The Memoirs of a Revolutionary Soldier. Joseph Plumb Martin
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from prison, for we thought we were hardly dealt by, to be confined by those whom we took to be our friends, after having laboured so hard to escape being made prisoners by the common enemy.
We went on a little distance, when we overtook another man belonging to our company. He had just been refreshing himself with some bread and dry salt fish, and was putting "the fragments" into his knapsack. I longed for a bite, but I felt too bashful to ask him, and he was too thoughtless or stingy to offer it. We still proceeded, but had not gone far, when we came up with the regiment, resting themselves on the "cold ground," after the fatigues of the day. Our company all appeared to rejoice to see us, thinking we were killed or prisoners. I was sincerely glad to see them; for I was once more among friends, or at least acquaintances. Several of the regiment were missing, among whom was our Major, he was a fine man, and his loss was much regretted by the men of the regiment. We were the last who came up, all the others who were missing, were either killed or taken prisoners.
And here ends the "Kipp's Bay" affair, which caused at the time, and has since caused much "inkshed." Anecdotes, jests, imprecations and sarcasms, have been multiplied; and even the grave writers of the revolution have said and written more about it than it deserved. I could make some observations, but it is beyond my province.
One anecdote which I have seen more than once in print, I will notice. A certain man, or the friends of a certain man, have said, that this certain man was sitting by the highway side, when the Commander-in-chief passed by, and asked why he sat there. His answer, as he or they say, was, "That he had rather be killed or taken by the enemy, than trodden to death by cowards."—A brave man he! I doubt whether there was such another there that day, and I much doubt whether he himself was there, under such circumstances as he, or his friends relate; every man that I saw was endeavouring by all sober means to escape from death or captivity, which, at that period of the war was almost certain death. The men were confused, being without officers to command them;—I do not recollect of seeing a commissioned of-cer from the time I left the lines on the banks of the East river, in the morning, until I met with the gentlemanly one in the evening. How could the men fight without officers? The man who represented himself as being so valiant, was a bragadocia, and I never yet met with one of that class who was not at heart a sheer coward.
We lay that night upon the ground, which the regiment occupied when I came up with it. The next day, in the forenoon, the enemy, as we expected, followed us "hard up," and were advancing through a level field; our rangers and some few other light troops, under the command of Colonel Knowlton, of Connecticut, and Major Leitch of (I believe) Virginia, were in waiting for them. Seeing them advancing, the rangers, &c. concealed themselves in a deep gully overgrown with bushes; upon the western verge of this defile was a post and rail fence, and over that the forementioned field. Our people let the enemy advance until they arrived at the fence, when they arose and poured in a volley upon them. How many of the enemy were killed and wounded could not be known, as the British were always as careful as Indians to conceal their losses. There were, doubtless, some killed, as I myself counted nineteen ball-holes through a single rail of the fence at which the enemy were standing when the action began. The British gave back and our people advanced into the field. The action soon became warm. Colonel Knowlton, a brave man, and commander of the detachment, fell in the early part of the engagement. It was said, by those who saw it, that he lost his valuable life by unadvisedly exposing himself singly to the enemy. In my boyhood I had been acquainted with him; he was a brave man and an excellent citizen. Major Leitch fell soon after, and the troops, who were then engaged, were left with no higher commanders than their captains, but they still kept the enemy retreating.
Our regiment was now ordered into the field, and we arrived on the ground just as the retreating enemy were entering a thick wood, a circumstance as disagreeable to them as it was agreeable to us at that period of the war. We soon came to action with them. The troops engaged, being reinforced by our regiment, kept them still retreating, until they found shelter under the cannon of some of their shipping, lying in the North river. We remained on the battle ground till nearly sunset, expecting the enemy to attack us again, but they showed no such inclination that day. The men were very much fatigued and faint, having had nothing to eat for forty-eight hours,—at least the greater part were in this condition, and I among the rest. While standing on the field, after the action had ceased, one of the men near the Lieut. Colonel, complained of being hungry; the Colonel, putting his hand into his coat pocket, took out a piece of an ear of Indian corn, burnt as black as a coal, "Here," said he to the man complaining, "eat this and learn to be a soldier.
We now returned to camp, if camp it was;—our tent held the whole regiment and might have held ten millions more. When we arrived on the ground we had occupied previous to going into action, we found that our invalids, consisting of the sick, the lame, and the lazy, had obtained some fresh beef;—where the commissaries found the beef or the men found the commissaries in this time of confusion, I know not, nor did I stop to ask. They were broiling the beef on small sticks, in Indian stile, round blazing fires, made of dry chestnut rails. The meat, when cooked, was as black as a coal on the outside, and as raw on the inside as if it had not been near the fire. "I asked no questions, for conscience's sake," but fell to and helped myself to a feast of this raw beef, without bread or salt.
We had eight or ten of our regiment killed in the action, and a number wounded, but none of them belonged to our company. Our Lieut. Colonel was hit by a grape-shot, which went through his coat, westcoat and shirt, to the skin on his shoulder, without doing any other damage than cutting up his epaulette.
A circumstance occurred on the evening after this action, which, although trifling in its nature, excited in me feelings which I shall never forget. When we came off the field we brought away a man who had been shot dead upon the spot; and after we had refreshed ourselves we proceeded to bury him. Having provided a grave, which was near a gentleman's country seat, (at that time occupied by the Commander-in-chief,) we proceeded, just in the dusk of evening, to commit the poor man, then far from friends and relatives, to the bosom of his mother earth. Just as we had laid him in the grave, in as decent a posture as existing circumstances would admit, there came from the house, towards the grave, two young ladies, who appeared to be sisters;—as they approached the grave, the soldiers immediately made way for them, with those feelings of respect which beauty and modesty combined seldom fail to produce, more especially when, as in this instance, accompanied by piety. Upon arriving at the head of the grave, they stopped, and, with their arms around each other's neck, stooped forward and looked into it, and with a sweet pensiveness of countenance which might have warmed the heart of a misoganist, asked if we were going to put the earth upon his naked face; being answered in the affirmative, one of them took a fine white gauze handkerchief from her neck and desired that it might be spread upon his face, tears, at the same time, flowing down their cheeks. After the grave was filled up they retired to the house in the same manner they came. Although the dead soldier had no acquaintance present, (for there were none at his burial who knew him,) yet he had mourners, and females too. Worthy young ladies! You, and such as you, are deserving the regard of the greatest of men. What sisters, what wives, what mothers and what neighbours would you make!—Such a sight as those ladies afforded at that time, and on that occasion, was worthy, and doubtless received the attention of angels.
Another affair which transpired during and after the abovementioned engagement, deserves to be recorded by me, as no one else has, to my knowledge, ever mentioned it. A sergeant belonging to the Connecticut forces, being sent by his officers in the heat of the action, to procure ammunition, was met by a superior officer, an Aid-de-camp to some General officer, (I believe,) who accused him of deserting his post in time of action. He remonstrated with the officer, and informed him of the absolute necessity there was of his obeying the orders of his own officers; that the failure of his procuring a supply of ammunition might endanger the success of the day; but all to no purpose, the officer would not allow himself to believe him, but drew his sword and threatened to take his life on the spot if he did not immediately return to his corps. The sergeant, fired with just indignation at hearing and seeing his life threatened, cocked his musket and stood in his own defence. He was, however, taken, confined and tried for mutiny and condemned to be shot. The sentence of the court-martial was approved by the Commander-in-chief, and the day for his execution set; when it arrived, an embankment was thrown up, to prevent the shot