French officers sought an opportunity of engaging in their service. Among these, the young Marquis de la Fayette was most conspicious for his rank, and most distinguished for his ardor and enthusiasm. At an early period, he communicated to the American agents his wish to join the republican armies. At first they encouraged his zeal, but learning the disasters which preceded the victory at Trenton, they, with honorable frankness, communicated the information to him, and added that they were so destitute of funds, that they could not even provide for his passage across the ocean.

"If your country," replied the gallant youth, "is indeed reduced to this extremity, it is at this moment that my departure to join her armies will render her the most essential service." He immediately hired a vessel to convey him to America, where he arrived in the spring of 1777. He was received with cordial affection by the people, became the bosom friend of Washington, solicited permission to serve without pay, and was appointed major-general in the army."-Hale's United States.

Not long after the event, my mother's death, my father reported himself at camp and joined the army again, but as he durst not fight against Britain with any degree of safety, it was thought most advisable to send him again to Reading in the capacity of a recruiting sergeant.

Whilst my father was at Reading obtaining recruits, he was informed of the cruel treatment I received from

Lewis and family. He visited me and told me to come to town in the course of a few days thereafter. I did so. He then enlisted me as a fifer. At this time I suppose I was about or turned of 15, but quite small of my age. Soon after my enlistment, my father who had enlisted a good company of men marched them off to join his regiment, which was stationed somewhere in Buck's coun ty, Pa.

At this time the regiment being again full as to numbers was ordered on to West Point, where there were a great many soldiers. Whilst we laid at West Point in the latter part of the summer of 1777, the American sol

diers were busily engaged in building a great number of huts for winter quarters. They erected two rows, which extended more than a mile in length. The parade ground, which extended the whole length in front, was from 250 to 300 yards broad and was as level as the floor of a house. There were two or three brigades of soldiers there at that time, to the first of which our regiment was attached. A more full description of this encampment and the huts alluded to, will be presented to my readers in another part of the present work.

My father was ordered back from West Point to Reading again, and from Reading he was appointed and ordered on to take charge of the sick and wounded soldiers on the Brandywine creek, in Chester county, Pa. Brandywine meeting-house was at this time used as a hospital. My father marched thither and took charge of it as superintendant, and I accompanied him.

We had not been very long at Brandywine meetinghouse before the battle of Brandywine took place. This event occurred on the 11th of September, 1777. Although General Washington and the Marquis, (then General) de la Fayette and their brave troops were forced to retreat, yet Washington struck the iron whilst it was hot and did his part faithfully, for he attacked the British infantry, whilst in the act of fording the Brandywine creek at Chadd's Ford, and had it not been for the great superiority of numbers upon the side of the British, advantages would have been great and decided; and this Washington was well aware of, as the British soldiers when emptying their pieces could not load whilst they were in the stream, for they could not procure a resting place for the butts of their muskets; had they attempted to have done so their muskets would have been rendered useless by the water.

It was said after the battle, that the waters of Brandywine were reddened with the blood of the slain soldiers of the British army. The battle was fought so near to the meeting-house that the firing of cannon shattered the glass in the windows. I remember well that the

glass came rattling down constantly whilst any remained in the building. The wounded soldiers were brought in great numbers to the hospital. Those engaged in bringing them, drove as fast as they could possibly drive under existing circumstances, and upon their arrival they would hastily lift the wounded out of the wagons, place them on the ground in front of the hospital and return as soon as possible to the field of carnage for another load. To hear the wild and frantic shrieks of the wounded, the groans of the dying, and to see the mangled and bloody state of the soldiers upon the arrival of the wagons,-to see the ground all covered over with the blood, and blood running in numbers of places from the wagon-bodies, was enough to chill the blood in the warmest heart and to make the stoutest heart embossed in adamant to stand appalled. To see the distorted features, of those lion-hearted men, the most brave and noble souls, writhing in the most keen and inexpressible anguish, and that too in an hour when harshness of handling or removing in haste became not only necessary but was tenderness in itself, in efforts to save them from a lawless, inhuman and insulting, cruel foe. These were the hours of darkness and of sore trial. Those of us at the hospital carried the wounded soldiers into the meeting-house as fast as we could, and laid them to the hands of the surgeons who dressed their wounds as fast as possible and sent them off in wagons immediately afterwards towards Philadelphia. Oh! what a scene who so dead to the emotions of tenderness as to be able to contemplate it with a cold and calculating heart? the man the woman, in whose heart there is a void -the heart that never felt or possessed the least spark of true and heaven-born humanity stealing over its surface, bending that heart upon the side of hallowed mercy,the heart never watered with the crystal streams of faithful and exalted republican principles,-the heart that never has felt or possessed the all potent fire and flow of an imperishable, pure and glorious patriotism, or felt the grace of the Most High and its melting powers over the human heart.

The skirmishing engagements and regular battle lasted from day-light until almost sun-set. This battle was a hard one, the heat of the day was very oppressive, the men suffered severely and no doubt many soldiers died from exhaustion alone; the cry for water was the most distressing, soldiers would come to soldiers and beg for God's sake that they might receive but a little water to quench their burning thirst, and wherever canteens were beheld by these famishing soldiers slung upon others, a descent would be made upon them, and in many instances when assurances were given that their canteens were empty no credit would be given to the assertions, but the famishing soldiers would tear the canteens from off the shoulders of their possessors and examine them themselves ere they would be satisfied that they were empty. Many of those unsatisfied and perishing heroes returned again to the battle, and many no doubt died from exhaustion, others fell dead on the battle field from the deadly arms of their enemies, others fell covered with wounds and with glory contending with odds against them in defence of the untried liberties of an oppressed and struggling people, whilst here and there one perhaps whose iron constitution braved it out and survived every privation, hardship and danger and lived to see his country disenthralled, triumphant, exalted, happy and free, and in the hour of his departure from an earthly career of intense suffering and glory, expressed himself in relation to his country as did the good man of old upon an all-glorious occasion of joyfulness and glory. Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in HOLINESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS

before him all the days of our life. mercy of our God; whereby the high hath visited these UNITED

Through the tender day-spring from on STATES.

Who would not prize the services, preserve inviolate and perpetuate the memory of such a soldiery, suffer, fight and bleed at their posts, until nature would become literally exhausted; yes, until death itself would make an end of their sufferings, ere they would seek to satisfy the most pressing wants of their nature by a sacrifice of their high and proud duty to their country, in endeavoring to wrest her from the dominion of tyrants, by noble exertions and deeds of noble daring in Columbia's battle fields of glory. Who would not cherish in the most lively emotions of gratitude the memory of such gallant soldiers as these? why, those who are now as they were to be found then, disaffected, black, rotten, shallow-hearted tories, that would rather feed, clothe and help their country's bitterest and most cruel enemies to the extent of their every ability than to afford one lone, solitary comfort by way of relief to veteran soldiers and defenders of their country's sacred rights and imperishable Liberties. Does any suppose that such characters, foul and black, can have an existence among us in a Republican country at the present day. Yes, pocket Republicans there are, that instead of bestowing a comfort upon a veteran soldier, for their pocket's sake, would not only sell their country as did an Arnold, but if it would fill their pockets would aid in putting a crown upon the head of any man, that might be found so corrupt as to accept and wear one at their hands.

My father and his soldiers who were now under the command of Colonel George Ross of the 11th Regiment, remained at Brandywine meeting-house for the purpose of burying the dead; this they continued to do, until a body of British light horse were beheld coming up at full gallop; my father ordered his men to fly instantly to the woods, telling them at the same time to halt there, until he should join them; he then bade me to run fast for the woods and take care of myself, whilst he was the