A battle piece

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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.