Richard Judkins' Wooing: A Tale of Virginia in the RevolutionHains, T. Jenkins (Thornton Jenkins)
History
Richard Judkins' Wooing: A Tale of Virginia in the Revolution
Hains, T. Jenkins (Thornton Jenkins)
Historical fiction; Virginia -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction
The fight raged fiercely, but our men refused to be dislodged. The
grenadiers were forced backward on the causeway, where they rallied
upon the tory infantry coming to their support, and in a moment the
smoke cleared away enough to see them forming for another desperate
charge.
Again and again did they storm that line of riflemen, and each time they
were repulsed and forced onto the causeway. Then, with great precision,
they closed up and drew away, firing steadily as they went, the tory
infantry leading.
A great shout went up from our victorious soldiers, and Colonel Bullet
leaped, sword in hand, over the breastworks and called for the men to
follow him. Bullbeggor pushed forward on the right, and led half a score
of men onto the causeway, but the British fired so steadily, and kept
their formation so well, that Colonel Woodford would not risk any
mishap to mar so grand a victory. The men were recalled, in spite of the
gallant Bullet's protests, but the rifle fire was kept up from the
breastwork until the enemy was well across and out of range. All along
the line of that long causeway they dropped from the ranks before the
murderous fire of those Virginians, and when they at last gained the
protection of the guns of their fort on the other side, there was not
one grenadier left unhit. The rest of them broke and became a
disorganized mob, making for shelter where it could be found, while the
way now being clear the fort opened a heavy fire that soon kept our men
under cover.
When I had time to look about me I was astonished at the small number
of our wounded. In that hot fire it seemed to me that nearly everyone
must get hit. But the poor light and breastworks had saved us many
lives, and our victory was not robbed of its joy by the presence of many
dead and wounded comrades. Not over a score of our men were hit, and
only a few of these casualties resulted fatally. Barron had his coat cut
in three places by balls, for he had exposed himself unnecessarily, and
Bullbeggor had lost his hat and was bleeding from a scratch on his
forehead where a grenadier had made a pass at him with his bayonet and
then fired. The steel had cut the skin, but the bullet had missed and
the discharge had blackened the Major's face until it was the color of
his servant's. Snake wished to attend his master, but the Major waved
him back and insisted on taking no notice of his hurt. He stalked up and
down the line of men, with his drawn sword held before him, stopping now
and then to see that a rifle was properly primed, or that the men did
not flinch too much from the artillery fire and become disorganized in
case of a renewal of the attack.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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