A battle piece: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
A battle piece: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
A battle piece is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Haycox, Ernest (1899–1950).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
A battle piece by Ernest Haycox is a historical short story written in the early 20th century. Set during the American Revolution on Long Island, it follows Continental soldiers as British forces close in, highlighting the Marylanders’ valor under fire; its topic is the forging of unity through a costly rear‑guard stand. The story opens with anxious American camps on Brooklyn Heights and mounting doubts about leadership, then narrows to Sergeant Abner Cotton, a quiet New Englander, among proud Marylanders led by Lord Stirling. Cotton endures taunts from Alex Carroll until the dawn battle with Highlanders begins; after fierce volleys and maneuver, the Delawares escape across the marsh while Stirling keeps five Maryland companies to cover the retreat. Surrounded by converging British columns, the rear guard fights hand to hand in a wooded glade until it is annihilated. Cotton and Carroll, now comrades, battle side by side and die together, their sacrifice sealing respect across regional lines and enabling Washington’s withdrawal—an epitaph for the fallen Marylanders.
Book and edition facts
- Title: A battle piece
- Author credits: Haycox, Ernest (1899–1950)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Long Island, Battle of, New York, N.Y., 1776 -- Fiction
- Short stories
- Soldiers -- Fiction
- United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction
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Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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