fess, in the bitterness of his soul, that new troops | boasts of the sons of liberty about fleeing to arms and raw militia, notwithstanding their high republicanism, could never stand against a regular army, though only royalists and mercenaries. He clearly saw that the democratic principle and the practice of free election would never do in the army, and that republicans, when they make war, must make it like other people, and dispense with the fundamental doctrine of personal liberty and equality. At present, in spite of various efforts made by Washington to remedy the evil, there was scarcely any distinction between platoon officers and privates. The New Englanders, the strength of his army, were fanatic asserters of equality; they had been allowed, in most instances, to elect their own officers, and of consequence a disposition to associate with them on a footing of equality was a recommendation of more weight, and frequently conduced more to the choice of officers, than any individual merit in the persons chosen. Hence the privates acquired no habits of obedience and subordination; and hence also the most disgraceful and unmilitary practices prevailed among the officers. If we are to believe other accounts, a considerable number of these New England officers were little better than a set of rapacious pedlers and swindlers. Continuing to withdraw his last regiments from New York, Washington, after a considerable loss in men, occupied works and lines which ran right across York Island, the strongest being at King's Bridge and Fort Washington. General Howe left some troops in the city, and with the main body of his army marched up York Island, and encamped in face of Washington's lines. On the 16th of September there was some skirmishing in the plain that lay between the two camps; and the Americans lost two of their best officers, Colonel Knowlton, of Connecticut, and Major Leitch. Desertion now became frequent; and the time was approaching when the period of service for which most of the Americans had engaged would expire. Washington, on the 24th of September, wrote what was almost a despairing letter to congress. It was found already that all the It appears that it was no very uncommon sight to see an American officer shaving his own men, and that too "in the face of characters of distinction." A captain was tried and broken for stealing his soldiers' blankets. In some corps, captains, lieutenants, ensigns, sergeants, corporals, drummers, and privates lived on a common stock, and on a footing of perfect equality. Almost every villainy and rascality was for some time practised with impunity. This state of things drove many gentlemen from the service altogether, and made others declare, by hundreds of thousands and fighting for their more or less publicly, that if they had known what the repub 2 Washington's Letters. CHAPTER IX.-CIVIL AND MILITARY HISTORY.-A.D. 1776-1777. GEORGE III. Lord Howe opens a negotiation with congress-The terms of peace refused-Washington retreats to the White Plains-He is attacked by General Howe-Strategetic errors of both generals-Washington retreats to North Castle-Lord Howe captures Fort Washington--General Washington's difficulty of retreating from Lord Cornwallis-Sir Guy Carleton's successes in Canada-He constructs a flotilla, and obtains the command of the lakes-He defeats the American general Arnold-Courage of congress under their reverses-Their prospect of aid from France-American desertions to the royal cause--The Red Indians let loose-Affairs in EnglandThe royal speech on the American revolt-Discussion of American affairs in parliament-Fresh grants of parliament for the war-Fires in the dockyard of Portsmouth and at Bristol-The incendiary, John the Painter, apprehended-Mode of his detection-Account of him-Evidence at his trial-His execution-Abuses of the commissariat brought before parliament-Addition granted by parliament to the civil list-Chatham moves for immediate cessation of hostilities with America-The motion negatived-Military proceedings in America -Washington's night attack on Lord Cornwallis on the Delaware-Its success- -Washington attempts to recover the Jerseys-He is foiled by Lord Cornwallis-Washington's retreat-His successful skirmish-Increase of his resources-He continues the campaign during winter-General Howe's inactivity-Destruction of American military stores-Skirmish at Danbury, and defeat of the British-Lee, the American general, taken prisoner-The Americans capture General Prescot-Antagonistic manœuvres of Howe and WashingtonHowe embarks for the capture of Philadelphia-His successful attack on Washington at Brandywine-La Fayette's first appearance in the American army at Brandywine-His previous proceedings in the cause of America-Lord Cornwallis takes possession of Philadelphia-Washington's unsuccessful attempt to surprise the British at Germantown-Lord Howe reduces Mud Island-The Delaware opened to the British army and fleet-Movements of General Howe and Washington-Success of the British in an encounter at EdgehillWashington's judicious plan of action for the winter-He establishes a permanent encampment at Valley Forge. ORD HOWE, as one of the king's pacificators or commissioners, made, immediately after the victory on Long Island, another unsuccessful attempt to open a negotiation. Congress appointed three of the bitterest enemies of Great Britain-Dr. Franklin, John Adams, and Rutledge-their committee to receive the communications of Lord Howe. This trio waited upon his lordship in Staten Island, on the 11th of September, four days before the British army took possession of New York. His lordship received them with great politeness. He assured them that there was every good disposition in the king, ministry, and parliament to make the government easy to them; and that to put an end to their grievances, the obnoxious acts of parliament would all be revised, &c. The committee gave it as their opinion, that to return to allegiance and dependence was now impossible; and they declared that the Americans had been forced against their will into the war and into the proclamation of independence. Lord Howe then put an end to the useless conference with many expressions of grief and regret for the horrors which must be let loose upon the land. The committee returned to Philadelphia, and Howe passed over to New York, as we have seen, driving Washington Before this interview at Staten Island, Lord Howe had written a private letter to his "worthy friend" Dr. Franklin, to acquaint him of the nature of his mission, to express is before him to the lines he had previously made. After consuming whole weeks in throwing up entrenchments to defend his own lines and the approaches to New York, he, on the 12th of October, embarked a considerable part of the royal army in flat-bottomed boats, sent them through Hurl Gate into the sound, and landed them at Frog's Neck, about nine miles in the rear of Washington's positions, which were thus shorn of their strength. Some of the ships of war went still higher up the North River, so as to cut off any retreat to the Jerseys; and the only road open was one leading to the New England provinces; and this road too might have been closed by a more active and skilful commander. Washington, taking counsel from his own high courage, and forgetting the low spirit of his troops, would have remained where he was to fight a pitched battle. He harangued his officers, and told them they must retreat no further, but decide the fate of America on that ground. But General Lee, the deserter, who had come up from Sullivan Island and the Carolinas, remonstrated against this determination, pointing out that the ground was almost as bad as Long Island, and that the British would hem the army round with such a chain of works as would reduce them to the necessity of surrendering, earnest desire to see all differences accommodated, &c. This letter gave Franklin the opportunity of insulting England and sneering at the bonhomie of his lordship. Viscount Exmouth. On the 11th of October they discovered Arnold with his fifteen vessels drawn up in a strong line across the passage between Isle Valcour and the western shore of the lake. American writers have not a breath, or a flourish of the pen, to bestow on Arnold's brilliant performance on the two days of hard fighting which ensued; but it appears, from English an that he fought on, with his wonted intrepidity, when most of his vessels had run from him and abandoned him. Not a republican was left either on the waters or on the shores of Champlain. It is conjectured that the royalists might, and ought to have, at once, retaken Ticonderoga. What remains unquestionable is, that the conception and management of the lake campaign were beautiful things in war; and that Carleton displayed as much humanity as bravery. Though the easy and comfortable confidence of many of its members that the contest would be soon decided by the victory of American arms was materially shaken, the general congress, as a body, remained firm and hopeful; for they knew that the chances would turn much in their favour required time. Carleton therefore sent detach- | Pellew, then a midshipman, afterwards Admiral ments from the king's ships stationed at Quebec with volunteers from the transports and a corps of artillery-in all about 700 men-to fell timber and to occupy a favourable post on the shore of Lake Champlain. The keel and floor timbers of the Inflexible, a ship of 300 tons, which had been laid at Quebec, were taken to pieces, carried over to St. John's, and laid down again at a corner of the lake where a little dockyard was improvised; thirty long boats, many large batteaux or flat-thorities, that his conduct was truly heroic, and bottomed boats, and a gondola of thirty tons, were carried up to the spot, partly by land and partly by being dragged up the shoals and rapids of the river Sorel at an extraordinary expense of human labour; Lieutenant Schanck, an officer who possessed great mechanical ingenuity, superintended the works at the dockyard, where timber which had been growing in the forest in the morning, was turned into part of a ship before night. In twenty-eight days from the relaying her keel, the Inflexible was launched, rigged, armed with eighteen twelve-pounders, and equipped for service; two schooners, the Maria and Carleton, were put together with equal rapidity; and the flotilla was completed by the Loyal Convert gondola, the Thunder, a kind of flat-bottomed raft carrying twelve heavy guns and two howit-when the English army ventured into the interior zers, and twenty-four boats armed each with a field-piece or carriage-gun. The whole thing seemed like magic! In a few weeks the British, from not having a single boat, had a force sufficient to sweep the Lakes Champlain and George from end to end.' Before these preparations were made, the Americans had quitted the Isle aux Noix and traversed the lake for Crown Point. Congress had voted that General Gates should take the command of that northern army, and that he should be reinforced with 6000 militia. But men no longer marched willingly in that direction. If any efforts were made to increase the shipping, they had failed; for at this moment the Americans had only fifteen small vessels on the lake, carrying in all ninety-six guns, fourteen of which were eighteen-pounders, twenty-three twelves, and the rest six and four pounders. The command of the squadron, at the instance of Washington, was given toArnold, the real hero of the Canada expedition. No time was lost by the British in seeking this brave and active enemy, and Sir Guy Carleton himself embarked with the squadron-the strangest squadron that ever Eng-invasion, while so large a part of her forces were lish sailor had seen. Captain Pringle was commodore, with his pennant on the Inflexible; and among those young officers who were appointed to the Carleton schooner, was one who was destined to become one of the most distinguished of British naval commanders-this was Edward 1 See map, vol. iii. page 573. of the country; and they also knew that extensive foreign aid and co-operation were preparing for them. While Washington was being drivet from post to post, they occupied themselves in completing their republican constitution. The advance of Lord Cornwallis, however, through the Jerseys, obliged them to flee from Philadelphia to a safer place; but when re-assembled at Baltimore, on the 20th of December, they he trayed no despondency, or any lack of spirit, which must have proved fatal to their whole cause. Convinced that Washington in the field, and as an experienced soldier, was more competent to the management of an army, and of the means of recruiting it, than a set of lawyers, traders, and planters, they materially enlarged his military powers, supplied him with money, and empowered him to raise fresh levies to the amount of sixteen regiments. Their committer of foreign correspondence laboured night and day, neglecting no argument, and scarcely any temptation, to induce France and Spain to espouse their quarrel openly, and threaten England with engaged in that distant war. To men who had 2 Stedman, Ost'er, Life of Admiral Viscount Ermouth, Lowon 1835. During Carleton's stay at Crown Point, young Pelles nearly succeeded in capturing Arnold. 3 On the 4th of October they established articles of confeders The tion and perpetual union between the several states. articles were a supplement to, and extension of the declaratad of independence. so committed themselves, everything seemed pre-ple that the red men were to be treated like ferable to a return to allegiance. It was formally discussed in congress, whether their commissioners at Versailles should not be authorized to transfer to France the same command or monopoly of their trade which Great Britain had possessed. This was relinquished as too extreme a measure, and as striking a mortal blow at most of the leading arguments they had used with the people in favour of independence.' But the cooler and more astute heads represented that if France would venture into the war at all, it would not be through any treaty, compact, or promise of theirs, but merely out of her old rivalry and hatred of England. This was the political philosophy of Benjamin Franklin, who was now preparing to go to Paris as chief negotiator. They expected, if they could only maintain the struggle a little longer, that half of the powers of Europe, who were jealous of the greatness, and anxious for the dismemberment of the British empire, would, "in sound policy, interfere so far as to prevent the conquest of the United States." beasts of prey, which can never be tamed, but may be exterminated. As the Indians were accurate accountants in matters of blood, and held, as the most sacred part of their religion, that they were bound to avenge the death of their kindred and tribe, the effect of this exterminating system was terrible. Our agents had scarcely been withdrawn when the Creeks and Cherokees resolved to ravage the back territories of Virginia and the Carolinas, and to carry, if possible, fire and the tomahawk into the interior of these colonies. Our agents warned the well-affected to remove their persons and property, and they then encouraged the Indians to do what would certainly have been done without their encouragement. 112 We return to England, where the minds of all men were absorbed by the momentous struggle. In the course of the summer it had been discovered not only that many of the American privateers were French ships, which had taken out papers and commissions from the government of the revolution, with few or no American seaThey were not guilty of that folly in politics men on board; but also that France, and Spain of trusting to the generous passions and amiable as well, were fitting out great armaments, and feelings of courts and cabinets: they appealed to were allowing the American privateers, or the the worst passions and to the most selfish feelings; vessels with American commissions, to sell their and with what success we shall soon see. Yet the prizes in their ports. Sixteen more ships of the congress had scarcely left Philadelphia for Balti-line were thereupon put in commission by our more, when the large majority of Philadelphians, government, who issued proclamations augmentwho had opposed the declaration of independence, ing bounty money to seamen, recalling all British and who had unwillingly recognized the signature sailors that were in foreign service, and laying of their delegates, which had not been obtained an embargo on the exportation of provisions. without a trick, began openly to declare for the Parliament assembled on the 31st of October. royal cause. Several of their leading men went In concluding the speech from the throne, his over to the commissioners, Lord Howe and Gene- majesty said: "In this arduous contest I can have ral Howe, at New York; and, as those who no other object but to promote the true interests stayed behind in Philadelphia were heartily of all my subjects. No people ever enjoyed more joined by the peace-loving Quakers, they hindered happiness, or lived under a milder government, the execution of an order for fortifying the city. than those now revolted provinces: the improveMost of the towns of the two Jerseys, moreover, ments in every art of which they boast declare it ; sent deputations to the king's commissioners, and their numbers, their wealth, their strength by sea expressed their anxiety for the return of peace and land, which they think sufficient to enable and order, through the channel of submission them to make head against the whole power of and conciliation." the mother country, are irrefragable proofs of it. My desire is to restore them to the blessings of law and liberty, equally enjoyed by every British subject, which they have fatally and desperately exchanged for all the calamities of war and the arbitrary tyranny of their chiefs." The addresses in both houses brought on violent debates, in which the animosity of party was far more discernible than anything else. In the course of the debate George Washington was lauded as a spirited, hospitable, unambitious country gentleman. The President Hancock was described as a plain, honest merchant, of fair character and considerable substance in Boston; and the rest of the leaders in congress were represented as In one particular the advice of the secretaryat-war, Lord Barrington, had been followed. Our establishments for the management of affairs with the Indians were withdrawn, and the red men were left to adopt their own course against the back settlements of the colonies, which, year after year, had kept encroaching on their huntinggrounds. The fiercest animosities had long existed between these incompatible neighbours; And the white Americans had adopted, at an early period, and continued to retain the princi 'Secret Journals of Congress, as cited by Marshall; Life of 2 See papers, in Almon's Remembrancer. Annual Register; Almon's Remembrancer; Gordon; Stedman. through famine, without fighting at all. Wash- | approach, were not found so formidable as they ington was still obstinate, but a council of war appeared at a distance. When our army came was called, and it was decided by a majority that in sight their tents were all standing; and the they must decamp immediately.' If General hurry of striking them, and of loading the wagHowe had landed at Pell's Point instead of Frog's gons with the baggage, with the movement of Neck, the retreat would have been almost im- troops backward and forward in evident uncerpracticable, and Washington must inevitably tainty of purpose, presented an extraordinary piehave lost all his artillery and baggage; but Howe ture of alarm. But Howe, instead of moving didid not re-embark his men and collect them at rectly on the weak centre, kept his attention tixei Pell's Point till the 18th of October, and thus on the right wing, and on a hill beyond the Bronx, time was allowed the Americans to bring off where Washington had posted 4000 men, though most of their remaining military stores, and to in that position they were utterly incapable of get towards the open country called the White supporting, or receiving support from the rest of Plains. The English general's blunders, however, his army. But it appears to have been Howe's could not excuse those committed by Washington. strange destiny to convert Washington's mistakes On the 19th and 20th there was some skirmish- into benefits to the Americans. Though the force ing, and a sharp combat at a narrow pass, which beyond the river could not reach him with their the Americans in vain attempted to defend guns, and though two battalions with a couple against the British. On the 21st Washington of pieces of artillery might have prevented them occupied some heights between New Rochelle from recrossing the Bronx to take him in flank, and the Hudson River. Howe encamped in and he directed the first and chief effort of his army about the village of New Rochelle, on the shore against that worthless position. He detached a of the sound. On the 22d Washington fell back part of his left wing; the men crossed the river to the edge of White Plains, and put the main at a ford which was entirely under the command body of his army in a long line of entrenched of our cannon; they then mounted the hill, an i camps, extending from twelve to thirteen miles, gallantly drove the 4000 Americans from it.' on different heights. He thus placed the river But then it became necessary to sustain the troj » Bronx between him and Howe; and he presently which had taken possession of the hill; and in threw up some additional works to strengthen doing the left and right wing of our army wer his line. When Washington had made himself in a great measure severed from one another. as strong as he could, and had somewhat revived That night-and it was an inclement one-the the spirits of the Americans by a few skirmishes, British troops lay on their arms. The next day in which their use of the rifle and their knowledge they encamped with the left wing on one side of of the country gave them some trifling advan- the Bronx, and the right on the other. On the tages, Howe, on the 28th of October, moved to 30th Howe was reinforced by four battalions attack him in two columns, the left led by him- from York Island and two from Mamaroneck self, the right by Clinton. As the British ad- Post; and he then made a disposition to attack vanced towards White Plains, Clinton's column the enemy's lines on the following morning. But fell in with several bodies of the enemy and during the night it rained in torrents, and the drove them back to their lines in great confusion. rain made the faces of the hills so slippery, that When our troops arrived within three-quarters it was thought our men would have great dif of a mile of the American lines they had a dis- culty in mounting them. On the 31st the weather tinct view of their whole position, which was was fine and the hill sides comparatively dry strongest on the flanks and weakest in the centre. Howe then resolved to make his attack on the If an assault had been made on the centre it morrow; but his intention was betrayed by could not have failed, and its full success would deserter, and before the break of day Washing have been absolute destruction to the American ton evacuated the lines, set fire to all the houses army; for Washington had so posted his right on White Plains, retreated in the direction of wing that, if cut off from the centre and left, the Croton River, and took up a most advan it must either have surrendered or have been tageous position on the heights of North Castle drowned in the winding Bronx. Howe had in where he had previously thrown up strong the field 13,000 effective men; Washington had breast-works. Lord Howe did not venture to from 18,000 to 20,000; but the greater part of attack him here, but returned instead, to reduce them were not better than a loose militia, and their dismay and confusion was very evident in spite of their fortified lines, which on a near 1 Marshall. 2 Frog's Neck was an island, joined on by a bridge which the Americans broke. 3 Stedman. 4 Captain Harris, who was on the field, says, "The Amer „sa behaved in the most dastardly manner, for though they at thi made a show of resistance, no sooner was our second brigade ordered to advance, than they gave way with such precipitats: that they escaped to the heights behind before our men nud reach them."-Journal, in Lushington's Life of Lyd Barre |