The next day, after some healthful exercise upon the deck, the children
returned to the saloon, and gathering about Grandma Elsie, begged for
another story.
"Something historical?" she asked with her pleasant smile.
"Yes, grandma, if you please," replied Elsie. "I liked your story
of Marion so much, and should be glad to hear about some other
Revolutionary soldier who helped to drive away the British."
"Well, if you would all like that, I will tell you of Sergeant Jasper
and his brave doings."
The other children gave an eager assent, and Mrs. Travilla began.
"History tells us that William Jasper was born in South Carolina
in 1750. That would make him about twenty-six years old when the
Revolutionary War began. He was patriotic, and at once enlisted as a
sergeant in the Second South Carolina Regiment.
"In June, 1776, a British fleet appeared off Charleston bar, and
several hundred land troops took possession of Long Island, separated
from Sullivan's--on which was our Fort Sullivan--only by a narrow
creek. At half-past ten o'clock on the morning of the 28th of June the
British ships anchored in front of our Fort Sullivan, which instantly
poured a heavy fire upon them.
"But I shall not go into a detailed account of the battle, which,
Lossing tells us, was one of the severest during the whole war,
redounded to the military glory of the Americans, greatly increased the
patriotic strength at the South, and was regarded by the British as
very disastrous; for the loss of life on their ships was frightful.
"But I must tell you of a daring feat performed by Sergeant Jasper. At
the beginning of the action, the flag-staff of our fort was cut away by
a ball from a British ship, and the Crescent flag of South Carolina,
that waved opposite the Union flag upon the western bastion, fell
outside upon the beach. Jasper leaped the parapet, walked the length
of the fort, picked up the flag, fastened it upon a sponge staff, and
in the sight of the whole British fleet, whose iron hail was pouring
upon the fortress, he fixed the flag firmly upon the bastion. Then he
climbed up to the parapet and leaped, unhurt, within the fort, three
cheers greeting him as he did so."
"Oh, how brave he was!" cried Ned. "I hope they gave him a reward for
it."
"Yes," said his grandma, "the governor, on the day after the battle,
visited the fort, and rewarded Jasper with the gift of his own small
sword, a handsome one which hung by his side, and thanked him in the
name of his country. He also offered him a lieutenant's commission; but
the young hero declined it, saying, 'I am not fit to keep officers'
company; I am but a sergeant.'
"He seems to have had no educational advantages, as he could neither
read nor write."
"Oh, what a pity!" exclaimed several young voices.
"Yes, it was," sighed Mrs. Travilla. "I hope you are thankful, my
dears, for your superior advantages.
"I have read that Jasper was given a roving commission, and choosing
six men from the regiment to go with him, he went here and there, and
often returned with prisoners before his general knew of his absence.
"Jasper had a brother who had joined the British, but he loved him
so dearly that he ventured into the British garrison to see him. The
brother was greatly alarmed at sight of him, lest he should be seized
and hung as an American spy, his name being well known to many of the
British officers. But Jasper said, 'Don't trouble yourself; I am no
longer an American soldier.'
"'Thank God for that, William!' exclaimed the brother, giving him a
hearty shake of the hand; 'and now only say the word, my boy, and here
is a commission for you, with regimentals and gold to boot, to fight
for his Majesty, King George.'
"But Jasper shook his head, saying that though there seemed but little
encouragement to fight for his country, he could not fight against her.
He stayed two or three days with his brother, hearing and seeing all
that he could, then bade good-by and returned to the American camp by a
circuitous route, and told General Lincoln all that he had seen."
"Grandma," said Ned thoughtfully, "it seems to me he did not tell the
truth when he said he was not an American soldier. Was it right for him
to say that?"
"I think not, Ned; but I suppose he thought it was, as he meant by it
to help his country's cause. But remember, my dears, it is never right
to do evil even that good may come.
"But to go on with my story. Jasper soon went again to the English
garrison, this time taking with him his particular friend, Sergeant
Newton, a young man of great strength and courage. Jasper's brother
received them very cordially, and they remained several days at the
British fort without causing the least alarm.
"On the morning of the third day the brother said to them, 'I have
bad news to tell you.' 'Aye, what is it?' asked William. His brother
replied that ten or a dozen prisoners had been brought in that
morning, as deserters from Savannah; that they were to be sent there
immediately, and from all he could learn, it would be likely to go hard
with them, as it seemed they had all taken the King's bounty."
"What does that mean, grandma?" asked Ned.
"That they had agreed to remain British subjects instead of fighting
for their country; and for that the British were to protect them
against the Americans. But it seems they had changed their minds and
gone over to the cause of their country.
"Jasper asked to see the poor fellows, and his brother took him and
Newton to the spot where the poor fellows were, handcuffed, and sitting
or lying upon the ground. With them was a young woman, wife of one of
the prisoners, sitting on the ground opposite to her husband, with her
little boy leaning on her lap. Her dress showed that she was poor, and
her coal-black hair spread in long, neglected tresses on her neck and
bosom. Sometimes she would sit silent, like a statue of grief, her eyes
fixed upon the ground; then she would start convulsively, lift her eyes
and gaze on her husband's face with as sad a look as if she already saw
him struggling in the halter, herself a widow and her child an orphan.
The child was evidently distressed by his mother's anguish, and weeping
with her.
"Jasper and Newton felt keenly for them in their misery. They silently
walked away into a neighboring wood, tears in the eyes of both. Jasper
presently spoke. 'Newton,' he said, 'my days have been but few, but I
believe their course is nearly finished.' Newton asked why he thought
so, and he answered, because he felt that he must rescue those poor
prisoners or die with them, otherwise the remembrance of that poor
woman and her child would haunt him to his grave.
"'That is exactly what I feel, too,' replied Newton, 'and here is my
hand and heart to stand by you, my brave friend, to the last drop.
Thank God, a man can die but once, and why should we fear to leave this
life in the way of our duty?'
"Then the two embraced each other and at once set about making the
necessary arrangements for carrying out their desperate resolution."
"Oh, how brave and kind they were!" exclaimed Elsie Raymond. "I am
proud of them as my countrymen."
"As we all may be," said her grandma, then went on with her story.
"Shortly after breakfast the next morning the prisoners were sent on
their way to Savannah, guarded by a sergeant and corporal with eight
men."
"Why, that was ten men for our two men to fight!" exclaimed Elsie
Dinsmore.
"But I hope our brave fellows didn't give it up," said Elsie Raymond.
"No," replied her grandma; "Jasper presently took leave of his brother,
and he and Newton started on some pretended errand to the upper
country, but as soon as fairly out of sight of the town they struck
into the woods and hurried after the prisoners and their guard, keeping
out of sight in the bushes and anxiously watching for an opportunity to
strike a blow.
"I think that to most men it would have seemed great folly for two
unarmed men to attempt to strike a blow at ten men carrying loaded
muskets and bayonets. But they were very brave and not willing to
give up their countrymen to the dreadful fate the cruel British had
appointed for them.
"Jasper said to Newton, 'Perhaps the guard may stop at the Spa to
quench their thirst, and we may be able to attack them there.'
"The Spa! What was that, grandma?" asked Ned.
"A famous spring about two miles from Savannah, where travellers often
stopped for a drink of its good water," she replied, then went on with
her story.
"Jasper and Newton hurried on and concealed themselves among the bushes
that grew thickly around the spring. Soon the soldiers and their
prisoners came in sight of it, and the sergeant ordered a halt. That
gave our heroes a little hope, though the odds were fearfully against
them. The corporal, with his guard of four men, led the prisoners to
the spring, while the sergeant, with the other four, grounded their
arms near the road, then brought up the rear. The prisoners, wearied
with their long walk, were permitted to rest themselves on the earth.
Mrs. Jones took her seat opposite her husband, as usual, and her tired
little boy fell asleep on her lap. Two of the corporal's men were
ordered to keep guard and the other two to give the prisoners a drink
out of their canteens. They obeyed, drew near the spring, rested their
muskets against a pine-tree, then dipped up the water, drank, filled
their canteens again and turned to give the prisoners a drink.
"'Now, Newton, is our time,' whispered Jasper. With that they sprang
from their concealment, snatched up the two muskets resting against the
tree, and in an instant shot down the two soldiers who were upon guard.
The other two Englishmen sprang forward and seized their muskets; but
before they could use them Jasper and Newton with clubbed guns levelled
a blow at their heads, broke their skulls, and down they sank, pale and
quivering, without a groan. Then snatching up the muskets, our heroes
flew between the other British soldiers and their arms, grounded near
the road, and ordered them to surrender, which they immediately did.
Then they--our men--snapped the handcuffs off the prisoners and armed
them with muskets."
"Oh, how good!" exclaimed Ned and the little girls who were listening
to Grandma Elsie's story.
"But what did Mrs. Jones do while that fight was going on?" asked Elsie
Dinsmore.
"At the beginning of it she fainted," replied Mrs. Travilla, "and her
little son stood screaming piteously over her. But when she recovered
her senses and saw her husband and his friends freed from their
fetters, she seemed frantic with joy. She sprang to her husband, and,
with her arms about his neck, sobbed out, 'My husband is safe, bless
God, my husband is safe!' Then snatching up her child, she pressed him
to her heart, exclaiming, 'Thank God, my son has a father yet.' Then
kneeling at the feet of Jasper and Newton, she pressed their hands
vehemently, but so full was her heart that all she could say was, 'God
bless you. God Almighty bless you.'"
"Oh, how nice!" exclaimed Ned, clapping his hands in delight.
"Then what did they all do, grandma?" asked Elsie Raymond. "Not go to
Savannah, I suppose, as the British were there?"
"No; they recrossed the Savannah River, taking the arms and regimentals
of the dead, their prisoners, too, and safely joined the American army
at Parisburg, where they were received with great astonishment and joy."
"No wonder there was astonishment," said Elsie, "that two men could
beat ten."
"That was because the two were Americans and the others only
Englishmen," chuckled Ned. "Is there any more story about Jasper,
grandma?"
"Not much," she replied. "He was killed at the siege of Savannah in
1779. Several gallant defenders of the French and American colors had
been shot down; Sergeant Jasper sprang forward, seized the standards
and kept them erect; then he, too, was prostrated by a bullet and fell
into the ditch. He was carried to the camp, and soon died. Jasper's
name is honored in Savannah; they have made that evident by bestowing
it upon one of the city's squares."