Elsie's Young Folks in Peace and War Read online

  Produced by David Edwards, Chris Whitehead and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS IN PEACE AND WAR

  BY MARTHA FINLEY

 

  NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY PUBLISHERS

  COPYRIGHT, 1900.

  BY

  DODD, MEAD & COMPANY.

  ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS.

  CHAPTER I.

  It was a lovely summer day, bright and clear, but the heat sotempered--there on the coast of Maine--by the delicious sea breeze thatit was delightful and exhilarating. The owner and passengers of the_Dolphin_ had forsaken her more than a fortnight ago, and since spenttheir days and nights at a lovely villa on shore there in Bar Harbor;but now no longer able to resist the attractions of the beautifulsea, the most of them had come aboard, and were sitting, standing, orroaming about the deck.

  "Oh, I'm so glad to be in our own dear sea home again!" cried ElsieRaymond. "Aren't you, Ned?"

  "Yes; though we have been having a splendid time on shore in BarHarbor."

  "Yes, so we have; but as we expect to be back again in a few days, weneedn't fret at all about leaving it."

  "No, nor we needn't if we were just going back to Woodburn, our ownbeautiful home--certainly a better place than this in fall and winter,anyhow."

  "But I'm glad to have a sail again," said Elsie.

  "Brother Max says we'll soon see some places where they had sea fightsin our two wars with England," remarked Ned, with satisfaction.

  "Oh, does he? I mean to ask papa or grandma to tell us about them,"exclaimed Elsie, in tones of excitement.

  "Oh, yes, let's!" cried Ned. "But the men are taking up the anchor," headded hastily, "and I must see that first. Come," catching his sister'shand and hurrying her along to a good position from which to view theoperation.

  That duly attended to, they sought out their grandma, who happened tobe at the moment sitting a little apart from the others, and madetheir request. She smilingly consented to tell them all she couldrecall on the subject that would be interesting to them, and biddingthem seat themselves close beside her she began.

  "Your father has told me that we are now going out to the extremeeastern point of the State--and of our country--the United States. WestQuoddy Head is its name now, but in very early times it was calledNurumbega. In 1580 John Walken, in the service of Sir Humphrey Gilbert,conducted an expedition to its shores, and reached the Penobscot River.In 1603 two vessels, the _Speedwell_ and the _Discoverer_, entered thePenobscot Bay and the mouth of a river--probably the Saco. About threeyears after that two French Jesuits, with several families, settledon Mount Desert Island. A few years later some twenty-five Frenchcolonists landed on Mount Desert and founded a settlement called St.Saviour. But not long afterward they were driven away by some Englishunder command of Captain Argal, who considered them trespassers uponEnglish soil. That, I think, is enough of the very early history ofMaine, for to-day, at least."

  "Oh, yes, grandma! but won't you please tell about Revolutionary timesand the war of 1812-14?" pleaded Elsie. "Maine was one of the thirteencolonies, wasn't she?"

  "No, dear; she was considered a part of Massachusetts at that time, anddid not become a separate State until 1820."

  "Oh, didn't the people there care about the Revolution and help in it?"asked Elsie in a tone of disappointment.

  "Yes, dear, they did. In a county convention in 1774 Sheriff WilliamTyng declared his intention to obey province law and not that ofparliament. He advised a firm and persevering opposition to everydesign, dark or open, framed to abridge our English liberties."

  "English!" exclaimed Ned, in a half scornful tone, at which his grandmasmiled, and stroking his curls caressingly, said, "Yes, Neddie, atthat time--before the Revolutionary War--our people liked to callthemselves English."

  "But we don't now, grandma; we're Americans."

  "Yes; that is the name we have given ourselves in these days; but weconsider the English our relations--a sort of cousins."

  "Well, then I hope we and they will never fight any more," said Elsie."But, please, grandma, tell us something more of what has happenedalong this coast."

  "In 1775," continued her grandma, "the British kept the coast of NewEngland from Falmouth (now called Portland) to New London in continualalarm; they were out in every direction plundering the people to supplytheir camp with provisions."

  "In this State, grandma?" asked Ned.

  "Yes; and in Connecticut and Massachusetts. They bombarded Stonington,in Connecticut, shattered houses and killed two men. That was in Augustor September. In October Mowatt was sent to Falmouth in Maine to get asupply of provisions from the people there, and to demand a surrenderof their arms. They refused and defied him; then--after giving time forthe women and children to leave the town--he bombarded and set it onfire. More than four hundred houses were destroyed--nearly all the townof about five hundred buildings."

  "What a cruel thing!" exclaimed Elsie; "I suppose they had to give upthen?"

  "No," said Mrs. Travilla; "so brave and determined were they that theyrepulsed the marauders and would not let them land."

  "Grandma," asked Elsie, "didn't Arnold go through Maine with an army toattack Canada about that time?"

  "Yes; about the middle of August a committee of Congress visitedWashington in his camp, and together they formed a plan to send aforce into Canada by way of the Kennebec River to co-operate withGeneral Schuyler, who was preparing to invade that province by way ofthe Northern lakes. Arnold was well known to be brave. He had beencomplaining of being ill-used upon Lake Champlain. Washington desiredto silence his complaints, and knowing that this expedition was suitedto his talents he appointed him to command, and gave him the commissionof colonel in the Continental army.

  "The force under his command consisted of eleven hundred hardy men--tencompanies of musketeers from New England, and three companies ofriflemen from Virginia and Pennsylvania. Those riflemen were commandedby Captain Daniel Morgan, who afterward did such good work for ourcountry in her hard struggle for liberty. Arnold and his troops marchedfrom Cambridge to Newburyport, where they embarked on transports whichcarried them to the mouth of the Kennebec. They went up that river inbateaux and rendezvoused at Fort Western, opposite the present town ofAugusta. Now they had come to the edge of a vast and almost uninhabitedwilderness."

  "And had to go through it, grandma?" asked Ned.

  "Yes; they were very brave men, ready to encounter difficulties anddangers for the sake of securing their country's freedom. Two smallparties were sent on in advance to reconnoitre, and the rest movedforward in four divisions, Morgan with his riflemen in the van. Arnold,who was the last, passed up the river in a canoe."

  "Hadn't they a very hard time going through that wilderness, grandma?"asked Elsie.

  "Yes, very hard indeed; over craggy knolls, deep ravines, throughcreeks and ponds and deep morasses; sometimes paddling along a streamin their canoes--sometimes carrying them around a fall on theirshoulders. Suddenly, at length, they came to a mountain covered withsnow. At its foot they encamped for three days. Then they went onagain, but a heavy rain set in, sending down such torrents from thehills that the river rose eight feet in one night. The water cameroaring down the valley where our soldiers were, so unexpectedly andpowerfully that they had scarcely time to retreat and get into theirbateaux before the whole plain was flooded with water. Seven boats wereoverturned and the provisions in them lost. Many of them were madesick, too, by the storm and exposure, and so grew sad and discouraged.Some gave up and went back to their homes, while Arnold went on withthe rest. The rain changed to snow, and there was ice in the water inwhich th
e poor fellows had to wade to push their bateaux along throughponds and marshes near the sources of the Dead River.

  "At last they reached Lake Megantic. They encamped on its easternshore, and the next morning Arnold, with a party of fifty-five men onshore with Captain Nanchet and thirteen with himself in five bateauxand a birch canoe, pushed on down the river to a French settlement toget provisions to send back to his almost starving men. They passedseventeen falls, marching through snow two inches deep, then reachedthe Highlands which separate the waters of New England from Canada. Butas it is of the history of Maine I am telling you, and Arnold and hisband have now passed out of it, we will leave the rest of his storyfor another time."

  "He did a good deal more for his country before he turned traitor,didn't he, grandma?" asked Elsie.

  "Yes; he fought bravely again and again. The great victory at Saratogawas largely due to him; in a less degree to Morgan."

  "Daniel Morgan who commanded at the battle of the Cowpens?" asked Elsie.

  "The very same," replied Mrs. Travilla.

  "Didn't some other things happen along this coast, grandma?" asked Ned.

  "Yes, indeed; several things. In the war of 1812-14 there occurred anaval battle near Portland, between the American ship _Enterprise_and the English brig _Boxer_. On the morning of the 1st of September,1813, the _Enterprise_ sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and onthe morning of the 3d chased a schooner suspected of being a Britishprivateer, into Portland harbor. The next day she left that harborand steered eastward looking for British cruisers. On the 5th theydiscovered in a bay what Captain Burrows supposed to be a vessel ofwar getting under way. She was a British brig, and on sighting the_Enterprise_ she displayed four British ensigns, fired several gunsas signals to boats that had been sent ashore to return, and crowdingcanvas, bore down gallantly for the _Enterprise_.

  "Seeing that, Burrows cleared his ship for action, sailed out a properdistance from land to have plenty of sea room for the fight, thenshortened sail and edged toward the _Boxer_. That was at three o'clockin the afternoon. Twenty minutes later the two brigs closed within halfpistol shot, and both opened fire at the same time. The sea was almostquiet, there was but little wind, and that condition of things made thecannonading very destructive. Ten minutes after the firing began the_Enterprise_ ranged ahead of the _Boxer_, steered across her bows anddelivered her fire with such precision and destructive energy that atfour o'clock the British officer in command shouted through his trumpetthat he had surrendered, but his flag being nailed to the mast, couldnot be lowered until the _Enterprise_ should cease firing."

  "And did she, grandma?" asked Ned.

  "Yes; I do not think our men ever fired on a foe whom they believed tobe ready to surrender. Captain Blyth of the _Boxer_ was already dead,having been nearly cut in two by an eighteen-pound ball, and CaptainBurrows was mortally wounded. He had been helping the men to run out acarronade, and while doing so a shot, supposed to be a canister ball,struck his thigh, causing a fatal wound. He lived eight hours, and musthave suffered terrible agony. He refused to be carried below until thesword of the commander of the _Boxer_ should be brought to him. He tookit eagerly when brought, saying, 'Now I am satisfied; I die contented.'"

  "What did they do for a commander after their captain was so dreadfullyinjured?" asked Elsie.

  "Lieutenant Edward R. M'Call took command of the _Enterprise_ andshowed great skill and courage," replied Grandma Elsie. "On themorning of the 7th he took both vessels into Portland Harbor, and thenext day the bodies of the two commanders were buried side by side inthe same cemetery, and with all the honors to which their rank andpowers entitled them."

  "Were the ships quite spoiled, grandma?" asked Ned.

  "The _Enterprise_ was not, but the _Boxer_ was much cut up in bothhull and rigging," she replied. "The battle showed that the Americansexceeded the English in both nautical skill and marksmanship. Lossingtells us that a London paper, speaking of the battle, said, 'The factseems to be but too clearly established that the Americans have somesuperior mode of firing, and we cannot be too anxiously employed indiscovering to what circumstances that superiority is owing.'"

  "I think the man who wrote that was feeling mortified that one of theirvessels had been whipped by one of ours," remarked Ned sagely.

  "Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "I think the nailing of their flag to themast showed that they felt confident of victory. Cooper tells in hishistory that when the _Enterprise_ hailed to know if the _Boxer_ hadstruck--as she kept her flag flying--one of the officers of the Britishvessel leaped upon a gun, shook both fists at the Americans, andshouted 'No, no, no!' adding some opprobrious epithets."

  "Oh, didn't that make our fellows angry?" asked Ned.

  "I think not," replied Grandma Elsie; "it seems to have amused them, asthey saw that he was ordered down by his superiors."

  "Was it a long fight, grandma?" asked Elsie.

  "It had lasted only thirty-five minutes when the _Boxer_ surrendered."

  "Had a great many of her men been killed?" asked Ned.

  "I don't know," replied his grandma, "but on the _Enterprise_ therewas but one besides Burrows; Midshipman Kervin Waters, who had beenmortally wounded, died a few weeks later. He was buried by the side ofhis gallant leader--Burrows."

  "Oh, dear!" sighed little Elsie, "war is so dreadful!"

  "It is indeed," said her grandma, "and it was made especially dreadfulat that time to the people of this country by reason of our being somuch weaker than England in men, money, and ships."

  "But it was a blessing that our seamen were so much more skilful thanhers, Grandma Elsie," said Max, who had drawn near in time to hear thelast few sentences. "Our little navy did good work in that war, smallas she was in comparison with the enemy's. We had but twenty ships toher thousand, yet showed ourselves strong enough to put an end to hertyrannical conduct toward our poor sailors. She has never interferedagain in that way with them."

  "And never will, I think," added Grandma Elsie. "The two Anglo-Saxonnations are good friends now, and I trust always will be."

  "I hope so indeed," said Max. "We must be prepared for war, but I hopemay be long able to maintain peace with all other nations."

  "A hope in which we can all join, I think," said Mrs. Travilla,glancing around upon the circle of interested faces; for all the_Dolphin's_ passengers had by this time gathered about them.

  "You were talking of the war of 1812, were you, mother?" asked CaptainRaymond.

  "Yes; I was telling the children of the fight between the _Boxer_ andthe _Enterprise_," replied Mrs. Travilla.

  "And oh, won't you tell us some more, grandma?" entreated Ned.

  "I think your father could do it better," she said, lookingpersuasively at the captain.

  "I am not at all sure of that," he said; "but if you wish it I willtell what I can remember of such occurrences at the points along thecoast which we are about to visit. But first let me beg that everyone will feel free to leave the vicinity should my story seem to themdull and prosy," he added, with a smiling glance about upon the littlecompany.

  There was a moment's pause; then Violet said laughingly, "That was verykind and thoughtful my dear, and I for one shall not hesitate to goshould I feel inclined."

  The captain responded with a bow and smile; then, after a moment'spause, began upon the chosen theme.