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French Officers.

Biographical Sketch of Lieutenant-colonel Stevens.

tenant-colonels Stevens' and Carrington, and Major Bauman; the Virginian, Maryland,

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1 The history of the services of several most meritorious officers of the Revolution is only partially written; this is especially true of those of Lieutenant-colonel Stevens of the artillery, who was a most efficient and patriotic officer from the commencement of the war to its close.

Oben Stevens

EBENEZER STEVENS was born in Boston in 1752, and at an early age became strongly imbued with the principles of the Sons of Liberty. He was engaged in the destruction of the tea in Boston harbor, in December, 1773 (see list of names, volume i., p. 499), and, anticipating evil consequences to himself, he went to Rhode Island to reside. When that province, after the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, sent an army of observation to Roxbury (see page 24), young Stevens received a commission as lieutenant, which bears date May eighth, 1775. His skill was soon perceived by Gridley and Knox, and early in December of that year, he was directed by General Washington to raise two companies of artillery, and one of artificers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and proceed to join the expedition against Quebec. The recruiting was speedily accomplished, and with Captains Eustis and Nichols, Captain Stevens being in command, traversed, with cannon and mortars, through deep snows, the rough hills of New Hampshire and Vermont, to the mouth of Otter Creek, on Lake Champlain, nearly opposite Split Rock, enduring great privations and sufferings. They descended the lake, and the Sorel to the St. Lawrence, and went down that stream as far as Three Rivers, where they heard of the fall of Montgomery, and the defeat of the Americans at Quebec. They returned to St. John's, and Major Stevens and his corps rendered efficient service in the northern department during 1776. In the spring of 1777 he went to Ticonderoga, and commanded the artillery there. On the approach of Burgoyne, when St. Clair and the garrisons retreated, Major Stevens shared in the mortifications produced by that retreat. He joined General Schuyler at Fort Edward, and commanded the artillery at the battle of Stillwater, in which service he was greatly distinguished. He continued in the command of the artillery at Albany; and in April, 1778, "in consideration of his services, and the strict attention with which he discharged his duty as commanding officer of artillery in the northern department during two campaigns," he received from Congress brevet rank as lieutenant colonel of foot, and in November following was appointed lieutenant colonel of artillery. General Gates desired to retain him in the command of the artillery of the northern and middle department. Hitherto his corps had been considered by him as an independent one: now it was attached to that of Colonel Crane. Unwilling to serve under this officer, Lieutenant-colonel Stevens was assigned to Colonel Lamb's regiment in the New York line, until the close of the war. He was often intrusted with special duties of great moment, and was for some time at the head of the laboratory department. He was selected to accompany La Fayette in the contemplated expedition into Canada. Early in 1781 he proceeded with La Fayette into Virginia to oppose the ravages of Arnold, and in the autumn of that year was actively engaged with very full powers, under the orders of General Knox, in collecting and forwarding artillery and other munitions to be employed in the siege of Yorktown. During that siege he was in alternate command of the artillery with Colonel Lamb and Lieutenant-colonel Carrington. After the surrender of Cornwallis, Lieutenant-colonel Stevens returned north, and from that time until the close of the war he remained in command with Colonel Lamb, at West Point and its vicinity. When peace returned, he commenced the business of a merchant in New York, at the same time performing the duties first of colonel, then of briga

2 The same officer whose name was appended to the report on the condition of the artillery of West Point, which was furnished to Arnold when preparing for his treasonable act. Major Bauman was postmaster at New York city for thirteen successive years, commencing in 1790.

* Journals of Congress, iv., 180.

Position of the American Corps.

Approach by Parallels.

Cannonade and Bombardment.

Burning of British Ships.

and Pennsylvanian troops, under Steuben; the New York, Rhode Island, and New Jersey troops, with sappers and miners under General James Clinton ; the light infantry under La Fayette; and the Virginia militia under Governor Nelson. The quarters of General Lincoln were on the banks of Wormeley's Creek, on the extreme right. The general disposition of the troops will be better understood by reference to the map on the next page.

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CUSTINE.1

a Oct. 10,

From the first until the sixth of October, the besieging armies were employed in bringing up heavy ordnance, and making other preparations. The evening of the sixth was very dark and stormy, and under cover of the gloom, the first parallel' was commenced within six hundred yards of Cornwallis's works. General Lincoln commanded the troops detailed for this service. So silently and so earnestly did they labor, that they were not discerned by the British sentinels, and before daylight the trenches were sufficiently complete to shield the laborers from the guns of the enemy. On the afternoon of the ninth, several batteries and redoubts were completed, and a general discharge of twenty-four and eighteen pounders was commenced by the Americans on the right. This cannonade was kept up without intermission during the night, and early the next morninga the French opened their batteries upon the enemy. For nearly eight hours there was an incessant roar of cannons and mortars; and 1781. hundreds of bombs and round shot were poured upon the British works. So tremendous was the bombardment, that the besieged soon withdrew their cannon from the embrasures, and fired very few shots in return. At evening red hot cannon balls were hurled from the French battery F, on the extreme left, at the Guadaloupe and Charon, two British vessels in the river. The Guadaloupe was driven from her post, and the Charon of fortyfour guns and three large transports were burned. The night was starry and mild, and invited to repose, but the besiegers rested not, and Yorktown presented a scene of terrible grandeur, such as is seldom witnessed by the eye of man. All night long the allies kept dier, and finally of major general, commanding the division of artillery of the State of New York. He held the latter office when the war of 1812 broke out, and was called into the service of the United States for the defense of the city. He continued to be the senior major general of artillery until the peace of 1815. General Stevens was often employed by government in services requiring skill, energy, and integrity. In the year 1800, he superintended the construction of fortifications on Governor's Island. For many years he was one of the leading merchants of New York, in which pursuit he amassed a considerable fortune. He died on the second of September, 1823.

Colonel Trumbull has introduced Lieutenant-colonel Stevens, in his picture of the surrender of Cornwallis, mounted at the head of the regiment; and also prominently in his picture of the surrender of Burgoyne. Letters written to Colonel Stevens by Generals Washington, La Fayette, Schuyler, Knox, Gates, Lincoln, and other officers, yet in possession of his family, attest the extent of his services, his efficiency as an officer, and their high regard for him as a man. The gold medal voted by Congress to General Gates, and his small library, were left to members of General Stevens's family, and are still retained by them. General Stevens's second wife was Lucretia, sister of Colonel William Ledyard, who was massacred in Fort Griswold, at Groton, as recorded on page 44.

ADAM PHILIP, Count DE CUSTINE, was born at Metz in 1740. He entered the army in early life, and served under Frederick the Great, of Prussia, during the Seven Years' War. He commanded a regiment in the French army in America, under Rochambeau. On returning to France, he was made governor of Toulon. In 1792, he had command of the army of the Rhine, when he was suddenly summoned to Paris by the Terrorists and sent to the guillotine. He was decapitated in August, 1793, at the age of fifty-three years.

2 Parallel is a technical term applied to trenches and embankments dug and thrown up as a protection to besiegers against the guns of a fort. In this way the assailants may approach a fort, and construct batteries within short gun-shot of the works of the beleaguered, and be well protected in their labors.

3 Doctor Thatcher in his journal, page 274, says, From the bank of the river I had a fine view of this splendid conflagration. The ships were enwrapped in a torrent of fire, which, spreading with vivid brightness among the combustible rigging, and running with amazing rapidity to the tops of the several masts, while all around was thunder and lightning from our numerous cannons and mortars, and in the darkness of night, presented one of the most sublime and magnificent spectacles which can be imagined. Some of

Preparations to Storm Redoubts.

Plan of the Siege of Yorktown.

Continued Approaches toward the British Works.

a Oct., 11.

up a cannonade, and early the next morninga another British vessel was set in flames, by a fiery ball, and consumed.

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During the night of the eleventh, the besiegers commenced a second parallel, between two and three hundred yards from the British works. The three succeeding days were devoted to the completion of this line of trenches, during which time the enemy opened new embrasures in positions from which their fire was far more effective than at first. Two redoubts (K and L) on the left of the besieged and advanced three hundred yards in front of the British works, flanked the second parallel, and greatly annoyed the men in the trenches. Preparations were made on the fourteenth to carry them both by storm. To excite a spirit of emulation, the reduction of one was committed to the American light infantry under La Fayette; the other to a detachment of the French grenadiers and chasseurs, commanded by Major-general the Baron De Viomenil, a brave and experienced officer. Toward evening the two detachments marched to the assault. Colonel Alexander Hamilton, who had commanded a battalion of light infantry during this campaign, led the advanced corps of the Americans, assisted by Colonel Gimat, La Fayette's aid; while Colonel Laurens, with

our shells over-reaching the town, are seen to fall into the river, and bursting, throw up columns of water, like the spouting of the monsters of the deep.

NOTE.-Explanation of the Map.--A, British outworks taken possession of by the Americans on their arrival. B, first parallel. C, D, American batteries. E, a bomb battery. G, French battery. H, French bomb battery. I, second parallel. K, redoubt stormed by the Americans. L, redoubt stormed by the French. M M M, French batteries. N, French bomb battery, N, French bomb battery. O, American batteries.

Successful Assault upon two Redoubts.

Loss sustained by the Combatants.

Bravery and Loss of the French Grenadiers.

At a given

eighty men, turned the redoubt, in order to intercept the retreat of the garrison. signal, the troops rushed furiously to the charge without firing a gun, the van being led by Captain Aaron Ogden, of New Jersey. Over the abatis and palisades they leaped, and with such vehemence and rapidity assaulted and entered the works, that their loss was inconsiderable. One sergeant and eight privates were killed; and seven officers, and twenty-five noncommissioned officers and privates were wounded. Colonel Gi

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BARON VIOMENIL.

When

mat received a slight wound in the foot, and Major Gibbs, commander of Washington's Life-guard, was also slightly wounded. Major Campbell, who commanded the redoubt, and some inferior officers, with seventeen privates, were made prisoners. Eight privates of the garrison were killed in the assault, but not one was injured after the surrender.' This redoubt (K, on the map) was upon the high river bank, on the extreme right of the American lines. I visited the spot in 1848, the remains of the embankments were quite prominent. The redoubt (L) stormed by the French under Viomenil was garrisoned by a greater force, and was not so easily overcome. It was defended by a lieutenant colonel, and one hundred and twenty men. After a combat of nearly half an hour, the redoubt was surrendered. Eighteen of the garrison were killed, and fortytwo were made prisoners. The French lost in killed and wounded about one hundred men.3 In this engagement Count Mathieu Dumas (see portrait, on next page), one of Rochambeau's aids, bore a conspicuous part. He was in the advanced corps, and was one of the first who entered the redoubt. In this assault the Count De Deuxponts, who led the French grenadiers, was slightly wounded. Count Charles De Lameth, the adjutant general, was also wounded,

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VIEW FROM THE SITE OF THE REDoubt.2

1 Gordon (iii., 258) says that La Fayette, with the sanction of Washington, ordered the assailants to remember Fort Griswold (see page 44), and put every man of the garrison to death after the redoubt should be captured. There is no other than verbal evidence that such an order was ever given, an order so repugnant to the character of both Washington and La Fayette. Colonel Hamilton afterward publicly denied the truth of the allegation; and so also did La Fayette. Stedman, an officer under Cornwallis, and historian of the war, does not mention it.

2 This view is from the mounds looking northwest, up the York River. The first head-land on the right is Gloucester Point, and upon the high bank on the left is situated the village of Yorktown. The dark spot in the bank indicates the place of the so-called Cornwallis's Cave.

3 Doctor Thatcher says, the reason why the loss of the French was so much greater than that of the Americans was the fact that they awaited the removal of the abatis before they made the assault, and all that time were exposed to the galling fire of the enemy. Doctor Munson informed me that while the assault upon these redoubts was progressing, Washington, with Lincoln, Knox, and one or two other officers, were standing in the grand battery (C) watching every movement, through the embrasures, with great anxiety. When the last redoubt was captured, Washington turned to Knox, and said, "The work is done, and well done;" and then called to his servant, "Billy, hand me my horse."

4 Rochambeau, in his Memoirs, mentions an interesting circumstance connected with the attack upon this redoubt. The grenadiers of the regiment of Gatenois, which had been formed out of that of Auvergne, called Sans Tache, were led to the attack. When informed that they were to be engaged in this perilous enterprise, they declared their willingness "to be killed, even to the last man," if their original name, which they so much revered, would be restored to them. Rochambeau promised them it should be done. They fought like tigers, and one third of their number were killed. When Rochambeau reported this affair to the king, Louis signed the order, restoring to the regiment the name of Royal Auvergne. Dumas, in his Memoirs, vol. i., 52, also mentions this circumstance.

Desperate Situation of Cornwallis. Sortie.

Attempt of Cornwallis to Escape. Providential Interposition.

a musket ball passing through both knees.

Count Dumas.

Washington was highly gratified with the success of these assaults, and in general orders the next day congratulated the armies on the result.

During the night of the fourteenth, these redoubts were included in a second parallel, and by five o'clock the next afternoona some howitzers, which had been placed in them, a Oct. 15. were opened upon the British works. The situation of Cornwallis was now becoming desperate. Beleaguered on all sides by a superior force, his strongest defenses crumbling or passing into the possession of the besiegers, and no tidings from General Clinton to encourage him, the British commander was filled with the gloomiest apprehensions. Knowing that the town would be untenable when the second parallel should be completed, he sent out a detachment under Lieutenant-colonel Abercrombie, to make a sortie against two almost completed batteries, guarded by French troops. They made a furious assault at about four o'clock in the morning,b and were successful; but the guards from the trenches soon drove the assailants back, and their enterprise was fruitless of advantage.

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COUNT MATHIEU DUMAS.1

b Oct. 16.

Cornwallis, confident that he could not maintain his position, determined to make a desperate effort at flight. His plan was to leave the sick and his baggage behind; cross over to Gloucester, and, with his detachment there, cut up or disperse the troops of De Choisé, Weeden, and Lauzun; mount his infantry on horses taken from the duke's legion, and others that might be seized in the neighborhood; by rapid marches gain the forks of the Rappahannock and Potomac, and, forcing his way through Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, form a junction with the army in New York. This was a most hazardous undertaking, but his only alternative was flight or capture. Boats were accordingly prepared, and at ten o'clock on the evening of the sixteenth a portion of his troops were conveyed across to Gloucester. So secretly was the whole movement performed, that the patriots did not perceive it; and had not a power mightier than man's interposed an obstacle, Cornwallis's desperate plan might have been successfully accomplished. The first body of troops had scarcely reached Gloucester Point, when a storm of wind and rain, almost as sudden and fierce as a summer tornado, made the passage of the river too hazardous to be again attempted. The storm continued with unabated violence until morning, and Cornwallis was obliged to abandon his design. The troops were brought back without much loss, and now the last ray of hope began to fade from the vision of the earl.

At daybreak, on the morning of the seventeenth, several new batteries in the second parellel were opened, and a more terrible storm of shells and round shot was poured upon the town than had yet been experienced by the enemy. Governor Nelson, who was at the

1 COUNT MATHIEU DUMAS, who, after his return from America, was made a lieutenant general, was born in Montpellier, in 1753. At the age of twenty he entered the army. He accompanied Rochambeau to America as his aid, and served with distinction at the siege of Yorktown. On his return to Europe, he entered into the French service. He was married to Julia De La Rue in 1785. In 1789 he was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly, and from that period until the close of Napoleon's career he was continually engaged in the most active public duties. Yet he found time to use his pen, which he wielded with power. At the beginning of the "Reign of Terror," he fled with his family, in company with Count Charles Lameth, who was wounded at Yorktown, to England. He soon returned, but was obliged to flee into Switzerland. He acted with La Fayette in the reorganization of the National Guard, and was at length elevated to a place in the Chamber of Peers. He was with Bonaparte at the battle of Waterloo, and with that event closed his military career. The leisure which ensued he employed in writing historical essays, and preparing Memoirs of his own times. These extend from 1773 to 1826, when he was seventy-three years of age. From these Memoirs I have compiled this brief notice of his public life. He took an active part in the French Revolution in 1830, and co-operated with La Fayette in placing Louis Philippe on the throne. He died at the house of his son (the editor of his Memoirs), in 1837, at the age of almost eightyfive years. He was thirty-five years of age when Trumbull painted the portrait here given.

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