thereto. Language, that was responded to by most, or all of the members of the company. My readers may judge of the pusillanimous thing, (for I cannot call him a soldier,) when I state that he stood like a marble statue, and never opened his mouth to the Major or myself, either to applaud or excuse his own cowardly conduct. This fellow I had known for some little time previous, and he was a bold, boisterous, bragging fellow among his men when immediate danger did not threaten us.He was always bragging, boasting and brave, or at least wanted others to esteem him as such.

A piquet guard had been chosen a few days before, in the morning, and in the course of the afternoon was ordered to march down near to the mouth of Creek.

Syfert (Drummer) and myself were detached from our company to play them towards the place of their destination. Ceasing to beat, however, after being distant from the camp a mile or two.

A Captain whose name I do not now recollect, but who was a gentlemanly officer, a soldier, and a brave one too, was the commander of the piquet guard upon that occasion. This officer understood his duty well, for I had a perfect knowledge of what an officer's duty was, or should be upon such occasions, knowing this, I am the better able to make this acknowledgment for the Captain. When this guard was chosen, the Lieutenant I have alluded to, was appointed to bear a part in planting it as a piquet. We commenced our march downwards and arrived at a farm house near to the river and to where the piquets were to be planted. The inmates of the family were extremely glad to see us arrive and gave us a hearty welcome. The man of the house was a farmer, and was quite patriotic in spirit, kind and clever. He told the women of his family to put on their kettles and to bring some of the best of their hams, and boil them quickly, and prepare victuals for us. He then sent off some of his negroes immediately for a keg of grog. Some of the farmers of the present day were they similarly circumstanced would either choose to be caught

with a sheep upon their backs, each, or let the British in, rather than go to the same expense, or do the same "abominable act" as many of them would no doubt call it.

In good season, he gave us both to eat and to drink and then bestowed upon us the liberty of his house to billet in. After we had refreshed ourselves, the Captain marched off with half of our number in silence and planted it as a piquet-guard. The Lieutenant remained with us at the house with orders to march the other half off at midnight, to relieve the piquets which the Captain had set.

When twelve o'clock arrived, Syfert, my drummer, came to me where I was lying asleep upon a bench, in front of the house and awoke me. He told me that the Lieutenant had ordered him to bring me, and for us then to beat up the long roll. I said "My God," would he ask us to do such a thing as this. I told him to tell the Lieutenant that I would not do any such thing, and forbid him (Syfert,) upon the peril of his life, to beat it. The Lieutenant then came himself, and ordered me to play for Syfert. I told him plainly that I would not, stating at the same time that his duty was to form his men in silence, and for none to speak above their breath by the way. He insisted on me to play the fife, and I persisted in saying that I would not, and that Syfert should not use a drumstick upon his drum. He then formed his men, and went and brought a lighted candle and a fire-brand; this was to relight the candle with, in case it should go out. The candle he handed to Syfert and the fire-chunk he offered to me, but I refused to take it from him. I told him he should take neither candle nor a fire-chunk with him, but he persisted in doing so, saying that it was too dark to go without a light. told him I would not carry it; he said I should do it. I at length took the fire-chunk, and we then started.We had not gone but a few yards until I stuck the chunk of fire its whole length down into a mud-hole, and left it there. I then blew out the candle, which was in

I

the hands of Syfert. The Lieutenant stopped imediately, called a halt and asked me where my fire-chunk was. I told him plainly that I had stuck it into a mud-hole, and that he should not have any light at all, for that if there were British any where about, they could see a light a great way off, and that if they would behold our light, they would at once despatch a detachment to surprise and capture us, and told him again, that it was his duty to march his men off to their posts, and plant them with the greatest caution and in the greatest silence.

Whilst I was lecturing him thus in the dark, the Captain, who had seen the light, came running as hard as he could to meet us, and exclaimed, "In the name of God, why have you a light here?" I told him that there had been both a light and a chunk of fire, but that I had stuck the chunk into a mud-hole, and had blown out the light. The Captain was much pleased with me for what I had done, and stood behind my every act and justified them. I told him of his wanting us to beat the British an index tune, in order that they might know exactly our where and whereabouts, and come and take us prisoners. This (my refusal,) he justified also in a manly and soldierly manner. He was much displeased with the Lieutenant for his cowardly and imprudent conduct.

The Captain then lead us down, and relieved the piquet guard upon duty, by planting his men in their stead, and then returned with us and his relieved portion of the guard to the farm-house, leaving the Lieutenant (who had little or nothing to do) to hide himself and tremble until daylight.

On our return to the house, I found myself very weary and sleepy. I looked around for some place to lie down, or rather for something to lie upon, and found a kind of a pallet in the kitchen, which belonged to one of the wenches. On this, I laid me down, and in a very few minutes fell fast asleep, and slept soundly till the morning.

As soon as it was day, the piquet guard was brought off, and very soon after we marched for camp again, not

making any music until arriving well on towards our encampment. When we had gotten far enough from the house where we billetted, we then cheered our cowardly and "all-scared" Lieutenant's spirits, (for certainly they needed cheering,) by a row, row, dow, did, dee, diddee, dow, dow, dow, in our own style of performing.

It was said by some of our men in the morning, that when on piquet guard the past night, they had heard distinctly. the muffled oars of the British barge-men in their passage over the river in the night. Piquet guards were always chosen after roll call in the morning, and were under the control of the "officer of the grand rounds," or "officer of the day." I frequently assisted in playing the piquet guards out some distance from the camp and in again, but never was called on to accompany them to that far point of their destination again.

I recollect of a very humorous incident occurring with one of the guard whilst we laid at Baltimore. One night two or three officers were going the "grand rounds," in order to try the guards. A young man, a Dutchman, was one of the guard, and he had been told by the Sergeant of the relief-guard, and perhaps by some of the soldiers on guard duty with him, that he being young and inexperienced, must take good care, or that those coming in the night, would coax or force him out of his musket, and would take it away from him. During the night when he heard the officers approach, who were going the "grand rounds," he ran to a kind of a ditch. that was near by, and hid his musket. Upon their near approach, he hailed them with "who comes there," they answered "grand rounds," and advanced and gave the countersign. The officers asked him what he had done with his musket. "Ah," (said he) "youz neet nod dink dil kits myne muzgit. I hiz hit mine muzgit.". The officers could not think what to make of the fellow and his conduct, for his language was strange, truly. They called for the Sergeant of the guard, and the poor. fellow was then put under guard for his offence. His determination and conduct, although strange, was be

gotten by a good motive, that of not suffering his musket to be taken away from him. Not like the Lieutenant, full of cowardice and no care as to what his duty was, he wanted to do his duty, and thought that he was doing it most faithfully when hiding his musket. His conduct was explained on the next day, to the satisfaction of all the officers, and he was released immediately. He was, however, often afterwards the subject of much sport at the hands of the soldiers, who knew him, for they would often plague him when they met him, with the expression, "youz neet nod dink dil kits myne muzgit," &c.

I obtained liberty at one time, to go into Baltimore. I met with some companions who with myself stopped at Merkle's Hotel. We all got a little tipsy and returned to camp about four o'clock in the afternoon. Believing that I would be put under arrest, I thought I would take the whip-hand of my officers and save myself from being escorted to the guard-house. When I went to the guard-house to surrender myself, the sergeant of the guard would not receive me, but watching my opportunity I slipped in and sat down. I was not very long there, until Major T'imanus came and asked me what Ï was doing there. I told him. He then asked me to go to my tent with him, I told him I would not, that I should remain where I was. He coaxed me to go and I started with him. He took me to my tent, and told me to lie down on my nice little bed that was waiting for me. I then laid me down, but after he went away, I got up and went out again. The Major came after me a second time, and then took me to his marque and made me lie down there, which I did, and my spree ended therewith..

One day previous to the landing of the British at North Point, the commanding officers at Baltimore, took it into their heads (which was all right) to fire alarm guns (cannon) on Federal Hill. Upon hearing the first gun, Syfert my Drummer and myself, got in readiness. The second was fired and caused a terrible splutter among some of the soldiers in the different camps, and among