“I wonder how the battle went?” said Dick, as they walked onward at a
swift pace.
“We drove them away,” said Ben. “I was there till the battle was over,
and then, missing Tom, set out to find him.”
“Oh, you didn’t leave the encampment till after the battle, then.”
“No. We got rather the better of the redcoats, I am certain. They lost a
greater number killed, and a larger number were wounded, than of our
men. And we forced them to retreat.”
“That is good,” said Dick.
“I wish I had been there to help fight the redcoats,” said Tom.
“So do I,” said Dick. And as the readers of the Dare Boys books will
readily believe, this was true. But that they were to take part in many
exciting battles before the end of the war will be seen, as the reader
may if he wishes discover in the next volume of the series, which will
be entitled, “The Dare Boys With General Greene.”
“Was Tim or Fritz wounded?” asked Tom, anxiously.
“No,” replied Ben. “They were not hurt.”
Presently they reached the encampment, and were given a cordial welcome
by their comrades, Tim, Fritz and Herbert Miller being delighted.
Dick went to the house occupied by Colonel Morris and the other officers
and made a report, telling what he knew of the strength of the British
force, and then went back and rejoined his comrades, and they sat around
and talked of the battle for a while, after which they lay down and were
soon asleep.
This first battle was the beginning of an exciting and vigorous campaign
between Arnold’s force of redcoats and Tories, and the patriot force
under Colonel Morris.
Each force kept close watch on the other, and attempts were made to
surprise each other and thus gain a victory, but in the three or four
engagements that took place within the next few days neither side scored
a victory, and the losses of men, killed and wounded, was about the
same.
“We will get the better of Arnold yet, however,” said Colonel Morris,
determinedly, in council with his officers. “We will keep close watch on
them, and presently we will get a chance to strike them a blow.”
He kept Dick Dare pretty busy reconnoitering and spying on the British,
and Tom and Ben assisted Dick quite a good deal in this work. Herbert
Miller, too, was of considerable use, the four doing a lot of good work
in the spying and reconnoitering line.
One evening, when Dick and Tom were watching the British encampment,
they saw that the redcoats were breaking camp. They supposed that the
British were going to advance against the patriot force again and make
another attack, but waited to make sure of this, before carrying the
news to Colonel Morris; but when the British were ready to march, they
set out toward the east, instead of toward the patriot encampment, which
lay to the northward.
“They are leaving this part of the country!” exclaimed Tom, excitedly.
“They have gotten enough of fighting our force, and are marching away.”
“I guess you are right, Tom,” said Dick. “Well, you hasten to Colonel
Morris with the information. I will follow the British and keep them
under observation.”
“All right, Dick.” Then Tom hastened away, and Dick set out on the trail
of the British. The redcoats marched perhaps ten or twelve miles, and
then went into camp, and Dick, feeling sure that they would remain there
till morning, made his way back till he met the patriot force advancing.
Colonel Morris was delighted when he learned that the British had
stopped and gone into camp, and he decided to go forward and make an
attack, taking the British by surprise, if possible.
Dick guided the patriot force, and a couple of hours later they were
close to the encampment.
The patriots advanced slowly and cautiously, now, and succeeded in
getting almost up to the sentinel line before they were discovered. Then
at a command from Colonel Morris, they charged upon the British forces.
As they did so, they opened fire from their muskets, and then were at
close enough quarters to use their bayonets. There was a hot fight for a
little while, and then the redcoats broke and fled in confusion, as the
patriots fired a couple of pistol-volleys after the fleeing enemy.
This was a decided victory for the patriots, for they had killed a score
at least of the British, had wounded thirty or forty, and had lost only
six, killed, and had ten wounded.
This battle was effective in placing a check on the operations of Arnold
in that part of Virginia. Colonel Morris kept after him, and in several
engagements got the better of him, and Arnold’s force was not able to do
much damage, which was very satisfactory to the patriot settlers, who
prior to the coming of the patriot force had been terrorized by Arnold’s
army. The plundering and burning of houses was stopped, and the patriot
people rested in comparative peace.