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+Project Gutenberg's The Story of American History, by Albert F. Blaisdell
+
+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: The Story of American History
+       For Elementary Schools
+
+Author: Albert F. Blaisdell
+
+Release Date: December 8, 2010 [EBook #34600]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Patrick Hopkins, Juliet Sutherland, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+- Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the transcriber
+for reader convenience.
+
+- Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.
+
+- Words surrounded by =equal signs= should be interpreted as being in bold
+type.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+                         THE STORY OF
+
+                       AMERICAN HISTORY
+
+                   _FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS_
+
+
+
+                              BY
+                      ALBERT F. BLAISDELL
+
+  AUTHOR OF "FIRST STEPS WITH AMERICAN AND BRITISH AUTHORS,"
+             "STORIES FROM ENGLISH HISTORY," ETC.
+
+
+
+
+                        BOSTON, U.S.A.
+                  GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
+                      The Athen�um Press
+                             1902
+
+
+
+
+  COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY
+  ALBERT F. BLAISDELL
+
+  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+Some sort of a first book on American history is now quite generally
+used in schools as a preparation for the more intelligent study of a
+larger and more formal text-book in the higher grammar grades.
+
+For beginners, a mere compilation of facts is dry and unsatisfactory.
+Such books have now given place, for the most part, to those prepared on
+a more attractive and judicious plan. The real aim in a first book
+should be to interest boys and girls in the history of their country,
+and to encourage them to cultivate a taste for further study and
+reading.
+
+This book is intended for use in the earlier grammar grades and to be
+preliminary to the study of a more advanced work in the higher grades.
+The author has also kept in mind the fact that the school life of many
+children is brief, and that all their instruction in American history
+must come from a text-book of this kind.
+
+The author has not aimed to cover the whole range of our country's
+history. Of many noted men and important affairs no mention is made.
+Only the leading events of certain periods and the personal achievements
+of a few representative "makers of our country" are treated in any
+detail. The subject is approached through biographical sketches of a few
+of the more illustrious actors in our nation's history. Some prominence
+is given to exceptional deeds of valor, details of everyday living in
+olden times, dramatic episodes, and personal incident.
+
+The schoolroom test demonstrates the fact that such a treatment of the
+subject is more attractive and profitable to children of the lower
+grades than the mere recital of minor matters and petty details of
+public events.
+
+The author would acknowledge his indebtedness to Dr. Homer B. Sprague of
+New York City for editorial help in reading and revising the manuscript.
+Thanks are also due to Dr. John E. Sanborn of Melrose, Mass., for
+editorial assistance.
+
+                                                  A. F. BLAISDELL.
+
+  NOVEMBER, 1900.
+
+NOTE.--The attention of teachers and pupils is especially directed to
+the practical usefulness of the subject of "Reference Books and
+Supplementary Reading for Successive Periods in American History," as
+treated on pages 424-435 in the Appendix.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                                    PAGE
+
+      I. AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS                                1
+
+     II. COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA                 10
+
+    III. SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH             31
+
+     IV. THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS                             47
+
+      V. MORE ABOUT THE PILGRIMS                               60
+
+     VI. THE INDIANS AND HOW THEY LIVED                        73
+
+    VII. THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA    88
+
+   VIII. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS                           106
+
+     IX. EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES                      126
+
+      X. THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION                      139
+
+     XI. LEXINGTON AND CONCORD                                158
+
+    XII. THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL                            170
+
+   XIII. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE                      184
+
+    XIV. THE BURGOYNE CAMPAIGN                                198
+
+     XV. WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION                        222
+
+    XVI. THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE SOUTH               250
+
+   XVII. THE STORY OF ARNOLD'S TREASON                        271
+
+  XVIII. JOHN PAUL JONES: OUR FIRST GREAT NAVAL HERO          286
+
+    XIX. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: HIS HIGHLY USEFUL CAREER          296
+
+     XX. EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO                  311
+
+    XXI. WHAT OUR NAVY DID IN THE WAR OF 1812                 323
+
+   XXII. THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST                  339
+
+  XXIII. LINCOLN AND THE WAR FOR THE UNION                    353
+
+   XXIV. MORE ABOUT THE WAR FOR THE UNION                     369
+
+    XXV. OUR NAVY IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION                    387
+
+   XXVI. THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898                           406
+
+  APPENDIX. Books for Reference and Collateral Reading in
+    the Study of American History                             424
+
+  INDEX                                                       436
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.
+
+
+=1. The Story of our Country.=--We are sure that every intelligent and
+patriotic American youth must like to read the story of our country's
+life. To a boy or girl of good sense no work of fiction can surpass it
+in interest or power.
+
+How delightful to let the imagination summon up the forms and the deeds
+of the fearless Norse sailors who dared to cross the unknown seas in
+their frail and tiny vessels without compass and without charts! How
+interesting the oft-told but ever-fresh narrative of the intrepid
+Columbus and his memorable first voyage into and across the "Sea of
+Darkness"! What romance was ever more exciting than the stories of the
+fierce struggles between the white men and the Indians for existence and
+supremacy on this continent?
+
+How deep the pathos of the simple tales that tell of the patient
+sufferings, the severe toils, the ever-present dangers, and the heroic
+self-denials of the early colonists in making for themselves homes in
+the New World! How richly suggestive are those pages that record the
+glorious events of our American Revolution--the splendid and immortal
+deeds of Washington and his illustrious associates!
+
+Then there is the thrilling account of the most tremendous civil war in
+all history, with its four million soldiers, its two thousand battles,
+and its preservation of the Union.
+
+And to come down to a time within the memory of every schoolboy, the
+echoes of the Spanish-American conflict have hardly yet died away. The
+story of this short war in the summer of 1898 still rings in our
+ears--with its astounding naval victories at Manila and Santiago, the
+freedom of Cuba, and the destruction of the last vestige of the once
+mighty Spanish supremacy on this western continent!
+
+=2. Lessons of Wisdom and Inspiration to be learned.=--But beyond and
+above all mere gratification and pleasure to be derived from the study
+of our country's history, there are in it lessons of wisdom to be
+learned, there is inspiration to noble living, there is an uplifting of
+the soul to a higher plane of thought and sentiment, there is constant
+aid in the development and upbuilding of manly and womanly character.
+
+And when we think of the marvelous growth of less than three centuries
+which, beginning with the infant colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth, has
+made us a nation of more than seventy millions; when we think of the
+wonderful record of trial and triumph and unceasing progress, and of the
+great and good and wise men that have laid the foundations and reared
+the superstructure of this mighty temple of liberty,--we must be blind
+indeed and ungrateful beyond expression not to recognize with devout
+thankfulness the guiding hand of a beneficent Providence.
+
+America, under God, stood at Plymouth for religious freedom; in the
+Revolution, for independence; in our civil war, for the preservation of
+the Union. She now stands for humanity, civilization, and the uplifting
+of the whole race.
+
+=3. The People of Ancient America.=--Wise men who have made a special
+study of the subject tell us that this country has been continuously
+inhabited by generations of men for many thousands of years. Rude tools,
+and human skulls, intermingled with bones of animals of species long
+extinct, have been found in caves or dug out of deep layers of earth;
+and they indicate that in the Mississippi valley and on the Atlantic
+and Pacific slopes there lived, perhaps hundreds of ages ago, men of a
+low grade of culture.
+
+In the great museums--as the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, the
+Peabody Museums at Cambridge and New Haven, and the natural history
+rooms at New York and elsewhere--may be seen thousands of the relics of
+vanished races of men and animals that once inhabited this continent.
+
+=4. The Red Men or Indians.=--The Indians constitute a race by themselves.
+Whether they are descended from some of those prehistoric inhabitants of
+whom we have just spoken no one can say; but they make up an American
+type with marks as clearly recognized as those that distinguish the
+Mongolians and the Malays. For long ages the red men had spread
+themselves over the two continents, from Hudson Bay to Cape Horn. With
+few or no exceptions, all had the same copperish or cinnamon color,
+deep-set and intensely black eyes, high cheek-bones, straight black
+hair, with little or no beard; but the long lapse of time, the great
+varieties of environment, and perhaps other causes, brought about
+striking differences of appearance, of manners, customs, dialects, and
+the like.
+
+=5. Three Principal Divisions of the Indians.=--The eminent historian, Dr.
+John Fiske, groups the Indians in three leading divisions,--as savage,
+barbarous, and half-civilized.
+
+The savage Indians ranged to the west of Hudson Bay, and southward
+between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific, to the northern part of
+Mexico. They lived by catching fish or game. They knew little or nothing
+of tilling the soil. They did not dwell in permanent villages, but
+roamed from place to place like Bedouin Arabs.
+
+  [Illustration: ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLINGS.]
+
+The barbarous Indians inhabited the country east of the Rocky Mountains.
+They did not depend wholly upon hunting or fishing, but knew how to
+upturn the soil slightly with rude tools, and raise squashes, beans,
+tomatoes, and, most important of all, Indian corn. They lived in
+villages, and made houses that would last several years. They had dogs
+of an inferior breed, but no other domestic animals. Some tribes were
+able to weave coarse cloth and make weapons of polished stones. They had
+strange social customs and singular religious beliefs. Fighting was
+their principal occupation.
+
+The half-civilized Indians once lived in New Mexico and the adjoining
+region. They have had almost nothing to do with the history of the
+United States. They are the Pueblo Indians, so called from the _pueblos_
+or strongholds, dwellings which they built of stones or of sun-dried
+brick. Some of these strongholds, story above story, would accommodate
+at least three thousand inhabitants! They were built oftentimes in
+situations almost inaccessible, like eagles' nests on cliffs, apparently
+that they might be defended more easily against the attack of an enemy.
+
+=6. The Northmen and their Discoveries.=--The real contact between the
+eastern and western halves of the world practically began in 1492, the
+year of the first great voyage of Columbus. Occasional visitors may have
+sailed before that date directly across the "Sea of Darkness" from the
+Old World to the New. The subject is shrouded for the most part in the
+mists of vague stories and obscure traditions.
+
+It seems quite certain, however, that in the year 986 a daring
+Scandinavian navigator, Eric the Red, founded on the southwestern coast
+of Greenland a colony that lasted four or five hundred years. In the
+same year, as the Iceland Sagas (heroic legends) tell us, another Norse
+sailor, voyaging from Iceland to Greenland, was driven by storms far out
+towards the southwest, and was perhaps the first white man to behold the
+American coast.
+
+  [Illustration: NORSE RUINS IN GREENLAND.]
+
+Many interesting ruins of stone-built houses and of a church are still
+to be seen on that desolate Greenland shore. In those ages the Northmen,
+or Norsemen, as the people of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark were called,
+were the most skillful sailors in the world. Eric the Red had several
+sons, bold sailors like their father. The oldest of these (whose statue
+stands on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston), Leif the Lucky, with thirty-five
+hardy men, sailed south from Greenland in the year 1000, to explore
+these lands that had been discovered fourteen years before. He landed at
+several points along the coast. In a place which he called "Vinland the
+Good" (land of vines), he found an abundance of luscious wild grapes.
+Just where this sturdy Norse sailor feasted on the grapes is, of course,
+uncertain, but good authorities are inclined to think it may have been
+not far from Plymouth, on the coast of Massachusetts Bay. He returned
+home in the spring. Two years later Leif's brother, Thorwald, came on a
+voyage of discovery, but was killed by the natives in the summer of
+1004.
+
+In the spring of the year 1007 an Icelandic chief, accompanied by his
+wife and a crew of one hundred and sixty men, in three vessels, came to
+this Vinland. He remained here three years, and had many dealings with
+the Indians.
+
+  [Illustration: A NORSE SHIP.]
+
+The Norsemen went home and gave vivid and accurate descriptions of the
+land they visited. They described the Indians, the fish, the animals,
+and the plants, all of which are given in the Icelandic chronicles. No
+real relic, however, of these people has yet been found upon our own
+coast.
+
+Columbus, who visited Iceland in the year 1477, may have had access to
+the Icelandic archives, and have learned of the discoveries of these
+rovers of the deep. But we have no evidence on that point. After the
+eleventh century America remained as much unknown as if the bold
+Northmen had never steered their dragon-prowed ships along our shores.
+The waves that incessantly rolled upon its sands or dashed against its
+rocks brought no vessel from the far-away lands of the East. Nearly five
+hundred years were to come and go before, in the fullness of time, the
+hour struck for the real and fruitful discovery of the New World. It was
+left for Columbus, the great Genoese navigator, to open wide its gates!
+
+  [Illustration: LANDING OF THE NORSEMEN.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.
+
+
+=7. Commercial Activity in the Fifteenth Century.=--In southern Europe,
+the last half of the fifteenth century was a period of great commercial
+activity. Then, for the first time, many voyages of exploration were
+made in various directions, to find new riches, new markets, or new
+routes of travel and transportation. Merchants were turning their
+attention more and more to enterprises in far-off regions beyond the
+seas.
+
+Venice and Genoa became rivals for the vast and valuable trade of India.
+With other Italian cities they grew rich and powerful. They kept great
+fleets of merchant vessels plying back and forth across the
+Mediterranean.
+
+They sent out to India large quantities of copper, iron, pitch, wool,
+hides, and the like, and brought back cargoes of drugs, spices, silks,
+pearls, and other luxuries. But the path of this commerce between the
+Mediterranean and India required both ships and caravans; and whether by
+way of the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea, or by Damascus and the
+Persian Gulf, or by the Black Sea and the Caspian and thence across the
+eastern plains, the journey was long, tedious, costly; always hazardous,
+and often, by reason of the Turkish wars, positively dangerous.
+
+And so it became important, especially for the merchants of Spain and
+Portugal, the would-be rivals of Venice and Genoa, to find a shorter and
+safer route. In many a country, people were asking, "Is there no easier
+way to get to India?"
+
+In the attempts to solve this problem Portugal took the lead. Her
+sailors boldly ventured farther and farther down the coast of Africa
+until, about twenty years before Columbus discovered America, they
+crossed the equator. But it was not till five years after the memorable
+exploit of Columbus, that Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese captain, rounded
+the Cape of Good Hope and crossed the broad Indian Ocean to India. Two
+years later he returned home with his vessels full of rich merchandise
+from that country.
+
+=8. The Shape of the Earth--Spherical or Flat?=--The learned men of that
+age, for the most part, believed the earth to be round like a ball. But
+the common people, and doubtless many of high rank, thought the land
+surface to be flat, with a flat ocean flowing around it on every side.
+Now if the earth were really a sphere, and no larger than was commonly
+supposed, it would seem that the easiest way to get to India, unless
+unforeseen obstacles intervened, would be to strike out to the west and
+sail straight across the "Sea of Darkness," as the sailors called the
+Atlantic. To embrace so startling a theory and deliberately to risk his
+life in testing its truth, required a man of keen sagacity, of lofty
+faith, of unbending resolution, and of the most heroic daring. Such a
+man was Christopher Columbus.
+
+=9. Columbus; his Early Life as a Sailor.=--He was born at Genoa, in or
+about the year 1445. He was the son of a poor wool-comber, and while yet
+very young he helped in his father's daily toil. We find him a studious
+boy, early able to write a good hand and to draw maps and charts for
+mariners visiting his home. He loves the sea, listens eagerly to old
+sailors' "yarns," weaves their fancies and legends into his day-dreams,
+and is fired with ambition to go in search of strange lands. How shall
+he realize his visions? Who will believe in him?
+
+At the age of fourteen he becomes a sailor. He sails south along the
+African coast, and north as far as England, and even to Iceland. Always
+observing, studying, planning, the ardent, thoughtful boy grows up an
+earnest, thoughtful man. He is convinced that the earth is a globe, and
+that, if he sails west far enough, he will reach India by a route
+shorter than any to the east. Nothing can shake his faith in this
+belief. It becomes the inspiration of his life.
+
+But like that of many learned men of his day, his estimate of the
+distance is widely wrong. He supposes it to be only a few thousand
+miles, requiring but a few weeks' sail. Little does he imagine that
+directly in his westward path lies a vast continent, and beyond this
+rolls an ocean far wider than the Atlantic!
+
+=10. Curious Things from the Unknown West.=--To reflecting minds many
+facts gave hints of lands in the distant west. Curiously carved wood had
+been washed ashore by westerly gales; far out on the sunset sea an old
+pilot had picked up a quaintly wrought paddle; cane stalks of tropic
+growth, and huge pines that could not have come from the east, had
+drifted to the Azores. It was believed that these articles, strange to
+European eyes, had floated across the broad ocean from the eastern coast
+of Asia.
+
+Meditating much upon all these and kindred facts, and upon the teachings
+of science, Columbus conceives himself to be divinely commissioned to
+open up this new route to India, incidentally discovering unknown lands
+and showing that the earth was round. But this stupendous project calls
+for ships, men, and vast sums of money. He is poor, and he has no rich
+patrons.
+
+=11. Columbus seeks Aid from Foreign Governments.=--For ten years Columbus
+tried to persuade some European government to send him on this voyage
+across the Atlantic. First he sought help from his own people, the
+republic of Genoa; then from Venice, and afterwards from Portugal. For
+seven years he had patiently and persistently endeavored to interest
+Ferdinand and Isabella, the king and queen of Spain, in his scheme of a
+shorter route to India than that which their rivals, the Portuguese,
+were hoping to find by sailing down the western coast of the dark
+continent. After years of waiting and seeking, the long-sought help at
+last came. Isabella had faith in Columbus, and proved herself a firm
+friend. She listened patiently to his plans; and she finally decided to
+fit out an expedition at the expense of her own kingdom of Castile.
+
+By the terms of the agreement, Columbus was to be admiral of all the
+oceans he sailed and viceroy of all the lands he discovered, and to have
+one-eighth of all the profits of the expedition--the pearls, diamonds,
+gold, silver, and spices.
+
+It was hard work to get a crew willing to go on this long voyage into
+the mysterious western seas. It was indeed a strange and hazardous
+project, and prudent sailors, though stout-hearted, might well shrink
+from taking the risk. Some, badly in debt, consented to ship on
+condition that their debts should be paid. Others, convicted culprits,
+promising to join the expedition, were released from jail.
+
+=12. Columbus sails on his Wonderful Voyage.=--Finally, in August, 1492,
+after a delay of several months, three vessels with ninety men sailed
+from Palos, a little port of Spain, on the most wonderful voyage the
+world has ever seen--the voyage which ended in the discovery of the
+great New World. What a heroic venture,--to sail out into an unknown
+ocean!
+
+  [Illustration: VESSELS OF COLUMBUS CROSSING THE OCEAN.]
+
+Every day and every hour took them farther from home. Onward and still
+onward they were sailing, across the trackless and boundless deep, with
+nothing in sight but sky and ocean.
+
+No wonder they became angry with themselves for having started upon what
+seemed so foolhardy an enterprise. When at first the land sank from
+sight on the eastern horizon, many of them lamented their sad fate, and
+cried and sobbed like children. Columbus, fearing trouble, took the
+precaution to keep two different reckonings as to the distance sailed, a
+true one for himself and a false one for his men.
+
+To add to their fears, the needle of the compass no longer pointed, as
+usual, a little to the right of the north star, but began to sway toward
+the left. Columbus did not know what to make of this variation of the
+compass needle, but by giving an ingenious astronomical explanation he
+managed to satisfy his men.
+
+"This day we sailed westward, which was our course," were the simple but
+grand words which the brave commander wrote in his journal day after
+day. The sailors, in despair and rebellion, threatened to throw him
+overboard; but he stood firm in his hope and courage, gazing almost
+incessantly towards the ever-receding western horizon.
+
+=13. The Great Problem at last solved.=--Many times the eager sailors
+thought they saw land, and many times they were disappointed. At last
+birds began to circle around the ships. A bush covered with fresh red
+berries floated by, and a piece of carved wood. Presently the birds were
+seen to fly southward. By these signs Columbus felt sure that they were
+approaching land. "We shall see land in the morning," he said to his
+men. All was excitement and activity. No one could sleep. All waited
+impatiently for the dawn.
+
+The day broke, and a beautiful island appeared before them. Columbus was
+the first to step upon the beach; the others followed; all knelt as the
+great discoverer kissed the ground and gave thanks to God. He rose from
+his knees, drew his sword, unfurled the great flag of Spain, gorgeous
+with its red and gold, and in the name of Spain he took possession of
+the land, calling it San Salvador. From his sublime purpose the mighty
+navigator had not swerved a hair's breadth! He had solved the great
+problem! He had earned a name that should never die!
+
+  [Illustration: COLUMBUS'S FIRST VIEW OF THE NEW WORLD.]
+
+=14. The New World and its Strange People; the Homeward Voyage.=--The
+island on which Columbus first landed was one of those we now call the
+West Indies, the name given by him. The voyagers were wild with delight
+at the new country. They gazed in wonder at the rare and lovely flowers,
+the bright-colored birds flashing through the sunlight, the lofty palms,
+the strange trees bearing abundant fruits; but most of all at the
+singular people, whom of course they called Indians.
+
+  [Illustration: MAP OF COLUMBUS'S ROUTE ON HIS GREAT VOYAGE ACROSS THE
+     OCEAN.]
+
+Not less were the natives astonished. They thought the strange visitors
+divine beings from the sky, and the ships unearthly monsters from the
+deep. Columbus found the natives kindly and generous with gifts. Maize
+or Indian corn, potatoes, cotton, and tobacco were found; but neither
+gold nor diamonds.
+
+Columbus felt sure that this land was some part of Asia. After a stay of
+twelve weeks he decided to sail back to Spain with the news of his great
+discovery. He took with him a number of the natives and a vast store of
+curiosities. On the voyage a terrific storm raged for four days, and it
+seemed as if the frail vessels must be destroyed. The peril being very
+great, Columbus wrote upon parchment two brief accounts of his
+discoveries; each of these he wrapped in a cloth, enclosed it in a large
+cake of wax, and securely packed it in a tight cask. One of these kegs
+was flung into the sea, and the other was lashed to the vessel.
+
+The two frail vessels, however, rode out the storm and at last put into
+one of the Azores to refit. On the homeward way another storm overtook
+the weary voyagers, and Columbus was glad to reach at last a port in
+Portugal. From thence in March, 1493, he arrived safe in the harbor of
+Palos.
+
+=15. Columbus receives a Royal Welcome on his Return.=--A royal welcome
+was given Columbus on his return. The man who had been laughed at for
+his strange theories, now returning from a newly discovered world beyond
+the sea, was regarded as the greatest of men. Ferdinand and Isabella
+received him with royal pomp and asked him to tell them his story.
+Marvelous it must have seemed, and all who heard it must have listened
+with breathless attention. The highest honors were bestowed upon him.
+His discovery of course excited intense interest throughout the
+civilized world.
+
+But the high honors paid to him aroused the jealousy of the courtiers.
+Once, while sitting as a guest of honor at table, one of the courtiers
+said with a sneer that it was not such a great thing after all to
+discover the New World; any one else could have done it. By way of reply
+Columbus took an egg from a dish before him, and handing it to the
+courtier, asked him to make it stand on end. The man tried but could not
+do it. Others tried but failed, and the egg came back to Columbus. He
+struck it upon the table with slight force, cracking the shell a little,
+and then it stood upright.
+
+"Oh, any one could do that," said the courtier. "So any one could
+discover the Indies after I have shown the way," was the reply of
+Columbus.
+
+  [Illustration: COLUMBUS REBUKING THE COURTIERS.]
+
+=16. Columbus sails on Other Voyages across the Atlantic.=--In spite of
+the joy among the Spanish people over the great discovery, there was
+general disappointment that Columbus brought back no gold or precious
+stones. It was believed that another voyage might bring better success.
+Accordingly he soon prepared to sail again across the ocean. There was
+no trouble now in obtaining crews; multitudes wished to go.
+
+In September, 1493, he started--this time with seventeen ships and
+fifteen hundred men! He landed among the Caribbean Islands. The natives
+were frightened at the horses which were brought over, thinking the
+rider and the steed all one; they were doubly terrified to see the man
+dismount and the strange being come to pieces, making two separate
+animals!
+
+Columbus coasted along the south side of Cuba, and being sure it was
+India, tried to find the mouth of the Ganges! Seeing traces of a gold
+mine that had once been worked, he concluded that in that region must
+have been found the gold of Ophir, which had been used for Solomon's
+temple, and that probably the great temple itself was not far off!
+
+=17. Queen Isabella proves a Friend.=--After a great deal of trouble
+during his absence of nearly three years, Columbus returned home in
+1496. Serious disputes followed his arrival. Much disappointment was
+felt that he had found no gold or diamonds; many denounced "the foreign
+upstart" as a fraud and a tyrant, saying that he cost more than he was
+worth. Jealousy, intrigue, disappointed greed, hatred for fancied
+slights, every motive to hostility took shape against him. Yet as
+Isabella was still his friend, and as he hoped for better fortune in
+another trial, he prepared for a third voyage. In May, 1498, with six
+vessels and two hundred men he again set sail.
+
+On this voyage Columbus touched the mainland of South America and passed
+the mouth of the river Orinoco. The broad flow of the great river, the
+magnificent scenery, and the charming climate delighted him. "This must
+be the river," he said, "that flows through the Garden of Eden."
+
+Meanwhile, many of the Spaniards that had been left on the islands
+rebelled against him. Evil-minded officials in Spain sent out a sort of
+inspector to examine into the rebellion. Prompted by malice, he exceeded
+his authority and caused Columbus to be chained as a criminal. With
+stern fortitude the stout-hearted mariner endured the cruel irons, and
+he was thus taken back to Spain. The captain of the vessel offered to
+free him from his chains. The brave discoverer answered sadly but
+proudly: "No: I will wear them as a memento of the gratitude of
+princes!"
+
+=18. The Fourth and Last Voyage.=--His firm friend, the queen, justly
+indignant, received him with tears. Then the much-enduring old man broke
+down, and with sobs and weeping threw himself at her feet. The
+great-hearted Isabella encouraged him to go on still another expedition.
+In May, 1502, with four vessels and one hundred and fifty men, he sailed
+on his fourth and last voyage.
+
+He skirted the south side of Cuba, touched at Honduras, and coasted
+along the northern shores of South America. Many of his men were killed
+by the Indians, his company was short of food, his ships began to leak,
+the vessel on which he sailed was wrecked, and the voyage was every way
+disastrous. In November, 1504, old, feeble, and broken-hearted, Columbus
+returned to. Spain. His royal patron and best friend, Isabella, was
+dead. His constitution was shattered by the labors and perils he had
+undergone. His last year was passed in sickness and poverty. In 1506 he
+closed his eyes in death.
+
+=19. Columbus and his Mighty Achievement.=--After all his four eventful
+voyages, this prince of explorers died in the belief that he had reached
+the eastern shores of Asia, and that, too, by the best and most direct
+route. He never imagined that he had found a new continent. Although
+self-deceived as to the true nature of his discoveries, he yet well
+deserved all the honors that have crowned his memory. His own time was
+not worthy of him; but after-ages have paid him due and ever-increasing
+reverence. His name will forever be linked with lofty ideas and
+magnificent achievements.
+
+Columbus was a man of noble and commanding presence, tall, and
+powerfully built. He had long-waving hair, a fair, ruddy complexion, and
+keen blue-gray eyes that easily kindled and glowed. He inspired strong
+affection and deep respect. He always carried himself with an air of
+authority, as became a man of great heart and lofty thoughts.
+
+Why was this continent not named for Columbus? Let me tell you. Because
+in his life it was not known as a new world, and hence had no need of a
+new name. It already had the names India and Cathay (China). In 1501
+Americus Vespucius, a Florentine merchant and a mariner already familiar
+with the western waters, sailed on his third voyage far southward along
+the eastern coast of South America. The vast size of that country thus
+became partially known. He wrote an account of his voyages to the "New
+World," and in his honor it was named "America." Gradually this name was
+applied to the northern continent also.
+
+  [Illustration: LANDING OF COLUMBUS.]
+
+=20. The Cabots and their Voyages.=--We need not be told that these
+expeditions made a great sensation in Europe, and that many bold
+mariners started out from Portugal and Spain. The sovereigns of other
+nations, too, as England and France, soon sent navigators to make claims
+for their own countries. Among the most notable of these were the
+Cabots, John and his son Sebastian. Though natives of Genoa, they lived
+in England and had entered the service of King Henry VII. They had
+permission from him to sail across the Atlantic and to take possession,
+in his name, of any lands which were not known to Europeans.
+
+In May, 1497, with one ship and eighteen men, John Cabot with his son
+Sebastian left England. The first land he saw is supposed to have been
+either Cape Breton Island or the shores of Labrador. He did not remain
+long on that cold and dismal coast, but returned home to England after
+an absence of about three months. John Cabot was probably the first
+European since the days of the Northmen to set foot upon the mainland of
+North America.
+
+On his return he was received with much honor by the king. He was called
+"The Great Admiral," and he went about the streets richly dressed in
+silk, followed by a crowd of admirers. The next year the Cabots set out
+upon a second voyage. This took a wider range. The exact limits of these
+explorations are not clearly known; but it is believed that they
+discovered the coast of Labrador, sailed along to Newfoundland, thence
+probably as far south as Cape Cod, and perhaps to Cape Hatteras.
+Inasmuch as Columbus never set foot upon the mainland of North America,
+the Cabot discoveries are of importance. It is claimed that they gave
+England a right to the settlement and ownership of this northern
+continent.
+
+Sebastian lived to be a very old man, and to the last was full of
+enthusiasm about the new-found world He was known as "The Great Yeoman."
+It was said of him: "He gave England a continent--and no one knows his
+burial place!"
+
+=21. A Spanish Knight seeks the Fountain of Youth.=--A singular expedition
+was that of Ponce de Leon, a brave knight who had sailed with Columbus
+on his second voyage. The Spaniards had heard somewhere in eastern Asia
+the old, old legend, of a fountain whose water gave perpetual youth to
+any one who drank of it. In 1513 Ponce de Leon sailed from Porto Rico,
+where he had been governor, with three vessels, in search of this
+wonderful "Fountain of Youth."
+
+On Easter Sunday (which in Spanish is Pascua Florida, flowering Easter)
+he first came within sight of a coast to which he gave the name
+Florida, partly in honor of the day and partly because it was indeed a
+region of flowers. He took possession of it in the name of the King of
+Spain. Never before had he seen so beautiful a region. It seemed the
+land of eternal summer.
+
+He landed not far from what is now St. Augustine, and followed the coast
+south to its western shore; but he went back disappointed. If he or any
+one else ever saw this spring of magic power, it was only in dreams. In
+1521 our romantic knight sailed again in search of the hoped-for
+fountain; but by reason of a severe wound from an Indian arrow he was
+forced to return to Cuba. There he died of his painful injury.
+
+=22. How De Soto sought in Vain for Gold.=--Another adventurous Spanish
+knight was Ferdinand de Soto. He attempted to explore and conquer the
+country across the waters to the north of Cuba. In 1539, with nine
+vessels and five hundred and seventy men, he left Havana. Landing on the
+eastern coast of Florida, De Soto marched north to the Savannah River,
+thence going westward. Dangers beset him on every side. Sometimes the
+natives, who had learned to fear and hate the Spaniards, sent poisoned
+arrows flying through the air. Sometimes they purposely led their greedy
+foes into swamps in the search for gold. The Spaniards in turn treated
+the Indians with extreme cruelty.
+
+  [Illustration: DE SOTO'S FIRST VIEW OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.]
+
+A number of dreadful battles were fought in which De Soto lost many men.
+Through tangled forests and swamps the Spaniards, suffering from hunger
+and sickness, plodded on their weary march. De Soto would not turn back.
+He was determined to find gold. The proud Spaniard could not endure the
+thought of failure. He had promised his followers an abundance of
+treasure, and he resolved to keep that promise.
+
+At last they reached the banks of a mighty river. Compared with other
+streams it was like the sea. It was the great Mississippi. De Soto was
+probably the first white man that ever gazed upon it. Under his
+direction the men built rafts, crossed the "Father of Waters," and
+pushed far on to what is now Arkansas and Missouri, in search of the
+fabled land of gold. They never found it. Instead of gems and gold, they
+found hunger, sickness, and death.
+
+=23. Death of De Soto.=--At last, a little group exhausted and emaciated,
+they turned their steps southward and toward the great river again. De
+Soto was broken-hearted. A fever seized him, and he soon died.
+
+The Indians stood in great awe of De Soto. They called him a "child of
+the Sun," and believed he would never die. His men therefore wished to
+conceal the fact of their leader's death. They wrapped his dead body in
+a mantle and sank it at night beneath the waters of the Mississippi. The
+wretched remnant of his followers managed to build a few boats, and in
+these they floated down the stream. A few of them at last reached
+friends to whom they told the story of their failure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.
+
+
+  [Illustration: SIR WALTER RALEIGH.]
+
+=24. Sir Walter Raleigh: Soldier, Sailor, and Courtier.=--Not until many
+years after the voyages of the two Cabots did the English begin to make
+settlements in the New World. For more than three-quarters of a century
+no one seemed to comprehend the vast importance of the discoveries of
+those explorers, or to dream of the wonderful changes that would follow
+during the coming ages. But there was at last one man in England of high
+rank who foresaw that a great nation would some time people the realm
+beyond the Atlantic. That man was Sir Walter Raleigh. He was a skillful
+sailor, a daring soldier, an accomplished scholar, an elegant poet, a
+learned historian, a graceful courtier--in fact, a prince among men. He
+became a great favorite with Queen Elizabeth. He was very rich, and
+when he asked permission to fit out ships and establish colonies in
+America, the queen readily granted his request.
+
+The first two vessels sent out by Raleigh reached the coast of North
+Carolina in 1584. No attempt at colonization was then made, and they
+soon sailed back to England. When Queen Elizabeth heard of the wonders
+of the new country--its luscious fruits, its "sweete-smelling timber
+trees," its rich soil, whereon the natives seemed to live "after the
+manner of the golden age"--she said: "This place shall be named Virginia
+in honor of me." For the great queen was called the "Virgin Queen," and
+she used to boast that she was wedded to her kingdom alone.
+
+=25. First Attempts to colonize Virginia.=--Soon afterwards Raleigh sent
+out vessels on a second voyage "to plant an English nation in America."
+It had been planned to make a settlement on Roanoke Island; but the
+Indians were warlike, food was scarce, and the colonists instead of
+planting corn searched for gold. After they had nearly died of
+starvation a vessel arrived, which carried the homesick men back to
+England. Two years afterwards a third company was sent out by Raleigh.
+This company included men, women, and children. These also settled at
+Roanoke Island. There, in August, 1587, was born Virginia Dare, the
+first American child of English parentage.
+
+This colony also fared hard. The governor sailed back to England for
+supplies, and when he returned to America, after being delayed for three
+years, every trace of the colony had disappeared. It was never known
+whether the colonists had gone far away, to live with the Indians, or
+had somehow perished. They were never heard of again.
+
+=26. How Tobacco and Potatoes came into Popular Use.=--And thus it was
+that in the first colonizing of this country Sir Walter Raleigh had as
+much to do as any other one man. Although his various attempts at
+settlements proved failures, yet he opened the way, set the example, and
+made it less difficult for others to come to America.
+
+One of the most wholesome and nutritious of vegetables, the common white
+potato, had never been seen in Europe until some of the Virginia
+settlers sent to Sir Walter as a present several of the "roots," as they
+were called. He showed the poor how easily potatoes could be raised.
+Thus they first came into use as a staple article of food.
+
+The settlers in Virginia soon found that the Indians took great comfort
+in smoking the dried leaves of a certain fragrant herb. This was the now
+well-known tobacco plant. The English colonists tried smoking,--and
+liked it. They sent some of the plant across the ocean as a present to
+Sir Walter. He tried smoking, and he also liked it!
+
+At first it seemed a strange sight in England to see a man smoking. The
+story is often told that as Raleigh was one day enjoying his pipe, a
+servant came into the room. As the man had never before seen any one
+smoke, he was much astonished; he thought his master was on fire. He
+rushed out of the room, seized a pitcher of water, and running back
+threw it over Sir Walter!
+
+  [Illustration: RALEIGH'S SERVANT INTERRUPTS HIS MASTER'S SMOKE.]
+
+From that time till now tobacco has been most extensively used. The
+settler who raised tobacco could buy with it whatever he needed. Large
+crops of it were carried to England and sold. It did much to establish
+the commercial prosperity of the Virginia colony.
+
+=27. Captain John Smith and his Early Career.=--In the year 1607 there
+came to Virginia a remarkable man by the name of John Smith. He plays
+an important part in the early history of that colony.
+
+This the most famous John Smith that ever lived, was born in England in
+1580. While yet a boy he was fond of wild and daring adventures. When
+thirteen years old he sold his school books and ran away from home. When
+he became a young man he went to the continent, and for two or three
+years fought in the Dutch and French armies.
+
+  [Illustration: CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.]
+
+Once, when Smith was a sailor on a ship going from Marseilles to Italy,
+a terrible storm arose; the sailors, believing that he was the cause of
+their bad luck, threw him overboard. But, swimming "with lusty sinews,"
+he managed to reach an island near by, and thus his life was saved. He
+was rescued from the shore and was taken on board a French man-of-war.
+Soon afterwards the ship met an enemy, and a battle ensued. In that
+conflict the young English sailor fought so hard that the ship's
+officers gave him a share of the plunder of the captured vessel.
+
+=28. His Romantic Adventures.=--Our bold adventurer now went farther east
+and enlisted in the Austrian army to fight against the Turks. In that
+service he soon became well known as a brave and dashing fellow, and
+before long he was made a captain of cavalry. After a battle in which
+the Austrians were defeated, Smith, badly wounded, lay a while among the
+dead. But he was found and cared for. After his wounds had healed, he
+was taken to Constantinople and sold to the Turks as a slave. A Turkish
+lady showed him great kindness.
+
+Then he was sent to Russia. There, at a place about a mile from the
+house of his cruel master, he was set to threshing grain. One day his
+owner rode up and shamefully abused him. Stung by his insolence, Smith
+killed the man with a flail, exchanged his own slave garments for his
+victim's clothes, hid the body in the straw, mounted a horse, and
+started off. He traveled over Russia, Austria, France, and Spain, and at
+last, after many stirring adventures, drifted back to his old home in
+England again.
+
+All these stories and many more Captain John tells us in his book of
+travels. Perhaps they are true, and perhaps we may conclude with some
+other persons that Smith was a daring fellow at telling stories as well
+as at fighting Turks!
+
+=29. Captain John begins his Career in the New World.=--When our
+adventurer arrived in England, all the talk was about the wonderful
+western world. Although he had roamed so widely and had fared so hard,
+he was then less than thirty years old and was ready for new adventures.
+All of his previous life seemed a preparation for a career of romance
+and heroism in the New World. So he joined an expedition which sailed
+for Virginia in the early part of 1607.
+
+On the voyage his superior talents and experience were so evident that
+his comrades became jealous of him, and on some pretext caused him to be
+put in chains. They had a long and stormy voyage. It was as late as
+April when they reached Chesapeake Bay. They were so glad to leave the
+stormy ocean and find a place of rest that they named the land near
+their first anchorage Point Comfort, a name it still bears.
+
+They entered between two capes, which they called Charles and Henry from
+the king's two sons. From their king, James the First, they named the
+river up which they sailed the James, and they called the village that
+they built Jamestown. Thus was laid in the year 1607 the foundations of
+the first permanent English settlement in the New World.
+
+=30. How Smith managed the Virginia Colonists.=--These Virginia colonists
+were not suited to the rough, hard work of making a settlement in this
+new country. They had not been accustomed to earn their living by manual
+toil. They liked to call themselves "gentlemen," as if that title
+somehow made an excuse for shiftless idleness. The real need was for
+farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, masons--useful mechanics and willing
+laborers. These genteel settlers expected to find in this wonderful
+region plenty of gold; their sole purpose was to get enough of the
+precious ore, and then go back to England and remain there.
+
+But Captain Smith was the saving spirit of the colony. He showed the
+immigrants the necessity of labor, and told them plainly that if they
+would not work they must not expect to eat. He taught them to fell trees
+and build huts. Their voyage had been so long, and so much of their
+provisions had been spoiled, that, when they landed, their stock of food
+was almost gone. Something must be done, and that soon, or they would
+starve.
+
+Then was shown the courage, skill, and good sense of an energetic
+leader. The corn that a few friendly Indians brought to the settlers was
+not enough to feed so many. Therefore Smith took some companions, went
+in his boat up and down the rivers, made friends of the Indians, and
+bought from them corn and game, giving in payment shiny trinkets, beads,
+and little mirrors.
+
+But the river lands were low and unhealthful; the water was bad; very
+many of the settlers became sick; and, before the autumn frosts came,
+more than half of them had died. Smith worked hard to help the survivors
+and to teach them to help themselves. Meanwhile, in his boat, he made
+long excursions up the James and the Potomac rivers, hoping perchance to
+find a way to the South Sea, as every one then called the Pacific Ocean.
+
+  [Illustration: SMITH EXPLAINING THE COMPASS TO THE INDIANS.]
+
+=31. Captured by the Indians.=--On one of these exploring expeditions a
+gang of natives attacked Smith and killed all his men. He seized an
+Indian and holding him as a shield, shot down three of the savages. The
+place being swampy, he suddenly sank to his knees in the oozy soil and
+was captured by the enemy. Then the quick-witted prisoner, taking out
+his pocket compass, showed the vibrations and use of the needle, and
+spoke of the sun, moon, and stars. He interested his captors so deeply
+that they were sure he must be a supernatural being from some far-off
+world. They were afraid to kill him.
+
+He persuaded them to send to the colony a piece of paper on which he had
+written. The result surprised them all the more! This strange being
+could make paper talk!
+
+=32. How Pocahontas saved Captain John's Life.=--At last Captain John was
+sent to the great chief Powhatan, and by him was held captive during
+several weeks. These Indians, too, he amused with his compass and his
+writing; but after a while they grew tired of him, and Powhatan
+concluded to kill him.
+
+So one day they gathered around the victim; he was stretched on the
+ground, his head was placed on a stone, and all was ready. A savage was
+just raising his club for the fatal blow, when forth rushed the bright
+young Pocahontas, the pet daughter of the old chief. Throwing her arms
+around Smith's neck, she turned her face to her father and begged him to
+spare the captive's life. "Kill _me_," she cried; "kill _me_; you shall
+not kill _him_!" It seems that Smith had been improving his time in
+making whistles and rattles and strings of beads and shells for the
+Indian girl, and so had won her affection; and she in return saved his
+life! Indian chiefs do not often indulge in pity; but for the sake of
+his beloved daughter Powhatan released Smith and soon after let him go
+back to Jamestown. Such is the story of his romantic rescue as Captain
+John told it years afterwards. While there is nothing improbable about
+it, yet some people believe that he invented the story to magnify his
+own importance.
+
+=33. The Romantic Story of Pocahontas.=--Pocahontas was at this time only
+about twelve years of age. Ever afterward she continued to be very
+friendly to the colonists, and often visited them at Jamestown,
+sometimes bringing baskets of corn to the hungry white men. Once the
+faithful girl came stealthily by night long miles through the dark
+forests to inform Smith of an Indian plot to murder all the whites.
+
+As Pocahontas grew up, one of the young Englishmen, John Rolfe, became
+much attached to her. He said he had had a marvelous vision telling him
+that he ought to make her a Christian and marry her. That was nothing so
+very wonderful, for then as now tender-hearted youths often dreamed at
+night of what they were thinking of by day. In 1613, in the rude little
+church at Jamestown, Pocahontas gave up her Indian religion, accepted
+the Christian faith, and was baptized. She took the name Rebecca. The
+next year she was married to Rolfe. This romantic marriage was very
+fortunate for the colony, for it made her father, Powhatan, a warm
+friend to the feeble settlers, who at this time were in sore need of
+help.
+
+=34. The Indian Princess receives a Warm Welcome in London.=--Three years
+afterwards the fair Indian girl, "Lady Rebecca," went with her husband
+to England, where of course she attracted a great deal of attention. The
+people came in crowds to see her. They cheered as she rode through the
+streets of London.
+
+Pocahontas became a great favorite with the nobility, and was even
+received at court by the queen. But, for all that, she soon became
+homesick. Even amid the splendid novelties of London life, she longed to
+be once more among the noble forests and the lovely wild flowers of her
+old Virginia home. It was in the year 1617 that she prepared, with many
+pleasing anticipations, to return to the scenes of her childhood. But
+she suddenly sickened and, after a brief illness, died. She was only
+twenty-two years old. She left an infant son who came eventually to
+Virginia, and there grew to a worthy manhood. Many excellent families of
+Virginia are today proud to claim him as their ancestor.
+
+=35. The Troubles of the Colonists increase.=--When Captain Smith, after
+his romantic rescue, returned to the colonists, he found them in a
+pitiful condition. During his absence the prospect had become in every
+way gloomy. Hunger and sickness had reduced their number from over a
+hundred men to only forty, and these were planning to go back to
+England.
+
+At this distressing time another vessel arrived from England bringing
+one hundred and twenty immigrants. This event brightened the darkly
+drooping spirits of the colonists. But the sunshine did not last long.
+These new-comers, like the old, were mostly idlers and "vagabond
+gentlemen," as the settlers called them. "We did not come here to work,"
+they said. "Then you shall not eat," said the brusque leader. He was as
+good as his word. They soon found they must work or starve.
+
+=36. The Greed of the Colonists for Gold.=--One trouble that annoyed
+Captain Smith very much was this: the English people kept urging the
+colonists to send home gold. Those that arrived later, like those that
+came before, had no idea of working for a living, but only the hope of
+shoveling up gold to carry away.
+
+They were so ignorant of minerals that, finding in the soil small yellow
+scales of shining mica, they sent home bushels and bushels of it,
+believing it to be gold. Another group of men supposed the little
+glittering crystals of iron ore were really gold, and they spent weeks
+in collecting the worthless stuff to send to England. No wonder Captain
+Smith, although the leader of the colony, had hard work to manage and
+feed men who would far rather dig "fool's gold" than raise corn.
+
+=37. The Starving Time in Virginia.=--All this happened while Smith was
+using the utmost wisdom and skill to guide the colony for the best. On
+one unhappy day a bag of gunpowder exploded near him, burning him so
+badly that he had to return to England for surgical treatment. This was
+in September, 1609. After he had gone, the colonists fell into still
+greater trouble, and the "starving time" followed. The people were
+compelled to eat dogs, rats, snakes, and toads; many died of starvation;
+four hundred and ninety men were reduced to sixty; but, by the fortunate
+arrival of more vessels, help finally came.
+
+Within the next few years the colony was set upon its feet, and the
+foundations laid of a prosperous commonwealth. An energetic governor,
+Sir Thomas Dale, made the idlers till the ground and promptly hanged the
+criminals. The soil was found the best in the world for growing tobacco.
+Hundreds of skilled farmers came over to Virginia to make their fortunes
+by the cultivation of this fragrant weed.
+
+=38. Further Explorations along the Coast.=--Having at length recovered
+from his wound, Smith scorned to remain idle, and became anxious to
+undertake another maritime enterprise. There was at that time a great
+deal of excitement in England about _North_ Virginia, then so called. In
+1614 he sailed again with two vessels on a voyage of discovery in that
+region.
+
+He touched first the shores of Maine, the nooks and corners of which he
+explored; he then sailed along the ocean fringe from Penobscot Bay to
+Cape Cod. He examined the coast carefully, entered the bays and rivers,
+and named a number of prominent islands and capes. He sailed around Cape
+Ann. To the three islands off the end of the cape he gave the queer name
+of Three Turks' Heads. He prepared very carefully a map of the whole
+country, as far as he had seen it, and he called it NEW ENGLAND.
+
+On his return to England Smith presented his map to the king's son,
+Prince Charles, who confirmed the name that had been given to it. Next
+year he started out again. His object was to found a colony in New
+England, a region of which he had great hopes. But his vessel was
+captured by a French man-of-war, and he was taken to France. With a
+return of good fortune this hero of surprising deeds escaped, and
+finally got back safely to England.
+
+=39. His Last Days; the "Father of Virginia."=--Our bold explorer now gave
+up all plans of founding another colony in America. But he lived to know
+and rejoice in the success of the Pilgrims and the Puritans in
+Massachusetts. He wrote several books describing his travels and his
+wonderful adventures.
+
+He had shown himself vigorous, quick-witted, far-seeing. He had been the
+ruling spirit and the preserver of the Virginia colony. In fact, he has
+often and justly been called the "Father of Virginia." His strong hand
+had also opened wide the door of New England.
+
+We must think of Captain John Smith as the hero of the first struggle of
+English civilization with the wilderness of America. Wherever he was,
+his genius and resolute will had made him a leader. There was never a
+braver man. After a life full of romantic adventures and daring
+exploits, he died in London in 1631 at the age of fifty-two.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS.
+
+
+=40. The Old-Time Idea about Kings.=--We shall do well to remember that in
+England, about three hundred years ago, the sovereign's will commonly
+had the force of law. Many people really thought there was such
+sacredness about a royal ruler that whatever he commanded must be right,
+whatever he forbade must be wrong. Indeed, there was a proverb, "The
+king can do no wrong." He had his own kind of church and his own mode of
+worship. Everybody must attend that sort of church and practise that
+form of worship, or be punished.
+
+=41. Sturdy Englishmen dare to disobey the King.=--But there were, after
+all, many honest, sturdy people in England who did not accept this
+notion about the king. They did not like his style of religion, and they
+would not pretend to like it. Besides, they felt that they had a right
+to meet quietly by themselves, publicly in their own churches, or
+privately in their own homes, and worship in their own way.
+
+But these people were regarded with suspicion. Presently a number of
+them were seized and thrown into loathsome jails; not a few were heavily
+fined or made to suffer bodily harm; some died on the gallows; and all
+this because, in spiritual affairs, they had dared to disobey the
+monarch.
+
+=42. The Pilgrims seek a Home in Holland; the First Attempt a
+Failure.=--Those who were brave enough to oppose the king's despotism in
+religious matters were at first styled Separatists, because they
+separated from the "established church." Afterwards some of them came to
+be called familiarly Pilgrims, because they wandered from place to place
+on the way "to heaven, their dearest country," as they said. They longed
+to go where they could be free to worship God as they pleased.
+
+At last a company of them hired a vessel to take them just across the
+North Sea to Holland. They chose Holland, because in that country all
+people were allowed to worship as they thought best.
+
+But just before the hour at which they had intended to embark, watchful
+officers found them, seized most of their money and goods, dragged them
+back, and put them in prison. It was indeed a pretty hard lot, punished
+if they stayed in the country, and punished if they tried to get away!
+
+=43. The Second Attempt Successful.=--The next year the Pilgrims again
+tried to leave their native land. This time they succeeded. Taking their
+wives and little ones, these resolute men, led by their pastor, the good
+John Robinson, went as strangers and pilgrims to Holland. From time to
+time the same refuge was sought by other persecuted people, till many
+hundreds had settled in the old city of Leyden. Here they first
+exercised that freedom of faith which had been denied them in the land
+of their birth, and now they first experienced the delight of holding
+their religious meetings without fear.
+
+They were so industrious and honest that their Dutch neighbors took very
+kindly to them.
+
+  [Illustration: A PILGRIM COLONIST.]
+
+But when they had lived in Holland about twelve years, they decided to
+remain no longer. Their children were learning the Dutch language, and
+they themselves were slowly becoming foreigners. They were not pleased
+with such results, for they still regarded themselves as Englishmen,
+still loved the English people, the English ways of living, and the
+glorious memories of their mother country.
+
+About this time people were beginning to go to the New World beyond the
+ocean, and these Pilgrims made up their minds to leave Holland and seek
+a dwelling place in far-off America.
+
+There were then about a thousand of them living in Holland. Nearly a
+hundred of the young and strong were selected to go in advance and make
+a beginning in the New World. They managed to charter for this purpose
+two small vessels, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. In July, 1620, the
+Speedwell sailed from Delftshaven; the Mayflower was chartered to sail
+from an English port.
+
+A very pathetic parting it was for these poor exiles upon the shore of
+Holland, clasping their friends' hands for the last time, and looking
+upon the dear faces they were to see no more. With their beloved
+minister, Elder John Robinson, they knelt upon the sand while he prayed
+earnestly for God's blessing upon their perilous undertaking. The
+Pilgrims stopped at Plymouth, England, on the way, and as the Speedwell
+seemed to be unseaworthy, they all, with others of the same faith who
+joined the company there, went on board the Mayflower. In this one
+vessel, after many delays, the one hundred and two people that finally
+made up the Pilgrim company sailed from Plymouth in September, 1620, on
+their long and dangerous voyage.
+
+=44. The Pilgrims' Voyage across the Stormy Atlantic.=--Crowded upon their
+little craft, this devoted company of men, women, and children had a
+dreary and anxious voyage of nine weeks. During severe weather the seas
+sometimes ran so high that for days the Mayflower was driven at the
+mercy of wind and waves, while all of the company, except the sailors,
+were compelled to remain, shivering and seasick, below the deck. In the
+foul air were bred the germs of quick consumption, the disease which
+carried off so many of this "Pilgrim band" during their first winter on
+the wild New England shore.
+
+=45. An Incident of the Voyage.=--During one of these storms a lively
+young man named Howland fell overboard and would have been lost had he
+not seized a rope which was trailing in the sea. Bradford quaintly says
+in his journal that the young fellow "was sundry fathoms under water,"
+but that he held on until "he was hauled up by the same rope to the brim
+of the water," and with the aid of a boat-hook was at last safely landed
+on deck. Howland was none the worse for his cold bath. He lived to sign
+the compact at Cape Cod, and became a most useful citizen of the new
+commonwealth, and the ancestor of many families.
+
+=46. Arrival on the Bleak New England Coast.=--How often, in the last days
+of that dismal voyage, did the Pilgrims gaze far into the west, always
+hopeful, but no doubt sometimes dreading the future! As the weeks passed
+by, the weather became very cold, and they had scanty means for warming
+their cabin. When they neared the coast a driving storm compelled them
+to change their course, so that instead of going up the Hudson River as
+they had intended, they were forced into Massachusetts Bay, as it is now
+called, and along the icy shores of Cape Cod.
+
+All the coast was white with snow, and the future looked cheerless and
+dark. There were no light-houses to warn them of dangerous shoals, no
+life-saving men patrolling the beach to help shipwrecked mariners. No
+one stood on the barren sandy shore to welcome them; they felt that they
+were indeed strangers in a strange land.
+
+=47. They sign a Compact in the Mayflower's Cabin.=--Inside the curved
+point of Cape Cod, in a small bay which is now the harbor of
+Provincetown, the Mayflower first dropped anchor. While there, John
+Carver and William Bradford wrote a formal agreement for the government
+of the company, and all of the forty-one men signed it.
+
+This compact was drawn up and signed on a chest belonging to Elder
+Brewster, which afterwards served as a table in his family. During the
+first winter, when food was very scarce and the Pilgrims were obliged
+to live almost entirely upon clams, the good Elder never failed to ask a
+blessing upon their scanty meals, and to thank God, "who had yet given
+them of the treasures hid in the sand."
+
+  [Illustration: PILGRIM ELDER ASKING A BLESSING.]
+
+By the compact it was agreed that all were to have equal rights. They
+pledged themselves to help and to defend each other, and to obey such
+laws as they might make for the good of the colony. They then chose John
+Carver for their first governor.
+
+=48. They explore the Cape Cod Shore under the Lead of Captain Miles
+Standish.=--A small party soon landed and tramped along for miles looking
+for a suitable place to make a home. They could nowhere find good
+drinking water. For three or four weeks the Mayflower with its precious
+cargo sailed along the inner coast, trying to find a safe and inviting
+harbor. Small parties often went ashore to explore the country.
+
+One day a company of sixteen, led by Captain Standish, went ashore to
+spend a number of days exploring a little way inland. This Captain
+Standish, although one of the company, was not really a Pilgrim in his
+way of living, nor in his religious views. His business was that of a
+soldier, an employment more common then than now. He had met some of the
+Pilgrims in Holland and was much pleased with their simple habits and
+honest ways. When they were preparing to sail to the New World, he
+thought it likely that they would need a soldier to show them how to
+fight. So he came with them, and they soon were glad to have just such a
+man. It was indeed well he did come, for he was often the most useful
+member of the whole colony.
+
+While the Mayflower lay at anchor in Provincetown harbor, and the
+explorers were searching for a landing-place, a baby boy--the first New
+England child of English parentage--was born on board of the vessel.
+They gave him the quaint name of Peregrine. At Plymouth you may still
+see the cradle in which little Peregrine White was rocked.
+
+=49. Their Travels along the Shore of Cape Cod Bay, and what they
+find.=--They discovered the remains of a hut which seemed to have been
+recently occupied. So they surmised that Indians were living somewhere
+in the vicinity. They came upon some piles of roasted acorns, and the
+next day they caught a glimpse of a few savages and a deer. Soon
+afterwards they saw a dog and more Indians. "The wild men ran away and
+whistled the doggie after them." One day they discovered two or three
+mounds of earth. One of these contained rude mats and an earthen dish.
+They dug into other mounds and unearthed the skeletons of a grown person
+and a child, a box containing Indian bows and arrows and spears with
+flint points.
+
+  [Illustration: THE MILES STANDISH HOUSE.]
+
+=50. They find Baskets of Indian Corn.=--In another place they noticed
+heaps of sand freshly smoothed over. On scraping away the earth, what
+should they find but Indian baskets full of corn! They had never seen
+any such grain. They were delighted with the sight of the bright-colored
+kernels, some red, some yellow, and others blue. The baskets were round,
+narrow at the top, and contained about three bushels each. They carried
+to the vessel all the corn they found, for they were in sore need of
+food; but they were careful to save enough for seed in the spring. They
+were honest men, and when long afterwards they found the Indians who had
+buried the corn, they paid them a fair price for it.
+
+  [Illustration: LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS AT PLYMOUTH.]
+
+One day these Pilgrim wanderers shot three fat geese and six ducks.
+These they ate with wonderful relish, or "with soldier stomachs," as
+their story says. At another time, as they were tramping through the
+woods, William Bradford, not very careful, perhaps, as to where he was
+stepping, suddenly found his foot entangled in a queer way. When his
+companions came to help him out, they found he had been caught in a deer
+trap set by the Indians!
+
+=51. First Attack by Indians.=--One morning, just after their night's
+sleep by a camp fire, and while engaged in their prayers, the weary men
+were startled by a wild cry, very different from anything they had ever
+heard. For a moment even Captain Standish was alarmed. It was an Indian
+war-whoop; and the cry was followed by Indian arrows. Standish and his
+men now fired their guns at the Indians. The firing caused the savages
+to run away in great astonishment. They had never known of guns, and
+were greatly afraid of these strangers who could instantly make thunder
+and lightning. The Pilgrims had never before been targets for arrows, so
+they kept these strange weapons, which were pointed with eagles' claws
+or sharp pieces of deer's horn, as curiosities.
+
+=52. The Search for a Home.=--The Pilgrims were very anxious to get
+settled as soon as possible; yet when Sunday came they stopped all work
+and spent the day in reading the Bible, in singing their hymns, and in
+prayer. For nearly a month they sought, with much weariness and in
+bitter cold, a place suitable for settlement. It must have been a cruel
+and pitiful work for those poor men. They waded knee-deep in the snow;
+slept unprotected under the wintry sky; often suffered from hunger; and,
+for fear of Indians, were always compelled to keep anxious watch.
+
+  [Illustration: FIRST ATTACK BY THE INDIANS.]
+
+After a tedious search along the shore of what is now Massachusetts Bay,
+these stout-hearted wanderers at last found a sheltered place where, not
+far from the shore, there was an abundant spring of good water. Near by
+were some old cornfields that had formerly been used by the Indians.
+Here they decided to land. The water being shallow, the vessel was
+anchored nearly a mile from the beach. The Pilgrims were brought in
+their boat, a few at a time, from the vessel to the landing-place. To
+reach the shore, it is said that they found it convenient to step upon a
+large stone. This is now known as Plymouth Rock. It is claimed that the
+first English woman to set foot upon this stone on the Plymouth shore
+was Mary Chilton.
+
+=53. The Famous Plymouth Rock.=--Plymouth Rock is not very large; but it
+is sacred in the eyes and the hearts of every American. Every year
+thousands go to look upon "the stepping-stone of New England"; to linger
+by the graves of the Pilgrims; and to see in Pilgrim Hall the many
+curious interesting things which once belonged to those pioneers of
+western civilization.
+
+  [Illustration: CANOPY OVER PLYMOUTH ROCK.]
+
+From the name of the last town they had left in England, the Pilgrims
+named this, the first spot in Massachusetts settled by white men, New
+Plymouth. The date of the landing was December 21, 1620, and its
+anniversary is now celebrated as "Forefathers' Day."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+MORE ABOUT THE PILGRIMS.
+
+
+=54. The Hardships caused by the Winter Season.=--We may think it
+unfortunate, and so indeed it was, that the Pilgrims had not come to
+this country in the spring or summer. They would have had a much
+pleasanter voyage, and on their arrival might have found the forests
+green, the birds singing in the trees, and the ground adorned with
+flowers. If they could have come in April or May they would probably
+have had warm, pleasant weather for landing or exploring, and could have
+built their houses at their leisure. They could have planted their
+fields as soon as they landed, and in a few months could have gathered
+sufficient crops for their support.
+
+=55. The Toil and Perils of the First Winter.=--As it was, our Pilgrim
+fathers found the landing very tedious. In a single small boat they had
+to come and go, and bring all their provisions and household goods. Some
+of these very articles of furniture, such as Governor Carver's armchair,
+old spinning wheels, odd-looking seats and chests, and the big iron
+kettles in which they boiled their dinners, and also Captain Miles
+Standish's sword, we can see at Plymouth to-day.
+
+While the men were moving the goods, and until rude structures had been
+prepared for their shelter on shore, the women and children remained on
+the Mayflower. Of course the best houses that could be made were very
+rude affairs. In fact, rough though they were, it was a hard task to
+build them at all; for hardly one of the company was really fit for such
+work.
+
+Many times the weary men were forced to wade in deep snow. When they ran
+their loaded boat on the sandy beach, they often had to leap into the
+cold water up to their waists to pull it ashore. More than once they
+were obliged to be out all day in a furious storm of rain and sleet,
+which froze on their clothes till every man wore a covering of ice.
+
+=56. Suffering, Sickness, and Death make Sad Havoc.=--Thus it came about
+that the Pilgrims suffered severely from exhaustion and disease. There
+were soon only a few men well enough to chop down the trees for their
+houses. Without beasts of burden, the tired workers themselves had to
+drag the logs as best they could, and then with slow and painful toil
+hew them to the right size and shape and put them in their proper
+places.
+
+Through that long and tiresome winter nearly all sickened, and many
+died. Before spring one-half of those who had landed from the Mayflower
+were gone. That the Indians might not know how terribly the numbers had
+been diminished by death, the bodies were buried secretly; and the
+graves were marked by no mounds nor stones, but were made level with the
+surrounding soil.
+
+  [Illustration: SAMOSET'S FIRST VISIT TO THE PILGRIMS.]
+
+The wonder is that these Pilgrims, ill, hungry, and cold, did not become
+discouraged, give up their enterprise, and go back to England in the
+Mayflower. Splendidly courageous indeed they were to pursue their
+purpose so bravely. Weeks and months they worked and suffered, but they
+never flinched. They were content and even happy in the consciousness of
+freedom gained and duty done. They had come to stay--and they stayed.
+
+At last the dreary winter wore away. Spring came, bringing the soft
+south winds and the songs of birds. Busy hands were soon planting and
+cultivating. The hearts of the Pilgrims were filled with hope.
+
+=57. A Kindly Visit from the Indians.=--One day in early spring they were
+surprised at seeing an Indian march boldly into their settlement,
+saying, "Welcome, English! Welcome, English!" His name was Samoset. He
+had learned a little English from fishermen on the coast of Maine. The
+settlers received him very kindly. After several hours he went away.
+
+In a few days he came back with another Indian named Squanto, who had
+once lived in Plymouth but had been kidnapped and carried to England.
+Squanto said that Massasoit, the chief of the tribes in the
+neighborhood, was near by, and that with sixty of his men he would
+shortly pay a visit to the Pilgrims. The Indian chief soon appeared and
+was cordially received. He promised to be a good friend to the English,
+and in return the settlers agreed to treat the Indians kindly. For over
+fifty years this promise was sacredly kept.
+
+Squanto made himself very useful to the Pilgrims. He showed them how to
+plant maize by first manuring the ground with fish, then putting the
+kernels and the alewives together in the hill. The grain now first
+received the name of Indian corn. He also taught the settlers how to
+catch eels by treading them out of the mud with their feet. Shortly
+afterwards Squanto came to live with the Pilgrims, and proved himself
+their firm friend.
+
+Sometimes other Indians were hostile. Once a chief named Canonicus, who
+was an enemy of Massasoit and did not like the Pilgrims, sent to
+Governor Bradford a bundle of arrows wrapped in the skin of a
+rattlesnake. He meant this to be a threat of war. The resolute governor
+threw the arrows on the ground, filled the snake's skin with powder and
+bullets, and sent it back to the chief! Canonicus was quick-witted
+enough to take the hint, and thereafter he let the Pilgrims alone.
+
+=58. First Houses built in the New Home.=--The first building the Pilgrims
+put up was a log house twenty feet square, in which they stowed away
+their scanty provisions, furniture, guns, and powder. They slept there
+till houses were built for separate families. This storehouse also
+served as a kind of fort till they had put up a better one on top of the
+high hill, now known as "Burial Hill," close by. As they had no
+shingles nor boards, they used for a covering of the roof long grass and
+seaweed. The chimneys they made mainly of big stones; the upper part,
+however, consisted of large sticks plastered over with clay.
+
+The dirt floor was soon trodden hard and smooth. The large cracks
+between the logs of the walls were filled with a kind of mortar made of
+mud and grass. In those days glass was very costly, and so for windows
+oiled paper was used.
+
+After the storehouse was sufficiently advanced, the settlers began to
+work on other houses. They laid out a street which they called Leyden
+Street, and built their houses on each side of it. The same street with
+the same name is in Plymouth to-day. The whole colony was divided into
+family groups, each unmarried young man choosing a family to live with,
+and each group having its own dwelling.
+
+=59. Perils and Mishaps of the First Winter.=--Even before the houses were
+finished, the men built a high picket fence around the whole settlement,
+with a stout gate on each side; for they were in constant fear of the
+Indians. In fact, they had to keep a sharp lookout every day, and a
+guard watched every night to give the alarm in case of danger. So
+watchful were they that, whether chopping wood, eating dinner, or at
+meeting on Sunday, every man had his gun close at hand, ready for
+instant use.
+
+One day, soon after the storehouse was finished, it happened that
+Governor Carver and William Bradford were both within, sick in bed.
+Suddenly the dry thatch caught fire from the chimney sparks, and the
+whole roof went up in a blaze. The sick men were lifted out safely. No
+serious damage was done to anything but the roof, and that was soon
+replaced by a new one.
+
+=60. How the First Log Houses were built.=--If we could have made a visit
+to one of the rough log houses of the Pilgrims after they had brought in
+their scanty furniture from the vessel, and when affairs had become a
+little settled, many things would have seemed strange to us.
+
+There is no front entry to the house, for there is only one rough door,
+and that opens directly into the house; no parlor, no bedroom, no
+kitchen, but all in one, with perhaps a loft overhead. The inside walls
+are like the outside, rough, but plastered between the logs. The roof is
+made of timbers, for there is no sawmill for sawing logs into boards.
+The timbers do not fit closely, and although there is a covering of
+thatch, the snow blows in quite freely.
+
+=61. A Peep into a Pilgrim's House.=--Let us take a glimpse into one of
+these Pilgrim houses. The huge fireplace, made of rough stones laid in
+clay, fills nearly one whole side of the house. The men bring in great
+logs of wood for the fire. Even when the logs are on the fire there is
+room for a person to sit on a stool at each end of the logs, and yet be
+inside of the fireplace. This is the children's favorite seat.
+
+The chimney has a big throat, as large as a hogs-head. One can sit at
+the end of the logs and look up and see the sky. The sides of the
+chimney are roughly laid, and the big stones project so far into the
+room that the children use them as a staircase in climbing up to their
+bed in the loft.
+
+  [Illustration: A SETTLER'S LOG CABIN.]
+
+In those days nobody had ever heard of a stove. All the cooking of the
+family was done over a huge fire or in front of it. They used the iron
+pots and skillets they had brought from England, some of which are still
+preserved at Plymouth. If they had the good luck to shoot a wild goose
+or turkey, they thrust a long iron rod through it and roasted it above
+or before the fire, giving it a turn now and then; or else they hung it
+very near the fire with a stout string, turning it around at times. The
+wintry winds often dashed in strong gusts down the big chimney, making
+it freezing cold all through the house.
+
+=62. The Scant Furnishings of their Homes.=--There were few or no chairs,
+but here and there a stool, or some solid blocks cut from the trees. In
+one corner, on a rude shelf resting upon two wooden pins driven into the
+log, were a few books,--always a Bible, a hymn book, the Psalms, and
+possibly a few others.
+
+Hanging from a beam was a little iron cup, in which there was some fish
+oil, with a twisted rag or a bit of wick; this contrivance served for a
+lamp when needed. But the big fire usually answered for an evening lamp.
+
+On one side of the room was a rough cupboard or case of shelves for
+their few dishes. They had no nice glass or china with which to make a
+display. The glass they had was coarse and of a brownish tint. The early
+settlers often used leather bottles, leather cups, and rough plates
+called trenchers, chipped from blocks of wood. Often two persons ate out
+of one trencher. At this time forks were not in general use. The
+Pilgrims cut their food with knives and then managed it with their
+fingers.
+
+Their few pewter dishes they were very proud of, and they kept them in
+sight in the cupboard, bright with frequent scouring; for the Pilgrim
+women were excellent housewives, and everything about the house was
+scrupulously neat and clean.
+
+  [Illustration: PILGRIMS GOING TO CHURCH.]
+
+=63. Other Articles of Household Furniture.=--Around the log cabin were
+two or three big chests, in which each family brought over its goods.
+These were used to keep their better clothing in, if they had any, and
+for seats. In the corner was a spinning wheel to spin the wool for their
+clothing. On these large wheels the mothers and daughters used to spin
+great piles of wool and flax. Two or three of the houses had large
+looms--machines on which the thread they spun was woven into stout cloth
+for the family.
+
+We should have seen no timepiece in their living rooms. There was
+neither clock nor watch in the whole settlement. On sunny days the
+women knew when to have dinner ready by the noon mark, as it was
+called--a notch cut on some beam near the window, showing just where the
+line betwixt sunshine and shadow came at twelve o'clock.
+
+In the corner of the log house was the gun, close to the door, where it
+would be ready for use at any moment.
+
+Although the family slept in the one big room, we should not have seen
+any bed in the daytime. It was turned up against the wall, and fastened
+to the side of the cabin. At night it was turned down and nearly filled
+the room. None of the beds were very soft, for they were filled with hay
+or leaves. By and by, after they had shot enough wild fowl, they had
+feather beds.
+
+=64. Around the Dinner Table.=--When the little family gathered around the
+table for dinner, there was before them neither an abundance nor a
+variety of food. There was no milk, butter, nor cheese; for there was no
+cow in the colony. It was four years before a cow was brought over from
+England. They had no eggs, no beef nor pork nor lamb, and of course no
+vegetables yet, nor any nice white bread. The provisions they brought in
+the ship were partly spoiled, and were nearly used up. So they had to
+get food as best they could.
+
+Now and then the colonists killed some game, but they had to be careful
+and not waste their powder and shot. One day they shot and cooked an
+eagle; but, as Bradford wrote in his journal, it was "woefully tough."
+They could not often shoot a bear or a deer. They obtained some corn of
+the Indians by trading such trifles as they could best spare. The
+records tell us that once a Pilgrim bartered a little dog for a peck of
+corn.
+
+=65. The Daily Fare becomes scant; Hardships increased by Hunger.=--By and
+by all the other food failed, so that their main article of diet was
+corn. This they made into meal by pounding it on smooth stones. But even
+this supply from the Indians was often scanty and uncertain, so that at
+times they were without it until, after a year or two, they raised their
+own crops.
+
+The rest of their provisions they obtained from the ocean--clams,
+lobsters, and various kinds of fish. But their fishing boat was so frail
+and their hooks and nets were so poor that this source many times
+disappointed them.
+
+Thus, the two articles on which they chiefly depended being Indian corn
+and sea-food, they were sometimes entirely destitute, unable to obtain
+either.
+
+What a condition! "I have seen men," wrote one of the Pilgrims,
+"stagger by reason of faintness for want of food; they knew not at night
+where to have a bit in the morning." They were so badly off that if it
+were possible for a friend to visit them, the best they could offer him
+would be a piece of fish and some water!
+
+  [Illustration: PILGRIMS WATCHING THE RETURN OF THE MAYFLOWER.]
+
+Such was the daily living of the first Pilgrim settlers in this country.
+Such were a few of the hardships they bravely and patiently endured. And
+yet, strange to say, when the Mayflower sailed for home in the early
+spring, as we have before stated, not one of these stout-hearted men and
+women returned in her to England.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE INDIANS AND HOW THEY LIVED.
+
+
+=66. How the Indians looked; the Clothes they wore.=--Let us now learn a
+few things about the Indians as they were before their habits and mode
+of life had been changed by contact with white men.
+
+The heads of the Indians were always bare. It was customary for them to
+allow one tuft of hair to grow longer than the rest. This was called the
+"scalp lock." When a fight had been finished, this lock served as a
+convenience to the victor. It enabled him to remove handily the scalp
+from the head of a dead enemy, and to carry it easily away as a trophy
+of triumph.
+
+The Indians had the curious custom of smearing their faces and their
+bodies with red paint. On great occasions, such as the holding of a
+tribal council or a war dance, they painted themselves a more brilliant
+red. The bright color was believed to give a formidable aspect. They
+decked themselves with queer ornaments of many sorts. Around their necks
+they wore strings of shining stones, bits of mica, baubles made of
+copper, and animals' teeth highly polished. Feathers were held in great
+esteem. Success in war entitled the victor to wear eagles' feathers as a
+mark of the greatest distinction. In this love of finery the men were
+fully as vain as the women.
+
+  [Illustration: LONG HOUSE OF THE IROQUOIS INDIANS.]
+
+The clothing of the Indians was, for the most part, fashioned out of the
+dried skins of animals, such as the deer and the beaver, whose flesh had
+been used for food. Unlike that of civilized people, this clothing was
+seldom or never changed, but was worn till it was worn out. If not
+unwashable, it was rarely washed. The "noble red man" was not a model of
+cleanliness. He had never heard of soap.
+
+=67. What the Indians had to eat.=--The food of the Indians varied with
+the place and the season, but game and fish were the principal articles.
+Their game was chiefly deer, bears, moose, raccoons, foxes, wild geese,
+and wild turkeys. Having no salt nor spices, no bread nor potatoes,
+neither milk, butter, nor cheese, their living must have lacked such
+relish as we give to ours.
+
+In the settled villages the Indians cultivated rude gardens. In these
+they raised corn, beans, squashes, and tobacco; but, considering the
+crudeness of their tools, we must suppose that the crops were scanty.
+The squaws used to cook corn and beans together, making _succotash_.
+Both the dish and the name have come to us from the Indians. Green corn
+they used to roast in hot ashes, very much as we sometimes do now at
+clambakes or other outings. Meat they commonly cooked by thrusting a
+stick through it and holding it over the fire; but they sometimes boiled
+it in rude earthen pots. Fish they broiled on a frame of sticks.
+
+=68. The Indian's Struggle for a Living.=--The principal work of the
+Indians was to get food enough. They did not hunt or fish merely for
+sport, as men and boys of our time are apt to do. To the Indian, hunting
+was the serious task of providing for his family and himself. At times
+the supply became very slight. It was especially so in the winter. Then
+they really suffered from hunger, and were forced to eat ground-nuts and
+acorns--anything to keep alive. But when they had had good hunting they
+would eat enormously. At times, when game was scarce, different tribes
+would have savage fights for the best hunting ground.
+
+Their only drink was water. After the white man came they learned the
+use of rum and whiskey, and would pay a great price for what they called
+"fire water." On the other hand, the white man learned from the Indian
+the use of tobacco. It was a bad bargain both ways.
+
+=69. Hardships of the Indian Women.=--The Indian warriors occupied
+themselves with war and the chase. They looked upon ordinary labor as
+degrading, and fit only for women. These they treated very much as
+slaves. The squaw did all the everyday work--building the wigwam,
+raising the crops, making the clothes, and weaving bark mats for the
+beds. On journeys the women carried their infants, or papooses, on their
+backs.
+
+With some tribes woman held a higher place. She had a considerable
+degree of influence in public matters, and often decided the question of
+peace or war. She could even drive away her husband if he failed to
+bring home game or fish enough for the family.
+
+=70. The Indians' Weapons.=--Indian wars were conducted in a manner
+entirely different from that of civilized nations. The weapons were the
+bow and arrow, the hatchet of sharp stone, and the war club. The
+bowstring was made of Indian hemp or the sinews of the deer. The
+arrowhead was of sharp flint or bone; its point was often made of an
+eagle's claw or the spur of a wild turkey. The stone hatchet, called
+"tomahawk," had a long handle and was a powerful weapon.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN WAR CLUB.]
+
+After the Indians had seen the white man's guns, hatchets, and knives,
+and could obtain such things for themselves, the use of their own rude
+weapons was abandoned.
+
+Gunpowder was for a long time a mystery to the Indians. At first they
+thought that it grew from the ground, like the tobacco plant. It is said
+they once sowed some of it in the spring, expecting to see it take root
+and grow. They supposed every white person knew how to make it; and so,
+once upon a time, when they had captured two young girls, they tried to
+force them to make a supply of it.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN STONE HATCHET.]
+
+=71. How the Indians fought.=--In battle, Indians did not come out in fair
+and open fight, as is the custom of white men; but their skill consisted
+in surprises, shooting from behind rocks and trees, skulking around at
+night, and killing the enemy asleep. Captives in war were frequently
+tortured in the most barbarous ways; sometimes they were tied to trees
+and were slowly burned to death or were shot. But it was a high standard
+of Indian valor to bear the sharpest pain without flinching, with never
+a groan or any sign of suffering.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN CALUMET OR PIPE OF PEACE.]
+
+The Indians, believing as they did that all animals were protecting or
+unfriendly spirits, often addressed them as if they were human beings.
+The story is told of an Indian who shot at a large bear and wounded him.
+The bear fell and lay whining and groaning. The Indian went up to him
+and said: "Bear, you are a coward, and no warrior. You know that your
+tribe and mine are at war, and that yours began it. If you had wounded
+me, I would not have uttered a sound; and yet you sit here and cry and
+disgrace your tribe."
+
+=72. The Use made of Wampum, or Indian Money.=--Indians had little use for
+gold or silver, but they had something in its place, which they called
+"wampum." This was made of bits of seashells like beads. The pieces had
+a hole in the center, so that they could be strung in long strips or
+made into belts.
+
+Wampum was used for a long time as regular money or the medium of
+exchange between the Indians and the whites, and even between one white
+and another. Strings of it were passed around for purposes of trade, as
+we now use coins of silver and gold. But after a while, as seashells
+became plentiful, wampum became almost worthless, and then the Indians
+were glad enough to take the white man's silver money.
+
+  [Illustration: TREATY-BELT MADE OF WAMPUM.]
+
+Among some of the tribes, bands of wampum were woven into ornamental
+belts, and these were decorated with colored beads combined into
+striking figures and designs. The wampum belts were often given as a
+pledge that the giver would faithfully live up to certain terms of a
+treaty.
+
+=73. Indian Tools and Snowshoes.=--As the Indians had so little to work
+with--no iron for knives, nor tools of any kind except flinty stones
+made sharp and called "hatchets"--it is wonderful how ingenious they
+were in supplying their personal wants. They kneaded in oil and
+softened with heat the furry skins of animals, and from these they made
+excellent garments for winter. From dried deerskins they fashioned a
+sort of soft serviceable shoe called the "moccasin." This was wrought
+from a single piece of the leather. It fitted snugly to the foot and was
+tied with strips of buckskin at the ankle.
+
+The danger of starving in the winter when the snow was deep led the
+Indians to invent the snowshoe. This was made of a light framework of
+ash, filled with meshes of rawhide, thus presenting a broad surface to
+the snow. By this contrivance the Indians could travel in winter as
+easily as in summer.
+
+It is said that an Indian upon snowshoes could easily travel forty miles
+a day. Strangely enough, all the cunning of the white man has never
+availed to make anything better for such a purpose.
+
+=74. Indians as Hunters.=--The Indian contrived ingenious traps for
+catching bears, moose, and other sorts of game. One of these devices
+consisted of a long and heavy log, carefully balanced upon a post placed
+upright in the ground, with a log attached to one end of it. The roving
+animal would approach, and by jumping attempt to get the bait that was
+so attractive. The movement would cause the log to fall, and thus,
+perhaps, the creature would be killed.
+
+Fish were killed by shooting them with the arrow as they swam; or they
+were caught with hooks of bone, or taken in rivers by means of a weir,
+or brush fence, fixed across the stream. Sometimes they were taken in
+nets woven from the bark of the elm, and in traps of wickerwork not
+unlike the lobster pots now in use.
+
+The Indians had a remarkable faculty, resembling that of the
+ventriloquist, whereby they could imitate the voices of woodland
+creatures--the hoot of the owl, the cry of the wild turkey, the howl of
+the wolf. By this means they could readily attract animals of various
+species to a spot where they might easily kill them. Even hostile
+Indians out searching for game were in this manner sometimes allured to
+the place of danger.
+
+=75. Story illustrating the Indian's Keen Observation.=--It is marvelous
+what quick eyes the Indian had to see almost instantly things that other
+persons would never see at all. The story is often told of an Indian who
+returned one day to his wigwam and found that a large piece of venison
+had been stolen. He looked carefully around, and then started off for
+the thief. He asked the first man he met if he had seen a little old
+white man with a short gun and a small dog with a short tail. Afterwards
+he explained how he learned all these points. He said he knew the thief
+was little, for he had to pile up some stones to reach the venison; old,
+by his short steps; white, by the toes of his tracks turning out; that
+he had a short gun, for when it fell to the ground from where it leaned
+against the tree, it made a short mark in the dirt. He knew by the dog's
+track that the dog was small; he knew that the dog had a short tail,
+because a short groove had been "wiggled" in the dust where the dog had
+sat while his master was stealing the meat!
+
+  [Illustration: AN INDIAN CAMP OF TO-DAY IN THE FAR WEST.]
+
+=76. The Indians were Cruel, Cunning, and Revengeful.=--As to character,
+the Indian had, like all the rest of us, a good and a bad side. Though
+usually silent and moody in the presence of white men, travelers tell
+us that the Indians had lively games when by themselves, and enjoyed fun
+and frolic and story-telling like other people. They were crafty and
+treacherous, as well they might be from their constant warfare.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN ATTACK ON A SETTLER'S HOUSE.]
+
+They were cruel and remorseless in their revenge, and they never forgot
+a wrong. Full of cunning, they took pride in ingenious tricks. They
+would wear snowshoes with the toes turned backwards, that the enemy
+might think they had gone the other way! In their homes they were
+filthy, lazy, and improvident. They were passionately fond of gambling,
+after they had learned it of the whites!
+
+On the other hand, they were patient of hunger, cold, and fatigue, and
+were wonderfully brave. They were hospitable to an acquaintance in need,
+even sharing the last of their food with him. They were grateful for
+benefits, and never forgot a kindness. Their promise was almost sacred,
+and the pledge of their chief was rarely broken.
+
+When the early settlers in this country treated the Indians kindly, they
+usually received kindness in return, as we shall see later in reading
+William Penn's dealings with the Indians in Pennsylvania. But now and
+then some rude white man was cruel or dishonest in dealing with them,
+and then he learned that the red man knew what revenge means.
+
+If any serious offense was given to the Indians they brooded over it,
+and then, eager to inflict more harm than they had suffered, instead of
+punishing the offender alone, they spent their revenge upon all they
+could reach of the white race. So they sprang suddenly upon peaceful
+villages and cruelly killed innocent men, women, and children.
+
+=77. Anecdote of Tecumseh.=--The true Indian warrior had a certain proud
+dignity that challenged respect. At a great council of the government
+with the Indians, the famous Indian chief, Tecumseh, after he had made a
+speech, turned to take a seat, when it was found that by accident no
+chair had been placed for him. General Harrison instantly called for
+one. It was brought by the interpreter, who said, "The Great Father
+wishes you to take a chair." "My father!" he said with dignity, as he
+wrapped his blanket about him to seat himself in Indian style upon the
+ground; "the Sun is my father, the Earth is my mother, and on her bosom
+will I repose."
+
+=78. Care and Training of the Indian Children.=--The care and training of
+Indian children were peculiar. When the little papoose was very young,
+it was not fondled nor much attended to. Quite early it was placed in a
+small trough of bark and strapped in with a mat or skin in front, the
+little bed being padded with soft moss. This bit of a cradle was handy
+to carry around, to lean against a log, or to hang up in a tree.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN PAPOOSE.]
+
+As they grew up, they were as happy as other children. Their parents
+made toys for them, and their older mates taught them songs and games.
+As soon as they were large enough, each had his share of work to do. The
+girls had to help their mothers to dress skins for clothing, to bring
+wood and water, and to work in the rude garden.
+
+=79. The Indian Boy's Early Training.=--The Indian boy was early trained
+for hunting and war. His first lessons were to manage his bow and
+arrows, and then he was taken into the woods to shoot. He was taught to
+set traps for small game, and his father often slyly put some animal in
+the snare to encourage the young hunter.
+
+So the boy was taught, not arithmetic and grammar, but all about
+birds--their colors, their different whistles and cries, and what each
+note means; their food and habits, where they nest, how they fly, and
+the best way to shoot them. His lessons included the study of rabbits
+and squirrels, of beavers and foxes, and of all such game.
+
+  [Illustration: BOY WARNING SETTLERS OF AN INDIAN ATTACK.]
+
+By the time the Indian boy had seen twelve or fourteen _snows_, as the
+Indian would say, he could make his own bows and arrows and could help
+make canoes. He had received many lessons about shaping tomahawks and
+war clubs, and how to use them. Playing ball was a favorite game with
+Indian youth. Catlin, the celebrated authority on Indian life, tells us
+that he used to ride thirty miles to see a ball game, and would sit on
+his horse all day to see a match played by six to eight hundred or even
+a thousand young Indians.
+
+=80. How the Indians buried their Dead.=--For the most part the Indians
+buried their dead in mounds or in shallow graves, sometimes prostrate,
+but often in a sitting posture facing the east. But some tribes placed
+the body on a high scaffold raised on long poles out of the reach of
+wild beasts. Beside the body were carefully placed the weapons of the
+dead, paints, any favorite trinkets he used to wear, and food to sustain
+him on his journey to the far-off Happy Hunting Grounds.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
+
+
+=81. The Search for a Shorter Route to India.=--We must not forget that
+during all these years the European nations in their desire for riches
+were often searching for a shorter route to China and the East Indies.
+They hoped to succeed in this either by sailing to the north of Europe
+or America, or by finding some opening across the newly discovered
+continent. For more than a hundred years after the time of Columbus many
+a daring navigator came forward to undertake this business.
+
+=82. Sir Henry Hudson, the Bold and Skillful Mariner.=--Several years
+before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, a bold and skillful mariner
+named Henry Hudson, a friend of Captain John Smith, was hired by some
+London merchants to search for the imaginary northern passage. For this
+purpose he made two perilous voyages. Once he sailed along the eastern
+coast of Greenland until the ice stopped him. After three months he
+returned to England. The next year he tried it again, and sailed
+farther north, but as before was turned back by the ice.
+
+Hudson tells us that on one of these voyages two of his sailors saw a
+mermaid swimming close to the ship's side. The upper parts of her body
+were those of a woman, but below she was a fish, and as big as a
+halibut! Probably the creature was a seal, an animal with which English
+sailors were not at that time familiar.
+
+=83. Hudson enters the Dutch Service.=--At last, in 1609, Hudson, who had
+now become famous, entered the service of the Dutch East India Company
+and sailed from Amsterdam to find the long-sought route. Living near the
+ocean, the Dutch at this time were great sailors and traders. They owned
+more ships than all Europe besides. Their sails whitened every ocean.
+They were glad to hire "the bold Englishman, the expert pilot, and the
+famous navigator," as they called Hudson, to brave the perils of the
+Arctic seas.
+
+Again this intrepid sailor, "the Nansen of the year 1608," went too far
+north, and again he found himself caught in the ice of the desolate
+Arctic regions. He now made up his mind to go farther west. He coasted
+along Greenland, passed southward to Newfoundland, sighted Cape Cod, and
+then sailed as far south as Virginia. Finding the English settlers
+there ahead of him, he turned about and steered north again, keeping
+close to the wild and unknown coast.
+
+=84. Hudson sails up the Hudson River in the Little "Half Moon."=--In
+September, 1609, Sir Henry found himself not far from the mouth of a
+broad river, and dropped anchor near what is now Sandy Hook. The Indians
+here were kind to their strange visitors, and came on board the vessel
+to trade. They brought grapes, furs, and pumpkins, and traded them for
+beads, knives, and hatchets.
+
+  [Illustration: THE "HALF MOON" ON THE HUDSON.]
+
+After a few days the anchor of the little "Half Moon" was raised, the
+sails were spread, and Hudson was slowly wafted past the Palisades and
+far up the noble river which still bears his name. Because for many
+miles the water at high tide was salt, he thought that he had surely
+found the long-wished-for passage to India.
+
+No white man had ever before sailed up this, perhaps the most beautiful
+of American streams. With what wonder and hope must the captain and his
+men have gazed on the lovely scenery, rich in the gorgeous hues of
+autumnal foliage! In fact Hudson, in the story of his voyage, says that
+the lands on both sides were "pleasant with grass and flowers and goodly
+trees,--as beautiful a land as one can tread upon."
+
+=85. Kindly received by the Indians.=--The Indians, filled with curiosity,
+flocked from far and near to the banks of the river to see the "great
+white bird," a name they gave the "Half Moon" on account of its white
+spreading canvas wings. As they peeped out from the rocks and woods
+along the shore, they had the same feelings of curiosity and awe as did
+the natives that gazed in wonder upon the vessels of Columbus more than
+a hundred years before.
+
+Hudson sailed north until he reached a point near where Albany now
+stands. As the river now became narrower and its water fresh, he was
+convinced at last that he could never find his way to India by this
+route.
+
+=86. Hudson returns Home; his Sad Fate.=--After a time, disappointed at
+his failure to reach India, Hudson sailed out of the river and across
+the ocean to England, and afterwards to Holland. The stout-hearted
+mariner never saw his "great river" again. On his next and last voyage
+he sailed farther north and entered the immense land-locked bay that now
+bears his name. He thought that he had this time surely discovered the
+long-sought opening to the Pacific. Imagine his dismay when, after
+coasting around its sides for nearly three months, he was forced at last
+to believe that this inland sea had no western outlet!
+
+The long Arctic winter came. Hudson's men were nearly starved. They had
+endured so many hardships that in a frenzy of despair and wrath they at
+last bound their captain hand and foot, thrust him on board a small boat
+with his son and some sick sailors, and set them adrift. This was the
+last ever seen or heard of Hudson.
+
+Probably, like De Soto, the bold navigator found his grave in the vast
+waters that he was the first to discover.
+
+=87. The Dutch claim the Territory; Manhattan Island bought of the
+Indians.=--The Dutch now laid claim to all the territory along the Hudson
+River, and in 1614 they took possession of it under the name of New
+Netherland. In a few years they began to establish trading posts, where
+they might buy of the Indians the skins of bears, beavers, and otters.
+
+After a time the Indians sold the Dutch the island of Manhattan for the
+sum of twenty-four dollars. This settlement, then called "New
+Amsterdam," was the beginning of what is now one of the largest and
+richest cities in the world--Greater New York.
+
+=88. The Dutch Settlers prosper.=--For the first few years the settlers in
+New Amsterdam were poor; but after a time richer and more influential
+men made homes for themselves in this colony. They secured from the
+Dutch East India Company the right to own by purchase from the Indians a
+tract of land sixteen miles in length and extending an unlimited
+distance into the interior, and to establish there a colony of fifty
+people. The rich landholders were called "patroons," and their great
+estates laid the foundation of the wealth of many of the leading
+families of the Empire State.
+
+  [Illustration: DUTCH WINDMILL.]
+
+=89. How the Dutch People lived.=--As the Dutch prospered, they built
+better houses. These were of wood. Each house had on its roof one
+weathercock, and often many of them. The gable ends were built of
+various-colored bricks brought over from Holland.
+
+  [Illustration: A DUTCHMAN OF NEW AMSTERDAM.]
+
+The Dutch women were excellent housekeepers. We owe to them the
+doughnut, the cruller, cookies, and many other delicious articles of
+skillful cookery. Many a pleasant custom had its origin with these
+genial Dutch settlers, such as the Christmas visit of Santa Claus, the
+display of colored eggs at Easter, and the friendly visiting on New
+Year's day. The floors in these thrifty homes were covered with white
+sand, on which quaint figures were sketched with a broom. There were
+huge fireplaces with Dutch tiles of different colors, on which were
+represented scenes from the Bible. The Dutch men were fond of good food
+and of their pipes. They used to have in front of their houses a porch
+or "stoop," sometimes called a "bowerie," on which they could sit and
+smoke and tell stories and take their ease generally. The men wore
+several pairs of knee breeches at once, one over another, with long
+stockings, and with huge buckles at the knees and on the shoes. Their
+coats, too, were adorned with great buckles of silver or brass.
+
+The women were neatly dressed, usually wearing several short petticoats
+of many colors. Their stockings were of their own knitting, and had as
+many hues as the rainbow. Their shoes had very high heels.
+
+=90. Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor; New York surrenders to
+the English.=--The last Dutch governor was Peter Stuyvesant, brave and
+honest, but a very stubborn man. He was so obstinate that he was
+nicknamed "Headstrong Peter." He was also known as "Old Silverleg,"
+because, having lost a leg in war, he used a wooden one adorned with
+strips of silver. He was a tyrant in his way, and at length his people
+would not endure his tyranny, especially as the English settlers in the
+same region enjoyed more liberty and had increased more rapidly in
+numbers and riches than they.
+
+  [Illustration: PETER STUYVESANT.]
+
+And so it happened that when an English fleet sailed into the harbor in
+1664, the people did not come to the help of "Headstrong Peter," but
+gladly surrendered the town to the English in spite of "Old
+Silverleg's" wrath! The name of the colony was changed to New York in
+honor of the Duke of York, the brother of King Charles II.
+
+=91. How the Quakers were persecuted.=--About forty years after the
+Pilgrims had built their homes in Plymouth, the members of a peculiar
+religious sect, the Society of Friends, were bitterly persecuted in
+England. In spite of their ill-treatment, which lasted for many years,
+they greatly increased in numbers. A few men and women of wealth and of
+high social position joined them.
+
+These Friends, or Quakers as they were commonly called, were singularly
+blunt in speech and plain in dress. But they were an honest, sober,
+God-fearing people. They wished to treat all men as friends, brothers,
+and equals. They did not approve of war and would not serve as soldiers.
+As they believed all men equal, they recognized no superiors: they would
+not doff their hats to any one, not even to the king, for they thought
+"the Lord forbade it." They said they would acknowledge no master, king,
+or lord, save only Him who was their "Master in heaven," the "King of
+Kings and Lord of Lords."
+
+Naturally enough, in those days of bigotry and intolerance the doctrines
+and behavior of the Quakers made the king and his great men very angry.
+They threw hundreds of them into prison. Consequently, many of the
+Quakers left their homes, came to this country, and settled in
+Massachusetts. But the stern sons of the Old Pilgrim Fathers would not
+endure them. They drove them away or put them in prison. The Boston
+Puritans even hanged four Quakers who had repeatedly come back after
+having been several times punished and driven into exile.
+
+  [Illustration: WILLIAM PENN.]
+
+=92. William Penn becomes a Quaker.=--About the time King Charles II was
+restored to the throne of England (1660) there lived in that country a
+handsome young man of noble birth and talents of the highest order.
+William Penn was his name. There is a portrait of him in the dress of an
+English cavalier, with flowing curls over his shoulders, and a face of
+manly tenderness and beauty. This man, the founder of Pennsylvania, was
+the only son of a brave English admiral who had won signal victories for
+his country during the Dutch war, and was held in high favor by the king
+and the royal family. While Penn was a boy and in college, his heart was
+stirred within him by listening to the Quaker preachers. He believed
+they were right. He was convinced that he ought to join them, and did so
+in spite of the ridicule of his rich and titled friends.
+
+=93. Young Penn falls into Disgrace with his Family and is sent from
+Home.=--Young Penn was expelled from college and sent home. The old
+admiral, in his anger because his only son would disgrace his family by
+uniting with the despised Quakers, drove him from his door. The mother,
+however, interceded, and the stubborn youth was allowed to travel for a
+time on the Continent to divert his mind from what they called his
+foolishness.
+
+Alas for the old admiral's ambitious plans for his gifted son! William
+was out-and-out a Quaker; and no title, honors, or favor could induce
+him to give up his faith. He pleaded with the king to allow the English
+people freedom of conscience, so that they might worship God as they
+deemed best. He tried in vain to procure the release of the Quakers from
+the prisons where hundreds of them were then confined. For a time Penn
+was himself shut up in the Tower of London, the prison of offenders of
+high rank. While there he wrote his best known work, _No Cross, no
+Crown_. The king's brother, the Duke of York, however, soon brought
+about his release.
+
+=94. Penn inherits Wealth; secures a Grant of Land from the King.=--Penn's
+father was after all a generous man and regretted his treatment of his
+son. On his death, in 1670, he left him all his estate. Penn made a good
+use of his wealth. He devoted his time, money, and talents to secure
+legal protection in England for the persecuted Quakers. The task was
+almost hopeless.
+
+In his despair Penn longed to build a quiet home for his people in the
+wilderness of America. He had heard of the happiness and prosperity of
+the Pilgrim settlements, and he now planned to lead his brethren across
+the Atlantic. The gallant admiral at his death had a claim against the
+government of about eighty thousand dollars. Now King Charles was a
+spendthrift and always in debt. Penn told the king that he would accept
+lands in America instead of money in payment of this claim. The
+easy-going monarch was only too glad to take up with this offer, for he
+had plenty of land in America but very little silver and gold.
+
+On condition that he should be paid two beaver-skins every year, the
+king granted Penn a large tract of land on the western bank of the
+Delaware river, and named it Pennsylvania, or "Penn's Woodland."
+
+=95. A Colony of Quakers established in Pennsylvania.=--Penn now planned
+to send his Quaker colony to the new home in America. He came over in
+person in the fall of 1682, and landed at New Castle, Delaware. Penn
+sailed in an open boat up the broad and beautiful Delaware River until
+he came to the place on which his chief city or capital was soon to be
+laid out. The "Quaker King," for thus he was called, was received with
+great joy by the people. They knew that he would keep his promise to
+secure full freedom of conscience and speech for all. He called it a
+"free colony for all mankind."
+
+  [Illustration: A PROSPEROUS QUAKER.]
+
+No person was compelled, as were the Pilgrims of New England, to attend
+any church or practise any form of religious worship. Only murder and
+treason were punished with death. Before this Penn had written to the
+colonists, saying, "You shall be governed by laws of your own making; I
+shall not usurp the right of any, or oppress his person."
+
+=96. Penn selects a Location for his Capital; Philadelphia, "the City of
+Brotherly Love."=--On a neck of land between the Schuylkill and the
+Delaware, Penn selected a site for his "faire and greene country
+towne"--a city of refuge and a home of free speech and conscience. And
+he generously bought the land from some Swedes, who had bought it from
+the Indians.
+
+Penn now laid out his city and gave it the Bible name of Philadelphia,
+which means "brotherly love." As he stood with his friends on the high
+ground and beheld the country in its autumn foliage, the good man said:
+"I have seen the finest cities of Europe, but I never saw so beautiful a
+place for a city as this."
+
+=97. His Kind Treatment of the Indians.=--Penn knew how cruelly some of
+the other colonies had treated the Indians. This should not be done in
+Pennsylvania. The Indians must be fairly dealt with. Their lands were
+not to be taken away by force, but must be openly bought and honestly
+paid for. If a settler wronged an Indian, he was to be punished. In
+short, in this Quaker colony they were all to live together as brothers.
+
+That everything might be done in a business-like way, Penn sent word to
+various tribes of Indians that he would meet them on a certain day to
+make a treaty. He wanted them to hear what he had to say. He sent word
+to them that he was a man of peace, and no firearms would be brought to
+the meeting. The Indians gladly accepted Penn's invitation.
+
+  [Illustration: PENN'S MEETING WITH THE INDIANS.]
+
+=98. The Celebrated Treaty with the Indians.=--On the chosen day they came
+from far and near. They met under the branches of a great elm tree a
+little north of Philadelphia. This giant son of the forest, called ever
+afterward "The Treaty Tree," became an object of deep interest. It was
+protected with extreme care. During the Revolutionary war, even the
+British officers posted guards around it to prevent its branches from
+being used for firewood. The venerable tree blew down some ninety years
+ago. Its rings proved it to be two hundred and eighty-three years of
+age. A monument with a suitable inscription now marks the spot where
+Penn and the Indians met to pledge in "unbroken faith."
+
+First, there was a feast of good things to eat, and numerous presents
+were given to the delighted red men. The chiefs then seated themselves
+on the ground and the council began. Penn carried no arms, wore no
+uniform, and had no soldiers. He was at this time thirty-eight years
+old, graceful and fine-looking, was dressed in a suit of drab-colored
+clothes, had a blue sash around his waist, and wore a broad-brim hat,
+which he did not take off for the sake of fashion or ceremony.
+
+The Indians, seated around their chiefs, listened attentively while the
+"Quaker King" spoke. He told them that the English and the Indians were
+to obey the same laws, and both were to be equally protected in their
+rights. No advantage should be taken on either side, but all should be
+openness and love; that the great God above was the Father of both white
+and red men, and that all were brothers and should live together in
+peace. His words, so full of kindness, good will, and justice, won the
+hearts of the dusky natives.
+
+"We will live in peace with William Penn and his children," said the
+Indians, "as long as the sun and moon endure." This treaty was never
+broken.
+
+=99. The Indians take Penn at his Word, and live afterwards at Peace with
+the Quakers.=--After this talk was over, the pipe of peace was lighted
+and passed round, and each took a whiff.
+
+The Indians took Penn at his word. They believed in him and they kept
+their part of the compact. It is said that not a drop of Quaker blood
+was ever shed by an Indian, so much did the red men love and honor the
+name of William Penn.
+
+The good Quaker often visited the Indians at their councils, or at their
+"powwows," as their festive gatherings were called. He went in and out
+among them, visited them in their wigwams, and ate roasted corn and
+hominy with them. He had frolics with the Indian children, joined in the
+outdoor games of the warriors, and talked to them about their faith in
+God, whom they called the Great Spirit.
+
+=100. The Quakers prosper; Trials of Penn in his Old Age.=--We are not
+surprised that the Quaker settlers prospered. In two years there were
+six hundred houses; also schools and a printing press. Philadelphia had
+grown more in three years than New York City in half a century. After a
+few years the founder of the colony went back to England. He continued
+to watch over his far-away colony, sending out emigrants and in every
+way promoting its interest.
+
+After some time Penn returned to this country, but remained only two
+years. In his old age he met with sore trials. His son disgraced him by
+his riotous living, his trusted agent proved dishonest, and at length
+the good Quaker was financially ruined and was flung into prison for
+debt. Not long after his release he died at the age of seventy-eight.
+
+=101. Subsequent Prosperity of the Quaker Colony.=--When it once became
+known that in Penn's colony a man could worship God as he pleased, enjoy
+personal rights; that poor men could own their farms, and that there was
+no dread of the Indians, we are not surprised that colonists quickly
+flocked to Pennsylvania. This settlement surpassed all others in America
+in rapid growth, and was for many years more prosperous and comfortable
+than any other. About one-third of the inhabitants were Quakers, and
+these were always a thrifty and peaceful people.
+
+At the close of the Revolutionary war Philadelphia was larger than
+either Boston or New York. Among the thirteen colonies Pennsylvania
+ranked third in influence and population, being surpassed by none but
+Virginia and Massachusetts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.
+
+
+=102. Prosperity of the Early Colonists.=--For fifty years or more after
+the colonists had established their homes in the wilderness of the New
+World, they were growing rich and strong. They cleared away forests,
+planted fields, traded with the Indians, and built for themselves more
+comfortable houses.
+
+Especially was this the case during the years when Cromwell and his
+party were in power in England, and until after Charles II was restored
+to the English throne. The settlers boldly pressed further and further
+on, crossing great rivers, climbing steep mountains, and building log
+cabins in far distant regions.
+
+The colonists in Pennsylvania and Virginia pushed westward into the
+valley of the Ohio, while the English settlers in New York made their
+way through the forest toward the Great Lakes.
+
+=103. The French in North America.=--More than seventy years before
+Jamestown was settled, a French explorer by the name of Cartier had
+entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sailed up the river of the same name,
+and taken possession of the country in the name of France. This same
+region became afterwards the great French stronghold in America.
+
+A Frenchman by the name of Champlain sailed up the beautiful river St.
+Lawrence, and was so charmed with the scenery of the country that in
+1608, the year after Jamestown was settled, he began to plant a colony
+on the site of what is now Quebec. The settlement soon became a city and
+the capital of the French possessions in America.
+
+The French were also the first explorers of the vast interior regions of
+our country. Their fur traders and trappers kept on good terms with the
+Indians, and slowly pushed along the shores of the Great Lakes until
+they had established a chain of trading-posts from the St. Lawrence to
+Lake Superior. About the time of King Philip's War in New England Father
+Marquette discovered the upper Mississippi, and floated down this great
+river nearly as far as the mouth of the Arkansas.
+
+=104. La Salle floats down the Mighty Mississippi.=--The bravest and
+ablest of all the French explorers was a fur-trader by the name of La
+Salle. This daring man, whose life was filled with romantic adventures
+and hardships, bravely undergone, gave France the right to claim as her
+own the vast domain of the Mississippi valley.
+
+On Lake Erie, La Salle built a small vessel, in which he sailed to the
+westward over the Great Lakes. In the year 1682, with a few companions,
+he floated down the mighty Mississippi until he reached the Gulf of
+Mexico.
+
+  [Illustration: LA SALLE AT THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI.]
+
+With solemn ceremonies he claimed for France all the country drained by
+this great river and its branches. This enormous territory, extending
+from the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains, he named Louisiana in honor
+of his king, Louis XIV. The narrow strip of land held by the English
+along the Atlantic seaboard seemed a feeble possession compared with
+the vast untrodden wilderness known as "New France."
+
+Hand in hand with the French explorers and fur-traders, and often in
+advance of them, went the Jesuit missionaries. In their efforts to carry
+their religion to the Indians and convert them to their faith, these
+zealous men boldly struck out into the unbroken wilderness of the great
+West. They often became brave and intelligent explorers. All hardships
+and all dangers, and even torture by the Indians, they endured without a
+murmur.
+
+=105. Beginning of the Contests between the French and English
+Colonists.=--At the time the French and English were making settlements
+on this continent, and for many long and weary years, with very short
+intervals of rest, Europe was cursed with war. Whether these cruel
+strifes between the nations arose from political ambition, greed for
+gain, or common jealousy, there was always intermingled the same old
+undercurrent of religious hatred. The French settlers in this country
+were Roman Catholics, while the English were almost all Protestants.
+Hence it is not strange that these bitter religious controversies were
+not confined to the Old World, but stained with blood the soil of the
+New.
+
+The English colonists dearly loved their mother country; her wrongs were
+their wrongs. Hence when war was declared between France and England,
+the English colonists readily took up arms against the French.
+
+=106. The French and Indian Wars.=--In the seventy-four years from 1689 to
+1763 the American colonies were involved in four wars, occupying in all
+twenty-seven years. These were called by different names; but the last
+and most important is known as the "French and Indian War," which began
+in 1755 and lasted about eight years.
+
+These long contests really made one continuous series of hostile
+operations, with only a breathing-spell now and then. It was one
+long-drawn-out and stubborn battle to decide whether the French or the
+English should be masters of North America. Jealous of the rich and
+prosperous English colonies on the seaboard, and having determined that
+England should not control the whole of this vast continent, the French
+built a chain of more than sixty forts stretching from Montreal to New
+Orleans.
+
+The French had always treated the Indians with more consideration than
+had their rivals. The Jesuit missionaries had converted many of the red
+men to their religious belief. Sometimes the French took Indian women
+for wives, and often they adopted the red man's ways of living.
+
+=107. The Indians ally themselves with the French.=--When these sons of
+the forest found the English slowly but surely crowding them out of
+their haunts and homes, and saw that their hunting grounds were getting
+reduced to mere strips of territory here and there, it was not strange
+that they felt bitter towards the ever-encroaching new-comers. The
+tribes had steadily diminished, and they were unable to cope
+single-handed with the English. Hence they naturally looked to the
+French for help, and the French readily induced the Indians to join them
+against the English and their American descendants.
+
+It was a fierce struggle. English and American blood flowed like water
+before it was ended. The Indians never fought in open field, but always
+after their own fashion. They trusted to sudden attacks, especially at
+night, and to rapid raids, doing their savage work suddenly and
+retreating swiftly into the forest.
+
+Lonely families and small settlements suffered most. Like lightning out
+of the clear sky came the horror of an Indian night attack. The
+war-whoop waked the midnight sleepers and the glare of burning cabins
+lighted up the darkness.
+
+The massacre of defenseless women and children crimsoned the earth in
+scores of settlements during these cruel wars.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIANS ATTACKING A SETTLER'S CABIN.]
+
+=108. The Indian Attack on Deerfield in the Massachusetts Colony.=--One
+bitter cold night in February, 1704, the French and Indians attacked the
+town of Deerfield in the western part of Massachusetts. For this purpose
+they had walked all the way from Canada on snowshoes. The people had
+been warned of their danger, but the watchmen fell asleep, and the
+villagers were awakened by the war-whoop of their savage foes. About
+fifty men, women, and children were killed, and nearly a hundred
+half-clad captives were marched off through the deep snows. Those who
+could not keep up were killed with the tomahawk.
+
+The minister of the village, Rev. John Williams, his wife and six
+children, were among those captured and carried to Canada. The wife
+lagged behind and was killed. Strange to say, however, the minister and
+all his children, though they suffered all manner of hardships, and were
+sold as captives, after a time reached home in safety. The good man
+lived to write an account of his adventures.
+
+One little girl seven years old was treated kindly by her captors and
+was brought up as one of their tribe. She married an Indian chief and
+long afterwards visited her people in Deerfield. She wore the Indian
+dress and had come to love the wild life. Her former friends and
+neighbors begged her to stay with them, but "she returned to the fires
+of her own wigwam, and to the love of her Mohawk children."
+
+=109. Hannah Dustin's Famous Adventure with the Indians.=--The story of
+Hannah Dustin, of Haverhill, Mass., has often been told. One day in 1697
+the Indians attacked the village. Mr. Dustin saved all his family except
+his wife and her nurse, who were captured. They marched these women and
+an English boy many long days to their camp on an island far up the
+Merrimac River. As Mrs. Dustin's babe prevented her keeping up well on
+the journey, an Indian cruelly killed it.
+
+The boy, who understood the Indian language, heard the savages tell of
+the horrible tortures they intended to inflict upon their captives. When
+Mrs. Dustin heard of this she laid her plans. She made the lad slyly
+learn from the Indians how to swing a tomahawk and where to strike.
+
+One night, when the savages lay around the camp-fire sound asleep, the
+three captives arose softly, each killed with one blow the Indian
+nearest, then three more, and so on till ten were finished. One young
+boy and one squaw escaped. It was an awful thing for Mrs. Dustin to do,
+but the memory of her murdered child made her brave and strong. They
+seized an Indian canoe, and the three paddled swiftly down the river,
+and half dead with hunger and fatigue reached home. Their friends could
+hardly believe their eyes. The heroic woman brought home ten Indian
+scalps as proof of what she had done.
+
+=110. How the Colonial Boys learned to shoot.=--We can now well understand
+that the settlement of a new country amid hostile Indians demanded from
+our colonial fathers eternal vigilance, and developed in them remarkable
+skill with firearms.
+
+Even the colonial boy, we are told, as soon as he was big enough to
+level a musket, was given powder and ball to shoot squirrels. After a
+little practice he was required to bring in as many squirrels as he was
+given charges for the gun, under penalty of a severe lecture, or even of
+having his "jacket tanned"!
+
+At the age of twelve the boy became a block-house soldier, with a
+loophole assigned him from which to shoot when the settlement was
+attacked by the Indians.
+
+Growing older, he became a hunter of deer, bears, and other wild
+animals, and had at any moment, day or night, to be in readiness to pit
+his life against those of hostile Indians.
+
+=111. Capture of Louisburg.=--During the third French and Indian war,
+which began when George Washington was a boy of fourteen and which
+lasted four years, the New England colonists determined to strike a hard
+blow against France. They fitted out an army of about four thousand
+fishermen and farmers, put their expedition under the command of General
+William Pepperell, and sailed from Boston to capture Louisburg on the
+island of Cape Breton.
+
+With its walls of masonry thirty feet high this was the strongest
+fortress on the continent except Quebec, and was known as the "Gibraltar
+of America." It commanded the entrance to the Gulf and the mouth of the
+St. Lawrence. With the aid of a British fleet the colonists laid siege
+to the great fortress.
+
+After a lively contest of about six weeks, Louisburg was taken (1745).
+The colonial army returned to Boston and was received with shouts of
+joy. But at the close of the war Louisburg was restored to the French.
+Great was the wrath of the colonists, who spoke of the day of surrender
+as "a black day, to be forever blotted out of New England calendars."
+
+=112. The Struggle beyond the Alleghanies.=--For a long time the Alleghany
+Mountains served as a natural boundary between the English settlements
+in the East and the French trading-posts and forts in the West.
+
+Meanwhile the English settlers were steadily pushing westward over the
+mountains and beginning to trade with the Indians on the other side. The
+French merchants often met their hated rivals in the woods and quarreled
+with them. From the first, England claimed all this country as her own,
+and looked upon the building of French forts as an invasion of her
+territory. The French stirred up the Indians to drive the English away,
+and would not even allow them to make so much as a survey of land in the
+rich Ohio valley.
+
+=113. Young George Washington selected for an Arduous Undertaking.=--This
+action of the French aroused the wrath of the prosperous Virginia colony
+and of its energetic governor. He decided to send a letter to the French
+commander warning him to leave the country. Governor Dinwiddie selected
+for this task a land surveyor only twenty-one years of age. His name was
+George Washington. He was even then known for his courage, his sound
+judgment, and his knowledge of the Indians.
+
+It was a journey of more than a thousand miles there and back, through
+an unbroken wilderness. With seven companions young Washington set out
+on his perilous trip in the fall of 1753. They climbed mountains, swam
+streams, and threaded their way through mountain ravines, following
+Indian trails which no white man had ever seen before.
+
+After many hardships they reached the French posts. The French commander
+read the letter that Washington had brought from the governor of
+Virginia. He replied that he was there by command of his superior
+officers, and that he meant to drive every Englishman out of the Ohio
+valley! There was nothing for Washington to do but to start for home.
+Winter had now set in and it was soon severely cold. The homeward
+journey became a serious matter. The pack-horses gave out. The brave
+young leader and his guide pressed ahead on foot. Often as they lay down
+at night their wet clothing froze fast upon them. They secured an Indian
+as a guide, but he proved a scamp. One evening at dusk he raised his gun
+and fired at Washington, but missed his aim. The guide seized the
+savage, flung him to the ground, and would have killed him, but
+Washington spared his life. After many hardships and dangers the two men
+reached home in safety.
+
+=114. The Beginning of the Final Struggle.=--The final struggle was now
+impending between England and France to determine which should control
+America. The contest began in earnest in Virginia. Washington had taken
+advantage of his perilous errand to the French commander to select a
+place for an English fort. It was at the point where the Alleghany and
+Monongahela rivers unite to form the Ohio. This is the spot where the
+city of Pittsburgh now stands. It was the main entrance to the valley of
+the Ohio. For many years it was called the "Gateway of the West." The
+English built a fort on this spot, but the French easily captured it and
+held it under the name of Fort Du Quesne.
+
+=115. Braddock's Ill-Fated Expedition.=--Affairs now became so serious
+that General Braddock was sent out from England with two regiments of
+regulars. Early in the year 1755 he began his march through the Virginia
+forests to recapture the French stronghold. He selected Washington as a
+member of his staff. "I want you," said the British general, "to take
+your Virginia riflemen and go with me and my veterans to drive the
+French from Ohio." Washington consented. He joined Braddock's army with
+three companies of Virginia riflemen.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON ATTEMPTING TO RALLY BRADDOCK'S REGULARS.]
+
+The English general and his regulars were brave, but they knew nothing
+about fighting Indians. Never did an army seem better prepared. They
+felt sure of victory. Soon they plunged into the forest. There were no
+roads there. After a hard march of four weeks they came within a few
+miles of the French fort. Washington warned the proud British general
+of his peril. "The Indians," said he, "may attack us in yonder deep
+pass. Let me go ahead with my riflemen and skirmish for the savages."
+
+Braddock was an old soldier, and he thought he knew more than his young
+staff-officer who had learned from experience how to fight Indians. The
+general laughed at the well-meant advice. Next day, as they were
+marching through a deep ravine, suddenly came the yells of savages and
+the crack of rifles. The British veterans were eager to fight, but they
+could see no foe. The men were shot down like sheep.
+
+The young Virginian and his riflemen leaped behind trees and rocks and
+fought the Indians in their own way. All was confusion. Braddock acted
+bravely. He had five horses killed under him. He did all that a valiant
+man in such a situation could do; but it was in vain.
+
+=116. Washington saves Braddock's Army from Destruction.=--Washington and
+his Virginia rangers saved Braddock's army from destruction. The French
+and the Indians knew well the tall figure of Washington, who was in the
+thickest of the fight, and they kept firing at him. Two horses were shot
+under him. Four bullets passed through his clothing, but he did not
+receive a scratch.
+
+Many years afterwards an old Indian chief came to see Washington, and
+told him that he had fired from ambush on the dreadful day of Braddock's
+defeat, and both he and his young warriors had often aimed at him as he
+rode about delivering the general's orders; but as they could not hit
+him, they had concluded that he was under the protection of the Great
+Spirit and could not be slain in battle.
+
+Braddock was at last hit. He sank to the ground mortally wounded. "What
+is to be done now?" he faintly asked. "We must retreat," replied
+Washington.
+
+A retreat was ordered, and Washington and his riflemen defended the rear
+so well that what was left of the routed army at last reached a place of
+safety. More than seven hundred of them had fallen, including Braddock
+himself and three-fourths of his officers. What a penalty the proud
+British general paid for refusing to take good advice!
+
+=117. The Virginians fight desperately for their Homes.=--The French were
+now left in full possession of all the region west of the Alleghanies.
+The Indians took advantage of the situation to make fresh attacks upon
+the Virginia colonists.
+
+The Virginians fought with desperation for their homes. Washington was
+put in command of the forces. He wrote that "the supplicating tears of
+the women and the moving petitions of the men melted him into deadly
+sorrow." Three years after the Braddock calamity, Washington again
+marched his men through the woods against Fort Du Quesne and recaptured
+it.
+
+The capture of this stronghold was an important event to the colonists,
+for a highway which was never afterwards closed was then opened to the
+great West. The name of the fort was changed to Pittsburgh, in honor of
+England's illustrious prime minister, William Pitt, who had planned the
+expedition.
+
+It was just this experience in hard fighting against the French and
+Indians that providentially aided in fitting Washington to win success
+as commander-in-chief of the American forces in the fast approaching war
+of the Revolution.
+
+=118. Quebec, the carefully guarded Stronghold.=--We must remember that
+there had been fighting for nearly two years in America before England
+really declared war against France in 1756. During this time the French
+had held the mastery, and the English had met with sad reverses. A new
+leader had now come into power in England, the great statesman, William
+Pitt.
+
+The influence of this remarkable man changed the course of affairs as if
+by magic. He fully understood America's greatest needs. From this time
+the English were everywhere successful. Important forts were taken from
+the French, such as Niagara, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point.
+
+There was only one great stronghold left to the French. This was Quebec
+on the St. Lawrence. It was not only one of the strongest fortresses in
+the world, but it was commanded by the Marquis de Montcalm, one of the
+ablest generals of his time.
+
+=119. How Quebec was taken.=--A brave young officer, General Wolfe, was
+sent out from England to command the attack on Quebec. The outlook was
+enough to discourage any one, however experienced and skillful. The fort
+itself is on a high point of land overlooking the city. The English
+troops were on the river-bank, hundreds of feet below.
+
+Every movement of the English was reported at once to the French. Wolfe
+was at first repulsed at every point. One day, as he was reconnoitering,
+he discovered a steep and narrow path which led up the precipitous bluff
+to a level spot known as the Plains of Abraham. He made up his mind to
+climb it with his men.
+
+Soon afterwards the English troops were quietly rowed down the river,
+under the cover of darkness, to a little bay since known as Wolfe's
+Cove. As the young English general glided along in his boat, he quoted
+extracts from Gray's "Elegy in a Country Churchyard." As he repeated the
+stanza beginning, "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power," he said
+that he would rather have written that poem than take Quebec. The little
+pathway was reached. Wolfe leaped first on shore. Under his leadership
+the English soldiers climbed the steep.
+
+  [Illustration: WOLFE'S MEN CLIMBING TO THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM.]
+
+At sunrise on the morning of Sept. 13, 1759, the British army, five
+thousand strong, stood on the Plains of Abraham. Great was the amazement
+of the French general, for he thought it impossible for any one to scale
+the cliffs. Montcalm chose to come out of the fortress and fight the
+English on the open ground. This was a fatal mistake, for after a
+fierce struggle the French were defeated.
+
+In the hour of victory Wolfe was fatally wounded. While dying he heard
+the cry, "They run! they run!" Rousing himself he asked, "Who run?" Upon
+being told it was the French he exclaimed: "Now God be praised; I will
+die in peace!" Montcalm was also fatally wounded. When told he could not
+live, the gallant Frenchman cried out, "So much the better; I shall not
+live to see the surrender of Quebec!"
+
+The French retired within their fortifications, but in a few days Quebec
+was surrendered into the hands of the English. The fate of Canada was
+decided by the fall of this city.
+
+=120. The End of the War and the Result.=--Although the victory at Quebec
+practically ended the French and Indian War, it was not until 1763 that
+peace was declared. By the treaty France gave up to England the whole of
+Canada, together with all the territory between the Alleghanies and the
+Mississippi, except the city of New Orleans. She retained a few barren
+islands near Newfoundland as a shelter for her fishermen. The vast
+region spreading westward from the Mississippi towards the Pacific,
+under the name Louisiana, together with the city of New Orleans, was
+made over to Spain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.
+
+
+=121. Severe and Curious Punishments.=--In the early colonial times the
+laws were for the most part rigid and the punishments severe. Criminals
+were occasionally branded with a hot iron. If a man shot a fowl on
+Sunday, he was often publicly whipped. Small offenses were punished in a
+way which would not be tolerated in our times. A woman who had been
+complained of as a scold was placed in front of her house with a stick
+tied in her mouth. Sometimes a common scold was fastened to what was
+known as a "ducking stool" at one end of a seesaw plank, and ducked in a
+pond or river!
+
+Some crimes were punished by making the offender stand up on a stool in
+some public place, while fastened to his breast was a large placard on
+which his crime was printed in coarse letters, as LIAR or THIEF. There
+were in some colonies public whipping-posts for the special benefit of
+hardened offenders. In other cases the stocks were used, the culprit
+being seated on a bench in a public place, his feet projecting through
+holes in a plank; or the pillory, where he had to stand up with his neck
+and wrists painfully confined in a similar way. These last two modes of
+punishment were a source of no small amusement to the throng that
+gathered around, whose jeers and scorn must have been hard to bear. Once
+a couple of men in Plymouth county had a brisk little quarrel, and they
+were punished by being bound together for twenty-four hours, head to
+head and foot to foot.
+
+  [Illustration: CULPRITS IN THE PILLORY AND STOCKS.]
+
+=122. How Sunday was kept.=--Sunday was rigidly observed in New England.
+In olden times, and almost to our own day, the Lord's Day was made to
+begin at sunset on Saturday evening. Sunday schools were not then known.
+But every person was compelled to attend religious service or be
+punished. If a man stayed away from church for a month without a good
+excuse, he might be put in the stocks or into a wooden cage. No word
+could be spoken with impunity against the church or the rulers. He who
+used his tongue too freely was placed in the pillory or stocks, or was
+fined, and in some extreme cases he lost his ears.
+
+The minister was the great man of the village. He was looked up to and
+consulted about nearly everything, and he generally decided what
+punishment should be inflicted on evil-doers. In earliest times the
+people were called to meeting by drumbeat or by the blowing of a horn.
+The log meeting-house had oiled paper windows, or, if of glass, small
+diamond-shaped panes set in leaden frames made in England.
+
+Inside there was no fire and there were no cushions. Families did not
+sit together as now; but old men, young men, and women all sat by
+themselves. Boys occupied the pulpit steps or the gallery. On a bench
+just below the preacher sat the row of deacons, facing the congregation.
+If aged, they wore bright-colored flannel caps to protect their heads
+from numerous drafts. It was the business of the deacons to "line off"
+the Psalms as the people sang them. Books being very scarce, most of the
+congregation did not have any: accordingly the deacon would read aloud
+two lines, and when these were sung, read the next two, and so on. Every
+one sang. There was no choir, no organ, no instrumental music of any
+kind, and no hymns such as we have now. They sang the Psalms, which
+were arranged in metre for convenience in singing.
+
+=123. The Discomforts of attending Church in Colonial Days.=--As the
+meeting-house was bitter cold in midwinter, women often carried
+foot-stoves, small sheet-iron boxes containing a few hot coals, which
+were a source of great comfort. The sermons were tedious, lasting two
+hours or even more; for those patient people valued a sermon very much
+according to its length. On the pulpit stood an hour-glass, which a
+deacon would reverse when the sands of the hour had fallen through.
+
+Since the seats were hard, and the sermons long, and the men and women
+had worked early and late through the week, it was no wonder that some
+of the hearers were sleepy. It was, however, a serious offense to sleep
+in meeting. The watchful tithing-man, as he was called, was always on
+the lookout for drowsy people. It was his duty to see that the Lord's
+Day was respected by every person. He was armed with a long rod, one end
+tipped with a hare's foot and the other with a hare's tail. If the
+slumberer was a woman, he used to touch, possibly to tickle, her face
+with the soft fur. But if a youngster nodded, his head got a sharp rap
+from the rabbit's foot.
+
+People in those days had to be thrifty. To save wear and tear, boys and
+girls walked barefoot to church in summer, with their shoes and
+stockings under their arms. They put them on as they entered the
+meeting-house, taking them off again as they started for home.
+
+  [Illustration: NEW ENGLAND FIRESIDE IN COLONIAL TIMES.]
+
+=124. The Food in Olden Times; what it was, and how it was served.=--In
+old colonial times our wheat bread was comparatively unknown. Loaves
+were made of mixed Indian meal and rye, not unlike the brown bread of
+our time. Baked pumpkin with milk was a favorite dish. Bean porridge was
+always a common article of food, and in some parts of the country it is
+still popular. It was made by boiling beans with the liquor in which
+corned beef had been cooked. It was very convenient for wood-choppers in
+winter to carry a frozen piece of porridge in their pockets and thaw it
+out for dinner in the woods. The longer it was kept, the better it
+tasted. Hence the common rhyme, "Bean porridge hot, bean porridge cold;
+bean porridge in the pot; nine days old."
+
+In well-to-do families the cupboard or dresser shone with well-scoured
+pewter plates, platters, and porringers. Square wooden plates were often
+used; but with some poorer families there was one common dish used, from
+which the whole family helped themselves with their fingers.
+
+Instead of forks, which were not known, they had thick and clumsy pewter
+spoons. These were easily broken, and they often had to be melted up and
+run over again into moulds by men who traveled from house to house for
+this purpose. In fact shoemakers, tailors, dressmakers, butchers, and
+other highly useful artisans traveled about from one family to another
+in pursuit of work.
+
+=125. Schools in Olden Times; the Schoolmaster; Schoolhouses and how they
+were furnished.=--In most of the colonies the settlers were hardly
+located in their new homes before they began to provide schools for
+their children. In 1635 the town of Boston "voted to entreat brother
+Philemon Pormont to become schoolmaster," and, in 1647, the law was
+passed which is the foundation of the splendid educational system of
+Massachusetts.
+
+Only six years after Boston was founded, the sum of two thousand dollars
+was set apart to found "a seminary at Cambridge," which has now become
+Harvard University. For years afterwards, every family gave annually one
+peck of corn, or one shilling in money, to support the young college.
+
+Besides the usual branches, the early schools were required to teach
+religion and morals and the laws. They taught little enough of what we
+call school studies.
+
+The schoolhouses were rough and crude. They usually had but one room.
+Within the room, the door and the big fireplace were on one side, while
+against the other three walls was a long, rough shelf, in front of which
+was a seat made of a split log with legs driven beneath. The pupils
+faced the wall with their backs to the teacher. In front was another
+lower bench filled by the younger pupils. The teacher sat near the
+middle of the room, and there the classes stood to recite. The sessions
+were long, seven or eight hours a day. The boys had to furnish the
+firewood, and if any unlucky fellow failed to bring in his share, he
+had to sit in a cold corner for that day. When the fire was brisk, the
+scholars were almost roasted on one side and nearly frozen on the other.
+
+The teachers were often incompetent, either broken-down men or needy
+widows. The children brought each a few pennies a week for tuition.
+There were not many text-books, and the supplies were very scanty. The
+scholars often learned to write and "cast accounts" on pieces of white
+birchbark.
+
+=126. Newspapers, Traveling, and the Night Watchman.=--The first printing
+press was set up at Cambridge in 1639. It was used chiefly to print
+sermons and small pamphlets. The first newspaper published in America
+was the _Boston News-Letter_ in 1704. It was a weekly, a brown sheet
+hardly more than a foot square. News traveled slowly, for there was
+little communication between city and city. Travelers were few, and
+conveyances were slow. A stage-coach that made forty miles a day between
+New York and Philadelphia was called, on account of its great speed, the
+"flying machine."
+
+In the cities, news was announced in the daytime by the public crier,
+who walked the streets ringing a large hand-bell, and pausing at the
+corners, where he recited his message of child lost, or reward offered,
+or the happening of any important event. In the night the town
+watchman, with rattle and lantern, paced the streets, stopping every
+person he met after nine o'clock to demand his name and business. He
+also called aloud the hours of the night in a sing-song tone:
+"Twelve-o'clock-and-all-'s-well."
+
+Sometimes his night cry was intensely interesting. At Philadelphia in
+October, 1781, evening after evening every one went to bed anxious about
+our army at Yorktown, and hoping every hour to hear tidings of victory.
+One night the old watchman's cry was heard echoing along the lonely
+streets: "Two-o'clock-and-Cornwallis-'s-captured!" How the windows flew
+up! and how the hearty cheers burst along from house to house all
+through the city!
+
+=127. Other Details of Home Life in the Colonies.=--The home life of the
+colonists improved as the years passed, but until the Revolution it was
+very crude. In the families of well-to-do people the earth floors of
+early days were replaced by boards, the proudest decoration of which was
+a sprinkling of white sand, which on great occasions was swept into
+ornamental waves with a broom. The door latch was for a long time of
+wood, lifted by pulling a string hanging outside. Hence the hospitable
+invitation used to be: "Come over and see us! We keep the latchstring
+out." At night the string was drawn in, and that locked the door.
+
+As there were no friction matches, fire was started by striking a spark
+with flint and steel, which was caught on a bit of half-burned rag, and
+then brought to a blaze with a splinter of wood tipped with sulphur. On
+a cold morning, if one's fire was out and these tools were not at hand,
+the resort was to send a boy to a neighbor for a brand!
+
+  [Illustration: NIGHT WATCHMAN ANNOUNCING THE CAPTURE OF CORNWALLIS.]
+
+=128. How our Forefathers clothed themselves.=--The clothing worn by men,
+women, and children was nearly all home-made from the wool of their own
+sheep. It was a matter of pride with a good housewife to supply all the
+nice warm clothes needed by her family, and the daughters were brought
+up to card and spin and weave clothing, bedding, and table linen. After
+a time very fine linen was made, especially by the Scotch-Irish settlers
+who were skillful in raising flax and in weaving linen. We may safely
+infer that the women of those days were obliged to work early and late
+to provide warm clothing for themselves and oftentimes for large
+families. In fact it was for many years regarded as almost a disgrace to
+purchase clothing which might have been made at home.
+
+But some were disposed to shine in apparel more showy than their purses
+could afford or their rank allow. All such victims of personal vanity
+were liable to be ordered to appear before the court; for any person
+whose estate was less than a thousand dollars was "forbidden to wear
+gold or silver lace, or any lace above two shillings a yard." Once a
+"goodwife" by the name of Alice Flynt was required to show that she was
+worth money enough to be able to wear a silk hood. But the woman proved
+that she was, and she was allowed to wear her finery in triumph. In like
+manner, "goodman" Jonas Fairbanks was arrested for wearing "great
+boots," meaning boots with high tops that turned over showy red. He too
+escaped punishment and continued to sport his extravagance.
+
+=129. How the Wealthier People lived.=--But after a while in the cities,
+the really wealthy, of whom there were not a few, often dressed in fine
+style. Gentlemen when fully equipped wore three-cornered cocked hats,
+long velvet coats, embroidered silk waistcoats with flaps weighted with
+lead, breeches coming only to the knees, long silk stockings, and
+pointed shoes adorned with large silver buckles. Stately men wore their
+hair powdered, a long queue hanging down the back, where it was tied
+with a black ribbon. The clothing was often enriched with gold and
+silver lace, and glittering buttons. A mass of lace ruffles adorned the
+wrists and flowed over the hands. The street cloak glistened with gold
+lace, while a gold-headed cane and a gold snuff-box confirmed the
+wearer's title to rank as a gentleman.
+
+  [Illustration: HOSPITALITY IN A SOUTHERN MANSION.]
+
+Ladies of wealth in the city wore rich heavy silk over stiff hoops, and
+towering hats adorned with tall feathers, with hair massed and powdered
+as if with snowflakes. All the fashions of high life were very exacting
+and precise. The wealth and style of the cities were displayed in the
+fine houses, the heavy, rich furniture imported from England, the
+massive silver plate of the tables, the luxurious living, and the choice
+wines.
+
+The forms of address, too, showed the social rank. The terms "lady" and
+"gentleman" were applied only to persons of recognized standing. Our
+everyday title of "Mr." was conferred only upon ministers and the
+officers of the law, and upon their sons if college bred. The title
+"Mrs." was limited to the wives of prominent men. But if Mr. John Smith
+was proved guilty of any offense, as theft or lying, he was always
+afterwards known only as John Smith. For ordinary people above the grade
+of servants the title of "Goody" was in common use, meaning either
+"Goodman" or "Goodwife."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION.
+
+
+=130. Our Forefathers, Men of Rare Ability and Sterling Character.=--Many
+of our forefathers who had been driven from England to this country by
+persecution were men of rare ability and sterling character. Some had
+served their nation with credit in the army; others had won social and
+political honors. Independent in their way of thinking, fearless in
+speech and action, they were sternly opposed to governmental oppression.
+They believed that royal power should be held within well-defined
+limits. They would not tamely submit, as many did, to abuses from a bad
+government and tyrannical kings.
+
+=131. The Story of their Wrongs told to their Children.=--Now we may
+safely believe that the early settlers told their children all about the
+persecutions in England. The young folks learned well the sad tale of
+how their fathers had been punished, and some of their neighbors hanged
+or burned alive for worshiping God in what they thought the right way,
+and how, for this reason, they had sought a shelter in the New World.
+
+As the years passed, these children grew up to be men, and in their turn
+they told it all to their sons. Again, when the new generation came upon
+the stage of action, the fathers repeated it to their boys, and these,
+when they attained manly strength, became the very heroes that fought so
+bravely at Bunker Hill and King's Mountain and on many another
+battlefield!
+
+=132. A Feeling of Brotherhood among the Colonies.=--Then there was a
+sense of freedom, an inspiration to liberty, in this open, unsubdued,
+apparently boundless land. The free ocean, the immense forests, the
+eternal mountains, all seemed to teach that here man was to be his own
+master; that in this wide, new country, the people were destined to rule
+themselves, and not bound to obey some stupid and obstinate king three
+thousand miles away.
+
+The colonies along the coast, having the same language, with similar
+laws and customs, and having shared like sufferings from hunger and cold
+and the Indians, were naturally drawn together by a feeling of
+brotherhood.
+
+=133. Cruel and Short-Sighted Policy of the Royal Governors.=--Before long
+there came up real grievances. One fact that diminished the affection of
+our forefathers for the mother country was the harsh treatment they
+received from many of the governors sent over by the king. For the
+colonies were not allowed to elect their own governors, nor could they
+choose even the governor's council of advisers. These were appointed by
+the monarch far away, who cared little for the Americans except to
+extort money from them.
+
+Indeed, the English king seemed to think almost anybody would do for
+governor who contrived to wring money enough out of his distant
+subjects. Many of the royal governors were self-conceited, arrogant, and
+tyrannical. Consequently in some of the colonies there was almost
+incessant quarreling between the governors and the people. By and by the
+colonies came to be treated, not as a part of the home country, but as a
+sort of foreign district to furnish a royal revenue.
+
+=134. The Colonies begin to prosper.=--Notwithstanding all their
+hardships, the colonies prospered. The people were wonderfully
+enterprising. They built ships and made a great deal of money by trading
+with the West Indies, France, Spain, and other countries. The New
+Englanders alone had over five hundred vessels engaged in domestic and
+foreign commerce and in profitable fisheries.
+
+The early colonists were ingenious. They built and ran a sawmill a
+hundred years before one was erected in England. They exported great
+quantities of excellent lumber. They began very early to manufacture
+farmer's tools, leather, boots and shoes, woolen cloth, hats, glass,
+paper, salt, and gunpowder. The sale of these goods and of many other
+things produced by them made a profitable trade. In return the colonists
+bought in distant lands a great amount and variety of other merchandise.
+
+=135. The British Government begins its Tyrannical Policy.=--But the
+English rulers, seeing all this prosperity, became jealous and said:
+"This will never do! We must stop it! Those distant colonists across the
+ocean are driving a great trade; the foreign nations they deal with get
+their money. We must have it; we must compel them to do all their
+trading with us." And that is what the English government tried to do.
+By 1750 not less than twenty-nine Acts of Parliament had been passed
+with the intent to have all of the loss in trade fall on the colonies
+and all the gain come to England.
+
+In 1761 it was decided to enforce the so-called Navigation Acts,
+forbidding the colonies to have any foreign commerce except in British
+ships. Our colonial merchants were not allowed to export goods, nor to
+import any except from England or her colonies. They must not import any
+sugar or molasses without paying on it a heavy duty, which went to the
+king. Under these unjust laws the British traders could fix low prices
+on all they bought, and high prices on all they sold, and thus by this
+double-edged method could shape their profits to suit themselves.
+
+=136. Other Absurd and Tyrannical Laws.=--Still more odious than these
+navigation laws were other absurd and tyrannical regulations made to
+cripple the industries and manufactures of the colonies. The fact was,
+the English Parliament meant that England's workshops should do all the
+manufacturing, her merchants all the trading, and her ships all the
+carrying for the colonies, that they might keep in England all the
+immense profits of the colonial trade.
+
+To bring this about, laws were passed forbidding the manufacture of all
+such goods as English shops could produce. For instance, iron must not
+be made from the abundant mines of our country. We must buy all our
+hardware from England. It was a crime to use the wool from our own sheep
+in making woolen goods, and we were forbidden to sell these articles
+from one colony to another. For example, a Boston hatter could be
+punished if he sold his hats in New York. Men were forbidden to cut down
+trees on their own lands for staves and barrels. For wooden ware, as
+chairs, tables, wheels, wagons, the raw material must be sent to
+England to be worked up, and the finished goods brought back to this
+country.
+
+=137. A Bitter Feeling aroused against the Home Government.=--Now all
+these laws seemed very harsh and unjust. And, indeed, they were
+well-nigh intolerable. They crippled and almost ruined the business of
+the colonies, and violated what our forefathers regarded as their
+natural right to make what they pleased and sell where they pleased.
+
+These laws were so unjust that our forefathers thought there was not
+much wrong in evading them. They smuggled goods and carried them home.
+British officers went around and searched houses from cellar to attic,
+often with rudeness and insults. This conduct created much bitterness of
+feeling. Pine trees of twelve inches or more in diameter were marked
+with the "king's arrow," which showed that they were to be saved for use
+in the navy. It was a criminal offense to cut down any such. However
+much a settler might need them to build his house, he was forbidden to
+touch them. In fact, before he cleared his land, he had to pay an
+officer to come and make the arrow mark on the king's trees!
+
+These unjust and absurd statutes produced a vast deal of ill-will toward
+England. If they had been strictly enforced, no doubt the Revolution
+would have come several years before it did. And yet there was also
+much friendly feeling for the mother country. The friends and relatives
+of the colonists still lived there, letters were constantly exchanged,
+and hundreds of people coming and going every year kept up an affection
+between the two countries. Our people in those times always called
+England "home."
+
+  [Illustration: BRITISH STAMP.]
+
+=138. The Obnoxious Stamp Act.=--There came at last one event which, of
+all the troubles, hastened the Revolution. The French and Indian War had
+cost both England and the colonies a great deal of money. King George
+wanted to compel the colonies to pay part of this expense, and
+accordingly Parliament passed in 1765 the "Stamp Act," the most
+unpopular measure ever tried with the colonists. This law required that
+stamped paper should be used for all bills, bonds, notes, wills, and
+deeds, and even for all pamphlets, almanacs, and newspapers.
+
+Stamps for this purpose had to be bought of stamp officers appointed by
+the king. They were for the most part not unlike our revenue stamps. One
+kind was a red-ink seal, made with a hand stamp; the other a seal on
+blue paper, to be fastened on the article. The cost varied from one
+cent to fifty dollars each. No document was legal unless stamped.
+
+Our people at once saw that if England could levy taxes in this way, she
+could in many other ways, and there would be no end to such high-handed
+and tyrannical laws. Besides, there were no American representatives in
+Parliament, and Americans had no voice at all in the matter. They felt
+that the tax thus laid upon them was wrong. They did not object to
+paying the cost of a trifling tax. They felt bound to resist the rank
+injustice of the demand. It was not the amount but the principle at
+stake.
+
+=139. The Indignation of the People.=--The people were aroused. A storm of
+indignation swept over the land. Violent opposition broke out along the
+entire length of the colonies. They pledged themselves to stand by each
+other. The cry passed through the land: "No taxation without
+representation!" This became the watchword of the country. They did not
+wish to avoid paying a fair assessment in a fair way; but they insisted
+that, as always before, their own legislatures and not Parliament should
+levy the contribution. Our forefathers declared over and over again that
+they would not be taxed by a governing body three thousand miles away,
+whose members had never seen America.
+
+=140. Patrick Henry and his Bold Speech.=--One day the Virginia Assembly
+was in session. Washington was there in his seat, and Jefferson, then a
+young law student, stood listening at the door. Patrick Henry stoutly
+argued that Virginia was not bound to obey any law which was plainly a
+menace to the common freedom of Englishmen.
+
+"C�sar had his Brutus," said the bold and eloquent orator; "Charles the
+First his Cromwell, and George the Third"----
+
+"Treason!" shouted the Speaker of the Assembly, and the cry, "Treason,
+treason!" rang through the room.
+
+  [Illustration: PATRICK HENRY'S BOLD SPEECH.]
+
+The intrepid patriot finished his sentence: "may profit by their
+example. If that be treason, make the most of it!"
+
+=141. The People combine to resist the Hated Law.=--The people combined to
+resist, and a stamp-tax congress was held in New York. Lovers of liberty
+would not deal in stamped goods. They refused to buy a single stamp.
+Riots occurred at the stamp offices. Packages of stamps were seized, and
+some were publicly burned in the streets. Boxes of stamped paper
+arriving in vessels were seized and thrown overboard. Publishers of
+newspapers decorated their headlines with skull and cross-bones instead
+of stamps. Stamp officers were dragged out and compelled to swear they
+would not sell any stamps.
+
+  [Illustration: PATRICK HENRY.]
+
+On the day for the law to take effect, funeral bells were tolled, flags
+were at half-mast, and shops were closed. New England, New York,
+Virginia, and the Carolinas all felt alike and acted alike. William
+Pitt, also called the Earl of Chatham, one of the greatest of
+Englishmen, took his stand on the side of the colonies in a speech of
+surpassing eloquence and power. The hated law was repealed in just one
+year from its passage.
+
+This happy news was received both in England and in America with
+bonfires, ringing of bells, and universal rejoicings. But the joy was
+short-lived. King George, "industrious as a beaver and obstinate as a
+mule," and his followers in Parliament were not slow to pick a fresh
+quarrel with the Americans.
+
+The next year the English Parliament made a law requiring duties to be
+paid on paper, glass, paints, and tea. Again the liberty-loving
+Americans were a unit in opposing any kind of taxation that seemed to
+them illegal. Some of the legislatures protested to Parliament, and King
+George answered by breaking up the legislatures. The people indignantly
+refused to buy any goods at all from England while these taxes were
+demanded. English traders found their business going to ruin. Ships came
+loaded with British goods, and had to carry them back.
+
+=142. Bitter Hatred of the British Soldiers.=--So bitter was the
+opposition in Boston that a regiment of British troops was sent there to
+force the people to submit even at the point of the bayonet. But a brave
+people, determined to be free, is not so easily forced.
+
+The citizens of Boston were ordered to furnish lodging and food for the
+soldiers. They would not do it--not they! Their hatred of the soldiers
+grew more bitter. Brawls often occurred on the streets. The soldiers on
+their part began to be insulting.
+
+=143. Boston Boys stand up for their Rights.=--Even the children took part
+in the quarrels, as an incident will show. During the winter the boys
+used to build snow-slides on Boston Common and slide down upon them to
+the frog pond. The English soldiers destroyed these slides, merely to
+provoke the boys. The young Americans complained of the injury and set
+about repairing it. However, when they returned from school, they found
+the snow-slides destroyed again.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BOSTON BOYS MAKE THEIR PROTEST TO GENERAL GAGE.]
+
+Several of the boys now waited upon one of the under-officers, and told
+him of the conduct of his soldiers; but he would have nothing to say to
+them; and the soldiers were more impudent than ever. At last the boys
+called a meeting and sent a committee of the largest of their number to
+General Gage, the commander-in-chief. He asked why so many boys had
+called upon him.
+
+"We came, sir," said the tallest, "to demand satisfaction."
+
+"What!" said the general; "have your fathers been teaching you
+rebellion, and sent you to show it here?"
+
+"Nobody sent us, sir," he answered, while his cheek reddened and his eye
+flashed. "We have never injured nor insulted your troops; but they have
+trodden down our snow-slides and broken the ice on the pond. We
+complained and they called us young rebels and told us to help ourselves
+if we could. We told one of your officers of this, and he laughed at us.
+Yesterday our slides were destroyed for the third time; and, sir, we
+will bear it no longer."
+
+General Gage was a kind-hearted and courteous gentleman. He looked at
+them with admiration, and said to an officer at his side: "The very
+children draw in a love of liberty with the air they breathe. You may
+go, my brave boys; and be assured, if my soldiers trouble you again,
+they shall be punished."
+
+=144. The Boston Massacre.=--One night in March (1770) some soldiers
+stationed in Boston got into a quarrel, and the noise increased until
+the guard was called out. As the platoon of regulars drew up in line,
+most of the crowd fell back.
+
+A few remained and reviled the red-coat soldiers, shouting,
+"Lobster-backs! Fire if you dare, you cowards! You don't dare to fire!"
+
+Captain Preston, the officer in command, gave the word, "Fire!" The
+regulars fired.
+
+Five men were killed and several wounded. There was now intense
+excitement in Boston. The Old South Church was crowded with an angry
+town-meeting. Thousands filled the streets near by. The people demanded
+that the troops be removed. The governor promised to remove one
+regiment. "Both regiments or none," was the watchword.
+
+Samuel Adams waited upon the governor, and stretching forth his long
+right arm, and pointing his finger at him, he sternly demanded, in the
+name of three thousand freemen, that the royal governor remove every
+British soldier from Boston.
+
+"I observed his knees to tremble," said the stern patriot in after
+years; "I saw his face grow pale--and I enjoyed the sight."
+
+Before sunset of the same day the British troops were removed from the
+city and sent to a fort in the harbor. Not until then did the meeting in
+the Old South break up.
+
+This unfortunate affair was the so-called "Boston Massacre." It did more
+to mould public opinion than weeks of vigorous protest and fine argument
+could have done. It was one step, and an important one too, toward the
+final appeal to the sword and the bayonet.
+
+=145. The Famous Boston Tea Party.=--In view of all these troubles,
+England took off the taxes from everything but tea. King George said he
+must have one tax to maintain the principle of the right of taxation.
+But the colonists refused to drink tea imported from China! The women
+were patriotic and made their tea of raspberry leaves, sage, and other
+plants, rather than use the hated foreign article.
+
+But the government of England was determined we should buy tea, and the
+merchants sent shiploads of it to our large cities. The Americans were
+firm. They vowed that not an ounce of it should land. There was only a
+few cents' tax on each pound. What our people disputed was the right of
+the king to tax. When the tea reached New York and Philadelphia, none
+dared to receive it, lest their houses should be pulled down about their
+heads. In Charleston, S. C., some was taken ashore, but as no one would
+buy it or pay the duty, it was hid in damp cellars, where it soon
+spoiled. In Annapolis it was burned.
+
+At Boston warning was several times given to the masters of the ships to
+sail out of the harbor. On the last day before the tea must be landed or
+be prevented by force from landing, a town-meeting was held in the Old
+South Church. The crowd in the church, and in the streets about it,
+numbered more than seven thousand people. "It was to be," says John
+Fiske, "one of the most momentous days in the history of the world."
+The discussion continued until dark, and candles were brought in. It was
+decided that the tea should not be landed.
+
+"Who knows," shouted one in the audience, "how tea will mix with salt
+water?"
+
+The church fairly shook with cheers.
+
+Then up rose Samuel Adams and quickly said: "This meeting can do nothing
+more to save the country."
+
+This was the signal. A war-whoop was heard outside the door, and forty
+or fifty men, disguised as Indians, went quietly aboard the three
+vessels, and before the nine-o'clock bell rang three hundred and
+forty-two chests of tea had been cut open and their contents emptied
+into Boston Harbor. This was the famous "Boston Tea Party" we have so
+often heard of, and it took place in the middle of December in 1773. A
+large crowd of the friends of these men stood on shore until the deed
+was done, and then, without doing any other injury to property, all
+separated and went home in the clear, frosty moonlight.
+
+The next morning there was not a chest of taxed tea in Boston, on
+shipboard or on shore, and Paul Revere was riding post haste to
+Philadelphia to let the good people of that city know that Boston had at
+last thrown down the gauntlet.
+
+One of the "Indians" found a handful of tea in his shoe the next
+morning. He carefully saved it and sealed it in a bottle. It is still
+shown as a souvenir of this informal "tea party" in Boston harbor.
+
+One rash fellow, probably thinking that his family would like a good
+drink of real tea, cut open the lining of his coat and waistcoat, and,
+watching his chance, filled them with tea; but he was caught in the act
+and handled pretty roughly.
+
+=146. Attempts to punish Boston.=--"Boston shall be punished," said King
+George when he heard of the "tea party." Parliament passed the "Boston
+Port Bill." By this act the port of Boston was closed. No vessel could
+go in or out except under the most rigid conditions. The object of
+course was to frighten or force the Boston people into yielding to the
+royal power.
+
+Near-by towns and the other colonies came to their help by sending food
+and other needed articles. The southern colonies sent flour and rice,
+the middle furnished corn and money, and many towns sent sheep and
+cattle. One town in Connecticut sent a flock of two hundred and fifty
+sheep. Marblehead sent fish, and other towns grain.
+
+Warm sympathy came from Virginia. "If need be," said Washington, "I will
+raise a thousand men, subsist them at my own expense, and march myself
+at their head for the relief of Boston." In fact all the colonies took
+up the cause of Boston as their own. Of course the blockade made great
+hardship for the poor. There was much suffering from the scarcity of
+fuel and food. Still the people, as resolute as their leaders, made
+little complaint and caused no disorder.
+
+Dr. Joseph Warren overheard some British officers boast that if a
+patriot ever addressed the people again in the Old South Church, he
+would surely lose his life. This was enough. Warren begged the honor.
+The church was so crowded that he had to get a ladder and climb in
+through a window at the back of the pulpit. Many British officers were
+present who annoyed the speaker with groans and hisses. The fearless
+patriot, however, made a stirring speech "on the baneful influence of
+standing armies in time of peace."
+
+=147. The Home Government adopts Stringent Measures.=--The charter of
+Massachusetts was annulled, and its free government taken away. General
+Gage, the commander of the British army in America, was ordered to
+Boston with several regiments and was appointed military governor with
+despotic power. Cannon were mounted on the heights, tents pitched on the
+Common, and companies of red-coats were marching to and fro in the
+streets.
+
+The effect was exactly what the wisest men in Parliament had predicted.
+They had said that the colonies would unite more firmly, and that the
+American people would be driven into open rebellion. King George was
+obstinate and used all his influence to push the most obnoxious Acts
+through Parliament.
+
+=148. The First Continental Congress.=--The first Continental Congress
+held its first meeting at Philadelphia in September, 1774. The ablest
+men of the colonies were sent as delegates. They forwarded to the king a
+candid statement of their grievances. It did no good. Massachusetts was
+declared in a state of rebellion. In truth, it looked like it.
+
+Such a condition of affairs could not last long. The feeling was intense
+against the king and his all-powerful friends. Arguments were useless.
+The royal authority was boldly and stubbornly defied. The sword and the
+bayonet must now decide whether king or people were to rule in America.
+
+"The contest may be severe, but the end will be glorious," said the
+martyr-patriot Warren, who soon after fell at Bunker Hill.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
+
+
+=149. The Patriots prepare for War.=--When General Gage began to increase
+slowly the number of troops in Boston, and especially when he began to
+fortify Boston Neck, it was plain enough that this meant war. The people
+on their part began to prepare anxiously for the coming struggle. Every
+one felt that desperate times were near at hand. The patriots quickly
+collected arms and ammunition and, having packed them in loads of hay
+and similar disguises to deceive the British spies, sent them for safe
+keeping to Concord, about sixteen miles northwest of Boston.
+
+=150. Gage forms Plans to capture Military Stores.=--General Gage soon
+learned this, and made secret preparations to capture these supplies.
+Inasmuch as in previous expeditions of this kind he had met with
+failure, the advantage of a surprise was this time to be increased by
+the presence of a large force. The Americans, however, were quite as
+keen of sight and hearing as their enemies, and had even more reason to
+keep a sharp lookout.
+
+About midnight on the 18th of April, 1775, Gage quietly sent out from
+Boston nearly eight hundred soldiers. He had two objects in view; to
+seize the military stores at Concord, and to arrest Samuel Adams and
+"his ready and willing tool," that "terrible desperado," John Hancock.
+
+Gage thought the start of his midnight soldiers was quite unknown to the
+Americans. He never suspected that Warren and other vigilant patriots
+had been watching every movement, and were determined to thwart his
+plans. At about ten or eleven o'clock, two hours before the British
+soldiers embarked, a signal lantern hung out of the belfry of the Old
+North Church in Boston, and in a few minutes another by its side--"One,
+if by land, and two, if by sea"--flashed the tidings of the coming
+expedition.
+
+=151. The Country about Boston aroused.=--An hour or two before the
+British troops began to cross in boats to Charlestown, two horsemen, who
+had been watching for the lantern lights in the steeple, dashed out on
+swift steeds by different roads towards Lexington and Concord: William
+Dawes went like an arrow over Boston Neck, and then through Roxbury and
+Watertown, while Paul Revere across the water sped as if on wings from
+Charlestown. Their swift horses' hoofs clattered sharply in the quiet of
+this beautiful night, striking fire from the stones in the darkness.
+But at almost every house they paused a moment to arouse the sleepers.
+"Wake up!" they shouted. Windows flew open.
+
+"What's the matter?"--"What's the mat-ter?"
+
+"Matter enough, you'll find, by daylight!" was the hurried reply. "The
+British are coming!"
+
+=152. The Night March to Concord.=--Meanwhile the British soldiers were
+marching along rapidly through the cool April night. They made no noise.
+There was no drumbeat; the officers gave their commands almost in
+whispers. Only the clatter of the horses' hoofs and the steady tramp of
+the marching men broke the silence. When day dawned they approached the
+village of Lexington, ten miles from Boston and about two-thirds of the
+way to Concord. They were not entirely surprised to find, even so early,
+a squad of armed minute-men awaiting them, for they had heard church
+bells ringing and had seen, all along their march, lights moving to and
+fro in the farm houses.
+
+=153. The Patriots make a stand at Lexington.=--The British arrived at
+Lexington about half-past four. Ready to meet them were some sixty or
+seventy men drawn up on the village green close beside the
+meeting-house, with loaded guns. As they stood there, silent and
+fearless, on that sweet spring morning, April 19, 1775, their leader,
+Captain John Parker, who fifteen years before had climbed the Heights of
+Abraham by the side of Wolfe, addressed them briefly.
+
+"Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon," said Parker; "but if
+they mean to have a war, let it begin here!" Seventy men against eight
+hundred! War it was, and it did begin there.
+
+  [Illustration: PAUL REVERE'S RIDE.]
+
+Major Pitcairn, who soon afterwards fell at Bunker Hill, rode up and
+cried out:--
+
+"Disperse, you villains! Throw down your arms, you rebels, and go home!"
+
+He then discharged his pistol and, turning to his soldiers, cried,
+"Fire!" Instantly flashed out the first volley of the Revolutionary War,
+and eight of the farmer minute-men fell dead!
+
+The number of the Americans was so small in proportion to that of the
+British that the only sensible course was to retreat. They retired with
+a few parting shots at the enemy. Then the red-coats, giving three
+cheers, marched on towards Concord, six miles farther.
+
+The patriots at Concord had the day before received some hint of the
+proposed capture, and had removed most of the military stores to the
+woods. The British found two cannon, which they spiked, and some cannon
+balls and gunpowder, which they threw into the river. Then they
+destroyed a quantity of flour, cut down the liberty-pole, and set fire
+to the courthouse.
+
+=154. The Fight at Concord Bridge.=--While they were busy doing this,
+fresh minute-men, about four hundred in number, were coming in from all
+the adjoining towns. They gathered near the old North Bridge to drive
+away some regulars who had begun to take up the planks. As the militia
+approached, the British soldiers fired and killed several. Among the
+dead was Captain Isaac Davis. Long after life was extinct, the fingers
+of this brave patriot, as if still true to his purpose, held firm grasp
+on his gun.
+
+Major Buttrick, a leader among the soldier-farmers, shouted, "Fire,
+fellow-soldiers! Fire!" Obedient to this order, the Americans in return
+"fired the shot heard round the world!" The regulars fell back in
+confusion. The minute-men held the bridge, and the enemy began a hasty
+retreat.
+
+  [Illustration: THE MINUTE-MEN ATTACKING THE BRITISH REGULARS ON THE
+     RETREAT.]
+
+Our men were too few in number to join in a square pitched battle with
+the trained British soldiers; but as soon as these began to withdraw,
+the patriots followed them closely and kept up a brisk discharge of
+musketry. The previous volleys and the bell-ringing had aroused the
+whole adjacent country, and fresh men came pouring in from every side.
+Most of them were without their coats; but they had guns in their hands
+and they knew how to use them.
+
+=155. The British begin their Retreat.=--Occasionally the retreating
+soldiers would stop and shoot back, and then hurry on and even run, to
+escape the deadly bullets. Soon the minute-men, leaping over the stone
+walls, ran on ahead, or, cutting across at some bend of the road, got a
+long distance in advance. Then as the column came on, the Americans,
+from behind barns, trees, rocks, and walls, would pour a storm of shot
+into the staggering ranks. So from right and left, behind and before,
+came in showers the fatal balls of the minute-men. A British officer
+afterwards said, "It seemed as if men dropped from the clouds."
+
+You remember Longfellow's description:--
+
+    How the British regulars fired and fled,
+    How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
+    From behind each fence and farm-yard wall,
+    Chasing the red-coats down the lane,
+    Then crossing the fields to emerge again,
+    Under the trees at the turn of the road,
+    And pausing only to fire and load.
+
+The British suffered fearfully in this six-mile march. The weather was
+as sultry as in midsummer, and the dust was suffocating. They had been
+on the road without food or water from midnight to noon. They were worn
+and exhausted, and the ceaseless shot of the Americans, who were all
+trained to the use of the rifle, brought down some of the regulars at
+almost every step. To go on was perilous, to pause long was fatal. Dead
+and wounded men and horses lay all along the road.
+
+Thus beset, the British pushed on, hurrying back over the dreadful
+distance till they reached Lexington. Here they were rejoiced to find a
+thousand soldiers sent out from Boston under Lord Percy to meet them.
+These had marched out of Boston to the tune of Yankee Doodle! They were
+formed in a hollow square, and into this shelter rushed the runaway
+red-coats, falling upon the green grass from pure exhaustion, "with
+their tongues hanging out of their mouths, like dogs after a chase."
+Lord Percy allowed a rest of only about half an hour, knowing very well
+that the longer he delayed the greater would be the increasing swarm of
+armed men gathering around him.
+
+=156. The Panic-Stricken British Regulars at last reach the Shelter of
+the Men-of-War.=--The British commander had now in all nearly eighteen
+hundred men, and he made straight for Charlestown, the nearest point of
+safety. But in spite of this large force, the minute-men with their
+unerring aim kept on his flanks, picking off the regulars, especially
+the officers, all along the road. In vain the officers threatened; the
+men ran like sheep. At sunset the British reached Charlestown and found
+themselves safe under the shelter of their men-of-war.
+
+If Percy's reinforcements had not come up, all the British soldiers that
+started back from Concord would have been killed or taken prisoners. The
+king's regulars had been driven in rout and almost panic before the
+stout-hearted minute-men. Well might General Gage feel keenly the
+disgrace.
+
+The loss on both sides at Lexington and Concord was small. Most of the
+fighting took place on the retreat, where the loss of the Americans was
+about fifty killed and forty-three wounded, while the British lost in
+all two hundred and seventy-three men.
+
+=157. What the Eventful Day showed.=--Thus began and ended one of the most
+eventful days in the history of our country. It witnessed the opening
+conflict of the American Revolution.
+
+When that sturdy patriot, Samuel Adams, heard the crackle of the
+musketry, he exclaimed, "What a glorious morning is this!" He knew that
+the time had come when the people must draw the sword.
+
+The Americans had now shown that they could fight. They saw the
+promptness with which they could assemble, and they felt that, if need
+were, they could defend themselves. The British also learned that the
+American farmers could fight, and that, too, on the spur of the moment.
+They found that the colonies were not to be frightened into submission.
+It became plain to each side that very serious work was near at hand.
+The grim figure of WAR cast its long black shadow into the future.
+
+The shots of these resolute farmers echoed far and wide. They told the
+whole world that a people stood ready to give their lives in defense of
+their rights; that they fought after their own fashion, and they fought
+hard.
+
+=158. The Minute-Men; the Work they did, and how they did it.=--The
+minute-men were bands of enrolled patriots pledged to start at a
+minute's notice to a call for their services. They had few good weapons,
+mostly shotguns for hunting birds and squirrels. They were short of
+powder and ball. In many of the families the women melted or pounded up
+their pewter spoons and dishes into bullets and slugs.
+
+The minute-men were numerous in every town, and when the alarm was
+given, they would leave plow or shop, hurry home, take down the gun from
+its hooks over the fireplace, bid good-by to wife and children, and be
+off to help their country in its peril.
+
+Israel Putnam, in leather frock and apron, was at work in a field on his
+farm in Connecticut when he heard of Lexington. Leaving the plow in the
+furrow, he jumped on his horse and rode the hundred or more miles to
+Cambridge in eighteen hours. John Stark was at work in his sawmill in
+New Hampshire when the news of Lexington came. He stopped the mill,
+hurried home, took down his rifle, and rode on horseback to Cambridge.
+In his haste he even forgot to put on his coat!
+
+  [Illustration: THE FIGHT AT CONCORD BRIDGE.]
+
+Every town had a company or two of minute-men and of militia soldiers,
+who regularly met and drilled. The soldiers and the officers of these
+companies were usually the best citizens of the towns. Thirty-one towns
+were represented among the patriots who hastened to the fight on the
+nineteenth of April.
+
+=159. Tablets now shown along this Historic Road.=--If some day we should
+take a ride over this very road, we should notice along the way numerous
+landmarks of that famous contest--carved monuments, houses with bullet
+holes carefully preserved, bronze tablets on houses, marking some spot
+of special interest. At Fiske's Hill, in Lexington, an inscription
+records that at a well near by two soldiers met to drink. The British
+grenadier raised his gun and said to James Hayward, "You are a dead
+man!" "And so are you!" replied the minute-man. Both fired; one was
+instantly killed, and the other mortally wounded.
+
+On Lexington Common we should see a stately monument with a long
+inscription reciting the event.
+
+At Concord Bridge would be seen a noble statue of the Minute-Man,
+beneath which on the pedestal are Emerson's famous verses:--
+
+    Here once the embattled farmers stood,
+      And fired the shot heard round the world.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.
+
+
+=160. More Regulars sent to Boston.=--The battle of Lexington, fought as
+we have read, on the nineteenth of April, 1775, was a most momentous
+event, since it showed for the first time the resolute purpose of the
+Americans to draw the sword and defend themselves from British
+oppression. The news reached England near the end of May. Those
+Lexington muskets said plainer than words that the colonies would not
+submit to unjust taxation.
+
+Fully aware that the situation was becoming serious, the British
+government sent a large number of fresh troops to reinforce the garrison
+in Boston. These came under the command of Generals Howe, Clinton, and
+Burgoyne, and made in all an army of about ten thousand men.
+
+=161. A Patriot Army is gathered around Boston.=--The patriots, too, were
+gathering in large numbers around Boston. They came by hundreds from all
+directions. Quite a large body was from Connecticut under Colonel
+(afterwards General) Israel Putnam. General Ward was commander of these
+forces until Washington arrived at Cambridge on July 3, 1775, and first
+took command of the American army under the old elm.
+
+On the twelfth of June, General Gage issued a proclamation declaring all
+those in arms to be rebels and traitors, but offering pardon to all who
+would lay down their weapons and obey the British governor. Two, John
+Hancock and Samuel Adams, were excepted. Their patriotism had been too
+intense and outspoken to be forgiven.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON TAKING COMMAND OF THE PATRIOT ARMY.]
+
+The American army, now nearly twenty thousand strong, formed a line of
+encampments in a great semicircle of sixteen miles, halfway around the
+city from Roxbury Neck to the Mystic River. They soon learned that Gage
+intended to break through the American lines into the country for a
+supply of provisions.
+
+=162. Plans to checkmate the British.=--General Ward, having discovered
+that the British were planning to sally forth through Charlestown,
+determined to strike first and so defeat their project. It was decided
+to seize and fortify some suitable hill in Charlestown. Colonel William
+Prescott, a well-tried soldier of the French-Indian wars, and
+grandfather of Prescott, the famous historian, was ordered, on the
+sixteenth of June, to march that night with nearly a thousand men to
+Bunker Hill and throw up breastworks.
+
+Soon after sunset the soldiers were formed in a hollow square on
+Cambridge Common, and President Langdon of Harvard College offered
+prayer. The good man then gave them his blessing and bade them
+"Godspeed." At nine o'clock they started on their silent march. At
+Charlestown Neck they met General Putnam with more soldiers and
+wagon-loads of picks and shovels.
+
+=163. Entrenched on Bunker Hill.=--Prescott led them to the top of Bunker
+Hill. After consultation with his officers, he moved on through the
+darkness to Breed's Hill, which had a better command of the city and the
+shipping. The lines were soon staked out, and at midnight the farmer
+soldiers began their entrenchments. So rapidly did they work that the
+dim morning twilight disclosed a large square of fresh trenches
+crowning the hill, with long wings stretching right and left. They had
+made a fort in a single night.
+
+How surprised the British were at the sight, as the sun rose on a
+beautiful summer morning! They could scarcely believe their eyes. It
+seemed like a work of magic. A thousand men had shoveled as they never
+shoveled before, and not a British sentry had heard the click of their
+spades. They saw at once that the Americans, if they only had time
+enough to plant a battery of cannon there, could very soon drive them
+out of Boston. So the only thing for them to do was to drive the
+Americans from that hill, and that too without delay. Accordingly, the
+British men-of-war, Lively and Falcon, and then the forts on Copp's Hill
+in Boston immediately opened fire.
+
+Meanwhile some hundreds of fresh soldiers arrived to help the Americans,
+hungry and weary with their hard night's work. The shot and shell from
+ships and fort dropped around and among them, but they worked bravely on
+in the hot sunshine till nearly noon. At the left, on the northern slope
+of the hill, they moved some rail fences so as to build long double
+lines close together, and stuffed the space between with new-mown hay,
+making an excellent breastwork.
+
+=164. The British prepare to storm the Entrenchments.=--Things are now
+looking serious. The Americans can see and hear the British in Boston
+preparing for an attack. Prescott sends hurrying messengers to General
+Ward at the Cambridge headquarters for more soldiers. During the
+forenoon General Stark arrives with five hundred fresh New Hampshire
+troops, who were posted behind the rail fence on the extreme left. Next
+General Warren comes, and, laying aside his rank, takes a place of
+danger among the troops. The combat hastens, and every minute throbs
+with emotion.
+
+Soon after one o'clock twenty-eight large boats are seen crossing over
+from Boston, loaded with soldiers and artillery. The Americans are now
+exchanging shovels for muskets and preparing for the foe. Now the
+red-coats are landing at the foot of the hill! See! they are forming in
+two columns, their bright cannon and muskets glistening in the hot sun.
+It is now about three o'clock in the afternoon. They begin to march up
+the hill!
+
+General Howe's column is on our left, to break through the grass wall
+and push his way behind our forces. Their other column, under General
+Pigot, is marching up the hill to attack our redoubt in front. They are
+coming slowly in the hot sun of a bright June afternoon. The artillery
+booms and crashes incessantly with a deafening roar.
+
+General Gage has ordered that Charlestown be set on fire, and the flames
+and smoke of five hundred burning buildings make a terrible scene. All
+the surrounding heights, house-tops, and spires are crowded with
+thousands of anxious spectators breathlessly watching the thrilling
+sight.
+
+    "Here were sister, wife, and mother, looking wild upon each other,
+    And their lips were white with terror as they said, 'THE HOUR HAS
+        COME!'"
+
+=165. The Battle begins.=--Behind those hasty breastworks fifteen hundred
+patriots lie silently awaiting the steady march of over three thousand
+trained British soldiers. Still on and up they toil, burdened with their
+heavy knapsacks, pausing to fire as they march.
+
+"Don't fire until I give the word," said Prescott; "then fire low! Pick
+off the officers."
+
+Putnam shouted to his men: "Powder is scarce, boys, don't waste it; wait
+till you see the whites of their eyes."
+
+When the red-coats came within about a hundred and fifty feet of the
+breastworks, suddenly came Prescott's sharp order:--"Fire!" Instantly a
+flash of flame blazed along our entire line, and down fell the whole
+front of the advancing ranks. Under the ceaseless rain of bullets the
+British veterans gave way and retreated down the hillside in disorder.
+
+Then burst forth from our side a strong shout, the first ringing cry on
+this continent for national independence. But it was a sad sight--the
+long rows of dead and dying soldiers, mowed down as if by a sudden sweep
+of a giant scythe.
+
+    "Oh, the sight our eyes discover as the blue-black smoke blows over!
+    The red-coats stretched in windrows as a mower rakes his hay."
+
+Inside the breastworks some were killed and many wounded. Prescott,
+Putnam, and Warren were passing up and down the line, cheering and
+encouraging the patriots.
+
+=166. The British beat a Hasty Retreat to their Boats.=--The British
+officers rallied their troops as best they could. Death and wounds had
+thinned their number by hundreds, and the survivors were far from
+willing to make a second charge against that wall of fire. But the
+threats of the officers and even blows with their swords finally
+compelled them to it.
+
+Up they marched again, firing as they came, their ranks moving slowly,
+stepping over the bodies of their fallen comrades.
+
+"Wait, boys!" shouted Warren. "Don't fire yet! Wait."
+
+On they came as before, nearer and nearer, until the distance was less
+than thirty yards to our silent but fatal line, when instantly there
+burst forth another long blaze of fire, even deadlier than before.
+
+  [Illustration: BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.]
+
+The Americans were by practice good marksmen, and the bright red coats
+and shining belts of the enemy made excellent targets. The British
+returned the fire, and a brisk discharge of musketry was kept up for a
+few minutes. But it was useless. Hundreds of their number fell dead on
+the fatal slope, and in spite of their officers, the broken ranks
+staggered and retreated, flying in a panic to the shore.
+
+=167. The British advance to the Third Attack.=--Now all was fright and
+confusion among the British. They were dismayed at the deadly reception
+our untrained soldiers had given them. General Clinton, who had been
+watching the battle from Copp's Hill and saw the day going against them,
+instantly hurried over with fresh troops. Once more the British regulars
+formed at the foot of the hill.
+
+We may imagine with what mingled feelings the Americans, gazing down
+through the rifts of smoke from burning Charlestown, watched the
+movements of the reinforced foe. Putnam and Warren again went around
+cheering our men.
+
+Prescott shouted, "Let's drive them back once more, and they cannot
+rally again."
+
+But alas! the stock of powder was giving out! The patriots had only
+three or four rounds left, and as for close fighting, there were only
+about fifty bayonets to all their guns. Orders were passed along to use
+their powder carefully, to hold fire until the enemy came within twenty
+yards, and to make every shot tell.
+
+Meantime the enemy's cannon from the ships had got a better range, and
+were pouring in a galling fire. The prospect on our side was beginning
+to look desperate. Short of powder; without bayonets; confronted by
+brave enemies always twice our number, and now with fresh troops; tired
+out with marching or digging all night and shoveling or fighting all
+day; for the most part without food and water,--our men still defiantly
+held the fort.
+
+At five o'clock the British formed for the third attack, advancing now
+in three columns to charge us on three sides. This time their knapsacks
+were laid aside, and they marched in light order. Up they came as
+before, only slower; for they realized that they had a dangerous enemy
+before them. They reserved their fire. When they reached that same
+deadly range, once more our ramparts poured forth the deadly volleys.
+
+The British wavered, but then rallied and rushed forward to the
+breastworks with fixed bayonets.
+
+"Make every shot tell!" shouted Prescott to his men.
+
+As the British began to climb over our earthworks, our soldiers spent
+their last shots upon those who mounted first. Among those who fell dead
+at the redoubt was Major Pitcairn, who at Lexington had cried out,
+"Disperse, ye rebels!"
+
+=168. The Patriots forced to retreat from Lack of Ammunition.=--Their
+powder all gone, what could the patriots do but retreat? This they did
+in good order for raw soldiers, many staying to smite the enemy with the
+butts of their muskets, then with the barrels after the butts were
+broken off, and some even with stones. The British were now closing in
+upon them on all sides, and at last Prescott, to avoid being completely
+shut in, gave the word to retreat. He was one of the last to leave,
+defending himself with his sword from the bayonets of the enemy.
+
+Alas! one shot of the last volley from the British killed our beloved
+Warren! When General Howe heard of this he said, "Warren's death is
+equal to the loss of five hundred men to the Americans."
+
+Stark and Knowlton held the grass fence till the troops had left the top
+of the hill, and then retreated with them in good order to Charlestown
+Neck. On their way back they met at Bunker Hill General Putnam, who had
+collected fresh soldiers and wanted to occupy the trenches he had formed
+there, and make a fresh stand against the enemy. But the British ships
+on both sides could rake this position, and it was decided to move back
+to Prospect Hill, which our forces fortified. It was about six o'clock
+when the retreat began.
+
+=169. Bunker Hill and the Lesson it taught.=--In less than three hours,
+and with only one hour of actual fighting, all these fearful scenes
+were enacted. The Americans, with about fifteen hundred men, lost four
+hundred and fifty killed and wounded. But the British, with over three
+thousand, had lost one thousand and fifty-four, of whom one hundred and
+fifty-seven were officers!
+
+Although in form the result of the battle was a defeat, as our army lost
+their ground, yet its effect upon the Americans was that of a victory.
+It taught them that they were a match for the British troops in a fair
+fight. This knowledge nerved them to further resistance against royal
+oppression. Thus this battle, the first clear bugle-call of the
+Revolution, proving beyond all doubt that the British troops were not
+invincible, was worth just at this time many decided victories to the
+Americans. To the patriots of every colony it gave strength and heart,
+and the belief that their cause would succeed. In the march of events
+and of ideas Bunker Hill was of momentous importance. It gave the shock
+that made the patriots conscious of their might; it cleared their vision
+and roused them to action.
+
+When Washington first heard of the battle he was riding on horseback to
+take command of the army at Cambridge. "Did our men stand fire?" he
+asked of the messenger. Being told that they did, and that they waited
+till the enemy was only eight rods off, he said, "The liberties of the
+country are safe!"
+
+But if the Americans learned that they could fight, the British learned
+it too! General Gage wrote home: "The trials we have had prove the
+rebels are not the despicable rabble too many have supposed them to be."
+
+"If they call that a victory," said a French general, "two or three more
+such would extinguish the British army."
+
+"I wish," said General Greene, "that we could sell the British another
+hill at the same price."
+
+After Gage had made his formal report of the battle to his superior
+officers in England, he was called back in disgrace, and was never
+entrusted with another military service. Generals Howe and Clinton
+learned a costly lesson, and never again through the war that followed
+did they lead their men in an open field against entrenched American
+soldiers.
+
+Such, briefly told, is the story of Bunker Hill. The truth is, the whole
+movement was on the part of the Americans an audacious act. There was
+more heroism in it than military prudence. General Ward had at Cambridge
+only a few barrels of powder for his entire army; and to send a thousand
+men to entrench before a well prepared enemy, in front of batteries and
+warships, though it needed to be done, was yet, from a military point of
+view, a very rash act. On the other hand, General Gage made a very
+unwise military movement. No wonder he was censured for the reckless
+sacrifice of his soldiers at Bunker Hill.
+
+=170. Bunker Hill Monument.=--On the crown of the hill and in the center
+of the old redoubt stands the splendid monument that tells of this
+famous struggle. The square shaft is of Quincy granite, thirty-one feet
+on each side at the base, fifteen feet at the top, two hundred and
+twenty-one feet in height. Inside, a stairway of two hundred and
+ninety-four stone steps leads to a room at the top, whose four windows
+command a view of wonderful extent and beauty. Just by the base of the
+monument we can see to-day a little grassy ridge, the slight remains of
+the breastworks of 1775.
+
+The corner-stone was laid by Lafayette in 1825, exactly fifty years
+after the battle, and on that occasion Daniel Webster delivered one of
+his greatest orations. In front of him sat forty venerable survivors of
+the conflict. The finished structure was dedicated in 1842. On this
+occasion Webster again delivered a magnificent oration.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
+
+
+=171. The Colonists still regard themselves as English Subjects.=--It
+seems to us now very remarkable that all through the year 1775,
+notwithstanding the conflicts at Lexington and Concord, and even after
+the battle of Bunker Hill, our forefathers still considered themselves
+loyal British subjects. Although they were violently opposing the
+despotism of the king of England, they never for a moment hesitated to
+acknowledge him as their rightful ruler. They regarded all the unjust
+acts of the king and the Parliament as so many encroachments upon their
+rights as Englishmen, just as much as if they were living in their old
+home in England instead of in a British colony. They insisted that,
+although they were three thousand miles away, distance did not diminish
+their just claims as free subjects of King George. They had fought as
+Englishmen, not against England.
+
+Therefore, even for months after Bunker Hill, the colonists had no
+intention of separating from the mother country. Very few had much faith
+in such a scheme, and still fewer had seriously urged it. A large
+number of the people, probably a majority, thought the quarrel might
+even at that time be settled, and the colonies might resume their former
+friendly relations with England. All they had asked and all they had
+fought for was simply their rights as Britons.
+
+Washington, when he took command of the army soon after the battle of
+Bunker Hill, said that he abhorred the idea of our separating from the
+mother country, and becoming an independent nation. Franklin declared
+that he had traveled all over the country and talked with all classes of
+people, but had never heard independence mentioned.
+
+=172. Slow Growth of the Idea of Independence.=--We must not fail to
+remember that the idea of independence took form very slowly. The first
+"Stamp Act," so offensive to the colonists, became a law in 1764, more
+than ten years before actual hostilities broke out. During all those
+years our ancestors were gradually losing their friendly feeling for
+England. They were slowly drifting towards an open conflict, in fact,
+the Revolution.
+
+This hostility to England grew to be a serious matter after the battle
+of Bunker Hill. It was deepened and embittered early in 1776 by a number
+of events that still more sharply estranged America from her unkind
+mother. After the battle the British continued to occupy Boston with
+many hostile demonstrations, just as if it were an enemy's country,
+until at the end of a long siege they were driven out by Washington.
+This weary investment caused a great deal of bitterness. Everything took
+on the sombre shadow of war, and this of course meant permanent
+hostility to England.
+
+Another step that greatly angered the Americans, and very justly too,
+was a British proclamation, the design and effect of which was to
+destroy all the commerce of the colonies by forfeiting their ships. This
+was itself equal to a declaration of war by England.
+
+Then three petitions to the king, George III, by three different
+congresses, were treated with indifference or even with insolent
+contempt. The only obvious effect of the petitions was to goad England
+to greater severities. To a proposal at one time to exchange prisoners,
+it was answered that England "received no applications from rebels,
+unless they came to implore the king's mercy." This stinging and
+insolent reply necessarily implied that all American patriots were
+rebels; that they were guilty of treason; that, but for the king's
+mercy, they must expect the penalty of treason, which is death!
+
+=173. Active Measures taken by the British.=--Meanwhile obstinate King
+George, humored by his prime minister, Lord North, was busily making
+enormous preparations for pushing the war upon a large scale. Already
+twenty-five thousand British soldiers had been sent to America, or had
+been enlisted for immediate service. But so large a party in England was
+opposed to the war against their own countrymen in the colonies, that
+the king could not raise at home all the troops he needed. So he made a
+bargain with a German state, Hesse, hiring twenty thousand foreign
+soldiers to cross the ocean and fight his rebellious subjects.
+
+  [Illustration: "INDEPENDENCE HALL," PHILADELPHIA, AS IT APPEARED IN
+     1776.]
+
+When our forefathers heard of this, it angered them more than anything
+else that had been done. But even worse still, it was learned that the
+British government was taking steps, by means of secret agents, to
+employ the Indians to fight on the British side, and use their tomahawks
+against British colonists!
+
+Finally, to all petitions and appeals the English government replied
+that it would not abate any of its demands, and that it would accept
+from us nothing short of entire submission and obedience.
+
+=174. Independence slowly but surely becomes a Stern Necessity.=--Now, if
+we recall all the wrongs as to taxation that we have read of in a
+previous chapter, and add to them this list of subsequent outrages, the
+preparations for a long war, the hiring of Hessians, and the incitement
+of Indians to fight us, we must see that our forefathers were compelled
+to regard England as their determined enemy. Such were the successive
+steps by which the old feeling of loyalty to the mother country
+gradually vanished, and bitter hostility took its place.
+
+What should the colonies do to protect themselves? This was the
+all-important question. The people had been tending toward the
+conviction that the only remedy was to break off all connection with
+England and to be independent.
+
+But it was a long while before this feeling became general. It was a
+steady and natural but slow growth. The public indignation, constantly
+strengthened by repeated British outrages, at last culminated in mature
+conviction--a conviction that the only course left us was to be wholly
+free, and to stand by ourselves among the nations of the earth.
+
+As this conviction became stronger and stronger among the good people
+all along the narrow coast line from Boston to Charleston, it soon found
+expression in many ways. The few newspapers spoke out; public meetings
+were called to discuss it, and conventions dared to announce it.
+
+  [Illustration: THOMAS JEFFERSON.]
+
+People learned at last that their chief enemy was the king. They saw
+that the controversy which began merely as a colonial struggle for their
+rights as British subjects had grown broader and deeper, till it became
+a contest for our rights as MEN and for the freedom of our entire
+country from British control. A pamphlet entitled "Common Sense,"
+written by Thomas Paine, an Englishman who had recently arrived in
+America, had an enormous sale and exerted a powerful influence. It
+abounded in ready wit, sharp reasoning, and rough eloquence. It
+stimulated the longing for independence and the determination to be
+free or die. In May, 1775, the people of Mecklenburg County in North
+Carolina were the first to pass resolutions advocating independence.
+They sent them to their delegates in Congress; but these at that early
+day did not dare present them.
+
+In May, 1776, Congress, then in Philadelphia, following the trend of
+public opinion, advised the colonies to consider themselves as no longer
+holding any powers under the authority of Great Britain. That was about
+the same as a declaration of independence. Many colonies accordingly set
+up state governments of their own without asking the king's consent.
+
+=175. Steps taken for a Formal Declaration of Independence.=--The second
+Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775. Early in June,
+1776, one of the delegates, Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, offered a
+resolution that "these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free
+and independent states." John Adams, of Massachusetts, seconded it in a
+powerful speech. Three weeks of delay, to enable some of the colonies to
+send in their approval, occurred before its adoption. Then a committee
+of five, consisting of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
+Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, who had been appointed to draw
+up a formal statement, presented the Declaration of Independence.
+
+=176. The Declaration of Independence; what it said to the World.=--The
+simple and yet luminous words of this Declaration were written by
+Jefferson. His draft was prepared in his lodgings, on a little writing
+desk which still exists. Jefferson, in after years, delighted to tell
+how the final vote was hastened by the extremely hot weather and by the
+fact that there was a stable near by, and swarms of flies came in
+through the open windows and added much to the discomfort of the
+patriots already worn out with the debate and the heat.
+
+  [Illustration: JEFFERSON READING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO
+     FRANKLIN.]
+
+Jefferson read his "fair copy" of the Declaration to his friend Benjamin
+Franklin. The old philosopher was delighted with the terse style and the
+vigorous sentences.
+
+"That's good; that's right to the point," said he; "that will make King
+George wince. I wish I had written it myself."
+
+One of Franklin's biographers declares that it is fortunate that
+Franklin did not compose the Declaration, for he would surely have put a
+joke into the immortal document!
+
+Every line and sentence of the Declaration of Independence stirred the
+hearts of the people then, and it does even now, after the lapse of more
+than one hundred and twenty-four years. It embodies in a noble and
+enduring form the hopes, feelings, convictions, and aspirations of every
+true American. When first proclaimed, it said in thunder tones to all
+the world that here was a people in far-away America willing to give
+their fortunes and their lives for what they believed to be right.
+
+=177. Independence declared.=--On the second of July, 1776, the
+sub-committee of five patriots submitted to Congress the important
+document. There was deep silence as the solemn and earnest words were
+slowly read. Hearts beat faster and eyes flashed at the recital of the
+tyranny of the king and the sufferings of the people.
+
+A three days' discussion followed. Jefferson remained silent under the
+sharp criticism, but the genial old philosopher, Franklin, sat next to
+him and soothed his feelings by telling him stories that fitted the
+case.
+
+At last the great Declaration of Independence, in its final form, was
+adopted, July 4, 1776.
+
+During the discussion there was intense excitement in and around the old
+State House in Philadelphia, where Congress was in session. Thousands
+thronged about the building, watching the barred doors and closed window
+shutters with feverish anxiety. The faces of the crowd are turned upward
+to the steeple, for there hangs a bell brought from London nearly a
+quarter of a century before, bearing the prophetic and singularly
+appropriate words of Scripture, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land
+unto all the inhabitants thereof."
+
+  [Illustration: LIBERTY BELL, INDEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA.]
+
+It had been arranged by some one that the bell should be rung the moment
+the Declaration of Independence was adopted. The old bell-ringer placed
+a small boy at the hall door to await the signal of the doorkeeper.
+When at last the vote for independence was declared, the doorkeeper gave
+the signal, and the boy ran out shouting, "Ring, ring, ring!"
+
+And the old bell-ringer did ring as he never rang before!
+
+  [Illustration: THE PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE FINAL VOTE ON THE
+     DECLARATION.]
+
+=178. How the Declaration was received by the People.=--After it had
+passed Congress, the Declaration was sent to be read to the people
+throughout the thirteen colonies. It was received everywhere with the
+greatest joy. Bells were rung, cannon were fired, fireworks were burned,
+and flags were flung to the breeze. The bands played martial music, and
+even the smallest towns and villages were in a blaze of excitement.
+Washington ordered the Declaration to be read to all the brigades of
+the patriot army in and around New York City. The occasion was
+celebrated the same night by pulling down the leaden statue of George
+III on Bowling Green, and casting it into bullets.
+
+The magic word was INDEPENDENCE.
+
+John Adams truthfully predicted that these demonstrations of joy would
+be reflected in many a year to come by the people of our free country.
+
+The eloquent words of the Declaration of Independence had been
+pronounced, but it was left for Washington and his little army to make
+it good.
+
+England at this time was the most powerful nation in the world. Her navy
+was large, and her army was fully equipped and well drilled. Her
+resources were vast, and she had now made up her mind to crush the
+"rebels" in America. To men in foreign lands it seemed madness for the
+feeble colonies in America to resist the royal power of England.
+
+The Declaration of Independence after a time was signed by fifty-six
+delegates from all the colonies.
+
+=179. Incidents connected with the Great Event.=--If we look at a
+facsimile of the signatures to the Declaration, we notice that the name
+of Stephen Hopkins, of Rhode Island, was written with a tremulous hand.
+This was due to a partial paralysis. After he had signed, he smiled at
+his irregular penmanship and said, "You see my hand trembles, but my
+heart doesn't!"
+
+John Hancock's signature is noted for its big, bold letters.
+
+"There," said he, "John Bull can read that without 'specs'!"
+
+As they gathered round to sign their names to the document, "pledging
+their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor" to maintain and
+defend their action, every one of them understood very well that, if
+this revolution failed and, he should be captured, he was liable to be
+hanged as a traitor.
+
+John Hancock said to a group of the signers, "We must stand by each
+other; no pulling different ways--we must all hang together in this
+matter."
+
+"Yes," said Franklin, "we must indeed, or we shall all hang separately!"
+
+The Fourth day of July, marked by the momentous event popularly known as
+the adoption of the "Declaration of Independence," has properly become
+our National Holiday. The day has been celebrated, just as our
+forefathers said it would be, with the firing of cannon, the ringing of
+bells, parades, and bonfires. From that day to the present, the immortal
+document has been listened to with reverence by our people.
+
+=180. What the Declaration of Independence should mean to us.=--Thus we
+have traced the growth of the passion for liberty which finally reached
+its loftiest expression in this noble Declaration. Read it and let it
+grow into your memory. Do not forget that lovers of liberty, the world
+over, regard it as the sublimest state paper ever produced by man,
+marking the grandest advance in political progress ever made by the
+human race.
+
+To us of the present day its chief charm lies in its noble beginning and
+its no less noble end. We care little now about the faults and the
+follies of King George, but the bold assertions of great truths in the
+opening sentences of the Declaration appeal as warmly to us to-day as
+they did to those for whom they were first written.
+
+It is interesting to know that it was signed by men of lofty purpose and
+exalted character, every one of whom held to his last day a reputation
+never dishonored. These were the chosen men, worthy to be leaders with
+Washington of the young nation.
+
+For good or evil this most momentous step was now taken. There was no
+choice left the colonies but to win by hard fighting or to be crushed by
+their enemy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+THE BURGOYNE CAMPAIGN.
+
+
+=181. First Campaign for the Control of the Hudson fails.=--It did not
+require much intelligence on the part of the British government to
+perceive that it would be wise policy to separate if possible one group
+of its revolting colonies from the rest. This was practicable only along
+the line of the Hudson. The two long lakes, Champlain and George, with
+the navigable river, almost made a great water highway from Canada on
+the north to the sea on the south.
+
+The plan to cut off New England from the other colonies was acted upon
+in the summer of 1776. Carleton, a most efficient British general, came
+down from Canada, captured Crown Point, and got as far as Ticonderoga,
+when, having heard nothing of Howe, who was to come up from the south,
+he was forced by the lateness of the season to return. Howe had been
+delayed and baffled by Washington until it was too late to march north
+to meet Carleton. Thus the first campaign for the control of the Hudson
+proved a failure.
+
+=182. The Plan for the Second Campaign.=--The British ministry at once
+planned for another attempt during the next summer. This time the
+invasion was to be carried out by three separate armies working towards
+a common point. The main attack was to be made from the north. The army
+in Canada was to march south, capture Ticonderoga, and go down the
+Hudson to Albany. This part of the campaign was entrusted to General
+Burgoyne.
+
+Meanwhile Sir William Howe was to go up the Hudson and join his forces
+with those of Burgoyne at Albany. Now, as there were many Tories in
+central New York, and also powerful Indian tribes friendly to the
+British cause, a small force under the command of Colonel St. Leger was
+to sail up the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario, land at Oswego, and then
+march down the Mohawk valley to join Burgoyne on the Hudson.
+
+The English government built great hopes upon Burgoyne's expedition. No
+expense or effort was spared to make it a success. Money and supplies
+were furnished without stint.
+
+=183. Burgoyne begins Operations with a Great Army and Much Show.=--When
+Burgoyne opened his campaign in the early summer of 1777, he had command
+of the best army that had yet taken the field in America. There were
+about four thousand English veterans, three thousand Germans, or
+Hessians as they were called, nearly five hundred Indian warriors, and a
+small force of Canadians. Most of the soldiers, as well as the officers,
+were veterans. Forty cannon, well served and equipped, made up the
+artillery train.
+
+It was a splendid and imposing sight when this army in the middle of
+June sailed into Lake Champlain in a large flotilla with bands playing
+and banners flying. Burgoyne was a clever, agreeable, and well-bred man,
+and a brave soldier; but he was vain, headstrong, and self-confident.
+
+The British general served a great feast to his Indian allies on the
+shore of the lake near Crown Point. He was dressed in showy uniform, and
+so were all of his chief officers. He made a pompous speech to his
+savage guests, who were adorned with war paint on their faces and
+eagles' feathers in their hair. He told them not to scalp the wounded,
+nor murder aged men, helpless women, or children. These "wild hyenas,"
+as Burke called them in one of his great speeches before the English
+Parliament, promised to obey their "great white father."
+
+The sturdy settlers knew what an Indian promise meant, and they speedily
+packed their goods and sent their families across the Green Mountains to
+the Connecticut Valley. Burgoyne had written poetry, and many poor
+plays, and so now he wrote in his high-flown style an address to the
+American people. All were warned against driving off their cattle,
+hiding their corn, and breaking down the bridges in his way. He
+threatened to let loose his savages upon them if they disobeyed. He also
+made a stirring address to his soldiers, in which he gave out the famous
+watchword, "This army must not retreat."
+
+=184. The Capture of Ticonderoga and what followed.=--Every one supposed
+that Fort Ticonderoga would be a barrier to Burgoyne. Unfortunately the
+commander, St. Clair, had failed to secure a neighboring position which
+commanded the fortress. No one thought it possible to drag cannon up the
+steep and rugged sides of this mountain; but the British general worked
+night and day in hewing out a path, and with oxen dragged up his cannon
+and placed them in position to pour a plunging fire into the fort.
+
+The next morning the top of the crag, now named Mount Defiance, was
+swarming with British troops. St. Clair saw with amazement the trap in
+which he was caught. The next night the far-famed fortress was
+abandoned, and the Continental army retreated southward. At daybreak the
+British and the Hessians sprang to arms, ready to follow sharply both by
+land and water the retreating army. So hot was the pursuit that the
+Americans were forced to destroy their boats. All the wagon-loads of
+arms, stores, and baggage fell into British hands.
+
+There was a sharp fight a few days afterwards in the woods at a place
+called Hubbardton, where the rear guard of the Americans, under Warner,
+was surprised early in the morning, while the men were cooking
+breakfast. They made a gallant and stubborn resistance against the
+picked veterans of Burgoyne's army. Warner was outnumbered and defeated,
+but the pursuit was so checked that St. Clair was able to bring what was
+left of his army safely to Fort Edward, where he joined Schuyler.
+
+=185. Burgoyne, elated by Success, begins to make Blunders.=--The curtain
+now falls upon the first act of this great war drama. Burgoyne had been
+highly favored. Ticonderoga had fallen in a night. Everybody was
+astounded. The news fell like a sound of doom over the land. Washington
+wrote to Schuyler: "The evacuation of Ticonderoga is an event of chagrin
+and surprise not apprehended, nor within the compass of my reasoning."
+
+Burgoyne now began to boast that victory would certainly crown his
+future movements, and even predicted the speedy end of the war and the
+submission of the colonies. He hurried off a special messenger to King
+George, telling the king that everything was going just as he wished it.
+The king rushed into the queen's apartments, says Walpole, clapping his
+hands and shouting, "I have beat them! I have beat all the Americans."
+
+In reality, Burgoyne's troubles were just beginning.
+
+In his haste to crush the Americans before they could combine against
+him, Burgoyne began to make serious blunders. For instance, it was a
+fatal mistake when he decided on marching to Fort Edward through the
+wilderness, instead of going back to Ticonderoga and proceeding thence
+up Lake George and on to Fort Edward and the Hudson. Time, that
+all-important factor in military campaigns, was lost sight of by this
+over-confident British general. Again, Burgoyne made another serious
+mistake in underestimating the fighting qualities of his enemy.
+
+=186. General Schuyler carries out a Masterly Policy.=--Fortunately for
+the Americans, Schuyler was an able and experienced general, and
+Washington knew it. He had less than five thousand poorly armed men, but
+he faced the situation bravely. He knew that if he could delay the
+British invaders for a time, men enough would rally for the defense of
+their homes to meet his foe in open battle. He did at once the best
+thing possible. He put every obstacle in Burgoyne's way that ingenuity
+could devise or experience suggest. He made the axe and the crowbar help
+him.
+
+Hundreds of trees were felled across the road. All the cattle were
+driven out of reach. The country was stripped of all provisions. The
+bridges were burnt, the creeks choked with stumps and stones, and the
+wood-roads were destroyed. The aspect of things began to change.
+Schuyler did his work well. He abandoned Fort Edward and fell back to
+Stillwater, where he entrenched himself and waited.
+
+  [Illustration: {Map of Adirondack Mountain area.}]
+
+It is only about twenty-six miles from Skenesboro to Fort Edward, but it
+took Burgoyne twenty-four days to march this distance, and even then he
+had to wait two weeks longer for the arrival of his artillery. New roads
+had to be made, forty bridges built, and supplies and heavy ammunition
+carried through an almost impassable wilderness.
+
+=187. The Sturdy Pioneers of the North rise in Defense of their
+Homes.=--Meanwhile, what were the stout-hearted pioneers of the north
+doing? The time for prompt action had come. The frontiersmen rose nobly
+to the demands of the situation. Burgoyne's Indians, ever since they
+left the Canadian border, had been ravaging and scalping. Never was a
+British general more mistaken than when he thought such bloody work
+would frighten the American people. It aroused the fierce spirit of
+revenge in them as no other act could have done.
+
+=188. The Murder of Jane McCrea.=--The sad story of Jane McCrea has been
+read and re-read ever since this beautiful girl was tomahawked and
+scalped by Burgoyne's savages. It is not certain just how it happened.
+It is true that a party of Indians seized and carried away Miss McCrea,
+and a Mrs. McNeil with whom she was visiting in the latter's home near
+Fort Edward.
+
+It is also known that Jane was betrothed to one of Burgoyne's officers,
+and as her own home was in New Jersey, it is probable that the
+unfortunate girl was planning to meet her lover.
+
+Some say that the Indians quarreled over a barrel of rum that was to be
+given them as a reward on her safe arrival; others claim that a band of
+American militia fired into the party. At all events, Mrs. McNeil came
+alone to the English camp.
+
+The next day the body of the murdered girl was found near a spring,
+pierced with three bullets. An Indian came into camp with a scalp, which
+Mrs. McNeil recognized as that of her friend by its black, silky hair,
+more than a yard long.
+
+There was nothing unusual about the murder, for it was only one of many
+such. The deed has, however, been woven into song and story, which have
+been repeated with endless variations in detail for more than six-score
+years. The name "Jenny McCrea" became a watchword to the stout and
+resolute farmers who were hastening from far and near to the scene of
+action.
+
+=189. Burgoyne gets his First Hard Blow; Desperate Fighting in the Mohawk
+Valley.=--The first hard blow Burgoyne received came from the west.
+Colonel St. Leger, as we remember, was marching with seventeen hundred
+men down the Mohawk Valley. He came to a stronghold called Fort Stanwix,
+and ordered its commander, Colonel Gansevoort, to surrender. The demand
+met with a pointed refusal, and the British began a regular siege.
+
+Everywhere through this beautiful valley was great excitement. General
+Herkimer, a militia officer over sixty years of age, a thorough master
+of Indian warfare, was a man of might in this section. Eight hundred
+hardy pioneers of this frontier region rallied at the veteran's call
+and marched with him to the relief of the fort. The younger officers
+would not listen to the old general's advice to move with caution.
+
+"You," said the old patriot, stung by their taunts, "you, who want to
+fight so badly now, will be the first to run when you smell burnt
+powder."
+
+There was not a proper advance guard, and the men fell into an ambush of
+the Tories and their Indian allies on the steep slope of a ravine, near
+a place called Oriskany. A desperate fight began hand to hand and from
+tree to tree. The worst thunderstorm of the season put an end to the
+battle for about an hour.
+
+  [Illustration: HERKIMER DIRECTING THE BATTLE.]
+
+Herkimer was shot in the leg in the early part of the encounter. He was
+lifted from his fallen horse and placed, at his own request, upon his
+saddle, propped against a beech tree. The old soldier lighted his pipe,
+and though the bullets were whistling about him, and men were falling
+thick and fast within a few yards, he coolly continued to direct the
+battle, giving his orders calmly, as if on a parade ground. Through the
+leafy depths of the forest rang the clashing of steel, the crack of
+rifle, and, above all, the hideous yells of the savages. Suddenly the
+Indians raised the retreating cry of "Oonah!" and in an instant they
+were gone! The desperate fighting was too much for the Tories, and they
+too fled, leaving the patriots in possession of the hard-earned field.
+
+Thus was fought one of the most hotly contested and, for the numbers
+engaged, one of the deadliest of the Revolutionary battles. No quarter
+was given on either side. Of the eight hundred men under Herkimer that
+fought on that sultry August day, only about a third ever saw their
+homes again.
+
+The brave old Dutchman was carried to his home, where, propped up in bed
+with pillows, he calmly smoked his pipe, read his Bible, and waited
+serenely for the end. He died a few days later. He had fought what was
+perhaps the most desperate battle of the Revolution, and he was victor.
+
+=190. Gallant Defense of Fort Stanwix; First American Flag raised.=--In
+the mean time St. Leger, in spite of this heavy check, moved up to
+within one hundred and fifty yards of the fort and again demanded its
+surrender. The gallant Gansevoort made a flag from portions of an old
+blue coat, a white shirt, and some strips from a red flannel petticoat,
+and raised it above five captured British flags and defied his foes to
+take the fort. We should remember the date, August 6, 1777; for it is
+claimed that this was the first American flag with stars and stripes
+that was ever flung to the breeze.
+
+  [Illustration: RAISING "OLD GLORY" FOR THE FIRST TIME.]
+
+While the siege was in full progress, the besiegers suddenly broke up
+their camps and retreated toward Canada in great confusion, leaving
+behind them their cannon, supplies, and even their tents. What was the
+matter? Arnold had been sent north by Washington immediately after the
+fall of Ticonderoga, and had arrived at Schuyler's headquarters three
+weeks before. Restless and impatient, he was despatched by Schuyler to
+relieve the brave garrison. On his way he captured and was going to hang
+as a spy a half-witted but ugly young Tory. The boy's mother begged his
+life.
+
+Arnold granted the mother's request on condition that the young fellow
+should take some friendly Indians with him and hasten to the British
+camp and so alarm St. Leger as to induce him to raise the siege and
+retreat! The frightened Tory set out on his perilous errand, his brother
+being held by Arnold as a hostage, and reached the British camp just as
+the Indians were holding a "pow-wow" over the dubious enterprise in
+which they were engaged.
+
+As the savages saw the Tory's coat full of bullet holes, and listened to
+his wonderful story of his own narrow escape, and heard that Arnold was
+close on their heels with two thousand regulars, the savages said, "The
+pow-wow said we must go"; and go they did in utmost haste. In vain the
+British officers stormed and swore. The troops were seized with a panic.
+St. Leger and all his army retreated in disorder, broken and beaten, to
+Oswego, and afterwards to Montreal. The valley of the Mohawk was safe.
+St. Leger's defeat dealt a severe blow to the plans and prospects of
+Burgoyne. Arnold was now able to rejoin Schuyler.
+
+=191. Burgoyne plans a Raid into the Country to secure Supplies.=--All
+this time Burgoyne was hard pushed for food. Every pound of bread and
+meat had to be brought from Canada. Nobody but Tories would sell him an
+ounce of beef or an ear of corn.
+
+The British general was also anxious to strike a blow at the good people
+of New England. He knew that the supplies of the patriots were stored at
+Bennington. Supplies he must have. On August 11 he sent off Colonel Baum
+with about five hundred Hessians, Indians, and Tories on a plundering
+trip to this little village.
+
+Four days later a second division of about six hundred men was sent
+under Colonel Breymann to help Baum, for it was evident that the
+situation was looking ugly. Instead of raiding the country, Baum,
+learning that the militia were gathering in all directions, entrenched
+himself on a hill about four miles from Bennington and waited for
+reinforcements.
+
+=192. The Men of New England rally to defend their Homes.=--The men of New
+England, instead of waiting till their houses were burnt, their crops
+destroyed, and their wives and children scalped, were rapidly arriving
+from far and near to meet their hated foe. The instant the Hessians and
+Indians threatened to come over the line, the men of New England knew
+there was only one thing to do and it must be done at once. That was to
+kill as many of the enemy as they could and drive the rest back. They
+had already prepared for this.
+
+Not every man was able to act as did staunch old John Langdon, who kept
+a store in Portsmouth. He said to the New Hampshire Assembly: "I have
+three thousand dollars in hard money. I will pledge my plate for as much
+more. I have seventy hogsheads of rum, which shall be sold. Our old
+friend John Stark, who defended the rail fence at Bunker Hill, will work
+like a beaver to stop Burgoyne."
+
+Among the rugged hills of northern New England no other man had such a
+personal following as had John Stark--a man of dauntless courage, rough
+simplicity, and real Yankee shrewdness.
+
+In appearance Stark was a man of medium size, well proportioned, and of
+great strength and endurance. It is remarkable that in all his years of
+hard service in the French and Indian wars, and in the many severe
+battles of the Revolution, he had never received a wound. He lived to be
+ninety-four years of age. He survived all the high officers that had
+taken part in the Revolution except Sumter, the famous southern general.
+
+Messengers rode on fast horses over the hills with orders for the men to
+rally at once. Each man packed his knapsack, grasped his rifle, left the
+women to get in the crops, and started for Charlestown on the
+Connecticut River, where Stark had raised his standard. Old men of
+seventy and even boys of fifteen turned out. Some of the farmers
+brought clock weights, some their pewter spoons and porringers, to be
+melted into bullets. The metal was kept running into the bullet moulds
+night and day. An old rusty cannon was found; it was mounted on a pair
+of cart wheels and dragged over the Green Mountains.
+
+The story is told of one mother whose boy of only fifteen was ready to
+start, but had no coat. The patriot mother took a meal bag, made a hole
+for the head, two more for the arms, cut off the feet of a pair of her
+long stockings which she sewed on for sleeves,--and hurried him away to
+Stark's camp!
+
+=193. How John Stark whipped the British at Bennington.=--Stark was now
+ready to march against Baum. On August 14 he was within a mile of the
+British camp. The next day it rained heavily. Fighting in such pouring
+torrents was out of the question. The Hessians worked hard on the
+entrenchments all day, and Stark sheltered his men in brush huts and
+under the lee of fences.
+
+One hundred men from the Berkshire Hills arrived in the night. A
+minister who could fight as well as preach came with them in a sulky.
+
+"General Stark," said he, "we have never had a chance to fight, and if
+you don't give us a chance now, we shall never turn out again."
+
+"Do you want to fight now in the rain and at night?" said Stark.
+
+"No," said the good man.
+
+"Well, then," said Stark, "if the Lord gives us sunshine once more, and
+I don't give you fighting enough, you needn't turn out again."
+
+Old soldiers who had fought behind the rail fence at Bunker Hill with
+Stark, and who had been in the front ranks with him at Trenton, knew
+that there would be no boy's play in the coming battle. The next
+morning, which was Saturday, August 16, broke clear and hot.
+
+  [Illustration: STARK ADDRESSING HIS MEN BEFORE THE BATTLE OF
+     BENNINGTON.]
+
+The ever-active and energetic Stark determined to storm the hill before
+reinforcements could reach the enemy. This was a desperate undertaking
+for country militia armed only with muskets and fowling pieces, without
+bayonets or side arms. Baum was well entrenched on a hill behind
+breastworks defended by highly disciplined veterans.
+
+About midday Stark, calling his men together in a large field, leaped to
+the topmost rail of a fence, steadied himself by a tall post, and
+addressed his troops in the historic words: "Now, my men, yonder are the
+Hessians. They are bought for seven pounds tenpence a man. Are you worth
+more? Prove it. To-night the American flag floats over yonder hill, or
+Molly Stark sleeps a widow!"
+
+Foreseeing that there would be close work with the Tories, who were
+dressed in farmers' clothes, like most of his own men, Stark gave orders
+that a corn husk in the hatband should be the badge of his own men. Five
+hundred men were sent to form in the rear of Baum's entrenchment, and
+two hundred more were massed on the right as a flanking party.
+
+It is now about three o'clock. With all his men in position Stark gives
+the word "Forward!" The battle begins in earnest. With wild shouts the
+farmer-soldiers press forward, using their rifles with deadly effect.
+The Indians, panic-stricken, yelling like demons, take to their heels,
+and make their escape into the forest. They have no intention of being
+caught in a trap. The Hessians stand their ground and fight bravely.
+
+For two hours there is hot work, "one continuous roar," as Stark
+afterwards said. The old cannon on cart wheels fires stones, for there
+are no cannon balls! At last Stark leads his men in a fierce charge.
+Baum falls mortally wounded, and his men surrender. A wild hurrah goes
+up. The battle is won.
+
+It was in the nick of time. Breymann arrived with fresh troops and began
+a lively attack. Stark rallied his men. A hundred and fifty "Green
+Mountain boys," hearing the roar of the battle, came up in the rear at
+just the right moment. They fell upon the Hessians like a thunderbolt,
+routed them, and would have captured them all if it had not been nearly
+dark. As it was, the enemy retreated in haste under cover of the
+darkness.
+
+The pioneer settlers of New England had proved themselves more than a
+match for entrenched regulars. Stark had beaten two of Burgoyne's best
+officers in a pitched battle. The victory was won by the sheer hard
+fighting of men who were well led.
+
+=194. Mighty Efforts of the Patriots to crush Burgoyne.=--The battle of
+Bennington was a severe blow for Burgoyne. His army never fully
+recovered from it. A thousand of his best men were lost, besides cannon,
+arms, and supplies of war. Even the savages began to leave in large
+numbers.
+
+The effect of this brilliant victory on the country was magical. It
+began to be thought that the whole of Burgoyne's army might be captured.
+Militia came in increasing numbers even from points on the Atlantic
+coast.
+
+Washington had some time before sent two of his best officers--Arnold,
+who as a fighter in pitched battles was unsurpassed, and Morgan, who
+came with five hundred sharpshooters, each man of whom, it was said,
+could hit a squirrel with his rifle at a distance of three hundred
+yards.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BATTLE MONUMENT AT BENNINGTON, VT.]
+
+Congress, misinformed, now set aside the noble General Schuyler and sent
+Gates, a schemer and intriguer, to supersede him. Schuyler's wise
+forethought and steadfast courage had already begun to show results. By
+a stupid blunder of the British government, orders for Sir William Howe
+to march north to aid Burgoyne had been delayed.
+
+General Lincoln had moved with two thousand men to the rear of the
+British army. The outposts of Ticonderoga had been retaken, and the
+road to Canada was thus closed for help or retreat.
+
+=195. The Hard-fought Battle near Saratoga.=--Burgoyne soon found that he
+must do something. About the middle of September he crossed to the west
+bank of the Hudson and came within two miles of the American camp at
+Bemis Heights. Here took place, on September 18, a hotly contested
+battle known as that of Freeman's Farm. If Gates had been an able
+general, probably the British army would have been crushed and the
+Burgoyne campaign ended then and there. As it was, the deadly fire of
+the riflemen inflicted a severe blow.
+
+Gates did not follow up his advantage. The two armies glared at each
+other. There was no rest for either side. There was sharp skirmishing
+all along the lines. The nights were made hideous by the howls of large
+packs of wolves that were attracted by the partially buried bodies of
+those slain in the battle.
+
+At last, on October 7, Burgoyne came out from his entrenched camp with
+fifteen hundred picked men and ten cannon. A bloody hand-to-hand battle
+was fought.
+
+Gates had removed Arnold from his command. Angry and desperate, this
+impetuous but hard fighter placed himself at the head of a detachment
+of the Continental troops, and under a terrific fire led the men to
+battle. Mounted on a dark-brown horse, he rode at full gallop over the
+field. He was greeted with wild cheers. "Call that fellow back," said
+Gates, "or he will do something rash." With mad fury his men charged and
+drove the enemy at the point of the bayonet.
+
+In the final retreat a wounded Hessian, lying on the ground, took aim
+and fired at Arnold. The bullet killed his horse and wounded the general
+in the same leg that had been hit by a musket ball nearly two years
+before, at the storming of Quebec. A thousand times better would it have
+been had the bullet gone through his heart!
+
+As Arnold fell, one of his men rushed up and was just going to bayonet
+the soldier who had shot his beloved general; but Arnold cried, "In
+Heaven's name, don't kill him! He is a fine fellow!" This was the moment
+when the general whom Washington so much admired for his rash bravery
+should have died.
+
+In less than an hour the British were driven back and retreated behind
+their entrenchments.
+
+Some time afterward, when Arnold had turned traitor and captured an
+American officer, he asked him, "What will your people do with me if
+they catch me?"
+
+"If my countrymen catch you," replied the fearless patriot, "they will
+first cut off your lame leg, which was wounded at Quebec and Saratoga,
+and bury it with the honors of war, and afterwards hang the rest of your
+body on a gallows."
+
+Darkness alone stopped the battle. General Morgan, as he saw a brave
+Scottish officer riding everywhere along the line, said to one of his
+best marksmen: "That is General Fraser. I admire and honor him, but it
+is necessary that he should die. Take your station in yonder bushes and
+do your duty." Shortly afterwards, this splendid Scotchman, who said to
+an aid when warned of his peril, "My duty forbids me to fly from
+danger," fell mortally wounded.
+
+=196. Effect of the Great Victory at Saratoga.=--Such was the battle of
+Bemis Heights, or Saratoga. It was really fought within a very few rods
+of the place where the battle of Freeman's Farm occurred.
+
+The rest of the story is soon told. Burgoyne retreated through the storm
+to Saratoga. The attempt to escape was hopeless. He was hemmed in on
+every side. The "trap" which the best British officers had foreseen, had
+been sprung. There was only one thing to do, and that was to yield to
+the inevitable.
+
+Burgoyne, with his army of about six thousand men, surrendered October
+17, 1777.
+
+The battle of Saratoga has justly been called "one of the decisive
+battles of history." It made a profound impression in Europe. It was the
+defeat of Burgoyne's army that convinced France that it was time to come
+to the help of the American colonies. It lifted the cloud of gloom which
+had settled upon the hearts of the American people, and which had wrung
+despondent words even from the hopeful Washington.
+
+From the day of this memorable victory until liberty was fully realized,
+four years later, in the final surrender at Yorktown, no true American
+gave up the idea of final triumph.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION.
+
+
+=197. Boyhood and Youth of George Washington.=--During the infancy of our
+nation there were many staunch and noble patriots; but far above all
+stood, and stands to-day, the majestic figure of George Washington. He
+came upon the stage at just the right time to give the vigor of his
+manhood to the military service of his country, and the maturity of his
+judgment to the formation of the new government and later to the
+presidency. He was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732.
+
+In those days the country was thinly settled, good schools were rare,
+and even the rich planters did not find it easy to have their children
+well disciplined in learning. The future president had only a plain
+education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. In his childhood he
+showed a martial spirit. While at school he was often the captain of a
+little military company with paper hats and wooden swords, and even in
+their marches and sham battles the boy exhibited somewhat of the
+soldierly bearing and honorable character that distinguished him later
+in life.
+
+He took an interest in study and enjoyed reading good books. He wrote an
+excellent hand, and some productions in his superior penmanship have
+been kept to this day, showing remarkable neatness and accuracy. They
+comprise lessons in geometry, forms of business papers, and even some
+neatly written extracts in verse. He studied by himself book-keeping and
+mathematics, especially land surveying, which was much needed in that
+new country. These studies proved of great value to him in after years.
+
+=198. Boyhood's Sports.=--Washington when a lad was robust, fond of
+athletic games, running, jumping, and wrestling. In these healthful
+sports he outdid his comrades. He could surpass them all in throwing a
+stone across the Rappahannock. The boys all liked him, for he was
+generous and open-hearted, and they used to make him a judge in their
+disputes.
+
+He was especially given to horsemanship, and delighted to break in the
+dashing young colts, and even to train dangerous horses.
+
+=199. Washington's Love for his Mother.=--When Washington was about eleven
+years old his father died, and the family was broken up. George's
+mother, like the mothers of most great men, had a strong, upright
+character and brought up her children exceedingly well. Like all worthy
+boys, he dearly loved his mother and was willing to be guided by her
+wishes.
+
+When about fourteen, he had a great longing to go to sea. Ships of war
+sometimes anchored in the Potomac River, near his home. The officers
+used to visit his brother's estate at Mount Vernon, and the boy no doubt
+listened eagerly to their stories of naval battles and adventures.
+
+He passionately desired to become a sailor. His mother at last gave an
+unwilling consent. His trunk was packed and all was ready. But when the
+hour for parting came, the quiet entreaty of his mother, "Don't go,
+George," with tears running down her cheeks, changed his purpose.
+
+This good mother lived until 1789, when she died at the age of
+eighty-two. Her lot was a rare one. She lived to see her son the most
+illustrious of living men, with a spotless fame, and as much admired for
+the purity of his character as for the greatness of his deeds. It is
+said that she used to listen to praise of him in silence, and only
+answered: "Yes, George was always a good boy!"
+
+=200. His Faithful Work as a Surveyor in the Virginia Wilderness.=--It
+seems strange now, as we look back on his early life, to see how
+Washington unconsciously prepared himself for his great future. He
+employed a trainer and took a severe course of lessons in skillful
+fencing and sword drill, and, besides, he made a careful study of
+military science and tactics.
+
+  [Illustration: GEORGE WASHINGTON.]
+
+He became prominent as a young man of superb vigor, fond of study and
+work, and full of promise of great achievements. So Lord Fairfax, an
+eccentric nobleman, who was a great fox hunter and who much admired his
+young friend's bold riding, selected him to survey the thousands of
+acres of forest land that the king had granted to him beyond the Blue
+Ridge. This was a pretty large undertaking for a boy of sixteen! But the
+youngster was enough of a man to do it. He and his assistant took each a
+horse, a gun, an axe, surveyor's tools, and camp outfit. They spent
+months in the vast forests and among the mountains; cutting their paths
+through woods, fording rivers, facing the drenching storms, surveying
+and measuring by day, and writing out the notes in the light of
+camp-fires by night; living on the game they shot,--wild turkeys,
+squirrels, rabbits, and deer; often meeting Indians.
+
+All this was just the school to prepare him for coming duties and for
+the great career he never then dreamed of. Here he gained in a high
+degree the hardy virtues of courage, self-reliance, promptness in
+danger, quick and prudent foresight, and unflinching endurance under
+difficulties.
+
+On his return, young Washington had done his work so well that the
+Governor appointed him public surveyor. It was a prominent office, and
+he filled it honorably. His surveys were so correct that it is said they
+are used even to this day.
+
+Lord Fairfax lived many years after this. He was bitterly opposed to the
+war of the Revolution. One day he heard the people shouting and cheering
+near his home. He asked his old negro servant what it all meant, and he
+was told that Lord Cornwallis had surrendered to General Washington. At
+this the old man groaned, "Take me to bed, Joe; it is high time for me
+to die!"
+
+=201. His Work as an Army Officer.=--Washington was twenty-three years
+old when he was appointed on the staff of General Braddock. We have read
+in Chapter VIII the story of this disastrous campaign. The choice proved
+the Governor's insight into Washington's remarkable character. His
+surprising bravery, his insensibility to fear amid the whistling of
+bullets, his coolness in danger, and his maturity of judgment, really
+saved the whole campaign and rescued Braddock's shattered forces from
+total ruin.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON CROSSING A RIVER ON A RAFT IN THE WILDERNESS
+     DURING MID-WINTER.]
+
+Shortly afterwards Washington withdrew for a while from military life.
+In 1759, he married Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow with two small
+children and a large fortune. A short time after their marriage Colonel
+and Mrs. Washington, or Lady Washington, as she was called, retired to
+Mount Vernon, a fine estate of eight thousand acres which he had
+inherited from his brother Lawrence. His many visitors who expected to
+see a heroic figure could not have been disappointed in his personal
+appearance.
+
+Washington was a man of noble presence, six feet two in height, of
+dignified and courtly manners and a noble military air. With health and
+wealth, a happy home and all that makes life pleasant, he was enjoying
+his honors and the comforts of rural life.
+
+=202. Advancement in Political Honors.=--So high was the trust reposed by
+all in Washington that he was now elected to the Virginia legislature,
+the House of Burgesses, a signal proof of popular confidence. He always
+studied the business of every day carefully, though he seldom made
+speeches. When he first entered and took his seat, in 1759, the Speaker
+of the House rose and in eloquent language returned thanks to him in the
+name of the colony for his services during the war.
+
+Washington stood up to reply; blushed, stammered, trembled, and could
+not utter a word.
+
+"Sit down, Mr. Washington," said the Speaker with a smile; "your modesty
+equals your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language I
+possess."
+
+For the next sixteen years Washington's life passed quietly and
+contentedly. Then was heard the distant thunder of the coming
+Revolution.
+
+We may be sure that Washington studiously watched the course of events,
+and often went back to Mount Vernon from the public meetings with an
+anxious mind.
+
+=203. Becomes Commander-in-Chief of the American Army.=--Soon a problem
+presented itself before the Continental Congress of which Washington was
+a member. Who shall be chosen Commander-in-Chief of our armies? Who
+shall be singled out for this most difficult task?
+
+There was one man to whom all turned. On a motion of John Adams of
+Massachusetts the choice was George Washington--"a gentleman from
+Virginia who is among us, and very well known to all of us." The choice
+was unanimous. It was a spontaneous tribute to his superior military
+experience and skill; to the strength and purity of his character, the
+ardor and unselfishness of his patriotism, and the perfect confidence
+which his whole career had inspired.
+
+Washington, in the course of his brief and modest speech of acceptance,
+said his service would be freely given without salary, asking that only
+his expenses be paid, and of which he would keep a careful record. His
+expense-books, kept during the Revolution in his own neat handwriting,
+are still carefully preserved.
+
+With the promptness which was a part of his self-training, he began at
+once his new duties. In a few days, as we have read in Chapter XII, he
+took command of the patriot army at Cambridge.
+
+We know how Washington's well-planned siege shut up the British army in
+Boston all that summer and all the next winter until March, when his
+admirable strategy compelled the proud Howe to sail silently away. This
+achievement of the brave Virginia officer, and of his raw
+farmer-soldiers against the much larger force of British regulars, well
+deserved the gold medal given him by Congress.
+
+=204. Takes Command in New York; his Masterly Retreat.=--Howe and
+Washington, after the evacuation of Boston, moved their armies to New
+York, each knowing the other would do so. The British plan was to take
+and hold the Hudson River and thus to separate the troublesome New
+England colonies from the others. The possession of New York was
+therefore of vast importance.
+
+Washington arrived first, and as the Brooklyn Heights opposite New York
+controlled the latter city, he did well to occupy this position. But it
+would have been very unwise to place all his army there. He stationed
+about nine thousand men under General Putnam in Brooklyn. The rest he
+used across the river in the city, and to hold Fort Lee and Fort
+Washington.
+
+Against Putnam's force the British brought an army of twenty thousand,
+stealing a night march, and with their greater number defeated our
+troops. This severe reverse, which could not have been prevented by him,
+Washington followed with a military success; for in the night, which
+fortunately happened to be very foggy, he silently and safely withdrew
+all our remaining troops across the East River from the overwhelming
+British force. The boats were managed by companies of Marblehead
+fishermen, who thus had an opportunity of doing a most signal service.
+When Howe the next morning moved his victorious regulars again to the
+attack, his enemy was gone!
+
+This masterly retreat from the very sight and under the guns of the
+enemy gave Washington a great reputation. He managed and watched it
+personally, spending two days and two nights in his saddle, without rest
+or sleep!
+
+=205. Some of the Many Difficulties with which Washington had to
+struggle.=--But now came the trouble that distressed Washington all
+through the war--the lack of soldiers. The British government sent over
+thousands of disciplined troops, and kept them well equipped.
+
+The colonies were uncertain and irregular in furnishing soldiers. The
+colonial money used to pay them rapidly lost its value; so that
+Washington was continually distressed to procure and retain enough
+troops. Besides, the terms of enlistment were usually short--six months
+or even less--and thus his little army was constantly dwindling away. To
+add to his anxieties, the supply of cannon, guns, powder, clothing,
+food, and all needed equipments, was often painfully meager.
+
+How then could Washington with his small and ill-furnished forces--his
+"ragged continentals"--oppose successfully the much larger and
+well-supplied troops of the enemy? To keep risking battles with an army
+much stronger than his own would invite defeat and ruin.
+
+But there were some things he could do--watch the enemy sharply, harass
+and worry him by repeated small engagements, obstruct his plans, and
+whenever possible attack a small separate body and defeat or capture it.
+
+This is exactly what Washington did, and often with consummate skill. He
+won his best moves because he first carefully fought over all his
+battles in his own brain, and then fought them out with the guns of his
+soldiers; for he had a faculty of inspiring his men with his own high
+purpose. They admired him as a hero, trusted him as a friend, and loved
+him as a father.
+
+=206. The Brilliant Victory at Trenton.=--Washington had successfully
+withdrawn the troops from Brooklyn, but he knew perfectly well that with
+his scanty force of half-trained men he could not risk a battle with
+four times as many of the well-drilled enemy--it would be certain ruin
+to the patriot cause.
+
+Our army now had to retreat across New Jersey, the British following
+closely all the way! It was a distressing movement and it produced
+general gloom. The country was discouraged, Congress was discouraged,
+the army itself was becoming discouraged. The British said Washington
+did not dare to fight, and that the war was about over.
+
+In all this gloom there was only one ray of light: Washington never
+despaired! Sorely tried, he yet kept up his faith and hope. Sick at
+heart but ever resolute, he declared to his friends that if all others
+forsook him, he would retire to the backwoods of Virginia and there make
+a final stand against Great Britain.
+
+Reaching the Delaware, the great commander crossed into Pennsylvania.
+General Howe came up on the east side, and then spread out his army,
+placing a thousand Hessians at Trenton.
+
+See what Washington did. On Christmas night, 1776, he crossed the
+Delaware to attack the Hessians. The river was so full of floating ice
+that the Marblehead soldiers found it very hard to manage the boats.
+After the crossing, the men marched nine miles through snow and hail,
+sometimes marking the whitened ground with blood from their shoeless
+feet.
+
+  [Illustration: THE NIGHT MARCH TO TRENTON.]
+
+As they drew near Trenton, Washington, who rode in front, asked a man
+chopping wood by the roadside:--
+
+"Which way is the Hessian picket?"
+
+"I do not know," was the surly answer.
+
+"You may tell," said the officer at Washington's side, "for that is
+General Washington."
+
+"God bless and prosper you!" cried the man instantly. "The picket is in
+that house, and the sentry stands near that tree."
+
+The Hessians, who were celebrating Christmas with wild revelry, were
+surprised, and soon forced to surrender.
+
+Washington was in great danger from the superior forces of the enemy
+close at hand, and was obliged immediately to recross the Delaware with
+his tired troops and his prisoners. The weather was so severe that two
+men were frozen to death that Christmas night. Notwithstanding
+Washington's haste, he found time to visit the dying Hessian Commander,
+Colonel Rahl, and speak kindly to him.
+
+It was a battle of this kind that showed the courage and genius of a
+great general who, in the midst of the most unfavorable circumstances,
+could plan well, fight well, and outwit the enemy! It was such masterful
+watchfulness and bravery as this that saved the country. Mighty applause
+now rang all through the land! "Hurrah for Washington, and hurrah for
+his ragged but plucky little army!"
+
+Well might the people shout, for this was the first real victory of the
+continental army. Lord Howe was very angry and said it would never do,
+and he sent Cornwallis to defeat this rebel general. Let us see what
+Cornwallis did. The British general marched from Princeton with about
+eight thousand men, and found Washington's army of some three thousand
+with its rear to the river. At about dusk he planted his own army in
+front, and then felt sure of his prey. "At last we have run down the old
+fox," said the over-confident British general as he went to bed in high
+spirits, "and we will bag him easily in the morning." The situation was
+indeed a dangerous one for the patriot army.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON BEFORE TRENTON.]
+
+=207. How Washington surprised the British at Princeton.=--During the
+night Washington left a front line of camp-fires burning, and a few
+soldiers noisily digging trenches and throwing up breastworks, while his
+entire army made a circuitous march around Cornwallis, got in his rear,
+attacked Princeton early, captured three regiments and a lot of
+supplies, and moved on to Morristown, a strong place where the British
+dared not attack him.
+
+In this battle the commanding figure of Washington riding to and fro on
+his white horse made a notable object for the enemy's marksmen.
+
+These two battles brought Washington great applause all over this
+country and through Europe. Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, said:
+"This young American general opens a fresh chapter in the art of war;
+England hasn't a man to match him."
+
+=208. How Washington helped to defeat Burgoyne.=--During the next year,
+1777, Washington was busy watching Lord Howe and keeping him confined
+closely in New York. Although he lacked the army with which to fight any
+great battle, yet he did the greatest service. The British planned this
+year, as we have just read in the preceding chapter, a second effort to
+occupy the Hudson and divide the colonies.
+
+But, as we have seen, the plan was doomed to failure. Burgoyne was
+wrecked by Schuyler and Stark, and the Mohawk force was defeated by
+Arnold and Morgan. Then all depended on Howe's army which was to come up
+the Hudson. But Howe could not come! Washington was skillfully blocking
+his plans, so that the British general could spare no soldiers. And so
+resulted the great surrender at Saratoga--the most cheering victory
+during this period of the war.
+
+Howe's army then went by sea to Philadelphia and wintered there.
+
+=209. Sufferings at Valley Forge.=--Washington wintered at Valley Forge,
+not far away. The winter was very severe. The patriot army was ill-fed,
+ill-clothed, and unpaid. Hundreds of soldiers were barefoot, their
+bloody steps tracking the snow. Hungry, shivering, and bleeding, they
+keenly felt how much it cost to be a "ragged continental."
+
+The money issued was almost worthless, fifty dollars of paper for one of
+specie. It took six months' pay to buy a pair of boots; for England
+counterfeited the continental money, brought over huge parcels of it,
+and put it into circulation. Congress seemed neglectful. Discouragement
+prevailed.
+
+Washington seemed to have the care of the whole patriot cause on his
+shoulders alone. He had everything to do,--appealing perpetually to
+Congress for action; begging the Governors for aid; getting food, arms,
+ammunition, and clothing; recruiting and drilling the army; planning
+campaigns; and so working unceasingly in every direction.
+
+=210. Help from France; the Battle of Monmouth.=--In the spring of 1778
+help came. The French sent ships, soldiers, and officers, and again the
+sun began to shine. Their help was of vital importance. Perhaps we could
+never have got on without it.
+
+Sir Henry Clinton, who had succeeded Lord Howe, fearing the approach of
+a French fleet, now made up his mind to leave Philadelphia and march
+across New Jersey to New York. Washington sent forward a division of his
+army under General Charles Lee to pursue the British and give them
+battle. The patriots, ready and eager to fight, came up with the enemy
+at Monmouth. Unfortunately, the mischief-making Lee, now known to have
+been little better than a traitor, ordered a retreat.
+
+As Washington advanced with the main army, he was filled with surprise
+and anger to learn from stragglers of Lee's treacherous action. He set
+spurs to his horse and galloped to the front.
+
+According to tradition, this was one of the very few times when
+Washington was thought to have lost his self-control. With a fierce
+oath he demanded of Lee what he meant by retreating. Washington's look,
+according to Lafayette, was terrible.
+
+"What is the meaning of all this, sir?" he repeated.
+
+There could be no good answer. Lee quailed before his angry commander.
+
+Having sent the apparently treacherous officer to the rear, Washington
+showed at once his superb generalship. Like Sheridan at Cedar Creek,
+about which we shall hear later, he inspired his men with fresh courage
+and led them against the enemy. The continental army now showed the
+results of the long winter's drill at Valley Forge. The lines were
+re-formed, the main army was brought up, and the British were soon
+repulsed.
+
+Clinton retreated during the same night. He reached New York and the
+protection of the fleet before the patriot army could overtake him.
+
+Such was the battle of Monmouth, fought on a very hot and sultry Sunday
+in June, 1778. It was the last battle in the north, and practically
+closed the campaign for the control of the Middle States.
+
+=211. The Story of Mollie Pitcher.=--The account of this battle would not
+be complete without the oft-told story of Mollie Pitcher. During the day
+a soldier having charge of a cannon was shot down at his post. His
+newly wedded wife, a young Irish woman, was at the time bringing water
+for the thirsty men from a neighboring spring. She saw her husband fall
+at the cannon he was serving, and heard his commander order the piece to
+be removed from the field. Instantly dropping her pail, Mollie seized
+the rammer and, stationing herself by the gun, performed her husband's
+duty with skill and courage all through the battle.
+
+  [Illustration: MOLLIE PITCHER TAKES HER HUSBAND'S PLACE AT MONMOUTH.]
+
+The soldiers gave her the nickname of Major Mollie, and being presented
+to General Washington the day after the battle, she received a
+sergeant's commission, and Congress gave her half-pay for life! Some of
+the French officers, it is said, were so delighted with her courage that
+they presented her with a hat full of gold pieces and christened her "La
+Capitaine"!
+
+=212. Washington plans the Yorktown Campaign.=--In the spring of 1781,
+Washington was still hemming in Clinton at New York. In the south, where
+there had been severe fighting for two years, General Greene had driven
+Cornwallis from the Carolinas up to Virginia, and our generous friend,
+Lafayette, had helped push the British general to the point of land at
+Yorktown. Washington, learning this, arranged that the French fleet
+should sail there and prevent the escape of the enemy by sea.
+
+Then Washington planned what has been regarded as the proudest
+achievement of the war. He decided to hurry his own army to Yorktown,
+and with it and the southern forces and the French fleet finish the
+seven years' struggle.
+
+Yes; but if Clinton should hear of it, he would sail from New York and
+checkmate the plan. How could Washington do all this and keep Clinton in
+the dark? Everything turned on that. He kept up a lively show of
+activity around New York, and had decoy letters written to his distant
+generals to come and help him capture Clinton's army. Very strange, but
+those letters reached the British general!
+
+When the right moment came, leaving a small force at New York for show,
+Washington by a swift and skillful movement moved his army of six
+thousand through New Jersey. The Commander-in-Chief was unsurpassed at
+keeping a secret. His own generals did not know where they were going.
+They marched to Elkton, at the head of the Chesapeake, and took ships
+for Yorktown.
+
+The hour for the final success of the patriot cause had now come.
+Cornwallis was shut in by sea and land. Washington with his own hand
+fired the first cannon of the attack. This was on October 9, 1781.
+
+By night and by day the sound of the heavy guns was incessantly heard.
+The shells of the besieged and besiegers crossed each other in the air.
+
+At one time during the siege Washington, with many officers about him,
+was watching an assault with intense interest. Those who stood near him
+were afraid he would be hit by a chance shot, and one of his aids
+ventured to say that the situation was very much exposed.
+
+"If you think so," replied he gravely, "you are at liberty to step
+back."
+
+A little later a musket ball hit a cannon near the group and fell at
+Washington's feet. General Knox grasped his arm.
+
+"My dear general," exclaimed he, "we can't spare you yet."
+
+"It is a spent ball," answered the Commander-in-Chief quietly; "no harm
+is done."
+
+When the redoubts were taken, he drew a long breath and said to Knox,
+"The work is done, and _well done_!" During the battle, a famous
+Virginia officer, Governor Nelson, who had raised troops and supplied
+money at his own risk, was asked what part of the town it would be best
+to fire upon. He pointed to a large, handsome building, which he thought
+was probably the enemy's headquarters. It was his own house!
+
+=213. The Superb Victory at Yorktown.=--After a few days of fighting,
+Cornwallis found himself in so hopeless a condition that he made an
+unsuccessful attempt to escape. Shortly afterward he was forced to
+surrender with eleven thousand men, a hundred and sixty cannon, a huge
+amount of camp supplies, and ten thousand dollars in money. Five days
+after the surrender, General Clinton arrived with ships and heavy
+reinforcements. Too late, Sir Henry, too late!
+
+When the news of the capture of Cornwallis reached London, Lord North,
+the British Prime Minister, walked up and down his room, wringing his
+hands and crying out, "O God! it is all over! It is all over!"
+
+How unspeakably the great leader's heart must have rejoiced at this
+famous victory; the labors, anxieties, and sufferings of seven years
+ending at last in glorious triumph! The whole country gave way to
+transports of joy. Congress appointed a day of general thanksgiving and
+prayer, and voted special thanks to the distinguished generals and many
+other officers. It was felt that a death-blow had been given to
+England's efforts to crush the colonies.
+
+The victory at Yorktown practically ended the war. It took several years
+for the country to recover from the wreck and ruin wrought, to frame the
+machinery of our new government, and to lay the solid foundations of
+this grand edifice of constitutional liberty. In all this work of
+nation-building Washington was a prominent actor, no less sagacious as a
+statesman than as a skilled warrior.
+
+=214. Washington, the First President of the United States.=--When it came
+to the choice of a first president, all eyes turned to that one stately
+figure--to him who had saved his country in war, and who in peace could
+best carry its precious interests safely in his great brain and heart.
+He was unanimously elected--not a vote for any other person--an honor
+never paralleled. With his usual modesty he would have declined; but his
+sense of duty and his willingness to serve his country made him accept.
+
+His journey to New York was one continued ovation. Bells were rung,
+cannon fired, and eloquent addresses made. All the vessels in New York
+harbor were gayly decked with flags. When the dignified President-elect
+landed, the salutes of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the shouts of
+the crowd were multiplied tenfold.
+
+On April 30, 1789, Washington took the solemn oath to perform the duties
+of the President of the United States.
+
+On this important occasion he was dressed in a suit of dark brown cloth
+of American manufacture. He wore white silk stockings, silver buckles
+and a steel-hilted sword. His hair was powdered and tied behind,
+according to the fashion of that time. The day was given up to
+rejoicings; and in the evening there were illuminations and fireworks.
+
+Washington was re�lected, and served his country honorably for two terms
+of four years each. His administration was worthy in every way of his
+great ability, his statesmanship, and his exalted patriotism.
+
+=215. Washington retires to Private Life.=--Beloved and honored by a whole
+people, but weary of public life, Washington at last retired to his
+beautiful and beloved Mount Vernon to enjoy a well-earned repose. He
+took up his former manner of living. He began to repair his buildings
+and to improve his estate. His good wife, Martha, said that she and the
+general when he left the presidency felt like children just released
+from school, and she spoke of her satisfaction in settling down again to
+the "duties of an old-fashioned Virginia housekeeper, steady as a clock,
+busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
+
+  [Illustration: MARTHA WASHINGTON.]
+
+Washington was a model farmer. He gave personal attention to every
+detail. He rode on horseback ten or fifteen miles every morning, looking
+after his estate and its servants. Two o'clock was the dinner hour;
+three o'clock if there were guests of importance. The general would not
+wait more than five minutes for any guest, however distinguished. So
+much time he allowed for the difference of watches. "My cook," said he,
+"does not ask whether the guests have arrived, but whether the hour
+has."
+
+Washington's dress and appearance were very simple. "How shall I know
+him?" asked a gentleman who was about to ride off in search of him.
+
+"You will meet, sir," replied his friend, "an old gentleman riding alone
+in plain drab clothes, a broad-brimmed white hat, a hickory switch in
+his hand, and an umbrella with a long staff attached to his saddle-bow.
+That person, sir, is General Washington."
+
+A pleasant story is told by a gentleman who was a guest at Mount Vernon.
+It seems that he coughed much during the early part of the night. "After
+some time had elapsed," said the guest, "the door of my room was gently
+opened, and, on drawing my bed curtains, I saw Washington himself,
+standing at my bedside, with a bowl of hot tea in his hand."
+
+No wish for power, or regret at being no longer before the eyes of the
+world, ever disturbed the happiness of Washington in his retirement. A
+little over two years now passed happily at the great mansion, with its
+generous living and its gracious hospitality.
+
+=216. Sickness and Death; Universal Sorrow.=--One day in December, 1799,
+while taking his usual ride on horseback Washington was exposed to rain,
+hail, and snow, with a raw wind blowing. The next day his family noticed
+that he had a slight cold, but he paid no heed to such trifling
+ailments.
+
+The next day he was much worse, breathed with difficulty, and could
+hardly speak. His mind was perfectly clear, and he believed he should
+not get well. He was never unprepared for death. The same night he
+passed away.
+
+Mourning spread over the whole country. In foreign lands as well as at
+home the news was received with sincerest sorrow. The American people
+felt that they had indeed lost their protector, the Father of his
+Country.
+
+  [Illustration: MOUNT VERNON, THE HOME OF WASHINGTON.]
+
+To Americans his memory will always be precious. His birthday is
+celebrated every year throughout our broad land; and the bell of every
+steamer that glides along the quiet Potomac tolls as it slowly passes
+Mount Vernon, the last resting-place of George Washington!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE SOUTH.
+
+
+=217. Utter Failure thus far to subdue the Colonists.=--Midway in the war
+of the Revolution there was a period of over two years when active
+fighting was for the most part suspended. After the surrender of
+Burgoyne at Saratoga, the English seemed to lose heart. A feeble effort
+was even made by the British government to secure peace. England would
+yield everything except the claim of the colonies to independence. This
+was the very thing that now, after three years of fighting, the colonies
+would not yield.
+
+Each side seemed to be tired of bloodshed. The patriots were in a bad
+enough way, and England had her troubles with other nations.
+
+Of all the territory the British had occupied during three years, the
+only spot they now held was New York, and even there Washington's superb
+generalship with his small but active army was giving them constant
+trouble.
+
+=218. The British now attempt to subdue the Southern Colonies.=--Thus it
+became necessary for the British to contrive some plan that would offer
+better results. They now proposed to go south, subdue one colony after
+another, and so push their conquests northward.
+
+The British had already tried their hand at the south, and with results
+not quite to their liking. In June, 1776, General Clinton came with a
+fleet to capture Charleston. But Colonel William Moultrie had built on
+an island in the harbor a low redoubt of palmetto logs and sand bags,
+from which his guns made sad havoc with the fleet, while the British
+shot could not pierce through the tough, spongy logs of the fort. After
+a disastrous fight, Clinton went back disheartened. The gallant defense
+of this fort had a most wholesome effect upon the patriot cause.
+
+  [Illustration: SERGEANT JASPER'S BOLD DEED.]
+
+One heroic deed of the battle is often told. The flag of the fort
+floated from a high mast, against which the enemy directed their fire
+until the top of the flagstaff was shot away and fell over the ramparts
+on the beach. A daring soldier by the name of William Jasper leaped over
+the wall of palmetto logs, walked the whole length of the fort in the
+face of the enemy's fire, tore away the flag, fastened it to the rammer
+of a cannon, and floated it on the ramparts.
+
+=219. Disasters to the Patriot Cause.=--In December, 1778, a large British
+force, sent from New York, landed and captured Savannah with about five
+hundred prisoners. The enemy also captured Augusta, brought all Georgia
+under British control, and put the royal governor back into office.
+
+In October, 1779, our General Lincoln and a French fleet made a combined
+attack on Savannah, hoping to recapture it, but they utterly failed.
+These two disasters in two years were very discouraging to all
+Americans.
+
+The year 1780 brought still worse fortune, for early in the year Clinton
+came again from New York and made a second attack on Charleston. In May
+he captured the city and all Lincoln's army, with four hundred cannon.
+Clinton then returned to New York, leaving Cornwallis in command with
+five thousand men.
+
+The British, possessing Savannah and Charleston with the river
+connections, held the key to the whole of Georgia and South Carolina.
+They could obtain all their supplies by water, and so did not need to
+rely upon the country for support.
+
+=220. The Bitter and Cruel Warfare in the South.=--The patriots did not
+now have a body of soldiers in the south large enough to call an army.
+The entire region was open to British plunder.
+
+Bands of soldiers roamed through the country, plundering, burning, and
+killing without restraint. No mercy was shown to patriots. A squad of
+soldier bandits once came to the home of Thomas Sumter, the famous
+patriot officer, turned his wife and children out of doors and burned
+the house.
+
+Sumter was a bold and energetic fighter in the wild warfare of the
+south. He was a tall and powerful man and of a very stern make-up. He
+lived to be ninety-nine years of age--the last surviving general of the
+Revolution. "But for Sumter and Marion," said Cornwallis, "South
+Carolina would be at peace."
+
+There now remained in South Carolina but one battalion of patriot
+soldiers. These were about four hundred in number under Colonel Buford,
+then in the northwestern part of the state. Clinton sent against him a
+force of seven hundred regulars and Tories under Colonel Tarleton, an
+active but base and cruel man.
+
+Tarleton surrounded the patriots and demanded their surrender. While
+Buford was quietly discussing the matter, his soldiers resting at ease
+under the protection of a flag of truce, Tarleton treacherously arranged
+his men for an attack. Suddenly the flag of truce was taken down, and
+instantly the British cavalry rushed from all sides upon Buford's men
+and killed one hundred and thirteen and wounded one hundred and fifty.
+
+Even the boys were nerved to deeds of valor. A schoolboy named Andrew
+Jackson, thirteen years old, who had seen the dead of the Buford
+massacre, and helped care for the wounded, and whose own brother had
+been killed by the British, was himself captured. While under guard, a
+pompous British officer came up to him and cried out:--
+
+"Here, boy! clean my boots!"
+
+"No, sir! clean your own boots. I am a prisoner of war and entitled to
+better treatment."
+
+Down came the officer's sword, aiming at the boy's head. Warding off the
+blow with his arm, he received a wound, the marks of which he carried to
+his grave. This boy grew up to become the seventh president of the
+United States!
+
+=221. General Gates meets with Disaster.=--When General Washington learned
+of the disasters in the south, the loss of Savannah and Charleston and
+of Lincoln's army, he was anxious to send down General Greene, his
+right-hand man. But Congress unwisely interfered, and sent General
+Gates, who had contrived to get the credit of Burgoyne's capture at
+Saratoga.
+
+In August, Gates moved to Camden, S. C., to meet Cornwallis. A strange
+battle ensued. Each general had planned to surprise the other by a night
+attack; the armies met in the dark. Both waited till daylight, and then
+the battle began. It was a disastrous defeat for the patriots. Gates's
+army was destroyed. This was perhaps the worst catastrophe of the war.
+
+Now the patriot prospect was wretched enough. Where could there be any
+hope? The Tories all through the state were delighted, and thronged to
+the British side.
+
+=222. Marion proves a Source of Terror to the British.=--The patriots felt
+now that they must defend themselves singly or in small groups; there
+was no army to help them. So they assembled, a few dozen here and there,
+and used their utmost endeavors on every opportunity to cripple the
+enemy. The British had small stations through the state, from which
+murderous raids could be made. They would plunder, burn, slay, and then
+return to their posts. To attack these posts, or to do any military work
+successfully, the patriots needed a leader. One soon came, Francis
+Marion, who combined a few groups of patriots and did most effective
+work with them.
+
+  [Illustration: MARION'S TROOPERS ATTACKING A BRITISH CAMP.]
+
+This gallant and intrepid partisan chieftain was rather below the middle
+stature, lean, and swarthy. His forehead was large and high, and his
+eyes black and piercing. He was at this time about forty-eight years of
+age, with a body capable of enduring great fatigue and every privation.
+He never tarnished his fame with acts of cruelty.
+
+"Never shall a house be burned by one of my men," said he; "to distress
+helpless women and children is what I detest."
+
+Marion used to wear a close-fitting red jacket and a leather cap. His
+body was so slight that he never did personal deeds of valor. His sword
+was so rarely used that once he could not draw it from the scabbard on
+account of the rust.
+
+Never was Napoleon's guard more attached to their general than were
+Marion's men to the partisan chief who so often led them to victory.
+
+=223. How the "Swamp Fox" did his Fighting.=--Marion was familiar with the
+country, and in many of the numerous swamps he occupied, with his
+troopers, secret haunts approached by devious paths not easily followed.
+The British, smarting under his attacks, called him the "swamp fox"; but
+he proved to them rather a wolf or a tiger. These patriots who sprang to
+his side to defend their homes were patriots indeed. They had no pay, no
+uniforms, and but scanty clothing. They were a shabby-looking band of
+soldiers; but their arms were strong and their hearts were true.
+
+Many had no guns, until they supplied themselves from the enemy. They
+melted their pewter dishes for bullets. They often made their breakfast
+on blackberries, dined on potatoes and green corn, and not infrequently
+supped on the memory of their dinner.
+
+Much of the time Marion himself did not have even a blanket. One night
+his bed of brush caught fire, and it not only burnt his blanket but
+singed his hair and spoilt his leather cap!
+
+Marion always kept his plans secret, even from his own officers, until
+the moment for action came. There was an air of mystery in what he
+undertook, and a bustle of hearty enterprise about his movements, which
+gave a charm to life in his famous brigade. Marion enjoyed fully the
+confidence of his men, shared all their privations, and braved more than
+his share of their dangers.
+
+=224. One of Marion's First Exploits.=--One of Marion's first exploits was
+against a large force of Tories under Major Gainey. Marion and his men
+fell on his camp at daybreak as suddenly as if they had dropped from the
+clouds. Gainey fled on horseback, closely pursued by Major James, who
+followed so fast and so far that he suddenly found himself alone and
+getting surrounded by Tories. His quick wits saved him.
+
+Turning in his saddle and waving his sword, he shouted back as if to a
+large body of followers, "Come on, boys! Here they are!" The Tories
+scattered and fled! In this little brush Marion did not lose a man.
+
+Marion was always on the alert--quick, dash, fire, away!--that was his
+way of fighting. No wonder he carried terror to the enemy. And yet he
+never used exactly the same tactics twice. Once he planned to fall
+suddenly on a force twice as large as his own. It had a watchful leader
+who could not be caught napping. Dangerous business, we say. Yes, but
+see how the "swamp fox" did it! He carefully hid a body of his best
+sharpshooters in ambush along the road about a mile from the British.
+
+Then he made a lively attack on the enemy and soon retreated along this
+road. Of course the enemy followed briskly, when up sprang Marion's
+troopers in ambush and soon defeated them. "All's fair in war," says the
+proverb.
+
+These furious and almost incessant attacks kept the British in terror.
+They never knew when they were safe.
+
+=225. Some of Marion's Famous Exploits.=--Many a story of this daring
+chieftain's exploits used to be told by the evening fireside. In
+October, 1780, Marion brought hope to the patriots by one of his
+brilliant attacks. Colonel Tynes was gathering a large body of Tories to
+assist the British, and he held stores of guns, ammunition, and clothing
+for their use. Marion's scouts learned all the facts. These were just
+the articles he wanted for his half-clothed, half-fed, and poorly armed
+men.
+
+For him to resolve was to act. He came cautiously at midnight. The
+camp-fires were burning; some soldiers were singing, some playing
+cards, some eating stolen chickens; but nobody was on guard. Marion's
+troopers rushed in with a wild shout, and the attack went all one way. A
+large number were killed, twenty-three were taken prisoners, and the
+supplies of the Tory camp were enjoyed by Marion's men for a long time.
+Not one of his force was lost.
+
+Soon after Gates's defeat, Marion learned by his scouts that the British
+were not far off with a large body of American prisoners. He sent at
+midnight a squad to hold the road to their camp, and before dawn he
+approached it silently with his own force. Just at daylight he made a
+sudden attack upon them. The surprise and the assault were an amazing
+success. Twenty-four of the enemy were killed or captured, and one
+hundred and fifty captives were set free, while not one of his men was
+lost.
+
+=226. Marion invites a British Officer to Dinner.=--One day a young
+British officer came to Marion under a flag of truce, to plan an
+exchange of some prisoners. The business finished, Marion asked the
+officer to dine with him. The dinner consisted entirely of baked sweet
+potatoes brought by a negro on a piece of bark for a plate, with a log
+for a table.
+
+"But this can't be your usual fare?" asked the Britisher.
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Marion, "and we are lucky to-day to have enough for
+company."
+
+This was no idle talk to affect the young officer, but it did impress
+him; for the story is that on returning to his own camp he said, "It's
+no use trying; I've seen Marion, and I tell you that men who work for no
+pay and live on potatoes while fighting for their liberties, are not
+going to be beaten, and I am not going to fight any longer against them.
+I shall resign to-day."
+
+  [Illustration: MARION INVITES A BRITISH OFFICER TO DINE WITH HIM.]
+
+=227. A Great Victory at King's Mountain.=--After the Camden disaster the
+deep gloom continued till October, when Colonel Ferguson was sent with a
+force of British and Tories to the northwest to subdue the patriots in
+that region. Instantly there was a general uprising of the hunters and
+farmers of this wild and romantic region to defend their homes from the
+brutal enemy. These hardy mountaineers, ready to move at a moment's
+warning, came from every direction to a common meeting-place.
+
+At King's Mountain, in North Carolina, where the British were
+entrenched, these American riflemen charged up the steep sides,
+surrounded the enemy, and cut them down till about half were killed and
+the rest fled in dismay. It was a brilliant victory, won by sheer hard
+fighting, and it brought supreme joy to the long-suffering patriots; for
+it proved to be decisive. It turned the tide of British rule in the
+south.
+
+=228. General Greene takes Command in the South.=--A new Continental army
+was now to be sent from the north, and this time Washington had his
+choice of commanders. He sent one of his best and most trusted officers,
+General Greene, who had been a Rhode Island blacksmith. He knew how to
+fight; for he had served under the eye of Washington in many battles,
+and so had been well trained in military matters.
+
+It was in December, 1780, that Greene took command of the so-called
+"southern army" at Charlotte, a little town in North Carolina. He had in
+all about two thousand men, but only eight hundred were fit for duty.
+
+On the day Greene took command there were not three days' provisions in
+camp. He had no money. The people would not touch the Continental paper
+money. Ably, patiently, and brilliantly, this sagacious general at once
+set to work to effect his great purpose of driving the British armies
+from the south.
+
+With Greene came another famous officer, General Daniel Morgan, the man
+who had marched with Arnold to Canada, and who commanded the infantry at
+Stillwater and Saratoga.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL GREENE TAKING COMMAND OF THE SOUTHERN ARMY.]
+
+This was the man who, when he heard of Lexington, led his riflemen six
+hundred miles in twenty-one days, from Virginia, to join Washington in
+Cambridge.
+
+Morgan was of gigantic stature, vast physical strength, and wonderful
+powers of endurance. In his youth he was a teamster. One day by order of
+a tyrannical British officer he was given five hundred lashes for some
+slight offense. He walked away saucy and defiant as before.
+
+Of a gentle and unselfish nature, resolute, fearless in battle, a born
+fighter, Morgan was the ideal leader of the riflemen of the frontier.
+His force was smaller than Greene's, who had detached him to occupy a
+post in South Carolina.
+
+=229. How General Morgan defeated the British at Cowpens.=--Cornwallis in
+January, 1781, sent Tarleton with eleven hundred troops to meet Morgan
+and dispose of him. They met at Cowpens, but Morgan, with a smaller
+army, reversed the order and disposed of Tarleton! He killed a large
+number, ten officers and more than one hundred men, took over five
+hundred prisoners, with all the artillery and stores.
+
+It was at Cowpens that Colonel Washington, a distant relative of the
+Commander-in-Chief, wounded Tarleton in a hand-to-hand combat. Shortly
+afterwards this hated British officer said to a lady:--
+
+"You seem to think very highly of Colonel Washington; and yet I have
+been told that he is so ignorant a fellow that he can hardly write his
+name."
+
+"It may be so," quickly replied the lady; "but no man can testify better
+than yourself that he knows how to 'make his mark.'"
+
+At another time the haughty Tarleton, boasting of his own deeds and
+speaking with disdain of the continental cavalry, said to a lady:--
+
+"I have a very earnest desire to see your far-famed hero, Colonel
+Washington."
+
+"Your wish, colonel, might have been gratified," she promptly replied,
+"had you dared to look behind you at the battle of Cowpens!"
+
+=230. Greene's Masterly Retreat.=--How angry Cornwallis was at the ruin of
+his best army at Cowpens! He started to pursue Morgan and punish him.
+But the patriot general foresaw this, and not having soldiers enough, he
+got well ahead, and one day at dusk crossed the Catawba River. The
+advanced detachment of Cornwallis's army came up two hours later, and
+waited for morning. That night a heavy rain swelled the stream and
+checked the British advance. Morgan pushed on to the Yadkin and crossed,
+meeting Greene's army.
+
+Determined that his little band should not be destroyed, since the fate
+of the war in the south depended upon it, and not being strong enough to
+meet Cornwallis with his well-equipped regiments in open battle, Greene
+now planned a retreat with as much method and care as he would have
+exercised in preparing for a battle.
+
+The river Roanoke for a long distance runs near the boundary between
+Virginia and North Carolina. The upper portion of this stream is called
+the Dan. Greene now started for the fords of this river, seventy miles
+away, with Cornwallis close at his heels. The roads were deep with mud
+and almost impassable. The patriot soldiers, wretchedly clothed and
+nearly barefoot, struggled along, marking the road, as Greene wrote to
+Washington, with blood-stained tracks.
+
+"How you must suffer from the cold!" said the general to a barefooted
+sentry.
+
+"I do not complain," replied the soldier; "I know I should fare well if
+our general could procure supplies; and if, as you say, we fight in a
+few days, I shall take care to get some shoes."
+
+It was a most masterly and gallant retreat. The men were kept in hand,
+and a serious encounter with the enemy was avoided.
+
+One morning during the retreat, when everything seemed dark, Greene rode
+up to the door of a tavern. The host, a true friend, met him.
+
+"What! alive, my dear general?"
+
+"Yes; tired, hungry, alone, and penniless."
+
+The hostess, Mrs. Elizabeth Steele, was of the stuff of which patriots
+are made. She gave the weary general a good breakfast, and while he was
+eating she put in his hands a bag filled with bright silver dollars,
+saying, "You need them, and I can do without them."
+
+As the story goes, the gallant Greene, admiring the devotion of the
+noble woman, stepped to the mantel, over which hung a portrait of King
+George, turned it to the wall, and wrote upon the back, "Hide thy face,
+King George, and blush!"
+
+  [Illustration: THE PATRIOTIC AND GENEROUS LANDLADY.]
+
+Cornwallis pressed the patriots hard through forests and over streams,
+but he was baffled at every move. Reaching the river Dan, the American
+army was safely carried over by the boats which its sagacious commander
+had arranged for many days before.
+
+Cornwallis came up in hot haste only to find that the deep and rapid
+river flowed between him and his foe. It would have been madness for
+him to cross the river. He sullenly withdrew his army to a point farther
+south.
+
+=231. Greene now begins to fight and shows Rare Generalship.=--Having
+recruited and rested his men, Greene moved his army south of the Dan and
+began active operations. He followed sharply after Cornwallis, and in
+March brought him to battle at Guilford. The fight was severe, and the
+British general, though he gained the advantage, was so roughly handled
+that he retired towards Wilmington, the nearest point on the coast.
+
+Greene now made a bold and hazardous move. Instead of preventing
+Cornwallis from advancing to the north, he left the British general to
+do as he pleased, faced about suddenly and boldly marched to South
+Carolina. His plan was to thrust himself between the main British army
+and its southern division and then attack the latter and their fortified
+posts.
+
+Like a skillful general, having decided upon this daring change, Greene
+acted quickly. He marched with all speed for Camden, one hundred and
+sixty miles distant. His object was to break the British hold upon South
+Carolina.
+
+A brighter day was now dawning, and the sunshine of hope was soon to
+appear. The adroit activities of Marion, Sumter, and Pickens, and the
+skill and vigor of Greene and Morgan were now bringing their harvest,
+and they gave the patriots new life and cheer.
+
+At Hobkirks Hill, near Camden, Greene attacked the British. He was
+defeated, but it was a fruitless victory.
+
+"We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again," wrote Greene to a friend.
+
+One by one the strong posts of the enemy in South Carolina fell into our
+hands. The British hold on both the Carolinas was slowly but surely
+broken. The enemy wisely kept near the coast. The last battle of the
+long and stubborn struggle was fought at Eutaw Springs, S. C., in
+September, 1781. The contest was desperate on both sides; but the
+British, badly crippled, retreated in the night to Charleston.
+
+=232. Greene's Brilliant Campaign in the South.=--Greene had with the
+scantiest of means done a great work in his southern campaign. He had
+driven Cornwallis to Virginia, to meet his fate at Yorktown. He had
+cleared both Carolinas of the British and restored them to the patriots.
+
+In few if any campaigns carried on with small armies was ever so
+effective and brilliant work done as did General Greene with his little
+force of patriots. Most mortifying was it to the haughty British
+commanders to know that they had been out-generaled, out-marched, and in
+the long run, out-fought by a Yankee blacksmith.
+
+The war in the south was now soon over. Savannah was captured in July,
+1782; in December, 1783, the British left Charleston. It was a proud day
+for Greene and Morgan and Marion when they followed with their army on
+the heels of the departing foe. As the patriots marched in, happy
+thousands cheered, and floral wreaths flew from crowded windows.
+
+The noble Greene lived only a few years after he had carried the
+Revolution to a triumph in the south. He died in 1786 from the effects
+of a sunstroke.
+
+Among the great generals of the American Revolution, it is generally
+admitted that Greene ranked, in military genius, second only to
+Washington.
+
+General Anthony Wayne, called "Mad Anthony" on account of his daring,
+who had fought by the side of Greene, and who watched by the death-bed
+of his comrade, wrote to a friend: "He was great as a soldier, great as
+a citizen, immaculate as a friend. The honors--the greatest honors of
+war--are due his remains. I have seen a great and good man die."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE STORY OF ARNOLD'S TREASON.
+
+
+=233. A Gloomy Outlook for the Patriot Cause in 1780.=--During the long
+war of the Revolution from Lexington in 1775 to Yorktown in 1781, there
+were many times when it seemed as if it were really of no use for the
+Americans to fight for independence. Of these years probably 1780 was
+the darkest.
+
+We have just read of the sad disasters in the south during this year. If
+"hope long deferred maketh the heart sick," surely our forefathers had
+at this time ample cause for discouragement. It seemed to many, no
+doubt, that the policy of the British Parliament of "tiring the
+Americans out" might succeed after all.
+
+Financial matters were in a deplorable condition. Congress had no
+authority to raise money by taxation to carry on the war. Sometimes the
+colonies responded to the call for money from Congress; oftener they did
+not. There were paper promises enough issued by Congress and known as
+continental currency, but they had sadly fallen in value. Washington, it
+is said, once remarked that it took a wagon-load of it to buy a
+wagon-load of provisions. Samuel Adams tells us that he paid two
+thousand dollars for a hat and a suit of clothes.
+
+A tradesman, to show his contempt for it, papered his shop with
+continental currency. The current phrase, "not worth a continental," has
+survived all these years as a reminder of the deplorable condition of
+our finances at this time. No wonder the famishing and half-frozen
+soldiers in Washington's army, when paid off in the flimsy stuff, were
+mutinous at times, and that the desertions averaged more than a hundred
+a month.
+
+=234. Arnold the Traitor.=--In the midst of all the trials of this "year
+of disasters," the country was startled by the disclosure of a plot of
+the blackest treason. The recklessly brave but unscrupulous Arnold
+proved himself a traitor of the deepest dye.
+
+Born in Connecticut, he was early known as "a bad boy." From earliest
+childhood he was disobedient, cruel, reckless, and profane, caring
+little or nothing for the good will of others. While he was apprentice
+to an apothecary he enlisted in the colonial army, but soon deserted.
+Afterwards he set up as druggist in New Haven, but wasted the money he
+earned and ended the business by becoming bankrupt.
+
+=235. His Brilliant Military Career.=--When the startling news from
+Lexington thrilled all the country, Arnold raised a company of soldiers
+and was appointed captain. Soon he became colonel and aided Ethan Allen
+in the attack on Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Next he was sent to
+assist General Montgomery in the assault on Quebec, where he proved
+himself a valiant soldier. He received a severe wound in the leg while
+gallantly leading his men. For these useful services, Congress made him
+a brigadier-general.
+
+Soon after this, Congress bestowed upon five prominent brigadiers the
+distinguished rank of major-general, but Arnold was not one of them. He
+felt slighted and became very jealous. Washington wrote him a kindly
+letter, which partly appeased his wounded vanity.
+
+During the Burgoyne campaign, as we have read, Arnold won special renown
+for his splendid bravery at the battle of Saratoga, where he was again
+wounded. For his signal valor in this battle he was now made a
+major-general. But even this probably failed to satisfy him; for there
+were still five others superior to him in rank.
+
+=236. The Beginning of his Wicked Career.=--As his wounded leg needed
+rest, Arnold obtained from Washington, in the summer of 1778, the
+command of Philadelphia, lately evacuated by the British. During his
+nine months there his conduct was bad. His manners were haughty and
+insolent. He lived with costly extravagance far beyond his means, drove
+a fine coach and four, and gave splendid parties. His associates were
+largely among the Tories, and he married a Miss Shippen, a bitterly
+disloyal young woman. His intimate friends were now for the most part
+the enemies of his country.
+
+Arnold's expensive habits of living soon brought him deeply in debt, and
+when the storekeepers urged payment of their bills, he contrived
+dishonest methods of obtaining money belonging to the government. Formal
+charges of misconduct were made; he was tried, found guilty, and
+sentenced to the very mild punishment of a public reproof by the
+Commander-in-Chief. This reprimand Washington performed as gently as
+possible, sparing his feelings by combining high praise for his past
+heroism with censure for his late misdeeds.
+
+Arnold was angry. He had hoped to escape all censure. You may know how
+black a villain he was from the fact that, in his speech in court,
+defending himself, he spoke of his past services in battle and promised
+even more faithful devotion in future to his dear country, which he
+said he loved as his own life. It came out afterwards that even then he
+had been for months secretly exchanging letters with Sir Henry Clinton,
+and plotting how to betray his country! His letters were signed
+"Gustavus," and were secretly sent by his wife. The replies from Clinton
+purported to be from "John Anderson."
+
+=237. Secretly plans to betray his Country.=--Arnold knew that of all
+things Clinton most longed to get possession of West Point; for it was
+the key of the river northward up to Lake Champlain, and it also
+controlled the crossing between New England and the Middle States.
+Arnold studied how to betray it, and by one bad act to satisfy both his
+revenge and his greed for money.
+
+The first thing to do was to change the sullenness that had marked his
+behavior since the trial. He at once became cheerful, loudly patriotic,
+and so eager to help his dear country! Next he contrived to persuade
+some prominent officers to induce Washington to appoint him to the
+command of West Point. Not suspecting his treachery, Washington gave him
+the place. He took command in August, 1780.
+
+=238. Arnold and Andr� meet, and plot Treason.=--Now Arnold's plot began
+to ripen. But Clinton wanted to be very sure of what he was doing. He
+concluded to send a trusty officer to meet Arnold and settle the plan
+beyond doubt. So he selected the Adjutant General of his army, a
+brilliant young officer, Major John Andr�, who knew all about it thus
+far, for he was the "John Anderson" who had, under Clinton's directions,
+answered the "Gustavus" letters.
+
+On the morning that he started, Andr� had a parting lunch with his
+fellow officers, with wine-drinking and song-singing--a right jolly
+time! Ah! if he could only have foreseen! Andr� was an estimable young
+man, brave, educated, accomplished, a poet, an artist, and brought up in
+the best society of England.
+
+Andr� went up the Hudson in the sloop-of-war Vulture. After the moon
+went down, and it was dark enough for such a deed, a boat came silently
+from the west shore near Haverstraw, and took back from the vessel a
+tall young man wrapped in a black cloak. Arnold met him on the bank and
+led him into a thicket of fir trees. There, like two ugly spirits of
+evil, they crouched in the darkness, and talked over the details of the
+dastardly deed.
+
+Arnold, eager for British gold, haggled for a higher price. They plotted
+the utter ruin of the patriot cause, till, at the earliest streak of
+dawn, boom! boom! sounded some cannon! The traitor was frightened! One
+of our shore batteries was firing a few shots at the Vulture, so that
+she had to drop down stream a few miles. Andr� therefore could not
+return directly to the Vulture, but was obliged to remain hidden all
+that day.
+
+The plans had all been arranged. Clinton was to send up a fleet with
+soldiers to West Point, and Arnold was meanwhile to have removed most of
+his troops from the fort on some pretense, so that Clinton's force could
+easily capture it. Arnold gave Andr� some papers to carry to Clinton,
+maps of the fort, with instructions how to approach and take it.
+
+Sir Henry had warned Andr� not to receive any papers from Arnold nor to
+put on any disguise. Andr� for some reason did not obey these orders. He
+may have suspected that, after all, some trap was planned to deceive the
+British, and thought best to carry back papers in Arnold's own
+handwriting. At all events, it was a fatal mistake for poor Andr�.
+
+=239. Capture of Andr�.=--- Andr� wore long riding-boots. Between his
+stockings and the soles of his feet he put these papers. He took also a
+pass from Arnold to carry him through the guards. The Vulture having
+dropped down the river, Andr� crossed over and set out on horseback to
+go back to New York on the east side.
+
+All went well until he reached the vicinity of Tarrytown. At this time
+the region was infested with "cowboys" and "skinners," who under the
+pretense of keeping up a partisan warfare for their respective sides
+used to steal whatever they could find.
+
+On this morning several men from the American army had been sent out to
+look after the "cowboys." As Andr� rode along, three of this party
+sprang from the bushes, leveled their muskets at him, and ordered him to
+halt. They were young men, and their names were John Paulding, David
+Williams, and Isaac Van Wart. One of them happened to have on the coat
+of a Hessian soldier whom he had captured. This may have misled Andr�
+and prompted him to make a blunder.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Andr�, "I hope you belong to our side."
+
+"Which side?" asked Van Wart.
+
+"The lower party," answered Andr�. "I am a British officer on urgent
+duty, and hope you will not detain me."
+
+Then the three patriots ordered him off his horse. Andr� saw his
+mistake. He showed them Arnold's pass, but they insisted on searching
+him. They examined his saddle, took off his coat and vest, but finding
+nothing wrong, were about to let him go, when Paulding said:--
+
+"Boys, I am not satisfied; his boots must come off."
+
+Andr� objected: "his boots were very tight--he must not be
+detained--you'll suffer yet for what you are doing."
+
+But off came the boots, and out came the fatal papers!
+
+"Boys, this fine fellow is a spy!" exclaimed Paulding.
+
+  [Illustration: CAPTURE OF ANDR�.]
+
+Andr� offered his captors his splendid gold watch, his horse, and a
+thousand dollars in money, if they would only let him off. The three
+common soldiers proved true to themselves and to their great cause and
+refused a bribe. Believing their captive to be a spy, they took him to
+their commander, Colonel Jameson.
+
+=240. The Arch Traitor makes his Escape.=--This officer made the blunder
+of sending a messenger to Arnold with a letter saying a certain John
+Anderson had been arrested! The horseman found the arch traitor at
+breakfast with several of his prominent officers as his guests. His
+beautiful young wife was presiding with charming grace at the table.
+
+Arnold, concealing his terror, left the table, kissed his sleeping babe,
+told his fainting wife he might never see her again, seized a horse,
+galloped to the river, sprang into a boat, and urged the oarsmen by
+their love of money and rum to row him to the Vulture. When the boat
+reached the vessel, the traitor was so mean as to hand over the poor
+oarsmen as prisoners. But the British captain generously sent them back.
+
+Washington arrived at Arnold's house a few hours after he had escaped,
+and when the papers in Arnold's handwriting were shown him, his hand
+shook; he was overwhelmed with amazement and sorrow.
+
+Turning to Lafayette, with tears running down his cheeks, and choking
+with grief, he cried out:--
+
+"Arnold is a traitor, and has fled to the British! Whom can we trust
+now?"
+
+It was only for a moment. The next instant Washington had recovered his
+iron self-control.
+
+=241. What became of Arnold.=--Washington contrived an ingenious plan to
+capture Arnold, but it failed. The traitor got his reward; he was made a
+major-general in the British army and received thirty thousand dollars
+for his villany. But the gold turned to ashes in his hands. Everybody
+despised him. Men pointed the finger of scorn at him, saying, "There
+goes Arnold the traitor."
+
+A member of Parliament, in the midst of a speech saw Arnold in the
+gallery, and, pausing, said, "Mr. Speaker, I will not go on while that
+traitor is in the house."
+
+Washington had, all the years before, been Arnold's steadfast friend. He
+admired one who could fight with such energy, and who never knew fear.
+After the treason it is said that Washington could never mention the
+traitor's name without a shudder.
+
+"What do you think of the doings of that diabolical dog?" wrote Colonel
+Williams, the gallant southern fighter, to General Morgan.
+
+"Curse on his folly and perfidy!" said the noble-hearted General Greene.
+"How mortifying to think that he is a New Englander!"
+
+=242. Andr�'s Sad Fate.=--The three faithful men who captured Andr� were
+highly honored. Each received a silver medal from Congress, with a life
+pension of two hundred dollars a year. Their graves are marked by
+worthy monuments.
+
+But poor Andr�! what became of him? He was tried within a week by a
+court-martial of fourteen generals and condemned to death as a spy.
+
+"We cannot save him," said the kindly old veteran, Baron Steuben. "Oh
+that we had the traitor who has dragged this gallant young officer to
+death, so that he might suffer in his stead!" Andr� wrote a full and
+frank letter to Washington, urging that he was not really a spy. All
+Americans felt deep pity for him because of his youth, his virtues, his
+many accomplishments, his belief that he was serving his country, and
+because he had been the victim of a villain.
+
+But Americans could not forget that the British, four years before, had
+captured a brave young American officer, Captain Nathan Hale, and hanged
+him as a spy without any manifestation of pity or sympathy.
+
+The officer who commanded the escort that brought Andr� across the
+Hudson to the main army was a college classmate of Hale. As the young
+officers rode along on horseback, mention was made of Hale's sad fate.
+
+"Surely," said Andr�, "you do not think his case and mine alike!"
+
+"They are precisely alike," answered the officer, "and similar will be
+your fate."
+
+Washington, who shed tears when he signed the death warrant, would
+gladly have saved Andr�'s life; but the stern rules of war and the good
+of the American cause left no room for mercy. His execution was put off
+one day, it is said, in hope that Arnold might be captured and made to
+suffer in his stead.
+
+Andr� bravely faced the awful event, and on the morning of the day of
+his death conversed freely and even cheerfully. He was disturbed only
+about the mode of his death; he begged to be shot as a soldier, and not
+hanged as a spy; but the grim custom and rules of war forbade.
+
+=243. Arnold dies in Disgrace.=--Arnold lived in London for more than
+twenty years after his foul treason. No doubt they were years of bitter
+remorse and self-reproach. His wife proved herself a devoted woman.
+Arnold's children and grandchildren all felt keenly the disgrace that
+rested upon the family.
+
+As the traitor came to his final sickness, his mind seemed to recall the
+days when he fought for his country with distinction. He thought of the
+steadfast friendship that Washington once cherished for him. After
+Saratoga, this friend had presented him with epaulettes and a
+sword-knot, and put them on with his own hand. The old uniform in which
+he had fought his battles, and which he wore on the day he escaped to
+the Vulture, had been carefully kept during all these years of disgrace.
+
+Just before his death the desolate old man called for these sad
+reminders and put them on again.
+
+"Let me die," said he, "in this old uniform in which I fought so many
+battles for my country. May God forgive me for ever putting on any
+other!"
+
+  [Illustration: ON HIS DEATHBED ARNOLD CALLS FOR HIS OLD UNIFORM.]
+
+Thus perished the man who, with the exception of Washington and Greene,
+prior to his infamous deed, had done perhaps more efficient service for
+the cause of our independence than any other American general.
+
+Think of the contrast between the deep infamy of an Arnold and the
+patriotic grit and unselfishness of those ragged, half-starved
+Pennsylvania soldiers who rose in mutiny during the next winter. Mad
+Anthony Wayne had led some of these men at the storming of Stony Point,
+and he was dearly beloved by them all; yet they would not obey even him.
+
+As Wayne was speaking to them, two men, who had been sent by General
+Clinton to tamper with the mutineers and offer a bounty and high pay if
+they would enlist in the British army, were detected. The soldiers in
+their wrath turned these emissaries over to their general, and they were
+hanged as spies.
+
+"Tell General Clinton," said these men who had not received a cent of
+pay to send home to their families for over a year, "that we are not
+Benedict Arnolds."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+JOHN PAUL JONES: OUR FIRST GREAT NAVAL HERO.
+
+
+=244. The Colonies poorly prepared to cope with England on the Sea.=--Now
+we must remember that the American Revolution, which lasted about seven
+years, and which resulted in our independence, was fought almost
+entirely on land. We were poor, and besides had but little or no
+experience in building men-of-war. The few vessels that had been built
+in this country were mostly sloops or schooners for fishing, or for
+trading.
+
+In this lack of large sailing craft during the Revolution, we should
+have got on very poorly but for the generous aid of France. When
+Washington's forces closed in upon the enemy at Yorktown, he would not
+then have been able to capture the whole British army and so end the
+great struggle, but for the thirty-six French ships that arrived just in
+time to give us the assistance we so much needed.
+
+In the first years of the war the colonies began to build a number of
+warships, but these were of little account compared with the navy of
+England. Such few vessels as we already had were hastily fitted up for
+naval service and armed with small cannon. These had to make up for
+their want of size by the boldness of their crews and the quickness of
+their movement.
+
+Privateering was then very common. This means that a vessel owned or
+officered by private persons has a commission from the government to go
+out and attack the enemy's vessels. Without this authority it would have
+been regarded as a pirate.
+
+=245. John Paul Jones begins his Remarkable Career.=--The feeble colonies
+had then not only few vessels, but few officers to command them. There
+was one officer, however, John Paul Jones, who soon became widely famous
+as a naval commander of extraordinary courage and superb audacity. He
+was born in Scotland. When a boy of only twelve years he began to go to
+sea. In time he visited his elder brother, a farmer in Virginia. During
+the next few years he made a number of voyages to the West Indies, and
+became rich by his skill in trading.
+
+When the war of the Revolution began, this energetic young Scotch sailor
+determined to take an active part in it. He entered the navy in 1775,
+when twenty-eight years old, and became lieutenant of the sloop-of-war
+Alfred.
+
+On this vessel Paul Jones hoisted to the masthead the first American
+flag ever displayed over an American warship. It was a yellow silk flag
+showing a pine tree, with a rattlesnake coiled at its root as if about
+to strike, and the motto, "Don't tread on me." Our present flag, with
+its beautiful stripes and glowing stars, was adopted by Congress two
+years later.
+
+The Alfred was the flagship of a little fleet of seven vessels. They
+soon captured two British vessels from the Bahamas, then went to Nassau,
+the capital of the islands, took the governor prisoner, and carried away
+nearly a hundred cannon with a large quantity of military supplies. On
+the way home they seized two more British vessels. On a later cruise, of
+forty-seven days, Jones took sixteen prizes.
+
+=246. John Paul Jones performs Daring Deeds on the English
+Coast.=--Afterwards Paul Jones went to France, and sailing from Brest in
+his ship the Ranger, he swept the seas all around England, taking or
+destroying every hostile ship he met. He was so audacious as to sail
+into British ports, wrecking and pillaging everywhere. He entered the
+harbor of Whitehaven, England, surprised the forts, spiked the guns, and
+burned some ships at the docks. English commerce was crippled, insurance
+rates rose to a fabulous price, and merchants met with enormous losses.
+
+The English were so alarmed that they sent out the well-armed
+sloop-of-war Drake to capture Jones and bring him in a prisoner. But the
+daring hero turned the game just the other way. He met the British craft
+in the Irish Sea, and after a severe battle of over an hour he captured
+her with more than two hundred prisoners and took the prize to Brest.
+All this pleased the French wonderfully, for they had had war with
+England.
+
+In fact all Europe rang with the praises of John Paul Jones.
+
+  [Illustration: JOHN PAUL JONES.]
+
+=247. Jones's Interview with Franklin; secures Help from France.=--The
+American Commissioners in Paris, of whom Franklin was the leader,
+promised Jones a much larger ship; but they could not get the money to
+pay for it, and Jones was very impatient to be off to sea again. He went
+to the harbor of Lorient, on the west coast of France, to choose a ship.
+Week after week he waited for an order from Paris to buy the vessel, but
+none came.
+
+One day, while in a restaurant, the young officer took up a copy of
+_Poor Richard's Almanac_, a very unique little annual, really the work
+of Franklin. Reading the bright sayings scattered over every page, he
+came upon this maxim: "If you would have your business done, go; if not,
+send!"
+
+The truth of the homely saying came to his mind like a flash. He sprang
+to his feet.
+
+"That was written for me," he said. "Here I am, _sending_ to Paris, when
+I ought to _go_!"
+
+He started at once. He appealed to the Minister of Marine, and then to
+King Louis himself. He pleaded his way to success. The king immediately
+gave him a forty-gun ship at Lorient. He went back and took command. The
+first thing Paul Jones did was to paint out the old name and give for a
+new one the French equivalent of Dr. Franklin's almanac name, Bon Homme
+Richard ("Poor Richard," or "Goodman Richard"); for he gave the credit
+of his sudden success to Franklin's wise maxim.
+
+=248. The Battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis.=--Our
+daring mariner soon sailed out with six other vessels, all flying the
+beautiful new American flag. The crew on the Richard numbered nearly
+four hundred men, a medley of sailors from almost every nation in
+Europe, and even including some Malays. He sailed up between England and
+Ireland, taking a number of prizes, then around the north of Scotland
+and down on the east coast of England.
+
+Here, in the evening of a clear September day in 1779, his little fleet
+met, off Flamborough, the new British ship of forty-four guns, commanded
+by Captain Pearson. The Serapis, though a larger and better ship than
+the old Richard, tried to escape, but the Richard chased her and brought
+her to. It was just at twilight, and so near the land that crowds of
+people thronged the shores to see the contest.
+
+As darkness settled down, the ships drew nearer. Just then the full moon
+rose slowly over the sea, and right in the range of its broad field of
+light were the dark shapes of the two hostile vessels.
+
+Now they draw closer. On each ship rests a stillness like that of death.
+The men stand at their guns silent and thoughtful. The thousands on
+shore hold their breath. Silently up goes the British flag on the
+mainmast of the Serapis, and over the Richard waves the new banner of
+the "stars and stripes."
+
+"Ship ahoy!" shouted Captain Jones through his speaking trumpet.
+
+"Aye, aye!" was the reply from the English vessel.
+
+"What's your name?" came ringing over the water.
+
+"His majesty's ship Serapis! What's yours?"
+
+"Bon Homme Richard!" replied the gallant Jones; "haul down your flag!"
+
+The Englishman's answer was the flash and boom of a cannon shot that
+whizzed through the rigging of the Richard. Then raged the lightning and
+thunder of battle. Fast and furious was the roar of the big guns, now
+from this ship, now from that.
+
+They drift nearer together; now their rigging is entangled; now they
+touch! Now the struggling crews fight hand to hand. Right and left the
+conflict rages, with pikes and pistols and cutlasses.
+
+Jones is now here, now there, seeing all, controlling all, and mixing
+with the bravest, now training some gun, now pulling at some rope or
+cheering some lagging sailor lad. His strong will and sturdy pluck give
+new life to his men. They cheer as their shot begin to tell. The air is
+filled with the crash of cannon, the rattle of pistols, the orders of
+officers, the yells of the crews, and the groans of the dying.
+
+The American flag is obscured with smoke, so that Captain Pearson, not
+seeing it, shouts, "Are you ready to surrender?"
+
+Instantly comes Jones's defiant reply, "Surrender! I've not yet begun to
+fight!"
+
+Then Jones lashed the ships together, while the cannon balls tore
+through the vessels, cut the masts, and scattered the wounded and dead
+all around. The Richard is leaking badly, but the fight still rages.
+Marines in the rigging bring down the enemy with incessant shots, and
+hurl grenades that fire the Serapis.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE BON HOMME RICHARD AND THE
+     SERAPIS.]
+
+The flames spread; both ships are on fire! but still the big guns roar.
+Both vessels have been on fire three times, but the pumps are at work
+and the battle still rages. The scene is one of appalling, indescribable
+grandeur. Finally, at about ten o'clock, Captain Pearson sees there is
+no hope against such a foe as this, and so strikes his flag. When the
+haughty English captain gave up his sword to the brave Yankee sailor, he
+said: "I cannot but feel much mortification at the idea of surrendering
+my sword to a man who has fought me with a rope round his neck."
+
+The gallant Jones received the Englishman's sword, and at once returned
+it, saying, "You have fought bravely, sir, and I hope your king will
+give you a better ship."
+
+Thus ended one of the most desperate sea fights recorded in naval
+history. The Bon Homme Richard was a complete wreck and was fast
+sinking. Accordingly Jones took all on board the Serapis, which of
+course was then under his command, and in a few hours the American
+vessel went down in the deep sea, carrying with her the bodies of her
+dead. The victorious commander took the Serapis, with all his prisoners,
+into a Holland port.
+
+=249. Effect of this Grand Naval Victory; After-Life of Paul Jones.=--This
+famous victory was a severe blow to England's naval prestige. The moral
+effect upon the nations of Europe of such a victory within sight of the
+English coast was something remarkable.
+
+Franklin praised Jones, and Washington wrote him a warm letter of
+thanks. The French king invited him to his palace, and presented him
+with a superb gold-mounted sword. The empress of Russia gave him an
+honorary ribbon, and the king of Denmark awarded him a pension.
+
+In America this victory brought universal joy, and Congress bestowed on
+the victor a large gold medal. The brave Captain Pearson was afterwards
+knighted by his king. On hearing of it, Jones said, "He deserves it;
+and if I fall in with him again I'll make a lord of him."
+
+After a few years' further service in our navy, Paul Jones was offered a
+position of honor in the Russian navy. He accepted it and soon won a
+brilliant victory in the Black Sea over the Turks, who were frightened
+at his remarkable bravery.
+
+Afterwards, when living in Paris, Jones became broken down in health. No
+wonder, for he had fought twenty-four naval battles! When he was taken
+sick, the queen sent her physician, to attend him. He died in Paris in
+1792, at the early age of forty-five, thirteen years after his memorable
+victory. No one knows the place of his burial. At the public funeral a
+vast concourse filled the streets of the French capital.
+
+General sorrow was shown throughout the United States at the death of
+John Paul Jones, the great ocean hero of the Revolution--indeed, the
+first heroic character in our country's naval history.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: HIS HIGHLY USEFUL CAREER.
+
+
+=250. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most Useful and Influential Men of
+his Time.=--Among the many men who acted a conspicuous part as "makers of
+our country," Benjamin Franklin holds a unique and interesting place.
+Combined with shrewd common sense and a practical philosophy was a
+genial and rare personality, which made him during his long lifetime a
+most useful and influential citizen.
+
+Franklin did not fight and win battles like Washington and Greene, but
+he gained notable victories in diplomacy when the struggling colonies
+sorely needed them. For over sixty years he wrote hundreds of pamphlets,
+tracts, and newspaper articles, which moulded public opinion at critical
+times, and also served to increase the comfort and happiness of his
+fellow-men.
+
+Most men who have attempted to write their own lives have made a sad
+failure of it. This busy man of the world, with no education save that
+which he was able to get in the "odds and ends" of time, told the story
+of his own life in a way that has commanded the interest and admiration
+of multitudes of readers for over a hundred years.
+
+=251. Franklin's Early Life; his Genius for Useful Inventions.=--Benjamin
+Franklin, the fifteenth of a family of seventeen children, was born in
+Boston in 1706. His father was a poor man, who could afford his youngest
+boy only about two years of schooling. When he was ten, the lad left
+school to assist his father at his trade of making soap and tallow
+candles.
+
+Nothing else pleased the boy so much as a book. He had access at this
+time to very few, and most of these were dull, but he read them eagerly.
+He read and re-read Bunyan's _Pilgrim's Progress_ until he knew it by
+heart. He disliked his father's trade and longed to do something more
+agreeable. He even thought of running away to sea as one of his brothers
+had done.
+
+=252. Learns the Printer's Trade; how he learned to write Good
+English.=--Finally the boy was bound out as an apprentice to his older
+brother James, to learn the printer's trade. This was more to the boy's
+liking, for it gave him a better chance to read. For three years young
+Franklin worked hard to master the business. In a short time he could
+set type as well as any of the Boston printers. He went on errands to
+the bookstores, and, making friends with the clerks, he was often able
+to borrow books to read. He would carry them home, sit up most of the
+night reading, and return them on the next morning.
+
+In his story of his own life, Franklin gives a most interesting account
+of his finding an odd volume of Addison's _Spectator_, and how charmed
+he was with the style. He would read one of Addison's essays with great
+care, close the book, and then write it out in his own words. This was
+carefully compared with the original, and corrected and re-corrected
+until he had improved upon his first effort.
+
+This and other similar exercises were long continued, and they gave the
+ambitious boy the command of a singularly clear and interesting style.
+
+=253. Writes for his Brother's Newspaper.=--For three years the young
+printer worked steadily at his trade, without a moment of leisure except
+such as he took from his sleep or from his meals. He often sat up late
+and rose early, that he might have more time for study.
+
+His brother James, for whom he worked, so prospered in his business that
+he began to print in 1721 a weekly newspaper. It was young Benjamin's
+duty to set the type and strike off the edition of a few hundred
+papers, and then carry the little sheet to the houses of the
+subscribers.
+
+The boy read his brother's paper and soon had confidence enough in
+himself to write articles for it. He did not dare to let his brother
+know it, but slipped them under the door at night. They were printed and
+eagerly read for some time before their authorship was known.
+
+=254. Goes to Philadelphia; First Appearance in that City.=--Young
+Franklin and his brother did not, however, get along well together. They
+quarreled, and the young printer at last sold some of his books and set
+sail for New York on a sloop. Unable to find work there, he was advised
+to go to Philadelphia. After many hardships and mishaps, he stepped
+ashore at the Quaker City one Sunday morning with one silver dollar and
+about a shilling in copper in his pocket.
+
+Franklin was at this time a sturdy youth of seventeen. He was dressed in
+the peculiar fashion of the times. He wore knee breeches of buckskin,
+also a huge coat, the pockets of which bulged out with his spare shirts
+and stockings. He hastened to the first baker's shop and asked for
+threepenny worth of bread. The baker handed him three long rolls. He
+took one under each arm, and ate the third as he walked along the
+streets.
+
+A young girl happened to see him as he passed her father's house, and
+she laughed aloud at the young man's comical appearance. The girl's name
+was Deborah Read, and she afterwards became the wife of Franklin. Hungry
+and tired, he ate his rolls, then walked down to the river for a drink
+of water, and at last went into a Quaker meeting and soon fell sound
+asleep.
+
+  [Illustration: FRANKLIN'S FIRST APPEARANCE IN PHILADELPHIA.]
+
+A good Quaker helped Franklin to get work at his trade as a printer. The
+young man soon proved himself a prize to his employer. He was strong,
+quick, frugal, of a studious mind, and, what was a rare virtue in those
+days, he never touched strong drink. Bright and sunny hours now came. He
+received good wages, saved his money, and made friends everywhere.
+
+=255. Goes to London and works at his Trade.=--One of these friends was
+the governor of Pennsylvania. He advised Franklin to set up a printing
+office of his own. He urged him to go to London to buy a printing
+outfit, and promised him letters to people in England who, he said,
+would let him have all the money he needed. The young printer trusted
+too much to the pompous governor's promises and sailed for England,
+hoping to find the letters in the vessel's letter bag. But the governor
+had disappointed him; no such letters were ever written.
+
+In due time Franklin found himself in the great city of London, where he
+did not know a single person. He at once showed what stuff he was made
+of. He quietly went to work at his trade and worked harder than ever. He
+kept up his studious habits, and spent all his spare time in reading
+good books.
+
+=256. Returns to Philadelphia; successful as a Printer and
+Publisher.=--After a stay of a year and a half in London, Franklin
+returned to Philadelphia, and soon after set up in business for himself
+as a printer. After a time he started a newspaper. He worked early and
+late, attending to every detail himself. He was not ashamed to carry
+material for his paper through the streets on a wheelbarrow.
+
+Once he invited a rival in his business home to dine. Pointing to a loaf
+of bread from which they had eaten, he said, "Unless you can live
+cheaper than I, you cannot starve me out."
+
+When he was twenty-four the prosperous young printer married Deborah
+Read, the young woman who had laughed at him years before as he trudged
+through the streets with the rolls under his arms. Deborah proved
+herself a real helpmate, thrifty and industrious. Attached to the
+printing office was a little shop which the young wife tended.
+
+"Our table was plain and simple," says Franklin in his autobiography,
+"our furniture of the cheapest. For instance, our breakfast was for a
+long time bread and milk (no tea), and I ate it out of a twopenny
+earthen porringer, with a pewter spoon." In after years the thrifty
+couple indulged in some splendor, for in 1765 Mrs. Franklin, in a letter
+to her husband, alludes proudly to a papered room, horsehair chairs, a
+sideboard, and three carpets.
+
+=257. His Happy, Useful, and Prosperous Career in Philadelphia.=--For
+twenty years Franklin lived a prosperous life as an active business man
+of the good Quaker city. He had become noted for his integrity,
+sagacity, and prosperity. His newspaper became known for its sparkling
+and timely editorials. The most intelligent and influential men of the
+city met in his office to discuss the questions of the day.
+
+The same year that Washington was born (1732) Franklin issued the first
+number of his _Poor Richard's Almanac_, which soon gained great fame for
+its wise and pithy sayings. The popularity which this little work
+maintained for twenty-five years was astonishing. Its shrewd and quaint
+maxims soon became household words in almost every shop and home of the
+land.
+
+Even with his increasing prosperity Franklin found time every day to
+devote many hours to his books. He became proficient in French, Spanish,
+Italian, and even Latin. He gave much time to music, and played with
+skill upon the harp, the guitar, and the violin.
+
+This remarkable man now began to be at the head of many kinds of public
+and private enterprises, from treating with the Indians to plans for
+cleaning the streets. Honors, both public and private, were heaped upon
+him. He started a public library in Philadelphia, the first of its kind
+in America.
+
+He invented the famous "Franklin fireplace," which proved very popular
+and is even in use to-day. The most trivial events would often suggest
+to him something that would secure beneficial results.
+
+The story is told that Franklin saw one day in a ditch the fragments of
+a basket of yellow willow, in which some foreign goods had been brought
+into the country. One of the twigs had sprouted. He planted it; and it
+is said that it became the parent of all the yellow willows in our
+country.
+
+=258. Franklin's Famous Kite Experiment.=--Franklin was a great student of
+the sciences, especially electricity. He wrote a pamphlet to prove that
+lightning and electricity are the same thing. The idea was sneered at,
+and people asked, "Of what use is it?" To which the genial philosopher
+replied, "What is the use of a child? It may become a man!" He hit on a
+plan to prove his theory.
+
+  [Illustration: FRANKLIN'S FAMOUS KITE EXPERIMENT.]
+
+This was the famous kite experiment which he tried in 1752. He made a
+kite of silk, fastened a piece of wire to the stick, and went out with
+his son to fly it during a thunderstorm. At the lower end of the hempen
+string was fastened a key, and below that a cord of silk, which is a
+non-conductor. He held the silk cord in his hand, and when a low thunder
+cloud passed, he saw that the fibres of the string rose, separated, and
+stood on end, exactly as the hair does on one's head when one is charged
+with electricity as he stands on an insulating stool.
+
+When Franklin brought his knuckles near the key that he had tied to the
+string, sparks came from the metal, and he felt slight shocks.
+
+This discovery made a great sensation in the scientific world. Franklin
+at once became famous, took high rank as a man of science, and was
+afterwards known as "Doctor Franklin." He now invented the lightning
+rod, which has been in use ever since all over the civilized world.
+
+=259. Entrance into a Broader Public Life.=--From this time Franklin began
+to occupy more important positions in public life. In 1754 he was sent
+on a mission to Albany to enlist the chiefs of the powerful "Six
+Nations" to become allies of the English. On this journey he drew up a
+plan for the union of the colonies. It was almost like that by which
+they were afterwards bound together as a nation.
+
+During the Braddock campaign Franklin in vain warned the haughty British
+general that "the Indians would surprise, on its flanks, the slender
+line, nearly four miles long, which the army must make," and would "cut
+it like a thread into several pieces." From his own purse Franklin
+advanced for this ill-starred expedition between six and seven thousand
+silver dollars.
+
+The quarrels between the Pennsylvania Assembly and the Proprietors in
+England became so bitter that Franklin was sent to England in 1757 as
+the sole commissioner to make an appeal to the English government. He
+was cordially received abroad and highly honored by the most eminent
+scientific men of the time. He returned home after an absence of nearly
+six years.
+
+Franklin was now fifty-seven years old. He had an ample fortune, perfect
+health, and a superiority to most men in personal appearance and
+dignity. He hoped to withdraw from public life and give the rest of his
+days to the study of science.
+
+=260. Franklin becomes a most Useful and Sagacious Helper to the
+Struggling Colonies.=--Great and momentous events, however, were at hand.
+There was more important work for him to do. The struggling colonies,
+already taxed almost beyond endurance to carry on the war against the
+French and Indians, were allowed no representation nor voice in the
+matter of taxation. Franklin, with patriotic foresight and with keen
+force of logic, resisted the outrage. He declared it to be the "mother
+of mischief."
+
+In 1764 Franklin was again sent by the Assembly to England, to present
+to the British court the protest of the people against "taxation without
+representation."
+
+  [Illustration: FRANKLIN AT THE COURT OF FRANCE.]
+
+From this time Franklin served the colonies in England as a most
+accomplished diplomatist, a vigorous writer, and a shrewd and sagacious
+agent. He failed to stop the passage of the notorious Stamp Act, but he
+fought the measure so vigorously by his writings and discussions that he
+aroused bitter opposition to it among the industrial classes, so that
+Parliament was compelled at last to repeal the obnoxious measure.
+
+He was once brought before the House of Parliament and sharply
+questioned.
+
+"Do you think," asked the prime minister, "the people of America would
+submit to pay the stamp duty if it was changed?"
+
+"No, never," said Franklin; "the American people will never submit to
+it."
+
+The colonists received with unbounded delight the tidings of Franklin's
+masterly diplomacy and the repeal of the Stamp Act. Bells were rung,
+bonfires blazed, and cannon were fired. "I never heard so much noise in
+my life," wrote Franklin's daughter Sallie to him; "the very children
+seem distracted."
+
+Franklin now watched with honest shrewdness and a penetrating mind the
+many attempts of the British government to tax the Americans. Other
+colonies recognized his ability, and New Jersey, Georgia, and
+Massachusetts appointed him as their agent.
+
+At last, when all attempts to induce the government to change its
+oppressive policy had failed and war was sure to follow, Franklin sailed
+for home. He reached Philadelphia about sixteen days after the battle at
+Lexington and Concord.
+
+The morning after his arrival he was unanimously chosen a member of the
+Continental Congress, which was to meet in Philadelphia on the tenth of
+May. He now took a leading part in aiding his countrymen in their war
+for liberty. He was one of the five men, it will be remembered, chosen
+to draft the Declaration of Independence.
+
+=261. His Remarkable Service Abroad as a Diplomatist.=--Shortly afterwards
+Franklin was chosen a special ambassador to France.
+
+"I am old and good for nothing," said the philosopher; "but, as the
+storekeepers say of their remnants of cloth, 'I am but a fag end, and
+you may have me for what you please.'"
+
+Two years afterwards, by his wisdom and his thorough knowledge of
+diplomacy, Franklin was chiefly instrumental in securing a treaty with
+France. By this memorable compact our independence was acknowledged, and
+we were recognized by France as one among the nations of the world.
+
+The news of the treaty was received in America with unbounded joy.
+General Washington drew up his little half-starved army at Valley Forge
+to announce the event, and to offer prayers and thanksgiving to God.
+During the next three years Franklin rendered invaluable services in
+obtaining money, arms, and other means to aid his country in her life
+and death struggle with England.
+
+At last, when Great Britain gave up all hope of subduing her American
+colonies, and was ready to make terms of peace, Franklin's diplomacy
+triumphed. Probably no other man in America could have guided the affair
+so wisely.
+
+=262. Franklin's Last Days.=--Franklin was now an old man of
+seventy-eight. He was so feeble that he could not walk, and could only
+ride in a litter. Thomas Jefferson was sent over to France in 1784 as
+his successor.
+
+Upon his arrival the French prime minister said, "You replace Doctor
+Franklin, I understand."
+
+"No!" replied Jefferson, "I _succeed_ him. No man can replace him!"
+
+The long sea voyage homeward proved very beneficial to the old
+philosopher's health. He was chosen a delegate to the convention that
+met in Philadelphia in 1787 to frame a new constitution. Although he was
+now eighty-one years of age, he was regularly in his seat, five hours a
+day, for four months.
+
+Three years later, at his home in Philadelphia, in 1790, the "grand old
+man" died, at the age of eighty-four. The whole nation mourned his loss.
+No man of that period, except Washington, was held in higher esteem and
+veneration the world over than was Benjamin Franklin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
+
+
+=263. Our Country One Hundred Years Ago.=--Let us now take a hasty glance
+backward for a century and note the vast changes that have taken place
+in the matter of daily living during this time. Very different was the
+country in which our forefathers lived from that with which we are
+familiar. To be sure, there was a fringe of villages along the coast
+from Maine to Georgia. Fifty miles back from the Atlantic the country
+was for the most part an unbroken wilderness.
+
+A few hundred settlers, and perhaps a hundred log cabins, made up a
+village where now stands the great city of Cincinnati. Indians and
+buffaloes roamed over the rich plains of the West which to-day furnish
+grain for Europe. Only seven of the states then had well-defined
+boundaries. Thousands of the marvelous inventions and discoveries which
+have added so much to the comfort and convenience of life had at that
+time no existence.
+
+=264. Newspapers.=--Forty-three newspapers managed to survive the war of
+the Revolution. Even the best of these were mean-looking, and printed
+on poor paper. For the most part, they contained but four small pages,
+and were issued not oftener than two or three times a week. As to
+quantity of printed matter, they could not sustain comparison for one
+moment with the newspaper of our time.
+
+There was no such thing as an editorial page. All kinds of queer
+advertisements there were; as, for runaway slaves or stolen horses:
+tedious letters appeared, written to the editor from distant points:
+treatises on geography and morals abounded instead of news. To fill out
+space, the editor would occasionally reprint some standard historical
+work or book of travels.
+
+That material which gives the modern newspaper its peculiar value and is
+now known under the general name of "news" was unknown. There were few
+or no facilities for gathering facts as to the happenings of events or
+the doings of individuals, communities, and nations; and certainly no
+pains was taken to forward such material for publication.
+
+=265. The Postal Service and Letter-Writing.=--In the early colonial times
+there was no such thing as an official postal service. Up to the time of
+the Revolution there were certain means provided for carrying letters,
+but they were very meagre.
+
+The postmen used to travel some thirty to fifty miles a day in good
+weather. Letters were sent from New York to Boston three times a week
+during summer, and twice a week in winter. Six days and even more were
+required to make the journey. One pair of saddlebags easily contained
+all the mail.
+
+  [Illustration: A DISCUSSION ON A FINANCIAL QUESTION OF THE TIMES.]
+
+If such were the scanty mail accommodations of the chief cities, we can
+imagine what they were in the small country towns. Sacks of letters and
+papers are now easily carried in one afternoon farther than they were
+then transported in five weeks. After the war, Washington had an
+extensive and important correspondence with the influential men of the
+country. In many of his replies he complained of the tedious delay in
+receiving his mail. Well he might, for his letters were sometimes longer
+in going from Mount Vernon to Boston than they would now be in reaching
+China.
+
+In remote sections the post-rider was often a decrepit man or some
+crippled soldier. One old postman used to improve his time, as his horse
+jogged slowly along, by knitting woolen mittens and stockings. There was
+no special protection to the service. Letters and packages were opened
+and freely read or examined by the carriers. So common was this evil
+that the great men of this time used to correspond in cipher.
+
+We may be sure that when it cost much to send letters, and the
+difficulties of forwarding them were so many, the letter-writers of
+those days took special pains to write long epistles, full of news.
+People learned most of the news of the day from distant places, whether
+it pertained to politics, society, or gossip, through faithful
+correspondents.
+
+Imagine a busy merchant in one of our great cities writing a business
+letter, but giving most of the space to the results of the last
+election, or the doings of the state legislature. The telegraph, the
+telephone, stenography, and the typewriter of our day have
+revolutionized business communication and much of personal
+correspondence.
+
+=266. The Stage Coaches.=--During the war of the Revolution, stages
+stopped running between distant cities, and horseback traveling was
+resumed. When peace was declared, the "coach and four" again took the
+road. Boston and New York were then the two great commercial centers of
+the country; yet during Washington's first term two stages and twelve
+horses carried all the passengers by land between these two cities.
+
+The stage coach at this time was not much better than a huge covered box
+mounted on springs. There were no closed sides, glass windows, steps, or
+doors. It was not to be compared for one moment with the far-famed
+Concord coaches in after years. In summer an ordinary day's journey was
+forty miles, but in winter only about one-half of this distance.
+
+The stage started early each morning--often at three o'clock--and its
+daily time limit was about ten at night. Often the passengers were
+forced to get out and help lift it out of the mud or a deep rut. If
+there were no unusual accidents or mishaps, it reached New York, from
+Boston, at the end of the sixth day. Even at this snail pace the good
+people used to wonder at the ease, as well as the speed, with which the
+journey was made.
+
+It is no wonder, then, that a journey to any remote place became a
+serious matter. Prudent men, when ready to set out for a distant point,
+arranged their business affairs for any emergency, made their wills,
+and, after a formal dinner at the tavern, bade their family and
+neighbors a solemn farewell.
+
+=267. How Fires were put out.=--The law at this time compelled every man
+to take an active part in putting out fires. He was obliged to keep at
+least four leathern buckets hung up at some convenient place in his
+house or shop, with his name painted on them, together with a big canvas
+bag. When an alarm of fire was raised, either by vigorous shouts of
+"Fire! fire!" or the ringing of the church bell, the good citizen seized
+his fire buckets and his canvas bag, and, guided by the smoke or flame,
+started for the scene of action.
+
+There were no idlers at an old-time fire. Some rushed into the building
+with their canvas bags and filled them with such movable goods as could
+be readily carried in them. A double line extending to the water was
+formed of men, boys, and even women. One line passed the full buckets to
+those who were nearest the fire, while the other line returned the empty
+vessels to the well or river.
+
+Some of the larger towns boasted of a "fire engine." This was merely a
+pump mounted over a tank, which the men kept full by pouring in water
+from the buckets. The rich householder was allowed to send his slave or
+servant to the fire with the fire buckets.
+
+When the fire was out, the buckets were left in the road, to be picked
+up and carried home by their owners. Persons who neglected to keep their
+fire buckets in good order and in their proper places, or who failed to
+carry them home after the fire, were fined.
+
+=268. How Sunday was passed.=--The observance of Sunday began at sundown
+on Saturday. The early part of the evening was devoted to family
+worship, and shortly after eight o'clock all were in bed. No work except
+such as was really necessary was done on Sunday. Most of the cooking was
+done the day before. Each member of the family, unless sick in bed, went
+to church. The farmer traveled on horseback with his wife on the pillion
+behind.
+
+The singers sat in the front gallery. The boys and young men had seats
+in the left-hand gallery, while that on the right was occupied by the
+young women. We have read in a previous chapter something about the
+tithing-man and his duties. The short noon interval was devoted to
+eating a cold lunch.
+
+No meeting-house in those days was warmed. Old and feeble women were
+allowed to use tin foot-stoves, filled with a few hot coals. In the
+bitter cold months of a New England winter it was no trifling affair to
+endure the actual suffering that accompanied religious worship on
+Sunday. The story is told of a good minister in Connecticut who in the
+depths of winter prudently preached in overcoat and mittens, but
+complained that his voice was drowned by persons stamping and knocking
+their feet together to keep warm.
+
+=269. The Minister and the Meeting-Houses.=--The minister was always held
+in high esteem. He was usually the most important man of the village,
+and was looked upon with reverence not unmingled with awe. His authority
+was almost supreme. If a person spoke disrespectfully of him, or even
+laughed at his oddities, the offender was heavily fined. The advice of
+the minister was often asked, and sometimes given unasked, on matters of
+business as well as of religion. Fearless and resolute in what they
+believed to be right, the influence of the ministers of that time in
+public affairs was deservedly very great.
+
+The minister's salary was but a pittance. It was never the same two
+years in succession, and was rarely paid in cash. Donations of corn,
+beans, turnips, and other farm products were usually given in place of
+hard money.
+
+The sermon was the one event of the week. Every well person in the
+village turned out to hear it. Copious notes were taken, and its various
+points furnished topics for fireside discussion during the week.
+
+=270. How the Doctors healed the Sick.=--The village doctor, together with
+the minister and schoolmaster, held a high social rank. There were only
+two medical colleges in the country, and these were not well attended.
+Medical books were scarce and costly. Even the best doctors could not
+boast of a medical library of fifty volumes.
+
+  [Illustration: A VILLAGE MAGNATE RIDING IN THE OLD-TIME CHAISE.]
+
+The future doctor served his time as a student with some well-known
+physician. He ground the powders, mixed the potions, rolled the pills,
+cleaned the bottles, tended the night bell, and otherwise made himself
+useful. If the young student had a good preceptor and was gifted with a
+keen observation and a retentive memory, he returned to his native town
+or went elsewhere fairly prepared to begin practice.
+
+There were no drug stores in those days, and each doctor was his own
+apothecary. He ground his own drugs, made his own tinctures, salves, and
+plasters. Most of the medical preparations used then would not be
+tolerated to-day.
+
+Then as now the country doctor used to ride night and day, year after
+year, whatever the weather or the condition of the roads, to attend the
+good people of his neighborhood. He received, as he richly deserved, the
+respect and affection of his patients for his life of hardship and
+self-denial.
+
+=271. How the Schoolmaster taught School.=--Besides the doctor, minister,
+and lawyer, the village schoolmaster was socially and otherwise an
+important man. He was usually a student who was "working his way"
+through college, and who sought, by teaching winters and working on a
+farm in summer, to defray his expenses at Yale, Dartmouth, or Harvard.
+
+In many of the school districts he was expected to "board round." That
+is, he lived with the parents of his pupils, regulating his stay
+according to the number of the children of the family who attended
+school.
+
+  [Illustration: AN OLD SOLDIER FIGHTING HIS BATTLES OVER AGAIN.]
+
+In those days there were large families and many children, and the young
+schoolmaster was a welcome guest. The best room in the house, the
+warmest corner by the fireplace, and the choicest food were reserved for
+him. During the long winter evenings he discussed theology and politics
+with the fathers, played games with the children, and escorted the girls
+to "spelling matches" and "quilting bees."
+
+=272. The Everyday Home Life.=--Such conveniences and comforts as are now
+found in almost every home were then unknown. Cooking stoves, matches,
+refined sugar, sewing machines, and kerosene oil had never been heard
+of. The mechanic's home had no carpets on the floor, no pictures on the
+walls, no coal in the cellar, no water faucets in the kitchen. Fruits
+and vegetables, now so cheap in their season, such as tomatoes, oranges,
+bananas, celery, and dates, were either quite unknown or beyond the
+reach of scanty means.
+
+The farmers of a century ago ate plain food and wore plain clothes.
+Their daily fare was usually salt fish, salt pork, beef, a few
+vegetables, and dried apples. The numerous farm implements, which have
+done so much to cheapen food and to bring thousands of acres into a
+state of high cultivation, were not yet invented.
+
+The well-to-do farmer managed to pick up a great deal of general
+information and news of the day. He was noted for an inquiring turn of
+mind. He could tire out the weary visitor or stranger on the road with
+numberless questions on current social, political, or religious topics.
+At times he would unbend enough to play "fox and geese" with his
+children, or attend "apple bees" and corn huskings.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+WHAT OUR NAVY DID IN THE WAR OF 1812.
+
+
+=273. Outrages committed by the Pirates of the Barbary Coast.=--A hundred
+years ago the ports of the nations lying on the northern coast of
+Africa--the Barbary States, as they were called, Morocco, Algiers,
+Tunis, and Tripoli--were infested by fierce pirates. They used to rush
+out with their swift vessels and capture the ships of Christian nations.
+After plundering them of their valuables, they would hold the crews as
+slaves, or sell them to slave dealers.
+
+These pirates became for years the terror of Europe. Merchants paid
+annual tributes of large sums of money to the Pasha to save their
+cargoes from seizure. Even our own nation, in 1795, paid these sea
+robbers for the release of American sailors captured and held by them as
+slaves, and also for the exemption of our ships from attack. First and
+last we paid these robber states not less than a million dollars to buy
+their good will.
+
+It is difficult to realize that there was once a time when the President
+of the United States negotiated treaties, the Senate ratified them, and
+Congress voted tribute money to keep the peace with pirates.
+
+In 1801 a disagreement arose about our regular payment; and the Bashaw
+of Tripoli, whose greed it was hard to satisfy, had the impudence to
+declare war against the United States and cut down the flagstaff in
+front of our consul's residence.
+
+=274. The Gallant Exploits of Decatur and his Brave Men.=--Although we had
+only a small navy, President Jefferson thought it best to put a stop to
+this blackmail business, and settle with the pirates in a different way.
+So he sent some war vessels to punish them, and they did it quite
+thoroughly.
+
+During one of these encounters the United States frigate Philadelphia,
+one of our best, under the command of Captain Bainbridge, chased a
+pirate craft into the harbor of Tripoli, but unluckily ran on a reef.
+She stuck fast, helpless either to fight or to sail. She was captured,
+with all her crew, by the enemy.
+
+But a few months afterwards, Stephen Decatur, a gallant lieutenant of
+only twenty-five, sailed from Sicily in a small vessel, the Intrepid,
+which had just been captured from the Moors. He boldly entered the
+harbor of Tripoli one evening about dusk, and sailed quietly along close
+to the Philadelphia. Then pirates did not suspect harm, as the Intrepid
+appeared to be a Moorish vessel. With its crew of seventy men concealed
+under the bulwarks, the little vessel was instantly made fast to the
+ill-fated frigate.
+
+"Follow me, lads!" cried Decatur.
+
+The men from the Intrepid sprang to their feet and climbed on board the
+Philadelphia. The surprise was complete. In ten minutes Decatur and his
+bold sailors had killed or driven overboard every pirate, then set the
+ship afire, leaped back upon the Intrepid, and escaped from the harbor
+amid a storm of shot from the batteries. Not one of our men was lost in
+the whole affair.
+
+This heroic adventure, which made young Decatur a captain, became common
+talk in Europe. England's greatest naval hero, Lord Nelson, said, "It
+was the most bold and daring act of the ages." There is no single naval
+exploit to be compared with it for boldness, except Cushing's
+destruction of the ironclad Albemarle in the war for the Union.
+
+=275. Outrageous Conduct of the British toward American Sailors.=--During
+the years soon after 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte was at war with almost all
+Europe, and especially with England.
+
+The British navy was very large and in constant need of sailors. To get
+them, English men-of-war used to stop American merchant ships wherever
+they met them on the high seas. They would fire a cannon shot across the
+bows of the American vessel to compel it to heave to. British officers
+would then come on board, marshal the crew in line, and pick out sailors
+whom they claimed to be deserters from British ships.
+
+Very likely the ones thus singled out could prove that they were
+Americans by birth or adoption. No matter for that! They were needed,
+and, as the men-of-war had the power to take them by force, go they
+must. In time this dastardly business became even worse. The British
+sometimes stationed their war vessels off the entrance of our largest
+harbors, ready to search our merchantmen as they sailed out.
+
+Now all this bid fair to destroy our commerce. None of our ships were
+safe. Importing, exporting, our vast fisheries, important
+manufactures--many kinds of business--were on the verge of ruin.
+
+In spite of our protests the British government kept up this practice
+for years, until it was said that more than nine hundred American
+vessels had been searched, and over six thousand American sailors
+kidnapped from them.
+
+=276. The War of 1812 begun.=--Why did we endure these insults from
+England so long? Perhaps the principal reason was our small navy. The
+English war fleets then numbered over a thousand vessels, and ours less
+than twenty! These outrages could not, however, be longer tolerated.
+England even insisted that she had a perfect _right_ to seize our ships
+and to carry off our citizens.
+
+War was declared in 1812. In this war most of our land battles were more
+or less failures, but the brilliant success of our naval contests more
+than made up for them. In fact, whenever we speak of the war of 1812, we
+always think of the surprising series of victories won by our splendid
+though small naval force against England.
+
+  [Illustration: ISAAC HULL.]
+
+=277. The Great Naval Battle between the Constitution and the
+Guerri�re.=--Only a few weeks after war was declared, our frigate
+Constitution, Captain Isaac Hull, met the enemy's man-of-war Guerri�re,
+Captain Dacres, off the Massachusetts shore. The British vessel had been
+sailing proudly up and down our coast, challenging the Yankee craft to
+fight. The Guerri�re in real British pride flings out a flag from the
+top of each "ocean spire." Her guns flash but the balls fall short.
+
+"Not a cannon to be fired till I give the word," cried Captain Hull;
+"double shot the guns."
+
+"May we not begin?" shouted his first officer as the shot came tearing
+through the rigging.
+
+Another broadside from the Guerri�re! The men are getting impatient.
+Captain Hull calmly waits until he can bring every gun to bear.
+
+"Now, boys, give it to them!" he shouted at the top of his voice.
+
+They did their work well. In twenty minutes the proud English frigate
+was a helpless wreck.
+
+"I will not take your sword," said the gallant Hull to Captain Dacres as
+the British officer surrendered; "but I will trouble you for that hat!"
+
+It seems that these two brave captains were personal friends, and Hull
+had made a bet with Dacres that his vessel would "whip" the Guerri�re if
+there should ever be a war, and the loser was to forfeit his hat!
+
+The Constitution was almost unhurt. The Guerri�re, shattered and
+useless, was set on fire, and in a few minutes blew up. All that was
+left of the splendid vessel instantly vanished from sight forever. Hull
+took his prisoners to Boston, where he was received with enthusiastic
+welcome.
+
+The news of this victory created equal joy in every section of the
+country. Its chief importance lay in the confidence it inspired among
+all the people, demonstrating that a first-class English battleship was
+far from invincible. The British government was astounded. So were the
+naval authorities, some of whom had sneered at the Constitution as "a
+bundle of pine boards."
+
+  [Illustration: CAPTAIN HULL REFUSES TO ACCEPT CAPTAIN DACRES' SWORD.]
+
+=278. Naval Battle between the Wasp and Frolic; Other Brilliant Naval
+Victories for the American Sailors.=--A few weeks later the American
+sloop-of-war Wasp fell in with the British brig Frolic off Virginia. It
+was a sharp fight for three-quarters of an hour. Both vessels were
+nearly destroyed, when the Wasp came close to the Frolic and gave a
+tremendous broadside that carried away everything before it. Then the
+Wasp's crew boarded the Frolic and found not a sailor on deck--only the
+officers, who surrendered. The surviving sailors had gone below to
+escape the deadly fire.
+
+The very next week Commodore Decatur of the frigate United States
+attacked the British frigate Macedonian near the Canary Islands. It was
+a brisk fight of two hours, when the Macedonian surrendered with a loss
+of over one hundred men.
+
+Decatur's victory produced a profound impression both in this country
+and in England. Congress recognized its importance by a vote of thanks
+and a gold medal to the commodore.
+
+=279. "Old Ironsides" and her Noble Record.=--In the same month occurred
+the famous battle off Brazil between the Constitution under Commodore
+Bainbridge and the frigate Java. It was a furious contest for two hours.
+The enemy's ship had every mast shot away, and her hull was torn with
+shot. Her deck was covered with more than two hundred killed and
+wounded. The wreck of the Java surrendered, the survivors were taken on
+board the Constitution, and the hull was burned. This was the fourth
+brilliant naval victory gained within six months.
+
+The Constitution has ever since been popularly known as "Old Ironsides,"
+by which name her exploits have been celebrated from that day until this
+in oratory and song. Many years ago the government planned to break her
+up and sell her timbers. This prompted Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes to
+write his famous poem beginning:--
+
+    Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
+    Long has it waved on high.
+
+These stirring lines had a powerful influence upon the public mind, and
+the noble-vessel was saved. She may be seen now (1900), carefully
+protected, in the navy yard at Charlestown, Mass.
+
+Slowly but surely the idea dawned upon many minds in Europe that a
+nation was springing up on the other side of the Atlantic that would
+sometime dispute with England, the "mistress of the seas," the supremacy
+of the ocean.
+
+=280. Battle between the Chesapeake and Shannon.=--The year 1813 opened
+with hopeful prospects, but the scale turned less in our favor than
+during 1812. A brilliant young officer, Captain James Lawrence, was
+given in reward for his bravery the command of the Chesapeake, then
+lying in Boston Harbor. She was one of the finest frigates in our young
+navy, but had the name among the sailors of being an "unlucky" craft.
+
+Lawrence had hardly taken charge of his new ship when he received a
+challenge from the British frigate Shannon, cruising outside, daring him
+to come out and fight. He hastily made ready for sea, collected such a
+crew as he could, part landsmen and part foreigners, and sailed out.
+This was really very unwise.
+
+  [Illustration: JAMES LAWRENCE.]
+
+The Shannon's crew were picked men, and had had long and careful drill,
+while Lawrence's men were fresh and unprepared. Lawrence was young,
+proud of his late victory, and full of courage. The hostile ships fought
+fiercely and with terrible effect. In a few minutes every one of the
+Chesapeake's officers was either killed or wounded.
+
+While Lawrence was giving an order, a musket ball inflicted upon him a
+fatal wound. As he was carried below, his dying words were,
+
+"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"
+
+--a stirring battle-cry, which has ever since been a source of
+inspiration to our navy.
+
+The battle was soon over. The torn rigging of the Chesapeake was
+entangled with that of the Shannon, the enemy's officers leaped on board
+and raised the British flag. The Chesapeake was taken to Halifax, where
+Lawrence was buried with military honors.
+
+=281. Commodore Perry and his Brilliant Victory on Lake Erie.=--The story
+of Perry's brilliant victory on Lake Erie has been told in prose and
+verse ever since it took place. The control of this inland sea between
+two hostile countries was very important. The British already had a
+little fleet of six vessels with sixty-three guns, to oppose which we
+had hardly anything in the shape of vessels or trained men.
+
+A naval officer, Oliver Hazard Perry of Rhode Island, not quite
+twenty-eight years old and who had never been in action before, was
+appointed to take charge of the whole matter in behalf of the United
+States. First, he must have an armed flotilla to meet the enemy.
+
+With remarkable energy the young captain put a large force of
+wood-choppers and ship carpenters at work for months near Erie, Pa.,
+felling huge trees and building war vessels of the green timber. Soon he
+had launched nine, with fifty-four cannon--more vessels than the enemy,
+but fewer guns.
+
+One beautiful September morning the British fleet was seen on the
+horizon.
+
+"Sail ho!" rang out from the masthead of the American flagship.
+
+"Enemy in sight!" "Get under way!" was the signal sent to each vessel.
+
+Perry stripped his flagship, the Lawrence, for action. At her masthead
+he raised a blue battle-flag, upon which had been painted in large white
+letters the dying words of the brave Lawrence, "Don't give up the ship."
+
+"My brave lads," said Perry, "this flag has on it the dying words of
+Captain Lawrence. Shall I hoist it?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," shouted every man, and cheer after cheer echoed and
+reechoed through the fleet. This was the signal for battle.
+
+The enemy's fire was directed mostly upon Perry's vessel, which fought
+the two largest British ships till the Lawrence was almost a helpless
+wreck--cannon dismounted, masts shot away, and most of the crew either
+killed or wounded.
+
+Should Perry surrender? NOT HE!
+
+Taking his motto banner, he sprang into his only open boat, with his
+little brother and four stout sailors, and standing erect with his
+battle-flag half folded about him, balls flying all around him, he was
+rowed through the thickest of the fight to another of his ships, the
+Niagara, half a mile distant.
+
+A mighty shout went up from all our fleet at the sight of this heroic
+deed.
+
+"Fire upon that boat," ordered the British commander.
+
+The enemy at once poured a hail of cannon-balls, grapeshot, and musket
+bullets around the men in the open boat. Strange to say, not a person
+was hurt. Perry sprang on board of the Niagara, took command, sailed his
+vessels into the enemy's line, and thundered a series of broadsides
+right and left into five of their best ships.
+
+  [Illustration: OLIVER HAZARD PERRY.]
+
+In fifteen minutes from this moment the work was over! For the first
+time in history an American fleet had met a British fleet in a fair
+fight--and captured it!
+
+The battle had lasted three hours. The victory was complete. Then with
+singular pride Perry returned to the shattered Lawrence and there
+received the enemy's surrender! When he was sure of victory, he wrote
+in pencil on the back of an old letter, resting the paper on his cap,
+and sent to General Harrison (afterwards President in 1841) that
+remarkable despatch, the first sentence of which has been so often
+repeated:
+
+"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY ARE OURS!"
+
+This victory, so astonishing for its daring act of valor, turned the
+scales of war. It saved the western states from further inroads by the
+British, and paved the way for General Harrison to recover what was lost
+in General Hull's surrender of Detroit.
+
+=282. Other Events of this War.=--The next year, 1814, which saw the end
+of the war, was marked by events few but important. In the summer the
+British with their vast fleet blockaded all our most important ports,
+and sailing up rivers and into unprotected harbors, they plundered
+without mercy the defenseless cities and towns.
+
+In August one of their fleet sailed up to Washington, the city being
+entirely unguarded. President Madison, the officers of the government,
+and many citizens fled, and General Ross marched unopposed into the
+city. Obeying instructions from his government, he burned the Capitol,
+the President's house, the Treasury, and other public buildings, with
+vast amounts of valuable books and records. This shameful act has
+always received the sharpest condemnation from the civilized world.
+
+Next the British army marched to Baltimore, where the fleet bombarded
+Fort McHenry all day and all night, but without avail. The next morning
+Francis Scott Key, then a prisoner on a British ship, seeing the flag
+still flying over the fort, hastily wrote in pencil, on the back of an
+old letter, the stirring song that we all know so well, "The
+Star-Spangled Banner."
+
+The British General Ross was killed, and his army hastened to the ships
+and sailed away.
+
+In September the English, with an army of fourteen thousand veterans,
+tried to force a way from Canada to New York through Lake Champlain.
+Their army marched from Quebec, while the fleet sailed down the lake,
+and both were at Plattsburg together. But our gallant flotilla under
+Commodore McDonough utterly destroyed the British squadron, far superior
+to ours.
+
+=283. How General Jackson defeated the British at New Orleans.=--Later in
+the year the British made a vigorous effort to capture New Orleans. More
+than ten thousand trained veterans, believed to be the finest troops in
+the world, were met by less than half that number of men under Andrew
+Jackson, afterwards President. The battle was short but decisive.
+
+The British general repeated the fatal error of Bunker Hill in marching
+his soldiers to attack men who were behind breastworks, and who knew how
+to hit every time they fired. Jackson's wall of cotton bales was
+assaulted time and again, but the red-coat lines broke and ran before
+the withering fire of the backwoods rifles. The sharpshooters of the
+South-west had worsted British veterans who had defeated the best
+soldiers of Napoleon.
+
+In less than an hour the enemy's leader, General Packenham, was killed,
+seven hundred of his men lay dead on the field, and the contest was
+over. The British lost over two thousand in all, the Americans only
+thirteen! Never had a British army met a more decisive defeat.
+
+This battle, fought on the eighth of January, 1815, was really needless;
+for peace had been made in Europe about two weeks before.
+
+=284. Results of the War.=--The war of 1812 was not fought in vain. It put
+an end at once to searching American vessels and kidnapping American
+sailors on the high seas. Foreign nations saw that we were determined to
+maintain our rights on the ocean, and have never thought it best since
+then to insult our country. This war also served to strengthen the
+American feeling of nationality.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
+
+
+=285. The Great Rush Westward.=--Shortly after the close of the
+Revolution, long processions of emigrant wagons, with their white canvas
+covers and their companies of hardy men and women, began to move
+westward on all the main roads through New England, over the highways of
+New York toward the lakes, over the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia,
+and through the valley of the Ohio.
+
+Thousands of thrifty settlers followed just behind the pioneers and
+cleared the forests, bridged the streams, built villages, and tilled the
+rich valleys. Thousands left their homes in the Carolinas and went over
+the mountains to settle on the rich lands of Kentucky and Tennessee.
+
+The hardships which these early settlers endured are beyond description.
+It was one long hard struggle for food, shelter, and life itself. This
+was only the beginning of that mighty stream of migration which flowed
+for the next half century or more beyond the Mississippi, beyond the
+Rocky Mountains, into the region of the extreme Northwest and to the
+shores of the Pacific.
+
+The story of the marvelous growth of our country beyond the Alleghanies
+during the last hundred years reads more like a fairy tale than the
+plain truth.
+
+=286. Discovery of the Columbia River.=--In 1792 Captain Robert Gray of
+Boston, in the ship Columbia, was coasting along the Pacific shores,
+trading with the Indians for furs, when he discovered a broad and deep
+stream, which he entered and sailed up for many miles, and named after
+his vessel. The discovery of this great river produced momentous and
+far-reaching results.
+
+=287. The Purchase of Louisiana by President Jefferson.=--Now comes
+another important event. Our pioneers, who wanted to push on still
+farther, could not consistently cross the Mississippi River to stay
+there; for all that country belonged to France. This entire region of
+over a million square miles was then called Louisiana.
+
+Our people were very anxious to obtain part of this land, because it
+included New Orleans. The possession of it seemed necessary for our
+growing commerce and for our future protection. Thomas Jefferson, then
+President (1803), was on the point of attempting to buy of France enough
+of this southern region to include the mouth of the river, when he
+learned to his surprise that the French would be glad to sell us the
+whole of that vast territory!
+
+Napoleon was just then planning military operations on a great scale
+against England, and he was in sore need of "the sinews of war"; so he
+was glad to sell to this country this immense area for fifteen million
+dollars.
+
+The addition of the Louisiana territory more than doubled the area of
+the United States.
+
+=288. The Wonders revealed by the Lewis and Clarke Exploring
+Expedition.=--The next year President Jefferson thought it best to learn
+all about this wonderful addition to our territory, and so sent an
+expedition, under Captains Lewis and Clarke, to explore it. They started
+from St. Louis in May, 1804. What a remarkable journey it was!--more
+than two thousand miles up the Missouri River to its source, then across
+the Rocky Mountains, next down the Columbia River to the Pacific. They
+were the first white men who ever explored this vast domain, having
+traveled about six thousand miles.
+
+On their return in September, 1806, they were welcomed with unbounded
+joy. The stories of their perilous adventures sounded like a fairy
+romance, and the book of their travels was read everywhere. The
+explorers brought back word that the Indians had immense quantities of
+valuable furs. Soon throngs of American hunters and trappers began to
+roam over the vast plains and through the forests.
+
+All the way from the Missouri River to the Pacific a chain of trading
+posts, and stores for exchanging goods for furs were established. The
+wagons of the fur-traders and the winding caravans of emigrants that
+went under their protection soon made a pretty fair road. This was known
+as the Oregon trail, and in time it became the principal northern
+highway for Pacific travel.
+
+=289. How Dr. Whitman saved Oregon to the Union.=--In 1836 a group of
+young missionaries, two of them with their brides, went from New England
+to Oregon, taking with them a wagon all the way from the Missouri to
+their new homes on the Columbia River. One of these was a doctor by the
+name of Marcus Whitman, whose labors and counsel became of great value
+to the company.
+
+After they had been settled in Oregon some years Dr. Whitman discovered,
+one day in October, 1842, that the British were sending large bands of
+settlers down into Oregon, apparently to crowd American emigrants out of
+that rich country and to take complete possession.
+
+"The country is ours! The United States is too late. England will have
+Oregon and you cannot help it," exclaimed an English subject to him.
+
+"I will see," was the doctor's quiet reply.
+
+The moment Dr. Whitman heard this he became alarmed at the danger. If
+the President at Washington could only be informed of the facts, the
+threatened loss might be averted. The National Capital was three
+thousand or more miles away; and yet to delay a year or two might mean
+the seizure of all this rich country by the British.
+
+How to inform the government at Washington was the question. Could he
+himself do anything to save to his country this immense and valuable
+region?--one man, in midwinter, and across a continent? The problem
+haunted him--"Must I go?" He could not sleep. Difficult, almost
+impossible, as would be the journey, yet he heard the clear call of
+duty.
+
+A firm and bold, resolve, quick as a flash, had taken hold of him. He
+rode home in haste.
+
+"I am going to Washington to lay bare this scheme," said he to his wife.
+"I will bring settlers to Oregon."
+
+"You cannot ever get there," exclaimed the young wife; "you will perish
+on the way."
+
+"I must go; Oregon must be saved," said Whitman.
+
+=290. Whitman begins his Perilous Journey.=--Twenty-four hours later Dr.
+Whitman, with one companion, and pack mules for the guide and their
+supplies, started on horseback on the perilous undertaking.
+
+Over mountain ranges, through deep gorges and rugged forests, now
+drenched in storms, now buried in snow, and half famishing for
+food--their sufferings cannot be described.
+
+  [Illustration: WHITMAN'S FAMOUS "RIDE FOR OREGON."]
+
+They fed their horses on cotton-wood bark, while the men themselves
+lived on mule and dog meat. Two or three times they were really lost in
+the blinding snowstorms, and wandered about bewildered for days. Once
+only, Whitman gave up in despair, and then, worn out and bewildered, he
+knelt in the deep snow, and in a final prayer surrendered to God all
+earthly hopes. Then the party sank down and awaited a snowy burial. They
+were not, however, to die in the wilderness, but were rescued from
+death almost as if by a miracle, and after untold hardships for three
+months they reached St. Louis.
+
+=291. Dr. Whitman succeeds in his Grand Mission.=--Dr. Whitman at last
+arrived in Washington and convinced President Tyler and Daniel Webster,
+his Secretary of State, of the great value of Oregon and its importance
+to the Union. It is claimed that he thus saved to our nation, by his
+famous "Ride for Oregon," that entire region of country now known as
+Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, an area thirty-two times as large as the
+state of Massachusetts.
+
+This heroic patriot afterwards went through the Eastern States and told
+the people of the wonders of the Pacific coast. He stirred up such an
+interest that when, in the following June, he started back for Oregon he
+had the satisfaction of leading a caravan of two hundred wagons, with
+nearly a thousand people. After that, emigrants thronged every year in
+larger and larger numbers, till the territory was soon beyond the danger
+of British invasion.
+
+The dispute as to which nation had a right to Oregon was at last settled
+in 1846 by a treaty between the United States and England. By this
+treaty the boundary line was fixed, and our rightful claim to the vast
+Oregon country was confirmed for all time.
+
+=292. California becomes One of the United States.=--During all these
+years, while so many eyes were turned towards Oregon, few thought much
+of California, for it then belonged to Mexico. The coast trade in hides
+and furs and the inland immigration from the United States had slowly
+changed the kind of population. Although it was still Mexican by name,
+yet by 1846, besides the Spanish, Mexicans, and Indians, there were
+about ten thousand other inhabitants, mostly American citizens. In that
+year war was declared between the United States and Mexico. Then the
+large body of Americans in California thought they had a right to
+declare their independence of Mexico.
+
+At just this time John C. Fremont, an army officer and a famous western
+mountain explorer, was fortunately on the great plains, and was sent
+with an army expedition to explore a new route to Oregon. Being informed
+by special messenger of the war with Mexico, he changed his course and
+went to California. When he arrived there his small but courageous band,
+increased in number by patriotic residents and acting in harmony with
+our fleet, soon secured the independence of this great state.
+
+=293. The Discovery of Gold in California.=--It appears fortunate and even
+providential that California came into our hands just when it did, for
+shortly afterwards a most remarkable event occurred. Captain Sutter, an
+early emigrant, had settled on the Sacramento River and built a sawmill.
+
+In January, 1848, one of Sutter's laborers, by the name of Marshall,
+while digging a ditch for the mill, found shiny pieces of yellow metal
+which they suspected might be gold.
+
+"I wonder what that yellow stuff is," said he. "I wonder if it is gold."
+
+"I reckon it is brass," said one of his helpers.
+
+"Let me try vinegar on it," said Marshall. It was tried and the vinegar
+did not affect the "yellow stuff."
+
+The men about the sawmill threw down their tools and went to work
+searching for gold. Mr. Sutter laughed at the idea. But gold indeed it
+was, and there was plenty of it!
+
+=294. The Effect of this Great Discovery.=--The news spread. Soon
+everybody about knew that pure gold was found and in wonderful
+quantities. What a rush there was to the "diggings"! How all sorts of
+people from all over the western coast crowded in! Doctors left their
+sick, ministers their pulpits, traders their shops, mechanics their
+tools, and farmers their fields, all half frantic with the desire to dig
+their fortunes out of the golden sands of California.
+
+When the news of the discovery of gold reached the East, many people
+seemed to catch the contagion. Multitudes started at once for
+California. Thousands came by long wagon trains over the dreary plains.
+Hundreds died of starvation or were killed by Indians. Thousands went by
+the Isthmus, other thousands by Cape Horn. Vast numbers came from
+foreign countries. Even the crews and often the officers abandoned the
+ships that brought crowds to the Pacific coast and started for the gold
+"diggings."
+
+=295. The Mad Rush to the Gold Regions.=--The rush to the gold fields
+began in 1848, but became enormous in 1849. Those who went that year are
+since called "Forty-niners." There were over eighty thousand of them!
+The crowds that thronged the gold regions dug up the country for miles
+around Sutter's mill. They tore up his beautiful valley and ruined his
+farm. But they soon learned that gold was also to be found in larger
+quantities along the streams, among the mountains, and in valleys.
+
+Month by month new-comers swarmed in, and the excitement grew more
+intense. Some found prizes, nuggets of solid gold as large as an acorn
+or a walnut, and at times masses two or three pounds in weight. However
+much gold a man found, he was wildly eager to get more.
+
+A great deal of suffering ensued from the scarcity of food and the
+enormous prices of everything needful. Potatoes sold for a dollar
+apiece, eggs at the same price, wood at fifty dollars a cord, and flour
+at a hundred dollars a barrel. Large butcher knives were found very
+useful for digging, and brought thirty dollars each. A dose of the
+cheapest medicine in an apothecary's shop cost five dollars, and a
+physician's visit a hundred dollars. Unskilled laborers were paid
+twenty-five dollars a day.
+
+Money was not used at the mines, but in its place the ore itself, or
+"dust," at about sixteen dollars an ounce. Miners carried small scales,
+weighed their gold dust, and paid their bills with it.
+
+At the rough log tavern: "What do you charge for dinner here?" "Half an
+ounce."
+
+At the wayside store: "What's the price of these boots?" "Three ounces."
+
+=296. The Pony Express and its Remarkable History.=--San Francisco, being
+the principal base of operations and the center of much of the immense
+travel to and from the mines, grew in a few years from a cluster of
+shanties to a large and wealthy city. The people of California now
+demanded more frequent and more expeditious transmission of mail matter
+than that by steamers and across the Isthmus.
+
+It was finally decided to establish a horseback letter express between
+St. Joseph, on the Missouri River, and San Francisco, about two thousand
+miles. It was a daring and hazardous project. But the express began
+business in April, 1860, and made the through trip in ten days. Only
+letters were carried. The charge was five dollars each, afterwards
+reduced one-half. The company had sixty hardy riders and four hundred
+and twenty strong, fast horses, though it was nicknamed the "pony
+express."
+
+  [Illustration: THE "PONY EXPRESS" RIDER.]
+
+A rider started from each end of the journey at the same hour. There
+were stations every twenty-five miles for keeping and changing horses.
+On a postman's arrival at a station the bags were instantly slung on a
+fresh horse (for never more than two minutes must be spent at a
+station), and away went the new courier for the next station. The speed
+was by and by increased, until the long run was made in only eight
+days!
+
+Ah! that was furious riding! What speed they made! In 1861 the pony
+riders took President Lincoln's message through in one hundred and
+eighty-five hours! It was dangerous riding too. Day and night, over
+sandy plains and lofty mountains, on, on dashed these bold riders.
+
+The "pony express" was worth to the nation a hundred times its cost.
+Why? Because just at that time our Civil War was beginning to darken the
+land, and the South was making desperate efforts to entice the vast
+Pacific region to unite with the seceding states. This "pony express"
+line proved to be the first strand of a strong cable to unite the East
+and the West.
+
+=297. More Rapid Means of Communication between the East and the Pacific
+Coast urgently needed.=--For many years before 1860 there was talk of the
+urgent need, and finally of the absolute necessity, of closer connection
+between the old East and the new West. There were plenty of reasons for
+a railroad; but in 1861 there came another overpowering reason that
+eclipsed all others. The war for the Union had begun, and it was a
+matter of supreme importance that the Pacific states should be saved in
+the Union. No step could lead more surely toward this result than to
+have a railroad for constant and swift travel.
+
+=298. The Railroad over the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast rapidly
+built.=--In 1863 the great work was begun. The government was wonderfully
+generous and contributed money and land freely, for it was felt that the
+railroad must be built as quickly as possible. The completion of the
+gigantic undertaking in 1869 at Ogden, Utah, was gayly celebrated. Two
+trains, loaded with passengers from New York and San Francisco,
+approached each other at this place. The last rail was laid, the last
+rivet clinched, the last spike, a spike of gold sent from California,
+was driven, when the locomotives moved up and saluted, amid the cheers
+of the enthusiastic throngs!
+
+In seven years' time, from 1849 to 1856, the gold found in California
+was worth nearly five hundred millions of dollars! Imagine the effect of
+such an output of the precious metal upon the industries and commerce of
+our country!
+
+California is still rich in its gold, but it is still richer in its
+wonderful climate and its marvelous scenery; in the wealth of its grain
+fields; its sheep and cattle; its orange groves and its vineyards. These
+make California the real El Dorado,--the real land of gold, and ensure
+the prosperity and happiness of its people.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+LINCOLN AND THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+
+=299. Abraham Lincoln; the Abiding Influence of his Good Mother.=--The
+early settlers in the Western states were generally very poor. It was
+the honorable poverty of the pioneer, who bravely begins with only his
+axe and a few tools, with which he builds his log cabin, clears the
+forest, and works his way to competence and comfort.
+
+So lived in Larue County, in the state of Kentucky, about fifty miles
+south of Louisville, Thomas Lincoln and his wife Nancy, in a rude log
+cabin with no windows, a dirt floor, and only a flapping bearskin for a
+door! In this humble abode, which they called home, there was born to
+them on February 12, 1809, a son, Abraham.
+
+The father was a strong and kindly man, and the mother was a woman
+rather above her lowly position in life, and well educated for the time
+and place. As her boy grew up she read to him stories from the Bible and
+taught him to read for himself.
+
+In after years, when Abraham Lincoln had gained the people's ear, men
+noticed that he scarcely made a speech or wrote a state paper in which
+there was not an 'illustration or a quotation from the Bible. He had
+been thoroughly instructed in it by his mother. It was the one book to
+which she, being a woman of deep religious feeling, turned for sympathy
+and guidance. Out of it she taught her boy to spell and read, and with
+its principles she so familiarized him that they always governed his
+after life.
+
+When Abraham was eight years old the family moved to Indiana, where, in
+about a year, his mother died. This was an unutterable grief to him, for
+he loved her most deeply and tenderly. Throughout his life he revered
+her memory, and when he was in his prime he said, "All that I am or hope
+to be, I owe to my mother."
+
+=300. How Lincoln learned to read Good Books.=--Young Lincoln attended
+school only six weeks. He was a tall, gaunt lad, and his long, stout
+arms were very useful to his father on the farm.
+
+Like Franklin, he had a hunger for books, and having none himself, he
+used to walk miles to some family to borrow them. Every evening he used
+to read by the log fire _Pilgrim's Progress_, the poems of Robert Burns,
+_The Life of Washington_, or _Plutarch's Lives_. Think of that boy
+sitting before the cabin fire, reading over and over the story of
+Washington; and then think of what he came to be.
+
+When the family went to bed he used to climb, on a rude ladder of stout
+pegs driven in the logs, up to his bed made of hay, and there, by the
+light of his tallow candle, would read over and over his precious books.
+He bought a biography of Washington with three hard days' work at
+twenty-five cents a day. He carried the book with him to the field, and
+read it at the noon hour and while the horse rested.
+
+  [Illustration: LINCOLN READING HIS FAVORITE BOOKS BY THE FIRESIDE.]
+
+=301. Some Things Lincoln did when a Young Man.=--When Lincoln was about
+twenty-one, the family moved to Illinois. The young man was rugged and
+tall, six feet and four inches, but very strong. In feats of running,
+jumping, and wrestling he easily surpassed the best men in the county.
+
+He was hired at ten dollars a month to go down to New Orleans on a
+flatboat loaded with farm produce. On the trip he saw gangs of slaves
+chained together, and he attended a slave auction, where men, women, and
+children were bid off like cattle. The painful sight sank deep into his
+heart, and he never forgot it. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war,
+and was chosen by his comrades captain of the company, for all the men
+loved and respected him.
+
+=302. Makes up his Mind to become a Lawyer.=--Young Lincoln grew rapidly
+in public esteem. People took kindly to him, for he was himself kind and
+unselfish. Though awkwardly tall and homely, there was a something
+tender and friendly about him, which made every one feel that he was
+honest and sincere.
+
+As the years passed Lincoln kept on steadily educating himself by
+devoting every leisure hour to his books. He took regular studies, such
+as grammar, arithmetic, geometry, which he exceedingly enjoyed.
+
+He was a thoughtful reader of a few of the great English classics. He
+could repeat numerous scenes from Shakespeare and many of the poems of
+Robert Burns. Whatever he read was read thoroughly--to understand it.
+
+His need of money led the ambitious young man to study surveying, as
+Washington did--a very desirable attainment in a new country. He
+surveyed well Everything he did, he did well.
+
+Visiting a courthouse one day, he heard for the first time the argument
+of a lawyer. He was absorbed and delighted. Never before had anything so
+captivated his imagination. From that day he made up his mind to be a
+lawyer. Too poor to waste any money on shoes, he walked twelve miles
+barefoot once to borrow a law book; and he came home reading it as he
+walked.
+
+=303. His Early Studies and Rapid Advancement in his Profession.=--The
+struggling young lawyer now carefully studied the art of the clear and
+exact expression of thought. He attended that nursery of American
+oratory, the country debating club, and was a faithful student of the
+best method of speaking, making rapid progress by long and patient
+practice.
+
+We no longer think of him as the boy of the log house, the homespun
+clothes, the coon-skin cap, and the bare feet, but rather as the brave
+young lawyer, studious, honest, persevering, self-reliant, and always
+faithful to duty.
+
+After this Lincoln's advancement is rapid. His worthy traits draw to him
+many and strong friends. At twenty-five he is elected to the
+legislature. He discharges the duties of the office so well that two
+years later he is chosen again. Now an older lawyer invites him to be
+his partner.
+
+He has become a man of note. People come from far to consult him. His
+growing fame daily widens. The people next call him to a higher place.
+At thirty-nine he is honored by being chosen a member of Congress. He
+fills the place with credit and honor. He is now the rising man of his
+state.
+
+=304. Slavery as a Menace to the Country.=--There had always been one
+serious trouble in our republic--slavery. It began early. About a year
+before the Pilgrims came over in the Mayflower a Dutch ship brought
+twenty negroes from Africa to Virginia, and they were sold as slaves to
+the planters.
+
+As years passed the traffic rapidly increased, and paid an enormous
+profit. Some of the colonists tried to stop this, but in vain; it was
+profitable. Soon slavery spread all over the country; mostly in the
+South, but somewhat even in New England. In the South, slaves were very
+useful in raising tobacco and rice, and, later, cotton and sugar cane.
+
+At the formation of the republic all the Southern states came in as
+slave states. To this most of the Northern people, though they held
+slavery to be a great wrong, and feared that it would some day bring
+serious trouble, did not strenuously object, because it had long existed
+throughout the colonies. But as years passed the North strongly opposed
+the extension of slavery into new states or free territory. The South,
+however, had come to believe that slavery was right. When Missouri asked
+admission to the Union, the South claimed that it should be received as
+a slave state. The North said, No! There was a great discussion over
+this question, which was finally settled in 1821 by allowing Missouri to
+come in as a slave state. After this it was understood that slavery
+should never be introduced north of the line of its southern boundary.
+
+  [Illustration: ABRAHAM LINCOLN.]
+
+=305. Lincoln chosen President of the United States.=--In 1854 an effort
+was made to bring in Kansas and Nebraska as possible slave states. This
+at once aroused a storm of indignation throughout the North. Mr.
+Lincoln stood forth as a champion of freedom, and Stephen A. Douglas,
+popularly known as "the little giant of the West," supported the claims
+of the South. They held public debates all through Illinois, being rival
+candidates for the United States Senate.
+
+These great debates were listened to by thousands. Lincoln's speeches
+especially attracted much attention. They were printed and read in all
+sections. Many a voter said, "How plain he makes it all! He says it far
+better than I could." This contest raged in 1859. Douglas won the
+smaller prize of senator; but Lincoln, suddenly lifted into national
+fame by his splendid defense of freedom, was next year chosen President
+of the United States.
+
+He was elected because of the firm determination of the North that,
+while they would not disturb slavery where it already existed, it should
+not extend any farther into free territory. This resolve was not
+unfriendly to the Southern people. It did not invade their rights as the
+North understood them. It was not intended as a threat to the people of
+that section; but they chose so to regard it and immediately took a
+hostile attitude.
+
+In December, 1860, South Carolina seceded, then other states; so that
+before Mr. Lincoln began his duties as President the seven cotton
+states had seceded. Believing that they had a right to do so, they
+formed a government of their own and assumed a warlike attitude to the
+general government.
+
+=306. The Momentous Responsibilities of the Position.=--We have traced the
+poor boy of the Western cabin step by step up to the highest office of
+the nation, to rule as the chief magistrate of thirty millions of
+people. It was not a nation in peace, but torn asunder, each half in
+deadly conflict with the other. Upon him were to rest the control of
+vast armies, of a great navy, the decision of questions of unspeakable
+importance, and the solution of most perplexing international problems.
+
+Can this self-trained lawyer from the Western prairies bear all this
+sudden and tremendous burden, and bear it with courage, credit, and
+success? Surely no man of modern times ever faced a greater or more
+difficult task.
+
+=307. War begins; the Effect at the North and in the South.=--The next
+month (April 12, 1861) after Lincoln's inauguration, Fort Sumter, in
+Charleston Harbor, was attacked by a circle of nineteen hostile
+batteries. After thirty-six hours of furious bombardment, Major
+Anderson, his powder and food being exhausted, his flagstaff shot away,
+his fort crumbling and on fire, felt that he could do nothing but
+surrender. He and his little force, carrying with them their tattered
+flag, were taken on board a Union ship to New York.
+
+The shots fired at Sumter kindled another fire all through the North. A
+conflagration of patriotic zeal flamed up all over the loyal states. The
+people accepted instantly the awful challenge and sternly resolved to
+defend the endangered Union at every hazard.
+
+Both sides had been deceived. Vast numbers through the North had not
+believed the slave states would really carry out their threat of
+secession. Vast numbers through the South had always believed the North
+would never fight, but at the last moment would consent to some sort of
+compromise.
+
+Northern men felt that they had in no way wronged the South, that no act
+of theirs and no word of President Lincoln had given cause for
+precipitating the horrors of a civil war.
+
+Southern men claimed that according to the Declaration of Independence
+all governments derive their power from the consent of the governed, and
+that the South had a right to withdraw its consent and establish a
+government of its own. Although there were some disloyal men all through
+the North, political parties vied with each other in the fervor of
+general devotion to one country and one flag. The President's call for
+seventy-five thousand volunteers was answered by the enthusiastic
+enlistment of the whole number.
+
+In the South the excitement was equally great, but different in
+character. The masses went wild with passionate delight; but very many
+thoughtful people lamented the bombardment of Sumter as hasty, reckless,
+and ruinous. Some of the states were at first unwilling to secede, and
+finally went out reluctantly; but a belief that they were right swept
+them along, and, once out, they were as active as any.
+
+=308. Vigorous Efforts to preserve the Union.=--Neither side was prepared
+for a long war, but the South was much better prepared to begin it than
+the North. Instantly every effort was put forth by the government to
+preserve the Union. Scores of warships blockaded the Southern ports to
+prevent cotton from being sent to England, and to cut off English ships
+from bringing in supplies, especially military stores.
+
+The governments of Europe, except the Russian, were unfriendly to us.
+Four more states soon seceded, making eleven out of the fifteen slave
+states. Thousands of troops were gathered for the defense of the
+National Capital.
+
+In July a Confederate army of about thirty thousand threatened
+Washington. A battle was fought at Manassas, only thirty miles southwest
+of the city. At first the Union forces had the advantage and seemed
+victorious; but just then heavy reinforcements of fresh troops came to
+help the Confederates, drove back the weary forces, and the day ended in
+Union disaster.
+
+  [Illustration: MAP OF SEAT OF WAR IN VIRGINIA.]
+
+This battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, was a severe and unexpected
+defeat. It showed the scope of the tremendous conflict yet to come.
+There was not much more heavy fighting during the remainder of that
+year; both sides were busily making enormous preparations for the future
+struggle.
+
+=309. The Desperate Struggles of 1862.=--In the early part of the next
+year (1862) each side had ready in the field about half a million of
+men. In the East, General McClellan, with a large army, set out in April
+from Washington for Richmond. He advanced within seven miles of that
+city, where was fought the battle of Fair Oaks. Neither side was
+victorious. The desperate seven days' battles soon followed, with result
+still indecisive. This, the so-called Peninsular Campaign, failed of its
+purpose.
+
+In September the Confederate General Lee marched north and, invading
+Maryland, fought the bloody battle of Antietam. He was slightly worsted,
+and forced to retire into Virginia.
+
+In the West, General Grant, the coming man, with the help of Commodore
+Foote's fleet of gunboats, captured in February Forts Henry and Donelson
+with ten thousand prisoners. Soon followed the desperate battle of
+Shiloh, in which Grant, reinforced by General Buell, repulsed the
+Confederates.
+
+In April a great navy and army sailed up the Mississippi River,
+bombarded the forts below New Orleans, then passed up and captured the
+city. This was an important Union triumph.
+
+The year had been one of many hard-fought battles, only a few of which
+we are able to mention. The general result was in the East lamentable
+failure, but in the West brilliant success, of the Union armies.
+
+At the close of 1862, after a year and a half of fighting, the war had
+already lasted longer than either side expected when it began. At first
+both had hoped that after a few months the trouble would be settled by
+some kind of agreement or compromise. Each side was surprised at the
+vast number of soldiers, the immense military equipment, and the
+determined spirit shown by the other.
+
+=310. The Emancipation of the Slaves.=--As the war went on, it was plain
+that the tens of thousands of slaves, although they did not actually
+fight in the Southern armies, were helping the South just as much as if
+they carried muskets. They built forts, toiled in gun shops and powder
+mills, and raised crops at home. This, of course, released thousands of
+whites from home duties and swelled the ranks of the Confederate army.
+It was a terrible and costly war. The final result even seemed doubtful.
+To save the Union the South must be crippled at every possible point. To
+set the slaves free was to weaken the South. Mr. Lincoln held that a
+sound principle of military law gave him the authority to abolish
+slavery. He proposed to do it primarily as an act of military necessity
+by virtue of his office as Commander-in-Chief of the army, just as when
+a general in active warfare destroys buildings or burns bridges to aid
+his army operations.
+
+It was sound common sense, as well as a profound military policy, to
+seize the most favorable opportunity to strike at the real cause of the
+trouble. Public opinion was rapidly shaping itself to this end. Lincoln
+was one of the most clear-sighted and sagacious of men. He patiently
+abided his time for so momentous a step.
+
+=311. The Proclamation of Emancipation.=--Finally, acting on his own
+judgment and that of his trusted advisers, Lincoln issued in September,
+1862, his warning proclamation to the effect that if the Confederate
+States did not cease hostilities before the first of the next January,
+all slaves within the Confederate lines should be thenceforth and
+forever free.
+
+The negroes very soon heard this wonderful news and many thousands of
+them eagerly awaited the coming of the day when "Massa Linkum would set
+'em free." They looked upon the good President as the savior of their
+race.
+
+On that famous morning, January 1, 1863, the prophecy was fulfilled.
+That New Year's Day will be forever memorable as the date of the great
+Emancipation Proclamation, an act by which four millions of slaves were
+brought from the night of bondage to the sunlight of freedom.
+
+This was the monumental event of the war, perhaps the wisest thing
+President Lincoln ever did or ever could do. In after years it will
+perhaps be regarded as the greatest event of the century. Few men in all
+history have had an opportunity of doing a deed of so vast and
+far-reaching importance.
+
+Emancipation was quickly followed by the enlistment of negroes, or
+"freedmen" as they were now called, as soldiers in the armies of the
+Union. During the year 1863 more than fifty thousand of them, and before
+the end of the war nearly two hundred thousand, had enlisted under the
+banner of freedom. They were good soldiers, and on many a battlefield
+they fought with an unflinching courage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+MORE ABOUT THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+
+=312. Union Defeat at Chancellorsville.=--Now let us return to our
+narrative of a few of the prominent military operations of the war. In
+May, 1863, the army of the Potomac, under General Hooker, moved
+southward from Washington. At Chancellorsville it was met by a
+Confederate force under Generals Lee and Jackson. The battle lasted two
+days, and was disastrous to the Union arms; in fact, the worst defeat of
+the war. It marked the zenith of Confederate success. In this battle
+"Stonewall" Jackson, so called from his splendid firmness, one of the
+ablest of the Southern generals, was mortally wounded.
+
+  [Illustration: "STONEWALL" JACKSON.]
+
+=313. The Mighty Struggle at Gettysburg.=--General Lee, proud of this
+success, now resolved to lead his army into the North. Sweeping past
+Washington and across Maryland, he pushed up into Pennsylvania, the
+whole country around being terrified at his approach, especially
+Baltimore and Philadelphia, both of which cities were threatened. Lee
+had now eighty thousand soldiers, the finest army the South ever
+possessed. The army of the Potomac, under the command of General Meade,
+whom Grant called the right man in the right place, followed closely.
+The two defiant armies met at Gettysburg, where occurred the most
+momentous battle ever fought on this continent. It lasted three days,
+July 1-3, 1863. The first day's fighting ended in favor of the
+Confederates. On the second day their desperate efforts to drive the
+Union forces from their positions were repelled, but with an enormous
+loss on each side.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL MEADE.]
+
+On the third day came the final test. The brave Confederate General
+Pickett led many thousands of soldiers over an open plain in a most
+desperate charge to break the Union center. On, on they came, their
+ranks now torn through and through by Union shot and shell, but still on
+they charged. Drawing nearer, up they rushed to the Union line with the
+familiar Southern yell, and with frantic fury dashed upon our firm-set
+ranks. Our men wavered with the mighty shock and for a moment fell back,
+but instantly rallied with the Union cheer.
+
+In the furious onset and the hand-to-hand fight, friend and foe fell by
+thousands. But the charging battalions were shattered, crushed, driven
+back, melting away under the concentrated fire, and only some few
+fragments of all that vast column straggled back over the field of
+death.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE.]
+
+Lee was baffled, defeated; the Union was safe. The invaders, with that
+vast army that came with stately pride, went back to Virginia with
+sorrowing memories of the direst disaster of the war. Never again did a
+large Confederate force hazard a march into the North. After Gettysburg
+there was little hope of Confederate triumph.
+
+=314. Memorials of the Victory.=--Gettysburg was a costly victory. Over
+that broad area of the three days' battles, strewn through wood and
+meadow, on field and hill, lay the bodies of thousands of soldiers.
+One-third of Lee's entire army, and about a fourth of the Union forces,
+had been killed or wounded. The arena of fiercest fighting in the third
+day's final charge is now marked by a suitable monument, which bears
+upon a bronze tablet an inscription that indicates the historical
+importance of the spot.
+
+Upon opposite columns are also inscribed the names of the officers who
+led the surging columns of gray, and the names of those officers who
+held firm the impregnable walls of blue.
+
+The whole field of battle, covering several square miles, is dotted with
+hundreds of similar memorials of many varieties. These monuments have
+been erected year after year by the survivors or by their friends. They
+indicate the positions held by regiments, brigades, and divisions, where
+desperate charges and equally desperate repulses occurred, or where
+gallant officers fell.
+
+=315. Lincoln's Masterly Address at Gettysburg.=--In November, 1863, the
+central portion of the battlefield was set apart as a National Cemetery
+and dedicated with solemn ceremonies. The most important of these was
+the notably eloquent address by President Lincoln, which has passed into
+history as an event hardly less memorable than the great conflict
+itself. Perhaps in no language, ancient or modern, are any words found
+more comprehensive and eloquent than this brief speech.
+
+Time has tested the strength of this short, simple address. After more
+than a quarter of a century it is still as familiar as household words.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL U. S. GRANT.]
+
+=316. Success of General Grant in the West.=--Let us now read about a few
+of the great events of the war in the West during the first half of the
+year 1863. Here General Grant was the central figure of important
+military operations. He had already become prominent by the brilliant
+campaigns we have mentioned. His remarkable career furnishes one of the
+many examples of great men coming up from obscure and unpromising
+conditions of life.
+
+  [Illustration: MAP OF MILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE WEST.]
+
+He was born in Ohio in 1822, and received a military education at West
+Point. He was a successful officer in the Mexican War, having been
+engaged in nearly all the battles of the war, where he manifested
+conspicuous bravery. Returning from Mexico, he engaged a while in
+farming, but with discouraging results. Evidently it was not his
+vocation.
+
+When the Civil War opened, Grant was employed at a small salary in his
+father's leather store in Galena, Illinois. He at once offered the
+governor his services, and was appointed a colonel of an Illinois
+regiment. He rose rapidly to conspicuous positions.
+
+=317. Capture of Vicksburg.=--General Grant, after defeating the
+Confederates at the battle of Shiloh, and driving them south to Corinth,
+followed them to Vicksburg. This was a stronghold from which they seemed
+to defy every effort to dislodge them.
+
+The city stands on a high bluff some two hundred feet above the
+Mississippi, and as there were heavy batteries all along the river front
+and on the hillsides, Grant could not attack the city with his gunboats.
+On the north there were miles of swamps and creeks, so that he could not
+approach on that side. On the east the city was heavily fortified with
+cannon.
+
+President Lincoln and the country expected General Grant to capture
+Vicksburg. What could he do? Witness his superb generalship!
+
+He first protected against cannon shot a number of gunboats and steamers
+by means of bales of hay, and planned to run them past eight miles of
+batteries one dark night in April. This movement was so perilous that
+officers would not order their men to go, but called for volunteers. So
+many were eager to go that lots were drawn for a chance. One soldier
+refused one hundred dollars for his place.
+
+Soon as the watchful Confederates sighted the first boat of the grim
+procession, they opened a deafening cannonade, and started a series of
+bonfires that lighted up all the miles of that voyage of death. Some of
+the transports were destroyed, but enough got through to answer the
+general's purpose.
+
+Next Grant ferried his army across the river some miles below Vicksburg,
+and fought and defeated General Pemberton's troops, which had moved down
+to meet him. Then, learning that General Johnston was coming to attack
+him, he marched up between the two armies. On his east side he met
+Johnston's army and defeated it. Thence he turned west and drove
+Pemberton again, and the next day routed him once more and drove his
+entire army into Vicksburg.
+
+Commodore Porter's gunboats now threw huge shells into the doomed city
+from the river and Grant's army bombarded it on the east. It was an
+awful siege. No building was safe. The people lived in caves dug in the
+sides of the hills. Food was so scarce that mules, cats, dogs, and rats
+were devoured. At last, after seven weeks of siege, Pemberton, on July
+4, surrendered his entire army of about thirty thousand men, the largest
+force captured during the war.
+
+These two great victories, at Gettysburg and at Vicksburg, one in the
+East, the other in the West, both won at the same time, gave new hope
+to the Union cause. The Confederacy was at last cut in two, for the
+Mississippi River was open in its entire length, and its waters, in Mr.
+Lincoln's words, "flowed unvexed to the sea."
+
+From this eventful Fourth of July in 1863 the strength of the
+Confederacy began to decay. There was little hope for its final success
+after this time. All its future contests only delayed the inevitable
+end.
+
+=318. Two Other Important Victories in the West.=--In September occurred
+the severe battle of Chickamauga, where the Union army would probably
+have been utterly defeated but for the valor of General Thomas, who thus
+won for himself the name of the "Rock of Chickamauga." Late in November
+the Union army was shut in at Chattanooga by the ever alert
+Confederates, and was relieved only by General Grant's skillful planning
+and hard fighting.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL THOMAS.]
+
+This battle was fought on a cold, drizzly day. The fog, settling on the
+valley and sides of Lookout Mountain, up which our brave boys climbed,
+covered the lower part of the advancing army so that only the upper
+lines were visible. This brilliant victory is popularly known as "the
+Battle above the Clouds." These movements ended the army operations of
+1863.
+
+=319. Sherman's Famous March to the Sea.=--The year 1864 saw two great
+movements, both planned by General Grant, who had now been called by
+President Lincoln to come to Washington and take control of all the
+armies of the Republic. One was his own advance against Richmond, and
+the other General Sherman's famous "March to the Sea."
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN.]
+
+General W. T. Sherman, a brilliant officer and General Grant's dear
+comrade and lifelong friend, had driven his opponents southward and
+captured Atlanta. General Hood then very boldly but injudiciously led a
+Confederate army up to Nashville, where General Thomas attacked and
+utterly defeated him.
+
+Meanwhile Sherman had begun his celebrated march to the sea. Having
+burned the mills, foundries, and workshops at Atlanta which had been of
+great value to the Confederates, he started in November with an army of
+sixty thousand on a three-hundred-mile expedition to the Atlantic! They
+marched on three and sometimes four parallel roads, foraging on the
+country, destroying railroads, burning bridges, and devastating a belt
+of territory from forty to sixty miles wide. Our army was followed by
+thousands of negroes, enjoying their new freedom.
+
+In December Sherman reached the sea and telegraphed to President Lincoln
+the capture of Savannah as a Christmas present! Resting there, he then
+marched his conquering legions north, through both Carolinas, up to
+Goldsboro, having met and defeated Johnston's army at several points
+along the way. He was now able to aid General Grant, whose campaign
+against Richmond we must now consider.
+
+=320. Grant's Advance on Richmond; Lee's Surrender at Appomattox.=--Early
+in May, Grant had started with a hundred and twenty thousand men on his
+advance against Richmond. He pushed his work with great vigor, fighting
+almost daily, but after every battle flanking Lee's right, and thus
+working constantly southward. It was a series of bloody battles, and
+the slaughter was enormous; but such is war. He continued slowly
+advancing all summer, and in the fall of 1864 began the siege of
+Richmond.
+
+Finally, in April, 1865, General Sheridan had cut the last of the
+railroads supplying the Confederate capital. Then with Grant's army on
+one side and Sheridan's on the other, the Confederacy quickly collapsed.
+Jefferson Davis fled and a panic seized upon the people in the doomed
+city, while fire and havoc ran riot. The Union army soon marched in and
+restored order.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL SHERMAN ON HIS MARCH TO THE SEA.]
+
+One week later Lee surrendered his whole army at Appomattox. General
+Grant treated his fallen foes with great generosity, requiring only the
+oath of officers and men not to fight further against the United
+States. The victorious general permitted all the men to keep their
+horses, to enable them, as he said, "to do their spring plowing on their
+farms."
+
+=321. The Story of Sheridan's Famous Ride.=--Read's stirring poem,
+"Sheridan's Ride," has always been a favorite, for it records in verse
+the gallant deed of one of the most brilliant generals in the war for
+the Union. In the early fall of 1864 Grant sent General Sheridan with a
+large force of cavalry to lay waste the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan did
+the work so well that it was said, "If a crow wants to fly down the
+valley, he must carry his provisions with him."
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL SHERIDAN.]
+
+The story runs as follows:--
+
+One morning in October the Confederates approached under cover of a fog
+and surprised the Union forces at Cedar Creek and put them to flight.
+Sheridan was then at Winchester, twenty miles away, slowly riding back
+to join his army. A messenger met him with the bad news. On his famous
+black horse he dashed forward at full speed down that "good broad
+highway, as with eagle flight," towards the line of battle. As he came
+nearer he met the first of the fugitives and rallied them with fierce
+and forcible words. At once they were as eager to fight again as they
+had been ready to fly.
+
+A brave nucleus of the army which had not shared in the surprise was
+fighting with determined pluck to prevent disaster from becoming
+disgrace. Men said, "Oh for one hour of Sheridan!" All at once a
+deafening cheer was heard above the roar of musketry and artillery as
+the tired men recognized the long-looked-for Sheridan. The news flashed
+from brigade to brigade along the front with telegraphic speed. As the
+gallant general, cap in hand, dashed along the retreating lines, a
+continuous cheer burst from the whole army.
+
+The entire aspect of affairs seemed changed in a moment. Further retreat
+was no longer thought of. "This retreat must be stopped!" shouted
+Sheridan to his officers as he galloped down the lines. The line of
+battle was speedily re-formed; the retreating army turned its face to
+the foe.
+
+The ranks of the Confederates swayed and broke everywhere before the
+charge of the Union cavalry and the impetuous advance of the infantry.
+They were completely defeated, with the loss of many prisoners, and
+nearly all of their guns.
+
+Sheridan's ride to the front, October 19, 1864, has passed into history
+as one of the most thrilling events that have ever given interest to a
+battle scene. Stripped of all poetic gloss, the result achieved by
+Sheridan's superb generalship, after reaching his shattered army on the
+field of Cedar Creek, still stands, with few if any parallels in
+history, as an illustration of the magnetic influence of one man over
+many, and as an example of snatching a great victory from an appalling
+defeat.
+
+  [Illustration: SHERIDAN RALLYING HIS TROOPS AT CEDAR CREEK.]
+
+=322. Death of Lincoln.=--Wild was the delight of the country when peace
+came. There were public meetings, processions, bonfires, every possible
+display of universal joy!
+
+Suddenly, like a total eclipse at noonday, came the darkness of a great
+sorrow. Abraham Lincoln, the great and good President, whose heart had
+bled for the nation's suffering, who had never held a trace of bitter
+feeling towards the South, was shot down by an assassin!
+
+Instantly the nation was plunged into the deepest sorrow; joy ended in
+grief, delight was turned to mourning. Ninety thousand Union soldiers
+had been slain, but this last sacrifice overshadowed all. Never before
+was a great nation shrouded in a sorrow so deep. Thousands mourned, as
+for the loss of a personal friend.
+
+The people hardly realized till his death the greatness of this man, the
+hero of the mighty struggle by which the Union was saved. From that day
+to this, the admiration and love, not only of the nation but of all
+mankind, have been increasing for the great and kind-hearted man, the
+wise leader, the blameless President,--Abraham Lincoln.
+
+=323. The Cost of the War.=--The cost of the four years' war was something
+tremendous. At the close of the strife the total debt was about three
+thousand millions of dollars! This, however, was but a small part of the
+loss.
+
+The cost in human life can never be estimated in money. The area fought
+over was so large that there was fighting somewhere almost every day!
+The number of battles, great and small, was more than two thousand! The
+total Union loss of men killed in battle and of those who died of wounds
+and disease was not less than three hundred and sixty thousand. The
+number of enlisted soldiers on the Union side was over two and a half
+millions.
+
+=324. Grand Review of Troops at Washington.=--At the close of the war a
+grand review of Union troops was held at Washington. These comprised the
+army of the Potomac, commanded by General Meade in person, and Sherman's
+army fresh from its march to the sea. These battle-scarred veterans,
+perhaps one-fifth of all the Union soldiers who had tramped and fought
+for years, now passed in review, bearing aloft the tattered and
+shot-torn flags around which they had rallied on many a battlefield. The
+two days were beautiful and the sight was superb.
+
+The National Capital was full of strangers in holiday dress, and every
+house was decorated with flags. For two days the two armies marched in
+close column around the Capitol, down Pennsylvania Avenue, past the
+President and cabinet, who occupied a large stand prepared for the
+occasion in front of the White House. On the second day it took six
+hours and a half for Sherman's magnificent army of sixty-five thousand
+sunburnt veterans to march in solid columns in review before the
+President.
+
+This grand review was a fitting conclusion to the war. The million men
+who were still in arms at the close of the war, old comrades of camp and
+field, shook hands and parted, each to his home, where mother or sister
+or wife or children or other dear ones awaited the long-absent soldier.
+
+=325. The Country after the War.=--The war proved beyond all question that
+the American Republic is a nation, not a league, and it rid it also of
+human slavery. It took, of course, a long time for the bitter feeling on
+both sides to die away. More than a generation has passed since the
+great Civil War desolated our fair land. The people of to-day have
+little cause to recall its sufferings and horrors.
+
+How dear to the hearts of the American people are the familiar
+ceremonies of Memorial Day! What more impressive object lesson could our
+children have than to see the gray-haired veterans marching with thinner
+ranks and more faltering steps, on this sacred anniversary!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+OUR NAVY IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+
+=326. Our Navy at the Beginning of the War.=--For a number of months
+before the breaking out of the war the Southern leaders of the secession
+movement had been quietly but skillfully preparing for it.
+
+A large part of the soldiers had been sent off to the frontier posts.
+Rifles, cannon, and all such supplies had been taken months before from
+Northern stations and sent South. Our navy had been purposely scattered
+all over the world. More ships were abroad or useless than were at home
+fit for service. The whole number available after the attack on Fort
+Sumter was only thirteen.
+
+All through the South most of the southern-born officers of the
+government who were in control of Federal property, as custom houses,
+post offices, arsenals, forts, navy yards, and ships, abandoned their
+trust, or turned all these properties over to the seceding states.
+
+It was in reference to such a piece of transfer that the Secretary of
+the Treasury, John A. Dix, sent to New Orleans that famous telegram
+which thrilled the whole North:--
+
+"IF ANY ONE ATTEMPTS TO HAUL DOWN THE AMERICAN FLAG, SHOOT HIM ON THE
+SPOT!"
+
+Great was the peril. More vessels must be had, and that at once. The
+seventeen warships in foreign ports were called home, scores of steamers
+were bought and dozens were built as quickly as possible.
+
+=327. Urgent Need of Vessels to blockade Southern Ports.=--One of the most
+urgent needs for a navy was to blockade the Southern ports. This was to
+be done by stationing well-armed ships near the mouth of every harbor to
+seize any vessel trying to get out with a cargo of cotton, or to capture
+any ship coming in with supplies. "Running" this blockade was a
+profitable but dangerous business.
+
+But we can judge whether our gallant navy did its duty in watching the
+eighteen hundred miles of Southern coast line, if we remember that
+during the four years of the war the Union blue-jackets captured or
+destroyed over fifteen hundred blockade runners--more than one a day.
+
+=328. Naval Operations on the Western Rivers.=--The Confederates had
+fortified many cities and important bluffs along the Mississippi River
+and its branches, and had built many heavy gunboats. Our government had
+at first not a single gunboat to meet them. Something must be done very
+soon. In less than a hundred days there were built at St. Louis, from
+the keel up, with powerful engines, heavy armor plate, and cannon, eight
+powerful gunboats, all ready for action. These ironclads, with some
+mortar boats, did effective service at the capture of Forts Henry and
+Donelson, of Columbus, Memphis, and Vicksburg, and all along the rivers.
+
+=329. How New Orleans was protected against an Attack by the Union
+Forces.=--While the Union ironclads were fighting farther north along the
+Mississippi and other large rivers, Commodore Farragut was doing valiant
+work below New Orleans. This city was protected by two strong forts.
+
+Just below the forts there stretched from each bank towards the middle a
+big boom of logs. The space in the middle of the river between the ends
+of the booms was filled with hulks of old ships, first firmly anchored,
+then heavily chained to each other, and lashed to the booms with huge
+cables, making almost a bridge. Above this formidable barrier was a
+fleet of iron rams and gunboats.
+
+Besides all this, there were a number of fire rafts, loaded with cotton
+and hay, ready to be set in a blaze and float down on any Union craft
+that would dare to come up. How was it possible for the Union vessels to
+force their way up the river in the face of these obstructions?
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL FARRAGUT.]
+
+=330. Farragut prepares for the Attack.=--Farragut had about fifty vessels
+all told: frigates, ships, sloops, gunboats, and mortar vessels. He
+anchored the mortar boats around a point of land nearly two miles below
+the forts, and dressed them with evergreens and foliage of trees
+disguising their position. Then the great thirteen-inch bombs burst
+inside and around the forts all day, all night, for six days.
+
+Meanwhile two small gunboats went one night up to the chained hulks to
+break the barrier; and though detected and fired on, the officers
+worked calmly and persistently. They contrived to get a gunboat
+through, then steamed up the river, turned and rushed down on the cable
+with such force as to break it! Daylight showed a wide opening for the
+Union fleet.
+
+=331. The Grand Work done by Farragut and his Fleet.=--The next morning at
+two o'clock, April 24, 1862, the fleet steamed up. The forts fired and
+the ships fired, but the fleet kept moving in the darkness. Soon one
+passed through, then another, the swift ones dashing ahead.
+
+But the flagship Hartford, on which was Farragut, having passed through,
+turned aside to avoid a blazing fire raft, when she ran aground! Then
+the Confederates, seeing the Hartford stuck fast, pushed a fire raft up
+against it. Instantly the flames flashed along the rigging and the
+ports, the big guns of the fort meanwhile pounding her. But the gun
+crews kept working their cannon as steadily as if on practice, and the
+rest fought the flames, and soon subdued them. The flagship was saved.
+Other ships passed up, all fighting, some surviving by hairbreadth
+escapes; a few were lost.
+
+When the morning sun rose, the astounding work had been done, the gates
+of fire had been passed, and the Union fleet under Farragut was
+triumphant. New Orleans was captured and the control of the river
+secured nearly up to Vicksburg.
+
+=332. The Merrimac and the Monitor.=--When the war for the Union began,
+and just before the Confederates seized the navy yard at Norfolk, the
+commanding officer there contrived to burn or sink all the ships; but
+the best one, the Merrimac, was soon raised and rebuilt as a powerful
+ironclad.
+
+When the fine old frigate had been remodeled her entire appearance was
+changed. She had no longer the appearance of a ship, but seemed like a
+house afloat. The story is told that an old sailor on board the
+Cumberland, who first sighted her, reported gravely to the officer of
+the deck, "Quaker meeting-house floating down the bay, sir."
+
+In anticipation of what harm it might do, the government engaged Captain
+Ericsson, a Swedish inventor in New York, to build as quickly as
+possible, after his own plans, an ironclad, a new and very odd-shaped
+kind of warship--the now famous Monitor. The construction was pushed day
+and night without an hour of delay.
+
+=333. Attack of the Merrimac on the Union Fleet.=--Before long the dreaded
+Merrimac was finished, and on March 8, 1862, the ponderous black monster
+steamed slowly out to attack the Union ships in Hampton Roads. She made
+straight for the fine frigate Cumberland, the solid shot of whose
+broadside fell like pebbles into the sea from the slopes of the huge
+ironclad. On, on came the ponderous monster, and crashing into the
+wooden side of the Cumberland, opened a hole "wide as a church door."
+The sinking ship went down with her flag flying and her guns booming to
+the last!
+
+Next the Merrimac attacked the Congress, whose captain and three-fourths
+of her crew were killed or wounded. Hot shot were used, which soon set
+the Congress in a blaze. Then the ironclad, as if she had done enough
+for one day, went grimly back to Norfolk, intending to continue her
+destruction the next day.
+
+Everywhere in that region is alarm. The shores are thronged with anxious
+thousands. The city of Washington is almost in a panic. The grim monster
+may steam up here on the next day, and hurl its exploding shells into
+the Capitol or the White House. Philadelphia, Baltimore, and all the
+seacoast cities of the country are exposed to destruction. What is to be
+done? Can the danger be averted?
+
+=334. Timely Arrival of the Monitor.=--That very night, as if by a special
+providence, the Monitor arrived from New York! Early next morning, when
+the naval Goliath of yesterday came out in his iron armor, victorious
+and confident, a young David stood up to defy him!
+
+A strange craft indeed was the Monitor. Her rail was but little above
+the water, and nothing was to be seen on her deck but a kind of round
+iron box in the middle, a pilot house forward, and a small smokestack
+aft. At a mile's distance she might be taken for a raft. Indeed, the
+Confederates well described her when they called her a "Yankee
+cheese-box on a raft."
+
+  [Illustration: THE FAMOUS CONTEST BETWEEN THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC.]
+
+=335. Famous Battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.=--It was a
+Sunday morning, and the sun rose in a cloudless sky. The batteries on
+both sides of the bay were crowded with men waiting for the coming
+contest. At the first sign of life on board the Merrimac, the Monitor
+began her preparations for the battle.
+
+Slowly the Confederate ram came down the bay. She opened fire on the
+Minnesota, which was still aground. The frigate responded with a mighty
+broadside, but the cannon balls rattled off the iron flanks of the huge
+ram like so many peas. Clearly everything depended upon the little
+Monitor.
+
+The battle now began, and the huge shells and heavy shot crashed like
+loudest thunder. It was a strange, an awful battle. At times the two
+vessels were in actual contact. The dense smoke, the deafening roar of
+explosions, the shouts of officers' orders, the crews often hurled off
+their feet by the terrific blows smiting the iron armor--all made it
+beyond description fearfully sublime. The Merrimac's plates were split
+and torn. One shot, entering her port, did terrible havoc.
+
+Just as Lieutenant Worden of the Monitor was looking through the slit in
+the turret to take aim, a shell struck outside and filled his face and
+eyes with powder and iron splinters! He was insensible for some time.
+
+When he came to himself, his first question was, "Have I saved the
+Minnesota?"
+
+"Yes," was the reply, "and whipped the Merrimac."
+
+"Then I don't care what becomes of me," he answered.
+
+After more than three hours of this frightful combat, the humbled
+Merrimac steamed back to Norfolk, the victorious little Monitor giving a
+series of farewell shots as she sailed away.
+
+Thus ended this marvelous battle, the first in the world's history
+between ironclad vessels. All Washington retired to sleep that night
+with a sense of relief, for it seemed as if the nation had been saved.
+
+The brave Worden shortly after the famous battle went to Washington.
+President Lincoln was at a cabinet meeting when he heard of the
+lieutenant's arrival. He rose hastily and said, "Gentlemen, I must go to
+that fellow."
+
+When Lincoln entered his room, Worden was lying on a sofa with his eyes
+and head heavily bandaged.
+
+"Mr. President," said he, "you do me great honor by this visit."
+
+"Sir," said Mr. Lincoln, with tears in his eyes, "I am the one who is
+honored by this interview."
+
+=336. Confederate Privateers attack Union Merchantmen.=--When the North
+began blockading the Southern ports, the South of course used all its
+energies to break the blockade by aiding ships to pass in or out, and
+also to destroy our commerce wherever it might be found.
+
+The first craft that went out on this errand of destruction was an ocean
+steamer then at New Orleans. It had been speedily altered into a warship
+and named the Sumter. She slipped through the blockade in June, 1861,
+and did a lively business capturing and burning our merchantmen.
+
+Then the South, as it had no navy of its own, had to seek aid abroad.
+England seemed to be very willing that her shipbuilders should furnish
+ships for the use of the Confederacy in seizing and destroying Union
+vessels.
+
+The first of the cruisers secretly built in a British shipyard to
+destroy our commerce was the Florida. She burned or sank over forty
+vessels before she was captured.
+
+=337. The Famous Alabama makes Sad Havoc.=--The Alabama was the most
+famous of the Confederate cruisers. She was built under false pretenses
+and with a false name, in an English port, of English material, armed
+with English cannon, and manned by English sailors.
+
+The Alabama, once fairly at sea under Captain Semmes, skillfully avoided
+our men-of-war sent to capture her, and continued in her two years'
+cruise till she had burned or captured sixty-seven of our merchant
+ships.
+
+=338. The Alabama destroyed by the Kearsarge.=--At last the Alabama went
+into the harbor of Cherbourg, in France. Captain Winslow of the United
+States warship Kearsarge, then searching for her, heard of this and at
+once challenged her, and then waited outside. On the nineteenth day of
+June, 1864, the Alabama was compelled by law to leave the port. The
+battle began, and was watched by thousands from the shores.
+
+The Kearsarge swept around in great circles, compelling the Alabama,
+about half a mile distant, to do the same. The men on the Alabama fired
+fast and wild. Their shots flew over, or fell short; but the Kearsarge
+fired carefully and with true aim. Nearer drew the Kearsarge, circling
+still. Its two eleven-inch guns made frightful havoc, tearing great
+rents in the Alabama's sides. She was sinking, and started for the
+shore. Winslow now steamed in front and headed her off. Then down came
+the Confederate flag.
+
+Soon the far-famed and dreaded cruiser sank to her watery grave. The
+names Winslow and Kearsarge long rang through this country with plaudits
+of enthusiastic praise.
+
+"I would rather have fought that fight," said brave old Admiral
+Farragut, "than any ever fought on the ocean."
+
+=339. England pays for the Damage done by the Alabama.=--After the war
+England refused for years to make compensation for the damage the
+Alabama had done to our commerce. But seeing that the same course might
+some day injure herself, and sensible of the injustice, she at last
+consented to make amends. In 1872 a Board of Arbitrators met at Geneva,
+and agreeably to its decision "John Bull" promptly paid $15,500,000 to
+"Uncle Sam" to distribute among those who had suffered by the
+depredations.
+
+=340. Preparations for the Capture of Mobile.=--In the summer of 1864 a
+prominent Southern port, Mobile, was yet uncaptured. Its defenses were
+strong. Two splendid forts stood sentry at the gateway. Long lines of
+piles narrowed the channel to about three hundred feet, and a triple row
+of torpedoes threatened any approach. In the harbor the Confederates had
+a small fleet of gunboats and one tremendous ram, the Tennessee.
+
+Admiral Farragut determined to capture Mobile. He had four monitors and
+fourteen wooden ships. All the preparations were made with the utmost
+care. The officers and men of the fleet regarded the admiral with
+staunch loyalty and absolute trust. The attack was made early on the
+morning of August 5.
+
+=341. Farragut's Crowning Victory at Mobile.=--The fleet passing through
+the channel, rained shot and shell so furiously upon the forts that the
+Confederates could not well serve their guns. But our finest ironclad,
+the Tecumseh, was struck by a torpedo, and she sank with over a hundred
+of her brave men!
+
+Her captain, the gallant Craven, was at the time in the pilot-house with
+the pilot. As the huge ironclad lurched heavily over and began to sink,
+both rushed to the narrow door, but there was only room for one to pass
+at a time. Craven stepped to one side, saying, "After you, pilot." The
+pilot leaped to a place of safety, but the noble captain went to the
+bottom in his iron coffin.
+
+The fleet now fought a desperate battle with the Confederate ironclads.
+The armored vessels were soon sunk or scattered. The Tennessee tried to
+ram our ships, but with little success. Then our ironclads gathered
+around our "wooden walls," steamed straight for the ram, and there was
+fought one of the most desperate naval fights of the war.
+
+Sharpshooters fired into the ram's ports, our ships successively poured
+in a terrific fire, and hammered at close range with huge solid shot and
+fifteen-inch bolts of iron, till the white flag went up, and once more
+the stars and stripes waved triumphantly over the harbor of Mobile.
+
+Thus ended the battle of Mobile Bay,--one of the most brilliant naval
+contests of modern times,--Farragut's crowning victory. Three hours
+elapsed from the time the first gun was fired until the great ram hauled
+down the Confederate flag.
+
+The port of Mobile was thenceforward closed against blockade runners,
+and the last channel of communication between the Confederacy and the
+outside world was cut off.
+
+=342. Farragut in the Rigging during the Battle.=--During the battle
+Farragut stood in the main rigging; but as the smoke increased he
+gradually climbed higher, until he was close by the maintop. The shots
+were flying thick and fast. There was great danger that he would lose
+his footing, and so the captain sent aloft one of the men with a rope
+who lashed him to the rigging so that he might not fall if wounded.
+
+  [Illustration: FARRAGUT LASHED TO THE RIGGING.]
+
+When Farragut saw the danger from the approaching Tennessee, as he stood
+tied to the rigging, he said to his signal officer, who was lashed to
+the other mast:--
+
+"Can you signal, 'For Heaven's sake'?"
+
+"I can signal anything," replied Kinney.
+
+"Well, signal to all the fleet, 'For Heaven's sake, go for the ram!'"
+
+The fact that the admiral was fastened to the main rigging during the
+greatest sea fight perhaps in our history gave him a unique reputation
+throughout the country. Farragut was amused and amazed at the notoriety
+of the incident.
+
+When a picture of the scene in one of the illustrated papers came to
+hand a few days after the battle, the admiral said to one of his
+captains in conversation, "How curiously some trifling incident catches
+the popular fancy! My being in the main rigging was a mere incident,
+owing to the fact that I was driven aloft by the smoke. The lashing was
+the result of your own fears for my safety."
+
+=343. Cushing plans to destroy the Ironclad Albemarle.=--One of the large
+sounds, or inland gulfs, on the coast of North Carolina was the scene of
+a great deal of blockade running during the war. The place needed
+constant watching by our ships.
+
+But the chief cause of anxiety was a monster ironclad, the Albemarle,
+that the Confederates had built up the Roanoke River. She had sunk or
+disabled several Union gunboats. She had gone up the river to refit. The
+entrance to the sound was so shallow that none of our large warships
+could pass in.
+
+Could anything be done to check the Albemarle? Lieutenant Cushing, only
+twenty-one, but a most daring naval officer, said, "Yes, there could!"
+His plan was to steal carefully up by night, seize the huge ironclad and
+bring it away, if possible, or else blow it up. The river was guarded on
+both banks, and the ram itself was watched by special sentries. No
+matter for that; he would go. He obtained a noiseless steam launch, and
+rigged a torpedo on the end of a long spar, turning on a hinge at its
+side. The crew of the launch consisted of fifteen men, with Cushing in
+command.
+
+=344. Cushing's Plan Successful; Destruction of the Albemarle.=--One dark
+rainy night Cushing steamed in his little torpedo boat up the river.
+They passed all the river guards undiscovered. A camp-fire on the bank
+near the ironclad showed to him, as he stood in the bow of his boat, the
+dark outlines of the monster. He steamed on softly. Just then a dog
+barked! Then guards sprang up and fired. The big bell on the ram clanged
+its alarm, lights flashed on the water and shots hissed all around the
+launch.
+
+The brave young officer saw that the ram was surrounded by a large raft
+of huge logs. Instantly his resolution was formed. He steamed off some
+distance to get a long run, then turned and rushed for the Albemarle.
+Shot whistled around him. On came his little craft, bumped upon the
+logs, crashed over them, and pushed up under the huge ram. Cushing now
+lowered his torpedo spar, calmly guided it into its place, pulled the
+fatal cord--crash! a roar of thunder!--and all was over. The great
+ironclad was a terror no longer.
+
+  [Illustration: CUSHING'S BRILLIANT EXPLOIT.]
+
+=345. Cushing reaches the Fleet in Safety.=--Each man had to save himself
+as best he might. Cushing leaped into the water. After about an hour's
+swimming he reached the shore and fell exhausted upon the bank. He crept
+into a swamp for some distance, tearing his feet and hands with briers
+and oyster shells.
+
+Next day he met an old negro whom he thought he could trust. The negro
+was frightened at Cushing's wild appearance and tremblingly asked who he
+was.
+
+"I am a Yankee," replied Cushing, "and I am one of the men who blew up
+the Albemarle."
+
+"My golly, massa!" said the negro; "dey kill you if dey catch you; you
+dead gone, sure!"
+
+Cushing gave the negro all the money he had to go into the town and
+learn the news.
+
+After a time the negro came back, and, to Cushing's joy, reported the
+Albemarle sunk. At last the intrepid officer found a boat and paddled
+for eight hours until he reached the Union squadron. After hailing one
+of the vessels, he fell into the bottom of the boat, utterly exhausted
+by hunger, cold, fatigue, and excitement.
+
+Lieutenant Cushing, to whose intrepidity and skill the country was
+indebted for this and many other bold exploits, was engaged in
+thirty-five naval combats during the war. What a record for a young man
+of twenty-three! He died at thirty-two, the youngest officer of his rank
+in the United States Navy. One of our finest torpedo boats, which did
+good service during the Spanish-American war, is well named "The
+Cushing."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.
+
+
+=346. The Downfall of Spain on this Continent.=--For half a century or
+more after the time of Columbus, Spain was the greatest military and
+political power in the world. Her ships and her sailors carried the
+proud banner of Castile to every shore and clime then known.
+
+The vast domain claimed by Spain on this continent by right of discovery
+and exploration comprised the fertile islands of the West Indies, the
+greater portion of Central and South America, and all that part of our
+own country west of the Mississippi. In territory, in wealth, in power,
+the sovereignty of Spain became the mightiest in the world.
+
+How are the mighty fallen! The once powerful empire has crumbled into
+dust. The year 1898 saw its overthrow on this side of the Atlantic and
+in the Philippines.
+
+=347. Spain's Cruel Policy towards her Colonies.=--For the most part Spain
+ruled her colonies with shocking oppression. Her policy was to extort
+all possible gain from them to her own selfish profit. She retained to
+the last the barbarous methods of less civilized centuries. Finally,
+after long years of oppression, the South American colonies began to cut
+loose from her tyrannical sway.
+
+In a few years Spain was stripped of all her possessions in America,
+excepting only her islands in the West Indies.
+
+=348. Cuba rebels against Spanish Oppression.=--One would naturally
+suppose that these disastrous losses would have taught Spain to govern
+her only remaining American colonies, Cuba and Porto Rico, with more
+wisdom. But not so; she kept right on as before, growing worse, if
+possible, still clinging to the old policy of cruel oppression and
+merciless extortion.
+
+Some thirty years ago a rebellion began in Cuba which lasted ten years.
+In vain Spain spent millions of money and sent thousands of soldiers to
+subdue it. Hundreds of Cubans were cast into prison to die of fever and
+starvation, and their property was confiscated.
+
+=349. Cuba again rebels against Spain in 1895.=--In 1895 the
+long-suffering Cubans rose in rebellion again. Their army was larger,
+better furnished, and they gained possession of a much more extensive
+portion of the island.
+
+Now Spain became really alarmed. She sent to Cuba a hundred and twenty
+thousand soldiers. They melted away, mostly from sickness and
+mismanagement, like frost in the morning sun. It was all in vain; for it
+was now plain that Spain could never conquer the Cubans, and just as
+evident that the Cubans unaided could never win their independence.
+
+The war had already been barbarous enough, when the Spanish General
+Weyler set in operation his inhuman concentration plan. This meant the
+gathering up in the country districts of thousands of helpless old men,
+women, and children, and driving them to the towns and forts, where they
+were shut up like cattle in large enclosures, surrounded by a deep ditch
+and a barbed wire fence.
+
+Along the line of the fence were frequent guardhouses, where soldiers
+with loaded guns prevented escape. The poor outcasts were crowded into
+wretched palm-leaf huts, with foul water and scanty food. It is said
+that in the island about four hundred thousand helpless people were
+herded in this way. They died by thousands.
+
+=350. The Barbarities in Cuba excite Great Indignation in this
+Country.=--Now, all these horrors in Cuba aroused a great deal of
+indignation in this country and excited profound sympathy for the
+sufferers. Shiploads of provisions were sent by the Red Cross and other
+societies to relieve the starving thousands.
+
+The feeling throughout this country at last came to be intense. For
+years and years past our people had watched the long struggle with the
+keenest interest. For years our presidents had protested to Spain
+against the useless warfare.
+
+Now, when the real state of affairs in Cuba in 1897 became known, our
+government sent word to Spain that this slow starvation of helpless men,
+women, and children was not war, but savage barbarity, and must be
+stopped. In reply, Spain asked for some delay and promised milder
+measures.
+
+=351. The Battleship Maine blown up in Havana Harbor.=--In order to
+protect American interests in Cuba, the battleship Maine was sent to
+Havana in January, 1898.
+
+A calamity now occurred that shocked the world. On the evening of
+February 15 this magnificent ship, while at anchor in the harbor of
+Havana, was destroyed by an explosion. Two officers and two hundred and
+sixty-four American sailors were hurled to instant death!
+
+The awful disaster sent a thrill of horror and indignation through our
+country. A court of inquiry was instantly appointed by President
+McKinley to investigate the matter and ascertain the cause. Meanwhile
+the country waited for forty days, with surprising patience, for the
+report, which came during the last of March, stating that the Maine had
+been blown up from the outside by the explosion of a submarine mine.
+Subsequent evidence before the Senate committee showed that the mine had
+been exploded by men who wore the uniform of Spain.
+
+=352. War declared against Spain.=--Public feeling in our country grew
+more intense every hour. The President continued to do his utmost to
+avert war by peaceful and diplomatic methods. Thinking people knew well
+enough that such efforts would be in vain. It was evident that Spain
+would never grant independence to Cuba. It was also evident that the
+American people (from the moment they heard of the blowing up of the
+Maine) had made up their minds that the only real solution of the
+problem was to put an end forever to Spanish rule on this side of the
+Atlantic. This of course meant war.
+
+Congress took the responsibility and declared war against Spain on April
+21, 1898.
+
+=353. Dewey acts promptly and sails for Manila from Hong Kong.=--The first
+step of our war with Spain was to send Commodore Sampson with a fleet to
+blockade the large seaports of Cuba. All eyes were turned to this
+island; for every one expected the war to begin there; but instantly
+the scene of action was shifted to the other side of the globe.
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL DEWEY.]
+
+The first day of May saw one of the greatest naval victories in the
+history of the world. Our government had telegraphed orders to Commodore
+George Dewey, then at Hong Kong, China, in command of our Asiatic
+squadron, to sail at once to the Philippine Islands and "capture or
+destroy" the Spanish ships.
+
+Dewey had taken part in important naval battles in our Civil War, and
+was an experienced and skillful officer. In anticipation of war, his
+fleet was ready for action on an hour's notice.
+
+After his instructions arrived from Washington, Dewey promptly sailed
+for Manila with six warships and two tenders. He delayed outside the
+harbor till the moon had set, and then steamed silently through the
+three-mile-wide channel. He was entering in the dark a bay he had never
+seen. He knew it was planted with torpedoes, and that he was going to
+attack a Spanish fleet of ten ships, besides large forts with heavy
+guns.
+
+A wonderful task! but Dewey was a wonderful man. He understood his
+business. He had been trained under the eye of the great Admiral
+Farragut and had fought long and hard in the war for the Union.
+
+=354. The Remarkable Naval Victory at Manila.=--Dewey's fleet arrived
+before sunrise in front of the forts and the line of Spanish ships. The
+battle at once began. Our vessels kept moving on the curve of a long
+ellipse or flattened circle, and every time each came around it poured a
+series of rapid and accurate shots directly into the enemy. They
+answered furiously, but not deliberately. Round and round wheeled our
+ships in a slow and deadly circle. Our men could see the walls of the
+forts crumbling, some ships all ablaze, and others shattered and
+sinking.
+
+After two hours of these tremendous circuits Dewey stopped firing and
+moved his ships about three miles out of range to rest his men, give
+them breakfast, and look after his ammunition. The men, in fine spirits,
+ate their morning meal, and rested. It was a stoker on the flagship
+Olympia who said that below "the temperature is nearly up to two hundred
+degrees, and so hot that our hair is singed."
+
+Before noon Dewey returned, circled nearer still, and fought even more
+fiercely. In an hour and a half more the work was finished. One ship
+was riddled, then reeled and sank; then another; one was broken midway
+and went down; now one was in flames, then a second, and so on till the
+entire Spanish fleet, besides gunboats and transports, were sunk or
+burned up or shot to pieces!
+
+  [Illustration: BATTLE OF MANILA.]
+
+How did our ships stand the contest? Only two or three were hit at all,
+and none seriously injured. Our six had destroyed thirteen Spanish
+vessels and silenced their forts. The Spaniards had lost six hundred and
+thirty-four men, killed and wounded. We had only one man killed and
+seven slightly wounded.
+
+=355. The Nation's Grateful Appreciation of Dewey's Victory.=--Thus was
+fought, on May Day, 1898, at Manila, perhaps the most surprising naval
+conflict the world had ever seen. In three and a quarter hours the naval
+power of Spain went down in the blue waters of the bay, and the splendid
+fame of George Dewey echoed round the globe. Congress gave him a vote of
+thanks and a gold medal; and he was made Admiral, the highest officer in
+the American navy.
+
+Many years ago Admiral Farragut said to the father of the hero of
+Manila, "Doctor Dewey, your son George is a worthy and brave officer. He
+has an honorable record, and some day he will make his mark."
+
+Never before in the history of our country was there projected a series
+of patriotic demonstrations grander in their purpose or finer in their
+execution than those which greeted Admiral Dewey on his return to this
+country, in the fall of 1899, from the scene of his famous victory.
+
+When Dewey sank the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, he opened a new era in
+the history of our country. From that day the United States received
+more distinct recognition among the nations responsible for the
+political affairs of the world.
+
+=356. Preparations to meet the Spanish Fleet.=--Now let us return to the
+scene of war in our own country. On the last day of April the Spanish
+fleet, under Admiral Cervera, left the Cape Verde Islands, sailing west;
+there were four armed cruisers and three torpedo-boat destroyers; all
+good new ships and in prime condition. The alarming question was, Where
+will they strike? The good people of our great eastern cities began to
+imagine what would happen if these powerful warships should come sailing
+into our harbors.
+
+Every effort was promptly and vigorously made to defend exposed points
+with forts and torpedoes. Events proved that it was needless. No ship of
+that Spanish fleet came within five hundred miles of any American city.
+Yet it was evident that Cervera's fleet must be captured or destroyed
+before our coast could be safe, or military operations could be
+prudently begun in Cuba.
+
+Extraordinary efforts were made to ascertain the exact location of the
+hostile squadron.
+
+Finally it was found that it had slipped on May 19 into the bay of
+Santiago. Our fleet at once gathered around to blockade the entrance,
+to make it impossible for any vessel to pass in, and to attack Cervera's
+ships should they attempt to come out. Among our blockaders were the
+splendid ships New York, Massachusetts, Brooklyn, Texas, Iowa, Indiana,
+and the Oregon that had sailed around Cape Horn from San Francisco,
+fourteen thousand miles in sixty-seven days.
+
+  [Illustration: RESCUE OF HOBSON BY THE SPANISH ADMIRAL.]
+
+=357. Hobson's Brilliant Exploit.=--Admiral Sampson did not deem it
+advisable to steam in and attack Cervera, as the channel was thickly
+planted with mines. So our semicircle of ships watched and waited. At
+night our strong search-lights blazed into the mouth of the harbor and
+lighted it with a fiery glare.
+
+If the narrow neck of the harbor could only be somehow obstructed, so
+that Cervera's ships would either be completely "bottled up," or would
+have to creep out to sea by daylight, the naval power of Spain would be
+crippled. So thought Admiral Sampson, and he selected Lieutenant Hobson
+for this daring deed. It meant going right into the midst of the enemy's
+batteries and torpedoes.
+
+A large steamer, the Merrimac, was taken and loaded down with coal; and
+a crew of seven men were selected to go with Hobson. Strange fascination
+of mingled courage and patriotism! Hundreds of sailors begged the chance
+to go!
+
+It was all carefully planned; and about two hours before dawn, on June
+3, they started. As they drew near, the Spanish made the water boil and
+hiss with their shots. But on they went to the chosen spot, balls and
+shells striking all about, howling and shrieking in their ears and
+tearing their ship.
+
+Coolly but quickly they sank the Merrimac, sprang to the raft they had
+prepared, and were clinging to it when the firing ceased and a little
+steam launch came up with Cervera in it! The Spanish admiral reached out
+and helped lift in Hobson and his seven comrades! He took them ashore,
+praised them for their daring, gave them dry clothing, fed them, and
+soon after exchanged them for some Spanish officers who had been
+captured by our men. =358. The Army does Brilliant Service at
+Santiago.=--It was plain that the Spanish ships would never come out
+until they were driven out. So during the last week in June an army of
+about twenty-five thousand men, under General Shafter, landed a few
+miles east of Santiago to co�perate with our fleet in capturing the
+city. Our forces, losing no time, moved on through tropical jungles,
+exposed to the enemy's sharpshooting from trees. It was a deadly advance
+towards log forts on the steep heights, impeded by the annoying tangle
+of barbed-wire fences.
+
+On the first and second days of July our gallant troops captured the two
+forts, El Caney and San Juan, which overlooked Santiago, and drove the
+enemy in hot haste into the city.
+
+=359. The Remarkable Naval Victory at Santiago.=--Then Cervera's hour had
+come! On July 3, a beautiful Sunday morning, the eyes that for more than
+a month had watched with sleepless vigilance that narrow opening between
+the rocks, saw at last the bow of a Spanish warship. It slipped out and
+turned sharply to the west; then came another, and a third, and so on
+till all six had passed. They at once opened a fierce but ill-directed
+fire upon our fleet.
+
+The men on our vessels were mustering for Sunday morning inspection when
+the enemy was seen. "The enemy is coming out!" was signalled from ship
+to ship, and on each deck rang out the command, "All hands clear ship
+for action!"
+
+Every man was ready to do his duty. Every ship was stripped for action.
+Instantly our ships were after the Spanish squadron, firing as they
+followed. What a sight was that! There was never before one like it! Two
+lines of hostile ships rushing along the coast, tearing the ocean to
+foam, each a volcano pouring out smoke, and more than a hundred big guns
+hurling shells and shot which strike with awful crash upon the iron
+walls of the enemy's ships!
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL SAMPSON.]
+
+On they dashed, mile after mile. One of our huge shells fell midway of
+the Pluton, which at once went down with an awful plunge. The Furor,
+riddled with shot, fled to the shore and broke in pieces on the rocks.
+Furious was the chase for the other four; nearer and nearer, till our
+ships came up. Then the Maria Teresa, the flagship, with huge holes torn
+in her, and set on fire by our exploding shells, escaped to the beach, a
+sinking, burning wreck. Next the Oquendo, half her men killed, and her
+sides all split open, also fell helpless on the beach. In forty minutes
+these four ships had gone to their doom.
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL SCHLEY.]
+
+Still beyond was the famous Vizcaya, doing her best to escape. But the
+Brooklyn, Commodore Schley's flagship, gained on her and poured shells
+into her, so that with the Oregon now rushing up in a burst of speed
+which astonished all who saw her, her race was soon run, and she, too,
+went to her grave on the strand, a shattered, blazing hulk.
+
+Yet one more, the Colon, newest, fastest, and best of the squadron, was
+now about four miles ahead; but our ships gained steadily upon her, and
+in less than two hours she hauled down her flag and ran ashore
+forty-five miles from Santiago.
+
+=360. After the Battle at Santiago.=--The sun that shone in the morning
+upon six of Spain's finest ships looked down at noon upon a row of
+half-sunken wrecks along the coast.
+
+At the risk of their lives our men rescued their foes from the mangled
+hulks, the burning decks, and the surging water.
+
+"Don't cheer, boys," cried one gallant captain, "the poor fellows are
+dying."
+
+Another captain said in his report, "So long as the enemy showed his
+flag, our men fought like American seamen; but when the flag came down,
+they were as gentle and tender as American women."
+
+The Spanish loss, according to their own accounts, was three hundred and
+fifty killed or drowned, and about one hundred officers and one thousand
+six hundred and seventy-five men prisoners, including the brave Admiral
+Cervera. Their loss in value was over twelve million dollars. Upon our
+side only one man was killed, and three were wounded, all on the
+Brooklyn. Not one of our ships was badly injured. Evidently the Spanish
+gunners could not shoot straight!
+
+So ended this famous naval engagement. Never, perhaps, has the world
+seen two such instances of the utter destruction of an enemy's naval
+force as in the battles of Manila and Santiago.
+
+=361. The Campaign in Porto Rico.=--The surrender of all Cuba soon
+followed. Then General Miles was sent with nine thousand troops to Porto
+Rico, the only remaining island on this side belonging to Spain. He
+landed near Ponce, on the southern coast. The city surrendered without a
+shot and welcomed our army. The Spanish troops fled on the approach of
+our soldiers.
+
+General Miles in a proclamation assured the inhabitants that they should
+enjoy the rights and immunities of American citizens. As he moved
+inwards, other cities along his line of march surrendered, and the
+Spanish forces made only occasional resistance to our progress. Just
+before an expected battle news of peace came from Washington. All
+fighting ceased, and this fertile island came into our hands with little
+bloodshed.
+
+=362. End of the War.=--Meanwhile our government was making energetic
+preparations to send a powerful fleet under Commodore Watson across the
+Atlantic and to carry the war to the Spanish coast. We may be sure that
+Spain, and even some of her neighbors, did not like the prospect. There
+had been enough of rapid, crushing, and unbroken defeats to satisfy even
+the Castilian point of honor.
+
+When it became evident that Watson's fleet would be ready in a few days
+to carry the war to the very doors of Spain, the representatives of the
+great nations of Europe said things had gone far enough. Diplomatic
+pressure was applied to poor Spain. She was politely but firmly told
+that she must make peace at once, and on any terms.
+
+The French Minister at Washington was authorized by Spain to sign a
+preliminary document, or _protocol_, embodying in precise language the
+conditions on which our government would negotiate peace. This document
+was signed at Washington on August 12, and hostilities ceased.
+
+The formal treaty of peace was signed in Paris December 10, 1898. By the
+terms of this treaty Spain agreed to give up its sovereignty in Cuba, to
+cede to the United States Porto Rico, a few small West India islands,
+and one of the Ladrone group; also to cede to this country the
+Philippines, after payment by us of twenty millions of dollars as
+"reimbursement for insular expenses."
+
+=363. Our Nation's Future.=--The immediate results of this short-lived
+Spanish war were full of deep meaning to our nation. No one now can
+safely say what the distant outcome will be. It is certain to be
+far-reaching and momentous.
+
+Our country has rapidly advanced to its position as one of the foremost
+nations of the world in wealth and in power. Let us trust it may also
+lead in good government, in national honor and righteousness. Let us
+earnestly hope that in the long years before us our sacred Union shall
+still be preserved, unbroken,--forever one great Union of prosperous and
+happy states.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+BOOKS FOR REFERENCE AND COLLATERAL READING IN THE STUDY OF AMERICAN
+HISTORY.
+
+
+This book is designed to be used before the formal text-book on American
+history is begun in grammar-school grades. It is intended also to serve
+as a convenient basis for more extended work both on the part of the
+teacher and of pupils. Hence the reading of the preceding chapters is
+only one part of the proposed plan. A systematic course in supplementary
+reading should be added. The following plan is suggested, but it may be
+modified, of course, to meet the needs of any particular class of
+pupils.
+
+     NOTE.--The whole subject of reference books on American History is
+     treated thoroughly in Montgomery's _Student's American History_
+     [see "Short List of Books," page xxiv in Appendix, and "Authorities
+     Cited," page xxx in Appendix], Montgomery's _American History_ [see
+     "Short List of Books," page xxxiii in Appendix], and Fiske's
+     _History of the United States_ [see Appendix D, page 518, Appendix
+     E, page 527, and Appendix F, page 529].
+
+
+REFERENCE BOOKS FOR TEACHERS.
+
+Two books are of special value to teachers. These are Channing and
+Hart's _Guide to American History_ [Ginn & Company, Publishers, price
+$2.00], and Gordy and Twitchell's _Pathfinder in American History_ [Lee
+& Shepard, Publishers, complete in one volume, $1.20. In separate parts,
+Part I, 60 cents; Part II, 90 cents].
+
+These two works are replete with suggestions, hints and helps on
+collateral study, numerous references, detailed lists of topics, and a
+wide range of other subjects which make them indispensable to the
+teacher of American history.
+
+
+SCHOOL TEXT-BOOKS FOR READING AND REFERENCE.
+
+Pupils should have easy access, by means of the school library or
+otherwise, to a few of the formal school text-books on American history.
+In connection with this book Montgomery's _Leading Facts of American
+History_ and Fiske's _History of the United States_ are especially
+valuable. The following books are perhaps equally serviceable:
+Eggleston's _History of the United States_; Steele's _Brief History of
+the United States_ [usually known as "Barnes's History"]; Thomas's
+_History of the United States_ and Mowry's _History of the United
+States_. These books are useful in reading for additional topics, for
+dates, maps, illustrations, reference tables, and for "filling in"
+subjects which do not come within the scope of this book.
+
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.
+
+For ordinary school work the text-books to which we have just referred
+will furnish enough and suitable material for these topics. When,
+however, standard works on history are of easy access, through the
+school or public libraries, it is well even for pupils of the lower
+grades to read sparingly by topics from such works. These topics should
+be carefully selected by the teacher. They should be brief and call only
+for a few pages of reading.
+
+In the succeeding pages references have been given only to a very few
+standard works, such as those by Fiske, Parkman, Irving, and McMaster,
+and such other books as can ordinarily be easily obtained.
+
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.
+
+Pupils should also have easy reference to books from which topics may be
+read or which may be read sparingly by select passages indicated by the
+teacher. Many of these books have been suggested more on account of
+their interesting style than for strict historical accuracy. Read the
+designated works not as a whole but only by topics or selections. They
+will do much to awaken and maintain a lively interest in American
+history.
+
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.
+
+While the study of this book is in progress it is well for the pupils to
+limit their miscellaneous reading to such books as bear directly upon
+our subject. Under this head we have suggested many productions which
+belong to the "story-book" order. Wholesome books of fiction and
+semi-fiction may certainly do much to stimulate and hold the attention
+of young students of American history. With this topic, as with all
+other topics on collateral reading, the teacher should exercise a
+careful supervision.
+
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.
+
+The work should be enlivened by reading occasionally, before the class
+or the school, poems or prose selections which bear directly upon the
+general topic under consideration. We have referred only to a very few
+such extracts from good literature. Other selections will readily
+suggest themselves.
+
+
+USE OF A TOPIC BOOK OR NOTEBOOK.
+
+The teacher and pupil should appreciate the scope and usefulness of a
+Topic book or Notebook. By this is meant a blank book with semi-flexible
+or board covers, of a convenient size, and of at least 48 pages. Into
+this blank book should be written carefully with ink brief notes as the
+several chapters of this book are read or studied. It may well be a kind
+of enlarged diary of the pupil's work.
+
+Make brief notes of the various books read in whole or by topics; topics
+not treated in this book but discussed in the class, such as King
+Philip's War, the Mexican War, etc., and references to new books to be
+reserved for future reading and other subjects which will readily
+suggest themselves.
+
+This notebook should be well illustrated. The basis should be the
+inexpensive photographic copies (sold for about one cent each) of
+famous pictures illustrating important events in American history.
+Catalogues giving the exact titles, cost, and other details are sent to
+applicants, free of expense.
+
+Portraits, maps, facsimiles of documents and autographs, etc., are often
+easily obtained from book catalogues, guide books, advertising pages,
+and secondhand text-books.
+
+All this illustrative material should be pasted in the notebook at the
+proper place, neatly and with good judgment, allowing plenty of space
+for margins. Such a compilation is, of course, a matter of slow growth.
+It should be carefully preserved as a pleasant reminder of school days.
+
+     NOTE.--Think of enriching your notebook with photographic
+     reproductions of such works as Stuart's "Washington"; Faed's
+     "Washington at Trenton"; Trumbull's "Surrender of Cornwallis" and
+     "Signing the Declaration of Independence"; Benjamin West's "Penn's
+     Treaty"; Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware"; Vanderlyn's
+     "Landing of Columbus"; Johnson's "Old Ironsides" and Overend's "An
+     August Morning with Farragut."
+
+
+
+
+REFERENCE BOOKS AND SUPPLEMENTARY READING FOR SUCCESSIVE PERIODS IN
+AMERICAN HISTORY.
+
+[Intended for use in connection with the study of this book.]
+
+
+CHAPTER I. PAGES 1-9.
+
+AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--The following topics are thoroughly
+discussed in Fiske's _Discovery of America_:--
+
+The People of Ancient America, Vol. I, pp. 1-19; Origin of the American
+Indians, Vol. I, p. 19; The Indians of the Pueblos, Vol. I, p. 82; The
+Mysterious Mound Builders, Vol. I, p. 140; Voyages of the Northmen to
+Vinland, Vol. I, p. 164.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--For a readable account of the Mound Builders
+and the American Indians, consult Shaler's _The Story of Our
+Continent_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Starr's _American Indians_; The Voyages to Vinland
+from the Saga of Eric the Red, _Old South Leaflets_, No. 32; Glasscock's
+_Stories of Columbia_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Whittier's _Norumbega_ and _Norsemen_;
+Longfellow's _Skeleton in Armor_.
+
+
+CHAPTER II. PAGES 10-30.
+
+COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--Topics from Fiske's _Discovery of
+America_:--
+
+First Voyage of Columbus, Vol. I, p. 419; Last Voyage of Columbus, Vol.
+I, p. 505; Vespucius and the "New World," Vol. II, p. 96; The Cabots and
+their Voyages, Vol. II, p. I; Ponce de Leon, Vol. II, p. 486; Adventures
+of De Soto, Vol. II, p. 509.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Read selections from the one-volume edition of
+Irving's _Life of Columbus_; Abbott's _Life of Columbus_ (Ajax Series);
+Adams's _Columbus_ (Makers of America); Brooks's _True Story of
+Columbus_; Adventures of De Soto, Parkman's _Pioneers of France in the
+New World_, p. 13.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Griffis's _Romance of American Discovery_;
+Glasscock's _Stories of Columbia_; The Discovery of America, from the
+Life of Columbus, by his son, Ferdinand Columbus, _Old South Leaflets_,
+No. 29; Columbus's Letter to Gabriel Sanchez, describing the first
+voyage, _Old South Leaflets_, No. 33; Americus Vespucius's Account of
+his First Voyage, _Old South Leaflets_, No. 34; Death of De Soto, _Old
+South Leaflets_, No. 36; The Voyages of the Cabots, _Old South
+Leaflets_, No. 37.
+
+
+CHAPTER III. PAGES 31-46.
+
+SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For various topics in connection with
+Sir Walter Raleigh and Captain John Smith, see the Index to Fiske's
+_Old Virginia and her Neighbours_. Incidents in the Life of Captain John
+Smith: see John Esten Cooke's _Virginia_ (American Commonwealth Series),
+pp. 22-76. The Story of Pocahontas, Cooke's _Virginia_, pp. 35-103.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Towle's _Raleigh, his Voyages and Adventures_;
+Cooke's _Stories of the Old Dominion_; Eggleston's and Seelye's
+_Pocahontas_ (Ajax Series).
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Towle's _Magellan, or the First Voyage Round the
+World_.
+
+
+CHAPTERS IV AND V. PAGES 47-72.
+
+THE PILGRIMS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--Many topics in connection with this
+chapter may be selected from Fiske's _The Beginnings of New England_,
+as, The Separatists, p. 66; Why the Pilgrims did not stay in Holland, p.
+74; Voyage of the Mayflower, p. 80; The Pilgrims and the Indians, p. 83.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Griffis's _The Pilgrims and their Three Homes_;
+Moore's _Pilgrims and Puritans_; Abbott's _Captain Miles Standish_ (Ajax
+Series); Drake's _On Plymouth Rock_; Bacon's _Historic Pilgrimages in
+New England_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Jane G. Austin's _Standish of Standish_, _Betty
+Alden_, _Nameless Nobleman_, and _David Alden's Daughter_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Mrs. Hemans's _Landing of the Pilgrims_;
+Longfellow's _Courtship of Miles Standish_; Bryant's _Twenty-Second of
+December_; Holmes's _The Pilgrim's Vision_.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. PAGES 73-87.
+
+THE INDIANS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For special topics about the Indians,
+see Parkman's _Conspiracy of Pontiac_, Vol. I, p. 1, also the
+Introduction to Parkman's _Jesuits in North America_.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Brooks's _Story of the American Indian_;
+Drake's _Indian History for Young Folks_; Starr's _American Indians_;
+Shaler's _The Story of Our Continent_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Longfellow's _Hiawatha_.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. PAGES 88-105.
+
+THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--Henry Hudson: his voyages, voyage upon
+the Great River, his tragic fate, see Fiske's _The Dutch and Quaker
+Colonies in America_, Vol. I, pp. 83-95. William Penn: see the Index to
+Fiske's _The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America_.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--_The Great Peace Maker_ (Penn) (Daring Deed
+Series); Abbott's _Peter Stuyvesant_ (Ajax Series).
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Butterworth's _Wampum Belt_ (Penn); Irving's
+_Knickerbocker's History of New York_ (humorous and satirical account of
+the Dutch Colony of New Netherland); Paulding's _The Dutchman's
+Fireside_ (Colonial Life in New York).
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. PAGES 106-125.
+
+THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For a great variety of topics in
+connection with the French and Indian Wars and the overthrow of New
+France, the student will find the books of Parkman a vast storehouse of
+intensely fascinating reading matter. See the index to the various
+volumes. For example, read La Salle's Descent of the Mississippi,
+Parkman's _La Salle_, pp. 275-288; Braddock's March and Defeat;
+Parkman's _Montcalm and Wolfe_, Vol. I, p. 204, and The Heights of
+Abraham, Vol. II, p. 259-297.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Johnson's _Old French War_; Drake's _Border
+Wars of New England_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.-Abbott's _Life of King Philip_ (Ajax Series); Henty's
+_With Wolfe in Canada_; Cooper's _Last of the Mohicans_ (story of Seven
+Years' War); James Otis's _At the Siege of Quebec_.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. PAGES 126-138.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--The great storehouse of facts regarding
+the social and domestic life of the American people is McMaster's
+_History of the People of the United States_ (5 vols. now ready). For
+topics see detailed index of each volume. Consult especially Vol. II,
+pp. 538-582, on "Town and Country Life in 1800." This work is somewhat
+voluminous for elementary work.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Earle's _Home Life in Colonial Days_; Earle's
+_Child Life in Colonial Days_, _Tavern and Stage Coach in Colonial
+Days_; Earle's _Sabbath in Puritan New England_; Earle's _Customs and
+Fashions of Old New England_; Earle's _Colonial Dames and Goodwives_;
+Coffin's _Old Times in the Colonies_; Coffin's _Building the Nation_;
+Scudder's _Men and Manners in America 100 years Ago_; Wharton's _Through
+Colonial Doorways_; Wharton's _Colonial Days and Dames_; Fisher's _Men,
+Women, and Manners in Colonial Times_; Markham's _Colonial Days_;
+Hawthorne's _Grandfathers Chair_.
+
+
+CHAPTERS X-XVIII. PAGES 139-295.
+
+THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For a series of topics on the American
+Revolution, to be read in connection with these nine chapters, consult
+the index to Fiske's _American Revolution_ (2 vols.).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--For the Revolution as a whole the two best
+works for supplementary reading in schools are perhaps Lodge's _Story of
+the Revolution_ and Fiske's _War of Independence_ (Riverside Literature
+Series). Lossing's _Field Book of the Revolution_ is voluminous but
+interesting, and fully illustrated.
+
+Among the scores of excellent works which may be consulted, the
+following may be safely recommended: Coffin's _Story of Liberty_;
+Fiske-Irving's _Washington and his Country_; Abbot's _Blue Jackets of
+'76_; Bacon's _Historic Pilgrimages in New England_; C. H. Woodman's
+_Boys and Girls of the Revolution_; Brooks's _Century Book of the
+American Revolution_; Drake's _Burgoyne's Invasion of 1777_; Seawell's
+_Paul Jones_; Abbott's _Paul Jones_ (Ajax Series); Brooks's _Story of
+the American Sailor_; Frost's _Swamp Fox_ (Marion).
+
+OUTSIDE READING.--There are numerous books on the war of the Revolution
+suitable for outside reading. For the school grades for which this book
+is intended, the following books are interesting and for the most part
+instructive: Watson's _Noble Deeds of our Fathers_; Watson's _Tea Party
+and Other Stories_; Butterworth's _Patriot Schoolmaster_ (Story of the
+Minute Men and Sons of Liberty); Otis's _Signal Boys of 1775_;
+Tomlinson's _Stories of the American Revolution_ (several series);
+Stoddard's _Red Patriot_; Thompson's _The Rangers or the Tory's
+Daughter_; Thompson's _Green Mountain Boys_; Otis's _Boys of Fort
+Schuyler_; _Patriot Boy_ (Washington) (Famous Boy Series); _Father of
+his Country_ (Washington) (Daring Deed Series); Abbott's _Life of
+Washington_ (Ajax Series); Scudder's _George Washington_; Brooks's _True
+Story of George Washington_; Miss Hoppens's _A Great Treason_ (Arnold
+and Andr�); Cooper's _Last of the Mohicans_ (last French or Seven Years'
+War); Cooper's _Lionel Lincoln_ (Boston at time of Bunker Hill);
+Cooper's _Pilot_ (Paul Jones).
+
+These six novels by William Gilmore Simms furnish under the guise of
+fiction a connected and most readable account of the Revolution in the
+South from the fall of Charleston to 1782: _The Partisan_,
+_Mellichampe_, _The Scout_, _Katherine Walton_, _The Foragers_, _The
+Eutaws_.
+
+See also Kennedy's _Horse Shoe Robinson_ (South Carolina in the
+Revolution); Churchill's _Richard Carvel_ (Paul Jones); Guerber's _Story
+of the Thirteen Colonies_; Guerber's _Story of the Great Republic_;
+Eggleston's _First Book in American History_; Johonnot's _Stories of our
+Country_; Mowry's _First Steps in the History of our Country_;
+Montgomery's _Beginner's American History_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Longfellow's _Paul Revere's Ride_; Emerson's
+_Concord Hymn_; Holmes's _Grandmother's Story of the Battle of Bunker
+Hill_; Bryant's _Song of Marion's Men_; Pierpont's _General Warren's
+Address_; Finch's _Nathan Hale_; Bryant's _Nineteenth of April_; Simms's
+_Ballad of King's Mountain_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX. PAGES 296-310.
+
+BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For topics to be read in connection with
+the life and career of Franklin, see the index to Fiske's _The American
+Revolution_, Fiske's _The Critical Period of American History_
+(1783-1789), and Morse's _Benjamin Franklin_ (American Statesmen
+Series).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Franklin's _Autobiography_ should be read
+before all other books on Franklin. Read also _Printer Boy_ (Franklin)
+(Famous Boy Series); _Poor Richards Story_ (Franklin) (Daring Deed
+Series); Abbott's _Benjamin Franklin_ (Ajax Series) and Parton's _Life
+of Franklin_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Butterworth's _True to his Home_ (Franklin); Brooks's
+_True Story of Benjamin Franklin_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. PAGES 311-322.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
+
+This chapter is supplementary to Chapter IX on "Everyday Life in
+Colonial Times." The same works for collateral reading in connection
+with that chapter maybe equally serviceable for supplementary work for
+this chapter. Refer especially to the works of McMaster, Alice Morse
+Earle, Scudder, C. C. Coffin, Fisher, and Wharton.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI. PAGES 323-338.
+
+OUR NAVY IN THE WAR OF 1812.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--From this time to the present day
+McMaster's _History of the People of the United States_ is a storehouse
+of important and interesting topics. See especially the chapter on
+"State of the People in 1812," Chapter III, p. 459, and various chapters
+in Vol. IV. Consult the detailed index to the several volumes for quick
+reference to the desired topics.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Abbot's _Blue Jackets of 1812_; Brooks's _Story
+of the American Sailor_; Johnson's _War of 1812_; Lossing's _History of
+the War of 1812_; Roosevelt's _Naval War of 1812_; Lossing's _Story of
+the United States Navy_ (for boys).
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Barnes's _Hero of Lake Erie_ (Commodore Perry);
+Seawell's _Midshipman Paulding_ (Commodore Paulding); Seawell's _Little
+Jarvis_ (cruises of the Constellation); Seawell's _Decatur and Somers_;
+George Cary Eggleston's three stories: _Signal Boys_, _Captain Sam_, and
+_Big Brother_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Holmes's _Old Ironsides_; Key's _The
+Star-Spangled Banner_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. PAGES 339-352.
+
+THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For special topics in connection with
+the settlement of the Pacific coast consult Barrows's _Oregon_ and
+Royce's _California_ (both volumes in the American Commonwealth's
+Series).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Irving's _Astoria_ and Dana's _Two Years before
+the Mast_ were written many years ago, but present vivid pen-pictures of
+the early days on the Pacific coast.
+
+
+CHAPTERS XXIII-XXV. PAGES 353-405.
+
+THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--The literature of the Civil War is so
+voluminous that the utmost care must be used in the selection of even
+the best books for collateral reading.
+
+For school purposes two of the best briefer books for supplementary use
+are Champlin's _Young Folks' History of the War for the Union_ and
+Dodge's _Bird's-Eye View of the Civil War_. Consult also _Nichol's Story
+of the Great March_ (Sherman); Swinton's _Twelve Decisive Battles of the
+War_; Drake's _Battle of Gettysburg_; Morse's _Abraham Lincoln_, 2 vols.
+(American Statesmen Series).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Abbot's _Battlefields of '61_; Abbot's _Blue
+Jackets of '61_; Soley's _Sailor Boys of '61_; Brooks's _True Story of
+Abraham Lincoln_; Brooks's _True Story of General Grant_; Brooks's
+_Story of the American Soldier_; Coffin's _Days and Nights on the
+Battlefield_; Coffin's _Drumbeat of the Nation_; Coffin's _Redeeming the
+Republic_; Coffin's _Marching to Victory_; Coffin's _Freedom
+Triumphant_; Cooke's _Stonewall Jackson_; Cooke's _Robert E. Lee_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Blaisdell's _Stories of the Civil War_; Goss's _Jed,
+a Boy's Adventures in the Army_; Goss's _Tom Clifton_; Keiffer's
+_Recollections of a Drummer Boy_; Barnes's _Midshipman Farragut_;
+Henty's _With Lee in Virginia_; Page's _Two Little Confederates_.
+
+FOR READING AND RECITATION.--Read's _Sheridan's Ride_; Whittier's
+_Barbara Frietchie_; Howe's _Battle Hymn of the Republic_; Bryant's _Our
+Country's Call_; Bret Harte's _John Burns at Gettysburg_; Whitman's _O
+Captain! My Captain!_ (Death of Lincoln); Finch's _Blue and the Gray_;
+Miss Preston's _Gone Forward_ (Death of General Lee); Longfellow's
+_Cumberland_; Boker's _Black Regiment_; Byers's _Sherman's March to the
+Sea_; Bryant's _The Battlefield_; Wilson's _The Old Sergeant_; Bryant's
+_Abraham Lincoln_; Higginson's _Decoration_; Bryant's _Our Country's
+Call_; Stedman's _Sumter_; Bayard Taylor's _To the American People_, and
+_Scott and the Veteran_; Holmes's _Voyage of the Good Ship Union_;
+Stedman's _Wanted--a Man_; Whittier's _Battle Autumn of 1862_, and _Laus
+Deo_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI. PAGES 406-423.
+
+THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.
+
+The most useful book for schools is perhaps Henry Cabot Lodge's _The War
+with Spain_.
+
+The following books are also useful: Brooks's _Story of Our War with
+Spain_; Abbot's _Blue Jackets of 1898_; Morris's _The War with Spain_;
+Davis's _The War of 1898_; and Spears's _Our Navy in the Spanish War_.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX.
+
+
+                          PAGE
+
+  Alabama, career of the, 397
+    destroyed by Kearsarge, 397
+    claims for damage paid by England, 398
+
+  Albemarle, destruction of the, 403
+
+  America, in old days, 1
+    ancient, people of, 3
+
+  Andr�, meeting with Arnold, 276
+    capture of, 277
+    sad fate of, 281
+
+  Appomattox, surrender of Lee at 380
+
+  Arnold, Benedict, sent to relieve Fort Stanwix, 209
+    story of his treason, 271-285
+    brilliant military career, 273
+    begins his wicked career, 273
+    meeting with Andr�, 275
+    escape of, 280
+    after life of, 281
+    death of, 283
+
+
+  Barbary States, pirates of, 323
+
+  Battles: Antietam, 365
+    Bennington, 213
+    Bon Homme Richard and Serapis, 290
+    Bull Run, 364
+    Bunker Hill, 170-183
+    Camden, 255
+    Cedar Creek, 381
+    Chancellorsville, 369
+    Chesapeake and Shannon, 331
+    Chickamauga, 377
+    Concord, 162
+    Constitution and Guerri�re, 327
+    Cowpens, 264
+    Eutaw Springs, 269
+    Fair Oaks, 365
+    Forts Henry and Donaldson, 365
+    Freeman's Farm, 218
+    Gettysburg, 369
+    Hobkirk's Hill, 269
+    Kearsarge and Alabama, 397
+    King's Mountain, 261
+    Lake Erie, 333
+    Lexington, 160
+    Lookout Mountain, 377
+    Manassas, 364
+    Manila, 410
+    Mobile, 399
+    Monitor and Merrimac, 392
+    Monmouth, 239
+    New Orleans, 337, 390
+    Oriskany, 207
+    Princeton, 237
+    Santiago, 418
+    Saratoga, 219
+    Trenton, 233
+    Vicksburg, 375
+    Yorktown, 242
+
+  Bennington, battle of, 213
+
+  Bon Homme Richard, battle with Serapis, 290
+
+  Boston boys and General Gage, 150
+
+  Boston massacre, 151
+    tea party, 152
+    Port Bill, 155
+
+  Braddock, expedition of, 118
+
+  Buford massacre, 253
+
+  Bull Run, battle of, 364
+
+  Bunker Hill, battle of, 170-183
+    lesson taught by, 180
+    Monument, 183
+
+  Burgoyne campaign, 198-221
+
+
+  Cabots, John and Sebastian, 26
+    their voyages, 26, 27
+
+  California enters the Union, 346
+    discovery of gold in, 346
+    rush to gold regions of, 348
+
+  Camden, defeat at, 255
+
+  Cedar Creek, Sheridan at, 383
+
+  Cervera and Spanish fleet, 415
+
+  Chancellorsville, battle of, 369
+
+  Charleston, defense of, 251
+    capture of, 252
+
+  Chesapeake, battle with the Shannon, 331
+
+  Chickamauga, battle of, 377
+
+  Churches in colonial times, 129
+
+  Colonial times, everyday life in, 126
+
+  Colonies begin to prosper, 141
+    tyrannical treatment of, 142
+
+  Columbia River, discovery of, 341
+
+  Columbus, Christopher, 10
+    early life of, 12
+    seeks aid, 14
+    first voyage of, 15
+    welcome on return, 19
+    other voyages, 20-23
+
+  Concord Bridge, fight at, 162
+
+  Congress, First Continental, 157
+    Second Continental, 190
+
+  Constitution, battle with Guerri�re, 327
+     her noble record, 330
+
+  Cowpens, battle of, 264
+
+  Cuba, barbarities in, 407
+    rebels against Spain, 406
+
+  Cushing, daring exploit of, 402-405
+
+
+  Decatur, exploits of, 324
+
+  Deerfield, attack on, 112
+
+  De Soto, Ferdinand, 28-30
+
+  Dewey, Admiral, victory at Manila, 412
+    nation's reception of, 414
+
+  Dustin, Hannah, story of, 113
+
+  Dutch, settlement in New York, 92
+    how they lived, 93
+
+
+  Emancipation of the slaves, 366
+    proclamation of, 367
+
+  Erie, Lake, battle of, 333
+
+  Eutaw Springs, battle of, 269
+
+  Everyday home life one hundred years ago, 311-321
+
+
+  Farragut, Admiral, 390
+    captures New Orleans, 391
+    captures Mobile, 399
+    in the rigging at Mobile, 401
+
+  Fires, how put out one hundred years ago, 316
+
+  Flag, American, first raised, 209
+
+  Franklin, Benjamin, 296-310
+    early life of, 297
+    learns printer's trade, 297
+    goes to Philadelphia, 299
+    life in London, 301
+    career in Philadelphia, 302
+    famous kite experiment, 304
+    public career, 305
+    service as diplomatist, 309
+    last days of, 310
+
+  Freeman's Farm, battle of, 218
+
+  French in North America, 106
+
+  French and Indian Wars, 110
+
+
+  Gage, General, and Boston boys, 150
+    plans to capture military stores, 158
+
+  Gates, General, 217, 255
+
+  Gettysburg, battle of, 369-372
+    memorials of, 372
+    Lincoln's address at, 372
+
+  Gold, Discovery of, in California, 347
+    effects of discovery, 348
+
+  Grant, General, success in the West, 375
+
+  Greene, General, takes command in South, 262
+    his masterly retreat, 265
+    rare generalship of, 268
+    brilliant campaign in South, 269
+
+
+  Henry, Patrick, speech of, 147
+
+  Herkimer, General, 206
+
+  Hobkirk's Hill, battle of, 269
+
+  Hobson, brilliant exploit of, 416
+
+  Home life in colonial times, 134
+
+  Hudson, Sir Henry, 88
+    enters Dutch service, 89
+    discovers Hudson River, 90
+    his sad fate, 92
+
+
+  Independence, Declaration of, 184-197
+    what it said to the world, 191
+    how received, 194
+    incidents connected with, 195
+    what it should mean, 197
+
+  Independence declared, 192
+    slow growth of the idea, 185
+    stern necessity of, 188
+    first steps towards, 190
+
+  Indians, 4
+    principal divisions of, 4
+    Pueblo, 6
+    appearance and clothing, 73
+    food of the, 74
+    weapons and how they fought, 76
+    as hunters, 80
+    cunning and revengeful, 82
+    their children, 85
+    ally themselves with French, 111
+
+
+  Jackson, Andrew, anecdote of, 254
+    wins the battle of New Orleans, 337
+
+  Jackson, Stonewall, 369
+
+  Jasper, Sergeant, bravery of, 251
+
+  Jones, John Paul, begins his remarkable career, 287
+    daring deeds on English coast 288
+    interview with Franklin, 289
+    after life of, 294
+    battle with the Serapis, 290
+
+
+  Kearsarge destroys the Alabama 397
+
+  King's Mountain, battle of, 261
+
+
+  La Salle, 107
+
+  Laws, absurd and tyrannical, 143
+    resistance to, 147
+
+  Lee, General Charles, at Monmouth, 240
+
+  Lee, Robert E, 371
+
+  Lewis and Clarke expedition, 341
+
+  Lexington, battle of, 160
+
+  Life, everyday, one hundred years ago, 311, 322
+
+  Lincoln, Abraham, influence of mother, 353
+    reads good books, 354, 356
+    studies law, 357
+    chosen President, 359
+    death of, 383
+
+  Lookout Mountain, battle of, 377
+
+  Louisburg, capture of, 115
+
+  Louisiana, purchase of, 340
+
+
+  Maine, blowing up of the, 409
+
+  Manila, naval victory at, 410
+
+  Marion, General, 255-261
+    method of fighting of, 257
+    first exploits of, 258
+    famous exploits of, 259
+    visit from British officer, 260
+
+  McCrea, Jane, murder of, 205
+
+  Meade, General, 370
+
+  Merrimac, attack on Union fleet, 392
+    battle with Monitor, 394
+
+  Ministers and meeting-houses one hundred years ago, 318
+
+  Minute-men, 167
+
+  Mobile, capture of, 399
+
+  Monitor, building of, 392
+    arrival of, 393
+    battle with the Merrimac, 394
+
+  Monmouth, battle of, 239
+
+  Montcalm, death of, 125
+
+  Morgan, General, victory at Cowpens 264
+
+
+  Naval operations on the Western rivers, 388
+
+  Navy in the War of 1812, 323-338
+    at beginning of the war for the Union, 387
+
+  New England, rally of people in defense of, 211
+
+  New Orleans, battle of, 337
+    capture of, 365, 389-391
+
+  Newspapers one hundred years ago, 311
+
+  Northmen, 6
+
+
+  Oregon saved to the Union, 342
+
+
+  Pacific Coast, settlement of 339-352
+
+  Pacific Railroad, first built, 353
+
+  Penn, William, 97
+    becomes a Quaker, 98
+    establishes a colony in America, 100
+    kind treatment of Indians, 101
+    treaty with Indians, 102
+    his old age, 104
+
+  Perry, Commodore, victory on Lake Erie, 333
+
+  Pilgrims, story of, 47
+    home in Holland, 48
+    voyage across Atlantic, 51
+    sign compact, 52
+    explorations of, 53
+    hardships and suffering of, 60, 65
+    visit from Indians, 63
+    peep into houses of, 66
+    household furniture of, 69
+    daily fare of, 71
+
+  Pitcher, Mollie, story of, 241
+
+  Plymouth Rock, 59
+
+  Pocahontas, romantic story of, 41
+
+  Ponce de Leon, 27
+
+  Pony Express, its history, 349
+
+  Porter, Commodore, 376
+
+  Porto Rico, campaign in, 420
+
+  Postal service one hundred years ago, 312
+
+  Potatoes first used in Europe, 33
+
+  Princeton, battle of, 237
+
+  Privateers, Confederate, 396
+
+
+  Quakers, persecution of, 96
+
+  Quebec, capture of, 123
+
+
+  Railroad built to California, 352
+
+  Raleigh, Sir Walter, 31
+
+  Revere, Paul, ride of, 159
+
+  Review in Washington, grand, 385
+
+  Richmond, capture of, 380
+
+
+  Sailors, American, treatment of by British, 325
+
+  Santiago, naval victory at, 418
+
+  Saratoga, battle of, 219
+    effect of victory at, 220
+
+  Savannah, capture of, 252
+
+  Schoolmaster one hundred years ago, 320
+
+  Schools and schoolmasters in colonial times, 131
+
+  Schuyler, General, and Burgoyne campaign, 203
+
+  Sheridan, General, 381
+    famous ride of, 381
+
+  Sherman, W. T., General, 378
+    march to the sea, 379
+
+  Shiloh, battle of, 375
+
+  Slavery, a menace to the country, 358
+
+  Slaves, emancipation of the, 366
+
+  Smith, Captain John, 34
+    early career, 35
+    career in new world, 37
+    and Pocahontas, 40
+
+  South, war of Revolution in, 250
+    cruel warfare in, 253
+
+  Spain, downfall of, 406
+    colonial policy of 406
+    Cuba rebels against, 406
+    war declared against, 409
+    end of war against, 421
+
+  Spanish fleet, preparations to meet, 415
+
+  Stage coaches one hundred years ago, 314
+
+  Stamp Act, 145
+
+  Standish, Captain Miles, 54
+
+  Stanwix, Fort, defense of, 208
+
+  Stark, John, at Bennington, 213
+
+  Steele, Mrs., anecdote of, 266
+
+  Stuyvesant, Peter, 95
+
+  Sumter, Fort, attack on, 361
+
+  Sunday, in colonial times, 127
+    how kept one hundred years ago, 317
+
+
+  Tablets, historic, 169
+
+  Tea Party, Boston, 152
+
+  Thomas, General, 377
+
+  Ticonderoga, capture of, 201
+
+  Tobacco, first use of by Europeans, 33
+
+  Trenton, battle of, 233
+
+
+  Union, War for, beginning of, 361
+    cost of, 384
+    situation after the, 386
+
+
+  Valley Forge, sufferings at, 238
+
+  Vicksburg, capture of, 375
+
+  Virginia, first attempt to colonize, 32
+    starving time in, 44
+
+
+  War, Civil, beginning of, 361
+    cost of, 384
+    situation after the, 386
+
+  War of 1812, causes of, 326
+    results of, 338
+
+  Warren, Joseph, 156
+    death of, 180
+
+  Washington, George, first difficult task, 117
+    with Braddock's expedition, 118
+    boyhood and youth of, 222
+    as a surveyor, 224
+    as a colonial army officer, 226
+    advancement in political honors, 228
+    as commander-in-chief, 229
+    his many difficulties, 231
+    victory at Trenton, 233
+    victory at Princeton, 237
+    helps defeat Burgoyne, 237
+    plans Yorktown campaign, 242
+    elected President, 245
+    retires to private life, 246
+    death of, 248
+
+  Washington, Colonel, anecdote of, 264
+
+  Whitman, Dr., saves Oregon, 342
+    his perilous ride for Oregon, 344
+    success in his mission, 345
+
+  Wolfe, capture of Quebec, 123
+
+
+  Yorktown, plan of campaign, 242
+    victory at, 244
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of American History, by 
+Albert F. Blaisdell
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY ***
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story Of American History for Elementary Schools, by Albert F. Blaisdell.
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+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's The Story of American History, by Albert F. Blaisdell
+
+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: The Story of American History
+       For Elementary Schools
+
+Author: Albert F. Blaisdell
+
+Release Date: December 8, 2010 [EBook #34600]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Patrick Hopkins, Juliet Sutherland, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="tn">
+
+<h3>Transcriber's Note</h3>
+
+<ul>
+<li> The position of some illustrations has been changed to improve
+readability.</li>
+
+<li> Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the transcriber
+for reader convenience.</li>
+
+<li>Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 584px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="584" height="650" id="coverpage" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<h1>THE STORY OF<br />
+<br />
+AMERICAN HISTORY<br />
+<br />
+<i>FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS</i></h1>
+
+<h3><br />
+<br />
+<br />
+BY</h3>
+
+<h2>ALBERT F. BLAISDELL</h2>
+
+<p class="center"><small><span class="smcap">AUTHOR OF "FIRST STEPS WITH AMERICAN AND BRITISH AUTHORS,"<br />
+"STORIES FROM ENGLISH HISTORY," ETC.</span></small></p>
+
+<p class="center">
+<br />
+<br />
+</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 6em;" />
+
+<p class="center">
+<br />
+<br />
+BOSTON, U.S.A.<br />
+GINN &amp; COMPANY, PUBLISHERS<br />
+<span style="font-family: 'Old English Text MT';">The Athen&aelig;um Press</span><br />
+1902</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p class="center">1902<br />
+<span class="smcap">Copyright, 1900, by</span><br />
+ALBERT F. BLAISDELL</p>
+<hr style="width: 3em;" />
+<p class="center">ALL RIGHTS RESERVED<br /></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE.</h2>
+
+<hr style="width: 3em;" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Some</span> sort of a first book on American history is now quite generally
+used in schools as a preparation for the more intelligent study of a
+larger and more formal text-book in the higher grammar grades.</p>
+
+<p>For beginners, a mere compilation of facts is dry and unsatisfactory.
+Such books have now given place, for the most part, to those prepared on
+a more attractive and judicious plan. The real aim in a first book
+should be to interest boys and girls in the history of their country,
+and to encourage them to cultivate a taste for further study and
+reading.</p>
+
+<p>This book is intended for use in the earlier grammar grades and to be
+preliminary to the study of a more advanced work in the higher grades.
+The author has also kept in mind the fact that the school life of many
+children is brief, and that all their instruction in American history
+must come from a text-book of this kind.</p>
+
+<p>The author has not aimed to cover the whole range of our country's
+history. Of many noted men and important<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span> affairs no mention is made.
+Only the leading events of certain periods and the personal achievements
+of a few representative "makers of our country" are treated in any
+detail. The subject is approached through biographical sketches of a few
+of the more illustrious actors in our nation's history. Some prominence
+is given to exceptional deeds of valor, details of everyday living in
+olden times, dramatic episodes, and personal incident.</p>
+
+<p>The schoolroom test demonstrates the fact that such a treatment of the
+subject is more attractive and profitable to children of the lower
+grades than the mere recital of minor matters and petty details of
+public events.</p>
+
+<p>The author would acknowledge his indebtedness to Dr. Homer B. Sprague of
+New York City for editorial help in reading and revising the manuscript.
+Thanks are also due to Dr. John E. Sanborn of Melrose, Mass., for
+editorial assistance.</p>
+
+<p class="right2">A. F. BLAISDELL.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">November, 1900.</span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 6em;" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note.</span>&mdash;The attention of teachers and pupils is especially directed to
+the practical usefulness of the subject of "Reference Books and
+Supplementary Reading for Successive Periods in American History," as
+treated on pages 424-435 in the <a href="#APPENDIX">Appendix</a>.</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<table summary="">
+<tr><td>CHAPTER</td><td></td><td>PAGE</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">I.</td><td><span class="smcap">America in the Old Days</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">II.</td><td><span class="smcap">Columbus and the Discovery of America</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">10</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">III.</td><td><span class="smcap">Sir Walter Raleigh and Captain John Smith</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">31</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">IV.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Story of the Pilgrims</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">47</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">V.</td><td><span class="smcap">More about the Pilgrims</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">60</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">VI.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Indians and how they lived</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">73</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">VII.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Dutch in New York; The Quakers in Pennsylvania</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">88</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">VIII.</td><td><span class="smcap">The French and Indian Wars</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">106</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">IX.</td><td><span class="smcap">Everyday Life in Colonial Times</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">126</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">X.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Beginning of the Revolution</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">139</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XI.</td><td><span class="smcap">Lexington and Concord</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">158</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XII.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Battle of Bunker Hill</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">170</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XIII.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Declaration of Independence</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">184</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XIV.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Burgoyne Campaign</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">198</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XV.</td><td><span class="smcap">Washington and the Revolution</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">222</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XVI.</td><td><span class="smcap">The War of the Revolution in the South</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">250</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XVII.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Story of Arnold's Treason</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">271</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XVIII.</td><td><span class="smcap">John Paul Jones: Our First Great Naval Hero</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">286</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XIX.</td><td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span><span class="smcap">Benjamin Franklin: His Highly Useful Career</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">296</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XX.</td><td><span class="smcap">Everyday Life One Hundred Years Ago</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">311</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XXI.</td><td><span class="smcap">What Our Navy did in the War of 1812</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">323</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XXII.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Settlement of the Pacific Coast</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">339</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XXIII.</td><td><span class="smcap">Lincoln and the War for the Union</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">353</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XXIV.</td><td><span class="smcap">More about the War for the Union</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">369</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XXV.</td><td><span class="smcap">Our Navy in the War for the Union</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">387</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right">XXVI.</td><td><span class="smcap">The War with Spain in 1898</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">406</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td></td><td align="center"><hr style="width: 4em; margin: 1em;" /></td><td></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Appendix.</span></td><td>Books for Reference and Collateral Reading in the
+Study of American History</td><td align="right"><a href="#APPENDIX">424</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td></td><td align="center"><hr style="width: 4em; margin: 1em;" /></td><td></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Index</span></td><td></td><td align="right"><a href="#INDEX">436</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_AMERICAN_HISTORY" id="THE_STORY_OF_AMERICAN_HISTORY"></a>THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 4em;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>1. The Story of our Country.</b>&mdash;We are sure that every intelligent and
+patriotic American youth must like to read the story of our country's
+life. To a boy or girl of good sense no work of fiction can surpass it
+in interest or power.</p>
+
+<p>How delightful to let the imagination summon up the forms and the deeds
+of the fearless Norse sailors who dared to cross the unknown seas in
+their frail and tiny vessels without compass and without charts! How
+interesting the oft-told but ever-fresh narrative of the intrepid
+Columbus and his memorable first voyage into and across the "Sea of
+Darkness"! What romance was ever more exciting than the stories of the
+fierce struggles between the white men and the Indians for existence and
+supremacy on this continent?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>How deep the pathos of the simple tales that tell of the patient
+sufferings, the severe toils, the ever-present dangers, and the heroic
+self-denials of the early colonists in making for themselves homes in
+the New World! How richly suggestive are those pages that record the
+glorious events of our American Revolution&mdash;the splendid and immortal
+deeds of Washington and his illustrious associates!</p>
+
+<p>Then there is the thrilling account of the most tremendous civil war in
+all history, with its four million soldiers, its two thousand battles,
+and its preservation of the Union.</p>
+
+<p>And to come down to a time within the memory of every schoolboy, the
+echoes of the Spanish-American conflict have hardly yet died away. The
+story of this short war in the summer of 1898 still rings in our
+ears&mdash;with its astounding naval victories at Manila and Santiago, the
+freedom of Cuba, and the destruction of the last vestige of the once
+mighty Spanish supremacy on this western continent!</p>
+
+<p><b>2. Lessons of Wisdom and Inspiration to be learned.</b>&mdash;But beyond and
+above all mere gratification and pleasure to be derived from the study
+of our country's history, there are in it lessons of wisdom to be
+learned, there is inspiration to noble living, there is an uplifting of
+the soul to a higher plane of thought and sentiment,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> there is constant
+aid in the development and upbuilding of manly and womanly character.</p>
+
+<p>And when we think of the marvelous growth of less than three centuries
+which, beginning with the infant colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth, has
+made us a nation of more than seventy millions; when we think of the
+wonderful record of trial and triumph and unceasing progress, and of the
+great and good and wise men that have laid the foundations and reared
+the superstructure of this mighty temple of liberty,&mdash;we must be blind
+indeed and ungrateful beyond expression not to recognize with devout
+thankfulness the guiding hand of a beneficent Providence.</p>
+
+<p>America, under God, stood at Plymouth for religious freedom; in the
+Revolution, for independence; in our civil war, for the preservation of
+the Union. She now stands for humanity, civilization, and the uplifting
+of the whole race.</p>
+
+<p><b>3. The People of Ancient America.</b>&mdash;Wise men who have made a special
+study of the subject tell us that this country has been continuously
+inhabited by generations of men for many thousands of years. Rude tools,
+and human skulls, intermingled with bones of animals of species long
+extinct, have been found in caves or dug out of deep layers of earth;
+and they indicate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> that in the Mississippi valley and on the Atlantic
+and Pacific slopes there lived, perhaps hundreds of ages ago, men of a
+low grade of culture.</p>
+
+<p>In the great museums&mdash;as the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, the
+Peabody Museums at Cambridge and New Haven, and the natural history
+rooms at New York and elsewhere&mdash;may be seen thousands of the relics of
+vanished races of men and animals that once inhabited this continent.</p>
+
+<p><b>4. The Red Men or Indians.</b>&mdash;The Indians constitute a race by themselves.
+Whether they are descended from some of those prehistoric inhabitants of
+whom we have just spoken no one can say; but they make up an American
+type with marks as clearly recognized as those that distinguish the
+Mongolians and the Malays. For long ages the red men had spread
+themselves over the two continents, from Hudson Bay to Cape Horn. With
+few or no exceptions, all had the same copperish or cinnamon color,
+deep-set and intensely black eyes, high cheek-bones, straight black
+hair, with little or no beard; but the long lapse of time, the great
+varieties of environment, and perhaps other causes, brought about
+striking differences of appearance, of manners, customs, dialects, and
+the like.</p>
+
+<p><b>5. Three Principal Divisions of the Indians.</b>&mdash;The eminent historian, Dr.
+John Fiske, groups the Indians in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> three leading divisions,&mdash;as savage,
+barbarous, and half-civilized.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus011.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Ancient Cliff Dwellings.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The savage Indians ranged to the west of Hudson Bay, and southward
+between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific, to the northern part of
+Mexico. They lived by catching fish or game. They knew little or nothing
+of tilling the soil. They did not dwell in permanent villages, but
+roamed from place to place like Bedouin Arabs.</p>
+
+<p>The barbarous Indians inhabited the country east of the Rocky Mountains.
+They did not depend wholly upon hunting or fishing, but knew how to
+upturn the soil slightly with rude tools, and raise squashes, beans,
+tomatoes, and, most important of all, Indian corn. They lived in
+villages, and made houses that would last several years. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> had dogs
+of an inferior breed, but no other domestic animals. Some tribes were
+able to weave coarse cloth and make weapons of polished stones. They had
+strange social customs and singular religious beliefs. Fighting was
+their principal occupation.</p>
+
+<p>The half-civilized Indians once lived in New Mexico and the adjoining
+region. They have had almost nothing to do with the history of the
+United States. They are the Pueblo Indians, so called from the <i>pueblos</i>
+or strongholds, dwellings which they built of stones or of sun-dried
+brick. Some of these strongholds, story above story, would accommodate
+at least three thousand inhabitants! They were built oftentimes in
+situations almost inaccessible, like eagles' nests on cliffs, apparently
+that they might be defended more easily against the attack of an enemy.</p>
+
+<p><b>6. The Northmen and their Discoveries.</b>&mdash;The real contact between the
+eastern and western halves of the world practically began in 1492, the
+year of the first great voyage of Columbus. Occasional visitors may have
+sailed before that date directly across the "Sea of Darkness" from the
+Old World to the New. The subject is shrouded for the most part in the
+mists of vague stories and obscure traditions.</p>
+
+<p>It seems quite certain, however, that in the year 986 a daring
+Scandinavian navigator, Eric the Red,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> founded on the southwestern coast
+of Greenland a colony that lasted four or five hundred years. In the
+same year, as the Iceland Sagas (heroic legends) tell us, another Norse
+sailor, voyaging from Iceland to Greenland, was driven by storms far out
+towards the southwest, and was perhaps the first white man to behold the
+American coast.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus013.jpg" width="450" height="268" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Norse Ruins in Greenland.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Many interesting ruins of stone-built houses and of a church are still
+to be seen on that desolate Greenland shore. In those ages the Northmen,
+or Norsemen, as the people of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark were called,
+were the most skillful sailors in the world. Eric the Red had several
+sons, bold sailors like their father. The oldest of these (whose statue
+stands on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston), Leif the Lucky, with thirty-five
+hardy men, sailed south from Greenland in the year 1000, to explore
+these lands that had been discovered fourteen years before. He landed at
+several points along the coast. In a place which he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> called "Vinland the
+Good" (land of vines), he found an abundance of luscious wild grapes.
+Just where this sturdy Norse sailor feasted on the grapes is, of course,
+uncertain, but good authorities are inclined to think it may have been
+not far from Plymouth, on the coast of Massachusetts Bay. He returned
+home in the spring. Two years later Leif's brother, Thorwald, came on a
+voyage of discovery, but was killed by the natives in the summer of
+1004.</p>
+
+<p>In the spring of the year 1007 an Icelandic chief, accompanied by his
+wife and a crew of one hundred and sixty men, in three vessels, came to
+this Vinland. He remained here three years, and had many dealings with
+the Indians.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus014.jpg" width="450" height="293" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A Norse Ship.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Norsemen went home and gave vivid and accurate descriptions of the
+land they visited. They described the Indians, the fish, the animals,
+and the plants, all of which are given in the Icelandic chronicles. No
+real relic, however, of these people has yet been found upon our own
+coast.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Columbus, who visited Iceland in the year 1477, may have had access to
+the Icelandic archives, and have learned of the discoveries of these
+rovers of the deep. But we have no evidence on that point. After the
+eleventh century America remained as much unknown as if the bold
+Northmen had never steered their dragon-prowed ships along our shores.
+The waves that incessantly rolled upon its sands or dashed against its
+rocks brought no vessel from the far-away lands of the East. Nearly five
+hundred years were to come and go before, in the fullness of time, the
+hour struck for the real and fruitful discovery of the New World. It was
+left for Columbus, the great Genoese navigator, to open wide its gates!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus015.jpg" width="650" height="428" alt="Landing of the Norsemen." title="" />
+<span class="caption">Landing of the Norsemen.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>7. Commercial Activity in the Fifteenth Century.</b>&mdash;In southern Europe,
+the last half of the fifteenth century was a period of great commercial
+activity. Then, for the first time, many voyages of exploration were
+made in various directions, to find new riches, new markets, or new
+routes of travel and transportation. Merchants were turning their
+attention more and more to enterprises in far-off regions beyond the
+seas.</p>
+
+<p>Venice and Genoa became rivals for the vast and valuable trade of India.
+With other Italian cities they grew rich and powerful. They kept great
+fleets of merchant vessels plying back and forth across the
+Mediterranean.</p>
+
+<p>They sent out to India large quantities of copper, iron, pitch, wool,
+hides, and the like, and brought back cargoes of drugs, spices, silks,
+pearls, and other luxuries. But the path of this commerce between the
+Mediterranean and India required both ships and caravans; and whether by
+way of the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea, or by Damascus and the
+Persian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> Gulf, or by the Black Sea and the Caspian and thence across the
+eastern plains, the journey was long, tedious, costly; always hazardous,
+and often, by reason of the Turkish wars, positively dangerous.</p>
+
+<p>And so it became important, especially for the merchants of Spain and
+Portugal, the would-be rivals of Venice and Genoa, to find a shorter and
+safer route. In many a country, people were asking, "Is there no easier
+way to get to India?"</p>
+
+<p>In the attempts to solve this problem Portugal took the lead. Her
+sailors boldly ventured farther and farther down the coast of Africa
+until, about twenty years before Columbus discovered America, they
+crossed the equator. But it was not till five years after the memorable
+exploit of Columbus, that Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese captain, rounded
+the Cape of Good Hope and crossed the broad Indian Ocean to India. Two
+years later he returned home with his vessels full of rich merchandise
+from that country.</p>
+
+<p><b>8. The Shape of the Earth&mdash;Spherical or Flat?</b>&mdash;The learned men of that
+age, for the most part, believed the earth to be round like a ball. But
+the common people, and doubtless many of high rank, thought the land
+surface to be flat, with a flat ocean flowing around it on every side.
+Now if the earth were really a sphere, and no larger than was commonly
+supposed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> it would seem that the easiest way to get to India, unless
+unforeseen obstacles intervened, would be to strike out to the west and
+sail straight across the "Sea of Darkness," as the sailors called the
+Atlantic. To embrace so startling a theory and deliberately to risk his
+life in testing its truth, required a man of keen sagacity, of lofty
+faith, of unbending resolution, and of the most heroic daring. Such a
+man was Christopher Columbus.</p>
+
+<p><b>9. Columbus; his Early Life as a Sailor.</b>&mdash;He was born at Genoa, in or
+about the year 1445. He was the son of a poor wool-comber, and while yet
+very young he helped in his father's daily toil. We find him a studious
+boy, early able to write a good hand and to draw maps and charts for
+mariners visiting his home. He loves the sea, listens eagerly to old
+sailors' "yarns," weaves their fancies and legends into his day-dreams,
+and is fired with ambition to go in search of strange lands. How shall
+he realize his visions? Who will believe in him?</p>
+
+<p>At the age of fourteen he becomes a sailor. He sails south along the
+African coast, and north as far as England, and even to Iceland. Always
+observing, studying, planning, the ardent, thoughtful boy grows up an
+earnest, thoughtful man. He is convinced that the earth is a globe, and
+that, if he sails west far<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> enough, he will reach India by a route
+shorter than any to the east. Nothing can shake his faith in this
+belief. It becomes the inspiration of his life.</p>
+
+<p>But like that of many learned men of his day, his estimate of the
+distance is widely wrong. He supposes it to be only a few thousand
+miles, requiring but a few weeks' sail. Little does he imagine that
+directly in his westward path lies a vast continent, and beyond this
+rolls an ocean far wider than the Atlantic!</p>
+
+<p><b>10. Curious Things from the Unknown West.</b>&mdash;To reflecting minds many
+facts gave hints of lands in the distant west. Curiously carved wood had
+been washed ashore by westerly gales; far out on the sunset sea an old
+pilot had picked up a quaintly wrought paddle; cane stalks of tropic
+growth, and huge pines that could not have come from the east, had
+drifted to the Azores. It was believed that these articles, strange to
+European eyes, had floated across the broad ocean from the eastern coast
+of Asia.</p>
+
+<p>Meditating much upon all these and kindred facts, and upon the teachings
+of science, Columbus conceives himself to be divinely commissioned to
+open up this new route to India, incidentally discovering unknown lands
+and showing that the earth was round. But this stupendous project calls
+for ships, men, and vast sums of money. He is poor, and he has no rich
+patrons.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>11. Columbus seeks Aid from Foreign Governments.</b>&mdash;For ten years Columbus
+tried to persuade some European government to send him on this voyage
+across the Atlantic. First he sought help from his own people, the
+republic of Genoa; then from Venice, and afterwards from Portugal. For
+seven years he had patiently and persistently endeavored to interest
+Ferdinand and Isabella, the king and queen of Spain, in his scheme of a
+shorter route to India than that which their rivals, the Portuguese,
+were hoping to find by sailing down the western coast of the dark
+continent. After years of waiting and seeking, the long-sought help at
+last came. Isabella had faith in Columbus, and proved herself a firm
+friend. She listened patiently to his plans; and she finally decided to
+fit out an expedition at the expense of her own kingdom of Castile.</p>
+
+<p>By the terms of the agreement, Columbus was to be admiral of all the
+oceans he sailed and viceroy of all the lands he discovered, and to have
+one-eighth of all the profits of the expedition&mdash;the pearls, diamonds,
+gold, silver, and spices.</p>
+
+<p>It was hard work to get a crew willing to go on this long voyage into
+the mysterious western seas. It was indeed a strange and hazardous
+project, and prudent sailors, though stout-hearted, might well shrink<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>
+from taking the risk. Some, badly in debt, consented to ship on
+condition that their debts should be paid. Others, convicted culprits,
+promising to join the expedition, were released from jail.</p>
+
+<p><b>12. Columbus sails on his Wonderful Voyage.</b>&mdash;Finally, in August, 1492,
+after a delay of several months, three vessels with ninety men sailed
+from Palos, a little port of Spain, on the most wonderful voyage the
+world has ever seen&mdash;the voyage which ended in the discovery of the
+great New World. What a heroic venture,&mdash;to sail out into an unknown
+ocean!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus021.jpg" width="650" height="309" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Vessels of Columbus crossing the Ocean.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Every day and every hour took them farther from home. Onward and still
+onward they were sailing, across the trackless and boundless deep, with
+nothing in sight but sky and ocean.</p>
+
+<p>No wonder they became angry with themselves for having started upon what
+seemed so foolhardy an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> enterprise. When at first the land sank from
+sight on the eastern horizon, many of them lamented their sad fate, and
+cried and sobbed like children. Columbus, fearing trouble, took the
+precaution to keep two different reckonings as to the distance sailed, a
+true one for himself and a false one for his men.</p>
+
+<p>To add to their fears, the needle of the compass no longer pointed, as
+usual, a little to the right of the north star, but began to sway toward
+the left. Columbus did not know what to make of this variation of the
+compass needle, but by giving an ingenious astronomical explanation he
+managed to satisfy his men.</p>
+
+<p>"This day we sailed westward, which was our course," were the simple but
+grand words which the brave commander wrote in his journal day after
+day. The sailors, in despair and rebellion, threatened to throw him
+overboard; but he stood firm in his hope and courage, gazing almost
+incessantly towards the ever-receding western horizon.</p>
+
+<p><b>13. The Great Problem at last solved.</b>&mdash;Many times the eager sailors
+thought they saw land, and many times they were disappointed. At last
+birds began to circle around the ships. A bush covered with fresh red
+berries floated by, and a piece of carved wood. Presently the birds were
+seen to fly southward. By these signs Columbus felt sure that they were
+approach<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>ing land. "We shall see land in the morning," he said to his
+men. All was excitement and activity. No one could sleep. All waited
+impatiently for the dawn.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 369px;">
+<img src="images/illus023.jpg" width="369" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Columbus&#39;s First View of the New World.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The day broke, and a beautiful island appeared before them. Columbus was
+the first to step upon the beach; the others followed; all knelt as the
+great discoverer kissed the ground and gave thanks to God. He rose from
+his knees, drew his sword, unfurled the great flag of Spain, gorgeous
+with its red and gold, and in the name of Spain he took possession of
+the land, calling it San Salvador. From his sublime purpose the mighty
+navigator had not swerved a hair's breadth! He had solved the great
+problem! He had earned a name that should never die!</p>
+
+<p><b>14. The New World and its Strange People; the Homeward Voyage.</b>&mdash;The
+island on which Columbus first landed was one of those we now call the
+West Indies, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> name given by him. The voyagers were wild with delight
+at the new country. They gazed in wonder at the rare and lovely flowers,
+the bright-colored birds flashing through the sunlight, the lofty palms,
+the strange trees bearing abundant fruits; but most of all at the
+singular people, whom of course they called Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Not less were the natives astonished. They thought the strange visitors
+divine beings from the sky, and the ships unearthly monsters from the
+deep. Columbus found the natives kindly and generous with gifts. Maize
+or Indian corn, potatoes, cotton, and tobacco were found; but neither
+gold nor diamonds.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus felt sure that this land was some part of Asia. After a stay of
+twelve weeks he decided to sail back to Spain with the news of his great
+discovery. He took with him a number of the natives and a vast store of
+curiosities. On the voyage a terrific storm<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> raged for four days, and it
+seemed as if the frail vessels must be destroyed. The peril being very
+great, Columbus wrote upon parchment two brief accounts of his
+discoveries; each of these he wrapped in a cloth, enclosed it in a large
+cake of wax, and securely packed it in a tight cask. One of these kegs
+was flung into the sea, and the other was lashed to the vessel.</p>
+
+<p>The two frail vessels, however, rode out the storm and at last put into
+one of the Azores to refit. On the homeward way another storm overtook
+the weary voyagers, and Columbus was glad to reach at last a port in
+Portugal. From thence in March, 1493, he arrived safe in the harbor of
+Palos.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus024.jpg" width="650" height="248" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Map of Columbus&#39;s Route on his Great Voyage across the Ocean.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>15. Columbus receives a Royal Welcome on his Return.</b>&mdash;A royal welcome
+was given Columbus on his return. The man who had been laughed at for
+his strange theories, now returning from a newly discovered world beyond
+the sea, was regarded as the greatest of men. Ferdinand and Isabella
+received him with royal pomp and asked him to tell them his story.
+Marvelous it must have seemed, and all who heard it must have listened
+with breathless attention. The highest honors were bestowed upon him.
+His discovery of course excited intense interest throughout the
+civilized world.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus026.jpg" width="450" height="418" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Columbus rebuking the Courtiers.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>But the high honors paid to him aroused the jealousy of the courtiers.
+Once, while sitting as a guest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> of honor at table, one of the courtiers
+said with a sneer that it was not such a great thing after all to
+discover the New World; any one else could have done it. By way of reply
+Columbus took an egg from a dish before him, and handing it to the
+courtier, asked him to make it stand on end. The man tried but could not
+do it. Others tried but failed, and the egg came back to Columbus. He
+struck it upon the table with slight force, cracking the shell a little,
+and then it stood upright.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, any one could do that," said the courtier. "So any one could
+discover the Indies after I have shown the way," was the reply of
+Columbus.</p>
+
+<p><b>16. Columbus sails on Other Voyages across the Atlantic.</b>&mdash;In spite of
+the joy among the Spanish people over<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> the great discovery, there was
+general disappointment that Columbus brought back no gold or precious
+stones. It was believed that another voyage might bring better success.
+Accordingly he soon prepared to sail again across the ocean. There was
+no trouble now in obtaining crews; multitudes wished to go.</p>
+
+<p>In September, 1493, he started&mdash;this time with seventeen ships and
+fifteen hundred men! He landed among the Caribbean Islands. The natives
+were frightened at the horses which were brought over, thinking the
+rider and the steed all one; they were doubly terrified to see the man
+dismount and the strange being come to pieces, making two separate
+animals!</p>
+
+<p>Columbus coasted along the south side of Cuba, and being sure it was
+India, tried to find the mouth of the Ganges! Seeing traces of a gold
+mine that had once been worked, he concluded that in that region must
+have been found the gold of Ophir, which had been used for Solomon's
+temple, and that probably the great temple itself was not far off!</p>
+
+<p><b>17. Queen Isabella proves a Friend.</b>&mdash;After a great deal of trouble
+during his absence of nearly three years, Columbus returned home in
+1496. Serious disputes followed his arrival. Much disappointment was
+felt that he had found no gold or diamonds; many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> denounced "the foreign
+upstart" as a fraud and a tyrant, saying that he cost more than he was
+worth. Jealousy, intrigue, disappointed greed, hatred for fancied
+slights, every motive to hostility took shape against him. Yet as
+Isabella was still his friend, and as he hoped for better fortune in
+another trial, he prepared for a third voyage. In May, 1498, with six
+vessels and two hundred men he again set sail.</p>
+
+<p>On this voyage Columbus touched the mainland of South America and passed
+the mouth of the river Orinoco. The broad flow of the great river, the
+magnificent scenery, and the charming climate delighted him. "This must
+be the river," he said, "that flows through the Garden of Eden."</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, many of the Spaniards that had been left on the islands
+rebelled against him. Evil-minded officials in Spain sent out a sort of
+inspector to examine into the rebellion. Prompted by malice, he exceeded
+his authority and caused Columbus to be chained as a criminal. With
+stern fortitude the stout-hearted mariner endured the cruel irons, and
+he was thus taken back to Spain. The captain of the vessel offered to
+free him from his chains. The brave discoverer answered sadly but
+proudly: "No: I will wear them as a memento of the gratitude of
+princes!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>18. The Fourth and Last Voyage.</b>&mdash;His firm friend, the queen, justly
+indignant, received him with tears. Then the much-enduring old man broke
+down, and with sobs and weeping threw himself at her feet. The
+great-hearted Isabella encouraged him to go on still another expedition.
+In May, 1502, with four vessels and one hundred and fifty men, he sailed
+on his fourth and last voyage.</p>
+
+<p>He skirted the south side of Cuba, touched at Honduras, and coasted
+along the northern shores of South America. Many of his men were killed
+by the Indians, his company was short of food, his ships began to leak,
+the vessel on which he sailed was wrecked, and the voyage was every way
+disastrous. In November, 1504, old, feeble, and broken-hearted, Columbus
+returned to. Spain. His royal patron and best friend, Isabella, was
+dead. His constitution was shattered by the labors and perils he had
+undergone. His last year was passed in sickness and poverty. In 1506 he
+closed his eyes in death.</p>
+
+<p><b>19. Columbus and his Mighty Achievement.</b>&mdash;After all his four eventful
+voyages, this prince of explorers died in the belief that he had reached
+the eastern shores of Asia, and that, too, by the best and most direct
+route. He never imagined that he had found a new continent. Although
+self-deceived as to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> true nature of his discoveries, he yet well
+deserved all the honors that have crowned his memory. His own time was
+not worthy of him; but after-ages have paid him due and ever-increasing
+reverence. His name will forever be linked with lofty ideas and
+magnificent achievements.</p>
+
+<p>Columbus was a man of noble and commanding presence, tall, and
+powerfully built. He had long-waving hair, a fair, ruddy complexion, and
+keen blue-gray eyes that easily kindled and glowed. He inspired strong
+affection and deep respect. He always carried himself with an air of
+authority, as became a man of great heart and lofty thoughts.</p>
+
+<p>Why was this continent not named for Columbus? Let me tell you. Because
+in his life it was not known as a new world, and hence had no need of a
+new name. It already had the names India and Cathay (China). In 1501
+Americus Vespucius, a Florentine merchant and a mariner already familiar
+with the western waters, sailed on his third voyage far southward along
+the eastern coast of South America. The vast size of that country thus
+became partially known. He wrote an account of his voyages to the "New
+World," and in his honor it was named "America." Gradually this name was
+applied to the northern continent also.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 453px;">
+<img src="images/illus031.jpg" width="453" height="650" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">LANDING OF COLUMBUS.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>20. The Cabots and their Voyages.</b>&mdash;We need not be told that these
+expeditions made a great sensation in Europe, and that many bold
+mariners started out from Portugal and Spain. The sovereigns of other
+nations, too, as England and France, soon sent navigators to make claims
+for their own countries. Among the most notable of these were the
+Cabots, John and his son Sebastian. Though natives of Genoa, they lived
+in England and had entered the service of King Henry VII. They had
+permission from him to sail across the Atlantic and to take possession,
+in his name, of any lands which were not known to Europeans.</p>
+
+<p>In May, 1497, with one ship and eighteen men, John Cabot with his son
+Sebastian left England. The first land he saw is supposed to have been
+either Cape Breton Island or the shores of Labrador. He did not remain
+long on that cold and dismal coast, but returned home to England after
+an absence of about three months. John Cabot was probably the first
+European since the days of the Northmen to set foot upon the mainland of
+North America.</p>
+
+<p>On his return he was received with much honor by the king. He was called
+"The Great Admiral," and he went about the streets richly dressed in
+silk, followed by a crowd of admirers. The next year<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> the Cabots set out
+upon a second voyage. This took a wider range. The exact limits of these
+explorations are not clearly known; but it is believed that they
+discovered the coast of Labrador, sailed along to Newfoundland, thence
+probably as far south as Cape Cod, and perhaps to Cape Hatteras.
+Inasmuch as Columbus never set foot upon the mainland of North America,
+the Cabot discoveries are of importance. It is claimed that they gave
+England a right to the settlement and ownership of this northern
+continent.</p>
+
+<p>Sebastian lived to be a very old man, and to the last was full of
+enthusiasm about the new-found world He was known as "The Great Yeoman."
+It was said of him: "He gave England a continent&mdash;and no one knows his
+burial place!"</p>
+
+<p><b>21. A Spanish Knight seeks the Fountain of Youth.</b>&mdash;A singular expedition
+was that of Ponce de Leon, a brave knight who had sailed with Columbus
+on his second voyage. The Spaniards had heard somewhere in eastern Asia
+the old, old legend, of a fountain whose water gave perpetual youth to
+any one who drank of it. In 1513 Ponce de Leon sailed from Porto Rico,
+where he had been governor, with three vessels, in search of this
+wonderful "Fountain of Youth."</p>
+
+<p>On Easter Sunday (which in Spanish is Pascua Florida, flowering Easter)
+he first came within sight of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> coast to which he gave the name
+Florida, partly in honor of the day and partly because it was indeed a
+region of flowers. He took possession of it in the name of the King of
+Spain. Never before had he seen so beautiful a region. It seemed the
+land of eternal summer.</p>
+
+<p>He landed not far from what is now St. Augustine, and followed the coast
+south to its western shore; but he went back disappointed. If he or any
+one else ever saw this spring of magic power, it was only in dreams. In
+1521 our romantic knight sailed again in search of the hoped-for
+fountain; but by reason of a severe wound from an Indian arrow he was
+forced to return to Cuba. There he died of his painful injury.</p>
+
+<p><b>22. How De Soto sought in Vain for Gold.</b>&mdash;Another adventurous Spanish
+knight was Ferdinand de Soto. He attempted to explore and conquer the
+country across the waters to the north of Cuba. In 1539, with nine
+vessels and five hundred and seventy men, he left Havana. Landing on the
+eastern coast of Florida, De Soto marched north to the Savannah River,
+thence going westward. Dangers beset him on every side. Sometimes the
+natives, who had learned to fear and hate the Spaniards, sent poisoned
+arrows flying through the air. Sometimes they purposely led their greedy
+foes into swamps in the search<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> for gold. The Spaniards in turn treated
+the Indians with extreme cruelty.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus035.jpg" width="650" height="578" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">De Soto&#39;s First View of the Mississippi River.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A number of dreadful battles were fought in which De Soto lost many men.
+Through tangled forests and swamps the Spaniards, suffering from hunger
+and sickness, plodded on their weary march. De Soto would not turn back.
+He was determined to find gold. The proud Spaniard could not endure the
+thought of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> failure. He had promised his followers an abundance of
+treasure, and he resolved to keep that promise.</p>
+
+<p>At last they reached the banks of a mighty river. Compared with other
+streams it was like the sea. It was the great Mississippi. De Soto was
+probably the first white man that ever gazed upon it. Under his
+direction the men built rafts, crossed the "Father of Waters," and
+pushed far on to what is now Arkansas and Missouri, in search of the
+fabled land of gold. They never found it. Instead of gems and gold, they
+found hunger, sickness, and death.</p>
+
+<p><b>23. Death of De Soto.</b>&mdash;At last, a little group exhausted and emaciated,
+they turned their steps southward and toward the great river again. De
+Soto was broken-hearted. A fever seized him, and he soon died.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians stood in great awe of De Soto. They called him a "child of
+the Sun," and believed he would never die. His men therefore wished to
+conceal the fact of their leader's death. They wrapped his dead body in
+a mantle and sank it at night beneath the waters of the Mississippi. The
+wretched remnant of his followers managed to build a few boats, and in
+these they floated down the stream. A few of them at last reached
+friends to whom they told the story of their failure.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.</span></h2>
+
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 432px;">
+<img src="images/illus037.jpg" width="432" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Sir Walter Raleigh.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>24. Sir Walter Raleigh: Soldier, Sailor, and Courtier.</b>&mdash;Not until many
+years after the voyages of the two Cabots did the English begin to make
+settlements in the New World. For more than three-quarters of a century
+no one seemed to comprehend the vast importance of the discoveries of
+those explorers, or to dream of the wonderful changes that would follow
+during the coming ages. But there was at last one man in England of high
+rank who foresaw that a great nation would some time people the realm
+beyond the Atlantic. That man was Sir Walter Raleigh. He was a skillful
+sailor, a daring soldier, an accomplished scholar, an elegant poet, a
+learned historian, a graceful courtier&mdash;in fact, a prince among men. He
+became a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> favorite with Queen Elizabeth. He was very rich, and
+when he asked permission to fit out ships and establish colonies in
+America, the queen readily granted his request.</p>
+
+<p>The first two vessels sent out by Raleigh reached the coast of North
+Carolina in 1584. No attempt at colonization was then made, and they
+soon sailed back to England. When Queen Elizabeth heard of the wonders
+of the new country&mdash;its luscious fruits, its "sweete-smelling timber
+trees," its rich soil, whereon the natives seemed to live "after the
+manner of the golden age"&mdash;she said: "This place shall be named Virginia
+in honor of me." For the great queen was called the "Virgin Queen," and
+she used to boast that she was wedded to her kingdom alone.</p>
+
+<p><b>25. First Attempts to colonize Virginia.</b>&mdash;Soon afterwards Raleigh sent
+out vessels on a second voyage "to plant an English nation in America."
+It had been planned to make a settlement on Roanoke Island; but the
+Indians were warlike, food was scarce, and the colonists instead of
+planting corn searched for gold. After they had nearly died of
+starvation a vessel arrived, which carried the homesick men back to
+England. Two years afterwards a third company was sent out by Raleigh.
+This company included men, women, and children. These also settled at
+Roanoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> Island. There, in August, 1587, was born Virginia Dare, the
+first American child of English parentage.</p>
+
+<p>This colony also fared hard. The governor sailed back to England for
+supplies, and when he returned to America, after being delayed for three
+years, every trace of the colony had disappeared. It was never known
+whether the colonists had gone far away, to live with the Indians, or
+had somehow perished. They were never heard of again.</p>
+
+<p><b>26. How Tobacco and Potatoes came into Popular Use.</b>&mdash;And thus it was
+that in the first colonizing of this country Sir Walter Raleigh had as
+much to do as any other one man. Although his various attempts at
+settlements proved failures, yet he opened the way, set the example, and
+made it less difficult for others to come to America.</p>
+
+<p>One of the most wholesome and nutritious of vegetables, the common white
+potato, had never been seen in Europe until some of the Virginia
+settlers sent to Sir Walter as a present several of the "roots," as they
+were called. He showed the poor how easily potatoes could be raised.
+Thus they first came into use as a staple article of food.</p>
+
+<p>The settlers in Virginia soon found that the Indians took great comfort
+in smoking the dried leaves of a certain fragrant herb. This was the now
+well-known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> tobacco plant. The English colonists tried smoking,&mdash;and
+liked it. They sent some of the plant across the ocean as a present to
+Sir Walter. He tried smoking, and he also liked it!</p>
+
+<p>At first it seemed a strange sight in England to see a man smoking. The
+story is often told that as Raleigh was one day enjoying his pipe, a
+servant came into the room. As the man had never before seen any one
+smoke, he was much astonished; he thought his master was on fire. He
+rushed out of the room, seized a pitcher of water, and running back
+threw it over Sir Walter!</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 395px;">
+<img src="images/illus040.jpg" width="395" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Raleigh&#39;s Servant interrupts his Master&#39;s Smoke.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>From that time till now tobacco has been most extensively used. The
+settler who raised tobacco could buy with it whatever he needed. Large
+crops of it were carried to England and sold. It did much to establish
+the commercial prosperity of the Virginia colony.</p>
+
+<p><b>27. Captain John Smith and his Early Career.</b>&mdash;In the year 1607 there
+came to Virginia a remarkable man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> by the name of John Smith. He plays
+an important part in the early history of that colony.</p>
+
+<p>This the most famous John Smith that ever lived, was born in England in
+1580. While yet a boy he was fond of wild and daring adventures. When
+thirteen years old he sold his school books and ran away from home. When
+he became a young man he went to the continent, and for two or three
+years fought in the Dutch and French armies.</p>
+
+<p>Once, when Smith was a sailor on a ship going from Marseilles to Italy,
+a terrible storm arose; the sailors, believing that he was the cause of
+their bad luck, threw him overboard. But, swimming "with lusty sinews,"
+he managed to reach an island near by, and thus his life was saved. He
+was rescued from the shore and was taken on board a French man-of-war.
+Soon afterwards the ship met an enemy, and a battle ensued. In that
+conflict the young English sailor fought so hard that the ship's
+officers gave him a share of the plunder of the captured vessel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>28. His Romantic Adventures.</b>&mdash;Our bold adventurer now went farther east
+and enlisted in the Austrian army to fight against the Turks. In that
+service he soon became well known as a brave and dashing fellow, and
+before long he was made a captain of cavalry. After a battle in which
+the Austrians were defeated, Smith, badly wounded, lay a while among the
+dead. But he was found and cared for. After his wounds had healed, he
+was taken to Constantinople and sold to the Turks as a slave. A Turkish
+lady showed him great kindness.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 429px;">
+<img src="images/illus041.jpg" width="429" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Captain John Smith.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then he was sent to Russia. There, at a place about a mile from the
+house of his cruel master, he was set to threshing grain. One day his
+owner rode up and shamefully abused him. Stung by his insolence, Smith
+killed the man with a flail, exchanged his own slave garments for his
+victim's clothes, hid the body in the straw, mounted a horse, and
+started off. He traveled over Russia, Austria, France, and Spain, and at
+last, after many stirring adventures, drifted back to his old home in
+England again.</p>
+
+<p>All these stories and many more Captain John tells us in his book of
+travels. Perhaps they are true, and perhaps we may conclude with some
+other persons that Smith was a daring fellow at telling stories as well
+as at fighting Turks!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>29. Captain John begins his Career in the New World.</b>&mdash;When our
+adventurer arrived in England, all the talk was about the wonderful
+western world. Although he had roamed so widely and had fared so hard,
+he was then less than thirty years old and was ready for new adventures.
+All of his previous life seemed a preparation for a career of romance
+and heroism in the New World. So he joined an expedition which sailed
+for Virginia in the early part of 1607.</p>
+
+<p>On the voyage his superior talents and experience were so evident that
+his comrades became jealous of him, and on some pretext caused him to be
+put in chains. They had a long and stormy voyage. It was as late as
+April when they reached Chesapeake Bay. They were so glad to leave the
+stormy ocean and find a place of rest that they named the land near
+their first anchorage Point Comfort, a name it still bears.</p>
+
+<p>They entered between two capes, which they called Charles and Henry from
+the king's two sons. From their king, James the First, they named the
+river up which they sailed the James, and they called the village that
+they built Jamestown. Thus was laid in the year 1607 the foundations of
+the first permanent English settlement in the New World.</p>
+
+<p><b>30. How Smith managed the Virginia Colonists.</b>&mdash;These Virginia colonists
+were not suited to the rough, hard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> work of making a settlement in this
+new country. They had not been accustomed to earn their living by manual
+toil. They liked to call themselves "gentlemen," as if that title
+somehow made an excuse for shiftless idleness. The real need was for
+farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, masons&mdash;useful mechanics and willing
+laborers. These genteel settlers expected to find in this wonderful
+region plenty of gold; their sole purpose was to get enough of the
+precious ore, and then go back to England and remain there.</p>
+
+<p>But Captain Smith was the saving spirit of the colony. He showed the
+immigrants the necessity of labor, and told them plainly that if they
+would not work they must not expect to eat. He taught them to fell trees
+and build huts. Their voyage had been so long, and so much of their
+provisions had been spoiled, that, when they landed, their stock of food
+was almost gone. Something must be done, and that soon, or they would
+starve.</p>
+
+<p>Then was shown the courage, skill, and good sense of an energetic
+leader. The corn that a few friendly Indians brought to the settlers was
+not enough to feed so many. Therefore Smith took some companions, went
+in his boat up and down the rivers, made friends of the Indians, and
+bought from them corn and game, giving in payment shiny trinkets, beads,
+and little mirrors.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But the river lands were low and unhealthful; the water was bad; very
+many of the settlers became sick; and, before the autumn frosts came,
+more than half of them had died. Smith worked hard to help the survivors
+and to teach them to help themselves. Meanwhile, in his boat, he made
+long excursions up the James and the Potomac rivers, hoping perchance to
+find a way to the South Sea, as every one then called the Pacific Ocean.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 330px;">
+<img src="images/illus045.jpg" width="330" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Smith Explaining the Compass To The Indians.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>31. Captured by the Indians.</b>&mdash;On one of these exploring expeditions a
+gang of natives attacked Smith and killed all his men. He seized an
+Indian and holding him as a shield, shot down three of the savages. The
+place being swampy, he suddenly sank to his knees in the oozy soil and
+was captured by the enemy. Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> the quick-witted prisoner, taking out
+his pocket compass, showed the vibrations and use of the needle, and
+spoke of the sun, moon, and stars. He interested his captors so deeply
+that they were sure he must be a supernatural being from some far-off
+world. They were afraid to kill him.</p>
+
+<p>He persuaded them to send to the colony a piece of paper on which he had
+written. The result surprised them all the more! This strange being
+could make paper talk!</p>
+
+<p><b>32. How Pocahontas saved Captain John's Life.</b>&mdash;At last Captain John was
+sent to the great chief Powhatan, and by him was held captive during
+several weeks. These Indians, too, he amused with his compass and his
+writing; but after a while they grew tired of him, and Powhatan
+concluded to kill him.</p>
+
+<p>So one day they gathered around the victim; he was stretched on the
+ground, his head was placed on a stone, and all was ready. A savage was
+just raising his club for the fatal blow, when forth rushed the bright
+young Pocahontas, the pet daughter of the old chief. Throwing her arms
+around Smith's neck, she turned her face to her father and begged him to
+spare the captive's life. "Kill <i>me</i>," she cried; "kill <i>me</i>; you shall
+not kill <i>him</i>!" It seems that Smith had been improving his time in
+making whistles and rattles and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> strings of beads and shells for the
+Indian girl, and so had won her affection; and she in return saved his
+life! Indian chiefs do not often indulge in pity; but for the sake of
+his beloved daughter Powhatan released Smith and soon after let him go
+back to Jamestown. Such is the story of his romantic rescue as Captain
+John told it years afterwards. While there is nothing improbable about
+it, yet some people believe that he invented the story to magnify his
+own importance.</p>
+
+<p><b>33. The Romantic Story of Pocahontas.</b>&mdash;Pocahontas was at this time only
+about twelve years of age. Ever afterward she continued to be very
+friendly to the colonists, and often visited them at Jamestown,
+sometimes bringing baskets of corn to the hungry white men. Once the
+faithful girl came stealthily by night long miles through the dark
+forests to inform Smith of an Indian plot to murder all the whites.</p>
+
+<p>As Pocahontas grew up, one of the young Englishmen, John Rolfe, became
+much attached to her. He said he had had a marvelous vision telling him
+that he ought to make her a Christian and marry her. That was nothing so
+very wonderful, for then as now tender-hearted youths often dreamed at
+night of what they were thinking of by day. In 1613, in the rude little
+church at Jamestown, Pocahontas gave up her Indian religion, accepted
+the Christian faith, and was baptized.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> She took the name Rebecca. The
+next year she was married to Rolfe. This romantic marriage was very
+fortunate for the colony, for it made her father, Powhatan, a warm
+friend to the feeble settlers, who at this time were in sore need of
+help.</p>
+
+<p><b>34. The Indian Princess receives a Warm Welcome in London.</b>&mdash;Three years
+afterwards the fair Indian girl, "Lady Rebecca," went with her husband
+to England, where of course she attracted a great deal of attention. The
+people came in crowds to see her. They cheered as she rode through the
+streets of London.</p>
+
+<p>Pocahontas became a great favorite with the nobility, and was even
+received at court by the queen. But, for all that, she soon became
+homesick. Even amid the splendid novelties of London life, she longed to
+be once more among the noble forests and the lovely wild flowers of her
+old Virginia home. It was in the year 1617 that she prepared, with many
+pleasing anticipations, to return to the scenes of her childhood. But
+she suddenly sickened and, after a brief illness, died. She was only
+twenty-two years old. She left an infant son who came eventually to
+Virginia, and there grew to a worthy manhood. Many excellent families of
+Virginia are today proud to claim him as their ancestor.</p>
+
+<p><b>35. The Troubles of the Colonists increase.</b>&mdash;When Captain Smith, after
+his romantic rescue, returned to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> the colonists, he found them in a
+pitiful condition. During his absence the prospect had become in every
+way gloomy. Hunger and sickness had reduced their number from over a
+hundred men to only forty, and these were planning to go back to
+England.</p>
+
+<p>At this distressing time another vessel arrived from England bringing
+one hundred and twenty immigrants. This event brightened the darkly
+drooping spirits of the colonists. But the sunshine did not last long.
+These new-comers, like the old, were mostly idlers and "vagabond
+gentlemen," as the settlers called them. "We did not come here to work,"
+they said. "Then you shall not eat," said the brusque leader. He was as
+good as his word. They soon found they must work or starve.</p>
+
+<p><b>36. The Greed of the Colonists for Gold.</b>&mdash;One trouble that annoyed
+Captain Smith very much was this: the English people kept urging the
+colonists to send home gold. Those that arrived later, like those that
+came before, had no idea of working for a living, but only the hope of
+shoveling up gold to carry away.</p>
+
+<p>They were so ignorant of minerals that, finding in the soil small yellow
+scales of shining mica, they sent home bushels and bushels of it,
+believing it to be gold. Another group of men supposed the little
+glittering crystals of iron ore were really gold, and they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> spent weeks
+in collecting the worthless stuff to send to England. No wonder Captain
+Smith, although the leader of the colony, had hard work to manage and
+feed men who would far rather dig "fool's gold" than raise corn.</p>
+
+<p><b>37. The Starving Time in Virginia.</b>&mdash;All this happened while Smith was
+using the utmost wisdom and skill to guide the colony for the best. On
+one unhappy day a bag of gunpowder exploded near him, burning him so
+badly that he had to return to England for surgical treatment. This was
+in September, 1609. After he had gone, the colonists fell into still
+greater trouble, and the "starving time" followed. The people were
+compelled to eat dogs, rats, snakes, and toads; many died of starvation;
+four hundred and ninety men were reduced to sixty; but, by the fortunate
+arrival of more vessels, help finally came.</p>
+
+<p>Within the next few years the colony was set upon its feet, and the
+foundations laid of a prosperous commonwealth. An energetic governor,
+Sir Thomas Dale, made the idlers till the ground and promptly hanged the
+criminals. The soil was found the best in the world for growing tobacco.
+Hundreds of skilled farmers came over to Virginia to make their fortunes
+by the cultivation of this fragrant weed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>38. Further Explorations along the Coast.</b>&mdash;Having at length recovered
+from his wound, Smith scorned to remain idle, and became anxious to
+undertake another maritime enterprise. There was at that time a great
+deal of excitement in England about <i>North</i> Virginia, then so called. In
+1614 he sailed again with two vessels on a voyage of discovery in that
+region.</p>
+
+<p>He touched first the shores of Maine, the nooks and corners of which he
+explored; he then sailed along the ocean fringe from Penobscot Bay to
+Cape Cod. He examined the coast carefully, entered the bays and rivers,
+and named a number of prominent islands and capes. He sailed around Cape
+Ann. To the three islands off the end of the cape he gave the queer name
+of Three Turks' Heads. He prepared very carefully a map of the whole
+country, as far as he had seen it, and he called it <span class="smcap">New England</span>.</p>
+
+<p>On his return to England Smith presented his map to the king's son,
+Prince Charles, who confirmed the name that had been given to it. Next
+year he started out again. His object was to found a colony in New
+England, a region of which he had great hopes. But his vessel was
+captured by a French man-of-war, and he was taken to France. With a
+return of good fortune this hero of surprising deeds escaped, and
+finally got back safely to England.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>39. His Last Days; the "Father of Virginia."</b>&mdash;Our bold explorer now gave
+up all plans of founding another colony in America. But he lived to know
+and rejoice in the success of the Pilgrims and the Puritans in
+Massachusetts. He wrote several books describing his travels and his
+wonderful adventures.</p>
+
+<p>He had shown himself vigorous, quick-witted, far-seeing. He had been the
+ruling spirit and the preserver of the Virginia colony. In fact, he has
+often and justly been called the "Father of Virginia." His strong hand
+had also opened wide the door of New England.</p>
+
+<p>We must think of Captain John Smith as the hero of the first struggle of
+English civilization with the wilderness of America. Wherever he was,
+his genius and resolute will had made him a leader. There was never a
+braver man. After a life full of romantic adventures and daring
+exploits, he died in London in 1631 at the age of fifty-two.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>40. The Old-Time Idea about Kings.</b>&mdash;We shall do well to remember that in
+England, about three hundred years ago, the sovereign's will commonly
+had the force of law. Many people really thought there was such
+sacredness about a royal ruler that whatever he commanded must be right,
+whatever he forbade must be wrong. Indeed, there was a proverb, "The
+king can do no wrong." He had his own kind of church and his own mode of
+worship. Everybody must attend that sort of church and practise that
+form of worship, or be punished.</p>
+
+<p><b>41. Sturdy Englishmen dare to disobey the King.</b>&mdash;But there were, after
+all, many honest, sturdy people in England who did not accept this
+notion about the king. They did not like his style of religion, and they
+would not pretend to like it. Besides, they felt that they had a right
+to meet quietly by themselves, publicly in their own churches, or
+privately in their own homes, and worship in their own way.</p>
+
+<p>But these people were regarded with suspicion.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> Presently a number of
+them were seized and thrown into loathsome jails; not a few were heavily
+fined or made to suffer bodily harm; some died on the gallows; and all
+this because, in spiritual affairs, they had dared to disobey the
+monarch.</p>
+
+<p><b>42. The Pilgrims seek a Home in Holland; the First Attempt a
+Failure.</b>&mdash;Those who were brave enough to oppose the king's despotism in
+religious matters were at first styled Separatists, because they
+separated from the "established church." Afterwards some of them came to
+be called familiarly Pilgrims, because they wandered from place to place
+on the way "to heaven, their dearest country," as they said. They longed
+to go where they could be free to worship God as they pleased.</p>
+
+<p>At last a company of them hired a vessel to take them just across the
+North Sea to Holland. They chose Holland, because in that country all
+people were allowed to worship as they thought best.</p>
+
+<p>But just before the hour at which they had intended to embark, watchful
+officers found them, seized most of their money and goods, dragged them
+back, and put them in prison. It was indeed a pretty hard lot, punished
+if they stayed in the country, and punished if they tried to get away!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>43. The Second Attempt Successful.</b>&mdash;The next year the Pilgrims again
+tried to leave their native land. This time they succeeded. Taking their
+wives and little ones, these resolute men, led by their pastor, the good
+John Robinson, went as strangers and pilgrims to Holland. From time to
+time the same refuge was sought by other persecuted people, till many
+hundreds had settled in the old city of Leyden. Here they first
+exercised that freedom of faith which had been denied them in the land
+of their birth, and now they first experienced the delight of holding
+their religious meetings without fear.</p>
+
+<p>They were so industrious and honest that their Dutch neighbors took very
+kindly to them.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 250px;">
+<img src="images/illus055.jpg" width="250" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A Pilgrim Colonist.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>But when they had lived in Holland about twelve years, they decided to
+remain no longer. Their children were learning the Dutch language, and
+they themselves were slowly becoming foreigners. They were not pleased
+with such results, for they still regarded themselves as Englishmen,
+still loved the English people, the English ways of living, and the
+glorious memories of their mother country.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>About this time people were beginning to go to the New World beyond the
+ocean, and these Pilgrims made up their minds to leave Holland and seek
+a dwelling place in far-off America.</p>
+
+<p>There were then about a thousand of them living in Holland. Nearly a
+hundred of the young and strong were selected to go in advance and make
+a beginning in the New World. They managed to charter for this purpose
+two small vessels, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. In July, 1620, the
+Speedwell sailed from Delftshaven; the Mayflower was chartered to sail
+from an English port.</p>
+
+<p>A very pathetic parting it was for these poor exiles upon the shore of
+Holland, clasping their friends' hands for the last time, and looking
+upon the dear faces they were to see no more. With their beloved
+minister, Elder John Robinson, they knelt upon the sand while he prayed
+earnestly for God's blessing upon their perilous undertaking. The
+Pilgrims stopped at Plymouth, England, on the way, and as the Speedwell
+seemed to be unseaworthy, they all, with others of the same faith who
+joined the company there, went on board the Mayflower. In this one
+vessel, after many delays, the one hundred and two people that finally
+made up the Pilgrim company sailed from Plymouth in September, 1620, on
+their long and dangerous voyage.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>44. The Pilgrims' Voyage across the Stormy Atlantic.</b>&mdash;Crowded upon their
+little craft, this devoted company of men, women, and children had a
+dreary and anxious voyage of nine weeks. During severe weather the seas
+sometimes ran so high that for days the Mayflower was driven at the
+mercy of wind and waves, while all of the company, except the sailors,
+were compelled to remain, shivering and seasick, below the deck. In the
+foul air were bred the germs of quick consumption, the disease which
+carried off so many of this "Pilgrim band" during their first winter on
+the wild New England shore.</p>
+
+<p><b>45. An Incident of the Voyage.</b>&mdash;During one of these storms a lively
+young man named Howland fell overboard and would have been lost had he
+not seized a rope which was trailing in the sea. Bradford quaintly says
+in his journal that the young fellow "was sundry fathoms under water,"
+but that he held on until "he was hauled up by the same rope to the brim
+of the water," and with the aid of a boat-hook was at last safely landed
+on deck. Howland was none the worse for his cold bath. He lived to sign
+the compact at Cape Cod, and became a most useful citizen of the new
+commonwealth, and the ancestor of many families.</p>
+
+<p><b>46. Arrival on the Bleak New England Coast.</b>&mdash;How often, in the last days
+of that dismal voyage, did the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> Pilgrims gaze far into the west, always
+hopeful, but no doubt sometimes dreading the future! As the weeks passed
+by, the weather became very cold, and they had scanty means for warming
+their cabin. When they neared the coast a driving storm compelled them
+to change their course, so that instead of going up the Hudson River as
+they had intended, they were forced into Massachusetts Bay, as it is now
+called, and along the icy shores of Cape Cod.</p>
+
+<p>All the coast was white with snow, and the future looked cheerless and
+dark. There were no light-houses to warn them of dangerous shoals, no
+life-saving men patrolling the beach to help shipwrecked mariners. No
+one stood on the barren sandy shore to welcome them; they felt that they
+were indeed strangers in a strange land.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus059.jpg" width="450" height="415" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Pilgrim Elder Asking a Blessing.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>47. They sign a Compact in the Mayflower's Cabin.</b>&mdash;Inside the curved
+point of Cape Cod, in a small bay which is now the harbor of
+Provincetown, the Mayflower first dropped anchor. While there, John
+Carver and William Bradford wrote a formal agreement for the government
+of the company, and all of the forty-one men signed it.</p>
+
+<p>This compact was drawn up and signed on a chest belonging to Elder
+Brewster, which afterwards served as a table in his family. During the
+first winter,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> when food was very scarce and the Pilgrims were obliged
+to live almost entirely upon clams, the good Elder never failed to ask a
+blessing upon their scanty meals, and to thank God, "who had yet given
+them of the treasures hid in the sand."</p>
+
+<p>By the compact it was agreed that all were to have equal rights. They
+pledged themselves to help and to defend each other, and to obey such
+laws as they might make for the good of the colony. They then chose John
+Carver for their first governor.</p>
+
+<p><b>48. They explore the Cape Cod Shore under the Lead of Captain Miles
+Standish.</b>&mdash;A small party soon landed and tramped along for miles looking
+for a suitable place to make a home. They could nowhere find good
+drinking water. For three or four weeks the Mayflower with its precious
+cargo sailed along the inner coast, trying to find a safe and inviting
+harbor. Small parties often went ashore to explore the country.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>One day a company of sixteen, led by Captain Standish, went ashore to
+spend a number of days exploring a little way inland. This Captain
+Standish, although one of the company, was not really a Pilgrim in his
+way of living, nor in his religious views. His business was that of a
+soldier, an employment more common then than now. He had met some of the
+Pilgrims in Holland and was much pleased with their simple habits and
+honest ways. When they were preparing to sail to the New World, he
+thought it likely that they would need a soldier to show them how to
+fight. So he came with them, and they soon were glad to have just such a
+man. It was indeed well he did come, for he was often the most useful
+member of the whole colony.</p>
+
+<p>While the Mayflower lay at anchor in Provincetown harbor, and the
+explorers were searching for a landing-place, a baby boy&mdash;the first New
+England child of English parentage&mdash;was born on board of the vessel.
+They gave him the quaint name of Peregrine. At Plymouth you may still
+see the cradle in which little Peregrine White was rocked.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus061.jpg" width="450" height="305" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Miles Standish House.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>49. Their Travels along the Shore of Cape Cod Bay, and what they
+find.</b>&mdash;They discovered the remains of a hut which seemed to have been
+recently occupied. So they surmised that Indians were living somewhere<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>
+in the vicinity. They came upon some piles of roasted acorns, and the
+next day they caught a glimpse of a few savages and a deer. Soon
+afterwards they saw a dog and more Indians. "The wild men ran away and
+whistled the doggie after them." One day they discovered two or three
+mounds of earth. One of these contained rude mats and an earthen dish.
+They dug into other mounds and unearthed the skeletons of a grown person
+and a child, a box containing Indian bows and arrows and spears with
+flint points.</p>
+
+<p><b>50. They find Baskets of Indian Corn.</b>&mdash;In another place they noticed
+heaps of sand freshly smoothed over. On scraping away the earth, what
+should they find but Indian baskets full of corn! They had never seen
+any such grain. They were delighted with the sight of the bright-colored
+kernels, some red, some yellow, and others blue. The baskets were round,
+narrow at the top, and contained about three bushels each. They carried
+to the vessel all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> corn they found, for they were in sore need of
+food; but they were careful to save enough for seed in the spring. They
+were honest men, and when long afterwards they found the Indians who had
+buried the corn, they paid them a fair price for it.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 304px;">
+<img src="images/illus062.jpg" width="304" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>One day these Pilgrim wanderers shot three fat geese and six ducks.
+These they ate with wonderful relish, or "with soldier stomachs," as
+their story says. At another time, as they were tramping through the
+woods, William Bradford, not very careful, perhaps, as to where he was
+stepping, suddenly found<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> his foot entangled in a queer way. When his
+companions came to help him out, they found he had been caught in a deer
+trap set by the Indians!</p>
+
+<p><b>51. First Attack by Indians.</b>&mdash;One morning, just after their night's
+sleep by a camp fire, and while engaged in their prayers, the weary men
+were startled by a wild cry, very different from anything they had ever
+heard. For a moment even Captain Standish was alarmed. It was an Indian
+war-whoop; and the cry was followed by Indian arrows. Standish and his
+men now fired their guns at the Indians. The firing caused the savages
+to run away in great astonishment. They had never known of guns, and
+were greatly afraid of these strangers who could instantly make thunder
+and lightning. The Pilgrims had never before been targets for arrows, so
+they kept these strange weapons, which were pointed with eagles' claws
+or sharp pieces of deer's horn, as curiosities.</p>
+
+<p><b>52. The Search for a Home.</b>&mdash;The Pilgrims were very anxious to get
+settled as soon as possible; yet when Sunday came they stopped all work
+and spent the day in reading the Bible, in singing their hymns, and in
+prayer. For nearly a month they sought, with much weariness and in
+bitter cold, a place suitable for settlement. It must have been a cruel
+and pitiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> work for those poor men. They waded knee-deep in the snow;
+slept unprotected under the wintry sky; often suffered from hunger; and,
+for fear of Indians, were always compelled to keep anxious watch.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 356px;">
+<img src="images/illus064.jpg" width="356" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">First Attack by the Indians.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>After a tedious search along the shore of what is now Massachusetts Bay,
+these stout-hearted wanderers at last found a sheltered place where, not
+far from the shore, there was an abundant spring of good water. Near by
+were some old cornfields that had formerly been used by the Indians.
+Here they decided to land. The water being shallow, the vessel was
+anchored nearly a mile from the beach. The Pilgrims were brought in
+their boat, a few at a time, from the vessel to the landing-place. To
+reach the shore, it is said that they found it convenient to step upon a
+large stone.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> This is now known as Plymouth Rock. It is claimed that the
+first English woman to set foot upon this stone on the Plymouth shore
+was Mary Chilton.</p>
+
+<p><b>53. The Famous Plymouth Rock.</b>&mdash;Plymouth Rock is not very large; but it
+is sacred in the eyes and the hearts of every American. Every year
+thousands go to look upon "the stepping-stone of New England"; to linger
+by the graves of the Pilgrims; and to see in Pilgrim Hall the many
+curious interesting things which once belonged to those pioneers of
+western civilization.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 354px;">
+<img src="images/illus065.jpg" width="354" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Canopy over Plymouth Rock.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>From the name of the last town they had left in England, the Pilgrims
+named this, the first spot in Massachusetts settled by white men, New
+Plymouth. The date of the landing was December 21, 1620, and its
+anniversary is now celebrated as "Forefathers' Day."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">MORE ABOUT THE PILGRIMS.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>54. The Hardships caused by the Winter Season.</b>&mdash;We may think it
+unfortunate, and so indeed it was, that the Pilgrims had not come to
+this country in the spring or summer. They would have had a much
+pleasanter voyage, and on their arrival might have found the forests
+green, the birds singing in the trees, and the ground adorned with
+flowers. If they could have come in April or May they would probably
+have had warm, pleasant weather for landing or exploring, and could have
+built their houses at their leisure. They could have planted their
+fields as soon as they landed, and in a few months could have gathered
+sufficient crops for their support.</p>
+
+<p><b>55. The Toil and Perils of the First Winter.</b>&mdash;As it was, our Pilgrim
+fathers found the landing very tedious. In a single small boat they had
+to come and go, and bring all their provisions and household goods. Some
+of these very articles of furniture, such as Governor Carver's armchair,
+old spinning wheels, odd-looking seats and chests, and the big iron
+kettles in which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> they boiled their dinners, and also Captain Miles
+Standish's sword, we can see at Plymouth to-day.</p>
+
+<p>While the men were moving the goods, and until rude structures had been
+prepared for their shelter on shore, the women and children remained on
+the Mayflower. Of course the best houses that could be made were very
+rude affairs. In fact, rough though they were, it was a hard task to
+build them at all; for hardly one of the company was really fit for such
+work.</p>
+
+<p>Many times the weary men were forced to wade in deep snow. When they ran
+their loaded boat on the sandy beach, they often had to leap into the
+cold water up to their waists to pull it ashore. More than once they
+were obliged to be out all day in a furious storm of rain and sleet,
+which froze on their clothes till every man wore a covering of ice.</p>
+
+<p><b>56. Suffering, Sickness, and Death make Sad Havoc.</b>&mdash;Thus it came about
+that the Pilgrims suffered severely from exhaustion and disease. There
+were soon only a few men well enough to chop down the trees for their
+houses. Without beasts of burden, the tired workers themselves had to
+drag the logs as best they could, and then with slow and painful toil
+hew them to the right size and shape and put them in their proper
+places.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 294px;">
+<img src="images/illus068.jpg" width="294" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Samoset&#39;s First Visit to the Pilgrims.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Through that long and tiresome winter nearly all sickened, and many
+died. Before spring one-half of those who had landed from the Mayflower
+were gone. That the Indians might not know how terribly the numbers had
+been diminished by death, the bodies were buried secretly; and the
+graves were marked by no mounds nor stones, but were made level with the
+surrounding soil.</p>
+
+<p>The wonder is that these Pilgrims, ill, hungry, and cold, did not become
+discouraged, give up their enterprise, and go back to England in the
+Mayflower. Splendidly courageous indeed they were to pursue their
+purpose so bravely. Weeks and months they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> worked and suffered, but they
+never flinched. They were content and even happy in the consciousness of
+freedom gained and duty done. They had come to stay&mdash;and they stayed.</p>
+
+<p>At last the dreary winter wore away. Spring came, bringing the soft
+south winds and the songs of birds. Busy hands were soon planting and
+cultivating. The hearts of the Pilgrims were filled with hope.</p>
+
+<p><b>57. A Kindly Visit from the Indians.</b>&mdash;One day in early spring they were
+surprised at seeing an Indian march boldly into their settlement,
+saying, "Welcome, English! Welcome, English!" His name was Samoset. He
+had learned a little English from fishermen on the coast of Maine. The
+settlers received him very kindly. After several hours he went away.</p>
+
+<p>In a few days he came back with another Indian named Squanto, who had
+once lived in Plymouth but had been kidnapped and carried to England.
+Squanto said that Massasoit, the chief of the tribes in the
+neighborhood, was near by, and that with sixty of his men he would
+shortly pay a visit to the Pilgrims. The Indian chief soon appeared and
+was cordially received. He promised to be a good friend to the English,
+and in return the settlers agreed to treat the Indians kindly. For over
+fifty years this promise was sacredly kept.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Squanto made himself very useful to the Pilgrims. He showed them how to
+plant maize by first manuring the ground with fish, then putting the
+kernels and the alewives together in the hill. The grain now first
+received the name of Indian corn. He also taught the settlers how to
+catch eels by treading them out of the mud with their feet. Shortly
+afterwards Squanto came to live with the Pilgrims, and proved himself
+their firm friend.</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes other Indians were hostile. Once a chief named Canonicus, who
+was an enemy of Massasoit and did not like the Pilgrims, sent to
+Governor Bradford a bundle of arrows wrapped in the skin of a
+rattlesnake. He meant this to be a threat of war. The resolute governor
+threw the arrows on the ground, filled the snake's skin with powder and
+bullets, and sent it back to the chief! Canonicus was quick-witted
+enough to take the hint, and thereafter he let the Pilgrims alone.</p>
+
+<p><b>58. First Houses built in the New Home.</b>&mdash;The first building the Pilgrims
+put up was a log house twenty feet square, in which they stowed away
+their scanty provisions, furniture, guns, and powder. They slept there
+till houses were built for separate families. This storehouse also
+served as a kind of fort till they had put up a better one on top of the
+high hill, now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> known as "Burial Hill," close by. As they had no
+shingles nor boards, they used for a covering of the roof long grass and
+seaweed. The chimneys they made mainly of big stones; the upper part,
+however, consisted of large sticks plastered over with clay.</p>
+
+<p>The dirt floor was soon trodden hard and smooth. The large cracks
+between the logs of the walls were filled with a kind of mortar made of
+mud and grass. In those days glass was very costly, and so for windows
+oiled paper was used.</p>
+
+<p>After the storehouse was sufficiently advanced, the settlers began to
+work on other houses. They laid out a street which they called Leyden
+Street, and built their houses on each side of it. The same street with
+the same name is in Plymouth to-day. The whole colony was divided into
+family groups, each unmarried young man choosing a family to live with,
+and each group having its own dwelling.</p>
+
+<p><b>59. Perils and Mishaps of the First Winter.</b>&mdash;Even before the houses were
+finished, the men built a high picket fence around the whole settlement,
+with a stout gate on each side; for they were in constant fear of the
+Indians. In fact, they had to keep a sharp lookout every day, and a
+guard watched every night to give the alarm in case of danger. So
+watchful were they that, whether chopping wood, eating dinner, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> at
+meeting on Sunday, every man had his gun close at hand, ready for
+instant use.</p>
+
+<p>One day, soon after the storehouse was finished, it happened that
+Governor Carver and William Bradford were both within, sick in bed.
+Suddenly the dry thatch caught fire from the chimney sparks, and the
+whole roof went up in a blaze. The sick men were lifted out safely. No
+serious damage was done to anything but the roof, and that was soon
+replaced by a new one.</p>
+
+<p><b>60. How the First Log Houses were built.</b>&mdash;If we could have made a visit
+to one of the rough log houses of the Pilgrims after they had brought in
+their scanty furniture from the vessel, and when affairs had become a
+little settled, many things would have seemed strange to us.</p>
+
+<p>There is no front entry to the house, for there is only one rough door,
+and that opens directly into the house; no parlor, no bedroom, no
+kitchen, but all in one, with perhaps a loft overhead. The inside walls
+are like the outside, rough, but plastered between the logs. The roof is
+made of timbers, for there is no sawmill for sawing logs into boards.
+The timbers do not fit closely, and although there is a covering of
+thatch, the snow blows in quite freely.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 412px;">
+<img src="images/illus073.jpg" width="412" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A Settler&#39;s Log Cabin.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>61. A Peep into a Pilgrim's House.</b>&mdash;Let us take a glimpse into one of
+these Pilgrim houses. The huge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> fireplace, made of rough stones laid in
+clay, fills nearly one whole side of the house. The men bring in great
+logs of wood for the fire. Even when the logs are on the fire there is
+room for a person to sit on a stool at each end of the logs, and yet be
+inside of the fireplace. This is the children's favorite seat.</p>
+
+<p>The chimney has a big throat, as large as a hogs-head. One can sit at
+the end of the logs and look up and see the sky. The sides of the
+chimney are roughly laid, and the big stones project so far into the
+room that the children use them as a staircase in climbing up to their
+bed in the loft.</p>
+
+<p>In those days nobody had ever heard of a stove. All the cooking of the
+family was done over a huge fire or in front of it. They used the iron
+pots and skillets they had brought from England, some of which are still
+preserved at Plymouth. If they had the good luck to shoot a wild goose
+or turkey, they thrust a long iron rod through it and roasted it above
+or before the fire, giving it a turn now and then; or else they hung it
+very near the fire with a stout string, turning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> it around at times. The
+wintry winds often dashed in strong gusts down the big chimney, making
+it freezing cold all through the house.</p>
+
+<p><b>62. The Scant Furnishings of their Homes.</b>&mdash;There were few or no chairs,
+but here and there a stool, or some solid blocks cut from the trees. In
+one corner, on a rude shelf resting upon two wooden pins driven into the
+log, were a few books,&mdash;always a Bible, a hymn book, the Psalms, and
+possibly a few others.</p>
+
+<p>Hanging from a beam was a little iron cup, in which there was some fish
+oil, with a twisted rag or a bit of wick; this contrivance served for a
+lamp when needed. But the big fire usually answered for an evening lamp.</p>
+
+<p>On one side of the room was a rough cupboard or case of shelves for
+their few dishes. They had no nice glass or china with which to make a
+display. The glass they had was coarse and of a brownish tint. The early
+settlers often used leather bottles, leather cups, and rough plates
+called trenchers, chipped from blocks of wood. Often two persons ate out
+of one trencher. At this time forks were not in general use. The
+Pilgrims cut their food with knives and then managed it with their
+fingers.</p>
+
+<p>Their few pewter dishes they were very proud of, and they kept them in
+sight in the cupboard, bright with frequent scouring; for the Pilgrim
+women were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> excellent housewives, and everything about the house was
+scrupulously neat and clean.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus075.jpg" width="650" height="357" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Pilgrims going to Church.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>63. Other Articles of Household Furniture.</b>&mdash;Around the log cabin were
+two or three big chests, in which each family brought over its goods.
+These were used to keep their better clothing in, if they had any, and
+for seats. In the corner was a spinning wheel to spin the wool for their
+clothing. On these large wheels the mothers and daughters used to spin
+great piles of wool and flax. Two or three of the houses had large
+looms&mdash;machines on which the thread they spun was woven into stout cloth
+for the family.</p>
+
+<p>We should have seen no timepiece in their living rooms. There was
+neither clock nor watch in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> whole settlement. On sunny days the
+women knew when to have dinner ready by the noon mark, as it was
+called&mdash;a notch cut on some beam near the window, showing just where the
+line betwixt sunshine and shadow came at twelve o'clock.</p>
+
+<p>In the corner of the log house was the gun, close to the door, where it
+would be ready for use at any moment.</p>
+
+<p>Although the family slept in the one big room, we should not have seen
+any bed in the daytime. It was turned up against the wall, and fastened
+to the side of the cabin. At night it was turned down and nearly filled
+the room. None of the beds were very soft, for they were filled with hay
+or leaves. By and by, after they had shot enough wild fowl, they had
+feather beds.</p>
+
+<p><b>64. Around the Dinner Table.</b>&mdash;When the little family gathered around the
+table for dinner, there was before them neither an abundance nor a
+variety of food. There was no milk, butter, nor cheese; for there was no
+cow in the colony. It was four years before a cow was brought over from
+England. They had no eggs, no beef nor pork nor lamb, and of course no
+vegetables yet, nor any nice white bread. The provisions they brought in
+the ship were partly spoiled, and were nearly used up. So they had to
+get food as best they could.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Now and then the colonists killed some game, but they had to be careful
+and not waste their powder and shot. One day they shot and cooked an
+eagle; but, as Bradford wrote in his journal, it was "woefully tough."
+They could not often shoot a bear or a deer. They obtained some corn of
+the Indians by trading such trifles as they could best spare. The
+records tell us that once a Pilgrim bartered a little dog for a peck of
+corn.</p>
+
+<p><b>65. The Daily Fare becomes scant; Hardships increased by Hunger.</b>&mdash;By and
+by all the other food failed, so that their main article of diet was
+corn. This they made into meal by pounding it on smooth stones. But even
+this supply from the Indians was often scanty and uncertain, so that at
+times they were without it until, after a year or two, they raised their
+own crops.</p>
+
+<p>The rest of their provisions they obtained from the ocean&mdash;clams,
+lobsters, and various kinds of fish. But their fishing boat was so frail
+and their hooks and nets were so poor that this source many times
+disappointed them.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, the two articles on which they chiefly depended being Indian corn
+and sea-food, they were sometimes entirely destitute, unable to obtain
+either.</p>
+
+<p>What a condition! "I have seen men," wrote one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> of the Pilgrims,
+"stagger by reason of faintness for want of food; they knew not at night
+where to have a bit in the morning." They were so badly off that if it
+were possible for a friend to visit them, the best they could offer him
+would be a piece of fish and some water!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus078.jpg" width="650" height="411" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Pilgrims watching the Return of the Mayflower.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Such was the daily living of the first Pilgrim settlers in this country.
+Such were a few of the hardships they bravely and patiently endured. And
+yet, strange to say, when the Mayflower sailed for home in the early
+spring, as we have before stated, not one of these stout-hearted men and
+women returned in her to England.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE INDIANS AND HOW THEY LIVED.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>66. How the Indians looked; the Clothes they wore.</b>&mdash;Let us now learn a
+few things about the Indians as they were before their habits and mode
+of life had been changed by contact with white men.</p>
+
+<p>The heads of the Indians were always bare. It was customary for them to
+allow one tuft of hair to grow longer than the rest. This was called the
+"scalp lock." When a fight had been finished, this lock served as a
+convenience to the victor. It enabled him to remove handily the scalp
+from the head of a dead enemy, and to carry it easily away as a trophy
+of triumph.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians had the curious custom of smearing their faces and their
+bodies with red paint. On great occasions, such as the holding of a
+tribal council or a war dance, they painted themselves a more brilliant
+red. The bright color was believed to give a formidable aspect. They
+decked themselves with queer ornaments of many sorts. Around their necks
+they wore strings of shining stones, bits of mica, baubles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> made of
+copper, and animals' teeth highly polished. Feathers were held in great
+esteem. Success in war entitled the victor to wear eagles' feathers as a
+mark of the greatest distinction. In this love of finery the men were
+fully as vain as the women.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus080.jpg" width="450" height="202" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Long House of the Iroquois Indians.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The clothing of the Indians was, for the most part, fashioned out of the
+dried skins of animals, such as the deer and the beaver, whose flesh had
+been used for food. Unlike that of civilized people, this clothing was
+seldom or never changed, but was worn till it was worn out. If not
+unwashable, it was rarely washed. The "noble red man" was not a model of
+cleanliness. He had never heard of soap.</p>
+
+<p><b>67. What the Indians had to eat.</b>&mdash;The food of the Indians varied with
+the place and the season, but game and fish were the principal articles.
+Their game was chiefly deer, bears, moose, raccoons, foxes, wild geese,
+and wild turkeys. Having no salt nor spices, no bread nor potatoes,
+neither milk, butter, nor cheese, their living must have lacked such
+relish as we give to ours.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In the settled villages the Indians cultivated rude gardens. In these
+they raised corn, beans, squashes, and tobacco; but, considering the
+crudeness of their tools, we must suppose that the crops were scanty.
+The squaws used to cook corn and beans together, making <i>succotash</i>.
+Both the dish and the name have come to us from the Indians. Green corn
+they used to roast in hot ashes, very much as we sometimes do now at
+clambakes or other outings. Meat they commonly cooked by thrusting a
+stick through it and holding it over the fire; but they sometimes boiled
+it in rude earthen pots. Fish they broiled on a frame of sticks.</p>
+
+<p><b>68. The Indian's Struggle for a Living.</b>&mdash;The principal work of the
+Indians was to get food enough. They did not hunt or fish merely for
+sport, as men and boys of our time are apt to do. To the Indian, hunting
+was the serious task of providing for his family and himself. At times
+the supply became very slight. It was especially so in the winter. Then
+they really suffered from hunger, and were forced to eat ground-nuts and
+acorns&mdash;anything to keep alive. But when they had had good hunting they
+would eat enormously. At times, when game was scarce, different tribes
+would have savage fights for the best hunting ground.</p>
+
+<p>Their only drink was water. After the white man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> came they learned the
+use of rum and whiskey, and would pay a great price for what they called
+"fire water." On the other hand, the white man learned from the Indian
+the use of tobacco. It was a bad bargain both ways.</p>
+
+<p><b>69. Hardships of the Indian Women.</b>&mdash;The Indian warriors occupied
+themselves with war and the chase. They looked upon ordinary labor as
+degrading, and fit only for women. These they treated very much as
+slaves. The squaw did all the everyday work&mdash;building the wigwam,
+raising the crops, making the clothes, and weaving bark mats for the
+beds. On journeys the women carried their infants, or papooses, on their
+backs.</p>
+
+<p>With some tribes woman held a higher place. She had a considerable
+degree of influence in public matters, and often decided the question of
+peace or war. She could even drive away her husband if he failed to
+bring home game or fish enough for the family.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus083a.jpg" width="450" height="133" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Indian War Club.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>70. The Indians' Weapons.</b>&mdash;Indian wars were conducted in a manner
+entirely different from that of civilized nations. The weapons were the
+bow and arrow, the hatchet of sharp stone, and the war club. The
+bowstring was made of Indian hemp or the sinews of the deer. The
+arrowhead was of sharp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> flint or bone; its point was often made of an
+eagle's claw or the spur of a wild turkey. The stone hatchet, called
+"tomahawk," had a long handle and was a powerful weapon.</p>
+
+<p>After the Indians had seen the white man's guns, hatchets, and knives,
+and could obtain such things for themselves, the use of their own rude
+weapons was abandoned.</p>
+
+<p>Gunpowder was for a long time a mystery to the Indians. At first they
+thought that it grew from the ground, like the tobacco plant. It is said
+they once sowed some of it in the spring, expecting to see it take root
+and grow. They supposed every white person knew how to make it; and so,
+once upon a time, when they had captured two young girls, they tried to
+force them to make a supply of it.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus083b.jpg" width="450" height="154" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Indian Stone Hatchet.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>71. How the Indians fought.</b>&mdash;In battle, Indians did not come out in fair
+and open fight, as is the custom of white men; but their skill consisted
+in surprises, shooting from behind rocks and trees, skulking around at
+night, and killing the enemy asleep. Captives in war were frequently
+tortured in the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> barbarous ways; sometimes they were tied to trees
+and were slowly burned to death or were shot. But it was a high standard
+of Indian valor to bear the sharpest pain without flinching, with never
+a groan or any sign of suffering.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus084.jpg" width="450" height="166" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Indian Calumet or Pipe of Peace.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Indians, believing as they did that all animals were protecting or
+unfriendly spirits, often addressed them as if they were human beings.
+The story is told of an Indian who shot at a large bear and wounded him.
+The bear fell and lay whining and groaning. The Indian went up to him
+and said: "Bear, you are a coward, and no warrior. You know that your
+tribe and mine are at war, and that yours began it. If you had wounded
+me, I would not have uttered a sound; and yet you sit here and cry and
+disgrace your tribe."</p>
+
+<p><b>72. The Use made of Wampum, or Indian Money.</b>&mdash;Indians had little use for
+gold or silver, but they had something in its place, which they called
+"wampum." This was made of bits of seashells like beads. The pieces had
+a hole in the center, so that they could be strung in long strips or
+made into belts.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Wampum was used for a long time as regular money or the medium of
+exchange between the Indians and the whites, and even between one white
+and another. Strings of it were passed around for purposes of trade, as
+we now use coins of silver and gold. But after a while, as seashells
+became plentiful, wampum became almost worthless, and then the Indians
+were glad enough to take the white man's silver money.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus085.jpg" width="450" height="121" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Treaty-Belt made of Wampum.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Among some of the tribes, bands of wampum were woven into ornamental
+belts, and these were decorated with colored beads combined into
+striking figures and designs. The wampum belts were often given as a
+pledge that the giver would faithfully live up to certain terms of a
+treaty.</p>
+
+<p><b>73. Indian Tools and Snowshoes.</b>&mdash;As the Indians had so little to work
+with&mdash;no iron for knives, nor tools of any kind except flinty stones
+made sharp and called "hatchets"&mdash;it is wonderful how ingenious they
+were in supplying their personal wants. They kneaded in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> oil and
+softened with heat the furry skins of animals, and from these they made
+excellent garments for winter. From dried deerskins they fashioned a
+sort of soft serviceable shoe called the "moccasin." This was wrought
+from a single piece of the leather. It fitted snugly to the foot and was
+tied with strips of buckskin at the ankle.</p>
+
+<p>The danger of starving in the winter when the snow was deep led the
+Indians to invent the snowshoe. This was made of a light framework of
+ash, filled with meshes of rawhide, thus presenting a broad surface to
+the snow. By this contrivance the Indians could travel in winter as
+easily as in summer.</p>
+
+<p>It is said that an Indian upon snowshoes could easily travel forty miles
+a day. Strangely enough, all the cunning of the white man has never
+availed to make anything better for such a purpose.</p>
+
+<p><b>74. Indians as Hunters.</b>&mdash;The Indian contrived ingenious traps for
+catching bears, moose, and other sorts of game. One of these devices
+consisted of a long and heavy log, carefully balanced upon a post placed
+upright in the ground, with a log attached to one end of it. The roving
+animal would approach, and by jumping attempt to get the bait that was
+so attractive. The movement would cause the log to fall, and thus,
+perhaps, the creature would be killed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Fish were killed by shooting them with the arrow as they swam; or they
+were caught with hooks of bone, or taken in rivers by means of a weir,
+or brush fence, fixed across the stream. Sometimes they were taken in
+nets woven from the bark of the elm, and in traps of wickerwork not
+unlike the lobster pots now in use.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians had a remarkable faculty, resembling that of the
+ventriloquist, whereby they could imitate the voices of woodland
+creatures&mdash;the hoot of the owl, the cry of the wild turkey, the howl of
+the wolf. By this means they could readily attract animals of various
+species to a spot where they might easily kill them. Even hostile
+Indians out searching for game were in this manner sometimes allured to
+the place of danger.</p>
+
+<p><b>75. Story illustrating the Indian's Keen Observation.</b>&mdash;It is marvelous
+what quick eyes the Indian had to see almost instantly things that other
+persons would never see at all. The story is often told of an Indian who
+returned one day to his wigwam and found that a large piece of venison
+had been stolen. He looked carefully around, and then started off for
+the thief. He asked the first man he met if he had seen a little old
+white man with a short gun and a small dog with a short tail. Afterwards
+he explained how he learned all these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> points. He said he knew the thief
+was little, for he had to pile up some stones to reach the venison; old,
+by his short steps; white, by the toes of his tracks turning out; that
+he had a short gun, for when it fell to the ground from where it leaned
+against the tree, it made a short mark in the dirt. He knew by the dog's
+track that the dog was small; he knew that the dog had a short tail,
+because a short groove had been "wiggled" in the dust where the dog had
+sat while his master was stealing the meat!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus088.jpg" width="650" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">An Indian Camp of To-Day in the Far West.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>76. The Indians were Cruel, Cunning, and Revengeful.</b>&mdash;As to character,
+the Indian had, like all the rest of us, a good and a bad side. Though
+usually silent and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> moody in the presence of white men, travelers tell
+us that the Indians had lively games when by themselves, and enjoyed fun
+and frolic and story-telling like other people. They were crafty and
+treacherous, as well they might be from their constant warfare.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 402px;">
+<img src="images/illus089.jpg" width="402" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Indian Attack on a Settler&#39;s House.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>They were cruel and remorseless in their revenge, and they never forgot
+a wrong. Full of cunning, they took pride in ingenious tricks. They
+would wear snowshoes with the toes turned backwards, that the enemy
+might think they had gone the other way! In their homes they were
+filthy, lazy, and improvident. They were passionately fond of gambling,
+after they had learned it of the whites!</p>
+
+<p>On the other hand, they were patient of hunger, cold, and fatigue, and
+were wonderfully brave. They were hospitable to an acquaintance in need,
+even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> sharing the last of their food with him. They were grateful for
+benefits, and never forgot a kindness. Their promise was almost sacred,
+and the pledge of their chief was rarely broken.</p>
+
+<p>When the early settlers in this country treated the Indians kindly, they
+usually received kindness in return, as we shall see later in reading
+William Penn's dealings with the Indians in Pennsylvania. But now and
+then some rude white man was cruel or dishonest in dealing with them,
+and then he learned that the red man knew what revenge means.</p>
+
+<p>If any serious offense was given to the Indians they brooded over it,
+and then, eager to inflict more harm than they had suffered, instead of
+punishing the offender alone, they spent their revenge upon all they
+could reach of the white race. So they sprang suddenly upon peaceful
+villages and cruelly killed innocent men, women, and children.</p>
+
+<p><b>77. Anecdote of Tecumseh.</b>&mdash;The true Indian warrior had a certain proud
+dignity that challenged respect. At a great council of the government
+with the Indians, the famous Indian chief, Tecumseh, after he had made a
+speech, turned to take a seat, when it was found that by accident no
+chair had been placed for him. General Harrison instantly called for
+one. It was brought by the interpreter, who said, "The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> Great Father
+wishes you to take a chair." "My father!" he said with dignity, as he
+wrapped his blanket about him to seat himself in Indian style upon the
+ground; "the Sun is my father, the Earth is my mother, and on her bosom
+will I repose."</p>
+
+<p><b>78. Care and Training of the Indian Children.</b>&mdash;The care and training of
+Indian children were peculiar. When the little papoose was very young,
+it was not fondled nor much attended to. Quite early it was placed in a
+small trough of bark and strapped in with a mat or skin in front, the
+little bed being padded with soft moss. This bit of a cradle was handy
+to carry around, to lean against a log, or to hang up in a tree.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 291px;">
+<img src="images/illus091.jpg" width="291" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Indian Papoose.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>As they grew up, they were as happy as other children. Their parents
+made toys for them, and their older mates taught them songs and games.
+As soon as they were large enough, each had his share of work to do. The
+girls had to help their mothers to dress skins for clothing, to bring
+wood and water, and to work in the rude garden.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>79. The Indian Boy's Early Training.</b>&mdash;The Indian boy was early trained
+for hunting and war. His first lessons were to manage his bow and
+arrows, and then he was taken into the woods to shoot. He was taught to
+set traps for small game, and his father often slyly put some animal in
+the snare to encourage the young hunter.</p>
+
+<p>So the boy was taught, not arithmetic and grammar, but all about
+birds&mdash;their colors, their different whistles and cries, and what each
+note means; their food and habits, where they nest, how they fly, and
+the best way to shoot them. His lessons included the study of rabbits
+and squirrels, of beavers and foxes, and of all such game.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus092.jpg" width="450" height="449" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Boy warning Settlers of an Indian Attack.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>By the time the Indian boy had seen twelve or fourteen <i>snows</i>, as the
+Indian would say, he could make his own bows and arrows and could help
+make canoes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> He had received many lessons about shaping tomahawks and
+war clubs, and how to use them. Playing ball was a favorite game with
+Indian youth. Catlin, the celebrated authority on Indian life, tells us
+that he used to ride thirty miles to see a ball game, and would sit on
+his horse all day to see a match played by six to eight hundred or even
+a thousand young Indians.</p>
+
+<p><b>80. How the Indians buried their Dead.</b>&mdash;For the most part the Indians
+buried their dead in mounds or in shallow graves, sometimes prostrate,
+but often in a sitting posture facing the east. But some tribes placed
+the body on a high scaffold raised on long poles out of the reach of
+wild beasts. Beside the body were carefully placed the weapons of the
+dead, paints, any favorite trinkets he used to wear, and food to sustain
+him on his journey to the far-off Happy Hunting Grounds.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>81. The Search for a Shorter Route to India.</b>&mdash;We must not forget that
+during all these years the European nations in their desire for riches
+were often searching for a shorter route to China and the East Indies.
+They hoped to succeed in this either by sailing to the north of Europe
+or America, or by finding some opening across the newly discovered
+continent. For more than a hundred years after the time of Columbus many
+a daring navigator came forward to undertake this business.</p>
+
+<p><b>82. Sir Henry Hudson, the Bold and Skillful Mariner.</b>&mdash;Several years
+before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, a bold and skillful mariner
+named Henry Hudson, a friend of Captain John Smith, was hired by some
+London merchants to search for the imaginary northern passage. For this
+purpose he made two perilous voyages. Once he sailed along the eastern
+coast of Greenland until the ice stopped him. After three months he
+returned to England. The next<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> year he tried it again, and sailed
+farther north, but as before was turned back by the ice.</p>
+
+<p>Hudson tells us that on one of these voyages two of his sailors saw a
+mermaid swimming close to the ship's side. The upper parts of her body
+were those of a woman, but below she was a fish, and as big as a
+halibut! Probably the creature was a seal, an animal with which English
+sailors were not at that time familiar.</p>
+
+<p><b>83. Hudson enters the Dutch Service.</b>&mdash;At last, in 1609, Hudson, who had
+now become famous, entered the service of the Dutch East India Company
+and sailed from Amsterdam to find the long-sought route. Living near the
+ocean, the Dutch at this time were great sailors and traders. They owned
+more ships than all Europe besides. Their sails whitened every ocean.
+They were glad to hire "the bold Englishman, the expert pilot, and the
+famous navigator," as they called Hudson, to brave the perils of the
+Arctic seas.</p>
+
+<p>Again this intrepid sailor, "the Nansen of the year 1608," went too far
+north, and again he found himself caught in the ice of the desolate
+Arctic regions. He now made up his mind to go farther west. He coasted
+along Greenland, passed southward to Newfoundland, sighted Cape Cod, and
+then sailed as far south as Virginia. Finding the English<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> settlers
+there ahead of him, he turned about and steered north again, keeping
+close to the wild and unknown coast.</p>
+
+<p><b>84. Hudson sails up the Hudson River in the Little "Half Moon."</b>&mdash;In
+September, 1609, Sir Henry found himself not far from the mouth of a
+broad river, and dropped anchor near what is now Sandy Hook. The Indians
+here were kind to their strange visitors, and came on board the vessel
+to trade. They brought grapes, furs, and pumpkins, and traded them for
+beads, knives, and hatchets.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 304px;">
+<img src="images/illus096.jpg" width="304" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The &quot;Half Moon&quot; on the Hudson.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>After a few days the anchor of the little "Half Moon" was raised, the
+sails were spread, and Hudson was slowly wafted past the Palisades and
+far up the noble river which still<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> bears his name. Because for many
+miles the water at high tide was salt, he thought that he had surely
+found the long-wished-for passage to India.</p>
+
+<p>No white man had ever before sailed up this, perhaps the most beautiful
+of American streams. With what wonder and hope must the captain and his
+men have gazed on the lovely scenery, rich in the gorgeous hues of
+autumnal foliage! In fact Hudson, in the story of his voyage, says that
+the lands on both sides were "pleasant with grass and flowers and goodly
+trees,&mdash;as beautiful a land as one can tread upon."</p>
+
+<p><b>85. Kindly received by the Indians.</b>&mdash;The Indians, filled with curiosity,
+flocked from far and near to the banks of the river to see the "great
+white bird," a name they gave the "Half Moon" on account of its white
+spreading canvas wings. As they peeped out from the rocks and woods
+along the shore, they had the same feelings of curiosity and awe as did
+the natives that gazed in wonder upon the vessels of Columbus more than
+a hundred years before.</p>
+
+<p>Hudson sailed north until he reached a point near where Albany now
+stands. As the river now became narrower and its water fresh, he was
+convinced at last that he could never find his way to India by this
+route.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>86. Hudson returns Home; his Sad Fate.</b>&mdash;After a time, disappointed at
+his failure to reach India, Hudson sailed out of the river and across
+the ocean to England, and afterwards to Holland. The stout-hearted
+mariner never saw his "great river" again. On his next and last voyage
+he sailed farther north and entered the immense land-locked bay that now
+bears his name. He thought that he had this time surely discovered the
+long-sought opening to the Pacific. Imagine his dismay when, after
+coasting around its sides for nearly three months, he was forced at last
+to believe that this inland sea had no western outlet!</p>
+
+<p>The long Arctic winter came. Hudson's men were nearly starved. They had
+endured so many hardships that in a frenzy of despair and wrath they at
+last bound their captain hand and foot, thrust him on board a small boat
+with his son and some sick sailors, and set them adrift. This was the
+last ever seen or heard of Hudson.</p>
+
+<p>Probably, like De Soto, the bold navigator found his grave in the vast
+waters that he was the first to discover.</p>
+
+<p><b>87. The Dutch claim the Territory; Manhattan Island bought of the
+Indians.</b>&mdash;The Dutch now laid claim to all the territory along the Hudson
+River, and in 1614 they took possession of it under the name of New<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>
+Netherland. In a few years they began to establish trading posts, where
+they might buy of the Indians the skins of bears, beavers, and otters.</p>
+
+<p>After a time the Indians sold the Dutch the island of Manhattan for the
+sum of twenty-four dollars. This settlement, then called "New
+Amsterdam," was the beginning of what is now one of the largest and
+richest cities in the world&mdash;Greater New York.</p>
+
+<p><b>88. The Dutch Settlers prosper.</b>&mdash;For the first few years the settlers in
+New Amsterdam were poor; but after a time richer and more influential
+men made homes for themselves in this colony. They secured from the
+Dutch East India Company the right to own by purchase from the Indians a
+tract of land sixteen miles in length and extending an unlimited
+distance into the interior, and to establish there a colony of fifty
+people. The rich landholders were called "patroons," and their great
+estates laid the foundation of the wealth of many of the leading
+families of the Empire State.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 345px;">
+<img src="images/illus099.jpg" width="345" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Dutch Windmill.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>89. How the Dutch People lived.</b>&mdash;As the Dutch prospered, they built
+better houses. These were of wood.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> Each house had on its roof one
+weathercock, and often many of them. The gable ends were built of
+various-colored bricks brought over from Holland.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 189px;">
+<img src="images/illus100.jpg" width="189" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A Dutchman of New Amsterdam.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Dutch women were excellent housekeepers. We owe to them the
+doughnut, the cruller, cookies, and many other delicious articles of
+skillful cookery. Many a pleasant custom had its origin with these
+genial Dutch settlers, such as the Christmas visit of Santa Claus, the
+display of colored eggs at Easter, and the friendly visiting on New
+Year's day. The floors in these thrifty homes were covered with white
+sand, on which quaint figures were sketched with a broom. There were
+huge fireplaces with Dutch tiles of different colors, on which were
+represented scenes from the Bible. The Dutch men were fond of good food
+and of their pipes. They used to have in front of their houses a porch
+or "stoop," sometimes called a "bowerie," on which they could sit and
+smoke and tell stories and take their ease generally. The men wore
+several pairs of knee breeches at once, one over another, with long
+stockings, and with huge buckles at the knees and on the shoes. Their
+coats, too, were adorned with great buckles of silver or brass.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The women were neatly dressed, usually wearing several short petticoats
+of many colors. Their stockings were of their own knitting, and had as
+many hues as the rainbow. Their shoes had very high heels.</p>
+
+<p><b>90. Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor; New York surrenders to
+the English.</b>&mdash;The last Dutch governor was Peter Stuyvesant, brave and
+honest, but a very stubborn man. He was so obstinate that he was
+nicknamed "Headstrong Peter." He was also known as "Old Silverleg,"
+because, having lost a leg in war, he used a wooden one adorned with
+strips of silver. He was a tyrant in his way, and at length his people
+would not endure his tyranny, especially as the English settlers in the
+same region enjoyed more liberty and had increased more rapidly in
+numbers and riches than they.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus101.jpg" width="450" height="331" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Peter Stuyvesant.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>And so it happened that when an English fleet sailed into the harbor in
+1664, the people did not come to the help of "Headstrong Peter," but
+gladly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> surrendered the town to the English in spite of "Old
+Silverleg's" wrath! The name of the colony was changed to New York in
+honor of the Duke of York, the brother of King Charles II.</p>
+
+<p><b>91. How the Quakers were persecuted.</b>&mdash;About forty years after the
+Pilgrims had built their homes in Plymouth, the members of a peculiar
+religious sect, the Society of Friends, were bitterly persecuted in
+England. In spite of their ill-treatment, which lasted for many years,
+they greatly increased in numbers. A few men and women of wealth and of
+high social position joined them.</p>
+
+<p>These Friends, or Quakers as they were commonly called, were singularly
+blunt in speech and plain in dress. But they were an honest, sober,
+God-fearing people. They wished to treat all men as friends, brothers,
+and equals. They did not approve of war and would not serve as soldiers.
+As they believed all men equal, they recognized no superiors: they would
+not doff their hats to any one, not even to the king, for they thought
+"the Lord forbade it." They said they would acknowledge no master, king,
+or lord, save only Him who was their "Master in heaven," the "King of
+Kings and Lord of Lords."</p>
+
+<p>Naturally enough, in those days of bigotry and intolerance the doctrines
+and behavior of the Quakers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> made the king and his great men very angry.
+They threw hundreds of them into prison. Consequently, many of the
+Quakers left their homes, came to this country, and settled in
+Massachusetts. But the stern sons of the Old Pilgrim Fathers would not
+endure them. They drove them away or put them in prison. The Boston
+Puritans even hanged four Quakers who had repeatedly come back after
+having been several times punished and driven into exile.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 370px;">
+<img src="images/illus103.jpg" width="370" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">William Penn.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>92. William Penn becomes a Quaker.</b>&mdash;About the time King Charles II was
+restored to the throne of England (1660) there lived in that country a
+handsome young man of noble birth and talents of the highest order.
+William Penn was his name. There is a portrait of him in the dress of an
+English cavalier, with flowing curls over his shoulders, and a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> face of
+manly tenderness and beauty. This man, the founder of Pennsylvania, was
+the only son of a brave English admiral who had won signal victories for
+his country during the Dutch war, and was held in high favor by the king
+and the royal family. While Penn was a boy and in college, his heart was
+stirred within him by listening to the Quaker preachers. He believed
+they were right. He was convinced that he ought to join them, and did so
+in spite of the ridicule of his rich and titled friends.</p>
+
+<p><b>93. Young Penn falls into Disgrace with his Family and is sent from
+Home.</b>&mdash;Young Penn was expelled from college and sent home. The old
+admiral, in his anger because his only son would disgrace his family by
+uniting with the despised Quakers, drove him from his door. The mother,
+however, interceded, and the stubborn youth was allowed to travel for a
+time on the Continent to divert his mind from what they called his
+foolishness.</p>
+
+<p>Alas for the old admiral's ambitious plans for his gifted son! William
+was out-and-out a Quaker; and no title, honors, or favor could induce
+him to give up his faith. He pleaded with the king to allow the English
+people freedom of conscience, so that they might worship God as they
+deemed best. He tried in vain to procure the release of the Quakers from
+the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> prisons where hundreds of them were then confined. For a time Penn
+was himself shut up in the Tower of London, the prison of offenders of
+high rank. While there he wrote his best known work, <i>No Cross, no
+Crown</i>. The king's brother, the Duke of York, however, soon brought
+about his release.</p>
+
+<p><b>94. Penn inherits Wealth; secures a Grant of Land from the King.</b>&mdash;Penn's
+father was after all a generous man and regretted his treatment of his
+son. On his death, in 1670, he left him all his estate. Penn made a good
+use of his wealth. He devoted his time, money, and talents to secure
+legal protection in England for the persecuted Quakers. The task was
+almost hopeless.</p>
+
+<p>In his despair Penn longed to build a quiet home for his people in the
+wilderness of America. He had heard of the happiness and prosperity of
+the Pilgrim settlements, and he now planned to lead his brethren across
+the Atlantic. The gallant admiral at his death had a claim against the
+government of about eighty thousand dollars. Now King Charles was a
+spendthrift and always in debt. Penn told the king that he would accept
+lands in America instead of money in payment of this claim. The
+easy-going monarch was only too glad to take up with this offer, for he
+had plenty of land in America but very little silver and gold.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>On condition that he should be paid two beaver-skins every year, the
+king granted Penn a large tract of land on the western bank of the
+Delaware river, and named it Pennsylvania, or "Penn's Woodland."</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 221px;">
+<img src="images/illus106.jpg" width="221" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A Prosperous Quaker.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>95. A Colony of Quakers established in Pennsylvania.</b>&mdash;Penn now planned
+to send his Quaker colony to the new home in America. He came over in
+person in the fall of 1682, and landed at New Castle, Delaware. Penn
+sailed in an open boat up the broad and beautiful Delaware River until
+he came to the place on which his chief city or capital was soon to be
+laid out. The "Quaker King," for thus he was called, was received with
+great joy by the people. They knew that he would keep his promise to
+secure full freedom of conscience and speech for all. He called it a
+"free colony for all mankind."</p>
+
+<p>No person was compelled, as were the Pilgrims of New England, to attend
+any church or practise any form of religious worship. Only murder and
+treason were punished with death. Before this Penn had written to the
+colonists, saying, "You shall be governed by laws of your own making; I
+shall not usurp the right of any, or oppress his person."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>96. Penn selects a Location for his Capital; Philadelphia, "the City of
+Brotherly Love."</b>&mdash;On a neck of land between the Schuylkill and the
+Delaware, Penn selected a site for his "faire and greene country
+towne"&mdash;a city of refuge and a home of free speech and conscience. And
+he generously bought the land from some Swedes, who had bought it from
+the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Penn now laid out his city and gave it the Bible name of Philadelphia,
+which means "brotherly love." As he stood with his friends on the high
+ground and beheld the country in its autumn foliage, the good man said:
+"I have seen the finest cities of Europe, but I never saw so beautiful a
+place for a city as this."</p>
+
+<p><b>97. His Kind Treatment of the Indians.</b>&mdash;Penn knew how cruelly some of
+the other colonies had treated the Indians. This should not be done in
+Pennsylvania. The Indians must be fairly dealt with. Their lands were
+not to be taken away by force, but must be openly bought and honestly
+paid for. If a settler wronged an Indian, he was to be punished. In
+short, in this Quaker colony they were all to live together as brothers.</p>
+
+<p>That everything might be done in a business-like way, Penn sent word to
+various tribes of Indians that he would meet them on a certain day to
+make a treaty.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> He wanted them to hear what he had to say. He sent word
+to them that he was a man of peace, and no firearms would be brought to
+the meeting. The Indians gladly accepted Penn's invitation.</p>
+
+<p><b>98. The Celebrated Treaty with the Indians.</b>&mdash;On the chosen day they came
+from far and near. They met under the branches of a great elm tree a
+little north of Philadelphia. This giant son of the forest, called ever
+afterward "The Treaty Tree," became an object of deep interest. It was
+protected with extreme care. During the Revolutionary war, even the
+British officers posted guards around it to prevent its branches from
+being used for firewood. The venerable tree blew down some ninety years
+ago. Its rings proved it to be two hundred and eighty-three years of
+age. A monument with a suitable inscription now marks the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> spot where
+Penn and the Indians met to pledge in "unbroken faith."</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 321px;">
+<img src="images/illus108.jpg" width="321" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Penn&#39;s Meeting with the Indians.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>First, there was a feast of good things to eat, and numerous presents
+were given to the delighted red men. The chiefs then seated themselves
+on the ground and the council began. Penn carried no arms, wore no
+uniform, and had no soldiers. He was at this time thirty-eight years
+old, graceful and fine-looking, was dressed in a suit of drab-colored
+clothes, had a blue sash around his waist, and wore a broad-brim hat,
+which he did not take off for the sake of fashion or ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians, seated around their chiefs, listened attentively while the
+"Quaker King" spoke. He told them that the English and the Indians were
+to obey the same laws, and both were to be equally protected in their
+rights. No advantage should be taken on either side, but all should be
+openness and love; that the great God above was the Father of both white
+and red men, and that all were brothers and should live together in
+peace. His words, so full of kindness, good will, and justice, won the
+hearts of the dusky natives.</p>
+
+<p>"We will live in peace with William Penn and his children," said the
+Indians, "as long as the sun and moon endure." This treaty was never
+broken.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>99. The Indians take Penn at his Word, and live afterwards at Peace with
+the Quakers.</b>&mdash;After this talk was over, the pipe of peace was lighted
+and passed round, and each took a whiff.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians took Penn at his word. They believed in him and they kept
+their part of the compact. It is said that not a drop of Quaker blood
+was ever shed by an Indian, so much did the red men love and honor the
+name of William Penn.</p>
+
+<p>The good Quaker often visited the Indians at their councils, or at their
+"powwows," as their festive gatherings were called. He went in and out
+among them, visited them in their wigwams, and ate roasted corn and
+hominy with them. He had frolics with the Indian children, joined in the
+outdoor games of the warriors, and talked to them about their faith in
+God, whom they called the Great Spirit.</p>
+
+<p><b>100. The Quakers prosper; Trials of Penn in his Old Age.</b>&mdash;We are not
+surprised that the Quaker settlers prospered. In two years there were
+six hundred houses; also schools and a printing press. Philadelphia had
+grown more in three years than New York City in half a century. After a
+few years the founder of the colony went back to England. He continued
+to watch over his far-away colony, sending out emigrants and in every
+way promoting its interest.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>After some time Penn returned to this country, but remained only two
+years. In his old age he met with sore trials. His son disgraced him by
+his riotous living, his trusted agent proved dishonest, and at length
+the good Quaker was financially ruined and was flung into prison for
+debt. Not long after his release he died at the age of seventy-eight.</p>
+
+<p><b>101. Subsequent Prosperity of the Quaker Colony.</b>&mdash;When it once became
+known that in Penn's colony a man could worship God as he pleased, enjoy
+personal rights; that poor men could own their farms, and that there was
+no dread of the Indians, we are not surprised that colonists quickly
+flocked to Pennsylvania. This settlement surpassed all others in America
+in rapid growth, and was for many years more prosperous and comfortable
+than any other. About one-third of the inhabitants were Quakers, and
+these were always a thrifty and peaceful people.</p>
+
+<p>At the close of the Revolutionary war Philadelphia was larger than
+either Boston or New York. Among the thirteen colonies Pennsylvania
+ranked third in influence and population, being surpassed by none but
+Virginia and Massachusetts.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>102. Prosperity of the Early Colonists.</b>&mdash;For fifty years or more after
+the colonists had established their homes in the wilderness of the New
+World, they were growing rich and strong. They cleared away forests,
+planted fields, traded with the Indians, and built for themselves more
+comfortable houses.</p>
+
+<p>Especially was this the case during the years when Cromwell and his
+party were in power in England, and until after Charles II was restored
+to the English throne. The settlers boldly pressed further and further
+on, crossing great rivers, climbing steep mountains, and building log
+cabins in far distant regions.</p>
+
+<p>The colonists in Pennsylvania and Virginia pushed westward into the
+valley of the Ohio, while the English settlers in New York made their
+way through the forest toward the Great Lakes.</p>
+
+<p><b>103. The French in North America.</b>&mdash;More than seventy years before
+Jamestown was settled, a French explorer by the name of Cartier had
+entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sailed up the river of the same name,
+and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> taken possession of the country in the name of France. This same
+region became afterwards the great French stronghold in America.</p>
+
+<p>A Frenchman by the name of Champlain sailed up the beautiful river St.
+Lawrence, and was so charmed with the scenery of the country that in
+1608, the year after Jamestown was settled, he began to plant a colony
+on the site of what is now Quebec. The settlement soon became a city and
+the capital of the French possessions in America.</p>
+
+<p>The French were also the first explorers of the vast interior regions of
+our country. Their fur traders and trappers kept on good terms with the
+Indians, and slowly pushed along the shores of the Great Lakes until
+they had established a chain of trading-posts from the St. Lawrence to
+Lake Superior. About the time of King Philip's War in New England Father
+Marquette discovered the upper Mississippi, and floated down this great
+river nearly as far as the mouth of the Arkansas.</p>
+
+<p><b>104. La Salle floats down the Mighty Mississippi.</b>&mdash;The bravest and
+ablest of all the French explorers was a fur-trader by the name of La
+Salle. This daring man, whose life was filled with romantic adventures
+and hardships, bravely undergone, gave France the right to claim as her
+own the vast domain of the Mississippi valley.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>On Lake Erie, La Salle built a small vessel, in which he sailed to the
+westward over the Great Lakes. In the year 1682, with a few companions,
+he floated down the mighty Mississippi until he reached the Gulf of
+Mexico.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus114.jpg" width="300" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">La Salle at the Mouth of the Mississippi.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>With solemn ceremonies he claimed for France all the country drained by
+this great river and its branches. This enormous territory, extending
+from the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains, he named Louisiana in honor
+of his king, Louis XIV. The narrow strip of land held by the English
+along the Atlantic seaboard seemed a feeble possession<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> compared with
+the vast untrodden wilderness known as "New France."</p>
+
+<p>Hand in hand with the French explorers and fur-traders, and often in
+advance of them, went the Jesuit missionaries. In their efforts to carry
+their religion to the Indians and convert them to their faith, these
+zealous men boldly struck out into the unbroken wilderness of the great
+West. They often became brave and intelligent explorers. All hardships
+and all dangers, and even torture by the Indians, they endured without a
+murmur.</p>
+
+<p><b>105. Beginning of the Contests between the French and English
+Colonists.</b>&mdash;At the time the French and English were making settlements
+on this continent, and for many long and weary years, with very short
+intervals of rest, Europe was cursed with war. Whether these cruel
+strifes between the nations arose from political ambition, greed for
+gain, or common jealousy, there was always intermingled the same old
+undercurrent of religious hatred. The French settlers in this country
+were Roman Catholics, while the English were almost all Protestants.
+Hence it is not strange that these bitter religious controversies were
+not confined to the Old World, but stained with blood the soil of the
+New.</p>
+
+<p>The English colonists dearly loved their mother country; her wrongs were
+their wrongs. Hence when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> war was declared between France and England,
+the English colonists readily took up arms against the French.</p>
+
+<p><b>106. The French and Indian Wars.</b>&mdash;In the seventy-four years from 1689 to
+1763 the American colonies were involved in four wars, occupying in all
+twenty-seven years. These were called by different names; but the last
+and most important is known as the "French and Indian War," which began
+in 1755 and lasted about eight years.</p>
+
+<p>These long contests really made one continuous series of hostile
+operations, with only a breathing-spell now and then. It was one
+long-drawn-out and stubborn battle to decide whether the French or the
+English should be masters of North America. Jealous of the rich and
+prosperous English colonies on the seaboard, and having determined that
+England should not control the whole of this vast continent, the French
+built a chain of more than sixty forts stretching from Montreal to New
+Orleans.</p>
+
+<p>The French had always treated the Indians with more consideration than
+had their rivals. The Jesuit missionaries had converted many of the red
+men to their religious belief. Sometimes the French took Indian women
+for wives, and often they adopted the red man's ways of living.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>107. The Indians ally themselves with the French.</b>&mdash;When these sons of
+the forest found the English slowly but surely crowding them out of
+their haunts and homes, and saw that their hunting grounds were getting
+reduced to mere strips of territory here and there, it was not strange
+that they felt bitter towards the ever-encroaching new-comers. The
+tribes had steadily diminished, and they were unable to cope
+single-handed with the English. Hence they naturally looked to the
+French for help, and the French readily induced the Indians to join them
+against the English and their American descendants.</p>
+
+<p>It was a fierce struggle. English and American blood flowed like water
+before it was ended. The Indians never fought in open field, but always
+after their own fashion. They trusted to sudden attacks, especially at
+night, and to rapid raids, doing their savage work suddenly and
+retreating swiftly into the forest.</p>
+
+<p>Lonely families and small settlements suffered most. Like lightning out
+of the clear sky came the horror of an Indian night attack. The
+war-whoop waked the midnight sleepers and the glare of burning cabins
+lighted up the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>The massacre of defenseless women and children crimsoned the earth in
+scores of settlements during these cruel wars.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus118.jpg" width="650" height="430" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Indians Attacking a Settler&#39;s Cabin.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>108. The Indian Attack on Deerfield in the Massachusetts Colony.</b>&mdash;One
+bitter cold night in February, 1704, the French and Indians attacked the
+town of Deerfield in the western part of Massachusetts. For this purpose
+they had walked all the way from Canada on snowshoes. The people had
+been warned of their danger, but the watchmen fell asleep, and the
+villagers were awakened by the war-whoop of their savage foes. About
+fifty men, women, and children were killed, and nearly a hundred
+half-clad captives were marched off through the deep snows. Those who
+could not keep up were killed with the tomahawk.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The minister of the village, Rev. John Williams, his wife and six
+children, were among those captured and carried to Canada. The wife
+lagged behind and was killed. Strange to say, however, the minister and
+all his children, though they suffered all manner of hardships, and were
+sold as captives, after a time reached home in safety. The good man
+lived to write an account of his adventures.</p>
+
+<p>One little girl seven years old was treated kindly by her captors and
+was brought up as one of their tribe. She married an Indian chief and
+long afterwards visited her people in Deerfield. She wore the Indian
+dress and had come to love the wild life. Her former friends and
+neighbors begged her to stay with them, but "she returned to the fires
+of her own wigwam, and to the love of her Mohawk children."</p>
+
+<p><b>109. Hannah Dustin's Famous Adventure with the Indians.</b>&mdash;The story of
+Hannah Dustin, of Haverhill, Mass., has often been told. One day in 1697
+the Indians attacked the village. Mr. Dustin saved all his family except
+his wife and her nurse, who were captured. They marched these women and
+an English boy many long days to their camp on an island far up the
+Merrimac River. As Mrs. Dustin's babe prevented her keeping up well on
+the journey, an Indian cruelly killed it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The boy, who understood the Indian language, heard the savages tell of
+the horrible tortures they intended to inflict upon their captives. When
+Mrs. Dustin heard of this she laid her plans. She made the lad slyly
+learn from the Indians how to swing a tomahawk and where to strike.</p>
+
+<p>One night, when the savages lay around the camp-fire sound asleep, the
+three captives arose softly, each killed with one blow the Indian
+nearest, then three more, and so on till ten were finished. One young
+boy and one squaw escaped. It was an awful thing for Mrs. Dustin to do,
+but the memory of her murdered child made her brave and strong. They
+seized an Indian canoe, and the three paddled swiftly down the river,
+and half dead with hunger and fatigue reached home. Their friends could
+hardly believe their eyes. The heroic woman brought home ten Indian
+scalps as proof of what she had done.</p>
+
+<p><b>110. How the Colonial Boys learned to shoot.</b>&mdash;We can now well understand
+that the settlement of a new country amid hostile Indians demanded from
+our colonial fathers eternal vigilance, and developed in them remarkable
+skill with firearms.</p>
+
+<p>Even the colonial boy, we are told, as soon as he was big enough to
+level a musket, was given powder and ball to shoot squirrels. After a
+little practice he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> was required to bring in as many squirrels as he was
+given charges for the gun, under penalty of a severe lecture, or even of
+having his "jacket tanned"!</p>
+
+<p>At the age of twelve the boy became a block-house soldier, with a
+loophole assigned him from which to shoot when the settlement was
+attacked by the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Growing older, he became a hunter of deer, bears, and other wild
+animals, and had at any moment, day or night, to be in readiness to pit
+his life against those of hostile Indians.</p>
+
+<p><b>111. Capture of Louisburg.</b>&mdash;During the third French and Indian war,
+which began when George Washington was a boy of fourteen and which
+lasted four years, the New England colonists determined to strike a hard
+blow against France. They fitted out an army of about four thousand
+fishermen and farmers, put their expedition under the command of General
+William Pepperell, and sailed from Boston to capture Louisburg on the
+island of Cape Breton.</p>
+
+<p>With its walls of masonry thirty feet high this was the strongest
+fortress on the continent except Quebec, and was known as the "Gibraltar
+of America." It commanded the entrance to the Gulf and the mouth of the
+St. Lawrence. With the aid of a British fleet the colonists laid siege
+to the great fortress.</p>
+
+<p>After a lively contest of about six weeks, Louisburg<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> was taken (1745).
+The colonial army returned to Boston and was received with shouts of
+joy. But at the close of the war Louisburg was restored to the French.
+Great was the wrath of the colonists, who spoke of the day of surrender
+as "a black day, to be forever blotted out of New England calendars."</p>
+
+<p><b>112. The Struggle beyond the Alleghanies.</b>&mdash;For a long time the Alleghany
+Mountains served as a natural boundary between the English settlements
+in the East and the French trading-posts and forts in the West.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the English settlers were steadily pushing westward over the
+mountains and beginning to trade with the Indians on the other side. The
+French merchants often met their hated rivals in the woods and quarreled
+with them. From the first, England claimed all this country as her own,
+and looked upon the building of French forts as an invasion of her
+territory. The French stirred up the Indians to drive the English away,
+and would not even allow them to make so much as a survey of land in the
+rich Ohio valley.</p>
+
+<p><b>113. Young George Washington selected for an Arduous Undertaking.</b>&mdash;This
+action of the French aroused the wrath of the prosperous Virginia colony
+and of its energetic governor. He decided to send a letter to the French
+commander warning him to leave the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> country. Governor Dinwiddie selected
+for this task a land surveyor only twenty-one years of age. His name was
+George Washington. He was even then known for his courage, his sound
+judgment, and his knowledge of the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>It was a journey of more than a thousand miles there and back, through
+an unbroken wilderness. With seven companions young Washington set out
+on his perilous trip in the fall of 1753. They climbed mountains, swam
+streams, and threaded their way through mountain ravines, following
+Indian trails which no white man had ever seen before.</p>
+
+<p>After many hardships they reached the French posts. The French commander
+read the letter that Washington had brought from the governor of
+Virginia. He replied that he was there by command of his superior
+officers, and that he meant to drive every Englishman out of the Ohio
+valley! There was nothing for Washington to do but to start for home.
+Winter had now set in and it was soon severely cold. The homeward
+journey became a serious matter. The pack-horses gave out. The brave
+young leader and his guide pressed ahead on foot. Often as they lay down
+at night their wet clothing froze fast upon them. They secured an Indian
+as a guide, but he proved a scamp. One evening at dusk he raised his gun
+and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> fired at Washington, but missed his aim. The guide seized the
+savage, flung him to the ground, and would have killed him, but
+Washington spared his life. After many hardships and dangers the two men
+reached home in safety.</p>
+
+<p><b>114. The Beginning of the Final Struggle.</b>&mdash;The final struggle was now
+impending between England and France to determine which should control
+America. The contest began in earnest in Virginia. Washington had taken
+advantage of his perilous errand to the French commander to select a
+place for an English fort. It was at the point where the Alleghany and
+Monongahela rivers unite to form the Ohio. This is the spot where the
+city of Pittsburgh now stands. It was the main entrance to the valley of
+the Ohio. For many years it was called the "Gateway of the West." The
+English built a fort on this spot, but the French easily captured it and
+held it under the name of Fort Du Quesne.</p>
+
+<p><b>115. Braddock's Ill-Fated Expedition.</b>&mdash;Affairs now became so serious
+that General Braddock was sent out from England with two regiments of
+regulars. Early in the year 1755 he began his march through the Virginia
+forests to recapture the French stronghold. He selected Washington as a
+member of his staff. "I want you," said the British general, "to take
+your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> Virginia riflemen and go with me and my veterans to drive the
+French from Ohio." Washington consented. He joined Braddock's army with
+three companies of Virginia riflemen.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 304px;">
+<img src="images/illus125.jpg" width="304" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Washington Attempting To Rally Braddock&#39;s Regulars.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The English general and his regulars were brave, but they knew nothing
+about fighting Indians. Never did an army seem better prepared. They
+felt sure of victory. Soon they plunged into the forest. There were no
+roads there. After a hard march of four weeks they came within a few
+miles of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> the French fort. Washington warned the proud British general
+of his peril. "The Indians," said he, "may attack us in yonder deep
+pass. Let me go ahead with my riflemen and skirmish for the savages."</p>
+
+<p>Braddock was an old soldier, and he thought he knew more than his young
+staff-officer who had learned from experience how to fight Indians. The
+general laughed at the well-meant advice. Next day, as they were
+marching through a deep ravine, suddenly came the yells of savages and
+the crack of rifles. The British veterans were eager to fight, but they
+could see no foe. The men were shot down like sheep.</p>
+
+<p>The young Virginian and his riflemen leaped behind trees and rocks and
+fought the Indians in their own way. All was confusion. Braddock acted
+bravely. He had five horses killed under him. He did all that a valiant
+man in such a situation could do; but it was in vain.</p>
+
+<p><b>116. Washington saves Braddock's Army from Destruction.</b>&mdash;Washington and
+his Virginia rangers saved Braddock's army from destruction. The French
+and the Indians knew well the tall figure of Washington, who was in the
+thickest of the fight, and they kept firing at him. Two horses were shot
+under him. Four bullets passed through his clothing, but he did not
+receive a scratch.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Many years afterwards an old Indian chief came to see Washington, and
+told him that he had fired from ambush on the dreadful day of Braddock's
+defeat, and both he and his young warriors had often aimed at him as he
+rode about delivering the general's orders; but as they could not hit
+him, they had concluded that he was under the protection of the Great
+Spirit and could not be slain in battle.</p>
+
+<p>Braddock was at last hit. He sank to the ground mortally wounded. "What
+is to be done now?" he faintly asked. "We must retreat," replied
+Washington.</p>
+
+<p>A retreat was ordered, and Washington and his riflemen defended the rear
+so well that what was left of the routed army at last reached a place of
+safety. More than seven hundred of them had fallen, including Braddock
+himself and three-fourths of his officers. What a penalty the proud
+British general paid for refusing to take good advice!</p>
+
+<p><b>117. The Virginians fight desperately for their Homes.</b>&mdash;The French were
+now left in full possession of all the region west of the Alleghanies.
+The Indians took advantage of the situation to make fresh attacks upon
+the Virginia colonists.</p>
+
+<p>The Virginians fought with desperation for their homes. Washington was
+put in command of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> forces. He wrote that "the supplicating tears of
+the women and the moving petitions of the men melted him into deadly
+sorrow." Three years after the Braddock calamity, Washington again
+marched his men through the woods against Fort Du Quesne and recaptured
+it.</p>
+
+<p>The capture of this stronghold was an important event to the colonists,
+for a highway which was never afterwards closed was then opened to the
+great West. The name of the fort was changed to Pittsburgh, in honor of
+England's illustrious prime minister, William Pitt, who had planned the
+expedition.</p>
+
+<p>It was just this experience in hard fighting against the French and
+Indians that providentially aided in fitting Washington to win success
+as commander-in-chief of the American forces in the fast approaching war
+of the Revolution.</p>
+
+<p><b>118. Quebec, the carefully guarded Stronghold.</b>&mdash;We must remember that
+there had been fighting for nearly two years in America before England
+really declared war against France in 1756. During this time the French
+had held the mastery, and the English had met with sad reverses. A new
+leader had now come into power in England, the great statesman, William
+Pitt.</p>
+
+<p>The influence of this remarkable man changed the course of affairs as if
+by magic. He fully understood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> America's greatest needs. From this time
+the English were everywhere successful. Important forts were taken from
+the French, such as Niagara, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point.</p>
+
+<p>There was only one great stronghold left to the French. This was Quebec
+on the St. Lawrence. It was not only one of the strongest fortresses in
+the world, but it was commanded by the Marquis de Montcalm, one of the
+ablest generals of his time.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 264px;">
+<img src="images/illus130.jpg" width="264" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Wolfe&#39;s Men Climbing to the Plains of Abraham.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>119. How Quebec was taken.</b>&mdash;A brave young officer, General Wolfe, was
+sent out from England to command the attack on Quebec. The outlook was
+enough to discourage any one, however experienced and skillful. The fort
+itself is on a high point of land overlooking the city. The English
+troops were on the river-bank, hundreds of feet below.</p>
+
+<p>Every movement of the English was reported at once to the French. Wolfe
+was at first repulsed at every point. One day, as he was reconnoitering,
+he discovered a steep and narrow path which led up the precipitous bluff
+to a level spot known as the Plains of Abraham. He made up his mind to
+climb it with his men.</p>
+
+<p>Soon afterwards the English troops were quietly rowed down the river,
+under the cover of darkness, to a little bay since known as Wolfe's
+Cove. As the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> young English general glided along in his boat, he quoted
+extracts from Gray's "Elegy in a Country Churchyard." As he repeated the
+stanza beginning, "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power," he said
+that he would rather have written that poem than take Quebec. The little
+pathway was reached. Wolfe leaped first on shore. Under his leadership
+the English soldiers climbed the steep.</p>
+
+<p>At sunrise on the morning of Sept. 13, 1759, the British army, five
+thousand strong, stood on the Plains of Abraham. Great was the amazement
+of the French general, for he thought it impossible for any one to scale
+the cliffs. Montcalm chose to come out of the fortress and fight the
+English on the open ground.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> This was a fatal mistake, for after a
+fierce struggle the French were defeated.</p>
+
+<p>In the hour of victory Wolfe was fatally wounded. While dying he heard
+the cry, "They run! they run!" Rousing himself he asked, "Who run?" Upon
+being told it was the French he exclaimed: "Now God be praised; I will
+die in peace!" Montcalm was also fatally wounded. When told he could not
+live, the gallant Frenchman cried out, "So much the better; I shall not
+live to see the surrender of Quebec!"</p>
+
+<p>The French retired within their fortifications, but in a few days Quebec
+was surrendered into the hands of the English. The fate of Canada was
+decided by the fall of this city.</p>
+
+<p><b>120. The End of the War and the Result.</b>&mdash;Although the victory at Quebec
+practically ended the French and Indian War, it was not until 1763 that
+peace was declared. By the treaty France gave up to England the whole of
+Canada, together with all the territory between the Alleghanies and the
+Mississippi, except the city of New Orleans. She retained a few barren
+islands near Newfoundland as a shelter for her fishermen. The vast
+region spreading westward from the Mississippi towards the Pacific,
+under the name Louisiana, together with the city of New Orleans, was
+made over to Spain.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>121. Severe and Curious Punishments.</b>&mdash;In the early colonial times the
+laws were for the most part rigid and the punishments severe. Criminals
+were occasionally branded with a hot iron. If a man shot a fowl on
+Sunday, he was often publicly whipped. Small offenses were punished in a
+way which would not be tolerated in our times. A woman who had been
+complained of as a scold was placed in front of her house with a stick
+tied in her mouth. Sometimes a common scold was fastened to what was
+known as a "ducking stool" at one end of a seesaw plank, and ducked in a
+pond or river!</p>
+
+<p>Some crimes were punished by making the offender stand up on a stool in
+some public place, while fastened to his breast was a large placard on
+which his crime was printed in coarse letters, as <span class="smcap">LIAR</span> or <span class="smcap">THIEF</span>. There
+were in some colonies public whipping-posts for the special benefit of
+hardened offenders. In other cases the stocks were used, the culprit
+being seated on a bench in a public place, his feet projecting through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>
+holes in a plank; or the pillory, where he had to stand up with his neck
+and wrists painfully confined in a similar way. These last two modes of
+punishment were a source of no small amusement to the throng that
+gathered around, whose jeers and scorn must have been hard to bear. Once
+a couple of men in Plymouth county had a brisk little quarrel, and they
+were punished by being bound together for twenty-four hours, head to
+head and foot to foot.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus133.jpg" width="450" height="321" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Culprits in the Pillory and Stocks.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>122. How Sunday was kept.</b>&mdash;Sunday was rigidly observed in New England.
+In olden times, and almost to our own day, the Lord's Day was made to
+begin at sunset on Saturday evening. Sunday schools were not then known.
+But every person was compelled to attend religious service or be
+punished. If a man stayed away from church for a month without a good
+excuse, he might be put in the stocks or into a wooden cage. No word
+could be spoken with im<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>punity against the church or the rulers. He who
+used his tongue too freely was placed in the pillory or stocks, or was
+fined, and in some extreme cases he lost his ears.</p>
+
+<p>The minister was the great man of the village. He was looked up to and
+consulted about nearly everything, and he generally decided what
+punishment should be inflicted on evil-doers. In earliest times the
+people were called to meeting by drumbeat or by the blowing of a horn.
+The log meeting-house had oiled paper windows, or, if of glass, small
+diamond-shaped panes set in leaden frames made in England.</p>
+
+<p>Inside there was no fire and there were no cushions. Families did not
+sit together as now; but old men, young men, and women all sat by
+themselves. Boys occupied the pulpit steps or the gallery. On a bench
+just below the preacher sat the row of deacons, facing the congregation.
+If aged, they wore bright-colored flannel caps to protect their heads
+from numerous drafts. It was the business of the deacons to "line off"
+the Psalms as the people sang them. Books being very scarce, most of the
+congregation did not have any: accordingly the deacon would read aloud
+two lines, and when these were sung, read the next two, and so on. Every
+one sang. There was no choir, no organ, no instrumental music of any
+kind,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> and no hymns such as we have now. They sang the Psalms, which
+were arranged in metre for convenience in singing.</p>
+
+<p><b>123. The Discomforts of attending Church in Colonial Days.</b>&mdash;As the
+meeting-house was bitter cold in midwinter, women often carried
+foot-stoves, small sheet-iron boxes containing a few hot coals, which
+were a source of great comfort. The sermons were tedious, lasting two
+hours or even more; for those patient people valued a sermon very much
+according to its length. On the pulpit stood an hour-glass, which a
+deacon would reverse when the sands of the hour had fallen through.</p>
+
+<p>Since the seats were hard, and the sermons long, and the men and women
+had worked early and late through the week, it was no wonder that some
+of the hearers were sleepy. It was, however, a serious offense to sleep
+in meeting. The watchful tithing-man, as he was called, was always on
+the lookout for drowsy people. It was his duty to see that the Lord's
+Day was respected by every person. He was armed with a long rod, one end
+tipped with a hare's foot and the other with a hare's tail. If the
+slumberer was a woman, he used to touch, possibly to tickle, her face
+with the soft fur. But if a youngster nodded, his head got a sharp rap
+from the rabbit's foot.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>People in those days had to be thrifty. To save wear and tear, boys and
+girls walked barefoot to church in summer, with their shoes and
+stockings under their arms. They put them on as they entered the
+meeting-house, taking them off again as they started for home.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 328px;">
+<img src="images/illus136.jpg" width="328" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">New England Fireside in Colonial Times.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>124. The Food in Olden Times; what it was, and how it was served.</b>&mdash;In
+old colonial times our wheat bread was comparatively unknown. Loaves
+were made of mixed Indian meal and rye, not unlike the brown bread of
+our time. Baked pumpkin with milk was a favorite dish. Bean porridge was
+always a common article of food, and in some parts of the country it is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>
+still popular. It was made by boiling beans with the liquor in which
+corned beef had been cooked. It was very convenient for wood-choppers in
+winter to carry a frozen piece of porridge in their pockets and thaw it
+out for dinner in the woods. The longer it was kept, the better it
+tasted. Hence the common rhyme, "Bean porridge hot, bean porridge cold;
+bean porridge in the pot; nine days old."</p>
+
+<p>In well-to-do families the cupboard or dresser shone with well-scoured
+pewter plates, platters, and porringers. Square wooden plates were often
+used; but with some poorer families there was one common dish used, from
+which the whole family helped themselves with their fingers.</p>
+
+<p>Instead of forks, which were not known, they had thick and clumsy pewter
+spoons. These were easily broken, and they often had to be melted up and
+run over again into moulds by men who traveled from house to house for
+this purpose. In fact shoemakers, tailors, dressmakers, butchers, and
+other highly useful artisans traveled about from one family to another
+in pursuit of work.</p>
+
+<p><b>125. Schools in Olden Times; the Schoolmaster; Schoolhouses and how they
+were furnished.</b>&mdash;In most of the colonies the settlers were hardly
+located in their new homes before they began to provide schools for
+their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> children. In 1635 the town of Boston "voted to entreat brother
+Philemon Pormont to become schoolmaster," and, in 1647, the law was
+passed which is the foundation of the splendid educational system of
+Massachusetts.</p>
+
+<p>Only six years after Boston was founded, the sum of two thousand dollars
+was set apart to found "a seminary at Cambridge," which has now become
+Harvard University. For years afterwards, every family gave annually one
+peck of corn, or one shilling in money, to support the young college.</p>
+
+<p>Besides the usual branches, the early schools were required to teach
+religion and morals and the laws. They taught little enough of what we
+call school studies.</p>
+
+<p>The schoolhouses were rough and crude. They usually had but one room.
+Within the room, the door and the big fireplace were on one side, while
+against the other three walls was a long, rough shelf, in front of which
+was a seat made of a split log with legs driven beneath. The pupils
+faced the wall with their backs to the teacher. In front was another
+lower bench filled by the younger pupils. The teacher sat near the
+middle of the room, and there the classes stood to recite. The sessions
+were long, seven or eight hours a day. The boys had to furnish the
+fire<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>wood, and if any unlucky fellow failed to bring in his share, he
+had to sit in a cold corner for that day. When the fire was brisk, the
+scholars were almost roasted on one side and nearly frozen on the other.</p>
+
+<p>The teachers were often incompetent, either broken-down men or needy
+widows. The children brought each a few pennies a week for tuition.
+There were not many text-books, and the supplies were very scanty. The
+scholars often learned to write and "cast accounts" on pieces of white
+birchbark.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus141.jpg" width="300" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Night Watchman Announcing the Capture of Cornwallis.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>126. Newspapers, Traveling, and the Night Watchman.</b>&mdash;The first printing
+press was set up at Cambridge in 1639. It was used chiefly to print
+sermons and small pamphlets. The first newspaper published in America
+was the <i>Boston News-Letter</i> in 1704. It was a weekly, a brown sheet
+hardly more than a foot square. News traveled slowly, for there was
+little communication between city and city. Travelers were few, and
+conveyances were slow. A stage-coach that made forty miles a day between
+New York and Philadelphia was called, on account of its great speed, the
+"flying machine."</p>
+
+<p>In the cities, news was announced in the daytime by the public crier,
+who walked the streets ringing a large hand-bell, and pausing at the
+corners, where he recited his message of child lost, or reward offered,
+or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> the happening of any important event. In the night the town
+watchman, with rattle and lantern, paced the streets, stopping every
+person he met after nine o'clock to demand his name and business. He
+also called aloud the hours of the night in a sing-song tone:
+"Twelve-o'clock-and-all-'s-well."</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes his night cry was intensely interesting. At Philadelphia in
+October, 1781, evening after evening every one went to bed anxious about
+our army at Yorktown, and hoping every hour to hear tidings of victory.
+One night the old watchman's cry was heard echoing along the lonely
+streets: "Two-o'clock-and-Cornwallis-'s-captured!" How the windows flew
+up! and how the hearty cheers burst along from house to house all
+through the city!</p>
+
+<p><b>127. Other Details of Home Life in the Colonies.</b>&mdash;The home life of the
+colonists improved as the years passed, but until the Revolution it was
+very crude. In the families of well-to-do people the earth floors of
+early days were replaced by boards, the proudest decoration of which was
+a sprinkling of white sand, which on great occasions was swept into
+ornamental waves with a broom. The door latch was for a long time of
+wood, lifted by pulling a string hanging outside. Hence the hospitable
+invitation used to be: "Come over and see us! We keep the latchstring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>
+out." At night the string was drawn in, and that locked the door.</p>
+
+<p>As there were no friction matches, fire was started by striking a spark
+with flint and steel, which was caught on a bit of half-burned rag, and
+then brought to a blaze with a splinter of wood tipped with sulphur. On
+a cold morning, if one's fire was out and these tools were not at hand,
+the resort was to send a boy to a neighbor for a brand!</p>
+
+<p><b>128. How our Forefathers clothed themselves.</b>&mdash;The clothing worn by men,
+women, and children was nearly all home-made from the wool of their own
+sheep. It was a matter of pride with a good housewife to supply all the
+nice warm clothes needed by her family, and the daughters were brought
+up to card and spin and weave clothing, bedding, and table linen. After
+a time very fine linen was made, especially by the Scotch-Irish settlers
+who were skillful in raising flax and in weaving linen. We may safely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>
+infer that the women of those days were obliged to work early and late
+to provide warm clothing for themselves and oftentimes for large
+families. In fact it was for many years regarded as almost a disgrace to
+purchase clothing which might have been made at home.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 336px;">
+<img src="images/illus143.jpg" width="336" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Hospitality in a Southern Mansion.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>But some were disposed to shine in apparel more showy than their purses
+could afford or their rank allow. All such victims of personal vanity
+were liable to be ordered to appear before the court; for any person
+whose estate was less than a thousand dollars was "forbidden to wear
+gold or silver lace, or any lace above two shillings a yard." Once a
+"goodwife" by the name of Alice Flynt was required to show that she was
+worth money enough to be able to wear a silk hood. But the woman proved
+that she was, and she was allowed to wear her finery in triumph. In like
+manner, "goodman" Jonas Fairbanks was arrested for wearing "great
+boots," meaning boots with high tops that turned over showy red. He too
+escaped punishment and continued to sport his extravagance.</p>
+
+<p><b>129. How the Wealthier People lived.</b>&mdash;But after a while in the cities,
+the really wealthy, of whom there were not a few, often dressed in fine
+style. Gentlemen when fully equipped wore three-cornered cocked hats,
+long velvet coats, embroidered silk waistcoats with flaps<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> weighted with
+lead, breeches coming only to the knees, long silk stockings, and
+pointed shoes adorned with large silver buckles. Stately men wore their
+hair powdered, a long queue hanging down the back, where it was tied
+with a black ribbon. The clothing was often enriched with gold and
+silver lace, and glittering buttons. A mass of lace ruffles adorned the
+wrists and flowed over the hands. The street cloak glistened with gold
+lace, while a gold-headed cane and a gold snuff-box confirmed the
+wearer's title to rank as a gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>Ladies of wealth in the city wore rich heavy silk over stiff hoops, and
+towering hats adorned with tall feathers, with hair massed and powdered
+as if with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> snowflakes. All the fashions of high life were very exacting
+and precise. The wealth and style of the cities were displayed in the
+fine houses, the heavy, rich furniture imported from England, the
+massive silver plate of the tables, the luxurious living, and the choice
+wines.</p>
+
+<p>The forms of address, too, showed the social rank. The terms "lady" and
+"gentleman" were applied only to persons of recognized standing. Our
+everyday title of "Mr." was conferred only upon ministers and the
+officers of the law, and upon their sons if college bred. The title
+"Mrs." was limited to the wives of prominent men. But if Mr. John Smith
+was proved guilty of any offense, as theft or lying, he was always
+afterwards known only as John Smith. For ordinary people above the grade
+of servants the title of "Goody" was in common use, meaning either
+"Goodman" or "Goodwife."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>130. Our Forefathers, Men of Rare Ability and Sterling Character.</b>&mdash;Many
+of our forefathers who had been driven from England to this country by
+persecution were men of rare ability and sterling character. Some had
+served their nation with credit in the army; others had won social and
+political honors. Independent in their way of thinking, fearless in
+speech and action, they were sternly opposed to governmental oppression.
+They believed that royal power should be held within well-defined
+limits. They would not tamely submit, as many did, to abuses from a bad
+government and tyrannical kings.</p>
+
+<p><b>131. The Story of their Wrongs told to their Children.</b>&mdash;Now we may
+safely believe that the early settlers told their children all about the
+persecutions in England. The young folks learned well the sad tale of
+how their fathers had been punished, and some of their neighbors hanged
+or burned alive for worshiping God in what they thought the right way,
+and how, for this reason, they had sought a shelter in the New World.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As the years passed, these children grew up to be men, and in their turn
+they told it all to their sons. Again, when the new generation came upon
+the stage of action, the fathers repeated it to their boys, and these,
+when they attained manly strength, became the very heroes that fought so
+bravely at Bunker Hill and King's Mountain and on many another
+battlefield!</p>
+
+<p><b>132. A Feeling of Brotherhood among the Colonies.</b>&mdash;Then there was a
+sense of freedom, an inspiration to liberty, in this open, unsubdued,
+apparently boundless land. The free ocean, the immense forests, the
+eternal mountains, all seemed to teach that here man was to be his own
+master; that in this wide, new country, the people were destined to rule
+themselves, and not bound to obey some stupid and obstinate king three
+thousand miles away.</p>
+
+<p>The colonies along the coast, having the same language, with similar
+laws and customs, and having shared like sufferings from hunger and cold
+and the Indians, were naturally drawn together by a feeling of
+brotherhood.</p>
+
+<p><b>133. Cruel and Short-Sighted Policy of the Royal Governors.</b>&mdash;Before long
+there came up real grievances. One fact that diminished the affection of
+our forefathers for the mother country was the harsh treatment they
+received from many of the governors sent over by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> the king. For the
+colonies were not allowed to elect their own governors, nor could they
+choose even the governor's council of advisers. These were appointed by
+the monarch far away, who cared little for the Americans except to
+extort money from them.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, the English king seemed to think almost anybody would do for
+governor who contrived to wring money enough out of his distant
+subjects. Many of the royal governors were self-conceited, arrogant, and
+tyrannical. Consequently in some of the colonies there was almost
+incessant quarreling between the governors and the people. By and by the
+colonies came to be treated, not as a part of the home country, but as a
+sort of foreign district to furnish a royal revenue.</p>
+
+<p><b>134. The Colonies begin to prosper.</b>&mdash;Notwithstanding all their
+hardships, the colonies prospered. The people were wonderfully
+enterprising. They built ships and made a great deal of money by trading
+with the West Indies, France, Spain, and other countries. The New
+Englanders alone had over five hundred vessels engaged in domestic and
+foreign commerce and in profitable fisheries.</p>
+
+<p>The early colonists were ingenious. They built and ran a sawmill a
+hundred years before one was erected in England. They exported great
+quantities<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> of excellent lumber. They began very early to manufacture
+farmer's tools, leather, boots and shoes, woolen cloth, hats, glass,
+paper, salt, and gunpowder. The sale of these goods and of many other
+things produced by them made a profitable trade. In return the colonists
+bought in distant lands a great amount and variety of other merchandise.</p>
+
+<p><b>135. The British Government begins its Tyrannical Policy.</b>&mdash;But the
+English rulers, seeing all this prosperity, became jealous and said:
+"This will never do! We must stop it! Those distant colonists across the
+ocean are driving a great trade; the foreign nations they deal with get
+their money. We must have it; we must compel them to do all their
+trading with us." And that is what the English government tried to do.
+By 1750 not less than twenty-nine Acts of Parliament had been passed
+with the intent to have all of the loss in trade fall on the colonies
+and all the gain come to England.</p>
+
+<p>In 1761 it was decided to enforce the so-called Navigation Acts,
+forbidding the colonies to have any foreign commerce except in British
+ships. Our colonial merchants were not allowed to export goods, nor to
+import any except from England or her colonies. They must not import any
+sugar or molasses without paying on it a heavy duty, which went to the
+king.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> Under these unjust laws the British traders could fix low prices
+on all they bought, and high prices on all they sold, and thus by this
+double-edged method could shape their profits to suit themselves.</p>
+
+<p><b>136. Other Absurd and Tyrannical Laws.</b>&mdash;Still more odious than these
+navigation laws were other absurd and tyrannical regulations made to
+cripple the industries and manufactures of the colonies. The fact was,
+the English Parliament meant that England's workshops should do all the
+manufacturing, her merchants all the trading, and her ships all the
+carrying for the colonies, that they might keep in England all the
+immense profits of the colonial trade.</p>
+
+<p>To bring this about, laws were passed forbidding the manufacture of all
+such goods as English shops could produce. For instance, iron must not
+be made from the abundant mines of our country. We must buy all our
+hardware from England. It was a crime to use the wool from our own sheep
+in making woolen goods, and we were forbidden to sell these articles
+from one colony to another. For example, a Boston hatter could be
+punished if he sold his hats in New York. Men were forbidden to cut down
+trees on their own lands for staves and barrels. For wooden ware, as
+chairs, tables, wheels, wagons, the raw mate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>rial must be sent to
+England to be worked up, and the finished goods brought back to this
+country.</p>
+
+<p><b>137. A Bitter Feeling aroused against the Home Government.</b>&mdash;Now all
+these laws seemed very harsh and unjust. And, indeed, they were
+well-nigh intolerable. They crippled and almost ruined the business of
+the colonies, and violated what our forefathers regarded as their
+natural right to make what they pleased and sell where they pleased.</p>
+
+<p>These laws were so unjust that our forefathers thought there was not
+much wrong in evading them. They smuggled goods and carried them home.
+British officers went around and searched houses from cellar to attic,
+often with rudeness and insults. This conduct created much bitterness of
+feeling. Pine trees of twelve inches or more in diameter were marked
+with the "king's arrow," which showed that they were to be saved for use
+in the navy. It was a criminal offense to cut down any such. However
+much a settler might need them to build his house, he was forbidden to
+touch them. In fact, before he cleared his land, he had to pay an
+officer to come and make the arrow mark on the king's trees!</p>
+
+<p>These unjust and absurd statutes produced a vast deal of ill-will toward
+England. If they had been strictly enforced, no doubt the Revolution
+would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> come several years before it did. And yet there was also
+much friendly feeling for the mother country. The friends and relatives
+of the colonists still lived there, letters were constantly exchanged,
+and hundreds of people coming and going every year kept up an affection
+between the two countries. Our people in those times always called
+England "home."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 371px;">
+<img src="images/illus151.jpg" width="371" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">British Stamp.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>138. The Obnoxious Stamp Act.</b>&mdash;There came at last one event which, of
+all the troubles, hastened the Revolution. The French and Indian War had
+cost both England and the colonies a great deal of money. King George
+wanted to compel the colonies to pay part of this expense, and
+accordingly Parliament passed in 1765 the "Stamp Act," the most
+unpopular measure ever tried with the colonists. This law required that
+stamped paper should be used for all bills, bonds, notes, wills, and
+deeds, and even for all pamphlets, almanacs, and newspapers.</p>
+
+<p>Stamps for this purpose had to be bought of stamp officers appointed by
+the king. They were for the most part not unlike our revenue stamps. One
+kind was a red-ink seal, made with a hand stamp; the other a seal on
+blue paper, to be fastened on the article.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> The cost varied from one
+cent to fifty dollars each. No document was legal unless stamped.</p>
+
+<p>Our people at once saw that if England could levy taxes in this way, she
+could in many other ways, and there would be no end to such high-handed
+and tyrannical laws. Besides, there were no American representatives in
+Parliament, and Americans had no voice at all in the matter. They felt
+that the tax thus laid upon them was wrong. They did not object to
+paying the cost of a trifling tax. They felt bound to resist the rank
+injustice of the demand. It was not the amount but the principle at
+stake.</p>
+
+<p><b>139. The Indignation of the People.</b>&mdash;The people were aroused. A storm of
+indignation swept over the land. Violent opposition broke out along the
+entire length of the colonies. They pledged themselves to stand by each
+other. The cry passed through the land: "No taxation without
+representation!" This became the watchword of the country. They did not
+wish to avoid paying a fair assessment in a fair way; but they insisted
+that, as always before, their own legislatures and not Parliament should
+levy the contribution. Our forefathers declared over and over again that
+they would not be taxed by a governing body three thousand miles away,
+whose members had never seen America.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>140. Patrick Henry and his Bold Speech.</b>&mdash;One day the Virginia Assembly
+was in session. Washington was there in his seat, and Jefferson, then a
+young law student, stood listening at the door. Patrick Henry stoutly
+argued that Virginia was not bound to obey any law which was plainly a
+menace to the common freedom of Englishmen.</p>
+
+<p>"C&aelig;sar had his Brutus," said the bold and eloquent orator; "Charles the
+First his Cromwell, and George the Third"&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Treason!" shouted the Speaker of the Assembly, and the cry, "Treason,
+treason!" rang through the room.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 291px;">
+<img src="images/illus153.jpg" width="291" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Patrick Henry&#39;s Bold Speech.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The intrepid patriot finished his sentence: "may profit by their
+example. If that be treason, make the most of it!"</p>
+
+<p><b>141. The People combine to resist the Hated Law.</b>&mdash;The people combined to
+resist, and a stamp-tax congress was held in New York. Lovers of liberty
+would not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> deal in stamped goods. They refused to buy a single stamp.
+Riots occurred at the stamp offices. Packages of stamps were seized, and
+some were publicly burned in the streets. Boxes of stamped paper
+arriving in vessels were seized and thrown overboard. Publishers of
+newspapers decorated their headlines with skull and cross-bones instead
+of stamps. Stamp officers were dragged out and compelled to swear they
+would not sell any stamps.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 425px;">
+<img src="images/illus154.jpg" width="425" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Patrick Henry.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>On the day for the law to take effect, funeral bells were tolled, flags
+were at half-mast, and shops were closed. New England, New York,
+Virginia, and the Carolinas all felt alike and acted alike. William
+Pitt, also called the Earl of Chatham, one of the greatest of
+Englishmen, took his stand on the side of the colonies in a speech of
+surpassing eloquence and power. The hated law was repealed in just one
+year from its passage.</p>
+
+<p>This happy news was received both in England and in America with
+bonfires, ringing of bells, and universal rejoicings. But the joy was
+short-lived.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> King George, "industrious as a beaver and obstinate as a
+mule," and his followers in Parliament were not slow to pick a fresh
+quarrel with the Americans.</p>
+
+<p>The next year the English Parliament made a law requiring duties to be
+paid on paper, glass, paints, and tea. Again the liberty-loving
+Americans were a unit in opposing any kind of taxation that seemed to
+them illegal. Some of the legislatures protested to Parliament, and King
+George answered by breaking up the legislatures. The people indignantly
+refused to buy any goods at all from England while these taxes were
+demanded. English traders found their business going to ruin. Ships came
+loaded with British goods, and had to carry them back.</p>
+
+<p><b>142. Bitter Hatred of the British Soldiers.</b>&mdash;So bitter was the
+opposition in Boston that a regiment of British troops was sent there to
+force the people to submit even at the point of the bayonet. But a brave
+people, determined to be free, is not so easily forced.</p>
+
+<p>The citizens of Boston were ordered to furnish lodging and food for the
+soldiers. They would not do it&mdash;not they! Their hatred of the soldiers
+grew more bitter. Brawls often occurred on the streets. The soldiers on
+their part began to be insulting.</p>
+
+<p><b>143. Boston Boys stand up for their Rights.</b>&mdash;Even the children took part
+in the quarrels, as an incident will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> show. During the winter the boys
+used to build snow-slides on Boston Common and slide down upon them to
+the frog pond. The English soldiers destroyed these slides, merely to
+provoke the boys. The young Americans complained of the injury and set
+about repairing it. However, when they returned from school, they found
+the snow-slides destroyed again.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 313px;">
+<img src="images/illus156.jpg" width="313" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Boston Boys make their Protest to General Gage.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Several of the boys now waited upon one of the under-officers, and told
+him of the conduct of his soldiers; but he would have nothing to say to
+them; and the soldiers were more impudent than ever. At last the boys
+called a meeting and sent a committee of the largest of their number to
+General Gage, the commander-in-chief. He asked why so many boys had
+called upon him.</p>
+
+<p>"We came, sir," said the tallest, "to demand satisfaction."</p>
+
+<p>"What!" said the general; "have your fathers been teaching you
+rebellion, and sent you to show it here?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Nobody sent us, sir," he answered, while his cheek reddened and his eye
+flashed. "We have never injured nor insulted your troops; but they have
+trodden down our snow-slides and broken the ice on the pond. We
+complained and they called us young rebels and told us to help ourselves
+if we could. We told one of your officers of this, and he laughed at us.
+Yesterday our slides were destroyed for the third time; and, sir, we
+will bear it no longer."</p>
+
+<p>General Gage was a kind-hearted and courteous gentleman. He looked at
+them with admiration, and said to an officer at his side: "The very
+children draw in a love of liberty with the air they breathe. You may
+go, my brave boys; and be assured, if my soldiers trouble you again,
+they shall be punished."</p>
+
+<p><b>144. The Boston Massacre.</b>&mdash;One night in March (1770) some soldiers
+stationed in Boston got into a quarrel, and the noise increased until
+the guard was called out. As the platoon of regulars drew up in line,
+most of the crowd fell back.</p>
+
+<p>A few remained and reviled the red-coat soldiers, shouting,
+"Lobster-backs! Fire if you dare, you cowards! You don't dare to fire!"</p>
+
+<p>Captain Preston, the officer in command, gave the word, "Fire!" The
+regulars fired.</p>
+
+<p>Five men were killed and several wounded. There<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> was now intense
+excitement in Boston. The Old South Church was crowded with an angry
+town-meeting. Thousands filled the streets near by. The people demanded
+that the troops be removed. The governor promised to remove one
+regiment. "Both regiments or none," was the watchword.</p>
+
+<p>Samuel Adams waited upon the governor, and stretching forth his long
+right arm, and pointing his finger at him, he sternly demanded, in the
+name of three thousand freemen, that the royal governor remove every
+British soldier from Boston.</p>
+
+<p>"I observed his knees to tremble," said the stern patriot in after
+years; "I saw his face grow pale&mdash;and I enjoyed the sight."</p>
+
+<p>Before sunset of the same day the British troops were removed from the
+city and sent to a fort in the harbor. Not until then did the meeting in
+the Old South break up.</p>
+
+<p>This unfortunate affair was the so-called "Boston Massacre." It did more
+to mould public opinion than weeks of vigorous protest and fine argument
+could have done. It was one step, and an important one too, toward the
+final appeal to the sword and the bayonet.</p>
+
+<p><b>145. The Famous Boston Tea Party.</b>&mdash;In view of all these troubles,
+England took off the taxes from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> everything but tea. King George said he
+must have one tax to maintain the principle of the right of taxation.
+But the colonists refused to drink tea imported from China! The women
+were patriotic and made their tea of raspberry leaves, sage, and other
+plants, rather than use the hated foreign article.</p>
+
+<p>But the government of England was determined we should buy tea, and the
+merchants sent shiploads of it to our large cities. The Americans were
+firm. They vowed that not an ounce of it should land. There was only a
+few cents' tax on each pound. What our people disputed was the right of
+the king to tax. When the tea reached New York and Philadelphia, none
+dared to receive it, lest their houses should be pulled down about their
+heads. In Charleston, S. C., some was taken ashore, but as no one would
+buy it or pay the duty, it was hid in damp cellars, where it soon
+spoiled. In Annapolis it was burned.</p>
+
+<p>At Boston warning was several times given to the masters of the ships to
+sail out of the harbor. On the last day before the tea must be landed or
+be prevented by force from landing, a town-meeting was held in the Old
+South Church. The crowd in the church, and in the streets about it,
+numbered more than seven thousand people. "It was to be," says John
+Fiske, "one of the most momentous days in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> history of the world."
+The discussion continued until dark, and candles were brought in. It was
+decided that the tea should not be landed.</p>
+
+<p>"Who knows," shouted one in the audience, "how tea will mix with salt
+water?"</p>
+
+<p>The church fairly shook with cheers.</p>
+
+<p>Then up rose Samuel Adams and quickly said: "This meeting can do nothing
+more to save the country."</p>
+
+<p>This was the signal. A war-whoop was heard outside the door, and forty
+or fifty men, disguised as Indians, went quietly aboard the three
+vessels, and before the nine-o'clock bell rang three hundred and
+forty-two chests of tea had been cut open and their contents emptied
+into Boston Harbor. This was the famous "Boston Tea Party" we have so
+often heard of, and it took place in the middle of December in 1773. A
+large crowd of the friends of these men stood on shore until the deed
+was done, and then, without doing any other injury to property, all
+separated and went home in the clear, frosty moonlight.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning there was not a chest of taxed tea in Boston, on
+shipboard or on shore, and Paul Revere was riding post haste to
+Philadelphia to let the good people of that city know that Boston had at
+last thrown down the gauntlet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>One of the "Indians" found a handful of tea in his shoe the next
+morning. He carefully saved it and sealed it in a bottle. It is still
+shown as a souvenir of this informal "tea party" in Boston harbor.</p>
+
+<p>One rash fellow, probably thinking that his family would like a good
+drink of real tea, cut open the lining of his coat and waistcoat, and,
+watching his chance, filled them with tea; but he was caught in the act
+and handled pretty roughly.</p>
+
+<p><b>146. Attempts to punish Boston.</b>&mdash;"Boston shall be punished," said King
+George when he heard of the "tea party." Parliament passed the "Boston
+Port Bill." By this act the port of Boston was closed. No vessel could
+go in or out except under the most rigid conditions. The object of
+course was to frighten or force the Boston people into yielding to the
+royal power.</p>
+
+<p>Near-by towns and the other colonies came to their help by sending food
+and other needed articles. The southern colonies sent flour and rice,
+the middle furnished corn and money, and many towns sent sheep and
+cattle. One town in Connecticut sent a flock of two hundred and fifty
+sheep. Marblehead sent fish, and other towns grain.</p>
+
+<p>Warm sympathy came from Virginia. "If need be," said Washington, "I will
+raise a thousand men,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> subsist them at my own expense, and march myself
+at their head for the relief of Boston." In fact all the colonies took
+up the cause of Boston as their own. Of course the blockade made great
+hardship for the poor. There was much suffering from the scarcity of
+fuel and food. Still the people, as resolute as their leaders, made
+little complaint and caused no disorder.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Joseph Warren overheard some British officers boast that if a
+patriot ever addressed the people again in the Old South Church, he
+would surely lose his life. This was enough. Warren begged the honor.
+The church was so crowded that he had to get a ladder and climb in
+through a window at the back of the pulpit. Many British officers were
+present who annoyed the speaker with groans and hisses. The fearless
+patriot, however, made a stirring speech "on the baneful influence of
+standing armies in time of peace."</p>
+
+<p><b>147. The Home Government adopts Stringent Measures.</b>&mdash;The charter of
+Massachusetts was annulled, and its free government taken away. General
+Gage, the commander of the British army in America, was ordered to
+Boston with several regiments and was appointed military governor with
+despotic power. Cannon were mounted on the heights, tents pitched on the
+Com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>mon, and companies of red-coats were marching to and fro in the
+streets.</p>
+
+<p>The effect was exactly what the wisest men in Parliament had predicted.
+They had said that the colonies would unite more firmly, and that the
+American people would be driven into open rebellion. King George was
+obstinate and used all his influence to push the most obnoxious Acts
+through Parliament.</p>
+
+<p><b>148. The First Continental Congress.</b>&mdash;The first Continental Congress
+held its first meeting at Philadelphia in September, 1774. The ablest
+men of the colonies were sent as delegates. They forwarded to the king a
+candid statement of their grievances. It did no good. Massachusetts was
+declared in a state of rebellion. In truth, it looked like it.</p>
+
+<p>Such a condition of affairs could not last long. The feeling was intense
+against the king and his all-powerful friends. Arguments were useless.
+The royal authority was boldly and stubbornly defied. The sword and the
+bayonet must now decide whether king or people were to rule in America.</p>
+
+<p>"The contest may be severe, but the end will be glorious," said the
+martyr-patriot Warren, who soon after fell at Bunker Hill.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>149. The Patriots prepare for War.</b>&mdash;When General Gage began to increase
+slowly the number of troops in Boston, and especially when he began to
+fortify Boston Neck, it was plain enough that this meant war. The people
+on their part began to prepare anxiously for the coming struggle. Every
+one felt that desperate times were near at hand. The patriots quickly
+collected arms and ammunition and, having packed them in loads of hay
+and similar disguises to deceive the British spies, sent them for safe
+keeping to Concord, about sixteen miles northwest of Boston.</p>
+
+<p><b>150. Gage forms Plans to capture Military Stores.</b>&mdash;General Gage soon
+learned this, and made secret preparations to capture these supplies.
+Inasmuch as in previous expeditions of this kind he had met with
+failure, the advantage of a surprise was this time to be increased by
+the presence of a large force. The Americans, however, were quite as
+keen of sight and hearing as their enemies, and had even more reason to
+keep a sharp lookout.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>About midnight on the 18th of April, 1775, Gage quietly sent out from
+Boston nearly eight hundred soldiers. He had two objects in view; to
+seize the military stores at Concord, and to arrest Samuel Adams and
+"his ready and willing tool," that "terrible desperado," John Hancock.</p>
+
+<p>Gage thought the start of his midnight soldiers was quite unknown to the
+Americans. He never suspected that Warren and other vigilant patriots
+had been watching every movement, and were determined to thwart his
+plans. At about ten or eleven o'clock, two hours before the British
+soldiers embarked, a signal lantern hung out of the belfry of the Old
+North Church in Boston, and in a few minutes another by its side&mdash;"One,
+if by land, and two, if by sea"&mdash;flashed the tidings of the coming
+expedition.</p>
+
+<p><b>151. The Country about Boston aroused.</b>&mdash;An hour or two before the
+British troops began to cross in boats to Charlestown, two horsemen, who
+had been watching for the lantern lights in the steeple, dashed out on
+swift steeds by different roads towards Lexington and Concord: William
+Dawes went like an arrow over Boston Neck, and then through Roxbury and
+Watertown, while Paul Revere across the water sped as if on wings from
+Charlestown. Their swift horses' hoofs clattered sharply in the quiet of
+this beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> night, striking fire from the stones in the darkness.
+But at almost every house they paused a moment to arouse the sleepers.
+"Wake up!" they shouted. Windows flew open.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter?"&mdash;"What's the mat-ter?"</p>
+
+<p>"Matter enough, you'll find, by daylight!" was the hurried reply. "The
+British are coming!"</p>
+
+<p><b>152. The Night March to Concord.</b>&mdash;Meanwhile the British soldiers were
+marching along rapidly through the cool April night. They made no noise.
+There was no drumbeat; the officers gave their commands almost in
+whispers. Only the clatter of the horses' hoofs and the steady tramp of
+the marching men broke the silence. When day dawned they approached the
+village of Lexington, ten miles from Boston and about two-thirds of the
+way to Concord. They were not entirely surprised to find, even so early,
+a squad of armed minute-men awaiting them, for they had heard church
+bells ringing and had seen, all along their march, lights moving to and
+fro in the farm houses.</p>
+
+<p><b>153. The Patriots make a stand at Lexington.</b>&mdash;The British arrived at
+Lexington about half-past four. Ready to meet them were some sixty or
+seventy men drawn up on the village green close beside the
+meeting-house, with loaded guns. As they stood there,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> silent and
+fearless, on that sweet spring morning, April 19, 1775, their leader,
+Captain John Parker, who fifteen years before had climbed the Heights of
+Abraham by the side of Wolfe, addressed them briefly.</p>
+
+<p>"Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon," said Parker; "but if
+they mean to have a war, let it begin here!" Seventy men against eight
+hundred! War it was, and it did begin there.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus167.jpg" width="450" height="446" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Paul Revere&#39;s Ride.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Major Pitcairn, who soon afterwards fell at Bunker Hill, rode up and
+cried out:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Disperse, you villains! Throw down your arms, you rebels, and go home!"</p>
+
+<p>He then discharged his pistol and, turning to his soldiers, cried,
+"Fire!" Instantly flashed out the first volley of the Revolutionary War,
+and eight of the farmer minute-men fell dead!</p>
+
+<p>The number of the Americans was so small in pro<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>portion to that of the
+British that the only sensible course was to retreat. They retired with
+a few parting shots at the enemy. Then the red-coats, giving three
+cheers, marched on towards Concord, six miles farther.</p>
+
+<p>The patriots at Concord had the day before received some hint of the
+proposed capture, and had removed most of the military stores to the
+woods. The British found two cannon, which they spiked, and some cannon
+balls and gunpowder, which they threw into the river. Then they
+destroyed a quantity of flour, cut down the liberty-pole, and set fire
+to the courthouse.</p>
+
+<p><b>154. The Fight at Concord Bridge.</b>&mdash;While they were busy doing this,
+fresh minute-men, about four hundred in number, were coming in from all
+the adjoining towns. They gathered near the old North Bridge to drive
+away some regulars who had begun to take up the planks. As the militia
+approached, the British soldiers fired and killed several. Among the
+dead was Captain Isaac Davis. Long after life was extinct, the fingers
+of this brave patriot, as if still true to his purpose, held firm grasp
+on his gun.</p>
+
+<p>Major Buttrick, a leader among the soldier-farmers, shouted, "Fire,
+fellow-soldiers! Fire!" Obedient to this order, the Americans in return
+"fired the shot heard round the world!" The regulars fell back in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>
+confusion. The minute-men held the bridge, and the enemy began a hasty
+retreat.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 310px;">
+<img src="images/illus169.jpg" width="310" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Minute-Men attacking the British Regulars on the
+Retreat.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Our men were too few in number to join in a square pitched battle with
+the trained British soldiers; but as soon as these began to withdraw,
+the patriots followed them closely and kept up a brisk discharge of
+musketry. The previous volleys and the bell-ringing had aroused the
+whole adjacent country, and fresh men came pouring in from every side.
+Most of them were without their coats; but they had guns in their hands
+and they knew how to use them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>155. The British begin their Retreat.</b>&mdash;Occasionally the retreating
+soldiers would stop and shoot back, and then hurry on and even run, to
+escape the deadly bullets. Soon the minute-men, leaping over the stone
+walls, ran on ahead, or, cutting across at some bend of the road, got a
+long distance in advance. Then as the column came on, the Americans,
+from behind barns, trees, rocks, and walls, would pour a storm of shot
+into the staggering ranks. So from right and left, behind and before,
+came in showers the fatal balls of the minute-men. A British officer
+afterwards said, "It seemed as if men dropped from the clouds."</p>
+
+<p>You remember Longfellow's description:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">How the British regulars fired and fled,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How the farmers gave them ball for ball,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From behind each fence and farm-yard wall,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Chasing the red-coats down the lane,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then crossing the fields to emerge again,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Under the trees at the turn of the road,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And pausing only to fire and load.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The British suffered fearfully in this six-mile march. The weather was
+as sultry as in midsummer, and the dust was suffocating. They had been
+on the road without food or water from midnight to noon. They were worn
+and exhausted, and the ceaseless shot of the Americans, who were all
+trained to the use of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> rifle, brought down some of the regulars at
+almost every step. To go on was perilous, to pause long was fatal. Dead
+and wounded men and horses lay all along the road.</p>
+
+<p>Thus beset, the British pushed on, hurrying back over the dreadful
+distance till they reached Lexington. Here they were rejoiced to find a
+thousand soldiers sent out from Boston under Lord Percy to meet them.
+These had marched out of Boston to the tune of Yankee Doodle! They were
+formed in a hollow square, and into this shelter rushed the runaway
+red-coats, falling upon the green grass from pure exhaustion, "with
+their tongues hanging out of their mouths, like dogs after a chase."
+Lord Percy allowed a rest of only about half an hour, knowing very well
+that the longer he delayed the greater would be the increasing swarm of
+armed men gathering around him.</p>
+
+<p><b>156. The Panic-Stricken British Regulars at last reach the Shelter of
+the Men-of-War.</b>&mdash;The British commander had now in all nearly eighteen
+hundred men, and he made straight for Charlestown, the nearest point of
+safety. But in spite of this large force, the minute-men with their
+unerring aim kept on his flanks, picking off the regulars, especially
+the officers, all along the road. In vain the officers threatened; the
+men ran like sheep. At sunset the British reached Charles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>town and found
+themselves safe under the shelter of their men-of-war.</p>
+
+<p>If Percy's reinforcements had not come up, all the British soldiers that
+started back from Concord would have been killed or taken prisoners. The
+king's regulars had been driven in rout and almost panic before the
+stout-hearted minute-men. Well might General Gage feel keenly the
+disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>The loss on both sides at Lexington and Concord was small. Most of the
+fighting took place on the retreat, where the loss of the Americans was
+about fifty killed and forty-three wounded, while the British lost in
+all two hundred and seventy-three men.</p>
+
+<p><b>157. What the Eventful Day showed.</b>&mdash;Thus began and ended one of the most
+eventful days in the history of our country. It witnessed the opening
+conflict of the American Revolution.</p>
+
+<p>When that sturdy patriot, Samuel Adams, heard the crackle of the
+musketry, he exclaimed, "What a glorious morning is this!" He knew that
+the time had come when the people must draw the sword.</p>
+
+<p>The Americans had now shown that they could fight. They saw the
+promptness with which they could assemble, and they felt that, if need
+were, they could defend themselves. The British also learned that the
+American farmers could fight, and that, too,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> on the spur of the moment.
+They found that the colonies were not to be frightened into submission.
+It became plain to each side that very serious work was near at hand.
+The grim figure of <span class="smcap">WAR</span> cast its long black shadow into the future.</p>
+
+<p>The shots of these resolute farmers echoed far and wide. They told the
+whole world that a people stood ready to give their lives in defense of
+their rights; that they fought after their own fashion, and they fought
+hard.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 306px;">
+<img src="images/illus174.jpg" width="306" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Fight at Concord Bridge.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>158. The Minute-Men; the Work they did, and how they did it.</b>&mdash;The
+minute-men were bands of enrolled patriots pledged to start at a
+minute's notice to a call for their services. They had few good weapons,
+mostly shotguns for hunting birds and squirrels. They were short of
+powder and ball. In many of the families the women melted or pounded up
+their pewter spoons and dishes into bullets and slugs.</p>
+
+<p>The minute-men were numerous in every town, and when the alarm was
+given, they would leave plow or shop, hurry home, take down the gun from
+its hooks over the fireplace, bid good-by to wife and children, and be
+off to help their country in its peril.</p>
+
+<p>Israel Putnam, in leather frock and apron, was at work in a field on his
+farm in Connecticut when he heard of Lexington. Leaving the plow in the
+fur<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>row, he jumped on his horse and rode the hundred or more miles to
+Cambridge in eighteen hours. John Stark was at work in his sawmill in
+New Hampshire when the news of Lexington came. He stopped the mill,
+hurried home, took down his rifle, and rode on horseback to Cambridge.
+In his haste he even forgot to put on his coat!</p>
+
+<p>Every town had a company or two of minute-men and of militia soldiers,
+who regularly met and drilled. The soldiers and the officers of these
+companies were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> usually the best citizens of the towns. Thirty-one towns
+were represented among the patriots who hastened to the fight on the
+nineteenth of April.</p>
+
+<p><b>159. Tablets now shown along this Historic Road.</b>&mdash;If some day we should
+take a ride over this very road, we should notice along the way numerous
+landmarks of that famous contest&mdash;carved monuments, houses with bullet
+holes carefully preserved, bronze tablets on houses, marking some spot
+of special interest. At Fiske's Hill, in Lexington, an inscription
+records that at a well near by two soldiers met to drink. The British
+grenadier raised his gun and said to James Hayward, "You are a dead
+man!" "And so are you!" replied the minute-man. Both fired; one was
+instantly killed, and the other mortally wounded.</p>
+
+<p>On Lexington Common we should see a stately monument with a long
+inscription reciting the event.</p>
+
+<p>At Concord Bridge would be seen a noble statue of the Minute-Man,
+beneath which on the pedestal are Emerson's famous verses:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Here once the embattled farmers stood,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And fired the shot heard round the world.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>160. More Regulars sent to Boston.</b>&mdash;The battle of Lexington, fought as
+we have read, on the nineteenth of April, 1775, was a most momentous
+event, since it showed for the first time the resolute purpose of the
+Americans to draw the sword and defend themselves from British
+oppression. The news reached England near the end of May. Those
+Lexington muskets said plainer than words that the colonies would not
+submit to unjust taxation.</p>
+
+<p>Fully aware that the situation was becoming serious, the British
+government sent a large number of fresh troops to reinforce the garrison
+in Boston. These came under the command of Generals Howe, Clinton, and
+Burgoyne, and made in all an army of about ten thousand men.</p>
+
+<p><b>161. A Patriot Army is gathered around Boston.</b>&mdash;The patriots, too, were
+gathering in large numbers around Boston. They came by hundreds from all
+directions. Quite a large body was from Connecticut under Colonel
+(afterwards General) Israel Putnam. General Ward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> was commander of these
+forces until Washington arrived at Cambridge on July 3, 1775, and first
+took command of the American army under the old elm.</p>
+
+<p>On the twelfth of June, General Gage issued a proclamation declaring all
+those in arms to be rebels and traitors, but offering pardon to all who
+would lay down their weapons and obey the British governor. Two, John
+Hancock and Samuel Adams, were excepted. Their patriotism had been too
+intense and outspoken to be forgiven.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus177.jpg" width="450" height="431" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Washington taking Command of the Patriot Army.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The American army, now nearly twenty thousand strong, formed a line of
+encampments in a great semicircle of sixteen miles, halfway around the
+city from Roxbury Neck to the Mystic River. They soon learned that Gage
+intended to break through the American lines into the country for a
+supply of provisions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>162. Plans to checkmate the British.</b>&mdash;General Ward, having discovered
+that the British were planning to sally forth through Charlestown,
+determined to strike first and so defeat their project. It was decided
+to seize and fortify some suitable hill in Charlestown. Colonel William
+Prescott, a well-tried soldier of the French-Indian wars, and
+grandfather of Prescott, the famous historian, was ordered, on the
+sixteenth of June, to march that night with nearly a thousand men to
+Bunker Hill and throw up breastworks.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after sunset the soldiers were formed in a hollow square on
+Cambridge Common, and President Langdon of Harvard College offered
+prayer. The good man then gave them his blessing and bade them
+"Godspeed." At nine o'clock they started on their silent march. At
+Charlestown Neck they met General Putnam with more soldiers and
+wagon-loads of picks and shovels.</p>
+
+<p><b>163. Entrenched on Bunker Hill.</b>&mdash;Prescott led them to the top of Bunker
+Hill. After consultation with his officers, he moved on through the
+darkness to Breed's Hill, which had a better command of the city and the
+shipping. The lines were soon staked out, and at midnight the farmer
+soldiers began their entrenchments. So rapidly did they work that the
+dim morning twilight disclosed a large square<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> of fresh trenches
+crowning the hill, with long wings stretching right and left. They had
+made a fort in a single night.</p>
+
+<p>How surprised the British were at the sight, as the sun rose on a
+beautiful summer morning! They could scarcely believe their eyes. It
+seemed like a work of magic. A thousand men had shoveled as they never
+shoveled before, and not a British sentry had heard the click of their
+spades. They saw at once that the Americans, if they only had time
+enough to plant a battery of cannon there, could very soon drive them
+out of Boston. So the only thing for them to do was to drive the
+Americans from that hill, and that too without delay. Accordingly, the
+British men-of-war, Lively and Falcon, and then the forts on Copp's Hill
+in Boston immediately opened fire.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile some hundreds of fresh soldiers arrived to help the Americans,
+hungry and weary with their hard night's work. The shot and shell from
+ships and fort dropped around and among them, but they worked bravely on
+in the hot sunshine till nearly noon. At the left, on the northern slope
+of the hill, they moved some rail fences so as to build long double
+lines close together, and stuffed the space between with new-mown hay,
+making an excellent breastwork.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>164. The British prepare to storm the Entrenchments.</b>&mdash;Things are now
+looking serious. The Americans can see and hear the British in Boston
+preparing for an attack. Prescott sends hurrying messengers to General
+Ward at the Cambridge headquarters for more soldiers. During the
+forenoon General Stark arrives with five hundred fresh New Hampshire
+troops, who were posted behind the rail fence on the extreme left. Next
+General Warren comes, and, laying aside his rank, takes a place of
+danger among the troops. The combat hastens, and every minute throbs
+with emotion.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after one o'clock twenty-eight large boats are seen crossing over
+from Boston, loaded with soldiers and artillery. The Americans are now
+exchanging shovels for muskets and preparing for the foe. Now the
+red-coats are landing at the foot of the hill! See! they are forming in
+two columns, their bright cannon and muskets glistening in the hot sun.
+It is now about three o'clock in the afternoon. They begin to march up
+the hill!</p>
+
+<p>General Howe's column is on our left, to break through the grass wall
+and push his way behind our forces. Their other column, under General
+Pigot, is marching up the hill to attack our redoubt in front. They are
+coming slowly in the hot sun of a bright<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> June afternoon. The artillery
+booms and crashes incessantly with a deafening roar.</p>
+
+<p>General Gage has ordered that Charlestown be set on fire, and the flames
+and smoke of five hundred burning buildings make a terrible scene. All
+the surrounding heights, house-tops, and spires are crowded with
+thousands of anxious spectators breathlessly watching the thrilling
+sight.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Here were sister, wife, and mother, looking wild upon each other,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And their lips were white with terror as they said, '<span class="smcap">The hour has come!</span>'"<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p><b>165. The Battle begins.</b>&mdash;Behind those hasty breastworks fifteen hundred
+patriots lie silently awaiting the steady march of over three thousand
+trained British soldiers. Still on and up they toil, burdened with their
+heavy knapsacks, pausing to fire as they march.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't fire until I give the word," said Prescott; "then fire low! Pick
+off the officers."</p>
+
+<p>Putnam shouted to his men: "Powder is scarce, boys, don't waste it; wait
+till you see the whites of their eyes."</p>
+
+<p>When the red-coats came within about a hundred and fifty feet of the
+breastworks, suddenly came Prescott's sharp order:&mdash;"Fire!" Instantly a
+flash of flame<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> blazed along our entire line, and down fell the whole
+front of the advancing ranks. Under the ceaseless rain of bullets the
+British veterans gave way and retreated down the hillside in disorder.</p>
+
+<p>Then burst forth from our side a strong shout, the first ringing cry on
+this continent for national independence. But it was a sad sight&mdash;the
+long rows of dead and dying soldiers, mowed down as if by a sudden sweep
+of a giant scythe.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Oh, the sight our eyes discover as the blue-black smoke blows over!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The red-coats stretched in windrows as a mower rakes his hay."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Inside the breastworks some were killed and many wounded. Prescott,
+Putnam, and Warren were passing up and down the line, cheering and
+encouraging the patriots.</p>
+
+<p><b>166. The British beat a Hasty Retreat to their Boats.</b>&mdash;The British
+officers rallied their troops as best they could. Death and wounds had
+thinned their number by hundreds, and the survivors were far from
+willing to make a second charge against that wall of fire. But the
+threats of the officers and even blows with their swords finally
+compelled them to it.</p>
+
+<p>Up they marched again, firing as they came, their ranks moving slowly,
+stepping over the bodies of their fallen comrades.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Wait, boys!" shouted Warren. "Don't fire yet! Wait."</p>
+
+<p>On they came as before, nearer and nearer, until the distance was less
+than thirty yards to our silent but fatal line, when instantly there
+burst forth another long blaze of fire, even deadlier than before.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 305px;">
+<img src="images/illus183.jpg" width="305" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Battle of Bunker Hill.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Americans were by practice good marksmen, and the bright red coats
+and shining belts of the enemy made excellent targets. The British
+returned the fire, and a brisk discharge of musketry was kept up for a
+few minutes. But it was useless. Hundreds of their number fell dead on
+the fatal slope,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> and in spite of their officers, the broken ranks
+staggered and retreated, flying in a panic to the shore.</p>
+
+<p><b>167. The British advance to the Third Attack.</b>&mdash;Now all was fright and
+confusion among the British. They were dismayed at the deadly reception
+our untrained soldiers had given them. General Clinton, who had been
+watching the battle from Copp's Hill and saw the day going against them,
+instantly hurried over with fresh troops. Once more the British regulars
+formed at the foot of the hill.</p>
+
+<p>We may imagine with what mingled feelings the Americans, gazing down
+through the rifts of smoke from burning Charlestown, watched the
+movements of the reinforced foe. Putnam and Warren again went around
+cheering our men.</p>
+
+<p>Prescott shouted, "Let's drive them back once more, and they cannot
+rally again."</p>
+
+<p>But alas! the stock of powder was giving out! The patriots had only
+three or four rounds left, and as for close fighting, there were only
+about fifty bayonets to all their guns. Orders were passed along to use
+their powder carefully, to hold fire until the enemy came within twenty
+yards, and to make every shot tell.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the enemy's cannon from the ships had got a better range, and
+were pouring in a galling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> fire. The prospect on our side was beginning
+to look desperate. Short of powder; without bayonets; confronted by
+brave enemies always twice our number, and now with fresh troops; tired
+out with marching or digging all night and shoveling or fighting all
+day; for the most part without food and water,&mdash;our men still defiantly
+held the fort.</p>
+
+<p>At five o'clock the British formed for the third attack, advancing now
+in three columns to charge us on three sides. This time their knapsacks
+were laid aside, and they marched in light order. Up they came as
+before, only slower; for they realized that they had a dangerous enemy
+before them. They reserved their fire. When they reached that same
+deadly range, once more our ramparts poured forth the deadly volleys.</p>
+
+<p>The British wavered, but then rallied and rushed forward to the
+breastworks with fixed bayonets.</p>
+
+<p>"Make every shot tell!" shouted Prescott to his men.</p>
+
+<p>As the British began to climb over our earthworks, our soldiers spent
+their last shots upon those who mounted first. Among those who fell dead
+at the redoubt was Major Pitcairn, who at Lexington had cried out,
+"Disperse, ye rebels!"</p>
+
+<p><b>168. The Patriots forced to retreat from Lack of Ammunition.</b>&mdash;Their
+powder all gone, what could the patriots<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> do but retreat? This they did
+in good order for raw soldiers, many staying to smite the enemy with the
+butts of their muskets, then with the barrels after the butts were
+broken off, and some even with stones. The British were now closing in
+upon them on all sides, and at last Prescott, to avoid being completely
+shut in, gave the word to retreat. He was one of the last to leave,
+defending himself with his sword from the bayonets of the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>Alas! one shot of the last volley from the British killed our beloved
+Warren! When General Howe heard of this he said, "Warren's death is
+equal to the loss of five hundred men to the Americans."</p>
+
+<p>Stark and Knowlton held the grass fence till the troops had left the top
+of the hill, and then retreated with them in good order to Charlestown
+Neck. On their way back they met at Bunker Hill General Putnam, who had
+collected fresh soldiers and wanted to occupy the trenches he had formed
+there, and make a fresh stand against the enemy. But the British ships
+on both sides could rake this position, and it was decided to move back
+to Prospect Hill, which our forces fortified. It was about six o'clock
+when the retreat began.</p>
+
+<p><b>169. Bunker Hill and the Lesson it taught.</b>&mdash;In less than three hours,
+and with only one hour of actual<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> fighting, all these fearful scenes
+were enacted. The Americans, with about fifteen hundred men, lost four
+hundred and fifty killed and wounded. But the British, with over three
+thousand, had lost one thousand and fifty-four, of whom one hundred and
+fifty-seven were officers!</p>
+
+<p>Although in form the result of the battle was a defeat, as our army lost
+their ground, yet its effect upon the Americans was that of a victory.
+It taught them that they were a match for the British troops in a fair
+fight. This knowledge nerved them to further resistance against royal
+oppression. Thus this battle, the first clear bugle-call of the
+Revolution, proving beyond all doubt that the British troops were not
+invincible, was worth just at this time many decided victories to the
+Americans. To the patriots of every colony it gave strength and heart,
+and the belief that their cause would succeed. In the march of events
+and of ideas Bunker Hill was of momentous importance. It gave the shock
+that made the patriots conscious of their might; it cleared their vision
+and roused them to action.</p>
+
+<p>When Washington first heard of the battle he was riding on horseback to
+take command of the army at Cambridge. "Did our men stand fire?" he
+asked of the messenger. Being told that they did, and that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> they waited
+till the enemy was only eight rods off, he said, "The liberties of the
+country are safe!"</p>
+
+<p>But if the Americans learned that they could fight, the British learned
+it too! General Gage wrote home: "The trials we have had prove the
+rebels are not the despicable rabble too many have supposed them to be."</p>
+
+<p>"If they call that a victory," said a French general, "two or three more
+such would extinguish the British army."</p>
+
+<p>"I wish," said General Greene, "that we could sell the British another
+hill at the same price."</p>
+
+<p>After Gage had made his formal report of the battle to his superior
+officers in England, he was called back in disgrace, and was never
+entrusted with another military service. Generals Howe and Clinton
+learned a costly lesson, and never again through the war that followed
+did they lead their men in an open field against entrenched American
+soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>Such, briefly told, is the story of Bunker Hill. The truth is, the whole
+movement was on the part of the Americans an audacious act. There was
+more heroism in it than military prudence. General Ward had at Cambridge
+only a few barrels of powder for his entire army; and to send a thousand
+men to entrench before a well prepared enemy, in front of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> batteries and
+warships, though it needed to be done, was yet, from a military point of
+view, a very rash act. On the other hand, General Gage made a very
+unwise military movement. No wonder he was censured for the reckless
+sacrifice of his soldiers at Bunker Hill.</p>
+
+<p><b>170. Bunker Hill Monument.</b>&mdash;On the crown of the hill and in the center
+of the old redoubt stands the splendid monument that tells of this
+famous struggle. The square shaft is of Quincy granite, thirty-one feet
+on each side at the base, fifteen feet at the top, two hundred and
+twenty-one feet in height. Inside, a stairway of two hundred and
+ninety-four stone steps leads to a room at the top, whose four windows
+command a view of wonderful extent and beauty. Just by the base of the
+monument we can see to-day a little grassy ridge, the slight remains of
+the breastworks of 1775.</p>
+
+<p>The corner-stone was laid by Lafayette in 1825, exactly fifty years
+after the battle, and on that occasion Daniel Webster delivered one of
+his greatest orations. In front of him sat forty venerable survivors of
+the conflict. The finished structure was dedicated in 1842. On this
+occasion Webster again delivered a magnificent oration.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>171. The Colonists still regard themselves as English Subjects.</b>&mdash;It
+seems to us now very remarkable that all through the year 1775,
+notwithstanding the conflicts at Lexington and Concord, and even after
+the battle of Bunker Hill, our forefathers still considered themselves
+loyal British subjects. Although they were violently opposing the
+despotism of the king of England, they never for a moment hesitated to
+acknowledge him as their rightful ruler. They regarded all the unjust
+acts of the king and the Parliament as so many encroachments upon their
+rights as Englishmen, just as much as if they were living in their old
+home in England instead of in a British colony. They insisted that,
+although they were three thousand miles away, distance did not diminish
+their just claims as free subjects of King George. They had fought as
+Englishmen, not against England.</p>
+
+<p>Therefore, even for months after Bunker Hill, the colonists had no
+intention of separating from the mother country. Very few had much faith
+in such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> a scheme, and still fewer had seriously urged it. A large
+number of the people, probably a majority, thought the quarrel might
+even at that time be settled, and the colonies might resume their former
+friendly relations with England. All they had asked and all they had
+fought for was simply their rights as Britons.</p>
+
+<p>Washington, when he took command of the army soon after the battle of
+Bunker Hill, said that he abhorred the idea of our separating from the
+mother country, and becoming an independent nation. Franklin declared
+that he had traveled all over the country and talked with all classes of
+people, but had never heard independence mentioned.</p>
+
+<p><b>172. Slow Growth of the Idea of Independence.</b>&mdash;We must not fail to
+remember that the idea of independence took form very slowly. The first
+"Stamp Act," so offensive to the colonists, became a law in 1764, more
+than ten years before actual hostilities broke out. During all those
+years our ancestors were gradually losing their friendly feeling for
+England. They were slowly drifting towards an open conflict, in fact,
+the Revolution.</p>
+
+<p>This hostility to England grew to be a serious matter after the battle
+of Bunker Hill. It was deepened and embittered early in 1776 by a number
+of events<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> that still more sharply estranged America from her unkind
+mother. After the battle the British continued to occupy Boston with
+many hostile demonstrations, just as if it were an enemy's country,
+until at the end of a long siege they were driven out by Washington.
+This weary investment caused a great deal of bitterness. Everything took
+on the sombre shadow of war, and this of course meant permanent
+hostility to England.</p>
+
+<p>Another step that greatly angered the Americans, and very justly too,
+was a British proclamation, the design and effect of which was to
+destroy all the commerce of the colonies by forfeiting their ships. This
+was itself equal to a declaration of war by England.</p>
+
+<p>Then three petitions to the king, George III, by three different
+congresses, were treated with indifference or even with insolent
+contempt. The only obvious effect of the petitions was to goad England
+to greater severities. To a proposal at one time to exchange prisoners,
+it was answered that England "received no applications from rebels,
+unless they came to implore the king's mercy." This stinging and
+insolent reply necessarily implied that all American patriots were
+rebels; that they were guilty of treason; that, but for the king's
+mercy, they must expect the penalty of treason, which is death!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>173. Active Measures taken by the British.</b>&mdash;Meanwhile obstinate King
+George, humored by his prime minister, Lord North, was busily making
+enormous preparations for pushing the war upon a large scale. Already
+twenty-five thousand British soldiers had been sent to America, or had
+been enlisted for immediate service. But so large a party in England was
+opposed to the war against their own countrymen in the colonies, that
+the king could not raise at home all the troops he needed. So he made a
+bargain with a German state, Hesse, hiring twenty thousand foreign
+soldiers to cross the ocean and fight his rebellious subjects.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus193.jpg" width="450" height="388" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Independence Hall,&quot; Philadelphia, as it appeared in
+1776.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>When our forefathers heard of this, it angered them more than anything
+else that had been done. But even worse still, it was learned that the
+British government was taking steps, by means of secret agents, to
+employ the Indians to fight on the British side, and use their tomahawks
+against British colonists!</p>
+
+<p>Finally, to all petitions and appeals the English government replied
+that it would not abate any of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> its demands, and that it would accept
+from us nothing short of entire submission and obedience.</p>
+
+<p><b>174. Independence slowly but surely becomes a Stern Necessity.</b>&mdash;Now, if
+we recall all the wrongs as to taxation that we have read of in a
+previous chapter, and add to them this list of subsequent outrages, the
+preparations for a long war, the hiring of Hessians, and the incitement
+of Indians to fight us, we must see that our forefathers were compelled
+to regard England as their determined enemy. Such were the successive
+steps by which the old feeling of loyalty to the mother country
+gradually vanished, and bitter hostility took its place.</p>
+
+<p>What should the colonies do to protect themselves? This was the
+all-important question. The people had been tending toward the
+conviction that the only remedy was to break off all connection with
+England and to be independent.</p>
+
+<p>But it was a long while before this feeling became general. It was a
+steady and natural but slow growth. The public indignation, constantly
+strengthened by repeated British outrages, at last culminated in mature
+conviction&mdash;a conviction that the only course left us was to be wholly
+free, and to stand by ourselves among the nations of the earth.</p>
+
+<p>As this conviction became stronger and stronger<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> among the good people
+all along the narrow coast line from Boston to Charleston, it soon found
+expression in many ways. The few newspapers spoke out; public meetings
+were called to discuss it, and conventions dared to announce it.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 380px;">
+<img src="images/illus195.jpg" width="380" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Thomas Jefferson.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>People learned at last that their chief enemy was the king. They saw
+that the controversy which began merely as a colonial struggle for their
+rights as British subjects had grown broader and deeper, till it became
+a contest for our rights as <span class="smcap">MEN</span> and for the freedom of our entire
+country from British control. A pamphlet entitled "Common Sense,"
+written by Thomas Paine, an Englishman who had recently arrived in
+America, had an enormous sale and exerted a powerful influence. It
+abounded in ready wit, sharp reasoning, and rough eloquence. It
+stimulated the longing for independence and the determination to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> be
+free or die. In May, 1775, the people of Mecklenburg County in North
+Carolina were the first to pass resolutions advocating independence.
+They sent them to their delegates in Congress; but these at that early
+day did not dare present them.</p>
+
+<p>In May, 1776, Congress, then in Philadelphia, following the trend of
+public opinion, advised the colonies to consider themselves as no longer
+holding any powers under the authority of Great Britain. That was about
+the same as a declaration of independence. Many colonies accordingly set
+up state governments of their own without asking the king's consent.</p>
+
+<p><b>175. Steps taken for a Formal Declaration of Independence.</b>&mdash;The second
+Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775. Early in June,
+1776, one of the delegates, Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, offered a
+resolution that "these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free
+and independent states." John Adams, of Massachusetts, seconded it in a
+powerful speech. Three weeks of delay, to enable some of the colonies to
+send in their approval, occurred before its adoption. Then a committee
+of five, consisting of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
+Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, who had been appointed to draw
+up a formal statement, presented the Declaration of Independence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>176. The Declaration of Independence; what it said to the World.</b>&mdash;The
+simple and yet luminous words of this Declaration were written by
+Jefferson. His draft was prepared in his lodgings, on a little writing
+desk which still exists. Jefferson, in after years, delighted to tell
+how the final vote was hastened by the extremely hot weather and by the
+fact that there was a stable near by, and swarms of flies came in
+through the open windows and added much to the discomfort of the
+patriots already worn out with the debate and the heat.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 341px;">
+<img src="images/illus197.jpg" width="341" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Jefferson reading the Declaration of Independence to
+Franklin.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Jefferson read his "fair copy" of the Declaration to his friend Benjamin
+Franklin. The old philosopher was delighted with the terse style and the
+vigorous sentences.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That's good; that's right to the point," said he; "that will make King
+George wince. I wish I had written it myself."</p>
+
+<p>One of Franklin's biographers declares that it is fortunate that
+Franklin did not compose the Declaration, for he would surely have put a
+joke into the immortal document!</p>
+
+<p>Every line and sentence of the Declaration of Independence stirred the
+hearts of the people then, and it does even now, after the lapse of more
+than one hundred and twenty-four years. It embodies in a noble and
+enduring form the hopes, feelings, convictions, and aspirations of every
+true American. When first proclaimed, it said in thunder tones to all
+the world that here was a people in far-away America willing to give
+their fortunes and their lives for what they believed to be right.</p>
+
+<p><b>177. Independence declared.</b>&mdash;On the second of July, 1776, the
+sub-committee of five patriots submitted to Congress the important
+document. There was deep silence as the solemn and earnest words were
+slowly read. Hearts beat faster and eyes flashed at the recital of the
+tyranny of the king and the sufferings of the people.</p>
+
+<p>A three days' discussion followed. Jefferson remained silent under the
+sharp criticism, but the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> genial old philosopher, Franklin, sat next to
+him and soothed his feelings by telling him stories that fitted the
+case.</p>
+
+<p>At last the great Declaration of Independence, in its final form, was
+adopted, July 4, 1776.</p>
+
+<p>During the discussion there was intense excitement in and around the old
+State House in Philadelphia, where Congress was in session. Thousands
+thronged about the building, watching the barred doors and closed window
+shutters with feverish anxiety. The faces of the crowd are turned upward
+to the steeple, for there hangs a bell brought from London nearly a
+quarter of a century before, bearing the prophetic and singularly
+appropriate words of Scripture, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land
+unto all the inhabitants thereof."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 339px;">
+<img src="images/illus199.jpg" width="339" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Philadelphia.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>It had been arranged by some one that the bell should be rung the moment
+the Declaration of Independence was adopted. The old bell-ringer placed
+a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> small boy at the hall door to await the signal of the doorkeeper.
+When at last the vote for independence was declared, the doorkeeper gave
+the signal, and the boy ran out shouting, "Ring, ring, ring!"</p>
+
+<p>And the old bell-ringer did ring as he never rang before!</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 298px;">
+<img src="images/illus200.jpg" width="298" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The People waiting for the Final Vote on the
+Declaration.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>178. How the Declaration was received by the People.</b>&mdash;After it had
+passed Congress, the Declaration was sent to be read to the people
+throughout the thirteen colonies. It was received everywhere with the
+greatest joy. Bells were rung, cannon were fired, fireworks were burned,
+and flags were flung to the breeze. The bands played martial music, and
+even the smallest towns and villages were in a blaze of excitement.
+Washington<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> ordered the Declaration to be read to all the brigades of
+the patriot army in and around New York City. The occasion was
+celebrated the same night by pulling down the leaden statue of George
+III on Bowling Green, and casting it into bullets.</p>
+
+<p>The magic word was <span class="smcap">Independence</span>.</p>
+
+<p>John Adams truthfully predicted that these demonstrations of joy would
+be reflected in many a year to come by the people of our free country.</p>
+
+<p>The eloquent words of the Declaration of Independence had been
+pronounced, but it was left for Washington and his little army to make
+it good.</p>
+
+<p>England at this time was the most powerful nation in the world. Her navy
+was large, and her army was fully equipped and well drilled. Her
+resources were vast, and she had now made up her mind to crush the
+"rebels" in America. To men in foreign lands it seemed madness for the
+feeble colonies in America to resist the royal power of England.</p>
+
+<p>The Declaration of Independence after a time was signed by fifty-six
+delegates from all the colonies.</p>
+
+<p><b>179. Incidents connected with the Great Event.</b>&mdash;If we look at a
+facsimile of the signatures to the Declaration, we notice that the name
+of Stephen Hopkins, of Rhode Island, was written with a tremulous hand.
+This was due to a partial paralysis. After he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> signed, he smiled at
+his irregular penmanship and said, "You see my hand trembles, but my
+heart doesn't!"</p>
+
+<p>John Hancock's signature is noted for its big, bold letters.</p>
+
+<p>"There," said he, "John Bull can read that without 'specs'!"</p>
+
+<p>As they gathered round to sign their names to the document, "pledging
+their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor" to maintain and
+defend their action, every one of them understood very well that, if
+this revolution failed and, he should be captured, he was liable to be
+hanged as a traitor.</p>
+
+<p>John Hancock said to a group of the signers, "We must stand by each
+other; no pulling different ways&mdash;we must all hang together in this
+matter."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Franklin, "we must indeed, or we shall all hang separately!"</p>
+
+<p>The Fourth day of July, marked by the momentous event popularly known as
+the adoption of the "Declaration of Independence," has properly become
+our National Holiday. The day has been celebrated, just as our
+forefathers said it would be, with the firing of cannon, the ringing of
+bells, parades, and bonfires. From that day to the present, the immortal
+document has been listened to with reverence by our people.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>180. What the Declaration of Independence should mean to us.</b>&mdash;Thus we
+have traced the growth of the passion for liberty which finally reached
+its loftiest expression in this noble Declaration. Read it and let it
+grow into your memory. Do not forget that lovers of liberty, the world
+over, regard it as the sublimest state paper ever produced by man,
+marking the grandest advance in political progress ever made by the
+human race.</p>
+
+<p>To us of the present day its chief charm lies in its noble beginning and
+its no less noble end. We care little now about the faults and the
+follies of King George, but the bold assertions of great truths in the
+opening sentences of the Declaration appeal as warmly to us to-day as
+they did to those for whom they were first written.</p>
+
+<p>It is interesting to know that it was signed by men of lofty purpose and
+exalted character, every one of whom held to his last day a reputation
+never dishonored. These were the chosen men, worthy to be leaders with
+Washington of the young nation.</p>
+
+<p>For good or evil this most momentous step was now taken. There was no
+choice left the colonies but to win by hard fighting or to be crushed by
+their enemy.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE BURGOYNE CAMPAIGN.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>181. First Campaign for the Control of the Hudson fails.</b>&mdash;It did not
+require much intelligence on the part of the British government to
+perceive that it would be wise policy to separate if possible one group
+of its revolting colonies from the rest. This was practicable only along
+the line of the Hudson. The two long lakes, Champlain and George, with
+the navigable river, almost made a great water highway from Canada on
+the north to the sea on the south.</p>
+
+<p>The plan to cut off New England from the other colonies was acted upon
+in the summer of 1776. Carleton, a most efficient British general, came
+down from Canada, captured Crown Point, and got as far as Ticonderoga,
+when, having heard nothing of Howe, who was to come up from the south,
+he was forced by the lateness of the season to return. Howe had been
+delayed and baffled by Washington until it was too late to march north
+to meet Carleton. Thus the first campaign for the control of the Hudson
+proved a failure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>182. The Plan for the Second Campaign.</b>&mdash;The British ministry at once
+planned for another attempt during the next summer. This time the
+invasion was to be carried out by three separate armies working towards
+a common point. The main attack was to be made from the north. The army
+in Canada was to march south, capture Ticonderoga, and go down the
+Hudson to Albany. This part of the campaign was entrusted to General
+Burgoyne.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Sir William Howe was to go up the Hudson and join his forces
+with those of Burgoyne at Albany. Now, as there were many Tories in
+central New York, and also powerful Indian tribes friendly to the
+British cause, a small force under the command of Colonel St. Leger was
+to sail up the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario, land at Oswego, and then
+march down the Mohawk valley to join Burgoyne on the Hudson.</p>
+
+<p>The English government built great hopes upon Burgoyne's expedition. No
+expense or effort was spared to make it a success. Money and supplies
+were furnished without stint.</p>
+
+<p><b>183. Burgoyne begins Operations with a Great Army and Much Show.</b>&mdash;When
+Burgoyne opened his campaign in the early summer of 1777, he had command
+of the best army that had yet taken the field in America. There were
+about four thousand English veterans,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> three thousand Germans, or
+Hessians as they were called, nearly five hundred Indian warriors, and a
+small force of Canadians. Most of the soldiers, as well as the officers,
+were veterans. Forty cannon, well served and equipped, made up the
+artillery train.</p>
+
+<p>It was a splendid and imposing sight when this army in the middle of
+June sailed into Lake Champlain in a large flotilla with bands playing
+and banners flying. Burgoyne was a clever, agreeable, and well-bred man,
+and a brave soldier; but he was vain, headstrong, and self-confident.</p>
+
+<p>The British general served a great feast to his Indian allies on the
+shore of the lake near Crown Point. He was dressed in showy uniform, and
+so were all of his chief officers. He made a pompous speech to his
+savage guests, who were adorned with war paint on their faces and
+eagles' feathers in their hair. He told them not to scalp the wounded,
+nor murder aged men, helpless women, or children. These "wild hyenas,"
+as Burke called them in one of his great speeches before the English
+Parliament, promised to obey their "great white father."</p>
+
+<p>The sturdy settlers knew what an Indian promise meant, and they speedily
+packed their goods and sent their families across the Green Mountains to
+the Con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>necticut Valley. Burgoyne had written poetry, and many poor
+plays, and so now he wrote in his high-flown style an address to the
+American people. All were warned against driving off their cattle,
+hiding their corn, and breaking down the bridges in his way. He
+threatened to let loose his savages upon them if they disobeyed. He also
+made a stirring address to his soldiers, in which he gave out the famous
+watchword, "This army must not retreat."</p>
+
+<p><b>184. The Capture of Ticonderoga and what followed.</b>&mdash;Every one supposed
+that Fort Ticonderoga would be a barrier to Burgoyne. Unfortunately the
+commander, St. Clair, had failed to secure a neighboring position which
+commanded the fortress. No one thought it possible to drag cannon up the
+steep and rugged sides of this mountain; but the British general worked
+night and day in hewing out a path, and with oxen dragged up his cannon
+and placed them in position to pour a plunging fire into the fort.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning the top of the crag, now named Mount Defiance, was
+swarming with British troops. St. Clair saw with amazement the trap in
+which he was caught. The next night the far-famed fortress was
+abandoned, and the Continental army retreated southward. At daybreak the
+British and the Hessians sprang to arms, ready to follow sharply both by
+land<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> and water the retreating army. So hot was the pursuit that the
+Americans were forced to destroy their boats. All the wagon-loads of
+arms, stores, and baggage fell into British hands.</p>
+
+<p>There was a sharp fight a few days afterwards in the woods at a place
+called Hubbardton, where the rear guard of the Americans, under Warner,
+was surprised early in the morning, while the men were cooking
+breakfast. They made a gallant and stubborn resistance against the
+picked veterans of Burgoyne's army. Warner was outnumbered and defeated,
+but the pursuit was so checked that St. Clair was able to bring what was
+left of his army safely to Fort Edward, where he joined Schuyler.</p>
+
+<p><b>185. Burgoyne, elated by Success, begins to make Blunders.</b>&mdash;The curtain
+now falls upon the first act of this great war drama. Burgoyne had been
+highly favored. Ticonderoga had fallen in a night. Everybody was
+astounded. The news fell like a sound of doom over the land. Washington
+wrote to Schuyler: "The evacuation of Ticonderoga is an event of chagrin
+and surprise not apprehended, nor within the compass of my reasoning."</p>
+
+<p>Burgoyne now began to boast that victory would certainly crown his
+future movements, and even predicted the speedy end of the war and the
+submission<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> of the colonies. He hurried off a special messenger to King
+George, telling the king that everything was going just as he wished it.
+The king rushed into the queen's apartments, says Walpole, clapping his
+hands and shouting, "I have beat them! I have beat all the Americans."</p>
+
+<p>In reality, Burgoyne's troubles were just beginning.</p>
+
+<p>In his haste to crush the Americans before they could combine against
+him, Burgoyne began to make serious blunders. For instance, it was a
+fatal mistake when he decided on marching to Fort Edward through the
+wilderness, instead of going back to Ticonderoga and proceeding thence
+up Lake George and on to Fort Edward and the Hudson. Time, that
+all-important factor in military campaigns, was lost sight of by this
+over-confident British general. Again, Burgoyne made another serious
+mistake in underestimating the fighting qualities of his enemy.</p>
+
+<p><b>186. General Schuyler carries out a Masterly Policy.</b>&mdash;Fortunately for
+the Americans, Schuyler was an able and experienced general, and
+Washington knew it. He had less than five thousand poorly armed men, but
+he faced the situation bravely. He knew that if he could delay the
+British invaders for a time, men enough would rally for the defense of
+their homes to meet his foe in open battle. He did at once the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> best
+thing possible. He put every obstacle in Burgoyne's way that ingenuity
+could devise or experience suggest. He made the axe and the crowbar help
+him.</p>
+
+<p>Hundreds of trees were felled across the road. All the cattle were
+driven out of reach. The country was stripped of all provisions. The
+bridges were burnt, the creeks choked with stumps and stones, and the
+wood-roads were destroyed. The aspect of things began to change.
+Schuyler did his work well. He abandoned Fort Edward and fell back to
+Stillwater, where he entrenched himself and waited.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 398px;">
+<a href="images/illus210big.jpg"><img src="images/illus210.jpg" width="398" height="450" alt="{Map of Adirondack Mountain area.}" title="" /></a><br />
+<a href="images/illus210big.jpg"><small>Click to enlarge.</small></a>
+</div>
+
+<p>It is only about twenty-six miles from Skenesboro to Fort Edward, but it
+took Burgoyne twenty-four days to march this distance, and even then he
+had to wait two weeks longer for the arrival of his artillery. New roads
+had to be made, forty bridges built, and supplies and heavy ammunition
+carried through an almost impassable wilderness.</p>
+
+<p><b>187. The Sturdy Pioneers of the North rise in Defense of their
+Homes.</b>&mdash;Meanwhile, what were the stout-hearted pioneers of the north
+doing? The time for prompt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> action had come. The frontiersmen rose nobly
+to the demands of the situation. Burgoyne's Indians, ever since they
+left the Canadian border, had been ravaging and scalping. Never was a
+British general more mistaken than when he thought such bloody work
+would frighten the American people. It aroused the fierce spirit of
+revenge in them as no other act could have done.</p>
+
+<p><b>188. The Murder of Jane McCrea.</b>&mdash;The sad story of Jane McCrea has been
+read and re-read ever since this beautiful girl was tomahawked and
+scalped by Burgoyne's savages. It is not certain just how it happened.
+It is true that a party of Indians seized and carried away Miss McCrea,
+and a Mrs. McNeil with whom she was visiting in the latter's home near
+Fort Edward.</p>
+
+<p>It is also known that Jane was betrothed to one of Burgoyne's officers,
+and as her own home was in New Jersey, it is probable that the
+unfortunate girl was planning to meet her lover.</p>
+
+<p>Some say that the Indians quarreled over a barrel of rum that was to be
+given them as a reward on her safe arrival; others claim that a band of
+American militia fired into the party. At all events, Mrs. McNeil came
+alone to the English camp.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the body of the murdered girl was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> found near a spring,
+pierced with three bullets. An Indian came into camp with a scalp, which
+Mrs. McNeil recognized as that of her friend by its black, silky hair,
+more than a yard long.</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing unusual about the murder, for it was only one of many
+such. The deed has, however, been woven into song and story, which have
+been repeated with endless variations in detail for more than six-score
+years. The name "Jenny McCrea" became a watchword to the stout and
+resolute farmers who were hastening from far and near to the scene of
+action.</p>
+
+<p><b>189. Burgoyne gets his First Hard Blow; Desperate Fighting in the Mohawk
+Valley.</b>&mdash;The first hard blow Burgoyne received came from the west.
+Colonel St. Leger, as we remember, was marching with seventeen hundred
+men down the Mohawk Valley. He came to a stronghold called Fort Stanwix,
+and ordered its commander, Colonel Gansevoort, to surrender. The demand
+met with a pointed refusal, and the British began a regular siege.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 439px;">
+<img src="images/illus213.jpg" width="439" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Herkimer directing the Battle.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Everywhere through this beautiful valley was great excitement. General
+Herkimer, a militia officer over sixty years of age, a thorough master
+of Indian warfare, was a man of might in this section. Eight hundred
+hardy pioneers of this frontier region rallied at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> the veteran's call
+and marched with him to the relief of the fort. The younger officers
+would not listen to the old general's advice to move with caution.</p>
+
+<p>"You," said the old patriot, stung by their taunts, "you, who want to
+fight so badly now, will be the first to run when you smell burnt
+powder."</p>
+
+<p>There was not a proper advance guard, and the men fell into an ambush of
+the Tories and their Indian allies on the steep slope of a ravine, near
+a place called Oriskany. A desperate fight began hand to hand and from
+tree to tree. The worst thunderstorm of the season put an end to the
+battle for about an hour.</p>
+
+<p>Herkimer was shot in the leg in the early part of the encounter. He was
+lifted from his fallen horse and placed, at his own request, upon his
+saddle, propped against a beech tree. The old soldier lighted his pipe,
+and though the bullets were whistling about him, and men were falling
+thick and fast within a few yards, he coolly continued to direct the
+battle,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> giving his orders calmly, as if on a parade ground. Through the
+leafy depths of the forest rang the clashing of steel, the crack of
+rifle, and, above all, the hideous yells of the savages. Suddenly the
+Indians raised the retreating cry of "Oonah!" and in an instant they
+were gone! The desperate fighting was too much for the Tories, and they
+too fled, leaving the patriots in possession of the hard-earned field.</p>
+
+<p>Thus was fought one of the most hotly contested and, for the numbers
+engaged, one of the deadliest of the Revolutionary battles. No quarter
+was given on either side. Of the eight hundred men under Herkimer that
+fought on that sultry August day, only about a third ever saw their
+homes again.</p>
+
+<p>The brave old Dutchman was carried to his home, where, propped up in bed
+with pillows, he calmly smoked his pipe, read his Bible, and waited
+serenely for the end. He died a few days later. He had fought what was
+perhaps the most desperate battle of the Revolution, and he was victor.</p>
+
+<p><b>190. Gallant Defense of Fort Stanwix; First American Flag raised.</b>&mdash;In
+the mean time St. Leger, in spite of this heavy check, moved up to
+within one hundred and fifty yards of the fort and again demanded its
+surrender. The gallant Gansevoort made a flag from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> portions of an old
+blue coat, a white shirt, and some strips from a red flannel petticoat,
+and raised it above five captured British flags and defied his foes to
+take the fort. We should remember the date, August 6, 1777; for it is
+claimed that this was the first American flag with stars and stripes
+that was ever flung to the breeze.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 289px;">
+<img src="images/illus215.jpg" width="289" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Raising &quot;Old Glory&quot; for the First Time.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>While the siege was in full progress, the besiegers suddenly broke up
+their camps and retreated toward Canada in great confusion, leaving
+behind them their cannon, supplies, and even their tents. What was the
+matter? Arnold had been sent north by Washington immediately after the
+fall of Ticonderoga, and had arrived at Schuyler's headquarters three
+weeks before. Restless and impatient, he was despatched by Schuyler to
+relieve the brave garrison. On his way he captured and was going to hang
+as a spy a half-witted but ugly young Tory. The boy's mother begged his
+life.</p>
+
+<p>Arnold granted the mother's request on condition<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> that the young fellow
+should take some friendly Indians with him and hasten to the British
+camp and so alarm St. Leger as to induce him to raise the siege and
+retreat! The frightened Tory set out on his perilous errand, his brother
+being held by Arnold as a hostage, and reached the British camp just as
+the Indians were holding a "pow-wow" over the dubious enterprise in
+which they were engaged.</p>
+
+<p>As the savages saw the Tory's coat full of bullet holes, and listened to
+his wonderful story of his own narrow escape, and heard that Arnold was
+close on their heels with two thousand regulars, the savages said, "The
+pow-wow said we must go"; and go they did in utmost haste. In vain the
+British officers stormed and swore. The troops were seized with a panic.
+St. Leger and all his army retreated in disorder, broken and beaten, to
+Oswego, and afterwards to Montreal. The valley of the Mohawk was safe.
+St. Leger's defeat dealt a severe blow to the plans and prospects of
+Burgoyne. Arnold was now able to rejoin Schuyler.</p>
+
+<p><b>191. Burgoyne plans a Raid into the Country to secure Supplies.</b>&mdash;All
+this time Burgoyne was hard pushed for food. Every pound of bread and
+meat had to be brought from Canada. Nobody but Tories would sell him an
+ounce of beef or an ear of corn.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The British general was also anxious to strike a blow at the good people
+of New England. He knew that the supplies of the patriots were stored at
+Bennington. Supplies he must have. On August 11 he sent off Colonel Baum
+with about five hundred Hessians, Indians, and Tories on a plundering
+trip to this little village.</p>
+
+<p>Four days later a second division of about six hundred men was sent
+under Colonel Breymann to help Baum, for it was evident that the
+situation was looking ugly. Instead of raiding the country, Baum,
+learning that the militia were gathering in all directions, entrenched
+himself on a hill about four miles from Bennington and waited for
+reinforcements.</p>
+
+<p><b>192. The Men of New England rally to defend their Homes.</b>&mdash;The men of New
+England, instead of waiting till their houses were burnt, their crops
+destroyed, and their wives and children scalped, were rapidly arriving
+from far and near to meet their hated foe. The instant the Hessians and
+Indians threatened to come over the line, the men of New England knew
+there was only one thing to do and it must be done at once. That was to
+kill as many of the enemy as they could and drive the rest back. They
+had already prepared for this.</p>
+
+<p>Not every man was able to act as did staunch old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> John Langdon, who kept
+a store in Portsmouth. He said to the New Hampshire Assembly: "I have
+three thousand dollars in hard money. I will pledge my plate for as much
+more. I have seventy hogsheads of rum, which shall be sold. Our old
+friend John Stark, who defended the rail fence at Bunker Hill, will work
+like a beaver to stop Burgoyne."</p>
+
+<p>Among the rugged hills of northern New England no other man had such a
+personal following as had John Stark&mdash;a man of dauntless courage, rough
+simplicity, and real Yankee shrewdness.</p>
+
+<p>In appearance Stark was a man of medium size, well proportioned, and of
+great strength and endurance. It is remarkable that in all his years of
+hard service in the French and Indian wars, and in the many severe
+battles of the Revolution, he had never received a wound. He lived to be
+ninety-four years of age. He survived all the high officers that had
+taken part in the Revolution except Sumter, the famous southern general.</p>
+
+<p>Messengers rode on fast horses over the hills with orders for the men to
+rally at once. Each man packed his knapsack, grasped his rifle, left the
+women to get in the crops, and started for Charlestown on the
+Connecticut River, where Stark had raised his standard. Old men of
+seventy and even boys of fifteen turned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> out. Some of the farmers
+brought clock weights, some their pewter spoons and porringers, to be
+melted into bullets. The metal was kept running into the bullet moulds
+night and day. An old rusty cannon was found; it was mounted on a pair
+of cart wheels and dragged over the Green Mountains.</p>
+
+<p>The story is told of one mother whose boy of only fifteen was ready to
+start, but had no coat. The patriot mother took a meal bag, made a hole
+for the head, two more for the arms, cut off the feet of a pair of her
+long stockings which she sewed on for sleeves,&mdash;and hurried him away to
+Stark's camp!</p>
+
+<p><b>193. How John Stark whipped the British at Bennington.</b>&mdash;Stark was now
+ready to march against Baum. On August 14 he was within a mile of the
+British camp. The next day it rained heavily. Fighting in such pouring
+torrents was out of the question. The Hessians worked hard on the
+entrenchments all day, and Stark sheltered his men in brush huts and
+under the lee of fences.</p>
+
+<p>One hundred men from the Berkshire Hills arrived in the night. A
+minister who could fight as well as preach came with them in a sulky.</p>
+
+<p>"General Stark," said he, "we have never had a chance to fight, and if
+you don't give us a chance now, we shall never turn out again."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Do you want to fight now in the rain and at night?" said Stark.</p>
+
+<p>"No," said the good man.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then," said Stark, "if the Lord gives us sunshine once more, and
+I don't give you fighting enough, you needn't turn out again."</p>
+
+<p>Old soldiers who had fought behind the rail fence at Bunker Hill with
+Stark, and who had been in the front ranks with him at Trenton, knew
+that there would be no boy's play in the coming battle. The next
+morning, which was Saturday, August 16, broke clear and hot.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 299px;">
+<img src="images/illus220.jpg" width="299" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Stark addressing his Men before the Battle of
+Bennington.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The ever-active and energetic Stark determined to storm the hill before
+reinforcements could reach the enemy. This was a desperate undertaking
+for country militia armed only with muskets and fowling pieces, without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>
+bayonets or side arms. Baum was well entrenched on a hill behind
+breastworks defended by highly disciplined veterans.</p>
+
+<p>About midday Stark, calling his men together in a large field, leaped to
+the topmost rail of a fence, steadied himself by a tall post, and
+addressed his troops in the historic words: "Now, my men, yonder are the
+Hessians. They are bought for seven pounds tenpence a man. Are you worth
+more? Prove it. To-night the American flag floats over yonder hill, or
+Molly Stark sleeps a widow!"</p>
+
+<p>Foreseeing that there would be close work with the Tories, who were
+dressed in farmers' clothes, like most of his own men, Stark gave orders
+that a corn husk in the hatband should be the badge of his own men. Five
+hundred men were sent to form in the rear of Baum's entrenchment, and
+two hundred more were massed on the right as a flanking party.</p>
+
+<p>It is now about three o'clock. With all his men in position Stark gives
+the word "Forward!" The battle begins in earnest. With wild shouts the
+farmer-soldiers press forward, using their rifles with deadly effect.
+The Indians, panic-stricken, yelling like demons, take to their heels,
+and make their escape into the forest. They have no intention of being
+caught in a trap. The Hessians stand their ground and fight bravely.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For two hours there is hot work, "one continuous roar," as Stark
+afterwards said. The old cannon on cart wheels fires stones, for there
+are no cannon balls! At last Stark leads his men in a fierce charge.
+Baum falls mortally wounded, and his men surrender. A wild hurrah goes
+up. The battle is won.</p>
+
+<p>It was in the nick of time. Breymann arrived with fresh troops and began
+a lively attack. Stark rallied his men. A hundred and fifty "Green
+Mountain boys," hearing the roar of the battle, came up in the rear at
+just the right moment. They fell upon the Hessians like a thunderbolt,
+routed them, and would have captured them all if it had not been nearly
+dark. As it was, the enemy retreated in haste under cover of the
+darkness.</p>
+
+<p>The pioneer settlers of New England had proved themselves more than a
+match for entrenched regulars. Stark had beaten two of Burgoyne's best
+officers in a pitched battle. The victory was won by the sheer hard
+fighting of men who were well led.</p>
+
+<p><b>194. Mighty Efforts of the Patriots to crush Burgoyne.</b>&mdash;The battle of
+Bennington was a severe blow for Burgoyne. His army never fully
+recovered from it. A thousand of his best men were lost, besides cannon,
+arms, and supplies of war. Even the savages began to leave in large
+numbers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The effect of this brilliant victory on the country was magical. It
+began to be thought that the whole of Burgoyne's army might be captured.
+Militia came in increasing numbers even from points on the Atlantic
+coast.</p>
+
+<p>Washington had some time before sent two of his best officers&mdash;Arnold,
+who as a fighter in pitched battles was unsurpassed, and Morgan, who
+came with five hundred sharpshooters, each man of whom, it was said,
+could hit a squirrel with his rifle at a distance of three hundred
+yards.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 255px;">
+<img src="images/illus223.jpg" width="255" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Battle Monument at Bennington, Vt.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Congress, misinformed, now set aside the noble General Schuyler and sent
+Gates, a schemer and intriguer, to supersede him. Schuyler's wise
+forethought and steadfast courage had already begun to show results. By
+a stupid blunder of the British government, orders for Sir William Howe
+to march north to aid Burgoyne had been delayed.</p>
+
+<p>General Lincoln had moved with two thousand men to the rear of the
+British army. The outposts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> of Ticonderoga had been retaken, and the
+road to Canada was thus closed for help or retreat.</p>
+
+<p><b>195. The Hard-fought Battle near Saratoga.</b>&mdash;Burgoyne soon found that he
+must do something. About the middle of September he crossed to the west
+bank of the Hudson and came within two miles of the American camp at
+Bemis Heights. Here took place, on September 18, a hotly contested
+battle known as that of Freeman's Farm. If Gates had been an able
+general, probably the British army would have been crushed and the
+Burgoyne campaign ended then and there. As it was, the deadly fire of
+the riflemen inflicted a severe blow.</p>
+
+<p>Gates did not follow up his advantage. The two armies glared at each
+other. There was no rest for either side. There was sharp skirmishing
+all along the lines. The nights were made hideous by the howls of large
+packs of wolves that were attracted by the partially buried bodies of
+those slain in the battle.</p>
+
+<p>At last, on October 7, Burgoyne came out from his entrenched camp with
+fifteen hundred picked men and ten cannon. A bloody hand-to-hand battle
+was fought.</p>
+
+<p>Gates had removed Arnold from his command. Angry and desperate, this
+impetuous but hard fighter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> placed himself at the head of a detachment
+of the Continental troops, and under a terrific fire led the men to
+battle. Mounted on a dark-brown horse, he rode at full gallop over the
+field. He was greeted with wild cheers. "Call that fellow back," said
+Gates, "or he will do something rash." With mad fury his men charged and
+drove the enemy at the point of the bayonet.</p>
+
+<p>In the final retreat a wounded Hessian, lying on the ground, took aim
+and fired at Arnold. The bullet killed his horse and wounded the general
+in the same leg that had been hit by a musket ball nearly two years
+before, at the storming of Quebec. A thousand times better would it have
+been had the bullet gone through his heart!</p>
+
+<p>As Arnold fell, one of his men rushed up and was just going to bayonet
+the soldier who had shot his beloved general; but Arnold cried, "In
+Heaven's name, don't kill him! He is a fine fellow!" This was the moment
+when the general whom Washington so much admired for his rash bravery
+should have died.</p>
+
+<p>In less than an hour the British were driven back and retreated behind
+their entrenchments.</p>
+
+<p>Some time afterward, when Arnold had turned traitor and captured an
+American officer, he asked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> him, "What will your people do with me if
+they catch me?"</p>
+
+<p>"If my countrymen catch you," replied the fearless patriot, "they will
+first cut off your lame leg, which was wounded at Quebec and Saratoga,
+and bury it with the honors of war, and afterwards hang the rest of your
+body on a gallows."</p>
+
+<p>Darkness alone stopped the battle. General Morgan, as he saw a brave
+Scottish officer riding everywhere along the line, said to one of his
+best marksmen: "That is General Fraser. I admire and honor him, but it
+is necessary that he should die. Take your station in yonder bushes and
+do your duty." Shortly afterwards, this splendid Scotchman, who said to
+an aid when warned of his peril, "My duty forbids me to fly from
+danger," fell mortally wounded.</p>
+
+<p><b>196. Effect of the Great Victory at Saratoga.</b>&mdash;Such was the battle of
+Bemis Heights, or Saratoga. It was really fought within a very few rods
+of the place where the battle of Freeman's Farm occurred.</p>
+
+<p>The rest of the story is soon told. Burgoyne retreated through the storm
+to Saratoga. The attempt to escape was hopeless. He was hemmed in on
+every side. The "trap" which the best British officers had foreseen, had
+been sprung. There was only one thing to do, and that was to yield to
+the inevitable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Burgoyne, with his army of about six thousand men, surrendered October
+17, 1777.</p>
+
+<p>The battle of Saratoga has justly been called "one of the decisive
+battles of history." It made a profound impression in Europe. It was the
+defeat of Burgoyne's army that convinced France that it was time to come
+to the help of the American colonies. It lifted the cloud of gloom which
+had settled upon the hearts of the American people, and which had wrung
+despondent words even from the hopeful Washington.</p>
+
+<p>From the day of this memorable victory until liberty was fully realized,
+four years later, in the final surrender at Yorktown, no true American
+gave up the idea of final triumph.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>197. Boyhood and Youth of George Washington.</b>&mdash;During the infancy of our
+nation there were many staunch and noble patriots; but far above all
+stood, and stands to-day, the majestic figure of George Washington. He
+came upon the stage at just the right time to give the vigor of his
+manhood to the military service of his country, and the maturity of his
+judgment to the formation of the new government and later to the
+presidency. He was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732.</p>
+
+<p>In those days the country was thinly settled, good schools were rare,
+and even the rich planters did not find it easy to have their children
+well disciplined in learning. The future president had only a plain
+education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. In his childhood he
+showed a martial spirit. While at school he was often the captain of a
+little military company with paper hats and wooden swords, and even in
+their marches and sham battles the boy exhibited somewhat of the
+soldierly bearing and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> honorable character that distinguished him later
+in life.</p>
+
+<p>He took an interest in study and enjoyed reading good books. He wrote an
+excellent hand, and some productions in his superior penmanship have
+been kept to this day, showing remarkable neatness and accuracy. They
+comprise lessons in geometry, forms of business papers, and even some
+neatly written extracts in verse. He studied by himself book-keeping and
+mathematics, especially land surveying, which was much needed in that
+new country. These studies proved of great value to him in after years.</p>
+
+<p><b>198. Boyhood's Sports.</b>&mdash;Washington when a lad was robust, fond of
+athletic games, running, jumping, and wrestling. In these healthful
+sports he outdid his comrades. He could surpass them all in throwing a
+stone across the Rappahannock. The boys all liked him, for he was
+generous and open-hearted, and they used to make him a judge in their
+disputes.</p>
+
+<p>He was especially given to horsemanship, and delighted to break in the
+dashing young colts, and even to train dangerous horses.</p>
+
+<p><b>199. Washington's Love for his Mother.</b>&mdash;When Washington was about eleven
+years old his father died, and the family was broken up. George's
+mother, like the mothers of most great men, had a strong, upright<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span>
+character and brought up her children exceedingly well. Like all worthy
+boys, he dearly loved his mother and was willing to be guided by her
+wishes.</p>
+
+<p>When about fourteen, he had a great longing to go to sea. Ships of war
+sometimes anchored in the Potomac River, near his home. The officers
+used to visit his brother's estate at Mount Vernon, and the boy no doubt
+listened eagerly to their stories of naval battles and adventures.</p>
+
+<p>He passionately desired to become a sailor. His mother at last gave an
+unwilling consent. His trunk was packed and all was ready. But when the
+hour for parting came, the quiet entreaty of his mother, "Don't go,
+George," with tears running down her cheeks, changed his purpose.</p>
+
+<p>This good mother lived until 1789, when she died at the age of
+eighty-two. Her lot was a rare one. She lived to see her son the most
+illustrious of living men, with a spotless fame, and as much admired for
+the purity of his character as for the greatness of his deeds. It is
+said that she used to listen to praise of him in silence, and only
+answered: "Yes, George was always a good boy!"</p>
+
+<p><b>200. His Faithful Work as a Surveyor in the Virginia Wilderness.</b>&mdash;It
+seems strange now, as we look back on his early life, to see how
+Washington unconsciously<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> prepared himself for his great future. He
+employed a trainer and took a severe course of lessons in skillful
+fencing and sword drill, and, besides, he made a careful study of
+military science and tactics.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 387px;">
+<img src="images/illus231.jpg" width="387" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">George Washington.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>He became prominent as a young man of superb vigor, fond of study and
+work, and full of promise of great achievements. So Lord Fairfax, an
+eccentric nobleman, who was a great fox hunter and who much admired his
+young friend's bold riding, selected him to survey the thousands of
+acres of forest land that the king had granted to him beyond the Blue
+Ridge. This was a pretty large undertaking for a boy of sixteen! But the
+youngster was enough of a man to do it. He and his assistant took each a
+horse, a gun, an axe, surveyor's tools, and camp outfit. They spent
+months in the vast forests and among the mountains; cutting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> their paths
+through woods, fording rivers, facing the drenching storms, surveying
+and measuring by day, and writing out the notes in the light of
+camp-fires by night; living on the game they shot,&mdash;wild turkeys,
+squirrels, rabbits, and deer; often meeting Indians.</p>
+
+<p>All this was just the school to prepare him for coming duties and for
+the great career he never then dreamed of. Here he gained in a high
+degree the hardy virtues of courage, self-reliance, promptness in
+danger, quick and prudent foresight, and unflinching endurance under
+difficulties.</p>
+
+<p>On his return, young Washington had done his work so well that the
+Governor appointed him public surveyor. It was a prominent office, and
+he filled it honorably. His surveys were so correct that it is said they
+are used even to this day.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Fairfax lived many years after this. He was bitterly opposed to the
+war of the Revolution. One day he heard the people shouting and cheering
+near his home. He asked his old negro servant what it all meant, and he
+was told that Lord Cornwallis had surrendered to General Washington. At
+this the old man groaned, "Take me to bed, Joe; it is high time for me
+to die!"</p>
+
+<p><b>201. His Work as an Army Officer.</b>&mdash;Washington was twenty-three years old
+when he was appointed on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> staff of General Braddock. We have read in
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Chapter VIII</a> the story of this disastrous campaign. The choice proved
+the Governor's insight into Washington's remarkable character. His
+surprising bravery, his insensibility to fear amid the whistling of
+bullets, his coolness in danger, and his maturity of judgment, really
+saved the whole campaign and rescued Braddock's shattered forces from
+total ruin.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 316px;">
+<img src="images/illus233.jpg" width="316" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Washington crossing a River on a Raft in the Wilderness
+during Mid-Winter.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Shortly afterwards Washington withdrew for a while from military life.
+In 1759, he married Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow with two small
+children and a large fortune. A short time after their marriage Colonel
+and Mrs. Washington, or Lady Washington, as she was called, retired to
+Mount Vernon, a fine estate of eight thousand acres which he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span>
+inherited from his brother Lawrence. His many visitors who expected to
+see a heroic figure could not have been disappointed in his personal
+appearance.</p>
+
+<p>Washington was a man of noble presence, six feet two in height, of
+dignified and courtly manners and a noble military air. With health and
+wealth, a happy home and all that makes life pleasant, he was enjoying
+his honors and the comforts of rural life.</p>
+
+<p><b>202. Advancement in Political Honors.</b>&mdash;So high was the trust reposed by
+all in Washington that he was now elected to the Virginia legislature,
+the House of Burgesses, a signal proof of popular confidence. He always
+studied the business of every day carefully, though he seldom made
+speeches. When he first entered and took his seat, in 1759, the Speaker
+of the House rose and in eloquent language returned thanks to him in the
+name of the colony for his services during the war.</p>
+
+<p>Washington stood up to reply; blushed, stammered, trembled, and could
+not utter a word.</p>
+
+<p>"Sit down, Mr. Washington," said the Speaker with a smile; "your modesty
+equals your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language I
+possess."</p>
+
+<p>For the next sixteen years Washington's life passed quietly and
+contentedly. Then was heard the distant thunder of the coming
+Revolution.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>We may be sure that Washington studiously watched the course of events,
+and often went back to Mount Vernon from the public meetings with an
+anxious mind.</p>
+
+<p><b>203. Becomes Commander-in-Chief of the American Army.</b>&mdash;Soon a problem
+presented itself before the Continental Congress of which Washington was
+a member. Who shall be chosen Commander-in-Chief of our armies? Who
+shall be singled out for this most difficult task?</p>
+
+<p>There was one man to whom all turned. On a motion of John Adams of
+Massachusetts the choice was George Washington&mdash;"a gentleman from
+Virginia who is among us, and very well known to all of us." The choice
+was unanimous. It was a spontaneous tribute to his superior military
+experience and skill; to the strength and purity of his character, the
+ardor and unselfishness of his patriotism, and the perfect confidence
+which his whole career had inspired.</p>
+
+<p>Washington, in the course of his brief and modest speech of acceptance,
+said his service would be freely given without salary, asking that only
+his expenses be paid, and of which he would keep a careful record. His
+expense-books, kept during the Revolution in his own neat handwriting,
+are still carefully preserved.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>With the promptness which was a part of his self-training, he began at
+once his new duties. In a few days, as we have read in <a href="#CHAPTER_XII">Chapter XII</a>, he
+took command of the patriot army at Cambridge.</p>
+
+<p>We know how Washington's well-planned siege shut up the British army in
+Boston all that summer and all the next winter until March, when his
+admirable strategy compelled the proud Howe to sail silently away. This
+achievement of the brave Virginia officer, and of his raw
+farmer-soldiers against the much larger force of British regulars, well
+deserved the gold medal given him by Congress.</p>
+
+<p><b>204. Takes Command in New York; his Masterly Retreat.</b>&mdash;Howe and
+Washington, after the evacuation of Boston, moved their armies to New
+York, each knowing the other would do so. The British plan was to take
+and hold the Hudson River and thus to separate the troublesome New
+England colonies from the others. The possession of New York was
+therefore of vast importance.</p>
+
+<p>Washington arrived first, and as the Brooklyn Heights opposite New York
+controlled the latter city, he did well to occupy this position. But it
+would have been very unwise to place all his army there. He stationed
+about nine thousand men under General Putnam in Brooklyn. The rest he
+used<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> across the river in the city, and to hold Fort Lee and Fort
+Washington.</p>
+
+<p>Against Putnam's force the British brought an army of twenty thousand,
+stealing a night march, and with their greater number defeated our
+troops. This severe reverse, which could not have been prevented by him,
+Washington followed with a military success; for in the night, which
+fortunately happened to be very foggy, he silently and safely withdrew
+all our remaining troops across the East River from the overwhelming
+British force. The boats were managed by companies of Marblehead
+fishermen, who thus had an opportunity of doing a most signal service.
+When Howe the next morning moved his victorious regulars again to the
+attack, his enemy was gone!</p>
+
+<p>This masterly retreat from the very sight and under the guns of the
+enemy gave Washington a great reputation. He managed and watched it
+personally, spending two days and two nights in his saddle, without rest
+or sleep!</p>
+
+<p><b>205. Some of the Many Difficulties with which Washington had to
+struggle.</b>&mdash;But now came the trouble that distressed Washington all
+through the war&mdash;the lack of soldiers. The British government sent over
+thousands of disciplined troops, and kept them well equipped.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The colonies were uncertain and irregular in furnishing soldiers. The
+colonial money used to pay them rapidly lost its value; so that
+Washington was continually distressed to procure and retain enough
+troops. Besides, the terms of enlistment were usually short&mdash;six months
+or even less&mdash;and thus his little army was constantly dwindling away. To
+add to his anxieties, the supply of cannon, guns, powder, clothing,
+food, and all needed equipments, was often painfully meager.</p>
+
+<p>How then could Washington with his small and ill-furnished forces&mdash;his
+"ragged continentals"&mdash;oppose successfully the much larger and
+well-supplied troops of the enemy? To keep risking battles with an army
+much stronger than his own would invite defeat and ruin.</p>
+
+<p>But there were some things he could do&mdash;watch the enemy sharply, harass
+and worry him by repeated small engagements, obstruct his plans, and
+whenever possible attack a small separate body and defeat or capture it.</p>
+
+<p>This is exactly what Washington did, and often with consummate skill. He
+won his best moves because he first carefully fought over all his
+battles in his own brain, and then fought them out with the guns of his
+soldiers; for he had a faculty of inspiring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> his men with his own high
+purpose. They admired him as a hero, trusted him as a friend, and loved
+him as a father.</p>
+
+<p><b>206. The Brilliant Victory at Trenton.</b>&mdash;Washington had successfully
+withdrawn the troops from Brooklyn, but he knew perfectly well that with
+his scanty force of half-trained men he could not risk a battle with
+four times as many of the well-drilled enemy&mdash;it would be certain ruin
+to the patriot cause.</p>
+
+<p>Our army now had to retreat across New Jersey, the British following
+closely all the way! It was a distressing movement and it produced
+general gloom. The country was discouraged, Congress was discouraged,
+the army itself was becoming discouraged. The British said Washington
+did not dare to fight, and that the war was about over.</p>
+
+<p>In all this gloom there was only one ray of light: Washington never
+despaired! Sorely tried, he yet kept up his faith and hope. Sick at
+heart but ever resolute, he declared to his friends that if all others
+forsook him, he would retire to the backwoods of Virginia and there make
+a final stand against Great Britain.</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the Delaware, the great commander crossed into Pennsylvania.
+General Howe came up on the east side, and then spread out his army,
+placing a thousand Hessians at Trenton.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>See what Washington did. On Christmas night, 1776, he crossed the
+Delaware to attack the Hessians. The river was so full of floating ice
+that the Marblehead soldiers found it very hard to manage the boats.
+After the crossing, the men marched nine miles through snow and hail,
+sometimes marking the whitened ground with blood from their shoeless
+feet.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 304px;">
+<img src="images/illus240.jpg" width="304" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Night March to Trenton.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>As they drew near Trenton, Washington, who rode in front, asked a man
+chopping wood by the roadside:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Which way is the Hessian picket?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know," was the surly answer.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You may tell," said the officer at Washington's side, "for that is
+General Washington."</p>
+
+<p>"God bless and prosper you!" cried the man instantly. "The picket is in
+that house, and the sentry stands near that tree."</p>
+
+<p>The Hessians, who were celebrating Christmas with wild revelry, were
+surprised, and soon forced to surrender.</p>
+
+<p>Washington was in great danger from the superior forces of the enemy
+close at hand, and was obliged immediately to recross the Delaware with
+his tired troops and his prisoners. The weather was so severe that two
+men were frozen to death that Christmas night. Notwithstanding
+Washington's haste, he found time to visit the dying Hessian Commander,
+Colonel Rahl, and speak kindly to him.</p>
+
+<p>It was a battle of this kind that showed the courage and genius of a
+great general who, in the midst of the most unfavorable circumstances,
+could plan well, fight well, and outwit the enemy! It was such masterful
+watchfulness and bravery as this that saved the country. Mighty applause
+now rang all through the land! "Hurrah for Washington, and hurrah for
+his ragged but plucky little army!"</p>
+
+<p>Well might the people shout, for this was the first real victory of the
+continental army. Lord Howe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> was very angry and said it would never do,
+and he sent Cornwallis to defeat this rebel general. Let us see what
+Cornwallis did. The British general marched from Princeton with about
+eight thousand men, and found Washington's army of some three thousand
+with its rear to the river. At about dusk he planted his own army in
+front, and then felt sure of his prey. "At last we have run down the old
+fox," said the over-confident British general as he went to bed in high
+spirits, "and we will bag him easily in the morning." The situation was
+indeed a dangerous one for the patriot army.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus242.jpg" width="362" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Washington before Trenton.</span>
+</div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>207. How Washington surprised the British at Princeton.</b>&mdash;During the
+night Washington left a front line of camp-fires burning, and a few
+soldiers noisily digging trenches and throwing up breastworks, while his
+entire army made a circuitous march around Cornwallis, got in his rear,
+attacked Princeton early, captured three regiments and a lot of
+supplies, and moved on to Morristown, a strong place where the British
+dared not attack him.</p>
+
+<p>In this battle the commanding figure of Washington riding to and fro on
+his white horse made a notable object for the enemy's marksmen.</p>
+
+<p>These two battles brought Washington great applause all over this
+country and through Europe. Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, said:
+"This young American general opens a fresh chapter in the art of war;
+England hasn't a man to match him."</p>
+
+<p><b>208. How Washington helped to defeat Burgoyne.</b>&mdash;During the next year,
+1777, Washington was busy watching Lord Howe and keeping him confined
+closely in New York. Although he lacked the army with which to fight any
+great battle, yet he did the greatest service. The British planned this
+year, as we have just read <a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">in the preceding chapter</a>, a second effort to
+occupy the Hudson and divide the colonies.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>But, as we have seen, the plan was doomed to failure. Burgoyne was
+wrecked by Schuyler and Stark, and the Mohawk force was defeated by
+Arnold and Morgan. Then all depended on Howe's army which was to come up
+the Hudson. But Howe could not come! Washington was skillfully blocking
+his plans, so that the British general could spare no soldiers. And so
+resulted the great surrender at Saratoga&mdash;the most cheering victory
+during this period of the war.</p>
+
+<p>Howe's army then went by sea to Philadelphia and wintered there.</p>
+
+<p><b>209. Sufferings at Valley Forge.</b>&mdash;Washington wintered at Valley Forge,
+not far away. The winter was very severe. The patriot army was ill-fed,
+ill-clothed, and unpaid. Hundreds of soldiers were barefoot, their
+bloody steps tracking the snow. Hungry, shivering, and bleeding, they
+keenly felt how much it cost to be a "ragged continental."</p>
+
+<p>The money issued was almost worthless, fifty dollars of paper for one of
+specie. It took six months' pay to buy a pair of boots; for England
+counterfeited the continental money, brought over huge parcels of it,
+and put it into circulation. Congress seemed neglectful. Discouragement
+prevailed.</p>
+
+<p>Washington seemed to have the care of the whole patriot cause on his
+shoulders alone. He had every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>thing to do,&mdash;appealing perpetually to
+Congress for action; begging the Governors for aid; getting food, arms,
+ammunition, and clothing; recruiting and drilling the army; planning
+campaigns; and so working unceasingly in every direction.</p>
+
+<p><b>210. Help from France; the Battle of Monmouth.</b>&mdash;In the spring of 1778
+help came. The French sent ships, soldiers, and officers, and again the
+sun began to shine. Their help was of vital importance. Perhaps we could
+never have got on without it.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Henry Clinton, who had succeeded Lord Howe, fearing the approach of
+a French fleet, now made up his mind to leave Philadelphia and march
+across New Jersey to New York. Washington sent forward a division of his
+army under General Charles Lee to pursue the British and give them
+battle. The patriots, ready and eager to fight, came up with the enemy
+at Monmouth. Unfortunately, the mischief-making Lee, now known to have
+been little better than a traitor, ordered a retreat.</p>
+
+<p>As Washington advanced with the main army, he was filled with surprise
+and anger to learn from stragglers of Lee's treacherous action. He set
+spurs to his horse and galloped to the front.</p>
+
+<p>According to tradition, this was one of the very few times when
+Washington was thought to have lost his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> self-control. With a fierce
+oath he demanded of Lee what he meant by retreating. Washington's look,
+according to Lafayette, was terrible.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the meaning of all this, sir?" he repeated.</p>
+
+<p>There could be no good answer. Lee quailed before his angry commander.</p>
+
+<p>Having sent the apparently treacherous officer to the rear, Washington
+showed at once his superb generalship. Like Sheridan at Cedar Creek,
+about which we shall hear later, he inspired his men with fresh courage
+and led them against the enemy. The continental army now showed the
+results of the long winter's drill at Valley Forge. The lines were
+re-formed, the main army was brought up, and the British were soon
+repulsed.</p>
+
+<p>Clinton retreated during the same night. He reached New York and the
+protection of the fleet before the patriot army could overtake him.</p>
+
+<p>Such was the battle of Monmouth, fought on a very hot and sultry Sunday
+in June, 1778. It was the last battle in the north, and practically
+closed the campaign for the control of the Middle States.</p>
+
+<p><b>211. The Story of Mollie Pitcher.</b>&mdash;The account of this battle would not
+be complete without the oft-told story of Mollie Pitcher. During the day
+a soldier having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> charge of a cannon was shot down at his post. His
+newly wedded wife, a young Irish woman, was at the time bringing water
+for the thirsty men from a neighboring spring. She saw her husband fall
+at the cannon he was serving, and heard his commander order the piece to
+be removed from the field. Instantly dropping her pail, Mollie seized
+the rammer and, stationing herself by the gun, performed her husband's
+duty with skill and courage all through the battle.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus247.jpg" width="450" height="423" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Mollie Pitcher takes her Husband&#39;s Place at Monmouth.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The soldiers gave her the nickname of Major Mollie, and being presented
+to General Washington the day after the battle, she received a
+sergeant's commission, and Congress gave her half-pay for life! Some of
+the French officers, it is said, were so delighted with her courage that
+they presented her with a hat full of gold pieces and christened her "La
+Capitaine"!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>212. Washington plans the Yorktown Campaign.</b>&mdash;In the spring of 1781,
+Washington was still hemming in Clinton at New York. In the south, where
+there had been severe fighting for two years, General Greene had driven
+Cornwallis from the Carolinas up to Virginia, and our generous friend,
+Lafayette, had helped push the British general to the point of land at
+Yorktown. Washington, learning this, arranged that the French fleet
+should sail there and prevent the escape of the enemy by sea.</p>
+
+<p>Then Washington planned what has been regarded as the proudest
+achievement of the war. He decided to hurry his own army to Yorktown,
+and with it and the southern forces and the French fleet finish the
+seven years' struggle.</p>
+
+<p>Yes; but if Clinton should hear of it, he would sail from New York and
+checkmate the plan. How could Washington do all this and keep Clinton in
+the dark? Everything turned on that. He kept up a lively show of
+activity around New York, and had decoy letters written to his distant
+generals to come and help him capture Clinton's army. Very strange, but
+those letters reached the British general!</p>
+
+<p>When the right moment came, leaving a small force at New York for show,
+Washington by a swift and skillful movement moved his army of six
+thousand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> through New Jersey. The Commander-in-Chief was unsurpassed at
+keeping a secret. His own generals did not know where they were going.
+They marched to Elkton, at the head of the Chesapeake, and took ships
+for Yorktown.</p>
+
+<p>The hour for the final success of the patriot cause had now come.
+Cornwallis was shut in by sea and land. Washington with his own hand
+fired the first cannon of the attack. This was on October 9, 1781.</p>
+
+<p>By night and by day the sound of the heavy guns was incessantly heard.
+The shells of the besieged and besiegers crossed each other in the air.</p>
+
+<p>At one time during the siege Washington, with many officers about him,
+was watching an assault with intense interest. Those who stood near him
+were afraid he would be hit by a chance shot, and one of his aids
+ventured to say that the situation was very much exposed.</p>
+
+<p>"If you think so," replied he gravely, "you are at liberty to step
+back."</p>
+
+<p>A little later a musket ball hit a cannon near the group and fell at
+Washington's feet. General Knox grasped his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear general," exclaimed he, "we can't spare you yet."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is a spent ball," answered the Commander-in-Chief quietly; "no harm
+is done."</p>
+
+<p>When the redoubts were taken, he drew a long breath and said to Knox,
+"The work is done, and <i>well done</i>!" During the battle, a famous
+Virginia officer, Governor Nelson, who had raised troops and supplied
+money at his own risk, was asked what part of the town it would be best
+to fire upon. He pointed to a large, handsome building, which he thought
+was probably the enemy's headquarters. It was his own house!</p>
+
+<p><b>213. The Superb Victory at Yorktown.</b>&mdash;After a few days of fighting,
+Cornwallis found himself in so hopeless a condition that he made an
+unsuccessful attempt to escape. Shortly afterward he was forced to
+surrender with eleven thousand men, a hundred and sixty cannon, a huge
+amount of camp supplies, and ten thousand dollars in money. Five days
+after the surrender, General Clinton arrived with ships and heavy
+reinforcements. Too late, Sir Henry, too late!</p>
+
+<p>When the news of the capture of Cornwallis reached London, Lord North,
+the British Prime Minister, walked up and down his room, wringing his
+hands and crying out, "O God! it is all over! It is all over!"</p>
+
+<p>How unspeakably the great leader's heart must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> have rejoiced at this
+famous victory; the labors, anxieties, and sufferings of seven years
+ending at last in glorious triumph! The whole country gave way to
+transports of joy. Congress appointed a day of general thanksgiving and
+prayer, and voted special thanks to the distinguished generals and many
+other officers. It was felt that a death-blow had been given to
+England's efforts to crush the colonies.</p>
+
+<p>The victory at Yorktown practically ended the war. It took several years
+for the country to recover from the wreck and ruin wrought, to frame the
+machinery of our new government, and to lay the solid foundations of
+this grand edifice of constitutional liberty. In all this work of
+nation-building Washington was a prominent actor, no less sagacious as a
+statesman than as a skilled warrior.</p>
+
+<p><b>214. Washington, the First President of the United States.</b>&mdash;When it came
+to the choice of a first president, all eyes turned to that one stately
+figure&mdash;to him who had saved his country in war, and who in peace could
+best carry its precious interests safely in his great brain and heart.
+He was unanimously elected&mdash;not a vote for any other person&mdash;an honor
+never paralleled. With his usual modesty he would have declined; but his
+sense of duty and his willingness to serve his country made him accept.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>His journey to New York was one continued ovation. Bells were rung,
+cannon fired, and eloquent addresses made. All the vessels in New York
+harbor were gayly decked with flags. When the dignified President-elect
+landed, the salutes of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the shouts of
+the crowd were multiplied tenfold.</p>
+
+<p>On April 30, 1789, Washington took the solemn oath to perform the duties
+of the President of the United States.</p>
+
+<p>On this important occasion he was dressed in a suit of dark brown cloth
+of American manufacture. He wore white silk stockings, silver buckles
+and a steel-hilted sword. His hair was powdered and tied behind,
+according to the fashion of that time. The day was given up to
+rejoicings; and in the evening there were illuminations and fireworks.</p>
+
+<p>Washington was re&euml;lected, and served his country honorably for two terms
+of four years each. His administration was worthy in every way of his
+great ability, his statesmanship, and his exalted patriotism.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 389px;">
+<img src="images/illus253.jpg" width="389" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Martha Washington.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>215. Washington retires to Private Life.</b>&mdash;Beloved and honored by a whole
+people, but weary of public life, Washington at last retired to his
+beautiful and beloved Mount Vernon to enjoy a well-earned repose. He
+took up his former manner of living. He began<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> to repair his buildings
+and to improve his estate. His good wife, Martha, said that she and the
+general when he left the presidency felt like children just released
+from school, and she spoke of her satisfaction in settling down again to
+the "duties of an old-fashioned Virginia housekeeper, steady as a clock,
+busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."</p>
+
+<p>Washington was a model farmer. He gave personal attention to every
+detail. He rode on horseback ten or fifteen miles every morning, looking
+after his estate and its servants. Two o'clock was the dinner hour;
+three o'clock if there were guests of importance. The general would not
+wait more than five minutes for any guest, however distinguished. So
+much time he allowed for the difference of watches. "My cook," said he,
+"does not ask whether the guests have arrived, but whether the hour
+has."</p>
+
+<p>Washington's dress and appearance were very simple. "How shall I know
+him?" asked a gentleman who was about to ride off in search of him.</p>
+
+<p>"You will meet, sir," replied his friend, "an old gentleman riding alone
+in plain drab clothes, a broad-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>brimmed white hat, a hickory switch in
+his hand, and an umbrella with a long staff attached to his saddle-bow.
+That person, sir, is General Washington."</p>
+
+<p>A pleasant story is told by a gentleman who was a guest at Mount Vernon.
+It seems that he coughed much during the early part of the night. "After
+some time had elapsed," said the guest, "the door of my room was gently
+opened, and, on drawing my bed curtains, I saw Washington himself,
+standing at my bedside, with a bowl of hot tea in his hand."</p>
+
+<p>No wish for power, or regret at being no longer before the eyes of the
+world, ever disturbed the happiness of Washington in his retirement. A
+little over two years now passed happily at the great mansion, with its
+generous living and its gracious hospitality.</p>
+
+<p><b>216. Sickness and Death; Universal Sorrow.</b>&mdash;One day in December, 1799,
+while taking his usual ride on horseback Washington was exposed to rain,
+hail, and snow, with a raw wind blowing. The next day his family noticed
+that he had a slight cold, but he paid no heed to such trifling
+ailments.</p>
+
+<p>The next day he was much worse, breathed with difficulty, and could
+hardly speak. His mind was perfectly clear, and he believed he should
+not get well. He was never unprepared for death. The same night he
+passed away.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Mourning spread over the whole country. In foreign lands as well as at
+home the news was received with sincerest sorrow. The American people
+felt that they had indeed lost their protector, the Father of his
+Country.</p>
+
+<p>To Americans his memory will always be precious. His birthday is
+celebrated every year throughout our broad land; and the bell of every
+steamer that glides along the quiet Potomac tolls as it slowly passes
+Mount Vernon, the last resting-place of George Washington!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus255.jpg" width="650" height="454" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Mount Vernon, the Home of Washington.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE SOUTH.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>217. Utter Failure thus far to subdue the Colonists.</b>&mdash;Midway in the war
+of the Revolution there was a period of over two years when active
+fighting was for the most part suspended. After the surrender of
+Burgoyne at Saratoga, the English seemed to lose heart. A feeble effort
+was even made by the British government to secure peace. England would
+yield everything except the claim of the colonies to independence. This
+was the very thing that now, after three years of fighting, the colonies
+would not yield.</p>
+
+<p>Each side seemed to be tired of bloodshed. The patriots were in a bad
+enough way, and England had her troubles with other nations.</p>
+
+<p>Of all the territory the British had occupied during three years, the
+only spot they now held was New York, and even there Washington's superb
+generalship with his small but active army was giving them constant
+trouble.</p>
+
+<p><b>218. The British now attempt to subdue the Southern Colonies.</b>&mdash;Thus it
+became necessary for the British to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> contrive some plan that would offer
+better results. They now proposed to go south, subdue one colony after
+another, and so push their conquests northward.</p>
+
+<p>The British had already tried their hand at the south, and with results
+not quite to their liking. In June, 1776, General Clinton came with a
+fleet to capture Charleston. But Colonel William Moultrie had built on
+an island in the harbor a low redoubt of palmetto logs and sand bags,
+from which his guns made sad havoc with the fleet, while the British
+shot could not pierce through the tough, spongy logs of the fort. After
+a disastrous fight, Clinton went back disheartened. The gallant defense
+of this fort had a most wholesome effect upon the patriot cause.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 355px;">
+<img src="images/illus257.jpg" width="355" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Sergeant Jasper&#39;s Bold Deed.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>One heroic deed of the battle is often told. The flag of the fort
+floated from a high mast, against which the enemy directed their fire
+until the top of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> flagstaff was shot away and fell over the ramparts
+on the beach. A daring soldier by the name of William Jasper leaped over
+the wall of palmetto logs, walked the whole length of the fort in the
+face of the enemy's fire, tore away the flag, fastened it to the rammer
+of a cannon, and floated it on the ramparts.</p>
+
+<p><b>219. Disasters to the Patriot Cause.</b>&mdash;In December, 1778, a large British
+force, sent from New York, landed and captured Savannah with about five
+hundred prisoners. The enemy also captured Augusta, brought all Georgia
+under British control, and put the royal governor back into office.</p>
+
+<p>In October, 1779, our General Lincoln and a French fleet made a combined
+attack on Savannah, hoping to recapture it, but they utterly failed.
+These two disasters in two years were very discouraging to all
+Americans.</p>
+
+<p>The year 1780 brought still worse fortune, for early in the year Clinton
+came again from New York and made a second attack on Charleston. In May
+he captured the city and all Lincoln's army, with four hundred cannon.
+Clinton then returned to New York, leaving Cornwallis in command with
+five thousand men.</p>
+
+<p>The British, possessing Savannah and Charleston with the river
+connections, held the key to the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> of Georgia and South Carolina.
+They could obtain all their supplies by water, and so did not need to
+rely upon the country for support.</p>
+
+<p><b>220. The Bitter and Cruel Warfare in the South.</b>&mdash;The patriots did not
+now have a body of soldiers in the south large enough to call an army.
+The entire region was open to British plunder.</p>
+
+<p>Bands of soldiers roamed through the country, plundering, burning, and
+killing without restraint. No mercy was shown to patriots. A squad of
+soldier bandits once came to the home of Thomas Sumter, the famous
+patriot officer, turned his wife and children out of doors and burned
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>Sumter was a bold and energetic fighter in the wild warfare of the
+south. He was a tall and powerful man and of a very stern make-up. He
+lived to be ninety-nine years of age&mdash;the last surviving general of the
+Revolution. "But for Sumter and Marion," said Cornwallis, "South
+Carolina would be at peace."</p>
+
+<p>There now remained in South Carolina but one battalion of patriot
+soldiers. These were about four hundred in number under Colonel Buford,
+then in the northwestern part of the state. Clinton sent against him a
+force of seven hundred regulars and Tories under Colonel Tarleton, an
+active but base and cruel man.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Tarleton surrounded the patriots and demanded their surrender. While
+Buford was quietly discussing the matter, his soldiers resting at ease
+under the protection of a flag of truce, Tarleton treacherously arranged
+his men for an attack. Suddenly the flag of truce was taken down, and
+instantly the British cavalry rushed from all sides upon Buford's men
+and killed one hundred and thirteen and wounded one hundred and fifty.</p>
+
+<p>Even the boys were nerved to deeds of valor. A schoolboy named Andrew
+Jackson, thirteen years old, who had seen the dead of the Buford
+massacre, and helped care for the wounded, and whose own brother had
+been killed by the British, was himself captured. While under guard, a
+pompous British officer came up to him and cried out:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Here, boy! clean my boots!"</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir! clean your own boots. I am a prisoner of war and entitled to
+better treatment."</p>
+
+<p>Down came the officer's sword, aiming at the boy's head. Warding off the
+blow with his arm, he received a wound, the marks of which he carried to
+his grave. This boy grew up to become the seventh president of the
+United States!</p>
+
+<p><b>221. General Gates meets with Disaster.</b>&mdash;When General Washington learned
+of the disasters in the south,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> the loss of Savannah and Charleston and
+of Lincoln's army, he was anxious to send down General Greene, his
+right-hand man. But Congress unwisely interfered, and sent General
+Gates, who had contrived to get the credit of Burgoyne's capture at
+Saratoga.</p>
+
+<p>In August, Gates moved to Camden, S. C., to meet Cornwallis. A strange
+battle ensued. Each general had planned to surprise the other by a night
+attack; the armies met in the dark. Both waited till daylight, and then
+the battle began. It was a disastrous defeat for the patriots. Gates's
+army was destroyed. This was perhaps the worst catastrophe of the war.</p>
+
+<p>Now the patriot prospect was wretched enough. Where could there be any
+hope? The Tories all through the state were delighted, and thronged to
+the British side.</p>
+
+<p><b>222. Marion proves a Source of Terror to the British.</b>&mdash;The patriots felt
+now that they must defend themselves singly or in small groups; there
+was no army to help them. So they assembled, a few dozen here and there,
+and used their utmost endeavors on every opportunity to cripple the
+enemy. The British had small stations through the state, from which
+murderous raids could be made. They would plunder, burn, slay, and then
+return to their posts. To attack these posts, or to do any military work
+successfully, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> patriots needed a leader. One soon came, Francis
+Marion, who combined a few groups of patriots and did most effective
+work with them.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 327px;">
+<img src="images/illus262.jpg" width="327" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Marion&#39;s Troopers attacking a British Camp.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>This gallant and intrepid partisan chieftain was rather below the middle
+stature, lean, and swarthy. His forehead was large and high, and his
+eyes black and piercing. He was at this time about forty-eight years of
+age, with a body capable of enduring great fatigue and every privation.
+He never tarnished his fame with acts of cruelty.</p>
+
+<p>"Never shall a house be burned by one of my men," said he; "to distress
+helpless women and children is what I detest."</p>
+
+<p>Marion used to wear a close-fitting red jacket and a leather cap. His
+body was so slight that he never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> did personal deeds of valor. His sword
+was so rarely used that once he could not draw it from the scabbard on
+account of the rust.</p>
+
+<p>Never was Napoleon's guard more attached to their general than were
+Marion's men to the partisan chief who so often led them to victory.</p>
+
+<p><b>223. How the "Swamp Fox" did his Fighting.</b>&mdash;Marion was familiar with the
+country, and in many of the numerous swamps he occupied, with his
+troopers, secret haunts approached by devious paths not easily followed.
+The British, smarting under his attacks, called him the "swamp fox"; but
+he proved to them rather a wolf or a tiger. These patriots who sprang to
+his side to defend their homes were patriots indeed. They had no pay, no
+uniforms, and but scanty clothing. They were a shabby-looking band of
+soldiers; but their arms were strong and their hearts were true.</p>
+
+<p>Many had no guns, until they supplied themselves from the enemy. They
+melted their pewter dishes for bullets. They often made their breakfast
+on blackberries, dined on potatoes and green corn, and not infrequently
+supped on the memory of their dinner.</p>
+
+<p>Much of the time Marion himself did not have even a blanket. One night
+his bed of brush caught fire, and it not only burnt his blanket but
+singed his hair and spoilt his leather cap!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Marion always kept his plans secret, even from his own officers, until
+the moment for action came. There was an air of mystery in what he
+undertook, and a bustle of hearty enterprise about his movements, which
+gave a charm to life in his famous brigade. Marion enjoyed fully the
+confidence of his men, shared all their privations, and braved more than
+his share of their dangers.</p>
+
+<p><b>224. One of Marion's First Exploits.</b>&mdash;One of Marion's first exploits was
+against a large force of Tories under Major Gainey. Marion and his men
+fell on his camp at daybreak as suddenly as if they had dropped from the
+clouds. Gainey fled on horseback, closely pursued by Major James, who
+followed so fast and so far that he suddenly found himself alone and
+getting surrounded by Tories. His quick wits saved him.</p>
+
+<p>Turning in his saddle and waving his sword, he shouted back as if to a
+large body of followers, "Come on, boys! Here they are!" The Tories
+scattered and fled! In this little brush Marion did not lose a man.</p>
+
+<p>Marion was always on the alert&mdash;quick, dash, fire, away!&mdash;that was his
+way of fighting. No wonder he carried terror to the enemy. And yet he
+never used exactly the same tactics twice. Once he planned to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> fall
+suddenly on a force twice as large as his own. It had a watchful leader
+who could not be caught napping. Dangerous business, we say. Yes, but
+see how the "swamp fox" did it! He carefully hid a body of his best
+sharpshooters in ambush along the road about a mile from the British.</p>
+
+<p>Then he made a lively attack on the enemy and soon retreated along this
+road. Of course the enemy followed briskly, when up sprang Marion's
+troopers in ambush and soon defeated them. "All's fair in war," says the
+proverb.</p>
+
+<p>These furious and almost incessant attacks kept the British in terror.
+They never knew when they were safe.</p>
+
+<p><b>225. Some of Marion's Famous Exploits.</b>&mdash;Many a story of this daring
+chieftain's exploits used to be told by the evening fireside. In
+October, 1780, Marion brought hope to the patriots by one of his
+brilliant attacks. Colonel Tynes was gathering a large body of Tories to
+assist the British, and he held stores of guns, ammunition, and clothing
+for their use. Marion's scouts learned all the facts. These were just
+the articles he wanted for his half-clothed, half-fed, and poorly armed
+men.</p>
+
+<p>For him to resolve was to act. He came cautiously at midnight. The
+camp-fires were burning; some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> soldiers were singing, some playing
+cards, some eating stolen chickens; but nobody was on guard. Marion's
+troopers rushed in with a wild shout, and the attack went all one way. A
+large number were killed, twenty-three were taken prisoners, and the
+supplies of the Tory camp were enjoyed by Marion's men for a long time.
+Not one of his force was lost.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after Gates's defeat, Marion learned by his scouts that the British
+were not far off with a large body of American prisoners. He sent at
+midnight a squad to hold the road to their camp, and before dawn he
+approached it silently with his own force. Just at daylight he made a
+sudden attack upon them. The surprise and the assault were an amazing
+success. Twenty-four of the enemy were killed or captured, and one
+hundred and fifty captives were set free, while not one of his men was
+lost.</p>
+
+<p><b>226. Marion invites a British Officer to Dinner.</b>&mdash;One day a young
+British officer came to Marion under a flag of truce, to plan an
+exchange of some prisoners. The business finished, Marion asked the
+officer to dine with him. The dinner consisted entirely of baked sweet
+potatoes brought by a negro on a piece of bark for a plate, with a log
+for a table.</p>
+
+<p>"But this can't be your usual fare?" asked the Britisher.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed," said Marion, "and we are lucky to-day to have enough for
+company."</p>
+
+<p>This was no idle talk to affect the young officer, but it did impress
+him; for the story is that on returning to his own camp he said, "It's
+no use trying; I've seen Marion, and I tell you that men who work for no
+pay and live on potatoes while fighting for their liberties, are not
+going to be beaten, and I am not going to fight any longer against them.
+I shall resign to-day."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 357px;">
+<img src="images/illus267.jpg" width="357" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Marion invites a British Officer to dine with him.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>227. A Great Victory at King's Mountain.</b>&mdash;After the Camden disaster the
+deep gloom continued till October, when Colonel Ferguson was sent with a
+force of British and Tories to the northwest to subdue the patriots in
+that region. Instantly there was a general uprising of the hunters and
+farmers of this wild and romantic region to defend their homes from the
+brutal enemy. These hardy mountaineers, ready to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> move at a moment's
+warning, came from every direction to a common meeting-place.</p>
+
+<p>At King's Mountain, in North Carolina, where the British were
+entrenched, these American riflemen charged up the steep sides,
+surrounded the enemy, and cut them down till about half were killed and
+the rest fled in dismay. It was a brilliant victory, won by sheer hard
+fighting, and it brought supreme joy to the long-suffering patriots; for
+it proved to be decisive. It turned the tide of British rule in the
+south.</p>
+
+<p><b>228. General Greene takes Command in the South.</b>&mdash;A new Continental army
+was now to be sent from the north, and this time Washington had his
+choice of commanders. He sent one of his best and most trusted officers,
+General Greene, who had been a Rhode Island blacksmith. He knew how to
+fight; for he had served under the eye of Washington in many battles,
+and so had been well trained in military matters.</p>
+
+<p>It was in December, 1780, that Greene took command of the so-called
+"southern army" at Charlotte, a little town in North Carolina. He had in
+all about two thousand men, but only eight hundred were fit for duty.</p>
+
+<p>On the day Greene took command there were not three days' provisions in
+camp. He had no money.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> The people would not touch the Continental paper
+money. Ably, patiently, and brilliantly, this sagacious general at once
+set to work to effect his great purpose of driving the British armies
+from the south.</p>
+
+<p>With Greene came another famous officer, General Daniel Morgan, the man
+who had marched with Arnold to Canada, and who commanded the infantry at
+Stillwater and Saratoga.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 307px;">
+<img src="images/illus269.jpg" width="307" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General Greene taking Command of the Southern Army.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>This was the man who, when he heard of Lexington, led his riflemen six
+hundred miles in twenty-one days, from Virginia, to join Washington in
+Cambridge.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Morgan was of gigantic stature, vast physical strength, and wonderful
+powers of endurance. In his youth he was a teamster. One day by order of
+a tyrannical British officer he was given five hundred lashes for some
+slight offense. He walked away saucy and defiant as before.</p>
+
+<p>Of a gentle and unselfish nature, resolute, fearless in battle, a born
+fighter, Morgan was the ideal leader of the riflemen of the frontier.
+His force was smaller than Greene's, who had detached him to occupy a
+post in South Carolina.</p>
+
+<p><b>229. How General Morgan defeated the British at Cowpens.</b>&mdash;Cornwallis in
+January, 1781, sent Tarleton with eleven hundred troops to meet Morgan
+and dispose of him. They met at Cowpens, but Morgan, with a smaller
+army, reversed the order and disposed of Tarleton! He killed a large
+number, ten officers and more than one hundred men, took over five
+hundred prisoners, with all the artillery and stores.</p>
+
+<p>It was at Cowpens that Colonel Washington, a distant relative of the
+Commander-in-Chief, wounded Tarleton in a hand-to-hand combat. Shortly
+afterwards this hated British officer said to a lady:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You seem to think very highly of Colonel Washington; and yet I have
+been told that he is so ignorant a fellow that he can hardly write his
+name."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It may be so," quickly replied the lady; "but no man can testify better
+than yourself that he knows how to 'make his mark.'"</p>
+
+<p>At another time the haughty Tarleton, boasting of his own deeds and
+speaking with disdain of the continental cavalry, said to a lady:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I have a very earnest desire to see your far-famed hero, Colonel
+Washington."</p>
+
+<p>"Your wish, colonel, might have been gratified," she promptly replied,
+"had you dared to look behind you at the battle of Cowpens!"</p>
+
+<p><b>230. Greene's Masterly Retreat.</b>&mdash;How angry Cornwallis was at the ruin of
+his best army at Cowpens! He started to pursue Morgan and punish him.
+But the patriot general foresaw this, and not having soldiers enough, he
+got well ahead, and one day at dusk crossed the Catawba River. The
+advanced detachment of Cornwallis's army came up two hours later, and
+waited for morning. That night a heavy rain swelled the stream and
+checked the British advance. Morgan pushed on to the Yadkin and crossed,
+meeting Greene's army.</p>
+
+<p>Determined that his little band should not be destroyed, since the fate
+of the war in the south depended upon it, and not being strong enough to
+meet Cornwallis with his well-equipped regiments<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> in open battle, Greene
+now planned a retreat with as much method and care as he would have
+exercised in preparing for a battle.</p>
+
+<p>The river Roanoke for a long distance runs near the boundary between
+Virginia and North Carolina. The upper portion of this stream is called
+the Dan. Greene now started for the fords of this river, seventy miles
+away, with Cornwallis close at his heels. The roads were deep with mud
+and almost impassable. The patriot soldiers, wretchedly clothed and
+nearly barefoot, struggled along, marking the road, as Greene wrote to
+Washington, with blood-stained tracks.</p>
+
+<p>"How you must suffer from the cold!" said the general to a barefooted
+sentry.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not complain," replied the soldier; "I know I should fare well if
+our general could procure supplies; and if, as you say, we fight in a
+few days, I shall take care to get some shoes."</p>
+
+<p>It was a most masterly and gallant retreat. The men were kept in hand,
+and a serious encounter with the enemy was avoided.</p>
+
+<p>One morning during the retreat, when everything seemed dark, Greene rode
+up to the door of a tavern. The host, a true friend, met him.</p>
+
+<p>"What! alive, my dear general?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; tired, hungry, alone, and penniless."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The hostess, Mrs. Elizabeth Steele, was of the stuff of which patriots
+are made. She gave the weary general a good breakfast, and while he was
+eating she put in his hands a bag filled with bright silver dollars,
+saying, "You need them, and I can do without them."</p>
+
+<p>As the story goes, the gallant Greene, admiring the devotion of the
+noble woman, stepped to the mantel, over which hung a portrait of King
+George, turned it to the wall, and wrote upon the back, "Hide thy face,
+King George, and blush!"</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 356px;">
+<img src="images/illus273.jpg" width="356" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Patriotic and Generous Landlady.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Cornwallis pressed the patriots hard through forests and over streams,
+but he was baffled at every move. Reaching the river Dan, the American
+army was safely carried over by the boats which its sagacious commander
+had arranged for many days before.</p>
+
+<p>Cornwallis came up in hot haste only to find that the deep and rapid
+river flowed between him and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> foe. It would have been madness for
+him to cross the river. He sullenly withdrew his army to a point farther
+south.</p>
+
+<p><b>231. Greene now begins to fight and shows Rare Generalship.</b>&mdash;Having
+recruited and rested his men, Greene moved his army south of the Dan and
+began active operations. He followed sharply after Cornwallis, and in
+March brought him to battle at Guilford. The fight was severe, and the
+British general, though he gained the advantage, was so roughly handled
+that he retired towards Wilmington, the nearest point on the coast.</p>
+
+<p>Greene now made a bold and hazardous move. Instead of preventing
+Cornwallis from advancing to the north, he left the British general to
+do as he pleased, faced about suddenly and boldly marched to South
+Carolina. His plan was to thrust himself between the main British army
+and its southern division and then attack the latter and their fortified
+posts.</p>
+
+<p>Like a skillful general, having decided upon this daring change, Greene
+acted quickly. He marched with all speed for Camden, one hundred and
+sixty miles distant. His object was to break the British hold upon South
+Carolina.</p>
+
+<p>A brighter day was now dawning, and the sunshine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> of hope was soon to
+appear. The adroit activities of Marion, Sumter, and Pickens, and the
+skill and vigor of Greene and Morgan were now bringing their harvest,
+and they gave the patriots new life and cheer.</p>
+
+<p>At Hobkirks Hill, near Camden, Greene attacked the British. He was
+defeated, but it was a fruitless victory.</p>
+
+<p>"We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again," wrote Greene to a friend.</p>
+
+<p>One by one the strong posts of the enemy in South Carolina fell into our
+hands. The British hold on both the Carolinas was slowly but surely
+broken. The enemy wisely kept near the coast. The last battle of the
+long and stubborn struggle was fought at Eutaw Springs, S. C., in
+September, 1781. The contest was desperate on both sides; but the
+British, badly crippled, retreated in the night to Charleston.</p>
+
+<p><b>232. Greene's Brilliant Campaign in the South.</b>&mdash;Greene had with the
+scantiest of means done a great work in his southern campaign. He had
+driven Cornwallis to Virginia, to meet his fate at Yorktown. He had
+cleared both Carolinas of the British and restored them to the patriots.</p>
+
+<p>In few if any campaigns carried on with small armies was ever so
+effective and brilliant work done as did General Greene with his little
+force of patriots.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> Most mortifying was it to the haughty British
+commanders to know that they had been out-generaled, out-marched, and in
+the long run, out-fought by a Yankee blacksmith.</p>
+
+<p>The war in the south was now soon over. Savannah was captured in July,
+1782; in December, 1783, the British left Charleston. It was a proud day
+for Greene and Morgan and Marion when they followed with their army on
+the heels of the departing foe. As the patriots marched in, happy
+thousands cheered, and floral wreaths flew from crowded windows.</p>
+
+<p>The noble Greene lived only a few years after he had carried the
+Revolution to a triumph in the south. He died in 1786 from the effects
+of a sunstroke.</p>
+
+<p>Among the great generals of the American Revolution, it is generally
+admitted that Greene ranked, in military genius, second only to
+Washington.</p>
+
+<p>General Anthony Wayne, called "Mad Anthony" on account of his daring,
+who had fought by the side of Greene, and who watched by the death-bed
+of his comrade, wrote to a friend: "He was great as a soldier, great as
+a citizen, immaculate as a friend. The honors&mdash;the greatest honors of
+war&mdash;are due his remains. I have seen a great and good man die."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE STORY OF ARNOLD'S TREASON.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>233. A Gloomy Outlook for the Patriot Cause in 1780.</b>&mdash;During the long
+war of the Revolution from Lexington in 1775 to Yorktown in 1781, there
+were many times when it seemed as if it were really of no use for the
+Americans to fight for independence. Of these years probably 1780 was
+the darkest.</p>
+
+<p>We have just read of the sad disasters in the south during this year. If
+"hope long deferred maketh the heart sick," surely our forefathers had
+at this time ample cause for discouragement. It seemed to many, no
+doubt, that the policy of the British Parliament of "tiring the
+Americans out" might succeed after all.</p>
+
+<p>Financial matters were in a deplorable condition. Congress had no
+authority to raise money by taxation to carry on the war. Sometimes the
+colonies responded to the call for money from Congress; oftener they did
+not. There were paper promises enough issued by Congress and known as
+continental currency, but they had sadly fallen in value. Washington, it
+is said, once remarked that it took a wagon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span>-load of it to buy a
+wagon-load of provisions. Samuel Adams tells us that he paid two
+thousand dollars for a hat and a suit of clothes.</p>
+
+<p>A tradesman, to show his contempt for it, papered his shop with
+continental currency. The current phrase, "not worth a continental," has
+survived all these years as a reminder of the deplorable condition of
+our finances at this time. No wonder the famishing and half-frozen
+soldiers in Washington's army, when paid off in the flimsy stuff, were
+mutinous at times, and that the desertions averaged more than a hundred
+a month.</p>
+
+<p><b>234. Arnold the Traitor.</b>&mdash;In the midst of all the trials of this "year
+of disasters," the country was startled by the disclosure of a plot of
+the blackest treason. The recklessly brave but unscrupulous Arnold
+proved himself a traitor of the deepest dye.</p>
+
+<p>Born in Connecticut, he was early known as "a bad boy." From earliest
+childhood he was disobedient, cruel, reckless, and profane, caring
+little or nothing for the good will of others. While he was apprentice
+to an apothecary he enlisted in the colonial army, but soon deserted.
+Afterwards he set up as druggist in New Haven, but wasted the money he
+earned and ended the business by becoming bankrupt.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>235. His Brilliant Military Career.</b>&mdash;When the startling news from
+Lexington thrilled all the country, Arnold raised a company of soldiers
+and was appointed captain. Soon he became colonel and aided Ethan Allen
+in the attack on Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Next he was sent to
+assist General Montgomery in the assault on Quebec, where he proved
+himself a valiant soldier. He received a severe wound in the leg while
+gallantly leading his men. For these useful services, Congress made him
+a brigadier-general.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after this, Congress bestowed upon five prominent brigadiers the
+distinguished rank of major-general, but Arnold was not one of them. He
+felt slighted and became very jealous. Washington wrote him a kindly
+letter, which partly appeased his wounded vanity.</p>
+
+<p>During the Burgoyne campaign, as we have read, Arnold won special renown
+for his splendid bravery at the battle of Saratoga, where he was again
+wounded. For his signal valor in this battle he was now made a
+major-general. But even this probably failed to satisfy him; for there
+were still five others superior to him in rank.</p>
+
+<p><b>236. The Beginning of his Wicked Career.</b>&mdash;As his wounded leg needed
+rest, Arnold obtained from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> Washington, in the summer of 1778, the
+command of Philadelphia, lately evacuated by the British. During his
+nine months there his conduct was bad. His manners were haughty and
+insolent. He lived with costly extravagance far beyond his means, drove
+a fine coach and four, and gave splendid parties. His associates were
+largely among the Tories, and he married a Miss Shippen, a bitterly
+disloyal young woman. His intimate friends were now for the most part
+the enemies of his country.</p>
+
+<p>Arnold's expensive habits of living soon brought him deeply in debt, and
+when the storekeepers urged payment of their bills, he contrived
+dishonest methods of obtaining money belonging to the government. Formal
+charges of misconduct were made; he was tried, found guilty, and
+sentenced to the very mild punishment of a public reproof by the
+Commander-in-Chief. This reprimand Washington performed as gently as
+possible, sparing his feelings by combining high praise for his past
+heroism with censure for his late misdeeds.</p>
+
+<p>Arnold was angry. He had hoped to escape all censure. You may know how
+black a villain he was from the fact that, in his speech in court,
+defending himself, he spoke of his past services in battle and promised
+even more faithful devotion in future to his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> dear country, which he
+said he loved as his own life. It came out afterwards that even then he
+had been for months secretly exchanging letters with Sir Henry Clinton,
+and plotting how to betray his country! His letters were signed
+"Gustavus," and were secretly sent by his wife. The replies from Clinton
+purported to be from "John Anderson."</p>
+
+<p><b>237. Secretly plans to betray his Country.</b>&mdash;Arnold knew that of all
+things Clinton most longed to get possession of West Point; for it was
+the key of the river northward up to Lake Champlain, and it also
+controlled the crossing between New England and the Middle States.
+Arnold studied how to betray it, and by one bad act to satisfy both his
+revenge and his greed for money.</p>
+
+<p>The first thing to do was to change the sullenness that had marked his
+behavior since the trial. He at once became cheerful, loudly patriotic,
+and so eager to help his dear country! Next he contrived to persuade
+some prominent officers to induce Washington to appoint him to the
+command of West Point. Not suspecting his treachery, Washington gave him
+the place. He took command in August, 1780.</p>
+
+<p><b>238. Arnold and Andr&eacute; meet, and plot Treason.</b>&mdash;Now Arnold's plot began
+to ripen. But Clinton wanted to be very sure of what he was doing. He
+concluded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> to send a trusty officer to meet Arnold and settle the plan
+beyond doubt. So he selected the Adjutant General of his army, a
+brilliant young officer, Major John Andr&eacute;, who knew all about it thus
+far, for he was the "John Anderson" who had, under Clinton's directions,
+answered the "Gustavus" letters.</p>
+
+<p>On the morning that he started, Andr&eacute; had a parting lunch with his
+fellow officers, with wine-drinking and song-singing&mdash;a right jolly
+time! Ah! if he could only have foreseen! Andr&eacute; was an estimable young
+man, brave, educated, accomplished, a poet, an artist, and brought up in
+the best society of England.</p>
+
+<p>Andr&eacute; went up the Hudson in the sloop-of-war Vulture. After the moon
+went down, and it was dark enough for such a deed, a boat came silently
+from the west shore near Haverstraw, and took back from the vessel a
+tall young man wrapped in a black cloak. Arnold met him on the bank and
+led him into a thicket of fir trees. There, like two ugly spirits of
+evil, they crouched in the darkness, and talked over the details of the
+dastardly deed.</p>
+
+<p>Arnold, eager for British gold, haggled for a higher price. They plotted
+the utter ruin of the patriot cause, till, at the earliest streak of
+dawn, boom! boom! sounded some cannon! The traitor was frightened! One
+of our shore batteries was firing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> a few shots at the Vulture, so that
+she had to drop down stream a few miles. Andr&eacute; therefore could not
+return directly to the Vulture, but was obliged to remain hidden all
+that day.</p>
+
+<p>The plans had all been arranged. Clinton was to send up a fleet with
+soldiers to West Point, and Arnold was meanwhile to have removed most of
+his troops from the fort on some pretense, so that Clinton's force could
+easily capture it. Arnold gave Andr&eacute; some papers to carry to Clinton,
+maps of the fort, with instructions how to approach and take it.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Henry had warned Andr&eacute; not to receive any papers from Arnold nor to
+put on any disguise. Andr&eacute; for some reason did not obey these orders. He
+may have suspected that, after all, some trap was planned to deceive the
+British, and thought best to carry back papers in Arnold's own
+handwriting. At all events, it was a fatal mistake for poor Andr&eacute;.</p>
+
+<p><b>239. Capture of Andr&eacute;.</b>&mdash;- Andr&eacute; wore long riding-boots. Between his
+stockings and the soles of his feet he put these papers. He took also a
+pass from Arnold to carry him through the guards. The Vulture having
+dropped down the river, Andr&eacute; crossed over and set out on horseback to
+go back to New York on the east side.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>All went well until he reached the vicinity of Tarrytown. At this time
+the region was infested with "cowboys" and "skinners," who under the
+pretense of keeping up a partisan warfare for their respective sides
+used to steal whatever they could find.</p>
+
+<p>On this morning several men from the American army had been sent out to
+look after the "cowboys." As Andr&eacute; rode along, three of this party
+sprang from the bushes, leveled their muskets at him, and ordered him to
+halt. They were young men, and their names were John Paulding, David
+Williams, and Isaac Van Wart. One of them happened to have on the coat
+of a Hessian soldier whom he had captured. This may have misled Andr&eacute;
+and prompted him to make a blunder.</p>
+
+<p>"Gentlemen," said Andr&eacute;, "I hope you belong to our side."</p>
+
+<p>"Which side?" asked Van Wart.</p>
+
+<p>"The lower party," answered Andr&eacute;. "I am a British officer on urgent
+duty, and hope you will not detain me."</p>
+
+<p>Then the three patriots ordered him off his horse. Andr&eacute; saw his
+mistake. He showed them Arnold's pass, but they insisted on searching
+him. They examined his saddle, took off his coat and vest, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> finding
+nothing wrong, were about to let him go, when Paulding said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Boys, I am not satisfied; his boots must come off."</p>
+
+<p>Andr&eacute; objected: "his boots were very tight&mdash;he must not be
+detained&mdash;you'll suffer yet for what you are doing."</p>
+
+<p>But off came the boots, and out came the fatal papers!</p>
+
+<p>"Boys, this fine fellow is a spy!" exclaimed Paulding.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 319px;">
+<img src="images/illus285.jpg" width="319" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Capture of Andr&eacute;.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Andr&eacute; offered his captors his splendid gold watch, his horse, and a
+thousand dollars in money, if they would only let him off. The three
+common soldiers proved true to themselves and to their great cause and
+refused a bribe. Believing their captive to be a spy, they took him to
+their commander, Colonel Jameson.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>240. The Arch Traitor makes his Escape.</b>&mdash;This officer made the blunder
+of sending a messenger to Arnold with a letter saying a certain John
+Anderson had been arrested! The horseman found the arch traitor at
+breakfast with several of his prominent officers as his guests. His
+beautiful young wife was presiding with charming grace at the table.</p>
+
+<p>Arnold, concealing his terror, left the table, kissed his sleeping babe,
+told his fainting wife he might never see her again, seized a horse,
+galloped to the river, sprang into a boat, and urged the oarsmen by
+their love of money and rum to row him to the Vulture. When the boat
+reached the vessel, the traitor was so mean as to hand over the poor
+oarsmen as prisoners. But the British captain generously sent them back.</p>
+
+<p>Washington arrived at Arnold's house a few hours after he had escaped,
+and when the papers in Arnold's handwriting were shown him, his hand
+shook; he was overwhelmed with amazement and sorrow.</p>
+
+<p>Turning to Lafayette, with tears running down his cheeks, and choking
+with grief, he cried out:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Arnold is a traitor, and has fled to the British! Whom can we trust
+now?"</p>
+
+<p>It was only for a moment. The next instant Washington had recovered his
+iron self-control.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>241. What became of Arnold.</b>&mdash;Washington contrived an ingenious plan to
+capture Arnold, but it failed. The traitor got his reward; he was made a
+major-general in the British army and received thirty thousand dollars
+for his villany. But the gold turned to ashes in his hands. Everybody
+despised him. Men pointed the finger of scorn at him, saying, "There
+goes Arnold the traitor."</p>
+
+<p>A member of Parliament, in the midst of a speech saw Arnold in the
+gallery, and, pausing, said, "Mr. Speaker, I will not go on while that
+traitor is in the house."</p>
+
+<p>Washington had, all the years before, been Arnold's steadfast friend. He
+admired one who could fight with such energy, and who never knew fear.
+After the treason it is said that Washington could never mention the
+traitor's name without a shudder.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think of the doings of that diabolical dog?" wrote Colonel
+Williams, the gallant southern fighter, to General Morgan.</p>
+
+<p>"Curse on his folly and perfidy!" said the noble-hearted General Greene.
+"How mortifying to think that he is a New Englander!"</p>
+
+<p><b>242. Andr&eacute;'s Sad Fate.</b>&mdash;The three faithful men who captured Andr&eacute; were
+highly honored. Each received a silver medal from Congress, with a life
+pension of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> two hundred dollars a year. Their graves are marked by
+worthy monuments.</p>
+
+<p>But poor Andr&eacute;! what became of him? He was tried within a week by a
+court-martial of fourteen generals and condemned to death as a spy.</p>
+
+<p>"We cannot save him," said the kindly old veteran, Baron Steuben. "Oh
+that we had the traitor who has dragged this gallant young officer to
+death, so that he might suffer in his stead!" Andr&eacute; wrote a full and
+frank letter to Washington, urging that he was not really a spy. All
+Americans felt deep pity for him because of his youth, his virtues, his
+many accomplishments, his belief that he was serving his country, and
+because he had been the victim of a villain.</p>
+
+<p>But Americans could not forget that the British, four years before, had
+captured a brave young American officer, Captain Nathan Hale, and hanged
+him as a spy without any manifestation of pity or sympathy.</p>
+
+<p>The officer who commanded the escort that brought Andr&eacute; across the
+Hudson to the main army was a college classmate of Hale. As the young
+officers rode along on horseback, mention was made of Hale's sad fate.</p>
+
+<p>"Surely," said Andr&eacute;, "you do not think his case and mine alike!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"They are precisely alike," answered the officer, "and similar will be
+your fate."</p>
+
+<p>Washington, who shed tears when he signed the death warrant, would
+gladly have saved Andr&eacute;'s life; but the stern rules of war and the good
+of the American cause left no room for mercy. His execution was put off
+one day, it is said, in hope that Arnold might be captured and made to
+suffer in his stead.</p>
+
+<p>Andr&eacute; bravely faced the awful event, and on the morning of the day of
+his death conversed freely and even cheerfully. He was disturbed only
+about the mode of his death; he begged to be shot as a soldier, and not
+hanged as a spy; but the grim custom and rules of war forbade.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 373px;">
+<img src="images/illus290.jpg" width="373" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">On his Deathbed Arnold calls for his Old Uniform.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>243. Arnold dies in Disgrace.</b>&mdash;Arnold lived in London for more than
+twenty years after his foul treason. No doubt they were years of bitter
+remorse and self-reproach. His wife proved herself a devoted woman.
+Arnold's children and grandchildren all felt keenly the disgrace that
+rested upon the family.</p>
+
+<p>As the traitor came to his final sickness, his mind seemed to recall the
+days when he fought for his country with distinction. He thought of the
+steadfast friendship that Washington once cherished for him. After
+Saratoga, this friend had presented him with epaulettes and a
+sword-knot, and put them on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> with his own hand. The old uniform in which
+he had fought his battles, and which he wore on the day he escaped to
+the Vulture, had been carefully kept during all these years of disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>Just before his death the desolate old man called for these sad
+reminders and put them on again.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me die," said he, "in this old uniform in which I fought so many
+battles for my country. May God forgive me for ever putting on any
+other!"</p>
+
+<p>Thus perished the man who, with the exception of Washington and Greene,
+prior to his infamous deed, had done perhaps more efficient service for
+the cause of our independence than any other American general.</p>
+
+<p>Think of the contrast between the deep infamy of an Arnold and the
+patriotic grit and unselfishness of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> those ragged, half-starved
+Pennsylvania soldiers who rose in mutiny during the next winter. Mad
+Anthony Wayne had led some of these men at the storming of Stony Point,
+and he was dearly beloved by them all; yet they would not obey even him.</p>
+
+<p>As Wayne was speaking to them, two men, who had been sent by General
+Clinton to tamper with the mutineers and offer a bounty and high pay if
+they would enlist in the British army, were detected. The soldiers in
+their wrath turned these emissaries over to their general, and they were
+hanged as spies.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell General Clinton," said these men who had not received a cent of
+pay to send home to their families for over a year, "that we are not
+Benedict Arnolds."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">JOHN PAUL JONES: OUR FIRST GREAT NAVAL HERO.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>244. The Colonies poorly prepared to cope with England on the Sea.</b>&mdash;Now
+we must remember that the American Revolution, which lasted about seven
+years, and which resulted in our independence, was fought almost
+entirely on land. We were poor, and besides had but little or no
+experience in building men-of-war. The few vessels that had been built
+in this country were mostly sloops or schooners for fishing, or for
+trading.</p>
+
+<p>In this lack of large sailing craft during the Revolution, we should
+have got on very poorly but for the generous aid of France. When
+Washington's forces closed in upon the enemy at Yorktown, he would not
+then have been able to capture the whole British army and so end the
+great struggle, but for the thirty-six French ships that arrived just in
+time to give us the assistance we so much needed.</p>
+
+<p>In the first years of the war the colonies began to build a number of
+warships, but these were of little account compared with the navy of
+England. Such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> few vessels as we already had were hastily fitted up for
+naval service and armed with small cannon. These had to make up for
+their want of size by the boldness of their crews and the quickness of
+their movement.</p>
+
+<p>Privateering was then very common. This means that a vessel owned or
+officered by private persons has a commission from the government to go
+out and attack the enemy's vessels. Without this authority it would have
+been regarded as a pirate.</p>
+
+<p><b>245. John Paul Jones begins his Remarkable Career.</b>&mdash;The feeble colonies
+had then not only few vessels, but few officers to command them. There
+was one officer, however, John Paul Jones, who soon became widely famous
+as a naval commander of extraordinary courage and superb audacity. He
+was born in Scotland. When a boy of only twelve years he began to go to
+sea. In time he visited his elder brother, a farmer in Virginia. During
+the next few years he made a number of voyages to the West Indies, and
+became rich by his skill in trading.</p>
+
+<p>When the war of the Revolution began, this energetic young Scotch sailor
+determined to take an active part in it. He entered the navy in 1775,
+when twenty-eight years old, and became lieutenant of the sloop-of-war
+Alfred.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>On this vessel Paul Jones hoisted to the masthead the first American
+flag ever displayed over an American warship. It was a yellow silk flag
+showing a pine tree, with a rattlesnake coiled at its root as if about
+to strike, and the motto, "Don't tread on me." Our present flag, with
+its beautiful stripes and glowing stars, was adopted by Congress two
+years later.</p>
+
+<p>The Alfred was the flagship of a little fleet of seven vessels. They
+soon captured two British vessels from the Bahamas, then went to Nassau,
+the capital of the islands, took the governor prisoner, and carried away
+nearly a hundred cannon with a large quantity of military supplies. On
+the way home they seized two more British vessels. On a later cruise, of
+forty-seven days, Jones took sixteen prizes.</p>
+
+<p><b>246. John Paul Jones performs Daring Deeds on the English
+Coast.</b>&mdash;Afterwards Paul Jones went to France, and sailing from Brest in
+his ship the Ranger, he swept the seas all around England, taking or
+destroying every hostile ship he met. He was so audacious as to sail
+into British ports, wrecking and pillaging everywhere. He entered the
+harbor of Whitehaven, England, surprised the forts, spiked the guns, and
+burned some ships at the docks. English commerce was crippled, insurance
+rates rose to a fabulous price, and merchants met with enormous losses.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The English were so alarmed that they sent out the well-armed
+sloop-of-war Drake to capture Jones and bring him in a prisoner. But the
+daring hero turned the game just the other way. He met the British craft
+in the Irish Sea, and after a severe battle of over an hour he captured
+her with more than two hundred prisoners and took the prize to Brest.
+All this pleased the French wonderfully, for they had had war with
+England.</p>
+
+<p>In fact all Europe rang with the praises of John Paul Jones.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/illus295.jpg" width="416" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">John Paul Jones.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>247. Jones's Interview with Franklin; secures Help from France.</b>&mdash;The
+American Commissioners in Paris, of whom Franklin was the leader,
+promised Jones a much larger ship; but they could not get the money to
+pay for it, and Jones was very impatient to be off to sea again. He went
+to the harbor of Lorient, on the west coast of France, to choose a ship.
+Week after week he waited for an order from Paris to buy the vessel, but
+none came.</p>
+
+<p>One day, while in a restaurant, the young officer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> took up a copy of
+<i>Poor Richard's Almanac</i>, a very unique little annual, really the work
+of Franklin. Reading the bright sayings scattered over every page, he
+came upon this maxim: "If you would have your business done, go; if not,
+send!"</p>
+
+<p>The truth of the homely saying came to his mind like a flash. He sprang
+to his feet.</p>
+
+<p>"That was written for me," he said. "Here I am, <i>sending</i> to Paris, when
+I ought to <i>go</i>!"</p>
+
+<p>He started at once. He appealed to the Minister of Marine, and then to
+King Louis himself. He pleaded his way to success. The king immediately
+gave him a forty-gun ship at Lorient. He went back and took command. The
+first thing Paul Jones did was to paint out the old name and give for a
+new one the French equivalent of Dr. Franklin's almanac name, Bon Homme
+Richard ("Poor Richard," or "Goodman Richard"); for he gave the credit
+of his sudden success to Franklin's wise maxim.</p>
+
+<p><b>248. The Battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis.</b>&mdash;Our
+daring mariner soon sailed out with six other vessels, all flying the
+beautiful new American flag. The crew on the Richard numbered nearly
+four hundred men, a medley of sailors from almost every nation in
+Europe, and even including some Malays. He sailed up between England and
+Ireland,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> taking a number of prizes, then around the north of Scotland
+and down on the east coast of England.</p>
+
+<p>Here, in the evening of a clear September day in 1779, his little fleet
+met, off Flamborough, the new British ship of forty-four guns, commanded
+by Captain Pearson. The Serapis, though a larger and better ship than
+the old Richard, tried to escape, but the Richard chased her and brought
+her to. It was just at twilight, and so near the land that crowds of
+people thronged the shores to see the contest.</p>
+
+<p>As darkness settled down, the ships drew nearer. Just then the full moon
+rose slowly over the sea, and right in the range of its broad field of
+light were the dark shapes of the two hostile vessels.</p>
+
+<p>Now they draw closer. On each ship rests a stillness like that of death.
+The men stand at their guns silent and thoughtful. The thousands on
+shore hold their breath. Silently up goes the British flag on the
+mainmast of the Serapis, and over the Richard waves the new banner of
+the "stars and stripes."</p>
+
+<p>"Ship ahoy!" shouted Captain Jones through his speaking trumpet.</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye!" was the reply from the English vessel.</p>
+
+<p>"What's your name?" came ringing over the water.</p>
+
+<p>"His majesty's ship Serapis! What's yours?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Bon Homme Richard!" replied the gallant Jones; "haul down your flag!"</p>
+
+<p>The Englishman's answer was the flash and boom of a cannon shot that
+whizzed through the rigging of the Richard. Then raged the lightning and
+thunder of battle. Fast and furious was the roar of the big guns, now
+from this ship, now from that.</p>
+
+<p>They drift nearer together; now their rigging is entangled; now they
+touch! Now the struggling crews fight hand to hand. Right and left the
+conflict rages, with pikes and pistols and cutlasses.</p>
+
+<p>Jones is now here, now there, seeing all, controlling all, and mixing
+with the bravest, now training some gun, now pulling at some rope or
+cheering some lagging sailor lad. His strong will and sturdy pluck give
+new life to his men. They cheer as their shot begin to tell. The air is
+filled with the crash of cannon, the rattle of pistols, the orders of
+officers, the yells of the crews, and the groans of the dying.</p>
+
+<p>The American flag is obscured with smoke, so that Captain Pearson, not
+seeing it, shouts, "Are you ready to surrender?"</p>
+
+<p>Instantly comes Jones's defiant reply, "Surrender! I've not yet begun to
+fight!"</p>
+
+<p>Then Jones lashed the ships together, while the cannon balls tore
+through the vessels, cut the masts,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> and scattered the wounded and dead
+all around. The Richard is leaking badly, but the fight still rages.
+Marines in the rigging bring down the enemy with incessant shots, and
+hurl grenades that fire the Serapis.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 403px;">
+<img src="images/illus299.jpg" width="403" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the
+Serapis.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The flames spread; both ships are on fire! but still the big guns roar.
+Both vessels have been on fire three times, but the pumps are at work
+and the battle still rages. The scene is one of appalling, indescribable
+grandeur. Finally, at about ten o'clock, Captain Pearson sees there is
+no hope against such a foe as this, and so strikes his flag. When the
+haughty English captain gave up his sword to the brave Yankee sailor, he
+said: "I cannot but feel much mortification at the idea of surrendering
+my sword to a man who has fought me with a rope round his neck."</p>
+
+<p>The gallant Jones received the Englishman's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> sword, and at once returned
+it, saying, "You have fought bravely, sir, and I hope your king will
+give you a better ship."</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended one of the most desperate sea fights recorded in naval
+history. The Bon Homme Richard was a complete wreck and was fast
+sinking. Accordingly Jones took all on board the Serapis, which of
+course was then under his command, and in a few hours the American
+vessel went down in the deep sea, carrying with her the bodies of her
+dead. The victorious commander took the Serapis, with all his prisoners,
+into a Holland port.</p>
+
+<p><b>249. Effect of this Grand Naval Victory; After-Life of Paul Jones.</b>&mdash;This
+famous victory was a severe blow to England's naval prestige. The moral
+effect upon the nations of Europe of such a victory within sight of the
+English coast was something remarkable.</p>
+
+<p>Franklin praised Jones, and Washington wrote him a warm letter of
+thanks. The French king invited him to his palace, and presented him
+with a superb gold-mounted sword. The empress of Russia gave him an
+honorary ribbon, and the king of Denmark awarded him a pension.</p>
+
+<p>In America this victory brought universal joy, and Congress bestowed on
+the victor a large gold medal. The brave Captain Pearson was afterwards
+knighted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> by his king. On hearing of it, Jones said, "He deserves it;
+and if I fall in with him again I'll make a lord of him."</p>
+
+<p>After a few years' further service in our navy, Paul Jones was offered a
+position of honor in the Russian navy. He accepted it and soon won a
+brilliant victory in the Black Sea over the Turks, who were frightened
+at his remarkable bravery.</p>
+
+<p>Afterwards, when living in Paris, Jones became broken down in health. No
+wonder, for he had fought twenty-four naval battles! When he was taken
+sick, the queen sent her physician, to attend him. He died in Paris in
+1792, at the early age of forty-five, thirteen years after his memorable
+victory. No one knows the place of his burial. At the public funeral a
+vast concourse filled the streets of the French capital.</p>
+
+<p>General sorrow was shown throughout the United States at the death of
+John Paul Jones, the great ocean hero of the Revolution&mdash;indeed, the
+first heroic character in our country's naval history.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: HIS HIGHLY USEFUL CAREER.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>250. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most Useful and Influential Men of
+his Time.</b>&mdash;Among the many men who acted a conspicuous part as "makers of
+our country," Benjamin Franklin holds a unique and interesting place.
+Combined with shrewd common sense and a practical philosophy was a
+genial and rare personality, which made him during his long lifetime a
+most useful and influential citizen.</p>
+
+<p>Franklin did not fight and win battles like Washington and Greene, but
+he gained notable victories in diplomacy when the struggling colonies
+sorely needed them. For over sixty years he wrote hundreds of pamphlets,
+tracts, and newspaper articles, which moulded public opinion at critical
+times, and also served to increase the comfort and happiness of his
+fellow-men.</p>
+
+<p>Most men who have attempted to write their own lives have made a sad
+failure of it. This busy man of the world, with no education save that
+which he was able to get in the "odds and ends" of time, told<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> the story
+of his own life in a way that has commanded the interest and admiration
+of multitudes of readers for over a hundred years.</p>
+
+<p><b>251. Franklin's Early Life; his Genius for Useful Inventions.</b>&mdash;Benjamin
+Franklin, the fifteenth of a family of seventeen children, was born in
+Boston in 1706. His father was a poor man, who could afford his youngest
+boy only about two years of schooling. When he was ten, the lad left
+school to assist his father at his trade of making soap and tallow
+candles.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing else pleased the boy so much as a book. He had access at this
+time to very few, and most of these were dull, but he read them eagerly.
+He read and re-read Bunyan's <i>Pilgrim's Progress</i> until he knew it by
+heart. He disliked his father's trade and longed to do something more
+agreeable. He even thought of running away to sea as one of his brothers
+had done.</p>
+
+<p><b>252. Learns the Printer's Trade; how he learned to write Good
+English.</b>&mdash;Finally the boy was bound out as an apprentice to his older
+brother James, to learn the printer's trade. This was more to the boy's
+liking, for it gave him a better chance to read. For three years young
+Franklin worked hard to master the business. In a short time he could
+set type as well as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span> any of the Boston printers. He went on errands to
+the bookstores, and, making friends with the clerks, he was often able
+to borrow books to read. He would carry them home, sit up most of the
+night reading, and return them on the next morning.</p>
+
+<p>In his story of his own life, Franklin gives a most interesting account
+of his finding an odd volume of Addison's <i>Spectator</i>, and how charmed
+he was with the style. He would read one of Addison's essays with great
+care, close the book, and then write it out in his own words. This was
+carefully compared with the original, and corrected and re-corrected
+until he had improved upon his first effort.</p>
+
+<p>This and other similar exercises were long continued, and they gave the
+ambitious boy the command of a singularly clear and interesting style.</p>
+
+<p><b>253. Writes for his Brother's Newspaper.</b>&mdash;For three years the young
+printer worked steadily at his trade, without a moment of leisure except
+such as he took from his sleep or from his meals. He often sat up late
+and rose early, that he might have more time for study.</p>
+
+<p>His brother James, for whom he worked, so prospered in his business that
+he began to print in 1721 a weekly newspaper. It was young Benjamin's
+duty to set the type and strike off the edition of a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> hundred
+papers, and then carry the little sheet to the houses of the
+subscribers.</p>
+
+<p>The boy read his brother's paper and soon had confidence enough in
+himself to write articles for it. He did not dare to let his brother
+know it, but slipped them under the door at night. They were printed and
+eagerly read for some time before their authorship was known.</p>
+
+<p><b>254. Goes to Philadelphia; First Appearance in that City.</b>&mdash;Young
+Franklin and his brother did not, however, get along well together. They
+quarreled, and the young printer at last sold some of his books and set
+sail for New York on a sloop. Unable to find work there, he was advised
+to go to Philadelphia. After many hardships and mishaps, he stepped
+ashore at the Quaker City one Sunday morning with one silver dollar and
+about a shilling in copper in his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>Franklin was at this time a sturdy youth of seventeen. He was dressed in
+the peculiar fashion of the times. He wore knee breeches of buckskin,
+also a huge coat, the pockets of which bulged out with his spare shirts
+and stockings. He hastened to the first baker's shop and asked for
+threepenny worth of bread. The baker handed him three long rolls. He
+took one under each arm, and ate the third as he walked along the
+streets.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A young girl happened to see him as he passed her father's house, and
+she laughed aloud at the young man's comical appearance. The girl's name
+was Deborah Read, and she afterwards became the wife of Franklin. Hungry
+and tired, he ate his rolls, then walked down to the river for a drink
+of water, and at last went into a Quaker meeting and soon fell sound
+asleep.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 343px;">
+<img src="images/illus306.jpg" width="343" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Franklin&#39;s First Appearance in Philadelphia.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A good Quaker helped Franklin to get work at his trade as a printer. The
+young man soon proved himself a prize to his employer. He was strong,
+quick, frugal, of a studious mind, and, what was a rare virtue in those
+days, he never touched strong drink. Bright and sunny hours now came. He
+received good wages, saved his money, and made friends everywhere.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>255. Goes to London and works at his Trade.</b>&mdash;One of these friends was
+the governor of Pennsylvania. He advised Franklin to set up a printing
+office of his own. He urged him to go to London to buy a printing
+outfit, and promised him letters to people in England who, he said,
+would let him have all the money he needed. The young printer trusted
+too much to the pompous governor's promises and sailed for England,
+hoping to find the letters in the vessel's letter bag. But the governor
+had disappointed him; no such letters were ever written.</p>
+
+<p>In due time Franklin found himself in the great city of London, where he
+did not know a single person. He at once showed what stuff he was made
+of. He quietly went to work at his trade and worked harder than ever. He
+kept up his studious habits, and spent all his spare time in reading
+good books.</p>
+
+<p><b>256. Returns to Philadelphia; successful as a Printer and
+Publisher.</b>&mdash;After a stay of a year and a half in London, Franklin
+returned to Philadelphia, and soon after set up in business for himself
+as a printer. After a time he started a newspaper. He worked early and
+late, attending to every detail himself. He was not ashamed to carry
+material for his paper through the streets on a wheelbarrow.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Once he invited a rival in his business home to dine. Pointing to a loaf
+of bread from which they had eaten, he said, "Unless you can live
+cheaper than I, you cannot starve me out."</p>
+
+<p>When he was twenty-four the prosperous young printer married Deborah
+Read, the young woman who had laughed at him years before as he trudged
+through the streets with the rolls under his arms. Deborah proved
+herself a real helpmate, thrifty and industrious. Attached to the
+printing office was a little shop which the young wife tended.</p>
+
+<p>"Our table was plain and simple," says Franklin in his autobiography,
+"our furniture of the cheapest. For instance, our breakfast was for a
+long time bread and milk (no tea), and I ate it out of a twopenny
+earthen porringer, with a pewter spoon." In after years the thrifty
+couple indulged in some splendor, for in 1765 Mrs. Franklin, in a letter
+to her husband, alludes proudly to a papered room, horsehair chairs, a
+sideboard, and three carpets.</p>
+
+<p><b>257. His Happy, Useful, and Prosperous Career in Philadelphia.</b>&mdash;For
+twenty years Franklin lived a prosperous life as an active business man
+of the good Quaker city. He had become noted for his integrity,
+sagacity, and prosperity. His newspaper became known for its sparkling
+and timely editorials. The most intelligent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> and influential men of the
+city met in his office to discuss the questions of the day.</p>
+
+<p>The same year that Washington was born (1732) Franklin issued the first
+number of his <i>Poor Richard's Almanac</i>, which soon gained great fame for
+its wise and pithy sayings. The popularity which this little work
+maintained for twenty-five years was astonishing. Its shrewd and quaint
+maxims soon became household words in almost every shop and home of the
+land.</p>
+
+<p>Even with his increasing prosperity Franklin found time every day to
+devote many hours to his books. He became proficient in French, Spanish,
+Italian, and even Latin. He gave much time to music, and played with
+skill upon the harp, the guitar, and the violin.</p>
+
+<p>This remarkable man now began to be at the head of many kinds of public
+and private enterprises, from treating with the Indians to plans for
+cleaning the streets. Honors, both public and private, were heaped upon
+him. He started a public library in Philadelphia, the first of its kind
+in America.</p>
+
+<p>He invented the famous "Franklin fireplace," which proved very popular
+and is even in use to-day. The most trivial events would often suggest
+to him something that would secure beneficial results.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The story is told that Franklin saw one day in a ditch the fragments of
+a basket of yellow willow, in which some foreign goods had been brought
+into the country. One of the twigs had sprouted. He planted it; and it
+is said that it became the parent of all the yellow willows in our
+country.</p>
+
+<p><b>258. Franklin's Famous Kite Experiment.</b>&mdash;Franklin was a great student of
+the sciences, especially electricity. He wrote a pamphlet to prove that
+lightning and electricity are the same thing. The idea was sneered at,
+and people asked, "Of what use is it?" To which the genial philosopher
+replied, "What is the use of a child? It may become a man!" He hit on a
+plan to prove his theory.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 224px;">
+<img src="images/illus310.jpg" width="224" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Franklin&#39;s Famous Kite Experiment.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>This was the famous kite experiment which he tried in 1752. He made a
+kite of silk, fastened a piece of wire to the stick, and went out with
+his son to fly it during a thunderstorm. At the lower end of the hempen
+string was fastened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> a key, and below that a cord of silk, which is a
+non-conductor. He held the silk cord in his hand, and when a low thunder
+cloud passed, he saw that the fibres of the string rose, separated, and
+stood on end, exactly as the hair does on one's head when one is charged
+with electricity as he stands on an insulating stool.</p>
+
+<p>When Franklin brought his knuckles near the key that he had tied to the
+string, sparks came from the metal, and he felt slight shocks.</p>
+
+<p>This discovery made a great sensation in the scientific world. Franklin
+at once became famous, took high rank as a man of science, and was
+afterwards known as "Doctor Franklin." He now invented the lightning
+rod, which has been in use ever since all over the civilized world.</p>
+
+<p><b>259. Entrance into a Broader Public Life.</b>&mdash;From this time Franklin began
+to occupy more important positions in public life. In 1754 he was sent
+on a mission to Albany to enlist the chiefs of the powerful "Six
+Nations" to become allies of the English. On this journey he drew up a
+plan for the union of the colonies. It was almost like that by which
+they were afterwards bound together as a nation.</p>
+
+<p>During the Braddock campaign Franklin in vain warned the haughty British
+general that "the Indians<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> would surprise, on its flanks, the slender
+line, nearly four miles long, which the army must make," and would "cut
+it like a thread into several pieces." From his own purse Franklin
+advanced for this ill-starred expedition between six and seven thousand
+silver dollars.</p>
+
+<p>The quarrels between the Pennsylvania Assembly and the Proprietors in
+England became so bitter that Franklin was sent to England in 1757 as
+the sole commissioner to make an appeal to the English government. He
+was cordially received abroad and highly honored by the most eminent
+scientific men of the time. He returned home after an absence of nearly
+six years.</p>
+
+<p>Franklin was now fifty-seven years old. He had an ample fortune, perfect
+health, and a superiority to most men in personal appearance and
+dignity. He hoped to withdraw from public life and give the rest of his
+days to the study of science.</p>
+
+<p><b>260. Franklin becomes a most Useful and Sagacious Helper to the
+Struggling Colonies.</b>&mdash;Great and momentous events, however, were at hand.
+There was more important work for him to do. The struggling colonies,
+already taxed almost beyond endurance to carry on the war against the
+French and Indians, were allowed no representation nor voice in the
+matter of taxation.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> Franklin, with patriotic foresight and with keen
+force of logic, resisted the outrage. He declared it to be the "mother
+of mischief."</p>
+
+<p>In 1764 Franklin was again sent by the Assembly to England, to present
+to the British court the protest of the people against "taxation without
+representation."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 352px;">
+<img src="images/illus313.jpg" width="352" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Franklin at the Court of France.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>From this time Franklin served the colonies in England as a most
+accomplished diplomatist, a vigorous writer, and a shrewd and sagacious
+agent. He failed to stop the passage of the notorious Stamp Act, but he
+fought the measure so vigorously by his writings and discussions that he
+aroused bitter opposition to it among the industrial classes, so that
+Parliament was compelled at last to repeal the obnoxious measure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He was once brought before the House of Parliament and sharply
+questioned.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think," asked the prime minister, "the people of America would
+submit to pay the stamp duty if it was changed?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, never," said Franklin; "the American people will never submit to
+it."</p>
+
+<p>The colonists received with unbounded delight the tidings of Franklin's
+masterly diplomacy and the repeal of the Stamp Act. Bells were rung,
+bonfires blazed, and cannon were fired. "I never heard so much noise in
+my life," wrote Franklin's daughter Sallie to him; "the very children
+seem distracted."</p>
+
+<p>Franklin now watched with honest shrewdness and a penetrating mind the
+many attempts of the British government to tax the Americans. Other
+colonies recognized his ability, and New Jersey, Georgia, and
+Massachusetts appointed him as their agent.</p>
+
+<p>At last, when all attempts to induce the government to change its
+oppressive policy had failed and war was sure to follow, Franklin sailed
+for home. He reached Philadelphia about sixteen days after the battle at
+Lexington and Concord.</p>
+
+<p>The morning after his arrival he was unanimously chosen a member of the
+Continental Congress, which was to meet in Philadelphia on the tenth of
+May.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> He now took a leading part in aiding his countrymen in their war
+for liberty. He was one of the five men, it will be remembered, chosen
+to draft the Declaration of Independence.</p>
+
+<p><b>261. His Remarkable Service Abroad as a Diplomatist.</b>&mdash;Shortly afterwards
+Franklin was chosen a special ambassador to France.</p>
+
+<p>"I am old and good for nothing," said the philosopher; "but, as the
+storekeepers say of their remnants of cloth, 'I am but a fag end, and
+you may have me for what you please.'"</p>
+
+<p>Two years afterwards, by his wisdom and his thorough knowledge of
+diplomacy, Franklin was chiefly instrumental in securing a treaty with
+France. By this memorable compact our independence was acknowledged, and
+we were recognized by France as one among the nations of the world.</p>
+
+<p>The news of the treaty was received in America with unbounded joy.
+General Washington drew up his little half-starved army at Valley Forge
+to announce the event, and to offer prayers and thanksgiving to God.
+During the next three years Franklin rendered invaluable services in
+obtaining money, arms, and other means to aid his country in her life
+and death struggle with England.</p>
+
+<p>At last, when Great Britain gave up all hope of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> subduing her American
+colonies, and was ready to make terms of peace, Franklin's diplomacy
+triumphed. Probably no other man in America could have guided the affair
+so wisely.</p>
+
+<p><b>262. Franklin's Last Days.</b>&mdash;Franklin was now an old man of
+seventy-eight. He was so feeble that he could not walk, and could only
+ride in a litter. Thomas Jefferson was sent over to France in 1784 as
+his successor.</p>
+
+<p>Upon his arrival the French prime minister said, "You replace Doctor
+Franklin, I understand."</p>
+
+<p>"No!" replied Jefferson, "I <i>succeed</i> him. No man can replace him!"</p>
+
+<p>The long sea voyage homeward proved very beneficial to the old
+philosopher's health. He was chosen a delegate to the convention that
+met in Philadelphia in 1787 to frame a new constitution. Although he was
+now eighty-one years of age, he was regularly in his seat, five hours a
+day, for four months.</p>
+
+<p>Three years later, at his home in Philadelphia, in 1790, the "grand old
+man "died, at the age of eighty-four. The whole nation mourned his loss.
+No man of that period, except Washington, was held in higher esteem and
+veneration the world over than was Benjamin Franklin.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>263. Our Country One Hundred Years Ago.</b>&mdash;Let us now take a hasty glance
+backward for a century and note the vast changes that have taken place
+in the matter of daily living during this time. Very different was the
+country in which our forefathers lived from that with which we are
+familiar. To be sure, there was a fringe of villages along the coast
+from Maine to Georgia. Fifty miles back from the Atlantic the country
+was for the most part an unbroken wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>A few hundred settlers, and perhaps a hundred log cabins, made up a
+village where now stands the great city of Cincinnati. Indians and
+buffaloes roamed over the rich plains of the West which to-day furnish
+grain for Europe. Only seven of the states then had well-defined
+boundaries. Thousands of the marvelous inventions and discoveries which
+have added so much to the comfort and convenience of life had at that
+time no existence.</p>
+
+<p><b>264. Newspapers.</b>&mdash;Forty-three newspapers managed to survive the war of
+the Revolution. Even the best<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> of these were mean-looking, and printed
+on poor paper. For the most part, they contained but four small pages,
+and were issued not oftener than two or three times a week. As to
+quantity of printed matter, they could not sustain comparison for one
+moment with the newspaper of our time.</p>
+
+<p>There was no such thing as an editorial page. All kinds of queer
+advertisements there were; as, for runaway slaves or stolen horses:
+tedious letters appeared, written to the editor from distant points:
+treatises on geography and morals abounded instead of news. To fill out
+space, the editor would occasionally reprint some standard historical
+work or book of travels.</p>
+
+<p>That material which gives the modern newspaper its peculiar value and is
+now known under the general name of "news" was unknown. There were few
+or no facilities for gathering facts as to the happenings of events or
+the doings of individuals, communities, and nations; and certainly no
+pains was taken to forward such material for publication.</p>
+
+<p><b>265. The Postal Service and Letter-Writing.</b>&mdash;In the early colonial times
+there was no such thing as an official postal service. Up to the time of
+the Revolution there were certain means provided for carrying letters,
+but they were very meagre.</p>
+
+<p>The postmen used to travel some thirty to fifty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> miles a day in good
+weather. Letters were sent from New York to Boston three times a week
+during summer, and twice a week in winter. Six days and even more were
+required to make the journey. One pair of saddlebags easily contained
+all the mail.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 406px;">
+<img src="images/illus319.jpg" width="406" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A Discussion on a Financial Question of the Times.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>If such were the scanty mail accommodations of the chief cities, we can
+imagine what they were in the small country towns. Sacks of letters and
+papers are now easily carried in one afternoon farther than they were
+then transported in five weeks. After the war, Washington had an
+extensive and important correspondence with the influential men of the
+country. In many of his replies he complained of the tedious delay in
+receiving his mail. Well he might, for his letters were sometimes longer
+in going from Mount Vernon to Boston than they would now be in reaching
+China.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In remote sections the post-rider was often a decrepit man or some
+crippled soldier. One old postman used to improve his time, as his horse
+jogged slowly along, by knitting woolen mittens and stockings. There was
+no special protection to the service. Letters and packages were opened
+and freely read or examined by the carriers. So common was this evil
+that the great men of this time used to correspond in cipher.</p>
+
+<p>We may be sure that when it cost much to send letters, and the
+difficulties of forwarding them were so many, the letter-writers of
+those days took special pains to write long epistles, full of news.
+People learned most of the news of the day from distant places, whether
+it pertained to politics, society, or gossip, through faithful
+correspondents.</p>
+
+<p>Imagine a busy merchant in one of our great cities writing a business
+letter, but giving most of the space to the results of the last
+election, or the doings of the state legislature. The telegraph, the
+telephone, stenography, and the typewriter of our day have
+revolutionized business communication and much of personal
+correspondence.</p>
+
+<p><b>266. The Stage Coaches.</b>&mdash;During the war of the Revolution, stages
+stopped running between distant cities, and horseback traveling was
+resumed. When<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> peace was declared, the "coach and four" again took the
+road. Boston and New York were then the two great commercial centers of
+the country; yet during Washington's first term two stages and twelve
+horses carried all the passengers by land between these two cities.</p>
+
+<p>The stage coach at this time was not much better than a huge covered box
+mounted on springs. There were no closed sides, glass windows, steps, or
+doors. It was not to be compared for one moment with the far-famed
+Concord coaches in after years. In summer an ordinary day's journey was
+forty miles, but in winter only about one-half of this distance.</p>
+
+<p>The stage started early each morning&mdash;often at three o'clock&mdash;and its
+daily time limit was about ten at night. Often the passengers were
+forced to get out and help lift it out of the mud or a deep rut. If
+there were no unusual accidents or mishaps, it reached New York, from
+Boston, at the end of the sixth day. Even at this snail pace the good
+people used to wonder at the ease, as well as the speed, with which the
+journey was made.</p>
+
+<p>It is no wonder, then, that a journey to any remote place became a
+serious matter. Prudent men, when ready to set out for a distant point,
+arranged their business affairs for any emergency, made their wills,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span>
+and, after a formal dinner at the tavern, bade their family and
+neighbors a solemn farewell.</p>
+
+<p><b>267. How Fires were put out.</b>&mdash;The law at this time compelled every man
+to take an active part in putting out fires. He was obliged to keep at
+least four leathern buckets hung up at some convenient place in his
+house or shop, with his name painted on them, together with a big canvas
+bag. When an alarm of fire was raised, either by vigorous shouts of
+"Fire! fire!" or the ringing of the church bell, the good citizen seized
+his fire buckets and his canvas bag, and, guided by the smoke or flame,
+started for the scene of action.</p>
+
+<p>There were no idlers at an old-time fire. Some rushed into the building
+with their canvas bags and filled them with such movable goods as could
+be readily carried in them. A double line extending to the water was
+formed of men, boys, and even women. One line passed the full buckets to
+those who were nearest the fire, while the other line returned the empty
+vessels to the well or river.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the larger towns boasted of a "fire engine." This was merely a
+pump mounted over a tank, which the men kept full by pouring in water
+from the buckets. The rich householder was allowed to send his slave or
+servant to the fire with the fire buckets.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When the fire was out, the buckets were left in the road, to be picked
+up and carried home by their owners. Persons who neglected to keep their
+fire buckets in good order and in their proper places, or who failed to
+carry them home after the fire, were fined.</p>
+
+<p><b>268. How Sunday was passed.</b>&mdash;The observance of Sunday began at sundown
+on Saturday. The early part of the evening was devoted to family
+worship, and shortly after eight o'clock all were in bed. No work except
+such as was really necessary was done on Sunday. Most of the cooking was
+done the day before. Each member of the family, unless sick in bed, went
+to church. The farmer traveled on horseback with his wife on the pillion
+behind.</p>
+
+<p>The singers sat in the front gallery. The boys and young men had seats
+in the left-hand gallery, while that on the right was occupied by the
+young women. We have read <a href="#Page_129">in a previous chapter</a> something about the
+tithing-man and his duties. The short noon interval was devoted to
+eating a cold lunch.</p>
+
+<p>No meeting-house in those days was warmed. Old and feeble women were
+allowed to use tin foot-stoves, filled with a few hot coals. In the
+bitter cold months of a New England winter it was no trifling affair to
+endure the actual suffering that accompanied religious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> worship on
+Sunday. The story is told of a good minister in Connecticut who in the
+depths of winter prudently preached in overcoat and mittens, but
+complained that his voice was drowned by persons stamping and knocking
+their feet together to keep warm.</p>
+
+<p><b>269. The Minister and the Meeting-Houses.</b>&mdash;The minister was always held
+in high esteem. He was usually the most important man of the village,
+and was looked upon with reverence not unmingled with awe. His authority
+was almost supreme. If a person spoke disrespectfully of him, or even
+laughed at his oddities, the offender was heavily fined. The advice of
+the minister was often asked, and sometimes given unasked, on matters of
+business as well as of religion. Fearless and resolute in what they
+believed to be right, the influence of the ministers of that time in
+public affairs was deservedly very great.</p>
+
+<p>The minister's salary was but a pittance. It was never the same two
+years in succession, and was rarely paid in cash. Donations of corn,
+beans, turnips, and other farm products were usually given in place of
+hard money.</p>
+
+<p>The sermon was the one event of the week. Every well person in the
+village turned out to hear it. Copious notes were taken, and its various
+points furnished topics for fireside discussion during the week.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>270. How the Doctors healed the Sick.</b>&mdash;The village doctor, together with
+the minister and schoolmaster, held a high social rank. There were only
+two medical colleges in the country, and these were not well attended.
+Medical books were scarce and costly. Even the best doctors could not
+boast of a medical library of fifty volumes.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus325.jpg" width="650" height="474" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A Village Magnate riding in the Old-Time Chaise.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The future doctor served his time as a student with some well-known
+physician. He ground the powders, mixed the potions, rolled the pills,
+cleaned the bottles, tended the night bell, and otherwise made himself
+useful. If the young student had a good preceptor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> and was gifted with a
+keen observation and a retentive memory, he returned to his native town
+or went elsewhere fairly prepared to begin practice.</p>
+
+<p>There were no drug stores in those days, and each doctor was his own
+apothecary. He ground his own drugs, made his own tinctures, salves, and
+plasters. Most of the medical preparations used then would not be
+tolerated to-day.</p>
+
+<p>Then as now the country doctor used to ride night and day, year after
+year, whatever the weather or the condition of the roads, to attend the
+good people of his neighborhood. He received, as he richly deserved, the
+respect and affection of his patients for his life of hardship and
+self-denial.</p>
+
+<p><b>271. How the Schoolmaster taught School.</b>&mdash;Besides the doctor, minister,
+and lawyer, the village schoolmaster was socially and otherwise an
+important man. He was usually a student who was "working his way"
+through college, and who sought, by teaching winters and working on a
+farm in summer, to defray his expenses at Yale, Dartmouth, or Harvard.</p>
+
+<p>In many of the school districts he was expected to "board round." That
+is, he lived with the parents of his pupils, regulating his stay
+according to the number of the children of the family who attended
+school.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus327.jpg" width="650" height="547" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">An Old Soldier fighting his Battles over again.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In those days there were large families and many children, and the young
+schoolmaster was a welcome guest. The best room in the house, the
+warmest corner by the fireplace, and the choicest food were reserved for
+him. During the long winter evenings he discussed theology and politics
+with the fathers, played games with the children, and escorted the girls
+to "spelling matches" and "quilting bees."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>272. The Everyday Home Life.</b>&mdash;Such conveniences and comforts as are now
+found in almost every home were then unknown. Cooking stoves, matches,
+refined sugar, sewing machines, and kerosene oil had never been heard
+of. The mechanic's home had no carpets on the floor, no pictures on the
+walls, no coal in the cellar, no water faucets in the kitchen. Fruits
+and vegetables, now so cheap in their season, such as tomatoes, oranges,
+bananas, celery, and dates, were either quite unknown or beyond the
+reach of scanty means.</p>
+
+<p>The farmers of a century ago ate plain food and wore plain clothes.
+Their daily fare was usually salt fish, salt pork, beef, a few
+vegetables, and dried apples. The numerous farm implements, which have
+done so much to cheapen food and to bring thousands of acres into a
+state of high cultivation, were not yet invented.</p>
+
+<p>The well-to-do farmer managed to pick up a great deal of general
+information and news of the day. He was noted for an inquiring turn of
+mind. He could tire out the weary visitor or stranger on the road with
+numberless questions on current social, political, or religious topics.
+At times he would unbend enough to play "fox and geese" with his
+children, or attend "apple bees" and corn huskings.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">WHAT OUR NAVY DID IN THE WAR OF 1812.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>273. Outrages committed by the Pirates of the Barbary Coast.</b>&mdash;A hundred
+years ago the ports of the nations lying on the northern coast of
+Africa&mdash;the Barbary States, as they were called, Morocco, Algiers,
+Tunis, and Tripoli&mdash;were infested by fierce pirates. They used to rush
+out with their swift vessels and capture the ships of Christian nations.
+After plundering them of their valuables, they would hold the crews as
+slaves, or sell them to slave dealers.</p>
+
+<p>These pirates became for years the terror of Europe. Merchants paid
+annual tributes of large sums of money to the Pasha to save their
+cargoes from seizure. Even our own nation, in 1795, paid these sea
+robbers for the release of American sailors captured and held by them as
+slaves, and also for the exemption of our ships from attack. First and
+last we paid these robber states not less than a million dollars to buy
+their good will.</p>
+
+<p>It is difficult to realize that there was once a time when the President
+of the United States negotiated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> treaties, the Senate ratified them, and
+Congress voted tribute money to keep the peace with pirates.</p>
+
+<p>In 1801 a disagreement arose about our regular payment; and the Bashaw
+of Tripoli, whose greed it was hard to satisfy, had the impudence to
+declare war against the United States and cut down the flagstaff in
+front of our consul's residence.</p>
+
+<p><b>274. The Gallant Exploits of Decatur and his Brave Men.</b>&mdash;Although we had
+only a small navy, President Jefferson thought it best to put a stop to
+this blackmail business, and settle with the pirates in a different way.
+So he sent some war vessels to punish them, and they did it quite
+thoroughly.</p>
+
+<p>During one of these encounters the United States frigate Philadelphia,
+one of our best, under the command of Captain Bainbridge, chased a
+pirate craft into the harbor of Tripoli, but unluckily ran on a reef.
+She stuck fast, helpless either to fight or to sail. She was captured,
+with all her crew, by the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>But a few months afterwards, Stephen Decatur, a gallant lieutenant of
+only twenty-five, sailed from Sicily in a small vessel, the Intrepid,
+which had just been captured from the Moors. He boldly entered the
+harbor of Tripoli one evening about dusk, and sailed quietly along close
+to the Philadelphia. Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> pirates did not suspect harm, as the Intrepid
+appeared to be a Moorish vessel. With its crew of seventy men concealed
+under the bulwarks, the little vessel was instantly made fast to the
+ill-fated frigate.</p>
+
+<p>"Follow me, lads!" cried Decatur.</p>
+
+<p>The men from the Intrepid sprang to their feet and climbed on board the
+Philadelphia. The surprise was complete. In ten minutes Decatur and his
+bold sailors had killed or driven overboard every pirate, then set the
+ship afire, leaped back upon the Intrepid, and escaped from the harbor
+amid a storm of shot from the batteries. Not one of our men was lost in
+the whole affair.</p>
+
+<p>This heroic adventure, which made young Decatur a captain, became common
+talk in Europe. England's greatest naval hero, Lord Nelson, said, "It
+was the most bold and daring act of the ages." There is no single naval
+exploit to be compared with it for boldness, except Cushing's
+destruction of the ironclad Albemarle in the war for the Union.</p>
+
+<p><b>275. Outrageous Conduct of the British toward American Sailors.</b>&mdash;During
+the years soon after 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte was at war with almost all
+Europe, and especially with England.</p>
+
+<p>The British navy was very large and in constant need of sailors. To get
+them, English men-of-war<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span> used to stop American merchant ships wherever
+they met them on the high seas. They would fire a cannon shot across the
+bows of the American vessel to compel it to heave to. British officers
+would then come on board, marshal the crew in line, and pick out sailors
+whom they claimed to be deserters from British ships.</p>
+
+<p>Very likely the ones thus singled out could prove that they were
+Americans by birth or adoption. No matter for that! They were needed,
+and, as the men-of-war had the power to take them by force, go they
+must. In time this dastardly business became even worse. The British
+sometimes stationed their war vessels off the entrance of our largest
+harbors, ready to search our merchantmen as they sailed out.</p>
+
+<p>Now all this bid fair to destroy our commerce. None of our ships were
+safe. Importing, exporting, our vast fisheries, important
+manufactures&mdash;many kinds of business&mdash;were on the verge of ruin.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of our protests the British government kept up this practice
+for years, until it was said that more than nine hundred American
+vessels had been searched, and over six thousand American sailors
+kidnapped from them.</p>
+
+<p><b>276. The War of 1812 begun.</b>&mdash;Why did we endure these insults from
+England so long? Perhaps the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> principal reason was our small navy. The
+English war fleets then numbered over a thousand vessels, and ours less
+than twenty! These outrages could not, however, be longer tolerated.
+England even insisted that she had a perfect <i>right</i> to seize our ships
+and to carry off our citizens.</p>
+
+<p>War was declared in 1812. In this war most of our land battles were more
+or less failures, but the brilliant success of our naval contests more
+than made up for them. In fact, whenever we speak of the war of 1812, we
+always think of the surprising series of victories won by our splendid
+though small naval force against England.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 403px;">
+<img src="images/illus333.jpg" width="403" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Isaac Hull.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>277. The Great Naval Battle between the Constitution and the
+Guerri&egrave;re.</b>&mdash;Only a few weeks after war was declared, our frigate
+Constitution, Captain Isaac Hull, met the enemy's man-of-war Guerri&egrave;re,
+Captain Dacres, off the Massachusetts shore. The British vessel had been
+sailing proudly up and down our coast, challenging the Yankee craft to
+fight. The Guerri&egrave;re in real British pride flings out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> a flag from the
+top of each "ocean spire." Her guns flash but the balls fall short.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a cannon to be fired till I give the word," cried Captain Hull;
+"double shot the guns."</p>
+
+<p>"May we not begin?" shouted his first officer as the shot came tearing
+through the rigging.</p>
+
+<p>Another broadside from the Guerri&egrave;re! The men are getting impatient.
+Captain Hull calmly waits until he can bring every gun to bear.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, boys, give it to them!" he shouted at the top of his voice.</p>
+
+<p>They did their work well. In twenty minutes the proud English frigate
+was a helpless wreck.</p>
+
+<p>"I will not take your sword," said the gallant Hull to Captain Dacres as
+the British officer surrendered; "but I will trouble you for that hat!"</p>
+
+<p>It seems that these two brave captains were personal friends, and Hull
+had made a bet with Dacres that his vessel would "whip" the Guerri&egrave;re if
+there should ever be a war, and the loser was to forfeit his hat!</p>
+
+<p>The Constitution was almost unhurt. The Guerri&egrave;re, shattered and
+useless, was set on fire, and in a few minutes blew up. All that was
+left of the splendid vessel instantly vanished from sight forever. Hull
+took his prisoners to Boston, where he was received with enthusiastic
+welcome.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The news of this victory created equal joy in every section of the
+country. Its chief importance lay in the confidence it inspired among
+all the people, demonstrating that a first-class English battleship was
+far from invincible. The British government was astounded. So were the
+naval authorities, some of whom had sneered at the Constitution as "a
+bundle of pine boards."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 311px;">
+<img src="images/illus335.jpg" width="311" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Captain Hull refuses to accept Captain Dacres&#39; Sword.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>278. Naval Battle between the Wasp and Frolic; Other Brilliant Naval
+Victories for the American Sailors.</b>&mdash;A few weeks later the American
+sloop-of-war Wasp fell in with the British brig Frolic off Virginia. It
+was a sharp fight for three-quarters of an hour. Both vessels were
+nearly destroyed, when the Wasp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span> came close to the Frolic and gave a
+tremendous broadside that carried away everything before it. Then the
+Wasp's crew boarded the Frolic and found not a sailor on deck&mdash;only the
+officers, who surrendered. The surviving sailors had gone below to
+escape the deadly fire.</p>
+
+<p>The very next week Commodore Decatur of the frigate United States
+attacked the British frigate Macedonian near the Canary Islands. It was
+a brisk fight of two hours, when the Macedonian surrendered with a loss
+of over one hundred men.</p>
+
+<p>Decatur's victory produced a profound impression both in this country
+and in England. Congress recognized its importance by a vote of thanks
+and a gold medal to the commodore.</p>
+
+<p><b>279. "Old Ironsides" and her Noble Record.</b>&mdash;In the same month occurred
+the famous battle off Brazil between the Constitution under Commodore
+Bainbridge and the frigate Java. It was a furious contest for two hours.
+The enemy's ship had every mast shot away, and her hull was torn with
+shot. Her deck was covered with more than two hundred killed and
+wounded. The wreck of the Java surrendered, the survivors were taken on
+board the Constitution, and the hull was burned. This was the fourth
+brilliant naval victory gained within six months.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The Constitution has ever since been popularly known as "Old Ironsides,"
+by which name her exploits have been celebrated from that day until this
+in oratory and song. Many years ago the government planned to break her
+up and sell her timbers. This prompted Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes to
+write his famous poem beginning:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Long has it waved on high.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>These stirring lines had a powerful influence upon the public mind, and
+the noble-vessel was saved. She may be seen now (1900), carefully
+protected, in the navy yard at Charlestown, Mass.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly but surely the idea dawned upon many minds in Europe that a
+nation was springing up on the other side of the Atlantic that would
+sometime dispute with England, the "mistress of the seas," the supremacy
+of the ocean.</p>
+
+<p><b>280. Battle between the Chesapeake and Shannon.</b>&mdash;The year 1813 opened
+with hopeful prospects, but the scale turned less in our favor than
+during 1812. A brilliant young officer, Captain James Lawrence, was
+given in reward for his bravery the command of the Chesapeake, then
+lying in Boston Harbor. She was one of the finest frigates in our young
+navy,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span> but had the name among the sailors of being an "unlucky" craft.</p>
+
+<p>Lawrence had hardly taken charge of his new ship when he received a
+challenge from the British frigate Shannon, cruising outside, daring him
+to come out and fight. He hastily made ready for sea, collected such a
+crew as he could, part landsmen and part foreigners, and sailed out.
+This was really very unwise.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 377px;">
+<img src="images/illus338.jpg" width="377" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">James Lawrence.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Shannon's crew were picked men, and had had long and careful drill,
+while Lawrence's men were fresh and unprepared. Lawrence was young,
+proud of his late victory, and full of courage. The hostile ships fought
+fiercely and with terrible effect. In a few minutes every one of the
+Chesapeake's officers was either killed or wounded.</p>
+
+<p>While Lawrence was giving an order, a musket ball inflicted upon him a
+fatal wound. As he was carried below, his dying words were,</p>
+
+<p>
+"<span class="smcap">Don't give up the Ship!</span>"<br />
+</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;a stirring battle-cry, which has ever since been a source of
+inspiration to our navy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The battle was soon over. The torn rigging of the Chesapeake was
+entangled with that of the Shannon, the enemy's officers leaped on board
+and raised the British flag. The Chesapeake was taken to Halifax, where
+Lawrence was buried with military honors.</p>
+
+<p><b>281. Commodore Perry and his Brilliant Victory on Lake Erie.</b>&mdash;The story
+of Perry's brilliant victory on Lake Erie has been told in prose and
+verse ever since it took place. The control of this inland sea between
+two hostile countries was very important. The British already had a
+little fleet of six vessels with sixty-three guns, to oppose which we
+had hardly anything in the shape of vessels or trained men.</p>
+
+<p>A naval officer, Oliver Hazard Perry of Rhode Island, not quite
+twenty-eight years old and who had never been in action before, was
+appointed to take charge of the whole matter in behalf of the United
+States. First, he must have an armed flotilla to meet the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>With remarkable energy the young captain put a large force of
+wood-choppers and ship carpenters at work for months near Erie, Pa.,
+felling huge trees and building war vessels of the green timber. Soon he
+had launched nine, with fifty-four cannon&mdash;more vessels than the enemy,
+but fewer guns.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>One beautiful September morning the British fleet was seen on the
+horizon.</p>
+
+<p>"Sail ho!" rang out from the masthead of the American flagship.</p>
+
+<p>"Enemy in sight!" "Get under way!" was the signal sent to each vessel.</p>
+
+<p>Perry stripped his flagship, the Lawrence, for action. At her masthead
+he raised a blue battle-flag, upon which had been painted in large white
+letters the dying words of the brave Lawrence, "Don't give up the ship."</p>
+
+<p>"My brave lads," said Perry, "this flag has on it the dying words of
+Captain Lawrence. Shall I hoist it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, aye, sir," shouted every man, and cheer after cheer echoed and
+reechoed through the fleet. This was the signal for battle.</p>
+
+<p>The enemy's fire was directed mostly upon Perry's vessel, which fought
+the two largest British ships till the Lawrence was almost a helpless
+wreck&mdash;cannon dismounted, masts shot away, and most of the crew either
+killed or wounded.</p>
+
+<p>Should Perry surrender? <span class="smcap">Not he!</span></p>
+
+<p>Taking his motto banner, he sprang into his only open boat, with his
+little brother and four stout sailors, and standing erect with his
+battle-flag half folded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> about him, balls flying all around him, he was
+rowed through the thickest of the fight to another of his ships, the
+Niagara, half a mile distant.</p>
+
+<p>A mighty shout went up from all our fleet at the sight of this heroic
+deed.</p>
+
+<p>"Fire upon that boat," ordered the British commander.</p>
+
+<p>The enemy at once poured a hail of cannon-balls, grapeshot, and musket
+bullets around the men in the open boat. Strange to say, not a person
+was hurt. Perry sprang on board of the Niagara, took command, sailed his
+vessels into the enemy's line, and thundered a series of broadsides
+right and left into five of their best ships.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 448px;">
+<img src="images/illus341.jpg" width="448" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Oliver Hazard Perry.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In fifteen minutes from this moment the work was over! For the first
+time in history an American fleet had met a British fleet in a fair
+fight&mdash;and captured it!</p>
+
+<p>The battle had lasted three hours. The victory was complete. Then with
+singular pride Perry returned to the shattered Lawrence and there
+received the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span> enemy's surrender! When he was sure of victory, he wrote
+in pencil on the back of an old letter, resting the paper on his cap,
+and sent to General Harrison (afterwards President in 1841) that
+remarkable despatch, the first sentence of which has been so often
+repeated:</p>
+
+<p>
+"<span class="smcap">We have met the enemy and they are ours!</span>"<br />
+</p>
+
+<p>This victory, so astonishing for its daring act of valor, turned the
+scales of war. It saved the western states from further inroads by the
+British, and paved the way for General Harrison to recover what was lost
+in General Hull's surrender of Detroit.</p>
+
+<p><b>282. Other Events of this War.</b>&mdash;The next year, 1814, which saw the end
+of the war, was marked by events few but important. In the summer the
+British with their vast fleet blockaded all our most important ports,
+and sailing up rivers and into unprotected harbors, they plundered
+without mercy the defenseless cities and towns.</p>
+
+<p>In August one of their fleet sailed up to Washington, the city being
+entirely unguarded. President Madison, the officers of the government,
+and many citizens fled, and General Ross marched unopposed into the
+city. Obeying instructions from his government, he burned the Capitol,
+the President's house, the Treasury, and other public buildings, with
+vast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> amounts of valuable books and records. This shameful act has
+always received the sharpest condemnation from the civilized world.</p>
+
+<p>Next the British army marched to Baltimore, where the fleet bombarded
+Fort McHenry all day and all night, but without avail. The next morning
+Francis Scott Key, then a prisoner on a British ship, seeing the flag
+still flying over the fort, hastily wrote in pencil, on the back of an
+old letter, the stirring song that we all know so well, "The
+Star-Spangled Banner."</p>
+
+<p>The British General Ross was killed, and his army hastened to the ships
+and sailed away.</p>
+
+<p>In September the English, with an army of fourteen thousand veterans,
+tried to force a way from Canada to New York through Lake Champlain.
+Their army marched from Quebec, while the fleet sailed down the lake,
+and both were at Plattsburg together. But our gallant flotilla under
+Commodore McDonough utterly destroyed the British squadron, far superior
+to ours.</p>
+
+<p><b>283. How General Jackson defeated the British at New Orleans.</b>&mdash;Later in
+the year the British made a vigorous effort to capture New Orleans. More
+than ten thousand trained veterans, believed to be the finest troops in
+the world, were met by less than half that number of men under Andrew
+Jackson, afterwards President. The battle was short but decisive.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The British general repeated the fatal error of Bunker Hill in marching
+his soldiers to attack men who were behind breastworks, and who knew how
+to hit every time they fired. Jackson's wall of cotton bales was
+assaulted time and again, but the red-coat lines broke and ran before
+the withering fire of the backwoods rifles. The sharpshooters of the
+South-west had worsted British veterans who had defeated the best
+soldiers of Napoleon.</p>
+
+<p>In less than an hour the enemy's leader, General Packenham, was killed,
+seven hundred of his men lay dead on the field, and the contest was
+over. The British lost over two thousand in all, the Americans only
+thirteen! Never had a British army met a more decisive defeat.</p>
+
+<p>This battle, fought on the eighth of January, 1815, was really needless;
+for peace had been made in Europe about two weeks before.</p>
+
+<p><b>284. Results of the War.</b>&mdash;The war of 1812 was not fought in vain. It put
+an end at once to searching American vessels and kidnapping American
+sailors on the high seas. Foreign nations saw that we were determined to
+maintain our rights on the ocean, and have never thought it best since
+then to insult our country. This war also served to strengthen the
+American feeling of nationality.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>285. The Great Rush Westward.</b>&mdash;Shortly after the close of the
+Revolution, long processions of emigrant wagons, with their white canvas
+covers and their companies of hardy men and women, began to move
+westward on all the main roads through New England, over the highways of
+New York toward the lakes, over the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia,
+and through the valley of the Ohio.</p>
+
+<p>Thousands of thrifty settlers followed just behind the pioneers and
+cleared the forests, bridged the streams, built villages, and tilled the
+rich valleys. Thousands left their homes in the Carolinas and went over
+the mountains to settle on the rich lands of Kentucky and Tennessee.</p>
+
+<p>The hardships which these early settlers endured are beyond description.
+It was one long hard struggle for food, shelter, and life itself. This
+was only the beginning of that mighty stream of migration which flowed
+for the next half century or more beyond the Mississippi, beyond the
+Rocky Mountains, into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> region of the extreme Northwest and to the
+shores of the Pacific.</p>
+
+<p>The story of the marvelous growth of our country beyond the Alleghanies
+during the last hundred years reads more like a fairy tale than the
+plain truth.</p>
+
+<p><b>286. Discovery of the Columbia River.</b>&mdash;In 1792 Captain Robert Gray of
+Boston, in the ship Columbia, was coasting along the Pacific shores,
+trading with the Indians for furs, when he discovered a broad and deep
+stream, which he entered and sailed up for many miles, and named after
+his vessel. The discovery of this great river produced momentous and
+far-reaching results.</p>
+
+<p><b>287. The Purchase of Louisiana by President Jefferson.</b>&mdash;Now comes
+another important event. Our pioneers, who wanted to push on still
+farther, could not consistently cross the Mississippi River to stay
+there; for all that country belonged to France. This entire region of
+over a million square miles was then called Louisiana.</p>
+
+<p>Our people were very anxious to obtain part of this land, because it
+included New Orleans. The possession of it seemed necessary for our
+growing commerce and for our future protection. Thomas Jefferson, then
+President (1803), was on the point of attempting to buy of France enough
+of this southern region to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> include the mouth of the river, when he
+learned to his surprise that the French would be glad to sell us the
+whole of that vast territory!</p>
+
+<p>Napoleon was just then planning military operations on a great scale
+against England, and he was in sore need of "the sinews of war"; so he
+was glad to sell to this country this immense area for fifteen million
+dollars.</p>
+
+<p>The addition of the Louisiana territory more than doubled the area of
+the United States.</p>
+
+<p><b>288. The Wonders revealed by the Lewis and Clarke Exploring
+Expedition.</b>&mdash;The next year President Jefferson thought it best to learn
+all about this wonderful addition to our territory, and so sent an
+expedition, under Captains Lewis and Clarke, to explore it. They started
+from St. Louis in May, 1804. What a remarkable journey it was!&mdash;more
+than two thousand miles up the Missouri River to its source, then across
+the Rocky Mountains, next down the Columbia River to the Pacific. They
+were the first white men who ever explored this vast domain, having
+traveled about six thousand miles.</p>
+
+<p>On their return in September, 1806, they were welcomed with unbounded
+joy. The stories of their perilous adventures sounded like a fairy
+romance, and the book of their travels was read every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span>where. The
+explorers brought back word that the Indians had immense quantities of
+valuable furs. Soon throngs of American hunters and trappers began to
+roam over the vast plains and through the forests.</p>
+
+<p>All the way from the Missouri River to the Pacific a chain of trading
+posts, and stores for exchanging goods for furs were established. The
+wagons of the fur-traders and the winding caravans of emigrants that
+went under their protection soon made a pretty fair road. This was known
+as the Oregon trail, and in time it became the principal northern
+highway for Pacific travel.</p>
+
+<p><b>289. How Dr. Whitman saved Oregon to the Union.</b>&mdash;In 1836 a group of
+young missionaries, two of them with their brides, went from New England
+to Oregon, taking with them a wagon all the way from the Missouri to
+their new homes on the Columbia River. One of these was a doctor by the
+name of Marcus Whitman, whose labors and counsel became of great value
+to the company.</p>
+
+<p>After they had been settled in Oregon some years Dr. Whitman discovered,
+one day in October, 1842, that the British were sending large bands of
+settlers down into Oregon, apparently to crowd American emigrants out of
+that rich country and to take complete possession.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The country is ours! The United States is too late. England will have
+Oregon and you cannot help it," exclaimed an English subject to him.</p>
+
+<p>"I will see," was the doctor's quiet reply.</p>
+
+<p>The moment Dr. Whitman heard this he became alarmed at the danger. If
+the President at Washington could only be informed of the facts, the
+threatened loss might be averted. The National Capital was three
+thousand or more miles away; and yet to delay a year or two might mean
+the seizure of all this rich country by the British.</p>
+
+<p>How to inform the government at Washington was the question. Could he
+himself do anything to save to his country this immense and valuable
+region?&mdash;one man, in midwinter, and across a continent? The problem
+haunted him&mdash;"Must I go?" He could not sleep. Difficult, almost
+impossible, as would be the journey, yet he heard the clear call of
+duty.</p>
+
+<p>A firm and bold, resolve, quick as a flash, had taken hold of him. He
+rode home in haste.</p>
+
+<p>"I am going to Washington to lay bare this scheme," said he to his wife.
+"I will bring settlers to Oregon."</p>
+
+<p>"You cannot ever get there," exclaimed the young wife; "you will perish
+on the way."</p>
+
+<p>"I must go; Oregon must be saved," said Whitman.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>290. Whitman begins his Perilous Journey.</b>&mdash;Twenty-four hours later Dr.
+Whitman, with one companion, and pack mules for the guide and their
+supplies, started on horseback on the perilous undertaking.</p>
+
+<p>Over mountain ranges, through deep gorges and rugged forests, now
+drenched in storms, now buried in snow, and half famishing for
+food&mdash;their sufferings cannot be described.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 355px;">
+<img src="images/illus350.jpg" width="355" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Whitman&#39;s Famous &quot;Ride for Oregon.&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>They fed their horses on cotton-wood bark, while the men themselves
+lived on mule and dog meat. Two or three times they were really lost in
+the blinding snowstorms, and wandered about bewildered for days. Once
+only, Whitman gave up in despair, and then, worn out and bewildered, he
+knelt in the deep snow, and in a final prayer surrendered to God all
+earthly hopes. Then the party sank down and awaited a snowy burial. They
+were not, how<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span>ever, to die in the wilderness, but were rescued from
+death almost as if by a miracle, and after untold hardships for three
+months they reached St. Louis.</p>
+
+<p><b>291. Dr. Whitman succeeds in his Grand Mission.</b>&mdash;Dr. Whitman at last
+arrived in Washington and convinced President Tyler and Daniel Webster,
+his Secretary of State, of the great value of Oregon and its importance
+to the Union. It is claimed that he thus saved to our nation, by his
+famous "Ride for Oregon," that entire region of country now known as
+Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, an area thirty-two times as large as the
+state of Massachusetts.</p>
+
+<p>This heroic patriot afterwards went through the Eastern States and told
+the people of the wonders of the Pacific coast. He stirred up such an
+interest that when, in the following June, he started back for Oregon he
+had the satisfaction of leading a caravan of two hundred wagons, with
+nearly a thousand people. After that, emigrants thronged every year in
+larger and larger numbers, till the territory was soon beyond the danger
+of British invasion.</p>
+
+<p>The dispute as to which nation had a right to Oregon was at last settled
+in 1846 by a treaty between the United States and England. By this
+treaty the boundary line was fixed, and our rightful claim to the vast
+Oregon country was confirmed for all time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>292. California becomes One of the United States.</b>&mdash;During all these
+years, while so many eyes were turned towards Oregon, few thought much
+of California, for it then belonged to Mexico. The coast trade in hides
+and furs and the inland immigration from the United States had slowly
+changed the kind of population. Although it was still Mexican by name,
+yet by 1846, besides the Spanish, Mexicans, and Indians, there were
+about ten thousand other inhabitants, mostly American citizens. In that
+year war was declared between the United States and Mexico. Then the
+large body of Americans in California thought they had a right to
+declare their independence of Mexico.</p>
+
+<p>At just this time John C. Fremont, an army officer and a famous western
+mountain explorer, was fortunately on the great plains, and was sent
+with an army expedition to explore a new route to Oregon. Being informed
+by special messenger of the war with Mexico, he changed his course and
+went to California. When he arrived there his small but courageous band,
+increased in number by patriotic residents and acting in harmony with
+our fleet, soon secured the independence of this great state.</p>
+
+<p><b>293. The Discovery of Gold in California.</b>&mdash;It appears fortunate and even
+providential that California came<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> into our hands just when it did, for
+shortly afterwards a most remarkable event occurred. Captain Sutter, an
+early emigrant, had settled on the Sacramento River and built a sawmill.</p>
+
+<p>In January, 1848, one of Sutter's laborers, by the name of Marshall,
+while digging a ditch for the mill, found shiny pieces of yellow metal
+which they suspected might be gold.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder what that yellow stuff is," said he. "I wonder if it is gold."</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon it is brass," said one of his helpers.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me try vinegar on it," said Marshall. It was tried and the vinegar
+did not affect the "yellow stuff."</p>
+
+<p>The men about the sawmill threw down their tools and went to work
+searching for gold. Mr. Sutter laughed at the idea. But gold indeed it
+was, and there was plenty of it!</p>
+
+<p><b>294. The Effect of this Great Discovery.</b>&mdash;The news spread. Soon
+everybody about knew that pure gold was found and in wonderful
+quantities. What a rush there was to the "diggings"! How all sorts of
+people from all over the western coast crowded in! Doctors left their
+sick, ministers their pulpits, traders their shops, mechanics their
+tools, and farmers their fields, all half frantic with the desire to dig
+their fortunes out of the golden sands of California.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When the news of the discovery of gold reached the East, many people
+seemed to catch the contagion. Multitudes started at once for
+California. Thousands came by long wagon trains over the dreary plains.
+Hundreds died of starvation or were killed by Indians. Thousands went by
+the Isthmus, other thousands by Cape Horn. Vast numbers came from
+foreign countries. Even the crews and often the officers abandoned the
+ships that brought crowds to the Pacific coast and started for the gold
+"diggings."</p>
+
+<p><b>295. The Mad Rush to the Gold Regions.</b>&mdash;The rush to the gold fields
+began in 1848, but became enormous in 1849. Those who went that year are
+since called "Forty-niners." There were over eighty thousand of them!
+The crowds that thronged the gold regions dug up the country for miles
+around Sutter's mill. They tore up his beautiful valley and ruined his
+farm. But they soon learned that gold was also to be found in larger
+quantities along the streams, among the mountains, and in valleys.</p>
+
+<p>Month by month new-comers swarmed in, and the excitement grew more
+intense. Some found prizes, nuggets of solid gold as large as an acorn
+or a walnut, and at times masses two or three pounds in weight. However
+much gold a man found, he was wildly eager to get more.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A great deal of suffering ensued from the scarcity of food and the
+enormous prices of everything needful. Potatoes sold for a dollar
+apiece, eggs at the same price, wood at fifty dollars a cord, and flour
+at a hundred dollars a barrel. Large butcher knives were found very
+useful for digging, and brought thirty dollars each. A dose of the
+cheapest medicine in an apothecary's shop cost five dollars, and a
+physician's visit a hundred dollars. Unskilled laborers were paid
+twenty-five dollars a day.</p>
+
+<p>Money was not used at the mines, but in its place the ore itself, or
+"dust," at about sixteen dollars an ounce. Miners carried small scales,
+weighed their gold dust, and paid their bills with it.</p>
+
+<p>At the rough log tavern: "What do you charge for dinner here?" "Half an
+ounce."</p>
+
+<p>At the wayside store: "What's the price of these boots?" "Three ounces."</p>
+
+<p><b>296. The Pony Express and its Remarkable History.</b>&mdash;San Francisco, being
+the principal base of operations and the center of much of the immense
+travel to and from the mines, grew in a few years from a cluster of
+shanties to a large and wealthy city. The people of California now
+demanded more frequent and more expeditious transmission of mail matter
+than that by steamers and across the Isthmus.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was finally decided to establish a horseback letter express between
+St. Joseph, on the Missouri River, and San Francisco, about two thousand
+miles. It was a daring and hazardous project. But the express began
+business in April, 1860, and made the through trip in ten days. Only
+letters were carried. The charge was five dollars each, afterwards
+reduced one-half. The company had sixty hardy riders and four hundred
+and twenty strong, fast horses, though it was nicknamed the "pony
+express."</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus356.jpg" width="450" height="447" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The &quot;Pony Express&quot; Rider.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A rider started from each end of the journey at the same hour. There
+were stations every twenty-five miles for keeping and changing horses.
+On a postman's arrival at a station the bags were instantly slung on a
+fresh horse (for never more than two minutes must be spent at a
+station), and away went the new courier for the next station. The speed
+was by and by increased, until the long run was made in only eight
+days!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Ah! that was furious riding! What speed they made! In 1861 the pony
+riders took President Lincoln's message through in one hundred and
+eighty-five hours! It was dangerous riding too. Day and night, over
+sandy plains and lofty mountains, on, on dashed these bold riders.</p>
+
+<p>The "pony express" was worth to the nation a hundred times its cost.
+Why? Because just at that time our Civil War was beginning to darken the
+land, and the South was making desperate efforts to entice the vast
+Pacific region to unite with the seceding states. This "pony express"
+line proved to be the first strand of a strong cable to unite the East
+and the West.</p>
+
+<p><b>297. More Rapid Means of Communication between the East and the Pacific
+Coast urgently needed.</b>&mdash;For many years before 1860 there was talk of the
+urgent need, and finally of the absolute necessity, of closer connection
+between the old East and the new West. There were plenty of reasons for
+a railroad; but in 1861 there came another overpowering reason that
+eclipsed all others. The war for the Union had begun, and it was a
+matter of supreme importance that the Pacific states should be saved in
+the Union. No step could lead more surely toward this result than to
+have a railroad for constant and swift travel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>298. The Railroad over the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast rapidly
+built.</b>&mdash;In 1863 the great work was begun. The government was wonderfully
+generous and contributed money and land freely, for it was felt that the
+railroad must be built as quickly as possible. The completion of the
+gigantic undertaking in 1869 at Ogden, Utah, was gayly celebrated. Two
+trains, loaded with passengers from New York and San Francisco,
+approached each other at this place. The last rail was laid, the last
+rivet clinched, the last spike, a spike of gold sent from California,
+was driven, when the locomotives moved up and saluted, amid the cheers
+of the enthusiastic throngs!</p>
+
+<p>In seven years' time, from 1849 to 1856, the gold found in California
+was worth nearly five hundred millions of dollars! Imagine the effect of
+such an output of the precious metal upon the industries and commerce of
+our country!</p>
+
+<p>California is still rich in its gold, but it is still richer in its
+wonderful climate and its marvelous scenery; in the wealth of its grain
+fields; its sheep and cattle; its orange groves and its vineyards. These
+make California the real El Dorado,&mdash;the real land of gold, and ensure
+the prosperity and happiness of its people.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">LINCOLN AND THE WAR FOR THE UNION.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>299. Abraham Lincoln; the Abiding Influence of his Good Mother.</b>&mdash;The
+early settlers in the Western states were generally very poor. It was
+the honorable poverty of the pioneer, who bravely begins with only his
+axe and a few tools, with which he builds his log cabin, clears the
+forest, and works his way to competence and comfort.</p>
+
+<p>So lived in Larue County, in the state of Kentucky, about fifty miles
+south of Louisville, Thomas Lincoln and his wife Nancy, in a rude log
+cabin with no windows, a dirt floor, and only a flapping bearskin for a
+door! In this humble abode, which they called home, there was born to
+them on February 12, 1809, a son, Abraham.</p>
+
+<p>The father was a strong and kindly man, and the mother was a woman
+rather above her lowly position in life, and well educated for the time
+and place. As her boy grew up she read to him stories from the Bible and
+taught him to read for himself.</p>
+
+<p>In after years, when Abraham Lincoln had gained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> the people's ear, men
+noticed that he scarcely made a speech or wrote a state paper in which
+there was not an 'illustration or a quotation from the Bible. He had
+been thoroughly instructed in it by his mother. It was the one book to
+which she, being a woman of deep religious feeling, turned for sympathy
+and guidance. Out of it she taught her boy to spell and read, and with
+its principles she so familiarized him that they always governed his
+after life.</p>
+
+<p>When Abraham was eight years old the family moved to Indiana, where, in
+about a year, his mother died. This was an unutterable grief to him, for
+he loved her most deeply and tenderly. Throughout his life he revered
+her memory, and when he was in his prime he said, "All that I am or hope
+to be, I owe to my mother."</p>
+
+<p><b>300. How Lincoln learned to read Good Books.</b>&mdash;Young Lincoln attended
+school only six weeks. He was a tall, gaunt lad, and his long, stout
+arms were very useful to his father on the farm.</p>
+
+<p>Like Franklin, he had a hunger for books, and having none himself, he
+used to walk miles to some family to borrow them. Every evening he used
+to read by the log fire <i>Pilgrim's Progress</i>, the poems of Robert Burns,
+<i>The Life of Washington</i>, or <i>Plutarch's Lives</i>. Think of that boy
+sitting before the cabin fire,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span> reading over and over the story of
+Washington; and then think of what he came to be.</p>
+
+<p>When the family went to bed he used to climb, on a rude ladder of stout
+pegs driven in the logs, up to his bed made of hay, and there, by the
+light of his tallow candle, would read over and over his precious books.
+He bought a biography of Washington with three hard days' work at
+twenty-five cents a day. He carried the book with him to the field, and
+read it at the noon hour and while the horse rested.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 306px;">
+<img src="images/illus361.jpg" width="306" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Lincoln reading his Favorite Books by the Fireside.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>301. Some Things Lincoln did when a Young Man.</b>&mdash;When Lincoln was about
+twenty-one, the family moved to Illinois. The young man was rugged and
+tall, six feet and four inches, but very strong. In feats of running,
+jumping, and wrestling he easily surpassed the best men in the county.</p>
+
+<p>He was hired at ten dollars a month to go down to New Orleans on a
+flatboat loaded with farm<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span> produce. On the trip he saw gangs of slaves
+chained together, and he attended a slave auction, where men, women, and
+children were bid off like cattle. The painful sight sank deep into his
+heart, and he never forgot it. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war,
+and was chosen by his comrades captain of the company, for all the men
+loved and respected him.</p>
+
+<p><b>302. Makes up his Mind to become a Lawyer.</b>&mdash;Young Lincoln grew rapidly
+in public esteem. People took kindly to him, for he was himself kind and
+unselfish. Though awkwardly tall and homely, there was a something
+tender and friendly about him, which made every one feel that he was
+honest and sincere.</p>
+
+<p>As the years passed Lincoln kept on steadily educating himself by
+devoting every leisure hour to his books. He took regular studies, such
+as grammar, arithmetic, geometry, which he exceedingly enjoyed.</p>
+
+<p>He was a thoughtful reader of a few of the great English classics. He
+could repeat numerous scenes from Shakespeare and many of the poems of
+Robert Burns. Whatever he read was read thoroughly&mdash;to understand it.</p>
+
+<p>His need of money led the ambitious young man to study surveying, as
+Washington did&mdash;a very desirable attainment in a new country. He
+surveyed well Everything he did, he did well.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Visiting a courthouse one day, he heard for the first time the argument
+of a lawyer. He was absorbed and delighted. Never before had anything so
+captivated his imagination. From that day he made up his mind to be a
+lawyer. Too poor to waste any money on shoes, he walked twelve miles
+barefoot once to borrow a law book; and he came home reading it as he
+walked.</p>
+
+<p><b>303. His Early Studies and Rapid Advancement in his Profession.</b>&mdash;The
+struggling young lawyer now carefully studied the art of the clear and
+exact expression of thought. He attended that nursery of American
+oratory, the country debating club, and was a faithful student of the
+best method of speaking, making rapid progress by long and patient
+practice.</p>
+
+<p>We no longer think of him as the boy of the log house, the homespun
+clothes, the coon-skin cap, and the bare feet, but rather as the brave
+young lawyer, studious, honest, persevering, self-reliant, and always
+faithful to duty.</p>
+
+<p>After this Lincoln's advancement is rapid. His worthy traits draw to him
+many and strong friends. At twenty-five he is elected to the
+legislature. He discharges the duties of the office so well that two
+years later he is chosen again. Now an older lawyer invites him to be
+his partner.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He has become a man of note. People come from far to consult him. His
+growing fame daily widens. The people next call him to a higher place.
+At thirty-nine he is honored by being chosen a member of Congress. He
+fills the place with credit and honor. He is now the rising man of his
+state.</p>
+
+<p><b>304. Slavery as a Menace to the Country.</b>&mdash;There had always been one
+serious trouble in our republic&mdash;slavery. It began early. About a year
+before the Pilgrims came over in the Mayflower a Dutch ship brought
+twenty negroes from Africa to Virginia, and they were sold as slaves to
+the planters.</p>
+
+<p>As years passed the traffic rapidly increased, and paid an enormous
+profit. Some of the colonists tried to stop this, but in vain; it was
+profitable. Soon slavery spread all over the country; mostly in the
+South, but somewhat even in New England. In the South, slaves were very
+useful in raising tobacco and rice, and, later, cotton and sugar cane.</p>
+
+<p>At the formation of the republic all the Southern states came in as
+slave states. To this most of the Northern people, though they held
+slavery to be a great wrong, and feared that it would some day bring
+serious trouble, did not strenuously object, because it had long existed
+throughout the colonies. But as years passed the North strongly opposed
+the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span> extension of slavery into new states or free territory. The South,
+however, had come to believe that slavery was right. When Missouri asked
+admission to the Union, the South claimed that it should be received as
+a slave state. The North said, No! There was a great discussion over
+this question, which was finally settled in 1821 by allowing Missouri to
+come in as a slave state. After this it was understood that slavery
+should never be introduced north of the line of its southern boundary.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 324px;">
+<img src="images/illus365.jpg" width="324" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Abraham Lincoln.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>305. Lincoln chosen President of the United States.</b>&mdash;In 1854 an effort
+was made to bring in Kansas and Nebraska as possible slave states. This
+at once<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span> aroused a storm of indignation throughout the North. Mr.
+Lincoln stood forth as a champion of freedom, and Stephen A. Douglas,
+popularly known as "the little giant of the West," supported the claims
+of the South. They held public debates all through Illinois, being rival
+candidates for the United States Senate.</p>
+
+<p>These great debates were listened to by thousands. Lincoln's speeches
+especially attracted much attention. They were printed and read in all
+sections. Many a voter said, "How plain he makes it all! He says it far
+better than I could." This contest raged in 1859. Douglas won the
+smaller prize of senator; but Lincoln, suddenly lifted into national
+fame by his splendid defense of freedom, was next year chosen President
+of the United States.</p>
+
+<p>He was elected because of the firm determination of the North that,
+while they would not disturb slavery where it already existed, it should
+not extend any farther into free territory. This resolve was not
+unfriendly to the Southern people. It did not invade their rights as the
+North understood them. It was not intended as a threat to the people of
+that section; but they chose so to regard it and immediately took a
+hostile attitude.</p>
+
+<p>In December, 1860, South Carolina seceded, then other states; so that
+before Mr. Lincoln began his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span> duties as President the seven cotton
+states had seceded. Believing that they had a right to do so, they
+formed a government of their own and assumed a warlike attitude to the
+general government.</p>
+
+<p><b>306. The Momentous Responsibilities of the Position.</b>&mdash;We have traced the
+poor boy of the Western cabin step by step up to the highest office of
+the nation, to rule as the chief magistrate of thirty millions of
+people. It was not a nation in peace, but torn asunder, each half in
+deadly conflict with the other. Upon him were to rest the control of
+vast armies, of a great navy, the decision of questions of unspeakable
+importance, and the solution of most perplexing international problems.</p>
+
+<p>Can this self-trained lawyer from the Western prairies bear all this
+sudden and tremendous burden, and bear it with courage, credit, and
+success? Surely no man of modern times ever faced a greater or more
+difficult task.</p>
+
+<p><b>307. War begins; the Effect at the North and in the South.</b>&mdash;The next
+month (April 12, 1861) after Lincoln's inauguration, Fort Sumter, in
+Charleston Harbor, was attacked by a circle of nineteen hostile
+batteries. After thirty-six hours of furious bombardment, Major
+Anderson, his powder and food being exhausted, his flagstaff shot away,
+his fort crumbling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span> and on fire, felt that he could do nothing but
+surrender. He and his little force, carrying with them their tattered
+flag, were taken on board a Union ship to New York.</p>
+
+<p>The shots fired at Sumter kindled another fire all through the North. A
+conflagration of patriotic zeal flamed up all over the loyal states. The
+people accepted instantly the awful challenge and sternly resolved to
+defend the endangered Union at every hazard.</p>
+
+<p>Both sides had been deceived. Vast numbers through the North had not
+believed the slave states would really carry out their threat of
+secession. Vast numbers through the South had always believed the North
+would never fight, but at the last moment would consent to some sort of
+compromise.</p>
+
+<p>Northern men felt that they had in no way wronged the South, that no act
+of theirs and no word of President Lincoln had given cause for
+precipitating the horrors of a civil war.</p>
+
+<p>Southern men claimed that according to the Declaration of Independence
+all governments derive their power from the consent of the governed, and
+that the South had a right to withdraw its consent and establish a
+government of its own. Although there were some disloyal men all through
+the North, political<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[Pg 363]</a></span> parties vied with each other in the fervor of
+general devotion to one country and one flag. The President's call for
+seventy-five thousand volunteers was answered by the enthusiastic
+enlistment of the whole number.</p>
+
+<p>In the South the excitement was equally great, but different in
+character. The masses went wild with passionate delight; but very many
+thoughtful people lamented the bombardment of Sumter as hasty, reckless,
+and ruinous. Some of the states were at first unwilling to secede, and
+finally went out reluctantly; but a belief that they were right swept
+them along, and, once out, they were as active as any.</p>
+
+<p><b>308. Vigorous Efforts to preserve the Union.</b>&mdash;Neither side was prepared
+for a long war, but the South was much better prepared to begin it than
+the North. Instantly every effort was put forth by the government to
+preserve the Union. Scores of warships blockaded the Southern ports to
+prevent cotton from being sent to England, and to cut off English ships
+from bringing in supplies, especially military stores.</p>
+
+<p>The governments of Europe, except the Russian, were unfriendly to us.
+Four more states soon seceded, making eleven out of the fifteen slave
+states. Thousands of troops were gathered for the defense of the
+National Capital.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[Pg 364]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In July a Confederate army of about thirty thousand threatened
+Washington. A battle was fought at Manassas, only thirty miles southwest
+of the city. At first the Union forces had the advantage and seemed
+victorious; but just then heavy reinforcements of fresh troops came to
+help the Confederates, drove back the weary forces, and the day ended in
+Union disaster.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 356px;">
+<a href="images/illus370big.jpg"><img src="images/illus370.jpg" width="356" height="450" alt="" title="" /></a><br />
+<a href="images/illus370big.jpg"><small>Click to enlarge.</small></a><br />
+<span class="caption">Map of Seat of War in Virginia.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>This battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, was a severe and unexpected
+defeat. It showed the scope of the tremendous conflict yet to come.
+There was not much more heavy fighting during the remainder of that
+year; both sides were busily making enormous preparations for the future
+struggle.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>309. The Desperate Struggles of 1862.</b>&mdash;In the early part of the next
+year (1862) each side had ready in the field about half a million of
+men. In the East, General McClellan, with a large army, set out in April
+from Washington for Richmond. He advanced within seven miles of that
+city, where was fought the battle of Fair Oaks. Neither side was
+victorious. The desperate seven days' battles soon followed, with result
+still indecisive. This, the so-called Peninsular Campaign, failed of its
+purpose.</p>
+
+<p>In September the Confederate General Lee marched north and, invading
+Maryland, fought the bloody battle of Antietam. He was slightly worsted,
+and forced to retire into Virginia.</p>
+
+<p>In the West, General Grant, the coming man, with the help of Commodore
+Foote's fleet of gunboats, captured in February Forts Henry and Donelson
+with ten thousand prisoners. Soon followed the desperate battle of
+Shiloh, in which Grant, reinforced by General Buell, repulsed the
+Confederates.</p>
+
+<p>In April a great navy and army sailed up the Mississippi River,
+bombarded the forts below New Orleans, then passed up and captured the
+city. This was an important Union triumph.</p>
+
+<p>The year had been one of many hard-fought battles, only a few of which
+we are able to mention.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</a></span> The general result was in the East lamentable
+failure, but in the West brilliant success, of the Union armies.</p>
+
+<p>At the close of 1862, after a year and a half of fighting, the war had
+already lasted longer than either side expected when it began. At first
+both had hoped that after a few months the trouble would be settled by
+some kind of agreement or compromise. Each side was surprised at the
+vast number of soldiers, the immense military equipment, and the
+determined spirit shown by the other.</p>
+
+<p><b>310. The Emancipation of the Slaves.</b>&mdash;As the war went on, it was plain
+that the tens of thousands of slaves, although they did not actually
+fight in the Southern armies, were helping the South just as much as if
+they carried muskets. They built forts, toiled in gun shops and powder
+mills, and raised crops at home. This, of course, released thousands of
+whites from home duties and swelled the ranks of the Confederate army.
+It was a terrible and costly war. The final result even seemed doubtful.
+To save the Union the South must be crippled at every possible point. To
+set the slaves free was to weaken the South. Mr. Lincoln held that a
+sound principle of military law gave him the authority to abolish
+slavery. He proposed to do it primarily as an act of military necessity
+by virtue of his office as Commander-in-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</a></span>Chief of the army, just as when
+a general in active warfare destroys buildings or burns bridges to aid
+his army operations.</p>
+
+<p>It was sound common sense, as well as a profound military policy, to
+seize the most favorable opportunity to strike at the real cause of the
+trouble. Public opinion was rapidly shaping itself to this end. Lincoln
+was one of the most clear-sighted and sagacious of men. He patiently
+abided his time for so momentous a step.</p>
+
+<p><b>311. The Proclamation of Emancipation.</b>&mdash;Finally, acting on his own
+judgment and that of his trusted advisers, Lincoln issued in September,
+1862, his warning proclamation to the effect that if the Confederate
+States did not cease hostilities before the first of the next January,
+all slaves within the Confederate lines should be thenceforth and
+forever free.</p>
+
+<p>The negroes very soon heard this wonderful news and many thousands of
+them eagerly awaited the coming of the day when "Massa Linkum would set
+'em free." They looked upon the good President as the savior of their
+race.</p>
+
+<p>On that famous morning, January 1, 1863, the prophecy was fulfilled.
+That New Year's Day will be forever memorable as the date of the great
+Emancipation Proclamation, an act by which four millions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[Pg 368]</a></span> of slaves were
+brought from the night of bondage to the sunlight of freedom.</p>
+
+<p>This was the monumental event of the war, perhaps the wisest thing
+President Lincoln ever did or ever could do. In after years it will
+perhaps be regarded as the greatest event of the century. Few men in all
+history have had an opportunity of doing a deed of so vast and
+far-reaching importance.</p>
+
+<p>Emancipation was quickly followed by the enlistment of negroes, or
+"freedmen" as they were now called, as soldiers in the armies of the
+Union. During the year 1863 more than fifty thousand of them, and before
+the end of the war nearly two hundred thousand, had enlisted under the
+banner of freedom. They were good soldiers, and on many a battlefield
+they fought with an unflinching courage.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[Pg 369]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">MORE ABOUT THE WAR FOR THE UNION.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>312. Union Defeat at Chancellorsville.</b>&mdash;Now let us return to our
+narrative of a few of the prominent military operations of the war. In
+May, 1863, the army of the Potomac, under General Hooker, moved
+southward from Washington. At Chancellorsville it was met by a
+Confederate force under Generals Lee and Jackson. The battle lasted two
+days, and was disastrous to the Union arms; in fact, the worst defeat of
+the war. It marked the zenith of Confederate success. In this battle
+"Stonewall" Jackson, so called from his splendid firmness, one of the
+ablest of the Southern generals, was mortally wounded.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus375.jpg" width="362" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Stonewall&quot; Jackson.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>313. The Mighty Struggle at Gettysburg.</b>&mdash;General Lee, proud of this
+success, now resolved to lead his army into the North. Sweeping past
+Washington and across Maryland, he pushed up into Pennsylvania, the
+whole country around being terrified at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[Pg 370]</a></span> his approach, especially
+Baltimore and Philadelphia, both of which cities were threatened. Lee
+had now eighty thousand soldiers, the finest army the South ever
+possessed. The army of the Potomac, under the command of General Meade,
+whom Grant called the right man in the right place, followed closely.
+The two defiant armies met at Gettysburg, where occurred the most
+momentous battle ever fought on this continent. It lasted three days,
+July 1-3, 1863. The first day's fighting ended in favor of the
+Confederates. On the second day their desperate efforts to drive the
+Union forces from their positions were repelled, but with an enormous
+loss on each side.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 411px;">
+<img src="images/illus376.jpg" width="411" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General Meade.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>On the third day came the final test. The brave Confederate General
+Pickett led many thousands of soldiers over an open plain in a most
+desperate charge to break the Union center. On, on they came, their
+ranks now torn through and through by Union shot and shell, but still on
+they charged.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[Pg 371]</a></span> Drawing nearer, up they rushed to the Union line with the
+familiar Southern yell, and with frantic fury dashed upon our firm-set
+ranks. Our men wavered with the mighty shock and for a moment fell back,
+but instantly rallied with the Union cheer.</p>
+
+<p>In the furious onset and the hand-to-hand fight, friend and foe fell by
+thousands. But the charging battalions were shattered, crushed, driven
+back, melting away under the concentrated fire, and only some few
+fragments of all that vast column straggled back over the field of
+death.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 369px;">
+<img src="images/illus377.jpg" width="369" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General Robert E. Lee.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Lee was baffled, defeated; the Union was safe. The invaders, with that
+vast army that came with stately pride, went back to Virginia with
+sorrowing memories of the direst disaster of the war. Never again did a
+large Confederate force hazard a march<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[Pg 372]</a></span> into the North. After Gettysburg
+there was little hope of Confederate triumph.</p>
+
+<p><b>314. Memorials of the Victory.</b>&mdash;Gettysburg was a costly victory. Over
+that broad area of the three days' battles, strewn through wood and
+meadow, on field and hill, lay the bodies of thousands of soldiers.
+One-third of Lee's entire army, and about a fourth of the Union forces,
+had been killed or wounded. The arena of fiercest fighting in the third
+day's final charge is now marked by a suitable monument, which bears
+upon a bronze tablet an inscription that indicates the historical
+importance of the spot.</p>
+
+<p>Upon opposite columns are also inscribed the names of the officers who
+led the surging columns of gray, and the names of those officers who
+held firm the impregnable walls of blue.</p>
+
+<p>The whole field of battle, covering several square miles, is dotted with
+hundreds of similar memorials of many varieties. These monuments have
+been erected year after year by the survivors or by their friends. They
+indicate the positions held by regiments, brigades, and divisions, where
+desperate charges and equally desperate repulses occurred, or where
+gallant officers fell.</p>
+
+<p><b>315. Lincoln's Masterly Address at Gettysburg.</b>&mdash;In November, 1863, the
+central portion of the battlefield<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[Pg 373]</a></span> was set apart as a National Cemetery
+and dedicated with solemn ceremonies. The most important of these was
+the notably eloquent address by President Lincoln, which has passed into
+history as an event hardly less memorable than the great conflict
+itself. Perhaps in no language, ancient or modern, are any words found
+more comprehensive and eloquent than this brief speech.</p>
+
+<p>Time has tested the strength of this short, simple address. After more
+than a quarter of a century it is still as familiar as household words.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 334px;">
+<img src="images/illus379.jpg" width="334" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General U. S. Grant.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>316. Success of General Grant in the West.</b>&mdash;Let us now read about a few
+of the great events of the war in the West during the first half of the
+year 1863. Here General Grant was the central figure of important
+military operations. He had already become prominent by the brilliant
+campaigns we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[Pg 374]</a></span> have mentioned. His remarkable career furnishes one of the
+many examples of great men coming up from obscure and unpromising
+conditions of life.</p>
+
+<p>He was born in Ohio in 1822, and received a military education at West
+Point. He was a successful officer in the Mexican War, having been
+engaged in nearly all the battles of the war, where he manifested
+conspicuous bravery. Returning from Mexico, he engaged a while in
+farming, but with discouraging results. Evidently it was not his
+vocation.</p>
+
+<p>When the Civil War opened, Grant was employed at a small salary in his
+father's leather store in Galena,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[Pg 375]</a></span> Illinois. He at once offered the
+governor his services, and was appointed a colonel of an Illinois
+regiment. He rose rapidly to conspicuous positions.</p>
+
+<p><b>317. Capture of Vicksburg.</b>&mdash;General Grant, after defeating the
+Confederates at the battle of Shiloh, and driving them south to Corinth,
+followed them to Vicksburg. This was a stronghold from which they seemed
+to defy every effort to dislodge them.</p>
+
+<p>The city stands on a high bluff some two hundred feet above the
+Mississippi, and as there were heavy batteries all along the river front
+and on the hillsides, Grant could not attack the city with his gunboats.
+On the north there were miles of swamps and creeks, so that he could not
+approach on that side. On the east the city was heavily fortified with
+cannon.</p>
+
+<p>President Lincoln and the country expected General Grant to capture
+Vicksburg. What could he do? Witness his superb generalship!</p>
+
+<p>He first protected against cannon shot a number of gunboats and steamers
+by means of bales of hay, and planned to run them past eight miles of
+batteries one dark night in April. This movement was so perilous that
+officers would not order their men to go, but called for volunteers. So
+many were eager to go that lots were drawn for a chance. One soldier
+refused one hundred dollars for his place.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[Pg 376]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<a href="images/illus380big.jpg"><img src="images/illus380.jpg" width="650" height="449" alt="" title="" /></a><br />
+<a href="images/illus380big.jpg"><small>Click to enlarge.</small></a><br />
+<span class="caption">Map of Military Operations in the West.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Soon as the watchful Confederates sighted the first boat of the grim
+procession, they opened a deafening cannonade, and started a series of
+bonfires that lighted up all the miles of that voyage of death. Some of
+the transports were destroyed, but enough got through to answer the
+general's purpose.</p>
+
+<p>Next Grant ferried his army across the river some miles below Vicksburg,
+and fought and defeated General Pemberton's troops, which had moved down
+to meet him. Then, learning that General Johnston was coming to attack
+him, he marched up between the two armies. On his east side he met
+Johnston's army and defeated it. Thence he turned west and drove
+Pemberton again, and the next day routed him once more and drove his
+entire army into Vicksburg.</p>
+
+<p>Commodore Porter's gunboats now threw huge shells into the doomed city
+from the river and Grant's army bombarded it on the east. It was an
+awful siege. No building was safe. The people lived in caves dug in the
+sides of the hills. Food was so scarce that mules, cats, dogs, and rats
+were devoured. At last, after seven weeks of siege, Pemberton, on July
+4, surrendered his entire army of about thirty thousand men, the largest
+force captured during the war.</p>
+
+<p>These two great victories, at Gettysburg and at Vicksburg, one in the
+East, the other in the West, both<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[Pg 377]</a></span> won at the same time, gave new hope
+to the Union cause. The Confederacy was at last cut in two, for the
+Mississippi River was open in its entire length, and its waters, in Mr.
+Lincoln's words, "flowed unvexed to the sea."</p>
+
+<p>From this eventful Fourth of July in 1863 the strength of the
+Confederacy began to decay. There was little hope for its final success
+after this time. All its future contests only delayed the inevitable
+end.</p>
+
+<p><b>318. Two Other Important Victories in the West.</b>&mdash;In September occurred
+the severe battle of Chickamauga, where the Union army would probably
+have been utterly defeated but for the valor of General Thomas, who thus
+won for himself the name of the "Rock of Chickamauga." Late in November
+the Union army was shut in at Chattanooga by the ever alert
+Confederates, and was relieved only by General Grant's skillful planning
+and hard fighting.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 429px;">
+<img src="images/illus383.jpg" width="429" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General Thomas.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>This battle was fought on a cold, drizzly day. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[Pg 378]</a></span> fog, settling on the
+valley and sides of Lookout Mountain, up which our brave boys climbed,
+covered the lower part of the advancing army so that only the upper
+lines were visible. This brilliant victory is popularly known as "the
+Battle above the Clouds." These movements ended the army operations of
+1863.</p>
+
+<p><b>319. Sherman's Famous March to the Sea.</b>&mdash;The year 1864 saw two great
+movements, both planned by General Grant, who had now been called by
+President Lincoln to come to Washington and take control of all the
+armies of the Republic. One was his own advance against Richmond, and
+the other General Sherman's famous "March to the Sea."</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 395px;">
+<img src="images/illus384.jpg" width="395" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General W. T. Sherman.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>General W. T. Sherman, a brilliant officer and General Grant's dear
+comrade and lifelong friend, had driven his opponents southward and
+captured Atlanta. General Hood then very boldly but injudiciously led a
+Confederate army up to Nashville, where General Thomas attacked and
+utterly defeated him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[Pg 379]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Sherman had begun his celebrated march to the sea. Having
+burned the mills, foundries, and workshops at Atlanta which had been of
+great value to the Confederates, he started in November with an army of
+sixty thousand on a three-hundred-mile expedition to the Atlantic! They
+marched on three and sometimes four parallel roads, foraging on the
+country, destroying railroads, burning bridges, and devastating a belt
+of territory from forty to sixty miles wide. Our army was followed by
+thousands of negroes, enjoying their new freedom.</p>
+
+<p>In December Sherman reached the sea and telegraphed to President Lincoln
+the capture of Savannah as a Christmas present! Resting there, he then
+marched his conquering legions north, through both Carolinas, up to
+Goldsboro, having met and defeated Johnston's army at several points
+along the way. He was now able to aid General Grant, whose campaign
+against Richmond we must now consider.</p>
+
+<p><b>320. Grant's Advance on Richmond; Lee's Surrender at Appomattox.</b>&mdash;Early
+in May, Grant had started with a hundred and twenty thousand men on his
+advance against Richmond. He pushed his work with great vigor, fighting
+almost daily, but after every battle flanking Lee's right, and thus
+working constantly southward. It was a series of bloody battles, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[Pg 380]</a></span>
+the slaughter was enormous; but such is war. He continued slowly
+advancing all summer, and in the fall of 1864 began the siege of
+Richmond.</p>
+
+<p>Finally, in April, 1865, General Sheridan had cut the last of the
+railroads supplying the Confederate capital. Then with Grant's army on
+one side and Sheridan's on the other, the Confederacy quickly collapsed.
+Jefferson Davis fled and a panic seized upon the people in the doomed
+city, while fire and havoc ran riot. The Union army soon marched in and
+restored order.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 392px;">
+<img src="images/illus386.jpg" width="392" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General Sherman on His March to the Sea.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>One week later Lee surrendered his whole army at Appomattox. General
+Grant treated his fallen foes with great generosity, requiring only the
+oath<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[Pg 381]</a></span> of officers and men not to fight further against the United
+States. The victorious general permitted all the men to keep their
+horses, to enable them, as he said, "to do their spring plowing on their
+farms."</p>
+
+<p><b>321. The Story of Sheridan's Famous Ride.</b>&mdash;Read's stirring poem,
+"Sheridan's Ride," has always been a favorite, for it records in verse
+the gallant deed of one of the most brilliant generals in the war for
+the Union. In the early fall of 1864 Grant sent General Sheridan with a
+large force of cavalry to lay waste the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan did
+the work so well that it was said, "If a crow wants to fly down the
+valley, he must carry his provisions with him."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 331px;">
+<img src="images/illus387.jpg" width="331" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">General Sheridan.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The story runs as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>One morning in October the Confederates approached under cover of a fog
+and surprised the Union forces at Cedar Creek and put them to flight.
+Sheridan was then at Winchester, twenty miles away, slowly riding back
+to join his army. A messenger met him with the bad news. On his famous
+black horse he dashed forward at full speed down that "good broad
+highway, as with eagle flight," towards the line of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[Pg 382]</a></span> battle. As he came
+nearer he met the first of the fugitives and rallied them with fierce
+and forcible words. At once they were as eager to fight again as they
+had been ready to fly.</p>
+
+<p>A brave nucleus of the army which had not shared in the surprise was
+fighting with determined pluck to prevent disaster from becoming
+disgrace. Men said, "Oh for one hour of Sheridan!" All at once a
+deafening cheer was heard above the roar of musketry and artillery as
+the tired men recognized the long-looked-for Sheridan. The news flashed
+from brigade to brigade along the front with telegraphic speed. As the
+gallant general, cap in hand, dashed along the retreating lines, a
+continuous cheer burst from the whole army.</p>
+
+<p>The entire aspect of affairs seemed changed in a moment. Further retreat
+was no longer thought of. "This retreat must be stopped!" shouted
+Sheridan to his officers as he galloped down the lines. The line of
+battle was speedily re-formed; the retreating army turned its face to
+the foe.</p>
+
+<p>The ranks of the Confederates swayed and broke everywhere before the
+charge of the Union cavalry and the impetuous advance of the infantry.
+They were completely defeated, with the loss of many prisoners, and
+nearly all of their guns.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[Pg 383]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Sheridan's ride to the front, October 19, 1864, has passed into history
+as one of the most thrilling events that have ever given interest to a
+battle scene. Stripped of all poetic gloss, the result achieved by
+Sheridan's superb generalship, after reaching his shattered army on the
+field of Cedar Creek, still stands, with few if any parallels in
+history, as an illustration of the magnetic influence of one man over
+many, and as an example of snatching a great victory from an appalling
+defeat.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 432px;">
+<img src="images/illus389.jpg" width="432" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Sheridan rallying his Troops at Cedar Creek.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>322. Death of Lincoln.</b>&mdash;Wild was the delight of the country when peace
+came. There were public meetings, processions, bonfires, every possible
+display of universal joy!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[Pg 384]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, like a total eclipse at noonday, came the darkness of a great
+sorrow. Abraham Lincoln, the great and good President, whose heart had
+bled for the nation's suffering, who had never held a trace of bitter
+feeling towards the South, was shot down by an assassin!</p>
+
+<p>Instantly the nation was plunged into the deepest sorrow; joy ended in
+grief, delight was turned to mourning. Ninety thousand Union soldiers
+had been slain, but this last sacrifice overshadowed all. Never before
+was a great nation shrouded in a sorrow so deep. Thousands mourned, as
+for the loss of a personal friend.</p>
+
+<p>The people hardly realized till his death the greatness of this man, the
+hero of the mighty struggle by which the Union was saved. From that day
+to this, the admiration and love, not only of the nation but of all
+mankind, have been increasing for the great and kind-hearted man, the
+wise leader, the blameless President,&mdash;Abraham Lincoln.</p>
+
+<p><b>323. The Cost of the War.</b>&mdash;The cost of the four years' war was something
+tremendous. At the close of the strife the total debt was about three
+thousand millions of dollars! This, however, was but a small part of the
+loss.</p>
+
+<p>The cost in human life can never be estimated in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[Pg 385]</a></span> money. The area fought
+over was so large that there was fighting somewhere almost every day!
+The number of battles, great and small, was more than two thousand! The
+total Union loss of men killed in battle and of those who died of wounds
+and disease was not less than three hundred and sixty thousand. The
+number of enlisted soldiers on the Union side was over two and a half
+millions.</p>
+
+<p><b>324. Grand Review of Troops at Washington.</b>&mdash;At the close of the war a
+grand review of Union troops was held at Washington. These comprised the
+army of the Potomac, commanded by General Meade in person, and Sherman's
+army fresh from its march to the sea. These battle-scarred veterans,
+perhaps one-fifth of all the Union soldiers who had tramped and fought
+for years, now passed in review, bearing aloft the tattered and
+shot-torn flags around which they had rallied on many a battlefield. The
+two days were beautiful and the sight was superb.</p>
+
+<p>The National Capital was full of strangers in holiday dress, and every
+house was decorated with flags. For two days the two armies marched in
+close column around the Capitol, down Pennsylvania Avenue, past the
+President and cabinet, who occupied a large stand prepared for the
+occasion in front of the White House. On the second day it took six
+hours and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[Pg 386]</a></span> a half for Sherman's magnificent army of sixty-five thousand
+sunburnt veterans to march in solid columns in review before the
+President.</p>
+
+<p>This grand review was a fitting conclusion to the war. The million men
+who were still in arms at the close of the war, old comrades of camp and
+field, shook hands and parted, each to his home, where mother or sister
+or wife or children or other dear ones awaited the long-absent soldier.</p>
+
+<p><b>325. The Country after the War.</b>&mdash;The war proved beyond all question that
+the American Republic is a nation, not a league, and it rid it also of
+human slavery. It took, of course, a long time for the bitter feeling on
+both sides to die away. More than a generation has passed since the
+great Civil War desolated our fair land. The people of to-day have
+little cause to recall its sufferings and horrors.</p>
+
+<p>How dear to the hearts of the American people are the familiar
+ceremonies of Memorial Day! What more impressive object lesson could our
+children have than to see the gray-haired veterans marching with thinner
+ranks and more faltering steps, on this sacred anniversary!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[Pg 387]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">OUR NAVY IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>326. Our Navy at the Beginning of the War.</b>&mdash;For a number of months
+before the breaking out of the war the Southern leaders of the secession
+movement had been quietly but skillfully preparing for it.</p>
+
+<p>A large part of the soldiers had been sent off to the frontier posts.
+Rifles, cannon, and all such supplies had been taken months before from
+Northern stations and sent South. Our navy had been purposely scattered
+all over the world. More ships were abroad or useless than were at home
+fit for service. The whole number available after the attack on Fort
+Sumter was only thirteen.</p>
+
+<p>All through the South most of the southern-born officers of the
+government who were in control of Federal property, as custom houses,
+post offices, arsenals, forts, navy yards, and ships, abandoned their
+trust, or turned all these properties over to the seceding states.</p>
+
+<p>It was in reference to such a piece of transfer that the Secretary of
+the Treasury, John A. Dix, sent to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[Pg 388]</a></span> New Orleans that famous telegram
+which thrilled the whole North:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="center">"<span class="smcap">If any one attempts to haul down the American
+flag, shoot him on the spot!</span>"</p>
+
+<p>Great was the peril. More vessels must be had, and that at once. The
+seventeen warships in foreign ports were called home, scores of steamers
+were bought and dozens were built as quickly as possible.</p>
+
+<p><b>327. Urgent Need of Vessels to blockade Southern Ports.</b>&mdash;One of the most
+urgent needs for a navy was to blockade the Southern ports. This was to
+be done by stationing well-armed ships near the mouth of every harbor to
+seize any vessel trying to get out with a cargo of cotton, or to capture
+any ship coming in with supplies. "Running" this blockade was a
+profitable but dangerous business.</p>
+
+<p>But we can judge whether our gallant navy did its duty in watching the
+eighteen hundred miles of Southern coast line, if we remember that
+during the four years of the war the Union blue-jackets captured or
+destroyed over fifteen hundred blockade runners&mdash;more than one a day.</p>
+
+<p><b>328. Naval Operations on the Western Rivers.</b>&mdash;The Confederates had
+fortified many cities and important bluffs along the Mississippi River
+and its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[Pg 389]</a></span> branches, and had built many heavy gunboats. Our government had
+at first not a single gunboat to meet them. Something must be done very
+soon. In less than a hundred days there were built at St. Louis, from
+the keel up, with powerful engines, heavy armor plate, and cannon, eight
+powerful gunboats, all ready for action. These ironclads, with some
+mortar boats, did effective service at the capture of Forts Henry and
+Donelson, of Columbus, Memphis, and Vicksburg, and all along the rivers.</p>
+
+<p><b>329. How New Orleans was protected against an Attack by the Union
+Forces.</b>&mdash;While the Union ironclads were fighting farther north along the
+Mississippi and other large rivers, Commodore Farragut was doing valiant
+work below New Orleans. This city was protected by two strong forts.</p>
+
+<p>Just below the forts there stretched from each bank towards the middle a
+big boom of logs. The space in the middle of the river between the ends
+of the booms was filled with hulks of old ships, first firmly anchored,
+then heavily chained to each other, and lashed to the booms with huge
+cables, making almost a bridge. Above this formidable barrier was a
+fleet of iron rams and gunboats.</p>
+
+<p>Besides all this, there were a number of fire rafts, loaded with cotton
+and hay, ready to be set in a blaze<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[Pg 390]</a></span> and float down on any Union craft
+that would dare to come up. How was it possible for the Union vessels to
+force their way up the river in the face of these obstructions?</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 346px;">
+<img src="images/illus396.jpg" width="346" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Admiral Farragut.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>330. Farragut prepares for the Attack.</b>&mdash;Farragut had about fifty vessels
+all told: frigates, ships, sloops, gunboats, and mortar vessels. He
+anchored the mortar boats around a point of land nearly two miles below
+the forts, and dressed them with evergreens and foliage of trees
+disguising their position. Then the great thirteen-inch bombs burst
+inside and around the forts all day, all night, for six days.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile two small gunboats went one night up to the chained hulks to
+break the barrier; and though detected and fired on, the officers
+worked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[Pg 391]</a></span> calmly and persistently. They contrived to get a gunboat
+through, then steamed up the river, turned and rushed down on the cable
+with such force as to break it! Daylight showed a wide opening for the
+Union fleet.</p>
+
+<p><b>331. The Grand Work done by Farragut and his Fleet.</b>&mdash;The next morning at
+two o'clock, April 24, 1862, the fleet steamed up. The forts fired and
+the ships fired, but the fleet kept moving in the darkness. Soon one
+passed through, then another, the swift ones dashing ahead.</p>
+
+<p>But the flagship Hartford, on which was Farragut, having passed through,
+turned aside to avoid a blazing fire raft, when she ran aground! Then
+the Confederates, seeing the Hartford stuck fast, pushed a fire raft up
+against it. Instantly the flames flashed along the rigging and the
+ports, the big guns of the fort meanwhile pounding her. But the gun
+crews kept working their cannon as steadily as if on practice, and the
+rest fought the flames, and soon subdued them. The flagship was saved.
+Other ships passed up, all fighting, some surviving by hairbreadth
+escapes; a few were lost.</p>
+
+<p>When the morning sun rose, the astounding work had been done, the gates
+of fire had been passed, and the Union fleet under Farragut was
+triumphant. New<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[Pg 392]</a></span> Orleans was captured and the control of the river
+secured nearly up to Vicksburg.</p>
+
+<p><b>332. The Merrimac and the Monitor.</b>&mdash;When the war for the Union began,
+and just before the Confederates seized the navy yard at Norfolk, the
+commanding officer there contrived to burn or sink all the ships; but
+the best one, the Merrimac, was soon raised and rebuilt as a powerful
+ironclad.</p>
+
+<p>When the fine old frigate had been remodeled her entire appearance was
+changed. She had no longer the appearance of a ship, but seemed like a
+house afloat. The story is told that an old sailor on board the
+Cumberland, who first sighted her, reported gravely to the officer of
+the deck, "Quaker meeting-house floating down the bay, sir."</p>
+
+<p>In anticipation of what harm it might do, the government engaged Captain
+Ericsson, a Swedish inventor in New York, to build as quickly as
+possible, after his own plans, an ironclad, a new and very odd-shaped
+kind of warship&mdash;the now famous Monitor. The construction was pushed day
+and night without an hour of delay.</p>
+
+<p><b>333. Attack of the Merrimac on the Union Fleet.</b>&mdash;Before long the dreaded
+Merrimac was finished, and on March 8, 1862, the ponderous black monster
+steamed slowly out to attack the Union ships in Hampton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[Pg 393]</a></span> Roads. She made
+straight for the fine frigate Cumberland, the solid shot of whose
+broadside fell like pebbles into the sea from the slopes of the huge
+ironclad. On, on came the ponderous monster, and crashing into the
+wooden side of the Cumberland, opened a hole "wide as a church door."
+The sinking ship went down with her flag flying and her guns booming to
+the last!</p>
+
+<p>Next the Merrimac attacked the Congress, whose captain and three-fourths
+of her crew were killed or wounded. Hot shot were used, which soon set
+the Congress in a blaze. Then the ironclad, as if she had done enough
+for one day, went grimly back to Norfolk, intending to continue her
+destruction the next day.</p>
+
+<p>Everywhere in that region is alarm. The shores are thronged with anxious
+thousands. The city of Washington is almost in a panic. The grim monster
+may steam up here on the next day, and hurl its exploding shells into
+the Capitol or the White House. Philadelphia, Baltimore, and all the
+seacoast cities of the country are exposed to destruction. What is to be
+done? Can the danger be averted?</p>
+
+<p><b>334. Timely Arrival of the Monitor.</b>&mdash;That very night, as if by a special
+providence, the Monitor arrived from New York! Early next morning, when
+the naval Goliath of yesterday came out in his iron<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[Pg 394]</a></span> armor, victorious
+and confident, a young David stood up to defy him!</p>
+
+<p>A strange craft indeed was the Monitor. Her rail was but little above
+the water, and nothing was to be seen on her deck but a kind of round
+iron box in the middle, a pilot house forward, and a small smokestack
+aft. At a mile's distance she might be taken for a raft. Indeed, the
+Confederates well described her when they called her a "Yankee
+cheese-box on a raft."</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus400.jpg" width="450" height="236" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">The Famous Contest between the Monitor and the Merrimac.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>335. Famous Battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.</b>&mdash;It was a
+Sunday morning, and the sun rose in a cloudless sky. The batteries on
+both sides of the bay were crowded with men waiting for the coming
+contest. At the first sign of life on board the Merrimac, the Monitor
+began her preparations for the battle.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly the Confederate ram came down the bay. She opened fire on the
+Minnesota, which was still aground. The frigate responded with a mighty
+broadside, but the cannon balls rattled off the iron<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[Pg 395]</a></span> flanks of the huge
+ram like so many peas. Clearly everything depended upon the little
+Monitor.</p>
+
+<p>The battle now began, and the huge shells and heavy shot crashed like
+loudest thunder. It was a strange, an awful battle. At times the two
+vessels were in actual contact. The dense smoke, the deafening roar of
+explosions, the shouts of officers' orders, the crews often hurled off
+their feet by the terrific blows smiting the iron armor&mdash;all made it
+beyond description fearfully sublime. The Merrimac's plates were split
+and torn. One shot, entering her port, did terrible havoc.</p>
+
+<p>Just as Lieutenant Worden of the Monitor was looking through the slit in
+the turret to take aim, a shell struck outside and filled his face and
+eyes with powder and iron splinters! He was insensible for some time.</p>
+
+<p>When he came to himself, his first question was, "Have I saved the
+Minnesota?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," was the reply, "and whipped the Merrimac."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I don't care what becomes of me," he answered.</p>
+
+<p>After more than three hours of this frightful combat, the humbled
+Merrimac steamed back to Norfolk, the victorious little Monitor giving a
+series of farewell shots as she sailed away.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended this marvelous battle, the first in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[Pg 396]</a></span> world's history
+between ironclad vessels. All Washington retired to sleep that night
+with a sense of relief, for it seemed as if the nation had been saved.</p>
+
+<p>The brave Worden shortly after the famous battle went to Washington.
+President Lincoln was at a cabinet meeting when he heard of the
+lieutenant's arrival. He rose hastily and said, "Gentlemen, I must go to
+that fellow."</p>
+
+<p>When Lincoln entered his room, Worden was lying on a sofa with his eyes
+and head heavily bandaged.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. President," said he, "you do me great honor by this visit."</p>
+
+<p>"Sir," said Mr. Lincoln, with tears in his eyes, "I am the one who is
+honored by this interview."</p>
+
+<p><b>336. Confederate Privateers attack Union Merchantmen.</b>&mdash;When the North
+began blockading the Southern ports, the South of course used all its
+energies to break the blockade by aiding ships to pass in or out, and
+also to destroy our commerce wherever it might be found.</p>
+
+<p>The first craft that went out on this errand of destruction was an ocean
+steamer then at New Orleans. It had been speedily altered into a warship
+and named the Sumter. She slipped through the blockade in June, 1861,
+and did a lively business capturing and burning our merchantmen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[Pg 397]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then the South, as it had no navy of its own, had to seek aid abroad.
+England seemed to be very willing that her shipbuilders should furnish
+ships for the use of the Confederacy in seizing and destroying Union
+vessels.</p>
+
+<p>The first of the cruisers secretly built in a British shipyard to
+destroy our commerce was the Florida. She burned or sank over forty
+vessels before she was captured.</p>
+
+<p><b>337. The Famous Alabama makes Sad Havoc.</b>&mdash;The Alabama was the most
+famous of the Confederate cruisers. She was built under false pretenses
+and with a false name, in an English port, of English material, armed
+with English cannon, and manned by English sailors.</p>
+
+<p>The Alabama, once fairly at sea under Captain Semmes, skillfully avoided
+our men-of-war sent to capture her, and continued in her two years'
+cruise till she had burned or captured sixty-seven of our merchant
+ships.</p>
+
+<p><b>338. The Alabama destroyed by the Kearsarge.</b>&mdash;At last the Alabama went
+into the harbor of Cherbourg, in France. Captain Winslow of the United
+States warship Kearsarge, then searching for her, heard of this and at
+once challenged her, and then waited outside. On the nineteenth day of
+June, 1864, the Alabama<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[Pg 398]</a></span> was compelled by law to leave the port. The
+battle began, and was watched by thousands from the shores.</p>
+
+<p>The Kearsarge swept around in great circles, compelling the Alabama,
+about half a mile distant, to do the same. The men on the Alabama fired
+fast and wild. Their shots flew over, or fell short; but the Kearsarge
+fired carefully and with true aim. Nearer drew the Kearsarge, circling
+still. Its two eleven-inch guns made frightful havoc, tearing great
+rents in the Alabama's sides. She was sinking, and started for the
+shore. Winslow now steamed in front and headed her off. Then down came
+the Confederate flag.</p>
+
+<p>Soon the far-famed and dreaded cruiser sank to her watery grave. The
+names Winslow and Kearsarge long rang through this country with plaudits
+of enthusiastic praise.</p>
+
+<p>"I would rather have fought that fight," said brave old Admiral
+Farragut, "than any ever fought on the ocean."</p>
+
+<p><b>339. England pays for the Damage done by the Alabama.</b>&mdash;After the war
+England refused for years to make compensation for the damage the
+Alabama had done to our commerce. But seeing that the same course might
+some day injure herself, and sensible of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[Pg 399]</a></span> injustice, she at last
+consented to make amends. In 1872 a Board of Arbitrators met at Geneva,
+and agreeably to its decision "John Bull" promptly paid $15,500,000 to
+"Uncle Sam" to distribute among those who had suffered by the
+depredations.</p>
+
+<p><b>340. Preparations for the Capture of Mobile.</b>&mdash;In the summer of 1864 a
+prominent Southern port, Mobile, was yet uncaptured. Its defenses were
+strong. Two splendid forts stood sentry at the gateway. Long lines of
+piles narrowed the channel to about three hundred feet, and a triple row
+of torpedoes threatened any approach. In the harbor the Confederates had
+a small fleet of gunboats and one tremendous ram, the Tennessee.</p>
+
+<p>Admiral Farragut determined to capture Mobile. He had four monitors and
+fourteen wooden ships. All the preparations were made with the utmost
+care. The officers and men of the fleet regarded the admiral with
+staunch loyalty and absolute trust. The attack was made early on the
+morning of August 5.</p>
+
+<p><b>341. Farragut's Crowning Victory at Mobile.</b>&mdash;The fleet passing through
+the channel, rained shot and shell so furiously upon the forts that the
+Confederates could not well serve their guns. But our finest ironclad,
+the Tecumseh, was struck by a torpedo, and she sank with over a hundred
+of her brave men!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[Pg 400]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Her captain, the gallant Craven, was at the time in the pilot-house with
+the pilot. As the huge ironclad lurched heavily over and began to sink,
+both rushed to the narrow door, but there was only room for one to pass
+at a time. Craven stepped to one side, saying, "After you, pilot." The
+pilot leaped to a place of safety, but the noble captain went to the
+bottom in his iron coffin.</p>
+
+<p>The fleet now fought a desperate battle with the Confederate ironclads.
+The armored vessels were soon sunk or scattered. The Tennessee tried to
+ram our ships, but with little success. Then our ironclads gathered
+around our "wooden walls," steamed straight for the ram, and there was
+fought one of the most desperate naval fights of the war.</p>
+
+<p>Sharpshooters fired into the ram's ports, our ships successively poured
+in a terrific fire, and hammered at close range with huge solid shot and
+fifteen-inch bolts of iron, till the white flag went up, and once more
+the stars and stripes waved triumphantly over the harbor of Mobile.</p>
+
+<p>Thus ended the battle of Mobile Bay,&mdash;one of the most brilliant naval
+contests of modern times,&mdash;Farragut's crowning victory. Three hours
+elapsed from the time the first gun was fired until the great ram hauled
+down the Confederate flag.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_401" id="Page_401">[Pg 401]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The port of Mobile was thenceforward closed against blockade runners,
+and the last channel of communication between the Confederacy and the
+outside world was cut off.</p>
+
+<p><b>342. Farragut in the Rigging during the Battle.</b>&mdash;During the battle
+Farragut stood in the main rigging; but as the smoke increased he
+gradually climbed higher, until he was close by the maintop. The shots
+were flying thick and fast. There was great danger that he would lose
+his footing, and so the captain sent aloft one of the men with a rope
+who lashed him to the rigging so that he might not fall if wounded.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 323px;">
+<img src="images/illus407.jpg" width="323" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Farragut lashed to the Rigging.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>When Farragut saw the danger from the approaching Tennessee, as he stood
+tied to the rigging, he said to his signal officer, who was lashed to
+the other mast:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Can you signal, 'For Heaven's sake'?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can signal anything," replied Kinney.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_402" id="Page_402">[Pg 402]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, signal to all the fleet, 'For Heaven's sake, go for the ram!'"</p>
+
+<p>The fact that the admiral was fastened to the main rigging during the
+greatest sea fight perhaps in our history gave him a unique reputation
+throughout the country. Farragut was amused and amazed at the notoriety
+of the incident.</p>
+
+<p>When a picture of the scene in one of the illustrated papers came to
+hand a few days after the battle, the admiral said to one of his
+captains in conversation, "How curiously some trifling incident catches
+the popular fancy! My being in the main rigging was a mere incident,
+owing to the fact that I was driven aloft by the smoke. The lashing was
+the result of your own fears for my safety."</p>
+
+<p><b>343. Cushing plans to destroy the Ironclad Albemarle.</b>&mdash;One of the large
+sounds, or inland gulfs, on the coast of North Carolina was the scene of
+a great deal of blockade running during the war. The place needed
+constant watching by our ships.</p>
+
+<p>But the chief cause of anxiety was a monster ironclad, the Albemarle,
+that the Confederates had built up the Roanoke River. She had sunk or
+disabled several Union gunboats. She had gone up the river to refit. The
+entrance to the sound was so shallow that none of our large warships
+could pass in.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_403" id="Page_403">[Pg 403]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Could anything be done to check the Albemarle? Lieutenant Cushing, only
+twenty-one, but a most daring naval officer, said, "Yes, there could!"
+His plan was to steal carefully up by night, seize the huge ironclad and
+bring it away, if possible, or else blow it up. The river was guarded on
+both banks, and the ram itself was watched by special sentries. No
+matter for that; he would go. He obtained a noiseless steam launch, and
+rigged a torpedo on the end of a long spar, turning on a hinge at its
+side. The crew of the launch consisted of fifteen men, with Cushing in
+command.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 291px;">
+<img src="images/illus410.jpg" width="291" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Cushing&#39;s Brilliant Exploit.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>344. Cushing's Plan Successful; Destruction of the Albemarle.</b>&mdash;One dark
+rainy night Cushing steamed in his little torpedo boat up the river.
+They passed all the river guards undiscovered. A camp-fire on the bank
+near the ironclad showed to him, as he stood in the bow of his boat, the
+dark outlines of the monster. He steamed on softly. Just then a dog
+barked! Then guards sprang up and fired. The big bell on the ram clanged
+its alarm, lights flashed on the water and shots hissed all around the
+launch.</p>
+
+<p>The brave young officer saw that the ram was surrounded by a large raft
+of huge logs. Instantly his resolution was formed. He steamed off some
+distance to get a long run, then turned and rushed for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_404" id="Page_404">[Pg 404]</a></span> Albemarle.
+Shot whistled around him. On came his little craft, bumped upon the
+logs, crashed over them, and pushed up under the huge ram. Cushing now
+lowered his torpedo spar, calmly guided it into its place, pulled the
+fatal cord&mdash;crash! a roar of thunder!&mdash;and all was over. The great
+ironclad was a terror no longer.</p>
+
+<p><b>345. Cushing reaches the Fleet in Safety.</b>&mdash;Each man had to save himself
+as best he might. Cushing leaped into the water. After about an hour's
+swimming he reached the shore and fell exhausted upon the bank. He crept
+into a swamp for some distance, tearing his feet and hands with briers
+and oyster shells.</p>
+
+<p>Next day he met an old negro whom he thought he could trust. The negro
+was frightened at Cushing's wild appearance and tremblingly asked who he
+was.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_405" id="Page_405">[Pg 405]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I am a Yankee," replied Cushing, "and I am one of the men who blew up
+the Albemarle."</p>
+
+<p>"My golly, massa!" said the negro; "dey kill you if dey catch you; you
+dead gone, sure!"</p>
+
+<p>Cushing gave the negro all the money he had to go into the town and
+learn the news.</p>
+
+<p>After a time the negro came back, and, to Cushing's joy, reported the
+Albemarle sunk. At last the intrepid officer found a boat and paddled
+for eight hours until he reached the Union squadron. After hailing one
+of the vessels, he fell into the bottom of the boat, utterly exhausted
+by hunger, cold, fatigue, and excitement.</p>
+
+<p>Lieutenant Cushing, to whose intrepidity and skill the country was
+indebted for this and many other bold exploits, was engaged in
+thirty-five naval combats during the war. What a record for a young man
+of twenty-three! He died at thirty-two, the youngest officer of his rank
+in the United States Navy. One of our finest torpedo boats, which did
+good service during the Spanish-American war, is well named "The
+Cushing."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_406" id="Page_406">[Pg 406]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="sub">THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p><b>346. The Downfall of Spain on this Continent.</b>&mdash;For half a century or
+more after the time of Columbus, Spain was the greatest military and
+political power in the world. Her ships and her sailors carried the
+proud banner of Castile to every shore and clime then known.</p>
+
+<p>The vast domain claimed by Spain on this continent by right of discovery
+and exploration comprised the fertile islands of the West Indies, the
+greater portion of Central and South America, and all that part of our
+own country west of the Mississippi. In territory, in wealth, in power,
+the sovereignty of Spain became the mightiest in the world.</p>
+
+<p>How are the mighty fallen! The once powerful empire has crumbled into
+dust. The year 1898 saw its overthrow on this side of the Atlantic and
+in the Philippines.</p>
+
+<p><b>347. Spain's Cruel Policy towards her Colonies.</b>&mdash;For the most part Spain
+ruled her colonies with shocking oppression. Her policy was to extort
+all possible<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_407" id="Page_407">[Pg 407]</a></span> gain from them to her own selfish profit. She retained to
+the last the barbarous methods of less civilized centuries. Finally,
+after long years of oppression, the South American colonies began to cut
+loose from her tyrannical sway.</p>
+
+<p>In a few years Spain was stripped of all her possessions in America,
+excepting only her islands in the West Indies.</p>
+
+<p><b>348. Cuba rebels against Spanish Oppression.</b>&mdash;One would naturally
+suppose that these disastrous losses would have taught Spain to govern
+her only remaining American colonies, Cuba and Porto Rico, with more
+wisdom. But not so; she kept right on as before, growing worse, if
+possible, still clinging to the old policy of cruel oppression and
+merciless extortion.</p>
+
+<p>Some thirty years ago a rebellion began in Cuba which lasted ten years.
+In vain Spain spent millions of money and sent thousands of soldiers to
+subdue it. Hundreds of Cubans were cast into prison to die of fever and
+starvation, and their property was confiscated.</p>
+
+<p><b>349. Cuba again rebels against Spain in 1895.</b>&mdash;In 1895 the
+long-suffering Cubans rose in rebellion again. Their army was larger,
+better furnished, and they gained possession of a much more extensive
+portion of the island.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_408" id="Page_408">[Pg 408]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Now Spain became really alarmed. She sent to Cuba a hundred and twenty
+thousand soldiers. They melted away, mostly from sickness and
+mismanagement, like frost in the morning sun. It was all in vain; for it
+was now plain that Spain could never conquer the Cubans, and just as
+evident that the Cubans unaided could never win their independence.</p>
+
+<p>The war had already been barbarous enough, when the Spanish General
+Weyler set in operation his inhuman concentration plan. This meant the
+gathering up in the country districts of thousands of helpless old men,
+women, and children, and driving them to the towns and forts, where they
+were shut up like cattle in large enclosures, surrounded by a deep ditch
+and a barbed wire fence.</p>
+
+<p>Along the line of the fence were frequent guardhouses, where soldiers
+with loaded guns prevented escape. The poor outcasts were crowded into
+wretched palm-leaf huts, with foul water and scanty food. It is said
+that in the island about four hundred thousand helpless people were
+herded in this way. They died by thousands.</p>
+
+<p><b>350. The Barbarities in Cuba excite Great Indignation in this
+Country.</b>&mdash;Now, all these horrors in Cuba aroused a great deal of
+indignation in this country and excited profound sympathy for the
+sufferers. Shiploads of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_409" id="Page_409">[Pg 409]</a></span> provisions were sent by the Red Cross and other
+societies to relieve the starving thousands.</p>
+
+<p>The feeling throughout this country at last came to be intense. For
+years and years past our people had watched the long struggle with the
+keenest interest. For years our presidents had protested to Spain
+against the useless warfare.</p>
+
+<p>Now, when the real state of affairs in Cuba in 1897 became known, our
+government sent word to Spain that this slow starvation of helpless men,
+women, and children was not war, but savage barbarity, and must be
+stopped. In reply, Spain asked for some delay and promised milder
+measures.</p>
+
+<p><b>351. The Battleship Maine blown up in Havana Harbor.</b>&mdash;In order to
+protect American interests in Cuba, the battleship Maine was sent to
+Havana in January, 1898.</p>
+
+<p>A calamity now occurred that shocked the world. On the evening of
+February 15 this magnificent ship, while at anchor in the harbor of
+Havana, was destroyed by an explosion. Two officers and two hundred and
+sixty-four American sailors were hurled to instant death!</p>
+
+<p>The awful disaster sent a thrill of horror and indignation through our
+country. A court of inquiry was instantly appointed by President
+McKinley to investigate the matter and ascertain the cause. Meanwhile<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_410" id="Page_410">[Pg 410]</a></span>
+the country waited for forty days, with surprising patience, for the
+report, which came during the last of March, stating that the Maine had
+been blown up from the outside by the explosion of a submarine mine.
+Subsequent evidence before the Senate committee showed that the mine had
+been exploded by men who wore the uniform of Spain.</p>
+
+<p><b>352. War declared against Spain.</b>&mdash;Public feeling in our country grew
+more intense every hour. The President continued to do his utmost to
+avert war by peaceful and diplomatic methods. Thinking people knew well
+enough that such efforts would be in vain. It was evident that Spain
+would never grant independence to Cuba. It was also evident that the
+American people (from the moment they heard of the blowing up of the
+Maine) had made up their minds that the only real solution of the
+problem was to put an end forever to Spanish rule on this side of the
+Atlantic. This of course meant war.</p>
+
+<p>Congress took the responsibility and declared war against Spain on April
+21, 1898.</p>
+
+<p><b>353. Dewey acts promptly and sails for Manila from Hong Kong.</b>&mdash;The first
+step of our war with Spain was to send Commodore Sampson with a fleet to
+blockade the large seaports of Cuba. All eyes were turned to this
+island; for every one expected the war to begin<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_411" id="Page_411">[Pg 411]</a></span> there; but instantly
+the scene of action was shifted to the other side of the globe.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 394px;">
+<img src="images/illus417.jpg" width="394" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Admiral Dewey.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The first day of May saw one of the greatest naval victories in the
+history of the world. Our government had telegraphed orders to Commodore
+George Dewey, then at Hong Kong, China, in command of our Asiatic
+squadron, to sail at once to the Philippine Islands and "capture or
+destroy" the Spanish ships.</p>
+
+<p>Dewey had taken part in important naval battles in our Civil War, and
+was an experienced and skillful officer. In anticipation of war, his
+fleet was ready for action on an hour's notice.</p>
+
+<p>After his instructions arrived from Washington, Dewey promptly sailed
+for Manila with six warships and two tenders. He delayed outside the
+harbor till the moon had set, and then steamed silently through the
+three-mile-wide channel. He was entering in the dark a bay he had never
+seen. He knew it was planted with torpedoes, and that he was going to
+attack a Spanish fleet of ten ships, besides large forts with heavy
+guns.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_412" id="Page_412">[Pg 412]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A wonderful task! but Dewey was a wonderful man. He understood his
+business. He had been trained under the eye of the great Admiral
+Farragut and had fought long and hard in the war for the Union.</p>
+
+<p><b>354. The Remarkable Naval Victory at Manila.</b>&mdash;Dewey's fleet arrived
+before sunrise in front of the forts and the line of Spanish ships. The
+battle at once began. Our vessels kept moving on the curve of a long
+ellipse or flattened circle, and every time each came around it poured a
+series of rapid and accurate shots directly into the enemy. They
+answered furiously, but not deliberately. Round and round wheeled our
+ships in a slow and deadly circle. Our men could see the walls of the
+forts crumbling, some ships all ablaze, and others shattered and
+sinking.</p>
+
+<p>After two hours of these tremendous circuits Dewey stopped firing and
+moved his ships about three miles out of range to rest his men, give
+them breakfast, and look after his ammunition. The men, in fine spirits,
+ate their morning meal, and rested. It was a stoker on the flagship
+Olympia who said that below "the temperature is nearly up to two hundred
+degrees, and so hot that our hair is singed."</p>
+
+<p>Before noon Dewey returned, circled nearer still, and fought even more
+fiercely. In an hour and a half<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_413" id="Page_413">[Pg 413]</a></span> more the work was finished. One ship
+was riddled, then reeled and sank; then another; one was broken midway
+and went down; now one was in flames, then a second, and so on till the
+entire Spanish fleet, besides gunboats and transports, were sunk or
+burned up or shot to pieces!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+<img src="images/illus419.jpg" width="650" height="587" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Battle of Manila.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>How did our ships stand the contest? Only two or three were hit at all,
+and none seriously injured.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_414" id="Page_414">[Pg 414]</a></span> Our six had destroyed thirteen Spanish
+vessels and silenced their forts. The Spaniards had lost six hundred and
+thirty-four men, killed and wounded. We had only one man killed and
+seven slightly wounded.</p>
+
+<p><b>355. The Nation's Grateful Appreciation of Dewey's Victory.</b>&mdash;Thus was
+fought, on May Day, 1898, at Manila, perhaps the most surprising naval
+conflict the world had ever seen. In three and a quarter hours the naval
+power of Spain went down in the blue waters of the bay, and the splendid
+fame of George Dewey echoed round the globe. Congress gave him a vote of
+thanks and a gold medal; and he was made Admiral, the highest officer in
+the American navy.</p>
+
+<p>Many years ago Admiral Farragut said to the father of the hero of
+Manila, "Doctor Dewey, your son George is a worthy and brave officer. He
+has an honorable record, and some day he will make his mark."</p>
+
+<p>Never before in the history of our country was there projected a series
+of patriotic demonstrations grander in their purpose or finer in their
+execution than those which greeted Admiral Dewey on his return to this
+country, in the fall of 1899, from the scene of his famous victory.</p>
+
+<p>When Dewey sank the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, he opened a new era in
+the history of our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_415" id="Page_415">[Pg 415]</a></span> country. From that day the United States received
+more distinct recognition among the nations responsible for the
+political affairs of the world.</p>
+
+<p><b>356. Preparations to meet the Spanish Fleet.</b>&mdash;Now let us return to the
+scene of war in our own country. On the last day of April the Spanish
+fleet, under Admiral Cervera, left the Cape Verde Islands, sailing west;
+there were four armed cruisers and three torpedo-boat destroyers; all
+good new ships and in prime condition. The alarming question was, Where
+will they strike? The good people of our great eastern cities began to
+imagine what would happen if these powerful warships should come sailing
+into our harbors.</p>
+
+<p>Every effort was promptly and vigorously made to defend exposed points
+with forts and torpedoes. Events proved that it was needless. No ship of
+that Spanish fleet came within five hundred miles of any American city.
+Yet it was evident that Cervera's fleet must be captured or destroyed
+before our coast could be safe, or military operations could be
+prudently begun in Cuba.</p>
+
+<p>Extraordinary efforts were made to ascertain the exact location of the
+hostile squadron.</p>
+
+<p>Finally it was found that it had slipped on May 19 into the bay of
+Santiago. Our fleet at once<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_416" id="Page_416">[Pg 416]</a></span> gathered around to blockade the entrance,
+to make it impossible for any vessel to pass in, and to attack Cervera's
+ships should they attempt to come out. Among our blockaders were the
+splendid ships New York, Massachusetts, Brooklyn, Texas, Iowa, Indiana,
+and the Oregon that had sailed around Cape Horn from San Francisco,
+fourteen thousand miles in sixty-seven days.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/illus422.jpg" width="450" height="443" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Rescue of Hobson by the Spanish Admiral.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><b>357. Hobson's Brilliant Exploit.</b>&mdash;Admiral Sampson did not deem it
+advisable to steam in and attack Cervera, as the channel was thickly
+planted with mines. So our semicircle of ships watched and waited. At
+night our strong search-lights blazed into the mouth of the harbor and
+lighted it with a fiery glare.</p>
+
+<p>If the narrow neck of the harbor could only be somehow obstructed, so
+that Cervera's ships would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_417" id="Page_417">[Pg 417]</a></span> either be completely "bottled up," or would
+have to creep out to sea by daylight, the naval power of Spain would be
+crippled. So thought Admiral Sampson, and he selected Lieutenant Hobson
+for this daring deed. It meant going right into the midst of the enemy's
+batteries and torpedoes.</p>
+
+<p>A large steamer, the Merrimac, was taken and loaded down with coal; and
+a crew of seven men were selected to go with Hobson. Strange fascination
+of mingled courage and patriotism! Hundreds of sailors begged the chance
+to go!</p>
+
+<p>It was all carefully planned; and about two hours before dawn, on June
+3, they started. As they drew near, the Spanish made the water boil and
+hiss with their shots. But on they went to the chosen spot, balls and
+shells striking all about, howling and shrieking in their ears and
+tearing their ship.</p>
+
+<p>Coolly but quickly they sank the Merrimac, sprang to the raft they had
+prepared, and were clinging to it when the firing ceased and a little
+steam launch came up with Cervera in it! The Spanish admiral reached out
+and helped lift in Hobson and his seven comrades! He took them ashore,
+praised them for their daring, gave them dry clothing, fed them, and
+soon after exchanged them for some Spanish officers who had been
+captured by our men.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_418" id="Page_418">[Pg 418]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><b>358. The Army does Brilliant Service at
+Santiago.</b>&mdash;It was plain that the Spanish ships would never come out
+until they were driven out. So during the last week in June an army of
+about twenty-five thousand men, under General Shafter, landed a few
+miles east of Santiago to co&ouml;perate with our fleet in capturing the
+city. Our forces, losing no time, moved on through tropical jungles,
+exposed to the enemy's sharpshooting from trees. It was a deadly advance
+towards log forts on the steep heights, impeded by the annoying tangle
+of barbed-wire fences.</p>
+
+<p>On the first and second days of July our gallant troops captured the two
+forts, El Caney and San Juan, which overlooked Santiago, and drove the
+enemy in hot haste into the city.</p>
+
+<p><b>359. The Remarkable Naval Victory at Santiago.</b>&mdash;Then Cervera's hour had
+come! On July 3, a beautiful Sunday morning, the eyes that for more than
+a month had watched with sleepless vigilance that narrow opening between
+the rocks, saw at last the bow of a Spanish warship. It slipped out and
+turned sharply to the west; then came another, and a third, and so on
+till all six had passed. They at once opened a fierce but ill-directed
+fire upon our fleet.</p>
+
+<p>The men on our vessels were mustering for Sunday morning inspection when
+the enemy was seen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_419" id="Page_419">[Pg 419]</a></span> "The enemy is coming out!" was signalled from ship
+to ship, and on each deck rang out the command, "All hands clear ship
+for action!"</p>
+
+<p>Every man was ready to do his duty. Every ship was stripped for action.
+Instantly our ships were after the Spanish squadron, firing as they
+followed. What a sight was that! There was never before one like it! Two
+lines of hostile ships rushing along the coast, tearing the ocean to
+foam, each a volcano pouring out smoke, and more than a hundred big guns
+hurling shells and shot which strike with awful crash upon the iron
+walls of the enemy's ships!</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 334px;">
+<img src="images/illus425.jpg" width="334" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Admiral Sampson.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>On they dashed, mile after mile. One of our huge shells fell midway of
+the Pluton, which at once went down with an awful plunge. The Furor,
+riddled with shot, fled to the shore and broke in pieces on the rocks.
+Furious was the chase for the other four; nearer and nearer, till our
+ships came up. Then the Maria Teresa, the flagship, with huge holes torn
+in her, and set on fire by our exploding shells, escaped to the beach, a
+sinking, burning wreck. Next the Oquendo, half her men killed, and her
+sides all split<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_420" id="Page_420">[Pg 420]</a></span> open, also fell helpless on the beach. In forty minutes
+these four ships had gone to their doom.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 359px;">
+<img src="images/illus426.jpg" width="359" height="450" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Admiral Schley.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Still beyond was the famous Vizcaya, doing her best to escape. But the
+Brooklyn, Commodore Schley's flagship, gained on her and poured shells
+into her, so that with the Oregon now rushing up in a burst of speed
+which astonished all who saw her, her race was soon run, and she, too,
+went to her grave on the strand, a shattered, blazing hulk.</p>
+
+<p>Yet one more, the Colon, newest, fastest, and best of the squadron, was
+now about four miles ahead; but our ships gained steadily upon her, and
+in less than two hours she hauled down her flag and ran ashore
+forty-five miles from Santiago.</p>
+
+<p><b>360. After the Battle at Santiago.</b>&mdash;The sun that shone in the morning
+upon six of Spain's finest ships looked down at noon upon a row of
+half-sunken wrecks along the coast.</p>
+
+<p>At the risk of their lives our men rescued their foes from the mangled
+hulks, the burning decks, and the surging water.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't cheer, boys," cried one gallant captain, "the poor fellows are
+dying."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_421" id="Page_421">[Pg 421]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Another captain said in his report, "So long as the enemy showed his
+flag, our men fought like American seamen; but when the flag came down,
+they were as gentle and tender as American women."</p>
+
+<p>The Spanish loss, according to their own accounts, was three hundred and
+fifty killed or drowned, and about one hundred officers and one thousand
+six hundred and seventy-five men prisoners, including the brave Admiral
+Cervera. Their loss in value was over twelve million dollars. Upon our
+side only one man was killed, and three were wounded, all on the
+Brooklyn. Not one of our ships was badly injured. Evidently the Spanish
+gunners could not shoot straight!</p>
+
+<p>So ended this famous naval engagement. Never, perhaps, has the world
+seen two such instances of the utter destruction of an enemy's naval
+force as in the battles of Manila and Santiago.</p>
+
+<p><b>361. The Campaign in Porto Rico.</b>&mdash;The surrender of all Cuba soon
+followed. Then General Miles was sent with nine thousand troops to Porto
+Rico, the only remaining island on this side belonging to Spain. He
+landed near Ponce, on the southern coast. The city surrendered without a
+shot and welcomed our army. The Spanish troops fled on the approach of
+our soldiers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_422" id="Page_422">[Pg 422]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>General Miles in a proclamation assured the inhabitants that they should
+enjoy the rights and immunities of American citizens. As he moved
+inwards, other cities along his line of march surrendered, and the
+Spanish forces made only occasional resistance to our progress. Just
+before an expected battle news of peace came from Washington. All
+fighting ceased, and this fertile island came into our hands with little
+bloodshed.</p>
+
+<p><b>362. End of the War.</b>&mdash;Meanwhile our government was making energetic
+preparations to send a powerful fleet under Commodore Watson across the
+Atlantic and to carry the war to the Spanish coast. We may be sure that
+Spain, and even some of her neighbors, did not like the prospect. There
+had been enough of rapid, crushing, and unbroken defeats to satisfy even
+the Castilian point of honor.</p>
+
+<p>When it became evident that Watson's fleet would be ready in a few days
+to carry the war to the very doors of Spain, the representatives of the
+great nations of Europe said things had gone far enough. Diplomatic
+pressure was applied to poor Spain. She was politely but firmly told
+that she must make peace at once, and on any terms.</p>
+
+<p>The French Minister at Washington was authorized by Spain to sign a
+preliminary document, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_423" id="Page_423">[Pg 423]</a></span> <i>protocol</i>, embodying in precise language the
+conditions on which our government would negotiate peace. This document
+was signed at Washington on August 12, and hostilities ceased.</p>
+
+<p>The formal treaty of peace was signed in Paris December 10, 1898. By the
+terms of this treaty Spain agreed to give up its sovereignty in Cuba, to
+cede to the United States Porto Rico, a few small West India islands,
+and one of the Ladrone group; also to cede to this country the
+Philippines, after payment by us of twenty millions of dollars as
+"reimbursement for insular expenses."</p>
+
+<p><b>363. Our Nation's Future.</b>&mdash;The immediate results of this short-lived
+Spanish war were full of deep meaning to our nation. No one now can
+safely say what the distant outcome will be. It is certain to be
+far-reaching and momentous.</p>
+
+<p>Our country has rapidly advanced to its position as one of the foremost
+nations of the world in wealth and in power. Let us trust it may also
+lead in good government, in national honor and righteousness. Let us
+earnestly hope that in the long years before us our sacred Union shall
+still be preserved, unbroken,&mdash;forever one great Union of prosperous and
+happy states.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_424" id="Page_424">[Pg 424]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="APPENDIX" id="APPENDIX"></a>APPENDIX.</h2>
+
+<hr style="width: 3em;" />
+
+<p class="hang">BOOKS FOR REFERENCE AND COLLATERAL READING IN THE STUDY OF AMERICAN
+HISTORY.</p>
+
+
+<p>This book is designed to be used before the formal text-book on American
+history is begun in grammar-school grades. It is intended also to serve
+as a convenient basis for more extended work both on the part of the
+teacher and of pupils. Hence the reading of the preceding chapters is
+only one part of the proposed plan. A systematic course in supplementary
+reading should be added. The following plan is suggested, but it may be
+modified, of course, to meet the needs of any particular class of
+pupils.</p>
+
+<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Note.</span>&mdash;The whole subject of reference books on American History is
+treated thoroughly in Montgomery's <i>Student's American History</i>
+[see "Short List of Books," page xxiv in Appendix, and "Authorities
+Cited," page xxx in Appendix], Montgomery's <i>American History</i> [see
+"Short List of Books," page xxxiii in Appendix], and Fiske's
+<i>History of the United States</i> [see Appendix D, page 518, Appendix
+E, page 527, and Appendix F, page 529].</p></blockquote>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Reference Books for Teachers.</span></h3>
+
+<p>Two books are of special value to teachers. These are Channing and
+Hart's <i>Guide to American History</i> [Ginn &amp; Company, Publishers, price
+$2.00], and Gordy and Twitchell's <i>Pathfinder in American History</i> [Lee
+&amp; Shepard, Publishers, complete in one volume, $1.20. In separate parts,
+Part I, 60 cents; Part II, 90 cents].</p>
+
+<p>These two works are replete with suggestions, hints and helps on
+collateral study, numerous references, detailed lists of topics, and a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_425" id="Page_425">[Pg 425]</a></span>
+wide range of other subjects which make them indispensable to the
+teacher of American history.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">School Text-Books for Reading and Reference.</span></h3>
+
+<p>Pupils should have easy access, by means of the school library or
+otherwise, to a few of the formal school text-books on American history.
+In connection with this book Montgomery's <i>Leading Facts of American
+History</i> and Fiske's <i>History of the United States</i> are especially
+valuable. The following books are perhaps equally serviceable:
+Eggleston's <i>History of the United States</i>; Steele's <i>Brief History of
+the United States</i> [usually known as "Barnes's History"]; Thomas's
+<i>History of the United States</i> and Mowry's <i>History of the United
+States</i>. These books are useful in reading for additional topics, for
+dates, maps, illustrations, reference tables, and for "filling in"
+subjects which do not come within the scope of this book.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span></h3>
+
+<p>For ordinary school work the text-books to which we have just referred
+will furnish enough and suitable material for these topics. When,
+however, standard works on history are of easy access, through the
+school or public libraries, it is well even for pupils of the lower
+grades to read sparingly by topics from such works. These topics should
+be carefully selected by the teacher. They should be brief and call only
+for a few pages of reading.</p>
+
+<p>In the succeeding pages references have been given only to a very few
+standard works, such as those by Fiske, Parkman, Irving, and McMaster,
+and such other books as can ordinarily be easily obtained.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span></h3>
+
+<p>Pupils should also have easy reference to books from which topics may be
+read or which may be read sparingly by select passages indicated by the
+teacher. Many of these books have been suggested more on account of
+their interesting style than for strict historical accuracy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_426" id="Page_426">[Pg 426]</a></span> Read the
+designated works not as a whole but only by topics or selections. They
+will do much to awaken and maintain a lively interest in American
+history.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span></h3>
+
+<p>While the study of this book is in progress it is well for the pupils to
+limit their miscellaneous reading to such books as bear directly upon
+our subject. Under this head we have suggested many productions which
+belong to the "story-book" order. Wholesome books of fiction and
+semi-fiction may certainly do much to stimulate and hold the attention
+of young students of American history. With this topic, as with all
+other topics on collateral reading, the teacher should exercise a
+careful supervision.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">For Reading or Recitation.</span></h3>
+
+<p>The work should be enlivened by reading occasionally, before the class
+or the school, poems or prose selections which bear directly upon the
+general topic under consideration. We have referred only to a very few
+such extracts from good literature. Other selections will readily
+suggest themselves.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Use of a Topic Book or Notebook.</span></h3>
+
+<p>The teacher and pupil should appreciate the scope and usefulness of a
+Topic book or Notebook. By this is meant a blank book with semi-flexible
+or board covers, of a convenient size, and of at least 48 pages. Into
+this blank book should be written carefully with ink brief notes as the
+several chapters of this book are read or studied. It may well be a kind
+of enlarged diary of the pupil's work.</p>
+
+<p>Make brief notes of the various books read in whole or by topics; topics
+not treated in this book but discussed in the class, such as King
+Philip's War, the Mexican War, etc., and references to new books to be
+reserved for future reading and other subjects which will readily
+suggest themselves.</p>
+
+<p>This notebook should be well illustrated. The basis should be the
+inexpensive photographic copies (sold for about one cent each) of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_427" id="Page_427">[Pg 427]</a></span>
+famous pictures illustrating important events in American history.
+Catalogues giving the exact titles, cost, and other details are sent to
+applicants, free of expense.</p>
+
+<p>Portraits, maps, facsimiles of documents and autographs, etc., are often
+easily obtained from book catalogues, guide books, advertising pages,
+and secondhand text-books.</p>
+
+<p>All this illustrative material should be pasted in the notebook at the
+proper place, neatly and with good judgment, allowing plenty of space
+for margins. Such a compilation is, of course, a matter of slow growth.
+It should be carefully preserved as a pleasant reminder of school days.</p>
+
+<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Note.</span>&mdash;Think of enriching your notebook with photographic
+reproductions of such works as Stuart's "Washington"; Faed's
+"Washington at Trenton"; Trumbull's "Surrender of Cornwallis" and
+"Signing the Declaration of Independence"; Benjamin West's "Penn's
+Treaty"; Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware"; Vanderlyn's
+"Landing of Columbus"; Johnson's "Old Ironsides" and Overend's "An
+August Morning with Farragut."</p></blockquote>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>REFERENCE BOOKS AND SUPPLEMENTARY READING FOR SUCCESSIVE PERIODS IN
+AMERICAN HISTORY.</h2>
+
+<p class="center">[Intended for use in connection with the study of this book.]</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">Chapter I.</a> Pages 1-9.</span><br />
+<br />
+AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;The following topics are thoroughly
+discussed in Fiske's <i>Discovery of America</i>:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>The People of Ancient America, Vol. I, pp. 1-19; Origin of the American
+Indians, Vol. I, p. 19; The Indians of the Pueblos, Vol. I, p. 82; The
+Mysterious Mound Builders, Vol. I, p. 140; Voyages of the Northmen to
+Vinland, Vol. I, p. 164.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;For a readable account of the Mound Builders
+and the American Indians, consult Shaler's <i>The Story of Our
+Continent</i>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_428" id="Page_428">[Pg 428]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Starr's <i>American Indians</i>; The Voyages to Vinland
+from the Saga of Eric the Red, <i>Old South Leaflets</i>, No. 32; Glasscock's
+<i>Stories of Columbia</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For Reading or Recitation.</span>&mdash;Whittier's <i>Norumbega</i> and <i>Norsemen</i>;
+Longfellow's <i>Skeleton in Armor</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Chapter II.</a> Pages 10-30.</span><br />
+<br />
+COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;Topics from Fiske's <i>Discovery of
+America</i>:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>First Voyage of Columbus, Vol. I, p. 419; Last Voyage of Columbus, Vol.
+I, p. 505; Vespucius and the "New World," Vol. II, p. 96; The Cabots and
+their Voyages, Vol. II, p. I; Ponce de Leon, Vol. II, p. 486; Adventures
+of De Soto, Vol. II, p. 509.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Read selections from the one-volume edition of
+Irving's <i>Life of Columbus</i>; Abbott's <i>Life of Columbus</i> (Ajax Series);
+Adams's <i>Columbus</i> (Makers of America); Brooks's <i>True Story of
+Columbus</i>; Adventures of De Soto, Parkman's <i>Pioneers of France in the
+New World</i>, p. 13.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Griffis's <i>Romance of American Discovery</i>;
+Glasscock's <i>Stories of Columbia</i>; The Discovery of America, from the
+Life of Columbus, by his son, Ferdinand Columbus, <i>Old South Leaflets</i>,
+No. 29; Columbus's Letter to Gabriel Sanchez, describing the first
+voyage, <i>Old South Leaflets</i>, No. 33; Americus Vespucius's Account of
+his First Voyage, <i>Old South Leaflets</i>, No. 34; Death of De Soto, <i>Old
+South Leaflets</i>, No. 36; The Voyages of the Cabots, <i>Old South
+Leaflets</i>, No. 37.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">Chapter III.</a> Pages 31-46.</span><br />
+<br />
+SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;For various topics in connection with
+Sir Walter Raleigh and Captain John Smith, see the Index<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_429" id="Page_429">[Pg 429]</a></span> to Fiske's
+<i>Old Virginia and her Neighbours</i>. Incidents in the Life of Captain John
+Smith: see John Esten Cooke's <i>Virginia</i> (American Commonwealth Series),
+pp. 22-76. The Story of Pocahontas, Cooke's <i>Virginia</i>, pp. 35-103.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Towle's <i>Raleigh, his Voyages and Adventures</i>;
+Cooke's <i>Stories of the Old Dominion</i>; Eggleston's and Seelye's
+<i>Pocahontas</i> (Ajax Series).</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Towle's <i>Magellan, or the First Voyage Round the
+World</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Chapters IV</a> and <a href="#CHAPTER_V">V</a>. Pages 47-72.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE PILGRIMS.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;Many topics in connection with this
+chapter may be selected from Fiske's <i>The Beginnings of New England</i>,
+as, The Separatists, p. 66; Why the Pilgrims did not stay in Holland, p.
+74; Voyage of the Mayflower, p. 80; The Pilgrims and the Indians, p. 83.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Griffis's <i>The Pilgrims and their Three Homes</i>;
+Moore's <i>Pilgrims and Puritans</i>; Abbott's <i>Captain Miles Standish</i> (Ajax
+Series); Drake's <i>On Plymouth Rock</i>; Bacon's <i>Historic Pilgrimages in
+New England</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Jane G. Austin's <i>Standish of Standish</i>, <i>Betty
+Alden</i>, <i>Nameless Nobleman</i>, and <i>David Alden's Daughter</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For Reading or Recitation.</span>&mdash;Mrs. Hemans's <i>Landing of the Pilgrims</i>;
+Longfellow's <i>Courtship of Miles Standish</i>; Bryant's <i>Twenty-Second of
+December</i>; Holmes's <i>The Pilgrim's Vision</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI.</a> Pages 73-87.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE INDIANS.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;For special topics about the Indians,
+see Parkman's <i>Conspiracy of Pontiac</i>, Vol. I, p. 1, also the
+Introduction to Parkman's <i>Jesuits in North America</i>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_430" id="Page_430">[Pg 430]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Brooks's <i>Story of the American Indian</i>;
+Drake's <i>Indian History for Young Folks</i>; Starr's <i>American Indians</i>;
+Shaler's <i>The Story of Our Continent</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For Reading or Recitation.</span>&mdash;Longfellow's <i>Hiawatha</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Chapter VII.</a> Pages 88-105.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;Henry Hudson: his voyages, voyage upon
+the Great River, his tragic fate, see Fiske's <i>The Dutch and Quaker
+Colonies in America</i>, Vol. I, pp. 83-95. William Penn: see the Index to
+Fiske's <i>The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;<i>The Great Peace Maker</i> (Penn) (Daring Deed
+Series); Abbott's <i>Peter Stuyvesant</i> (Ajax Series).</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Butterworth's <i>Wampum Belt</i> (Penn); Irving's
+<i>Knickerbocker's History of New York</i> (humorous and satirical account of
+the Dutch Colony of New Netherland); Paulding's <i>The Dutchman's
+Fireside</i> (Colonial Life in New York).</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Chapter VIII.</a> Pages 106-125.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;For a great variety of topics in
+connection with the French and Indian Wars and the overthrow of New
+France, the student will find the books of Parkman a vast storehouse of
+intensely fascinating reading matter. See the index to the various
+volumes. For example, read La Salle's Descent of the Mississippi,
+Parkman's <i>La Salle</i>, pp. 275-288; Braddock's March and Defeat;
+Parkman's <i>Montcalm and Wolfe</i>, Vol. I, p. 204, and The Heights of
+Abraham, Vol. II, p. 259-297.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Johnson's <i>Old French War</i>; Drake's <i>Border
+Wars of New England</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>-Abbott's <i>Life of King Philip</i> (Ajax Series); Henty's
+<i>With Wolfe in Canada</i>; Cooper's <i>Last of the Mohicans</i> (story of Seven
+Years' War); James Otis's <i>At the Siege of Quebec</i>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_431" id="Page_431">[Pg 431]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Chapter IX.</a> Pages 126-138.</span><br />
+<br />
+EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;The great storehouse of facts regarding
+the social and domestic life of the American people is McMaster's
+<i>History of the People of the United States</i> (5 vols. now ready). For
+topics see detailed index of each volume. Consult especially Vol. II,
+pp. 538-582, on "Town and Country Life in 1800." This work is somewhat
+voluminous for elementary work.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Earle's <i>Home Life in Colonial Days</i>; Earle's
+<i>Child Life in Colonial Days</i>, <i>Tavern and Stage Coach in Colonial
+Days</i>; Earle's <i>Sabbath in Puritan New England</i>; Earle's <i>Customs and
+Fashions of Old New England</i>; Earle's <i>Colonial Dames and Goodwives</i>;
+Coffin's <i>Old Times in the Colonies</i>; Coffin's <i>Building the Nation</i>;
+Scudder's <i>Men and Manners in America 100 years Ago</i>; Wharton's <i>Through
+Colonial Doorways</i>; Wharton's <i>Colonial Days and Dames</i>; Fisher's <i>Men,
+Women, and Manners in Colonial Times</i>; Markham's <i>Colonial Days</i>;
+Hawthorne's <i>Grandfathers Chair</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Chapters X</a>-<a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII</a>. Pages 139-295.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;For a series of topics on the American
+Revolution, to be read in connection with these nine chapters, consult
+the index to Fiske's <i>American Revolution</i> (2 vols.).</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;For the Revolution as a whole the two best
+works for supplementary reading in schools are perhaps Lodge's <i>Story of
+the Revolution</i> and Fiske's <i>War of Independence</i> (Riverside Literature
+Series). Lossing's <i>Field Book of the Revolution</i> is voluminous but
+interesting, and fully illustrated.</p>
+
+<p>Among the scores of excellent works which may be consulted, the
+following may be safely recommended: Coffin's <i>Story of Liberty</i>;
+Fiske-Irving's <i>Washington and his Country</i>; Abbot's <i>Blue Jackets of
+'76</i>; Bacon's <i>Historic Pilgrimages in New England</i>; C. H. Wood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_432" id="Page_432">[Pg 432]</a></span>man's
+<i>Boys and Girls of the Revolution</i>; Brooks's <i>Century Book of the
+American Revolution</i>; Drake's <i>Burgoyne's Invasion of 1777</i>; Seawell's
+<i>Paul Jones</i>; Abbott's <i>Paul Jones</i> (Ajax Series); Brooks's <i>Story of
+the American Sailor</i>; Frost's <i>Swamp Fox</i> (Marion).</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Reading.</span>&mdash;There are numerous books on the war of the Revolution
+suitable for outside reading. For the school grades for which this book
+is intended, the following books are interesting and for the most part
+instructive: Watson's <i>Noble Deeds of our Fathers</i>; Watson's <i>Tea Party
+and Other Stories</i>; Butterworth's <i>Patriot Schoolmaster</i> (Story of the
+Minute Men and Sons of Liberty); Otis's <i>Signal Boys of 1775</i>;
+Tomlinson's <i>Stories of the American Revolution</i> (several series);
+Stoddard's <i>Red Patriot</i>; Thompson's <i>The Rangers or the Tory's
+Daughter</i>; Thompson's <i>Green Mountain Boys</i>; Otis's <i>Boys of Fort
+Schuyler</i>; <i>Patriot Boy</i> (Washington) (Famous Boy Series); <i>Father of
+his Country</i> (Washington) (Daring Deed Series); Abbott's <i>Life of
+Washington</i> (Ajax Series); Scudder's <i>George Washington</i>; Brooks's <i>True
+Story of George Washington</i>; Miss Hoppens's <i>A Great Treason</i> (Arnold
+and Andr&eacute;); Cooper's <i>Last of the Mohicans</i> (last French or Seven Years'
+War); Cooper's <i>Lionel Lincoln</i> (Boston at time of Bunker Hill);
+Cooper's <i>Pilot</i> (Paul Jones).</p>
+
+<p>These six novels by William Gilmore Simms furnish under the guise of
+fiction a connected and most readable account of the Revolution in the
+South from the fall of Charleston to 1782: <i>The Partisan</i>,
+<i>Mellichampe</i>, <i>The Scout</i>, <i>Katherine Walton</i>, <i>The Foragers</i>, <i>The
+Eutaws</i>.</p>
+
+<p>See also Kennedy's <i>Horse Shoe Robinson</i> (South Carolina in the
+Revolution); Churchill's <i>Richard Carvel</i> (Paul Jones); Guerber's <i>Story
+of the Thirteen Colonies</i>; Guerber's <i>Story of the Great Republic</i>;
+Eggleston's <i>First Book in American History</i>; Johonnot's <i>Stories of our
+Country</i>; Mowry's <i>First Steps in the History of our Country</i>;
+Montgomery's <i>Beginner's American History</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For Reading or Recitation.</span>&mdash;Longfellow's <i>Paul Revere's Ride</i>; Emerson's
+<i>Concord Hymn</i>; Holmes's <i>Grandmother's Story of the Battle of Bunker
+Hill</i>; Bryant's <i>Song of Marion's Men</i>; Pierpont's <i>General Warren's
+Address</i>; Finch's <i>Nathan Hale</i>; Bryant's <i>Nineteenth of April</i>; Simms's
+<i>Ballad of King's Mountain</i>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_433" id="Page_433">[Pg 433]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Chapter XIX.</a> Pages 296-310.</span><br />
+<br />
+BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;For topics to be read in connection with
+the life and career of Franklin, see the index to Fiske's <i>The American
+Revolution</i>, Fiske's <i>The Critical Period of American History</i>
+(1783-1789), and Morse's <i>Benjamin Franklin</i> (American Statesmen
+Series).</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Franklin's <i>Autobiography</i> should be read
+before all other books on Franklin. Read also <i>Printer Boy</i> (Franklin)
+(Famous Boy Series); <i>Poor Richards Story</i> (Franklin) (Daring Deed
+Series); Abbott's <i>Benjamin Franklin</i> (Ajax Series) and Parton's <i>Life
+of Franklin</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Butterworth's <i>True to his Home</i> (Franklin); Brooks's
+<i>True Story of Benjamin Franklin</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Chapter XX.</a> Pages 311-322.</span><br />
+<br />
+EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.</h3>
+
+<p>This chapter is supplementary to Chapter IX on "Everyday Life in
+Colonial Times." The same works for collateral reading in connection
+with that chapter maybe equally serviceable for supplementary work for
+this chapter. Refer especially to the works of McMaster, Alice Morse
+Earle, Scudder, C. C. Coffin, Fisher, and Wharton.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">Chapter XXI.</a> Pages 323-338.</span><br />
+<br />
+OUR NAVY IN THE WAR OF 1812.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;From this time to the present day
+McMaster's <i>History of the People of the United States</i> is a storehouse
+of important and interesting topics. See especially the chapter on
+"State of the People in 1812," Chapter III, p. 459, and various chapters
+in Vol. IV. Consult the detailed index to the several volumes for quick
+reference to the desired topics.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_434" id="Page_434">[Pg 434]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Abbot's <i>Blue Jackets of 1812</i>; Brooks's <i>Story
+of the American Sailor</i>; Johnson's <i>War of 1812</i>; Lossing's <i>History of
+the War of 1812</i>; Roosevelt's <i>Naval War of 1812</i>; Lossing's <i>Story of
+the United States Navy</i> (for boys).</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Barnes's <i>Hero of Lake Erie</i> (Commodore Perry);
+Seawell's <i>Midshipman Paulding</i> (Commodore Paulding); Seawell's <i>Little
+Jarvis</i> (cruises of the Constellation); Seawell's <i>Decatur and Somers</i>;
+George Cary Eggleston's three stories: <i>Signal Boys</i>, <i>Captain Sam</i>, and
+<i>Big Brother</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For Reading or Recitation.</span>&mdash;Holmes's <i>Old Ironsides</i>; Key's <i>The
+Star-Spangled Banner</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">Chapter XXII.</a> Pages 339-352.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;For special topics in connection with
+the settlement of the Pacific coast consult Barrows's <i>Oregon</i> and
+Royce's <i>California</i> (both volumes in the American Commonwealth's
+Series).</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Irving's <i>Astoria</i> and Dana's <i>Two Years before
+the Mast</i> were written many years ago, but present vivid pen-pictures of
+the early days on the Pacific coast.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">Chapters XXIII</a>-<a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">XXV</a>. Pages 353-405.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE WAR FOR THE UNION.</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Topics for Collateral Reading.</span>&mdash;The literature of the Civil War is so
+voluminous that the utmost care must be used in the selection of even
+the best books for collateral reading.</p>
+
+<p>For school purposes two of the best briefer books for supplementary use
+are Champlin's <i>Young Folks' History of the War for the Union</i> and
+Dodge's <i>Bird's-Eye View of the Civil War</i>. Consult also <i>Nichol's Story
+of the Great March</i> (Sherman); Swinton's <i>Twelve Decisive Battles of the
+War</i>; Drake's <i>Battle of Gettysburg</i>; Morse's <i>Abraham Lincoln</i>, 2 vols.
+(American Statesmen Series).<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_435" id="Page_435">[Pg 435]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">References for Reading.</span>&mdash;Abbot's <i>Battlefields of '61</i>; Abbot's <i>Blue
+Jackets of '61</i>; Soley's <i>Sailor Boys of '61</i>; Brooks's <i>True Story of
+Abraham Lincoln</i>; Brooks's <i>True Story of General Grant</i>; Brooks's
+<i>Story of the American Soldier</i>; Coffin's <i>Days and Nights on the
+Battlefield</i>; Coffin's <i>Drumbeat of the Nation</i>; Coffin's <i>Redeeming the
+Republic</i>; Coffin's <i>Marching to Victory</i>; Coffin's <i>Freedom
+Triumphant</i>; Cooke's <i>Stonewall Jackson</i>; Cooke's <i>Robert E. Lee</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Outside Readings.</span>&mdash;Blaisdell's <i>Stories of the Civil War</i>; Goss's <i>Jed,
+a Boy's Adventures in the Army</i>; Goss's <i>Tom Clifton</i>; Keiffer's
+<i>Recollections of a Drummer Boy</i>; Barnes's <i>Midshipman Farragut</i>;
+Henty's <i>With Lee in Virginia</i>; Page's <i>Two Little Confederates</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For Reading and Recitation.</span>&mdash;Read's <i>Sheridan's Ride</i>; Whittier's
+<i>Barbara Frietchie</i>; Howe's <i>Battle Hymn of the Republic</i>; Bryant's <i>Our
+Country's Call</i>; Bret Harte's <i>John Burns at Gettysburg</i>; Whitman's <i>O
+Captain! My Captain!</i> (Death of Lincoln); Finch's <i>Blue and the Gray</i>;
+Miss Preston's <i>Gone Forward</i> (Death of General Lee); Longfellow's
+<i>Cumberland</i>; Boker's <i>Black Regiment</i>; Byers's <i>Sherman's March to the
+Sea</i>; Bryant's <i>The Battlefield</i>; Wilson's <i>The Old Sergeant</i>; Bryant's
+<i>Abraham Lincoln</i>; Higginson's <i>Decoration</i>; Bryant's <i>Our Country's
+Call</i>; Stedman's <i>Sumter</i>; Bayard Taylor's <i>To the American People</i>, and
+<i>Scott and the Veteran</i>; Holmes's <i>Voyage of the Good Ship Union</i>;
+Stedman's <i>Wanted&mdash;a Man</i>; Whittier's <i>Battle Autumn of 1862</i>, and <i>Laus
+Deo</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">Chapter XXVI.</a> Pages 406-423.</span><br />
+<br />
+THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.</h3>
+
+<p>The most useful book for schools is perhaps Henry Cabot Lodge's <i>The War
+with Spain</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The following books are also useful: Brooks's <i>Story of Our War with
+Spain</i>; Abbot's <i>Blue Jackets of 1898</i>; Morris's <i>The War with Spain</i>;
+Davis's <i>The War of 1898</i>; and Spears's <i>Our Navy in the Spanish War</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_436" id="Page_436">[Pg 436]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="INDEX" id="INDEX"></a>INDEX.</h2>
+
+<hr style="width: 3em;" />
+
+<pre>
+  Alabama, career of the, <a href="#Page_397">397</a>
+    destroyed by Kearsarge, <a href="#Page_397">397</a>
+    claims for damage paid by England, <a href="#Page_398">398</a>
+
+  Albemarle, destruction of the, <a href="#Page_403">403</a>
+
+  America, in old days, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>
+    ancient, people of, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>
+
+  Andr&eacute;, meeting with Arnold, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>
+    capture of, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>
+    sad fate of, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>
+
+  Appomattox, surrender of Lee at <a href="#Page_380">380</a>
+
+  Arnold, Benedict, sent to relieve Fort Stanwix, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>
+    story of his treason, <a href="#Page_271">271</a>-<a href="#Page_285">285</a>
+    brilliant military career, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>
+    begins his wicked career, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>
+    meeting with Andr&eacute;, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>
+    escape of, <a href="#Page_280">280</a>
+    after life of, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>
+    death of, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>
+
+
+  Barbary States, pirates of, <a href="#Page_323">323</a>
+
+  Battles: Antietam, <a href="#Page_365">365</a>
+    Bennington, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>
+    Bon Homme Richard and Serapis, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>
+    Bull Run, <a href="#Page_364">364</a>
+    Bunker Hill, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>-<a href="#Page_183">183</a>
+    Camden, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>
+    Cedar Creek, <a href="#Page_381">381</a>
+    Chancellorsville, <a href="#Page_369">369</a>
+    Chesapeake and Shannon, <a href="#Page_331">331</a>
+    Chickamauga, <a href="#Page_377">377</a>
+    Concord, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>
+    Constitution and Guerri&egrave;re, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>
+    Cowpens, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>
+    Eutaw Springs, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>
+    Fair Oaks, <a href="#Page_365">365</a>
+    Forts Henry and Donaldson, <a href="#Page_365">365</a>
+    Freeman's Farm, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>
+    Gettysburg, <a href="#Page_369">369</a>
+    Hobkirk's Hill, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>
+    Kearsarge and Alabama, <a href="#Page_397">397</a>
+    King's Mountain, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>
+    Lake Erie, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>
+    Lexington, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>
+    Lookout Mountain, <a href="#Page_377">377</a>
+    Manassas, <a href="#Page_364">364</a>
+    Manila, <a href="#Page_410">410</a>
+    Mobile, <a href="#Page_399">399</a>
+    Monitor and Merrimac, <a href="#Page_392">392</a>
+    Monmouth, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>
+    New Orleans, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>, <a href="#Page_390">390</a>
+    Oriskany, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>
+    Princeton, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>
+    Santiago, <a href="#Page_418">418</a>
+    Saratoga, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>
+    Trenton, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>
+    Vicksburg, <a href="#Page_375">375</a>
+    Yorktown, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>
+
+  Bennington, battle of, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>
+
+  Bon Homme Richard, battle with Serapis, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>
+
+  Boston boys and General Gage, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>
+</pre>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_437" id="Page_437">[Pg 437]</a></span></p>
+<pre>  Boston massacre, <a href="#Page_151">151</a>
+    tea party, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>
+    Port Bill, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>
+
+  Braddock, expedition of, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>
+
+  Buford massacre, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>
+
+  Bull Run, battle of, <a href="#Page_364">364</a>
+
+  Bunker Hill, battle of, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>-<a href="#Page_183">183</a>
+    lesson taught by, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>
+    Monument, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>
+
+  Burgoyne campaign, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>-<a href="#Page_221">221</a>
+
+
+  Cabots, John and Sebastian, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>
+    their voyages, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>
+
+  California enters the Union, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>
+    discovery of gold in, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>
+    rush to gold regions of, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>
+
+  Camden, defeat at, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>
+
+  Cedar Creek, Sheridan at, <a href="#Page_383">383</a>
+
+  Cervera and Spanish fleet, <a href="#Page_415">415</a>
+
+  Chancellorsville, battle of, <a href="#Page_369">369</a>
+
+  Charleston, defense of, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>
+    capture of, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>
+
+  Chesapeake, battle with the Shannon, <a href="#Page_331">331</a>
+
+  Chickamauga, battle of, <a href="#Page_377">377</a>
+
+  Churches in colonial times, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>
+
+  Colonial times, everyday life in, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>
+
+  Colonies begin to prosper, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>
+    tyrannical treatment of, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>
+
+  Columbia River, discovery of, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>
+
+  Columbus, Christopher, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>
+    early life of, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>
+    seeks aid, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>
+    first voyage of, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>
+    welcome on return, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>
+    other voyages, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>-<a href="#Page_23">23</a>
+
+  Concord Bridge, fight at, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>
+
+  Congress, First Continental, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>
+    Second Continental, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>
+
+  Constitution, battle with Guerri&egrave;re, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>
+     her noble record, <a href="#Page_330">330</a>
+
+  Cowpens, battle of, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>
+
+  Cuba, barbarities in, <a href="#Page_407">407</a>
+    rebels against Spain, <a href="#Page_406">406</a>
+
+  Cushing, daring exploit of, <a href="#Page_402">402</a>-<a href="#Page_405">405</a>
+
+
+  Decatur, exploits of, <a href="#Page_324">324</a>
+
+  Deerfield, attack on, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>
+
+  De Soto, Ferdinand, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>-<a href="#Page_30">30</a>
+
+  Dewey, Admiral, victory at Manila, <a href="#Page_412">412</a>
+    nation's reception of, <a href="#Page_414">414</a>
+
+  Dustin, Hannah, story of, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>
+
+  Dutch, settlement in New York, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>
+    how they lived, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>
+
+
+  Emancipation of the slaves, <a href="#Page_366">366</a>
+    proclamation of, <a href="#Page_367">367</a>
+
+  Erie, Lake, battle of, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>
+
+  Eutaw Springs, battle of, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>
+
+  Everyday home life one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>-<a href="#Page_321">321</a>
+
+
+  Farragut, Admiral, <a href="#Page_390">390</a>
+    captures New Orleans, <a href="#Page_391">391</a>
+    captures Mobile, <a href="#Page_399">399</a>
+    in the rigging at Mobile, <a href="#Page_401">401</a>
+
+  Fires, how put out one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_316">316</a>
+
+  Flag, American, first raised, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>
+
+  Franklin, Benjamin, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>-<a href="#Page_310">310</a>
+    early life of, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>
+    learns printer's trade, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>
+    goes to Philadelphia, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>
+    life in London, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>
+    career in Philadelphia, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>
+    famous kite experiment, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>
+    public career, <a href="#Page_305">305</a>
+    service as diplomatist, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>
+    last days of, <a href="#Page_310">310</a>
+
+  Freeman's Farm, battle of, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>
+
+  French in North America, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>
+
+  French and Indian Wars, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>
+
+
+  Gage, General, and Boston boys, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>
+    plans to capture military stores, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>
+</pre>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_438" id="Page_438">[Pg 438]</a></span></p>
+<pre>  Gates, General, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>
+
+  Gettysburg, battle of, <a href="#Page_369">369</a>-<a href="#Page_372">372</a>
+    memorials of, <a href="#Page_372">372</a>
+    Lincoln's address at, <a href="#Page_372">372</a>
+
+  Gold, Discovery of, in California, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>
+    effects of discovery, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>
+
+  Grant, General, success in the West, <a href="#Page_375">375</a>
+
+  Greene, General, takes command in South, <a href="#Page_262">262</a>
+    his masterly retreat, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>
+    rare generalship of, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>
+    brilliant campaign in South, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>
+
+
+  Henry, Patrick, speech of, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>
+
+  Herkimer, General, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>
+
+  Hobkirk's Hill, battle of, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>
+
+  Hobson, brilliant exploit of, <a href="#Page_416">416</a>
+
+  Home life in colonial times, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>
+
+  Hudson, Sir Henry, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>
+    enters Dutch service, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>
+    discovers Hudson River, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>
+    his sad fate, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>
+
+
+  Independence, Declaration of, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>-<a href="#Page_197">197</a>
+    what it said to the world, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>
+    how received, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>
+    incidents connected with, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>
+    what it should mean, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>
+
+  Independence declared, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>
+    slow growth of the idea, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>
+    stern necessity of, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>
+    first steps towards, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>
+
+  Indians, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>
+    principal divisions of, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>
+    Pueblo, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>
+    appearance and clothing, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>
+    food of the, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>
+    weapons and how they fought, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>
+    as hunters, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>
+    cunning and revengeful, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>
+    their children, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>
+    ally themselves with French, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>
+
+
+  Jackson, Andrew, anecdote of, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>
+    wins the battle of New Orleans, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>
+
+  Jackson, Stonewall, <a href="#Page_369">369</a>
+
+  Jasper, Sergeant, bravery of, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>
+
+  Jones, John Paul, begins his remarkable career, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>
+    daring deeds on English coast <a href="#Page_288">288</a>
+    interview with Franklin, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>
+    after life of, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>
+    battle with the Serapis, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>
+
+
+  Kearsarge destroys the Alabama <a href="#Page_397">397</a>
+
+  King's Mountain, battle of, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>
+
+
+  La Salle, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>
+
+  Laws, absurd and tyrannical, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>
+    resistance to, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>
+
+  Lee, General Charles, at Monmouth, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>
+
+  Lee, Robert E, <a href="#Page_371">371</a>
+
+  Lewis and Clarke expedition, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>
+
+  Lexington, battle of, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>
+
+  Life, everyday, one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>, <a href="#Page_322">322</a>
+
+  Lincoln, Abraham, influence of mother, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>
+    reads good books, <a href="#Page_354">354</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>
+    studies law, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>
+    chosen President, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>
+    death of, <a href="#Page_383">383</a>
+
+  Lookout Mountain, battle of, <a href="#Page_377">377</a>
+
+  Louisburg, capture of, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>
+
+  Louisiana, purchase of, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>
+
+
+  Maine, blowing up of the, <a href="#Page_409">409</a>
+
+  Manila, naval victory at, <a href="#Page_410">410</a>
+
+  Marion, General, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>-<a href="#Page_261">261</a>
+    method of fighting of, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>
+    first exploits of, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>
+    famous exploits of, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>
+    visit from British officer, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>
+</pre>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_439" id="Page_439">[Pg 439]</a></span></p>
+<pre>  McCrea, Jane, murder of, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>
+
+  Meade, General, <a href="#Page_370">370</a>
+
+  Merrimac, attack on Union fleet, <a href="#Page_392">392</a>
+    battle with Monitor, <a href="#Page_394">394</a>
+
+  Ministers and meeting-houses one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_318">318</a>
+
+  Minute-men, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>
+
+  Mobile, capture of, <a href="#Page_399">399</a>
+
+  Monitor, building of, <a href="#Page_392">392</a>
+    arrival of, <a href="#Page_393">393</a>
+    battle with the Merrimac, <a href="#Page_394">394</a>
+
+  Monmouth, battle of, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>
+
+  Montcalm, death of, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>
+
+  Morgan, General, victory at Cowpens <a href="#Page_264">264</a>
+
+
+  Naval operations on the Western rivers, <a href="#Page_388">388</a>
+
+  Navy in the War of 1812, <a href="#Page_323">323</a>-<a href="#Page_338">338</a>
+    at beginning of the war for the Union, <a href="#Page_387">387</a>
+
+  New England, rally of people in defense of, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>
+
+  New Orleans, battle of, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>
+    capture of, <a href="#Page_365">365</a>, <a href="#Page_389">389</a>-<a href="#Page_391">391</a>
+
+  Newspapers one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>
+
+  Northmen, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>
+
+
+  Oregon saved to the Union, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>
+
+
+  Pacific Coast, settlement of <a href="#Page_339">339</a>-<a href="#Page_352">352</a>
+
+  Pacific Railroad, first built, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>
+
+  Penn, William, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>
+    becomes a Quaker, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>
+    establishes a colony in America, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>
+    kind treatment of Indians, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>
+    treaty with Indians, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>
+    his old age, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>
+
+  Perry, Commodore, victory on Lake Erie, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>
+
+  Pilgrims, story of, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>
+    home in Holland, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>
+    voyage across Atlantic, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>
+    sign compact, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>
+    explorations of, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>
+    hardships and suffering of, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>
+    visit from Indians, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>
+    peep into houses of, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>
+    household furniture of, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>
+    daily fare of, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>
+
+  Pitcher, Mollie, story of, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>
+
+  Plymouth Rock, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>
+
+  Pocahontas, romantic story of, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>
+
+  Ponce de Leon, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>
+
+  Pony Express, its history, <a href="#Page_349">349</a>
+
+  Porter, Commodore, <a href="#Page_376">376</a>
+
+  Porto Rico, campaign in, <a href="#Page_420">420</a>
+
+  Postal service one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_312">312</a>
+
+  Potatoes first used in Europe, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>
+
+  Princeton, battle of, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>
+
+  Privateers, Confederate, <a href="#Page_396">396</a>
+
+
+  Quakers, persecution of, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>
+
+  Quebec, capture of, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>
+
+
+  Railroad built to California, <a href="#Page_352">352</a>
+
+  Raleigh, Sir Walter, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>
+
+  Revere, Paul, ride of, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>
+
+  Review in Washington, grand, <a href="#Page_385">385</a>
+
+  Richmond, capture of, <a href="#Page_380">380</a>
+
+
+  Sailors, American, treatment of by British, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>
+
+  Santiago, naval victory at, <a href="#Page_418">418</a>
+
+  Saratoga, battle of, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>
+    effect of victory at, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>
+
+  Savannah, capture of, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>
+
+  Schoolmaster one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_320">320</a>
+
+  Schools and schoolmasters in colonial times, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>
+</pre>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_440" id="Page_440">[Pg 440]</a></span></p>
+<pre>  Schuyler, General, and Burgoyne campaign, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>
+
+  Sheridan, General, <a href="#Page_381">381</a>
+    famous ride of, <a href="#Page_381">381</a>
+
+  Sherman, W. T., General, <a href="#Page_378">378</a>
+    march to the sea, <a href="#Page_379">379</a>
+
+  Shiloh, battle of, <a href="#Page_375">375</a>
+
+  Slavery, a menace to the country, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>
+
+  Slaves, emancipation of the, <a href="#Page_366">366</a>
+
+  Smith, Captain John, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>
+    early career, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>
+    career in new world, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>
+    and Pocahontas, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>
+
+  South, war of Revolution in, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>
+    cruel warfare in, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>
+
+  Spain, downfall of, <a href="#Page_406">406</a>
+    colonial policy of <a href="#Page_406">406</a>
+    Cuba rebels against, <a href="#Page_406">406</a>
+    war declared against, <a href="#Page_409">409</a>
+    end of war against, <a href="#Page_421">421</a>
+
+  Spanish fleet, preparations to meet, <a href="#Page_415">415</a>
+
+  Stage coaches one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>
+
+  Stamp Act, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>
+
+  Standish, Captain Miles, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>
+
+  Stanwix, Fort, defense of, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>
+
+  Stark, John, at Bennington, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>
+
+  Steele, Mrs., anecdote of, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>
+
+  Stuyvesant, Peter, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>
+
+  Sumter, Fort, attack on, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>
+
+  Sunday, in colonial times, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>
+    how kept one hundred years ago, <a href="#Page_317">317</a>
+
+
+  Tablets, historic, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>
+
+  Tea Party, Boston, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>
+
+  Thomas, General, <a href="#Page_377">377</a>
+
+  Ticonderoga, capture of, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>
+
+  Tobacco, first use of by Europeans, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>
+
+  Trenton, battle of, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>
+
+
+  Union, War for, beginning of, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>
+    cost of, <a href="#Page_384">384</a>
+    situation after the, <a href="#Page_386">386</a>
+
+
+  Valley Forge, sufferings at, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>
+
+  Vicksburg, capture of, <a href="#Page_375">375</a>
+
+  Virginia, first attempt to colonize, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>
+    starving time in, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>
+
+
+  War, Civil, beginning of, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>
+    cost of, <a href="#Page_384">384</a>
+    situation after the, <a href="#Page_386">386</a>
+
+  War of 1812, causes of, <a href="#Page_326">326</a>
+    results of, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>
+
+  Warren, Joseph, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>
+    death of, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>
+
+  Washington, George, first difficult task, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>
+    with Braddock's expedition, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>
+    boyhood and youth of, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>
+    as a surveyor, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>
+    as a colonial army officer, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>
+    advancement in political honors, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>
+    as commander-in-chief, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>
+    his many difficulties, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>
+    victory at Trenton, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>
+    victory at Princeton, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>
+    helps defeat Burgoyne, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>
+    plans Yorktown campaign, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>
+    elected President, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>
+    retires to private life, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>
+    death of, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>
+
+  Washington, Colonel, anecdote of, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>
+
+  Whitman, Dr., saves Oregon, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>
+    his perilous ride for Oregon, <a href="#Page_344">344</a>
+    success in his mission, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>
+
+  Wolfe, capture of Quebec, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>
+
+
+  Yorktown, plan of campaign, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>
+    victory at, <a href="#Page_244">244</a>
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of American History, by 
+Albert F. Blaisdell
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+</pre>
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+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg's The Story of American History, by Albert F. Blaisdell
+
+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: The Story of American History
+       For Elementary Schools
+
+Author: Albert F. Blaisdell
+
+Release Date: December 8, 2010 [EBook #34600]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Patrick Hopkins, Juliet Sutherland, and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+- Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the transcriber
+for reader convenience.
+
+- Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.
+
+- Words surrounded by =equal signs= should be interpreted as being in bold
+type.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+                         THE STORY OF
+
+                       AMERICAN HISTORY
+
+                   _FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS_
+
+
+
+                              BY
+                      ALBERT F. BLAISDELL
+
+  AUTHOR OF "FIRST STEPS WITH AMERICAN AND BRITISH AUTHORS,"
+             "STORIES FROM ENGLISH HISTORY," ETC.
+
+
+
+
+                        BOSTON, U.S.A.
+                  GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
+                      The Athenaeum Press
+                             1902
+
+
+
+
+  COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY
+  ALBERT F. BLAISDELL
+
+  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+Some sort of a first book on American history is now quite generally
+used in schools as a preparation for the more intelligent study of a
+larger and more formal text-book in the higher grammar grades.
+
+For beginners, a mere compilation of facts is dry and unsatisfactory.
+Such books have now given place, for the most part, to those prepared on
+a more attractive and judicious plan. The real aim in a first book
+should be to interest boys and girls in the history of their country,
+and to encourage them to cultivate a taste for further study and
+reading.
+
+This book is intended for use in the earlier grammar grades and to be
+preliminary to the study of a more advanced work in the higher grades.
+The author has also kept in mind the fact that the school life of many
+children is brief, and that all their instruction in American history
+must come from a text-book of this kind.
+
+The author has not aimed to cover the whole range of our country's
+history. Of many noted men and important affairs no mention is made.
+Only the leading events of certain periods and the personal achievements
+of a few representative "makers of our country" are treated in any
+detail. The subject is approached through biographical sketches of a few
+of the more illustrious actors in our nation's history. Some prominence
+is given to exceptional deeds of valor, details of everyday living in
+olden times, dramatic episodes, and personal incident.
+
+The schoolroom test demonstrates the fact that such a treatment of the
+subject is more attractive and profitable to children of the lower
+grades than the mere recital of minor matters and petty details of
+public events.
+
+The author would acknowledge his indebtedness to Dr. Homer B. Sprague of
+New York City for editorial help in reading and revising the manuscript.
+Thanks are also due to Dr. John E. Sanborn of Melrose, Mass., for
+editorial assistance.
+
+                                                  A. F. BLAISDELL.
+
+  NOVEMBER, 1900.
+
+NOTE.--The attention of teachers and pupils is especially directed to
+the practical usefulness of the subject of "Reference Books and
+Supplementary Reading for Successive Periods in American History," as
+treated on pages 424-435 in the Appendix.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                                    PAGE
+
+      I. AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS                                1
+
+     II. COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA                 10
+
+    III. SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH             31
+
+     IV. THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS                             47
+
+      V. MORE ABOUT THE PILGRIMS                               60
+
+     VI. THE INDIANS AND HOW THEY LIVED                        73
+
+    VII. THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA    88
+
+   VIII. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS                           106
+
+     IX. EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES                      126
+
+      X. THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION                      139
+
+     XI. LEXINGTON AND CONCORD                                158
+
+    XII. THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL                            170
+
+   XIII. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE                      184
+
+    XIV. THE BURGOYNE CAMPAIGN                                198
+
+     XV. WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION                        222
+
+    XVI. THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE SOUTH               250
+
+   XVII. THE STORY OF ARNOLD'S TREASON                        271
+
+  XVIII. JOHN PAUL JONES: OUR FIRST GREAT NAVAL HERO          286
+
+    XIX. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: HIS HIGHLY USEFUL CAREER          296
+
+     XX. EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO                  311
+
+    XXI. WHAT OUR NAVY DID IN THE WAR OF 1812                 323
+
+   XXII. THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST                  339
+
+  XXIII. LINCOLN AND THE WAR FOR THE UNION                    353
+
+   XXIV. MORE ABOUT THE WAR FOR THE UNION                     369
+
+    XXV. OUR NAVY IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION                    387
+
+   XXVI. THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898                           406
+
+  APPENDIX. Books for Reference and Collateral Reading in
+    the Study of American History                             424
+
+  INDEX                                                       436
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.
+
+
+=1. The Story of our Country.=--We are sure that every intelligent and
+patriotic American youth must like to read the story of our country's
+life. To a boy or girl of good sense no work of fiction can surpass it
+in interest or power.
+
+How delightful to let the imagination summon up the forms and the deeds
+of the fearless Norse sailors who dared to cross the unknown seas in
+their frail and tiny vessels without compass and without charts! How
+interesting the oft-told but ever-fresh narrative of the intrepid
+Columbus and his memorable first voyage into and across the "Sea of
+Darkness"! What romance was ever more exciting than the stories of the
+fierce struggles between the white men and the Indians for existence and
+supremacy on this continent?
+
+How deep the pathos of the simple tales that tell of the patient
+sufferings, the severe toils, the ever-present dangers, and the heroic
+self-denials of the early colonists in making for themselves homes in
+the New World! How richly suggestive are those pages that record the
+glorious events of our American Revolution--the splendid and immortal
+deeds of Washington and his illustrious associates!
+
+Then there is the thrilling account of the most tremendous civil war in
+all history, with its four million soldiers, its two thousand battles,
+and its preservation of the Union.
+
+And to come down to a time within the memory of every schoolboy, the
+echoes of the Spanish-American conflict have hardly yet died away. The
+story of this short war in the summer of 1898 still rings in our
+ears--with its astounding naval victories at Manila and Santiago, the
+freedom of Cuba, and the destruction of the last vestige of the once
+mighty Spanish supremacy on this western continent!
+
+=2. Lessons of Wisdom and Inspiration to be learned.=--But beyond and
+above all mere gratification and pleasure to be derived from the study
+of our country's history, there are in it lessons of wisdom to be
+learned, there is inspiration to noble living, there is an uplifting of
+the soul to a higher plane of thought and sentiment, there is constant
+aid in the development and upbuilding of manly and womanly character.
+
+And when we think of the marvelous growth of less than three centuries
+which, beginning with the infant colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth, has
+made us a nation of more than seventy millions; when we think of the
+wonderful record of trial and triumph and unceasing progress, and of the
+great and good and wise men that have laid the foundations and reared
+the superstructure of this mighty temple of liberty,--we must be blind
+indeed and ungrateful beyond expression not to recognize with devout
+thankfulness the guiding hand of a beneficent Providence.
+
+America, under God, stood at Plymouth for religious freedom; in the
+Revolution, for independence; in our civil war, for the preservation of
+the Union. She now stands for humanity, civilization, and the uplifting
+of the whole race.
+
+=3. The People of Ancient America.=--Wise men who have made a special
+study of the subject tell us that this country has been continuously
+inhabited by generations of men for many thousands of years. Rude tools,
+and human skulls, intermingled with bones of animals of species long
+extinct, have been found in caves or dug out of deep layers of earth;
+and they indicate that in the Mississippi valley and on the Atlantic
+and Pacific slopes there lived, perhaps hundreds of ages ago, men of a
+low grade of culture.
+
+In the great museums--as the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, the
+Peabody Museums at Cambridge and New Haven, and the natural history
+rooms at New York and elsewhere--may be seen thousands of the relics of
+vanished races of men and animals that once inhabited this continent.
+
+=4. The Red Men or Indians.=--The Indians constitute a race by themselves.
+Whether they are descended from some of those prehistoric inhabitants of
+whom we have just spoken no one can say; but they make up an American
+type with marks as clearly recognized as those that distinguish the
+Mongolians and the Malays. For long ages the red men had spread
+themselves over the two continents, from Hudson Bay to Cape Horn. With
+few or no exceptions, all had the same copperish or cinnamon color,
+deep-set and intensely black eyes, high cheek-bones, straight black
+hair, with little or no beard; but the long lapse of time, the great
+varieties of environment, and perhaps other causes, brought about
+striking differences of appearance, of manners, customs, dialects, and
+the like.
+
+=5. Three Principal Divisions of the Indians.=--The eminent historian, Dr.
+John Fiske, groups the Indians in three leading divisions,--as savage,
+barbarous, and half-civilized.
+
+The savage Indians ranged to the west of Hudson Bay, and southward
+between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific, to the northern part of
+Mexico. They lived by catching fish or game. They knew little or nothing
+of tilling the soil. They did not dwell in permanent villages, but
+roamed from place to place like Bedouin Arabs.
+
+  [Illustration: ANCIENT CLIFF DWELLINGS.]
+
+The barbarous Indians inhabited the country east of the Rocky Mountains.
+They did not depend wholly upon hunting or fishing, but knew how to
+upturn the soil slightly with rude tools, and raise squashes, beans,
+tomatoes, and, most important of all, Indian corn. They lived in
+villages, and made houses that would last several years. They had dogs
+of an inferior breed, but no other domestic animals. Some tribes were
+able to weave coarse cloth and make weapons of polished stones. They had
+strange social customs and singular religious beliefs. Fighting was
+their principal occupation.
+
+The half-civilized Indians once lived in New Mexico and the adjoining
+region. They have had almost nothing to do with the history of the
+United States. They are the Pueblo Indians, so called from the _pueblos_
+or strongholds, dwellings which they built of stones or of sun-dried
+brick. Some of these strongholds, story above story, would accommodate
+at least three thousand inhabitants! They were built oftentimes in
+situations almost inaccessible, like eagles' nests on cliffs, apparently
+that they might be defended more easily against the attack of an enemy.
+
+=6. The Northmen and their Discoveries.=--The real contact between the
+eastern and western halves of the world practically began in 1492, the
+year of the first great voyage of Columbus. Occasional visitors may have
+sailed before that date directly across the "Sea of Darkness" from the
+Old World to the New. The subject is shrouded for the most part in the
+mists of vague stories and obscure traditions.
+
+It seems quite certain, however, that in the year 986 a daring
+Scandinavian navigator, Eric the Red, founded on the southwestern coast
+of Greenland a colony that lasted four or five hundred years. In the
+same year, as the Iceland Sagas (heroic legends) tell us, another Norse
+sailor, voyaging from Iceland to Greenland, was driven by storms far out
+towards the southwest, and was perhaps the first white man to behold the
+American coast.
+
+  [Illustration: NORSE RUINS IN GREENLAND.]
+
+Many interesting ruins of stone-built houses and of a church are still
+to be seen on that desolate Greenland shore. In those ages the Northmen,
+or Norsemen, as the people of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark were called,
+were the most skillful sailors in the world. Eric the Red had several
+sons, bold sailors like their father. The oldest of these (whose statue
+stands on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston), Leif the Lucky, with thirty-five
+hardy men, sailed south from Greenland in the year 1000, to explore
+these lands that had been discovered fourteen years before. He landed at
+several points along the coast. In a place which he called "Vinland the
+Good" (land of vines), he found an abundance of luscious wild grapes.
+Just where this sturdy Norse sailor feasted on the grapes is, of course,
+uncertain, but good authorities are inclined to think it may have been
+not far from Plymouth, on the coast of Massachusetts Bay. He returned
+home in the spring. Two years later Leif's brother, Thorwald, came on a
+voyage of discovery, but was killed by the natives in the summer of
+1004.
+
+In the spring of the year 1007 an Icelandic chief, accompanied by his
+wife and a crew of one hundred and sixty men, in three vessels, came to
+this Vinland. He remained here three years, and had many dealings with
+the Indians.
+
+  [Illustration: A NORSE SHIP.]
+
+The Norsemen went home and gave vivid and accurate descriptions of the
+land they visited. They described the Indians, the fish, the animals,
+and the plants, all of which are given in the Icelandic chronicles. No
+real relic, however, of these people has yet been found upon our own
+coast.
+
+Columbus, who visited Iceland in the year 1477, may have had access to
+the Icelandic archives, and have learned of the discoveries of these
+rovers of the deep. But we have no evidence on that point. After the
+eleventh century America remained as much unknown as if the bold
+Northmen had never steered their dragon-prowed ships along our shores.
+The waves that incessantly rolled upon its sands or dashed against its
+rocks brought no vessel from the far-away lands of the East. Nearly five
+hundred years were to come and go before, in the fullness of time, the
+hour struck for the real and fruitful discovery of the New World. It was
+left for Columbus, the great Genoese navigator, to open wide its gates!
+
+  [Illustration: LANDING OF THE NORSEMEN.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.
+
+
+=7. Commercial Activity in the Fifteenth Century.=--In southern Europe,
+the last half of the fifteenth century was a period of great commercial
+activity. Then, for the first time, many voyages of exploration were
+made in various directions, to find new riches, new markets, or new
+routes of travel and transportation. Merchants were turning their
+attention more and more to enterprises in far-off regions beyond the
+seas.
+
+Venice and Genoa became rivals for the vast and valuable trade of India.
+With other Italian cities they grew rich and powerful. They kept great
+fleets of merchant vessels plying back and forth across the
+Mediterranean.
+
+They sent out to India large quantities of copper, iron, pitch, wool,
+hides, and the like, and brought back cargoes of drugs, spices, silks,
+pearls, and other luxuries. But the path of this commerce between the
+Mediterranean and India required both ships and caravans; and whether by
+way of the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea, or by Damascus and the
+Persian Gulf, or by the Black Sea and the Caspian and thence across the
+eastern plains, the journey was long, tedious, costly; always hazardous,
+and often, by reason of the Turkish wars, positively dangerous.
+
+And so it became important, especially for the merchants of Spain and
+Portugal, the would-be rivals of Venice and Genoa, to find a shorter and
+safer route. In many a country, people were asking, "Is there no easier
+way to get to India?"
+
+In the attempts to solve this problem Portugal took the lead. Her
+sailors boldly ventured farther and farther down the coast of Africa
+until, about twenty years before Columbus discovered America, they
+crossed the equator. But it was not till five years after the memorable
+exploit of Columbus, that Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese captain, rounded
+the Cape of Good Hope and crossed the broad Indian Ocean to India. Two
+years later he returned home with his vessels full of rich merchandise
+from that country.
+
+=8. The Shape of the Earth--Spherical or Flat?=--The learned men of that
+age, for the most part, believed the earth to be round like a ball. But
+the common people, and doubtless many of high rank, thought the land
+surface to be flat, with a flat ocean flowing around it on every side.
+Now if the earth were really a sphere, and no larger than was commonly
+supposed, it would seem that the easiest way to get to India, unless
+unforeseen obstacles intervened, would be to strike out to the west and
+sail straight across the "Sea of Darkness," as the sailors called the
+Atlantic. To embrace so startling a theory and deliberately to risk his
+life in testing its truth, required a man of keen sagacity, of lofty
+faith, of unbending resolution, and of the most heroic daring. Such a
+man was Christopher Columbus.
+
+=9. Columbus; his Early Life as a Sailor.=--He was born at Genoa, in or
+about the year 1445. He was the son of a poor wool-comber, and while yet
+very young he helped in his father's daily toil. We find him a studious
+boy, early able to write a good hand and to draw maps and charts for
+mariners visiting his home. He loves the sea, listens eagerly to old
+sailors' "yarns," weaves their fancies and legends into his day-dreams,
+and is fired with ambition to go in search of strange lands. How shall
+he realize his visions? Who will believe in him?
+
+At the age of fourteen he becomes a sailor. He sails south along the
+African coast, and north as far as England, and even to Iceland. Always
+observing, studying, planning, the ardent, thoughtful boy grows up an
+earnest, thoughtful man. He is convinced that the earth is a globe, and
+that, if he sails west far enough, he will reach India by a route
+shorter than any to the east. Nothing can shake his faith in this
+belief. It becomes the inspiration of his life.
+
+But like that of many learned men of his day, his estimate of the
+distance is widely wrong. He supposes it to be only a few thousand
+miles, requiring but a few weeks' sail. Little does he imagine that
+directly in his westward path lies a vast continent, and beyond this
+rolls an ocean far wider than the Atlantic!
+
+=10. Curious Things from the Unknown West.=--To reflecting minds many
+facts gave hints of lands in the distant west. Curiously carved wood had
+been washed ashore by westerly gales; far out on the sunset sea an old
+pilot had picked up a quaintly wrought paddle; cane stalks of tropic
+growth, and huge pines that could not have come from the east, had
+drifted to the Azores. It was believed that these articles, strange to
+European eyes, had floated across the broad ocean from the eastern coast
+of Asia.
+
+Meditating much upon all these and kindred facts, and upon the teachings
+of science, Columbus conceives himself to be divinely commissioned to
+open up this new route to India, incidentally discovering unknown lands
+and showing that the earth was round. But this stupendous project calls
+for ships, men, and vast sums of money. He is poor, and he has no rich
+patrons.
+
+=11. Columbus seeks Aid from Foreign Governments.=--For ten years Columbus
+tried to persuade some European government to send him on this voyage
+across the Atlantic. First he sought help from his own people, the
+republic of Genoa; then from Venice, and afterwards from Portugal. For
+seven years he had patiently and persistently endeavored to interest
+Ferdinand and Isabella, the king and queen of Spain, in his scheme of a
+shorter route to India than that which their rivals, the Portuguese,
+were hoping to find by sailing down the western coast of the dark
+continent. After years of waiting and seeking, the long-sought help at
+last came. Isabella had faith in Columbus, and proved herself a firm
+friend. She listened patiently to his plans; and she finally decided to
+fit out an expedition at the expense of her own kingdom of Castile.
+
+By the terms of the agreement, Columbus was to be admiral of all the
+oceans he sailed and viceroy of all the lands he discovered, and to have
+one-eighth of all the profits of the expedition--the pearls, diamonds,
+gold, silver, and spices.
+
+It was hard work to get a crew willing to go on this long voyage into
+the mysterious western seas. It was indeed a strange and hazardous
+project, and prudent sailors, though stout-hearted, might well shrink
+from taking the risk. Some, badly in debt, consented to ship on
+condition that their debts should be paid. Others, convicted culprits,
+promising to join the expedition, were released from jail.
+
+=12. Columbus sails on his Wonderful Voyage.=--Finally, in August, 1492,
+after a delay of several months, three vessels with ninety men sailed
+from Palos, a little port of Spain, on the most wonderful voyage the
+world has ever seen--the voyage which ended in the discovery of the
+great New World. What a heroic venture,--to sail out into an unknown
+ocean!
+
+  [Illustration: VESSELS OF COLUMBUS CROSSING THE OCEAN.]
+
+Every day and every hour took them farther from home. Onward and still
+onward they were sailing, across the trackless and boundless deep, with
+nothing in sight but sky and ocean.
+
+No wonder they became angry with themselves for having started upon what
+seemed so foolhardy an enterprise. When at first the land sank from
+sight on the eastern horizon, many of them lamented their sad fate, and
+cried and sobbed like children. Columbus, fearing trouble, took the
+precaution to keep two different reckonings as to the distance sailed, a
+true one for himself and a false one for his men.
+
+To add to their fears, the needle of the compass no longer pointed, as
+usual, a little to the right of the north star, but began to sway toward
+the left. Columbus did not know what to make of this variation of the
+compass needle, but by giving an ingenious astronomical explanation he
+managed to satisfy his men.
+
+"This day we sailed westward, which was our course," were the simple but
+grand words which the brave commander wrote in his journal day after
+day. The sailors, in despair and rebellion, threatened to throw him
+overboard; but he stood firm in his hope and courage, gazing almost
+incessantly towards the ever-receding western horizon.
+
+=13. The Great Problem at last solved.=--Many times the eager sailors
+thought they saw land, and many times they were disappointed. At last
+birds began to circle around the ships. A bush covered with fresh red
+berries floated by, and a piece of carved wood. Presently the birds were
+seen to fly southward. By these signs Columbus felt sure that they were
+approaching land. "We shall see land in the morning," he said to his
+men. All was excitement and activity. No one could sleep. All waited
+impatiently for the dawn.
+
+The day broke, and a beautiful island appeared before them. Columbus was
+the first to step upon the beach; the others followed; all knelt as the
+great discoverer kissed the ground and gave thanks to God. He rose from
+his knees, drew his sword, unfurled the great flag of Spain, gorgeous
+with its red and gold, and in the name of Spain he took possession of
+the land, calling it San Salvador. From his sublime purpose the mighty
+navigator had not swerved a hair's breadth! He had solved the great
+problem! He had earned a name that should never die!
+
+  [Illustration: COLUMBUS'S FIRST VIEW OF THE NEW WORLD.]
+
+=14. The New World and its Strange People; the Homeward Voyage.=--The
+island on which Columbus first landed was one of those we now call the
+West Indies, the name given by him. The voyagers were wild with delight
+at the new country. They gazed in wonder at the rare and lovely flowers,
+the bright-colored birds flashing through the sunlight, the lofty palms,
+the strange trees bearing abundant fruits; but most of all at the
+singular people, whom of course they called Indians.
+
+  [Illustration: MAP OF COLUMBUS'S ROUTE ON HIS GREAT VOYAGE ACROSS THE
+     OCEAN.]
+
+Not less were the natives astonished. They thought the strange visitors
+divine beings from the sky, and the ships unearthly monsters from the
+deep. Columbus found the natives kindly and generous with gifts. Maize
+or Indian corn, potatoes, cotton, and tobacco were found; but neither
+gold nor diamonds.
+
+Columbus felt sure that this land was some part of Asia. After a stay of
+twelve weeks he decided to sail back to Spain with the news of his great
+discovery. He took with him a number of the natives and a vast store of
+curiosities. On the voyage a terrific storm raged for four days, and it
+seemed as if the frail vessels must be destroyed. The peril being very
+great, Columbus wrote upon parchment two brief accounts of his
+discoveries; each of these he wrapped in a cloth, enclosed it in a large
+cake of wax, and securely packed it in a tight cask. One of these kegs
+was flung into the sea, and the other was lashed to the vessel.
+
+The two frail vessels, however, rode out the storm and at last put into
+one of the Azores to refit. On the homeward way another storm overtook
+the weary voyagers, and Columbus was glad to reach at last a port in
+Portugal. From thence in March, 1493, he arrived safe in the harbor of
+Palos.
+
+=15. Columbus receives a Royal Welcome on his Return.=--A royal welcome
+was given Columbus on his return. The man who had been laughed at for
+his strange theories, now returning from a newly discovered world beyond
+the sea, was regarded as the greatest of men. Ferdinand and Isabella
+received him with royal pomp and asked him to tell them his story.
+Marvelous it must have seemed, and all who heard it must have listened
+with breathless attention. The highest honors were bestowed upon him.
+His discovery of course excited intense interest throughout the
+civilized world.
+
+But the high honors paid to him aroused the jealousy of the courtiers.
+Once, while sitting as a guest of honor at table, one of the courtiers
+said with a sneer that it was not such a great thing after all to
+discover the New World; any one else could have done it. By way of reply
+Columbus took an egg from a dish before him, and handing it to the
+courtier, asked him to make it stand on end. The man tried but could not
+do it. Others tried but failed, and the egg came back to Columbus. He
+struck it upon the table with slight force, cracking the shell a little,
+and then it stood upright.
+
+"Oh, any one could do that," said the courtier. "So any one could
+discover the Indies after I have shown the way," was the reply of
+Columbus.
+
+  [Illustration: COLUMBUS REBUKING THE COURTIERS.]
+
+=16. Columbus sails on Other Voyages across the Atlantic.=--In spite of
+the joy among the Spanish people over the great discovery, there was
+general disappointment that Columbus brought back no gold or precious
+stones. It was believed that another voyage might bring better success.
+Accordingly he soon prepared to sail again across the ocean. There was
+no trouble now in obtaining crews; multitudes wished to go.
+
+In September, 1493, he started--this time with seventeen ships and
+fifteen hundred men! He landed among the Caribbean Islands. The natives
+were frightened at the horses which were brought over, thinking the
+rider and the steed all one; they were doubly terrified to see the man
+dismount and the strange being come to pieces, making two separate
+animals!
+
+Columbus coasted along the south side of Cuba, and being sure it was
+India, tried to find the mouth of the Ganges! Seeing traces of a gold
+mine that had once been worked, he concluded that in that region must
+have been found the gold of Ophir, which had been used for Solomon's
+temple, and that probably the great temple itself was not far off!
+
+=17. Queen Isabella proves a Friend.=--After a great deal of trouble
+during his absence of nearly three years, Columbus returned home in
+1496. Serious disputes followed his arrival. Much disappointment was
+felt that he had found no gold or diamonds; many denounced "the foreign
+upstart" as a fraud and a tyrant, saying that he cost more than he was
+worth. Jealousy, intrigue, disappointed greed, hatred for fancied
+slights, every motive to hostility took shape against him. Yet as
+Isabella was still his friend, and as he hoped for better fortune in
+another trial, he prepared for a third voyage. In May, 1498, with six
+vessels and two hundred men he again set sail.
+
+On this voyage Columbus touched the mainland of South America and passed
+the mouth of the river Orinoco. The broad flow of the great river, the
+magnificent scenery, and the charming climate delighted him. "This must
+be the river," he said, "that flows through the Garden of Eden."
+
+Meanwhile, many of the Spaniards that had been left on the islands
+rebelled against him. Evil-minded officials in Spain sent out a sort of
+inspector to examine into the rebellion. Prompted by malice, he exceeded
+his authority and caused Columbus to be chained as a criminal. With
+stern fortitude the stout-hearted mariner endured the cruel irons, and
+he was thus taken back to Spain. The captain of the vessel offered to
+free him from his chains. The brave discoverer answered sadly but
+proudly: "No: I will wear them as a memento of the gratitude of
+princes!"
+
+=18. The Fourth and Last Voyage.=--His firm friend, the queen, justly
+indignant, received him with tears. Then the much-enduring old man broke
+down, and with sobs and weeping threw himself at her feet. The
+great-hearted Isabella encouraged him to go on still another expedition.
+In May, 1502, with four vessels and one hundred and fifty men, he sailed
+on his fourth and last voyage.
+
+He skirted the south side of Cuba, touched at Honduras, and coasted
+along the northern shores of South America. Many of his men were killed
+by the Indians, his company was short of food, his ships began to leak,
+the vessel on which he sailed was wrecked, and the voyage was every way
+disastrous. In November, 1504, old, feeble, and broken-hearted, Columbus
+returned to. Spain. His royal patron and best friend, Isabella, was
+dead. His constitution was shattered by the labors and perils he had
+undergone. His last year was passed in sickness and poverty. In 1506 he
+closed his eyes in death.
+
+=19. Columbus and his Mighty Achievement.=--After all his four eventful
+voyages, this prince of explorers died in the belief that he had reached
+the eastern shores of Asia, and that, too, by the best and most direct
+route. He never imagined that he had found a new continent. Although
+self-deceived as to the true nature of his discoveries, he yet well
+deserved all the honors that have crowned his memory. His own time was
+not worthy of him; but after-ages have paid him due and ever-increasing
+reverence. His name will forever be linked with lofty ideas and
+magnificent achievements.
+
+Columbus was a man of noble and commanding presence, tall, and
+powerfully built. He had long-waving hair, a fair, ruddy complexion, and
+keen blue-gray eyes that easily kindled and glowed. He inspired strong
+affection and deep respect. He always carried himself with an air of
+authority, as became a man of great heart and lofty thoughts.
+
+Why was this continent not named for Columbus? Let me tell you. Because
+in his life it was not known as a new world, and hence had no need of a
+new name. It already had the names India and Cathay (China). In 1501
+Americus Vespucius, a Florentine merchant and a mariner already familiar
+with the western waters, sailed on his third voyage far southward along
+the eastern coast of South America. The vast size of that country thus
+became partially known. He wrote an account of his voyages to the "New
+World," and in his honor it was named "America." Gradually this name was
+applied to the northern continent also.
+
+  [Illustration: LANDING OF COLUMBUS.]
+
+=20. The Cabots and their Voyages.=--We need not be told that these
+expeditions made a great sensation in Europe, and that many bold
+mariners started out from Portugal and Spain. The sovereigns of other
+nations, too, as England and France, soon sent navigators to make claims
+for their own countries. Among the most notable of these were the
+Cabots, John and his son Sebastian. Though natives of Genoa, they lived
+in England and had entered the service of King Henry VII. They had
+permission from him to sail across the Atlantic and to take possession,
+in his name, of any lands which were not known to Europeans.
+
+In May, 1497, with one ship and eighteen men, John Cabot with his son
+Sebastian left England. The first land he saw is supposed to have been
+either Cape Breton Island or the shores of Labrador. He did not remain
+long on that cold and dismal coast, but returned home to England after
+an absence of about three months. John Cabot was probably the first
+European since the days of the Northmen to set foot upon the mainland of
+North America.
+
+On his return he was received with much honor by the king. He was called
+"The Great Admiral," and he went about the streets richly dressed in
+silk, followed by a crowd of admirers. The next year the Cabots set out
+upon a second voyage. This took a wider range. The exact limits of these
+explorations are not clearly known; but it is believed that they
+discovered the coast of Labrador, sailed along to Newfoundland, thence
+probably as far south as Cape Cod, and perhaps to Cape Hatteras.
+Inasmuch as Columbus never set foot upon the mainland of North America,
+the Cabot discoveries are of importance. It is claimed that they gave
+England a right to the settlement and ownership of this northern
+continent.
+
+Sebastian lived to be a very old man, and to the last was full of
+enthusiasm about the new-found world He was known as "The Great Yeoman."
+It was said of him: "He gave England a continent--and no one knows his
+burial place!"
+
+=21. A Spanish Knight seeks the Fountain of Youth.=--A singular expedition
+was that of Ponce de Leon, a brave knight who had sailed with Columbus
+on his second voyage. The Spaniards had heard somewhere in eastern Asia
+the old, old legend, of a fountain whose water gave perpetual youth to
+any one who drank of it. In 1513 Ponce de Leon sailed from Porto Rico,
+where he had been governor, with three vessels, in search of this
+wonderful "Fountain of Youth."
+
+On Easter Sunday (which in Spanish is Pascua Florida, flowering Easter)
+he first came within sight of a coast to which he gave the name
+Florida, partly in honor of the day and partly because it was indeed a
+region of flowers. He took possession of it in the name of the King of
+Spain. Never before had he seen so beautiful a region. It seemed the
+land of eternal summer.
+
+He landed not far from what is now St. Augustine, and followed the coast
+south to its western shore; but he went back disappointed. If he or any
+one else ever saw this spring of magic power, it was only in dreams. In
+1521 our romantic knight sailed again in search of the hoped-for
+fountain; but by reason of a severe wound from an Indian arrow he was
+forced to return to Cuba. There he died of his painful injury.
+
+=22. How De Soto sought in Vain for Gold.=--Another adventurous Spanish
+knight was Ferdinand de Soto. He attempted to explore and conquer the
+country across the waters to the north of Cuba. In 1539, with nine
+vessels and five hundred and seventy men, he left Havana. Landing on the
+eastern coast of Florida, De Soto marched north to the Savannah River,
+thence going westward. Dangers beset him on every side. Sometimes the
+natives, who had learned to fear and hate the Spaniards, sent poisoned
+arrows flying through the air. Sometimes they purposely led their greedy
+foes into swamps in the search for gold. The Spaniards in turn treated
+the Indians with extreme cruelty.
+
+  [Illustration: DE SOTO'S FIRST VIEW OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.]
+
+A number of dreadful battles were fought in which De Soto lost many men.
+Through tangled forests and swamps the Spaniards, suffering from hunger
+and sickness, plodded on their weary march. De Soto would not turn back.
+He was determined to find gold. The proud Spaniard could not endure the
+thought of failure. He had promised his followers an abundance of
+treasure, and he resolved to keep that promise.
+
+At last they reached the banks of a mighty river. Compared with other
+streams it was like the sea. It was the great Mississippi. De Soto was
+probably the first white man that ever gazed upon it. Under his
+direction the men built rafts, crossed the "Father of Waters," and
+pushed far on to what is now Arkansas and Missouri, in search of the
+fabled land of gold. They never found it. Instead of gems and gold, they
+found hunger, sickness, and death.
+
+=23. Death of De Soto.=--At last, a little group exhausted and emaciated,
+they turned their steps southward and toward the great river again. De
+Soto was broken-hearted. A fever seized him, and he soon died.
+
+The Indians stood in great awe of De Soto. They called him a "child of
+the Sun," and believed he would never die. His men therefore wished to
+conceal the fact of their leader's death. They wrapped his dead body in
+a mantle and sank it at night beneath the waters of the Mississippi. The
+wretched remnant of his followers managed to build a few boats, and in
+these they floated down the stream. A few of them at last reached
+friends to whom they told the story of their failure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.
+
+
+  [Illustration: SIR WALTER RALEIGH.]
+
+=24. Sir Walter Raleigh: Soldier, Sailor, and Courtier.=--Not until many
+years after the voyages of the two Cabots did the English begin to make
+settlements in the New World. For more than three-quarters of a century
+no one seemed to comprehend the vast importance of the discoveries of
+those explorers, or to dream of the wonderful changes that would follow
+during the coming ages. But there was at last one man in England of high
+rank who foresaw that a great nation would some time people the realm
+beyond the Atlantic. That man was Sir Walter Raleigh. He was a skillful
+sailor, a daring soldier, an accomplished scholar, an elegant poet, a
+learned historian, a graceful courtier--in fact, a prince among men. He
+became a great favorite with Queen Elizabeth. He was very rich, and
+when he asked permission to fit out ships and establish colonies in
+America, the queen readily granted his request.
+
+The first two vessels sent out by Raleigh reached the coast of North
+Carolina in 1584. No attempt at colonization was then made, and they
+soon sailed back to England. When Queen Elizabeth heard of the wonders
+of the new country--its luscious fruits, its "sweete-smelling timber
+trees," its rich soil, whereon the natives seemed to live "after the
+manner of the golden age"--she said: "This place shall be named Virginia
+in honor of me." For the great queen was called the "Virgin Queen," and
+she used to boast that she was wedded to her kingdom alone.
+
+=25. First Attempts to colonize Virginia.=--Soon afterwards Raleigh sent
+out vessels on a second voyage "to plant an English nation in America."
+It had been planned to make a settlement on Roanoke Island; but the
+Indians were warlike, food was scarce, and the colonists instead of
+planting corn searched for gold. After they had nearly died of
+starvation a vessel arrived, which carried the homesick men back to
+England. Two years afterwards a third company was sent out by Raleigh.
+This company included men, women, and children. These also settled at
+Roanoke Island. There, in August, 1587, was born Virginia Dare, the
+first American child of English parentage.
+
+This colony also fared hard. The governor sailed back to England for
+supplies, and when he returned to America, after being delayed for three
+years, every trace of the colony had disappeared. It was never known
+whether the colonists had gone far away, to live with the Indians, or
+had somehow perished. They were never heard of again.
+
+=26. How Tobacco and Potatoes came into Popular Use.=--And thus it was
+that in the first colonizing of this country Sir Walter Raleigh had as
+much to do as any other one man. Although his various attempts at
+settlements proved failures, yet he opened the way, set the example, and
+made it less difficult for others to come to America.
+
+One of the most wholesome and nutritious of vegetables, the common white
+potato, had never been seen in Europe until some of the Virginia
+settlers sent to Sir Walter as a present several of the "roots," as they
+were called. He showed the poor how easily potatoes could be raised.
+Thus they first came into use as a staple article of food.
+
+The settlers in Virginia soon found that the Indians took great comfort
+in smoking the dried leaves of a certain fragrant herb. This was the now
+well-known tobacco plant. The English colonists tried smoking,--and
+liked it. They sent some of the plant across the ocean as a present to
+Sir Walter. He tried smoking, and he also liked it!
+
+At first it seemed a strange sight in England to see a man smoking. The
+story is often told that as Raleigh was one day enjoying his pipe, a
+servant came into the room. As the man had never before seen any one
+smoke, he was much astonished; he thought his master was on fire. He
+rushed out of the room, seized a pitcher of water, and running back
+threw it over Sir Walter!
+
+  [Illustration: RALEIGH'S SERVANT INTERRUPTS HIS MASTER'S SMOKE.]
+
+From that time till now tobacco has been most extensively used. The
+settler who raised tobacco could buy with it whatever he needed. Large
+crops of it were carried to England and sold. It did much to establish
+the commercial prosperity of the Virginia colony.
+
+=27. Captain John Smith and his Early Career.=--In the year 1607 there
+came to Virginia a remarkable man by the name of John Smith. He plays
+an important part in the early history of that colony.
+
+This the most famous John Smith that ever lived, was born in England in
+1580. While yet a boy he was fond of wild and daring adventures. When
+thirteen years old he sold his school books and ran away from home. When
+he became a young man he went to the continent, and for two or three
+years fought in the Dutch and French armies.
+
+  [Illustration: CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.]
+
+Once, when Smith was a sailor on a ship going from Marseilles to Italy,
+a terrible storm arose; the sailors, believing that he was the cause of
+their bad luck, threw him overboard. But, swimming "with lusty sinews,"
+he managed to reach an island near by, and thus his life was saved. He
+was rescued from the shore and was taken on board a French man-of-war.
+Soon afterwards the ship met an enemy, and a battle ensued. In that
+conflict the young English sailor fought so hard that the ship's
+officers gave him a share of the plunder of the captured vessel.
+
+=28. His Romantic Adventures.=--Our bold adventurer now went farther east
+and enlisted in the Austrian army to fight against the Turks. In that
+service he soon became well known as a brave and dashing fellow, and
+before long he was made a captain of cavalry. After a battle in which
+the Austrians were defeated, Smith, badly wounded, lay a while among the
+dead. But he was found and cared for. After his wounds had healed, he
+was taken to Constantinople and sold to the Turks as a slave. A Turkish
+lady showed him great kindness.
+
+Then he was sent to Russia. There, at a place about a mile from the
+house of his cruel master, he was set to threshing grain. One day his
+owner rode up and shamefully abused him. Stung by his insolence, Smith
+killed the man with a flail, exchanged his own slave garments for his
+victim's clothes, hid the body in the straw, mounted a horse, and
+started off. He traveled over Russia, Austria, France, and Spain, and at
+last, after many stirring adventures, drifted back to his old home in
+England again.
+
+All these stories and many more Captain John tells us in his book of
+travels. Perhaps they are true, and perhaps we may conclude with some
+other persons that Smith was a daring fellow at telling stories as well
+as at fighting Turks!
+
+=29. Captain John begins his Career in the New World.=--When our
+adventurer arrived in England, all the talk was about the wonderful
+western world. Although he had roamed so widely and had fared so hard,
+he was then less than thirty years old and was ready for new adventures.
+All of his previous life seemed a preparation for a career of romance
+and heroism in the New World. So he joined an expedition which sailed
+for Virginia in the early part of 1607.
+
+On the voyage his superior talents and experience were so evident that
+his comrades became jealous of him, and on some pretext caused him to be
+put in chains. They had a long and stormy voyage. It was as late as
+April when they reached Chesapeake Bay. They were so glad to leave the
+stormy ocean and find a place of rest that they named the land near
+their first anchorage Point Comfort, a name it still bears.
+
+They entered between two capes, which they called Charles and Henry from
+the king's two sons. From their king, James the First, they named the
+river up which they sailed the James, and they called the village that
+they built Jamestown. Thus was laid in the year 1607 the foundations of
+the first permanent English settlement in the New World.
+
+=30. How Smith managed the Virginia Colonists.=--These Virginia colonists
+were not suited to the rough, hard work of making a settlement in this
+new country. They had not been accustomed to earn their living by manual
+toil. They liked to call themselves "gentlemen," as if that title
+somehow made an excuse for shiftless idleness. The real need was for
+farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, masons--useful mechanics and willing
+laborers. These genteel settlers expected to find in this wonderful
+region plenty of gold; their sole purpose was to get enough of the
+precious ore, and then go back to England and remain there.
+
+But Captain Smith was the saving spirit of the colony. He showed the
+immigrants the necessity of labor, and told them plainly that if they
+would not work they must not expect to eat. He taught them to fell trees
+and build huts. Their voyage had been so long, and so much of their
+provisions had been spoiled, that, when they landed, their stock of food
+was almost gone. Something must be done, and that soon, or they would
+starve.
+
+Then was shown the courage, skill, and good sense of an energetic
+leader. The corn that a few friendly Indians brought to the settlers was
+not enough to feed so many. Therefore Smith took some companions, went
+in his boat up and down the rivers, made friends of the Indians, and
+bought from them corn and game, giving in payment shiny trinkets, beads,
+and little mirrors.
+
+But the river lands were low and unhealthful; the water was bad; very
+many of the settlers became sick; and, before the autumn frosts came,
+more than half of them had died. Smith worked hard to help the survivors
+and to teach them to help themselves. Meanwhile, in his boat, he made
+long excursions up the James and the Potomac rivers, hoping perchance to
+find a way to the South Sea, as every one then called the Pacific Ocean.
+
+  [Illustration: SMITH EXPLAINING THE COMPASS TO THE INDIANS.]
+
+=31. Captured by the Indians.=--On one of these exploring expeditions a
+gang of natives attacked Smith and killed all his men. He seized an
+Indian and holding him as a shield, shot down three of the savages. The
+place being swampy, he suddenly sank to his knees in the oozy soil and
+was captured by the enemy. Then the quick-witted prisoner, taking out
+his pocket compass, showed the vibrations and use of the needle, and
+spoke of the sun, moon, and stars. He interested his captors so deeply
+that they were sure he must be a supernatural being from some far-off
+world. They were afraid to kill him.
+
+He persuaded them to send to the colony a piece of paper on which he had
+written. The result surprised them all the more! This strange being
+could make paper talk!
+
+=32. How Pocahontas saved Captain John's Life.=--At last Captain John was
+sent to the great chief Powhatan, and by him was held captive during
+several weeks. These Indians, too, he amused with his compass and his
+writing; but after a while they grew tired of him, and Powhatan
+concluded to kill him.
+
+So one day they gathered around the victim; he was stretched on the
+ground, his head was placed on a stone, and all was ready. A savage was
+just raising his club for the fatal blow, when forth rushed the bright
+young Pocahontas, the pet daughter of the old chief. Throwing her arms
+around Smith's neck, she turned her face to her father and begged him to
+spare the captive's life. "Kill _me_," she cried; "kill _me_; you shall
+not kill _him_!" It seems that Smith had been improving his time in
+making whistles and rattles and strings of beads and shells for the
+Indian girl, and so had won her affection; and she in return saved his
+life! Indian chiefs do not often indulge in pity; but for the sake of
+his beloved daughter Powhatan released Smith and soon after let him go
+back to Jamestown. Such is the story of his romantic rescue as Captain
+John told it years afterwards. While there is nothing improbable about
+it, yet some people believe that he invented the story to magnify his
+own importance.
+
+=33. The Romantic Story of Pocahontas.=--Pocahontas was at this time only
+about twelve years of age. Ever afterward she continued to be very
+friendly to the colonists, and often visited them at Jamestown,
+sometimes bringing baskets of corn to the hungry white men. Once the
+faithful girl came stealthily by night long miles through the dark
+forests to inform Smith of an Indian plot to murder all the whites.
+
+As Pocahontas grew up, one of the young Englishmen, John Rolfe, became
+much attached to her. He said he had had a marvelous vision telling him
+that he ought to make her a Christian and marry her. That was nothing so
+very wonderful, for then as now tender-hearted youths often dreamed at
+night of what they were thinking of by day. In 1613, in the rude little
+church at Jamestown, Pocahontas gave up her Indian religion, accepted
+the Christian faith, and was baptized. She took the name Rebecca. The
+next year she was married to Rolfe. This romantic marriage was very
+fortunate for the colony, for it made her father, Powhatan, a warm
+friend to the feeble settlers, who at this time were in sore need of
+help.
+
+=34. The Indian Princess receives a Warm Welcome in London.=--Three years
+afterwards the fair Indian girl, "Lady Rebecca," went with her husband
+to England, where of course she attracted a great deal of attention. The
+people came in crowds to see her. They cheered as she rode through the
+streets of London.
+
+Pocahontas became a great favorite with the nobility, and was even
+received at court by the queen. But, for all that, she soon became
+homesick. Even amid the splendid novelties of London life, she longed to
+be once more among the noble forests and the lovely wild flowers of her
+old Virginia home. It was in the year 1617 that she prepared, with many
+pleasing anticipations, to return to the scenes of her childhood. But
+she suddenly sickened and, after a brief illness, died. She was only
+twenty-two years old. She left an infant son who came eventually to
+Virginia, and there grew to a worthy manhood. Many excellent families of
+Virginia are today proud to claim him as their ancestor.
+
+=35. The Troubles of the Colonists increase.=--When Captain Smith, after
+his romantic rescue, returned to the colonists, he found them in a
+pitiful condition. During his absence the prospect had become in every
+way gloomy. Hunger and sickness had reduced their number from over a
+hundred men to only forty, and these were planning to go back to
+England.
+
+At this distressing time another vessel arrived from England bringing
+one hundred and twenty immigrants. This event brightened the darkly
+drooping spirits of the colonists. But the sunshine did not last long.
+These new-comers, like the old, were mostly idlers and "vagabond
+gentlemen," as the settlers called them. "We did not come here to work,"
+they said. "Then you shall not eat," said the brusque leader. He was as
+good as his word. They soon found they must work or starve.
+
+=36. The Greed of the Colonists for Gold.=--One trouble that annoyed
+Captain Smith very much was this: the English people kept urging the
+colonists to send home gold. Those that arrived later, like those that
+came before, had no idea of working for a living, but only the hope of
+shoveling up gold to carry away.
+
+They were so ignorant of minerals that, finding in the soil small yellow
+scales of shining mica, they sent home bushels and bushels of it,
+believing it to be gold. Another group of men supposed the little
+glittering crystals of iron ore were really gold, and they spent weeks
+in collecting the worthless stuff to send to England. No wonder Captain
+Smith, although the leader of the colony, had hard work to manage and
+feed men who would far rather dig "fool's gold" than raise corn.
+
+=37. The Starving Time in Virginia.=--All this happened while Smith was
+using the utmost wisdom and skill to guide the colony for the best. On
+one unhappy day a bag of gunpowder exploded near him, burning him so
+badly that he had to return to England for surgical treatment. This was
+in September, 1609. After he had gone, the colonists fell into still
+greater trouble, and the "starving time" followed. The people were
+compelled to eat dogs, rats, snakes, and toads; many died of starvation;
+four hundred and ninety men were reduced to sixty; but, by the fortunate
+arrival of more vessels, help finally came.
+
+Within the next few years the colony was set upon its feet, and the
+foundations laid of a prosperous commonwealth. An energetic governor,
+Sir Thomas Dale, made the idlers till the ground and promptly hanged the
+criminals. The soil was found the best in the world for growing tobacco.
+Hundreds of skilled farmers came over to Virginia to make their fortunes
+by the cultivation of this fragrant weed.
+
+=38. Further Explorations along the Coast.=--Having at length recovered
+from his wound, Smith scorned to remain idle, and became anxious to
+undertake another maritime enterprise. There was at that time a great
+deal of excitement in England about _North_ Virginia, then so called. In
+1614 he sailed again with two vessels on a voyage of discovery in that
+region.
+
+He touched first the shores of Maine, the nooks and corners of which he
+explored; he then sailed along the ocean fringe from Penobscot Bay to
+Cape Cod. He examined the coast carefully, entered the bays and rivers,
+and named a number of prominent islands and capes. He sailed around Cape
+Ann. To the three islands off the end of the cape he gave the queer name
+of Three Turks' Heads. He prepared very carefully a map of the whole
+country, as far as he had seen it, and he called it NEW ENGLAND.
+
+On his return to England Smith presented his map to the king's son,
+Prince Charles, who confirmed the name that had been given to it. Next
+year he started out again. His object was to found a colony in New
+England, a region of which he had great hopes. But his vessel was
+captured by a French man-of-war, and he was taken to France. With a
+return of good fortune this hero of surprising deeds escaped, and
+finally got back safely to England.
+
+=39. His Last Days; the "Father of Virginia."=--Our bold explorer now gave
+up all plans of founding another colony in America. But he lived to know
+and rejoice in the success of the Pilgrims and the Puritans in
+Massachusetts. He wrote several books describing his travels and his
+wonderful adventures.
+
+He had shown himself vigorous, quick-witted, far-seeing. He had been the
+ruling spirit and the preserver of the Virginia colony. In fact, he has
+often and justly been called the "Father of Virginia." His strong hand
+had also opened wide the door of New England.
+
+We must think of Captain John Smith as the hero of the first struggle of
+English civilization with the wilderness of America. Wherever he was,
+his genius and resolute will had made him a leader. There was never a
+braver man. After a life full of romantic adventures and daring
+exploits, he died in London in 1631 at the age of fifty-two.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS.
+
+
+=40. The Old-Time Idea about Kings.=--We shall do well to remember that in
+England, about three hundred years ago, the sovereign's will commonly
+had the force of law. Many people really thought there was such
+sacredness about a royal ruler that whatever he commanded must be right,
+whatever he forbade must be wrong. Indeed, there was a proverb, "The
+king can do no wrong." He had his own kind of church and his own mode of
+worship. Everybody must attend that sort of church and practise that
+form of worship, or be punished.
+
+=41. Sturdy Englishmen dare to disobey the King.=--But there were, after
+all, many honest, sturdy people in England who did not accept this
+notion about the king. They did not like his style of religion, and they
+would not pretend to like it. Besides, they felt that they had a right
+to meet quietly by themselves, publicly in their own churches, or
+privately in their own homes, and worship in their own way.
+
+But these people were regarded with suspicion. Presently a number of
+them were seized and thrown into loathsome jails; not a few were heavily
+fined or made to suffer bodily harm; some died on the gallows; and all
+this because, in spiritual affairs, they had dared to disobey the
+monarch.
+
+=42. The Pilgrims seek a Home in Holland; the First Attempt a
+Failure.=--Those who were brave enough to oppose the king's despotism in
+religious matters were at first styled Separatists, because they
+separated from the "established church." Afterwards some of them came to
+be called familiarly Pilgrims, because they wandered from place to place
+on the way "to heaven, their dearest country," as they said. They longed
+to go where they could be free to worship God as they pleased.
+
+At last a company of them hired a vessel to take them just across the
+North Sea to Holland. They chose Holland, because in that country all
+people were allowed to worship as they thought best.
+
+But just before the hour at which they had intended to embark, watchful
+officers found them, seized most of their money and goods, dragged them
+back, and put them in prison. It was indeed a pretty hard lot, punished
+if they stayed in the country, and punished if they tried to get away!
+
+=43. The Second Attempt Successful.=--The next year the Pilgrims again
+tried to leave their native land. This time they succeeded. Taking their
+wives and little ones, these resolute men, led by their pastor, the good
+John Robinson, went as strangers and pilgrims to Holland. From time to
+time the same refuge was sought by other persecuted people, till many
+hundreds had settled in the old city of Leyden. Here they first
+exercised that freedom of faith which had been denied them in the land
+of their birth, and now they first experienced the delight of holding
+their religious meetings without fear.
+
+They were so industrious and honest that their Dutch neighbors took very
+kindly to them.
+
+  [Illustration: A PILGRIM COLONIST.]
+
+But when they had lived in Holland about twelve years, they decided to
+remain no longer. Their children were learning the Dutch language, and
+they themselves were slowly becoming foreigners. They were not pleased
+with such results, for they still regarded themselves as Englishmen,
+still loved the English people, the English ways of living, and the
+glorious memories of their mother country.
+
+About this time people were beginning to go to the New World beyond the
+ocean, and these Pilgrims made up their minds to leave Holland and seek
+a dwelling place in far-off America.
+
+There were then about a thousand of them living in Holland. Nearly a
+hundred of the young and strong were selected to go in advance and make
+a beginning in the New World. They managed to charter for this purpose
+two small vessels, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. In July, 1620, the
+Speedwell sailed from Delftshaven; the Mayflower was chartered to sail
+from an English port.
+
+A very pathetic parting it was for these poor exiles upon the shore of
+Holland, clasping their friends' hands for the last time, and looking
+upon the dear faces they were to see no more. With their beloved
+minister, Elder John Robinson, they knelt upon the sand while he prayed
+earnestly for God's blessing upon their perilous undertaking. The
+Pilgrims stopped at Plymouth, England, on the way, and as the Speedwell
+seemed to be unseaworthy, they all, with others of the same faith who
+joined the company there, went on board the Mayflower. In this one
+vessel, after many delays, the one hundred and two people that finally
+made up the Pilgrim company sailed from Plymouth in September, 1620, on
+their long and dangerous voyage.
+
+=44. The Pilgrims' Voyage across the Stormy Atlantic.=--Crowded upon their
+little craft, this devoted company of men, women, and children had a
+dreary and anxious voyage of nine weeks. During severe weather the seas
+sometimes ran so high that for days the Mayflower was driven at the
+mercy of wind and waves, while all of the company, except the sailors,
+were compelled to remain, shivering and seasick, below the deck. In the
+foul air were bred the germs of quick consumption, the disease which
+carried off so many of this "Pilgrim band" during their first winter on
+the wild New England shore.
+
+=45. An Incident of the Voyage.=--During one of these storms a lively
+young man named Howland fell overboard and would have been lost had he
+not seized a rope which was trailing in the sea. Bradford quaintly says
+in his journal that the young fellow "was sundry fathoms under water,"
+but that he held on until "he was hauled up by the same rope to the brim
+of the water," and with the aid of a boat-hook was at last safely landed
+on deck. Howland was none the worse for his cold bath. He lived to sign
+the compact at Cape Cod, and became a most useful citizen of the new
+commonwealth, and the ancestor of many families.
+
+=46. Arrival on the Bleak New England Coast.=--How often, in the last days
+of that dismal voyage, did the Pilgrims gaze far into the west, always
+hopeful, but no doubt sometimes dreading the future! As the weeks passed
+by, the weather became very cold, and they had scanty means for warming
+their cabin. When they neared the coast a driving storm compelled them
+to change their course, so that instead of going up the Hudson River as
+they had intended, they were forced into Massachusetts Bay, as it is now
+called, and along the icy shores of Cape Cod.
+
+All the coast was white with snow, and the future looked cheerless and
+dark. There were no light-houses to warn them of dangerous shoals, no
+life-saving men patrolling the beach to help shipwrecked mariners. No
+one stood on the barren sandy shore to welcome them; they felt that they
+were indeed strangers in a strange land.
+
+=47. They sign a Compact in the Mayflower's Cabin.=--Inside the curved
+point of Cape Cod, in a small bay which is now the harbor of
+Provincetown, the Mayflower first dropped anchor. While there, John
+Carver and William Bradford wrote a formal agreement for the government
+of the company, and all of the forty-one men signed it.
+
+This compact was drawn up and signed on a chest belonging to Elder
+Brewster, which afterwards served as a table in his family. During the
+first winter, when food was very scarce and the Pilgrims were obliged
+to live almost entirely upon clams, the good Elder never failed to ask a
+blessing upon their scanty meals, and to thank God, "who had yet given
+them of the treasures hid in the sand."
+
+  [Illustration: PILGRIM ELDER ASKING A BLESSING.]
+
+By the compact it was agreed that all were to have equal rights. They
+pledged themselves to help and to defend each other, and to obey such
+laws as they might make for the good of the colony. They then chose John
+Carver for their first governor.
+
+=48. They explore the Cape Cod Shore under the Lead of Captain Miles
+Standish.=--A small party soon landed and tramped along for miles looking
+for a suitable place to make a home. They could nowhere find good
+drinking water. For three or four weeks the Mayflower with its precious
+cargo sailed along the inner coast, trying to find a safe and inviting
+harbor. Small parties often went ashore to explore the country.
+
+One day a company of sixteen, led by Captain Standish, went ashore to
+spend a number of days exploring a little way inland. This Captain
+Standish, although one of the company, was not really a Pilgrim in his
+way of living, nor in his religious views. His business was that of a
+soldier, an employment more common then than now. He had met some of the
+Pilgrims in Holland and was much pleased with their simple habits and
+honest ways. When they were preparing to sail to the New World, he
+thought it likely that they would need a soldier to show them how to
+fight. So he came with them, and they soon were glad to have just such a
+man. It was indeed well he did come, for he was often the most useful
+member of the whole colony.
+
+While the Mayflower lay at anchor in Provincetown harbor, and the
+explorers were searching for a landing-place, a baby boy--the first New
+England child of English parentage--was born on board of the vessel.
+They gave him the quaint name of Peregrine. At Plymouth you may still
+see the cradle in which little Peregrine White was rocked.
+
+=49. Their Travels along the Shore of Cape Cod Bay, and what they
+find.=--They discovered the remains of a hut which seemed to have been
+recently occupied. So they surmised that Indians were living somewhere
+in the vicinity. They came upon some piles of roasted acorns, and the
+next day they caught a glimpse of a few savages and a deer. Soon
+afterwards they saw a dog and more Indians. "The wild men ran away and
+whistled the doggie after them." One day they discovered two or three
+mounds of earth. One of these contained rude mats and an earthen dish.
+They dug into other mounds and unearthed the skeletons of a grown person
+and a child, a box containing Indian bows and arrows and spears with
+flint points.
+
+  [Illustration: THE MILES STANDISH HOUSE.]
+
+=50. They find Baskets of Indian Corn.=--In another place they noticed
+heaps of sand freshly smoothed over. On scraping away the earth, what
+should they find but Indian baskets full of corn! They had never seen
+any such grain. They were delighted with the sight of the bright-colored
+kernels, some red, some yellow, and others blue. The baskets were round,
+narrow at the top, and contained about three bushels each. They carried
+to the vessel all the corn they found, for they were in sore need of
+food; but they were careful to save enough for seed in the spring. They
+were honest men, and when long afterwards they found the Indians who had
+buried the corn, they paid them a fair price for it.
+
+  [Illustration: LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS AT PLYMOUTH.]
+
+One day these Pilgrim wanderers shot three fat geese and six ducks.
+These they ate with wonderful relish, or "with soldier stomachs," as
+their story says. At another time, as they were tramping through the
+woods, William Bradford, not very careful, perhaps, as to where he was
+stepping, suddenly found his foot entangled in a queer way. When his
+companions came to help him out, they found he had been caught in a deer
+trap set by the Indians!
+
+=51. First Attack by Indians.=--One morning, just after their night's
+sleep by a camp fire, and while engaged in their prayers, the weary men
+were startled by a wild cry, very different from anything they had ever
+heard. For a moment even Captain Standish was alarmed. It was an Indian
+war-whoop; and the cry was followed by Indian arrows. Standish and his
+men now fired their guns at the Indians. The firing caused the savages
+to run away in great astonishment. They had never known of guns, and
+were greatly afraid of these strangers who could instantly make thunder
+and lightning. The Pilgrims had never before been targets for arrows, so
+they kept these strange weapons, which were pointed with eagles' claws
+or sharp pieces of deer's horn, as curiosities.
+
+=52. The Search for a Home.=--The Pilgrims were very anxious to get
+settled as soon as possible; yet when Sunday came they stopped all work
+and spent the day in reading the Bible, in singing their hymns, and in
+prayer. For nearly a month they sought, with much weariness and in
+bitter cold, a place suitable for settlement. It must have been a cruel
+and pitiful work for those poor men. They waded knee-deep in the snow;
+slept unprotected under the wintry sky; often suffered from hunger; and,
+for fear of Indians, were always compelled to keep anxious watch.
+
+  [Illustration: FIRST ATTACK BY THE INDIANS.]
+
+After a tedious search along the shore of what is now Massachusetts Bay,
+these stout-hearted wanderers at last found a sheltered place where, not
+far from the shore, there was an abundant spring of good water. Near by
+were some old cornfields that had formerly been used by the Indians.
+Here they decided to land. The water being shallow, the vessel was
+anchored nearly a mile from the beach. The Pilgrims were brought in
+their boat, a few at a time, from the vessel to the landing-place. To
+reach the shore, it is said that they found it convenient to step upon a
+large stone. This is now known as Plymouth Rock. It is claimed that the
+first English woman to set foot upon this stone on the Plymouth shore
+was Mary Chilton.
+
+=53. The Famous Plymouth Rock.=--Plymouth Rock is not very large; but it
+is sacred in the eyes and the hearts of every American. Every year
+thousands go to look upon "the stepping-stone of New England"; to linger
+by the graves of the Pilgrims; and to see in Pilgrim Hall the many
+curious interesting things which once belonged to those pioneers of
+western civilization.
+
+  [Illustration: CANOPY OVER PLYMOUTH ROCK.]
+
+From the name of the last town they had left in England, the Pilgrims
+named this, the first spot in Massachusetts settled by white men, New
+Plymouth. The date of the landing was December 21, 1620, and its
+anniversary is now celebrated as "Forefathers' Day."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+MORE ABOUT THE PILGRIMS.
+
+
+=54. The Hardships caused by the Winter Season.=--We may think it
+unfortunate, and so indeed it was, that the Pilgrims had not come to
+this country in the spring or summer. They would have had a much
+pleasanter voyage, and on their arrival might have found the forests
+green, the birds singing in the trees, and the ground adorned with
+flowers. If they could have come in April or May they would probably
+have had warm, pleasant weather for landing or exploring, and could have
+built their houses at their leisure. They could have planted their
+fields as soon as they landed, and in a few months could have gathered
+sufficient crops for their support.
+
+=55. The Toil and Perils of the First Winter.=--As it was, our Pilgrim
+fathers found the landing very tedious. In a single small boat they had
+to come and go, and bring all their provisions and household goods. Some
+of these very articles of furniture, such as Governor Carver's armchair,
+old spinning wheels, odd-looking seats and chests, and the big iron
+kettles in which they boiled their dinners, and also Captain Miles
+Standish's sword, we can see at Plymouth to-day.
+
+While the men were moving the goods, and until rude structures had been
+prepared for their shelter on shore, the women and children remained on
+the Mayflower. Of course the best houses that could be made were very
+rude affairs. In fact, rough though they were, it was a hard task to
+build them at all; for hardly one of the company was really fit for such
+work.
+
+Many times the weary men were forced to wade in deep snow. When they ran
+their loaded boat on the sandy beach, they often had to leap into the
+cold water up to their waists to pull it ashore. More than once they
+were obliged to be out all day in a furious storm of rain and sleet,
+which froze on their clothes till every man wore a covering of ice.
+
+=56. Suffering, Sickness, and Death make Sad Havoc.=--Thus it came about
+that the Pilgrims suffered severely from exhaustion and disease. There
+were soon only a few men well enough to chop down the trees for their
+houses. Without beasts of burden, the tired workers themselves had to
+drag the logs as best they could, and then with slow and painful toil
+hew them to the right size and shape and put them in their proper
+places.
+
+Through that long and tiresome winter nearly all sickened, and many
+died. Before spring one-half of those who had landed from the Mayflower
+were gone. That the Indians might not know how terribly the numbers had
+been diminished by death, the bodies were buried secretly; and the
+graves were marked by no mounds nor stones, but were made level with the
+surrounding soil.
+
+  [Illustration: SAMOSET'S FIRST VISIT TO THE PILGRIMS.]
+
+The wonder is that these Pilgrims, ill, hungry, and cold, did not become
+discouraged, give up their enterprise, and go back to England in the
+Mayflower. Splendidly courageous indeed they were to pursue their
+purpose so bravely. Weeks and months they worked and suffered, but they
+never flinched. They were content and even happy in the consciousness of
+freedom gained and duty done. They had come to stay--and they stayed.
+
+At last the dreary winter wore away. Spring came, bringing the soft
+south winds and the songs of birds. Busy hands were soon planting and
+cultivating. The hearts of the Pilgrims were filled with hope.
+
+=57. A Kindly Visit from the Indians.=--One day in early spring they were
+surprised at seeing an Indian march boldly into their settlement,
+saying, "Welcome, English! Welcome, English!" His name was Samoset. He
+had learned a little English from fishermen on the coast of Maine. The
+settlers received him very kindly. After several hours he went away.
+
+In a few days he came back with another Indian named Squanto, who had
+once lived in Plymouth but had been kidnapped and carried to England.
+Squanto said that Massasoit, the chief of the tribes in the
+neighborhood, was near by, and that with sixty of his men he would
+shortly pay a visit to the Pilgrims. The Indian chief soon appeared and
+was cordially received. He promised to be a good friend to the English,
+and in return the settlers agreed to treat the Indians kindly. For over
+fifty years this promise was sacredly kept.
+
+Squanto made himself very useful to the Pilgrims. He showed them how to
+plant maize by first manuring the ground with fish, then putting the
+kernels and the alewives together in the hill. The grain now first
+received the name of Indian corn. He also taught the settlers how to
+catch eels by treading them out of the mud with their feet. Shortly
+afterwards Squanto came to live with the Pilgrims, and proved himself
+their firm friend.
+
+Sometimes other Indians were hostile. Once a chief named Canonicus, who
+was an enemy of Massasoit and did not like the Pilgrims, sent to
+Governor Bradford a bundle of arrows wrapped in the skin of a
+rattlesnake. He meant this to be a threat of war. The resolute governor
+threw the arrows on the ground, filled the snake's skin with powder and
+bullets, and sent it back to the chief! Canonicus was quick-witted
+enough to take the hint, and thereafter he let the Pilgrims alone.
+
+=58. First Houses built in the New Home.=--The first building the Pilgrims
+put up was a log house twenty feet square, in which they stowed away
+their scanty provisions, furniture, guns, and powder. They slept there
+till houses were built for separate families. This storehouse also
+served as a kind of fort till they had put up a better one on top of the
+high hill, now known as "Burial Hill," close by. As they had no
+shingles nor boards, they used for a covering of the roof long grass and
+seaweed. The chimneys they made mainly of big stones; the upper part,
+however, consisted of large sticks plastered over with clay.
+
+The dirt floor was soon trodden hard and smooth. The large cracks
+between the logs of the walls were filled with a kind of mortar made of
+mud and grass. In those days glass was very costly, and so for windows
+oiled paper was used.
+
+After the storehouse was sufficiently advanced, the settlers began to
+work on other houses. They laid out a street which they called Leyden
+Street, and built their houses on each side of it. The same street with
+the same name is in Plymouth to-day. The whole colony was divided into
+family groups, each unmarried young man choosing a family to live with,
+and each group having its own dwelling.
+
+=59. Perils and Mishaps of the First Winter.=--Even before the houses were
+finished, the men built a high picket fence around the whole settlement,
+with a stout gate on each side; for they were in constant fear of the
+Indians. In fact, they had to keep a sharp lookout every day, and a
+guard watched every night to give the alarm in case of danger. So
+watchful were they that, whether chopping wood, eating dinner, or at
+meeting on Sunday, every man had his gun close at hand, ready for
+instant use.
+
+One day, soon after the storehouse was finished, it happened that
+Governor Carver and William Bradford were both within, sick in bed.
+Suddenly the dry thatch caught fire from the chimney sparks, and the
+whole roof went up in a blaze. The sick men were lifted out safely. No
+serious damage was done to anything but the roof, and that was soon
+replaced by a new one.
+
+=60. How the First Log Houses were built.=--If we could have made a visit
+to one of the rough log houses of the Pilgrims after they had brought in
+their scanty furniture from the vessel, and when affairs had become a
+little settled, many things would have seemed strange to us.
+
+There is no front entry to the house, for there is only one rough door,
+and that opens directly into the house; no parlor, no bedroom, no
+kitchen, but all in one, with perhaps a loft overhead. The inside walls
+are like the outside, rough, but plastered between the logs. The roof is
+made of timbers, for there is no sawmill for sawing logs into boards.
+The timbers do not fit closely, and although there is a covering of
+thatch, the snow blows in quite freely.
+
+=61. A Peep into a Pilgrim's House.=--Let us take a glimpse into one of
+these Pilgrim houses. The huge fireplace, made of rough stones laid in
+clay, fills nearly one whole side of the house. The men bring in great
+logs of wood for the fire. Even when the logs are on the fire there is
+room for a person to sit on a stool at each end of the logs, and yet be
+inside of the fireplace. This is the children's favorite seat.
+
+The chimney has a big throat, as large as a hogs-head. One can sit at
+the end of the logs and look up and see the sky. The sides of the
+chimney are roughly laid, and the big stones project so far into the
+room that the children use them as a staircase in climbing up to their
+bed in the loft.
+
+  [Illustration: A SETTLER'S LOG CABIN.]
+
+In those days nobody had ever heard of a stove. All the cooking of the
+family was done over a huge fire or in front of it. They used the iron
+pots and skillets they had brought from England, some of which are still
+preserved at Plymouth. If they had the good luck to shoot a wild goose
+or turkey, they thrust a long iron rod through it and roasted it above
+or before the fire, giving it a turn now and then; or else they hung it
+very near the fire with a stout string, turning it around at times. The
+wintry winds often dashed in strong gusts down the big chimney, making
+it freezing cold all through the house.
+
+=62. The Scant Furnishings of their Homes.=--There were few or no chairs,
+but here and there a stool, or some solid blocks cut from the trees. In
+one corner, on a rude shelf resting upon two wooden pins driven into the
+log, were a few books,--always a Bible, a hymn book, the Psalms, and
+possibly a few others.
+
+Hanging from a beam was a little iron cup, in which there was some fish
+oil, with a twisted rag or a bit of wick; this contrivance served for a
+lamp when needed. But the big fire usually answered for an evening lamp.
+
+On one side of the room was a rough cupboard or case of shelves for
+their few dishes. They had no nice glass or china with which to make a
+display. The glass they had was coarse and of a brownish tint. The early
+settlers often used leather bottles, leather cups, and rough plates
+called trenchers, chipped from blocks of wood. Often two persons ate out
+of one trencher. At this time forks were not in general use. The
+Pilgrims cut their food with knives and then managed it with their
+fingers.
+
+Their few pewter dishes they were very proud of, and they kept them in
+sight in the cupboard, bright with frequent scouring; for the Pilgrim
+women were excellent housewives, and everything about the house was
+scrupulously neat and clean.
+
+  [Illustration: PILGRIMS GOING TO CHURCH.]
+
+=63. Other Articles of Household Furniture.=--Around the log cabin were
+two or three big chests, in which each family brought over its goods.
+These were used to keep their better clothing in, if they had any, and
+for seats. In the corner was a spinning wheel to spin the wool for their
+clothing. On these large wheels the mothers and daughters used to spin
+great piles of wool and flax. Two or three of the houses had large
+looms--machines on which the thread they spun was woven into stout cloth
+for the family.
+
+We should have seen no timepiece in their living rooms. There was
+neither clock nor watch in the whole settlement. On sunny days the
+women knew when to have dinner ready by the noon mark, as it was
+called--a notch cut on some beam near the window, showing just where the
+line betwixt sunshine and shadow came at twelve o'clock.
+
+In the corner of the log house was the gun, close to the door, where it
+would be ready for use at any moment.
+
+Although the family slept in the one big room, we should not have seen
+any bed in the daytime. It was turned up against the wall, and fastened
+to the side of the cabin. At night it was turned down and nearly filled
+the room. None of the beds were very soft, for they were filled with hay
+or leaves. By and by, after they had shot enough wild fowl, they had
+feather beds.
+
+=64. Around the Dinner Table.=--When the little family gathered around the
+table for dinner, there was before them neither an abundance nor a
+variety of food. There was no milk, butter, nor cheese; for there was no
+cow in the colony. It was four years before a cow was brought over from
+England. They had no eggs, no beef nor pork nor lamb, and of course no
+vegetables yet, nor any nice white bread. The provisions they brought in
+the ship were partly spoiled, and were nearly used up. So they had to
+get food as best they could.
+
+Now and then the colonists killed some game, but they had to be careful
+and not waste their powder and shot. One day they shot and cooked an
+eagle; but, as Bradford wrote in his journal, it was "woefully tough."
+They could not often shoot a bear or a deer. They obtained some corn of
+the Indians by trading such trifles as they could best spare. The
+records tell us that once a Pilgrim bartered a little dog for a peck of
+corn.
+
+=65. The Daily Fare becomes scant; Hardships increased by Hunger.=--By and
+by all the other food failed, so that their main article of diet was
+corn. This they made into meal by pounding it on smooth stones. But even
+this supply from the Indians was often scanty and uncertain, so that at
+times they were without it until, after a year or two, they raised their
+own crops.
+
+The rest of their provisions they obtained from the ocean--clams,
+lobsters, and various kinds of fish. But their fishing boat was so frail
+and their hooks and nets were so poor that this source many times
+disappointed them.
+
+Thus, the two articles on which they chiefly depended being Indian corn
+and sea-food, they were sometimes entirely destitute, unable to obtain
+either.
+
+What a condition! "I have seen men," wrote one of the Pilgrims,
+"stagger by reason of faintness for want of food; they knew not at night
+where to have a bit in the morning." They were so badly off that if it
+were possible for a friend to visit them, the best they could offer him
+would be a piece of fish and some water!
+
+  [Illustration: PILGRIMS WATCHING THE RETURN OF THE MAYFLOWER.]
+
+Such was the daily living of the first Pilgrim settlers in this country.
+Such were a few of the hardships they bravely and patiently endured. And
+yet, strange to say, when the Mayflower sailed for home in the early
+spring, as we have before stated, not one of these stout-hearted men and
+women returned in her to England.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE INDIANS AND HOW THEY LIVED.
+
+
+=66. How the Indians looked; the Clothes they wore.=--Let us now learn a
+few things about the Indians as they were before their habits and mode
+of life had been changed by contact with white men.
+
+The heads of the Indians were always bare. It was customary for them to
+allow one tuft of hair to grow longer than the rest. This was called the
+"scalp lock." When a fight had been finished, this lock served as a
+convenience to the victor. It enabled him to remove handily the scalp
+from the head of a dead enemy, and to carry it easily away as a trophy
+of triumph.
+
+The Indians had the curious custom of smearing their faces and their
+bodies with red paint. On great occasions, such as the holding of a
+tribal council or a war dance, they painted themselves a more brilliant
+red. The bright color was believed to give a formidable aspect. They
+decked themselves with queer ornaments of many sorts. Around their necks
+they wore strings of shining stones, bits of mica, baubles made of
+copper, and animals' teeth highly polished. Feathers were held in great
+esteem. Success in war entitled the victor to wear eagles' feathers as a
+mark of the greatest distinction. In this love of finery the men were
+fully as vain as the women.
+
+  [Illustration: LONG HOUSE OF THE IROQUOIS INDIANS.]
+
+The clothing of the Indians was, for the most part, fashioned out of the
+dried skins of animals, such as the deer and the beaver, whose flesh had
+been used for food. Unlike that of civilized people, this clothing was
+seldom or never changed, but was worn till it was worn out. If not
+unwashable, it was rarely washed. The "noble red man" was not a model of
+cleanliness. He had never heard of soap.
+
+=67. What the Indians had to eat.=--The food of the Indians varied with
+the place and the season, but game and fish were the principal articles.
+Their game was chiefly deer, bears, moose, raccoons, foxes, wild geese,
+and wild turkeys. Having no salt nor spices, no bread nor potatoes,
+neither milk, butter, nor cheese, their living must have lacked such
+relish as we give to ours.
+
+In the settled villages the Indians cultivated rude gardens. In these
+they raised corn, beans, squashes, and tobacco; but, considering the
+crudeness of their tools, we must suppose that the crops were scanty.
+The squaws used to cook corn and beans together, making _succotash_.
+Both the dish and the name have come to us from the Indians. Green corn
+they used to roast in hot ashes, very much as we sometimes do now at
+clambakes or other outings. Meat they commonly cooked by thrusting a
+stick through it and holding it over the fire; but they sometimes boiled
+it in rude earthen pots. Fish they broiled on a frame of sticks.
+
+=68. The Indian's Struggle for a Living.=--The principal work of the
+Indians was to get food enough. They did not hunt or fish merely for
+sport, as men and boys of our time are apt to do. To the Indian, hunting
+was the serious task of providing for his family and himself. At times
+the supply became very slight. It was especially so in the winter. Then
+they really suffered from hunger, and were forced to eat ground-nuts and
+acorns--anything to keep alive. But when they had had good hunting they
+would eat enormously. At times, when game was scarce, different tribes
+would have savage fights for the best hunting ground.
+
+Their only drink was water. After the white man came they learned the
+use of rum and whiskey, and would pay a great price for what they called
+"fire water." On the other hand, the white man learned from the Indian
+the use of tobacco. It was a bad bargain both ways.
+
+=69. Hardships of the Indian Women.=--The Indian warriors occupied
+themselves with war and the chase. They looked upon ordinary labor as
+degrading, and fit only for women. These they treated very much as
+slaves. The squaw did all the everyday work--building the wigwam,
+raising the crops, making the clothes, and weaving bark mats for the
+beds. On journeys the women carried their infants, or papooses, on their
+backs.
+
+With some tribes woman held a higher place. She had a considerable
+degree of influence in public matters, and often decided the question of
+peace or war. She could even drive away her husband if he failed to
+bring home game or fish enough for the family.
+
+=70. The Indians' Weapons.=--Indian wars were conducted in a manner
+entirely different from that of civilized nations. The weapons were the
+bow and arrow, the hatchet of sharp stone, and the war club. The
+bowstring was made of Indian hemp or the sinews of the deer. The
+arrowhead was of sharp flint or bone; its point was often made of an
+eagle's claw or the spur of a wild turkey. The stone hatchet, called
+"tomahawk," had a long handle and was a powerful weapon.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN WAR CLUB.]
+
+After the Indians had seen the white man's guns, hatchets, and knives,
+and could obtain such things for themselves, the use of their own rude
+weapons was abandoned.
+
+Gunpowder was for a long time a mystery to the Indians. At first they
+thought that it grew from the ground, like the tobacco plant. It is said
+they once sowed some of it in the spring, expecting to see it take root
+and grow. They supposed every white person knew how to make it; and so,
+once upon a time, when they had captured two young girls, they tried to
+force them to make a supply of it.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN STONE HATCHET.]
+
+=71. How the Indians fought.=--In battle, Indians did not come out in fair
+and open fight, as is the custom of white men; but their skill consisted
+in surprises, shooting from behind rocks and trees, skulking around at
+night, and killing the enemy asleep. Captives in war were frequently
+tortured in the most barbarous ways; sometimes they were tied to trees
+and were slowly burned to death or were shot. But it was a high standard
+of Indian valor to bear the sharpest pain without flinching, with never
+a groan or any sign of suffering.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN CALUMET OR PIPE OF PEACE.]
+
+The Indians, believing as they did that all animals were protecting or
+unfriendly spirits, often addressed them as if they were human beings.
+The story is told of an Indian who shot at a large bear and wounded him.
+The bear fell and lay whining and groaning. The Indian went up to him
+and said: "Bear, you are a coward, and no warrior. You know that your
+tribe and mine are at war, and that yours began it. If you had wounded
+me, I would not have uttered a sound; and yet you sit here and cry and
+disgrace your tribe."
+
+=72. The Use made of Wampum, or Indian Money.=--Indians had little use for
+gold or silver, but they had something in its place, which they called
+"wampum." This was made of bits of seashells like beads. The pieces had
+a hole in the center, so that they could be strung in long strips or
+made into belts.
+
+Wampum was used for a long time as regular money or the medium of
+exchange between the Indians and the whites, and even between one white
+and another. Strings of it were passed around for purposes of trade, as
+we now use coins of silver and gold. But after a while, as seashells
+became plentiful, wampum became almost worthless, and then the Indians
+were glad enough to take the white man's silver money.
+
+  [Illustration: TREATY-BELT MADE OF WAMPUM.]
+
+Among some of the tribes, bands of wampum were woven into ornamental
+belts, and these were decorated with colored beads combined into
+striking figures and designs. The wampum belts were often given as a
+pledge that the giver would faithfully live up to certain terms of a
+treaty.
+
+=73. Indian Tools and Snowshoes.=--As the Indians had so little to work
+with--no iron for knives, nor tools of any kind except flinty stones
+made sharp and called "hatchets"--it is wonderful how ingenious they
+were in supplying their personal wants. They kneaded in oil and
+softened with heat the furry skins of animals, and from these they made
+excellent garments for winter. From dried deerskins they fashioned a
+sort of soft serviceable shoe called the "moccasin." This was wrought
+from a single piece of the leather. It fitted snugly to the foot and was
+tied with strips of buckskin at the ankle.
+
+The danger of starving in the winter when the snow was deep led the
+Indians to invent the snowshoe. This was made of a light framework of
+ash, filled with meshes of rawhide, thus presenting a broad surface to
+the snow. By this contrivance the Indians could travel in winter as
+easily as in summer.
+
+It is said that an Indian upon snowshoes could easily travel forty miles
+a day. Strangely enough, all the cunning of the white man has never
+availed to make anything better for such a purpose.
+
+=74. Indians as Hunters.=--The Indian contrived ingenious traps for
+catching bears, moose, and other sorts of game. One of these devices
+consisted of a long and heavy log, carefully balanced upon a post placed
+upright in the ground, with a log attached to one end of it. The roving
+animal would approach, and by jumping attempt to get the bait that was
+so attractive. The movement would cause the log to fall, and thus,
+perhaps, the creature would be killed.
+
+Fish were killed by shooting them with the arrow as they swam; or they
+were caught with hooks of bone, or taken in rivers by means of a weir,
+or brush fence, fixed across the stream. Sometimes they were taken in
+nets woven from the bark of the elm, and in traps of wickerwork not
+unlike the lobster pots now in use.
+
+The Indians had a remarkable faculty, resembling that of the
+ventriloquist, whereby they could imitate the voices of woodland
+creatures--the hoot of the owl, the cry of the wild turkey, the howl of
+the wolf. By this means they could readily attract animals of various
+species to a spot where they might easily kill them. Even hostile
+Indians out searching for game were in this manner sometimes allured to
+the place of danger.
+
+=75. Story illustrating the Indian's Keen Observation.=--It is marvelous
+what quick eyes the Indian had to see almost instantly things that other
+persons would never see at all. The story is often told of an Indian who
+returned one day to his wigwam and found that a large piece of venison
+had been stolen. He looked carefully around, and then started off for
+the thief. He asked the first man he met if he had seen a little old
+white man with a short gun and a small dog with a short tail. Afterwards
+he explained how he learned all these points. He said he knew the thief
+was little, for he had to pile up some stones to reach the venison; old,
+by his short steps; white, by the toes of his tracks turning out; that
+he had a short gun, for when it fell to the ground from where it leaned
+against the tree, it made a short mark in the dirt. He knew by the dog's
+track that the dog was small; he knew that the dog had a short tail,
+because a short groove had been "wiggled" in the dust where the dog had
+sat while his master was stealing the meat!
+
+  [Illustration: AN INDIAN CAMP OF TO-DAY IN THE FAR WEST.]
+
+=76. The Indians were Cruel, Cunning, and Revengeful.=--As to character,
+the Indian had, like all the rest of us, a good and a bad side. Though
+usually silent and moody in the presence of white men, travelers tell
+us that the Indians had lively games when by themselves, and enjoyed fun
+and frolic and story-telling like other people. They were crafty and
+treacherous, as well they might be from their constant warfare.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN ATTACK ON A SETTLER'S HOUSE.]
+
+They were cruel and remorseless in their revenge, and they never forgot
+a wrong. Full of cunning, they took pride in ingenious tricks. They
+would wear snowshoes with the toes turned backwards, that the enemy
+might think they had gone the other way! In their homes they were
+filthy, lazy, and improvident. They were passionately fond of gambling,
+after they had learned it of the whites!
+
+On the other hand, they were patient of hunger, cold, and fatigue, and
+were wonderfully brave. They were hospitable to an acquaintance in need,
+even sharing the last of their food with him. They were grateful for
+benefits, and never forgot a kindness. Their promise was almost sacred,
+and the pledge of their chief was rarely broken.
+
+When the early settlers in this country treated the Indians kindly, they
+usually received kindness in return, as we shall see later in reading
+William Penn's dealings with the Indians in Pennsylvania. But now and
+then some rude white man was cruel or dishonest in dealing with them,
+and then he learned that the red man knew what revenge means.
+
+If any serious offense was given to the Indians they brooded over it,
+and then, eager to inflict more harm than they had suffered, instead of
+punishing the offender alone, they spent their revenge upon all they
+could reach of the white race. So they sprang suddenly upon peaceful
+villages and cruelly killed innocent men, women, and children.
+
+=77. Anecdote of Tecumseh.=--The true Indian warrior had a certain proud
+dignity that challenged respect. At a great council of the government
+with the Indians, the famous Indian chief, Tecumseh, after he had made a
+speech, turned to take a seat, when it was found that by accident no
+chair had been placed for him. General Harrison instantly called for
+one. It was brought by the interpreter, who said, "The Great Father
+wishes you to take a chair." "My father!" he said with dignity, as he
+wrapped his blanket about him to seat himself in Indian style upon the
+ground; "the Sun is my father, the Earth is my mother, and on her bosom
+will I repose."
+
+=78. Care and Training of the Indian Children.=--The care and training of
+Indian children were peculiar. When the little papoose was very young,
+it was not fondled nor much attended to. Quite early it was placed in a
+small trough of bark and strapped in with a mat or skin in front, the
+little bed being padded with soft moss. This bit of a cradle was handy
+to carry around, to lean against a log, or to hang up in a tree.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIAN PAPOOSE.]
+
+As they grew up, they were as happy as other children. Their parents
+made toys for them, and their older mates taught them songs and games.
+As soon as they were large enough, each had his share of work to do. The
+girls had to help their mothers to dress skins for clothing, to bring
+wood and water, and to work in the rude garden.
+
+=79. The Indian Boy's Early Training.=--The Indian boy was early trained
+for hunting and war. His first lessons were to manage his bow and
+arrows, and then he was taken into the woods to shoot. He was taught to
+set traps for small game, and his father often slyly put some animal in
+the snare to encourage the young hunter.
+
+So the boy was taught, not arithmetic and grammar, but all about
+birds--their colors, their different whistles and cries, and what each
+note means; their food and habits, where they nest, how they fly, and
+the best way to shoot them. His lessons included the study of rabbits
+and squirrels, of beavers and foxes, and of all such game.
+
+  [Illustration: BOY WARNING SETTLERS OF AN INDIAN ATTACK.]
+
+By the time the Indian boy had seen twelve or fourteen _snows_, as the
+Indian would say, he could make his own bows and arrows and could help
+make canoes. He had received many lessons about shaping tomahawks and
+war clubs, and how to use them. Playing ball was a favorite game with
+Indian youth. Catlin, the celebrated authority on Indian life, tells us
+that he used to ride thirty miles to see a ball game, and would sit on
+his horse all day to see a match played by six to eight hundred or even
+a thousand young Indians.
+
+=80. How the Indians buried their Dead.=--For the most part the Indians
+buried their dead in mounds or in shallow graves, sometimes prostrate,
+but often in a sitting posture facing the east. But some tribes placed
+the body on a high scaffold raised on long poles out of the reach of
+wild beasts. Beside the body were carefully placed the weapons of the
+dead, paints, any favorite trinkets he used to wear, and food to sustain
+him on his journey to the far-off Happy Hunting Grounds.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
+
+
+=81. The Search for a Shorter Route to India.=--We must not forget that
+during all these years the European nations in their desire for riches
+were often searching for a shorter route to China and the East Indies.
+They hoped to succeed in this either by sailing to the north of Europe
+or America, or by finding some opening across the newly discovered
+continent. For more than a hundred years after the time of Columbus many
+a daring navigator came forward to undertake this business.
+
+=82. Sir Henry Hudson, the Bold and Skillful Mariner.=--Several years
+before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, a bold and skillful mariner
+named Henry Hudson, a friend of Captain John Smith, was hired by some
+London merchants to search for the imaginary northern passage. For this
+purpose he made two perilous voyages. Once he sailed along the eastern
+coast of Greenland until the ice stopped him. After three months he
+returned to England. The next year he tried it again, and sailed
+farther north, but as before was turned back by the ice.
+
+Hudson tells us that on one of these voyages two of his sailors saw a
+mermaid swimming close to the ship's side. The upper parts of her body
+were those of a woman, but below she was a fish, and as big as a
+halibut! Probably the creature was a seal, an animal with which English
+sailors were not at that time familiar.
+
+=83. Hudson enters the Dutch Service.=--At last, in 1609, Hudson, who had
+now become famous, entered the service of the Dutch East India Company
+and sailed from Amsterdam to find the long-sought route. Living near the
+ocean, the Dutch at this time were great sailors and traders. They owned
+more ships than all Europe besides. Their sails whitened every ocean.
+They were glad to hire "the bold Englishman, the expert pilot, and the
+famous navigator," as they called Hudson, to brave the perils of the
+Arctic seas.
+
+Again this intrepid sailor, "the Nansen of the year 1608," went too far
+north, and again he found himself caught in the ice of the desolate
+Arctic regions. He now made up his mind to go farther west. He coasted
+along Greenland, passed southward to Newfoundland, sighted Cape Cod, and
+then sailed as far south as Virginia. Finding the English settlers
+there ahead of him, he turned about and steered north again, keeping
+close to the wild and unknown coast.
+
+=84. Hudson sails up the Hudson River in the Little "Half Moon."=--In
+September, 1609, Sir Henry found himself not far from the mouth of a
+broad river, and dropped anchor near what is now Sandy Hook. The Indians
+here were kind to their strange visitors, and came on board the vessel
+to trade. They brought grapes, furs, and pumpkins, and traded them for
+beads, knives, and hatchets.
+
+  [Illustration: THE "HALF MOON" ON THE HUDSON.]
+
+After a few days the anchor of the little "Half Moon" was raised, the
+sails were spread, and Hudson was slowly wafted past the Palisades and
+far up the noble river which still bears his name. Because for many
+miles the water at high tide was salt, he thought that he had surely
+found the long-wished-for passage to India.
+
+No white man had ever before sailed up this, perhaps the most beautiful
+of American streams. With what wonder and hope must the captain and his
+men have gazed on the lovely scenery, rich in the gorgeous hues of
+autumnal foliage! In fact Hudson, in the story of his voyage, says that
+the lands on both sides were "pleasant with grass and flowers and goodly
+trees,--as beautiful a land as one can tread upon."
+
+=85. Kindly received by the Indians.=--The Indians, filled with curiosity,
+flocked from far and near to the banks of the river to see the "great
+white bird," a name they gave the "Half Moon" on account of its white
+spreading canvas wings. As they peeped out from the rocks and woods
+along the shore, they had the same feelings of curiosity and awe as did
+the natives that gazed in wonder upon the vessels of Columbus more than
+a hundred years before.
+
+Hudson sailed north until he reached a point near where Albany now
+stands. As the river now became narrower and its water fresh, he was
+convinced at last that he could never find his way to India by this
+route.
+
+=86. Hudson returns Home; his Sad Fate.=--After a time, disappointed at
+his failure to reach India, Hudson sailed out of the river and across
+the ocean to England, and afterwards to Holland. The stout-hearted
+mariner never saw his "great river" again. On his next and last voyage
+he sailed farther north and entered the immense land-locked bay that now
+bears his name. He thought that he had this time surely discovered the
+long-sought opening to the Pacific. Imagine his dismay when, after
+coasting around its sides for nearly three months, he was forced at last
+to believe that this inland sea had no western outlet!
+
+The long Arctic winter came. Hudson's men were nearly starved. They had
+endured so many hardships that in a frenzy of despair and wrath they at
+last bound their captain hand and foot, thrust him on board a small boat
+with his son and some sick sailors, and set them adrift. This was the
+last ever seen or heard of Hudson.
+
+Probably, like De Soto, the bold navigator found his grave in the vast
+waters that he was the first to discover.
+
+=87. The Dutch claim the Territory; Manhattan Island bought of the
+Indians.=--The Dutch now laid claim to all the territory along the Hudson
+River, and in 1614 they took possession of it under the name of New
+Netherland. In a few years they began to establish trading posts, where
+they might buy of the Indians the skins of bears, beavers, and otters.
+
+After a time the Indians sold the Dutch the island of Manhattan for the
+sum of twenty-four dollars. This settlement, then called "New
+Amsterdam," was the beginning of what is now one of the largest and
+richest cities in the world--Greater New York.
+
+=88. The Dutch Settlers prosper.=--For the first few years the settlers in
+New Amsterdam were poor; but after a time richer and more influential
+men made homes for themselves in this colony. They secured from the
+Dutch East India Company the right to own by purchase from the Indians a
+tract of land sixteen miles in length and extending an unlimited
+distance into the interior, and to establish there a colony of fifty
+people. The rich landholders were called "patroons," and their great
+estates laid the foundation of the wealth of many of the leading
+families of the Empire State.
+
+  [Illustration: DUTCH WINDMILL.]
+
+=89. How the Dutch People lived.=--As the Dutch prospered, they built
+better houses. These were of wood. Each house had on its roof one
+weathercock, and often many of them. The gable ends were built of
+various-colored bricks brought over from Holland.
+
+  [Illustration: A DUTCHMAN OF NEW AMSTERDAM.]
+
+The Dutch women were excellent housekeepers. We owe to them the
+doughnut, the cruller, cookies, and many other delicious articles of
+skillful cookery. Many a pleasant custom had its origin with these
+genial Dutch settlers, such as the Christmas visit of Santa Claus, the
+display of colored eggs at Easter, and the friendly visiting on New
+Year's day. The floors in these thrifty homes were covered with white
+sand, on which quaint figures were sketched with a broom. There were
+huge fireplaces with Dutch tiles of different colors, on which were
+represented scenes from the Bible. The Dutch men were fond of good food
+and of their pipes. They used to have in front of their houses a porch
+or "stoop," sometimes called a "bowerie," on which they could sit and
+smoke and tell stories and take their ease generally. The men wore
+several pairs of knee breeches at once, one over another, with long
+stockings, and with huge buckles at the knees and on the shoes. Their
+coats, too, were adorned with great buckles of silver or brass.
+
+The women were neatly dressed, usually wearing several short petticoats
+of many colors. Their stockings were of their own knitting, and had as
+many hues as the rainbow. Their shoes had very high heels.
+
+=90. Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor; New York surrenders to
+the English.=--The last Dutch governor was Peter Stuyvesant, brave and
+honest, but a very stubborn man. He was so obstinate that he was
+nicknamed "Headstrong Peter." He was also known as "Old Silverleg,"
+because, having lost a leg in war, he used a wooden one adorned with
+strips of silver. He was a tyrant in his way, and at length his people
+would not endure his tyranny, especially as the English settlers in the
+same region enjoyed more liberty and had increased more rapidly in
+numbers and riches than they.
+
+  [Illustration: PETER STUYVESANT.]
+
+And so it happened that when an English fleet sailed into the harbor in
+1664, the people did not come to the help of "Headstrong Peter," but
+gladly surrendered the town to the English in spite of "Old
+Silverleg's" wrath! The name of the colony was changed to New York in
+honor of the Duke of York, the brother of King Charles II.
+
+=91. How the Quakers were persecuted.=--About forty years after the
+Pilgrims had built their homes in Plymouth, the members of a peculiar
+religious sect, the Society of Friends, were bitterly persecuted in
+England. In spite of their ill-treatment, which lasted for many years,
+they greatly increased in numbers. A few men and women of wealth and of
+high social position joined them.
+
+These Friends, or Quakers as they were commonly called, were singularly
+blunt in speech and plain in dress. But they were an honest, sober,
+God-fearing people. They wished to treat all men as friends, brothers,
+and equals. They did not approve of war and would not serve as soldiers.
+As they believed all men equal, they recognized no superiors: they would
+not doff their hats to any one, not even to the king, for they thought
+"the Lord forbade it." They said they would acknowledge no master, king,
+or lord, save only Him who was their "Master in heaven," the "King of
+Kings and Lord of Lords."
+
+Naturally enough, in those days of bigotry and intolerance the doctrines
+and behavior of the Quakers made the king and his great men very angry.
+They threw hundreds of them into prison. Consequently, many of the
+Quakers left their homes, came to this country, and settled in
+Massachusetts. But the stern sons of the Old Pilgrim Fathers would not
+endure them. They drove them away or put them in prison. The Boston
+Puritans even hanged four Quakers who had repeatedly come back after
+having been several times punished and driven into exile.
+
+  [Illustration: WILLIAM PENN.]
+
+=92. William Penn becomes a Quaker.=--About the time King Charles II was
+restored to the throne of England (1660) there lived in that country a
+handsome young man of noble birth and talents of the highest order.
+William Penn was his name. There is a portrait of him in the dress of an
+English cavalier, with flowing curls over his shoulders, and a face of
+manly tenderness and beauty. This man, the founder of Pennsylvania, was
+the only son of a brave English admiral who had won signal victories for
+his country during the Dutch war, and was held in high favor by the king
+and the royal family. While Penn was a boy and in college, his heart was
+stirred within him by listening to the Quaker preachers. He believed
+they were right. He was convinced that he ought to join them, and did so
+in spite of the ridicule of his rich and titled friends.
+
+=93. Young Penn falls into Disgrace with his Family and is sent from
+Home.=--Young Penn was expelled from college and sent home. The old
+admiral, in his anger because his only son would disgrace his family by
+uniting with the despised Quakers, drove him from his door. The mother,
+however, interceded, and the stubborn youth was allowed to travel for a
+time on the Continent to divert his mind from what they called his
+foolishness.
+
+Alas for the old admiral's ambitious plans for his gifted son! William
+was out-and-out a Quaker; and no title, honors, or favor could induce
+him to give up his faith. He pleaded with the king to allow the English
+people freedom of conscience, so that they might worship God as they
+deemed best. He tried in vain to procure the release of the Quakers from
+the prisons where hundreds of them were then confined. For a time Penn
+was himself shut up in the Tower of London, the prison of offenders of
+high rank. While there he wrote his best known work, _No Cross, no
+Crown_. The king's brother, the Duke of York, however, soon brought
+about his release.
+
+=94. Penn inherits Wealth; secures a Grant of Land from the King.=--Penn's
+father was after all a generous man and regretted his treatment of his
+son. On his death, in 1670, he left him all his estate. Penn made a good
+use of his wealth. He devoted his time, money, and talents to secure
+legal protection in England for the persecuted Quakers. The task was
+almost hopeless.
+
+In his despair Penn longed to build a quiet home for his people in the
+wilderness of America. He had heard of the happiness and prosperity of
+the Pilgrim settlements, and he now planned to lead his brethren across
+the Atlantic. The gallant admiral at his death had a claim against the
+government of about eighty thousand dollars. Now King Charles was a
+spendthrift and always in debt. Penn told the king that he would accept
+lands in America instead of money in payment of this claim. The
+easy-going monarch was only too glad to take up with this offer, for he
+had plenty of land in America but very little silver and gold.
+
+On condition that he should be paid two beaver-skins every year, the
+king granted Penn a large tract of land on the western bank of the
+Delaware river, and named it Pennsylvania, or "Penn's Woodland."
+
+=95. A Colony of Quakers established in Pennsylvania.=--Penn now planned
+to send his Quaker colony to the new home in America. He came over in
+person in the fall of 1682, and landed at New Castle, Delaware. Penn
+sailed in an open boat up the broad and beautiful Delaware River until
+he came to the place on which his chief city or capital was soon to be
+laid out. The "Quaker King," for thus he was called, was received with
+great joy by the people. They knew that he would keep his promise to
+secure full freedom of conscience and speech for all. He called it a
+"free colony for all mankind."
+
+  [Illustration: A PROSPEROUS QUAKER.]
+
+No person was compelled, as were the Pilgrims of New England, to attend
+any church or practise any form of religious worship. Only murder and
+treason were punished with death. Before this Penn had written to the
+colonists, saying, "You shall be governed by laws of your own making; I
+shall not usurp the right of any, or oppress his person."
+
+=96. Penn selects a Location for his Capital; Philadelphia, "the City of
+Brotherly Love."=--On a neck of land between the Schuylkill and the
+Delaware, Penn selected a site for his "faire and greene country
+towne"--a city of refuge and a home of free speech and conscience. And
+he generously bought the land from some Swedes, who had bought it from
+the Indians.
+
+Penn now laid out his city and gave it the Bible name of Philadelphia,
+which means "brotherly love." As he stood with his friends on the high
+ground and beheld the country in its autumn foliage, the good man said:
+"I have seen the finest cities of Europe, but I never saw so beautiful a
+place for a city as this."
+
+=97. His Kind Treatment of the Indians.=--Penn knew how cruelly some of
+the other colonies had treated the Indians. This should not be done in
+Pennsylvania. The Indians must be fairly dealt with. Their lands were
+not to be taken away by force, but must be openly bought and honestly
+paid for. If a settler wronged an Indian, he was to be punished. In
+short, in this Quaker colony they were all to live together as brothers.
+
+That everything might be done in a business-like way, Penn sent word to
+various tribes of Indians that he would meet them on a certain day to
+make a treaty. He wanted them to hear what he had to say. He sent word
+to them that he was a man of peace, and no firearms would be brought to
+the meeting. The Indians gladly accepted Penn's invitation.
+
+  [Illustration: PENN'S MEETING WITH THE INDIANS.]
+
+=98. The Celebrated Treaty with the Indians.=--On the chosen day they came
+from far and near. They met under the branches of a great elm tree a
+little north of Philadelphia. This giant son of the forest, called ever
+afterward "The Treaty Tree," became an object of deep interest. It was
+protected with extreme care. During the Revolutionary war, even the
+British officers posted guards around it to prevent its branches from
+being used for firewood. The venerable tree blew down some ninety years
+ago. Its rings proved it to be two hundred and eighty-three years of
+age. A monument with a suitable inscription now marks the spot where
+Penn and the Indians met to pledge in "unbroken faith."
+
+First, there was a feast of good things to eat, and numerous presents
+were given to the delighted red men. The chiefs then seated themselves
+on the ground and the council began. Penn carried no arms, wore no
+uniform, and had no soldiers. He was at this time thirty-eight years
+old, graceful and fine-looking, was dressed in a suit of drab-colored
+clothes, had a blue sash around his waist, and wore a broad-brim hat,
+which he did not take off for the sake of fashion or ceremony.
+
+The Indians, seated around their chiefs, listened attentively while the
+"Quaker King" spoke. He told them that the English and the Indians were
+to obey the same laws, and both were to be equally protected in their
+rights. No advantage should be taken on either side, but all should be
+openness and love; that the great God above was the Father of both white
+and red men, and that all were brothers and should live together in
+peace. His words, so full of kindness, good will, and justice, won the
+hearts of the dusky natives.
+
+"We will live in peace with William Penn and his children," said the
+Indians, "as long as the sun and moon endure." This treaty was never
+broken.
+
+=99. The Indians take Penn at his Word, and live afterwards at Peace with
+the Quakers.=--After this talk was over, the pipe of peace was lighted
+and passed round, and each took a whiff.
+
+The Indians took Penn at his word. They believed in him and they kept
+their part of the compact. It is said that not a drop of Quaker blood
+was ever shed by an Indian, so much did the red men love and honor the
+name of William Penn.
+
+The good Quaker often visited the Indians at their councils, or at their
+"powwows," as their festive gatherings were called. He went in and out
+among them, visited them in their wigwams, and ate roasted corn and
+hominy with them. He had frolics with the Indian children, joined in the
+outdoor games of the warriors, and talked to them about their faith in
+God, whom they called the Great Spirit.
+
+=100. The Quakers prosper; Trials of Penn in his Old Age.=--We are not
+surprised that the Quaker settlers prospered. In two years there were
+six hundred houses; also schools and a printing press. Philadelphia had
+grown more in three years than New York City in half a century. After a
+few years the founder of the colony went back to England. He continued
+to watch over his far-away colony, sending out emigrants and in every
+way promoting its interest.
+
+After some time Penn returned to this country, but remained only two
+years. In his old age he met with sore trials. His son disgraced him by
+his riotous living, his trusted agent proved dishonest, and at length
+the good Quaker was financially ruined and was flung into prison for
+debt. Not long after his release he died at the age of seventy-eight.
+
+=101. Subsequent Prosperity of the Quaker Colony.=--When it once became
+known that in Penn's colony a man could worship God as he pleased, enjoy
+personal rights; that poor men could own their farms, and that there was
+no dread of the Indians, we are not surprised that colonists quickly
+flocked to Pennsylvania. This settlement surpassed all others in America
+in rapid growth, and was for many years more prosperous and comfortable
+than any other. About one-third of the inhabitants were Quakers, and
+these were always a thrifty and peaceful people.
+
+At the close of the Revolutionary war Philadelphia was larger than
+either Boston or New York. Among the thirteen colonies Pennsylvania
+ranked third in influence and population, being surpassed by none but
+Virginia and Massachusetts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.
+
+
+=102. Prosperity of the Early Colonists.=--For fifty years or more after
+the colonists had established their homes in the wilderness of the New
+World, they were growing rich and strong. They cleared away forests,
+planted fields, traded with the Indians, and built for themselves more
+comfortable houses.
+
+Especially was this the case during the years when Cromwell and his
+party were in power in England, and until after Charles II was restored
+to the English throne. The settlers boldly pressed further and further
+on, crossing great rivers, climbing steep mountains, and building log
+cabins in far distant regions.
+
+The colonists in Pennsylvania and Virginia pushed westward into the
+valley of the Ohio, while the English settlers in New York made their
+way through the forest toward the Great Lakes.
+
+=103. The French in North America.=--More than seventy years before
+Jamestown was settled, a French explorer by the name of Cartier had
+entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, sailed up the river of the same name,
+and taken possession of the country in the name of France. This same
+region became afterwards the great French stronghold in America.
+
+A Frenchman by the name of Champlain sailed up the beautiful river St.
+Lawrence, and was so charmed with the scenery of the country that in
+1608, the year after Jamestown was settled, he began to plant a colony
+on the site of what is now Quebec. The settlement soon became a city and
+the capital of the French possessions in America.
+
+The French were also the first explorers of the vast interior regions of
+our country. Their fur traders and trappers kept on good terms with the
+Indians, and slowly pushed along the shores of the Great Lakes until
+they had established a chain of trading-posts from the St. Lawrence to
+Lake Superior. About the time of King Philip's War in New England Father
+Marquette discovered the upper Mississippi, and floated down this great
+river nearly as far as the mouth of the Arkansas.
+
+=104. La Salle floats down the Mighty Mississippi.=--The bravest and
+ablest of all the French explorers was a fur-trader by the name of La
+Salle. This daring man, whose life was filled with romantic adventures
+and hardships, bravely undergone, gave France the right to claim as her
+own the vast domain of the Mississippi valley.
+
+On Lake Erie, La Salle built a small vessel, in which he sailed to the
+westward over the Great Lakes. In the year 1682, with a few companions,
+he floated down the mighty Mississippi until he reached the Gulf of
+Mexico.
+
+  [Illustration: LA SALLE AT THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI.]
+
+With solemn ceremonies he claimed for France all the country drained by
+this great river and its branches. This enormous territory, extending
+from the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains, he named Louisiana in honor
+of his king, Louis XIV. The narrow strip of land held by the English
+along the Atlantic seaboard seemed a feeble possession compared with
+the vast untrodden wilderness known as "New France."
+
+Hand in hand with the French explorers and fur-traders, and often in
+advance of them, went the Jesuit missionaries. In their efforts to carry
+their religion to the Indians and convert them to their faith, these
+zealous men boldly struck out into the unbroken wilderness of the great
+West. They often became brave and intelligent explorers. All hardships
+and all dangers, and even torture by the Indians, they endured without a
+murmur.
+
+=105. Beginning of the Contests between the French and English
+Colonists.=--At the time the French and English were making settlements
+on this continent, and for many long and weary years, with very short
+intervals of rest, Europe was cursed with war. Whether these cruel
+strifes between the nations arose from political ambition, greed for
+gain, or common jealousy, there was always intermingled the same old
+undercurrent of religious hatred. The French settlers in this country
+were Roman Catholics, while the English were almost all Protestants.
+Hence it is not strange that these bitter religious controversies were
+not confined to the Old World, but stained with blood the soil of the
+New.
+
+The English colonists dearly loved their mother country; her wrongs were
+their wrongs. Hence when war was declared between France and England,
+the English colonists readily took up arms against the French.
+
+=106. The French and Indian Wars.=--In the seventy-four years from 1689 to
+1763 the American colonies were involved in four wars, occupying in all
+twenty-seven years. These were called by different names; but the last
+and most important is known as the "French and Indian War," which began
+in 1755 and lasted about eight years.
+
+These long contests really made one continuous series of hostile
+operations, with only a breathing-spell now and then. It was one
+long-drawn-out and stubborn battle to decide whether the French or the
+English should be masters of North America. Jealous of the rich and
+prosperous English colonies on the seaboard, and having determined that
+England should not control the whole of this vast continent, the French
+built a chain of more than sixty forts stretching from Montreal to New
+Orleans.
+
+The French had always treated the Indians with more consideration than
+had their rivals. The Jesuit missionaries had converted many of the red
+men to their religious belief. Sometimes the French took Indian women
+for wives, and often they adopted the red man's ways of living.
+
+=107. The Indians ally themselves with the French.=--When these sons of
+the forest found the English slowly but surely crowding them out of
+their haunts and homes, and saw that their hunting grounds were getting
+reduced to mere strips of territory here and there, it was not strange
+that they felt bitter towards the ever-encroaching new-comers. The
+tribes had steadily diminished, and they were unable to cope
+single-handed with the English. Hence they naturally looked to the
+French for help, and the French readily induced the Indians to join them
+against the English and their American descendants.
+
+It was a fierce struggle. English and American blood flowed like water
+before it was ended. The Indians never fought in open field, but always
+after their own fashion. They trusted to sudden attacks, especially at
+night, and to rapid raids, doing their savage work suddenly and
+retreating swiftly into the forest.
+
+Lonely families and small settlements suffered most. Like lightning out
+of the clear sky came the horror of an Indian night attack. The
+war-whoop waked the midnight sleepers and the glare of burning cabins
+lighted up the darkness.
+
+The massacre of defenseless women and children crimsoned the earth in
+scores of settlements during these cruel wars.
+
+  [Illustration: INDIANS ATTACKING A SETTLER'S CABIN.]
+
+=108. The Indian Attack on Deerfield in the Massachusetts Colony.=--One
+bitter cold night in February, 1704, the French and Indians attacked the
+town of Deerfield in the western part of Massachusetts. For this purpose
+they had walked all the way from Canada on snowshoes. The people had
+been warned of their danger, but the watchmen fell asleep, and the
+villagers were awakened by the war-whoop of their savage foes. About
+fifty men, women, and children were killed, and nearly a hundred
+half-clad captives were marched off through the deep snows. Those who
+could not keep up were killed with the tomahawk.
+
+The minister of the village, Rev. John Williams, his wife and six
+children, were among those captured and carried to Canada. The wife
+lagged behind and was killed. Strange to say, however, the minister and
+all his children, though they suffered all manner of hardships, and were
+sold as captives, after a time reached home in safety. The good man
+lived to write an account of his adventures.
+
+One little girl seven years old was treated kindly by her captors and
+was brought up as one of their tribe. She married an Indian chief and
+long afterwards visited her people in Deerfield. She wore the Indian
+dress and had come to love the wild life. Her former friends and
+neighbors begged her to stay with them, but "she returned to the fires
+of her own wigwam, and to the love of her Mohawk children."
+
+=109. Hannah Dustin's Famous Adventure with the Indians.=--The story of
+Hannah Dustin, of Haverhill, Mass., has often been told. One day in 1697
+the Indians attacked the village. Mr. Dustin saved all his family except
+his wife and her nurse, who were captured. They marched these women and
+an English boy many long days to their camp on an island far up the
+Merrimac River. As Mrs. Dustin's babe prevented her keeping up well on
+the journey, an Indian cruelly killed it.
+
+The boy, who understood the Indian language, heard the savages tell of
+the horrible tortures they intended to inflict upon their captives. When
+Mrs. Dustin heard of this she laid her plans. She made the lad slyly
+learn from the Indians how to swing a tomahawk and where to strike.
+
+One night, when the savages lay around the camp-fire sound asleep, the
+three captives arose softly, each killed with one blow the Indian
+nearest, then three more, and so on till ten were finished. One young
+boy and one squaw escaped. It was an awful thing for Mrs. Dustin to do,
+but the memory of her murdered child made her brave and strong. They
+seized an Indian canoe, and the three paddled swiftly down the river,
+and half dead with hunger and fatigue reached home. Their friends could
+hardly believe their eyes. The heroic woman brought home ten Indian
+scalps as proof of what she had done.
+
+=110. How the Colonial Boys learned to shoot.=--We can now well understand
+that the settlement of a new country amid hostile Indians demanded from
+our colonial fathers eternal vigilance, and developed in them remarkable
+skill with firearms.
+
+Even the colonial boy, we are told, as soon as he was big enough to
+level a musket, was given powder and ball to shoot squirrels. After a
+little practice he was required to bring in as many squirrels as he was
+given charges for the gun, under penalty of a severe lecture, or even of
+having his "jacket tanned"!
+
+At the age of twelve the boy became a block-house soldier, with a
+loophole assigned him from which to shoot when the settlement was
+attacked by the Indians.
+
+Growing older, he became a hunter of deer, bears, and other wild
+animals, and had at any moment, day or night, to be in readiness to pit
+his life against those of hostile Indians.
+
+=111. Capture of Louisburg.=--During the third French and Indian war,
+which began when George Washington was a boy of fourteen and which
+lasted four years, the New England colonists determined to strike a hard
+blow against France. They fitted out an army of about four thousand
+fishermen and farmers, put their expedition under the command of General
+William Pepperell, and sailed from Boston to capture Louisburg on the
+island of Cape Breton.
+
+With its walls of masonry thirty feet high this was the strongest
+fortress on the continent except Quebec, and was known as the "Gibraltar
+of America." It commanded the entrance to the Gulf and the mouth of the
+St. Lawrence. With the aid of a British fleet the colonists laid siege
+to the great fortress.
+
+After a lively contest of about six weeks, Louisburg was taken (1745).
+The colonial army returned to Boston and was received with shouts of
+joy. But at the close of the war Louisburg was restored to the French.
+Great was the wrath of the colonists, who spoke of the day of surrender
+as "a black day, to be forever blotted out of New England calendars."
+
+=112. The Struggle beyond the Alleghanies.=--For a long time the Alleghany
+Mountains served as a natural boundary between the English settlements
+in the East and the French trading-posts and forts in the West.
+
+Meanwhile the English settlers were steadily pushing westward over the
+mountains and beginning to trade with the Indians on the other side. The
+French merchants often met their hated rivals in the woods and quarreled
+with them. From the first, England claimed all this country as her own,
+and looked upon the building of French forts as an invasion of her
+territory. The French stirred up the Indians to drive the English away,
+and would not even allow them to make so much as a survey of land in the
+rich Ohio valley.
+
+=113. Young George Washington selected for an Arduous Undertaking.=--This
+action of the French aroused the wrath of the prosperous Virginia colony
+and of its energetic governor. He decided to send a letter to the French
+commander warning him to leave the country. Governor Dinwiddie selected
+for this task a land surveyor only twenty-one years of age. His name was
+George Washington. He was even then known for his courage, his sound
+judgment, and his knowledge of the Indians.
+
+It was a journey of more than a thousand miles there and back, through
+an unbroken wilderness. With seven companions young Washington set out
+on his perilous trip in the fall of 1753. They climbed mountains, swam
+streams, and threaded their way through mountain ravines, following
+Indian trails which no white man had ever seen before.
+
+After many hardships they reached the French posts. The French commander
+read the letter that Washington had brought from the governor of
+Virginia. He replied that he was there by command of his superior
+officers, and that he meant to drive every Englishman out of the Ohio
+valley! There was nothing for Washington to do but to start for home.
+Winter had now set in and it was soon severely cold. The homeward
+journey became a serious matter. The pack-horses gave out. The brave
+young leader and his guide pressed ahead on foot. Often as they lay down
+at night their wet clothing froze fast upon them. They secured an Indian
+as a guide, but he proved a scamp. One evening at dusk he raised his gun
+and fired at Washington, but missed his aim. The guide seized the
+savage, flung him to the ground, and would have killed him, but
+Washington spared his life. After many hardships and dangers the two men
+reached home in safety.
+
+=114. The Beginning of the Final Struggle.=--The final struggle was now
+impending between England and France to determine which should control
+America. The contest began in earnest in Virginia. Washington had taken
+advantage of his perilous errand to the French commander to select a
+place for an English fort. It was at the point where the Alleghany and
+Monongahela rivers unite to form the Ohio. This is the spot where the
+city of Pittsburgh now stands. It was the main entrance to the valley of
+the Ohio. For many years it was called the "Gateway of the West." The
+English built a fort on this spot, but the French easily captured it and
+held it under the name of Fort Du Quesne.
+
+=115. Braddock's Ill-Fated Expedition.=--Affairs now became so serious
+that General Braddock was sent out from England with two regiments of
+regulars. Early in the year 1755 he began his march through the Virginia
+forests to recapture the French stronghold. He selected Washington as a
+member of his staff. "I want you," said the British general, "to take
+your Virginia riflemen and go with me and my veterans to drive the
+French from Ohio." Washington consented. He joined Braddock's army with
+three companies of Virginia riflemen.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON ATTEMPTING TO RALLY BRADDOCK'S REGULARS.]
+
+The English general and his regulars were brave, but they knew nothing
+about fighting Indians. Never did an army seem better prepared. They
+felt sure of victory. Soon they plunged into the forest. There were no
+roads there. After a hard march of four weeks they came within a few
+miles of the French fort. Washington warned the proud British general
+of his peril. "The Indians," said he, "may attack us in yonder deep
+pass. Let me go ahead with my riflemen and skirmish for the savages."
+
+Braddock was an old soldier, and he thought he knew more than his young
+staff-officer who had learned from experience how to fight Indians. The
+general laughed at the well-meant advice. Next day, as they were
+marching through a deep ravine, suddenly came the yells of savages and
+the crack of rifles. The British veterans were eager to fight, but they
+could see no foe. The men were shot down like sheep.
+
+The young Virginian and his riflemen leaped behind trees and rocks and
+fought the Indians in their own way. All was confusion. Braddock acted
+bravely. He had five horses killed under him. He did all that a valiant
+man in such a situation could do; but it was in vain.
+
+=116. Washington saves Braddock's Army from Destruction.=--Washington and
+his Virginia rangers saved Braddock's army from destruction. The French
+and the Indians knew well the tall figure of Washington, who was in the
+thickest of the fight, and they kept firing at him. Two horses were shot
+under him. Four bullets passed through his clothing, but he did not
+receive a scratch.
+
+Many years afterwards an old Indian chief came to see Washington, and
+told him that he had fired from ambush on the dreadful day of Braddock's
+defeat, and both he and his young warriors had often aimed at him as he
+rode about delivering the general's orders; but as they could not hit
+him, they had concluded that he was under the protection of the Great
+Spirit and could not be slain in battle.
+
+Braddock was at last hit. He sank to the ground mortally wounded. "What
+is to be done now?" he faintly asked. "We must retreat," replied
+Washington.
+
+A retreat was ordered, and Washington and his riflemen defended the rear
+so well that what was left of the routed army at last reached a place of
+safety. More than seven hundred of them had fallen, including Braddock
+himself and three-fourths of his officers. What a penalty the proud
+British general paid for refusing to take good advice!
+
+=117. The Virginians fight desperately for their Homes.=--The French were
+now left in full possession of all the region west of the Alleghanies.
+The Indians took advantage of the situation to make fresh attacks upon
+the Virginia colonists.
+
+The Virginians fought with desperation for their homes. Washington was
+put in command of the forces. He wrote that "the supplicating tears of
+the women and the moving petitions of the men melted him into deadly
+sorrow." Three years after the Braddock calamity, Washington again
+marched his men through the woods against Fort Du Quesne and recaptured
+it.
+
+The capture of this stronghold was an important event to the colonists,
+for a highway which was never afterwards closed was then opened to the
+great West. The name of the fort was changed to Pittsburgh, in honor of
+England's illustrious prime minister, William Pitt, who had planned the
+expedition.
+
+It was just this experience in hard fighting against the French and
+Indians that providentially aided in fitting Washington to win success
+as commander-in-chief of the American forces in the fast approaching war
+of the Revolution.
+
+=118. Quebec, the carefully guarded Stronghold.=--We must remember that
+there had been fighting for nearly two years in America before England
+really declared war against France in 1756. During this time the French
+had held the mastery, and the English had met with sad reverses. A new
+leader had now come into power in England, the great statesman, William
+Pitt.
+
+The influence of this remarkable man changed the course of affairs as if
+by magic. He fully understood America's greatest needs. From this time
+the English were everywhere successful. Important forts were taken from
+the French, such as Niagara, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point.
+
+There was only one great stronghold left to the French. This was Quebec
+on the St. Lawrence. It was not only one of the strongest fortresses in
+the world, but it was commanded by the Marquis de Montcalm, one of the
+ablest generals of his time.
+
+=119. How Quebec was taken.=--A brave young officer, General Wolfe, was
+sent out from England to command the attack on Quebec. The outlook was
+enough to discourage any one, however experienced and skillful. The fort
+itself is on a high point of land overlooking the city. The English
+troops were on the river-bank, hundreds of feet below.
+
+Every movement of the English was reported at once to the French. Wolfe
+was at first repulsed at every point. One day, as he was reconnoitering,
+he discovered a steep and narrow path which led up the precipitous bluff
+to a level spot known as the Plains of Abraham. He made up his mind to
+climb it with his men.
+
+Soon afterwards the English troops were quietly rowed down the river,
+under the cover of darkness, to a little bay since known as Wolfe's
+Cove. As the young English general glided along in his boat, he quoted
+extracts from Gray's "Elegy in a Country Churchyard." As he repeated the
+stanza beginning, "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power," he said
+that he would rather have written that poem than take Quebec. The little
+pathway was reached. Wolfe leaped first on shore. Under his leadership
+the English soldiers climbed the steep.
+
+  [Illustration: WOLFE'S MEN CLIMBING TO THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM.]
+
+At sunrise on the morning of Sept. 13, 1759, the British army, five
+thousand strong, stood on the Plains of Abraham. Great was the amazement
+of the French general, for he thought it impossible for any one to scale
+the cliffs. Montcalm chose to come out of the fortress and fight the
+English on the open ground. This was a fatal mistake, for after a
+fierce struggle the French were defeated.
+
+In the hour of victory Wolfe was fatally wounded. While dying he heard
+the cry, "They run! they run!" Rousing himself he asked, "Who run?" Upon
+being told it was the French he exclaimed: "Now God be praised; I will
+die in peace!" Montcalm was also fatally wounded. When told he could not
+live, the gallant Frenchman cried out, "So much the better; I shall not
+live to see the surrender of Quebec!"
+
+The French retired within their fortifications, but in a few days Quebec
+was surrendered into the hands of the English. The fate of Canada was
+decided by the fall of this city.
+
+=120. The End of the War and the Result.=--Although the victory at Quebec
+practically ended the French and Indian War, it was not until 1763 that
+peace was declared. By the treaty France gave up to England the whole of
+Canada, together with all the territory between the Alleghanies and the
+Mississippi, except the city of New Orleans. She retained a few barren
+islands near Newfoundland as a shelter for her fishermen. The vast
+region spreading westward from the Mississippi towards the Pacific,
+under the name Louisiana, together with the city of New Orleans, was
+made over to Spain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.
+
+
+=121. Severe and Curious Punishments.=--In the early colonial times the
+laws were for the most part rigid and the punishments severe. Criminals
+were occasionally branded with a hot iron. If a man shot a fowl on
+Sunday, he was often publicly whipped. Small offenses were punished in a
+way which would not be tolerated in our times. A woman who had been
+complained of as a scold was placed in front of her house with a stick
+tied in her mouth. Sometimes a common scold was fastened to what was
+known as a "ducking stool" at one end of a seesaw plank, and ducked in a
+pond or river!
+
+Some crimes were punished by making the offender stand up on a stool in
+some public place, while fastened to his breast was a large placard on
+which his crime was printed in coarse letters, as LIAR or THIEF. There
+were in some colonies public whipping-posts for the special benefit of
+hardened offenders. In other cases the stocks were used, the culprit
+being seated on a bench in a public place, his feet projecting through
+holes in a plank; or the pillory, where he had to stand up with his neck
+and wrists painfully confined in a similar way. These last two modes of
+punishment were a source of no small amusement to the throng that
+gathered around, whose jeers and scorn must have been hard to bear. Once
+a couple of men in Plymouth county had a brisk little quarrel, and they
+were punished by being bound together for twenty-four hours, head to
+head and foot to foot.
+
+  [Illustration: CULPRITS IN THE PILLORY AND STOCKS.]
+
+=122. How Sunday was kept.=--Sunday was rigidly observed in New England.
+In olden times, and almost to our own day, the Lord's Day was made to
+begin at sunset on Saturday evening. Sunday schools were not then known.
+But every person was compelled to attend religious service or be
+punished. If a man stayed away from church for a month without a good
+excuse, he might be put in the stocks or into a wooden cage. No word
+could be spoken with impunity against the church or the rulers. He who
+used his tongue too freely was placed in the pillory or stocks, or was
+fined, and in some extreme cases he lost his ears.
+
+The minister was the great man of the village. He was looked up to and
+consulted about nearly everything, and he generally decided what
+punishment should be inflicted on evil-doers. In earliest times the
+people were called to meeting by drumbeat or by the blowing of a horn.
+The log meeting-house had oiled paper windows, or, if of glass, small
+diamond-shaped panes set in leaden frames made in England.
+
+Inside there was no fire and there were no cushions. Families did not
+sit together as now; but old men, young men, and women all sat by
+themselves. Boys occupied the pulpit steps or the gallery. On a bench
+just below the preacher sat the row of deacons, facing the congregation.
+If aged, they wore bright-colored flannel caps to protect their heads
+from numerous drafts. It was the business of the deacons to "line off"
+the Psalms as the people sang them. Books being very scarce, most of the
+congregation did not have any: accordingly the deacon would read aloud
+two lines, and when these were sung, read the next two, and so on. Every
+one sang. There was no choir, no organ, no instrumental music of any
+kind, and no hymns such as we have now. They sang the Psalms, which
+were arranged in metre for convenience in singing.
+
+=123. The Discomforts of attending Church in Colonial Days.=--As the
+meeting-house was bitter cold in midwinter, women often carried
+foot-stoves, small sheet-iron boxes containing a few hot coals, which
+were a source of great comfort. The sermons were tedious, lasting two
+hours or even more; for those patient people valued a sermon very much
+according to its length. On the pulpit stood an hour-glass, which a
+deacon would reverse when the sands of the hour had fallen through.
+
+Since the seats were hard, and the sermons long, and the men and women
+had worked early and late through the week, it was no wonder that some
+of the hearers were sleepy. It was, however, a serious offense to sleep
+in meeting. The watchful tithing-man, as he was called, was always on
+the lookout for drowsy people. It was his duty to see that the Lord's
+Day was respected by every person. He was armed with a long rod, one end
+tipped with a hare's foot and the other with a hare's tail. If the
+slumberer was a woman, he used to touch, possibly to tickle, her face
+with the soft fur. But if a youngster nodded, his head got a sharp rap
+from the rabbit's foot.
+
+People in those days had to be thrifty. To save wear and tear, boys and
+girls walked barefoot to church in summer, with their shoes and
+stockings under their arms. They put them on as they entered the
+meeting-house, taking them off again as they started for home.
+
+  [Illustration: NEW ENGLAND FIRESIDE IN COLONIAL TIMES.]
+
+=124. The Food in Olden Times; what it was, and how it was served.=--In
+old colonial times our wheat bread was comparatively unknown. Loaves
+were made of mixed Indian meal and rye, not unlike the brown bread of
+our time. Baked pumpkin with milk was a favorite dish. Bean porridge was
+always a common article of food, and in some parts of the country it is
+still popular. It was made by boiling beans with the liquor in which
+corned beef had been cooked. It was very convenient for wood-choppers in
+winter to carry a frozen piece of porridge in their pockets and thaw it
+out for dinner in the woods. The longer it was kept, the better it
+tasted. Hence the common rhyme, "Bean porridge hot, bean porridge cold;
+bean porridge in the pot; nine days old."
+
+In well-to-do families the cupboard or dresser shone with well-scoured
+pewter plates, platters, and porringers. Square wooden plates were often
+used; but with some poorer families there was one common dish used, from
+which the whole family helped themselves with their fingers.
+
+Instead of forks, which were not known, they had thick and clumsy pewter
+spoons. These were easily broken, and they often had to be melted up and
+run over again into moulds by men who traveled from house to house for
+this purpose. In fact shoemakers, tailors, dressmakers, butchers, and
+other highly useful artisans traveled about from one family to another
+in pursuit of work.
+
+=125. Schools in Olden Times; the Schoolmaster; Schoolhouses and how they
+were furnished.=--In most of the colonies the settlers were hardly
+located in their new homes before they began to provide schools for
+their children. In 1635 the town of Boston "voted to entreat brother
+Philemon Pormont to become schoolmaster," and, in 1647, the law was
+passed which is the foundation of the splendid educational system of
+Massachusetts.
+
+Only six years after Boston was founded, the sum of two thousand dollars
+was set apart to found "a seminary at Cambridge," which has now become
+Harvard University. For years afterwards, every family gave annually one
+peck of corn, or one shilling in money, to support the young college.
+
+Besides the usual branches, the early schools were required to teach
+religion and morals and the laws. They taught little enough of what we
+call school studies.
+
+The schoolhouses were rough and crude. They usually had but one room.
+Within the room, the door and the big fireplace were on one side, while
+against the other three walls was a long, rough shelf, in front of which
+was a seat made of a split log with legs driven beneath. The pupils
+faced the wall with their backs to the teacher. In front was another
+lower bench filled by the younger pupils. The teacher sat near the
+middle of the room, and there the classes stood to recite. The sessions
+were long, seven or eight hours a day. The boys had to furnish the
+firewood, and if any unlucky fellow failed to bring in his share, he
+had to sit in a cold corner for that day. When the fire was brisk, the
+scholars were almost roasted on one side and nearly frozen on the other.
+
+The teachers were often incompetent, either broken-down men or needy
+widows. The children brought each a few pennies a week for tuition.
+There were not many text-books, and the supplies were very scanty. The
+scholars often learned to write and "cast accounts" on pieces of white
+birchbark.
+
+=126. Newspapers, Traveling, and the Night Watchman.=--The first printing
+press was set up at Cambridge in 1639. It was used chiefly to print
+sermons and small pamphlets. The first newspaper published in America
+was the _Boston News-Letter_ in 1704. It was a weekly, a brown sheet
+hardly more than a foot square. News traveled slowly, for there was
+little communication between city and city. Travelers were few, and
+conveyances were slow. A stage-coach that made forty miles a day between
+New York and Philadelphia was called, on account of its great speed, the
+"flying machine."
+
+In the cities, news was announced in the daytime by the public crier,
+who walked the streets ringing a large hand-bell, and pausing at the
+corners, where he recited his message of child lost, or reward offered,
+or the happening of any important event. In the night the town
+watchman, with rattle and lantern, paced the streets, stopping every
+person he met after nine o'clock to demand his name and business. He
+also called aloud the hours of the night in a sing-song tone:
+"Twelve-o'clock-and-all-'s-well."
+
+Sometimes his night cry was intensely interesting. At Philadelphia in
+October, 1781, evening after evening every one went to bed anxious about
+our army at Yorktown, and hoping every hour to hear tidings of victory.
+One night the old watchman's cry was heard echoing along the lonely
+streets: "Two-o'clock-and-Cornwallis-'s-captured!" How the windows flew
+up! and how the hearty cheers burst along from house to house all
+through the city!
+
+=127. Other Details of Home Life in the Colonies.=--The home life of the
+colonists improved as the years passed, but until the Revolution it was
+very crude. In the families of well-to-do people the earth floors of
+early days were replaced by boards, the proudest decoration of which was
+a sprinkling of white sand, which on great occasions was swept into
+ornamental waves with a broom. The door latch was for a long time of
+wood, lifted by pulling a string hanging outside. Hence the hospitable
+invitation used to be: "Come over and see us! We keep the latchstring
+out." At night the string was drawn in, and that locked the door.
+
+As there were no friction matches, fire was started by striking a spark
+with flint and steel, which was caught on a bit of half-burned rag, and
+then brought to a blaze with a splinter of wood tipped with sulphur. On
+a cold morning, if one's fire was out and these tools were not at hand,
+the resort was to send a boy to a neighbor for a brand!
+
+  [Illustration: NIGHT WATCHMAN ANNOUNCING THE CAPTURE OF CORNWALLIS.]
+
+=128. How our Forefathers clothed themselves.=--The clothing worn by men,
+women, and children was nearly all home-made from the wool of their own
+sheep. It was a matter of pride with a good housewife to supply all the
+nice warm clothes needed by her family, and the daughters were brought
+up to card and spin and weave clothing, bedding, and table linen. After
+a time very fine linen was made, especially by the Scotch-Irish settlers
+who were skillful in raising flax and in weaving linen. We may safely
+infer that the women of those days were obliged to work early and late
+to provide warm clothing for themselves and oftentimes for large
+families. In fact it was for many years regarded as almost a disgrace to
+purchase clothing which might have been made at home.
+
+But some were disposed to shine in apparel more showy than their purses
+could afford or their rank allow. All such victims of personal vanity
+were liable to be ordered to appear before the court; for any person
+whose estate was less than a thousand dollars was "forbidden to wear
+gold or silver lace, or any lace above two shillings a yard." Once a
+"goodwife" by the name of Alice Flynt was required to show that she was
+worth money enough to be able to wear a silk hood. But the woman proved
+that she was, and she was allowed to wear her finery in triumph. In like
+manner, "goodman" Jonas Fairbanks was arrested for wearing "great
+boots," meaning boots with high tops that turned over showy red. He too
+escaped punishment and continued to sport his extravagance.
+
+=129. How the Wealthier People lived.=--But after a while in the cities,
+the really wealthy, of whom there were not a few, often dressed in fine
+style. Gentlemen when fully equipped wore three-cornered cocked hats,
+long velvet coats, embroidered silk waistcoats with flaps weighted with
+lead, breeches coming only to the knees, long silk stockings, and
+pointed shoes adorned with large silver buckles. Stately men wore their
+hair powdered, a long queue hanging down the back, where it was tied
+with a black ribbon. The clothing was often enriched with gold and
+silver lace, and glittering buttons. A mass of lace ruffles adorned the
+wrists and flowed over the hands. The street cloak glistened with gold
+lace, while a gold-headed cane and a gold snuff-box confirmed the
+wearer's title to rank as a gentleman.
+
+  [Illustration: HOSPITALITY IN A SOUTHERN MANSION.]
+
+Ladies of wealth in the city wore rich heavy silk over stiff hoops, and
+towering hats adorned with tall feathers, with hair massed and powdered
+as if with snowflakes. All the fashions of high life were very exacting
+and precise. The wealth and style of the cities were displayed in the
+fine houses, the heavy, rich furniture imported from England, the
+massive silver plate of the tables, the luxurious living, and the choice
+wines.
+
+The forms of address, too, showed the social rank. The terms "lady" and
+"gentleman" were applied only to persons of recognized standing. Our
+everyday title of "Mr." was conferred only upon ministers and the
+officers of the law, and upon their sons if college bred. The title
+"Mrs." was limited to the wives of prominent men. But if Mr. John Smith
+was proved guilty of any offense, as theft or lying, he was always
+afterwards known only as John Smith. For ordinary people above the grade
+of servants the title of "Goody" was in common use, meaning either
+"Goodman" or "Goodwife."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION.
+
+
+=130. Our Forefathers, Men of Rare Ability and Sterling Character.=--Many
+of our forefathers who had been driven from England to this country by
+persecution were men of rare ability and sterling character. Some had
+served their nation with credit in the army; others had won social and
+political honors. Independent in their way of thinking, fearless in
+speech and action, they were sternly opposed to governmental oppression.
+They believed that royal power should be held within well-defined
+limits. They would not tamely submit, as many did, to abuses from a bad
+government and tyrannical kings.
+
+=131. The Story of their Wrongs told to their Children.=--Now we may
+safely believe that the early settlers told their children all about the
+persecutions in England. The young folks learned well the sad tale of
+how their fathers had been punished, and some of their neighbors hanged
+or burned alive for worshiping God in what they thought the right way,
+and how, for this reason, they had sought a shelter in the New World.
+
+As the years passed, these children grew up to be men, and in their turn
+they told it all to their sons. Again, when the new generation came upon
+the stage of action, the fathers repeated it to their boys, and these,
+when they attained manly strength, became the very heroes that fought so
+bravely at Bunker Hill and King's Mountain and on many another
+battlefield!
+
+=132. A Feeling of Brotherhood among the Colonies.=--Then there was a
+sense of freedom, an inspiration to liberty, in this open, unsubdued,
+apparently boundless land. The free ocean, the immense forests, the
+eternal mountains, all seemed to teach that here man was to be his own
+master; that in this wide, new country, the people were destined to rule
+themselves, and not bound to obey some stupid and obstinate king three
+thousand miles away.
+
+The colonies along the coast, having the same language, with similar
+laws and customs, and having shared like sufferings from hunger and cold
+and the Indians, were naturally drawn together by a feeling of
+brotherhood.
+
+=133. Cruel and Short-Sighted Policy of the Royal Governors.=--Before long
+there came up real grievances. One fact that diminished the affection of
+our forefathers for the mother country was the harsh treatment they
+received from many of the governors sent over by the king. For the
+colonies were not allowed to elect their own governors, nor could they
+choose even the governor's council of advisers. These were appointed by
+the monarch far away, who cared little for the Americans except to
+extort money from them.
+
+Indeed, the English king seemed to think almost anybody would do for
+governor who contrived to wring money enough out of his distant
+subjects. Many of the royal governors were self-conceited, arrogant, and
+tyrannical. Consequently in some of the colonies there was almost
+incessant quarreling between the governors and the people. By and by the
+colonies came to be treated, not as a part of the home country, but as a
+sort of foreign district to furnish a royal revenue.
+
+=134. The Colonies begin to prosper.=--Notwithstanding all their
+hardships, the colonies prospered. The people were wonderfully
+enterprising. They built ships and made a great deal of money by trading
+with the West Indies, France, Spain, and other countries. The New
+Englanders alone had over five hundred vessels engaged in domestic and
+foreign commerce and in profitable fisheries.
+
+The early colonists were ingenious. They built and ran a sawmill a
+hundred years before one was erected in England. They exported great
+quantities of excellent lumber. They began very early to manufacture
+farmer's tools, leather, boots and shoes, woolen cloth, hats, glass,
+paper, salt, and gunpowder. The sale of these goods and of many other
+things produced by them made a profitable trade. In return the colonists
+bought in distant lands a great amount and variety of other merchandise.
+
+=135. The British Government begins its Tyrannical Policy.=--But the
+English rulers, seeing all this prosperity, became jealous and said:
+"This will never do! We must stop it! Those distant colonists across the
+ocean are driving a great trade; the foreign nations they deal with get
+their money. We must have it; we must compel them to do all their
+trading with us." And that is what the English government tried to do.
+By 1750 not less than twenty-nine Acts of Parliament had been passed
+with the intent to have all of the loss in trade fall on the colonies
+and all the gain come to England.
+
+In 1761 it was decided to enforce the so-called Navigation Acts,
+forbidding the colonies to have any foreign commerce except in British
+ships. Our colonial merchants were not allowed to export goods, nor to
+import any except from England or her colonies. They must not import any
+sugar or molasses without paying on it a heavy duty, which went to the
+king. Under these unjust laws the British traders could fix low prices
+on all they bought, and high prices on all they sold, and thus by this
+double-edged method could shape their profits to suit themselves.
+
+=136. Other Absurd and Tyrannical Laws.=--Still more odious than these
+navigation laws were other absurd and tyrannical regulations made to
+cripple the industries and manufactures of the colonies. The fact was,
+the English Parliament meant that England's workshops should do all the
+manufacturing, her merchants all the trading, and her ships all the
+carrying for the colonies, that they might keep in England all the
+immense profits of the colonial trade.
+
+To bring this about, laws were passed forbidding the manufacture of all
+such goods as English shops could produce. For instance, iron must not
+be made from the abundant mines of our country. We must buy all our
+hardware from England. It was a crime to use the wool from our own sheep
+in making woolen goods, and we were forbidden to sell these articles
+from one colony to another. For example, a Boston hatter could be
+punished if he sold his hats in New York. Men were forbidden to cut down
+trees on their own lands for staves and barrels. For wooden ware, as
+chairs, tables, wheels, wagons, the raw material must be sent to
+England to be worked up, and the finished goods brought back to this
+country.
+
+=137. A Bitter Feeling aroused against the Home Government.=--Now all
+these laws seemed very harsh and unjust. And, indeed, they were
+well-nigh intolerable. They crippled and almost ruined the business of
+the colonies, and violated what our forefathers regarded as their
+natural right to make what they pleased and sell where they pleased.
+
+These laws were so unjust that our forefathers thought there was not
+much wrong in evading them. They smuggled goods and carried them home.
+British officers went around and searched houses from cellar to attic,
+often with rudeness and insults. This conduct created much bitterness of
+feeling. Pine trees of twelve inches or more in diameter were marked
+with the "king's arrow," which showed that they were to be saved for use
+in the navy. It was a criminal offense to cut down any such. However
+much a settler might need them to build his house, he was forbidden to
+touch them. In fact, before he cleared his land, he had to pay an
+officer to come and make the arrow mark on the king's trees!
+
+These unjust and absurd statutes produced a vast deal of ill-will toward
+England. If they had been strictly enforced, no doubt the Revolution
+would have come several years before it did. And yet there was also
+much friendly feeling for the mother country. The friends and relatives
+of the colonists still lived there, letters were constantly exchanged,
+and hundreds of people coming and going every year kept up an affection
+between the two countries. Our people in those times always called
+England "home."
+
+  [Illustration: BRITISH STAMP.]
+
+=138. The Obnoxious Stamp Act.=--There came at last one event which, of
+all the troubles, hastened the Revolution. The French and Indian War had
+cost both England and the colonies a great deal of money. King George
+wanted to compel the colonies to pay part of this expense, and
+accordingly Parliament passed in 1765 the "Stamp Act," the most
+unpopular measure ever tried with the colonists. This law required that
+stamped paper should be used for all bills, bonds, notes, wills, and
+deeds, and even for all pamphlets, almanacs, and newspapers.
+
+Stamps for this purpose had to be bought of stamp officers appointed by
+the king. They were for the most part not unlike our revenue stamps. One
+kind was a red-ink seal, made with a hand stamp; the other a seal on
+blue paper, to be fastened on the article. The cost varied from one
+cent to fifty dollars each. No document was legal unless stamped.
+
+Our people at once saw that if England could levy taxes in this way, she
+could in many other ways, and there would be no end to such high-handed
+and tyrannical laws. Besides, there were no American representatives in
+Parliament, and Americans had no voice at all in the matter. They felt
+that the tax thus laid upon them was wrong. They did not object to
+paying the cost of a trifling tax. They felt bound to resist the rank
+injustice of the demand. It was not the amount but the principle at
+stake.
+
+=139. The Indignation of the People.=--The people were aroused. A storm of
+indignation swept over the land. Violent opposition broke out along the
+entire length of the colonies. They pledged themselves to stand by each
+other. The cry passed through the land: "No taxation without
+representation!" This became the watchword of the country. They did not
+wish to avoid paying a fair assessment in a fair way; but they insisted
+that, as always before, their own legislatures and not Parliament should
+levy the contribution. Our forefathers declared over and over again that
+they would not be taxed by a governing body three thousand miles away,
+whose members had never seen America.
+
+=140. Patrick Henry and his Bold Speech.=--One day the Virginia Assembly
+was in session. Washington was there in his seat, and Jefferson, then a
+young law student, stood listening at the door. Patrick Henry stoutly
+argued that Virginia was not bound to obey any law which was plainly a
+menace to the common freedom of Englishmen.
+
+"Caesar had his Brutus," said the bold and eloquent orator; "Charles the
+First his Cromwell, and George the Third"----
+
+"Treason!" shouted the Speaker of the Assembly, and the cry, "Treason,
+treason!" rang through the room.
+
+  [Illustration: PATRICK HENRY'S BOLD SPEECH.]
+
+The intrepid patriot finished his sentence: "may profit by their
+example. If that be treason, make the most of it!"
+
+=141. The People combine to resist the Hated Law.=--The people combined to
+resist, and a stamp-tax congress was held in New York. Lovers of liberty
+would not deal in stamped goods. They refused to buy a single stamp.
+Riots occurred at the stamp offices. Packages of stamps were seized, and
+some were publicly burned in the streets. Boxes of stamped paper
+arriving in vessels were seized and thrown overboard. Publishers of
+newspapers decorated their headlines with skull and cross-bones instead
+of stamps. Stamp officers were dragged out and compelled to swear they
+would not sell any stamps.
+
+  [Illustration: PATRICK HENRY.]
+
+On the day for the law to take effect, funeral bells were tolled, flags
+were at half-mast, and shops were closed. New England, New York,
+Virginia, and the Carolinas all felt alike and acted alike. William
+Pitt, also called the Earl of Chatham, one of the greatest of
+Englishmen, took his stand on the side of the colonies in a speech of
+surpassing eloquence and power. The hated law was repealed in just one
+year from its passage.
+
+This happy news was received both in England and in America with
+bonfires, ringing of bells, and universal rejoicings. But the joy was
+short-lived. King George, "industrious as a beaver and obstinate as a
+mule," and his followers in Parliament were not slow to pick a fresh
+quarrel with the Americans.
+
+The next year the English Parliament made a law requiring duties to be
+paid on paper, glass, paints, and tea. Again the liberty-loving
+Americans were a unit in opposing any kind of taxation that seemed to
+them illegal. Some of the legislatures protested to Parliament, and King
+George answered by breaking up the legislatures. The people indignantly
+refused to buy any goods at all from England while these taxes were
+demanded. English traders found their business going to ruin. Ships came
+loaded with British goods, and had to carry them back.
+
+=142. Bitter Hatred of the British Soldiers.=--So bitter was the
+opposition in Boston that a regiment of British troops was sent there to
+force the people to submit even at the point of the bayonet. But a brave
+people, determined to be free, is not so easily forced.
+
+The citizens of Boston were ordered to furnish lodging and food for the
+soldiers. They would not do it--not they! Their hatred of the soldiers
+grew more bitter. Brawls often occurred on the streets. The soldiers on
+their part began to be insulting.
+
+=143. Boston Boys stand up for their Rights.=--Even the children took part
+in the quarrels, as an incident will show. During the winter the boys
+used to build snow-slides on Boston Common and slide down upon them to
+the frog pond. The English soldiers destroyed these slides, merely to
+provoke the boys. The young Americans complained of the injury and set
+about repairing it. However, when they returned from school, they found
+the snow-slides destroyed again.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BOSTON BOYS MAKE THEIR PROTEST TO GENERAL GAGE.]
+
+Several of the boys now waited upon one of the under-officers, and told
+him of the conduct of his soldiers; but he would have nothing to say to
+them; and the soldiers were more impudent than ever. At last the boys
+called a meeting and sent a committee of the largest of their number to
+General Gage, the commander-in-chief. He asked why so many boys had
+called upon him.
+
+"We came, sir," said the tallest, "to demand satisfaction."
+
+"What!" said the general; "have your fathers been teaching you
+rebellion, and sent you to show it here?"
+
+"Nobody sent us, sir," he answered, while his cheek reddened and his eye
+flashed. "We have never injured nor insulted your troops; but they have
+trodden down our snow-slides and broken the ice on the pond. We
+complained and they called us young rebels and told us to help ourselves
+if we could. We told one of your officers of this, and he laughed at us.
+Yesterday our slides were destroyed for the third time; and, sir, we
+will bear it no longer."
+
+General Gage was a kind-hearted and courteous gentleman. He looked at
+them with admiration, and said to an officer at his side: "The very
+children draw in a love of liberty with the air they breathe. You may
+go, my brave boys; and be assured, if my soldiers trouble you again,
+they shall be punished."
+
+=144. The Boston Massacre.=--One night in March (1770) some soldiers
+stationed in Boston got into a quarrel, and the noise increased until
+the guard was called out. As the platoon of regulars drew up in line,
+most of the crowd fell back.
+
+A few remained and reviled the red-coat soldiers, shouting,
+"Lobster-backs! Fire if you dare, you cowards! You don't dare to fire!"
+
+Captain Preston, the officer in command, gave the word, "Fire!" The
+regulars fired.
+
+Five men were killed and several wounded. There was now intense
+excitement in Boston. The Old South Church was crowded with an angry
+town-meeting. Thousands filled the streets near by. The people demanded
+that the troops be removed. The governor promised to remove one
+regiment. "Both regiments or none," was the watchword.
+
+Samuel Adams waited upon the governor, and stretching forth his long
+right arm, and pointing his finger at him, he sternly demanded, in the
+name of three thousand freemen, that the royal governor remove every
+British soldier from Boston.
+
+"I observed his knees to tremble," said the stern patriot in after
+years; "I saw his face grow pale--and I enjoyed the sight."
+
+Before sunset of the same day the British troops were removed from the
+city and sent to a fort in the harbor. Not until then did the meeting in
+the Old South break up.
+
+This unfortunate affair was the so-called "Boston Massacre." It did more
+to mould public opinion than weeks of vigorous protest and fine argument
+could have done. It was one step, and an important one too, toward the
+final appeal to the sword and the bayonet.
+
+=145. The Famous Boston Tea Party.=--In view of all these troubles,
+England took off the taxes from everything but tea. King George said he
+must have one tax to maintain the principle of the right of taxation.
+But the colonists refused to drink tea imported from China! The women
+were patriotic and made their tea of raspberry leaves, sage, and other
+plants, rather than use the hated foreign article.
+
+But the government of England was determined we should buy tea, and the
+merchants sent shiploads of it to our large cities. The Americans were
+firm. They vowed that not an ounce of it should land. There was only a
+few cents' tax on each pound. What our people disputed was the right of
+the king to tax. When the tea reached New York and Philadelphia, none
+dared to receive it, lest their houses should be pulled down about their
+heads. In Charleston, S. C., some was taken ashore, but as no one would
+buy it or pay the duty, it was hid in damp cellars, where it soon
+spoiled. In Annapolis it was burned.
+
+At Boston warning was several times given to the masters of the ships to
+sail out of the harbor. On the last day before the tea must be landed or
+be prevented by force from landing, a town-meeting was held in the Old
+South Church. The crowd in the church, and in the streets about it,
+numbered more than seven thousand people. "It was to be," says John
+Fiske, "one of the most momentous days in the history of the world."
+The discussion continued until dark, and candles were brought in. It was
+decided that the tea should not be landed.
+
+"Who knows," shouted one in the audience, "how tea will mix with salt
+water?"
+
+The church fairly shook with cheers.
+
+Then up rose Samuel Adams and quickly said: "This meeting can do nothing
+more to save the country."
+
+This was the signal. A war-whoop was heard outside the door, and forty
+or fifty men, disguised as Indians, went quietly aboard the three
+vessels, and before the nine-o'clock bell rang three hundred and
+forty-two chests of tea had been cut open and their contents emptied
+into Boston Harbor. This was the famous "Boston Tea Party" we have so
+often heard of, and it took place in the middle of December in 1773. A
+large crowd of the friends of these men stood on shore until the deed
+was done, and then, without doing any other injury to property, all
+separated and went home in the clear, frosty moonlight.
+
+The next morning there was not a chest of taxed tea in Boston, on
+shipboard or on shore, and Paul Revere was riding post haste to
+Philadelphia to let the good people of that city know that Boston had at
+last thrown down the gauntlet.
+
+One of the "Indians" found a handful of tea in his shoe the next
+morning. He carefully saved it and sealed it in a bottle. It is still
+shown as a souvenir of this informal "tea party" in Boston harbor.
+
+One rash fellow, probably thinking that his family would like a good
+drink of real tea, cut open the lining of his coat and waistcoat, and,
+watching his chance, filled them with tea; but he was caught in the act
+and handled pretty roughly.
+
+=146. Attempts to punish Boston.=--"Boston shall be punished," said King
+George when he heard of the "tea party." Parliament passed the "Boston
+Port Bill." By this act the port of Boston was closed. No vessel could
+go in or out except under the most rigid conditions. The object of
+course was to frighten or force the Boston people into yielding to the
+royal power.
+
+Near-by towns and the other colonies came to their help by sending food
+and other needed articles. The southern colonies sent flour and rice,
+the middle furnished corn and money, and many towns sent sheep and
+cattle. One town in Connecticut sent a flock of two hundred and fifty
+sheep. Marblehead sent fish, and other towns grain.
+
+Warm sympathy came from Virginia. "If need be," said Washington, "I will
+raise a thousand men, subsist them at my own expense, and march myself
+at their head for the relief of Boston." In fact all the colonies took
+up the cause of Boston as their own. Of course the blockade made great
+hardship for the poor. There was much suffering from the scarcity of
+fuel and food. Still the people, as resolute as their leaders, made
+little complaint and caused no disorder.
+
+Dr. Joseph Warren overheard some British officers boast that if a
+patriot ever addressed the people again in the Old South Church, he
+would surely lose his life. This was enough. Warren begged the honor.
+The church was so crowded that he had to get a ladder and climb in
+through a window at the back of the pulpit. Many British officers were
+present who annoyed the speaker with groans and hisses. The fearless
+patriot, however, made a stirring speech "on the baneful influence of
+standing armies in time of peace."
+
+=147. The Home Government adopts Stringent Measures.=--The charter of
+Massachusetts was annulled, and its free government taken away. General
+Gage, the commander of the British army in America, was ordered to
+Boston with several regiments and was appointed military governor with
+despotic power. Cannon were mounted on the heights, tents pitched on the
+Common, and companies of red-coats were marching to and fro in the
+streets.
+
+The effect was exactly what the wisest men in Parliament had predicted.
+They had said that the colonies would unite more firmly, and that the
+American people would be driven into open rebellion. King George was
+obstinate and used all his influence to push the most obnoxious Acts
+through Parliament.
+
+=148. The First Continental Congress.=--The first Continental Congress
+held its first meeting at Philadelphia in September, 1774. The ablest
+men of the colonies were sent as delegates. They forwarded to the king a
+candid statement of their grievances. It did no good. Massachusetts was
+declared in a state of rebellion. In truth, it looked like it.
+
+Such a condition of affairs could not last long. The feeling was intense
+against the king and his all-powerful friends. Arguments were useless.
+The royal authority was boldly and stubbornly defied. The sword and the
+bayonet must now decide whether king or people were to rule in America.
+
+"The contest may be severe, but the end will be glorious," said the
+martyr-patriot Warren, who soon after fell at Bunker Hill.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
+
+
+=149. The Patriots prepare for War.=--When General Gage began to increase
+slowly the number of troops in Boston, and especially when he began to
+fortify Boston Neck, it was plain enough that this meant war. The people
+on their part began to prepare anxiously for the coming struggle. Every
+one felt that desperate times were near at hand. The patriots quickly
+collected arms and ammunition and, having packed them in loads of hay
+and similar disguises to deceive the British spies, sent them for safe
+keeping to Concord, about sixteen miles northwest of Boston.
+
+=150. Gage forms Plans to capture Military Stores.=--General Gage soon
+learned this, and made secret preparations to capture these supplies.
+Inasmuch as in previous expeditions of this kind he had met with
+failure, the advantage of a surprise was this time to be increased by
+the presence of a large force. The Americans, however, were quite as
+keen of sight and hearing as their enemies, and had even more reason to
+keep a sharp lookout.
+
+About midnight on the 18th of April, 1775, Gage quietly sent out from
+Boston nearly eight hundred soldiers. He had two objects in view; to
+seize the military stores at Concord, and to arrest Samuel Adams and
+"his ready and willing tool," that "terrible desperado," John Hancock.
+
+Gage thought the start of his midnight soldiers was quite unknown to the
+Americans. He never suspected that Warren and other vigilant patriots
+had been watching every movement, and were determined to thwart his
+plans. At about ten or eleven o'clock, two hours before the British
+soldiers embarked, a signal lantern hung out of the belfry of the Old
+North Church in Boston, and in a few minutes another by its side--"One,
+if by land, and two, if by sea"--flashed the tidings of the coming
+expedition.
+
+=151. The Country about Boston aroused.=--An hour or two before the
+British troops began to cross in boats to Charlestown, two horsemen, who
+had been watching for the lantern lights in the steeple, dashed out on
+swift steeds by different roads towards Lexington and Concord: William
+Dawes went like an arrow over Boston Neck, and then through Roxbury and
+Watertown, while Paul Revere across the water sped as if on wings from
+Charlestown. Their swift horses' hoofs clattered sharply in the quiet of
+this beautiful night, striking fire from the stones in the darkness.
+But at almost every house they paused a moment to arouse the sleepers.
+"Wake up!" they shouted. Windows flew open.
+
+"What's the matter?"--"What's the mat-ter?"
+
+"Matter enough, you'll find, by daylight!" was the hurried reply. "The
+British are coming!"
+
+=152. The Night March to Concord.=--Meanwhile the British soldiers were
+marching along rapidly through the cool April night. They made no noise.
+There was no drumbeat; the officers gave their commands almost in
+whispers. Only the clatter of the horses' hoofs and the steady tramp of
+the marching men broke the silence. When day dawned they approached the
+village of Lexington, ten miles from Boston and about two-thirds of the
+way to Concord. They were not entirely surprised to find, even so early,
+a squad of armed minute-men awaiting them, for they had heard church
+bells ringing and had seen, all along their march, lights moving to and
+fro in the farm houses.
+
+=153. The Patriots make a stand at Lexington.=--The British arrived at
+Lexington about half-past four. Ready to meet them were some sixty or
+seventy men drawn up on the village green close beside the
+meeting-house, with loaded guns. As they stood there, silent and
+fearless, on that sweet spring morning, April 19, 1775, their leader,
+Captain John Parker, who fifteen years before had climbed the Heights of
+Abraham by the side of Wolfe, addressed them briefly.
+
+"Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon," said Parker; "but if
+they mean to have a war, let it begin here!" Seventy men against eight
+hundred! War it was, and it did begin there.
+
+  [Illustration: PAUL REVERE'S RIDE.]
+
+Major Pitcairn, who soon afterwards fell at Bunker Hill, rode up and
+cried out:--
+
+"Disperse, you villains! Throw down your arms, you rebels, and go home!"
+
+He then discharged his pistol and, turning to his soldiers, cried,
+"Fire!" Instantly flashed out the first volley of the Revolutionary War,
+and eight of the farmer minute-men fell dead!
+
+The number of the Americans was so small in proportion to that of the
+British that the only sensible course was to retreat. They retired with
+a few parting shots at the enemy. Then the red-coats, giving three
+cheers, marched on towards Concord, six miles farther.
+
+The patriots at Concord had the day before received some hint of the
+proposed capture, and had removed most of the military stores to the
+woods. The British found two cannon, which they spiked, and some cannon
+balls and gunpowder, which they threw into the river. Then they
+destroyed a quantity of flour, cut down the liberty-pole, and set fire
+to the courthouse.
+
+=154. The Fight at Concord Bridge.=--While they were busy doing this,
+fresh minute-men, about four hundred in number, were coming in from all
+the adjoining towns. They gathered near the old North Bridge to drive
+away some regulars who had begun to take up the planks. As the militia
+approached, the British soldiers fired and killed several. Among the
+dead was Captain Isaac Davis. Long after life was extinct, the fingers
+of this brave patriot, as if still true to his purpose, held firm grasp
+on his gun.
+
+Major Buttrick, a leader among the soldier-farmers, shouted, "Fire,
+fellow-soldiers! Fire!" Obedient to this order, the Americans in return
+"fired the shot heard round the world!" The regulars fell back in
+confusion. The minute-men held the bridge, and the enemy began a hasty
+retreat.
+
+  [Illustration: THE MINUTE-MEN ATTACKING THE BRITISH REGULARS ON THE
+     RETREAT.]
+
+Our men were too few in number to join in a square pitched battle with
+the trained British soldiers; but as soon as these began to withdraw,
+the patriots followed them closely and kept up a brisk discharge of
+musketry. The previous volleys and the bell-ringing had aroused the
+whole adjacent country, and fresh men came pouring in from every side.
+Most of them were without their coats; but they had guns in their hands
+and they knew how to use them.
+
+=155. The British begin their Retreat.=--Occasionally the retreating
+soldiers would stop and shoot back, and then hurry on and even run, to
+escape the deadly bullets. Soon the minute-men, leaping over the stone
+walls, ran on ahead, or, cutting across at some bend of the road, got a
+long distance in advance. Then as the column came on, the Americans,
+from behind barns, trees, rocks, and walls, would pour a storm of shot
+into the staggering ranks. So from right and left, behind and before,
+came in showers the fatal balls of the minute-men. A British officer
+afterwards said, "It seemed as if men dropped from the clouds."
+
+You remember Longfellow's description:--
+
+    How the British regulars fired and fled,
+    How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
+    From behind each fence and farm-yard wall,
+    Chasing the red-coats down the lane,
+    Then crossing the fields to emerge again,
+    Under the trees at the turn of the road,
+    And pausing only to fire and load.
+
+The British suffered fearfully in this six-mile march. The weather was
+as sultry as in midsummer, and the dust was suffocating. They had been
+on the road without food or water from midnight to noon. They were worn
+and exhausted, and the ceaseless shot of the Americans, who were all
+trained to the use of the rifle, brought down some of the regulars at
+almost every step. To go on was perilous, to pause long was fatal. Dead
+and wounded men and horses lay all along the road.
+
+Thus beset, the British pushed on, hurrying back over the dreadful
+distance till they reached Lexington. Here they were rejoiced to find a
+thousand soldiers sent out from Boston under Lord Percy to meet them.
+These had marched out of Boston to the tune of Yankee Doodle! They were
+formed in a hollow square, and into this shelter rushed the runaway
+red-coats, falling upon the green grass from pure exhaustion, "with
+their tongues hanging out of their mouths, like dogs after a chase."
+Lord Percy allowed a rest of only about half an hour, knowing very well
+that the longer he delayed the greater would be the increasing swarm of
+armed men gathering around him.
+
+=156. The Panic-Stricken British Regulars at last reach the Shelter of
+the Men-of-War.=--The British commander had now in all nearly eighteen
+hundred men, and he made straight for Charlestown, the nearest point of
+safety. But in spite of this large force, the minute-men with their
+unerring aim kept on his flanks, picking off the regulars, especially
+the officers, all along the road. In vain the officers threatened; the
+men ran like sheep. At sunset the British reached Charlestown and found
+themselves safe under the shelter of their men-of-war.
+
+If Percy's reinforcements had not come up, all the British soldiers that
+started back from Concord would have been killed or taken prisoners. The
+king's regulars had been driven in rout and almost panic before the
+stout-hearted minute-men. Well might General Gage feel keenly the
+disgrace.
+
+The loss on both sides at Lexington and Concord was small. Most of the
+fighting took place on the retreat, where the loss of the Americans was
+about fifty killed and forty-three wounded, while the British lost in
+all two hundred and seventy-three men.
+
+=157. What the Eventful Day showed.=--Thus began and ended one of the most
+eventful days in the history of our country. It witnessed the opening
+conflict of the American Revolution.
+
+When that sturdy patriot, Samuel Adams, heard the crackle of the
+musketry, he exclaimed, "What a glorious morning is this!" He knew that
+the time had come when the people must draw the sword.
+
+The Americans had now shown that they could fight. They saw the
+promptness with which they could assemble, and they felt that, if need
+were, they could defend themselves. The British also learned that the
+American farmers could fight, and that, too, on the spur of the moment.
+They found that the colonies were not to be frightened into submission.
+It became plain to each side that very serious work was near at hand.
+The grim figure of WAR cast its long black shadow into the future.
+
+The shots of these resolute farmers echoed far and wide. They told the
+whole world that a people stood ready to give their lives in defense of
+their rights; that they fought after their own fashion, and they fought
+hard.
+
+=158. The Minute-Men; the Work they did, and how they did it.=--The
+minute-men were bands of enrolled patriots pledged to start at a
+minute's notice to a call for their services. They had few good weapons,
+mostly shotguns for hunting birds and squirrels. They were short of
+powder and ball. In many of the families the women melted or pounded up
+their pewter spoons and dishes into bullets and slugs.
+
+The minute-men were numerous in every town, and when the alarm was
+given, they would leave plow or shop, hurry home, take down the gun from
+its hooks over the fireplace, bid good-by to wife and children, and be
+off to help their country in its peril.
+
+Israel Putnam, in leather frock and apron, was at work in a field on his
+farm in Connecticut when he heard of Lexington. Leaving the plow in the
+furrow, he jumped on his horse and rode the hundred or more miles to
+Cambridge in eighteen hours. John Stark was at work in his sawmill in
+New Hampshire when the news of Lexington came. He stopped the mill,
+hurried home, took down his rifle, and rode on horseback to Cambridge.
+In his haste he even forgot to put on his coat!
+
+  [Illustration: THE FIGHT AT CONCORD BRIDGE.]
+
+Every town had a company or two of minute-men and of militia soldiers,
+who regularly met and drilled. The soldiers and the officers of these
+companies were usually the best citizens of the towns. Thirty-one towns
+were represented among the patriots who hastened to the fight on the
+nineteenth of April.
+
+=159. Tablets now shown along this Historic Road.=--If some day we should
+take a ride over this very road, we should notice along the way numerous
+landmarks of that famous contest--carved monuments, houses with bullet
+holes carefully preserved, bronze tablets on houses, marking some spot
+of special interest. At Fiske's Hill, in Lexington, an inscription
+records that at a well near by two soldiers met to drink. The British
+grenadier raised his gun and said to James Hayward, "You are a dead
+man!" "And so are you!" replied the minute-man. Both fired; one was
+instantly killed, and the other mortally wounded.
+
+On Lexington Common we should see a stately monument with a long
+inscription reciting the event.
+
+At Concord Bridge would be seen a noble statue of the Minute-Man,
+beneath which on the pedestal are Emerson's famous verses:--
+
+    Here once the embattled farmers stood,
+      And fired the shot heard round the world.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.
+
+
+=160. More Regulars sent to Boston.=--The battle of Lexington, fought as
+we have read, on the nineteenth of April, 1775, was a most momentous
+event, since it showed for the first time the resolute purpose of the
+Americans to draw the sword and defend themselves from British
+oppression. The news reached England near the end of May. Those
+Lexington muskets said plainer than words that the colonies would not
+submit to unjust taxation.
+
+Fully aware that the situation was becoming serious, the British
+government sent a large number of fresh troops to reinforce the garrison
+in Boston. These came under the command of Generals Howe, Clinton, and
+Burgoyne, and made in all an army of about ten thousand men.
+
+=161. A Patriot Army is gathered around Boston.=--The patriots, too, were
+gathering in large numbers around Boston. They came by hundreds from all
+directions. Quite a large body was from Connecticut under Colonel
+(afterwards General) Israel Putnam. General Ward was commander of these
+forces until Washington arrived at Cambridge on July 3, 1775, and first
+took command of the American army under the old elm.
+
+On the twelfth of June, General Gage issued a proclamation declaring all
+those in arms to be rebels and traitors, but offering pardon to all who
+would lay down their weapons and obey the British governor. Two, John
+Hancock and Samuel Adams, were excepted. Their patriotism had been too
+intense and outspoken to be forgiven.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON TAKING COMMAND OF THE PATRIOT ARMY.]
+
+The American army, now nearly twenty thousand strong, formed a line of
+encampments in a great semicircle of sixteen miles, halfway around the
+city from Roxbury Neck to the Mystic River. They soon learned that Gage
+intended to break through the American lines into the country for a
+supply of provisions.
+
+=162. Plans to checkmate the British.=--General Ward, having discovered
+that the British were planning to sally forth through Charlestown,
+determined to strike first and so defeat their project. It was decided
+to seize and fortify some suitable hill in Charlestown. Colonel William
+Prescott, a well-tried soldier of the French-Indian wars, and
+grandfather of Prescott, the famous historian, was ordered, on the
+sixteenth of June, to march that night with nearly a thousand men to
+Bunker Hill and throw up breastworks.
+
+Soon after sunset the soldiers were formed in a hollow square on
+Cambridge Common, and President Langdon of Harvard College offered
+prayer. The good man then gave them his blessing and bade them
+"Godspeed." At nine o'clock they started on their silent march. At
+Charlestown Neck they met General Putnam with more soldiers and
+wagon-loads of picks and shovels.
+
+=163. Entrenched on Bunker Hill.=--Prescott led them to the top of Bunker
+Hill. After consultation with his officers, he moved on through the
+darkness to Breed's Hill, which had a better command of the city and the
+shipping. The lines were soon staked out, and at midnight the farmer
+soldiers began their entrenchments. So rapidly did they work that the
+dim morning twilight disclosed a large square of fresh trenches
+crowning the hill, with long wings stretching right and left. They had
+made a fort in a single night.
+
+How surprised the British were at the sight, as the sun rose on a
+beautiful summer morning! They could scarcely believe their eyes. It
+seemed like a work of magic. A thousand men had shoveled as they never
+shoveled before, and not a British sentry had heard the click of their
+spades. They saw at once that the Americans, if they only had time
+enough to plant a battery of cannon there, could very soon drive them
+out of Boston. So the only thing for them to do was to drive the
+Americans from that hill, and that too without delay. Accordingly, the
+British men-of-war, Lively and Falcon, and then the forts on Copp's Hill
+in Boston immediately opened fire.
+
+Meanwhile some hundreds of fresh soldiers arrived to help the Americans,
+hungry and weary with their hard night's work. The shot and shell from
+ships and fort dropped around and among them, but they worked bravely on
+in the hot sunshine till nearly noon. At the left, on the northern slope
+of the hill, they moved some rail fences so as to build long double
+lines close together, and stuffed the space between with new-mown hay,
+making an excellent breastwork.
+
+=164. The British prepare to storm the Entrenchments.=--Things are now
+looking serious. The Americans can see and hear the British in Boston
+preparing for an attack. Prescott sends hurrying messengers to General
+Ward at the Cambridge headquarters for more soldiers. During the
+forenoon General Stark arrives with five hundred fresh New Hampshire
+troops, who were posted behind the rail fence on the extreme left. Next
+General Warren comes, and, laying aside his rank, takes a place of
+danger among the troops. The combat hastens, and every minute throbs
+with emotion.
+
+Soon after one o'clock twenty-eight large boats are seen crossing over
+from Boston, loaded with soldiers and artillery. The Americans are now
+exchanging shovels for muskets and preparing for the foe. Now the
+red-coats are landing at the foot of the hill! See! they are forming in
+two columns, their bright cannon and muskets glistening in the hot sun.
+It is now about three o'clock in the afternoon. They begin to march up
+the hill!
+
+General Howe's column is on our left, to break through the grass wall
+and push his way behind our forces. Their other column, under General
+Pigot, is marching up the hill to attack our redoubt in front. They are
+coming slowly in the hot sun of a bright June afternoon. The artillery
+booms and crashes incessantly with a deafening roar.
+
+General Gage has ordered that Charlestown be set on fire, and the flames
+and smoke of five hundred burning buildings make a terrible scene. All
+the surrounding heights, house-tops, and spires are crowded with
+thousands of anxious spectators breathlessly watching the thrilling
+sight.
+
+    "Here were sister, wife, and mother, looking wild upon each other,
+    And their lips were white with terror as they said, 'THE HOUR HAS
+        COME!'"
+
+=165. The Battle begins.=--Behind those hasty breastworks fifteen hundred
+patriots lie silently awaiting the steady march of over three thousand
+trained British soldiers. Still on and up they toil, burdened with their
+heavy knapsacks, pausing to fire as they march.
+
+"Don't fire until I give the word," said Prescott; "then fire low! Pick
+off the officers."
+
+Putnam shouted to his men: "Powder is scarce, boys, don't waste it; wait
+till you see the whites of their eyes."
+
+When the red-coats came within about a hundred and fifty feet of the
+breastworks, suddenly came Prescott's sharp order:--"Fire!" Instantly a
+flash of flame blazed along our entire line, and down fell the whole
+front of the advancing ranks. Under the ceaseless rain of bullets the
+British veterans gave way and retreated down the hillside in disorder.
+
+Then burst forth from our side a strong shout, the first ringing cry on
+this continent for national independence. But it was a sad sight--the
+long rows of dead and dying soldiers, mowed down as if by a sudden sweep
+of a giant scythe.
+
+    "Oh, the sight our eyes discover as the blue-black smoke blows over!
+    The red-coats stretched in windrows as a mower rakes his hay."
+
+Inside the breastworks some were killed and many wounded. Prescott,
+Putnam, and Warren were passing up and down the line, cheering and
+encouraging the patriots.
+
+=166. The British beat a Hasty Retreat to their Boats.=--The British
+officers rallied their troops as best they could. Death and wounds had
+thinned their number by hundreds, and the survivors were far from
+willing to make a second charge against that wall of fire. But the
+threats of the officers and even blows with their swords finally
+compelled them to it.
+
+Up they marched again, firing as they came, their ranks moving slowly,
+stepping over the bodies of their fallen comrades.
+
+"Wait, boys!" shouted Warren. "Don't fire yet! Wait."
+
+On they came as before, nearer and nearer, until the distance was less
+than thirty yards to our silent but fatal line, when instantly there
+burst forth another long blaze of fire, even deadlier than before.
+
+  [Illustration: BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.]
+
+The Americans were by practice good marksmen, and the bright red coats
+and shining belts of the enemy made excellent targets. The British
+returned the fire, and a brisk discharge of musketry was kept up for a
+few minutes. But it was useless. Hundreds of their number fell dead on
+the fatal slope, and in spite of their officers, the broken ranks
+staggered and retreated, flying in a panic to the shore.
+
+=167. The British advance to the Third Attack.=--Now all was fright and
+confusion among the British. They were dismayed at the deadly reception
+our untrained soldiers had given them. General Clinton, who had been
+watching the battle from Copp's Hill and saw the day going against them,
+instantly hurried over with fresh troops. Once more the British regulars
+formed at the foot of the hill.
+
+We may imagine with what mingled feelings the Americans, gazing down
+through the rifts of smoke from burning Charlestown, watched the
+movements of the reinforced foe. Putnam and Warren again went around
+cheering our men.
+
+Prescott shouted, "Let's drive them back once more, and they cannot
+rally again."
+
+But alas! the stock of powder was giving out! The patriots had only
+three or four rounds left, and as for close fighting, there were only
+about fifty bayonets to all their guns. Orders were passed along to use
+their powder carefully, to hold fire until the enemy came within twenty
+yards, and to make every shot tell.
+
+Meantime the enemy's cannon from the ships had got a better range, and
+were pouring in a galling fire. The prospect on our side was beginning
+to look desperate. Short of powder; without bayonets; confronted by
+brave enemies always twice our number, and now with fresh troops; tired
+out with marching or digging all night and shoveling or fighting all
+day; for the most part without food and water,--our men still defiantly
+held the fort.
+
+At five o'clock the British formed for the third attack, advancing now
+in three columns to charge us on three sides. This time their knapsacks
+were laid aside, and they marched in light order. Up they came as
+before, only slower; for they realized that they had a dangerous enemy
+before them. They reserved their fire. When they reached that same
+deadly range, once more our ramparts poured forth the deadly volleys.
+
+The British wavered, but then rallied and rushed forward to the
+breastworks with fixed bayonets.
+
+"Make every shot tell!" shouted Prescott to his men.
+
+As the British began to climb over our earthworks, our soldiers spent
+their last shots upon those who mounted first. Among those who fell dead
+at the redoubt was Major Pitcairn, who at Lexington had cried out,
+"Disperse, ye rebels!"
+
+=168. The Patriots forced to retreat from Lack of Ammunition.=--Their
+powder all gone, what could the patriots do but retreat? This they did
+in good order for raw soldiers, many staying to smite the enemy with the
+butts of their muskets, then with the barrels after the butts were
+broken off, and some even with stones. The British were now closing in
+upon them on all sides, and at last Prescott, to avoid being completely
+shut in, gave the word to retreat. He was one of the last to leave,
+defending himself with his sword from the bayonets of the enemy.
+
+Alas! one shot of the last volley from the British killed our beloved
+Warren! When General Howe heard of this he said, "Warren's death is
+equal to the loss of five hundred men to the Americans."
+
+Stark and Knowlton held the grass fence till the troops had left the top
+of the hill, and then retreated with them in good order to Charlestown
+Neck. On their way back they met at Bunker Hill General Putnam, who had
+collected fresh soldiers and wanted to occupy the trenches he had formed
+there, and make a fresh stand against the enemy. But the British ships
+on both sides could rake this position, and it was decided to move back
+to Prospect Hill, which our forces fortified. It was about six o'clock
+when the retreat began.
+
+=169. Bunker Hill and the Lesson it taught.=--In less than three hours,
+and with only one hour of actual fighting, all these fearful scenes
+were enacted. The Americans, with about fifteen hundred men, lost four
+hundred and fifty killed and wounded. But the British, with over three
+thousand, had lost one thousand and fifty-four, of whom one hundred and
+fifty-seven were officers!
+
+Although in form the result of the battle was a defeat, as our army lost
+their ground, yet its effect upon the Americans was that of a victory.
+It taught them that they were a match for the British troops in a fair
+fight. This knowledge nerved them to further resistance against royal
+oppression. Thus this battle, the first clear bugle-call of the
+Revolution, proving beyond all doubt that the British troops were not
+invincible, was worth just at this time many decided victories to the
+Americans. To the patriots of every colony it gave strength and heart,
+and the belief that their cause would succeed. In the march of events
+and of ideas Bunker Hill was of momentous importance. It gave the shock
+that made the patriots conscious of their might; it cleared their vision
+and roused them to action.
+
+When Washington first heard of the battle he was riding on horseback to
+take command of the army at Cambridge. "Did our men stand fire?" he
+asked of the messenger. Being told that they did, and that they waited
+till the enemy was only eight rods off, he said, "The liberties of the
+country are safe!"
+
+But if the Americans learned that they could fight, the British learned
+it too! General Gage wrote home: "The trials we have had prove the
+rebels are not the despicable rabble too many have supposed them to be."
+
+"If they call that a victory," said a French general, "two or three more
+such would extinguish the British army."
+
+"I wish," said General Greene, "that we could sell the British another
+hill at the same price."
+
+After Gage had made his formal report of the battle to his superior
+officers in England, he was called back in disgrace, and was never
+entrusted with another military service. Generals Howe and Clinton
+learned a costly lesson, and never again through the war that followed
+did they lead their men in an open field against entrenched American
+soldiers.
+
+Such, briefly told, is the story of Bunker Hill. The truth is, the whole
+movement was on the part of the Americans an audacious act. There was
+more heroism in it than military prudence. General Ward had at Cambridge
+only a few barrels of powder for his entire army; and to send a thousand
+men to entrench before a well prepared enemy, in front of batteries and
+warships, though it needed to be done, was yet, from a military point of
+view, a very rash act. On the other hand, General Gage made a very
+unwise military movement. No wonder he was censured for the reckless
+sacrifice of his soldiers at Bunker Hill.
+
+=170. Bunker Hill Monument.=--On the crown of the hill and in the center
+of the old redoubt stands the splendid monument that tells of this
+famous struggle. The square shaft is of Quincy granite, thirty-one feet
+on each side at the base, fifteen feet at the top, two hundred and
+twenty-one feet in height. Inside, a stairway of two hundred and
+ninety-four stone steps leads to a room at the top, whose four windows
+command a view of wonderful extent and beauty. Just by the base of the
+monument we can see to-day a little grassy ridge, the slight remains of
+the breastworks of 1775.
+
+The corner-stone was laid by Lafayette in 1825, exactly fifty years
+after the battle, and on that occasion Daniel Webster delivered one of
+his greatest orations. In front of him sat forty venerable survivors of
+the conflict. The finished structure was dedicated in 1842. On this
+occasion Webster again delivered a magnificent oration.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
+
+
+=171. The Colonists still regard themselves as English Subjects.=--It
+seems to us now very remarkable that all through the year 1775,
+notwithstanding the conflicts at Lexington and Concord, and even after
+the battle of Bunker Hill, our forefathers still considered themselves
+loyal British subjects. Although they were violently opposing the
+despotism of the king of England, they never for a moment hesitated to
+acknowledge him as their rightful ruler. They regarded all the unjust
+acts of the king and the Parliament as so many encroachments upon their
+rights as Englishmen, just as much as if they were living in their old
+home in England instead of in a British colony. They insisted that,
+although they were three thousand miles away, distance did not diminish
+their just claims as free subjects of King George. They had fought as
+Englishmen, not against England.
+
+Therefore, even for months after Bunker Hill, the colonists had no
+intention of separating from the mother country. Very few had much faith
+in such a scheme, and still fewer had seriously urged it. A large
+number of the people, probably a majority, thought the quarrel might
+even at that time be settled, and the colonies might resume their former
+friendly relations with England. All they had asked and all they had
+fought for was simply their rights as Britons.
+
+Washington, when he took command of the army soon after the battle of
+Bunker Hill, said that he abhorred the idea of our separating from the
+mother country, and becoming an independent nation. Franklin declared
+that he had traveled all over the country and talked with all classes of
+people, but had never heard independence mentioned.
+
+=172. Slow Growth of the Idea of Independence.=--We must not fail to
+remember that the idea of independence took form very slowly. The first
+"Stamp Act," so offensive to the colonists, became a law in 1764, more
+than ten years before actual hostilities broke out. During all those
+years our ancestors were gradually losing their friendly feeling for
+England. They were slowly drifting towards an open conflict, in fact,
+the Revolution.
+
+This hostility to England grew to be a serious matter after the battle
+of Bunker Hill. It was deepened and embittered early in 1776 by a number
+of events that still more sharply estranged America from her unkind
+mother. After the battle the British continued to occupy Boston with
+many hostile demonstrations, just as if it were an enemy's country,
+until at the end of a long siege they were driven out by Washington.
+This weary investment caused a great deal of bitterness. Everything took
+on the sombre shadow of war, and this of course meant permanent
+hostility to England.
+
+Another step that greatly angered the Americans, and very justly too,
+was a British proclamation, the design and effect of which was to
+destroy all the commerce of the colonies by forfeiting their ships. This
+was itself equal to a declaration of war by England.
+
+Then three petitions to the king, George III, by three different
+congresses, were treated with indifference or even with insolent
+contempt. The only obvious effect of the petitions was to goad England
+to greater severities. To a proposal at one time to exchange prisoners,
+it was answered that England "received no applications from rebels,
+unless they came to implore the king's mercy." This stinging and
+insolent reply necessarily implied that all American patriots were
+rebels; that they were guilty of treason; that, but for the king's
+mercy, they must expect the penalty of treason, which is death!
+
+=173. Active Measures taken by the British.=--Meanwhile obstinate King
+George, humored by his prime minister, Lord North, was busily making
+enormous preparations for pushing the war upon a large scale. Already
+twenty-five thousand British soldiers had been sent to America, or had
+been enlisted for immediate service. But so large a party in England was
+opposed to the war against their own countrymen in the colonies, that
+the king could not raise at home all the troops he needed. So he made a
+bargain with a German state, Hesse, hiring twenty thousand foreign
+soldiers to cross the ocean and fight his rebellious subjects.
+
+  [Illustration: "INDEPENDENCE HALL," PHILADELPHIA, AS IT APPEARED IN
+     1776.]
+
+When our forefathers heard of this, it angered them more than anything
+else that had been done. But even worse still, it was learned that the
+British government was taking steps, by means of secret agents, to
+employ the Indians to fight on the British side, and use their tomahawks
+against British colonists!
+
+Finally, to all petitions and appeals the English government replied
+that it would not abate any of its demands, and that it would accept
+from us nothing short of entire submission and obedience.
+
+=174. Independence slowly but surely becomes a Stern Necessity.=--Now, if
+we recall all the wrongs as to taxation that we have read of in a
+previous chapter, and add to them this list of subsequent outrages, the
+preparations for a long war, the hiring of Hessians, and the incitement
+of Indians to fight us, we must see that our forefathers were compelled
+to regard England as their determined enemy. Such were the successive
+steps by which the old feeling of loyalty to the mother country
+gradually vanished, and bitter hostility took its place.
+
+What should the colonies do to protect themselves? This was the
+all-important question. The people had been tending toward the
+conviction that the only remedy was to break off all connection with
+England and to be independent.
+
+But it was a long while before this feeling became general. It was a
+steady and natural but slow growth. The public indignation, constantly
+strengthened by repeated British outrages, at last culminated in mature
+conviction--a conviction that the only course left us was to be wholly
+free, and to stand by ourselves among the nations of the earth.
+
+As this conviction became stronger and stronger among the good people
+all along the narrow coast line from Boston to Charleston, it soon found
+expression in many ways. The few newspapers spoke out; public meetings
+were called to discuss it, and conventions dared to announce it.
+
+  [Illustration: THOMAS JEFFERSON.]
+
+People learned at last that their chief enemy was the king. They saw
+that the controversy which began merely as a colonial struggle for their
+rights as British subjects had grown broader and deeper, till it became
+a contest for our rights as MEN and for the freedom of our entire
+country from British control. A pamphlet entitled "Common Sense,"
+written by Thomas Paine, an Englishman who had recently arrived in
+America, had an enormous sale and exerted a powerful influence. It
+abounded in ready wit, sharp reasoning, and rough eloquence. It
+stimulated the longing for independence and the determination to be
+free or die. In May, 1775, the people of Mecklenburg County in North
+Carolina were the first to pass resolutions advocating independence.
+They sent them to their delegates in Congress; but these at that early
+day did not dare present them.
+
+In May, 1776, Congress, then in Philadelphia, following the trend of
+public opinion, advised the colonies to consider themselves as no longer
+holding any powers under the authority of Great Britain. That was about
+the same as a declaration of independence. Many colonies accordingly set
+up state governments of their own without asking the king's consent.
+
+=175. Steps taken for a Formal Declaration of Independence.=--The second
+Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775. Early in June,
+1776, one of the delegates, Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, offered a
+resolution that "these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free
+and independent states." John Adams, of Massachusetts, seconded it in a
+powerful speech. Three weeks of delay, to enable some of the colonies to
+send in their approval, occurred before its adoption. Then a committee
+of five, consisting of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
+Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, who had been appointed to draw
+up a formal statement, presented the Declaration of Independence.
+
+=176. The Declaration of Independence; what it said to the World.=--The
+simple and yet luminous words of this Declaration were written by
+Jefferson. His draft was prepared in his lodgings, on a little writing
+desk which still exists. Jefferson, in after years, delighted to tell
+how the final vote was hastened by the extremely hot weather and by the
+fact that there was a stable near by, and swarms of flies came in
+through the open windows and added much to the discomfort of the
+patriots already worn out with the debate and the heat.
+
+  [Illustration: JEFFERSON READING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO
+     FRANKLIN.]
+
+Jefferson read his "fair copy" of the Declaration to his friend Benjamin
+Franklin. The old philosopher was delighted with the terse style and the
+vigorous sentences.
+
+"That's good; that's right to the point," said he; "that will make King
+George wince. I wish I had written it myself."
+
+One of Franklin's biographers declares that it is fortunate that
+Franklin did not compose the Declaration, for he would surely have put a
+joke into the immortal document!
+
+Every line and sentence of the Declaration of Independence stirred the
+hearts of the people then, and it does even now, after the lapse of more
+than one hundred and twenty-four years. It embodies in a noble and
+enduring form the hopes, feelings, convictions, and aspirations of every
+true American. When first proclaimed, it said in thunder tones to all
+the world that here was a people in far-away America willing to give
+their fortunes and their lives for what they believed to be right.
+
+=177. Independence declared.=--On the second of July, 1776, the
+sub-committee of five patriots submitted to Congress the important
+document. There was deep silence as the solemn and earnest words were
+slowly read. Hearts beat faster and eyes flashed at the recital of the
+tyranny of the king and the sufferings of the people.
+
+A three days' discussion followed. Jefferson remained silent under the
+sharp criticism, but the genial old philosopher, Franklin, sat next to
+him and soothed his feelings by telling him stories that fitted the
+case.
+
+At last the great Declaration of Independence, in its final form, was
+adopted, July 4, 1776.
+
+During the discussion there was intense excitement in and around the old
+State House in Philadelphia, where Congress was in session. Thousands
+thronged about the building, watching the barred doors and closed window
+shutters with feverish anxiety. The faces of the crowd are turned upward
+to the steeple, for there hangs a bell brought from London nearly a
+quarter of a century before, bearing the prophetic and singularly
+appropriate words of Scripture, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land
+unto all the inhabitants thereof."
+
+  [Illustration: LIBERTY BELL, INDEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA.]
+
+It had been arranged by some one that the bell should be rung the moment
+the Declaration of Independence was adopted. The old bell-ringer placed
+a small boy at the hall door to await the signal of the doorkeeper.
+When at last the vote for independence was declared, the doorkeeper gave
+the signal, and the boy ran out shouting, "Ring, ring, ring!"
+
+And the old bell-ringer did ring as he never rang before!
+
+  [Illustration: THE PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE FINAL VOTE ON THE
+     DECLARATION.]
+
+=178. How the Declaration was received by the People.=--After it had
+passed Congress, the Declaration was sent to be read to the people
+throughout the thirteen colonies. It was received everywhere with the
+greatest joy. Bells were rung, cannon were fired, fireworks were burned,
+and flags were flung to the breeze. The bands played martial music, and
+even the smallest towns and villages were in a blaze of excitement.
+Washington ordered the Declaration to be read to all the brigades of
+the patriot army in and around New York City. The occasion was
+celebrated the same night by pulling down the leaden statue of George
+III on Bowling Green, and casting it into bullets.
+
+The magic word was INDEPENDENCE.
+
+John Adams truthfully predicted that these demonstrations of joy would
+be reflected in many a year to come by the people of our free country.
+
+The eloquent words of the Declaration of Independence had been
+pronounced, but it was left for Washington and his little army to make
+it good.
+
+England at this time was the most powerful nation in the world. Her navy
+was large, and her army was fully equipped and well drilled. Her
+resources were vast, and she had now made up her mind to crush the
+"rebels" in America. To men in foreign lands it seemed madness for the
+feeble colonies in America to resist the royal power of England.
+
+The Declaration of Independence after a time was signed by fifty-six
+delegates from all the colonies.
+
+=179. Incidents connected with the Great Event.=--If we look at a
+facsimile of the signatures to the Declaration, we notice that the name
+of Stephen Hopkins, of Rhode Island, was written with a tremulous hand.
+This was due to a partial paralysis. After he had signed, he smiled at
+his irregular penmanship and said, "You see my hand trembles, but my
+heart doesn't!"
+
+John Hancock's signature is noted for its big, bold letters.
+
+"There," said he, "John Bull can read that without 'specs'!"
+
+As they gathered round to sign their names to the document, "pledging
+their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor" to maintain and
+defend their action, every one of them understood very well that, if
+this revolution failed and, he should be captured, he was liable to be
+hanged as a traitor.
+
+John Hancock said to a group of the signers, "We must stand by each
+other; no pulling different ways--we must all hang together in this
+matter."
+
+"Yes," said Franklin, "we must indeed, or we shall all hang separately!"
+
+The Fourth day of July, marked by the momentous event popularly known as
+the adoption of the "Declaration of Independence," has properly become
+our National Holiday. The day has been celebrated, just as our
+forefathers said it would be, with the firing of cannon, the ringing of
+bells, parades, and bonfires. From that day to the present, the immortal
+document has been listened to with reverence by our people.
+
+=180. What the Declaration of Independence should mean to us.=--Thus we
+have traced the growth of the passion for liberty which finally reached
+its loftiest expression in this noble Declaration. Read it and let it
+grow into your memory. Do not forget that lovers of liberty, the world
+over, regard it as the sublimest state paper ever produced by man,
+marking the grandest advance in political progress ever made by the
+human race.
+
+To us of the present day its chief charm lies in its noble beginning and
+its no less noble end. We care little now about the faults and the
+follies of King George, but the bold assertions of great truths in the
+opening sentences of the Declaration appeal as warmly to us to-day as
+they did to those for whom they were first written.
+
+It is interesting to know that it was signed by men of lofty purpose and
+exalted character, every one of whom held to his last day a reputation
+never dishonored. These were the chosen men, worthy to be leaders with
+Washington of the young nation.
+
+For good or evil this most momentous step was now taken. There was no
+choice left the colonies but to win by hard fighting or to be crushed by
+their enemy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+THE BURGOYNE CAMPAIGN.
+
+
+=181. First Campaign for the Control of the Hudson fails.=--It did not
+require much intelligence on the part of the British government to
+perceive that it would be wise policy to separate if possible one group
+of its revolting colonies from the rest. This was practicable only along
+the line of the Hudson. The two long lakes, Champlain and George, with
+the navigable river, almost made a great water highway from Canada on
+the north to the sea on the south.
+
+The plan to cut off New England from the other colonies was acted upon
+in the summer of 1776. Carleton, a most efficient British general, came
+down from Canada, captured Crown Point, and got as far as Ticonderoga,
+when, having heard nothing of Howe, who was to come up from the south,
+he was forced by the lateness of the season to return. Howe had been
+delayed and baffled by Washington until it was too late to march north
+to meet Carleton. Thus the first campaign for the control of the Hudson
+proved a failure.
+
+=182. The Plan for the Second Campaign.=--The British ministry at once
+planned for another attempt during the next summer. This time the
+invasion was to be carried out by three separate armies working towards
+a common point. The main attack was to be made from the north. The army
+in Canada was to march south, capture Ticonderoga, and go down the
+Hudson to Albany. This part of the campaign was entrusted to General
+Burgoyne.
+
+Meanwhile Sir William Howe was to go up the Hudson and join his forces
+with those of Burgoyne at Albany. Now, as there were many Tories in
+central New York, and also powerful Indian tribes friendly to the
+British cause, a small force under the command of Colonel St. Leger was
+to sail up the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario, land at Oswego, and then
+march down the Mohawk valley to join Burgoyne on the Hudson.
+
+The English government built great hopes upon Burgoyne's expedition. No
+expense or effort was spared to make it a success. Money and supplies
+were furnished without stint.
+
+=183. Burgoyne begins Operations with a Great Army and Much Show.=--When
+Burgoyne opened his campaign in the early summer of 1777, he had command
+of the best army that had yet taken the field in America. There were
+about four thousand English veterans, three thousand Germans, or
+Hessians as they were called, nearly five hundred Indian warriors, and a
+small force of Canadians. Most of the soldiers, as well as the officers,
+were veterans. Forty cannon, well served and equipped, made up the
+artillery train.
+
+It was a splendid and imposing sight when this army in the middle of
+June sailed into Lake Champlain in a large flotilla with bands playing
+and banners flying. Burgoyne was a clever, agreeable, and well-bred man,
+and a brave soldier; but he was vain, headstrong, and self-confident.
+
+The British general served a great feast to his Indian allies on the
+shore of the lake near Crown Point. He was dressed in showy uniform, and
+so were all of his chief officers. He made a pompous speech to his
+savage guests, who were adorned with war paint on their faces and
+eagles' feathers in their hair. He told them not to scalp the wounded,
+nor murder aged men, helpless women, or children. These "wild hyenas,"
+as Burke called them in one of his great speeches before the English
+Parliament, promised to obey their "great white father."
+
+The sturdy settlers knew what an Indian promise meant, and they speedily
+packed their goods and sent their families across the Green Mountains to
+the Connecticut Valley. Burgoyne had written poetry, and many poor
+plays, and so now he wrote in his high-flown style an address to the
+American people. All were warned against driving off their cattle,
+hiding their corn, and breaking down the bridges in his way. He
+threatened to let loose his savages upon them if they disobeyed. He also
+made a stirring address to his soldiers, in which he gave out the famous
+watchword, "This army must not retreat."
+
+=184. The Capture of Ticonderoga and what followed.=--Every one supposed
+that Fort Ticonderoga would be a barrier to Burgoyne. Unfortunately the
+commander, St. Clair, had failed to secure a neighboring position which
+commanded the fortress. No one thought it possible to drag cannon up the
+steep and rugged sides of this mountain; but the British general worked
+night and day in hewing out a path, and with oxen dragged up his cannon
+and placed them in position to pour a plunging fire into the fort.
+
+The next morning the top of the crag, now named Mount Defiance, was
+swarming with British troops. St. Clair saw with amazement the trap in
+which he was caught. The next night the far-famed fortress was
+abandoned, and the Continental army retreated southward. At daybreak the
+British and the Hessians sprang to arms, ready to follow sharply both by
+land and water the retreating army. So hot was the pursuit that the
+Americans were forced to destroy their boats. All the wagon-loads of
+arms, stores, and baggage fell into British hands.
+
+There was a sharp fight a few days afterwards in the woods at a place
+called Hubbardton, where the rear guard of the Americans, under Warner,
+was surprised early in the morning, while the men were cooking
+breakfast. They made a gallant and stubborn resistance against the
+picked veterans of Burgoyne's army. Warner was outnumbered and defeated,
+but the pursuit was so checked that St. Clair was able to bring what was
+left of his army safely to Fort Edward, where he joined Schuyler.
+
+=185. Burgoyne, elated by Success, begins to make Blunders.=--The curtain
+now falls upon the first act of this great war drama. Burgoyne had been
+highly favored. Ticonderoga had fallen in a night. Everybody was
+astounded. The news fell like a sound of doom over the land. Washington
+wrote to Schuyler: "The evacuation of Ticonderoga is an event of chagrin
+and surprise not apprehended, nor within the compass of my reasoning."
+
+Burgoyne now began to boast that victory would certainly crown his
+future movements, and even predicted the speedy end of the war and the
+submission of the colonies. He hurried off a special messenger to King
+George, telling the king that everything was going just as he wished it.
+The king rushed into the queen's apartments, says Walpole, clapping his
+hands and shouting, "I have beat them! I have beat all the Americans."
+
+In reality, Burgoyne's troubles were just beginning.
+
+In his haste to crush the Americans before they could combine against
+him, Burgoyne began to make serious blunders. For instance, it was a
+fatal mistake when he decided on marching to Fort Edward through the
+wilderness, instead of going back to Ticonderoga and proceeding thence
+up Lake George and on to Fort Edward and the Hudson. Time, that
+all-important factor in military campaigns, was lost sight of by this
+over-confident British general. Again, Burgoyne made another serious
+mistake in underestimating the fighting qualities of his enemy.
+
+=186. General Schuyler carries out a Masterly Policy.=--Fortunately for
+the Americans, Schuyler was an able and experienced general, and
+Washington knew it. He had less than five thousand poorly armed men, but
+he faced the situation bravely. He knew that if he could delay the
+British invaders for a time, men enough would rally for the defense of
+their homes to meet his foe in open battle. He did at once the best
+thing possible. He put every obstacle in Burgoyne's way that ingenuity
+could devise or experience suggest. He made the axe and the crowbar help
+him.
+
+Hundreds of trees were felled across the road. All the cattle were
+driven out of reach. The country was stripped of all provisions. The
+bridges were burnt, the creeks choked with stumps and stones, and the
+wood-roads were destroyed. The aspect of things began to change.
+Schuyler did his work well. He abandoned Fort Edward and fell back to
+Stillwater, where he entrenched himself and waited.
+
+  [Illustration: {Map of Adirondack Mountain area.}]
+
+It is only about twenty-six miles from Skenesboro to Fort Edward, but it
+took Burgoyne twenty-four days to march this distance, and even then he
+had to wait two weeks longer for the arrival of his artillery. New roads
+had to be made, forty bridges built, and supplies and heavy ammunition
+carried through an almost impassable wilderness.
+
+=187. The Sturdy Pioneers of the North rise in Defense of their
+Homes.=--Meanwhile, what were the stout-hearted pioneers of the north
+doing? The time for prompt action had come. The frontiersmen rose nobly
+to the demands of the situation. Burgoyne's Indians, ever since they
+left the Canadian border, had been ravaging and scalping. Never was a
+British general more mistaken than when he thought such bloody work
+would frighten the American people. It aroused the fierce spirit of
+revenge in them as no other act could have done.
+
+=188. The Murder of Jane McCrea.=--The sad story of Jane McCrea has been
+read and re-read ever since this beautiful girl was tomahawked and
+scalped by Burgoyne's savages. It is not certain just how it happened.
+It is true that a party of Indians seized and carried away Miss McCrea,
+and a Mrs. McNeil with whom she was visiting in the latter's home near
+Fort Edward.
+
+It is also known that Jane was betrothed to one of Burgoyne's officers,
+and as her own home was in New Jersey, it is probable that the
+unfortunate girl was planning to meet her lover.
+
+Some say that the Indians quarreled over a barrel of rum that was to be
+given them as a reward on her safe arrival; others claim that a band of
+American militia fired into the party. At all events, Mrs. McNeil came
+alone to the English camp.
+
+The next day the body of the murdered girl was found near a spring,
+pierced with three bullets. An Indian came into camp with a scalp, which
+Mrs. McNeil recognized as that of her friend by its black, silky hair,
+more than a yard long.
+
+There was nothing unusual about the murder, for it was only one of many
+such. The deed has, however, been woven into song and story, which have
+been repeated with endless variations in detail for more than six-score
+years. The name "Jenny McCrea" became a watchword to the stout and
+resolute farmers who were hastening from far and near to the scene of
+action.
+
+=189. Burgoyne gets his First Hard Blow; Desperate Fighting in the Mohawk
+Valley.=--The first hard blow Burgoyne received came from the west.
+Colonel St. Leger, as we remember, was marching with seventeen hundred
+men down the Mohawk Valley. He came to a stronghold called Fort Stanwix,
+and ordered its commander, Colonel Gansevoort, to surrender. The demand
+met with a pointed refusal, and the British began a regular siege.
+
+Everywhere through this beautiful valley was great excitement. General
+Herkimer, a militia officer over sixty years of age, a thorough master
+of Indian warfare, was a man of might in this section. Eight hundred
+hardy pioneers of this frontier region rallied at the veteran's call
+and marched with him to the relief of the fort. The younger officers
+would not listen to the old general's advice to move with caution.
+
+"You," said the old patriot, stung by their taunts, "you, who want to
+fight so badly now, will be the first to run when you smell burnt
+powder."
+
+There was not a proper advance guard, and the men fell into an ambush of
+the Tories and their Indian allies on the steep slope of a ravine, near
+a place called Oriskany. A desperate fight began hand to hand and from
+tree to tree. The worst thunderstorm of the season put an end to the
+battle for about an hour.
+
+  [Illustration: HERKIMER DIRECTING THE BATTLE.]
+
+Herkimer was shot in the leg in the early part of the encounter. He was
+lifted from his fallen horse and placed, at his own request, upon his
+saddle, propped against a beech tree. The old soldier lighted his pipe,
+and though the bullets were whistling about him, and men were falling
+thick and fast within a few yards, he coolly continued to direct the
+battle, giving his orders calmly, as if on a parade ground. Through the
+leafy depths of the forest rang the clashing of steel, the crack of
+rifle, and, above all, the hideous yells of the savages. Suddenly the
+Indians raised the retreating cry of "Oonah!" and in an instant they
+were gone! The desperate fighting was too much for the Tories, and they
+too fled, leaving the patriots in possession of the hard-earned field.
+
+Thus was fought one of the most hotly contested and, for the numbers
+engaged, one of the deadliest of the Revolutionary battles. No quarter
+was given on either side. Of the eight hundred men under Herkimer that
+fought on that sultry August day, only about a third ever saw their
+homes again.
+
+The brave old Dutchman was carried to his home, where, propped up in bed
+with pillows, he calmly smoked his pipe, read his Bible, and waited
+serenely for the end. He died a few days later. He had fought what was
+perhaps the most desperate battle of the Revolution, and he was victor.
+
+=190. Gallant Defense of Fort Stanwix; First American Flag raised.=--In
+the mean time St. Leger, in spite of this heavy check, moved up to
+within one hundred and fifty yards of the fort and again demanded its
+surrender. The gallant Gansevoort made a flag from portions of an old
+blue coat, a white shirt, and some strips from a red flannel petticoat,
+and raised it above five captured British flags and defied his foes to
+take the fort. We should remember the date, August 6, 1777; for it is
+claimed that this was the first American flag with stars and stripes
+that was ever flung to the breeze.
+
+  [Illustration: RAISING "OLD GLORY" FOR THE FIRST TIME.]
+
+While the siege was in full progress, the besiegers suddenly broke up
+their camps and retreated toward Canada in great confusion, leaving
+behind them their cannon, supplies, and even their tents. What was the
+matter? Arnold had been sent north by Washington immediately after the
+fall of Ticonderoga, and had arrived at Schuyler's headquarters three
+weeks before. Restless and impatient, he was despatched by Schuyler to
+relieve the brave garrison. On his way he captured and was going to hang
+as a spy a half-witted but ugly young Tory. The boy's mother begged his
+life.
+
+Arnold granted the mother's request on condition that the young fellow
+should take some friendly Indians with him and hasten to the British
+camp and so alarm St. Leger as to induce him to raise the siege and
+retreat! The frightened Tory set out on his perilous errand, his brother
+being held by Arnold as a hostage, and reached the British camp just as
+the Indians were holding a "pow-wow" over the dubious enterprise in
+which they were engaged.
+
+As the savages saw the Tory's coat full of bullet holes, and listened to
+his wonderful story of his own narrow escape, and heard that Arnold was
+close on their heels with two thousand regulars, the savages said, "The
+pow-wow said we must go"; and go they did in utmost haste. In vain the
+British officers stormed and swore. The troops were seized with a panic.
+St. Leger and all his army retreated in disorder, broken and beaten, to
+Oswego, and afterwards to Montreal. The valley of the Mohawk was safe.
+St. Leger's defeat dealt a severe blow to the plans and prospects of
+Burgoyne. Arnold was now able to rejoin Schuyler.
+
+=191. Burgoyne plans a Raid into the Country to secure Supplies.=--All
+this time Burgoyne was hard pushed for food. Every pound of bread and
+meat had to be brought from Canada. Nobody but Tories would sell him an
+ounce of beef or an ear of corn.
+
+The British general was also anxious to strike a blow at the good people
+of New England. He knew that the supplies of the patriots were stored at
+Bennington. Supplies he must have. On August 11 he sent off Colonel Baum
+with about five hundred Hessians, Indians, and Tories on a plundering
+trip to this little village.
+
+Four days later a second division of about six hundred men was sent
+under Colonel Breymann to help Baum, for it was evident that the
+situation was looking ugly. Instead of raiding the country, Baum,
+learning that the militia were gathering in all directions, entrenched
+himself on a hill about four miles from Bennington and waited for
+reinforcements.
+
+=192. The Men of New England rally to defend their Homes.=--The men of New
+England, instead of waiting till their houses were burnt, their crops
+destroyed, and their wives and children scalped, were rapidly arriving
+from far and near to meet their hated foe. The instant the Hessians and
+Indians threatened to come over the line, the men of New England knew
+there was only one thing to do and it must be done at once. That was to
+kill as many of the enemy as they could and drive the rest back. They
+had already prepared for this.
+
+Not every man was able to act as did staunch old John Langdon, who kept
+a store in Portsmouth. He said to the New Hampshire Assembly: "I have
+three thousand dollars in hard money. I will pledge my plate for as much
+more. I have seventy hogsheads of rum, which shall be sold. Our old
+friend John Stark, who defended the rail fence at Bunker Hill, will work
+like a beaver to stop Burgoyne."
+
+Among the rugged hills of northern New England no other man had such a
+personal following as had John Stark--a man of dauntless courage, rough
+simplicity, and real Yankee shrewdness.
+
+In appearance Stark was a man of medium size, well proportioned, and of
+great strength and endurance. It is remarkable that in all his years of
+hard service in the French and Indian wars, and in the many severe
+battles of the Revolution, he had never received a wound. He lived to be
+ninety-four years of age. He survived all the high officers that had
+taken part in the Revolution except Sumter, the famous southern general.
+
+Messengers rode on fast horses over the hills with orders for the men to
+rally at once. Each man packed his knapsack, grasped his rifle, left the
+women to get in the crops, and started for Charlestown on the
+Connecticut River, where Stark had raised his standard. Old men of
+seventy and even boys of fifteen turned out. Some of the farmers
+brought clock weights, some their pewter spoons and porringers, to be
+melted into bullets. The metal was kept running into the bullet moulds
+night and day. An old rusty cannon was found; it was mounted on a pair
+of cart wheels and dragged over the Green Mountains.
+
+The story is told of one mother whose boy of only fifteen was ready to
+start, but had no coat. The patriot mother took a meal bag, made a hole
+for the head, two more for the arms, cut off the feet of a pair of her
+long stockings which she sewed on for sleeves,--and hurried him away to
+Stark's camp!
+
+=193. How John Stark whipped the British at Bennington.=--Stark was now
+ready to march against Baum. On August 14 he was within a mile of the
+British camp. The next day it rained heavily. Fighting in such pouring
+torrents was out of the question. The Hessians worked hard on the
+entrenchments all day, and Stark sheltered his men in brush huts and
+under the lee of fences.
+
+One hundred men from the Berkshire Hills arrived in the night. A
+minister who could fight as well as preach came with them in a sulky.
+
+"General Stark," said he, "we have never had a chance to fight, and if
+you don't give us a chance now, we shall never turn out again."
+
+"Do you want to fight now in the rain and at night?" said Stark.
+
+"No," said the good man.
+
+"Well, then," said Stark, "if the Lord gives us sunshine once more, and
+I don't give you fighting enough, you needn't turn out again."
+
+Old soldiers who had fought behind the rail fence at Bunker Hill with
+Stark, and who had been in the front ranks with him at Trenton, knew
+that there would be no boy's play in the coming battle. The next
+morning, which was Saturday, August 16, broke clear and hot.
+
+  [Illustration: STARK ADDRESSING HIS MEN BEFORE THE BATTLE OF
+     BENNINGTON.]
+
+The ever-active and energetic Stark determined to storm the hill before
+reinforcements could reach the enemy. This was a desperate undertaking
+for country militia armed only with muskets and fowling pieces, without
+bayonets or side arms. Baum was well entrenched on a hill behind
+breastworks defended by highly disciplined veterans.
+
+About midday Stark, calling his men together in a large field, leaped to
+the topmost rail of a fence, steadied himself by a tall post, and
+addressed his troops in the historic words: "Now, my men, yonder are the
+Hessians. They are bought for seven pounds tenpence a man. Are you worth
+more? Prove it. To-night the American flag floats over yonder hill, or
+Molly Stark sleeps a widow!"
+
+Foreseeing that there would be close work with the Tories, who were
+dressed in farmers' clothes, like most of his own men, Stark gave orders
+that a corn husk in the hatband should be the badge of his own men. Five
+hundred men were sent to form in the rear of Baum's entrenchment, and
+two hundred more were massed on the right as a flanking party.
+
+It is now about three o'clock. With all his men in position Stark gives
+the word "Forward!" The battle begins in earnest. With wild shouts the
+farmer-soldiers press forward, using their rifles with deadly effect.
+The Indians, panic-stricken, yelling like demons, take to their heels,
+and make their escape into the forest. They have no intention of being
+caught in a trap. The Hessians stand their ground and fight bravely.
+
+For two hours there is hot work, "one continuous roar," as Stark
+afterwards said. The old cannon on cart wheels fires stones, for there
+are no cannon balls! At last Stark leads his men in a fierce charge.
+Baum falls mortally wounded, and his men surrender. A wild hurrah goes
+up. The battle is won.
+
+It was in the nick of time. Breymann arrived with fresh troops and began
+a lively attack. Stark rallied his men. A hundred and fifty "Green
+Mountain boys," hearing the roar of the battle, came up in the rear at
+just the right moment. They fell upon the Hessians like a thunderbolt,
+routed them, and would have captured them all if it had not been nearly
+dark. As it was, the enemy retreated in haste under cover of the
+darkness.
+
+The pioneer settlers of New England had proved themselves more than a
+match for entrenched regulars. Stark had beaten two of Burgoyne's best
+officers in a pitched battle. The victory was won by the sheer hard
+fighting of men who were well led.
+
+=194. Mighty Efforts of the Patriots to crush Burgoyne.=--The battle of
+Bennington was a severe blow for Burgoyne. His army never fully
+recovered from it. A thousand of his best men were lost, besides cannon,
+arms, and supplies of war. Even the savages began to leave in large
+numbers.
+
+The effect of this brilliant victory on the country was magical. It
+began to be thought that the whole of Burgoyne's army might be captured.
+Militia came in increasing numbers even from points on the Atlantic
+coast.
+
+Washington had some time before sent two of his best officers--Arnold,
+who as a fighter in pitched battles was unsurpassed, and Morgan, who
+came with five hundred sharpshooters, each man of whom, it was said,
+could hit a squirrel with his rifle at a distance of three hundred
+yards.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BATTLE MONUMENT AT BENNINGTON, VT.]
+
+Congress, misinformed, now set aside the noble General Schuyler and sent
+Gates, a schemer and intriguer, to supersede him. Schuyler's wise
+forethought and steadfast courage had already begun to show results. By
+a stupid blunder of the British government, orders for Sir William Howe
+to march north to aid Burgoyne had been delayed.
+
+General Lincoln had moved with two thousand men to the rear of the
+British army. The outposts of Ticonderoga had been retaken, and the
+road to Canada was thus closed for help or retreat.
+
+=195. The Hard-fought Battle near Saratoga.=--Burgoyne soon found that he
+must do something. About the middle of September he crossed to the west
+bank of the Hudson and came within two miles of the American camp at
+Bemis Heights. Here took place, on September 18, a hotly contested
+battle known as that of Freeman's Farm. If Gates had been an able
+general, probably the British army would have been crushed and the
+Burgoyne campaign ended then and there. As it was, the deadly fire of
+the riflemen inflicted a severe blow.
+
+Gates did not follow up his advantage. The two armies glared at each
+other. There was no rest for either side. There was sharp skirmishing
+all along the lines. The nights were made hideous by the howls of large
+packs of wolves that were attracted by the partially buried bodies of
+those slain in the battle.
+
+At last, on October 7, Burgoyne came out from his entrenched camp with
+fifteen hundred picked men and ten cannon. A bloody hand-to-hand battle
+was fought.
+
+Gates had removed Arnold from his command. Angry and desperate, this
+impetuous but hard fighter placed himself at the head of a detachment
+of the Continental troops, and under a terrific fire led the men to
+battle. Mounted on a dark-brown horse, he rode at full gallop over the
+field. He was greeted with wild cheers. "Call that fellow back," said
+Gates, "or he will do something rash." With mad fury his men charged and
+drove the enemy at the point of the bayonet.
+
+In the final retreat a wounded Hessian, lying on the ground, took aim
+and fired at Arnold. The bullet killed his horse and wounded the general
+in the same leg that had been hit by a musket ball nearly two years
+before, at the storming of Quebec. A thousand times better would it have
+been had the bullet gone through his heart!
+
+As Arnold fell, one of his men rushed up and was just going to bayonet
+the soldier who had shot his beloved general; but Arnold cried, "In
+Heaven's name, don't kill him! He is a fine fellow!" This was the moment
+when the general whom Washington so much admired for his rash bravery
+should have died.
+
+In less than an hour the British were driven back and retreated behind
+their entrenchments.
+
+Some time afterward, when Arnold had turned traitor and captured an
+American officer, he asked him, "What will your people do with me if
+they catch me?"
+
+"If my countrymen catch you," replied the fearless patriot, "they will
+first cut off your lame leg, which was wounded at Quebec and Saratoga,
+and bury it with the honors of war, and afterwards hang the rest of your
+body on a gallows."
+
+Darkness alone stopped the battle. General Morgan, as he saw a brave
+Scottish officer riding everywhere along the line, said to one of his
+best marksmen: "That is General Fraser. I admire and honor him, but it
+is necessary that he should die. Take your station in yonder bushes and
+do your duty." Shortly afterwards, this splendid Scotchman, who said to
+an aid when warned of his peril, "My duty forbids me to fly from
+danger," fell mortally wounded.
+
+=196. Effect of the Great Victory at Saratoga.=--Such was the battle of
+Bemis Heights, or Saratoga. It was really fought within a very few rods
+of the place where the battle of Freeman's Farm occurred.
+
+The rest of the story is soon told. Burgoyne retreated through the storm
+to Saratoga. The attempt to escape was hopeless. He was hemmed in on
+every side. The "trap" which the best British officers had foreseen, had
+been sprung. There was only one thing to do, and that was to yield to
+the inevitable.
+
+Burgoyne, with his army of about six thousand men, surrendered October
+17, 1777.
+
+The battle of Saratoga has justly been called "one of the decisive
+battles of history." It made a profound impression in Europe. It was the
+defeat of Burgoyne's army that convinced France that it was time to come
+to the help of the American colonies. It lifted the cloud of gloom which
+had settled upon the hearts of the American people, and which had wrung
+despondent words even from the hopeful Washington.
+
+From the day of this memorable victory until liberty was fully realized,
+four years later, in the final surrender at Yorktown, no true American
+gave up the idea of final triumph.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION.
+
+
+=197. Boyhood and Youth of George Washington.=--During the infancy of our
+nation there were many staunch and noble patriots; but far above all
+stood, and stands to-day, the majestic figure of George Washington. He
+came upon the stage at just the right time to give the vigor of his
+manhood to the military service of his country, and the maturity of his
+judgment to the formation of the new government and later to the
+presidency. He was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732.
+
+In those days the country was thinly settled, good schools were rare,
+and even the rich planters did not find it easy to have their children
+well disciplined in learning. The future president had only a plain
+education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. In his childhood he
+showed a martial spirit. While at school he was often the captain of a
+little military company with paper hats and wooden swords, and even in
+their marches and sham battles the boy exhibited somewhat of the
+soldierly bearing and honorable character that distinguished him later
+in life.
+
+He took an interest in study and enjoyed reading good books. He wrote an
+excellent hand, and some productions in his superior penmanship have
+been kept to this day, showing remarkable neatness and accuracy. They
+comprise lessons in geometry, forms of business papers, and even some
+neatly written extracts in verse. He studied by himself book-keeping and
+mathematics, especially land surveying, which was much needed in that
+new country. These studies proved of great value to him in after years.
+
+=198. Boyhood's Sports.=--Washington when a lad was robust, fond of
+athletic games, running, jumping, and wrestling. In these healthful
+sports he outdid his comrades. He could surpass them all in throwing a
+stone across the Rappahannock. The boys all liked him, for he was
+generous and open-hearted, and they used to make him a judge in their
+disputes.
+
+He was especially given to horsemanship, and delighted to break in the
+dashing young colts, and even to train dangerous horses.
+
+=199. Washington's Love for his Mother.=--When Washington was about eleven
+years old his father died, and the family was broken up. George's
+mother, like the mothers of most great men, had a strong, upright
+character and brought up her children exceedingly well. Like all worthy
+boys, he dearly loved his mother and was willing to be guided by her
+wishes.
+
+When about fourteen, he had a great longing to go to sea. Ships of war
+sometimes anchored in the Potomac River, near his home. The officers
+used to visit his brother's estate at Mount Vernon, and the boy no doubt
+listened eagerly to their stories of naval battles and adventures.
+
+He passionately desired to become a sailor. His mother at last gave an
+unwilling consent. His trunk was packed and all was ready. But when the
+hour for parting came, the quiet entreaty of his mother, "Don't go,
+George," with tears running down her cheeks, changed his purpose.
+
+This good mother lived until 1789, when she died at the age of
+eighty-two. Her lot was a rare one. She lived to see her son the most
+illustrious of living men, with a spotless fame, and as much admired for
+the purity of his character as for the greatness of his deeds. It is
+said that she used to listen to praise of him in silence, and only
+answered: "Yes, George was always a good boy!"
+
+=200. His Faithful Work as a Surveyor in the Virginia Wilderness.=--It
+seems strange now, as we look back on his early life, to see how
+Washington unconsciously prepared himself for his great future. He
+employed a trainer and took a severe course of lessons in skillful
+fencing and sword drill, and, besides, he made a careful study of
+military science and tactics.
+
+  [Illustration: GEORGE WASHINGTON.]
+
+He became prominent as a young man of superb vigor, fond of study and
+work, and full of promise of great achievements. So Lord Fairfax, an
+eccentric nobleman, who was a great fox hunter and who much admired his
+young friend's bold riding, selected him to survey the thousands of
+acres of forest land that the king had granted to him beyond the Blue
+Ridge. This was a pretty large undertaking for a boy of sixteen! But the
+youngster was enough of a man to do it. He and his assistant took each a
+horse, a gun, an axe, surveyor's tools, and camp outfit. They spent
+months in the vast forests and among the mountains; cutting their paths
+through woods, fording rivers, facing the drenching storms, surveying
+and measuring by day, and writing out the notes in the light of
+camp-fires by night; living on the game they shot,--wild turkeys,
+squirrels, rabbits, and deer; often meeting Indians.
+
+All this was just the school to prepare him for coming duties and for
+the great career he never then dreamed of. Here he gained in a high
+degree the hardy virtues of courage, self-reliance, promptness in
+danger, quick and prudent foresight, and unflinching endurance under
+difficulties.
+
+On his return, young Washington had done his work so well that the
+Governor appointed him public surveyor. It was a prominent office, and
+he filled it honorably. His surveys were so correct that it is said they
+are used even to this day.
+
+Lord Fairfax lived many years after this. He was bitterly opposed to the
+war of the Revolution. One day he heard the people shouting and cheering
+near his home. He asked his old negro servant what it all meant, and he
+was told that Lord Cornwallis had surrendered to General Washington. At
+this the old man groaned, "Take me to bed, Joe; it is high time for me
+to die!"
+
+=201. His Work as an Army Officer.=--Washington was twenty-three years
+old when he was appointed on the staff of General Braddock. We have read
+in Chapter VIII the story of this disastrous campaign. The choice proved
+the Governor's insight into Washington's remarkable character. His
+surprising bravery, his insensibility to fear amid the whistling of
+bullets, his coolness in danger, and his maturity of judgment, really
+saved the whole campaign and rescued Braddock's shattered forces from
+total ruin.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON CROSSING A RIVER ON A RAFT IN THE WILDERNESS
+     DURING MID-WINTER.]
+
+Shortly afterwards Washington withdrew for a while from military life.
+In 1759, he married Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow with two small
+children and a large fortune. A short time after their marriage Colonel
+and Mrs. Washington, or Lady Washington, as she was called, retired to
+Mount Vernon, a fine estate of eight thousand acres which he had
+inherited from his brother Lawrence. His many visitors who expected to
+see a heroic figure could not have been disappointed in his personal
+appearance.
+
+Washington was a man of noble presence, six feet two in height, of
+dignified and courtly manners and a noble military air. With health and
+wealth, a happy home and all that makes life pleasant, he was enjoying
+his honors and the comforts of rural life.
+
+=202. Advancement in Political Honors.=--So high was the trust reposed by
+all in Washington that he was now elected to the Virginia legislature,
+the House of Burgesses, a signal proof of popular confidence. He always
+studied the business of every day carefully, though he seldom made
+speeches. When he first entered and took his seat, in 1759, the Speaker
+of the House rose and in eloquent language returned thanks to him in the
+name of the colony for his services during the war.
+
+Washington stood up to reply; blushed, stammered, trembled, and could
+not utter a word.
+
+"Sit down, Mr. Washington," said the Speaker with a smile; "your modesty
+equals your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language I
+possess."
+
+For the next sixteen years Washington's life passed quietly and
+contentedly. Then was heard the distant thunder of the coming
+Revolution.
+
+We may be sure that Washington studiously watched the course of events,
+and often went back to Mount Vernon from the public meetings with an
+anxious mind.
+
+=203. Becomes Commander-in-Chief of the American Army.=--Soon a problem
+presented itself before the Continental Congress of which Washington was
+a member. Who shall be chosen Commander-in-Chief of our armies? Who
+shall be singled out for this most difficult task?
+
+There was one man to whom all turned. On a motion of John Adams of
+Massachusetts the choice was George Washington--"a gentleman from
+Virginia who is among us, and very well known to all of us." The choice
+was unanimous. It was a spontaneous tribute to his superior military
+experience and skill; to the strength and purity of his character, the
+ardor and unselfishness of his patriotism, and the perfect confidence
+which his whole career had inspired.
+
+Washington, in the course of his brief and modest speech of acceptance,
+said his service would be freely given without salary, asking that only
+his expenses be paid, and of which he would keep a careful record. His
+expense-books, kept during the Revolution in his own neat handwriting,
+are still carefully preserved.
+
+With the promptness which was a part of his self-training, he began at
+once his new duties. In a few days, as we have read in Chapter XII, he
+took command of the patriot army at Cambridge.
+
+We know how Washington's well-planned siege shut up the British army in
+Boston all that summer and all the next winter until March, when his
+admirable strategy compelled the proud Howe to sail silently away. This
+achievement of the brave Virginia officer, and of his raw
+farmer-soldiers against the much larger force of British regulars, well
+deserved the gold medal given him by Congress.
+
+=204. Takes Command in New York; his Masterly Retreat.=--Howe and
+Washington, after the evacuation of Boston, moved their armies to New
+York, each knowing the other would do so. The British plan was to take
+and hold the Hudson River and thus to separate the troublesome New
+England colonies from the others. The possession of New York was
+therefore of vast importance.
+
+Washington arrived first, and as the Brooklyn Heights opposite New York
+controlled the latter city, he did well to occupy this position. But it
+would have been very unwise to place all his army there. He stationed
+about nine thousand men under General Putnam in Brooklyn. The rest he
+used across the river in the city, and to hold Fort Lee and Fort
+Washington.
+
+Against Putnam's force the British brought an army of twenty thousand,
+stealing a night march, and with their greater number defeated our
+troops. This severe reverse, which could not have been prevented by him,
+Washington followed with a military success; for in the night, which
+fortunately happened to be very foggy, he silently and safely withdrew
+all our remaining troops across the East River from the overwhelming
+British force. The boats were managed by companies of Marblehead
+fishermen, who thus had an opportunity of doing a most signal service.
+When Howe the next morning moved his victorious regulars again to the
+attack, his enemy was gone!
+
+This masterly retreat from the very sight and under the guns of the
+enemy gave Washington a great reputation. He managed and watched it
+personally, spending two days and two nights in his saddle, without rest
+or sleep!
+
+=205. Some of the Many Difficulties with which Washington had to
+struggle.=--But now came the trouble that distressed Washington all
+through the war--the lack of soldiers. The British government sent over
+thousands of disciplined troops, and kept them well equipped.
+
+The colonies were uncertain and irregular in furnishing soldiers. The
+colonial money used to pay them rapidly lost its value; so that
+Washington was continually distressed to procure and retain enough
+troops. Besides, the terms of enlistment were usually short--six months
+or even less--and thus his little army was constantly dwindling away. To
+add to his anxieties, the supply of cannon, guns, powder, clothing,
+food, and all needed equipments, was often painfully meager.
+
+How then could Washington with his small and ill-furnished forces--his
+"ragged continentals"--oppose successfully the much larger and
+well-supplied troops of the enemy? To keep risking battles with an army
+much stronger than his own would invite defeat and ruin.
+
+But there were some things he could do--watch the enemy sharply, harass
+and worry him by repeated small engagements, obstruct his plans, and
+whenever possible attack a small separate body and defeat or capture it.
+
+This is exactly what Washington did, and often with consummate skill. He
+won his best moves because he first carefully fought over all his
+battles in his own brain, and then fought them out with the guns of his
+soldiers; for he had a faculty of inspiring his men with his own high
+purpose. They admired him as a hero, trusted him as a friend, and loved
+him as a father.
+
+=206. The Brilliant Victory at Trenton.=--Washington had successfully
+withdrawn the troops from Brooklyn, but he knew perfectly well that with
+his scanty force of half-trained men he could not risk a battle with
+four times as many of the well-drilled enemy--it would be certain ruin
+to the patriot cause.
+
+Our army now had to retreat across New Jersey, the British following
+closely all the way! It was a distressing movement and it produced
+general gloom. The country was discouraged, Congress was discouraged,
+the army itself was becoming discouraged. The British said Washington
+did not dare to fight, and that the war was about over.
+
+In all this gloom there was only one ray of light: Washington never
+despaired! Sorely tried, he yet kept up his faith and hope. Sick at
+heart but ever resolute, he declared to his friends that if all others
+forsook him, he would retire to the backwoods of Virginia and there make
+a final stand against Great Britain.
+
+Reaching the Delaware, the great commander crossed into Pennsylvania.
+General Howe came up on the east side, and then spread out his army,
+placing a thousand Hessians at Trenton.
+
+See what Washington did. On Christmas night, 1776, he crossed the
+Delaware to attack the Hessians. The river was so full of floating ice
+that the Marblehead soldiers found it very hard to manage the boats.
+After the crossing, the men marched nine miles through snow and hail,
+sometimes marking the whitened ground with blood from their shoeless
+feet.
+
+  [Illustration: THE NIGHT MARCH TO TRENTON.]
+
+As they drew near Trenton, Washington, who rode in front, asked a man
+chopping wood by the roadside:--
+
+"Which way is the Hessian picket?"
+
+"I do not know," was the surly answer.
+
+"You may tell," said the officer at Washington's side, "for that is
+General Washington."
+
+"God bless and prosper you!" cried the man instantly. "The picket is in
+that house, and the sentry stands near that tree."
+
+The Hessians, who were celebrating Christmas with wild revelry, were
+surprised, and soon forced to surrender.
+
+Washington was in great danger from the superior forces of the enemy
+close at hand, and was obliged immediately to recross the Delaware with
+his tired troops and his prisoners. The weather was so severe that two
+men were frozen to death that Christmas night. Notwithstanding
+Washington's haste, he found time to visit the dying Hessian Commander,
+Colonel Rahl, and speak kindly to him.
+
+It was a battle of this kind that showed the courage and genius of a
+great general who, in the midst of the most unfavorable circumstances,
+could plan well, fight well, and outwit the enemy! It was such masterful
+watchfulness and bravery as this that saved the country. Mighty applause
+now rang all through the land! "Hurrah for Washington, and hurrah for
+his ragged but plucky little army!"
+
+Well might the people shout, for this was the first real victory of the
+continental army. Lord Howe was very angry and said it would never do,
+and he sent Cornwallis to defeat this rebel general. Let us see what
+Cornwallis did. The British general marched from Princeton with about
+eight thousand men, and found Washington's army of some three thousand
+with its rear to the river. At about dusk he planted his own army in
+front, and then felt sure of his prey. "At last we have run down the old
+fox," said the over-confident British general as he went to bed in high
+spirits, "and we will bag him easily in the morning." The situation was
+indeed a dangerous one for the patriot army.
+
+  [Illustration: WASHINGTON BEFORE TRENTON.]
+
+=207. How Washington surprised the British at Princeton.=--During the
+night Washington left a front line of camp-fires burning, and a few
+soldiers noisily digging trenches and throwing up breastworks, while his
+entire army made a circuitous march around Cornwallis, got in his rear,
+attacked Princeton early, captured three regiments and a lot of
+supplies, and moved on to Morristown, a strong place where the British
+dared not attack him.
+
+In this battle the commanding figure of Washington riding to and fro on
+his white horse made a notable object for the enemy's marksmen.
+
+These two battles brought Washington great applause all over this
+country and through Europe. Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, said:
+"This young American general opens a fresh chapter in the art of war;
+England hasn't a man to match him."
+
+=208. How Washington helped to defeat Burgoyne.=--During the next year,
+1777, Washington was busy watching Lord Howe and keeping him confined
+closely in New York. Although he lacked the army with which to fight any
+great battle, yet he did the greatest service. The British planned this
+year, as we have just read in the preceding chapter, a second effort to
+occupy the Hudson and divide the colonies.
+
+But, as we have seen, the plan was doomed to failure. Burgoyne was
+wrecked by Schuyler and Stark, and the Mohawk force was defeated by
+Arnold and Morgan. Then all depended on Howe's army which was to come up
+the Hudson. But Howe could not come! Washington was skillfully blocking
+his plans, so that the British general could spare no soldiers. And so
+resulted the great surrender at Saratoga--the most cheering victory
+during this period of the war.
+
+Howe's army then went by sea to Philadelphia and wintered there.
+
+=209. Sufferings at Valley Forge.=--Washington wintered at Valley Forge,
+not far away. The winter was very severe. The patriot army was ill-fed,
+ill-clothed, and unpaid. Hundreds of soldiers were barefoot, their
+bloody steps tracking the snow. Hungry, shivering, and bleeding, they
+keenly felt how much it cost to be a "ragged continental."
+
+The money issued was almost worthless, fifty dollars of paper for one of
+specie. It took six months' pay to buy a pair of boots; for England
+counterfeited the continental money, brought over huge parcels of it,
+and put it into circulation. Congress seemed neglectful. Discouragement
+prevailed.
+
+Washington seemed to have the care of the whole patriot cause on his
+shoulders alone. He had everything to do,--appealing perpetually to
+Congress for action; begging the Governors for aid; getting food, arms,
+ammunition, and clothing; recruiting and drilling the army; planning
+campaigns; and so working unceasingly in every direction.
+
+=210. Help from France; the Battle of Monmouth.=--In the spring of 1778
+help came. The French sent ships, soldiers, and officers, and again the
+sun began to shine. Their help was of vital importance. Perhaps we could
+never have got on without it.
+
+Sir Henry Clinton, who had succeeded Lord Howe, fearing the approach of
+a French fleet, now made up his mind to leave Philadelphia and march
+across New Jersey to New York. Washington sent forward a division of his
+army under General Charles Lee to pursue the British and give them
+battle. The patriots, ready and eager to fight, came up with the enemy
+at Monmouth. Unfortunately, the mischief-making Lee, now known to have
+been little better than a traitor, ordered a retreat.
+
+As Washington advanced with the main army, he was filled with surprise
+and anger to learn from stragglers of Lee's treacherous action. He set
+spurs to his horse and galloped to the front.
+
+According to tradition, this was one of the very few times when
+Washington was thought to have lost his self-control. With a fierce
+oath he demanded of Lee what he meant by retreating. Washington's look,
+according to Lafayette, was terrible.
+
+"What is the meaning of all this, sir?" he repeated.
+
+There could be no good answer. Lee quailed before his angry commander.
+
+Having sent the apparently treacherous officer to the rear, Washington
+showed at once his superb generalship. Like Sheridan at Cedar Creek,
+about which we shall hear later, he inspired his men with fresh courage
+and led them against the enemy. The continental army now showed the
+results of the long winter's drill at Valley Forge. The lines were
+re-formed, the main army was brought up, and the British were soon
+repulsed.
+
+Clinton retreated during the same night. He reached New York and the
+protection of the fleet before the patriot army could overtake him.
+
+Such was the battle of Monmouth, fought on a very hot and sultry Sunday
+in June, 1778. It was the last battle in the north, and practically
+closed the campaign for the control of the Middle States.
+
+=211. The Story of Mollie Pitcher.=--The account of this battle would not
+be complete without the oft-told story of Mollie Pitcher. During the day
+a soldier having charge of a cannon was shot down at his post. His
+newly wedded wife, a young Irish woman, was at the time bringing water
+for the thirsty men from a neighboring spring. She saw her husband fall
+at the cannon he was serving, and heard his commander order the piece to
+be removed from the field. Instantly dropping her pail, Mollie seized
+the rammer and, stationing herself by the gun, performed her husband's
+duty with skill and courage all through the battle.
+
+  [Illustration: MOLLIE PITCHER TAKES HER HUSBAND'S PLACE AT MONMOUTH.]
+
+The soldiers gave her the nickname of Major Mollie, and being presented
+to General Washington the day after the battle, she received a
+sergeant's commission, and Congress gave her half-pay for life! Some of
+the French officers, it is said, were so delighted with her courage that
+they presented her with a hat full of gold pieces and christened her "La
+Capitaine"!
+
+=212. Washington plans the Yorktown Campaign.=--In the spring of 1781,
+Washington was still hemming in Clinton at New York. In the south, where
+there had been severe fighting for two years, General Greene had driven
+Cornwallis from the Carolinas up to Virginia, and our generous friend,
+Lafayette, had helped push the British general to the point of land at
+Yorktown. Washington, learning this, arranged that the French fleet
+should sail there and prevent the escape of the enemy by sea.
+
+Then Washington planned what has been regarded as the proudest
+achievement of the war. He decided to hurry his own army to Yorktown,
+and with it and the southern forces and the French fleet finish the
+seven years' struggle.
+
+Yes; but if Clinton should hear of it, he would sail from New York and
+checkmate the plan. How could Washington do all this and keep Clinton in
+the dark? Everything turned on that. He kept up a lively show of
+activity around New York, and had decoy letters written to his distant
+generals to come and help him capture Clinton's army. Very strange, but
+those letters reached the British general!
+
+When the right moment came, leaving a small force at New York for show,
+Washington by a swift and skillful movement moved his army of six
+thousand through New Jersey. The Commander-in-Chief was unsurpassed at
+keeping a secret. His own generals did not know where they were going.
+They marched to Elkton, at the head of the Chesapeake, and took ships
+for Yorktown.
+
+The hour for the final success of the patriot cause had now come.
+Cornwallis was shut in by sea and land. Washington with his own hand
+fired the first cannon of the attack. This was on October 9, 1781.
+
+By night and by day the sound of the heavy guns was incessantly heard.
+The shells of the besieged and besiegers crossed each other in the air.
+
+At one time during the siege Washington, with many officers about him,
+was watching an assault with intense interest. Those who stood near him
+were afraid he would be hit by a chance shot, and one of his aids
+ventured to say that the situation was very much exposed.
+
+"If you think so," replied he gravely, "you are at liberty to step
+back."
+
+A little later a musket ball hit a cannon near the group and fell at
+Washington's feet. General Knox grasped his arm.
+
+"My dear general," exclaimed he, "we can't spare you yet."
+
+"It is a spent ball," answered the Commander-in-Chief quietly; "no harm
+is done."
+
+When the redoubts were taken, he drew a long breath and said to Knox,
+"The work is done, and _well done_!" During the battle, a famous
+Virginia officer, Governor Nelson, who had raised troops and supplied
+money at his own risk, was asked what part of the town it would be best
+to fire upon. He pointed to a large, handsome building, which he thought
+was probably the enemy's headquarters. It was his own house!
+
+=213. The Superb Victory at Yorktown.=--After a few days of fighting,
+Cornwallis found himself in so hopeless a condition that he made an
+unsuccessful attempt to escape. Shortly afterward he was forced to
+surrender with eleven thousand men, a hundred and sixty cannon, a huge
+amount of camp supplies, and ten thousand dollars in money. Five days
+after the surrender, General Clinton arrived with ships and heavy
+reinforcements. Too late, Sir Henry, too late!
+
+When the news of the capture of Cornwallis reached London, Lord North,
+the British Prime Minister, walked up and down his room, wringing his
+hands and crying out, "O God! it is all over! It is all over!"
+
+How unspeakably the great leader's heart must have rejoiced at this
+famous victory; the labors, anxieties, and sufferings of seven years
+ending at last in glorious triumph! The whole country gave way to
+transports of joy. Congress appointed a day of general thanksgiving and
+prayer, and voted special thanks to the distinguished generals and many
+other officers. It was felt that a death-blow had been given to
+England's efforts to crush the colonies.
+
+The victory at Yorktown practically ended the war. It took several years
+for the country to recover from the wreck and ruin wrought, to frame the
+machinery of our new government, and to lay the solid foundations of
+this grand edifice of constitutional liberty. In all this work of
+nation-building Washington was a prominent actor, no less sagacious as a
+statesman than as a skilled warrior.
+
+=214. Washington, the First President of the United States.=--When it came
+to the choice of a first president, all eyes turned to that one stately
+figure--to him who had saved his country in war, and who in peace could
+best carry its precious interests safely in his great brain and heart.
+He was unanimously elected--not a vote for any other person--an honor
+never paralleled. With his usual modesty he would have declined; but his
+sense of duty and his willingness to serve his country made him accept.
+
+His journey to New York was one continued ovation. Bells were rung,
+cannon fired, and eloquent addresses made. All the vessels in New York
+harbor were gayly decked with flags. When the dignified President-elect
+landed, the salutes of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the shouts of
+the crowd were multiplied tenfold.
+
+On April 30, 1789, Washington took the solemn oath to perform the duties
+of the President of the United States.
+
+On this important occasion he was dressed in a suit of dark brown cloth
+of American manufacture. He wore white silk stockings, silver buckles
+and a steel-hilted sword. His hair was powdered and tied behind,
+according to the fashion of that time. The day was given up to
+rejoicings; and in the evening there were illuminations and fireworks.
+
+Washington was reelected, and served his country honorably for two terms
+of four years each. His administration was worthy in every way of his
+great ability, his statesmanship, and his exalted patriotism.
+
+=215. Washington retires to Private Life.=--Beloved and honored by a whole
+people, but weary of public life, Washington at last retired to his
+beautiful and beloved Mount Vernon to enjoy a well-earned repose. He
+took up his former manner of living. He began to repair his buildings
+and to improve his estate. His good wife, Martha, said that she and the
+general when he left the presidency felt like children just released
+from school, and she spoke of her satisfaction in settling down again to
+the "duties of an old-fashioned Virginia housekeeper, steady as a clock,
+busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
+
+  [Illustration: MARTHA WASHINGTON.]
+
+Washington was a model farmer. He gave personal attention to every
+detail. He rode on horseback ten or fifteen miles every morning, looking
+after his estate and its servants. Two o'clock was the dinner hour;
+three o'clock if there were guests of importance. The general would not
+wait more than five minutes for any guest, however distinguished. So
+much time he allowed for the difference of watches. "My cook," said he,
+"does not ask whether the guests have arrived, but whether the hour
+has."
+
+Washington's dress and appearance were very simple. "How shall I know
+him?" asked a gentleman who was about to ride off in search of him.
+
+"You will meet, sir," replied his friend, "an old gentleman riding alone
+in plain drab clothes, a broad-brimmed white hat, a hickory switch in
+his hand, and an umbrella with a long staff attached to his saddle-bow.
+That person, sir, is General Washington."
+
+A pleasant story is told by a gentleman who was a guest at Mount Vernon.
+It seems that he coughed much during the early part of the night. "After
+some time had elapsed," said the guest, "the door of my room was gently
+opened, and, on drawing my bed curtains, I saw Washington himself,
+standing at my bedside, with a bowl of hot tea in his hand."
+
+No wish for power, or regret at being no longer before the eyes of the
+world, ever disturbed the happiness of Washington in his retirement. A
+little over two years now passed happily at the great mansion, with its
+generous living and its gracious hospitality.
+
+=216. Sickness and Death; Universal Sorrow.=--One day in December, 1799,
+while taking his usual ride on horseback Washington was exposed to rain,
+hail, and snow, with a raw wind blowing. The next day his family noticed
+that he had a slight cold, but he paid no heed to such trifling
+ailments.
+
+The next day he was much worse, breathed with difficulty, and could
+hardly speak. His mind was perfectly clear, and he believed he should
+not get well. He was never unprepared for death. The same night he
+passed away.
+
+Mourning spread over the whole country. In foreign lands as well as at
+home the news was received with sincerest sorrow. The American people
+felt that they had indeed lost their protector, the Father of his
+Country.
+
+  [Illustration: MOUNT VERNON, THE HOME OF WASHINGTON.]
+
+To Americans his memory will always be precious. His birthday is
+celebrated every year throughout our broad land; and the bell of every
+steamer that glides along the quiet Potomac tolls as it slowly passes
+Mount Vernon, the last resting-place of George Washington!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE SOUTH.
+
+
+=217. Utter Failure thus far to subdue the Colonists.=--Midway in the war
+of the Revolution there was a period of over two years when active
+fighting was for the most part suspended. After the surrender of
+Burgoyne at Saratoga, the English seemed to lose heart. A feeble effort
+was even made by the British government to secure peace. England would
+yield everything except the claim of the colonies to independence. This
+was the very thing that now, after three years of fighting, the colonies
+would not yield.
+
+Each side seemed to be tired of bloodshed. The patriots were in a bad
+enough way, and England had her troubles with other nations.
+
+Of all the territory the British had occupied during three years, the
+only spot they now held was New York, and even there Washington's superb
+generalship with his small but active army was giving them constant
+trouble.
+
+=218. The British now attempt to subdue the Southern Colonies.=--Thus it
+became necessary for the British to contrive some plan that would offer
+better results. They now proposed to go south, subdue one colony after
+another, and so push their conquests northward.
+
+The British had already tried their hand at the south, and with results
+not quite to their liking. In June, 1776, General Clinton came with a
+fleet to capture Charleston. But Colonel William Moultrie had built on
+an island in the harbor a low redoubt of palmetto logs and sand bags,
+from which his guns made sad havoc with the fleet, while the British
+shot could not pierce through the tough, spongy logs of the fort. After
+a disastrous fight, Clinton went back disheartened. The gallant defense
+of this fort had a most wholesome effect upon the patriot cause.
+
+  [Illustration: SERGEANT JASPER'S BOLD DEED.]
+
+One heroic deed of the battle is often told. The flag of the fort
+floated from a high mast, against which the enemy directed their fire
+until the top of the flagstaff was shot away and fell over the ramparts
+on the beach. A daring soldier by the name of William Jasper leaped over
+the wall of palmetto logs, walked the whole length of the fort in the
+face of the enemy's fire, tore away the flag, fastened it to the rammer
+of a cannon, and floated it on the ramparts.
+
+=219. Disasters to the Patriot Cause.=--In December, 1778, a large British
+force, sent from New York, landed and captured Savannah with about five
+hundred prisoners. The enemy also captured Augusta, brought all Georgia
+under British control, and put the royal governor back into office.
+
+In October, 1779, our General Lincoln and a French fleet made a combined
+attack on Savannah, hoping to recapture it, but they utterly failed.
+These two disasters in two years were very discouraging to all
+Americans.
+
+The year 1780 brought still worse fortune, for early in the year Clinton
+came again from New York and made a second attack on Charleston. In May
+he captured the city and all Lincoln's army, with four hundred cannon.
+Clinton then returned to New York, leaving Cornwallis in command with
+five thousand men.
+
+The British, possessing Savannah and Charleston with the river
+connections, held the key to the whole of Georgia and South Carolina.
+They could obtain all their supplies by water, and so did not need to
+rely upon the country for support.
+
+=220. The Bitter and Cruel Warfare in the South.=--The patriots did not
+now have a body of soldiers in the south large enough to call an army.
+The entire region was open to British plunder.
+
+Bands of soldiers roamed through the country, plundering, burning, and
+killing without restraint. No mercy was shown to patriots. A squad of
+soldier bandits once came to the home of Thomas Sumter, the famous
+patriot officer, turned his wife and children out of doors and burned
+the house.
+
+Sumter was a bold and energetic fighter in the wild warfare of the
+south. He was a tall and powerful man and of a very stern make-up. He
+lived to be ninety-nine years of age--the last surviving general of the
+Revolution. "But for Sumter and Marion," said Cornwallis, "South
+Carolina would be at peace."
+
+There now remained in South Carolina but one battalion of patriot
+soldiers. These were about four hundred in number under Colonel Buford,
+then in the northwestern part of the state. Clinton sent against him a
+force of seven hundred regulars and Tories under Colonel Tarleton, an
+active but base and cruel man.
+
+Tarleton surrounded the patriots and demanded their surrender. While
+Buford was quietly discussing the matter, his soldiers resting at ease
+under the protection of a flag of truce, Tarleton treacherously arranged
+his men for an attack. Suddenly the flag of truce was taken down, and
+instantly the British cavalry rushed from all sides upon Buford's men
+and killed one hundred and thirteen and wounded one hundred and fifty.
+
+Even the boys were nerved to deeds of valor. A schoolboy named Andrew
+Jackson, thirteen years old, who had seen the dead of the Buford
+massacre, and helped care for the wounded, and whose own brother had
+been killed by the British, was himself captured. While under guard, a
+pompous British officer came up to him and cried out:--
+
+"Here, boy! clean my boots!"
+
+"No, sir! clean your own boots. I am a prisoner of war and entitled to
+better treatment."
+
+Down came the officer's sword, aiming at the boy's head. Warding off the
+blow with his arm, he received a wound, the marks of which he carried to
+his grave. This boy grew up to become the seventh president of the
+United States!
+
+=221. General Gates meets with Disaster.=--When General Washington learned
+of the disasters in the south, the loss of Savannah and Charleston and
+of Lincoln's army, he was anxious to send down General Greene, his
+right-hand man. But Congress unwisely interfered, and sent General
+Gates, who had contrived to get the credit of Burgoyne's capture at
+Saratoga.
+
+In August, Gates moved to Camden, S. C., to meet Cornwallis. A strange
+battle ensued. Each general had planned to surprise the other by a night
+attack; the armies met in the dark. Both waited till daylight, and then
+the battle began. It was a disastrous defeat for the patriots. Gates's
+army was destroyed. This was perhaps the worst catastrophe of the war.
+
+Now the patriot prospect was wretched enough. Where could there be any
+hope? The Tories all through the state were delighted, and thronged to
+the British side.
+
+=222. Marion proves a Source of Terror to the British.=--The patriots felt
+now that they must defend themselves singly or in small groups; there
+was no army to help them. So they assembled, a few dozen here and there,
+and used their utmost endeavors on every opportunity to cripple the
+enemy. The British had small stations through the state, from which
+murderous raids could be made. They would plunder, burn, slay, and then
+return to their posts. To attack these posts, or to do any military work
+successfully, the patriots needed a leader. One soon came, Francis
+Marion, who combined a few groups of patriots and did most effective
+work with them.
+
+  [Illustration: MARION'S TROOPERS ATTACKING A BRITISH CAMP.]
+
+This gallant and intrepid partisan chieftain was rather below the middle
+stature, lean, and swarthy. His forehead was large and high, and his
+eyes black and piercing. He was at this time about forty-eight years of
+age, with a body capable of enduring great fatigue and every privation.
+He never tarnished his fame with acts of cruelty.
+
+"Never shall a house be burned by one of my men," said he; "to distress
+helpless women and children is what I detest."
+
+Marion used to wear a close-fitting red jacket and a leather cap. His
+body was so slight that he never did personal deeds of valor. His sword
+was so rarely used that once he could not draw it from the scabbard on
+account of the rust.
+
+Never was Napoleon's guard more attached to their general than were
+Marion's men to the partisan chief who so often led them to victory.
+
+=223. How the "Swamp Fox" did his Fighting.=--Marion was familiar with the
+country, and in many of the numerous swamps he occupied, with his
+troopers, secret haunts approached by devious paths not easily followed.
+The British, smarting under his attacks, called him the "swamp fox"; but
+he proved to them rather a wolf or a tiger. These patriots who sprang to
+his side to defend their homes were patriots indeed. They had no pay, no
+uniforms, and but scanty clothing. They were a shabby-looking band of
+soldiers; but their arms were strong and their hearts were true.
+
+Many had no guns, until they supplied themselves from the enemy. They
+melted their pewter dishes for bullets. They often made their breakfast
+on blackberries, dined on potatoes and green corn, and not infrequently
+supped on the memory of their dinner.
+
+Much of the time Marion himself did not have even a blanket. One night
+his bed of brush caught fire, and it not only burnt his blanket but
+singed his hair and spoilt his leather cap!
+
+Marion always kept his plans secret, even from his own officers, until
+the moment for action came. There was an air of mystery in what he
+undertook, and a bustle of hearty enterprise about his movements, which
+gave a charm to life in his famous brigade. Marion enjoyed fully the
+confidence of his men, shared all their privations, and braved more than
+his share of their dangers.
+
+=224. One of Marion's First Exploits.=--One of Marion's first exploits was
+against a large force of Tories under Major Gainey. Marion and his men
+fell on his camp at daybreak as suddenly as if they had dropped from the
+clouds. Gainey fled on horseback, closely pursued by Major James, who
+followed so fast and so far that he suddenly found himself alone and
+getting surrounded by Tories. His quick wits saved him.
+
+Turning in his saddle and waving his sword, he shouted back as if to a
+large body of followers, "Come on, boys! Here they are!" The Tories
+scattered and fled! In this little brush Marion did not lose a man.
+
+Marion was always on the alert--quick, dash, fire, away!--that was his
+way of fighting. No wonder he carried terror to the enemy. And yet he
+never used exactly the same tactics twice. Once he planned to fall
+suddenly on a force twice as large as his own. It had a watchful leader
+who could not be caught napping. Dangerous business, we say. Yes, but
+see how the "swamp fox" did it! He carefully hid a body of his best
+sharpshooters in ambush along the road about a mile from the British.
+
+Then he made a lively attack on the enemy and soon retreated along this
+road. Of course the enemy followed briskly, when up sprang Marion's
+troopers in ambush and soon defeated them. "All's fair in war," says the
+proverb.
+
+These furious and almost incessant attacks kept the British in terror.
+They never knew when they were safe.
+
+=225. Some of Marion's Famous Exploits.=--Many a story of this daring
+chieftain's exploits used to be told by the evening fireside. In
+October, 1780, Marion brought hope to the patriots by one of his
+brilliant attacks. Colonel Tynes was gathering a large body of Tories to
+assist the British, and he held stores of guns, ammunition, and clothing
+for their use. Marion's scouts learned all the facts. These were just
+the articles he wanted for his half-clothed, half-fed, and poorly armed
+men.
+
+For him to resolve was to act. He came cautiously at midnight. The
+camp-fires were burning; some soldiers were singing, some playing
+cards, some eating stolen chickens; but nobody was on guard. Marion's
+troopers rushed in with a wild shout, and the attack went all one way. A
+large number were killed, twenty-three were taken prisoners, and the
+supplies of the Tory camp were enjoyed by Marion's men for a long time.
+Not one of his force was lost.
+
+Soon after Gates's defeat, Marion learned by his scouts that the British
+were not far off with a large body of American prisoners. He sent at
+midnight a squad to hold the road to their camp, and before dawn he
+approached it silently with his own force. Just at daylight he made a
+sudden attack upon them. The surprise and the assault were an amazing
+success. Twenty-four of the enemy were killed or captured, and one
+hundred and fifty captives were set free, while not one of his men was
+lost.
+
+=226. Marion invites a British Officer to Dinner.=--One day a young
+British officer came to Marion under a flag of truce, to plan an
+exchange of some prisoners. The business finished, Marion asked the
+officer to dine with him. The dinner consisted entirely of baked sweet
+potatoes brought by a negro on a piece of bark for a plate, with a log
+for a table.
+
+"But this can't be your usual fare?" asked the Britisher.
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Marion, "and we are lucky to-day to have enough for
+company."
+
+This was no idle talk to affect the young officer, but it did impress
+him; for the story is that on returning to his own camp he said, "It's
+no use trying; I've seen Marion, and I tell you that men who work for no
+pay and live on potatoes while fighting for their liberties, are not
+going to be beaten, and I am not going to fight any longer against them.
+I shall resign to-day."
+
+  [Illustration: MARION INVITES A BRITISH OFFICER TO DINE WITH HIM.]
+
+=227. A Great Victory at King's Mountain.=--After the Camden disaster the
+deep gloom continued till October, when Colonel Ferguson was sent with a
+force of British and Tories to the northwest to subdue the patriots in
+that region. Instantly there was a general uprising of the hunters and
+farmers of this wild and romantic region to defend their homes from the
+brutal enemy. These hardy mountaineers, ready to move at a moment's
+warning, came from every direction to a common meeting-place.
+
+At King's Mountain, in North Carolina, where the British were
+entrenched, these American riflemen charged up the steep sides,
+surrounded the enemy, and cut them down till about half were killed and
+the rest fled in dismay. It was a brilliant victory, won by sheer hard
+fighting, and it brought supreme joy to the long-suffering patriots; for
+it proved to be decisive. It turned the tide of British rule in the
+south.
+
+=228. General Greene takes Command in the South.=--A new Continental army
+was now to be sent from the north, and this time Washington had his
+choice of commanders. He sent one of his best and most trusted officers,
+General Greene, who had been a Rhode Island blacksmith. He knew how to
+fight; for he had served under the eye of Washington in many battles,
+and so had been well trained in military matters.
+
+It was in December, 1780, that Greene took command of the so-called
+"southern army" at Charlotte, a little town in North Carolina. He had in
+all about two thousand men, but only eight hundred were fit for duty.
+
+On the day Greene took command there were not three days' provisions in
+camp. He had no money. The people would not touch the Continental paper
+money. Ably, patiently, and brilliantly, this sagacious general at once
+set to work to effect his great purpose of driving the British armies
+from the south.
+
+With Greene came another famous officer, General Daniel Morgan, the man
+who had marched with Arnold to Canada, and who commanded the infantry at
+Stillwater and Saratoga.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL GREENE TAKING COMMAND OF THE SOUTHERN ARMY.]
+
+This was the man who, when he heard of Lexington, led his riflemen six
+hundred miles in twenty-one days, from Virginia, to join Washington in
+Cambridge.
+
+Morgan was of gigantic stature, vast physical strength, and wonderful
+powers of endurance. In his youth he was a teamster. One day by order of
+a tyrannical British officer he was given five hundred lashes for some
+slight offense. He walked away saucy and defiant as before.
+
+Of a gentle and unselfish nature, resolute, fearless in battle, a born
+fighter, Morgan was the ideal leader of the riflemen of the frontier.
+His force was smaller than Greene's, who had detached him to occupy a
+post in South Carolina.
+
+=229. How General Morgan defeated the British at Cowpens.=--Cornwallis in
+January, 1781, sent Tarleton with eleven hundred troops to meet Morgan
+and dispose of him. They met at Cowpens, but Morgan, with a smaller
+army, reversed the order and disposed of Tarleton! He killed a large
+number, ten officers and more than one hundred men, took over five
+hundred prisoners, with all the artillery and stores.
+
+It was at Cowpens that Colonel Washington, a distant relative of the
+Commander-in-Chief, wounded Tarleton in a hand-to-hand combat. Shortly
+afterwards this hated British officer said to a lady:--
+
+"You seem to think very highly of Colonel Washington; and yet I have
+been told that he is so ignorant a fellow that he can hardly write his
+name."
+
+"It may be so," quickly replied the lady; "but no man can testify better
+than yourself that he knows how to 'make his mark.'"
+
+At another time the haughty Tarleton, boasting of his own deeds and
+speaking with disdain of the continental cavalry, said to a lady:--
+
+"I have a very earnest desire to see your far-famed hero, Colonel
+Washington."
+
+"Your wish, colonel, might have been gratified," she promptly replied,
+"had you dared to look behind you at the battle of Cowpens!"
+
+=230. Greene's Masterly Retreat.=--How angry Cornwallis was at the ruin of
+his best army at Cowpens! He started to pursue Morgan and punish him.
+But the patriot general foresaw this, and not having soldiers enough, he
+got well ahead, and one day at dusk crossed the Catawba River. The
+advanced detachment of Cornwallis's army came up two hours later, and
+waited for morning. That night a heavy rain swelled the stream and
+checked the British advance. Morgan pushed on to the Yadkin and crossed,
+meeting Greene's army.
+
+Determined that his little band should not be destroyed, since the fate
+of the war in the south depended upon it, and not being strong enough to
+meet Cornwallis with his well-equipped regiments in open battle, Greene
+now planned a retreat with as much method and care as he would have
+exercised in preparing for a battle.
+
+The river Roanoke for a long distance runs near the boundary between
+Virginia and North Carolina. The upper portion of this stream is called
+the Dan. Greene now started for the fords of this river, seventy miles
+away, with Cornwallis close at his heels. The roads were deep with mud
+and almost impassable. The patriot soldiers, wretchedly clothed and
+nearly barefoot, struggled along, marking the road, as Greene wrote to
+Washington, with blood-stained tracks.
+
+"How you must suffer from the cold!" said the general to a barefooted
+sentry.
+
+"I do not complain," replied the soldier; "I know I should fare well if
+our general could procure supplies; and if, as you say, we fight in a
+few days, I shall take care to get some shoes."
+
+It was a most masterly and gallant retreat. The men were kept in hand,
+and a serious encounter with the enemy was avoided.
+
+One morning during the retreat, when everything seemed dark, Greene rode
+up to the door of a tavern. The host, a true friend, met him.
+
+"What! alive, my dear general?"
+
+"Yes; tired, hungry, alone, and penniless."
+
+The hostess, Mrs. Elizabeth Steele, was of the stuff of which patriots
+are made. She gave the weary general a good breakfast, and while he was
+eating she put in his hands a bag filled with bright silver dollars,
+saying, "You need them, and I can do without them."
+
+As the story goes, the gallant Greene, admiring the devotion of the
+noble woman, stepped to the mantel, over which hung a portrait of King
+George, turned it to the wall, and wrote upon the back, "Hide thy face,
+King George, and blush!"
+
+  [Illustration: THE PATRIOTIC AND GENEROUS LANDLADY.]
+
+Cornwallis pressed the patriots hard through forests and over streams,
+but he was baffled at every move. Reaching the river Dan, the American
+army was safely carried over by the boats which its sagacious commander
+had arranged for many days before.
+
+Cornwallis came up in hot haste only to find that the deep and rapid
+river flowed between him and his foe. It would have been madness for
+him to cross the river. He sullenly withdrew his army to a point farther
+south.
+
+=231. Greene now begins to fight and shows Rare Generalship.=--Having
+recruited and rested his men, Greene moved his army south of the Dan and
+began active operations. He followed sharply after Cornwallis, and in
+March brought him to battle at Guilford. The fight was severe, and the
+British general, though he gained the advantage, was so roughly handled
+that he retired towards Wilmington, the nearest point on the coast.
+
+Greene now made a bold and hazardous move. Instead of preventing
+Cornwallis from advancing to the north, he left the British general to
+do as he pleased, faced about suddenly and boldly marched to South
+Carolina. His plan was to thrust himself between the main British army
+and its southern division and then attack the latter and their fortified
+posts.
+
+Like a skillful general, having decided upon this daring change, Greene
+acted quickly. He marched with all speed for Camden, one hundred and
+sixty miles distant. His object was to break the British hold upon South
+Carolina.
+
+A brighter day was now dawning, and the sunshine of hope was soon to
+appear. The adroit activities of Marion, Sumter, and Pickens, and the
+skill and vigor of Greene and Morgan were now bringing their harvest,
+and they gave the patriots new life and cheer.
+
+At Hobkirks Hill, near Camden, Greene attacked the British. He was
+defeated, but it was a fruitless victory.
+
+"We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again," wrote Greene to a friend.
+
+One by one the strong posts of the enemy in South Carolina fell into our
+hands. The British hold on both the Carolinas was slowly but surely
+broken. The enemy wisely kept near the coast. The last battle of the
+long and stubborn struggle was fought at Eutaw Springs, S. C., in
+September, 1781. The contest was desperate on both sides; but the
+British, badly crippled, retreated in the night to Charleston.
+
+=232. Greene's Brilliant Campaign in the South.=--Greene had with the
+scantiest of means done a great work in his southern campaign. He had
+driven Cornwallis to Virginia, to meet his fate at Yorktown. He had
+cleared both Carolinas of the British and restored them to the patriots.
+
+In few if any campaigns carried on with small armies was ever so
+effective and brilliant work done as did General Greene with his little
+force of patriots. Most mortifying was it to the haughty British
+commanders to know that they had been out-generaled, out-marched, and in
+the long run, out-fought by a Yankee blacksmith.
+
+The war in the south was now soon over. Savannah was captured in July,
+1782; in December, 1783, the British left Charleston. It was a proud day
+for Greene and Morgan and Marion when they followed with their army on
+the heels of the departing foe. As the patriots marched in, happy
+thousands cheered, and floral wreaths flew from crowded windows.
+
+The noble Greene lived only a few years after he had carried the
+Revolution to a triumph in the south. He died in 1786 from the effects
+of a sunstroke.
+
+Among the great generals of the American Revolution, it is generally
+admitted that Greene ranked, in military genius, second only to
+Washington.
+
+General Anthony Wayne, called "Mad Anthony" on account of his daring,
+who had fought by the side of Greene, and who watched by the death-bed
+of his comrade, wrote to a friend: "He was great as a soldier, great as
+a citizen, immaculate as a friend. The honors--the greatest honors of
+war--are due his remains. I have seen a great and good man die."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE STORY OF ARNOLD'S TREASON.
+
+
+=233. A Gloomy Outlook for the Patriot Cause in 1780.=--During the long
+war of the Revolution from Lexington in 1775 to Yorktown in 1781, there
+were many times when it seemed as if it were really of no use for the
+Americans to fight for independence. Of these years probably 1780 was
+the darkest.
+
+We have just read of the sad disasters in the south during this year. If
+"hope long deferred maketh the heart sick," surely our forefathers had
+at this time ample cause for discouragement. It seemed to many, no
+doubt, that the policy of the British Parliament of "tiring the
+Americans out" might succeed after all.
+
+Financial matters were in a deplorable condition. Congress had no
+authority to raise money by taxation to carry on the war. Sometimes the
+colonies responded to the call for money from Congress; oftener they did
+not. There were paper promises enough issued by Congress and known as
+continental currency, but they had sadly fallen in value. Washington, it
+is said, once remarked that it took a wagon-load of it to buy a
+wagon-load of provisions. Samuel Adams tells us that he paid two
+thousand dollars for a hat and a suit of clothes.
+
+A tradesman, to show his contempt for it, papered his shop with
+continental currency. The current phrase, "not worth a continental," has
+survived all these years as a reminder of the deplorable condition of
+our finances at this time. No wonder the famishing and half-frozen
+soldiers in Washington's army, when paid off in the flimsy stuff, were
+mutinous at times, and that the desertions averaged more than a hundred
+a month.
+
+=234. Arnold the Traitor.=--In the midst of all the trials of this "year
+of disasters," the country was startled by the disclosure of a plot of
+the blackest treason. The recklessly brave but unscrupulous Arnold
+proved himself a traitor of the deepest dye.
+
+Born in Connecticut, he was early known as "a bad boy." From earliest
+childhood he was disobedient, cruel, reckless, and profane, caring
+little or nothing for the good will of others. While he was apprentice
+to an apothecary he enlisted in the colonial army, but soon deserted.
+Afterwards he set up as druggist in New Haven, but wasted the money he
+earned and ended the business by becoming bankrupt.
+
+=235. His Brilliant Military Career.=--When the startling news from
+Lexington thrilled all the country, Arnold raised a company of soldiers
+and was appointed captain. Soon he became colonel and aided Ethan Allen
+in the attack on Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Next he was sent to
+assist General Montgomery in the assault on Quebec, where he proved
+himself a valiant soldier. He received a severe wound in the leg while
+gallantly leading his men. For these useful services, Congress made him
+a brigadier-general.
+
+Soon after this, Congress bestowed upon five prominent brigadiers the
+distinguished rank of major-general, but Arnold was not one of them. He
+felt slighted and became very jealous. Washington wrote him a kindly
+letter, which partly appeased his wounded vanity.
+
+During the Burgoyne campaign, as we have read, Arnold won special renown
+for his splendid bravery at the battle of Saratoga, where he was again
+wounded. For his signal valor in this battle he was now made a
+major-general. But even this probably failed to satisfy him; for there
+were still five others superior to him in rank.
+
+=236. The Beginning of his Wicked Career.=--As his wounded leg needed
+rest, Arnold obtained from Washington, in the summer of 1778, the
+command of Philadelphia, lately evacuated by the British. During his
+nine months there his conduct was bad. His manners were haughty and
+insolent. He lived with costly extravagance far beyond his means, drove
+a fine coach and four, and gave splendid parties. His associates were
+largely among the Tories, and he married a Miss Shippen, a bitterly
+disloyal young woman. His intimate friends were now for the most part
+the enemies of his country.
+
+Arnold's expensive habits of living soon brought him deeply in debt, and
+when the storekeepers urged payment of their bills, he contrived
+dishonest methods of obtaining money belonging to the government. Formal
+charges of misconduct were made; he was tried, found guilty, and
+sentenced to the very mild punishment of a public reproof by the
+Commander-in-Chief. This reprimand Washington performed as gently as
+possible, sparing his feelings by combining high praise for his past
+heroism with censure for his late misdeeds.
+
+Arnold was angry. He had hoped to escape all censure. You may know how
+black a villain he was from the fact that, in his speech in court,
+defending himself, he spoke of his past services in battle and promised
+even more faithful devotion in future to his dear country, which he
+said he loved as his own life. It came out afterwards that even then he
+had been for months secretly exchanging letters with Sir Henry Clinton,
+and plotting how to betray his country! His letters were signed
+"Gustavus," and were secretly sent by his wife. The replies from Clinton
+purported to be from "John Anderson."
+
+=237. Secretly plans to betray his Country.=--Arnold knew that of all
+things Clinton most longed to get possession of West Point; for it was
+the key of the river northward up to Lake Champlain, and it also
+controlled the crossing between New England and the Middle States.
+Arnold studied how to betray it, and by one bad act to satisfy both his
+revenge and his greed for money.
+
+The first thing to do was to change the sullenness that had marked his
+behavior since the trial. He at once became cheerful, loudly patriotic,
+and so eager to help his dear country! Next he contrived to persuade
+some prominent officers to induce Washington to appoint him to the
+command of West Point. Not suspecting his treachery, Washington gave him
+the place. He took command in August, 1780.
+
+=238. Arnold and Andre meet, and plot Treason.=--Now Arnold's plot began
+to ripen. But Clinton wanted to be very sure of what he was doing. He
+concluded to send a trusty officer to meet Arnold and settle the plan
+beyond doubt. So he selected the Adjutant General of his army, a
+brilliant young officer, Major John Andre, who knew all about it thus
+far, for he was the "John Anderson" who had, under Clinton's directions,
+answered the "Gustavus" letters.
+
+On the morning that he started, Andre had a parting lunch with his
+fellow officers, with wine-drinking and song-singing--a right jolly
+time! Ah! if he could only have foreseen! Andre was an estimable young
+man, brave, educated, accomplished, a poet, an artist, and brought up in
+the best society of England.
+
+Andre went up the Hudson in the sloop-of-war Vulture. After the moon
+went down, and it was dark enough for such a deed, a boat came silently
+from the west shore near Haverstraw, and took back from the vessel a
+tall young man wrapped in a black cloak. Arnold met him on the bank and
+led him into a thicket of fir trees. There, like two ugly spirits of
+evil, they crouched in the darkness, and talked over the details of the
+dastardly deed.
+
+Arnold, eager for British gold, haggled for a higher price. They plotted
+the utter ruin of the patriot cause, till, at the earliest streak of
+dawn, boom! boom! sounded some cannon! The traitor was frightened! One
+of our shore batteries was firing a few shots at the Vulture, so that
+she had to drop down stream a few miles. Andre therefore could not
+return directly to the Vulture, but was obliged to remain hidden all
+that day.
+
+The plans had all been arranged. Clinton was to send up a fleet with
+soldiers to West Point, and Arnold was meanwhile to have removed most of
+his troops from the fort on some pretense, so that Clinton's force could
+easily capture it. Arnold gave Andre some papers to carry to Clinton,
+maps of the fort, with instructions how to approach and take it.
+
+Sir Henry had warned Andre not to receive any papers from Arnold nor to
+put on any disguise. Andre for some reason did not obey these orders. He
+may have suspected that, after all, some trap was planned to deceive the
+British, and thought best to carry back papers in Arnold's own
+handwriting. At all events, it was a fatal mistake for poor Andre.
+
+=239. Capture of Andre.=--- Andre wore long riding-boots. Between his
+stockings and the soles of his feet he put these papers. He took also a
+pass from Arnold to carry him through the guards. The Vulture having
+dropped down the river, Andre crossed over and set out on horseback to
+go back to New York on the east side.
+
+All went well until he reached the vicinity of Tarrytown. At this time
+the region was infested with "cowboys" and "skinners," who under the
+pretense of keeping up a partisan warfare for their respective sides
+used to steal whatever they could find.
+
+On this morning several men from the American army had been sent out to
+look after the "cowboys." As Andre rode along, three of this party
+sprang from the bushes, leveled their muskets at him, and ordered him to
+halt. They were young men, and their names were John Paulding, David
+Williams, and Isaac Van Wart. One of them happened to have on the coat
+of a Hessian soldier whom he had captured. This may have misled Andre
+and prompted him to make a blunder.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Andre, "I hope you belong to our side."
+
+"Which side?" asked Van Wart.
+
+"The lower party," answered Andre. "I am a British officer on urgent
+duty, and hope you will not detain me."
+
+Then the three patriots ordered him off his horse. Andre saw his
+mistake. He showed them Arnold's pass, but they insisted on searching
+him. They examined his saddle, took off his coat and vest, but finding
+nothing wrong, were about to let him go, when Paulding said:--
+
+"Boys, I am not satisfied; his boots must come off."
+
+Andre objected: "his boots were very tight--he must not be
+detained--you'll suffer yet for what you are doing."
+
+But off came the boots, and out came the fatal papers!
+
+"Boys, this fine fellow is a spy!" exclaimed Paulding.
+
+  [Illustration: CAPTURE OF ANDRE.]
+
+Andre offered his captors his splendid gold watch, his horse, and a
+thousand dollars in money, if they would only let him off. The three
+common soldiers proved true to themselves and to their great cause and
+refused a bribe. Believing their captive to be a spy, they took him to
+their commander, Colonel Jameson.
+
+=240. The Arch Traitor makes his Escape.=--This officer made the blunder
+of sending a messenger to Arnold with a letter saying a certain John
+Anderson had been arrested! The horseman found the arch traitor at
+breakfast with several of his prominent officers as his guests. His
+beautiful young wife was presiding with charming grace at the table.
+
+Arnold, concealing his terror, left the table, kissed his sleeping babe,
+told his fainting wife he might never see her again, seized a horse,
+galloped to the river, sprang into a boat, and urged the oarsmen by
+their love of money and rum to row him to the Vulture. When the boat
+reached the vessel, the traitor was so mean as to hand over the poor
+oarsmen as prisoners. But the British captain generously sent them back.
+
+Washington arrived at Arnold's house a few hours after he had escaped,
+and when the papers in Arnold's handwriting were shown him, his hand
+shook; he was overwhelmed with amazement and sorrow.
+
+Turning to Lafayette, with tears running down his cheeks, and choking
+with grief, he cried out:--
+
+"Arnold is a traitor, and has fled to the British! Whom can we trust
+now?"
+
+It was only for a moment. The next instant Washington had recovered his
+iron self-control.
+
+=241. What became of Arnold.=--Washington contrived an ingenious plan to
+capture Arnold, but it failed. The traitor got his reward; he was made a
+major-general in the British army and received thirty thousand dollars
+for his villany. But the gold turned to ashes in his hands. Everybody
+despised him. Men pointed the finger of scorn at him, saying, "There
+goes Arnold the traitor."
+
+A member of Parliament, in the midst of a speech saw Arnold in the
+gallery, and, pausing, said, "Mr. Speaker, I will not go on while that
+traitor is in the house."
+
+Washington had, all the years before, been Arnold's steadfast friend. He
+admired one who could fight with such energy, and who never knew fear.
+After the treason it is said that Washington could never mention the
+traitor's name without a shudder.
+
+"What do you think of the doings of that diabolical dog?" wrote Colonel
+Williams, the gallant southern fighter, to General Morgan.
+
+"Curse on his folly and perfidy!" said the noble-hearted General Greene.
+"How mortifying to think that he is a New Englander!"
+
+=242. Andre's Sad Fate.=--The three faithful men who captured Andre were
+highly honored. Each received a silver medal from Congress, with a life
+pension of two hundred dollars a year. Their graves are marked by
+worthy monuments.
+
+But poor Andre! what became of him? He was tried within a week by a
+court-martial of fourteen generals and condemned to death as a spy.
+
+"We cannot save him," said the kindly old veteran, Baron Steuben. "Oh
+that we had the traitor who has dragged this gallant young officer to
+death, so that he might suffer in his stead!" Andre wrote a full and
+frank letter to Washington, urging that he was not really a spy. All
+Americans felt deep pity for him because of his youth, his virtues, his
+many accomplishments, his belief that he was serving his country, and
+because he had been the victim of a villain.
+
+But Americans could not forget that the British, four years before, had
+captured a brave young American officer, Captain Nathan Hale, and hanged
+him as a spy without any manifestation of pity or sympathy.
+
+The officer who commanded the escort that brought Andre across the
+Hudson to the main army was a college classmate of Hale. As the young
+officers rode along on horseback, mention was made of Hale's sad fate.
+
+"Surely," said Andre, "you do not think his case and mine alike!"
+
+"They are precisely alike," answered the officer, "and similar will be
+your fate."
+
+Washington, who shed tears when he signed the death warrant, would
+gladly have saved Andre's life; but the stern rules of war and the good
+of the American cause left no room for mercy. His execution was put off
+one day, it is said, in hope that Arnold might be captured and made to
+suffer in his stead.
+
+Andre bravely faced the awful event, and on the morning of the day of
+his death conversed freely and even cheerfully. He was disturbed only
+about the mode of his death; he begged to be shot as a soldier, and not
+hanged as a spy; but the grim custom and rules of war forbade.
+
+=243. Arnold dies in Disgrace.=--Arnold lived in London for more than
+twenty years after his foul treason. No doubt they were years of bitter
+remorse and self-reproach. His wife proved herself a devoted woman.
+Arnold's children and grandchildren all felt keenly the disgrace that
+rested upon the family.
+
+As the traitor came to his final sickness, his mind seemed to recall the
+days when he fought for his country with distinction. He thought of the
+steadfast friendship that Washington once cherished for him. After
+Saratoga, this friend had presented him with epaulettes and a
+sword-knot, and put them on with his own hand. The old uniform in which
+he had fought his battles, and which he wore on the day he escaped to
+the Vulture, had been carefully kept during all these years of disgrace.
+
+Just before his death the desolate old man called for these sad
+reminders and put them on again.
+
+"Let me die," said he, "in this old uniform in which I fought so many
+battles for my country. May God forgive me for ever putting on any
+other!"
+
+  [Illustration: ON HIS DEATHBED ARNOLD CALLS FOR HIS OLD UNIFORM.]
+
+Thus perished the man who, with the exception of Washington and Greene,
+prior to his infamous deed, had done perhaps more efficient service for
+the cause of our independence than any other American general.
+
+Think of the contrast between the deep infamy of an Arnold and the
+patriotic grit and unselfishness of those ragged, half-starved
+Pennsylvania soldiers who rose in mutiny during the next winter. Mad
+Anthony Wayne had led some of these men at the storming of Stony Point,
+and he was dearly beloved by them all; yet they would not obey even him.
+
+As Wayne was speaking to them, two men, who had been sent by General
+Clinton to tamper with the mutineers and offer a bounty and high pay if
+they would enlist in the British army, were detected. The soldiers in
+their wrath turned these emissaries over to their general, and they were
+hanged as spies.
+
+"Tell General Clinton," said these men who had not received a cent of
+pay to send home to their families for over a year, "that we are not
+Benedict Arnolds."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+JOHN PAUL JONES: OUR FIRST GREAT NAVAL HERO.
+
+
+=244. The Colonies poorly prepared to cope with England on the Sea.=--Now
+we must remember that the American Revolution, which lasted about seven
+years, and which resulted in our independence, was fought almost
+entirely on land. We were poor, and besides had but little or no
+experience in building men-of-war. The few vessels that had been built
+in this country were mostly sloops or schooners for fishing, or for
+trading.
+
+In this lack of large sailing craft during the Revolution, we should
+have got on very poorly but for the generous aid of France. When
+Washington's forces closed in upon the enemy at Yorktown, he would not
+then have been able to capture the whole British army and so end the
+great struggle, but for the thirty-six French ships that arrived just in
+time to give us the assistance we so much needed.
+
+In the first years of the war the colonies began to build a number of
+warships, but these were of little account compared with the navy of
+England. Such few vessels as we already had were hastily fitted up for
+naval service and armed with small cannon. These had to make up for
+their want of size by the boldness of their crews and the quickness of
+their movement.
+
+Privateering was then very common. This means that a vessel owned or
+officered by private persons has a commission from the government to go
+out and attack the enemy's vessels. Without this authority it would have
+been regarded as a pirate.
+
+=245. John Paul Jones begins his Remarkable Career.=--The feeble colonies
+had then not only few vessels, but few officers to command them. There
+was one officer, however, John Paul Jones, who soon became widely famous
+as a naval commander of extraordinary courage and superb audacity. He
+was born in Scotland. When a boy of only twelve years he began to go to
+sea. In time he visited his elder brother, a farmer in Virginia. During
+the next few years he made a number of voyages to the West Indies, and
+became rich by his skill in trading.
+
+When the war of the Revolution began, this energetic young Scotch sailor
+determined to take an active part in it. He entered the navy in 1775,
+when twenty-eight years old, and became lieutenant of the sloop-of-war
+Alfred.
+
+On this vessel Paul Jones hoisted to the masthead the first American
+flag ever displayed over an American warship. It was a yellow silk flag
+showing a pine tree, with a rattlesnake coiled at its root as if about
+to strike, and the motto, "Don't tread on me." Our present flag, with
+its beautiful stripes and glowing stars, was adopted by Congress two
+years later.
+
+The Alfred was the flagship of a little fleet of seven vessels. They
+soon captured two British vessels from the Bahamas, then went to Nassau,
+the capital of the islands, took the governor prisoner, and carried away
+nearly a hundred cannon with a large quantity of military supplies. On
+the way home they seized two more British vessels. On a later cruise, of
+forty-seven days, Jones took sixteen prizes.
+
+=246. John Paul Jones performs Daring Deeds on the English
+Coast.=--Afterwards Paul Jones went to France, and sailing from Brest in
+his ship the Ranger, he swept the seas all around England, taking or
+destroying every hostile ship he met. He was so audacious as to sail
+into British ports, wrecking and pillaging everywhere. He entered the
+harbor of Whitehaven, England, surprised the forts, spiked the guns, and
+burned some ships at the docks. English commerce was crippled, insurance
+rates rose to a fabulous price, and merchants met with enormous losses.
+
+The English were so alarmed that they sent out the well-armed
+sloop-of-war Drake to capture Jones and bring him in a prisoner. But the
+daring hero turned the game just the other way. He met the British craft
+in the Irish Sea, and after a severe battle of over an hour he captured
+her with more than two hundred prisoners and took the prize to Brest.
+All this pleased the French wonderfully, for they had had war with
+England.
+
+In fact all Europe rang with the praises of John Paul Jones.
+
+  [Illustration: JOHN PAUL JONES.]
+
+=247. Jones's Interview with Franklin; secures Help from France.=--The
+American Commissioners in Paris, of whom Franklin was the leader,
+promised Jones a much larger ship; but they could not get the money to
+pay for it, and Jones was very impatient to be off to sea again. He went
+to the harbor of Lorient, on the west coast of France, to choose a ship.
+Week after week he waited for an order from Paris to buy the vessel, but
+none came.
+
+One day, while in a restaurant, the young officer took up a copy of
+_Poor Richard's Almanac_, a very unique little annual, really the work
+of Franklin. Reading the bright sayings scattered over every page, he
+came upon this maxim: "If you would have your business done, go; if not,
+send!"
+
+The truth of the homely saying came to his mind like a flash. He sprang
+to his feet.
+
+"That was written for me," he said. "Here I am, _sending_ to Paris, when
+I ought to _go_!"
+
+He started at once. He appealed to the Minister of Marine, and then to
+King Louis himself. He pleaded his way to success. The king immediately
+gave him a forty-gun ship at Lorient. He went back and took command. The
+first thing Paul Jones did was to paint out the old name and give for a
+new one the French equivalent of Dr. Franklin's almanac name, Bon Homme
+Richard ("Poor Richard," or "Goodman Richard"); for he gave the credit
+of his sudden success to Franklin's wise maxim.
+
+=248. The Battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis.=--Our
+daring mariner soon sailed out with six other vessels, all flying the
+beautiful new American flag. The crew on the Richard numbered nearly
+four hundred men, a medley of sailors from almost every nation in
+Europe, and even including some Malays. He sailed up between England and
+Ireland, taking a number of prizes, then around the north of Scotland
+and down on the east coast of England.
+
+Here, in the evening of a clear September day in 1779, his little fleet
+met, off Flamborough, the new British ship of forty-four guns, commanded
+by Captain Pearson. The Serapis, though a larger and better ship than
+the old Richard, tried to escape, but the Richard chased her and brought
+her to. It was just at twilight, and so near the land that crowds of
+people thronged the shores to see the contest.
+
+As darkness settled down, the ships drew nearer. Just then the full moon
+rose slowly over the sea, and right in the range of its broad field of
+light were the dark shapes of the two hostile vessels.
+
+Now they draw closer. On each ship rests a stillness like that of death.
+The men stand at their guns silent and thoughtful. The thousands on
+shore hold their breath. Silently up goes the British flag on the
+mainmast of the Serapis, and over the Richard waves the new banner of
+the "stars and stripes."
+
+"Ship ahoy!" shouted Captain Jones through his speaking trumpet.
+
+"Aye, aye!" was the reply from the English vessel.
+
+"What's your name?" came ringing over the water.
+
+"His majesty's ship Serapis! What's yours?"
+
+"Bon Homme Richard!" replied the gallant Jones; "haul down your flag!"
+
+The Englishman's answer was the flash and boom of a cannon shot that
+whizzed through the rigging of the Richard. Then raged the lightning and
+thunder of battle. Fast and furious was the roar of the big guns, now
+from this ship, now from that.
+
+They drift nearer together; now their rigging is entangled; now they
+touch! Now the struggling crews fight hand to hand. Right and left the
+conflict rages, with pikes and pistols and cutlasses.
+
+Jones is now here, now there, seeing all, controlling all, and mixing
+with the bravest, now training some gun, now pulling at some rope or
+cheering some lagging sailor lad. His strong will and sturdy pluck give
+new life to his men. They cheer as their shot begin to tell. The air is
+filled with the crash of cannon, the rattle of pistols, the orders of
+officers, the yells of the crews, and the groans of the dying.
+
+The American flag is obscured with smoke, so that Captain Pearson, not
+seeing it, shouts, "Are you ready to surrender?"
+
+Instantly comes Jones's defiant reply, "Surrender! I've not yet begun to
+fight!"
+
+Then Jones lashed the ships together, while the cannon balls tore
+through the vessels, cut the masts, and scattered the wounded and dead
+all around. The Richard is leaking badly, but the fight still rages.
+Marines in the rigging bring down the enemy with incessant shots, and
+hurl grenades that fire the Serapis.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE BON HOMME RICHARD AND THE
+     SERAPIS.]
+
+The flames spread; both ships are on fire! but still the big guns roar.
+Both vessels have been on fire three times, but the pumps are at work
+and the battle still rages. The scene is one of appalling, indescribable
+grandeur. Finally, at about ten o'clock, Captain Pearson sees there is
+no hope against such a foe as this, and so strikes his flag. When the
+haughty English captain gave up his sword to the brave Yankee sailor, he
+said: "I cannot but feel much mortification at the idea of surrendering
+my sword to a man who has fought me with a rope round his neck."
+
+The gallant Jones received the Englishman's sword, and at once returned
+it, saying, "You have fought bravely, sir, and I hope your king will
+give you a better ship."
+
+Thus ended one of the most desperate sea fights recorded in naval
+history. The Bon Homme Richard was a complete wreck and was fast
+sinking. Accordingly Jones took all on board the Serapis, which of
+course was then under his command, and in a few hours the American
+vessel went down in the deep sea, carrying with her the bodies of her
+dead. The victorious commander took the Serapis, with all his prisoners,
+into a Holland port.
+
+=249. Effect of this Grand Naval Victory; After-Life of Paul Jones.=--This
+famous victory was a severe blow to England's naval prestige. The moral
+effect upon the nations of Europe of such a victory within sight of the
+English coast was something remarkable.
+
+Franklin praised Jones, and Washington wrote him a warm letter of
+thanks. The French king invited him to his palace, and presented him
+with a superb gold-mounted sword. The empress of Russia gave him an
+honorary ribbon, and the king of Denmark awarded him a pension.
+
+In America this victory brought universal joy, and Congress bestowed on
+the victor a large gold medal. The brave Captain Pearson was afterwards
+knighted by his king. On hearing of it, Jones said, "He deserves it;
+and if I fall in with him again I'll make a lord of him."
+
+After a few years' further service in our navy, Paul Jones was offered a
+position of honor in the Russian navy. He accepted it and soon won a
+brilliant victory in the Black Sea over the Turks, who were frightened
+at his remarkable bravery.
+
+Afterwards, when living in Paris, Jones became broken down in health. No
+wonder, for he had fought twenty-four naval battles! When he was taken
+sick, the queen sent her physician, to attend him. He died in Paris in
+1792, at the early age of forty-five, thirteen years after his memorable
+victory. No one knows the place of his burial. At the public funeral a
+vast concourse filled the streets of the French capital.
+
+General sorrow was shown throughout the United States at the death of
+John Paul Jones, the great ocean hero of the Revolution--indeed, the
+first heroic character in our country's naval history.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: HIS HIGHLY USEFUL CAREER.
+
+
+=250. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most Useful and Influential Men of
+his Time.=--Among the many men who acted a conspicuous part as "makers of
+our country," Benjamin Franklin holds a unique and interesting place.
+Combined with shrewd common sense and a practical philosophy was a
+genial and rare personality, which made him during his long lifetime a
+most useful and influential citizen.
+
+Franklin did not fight and win battles like Washington and Greene, but
+he gained notable victories in diplomacy when the struggling colonies
+sorely needed them. For over sixty years he wrote hundreds of pamphlets,
+tracts, and newspaper articles, which moulded public opinion at critical
+times, and also served to increase the comfort and happiness of his
+fellow-men.
+
+Most men who have attempted to write their own lives have made a sad
+failure of it. This busy man of the world, with no education save that
+which he was able to get in the "odds and ends" of time, told the story
+of his own life in a way that has commanded the interest and admiration
+of multitudes of readers for over a hundred years.
+
+=251. Franklin's Early Life; his Genius for Useful Inventions.=--Benjamin
+Franklin, the fifteenth of a family of seventeen children, was born in
+Boston in 1706. His father was a poor man, who could afford his youngest
+boy only about two years of schooling. When he was ten, the lad left
+school to assist his father at his trade of making soap and tallow
+candles.
+
+Nothing else pleased the boy so much as a book. He had access at this
+time to very few, and most of these were dull, but he read them eagerly.
+He read and re-read Bunyan's _Pilgrim's Progress_ until he knew it by
+heart. He disliked his father's trade and longed to do something more
+agreeable. He even thought of running away to sea as one of his brothers
+had done.
+
+=252. Learns the Printer's Trade; how he learned to write Good
+English.=--Finally the boy was bound out as an apprentice to his older
+brother James, to learn the printer's trade. This was more to the boy's
+liking, for it gave him a better chance to read. For three years young
+Franklin worked hard to master the business. In a short time he could
+set type as well as any of the Boston printers. He went on errands to
+the bookstores, and, making friends with the clerks, he was often able
+to borrow books to read. He would carry them home, sit up most of the
+night reading, and return them on the next morning.
+
+In his story of his own life, Franklin gives a most interesting account
+of his finding an odd volume of Addison's _Spectator_, and how charmed
+he was with the style. He would read one of Addison's essays with great
+care, close the book, and then write it out in his own words. This was
+carefully compared with the original, and corrected and re-corrected
+until he had improved upon his first effort.
+
+This and other similar exercises were long continued, and they gave the
+ambitious boy the command of a singularly clear and interesting style.
+
+=253. Writes for his Brother's Newspaper.=--For three years the young
+printer worked steadily at his trade, without a moment of leisure except
+such as he took from his sleep or from his meals. He often sat up late
+and rose early, that he might have more time for study.
+
+His brother James, for whom he worked, so prospered in his business that
+he began to print in 1721 a weekly newspaper. It was young Benjamin's
+duty to set the type and strike off the edition of a few hundred
+papers, and then carry the little sheet to the houses of the
+subscribers.
+
+The boy read his brother's paper and soon had confidence enough in
+himself to write articles for it. He did not dare to let his brother
+know it, but slipped them under the door at night. They were printed and
+eagerly read for some time before their authorship was known.
+
+=254. Goes to Philadelphia; First Appearance in that City.=--Young
+Franklin and his brother did not, however, get along well together. They
+quarreled, and the young printer at last sold some of his books and set
+sail for New York on a sloop. Unable to find work there, he was advised
+to go to Philadelphia. After many hardships and mishaps, he stepped
+ashore at the Quaker City one Sunday morning with one silver dollar and
+about a shilling in copper in his pocket.
+
+Franklin was at this time a sturdy youth of seventeen. He was dressed in
+the peculiar fashion of the times. He wore knee breeches of buckskin,
+also a huge coat, the pockets of which bulged out with his spare shirts
+and stockings. He hastened to the first baker's shop and asked for
+threepenny worth of bread. The baker handed him three long rolls. He
+took one under each arm, and ate the third as he walked along the
+streets.
+
+A young girl happened to see him as he passed her father's house, and
+she laughed aloud at the young man's comical appearance. The girl's name
+was Deborah Read, and she afterwards became the wife of Franklin. Hungry
+and tired, he ate his rolls, then walked down to the river for a drink
+of water, and at last went into a Quaker meeting and soon fell sound
+asleep.
+
+  [Illustration: FRANKLIN'S FIRST APPEARANCE IN PHILADELPHIA.]
+
+A good Quaker helped Franklin to get work at his trade as a printer. The
+young man soon proved himself a prize to his employer. He was strong,
+quick, frugal, of a studious mind, and, what was a rare virtue in those
+days, he never touched strong drink. Bright and sunny hours now came. He
+received good wages, saved his money, and made friends everywhere.
+
+=255. Goes to London and works at his Trade.=--One of these friends was
+the governor of Pennsylvania. He advised Franklin to set up a printing
+office of his own. He urged him to go to London to buy a printing
+outfit, and promised him letters to people in England who, he said,
+would let him have all the money he needed. The young printer trusted
+too much to the pompous governor's promises and sailed for England,
+hoping to find the letters in the vessel's letter bag. But the governor
+had disappointed him; no such letters were ever written.
+
+In due time Franklin found himself in the great city of London, where he
+did not know a single person. He at once showed what stuff he was made
+of. He quietly went to work at his trade and worked harder than ever. He
+kept up his studious habits, and spent all his spare time in reading
+good books.
+
+=256. Returns to Philadelphia; successful as a Printer and
+Publisher.=--After a stay of a year and a half in London, Franklin
+returned to Philadelphia, and soon after set up in business for himself
+as a printer. After a time he started a newspaper. He worked early and
+late, attending to every detail himself. He was not ashamed to carry
+material for his paper through the streets on a wheelbarrow.
+
+Once he invited a rival in his business home to dine. Pointing to a loaf
+of bread from which they had eaten, he said, "Unless you can live
+cheaper than I, you cannot starve me out."
+
+When he was twenty-four the prosperous young printer married Deborah
+Read, the young woman who had laughed at him years before as he trudged
+through the streets with the rolls under his arms. Deborah proved
+herself a real helpmate, thrifty and industrious. Attached to the
+printing office was a little shop which the young wife tended.
+
+"Our table was plain and simple," says Franklin in his autobiography,
+"our furniture of the cheapest. For instance, our breakfast was for a
+long time bread and milk (no tea), and I ate it out of a twopenny
+earthen porringer, with a pewter spoon." In after years the thrifty
+couple indulged in some splendor, for in 1765 Mrs. Franklin, in a letter
+to her husband, alludes proudly to a papered room, horsehair chairs, a
+sideboard, and three carpets.
+
+=257. His Happy, Useful, and Prosperous Career in Philadelphia.=--For
+twenty years Franklin lived a prosperous life as an active business man
+of the good Quaker city. He had become noted for his integrity,
+sagacity, and prosperity. His newspaper became known for its sparkling
+and timely editorials. The most intelligent and influential men of the
+city met in his office to discuss the questions of the day.
+
+The same year that Washington was born (1732) Franklin issued the first
+number of his _Poor Richard's Almanac_, which soon gained great fame for
+its wise and pithy sayings. The popularity which this little work
+maintained for twenty-five years was astonishing. Its shrewd and quaint
+maxims soon became household words in almost every shop and home of the
+land.
+
+Even with his increasing prosperity Franklin found time every day to
+devote many hours to his books. He became proficient in French, Spanish,
+Italian, and even Latin. He gave much time to music, and played with
+skill upon the harp, the guitar, and the violin.
+
+This remarkable man now began to be at the head of many kinds of public
+and private enterprises, from treating with the Indians to plans for
+cleaning the streets. Honors, both public and private, were heaped upon
+him. He started a public library in Philadelphia, the first of its kind
+in America.
+
+He invented the famous "Franklin fireplace," which proved very popular
+and is even in use to-day. The most trivial events would often suggest
+to him something that would secure beneficial results.
+
+The story is told that Franklin saw one day in a ditch the fragments of
+a basket of yellow willow, in which some foreign goods had been brought
+into the country. One of the twigs had sprouted. He planted it; and it
+is said that it became the parent of all the yellow willows in our
+country.
+
+=258. Franklin's Famous Kite Experiment.=--Franklin was a great student of
+the sciences, especially electricity. He wrote a pamphlet to prove that
+lightning and electricity are the same thing. The idea was sneered at,
+and people asked, "Of what use is it?" To which the genial philosopher
+replied, "What is the use of a child? It may become a man!" He hit on a
+plan to prove his theory.
+
+  [Illustration: FRANKLIN'S FAMOUS KITE EXPERIMENT.]
+
+This was the famous kite experiment which he tried in 1752. He made a
+kite of silk, fastened a piece of wire to the stick, and went out with
+his son to fly it during a thunderstorm. At the lower end of the hempen
+string was fastened a key, and below that a cord of silk, which is a
+non-conductor. He held the silk cord in his hand, and when a low thunder
+cloud passed, he saw that the fibres of the string rose, separated, and
+stood on end, exactly as the hair does on one's head when one is charged
+with electricity as he stands on an insulating stool.
+
+When Franklin brought his knuckles near the key that he had tied to the
+string, sparks came from the metal, and he felt slight shocks.
+
+This discovery made a great sensation in the scientific world. Franklin
+at once became famous, took high rank as a man of science, and was
+afterwards known as "Doctor Franklin." He now invented the lightning
+rod, which has been in use ever since all over the civilized world.
+
+=259. Entrance into a Broader Public Life.=--From this time Franklin began
+to occupy more important positions in public life. In 1754 he was sent
+on a mission to Albany to enlist the chiefs of the powerful "Six
+Nations" to become allies of the English. On this journey he drew up a
+plan for the union of the colonies. It was almost like that by which
+they were afterwards bound together as a nation.
+
+During the Braddock campaign Franklin in vain warned the haughty British
+general that "the Indians would surprise, on its flanks, the slender
+line, nearly four miles long, which the army must make," and would "cut
+it like a thread into several pieces." From his own purse Franklin
+advanced for this ill-starred expedition between six and seven thousand
+silver dollars.
+
+The quarrels between the Pennsylvania Assembly and the Proprietors in
+England became so bitter that Franklin was sent to England in 1757 as
+the sole commissioner to make an appeal to the English government. He
+was cordially received abroad and highly honored by the most eminent
+scientific men of the time. He returned home after an absence of nearly
+six years.
+
+Franklin was now fifty-seven years old. He had an ample fortune, perfect
+health, and a superiority to most men in personal appearance and
+dignity. He hoped to withdraw from public life and give the rest of his
+days to the study of science.
+
+=260. Franklin becomes a most Useful and Sagacious Helper to the
+Struggling Colonies.=--Great and momentous events, however, were at hand.
+There was more important work for him to do. The struggling colonies,
+already taxed almost beyond endurance to carry on the war against the
+French and Indians, were allowed no representation nor voice in the
+matter of taxation. Franklin, with patriotic foresight and with keen
+force of logic, resisted the outrage. He declared it to be the "mother
+of mischief."
+
+In 1764 Franklin was again sent by the Assembly to England, to present
+to the British court the protest of the people against "taxation without
+representation."
+
+  [Illustration: FRANKLIN AT THE COURT OF FRANCE.]
+
+From this time Franklin served the colonies in England as a most
+accomplished diplomatist, a vigorous writer, and a shrewd and sagacious
+agent. He failed to stop the passage of the notorious Stamp Act, but he
+fought the measure so vigorously by his writings and discussions that he
+aroused bitter opposition to it among the industrial classes, so that
+Parliament was compelled at last to repeal the obnoxious measure.
+
+He was once brought before the House of Parliament and sharply
+questioned.
+
+"Do you think," asked the prime minister, "the people of America would
+submit to pay the stamp duty if it was changed?"
+
+"No, never," said Franklin; "the American people will never submit to
+it."
+
+The colonists received with unbounded delight the tidings of Franklin's
+masterly diplomacy and the repeal of the Stamp Act. Bells were rung,
+bonfires blazed, and cannon were fired. "I never heard so much noise in
+my life," wrote Franklin's daughter Sallie to him; "the very children
+seem distracted."
+
+Franklin now watched with honest shrewdness and a penetrating mind the
+many attempts of the British government to tax the Americans. Other
+colonies recognized his ability, and New Jersey, Georgia, and
+Massachusetts appointed him as their agent.
+
+At last, when all attempts to induce the government to change its
+oppressive policy had failed and war was sure to follow, Franklin sailed
+for home. He reached Philadelphia about sixteen days after the battle at
+Lexington and Concord.
+
+The morning after his arrival he was unanimously chosen a member of the
+Continental Congress, which was to meet in Philadelphia on the tenth of
+May. He now took a leading part in aiding his countrymen in their war
+for liberty. He was one of the five men, it will be remembered, chosen
+to draft the Declaration of Independence.
+
+=261. His Remarkable Service Abroad as a Diplomatist.=--Shortly afterwards
+Franklin was chosen a special ambassador to France.
+
+"I am old and good for nothing," said the philosopher; "but, as the
+storekeepers say of their remnants of cloth, 'I am but a fag end, and
+you may have me for what you please.'"
+
+Two years afterwards, by his wisdom and his thorough knowledge of
+diplomacy, Franklin was chiefly instrumental in securing a treaty with
+France. By this memorable compact our independence was acknowledged, and
+we were recognized by France as one among the nations of the world.
+
+The news of the treaty was received in America with unbounded joy.
+General Washington drew up his little half-starved army at Valley Forge
+to announce the event, and to offer prayers and thanksgiving to God.
+During the next three years Franklin rendered invaluable services in
+obtaining money, arms, and other means to aid his country in her life
+and death struggle with England.
+
+At last, when Great Britain gave up all hope of subduing her American
+colonies, and was ready to make terms of peace, Franklin's diplomacy
+triumphed. Probably no other man in America could have guided the affair
+so wisely.
+
+=262. Franklin's Last Days.=--Franklin was now an old man of
+seventy-eight. He was so feeble that he could not walk, and could only
+ride in a litter. Thomas Jefferson was sent over to France in 1784 as
+his successor.
+
+Upon his arrival the French prime minister said, "You replace Doctor
+Franklin, I understand."
+
+"No!" replied Jefferson, "I _succeed_ him. No man can replace him!"
+
+The long sea voyage homeward proved very beneficial to the old
+philosopher's health. He was chosen a delegate to the convention that
+met in Philadelphia in 1787 to frame a new constitution. Although he was
+now eighty-one years of age, he was regularly in his seat, five hours a
+day, for four months.
+
+Three years later, at his home in Philadelphia, in 1790, the "grand old
+man" died, at the age of eighty-four. The whole nation mourned his loss.
+No man of that period, except Washington, was held in higher esteem and
+veneration the world over than was Benjamin Franklin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
+
+
+=263. Our Country One Hundred Years Ago.=--Let us now take a hasty glance
+backward for a century and note the vast changes that have taken place
+in the matter of daily living during this time. Very different was the
+country in which our forefathers lived from that with which we are
+familiar. To be sure, there was a fringe of villages along the coast
+from Maine to Georgia. Fifty miles back from the Atlantic the country
+was for the most part an unbroken wilderness.
+
+A few hundred settlers, and perhaps a hundred log cabins, made up a
+village where now stands the great city of Cincinnati. Indians and
+buffaloes roamed over the rich plains of the West which to-day furnish
+grain for Europe. Only seven of the states then had well-defined
+boundaries. Thousands of the marvelous inventions and discoveries which
+have added so much to the comfort and convenience of life had at that
+time no existence.
+
+=264. Newspapers.=--Forty-three newspapers managed to survive the war of
+the Revolution. Even the best of these were mean-looking, and printed
+on poor paper. For the most part, they contained but four small pages,
+and were issued not oftener than two or three times a week. As to
+quantity of printed matter, they could not sustain comparison for one
+moment with the newspaper of our time.
+
+There was no such thing as an editorial page. All kinds of queer
+advertisements there were; as, for runaway slaves or stolen horses:
+tedious letters appeared, written to the editor from distant points:
+treatises on geography and morals abounded instead of news. To fill out
+space, the editor would occasionally reprint some standard historical
+work or book of travels.
+
+That material which gives the modern newspaper its peculiar value and is
+now known under the general name of "news" was unknown. There were few
+or no facilities for gathering facts as to the happenings of events or
+the doings of individuals, communities, and nations; and certainly no
+pains was taken to forward such material for publication.
+
+=265. The Postal Service and Letter-Writing.=--In the early colonial times
+there was no such thing as an official postal service. Up to the time of
+the Revolution there were certain means provided for carrying letters,
+but they were very meagre.
+
+The postmen used to travel some thirty to fifty miles a day in good
+weather. Letters were sent from New York to Boston three times a week
+during summer, and twice a week in winter. Six days and even more were
+required to make the journey. One pair of saddlebags easily contained
+all the mail.
+
+  [Illustration: A DISCUSSION ON A FINANCIAL QUESTION OF THE TIMES.]
+
+If such were the scanty mail accommodations of the chief cities, we can
+imagine what they were in the small country towns. Sacks of letters and
+papers are now easily carried in one afternoon farther than they were
+then transported in five weeks. After the war, Washington had an
+extensive and important correspondence with the influential men of the
+country. In many of his replies he complained of the tedious delay in
+receiving his mail. Well he might, for his letters were sometimes longer
+in going from Mount Vernon to Boston than they would now be in reaching
+China.
+
+In remote sections the post-rider was often a decrepit man or some
+crippled soldier. One old postman used to improve his time, as his horse
+jogged slowly along, by knitting woolen mittens and stockings. There was
+no special protection to the service. Letters and packages were opened
+and freely read or examined by the carriers. So common was this evil
+that the great men of this time used to correspond in cipher.
+
+We may be sure that when it cost much to send letters, and the
+difficulties of forwarding them were so many, the letter-writers of
+those days took special pains to write long epistles, full of news.
+People learned most of the news of the day from distant places, whether
+it pertained to politics, society, or gossip, through faithful
+correspondents.
+
+Imagine a busy merchant in one of our great cities writing a business
+letter, but giving most of the space to the results of the last
+election, or the doings of the state legislature. The telegraph, the
+telephone, stenography, and the typewriter of our day have
+revolutionized business communication and much of personal
+correspondence.
+
+=266. The Stage Coaches.=--During the war of the Revolution, stages
+stopped running between distant cities, and horseback traveling was
+resumed. When peace was declared, the "coach and four" again took the
+road. Boston and New York were then the two great commercial centers of
+the country; yet during Washington's first term two stages and twelve
+horses carried all the passengers by land between these two cities.
+
+The stage coach at this time was not much better than a huge covered box
+mounted on springs. There were no closed sides, glass windows, steps, or
+doors. It was not to be compared for one moment with the far-famed
+Concord coaches in after years. In summer an ordinary day's journey was
+forty miles, but in winter only about one-half of this distance.
+
+The stage started early each morning--often at three o'clock--and its
+daily time limit was about ten at night. Often the passengers were
+forced to get out and help lift it out of the mud or a deep rut. If
+there were no unusual accidents or mishaps, it reached New York, from
+Boston, at the end of the sixth day. Even at this snail pace the good
+people used to wonder at the ease, as well as the speed, with which the
+journey was made.
+
+It is no wonder, then, that a journey to any remote place became a
+serious matter. Prudent men, when ready to set out for a distant point,
+arranged their business affairs for any emergency, made their wills,
+and, after a formal dinner at the tavern, bade their family and
+neighbors a solemn farewell.
+
+=267. How Fires were put out.=--The law at this time compelled every man
+to take an active part in putting out fires. He was obliged to keep at
+least four leathern buckets hung up at some convenient place in his
+house or shop, with his name painted on them, together with a big canvas
+bag. When an alarm of fire was raised, either by vigorous shouts of
+"Fire! fire!" or the ringing of the church bell, the good citizen seized
+his fire buckets and his canvas bag, and, guided by the smoke or flame,
+started for the scene of action.
+
+There were no idlers at an old-time fire. Some rushed into the building
+with their canvas bags and filled them with such movable goods as could
+be readily carried in them. A double line extending to the water was
+formed of men, boys, and even women. One line passed the full buckets to
+those who were nearest the fire, while the other line returned the empty
+vessels to the well or river.
+
+Some of the larger towns boasted of a "fire engine." This was merely a
+pump mounted over a tank, which the men kept full by pouring in water
+from the buckets. The rich householder was allowed to send his slave or
+servant to the fire with the fire buckets.
+
+When the fire was out, the buckets were left in the road, to be picked
+up and carried home by their owners. Persons who neglected to keep their
+fire buckets in good order and in their proper places, or who failed to
+carry them home after the fire, were fined.
+
+=268. How Sunday was passed.=--The observance of Sunday began at sundown
+on Saturday. The early part of the evening was devoted to family
+worship, and shortly after eight o'clock all were in bed. No work except
+such as was really necessary was done on Sunday. Most of the cooking was
+done the day before. Each member of the family, unless sick in bed, went
+to church. The farmer traveled on horseback with his wife on the pillion
+behind.
+
+The singers sat in the front gallery. The boys and young men had seats
+in the left-hand gallery, while that on the right was occupied by the
+young women. We have read in a previous chapter something about the
+tithing-man and his duties. The short noon interval was devoted to
+eating a cold lunch.
+
+No meeting-house in those days was warmed. Old and feeble women were
+allowed to use tin foot-stoves, filled with a few hot coals. In the
+bitter cold months of a New England winter it was no trifling affair to
+endure the actual suffering that accompanied religious worship on
+Sunday. The story is told of a good minister in Connecticut who in the
+depths of winter prudently preached in overcoat and mittens, but
+complained that his voice was drowned by persons stamping and knocking
+their feet together to keep warm.
+
+=269. The Minister and the Meeting-Houses.=--The minister was always held
+in high esteem. He was usually the most important man of the village,
+and was looked upon with reverence not unmingled with awe. His authority
+was almost supreme. If a person spoke disrespectfully of him, or even
+laughed at his oddities, the offender was heavily fined. The advice of
+the minister was often asked, and sometimes given unasked, on matters of
+business as well as of religion. Fearless and resolute in what they
+believed to be right, the influence of the ministers of that time in
+public affairs was deservedly very great.
+
+The minister's salary was but a pittance. It was never the same two
+years in succession, and was rarely paid in cash. Donations of corn,
+beans, turnips, and other farm products were usually given in place of
+hard money.
+
+The sermon was the one event of the week. Every well person in the
+village turned out to hear it. Copious notes were taken, and its various
+points furnished topics for fireside discussion during the week.
+
+=270. How the Doctors healed the Sick.=--The village doctor, together with
+the minister and schoolmaster, held a high social rank. There were only
+two medical colleges in the country, and these were not well attended.
+Medical books were scarce and costly. Even the best doctors could not
+boast of a medical library of fifty volumes.
+
+  [Illustration: A VILLAGE MAGNATE RIDING IN THE OLD-TIME CHAISE.]
+
+The future doctor served his time as a student with some well-known
+physician. He ground the powders, mixed the potions, rolled the pills,
+cleaned the bottles, tended the night bell, and otherwise made himself
+useful. If the young student had a good preceptor and was gifted with a
+keen observation and a retentive memory, he returned to his native town
+or went elsewhere fairly prepared to begin practice.
+
+There were no drug stores in those days, and each doctor was his own
+apothecary. He ground his own drugs, made his own tinctures, salves, and
+plasters. Most of the medical preparations used then would not be
+tolerated to-day.
+
+Then as now the country doctor used to ride night and day, year after
+year, whatever the weather or the condition of the roads, to attend the
+good people of his neighborhood. He received, as he richly deserved, the
+respect and affection of his patients for his life of hardship and
+self-denial.
+
+=271. How the Schoolmaster taught School.=--Besides the doctor, minister,
+and lawyer, the village schoolmaster was socially and otherwise an
+important man. He was usually a student who was "working his way"
+through college, and who sought, by teaching winters and working on a
+farm in summer, to defray his expenses at Yale, Dartmouth, or Harvard.
+
+In many of the school districts he was expected to "board round." That
+is, he lived with the parents of his pupils, regulating his stay
+according to the number of the children of the family who attended
+school.
+
+  [Illustration: AN OLD SOLDIER FIGHTING HIS BATTLES OVER AGAIN.]
+
+In those days there were large families and many children, and the young
+schoolmaster was a welcome guest. The best room in the house, the
+warmest corner by the fireplace, and the choicest food were reserved for
+him. During the long winter evenings he discussed theology and politics
+with the fathers, played games with the children, and escorted the girls
+to "spelling matches" and "quilting bees."
+
+=272. The Everyday Home Life.=--Such conveniences and comforts as are now
+found in almost every home were then unknown. Cooking stoves, matches,
+refined sugar, sewing machines, and kerosene oil had never been heard
+of. The mechanic's home had no carpets on the floor, no pictures on the
+walls, no coal in the cellar, no water faucets in the kitchen. Fruits
+and vegetables, now so cheap in their season, such as tomatoes, oranges,
+bananas, celery, and dates, were either quite unknown or beyond the
+reach of scanty means.
+
+The farmers of a century ago ate plain food and wore plain clothes.
+Their daily fare was usually salt fish, salt pork, beef, a few
+vegetables, and dried apples. The numerous farm implements, which have
+done so much to cheapen food and to bring thousands of acres into a
+state of high cultivation, were not yet invented.
+
+The well-to-do farmer managed to pick up a great deal of general
+information and news of the day. He was noted for an inquiring turn of
+mind. He could tire out the weary visitor or stranger on the road with
+numberless questions on current social, political, or religious topics.
+At times he would unbend enough to play "fox and geese" with his
+children, or attend "apple bees" and corn huskings.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+WHAT OUR NAVY DID IN THE WAR OF 1812.
+
+
+=273. Outrages committed by the Pirates of the Barbary Coast.=--A hundred
+years ago the ports of the nations lying on the northern coast of
+Africa--the Barbary States, as they were called, Morocco, Algiers,
+Tunis, and Tripoli--were infested by fierce pirates. They used to rush
+out with their swift vessels and capture the ships of Christian nations.
+After plundering them of their valuables, they would hold the crews as
+slaves, or sell them to slave dealers.
+
+These pirates became for years the terror of Europe. Merchants paid
+annual tributes of large sums of money to the Pasha to save their
+cargoes from seizure. Even our own nation, in 1795, paid these sea
+robbers for the release of American sailors captured and held by them as
+slaves, and also for the exemption of our ships from attack. First and
+last we paid these robber states not less than a million dollars to buy
+their good will.
+
+It is difficult to realize that there was once a time when the President
+of the United States negotiated treaties, the Senate ratified them, and
+Congress voted tribute money to keep the peace with pirates.
+
+In 1801 a disagreement arose about our regular payment; and the Bashaw
+of Tripoli, whose greed it was hard to satisfy, had the impudence to
+declare war against the United States and cut down the flagstaff in
+front of our consul's residence.
+
+=274. The Gallant Exploits of Decatur and his Brave Men.=--Although we had
+only a small navy, President Jefferson thought it best to put a stop to
+this blackmail business, and settle with the pirates in a different way.
+So he sent some war vessels to punish them, and they did it quite
+thoroughly.
+
+During one of these encounters the United States frigate Philadelphia,
+one of our best, under the command of Captain Bainbridge, chased a
+pirate craft into the harbor of Tripoli, but unluckily ran on a reef.
+She stuck fast, helpless either to fight or to sail. She was captured,
+with all her crew, by the enemy.
+
+But a few months afterwards, Stephen Decatur, a gallant lieutenant of
+only twenty-five, sailed from Sicily in a small vessel, the Intrepid,
+which had just been captured from the Moors. He boldly entered the
+harbor of Tripoli one evening about dusk, and sailed quietly along close
+to the Philadelphia. Then pirates did not suspect harm, as the Intrepid
+appeared to be a Moorish vessel. With its crew of seventy men concealed
+under the bulwarks, the little vessel was instantly made fast to the
+ill-fated frigate.
+
+"Follow me, lads!" cried Decatur.
+
+The men from the Intrepid sprang to their feet and climbed on board the
+Philadelphia. The surprise was complete. In ten minutes Decatur and his
+bold sailors had killed or driven overboard every pirate, then set the
+ship afire, leaped back upon the Intrepid, and escaped from the harbor
+amid a storm of shot from the batteries. Not one of our men was lost in
+the whole affair.
+
+This heroic adventure, which made young Decatur a captain, became common
+talk in Europe. England's greatest naval hero, Lord Nelson, said, "It
+was the most bold and daring act of the ages." There is no single naval
+exploit to be compared with it for boldness, except Cushing's
+destruction of the ironclad Albemarle in the war for the Union.
+
+=275. Outrageous Conduct of the British toward American Sailors.=--During
+the years soon after 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte was at war with almost all
+Europe, and especially with England.
+
+The British navy was very large and in constant need of sailors. To get
+them, English men-of-war used to stop American merchant ships wherever
+they met them on the high seas. They would fire a cannon shot across the
+bows of the American vessel to compel it to heave to. British officers
+would then come on board, marshal the crew in line, and pick out sailors
+whom they claimed to be deserters from British ships.
+
+Very likely the ones thus singled out could prove that they were
+Americans by birth or adoption. No matter for that! They were needed,
+and, as the men-of-war had the power to take them by force, go they
+must. In time this dastardly business became even worse. The British
+sometimes stationed their war vessels off the entrance of our largest
+harbors, ready to search our merchantmen as they sailed out.
+
+Now all this bid fair to destroy our commerce. None of our ships were
+safe. Importing, exporting, our vast fisheries, important
+manufactures--many kinds of business--were on the verge of ruin.
+
+In spite of our protests the British government kept up this practice
+for years, until it was said that more than nine hundred American
+vessels had been searched, and over six thousand American sailors
+kidnapped from them.
+
+=276. The War of 1812 begun.=--Why did we endure these insults from
+England so long? Perhaps the principal reason was our small navy. The
+English war fleets then numbered over a thousand vessels, and ours less
+than twenty! These outrages could not, however, be longer tolerated.
+England even insisted that she had a perfect _right_ to seize our ships
+and to carry off our citizens.
+
+War was declared in 1812. In this war most of our land battles were more
+or less failures, but the brilliant success of our naval contests more
+than made up for them. In fact, whenever we speak of the war of 1812, we
+always think of the surprising series of victories won by our splendid
+though small naval force against England.
+
+  [Illustration: ISAAC HULL.]
+
+=277. The Great Naval Battle between the Constitution and the
+Guerriere.=--Only a few weeks after war was declared, our frigate
+Constitution, Captain Isaac Hull, met the enemy's man-of-war Guerriere,
+Captain Dacres, off the Massachusetts shore. The British vessel had been
+sailing proudly up and down our coast, challenging the Yankee craft to
+fight. The Guerriere in real British pride flings out a flag from the
+top of each "ocean spire." Her guns flash but the balls fall short.
+
+"Not a cannon to be fired till I give the word," cried Captain Hull;
+"double shot the guns."
+
+"May we not begin?" shouted his first officer as the shot came tearing
+through the rigging.
+
+Another broadside from the Guerriere! The men are getting impatient.
+Captain Hull calmly waits until he can bring every gun to bear.
+
+"Now, boys, give it to them!" he shouted at the top of his voice.
+
+They did their work well. In twenty minutes the proud English frigate
+was a helpless wreck.
+
+"I will not take your sword," said the gallant Hull to Captain Dacres as
+the British officer surrendered; "but I will trouble you for that hat!"
+
+It seems that these two brave captains were personal friends, and Hull
+had made a bet with Dacres that his vessel would "whip" the Guerriere if
+there should ever be a war, and the loser was to forfeit his hat!
+
+The Constitution was almost unhurt. The Guerriere, shattered and
+useless, was set on fire, and in a few minutes blew up. All that was
+left of the splendid vessel instantly vanished from sight forever. Hull
+took his prisoners to Boston, where he was received with enthusiastic
+welcome.
+
+The news of this victory created equal joy in every section of the
+country. Its chief importance lay in the confidence it inspired among
+all the people, demonstrating that a first-class English battleship was
+far from invincible. The British government was astounded. So were the
+naval authorities, some of whom had sneered at the Constitution as "a
+bundle of pine boards."
+
+  [Illustration: CAPTAIN HULL REFUSES TO ACCEPT CAPTAIN DACRES' SWORD.]
+
+=278. Naval Battle between the Wasp and Frolic; Other Brilliant Naval
+Victories for the American Sailors.=--A few weeks later the American
+sloop-of-war Wasp fell in with the British brig Frolic off Virginia. It
+was a sharp fight for three-quarters of an hour. Both vessels were
+nearly destroyed, when the Wasp came close to the Frolic and gave a
+tremendous broadside that carried away everything before it. Then the
+Wasp's crew boarded the Frolic and found not a sailor on deck--only the
+officers, who surrendered. The surviving sailors had gone below to
+escape the deadly fire.
+
+The very next week Commodore Decatur of the frigate United States
+attacked the British frigate Macedonian near the Canary Islands. It was
+a brisk fight of two hours, when the Macedonian surrendered with a loss
+of over one hundred men.
+
+Decatur's victory produced a profound impression both in this country
+and in England. Congress recognized its importance by a vote of thanks
+and a gold medal to the commodore.
+
+=279. "Old Ironsides" and her Noble Record.=--In the same month occurred
+the famous battle off Brazil between the Constitution under Commodore
+Bainbridge and the frigate Java. It was a furious contest for two hours.
+The enemy's ship had every mast shot away, and her hull was torn with
+shot. Her deck was covered with more than two hundred killed and
+wounded. The wreck of the Java surrendered, the survivors were taken on
+board the Constitution, and the hull was burned. This was the fourth
+brilliant naval victory gained within six months.
+
+The Constitution has ever since been popularly known as "Old Ironsides,"
+by which name her exploits have been celebrated from that day until this
+in oratory and song. Many years ago the government planned to break her
+up and sell her timbers. This prompted Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes to
+write his famous poem beginning:--
+
+    Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
+    Long has it waved on high.
+
+These stirring lines had a powerful influence upon the public mind, and
+the noble-vessel was saved. She may be seen now (1900), carefully
+protected, in the navy yard at Charlestown, Mass.
+
+Slowly but surely the idea dawned upon many minds in Europe that a
+nation was springing up on the other side of the Atlantic that would
+sometime dispute with England, the "mistress of the seas," the supremacy
+of the ocean.
+
+=280. Battle between the Chesapeake and Shannon.=--The year 1813 opened
+with hopeful prospects, but the scale turned less in our favor than
+during 1812. A brilliant young officer, Captain James Lawrence, was
+given in reward for his bravery the command of the Chesapeake, then
+lying in Boston Harbor. She was one of the finest frigates in our young
+navy, but had the name among the sailors of being an "unlucky" craft.
+
+Lawrence had hardly taken charge of his new ship when he received a
+challenge from the British frigate Shannon, cruising outside, daring him
+to come out and fight. He hastily made ready for sea, collected such a
+crew as he could, part landsmen and part foreigners, and sailed out.
+This was really very unwise.
+
+  [Illustration: JAMES LAWRENCE.]
+
+The Shannon's crew were picked men, and had had long and careful drill,
+while Lawrence's men were fresh and unprepared. Lawrence was young,
+proud of his late victory, and full of courage. The hostile ships fought
+fiercely and with terrible effect. In a few minutes every one of the
+Chesapeake's officers was either killed or wounded.
+
+While Lawrence was giving an order, a musket ball inflicted upon him a
+fatal wound. As he was carried below, his dying words were,
+
+"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"
+
+--a stirring battle-cry, which has ever since been a source of
+inspiration to our navy.
+
+The battle was soon over. The torn rigging of the Chesapeake was
+entangled with that of the Shannon, the enemy's officers leaped on board
+and raised the British flag. The Chesapeake was taken to Halifax, where
+Lawrence was buried with military honors.
+
+=281. Commodore Perry and his Brilliant Victory on Lake Erie.=--The story
+of Perry's brilliant victory on Lake Erie has been told in prose and
+verse ever since it took place. The control of this inland sea between
+two hostile countries was very important. The British already had a
+little fleet of six vessels with sixty-three guns, to oppose which we
+had hardly anything in the shape of vessels or trained men.
+
+A naval officer, Oliver Hazard Perry of Rhode Island, not quite
+twenty-eight years old and who had never been in action before, was
+appointed to take charge of the whole matter in behalf of the United
+States. First, he must have an armed flotilla to meet the enemy.
+
+With remarkable energy the young captain put a large force of
+wood-choppers and ship carpenters at work for months near Erie, Pa.,
+felling huge trees and building war vessels of the green timber. Soon he
+had launched nine, with fifty-four cannon--more vessels than the enemy,
+but fewer guns.
+
+One beautiful September morning the British fleet was seen on the
+horizon.
+
+"Sail ho!" rang out from the masthead of the American flagship.
+
+"Enemy in sight!" "Get under way!" was the signal sent to each vessel.
+
+Perry stripped his flagship, the Lawrence, for action. At her masthead
+he raised a blue battle-flag, upon which had been painted in large white
+letters the dying words of the brave Lawrence, "Don't give up the ship."
+
+"My brave lads," said Perry, "this flag has on it the dying words of
+Captain Lawrence. Shall I hoist it?"
+
+"Aye, aye, sir," shouted every man, and cheer after cheer echoed and
+reechoed through the fleet. This was the signal for battle.
+
+The enemy's fire was directed mostly upon Perry's vessel, which fought
+the two largest British ships till the Lawrence was almost a helpless
+wreck--cannon dismounted, masts shot away, and most of the crew either
+killed or wounded.
+
+Should Perry surrender? NOT HE!
+
+Taking his motto banner, he sprang into his only open boat, with his
+little brother and four stout sailors, and standing erect with his
+battle-flag half folded about him, balls flying all around him, he was
+rowed through the thickest of the fight to another of his ships, the
+Niagara, half a mile distant.
+
+A mighty shout went up from all our fleet at the sight of this heroic
+deed.
+
+"Fire upon that boat," ordered the British commander.
+
+The enemy at once poured a hail of cannon-balls, grapeshot, and musket
+bullets around the men in the open boat. Strange to say, not a person
+was hurt. Perry sprang on board of the Niagara, took command, sailed his
+vessels into the enemy's line, and thundered a series of broadsides
+right and left into five of their best ships.
+
+  [Illustration: OLIVER HAZARD PERRY.]
+
+In fifteen minutes from this moment the work was over! For the first
+time in history an American fleet had met a British fleet in a fair
+fight--and captured it!
+
+The battle had lasted three hours. The victory was complete. Then with
+singular pride Perry returned to the shattered Lawrence and there
+received the enemy's surrender! When he was sure of victory, he wrote
+in pencil on the back of an old letter, resting the paper on his cap,
+and sent to General Harrison (afterwards President in 1841) that
+remarkable despatch, the first sentence of which has been so often
+repeated:
+
+"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY ARE OURS!"
+
+This victory, so astonishing for its daring act of valor, turned the
+scales of war. It saved the western states from further inroads by the
+British, and paved the way for General Harrison to recover what was lost
+in General Hull's surrender of Detroit.
+
+=282. Other Events of this War.=--The next year, 1814, which saw the end
+of the war, was marked by events few but important. In the summer the
+British with their vast fleet blockaded all our most important ports,
+and sailing up rivers and into unprotected harbors, they plundered
+without mercy the defenseless cities and towns.
+
+In August one of their fleet sailed up to Washington, the city being
+entirely unguarded. President Madison, the officers of the government,
+and many citizens fled, and General Ross marched unopposed into the
+city. Obeying instructions from his government, he burned the Capitol,
+the President's house, the Treasury, and other public buildings, with
+vast amounts of valuable books and records. This shameful act has
+always received the sharpest condemnation from the civilized world.
+
+Next the British army marched to Baltimore, where the fleet bombarded
+Fort McHenry all day and all night, but without avail. The next morning
+Francis Scott Key, then a prisoner on a British ship, seeing the flag
+still flying over the fort, hastily wrote in pencil, on the back of an
+old letter, the stirring song that we all know so well, "The
+Star-Spangled Banner."
+
+The British General Ross was killed, and his army hastened to the ships
+and sailed away.
+
+In September the English, with an army of fourteen thousand veterans,
+tried to force a way from Canada to New York through Lake Champlain.
+Their army marched from Quebec, while the fleet sailed down the lake,
+and both were at Plattsburg together. But our gallant flotilla under
+Commodore McDonough utterly destroyed the British squadron, far superior
+to ours.
+
+=283. How General Jackson defeated the British at New Orleans.=--Later in
+the year the British made a vigorous effort to capture New Orleans. More
+than ten thousand trained veterans, believed to be the finest troops in
+the world, were met by less than half that number of men under Andrew
+Jackson, afterwards President. The battle was short but decisive.
+
+The British general repeated the fatal error of Bunker Hill in marching
+his soldiers to attack men who were behind breastworks, and who knew how
+to hit every time they fired. Jackson's wall of cotton bales was
+assaulted time and again, but the red-coat lines broke and ran before
+the withering fire of the backwoods rifles. The sharpshooters of the
+South-west had worsted British veterans who had defeated the best
+soldiers of Napoleon.
+
+In less than an hour the enemy's leader, General Packenham, was killed,
+seven hundred of his men lay dead on the field, and the contest was
+over. The British lost over two thousand in all, the Americans only
+thirteen! Never had a British army met a more decisive defeat.
+
+This battle, fought on the eighth of January, 1815, was really needless;
+for peace had been made in Europe about two weeks before.
+
+=284. Results of the War.=--The war of 1812 was not fought in vain. It put
+an end at once to searching American vessels and kidnapping American
+sailors on the high seas. Foreign nations saw that we were determined to
+maintain our rights on the ocean, and have never thought it best since
+then to insult our country. This war also served to strengthen the
+American feeling of nationality.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
+
+
+=285. The Great Rush Westward.=--Shortly after the close of the
+Revolution, long processions of emigrant wagons, with their white canvas
+covers and their companies of hardy men and women, began to move
+westward on all the main roads through New England, over the highways of
+New York toward the lakes, over the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia,
+and through the valley of the Ohio.
+
+Thousands of thrifty settlers followed just behind the pioneers and
+cleared the forests, bridged the streams, built villages, and tilled the
+rich valleys. Thousands left their homes in the Carolinas and went over
+the mountains to settle on the rich lands of Kentucky and Tennessee.
+
+The hardships which these early settlers endured are beyond description.
+It was one long hard struggle for food, shelter, and life itself. This
+was only the beginning of that mighty stream of migration which flowed
+for the next half century or more beyond the Mississippi, beyond the
+Rocky Mountains, into the region of the extreme Northwest and to the
+shores of the Pacific.
+
+The story of the marvelous growth of our country beyond the Alleghanies
+during the last hundred years reads more like a fairy tale than the
+plain truth.
+
+=286. Discovery of the Columbia River.=--In 1792 Captain Robert Gray of
+Boston, in the ship Columbia, was coasting along the Pacific shores,
+trading with the Indians for furs, when he discovered a broad and deep
+stream, which he entered and sailed up for many miles, and named after
+his vessel. The discovery of this great river produced momentous and
+far-reaching results.
+
+=287. The Purchase of Louisiana by President Jefferson.=--Now comes
+another important event. Our pioneers, who wanted to push on still
+farther, could not consistently cross the Mississippi River to stay
+there; for all that country belonged to France. This entire region of
+over a million square miles was then called Louisiana.
+
+Our people were very anxious to obtain part of this land, because it
+included New Orleans. The possession of it seemed necessary for our
+growing commerce and for our future protection. Thomas Jefferson, then
+President (1803), was on the point of attempting to buy of France enough
+of this southern region to include the mouth of the river, when he
+learned to his surprise that the French would be glad to sell us the
+whole of that vast territory!
+
+Napoleon was just then planning military operations on a great scale
+against England, and he was in sore need of "the sinews of war"; so he
+was glad to sell to this country this immense area for fifteen million
+dollars.
+
+The addition of the Louisiana territory more than doubled the area of
+the United States.
+
+=288. The Wonders revealed by the Lewis and Clarke Exploring
+Expedition.=--The next year President Jefferson thought it best to learn
+all about this wonderful addition to our territory, and so sent an
+expedition, under Captains Lewis and Clarke, to explore it. They started
+from St. Louis in May, 1804. What a remarkable journey it was!--more
+than two thousand miles up the Missouri River to its source, then across
+the Rocky Mountains, next down the Columbia River to the Pacific. They
+were the first white men who ever explored this vast domain, having
+traveled about six thousand miles.
+
+On their return in September, 1806, they were welcomed with unbounded
+joy. The stories of their perilous adventures sounded like a fairy
+romance, and the book of their travels was read everywhere. The
+explorers brought back word that the Indians had immense quantities of
+valuable furs. Soon throngs of American hunters and trappers began to
+roam over the vast plains and through the forests.
+
+All the way from the Missouri River to the Pacific a chain of trading
+posts, and stores for exchanging goods for furs were established. The
+wagons of the fur-traders and the winding caravans of emigrants that
+went under their protection soon made a pretty fair road. This was known
+as the Oregon trail, and in time it became the principal northern
+highway for Pacific travel.
+
+=289. How Dr. Whitman saved Oregon to the Union.=--In 1836 a group of
+young missionaries, two of them with their brides, went from New England
+to Oregon, taking with them a wagon all the way from the Missouri to
+their new homes on the Columbia River. One of these was a doctor by the
+name of Marcus Whitman, whose labors and counsel became of great value
+to the company.
+
+After they had been settled in Oregon some years Dr. Whitman discovered,
+one day in October, 1842, that the British were sending large bands of
+settlers down into Oregon, apparently to crowd American emigrants out of
+that rich country and to take complete possession.
+
+"The country is ours! The United States is too late. England will have
+Oregon and you cannot help it," exclaimed an English subject to him.
+
+"I will see," was the doctor's quiet reply.
+
+The moment Dr. Whitman heard this he became alarmed at the danger. If
+the President at Washington could only be informed of the facts, the
+threatened loss might be averted. The National Capital was three
+thousand or more miles away; and yet to delay a year or two might mean
+the seizure of all this rich country by the British.
+
+How to inform the government at Washington was the question. Could he
+himself do anything to save to his country this immense and valuable
+region?--one man, in midwinter, and across a continent? The problem
+haunted him--"Must I go?" He could not sleep. Difficult, almost
+impossible, as would be the journey, yet he heard the clear call of
+duty.
+
+A firm and bold, resolve, quick as a flash, had taken hold of him. He
+rode home in haste.
+
+"I am going to Washington to lay bare this scheme," said he to his wife.
+"I will bring settlers to Oregon."
+
+"You cannot ever get there," exclaimed the young wife; "you will perish
+on the way."
+
+"I must go; Oregon must be saved," said Whitman.
+
+=290. Whitman begins his Perilous Journey.=--Twenty-four hours later Dr.
+Whitman, with one companion, and pack mules for the guide and their
+supplies, started on horseback on the perilous undertaking.
+
+Over mountain ranges, through deep gorges and rugged forests, now
+drenched in storms, now buried in snow, and half famishing for
+food--their sufferings cannot be described.
+
+  [Illustration: WHITMAN'S FAMOUS "RIDE FOR OREGON."]
+
+They fed their horses on cotton-wood bark, while the men themselves
+lived on mule and dog meat. Two or three times they were really lost in
+the blinding snowstorms, and wandered about bewildered for days. Once
+only, Whitman gave up in despair, and then, worn out and bewildered, he
+knelt in the deep snow, and in a final prayer surrendered to God all
+earthly hopes. Then the party sank down and awaited a snowy burial. They
+were not, however, to die in the wilderness, but were rescued from
+death almost as if by a miracle, and after untold hardships for three
+months they reached St. Louis.
+
+=291. Dr. Whitman succeeds in his Grand Mission.=--Dr. Whitman at last
+arrived in Washington and convinced President Tyler and Daniel Webster,
+his Secretary of State, of the great value of Oregon and its importance
+to the Union. It is claimed that he thus saved to our nation, by his
+famous "Ride for Oregon," that entire region of country now known as
+Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, an area thirty-two times as large as the
+state of Massachusetts.
+
+This heroic patriot afterwards went through the Eastern States and told
+the people of the wonders of the Pacific coast. He stirred up such an
+interest that when, in the following June, he started back for Oregon he
+had the satisfaction of leading a caravan of two hundred wagons, with
+nearly a thousand people. After that, emigrants thronged every year in
+larger and larger numbers, till the territory was soon beyond the danger
+of British invasion.
+
+The dispute as to which nation had a right to Oregon was at last settled
+in 1846 by a treaty between the United States and England. By this
+treaty the boundary line was fixed, and our rightful claim to the vast
+Oregon country was confirmed for all time.
+
+=292. California becomes One of the United States.=--During all these
+years, while so many eyes were turned towards Oregon, few thought much
+of California, for it then belonged to Mexico. The coast trade in hides
+and furs and the inland immigration from the United States had slowly
+changed the kind of population. Although it was still Mexican by name,
+yet by 1846, besides the Spanish, Mexicans, and Indians, there were
+about ten thousand other inhabitants, mostly American citizens. In that
+year war was declared between the United States and Mexico. Then the
+large body of Americans in California thought they had a right to
+declare their independence of Mexico.
+
+At just this time John C. Fremont, an army officer and a famous western
+mountain explorer, was fortunately on the great plains, and was sent
+with an army expedition to explore a new route to Oregon. Being informed
+by special messenger of the war with Mexico, he changed his course and
+went to California. When he arrived there his small but courageous band,
+increased in number by patriotic residents and acting in harmony with
+our fleet, soon secured the independence of this great state.
+
+=293. The Discovery of Gold in California.=--It appears fortunate and even
+providential that California came into our hands just when it did, for
+shortly afterwards a most remarkable event occurred. Captain Sutter, an
+early emigrant, had settled on the Sacramento River and built a sawmill.
+
+In January, 1848, one of Sutter's laborers, by the name of Marshall,
+while digging a ditch for the mill, found shiny pieces of yellow metal
+which they suspected might be gold.
+
+"I wonder what that yellow stuff is," said he. "I wonder if it is gold."
+
+"I reckon it is brass," said one of his helpers.
+
+"Let me try vinegar on it," said Marshall. It was tried and the vinegar
+did not affect the "yellow stuff."
+
+The men about the sawmill threw down their tools and went to work
+searching for gold. Mr. Sutter laughed at the idea. But gold indeed it
+was, and there was plenty of it!
+
+=294. The Effect of this Great Discovery.=--The news spread. Soon
+everybody about knew that pure gold was found and in wonderful
+quantities. What a rush there was to the "diggings"! How all sorts of
+people from all over the western coast crowded in! Doctors left their
+sick, ministers their pulpits, traders their shops, mechanics their
+tools, and farmers their fields, all half frantic with the desire to dig
+their fortunes out of the golden sands of California.
+
+When the news of the discovery of gold reached the East, many people
+seemed to catch the contagion. Multitudes started at once for
+California. Thousands came by long wagon trains over the dreary plains.
+Hundreds died of starvation or were killed by Indians. Thousands went by
+the Isthmus, other thousands by Cape Horn. Vast numbers came from
+foreign countries. Even the crews and often the officers abandoned the
+ships that brought crowds to the Pacific coast and started for the gold
+"diggings."
+
+=295. The Mad Rush to the Gold Regions.=--The rush to the gold fields
+began in 1848, but became enormous in 1849. Those who went that year are
+since called "Forty-niners." There were over eighty thousand of them!
+The crowds that thronged the gold regions dug up the country for miles
+around Sutter's mill. They tore up his beautiful valley and ruined his
+farm. But they soon learned that gold was also to be found in larger
+quantities along the streams, among the mountains, and in valleys.
+
+Month by month new-comers swarmed in, and the excitement grew more
+intense. Some found prizes, nuggets of solid gold as large as an acorn
+or a walnut, and at times masses two or three pounds in weight. However
+much gold a man found, he was wildly eager to get more.
+
+A great deal of suffering ensued from the scarcity of food and the
+enormous prices of everything needful. Potatoes sold for a dollar
+apiece, eggs at the same price, wood at fifty dollars a cord, and flour
+at a hundred dollars a barrel. Large butcher knives were found very
+useful for digging, and brought thirty dollars each. A dose of the
+cheapest medicine in an apothecary's shop cost five dollars, and a
+physician's visit a hundred dollars. Unskilled laborers were paid
+twenty-five dollars a day.
+
+Money was not used at the mines, but in its place the ore itself, or
+"dust," at about sixteen dollars an ounce. Miners carried small scales,
+weighed their gold dust, and paid their bills with it.
+
+At the rough log tavern: "What do you charge for dinner here?" "Half an
+ounce."
+
+At the wayside store: "What's the price of these boots?" "Three ounces."
+
+=296. The Pony Express and its Remarkable History.=--San Francisco, being
+the principal base of operations and the center of much of the immense
+travel to and from the mines, grew in a few years from a cluster of
+shanties to a large and wealthy city. The people of California now
+demanded more frequent and more expeditious transmission of mail matter
+than that by steamers and across the Isthmus.
+
+It was finally decided to establish a horseback letter express between
+St. Joseph, on the Missouri River, and San Francisco, about two thousand
+miles. It was a daring and hazardous project. But the express began
+business in April, 1860, and made the through trip in ten days. Only
+letters were carried. The charge was five dollars each, afterwards
+reduced one-half. The company had sixty hardy riders and four hundred
+and twenty strong, fast horses, though it was nicknamed the "pony
+express."
+
+  [Illustration: THE "PONY EXPRESS" RIDER.]
+
+A rider started from each end of the journey at the same hour. There
+were stations every twenty-five miles for keeping and changing horses.
+On a postman's arrival at a station the bags were instantly slung on a
+fresh horse (for never more than two minutes must be spent at a
+station), and away went the new courier for the next station. The speed
+was by and by increased, until the long run was made in only eight
+days!
+
+Ah! that was furious riding! What speed they made! In 1861 the pony
+riders took President Lincoln's message through in one hundred and
+eighty-five hours! It was dangerous riding too. Day and night, over
+sandy plains and lofty mountains, on, on dashed these bold riders.
+
+The "pony express" was worth to the nation a hundred times its cost.
+Why? Because just at that time our Civil War was beginning to darken the
+land, and the South was making desperate efforts to entice the vast
+Pacific region to unite with the seceding states. This "pony express"
+line proved to be the first strand of a strong cable to unite the East
+and the West.
+
+=297. More Rapid Means of Communication between the East and the Pacific
+Coast urgently needed.=--For many years before 1860 there was talk of the
+urgent need, and finally of the absolute necessity, of closer connection
+between the old East and the new West. There were plenty of reasons for
+a railroad; but in 1861 there came another overpowering reason that
+eclipsed all others. The war for the Union had begun, and it was a
+matter of supreme importance that the Pacific states should be saved in
+the Union. No step could lead more surely toward this result than to
+have a railroad for constant and swift travel.
+
+=298. The Railroad over the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast rapidly
+built.=--In 1863 the great work was begun. The government was wonderfully
+generous and contributed money and land freely, for it was felt that the
+railroad must be built as quickly as possible. The completion of the
+gigantic undertaking in 1869 at Ogden, Utah, was gayly celebrated. Two
+trains, loaded with passengers from New York and San Francisco,
+approached each other at this place. The last rail was laid, the last
+rivet clinched, the last spike, a spike of gold sent from California,
+was driven, when the locomotives moved up and saluted, amid the cheers
+of the enthusiastic throngs!
+
+In seven years' time, from 1849 to 1856, the gold found in California
+was worth nearly five hundred millions of dollars! Imagine the effect of
+such an output of the precious metal upon the industries and commerce of
+our country!
+
+California is still rich in its gold, but it is still richer in its
+wonderful climate and its marvelous scenery; in the wealth of its grain
+fields; its sheep and cattle; its orange groves and its vineyards. These
+make California the real El Dorado,--the real land of gold, and ensure
+the prosperity and happiness of its people.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+LINCOLN AND THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+
+=299. Abraham Lincoln; the Abiding Influence of his Good Mother.=--The
+early settlers in the Western states were generally very poor. It was
+the honorable poverty of the pioneer, who bravely begins with only his
+axe and a few tools, with which he builds his log cabin, clears the
+forest, and works his way to competence and comfort.
+
+So lived in Larue County, in the state of Kentucky, about fifty miles
+south of Louisville, Thomas Lincoln and his wife Nancy, in a rude log
+cabin with no windows, a dirt floor, and only a flapping bearskin for a
+door! In this humble abode, which they called home, there was born to
+them on February 12, 1809, a son, Abraham.
+
+The father was a strong and kindly man, and the mother was a woman
+rather above her lowly position in life, and well educated for the time
+and place. As her boy grew up she read to him stories from the Bible and
+taught him to read for himself.
+
+In after years, when Abraham Lincoln had gained the people's ear, men
+noticed that he scarcely made a speech or wrote a state paper in which
+there was not an 'illustration or a quotation from the Bible. He had
+been thoroughly instructed in it by his mother. It was the one book to
+which she, being a woman of deep religious feeling, turned for sympathy
+and guidance. Out of it she taught her boy to spell and read, and with
+its principles she so familiarized him that they always governed his
+after life.
+
+When Abraham was eight years old the family moved to Indiana, where, in
+about a year, his mother died. This was an unutterable grief to him, for
+he loved her most deeply and tenderly. Throughout his life he revered
+her memory, and when he was in his prime he said, "All that I am or hope
+to be, I owe to my mother."
+
+=300. How Lincoln learned to read Good Books.=--Young Lincoln attended
+school only six weeks. He was a tall, gaunt lad, and his long, stout
+arms were very useful to his father on the farm.
+
+Like Franklin, he had a hunger for books, and having none himself, he
+used to walk miles to some family to borrow them. Every evening he used
+to read by the log fire _Pilgrim's Progress_, the poems of Robert Burns,
+_The Life of Washington_, or _Plutarch's Lives_. Think of that boy
+sitting before the cabin fire, reading over and over the story of
+Washington; and then think of what he came to be.
+
+When the family went to bed he used to climb, on a rude ladder of stout
+pegs driven in the logs, up to his bed made of hay, and there, by the
+light of his tallow candle, would read over and over his precious books.
+He bought a biography of Washington with three hard days' work at
+twenty-five cents a day. He carried the book with him to the field, and
+read it at the noon hour and while the horse rested.
+
+  [Illustration: LINCOLN READING HIS FAVORITE BOOKS BY THE FIRESIDE.]
+
+=301. Some Things Lincoln did when a Young Man.=--When Lincoln was about
+twenty-one, the family moved to Illinois. The young man was rugged and
+tall, six feet and four inches, but very strong. In feats of running,
+jumping, and wrestling he easily surpassed the best men in the county.
+
+He was hired at ten dollars a month to go down to New Orleans on a
+flatboat loaded with farm produce. On the trip he saw gangs of slaves
+chained together, and he attended a slave auction, where men, women, and
+children were bid off like cattle. The painful sight sank deep into his
+heart, and he never forgot it. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war,
+and was chosen by his comrades captain of the company, for all the men
+loved and respected him.
+
+=302. Makes up his Mind to become a Lawyer.=--Young Lincoln grew rapidly
+in public esteem. People took kindly to him, for he was himself kind and
+unselfish. Though awkwardly tall and homely, there was a something
+tender and friendly about him, which made every one feel that he was
+honest and sincere.
+
+As the years passed Lincoln kept on steadily educating himself by
+devoting every leisure hour to his books. He took regular studies, such
+as grammar, arithmetic, geometry, which he exceedingly enjoyed.
+
+He was a thoughtful reader of a few of the great English classics. He
+could repeat numerous scenes from Shakespeare and many of the poems of
+Robert Burns. Whatever he read was read thoroughly--to understand it.
+
+His need of money led the ambitious young man to study surveying, as
+Washington did--a very desirable attainment in a new country. He
+surveyed well Everything he did, he did well.
+
+Visiting a courthouse one day, he heard for the first time the argument
+of a lawyer. He was absorbed and delighted. Never before had anything so
+captivated his imagination. From that day he made up his mind to be a
+lawyer. Too poor to waste any money on shoes, he walked twelve miles
+barefoot once to borrow a law book; and he came home reading it as he
+walked.
+
+=303. His Early Studies and Rapid Advancement in his Profession.=--The
+struggling young lawyer now carefully studied the art of the clear and
+exact expression of thought. He attended that nursery of American
+oratory, the country debating club, and was a faithful student of the
+best method of speaking, making rapid progress by long and patient
+practice.
+
+We no longer think of him as the boy of the log house, the homespun
+clothes, the coon-skin cap, and the bare feet, but rather as the brave
+young lawyer, studious, honest, persevering, self-reliant, and always
+faithful to duty.
+
+After this Lincoln's advancement is rapid. His worthy traits draw to him
+many and strong friends. At twenty-five he is elected to the
+legislature. He discharges the duties of the office so well that two
+years later he is chosen again. Now an older lawyer invites him to be
+his partner.
+
+He has become a man of note. People come from far to consult him. His
+growing fame daily widens. The people next call him to a higher place.
+At thirty-nine he is honored by being chosen a member of Congress. He
+fills the place with credit and honor. He is now the rising man of his
+state.
+
+=304. Slavery as a Menace to the Country.=--There had always been one
+serious trouble in our republic--slavery. It began early. About a year
+before the Pilgrims came over in the Mayflower a Dutch ship brought
+twenty negroes from Africa to Virginia, and they were sold as slaves to
+the planters.
+
+As years passed the traffic rapidly increased, and paid an enormous
+profit. Some of the colonists tried to stop this, but in vain; it was
+profitable. Soon slavery spread all over the country; mostly in the
+South, but somewhat even in New England. In the South, slaves were very
+useful in raising tobacco and rice, and, later, cotton and sugar cane.
+
+At the formation of the republic all the Southern states came in as
+slave states. To this most of the Northern people, though they held
+slavery to be a great wrong, and feared that it would some day bring
+serious trouble, did not strenuously object, because it had long existed
+throughout the colonies. But as years passed the North strongly opposed
+the extension of slavery into new states or free territory. The South,
+however, had come to believe that slavery was right. When Missouri asked
+admission to the Union, the South claimed that it should be received as
+a slave state. The North said, No! There was a great discussion over
+this question, which was finally settled in 1821 by allowing Missouri to
+come in as a slave state. After this it was understood that slavery
+should never be introduced north of the line of its southern boundary.
+
+  [Illustration: ABRAHAM LINCOLN.]
+
+=305. Lincoln chosen President of the United States.=--In 1854 an effort
+was made to bring in Kansas and Nebraska as possible slave states. This
+at once aroused a storm of indignation throughout the North. Mr.
+Lincoln stood forth as a champion of freedom, and Stephen A. Douglas,
+popularly known as "the little giant of the West," supported the claims
+of the South. They held public debates all through Illinois, being rival
+candidates for the United States Senate.
+
+These great debates were listened to by thousands. Lincoln's speeches
+especially attracted much attention. They were printed and read in all
+sections. Many a voter said, "How plain he makes it all! He says it far
+better than I could." This contest raged in 1859. Douglas won the
+smaller prize of senator; but Lincoln, suddenly lifted into national
+fame by his splendid defense of freedom, was next year chosen President
+of the United States.
+
+He was elected because of the firm determination of the North that,
+while they would not disturb slavery where it already existed, it should
+not extend any farther into free territory. This resolve was not
+unfriendly to the Southern people. It did not invade their rights as the
+North understood them. It was not intended as a threat to the people of
+that section; but they chose so to regard it and immediately took a
+hostile attitude.
+
+In December, 1860, South Carolina seceded, then other states; so that
+before Mr. Lincoln began his duties as President the seven cotton
+states had seceded. Believing that they had a right to do so, they
+formed a government of their own and assumed a warlike attitude to the
+general government.
+
+=306. The Momentous Responsibilities of the Position.=--We have traced the
+poor boy of the Western cabin step by step up to the highest office of
+the nation, to rule as the chief magistrate of thirty millions of
+people. It was not a nation in peace, but torn asunder, each half in
+deadly conflict with the other. Upon him were to rest the control of
+vast armies, of a great navy, the decision of questions of unspeakable
+importance, and the solution of most perplexing international problems.
+
+Can this self-trained lawyer from the Western prairies bear all this
+sudden and tremendous burden, and bear it with courage, credit, and
+success? Surely no man of modern times ever faced a greater or more
+difficult task.
+
+=307. War begins; the Effect at the North and in the South.=--The next
+month (April 12, 1861) after Lincoln's inauguration, Fort Sumter, in
+Charleston Harbor, was attacked by a circle of nineteen hostile
+batteries. After thirty-six hours of furious bombardment, Major
+Anderson, his powder and food being exhausted, his flagstaff shot away,
+his fort crumbling and on fire, felt that he could do nothing but
+surrender. He and his little force, carrying with them their tattered
+flag, were taken on board a Union ship to New York.
+
+The shots fired at Sumter kindled another fire all through the North. A
+conflagration of patriotic zeal flamed up all over the loyal states. The
+people accepted instantly the awful challenge and sternly resolved to
+defend the endangered Union at every hazard.
+
+Both sides had been deceived. Vast numbers through the North had not
+believed the slave states would really carry out their threat of
+secession. Vast numbers through the South had always believed the North
+would never fight, but at the last moment would consent to some sort of
+compromise.
+
+Northern men felt that they had in no way wronged the South, that no act
+of theirs and no word of President Lincoln had given cause for
+precipitating the horrors of a civil war.
+
+Southern men claimed that according to the Declaration of Independence
+all governments derive their power from the consent of the governed, and
+that the South had a right to withdraw its consent and establish a
+government of its own. Although there were some disloyal men all through
+the North, political parties vied with each other in the fervor of
+general devotion to one country and one flag. The President's call for
+seventy-five thousand volunteers was answered by the enthusiastic
+enlistment of the whole number.
+
+In the South the excitement was equally great, but different in
+character. The masses went wild with passionate delight; but very many
+thoughtful people lamented the bombardment of Sumter as hasty, reckless,
+and ruinous. Some of the states were at first unwilling to secede, and
+finally went out reluctantly; but a belief that they were right swept
+them along, and, once out, they were as active as any.
+
+=308. Vigorous Efforts to preserve the Union.=--Neither side was prepared
+for a long war, but the South was much better prepared to begin it than
+the North. Instantly every effort was put forth by the government to
+preserve the Union. Scores of warships blockaded the Southern ports to
+prevent cotton from being sent to England, and to cut off English ships
+from bringing in supplies, especially military stores.
+
+The governments of Europe, except the Russian, were unfriendly to us.
+Four more states soon seceded, making eleven out of the fifteen slave
+states. Thousands of troops were gathered for the defense of the
+National Capital.
+
+In July a Confederate army of about thirty thousand threatened
+Washington. A battle was fought at Manassas, only thirty miles southwest
+of the city. At first the Union forces had the advantage and seemed
+victorious; but just then heavy reinforcements of fresh troops came to
+help the Confederates, drove back the weary forces, and the day ended in
+Union disaster.
+
+  [Illustration: MAP OF SEAT OF WAR IN VIRGINIA.]
+
+This battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, was a severe and unexpected
+defeat. It showed the scope of the tremendous conflict yet to come.
+There was not much more heavy fighting during the remainder of that
+year; both sides were busily making enormous preparations for the future
+struggle.
+
+=309. The Desperate Struggles of 1862.=--In the early part of the next
+year (1862) each side had ready in the field about half a million of
+men. In the East, General McClellan, with a large army, set out in April
+from Washington for Richmond. He advanced within seven miles of that
+city, where was fought the battle of Fair Oaks. Neither side was
+victorious. The desperate seven days' battles soon followed, with result
+still indecisive. This, the so-called Peninsular Campaign, failed of its
+purpose.
+
+In September the Confederate General Lee marched north and, invading
+Maryland, fought the bloody battle of Antietam. He was slightly worsted,
+and forced to retire into Virginia.
+
+In the West, General Grant, the coming man, with the help of Commodore
+Foote's fleet of gunboats, captured in February Forts Henry and Donelson
+with ten thousand prisoners. Soon followed the desperate battle of
+Shiloh, in which Grant, reinforced by General Buell, repulsed the
+Confederates.
+
+In April a great navy and army sailed up the Mississippi River,
+bombarded the forts below New Orleans, then passed up and captured the
+city. This was an important Union triumph.
+
+The year had been one of many hard-fought battles, only a few of which
+we are able to mention. The general result was in the East lamentable
+failure, but in the West brilliant success, of the Union armies.
+
+At the close of 1862, after a year and a half of fighting, the war had
+already lasted longer than either side expected when it began. At first
+both had hoped that after a few months the trouble would be settled by
+some kind of agreement or compromise. Each side was surprised at the
+vast number of soldiers, the immense military equipment, and the
+determined spirit shown by the other.
+
+=310. The Emancipation of the Slaves.=--As the war went on, it was plain
+that the tens of thousands of slaves, although they did not actually
+fight in the Southern armies, were helping the South just as much as if
+they carried muskets. They built forts, toiled in gun shops and powder
+mills, and raised crops at home. This, of course, released thousands of
+whites from home duties and swelled the ranks of the Confederate army.
+It was a terrible and costly war. The final result even seemed doubtful.
+To save the Union the South must be crippled at every possible point. To
+set the slaves free was to weaken the South. Mr. Lincoln held that a
+sound principle of military law gave him the authority to abolish
+slavery. He proposed to do it primarily as an act of military necessity
+by virtue of his office as Commander-in-Chief of the army, just as when
+a general in active warfare destroys buildings or burns bridges to aid
+his army operations.
+
+It was sound common sense, as well as a profound military policy, to
+seize the most favorable opportunity to strike at the real cause of the
+trouble. Public opinion was rapidly shaping itself to this end. Lincoln
+was one of the most clear-sighted and sagacious of men. He patiently
+abided his time for so momentous a step.
+
+=311. The Proclamation of Emancipation.=--Finally, acting on his own
+judgment and that of his trusted advisers, Lincoln issued in September,
+1862, his warning proclamation to the effect that if the Confederate
+States did not cease hostilities before the first of the next January,
+all slaves within the Confederate lines should be thenceforth and
+forever free.
+
+The negroes very soon heard this wonderful news and many thousands of
+them eagerly awaited the coming of the day when "Massa Linkum would set
+'em free." They looked upon the good President as the savior of their
+race.
+
+On that famous morning, January 1, 1863, the prophecy was fulfilled.
+That New Year's Day will be forever memorable as the date of the great
+Emancipation Proclamation, an act by which four millions of slaves were
+brought from the night of bondage to the sunlight of freedom.
+
+This was the monumental event of the war, perhaps the wisest thing
+President Lincoln ever did or ever could do. In after years it will
+perhaps be regarded as the greatest event of the century. Few men in all
+history have had an opportunity of doing a deed of so vast and
+far-reaching importance.
+
+Emancipation was quickly followed by the enlistment of negroes, or
+"freedmen" as they were now called, as soldiers in the armies of the
+Union. During the year 1863 more than fifty thousand of them, and before
+the end of the war nearly two hundred thousand, had enlisted under the
+banner of freedom. They were good soldiers, and on many a battlefield
+they fought with an unflinching courage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+MORE ABOUT THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+
+=312. Union Defeat at Chancellorsville.=--Now let us return to our
+narrative of a few of the prominent military operations of the war. In
+May, 1863, the army of the Potomac, under General Hooker, moved
+southward from Washington. At Chancellorsville it was met by a
+Confederate force under Generals Lee and Jackson. The battle lasted two
+days, and was disastrous to the Union arms; in fact, the worst defeat of
+the war. It marked the zenith of Confederate success. In this battle
+"Stonewall" Jackson, so called from his splendid firmness, one of the
+ablest of the Southern generals, was mortally wounded.
+
+  [Illustration: "STONEWALL" JACKSON.]
+
+=313. The Mighty Struggle at Gettysburg.=--General Lee, proud of this
+success, now resolved to lead his army into the North. Sweeping past
+Washington and across Maryland, he pushed up into Pennsylvania, the
+whole country around being terrified at his approach, especially
+Baltimore and Philadelphia, both of which cities were threatened. Lee
+had now eighty thousand soldiers, the finest army the South ever
+possessed. The army of the Potomac, under the command of General Meade,
+whom Grant called the right man in the right place, followed closely.
+The two defiant armies met at Gettysburg, where occurred the most
+momentous battle ever fought on this continent. It lasted three days,
+July 1-3, 1863. The first day's fighting ended in favor of the
+Confederates. On the second day their desperate efforts to drive the
+Union forces from their positions were repelled, but with an enormous
+loss on each side.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL MEADE.]
+
+On the third day came the final test. The brave Confederate General
+Pickett led many thousands of soldiers over an open plain in a most
+desperate charge to break the Union center. On, on they came, their
+ranks now torn through and through by Union shot and shell, but still on
+they charged. Drawing nearer, up they rushed to the Union line with the
+familiar Southern yell, and with frantic fury dashed upon our firm-set
+ranks. Our men wavered with the mighty shock and for a moment fell back,
+but instantly rallied with the Union cheer.
+
+In the furious onset and the hand-to-hand fight, friend and foe fell by
+thousands. But the charging battalions were shattered, crushed, driven
+back, melting away under the concentrated fire, and only some few
+fragments of all that vast column straggled back over the field of
+death.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE.]
+
+Lee was baffled, defeated; the Union was safe. The invaders, with that
+vast army that came with stately pride, went back to Virginia with
+sorrowing memories of the direst disaster of the war. Never again did a
+large Confederate force hazard a march into the North. After Gettysburg
+there was little hope of Confederate triumph.
+
+=314. Memorials of the Victory.=--Gettysburg was a costly victory. Over
+that broad area of the three days' battles, strewn through wood and
+meadow, on field and hill, lay the bodies of thousands of soldiers.
+One-third of Lee's entire army, and about a fourth of the Union forces,
+had been killed or wounded. The arena of fiercest fighting in the third
+day's final charge is now marked by a suitable monument, which bears
+upon a bronze tablet an inscription that indicates the historical
+importance of the spot.
+
+Upon opposite columns are also inscribed the names of the officers who
+led the surging columns of gray, and the names of those officers who
+held firm the impregnable walls of blue.
+
+The whole field of battle, covering several square miles, is dotted with
+hundreds of similar memorials of many varieties. These monuments have
+been erected year after year by the survivors or by their friends. They
+indicate the positions held by regiments, brigades, and divisions, where
+desperate charges and equally desperate repulses occurred, or where
+gallant officers fell.
+
+=315. Lincoln's Masterly Address at Gettysburg.=--In November, 1863, the
+central portion of the battlefield was set apart as a National Cemetery
+and dedicated with solemn ceremonies. The most important of these was
+the notably eloquent address by President Lincoln, which has passed into
+history as an event hardly less memorable than the great conflict
+itself. Perhaps in no language, ancient or modern, are any words found
+more comprehensive and eloquent than this brief speech.
+
+Time has tested the strength of this short, simple address. After more
+than a quarter of a century it is still as familiar as household words.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL U. S. GRANT.]
+
+=316. Success of General Grant in the West.=--Let us now read about a few
+of the great events of the war in the West during the first half of the
+year 1863. Here General Grant was the central figure of important
+military operations. He had already become prominent by the brilliant
+campaigns we have mentioned. His remarkable career furnishes one of the
+many examples of great men coming up from obscure and unpromising
+conditions of life.
+
+  [Illustration: MAP OF MILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE WEST.]
+
+He was born in Ohio in 1822, and received a military education at West
+Point. He was a successful officer in the Mexican War, having been
+engaged in nearly all the battles of the war, where he manifested
+conspicuous bravery. Returning from Mexico, he engaged a while in
+farming, but with discouraging results. Evidently it was not his
+vocation.
+
+When the Civil War opened, Grant was employed at a small salary in his
+father's leather store in Galena, Illinois. He at once offered the
+governor his services, and was appointed a colonel of an Illinois
+regiment. He rose rapidly to conspicuous positions.
+
+=317. Capture of Vicksburg.=--General Grant, after defeating the
+Confederates at the battle of Shiloh, and driving them south to Corinth,
+followed them to Vicksburg. This was a stronghold from which they seemed
+to defy every effort to dislodge them.
+
+The city stands on a high bluff some two hundred feet above the
+Mississippi, and as there were heavy batteries all along the river front
+and on the hillsides, Grant could not attack the city with his gunboats.
+On the north there were miles of swamps and creeks, so that he could not
+approach on that side. On the east the city was heavily fortified with
+cannon.
+
+President Lincoln and the country expected General Grant to capture
+Vicksburg. What could he do? Witness his superb generalship!
+
+He first protected against cannon shot a number of gunboats and steamers
+by means of bales of hay, and planned to run them past eight miles of
+batteries one dark night in April. This movement was so perilous that
+officers would not order their men to go, but called for volunteers. So
+many were eager to go that lots were drawn for a chance. One soldier
+refused one hundred dollars for his place.
+
+Soon as the watchful Confederates sighted the first boat of the grim
+procession, they opened a deafening cannonade, and started a series of
+bonfires that lighted up all the miles of that voyage of death. Some of
+the transports were destroyed, but enough got through to answer the
+general's purpose.
+
+Next Grant ferried his army across the river some miles below Vicksburg,
+and fought and defeated General Pemberton's troops, which had moved down
+to meet him. Then, learning that General Johnston was coming to attack
+him, he marched up between the two armies. On his east side he met
+Johnston's army and defeated it. Thence he turned west and drove
+Pemberton again, and the next day routed him once more and drove his
+entire army into Vicksburg.
+
+Commodore Porter's gunboats now threw huge shells into the doomed city
+from the river and Grant's army bombarded it on the east. It was an
+awful siege. No building was safe. The people lived in caves dug in the
+sides of the hills. Food was so scarce that mules, cats, dogs, and rats
+were devoured. At last, after seven weeks of siege, Pemberton, on July
+4, surrendered his entire army of about thirty thousand men, the largest
+force captured during the war.
+
+These two great victories, at Gettysburg and at Vicksburg, one in the
+East, the other in the West, both won at the same time, gave new hope
+to the Union cause. The Confederacy was at last cut in two, for the
+Mississippi River was open in its entire length, and its waters, in Mr.
+Lincoln's words, "flowed unvexed to the sea."
+
+From this eventful Fourth of July in 1863 the strength of the
+Confederacy began to decay. There was little hope for its final success
+after this time. All its future contests only delayed the inevitable
+end.
+
+=318. Two Other Important Victories in the West.=--In September occurred
+the severe battle of Chickamauga, where the Union army would probably
+have been utterly defeated but for the valor of General Thomas, who thus
+won for himself the name of the "Rock of Chickamauga." Late in November
+the Union army was shut in at Chattanooga by the ever alert
+Confederates, and was relieved only by General Grant's skillful planning
+and hard fighting.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL THOMAS.]
+
+This battle was fought on a cold, drizzly day. The fog, settling on the
+valley and sides of Lookout Mountain, up which our brave boys climbed,
+covered the lower part of the advancing army so that only the upper
+lines were visible. This brilliant victory is popularly known as "the
+Battle above the Clouds." These movements ended the army operations of
+1863.
+
+=319. Sherman's Famous March to the Sea.=--The year 1864 saw two great
+movements, both planned by General Grant, who had now been called by
+President Lincoln to come to Washington and take control of all the
+armies of the Republic. One was his own advance against Richmond, and
+the other General Sherman's famous "March to the Sea."
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN.]
+
+General W. T. Sherman, a brilliant officer and General Grant's dear
+comrade and lifelong friend, had driven his opponents southward and
+captured Atlanta. General Hood then very boldly but injudiciously led a
+Confederate army up to Nashville, where General Thomas attacked and
+utterly defeated him.
+
+Meanwhile Sherman had begun his celebrated march to the sea. Having
+burned the mills, foundries, and workshops at Atlanta which had been of
+great value to the Confederates, he started in November with an army of
+sixty thousand on a three-hundred-mile expedition to the Atlantic! They
+marched on three and sometimes four parallel roads, foraging on the
+country, destroying railroads, burning bridges, and devastating a belt
+of territory from forty to sixty miles wide. Our army was followed by
+thousands of negroes, enjoying their new freedom.
+
+In December Sherman reached the sea and telegraphed to President Lincoln
+the capture of Savannah as a Christmas present! Resting there, he then
+marched his conquering legions north, through both Carolinas, up to
+Goldsboro, having met and defeated Johnston's army at several points
+along the way. He was now able to aid General Grant, whose campaign
+against Richmond we must now consider.
+
+=320. Grant's Advance on Richmond; Lee's Surrender at Appomattox.=--Early
+in May, Grant had started with a hundred and twenty thousand men on his
+advance against Richmond. He pushed his work with great vigor, fighting
+almost daily, but after every battle flanking Lee's right, and thus
+working constantly southward. It was a series of bloody battles, and
+the slaughter was enormous; but such is war. He continued slowly
+advancing all summer, and in the fall of 1864 began the siege of
+Richmond.
+
+Finally, in April, 1865, General Sheridan had cut the last of the
+railroads supplying the Confederate capital. Then with Grant's army on
+one side and Sheridan's on the other, the Confederacy quickly collapsed.
+Jefferson Davis fled and a panic seized upon the people in the doomed
+city, while fire and havoc ran riot. The Union army soon marched in and
+restored order.
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL SHERMAN ON HIS MARCH TO THE SEA.]
+
+One week later Lee surrendered his whole army at Appomattox. General
+Grant treated his fallen foes with great generosity, requiring only the
+oath of officers and men not to fight further against the United
+States. The victorious general permitted all the men to keep their
+horses, to enable them, as he said, "to do their spring plowing on their
+farms."
+
+=321. The Story of Sheridan's Famous Ride.=--Read's stirring poem,
+"Sheridan's Ride," has always been a favorite, for it records in verse
+the gallant deed of one of the most brilliant generals in the war for
+the Union. In the early fall of 1864 Grant sent General Sheridan with a
+large force of cavalry to lay waste the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan did
+the work so well that it was said, "If a crow wants to fly down the
+valley, he must carry his provisions with him."
+
+  [Illustration: GENERAL SHERIDAN.]
+
+The story runs as follows:--
+
+One morning in October the Confederates approached under cover of a fog
+and surprised the Union forces at Cedar Creek and put them to flight.
+Sheridan was then at Winchester, twenty miles away, slowly riding back
+to join his army. A messenger met him with the bad news. On his famous
+black horse he dashed forward at full speed down that "good broad
+highway, as with eagle flight," towards the line of battle. As he came
+nearer he met the first of the fugitives and rallied them with fierce
+and forcible words. At once they were as eager to fight again as they
+had been ready to fly.
+
+A brave nucleus of the army which had not shared in the surprise was
+fighting with determined pluck to prevent disaster from becoming
+disgrace. Men said, "Oh for one hour of Sheridan!" All at once a
+deafening cheer was heard above the roar of musketry and artillery as
+the tired men recognized the long-looked-for Sheridan. The news flashed
+from brigade to brigade along the front with telegraphic speed. As the
+gallant general, cap in hand, dashed along the retreating lines, a
+continuous cheer burst from the whole army.
+
+The entire aspect of affairs seemed changed in a moment. Further retreat
+was no longer thought of. "This retreat must be stopped!" shouted
+Sheridan to his officers as he galloped down the lines. The line of
+battle was speedily re-formed; the retreating army turned its face to
+the foe.
+
+The ranks of the Confederates swayed and broke everywhere before the
+charge of the Union cavalry and the impetuous advance of the infantry.
+They were completely defeated, with the loss of many prisoners, and
+nearly all of their guns.
+
+Sheridan's ride to the front, October 19, 1864, has passed into history
+as one of the most thrilling events that have ever given interest to a
+battle scene. Stripped of all poetic gloss, the result achieved by
+Sheridan's superb generalship, after reaching his shattered army on the
+field of Cedar Creek, still stands, with few if any parallels in
+history, as an illustration of the magnetic influence of one man over
+many, and as an example of snatching a great victory from an appalling
+defeat.
+
+  [Illustration: SHERIDAN RALLYING HIS TROOPS AT CEDAR CREEK.]
+
+=322. Death of Lincoln.=--Wild was the delight of the country when peace
+came. There were public meetings, processions, bonfires, every possible
+display of universal joy!
+
+Suddenly, like a total eclipse at noonday, came the darkness of a great
+sorrow. Abraham Lincoln, the great and good President, whose heart had
+bled for the nation's suffering, who had never held a trace of bitter
+feeling towards the South, was shot down by an assassin!
+
+Instantly the nation was plunged into the deepest sorrow; joy ended in
+grief, delight was turned to mourning. Ninety thousand Union soldiers
+had been slain, but this last sacrifice overshadowed all. Never before
+was a great nation shrouded in a sorrow so deep. Thousands mourned, as
+for the loss of a personal friend.
+
+The people hardly realized till his death the greatness of this man, the
+hero of the mighty struggle by which the Union was saved. From that day
+to this, the admiration and love, not only of the nation but of all
+mankind, have been increasing for the great and kind-hearted man, the
+wise leader, the blameless President,--Abraham Lincoln.
+
+=323. The Cost of the War.=--The cost of the four years' war was something
+tremendous. At the close of the strife the total debt was about three
+thousand millions of dollars! This, however, was but a small part of the
+loss.
+
+The cost in human life can never be estimated in money. The area fought
+over was so large that there was fighting somewhere almost every day!
+The number of battles, great and small, was more than two thousand! The
+total Union loss of men killed in battle and of those who died of wounds
+and disease was not less than three hundred and sixty thousand. The
+number of enlisted soldiers on the Union side was over two and a half
+millions.
+
+=324. Grand Review of Troops at Washington.=--At the close of the war a
+grand review of Union troops was held at Washington. These comprised the
+army of the Potomac, commanded by General Meade in person, and Sherman's
+army fresh from its march to the sea. These battle-scarred veterans,
+perhaps one-fifth of all the Union soldiers who had tramped and fought
+for years, now passed in review, bearing aloft the tattered and
+shot-torn flags around which they had rallied on many a battlefield. The
+two days were beautiful and the sight was superb.
+
+The National Capital was full of strangers in holiday dress, and every
+house was decorated with flags. For two days the two armies marched in
+close column around the Capitol, down Pennsylvania Avenue, past the
+President and cabinet, who occupied a large stand prepared for the
+occasion in front of the White House. On the second day it took six
+hours and a half for Sherman's magnificent army of sixty-five thousand
+sunburnt veterans to march in solid columns in review before the
+President.
+
+This grand review was a fitting conclusion to the war. The million men
+who were still in arms at the close of the war, old comrades of camp and
+field, shook hands and parted, each to his home, where mother or sister
+or wife or children or other dear ones awaited the long-absent soldier.
+
+=325. The Country after the War.=--The war proved beyond all question that
+the American Republic is a nation, not a league, and it rid it also of
+human slavery. It took, of course, a long time for the bitter feeling on
+both sides to die away. More than a generation has passed since the
+great Civil War desolated our fair land. The people of to-day have
+little cause to recall its sufferings and horrors.
+
+How dear to the hearts of the American people are the familiar
+ceremonies of Memorial Day! What more impressive object lesson could our
+children have than to see the gray-haired veterans marching with thinner
+ranks and more faltering steps, on this sacred anniversary!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+OUR NAVY IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+
+=326. Our Navy at the Beginning of the War.=--For a number of months
+before the breaking out of the war the Southern leaders of the secession
+movement had been quietly but skillfully preparing for it.
+
+A large part of the soldiers had been sent off to the frontier posts.
+Rifles, cannon, and all such supplies had been taken months before from
+Northern stations and sent South. Our navy had been purposely scattered
+all over the world. More ships were abroad or useless than were at home
+fit for service. The whole number available after the attack on Fort
+Sumter was only thirteen.
+
+All through the South most of the southern-born officers of the
+government who were in control of Federal property, as custom houses,
+post offices, arsenals, forts, navy yards, and ships, abandoned their
+trust, or turned all these properties over to the seceding states.
+
+It was in reference to such a piece of transfer that the Secretary of
+the Treasury, John A. Dix, sent to New Orleans that famous telegram
+which thrilled the whole North:--
+
+"IF ANY ONE ATTEMPTS TO HAUL DOWN THE AMERICAN FLAG, SHOOT HIM ON THE
+SPOT!"
+
+Great was the peril. More vessels must be had, and that at once. The
+seventeen warships in foreign ports were called home, scores of steamers
+were bought and dozens were built as quickly as possible.
+
+=327. Urgent Need of Vessels to blockade Southern Ports.=--One of the most
+urgent needs for a navy was to blockade the Southern ports. This was to
+be done by stationing well-armed ships near the mouth of every harbor to
+seize any vessel trying to get out with a cargo of cotton, or to capture
+any ship coming in with supplies. "Running" this blockade was a
+profitable but dangerous business.
+
+But we can judge whether our gallant navy did its duty in watching the
+eighteen hundred miles of Southern coast line, if we remember that
+during the four years of the war the Union blue-jackets captured or
+destroyed over fifteen hundred blockade runners--more than one a day.
+
+=328. Naval Operations on the Western Rivers.=--The Confederates had
+fortified many cities and important bluffs along the Mississippi River
+and its branches, and had built many heavy gunboats. Our government had
+at first not a single gunboat to meet them. Something must be done very
+soon. In less than a hundred days there were built at St. Louis, from
+the keel up, with powerful engines, heavy armor plate, and cannon, eight
+powerful gunboats, all ready for action. These ironclads, with some
+mortar boats, did effective service at the capture of Forts Henry and
+Donelson, of Columbus, Memphis, and Vicksburg, and all along the rivers.
+
+=329. How New Orleans was protected against an Attack by the Union
+Forces.=--While the Union ironclads were fighting farther north along the
+Mississippi and other large rivers, Commodore Farragut was doing valiant
+work below New Orleans. This city was protected by two strong forts.
+
+Just below the forts there stretched from each bank towards the middle a
+big boom of logs. The space in the middle of the river between the ends
+of the booms was filled with hulks of old ships, first firmly anchored,
+then heavily chained to each other, and lashed to the booms with huge
+cables, making almost a bridge. Above this formidable barrier was a
+fleet of iron rams and gunboats.
+
+Besides all this, there were a number of fire rafts, loaded with cotton
+and hay, ready to be set in a blaze and float down on any Union craft
+that would dare to come up. How was it possible for the Union vessels to
+force their way up the river in the face of these obstructions?
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL FARRAGUT.]
+
+=330. Farragut prepares for the Attack.=--Farragut had about fifty vessels
+all told: frigates, ships, sloops, gunboats, and mortar vessels. He
+anchored the mortar boats around a point of land nearly two miles below
+the forts, and dressed them with evergreens and foliage of trees
+disguising their position. Then the great thirteen-inch bombs burst
+inside and around the forts all day, all night, for six days.
+
+Meanwhile two small gunboats went one night up to the chained hulks to
+break the barrier; and though detected and fired on, the officers
+worked calmly and persistently. They contrived to get a gunboat
+through, then steamed up the river, turned and rushed down on the cable
+with such force as to break it! Daylight showed a wide opening for the
+Union fleet.
+
+=331. The Grand Work done by Farragut and his Fleet.=--The next morning at
+two o'clock, April 24, 1862, the fleet steamed up. The forts fired and
+the ships fired, but the fleet kept moving in the darkness. Soon one
+passed through, then another, the swift ones dashing ahead.
+
+But the flagship Hartford, on which was Farragut, having passed through,
+turned aside to avoid a blazing fire raft, when she ran aground! Then
+the Confederates, seeing the Hartford stuck fast, pushed a fire raft up
+against it. Instantly the flames flashed along the rigging and the
+ports, the big guns of the fort meanwhile pounding her. But the gun
+crews kept working their cannon as steadily as if on practice, and the
+rest fought the flames, and soon subdued them. The flagship was saved.
+Other ships passed up, all fighting, some surviving by hairbreadth
+escapes; a few were lost.
+
+When the morning sun rose, the astounding work had been done, the gates
+of fire had been passed, and the Union fleet under Farragut was
+triumphant. New Orleans was captured and the control of the river
+secured nearly up to Vicksburg.
+
+=332. The Merrimac and the Monitor.=--When the war for the Union began,
+and just before the Confederates seized the navy yard at Norfolk, the
+commanding officer there contrived to burn or sink all the ships; but
+the best one, the Merrimac, was soon raised and rebuilt as a powerful
+ironclad.
+
+When the fine old frigate had been remodeled her entire appearance was
+changed. She had no longer the appearance of a ship, but seemed like a
+house afloat. The story is told that an old sailor on board the
+Cumberland, who first sighted her, reported gravely to the officer of
+the deck, "Quaker meeting-house floating down the bay, sir."
+
+In anticipation of what harm it might do, the government engaged Captain
+Ericsson, a Swedish inventor in New York, to build as quickly as
+possible, after his own plans, an ironclad, a new and very odd-shaped
+kind of warship--the now famous Monitor. The construction was pushed day
+and night without an hour of delay.
+
+=333. Attack of the Merrimac on the Union Fleet.=--Before long the dreaded
+Merrimac was finished, and on March 8, 1862, the ponderous black monster
+steamed slowly out to attack the Union ships in Hampton Roads. She made
+straight for the fine frigate Cumberland, the solid shot of whose
+broadside fell like pebbles into the sea from the slopes of the huge
+ironclad. On, on came the ponderous monster, and crashing into the
+wooden side of the Cumberland, opened a hole "wide as a church door."
+The sinking ship went down with her flag flying and her guns booming to
+the last!
+
+Next the Merrimac attacked the Congress, whose captain and three-fourths
+of her crew were killed or wounded. Hot shot were used, which soon set
+the Congress in a blaze. Then the ironclad, as if she had done enough
+for one day, went grimly back to Norfolk, intending to continue her
+destruction the next day.
+
+Everywhere in that region is alarm. The shores are thronged with anxious
+thousands. The city of Washington is almost in a panic. The grim monster
+may steam up here on the next day, and hurl its exploding shells into
+the Capitol or the White House. Philadelphia, Baltimore, and all the
+seacoast cities of the country are exposed to destruction. What is to be
+done? Can the danger be averted?
+
+=334. Timely Arrival of the Monitor.=--That very night, as if by a special
+providence, the Monitor arrived from New York! Early next morning, when
+the naval Goliath of yesterday came out in his iron armor, victorious
+and confident, a young David stood up to defy him!
+
+A strange craft indeed was the Monitor. Her rail was but little above
+the water, and nothing was to be seen on her deck but a kind of round
+iron box in the middle, a pilot house forward, and a small smokestack
+aft. At a mile's distance she might be taken for a raft. Indeed, the
+Confederates well described her when they called her a "Yankee
+cheese-box on a raft."
+
+  [Illustration: THE FAMOUS CONTEST BETWEEN THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC.]
+
+=335. Famous Battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.=--It was a
+Sunday morning, and the sun rose in a cloudless sky. The batteries on
+both sides of the bay were crowded with men waiting for the coming
+contest. At the first sign of life on board the Merrimac, the Monitor
+began her preparations for the battle.
+
+Slowly the Confederate ram came down the bay. She opened fire on the
+Minnesota, which was still aground. The frigate responded with a mighty
+broadside, but the cannon balls rattled off the iron flanks of the huge
+ram like so many peas. Clearly everything depended upon the little
+Monitor.
+
+The battle now began, and the huge shells and heavy shot crashed like
+loudest thunder. It was a strange, an awful battle. At times the two
+vessels were in actual contact. The dense smoke, the deafening roar of
+explosions, the shouts of officers' orders, the crews often hurled off
+their feet by the terrific blows smiting the iron armor--all made it
+beyond description fearfully sublime. The Merrimac's plates were split
+and torn. One shot, entering her port, did terrible havoc.
+
+Just as Lieutenant Worden of the Monitor was looking through the slit in
+the turret to take aim, a shell struck outside and filled his face and
+eyes with powder and iron splinters! He was insensible for some time.
+
+When he came to himself, his first question was, "Have I saved the
+Minnesota?"
+
+"Yes," was the reply, "and whipped the Merrimac."
+
+"Then I don't care what becomes of me," he answered.
+
+After more than three hours of this frightful combat, the humbled
+Merrimac steamed back to Norfolk, the victorious little Monitor giving a
+series of farewell shots as she sailed away.
+
+Thus ended this marvelous battle, the first in the world's history
+between ironclad vessels. All Washington retired to sleep that night
+with a sense of relief, for it seemed as if the nation had been saved.
+
+The brave Worden shortly after the famous battle went to Washington.
+President Lincoln was at a cabinet meeting when he heard of the
+lieutenant's arrival. He rose hastily and said, "Gentlemen, I must go to
+that fellow."
+
+When Lincoln entered his room, Worden was lying on a sofa with his eyes
+and head heavily bandaged.
+
+"Mr. President," said he, "you do me great honor by this visit."
+
+"Sir," said Mr. Lincoln, with tears in his eyes, "I am the one who is
+honored by this interview."
+
+=336. Confederate Privateers attack Union Merchantmen.=--When the North
+began blockading the Southern ports, the South of course used all its
+energies to break the blockade by aiding ships to pass in or out, and
+also to destroy our commerce wherever it might be found.
+
+The first craft that went out on this errand of destruction was an ocean
+steamer then at New Orleans. It had been speedily altered into a warship
+and named the Sumter. She slipped through the blockade in June, 1861,
+and did a lively business capturing and burning our merchantmen.
+
+Then the South, as it had no navy of its own, had to seek aid abroad.
+England seemed to be very willing that her shipbuilders should furnish
+ships for the use of the Confederacy in seizing and destroying Union
+vessels.
+
+The first of the cruisers secretly built in a British shipyard to
+destroy our commerce was the Florida. She burned or sank over forty
+vessels before she was captured.
+
+=337. The Famous Alabama makes Sad Havoc.=--The Alabama was the most
+famous of the Confederate cruisers. She was built under false pretenses
+and with a false name, in an English port, of English material, armed
+with English cannon, and manned by English sailors.
+
+The Alabama, once fairly at sea under Captain Semmes, skillfully avoided
+our men-of-war sent to capture her, and continued in her two years'
+cruise till she had burned or captured sixty-seven of our merchant
+ships.
+
+=338. The Alabama destroyed by the Kearsarge.=--At last the Alabama went
+into the harbor of Cherbourg, in France. Captain Winslow of the United
+States warship Kearsarge, then searching for her, heard of this and at
+once challenged her, and then waited outside. On the nineteenth day of
+June, 1864, the Alabama was compelled by law to leave the port. The
+battle began, and was watched by thousands from the shores.
+
+The Kearsarge swept around in great circles, compelling the Alabama,
+about half a mile distant, to do the same. The men on the Alabama fired
+fast and wild. Their shots flew over, or fell short; but the Kearsarge
+fired carefully and with true aim. Nearer drew the Kearsarge, circling
+still. Its two eleven-inch guns made frightful havoc, tearing great
+rents in the Alabama's sides. She was sinking, and started for the
+shore. Winslow now steamed in front and headed her off. Then down came
+the Confederate flag.
+
+Soon the far-famed and dreaded cruiser sank to her watery grave. The
+names Winslow and Kearsarge long rang through this country with plaudits
+of enthusiastic praise.
+
+"I would rather have fought that fight," said brave old Admiral
+Farragut, "than any ever fought on the ocean."
+
+=339. England pays for the Damage done by the Alabama.=--After the war
+England refused for years to make compensation for the damage the
+Alabama had done to our commerce. But seeing that the same course might
+some day injure herself, and sensible of the injustice, she at last
+consented to make amends. In 1872 a Board of Arbitrators met at Geneva,
+and agreeably to its decision "John Bull" promptly paid $15,500,000 to
+"Uncle Sam" to distribute among those who had suffered by the
+depredations.
+
+=340. Preparations for the Capture of Mobile.=--In the summer of 1864 a
+prominent Southern port, Mobile, was yet uncaptured. Its defenses were
+strong. Two splendid forts stood sentry at the gateway. Long lines of
+piles narrowed the channel to about three hundred feet, and a triple row
+of torpedoes threatened any approach. In the harbor the Confederates had
+a small fleet of gunboats and one tremendous ram, the Tennessee.
+
+Admiral Farragut determined to capture Mobile. He had four monitors and
+fourteen wooden ships. All the preparations were made with the utmost
+care. The officers and men of the fleet regarded the admiral with
+staunch loyalty and absolute trust. The attack was made early on the
+morning of August 5.
+
+=341. Farragut's Crowning Victory at Mobile.=--The fleet passing through
+the channel, rained shot and shell so furiously upon the forts that the
+Confederates could not well serve their guns. But our finest ironclad,
+the Tecumseh, was struck by a torpedo, and she sank with over a hundred
+of her brave men!
+
+Her captain, the gallant Craven, was at the time in the pilot-house with
+the pilot. As the huge ironclad lurched heavily over and began to sink,
+both rushed to the narrow door, but there was only room for one to pass
+at a time. Craven stepped to one side, saying, "After you, pilot." The
+pilot leaped to a place of safety, but the noble captain went to the
+bottom in his iron coffin.
+
+The fleet now fought a desperate battle with the Confederate ironclads.
+The armored vessels were soon sunk or scattered. The Tennessee tried to
+ram our ships, but with little success. Then our ironclads gathered
+around our "wooden walls," steamed straight for the ram, and there was
+fought one of the most desperate naval fights of the war.
+
+Sharpshooters fired into the ram's ports, our ships successively poured
+in a terrific fire, and hammered at close range with huge solid shot and
+fifteen-inch bolts of iron, till the white flag went up, and once more
+the stars and stripes waved triumphantly over the harbor of Mobile.
+
+Thus ended the battle of Mobile Bay,--one of the most brilliant naval
+contests of modern times,--Farragut's crowning victory. Three hours
+elapsed from the time the first gun was fired until the great ram hauled
+down the Confederate flag.
+
+The port of Mobile was thenceforward closed against blockade runners,
+and the last channel of communication between the Confederacy and the
+outside world was cut off.
+
+=342. Farragut in the Rigging during the Battle.=--During the battle
+Farragut stood in the main rigging; but as the smoke increased he
+gradually climbed higher, until he was close by the maintop. The shots
+were flying thick and fast. There was great danger that he would lose
+his footing, and so the captain sent aloft one of the men with a rope
+who lashed him to the rigging so that he might not fall if wounded.
+
+  [Illustration: FARRAGUT LASHED TO THE RIGGING.]
+
+When Farragut saw the danger from the approaching Tennessee, as he stood
+tied to the rigging, he said to his signal officer, who was lashed to
+the other mast:--
+
+"Can you signal, 'For Heaven's sake'?"
+
+"I can signal anything," replied Kinney.
+
+"Well, signal to all the fleet, 'For Heaven's sake, go for the ram!'"
+
+The fact that the admiral was fastened to the main rigging during the
+greatest sea fight perhaps in our history gave him a unique reputation
+throughout the country. Farragut was amused and amazed at the notoriety
+of the incident.
+
+When a picture of the scene in one of the illustrated papers came to
+hand a few days after the battle, the admiral said to one of his
+captains in conversation, "How curiously some trifling incident catches
+the popular fancy! My being in the main rigging was a mere incident,
+owing to the fact that I was driven aloft by the smoke. The lashing was
+the result of your own fears for my safety."
+
+=343. Cushing plans to destroy the Ironclad Albemarle.=--One of the large
+sounds, or inland gulfs, on the coast of North Carolina was the scene of
+a great deal of blockade running during the war. The place needed
+constant watching by our ships.
+
+But the chief cause of anxiety was a monster ironclad, the Albemarle,
+that the Confederates had built up the Roanoke River. She had sunk or
+disabled several Union gunboats. She had gone up the river to refit. The
+entrance to the sound was so shallow that none of our large warships
+could pass in.
+
+Could anything be done to check the Albemarle? Lieutenant Cushing, only
+twenty-one, but a most daring naval officer, said, "Yes, there could!"
+His plan was to steal carefully up by night, seize the huge ironclad and
+bring it away, if possible, or else blow it up. The river was guarded on
+both banks, and the ram itself was watched by special sentries. No
+matter for that; he would go. He obtained a noiseless steam launch, and
+rigged a torpedo on the end of a long spar, turning on a hinge at its
+side. The crew of the launch consisted of fifteen men, with Cushing in
+command.
+
+=344. Cushing's Plan Successful; Destruction of the Albemarle.=--One dark
+rainy night Cushing steamed in his little torpedo boat up the river.
+They passed all the river guards undiscovered. A camp-fire on the bank
+near the ironclad showed to him, as he stood in the bow of his boat, the
+dark outlines of the monster. He steamed on softly. Just then a dog
+barked! Then guards sprang up and fired. The big bell on the ram clanged
+its alarm, lights flashed on the water and shots hissed all around the
+launch.
+
+The brave young officer saw that the ram was surrounded by a large raft
+of huge logs. Instantly his resolution was formed. He steamed off some
+distance to get a long run, then turned and rushed for the Albemarle.
+Shot whistled around him. On came his little craft, bumped upon the
+logs, crashed over them, and pushed up under the huge ram. Cushing now
+lowered his torpedo spar, calmly guided it into its place, pulled the
+fatal cord--crash! a roar of thunder!--and all was over. The great
+ironclad was a terror no longer.
+
+  [Illustration: CUSHING'S BRILLIANT EXPLOIT.]
+
+=345. Cushing reaches the Fleet in Safety.=--Each man had to save himself
+as best he might. Cushing leaped into the water. After about an hour's
+swimming he reached the shore and fell exhausted upon the bank. He crept
+into a swamp for some distance, tearing his feet and hands with briers
+and oyster shells.
+
+Next day he met an old negro whom he thought he could trust. The negro
+was frightened at Cushing's wild appearance and tremblingly asked who he
+was.
+
+"I am a Yankee," replied Cushing, "and I am one of the men who blew up
+the Albemarle."
+
+"My golly, massa!" said the negro; "dey kill you if dey catch you; you
+dead gone, sure!"
+
+Cushing gave the negro all the money he had to go into the town and
+learn the news.
+
+After a time the negro came back, and, to Cushing's joy, reported the
+Albemarle sunk. At last the intrepid officer found a boat and paddled
+for eight hours until he reached the Union squadron. After hailing one
+of the vessels, he fell into the bottom of the boat, utterly exhausted
+by hunger, cold, fatigue, and excitement.
+
+Lieutenant Cushing, to whose intrepidity and skill the country was
+indebted for this and many other bold exploits, was engaged in
+thirty-five naval combats during the war. What a record for a young man
+of twenty-three! He died at thirty-two, the youngest officer of his rank
+in the United States Navy. One of our finest torpedo boats, which did
+good service during the Spanish-American war, is well named "The
+Cushing."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.
+
+
+=346. The Downfall of Spain on this Continent.=--For half a century or
+more after the time of Columbus, Spain was the greatest military and
+political power in the world. Her ships and her sailors carried the
+proud banner of Castile to every shore and clime then known.
+
+The vast domain claimed by Spain on this continent by right of discovery
+and exploration comprised the fertile islands of the West Indies, the
+greater portion of Central and South America, and all that part of our
+own country west of the Mississippi. In territory, in wealth, in power,
+the sovereignty of Spain became the mightiest in the world.
+
+How are the mighty fallen! The once powerful empire has crumbled into
+dust. The year 1898 saw its overthrow on this side of the Atlantic and
+in the Philippines.
+
+=347. Spain's Cruel Policy towards her Colonies.=--For the most part Spain
+ruled her colonies with shocking oppression. Her policy was to extort
+all possible gain from them to her own selfish profit. She retained to
+the last the barbarous methods of less civilized centuries. Finally,
+after long years of oppression, the South American colonies began to cut
+loose from her tyrannical sway.
+
+In a few years Spain was stripped of all her possessions in America,
+excepting only her islands in the West Indies.
+
+=348. Cuba rebels against Spanish Oppression.=--One would naturally
+suppose that these disastrous losses would have taught Spain to govern
+her only remaining American colonies, Cuba and Porto Rico, with more
+wisdom. But not so; she kept right on as before, growing worse, if
+possible, still clinging to the old policy of cruel oppression and
+merciless extortion.
+
+Some thirty years ago a rebellion began in Cuba which lasted ten years.
+In vain Spain spent millions of money and sent thousands of soldiers to
+subdue it. Hundreds of Cubans were cast into prison to die of fever and
+starvation, and their property was confiscated.
+
+=349. Cuba again rebels against Spain in 1895.=--In 1895 the
+long-suffering Cubans rose in rebellion again. Their army was larger,
+better furnished, and they gained possession of a much more extensive
+portion of the island.
+
+Now Spain became really alarmed. She sent to Cuba a hundred and twenty
+thousand soldiers. They melted away, mostly from sickness and
+mismanagement, like frost in the morning sun. It was all in vain; for it
+was now plain that Spain could never conquer the Cubans, and just as
+evident that the Cubans unaided could never win their independence.
+
+The war had already been barbarous enough, when the Spanish General
+Weyler set in operation his inhuman concentration plan. This meant the
+gathering up in the country districts of thousands of helpless old men,
+women, and children, and driving them to the towns and forts, where they
+were shut up like cattle in large enclosures, surrounded by a deep ditch
+and a barbed wire fence.
+
+Along the line of the fence were frequent guardhouses, where soldiers
+with loaded guns prevented escape. The poor outcasts were crowded into
+wretched palm-leaf huts, with foul water and scanty food. It is said
+that in the island about four hundred thousand helpless people were
+herded in this way. They died by thousands.
+
+=350. The Barbarities in Cuba excite Great Indignation in this
+Country.=--Now, all these horrors in Cuba aroused a great deal of
+indignation in this country and excited profound sympathy for the
+sufferers. Shiploads of provisions were sent by the Red Cross and other
+societies to relieve the starving thousands.
+
+The feeling throughout this country at last came to be intense. For
+years and years past our people had watched the long struggle with the
+keenest interest. For years our presidents had protested to Spain
+against the useless warfare.
+
+Now, when the real state of affairs in Cuba in 1897 became known, our
+government sent word to Spain that this slow starvation of helpless men,
+women, and children was not war, but savage barbarity, and must be
+stopped. In reply, Spain asked for some delay and promised milder
+measures.
+
+=351. The Battleship Maine blown up in Havana Harbor.=--In order to
+protect American interests in Cuba, the battleship Maine was sent to
+Havana in January, 1898.
+
+A calamity now occurred that shocked the world. On the evening of
+February 15 this magnificent ship, while at anchor in the harbor of
+Havana, was destroyed by an explosion. Two officers and two hundred and
+sixty-four American sailors were hurled to instant death!
+
+The awful disaster sent a thrill of horror and indignation through our
+country. A court of inquiry was instantly appointed by President
+McKinley to investigate the matter and ascertain the cause. Meanwhile
+the country waited for forty days, with surprising patience, for the
+report, which came during the last of March, stating that the Maine had
+been blown up from the outside by the explosion of a submarine mine.
+Subsequent evidence before the Senate committee showed that the mine had
+been exploded by men who wore the uniform of Spain.
+
+=352. War declared against Spain.=--Public feeling in our country grew
+more intense every hour. The President continued to do his utmost to
+avert war by peaceful and diplomatic methods. Thinking people knew well
+enough that such efforts would be in vain. It was evident that Spain
+would never grant independence to Cuba. It was also evident that the
+American people (from the moment they heard of the blowing up of the
+Maine) had made up their minds that the only real solution of the
+problem was to put an end forever to Spanish rule on this side of the
+Atlantic. This of course meant war.
+
+Congress took the responsibility and declared war against Spain on April
+21, 1898.
+
+=353. Dewey acts promptly and sails for Manila from Hong Kong.=--The first
+step of our war with Spain was to send Commodore Sampson with a fleet to
+blockade the large seaports of Cuba. All eyes were turned to this
+island; for every one expected the war to begin there; but instantly
+the scene of action was shifted to the other side of the globe.
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL DEWEY.]
+
+The first day of May saw one of the greatest naval victories in the
+history of the world. Our government had telegraphed orders to Commodore
+George Dewey, then at Hong Kong, China, in command of our Asiatic
+squadron, to sail at once to the Philippine Islands and "capture or
+destroy" the Spanish ships.
+
+Dewey had taken part in important naval battles in our Civil War, and
+was an experienced and skillful officer. In anticipation of war, his
+fleet was ready for action on an hour's notice.
+
+After his instructions arrived from Washington, Dewey promptly sailed
+for Manila with six warships and two tenders. He delayed outside the
+harbor till the moon had set, and then steamed silently through the
+three-mile-wide channel. He was entering in the dark a bay he had never
+seen. He knew it was planted with torpedoes, and that he was going to
+attack a Spanish fleet of ten ships, besides large forts with heavy
+guns.
+
+A wonderful task! but Dewey was a wonderful man. He understood his
+business. He had been trained under the eye of the great Admiral
+Farragut and had fought long and hard in the war for the Union.
+
+=354. The Remarkable Naval Victory at Manila.=--Dewey's fleet arrived
+before sunrise in front of the forts and the line of Spanish ships. The
+battle at once began. Our vessels kept moving on the curve of a long
+ellipse or flattened circle, and every time each came around it poured a
+series of rapid and accurate shots directly into the enemy. They
+answered furiously, but not deliberately. Round and round wheeled our
+ships in a slow and deadly circle. Our men could see the walls of the
+forts crumbling, some ships all ablaze, and others shattered and
+sinking.
+
+After two hours of these tremendous circuits Dewey stopped firing and
+moved his ships about three miles out of range to rest his men, give
+them breakfast, and look after his ammunition. The men, in fine spirits,
+ate their morning meal, and rested. It was a stoker on the flagship
+Olympia who said that below "the temperature is nearly up to two hundred
+degrees, and so hot that our hair is singed."
+
+Before noon Dewey returned, circled nearer still, and fought even more
+fiercely. In an hour and a half more the work was finished. One ship
+was riddled, then reeled and sank; then another; one was broken midway
+and went down; now one was in flames, then a second, and so on till the
+entire Spanish fleet, besides gunboats and transports, were sunk or
+burned up or shot to pieces!
+
+  [Illustration: BATTLE OF MANILA.]
+
+How did our ships stand the contest? Only two or three were hit at all,
+and none seriously injured. Our six had destroyed thirteen Spanish
+vessels and silenced their forts. The Spaniards had lost six hundred and
+thirty-four men, killed and wounded. We had only one man killed and
+seven slightly wounded.
+
+=355. The Nation's Grateful Appreciation of Dewey's Victory.=--Thus was
+fought, on May Day, 1898, at Manila, perhaps the most surprising naval
+conflict the world had ever seen. In three and a quarter hours the naval
+power of Spain went down in the blue waters of the bay, and the splendid
+fame of George Dewey echoed round the globe. Congress gave him a vote of
+thanks and a gold medal; and he was made Admiral, the highest officer in
+the American navy.
+
+Many years ago Admiral Farragut said to the father of the hero of
+Manila, "Doctor Dewey, your son George is a worthy and brave officer. He
+has an honorable record, and some day he will make his mark."
+
+Never before in the history of our country was there projected a series
+of patriotic demonstrations grander in their purpose or finer in their
+execution than those which greeted Admiral Dewey on his return to this
+country, in the fall of 1899, from the scene of his famous victory.
+
+When Dewey sank the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, he opened a new era in
+the history of our country. From that day the United States received
+more distinct recognition among the nations responsible for the
+political affairs of the world.
+
+=356. Preparations to meet the Spanish Fleet.=--Now let us return to the
+scene of war in our own country. On the last day of April the Spanish
+fleet, under Admiral Cervera, left the Cape Verde Islands, sailing west;
+there were four armed cruisers and three torpedo-boat destroyers; all
+good new ships and in prime condition. The alarming question was, Where
+will they strike? The good people of our great eastern cities began to
+imagine what would happen if these powerful warships should come sailing
+into our harbors.
+
+Every effort was promptly and vigorously made to defend exposed points
+with forts and torpedoes. Events proved that it was needless. No ship of
+that Spanish fleet came within five hundred miles of any American city.
+Yet it was evident that Cervera's fleet must be captured or destroyed
+before our coast could be safe, or military operations could be
+prudently begun in Cuba.
+
+Extraordinary efforts were made to ascertain the exact location of the
+hostile squadron.
+
+Finally it was found that it had slipped on May 19 into the bay of
+Santiago. Our fleet at once gathered around to blockade the entrance,
+to make it impossible for any vessel to pass in, and to attack Cervera's
+ships should they attempt to come out. Among our blockaders were the
+splendid ships New York, Massachusetts, Brooklyn, Texas, Iowa, Indiana,
+and the Oregon that had sailed around Cape Horn from San Francisco,
+fourteen thousand miles in sixty-seven days.
+
+  [Illustration: RESCUE OF HOBSON BY THE SPANISH ADMIRAL.]
+
+=357. Hobson's Brilliant Exploit.=--Admiral Sampson did not deem it
+advisable to steam in and attack Cervera, as the channel was thickly
+planted with mines. So our semicircle of ships watched and waited. At
+night our strong search-lights blazed into the mouth of the harbor and
+lighted it with a fiery glare.
+
+If the narrow neck of the harbor could only be somehow obstructed, so
+that Cervera's ships would either be completely "bottled up," or would
+have to creep out to sea by daylight, the naval power of Spain would be
+crippled. So thought Admiral Sampson, and he selected Lieutenant Hobson
+for this daring deed. It meant going right into the midst of the enemy's
+batteries and torpedoes.
+
+A large steamer, the Merrimac, was taken and loaded down with coal; and
+a crew of seven men were selected to go with Hobson. Strange fascination
+of mingled courage and patriotism! Hundreds of sailors begged the chance
+to go!
+
+It was all carefully planned; and about two hours before dawn, on June
+3, they started. As they drew near, the Spanish made the water boil and
+hiss with their shots. But on they went to the chosen spot, balls and
+shells striking all about, howling and shrieking in their ears and
+tearing their ship.
+
+Coolly but quickly they sank the Merrimac, sprang to the raft they had
+prepared, and were clinging to it when the firing ceased and a little
+steam launch came up with Cervera in it! The Spanish admiral reached out
+and helped lift in Hobson and his seven comrades! He took them ashore,
+praised them for their daring, gave them dry clothing, fed them, and
+soon after exchanged them for some Spanish officers who had been
+captured by our men. =358. The Army does Brilliant Service at
+Santiago.=--It was plain that the Spanish ships would never come out
+until they were driven out. So during the last week in June an army of
+about twenty-five thousand men, under General Shafter, landed a few
+miles east of Santiago to cooeperate with our fleet in capturing the
+city. Our forces, losing no time, moved on through tropical jungles,
+exposed to the enemy's sharpshooting from trees. It was a deadly advance
+towards log forts on the steep heights, impeded by the annoying tangle
+of barbed-wire fences.
+
+On the first and second days of July our gallant troops captured the two
+forts, El Caney and San Juan, which overlooked Santiago, and drove the
+enemy in hot haste into the city.
+
+=359. The Remarkable Naval Victory at Santiago.=--Then Cervera's hour had
+come! On July 3, a beautiful Sunday morning, the eyes that for more than
+a month had watched with sleepless vigilance that narrow opening between
+the rocks, saw at last the bow of a Spanish warship. It slipped out and
+turned sharply to the west; then came another, and a third, and so on
+till all six had passed. They at once opened a fierce but ill-directed
+fire upon our fleet.
+
+The men on our vessels were mustering for Sunday morning inspection when
+the enemy was seen. "The enemy is coming out!" was signalled from ship
+to ship, and on each deck rang out the command, "All hands clear ship
+for action!"
+
+Every man was ready to do his duty. Every ship was stripped for action.
+Instantly our ships were after the Spanish squadron, firing as they
+followed. What a sight was that! There was never before one like it! Two
+lines of hostile ships rushing along the coast, tearing the ocean to
+foam, each a volcano pouring out smoke, and more than a hundred big guns
+hurling shells and shot which strike with awful crash upon the iron
+walls of the enemy's ships!
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL SAMPSON.]
+
+On they dashed, mile after mile. One of our huge shells fell midway of
+the Pluton, which at once went down with an awful plunge. The Furor,
+riddled with shot, fled to the shore and broke in pieces on the rocks.
+Furious was the chase for the other four; nearer and nearer, till our
+ships came up. Then the Maria Teresa, the flagship, with huge holes torn
+in her, and set on fire by our exploding shells, escaped to the beach, a
+sinking, burning wreck. Next the Oquendo, half her men killed, and her
+sides all split open, also fell helpless on the beach. In forty minutes
+these four ships had gone to their doom.
+
+  [Illustration: ADMIRAL SCHLEY.]
+
+Still beyond was the famous Vizcaya, doing her best to escape. But the
+Brooklyn, Commodore Schley's flagship, gained on her and poured shells
+into her, so that with the Oregon now rushing up in a burst of speed
+which astonished all who saw her, her race was soon run, and she, too,
+went to her grave on the strand, a shattered, blazing hulk.
+
+Yet one more, the Colon, newest, fastest, and best of the squadron, was
+now about four miles ahead; but our ships gained steadily upon her, and
+in less than two hours she hauled down her flag and ran ashore
+forty-five miles from Santiago.
+
+=360. After the Battle at Santiago.=--The sun that shone in the morning
+upon six of Spain's finest ships looked down at noon upon a row of
+half-sunken wrecks along the coast.
+
+At the risk of their lives our men rescued their foes from the mangled
+hulks, the burning decks, and the surging water.
+
+"Don't cheer, boys," cried one gallant captain, "the poor fellows are
+dying."
+
+Another captain said in his report, "So long as the enemy showed his
+flag, our men fought like American seamen; but when the flag came down,
+they were as gentle and tender as American women."
+
+The Spanish loss, according to their own accounts, was three hundred and
+fifty killed or drowned, and about one hundred officers and one thousand
+six hundred and seventy-five men prisoners, including the brave Admiral
+Cervera. Their loss in value was over twelve million dollars. Upon our
+side only one man was killed, and three were wounded, all on the
+Brooklyn. Not one of our ships was badly injured. Evidently the Spanish
+gunners could not shoot straight!
+
+So ended this famous naval engagement. Never, perhaps, has the world
+seen two such instances of the utter destruction of an enemy's naval
+force as in the battles of Manila and Santiago.
+
+=361. The Campaign in Porto Rico.=--The surrender of all Cuba soon
+followed. Then General Miles was sent with nine thousand troops to Porto
+Rico, the only remaining island on this side belonging to Spain. He
+landed near Ponce, on the southern coast. The city surrendered without a
+shot and welcomed our army. The Spanish troops fled on the approach of
+our soldiers.
+
+General Miles in a proclamation assured the inhabitants that they should
+enjoy the rights and immunities of American citizens. As he moved
+inwards, other cities along his line of march surrendered, and the
+Spanish forces made only occasional resistance to our progress. Just
+before an expected battle news of peace came from Washington. All
+fighting ceased, and this fertile island came into our hands with little
+bloodshed.
+
+=362. End of the War.=--Meanwhile our government was making energetic
+preparations to send a powerful fleet under Commodore Watson across the
+Atlantic and to carry the war to the Spanish coast. We may be sure that
+Spain, and even some of her neighbors, did not like the prospect. There
+had been enough of rapid, crushing, and unbroken defeats to satisfy even
+the Castilian point of honor.
+
+When it became evident that Watson's fleet would be ready in a few days
+to carry the war to the very doors of Spain, the representatives of the
+great nations of Europe said things had gone far enough. Diplomatic
+pressure was applied to poor Spain. She was politely but firmly told
+that she must make peace at once, and on any terms.
+
+The French Minister at Washington was authorized by Spain to sign a
+preliminary document, or _protocol_, embodying in precise language the
+conditions on which our government would negotiate peace. This document
+was signed at Washington on August 12, and hostilities ceased.
+
+The formal treaty of peace was signed in Paris December 10, 1898. By the
+terms of this treaty Spain agreed to give up its sovereignty in Cuba, to
+cede to the United States Porto Rico, a few small West India islands,
+and one of the Ladrone group; also to cede to this country the
+Philippines, after payment by us of twenty millions of dollars as
+"reimbursement for insular expenses."
+
+=363. Our Nation's Future.=--The immediate results of this short-lived
+Spanish war were full of deep meaning to our nation. No one now can
+safely say what the distant outcome will be. It is certain to be
+far-reaching and momentous.
+
+Our country has rapidly advanced to its position as one of the foremost
+nations of the world in wealth and in power. Let us trust it may also
+lead in good government, in national honor and righteousness. Let us
+earnestly hope that in the long years before us our sacred Union shall
+still be preserved, unbroken,--forever one great Union of prosperous and
+happy states.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+BOOKS FOR REFERENCE AND COLLATERAL READING IN THE STUDY OF AMERICAN
+HISTORY.
+
+
+This book is designed to be used before the formal text-book on American
+history is begun in grammar-school grades. It is intended also to serve
+as a convenient basis for more extended work both on the part of the
+teacher and of pupils. Hence the reading of the preceding chapters is
+only one part of the proposed plan. A systematic course in supplementary
+reading should be added. The following plan is suggested, but it may be
+modified, of course, to meet the needs of any particular class of
+pupils.
+
+     NOTE.--The whole subject of reference books on American History is
+     treated thoroughly in Montgomery's _Student's American History_
+     [see "Short List of Books," page xxiv in Appendix, and "Authorities
+     Cited," page xxx in Appendix], Montgomery's _American History_ [see
+     "Short List of Books," page xxxiii in Appendix], and Fiske's
+     _History of the United States_ [see Appendix D, page 518, Appendix
+     E, page 527, and Appendix F, page 529].
+
+
+REFERENCE BOOKS FOR TEACHERS.
+
+Two books are of special value to teachers. These are Channing and
+Hart's _Guide to American History_ [Ginn & Company, Publishers, price
+$2.00], and Gordy and Twitchell's _Pathfinder in American History_ [Lee
+& Shepard, Publishers, complete in one volume, $1.20. In separate parts,
+Part I, 60 cents; Part II, 90 cents].
+
+These two works are replete with suggestions, hints and helps on
+collateral study, numerous references, detailed lists of topics, and a
+wide range of other subjects which make them indispensable to the
+teacher of American history.
+
+
+SCHOOL TEXT-BOOKS FOR READING AND REFERENCE.
+
+Pupils should have easy access, by means of the school library or
+otherwise, to a few of the formal school text-books on American history.
+In connection with this book Montgomery's _Leading Facts of American
+History_ and Fiske's _History of the United States_ are especially
+valuable. The following books are perhaps equally serviceable:
+Eggleston's _History of the United States_; Steele's _Brief History of
+the United States_ [usually known as "Barnes's History"]; Thomas's
+_History of the United States_ and Mowry's _History of the United
+States_. These books are useful in reading for additional topics, for
+dates, maps, illustrations, reference tables, and for "filling in"
+subjects which do not come within the scope of this book.
+
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.
+
+For ordinary school work the text-books to which we have just referred
+will furnish enough and suitable material for these topics. When,
+however, standard works on history are of easy access, through the
+school or public libraries, it is well even for pupils of the lower
+grades to read sparingly by topics from such works. These topics should
+be carefully selected by the teacher. They should be brief and call only
+for a few pages of reading.
+
+In the succeeding pages references have been given only to a very few
+standard works, such as those by Fiske, Parkman, Irving, and McMaster,
+and such other books as can ordinarily be easily obtained.
+
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.
+
+Pupils should also have easy reference to books from which topics may be
+read or which may be read sparingly by select passages indicated by the
+teacher. Many of these books have been suggested more on account of
+their interesting style than for strict historical accuracy. Read the
+designated works not as a whole but only by topics or selections. They
+will do much to awaken and maintain a lively interest in American
+history.
+
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.
+
+While the study of this book is in progress it is well for the pupils to
+limit their miscellaneous reading to such books as bear directly upon
+our subject. Under this head we have suggested many productions which
+belong to the "story-book" order. Wholesome books of fiction and
+semi-fiction may certainly do much to stimulate and hold the attention
+of young students of American history. With this topic, as with all
+other topics on collateral reading, the teacher should exercise a
+careful supervision.
+
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.
+
+The work should be enlivened by reading occasionally, before the class
+or the school, poems or prose selections which bear directly upon the
+general topic under consideration. We have referred only to a very few
+such extracts from good literature. Other selections will readily
+suggest themselves.
+
+
+USE OF A TOPIC BOOK OR NOTEBOOK.
+
+The teacher and pupil should appreciate the scope and usefulness of a
+Topic book or Notebook. By this is meant a blank book with semi-flexible
+or board covers, of a convenient size, and of at least 48 pages. Into
+this blank book should be written carefully with ink brief notes as the
+several chapters of this book are read or studied. It may well be a kind
+of enlarged diary of the pupil's work.
+
+Make brief notes of the various books read in whole or by topics; topics
+not treated in this book but discussed in the class, such as King
+Philip's War, the Mexican War, etc., and references to new books to be
+reserved for future reading and other subjects which will readily
+suggest themselves.
+
+This notebook should be well illustrated. The basis should be the
+inexpensive photographic copies (sold for about one cent each) of
+famous pictures illustrating important events in American history.
+Catalogues giving the exact titles, cost, and other details are sent to
+applicants, free of expense.
+
+Portraits, maps, facsimiles of documents and autographs, etc., are often
+easily obtained from book catalogues, guide books, advertising pages,
+and secondhand text-books.
+
+All this illustrative material should be pasted in the notebook at the
+proper place, neatly and with good judgment, allowing plenty of space
+for margins. Such a compilation is, of course, a matter of slow growth.
+It should be carefully preserved as a pleasant reminder of school days.
+
+     NOTE.--Think of enriching your notebook with photographic
+     reproductions of such works as Stuart's "Washington"; Faed's
+     "Washington at Trenton"; Trumbull's "Surrender of Cornwallis" and
+     "Signing the Declaration of Independence"; Benjamin West's "Penn's
+     Treaty"; Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware"; Vanderlyn's
+     "Landing of Columbus"; Johnson's "Old Ironsides" and Overend's "An
+     August Morning with Farragut."
+
+
+
+
+REFERENCE BOOKS AND SUPPLEMENTARY READING FOR SUCCESSIVE PERIODS IN
+AMERICAN HISTORY.
+
+[Intended for use in connection with the study of this book.]
+
+
+CHAPTER I. PAGES 1-9.
+
+AMERICA IN THE OLD DAYS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--The following topics are thoroughly
+discussed in Fiske's _Discovery of America_:--
+
+The People of Ancient America, Vol. I, pp. 1-19; Origin of the American
+Indians, Vol. I, p. 19; The Indians of the Pueblos, Vol. I, p. 82; The
+Mysterious Mound Builders, Vol. I, p. 140; Voyages of the Northmen to
+Vinland, Vol. I, p. 164.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--For a readable account of the Mound Builders
+and the American Indians, consult Shaler's _The Story of Our
+Continent_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Starr's _American Indians_; The Voyages to Vinland
+from the Saga of Eric the Red, _Old South Leaflets_, No. 32; Glasscock's
+_Stories of Columbia_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Whittier's _Norumbega_ and _Norsemen_;
+Longfellow's _Skeleton in Armor_.
+
+
+CHAPTER II. PAGES 10-30.
+
+COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--Topics from Fiske's _Discovery of
+America_:--
+
+First Voyage of Columbus, Vol. I, p. 419; Last Voyage of Columbus, Vol.
+I, p. 505; Vespucius and the "New World," Vol. II, p. 96; The Cabots and
+their Voyages, Vol. II, p. I; Ponce de Leon, Vol. II, p. 486; Adventures
+of De Soto, Vol. II, p. 509.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Read selections from the one-volume edition of
+Irving's _Life of Columbus_; Abbott's _Life of Columbus_ (Ajax Series);
+Adams's _Columbus_ (Makers of America); Brooks's _True Story of
+Columbus_; Adventures of De Soto, Parkman's _Pioneers of France in the
+New World_, p. 13.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Griffis's _Romance of American Discovery_;
+Glasscock's _Stories of Columbia_; The Discovery of America, from the
+Life of Columbus, by his son, Ferdinand Columbus, _Old South Leaflets_,
+No. 29; Columbus's Letter to Gabriel Sanchez, describing the first
+voyage, _Old South Leaflets_, No. 33; Americus Vespucius's Account of
+his First Voyage, _Old South Leaflets_, No. 34; Death of De Soto, _Old
+South Leaflets_, No. 36; The Voyages of the Cabots, _Old South
+Leaflets_, No. 37.
+
+
+CHAPTER III. PAGES 31-46.
+
+SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For various topics in connection with
+Sir Walter Raleigh and Captain John Smith, see the Index to Fiske's
+_Old Virginia and her Neighbours_. Incidents in the Life of Captain John
+Smith: see John Esten Cooke's _Virginia_ (American Commonwealth Series),
+pp. 22-76. The Story of Pocahontas, Cooke's _Virginia_, pp. 35-103.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Towle's _Raleigh, his Voyages and Adventures_;
+Cooke's _Stories of the Old Dominion_; Eggleston's and Seelye's
+_Pocahontas_ (Ajax Series).
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Towle's _Magellan, or the First Voyage Round the
+World_.
+
+
+CHAPTERS IV AND V. PAGES 47-72.
+
+THE PILGRIMS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--Many topics in connection with this
+chapter may be selected from Fiske's _The Beginnings of New England_,
+as, The Separatists, p. 66; Why the Pilgrims did not stay in Holland, p.
+74; Voyage of the Mayflower, p. 80; The Pilgrims and the Indians, p. 83.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Griffis's _The Pilgrims and their Three Homes_;
+Moore's _Pilgrims and Puritans_; Abbott's _Captain Miles Standish_ (Ajax
+Series); Drake's _On Plymouth Rock_; Bacon's _Historic Pilgrimages in
+New England_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Jane G. Austin's _Standish of Standish_, _Betty
+Alden_, _Nameless Nobleman_, and _David Alden's Daughter_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Mrs. Hemans's _Landing of the Pilgrims_;
+Longfellow's _Courtship of Miles Standish_; Bryant's _Twenty-Second of
+December_; Holmes's _The Pilgrim's Vision_.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. PAGES 73-87.
+
+THE INDIANS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For special topics about the Indians,
+see Parkman's _Conspiracy of Pontiac_, Vol. I, p. 1, also the
+Introduction to Parkman's _Jesuits in North America_.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Brooks's _Story of the American Indian_;
+Drake's _Indian History for Young Folks_; Starr's _American Indians_;
+Shaler's _The Story of Our Continent_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Longfellow's _Hiawatha_.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. PAGES 88-105.
+
+THE DUTCH IN NEW YORK; THE QUAKERS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--Henry Hudson: his voyages, voyage upon
+the Great River, his tragic fate, see Fiske's _The Dutch and Quaker
+Colonies in America_, Vol. I, pp. 83-95. William Penn: see the Index to
+Fiske's _The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America_.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--_The Great Peace Maker_ (Penn) (Daring Deed
+Series); Abbott's _Peter Stuyvesant_ (Ajax Series).
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Butterworth's _Wampum Belt_ (Penn); Irving's
+_Knickerbocker's History of New York_ (humorous and satirical account of
+the Dutch Colony of New Netherland); Paulding's _The Dutchman's
+Fireside_ (Colonial Life in New York).
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. PAGES 106-125.
+
+THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For a great variety of topics in
+connection with the French and Indian Wars and the overthrow of New
+France, the student will find the books of Parkman a vast storehouse of
+intensely fascinating reading matter. See the index to the various
+volumes. For example, read La Salle's Descent of the Mississippi,
+Parkman's _La Salle_, pp. 275-288; Braddock's March and Defeat;
+Parkman's _Montcalm and Wolfe_, Vol. I, p. 204, and The Heights of
+Abraham, Vol. II, p. 259-297.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Johnson's _Old French War_; Drake's _Border
+Wars of New England_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.-Abbott's _Life of King Philip_ (Ajax Series); Henty's
+_With Wolfe in Canada_; Cooper's _Last of the Mohicans_ (story of Seven
+Years' War); James Otis's _At the Siege of Quebec_.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. PAGES 126-138.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE IN COLONIAL TIMES.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--The great storehouse of facts regarding
+the social and domestic life of the American people is McMaster's
+_History of the People of the United States_ (5 vols. now ready). For
+topics see detailed index of each volume. Consult especially Vol. II,
+pp. 538-582, on "Town and Country Life in 1800." This work is somewhat
+voluminous for elementary work.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Earle's _Home Life in Colonial Days_; Earle's
+_Child Life in Colonial Days_, _Tavern and Stage Coach in Colonial
+Days_; Earle's _Sabbath in Puritan New England_; Earle's _Customs and
+Fashions of Old New England_; Earle's _Colonial Dames and Goodwives_;
+Coffin's _Old Times in the Colonies_; Coffin's _Building the Nation_;
+Scudder's _Men and Manners in America 100 years Ago_; Wharton's _Through
+Colonial Doorways_; Wharton's _Colonial Days and Dames_; Fisher's _Men,
+Women, and Manners in Colonial Times_; Markham's _Colonial Days_;
+Hawthorne's _Grandfathers Chair_.
+
+
+CHAPTERS X-XVIII. PAGES 139-295.
+
+THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For a series of topics on the American
+Revolution, to be read in connection with these nine chapters, consult
+the index to Fiske's _American Revolution_ (2 vols.).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--For the Revolution as a whole the two best
+works for supplementary reading in schools are perhaps Lodge's _Story of
+the Revolution_ and Fiske's _War of Independence_ (Riverside Literature
+Series). Lossing's _Field Book of the Revolution_ is voluminous but
+interesting, and fully illustrated.
+
+Among the scores of excellent works which may be consulted, the
+following may be safely recommended: Coffin's _Story of Liberty_;
+Fiske-Irving's _Washington and his Country_; Abbot's _Blue Jackets of
+'76_; Bacon's _Historic Pilgrimages in New England_; C. H. Woodman's
+_Boys and Girls of the Revolution_; Brooks's _Century Book of the
+American Revolution_; Drake's _Burgoyne's Invasion of 1777_; Seawell's
+_Paul Jones_; Abbott's _Paul Jones_ (Ajax Series); Brooks's _Story of
+the American Sailor_; Frost's _Swamp Fox_ (Marion).
+
+OUTSIDE READING.--There are numerous books on the war of the Revolution
+suitable for outside reading. For the school grades for which this book
+is intended, the following books are interesting and for the most part
+instructive: Watson's _Noble Deeds of our Fathers_; Watson's _Tea Party
+and Other Stories_; Butterworth's _Patriot Schoolmaster_ (Story of the
+Minute Men and Sons of Liberty); Otis's _Signal Boys of 1775_;
+Tomlinson's _Stories of the American Revolution_ (several series);
+Stoddard's _Red Patriot_; Thompson's _The Rangers or the Tory's
+Daughter_; Thompson's _Green Mountain Boys_; Otis's _Boys of Fort
+Schuyler_; _Patriot Boy_ (Washington) (Famous Boy Series); _Father of
+his Country_ (Washington) (Daring Deed Series); Abbott's _Life of
+Washington_ (Ajax Series); Scudder's _George Washington_; Brooks's _True
+Story of George Washington_; Miss Hoppens's _A Great Treason_ (Arnold
+and Andre); Cooper's _Last of the Mohicans_ (last French or Seven Years'
+War); Cooper's _Lionel Lincoln_ (Boston at time of Bunker Hill);
+Cooper's _Pilot_ (Paul Jones).
+
+These six novels by William Gilmore Simms furnish under the guise of
+fiction a connected and most readable account of the Revolution in the
+South from the fall of Charleston to 1782: _The Partisan_,
+_Mellichampe_, _The Scout_, _Katherine Walton_, _The Foragers_, _The
+Eutaws_.
+
+See also Kennedy's _Horse Shoe Robinson_ (South Carolina in the
+Revolution); Churchill's _Richard Carvel_ (Paul Jones); Guerber's _Story
+of the Thirteen Colonies_; Guerber's _Story of the Great Republic_;
+Eggleston's _First Book in American History_; Johonnot's _Stories of our
+Country_; Mowry's _First Steps in the History of our Country_;
+Montgomery's _Beginner's American History_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Longfellow's _Paul Revere's Ride_; Emerson's
+_Concord Hymn_; Holmes's _Grandmother's Story of the Battle of Bunker
+Hill_; Bryant's _Song of Marion's Men_; Pierpont's _General Warren's
+Address_; Finch's _Nathan Hale_; Bryant's _Nineteenth of April_; Simms's
+_Ballad of King's Mountain_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX. PAGES 296-310.
+
+BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For topics to be read in connection with
+the life and career of Franklin, see the index to Fiske's _The American
+Revolution_, Fiske's _The Critical Period of American History_
+(1783-1789), and Morse's _Benjamin Franklin_ (American Statesmen
+Series).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Franklin's _Autobiography_ should be read
+before all other books on Franklin. Read also _Printer Boy_ (Franklin)
+(Famous Boy Series); _Poor Richards Story_ (Franklin) (Daring Deed
+Series); Abbott's _Benjamin Franklin_ (Ajax Series) and Parton's _Life
+of Franklin_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Butterworth's _True to his Home_ (Franklin); Brooks's
+_True Story of Benjamin Franklin_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. PAGES 311-322.
+
+EVERYDAY LIFE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
+
+This chapter is supplementary to Chapter IX on "Everyday Life in
+Colonial Times." The same works for collateral reading in connection
+with that chapter maybe equally serviceable for supplementary work for
+this chapter. Refer especially to the works of McMaster, Alice Morse
+Earle, Scudder, C. C. Coffin, Fisher, and Wharton.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI. PAGES 323-338.
+
+OUR NAVY IN THE WAR OF 1812.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--From this time to the present day
+McMaster's _History of the People of the United States_ is a storehouse
+of important and interesting topics. See especially the chapter on
+"State of the People in 1812," Chapter III, p. 459, and various chapters
+in Vol. IV. Consult the detailed index to the several volumes for quick
+reference to the desired topics.
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Abbot's _Blue Jackets of 1812_; Brooks's _Story
+of the American Sailor_; Johnson's _War of 1812_; Lossing's _History of
+the War of 1812_; Roosevelt's _Naval War of 1812_; Lossing's _Story of
+the United States Navy_ (for boys).
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Barnes's _Hero of Lake Erie_ (Commodore Perry);
+Seawell's _Midshipman Paulding_ (Commodore Paulding); Seawell's _Little
+Jarvis_ (cruises of the Constellation); Seawell's _Decatur and Somers_;
+George Cary Eggleston's three stories: _Signal Boys_, _Captain Sam_, and
+_Big Brother_.
+
+FOR READING OR RECITATION.--Holmes's _Old Ironsides_; Key's _The
+Star-Spangled Banner_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. PAGES 339-352.
+
+THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--For special topics in connection with
+the settlement of the Pacific coast consult Barrows's _Oregon_ and
+Royce's _California_ (both volumes in the American Commonwealth's
+Series).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Irving's _Astoria_ and Dana's _Two Years before
+the Mast_ were written many years ago, but present vivid pen-pictures of
+the early days on the Pacific coast.
+
+
+CHAPTERS XXIII-XXV. PAGES 353-405.
+
+THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
+
+TOPICS FOR COLLATERAL READING.--The literature of the Civil War is so
+voluminous that the utmost care must be used in the selection of even
+the best books for collateral reading.
+
+For school purposes two of the best briefer books for supplementary use
+are Champlin's _Young Folks' History of the War for the Union_ and
+Dodge's _Bird's-Eye View of the Civil War_. Consult also _Nichol's Story
+of the Great March_ (Sherman); Swinton's _Twelve Decisive Battles of the
+War_; Drake's _Battle of Gettysburg_; Morse's _Abraham Lincoln_, 2 vols.
+(American Statesmen Series).
+
+REFERENCES FOR READING.--Abbot's _Battlefields of '61_; Abbot's _Blue
+Jackets of '61_; Soley's _Sailor Boys of '61_; Brooks's _True Story of
+Abraham Lincoln_; Brooks's _True Story of General Grant_; Brooks's
+_Story of the American Soldier_; Coffin's _Days and Nights on the
+Battlefield_; Coffin's _Drumbeat of the Nation_; Coffin's _Redeeming the
+Republic_; Coffin's _Marching to Victory_; Coffin's _Freedom
+Triumphant_; Cooke's _Stonewall Jackson_; Cooke's _Robert E. Lee_.
+
+OUTSIDE READINGS.--Blaisdell's _Stories of the Civil War_; Goss's _Jed,
+a Boy's Adventures in the Army_; Goss's _Tom Clifton_; Keiffer's
+_Recollections of a Drummer Boy_; Barnes's _Midshipman Farragut_;
+Henty's _With Lee in Virginia_; Page's _Two Little Confederates_.
+
+FOR READING AND RECITATION.--Read's _Sheridan's Ride_; Whittier's
+_Barbara Frietchie_; Howe's _Battle Hymn of the Republic_; Bryant's _Our
+Country's Call_; Bret Harte's _John Burns at Gettysburg_; Whitman's _O
+Captain! My Captain!_ (Death of Lincoln); Finch's _Blue and the Gray_;
+Miss Preston's _Gone Forward_ (Death of General Lee); Longfellow's
+_Cumberland_; Boker's _Black Regiment_; Byers's _Sherman's March to the
+Sea_; Bryant's _The Battlefield_; Wilson's _The Old Sergeant_; Bryant's
+_Abraham Lincoln_; Higginson's _Decoration_; Bryant's _Our Country's
+Call_; Stedman's _Sumter_; Bayard Taylor's _To the American People_, and
+_Scott and the Veteran_; Holmes's _Voyage of the Good Ship Union_;
+Stedman's _Wanted--a Man_; Whittier's _Battle Autumn of 1862_, and _Laus
+Deo_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI. PAGES 406-423.
+
+THE WAR WITH SPAIN IN 1898.
+
+The most useful book for schools is perhaps Henry Cabot Lodge's _The War
+with Spain_.
+
+The following books are also useful: Brooks's _Story of Our War with
+Spain_; Abbot's _Blue Jackets of 1898_; Morris's _The War with Spain_;
+Davis's _The War of 1898_; and Spears's _Our Navy in the Spanish War_.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX.
+
+
+                          PAGE
+
+  Alabama, career of the, 397
+    destroyed by Kearsarge, 397
+    claims for damage paid by England, 398
+
+  Albemarle, destruction of the, 403
+
+  America, in old days, 1
+    ancient, people of, 3
+
+  Andre, meeting with Arnold, 276
+    capture of, 277
+    sad fate of, 281
+
+  Appomattox, surrender of Lee at 380
+
+  Arnold, Benedict, sent to relieve Fort Stanwix, 209
+    story of his treason, 271-285
+    brilliant military career, 273
+    begins his wicked career, 273
+    meeting with Andre, 275
+    escape of, 280
+    after life of, 281
+    death of, 283
+
+
+  Barbary States, pirates of, 323
+
+  Battles: Antietam, 365
+    Bennington, 213
+    Bon Homme Richard and Serapis, 290
+    Bull Run, 364
+    Bunker Hill, 170-183
+    Camden, 255
+    Cedar Creek, 381
+    Chancellorsville, 369
+    Chesapeake and Shannon, 331
+    Chickamauga, 377
+    Concord, 162
+    Constitution and Guerriere, 327
+    Cowpens, 264
+    Eutaw Springs, 269
+    Fair Oaks, 365
+    Forts Henry and Donaldson, 365
+    Freeman's Farm, 218
+    Gettysburg, 369
+    Hobkirk's Hill, 269
+    Kearsarge and Alabama, 397
+    King's Mountain, 261
+    Lake Erie, 333
+    Lexington, 160
+    Lookout Mountain, 377
+    Manassas, 364
+    Manila, 410
+    Mobile, 399
+    Monitor and Merrimac, 392
+    Monmouth, 239
+    New Orleans, 337, 390
+    Oriskany, 207
+    Princeton, 237
+    Santiago, 418
+    Saratoga, 219
+    Trenton, 233
+    Vicksburg, 375
+    Yorktown, 242
+
+  Bennington, battle of, 213
+
+  Bon Homme Richard, battle with Serapis, 290
+
+  Boston boys and General Gage, 150
+
+  Boston massacre, 151
+    tea party, 152
+    Port Bill, 155
+
+  Braddock, expedition of, 118
+
+  Buford massacre, 253
+
+  Bull Run, battle of, 364
+
+  Bunker Hill, battle of, 170-183
+    lesson taught by, 180
+    Monument, 183
+
+  Burgoyne campaign, 198-221
+
+
+  Cabots, John and Sebastian, 26
+    their voyages, 26, 27
+
+  California enters the Union, 346
+    discovery of gold in, 346
+    rush to gold regions of, 348
+
+  Camden, defeat at, 255
+
+  Cedar Creek, Sheridan at, 383
+
+  Cervera and Spanish fleet, 415
+
+  Chancellorsville, battle of, 369
+
+  Charleston, defense of, 251
+    capture of, 252
+
+  Chesapeake, battle with the Shannon, 331
+
+  Chickamauga, battle of, 377
+
+  Churches in colonial times, 129
+
+  Colonial times, everyday life in, 126
+
+  Colonies begin to prosper, 141
+    tyrannical treatment of, 142
+
+  Columbia River, discovery of, 341
+
+  Columbus, Christopher, 10
+    early life of, 12
+    seeks aid, 14
+    first voyage of, 15
+    welcome on return, 19
+    other voyages, 20-23
+
+  Concord Bridge, fight at, 162
+
+  Congress, First Continental, 157
+    Second Continental, 190
+
+  Constitution, battle with Guerriere, 327
+     her noble record, 330
+
+  Cowpens, battle of, 264
+
+  Cuba, barbarities in, 407
+    rebels against Spain, 406
+
+  Cushing, daring exploit of, 402-405
+
+
+  Decatur, exploits of, 324
+
+  Deerfield, attack on, 112
+
+  De Soto, Ferdinand, 28-30
+
+  Dewey, Admiral, victory at Manila, 412
+    nation's reception of, 414
+
+  Dustin, Hannah, story of, 113
+
+  Dutch, settlement in New York, 92
+    how they lived, 93
+
+
+  Emancipation of the slaves, 366
+    proclamation of, 367
+
+  Erie, Lake, battle of, 333
+
+  Eutaw Springs, battle of, 269
+
+  Everyday home life one hundred years ago, 311-321
+
+
+  Farragut, Admiral, 390
+    captures New Orleans, 391
+    captures Mobile, 399
+    in the rigging at Mobile, 401
+
+  Fires, how put out one hundred years ago, 316
+
+  Flag, American, first raised, 209
+
+  Franklin, Benjamin, 296-310
+    early life of, 297
+    learns printer's trade, 297
+    goes to Philadelphia, 299
+    life in London, 301
+    career in Philadelphia, 302
+    famous kite experiment, 304
+    public career, 305
+    service as diplomatist, 309
+    last days of, 310
+
+  Freeman's Farm, battle of, 218
+
+  French in North America, 106
+
+  French and Indian Wars, 110
+
+
+  Gage, General, and Boston boys, 150
+    plans to capture military stores, 158
+
+  Gates, General, 217, 255
+
+  Gettysburg, battle of, 369-372
+    memorials of, 372
+    Lincoln's address at, 372
+
+  Gold, Discovery of, in California, 347
+    effects of discovery, 348
+
+  Grant, General, success in the West, 375
+
+  Greene, General, takes command in South, 262
+    his masterly retreat, 265
+    rare generalship of, 268
+    brilliant campaign in South, 269
+
+
+  Henry, Patrick, speech of, 147
+
+  Herkimer, General, 206
+
+  Hobkirk's Hill, battle of, 269
+
+  Hobson, brilliant exploit of, 416
+
+  Home life in colonial times, 134
+
+  Hudson, Sir Henry, 88
+    enters Dutch service, 89
+    discovers Hudson River, 90
+    his sad fate, 92
+
+
+  Independence, Declaration of, 184-197
+    what it said to the world, 191
+    how received, 194
+    incidents connected with, 195
+    what it should mean, 197
+
+  Independence declared, 192
+    slow growth of the idea, 185
+    stern necessity of, 188
+    first steps towards, 190
+
+  Indians, 4
+    principal divisions of, 4
+    Pueblo, 6
+    appearance and clothing, 73
+    food of the, 74
+    weapons and how they fought, 76
+    as hunters, 80
+    cunning and revengeful, 82
+    their children, 85
+    ally themselves with French, 111
+
+
+  Jackson, Andrew, anecdote of, 254
+    wins the battle of New Orleans, 337
+
+  Jackson, Stonewall, 369
+
+  Jasper, Sergeant, bravery of, 251
+
+  Jones, John Paul, begins his remarkable career, 287
+    daring deeds on English coast 288
+    interview with Franklin, 289
+    after life of, 294
+    battle with the Serapis, 290
+
+
+  Kearsarge destroys the Alabama 397
+
+  King's Mountain, battle of, 261
+
+
+  La Salle, 107
+
+  Laws, absurd and tyrannical, 143
+    resistance to, 147
+
+  Lee, General Charles, at Monmouth, 240
+
+  Lee, Robert E, 371
+
+  Lewis and Clarke expedition, 341
+
+  Lexington, battle of, 160
+
+  Life, everyday, one hundred years ago, 311, 322
+
+  Lincoln, Abraham, influence of mother, 353
+    reads good books, 354, 356
+    studies law, 357
+    chosen President, 359
+    death of, 383
+
+  Lookout Mountain, battle of, 377
+
+  Louisburg, capture of, 115
+
+  Louisiana, purchase of, 340
+
+
+  Maine, blowing up of the, 409
+
+  Manila, naval victory at, 410
+
+  Marion, General, 255-261
+    method of fighting of, 257
+    first exploits of, 258
+    famous exploits of, 259
+    visit from British officer, 260
+
+  McCrea, Jane, murder of, 205
+
+  Meade, General, 370
+
+  Merrimac, attack on Union fleet, 392
+    battle with Monitor, 394
+
+  Ministers and meeting-houses one hundred years ago, 318
+
+  Minute-men, 167
+
+  Mobile, capture of, 399
+
+  Monitor, building of, 392
+    arrival of, 393
+    battle with the Merrimac, 394
+
+  Monmouth, battle of, 239
+
+  Montcalm, death of, 125
+
+  Morgan, General, victory at Cowpens 264
+
+
+  Naval operations on the Western rivers, 388
+
+  Navy in the War of 1812, 323-338
+    at beginning of the war for the Union, 387
+
+  New England, rally of people in defense of, 211
+
+  New Orleans, battle of, 337
+    capture of, 365, 389-391
+
+  Newspapers one hundred years ago, 311
+
+  Northmen, 6
+
+
+  Oregon saved to the Union, 342
+
+
+  Pacific Coast, settlement of 339-352
+
+  Pacific Railroad, first built, 353
+
+  Penn, William, 97
+    becomes a Quaker, 98
+    establishes a colony in America, 100
+    kind treatment of Indians, 101
+    treaty with Indians, 102
+    his old age, 104
+
+  Perry, Commodore, victory on Lake Erie, 333
+
+  Pilgrims, story of, 47
+    home in Holland, 48
+    voyage across Atlantic, 51
+    sign compact, 52
+    explorations of, 53
+    hardships and suffering of, 60, 65
+    visit from Indians, 63
+    peep into houses of, 66
+    household furniture of, 69
+    daily fare of, 71
+
+  Pitcher, Mollie, story of, 241
+
+  Plymouth Rock, 59
+
+  Pocahontas, romantic story of, 41
+
+  Ponce de Leon, 27
+
+  Pony Express, its history, 349
+
+  Porter, Commodore, 376
+
+  Porto Rico, campaign in, 420
+
+  Postal service one hundred years ago, 312
+
+  Potatoes first used in Europe, 33
+
+  Princeton, battle of, 237
+
+  Privateers, Confederate, 396
+
+
+  Quakers, persecution of, 96
+
+  Quebec, capture of, 123
+
+
+  Railroad built to California, 352
+
+  Raleigh, Sir Walter, 31
+
+  Revere, Paul, ride of, 159
+
+  Review in Washington, grand, 385
+
+  Richmond, capture of, 380
+
+
+  Sailors, American, treatment of by British, 325
+
+  Santiago, naval victory at, 418
+
+  Saratoga, battle of, 219
+    effect of victory at, 220
+
+  Savannah, capture of, 252
+
+  Schoolmaster one hundred years ago, 320
+
+  Schools and schoolmasters in colonial times, 131
+
+  Schuyler, General, and Burgoyne campaign, 203
+
+  Sheridan, General, 381
+    famous ride of, 381
+
+  Sherman, W. T., General, 378
+    march to the sea, 379
+
+  Shiloh, battle of, 375
+
+  Slavery, a menace to the country, 358
+
+  Slaves, emancipation of the, 366
+
+  Smith, Captain John, 34
+    early career, 35
+    career in new world, 37
+    and Pocahontas, 40
+
+  South, war of Revolution in, 250
+    cruel warfare in, 253
+
+  Spain, downfall of, 406
+    colonial policy of 406
+    Cuba rebels against, 406
+    war declared against, 409
+    end of war against, 421
+
+  Spanish fleet, preparations to meet, 415
+
+  Stage coaches one hundred years ago, 314
+
+  Stamp Act, 145
+
+  Standish, Captain Miles, 54
+
+  Stanwix, Fort, defense of, 208
+
+  Stark, John, at Bennington, 213
+
+  Steele, Mrs., anecdote of, 266
+
+  Stuyvesant, Peter, 95
+
+  Sumter, Fort, attack on, 361
+
+  Sunday, in colonial times, 127
+    how kept one hundred years ago, 317
+
+
+  Tablets, historic, 169
+
+  Tea Party, Boston, 152
+
+  Thomas, General, 377
+
+  Ticonderoga, capture of, 201
+
+  Tobacco, first use of by Europeans, 33
+
+  Trenton, battle of, 233
+
+
+  Union, War for, beginning of, 361
+    cost of, 384
+    situation after the, 386
+
+
+  Valley Forge, sufferings at, 238
+
+  Vicksburg, capture of, 375
+
+  Virginia, first attempt to colonize, 32
+    starving time in, 44
+
+
+  War, Civil, beginning of, 361
+    cost of, 384
+    situation after the, 386
+
+  War of 1812, causes of, 326
+    results of, 338
+
+  Warren, Joseph, 156
+    death of, 180
+
+  Washington, George, first difficult task, 117
+    with Braddock's expedition, 118
+    boyhood and youth of, 222
+    as a surveyor, 224
+    as a colonial army officer, 226
+    advancement in political honors, 228
+    as commander-in-chief, 229
+    his many difficulties, 231
+    victory at Trenton, 233
+    victory at Princeton, 237
+    helps defeat Burgoyne, 237
+    plans Yorktown campaign, 242
+    elected President, 245
+    retires to private life, 246
+    death of, 248
+
+  Washington, Colonel, anecdote of, 264
+
+  Whitman, Dr., saves Oregon, 342
+    his perilous ride for Oregon, 344
+    success in his mission, 345
+
+  Wolfe, capture of Quebec, 123
+
+
+  Yorktown, plan of campaign, 242
+    victory at, 244
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of American History, by
+Albert F. Blaisdell
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #34600 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34600)
author	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-14 20:01:58 -0700
committer	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-14 20:01:58 -0700
commit	6e2adb4cd1b49ddb46c6b02ffaf4bf77ace59846 (patch)
tree	8d9c09c6b8e04b40e58950600e1112c514e79039