Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

The De feat o f Major It'emyss at Fish //am Ford. It was in tlie days wlien Lord I’aw don occupied the littlevillage of Co lumbia, and when Gen. Y\ innt and Cos). Middleton, and C’apt. Thomas Taylor, with their several corps, un der the command of General Sumter, lay on the Broad river, at a place cal led Fish Dam Ford, waiting for re cruits. Early on the 4th day of their encampment ( apt. Taylor repaired to Gen. Sumter, and told him of a strong presentment on his mind that they were to be attacked by the British on the following night. Gen.Suniter treat ed the admonition with a smile—the truth is, if this officer had a weakness, it as but the excess of a physical strength which never felt fear. —The Lion, all over, he could not bear any thing which smelt of the Fox ;and al wavs fond of fair play himself, he was fcluw to suspect others of treachery.— Hence, even the British. though not much given to compliment rebels,used to call him the “ Game Cocky and poor Marion.the “Swamp Fox',” meaning, that while Marion would never show but when he had the ad vantage, Sumter was always ready to give ’em a fair fight. Happily, however, the impression on Taylors mind of an impending at tack that night, had in it too much ol a call from the invisible world to be anodyned in that way. lie returned to his little sqad, about 40 in number, whom he thus addressed : “ Boys, we have been here now 4 days—the Bri tish are, no doubt, informed of it by 1 heir good friends the tories —and this night a some thing on my mind as sures me, they will give ns a hurra • The charge will confluence on Hen. Sumter, as the first in their way ; next Ihey will overwhelm Winne ; after wards they’ll scout Middleton, and last of all they’ll come down like five hundred upon us. Now this be out play ; Soon as onr centincls give the alarm, let fires be well replenished with lightwood ; then, forming out line here, in the edge of this swamp, with well loaded guns in our hands, we will wait their approach ; and, when they shall be gathered in crowds around our fires, and laughing at the cowardly rebels, we will give them a spanker that will surprise the sur prises, and put the laugh on the other side of their mouths —and as to you, my brave little fellow,” said he, turning to one Nat. “White, a little Baptist man, about 5 feet high, who had come into camp the night before to help to fight, but -without even sluig or stone in his hand, “ you may as well go home again, for you can-do us Tiogood, as you have no gun.” “ Never mind that,” replied the little Baptist, “ only let us come to fighting, and I*II be bound a gun will soon be put into my hands.” “ Very well,” said Taylor 4 and immediately turned in, lie and his men, to put then guns in prime fix, and collect heaps of fat lightwood, to be in readiness ior the British. Well, sure enough, ex actly as Taylor had predicted, just about the dark and solemn hour of two in the morning, the enemy in gh?at force, Major Wemyss, at their head, came dashing up.— Spang.’ spang 1 spang.’ went the guns of the ccntin els, instantly answered by Col. Mid dleton, officer of the day, with a voice loud as a trumpet,roaring out “ parade, parade, the enemy are upon you,” and t the same time running in, both he and the centincls, as hard as they could, the British close at their heels. Raging like a roused lion, Sumter rushed out io form his troops and meet the enemy: but as Washington said of the British regulars at the slaugh ter of Brad dock, he might as well have attempted to stop the floods of Niagara with his feet. The Militia, started from their sleep in the daik, and under circumstances so alarming, behaved as Militia, when surprised, always did and always will behave,i.e. thev took to their “scrapers,” and made themselves scarce, as Paddy would say, in no time and less. Still Middleton was heard roaring along the camping ground, “ Parade ! pa rade ?” Knraged that he should thus extend the alarm, a stout British ser geant of dragoons, named Johnson, mounted on a rapid charger, dashed on ahead of his troop, in pursuit of Middleton, and coming up with him hand over hand, close to Taylor's fire, would quickly have cut him down, w hen Taylor said to one of his men whom he knew- to be a prime marks man : ‘ Tom. can’t you stop that bold soldier P * I’ll try, sir,’said the riH tnan, and grasped his firelock, but at a the same time heaved a sigh, as sur li-owing to kill so brave a foe. But ” what could he dor That brave foe or Col. Middleton must die! In a mo ment he had his ritle on the poise ; then glancing a quick eye along the shining tube till he had brought the fa tal head to bear, lie gave fire. The gallant Johnson only saw the fla*h~ Ileaven, in mercy, threw the sleep of death over all that followed—pierced through the shattered brain, the migh ty warrior dropped at once a poor lumpol lifeless clay ; and tossed from his horse with all his useless arms, was rolled over almost into one of Tay lor's fires. Swift as thought, out from his lurking place rnnlittle Nat. White, and snatching up the dead man’s car bine and cartouch box, flew back to his comrades with a hurra my brave fellows! * Jih lia, captain Taylor didn’t I tell you so this morning, that if we gos to fight in g, 1 should soon have a gun put into wy hands/’ Presently, just as Taylor had foretold, the Bri tish having fairly chased our militia men across Broad river, to the huge amazement -of the mud eels and cats, catue swarming around Taylors fires, thick as wild geese around the stacks of rice, and as noisy too ; cursing the and and rebels as a pack of cowardly rascals, for running off so soo without stopping to give ’em a little bit ot fun. In that awful pause, their regimentals shinning iu the light-w ood blaze like a sea ol blood, with metal buttons and cross belts bright as day, Taylor gave the word, and his whole platoon pour ed in a murderous fire, mournfully an swered by the cries and groans of the wounded and dying. Duly 37 guns were fired, ami yet two and forty of the enemy came down—two of whom, in the language of that da y, played ’possum. The British returned the fire, but killed only one man. Very little more was done on eitner side ; for the Americans, as if content, like their own generous rattle snakes, with the deadly wounds they had inflicted on their enemy, retired with sullen joy into their darksome woods; and the British, having so many of their dead companions with a badly woun ded general behind them, were glad to trot back to Columbia. The next morning, as soon as Capt. Taylor and his men had returned to the ground,, the British Doctor came in to dress their wounded- He happened to be an Irishman, and as usual, a jolly sort of a fellow ; for as ‘1 aylor quizzed him concerning the heavy drubbing which liis countrymen (meaning the British) had given him last night, he replied with a mixed laugh and blush. •* Jlrrah, ’pon my shoul now honey, but the boot was on the wvon& leg ! Them and and fellows there out of the black swamp played h-—ll with us.’ Gen. Kuhiter too came in, and, as Taylor expressed a regret that he had done no better, lie replied with a magnanimity that does him more honor than the most brilliant victory could have done, “ Oh my brave fellow, do not talk so ; yon did wonders. I could not for my soul think were such heavy fir ing came from.’ On searching the pocket of the brave sergeant Johnson, they found a letter which he had just received from his mother in London. It served to show in what midnight darkness the ministry had contrived to keep the people of England, with respect to the war in America. In her letter the fond mother heartily congratulates Imr “ dear son on the blessed news which they had just received, viz. That the rebellion in the colonies was all happily extinguished —and that liei darling child ; now that peace was restored, was no longer exposed to the dangers of war ; and how glad she should be if she could come out to see him, and be with bins once more before she died.’ Ah ! happy mother ! thought Capt. Taylor, with a deep sigh, as turning from the letter, he beheld poor Johnson, the beloved subject of it, a paie corpse on the sands, and his manly face and locks all mat ted and ghastly with blood—Ah ! hap py mother, whose eyes are not per mitted to see this sight. The following curious story is rela ted by Gen. William Davie, of North Carolina in connection with the above. The morning before this fight, a stout fellow of a Scotch Irishman, named M’Gregor, who had a son or two with capt. Taylor, came within ou r lines to see them. Being a hearty old buck, who chewed tobacco and talked big, he was made much of in camp, and ev ery bod y must, of course, take a horn with him. He stood lire like a sala mander ; for in spite of all the brandy that could be knocked into him, he kept his legs till about sunset, when he sunk down by one of the fires, into such a powerful sleep, that not all the din of battle aforesaid ever grazed him. Just before day, when the wolves, nosing the sweet odour of human blood began to how I, and the air became chil ly, the two English soldiers who had played ’possum, agreed to creep up to the fire and take a warm. The bodies of the slain lay very thick; mistaking old M’Gregor for ony of the dead and much in their wav, they fastened upon him by the head and beds, and began to drag him one side ; “ Dallo ! hallo ! there, wlint tiled—l are you urter /” roared old M’Gregor, loud as a French horn. The Englishmen, struck as by a sudden scream from the tomb, let him drop with such a jolt of his head on the stones, as made him curse like a Turk. “ God bless your honor,” cried the Englishmen,* we didn’t mean to hurt you, sir.’ You didn’t mean to hurt me! what the d—l did you mean ! dragging a man. in his sleep, over the stones at this rate r” i “ Pon honor, sir, we thought you j were dead.” “ Dead!” cried lie, starting, “ d’ ad! j why whatthed —1 put that into your head r” “ Why, God bless your honor don’t vou see every body hereabouts is dead ?” This put old M’Gregor’s eyes upon the stretch, instantly his hair rose like bristles upon his head ; his eyeballs staring forward in horror — this moment in a camp full ot young people, laughing and drinking, and now in worse than a grave yard ! He starts from a dead man at his feet; he trips against a second ; tumbles On the third; rolls over the fourth ; up to the wrist and elbows iu puddles ol blood. “ Mercy on mv soul J” cried he, scrambling up, “ What’s all this:” “ Why, God bless your honor,” repli ed the Englishmen, “ didn’t you hear what a h—l of a fight we had here just now r” “ Fight! who betwixt r” “ Betwixt the Atnciicans and us.” “ Why, who are you ?” “ We are English deserters.” “ Well, where’s the English f” ‘They didn’t know. “ YV here’s the Americans r” They didn’t know. Hereupon, deeply pausing and lif ting up his hands, he began a solilocfcy in the religious mood. “Oh my bres sed God ! only to think of this ! Here have the bullets been flying thick as hail ; cutting down them poor fellows there like hopper-grasses, and 1 lying here all the time drunk! dead drunk! Oh, what if one of them bullets had but taken me ; where would my poor soul have been at this minuter” The Eng lishmen shook their heads, and said, “he might belike, have been in a bad box.” “In a bad box ! yes in hell!” replied he, stamping his foot on the ground; “ in hell I should have been at this precious minute, howling away with the damned.” His holy fit, how ever, did not last him long, for pres ently 7 , turning to the Englishmen, he called out, “ Well, who got the day? who got the day r” “Oh, the Aineii cans beat us,” said they.” “ Well, thank God for that,” said lie, and snatching up a musket and bayonet that lay by one of the dead men, he or dered them to surrender, prisoners of war. Next morning, w hen capt. Tay lor came in, there was old M’Gregor with shouldered musket, walking back wards and forwards like a grenadier, keeping guard, as he said, over the pri soners. FROVI THE PACIFIC. We have been favored with the pe rusal ot a letter from a young gentle man on board the C.C. S. Lautaro, ly ing in the harbor of Valparaiso, to his brother in this city'. Its dates are of the 4th and 20th of lune.—The following are extracts: — “ The ship Franklin is now at Cal lao, the scene of all miseries, where she is to winter. The Dolphin, Capt. Conner, arrived here yesterday, and sails again in a day or two, for the lee ward coast. * * * * “ There has been an unusual mortar litv in the city lately, as you may con ceive, when I inform you that within 17 days no less than 900 persons have died of complaints incident to the season. We have had a great drought, and ifrain does not fall soon, the crops w ill be ruined. Processions are going about petitioning for rain, and three days ago a subscription of 500 dollars was raised to purchase new dresses lor two saints, in the Cathedral, by this superstitious, infatuated people, that they might lend their aid in procuring a fall of rain ! [The follow ing is a more particular account of the destructive gale noticed in our last] “ June 20.—The Blossom sloop of war has just arrived —also five other vessels. I hasten to inform you of the particulars of a most dreadful gale of wind experienced here on Monday, the 12th of June, by which many a fine fellow has met a watery grave, anti property to an immense amount has been lost. Eight ships, Tout brigs, two schooners and one cutter have been lost in the Bay, besides three captains, two mates of vessels, ami thirty-six seamen. On Sunday, 11th June, the gale commenced, wind at north, with some rair.. At 2P. M. Commodore Wooster went on shore, at 7 lie retur ned oil board. 7*heseahad risen con siderably, and it blew pretty fresh, which caused a high surf on the beach. The Commodore’s gig capsised twice and filled, and lie was finally obliged swim oil - to her, having lost a trunk of clothes which he had in the boat. The O’Higgins frigate was lying astern of us in our wake—said ship is at present dismantled, and is about to undergo a thorough repair. As soon as the Com modore arrived on bapd, he hailed the frigate to be prepared to veer-cable in case we should .part, winch vve were fearful wauld happen momently. At 8 o’clock let go the larboarde anchor under foot and freshened the hawse; it was then blowing tremendously. At midnight the gale increased, and the swell was very high. At3h. 10m. the shank of our best bower anchor broke short off just above the flukes. Ihe ship immediately drove and brought up on the hawse of the (P Higgins, about 12 feet from the jib boom. ‘JI he Commodore fired a signal guu of dis tress, and burnt blue lights, but no one dared to come to our assistance. Ihe ni<dit was dreadfully dark, and it be gan to rain hard. V\ e hailed the fri gate repeatedly to slip the chain cable and veer away upon the larboard bow er, but received no answer. W hilc vve were in this state of suspense, the Lautaro drifted immediately athwart hawse ot the frigate, and in a moment her bowsprit, which was not a very small one, snapped close to the head. By this time the O’lliggins had lipped part of our stern off, and soon after lost her ow n head-rails and cut-water. The night was extremely dark, and the O’Higgins was pitching in a most terrible manner—keel out,to the height of 30 feet, every time she fell ripping oft large timbers, and iron knees from our stern. —By this time vve were near ly cut down to the water's edge; the sea was pouring into her stern every moment, and all hands expected to go down together. “ The Commodore perceiving that both ships must inevitably go down, if we were not soon separa ted, dispatched an officer and ten seamen on board the O’Higgins, to slip her chain and vecraway. They fortunately succeeded in getting on board after running great risk of swamping the boat; tw o boats hav ing been dashed to pieces in the act of lowering them from the da vits. As soon as the chain was slipped, the cable was veered away, and fortunately for us all, we swung clear. Had this service not been executed w hen it was; we should all have gone down. *• The Peruviaivbrig of war Con gresso, which arrived a short time since from Callan, with despatches broke adrift during the night, and was firing signal guns of distress without being able to have assist ance rendered her. We heard cries of distress on every side, and all ot us anxiously awaited the appear ance of day-light. Our situation was, if possible, rendered still worse, by having stranded our lar board bower and destruction ap peared inevitable. The C. S. cor vette Chacabuco, drifted near the rocks, about 4 o’clock, but fortu nately brought up in time to avoid being dashed to pieces. At length the long wished for day-light ap peared. The Lautaro again drift ed, but we succeeded in bringing her up with a spare anchor, just as the order was given to cutaway the mainmast. At dawn of day the gale increased and several ves sels drifted from their moorings.— The C. S. schooner Fortunata, broke from her moorings and went ashore astern of us, we being at the time almost ashore ourselves. It was now broad day-light, and ves sels were seen drifting towards the rocks at the bottom of the bay* at a place called Cape Horn from the many dangerous rocks which lie there, and also on account of the frequent robberies committed there it being a lonely place, although sit uated in the main street. The street lronts the bay, and instead of hou ses on the opposite side, it has a large cave where robbers used fre quently to take advantage of per sons passing at night to attack them and large stones have frequently been rolled down by these maura ders, from the hill above, which is about GO feet high. Midshipman Smith was attacked at this place by three soldiers, who bid him stupor they would cut him down, upon which he very boldly answered the summons by blowing out thelirains of one, wounding another mortally, while the third took to his heels! Mr. Smith belonged to the Mace donian frigate. During the day .I saw several ships go ashore at this place, which were in a few mo ments dashed to atoms, while the spectators on the street, were una ble to lend them the least assist ance whatever, owing to the vio lence of the surf which dashed even over the houses in a most fu rious manner. I never saw a more sublime sight or a more awful one, than was presented to my view when the Mary, a fine ship” of 500 ‘tons, struck the rocks. She in stantly capsized town tit tfie and the next wave that came rush’ ing, drove her between ’wo rocks and a moment afterwards'. le pa,.,’ ed with a loud crash, .abaft ht mainmast, and was instant aneausly dashed to atoms ! I witnessed th e melancholy sight of two large ships a schooner and two brigu which went ashore in the same place, a? 4 like the others went to pieces in. stantaneously. Many a poor fel low perished in my view, and but two escaped from a watery grave. Great damage was done to the hou ses on shoie. Several were thrown down and others had their founda tions undermined, and were only kept from falling bv placing large pieces of timber against them as a support. The loss of property is immense and the poor Americans have had their share of it. To add to tiie general horror the torrenn poured down from the mountains and overwhelmed many of the hou. ses, several of which were leTt en tirely covered with sand and gravel. Indeed the destruction was com plete, and the gale finished what the earthquake had spared. The houses are all composed of unba ked bricks, and the situation of Valparaiso being in a valley is the cause of its suffering so “much from the torrents, and it is absolutely dangerous to live in those mud buildings, for they are nothing else, although some of them, belonging to the more opulent merchants here, make a splendid appearance when painted and ornamented with a tricolored balcony or verands— Amongst other vessels lost, is an American whale ship, three years out, and which merely, put in here for refreshments, &c. preparatory to passing Cape Horn. The snip is ashore at the Alvendral at the bottom of the bay —has bilged, and is going fast to pieces. Her cargo consisted of 17,000 barrels of oil which they have succeeded in sav ing eight hundred barrels. The remainder of her cargo will be lost In the afternoon (when the gale subsided in a great measure) the beach, from the Custom House to the Almendrel, presented one of the most singular sights ever before witnessed in Valparaiso, (ioods, fruits, &c. the product of almost every clime, masts, rigging, sails, trunks, clothes, ladies work boxes, toys, boxes raisins, several tons ot ship bread, water casks, staves, &c ----lined the shore the distance of a mile and a half; and nothing was to he seen on every 7 side but confu sion and dismay in the faces ot those who were on shore.—One bold fellow quitted his ship just before she struck the rock, and be ing a good swimmer soon reached the shore in safety 7 , with a bag of ounces, which he had brought with him. Another, less fortunate, was thrown amongst the rocks, and the people in their anxiety to save him handled the poor fellow so roughly, that his kg’ was torn off'-, and he expired shortly after reaching the shore ! “ The Commodore was obliged to fly precipitately from his 6tate room, to avoid being crushed a rnongst the timbers which were fly ing off in all directions around him. All the after cabin was car ried away, and the ship was cut down to the water’s edge almost as neat as if done by an axe. Annexed is a list of the different vessels wrecked and stranded, which you will please publish for the no tice of all concerned, incase you do not receive earlier intelligence ot this most disastrous affair: American ship Lion of Provi dence, R. I. stranded on the Al* mendral beach, and going to pieces- Ship Charles, American whaler* stranded and bilged—cargo whale oil. Ship Mary, of London,capt. Ford —2O,(XX) dollars in cash were lost in this vessel; crew saved having abandoned Jter previous to her go* ing on shore. Ship Curiman of Valparaiso, for merly an English whaler, captured by Porter in the Essex frigate— ballast—captain drowned. Ship Mexican, of Valparaiso.— The tine young man was drowned. Ship I.apra, of London, Capt* White. Alter the vessel had stran ded, l saw a number of her ere” in the fore and main rigging am tops. Soon after the mainmast went by the hoard, carrying with the poor fellows who had tied there for safety ; all of whom, eight m number, have perished, and th pl