The Adventures of Ebenezer Fox, in the Revolutionary War

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C. Fox, 1847 - History - 240 pages
An account of the Revolution by a Massachusetts native who joined the militia at sixteen as a substitute.
 

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Page 103 - ... hatchways fastened over us, and we were left to pass the night amid the accumulated horrors of sighs and groans, of foul vapor, a nauseous and putrid atmosphere, in a stifled and almost suffocating heat. . . . When any of the prisoners had died during the night, their bodies were brought to the upper deck in the morning and placed upon the gratings. If the deceased had owned a blanket, any prisoner might sew it around the corpse ; and then it was lowered, with a rope tied round the middle, down...
Page 227 - Chorus — Yankee Doodle, keep it up, Yankee Doodle, dandy, Mind the music and the step, And with the girls be handy.
Page 49 - The recruiting officer possessed the qualifications requisite to make the service appear alluring, especially to the young. He was a jovial, good-natured fellow, of ready wit and much broad humor.
Page 50 - When he espied any large boys among the idle crowd around him, he •would attract their attention by singing in a comical manner the following doggerel : "All you that have bad masters, And cannot get your due ; Come, come, my brave boys, And join with our ship's crew.
Page 52 - As the fog cleared up, we perceived her to be a large ship under English colors to the windward, standing athwart our starboard bow. Our relative position gave us an opportunity to escape, but our valiant captain did not see fit to avail himself of it. As she came down upon us, she appeared as...
Page 54 - I particularly noticed the captain on the gang-way, a noble-looking man, having a large gold-laced cocked hat on his head, and a speaking-trumpet in his hand. Lieutenant Little possessed a powerful voice, and he was directed to hail the enemy; at the same time the quartermaster was ordered to stand ready to haul down the English flag and to hoist up the American. Our lieutenant took his station on the after part of the starboard gangway, and, elevating the trumpet, exclaimed "Hallo ! whence come...
Page 61 - The action had now lasted about an hour and a half, and the fire from the enemy began to slacken, when we suddenly discovered that all the sails on her mainmast were enveloped in a blaze. The fire spread with amazing rapidity, and, running down the after-rigging, it soon communicated with her magazine, when her whole stern was blown off, and her valuable cargo emptied into the sea. All feelings of hostility now ceased, and those of pity were excited in our breasts for the miserable crew that survived...
Page 90 - John Foster Williams in a ship, Joined in the social band, Sir, And made the lasses dance and skip, To see him sail on land, Sir. Yankee doodle, &c.
Page 50 - Upwards of three hundred and thirty men were carried, dragged, and driven on board, of all kinds, ages, and descriptions, in all the various stages of intoxication; from that of "sober tipsiness" to beastly drunkenness, with the uproar and clamor that may be more easily imagined than described.

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