It has occurred to me that a little sketch of one who took
an active part in the scenes of those eventful days, may
perhaps amuse your readers. The old soldier from whom I have
my history, enlisted into the army at the age of fifteen, as
a fifer. He was much below the common size of boys at that
age, and, for this reason, chose to be a musician. He heard
the sound of the guns on the morning of the Lexington
battle, and soon after this event, he was ordered, with the
company to which he belonged, to New York. His good mother
furnished him with all that a kind, pious mother could think
of, for his comfort, even to a ball of yarn and a needle, to
repair his stockings. He returned them to her, after his
service in the army, “_safe and sound_.”
Soon after their arrival in New York, the alarm was given
that the enemy were approaching; and not doubting a
skirmish, at least, a company of men volunteered to go out
and meet the enemy. They were ordered to be in ambush, and
then rise suddenly upon the foe. The little fifer (a mere
boy) joined the party, and soon found himself in the heat of
battle. He has often told me that he felt no sensation of
fear at the time; the dense smoke, the roaring of the
cannon, the groans and shrieks of the dying, were alike
unheeded by him. His only wish was to load――aim――fire, and
_kill_ one of the British. He always thought he accomplished
his object, and God seems to have awarded a quick
retribution.
Just as he had fired, his party were ordered to retreat,
and, in turning to obey the orders, the poor fellow received
a ball in the back, which lodged near the spine. He thought
it must be his death-wound, and after moving on a few rods,
he left his comrades, and concealing himself behind a small
white oak tree, he set up his gun, and falling on his knees,
he committed his soul to the Saviour. His eye-sight and
hearing left him; he was bleeding profusely, and of course
believed this to be his last hour on earth.
How long he was in this state he could not tell, but hoping
his strength would permit, as soon as he could see and hear,
he crawled on his hands and knees into the road, and soon
met the surgeon, who, with the vehicle for the wounded
soldiers, was on his way to the place where the skirmish was
fought. The hospital was a mile distant, and the lad chose
to remain where he was, until the cart came back. He was
placed in it, and, in the course of a day or two after his
wound had been given, the surgeon attempted to extract the
ball, but it could not be done without causing instant
death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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