. The history of our Navy from its origin to the present day, 1775-1897. ams and spruce and hemlock. The forestspit flames and lead back at the answered to cry and the yell of defianceto the war-whoop of the savage. Arnold him-self, on the deck of the Congress, led in thethickest of the fight, cheering to the men asthey worked at the guns, and at frequent in-tervals stooping over a gun tb aim and fire itwith his own hands. The region around the scenfe of that battleis in these days the health resort of thou-sands in the summer season. We who seeit now can hardly realize that it w
. The history of our Navy from its origin to the present day, 1775-1897. ams and spruce and hemlock. The forestspit flames and lead back at the answered to cry and the yell of defianceto the war-whoop of the savage. Arnold him-self, on the deck of the Congress, led in thethickest of the fight, cheering to the men asthey worked at the guns, and at frequent in-tervals stooping over a gun tb aim and fire itwith his own hands. The region around the scenfe of that battleis in these days the health resort of thou-sands in the summer season. We who seeit now can hardly realize that it was thechosen haunt of Death on thg^t bleak Octoberday of 1776. There is a paragraph in a report by Lieu-tenant Hadden, of the British forces, that re-lates to one branch of the British forces, andis worth quoting. He says : These savages under Major Carletonmoved with the fleet in their canoes whichwere very regularly ranged. On the day ofthe battle, the rebels having no land force, thesavages took post on the mainland and onValcour Island. Thus being upon both flanks. ?3 i ft) THE HISTORY OF OUR NAVY 99 they were able to annoy them in the workingof their guns. This had the qifect of now andthen obliging the rebels to turn a gun thatway, which danger the savages avoided bygetting behind trees. And as for the result of the days work, thequaint words of Arnold himsdlf shall tell it : At half past 12 the engagement becamegeneral and very warm. Some of the enemysships and all their gondolas beat and rowedup within musket shot of us. They continueda very hot fire with round and grapeshotuntil 5 oclock when they thought proper toretire to about six or seven hundred yards;distance, and continued the fire till dark. The fleet of the enemy, though manned bypicked men—by men known not only for theirbravery, but for their skill in handling theguns—was obliged to draw off to get beyondthe range of the smaller guns on the Ameri-can fleet. The Congress, Arnolds flagship, was hulledby the
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