Kings Pinnacle (21 page)

The Continental Army leaders
had learned from a patriot who had visited Boston and overheard a
conversation that the British were planning to come across Boston
Harbor. They would land at Charlestown in force and occupy the high
ground of Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill. The British Army wanted to
deny the colonial troops access to that high ground. They feared
that the Continental Army cannons could be accurately fired into
Boston proper from the tops of those two hills.

Robert and Hugh were part of
the group of militiamen who had crossed the Charlestown Neck and
were manning a redoubt that they had helped build on Breeds Hill.
From there, they could fire down on the British Army from behind
the earthen and wood walls of the redoubt. Hugh was standing next
to Robert on the wooden platform on the south side of the redoubt
with his rifle loaded and his pan primed.

“Do ye think the redcoats
will come this way, Robber?” asked Hugh.

Robert just shrugged his
shoulders. He knew about as much as any of the other soldiers did,
which wasn’t very much. They knew that the British had landed at
Moulton’s Point in the early morning hours that day and were being
deployed somewhere to do something, but they had no idea what it
was.

As the afternoon wore on, a
line of British soldiers marching shoulder-to-shoulder gradually
began to take shape in the distance as they approached Breeds Hill
in an assault line along the narrow beach located on the left
flank. Robert and Hugh, redeployed along with the other men to the
east side of the redoubt, began to fire at the redcoats as they
came within range. The British troops were trying to envelope the
redoubt around its left side in a flanking maneuver.

“I wish we had Alex with us.
He and that rifle of his could pick off these redcoats from a much
greater range than we can,” said Hugh.

“So do I,” said Robert with
a grimace.

The British attack soon
faltered, and the redcoats fell back in disarray to regroup,
leaving many dead and dying on the battlefield. The second attack
came toward the redoubt directly from the front as well as from the
left flank. Robert and Hugh moved back over to the south side
platform so that they could fire directly into the main body of
charging British regulars. This attack also soon faltered, and the
British again retreated from the battlefield.

“How much powder do ye have
left, Robber?” asked Hugh.

“
I am about out,” answered
Robert.

“So am I. Weel, I guess
we’ll be fighting them hand-to-hand before it’s over,” said
Hugh.

The third assault by the
British troops came directly up Breeds Hill in a force that
included all of the British troops. Robert ran out of powder first
and borrowed a load from Hugh to reload his musket. As Robert
turned to resume his firing position, a musket ball streaked across
the side of his head, leaving an angry red crease in his scalp. The
impact of the ball with the side of his skull knocked him
unconscious, and he collapsed to the wooden platform. Hugh went
down on all fours to examine him and determined that he was out
cold, but still alive. He thought that the musket ball had probably
not done any permanent damage other than to knock Robert
out.

Colonel Prescott, who was
directing the Colonial army from the redoubt, soon determined that
the British assault could not be stopped. Given the shortage of
gunpowder and ball, they could not continue to resist the British
attack.

“Men, pull back to the
Charlestown Neck!” he shouted in the heat of the third attack from
the British Army.

Hugh handed his and Robert’s
rifles to a comrade in arms and bent down to pick up the
unconscious Robert by his right leg and right arm. He then hoisted
Robert up on his shoulders in a dead man’s carry position. He
walked with Robert on his back out of the north side of the redoubt
and then began to run carrying him toward the Charlestown Neck. By
this time, all the militiamen who had taken firing positions in and
around the redoubt were running toward the Neck. Hugh was
overtaking them with the hundred and seventy pound load of Robert
on his shoulders. The militiamen, who watched as Hugh passed them,
were amazed at Hugh’s strength and stamina as he outran them. Hugh
was by far the strongest man that any of them had ever
seen.

When Hugh was past the Neck,
he stopped and laid Robert down beside a barn. He drew some water
from the nearby well and splashed it on Robert’s face to bring him
around. Robert’s eyes blinked open, and he looked confused about
where he was and what had happened to him. He reached up and felt
the crease along his skull and realized that he had been shot by
the British.

“Weel, Robber, ye can stop
pretending now. I know ye just wanted me to carry ye all the way
back past the Neck,” said Hugh.

“I guess it worked, didn’t
it?” Robert replied groggily, but with a smile, as he touched the
crease in his scalp again.

* * * *

Captain Ferguson

“
Attention!” shouted
Captain Ferguson loud enough so that all of his troops could hear
him.

The green-clad rifle company
of one hundred men came to attention in front of the captain. The
riflemen in Captain Ferguson’s company looked like elite soldiers.
The regular British infantrymen wore red uniform overcoats and
because of the color of their uniforms, they were often called
redcoats or lobster backs by the colonists. Captain Ferguson’s
elite riflemen wore green coats with gold buttons. The regular
riflemen wore white pants, but these soldiers wore black pants and
black helmets that were normally worn only by grenadiers. Captain
Ferguson had designed these new uniforms himself, and he obviously
had a flair for the dramatic in uniform design. He wanted these
riflemen to really stand out in the garrison and on the
battlefield. The uniforms had a British Army uniform cut, but they
also gave the appearance that the men who wore them were
special.

The troops were special,
because each of the one hundred riflemen carried a brand new breech
loading Ferguson rifle. Each rifle had a crown etched on the
flintlock or firelock, identifying the weapon as the property of
the British Army. Any colonist captured by the British while
carrying a British Army weapon was immediately hanged. For that
reason, the colonists who acquired British weapons during or after
a battle immediately filed the crown off the flintlock or
barrel.

The green-clad riflemen were
specially trained by Captain Ferguson in both the operation and
maintenance of their Ferguson rifles, as well as in the fine art of
marksmanship, of which Captain Ferguson was an expert. This was a
very deadly group of soldiers, and their presence on the
battlefield could drastically change the course of the American
Revolutionary War, which was now in full swing.

“Men, we will be boarding a
ship to sail to America within the next two weeks. We will be
assigned to General Howe’s command in the colonies. Our job will be
to supplement the regular infantry forces and provide them with the
additional firepower that we will bring to bear on the rebel army.
Our presence on the battlefield may be the decisive factor in any
engagements that we may participate in,” said the captain in a
raised voice so that every man could hear him.

“I want every man to give
his best and make this unit proud. I want every man to act bravely
and follow the orders of his superiors so that we may be victorious
in battle!”

At the end of his speech,
the men shouted, “Hurrah, Hurrah, and Hurrah!”

* * * *

Alex

“
Captain Mackenzie, can
you please take a look at this, Sir?” asked the young Maryland
Ranger.

Alex, who was now clad
completely in buckskins, walked over to the ranger to inspect the
horse’s hoof that the trooper was kneeling over and bending up so
that Alex could look at it. Alex had been a Maryland Ranger for
almost four years. Ellison McCoy had retired from the Rangers at
the end of 1773 to move back to his original home in Baltimore so
that he could be near his extended family. He had named Alex to be
the unit’s commander upon his retirement. Even though Alex was the
youngest commander that the Maryland Rangers had ever promoted into
that position, he had developed into a very effective and respected
leader. It was now near the end of 1776.

“You need to have this
horseshoe taken off by the blacksmith and have him put a new one on
that fits better. If you don’t, this mare is going to come up lame
for sure,” said Alex to the ranger, his hand resting on the
ranger’s shoulder.

“Okay, will do. I understand
that you are leaving us, sir,” said the ranger, changing the
subject.

“That’s true. I intend to
enlist in the Continental Army to fight the British. I hear that
they are recruiting riflemen from Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
and Virginia to serve one-year enlistments,” replied
Alex.

“I wish you the best of
luck, sir. When do you leave?”

“I have a few things to do
here and in Williamsport first. I should be packing up and leaving
Fort Cumberland by the end of the week,” replied Alex.

“Good luck, sir.”

“Thank you, Ranger, and good
luck to you, too,” replied Alex.

Alex was as good as his
word. He saddled up his pony and packed up his belongings. He
loaded them on a pack horse and rode east, starting the sixty mile
journey on the trail along the banks of the Potomac River to
Williamsport. He’d been over this trail many times over the last
few years, but this would probably be the last time he rode it.
Alex did not tarry, covering forty miles the first day. A little
after noon of the second day on the trail, he rode into the
outskirts of Williamsport along the main road into town.

Williamsport had grown since
the first time he had seen it from the deck of the ferry that he
jumped onto with the Longhunter, narrowly escaping the Iroquois
warriors that were chasing them. There were now a few buildings on
the west bank of the Potomac River, where there had been none
before. The dry goods store where Martha worked for her uncle and
aunt had expanded and was stocked with more supplies than ever
before. She, her uncle Sean, and her aunt, were very busy these
days as the number of customers multiplied. The town’s population
had exploded to service a constant stream of settlers traveling The
Great Wagon Road and using the Watkins Ferry.

Alex rode up the main trail
through town and reined up at the hitching rail in front of the dry
goods store. Looking out the front store window, Martha saw him
ride up to the store and dismount. At once, she was out the door,
down the steps, and into his arms before he could complete tying
his horse reins to the rail.

“Alex, I didn’t expect you,”
said Martha, as she kissed him passionately right out in front of
everyone on the main road.

“Hello Martha. Did you miss
me?” stammered Alex between kisses.

“
You know better than
that,” said Martha standing back to take a closer look at Alex
while holding him at arm’s length.

“
What are you doing in
Williamsport?”

“
I wanted to see you,”
replied Alex.

“I know you wanted to see
me. What else brings you to town?”

“
Do I have to have a
reason other than to see you?”

“I know you, Alexander
Mackenzie, and I can tell that there’s probably something else that
brings you to town.”

“Well, you’re right. I may
not be seeing you for a while.”

“
Why not?” asked Martha
with a frown.

“I have resigned from the
Maryland Rangers and decided to join the Continental Army to fight
the British.”

“I see,” said Martha, as she
looked down at her feet.

“Are you sure that’s what
you want to do?” asked Martha, looking up into Alex’s
eyes.

“I’ve thought about it a lot
and if we don’t get ourselves free of British rule, this place is
going to turn into something like Scotland or England. I’ve been
there and seen what it’s like. This war is all about the freedom to
choose and the ability to make our own decisions.”

“
I see you have thought
about it and feel strongly about it.”

“
Well, I have and there’s
no stopping me, but there are two things I need to do before I
leave,” said Alex.

“I know what one of them is,
but what’s the other one?” asked Martha with a wink.

Alex just smiled in response
as he held her in his arms and whispered in her ear, “I think you
will like it. I hope so anyway.”

Alex had been saving his
money, so he decided to stay in Williamsport for a few weeks before
he left to join the Continental Army.

* * * *

Robert and Hugh

“
Robber, I thought that
adder we won the battle up in Boston, and the British got on their
ships and high tailed it, we had them on the run. But they beat us
in New York. How exactly did that happen?” asked Hugh.