undertook the character of La Fayette at very short notice, and a very
dim conception of the character he had.

The entire population of Dogtown and Hardscrabble turned out to
witness the stupendous military operations of the day. On the American
side were the Dogtown Blues, with four companies of ununiformed
militia, armed with rifles, fowling pieces, and rusty muskets, and
typifying the continental army. Their artillery consisted of two light
field pieces, served by a select band of volunteers. These pieces were
posted on an eminence commanding the entire plain. At the foot of this
hill, Colonel Slorkey drew up his troops in line of battle, his left
wing protected by an impassable frog pond, and his right resting on a
large piggery, whose extent prevented the enemy from turning his flank
in that direction.

On the descent of an opposing eminence, likewise strengthened by two
guns, Major Ryely placed the Hardscrabble Guards, the Sheet Iron
Riflemen, the Mudhollow Invincibles, the Dandelion Fireeaters, and the
Scrufftown Sharpshooters. A thousand bright eyes, from the commanding
eminences, looked down on the serried ranks of bayonets, the
brazen-throated artillery, the panoplied plough horses, the plumed
commanders, the rustling banners, and all the "pomp, pride, and
circumstance of glorious war."

Preliminaries being thus settled, the commanding officers put spurs to
their horses, and met in the centre of the plain, there saluting with
their scythe-blade swords.

"Major Ryely," said the colonel, rising in his stirrups, "the
follerin' are the odder of pufformances: we open with eour