march at eight o'clock in the morning
I was therefore selected in his place to take command of a party consisting of a hundred seamen and marines from the different ships of war , and to go on shore and forage for the squadron . The marines were commanded by a Lieutenant Brown , and I had two navy lieutenants besides under me . No duty I could have been ordered to perform would have been more distasteful , yet I had no choice but to obey and carry it out to the best of my ability . Having landed at Newportneuse , we began our march at eight o'clock in the morning into Elizabeth County . Not having been brought up like some of my Highland friends in the art of levying black mail on my lowland neighbours , I could not help feeling as if I had suddenly turned into a robber when I found myself entering a farm-yard , and , without a word of explanation , quietly collecting the cattle and pigs , or sheep or poultry , and driving them off . We marched about ten miles inland as rapidly as we could , and then , facing about , swept the country before us . On espying a farm we surrounded it , and then , rushing in , we took prisoners all the negroes we could find , and made them drive out the cattle and sheep .