ftant again into the fire, in search of her. The Serjeant again saved him, but not without the Major's being feverely burnt in his face and other parts of his body. Every thing they had in the tent was confumed.

8. This accident happened a little time before the army passed the Hudson. It neither altered the resolution nor the cheerfulness of Lady Harriet; and the continued her progress, a partaker of the fatigues of the advanced body. The next call upon her fortitude was of a different nature, and more distresling as of longer suspense.

19. On the march of the 19th of September, the grenadiers being liable to action at every step, the had been directed by the Major to follow the artillery and baggage, which were not expofed. At the time the action began, the found herself near a finall uninhabited hut, where The alighted.

10. When it was found the action was becoming general and bloody, the furgeons of the hofpital took poffeffion of the hut, as the most convenient place for the first care of the wounded. Thus was this Lady in hearing of one continued fire of cannon, and musquetry, for four hours together, with the prefumption from the post of her husband at the head of the grenadiers, that he was in the most expofed part of the action.

11. She had three female companions, the baroness of Reidefel and the wives of two British Officers, Major Harnage and Lieutenant Reynell; but in the event their prefence ferved but little for comfort. Major Harnage was foon brought to the Surgeons, very badly wounded; and little time after came intelligence that Lieutenant Reynell was shot dead. Imagination will want no help, to figure the state of the whole group.

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12. From the date of that action to the 7th of October, Lady Harriet, with her ufual ferenity, ftood prepared for new trials; and it was her lot that their severity increased with their numbers. She was again exposed to the bearing of the whole action, and at last received the mock of her individual misfortune, mixed with the intelligence of the general calamity; the troops were defeated, and Major Ackland, defperately wounded, was a prifoner.

13. The day of the 8th was paffed by this Lady and

Der companions in common anxiety-not a tent nor a fhed being standing, except what belonged to the hofpital, their refuge was among the wounded and dying...

14. During a halt of the army, in the retreat of the 8th of October, I received a message from Lady Harriet, submitsing to my decifion a proposal of paffing to the American camp, and requesting general Gate's permiffion to attend her husband.

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15. Tho' I was ready to believe, for I had experienced that patience and fortitude, in a fupreme degree, were to be found, as well as every other virtue, under the most tender forms, I was aftonished at this propofal.

16. After so long an agitation of the fpirits, exhausted not only for want of rest, but want of food, drenched in rains for twelve hours together, that a woman should be capable of fuch an undertaking as delivering herself to the enemy, probably in the night, and uncertain what hand the might first fall into, appeared an effort above human nature.

17. The afssistance I was enabled to give was small indeed. I had not even a cup of wine to offer her; but I was told the had found from some kind and fortunate hand, a little rum and dirty water. All I could furnish to her was an open boat and a few lines, written on dirty wet paper, to General Gates, recommending her to his protection.

18. Mr. Brudenell, the chaplain who had officiated at the funeral of General Frafer, readily undertook to accompany her, and with one female fervant and the Major's Valet, who had then in his shoulder a ball received in the late action, she rowed down the river to meet the enemy. But her distresses were not yet at an end.

19. The night was advanced before the boat reached the enemy's out poft, and she centinel would not let it pass, nor even come on shore. In vain Mr. Brudenell offered the flag of truce, and represented the state of the extraordinary paffenger. The guard apprehenfive of treachery, and punctilious to their orders, threatened to fire into the boat, if it tirred before day-light.

20. Her anxiety and fufferings were thus protracted thro seven or eight dark and cold hours; and her reflections upon that first reception could not give her very encouraging

ideas of the treatment she was afterwards to expед. But it is due to justice at the close of this adventure to fay, that the was received and accommodated by General Gates, with all the humanity and respect, that her rank, her merits and her fortune deserved.

21. Let such as are affected by these circumstances of alarm, hardship and danger, recollect, that the subject of them was a woman; of a most tender and delicate frame; of the gentlest manners; accustomed to all the soft elegancies and refined enjoyments that attend high birth and for-tune, and far advanced in a state in which the tender cares always due to her fex, become indispensably neceffary. Her mind alone was formed for fuch trials.

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1.

ADVENTURES OF GENERAL PUTNAM.

I N the month of August, five hundred men were employed, under the orders of the Majors Rogers and Putnam, to watch the motions of the enemy near Ticonderoga. At South Bay they separated the party into two equal divifions, and Rogers took a pofition on Wood Creek twelve miles distant from Putnam.

2. Upon being fome time afterwards discovered, they formed a re-union and concerted measures for returning to Fort Edward. Their march through the woods, was in three divisions by FILES, the right commanded by Rogers, the left by Putnam, and the center by Captain D'Ell. The first night they encamped on the banks of Clear River, about a mile from old Fort Ann, which had been formerly built by General Nicholfon.

3. Next morning, Major Rogers and a British officer, named Irwin, incautioussy suffered themselves from a fpirit of false emulation, to be engaged in firing at a mark. Nothing could have been more repugnant to the military principles of Putnam than fuch conduct; or reprobated by him in more pointed terms.

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4. As foon as the heavy dew which had fallen the preceding night would permit, the detachment moved in one body, Putnam being in front, D'Ell in centre and Rogers in the rear. The impervious growth of fhrubs and underbrush that had fprung up, where the land had been partially cleared fome years before, occafioned this change in the order of march.

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5. At the moment of moving, the famous French partizan Molang, who had been fent with five hundred men to intercept our party, was not more than one mile and an half diftant from them. Having heard the firing, he hastened to lay an ambuscade precisely in that part of the wood most favorable to his project. Major Putnam was just emerging from the thicket into the common forest, when the enemy rose, and with discordant yells and whoops, commenced an attack upon the right of his division...

6. Surprised, but undismayed, Putnam halted, returned the fire and passed the word for the other divifions to advance for his fupport. D'Ell came. The action though widely scattered and principally fought between man and man, foon grew general and intenfely warm. It would be as difficult as ufeless to describe this regular and ferocious mode of fighting.

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7. Major Putnam, perceiving it would be impracticable to cross the Creek, determined to maintain his ground. Infpired by his example, the officers and men behaved with great bravery: fometimes they fought aggregately in open view, and fometimes individually under cover; taking aim from behind the bodies of trees and acting in a manner independent of each other.

8. For himself, having discharged his fuzee several times, at length it massed fire, while the muzzle was pressed against the breast of a large and well proportioned Savage. This warrior, availing himself of the indefenfible attitude of his adverfary, with a tremendous war-whoop sprang forward, with his lifted hatchet, and compelled him to furrender; and having difarmed and bound him fast to a tree, retürned to the battle.

9. The intrepid Captains D'Ell and Harman, who now commanded, were forced to give ground for a little diftance: the Savages conceiving this to be the certain harbinger of victory, reshed impetuoufly on, with dreadful, and redoubled cries. But our two Partizans, collecting a handful of brave men, gave the purfuers so warm a reception as to oblige them, in turn, to retreat a little beyond the fpot at which the action had commenced. Here they made a ftand.

10. This change of ground occafioned the tree to which Putman n was was tied to be directly between the fire

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of the two parties. Human imagination can hardly figure to itself a more deplorable situation. The balls flew inceffantly from either fide, many struck the tree, while fome passed through the sleeves and skirts of his coat. In this state of jeopardy, unable to move his body, to stir his limbs or even to incline his head, he remained more than an hour. So equally balanced and so obstinate was the fight.

T. At one moment, while the battle fwerved in favor of the enemy, a young savage chose an odd way of difcovering his humour. He found Putnam bound. He might have dispatched him at a blow. But he loved better to excite the terror of the prisoner, by huling a tomahawk at his head or rather it should feem his object was to fee how near he could throw it without touching him-the weapon struck in the tree a number of times at a hair's breadth distance from the mark.

12. When the Indian had finished his amusement, a French Baf-Officer (a much more inveterate savage by nature, though defcended from so humane and polished a nation) perceiving Putnam, came up to hím and levelling a fuzee within a foot of his breast attempted to discharge it; it mifled fire ineffectually did the intended victim, folicit the treatment due to his fituation, by repeating, that he was a prifoner of war.

13. The degenerate Frenchman did not understand the language of honour or of nature: deaf to their voice and dead to sensibility, he violently and repeatedly pushed the muzzle of his gun against Putnam's ribs, and finally gave him a cruel blow on the jaw with the butt of his piece. After this daftardly deed he left him.

14. At length the active intrepidity of D'Ell and Harman, feconded by the perfevering valor of their followers, prevailed. They drove from the field the enemy, who left about ninety dead behind them. As they were retiring Putnam was untied by the Indian who had made him prifBoner and whom he afterwards called master.

115. Haying heen conducted for fome distance from the place of action he was stripped of his coat, vest, stockings and shoes; loaded with as many of the packs of the wounded as could be piled upon him; ftrongly pinioned, and his wrists tied as closely together as they could be pulled with a cord