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[Illustration: PAUL REVERE AROUSING THE INHABITANTS ALONG THE
ROAD TO LEXINGTON.]
AMERICAN LEADERS
AND HEROES
A PRELIMINARY TEXT-BOOK IN
UNITED STATES HISTORY
BY
WILBUR F. GORDY
PRINCIPAL OF THE NORTH SCHOOL, HARTFORD, CONN.; AUTHOR OF
"A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR SCHOOLS"; AND
CO-AUTHOR OF "A PATHFINDER IN AMERICAN HISTORY"
_WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS_
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1907
COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
[Illustration]
PREFACE
In teaching history to boys and girls from ten to twelve years old
simple material should be used. Children of that age like action. They
crave the dramatic, the picturesque, the concrete, the personal. When
they read about Daniel Boone or Abraham Lincoln they do far more than
admire their hero. By a mysterious, sympathetic process they so identify
themselves with him as to feel that what they see in him is possible for
them. Herein is suggested the ethical value of history. But such ethical
stimulus, be it noted, can come only in so far as actions are translated
into the thoughts and feelings embodied in the actions.
In this process of passing from deeds to the hearts and heads of the
doers the image-forming power plays a leading part. Therefore a special
effort should be made to train the sensuous imagination by furnishing
picturesque and dramatic incidents, and then so skilfully presenting
them that the children may get living pictures. This I have endeavored
to do in the preparation of this historical reader, by making prominent
the personal traits of the heroes and leaders, as they are seen, in
boyhood and manhood alike, in the environment of their every-day home
and social life.
With the purpose of quickening the imagination, questions "To the Pupil"
are introduced at intervals throughout the book, and on almost every
page additional questions of the same kind might be supplied to
advantage. "What picture do you get in that paragraph?" may well be
asked over and over again, as children read the book. If they get clear
and definite pictures, they will be likely to see the past as a living
present, and thus will experience anew the thoughts and feelings of
those who now live only in their words and deeds. The steps in this
vital process are imagination, sympathy, and assimilation.
To the same end the excellent maps and illustrations contribute a
prominent and valuable feature of the book. If, in the elementary stages
of historical reading, the image-forming power is developed, when the
later work in the study of organized history is reached the imagination
can hold the outward event before the mind for the judgment to determine
its inner significance. For historical interpretation is based upon the
inner life quite as much as upon the outward expression of that life in
action.
Attention is called to the fact that while the biographical element
predominates, around the heroes and leaders are clustered typical and
significant events in such a way as to give the basal facts of American
history. It is hoped, therefore, that this little volume will furnish
the young mind some conception of what our history is, and at the same
time stimulate an abiding interest in historical and biographical
reading.
Perhaps it is needless to say that the "Review Outline" may be used in
many ways. It certainly will furnish excellent material for language
work, oral or written. In so using it pupils may well be encouraged to
enlarge the number of topics.
I wish to acknowledge my obligations to Professor William E. Mead, of
Wesleyan University, who has read the manuscript and made invaluable
suggestions; also to my wife, whose interest and assistance have done
much to give the book whatever of merit it may possess.
WILBUR F. GORDY.
HARTFORD, CONN., May 1, 1901.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA, 1
II. HERNANDO DE SOTO AND THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, 22
III. SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND THE FIRST ENGLISH ATTEMPTS TO
COLONIZE AMERICA, 31
IV. JOHN SMITH AND THE SETTLEMENT OF JAMESTOWN, 42
V. NATHANIEL BACON AND THE UPRISING OF THE PEOPLE IN
VIRGINIA IN 1676, 55
VI. MILES STANDISH AND THE PILGRIMS, 64
VII. ROGER WILLIAMS AND THE PURITANS, 81
VIII. WILLIAM PENN AND THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA, 92
IX. CAVELIER DE LA SALLE AND THE FRENCH IN THE MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY, 103
X. GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE BOY SURVEYOR AND YOUNG SOLDIER, 116
XI. JAMES WOLFE, THE HERO OF QUEBEC, 136
XII. PATRICK HENRY AND THE STAMP ACT, 146
XIII. SAMUEL ADAMS AND THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, 156
XIV. PAUL REVERE AND THE BATTLE OF CONCORD AND LEXINGTON, 165
XV. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND AID FROM FRANCE, 175
XVI. GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE VIRGINIA PLANTER AND THE
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER, 189
XVII. NATHANIEL GREENE, THE HERO OF THE SOUTH, AND FRANCIS
MARION, THE "SWAMP FOX," 211
XVIII. DANIEL BOONE, THE KENTUCKY PIONEER, 222
XIX. THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE, 234
XX. ROBERT FULTON AND THE STEAMBOAT, 246
XXI. ANDREW JACKSON, THE UPHOLDER OF THE UNION, 253
XXII. DANIEL WEBSTER, THE DEFENDER AND EXPOUNDER OF THE
CONSTITUTION, 264
XXIII. SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE AND THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH, 273
XXIV. ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE LIBERATOR OF THE SLAVES, 282
XXV. ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT AND THE CIVIL WAR, 302
XXVI. SOME LEADERS AND HEROES IN THE WAR WITH SPAIN, 314
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Christopher Columbus, 1
The Santa Maria, 7
The Nina, 8
The Pinta, 9
The Triumphal Return of Columbus to Spain, 13
An Indian Stone Maul, 20
Hernando De Soto, 22
De Soto Discovering the Mississippi, 25
Sir Walter Raleigh, 31
Queen Elizabeth, 35
Entrance to Raleigh's Cell in the Tower, 38
Tower of London, 39
An Indian Pipe, 40
John Smith, 42
John Smith and the Indians, 45
Indian Weapons, 46
Ruins of Jamestown, 47
Apache's War-club, 50
Sioux Indian Bow and Arrow with Stone Point, 50
Navajo Sling, 51
A Pappoose Case, 51
Tobacco Plant, 56
Loading Tobacco, 57
The Burning of Jamestown, 61
Miles Standish, 64
The Mayflower, 70
A Matchlock Gun, 74
A Group of Pilgrim Relics, 75
Pilgrims Returning from Church, 77
Brewster's and Standish's Swords, 79
Roger Williams on his Way to Visit the Chief of the Narragansett
Indians, 83
A Block House, 84
Roger Williams's Meeting-House, 85
A Puritan Fireplace, 87
William Penn, 92
William Penn's Famous Treaty with the Indians, 95
Penn's Slate-roof House, Philadelphia, 98
A Belt of Wampum Given to Penn by the Indians, 99
Cavelier De La Salle, 103
Long House of the Iroquois, 104
The Murder of La Salle by his Followers, 113
George Washington, 116
Washington's Birthplace, 117
Washington Crossing the Alleghany River, 119
The Death of Braddock, 129
James Wolfe, 136
General Montcalm, 139
The Death of Wolfe, 141
Patrick Henry, 146
George III., 149
St. John's Church, Richmond, 152
Samuel Adams, 156
Faneuil Hall, Boston, 160
The Old South Church, Boston, 161
The "Boston Tea Party," 163
Paul Revere, 165
The Old North Church, 168
Stone in Front of the Harrington House, Lexington, Marking
the Line of the Minute-Men, 170
The Retreat of the British from Concord, 172
Benjamin Franklin, 175
Franklin in the Streets of Philadelphia, 180
Franklin Experimenting with Electricity, 184
Lafayette Offering His Services to Franklin, 186
George Washington, 189
Washington's Coach, 190
A Stage Coach of the Eighteenth Century, 191
Washington's Retreat through New Jersey, 199
Winter at Valley Forge, 204
Washington's Home--Mount Vernon, 208
Nathaniel Greene, 211
Lord Cornwallis, 215
General Francis Marion, 218
Marion and His Men Swooping Down on a British Camp, 219
Daniel Boone, 222
Indian Costume (Female), 224
Indian Costume (Male), 225
Daniel Boone in his Cabin, 228
A Hand Corn Mill, 229
A Wigwam, 231
Indian Implements, 232
Thomas Jefferson, 234
Monticello, 237
Thomas Jefferson at Work upon the First Draft of the Declaration
of Independence, 238
Robert Fulton, 246
A Pack Horse, 247
A Flat Boat, 248
The Clermont, 251
Andrew Jackson, 253
Andrew Jackson's Cradle, 254
A Spinning Wheel, 255
Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans, 261
Daniel Webster, 264
Marshfield--Home of Daniel Webster, 271
S. F. B. Morse, 273
Telegraph and Railroad, 280
Abraham Lincoln, 282
Lincoln's Birthplace, 283
Lincoln Studying, 287
Slaves on a Cotton Plantation, 299
Ulysses S. Grant, 302
The Meeting of Generals Grant and Lee at Appomattox, 310
The McLean House, 311
General R. E. Lee, 312
The Wreck of the Maine, 316
Admiral Dewey, 318
President MCKinley, 319
"Escolta," Manila's Main Street, 320
LIST OF MAPS
PAGE
Places of Interest in Connection with Columbus's Earlier Life, 3
The First Voyage of Columbus, and Places of Interest in
Connection with his Later Voyages, 11
Routes Traversed by De Soto and De Leon, 27
Cabot's Route. Land Discovered by him Darkened, 33
Section where Raleigh's various Colonies were Located, 37
Jamestown and the Surrounding Country, 48
The Pilgrims in England and Holland, 67
The Pilgrim Settlement, 72
The Rhode Island Settlement, 88
The Pennsylvania Settlement, 97
Map Showing Routes of Cartier, Champlain, and La Salle, also
French and English Possessions at the Time of the Last
French War, 107
The English Colonies and the French Claims in 1754, 121
The French in the Ohio Valley, 123
Quebec and Surroundings, 138
Paul Revere's Ride, 167
Franklin's Journey from New York to Philadelphia, 178
Map Illustrating the Battle of Long Island, 196
Map Illustrating the Struggle for the Hudson River and the
Middle States, 201
Map Showing the War in the South, 213
The Kentucky Settlement, 223
Map of Louisiana Purchase: also United States in 1803, 242
Map Illustrating Two of Andrew Jackson's Campaigns, 258
Map of the United States showing the Southern Confederacy,
the Slave States that did not Secede, and the Territories, 297
Map Illustrating Campaigns in the West in 1862-63, 307
The United States Coast and the West Indies, 315
Portion of the Coast of China and the Philippine Islands, 325
CHAPTER I
Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of America
[1436-1506]
[Illustration: Christopher Columbus.]
From very early times there existed overland routes of trade between
Europe and Asia. During the Middle Ages traffic over these routes
greatly increased, so that by the fifteenth century a large and
profitable trade was carried on between the West and the East. Merchants
in Western Europe grew rich through trade in the silks, spices, and
precious stones that were brought by caravan and ship from India, China,
and Japan. But in 1453 the Turks conquered Constantinople, and by
frequent attacks upon Christian vessels in the Mediterranean made the
old routes unsafe. A more practicable one became necessary.
Already in the early part of the fifteenth century Portuguese
sea-captains had skirted the western coast of Africa, and by the close
of the century others of their number had rounded the Cape of Good Hope,
in their search for a water route to the Indies. But Spain, at that
time the most powerful nation of Europe, adopted a plan quite different
from that of the Portuguese. What this plan was and how it was carried
out, we can best understand by an acquaintance with the life and work of
the great sea-captain and navigator, Christopher Columbus.
More than four hundred and fifty years ago there lived in the city of
Genoa a poor workingman, who made his living by preparing wool for the
spinners. Of his four sons, the eldest was Christopher, born in 1436.
Young Christopher was not, so far as we know, very different from most
other boys in Genoa. He doubtless joined in their every-day sports,
going with them to see the many vessels that sailed in and out of that
famous sea-port, and listening for hours to the stories of sailors about
distant lands.
But he did not spend all his time in playing and visiting the wharves,
for we know that he learned his father's trade, and in school studied,
among other things, reading, arithmetic, grammar, geography, and
map-drawing. We can easily believe that he liked geography best of all,
since it would carry his imagination far out over the sea and to lands
beyond the sea. In map-drawing he acquired such skill that when he
became a man he could earn his living, when occasion demanded, by making
maps and charts.
Beyond these facts little is known about the boyhood and youth of
Columbus. Very likely much of his early life was spent upon the sea,
sailing on the Mediterranean and along the west coast of Africa. Once
he went as far north as England and perhaps even farther, but of this we
are not certain.
In the course of many voyages he heard much of the work done by
Portuguese sailors and discoverers, for Portugal was at that time one of
the greatest sea-powers of the world. As Lisbon, the capital of
Portugal, was naturally a centre for sea-faring men, and as it was also
the home of his brother Bartholomew, Columbus, at the age of about
thirty-five, went there to live.
[Illustration: Places of Interest in Connection with Columbus's Earlier
Life.]
Columbus was a man of commanding presence. He was large, tall, and
dignified in bearing, with a ruddy complexion and piercing blue-gray
eyes. By the time he was thirty his hair had become white, and fell in
wavy locks about his shoulders. Although his life of hardship and
poverty compelled him to be plain and simple in food and dress, he
always had the air of a gentleman, and his manners were pleasing and
courteous. But he had a strong will, which overcame difficulties that
would have overwhelmed most men.
While at Lisbon, Columbus married a woman far above him in social
position, and went with her to live on a little island of the Madeiras,
where her family had business interests. Meanwhile he was turning over
in his mind schemes for a future voyage to the countries of the Far
East. His native city, Genoa, had grown rich in trading in the silks,
spices, and precious stones of the Indies, but the journey overland was
dangerous, and a water route was much desired.
This need the Portuguese had felt along with the rest of Europe, and for
a long time Portuguese sea-captains had been slowly but surely finding
their way down the west coast of Africa, in search of a passage around
the southern cape. This route would be easier and cheaper than the old
one through the Mediterranean and across Asia. But Columbus thought out
a more daring course, by which he planned to sail directly west from the
Canary Islands, across the Atlantic Ocean, expecting at the end of his
voyage to find the far-famed Indies.
Columbus was so full of his plan that it became the great thought of his
life. A water route which would safely bring the wealth of the East to
the doors of Europe would be the greatest discovery of the age.
Moreover, his ambition was spurred by the thrilling account of a noted
traveller, Marco Polo, who two centuries before had brought back from
far-off China wonderful tales of golden palaces, of marvellous rivers
crossed by marble bridges, and of countless treasures of gold, silver,
and jewels.
About 1484 Columbus laid his scheme before King John of Portugal. The
king would not promise his assistance, but he borrowed hints from the
charts of Columbus, and sent men of his own to learn whether they could
reach land by sailing west. Meeting with stormy weather, and fearing the
unknown expanse of ocean, the sailors soon put back to port, and brought
word that there was no land to be seen.
When Columbus heard what the king had done he was very indignant, and at
once quitted Portugal for Spain. The future appeared gloomy enough to
the poor navigator without a helping friend. With bitter memories he
shook off the dust of Lisbon, and, leading by the hand his little son
Diego, four or five years old, trudged wearily on his journey. Columbus
took Diego to the home of the boy's aunt, who lived not far from Palos,
and, leaving him in her care, went in search of the king and queen of
Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella.
The king and queen were at that time so much occupied in driving the
Moors out of Spain that Columbus found difficulty in securing a hearing.
When at last he was permitted to unfold his plans to a council of
learned men they ridiculed him, because, forsooth, he said that the
world was round like a globe,[1] and people lived on the opposite side
of the earth. "Such a thing," they declared, "is absurd, for if people
live on the other side of the earth their heads must be down. Then, too,
if it rains there the rain falls upward; and trees, if they grow there,
must grow upside down."
[1] The belief that the world was round was by no means new,
as learned men before Columbus's day had reached the same
conclusion. But only a comparatively small number of people
held such a view of the shape of the earth.
Some of the learned men, however, agreed with Columbus, and thought the
carrying out of his plan by the aid of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
would bring honor and countless wealth to Spain. But their authority was
not sufficient to affect those who believed Columbus to be a crazy
dreamer or a worthless adventurer.
Month after month, year after year, Columbus cherished his ambitious
scheme, encouraged by the few friends who were ready to use their
influence for him. He followed the king and queen from place to place,
as they moved their camp in the course of the war, and he sometimes
fought bravely in the Spanish army. But in face of scorn and ridicule he
never gave up hope of success. These were days of great trial, when even
the boys in the streets tapped their foreheads as he passed by, and
pointed their fingers at him with a peculiar smile.
[Illustration: THE SANTA MARIA.]
In the autumn of 1491 Columbus made up his mind to leave Spain and try
his fortune in France. So he went to the home of Diego's aunt, and once
more taking his boy with him, started on foot out of the country which
had so little befriended him. We can easily picture him, pale and
wayworn, his clothes threadbare, his long white hair streaming over his
shoulders. The travellers had gone but a short distance when they
stopped at the gate of the Convent of St. Mary, which was only a mile
and a half from Palos, to beg bread and water for the boy. At this
moment the good prior of the convent happened to pass by. He was a man
of learning and, on conversing with Columbus, became much interested in
his story, and arranged a meeting of other learned men, among them the
well-known sea-captain, Martin Alonzo Pinzon, who lived in Palos. The
plans of Columbus appealed so strongly to this sea-captain that he
promised not only to furnish money for an expedition, but to accompany
it himself.
[Illustration: The Nina.]
Moreover, the prior, who had been father-confessor to Isabella, won her
over to the sailor's cause. The queen sent what would now be nearly
$1,200[2] to Columbus, and summoned him back to Court. Supplying himself
with a mule and suitable clothing, Columbus, with lightened heart,
sought the queen's presence. She approved his plan, but Columbus
demanded so great a reward for his services as leader of the expedition
that the queen refused to come to any agreement with him, and let him
go.
[2] The sum sent was 20,000 maravedis of Spanish money.
Columbus in disgust mounted his mule, and started once more for France.
At this juncture, however, one of the queen's advisers hurried into her
presence, and put the case so earnestly that she sent a swift courier,
who overtook Columbus in a mountain pass not far away, and brought him
back. An agreement was soon reached, and Columbus accepted his
commission with tears of joy.
[Illustration: The Pinta.]
He at once went to Palos to get men and vessels for the expedition. But
here he met with serious difficulties. Sailors called the Atlantic Ocean
the Sea of Darkness, and believed that it contained frightful
sea-monsters, ready to dash in pieces all vessels that might come within
reach. Moreover, we must remember that the vessels in those days were
not safe against storms like the great ships of our day. To venture out
upon this trackless sea signified to sailors almost certain death.
Hence, they were unwilling to sail, and a royal decree had to be issued
to compel them. Even then it became necessary to release criminals from
prisons to supply the number required for the expedition.
The three caravels that were at length got ready for the perilous
expedition westward in search of the Indies were not larger than many of
the fishing-boats of to-day. The largest of the three--the flagship of
Columbus--was called the Santa Maria. The other two were the Pinta and
the Nina ("Baby"). The Santa Maria alone had a deck covering the entire
hold of the vessel.
At last all was ready, and a half-hour before sunrise on Friday morning,
August 3, 1492, this little fleet, with one hundred and twenty men and
provisions for a year, sailed out of the port of Palos. It was a
sorrowful hour for the poor sailors, who felt that they had looked upon
their homes and their friends for the last time. Columbus steered for
the Canaries, where he delayed three weeks to repair the rudder of the
Pinta.
On September 6th he set sail again. When once out of sight of land the
sailors, overcome with fear, cried and sobbed like children. But new
trials awaited them. At the end of a week the compass needle no longer
pointed to the North Star, and this strange fact filled the
superstitious sailors with alarm.
Great was their consternation when a few days later the vessels entered
vast stretches of sea-weed. At first the little fleet easily ploughed
its way through this mass of floating green, but at the end of three
days, on account of a light wind, the vessels moved more slowly. In
their dismay the sailors feared that the vessels might never get
through this immense sea of grass, but might have to lie there and rot,
or, perhaps, escaping this danger, run upon rocks and shoals lying just
beneath the grass and be broken in pieces. Though they were in the midst
of obstacles apparently insurmountable, they were also in the path of
the trade winds that steadily bore them onward. But in their terror, the
sailors imagined they could never return because the wind would not
allow them to sail in the opposite direction. When the wind began to
blow from the southwest they were once more relieved of their fears.
[Illustration: The First Voyage of Columbus, and places of interest in
connection with his Later Voyages.]
After many days all hearts were gladdened by the sight of birds, which
indicated that land was near. It was an idle hope. Again and again some
eager-eyed sailor shouted "land," but found later that he was looking at
distant clouds.
The crews were in despair. Now in the belt of trade-winds that were
steadily blowing them farther and farther from home and friends they
cried in dismay: "We can never return to Spain. We are lost! What shall
we do?" They begged Columbus to turn back. They became angry when he
refused, and declared he was crazy and was leading them all to
destruction. They even plotted to throw him overboard some night and say
that he fell into the sea while looking at the stars. Columbus felt that
dangers were growing thick about him, but he never faltered in his
purpose. His strong will and his abiding faith in success kept him
stanch in face of difficulties that would have caused an ordinary mind
to give way.
On October 11th unmistakable signs of land appeared. A thorn branch with
berries on it, a reed, and a carved stick came floating by. New life
stirred in every heart, and the sailors looked eagerly in every
direction for land.
The king and queen had promised a reward equal to nearly $600 of our
present money to the sailor who should be the first to see land.
Columbus had promised in addition a velvet cloak. Accordingly, all were
on the alert to catch the first glimpse of land, and kept on the watch
during the entire night after the appearance of the thorn-branch and
carved stick.
About ten o'clock Columbus himself saw in the distance a light, which
looked like a torch in the hands of some one moving along the shore.
About two o'clock next morning, Friday, October 12th--or October 21st,
according to our present method of reckoning time--a sailor on the Pinta
saw, about five miles off, a low strip of land. This was an island of
the Bahama Group. Just ten weeks had elapsed since the voyage began at
Palos, and with intense eagerness Columbus and his men awaited the
coming of daylight.
[Illustration: The Triumphal Return of Columbus to Spain.]
At dawn the boats were lowered, and all went on shore. Columbus,
dressed in a rich robe of scarlet, carried the royal standard. His
followers also bore banners, on each of which was a brilliant green
cross with the letters F. and Y.--the Spanish initials for Ferdinand and
Isabella--on each side. Above the letters were crosses. Columbus threw
himself, kneeling, upon the ground. He wept for joy, and, kissing the
earth, took possession of the land in the name of the king and queen of
Spain. The sailors now fell upon their knees at Columbus's feet. They
kissed his hands, and begged him to forgive them for their evil thoughts
toward him.
At first the natives, whom Columbus called Indians because he thought he
was in the East Indies, fled to the woods in fear of the Spaniards; but
later they returned and worshipped the white men as beings from the sky.
They thought the vessels were great birds and the sails wings. The
Spaniards at once began to trade with the Indians, giving them such
trifles as tiny bells, red caps, and glass beads, in exchange for tame
parrots, cotton yarn, and a few small ornaments of gold, such as the
natives wore in their noses.
According to the interesting description of the natives that Columbus
wrote in his journal, they were very poor, dark-skinned, and naked. All
of them seemed to be young and of strong build, with coarse black hair
hanging long behind, but cut short over their foreheads. Their bodies
were painted with various colors and in all manner of ways. The men
carried sticks, pointed with fish-bones, for javelins, and moved their
canoes with paddles that looked like wooden shovels.
The canoes, made out of single trunks of trees, were in some cases large
enough to carry forty men. The dwellings, which were clustered together
in groups of twelve to fifteen, were shaped like tents and had high
chimneys. Inside the tents, hanging between posts, were nets used as
beds and called "hammocks."
Columbus called the island upon which he had landed San Salvador (Holy
Saviour). He wrote of the new country: "I know not where first to go,
nor are my eyes ever weary of gazing at the beautiful verdure. The
singing of the birds is such that it seems as if one would never desire
to depart hence. There are flocks of parrots that obscure the sun, and
other birds of many kinds, large and small, entirely different from
ours; trees, also, of a thousand species, each having its particular
fruit, and all of marvellous flavor."
Columbus sailed along the coast of Cuba and Hayti, landing here and
there, and sent parties inland to find out what they could about the
land and its people. Everywhere he was on the lookout for the cities of
Asia--those wonderful cities of wealth and beauty described in such
glowing colors by Marco Polo. He never doubted that he was in the land
he had sought,--the East Indies.
On Christmas morning (December 25, 1492), while it was still dark, as he
was cruising along the shores of Hayti (or Hispaniola), the Santa Maria
went aground on a sand-bar, where the waves soon knocked her to pieces.
As the Pinta had already deserted, there now remained but one ship, the
Nina. This little vessel was too small to accommodate all the men, and
forty of the number, wishing to stay where they were, decided to build a
fort out of the timbers of the wrecked vessel and put her guns in the
fort for their defence. These men had provisions for a year, and
constituted the first Spanish colony in the New World.
On January 4, 1493, the Nina sailed for Spain. All went well with the
sailors until February 12th, when a great storm suddenly threatened to
break the frail vessel into pieces. Poor Columbus! His heart grew faint
within him. Had he and his men endured such peril and hardship to perish
unknown in the sea? Would the world never know of their great
achievement?
In his anxiety he wrote on parchment two separate accounts of his
discovery, which he sealed and addressed to Ferdinand and Isabella. He
then wrapped each in a cloth and, enclosing them in large cakes of wax,
put them into barrels. One of these barrels he flung into the sea, and
the other he kept on deck. The Nina passed safely through the storm,
however, and on March 15th, after an absence of nearly seven and a half
months, cast anchor in the harbor of Palos.
The successful voyager lost no time in reaching Barcelona, where he was
received by the king and queen with triumphal honors. Everybody was
ready to praise the man who had become so famous. There was a great
procession in his honor in the streets of Barcelona. Leading this street
parade were six Indians whom Columbus had brought back with him. These
were smeared with paint, decked with feathers of tropical birds, and
ornamented with bits of gold. Following them came men carrying stuffed
and live birds of brilliant plumage, and the skins of different animals,
all products of the New Land. Columbus rode on horseback, attended by
many of Spain's great men, mounted on horses.
When the procession reached the house in which King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella were, Columbus went into the room where they sat on the throne.
They did him the honor to rise as he entered, and when he knelt to kiss
their hands, they again honored him, by bidding him rise and sit, like
an equal, in their presence.
The poor sailor, once despised as an idle dreamer, had become a
distinguished personage, honored alike by kings and princes and people.
It was no longer necessary to force men by royal decree to sail with the
great admiral. Many were now eager to go where they might reap wealth
and honor.
In September, 1493, Columbus again sailed, this time with a fleet of
seventeen vessels and fifteen hundred men. Many of the latter were young
men of noble birth, and belonged to families of wide influence. All
supposed they were going to the East Indies, the land of jewels and
spices and precious metals. With the purpose of founding a colony,
Columbus took with him not only horses, mules, and cattle, but vines,
vegetables, and seeds of many kinds.
When the fleet reached the island of Hayti, and the place where he had
in the previous winter left the little colony of forty men, he found
that the fort and provisions had been destroyed, and that eleven corpses
had been buried near by; but not one of the forty men was ever again
seen alive. After building a little town, called Isabella in honor of
the queen, Columbus began exploring by land and sea. He found much that
was beautiful and interesting, but much more that was disappointing.
Moreover, the Indians were sometimes unfriendly, and his own men were
often unruly and treacherous. At length, after four years of varying
fortune, he started home, and after a long, hard voyage, during which
provisions gave out, he and his men, weak with hunger, finally reached
Spain in June. He was kindly received, and was promised more ships for
another voyage.
In May, 1498, with six vessels and two hundred men besides the sailors,
Columbus started on a third voyage, this time directing his course more
to the south than he had done before. He landed on an island which he
named Trinidad, and then sailed along the northern coast of South
America.
He was not well, however, and in August turned his course for Santo
Domingo, where he found things were going badly. Trouble with the
Indians had arisen, and even more serious trouble in the colony itself
had broken out. For two years Columbus struggled to set things right.
But he was not successful as a colonizer. Besides, many people were
beginning to lose faith in him because he did not get expected treasures
for Spain. Many others were jealous of his fame, and plotted to ruin
him. At length an official was sent from Spain to Hayti to look into the
situation. When he reached the island he confiscated Columbus's
property, put him in chains, and sent him as a prisoner to the country
from which he had but recently sailed with high honor.
In Spain the people were in sympathy with the admiral in his disgrace;
so too was the queen, who sent money and summoned him to court. She
received him there with tears in her eyes, and he broke down and wept at
her feet.
In 1502 Columbus started on a fourth voyage, sailing along the eastern
coast of Central America. But he was not able to accomplish much, and
finally suffered shipwreck on the island of Jamaica, where he spent a
year of misery. At last he set out for home, arriving there only a short
time before Queen Isabella, his only protector, died.
Poor, sick, and discouraged, Columbus dragged out a weary life for
eighteen months longer. He died in Spain of a broken heart, May 20,
1506, in utter ignorance of the greatness of his discovery. So little
appreciated was he that the city annals make no mention of his death. It
remained for succeeding generations to lift his name from obscurity and
to give faithful acknowledgment of his achievements in the advance of
human progress.
[Illustration: An Indian Stone Maul.]
REVIEW OUTLINE
THE DESIRE FOR A WATER ROUTE BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE INDIES.
THE TURKS CONQUER CONSTANTINOPLE.
THE PORTUGUESE ROUND THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.
HE GOES TO LISBON.
HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER.
TRADE WITH THE FAR EAST.
A WATER ROUTE TO THE INDIES.
MARCO POLO'S STORIES OF THE FAR EAST.
KING JOHN TAKES ADVANTAGE OF COLUMBUS.
COLUMBUS GOES TO SPAIN.
THE WISE MEN RIDICULE HIM AS A CRAZY DREAMER.
AT THE CONVENT OF ST. MARY; THE PRIOR AND THE SEA-CAPTAIN.
QUEEN ISABELLA GIVES COLUMBUS A HEARING.
THE SAILORS' FEARS; THE LITTLE FLEET.
COLUMBUS SETS SAIL AT LAST.
NEW TRIALS FALL UPON HIM.
THE SAILORS IN DESPAIR; COLUMBUS IN DANGER.
THE GREAT DISCOVERY.
COLUMBUS LANDS.
THE PEOPLE COLUMBUS FOUND.
THE NEW COUNTRY.
COLUMBUS EXPLORES THE NEW COUNTRY.
THE FIRST SPANISH COLONY IN THE NEW WORLD.
BACK TO SPAIN.
HONORS SHOWERED UPON COLUMBUS.
HE SAILS ON HIS SECOND VOYAGE.
HE FINDS MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS AND HARDSHIPS.
HE MAKES OTHER VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES.
HE DIES OF A BROKEN HEART.
TO THE PUPIL.
1. Find on the map all the countries and places named in this
chapter, and trace the first voyage of Columbus.
2. Can you picture to yourself the following: Columbus and Diego
on the road together; Columbus, mounted on a mule, on his way to
France; the landing of Columbus on reaching San Salvador; and the
street parade in Barcelona?
3. Using the topics in the book, write from memory the account of
the first voyage.
4. Select as many words in this chapter as you can telling what
kind of man Columbus was. What do you admire in his character?
5. What was Columbus trying to do? Why? What great thing did he
do? When?