Show I H Ama ng the theS S 'S h a r p s h 0 o. o t e ers er's ersH r H How ow L I g t h-t fo o t b became e c a m e a m e j r o Mor Morans organs organ's Corps in the tine t wit with Bourgoyne HERE was terror tenor In Albany Alban F and in all the settlements ti up p THERE and down the Mohawk valley lUcy and the Hudson In the gloomy bloom month of ot August UJUst In the year 1777 1711 It Is true that the danger of tho Americans had been made less bythe by the defeat of Colonel St St. Leger and his troop of ot English Tories and Indians In their attack upon Fort Fore Schuyler but who was a l famous British general was still advancing from tho the north Starting from Can id a with his bis army of trained British an and Hessian so sol sol- diets diem and his bis Indian allies he had t cap capp turgid the tho forts on ou Lake Champlain and Lako Lake George ore where the tho Americans had hoped to resist him and at last be beas was as in inthe inthe in inthe the Hudson valley heading toward Albany Al Al- bany There Thero he was to meet Lord Howe who was to bring up another army from New l York which bich was in the hands s of the British Colonel St. St Leger was to bl have ble e joined them there with his forces but bat bathe buthe buthe he had been beeD compelled to retreat to the Canadian border after the tho patriots won the day at t Fort Schuyler No fo o doubt there was waa good cause for forthe tho the alarm which spread through the tho Amerl American settlements Tho The only hope of in General Burgoyne's Burgoyne's Bur- Bur safety lay by checking I goynes goyne's army before it could reach Al i Al-i i i II I bany and acid join that of Lord Howe With this object in view fiew all aJ tho troops that could be spared sent up the Hudson an and among the rest came the 1 victorious men of Tryon county counts fresh from their T victory over oer Colonel St St. te Leger cr With this detachment was Lightfoot I At first sight you yon would have hae taken him for an Indian boy with his dark skin and his quick easy motions He lIe was liko the Indians too in his habit of listening much ucb an and saying little This was not strange for or he ha had been captured bythe by the fierce Mohawks when he was a baby and ba had grown up among them until hi his father a ler found him only a So little while before before be be- fore the outbreak of the war Lightfoot had hoped that they would go o to Albany before they joined the American army for he had never seen seenI I the city of which he had heard so much but when they ther reached the mouth of the Mohawk wk where it plunges es foaming over i the rocks into tho the Hudson they were Ucro compelled to turn north without delay en for fur Burgoyne was pressing on and there eras ryas as no time to lose as a Battle might be fought at any moment As a matter matteI of fact the British had already crossed tho the Hudson and bad had reached tho the plain of Saratoga a. a The I Americans under the command of ot Genera Gen Gen- General era eral Gates had bad assembled at Stillwater not far from the British and were there preparing to me meet t tho enemy General Burgoyne was compelled to bring brin all the pron provisions ons for his army from Canada and aud this was no easy matter in those days especially as the Americans sent ont out parties of men to attack his bis provision provisIon provision pro pro- vision trains at every opportunity So he was in a hurry burry to have tho the battle over with in order that he be might draw his supplies from Albany for he be never doubted that he would woul be the victor ictor Lightfoot was greatly interested in the great earthworks and redoubts which had been built to defend the American rican camp General Gates was pointed out outto outto outto to him a him a short fat at man who looked n aa as though it might be easy casy for him to lose his temper There also be he saw General General General Gen Gen- eral Arnold who afterward sought to bet betray y his count v v but who at that thai time tim was re regarded as a brave brace and skilful lead lead- leader er er and many others whose ie names ho he had bad heard spoken of with honor bonor But most of all aU he was interested in Colonel Morgans Morgan's Mop Mor gans gan's famous sharpshooters in their clothes of ot buckskin and their coonskin caps with the tho tails han hanging iu down be be- hind Each of them corned carried a title rifle witha with a long tons heavy heay barrel and each wore a powder horn and a bullet t pouch across I his shoulder Colonel W Willett presented pre pre- rented the tho boy to Colonel Morgan who looked at him approvingly with willi hi his sharp h rp black blackk eyes W Would you like to tn my riflemen Colonel Morgan asked jokingly Yes I would woud like to very much much Lightfoot replied his face tace flushing with pleasure Very well wen Colonel Colony I Morgan lor an said ld still still laughing but first you must show how u uK how bow well welt you can shoot We Wo cant can't admit admit admit ad ad- mit any anyone one who does not know how to use his ri rifle C He lie paced off sixty yards to a white birch tree and end with a piece of charcoal drew drewa a a face ce upon the tho smooth whito hito bark Lark There he be said eaid as 8 he lie caino camo back theres tho the enem enemy let mo ma sec tiec you hit b. b him Jm Lightfoot took the rifle which Colonel Morgan orau handed to him and rained it quickly to his shoulder The n nest t moment be he fired tired The Colonel l I 1 ought to have ha told you to tu be careful he he- Jill aid It is a 1 hair trigger and you yon pressed It too soon noon Perhaps I J hit the tree anyway anway Lightfoot sai said with a 1 slight ht smile limie Let u Wf ua see the i replied and D 1 j i Morgan said refusing to admit that the r boy could have hit the tho target intentionally ti Well try it again and this time tame be sure I g v J R.'S J t a tt N I l 11 rl it L they W walked to the tho target The bullet t had bad struck just above the tho left eye of ot his target tar tar- I get St I a 3 fanny funny accident Colonel Coonel J 5 t e t 1 I YOU io-cr A M ER 1 MY tr CORPS THE i CRIED you Sou take tako aim Maybe you C can D put a bullet I IO O over er the other eye I I They returned to their first position and aDd I after reloading th the tho rifle Lightfoot again Jain I brought it to hi hN his shoulder glanced alone I Ithe I the barrel harrel and fired I I I Too bad had the Colonel ColoD 1 said ild shaking hi his head hrad Im afraid id we shall not b be 1 able ible to admit you since you yon dont don't un understand how bow to handle bandle your weapon Suppose Suppo we c look at the t r target et once more Lightfoot remarked quietly I They found that the bullet ha had struck above the tho ri right ht eye of the tho target e exactly ex ex- exactly I I where the tho Colonel had suggested The TlC soldier was astonished Do liDo you yno mean tf to say MY that you di did that on purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose he asked cd II Well WeB I tried to do it if that's what at you vou mean Lightfoot replied Youre a n member of or my corps the I Colonel cried I haven't a 3 man in It who oho can shoot like that So Lightfoot became a 3 member of the I famous corps and he be spent that ni night ht in its camp sleeping in Ic tho the open air nir under a blanket t. Word came camo on the afternoon of the following day that t there was a movement of the enemy and the tue corps was ordered to advance nr aud find out what it was Lcd Led by Colonel Jorgan Morgan Mor Jor gan himself elf the men went forward orwar along alonga a wooded ridge toward to the British camp The They did not attempt to keep any order I in their progress but they went silently screening themselves in the underbrush which was thick along the hillside They Pu pushed hed forward in inthis this manner about a mile and a half before they encountered encountered en en- I countered tb the cuemy Then they became aware of or the fact that men were vere creeping creeping creeping creep creep- I ing toward them as cautiously ly 3 as pos pos- sible Instantly the tLe corps halted and each man threw himself behind the nearest shelter thrusting his rifle forward ready to fire It turned out ont that the men mon In front of them were Indians and Tortes Tores who had hid been eD sent out out by General Burgoyne Bur Bui- goyne ns IlS a n skirmish line to protect the I right wing winS nn and flank of his army from army from r surprise Lightfoot remembered the tho desperate conflict of Oriskany and h hi his s heart ganto gan ganto to beat bent fast But this time the tho surprise was awaiting the enemy cuemy instead of ot the American troops an and it was not song iong delayed A rifle cracked among the trees I towar toward the crest of the hill then another and another as tho the skirmishers startled to find their opponents so close at hand band forgot their caution and aud exposed themselves themselves them them- selves to tho the aim alm of ot the sharpshooters I I I I I I I I I I I I Lightfoot did ditl not get ct a chance to shoot Peering from behind a 3 10 log which served him bun as j. j breastwork he could catch only T a glimpse of a 1 dark lark body o ur or the feathered feat bead hend of an Indian flitting from one tree trl to another For n few moments moment Ih the firing firing wa n brisk and ancl the tuc enemy 1 sent a I volley volley olley of shots in ic return t then cn ih the tho other line melted molted a away wa and vanished This Thi WON was the signal for lr the Americana to which the they did as rapidly as possible a sharp watch 1111 ahead to 11 avoid iJ nn an ambush Soon they heard the shouting of commands s and saw the gleam IMm of red uniforms between the tree tru trunks They knew kne that the regular line was wag a advancing advancing ad ad- aud and that the British army was moving mo in force Again th they y halted and obeying the order order or or- der er to tu wait until the enemy was close at hand bao they poured a deadly fire against the line The redcoats wa wavered er tand I to a moment and then r replied plied with a fo volley voley ly which seemed to Lightfoot to fill the woods with a shower of hissing bullets He could hear them thud Rrt against th the trunks of ot the trees all about abot him Col Morgans Morgan's or ans an's men fired In return as fast a as they could loa load their r and bullets dl did much more domn damage e than those directed against theta them because each of the sharpshooters was careful t tr to choose boose bi his bis man while the English and Jn Hessian troops fired tired in volleys nn and mostly mostly most most- ly over OHr the heads beads of ot the thc patriots But nut more and anel more men came up to strengthen the British line and the soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers in III spite of their los losses loses cs pr pre pressed cr e l for forward m with so much bravery that Colonel Morgan or an was forced to retreat The firing had bad been heard heu in the tbt American American Amerlean Amer Amer- lean ican ican camp however howe aud and a re regimen soon made its appearance eager to join In Inthe inthe the fight Then the British in their turn w were re compelled to give i e ground an and the them Americans m ricans drove e them from their cannon can can- non lion which they hall hal brou brought bt up tip through the woods but were unable to use with any effect because the trees were so 0 thick Several times each side was obliged to fall fail back before larger numbers as reinforcements were brought up against them until at last the greater parts of both armies were engaged ed Lightfoot ha had become so 50 excited that he be no longer thought of the danger to himself lint but loaded aud and fired as fast as be was able until his rifle barrel grew so hot hoi that he be was compelled to stop until it cooled Although thousands thousands' of men were cre struggling struggling gling on the hillside he be could see only oDly I what was vas Join going on immediately around aroundhim Jim him because the thickness of tJ the woods prevented nto n any ny one from seeing t more than thant 1 t few rods away The nr British ti b fought Ic Ie Im knowing win that if they should he muted they would h be he forced to traverse traverse tra tra- cr verse e hundreds of ot miles of ot wilderness before they could reach safety in Canada Can Can- ado ada while the Americans contested t e every ery foot font If f ground with ith great spirit in the ti hope f of a victory so decisive as aso asto to 10 o brin bring General campaign to an nn en end and relieve relie the Province of the tho I threatened dan danger r. r I. I So f lie ric battle raged raced all tho afternoon with the th tha a advantage first ou on one side and then on the other until n nearly sunset The Tho enemy at that tIme sent forward a 1 stron strong detachment and the charge which follO followed ed drove the Americans back in dl disorder order We are beaten belten t said aid Lightfoot to himself despairingly as ho he J saw his comrades streaming backward but they rallied and tried to make a n stand tand against the overwhelming o numbers that bad had been hurled burled against them The Tho soldiers fought band hInd to hand and face to face tace but it was hopeless for the American AmerIcan Amer Amer- ican lean side and once more the retreat be- be Jan can At t that moment there came a cheer from the direction of the camp a l trampling tramp tramp- ling of hoofs and a 3 rush of ot feet and IDd General Arnold mounted upon a great black horse throw threw w himself into the tho battie battle battle bat bat- tle tie like a ma madman man with a l fresh regiment nt at 1 r his heels This checked the they the British nd advance and relieved relio the pressure upon the tbt American lines It might have happened that the victory would ha have e been won then and there but the tue gathering darkness put a astop astop astop stop to the ba battle aud and both armies withdrew withdrew with with- v drew to their camps Colonel Morgan spoke to as I the members of or the corps straggled sled back i I to the quarters Well done dont my boy he be said Eaid kindly Some day IY you will m look back bIck to this thill battle battlo and feel proud to think you were ere in in it it for it proves that we are lre going to whip them His lis prophecy was fulfilled The British British Brit Brit- British ish had lost so many of their men that I th thy they y did not cot care cae to risk another bat battle tIe The American army on the other hand hind was constant constantly strengthened b bj by recruits I an and its scouting parties cut off oft the British Brit ish supplies until General Dur wa was r finally compelled to attempt a retreat and aud failing in this was WiS as forced to surrender surrender sur sur- render reader with the entire army which had bad set pt out so pou proudly ly and c confidently Cor for forthe forthe the conquest of the Province of ot New ew ewI York I I |