says, "they had nothing but their bravery and good conduct to cover them." He spoke the truth. I was at the
siege and capture of lord Cornwallis, and the hardships
of that were no more to be compared with this, than the sting of a bee is to the bite of a rattlesnake. But there has been but little notice taken of it; the reason of which is, there was no Washington, Putnam, or Wayne there. Had there been, the affair would have been extolled to the skies. No, it was only a few officers and soldiers who accomplished it in a remote quarter of the army. Such circumstances and such troops generally get but little notice taken of them, do what they will. Great
men get great praise, little men, nothing. But it always
was so and always will be;—said the officers in king David's army, when going out against rebel Absolem, "thou
shalt not go out with us—for if half of us die they will
not care for us. But now thou art worth ten thousand of us." And this has been the burden of the song ever since, and I presume ever will be.
We now prepared to leave Redbank. I was ordered on a baggage guard; it was not disagreeable to me as I had a chance to ride in a wagon a considerable part of the night. We went in advance of the troops, which made it much easier getting along. We had been encouraged during the whole siege with the promise of relief. "Stand it out a little longer and we shall be relieved," had been the constant cry. The second day of our march we met two Regiments advancing to relieve us. When asked where they were going, they said, to relieve the garrison in the fort. We informed them that the British had done that already.
Our guard passed through Haddington in the night; heard nothing of the goose or murdered cat. We arrived early in the morning, at a pretty village called Milltown or Mount-holly. Here we waited for the troops to come up. I was as near starved with hunger, as ever I wish to be. I strolled into a large yard where was several saw mills and a grist mill, I went into the latter, thinking it probable that the dust made there was more palatable than that made in the former, but I found nothing there to satisfy my hunger. But there was a barrel standing behind the door with some salt in it. Salt was as valuable as gold with the soldiers. I filled my pocket with it and
