around to the south side of the house to sun themselves. They scarcely
observed the enemy's presence until they heard the demand to surrender.
"If General Lee does not surrender in five minutes I will set fire to
the house!"
At the same time the guards were chased in different directions. The
demand for Lee to surrender was repeated, and he did surrender. Hastily
he was put upon Wilkinson's horse, which stood at the door, and within
three hours the enemy were exulting over him at Brunswick.
"No one to blame but himself," remarked Heath.
"Good enough for him," said many Americans.
General Sullivan was now in command, and he joined the
commander-in-chief as soon as possible.
In Wilkinson's memoir it is said that Lee delayed so strangely in order
to intercept the enemy in pursuit of Washington; and it is added:
"If General Lee had anticipated General Washington in cutting the cordon
of the enemy between New York and the Delaware, the commander-in-chief
would probably have been superseded. In this case Lee would have
succeeded him."
Washington was too magnanimous to exult over the fall of Lee.
Notwithstanding his knowledge of Lee's plans to supersede him, he wrote
to his brother:
"Before you receive this letter, you will undoubtedly have heard of the
capture of General Lee. This is an additional misfortune; and the more
vexatious, as it was by his own folly and imprudence, and without a view
to effect any good, that he was taken. As he went to lodge three miles
out of his own camp, and within twenty miles of the enemy, a rascally
Tory rode in the night to give notice of it to the enemy, who sent a
party of light-horse, who seized him, and carried him off with every
mark of triumph and indignity."
XX.
BATTLES OF TRENTON AND PRINCETON.
Washington was so anxious for the safety of Philadelphia, that he
appointed General Putnam to command the post, with instructions to
fortify the city at once. At the same time he advised Congress to remove
to Baltimore; and that body, after hastily completing the business
before them, adjourned to meet in the latter city on the 20th of
December.
By this time his army numbered about five thousand available men. One
thousand militia from New Jersey, and fifteen hundred from Pennsylvania,
with five hundred Germans from the latter State, was a very encouraging
increase of his worn and wasted army. Then he had word that General
Gates was coming on with seven regiments detached by Schuyler from the
northern department. Washington was hopeful again, and began to plan an
attack upon the enemy.
Before Congress adjourned to meet at Baltimore, they clothed Washington
with unusual powers. They voted:
"Until Congress orders otherwise, General Washington shall be possessed
of all power to order and direct all things relative to the department
and to the operations of war."
In the days of ancient Rome, such power would have constituted him a
military dictator. It was conferred in answer to a remarkable
communication from Washington himself, one of the most able, practical,
and faithful public documents extant, in which he said:
"It may be thought that I am going a good deal out of the line of my
duty to adopt these measures or advise thus freely. A character to lose,
an estate to forfeit, the inestimable blessings of liberty at stake, and
a life devoted, must be my excuse."
Washington immediately recruited three battalions of artillery. He
promised those whose time of enlistment had expired an increase of
twenty-five per cent to their pay if they would remain, and ten dollars
bounty for six weeks' service. "It is no time to stand upon expense,"
he said.
On the 20th of December, General Sullivan arrived with Lee's army. The
men were in a bad plight, many of them sick and exhausted, others ragged
and desponding. On the same day, also, General Gates arrived with the
remnants of four regiments from the Northern army.
"Now is our time to strike a blow that shall put heart into the friends
of our cause," said Washington to General Greene.
"I am at your service in any enterprise that will do that," answered
Greene. "Explain."
"I propose an immediate attack upon the enemy," said Washington.
"Well, there is no cowardice in that proposition," remarked Greene. "To
recross the Delaware that is filled with ice, and attack the enemy in
his own camp, this wintry weather, is worthy of the commander-in-chief
of the American army."
"Howe has gone into winter quarters in New York," continued Washington.
"His troops are scattered about loosely, because he thinks the rebel
army is powerless. Cornwallis has left our front, and returned to New
York. The Hessians are stationed along the Delaware, facing us, and are
thinking more of a good time, probably, in this Christmas season, than
they are of us. It is a good time to surprise them."
"Perhaps so," answered Greene. "How about crossing the river with so
much floating ice in it?"
"That is not an insuperable barrier," replied Washington. "Besides, if
we wait until the river is frozen over, the enemy will surprise us."
"You are resolved to attack them?" added Greene.
"Yes, on the 25th, which is close by."
General Greene and the other officers entered into the plan with all
their hearts, as soon as they fully comprehended it. The night of the
25th was the earliest moment the army could move. The intervening time
would be required for preparation.
"A good chance to avenge the loss of Fort Washington, and the wrongs
inflicted upon the people of Jersey by the Hessians," remarked General
Greene to his command. The Hessians had been reckless and destructive in
their march through the Jerseys.
"Miserable hirelings, these Hessians!" exclaimed Major Wilkinson, by way
of stirring up the soldiers to crave an attack upon them. "Such
wretches, fighting us for mere pay, without caring whether liberty or
slavery reigns, deserve to be shot."
The night of the 25th was a boisterous one. A storm was coming on, and
the Delaware rolled tempestuously. But, undismayed, Washington ordered
the army to move at dark. He crossed the Delaware nine miles above
Trenton, where there were fifteen hundred Hessians and a troop of
British light-horse, to march down upon the town. General Ewing, with
his force, was to have crossed a mile below the town, but was prevented
by the quantity of ice. General Putnam, with the troops occupied in
fortifying Philadelphia, crossed below Burlington.
When Washington was ready to march, after crossing the river, a furious
storm of snow and sleet began to beat in the faces of the troops, to
impede their progress. It was eight o'clock before the head of the
column reached the village. Seeing a man chopping wood, Washington
inquired:
"Which way is the Hessian picket?"
"I don't know," the man replied.
"You may tell," said Captain Forest of the artillery, "for that is
General Washington."
The man changed his aspect instantly. Raising both hands heavenward, he
exclaimed:
"God bless and prosper you!"
Then pointing to a house, he said:
"The picket is in that house, and the sentry stands near that tree."
Rising in his stirrups, and waving his sword in the air, Washington
addressed his troops: "There, boys, are the enemies of your country! All
I ask of you is to remember what you are about to fight for! March!"
Soon the battle began. It was a complete surprise to the foe. They
rallied at first, and undertook to make a stand, but were unable to
breast the storm of shot that beat into their very faces. The British
light-horse fled from the town, together with other troops, none of
which could have escaped if General Ewing and General Cadwalader had
been able to cross the river, and cooperate with Washington, according
to his plan. They were to guard the only way of retreat open to the
enemy.
The battle was short and decisive. Many Hessians were killed, and their
brave commander, Colonel Rahl, fell mortally wounded. He was conveyed
carefully to the house of a Quaker lady, where General Washington paid
him a visit before leaving town.
"The misfortunes of war are to be deplored," remarked Washington, taking
the dying man by the hand, and expressing his sympathy for him.
"Death is preferable to life with this dishonor," answered Rahl.
Washington spoke in praise of the bravery of his men, to which Rahl
replied, though he was really suffering the agony of death:
"I entreat you, General Washington, not to take anything from my men but
their arms."
"I will not," answered Washington; and he kept the promise.
Washington took about a thousand prisoners in this battle, including
thirty-two officers. His seizure of artillery and stores, also, was
quite large. With prisoners and stores he recrossed the Delaware to his
camp.
The fame of this brilliant exploit spread from town to town, reviving
the despondent hopes of the many in sympathy with the American cause.
Despatches from Cadwalader and Reed assured Washington that the British
army, fleeing from Trenton, had spread consternation everywhere among
the enemy. Trenton, Bordentown, and other places were deserted by the
foe, who, panic-stricken by the victory of Washington, fled in
confusion.
Washington saw that now was his time to drive the British from the
Jerseys. He sent to Generals McDougall and Maxwell at Morristown,
ordering them to collect as large a force of militia as possible, and
harass the retreating enemy in the rear. He wrote to General Heath,
also, to come down at once from the Highlands, with the eastern militia;
and he despatched gentlemen of influence in different directions, to
arouse the militia to revenge the wrongs inflicted upon the people by
the Hessians. He said:
"If what they have suffered does not rouse their resentment, they must
not possess the feelings of humanity."
On the 29th of December, Washington crossed the Delaware again with a
portion of his troops, though two days were consumed in the passage of
all of them, on account of the ice and boisterous weather. A portion of
his troops were expecting to go home at the end of the month, as the
term of their enlistment expired; but Washington drew them up in line,
and addressed them, appealing to their patriotism, inviting them to
re-enlist, and offering them ten dollars bounty for six weeks' service.
Most of them remained.
Taking advantage of the power vested in him, the commander-in-chief
wrote to Robert Morris, "the patriot financier at Philadelphia,"
pleading for hard money to meet the emergency.
"If you could possibly collect a sum, if it were but one hundred or one
hundred and fifty pounds, it would be of service."
Scarce as hard money was, Morris obtained the amount of a wealthy
Quaker, and forwarded it to Washington by express the next morning.
After the victory at Trenton, Congress, in session at Baltimore, took
additional action to invest Washington with all necessary powers; and
that body said, in their communication to him:
"Happy is it for this country that the general of their forces can
safely be entrusted with the most unlimited power, and neither personal
security, liberty, or property, be in the least degree endangered
thereby."
As soon as the news of the capture of the Hessians at Trenton reached
New York, General Howe hurried Cornwallis off to Princeton, where about
eight thousand of his army were wintering, with instructions to attack
Washington. On the second day of January, 1777, the latter posted his
troops on the east side of a small stream, the Assumpink, learning that
Cornwallis was marching upon him. About mid-day Cornwallis approached
with five or six thousand troops, and attempted to cross the river; but
the Americans repulsed him. The engagement continued until dark, when
Cornwallis proposed to cease hostilities and rest until morning.
"Nay," said Sir William Erskine; "now is your time to make sure of
Washington."
"Oh, no!" replied Cornwallis; "our troops are fatigued and need rest.
The old fox can't make his escape now; for, with the Delaware behind
him, so filled with floating ice that he cannot cross, we have him
completely surrounded. To-morrow morning, fresh and strong, we will fall
upon him, and take him and his rag-a-muffins all at once!"
"Ah, my lord!" rejoined Sir William, "if Washington be the soldier that
I think he is, you will not see him there to-morrow morning."
The escape of the American army seemed impossible. With a superior force
of the British in front, well armed and fresh, and the impossibility of
recrossing the Delaware, together with deep mud in the roads, the
capture of Washington, to human view, seemed inevitable.
Early in the evening Washington conceived the idea of making a forced
march to Princeton during the night, to capture the enemy's stores
there, and then push on to Brunswick for additional booty. But then the
mud was so deep that such a march would not be possible. While he was
thus revolving the matter, the wind suddenly shifted, the clouds broke,
and freezing cold weather set in, so that within two hours the ground
became solid, and the army could move. Again God proved to the
astonished commander-in-chief that He was not always "on the side of the
heaviest battalions."
Stirring up his camp-fire anew, and setting a score of shovellers to
work within hearing distance of the foe, to deceive him, Washington
moved off as quietly as possible to Princeton with his army. There he
met a force Cornwallis had left behind, and a desperate battle followed,
in which the Americans were victorious.
At first Colonel Mawhood's celebrated regiment charged upon the advance
of the American army, driving them back in confusion. But Washington,
ever ready for such an emergency, rode to the front, brandishing his
sword, and calling upon his men to follow. Placing himself in front,
directly facing the foe, he stopped for a moment, as if to say to his
army, "Will you suffer the enemy to shoot your general?" They could not
resist the appeal, and with a yell they turned and dashed forward, with
irresistible might, driving all before them, and the victory was theirs.
Colonel Fitzgerald, one of Washington's aides, was so affected by his
commander's daring, that he dropped the reins on his horse's neck and
drew his cap over his eyes, that he might not see him shot from his
horse. While waiting in this agony of suspense, a shout of triumph rent
the air.
"The British are running!"
"The victory is ours!"
The air was rent with the shouts of the victors.
Lifting his cap, and looking for his loved commander, he beheld him, as
the smoke of the battle cleared, safe and unharmed, waving his hat and
cheering his soldiers on to pursue the foe. Bursting into tears for very
joy, he spurred his horse to Washington's side, and exclaimed:
"Thank God, your excellency is safe!"
Grasping the colonel's hand in gladness, Washington answered:
"Away, my dear colonel, and bring up the troops. THE DAY IS OUR OWN!"
When Cornwallis awoke in the early dawn, he found that his "fox" had
escaped.
"That is just what I feared," said Sir William Erskine.
"Where can he have gone?" Cornwallis inquired, almost bewildered by the
unexpected revelation.
Just then booming cannon in the distance explained.
"There!" exclaimed Sir William; "There is Washington now, cutting up our
troops!"
"Capturing our stores at Brunswick!" shouted Cornwallis in reply, as he
took in the situation, and thought what a haul the rebel general would
make in capturing the seventy thousand pounds in money, and the vast
quantity of arms, ammunition, and stores at Brunswick.
Almost franticly he dashed about to hurry his Army away to the latter
place, where he arrived to find everything safe, and himself outwitted
again.
The battle of Princeton, though short, was a costly one to the
Americans. One general, two colonels, one major, and three captains were
killed. From twenty to thirty others were killed and wounded. The
British lost one hundred killed and wounded, and three hundred
prisoners.
The American general slain was Mercer, whom Washington called "the
worthy and brave General Mercer." Early in the conflict his horse was
shot under him, and on foot he was attempting to rally his men, when a
blow from the butt of a British musket felled him to the ground.
"Call for quarters, you mean rebel!" shouted a British officer.
"I am not a rebel," retorted Mercer; "I am a true soldier of liberty,
fighting for his country;" and, as he spoke he thrust his sword at the
nearest man.
Then he was bayoneted, and left for dead. He was subsequently borne to
the house of a Mr. Clark, where he was nursed until he died, a few days
thereafter. Washington supposed that he was killed on the field, until
he was on his way to Morristown. On learning that he was still alive,
he despatched Major George Lewis with a flag and letter to Cornwallis,
requesting that the bearer be allowed to remain with, and nurse, the
wounded general. A few days afterwards, Mercer died in the arms of
Lewis.
The story spread in the American army that the British bayoneted General
Mercer after he gave up his sword. But he said to Major Lewis, who
inquired about it: "The tale which you have heard, George, is untrue. My
death is owing to myself. I was on foot endeavoring to rally my men, who
had given way before the superior discipline of the enemy, when I was
brought to the ground by a blow from a musket. At the same moment the
enemy discovered my rank, exulted in their having taken the rebel
general, as they termed me, and bid me ask for quarters. I felt that I
deserved not so opprobrious an epithet, and determined to die, as I had
lived, an honored soldier in a just and righteous cause; and without
begging my life or making reply, I lunged with my sword at the nearest
man. They then bayoneted and left me."
Washington did not pursue the enemy far, nor push on to Brunswick. Most
of his troops had been two days and nights without sleep, and they were
completely exhausted, so that further engagements without rest were
preposterous. He determined to go into winter quarters at Morristown,
and marched directly to that place. Stopping at Pluckamin to rest his
soldiers for a short time, he wrote to General Putnam:
"The enemy appear to be panic-struck. I am in hopes of driving them out
of the Jerseys. Keep a strict watch upon the enemy. A number of
horsemen, in the dress of the country, must be kept constantly going
backward and forward for this purpose."
Occupying the mountainous region of Morristown, and reinforcing his
little army, he harassed the enemy to such an extent that Cornwallis was
forced to draw in all his out-posts, so that his land communication with
New York was completely cut off.
Hamilton wrote: "The extraordinary spectacle was presented of a powerful
army, straitened within narrow limits by the phantom of a military
force, and never permitted to transgress those limits with impunity."
The British were driven out of the Jerseys at every point except Amboy
and Brunswick, and the remarkable exploit awakened the wonder, and
admiration of even our enemies. Everywhere that the achievements of
Washington, from Dec. 25, 1776, to Jan. 3, 1777, were made known, his
fame was greatly augmented. No such bold and glorious deeds could be
found in the annals of military renown. This was the verdict of the
country; and from that moment the American cause grew stronger.
From that day to this the battles of Trenton and Princeton, including
the crossing and recrossing of the Delaware, have been accorded the
brightest pages of history by writers of every age. It is said that
Frederick the Great of Prussia declared that the deeds of Washington, in
the ten days specified, "were the most brilliant of any in the annals of
military achievements."
The Italian historian, Botta, wrote:
"Achievements so stirring gained for the American commander a very great
reputation, and were regarded with wonder by all nations, as well as by
the Americans. The prudence, constancy, and noble intrepidity of
Washington were admired and applauded by all. By unanimous consent, he
was declared to be the saviour of his country; all proclaimed him equal
to the most renowned commanders of antiquity, and especially
distinguished him by the name of the 'American Fabius.' His name was in
the mouths of all; he was celebrated by the pens of the most
distinguished writers. The most illustrious personages of Europe
lavished upon him their praises and their congratulations."
Washington continued in his winter quarters at Morristown until near the
close of May. Learning that a British fleet of a hundred transports,
bearing eighteen thousand soldiers, had sailed from New York, and
suspecting that Philadelphia was the place of its destination, he broke
up his camp and marched toward that city. His whole force was but seven
thousand three hundred men.
While encamped at Morristown, Washington found that the Lord's Supper
would be celebrated by the Presbyterian Church on a certain Sabbath. He
called upon the pastor, Dr. Johns, and inquired:
"Does it accord with the canons of your church to admit communicants of
another denomination?"
"Most certainly," the doctor answered; "ours is not the Presbyterian
table, General Washington, but the Lord's table; and hence we give the
Lord's invitation to all His followers, of whatever name."
Washington replied, "I am glad of it; that is as it ought to be; but as
I was not quite sure of the fact, I thought I would ascertain it from
yourself, as I propose to join with you on that occasion. Though I am a
member of the Church of England, I have no exclusive partialities."
He encamped at Middlebrook, ten miles from Brunswick; thence advanced to
Coryell Ferry, thirty miles from Philadelphia, where he learned that a
British fleet of two hundred and twenty-eight sail had appeared off the
capes of Delaware. He marched at once to Germantown, six miles from
Philadelphia. Here he could personally superintend the defences of the
city by daily visits thither.
One day he dined with several members of Congress, and was introduced to
a French nobleman, the Marquis de Lafayette. The latter had heard of the
American struggle for liberty, led by the heroic Washington, and, in
common with the lovers of freedom in every land, he was charmed by the
story. He had an interview with Silas Deane, who was in Paris with Dr.
Franklin and Arthur Lee, as commissioners, to consummate alliance with
the French, the result of which was his coming to this country.
Washington welcomed Lafayette with genuine cordiality, and on that day
commenced a life-long friendship with him.
"We ought to feel embarrassed in presenting ourselves before an officer
just from the French army," he said.
"It is to learn, and not to instruct, that I came here," was Lafayette's
polite and modest reply.
Lafayette addressed a communication to Congress, in which he said:
"After many sacrifices I have a right to ask two favors: one is to serve
at my own expense; the other, to commence serving as a volunteer."
Washington was attracted to Lafayette from the first, and he invited him
immediately to a place on his staff.
Lafayette was a remarkable character. He was left an orphan at thirteen
years of age, with a large fortune. Being a favorite in the court of
Louis, he received a commission in the army at fifteen years of age. He
was married at sixteen, and two years later resolved to remove to
America and join in fighting the battle of liberty. His purpose becoming
known, the government prevented his securing a passage. Determined not
to be frustrated in his purpose, he purchased a vessel, and prepared to
sail. His arrest being ordered, he escaped to Passage, where he boarded
a vessel bound for the West Indies. When fairly under way, fearing that
the English colonists in the West Indies might arrest him, he hired the
captain to proceed direct to the American coast. Congress commissioned
him major-general soon after he joined the American army, the youngest
major-general ever known in America, if not in the world. His intimate
relations and aid to Washington make this brief notice necessary.
XXI.
DEFEAT AND VICTORY.