Chapter 1
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Juan Castellanos. Children's Book of Patriotic Stories by Helen M. Winslow. Children's Book of Patriotic Stories. Chavez Rockwell's Powderhorn by Ralph D. Payne. A story of the Powderhorn Rebellion at Valley Forge and of how gallant young Jabez Wachwell rallied a retreating regiment at the Battle of Monmouth. Poo! You are not tall enough to carry a musket. Go with the drums and tootle on that fife you blew at the Battle of Saratoga.
Away with you, little Jabez, crying for a powderhorn when grown men like me have not a pouch amongst them for a single charge of powder. A tall, gaunt Vermonter, whose uniform was a woolly bed cover draped to his knees, laughed loudly from the doorway of his log hut as he flung these taunts at the stripling soldier. A little way down the snowy street of these rude cabins, a group of ragged comrades was crowding at the heels of a man who hugged a leather apron to his chest with both arms.
Jabez Rockwell was in hot haste to join the chase. Nevertheless, he halted to cry back at his critic. It's a lie. I put my fife in my pocket at Saratoga, and I fought with a musket as long and ugly as yourself, and a redcoat shot me through the arm.
If the camp butcher has powder horns to give away, I deserve one more than these raw militia recruits, so wait until you are a veteran of the Connecticut line before you laugh at us old soldiers. The youngster stooped to tighten the clumsy wrappings of rags which served him for shoes, and hurried on after the little shouting mob which had followed the butcher down to the steep hillside
of valley forge where he stood at the bay with his back to the cliff there are 30 of you desperate villains puff the fat fugitive and i have only 10 horns which have been saved from the choices of all the cattle i've killed these two months gone i would i had my maul and skinning knife here to defend myself take me to the headquarters if there is no other way to end this riot I want no pay for the horns. They are my gift to their troops. But heaven help me,
who is to decide how to divide them amongst so many? Stand him on his bald head and lose the horns from the apron. As they fall, he who finds keeps, roared one of the boisterous party. Toss them all into the air and allow us to fight for them was another suggestion. The hapless butcher glared around him with growing dismay. At this rate, half the American army would soon be clamoring round him, drawn by the chance to add to their poor equipment.
By this time, Jabez Rockwell had wriggled under the arms of the shouting soldiers, twisting like an uncommonly active eel until he was close to the red-faced butcher. With ready wit, the youngster piped up a plan for breaking the deadlock. There are thirty of us, you say, that put you to rout, Master Ritter. Let us divide the ten horns by lot. Then you can return to your cow pins with a whole skin and a clear conscience. There's more sense in that little carcass of yours
than in all those big hulking troopers that could spit you on a bayonet like a sparrow, rumbled Master Ritter. How shall the lots be drawn? Away with your lottery, cried a burly rifleman whose long hunting shirt whipped in the bitter wind. The road up the valley is well beaten down. The old forge is half a mile away. Do you mark a line, old beef killing Jack, and we will run for our lives. The first ten to touch the stone wall of the smithy will take the ten prizes.
Some yelled approval, others fiercely opposed, and the wrangling was louder than before. Master Ritter, who had plucked a part, began to steal rarely from the hillside, hoping to escape in the confusion. A dozen hands clutched his collar and leather apron and jerked him headlong back into the argument. Young Jabez scrambled to the top of the nearest boulder and ruffled with importance like a turkey cock as he waved his arms to command attention the guard will be
turned out and we shall end this fray by cooling our hills in the prison huts on the hill he declaimed if we run a footway who is to say which of us first reaches the forge again and i say i never served with such thick-witted troops when i fought under general arnold at saratoga those with shoes to their feet have the advantage over that are bound up in bits of cloth and clumsy patches of hide draw lots i say before the picket is down upon us the good-natured crowd cheered the
boy orator and hauled him from his perch with such hearty thumps that he feared they would break him into suddenly the noise was hushed as if the wranglers had been stricken dumb fur-capped heads turned to face down the winding valley and without need of an order the company spread itself along the roadside in a rude, uneven line. Every man stood at attention, his head up, his shoulders thrown back, hands at his sides. Thus they stood while they watched a little group of horsemen
trot toward them. In front rode a commanding figure in buff and blue. The tall life frame sat the saddle with the graceful ease of the hard-riding Virginia fox hunter. The stern, smooth-shaven face, reddened and roughened by exposure to all weathers, lighted with an amiable curiosity at sight of this motley and expectant party, the central figure of which was the butcher, Master Ritter, who had dropped to his knees as if praying for his life. General Washington turned
into a sprightly-looking red-haired youth who rode at his side as if calling his attention to the singular tableau. The Marquis de Lafayette shrugged his shoulders after the French banner and laughingly, said, It is what you think will. They make ready to kill him. What they do. Just behind them pounded General Muhlenberg, the clergy who had doffed his gown for the uniform of a brailleur, stalwart, swarthy laughter in his piercing eyes as he commented, To the rescue!
The victim is a worthy member of my old Pennsylvania flock. This doth savor of a soldiers court marshal for honest Jacob Ritter. The calvacate halted, and the soldiers saluted, tongue-tied and embarrassed, scuffling and prodding one another's ribs in an attempt to urge a spokesman forward, while January Washington gazed down at them as if demanding an explanation. The butcher was about to make a stammering attempt when the string of his apron parted,
and the ten cow horns were scattered in the snow. He dived in pursuit of them, and his speech was never made because jabez rockwell was too light and slender to make much resistance he was first to be pushed into the foreground and found himself nearest the commander-in-chief he made the best of a bad matter and his frank young face flushed hotly as he doffed his battered cap and bowed low may it please the general we were in a good natured
dispute touching the matter of those ten cow horns which the butcher brought amongst us to his peril there are more muskets than pouches in our street and we are debating a fair way to divide them it is it is exceedingly bold sir but dare we ask you to suggest a way out of the trouble which prays sorely on the butcher's mind and body a fleeting frown troubled the noble face of the chief and his mouth twitched not with anger but in pain for the incident brought home to him
anew that his soldiers, these brave, cheerful, half-clothed, freezing followers, were without even the simplest tools of warfare. The cloud cleared and he smiled, such a proud, affectionate smile, as the father shows to sons of his who have deemed no sacrifice too great for duty's sake. His eyes softened as he looked down the street striping at his brittle rein and replied, You've asked my advice as a third party, and it is meat that I share in the distribution.
follow me to the nearest hut his officers wheeled and rode after him while the bewildered soldiers trailed behind two and two down the narrow road greatly wondering whether reward or punishment was to be their lot as for jabez rockwell he strode proudly in the van as guide to the log cabin and felt his heart flutter as he jumped to the head of the charger while the general dismounted with the agility of a boy. Turning to the soldiers who hung abashed in the road, Washington called,
come in as many of you as can find room. The company filled the hut and made room for those behind by climbing into the tiers of bunks filled with boughs to soften the rough hewn planks. In one corner, a wood fire smoldered in a rough stone fireplace whose smoke made even the general cough and sneeze. He stood behind a bench of barked logs and took from his pocket a folded document. Then he picked up from the earth a bit of charcoal and announced, I will write down a number between
fifteen hundred and two thousand, and the ten that guessed nearest this number shall be declared the winners of the ten horns. He carefully tore the document into strips and then into small squares, which were passed among the delighted audience. There was a busy whispering and scratching of heads. Over in one corner, jammed against the wall until he gasped for breath, Jabez Rockwell said to himself, I must guess shrewdly, me thinks he will choose a number halfway between 1500 and 2000.
I will write down 1750, but stay. 1776 may come first into his mind, the glorious year when the independence of the colonies was declared, but he will surely take it that we too are thinking of that number. Wherefore, I will pass it by. As if reading his thoughts, a comrade curled up in a bunk at Rockwell's elbow mattered. 1776, I haven't a doubt of it. Alas, for the cunning surmise of Jabez, the chief did write down independence year 1776, and when this verdict was read aloud,
the boy felt deep disappointment. This was turned to joy, however, when his guess of 1750 was found to be among the ten nearest the fateful choice and one of the powder horns fell to him the soldiers pressed back to make way for general washington as he went out of the hut stooping low that his head might escape the roof beams before the party mounted the boyish lafayette swung his hat around his head and shouted a haza for the wise general the soldiers cheered lustily and general muhlenburg
followed with, now a cheer for the Declaration of Independence and for the soldier who wrote down 1776. General Washington bowed in his saddle, and the shouting followed his clattering train up to the valley on his daily tour of inspection. He left behind him a new-fledged hero in the person of Jabez Rockwell, whose bold tactus had won him a powder horn and given his comrades the rarest outer of the dreary winter at Valley Forge. In his leisure time, he scraped and polished the horn,
fitted it with a wooden stopper and cord, and with greatest care and labor, scratched upon its gleaming surface these words, Jabez Rockwell, Ridgeway, Connecticut, his horn, made in camp at Valley Forge. Thin and pale, but with unbroken spirit, the sixteen-year-old veteran drilled and marched and braved picket duty in zero weather, often without a scrap of meat to brace his ration for a week on end, but he survived with no worse damage than sundry frostbites. In early spring,
he was assigned to duty as the sentinel of the company, which guarded the path that led up the hill to the headquarters of the commander-in-chief. Here he learned much to make the condition of his comrades seem more hopeless and forlorn than ever. Hard-riding scouting parties came into camp with reports of forays as far as the suburbs of philadelphia 20 miles away spies disguised as farmers returned with stories of visits into the heart of the capital city held by the enemy
this gossip and information which the young sentinel picked up bit by bit he pieced together to make a picture of an invincible veteran british army waiting to fall upon the huddled mob of rebels at Valley Forge and sweep them away like chaff. He heard it over and over again that the Hesians with their tall and gleaming brass hats and fierce mustaches were dreadful to look upon, that the British graniators who tramped the Philadelphia streets and legions were like
moving ranks of stonewall. Din Jabez would look out across the valley and perhaps see an American regiment at drill without uniforms, ranks half-filled, looking like an array of scarecrows. His heart would sink despite his memories of Saratoga, and in such dark hours, he could not believe it's possible even for General Washington to win a battle in the coming summer campaign. It was on a bright day of June that Captain Alan McClain, the leader of scouts, galloped past the huts of the Sentinels and shouted as he rode, The British have marked out of Philadelphia. I have just cut my way through their skirmishes over in New Jersey.
a little later orderlies were buzzing out of the old stone house at headquarters like bees from a with orders from the troops to be ready to march as jabez rockwell hurried to rejoin his regiment men were shouting the glad news along the green valley with songs and tears and laughter they fell in as a fighting army and left behind them the tragic story of their winter at valley forge as the trailing columns swept beyond the squirrely kill into the wide and smiling farms lands of
pennsylvania summer heat now blistered the dusty faces that had been for so long blue and pinched with hunger and cold a week of glad marching and full rations carried washington's awakened army into new jersey by which time the troops knew their chief was leading them to block the british retreat from philadelphia jabez rockwell marching with the connecticut brigade had forgotten his fears of the brass cap hisians and the stonewall grenaders one night they camped near monmouth
village and scouts brought in the tidings that the british were within sight in the long summer twilight jabez climbed a little knoll hard by and caught a glimpse of the white tents of the queen's rangers. Harley Beyond Musket shot. Before daybreak, a rattle of firing woke him and he scrambled out to find that the pickets were already exchanging shots. He picked up his old musket and chewing a hunk of dry bread for breakfast, joined his company drawn up in a pasture.
Knapsacks were piled near a freehold meeting house and the troops marched ahead not knowing where they were sent. Across the wooded fields, Chavez saw the lines of red splotches which gleamed in the early sunlight, and he knew these were British troops. The rattling musket fire became a grinding roar, and the deep note of artillery boomed into the tumult. A battle had begun, yet the Connecticut brigade was stewing in the heat hour after hour, impatient, trembled, wondering why they had no
part to play. As the forenoon dragged along, the men became sullen and weary. When at last an order came, it was not to advance but to retreat. Falling back, they found themselves near their camping place. Valley Forge had not quenched the reign of Jabez Rockwell in General Washington's power to conquer any odds, but now he felt such dismay as brought hot tears to his eyes. On both sides of his regiment, American troops were streaming to the rear, their columns broken and straggling.
It seemed as if the whole army was fleeing from the veterans of Clinton and Cornwallis. jobbis flung himself into a cornfield and hid his face in his arms around him his comrades were muttering their anger and despair he fumbled for his canteen as and his fingers closed around his powder horn general washington did not give you to me to run away with he whispered and then his parched lips moved in a little prayer dear lord help us to beat the british this day and give me
a chance to empty my powder horn before night thou has been with general washington and me ever since last year please don't desert us now nor was he surprised when as if in direct answer to his petition he rose to see the chief riding through the troop lines but such a chief as he had never before known the kindly face was aflame with anger and streaked with dust and sweat the powerful horse he rode with slathered and its heaving flanks were scarred from hard driven spurs
as the commander passed the regiment his staff in a whirlwind at his heels jabez heard him shout in a great voice vibrant with rage and grief i cannot believe the army is retreating i ordered a general advance who dared to give such an order advance those lines it was general lee's order to retreat jabez heard an officer stammer in reply washington vanished in a moment with a storm of cheers in his wake. Jabez was content to wait for orders now. He believed the battle of Monmouth as good
as won. His recollection of the next few hours was jumbled and hazy. He knew that the regiment went forward and then the white smoke of musket fire closed down before him. Now and then the summer breeze made rifts in this stifling cloud and he saw it streaked with spouting fire. He aimed his old musket at that other foggy line beyond the rail fence whose top was lined with manning coats of red and green and black. Suddenly his officers began running to and fro, and a shout
ran down the line. Stand steady, Connecticut, save your fire, aim low, here comes a charge. A tidal wave of red and brass broke through the gaps in the rail fence, and the sunlight rippled along a wavering line of British bayonets. They crept nearer, nearer, until Jabez could see the grim ferocity, the bare teeth, the staring eyes of the dreaded grenade ears. At the command to fire, he pulled trigger, and the kick of his musket made him grunt with pain. Pulling the
stopper from his powder horn with his teeth, Jabez poured in a charge and was ramming the bullet home when he felt his right leg double under him and burn as if red-hot iron had seared it. Then the charging tide of grenade ears swept over him. He felt their hobnailed heels bite into his back. Then his head felt queer, and he closed his eyes. When he found himself trying to rise, he saw, as through a mist, his regiment falling back, driven from the ground by the first shock
of the charge. He groaned in agony of spirit. What would General Washington say? Chavez was now behind the headlong British column which heeded him not. He was in a little part of the fleet, clear to fighting for the moment, except for the wounded who dotted the trampled grass. The smoke had drifted away, for the swaying lines in front of him were locked in the frightful embrace of cold steel. The boy staggered to his feet with his musket as a crutch, and his wound was forgotten.
He was given strength to his need by the spirit of a great purpose. Alone he stood and reeled, while he beckoned passionately imploringly his arm outstretched toward his broken regiment the lul in the firing made a moment of strange quiet broken only by groans and the hard gasping curses of men locked in the death grip therefore the shrill young voice carried far as he shouted come back connecticut i'm waiting for you his captain heard the boy and waved his sword with
hoarse cries to his men they caught sight of the lonely little figure in the background and his cry went to their hearts and a great wave of rage and shame swept the line like a prairie fire like a landside the men of connecticut swept forward to recapture the ground they had yielded back fell the british before a counter charge they could not withstand back beyond the rail fence nor was their refuge even there for shattered and spent they were smashed to fragments in a flank
attack driven home in the nick of time by the american reserves from a low hill to the right of this action, General Washington had paused to view the charge just when his line gave way. He set an officer in hot haste for reserves and waited for them where he was. Thus it happened that his eye swept the littered field from which Jabez Rockwell rose as one from the dead to rally his comrades, alone, undaunted, pathetic beyond words. A little later, two privates were carrying
to the rear the wounded lad who had been picked up alive and conscious. They halted to salute their commander-in-chief and laid their burden down as the general drew rain and said, Take this man to my quarters and see to it that he has every possible attention. I saw him save a regiment and retake a position. The limp figure on the litter of boughs raised itself on an elbow and said very feebly, I didn't want to see that powder horn disgrace, sir. With a smile of
recognition, General Washington responded, the powder horn? I remember. You are the lad who led the powder horn rebellion at Valley Forge, and I wrote down 1776. You've used it well, my boy. I will not forget. When Jabez Rockwell was able to rejoin his company, he scratched upon the powder horn this addition to the legend he had carved at Valley Forge, first used at Monmouth June 28, 1778. A hundred years later, the grandson of Jabez Rockwell hung the powder horn in the
same old stone house at Valley Forge, which had been General Washington's headquarters, and if you should chance to see it, there you will find that the young soldier added one more line to the rough inscription, last used at Yorktown 1781. End of section one.
