pose the whole force of the British troops. General Gates did all in his power to rally the militia, but without effect; the continentals retreated in some order; but the rout of the militia was so great, that the British cavalry continued the pursuit of them to the distance of twentytwo miles from the place of action. The loss of the Americans, on this occasion, was very considerable; about one thousand prisoners were taken, and more than that number were said to have been killed and wounded, although the number was not very accurately ascertained. Seven pieces of brass cannon, various stands of colours, and all the ammunition wagons of the Americans, fell into the hands of the enemy. Among the prisoners taken was Major General the Baron de Kalb, a Prussian officer in the American service, who was mortally wounded, after exhibiting great gallantry in the course of the action, having received eleven wounds. Of the British troops, the number of killed and wounded amounted to two hundred and thirteen." 78. Murder of Mrs. and Mr. Caldwell. In the summer of 1780, the British troops made frequent incursions into New Jersey, ravaging and plundering the country, and committing numerous atrocities upon its inhabitants. In June, a large body of the enemy, commanded by Gen. Kniphausen, landed at Elizabethtown Point, and proceeded into the country. They were much harassed in their progress by Col. Dayton, and the troops under his command. When they arrived at Connecticut Farms, according to their usual but sacrilegious custom, they burnt the Presbyterian church, parsonage house, and a considerable part of the village. But the most cruel and wanton act that was perpetrated during this incursion, was the murder of Mrs. Caldwell, the wife of the Rev. Mr. Caldwell, of Elizabethtown. * Williams' Revolution. This amiable woman seeing the enemy advancing retired with her housekeeper, a child of three years old, an infant of eight months, and a little maid, to a room secured on all sides by stone walls, except at a window opposite the enemy. She prudently took this precaution to avoid the danger of transient shot, should the ground be disputed near that place, which happened not to be the case; neither was there any firing from either party near the house, until the fatal moment when Mrs. Caldwell, unsuspicious of any immediate danger, sitting on the bed with her little child by the hand, and her nurse, with her infant babe by her side, was instantly shot dead by an unfeeling British soldier, who had come round to an unguarded part of the house, with an evident design to perpetrate the horrid deed. Many circumstances attending this inhuman murder, evince not only that it was committed by the enemy with design, but also, that it was by the permission, if not by the command, of Gen. Kniphausen, in order to intimidate the populace to relinquish their cause. A circumstance which aggravated this piece of cruelty, was, that when the British officers were made acquainted with the murder, they did not interfere to prevent the corpse from being stripped and burnt, but left it half the day, stripped in part, to be tumbled about by the rude soldiery; and at last it was removed from the house, before it was burned, by the aid of those who were not of the army. Mrs. Caldwell was an amiable woman, of a sweet and even temper, discreet, prudent, benevolent, soft and engaging in her manners, and beloved by all her acquaintShe left nine promising children. ance. Mrs. Caldwell's death was soon followed by that o. her husband. In November, 1781, Mr. Caldwell, hearing of the arrival of a young lady at Elizabethtown Point, whose family in New York had been peculiarly kind to the American prisoners, rode down to escort her up to town. Having received her into his chair, the sentinel, observing a little bundle tied in the lady's handkerchief, said it must be seized for the state. Mr. Caldwell immediately left the chair, saying he would deliver it to the commanding officer, who was then present; and as he stepped forward with this view, another soldier impertinently told him to stop, which he immediately did; the soldier notwithstanding, without farther provocation, shot him dead on the spot. Such was the untimely fate of Mr. Caldwell. His public discourses were sensible, animated, and persuasive; his manner of delivery agreeable and pathetic. He was a very warm patriot, and greatly distinguished himself in supporting the cause. of his suffering country. As a husband, he was kind; as a citizen, given to hospitality. The villain who murdered him was seized and executed.* 79. Massacre at Wyoming. The following account of the devastation of the flourishing settlements of Wyoming, in July, 1778, and the massacre of its inhabitants by a party of tories and Indians, under the command of the infamous Col. Butler, and Brandt, a half-blooded Indian, is thus related by Mrs. Willard, in her history of the United States. "The devastation of the flourishing settlement of Wyoming, by a band of Indians and tories, was marked by the most demoniac cruelties. This settlement consisted of eight towns on the banks of the Susquehannah, and was one of the most flourishing as well as delightful places in America. But even in this peaceful spot, the inhabitants were not exempt from the baneful influence of party spirit. Although the majority were devoted to the cause of their country, yet the loyalists were numerous. Several persons had been arrested as tories, and sent to the proper authorities for trial. This excited the indignation of their party, and they determined upon. revenge. They united with the Indians, and resorting to artifice, pretended to desire to cultivate peace with the inhabitants of Wyoming, while they were making every preparation for their meditated vengeance. The Morse. |