Acts of Courage (15 page)

TWENTY

The sultry summer days grew longer and hotter as the war that was to have ended so quickly dragged on into its twelfth month. The Americans controlled a large part of the Niagara Peninsula. Sheaffe had been recalled to England, and Brigadier-General John Vincent, commander of Britain’s Centre Division, had withdrawn to Burlington Heights and disbanded the local volunteers. With three thousand American soldiers to seven hundred Canadian, the outcome of the war appeared to be inevitable. In the northern part of the Niagara Peninsula, the only local men still fighting were the cavalry of Captain William Hamilton Merritt.

Only one leader, an Irishman named James FitzGibbon, still dared to inhabit the lower region of the Peninsula. He had been an officer under Brock and had learned from him and admired his war strategy. His small, well-trained band, known to the Americans as the “green sliver” and the Bloody Boys, made lightning-speed skirmishes against the enemy. They travelled from place to place, signalling each other with cow bells.

***

On the evening of June 21, 1813, Laura was helping James up the stairs to bed. That afternoon, the temperature had reached ninety-eight degrees, and it was so hot on the second floor that James had spent the afternoon lying on the sofa in the parlour. His wound was still inflamed and gave him a lot of pain when he tried to stand on it. Laura noticed his weight on her shoulder more than usual this night. The heat was taking its toll.

They had barely reached the top of the stairs when Laura heard loud knocking at the front door. Wearily, she realized it would probably be enemy soldiers looking for food. They must be newcomers—soldiers who had been here before came to the back door that led to the kitchen.

The knocking had become louder, and she could hear sounds of shouting and jeering. This was a rougher bunch than usual. But she could not lock them out. “Dear God, protect us,” she prayed as she led James into their room, then raced back down the stairs.

With trembling hand, she opened the door and looked up at a tall man with a long face and a large nose. His piercing blue eyes stared at her coldly as he gave orders to his men.

“Search the place.”

Laura spoke out firmly and pleasantly, “I’ll be glad to show you about. My wounded husband has been given permission by American officers to stay home, and my young children have gone to bed for the night.”

Their leader nodded to two of his men and indicated that they should come with him. They followed Laura up the stairs. Laura could hear the other men searching the yard and the rooms below.

When Laura and the men returned to the main floor, she opened the door to the parlour and said, “I’ll prepare you a meal quickly while you wait in here, if you wish.”

Their leader agreed and his men entered. He stayed in the hallway, looking out the window.

“I’m going to the bakehouse to call my servants to help,” she explained as she went outside. He followed, not far behind, and when he saw only the two black servants, he returned to the back stoop.

Bob and Fan had already prepared most of the meal. Laura kept partially cooked food in her deep cellar so that the preparation would not take long. She was thankful that they had the fireplace and pit in the bakehouse. A fire inside tonight would have made the upstairs unbearable for sleeping.

In about twenty minutes, the meal was ready, and Laura brought the serving dishes into the kitchen. She set the table and called the rough men in from the parlour. They slid eagerly along the benches on either side of the table. Laura had opened both the front and the back windows and, just as they were ready to eat, a pleasant breeze blew through the room and across the table.

They didn’t notice. They helped themselves to huge portions and started eating right away, not like most of the other soldiers, who had waited until they were served. Their total concentration on their eating had one advantage, though. It gave Laura a chance to tiptoe up the stairs to check on the family.

The girls were not yet asleep, and she tried to reassure them with a smile. Then she looked in on James. He motioned her over and, as she bent her head toward him, he whispered, “It’s that bastard Chapin and his turncoat partisans.” She nodded and stepped back out into the hall. She dared not stay longer, lest she arouse suspicion. Trembling, she held the stair railing for a few seconds before she returned to the kitchen.

Laura set her last three pies on the table in front of the leader. Without thanks, he grabbed one, helped himself to a large piece, and passed the rest on to his men, who had already eaten plenty. They hardly noticed her as they continued to eat and talk.

Laura went out the back door and sat on the stoop, where it was a little cooler. She could hear the conversation of the men inside coming out through the kitchen window.

“That green sliver is getting too bold, Doctor. The men sure didn’t expect to run into him at Deffield’s Inn today,” a voice said.

Laura knew that Chapin had been a surgeon in Fort Erie and later Buffalo before the war.

“I’d think the two of them could have beat him up, at least, even if they didn’t capture him,” Chapin replied.

“He took them by surprise, Doctor.”

“Taking a man by surprise is his style, and I plan to do something about it.”

“Do you think Boerstler will take your advice, sir?” asked another.

“Of course he will. He’d be a fool not to,” Chapin bragged. “Now’s our chance to get rid of that green sliver and his Bloody Boys. Boerstler will listen to me.”

“So, Captain, we attack the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes, we’ll combine forces with all Boerstler’s troops at Fort George and march down on the last foothold in the Niagara Peninsula. When he’s wiped out, Upper Canada is ours!”

“He’s a tough one, though. It may not be easy.”

“He doesn’t have nearly as many men as we do. Besides, we’ll take him by surprise.”

Laura sat frozen to the stoop. What if they came out and saw her sitting there? Surely they must know she was nearby. Perhaps it did not matter. What good could hearing them do? She was behind enemy lines, and it would be impossible for her to take the news to FitzGibbon.

Laura walked quietly to the well and sat on the far side of the low stone wall around the well opening. From there she could hear voices and guffaws but could not distinguish words. The front door slammed. She had taken the bucket from the well and set it on the low foundation wall when she heard footsteps coming toward her.

Chapin and his men stood beside her. She gulped down her fear and handed Chapin the dipper. To her relief, all he did was take a drink and offer his men the same. Then the churlish crew went on their way. Laura breathed a prayer of thanks as she went back into the house and walked upstairs to see James. They had not ransacked her home, as had happened twice before, and had not harmed her family.

Laura could see the relief in James’s face when she told him the guerrillas were gone. Before she could say a word about what she had overheard, Charles cried out in his sleep. The heat was making him restless. She went to the cradle and wiped Charles’s face with a cool cloth, her mind racing. Lieutenant FitzGibbon should be warned. He must not be taken by surprise. As it was, he would be far outnumbered by Boerstler’s troops. She needed to talk to James.

When Laura finally turned back to her husband, she knew his pain was bad tonight. His dark head lay still against the pillow. His face was pale and his eyes intense. As usual, he did not complain, but he was obviously in no condition to talk. She had to tell him, though, and she did, recounting all the details she had heard.

“We can’t be sure there will even be an attack,” James whispered. “Chapin is known to be a braggart. He has no real power. Boerstler may well not listen to his suggestion. You’ve probably,” he grunted in pain, “only heard the ravings of a man impressed with his own importance.”

“Still, I wish your brother David or someone else would happen along so I could tell them.”

“That won’t happen now. All our men have been evacuated. There’s no point in their risking coming into enemy territory.”

“I also heard Chapin and his men talking about a run-in two of their men had with FitzGibbon just today. It seems he beat them up at Deffield’s Inn, single-handedly. As far as I could tell, Chapin has a personal grudge against FitzGibbon.”

“Ah…” James frowned. “And if he does persuade Boerstler, all of Upper Canada is in danger. FitzGibbon and his men are the only soldiers left inland in the southern part of the Peninsula. They’ve set up now at the home of militia Captain John De Cew at Beaver Dams. The rumour is that De Haren’s men to the north and Bishop’s, stationed even farther north on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, are outnumbered by the enemy. If they take FitzGibbon, they’ve got the Penin
sula—and they may soon have Upper Canada!”

“James, somebody ought to tell Lieutenant FitzGibbon they are coming.”

“Well, if I crawled on my hands and knees, I could not get there in time.”

“Well, suppose I go?”

“You go? With the country in so disturbed a state? I doubt a man could get through, let alone a woman.”

“You forget, James, that God will take care of me.”

James was silent then for some time.

Half an hour later, he was asleep, and Laura slipped out of the room. She went down to the kitchen to prepare for the next day’s breakfast. She thought of her children and her husband as she set out their porridge bowls. She didn’t really have a choice. She would carry her message to FitzGibbon.

TWENTY-ONE

In the darkness, Laura lay still against James’s shoulder. When dawn came, she sat up quietly on the edge of the bed, but James woke up and reached out to her. Wondering how to tell him her decision, she turned and grasped his hand and squeezed it.

But he knew.

“God go with you, Laura,” he whispered.

In a moment, she had pushed her feet into her shoes and slipped into an ankle-length petticoat and yellow-flowered short overgown. Before she left the room, she pulled the cradle nearer to the bed so her husband could rock the baby if he awakened.

Then Charles did wake up and cried in the darkness. She stopped and stroked his temples until she felt him relax into a quiet sleep again. She hoped it would be a cooler day.

Down in the kitchen, she hastily ate the bread and cheese she had set out the evening before, not knowing when she would eat again. Taking a lunch would certainly arouse suspicion if she were stopped by a sentry.

As she slipped out into the darkness, she prepared herself to answer any guard or scout who might question her. Neighbours had reported seeing enemy scouts from Fort George in the area lately.

She hurried along toward the cowpath that led to St. David’s, a route that was used less frequently than the main road. From St. David’s, she would go through the Black Swamp. She knew she would not need to fear the patrols there, for they would not risk encountering the dangerous rattlesnakes and the quicksand in the swamp. She trembled at the thought. It would take long hours to get through the swamp and to walk the trail to Twelve Mile Creek. From there, she would still have to find her way to the lieutenant.

“Halt!” a man shouted as she jumped down from the rail fence onto the cow trail. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She turned slowly to face him. In the half-light, she could not tell if he was one of Chapin’s guerrillas or an enemy scout from Fort George. She did not hesitate to answer. “I’m going to visit my brother, Charles Ingersoll, wounded and sick at the home of Mrs. Stephen Secord, a widow in St. David’s.”

“Why are you leaving so early? The sun is just rising.”

“It’s cooler now. I could faint along the way if I waited until the heat of the day. I’ve come this way because this path is cooler than the main road to St. David’s.”

The guard walked closer and scrutinized her carefully. He had no doubt that this pale, thin woman really did need to travel in the fresh morning air. He believed her story because he knew that her brother and other wounded men had been allowed to stay in St. David’s. He nodded her on.

The light was increasing as she hurried ahead. She could see a farm woman with her dog, rounding up some cows for the morning milking.

The sun had risen by six a.m. when Laura reached her sister-in-law’s home in St. David’s. She rapped lightly on the back door. A startled Hannah Secord opened it to see Laura standing on her back stoop. Her surprise soon turned to alarm as she said, “Whatever is it, Laura? What is the matter? Is it James?”

“No. My family’s well.”

“Come in, come in. Now, what is it?” she asked as Laura sat down in the nearest chair. No one else was in the room, but still Laura put her finger to her lips to show the need for secrecy.

Instantly Hannah knew her message concerned the war. In these times, walls were sometimes too thin. In the Peninsula, where there was such a mixture of people, Loyalists and American settlers, one just couldn’t be certain who was loyal to whom.

“May I see my brother?” Laura asked. “I have come before the heat gets too unbearable.”

“By all means, Laura, but first come with me for a bite of breakfast.” Inside the kitchen, Hannah closed the door and fastened the windows tightly.

Charles’s fiancée, Elizabeth, stood by the table, setting the dishes for the morning meal. She turned in surprise when Laura came into the room. “Oh, Laura—have you come to see Charles? He is improving.” She recovered herself. “It’s slow, but he is a little better.”

“I’m grateful for your care and devotion, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth blushed and turned away. She went to the cupboard for bread and butter to set before Laura.

“Now, Laura, you may speak,” Hannah whispered.

Laura quickly explained about Chapin’s plan of attack on FitzGibbon.

“My dear, you are attempting the impossible. The road from St. David’s to Beaver Dams is regularly patrolled by enemy scouts. You would not be allowed to pass through. It’s simply an impossible task.”

“But I don’t need to go by that road. I’ll travel a little north across country from here to Shipman’s Corners. That’ll take me through the Great Black Swamp. No soldier will be looking for anyone there.”

“What are you saying, Laura? You can’t go through that swamp. If you do avoid the quicksand, you may very well be bitten by a rattlesnake.”

“I have to get this message to them. James can’t go, and I can’t think of anyone else who can. I feel certain that fate has let me hear this message. I must go. I can only trust that God will direct me through the swamp and beyond.”

“Oh, Laura. I’m afraid for you.”

“I’m going with you,” Elizabeth volunteered. “If we come to quicksand, I can help. We’ll walk apart, and if one of us is sucked in, the other will be able to help. That swamp is just too dangerous for anyone alone.”

“It’s too dangerous for anyone at all,” Hannah mumbled. “You’re too frail to attempt it, Elizabeth.”

“May I go with you, Laura?” Elizabeth asked again.

“You and Hannah decide. But while you’re thinking about it, can you take me up to see Charles, Elizabeth? I’d like to see him for a minute. Is he awake?”

As they went up the stairs, they knew he was awake, for they could hear a low groaning. The sound stopped when they entered the room.

Charles was sitting on the edge of the bed, but he slumped back on the pillows as they came over to him. Perspiration stood out on his face.

“Oh, Charles!” said Laura.

“It only hurts when I move, but I can’t go on lying here when my dragoons need me. I must be ready soon to return to the troops.”

“The fever comes back when he moves around much,” Elizabeth explained.

“I won’t stay long, Charles. I just came to check on you before the day was too hot.”

Laura squeezed her brother’s hand. They did not talk long, for Charles was obviously in great pain, and Laura was able to excuse herself soon without arousing his suspicion. She did not want him to carry the burden of her mission. She left the room quickly, with Elizabeth close behind.

When they reached the lower hall, Elizabeth said, “I’m going with you as far as Shipman’s Corners. I’ll tell Mother.”

Laura slowly started away from the house and down the lane alone, but Elizabeth caught up to her before she reached the road. There they turned and waved to Hannah, who stood in the doorway.

They scanned the horizon for any sign of an approaching horse or man. All was still as they reached the edge of the swamp. Laura tried to appear confident so the fear would leave Elizabeth’s eyes. But she found that difficult as they entered the dense undergrowth.

Elizabeth tried to smile. “It’s best we walk apart.”

“Yes, in case of quicksand. I think we should each get a sturdy stick to feel ahead of us,” Laura advised. She thought of another use for the sticks, but she didn’t mention that—the sticks would help fight wild animals or snakes.

Armed with an old branch, Laura led the way through the thick brush and undergrowth. Neither of them spoke. They were using all their energy to push ahead. The branches caught and tore at their petticoats as they fought their way through. They kept swatting at the mosquitoes and horse flies that attacked them in swarms.

Suddenly, Laura felt one foot sinking. Slowly and steadily, she pulled back while she leaned on her other leg and her stick. She gradually drew her foot from the mud, but her shoe was gone. When Elizabeth came up close behind her and saw Laura’s shoe was lost, she offered one of hers. “No, I can’t take it,” Laura said.

“I’m only going to Shipman’s Corners. You have to last much longer. Take it,” Elizabeth replied more forcefully.

Reluctantly, Laura accepted the shoe. It was too tight but it protected her foot well. They went on ahead. When they came to a thicket of thorny bushes, Elizabeth bravely kept from crying out as she stepped on a sharp stone.

Eventually the ground below them seemed less swampy. “I think it’s not far now,” Laura said. They could see a few huge rocks ahead, the ideal spot for a rattlesnake. They moved slowly, looking and listening for rattlers.

They had just passed the rocky outcropping when Elizabeth declared, “I’m sorry, I have to rest.” She lowered herself to a small rock at the side of the path.

As Laura turned back to her, she saw that her foot was bleeding where she had cut it on the stone. “I’ll not wear this any longer,” Laura said. She put the shoe in Elizabeth’s hand. The younger woman hesitated at first and then accepted it.

“We must continue on,” encouraged Laura, “if I’m to reach De Cew’s by tonight.”

It was then that they heard the distinct sound of a rattler about to strike. They froze like statues.

Laura instinctively held her breath and waited.

Then they heard a slithering in the bushes, and Laura knew they had been saved from disaster. Shaken, but strengthened in her resolve to complete the mission, she turned to the terrified Elizabeth.

“I can’t go farther…I can’t…” Elizabeth said with a scarcely audible sob.

“We’re almost there, Elizabeth. Look through the branches and trees. I can see clear sky…a blue patch…the end of the swamp.”

“Well, there’s no sound now,” Elizabeth responded. “I guess it’s better to go on.”

After another arduous slog that was farther than it looked, they emerged into the light again and out of the dangers in the swamp.

The full heat of the windless late June day hit them, and their eyes stung. Elizabeth staggered at first as she adjusted to the light and the intensity of the heat. Laura put out her hand and steadied her. Sweating heavily, they reached the main road that led to Shipman’s Corners. As the houses of the little settlement came into view, Laura said, “I’m going south now.”

“No, Laura. Come with me,” Elizabeth pleaded. “It’s too far and too dangerous. You’ll never make it.”

“No, Elizabeth, I’m going on,” Laura replied.

Elizabeth stooped and took off her shoe. “You must take this,” she said. “I’m almost there.”

Laura smiled at her friend, took the shoe, and headed down the road to the south.