"Sam": or The history of mystery./ By C. W. Webber.

420 "SAM:" OR, THE HISTORY OF MYSTERY.
Hessian and British regulars, accustomed to hard-fought
fields, held their ground stubbornly and bravely.. For more
than two hours the battle hung in even scale. At length,
Baume ordered a charge; at that instant he fell, mortally
wounded, and his men charging forward, broke their ranks
in such a manner, that the Americans succeeded, after a
fierce hand to hand fight, in entering the intrenchments.
Stark shouted to his men, "Forward, boys, charge them
home!" and his troops, maddened by the conflict, swept the
hill with irresistible valor. They pushed forward without
discipline or order, seized the artillery, and gave chase to the
flying enemy. The field being won, plunder became the
object of the militia.
The guns, sabres, stores and equipments of the defeated
foe were being gathered up, when Col. Breyman, with five
hundred men, suddenly appeared upon the field. He had
been sent by Burgoyne to re-inforce Baume, but the heavy
rain had prevented his men from marching at a rapid rate.
The flying troops instantly rallied and joined the new array,
which speedily assumed an order of battle, and began to press
the scattered forces of the patriots. This was a critical
period. Stark put forth every effort to rally his men, but
they were exhausted, scattered, and nearly out of ammunition. It seemed as if the fortune of the day was in the
royal hands, when from the edge of a strip of forest, half a
mile off, came a loud and genuine American cheer. Stark
turned, and beheld emerging from the wood, the Berkshire
regiment, under Colonel Warner. This body of men, also
delayed by the rain, after a forced march, had just reached
the battle field, panting for a share in the affray. General
Stark hastened to the captain of the foremost company, and
ordered him to lead his men to the charge at once. But the
captain cooly asked, "Where's the colonel? I want to see
Colonel Warner before I move." The colonel was sent for,
and the redoubtable captain, drawing himself up, said, with
the nasal twang peculiar to the puritans of old, "Naow,
Kernal, what d'ye want me tu dew?" "Drive those
redcoats from the hill yonder," was the answer. " Wall, it
shall be done," said the captain, and issuing the necessary
orders, he led his men to the charge without a moment's
hesitation.