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PROSPECTUS
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THE PATRIOTIC
HISTORY OF THE
UNITED STATES
AND ITS PEOPLE
AVERY
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HISTORY OF THE
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AND ITS PEOPLE
FROM THEIR EARLIEST RECORDS
TO THE PRESENT TIME
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BY
ELROY McKENDREE AVERY
IN TWELVE VOLUMES
THE SCOUT PRESS, Inc
PROPRIETORS AND PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK ■ PHILADELPHIA
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY
THB SCOUT PRESS, INC.
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ICI.A457137
NOV -2 1916
N^^
A
PERSONAL
APPEAL
THESE FIRST EIGHT PAGES
ARE WRITTEN PERSONALLY
TO YOU. PLEASE CARE-
FULLY READ THEM, AND YOU
WILL THEN UNDERSTAND THE
CHARACTER, SCOPE, AND VALUE
OF THIS HISTORY. BY SO DOING
YOU WILL SAVE YOURSELF THE
ANNOYANCE AND US THE EX-
PENSE OF SENDING A CANVASSER
TO SOLICIT YOUR ORDER, AND
YOU WILL BUY THE HISTORY
THROUGH THE BOY SCOUT, OR
BOY IN MILITARY TRAINING, WHO
HANDS YOU THIS PROSPECTUS,
FOR ONE-THIRD OF WHAT IT
WOULD HAVE COST YOU BY THE
USUAL CANVASSING METHOD.
Arms of the United States, correctly Emblazoned
This illustration is from page 13 of Vol. VII of History
THE PATRIOTIC
HISTORY
OF THE UNITED STATES
AND ITS PEOPLE
IT may be asked : Why should we have a Patriotic History of
the United States ? It has recently become painfully manifest
that our hundred million people are not a united, patriotic, all-
American people. One-third of our population is foreign born, or
born of foreign parents. Their innate and cultivated allegiance is
naturally to their fatherland rather than to our Republic. But we
native born American Citizens are quite as much in need of having
our patriotic devotion re-awakened and revivified; and this History
is peculiarly adapted to develop patriotic devotion to American
ideals.
Many histories of our country have been written. But early
writers, in an effort to be popular, filled their pages with myth and
legend related as fact. More recent writers have contented them-
selves with an accumulation of facts and a narration of events, a
mere dry record ; and of others, the more prominent, as Bancroft,
Prescott, Motley, Fiske, McMaster, and Rhodes, have each con-
fined their efforts to limited periods. McMaster's seven volumes
include only the period from the Revolution to the Civil War.
Bancroft does not begin at the beginning of our History, and stops
at the close of the Revolution, — at the birth of our nation!
The young people are supposed to learn History at school, and
there the small, inaccurate, one-volume text-book at best is only a
mere outline, a bare skeleton of dry facts, about as inviting to the
youthful imagination as the directory of a distant city. Dates and
events are learned and recited till a requisite examination can be
passed for promotion. But History learned in this way is a drudge,
an irksome task for most pupils, and is largely forgotten almost as
soon as the text-book is laid aside. A thorough knowledge of our
History can be acquired only by developing a genuine interest in it.
THIS IS A HISTORY FOR THE HOME
If each pupil can have in the home a complete History, set apart
for his use, written in clear, concise, direct and beautiful English;
that will clothe with living--flesh-and-blood interest the dry skeleton
text-book; that will explain the causes that led to certain results;
that will impart to the History of our great nation the real romance
attached to its marvelous career, then the study of our History will
become a delight to all pupils. They will leave school with an intel-
ligent and appreciative knowledge of the History of our nation
and of the genius of our institutions, and they will thus be pre-
pared intelligently to discharge the duties of citizenship in a free
country !
In many European countries every family is required to have a
good History of the nation. But in the twenty million families of
the United States it is doubtful that any History will be found in
one family out of fifty, save the one-volume text-book. And in the
few families that have a History of the Country its use is sadly
neglected for reasons above stated.
If the governments of European Nations find it necessary to com-
pel their people to study the History of their countries, how much
more important is it that a free and self-governing people should
study the History of their own country.
Lecky, the historian, says: "All civic virtues, all the heroism and
self-sacrifice of patriotism spring ultimately from the habit men
acquire of regarding their nation as a great organic whole, identi-
fying themselves with its fortunes in the past as in the present, and
looking forward anxiously to its future destinies."
In fact, the freedom of our people and the permanence of
our institutions are dependent on our intelligent knowledge and
understanding of our national History, and of the genius of our
institutions.
A REALLY GREAT HISTORY CAN NOT BE
WRITTEN TO ORDER
Fortunately, Dr. Elroy McKendree Avery, an able and successful
educator, who had made a comfortable fortune writing successful
text-books, early sensed the great need of a Patriotic History of
the United States and Its People.
Rarely gifted with a literary style of writing clear, concise and
beautiful English, Dr. Avery has produced a History that is not
only exceptionally accurate and entirely impartial, but it is also
written in a literary style that is as brilliant as it is simple and
direct. The life story of the United States is lucidly and interestingly
told, and a true portrayal of both persons and events is given — a
portrayal unbiased and unprejudiced.
Dr. Avery was equally fortunate in early securing the hearty
co-operation of devoted friends, who expended more than three
hundred and fifty thousand dollars in assisting him to collate and
verify the facts and a wealth of illustrative material that far sur-
passes in beauty and in authentic value anything ever before
attempted in any History of any country.
It is certain that more money has been expended in the produc-
tion of this History, and in reducing it to its present beautiful and
permanent form, than has been expended on the production of all
other histories of the United States combined.
Dr. Avery had devoted more than twenty-five of the ripest years
of his life to the production of this monumental History, when his
devoted friends and prospective publishers were compelled to dis-
continue business; and recently one of them has passed away.
This enabled the managers of The Scout Press, Inc., to take over
and publish the completed History as a Patriotic History, on
terms that make it possible to receive advance orders, during the
period of publication, at a price only about one-third of its published
price. The advance price has been made so low that it is hoped
that the History will find a place in every American home.
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER PLANNED
FOR OUR PURPOSE
While this History had been in course of preparation for more
than fifteen years when the Boy Scout movement was originated, it
could not have been better planned for the purpose and use of Boy
Scouts, boys in military training, and for all patriotic people.
A HISTORIAN OF THE NEW SCHOOL
Dr. Avery represents the best of the 7^e^u school of historians who
reason from cause to effect, and who thus make History logic, as it
rightfully should be.
A true historian must have power to place himself in the position
of the characters he describes. He understands their emotions,
traces the meaning and trend of their movements, realizes the con-
ditions under which they lived, dissects their purposes, analyzes
their feelings. He brings out the poetry, the romance, the adventures,
the tragedy, the humor of History, and also faithfully portrays all
the passions, habits and customs of the people he describes. This
is the reason that History properly written affords keenest enjoyment,
entertainment, and instruction ; by reading it we are taught the
lessons of humanity and of civilization, and we are shown that in
the long run, character counts for more than any other one attribute.
But History must not only be interesting, it must also be trustworthy.
MOST ACCURATE AND TRUSTWORTHY
It can never be realized by the public at large what extensive
research, what concentrated thought, and what unquenchable en-
thusiasm Dr. Avery and his collaborators have lavished upon this
History of the United States, in order to secure the greatest accuracy
and the broadest catholicity.
Eminent historians and History critics, having read the advance
sheets, commend this History before all others.
COMMENDED ABOVE ALL OTHERS
"An examination of Dr. Avery's work confirms the opinion which I have
expressed several times before, viz, that 'Avery's History of the United States' is
absolutely the best popular History of this country yet written." — Prof. William
R. Shepherd, Columbia University, New York City.
"Aside from my delight in handling a book that is gotten out in such style,
I was pleased at a number of places in the text to note the point of view taken
by Dr. Avery; it represents a great amount of research and a sane and catholic
judgment." — Prof. Max Farrand, Department of History, Yale University.
"The way in which the book has been issued is certainly the most creditable
in every way, and I shall value it as a real addition to my library." — WooDROW
Wilson, Princeton University.
"I especially appreciate your effort at the utmost attainable accuracy of state-
ment. It is a model in that respect." — Prof. Theodore Clarke Smith, Wil-
hamstown, Massachusetts.
"The style is strong and moving, sust:;ining the interest from beginning to end.
The material is well organized, well proportioned, and remarkably accurate. I
do not find a single statement that can be called erroneous or a single misprint."
— Prof. F. H. Hodder, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
"I do not hesitate to pronounce the 'Avery History' the best exhaustive Ameri-
can History for the general reader that has yet seen the light." — Prof. H. W.
Elson, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.
"I am much struck with the calm, dignified style, and with the care and thought
bestowed upon the presentation of facts. The illustrations are remarkably pro-
fuse, and most admirably done. Indeed, the entire mechanical and artistic ap-
pearance far out-distances any other American History." — Dr. Reuben Gold
Thwaites, Secretary State Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin.
"I have read the volumes through. The 'Avery History' meets the wants of
both the average reader and of the scholar more nearly than any other work.
Dr. Avery certainly has hit the happy medium in presenting the facts fully and
at the same time limiting the discussions to the essential points." — Prof. George
Frederick Wright, Oberlin College, author of "The Ice Age," etc.
"/ have never found so much gratification in a new hook. The artistic perfec-
tion of the volume formed a steady source of esthetic enjoyment. I was even more
impressed, however, by first, the charming literary style, second, the strong
command of facts; and third, the clear acumen and sound sense cropping out
both in the body of the book and in the taking side-titles."— W J McGee,
chief of Division of Exhibits, Department of Anthropology, St. Louis Exposition,
and chief of same department, Smithsonian Institution.
"It deserves to be recorded as the History of our country. The material is
selected with admirable discrimination. I know of no historical writer more
felicitous in style. * * * I regard it as the best History of the United States."
— Hon. E. O. Randall, Editor of Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.
"I regard it as by far the most complete and best illustrated History of the
United States ever published, and I recommend it as such for home use and for
public libraries." — Wilbkrforce Barnes, Lenox Librarian, New York Public
Library.
"I have received and read with pleasure and profit the fifth volume of your
'History of the United States and Its People.'
"This History of our nation, in typography, illustration, arrangement, scope
and accuracy approaches perfection. I am personally familiar with your suc-
cessful endeavors to secure accuracy regarding the naval operations and move-
ments of John Paul Jones.
"My son, aged nine, has carefully studied the illustrations of the books and
part of the text of the five volumes issued, and declares that they are the best
books he has ever seen.
"Your volumes are used as standard reference books in this library." — Charles
W. Stewart, Superintendent of Library and Naval War Records, Navy Depart-
ment, Washington, D. C.
"The narrative is clear, correct and most readable. Dr. Avery has met the con-
troverted points of American history with a thoroughly sane judgment. * * *
I have no hesitation in affirming that in points of accuracy in reproducing the
evidence of the original authorities the Averx history has distinctly surpassed its
predecessors." — Edward G. Bourne, Professor of History, Yale University.
BEST ADAPTED FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
While this great History is so highly commended by eminent his-
torians, librarians and professors of History in our great Universi-
ties and Colleges, it should be noted that the text is read with appre-
ciation by a boy of nine years, who says: "It is the best book I have
ever seen."
The great wealth of beautifully colored maps and illustrations, and
the pleasing, lucid, simple style, make this History most alluring to
young people, as well as old, and best adapted for the use of boys
from the age of ten to eighteen, during which period they are eligible
as Boy Scouts, and the period in which their characters are formed.
WILL DEVELOP A PATRIOTIC CITIZENRY
It is in childhood and in youth that the mind is most receptive
and plastic, and the memory is most retentive. Put this History
into the hands of our youth, to read, to study and to delight in ;
and as they grow up to manhood and maturity their minds will be
stored with a knowledge of our History, their souls will be imbued
with a fervid love of country, a noble, patriotic devotion, and lofty
ideals of civic virtue. Then let no man fear for the security and
permanence of our institutions. When our government is entrusted
to such men, we may well feel assured that our "Government formed
of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish
from the earth."
MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS MOST VALUABLE
AND BEAUTIFUL
The Patriotic History of the United States is the most richly
endowed from a mapping and illustrative point of view, that has
ever been published, either of our own or of any other country.
MAPS OE COLONIES
Infinite pains have been taken with the mapping in order to
secure extreme accuracy. Maps have been drawn and engraved,
then subjected to the criticism of experts as to their accuracy. Then,
if not absolutely perfect, they were rejected or modified, redrawn
and reengraved. Accuracy regardless of cost has been our motto
in mapping as in text and illustrations.
MAPS OF MILITARY OPERATIONS
Between sixty and seventy maps — in five colors — serve to show
the movements of the troops during the Revolutionary War. The
sketching for many of these maps was done by a West Point In-
structor, who worked on them more than a year, and by Mr. David
Maydole Matteson of Cambridge.
MAPS OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
The John Paul Jones' maps consist of a series of five, and show
not only the cruises but also the sea fights of this intrepid patriot-
commander. The making and verifying of these maps involved
long and careful research and much expense.
Parts of the log of the " Bon Homme Richard" were plotted from
the original records now in the Naval War records library at Wash-
ington. Mr. Charles W. Stewart, the librarian, Mrs. Annie H.
Eastman, assistant librarian, and two other professors at the Naval
Academy did very considerable work in the making of these maps,
which took two years to prepare.
MAPS OF SIEGES
The map of the siege of Quebec is a striking exampleof the extreme
care and enormous labor given to the securing of accuracy.
More than a month of preliminary work was spent in planning
the reproduction of this map, proofs of which, when ready, were
sent to Colonel William Wood, author of "The Fight for Canada,"
to Colonel Crawford Lindsay of the Canadian Artillery, and to
Doctor Doughty, the Dominion Archivist. These gentlemen cor-
rected the proofs and suggested changes. When the finished en-
graved proofs were finally submitted to them after two and one-half
years of work, they considered the map, as Colonel Wood expressed
it, "quite inhumanly perfect." The cost of the engraving of this
one map was more than ^500, though these gentlemen made no
charge for their services. It is printed in eight colors.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The illustrations are truly informing in every sense of the word,
and have been selected not so much for adornment alone as for that
and instructiveness combined. They have been faithfully repro-
duced from originals and consist of reproductions of famous his-
torical portraits, paintings, pictures, ships, furniture, charts, rare
prints, title pages, plans, statues, buildings, documents, facsimiles
of famous signatures, together with elaborate and artistic head and
tailpieces. A Frontispiece appears in each of the volumes, richly
reproduced in color, with plate-mark, accompanied by a facsimile
signature of the person portrayed.
This History of the United States is as unique in its wealth of
illustrative material as it is in accuracy, and every map and illustra-
tion, even when printed in many colors, occurs in its proper place in
the text, which is true of no other book published.
TYPOGRAPHY
The type is made from a set of punches discovered a few years
ago in France — punches that had not been used until recently for
more than two hundred years. Not only is it most legible but it is
also exceptionally beautiful.
THE PAPER
The paper is of a very fine quality, manufactured expressly for
the Patriotic History of the United States after long experimenting.
It possesses that proper soft, velvety tone, which proves restful to
the eye and also enables the printer to get the best possible typo-
graphical results. Twice new requirements arose, after a lot had
been made, and in each instance the entire lot was discarded and a
new supply manufactured.
THE BINDING
The volumes are of octavo size, 6| x gf, and each contains about
450 pages. The volumes are bound in crash buckram, in keeping
with the Boy Scout or military uniform.
A MOST EXPENSIVE BOOK TO MANUFACTURE
Every page of this magnificent History is passed through the press
several times, as it requires several distinct and separate printings
to reproduce the beautifully colored maps and illustrations that
occur in every signature.
If this History were published and sold through the usual chan-
nels it could not be purchased for several times the price at which
it is now offered. It is really De Luxe in character, but none too
good for our boys, who are to be our future citizens, and on whom
our liberty and our future peace and prosperity must and will depend.
THE LOW PRICE FOR LIMITED TIME ONLY
We have made this remarkably low price, which can be afforded
for a limited time only, in order that every Boy Scout, every boy in
military training, and his friends may procure sets of the History.
' PROCEEDS TO DEVELOP THE BOY SCOUT
ORGANIZATION AND MILITARY
TRAINING
A liberal commission is paid to the individual Boy Scouts and
boys in military training for taking the orders and distributing the
volumes. This will enable each Boy to earn and pay for a set for
himself, to defray his expense in the organization of the Boy Scouts,
or in military training, and to add to the dollar in the bank.
HOW TO GET IT
To those who place their orders now, the boy who takes the order,
will deliver a volume regularly once in two months. The expense is
only about four cents a day. This amount placed in the penny
savings-bank, in the home, will pay for the volumes as published
and delivered.
ITS PRICELESS VALUE IN THE HOME
' An examination of the following specimen pages, selected impar-
tially from numerous volumes, will convince the reader that the
Boy Scouts, and boys in military training, are supplying at almost a
nominal price not only the most beautiful but the most valuable set
of books ever offered to the American people; — a set of books that
in other hands would be sold at a very high price, and would find its
way into the homes of only the wealthiest people, — a set of books
that will do more to Americanize the rising generation — native born
as well as foreign — than any other factor.
By this means the Boy Scouts, and boys in military training, will
accomplish their greatest national benefaction, in the development
of a citizenry intelligently informed, and inspired with heroic zeal
and patriotic devotion to the most lofty ideals of civic duty.
The Scout Press Inc.
SPECIMEN PAGES
FROM
THE PATRIOTIC
HISTORY OF THE
UNITED STATES
AND ITS PEOPLE
AVERY
y
•5-
DC yvt y
:1- p/liEh'S
THE PATRIOTIC
HISTORY OF THE
UNITED STATES
AND ITS PEOPLE
FROM THEIR EARLIEST RECORDS TO
THE PRESENT TIME
ELROY M^KENDREE AVERY
IN TWELVE VOLUMES
VOLUME I
NEW YORK • PHILADELPHIA
THE SCOUT PRESS, Inc.
PUBLISHERS
I DEDICATE THESE VOLUMES
TO
The Young Men and the
Young Women
OF AMERICA
MAY THEY THEREIN GATHER SHEAVES OF
FORTITUDE AND WISDOM THAT SHALL
HELP TO MAKE THEM WORTHY OF
Their Fathers and Their Mothers
MAY ALL THEIR DAYS BE DAYS OF
PLEASANTNESS AND ALL THEIR NIGHTS
BE PEACE BUT, IF THE SUPREME TEST
SHALL COME, MAY IT FIND
The United States and Its People
IN EVERY WAY PREPARED — READY FOR
THE FORGE AND THE HEAT IN WHICH
SHALL THEN BE SHAPED THE NEW
ANCHORS OF THEIR HOPE
ELROY M. AVERY
CLEVELAND, 1916
R
E
A
C
E
THIS volume is the beginning of an attempt to
tell the story of the men and measures that
have made the United States what it is.
History is
An orchard bearing several trees
And fruits of several taste.
In this work, I have tried to meet the wants of men
and women of general culture rather than those of pro-
fessional historical students. Whatever may have been
thought a generation ago, it Is now admitted that such
a design is entirely legitimate. For instance. Professor
Marshall S. Brown says that "the work of familiarizing juiy, 1901
the general reader with the history of his own country
and of inciting him to further study of that history is as
useful and necessary as that of investigation for the
benefit of a limited number of specialists." This general
reader lacks leisure and, in some cases, inclination to
dig among the original sources of historical knowledge,
but he knows that he has rights to be respected and
needs to be met.
My purpose, thus frankly avowed, explains why I
have made no effort to provide "a mere collection of
data for contingent reference, no more intended to be
read than a table of logarithms," and why I have
avoided frequent citations of authorities in the form of
foot-notes. The general reader finds such notes dis-
tracting and, therefore, prefers that they be omitted.
If now and then he finds that his appetite grows by that
on which It feeds, he will find suggestions for supple-
X Preface
mentary reading in the bibliographical appendix to this
and to each of the succeeding volumes.
Moreover, I have tried to narrow the gulf between
special and popular thinking, to avoid either running
into "a cold intellectualism that seems to be heading
straight for the poverty and decay that must always
follow the separation of the brain from the heart," or
feeding "a popular taste that is daily accommodating
itself to an aesthetic and intellectual pabulum that would
have seemed to our forefathers, at best, a sad waste of
time."
The researches and discussions of the last quarter-
century have thrown a new light on many parts of our
early history. I venture to hope that some of this
illumination may be reflected from these pages. To
secure accuracy, I have not spared honest, earnest effort
which in many cases sent me to the original sources.
But I have tried not to attempt the impossible. An
eminent historian says that no longer does any one try
to write a complete history of America from the sources,
and that each man now assumes that he may begin on
the foundations laid by somebody else.
I hereby acknowledge my deep obligation to many
helping friends. Common fairness demands that special
mention should be made of the assistance given by Otis
T. Mason in the preparation of the second chapter, by
James Mooney in the preparation of the twenty-second
chapter, by George Frederick Wright in the revision of
the first chapter, and by Frederick W. Hodge, Adolph
F. A. Bandelier, Frank H. Hodder, and George P.
Winship in the revision of various parts of the work,
especially those relating to the Spanish explorations, and
by my wife from beginning to end.
Klroy M. Avery
Cleveland, September, 1904
m
W^i
^fyade not tfye fyen
H A
T E
R
THE
FIRST
AMERICAN
IT is well known that, in 1492, Christopher Columbus
sailed from Spain and discovered a new world in
which he found a barbarian race. It is not gener-
ally understood that, prior to this, the western hemi-
sphere had been visited by Europeans. Yet it has been
claimed that the first families of this continent died out
thousands of years before the traditions of the red man
were begun, and it is difficult to doubt that more than
one wanderer from the Old World rested on the soil of
the New before Columbus was born.
America has a history that is prehistoric. Concerning The Two
its primitive people, problem rises after problem. Of ^''o'''^™
these problems, two tower above the others — age and
origin. Were the first Americans autochthons or immi-
grants ? If immigrants, whence came they and when ?
Where did they live and how ? Was there ever, in any
portion of the continent, a superior and mysterious race
that vanished before the occupancy of the land by the
red men whom Columbus found ?
Some of these problems are being solved ; some per- The Two
haps never will be solved. Not long ago, men seemed ^^^^"'^^
not to know how to study them. They walked over
ancient remains, and guessed and wondered as they wan-
dered. What little was known about the shell-heap
people, the mound-builders, the cliff-dwellers, and the
pueblo tribes served only as a starting-point for archaeo-
logical speculation ; scientific research was unborn. Now,
The First Americans
A New
Science
men do not stand upon tumuli and dream; they excavate
and know. The two methods are typical of yesterday
and today.
For many years students have been gathering data and
arranging facts. Much has been learned and some safe
generalizations have been made; further facts and fuller
information are needed for the complete solution sought.
The proper study of this remote past lies in the realm
of prehistoric archaeology, a recent science with impor-
tant lessons at some of which it will be well to glance.
Drainage
Systems
The region of the great lakes and
the country thence northward to the
Arctic Ocean is a region of small
lakes also. Waterfalls abound, and
many streams are mere alternations
of rapids and pools. The tendency
of a stream below its pool is to cut
its channel deeper and thus to drain
the pool, while the tendency of the
stream above is to fill it with mud
and sand. In the course of time,
under the operation of these causes,
the pool will disappear, Siniilarly,
the tendency of waterfall and rapids
is to deepen the channel by the
power of erosion; and, in time,
they will do so until the slope
of the stream is gentle and its current slow. Hence
the conclusions that a stream the course of which is inter-
rupted by lakes is either a young stream or that nature
has recently put obstructions in its path, and that a
stream with cascades and waterfalls and rapids is laboring
at an unfinished task. South of the Ohio River such
lakes and cataracts are rare; in British America and the
northern United States they are very numerous. In the
south, the drainage system is mature; in the north, it is
young and immature. Let us seek an explanation of
these facts.
The Ouiatchouan Falls
The Neolithic Americans
25
of pottery in strata near the surface. Some of his conclu-
sions are that the shell-heaps are by no means contem-
porary, that some were abandoned long before others
were begun, and that the beginning of the oldest far
antedates the coming of the white man. The evidence
seems to show that in the shell-heap period, the abo-
rigines of Florida acquired the art of making pottery.
In 1898, Mr. Moore found a remarkable domiciliary An Uniqu
mound on the southeast end of Little Island, Beaufort Vomen
County, South Carolina. The mound was about four-
Mound on Little Island, South Carolina
teen feet high with an elliptical base the north and south
diameter of which measured one hundred and fifty feet
and the east and west diameter about one hundred feet.
On the mound were pine-trees, some of them large, and
live-oaks of moderate size. Excavation exposed the clay
walls of a quadrilateral enclosure nearly thirty-five by
forty feet. The walls were a little more than four feet
high, and were supported by upright posts that projected
38
The Neolithic Americans
diameter. The bottom of this pit was covered with an
inch of fine chocolate-colored dust. Then came a cavity
a foot high in the center, over which the sand-filling was
arched. Above the sand and on the level of the surface-
soil was a little mound in which were found the bones of
fifteen or twenty persons, in a heap without order or
arrangement. Mingled with the bones were charcoal
and ashes. The bones were charred, and some were
glazed with melted sand. Above this mound (marked 2
in the figure) were a layer of clay or mortar mixed with
sand and burned to a brick-red color, and another layer
two feet thick and composed of calcined human bones,
mingled with charcoal, ashes, and a reddish-brown mortar-
like substance burned as hard as pavement brick. Above
this was the external layer of soil and sand about a foot thick.
Burial-mounds ..««iii^^ I , A burial-mound on the bank
of the Mississippi River near
Section of a Burial-mound
Davenport, Iowa, shows a like
stratified structure. Beneath
successive layers of earth and stone was a nucleus in
which were found skulls (and fragments of bones) lying
in a semicircle and each surround-
ed by a circle of small stones.
From the position of
\ the skulls and bones,
- ^^ ^ ^ 'tLrthesebodles
had been buried in a sitting
posture. Accompanying the
skeletons were ■ two copper
axes, two small hemispheres
of copper and one of silver,
a bear's tooth, and an arrow-
head. There was no evi-
dence of the use of fire in the
burial ceremonies. All of
Vertical and Horizontal Sections of a
Burial-mound
the mounds of the group to which this belongs are conical
and of comparatively small size, varying from three to
eight feet in height.
The Northmen
8i
Bjarni Herjulfson had been borne on the cold current
that sets southward from the arctic circle and flows
through the narrowed channel between Iceland and Green-
land. By reason of two
physical conditions, in com-
bination with the restless
activity of the tenth-century
Northmen, Bjarni had
sighted the American coast
and "sailed along the shores
of Newfoundland and Lab-
rador to Greenland. He
made no landing on the con-
tinent.
Near the end of the cen-
tury, Leif Ericson (i.e., Leif
the son of Eric) sailed from
Greenland to Norway and
found that King Olaf had
accepted the Christian relig-
ion and was forcing it upon
his people with true Moham-
medan zeal. It was about this time that the king sent
word that, if all the Norsemen inhabiting Iceland did
not at once become Christians, he would kill every one
of them he could lay
Map of Bjarni's Course
hand upon. Leif was
converted with the
rest and, on his return
to Greenland, took a
priest of the new faith
with him. Greenland
became a Christian
land and her people
built Christian
Ruins of the Church at Katortok churchcS. The TuinS
of one of these, known as the Katortok church, still remain.
Inevitably, the story of the land that Bjarni had seen
was much discussed in the Greenland homes. Among
CHAPTER
V I
PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIGATOR
Profit and
Progress
They that go doivn to the sea in ships, that do business in great "waters ,• these see the
ivorks of the Lord, and his ivonders in the deep. — Psalm cvii.
T
HE wondrous story that, in the latter part of
the thirteenth century, the Venetian, Marco
Polo, had told of Kublai Khan, and of Mangi
and Cathay (China) with their countless cities, teeming
wealth, and indescribable mag-
nificence, had aroused the curi-
osity and kindled the avarice
of the western world. The
growing wealth and luxury of
the age had made an increasing
demand for the costly mer-
chandise of India, and the
great cities of Italy had fattened
on the traffic. But the path-
way to the gorgeous East lay
through wide deserts and hostile
countries. Portugal and Castile,
far removed from the devious
route of this profitable commerce, were almost forced to
turn their eyes to the western ocean and to seek therein
new paths and new domains. The drain of coin from
the west to the east had doubled the purchasing power
of silver and gold in Europe, and some readjustment
Marco Polo
Columbus's Third Voyage
95
kindle enthusiasm. These children of a teeming fancy 1498
were destined to be placed side by side with the soberer
statements of Americus Vespucius, and thus to make it
Columbus at the Island of Margarita
more easy to rob the great discoverer of his right to fix
his name upon a world that he had found.
After sailing northwest for four days, Columbus Espanoia
sighted Haiti about fifty leagues west of the new capital August 19
that, in honor of their father, Bartholomew had named
Santo Domingo. The admiral sent a messenger over-
332
Westward Ho !
I 5
I 5
6 three ships laden with suppHes and also made vain search
7 for the colony that he had planted. To protect the
^^^■^^^'te;K#V
— TWJ^
An Indian Village
rights of England, Grenville left fifteen men with supplies
for two years.
Roanoke In the following spring, the still hopeful Ralegh pre-
Reestabiished p^^g^j ^ ncw colony. John White and twelve associates
Virginia Under the Charter
47
many of the later historians refuse to accept it. Like the 1608
story of the apocryphal voyage of Vespucius, it has not
been absolutely disproved and is not without able and
valiant defenders.
On his return to Jamestown, Smith was arrested, in- The First
dieted under the Levitical law for allowing the death of ^"Pp'^
two of his men, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged.
" But it pleased God to send Captain Newport unto us
the same evening." The "John and Francis" had January 2-12
arrived from England with the " first supply," about
seventy ad-
ditional set-
tlers. As the
ship came
to her desti-
nation on
Saturday
evening, the
immigrants
did not land
until Mon-
daymorning.
Newport
immediately
liberated
Wingfield
and Smith ;
" also by his
comyng was
prevented a
parliament
which ye
newe coun-
s ail or, Mr.
Recorder
[A re h e r]
i ntPndpd Title-page of Smith s Generall Hutorie
thear to summon." The colony had been reduced to
forty persons, and these were nearly starved; the hunger
ii6
The Pilgrims
1620 then wooded shores of Cape Cod were seen. As the
Pilgrims' patent was for Virginia and not for New Eng-
land, they turned toward the south, " to find," says
Bradford, "some place about Hudson's river for their
habitation." It has been charged, apparently with little
reason, that, through collusion with the Dutch, Captain
Jones treacherously forced a change of destination. It
is now pretty certain that the depravity of the captain
and the prejudices of the Dutch had less to do with the
determination of the landing-place than did the vagaries
of the Gulf Stream, the dangers of the Massachusetts
Saturday, No-
vember 1 1 -2 1
A T L A N T I C
OCEAN
Map of Cape Cod Harbor
coast, and the political sagacity of the forefathers. At all
events, after standing southward half a day, the " May-
flower " turned back, doubled the cape, and found a rest-
ing-place in what is now the harbor of Provincetown, "the
only windward port within two hundred miles where the
ship could have lain at anchor for the next month un-
vexed by the storms which usher in a New England win-
ter." As the passengers looked back upon what they
had endured and the dangers that they had escaped, it
seemed that " a sea voyage was an inch of hell."
The Pilgrims
125
seed-time and harvest, the country was explored as far as i 6 2 i
Boston Harbor. Winslow and Hopkins went on an
embassy to Massasoit and recognized his friendly dis-
position and the squalor of Indian life. When some of
the subjects of Massasoit formed a conspiracy against
their sachem, Standish and a dozen men promptly marched
against the recalcitrants. There was no fighting but, as a
result of the demonstration, nine sachems came into
Plymouth and acknowledged themselves to be the loyal
subjects of King James.
The summer was prosperous, the harvest was abundant. Thanksgiving
Then was had the first of those New England autumnal ^^"^
feasts, " now kept with gladness in the homes, and with
worship in the churches, all r7=--
the way from Plymouth to
the Golden Gate." With
statesmanlike hospitality,
Massasoit and several score
of his people were feasted
for three days. A few days
later, the " Fortune " brought
Robert Cushman and thirty-
five recruits. Cushman
brought a new patent, the
first granted by the council
for New England. This
oldest existing Plymouth
document, issued in the
name of John Pierce, one of
the London adventurers and
his associates, superseded
the unused Wincob patent.
It conveyed a tract of land
to be selected by the plant-
ers, allowed a hundred acres
to be taken up for every emigrant, provided fifteen hundred
acres for public buildings, and conferred self-governing
powers. It fixed no territorial limits and, unfortunately,
never was confirmed by the crown. In the following
SERMON
PREACHED AT
P L I M M O T H J N
NEW -ENGL AND
Veutnher 9. 1621.-
In an altcmblic of his
CSUifflits fduhfuU
Slihtn,, ihrrc
WHEREIN IS-S HEWED
the danger of fclfe-Iouc , and the
fweetncircoftrucFriendniip.
r a ETHE K
WITH A PREFACE,
Shewing thcftatcof the Councry,
tind Condition of the
SAVAGES.
R o M. 12. 10.
ic affeUitnedto lone one unother with irotkerly
ioue.
Written in the jcarc irfii. '
t ND ow
Printed by A Z). foi- I o H » B t i. l a m 1 e,
iiid arc to be fold at his Qiop ir chc two Gtcy.
liounjs .n Comc-luH, r.cot the Kc'^'U
November
IC3-20
The Pierce
Patent
June i-l I
Title-page of Cushman's Sermon at
Plymouth
200
Maryland Before the Restoration
1632 The limits of the grant were clearly defined, and
The Charter included parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia and
all of what is Maryland and Delaware. The government
was of a type familiar in England, but (excepting that of
the short-lived Avalon) new in America. The lord pro-
prietor might coin money, grant titles of nobility (except
such as were then in use in England), create courts,
appoint judges, pardon criminals, and, in brief, exercise
all the royal rights, privileges, and prerogatives that had
THE CHARTER
OF
'Harles By the
Grace ©fGOD, King of
ErgUn'i,Svith certaine Priviledges and
lurifdiftions, rcquifite for the good govern-
raent,and ftate of his Colony, and Countrey a-
forefaidjto him and his heires for ever.
rhehunii. KNOW Y E E therefore , that Wee fa-
vouring the pious, and Noble purpofc of the '
faid Barons of Sit/rirwrf, of our fpeciall grace,
certaine know ledge, and mcere motion, have
given,granted,and confirmed, and by this our
prefentCbar:cr,forVs, Our Heires, and Sac-
ccflbrs, doe give , grant and confirme unto the
faid Cecilius, now Baton n(Sahimort,hri heires
and Affignes,all that partefa PerjnfuU , lying
inthepa'rtsof >OTCriirj , bctn-ecnc the Ocean
on the Eaft, and the Bay of Chefipead- on rhc
Wefl, anj.divided from the other part thereof,
by
The First Two Pages of the First Appearance in Print and in Translation of the Maryland Charter
ever been enjoyed by any bishop of Durham within his
county palatine, "that independent, self-governing fief
on the northern border of England which until 1536
remained outside the control of the kings of England
and formed a petty state by itself" These powers
undoubtedly exceeded any others conferred by the English
crown upon any subject. While the charter thus created
a hereditary, provincial, constitutional monarchy, with
powers unprecedentedly great, the rights that it secured
Carolina
2 I
John Fiske and other historians that at Charles Town 1682
the bucaneers found an open port and a hearty welcome 1685
is vigorously denied by later historical writers of South
Carolina, one of|
whom informs me
that "hundreds of
records in South
Carolina prove
[said reports] to
be absolutely
false."
Governor West
now found him-
self surrounded by
political difficulties
of increased sever-
ity. The inhabit-
ants of Berkeley
County were
warmly opposed
to the injustice of
the parliamentary
apportionment.
The first funda-
mental CO nstitu-
-tions had provided for the tenure of land for the rental
of a penny an acre "or the value thereof." When, in
clear violation of the contract, payment of quit-rent in
money was demanded and the settlers urged that money
was scarce and proffered the merchantable produce of the
land, the proprietors replied, "We insist to sell our
lands in our own way." When the proprietors ordered
that the third set of the fundamental constitutions should
be put in practice, even the grand council protested.
Recognizing the impossibility of obeying his instructions
without incurring the enmity of the colonists, Governor
West became disheartened and gave up his office. The
council chose Morton as governor and, in September,
1685, the proprietors sent him a commission.
r.A«/?B-i/j»j// Jjijsr-tea. HOOHif. Baccha-ko^^
Engraved Title-p.ige of' the first Dutch Edition
Esquemeling, 1678
96
Pennsylvania
I 6 8 I
The
Pennsylvania
Grant
The royal grant conveyed a domain larger than Ire-
land, one of the greatest ever given by an English king
to an individual, and the repository of unimagined
natural resources. The new province was to extend from
the Delaware River westward through five degrees of
longitude, "the said lands to bee bounded on the North
by the beginning of the three and fortieth degree of
Northern latitude, and on the South, by a Circle drawne
at twelve miles distance from New Castle Northwards
and Westwards unto the beginning of the fortieth degree
of Northerne Latitude and then by a streight Line west-
wards, to the Limitt of Longitude above
menconed." The boundaries thus
described were ambiguous in more
respects than one. The northern line
was designated as "the beginning of the
three and fortieth degree" and else-
where in the same charter as "the three
and fortieth degree." Did this mean
the forty-third parallel of northern
latitude or the southern edge of
the zone between the forty-
second and the forty-third
parallels? The former inter-
pretation (on which Penn later
insisted) would have thrown
Albany, modern Troy, and
Buffalo into Pennsylvania.
The southern boundary ques-
tion was still more compli-
cated. If "the beginning of
the three and fortieth degree"
really signified the forty-
second parallel, then, of
course, "the beginning of the
fortieth degree" would mean
the thirty-ninth parallel. Such an interpretation would
give the western shore of Delaware Bay and the head
of Chesapeake Bay to Penn, who sadly needed ports
George Fox's Watch-seal and
Wax Impression Thereof
The French Exploration of the West 179
« 7
March 19
March with a woeful story of mishaps. He set out again i 6
in April with his brother and a score. He returned i 6
with only eight of the twenty and found the colony
reduced from one hundred and eighty to forty-five.
No relief came
from France
and, in January,
1687, La Salle
set out again
with sixteen men
to seek at his
Fort Saint Louis
help for the rem-
nant of his col-
ony in Texas.
Then came
quarrels, the
murder of the
leader, and the
killing of the
two assassins.
Some of the sur-
vivors worked
their way to the
fort on the Illi-
nois and thence
to Canada and ''^'"'^'^^^ "^ ^' ^'^^'
France. The French king could not be induced to send
relief to the colony in Texas and the Spaniards sent to
capture it heard a story of smallpox and slaughter. A
full decade went by before France made any effort to
take up the work anew.
De La Barre, Frontenac's successor, was so plainly De La Barre
overmatched by Dongan in New ^'^ .,,
. -' D UenonviUe
York that, in 1685, Denonville
Autograph of Denonville ' ^^S SCnt tO QuebcC aS gOVemOr.
To frustrate English plans, Denonville ordered Duluth
with fifty men to the Detroit River where he built a
picket fort near the site of Fort Gratiot. To the
H A
T E R
I X
THE FRENCH EXPLORATION OF THE WEST
1634
1689
The English
Frontier
A
the end of the seventeenth century, the Ameri-
can frontier had been pushed from the Atlantic
seaboard just beyond the " fall line," where the
streams leave their rocky beds and, by a series of rapids
or fa 1 1 s,
enter
deeper
channels.
At this line
fish love to
linger,
navigation
has to stop,
and water-
power be-
comes
available to
industry;
hence, pre-
Columbian
village
sites, post-
Columbian
trading
DOStS and Map of the English Colonies, Showing the "Fall Line"
modern cities and railways. But while the English colo-
nists were thus appropriating the Atlantic seaboard, the
From Louisburg to Fort Necessity
7 4 7
7 4 8
gang
sent to
Boston
to make
good
this
loss
seized
whom
they would and
November 17,
1747
Autograph ot Commodore Charles Knowlcs
bore them off — unwilling recruits
for the royal navy. This was an outrage not to be tol-
erated in the American metropolis. Shirley was fright-
ened by what he called the "mobbishness" of the
people, and officers of the fleet who happened to be on
shore were seized and held as hostages. In the end,
Knowles released most of those who had been impressed
and, to the great joy of the people of Boston, put to
sea.
The feeling aroused by this incident was not lessened Louisburg
by the terms of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle whereby Restored to
England gave back the hard-won Louisburg for far-away octobery-is,
Madras. This surrender of the fruit of a conquest '^48
rr-^^ .- , . - - _ , . ^ ^ largely won by
^TWENTV FOURTH ^^^^olkr^ (^^Ml
VN
the colonists
\\as grievous
tor Massa-
chusetts men
to bear. A
N'ear later,
however, a
salve was
tound for the
M a s s a c h u -
Massachusetts Three-penny BUI, 1750 „„^|._ hnrt
when parliament voted that the various colonies should
be reimbursed for their expenses in the expedition
against Louisburg. Two hundred and seventeen chests
r 3 „ .yl J/^A
I^TOSII
I 2
From Louisburg to Fort Necessity
King's
College
1746 ernor, he took an oath that bound him to maintain the
1756 prerogatives of the king.
In 1 746, the provincial assembly passed an act author-
izing a lottery in aid of a
college and, in 1 751, named
ten trustees to take charge
of the moneys raised for
that purpose. The Rever-
end Samuel Johnson was
chosen president in 1753;
on the seventeenth of July,
1754, he began the instruc-
tion of the first class in the
vestry-room of the school-
house of Trinity Church.
On the thirty-first of OctO- ^eal of King's College from 1754 to 1775
ber in the same year, the institution, "King's College,"
Crown on Flag-staff of
King's College
King's College in 1760
received a royal charter. In 1755, the trustees of Trinity
Church deeded to the college a large plot of land
and, on the twenty-third of August, 1756, the
corner-stone of the first building was laid in what
was subsequently the block bounded by College
Place, Barclay, Church, and Murray streets — at
that time a beautiful situation with surroundings
of groves and green fields and a fine view of the
From Louisburg to Fort Necessity
33
Potomac. In 1747, George took up his residence at i
Mount Vernon with his brother Lawrence who had mar- i
ried Anne, the daughter
of Sir Wilham Fairfax,
manager of the great
estate of his cousin,
Thomas, sixth Lord Fair-
fax.
Lord Fairfax, a grandson
of Lord Culpeper, had in-
herited more than five mil-
lion acres in Virginia. Hewas
a graduate of Oxford and had
written for Addison's Specta-
tor. To a somewhat eccentric
disposition, disappointment
in love had added a desire for
seclusion, so that, in 1 745, he
had left England for his Vir-
ginia domain. Lord Fairfax
soon made the acquaintance
of George Washington and
was so well impressed by the boy of sixteen that, in 1748,
he sent him to survey certain of his lands beyond the
Blue Ridge. On the favorable report of the young sur-
veyor, Lord Fairfax took up his residence at Greenway
Court, a manor of ten thousand acres on the Shenandoah
River, about twelve miles southeast of the present town of
Winchester. Washington was a frequent visitor at Green-
way Court and, from its owner and those about him,
gained a knowledge of men and manners that was to exer-
cise a profound influence upon his character and career.
Through Fairfax's favor he obtained a commission as a
public surveyor of Culpeper County. This entitled his
surveys to a place in the county oflice; they are still held
in high esteem for their completeness and accuracy.
For three years, the young man "roughed it" on the Major
border, strengthening his physique against stress of days "^^^hington
to come, learning much of Indian and of Indian trader.
Silver Bowl used at Christening
of George Washington
H A
T E R
I X
THE CAMPAIGN
THE CAPTURE OF
OF I 7 5 «_
LOUISBURG
The
" Impregna-
ble " Fortress
Its Garrison
^FTER Louisburg had been restored to France by
/-\ the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, great sums were
-i- -m- furnished by the French government for repairing
and strengthening it. But much of the money was
embezzled and the fortress, though the strongest in
French or British North America, had decided weak-
nesses. The original plan had not been carried out; the
circumference of the walls was so great that an enormous
garrison was required to man them; there was high
ground outside the walls and not far away ; and the mortar
used was so poor that the masonry crumbled under the
action of frost and rain.
In the spring of 1758, the commandant of the fortress
was the Chevalier de Drucour, a brave officer whose
patience had been sadly worn by the difficulties and
vexations of the four years that he had spent there. The
garrison consisted of four battalions of French regulars,
twenty companies of Canadians, and two companies of
artillery, aggregating about thirty-eight hundred men, of
whom about twenty-nine hundred were able to bear
arms. In addition to these were a body of armed inhabi-
tants and a band of Indians, while in the harbor lay a
fleet of five ships of the line and seven frigates carrying
five hundred and forty-four guns, and about three thou-
sand men. The fortress mounted two hundred and
nineteen cannons and seventeen mortars and there were
Pitt Plans the Campaign of 1758
159
vessels were run upon the beach and many of them were
floated off only after their cargoes and guns had been
thrown overboard. Of all the vessels fitted out this year
for the destitute and hard-pressed colony, few arrived at
their destmation. Sea power, the decisive factor in many
great conflicts, was beginning to turn the scale in this.
7 5
2 24 Campaign of I'^Q — The Contestants
1-59 Thanks to William Pitt, a new spirit was abroad in the
Pitt in Power BHtish empire. In the last campaign, British arms had
won some successes in America, the French had been
driven from the Guinea coast while, in Germany, the
kincT of Prussia had held his own. When parliament
met late in November, Eno;1and was aglow with enthusi-
asm. Pitt was
omnipotent.
"Our vmanim-
ity is prodi-
tjious," wrote
Horace Wal-
pole. "You
would as soon
hear a 'No'
trom an old
maid as from
the House of
Commons."
Despite the
unprece-
dented ex-
pense, the wai
was to be
carried on
more vitjor-
o u s 1 V t h a n
ever. Finan-
cial aid was to
be sent to
to continue to
Uoiibnu 01 BrLusii Soldier of the Forty-eightii Regar
Foot, 1-42-64
Pitt's Plin tor
the Carcpiiga
in .-America
King Frederick; the British navy was
capture more French vessels and to threaten the French
coast; the colonial possessions of France were to be
wrested from her and her commercial aspirations crushed.
Pitt intended that the heaN^est blow should be struck
in America. The operations there were to be along two
lines, which were eventually to meet in cooperation. An
armv of twelve thousand men under Wolfe and a fleet
consisting of one-fourth of the British navy were to ascend
Wolfe and Saunders Before Qjiebec 261
three thousand men, broke up their camp at the Point 1759
of Orleans, leaving Major Hardy with some marines to
hold that post, and
were ferried across the
north channel of the
river. Before day-
break, they landed at
L'Ange Gardien, a
short distance below
the mouth of the
Montmorency. '1 hey
met with little resist-
ance and began to for-
tify themselves on the W ■ i- ' ' July 9
plateau above. It has
often been pointed
out that the three
separate iMiglish camps
might have been at-
tacked and defeated in Light Dragoon (k-ft) and Grenadier ( iiack and front),
detail, but an English 1744-60
fleet was near at hand and thus made less the dangers
of division. Moreover, Montcalm had determined
on a policy of wearing out his assailants and would
not be tempted into an abandonment of it. From his
new position, Wolfe hoped to be able to cross the
Montmorency, to drive the French out of the Beauport
lines, and closely to invest Qiiebec. Confident of the
superior discipline of his troops, he also hoped that the
enemy would attack him. Levis, who commanded the
French left, was anxious to make such an attack, but the
more cautious Montcalm said: "Let him amuse himself
where he is; if we drive him off, he may go to some
place where he can do us harm."
Montcalm's estimate of Wolfe's new position was cor- The Dividing
rect. Although the English were now within musket- ^'"'^
shot of the extreme French left, they were well cut off.
Below the feathery falls, two hundred and fifty feet in
height, the river was broad and shallow and could be waded
292
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham
1759 crash, the EngHsh poured in their first volley, sweeping
down the French by hundreds. With precision and
celerity, the men reloaded and moved twenty paces to the
front. Again they
poured in their volley
and "then followed a
short, but deadly
fire-fight; the French
fighting gallantly,
but firing wildly and without concentration; whilst the
British line kept up its quick, intense, but perfectly
controlled, double-shotted volleys." Soon the French
line began to waver. The English dashed in with the
bayonet; the Highlanders with the claymore; in a
few moments the French army was a disorderly mob
in wild flight for safety, "driven, with a prodigious
slaughter, into the town and their other intrench-
ments on the other side of the River St. Charles."
A French officer who was present says : " Our troops
gave the first fire, the British the second, and the affair
was over. Our right took to their heels, our center
ran away after them and drew along the left, and so
the battle was lost in less time than I am telling the
story." In less than ten minutes the fate of a con-
tinent had been decided. Although not included in
Creasy 's famous list, Quebec was one of the decisive
battles of the world.
Before the main French attack began, Wolfe, while on
a visit to the left, had been hit in the wrist, but he tied
the wound up with his handkerchief and kept on. As he
passed the center, another bullet struck him in the groin,
but he kept on, pouring out his spirit, says a grenadier
officer, "in animated exhortations and fiery eloquence,
which spring from that deep emotion which none but
warriors can feel" and "none but heroes can utter."
Just as the final charge began, a third bullet passed
through one of his lungs; half-stunned by the shock, he
staggered and was carried to the rear and seated on the
ground. There the staflF surgeon and a favorite servant
Wolfe
Wounded
For the Building of a Nation
7
and the supply of labor is consequently scanty, manu- 1763
facturing is likely to languish. So it was in the colonies.
Still, a great many articles
that now are ordinarily pur-
chased were then made at
home. The northern farm
was almost as self-sufficient
as was the mediaeval manor.
Many families produced all
the clothing, furniture, etc., a Boy's shoe, worn previous to the Revolution
that they used. In short, the man of that day was a jack-
of-all-trades who could turn his hand to almost anything,
A Loom
from making a wooden rake
to building a house. Despite a Reel
repressive English legislation and the dearth of labor,
there was, especially in the North, considerable manufac-
turing on the larger scale. Thus there were fulling-mills
in several of the colonies, and iron-works were in existence
in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and elsewhere. Bur-
naby tells us that, in 1758, sixty thousand dozen pairs
of thread stockings, worth a dollar a pair, were made at
Germantown. The distillation of rum from West India
8
For the Building of a Nation
Carpenters' Tools of Colonial Times
(Reproduced from the original articles kindly loaned by
Mr. John E. L. Hazen, Shirley, Mass.)
1763 molasses was an important New England industry, as
will be more fully explained a few pages further on.
There were perhaps fifty colonial printing-presses, and
the production of naval stores, leather, and other arti-
cles gave employment to many.
Ship-building Of all manufactures, however, ship-building was perhaps
the most important. In 1769, three hundred and eighty-
nine vessels of an aggregate of twenty thousand tons
burden were launched. Of this number, Massachusetts
built one hundred and thirty-seven; Connecticut, fifty;
New Hampshire, forty-five; Rhode Island, thirty-nine;
Virginia, twenty-seven ; Pennsylvania, twenty-two ; Mary-
land, twenty ; and New York, nineteen. It was generally
remarked, however, that American vessels did not last as
long as did those built in Europe. For this, two reasons
were assigned : one was that American timber was naturally
less durable than European; the other, that the spirit of
haste, even then noticeable in America, did not allow
sufficient time for the timber to become seasoned.
For the Building of a Nation
19
ered in the city of New York in a single day
traveled very slowly. It took
nineteen days to carry the Lex-
ington and Concord story to Savan
nah.
Of course, there were great differ-
ences in social conditions and meth-
ods of living. Some of the very
wealthy lived in stately mansions
and made a brave display of fine
furniture, plate, and china, had many
News T 7 6 3
Joseph Wanton, the Tory Governor of
Rhode Island
Leather Mail Bag, carried between Hartford,
Middletown, and New Haven, in 1775
liveried servants, kept
London-made coaches and Social Life
chariots, dressed magnifi-
cently in silks and satins,
and created a fair imita-
tion of English "society."
Still their luxury fell far
below the luxury of to-day ;
even the richest did not
enjoy many of what are
now regarded as necessa-
ries of life. Most of those
who lived on the border,
and much of the country
was border, as well as many
20
For the Building of a Nation
1763 who lived elsewhere,
dwelt in log cabins,
dressed in buckskin
and homespun,
lived on a rude
plenty of game
and "hog and
hominy," and
enjoyed such
relaxations
as log-roll-
incr I ^,Ri9%siiiPls ' P mm ^ III i i'*'^*'* '^^^^
View of tne Oia State House, Boston, 1791, from Wasnmgton Street
A committee of the house of representatives was promptly
appointed to ask for the removal of the soldiers. "An
armament by sea and land investing this metropolis,"
they declared, "and a military guard with cannon pointed
at the door of the state house where the assembly is held,
are inconsistent with that dignity and freedom with which
they have a right to deliberate, consult, and determine.
They expect that your excellency will, as his majesty's
representative, give effectual orders for the removal of the
above-mentioned forces by sea and land out of this port
io8
Repeal of the Townshend Acts
iB-ir fill u Lv. 1 3f Bji
*,wTOCJa -thlVallr V
"T -fillFi^' ^'"i ^fTT^t^: '
B>«(fil!«I*.u
The Bloody Massacre on the Streets ot Boston, March 5, 1770, engraved and colored by Paul Revere
Reproduction in facsimile (reduced) by special permission from a copy of the original
kindly loaned by the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts
1770 officer and twelve men to protect the sentinel and the
custom-house, himself following soon after. When he
arrived, he found the guard surrounded by a mob armed
with clubs; members of the mob pressed up almost to
the muzzles of the guns and even threw snow in the
The War Begun
237
Patriotic
Prudence
The oration was at once vehement and prudent, sug- 1775
gesting much, yet avoiding anything that could be called Warren's
treason. For example, this: "Even the sending of"
troops to put
these acts in
execution is
not without
advantages to
us. The ex-
actness and
beauty of
their disci-
pline inspire
our youth
with ardor in
the pursuit of
military
knowledge.
Charles the
I nvincib le
taught Peter
the Great the
art of war.
The battle of
Pultowa con-
vinced
Charles
of the pro"
ficiency Peter
had made."
And this: "If
it appears that the only way to safety is through fields of
blood, I know you will not turn your faces from your
foes, but will undauntedly press forward until tyranny is
trodden under foot, and you have fixed your adored
Goddess Liberty fast by a Brunswick's side on the
American throne." While Warren was speaking, an
officer on the pulpit stairs held up some bullets in his
open palm. The speaker quietly dropped his handker-
262
The First Months of War
1775 more than an inchoate mass, loosely organized, poorly
equipped, and ill supplied with powder. The authority
of Ward was recognized by the contingents from other
colonies by courtesy only. For the work in hand, a
stronger organization was necessary. Elbridge Gerry had
already written, with the approval of Warren, to the
Massachusetts delegates in the continental congress, that
the Massachusetts leaders would "rejoice to see this way
the beloved Colonel Washington."
The loyalists, meantime, were divided between hope
and fear. The large reinforcements reported to be on
the way from England were anxiously awaited. On the
twenty-fifth of May, the troops and three general officers
arrived. On the
departure of the gen-
erals from London,
an irreverent rhyme-
ster had sung:
Howe,
Clinton, and
Burgoyne
Behold! the "Cerberus" the
Atlantic plough,
Her precious cargo, Burgoyne,
Clinton, Howe,
Bow ! wow ! wow !
With the reinforce-
ments. Gage's army
numbered about ten
thousand men. The
committee of safety
decided to remove
the live stock from
the islands in the har-
bor and Gage under-
took to secure the
hay on Grape Island,
near Weymouth.
These foraging expe-
john Burgoyne ditions brought on
lively skirmishes, in one of which the British lost some
men, twelve swivels, and a sloop, besides the sheep and
cattle that Putnam had set out to get. Chief-justice
-~-§-
296
Beleaguered Boston
1775 the British loss at Bunker Hill and the unexpected resist-
ance of the Americans made the enemy cautious and the
dreaded movement from Boston was not attempted.
In Boston The Condition of the inhabitants of Boston was acute.
July i6 "Their beef is all spent," wrote Mrs. Adams, "their
malt and cider all gone. All the fresh provisions they
can procure, they are obliged to give to the sick, and
wounded. . . . No man dared now to be seen talk-
ing to his friend in the street. They were obliged to be
within, every evening, at ten o'clock, according to martial
law; nor could any inhabitant walk any street in town
after that time, without a pass from Gage. He has
ordered all the molasses to be distilled up into rum for
the soldiers." So great were the difficulties of subsist-
ence that eventually General Gage had to consent to the
departure of many of the inhabitants.
Meantime, the continental army
was growing in size and efficiency.
In the first six weeks of Washing-
ton's command, there was an increase
of nearly twenty-four hundred.
Among the recruits were Captain
Daniel Morgan's riflemen from Vir-
ginia. If the discipline of the New
England troops had been a disap-
pointment to Washington, the ap-
^ pearance of Morgan's men was not
less so to General Thomas who
thought and said that "the army
would be as well off without them."
The fringed hunting-shirts of the
Virginians provoked the mirth of the
New Englanders, and, on one occa-
sion, the men came to blows. Hear-
ing of the disturbance, Washington
mounted his horse, rode post-haste to
the scene of disturbance, "threw the
bridle of his horse into his servant's
Morgan's Virginia Rifleman hands, and, Tushing into the thickest
The New York Campaign
15
Pass, two or
three miles
still beyond.
Unfortunate-
ly, Greene,
who was a
capable officer
and familiar
with the situ-
ation, was
prostrated by
the prevailing
fever; on the
twentieth of
August he was
succeeded by
Sullivan. On
the twenty-
fourth, Wash-
ington placed
1 T 7 7 6
Coat of Arms of Israel Putnam
Private of Artillery, Continental Line
(From original drawing by Harry A. Ogden)
Putnam in command; on the
twenty-fifth, he sent him written
instructions ; on the twenty-sixth,
f he crossed over to the island and
made a personal inspection of the
intrenchments and the outposts.
Putnam was devoted, honest, and
courageous, but he knew almost
nothing of the arrangements for
defense and little of scientific war-
fare. He can hardly be said to have
exercised general command on the
day of the battle that was at hand.
52
Trenton and Princeton — Congress
I 7 7 7 be so strong that Washington could hardly hope to hold
his position. If he should try and fail, his army would be
destroyed and the American revolution would be at an end.
The council approved a plan to march around the British
left flank, to strike a blow at the
small garrison at Princeton, and,
if possible, to capture the British
stores at Brunswick.
Out of the Cornwallis had marched from
Tight Place Princeton by the road that led
through Maidenhead. But there
Map of Washington's Advance and the Battles of Trenton and Princeton
was the Qiiaker road, less used and longer by several miles.
The Americans began intrenchments within hearing dis-
tance of the enemy and kept the fires burning brightly.
About one o'clock, the patriot army, excepting about
Brandywine and Germantown
67
hood on a visit, soon arrived with several hundred militia 1777
and a desperate fight followed. Arnold had two horses
shot under him. When the first horse fell and the rider
was extricating his feet from the stirrups, a Tory called
upon him to " Surrender ! " " Not yet," answered Arnold,
as, freeing himself, he drew a pistol, shot the Tory, and
escaped through whizzing bullets to the woods. The
British made their way to their convoy with a loss of
about forty killed, many wounded, and some captured.
Trevelyan, an English historian, says: "It was Lexing-
ton over again, in every particular, except that at Lex-
ington the Royal forces had been commanded by a man
of honour."
While at Baltimore, congress had appointed five new The imperfect
major-generals, Stirling, Mifflin, Saint Clair, Stephen, and crga^'"4^°^ "^
Lincoln, passing over Arnold who was senior brigadier. February 19
The pretext for this strange proceeding was that Con-
necticut already had two major-generals and ought not to
have another, but the real reason lay deeper. Horatio
Gates's intrigue was aided by New England hostility to
Schuyler. As Schuyler's conspicuous friend, Arnold was
disliked by Schuyler's enemies, and by others he was
blamed for the disasters of the northern campaign.
Arnold was incensed by the injustice of congress, but,
soothed by Washington, he consented to remain in the
army and to serve under those who lately were his in-
feriors. After the Tryon
raid, congress gave him a
fine horse and a major-
general's commission, but
did not restore him to his
relative rank.
At the beginning of
1776, the union flag of
thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white, with the
crosses of Saint George
and Saint Andrew had
been unfurled in the camp The First Flag ofthe Union (a reconstruction)
The First
Flag
70
Brandywine and Germantown
Pulaski
I 7 7 7 or New York attacked. Washington at once sent one of
his aides, Colonel Alexander Hamilton, to report the con-
clusion of the coun-
cil to congress and
to seek its decision
on the matter. Con-
gress promptly ap-
proved the decision,
but, on the follow-
ing day, word was
received that imme-
diately changed the
plan of operations.
Leaving the Brit-
ish fleet at sea, we
turn our attention
tor a moment to
three European offi-
cers who, in the
summer of 1777,
entered the service
of the young repub-
lic. Count Casimir
Pulaski was a native
of Poland whose
estates had been
confiscated; out-
lawed and with a
price upon his head,
he escaped to Tur-
key and thence
passed to France where he met Franklin. As a result
of this meeting, Pulaski came to America, became a
member of Washington's staff, and, on the fifteenth of
September, was appointed commander of the cavalry with
the rank of major-general. As the native officers would
not be reconciled to the orders of a foreigner who could
speak little English and whose ideas of discipline and
tactics differed widely from their own, Pulaski resigned
Brandywine and Germantown
71
7 7
Kalb
his command in
March, 1778. By
authority of congress,
he then recruited,
chiefly at Baltimore,
three companies of
cavalry armed with
lances and three
companies of light
infantry — a corps
that became famous
under the name of
Pulaski's legion.
Another ofiicer was
the "Baron" Johann
de Kalb, a native of
Bayreuth who had
risen to the ^^^ ^^
the French
army. He had
taken part in the Seven Years' war and, in 1768, was
sent to America as the secret agent of the French gov-
ernment. In 1777, he agreed with Deane to join the
continental army, came to America with Lafayette, and
was made a major-general. Both Pulaski and Kalb September 15
were to give their lives to the cause in which they
now embarked.
The third officer was the Marquis de Lafayette, not Lafayette
yet twenty years of age, the possessor of a large fortune,
the husband of a charming wife, and one of a family that
for centuries had been distinguished in French history.
In August, 1775, while stationed at Metz as a captain of
artillery, he heard the duke of Gloucester, brother of the
English king, give an account of the American revolt.
Before he left the table, he resolved to offer his services to
America. At Paris, he found grave and unexpected difficul-
ties ; France was not ready to take action that might result
74
Brandywine and Germantown
Howe's
Advance
toward the
Brandywine
1777 capital, the army advanced without delay to Wilmington.
About this time came cheering news from Stark at Ben-
nington, of
which more in a
later chapter.
On the day
that Washing-
ton arrived at
Wilmington,
the British,
eighteen thou-
sand strong,
landed a few
miles below the
head of Elk
[Elkton]. On
the third of Sep-
tember, they
drove back
Maxwell's
picked corps. It
has been claimed
that, while pass-
ing through
Philadelphia,
some of the
Delaware
troops had
secured flags
made in accord-
ance with the statute of the fourteenth of June and
that, in this skirmish near Coochs bridge, the stars and
stripes were first under fire. Of this there is no defi-
nite proof, only a presumption. It is possible, perhaps
probable, that the new flag was displayed then and there,
but it is known (and knowledge is more conclusive than
presumption) that the stars and stripes had been used
in action a month before at Fort Schuyler, as will be
explained more fully in the next chapter. In seeking
,/^^^^ 1 1 T »
E- House in which wounded were cared for WhlCh L^OlOnel Long S
'— -' ^American Forces . . ^
c=i » British Forces ISJ c=i German Auxiliaries ammUnitlOn gaVe OUt. iu
Map of the Battle of Hubbardton COnSCquence of this, Fort
Saratoga
95
Anne was burned and Long then retreated
to Fort Edward where he joined General ■
Schuyler. In his Journal^ Lieutenant Dig-
by says: "At that action, the 9th took their
colours, which were intended as a present
to their Colonel Lord Ligonier.
] "^'^
They were very hand-
some, a flag of the United
States, 13 stripes alter-
nate red and white [with
thirteen stars], in a blue
field representing a new
constellation." If we
could accept this entry as
correct, it would establish
the eighth of July, 1777,
as the date of the first fly-
ing of the stars and stripes
in battle. But it appears
that news of the enact-
ment of the flag statute
of the fourteenth of June
was not received at Al-
bany until the thirty-first
of July and it seems
Cartridge Box used during the
Revolution
(From collection of Mr. Harry
A. Ogdeni
'^%
Two Flags of the Second New Hampshire Regiment
taken by the British at Fort Anne
(Now in possession of Colonel George W. Rogers, of Wyke-
ham, Burgess Hill, Sussex, to whom we are indebted for
permission to reproduce these, and through whose
kind assistance we obtained colored photographs
from which the above were engraved^
I lO
Saratoga
Gates
Supersedes
Schuyler
1777 General Benjamin Lincoln, who had been sent by Schuy-
ler into New England to raise troops, was hovering in
Burgoyne's rear eager to pounce with his two thousand
men upon Ticonderoga; Stark, now a major-general,
sent word that he was on his way with the surviving
heroes of Bennington; smaller bands of well-armed
patriots were busy with Burgoyne's communications; a
few days more and Arnold would be back from the
Mohawk with his eight hundred jubilant volunteers and
reinforcements from the Tryon County militia. The
army in Burgoyne's front had already been strengthened
by thousands of volunteers and by Nixon's and Glover's
brigades and Morgan's Virginia riflemen that Washington
had sent from his own insufficient force. Schuyler had
fairly retrieved his reputation and held the confidence of
the ten thousand men whom he could put in line when
the shock of battle came.
Even the fathers of the republic had their jealousies
and rivalries that did much to lessen the effectiveness of
the army. Congress
made generals at its
will and replaced them
at its pleasure, and
sometimes was con-,
trolled by party spirit
and sectional jealousy
rather than by merit.
We have seen how
Arnold and Stark had
thus been wronged,
but nowhere else
were the mischievous
effects of political
"pull" as vividly por-
trayed as in the com-
mand of the northern
General Horatio Gates department. WoOS-
ter, Thomas, Sullivan, Schuyler, and Gates had come and
gone in quick succession, leaving Schuyler in command
If
«.-'r'"^*::^M?« 4k •
LyP
*» /^ 0^^^
f ?
if^
i;
o^
f
II^be
n^
?^fH
iy
MIL.
11
H^
p
P
tpg
^Bh
^y
1 ■ . 1 i| ( \
Tir
?T^i^
\ "ij"-^
'■
H A
T E
R
V
FOREIGN RELATIONS AND THE FRENCH ALLIANCE
Vergennes
T
Beaumarchais
HE Seven Years' war had weakened and humili-
ated France but had not destroyed the pride of
her people or the determination of her states-
men to regain what had been lost. With unrelenting
energy, her great minister, Choiseul,
strengthened the French navy, and
watched for a weak spot in Eng-
land's armor. Louis XV. died in
1774 and was succeeded by his
grandson, Louis XVL, a youth
of good intentions and feeble
will. The new prime minister
was the comte de Maurepas,
but Maurepas was old and
the department of foreign
affairs was in the hands of
Charles Gravier, comte de Ver-
gennes, who was possessed by
/ two absorbing ideas — to restore
France to what he considered her
rightful rank and to humble England.
Early in 1 776, Vergennes laid before
the king a memorial on foreign affairs
suggesting that "all means should be
employed to render the next campaign
as animated as possible and to procure advantages to the
Americans." But the kings of France and Spain were
Louis XVI.
(From painting by Duplessis, in
Versailles Gallery, Paris)
Valley Forge, Monmouth, and Newport 169
dwelling." The wives of other general officers followed 1777
the example of Mrs. Washington by joining their hus- 1778
bands in the winter camps.
Thomas Conway was the decorated Irish colonel of The Conway
a French regiment who had come to Amer- - ^^^^^
ica and, as a brigadier-general, had taken
part in the battles of Brandywine and
Germantown. In the latter part of
1777 and in spite of Washington's
disapproval, he was made a major-
general and assigned to duty as
inspector-general of the army, thus I
"jumping" several who were his .
seniors by commission. Embittered
by Washington's opposition and
endowed with a gift for making trouble,
he became one of the leaders of "an
intrigue which rumbled and spluttered \
below the surface of affairs all through that
ill-famed winter." Tust how definite the .',„,,.
** r J U U Martha Washington
conspiracy was is a matter Ot doubt, but (promStuart's painting in the Museum
it is certain that a few aspiring and dissat- of Fine Arts, Boston)
isfied men like Conway, Gates, Mifflin, and the paroled
Lee, desired to effect a change in the head of the army
in the hope that
it would inure to
their benefit. Just
Autograph of Thomas Conway ^ who WaS tO SUC-
ceed Washington is also a matter of doubt. Most
writers on the subject have assumed that Washington's
successor would have been Gates, then fresh from Sara-
toga and laurel-crowned, but Lafayette always believed
that Charles Lee was to have been the man. It is
probable that the "conspirators" had not agreed on this
point themselves and that there was no definite con-
spiracy; simply dissatisfaction and a willingness to get
rid of Washington.
Through the influence of the dissatisfied, congress a Blessing
created a board of war and transferred to it some of the '" ^'^e"'^*
§!v.
Dickinson '4
Mili'
Shc/rt Hills
iyram s
'^Tavern
(J g Stark arii
Maxwell
r, „ Huntington and
"Z7 Jackson
American Forces in Blue
' British Forces in Red
First Position in battle ^ ma
Second Position in battleaO
Setand BrjMge\
Major Leal
auxhall Bridge
Col. J
>^'
Battle of Springfield
June 23, 1780
Map of the Battle of Springfidd
Connecticut FarmsN
burned at first attempt
Sgfiinst Morristowp
-June 7, 1780
tion, "Put Watts into
them, boys." On the
other road, the British
were checked at the
bridge by Major Lee's
cavalry covered by Colo-
nel Ogden's regiment.
i^lli Greene, who was in com-
mand, soon found that he
could not hold so long a line
and took post on a range of
hills in the rear of Byram's
tavern where the two roads
were nearer together so that
aid could be sent from one to
the other. He thus was able to
Webb's Third Connecticut Regiment Flag used during 1 ^ u Txr L L > • ^ j
the Revolutionary War dctach Wcbb s rcgimcnt Under
(Now owned by The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of LieUtCnant-Colonel Huntmg-
the Revolution, by whose courteous permission tOn and Colonel HcnrV
it is reproduced in colors in facsimile
of its present appearance )
Jackson's regiment with one
The War in the North, 1779— 1780 241
piece of artillery. The advance of the British was 1780
checked and Springfield was burned; at midnight, Clin-
ton's army crossed to Staten Island, removed
the bridge of boats behind them, and thus
relieved New Jersey of her five years'
warfare.
I n the following month, the chevalier
de Ternay with a French fleet and the
count de Rochambeau with about six
thousand troops arrived at Newport.
Fleet and troops had been sent
largely through the efforts of Lafay-
ette who, in February, had
returned to France for a
short visit. With Ro-
chambeau came Francois
Jean Chastellux, mar-
quis, major-general,
and relative of Lafay-
ette. Other French '^^^ Marquis de Chastellux
troops who were to follow were Rochambeau's
blockaded in the port of Brest, ^'"'"'
and a British fleet under Ad-
Eiiz/ethtown ^^'^^^al Arbuthnot promptly
blockaded Newport.
Rochambeau was there-
tore unable to render
any assistance of
Advance of British Army from
Staten Island
Part ofl
Encampment 7 ■ ,t\^~<'
around New VorA;^^.A^^^^JV_>V.^
254 "^he War in the North, 1779— 1780
With Clearer
Vision
1780 Some of his sons rose to high rank in the British service
and one died a lieutenant-general. Still, his later life was
bitter. In comparative
poverty, he died in
London, in i 80 1.
During these years,
his wife remained de-
voted to him and he
repaid her with an
undivided affection.
He rarely referred to
his treason, but tradi- :
tion says that when j^_^^
death drew near he Andre's own sketch of Himself
called for his American uniform and the epaulets and
sword-knot that Washington had
given to him. " Let me die in
my old American uniform, the
uniform in which I fought
my battles. May God for-
give me for ever putting
on any other!"
For generations, the
hatred of "the traitor
Arnold" rendered it im-
possible for Americans
to do justice to Arnold,
the superb soldier. At
Saratoga stands a tall obe-
lisk with four arched niches
in its sides. Inone niche is
the bronze effigy of Gates;
n another, that of Schuyler;
i n the third, that of M organ ; the
fourthis vacant — an emptiness that
speaks eloquently of one who, but
Mrs. Benedict Arnold fQj. q^q f^Jse Step into which he was
driven by hatred and injustice and his own moral weakness,
would be regarded today as the greatest of the four.
On the Sea
261
In congress.
The DELEGATESof the UNITED STATES of N^u. Hampjhhe, M.iiTachufats^Bay.
RbodelJIand, ConnrSkut, N(wYork, New-Jerffy, Pennfylvania, Dflawarf, Maryland, Virginia,
NoTtb-Carohna, Soulh-Caroliim, and Georgia, TO
C/e/pil' (VWW^ (J/^^t^, c,^^'
w
E, repofing efpecialTruft and Confidence in your Palriolifm, Valour, Condu(fl,and Fidelity
DO, by thefe Prefenls, conflituie and appoint you to be iJ'Afi7a*n/
- ^'^"'•'' ""• in tht W^of the United
Stales of North America, fitted out for the Defence of American Liberty, and for repelling every hoftilc
Invafion thereof. You are therefore carefully and diligently to difcharge the Duty of yica/it^n'
by doing and performing all manner of Things thereunto belonging. Andwe do ftriflly charee
and require all Officers, Marines and Seamen under ^our Command, to be obedient to your Orders as
ipaittain.^ And you are to obferve and follow fuch Orders and Diredions from Time to
Time as you fhall leceive from this or afuture Congrefs of the United States, or Committee of Congrefs
for that Purpofe appointed, or Commander m Chief for the Time being of the Nav^ of the United
Stales, or any other your fupenor Officer, according to the Rules and Difciphne of War, the Ufage of
the Sea, and the Inffruftions herewith g^iven you, in Purfnance of the Trull repofed in you. This
CommifTion to continue in Force until revoked by this or a future Congrefs.
D A T E D at (^ifa^c/^dc^ 0U/.^ 10 "^ i//^
By Order _ol_jbe Congress,
mUi-'Mo-fmir*:
Facsimile ot Jones's Commission as Captain
"Providence" and the "Alfred," he took many prizes
including the ship
"Mellish" laden with
storesfor Carleton'sarmy.
In June, 1777, being then
a captain, he was given
command of the
"Ranger" and hoisted
over her the first "Stars
and Stripes" ever raised
over an American war-
ship. After his arrival in
France, he obtained from
a French admiral the first
salute ever given to that
flag by the representa-
tive of a foreign power;
the ink had hardly had
7 7 7
7 7 8
The "Stars and Stripes" of the
"Bon Homme Richard"
February 14,
1778
264
On the Sea
The Cruise of
the " Bon
Homme
Richard ' '
1779 Norway, Portugal, Fayal, and Malaisia, while there were
seven Maltese, and the knight of the ship's galley was
from Africa."
On the fourteenth of August, the squadron put to sea
accompanied by two French privateers. The privateers
and the "Cerf" soon left the squadron and did not come
back. Taking occasional prizes, Jones sailed up the west
coast of Ireland and came down the east coast of Scotland
to beard the Hon in his den. A daring scheme to seize
the shipping at Leith, the port of Edinburgh, and to
exact a ransom was frustrated by a gale that drove the
September 17 squadron out of the Firth of Forth. By the middle of
September, Jones had captured or
destroyed twenty-six vessels and spread
terror along the east coast of Scot-
land and England. On the
twenty-third of September, off
Flamborough Head, he sighted a
fleet of forty British merchantmen
under convoy of the "Countess
of Scarborough" of twenty-
eight guns, and of the "Serapis,"
rated at forty-four but mounting
fifty guns and commanded by
Captain Richard Pearson.
Jones gave the signal for a chase
and Pearson signaled for the ships
under convoy to take care of them-
selves. Most of the merchantmen ran
in shore and anchored under
cover of the guns of Scarborough
castle. Landais, the French
captain of the '* Alliance," who
had been insubordinate throughout the cruise, made little
or no effort to obey Jones's signals and called out to
Captain Cottineau of the " Pal-
las" that, if the fleet was con-
voyed by a vessel of more than
fifty guns, they must run away. Autograph of Peter Landais
Off
Flamborough
Head
' a^
On the Sea
267
"Richard" would drift away, but the vessels swung 1779
together, head and stern, with their sides touching.
The ships were so close together that the closed ports
midship the "Serapis" could not be opened and the
gunners there "fired their first shots through their own
port-lids and blew them off." The guns of either ship
were fired into the starboard ports or through the sides
of the other. Men fought with pikes and pistols
"AUianoe"
Capt. Landau
Bon Homme
Richard
'^^ Serapis
Alliance
Capl. Pearson
"Boil Homme Richard" "
Capt. John Paul Jones
The Engagement, September 23, 1779
through the open ports, and hand-grenades were dropped
from the yards of the "Richard" upon the deck of the
"Serapis." The fire of the "Serapis" silenced the main-
deck battery of the "Richard," but Jones kept on fight-
ing with his 9-pounders which he helped to serve with
his own hands and, with the assistance of musketry in
the tops, raked the deck of the enemy fore and aft.
Meanwhile, the "Alliance" had been acting in an captain
extraordinary manner. The facts are not entirely clear, ^^"'^^'^
268
On the Sea
Poailioii -S IPalliu
&/>/. 10> ,*/,-,„^,„„,,
_^ Son HomiM Bichar