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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of George Washington, by Calista McCabe Courtenay
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: George Washington
+
+Author: Calista McCabe Courtenay
+
+Release Date: June 29, 2007 [EBook #21972]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GEORGE WASHINGTON ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Stephen Hope, Janet Blenkinship and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  "MAKERS OF AMERICAN HISTORY" SERIES
+
+
+  GEORGE
+  WASHINGTON
+
+
+  By CALISTA McCABE COURTENAY
+
+
+  ILLUSTRATED BY
+
+  A. M. TURNER
+
+  AND
+
+  HARRIET KAUCHER
+
+
+  [Illustration: George Washington]
+
+
+  Copyright, 1917, by
+  SAM'L GABRIEL SONS & COMPANY
+  NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                                           PAGE
+  CHAPTER I                                                   5
+
+  Washington's Early Life--Appointed as Surveyor--First
+  Trip into the Wilderness--Entrusted with Message
+  to the French.
+
+  CHAPTER II                                                 20
+
+  Washington Appointed a Member of Gen. Braddock's
+  Staff--French and Indian War--Washington Made
+  Commander of Virginia Forces--Causes of the American
+  Revolution--Washington a Member of the First Continental
+  Congress.
+
+  CHAPTER III                                                30
+
+  Beginning of the Revolution--Washington
+  Made Commander-in-Chief
+  of the Continental
+  Army--British Forced
+  to Leave Boston.
+
+  CHAPTER IV                                                 40
+
+  Declaration of Independence
+  Signed--Battle
+  of Long Island--Battle
+  of White Plains--Washington
+  Crosses the Delaware
+  and Surprises the
+  Hessians at Trenton.
+
+  CHAPTER V                                                  52
+
+  Recapture of Fort Ticonderoga
+  by Gen. Burgoyne--Battle
+  of Brandywine--Battle
+  of Germantown--Burgoyne's
+  Surrender
+  at Saratoga--Washington
+  at Valley Forge--Alliance with France.
+
+  CHAPTER VI                                                 62
+
+  Battle of Monmouth--Patriots Receive Aid from France--Recapture
+  of Fort at Stony Point by Gen. Anthony
+  Wayne--Washington at Morristown--Surrender of
+  Charleston, S. C., to the British--Treason of Benedict
+  Arnold.
+
+  CHAPTER VII                                                73
+
+  Gen. Gates Defeated at Camden, S. C.--Battle of King's
+  Mountain--Washington Sends Aid to the South--Siege of
+  Yorktown--Surrender of Lord Cornwallis--Peace Treaty
+  Signed--Washington's Farewell to His Officers.
+
+  CHAPTER VIII                                               83
+
+  Washington Retires to Mount Vernon--Inaugurated as
+  First President of the United States--His Reelection--His
+  Death at Mount Vernon.
+
+
+[Illustration: The Washington Monument]
+
+
+LIST OF COLORED PLATES
+
+  Washington Leaving His Home                              _Frontispiece_
+
+  Washington Taking Command of the Army                               20
+
+  Washington Crossing the Delaware                                    40
+
+  At Valley Forge                                                     52
+
+  Washington Bidding Farewell to His Officers                         73
+
+  Washington Welcomed in New York                                     83
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+     WASHINGTON'S EARLY LIFE--APPOINTED AS SURVEYOR--FIRST TRIP INTO THE
+     WILDERNESS--ENTRUSTED WITH MESSAGE TO THE FRENCH--1732-1754
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The twenty-second day of February is a national holiday in America
+because, as everybody knows, it is the anniversary of George
+Washington's birthday. All loyal Americans love and honor him, the
+greatest man in the history of the Republic.
+
+He was born in 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia, where the Potomac
+River flowed past his father's farm. The farm-house, called "Wakefield,"
+was burned, but the United States Government built a monument to mark
+the place where it stood.
+
+When "Wakefield" was destroyed, the family lived for a time in a home,
+later called Mount Vernon, in Fairfax County. But the real boyhood home
+of George Washington was a farm overlooking the Rappahannock River,
+where his parents went when he was about eight years old. His father,
+Augustine Washington, was a prosperous Virginia planter, and owned
+several fine estates.
+
+His mother's name was Mary Ball. She was a beautiful and sensible woman,
+and a wise, firm and loving mother. She was his father's second wife and
+there were two little lads already in the home, Lawrence and Augustine,
+when she came to take the place of their mother who had died. Besides
+these two half-brothers, George had two sisters and three brothers. The
+two older sons were sent to England to school.
+
+When George was eight years old, Lawrence returned home, having finished
+his studies. A great affection at once sprang up between them. George
+was a fine, manly little fellow whom any big brother could love, and he
+looked up to Lawrence as a model. Before long, Lawrence went away to the
+wars, serving under Admiral Vernon in the West Indies. His letters
+filled George with admiration and he at once became commander-in-chief
+of all the boys at school; they had parades and battles in imitation of
+those Lawrence wrote about.
+
+George's father died when he was twelve years old, but, fortunately, he
+had a wise and careful mother. She taught him respect and obedience to
+authority; justice and courtesy to others; loyalty to God and his
+country. He had a high temper and a spirit of command, which she taught
+him to control. A few times only in his life, when greatly provoked, did
+his anger get beyond bounds. He loved and honored his mother deeply and
+never forgot her teachings.
+
+George and his younger brothers were educated in the country schools of
+Virginia. George soon showed that he had a practical mind, caring little
+for poetry and literature. He liked mathematics and wanted to know about
+business and keeping accounts. He spent hours copying into a book the
+exact forms of legal papers of all kinds. He was very neat and accurate
+in his school work and learned the value of system and order. He never
+began a thing without finishing it. He never did anything without
+knowing the reason why. When he grew up, these fine principles and this
+skill and accuracy, fitted him to take a great part in the history of
+America.
+
+All boys in those early days knew how to handle guns and manage horses.
+George was an expert rider and loved the life of the woods. Being
+exceptionally tall and strong, he was the champion athlete at school. It
+is said he could throw a stone farther than any man in Virginia.
+Besides, he was so fair-minded that the boys always let him settle their
+disputes and quarrels, knowing he would give every one a square deal. He
+was the admired and trusted leader of them all.
+
+In addition to his mother's care, George soon had the loving advice and
+devoted friendship of his brother Lawrence. The war was over and that
+splendid young gentleman had come home, and had married the charming
+Anne Fairfax. His house, willed to him by his father, stood upon a hill
+overlooking the beautiful Potomac River. To this lovely home, surrounded
+by lawns and stately trees, Lawrence gave the name Mount Vernon, in
+honor of the Admiral under whom he had served. George spent as much time
+as possible here, where he met many persons of education and refinement.
+
+While he was still a young boy, he wrote out for himself a long list of
+rules of politeness and good behavior. He had observed that older people
+do not like careless children, who forget the comforts and rights of
+others. As a result, he was well liked by his brother's friends. Among
+them were often military and naval officers, who told him stories of war
+and adventure in foreign lands. When he was fourteen, one of these
+officers would have appointed him midshipman in the British navy. He was
+eager to go, but his mother needed his help in the management of their
+property. So he continued two years more at school, studying
+mathematics, engineering and surveying.
+
+The country was then new and wild and there was much work for land
+surveyors, whose business it was to measure off boundaries and describe
+the positions of rivers, mountains and forests in a piece of land.
+George learned to do this so well that by the time he was sixteen, he
+was appointed public surveyor of his county. His chief work for the next
+three years was on the vast tracts of land owned by Lord Fairfax, the
+uncle of Lawrence Washington's wife. Though very young, George was a
+great favorite with his lordship, who often took him fox hunting.
+George was a bold and skillful horseman and rode well after the hounds.
+
+[Illustration: Surveying]
+
+The estate of Lord Fairfax, lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock
+rivers and extending to the Alleghany Mountains, had been given to his
+grandfather by King Charles II. These lands had never been settled nor
+surveyed. People known as squatters were now moving in and taking
+possession of the best places without permission. It became necessary to
+have the land surveyed, and these settlers either driven out or made to
+pay for certain definite parts. Lord Fairfax knew no one who could do
+this so well as George Washington, for he was strong and fair enough to
+deal wisely with the rough settlers. It was just what George wanted to
+do, and he gladly accepted the offer.
+
+In March, George set out for his first trip into the wilderness. He was
+just sixteen years old, and it was his first big undertaking. George
+Fairfax, Anne's brother, went with him. They crossed the mountains into
+the lovely valley of the Shenandoah River. George's letters home were
+full of the beauty of the country and the richness of the land. After
+the first night, they found it more comfortable to sleep out under the
+sky than in the poor, untidy lodgings of the settlers. They lived on
+wild turkey and other game. They did their own cooking, roasting the
+meat on sticks over the fire and eating it on broad, clean chips.
+
+They met a party of war-painted Indians, and for the first time George
+saw an Indian war dance. He studied the Indians carefully, for he wanted
+to understand their ways so that he might know how to deal with them.
+All through his life, he was kind and just in his treatment of these
+people.
+
+The work of surveying grants of land took them long distances among the
+mountains and through the valleys. They traveled on horseback over the
+woodland trails, for there were as yet no roads. Sometimes they found
+the rivers so high that they crossed in canoes, their horses swimming.
+
+George returned in a month, well pleased with his adventures, and Lord
+Fairfax, delighted with his success, paid him well.
+
+The cordial, friendly, free life of Virginia pleased Lord Fairfax more
+than did the life in England. When he heard the account of the
+fertility and beauty of the Shenandoah Valley, he decided to make his
+home there. George laid out for him a fine farm of ten thousand acres.
+The long stone farm-house, surrounded by servants' quarters, stables and
+kennels, was located on a charming hillside. The place was called
+"Greenway Court," and visitors always found a warm welcome, whether
+Indians, woodsmen, or friends from the cities. Here George stayed when
+on his surveying trips and during the hunting seasons.
+
+Until he was nineteen, George spent his time at his work, or at home
+with his mother or at Mount Vernon with Lawrence. The society of his
+home and friends kept him from being spoiled by the roughness of the
+wilderness. He was now six feet, two inches in height, with a fresh,
+out-door complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He had attractive
+manners, he was careful about his dress, and presented a pleasing
+appearance. Through all his life, George Washington was a true
+gentleman.
+
+He was so well paid for his work that he was able to buy several pieces
+of fine land. His noble character gave him a high place among the
+leading men of his colony. When he was nineteen, he was appointed one of
+four military officers in the colonies, with the rank and pay of a
+major, $750 a year--a considerable sum at that time.
+
+Troubles had now arisen between the French and the English about the
+ownership of lands west of the Alleghany Mountains. The Indians,
+regarding the lands as theirs, took part in the disturbance. To protect
+her frontiers, Virginia was divided into four districts, each under a
+leader, whose duty it was to organize and drill militia. George at once
+began to study military tactics and the arts of war. This was
+interrupted by a trip to the West Indies with his beloved brother
+Lawrence, who was ill of consumption.
+
+They had hardly arrived there when George had a severe attack of
+smallpox; though he soon got well, his face was scarred for life. He
+wrote home about the beauty of the island, the wonderful trees and
+fruits, and his social pleasures--dinners, parties and drives. For the
+first time in his life, he attended a theater. He visited the courts of
+justice and the fortifications; studied the laws, the soil and the
+crops, learning all that could be learned about the island. The trip
+resulted in no lasting good for Lawrence, however, for he died the
+following summer, beloved and honored by the colonists.
+
+George was only twenty, but Lawrence left Mount Vernon in his charge,
+and the care of his wife and little daughter. The farm on the
+Rappahannock had been given to George by their father. These two fine
+estates, with the property he had bought for himself, made George a
+large land owner when still a very young man. The care of all this
+property and his military duties kept him busy.
+
+During this time, the trouble with the French had grown more serious.
+The English, having settled the eastern sea-coast, claimed the lands to
+the west for their settlers. The French claimed the same lands by reason
+of having explored them first. The rich country lying west of the
+Alleghany Mountains, between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River, was
+the region in question. The French were planning to hold it by a line of
+forts from the Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and near the eastern end of
+Lake Erie, they had built two forts.
+
+Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia decided to send a message to the
+French commandant, Saint Pierre, warning him to keep off English soil.
+He needed someone brave and strong enough to travel in the winter,
+through hundreds and hundreds of miles of forests and across mountains
+and swift rivers; who knew how to take care of himself in the woods; who
+could get along with the Indians, and meet the French officers with
+courtesy and wisdom.
+
+Of all the men in Virginia, the Governor chose George Washington, only
+twenty-one years old, for this dangerous and important journey!
+
+So, late in the autumn of 1753, Major Washington set out for the Ohio
+River, accompanied by Christopher Gist, a brave and daring frontiersman,
+and an Indian chief called Half King, as guides, together with
+interpreters and a small company of trusted men. They traveled on
+horseback, and took with them tents and supplies for the journey.
+
+As they proceeded, cold weather overtook them and the forests became
+almost impassable from snow. Traveling was so difficult that, when they
+reached the Monongahela River, they sent two men down the river in a
+canoe with their baggage. These men waited for them at the fork where
+the Allegheny River joins the Monongahela to form the Ohio. As soon as
+Washington saw this fork, he marked it as a splendid location for a
+fort, of which we shall learn more later.
+
+Pushing on a little farther, Washington and his men reached a little
+settlement on the Ohio River, where Indian chiefs met him in council. He
+told them he had a letter for the French commandant and asked for their
+advice and help. Indians are very dignified and slow in their councils.
+They kept Washington waiting for several days. Then three of the
+greatest chiefs went with him to the French forts. These were in what is
+now northwestern Pennsylvania. It was a journey of many miles through
+snow and mud and took nearly a week.
+
+[Illustration: Starting for the French Camp]
+
+It was almost the middle of December before Washington delivered his
+message to the French commandant, Saint Pierre. He was politely
+received by the French officers, with whom he discussed matters very
+tactfully. It took some days to prepare the reply to the Governor of
+Virginia. While they waited, the French tried, with presents and liquor,
+to coax Washington's Indian friends to leave him. At this time, the
+Indian tribes were in a difficult position. Both the French and the
+English were trying to get their lands and each seeking to win their
+alliance against the other. Washington reminded the chiefs that he had
+their word of honor and so kept them with him.
+
+After receiving the French reply, the party started back home, going as
+far as possible in canoes. The rivers were swollen and full of ice,
+making the water-trip extremely dangerous. On Christmas Day, Washington
+began his long journey home--nearly a thousand miles through almost
+trackless forests. The horses became so tired that he and Christopher
+Gist decided to hurry on foot, in advance of the others, to the fork of
+the Ohio, leaving their horses to be brought later. They tramped several
+days, camping in the forests at night. An Indian met them and offered to
+show them a short cut. But he was treacherous and guided them out of
+their way and tried to shoot them. They escaped, traveling as fast as
+they could all night and all the next day.
+
+At nightfall they came to the Allegheny River, expecting to find it
+frozen over, but it was full of floating ice and they had no way to
+cross. After working a whole day, with only a small hatchet, they made a
+raft. In trying to pole this across the swift current, Washington was
+thrown into the water and was nearly drowned, but he managed to get on
+the raft again and they reached an island, where they spent the night.
+It was so intensely cold that Gist's hands and feet were frozen. The
+next morning, they got ashore on the chunks of ice and by suppertime
+were in the warm house of a trader named Frazier. In a few days, they
+were rested enough to go on to Gist's home, where the Major bade his
+companion good-by and went on alone on horseback, through constant snows
+and bitter cold.
+
+On the sixteenth of January (1754), Major Washington delivered the
+French reply to Governor Dinwiddie. He had been absent almost three
+months on his perilous journey, and you can imagine that his mother and
+friends were glad to see him safe at home again.
+
+The Governor and the colonists were very proud of the way Washington had
+performed his errand. His wisdom in his dealings with the Indians and
+the French, his firmness, his courage and daring in the face of peril,
+had indeed been marked. He had not only done well what he had been sent
+to do, but he had thoroughly examined the French forts and made notes of
+the best places for English defenses. From that time, he was trusted
+with important duties.
+
+As might have been expected, the reply from the French commandant stated
+that the land belonged to French settlers and that they intended to keep
+it. It was Washington's opinion that the French intended in the spring
+to take possession of the whole country. The Governor of Virginia tried
+to interest other colonies to help fight the French. When they refused,
+Virginia sent Captain Trent to raise a company of men in the western
+country and to build a fort at the fork of the Ohio River, where the
+city of Pittsburgh now stands.
+
+Washington, now Colonel, was ordered to raise three hundred men and
+build a road to this fort for cannon and supplies. He succeeded in
+getting together one hundred and fifty men, who were poorly equipped,
+and without training. They built the road as far as Cumberland. Here, in
+April, 1754, they met Captain Trent's men in retreat. A French force of
+three hundred men had surprised them by suddenly paddling down the river
+in canoes, and planting their guns before the fort, with a summons to
+surrender in an hour. One young officer and fifty men could not hold out
+against so many. So they surrendered and marched back over the
+mountains.
+
+Every day traders and settlers came by, hurrying eastward. They said the
+French had taken the place at the fork of the Ohio and were building a
+strong fort. They were coaxing the Indians, with fine presents, to fight
+the English. If the British were to succeed against the French, they
+required a good road over which to march an army. So Colonel Washington
+hurried the road building as much as possible, but at best he could make
+only slow progress in such mountainous country.
+
+He received a message from the friendly chief Half King, telling him
+that a French force was on its way to attack him. With a little band of
+men, Washington made his way by night through the forest, in a heavy
+rain, to the camp of Half King. Indian scouts tracked the Frenchmen to a
+forest near a place called Great Meadows, where, in May, Washington and
+his men attacked them on one side and the Indians on the other. The
+Colonel was in the thickest of the fight and, for the first time, heard
+bullets whistling about his head. Ten Frenchmen were killed and
+twenty-one taken prisoners. Half King sent the scalps of the dead men,
+with tomahawks and strings of black wampum (small beads made of shells
+and sometimes used by the Indians as money), to all his allies and asked
+them to join the English.
+
+This was Washington's first skirmish and it opened the French and Indian
+War that lasted seven years. Washington now encamped at Great Meadows
+where he dug rude trenches, which he called Fort Necessity. Supplies of
+food and ammunition were slow in reaching him. He had been reenforced
+with troops from the command of Colonel Fry, who had died on the way,
+and Washington was now made commander of the joint forces of about three
+hundred men.
+
+The French finished their fort, which they called Duquesne (doo-cane).
+Then about nine hundred French and Indians attacked Washington. The
+English fought bravely, but Half King and his men deserted Washington.
+Being greatly outnumbered, he was obliged to surrender.
+
+Colonel Washington led his beaten and discouraged men home, trying to
+cheer them while sharing their hardships. The campaign, fought against
+such odds, had not been successful, but Washington was publicly thanked
+for his bravery and hard work.
+
+He resigned his commission and went to look after his mother's affairs.
+He soon settled at Mount Vernon and began work on his farm. His greatest
+desire was to devote himself to country life, but he was needed too much
+by the colony to be allowed to live as a private man.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+     WASHINGTON APPOINTED A MEMBER OF GEN. BRADDOCK'S STAFF--FRENCH AND
+     INDIAN WAR--WASHINGTON MADE COMMANDER OF VIRGINIA FORCES--CAUSES OF
+     THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION--WASHINGTON A MEMBER OF THE FIRST
+     CONTINENTAL CONGRESS--1755-1775
+
+
+Early in the following year (1775), England sent out General Braddock
+and a thousand soldiers, trained in battle, to take Fort Duquesne and
+drive the French from the Ohio Valley. Washington was appointed a member
+of his staff.
+
+[Illustration: The Indians fell upon their flanks]
+
+General Braddock was a brave and experienced soldier, but he knew
+nothing of warfare in a new country, amid great forests and savage foes.
+He knew but one way to fight, which he had learned in the orderly camps
+and wide fields of Europe, and felt that nobody could defeat his
+well-drilled soldiers. He thought Washington too young to give advice,
+and paid no attention to what he said. He looked with contempt upon the
+queerly dressed, untrained Virginia troops, whom he called "raw
+recruits." Instead of being friendly and generous with the Indians,
+Braddock treated them coldly and they left him.
+
+With much difficulty, the army and its supplies were brought over the
+mountains and approached Fort Duquesne early in July. As they drew near
+it, Braddock's men put on their scarlet uniforms and forded the river,
+with bands playing and colors flying. It was the first time Washington
+ever saw a regular, well-disciplined army and he enjoyed the sight,
+although he wondered how their orderly ranks were going to fight among
+the rocks and trees. Fearing an attack from the woods, he wanted to send
+Indian scouts and Virginia rangers ahead. General Braddock admired
+Washington, but could not help laughing at his fears. So he sent his
+soldiers gayly forward.
+
+Suddenly, they were attacked in front! With hideous yells, the Indians
+fell upon their flanks. All that General Braddock had learned of warfare
+was of little use to him now in the wilderness, but he was courageous
+and determined. Four horses were shot under him and he was fatally
+wounded. Before he died, he praised the Virginians, like a brave and
+true gentleman, and apologized to Washington for not heeding his advice.
+He left to him his horse and his servant. All the staff officers were
+killed but Washington. His splendid height and broad shoulders made him
+a fine target, as he rode about the field trying to rally the men. His
+horses were killed under him and his clothing was torn by bullets. An
+Indian chief said, "A Power mightier than we shielded him. He cannot die
+in battle!" The contest ended in a terrible defeat for the English. The
+regulars were useless and frightened. The despised Virginians were brave
+but too few in number to meet the enemy alone. The survivors retreated
+with the wounded to Fort Cumberland (Maryland).
+
+Washington had been twice defeated, but his courage and wisdom were so
+great that Virginia had made him Commander-in-Chief of her forces. His
+tasks were heavy for so young a man--he was only twenty-three at that
+time! He did the best he could under many difficulties and raised and
+drilled a force of militia.
+
+While facing a common danger, the colonies were not united then in any
+way, except under a Governor General sent out from England by the King.
+Washington had no authority over troops from any other colony, nor would
+officers commissioned by the King take orders from him. Naturally, all
+sorts of disputes arose and finally Washington decided to go to Boston
+to put all these questions before Governor General William Shirley.
+
+Two other young Virginia officers rode with him. It was midwinter. They
+had hundreds of miles of mud roads to travel. They had fine horses and
+were attended by mounted black servants in livery. The story of
+Washington's bravery in Braddock's defeat was known throughout the
+country. When these three handsome young officers reached the cities
+along the way, they were splendidly entertained, for every one wanted to
+honor Washington. He wore fine clothes and his appearance and manners
+delighted all who met him. General Shirley received him with favor and
+granted his requests.
+
+Word was brought that the French and Indians were attacking the settlers
+beyond the mountains. Washington hurried back to his command at
+Winchester. He was anxious to have the forces and supplies necessary to
+attack Fort Duquesne at once. But while the people were clamoring for
+protection, Washington was unable to help them on account of the unfair
+treatment of Governor Dinwiddie, and the indifference of England. His
+force was too small and untrained to make an attempt against the French;
+but he remained patient and cheerful and for almost two years, he stood
+by the people who depended upon him. Then William Pitt became prime
+minister of England (1757) and at once took an interest in the defense
+of the colonies.
+
+Washington was ordered to proceed against Fort Duquesne. That French
+garrison had been weakened by taking men and supplies to the
+battle-front on the north, where they were being defeated by the
+British. Before Washington reached the fort, the commandant set fire to
+it and fled. Washington planted the British flag upon the still smoking
+ruins and on the same site built Fort Pitt, which he named in honor of
+the great English statesman. This is where the city of Pittsburgh now
+stands. Thus ended the French occupation of the Ohio Valley.
+
+The many cares and hardships Washington had suffered had made him ill
+and he returned to Mount Vernon, hoping that his military life was over.
+He was greatly loved and honored by his soldiers and his fellow
+countrymen.
+
+When Washington was twenty-seven years old, he married a charming young
+widow, Mrs. Martha Custis. The wedding took place January 6, 1759.
+
+Mrs. Custis had a little girl, Martha, four years old, and a little boy,
+John, who was six. Washington dearly loved these children, whom he
+taught and trained with great care. He and his wife were great favorites
+socially and at their home (Mount Vernon) they entertained many guests.
+Here the Custis children met many of the prominent men of those days.
+
+One of these visitors was Louis Philippe, the exiled King of France.
+Noticing how many letters Washington wrote, he asked him if he were not
+afraid of writing something he might regret. Washington answered that he
+was careful never to do or say a thing he could afterward be sorry for.
+
+Washington kept fine horses and dogs and was very fond of hunting.
+Although busy with the care of his great farms and his wife's large
+estate, he found time to follow the hounds. His wisdom and honesty were
+so trusted that, aside from his own affairs, other people gave him
+charge of theirs. He was often called upon to settle disputes, thus
+preventing law-suits. He was a member of the Virginia Legislature, then
+called the House of Burgesses, of which he attended every meeting and
+was careful to know all about the affairs of the colony. When he first
+took his seat in the Legislature, he was thanked for his military
+service to the colony. He rose to reply, but could only blush and
+stammer. The speaker said, "Sit down, Mr. Washington, your modesty
+equals your valor!"
+
+For fifteen years, Washington led a peaceful and happy life with his
+family. He was kept busy looking after his vast estates. But then again,
+the country began to claim his attention. George III was King of
+England. Under his rule, unjust laws were made for the colonies, which
+the wise men of America knew would destroy their rights. The colonies
+were not represented in the British Parliament (where the laws were
+made) and so claimed that Parliament had no right to tax them. Needing
+money, England laid heavy taxes on the colonies, which they would not
+pay. After much trouble, all the taxes were taken off except the one on
+tea. That was left to prove England's right to tax the colonies.
+
+In the autumn of 1773, several ships were sent over loaded with tea,
+which was to be sold very cheaply. But the colonists refused to have tea
+at any price rather than submit to "taxation without representation."
+There can be no freedom in a land whose people may be taxed without
+their consent. From several ports, the ships were sent back. In Boston,
+a party of citizens dressed as Indians, boarded the ships at night,
+December 16, and threw all the tea into the harbor. This is called the
+Boston Tea Party. The same violence occurred at Annapolis, Maryland. To
+punish the city of Boston, Parliament passed a law that no ship should
+come in or go out of her harbor. The port was closed and business
+stopped.
+
+[Illustration: The Boston Tea-Party]
+
+News of this was carried to the other colonies. In Virginia, a day of
+fasting and prayer was appointed. The people did not want to give up
+their liberties, for which many had come to America. It seemed, on the
+other hand, very dreadful to go to war with the mother country. The
+colonies were independent of one another, but knew they must stand
+together against the injustice of England. Meetings were held in each
+colony to talk matters over, and it was decided to hold a General
+Congress, made up of men selected by each colony.
+
+In the Virginia Convention, Washington was one of the first to say that
+the colonies ought to be allowed to govern themselves, make their own
+laws and decide their own taxes. He was usually very quiet in all that
+he said and did, but the wrongs of Boston had so stirred him that he
+made a fiery speech. He said he would raise a thousand men, pay them
+himself and march at their head to the relief of Boston. He said he had
+hoped there would be no break with England and he shrank from the horror
+of war, but now he began to feel that it could not be avoided and if so,
+no sacrifice was too great to preserve the liberties of America for the
+millions who would some day call it their home.
+
+He was one of several delegates chosen to represent Virginia in the
+General Congress, which was held at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia,
+September 5, 1774. There were fifty-two members, the ablest men of all
+the colonies. Someone asked Patrick Henry who was the greatest man among
+them and he said, "Colonel Washington, if you speak of solid information
+and sound judgment." These men met, not as members of separate colonies,
+but as Americans with one country and one cause. Each meeting was opened
+with a prayer. Not often, in the whole history of the world, have men
+had to decide more important and difficult questions.
+
+For almost two months, they discussed all the points in which they
+believed they were wronged by England. They were careful and just in all
+that they said. They wanted to keep peace. None of them wished to be
+independent of England. Neither were they willing to submit to
+injustice and the loss of their rights and privileges. They wrote a
+petition to the King and letters to the people of England and of Canada.
+These papers were very fair and wise and showed the noble minds and
+loyal hearts of these early great Americans. They were not rebelling,
+they were simply declaring their rights. In reply, England only passed
+more unjust laws. The spirit of revolt spread through the colonies.
+Militia was organized; some were called "Minute Men" because they
+promised to leave everything and go to war at a minute's notice. Months
+passed in active preparations. Military stores were collected. The
+patriots were determined to face death rather than submit longer to
+British oppression.
+
+Meanwhile, the British General Gage, stationed in Boston with four
+thousand British soldiers, decided to surprise and take, by night, the
+supplies of the militia in Concord, twenty miles away. Dr. Joseph
+Warren, one of the patriots, heard of it and secretly sent Paul Revere
+galloping out of Boston on a fast horse to awaken the people along the
+way and carry the alarm to Concord. When the British reached Lexington
+(about nine miles from Boston), they found seventy or eighty citizens
+armed and waiting for them in the darkness!
+
+Early in the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, the first battle of the
+great American Revolution was fought (the Battle of Lexington). The
+trained soldiers of England soon scattered the handful of patriots at
+Lexington and Concord, but, as the day wore on, they were joined by
+other patriots, and by the night of April 20th, General Gage found
+himself besieged in Boston by a rustic army of 16,000 men. The news of
+the battle spread rapidly and spurred the colonies to instant and bitter
+war. Washington said that the once happy America must be drenched in
+blood, or inhabited by slaves, and that no true man could hesitate to
+choose death for himself rather than slavery for his country. He was at
+Mount Vernon when the sad news came, getting ready to attend the second
+Congress.
+
+[Illustration: Israel Putnam]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+     BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION--WASHINGTON MADE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF
+     THE CONTINENTAL ARMY--BRITISH FORCED TO LEAVE BOSTON--1775-1776
+
+
+[Illustration: A Ragged Continental]
+
+At the second Continental Congress, held May 10, 1775, Washington was
+made chairman of committees for getting ammunition, supplies and money
+for the war. His military knowledge and experience enabled him to make
+rules and regulations for an army, and he advised what forts should be
+garrisoned. (Troops placed in a fort for defense.) It was necessary for
+Congress to take care of the army of 16,000 patriots that had hastily
+gathered in the neighborhood of Boston, and to appoint a
+Commander-in-Chief of all the forces of the colonies. They had to decide
+as to who in all the country, could best be trusted with this important
+and responsible position. All eyes turned to Washington. When his name
+was first mentioned for this place, he, with his usual modesty, slipped
+out of the room. But he was chosen Commander-in-Chief by the unanimous
+(all agreeing) vote of Congress. When told of his appointment, he
+accepted, though he said he did not think he was "equal to the command
+he was honored with." He refused to take any pay for his services,
+saying that no money, nor anything else but duty and patriotism could
+tempt him to leave his home. Having one of the loveliest homes in
+America, he gave up his comfort and happiness and risked all he had for
+his country. Congress also appointed four major-generals--one of them
+the brave old Israel Putnam--and eight brigadier-generals.
+
+There were many men in Congress at that time whose names Americans can
+never forget. They did many wise things, but none was more fortunate
+than this choice of a Commander-in-Chief for the Continental Army. One
+of the members, John Adams, called him "the modest and virtuous, the
+generous and brave George Washington."
+
+Washington's early life and training fitted him in a wonderful way for
+this great and difficult post. As a young surveyor, he had learned much
+about the country and how to make his way through forests and mountains.
+Later, as a commander, he had learned how to fight in the woods, and all
+the secrets of frontier warfare. With Braddock, he had learned that
+soldiers drilled on the parade grounds and battle-fields of Europe did
+not know what to do when hemmed in by rocks and brush and savage
+enemies in a new and uncleared country. He had also learned how to value
+and how to handle the independent, though rough-looking, soldiers of the
+backwoods. With all this knowledge and experience, with his clear mind
+and high courage, Washington was the most dangerous foe the British
+could have.
+
+In June (1775), Washington, as Commander-in-Chief of the army, left
+Philadelphia for Boston. There was no time to visit Mount Vernon. He
+wrote to his wife, telling her to be brave and that he trusted God would
+soon bring him safely home. General Philip Schuyler and General Charles
+Lee and a light horse troop went with him. As they galloped along the
+way, people came out of the farms and villages to see the great General.
+Washington, now forty-three years old, was very splendid and dignified
+in his bearing, yet always modest and quiet--a gentleman and a soldier.
+
+About twenty miles from Philadelphia, they met a messenger from Boston
+riding a fleet horse and bearing dispatches to Congress. They stopped
+and heard from him the news of the Battle of Bunker Hill, which had just
+been fought (June 17, 1775). The British had been victorious, but not
+until more than half their number had been killed and the patriots had
+fired their last round of ammunition. When Washington was told how
+bravely the militia had stood their ground, he said, "The liberties of
+the country are safe!" He was not troubled by the triumph of the
+British, because he felt sure the Americans would win when properly
+armed and drilled. This news made him more anxious to reach the scene
+of action and he traveled on as fast as he could. He left General
+Schuyler to command the patriot forces in New York.
+
+[Illustration: The Charge at Bunker Hill]
+
+On July second, he reached his headquarters in Cambridge, where he was
+received with cheers and the thunder of cannon. The men had so little
+powder that they could not give him a great salute, but they spared all
+they could.
+
+The next day, July 3, 1775, Washington took command of the Continental
+Army under a large elm tree, which still stands on the Cambridge Common.
+The patriot army was a rather discouraging sight. The 16,000 men had
+been called together without any preparation. They were farmers,
+fishermen and shop-keepers. They had very little discipline or order
+and were in need of everything--arms, ammunition, food, clothing, tents,
+shoes. As yet they were not one army, but a collection of separate
+companies from the different New England colonies. Each had its own
+regulations, its own officers and its own interests. There were jealousy
+and often misunderstanding among them. After reviewing this army,
+General Washington visited the American forts strung in an irregular
+semi-circle around Boston, within which the British forces were
+besieged.
+
+He found the men camped in rough board shacks, or shelters made of turf
+and brush, and dressed in the clothes they wore on their farms and in
+the villages. Here and there was a tent. No wonder the British, in their
+orderly tents and fine scarlet uniforms, thought they could soon scatter
+this mixed crowd! There was but one exception. General Nathanael Greene,
+of Rhode Island, had raised and drilled a body of men and brought them
+to Boston under fine discipline, with good tents and clothing. His camp
+showed what could be done. General Greene became one of Washington's
+most faithful and lifelong friends, and was one of the greatest generals
+of the Revolution.
+
+In contrast with the undisciplined, ragged Continental troops were the
+trained British soldiers, commanded by experienced generals. They were
+well fortified in Boston and the harbor was defended by their warships.
+They felt no fear of the irregular line of posts with which the
+Americans thought to hem them in.
+
+Washington at once began the task of organizing the army and teaching
+and training the men. In this he showed skill beyond almost any other
+man in history. He was beset with many difficulties, among them the
+jealousy and discontent of some of the officers. There was one general,
+however, who was always ready to serve in any place and put the cause
+above himself. This was Israel Putnam, the brave man who was plowing in
+his field when he heard of the Battle of Lexington. He left his plow in
+the furrow, unhitched his horses and galloped sixty-eight miles that day
+to Cambridge! He was nearly sixty years of age at the time. He was much
+loved by the army for his bravery and generosity and all were glad when
+"Old Put" was appointed Major-General.
+
+Washington formed the army into six brigades of six regiments each. He
+wrote to Congress to appoint at once officers to help him. He wanted an
+adjutant-general to train and discipline the troops; a quartermaster to
+arrange for all supplies, and an officer to look after enlistments. The
+men had enlisted for only a short time and numbers returned home after
+this term of enlistment expired; so it was hard to keep the army up to
+fighting strength. The lack of powder was also a very serious matter and
+Washington sent to the southern colonies, asking for what they had in
+store.
+
+He at once began to improve the defenses and strengthen the weak places.
+Soon a strong line of fortifications surrounded the city. The strictest
+discipline was required and Washington visited the forts every day. The
+arrival of fourteen hundred riflemen from Pennsylvania, Virginia and
+Maryland was a great help; among these were the stalwart sharp-shooters
+under Colonel Daniel Morgan, whom Washington had known in the French
+war. They were six feet tall and over, and dressed in hunting shirts and
+wide-brimmed hats. They had marched six hundred miles in three weeks.
+
+The winter passed in drilling the army and trying to get powder.
+Washington was besieging Boston without any powder, though the British
+little thought that was the reason he did not attack them! All he could
+do was to cut them off from nearby supplies of food, but they sent out
+warships with men who plundered the coasts of New England. The people
+drove their cattle inland and fought the invaders boldly.
+
+[Illustration: Mrs. Washington set out for Cambridge]
+
+Knowing that he could not return home, General Washington sent for his
+wife to come to Cambridge. Mrs. Washington set out on the long journey
+in her carriage, drawn by four horses, and accompanied by her son and
+his wife. (Her daughter had died in the meantime.) Colored servants in
+scarlet and white liveries rode beside the carriage. Escorts of
+horsemen brought them from city to city, until they arrived in camp,
+just before Christmas. It had been more than half a year since the
+General had seen his family and his work was made easier by having with
+him those he loved. The Craigie house in Cambridge (later the home of
+the poet Longfellow), was Washington's headquarters. Here Mrs.
+Washington helped him entertain officers and members of Congress. The
+General was so busy that he was often obliged to leave his guests at the
+table, while his own meal remained unfinished.
+
+The plundering attacks by the British upon the New England coast became
+so violent that, without waiting for Congress to act, Washington had
+several armed vessels fitted out. They were commanded by such brave sea
+captains as John Manly and John Paul Jones and were ordered by the
+General to defend the coast and capture British ships bringing supplies
+from England.
+
+As the weeks passed, it grew more difficult to keep up the numbers of
+the army. The men grew tired of the long and uncomfortable encampment
+without any fighting. Had there been any powder, their General would
+gladly have given them fighting enough! All through the war, Washington
+was troubled and handicapped by these short enlistments, as he had to be
+constantly training new recruits.
+
+In December, some Connecticut troops decided to go home without even
+remaining for their full time. Some took their guns and ammunition. This
+desertion was a bad thing for the discipline of the army, and sorely
+distressed Washington. On their way home, these men were made to feel
+what the people thought of their conduct, for no one would give them
+food, and their friends would not receive them kindly when they arrived.
+The day after they walked off, something happened that put new life into
+the camp. A long train of wagons came lumbering and jolting into
+Cambridge, with flags flying and an escort of soldiers and horsemen.
+What was in the wagons?--Cannon! and thousands of guns and shot and
+thirty-two tons of musket balls! Captain John Manly, of the ship
+_Essex_, had captured a large British brigantine and taken her cargo of
+munitions.
+
+In spite of Washington's efforts to appeal to their patriotism, the
+soldiers still wanted to go home. They were sick of the discomforts of
+camp. By January (1776), only ten thousand men were left, and there was
+danger of the poorly defended lines being taken. But for some reason,
+the British made no attack. During this disheartening time, General
+Greene was a great help, with his courage and patriotism and
+cheerfulness.
+
+In February, Colonel Henry Knox returned from the forts on Lake
+Champlain with a long train of forty-two ox-sleds, carrying artillery
+and ammunition. He had gone in midwinter after the supplies of cannon
+and lead captured from the British the year before and had performed his
+errand with daring and faithfulness. Then ten regiments of militia
+arrived and at last, Washington and his generals thought they had men
+and ammunition enough to attack the British.
+
+General Putnam had fortified a hill north of the city of Boston. Troops
+were sent, on the night of March 4, to fortify Dorchester Heights, to
+the south from which Boston and the harbor could be swept by guns. That
+the British might not hear the noise of the wagons and pickaxes, the
+patriots bombarded the city all night. The ground was deeply frozen and
+the work hard. But Washington was with the men, everywhere helping and
+encouraging them.
+
+When morning came, the British looked upon four forts raised as if by
+the magic of an Aladdin's lamp! General Sir William Howe determined to
+attack these new works. A storm of great fury arose and he waited. The
+storm continued all night and all day. The patriots used this time to
+strengthen their forts, and the British saw they could not hold the city
+against them; so they prepared to leave, taking everything with them
+that could be of use to the "rebels." They were allowed to embark upon
+their ships without being fired on, to prevent their burning the city.
+They sailed away to Halifax. After being besieged ten months, Boston
+fell into Washington's hands without a battle! Washington was thanked by
+Congress and given a gold medal in honor of the capture of Boston.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+     DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE SIGNED--BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND--BATTLE
+     OF WHITE PLAINS--WASHINGTON CROSSES THE DELAWARE AND SURPRISES THE
+     HESSIANS AT TRENTON--1776-1777
+
+
+Let us now consider some events which had taken place elsewhere in the
+country. Before Washington had been made Commander-in-Chief, Ethan
+Allen, with the "Green Mountain Boys" (so-called because they came from
+Vermont, the "Green Mountain State"), had surprised and taken, without a
+fight, Fort Ticonderoga in eastern New York. Shortly after, Crown Point
+on Lake Champlain was captured by Colonel Benedict Arnold. The capture
+of these two British forts opened the way to Canada.
+
+[Illustration: The Liberty Bell]
+
+While Washington was building up the army and besieging Boston, an
+expedition against Montreal and Quebec was planned. General Richard
+Montgomery, who commanded a force on Lake Champlain, marched up to
+Montreal, which surrendered (November, 1775) without a struggle.
+Benedict Arnold was sent, with about twelve hundred men from Boston, to
+join Montgomery's forces in the attack on Quebec. They were to make
+their way up the Kennebec River and through the dense Maine woods.
+Arnold was a brave soldier and led his men through hardships and perils,
+through snow and ice and over frozen mountains, until they reached
+Quebec. On the last day of December, with the ground frozen and covered
+with snow, the two American armies made a combined attack on the city;
+but Quebec did not surrender, though the patriots fought with desperate
+courage and daring. The gallant Montgomery led his men up the heights,
+dashing forward with the cry, "Push on, my brave boys! Quebec is ours!"
+A volley from a cannon killed him and scattered his men. The Americans
+suffered terrible losses. In the death of General Montgomery, America
+lost one of her bravest soldiers and truest gentlemen. He was deeply
+mourned in England as well as in America.
+
+Benedict Arnold also was beaten back; his leg was shattered by a musket
+ball, but he bravely fortified his position and with five hundred men
+besieged Quebec. He wrote, "I am in the way of my duty and I know no
+fear."
+
+As the weeks passed, the men grew weary and homesick. They suffered
+untold hardships from want of food, clothing and shelter, and from the
+bitter cold of the Canadian winter. Though Arnold and his men fought
+bravely, Quebec did not fall into the hands of the Americans. Their
+attacks were repulsed by the British forces in command of the city.
+
+Shortly after the capture of Boston, Washington brought his army to New
+York, as he feared the British might take that city. He sent General
+Putnam to fortify New York and the Hudson River, and he followed,
+gathering troops on the way. When he arrived, he fortified Brooklyn
+Heights, Long Island, and put General Greene in command. He had only
+about eight thousand men to garrison the forts about New York.
+
+The same troubles from short enlistments, lack of discipline and
+supplies had to be met. Washington was freely giving himself to the just
+and righteous cause of American freedom, and he would not be discouraged
+even by want of spirit and obedience in his troops. There was another
+difficulty. All over the country and especially in New York, many
+persons, called Tories, were still loyal to King George III, and
+Washington feared treachery from them.
+
+The British fleet, however, had not gone to New York, but up to Halifax.
+General Howe and his army waited in Halifax for ships and men from
+England. With their help, he expected to drive the Americans out of New
+York and away from the Hudson River. England intended to crush the
+colonies and hired German troops, called Hessians, in addition to her
+own forces. It was now a year since the Battle of Lexington was fought
+and Washington feared that the war would be a long one.
+
+He went to Philadelphia to consult with Congress. To succeed against the
+British, the colonies, he knew, must work together in earnest for their
+common liberty. The army must have regular pay and supplies, and the men
+must promise to serve as long as needed. Congress established a war
+office and ordered that the term of enlistment be for three years.
+
+Washington returned to New York and soon afterwards a conspiracy (plot)
+among the Tories was discovered. Many arrests were made. A member of
+Washington's body-guard was found to be in the plot and he was hanged.
+While this was going on, the British fleet arrived in the harbor. There
+were one hundred and thirty ships. The troops--30,000--were landed on
+Staten Island. Washington was very uneasy with this large force before
+him and he knew not how many treacherous Tories about him.
+
+For a year, the Americans had been fighting on account of unjust laws
+and taxes. But England had grown still more severe and unfair, until
+many began to believe that the only hope for peace and prosperity in the
+colonies was in their union with one another and their separation from
+England. Washington had hoped that the trouble with the mother country
+might be peaceably settled. But the time had now come when he urged
+Congress to declare the independence of the colonies and throw off the
+British yoke. While he, in New York, was facing foes within and without,
+Congress in Philadelphia was discussing this great question behind
+locked doors. Anxious throngs crowded the streets waiting for the
+decision.
+
+At last, on the 4th of July, 1776, the Liberty Bell in the State House
+tower rang out the glad tidings that Congress had adopted the
+Declaration of Independence! Washington was overjoyed when a messenger
+brought him the word. On the evening of July 9, he had his army drawn up
+to hear the Declaration read before each brigade. He said he hoped that
+it would inspire each man to live and act with courage, "as became a
+Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his
+country." The people of New York tore down a statue of King George and
+melted it into bullets for the army.
+
+[Illustration: The British fleet arrived]
+
+There was not much time for rejoicing, however, considering that the
+British ships were in New York harbor. Among them was the flagship of
+Lord Richard Howe, Admiral of the British Navy and brother of General
+Howe. He came with a proposal of peace from England and tried to
+deliver it in the form of a message addressed to "George Washington."
+Washington, resenting this insult, refused to receive the message and
+did not accept it until it was returned properly addressed to "General
+George Washington." Congress thanked him for making the British respect
+the dignity of his office.
+
+America had decided to be free at any cost, and while her cause did not
+look very promising, it was too late to talk about peace. Washington
+knew his forces were not strong enough to defend New York. The enemy had
+its great fleet, and thousands of men already on land with thousands
+more coming.
+
+Washington had brought the army up to fifteen thousand men, but
+hesitated to rely on this force. He was still troubled by jealousies
+among the officers and among the troops from the different colonies,
+although he tried to show them that honor and success depended on
+self-forgetfulness and working together for the cause. The militia could
+not be counted on and could be called out only for special occasions.
+Whole companies would leave at the end of their enlistment, even though
+they were greatly needed. We cannot always be proud of this fighting
+force, though it showed splendid courage when really in action. The men
+had not learned that a brave soldier does not quit, but patiently
+endures hardships. At best, Washington's army was too small to strongly
+fortify any one place about New York. He had no idea where the British
+would attack first, and so had spread the army out until it was a long,
+weak line.
+
+On August 26 and 27 (1776), the enemy surrounded the fortifications at
+Brooklyn on Long Island. The Americans fought with great bravery, but
+were outnumbered and defeated. About two thousand were killed, wounded
+or captured. Regiments had hurried to their help from points nearby and
+most of the army was finally on Long Island. Fearing his whole force
+would be destroyed, Washington decided to withdraw to New York, which he
+did in the night, under cover of heavy rain, wind and fog. He had not
+slept for two days and nights and had hardly been out of the saddle, but
+he watched the men embark with all their belongings, and he himself went
+in the last boat. When the British soldiers awoke in the morning, they
+were amazed to find that the whole American army had disappeared!
+
+[Illustration: Nathan Hale]
+
+It was important for Washington to know what the next move of the
+British would be. Captain Nathan Hale, a fine young officer, volunteered
+to act as spy. He succeeded in passing through the enemy's lines and
+making notes and drawings, but on his way back, he was captured by the
+British. On Sept. 22, 1776, this noble patriot was hanged. His last
+words, while standing on the scaffold, were, "I only regret that I have
+but one life to lose for my country."
+
+The army in New York was in great danger of being surrounded and
+captured by the British, whose gunboats bombarded all the forts. More
+than half of the population of the city were Tories and several thousand
+of the militia had deserted. Washington was kind of heart and did not
+blame them too much, but he knew that his force was too small to hold
+the city of New York; so he began to withdraw to the northern end of
+Manhattan Island. The British moved upon the city and found it easy to
+land, because the soldiers, left to defend the first fort they attacked,
+ran off in confusion. Washington, hearing the shots, galloped into their
+midst and tried to rally them, but they scattered like frightened
+rabbits. Washington lost his temper, and throwing his hat on the ground,
+he exclaimed, "Are these the men with whom I am to defend America?" He
+would have been killed or captured by the oncoming British, if one of
+his officers had not seized the bridle of his horse and dragged him
+away.
+
+The main body of the American army soon assembled in a strong camp on
+the rocky heights near King's Bridge, defended by Fort Washington. Here
+they were attacked by the British (September, 1776), when the regular
+Continental troops fought valiantly and proved victorious, wiping out
+the disgrace of the retreat which put General Howe in possession of New
+York. This success greatly strengthened the army.
+
+The Americans had repulsed the British at King's Bridge, but Lord Howe
+sent gunboats up the Hudson River to cut off Washington from his
+supplies, which were stored in Connecticut. Washington thought he might
+be forced to surrender if he remained, so he decided to leave a garrison
+at Fort Washington and take the army into camp at White Plains (New
+York). A great many of his men were sick or wounded, and the hospital
+arrangements were poor and insufficient. The disabled men were lying in
+crowded sheds, stables and any other places of shelter that could be
+found. Washington did all he could to relieve their sufferings, and in a
+letter to Congress, he begged for better pay for the men and better
+supplies. He also urged that a call be made for men who would enlist for
+the entire term of war, however long it might be. A British officer
+wrote to a friend in London: "The rebel army is so wretched! I believe
+no nation ever saw such a set of tatterdemalions (ragged fellows). There
+are few coats among them but are out at the elbows and in a whole
+regiment, there is hardly a sound pair of breeches. How they must be
+pinched by the winter! We, who are warmly clothed, feel it severely."
+
+The camp at White Plains was attacked by the British, with heavy loss on
+both sides, and Washington again withdrew his men in the night and
+entrenched himself at North Castle on the east side of the Hudson. The
+British did not follow him, and this left Washington in doubt as to what
+their next move would be. He left a part of the troops in camp,
+stationed a strong force in the Highlands to defend the Hudson River,
+and with the rest of his army, crossed into New Jersey, opposite Fort
+Washington. From this point, he saw General Howe capture Fort
+Washington and, without power to prevent it, beheld his brave men
+bayoneted by the cruel German soldiers. The supplies and the survivors
+of the garrison--about twenty-eight hundred men--fell into the hands of
+the enemy (November 16, 1776). Following this, Lord Charles Cornwallis
+led six thousand British across the river and attacked Washington's
+forces, obliging him to retreat across New Jersey, over the Delaware
+River and into Pennsylvania.
+
+Washington had with him but three thousand soldiers, ragged and half
+starved, but they loved their Commander and were ready to make any
+sacrifice for him and their country. He had sent orders to General
+Charles Lee to bring reinforcements from the north, but Lee was in no
+hurry to obey. Lord Howe, who was anxious for peace, issued an order for
+all Americans to lay down their arms and go home; for Congress to break
+up, and he promised pardon for every one if the order was obeyed. A
+great many were faint-hearted enough to give up, even though America had
+sacrificed so much for freedom. But Washington was undaunted and
+remained true to his purpose to free the colonies. He cheered his
+suffering soldiers and, after securing reenforcements from the militia
+of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, he took his stand at a point across the
+Delaware River opposite Trenton. He seized all the boats on the river
+and when Lord Cornwallis marched into Trenton, there were no boats for
+his troops and they could not cross the river to attack the Americans.
+Leaving Hessian troops to guard Trenton, Cornwallis withdrew to wait
+until ice should bridge the river for him. These German--or
+Hessian--soldiers were hated by the Americans on account of their
+cruelty and because they were fighting for pay.
+
+It was evident that the British intended to attack Philadelphia and
+General Putnam was sent to defend it. Congress took fright and moved to
+Baltimore. The British held New York and Washington knew the people
+would lose heart if Philadelphia should also be taken.
+
+General Lee's forces at last arrived, though the General himself,
+because of his carelessness and laziness, had been captured on the way.
+With this reenforcement and with forces commanded by Generals Gates and
+Sullivan, which had joined him, Washington intended to surprise the
+garrison in Trenton. He divided his army into three detachments and
+planned to cross the Delaware on Christmas night, because he knew the
+German soldiers would be drinking and frolicking on that holiday.
+Washington himself led about twenty-four hundred men, with artillery, to
+a crossing at a point nine miles up the river. The night was dark and
+stormy. It was hailing and snowing and bitter cold. The river was filled
+with drifting cakes of ice, which imperiled the boats. The crossing was
+extremely dangerous and it took more than ten hours to get the troops
+and their guns on the other side. When he arrived, Washington found the
+other two detachments had not started, so his forces alone surprised the
+Hessians completely, captured Trenton and took a thousand prisoners!
+
+Messengers were dispatched to call the army from the Hudson and to
+gather the New Jersey militia. When these forces were assembled,
+Washington again crossed the icy river into Pennsylvania, but returned
+and occupied Trenton a few days later. Lord Cornwallis, who had come
+down in a hurry from Princeton, planned to "bag the fox in the morning."
+But he found the "fox" had been too sly for him, for Washington, leaving
+his camp fires burning, had quietly led his army off at dead of night,
+by a rough and roundabout way, to Princeton. At sunrise (Jan. 3, 1777),
+he surprised and put to flight the regiment of British which had started
+out from Princeton to help Cornwallis at Trenton.
+
+Meanwhile, Cornwallis awoke to find his "fox" gone and he set out for
+Princeton, arriving just as the patriots had completed the destruction
+of the bridge leading to the town. Washington pushed on, destroying the
+bridges as he went. His men were nearly exhausted when at last they
+reached camp at Morristown, where Washington established headquarters,
+so he could guard the road between New York and Philadelphia, and keep
+Cornwallis shut up in New Brunswick and Amboy (New Jersey).
+
+Congress thanked Washington, and great soldiers all over the world
+praised him for the wonderful way in which he had led his soldiers out
+of the enemy's pitfalls and turned defeat to victory. Many colonists,
+who had seen no hope of success, now believed that Washington's
+generalship would triumph. Congress gave him full military authority and
+he issued a proclamation, ordering all who were loyal to the King to go
+to the British camp and all others to take the oath of allegiance to the
+United States.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+     RECAPTURE OF FORT TICONDEROGA BY GEN. BURGOYNE--BATTLE OF
+     BRANDYWINE--BATTLE OF GERMANTOWN--BURGOYNE'S SURRENDER AT
+     SARATOGA--WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE--ALLIANCE WITH
+     FRANCE--1777-1778
+
+
+[Illustration: Marquis de La Fayette]
+
+The fame of the American cause reached Europe and many foreign officers
+came over, asking to be allowed to give their help. Among them was
+Thaddeus Kosciusko, a military engineer from Warsaw (Poland). Washington
+asked him, "Why do you come?" "To fight for American Independence," he
+said. "What can you do?" asked General Washington. "Try me!" was the
+brief reply. Washington "tried him," and he proved a valuable help
+throughout the Revolution. Another who volunteered his services was
+Washington's devoted friend, the young French nobleman, the Marquis de
+Lafayette. Though scarcely twenty years of age, Lafayette loved human
+liberty more than home and friends and the easy life of the French
+court, and at his own expense, he fitted out a ship, loaded with
+military stores, and sought to aid the Americans in their struggle.
+Washington loved him for his fine spirit, charming manner and soldierly
+bearing. He became a member of the Commander's family and his name is
+honored by every American.
+
+The year 1777 was a very hard and trying one. Washington's forces were
+too weak to fight regular battles with the British. He used every device
+to make General Howe think he had a strong army, and at the same time,
+tried to convince Congress that he could not act for want of men and
+supplies. The British kept him guessing about what they would do next.
+Would they attack Philadelphia or the fort on Lake Champlain? He did not
+dare to withdraw troops from either place to strengthen the other.
+
+General John Burgoyne, one of Howe's lieutenant-generals, arrived from
+England in the summer of 1777. He landed at Quebec and marched with
+eight thousand men, British, Germans and Indians, to Fort Ticonderoga.
+The garrison of thirty-five hundred men surrendered. Valuable stores
+were taken and the presence of this new army discouraged the Americans.
+But Washington only said, "We should never despair. If new difficulties
+arise, we must only put forth new exertions." He could not leave his own
+position, but he showed the greatest wisdom in arranging and locating
+the forces in the North. He sent his valued Virginia riflemen, under
+Colonel Daniel Morgan, to help fight Burgoyne's Indians.
+
+For months, Washington had watched the British fleet in New York harbor
+and now it put to sea with eighteen thousand men on board. Would it go
+to Boston or to Philadelphia? Washington led his army toward
+Philadelphia, believing this would be the British point of attack, and
+soon after, the fleet appeared while Washington was camped at
+Germantown, near Philadelphia. The fleet sailed away, however, without
+making an attack and the summer passed in marching troops here and
+there--calling them out and sending them home again. Washington had a
+busy time watching Burgoyne on the Hudson and the lakes, watching Howe,
+who was occupying New York and New Jersey, and guarding the coast.
+
+The fleet finally disappeared and, after a council of war, the American
+officers decided to leave Philadelphia and all march north together to
+attack the British forces in New York. This was such an important move
+that a letter was sent to Congress asking permission. The messenger who
+carried the letter was Alexander Hamilton, a mere youth, though he was
+captain of artillery. He was very small but so brave that they called
+him "the little lion" and Washington addressed him affectionately as "my
+boy." Congress approved of the plan to attack New York and the army was
+about to march, when it was reported that the British fleet was sailing
+up the Chesapeake Bay. Washington's army halted near Philadelphia. The
+Commander-in-Chief knew that there were people in Philadelphia who did
+not favor the cause of American freedom, thinking it foolish for the
+poorly equipped Continental troops to fight the British. To encourage
+the people of Philadelphia, Washington decided to parade the army
+through the city. He rode at the head with his staff. The men were
+poorly clad and had no uniforms, but their guns were bright and they
+carried them well. They made a brave showing and after the parade,
+marched into camp on the Brandywine Creek.
+
+[Illustration: Washington and Alexander Hamilton]
+
+The British landed at Elkton, Maryland--about fifty miles from
+Philadelphia. Washington sent troops of light horse to ride about the
+country and annoy them in every way possible. One young commander, Henry
+Lee, of Virginia, was so daring that they called him "Light Horse
+Harry." He was another of the brave young officers whom Washington
+loved to have about him and who helped him overcome the difficulties
+that beset him at every turn. Washington spent most of his time in the
+saddle, watching the march of the British. His troops were unequal to
+the enemy in every way, and though the war had lasted more than two
+years, he had never dared to risk a real battle. The time had come when
+he must make a stand in the open or acknowledge to the world the
+weakness of his army. He had about eleven thousand men, while the
+British numbered about eighteen thousand. He appealed to his soldiers to
+do their best and make a firm stand in defense of their national capital
+(Philadelphia). The battle of the Brandywine was fought on September 11,
+1777, and the Americans were badly defeated. Following this, Congress
+moved to Lancaster (Pa.) and the British, under Cornwallis, took
+possession of Philadelphia, which they entered dressed in their bright
+scarlet uniforms, the bands playing "God Save the King." What a contrast
+to the ragged Continentals who had marched there a few weeks before!
+
+Washington did not despair. His courage and determination grew stronger
+in the face of defeat and he firmly believed his fortunes would take a
+turn. After resting his troops, he made a surprise attack on General
+Howe at Germantown. He was in a fair way to success, when a heavy fog
+came on. The Americans could not tell their own soldiers apart from the
+enemy and a panic took place. But Washington, who was in the hottest of
+the fight, was not discouraged even at this disaster. He had proved to
+the world that his troops were not afraid of the British army, and his
+men, in spite of their losses, were encouraged by this encounter with
+trained European soldiers. The English had looked down on the American
+patriots, but they were now beginning to find them worthy foes.
+
+During this time, the army in the North had been busy. General Burgoyne
+had sent a force to Bennington, Vermont, to seize cattle and supplies,
+but General John Stark, at the head of the New England militia,
+completely routed them. He captured a quantity of guns and ammunition
+and hundreds of prisoners. At the same time, west of the Hudson, another
+body of British was defeated and their tents and stores taken by the
+Americans.
+
+This was joyful news to Washington, and these victories served to keep
+up the spirits of the patriots and also to disgust the Indians with
+their British commanders. The militia, too, gained confidence,
+overcoming their fears and finding they were a match for the British and
+the Germans. Recruits flocked to the American camp in the North and
+Burgoyne was soon surrounded. In the great battle near Saratoga (N. Y.),
+he was completely defeated and surrendered to General Horatio Gates on
+October 17, 1777.
+
+This splendid victory gave the Americans large quantities of military
+stores, but most of all, it gave them confidence, for they had at last
+beaten the British forces. The experience of actual warfare and the
+example of the trained soldiers had taught them how to fight. One of
+Burgoyne's officers said that when the Continental troops were drawn up
+to receive the surrender, they stood like soldiers, though dressed as
+if they had come from the farm or the shop. He was surprised to see how
+straight and strong and fine they were! General Gates ordered his men
+not to cheer or show any desire to humiliate their beaten foes, and this
+courtesy tendered him by General Gates was reported to Parliament by
+General Burgoyne when he returned to England. He was especially touched
+by it because he had needlessly burned some of the beautiful homes of
+the very officers who were so gracious to him. This courtesy was very
+fine in Gates, but he failed in his duty to his Commander-in-Chief, and
+in many ways was unreliable. He did not report the victory to
+Washington, as was his duty, and paid no attention to his commands. He
+did not send the troops to Philadelphia, as he was ordered, and he did
+not even return the company of Virginia riflemen until it was too late.
+
+General Gates and his friends were doing all in their power to destroy
+the good name and the authority of Washington. They kept back troops
+Washington needed and then criticized him for not fighting a decisive
+battle. But Washington endured their fault-finding in silence, for he
+knew that an open battle with such a powerful foe meant certain defeat,
+and patriotism so filled his heart that it left no room for selfish
+ambition. He was not seeking personal glory, but independence for
+America. If General Howe had attacked him, he would have fought bravely,
+but he and his fellow officers knew it was unwise to attack the British.
+In many skirmishes, however, his troops showed courage and
+steadfastness, and proved they were making progress in the arts of
+warfare.
+
+A few months before this, Congress had made some changes in the
+quartermaster (the officer who attends to supplies) and in the
+commissary (food) departments, although Washington had opposed the
+changes. The result was a bad mix-up in getting supplies to the army,
+and food and clothing spoiled and went to waste for want of wagons to
+carry them to the camp.
+
+Winter set in, and the troops were poorly clad and worn out from
+hardships. There were not enough blankets to go around, and many of the
+men were obliged to sit by the camp fires all night and thus got very
+little rest. Washington decided to go into winter quarters in the
+village of Valley Forge, about twenty miles from Philadelphia. From
+here, he could watch General Howe's movements and be ready, if
+necessary, to defend Congress, which now met at York. On the march to
+Valley Forge, many of the soldiers were barefooted and they left a trail
+of blood on the frozen ground. To add to their suffering, someone
+blundered, and they were several days without food. Washington was
+blamed for going into winter quarters and not driving the enemy out of
+Philadelphia. He wrote to Congress, giving a full account of how he had
+been annoyed and hindered by those who should have helped him. He told
+them that nearly three thousand of his men were unfit for duty because
+they were almost naked, and two thousand more were sick for want of food
+and shelter.
+
+During this cruel winter of 1777-1778, many men froze and starved to
+death in camp and hundreds of horses were lost. Washington, who was
+always careful about other people's property, was sometimes obliged to
+let his men seize food from the farmers. Congress did not stand by him.
+Some of the members were jealous of his power and his influence. General
+Gates was the popular hero after the victory of Saratoga, and a plot
+hatched by officers and members of Congress almost succeeded in putting
+him in Washington's place. Though Washington's plan had made the defeat
+of General Burgoyne possible, Gates claimed all the credit. Washington
+bore all this fault-finding and unfairness with patient courage. He kept
+his temper and devoted himself to his suffering men, whose endurance
+touched his heart. Fortunately for America, the conspiracy against
+Washington failed and the only result was to make his name and fame
+brighter and more widespread.
+
+While the Americans in camp at Valley Forge were so miserable, the
+British, twenty miles away, were spending a gay winter in the homes of
+the people of Philadelphia. Why they did not attack and destroy the
+wretched patriot army was a mystery. After awhile, provisions and other
+necessities were secured and the camp became more cheerful. Mrs.
+Washington and the wives of some of the other officers came to join
+their husbands.
+
+Baron Frederick von Steuben, a German officer, who had served in several
+wars and received great honors, was sent to America by friends in Paris.
+He offered to fight for the colonists without rank or pay. Congress
+sent him to Washington, who realized that his experience would be
+valuable, and who asked him to drill and discipline the troops. Steuben
+was a wonderful soldier and after a few weeks under his direction, the
+army learned something of real military tactics, and how to work
+together like a great machine. He not only drilled them, but looked
+after their comforts and won their love by his kindness.
+
+[Illustration: Benjamin Franklin was at the French Court]
+
+Not all the work for freedom was done on the battle-fields and in the
+camps. While Washington and his soldiers were skirmishing with the
+British and while they were encamped at Valley Forge, Benjamin Franklin,
+one of the foremost thinkers and statesmen of the time, was in Europe
+making friends for the American cause and asking help for the struggling
+colonists. The King of France made a treaty of alliance with him, which
+Congress signed May 4th, 1778. Three days later, it was celebrated in
+camp with thanksgiving and parades, and the news that France was to help
+the American cause thrilled every patriot's heart with joy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+     BATTLE OF MONMOUTH--PATRIOTS RECEIVE AID FROM FRANCE--RECAPTURE OF
+     FORT AT STONY POINT BY GEN. ANTHONY WAYNE--WASHINGTON AT
+     MORRISTOWN--SURRENDER OF CHARLESTON, S. C., TO THE BRITISH--TREASON
+     OF BENEDICT ARNOLD--1778-1780
+
+
+[Illustration: Molly Pitcher]
+
+General Howe had spent a pleasant winter and spring holding
+Philadelphia, but he had done nothing in the way of military service. He
+was now ordered home and Sir Henry Clinton took his place and was told
+to leave the city. While Washington was in doubt as to what move
+Clinton would make, messengers came from England with offers of peace
+for the colonies. They offered a large bribe to General Joseph Reed, a
+member of Congress. His scornful answer was, "I am not worth purchasing,
+but such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to do
+it!" This was the spirit that won freedom for America.
+
+In June (1778), General Clinton withdrew his army from Philadelphia and
+Washington marched his troops out of Valley Forge and followed him. Near
+Monmouth, New Jersey, Washington decided to make an attack. He sent
+General Charles Lee (who, by this time, had been released by the
+British) with six thousand men to start the battle, while he brought up
+the main division. General Lee, who never would take orders from
+Washington, commanded his men to retreat. Immediately Washington heard
+of this disobedience, he galloped forward, sternly ordered Lee to the
+rear, and with hot words rallied the men, stopped the retreat and saved
+the day. His presence and the courage he displayed ended the disorder
+and put new life into the men. An officer, who saw him at the time, said
+his anger was splendid and he "swore like an angel from heaven."
+
+Washington spent the night upon the field, his head pillowed on the
+roots of a tree. At daybreak he arose to renew the attack, but the enemy
+had learned one of his own tricks and, as Washington himself put it,
+"had stolen off in the night as silent as the grave." It was at this
+battle of Monmouth that Molly Pitcher became a heroine. She had been
+carrying water to the men in action. At one gun, six men had been
+killed, the last one her husband. As he fell, she seized the ramrod from
+his hand and took his place. Washington was proud of her courage and
+gave her the rank and pay of her husband.
+
+The love and respect in which the army held Washington were increased by
+his magnificent daring and splendid generalship in this battle. Congress
+thanked him "for his great good conduct." General Charles Lee, who had
+always been disrespectful to Washington and who had tried his best to
+harm him, was court-martialed for insubordination (disobedience) and
+deprived of his command. (Charles Lee was not connected with the Lees of
+Virginia.) General Lee was really a brilliant soldier, but he was ruined
+by his own jealous disposition. Washington treated him and all other
+enemies with the kindness of a great mind and a true heart.
+
+After the Battle of Monmouth, Clinton took up his quarters in New York
+and Washington remained in New Jersey. Soon he received word that the
+French King had sent a fleet of eighteen ships and four thousand
+soldiers to help the colonists. The Americans were very glad of this,
+thinking that the British fleet would now be destroyed; but the attack
+of the French (August, 1778) was unsuccessful and they sailed away
+without having done much good.
+
+We have spoken several times of the Tories who sided with the British.
+When the war broke out, the patriot settlers in the Wyoming Valley,
+Pennsylvania, decided they would join in the defense of the country and
+they drove all the Tories out of the Valley. Just after the Battle of
+Monmouth (June 28, 1778), while all the fighting men were away, these
+Tories got together seven hundred Indians and attacked the women and
+children. Before Washington could send aid, the whole Valley was laid
+waste. All the homes were burned. Hundreds were killed by the Indians
+and many more died trying to reach places of safety. This was followed
+by night attacks in different places, when sentinels were surprised and
+murdered by Indians and Tories. Indeed, all through the war, the most
+cruel enemies the patriots had were their Tory neighbors.
+
+To guard against such attacks, and to be ready to meet the British at
+any point, Washington distributed his troops in a long line of camps and
+got ready to defend the country from Boston to Philadelphia. The Hudson
+River was guarded by a fortress at West Point. In order to call the
+militia out, he arranged a system of signals. On a high hill overlooking
+the British camp, sentries kept constant watch. If the enemy moved,
+warning was to be given by firing a big gun. When the gun boomed, fires
+were to be lighted on the hills within hearing. As soon as these were
+seen from more distant hills, other fires were to be lighted, until
+every hilltop blazed and all the countryside was roused and men warned
+to hurry to their rallying places.
+
+Though General Clinton had a great army, he did not offer battle. He
+carried on an annoying form of warfare by sending out small bodies of
+men to distant places, to attack and destroy. In this way he plundered
+and burned villages on the shores of the Chesapeake and in New England
+and captured valuable stores.
+
+[Illustration: "Mad Anthony" Wayne]
+
+While these things were happening, Washington planned to recapture the
+fort at Stony Point on the Hudson, which had been taken by Sir Henry
+Clinton, May 31, 1779. His plan was entrusted to General Wayne, called
+"Mad Anthony" Wayne because of his dashing bravery. Wayne took a small
+body of light-armed, fearless men, marched through the mountains and at
+midnight on July 16, stormed the fort and captured it. This feat was so
+well done that it is considered one of the great events of the war.
+Congress thanked Washington for the victory and gave Wayne a medal for
+his courage and success.
+
+The swift and daring young scout, "Light Horse Harry" Lee, was with this
+expedition. After it was over, he asked permission to lead an attack on
+the garrison of Paulus Hook (now Jersey City), right under the guns of
+New York. Washington, who always admired courageous deeds, allowed him
+to make the attempt. Lee surprised the fort at night, captured a number
+of prisoners and made a successful retreat while the guns from the
+battleships were sounding the alarm. These two daring attacks increased
+the confidence and spirit of the Americans and gave the British more
+respect for them. Still, it was tiresome for the troops to remain month
+after month in camp, wondering what the enemy would do next.
+
+Washington had more serious troubles. Congress was slow and often unwise
+in its acts. The people grew tired of the war, because business was
+suffering and the farms were neglected, and nothing seemed to be gained
+by it. Officers resigned from the army and men deserted. Washington was
+laughed at by the Tories and criticized by his friends. But he was
+patient and said, "We must not despair! The game is yet in our hands; to
+play it well is all we have to do."
+
+Washington's greatness is shown not only by his skill in action, but by
+the patience with which he could wait. He simply would not be
+discouraged. Under such trials, he became "the best among the great."
+
+The winter came and Washington took part of his army into a camp of log
+huts at Morristown, New Jersey. The sad story of Valley Forge was
+repeated here and the winter (1779-1780) was the coldest ever known in
+the colonies.
+
+When the war broke out, there was, of course, no American money.
+Congress had put out some paper money called "Continental Currency," but
+it was worth so little that it took a great deal of it to buy anything.
+Washington was obliged to ask the states to give the army grain and
+cattle. New Jersey, where a part of the army was stationed, was very
+generous and the women knitted socks and made clothes for the soldiers.
+
+The British went on surprising and killing small garrisons and
+plundering the country. In December, 1779, General Clinton sailed, with
+General Cornwallis and a strong army, to attack Charleston, South
+Carolina. They landed at Savannah, Georgia, and marched overland.
+Washington dared not go to the help of the Southern troops and leave the
+Hudson unguarded against the British army from Canada, which might
+descend upon it. General Benjamin Lincoln and Commander Whipple were,
+therefore, left alone to defend Charleston, which they did bravely,
+though it was bombarded on all sides by the British. They held out until
+their guns were destroyed and their provisions gone. The people were
+frightened into submission and on May 12, 1780, the city of Charleston
+surrendered, and Lincoln and his army became prisoners of war.
+Considering South Carolina conquered, General Clinton went back to New
+York, leaving Lord Cornwallis in command, with orders to subdue North
+Carolina and Virginia.
+
+After their success in the South, the British made an attempt to capture
+Washington's headquarters at Morristown. The patriots of New Jersey
+rallied to the help of the army and drove off the British, who withdrew,
+burning houses and killing people as they went. Soon after this, the
+Americans were encouraged by the arrival (July 10, 1780) of a large
+French force under Count de Rochambeau (ro-sham-bo), who came to help
+them.
+
+Early in the year (January, 1780), Washington had had the unpleasant
+duty laid upon him by Congress of rebuking General Benedict Arnold, who,
+though he was very brave and fought gallantly, had been guilty of
+several unwise acts. Washington greatly admired General Arnold and made
+his reproof so gentle that it was almost a compliment. But being called
+to account at all was more than Arnold could bear. He felt hurt, too,
+that Congress had promoted others and had only blame for him. This so
+enraged him that he proved false to the trust Washington had placed in
+him and false to his country.
+
+After his rebuke, feeling that he had been treated unfairly, Arnold
+began writing letters to Major John Andre, a popular young British
+officer, in which he offered to betray the fortress of the Hudson. At
+Arnold's own request, Washington gave him command of West Point and an
+important part in a plan to attack the British with the help of the
+French. Washington had gone to consult with the French commander in
+Newport (R. I.), when Major Andre and General Arnold met. At dead of
+night, September 21, 1780, they went to a house in the forest to make
+arrangements for the betrayal of West Point. With letters and plans of
+the fort hidden in his boots, Major Andre rode back alone to New York.
+He was caught and searched by three young farmers, who were guarding
+their cattle against the outlaws who overran the neighborhood. They
+found the letters and knew he was a spy. Andre begged them to release
+him and made them all kinds of offers if they would, but they marched
+him off ten miles to the nearest fort.
+
+[Illustration: A Messenger came to Benedict Arnold]
+
+General Washington came back from Newport two days earlier than he was
+expected. Lafayette, Count Rochambeau and Hamilton rode with him and
+they planned to go at once to West Point. Arnold was living with his
+family in a house several miles from the fort and Washington sent word
+they would have breakfast with him. This was the very day for the fort
+to be given up and the sudden return of Washington frightened Arnold.
+Just before his guests arrived, a messenger brought word of Andre's
+capture. Hastily bidding his wife good-by, he flung himself on his horse
+and galloped away. After breakfast, Washington went on with Rochambeau
+to the fort. No salute welcomed them. General Arnold was not there and
+apparently they were not expected. While wondering at his absence,
+Washington had no thought of treachery. Then Hamilton brought him the
+dreadful news. "Whom can we trust now?" was all he said. Hamilton rode
+hard after Arnold, but he escaped to the British ship which was lying in
+the river.
+
+Major Andre endeared himself to everybody by his charming manners,
+intelligence and bravery. The young officers loved him and the British
+made every effort to save him, but honorably refused to give up General
+Arnold in exchange for him. Washington treated Andre with the greatest
+kindness, but justice to America required that this fine young officer
+should die and he suffered the shameful death of a spy (October 2,
+1780). His body was later sent to England and he was buried in
+Westminster Abbey. General Arnold was made an officer in the British
+army, but nobody trusted him, and the men hated his command. Twenty
+years afterward (1801), he died, poor and broken-hearted, in a foreign
+land. It is said that, on his death-bed, he called for his old American
+uniform and asked to be allowed to die in it. "God forgive me," he
+cried, "for ever putting on another!"
+
+Count Rochambeau had told a pretty story about his journey from Newport
+with General Washington. One evening, as they passed through a large
+town, the people came out to greet their General. Throngs of children
+carrying torches crowded about him, touching his hands and calling him
+"Father." He was very kind and gentle to all these people, but the
+patriotism of the children pleased him most. He said Great Britain
+could never conquer a country whose children were taught to be loyal.
+
+Another French officer said of Washington's horses, "They are as good as
+they are beautiful, and all perfectly trained. He trains them all
+himself. He leaps the highest barriers and rides very fast." At one
+time, early in the war, when the Virginia riflemen first came north,
+some Marblehead (Mass.) fishermen laughed at their fringed hunting
+shirts and a fight followed. Washington heard of it, jumped on his horse
+and galloped into camp. His colored servant was going to let down some
+bars for him, but he leaped over them and dashed into the midst of the
+fight. He seized the two biggest riflemen and shook them, commanding
+peace.
+
+Washington, as usual, was prevented, through lack of men and supplies,
+from giving the British a blow. Months passed without much being done,
+except dashing skirmishes now and then. The two camps watched each
+other, wondering what the other would do.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+     GENERAL GATES DEFEATED AT CAMDEN, S. C.--BATTLE OF KING'S
+     MOUNTAIN--WASHINGTON SENDS AID TO THE SOUTH--SIEGE OF
+     YORKTOWN--SURRENDER OF LORD CORNWALLIS--PEACE TREATY
+     SIGNED--WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL TO HIS OFFICERS--1780-1783
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Though Washington did not have any encounters with the British for a
+long time, the Americans were engaged in bitter fighting in the South.
+Lord Cornwallis angered the people of South Carolina by hanging a number
+of prisoners at Charleston and by the cruel raids of General Tarleton
+and his dragoons, who rode about the country, slaying innocent people.
+General Thomas Sumter, who was nicknamed the "Game Cock," gathered
+together a few men. Those who had no guns sharpened their saws into
+swords and fastened hunting knives on long poles and thus armed, these
+soldiers gave the British a great deal of trouble.
+
+Meanwhile, General Lincoln was still held a prisoner of war and the
+people were very glad when they heard that General Gates, the hero of
+Saratoga, had been sent to take command of the Southern forces of the
+American army. Gates was very headstrong, however, and thought he knew
+more than any one could tell him and would take no advice from officers
+on the ground. He did the worst thing he could do--he rushed at once
+into an open battle with Lord Cornwallis (August 16, 1780) and met with
+a terrible defeat at Camden, South Carolina.
+
+Cornwallis now marched into North Carolina to subdue that State. Her
+Scotch-Irish people, always brave, had declared themselves independent
+of Great Britain a whole year before Congress had dared to do so.
+Cornwallis found himself in a "hornets' nest." Sharp-shooters and bold
+riders cut off his messengers and foraging parties. In the western part,
+the mountain people gathered, who were used to Indian fighting. They
+were joined by rugged men from all parts of the South. Each man was
+dressed in homespun, with a deer's tail or bit of green stuck in his
+hat. Each carried a long rifle, hunting knife, knapsack and blanket. At
+King's Mountain (on the border line between North and South Carolina),
+this little army overtook and destroyed a British and Tory force under
+General Ferguson. Soon after, Lord Cornwallis retreated to South
+Carolina again.
+
+The victory at King's Mountain aroused all the patriotism of the
+mountain folk. Francis Marion, one of the bravest soldiers of the South,
+took the field with a brigade of friends and neighbors. Armed with
+knives and rude swords, he, like Sumter, would surprise and capture
+British posts and then gallop back to the woods, while the enemy would
+be at a loss to know where he came from. The British called him the
+"Swamp Fox."
+
+About this time, Colonel William Washington, a kinsman of the General,
+with a few horsemen, surprised a body of Tories who had made their
+headquarters in a log barn. He put the trunk of a tree on two wagon
+wheels, painted it to look like a cannon, and pointed it at the barn.
+Then he sent a messenger with a white flag of truce to tell them to
+surrender or be blown to pieces. Their leader and one hundred and twelve
+men surrendered! They felt very foolish when they saw the cannon and
+were laughed at all over the State.
+
+General Gates, broken-hearted over his defeat at Camden, was trying to
+gather up his scattered army. To add to his sorrow, he received word
+that his only son was dead, and soon after, he was notified that
+Congress had given his command to General Greene and ordered an
+investigation of his defeat. These troubles were almost more than he
+could bear, but his feelings were soothed by a letter from General
+Washington, full of tender sympathy and expressions of confidence. The
+letter so comforted him that he was found in his room kissing the words.
+General Greene was also very considerate, and the proud heart of Gates,
+who had wronged both these men, was melted, by their kindness, into
+lasting love for them.
+
+General Greene found the army small and discouraged, but he soon
+inspired the men with renewed hope. He had with him the famous Virginia
+Rifles under General Daniel Morgan, who had served bravely at Quebec and
+Saratoga. This division was attacked at Cowpens (S. C.) January 17,
+1781, by Tarleton and his large force, but Morgan was so daring and
+skillful that he routed the British, who lost 800 of their 1100 men.
+
+Cornwallis tried to attack General Greene, who knew his army was too
+small to risk a battle; so he led Cornwallis a long chase through
+forests and mountains, while his light horse troops under Harry Lee
+annoyed the British like wasps that sting and fly away to return and
+sting again! Greene was at last overtaken and defeated, but the effect
+of the battle so crippled the British that there was nothing for them to
+do but retreat to the nearest sea-coast town, where they might get aid
+from their fleet. General Greene marched hard after them, turning his
+defeat into a victory, and so hampering Cornwallis that he lost hope.
+
+Cornwallis now turned northward into Virginia and Greene gave up the
+chase and marched into South Carolina. He, with Lee, Marion, Sumter,
+Wade Hampton and other daring officers, fought battle after battle until
+they had regained from the British most of Georgia and the Carolinas
+(September, 1781).
+
+In Virginia, Lafayette and "Mad Anthony" Wayne kept annoying Cornwallis
+as he marched to Portsmouth on the James River.
+
+Meanwhile Washington, while giving advice and directing the campaigns in
+the South, where he had sent some of his most brilliant generals, was
+watching General Clinton. Ever since the Battle of Monmouth (N. J.), he
+had remained in the neighborhood of New York. Though he was needed with
+his army in the South, he dared not leave the Hudson unguarded. At last,
+however, he planned to help the South by causing the British to recall
+some of their troops. He had the French forces come and encamp near his
+army, and appear to be making arrangements for laying siege to New York.
+Even the soldiers thought they were going to try to take the city.
+General Clinton fell into the trap and wrote to Cornwallis for all the
+regiments he could spare. Troops were hurried aboard ship and set sail
+for New York.
+
+Clinton found out, too late, how completely he had been deceived, for
+Washington and Rochambeau slipped out of their camps and marched their
+armies across New Jersey! He took his revenge by sending Benedict
+Arnold, who was now a British officer, to his native State, Connecticut,
+to plunder and lay waste the country and murder the garrisons. This
+brutality was Arnold's last act in America, and shortly after, he went
+to England.
+
+When the French and Continental armies reached Philadelphia, they were
+received with rejoicing. Washington was entertained in the home of
+Robert Morris, a patriot banker, without whose help, in raising money,
+Washington could not have saved the country and who more than once had
+come to the aid of the army. At this time, he loaned the government
+$20,000 in gold, and at about the same time, France sent the colonists
+more than a million dollars in coin.
+
+The Continental army paraded through Philadelphia (August 30, 1781),
+dusty and ragged, but keeping step to the fife and drum. The next day,
+the French troops marched through, jaunty in white and green uniforms,
+with bands playing. Lafayette, who was in Virginia, sent word to
+Washington that the British troops had landed at Yorktown (instead of
+going to New York), and that Cornwallis was strongly fortified there.
+The British battleships lay in the river before the town. Cornwallis
+thought his only enemy was Lafayette, of whom he had little fear.
+Lafayette carefully arranged his troops to cut off any retreat from
+Yorktown, and waited for Washington. A powerful French fleet arrived
+from France and bottled up Cornwallis in the York River. The American
+and French armies marched on from Philadelphia, Washington taking time
+on the way to visit Mount Vernon, which he had not seen for six years.
+
+[Illustration: Washington spent the first night under a mulberry tree]
+
+Cornwallis felt very safe and snug in Yorktown (Va.) till he saw the
+French ships, and then he decided to retreat. But every way was
+blocked. The allied armies (American and French) entrenched themselves
+close about the town. Washington spent the first night among his men
+sleeping under a mulberry tree. On the night of October 6th (1781), the
+siege of Yorktown began, Washington himself putting the match to the
+first gun. A week later, two strong British redoubts (forts) were
+stormed and taken, one by an American company under Colonel Hamilton and
+the other by the French. The British kept up a constant bombardment of
+the American lines, and Washington was often in the greatest peril. On
+one occasion, an officer spoke of his danger and Washington said, "If
+you think so, you are at liberty to step back." He was never afraid and
+what the Indian had said of him years ago seemed indeed true.--"A mighty
+Power protected him and he could not die in battle!"
+
+The Americans pounded the British fortifications to pieces. Cornwallis
+looked in vain for help from New York. He was surrounded on all sides
+and all hope of escape was gone. On the 19th of October, 1781, in order
+not to sacrifice the lives of any more of his brave men, Lord Cornwallis
+surrendered to General Washington. The whole country went wild with joy
+over this great victory, and the Americans did not forget that the
+French, with their men, money and ships, made it possible for them to
+win. The troops held services of thanksgiving in camp, and Congress
+named a day when all the people should thank God. When Cornwallis
+surrendered, Washington treated the British with great kindness and
+courtesy.
+
+The English were now having so much trouble in Europe that it was
+difficult for them to carry on the war in America; but they were not
+willing to make peace on terms that America would accept. Washington
+thought that the only way to secure a glorious and lasting peace was to
+be prepared to carry on the war. If the British should see the colonists
+weak and unprepared, they would either conquer them or offer them an
+inglorious peace. He, therefore, fortified his forces at Newburgh on the
+Hudson, where they were joined by the French.
+
+The entire year 1782 was spent in camp. The men soon became
+discontented. Congress and the States were slow, as usual, in furnishing
+supplies. But Washington's patience and fair dealing kept the men loyal
+to him and the country.
+
+The first articles of peace were signed in France, November 30, 1782,
+but it was not until September 3, 1783, that the final treaty of peace
+with England was signed at Paris.
+
+On April 19th (1783), just eight years after the Battle of Lexington,
+Washington proclaimed to his troops that the war was over; but the
+British did not leave New York until November, and then Washington and
+the Governor marched in.
+
+[Illustration: Mrs. Betsy Ross]
+
+On December 4, at Fraunce's Tavern, New York City, he said good-by to
+the officers and men who had served and suffered so long with him; there
+were tears in his eyes and theirs, as he shook their hands and bade them
+farewell. A ship carried him to Annapolis, Maryland, where he
+surrendered his commission to Congress. He said, "I close this last act
+of my official life by commending the interests of our dearest country
+to the protection of Almighty God and those who have the superintendence
+of them to His holy keeping." He sheathed his sword after years of
+faithful and honorable service. Through good and evil fortunes, he had
+always held firmly to ideals of truth, courage and patriotism, and he
+retired from public life admired and loved by his countrymen. He arrived
+at Mount Vernon on Christmas eve (1783).
+
+The United States now had a place among the nations of the world. She
+had a flag of her own, the beautiful Stars and Stripes, created in the
+dark days of the war. For a hundred and fifty years, the colonies had
+used the flag of Great Britain. When the Revolution broke out, each
+State and regiment had its own flag; but in 1777, Congress appointed
+Washington, Robert Morris and Colonel Ross a committee to devise a flag.
+They were in Philadelphia at the time, and it was in the house of Betsy
+Ross (which still stands) that the first American flag was made,
+consisting of thirteen red and white stripes, with a circle of thirteen
+white stars on a blue field, "representing a new constellation." (A
+group of fixed stars.) This flag was accepted by Congress on June 14,
+the day that is now celebrated in the United States as Flag Day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+     WASHINGTON RETIRES TO MOUNT VERNON--INAUGURATED AS FIRST PRESIDENT
+     OF THE UNITED STATES--HIS REELECTION--HIS DEATH AT MOUNT
+     VERNON--1783-1799
+
+
+[Illustration: The Dome of the Capitol at Washington]
+
+There are many things to be remembered about the Revolution. Its objects
+were to gain liberty, equality and a fair chance for everybody. It was
+won by the patience and courage of patriots, ill-fed, ill-clad and
+ill-paid. Its armies were too weak for the glory of many great battles.
+Years afterward, Lafayette said to Napoleon, "It was the grandest of
+causes, won by the skirmishes of sentinels and outposts."
+
+Washington laid aside his sword and spent five happy years at Mount
+Vernon. He was a brave soldier, but he loved best the quiet life of the
+farm. He once said, "How pitiful is the ambition which desolates the
+world with fire and sword for the purpose of conquest and fame, compared
+to making our neighbors and fellowmen happy!"
+
+His home was filled with guests whom he loved to entertain and who were
+always sure of a courteous and dignified welcome. The two little
+children of Mrs. Washington's son (who had died of fever during the
+war), Nelly and George, made the place merry and the General joined in
+their play and enjoyed the change from camp to home life. Those who were
+with him constantly say that he never spoke of himself and never
+referred to any of his battles. He had done his work and done it well.
+Now he left it behind him and looked forward to the joy of his home. At
+the close of the war, some of his friends had wanted to make him king,
+but he would not hear of it. He had fought to make America a free land,
+and not for his own glory.
+
+[Illustration: Washington spent five happy years at Mount Vernon]
+
+The thirteen States were loosely bound together in a Confederation. As
+time went on, the rights of different States came into conflict.
+Washington, from his fireside, watched the interests of his country. He
+believed with other great Americans that only a strong central
+government could keep harmony among the States. In 1787, a convention
+was called in Philadelphia to talk the matter over. Each State sent its
+most brilliant and thoughtful men, among them, of course, being
+Washington. After four months of careful consideration and labor, they
+offered to the American people the glorious Constitution, upon which has
+been built up the great Republic of the United States. Washington said
+they had God's help in "laying the foundation for tranquillity and
+happiness." The people accepted the Constitution and turned to
+Washington for their first President. No one else was thought of, and he
+was unanimously elected. New York was chosen for the capital.
+
+Before he left Virginia, Washington went to say farewell to his mother,
+knowing he would never see her again. She was old and feeble, but happy
+to see her son so useful and so honored. She always said, "He is a good
+son and has done his duty as a man."
+
+As Washington journeyed to New York, people thronged the roadsides.
+Bells rang and cannon roared. Soldiers and citizens escorted him from
+city to city. At the lower end of New York Bay, he was received on a
+splendid barge, which led a procession of boats gay with flags and
+music. At the pier, he was met by the Governor of the State.
+
+On April 30, 1789, Washington took the oath of office on the open
+balcony of Federal Hall, in Wall Street, in the presence of a great
+multitude. Then he walked to St. Paul's church and devoutly kneeling,
+prayed to God for strength and guidance.
+
+Washington had need to pray, for he was facing difficulties and problems
+greater than any he had known. He was at the head of a government, such
+as had never been tried before, and the eyes of the world were upon him.
+The peoples of down-trodden lands looked to him for the success of
+freedom. He said truly, "I walk untrodden ground," for there was no
+great republic in history whose example he could follow. His heavy task
+was to bring into harmony the differences of widely separate States; to
+make fair laws; to create a national money; to organize the different
+departments of government--in short, to make one nation out of thirteen.
+
+Washington never flinched from responsibility. He took up his new work
+with methodical patience, and was most fortunate in having the help of
+great men. The States sent their best men to Congress. John Adams was
+Vice-President. The first Secretary of State was Thomas Jefferson, who
+had written the Declaration of Independence. General Knox was made
+Secretary of War. The still youthful Alexander Hamilton was appointed
+Secretary of the Treasury; the country owes much to him for its success
+and prosperity, for he was the one who made the financial plans, without
+which the government could not exist.
+
+[Illustration: Federal Hall]
+
+Washington's family joined him in New York, where they lived. The city
+streets were dirty and dark at this time and only one was paved. Negro
+slaves carried all the water for the household from the river, in tubs
+balanced on their heads, while drinking water was sold from wagons, as
+there was only one pump in the city. The President traveled about in a
+cream-colored coach with pictures painted on the doors and panels. It
+was drawn by cream-colored horses with white manes and tails. Sometimes
+on Saturday afternoons, this coach, which was well known to all the
+people, was sent to bring playmates to drive with Nelly and George.
+
+Washington drove to the first meeting of Congress in a coach drawn by
+six horses, with a coachman and footman in scarlet and white liveries,
+and with an escort mounted on prancing white steeds. Such style really
+was not uncommon in those days and the six horses were not so much for
+show as they were needed to draw the heavy carriage over the bad roads.
+The fear that our country might become a monarchy had not entirely
+disappeared, so Washington lived as simply as he could and avoided
+everything that suggested the pomp of a king.
+
+The President and Mrs. Washington often went on foot to call on their
+friends, and that the people might meet them freely, they held public
+receptions on Friday evenings from eight to ten. While always reserved
+and dignified, Washington was gracious and attentive to his guests. His
+wife was the same sweet hostess as at Mount Vernon. At dinner, if no
+chaplain was present, Washington asked the blessing himself. Sunday was
+always strictly observed in the Washington household. In the morning,
+the President went to church, and the rest of the day he spent quietly
+with his family. In the autumn after his election, he wrote the first
+Proclamation setting aside a Thursday in November for Thanksgiving. From
+that time to this, in November of each year, America gives thanks to God
+for her liberties.
+
+At this time, Lafayette was fighting for the cause of liberty in France.
+When the terrible Bastille prison in Paris was torn down at his command,
+he sent its huge key to Washington, because he believed the same love of
+liberty, for which Washington had fought, had also destroyed this state
+dungeon of tyranny, where many good people had suffered unjustly.
+
+One of the problems Washington had to meet was the warlike attitude of
+the Indians, with whom there was some border fighting. He always treated
+them fairly and often entertained them. When they came, he impressed
+them by a great show of elegance and style. Once a great chief and
+twenty-eight warriors from Alabama came to make a treaty. The President
+gave them a splendid dinner at his house. Then he showed them a full
+length, oil portrait of himself. They looked at it, touched it and
+looked behind it. Finding it flat, they grunted in disgust and not one
+of them would allow his picture to be made! Dressed in his handsomest
+clothes, the President took them, in their full dress of feathers and
+paint, for a walk down Broadway, which he enjoyed as much as they.
+
+Washington liked to slip away from his cares and go fishing. He was a
+good fisherman and it was said "all the fish came to his hook."
+
+The Southern States were not pleased with the choice of New York as the
+capital, as they thought it too far away; so the seat of government was
+moved to Philadelphia. Washington wanted to move quietly. On a summer
+morning, he and his family were all up by candle light, expecting to
+steal away in their carriages, when, suddenly, a military band began to
+play under their windows! The people came running from all directions.
+"There, we are found out!" said the President. "Well, they must have
+their way." So his party walked to the pier between rows of loving
+people, and were rowed to the Jersey shore, while cannon boomed and the
+multitude shouted. Six horses were needed to drag their coach over the
+poor roads and the occupants of the coach were in danger of being upset.
+
+The house of Robert Morris, in Philadelphia, was taken for Washington,
+who paid the rent himself. Pennsylvania built a President's Mansion, but
+it was so big and fine that Washington refused to live in it, and so it
+was used for the Pennsylvania University.
+
+While his furniture was coming by sea from New York, Washington had time
+for a short visit to Mount Vernon, but he and his family were settled in
+his new home when Congress met the first Monday in December.
+
+About this time, two political parties began to form in the United
+States. The Federalists, who were led by Hamilton, wanted to make a
+strong central government, which would develop the country and be
+respected abroad. The Democratic-Republicans, who were led by Jefferson,
+wanted the States to hold the chief power, because they were afraid a
+strong central government might be turned into a monarchy. Both parties
+had the good of the country at heart. Jefferson's party is the
+Democratic Party of the present day and the Federalists live still in
+the Republican Party.
+
+Jefferson and Hamilton were bitterly opposed to each other's ideas and
+disputed with their usual fighting quality. Washington quietly heard
+each side and did his best to keep the two men at peace, for the country
+needed both.
+
+In the spring and summer of 1791, Washington made a tour of the Southern
+States. It was a trip covering eighteen hundred and seventy-five miles.
+The same horses made the entire journey and kept up their spirits until
+they trotted back into their stalls at home! The President returned very
+happy about the condition of the country and delighted with its
+confidence in the new government.
+
+The end of his term of four years drew near and Washington looked
+forward to the comfort of private life. He was growing quite deaf and
+had had several severe illnesses. He was tired of the load of care, and
+of the strife of opposing parties. But four years were not time enough
+to establish so great a government. Washington alone held the faith and
+confidence of the people, and they begged him to give them four years
+more. He wanted to retire, as he feared that, after another term, he
+would not be able to carry out his plans for Mount Vernon; but he
+finally consented.
+
+Washington's second term was filled with great difficulties. Indians
+attacked the western frontiers, and Algerian [Algeria is in northern
+Africa] pirates seized American ships and imprisoned American citizens.
+France and England were at war and it was difficult to keep America out
+of the quarrel. These and other problems, besides disputes among public
+men, kept Washington's heart weary and sore. Through it all, he said,
+"There is but one straight course and that is to seek truth and pursue
+it steadily." His only wish was to "lead the country to respectability,
+wealth and happiness." He paid no attention to his own comfort or
+desire. Though often misunderstood and ridiculed by men who did not
+agree with him, he never failed to do what he thought was right. His
+wisdom and justice were so great that, in all these years, the wisest
+men have found little in the actions of Washington they would change.
+Jefferson said of him that no motive of interest or friendship or hatred
+could influence him; "he was in every sense of the word a wise, a good
+and a great man."
+
+At the close of his second term, 1797, Washington insisted upon
+retiring, and he counted the days until he might lay aside the cares of
+office and seek his rest. He sent his Farewell Address to Congress, and
+it has been said that nothing finer has ever been written than his last
+great message to his countrymen.
+
+On the 4th of March, 1797, John Adams was inaugurated as the second
+President of the United States. But the thought and love of the great
+assembly at the inaugural ceremony were turned toward Washington, the
+white-haired soldier who had led the country through war to prosperous
+peace. The people followed him to his door, where, with tears in his
+eyes, the "Father of his Country" waved farewell to them and to all
+beloved citizens of the nation.
+
+In a few days, Washington was at home again upon his farm. He spent his
+time riding over his plantations, looking after his crops and horses and
+cattle. Often he took out his surveying instruments and spent a day
+laying out his land, or he planted trees and vines about his house and
+lawns. To the country folks, he was a beloved neighbor and friend.
+Visitors came frequently to his home, while Nelly and George and their
+young friends kept the place lively. Under the care of her Grandmother,
+Nelly had grown into a beautiful and well educated young lady. Her wit
+and sweetness of temper were a great joy to Washington, who loved her
+dearly. She had many suitors, but delighted Washington by choosing his
+favorite nephew, Lawrence Lewis, for her husband. They were married on
+Washington's birthday and the General wore his old Continental uniform
+of buff and blue, though he had a new and finely embroidered one that
+Nelly wanted him to put on.
+
+The quiet life of Mount Vernon was broken before long. The new President
+got into such trouble with France that the country was threatened with
+war. Washington was asked to take his old position of Commander-in-Chief
+of the army and he accepted. He organized an army, but, fortunately,
+peace was made without bloodshed, and he was glad to go back to Mount
+Vernon.
+
+One winter day, while riding, Washington was caught in a heavy storm of
+rain and snow. He was used to all kinds of weather and thought nothing
+of the exposure, even though he was hoarse and had a severe cold the
+next day. Before morning of the third day, he was very ill and when the
+doctors came, they bled him. It was the stupid practice of those days
+and in a few hours Washington was so weakened as to be past hope of
+recovery. He died on December 14, 1799, as bravely as he had lived. His
+wife praying beside him was as brave and calm as he. He had asked that
+his funeral might be a simple one, and so it was. None was there but
+friends and neighbors. The casket was carried out upon the veranda that
+all might see his face. Troops from Alexandria, (Va.) with solemn music
+led the funeral procession. Four clergymen in white followed. The
+General's favorite horse, with saddle and bridle, was led by two negro
+grooms. The casket, borne by Free Masons and army officers, was followed
+by his family, and by friends and neighbors. While minute guns were
+fired from a warship in the river below, the procession wound along the
+lovely paths of Mount Vernon to the family tomb on the hillside. Here
+the body was laid to rest with religious and Masonic ceremonies.
+
+When the news reached the people that Washington was dead, the whole
+country went into deepest mourning. In Europe, the sorrow was true and
+sincere. The British fleets put their flags at half-mast and Napoleon
+ordered crepe put upon the banners of France. Though Washington was born
+and educated in America and belongs truly to Americans, he was such a
+friend to humanity, such a champion of liberty, that the whole world
+claims him as a model.
+
+His will provided that, after the death of his wife, all his slaves
+should be free and he left money for those who could not earn a living.
+His able management had made Mount Vernon a great estate of nine
+thousand acres. Beside this, he held forty-four other tracts of land in
+nine different States, and he was one of the greatest land owners in
+America. Believing that the Republic would stand secure only upon a
+foundation of education, courage and conscience, he left money for a
+great American University. In this, he wanted the young people to be
+trained in the principles of true Americanism. He wanted the
+intelligence of the country to guide its politics. It is unfortunate
+that, to the present day, the university has not been founded, although
+there is now every likelihood that such a National University will be
+established in Washington and vast sums contributed to the fund
+Washington had left for this purpose.
+
+The site of the city of Washington was selected for the Federal Capital
+in 1790, and ten years later, the seat of government was moved from
+Philadelphia to Washington. President Washington himself headed the body
+of commissioners who chose the site and arranged for the purchase of the
+land. The city was named in his honor. It is beautifully laid out with
+magnificent avenues, parks, fountains and stately buildings, and is one
+of the finest and most comfortable cities in the world.
+
+In the house at Mount Vernon, there was a little attic room, hot in
+summer, bitter cold in winter. But its one window was the only one that
+looked upon the tomb on the hillside, and so Mrs. Washington, after the
+death of her husband, moved into this little room. Two and a half years
+later, she died there and her body was laid beside that of Washington.
+
+[Illustration: Washington's Tomb at Mount Vernon]
+
+Years passed and the beautiful house began to fall into ruin. A new and
+simple tomb was erected to Washington, but it also was neglected.
+Nothing was done to restore Mount Vernon until the women of the country
+bought the place. They rebuilt the walls and porches, brought back the
+old furniture, planted vines about the tomb, and still keep it as
+Washington would have wished, as a shrine for all to visit, where
+respect can be paid to the memory of the "Father of his Country."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's George Washington, by Calista McCabe Courtenay
+
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