: : : VIII. Now graceful rising from his purple throne, crown'd: Morals and laws expand his lib're soul, Beam from his eyes, and in his accents roll, IX. Adams, enrag'd a broken charter bore, X From all the guileful plots the veil he drew; Adventures of Gen. Putnam. 1. In the month of Aug. 500 men were employed under the orders of Majs. Rogers and Putnam to watch the motion of the enemy near Ticonderoga. At South bay, they separated the party into two equal divisions, and Rodgers took a posi + Motions the act of moving. 1 tion on Wood Creek twelve miles distant from Patuam. 2. Upon being, sometime afterwards, discovered, they formed a re-union, & and concerted measures for returning to Fort Edward. Their march through the woods, was in three divisions by files, the right commanded by Rogers, the leftby Putnam and the centre by Captain D'Ell. The first night they encamped2 on the banks at Clear river, about a mile from old Fort Ann, which had been formerly built by general Nicholson. 3. Next morning Major Rogers and a British officer, named Irwin, incautiously suffered themselves, from a spirit of false emulation, to be engaged in firing at a mark. Nothing could have been more repugnants to the military principles of Putnam than such conduct, or reprobated4 by him in more pointed terms. + Reunion, & a second union. 2 Encamp, to form an army into a regular camp. 3 Repugnant a disobedient reluctant, contrary, opposite. 4 Reprobated, part disallowed condemned 5 Dew, & moisture, deposited in the night. 6 Preceding, fart going before. 4. As soon as the heavy dew5 which had fallen the preceding6 night would permit, the detachment moved in one body, Putnam being in the front, D'Ell in the centre and 7 Impervious, Rodgers in the rear. The imper- a impassable, vious7 growth of shrubs and under- thick. brush that had sprung up, where the land had been partially cleared some years before, occasioned this change in the order of march. 5. At the moment of moving, the famous French partizan Molang who bad been sent with 500 men to intercepts our party, was not more than one mile and an half distant from them. Having heard the firing, he hastened to lay an ambuscade 9 precisely in that part of the wood most favorable to his project. Major Putnam was just emerging from the thicket into the common forest when the enemy arose, and with discordant2 yells and whoops commenced an attack upon the right of his division. 8 Intercept, v oppress on. 6. Surprised, but undismayed, Putnam halted, returned the fire, and passed the word for the other division to advance for his support.D'Ell came. The action though widely scattered and principally. fought between man and man, soon grew generally and intensely 3 3 Intensely, ad warm. It would be as difficult as to a great dcuseless to describe this irregular gree. and ferocious mode of fighting. 7. Major Putnam, perceiving it would be impracticable 4 to cross the creek, determined to maintain his ground. Inspired by his examples the officers and men behaved with great bravery; some 4 Impracticable, a not to be effected by hu man means. 5 Example, a pattern, copy, model. times they fought aggregately6 in 6 Aggregateopen view, and sometimes indi- ly, ad. in a vidually under cover; taking aim from behind the bodies of trees, and acting in a manner independent of each other. 8. For bimself, having discharged his fusee7 several times, at length it missed fire while the muzzłe was pressed against the breast of a large and well proportioned savage. This warrior, availing himself of the indefensibles attitude of his adversary, with a tremendous war-whoop, sprang forward, with his lifted hatchet, and compelled him to surrender; and having disarmed and bound bim fast to a tree, returned to the battle, 9. The intrepid9 captains D'Ell and Harmon, who now commanded, were forced to give ground for a little distance, the savages conceiving this to be a certain harbinger of victory, rushed impetuously on, with dreadful and redoubled cries. But our two partizans2 collecting a handful of brave men, gave the pursuers so warm a reception as to oblige them in turn to retreats a little beyond the spot at which the action had. commenced. Here they made a stand. 10. This change of ground o casioned the tree to which Putnam D foss, the whole together. 7 Fusee, a soldier's gun. 8Indefensible, a not to be defended. 1 9 Intrepid, @ fearless, brave, bold daring, resolute. ad + Impetuously, violently, vehemently. 2 Partizan, 8 a party man, head of a party 3 Retreat, to retise, withdraw, go off was tied, to be directly between the fire of the two parties. Human imagination can hardly figure to itself a more deplorable4 situation. The balls flew incessantly from either side; many struck the tree, while some passed through the sleeves and skirts of his coat. In this state of jeopardy, 5 unable to move his body, to stir his limbs, or even to incline his head, he remained more than an hour. So equally balanced, and so obstinate was the fight! 11. At one moment, while the battle swerved in favor of the enemy, a young savage chose an odd way of discovering his humour.He found Putnam bound. He might have dispatched him at a blow.but he loved better to excite the terrors of the prisoner, by hurling a tomahawk6 at his head-or rather it should seem his object was to see Low near he could throw it without touching him. The weapon7 struck in the tree a number of times at a hair's breadth distance from the mark. 4 Deplorable a lamentabře, miserable. 5 Jeopardy, danger, peril, hazard, risk + Obstinate, stubborn, reso. lute, fixed, firm, † Swerved, part wandered, roved, deviated, flown, 6 Tomahawk, 8 an Indian hatchet. 7 Weapon, an instrument of defence, or offence. 12. When the Indian had finished his amusement, a French officer (a much more inveterates savage by nature, though descended from a old, obstinate, 50 humane and polished a nation) fixed, establishperceiving Putnam, came up to him, 8 Inveterate, ed. |