans (»u thi-ir advancing, who 

 reliirued a consiilerahh; dislance fiu' that pur- 

 pi>se. The parly eii;;aged consisted id" both the 

 elite of the British army under Gen. Fraser, and 

 a great body of Hes>ians under Gen. Ueidsid^ 

 nearly the whide body of fresh troops of the 

 main army, leaving only troops sufficient lo gar- 

 I isoti Ticonderoga, and lo guard ihe balleaiix 

 vvhich were making their way up the lake. The 

 force brought against the Americans was too 

 powerlid lo be withsinod. The brave Col. Fran- 

 cis, lo whom, as an iiilelligeiit gentleman and a 

 gallant soldier, bolh Aubnrey and Riirgovne's 

 liO(d\s pay a I igh complitiienl, h ading ihe al- 

 lack, lell early ill the action. The ailack was 

 made afier one day's nj.'irch, (says Auburey) 

 " over a continued succession of sleep .ind woody 

 hill.-'. Soon al'tei' five o'clock in the najniing, the 

 Anierieaiis returned lo the attack on Gen. Fra- 

 ser, previfius to which, as lelaled by the writer 

 we h;ivp just qiioled, 



" iVlaj. Granr of the 24ih (British) regiment, 

 who had the advanced gii.ird, attacked their pick- 

 els, which weie soon driven in lo the main body. 

 From this attack we lament the death of this 

 very gallant ami brave officer, who in :dl pioba- 

 biliiy fell a viciiiii to the great disadvaiilages we 

 (ihe BrifL-li) experience peculiar lo this iinforin- 

 iiale contest, those of the rifle-men. Upi>u his 

 coining up w iili the army, he got upon the stump 

 of a tree lo reconnoiire, and had liardly given 

 the men orders to (ire, when he was struck by a 

 rilie ball, lell of?' the Iree, and never ultered an- 

 oihersjllalile. The li^ht infantry (Fraser's corps) 

 liieii formed, as well as the 24lh regiment, the 

 former of which siifii'red very iniicli fldnithe 

 enemy's fire, pailicidarly ihe companies of the 

 yitili and 34lh regiihenls. The greu.-iillers (an- 

 other select corps) were ordeK d to form to pre- 

 vent theenemv's gellioi.' to the road that leads to 

 Casilelon, which they \\ere emieavoiing to do, 

 and were repulsed, upon whiih they atleuipled 

 their retreat by a very sleep mountain to Pitts- 

 lord. The grenadiers (British) scrambled up an 

 ascent which seened almost inaccessible, and 

 ginned ihe sunmiil of the i]iounlain belore them ; 

 this threw them into great conliisiim, and thai 

 von may form an idea how sleep the ascent must 

 have been, llie men were obliged to sling tlieir 

 firelocks and cliird) up the side, sometimes rest- 

 ing the ir feet n|!'ii| the braiicli of a tree, and 

 somelimes on a piece of rock : had any been so 

 unroilnnale as lo have missed his hold, he must 

 inevitably have been dr.shed lo pieces. 



"Although llie grenadiers had gainerl the siiin- 

 inil of this mount.-iin, and the Americans had lost 

 gnat numbers of their men, with iheir brave 

 comm.-mder. Col. Francis, still they were far su- 

 perior in numbers lo ihe British [not as we be- 

 lieve on the ground, if any where else in the 

 neighborhood: the " iiiuliiplying eves'" (as Gen. 

 Sl.irk said on another occasion) of the young 

 British officer h.ning caused him lo mistake the 

 truth] and the contest remained doubtful unit/ 

 Ihe arrival of Ihe Germans, when the Americans 

 fled on all eidesi, whose numbers amounted to 



2000: they were opposed by only 850 Biiii>h, as 

 il was near two hours belore the Germans made 

 iheir appearance." 



After the licte ol the day was decided, Antiiirey 

 says " we were apprehensive, by the noise we 

 heard, that a reinlia-cement had been sent back 

 from the: main body id' the Anierii-aii army yb/* 

 the support (if Ihcir Imdi/cuiirJ, for they began 

 singing psalms on their advance, and at the same 

 lime ki'pt up an inces.<ant firing." "Even alter 

 the action was over, there were linking parties 

 hovering about Ihc woods." 



Anbiirey fmiher meniions that a nmnlier of 

 Americans to iIk^ amount of nearly siMy, in the 

 Ijiee of two companies of grenadiers, came across 

 ihe fiehl wilh their arms (dubbed, " w hich is al- 

 ways considered lo hi* a snrreiideras prisouiMs of 

 war." The grenadiers were restrained frmii fir- 

 ing upon them, — "when the Americans hail ;40t 

 wilhin ten yards, they in an instant turned round 

 their musipiels, tired upon the gn nadiers, and 

 run as fii-l as they could into the woods: ibcir 

 fire killed and wminded a great number of nien, 

 and those who escaped, iBriiish,) immediately 

 pursued iheiii, and i;ave no (piar'er. 



'• This war (he contiiine..^) is ver" different to 

 the last in Germany: in Ibis the life of an indivi- 

 dual is sought with as nuicli avidity as the oli- 

 t.'iining a viciory over an army of ihousamls, of 

 which the following; i> a melanchcdy iuslanee : 



" Alier the action Wiis over, and all filing had 

 ceased for near twn hours, upon the summit of 

 the mountain I have already ih'scribed, whi<di had 

 no ground any where lliat could command it. [a 

 safe spot, who could doubt ?] a number of officers 

 were colleeteil to read riie papers taken out the 

 pocket-book of Cidonel Francis, when Captain 

 Shiimplou, of the (i2d regiment, [there seemed 

 to be a great iinmber of British regiments in 

 ihis-iu'tion to compose only 850 troop>,] who had 

 the papers in his hand, juniped up, and Irll, ex- 

 claiming, ' he was severely wounded.' We alt 

 heard the ball whiz by us, and tmni.'ig lo the 

 place from whence the report came, saw the 

 smoke. As there was every reason to imairine 

 the piece was fired from some tree, a party of 

 men were iushinily deta( lied, hut could find no 

 peiMin : the fellow, no (hmhl, as soon as had 

 fired, had slipt down and made his escape." 



"1 he coulnsiou of the enemy (Americans) on 

 their retreat was wry great, as ihey were neilher 

 sensible where they fled, nor by whom ihey were 

 conducted, alter C<d. Francis was kille<l, when 

 ihev look to the moniilains." 



The Fail of lialcarras, who was second in 

 comniapd of Fraser's corps, on the trial nl Gen. 

 Bnrgoynt before a commiilee of ihe Brilish par- 

 liamenl, at home, in IMay, 1779, leslilled of the 

 Americans in the battle of Ilidiertou — " Circiini- 

 slauced as the enemy was, as an army very hard 

 pressed in that retreat, they certainly behaved' 

 wilh great gallantry ;" and admiis lh:it it was not 

 in the power of the vieiorons British on that oc- 

 casion, giving the Americans furiher pursuit. — 

 Anbiirey is less willing lo do the Americans jnsl- 

 ice ; but he involiinlai ily passes on onr troops 

 iIm4 highest eomplimenis. He says, "At tlie 

 eornmencemciil of ihe aclion, llie enemy were 

 e\ery where lll|■ov^n inio (he greatest confusion ;. 

 hut being rallied by that brave officer, Colonel 

 Francis, whose death, thongli an enemy, will 

 ever be regretted by those who can feel for the 

 loss of a gallant and brave man, the fight was re- 

 newed with ihe grealesi degree of fierceness and 

 I obslinacy." 



'■That soldiers have many h.air-hreadlh escapes 

 (continues Aubnrey) I am sure ^^as never more 

 fully exemplified than in regard lo Lord Kalcar- 

 ras, who commrinded the lii;hl infaiitrv : he had 

 near thirty h;ills shot thiongh hi~ jaekei and trou- 

 sers, and yet received only a small gr.ize on ihe 

 hip." — "These extiaoidinary evenis may in some 

 measure he accounled for, as the least resistance- 

 of a musket liiill will give it .a ilirection almost 

 incredible: w hen Ihe surgeon came to examine 

 the wound of a poor American, it appeared that 

 the ball had entered on his left side, and having 

 traversed between the skin and the bai-k hone,, 

 came out on the opposite side." 



The case of the lale galhuit Gen. Ripley, 

 wounded on the field on llie Nia:;aia frontier, and 

 laken prisoner by the British, might serve lo il- 

 lustrate the delicate teiiaciiy of the passage of a 

 musket ball : he was shot directly ihrongh the 

 neck, grazing and passing the film or skin of the 



