The Rangers; or, The Tory's Daughter: A Tale Illustrative of the Revolutionary History of Vermont and the Northern Campaign of 1777Thompson, Daniel P. (Daniel Pierce)
History
The Rangers; or, The Tory's Daughter: A Tale Illustrative of the Revolutionary History of Vermont and the Northern Campaign of 1777
Thompson, Daniel P. (Daniel Pierce)
Vermont -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction
unflinching regiments, the desperate assault, and there, in turn,
leading on the resistless charge.
Thus, with the tide of war alternately surging to and fro, like the wild
waves of the ocean lashed by contending winds, continued to rage this
fierce and sanguinary conflict, till the sun went down in the semblant
blood with which the smoke of battle had enshrouded him.
But now, soon an unusual commotion, attended with new and rapid
movements, was observable among the contending forces of the field.
Presently an exulting shout rose from the American lines; and the enemy
were seen at all points to be giving way. Their retreat, however, though
rapid, was yet, for a while, conducted with order; and they repeatedly
turned and made desperate efforts to resist the fiery tide that, with
gathering impetus, was rolling after them. But vain and fruitless
were all their attempts; for, while their whole rear was wasting with
frightful rapidity, under the terrible volleys which were poured upon
it, in one incessant blaze, by the hotly pursuing squadrons of Stark and
Warner, a strong detachment of the heroic Rangers, under the daring lead
of the now half-maddened Woodburn rushed forward and fell upon their
flank with a fury that threw their pierced and staggering columns into
such disorder and confusion as to destroy their last indulged hope of
escaping in a body from their infuriated pursuers. And, the next moment,
their whole force broke, and, abandoning their cannon and baggage, fled
in a tumultuous rout from the field, some escaping along the road, some
yielding themselves prisoners on the way, and others, to avoid their
outstripping pursuers, seeking refuge in the surrounding forest. But
neither road, nor field, nor forest, were this time permitted to afford
many of them the means of escape, or shield them from the harassing
pursuit of the exasperated Americans, who, in furiously-charging
columns, overthrew, shot down, or captured, all their broken and flying
bands within reach, in the road and open grounds, or in small parties,
or singly, closely followed and boldly encountered them in the woods,
whose dark recesses soon resounded with the scattering fire, the
clashing steel, and the hurrying shout, of the pursued and pursuing
combatants.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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