The Hudson River from Ocean to Source (Bacon, 1903)
During the funeral, she also stated, the American troops, who had got into the rear of the British on the opposite side of the river, and had been firing over the house, on discovering the cause of the procession up the steep hill, where Frazer had requested to be interred, not only ceased firing, but played a dead march in complement to his memory. On leaving the battleground for Saratoga Lake . . . the country we had to pass over, after leaving the Hudson, was very uninviting and almost uninhabited. The road lay through a
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forest and was formed of logs [The road cut by General Schuyler in 1783.] We travelled till late in the afternoon before we reached a house, to which we had been directed for our lodging. It stood in a solitary place in an opening of the dark forest, and had so comfortless an appearance that, without approaching to take a nearer view, or alighting, we determined to proceed farther. . . . One of the gentlemen rode up to take a nearer view. Standing u]) in his saddle, he peeped into a square hole which served as a window, but had no glass or shutter, and found the floor the bare earth, with scarcely any furniture to be seen. Nothing remained but to proceed and make our way to the Spring as fast as possible, for we knew of no human habitation nearer. We were for a time extremely dispirited, until the gentleman who had joined us at Hudson came forward (still in his ball dress) and endeavoured to encourage us, saying that if we would but trust to his guidance he doubted not that he should be able to conduct us safely and speedily to a more comfortable habitation. This raised our hopes, and we followed him cheerfully, though the day was now at its close and the forest seemed thicker and darker than before.