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which was the means of launching four out of the six into eternity, the matter of rescuing them was whispered among the soldiers, but they did not concert measures in time, to prevent the awful catastrophe which they meditated, by an act of insubordination upon their part.

After the sentence of death was read to the condemned soldiers at the jail door, we then marched them out and down below town, playing the "dead march" in front of them. We continued our march full half a mile and halted on a piece of ground (common) adjoining a field of rye, which was then in blossom. 'This was sometime in the early part of June 1781. After a halt was made, the prisoners were ordered to kneel down with their backs to the rye-field fence. Their eyes were then bandaged or covered over with silk handkerchiefs. The officer in command then divided his force of 20 men into two platoons. The whole was then ordered to load their pieces. This done, 10 were ordered to advance, and at the signal given by the officer (which was the wave of his pocket handkerchief,) the first platoon of 10 fired at one of the six. Macaroney Jack was the first shot at, and was instantly killed. The first platoon was then ordered to retire and reload, and the second platoon of 10 ordered to advance. When the signal was again given, Smith shared the same fate, but with an awfulness, that would have made even devils to have shrunk back and stood appalled. His head was literally blown in fragments from off his body. The second platoon was then ordered to retire and reload, whilst the first was ordered to advance and at the same signal fired at the third man. The second platoon then advanced and fired to order, at Sergeant Lilly, whose brave and noble soul was instantly on the wing to the presence of that Supreme Judge, who has pledged himself that he will do that which is right. The arms of each had been tied above their elbows with the cords passing behind their backs. Being tied thus, enabled them to have the use of their hands. I ventured near and noticed, that,

Macaroney Jack had his hands clasped together in front of his breast, and had both of his thumbs shot off. The distance that the platoons stood from them at the time they fired, could not have been more than ten feet. So near did they stand, that the handkerchiefs covering the eyes of some of them that were shot were set on fire.The fence and even the heads of rye for some distance within the field were covered over with blood and brains. After four were shot, we (musicians) with a portion of the twenty men were ordered to march and were then conducted up to the main line of the army. After our arrival there, the whole line was thrown into marching order and led to this horrid scene of bloody death.When the troops advanced near to the spot they displayed off into double file and were then marched very near to the dead bodies, as also to those still on their knees waiting the awful death that they had every reason to believe, still awaited them. The order was for every man to look upon the bodies as he passed, and in order that the soldiers in the line might behold them more distinctly in passing, they were ordered to countermarch after they had passed and then marched as close to them upon their return.

The two deserters that were still in a kneeling posture were reprieved, the bandages taken from their eyes, then untied, and restored to their respective companies.

A number of men were ordered out to dig a large The bodies of the four dead soldiers were then grave. wrapped up in their blankets and buried together therein. This last sad duty performed, the soldiers were all marched back to their quarters in camp.

My readers may imagine to what a pitch this sad scene was heightened in sorrow when I state, that, on our way from the jail to the place of execution, those sentenced, were crying, pleading and praying aloud, women weeping and sobbing over the unhappy fate of the doomed to death, and the wife of Macaroney Jack screaming and almost distracted. On the way she attempted to run into the line, or provo guard, to where

her husband was walking, but was hindered by an officer who felled her to the ground with his sword, he having struck her with the side of it.

The execution of these men by Colonel Butler and his officers, was undoubtedly brought about by a love of liberty-the good of country, and the necessity of keeping a proper subordination in the army, in order to ensure that good ultimately. Mutiny had shewn itself at many of the military posts within the United States.The conduct of the Pennsylvania and Jersey lines in the revolt at Morristown in Jersey had occurred but the year before, and fresh in the memory of all having knowledge of the operations of the army. Still, the destruction of these men seemed like a wanton destruction of human life. The soldiers at York were afraid to say or to do any thing, for so trivial appeared the offences of these men that were shot, that they knew not what in the future was to be made to constitute crime. I recollect for myself, that for some considerable time after this, if I found myself meeting an officer when out of camp, I would avoid coming in contact with him if I possibly could do so by slipping a short distance to one side, not that I was afraid of an officer more than of a private, whilst I done my duty, but fearing lest they might construe my conduct in some way or other into an offence.

All disposition of mutiny was entirely put down by these steps of cruelty. There were (no doubt) many times during the Revolution that such executions were called for and highly necessary, and perhaps there was an evidence as well as a conviction before the minds of the officers composing the Court Martial in their case, that we know not of, and that demanded the punishment of death, but to state in a word, it was a mournful day among the soldiers, and hard and stony indeed, were the hearts that were not deeply affected in witnessing this distressing execution of their fellow-soldiers.

In the course of a few days after this melancholy occurrence, Colonel Butler received orders to join General Washington somewhere towards the South, but I think

it was in the vicinity of Yorktown, Virginia. When the main body moved on, I with five or six Drummers and Fifers with some invalids and raw recruits, were left at York. I was billetted at a public house near to the Court House, which was kept by one Zeigler. I drew my rations and handed them to the family. I lived here (I may state) at home, for I ate at the table with the family, and was treated as one of the family. Having nothing to do as duty, except to practise some in playing the Fife, I done many little jobs of work for the family. I remained at York until sometime in January, 1782, when orders were received for us to march on to Lancaster, Pa. In obedience thereto, we set out on the march immediately. Our detachment consisted of a Sergeant, ten or a dozen of privates, Fife Major, Drum Major, and five or six musicians other than myself. When we arrived at the Susquehanna river opposite to where Columbia now stands, we found the river full of drifting ice, and were compelled to remain on the York side of the river until next morning. We billetted at the old Ferry tavern house. It was a very cold and keen freezing night, so much so, that against morning the river was shut, and we were enabled to cross it upon the ice.— Each man carried a long pole in his hand, and all gained the Lancaster side of the river in safety.

We did not remain very long at Lancaster, being ordered about to different military posts. In the course of these changes, I do not recollect any thing that transpired of any great importance until I again returned to Carlisle barracks, nor can I recollect at what post I separated from Major Greer. Some persons have an idea that the post of a Fifer or a Drummer is a very easy This is altogether an error, and founded on ignorance. A Fifer or Drummer has to fill the orders issued, and he may be detached in time of war in twenty dif ferent directions in a month. When upon the march in an expedition against an enemy, a musician occupies a more dangerous post than any officer in the detachment, save the commander, and when in line of battle his posi-,

one.

tion is not to be envied. In a word, the whole duty of a musician is therefore not only a laborious one, but one of the greatest hazard and danger.

My memory at one day could have kept, and did keep pace with all these movements or changes from place to place, but not having at any time in my life penned any thing with the view of publishing a history of my life, and besides having entered the army when young, it cannot be expected that I can be as explicit in my statements as I might otherwise be at this late day. I have been (as before stated) at a very great number of military posts or encampments during the war, the names of which, when I hear them, I know very well that I was once quite familiar with them and their locations too, but now, their locations, the time of repairing to them and the objects for which I was detached to them, are like shades, or as imperfect or indistinctly remembered dreams, and of course my recollection of such places, the times of visiting them, and the objects of those visits cannot be other than vague within my mind; this much, however, is established (in my recollection) beyond a doubt, I have been sent to play detachments off to different places, and again I have been sent to play detachments from recruiting posts and other places into the different encampments where we laid.

I recollect of marching through Baltimore, and then to some military post a considerable distance to the South, but where I am unable to state now. It must have been pretty far South. The place where we were encamped was near to a very deep and still-water, and it seemed as though there were great freshets there sometimes, for there had been great quantities of drift-wood, such as large trees, logs, limbs and brush swept out to the land and heaped up together into huge piles.

Alligators were very numerous there, and the soldiers were forbidden to go into the waters for the purpose of bathing and swimming. At night the Alligators would lie on the top of the water with their jaws open or rather with their upper jaws laid back towards or resting

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