subjects, on which he is an authority. His most noted work is 71
color plates of uniforms of the U. S. Army, 1775-1906. He made the
original cartoons for the Washington memorial window in the Valley
Forge memorial. He is the author and illustrator of_ The Boys Book
of Famous Regiments; Our Flag and Our Songs; The Voyage of the
Mayflower; Our Army for Our Boys _(joint author); and numerous
magazine articles of a historical nature._
=The ordinary magazine article, lacking the personal note, is not an
essay. As a rule, such an article endeavors to present a subject in
its entirety, to follow a strictly logical order, and to avoid any
expression of personal reaction on the part of the writer.=
=Some magazine articles, however, are written in such an easy,
chatty style, without any hint of attempt to cover a subject either
completely or logically, that they approach the essay form.=
=_Washington on Horseback_ is an article that closely resembles an
essay. It is discursive, anecdotal, wandering and is much like a
pleasant talk about Washington and his love of horses. Although the
writer keeps himself entirely behind the scenes it is evident that
he is a man who admires horses as well as manliness and courage.=
“The best horseman of his age, and the most graceful figure that
could be seen on horseback,” was Thomas Jefferson's opinion of his
great fellow-Virginian, George Washington. From his early boyhood, a
passionate fondness for the horse was a strong and lasting trait of our
foremost American.
When a little boy of eight, he was given his first riding-lessons on
his pony Hero by Uncle Ben, an old servant (perhaps a slave) of his
father's.
On one occasion, when under the paternal eye, he tried over and over
again to leap his pony. When he finally succeeded in doing so, both
rider and pony fell; but jumping up, the boy was quickly in the saddle
again, his father, a masterful man who hated defeat, exclaiming, “That
was ill ridden; try it again!” This happening near their home, his
mother rushed out, greatly alarmed, and begged them to stop. Finding
her entreaties were unheeded, she returned to the house protesting that
her boy would “surely be murdered!” And during all of her long life
this dread of the dangers her son incurred was one of her striking
characteristics.
This early training in riding, however, was greatly to the boy's
advantage; for his satisfaction in conquering horses and training them
made him a fine horseman and prepared him for the coming years when he
was to be so much in the saddle.
A notable instance of early intrepidity in the tall and athletic boy,
in his early teens, in mastering a wild, unmanageable colt is related
by G. W. P. Custis,[52] Washington's adopted son. The story goes that
this colt, a thoroughbred sorrel, was a favorite of Washington's
mother, her husband having been much attached to him. Of a vicious
nature, no one had thus far ventured to ride him; so before breakfast
one morning, George, aided by some of his companions, corraled the
animal and succeeded in getting bit and bridle in place.
Leaping on his back, the venturesome youth was soon tearing around the
enclosure at breakneck speed, keeping his seat firmly and managing his
mount with a skill that surprised and relieved the fears of the other
boys. An unlooked-for end to the struggle came, however, when, with a
mighty effort, the horse reared and plunged with such violence that he
burst a blood-vessel and in a moment was dead.
Looking at the fallen steed, the boys asked “What's to be done? Who
will tell the tale?” The answer soon had to be given; for when they
went in to the morning meal, Mrs. Washington asked if they had seen her
favorite horse. Noting their embarrassment, she repeated the question;
when George spoke up and told the whole story of the misadventure.
“George, I forgive you, because you have had the courage to tell the
truth at once,” was her characteristic reply.
Upon their father's death, his accomplished brother Lawrence took an
active interest in George's education and development. The boy had
taken a strong hold on Lawrence's affection, which the younger brother
returned by a devoted attachment. Among other accomplishments, George
was encouraged to perfect his horsemanship by the promise of a horse,
together with some riding clothes from London--especially a red coat
and a pair of spurs, sure to appeal to the spirit and daring of the
youth.
His first hunting venture, as told by Dr. Weir Mitchell[53] in “The
Youth of Washington,” occurred on a Saturday morning,--a school
holiday even in those days,--when, there being none to hinder, George
having persuaded an old groom to saddle a hunter, he galloped off to
a fox-hunting “meet” four miles away. Greatly amused, the assembled
huntsmen asked if he could stay on, and if the horse knew he had a
rider? To which George replied that the big sorrel he rode knew his
business; and he was in at the kill of two foxes. On the way back
the horse went lame, and on arriving at the stable the rider saw an
overseer about to punish Sampson, the groom, for letting the boy take
a horse that was about to be sold. He quickly dismounted and snatched
the whip from the overseer's hand, exclaiming that he was to blame and
should be whipped first. The man answered that his mother would decide
what to do; but the boy never heard of the matter again. The anger he
showed on this occasion caused old Sampson to admonish him never to
“get angry with a horse.”
When about sixteen, George lived a great part of the time at Mount
Vernon, Lawrence's home, where he made many friends among the “Old
Dominion” gentry, the most prominent of them being Thomas, Lord
Fairfax, an eccentric old bachelor, residing with his kindred at
Belvoir, an adjoining estate on the Potomac. As this had been the
home of Anne Fairfax, Lawrence's wife, the brothers were ever welcome
guests. Attracted to each other by the fact that both were bold and
skilful riders and by their love of horses, a lifelong friendship was
formed between the tall Virginian, a stripling in his teens, and the
elderly English nobleman, and many a hard ride they took together, with
a pack of hounds, over the rough country, chasing the gray foxes of
that locality.
Settled at Mount Vernon, in the years following his marriage and up
to the beginning of the War for Independence, Washington found great
pleasure in his active, out-of-door life, his greatest amusement being
the hunt, which gratified to the full his fondness for horses and dogs.
His stables were full, numbering at one time one hundred and forty
horses, among them some of the finest animals in Virginia. Magnolia,
an Arabian, was a favorite riding-horse; while Chinkling, Valiant,
Ajax, and Blue-skin were also high-bred hunters. His pack of hounds was
splendidly trained, and “meets” were held three times a week in the
hunting season.
After breakfasting by candle-light, a start was made at daybreak.
Splendidly mounted, and dressed in a blue coat, scarlet vest, buckskin
breeches, and velvet cap, and in the lead,--for it was Washington's
habit to stay close up with the hounds,--the excitement of the chase
possessed a strong fascination for him.
These hunting parties are mentioned in many brief entries in his
diaries. In 1768, he writes: “Mr. Bryan Fairfax, Mr. Grayson, and Phil
Alexander came home by sunrise. Hunted and catched a fox with these:
Lord Fairfax, his brother, and Colonel Fairfax and his brother; all of
whom with Mr. Fairfax and Mr. Wilson of England dined here.” Again, on
November 26 and 29: “Hunted again with the same party.” 1768,--January
8: “Hunting again with the same company--started a fox and run him four
hours.” Thus we learn from his own pen how frequently this manly sport,
that kept him young and strong, was followed by the boldest rider in
all Virginia.
A seven-years absence during the war caused the hunting establishment
of Mount Vernon to run down considerably; but on returning in 1783,
after peace came, the sport was renewed vigorously for a time.
Blue-skin, an iron-gray horse of great endurance in a long run, was
the general's favorite mount during those days. With Billy Lee, the
huntsman, blowing the big French horn, a present from Lafayette,--the
fox was chased at full speed over the rough fields and through such
tangled woods and thickets as would greatly astonish the huntsmen of
to-day.
What with private affairs, official visits, and the crowd of guests at
his home, Washington felt obliged to give up this sport he so loved,
for his last hunt with the hounds is said to have been in 1785.
To return to his youthful days. At sixteen he was commissioned to
survey Lord Fairfax's vast estates, and soon after was appointed
a public surveyor. The three years of rough toil necessitated by
his calling were spent continually in the saddle. Those youthful
surveys, being made with George's characteristic thoroughness, stand
unquestioned to this day.
The beginning of his active military career started with a long,
difficult journey of five hundred miles to the French fort on the Ohio,
most of which was made in the saddle. It was hard traveling for the
young adjutant general of twenty-one accompanied by a small escort.
On the return journey, the horses were abandoned, and it was when
traveling on foot that his miraculous escapes from a shot fired by a
treacherous Indian guide and from drowning, occurred.
When, in 1755, the British expedition against the French fort on
the Monongahela, commanded by General Braddock, started out from
Alexandria, Washington, acting as one of the general's aides, was
too ill to start with it; but when the day of action came, the day
that the French and Indians ambushed the “red-coats,” the young
Virginia colonel, although still weak, rode everywhere on the field of
slaughter, striving to rally the panic-stricken regulars; and although
two horses had been shot under him, he was the only mounted officer
left at the end of the fight.
On the occasion of Washington's first visit to Philadelphia, New
York, and Boston, in 1756, he rode the whole distance, with two aides
and servants, to confer with Governor Shirley of Massachusetts and
settle with him the question of his army rank. He was appropriately
equipped for his mission, and the description of the little cavalcade
is very striking. Washington, in full uniform of a Virginia colonel, a
white-and-scarlet cloak, sword-knot of red and gold, his London-made
holsters and saddle-cloth trimmed with his livery “lace” and the
Washington arms, his aides also in uniform, with the servants in their
white-and-scarlet liveries, their cocked hats edged with silver,
bringing up the rear, attracted universal notice. Everywhere he was
received with enthusiasm, his fame having gone before him. Dined
and fêted in Philadelphia and New York, he spent ten days with the
hospitable royal governor of Massachusetts. The whole journey was a
success, bringing him, as it did, in contact with new scenes and people.
It seems noteworthy that in accounts of the campaigns and battles of
the Revolution such frequent mention is made of the commander-in-chief
on horseback. From the time he rode from Philadelphia to take command
of the army at Cambridge, in 1775, down to the capitulation of Yorktown
in 1783, his horses were an important factor in his campaigns. Among
many such incidents, a notable one is that which occurred when, after
the defeat of the Americans at Brooklyn and their retreat across the
river to New York, Washington in his report to Congress wrote: “Our
passage across the East River was effected yesterday morning; and for
forty-eight hours preceding that I had hardly been off my horse and
never closed my eyes.” He was, in fact, the last to leave, remaining
until all his troops had been safely ferried across.
An all-night ride to Princeton, in bitter cold, over frozen roads, and,
when day dawned, riding fearlessly over the field to rally his men,
reining in his charger within thirty yards of the enemy, forms another
well-known incident.
At the battle of Brandywine an old farmer was pressed into service to
lead the way to where the battle was raging, and he relates that as his
horse took the fences Washington was continually at his side, saying
repeatedly: “Push along, old man; push along!” Shortly after the
defeat at Brandywine, General Howe's advance regiments were attacked
at Germantown; and here, as at Princeton, Washington, in spite of the
protests of his officers, rode recklessly to the front when things were
going wrong.
After the hard winter at Valley Forge, and when in June of 1778 the
British abandoned Philadelphia he took up the march to Sandy Hook,
Washington resolved to attack them on their route. On crossing the
Delaware in pursuit of the enemy, Governor William Livingston of New
Jersey presented to the commander-in-chief a splendid white horse, upon
which he hastened to the battle-field of Monmouth.
Mr. Custis in his “Recollections of Washington,” states that on the
morning of the twenty-eighth of June, he rode, and _for that time only_
during the war, a white charger. Galloping forward, he met General
Charles Lee,[54] with the advanced guard, falling back in confusion.
Indignant at the disobedience of his orders, Washington expressed his
wrath in peremptory language, Lee being ordered to the rear. Riding
back and forth through the fire of the enemy, animating his soldiers,
and recalling them to their duty he reformed the lines and turned the
battle tide by his vigorous measures. From the overpowering heat of
the day, and the deep and sandy soil, his spirited white horse sank
under him and expired. A chestnut mare, of Arabian stock, was quickly
mounted, this beautiful animal being ridden through the rest of the
battle. Lafayette, always an ardent admirer of Washington, told in
later years of Monmouth, where he had commanded a division, and how his
beloved chief, splendidly mounted, cheered on his men. “I thought then
as now,” said the enthusiastic Frenchman, “that never had I beheld so
superb a man.”
Of all his numerous war-horses, the greatest favorite was Nelson--a
large, light sorrel, with white face and legs, named after the patriot
governor of Virginia. In many battles,--often under fire,--Nelson had
carried his great master and was the favored steed at the crowning
event of the war--the capitulation of Yorktown.
Living to a good old age, and never ridden after Washington ceased
to mount him, the veteran charger was well taken care of, grazing in
a paddock through the summers. And often, as the retired general and
President made the rounds of his fields, the old war-horse would run
neighing to the fence, to be caressed by the hand of his former master.
During the eight years of his Presidency, Washington frequently took
exercise on horseback, his stables containing at that time as many as
ten coach- and saddle-horses.
When in Philadelphia, then the seat of government, the President owned
two pure white saddle-horses, named Prescott and Jackson, the former
being a splendid animal, which, while accustomed to cannon-fire, waving
flags, or martial music, had a bad habit of dancing about and shying
when a coach, especially one containing ladies, would stop to greet the
President. The other white horse, Jackson, was an Arab, with flowing
mane and tail, but, being an impetuous and fretful animal, he was not a
favorite.
A celebrated riding-teacher used to say that he loved “to see the
general ride; his seat is so firm, his management of his mount so easy
and graceful, that I, who am a professor of horsemanship, would go to
him and _learn to ride_.”
Since his early boyhood, the only recorded fall from a horse that
Washington had was once on his return to Mount Vernon from Alexandria.
His horse on this occasion, while an easy-gaited one, was scary. When
Washington was about to mount and rise in the stirrup, the animal,
alarmed by the glare of a fire by the roadside, sprang from under his
rider, who fell heavily to the ground. Fearing that he was hurt, his
companions rushed to his assistance, but the vigorous old gentleman,
getting quickly on his feet, assured them that, though his tumble was
complete, he was unhurt. Having been only poised in his stirrup and not
yet in the saddle, he had a fall no horseman could prevent when a scary
animal sprang from under him. Vicious propensities in horses never
troubled Washington; he only required them to go along.
An amusing anecdote is told of one of Washington's secretaries,
Colonel David Humphreys. The colonel was a lively companion and a
great favorite, and on one of their rides together he challenged his
chief to jump a hedge. Always ready to accept a challenge of this
sort, Washington told him to “go ahead,” whereupon Humphreys cleared
the hedge, but landed in the ditch on the other side up to his
saddle-girth. Riding up and smiling at his mud-bespattered friend,
Washington observed, “Ah, Colonel, you are too deep for me!”
On the Mount Vernon estates, during the years of retirement from all
public office, his rides of inspection were from twelve to fourteen
miles a day, usually at a moderate pace; but being the most punctual
of men, he would, if delayed, display the horsemanship of earlier days
by a hard gallop so as to be in time for the first dinner-bell at a
quarter of three.
A last glimpse of this great man in the saddle, is as an old gentleman,
in plain drab clothes, a broad-brimmed white hat, carrying a hickory
switch, with a long-handled umbrella hung at his saddle-bow--such was
the description given of him by Mr. Custis to an elderly inquirer who
was in search of the general on a matter of business.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS
1. What is the effect of the opening quotation?
2. Point out all the ways in which the article resembles an essay.
3. Show that the article does not follow a strictly logical plan.
4. Show in what respects the article differs from ordinary magazine
articles.
5. What characterizes the style of the article?
6. How does the writer make the article interesting?
7. What hints of the writer's personality does the article give?
8. What does the article say concerning the character of
Washington?
9. Summarize what is said concerning Washington as a horseman.
10. How much is said about the biography of Washington?
SUBJECTS FOR WRITTEN IMITATION
1. U. S. Grant as a Horseman 11. William Morris as a
Workman
2. Alexander the Great 12. Charles Dickens as
as a Horseman a Humanitarian
3. Napoleon as a Horseman 13. Shakespeare as a Punster
Story Teller
4. Abraham Lincoln as a 14. Milton as a Husband
5. Longfellow as a Lover of 15. Robert Louis Stevenson
Children as a Traveler
6. Ralph Waldo Emerson as a 16. Samuel Johnson
Neighbor as a Friend
7. Henry David Thoreau 17. Jack London as a Wanderer
as an Explorer
8. Benjamin Franklin as an 18. Theodore Roosevelt
Originator as a Fighter
9. Charles Lamb as a Brother 19. Mark Twain as a Humorist
10. Queen Elizabeth as a Woman 20. Edison as an Inventor
[Illustration: =Colonel Humphreys landed in the ditch.=] (_page 116_)
DIRECTIONS FOR WRITING
Select both a subject and a theme in which you are interested. Take
your note-book and consult encyclopedias, histories, and books of
biography, noting down everything that has relation to your particular
subject and theme. Hunt especially for interesting anecdotes; if they
are humorous,--so much the better.
You will do well to introduce your article with an appropriate
quotation. Make your writing as conversational and as anecdotal as
possible. Don't be in the least bit encyclopedic. Be gossipy.
FOOTNOTES:
[52] George Washington Parke Custis (1781-1857). The adopted son of
George Washington.
[53] Dr. S. Weir Mitchell (1829-1914). An American physician and
novelist. His novel, _Hugh Wynne_, concerns the life of Washington.
[54] General Charles Lee (1731-1782). An American Revolutionary General
court-martialed for disobedience at the battle of Monmouth, 1778.
THE HISTORICAL STORY
HAVELOK THE DANE
By GEORGE PHILIP KRAPP
_(1872--). Professor of English in Columbia University. He is
a member of many scholarly societies, and has written much on
English. Among his books are_ The Elements of English Grammar; In
Oldest England; The Rise of English Literary Prose.
=The story of _Havelok the Dane_ is one of the oldest of English
stories; for the story that is here told is only a re-telling
of a narrative that originated nearly a thousand years ago. The
first story of Havelok was probably written in Anglo-Saxon in the
eleventh century or in the first half of the twelfth century. It
was told in French about 1150, and re-told in English about 1300.
Some critics find close relation between the story of Havelok and
the story of Hamlet.=
=In all probability there was a real Havelok who may have lived in
the latter part of the tenth century, and who may have participated
in events like those told in the story. It is probable that as
stories of his romantic career were repeated they increased,--just
as gossip increases. The facts became lost in a body of romantic
events. The Havelok of the story is therefore a character of
fiction.=
=The story is interesting in many ways. First of all, it is a
remarkably good story, very human and capable of awakening
sympathy, full of quick event, centered around the fascinating
subjects of youth, adventure and love, and picturesque in its
details and episodes. Then it is an old story,--ten centuries
old,--and is interesting as a relic of the past. In addition, it
shows remarkably well what sort of stories preceded the short
stories and the novels of to-day, and how the old stories sometimes
grew from a mingling of fact and imagination.=
=In reading the story of _Havelok the Dane_ we stand, as it were,
in the presence of one of the story tellers of the extreme past.
Around us we feel castle walls and the presence of rough fighting
men. The flames of the great fireplace flare on our faces, and we
listen with childlike interest.=
Many years ago, in the days of the Angles and Saxons, there was once a
king of England whose name was Athelwold. In that time a traveler might
bear fifty pounds of good red gold on his back throughout the length
and breadth of England, and no one would dare molest him. Robbers and
thieves were afraid to ply their calling, and all wrong-doers were
careful to keep out of the way of King Athelwold's officers. That was a
king worth while.
Now this good King Athelwold had no heir to his throne but one young
daughter, and Goldborough was her name. Unhappily, when she was just
old enough to walk, a heavy sickness fell upon King Athelwold, and he
saw that his days were numbered. He grieved greatly that his daughter
was not old enough to rule and to become queen of England after him,
and called all the lords and barons of England to come to him at
Winchester to consult concerning the welfare of his kingdom and of his
daughter.
Finally it was decided that Godrich, Earl of Cornwall, who was one
of the bravest, and, everybody said, one of the truest, men in all
England, should take charge of the child Goldborough and rule the
kingdom for her until she was old enough to be made queen. On the
Holy Book, Earl Godrich swore to be true to this trust which he had
undertaken, and he also swore, as the king commanded, that when
Goldborough reached the proper age, he would marry her to the highest,
the fairest, and the strongest man in the kingdom. When all this was
done, the king's mind was at rest, for he had the greatest faith in the
honor of Earl Godrich. It was not long thereafter that the end came.
There was great grief at the death of the good king, but Godrich ruled
in his stead and was the richest and most powerful of all the earls in
England. We shall say no more about him while Goldborough is growing
older, and in the end we shall see whether Earl Godrich was true to his
trust and to the promises he had given to Goldborough's father.