stole back to my post as quick as possible. He still kept up his cry, 'Who comes there?' and receiving no answer, he discharged his piece, which alarmed the whole guard, who immediately formed and prepared for action, and sent off a non-commissioned officer and file of men to ascertain the cause of alarm. They came first to the man who had fired, and asked him what was the matter; he said that some one had made an abrupt advance upon his premises and demanded, "How comes you on, sentry?" They next came to me, inquiring what I had seen;—I told them that I had not seen or heard any thing to alarm me but what the other sentinel had caused. The men returned to the guard, and we were soon relieved, which was all I that wanted. Upon our return to the guard, I found, as was to be expected, that the alarm was the subject of general conversation among them. They were confident that a spy or something worse had been amongst us, and consequently greater vigilance was necessary. We were accordingly kept the rest of the night under arms, and I cursed my indiscretion for causing the disturbance, as I could get no more rest during the night. I could have set all to rights by speaking a word, but it would not do for me to betray my own secret. But it was diverting to me to see how much the story gained by being carried about,—both among the guard, and after its arrival in the camp.
I had been one night upon a piquet guard,—that is, a guard only for the night. Having been dismissed early in the morning, I was returning through a by-road to my quarters;—this road led from the main road to the shore of the North river; I was alone, the rest of the guard having, for some cause which I have now forgotten, passed on, and were out of sight. I saw Gen. Putnam on horseback and alone, coming up the road in my rear. In my front, and nearer to me than I was to the General, was a high fence and a set of high and very heavy bars, composed of pretty large poles or young trees. I had only just to go through the bars and cross another fence on my left, and I should be in the deep gully and at the very spot where the late action began;—this was the way I was actually to go to reach the camp. The General seeing me near the bars, bawled out, "Soldier, let down those bars." I was then at the bars, but seeing
