his corps and Pittsburgh
Blues. To them was entrusted the management of the six-pounder in the
fort, for Brown was skilled in gunnery.

"The British artillery played incessantly upon the northwestern angle
of the fort, causing a dense smoke, and under cover of that a storming
party under Lieutenant-Colonel Short advanced to within fifteen or
twenty paces of the outworks before they were discovered by the
garrison. But they were Kentucky sharpshooters, and every man of them
was at his post. Instantly they poured upon the assailants a shower of
rifle balls sent with such deadly aim that the British were thrown
into confusion. But they quickly rallied. The axemen pushed bravely
forward over the glacis, and leaped into the ditch to assail the
pickets. Short was at their head, and when a sufficient number were in
the ditch behind him, he shouted, 'Cut away the pickets, my brave
boys, and show the d----d Yankees no quarter!'

"Now the time had come for the six-pounder to make itself heard. The
masked port flew open instantly, and the gun spoke with terrible
effect. Slug and grapeshot streamed along that ditch overflowing with
human life, and spread awful havoc there. Few of those British
soldiers escaped. The second column of the storming party made a
similar attempt, but was met by another discharge from the six-pounder
and another destructive volley of rifle-balls."

"Was anybody killed, papa?" asked Ned.

"Yes, a good many were," replied his father. "Colonel Short,
Lieutenant Gordon, Laussaussie of the Indian Department, and 25
privates were left dead in the ditch, and 26 of the wounded were made
prisoners. Three other officers were slightly wounded, but escaped.
The rest of the attacking party retreated in haste and disorder.

"It was not until after that disaster that Warburton and his
grenadiers reached the south front of the fort. When they did,
Hunter's corps assailed them with a destructive volley, and they fled
for shelter to the adjacent woods. It is said that Lieutenant-Colonel
Short, when he fell, twisted a white handkerchief on the end of his
sword, asking the mercy he had exhorted his men not to show to the
Americans."

"Oh, I hope they did show it to him, papa," said Elsie.

"I think they would have done so had opportunity offered," said the
captain; "but he was found dead in the ditch."

"And were any of our people killed?" she asked.

"One man was killed and 7 were slightly wounded; while, accord