Part 4 (2/2)

But our glorifying, under God, was chiefly in our two and forty pounders

And indeed their appearance was terrible, where they lay ide Cerbereanwaves, and threatening destruction to the foes of liberty

They were soon called to a trial of their metal -- For on the 31st of May, while ere all busily driving on with our fort, suddenly a cry was heard, ”a fleet! a fleet, ho!” Looking out to sea, we all at once beheld, as it were, a wilderness of shi+ps, hanging, like snohite clouds from the north-east sky It was the sirs Parker and Clinton, hastening on with nine shi+ps of war and thirty transports, bearing three thousand land forces, to attack Charleston

Such an armament was an awful novelty, that produced on us all a momentary flutter; but, thank God, no serious fear On the contrary, it was very visible in every glowing cheek and sparkling eye, as we looked, LAUGHING, on one another, that we considered the approaching conflict as a grand trial of courage, which we rather desired than dreaded

And to their equal praise, our gallant countrymen in Charleston, as we learned daily, by the boats, were all in fine spirits, and constantlytheir best preparations to receive the enemy

And stilllapse of tiht, to tell of that ilowed in the bosoloomy sadness and tears, for the dark cloud that threatened their city, they wore the e of patriotisht bravely -- and, for themselves, they vowed they would ”never live the slaves of Britain”

Some people in our days, may not believe ged leave of their coht by the sides of their relatives and friends”

This, though a glorious request, was absolutely refused them

For who could bear to see the sweet face of beauty roughened over with the hard frowns of war; or, the warrior's musket, on those tender bosoms, formed of heaven only to pillow up the cheeks of happy husbands, and of sh the SPIRITS of the ladies illing, their NERVES eak; for when the British shi+ps of war hove in sight, opposite to the town, they all went down to the shore to view the fear, like the cold wind of autu, and bleached their rosy cheeks Soh and boast; but the generality returned silent and pensive, as fro their lovely heads, like rows of sickly jonquils, when the sun has forsaken the garden, and faded nature mourns his departed beah, when they looked on their youthful brothers, while tenderdown on their infant cherubs at the breast, let drop their pearly sorrows, and exclaiive no suck”

In consequence of awinds, and neap tides, the eneot within our bar till the 27th of June, and on the followingflood, and before a fine breeze, with top gallant sails, royals, and sky scrapers all drawing, ca mountains

The anxious readerall this while, with finger inlike children on a raree show

No, by the Living! but, fast as they neared us, we still kept our thunders close bearing upon them, like infernal pointers at a dead set; and as soon as they were coave them a tornado of round and double-headed bullets, whichin our debt, but letting go their anchors and clewing up their sails, which they did in a trice, they opened all their batteries, and broke loose upon us with a roar as if heaven and earth had been coether

Such a sudden burst of flame and thunder, could not buthands, and had never been engaged in such an awful scene before

But a few rounds presently brought us all to rights again, and then, with heads bound up, and stripped to the buff, we plied our bull-dogs like heroes

The British outnuuns, at least three to one, but then our guns, so balls of two and forty pounds weight! and when the monsters, crammed to the throat with chained shot and infernal fire, let out, it ith such hideous peals as made both earth and ocean tree kind of accident, all their broad-sides had struck us at once, which ain But our paln of splinter, on their shot, which was stopped by the intermediate sand; while, on the other hand, every bullet that we fired, went through and through their shi+ps, s alike sailors, timber heads, and iron anchors, in their furious course

And thus was the order of our battle -- there, a line of seven tall shi+ps; and here, one little, solitary fort -- there, British discipline; and here, A for a tyrant; and here, heroes contending for liberty I as, but never shall I forget the heart-burnings of that day, when I heard the blast of those rude cannon, that badejoy when I hear, which I often do in fancy's ear, the answer of our faithful bull-dogs, as with deafening roar, lurid flame and smoke, they hurled back their iron curses on the wicked clai victory was soon nipped like a luckless flower, in the bud: for the contest had hardly lasted an hour, before our poas so expended that ere obliged, in a great uns, which was rief it gave our friends, and the high triumph it afforded our enemies

”Powder! Powder! millions for powder!” was our constant cry

Oh! had we but had plenty of that 'noisy kill-seed', as the Scotchmen call it, not one of those tall shi+ps would ever have revisited Neptune's green dominion They -side the fort, as hurdles for the snail-loving 'sheep's heads'

Indeed, small as our stock of ammunition e made several of their shi+ps look like sieves, and shter pens The commodore's shi+p, the Bristol, had fifty men killed, and upwards of one hundred wounded!

The laurels of the second regiave glorious proof, that they loaded and levelled their pieces like ht like veterans; but the behavior of soallant beyond compare; and the humble names of Jasper and M'Donald shall be reotten

A ball fro-staff

Scarcely had the stars of liberty touched the sand, before Jasper flew and snatched the fixed them to the point of his spontoon, he leaped up on the breast-work amidst the stor station -- waving his hat at the sa, ”God save liberty and hting like a hero, at his gun, a cannon ball caled hi eyes, and said to his comrades, ”Huzza, my brave fellows, I die, but don't let the cause of liberty die with un, and which happened to be fired by Marion, is too remarkable to be lost It was his lot that day to co of the fort, where many of our heaviest cannon were planted

As froed to fire very slow, Marion would often level the guns himself And now comes my story -- Just after sunset the enean to move off Pleased with the event, an officer on the quarter deck of the Bristol man-of-war, called out to his comrade, ”Well, d--n o below and hob nob to a glass of wine, for I am devilish dry!”

”With all my heart, Jack;” replied the other; so down they whipped into the cabin, where the wine and glasses had been standing all day on the table At thatjust loaded, Marion called to colonel Moultrie, and asked hiive theive the kick”