Opis: The Fort Stanwix Captive - Priest Josiah

Excerpt from The Fort Stanwix Captive: Or New England Volunteer

The war-worn hero of the following narrative, who was living at the time these pages were penned, was born at Weston, Fairfield Co. Conn, of respectable parents of the farmer class of society. At the time when the people of Boston, on account of the tea tax, and other grievances imposed upon the Americans by the British Parliament, Hubbell was an apprentice at a trade in the town of Fairfield, state aforesaid.

But the bold act of the Bostonians, in throwing a ship load of tea into the ocean, performed by a band of men, disguised as Indians, roused in a moment the slumbering fires of the bosoms of all true patriots, throughout the entire country, and produced the great resolve that America should be free. Among the thousands of young men, and as many boys, Hubbell, though but an apprentice, counted one as a volunteer from Fairfield, under Capt. Dennon, of General Worcester's Brigade, who were to march immediately for Boston, in support of what was called by the English and the tories, the rebellion.

The brigade hastened to Hartford, which was the route to Boston, but instead of marching to the east, they were sent south, where, after performing some service, were ordered again to Hartford. At this city, Hubbell enlisted as a regular soldier, with many others, and were ordered northward, crossing the country to Albany, a distance of a hundred miles, then sustaining far more of the wilderness character than at the present time. From Albany they pressed on as far as Ticonderoga, on Lake Champlain, which was another hundred miles, into a country still more wild, and from thence to St. Johns, on the west of the lake above named, not far from the place now known as Plattsburgh.

At this place or near it they were united with General Montgomery, of honorable memory, when they immediately set about the capture of this post, then occupied by the British. It was not an easy matter to take the place by storm, wherefore Montgomery resorted to stratagem, and this was to cut off all supplies, by constantly patrolling the forests, in all directions, by night and day. During this operation, there was much bloody adventure on both sides, between white men and Indians, as there were Indians as well with the British as with the Americans.

At a certain time, there had been sent out a party of some thirty men to scour the woods northward, as from that direction supplies of food by the means of the Indians, were attempted to be thrown into St. Johns, for the support of the troops within.

They had pursued their route in a silent manner, up a small stream that falls into the Saranac, when at a certain point, as the sign which was before agreed on had been given to halt for the purpose of listening, there was heard the hoot of an owl, a considerable distance off, as it seemed. This, to the ear of a white man, was an occurrence of no moment, as the woods in the place were of the gloomiest and most sombre description, an owl might hoot, therefore, though it was not yet night.

But to an Indian ear, however, there was in that hoot a something which did not exactly meet the ideas of the natives then with the party, who were acute judges of the true sounds of that bird's powers of music. In a few minutes another hoot was heard, but in quite a different direction and seemingly farther off. "This is curious," remarked a white man, "so many owls before night." An Indian, standing close by Hubbell, looking at him, said, after giving a short, deep, guttural grunt, "ugh! no owl - no good, Indian yonder," pointing with his hand in the direction where the last hoot was heard. "Indian make sign, me look for him," when he darted off, but not the way the sound last made was heard, the other Indians following in the same trail, eight in number, several remaining with the white men. They had been gone but a quarter of an hour or so, when quite beyond, and far

Szczegóły: The Fort Stanwix Captive - Priest Josiah

Nazwa: The Fort Stanwix Captive Or New England Volunteer (Classic Reprint)
Autor: Priest Josiah
Wydawnictwo: FB &c Ltd
Kod paskowy: 9781331828433
Języki: angielski
Ilość stron: 38
Format: 15.2x22.9cm
Oprawa: Miękka

Recenzje: The Fort Stanwix Captive - Priest Josiah