The Road to Paris: A Story of AdventureStephens, Robert Neilson
History
The Road to Paris: A Story of Adventure
Stephens, Robert Neilson
Adventure stories; Historical fiction; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction
All the world knows they did not stay so; that the rest of that hot,
eventful afternoon, until the termination of the fight, had nothing in
it to give Dick an impression different from those he had already
received; that the British re-formed by the shore, charged up the hill a
second time, and were a second time driven back by the deadly American
marksmanship; that to aid their second attempt they set fire to
Charlestown, but, the smoke being driven westward, failed to accomplish
their purpose thereby; that the British cannon did a little more work
this second time; that the British soldiers were somewhat impeded in
their charge by the bodies of dead and wounded comrades they had to step
over; that their officers had to do some threatening and sword-pricking
and striking to persuade them forward; that their second retreat was in
greater disorder than their first, and left the ground covered more
thickly with dead and wounded; that they waited a long time before they
began their third attack; that on the American side there was much
bungling in attempts to bring on reinforcements that arrived over
Charlestown Neck; that many of the cowardly and the disgruntled slunk
away; that in each charge the occurrences at the redoubt were similar to
those at the breastwork and at the stone and rail fence; that the second
attack left the Americans with very little ammunition. The few artillery
cartridges that contained all the powder at hand were opened, and the
powder was given out to the men with instructions to make every kernel
of it tell.
"If they're driven back once more, they can't be rallied again," said
Colonel Prescott; and his men cheered and replied, "We're ready for
them!" The few men with bayonets were placed at points the enemy would
probably attempt to scale. It was seen that the British boats had been
sent back to Boston,--so that the British troops would not have them to
flee to, as old Tom divined,--also that the British had received
reinforcements from the vessels.
When they advanced in column to the third attack, they came without
knapsacks, and their whole movement was concentrated upon the redoubt
and breastwork, while their artillery was sent ahead and so placed as to
enfilade the Americans in flank. The red lines were but twenty yards
away when Prescott gave the order to fire. The columns wavered at the
volley, but recovered form in a moment, and sprang forward with fixed
bayonets, without firing in return. Dick, knowing he had fired his last
round, and following Tom's example, turned his weapon around to use it
as a club. He was now at the southeastern corner of the redoubt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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