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HISTORY

OF THE LIFE AND SERVICES

[graphic]

OF

CAPTAIN SAMUEL DEWEES,

A NATIVE OF PENNSYLVANIA, AND

SOLDIER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND LAST WARS.

ALSO,

REMINISCENCES

OF THE

Revolutionary Struggle (Indian War, Western Expedition, Liberty Insur-
rection in Northampton County, Pa.) and Late War with Great Britain.

IN ALL OF WHICH HE WAS PATRIOTICALLY ENGAGED.
The whole written (in part from manuscript in the hand writing of Captain
Dewees,) and compiled

BY JOHN SMITH HANNA.

Embellished with a lithographic likeness of Captain Dewees, and with
eight wood-cut engravings, illustrative of portions of the work.

Joy there is in contemplating noble worth,
Worth often neglected and despised,
Worth that oft in hours dark stood forth,
As thunderbolts of war,-yen eagle eyed.

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action between those that plan and order the affairs of a battle and those that execute the orders of a superior and bear the burthen and heat of the day, as some people are pleased to create. Were this great difference to exist where would he place a bold and chivalrous Champ, a Jasper, a Newton and a McDonald that constituted patriotic warring hosts in themselves-a McComas, a Wells, patriotic life-sacrificing Defenders of Baltimore, and many others that were subordinates and privates in the armies of his country. It is true that where officers brave and meritorious have led, soldiers have followed into the most imminent danger and to death; but as true it is, that, without bravery in men, officers would not, could not dare to rush single-handed and alone to the combat against thousands. True it is that brave and daring officers are necessary in any army to inspire a soldiery with bravery and to make brave men to act with a still greater degree of fearlessness of spirit in the hour of greatest dangers.

For his own part he can state, that he feels as all other persons in his country ought to feel (and as very many do feel) in relation to a revolutionary and last war soldiery-disposed to respect, honor and aid them as far as abilities will permit at all times; and this, on account of their suffering services rendered their country in a glorious struggle for Liberty, Independence and Right. Many officers in both wars fared little, if any better than did the privates themselves, but the opportunities of many to fare much better were vastly greater than privates in general.

Having (when a small boy) had a camp residence of four months with his father in the tented field-on the frontiers of his country during the last war, he has had a much better opportunity of knowing something of the hardships, privations and sufferings of an American soldiery than many of his readers, and could give many relations, but as he is necessarily bounded by the limits of a preface let two or three statements suffice.

Let his readers accompany him to the almost insup,

PREFACE.

1844105

portable wintry cold climate in which is situated the town of Erie (on the margin of lake Eric) in Pa., and there picture to themselves thousands of soldiers standing mid-leg in snow and water and enduring a northern or north-western wind that had swept the surface of that body of inland water for the distance of from 50 to 70 or 80 miles, winds more cold than very many of his readers ever felt, thousands of soldiers engaged in felling huge hemlock and other large timber that grew there, and after lopping off the limbs or branches, piling them into great "brush heaps" and then behold them pitching their linen tents upon these for the purpose of keeping themselves out of water, and in order that they might sleep by night with some degree of security against its encroachments. To the lovers of winter comforts arising out of comfortable homes and warm cloathing these would seem cold habitations indeed.

There stood the Volunteer shivering Sentinel bold,
Battling for his Columbia's weal and not for gold,
Pierced by old Winter's keen and cutting frosts,
A monument of triumph truly, in justice emboss'd.
"In memory of th' illustrious dead,

Th' inmortal heroes, who have bled,
Their country to defend;

Let greatful toasts re-echo round,
And let their fame's eternal sound,
From earth to heaven ascend."

What would our modern fastidious and squeamish dandy lordlings of insignificance and empiric emptiness say to such a life as this. How would they set themselves about to contend for the prize-to endeavor to bear away the palm by entering the lists with such veteran sons of herculean strength and hardihood as the (too often) despised soldiers of my country. How would they relish a cut of surloin steak or standing rib of a miserably poor, aged and infirm worn out old work ox, such as the author seen slaughtered with his iron shoes on, near to the bank of saw-mill run, adjoining Garrison Hill at Erie, the more especially if they had beheld a butcher with an ox goad wand and heard his "wo whato come around here" expression in his conducting him as it

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