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CAPTAIN OCHTERLONY AND ENSIGN PEYTON.

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guardian angel, as the faviour of a father and family, to fhare the happiness of his own creation. The ftranger again disappeared in the crowd-but, reader, this ftranger was MONTESQUIEU !!

MR. GRANGER,

Sir,

Having the fatisfaction to find my former request complied with, encouraged me to fend you the following remarkable Anecdote (from Smollet's Hiftory of this Country), which happened at the unfuccef.ful Attack made by our Troops, under the command of Major General Wolfe, on the French's Entrenchment near the falls of Montmorenci, preceding the Conqueft of Quebec, in the Year 1759, and which tends fo much to the honour of the British Soldiery, that I don't doubt but it will meet with your Approbation. Dartford, Feb. 1.

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I am Yours, &c. J. Mk. CAPTAIN Ochterlony and Enfign Peyton belonged to the regiment of Brigadier-General Monckton (the second in command). They were nearly of an age, which did not exceed thirty the first was a North-Briton, the other a native of Ireland. Both were agreeable in person, and unblemished in character, and connected together by the ties of mutual friendship and esteem. On the day that preceded the battle, Captain Ochterlony had been obliged to fight a duel with a German officer; in which, though he wounded and disarmed his antagonist, yet he himself received a dangerous hurt under the right arm, in confequence of which his friends infifted on his remaining in camp during the action of the next day; but his fpirit was too great to comply with this remonftrance. He declared it should never be faid that a fcratch received in a private rencounter had prevented him from doing his duty, when his country required VOL. I. No. 8.

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his fervice; and he took the field with a fufil in his hand, though he was hardly able to carry his arms. In leading up his men to the enemy's entrenchment, he was fhot through the lungs with a mufquet ball: an accident which obliged him to part with his fufil: but he ftill continued advancing; until, by lofs of blood, he became too weak to proceed farther. About the fame time Mr. Peyton was lamed by a shot, which fhattered the fmall bone of his leg. The foldiers, in their retreat, earnestly begged, with tears in their eyes, that Captain Ochterlony would allow them to carry him and the enfign off the field. But he was fo bigotted to a fevere point of honour, that he would not quit the ground, though he defired they would take care of his enfign. Mr. Peyton, with a generous difdain, rejected their good offices, declaring that he would not leave his Captain in fuch a fituation; and in a little time they remained the fole furvivors on that part of the field.

Captain Ochterlony fat down by his friend; and, as they expected nothing but immediate death, they took leave of each other. Yet they were not altogether abandoned by the hope of being protected as prifoners: for the Captain, seeing a French foldier with two Indians approach, ftarted up; and accofting them in the French language, which he spoke perfectly well, expreffed his expectation that they would treat him and his companion as officers, prifoners, and gentlemen. The two Indians feemed to be entirely under the conduct of the Frenchman, who coming up to Mr. Peyton, as he fat on the ground, fnatched his laced hat from his head, and robbed the Captain of his watch and money. This outrage was a fignal to the Indians for murder and pillage. One of them clubbing his firelock, ftruck at him behind with a view to knock him down; but the blow miffing his head, took place upon his fhoulder. At the fame inftant the other Indian poured his shot into the breast of this unfortunate young gentleman;

who

CAPTAIN OCHTERLONY AND ENSIGN PEYTON.

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who cried out, "Oh Peyton! the villain has fhot me." Not yet fatiated with cruelty, the barbarian sprung upon him, and stabbed him in the belly with his fcalping-knife. The captain having parted with his fufil, had no weapon for his defence, as none of the officers wore swords in the action. The three ruffians, finding him ftill alive, endeavoured to ftrangle him with his own fash; and he was now upon his knees, struggling against them with surprising exertion. Mr. Peyton, at this juncture, having a double barrelled mufquet in his hand, and feeing the distress of his friend, fired at one of the Indians, who dropped dead on the spot. The other thinking the enfign would now be an easy prey, advanced towards him; and Mr. Peyton, having taken good aim at the distance of four yards, difcharged his piece the fecond time, but it seemed to take no effect. The favage fired in his turn, and wounded the enfign in the shoulder; then, rufhing upon him, thrust his bayonet through his body. He repeated the blow, which Mr. Peyton attempting to parry, received another wound in his left hand: nevertheless he feized the Indian's musquet with the fame hand, pulled him forwards, and with his right drawing a dagger which hung by his fide, plunged it in the barbarian's fide. A violent ftruggle enfued: but at length Mr. Peyton was uppermoft; and, with repeated ftrokes of his dagger, killed his antagonist outright. Here he was feized with an unaccountable emotion of curiosity, to know whether or not his fhot had taken place on the body of the Indian: he accordingly turned him up; and, stripping off his blanket, perceived that the ball had penetrated quite through the cavity of the breaft. Having thus obtained a dear-bought victory, he started up on one leg, and faw Captain Ochterlony ftanding at the distance of fixty yards, clofe by the enemy's breaft-work, with the French foldier attending him. Mr. Peyton then called aloudCaptain Ochterlony, I am glad to fee you have at last

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got under protection. Beware of that villain, who is more barbarous than the favages. God bless you, my dear Captain! I fee a party of Indians coming this way, and expect to be murdered immediately." A number of those barbarians had for fome time been employed on the left, in fcalping and pillaging the dying and the dead that were left upon the field of battle; and above thirty of them were in full march to destroy Mr. Peyton. This gentleman knew he had no mercy to expect; for, fhould his life be spared for the prefent, they would have afterwards infifted upon facrificing him to the manes of their brethren whom he had flain; and in that cafe he would have been put to death by the most excruciating tortures. Full of this idea, he fnatched up his mufquet; and notwithstanding his broken leg, ran about forty yards without halting. Feeling himfelf now totally difabled, and incapable of proceeding one ftep farther, he loaded his piece, and prefented it to the two foremost Indians, who stood aloof, waiting to be joined by their fellows; while the French, from their breastworks, kept up a continual fire of cannon and small arms, upon this poor, folitary, maimed gentleman. In this uncomfortable fituation he ftood, when he difcerned at a diftance, a Highland officer with a party of his men, skirting the plain towards the field of battle. He forthwith waved his hand in fignal of distress, and being perceived by the officer, he detached three of his men to his affiftance. These brave fellows haftened to him through the midst of a terrible fire, and one of them bore him off on his shoulders. The Highland officer was Captain Macdonald, of Colonel Frazier's battalion; who understanding that a young gentleman, his kinfman, had dropped on the field of battle, had put himself at the head of this party, with which he penetrated to the middle of the field, drove a confiderable number of the French and Indians before him, and finding his relation still unfcalped, carried him off in triumph, and

he

THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.

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he recovered. But poor Captain Ochterlony was conveyed to Quebeck, where, in a few days, he died. After the reduction of that place, the French furgeons who attended him declared, that in all probability he would have recovered of the two fhots he had received in his breast, had not he been mortally wounded in the belly by the Indian's scalping knife.

As this very remarkable scene was acted in fight of both armies, General Townshend, in the fequel, expoftulated with the French officers upon the inhumanity of keeping up fuch a fevere fire against two wounded gentlemen who were disabled, and deftitute of all hope of escaping. They anfwered, that the fire was not made by the regulars, but by the Canadians and favages, whom it was not in the power of discipline to restrain.

་་་་

MR. GRANGER,

By permitting the following Extraordinary Account to be inferted in your excellent Museum, you will oblige your conftant Reader,

Dartford, Feb. 10. J. M-k. AMONG other tranfactions that diftinguish the history of Great Britain, fcarce a year glides away without producing fome incident that strongly marks the fingular character of the English nation. A very extraordinary inftance of this nature, relating to the late Duke of Marlborough, occurred towards the latter end of the year 1757.

Towards the end of November, in the above year, the above-mentioned nobleman received by the post, a letter directed"To his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, with care and speed," and containing this address:

"My Lord,

"As ceremony is an idle thing upon moft occafions, more especially to persons in my state of mind, I fhall pro

ceed

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