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Updated: September 18, 2025
Twenty-seven men were capable of bearing arms; and one brass and five iron fieldpieces, all dismantled and rusty, formed his main hope. Ashmun at once set to work, and with daily drills and unremitting labor in clearing away the forest and throwing up earthworks, succeeded at last in putting the settlement in a reasonable state of defense. It was no easy task.
"Never even cut a chip off our boat!" declared Andy. "Well, I'm going back and get the rest of my nap. Wake me up at four, remember. I want the last watch," and Frank dove within his stateroom with as much seeming indifference as though this thing of being fired upon with fieldpieces might be an everyday occurrence in his experience. Morning dawned upon the Magdalena.
About noon the Americans descried twenty-eight barges crossing from Boston in parallel lines. They contained a large detachment of grenadiers, rangers, and light infantry, admirably equipped, and commanded by Major-general Howe. They made a splendid and formidable appearance with their scarlet uniforms, and the sun flashing upon muskets and bayonets, and brass fieldpieces.
A little farther on we encountered four beautiful nine pounder fieldpieces, each lumbering along, drawn by half a dozen mules, and accompanied by three or four negroes, but with no escort whatsoever. "I say, quashie, where are the bombardiers, the artillerymen?" "Oh, massa, dem all gone to drink pruce." "What, more spruce! spruce nothing but spruce!" quoth I.
Presently, he heard the old sergeant remark: "There come the guns! Now look out for a squall!" and he saw two fieldpieces being hurriedly dragged into position. The next thing he knew there was a roar the breastwork on one side of him flew into fragments, and he saw a score of his comrades dead about him.
We may pass over the crimes committed from a distance, so to speak, on unfortified towns, with fieldpieces, long-range guns, aeroplanes, and Zeppelins, merely noting that the Germans were the first to fire shells into the centre of towns indiscriminately.
Forrest's fieldpieces were pushed forward, Washington riding with them, utterly unheeding of both the enemy's fire, though the bullets were burying themselves in the snow all about him, and of the expostulations of his staff. Indicating the new position for the guns, he ordered them loaded with canister.
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