Middletown transcript., 1876-01-15

4
sufficient for the twelve men to lie dow
in, packed closely side by side. T
stimulate the disheartened soldiers /
activity. Washington offered twelv
dollars reward for the first hut built il
each regiment. and hundred dollar
to him who would discover the bes
substitute for boards (Which were no
to be had) for the roofs. Split oal
slabs were selected. whose irregular
surfaces could furnish only partial pro
lection from the snow and rain. i
was cold. dreary day when the mus.
kets were stacked, the knapsacks thrown
aside, and those eleven thousand men
such as could work, broke up into q
hundred groups and scattered them
selves through the woods. Soon the
rapid blows of nearly ten thousand axes
and the incessant crash Of falling trees
echoed on every side for miles around
From early dawn till the wintry night
shut in, the work went on, and then
the tired host lay down behind their
piles of logs to break the force of the
wind, or gathered, shivering, round
their blazing camp fires that lit up with
strange splendor the wintry forest.
There was small house near by, which
Washington had selected for bis own
quarters, but be would not occupy il
while his ragged soldiers were uncover
ed, and so pitched bis tent in their
midst on the frozen ground. Streets
were laid out. and, foot by foot, the
city Of huts went up. till over thou
sand of them stretched away over the
surrounding hills. Into these the ''sons
Of liberty" crept and lay down in the
straw.
What passed there for the next three
months history will never tell us 1t
was written with the pen of suffering
on individual hearts, but never found
outward expression. We can only say
that cold and suffering and starvation
were there Washington's wife joined
him. and the wintry field covered with
novels presented sad spectacle as she
came upon it, to share with her hus-
band his privations and, if possible,
lessen his cares through the long win
ter. Forage soon became scarce. and
Washington was compelled to use the
power conferred on him and ordered all
the grain within seventy miles to be
threshed out; but be was environed
with Tories, who burned up theirs
rather than let it fall into his hands.
The snow soon began to pile around
them, while their clothes fell away in
rags from their backs Sickness in
creased from exposure. and. as if Hea-
ven itself was determined to augment
their misery, exhaust their heroic patti
ence. and drive them to despair. the
cold set in with severity unknown for
years. There were no more 2arades.
no more drills, for there we're scarcely
enough left fit to perform mere camp
duty. Sickness or rags shut them up
in their foul novels. The dreary days
wore on, all alike in suffering. They
varied only as the driving snow piled
deeper round their huts, or the pierre
ing cold increased. or food grew less.
All day long. week in and week out,
the wind as it roared BY. or the morn
ing and evening gun sending its dull
echoes over the wintry bills, were the
only music to cheer their loneliness.
The dreary monotony Of the scene was
broken only by platoons Of men, often
several times day, bearing, with re-
versed arms, comrade to his grave
beneath the snow, playing the mourn
full tune Of 'Roslyn Castle" as they
slowly. heavily forward. Some
lines a naked soldier would borrow o
blanket to fit to neighboring hut,
and then fit back again and crawl. like |
! frightened, wild animal, out Of sight. |
Alorg the snowy paths, Washington,
sometimes with the young Marquis La
Eayette by his side. would often slowly
walk. with his heart breaking at the
tights and sounds that met him at every
'tep.
Into the midst Of this desolation the
noble Baron Steuben walked one day,
licked with military honors won on the
ields of Europe, and gazed. one can
guess with what astonishment, on the
lrmy that he had given up home. ease
md country, to link bis fortunes with.
At length. forage gave out and gaunt
anime stalked into the midst Of this
,cene of woe and desolation. Not a
,oof entered the camp and the welcome
owing Of cattle ceased to be heard.
Teams and men came in empty handed.
A foreign officer. walking amid the
novels. aud seeing men. with no cover
ng but q blanket. fitting from one hut
o another, and hearing through the
,revices the soldiers muttering. "No
pay. no provisions, no rum'," said he
hen despaired Of American Indepen-