The Adventures Of A Revolutionary Soldier/Chapter V.
CHAPTER V.
Campaign of 1779.
You may think what you please, sir, I too can think—
I think I can't live without victuals and drink;
Your oxen can't plough, nor your horses can't draw,
Unless they have something more hearty than straw;—
If that is their food, sir, their spirits must fall—
How then can I labour with—nothing at all?
We got settled in our winter-quarters at the commencement of the new year and went on in our old continental line of starving and freezing. We now and then got a little bad bread and salt beef, (I believe chiefly horse-beef, for it was generally thought to be such at the time.) The month of January was very stormy, a good deal of snow fell, and in such weather it was a mere chance if we got any thing at all to eat. Our condition, at length, became insupportable. We concluded that we could not or would not bear it any longer;—we were now in our own State, and were determined that if our officers would not see some of our grievances redressed, the State should. Accordingly, one evening after roll-calling, the men generally turned out, (but without their arms,) and paraded in front of their huts. We had no need of informing the officers, we well knew that they would hear of our muster without our troubling ourselves to inform them. We had hardly got paraded before all our officers, with the Colonel at their head, came in front of the regiment, expressing a deal of sorrow for the hardships we were compelled to undergo, but much more for what they were pleased to call our mutinous conduct; this latter expression of their sorrow only served to exasperate the men, which the officers observing, changed their tone and endeavoured to sooth the Yankee temper they had excited, and, with an abundance of fair promises, persuaded us to return to our quarters again. But hunger was not to be so easily pacified, and would not suffer many of us to sleep, we were therefore determined that none others should sleep. Martial law was very strict against firing muskets in camp, nothing could, therefore, raise the officers' "lofty ideas" sooner, or more, than to fire in camp; but it was beyond the power or vigilance of all the officers to prevent the men from "making void the law" on that night. Finding they were watched by the officers, they got an old gun barrel which they placed in a hut that was unfinished; this they loaded a third part full and putting a slow match to it, would then escape to their own huts, when the old barrel would speak for itself, with a voice that would be heard. The officers would then muster out, and some running and scolding would ensue; but none knew who made the noise, or where it came from. This farce was carried on the greater part of the night, but at length the officers getting tired of running so often to catch Mr. Nobody, without finding him, that they soon gave up the chase, and the men seeing they could no longer gull the officers, gave up the business likewise.
We fared a little better for a few days after this memento to the officers; but it soon became an old story, and the old system commenced again as regular as fair weather to foul. We endeavoured to bear it with our usual fortitude, until it again became intolerable, and the soldiers determined to try once more to raise some provisions, if not, at least to raise another dust. Accordingly, one evening, after dark, we all turned out again with our arms, appointed a commander and were determined that time, if we could not be better accommodated, to march into the centre of the State and disperse to our homes, in presence of as many of our fellow-citizens as chose to be spectators. After we had organized ourselves and regulated the plan for our future operations, it was the design of our regiment to have marched to our field-officers' quarters, and through them to demand of our country better usage; but before we had got all our little matters of etiquette settled, our Adjutant came up, (he having been over at the village, on some errand best known to himself,) and seeing us in arms upon the parade at that time of night, mistrusted something was in the wind; he passed us without saying a word and went directly and informed the other officers, all of whom were soon upon the parade. Our Major was the first that arrived, he was a fine bold looking man, and made a fine appearance. He came on to the right of the regiment, and soon after the Colonel and other officers came in front; the commanding seargeant ordered the men to shoulder arms, and then to present, (which is a token of respect,) and then to order them again. The Major then addressed the sergeant thus: "Well, sergeant you have got a larger regiment than we had this evening at roll-call, but I should think it would be more agreeable for the men to be asleep in their huts this cold night, than to be standing here on the parade, for I remember that they were very impatient at roll-call on account of the cold." "Yes, sir," said the sergeant, "Solomon says that 'the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep;' and we find that the abundance of poverty will not suffer us to sleep." By this time the Colonel had come to where the Major and serjeant were arguing the case, and the old mode of flattery and promising was resorted to and produced the usual effect; we all once more returned to our huts and fires, and there spent the remainder of the night, muttering over our forlorn condition.
It was now the beginning of February; many of the men had obtained furloughs to go home and visit their friends, before I had left the Light Infantry, and many since; I now made application and obtained one for fifteen days' absence. I prepared for the journey (which was about thirty miles) and started from the camp about nine o'clock in the morning, intending to go the whole distance that day. I had not a mouthful of any thing to eat or to carry with me. I had, it is true, two or three shillings of old continental money, worth about as much as its weight in rags. I, however, sat off for home; the hopes of soon seeing my friends and the expectation of there filling my belly once more, buoyed up my spirits until I had got within about five miles of home;—when coming to a tavern about sunset, I consulted with myself whether I had not better call and get me a glass of spirits, as I did not possess wherewith to procure me a meal of victuals, concluding that I should soon be where I could get that gratis; I accordingly did call and drank a glass of spirits and water, and immediately pursued my journey. I soon came to where I was obliged to leave the high road and take to one that struck across the country and a ferry. By the time I had got to this road I had become so faint that I thought I could not reach the nearest house, which was more than a mile distant. I was acquainted with this road, but the main road which led to a large village, I was unacquainted with any further than where I then was. I sat down and rested myself a few minutes, and I had need of it. I concluded to keep on the main road, being confident that I should find a house in a less distance than on the other. I went on, often having to rest myself from mere faintness; I travelled, however, nearly a mile and a half without seeing the least sign of a house. At length, after much fatigue, I came to an old house, standing, as the Irishman said, out of doors. I made up to it and knocked at the door,—"Who's there?" cried an old woman from within. "A friend," I replied. "What do you want?" said she,—"I want to rest here to-night." "I cannot entertain you," said she, "I am alone and cannot let a stranger in." I told her I could not, and would not go any further. After some inquiring on her part and answering on mine, she condescended to admit me. She needed not to have feared me, for had she been a virgin, and as beautiful as Hellen, I should have had no inclination to have soiled her chastity that night, I had something else to employ my thoughts upon; however loath the old lady was to admit me, she used me extremely well, for she provided me with a good supper and a field bed before the fire, where I slept soundly till the morning, nor would she let me depart in the morning till I had breakfasted. While she was preparing my breakfast, I chopped off a backlog and put it on the fire, which was all the compensation she required, nor even that, it was my own will; we then parted with mutual thanks, and I proceeded on my journey.
On the evening before, the ground was quite clear of snow, but during the night, there fell nearly a foot in depth of light snow and I had to return to the road I had left the preceding evening. There was no track in the new fallen snow until I came to the cross road, when I found a footman had passed before me. He appeared, by his track and the mark of a cane he used, to be an old man. I could not help being diverted by observing at every few rods distance, that the poor fellow had slipped down on the ice, which was covered by the snow, when he would spatter the snow about like a horse. I soon overtook him, he was an old black man. When I came to the ferry it was frozen over, and covered with snow a foot deep; I went into the ferryman's house, one of who's daughters was wife to the drummajor of our regiment; she made a bitter complaint to me against her husband, said he came home from the army and spent all her earnings, gave the whole family the itch, and then went off to camp, leaving her and her children to shift for themselves as well as they could. I could have told her a little more of his amiable conduct than she knew, but I thought she might as well get her information from some other quarter. The people here told me that it was dangerous crossing the river, as the ice was full of holes which were mostly covered by the snow. There was no way for me but to venture on the ice, or go five or six miles lower down the river to another ferry. I did not like the first and the second I could not agree to at all. I therefore ventured upon the ice and passed over to the opposite shore in safety, with some danger and trouble; when I arrived at the other side I found the tide up and the edge of the ice a rod or two from the shore; I then had to travel up the river on the ice, three times the distance that it was to cross the river, and with more danger, before I could get off; I got off however without drowning. I then had two miles to go, and frequently met people belonging to the town, but very few recollected me; I arrived at my good old grandsire's about eight or nine o'clock in the morning, with a keen appetite for my breakfast, although I had ate one that day. I believe the old people were glad to see me, they appeared to be much so, and I am quite sure I was glad to see them and all my other friends, if I had any. I had now an opportunity of seeing the place of my boyhood, visit old acquaintance, and ramble over my old haunts; but my time was short, and I had of course, to employ every minute to the best advantage.
I remained at home till my furlough had fully expired; I intended my country should give me a day to return to camp. The day before I intended to set off for the army, my Lieutenant arrived at home to spend a week with his family. He called upon me and told me that if I chose I might stay and accompany him to camp, and he would be responsible for me. I did not want much persuasion to comply with his desire, and accordingly remained another week, and then went with the Lieutenant to camp, and had no fault found.
I had not been at camp more than a week, before I was sent off with a large detachment to New-London, to guard the fortifications in and about that town. On our march we passed through the place of my residence when at home; the detachment tarried a night there, so I had an opportunity of being at home another night. We marched in the morning and remained the following night at New-Haven. I was quartered for the night in a house in the skirts of the town; there was a young lady belonging to the house, who, as it was Sabbath eve, had gone out to see the "daughters of the land," like Dinah of old. Just as we were about to lie down, I went to the back door of the house, where was a small field of dry cornstalks, I met the young lady with a gallant, just at the door; the moment he saw me he left his sweetheart and went off through the cornstalks, making as much noise as if a whirlwind had passed through them. I thought he was a brave fellow, thus to leave his mistress in the power of those he was afraid of himself, and not stop so long as to ask quarters for her, but, upon the first alarm, to desert her to save his own four quarters from receiving damage. Many pretended heroes have done the same, perhaps worse.
We went by easy marches and nothing of consequence occurred until we arrived at New-London; here we were put into houses, and here too we almost starved to death, and I believe should have quite starved, had we not found some clams which kept us from absolutely dying. We had nothing to eat except now and then a little miserable beef or a little fresh fish, and a very little bread, baked by a baker belonging to the town, which had some villainous drug incorporated with it that took all the skin off our mouths. I sincerely believe it was done on purpose to prevent our eating. I was not free from a sore mouth the whole time I staid there. Just before we left this place a privateer brig arrived from a cruise; she was hauled up and dismantled. One day I went on board her, and in the bread room I found one or two bushels of sea-biscuit; at night I again went on board and filled my knapsack, which was a relief to my hungry stomach. But this bread had nearly as much flesh as bread, being as full of worms as ever the dry sap-wood of a white ash pole was; consequently, it required a deal of circumspection in eating it;—however, it was better than snow balls. The other men in my room, likewise, used to avail themselves of the opportunity to procure some, after I had told them where it might be obtained.
Several funny, and some serious accidents occurred while I remained here, but as they would be tedious to narrate, and, perhaps, uninteresting to the reader, I shall pass them by unnoticed.
We staid here, starving, until the first of May, when we received orders to march to camp and join our regiments. The troops belonging to New-Hampshire marched sometime before we did. While on our march, we halted in a village; here I went into a house, with several other soldiers, which happened to be a deacon's;—while there some of the men chanced to swear, (a circumstance extremely uncommon with the soldiers,) upon which the good woman of the house checked them. "Is there any harm in it?" said one of them. "Yes," said she. "Well," said he, "may I not say swamp it." "No," said she, "nor maple log roll over me, neither." She then turned to me and said, "I do not like you soldiers." I asked her why? "Because," said she, "there came some along here the other day and they stole every morsel of my dinner from the pot, while it was boiling over the fire, pudding bag and all." I told her that her case was, upon the whole, rather a calamitous one, but, said I, "I suppose the soldiers thought your pot could be easier replenished than their kettles." She made me no answer, whatever she thought.
We went on to New-Haven where we arrived upon a Sabbath eve and staid till Wednesday; on the Tuesday following there was to be a muster of the Militia. On Monday we washed our clothes, and as we understood we were to remain here during the next day, we put ourselves into as decent a condition as we possibly could, to witness the Militia exhibition the next day. Early next morning there was a general stir in the town, a regiment of foot and a troop of horse were paraded on the green, and they made a very good appearance, (considering the times,) to speak the truth; but they seemed to be rather shy of displaying their knowledge of military tactics before regular troops. However, they did very well and deserved praise, whether they received it or not.
The next morning we marched again, I then applied to our commander and obtained permission to go on in advance of the troops and see my grand-parents again, I would have done this sooner, but I could not forego the pleasure of seeing the Militia muster. I remained at home that day and the next, and then started for camp. I was acquainted with the country, and consequently could reach camp by a much shorter way than the troops went, as they kept the country roads, by which means I arrived there within a few hours after them.
On some duty, I do not recollect what, I was deprived of my rest for a night or two; the next day I took a ramble into the woods near the camp, determined, if I could, to take a nap; the trees had just began to leave out and "all nature was gay;" I walked about half a mile, when I came to a flat ledge of rocks covered with soft thick moss, as smooth as a carpet; I laid myself down and soon fell into a sound sleep; I had not slept long before I was attacked by that delectable disorder, the night mare, I recovered partly from the first attack, but before I could fully overcome it, it took a second gripe upon me more serious than the first. I had often heard people say, when they had been under the influence of this disorder, that they were confident they were awake, and had the full possession of their faculties, and I had many times thought so myself; recollecting this, tormented as I was, I thought I would now satisfy myself whether it was so or not; accordingly, I took a survey of the trees about me, which I imagined I saw distinctly; one tree in particular I noticed, a large black birch tree, which had a limb broken off, leaving a stump some five or six feet long and a foot in diameter; but when I was fully recovered there was no such tree there, which convinced me that I was not awake, and had not so full command of my reason as I thought I had. I should not have mentioned so trivial a matter, but to satisfy those that read this, that they may be as much deceived in their conjectures as I was at the time I have mentioned.
We remained here a short time after my return from New-London, when we received information that the British were moving up the Hudson river in force, had taken possession of Stoney point, and were fortifying it. We were immediately ordered to march, which order was quickly put in execution. We went directly to the Fishkill, on the Hudson, and from thence down nearly opposite to West point. We remained here some days, I was the most of that time on a stationed guard, keeping the horses that belonged to the army at pasture. I procured some damaged cartridges, and after converting the balls into shot, and getting out of hearing from the camp, diverted myself by killing birds or squirrels, or any such game; this I often practised, though I ran the risk of a keelhaling, if detected. Here I had a good opportunity to exercise myself at the business, being at a considerable distance from camp; pigeons were plenty, and we fared pretty comfortably with what provisions we were allowed otherwise.
After being relieved from this guard, I was detached with a small party to the Peekskill, in the southern edge of the Highlands. We took up our quarters in some old barracks; there was a number of bombshells and some old damaged wagon wheels lying near the barracks; one day, after diverting ourselves by filling the shells with water, pluging them up, and setting them on the fire, while the water boiling, the steam would force the plug out with a report as loud as that of a pistol. Tired with exercising ourselves at this diversion, we began to contrive some other mischief, when four or five of us took one of the old wagon wheels, and after considerable trouble and fatigue, we carried the wheel about thirty or forty rods up the mountain, at the back of the barracks and a considerable distance from them, when we gave the wheel the liberty to shift for itself and find its own way back. It went very regular for a few turns, when taking a glancing stroke against something, it took a course directly for the barracks and just in that part too where the men were, who we could hear distinctly laughing and talking—Ah me! what would I not have given had I never meddled with the ugly thing, but it was then too late to repent, the evil one had come. I confess, I felt myself in a forlorn case; the barracks were only a single board thick, and those rotten and old, and the wheel might have gone through them and the men too, that stood in its route, without scarcely retarding its progress. We all stood breathless, waiting the result, when, as it happened (and well for us there was such a thing as chance) the wheel, when within about fifteen feet of the barracks, and with the motion almost of a cannon-ball, struck something that gave it an elevation of twenty or thirty feet into the air, and passed over the barracks and several rods beyond them before it struck the ground again. The reader may rest satisfied that this last circumstance did not cause many tears of grief to fall.
The Americans had a fortification upon Verplank's point, on the eastern side of the Hudson, opposite Stoney point, garrisoned by a Captain and about one hundred men. The British took this place and made the garrison prisoners, after a close siege of about a week, and fortified the point. They appeared, by their conduct, to have a strong inclination to possess West point. To make a diversion in their own favour and draw off some of our forces from the vicinity of that fortress, they sent the infamous Gov. Tryon into Connecticut with his banditti, who took possession first of New-Haven and plundered it, and then embarked and went and plundered and burnt Fairfield and Norwalk. The two Connecticut brigades were then sent in pursuit of them. We marched nearly down to the seacoast, when the enemy getting scent of us they took to their shipping and made the best of their way back to New-York. We returned as soon as possible. Being on our march the fifteenth day of July, and destitute of all kinds of eatables, just at night I observed a cheese in a press before a farmer's door, and we being about to halt for the night, I determined to return after dark and lay siege to it; but we went further than I expected before we halted, and a smart shower of rain with thunder happening at the time, the cheese escaped. It cleared off with a brisk wind at northwest and cold; we were all wet to the skin, and had no tents with us, lying on the western side of a cleared hill. I never came nearer perishing with the cold in the middle of summer in all my life, either before or since.
In the night we heard the cannon at Stoney point, and early next morning had information of the taking of that place, by the Light Infantry of our army, under the command of Gen. Wayne. Our officers were all on tiptoe to show their abilities in executing some extraordinary exploit. Verplank's point was the word; "shall the Light Infanty get all the honour, and we do nothing!" said they. Accordingly, we sat off, full tilt, to take Verplank's point; we marched directly for the Peekskill, and arrived near there early in the day. We there received information that the British at Verplank's point were reinforced, and advancing to attack us. We were quite knocked on the head by this news. However, we put ourselves in as good a condition as our circumstances would admit, and waited their approach; they were afraid of us, or we of them, or both, for we did not come in contact that time. And thus ended the taking of Verplank's point, and our honourable expectations.
We then fell back and encamped, but soon after we broke up our encampment and fell back to Robinson's farm, just below West-point, on the eastern side of the river; here we lay the rest of the season, employed in building two strong bomb-proof redoubts, on two hills near the river. Sometime, late in the fall, the British evacuated all their works and retired to New-York. A large detachment (of which I was one) was sent to Verplank's point to level the British works. We were occupied in this business nearly two weeks, working and starving by day, and at night having to lie in the woods without tents. Some of our men got some pease which had been left there by the British, but one might as well have boiled gravel stones soft. Some affirmed that they had seen them growing where the British soldiers had dropt them after they had passed through them. After we had finished levelling these works we returned to camp.
While lying at, or near the Peekskill, a man belonging to the Cavalry was executed for desertion to the enemy, and as none of the corps to which he belonged were there, no troops were paraded, as was customary on such occasions, except a small guard. The ground on which the gallows was erected was literally covered with pebble stones. A Brigade-Major attended the execution; his duty on these occasions being the same as the High-Sheriff's in civil matters. He had, somewhere, procured a raggamuffin fellow for an executioner, to preserve his own immaculate reputation from defilement. After the culprit had hung the time prescribed by law, or custom, the hangman began stripping the corpse; the clothes being his perquisite. He began by trying to pull off his boots, but for want of a boot-jack he could not readily accomplish his aim; he kept pulling and hauling at them, like a dog at a root, until the spectators, who were very numerous, (the guard having gone off,) growing disgusted, began to make use of the stones, by tossing several at his pretty carcass. The Brigade-Major interfering in behalf his aid-de-camp, shared the same usage; they were both quickly obliged "to quit the field;" as they retreated the stones flew merrily. They were obliged to keep at a proper distance until the soldiers took their own time to disperse, when they returned and completed their honourable business.
We remained at and near Peekskill till some time in the month of December. The cold weather having commenced earlier than usual, we had hard combatting with hunger, cold, nakedness and hard duty, but were obliged to grapple with them all as well as we could. As the old woman said by her husband, when she baked him instead of his clothes, to kill the vermin, "You must grin and bear it."
About the middle of this month (December) we crossed the Hudson, at King's ferry, and proceeded into New-Jersey, for winter-quarters. The snow had fallen nearly a foot deep.—Now I request the reader to consider what must have been our situation at this time, naked, fatigued and starved, forced to march many a weary mile in winter, through cold and snow, to seek a situation in some (to us, unknown) wood to build us habitations to starve and suffer in. I do not know how the hearers of this recital may feel, but I know how I felt at the time, and I know how I yet feel at the recollection of it; but there was no remedy, we must go through it, and we did go through it, and I am yet alive.
Our destination was at a place in New-Jersey, called Baskinridge. It was cold and snowy, we had to march all day through the snow and at night take up our lodgings in some wood, where, after shovelling away the snow, we used to pitch three or four tents facing each other, and then join in making a fire in the centre. Sometimes we could procure an armful of buckwheat straw to lie upon, which was deemed a luxury. Provisions, as usual, took up but a small part of our time, though much of our thoughts.
We arrived on our wintering ground in the latter part of the month of December, and once more, like the wild animals, began to make preparations to build us a "city for habitation." The soldiers, when immediately going about the building of their winter huts, would always endeavour to provide themselves with such tools as were necessary for the business, (it is no concern of the reader's, as I conceive, by what means they procured their tools,) such as crosscut-saws, handsaws, frows, augers, &c. to expedite the erection and completion of their dwellingplaces. Do not blame them too much, gentle reader, if you should chance to make a shrewd Yankee guess how they did procure them; remember, they were in distress, and you know when a man is in that condition, he will not be over scrupulous how he obtains relief, so he does obtain it.
We encamped near our destined place of operation and immediately commenced. It was upon the southerly declivity of a hill; the snow, as I have already observed, was more than a foot deep, and the weather none of the warmest. We had to level the ground to set our huts upon; the soil was a light loam. When digging just below the frost, which was not deep, the snow having fallen early in the season, we dug out a number of toads, that would hop off when brought to the light of day as lively as in summer time. We found by this where toads take up their winter-quarters, if we can never find where swallows take up theirs.
As this will be the last time that I shall have occasion to mention my having to build huts for our winter habitations, I will, by the reader's leave, just give a short description of the fashion and manner of erecting one of those log towns.
After the ground was marked out by the Quartermasters, much after the same manner as for pitching tents in the field, we built the huts in the following manner.—Four huts, two in front and two in the rear, then a space of six or eight feet, when four more huts were placed in the same order, and so on to the end of the regiment, with a parade in front and a street through the whole, between the front and rear, the whole length, twelve or fifteen feet wide. Next in order, in the rear of these huts the officers of the companies built theirs with their waiters in the rear of them. Next, the Field officers in the same order; every two huts, that is, one in front and one in the rear, had just their width in front indefinitely, and no more, to procure the materials for building; the officers had all in the rear. No one was allowed to transgress these bounds on any account whatever, either for building or firewood. The next thing is the erecting of the huts; they were generally about twelve by fifteen or sixteen feet square, (all uniformly of the same dimensions,) the building of them was thus; after procuring the most suitable timber for the business, it was laid up by notching them in at the four corners. When arrived at the proper heighth, about seven feet, the two end sticks which held those that served for plates were made to jut out about a foot from the sides and a straight pole made to rest on them, parellel to the plates; the gable ends were then formed by laying on pieces with straight poles on each, which served for ribs to hold the covering, drawing in gradually to the ridge pole. Now for the cov-ing; this was done by sawing some of the larger trees into cuts about four feet in length, splitting them into bolts, and riving them into shingles, or rather staves; the covering then commenced by laying on those staves, resting the lower ends on the poles by the plates, they were laid on in two thicknesses, carefully breaking joints; these were then bound on by a straight pole with withes, then another double tier with the butts resting on this pole and bound on as before, and so on to the end of the chapter. A chimney was then built at the centre of the backside, composed of stone as high as the eves and finished with sticks and clay, if clay was to be had, if not, with mud. The last thing was to hew stuff and build us up cabins or births to sleep in, and then the buidings were fitted for the reception of gentlemen soldiers, with all their rich and gay furniture.
Such were the habitations we had to construct at this time. We got into them about the beginning of the year, when the weather became intensely cold. Cold weather and snow were plenty, but beef and bread were extremely scarce in the army. Let it be recollected that this was what has been termed the "hard winter," and hard it was to the poor soldiers, as will appear in the sequel. So here I will close the narrative of my campaign of 1779. And happy should I then have thought myself if that had ended the war, but I had to see a little more trouble before that period arrived.