T n - ■ fyxntll Itomitg |f itag THE GIFT OF aruJrLsL i>\A-a , . v *-w~pa/m*_ J—. «MN 5 1949 J Cornell University Library E209 .T74 1906 + Georgian: 3 1924 032 742 557 olin 0vers H\ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924032742557 2. ad Series COLONIAL *£S2/~e-~£^-^- (4 I'.. anb all otfjec pieceg of *£atUr iFlat 2Have *• is full? sijoton in tfjijS Boon, tit fa>M t£ algo giijoi an account of tfje tfjfef (bents of tijc g^anr of tije iUbolutio?i anb tt>e art£ of op^c##on tol)id> preceoeo anb ptobofteb it;» to tolncl) arc aboco j&mbrn pitwrejs of places ano rijings ibentifieb toitl> tl>ig momentoug conflict* anb in gome cageg ejcemnlifping tfje Colonial, or nutft pro perly caflco (Georgian gtple of arcftjg tre» from tofjicfc tf>e bcgisn of t&i£ pattern # bcribco; tDt>tc|i gtnle toag m#t probuceb in EuglangintljerfgijUfntD century ano toajs? tjje result of an abaptation of da&sical efaPCTtgtonejo conbition£ of application, anb W. KING, A PROCLAMATION, For fupprefling Rebellion and Sedition. GEORGE ft. |HEREAS many of Our Subjects in divers Parts of Our^Colcmics and Plantationi 1 in Ntrth America, mifled by dangerous and ill-defignmg Men, and forgetting J the Allegiance .which they owe to the Power that has protected and fuftained J them, alter various disorderly Afls committed in Difturbance of the Publiclc [ Peace, to the Obstruction of lawful Commerce) and to the Opprcflion of Our ' loyal Subjects carrying on the fame, have at length proceeded to an open and | avowed Rebellion, by arraying themfelves in hoillle Manner to withftand the Execution of the Law, and traitoroufly preparing, ordering, and 'levying War againft Us; And whereas there is Reafon.to apprehend that fiich Rebellion hath been much promoted and encouraged by the traiti rous Corrclponaence, Counfels, and Comfort of divers wicked and defperate Pcrfons within this Realm t To the End therefore that none of Our Subjects may neglect or violate their Duty through Ignorance thcreoi, or through any Doubt of the Protection which the Law will afford to their Loyalty and Zeal ; We have thought fit, by and with the Advice of Our Privyj Council, to ifTue this Our Royal Proclamation, hereby declaring that not only all Our Officers Civil and Military are obliged to exert their utmoft Endeavours tofupprefs fuch Rebellion, and to bring the Traitors to Juftice ; but that all Our Subjects of this Realm and the Dominions' thereunto belonging are bound by Law to be aiding and affifting.irf the Suppreffion of fuch Rebellion, and to difelole and make known all traitorous Conspiracies and Attempts againft Us, Our Crown and Dignity; And We. do accordingly flrjctly charge and command all Our Officers as well Civil as Military, and all 'other Our obedient and loyal Subjects, to ufe their utmoft' Endeavours to withftand and lupprcfs fuch a Rebellion, and to difelole and make known, all Trealbns and traitorous Conspi- racies which they fhall know to be againft Us, Our .Crown and Dignity; and for that Purpofe, that' they tranfmit to One of Our Principal Secrctarics^of State, or other proper Officer, due and full Information of all Pcrfons who (hall be found carrying on Correspondence with, or in any Manner or Degree aiding or abetting the Pcrfons now in open Arms ,and. Rebellion againft Our Government within any. of Our Colonies and Plantations in North Amtrka. in order to brim* to condign Punifhmeni the Authors, Perpetrators, and Abettors of fuch traitorous Defigns. Given at Our Court at'St Jamn\ the Twenty-third Day of Auguft, One thoufand feven hundred and fc verity- five, in the Fifteenth Year of Our Reign, God fave the King. Compiled and Arranged by George P. Tilton, of The Towle Mfg. Company. Press of Springfield Printing and Binding Company, Springfield, Massachusetts. Copyright, 1906, by The Towlk Mfg. Company. |iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii|j^ the omsfcirts f Portsmouth, New Hampshire, by the water's edge, | /"~\ = stands a picturesque old mansion that will, if we are so minded, carry rmiiiiimtmiMT- | us backward, at one step, to the "Old Colony days" when George III ruled over the English people on both sides of the Atlantic. It was built by Governor Benning Wentworth, and from under its roof J 7J° issued those first edicts of oppression that stirred the people to revolt. Within '1"S its walls one needs but little help from fancy to people it again with loyal re- tainers, assembled, perhaps, in its ancient council chamber, with ample chim- ney-piece, the carven heads of which might, could they exercise the privilege of their sex, reveal many a bit of inner history. We are prosaic indeed if we do not feel the menace of sudden alarms suggested by the grim array of muskets on either side of the stoutly barred door ; and the discovery of a prisoner's ward, tucked away in a remote corner, should complete a realization of the stern conditions of life in the eighteenth century. It is not our purpose, however, to linger in this house, fascinating though it be, but to pass through it from the world of to-day to the times it so vividly recalls. Two names that are intimately connected with it will readily take us across the ocean, and back through a century and more, to the court of the king whose mis- guided policy was the birth-warrant of our nation. One of these we find in New- castle, separated by a devious inlet from Little Harbor — where Governor Wentworth built — and reminiscent of the Duke of Newcastle who was prime minister of England and leader of the Whig party at the beginning of the Revolutionary period. '7° 2 A few years later, after the turn of events had deprived him of power, he again J 1°5 entered the cabinet with the post of privy seal under the leadership of the Marquis of Rockingham, a member of the Wentworth family, for whom Governor Wentworth had named the county back of Portsmouth and Newcastle. Although nominally representative of the people, Parliament was in those days the creature of its leaders, or the King, as successive complications favored one or the other ; boroughs were bought or bullied by the dominant party, and thus the mo- mentous enactments that goaded the colonists to revolt were the results of contested intrigue, a game with living played by the government which the English people The conception of the to Jenkinson, secretary to vored minister; but Parlia- &n #Jtr l^ousc pieces and tremendous stakes, and the opposition, and in had little real voice, odious Stamp Act is credited Lord Bute, the King's fa- ment rejected it when first Stamp 1762 (&tor&wn ifb6 4> proposed, although it was universally conceded that America should contribute to the payment of the enormous public debt contracted in the protection of the colonies from the French and Indians. Even Americans acquiesced in this sentiment, but they proposed to pay it by grants from their assemblies and in their own way. George, however, had been exhorted by his mother, the Princess Dowager, to "be a king " and encouraged to assert his individuality — advice which conditions did not favor, nor the King's ability warrant, but which he persistently endeavored to carry out in spite of its disastrous effect. Under these circumstances the proposition to '7"5 levy a stamp tax was revived and the act passed in February, 1765. William Pitt, the constant champion of the colonies, was ill at the time, and greatly deplored its passage. Throughout the remainder of his life, which ended while the war was in *77° progress, Pitt, afterwards Lord Chatham, was an ardent advocate of the liberties of the colonists ; but his efforts were of little avail, and although he was at one time urged by the King to form a ministry, many concessions being made to induce him to do so, personal ambition and the resulting internal friction had so divided his party that he was unable to unite the leaders, and the policy then in force was suffered to continue. In America the Stamp Act was resented as a measure of arbitrary domination, an irritating and unreasonable form of taxation with no compensatory representation. Virginia was the first colony to voice the opposition to this measure, and was imme- diately followed by Massachusetts, which proposed a congress of delegates from the assemblies of all the colonies to take united action in protest. The congress met in 1765, and as a result of this, and Pitt's scathing denunciation in England, the Stamp Act was repealed early in the following year. The King from this time lost no opportunity of strengthening his party in Parliament, and by the patronage he could dispense and the intimidation of country boroughs, was able to control both houses and secure the enactment of his policy. His next measure was the levying of import duties on colonial commerce, which waj STtjc Stamp &ct <&*or&wn growing rapidly in importance, espe- cially with the West Indies ; and with England alone amounted to about six million pounds per year, nearly equal- ling the total of British commerce with the world at the beginning of that century. This also met with bitter protest and was later repealed on every- thing but tea, which was made to bear the burden of the principle of English sovereignty. This principle was as clearly discerned in America as in Eng- land, and the renunciation of tea be- came a test of patriotism. Philadelphia had publicly denounced all traffic in tea, and the act had been endorsed by Boston when three ships laden with the obnoxious commodity arrived at the latter port. Their arrival was fol- lowed by indignant gatherings in Fan- euil Hall, and the consignees were forced by public opinion to promise that the ships would be sent back with- out unloading ; but this the Royal Gov- ernor refused to permit, and declared that no clearance papers would be is- sued until the cargoes were discharged. At the close of a particularly demon- strative meeting held at the Old South Church on the afternoon of December sixteenth, 1773, a party of fifty citizens, disguised as Indians, led the way to the 1767 1770 '773 {y.=r. $HimtttfOftU Pousse wharf, and, boarding the vessels, scattered into the harbor the contents of three hundred and forty- two chests, the property of the East India Company, valued in the neighborhood of one hundred thousand dollars. In consequence of this action and lesser excuses, Massachusetts was subjected to '774 a repressive policy which deprived the colonists of many liberties and was intended to precipitate a struggle, which the King believed would be short and decisive, for the purpose of finally settling the dependence of the colonies and the sovereignty of England. The effect of this "Port Bill," as the chief of these measures was called, was — as was expected — to confirm the colonists in their resistance, but not in the rash and isolated way that was hoped for. Keen, powerful intellects guided the people, in the persons of Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, and others, and they immediately set about to secure the cooperation of the other colonies, many of which were ripe for action, notably Virginia, where Patrick Stai JJoBton &t& 39 art 2 t&tor&ian J 7^s Henry had some years earlier openly denounced British oppression, but had lacked the clear issues prevalent in the Bay State. They organized a Committee of Corres- pondence, and, authorized by the General Assembly of Massachusetts, urged each '17 f colony to send delegates to a congress at Philadelphia on the first of the following September. In June of that year, 1774, the port of Boston, then under the military rule of General Gage — who had superseded Governor Hutchinson — was closed to com- merce, causing a complete stagnation of business of all kinds, and much deprivation and suffering among the people. A considerable element in Parliament was strongly opposed to this cruelty, and champions of the cause of America were not lacking who predicted the ultimate ruin England would suffer from this unwarranted oppression of her own sons, to whom, as they urged, the sentiments of liberty were as precious, and whose strength of purpose was as great, as though no ocean separated them from the free institutions of the mother country. They were powerless, however, to check the wave of vin- dictiveness that now, under the fostering care of the King's favorites, was extending even to the people. The large cities, always the strongholds of advanced ideas, were still in sympathy with the colonists, and the spectacle is presented of the city of London, in its corporate capacity, subscribing one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the relief of suffering in Boston, caused by the acts of Parliament. These were eventful days in the New England town, for although the people suffered, their enthusiasm was in no way diminished, and they overthrew all civil institutions emanating from the crown. Many prominent people who had until this time reserved the right to support the King's government and hoped for a peaceful settle- ment of all troubles, now saw the serious- ness of the situation, and realizing the near approach of inevitable division, sank their personal regrets in love of country and joined heartily in the cause of liberty. , '^Etf^2S%»3^.-.' On the fifth of September, fifty-three delegates assembled in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, and under the presidency of Peyton Randolph, of Virginia, formed a Con- tinental Congress. While recognizing the necessity of united action, these delegates, as a whole, had not yet reached a realization of the need of aggressive rebellion. The habit of loyalty was too strong to be put off at once, and it was with a certain deference, albeit firmness, that they appealed to the King, and to the people of Great Britain, to withdraw the odious measures that threat- ened to alienate the colonies. Georgia, the especial proteg6 of the King, was alone un- represented at this gathering, and though at an t » t u M. a s iFirst Continental ©one v ess (georjgisw JFrnieuilfx heart the delegates dreaded the culmination of events which their acts were for- warding, the congress adopted measures to strengthen the union and co-operation of the states, indorsed Massachusetts in its resistance, and planned and appointed a second congress to meet the fol- lowing May. Although independence was not yet ~~^\ declared, and, in the minds "' D o o of many, was only a re- 3 _P_5 mote possibility, it was in reality inaugurated on that twentieth of October, 1774, when the "Dec- -—••*• laration of Colonial »---••.*- Rights," a comprehensive document which recited the injustices of Parliament and asserted the right of self-government, was signed by the "American Association," the forerunner of the confederacy later announced as the "United States of America." As seed cast on fertile ground germinates and develops of its innate powers, so the American Revolution needed but the lightest sanction of administrative authority. Its real life was the unwavering determination of individuals and communities to meet squarely every issue, to see great principles behind even small aggressions, to neither palliate nor compromise, to rise above considerations of policy and to act from the first with no provision for failure and no desire for qualified victory. Separation from the mother country was but incidental to thi3 struggle, and was only determined upon when in the progress of events it was recognized as inevitable. The principles of liberty for which the patriots contended were no less applicable here than in England itself, where their kinsmen had declared and enacted them nearly a century before. This spirit was manifest, but it was King George, with his succession of blundering provocations, who nourished the Revolution. Had he realized the quality of the resistance and listened to the entreatings of Franklin and the other colonial agents at Parliament, he could easily have retained that loyalism which was dear to the colon- ists, and the price of which was only the extension of equal liberty to his subjects at home and abroad. Although at this time the Americans were endeavoring to obtain a peaceful estab- lishment of their rights, they clearly perceived the need of military organization, and in November the "Provincial Congress" of Massachusetts, — the General Court under a new name — voted to enroll twelve thousand "minute men" who were to be prepared to respond immediately when the conflict should begin ; later it declared its wish for peace, but advised preparations for war. Other colonies took similar '774 arijr "frmtvitun Assort attou" (gjeorjgigffl '774 '775 action and many minor episodes took place which are locally held to be the initiative of the Revolution. December sixth, the peo- ple of Rhode Island seized a large quantity of ordnance in the batteries at Newport, in anticipation of its employment by the King's troops, and the same action was taken on the thirteenth by the people of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who seized and removed a large quantity of ammunition and ordnance then in the keeping of the garrison of Fort William and Mary, at New- castle. In the following February, the people of Salem, Mas- sachusetts, taking heed from the warning of their governing body, began preparations for defense. These were met by an expedi- tion from Gage's forces at Boston, and an engagement was narrowly averted. The real uprising, however, from which armed rebellion dates, was to come later at Concord and Lex- ington. Parliament had officially declared a state of rebellion existent in Massachusetts and embarked large reinforcements to the three thousand British troops in Boston, while the patriots watched every movement of the British and prepared to meet their first advance, which in the nature of things could not long be de- layed. General Gage, the British commander, realized it to be his duty to break up these preparations, and planned a secret raid on the stores and munitions which the Americans had con- centrated at Concord, some miles from Boston, in order that they might be safely outside the line of fortifications which the British were erecting. The plan also included the capture of John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were believed to be in that neighborhood, and who were justly regarded as most dangerous to British interests. With this object troops to the number of eight hundred left Boston for Cambridge 1775 shortly before midnight of April eighteenth, and with such speed as was possible, marched toward Lexington, on the road to Concord. They had counted on the secrecy of their movements to make the attainment of their object easy, but in this they underestimated the watchfulness and penetration of their opponents, for their purpose was understood in advance and measures taken to spread the alarm when they should actually start. Paul Revere had obtained the information, and he repaired to Charlestown that evening, there to await the signal which he had directed to be shown from the spire of the North Church when the soldiers were known to have started. The two lights, telling him that they had gone by water to Cambridge, shone out at eleven o'clock and started Revere on his momentous ride. He was obliged to take a cir- cuitous route to escape British sentinels, who challenged him and who would have cap- tured a less alert man. In spite of this he gained a great advance over the attacking force, and alarmed the country to Lexington, where he awakened Adams and Hancock, and was joined by two others in his ride toward Concord. They were hardly started when they were intercepted by British officers and Revere and Dawes were taken prisoners, S W 9 X ISatriff SCcts New England Flag (Setfrjsiau rt. while Dr. Prescott, the third member of the party, jumped his horse over a wall and escaped to carry the alarm the remainder of the way. What it meant to the farmers was evident when, early in the morning, the regulars reached Lexington and found the minute-men drawn up on the green to meet them. Compared with the British, the patriots were few and were poorly equipped and drilled, but their cause was righteous and they believed in it in the face of death. They, therefore, paid no heed to the demand that they dis- perse, but met force with force and shed the first blood of the Revolution. Eight Americans were killed and others wounded, and the British then continued their march to Concord. Their commander, Lieutenant- Colonel Smith, alarmed by the evidences of resistance that he encountered, had sent back to Boston for reinforce- ments, which were hastening to his assistance. Their mission at Concord was accomplished mgloriously to the extent of destroy- ing such few stores and guns as the Americans had been unable to secrete, and they were about to return when they discovered the minute-men advancing from the farther side of the North Bridge. They essayed to cut off the approach of the Americans by removing the bridge, but were too late, and, being obliged to retreat or fire, chose the latter, and were answered by a volley which drove them from their position. This was the beginning of the first real fight, the passage at Lexington being hardly main- tained to an extent to justify that title. The farmers withdrew to such shelter as they could find and awaited further movements of the regulars, who started about noon for their return to Boston. Their march was the signal for renewed firing by the Americans, who followed them, and from the shelter of stone walls and trees de- livered a harassing and destructive fire. Thoroughly routed, they were fast being reduced when they were met by the advancing reinforcements, one thousand men under Lord Percy, and for a while they rested under this protection. The remainder of the retreat, even with the greatly increased force, was a repetition of the beginning, and when they finally arrived in Charlestown, and under the guns of the British ships, they were in almost a panic. Thus began the Revolution; and the alarm carried by Paul Revere was extended in all directions until every road leading to Concord was filled with minute-men hastening to reinforce their compatriots. They remained in waiting a few days, <£oiicorlr an& ILcpfngton deorfii&u but no further attack being made they returned to their homes for completer organ- ization and equipment. They realized that the struggle which was now begun meant systematic operations of defense, for which they were as yet unprepared, and an army was recruited and established in Cambridge to be ready for such action as might be necessary. In the meantime the Massachusetts delegation to the second Congress had journeyed, in a succession of ovations, to Philadelphia, and were assured of the approval and support of the intervening colonies. May tenth, the day this Congress opened, '775 was signalized, .though the members knew not of it, by the capture of Ticonderoga by an expedition from Connecticut under Colonel Ethan Allen, and a large quantity of ammunition and ordnance was turned over to the army. Events were moving rapidly without Congress, but it was essential that there be a central authority to out- line the policy to be pursued and provide means for effecting it. Even now Con- gress distrusted its own right to be, and repeated its supplications to George III to settle without further bloodshed the differences that existed. These entreatings evidence the reluctance of the delegates to forswear their allegiance to England, but the fact that they nevertheless took such measures as were possible to organize and equip an army is proof also of their steadiness of purpose and desperate belief in the worthiness of their cause. The first important act of Congress was the appoint- ment of George Washington, one of the delegates from Virginia, commander-in-chief of the American army, which was then, to the number of upwards of fifteen thou- sand men, encamped in the vicinity of Boston. This army, recruited by the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, was made up of the minute-men who had risen on the alarm of Lexington, but who had, in the meantime, returned to their homes for reorganization, and later volunteers, with considerable reinforcements from neighboring states, notably New Hampshire and Con- necticut ; and under the leadership of officers whose names are now the foundations of Revolutionary history, was besieging Boston and planning to drive out the British, or at least to prevent them from increasing then- holdings. \^*>. .,2SiVJiISIMfeS ! "'?•■ i? L iSsrsl?f f While Washington was preparing to start for New England, events in Boston were rapidly shaping them- selves for the active operations of war. General Gage, the British commander, was forced to take measures to maintain his position, and determined to forestall the Americans in the occupation of Charlestown, across the river, and so near his headquarters that he was liable at any time to be subjected to a harassing fire. His plans were disturbed, however, by the dis- . covery, on the morning of June seventeenth, of fortifications which the Americans had Stcona erouflvtss (&tor&wti ttSSL thrown up on Bunker Hill in one short night. It had become known to the American commanders that Gage contemplated moving on the eighteenth, and over a thousand hardy and intelligent men, under skillful direction, v worked with pick and shovel from the settling of darkness on the sixteenth to the dawn of the seventeenth, and then, with slight rein- forcements, awaited the attack of the British. Prescott, Warren, Stark, and Knowlton were among the American commanders, and by their personal bravery and perseverance they sustained the courage of their men, with the result that the British attacking force of three thousand, with all its perfect equip- ment, was twice repulsed with fearful loss, and only yielded to after a third destructive charge, and when the last round of their meagre ammunition was exhausted. Under the cover of a protecting fire from a line of auxiliary defense, a part of the original plan, the Americans retreated and left the British in possession of one of the most dearly bought battle-fields of history. The British loss was enormous, and this engagement prevented further aggression beyond the limits of their original holding. It also resulted in the superseding of Gage by General Howe, as commander of all the British forces. The news of this battle reached Washington soon after he had left Philadelphia, and aroused in him con- fidence in the eventual success of the American cause. He arrived in the vicinity of Boston on July second, and on the third took command of the troops drawn up on Cambridge common. This army, though considerable in numbers and overflowing with patriotism, was lacking in military organization, and to the task of drilling and uniting it, and also supplying ammunition and further equipment, Washington applied himself through the summer and following winter, while maintaining a close siege over the British in Boston. Early in March, 1776, under the cover of a bombardment from his base 1776 of operations, Washington secretly marched a large body of men to Dorchester Heights, a commanding position on the opposite side of Boston, and one of ex- treme menace to the British. The latter awoke on the morning of March fifth, to find a repetition of the frowning embankments that had spurred them to action on Bunker Hill, this time on the landward side of the town, though separated from it by a small bay. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Howe made preparations for attack, but unfavorable weather prevailed for a day or two, giving the Americans opportunity for strengthening their position, and after some days of hesitation, the British evacuated Boston, sailing away on March seventeenth, and carrying with them about a thousand Tories, whom they Ay _ / LtME.'ofc'.TtHE.'+i'^i^E MEN 7^ fi' ..-..'■ ,J 'iT/KMJ'YOURORJ^it) ff f,y. "oont ijrti onless.fiSed droit gf.Jj&hVT tf THE* M^AW T6 WMjS»fc '0 jp&j. . to jf- BEBm hebbSVt B ou Ider >Gr e en on Lexington 10 177b '775 (gjeorjftimx tft State ©ottee transported with their goods to Halifax. New England, the birthplace of the Revolution, was thus saved to the Ameri- cans, and freed, for the most part, from further strife in the barely awakened cause. Washington, from time of taking com- mand of the army, was the centre of inter- est, and the course of the Revolution was chiefly with the troops under his personal direction ; but it is necessary, in even an outline of the war, to note certain secon- dary expeditions and lesser incidents in progress at the time when Washington was encamped before Boston. Canada was recognized from the first, by the American leaders, as a menace to the unity of the colonies by reason of the possibilities it offered as a base for operations through the valley of the Hud- son to the sea-coast, which would isolate New England and prevent its intercom- munication, either offensive or defensive, with other sections. To obviate this danger, Washington early decided to at- tempt the conquest of Canada, and organized two expeditions, to travel different routes and meet at Quebec for a joint assault. One under Montgomery passed up Lake Champlain and captured Montreal and intervening points. The other under Benedict Arnold embarked at Newburyport, and then, following the Kennebec River, and through the wilderness beyond, reached Quebec in December, 1775, after a journey of extraordinary difficulty and hardship. Montgomery, with but a remnant of his forces, soon arrived, and with those of Arnold — also greatly diminished — formed an attacking body of but little over a thousand men, to assault a city noted for its strong situation and elaborate fortifications. The attempt, though gallant and for a time encouraging, failed with the death of Mont- gomery and wounding of Arnold ; and although held besieged by the latter for the rest of the winter, the city remained in the possession of the British, and in the spring the Americans were forced, by the approach of a powerful relief "77^ expedition under Sir Guy Carleton, to abandon their advantage and leave Canada for good and all. At this time the British were using their ships, against which we could as yet oppose none, to harass outlying ports, and with apparently no plan other than the resulting terror and apprehension in all coast towns. Falmouth, Maine, now Port- land, was bombarded and then burned ; and the British, at the instigation of Lord '775 Dunmore, Governor of the Province, attacked Hampton, Virginia, and later Nor- folk. At both places they were repulsed, but Norfolk suffered heavily from bombard- ment and fire. Patriotism in the South was further stimulated by an attack on <&uefctt iSv9c9ttion (&zor&wn Charleston, South Carolina, a few months later. A large fleet under Admiral Parker, with General Clinton for military commander, was organized to take that city and subdue the surrounding country ; news of this plan reached South Carolina, and active preparations were made to resist the invasion. Troops of militia, local and from neighboring states, occupied all available positions, and a fort of palmetto-wood was erected on Sullivan's Island and manned by five hundred men under Colonel Moultrie. This fort was the chief defense of the city and was relied upon to with- '77° stand the brunt of the attack, although it was by some considered entirely inadequate for the purpose. Early in June the British, in upwards of thirty vessels, arrived at the entrance to the harbor, but with characteristic delay, it was four weeks before they were ready to attack. Clinton's forces were rendered ineffective by being stupidly disembarked on a sand-bar from which they expected to cross to Sullivan's Island, but to which there was no practicable ford. Parker opened fire on Fort Sullivan with .six ships, and after an engagement lasting all day, was obliged to withdraw what remained of his fleet and give up the attempt. It was a most notable victory for American courage and perseverance under almost overwhelming odds, and it raised Colonel Moultrie to a place among the greatest heroes of the war. An incident of this battle was the heroism of Sergeant Jasper in replanting on the bastion the colors which had been shot away. As the evacuation of Boston had practically ended the war in New England, so the defeat at Charleston freed the South from further molestation for some years, and removed the centre of strife to the Middle States, where less determined resistance was to be feared. Washington, realizing that the British would turn to New York as their logical base of operations, removed his army to that place soon after the taking of Boston, and made preparations to defend the city as well as his inadequate and poorly equipped army might be able to. Congress, which had mainly directed its efforts to additional attempts to secure peaceful recognition from King George, had utterly failed, through inability or inattention, to provide for the increase or sustenance of the army, and was at any time liable to disruption from the growing differences of delegates as to the policy to be pursued. There was, as yet, no union, and therefore no responsible government which could organize internal affairs and collect funds. This condition, coupled with the vanishing of hope of any concession from the King, who had declared the colonists rebels and announced his determination to crush them, emphasized the need of a basis for a permanent government ; and after some hesitation on the part of representatives of a few states, '77° it was voted, on the second of July, 1776, to announce to the world the principles for which the American people were contending. A com- mittee, of which Thomas Jefferson, a delegate from Virginia, recently arrived, was chosen chairman, was appointed to formulate the declara- tion, the writing of which was entrusted to Jef- ferson. The result of his labor and the delib- erations of the committee, was the Declaration of Independence, laid before Congress on the fourth of July and unanimously accepted. Afassa ch us ett < eijavlestou i&vor&mti ^gU^ This forceful and inspiring document attracted the attention of the civilized world, and made possible the union subsequently effected. It has maintained, and will ever hold, its position as the most revered and precious relic of American history ; and it is one of the evidences of the quality of mind and character which the early patriots brought to the cause of liberty. From Philadelphia, where the people awaited breath- lessly the peal of the State House bell, which should "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land, to all the inhabitants thereof"; through New York, where the message was read to the troops drawn up on the Common, and was boisterously celebrated by the populace, which demonstrated its patriotism by tearing from the pedestal on Bowling Green an equestrian statue of George III, of gilded lead, that from glorifying the King was turned against him in the form of rebel bullets; to Boston, where, in some ways it meant more than it elsewhere could — the acceptance by the united colonies of the cause nurtured on Boston's wrongs — the country hailed with enthusiasm this brilliant crystalization by its ablest representatives, in solemn congress assembled, of the sen- timents which for months had fired individuals every- where, but had lacked the official approval of the leaders. A large measure of this unanimity was due to the wide- spread appreciation of Paine' s "Common-Sense," pub- lished the previous winter, in which Thomas Paine, an Englishman who had been in this country but a short time, grasped and set forth in convincing style, the prin- ciples involved in the struggle with the mother country, and the reasons why rebellion was just and right. Paine showed the people what they sought and needed ; Congress declared it an accom- plished fact and bestirred in its defense. Meanwhile the cause in the field was experiencing misfortunes and disasters cal- culated to weaken its popularity, and was only saved from extermination by Wash- ington's ability to successively extricate his army from seemingly overwhelming situations. He had established himself in New York and Brooklyn with the ten 177b thousand troops that represented all that was available — many of that number for but a short period only — of the army brought from Boston, and endeavored to hold in check the large and powerful armies under Howe and Clinton, the latter having reached there from his defeat at Charleston, supported by powerful ships of war. His detachments on Long Island under Sullivan and Stir- ling were badly routed, and the situation there was strongly against him, when Washington brought over %,■> Hzk-4 Statue of Captain jfXattyan St^acmonnieg New cclavatton of Xuirttientrenct Ha mp shir e (&$&r&wn ®U War ©ffUe, f tHnon Ototm reinforcements and en- gaged in preparing for- tifications, as though intending a continu- ance of operations ; but the next morning, Au- gust twenty-ninth, found the place utterly deserted, his army hav- ing been ferried across to New York under cover of the night and abeneficentfog. Colo- "' nel Glover's Marblehead fishermen accomplished this feat for Washington, and the British, who surrounded the Americans and expected an easy and decisive victory, were doomed to disappointment. They, however, knew their strength and Wash- ington's weakness, and assailed him on all sides of the stand taken in New York, driving him in a few days to Harlem Heights. Washington's personal bravery as he rode among his panic-stricken men was the slender thread by which he was enabled to finally withdraw his troops. It was especially desirable at this time that some knowledge be obtained of the intended movements of the British, and Washington accepted the services of Captain Nathan Hale of Connecticut, who volunteered to visit the enemy's camp as a spy. He penetrated the British lines and obtained the information without discovery, but on his way back was recognized and arrested by a Tory relative. He was taken before Howe and sentenced to death, and was executed September twenty-second. Every benefit of humanity and religion was denied him, yet he met his death with high courage, and his last words, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country," have become immortal. In the face of his retreat, Washington sent detachments to check the advance of the enemy's outposts, and after sharp fighting drove them back to the main lines. The American position was here fairly strong, but not strong enough to warrant Washington in risking his army ; so on the further advance of the British, he seized favorable points and held them in check until he could again retreat, this time to White Plains, on the bank of the Bronx River. Once more the British under Howe thought to crush the American forces and end the war, and once more, after a sharp engagement, the Americans succeeded in escaping and establishing themselves in a stronger position at North Castle. Forts Washington and Lee, which defended the Hudson River at Harlem, were left garrisoned with the expectation of their being able to hold the position ; but the British having obtained, through the treachery of a deserter from Fort Washington, complete information as to the strength and arrangement of that fortification, it was successfully assaulted on November sixteenth, Con necticut <£ ajstatu Nathan ?£a.U <&#or&mn and two thousand men taken pris- oners. This loss, with General ]f|| Lee's disobedience in withholding, on the other side of the Hudson, the large body of troops under his command, left Washington in a desperate situation. His army was reduced through these causes, and the expiration of the terms of enlist- ment of many of the militia, to the neighborhood of three thousand men, and continual discharges and desertions, with the failure of efforts to secure re-enlistments or fresh re- cruits, threatened to leave but a fraction of that number. Fortu- nately at this time General Lee's troops were brought in by General Sullivan, the former having been taken prisoner while at a distance from his army. The British, holding all the important points captured, contin- ued their advance to Trenton and occupied that place preparatory to marching on Philadelphia, but later abandoned that part of the plan. The fear of this disaster was intense in Philadelphia, and Congress con- sidered it necessary to adjourn to Baltimore, after vesting the entire control of the war in Washington; a compliment which would have been more appreciated had it brought greater opportunities instead of adding to the perplexities oi that general. He watched the enemy from a safe distance while exerting himself strenuously to strengthen his army, though with little success. The misfortunes which made the necessity most urgent operated against his efforts, and no enthusiasm could be aroused for an apparently failing cause. Little as the prospect offered, he realized that some- thing must be done, and done quickly, or the new year would find him almost with- out men. '77b _ Bold as the plan seemed when the possibilities were considered, Washington made up his mind to attack Trenton, and despatched several detachments to diverse points to ensure the surrounding of the enemy. Christmas night was the time settled upon for the assault, and Washington, with twenty-four hundred men, arrived at the bank of the Delaware in a fierce storm of snow and sleet, to find the river swollen and filled with swiftly-moving ice. To a lesser man the difficulties would have been insuperable, as they appeared to his aides, to whom the duty was intrusted of attacking from other points, and who failed to cross. To Washington it meant but the call dtaripeuteta^ all %mttitiPfl'V= NYI UNITE 1 ' ■■■■miiilimminiiii uuuui IIIIHUIIKIMII mmam for greater effort, and, encouraged by his ex- ample and guided by the hardy fishermen of Mar- blehead, the troops were safely, though with great difficulty, transported to the Trenton side, where they set out upon an ex- hausting march to the town, regardless of the storm and the pains of travel on the frozen ground. Colonel Rahl had been warned that Washington was planning an attack, but, as usual, affected to despise his opponent, and the twelve hundred Hessians were in the midst of a characteristic Christmas celebration from which all thought of the enemy was banished, when the foot-sore and wearied Americans burst upon them. Rahl's men, thoroughly panic-stricken, offered little or no resistance, and in attempting to rally them their commander was shot down. A few were killed and some escaped, but about one thousand, with all their artillery and stores, were made prisoners and taken in triumph to Philadelphia. Washington lost no time, after this inspiring victory, in following up the advantage gained, and returning with fresh troops, re-occupied Trenton. Howe felt heavily the loss of prestige and men resulting from the defeat of Christmas night, and once more determined to overwhelm the meagre army of Washington and terminate the harassing rebellion. To this end Lord Cornwallis, with seven thousand men, set out from Princeton, January second. They were met on the road by detachments of Americans sent out to retard their movement, and slowly driving the skirmishers before them, made their way to Trenton. The main body of the American army was entrenched just outside the town, on the further bank of the Assanpink, and here the British prepared to attack. An at- tempt to cross the bridge was repulsed, and Cornwallis contented himself for that day with cannonading the enemy from the opposite shore, and planning to assault them on the following morning when reinforced. The British habit of delay at critical junc- tures had before given Washington opportunity to extricate his army from dangerous situations, and he took advantage of it on this occasion to abandon his position on the Assanpink and march on Princeton — where Cornwallis had left three regiments of his army — from whence he hoped to pass to Brunswick and capture the large quantity of British stores known to be there. With his usual adroitness, Washing- ton withdrew undetected by the army on the opposite bank, which regarded the brightly burning camp-fires, kindled for the purpose, as undoubted evidence of the continued presence of the Americans. Princeton was reached early on the morning of January third, and the British troops were encountered just as they were leaving to join General Plough Pu t n at 177b 1777 2T x t n t n 16 1777 i 7 77 (Sfcjcnrjgi&u <©l5f JWiU mtojmrt 3X. *L Cornwallis. A battle en- sued, which, though at times apparently in favor of the British — owing to the inability of the Ameri- cans, through lack of equipment, to meet bay- onet charges — resulted finally in a splendid vic- tory for Washington, whose personal valor and encouragement strength- ened his men and turned the balance to his side. Gi:a The British fled to Bruns- wick, but the day was so far spent that Washington deemed it unwise to at- tack that place, and after destroying the bridges be- tween his army and that of Cornwallis, withdrew to Somerset Court House, and thence to Morristown, where he went into winter quarters. Cornwallis, discomfited at his failure it Tren- ton and the defeat of his troops at Princeton, returned to Brunswick to protect his magazines, and suspended operations for the winter. The effect of these victories on the country and the outside world was to raise the American cause from the lowest ebb of discouragement to enthusiastic support at home and increased respect abroad. France, though yet unwilling to openly favor this coun- try, was secretly sending supplies, and from that country and Germany and Prussia came able and devoted officers to assist our cause. Recruiting became easier and re- enlistments frequent, enabling Washington to greatly strengthen his army and prepare for a renewal of the struggle with the coming of spring. Events moved slowly at this time, a condition to which the American cause in the field was frequently indebted, and yet the forces at work were making for results soon to place the struggle for independence on a basis of international recognition and eventual support. After declaring independence, Congress had dispatched emissaries to the courts of Europe, and especially to France, where the sympathy of progressive leaders established the cause in substantial favor. Many of the ablest members were thus employed, or were called to their homes to direct the sustaining operations of the war, so that the representation left was appreciably inferior as a whole, and of little real assistance as an executive body. It was inadequate to the task of supporting the army or of adding materially to its numbers, and its financial system, lacking bassi and credit, was a failure from the start. To the army it commissioned officers in many cases incompetent ; and through a misunderstanding of facts, or unduly influenced by Rhode Island jpvfHceton (Sgorjgigw aattitigto tt « Headquarters — - ... >. ^ interested parties, it superseded competent generals at critical times and placed inferior men in command. Lacking official support, the Revolution was sustained by popular contribution through the state leaders, the work of Robert Morris, of Phila- delphia, being especially memorable, and of inestimable service to Washington in his efforts to hold together and strengthen his army. Connecticut bore a generous share in equipping and sustaining the troops, and at this time suffered locally from the proximity of the British quartered at New York. On April twenty-sixth, 1777, Governor Tryon of New York, with two thousand British and Tories, attacked and burned Danbury, and destroyed a large quantity of American stores. On the following day the militia, under Generals Wooster, Arnold, and Silliman, forced Tryon to the coast after an engagement at Ridgefield, and the British embarked under heavy fire. General Wooster, a veteran of seventy years, was mortally wounded. A month later the Americans under Colonel Meigs retal- iated by crossing from Connecticut to Sag Harbor, on Long Island, where they burned twelve British vessels and destroyed stores, bringing back ninety prisoners with- out the loss of a man. Another incident illustrative of the daring and adroitness of the American soldiers was the capture of General Prescott, commander of the British forces in the neighbor- hood of Rhode Island, whose tyranny had excited the indignation of the people. On the night of July tenth, Lieutenant Barton of Providence, with forty men, stealthily approached Prescott's headquarters by water, and, overpowering the sentinel, secured Prescott, who was in bed, and escaped before the alarm spread to the troops. 17 '777 MatDrs in Connecticut 18 H77 i 77 6 '777 (Sfcorfiiau ^^000^^ Congress recog- nized this act by promoting Barton to the rank of colo- nel and presenting him a sword. Spring brought a renewal of activ- ity in the armies facing each other in the South, and in the North it saw the development of a plan to effect the i"T«r" , *»,*» separation of New ^ttt^0tCmgt^|, England from the _,_ • a ,~. . -_,-, other states. This 3spf* " $ au <^teettfmr$ ^ouse ha d ion g been rec - " ognized as an im- pending possibility, and the division of the North under General Schuyler, though weak in numbers, was so placed as to offer the utmost resistance to the anticipated move- ment. Lake Champlain, the natural path of such invasion, had, the previous sum- mer, been the scene of a strenuous, if not mighty, struggle with the same object, when Benedict Arnold had, by dint of extraordinary effort, created a flotilla, effectively armed and manned, with which he vigorously contested Sir Guy Carleton's ascent of the lake ; and, while ultimately forced to retreat, so delayed and crippled the enemy that the British expedition was fruitless for that season, so far as the main object was con- cerned. The ground thus gained was held, and served Sir John Burgoyne, the suc- cessor of Carleton, to launch with great pomp in June, 1777, an army of eight thousand men, including Indians — now for the first time employed — which main- tained its triumphant progress only so long as the waters of the lake formed the line of passage. They erected fortifications on Mt. Defiance, near Ticonderoga, from which commanding position they were able to throw a destructive fire into the fort ; and General St. Clair, who occupied the post with somewhat less than three thou- sand ill-armed troops, abandoned it on the night of July fifth, and undertook to join Schuyler at Fort Edward. The British started after him and several times engaged his rear guard, but at the end of a week the Americans succeeded in reaching Schuyler, though with the loss of some men and a considerable amount of baggage, captured by the British at Skenesboro. At this point the struggle with natural con- ditions began, which offered, difficult as it was, the only means by which Burgoyne could pass to Albany, where he hoped to meet forces under Howe, which were to come up the Hudson and thus dominate the line from Canada to Long Island. Schuyler, realizing the overwhelming force of the invading army, fell back in slow retreat, destroying the only road as he passed, burning bridges and clogging streams, besides devastating the country of everything that could be utilized to sustain an army. Under these circumstances Burgoyne' s progress, with all the facilities of a thoroughly equipped army, was only about one mile a day, and the Americans were enabled to i$ur0O£ne's fSrpetrltion (&t#r&wn keep well out of reach until reinforcements and a favorable situation should enable them to make a stand. A strong detachment of the invaders, under St. Leger, had been sent to the west- ward to take Fort Stanwix, held by General Ganesvoort. They met with determined resistance, and vigorous fighting took place at the fort, and at Oriskaney, where *777 General Herkimer, who had come to the relief of Ganesvoort with a large following of frontiersmen, fell into an ambush of the enemy. The brave general was mortally wounded early in the engagement, but with great fortitude continued to direct the battle and succeeded in routing the British, who, however, continued to maintain the siege. After some weeks ineffectually spent, they were frightened into a precipitate retreat by news of the approach of Arnold with reinforcements, and made their way to Canada, minus everything that tended to impede flight. Burgoyne, experiencing to the full the difficulties imposed by Schuyler, felt the need of provisions, and detached a party of six hundred, under Colonel Baum, to raid the country in what is now Vermont, and capture stores held at Bennington. This party was met near Bennington by the farmers, who had hastily gathered under General Stark, and defeated with the loss of their baggage and artillery. Another party of equal numbers which had been sent out a few days afterward to reinforce the first, came up a few hours later and suffered like defeat. More than half the British were taken prisoners, and upwards of two hundred killed, leaving but a third to make its way back to the main army. These misfortunes were rapidly bringing Burgoyne to a realization of the doubtfulness of final success, which success would have appeared still more remote could he have known, as he did later, that Howe's orders had been so delayed that no help could reach him from that quarter in season to avail. The American victories at Oriskaney and Bennington spread confidence through- out the country, and troops gathered to the support of the northern army, which Congress, with great injustice to Schuyler, now placed under the command of General Horatio Gates, a soldier much inferior to the former in ability and attain- ments. Gates reaped the benefit of all the hard work done by Schuyler, and entered upon his command under most favorable conditions. Burgoyne, pressed for supplies and threatened in his rear by General Lincoln — who with two thousand troops was even then retaking Ticonderoga — was on the downward slope of effectiveness, while the American army was constantly receiving reinforcements, — among which were Morgan's Virginia riflemen sent by Washington, — and with Arnold returned from Fort Stanwix, was daily gaining strength and courage, and numbered about three thousand men to thirty-five hundred of the British. Gates, after a delay of several r 777 weeks, established himself at Bemis Heights, on the west bank of the Hudson, and awaited the enemy. They arrived on September nine- teenth, and on the following day attacked the Americans in their full strength. Gates proved utterly inefficient, watching the battle from the rear without taking part in it, and the conduct of the fight devolved upon the regimental com- manders, among whom Arnold was the dom- inant figure. The battle continued until dark- New Tor k firnnfngton '777 r I p fj i a Matthews they entered Hampton Roads, May ninth, ravaging Norfolk and Ports- mouth, and then sailed for New York, where they assisted Clinton in capturing the '779 unfinished fortifications at Stony Point, by which the Americans had hoped to control King's Ferry. An expedition had been sent against West Greenwich, Connecticut, the previous March, which is memorable chiefly on account of General Putnam's bold escape from what seemed certain capture. He had rallied a company to oppose the British, who were on their way to destroy the salt-works at Horse Neck, but was unable to offer effective resistance to the fifteen hundred invaders, and his men were soon dispersed. Putnam sought to reach Stamford, but was pursued by the British, who were fast gaining on him, when he turned his horse over the edge of a steep, rocky bluff" and rode safely to the bottom, leaving his astonished pursuers General Jlutuaw's Mttre (ggflvjgiatt daunted and baffled at the top. An- other expedition, under Governor Tryon, left New York for Connecticut early in July, and sailing along the coast plundered New Haven, East Haven, Fairfield and Norwalk, which latter place was also burned. These measures were met by the Americans with movements against Stony Point and Verplank's Point, and later against the British garrison at Paulus Hook. These were not wholly retaliatory, as Washington feared from the capture of Stony Point the exten- sion of British occupation through a series of such posts, which would ac- complish all that was striven for in Bur- goyne's campaign, and cutoff his army and the Southern states from the recruits and supplies so generously furnished by New England. He therefore deter- mined to retake the fort at once, and entrusted the work to General Wayne, one of his most intrepid aids. General Wayne with a few hundred men reached the precipitous slopes in the rear of the fort on the evening of July sixteenth, and in a dashing assault, upon which the heavy fire of the garrison made no im- pression, they mounted the breast-works and compelled a speedy surrender. Nearly five hundred prisoners were taken, and guns and munitions of great value captured. After training the guns of the fort on Verplank's Point, opposite, and compelling its evacuation, the Americans leveled the works and returned to the main army. Their achievement is looked upon as one of the most brilliant of the war. Paulus Hook, now the site of a part of Jersey City, was one of the strongest natural positions held by the British; nearly surrounded by water, it was approach- able only by the post road, of which it originally formed the terminus and landing place of the ferry from New York. Major Harry Lee undertook the capture, and surprised it early on the morning of August nine- teenth. The British had little time for resistance before they were overpowered by the attacking party, which secured upwards of one hundred and fifty prisoners — a number greater than that of the Americans — and quickly withdrew, lest the alarm spread to the main body of the enemy and retreat be cut off. Another undertaking, though carefully planned 29 H79 w i *M?S^' ; y&V the A eet > which ran Fort Moultrie without difficulty, the British instituted an aggressive siege which resulted in the capitulation of the city on May twelfth ; General Lincoln and all his men were taken prisoners. With the loss of the last remnant of Lincoln's army, organized defense was obliterated in the South. The British spread over and devastated South Caro- lina as they did before in Georgia, plundering all not avowedly loyal, and committing outrages calculated to embit- ter the patriots and strengthen them ii their later resistance. A detachment of two thousand men under DeKalb had been sent South to augment the forces there, and this was now utilized as a nucleus of a new army. As many more were soon added by enlistment and the accession of isolated bands, and Gates, in whom Congress had great confidence, based on a misconception of his part in the capture of Burgoyne, was sent, against the judgment of Washington, to take command. Under conservative leadership this army would have grown and developed into an effective force, but without waiting for these processes, and appar- ently without consideration of its weakness, Gates led it to Camden, then an import- ant center for the British. The despair resulting from the loss of Savannah and Charleston had been broken by minor though brilliant successes at Fishing Creek and Hanging Rock, and the patriots rallying under Marion, Sumter, and Pickens were harassing the British with a partisan warfare destructive of their sense of security, f 7 So though lacking in effective organization. These leaders joined forces with Gates ; but they added nothing to the strength of the attack on Camden, as both Marion and Sumter were detached for special operations, the latter taking four hundred of the best troops in addition to his own. The British under Lord Rawdon, knowing of Gates' advance, set out to intercept and surprise him, and on August sixteenth, the armies came suddenly together, neither being aware of the proximity of the other. A battle was immediately ordered, and a line of militia, never before under fire, was marched in the first charge against the perfectly drilled regulars of the British. The natural result was, that the Americans, frightened by the solid fire of the enemy, broke and fled, leaving to DeKalb and his Continentals the whole burden of resistance. The latter fought with remarkable cour- a* I %} u s t Gtntvxl (Kates In ttjt Sotttt) Firginia <8>*0r£ian ©I tr Snttante Mount Tunon age, but they were hope- lessly outnumbered, and, after losing eight hundred men, including DeKalb, 'r^.^li^l'is^^fiJ^C^^^^^StWP^ '7 So were obliged to retreat and save themselves as best they could. Sum- ter's detachment, which had captured the British wagon train, was over- taken by Tarleton and routed with the loss of half its men, killed or captured. The re-formed southern army, barely started in its mission, was thus effec- tually scattered, and once more the British were free to extend their lines and prosecute their plan of northward conquest. This immunity was of short duration, however, the rigorous measures adopted by Cornwallis quickly bearing fruit in an uprising fatal to British supremacy. Wishing to free himself from the annoyance of local attacks, Cornwallis sent a division under Colonel Ferguson to range the western borders of the Carolinas and intimidate the inhabitants. The threats of the invaders roused the mountaineers, who had hitherto contented themselves with repressing Indian aggression, and gathering under favorite leaders, they assembled on the Watuga, late in September, to the number of nearly twelve hundred. They chose Colonel Campbell — leader of the Virginians — ■ chief commander, and under his direction were more closely united and instructed in methods of attack. They were later joined by upwards of three hundred from North Carolina, and started to crush the detachment under Ferguson. The British com- mander had word of their coming, and undertook to elude them ; but being unsuc- cessful in this, took up a strong position on Kings' Mountain and awaited the con- flict. To shorten the pursuit the backwoodsmen had divided their force, the pick of men and horses to the number of seven hundred entering on a forced march, leaving the rest to come up as they could. Riding night and day in their impatience to at- tain their object, the Americans arr'ved in the vicinity of the British camp on the , 7 So morning of October seventh, and immediately arranged the attack. The British had more men, and a strong position on the top of a wooded hill ; but every man in the attacking force was a trained Indian fighter and thoroughly at home in such a situ- ation. They charged from opposite sides of the hill, and a repulse on one side was immediately followed by an assault on the other, thus keeping the British in constant motion, and gradually reducing the intervening space, until arriving at the top they surrounded and overpowered the enemy, forcing unconditional surrender. Ferguson and fully one-third of his men were killed, and the victors secured a large store of arms and ammunition, the lack of which was everywhere a serious hindrance to the struggling patriots. % in 0*0 iHHotttitain t&t&r&mxi The tide of war thus ebbing and flowing, rose perceptibly for the Americans from this time, the people, encouraged by the destruction of the merciless foe that dom- inated the frontier, rising in scattered bands to pick off isolated British posts and even driving the main army to seek security nearer the sea-coast. Marion and Sumter ap- peared in unexpected quarters, cutting off supplies and routing loyalist militia, leading Tarleton hither and thither in futile attempts to reach them. He finally came up with Sumter at Blackstocks and was severely repulsed. The British, once more on 1780 the defensive, were checked in their northward march, and all that was needed to permanently cripple them was an organized army to which the roving bands could rally. This Congress undertook, for the third time, to supply ; but depleted ranks and bankrupt finances were conditions not lightly subjected, and Greene, whom Washington was privileged to appoint to this command, could obtain but little in material equipment, either of men or outfittings, and was obliged to depend on ap- peals to the Southern States, backed by recommendations of the central government. In some aspects Greene's expedition was in the nature of a forlorn hope. Two armies had been sacrificed in the same cause, exhausting the resources of the northern division, which could now spare but a mere body-guard to the departing general. Disaffection was rife in the Continental army on account of the worthlessness of the currency with which it was paid, and enlistments were correspondingly difficult to obtain. In the face of this discouraging outlook Greene went resolutely to his task, rousing the country as he traveled through it and importuning the governors for aid of any kind. His energetic measures brought him some immediate assistance, and more followed as he journeyed South, leaving a train of activity where apathy had <&tutral <&xttut goes SoutJj (ijeorjftimi 35 before prevailed. He reached Charlotte, North Carolina, December second, and relieved Gates, who had since his defeat at Camden gathered the available militia of the state to the number of two thousand, to replace his lost army. These troops were raw and undisciplined, but with Steuben and Lee, whom Congress had assign- ed to the Southern department, Greene set about the work of fitting them for service-, while they also formed a nucleus for gathering recruits. In appointing Greene to the command of the Southern division, Washington had deprived his army of a strong general, but he was content in the knowledge of the special fitness of Greene for the duty to which he was assigned. His notable service as quartermaster-general after the failure of the Board of War, and his eminent abil- ity in the field, were considerations that impelled Washington to urge his appoint- ment to this post after the destruction of Lincoln's army at Charleston; but Congress, 77*0 enamoured of Gates, chose the latter, ability in the two men had become apparent even to Congress. While Gates hurried to destruction in the South, Greene gained fresh honors in New Jersey, where he checked Clin- ton's advance at Springfield and sent him in retreat to Staten Island. Incursions of this character were the extent of British activity in the North during the spring and summer of 1780. Washington had moved into New Jersey and driven out Knyp- hausen, whose force was greatly su- perior, before Clinton arrived from Charleston ; and while the latter was engaged in his abortive raid, the Ameri- can commander defended his position on the Hudson. His army, impover- ished and reduced in numbers through the incapacity of Congress, was re- inforced by the arrival at Newport, Rhode Island, July tenth, of a power- ful French fleet under Admiral Ternay, bringing Count de Rochambeau with six thousand soldiers. The strength of the allied forces was thus sufficient to imperil the British at New York, and their outlying posts were finally abandoned for the better protection of the larger interests. At the British headquarters, and in the heart of the American councils, events were making for one of the saddest burdens that Washington, in In the interval since that time the contrast of Mltv anir r f a fa. •'-''■'■ -::7- ■■:■■:■ J-';'k^M^'''r, ,-v 1780 /■ *Z7ZS7 ^tribal of iFreucfj Allies (S*0r£i&u ms 1776 mi 1778 '779 all the misfortunes of the Revolution, was called upon to bear. Benedict Arnold, whose name is now identified with treachery, was at that time one of the most valiant officers in the patriot army. Impetuous and ardent, he was ever at the forefront of action, and his self-ignoring courage inspired those about him to victorious effort in the face of impending disaster. He had led a starving army through the northern wilderness to Quebec, his energetic struggle for the control of Lake Champlain had delayed by a year the British advance to the Hudson and operated for its final defeat, and his re- surgent valor at Saratoga turned the tide of battle in favor of his cause. The elements of character that contributed to these worthy ends were equally potent in self-seeking baseness, when the high impulse of patriotism had given place to one of personal gain and revenge. The wound received by Arnold in the charge at Saratoga incapacitated him, temporarily, for active service, and when sufficiently recovered he was put in i command of Philadelphia, which the British had then recently evacuated. Here he married the daughter of a Tory, and formed associations that opened the way for later operations. Life at the capital developed the weaknesses of his nature, and he became involved in difficulties that brought him successively before a committee of Congress and a court-martial ; the former exonerated him, but the latter, though acquitting him of the charges preferred, qualified the verdict by directing Washington to administer a formal reprimand. The harshness of this measure was greatly miti- |©a0t)in^ton'0 ^ea&quarters $lict>ttiond gliu J»ajov=C*enirral ©enttrut &rtiol& iS3£fe fc. (georjgian Cheese Knife. Macaroni Server. ACTUAL SIZE Sterling Silver 925 1000 FINE 73 Cheese Server. ACTUAL SIZE (gearfiiaw 74 ACTUAL SIZE Sterling Silver 925 FINE (gjeorj&ian Pie Server, H. 1 #ilLfe 76 (georfliau Ice Cream Slicer, H.H. Crumb Knife. ACTUAL SIZE Sterling Silver 925 1000 FINE Ice Cream Server. 77 BTirti (gjeoraism Sardine Tongs. ACTUAL SIZE 7 8 Sugar Tongs H. H. 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