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fant again into the fire, in fearch of her. The Serjeant again faved him, but not without the Major's being feverely burnt in his face and other parts of his body. Every thing they had in the tent was confumed.

8. This accident happened a little time before the army paffed the Hudfon. It neither altered the refolution nor the cheerfulness of Lady Harriet; and the continued her progrefs, a partaker of the fatigues of the advanced body. The next call upon her fortitude was of a different nature, and more diftreffing as of longer fufpenfe.

19 On the march of the 19th of September, the gre nadiers being liable to action at every ftep, fhe had been directed by the Major to follow the artillery and baggage, which were not expofed. At the time the action began, the found herfelf near a finall uninhabited hut, where The alighted.

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10. When it was found the action was becoming general and bloody, the furgeons of the hofpital took poffef fion of the hut, as the most convenient place for the first care of the wounded. Thus was this Lady in bearing of one continued fire of cannon, and mufquetry, for four hours together, with the prefumption from the poft of her husband at the head of the grenadiers, that he was in the most expofed part of the action.

11. She had three female companions, the baronefs of Reidefel and the wives of two British Officers, Major Harnage and Lieutenant Reynell; but in the event their prefence ferved but little for comfort. Major Harnage was foon brought to the Surgeons, very badly wounded; and a little time after came intelligence that Lieutenant Reynell was shot dead. Imagination will want no help, to figure the state of the whole group.

125 from the date of that action to the 7th of October, Lady Harriet, with her ufual ferenity, flood prepared for new trials; and it was her lot that their feverity increased with their numbers. She was again expofed to the bearing of the whole action, and at last received the hock of her individual misfortune, mixed with the intelligence of the general calamity; the troops were defeated, and Major Ackland, defperately wounded, was a prifoner.

13. The day of the 8th was paffed by this Lady and

her companions in common anxiety-not a tent nor a fhed being standing, except what belonged to the hofpital, their refuge was among the wounded and dying.

14. During a halt of the army, in the retreat of the 8th of October, I received a meffage from Lady Harriet, fubmitting to my decifion a propofal of paffing to the American camp, and requefting general Gate's permiffion to attend her husband.

15. Tho' I was ready to believe, for I had experienced that patience and fortitude, in a fupreme degree, were to be found, as well as every other virtue, under the mof tender forms, I was aftonished at this propofal.

16. After fo long an agitation of the fpirits, exhausted not only for want of reft, but want of food, drenched in rains for twelve hours together, that a woman fhould be capable of fuch an undertaking as delivering herfelf to the enemy, probably in the night, and uncertain what hand fhe might fiift fall into, appeared an effort above human nature.

17. The affiftance I was enabled to give was fmall indeed. I had not even a cup of wine to offer her; but I was told the had found from fome kind and fortunate hand, a little rum and dirty water. All I could furnum to her was an open boat and a few lines, written on dirty wet paper, to General Gates, recommending her to his protection.

18. Mr. Brudenell, the chaplain who had officiated at the funeral of General Frafer, readily undertook to accompany her, and with one female fervant and the Major's Valet, who had then in his fhoulder a ball received in the late action, fhe rowed down the river to meet the enemy. But her diftrefses were not yet at an end.

19. The night was advanced before the boat reached the enemy's out poft, and the centinel would not let it pafs, nor even come on fhore. In vain Mr. Brudenell offered the flag of truce, and reprefented the ftate of the extraordinary paf fenger. The guard apprehenfive of treachery, and punclilieus to their orders, threatened to fire into the boat, if it tirred before day-light.

20. Her anxiety and fufferings were thus protracted thro feven or eight dark and cold hours; and her reflections up. on that firft reception could not give her very encouraging

sideas of the treatment he was afterwards to expect. But it is due to juftice at the clofe of this adven ture to fay, that the was received and accommodated by General Gates, with all the humanity and refpect, that her rank, her merits and her fortune deferved.

21. Let fuch as are affected by thefe circumftances of alarm, hardship and danger, recollect, that the fubject of them was a woman; of a most tender and delicate frame; of the gentleft manners; accustomed to all the foft elegancies and refined enjoyments that attend high birth and fortune, and far advanced in a state in which the tender cares always due to her fex, become indifpenfably neceffary. Her mind alone was formed for such trials.

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ployed, under the orders of the Majors Rogers and Putnam, to watch the motions of the enemy near Ticonde roga. At South Bay they feparated the party into two equal divifions, and Rogers took a pofition on Wood Creek twelve miles diftant from Putnam.

2. Upon being fome time afterwards difcovered, they formed a re-union and concerted measures for returning to: Fort Edward. Their march through the woods, was in three divisions by FILES, the right commanded by Rogers, the left by Putnam, and the center by Captain D'Ell. The first night they encamped on the banks of Clear River, about a mile from old Fort Ann, which had been formerly built by General Nicholfon.

3. Next morning, Major Rogers and a British officer, named Irwin, incautiously fuffered themselves from a fpirit of Falfe emulation, to be engaged in firing at a mark. Nothing could have been more repugnant to the military principles of Putnam than fuch conduct; or reprobated by him in more pointed terms.

4. As foon as the heavy dew which had fallen the prece ding night would permit, the detachment moved in one. body, Patnam being in front, D'Ell in centre and Rogers in the rear. The impervious growth of fhrubs and underbrush that had fprung up, where the land had been partially cleared fome years before, occafioned this change in the or der of march.

5. At the moment of moving, the famous French partizan Molang, who had been fent with five hundred men to intercept our party, was not more than one mile and an half diftant from them. Having heard the firing, he haftened to lay an ambuscade precifely in that part of the wood most favorable to his project. Major Putnam was just emerging from the thicket into the common foreft, when the enemy rofe, and with difcordant yells and whoops, commenced an attack upon the right of his divifion.

6. Surprised, but undifmayed, Putnam halted, returned the fire and paffed the word for the other divifions to advance for his fupport. D'Ell came. The action though widely fcattered and principally fought between man and man, foon grew general and intenfely warm. It would be as difficult as ufelefs to defcribe this regular and ferocious mode of fighting.

7. Major Putnam, perceiving it would be impracticable to cross the Creek, determined to maintain his ground. Infpired by his example, the officers and men behaved with great bravery: fometimes they fought aggregately in open view, and fometimes individually under cover; taking aim from behind the bodies of trees and acting in a manner independent of each other.

8. For himfelf, having difcharged his fuzee feveral times, at length it miffed fire, while the muzzle was preffed against the breaft of a large and well proportioned Savage. This warrior, availing himself of the indefenfible attitude of his adverfary, with a tremendous war-whoop fprang forward, with his lifted hatchet, and compelled him to furrender; and having difarmed and bound him faft to a tree, returned to the battle.

9. The intrepid Captains D'Ell and Harman, who now commanded, were forced to give ground for a little distance: the Savages conceiving this to be the certain harbinger of victory, refhed impetuously on, with dreadful and redoubled cries. But our two Partizans, collecting a handful of brave men, gave the purfuers fo warm a reception as to oblige them, in turn, to retreat a little beyond the spot at which the action had commenced. Here they made, a ftand.

10. This change of ground occafioned the tree to which Putman was tied to be directly between the fire

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of the two parties. Human imagination can hardly figure to itself a more deplorable fituation. The balls flew inceffantly from either fide, many ftruck the tree, while fome paffed through the fleeves and skirts of his coat. In this ftate of jeopardy, unable to move his body, to ftir his limbs or even to incline his head, he remained more than an hour. So equally balanced and fo obftinate was the fight. * FT. At one moment, while the battle fwerved in favor of the enemy, a young favage chofe an odd way of difcovering his humour. He found Putnam bound. He might have dispatched him at a blow. But he loved better to excite the terror of the prifoner, by huling a tomahawk at his bead or rather it fhould feem his object was to fee how near he could throw it without touching him-the weapon ftruck in the tree a number of times at a hair's breadth diftance from the mark.

12. When the Indian had finished his amusement, a French Baf-Officer (a much more inveterate favage by nature, though defcended from fo humane and polished a nation) perceiving Putnam, came up to him and levelling a fuzee within a foot of his breaft attempted to discharge it; it miffed fire ineffectually did the intended victim, folicit the treatment due to his fituation, by repeating, that he was a prifoner of war.

13. The degenerate Frenchman did not understand the language of honour or of nature deaf to their voice and dead to fenfibility, he violently and repeatedly pushed the muzzle of his gun against Putnam's ribs, and finally gave. him a cruel blow on the jaw with the butt of his piece. After this daftardly deed he left him.

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14. At length the active intrepidity of D'Ell and Harman, feconded by the perfevering valor of their followers, prevailed. They drove from the field the enemy, who left about ninety dead behind them. As they were retiring Putnam was untied by the Indian who had made him prifboner and whom he afterwards called master.

15. Haying been conducted for fome diftance from the place of action he was stripped of his coat, veft, stockings and fhoes; loaded with as many of the packs of the wounded as could be piled upon him; ftrongly pinioned, and his wrifts tied as closely together as they could be pulled with a cord.

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