Newspapers / The News-Herald (Morganton, N.C.) / June 30, 1899, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of The News-Herald (Morganton, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
'--'rci---A-r- (Mir ami New Jersey were right in the heart of the battle ground, bnt br some good providence the British never succeeded in destroving the mil!. " ; .... . j Jiu they vr on id Lave done fo at . i nb!e to make cut very v,-e!l what he ; intended to do. General Greene and Lord Stirling were around there, t k with a great many troops; but no hard ; lighting was done very vlozt to hi i home. About the last of June Lord everyone, 3tartiDr gasped the "Who? cried from the tab!e. ' 'Co red-coat?. saas."a! faithful rar.u. " 'YouVo ilivaini.iir, AIosc, said my Krandfathe-r, 'Lord Howe a;d tin whole hit f the:a cleared cut a week "Ye.. :ua done tahin' fn n:c a. R.-ver , bnt Cap":i A:itry hv de country an he see a v. hole regimen' o red coal .'i! iiavo tho hicrgesl Fourth this y.jar W.-'vi' v.-f ha 1 hofon, thitr-5 w.ll fly and lri:m you'll hear. An 1 iiie'rackt-rs ro;ir. ,r v "in er-lehrate to-uhiv I he gallant victory if scihiitjr boys who sailed a?r f T t fljjht lor liberty. WVil i-t,r:ito M.'iliiia fiht And Santiago Jay. Vfil mjircli to l'-ft and Hie lo ritjht, With starry baauers say. Upon cur Lush horus w;ll hiow. A:id toot and toot and toot, And V. r raciii;rs as we co WVll shoot and shoot and shoot. j Howe withdrew his troops from that ahalry once if my grandfather, Jack Rover, I powder tri I 1 -Tfe r ? now jatK Doyer davea me -it r Powder Mill, July 4, 77. ,T a ; i i. If from taking the powder- ata eoiain tt blow up di? mill! 'iell hiui I ?e goiu' t had not been a boy of rare pluck and ' rouse de country.' " wit. I've heard him tell about it a "(ireat was the consternation on the dozen times, and always with pride. I Urandywine that night. !y midnight "During the spring and summer of n hundred meu gathered by Captain 1777,:' he said, "Lord Howe had been ! Audrey, vere at the mill desperately marching around that part of the j resolved to defend it. Uut what wcro country, and General Washington had a hundred men against an unknown been watching him, and hadn't been number of British cavalry! part of tho country and General j "My grandfather. Jack Buyer, wa Washington left also. a lad of ten. w - "Tho mo3t of the time there had been a guard of 5000 men near the 7 r WAY thev went with drum and horn, down the quiet street of that sleepy old town, "Toot toot! Rub-a-dub-dub!" The noise would have startled the peaceful hamlet on nny day except the elorious Fourth. But cverv youngster in it had l)Oo;i a '.vale o since day-break, and the buom, boom of the toy cannon and Jn: iiiz of tho firecracker had on.Hod every older inhabitant long be fore the usual breakfast hour. Hob and liay and Dick Buyer had iiul a eioriotn tine, and before brcak 'rt v;.i rea-.ly had worked to imlua 'ri u.ly that move than half the pow-Ai-r an I crackers were gone. Alter breakfast the iirst thinoii the ;u amnio was a procession. There -re only foj'ee of them, to le sure, ! ut they felt as big as a brigade. Bob had a ikmv drum, aud he thought he could play "Yankee Doodle" in great -dyle. Bay blew the horn and carried the 11. i;,', while Dick inarched along .r.irrving hia wooden sword as he im agined hb father did at tho head of :ao regiments vrlicu lie was in mo war. With swelling hearts the little heroes marched till they thought it wan nearly lime to get ready for tho picnic, then they tiled in through the big iron gate aud drew up in front of grandpa and gave him a military sa lute. "Well, mv littlo soldiers." 3aid grandpa, smiling, as he laitl down his paper, "do you know what day you re celebrating?" 'Fourth of July!" they shouted in horns. "Well, what is the Fourth of July?" mked graudpa. "Why why " said five-year-old Hay. stammering and looking puzzled "it's firecracker day.'' Grandpa laughed so hard ho must 'have thought it veryfunny. "Yon arc more than half right, little man," he sail. "But come, Bob, it's your turn." "It's a great big holiday, grandpa, when we have the very jolliest timo in the year." "Now. Diak. what do you say? viraudpa'a big boy ought to have a very wise, answer." Dick straightened himself up and joked very important. "Why, sir," he replied, "on the F.Kirt'j of July, 1776, wo signed the Declaration of Independence and then -to whipped tho British."! 'And you know , good ileal about 'aose ti-ues. Dick:" "I ought tj, grandpa, when you h a ght in tho war, and mamma's a daughter of the Revolution, and had "oar grandfathers lighting in the Bev- dutiuu:" "Never mind, Dick, I won't ak you to tell us about it. I was only going to ask if I had ever told yon how my jandfather, Jek TVYft Vcufc the British mill?" "Oh, no! Do tell us!" they cried. "All right. Sit down. It's 'a short story, but it will keep us quiet till the carriage comes," said grandpa. When they were all ready grandpa began his story. "He did not realize the horrors ot war, aud he was very much in lovo with the new llag, which at that moment was floating over the grand -stand, five miles away on the road to Newcastle. Whilo others were in a state of terror over the fate of tho powder mill, Jack was wild at tho mill; but a3 there seemed to be no immediate danger, tho usual guard was taken away, and only a corporal with twenty men left in charge. For several days there was no disturbance, and inst befnrn tho frit nnnirirnr i of the Fourth of July my great-grand- thougbt of the red-coata gettmg the father went to Philadelphia and ! tiful flag. He finally made tho brought home a beauiifnl silk ilag. Lheroic resolve to rescue it, and long There were but few of them then and ! beiore th earl7 4lwn he wal on i i;i,i tu. i ! way to do so as faet as his uimblo Lii i, Y n cic xjifciuiv ill is. Til. i ill. irifiin O 1 1 X of tho country round-about intended to celebrate the first anniversary of the Independence in fine style. There LITTLE COLUMBIA'S FOURTH OF JULY SPEECH. i'?Lc mmWl mm m rB j m i v y 1 IWf Mi I'll vv'I f W.lvHMVJ I 1 I milt I: I i I' I mVA v 1 w . y m um , n 's. w Iff v II I' IJ WW Vl .V .V l 'IV KMV I i is m mm i m youug legs would carry him. "He climbed tho pole, cut the ropa with his jack-knife, and pulled down the flag. He gathered it up in hia arms and started on tho run for home. Meeting two British officers ho said he was carrying the llag to Greene's troops who were below the bend with four cannon. "'I don't believe a word cf it, yon Iving little rebel. I've a notion to kill you. " 'I'm not Ivincr,' ami Jack looked j the Biitish officer unquailing in tho i y- "The orticers consulted earnestly together and finally concluded that their smalt detachment of cavalry didn't stand much of a chance in a conflict with a regiment of Grecne'a patriots and four caunou. "The officer who hail first fpckcit ! to Jack held up the flag, thrust bin sabre through it in half a dozen places aud then threw it at Jack, say ing, 'Here, take your rag; you are a plucky little rebel, anyway.' "Jack snatched the flag and fairly flew toward home, whilo tho British horsemen wheeled about and clat tered down the road to Newcastle. "That's the way, my boys, lay j grandfatner, Jack lioyer, saved tu powder-mill July 1, 1777. "But here's the carriage. Let s be off to our barbecue." "Oh, graudpa," said Dick with m sigh, "if there would only be a war, so I could do somethiug glorious!" PmleceMor of Old Cilor. The colonies had no easy time e lectiug a national flag, it would seem, from tho various desigus that each of the thirteen colonies sported before a decision was actually reached. By actual count sixty-fotv different flagn had been in use before Old Glory waa born, and of these thirteen of the do signs showed a rattlesnake in various attitudes of coiling and striking. To WaabinRton, the jjreat and tra. And all his bravo, victorious host. Wo homage pay with glad acclaim. And lu their memory make oar boast. Thai on this day of all the year Colombia's brightest stare may shine To tell ot Independence won, Wh le low we boir at Freedom's ah fine. "You remember the rains of that old mill I fhowed you the day we drove over to the Brandywine last summer? Yes? Well, that mill used to belong to my great-grandfather in Colonial days, and he made gunpow der for the King aud the people in the colonies. Bnt when we declared our The rartt la the Krnrrt. wan to be a barbecue, and speaking and music from the grandstand, oTer which the new flag was to float. "On the evening of the third the j arrangement for the fete were com-! pleted, and a great time was antici j patcd. Bnt just as tho Boyer family were at supper, a terror-stnekea oiu j IheTs U1Si " Vnw thrt littlo Dowder I teeth chattering with fear. 1 dey's co m i a . J le mill ran night and day, making pow- der for the Feral Army. Delatrare ! s com in "Off to the frorL' i :.:ll t I v "r ill i ii t
The News-Herald (Morganton, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 30, 1899, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75