Erskine Dale—Pioneer
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XXIV
Up the James rode Erskine, hiding in the woods by day and slippingcautiously along the sandy road by night, circling about Tarleton'scamp-fires, or dashing at full speed past some careless sentinel. Oftenhe was fired at, often chased, but with a clear road in front of him hehad no fear of capture. On the third morning he came upon a raggedsentinel--an American. Ten minutes later he got his first glimpse ofLafayette, and then he was hailed joyfully by none other than DaveYandell, Captain Dave Yandell, shorn of his woodsman's dress andpanoplied in the trappings of war.
* * * * *
Cornwallis was coming on. The boy, he wrote, cannot escape me. But theboy--Lafayette--did, and in time pursued and forced the Englishman into a_cul-de-sac_. "I have given his lordship the disgrace of a retreat,"said Lafayette. And so--Yorktown!
Late in August came the message that put Washington's great "soul inarms." Rochambeau had landed six thousand soldiers in Connecticut, andnow Count de Grasse and a French fleet had sailed for the Chesapeake.General Washington at once resorted to camouflage. He laid out campsostentatiously opposite New York and in plain sight of the enemy. Hemade a feigned attack on their posts. Rochambeau moved south and reachedthe Delaware before the British grasped the Yankee trick. Then it wastoo late. The windows of Philadelphia were filled with ladies wavinghandkerchiefs and crying bravoes when the tattered Continentals, theirclothes thick with dust but hats plumed with sprigs of green, marchedthrough amid their torn battle-flags and rumbling cannon. Behindfollowed the French in "gay white uniforms faced with green," andmartial music throbbed the air. Not since poor Andre had devised the"Mischianza" festival had Philadelphia seen such a pageant. Down theChesapeake they went in transports and were concentrated at Williamsburgbefore the close of September. Cornwallis had erected works against theboy, for he knew nothing of Washington and Count de Grasse, nor MadAnthony and General Nelson, who were south of the James to preventescape into North Carolina.
"To your goodness," the boy wrote to Washington, "I am owning the mostbeautiful prospect I may ever behold."
Then came de Grasse, who drove off the British fleet, and the mouth ofthe net was closed.
Cornwallis heard the cannon and sent Clinton to appeal for help, but theanswer was Washington himself at the head of his army. And then thejoyous march.
"'Tis our first campaign!" cried the French gayly, and the Continentalsjoyfully answered:
"'Tis our last!"
* * * * *
At Williamsburg the allies gathered, and with Washington's army cameColonel Dale, now a general, and young Captain Harry Dale, who hadbrought news from Philadelphia that was of great interest to ErskineDale. In that town Dane Grey had been a close intimate of Andre, andthat intimacy had been the cause of much speculation since. He had toldDave of his mother and Early Morn, and Dave had told him gravely that hemust go get them after the campaign was over and bring them to the fortin Kentucky. If Early Morn still refused to come, then he must bring hismother, and he reckoned grimly that no mouth would open in a word thatcould offend her. Erskine also told of Red Oaks and Dane Grey, but Davemust tell nothing to the Dales--not yet, if ever.
In mid-September Washington came, and General Dale had but one chance tovisit Barbara. General Dale was still weak from a wound and Barbaratried unavailingly to keep him at home. Erskine's plea that he was toobusy to go with them aroused Harry's suspicions, that were confirmed byBarbara's manner and reticence, and he went bluntly to the point:
"What is the trouble, cousin, between you and Barbara?"
"Trouble?"
"Yes. You wouldn't go to Red Oaks and Barbara did not seem surprised. IsDane Grey concerned?"
"Yes."
Harry looked searchingly at his cousin:
"I pray to God that I may soon meet him face to face."
"And I," said Erskine quietly, "pray to God that you do not--not untilafter I have met him first." Barbara had not told, he thought, norshould he--not yet. And Harry, after a searching look at his cousin,turned away.
They marched next morning at daybreak. At sunset of the second day theybivouacked within two miles of Yorktown and the siege began. The alliedline was a crescent, with each tip resting on the water--Lafayettecommanding the Americans on the right, the French on the left underRochambeau. De Grasse, with his fleet, was in the bay to cut offapproach by water. Washington himself put the match to the first gun,and the mutual cannonade of three or four days began. The scene was"sublime and stupendous."
Bombshells were seen "crossing each other's path in the air, and werevisible in the form of a black ball by day, but in the night theyappeared like a fiery meteor, with a blazing tail most beautifullybrilliant. They ascended majestically from the mortar to a certainaltitude and gradually descended to the spot where they were destined toexecute their work of destruction. When a shell fell it wheeled around,burrowed, and excavated the earth to a considerable extent and,bursting, made dreadful havoc around. When they fell in the river theythrew up columns of water like spouting monsters of the deep. TwoBritish men-of-war lying in the river were struck with hot shot and seton fire, and the result was full of terrible grandeur. The sails caughtand the flames ran to the tops of the masts, resembling immense torches.One fled like a mountain of fire toward the bay and was burned to thewater's edge."
General Nelson, observing that the gunners were not shooting at NelsonHouse because it was his own, got off his horse and directed a gun at itwith his own hand. And at Washington's headquarters appeared thevenerable Secretary Nelson, who had left the town with the permission ofCornwallis and now "related with a serene visage what had been theeffect of our batteries." It was nearly the middle of October that thetwo redoubts projecting beyond the British lines and enfilading theAmerican intrenchments were taken by storm. One redoubt was left toLafayette and his Americans, the other to Baron de Viomenil, who claimedthat his grenadiers were the men for the matter in hand. Lafayettestoutly argued the superiority of his Americans, who, led by Hamilton,carried their redoubt first with the bayonet, and sent the Frenchman anoffer of help. The answer was:
"I will be in mine in five minutes." And he was, Washington watching theattack anxiously:
"The work is done and well done."
And then the surrender:
The day was the 19th of October. The victors were drawn up in two linesa mile long on the right and left of a road that ran through the autumnfields south of Yorktown. Washington stood at the head of his army onthe right, Rochambeau at the head of the French on the left. Behind onboth sides was a great crowd of people to watch the ceremony. Slowly outof Yorktown marched the British colors, cased drums beating asignificant English air:
"The world turned topsyturvy."
Lord Cornwallis was sick. General O'Hara bore my lord's sword. As heapproached, Washington saluted and pointed to General Lincoln, who hadbeen treated with indignity at Charleston. O'Hara handed the sword toLincoln. Lincoln at once handed it back and the surrender was over.Between the lines the British marched on and stacked arms in a near-byfield. Some of them threw their muskets on the ground, and a Britishcolonel bit the hilt of his sword from rage.
As Tarleton's legion went by, three pairs of eyes watched eagerly forone face, but neither Harry nor Captain Dave Yandell saw Dane Grey--nordid Erskine Dale.