The Minute Boys of York Town

by James Otis

  CHAPTER XIII

  THE SIEGE

  For some moments after Pierre released Horry Sims from the bonds whichhad held him so securely, the Tory was literally unable to move hand orfoot, thus giving good proof of the suffering which must have been hiswhile he lay beneath the puncheon planks of the floor, powerless tocommand his body save in the way of breathing.

  After having chafed his limbs until the circulation of blood waspartially restored, the prisoner limped over into the corner wherePierre and I had left him when we set out upon that stroll whichresulted so differently from our expectations, and there he crouchedupon the floor as if intent on showing us that he would remain a willingcaptive. As a matter of fact, I believe the lad was more terrified bythe cannonading which yet continued and seemingly shook the very groundbeneath our feet, than he was by the knowledge that we held him in ourpower.

  And it was terrifying, whether for Tory or Whig, far more so than if wehad been in the open where it might be possible to see all that wasgoing on, or if we were taking part with the troops; but to remain shutup in the cabin, not knowing how near death might be to us, and fearingeach instant lest our frail shelter should be torn to splinters by acannon ball, was something that got on one's nerves more, I dareventure to say, than any other danger.

  During the first two or three minutes after the excitement of meetingwith Uncle 'Rasmus had died away, there were times when it seemed wellnigh impossible for me to so far control myself as to remain in-doors;it was as if I must go out; as if I must face that danger which seemedso imminent; as if I could not meet death while being all ignorant ofhow it might come to me.

  It was well, perhaps, that Pierre started a conversation by asking Uncle'Rasmus how he had passed the hours of our absence, and I believe littleFrenchie did this rather in order to take our minds from what was goingon around us, than because he really desired information.

  The old negro told us in his peculiar way, of awaiting our coming withwhatsoever of patience he could summon, believing each instant we wouldenter, and then as the hours wore on fear, as was quite natural, tookpossession of him. He could not imagine any combination of circumstanceswhich would keep us abroad so long, save we had fallen into the hands ofthe enemy, most like arrested as spies. Before morning came he wasconvinced that such must have been the case, and the only hope he had oflearning what had befallen us was in the coming of Morgan; but there wasa fear that he might have been taken in our company, and would thereforeshare our fate.

  "I done got terribly flustered up, chillun, an' dats a fac', kase Icounted I wasn' eber gwine to see youse any mo'. Dere was one spell jes''fore daybreak when I got it inter my min' dat dere was nuffin lef' fo'de ole nigger to do but skitter out ob dis yere village, an' it wasmighty uncertain whether he could get out ob it or not."

  "In that case what did you count on doing with Horry Sims?" Pierreasked.

  "I done made up my min' to leabe him sittin' up in de chair by dewinder, kase I couldn' take him wid me, an' it wouldn't hab done no howto let him go gallivantin' 'roun' from one ob dese yere ossifers to deodder tellin' 'em what had happened to him."

  Then the old man painted with painful vividness the hunger and thirstwhich had come upon him with the morning, after he had decided it wouldbe impossible for him to make his way through the lines. He repeatedwhat Horry Sims had said while begging for food or for water, and addedwith an odd grimace:

  "I 'clare for it, chillun, I got right mixey wid Horry, eben ef he is aTory, kase de lad was sumfin to talk wid, an' I was carried away widfear till it seemed as ef I was boun' to keep my tongue runnin', elseI'd gone crazy."

  "You didn't get so mixey with him, Uncle 'Rasmus, but that you finallydumped him under the floor," Pierre added with a laugh, and the old manchuckled as he replied:

  "I done tell you how dat was, honey. De mixier I got wid him de moreafraid I growed 'bout his gibin' me de slip, or in case any ob de king'ssogers come in an' was curious to know what I had covered up wid deblanket. It seemed like I couldn' bear de sight ob de boy, an' yet Iwanted to keep talkin' wid him all de time. I done splained dat derewasn' anyting to eat or drink in de house, an' dat we'd hab to go hungryan' thirsty till de gen'man from Jersey come to look arter us. Den derecome inter my min' dat yere hole in de floor, what ole Mary dug so's tokeep de milk an' de butter fresh, an' how your Uncle 'Rasmus did toddle'roun', gettin' de chile inter it! I ain' half so shaky as I'se beentryin' to make out since we come here to York; but it seemed like myback-bone wasn' stiff enuf for de job I'd tackled when I got hol' obHorry Sims an' he tried to hang back. Howsomeever he got in dar, an' Icovered de plank ober, an' den I went back to de winder, an' I mourned,an' I mourned, an' I mourned for my chillun what I 'lowed was in dehan's ob de Britishers."

  Then the old man, as if overcome by the remembrance of his suffering,gave way to tearless grief, when he trembled like one in an ague fit,covering his face with his wrinkled hands, and rocking his body to andfro until I perforce knelt by the chair to soothe him.

  Again did little Frenchie come to the relief of us all by changing thesubject of the conversation once more, and this time he called upon Saulto explain how it was he had been taken prisoner and confined in theguard-house.

  Strange though it may seem, I had had no curiosity concerning thismatter from the time we set him free, perhaps because there was so muchof excitement and confusion everywhere around, but now I turned fromUncle 'Rasmus to gaze at my cousin eagerly, so impatient to hear hisstory that I could hardly control myself until he was ready to begin.

  "Of course I knew you would insist on being told of all that happened,"he said gravely, hesitating now and then in his speech, "and thethought that I must confess my folly caused me greater pain, I believe,than did the knowledge of being held prisoner in that guard-house withhalf a dozen half-drunken soldiers as companions. It was a case ofgiving way to my temper, and the sooner I admit the fact the better,perhaps, I shall feel."

  "With whom did you quarrel?" I asked curiously, surprised by thepossibility that any British soldier should have condescended tosquabble with a country lad.

  "With Abel Hunt," Saul replied, and Pierre and I leaped to our feet asif moved by a powerful spring.

  Abel Hunt! And that scoundrel had followed us, knowing what he did aboutSaul, without saying anything whatsoever concerning the lad; butstriving to find where we were lodged so he might work yet furthermischief!

  As this came into my mind I realized that the danger which menaced uswas greater than I feared, for Abel Hunt, having met Saul and compassedhis imprisonment, knew also that we were in the village. It was notwithin the bounds of probability that he could even guess of our visitto the Gloucester shore; but he would spare no labor to lay us by theheels as spies. He had shown himself deep, that villain Hunt, deeperthan I ever believed was possible, for until this instant I had set himdown as one almost lacking in mental ability.

  "Tell us how the quarrel came about?" Pierre said quickly. "We also haveseen somewhat of this Abel Hunt, and it may be we need to know moreabout him without loss of time in order to protect ourselves, if indeedthere be any protection for us in this British camp."

  "_You_ have had to do with Abel Hunt?" Saul cried in astonishment. "Doeshe know that you two lads are here?"

  "That he does," I replied. "He followed us until midnight, after we toldhim we had no shelter and were forced to sleep out of doors if we sleptat all."

  "Did he tell you of meeting me?"

  "Never a word, and it is that very thing which troubles me," Pierrecried, more excited than I had ever yet seen him. "He knew that if hesaid aught against you or confessed to having had a hand in making you aprisoner, there would be no possible chance of our confiding in him, orbe frightened into telling that which he sought to learn. Now go on withthe story, lad, and quick!"

  "There is not much more to tell, when I say that I met with Abel Hunt.We came together nearabout the quarters of the Rangers, where I stoodhoping to get a glimpse of the mare, and, darin
g to take me by the armas if he were my equal, he demanded to know what I did there in theBritish camp. Then it was I forgot myself, allowing my temper to get thebest of me, and instead of speaking him fairly because of thecircumstances, I threatened he should be flogged by one of my uncle'snegroes in the slave quarters, for daring to thus accost me. It standsto reason that I realize now how foolish was this course, for I mighthave put him off, or answered his question after my own fashion, andlater, when there were not so many king's lovers around, I could havehad him punished. But, instead, I lost control of myself, as I havesaid, and I believe my actions pleased the scoundrel. He taunted me withbeing a rebel, and otherwise strove to set yet further flame to myanger, until forgetting all else, having lost to mind the danger inwhich you lads would be placed, I struck at the fellow, knocking himdown, much to my satisfaction.

  "In a twinkling he had me by the legs while yet lying upon the groundand cried out for the guard, declaring he was being murdered, andotherwise making as much disturbance as half a dozen could have made ifthey were being whipped to death. Then, as a matter of course, the guardcame up. Abel Hunt, who seemed to be on a friendly footing with some ofthe red-coats, explained that I, a rebel, had attempted to win him overto the side of the Whigs, and, failing, had set upon him with intent tokill.

  "There was little need for him to have made so many charges against me.The fact that I had been so bold as to make a disturbance nearabout thequarters of the high and mighty officers of my Lord Cornwallis, was initself enough to warrant me lodgings in the guard-house, and before manyseconds had passed I was thrust into that filthy place, where I was fedon bread with now and then a slice of bacon, and no more than halfenough of the river water to quench my thirst.

  "I knew full well that you lads would leave no stone unturned until youhad learned of my whereabouts, and I was also well convinced you coulddo nothing whatsoever to aid me. Therefore it was I strove to remain inthat horrible place content, and succeeded in a measure until the cannonbegan to roar, when I cried aloud with joy, for I believed our peoplewere giving battle to Cornwallis's army, although how that mightadvantage me, unless they gained such a victory as to take all thered-coats prisoners, I could not have said.

  "When you struck the first blow against the chimney of the house, I knewas well as if I had seen your dear faces, that you, Fitz, and you,Pierre, were there, taking advantage of the cannonading to rescue me.But even as I rejoiced I mourned because of believing you would speedilybe made prisoners like myself. It never came into my mind that thered-coats would leave even the prisons without a guard in order to manthe entrenchments. There is no more to be said, for you know the rest,and now I am asking what about Abel Hunt?"

  The question which Saul asked was in Pierre's mind as well as mine, fornow did it seem as if our end was near at hand. There was no probabilityhe could effect anything now while the Britishers were striving to beatback our people; but as soon as the firing ceased, and by this time wehad come to understand that it was not a battle which was being fought,but an attempt on the part of the Britishers to prevent our forces fromgaining a foothold near the town--I say, when the firing ceased, and theofficers were at liberty to take heed to their own affairs in theencampment, what might it not be possible for Abel Hunt to accomplish?

  He knew that Saul was here; that he was my cousin, and most like thatthe horses on the Hamilton plantation had been seized, therefore wouldhave been even more dull than I fancied, if he failed to put togetherthe story in such a manner as to convince himself that both Pierre andI were in York for some purpose other than that of curiosity.

  In fact, if he should tell no more than he already knew, withoutattempting to add to the story in any way, that officer who listened tohim could, and with good reason, have set it down as a fact that we hadremained in the village to act the part of spies, after whichstraightway every building in the village would be searched.

  "All of us, even if we take Horry Sims, might make our escape by theriver while the cannonading continues," I cried eagerly, having but theone idea of making our escape without loss of time. "We had nodifficulty either in coming here or tearing away the chimney of theguard-house, therefore does it stand to reason we can get to the riverbank without being seen. The skiff still remains where we left her, Ihave no doubt, and by moving quickly we may be out of this trap and atour home in James Town within two hours."

  "Why are you so eager to leave York?" Pierre asked in a peculiar tone,and I, failing wholly to understand what the little French lad wasdriving at, replied promptly:

  "Because of the danger we incur by remaining here."

  "And was it not you, Fitz Hamilton, who counted that we should callourselves Minute Boys with the idea that at some time, perhaps, we couldenlist more in our ranks until we had formed a company?"

  "Well, and what if I did propose such a foolish thing?"

  "You have allowed it to be understood among us that you consideredyourself bound to perform the part of a Minute Boy?"

  "And what then?" I cried angrily.

  "Why, then, at some time in the future it might be said that you ladsfrom Virginia made bold talk as to what you would do as Minute Boys, andbegan the work; but when danger menaced you turned tail to take refugeunder your mother's apron. How would such a story as that match withwhat is already well known the lads of New York, of Boston, and of otherplaces have done for the Cause? Had they banded themselves together asyou and Saul and I agreed to do, and then shown the white feather, itwould have been known throughout all the thirteen colonies by this time.And yet we of Virginia must be the first to act the cowardly part!"

  If Pierre had taken a horsewhip to me he could not have cut the fleshmore deeply than he cut my heart by these words. When I proposed to makeour way out of York, going to my own home, there was no thought in mymind that the act could in any way have the appearance of cowardice. Itwas simply before me that with Abel Hunt ready to give information, andwe shut up where a search of half an hour must surely reveal ourwhereabouts, it was simply our duty to go away if so be that werepossible.

  Now, however, after the little French lad had spoken, I would have stoodin that village baring my breast to all those lovers of the king,allowing them to do whatsoever they might with my body, rather than takethe first step toward escaping, and Pierre must have seen by theexpression on my face somewhat of that which was in my heart, for,coming up to me closely and caressing my arm in that old familiarmanner, he said soothingly:

  "I did not count to give you pain, Fitz Hamilton; but only said thatwhich was in my mind, with the idea of preventing you from carrying outany plan that might cause you deepest pain in the future. Far be it fromme to accuse you of being cowardly, for I have seen you advance when youwere afraid to do so, and he who can control himself under suchcircumstances may be counted a brave lad."

  While we had been talking the cannonading ceased gradually, until by thetime Pierre was done with his efforts to soothe me, comparative silenceprevailed. Straightway we lads forgot all else in the desire to knowwhat had been done; whether our people had retreated, or if theBritishers had fallen back, and I was on the point of proposing that Igo out to get an idea of the situation when the door suddenly opened,and to our great surprise and delight the Jerseyman flung himselfheadlong into the room, as if he had run until so exhausted that hecould no longer remain on his feet.

  We closed the door behind him speedily, as you can well imagine, andthen barricaded it to the best of our ability, after which we darkenedthe windows with blankets lest some curiously inclined soldier mightpass that way and see who was our visitor.

  We had no water with which to refresh him, therefore it was we couldonly wait until he was in a measure revived, for strong though the manhad appeared to be, now was he apparently on the verge of exhaustion.His face was powder-stained, as if he had been doing full share inholding back our people, and his clothing torn and rent, showing tokenof some desperate struggle.

  Not until four or five minutes had el
apsed, during which we knelt by theside of the man unable to give him any aid, did he recover some portionof his strength, and then he said, speaking indistinctly because of hisheavy breathing:

  "There is nothing to cause alarm. The enemy have not discovered who Iam; but yet would I hide myself here with the hope of being able to makemy way through the lines this night."

  "But with whom have you been fighting?" I cried, pointing to histrousers which literally hung in rags.

  "That was done in the trenches when seeing, as I believed, anopportunity to get into our lines, and having as companion only awounded Britisher, I strove to make my escape; but he, suspecting what Iwould do, grappled with me. The fellow had more strength than I gave himcredit for, because he held me in good play, and before I succeeded inovercoming him there were so many red-coats around that I dare not makethe attempt."

  "Then he knows that you are a spy, and will give information toCornwallis!" I exclaimed, my voice trembling with excitement, and theJerseyman replied gravely:

  "He may have suspected, and probably did; but never can he carryinformation to any officer."

  Then it was I understood the man was dead; but whether killed by theJerseyman, or by his wounds, I knew not, nor did I dare make inquiries.

  "Why did you come in such hot haste?" Pierre asked anxiously. "You musthave run at full speed from the farthermost outworks."

  "So I did, lad; two of us were sent to headquarters to bring up somehorses, and I, outstripping the fellow who went with me, decided onmaking my way here, believing now the village is so closely besiegedthat I would not have another opportunity of getting through the lines."

  "But what about the morrow, after you are missed, or to-night when youfail to answer to the roll call?"

  "They may say of me what they please, so that I remain here hidden untilmidnight, when I shall take my life in my hands, counting not the costof the venture if I may finish the work in this town of York which Ibegan so long ago."

  I could not then understand why it was Morgan spoke as if this might behis last opportunity to desert from the British lines; but all of ussoon came to have a very good idea as to the reason, when he explainedwhat had happened.

  And now instead of endeavoring to set down the matter in his words, andlest I should make a mistake in repeating them, let me write here thatwhich I read in plain print some time after the colonies had won theirfreedom from the king. It was written by one who strove to tell all thathad happened, without taking either the Whig or Tory side, and, so faras I have been able to learn, is true concerning what took place in thatvillage of York up to the close of this day of which I am writing.

  "Cornwallis, with the main division of his army, occupied York Town. Themain body of his troops were encamped on the open ground in the rear ofthe town. Lieutenant-Colonel Dundas, who did good service at James Town,occupied Gloucester with about seven hundred men, and was joined byLieutenant-Colonel Tarleton and his men shortly before the siege began.

  "The combined armies of the Americans, about twelve thousand strong,left Williamsburg by different roads and marched toward York Town. TheFrench Legion, a squadron of French marines, and a brigade of Virginiamilitiamen, were sent to invest Gloucester, while the remainder of theforces kept on toward the British encampment. On their approach theBritish left their field-works and withdrew to those near the town. TheAmerican light infantry and a considerable body of French troops wereordered to take possession of these abandoned works, and serve as acovering party for the troops while digging trenches and casting upbreastworks. Cannonading of the town and one or two sorties occurredduring the day.

  "Colonel Alexander Scammel, officer of the day, while reconnoiteringnear the Fusileer's redoubt, situated on the river bank at the mouth ofa stream on the extreme left, was surprised by two or three Hessianhorsemen. He surrendered; but they shot him and left him for dead.

  "When the place was completely invested by the allied armies, theirlines extended in a semi-circle at a distance of nearly two miles fromthe British works, each wing resting on the York river. The Frenchtroops occupied the left, the Americans the right, while Count de Grassewith his fleet remained in Lynn Haven bay to beat off any naval forcewhich might come to the aid of Cornwallis.

  "On the extreme left of the besieging army were the West India regimentsunder St. Simon. Next to them were the French light infantry regiments;the French artillery and the quarters of the two chiefs occupied thecenter. On the right, across a marsh, were the American artillery, underGeneral Knox; the Virginian, Maryland and Pennsylvania troops underGeneral Steuben; the New York, Rhode Island and New Jersey troops, withsappers and miners, under General James Clinton; the light infantryunder Lafayette, and the Virginia militia under Governor Nelson. Thequarters of General Lincoln were on the banks of Wormeley's Creek on theextreme right."

  All this, as I have said, was told us by Morgan while he lay on thefloor of old Mary's cabin; but I dared not trust my memory to make anattempt at repeating his words, therefore it is I have copied it fromthe printed account, although by so doing have seemed to advance thetime by giving the position of the besieging army, for they did notoccupy the quarters as here set down until the following day.

  Now we understood, else had we been thick-headed indeed, that York wasto be besieged to the end that none of my Lord Cornwallis's force mightescape, and how many days must pass before the proud Britisher would bewilling to surrender, no man could say.

  These facts caused me no little anxiety of mind, and I saw plainly bythe expression on Pierre's face that he was deeply disturbed, as indeedhe had good reason to be. All us lads, even though we were notexperienced in warfare, knew that during the time of siege it would benext to impossible for any person to make his way into the American campfrom the village, because the outer works would be heavily manned nightand day, and every red-coated soldier be on the alert to preventinformation being carried to the so-called rebels.

  In the meantime we must hide in the besieged town, holding our prisonerwith us; but now that the British army was drawn more closely together,and we as a matter of course more nearly surrounded by the soldiers, didit seem a matter of impossibility we could remain undiscovered any verygreat length of time.

  In addition to this danger, which it seemed to me was so great as toovershadow all else, was the fact that while we were in hiding we mustcontrive in some way to supply ourselves with food, and how might thatbe done save at the expense of revealing the fact that old Mary's cabinhad other occupants than the decrepit negro and a lad who had come tocare for him?

  Before the siege was begun it needed but little proof to convince theking's officers that whosoever was charged with being a spy was guilty;and now that the village was invested, with the Americans pressing hotlyfor every advantage, the lightest whisper would be sufficient to bringone who had spoken or moved indiscreetly, to the gallows.

  As I brooded over these things it seemed to me as if we were alreadywithin the shadow of the valley of death, with no way of escape saveover the dark river into the Beyond.

  Certain it is that even Morgan shared in the forebodings which I havehere set down, otherwise he would not have taken the chances ofremaining hidden in the cabin until midnight and propose then to venturehis life as the price of being discovered while striving to creepthrough the lines.

  He himself had said that this was the last opportunity, poor though itmight prove, to get word to our people, and he must also have realizedall the dangers that would menace us when another day was come and theking's soldiers settled themselves down to the task of holding theirenemy in check.

  That which made the situation seem to me more painful, more intolerable,was the fact that there was no longer any possibility we could be ofservice to the Cause by thus remaining in York; yet we were bound tostay for the very good reason that there was no hope of getting away.

  I could not bring myself to believe we had accomplished aught of good bycoming into this village of York. It seemed to me matters wo
uld havebeen better for all concerned had we remained on the Hamiltonplantation, and yet Master Morgan was so kind as to say before that dayhad come to a close, that when he had speech with any of our generals heshould take good care to give us due praise for what we had done.

  "Even though it had been nothing more than carrying the message toWilliamsburg and repeating my words to the man on the Gloucester shore,then would you lads have good reason to be proud," the Jerseyman saidwhen I asked petulantly what we who called ourselves Minute Boys haddone deserving of praise. "Without you I should have been forced toleave the lines some time ago, and thanks to your being here, it is nowpossible for me to give accurate information as to all the defenses."

  "That is, providing you get through the lines alive," Saul said grimly,and the Jerseyman added:

  "I count on getting through with sufficient of life remaining to beable to tell my story; but if peradventure I am shot this side theentrenchments, then I conjure you lads as you love your country, to riskeverything you hold most dear in the effort to communicate with ourpeople. Value your lives as nothing; the greatest suffering you canendure as a pleasure, so that you may be able before another day hascome to a close to describe in detail that which you have seen."