Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-10-14
[CoNr1NUED FROM FIRST PAGE.

CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.
tember 18th, at Kip's Bay, where Thirty
fourth street now pierces the heart of the
great metropolis, the American troops fed
from the advancing red coats, and in sick
ness of soul Washington exclaimed, as he
vainly exposed himself to rally them: care
these the men by whom am expected to de-
fend the liberties of America 20
Retiring to Harlem Heights, now surround
ed by the great Central Park, which spreads
its varied landscape of hill and dale around
the palaces of the overwhelming city, and
thence to Fort Washington, hard by, he now
confronted his victorious foe. But new de-
feat awaited him. While at Fort Lee, on the
opposite Jersey-bank of the Hudson, he wit
messed, on November 18th, the surrender of
its garrison of 1900 men, and retreat through
the Jerseys now opened to him the only ave-
nue. of safety, while the elated British pur-
sued. So confident were they that the back of
the rebellion was broken, that proclamation
of amnesty was made by Lord and Sir William
Howe, to all who would, in sixty days, prom
ise not to take up arms against the King; the
Convention of Maryland weakening, offered to
renounce the declaration of July 4th, for the
sake of accommodation with Great Britain.
On the 18th of December, Congress adjourned
from Philadelphia to Baltimore, and the clos
ing days Of 1776 seemed as dark and drear as
disaster, retreat and general depression could
makelit. But
''As stars to night, woe lustre gives to man.,
And never so grandly rose the character
of Washington as when now his daunt-
less spirit wrestled with adversely. Sudden
ly turning upon his overrunning enemy, he
marched at quick-step from the vicinity of
Philadelphia, crossed the Delaware in the
darkness of a wintry night, while thick mass
eS of ice swept along on it's swift and angry,
h ind
sleet and hail. he fell, on Christmas morn,
with 1900 men, upon the British camp at
Trenton, capturing 200 prisoners, 1000 stand
of arms, and six pieces of artillery. Thence
he pressed on to Princeton, and on the 3rd of
January, TIT, repeated his exploit by captur-
ing 230 men Of the enemy.
Notwithstanding these auspiciOus openings
of theyear, "care sat heavily on the brow OF the
young people who were to be formed to fOrti-
tude by tribulation, and endeared to after-ages
by familiarity with SorrowS." Human life and
fortune have been fittingly compared to the
Scotch plaid, wherein the dark and bright
spots are side by side and the Revolutionary
vicissitudes of 1777 furnish notable illustra-
tion. Until the affairs at Trenton and Prince
ton, the life of the United States fickered like
a young flame. Washington had rekindled it,
but ere the end of TIT it again sank lower in
it's socket.
of Vermont, New Hampshire and Western
Massachusetts,, in shirt sleeves, and carrying
only their fowling pieces, without bay yonets,
surrounded and assailed the Britishcamp of
Baum, beat back the bayonets of the Regulars
and the SabreS of the Dragons at Benning-
ton, and gave our enemy foretaste OF what
irregular mlitia-men can do when their hearts
are at1ane with patriotic ardor. With less
than twenty killed and forty wounded, he cap
tured 692 of Baum'S men and all their artillery,
and he but confirmed the reports OF British
officers when he declared that, Had our peo-
pie been AleXanders or Charleses of Sweden,
they could not have behaved better" But how
quickly was this bright spot shaded by the
dark ones. The very next month, September
18th, Washington was defeated at Brandy
wine, Lafayette was wounded, and four hum
dred prisoners lost. On the 18th, Congress
fed second time from Philadelphia to
Lancaster, and then to York. On the 26th,
the British with flying colors, marched in
and took possession of the city. Misfortunes
came, mot single file but in battalions." On
the 4th of October, Washington was again
repulSed at Germantown, losing 4OO more
prisoners from the ranks of his tired and ex-
hausted troops. And the campaign Of 1777,
in the Middle States, thus gloomily ended, his
wasted and Respondent army-half fed and
almost naked-retired to the bleak hills of
Valley Forge, 26 miles from Philadelphia,
their bare feet tracking the frozen earth with
blood, and their scanty raiment scarce con-
ceaing their forms from the pitiless skies OF
winter.
But, meanwhile, a very aurora seemed to
irradiate the darkness of the Northern heav-
ems At Saratoga, on October 16 the Virgin
ia Rifemen of Morgan, nobly supported by the
Continentals of New York and New England,
and led by Gates, Lincoln and Arnold, had
forced the capitulation of Burgoyne, with his
entire force of six thousand troops and forty
two pieces of artillery-the most brilliant
achievement of the war, saving alone the final
triumph at Yorktown.
This battle has been called the turning point
of the Revolution, and Croesy, the scholarly
author of ''The Decisive Battles of the World, {"
has numbered it with Marathon, Blenheim
and Waterloo, as zone of those few battles of
which the contrary event would have essen
italy varied the drama of the world in all its
subsequent scenes" would not shade a sim
gle ray that glows in the sunburSt of that glO-
rious day. Glorious in itself, it was alike glo-
riOuS in its consequences. 1t largely contribu-
ted to induce the recognition of the United
States by France and other European govern
ments which speedily followed. 1t carried cheer
tothe weary watchers by many camp fire, and
heightened the efforts of their allies beyond
the seas but it did not quench the dOgged
spirit of Great Britain, nor paralyZe British
power 1t revealed the tremendous task that
the Mother land had undertaken but with
unshaken nerve she put forth renewed efforts
for it's accomplishment. Ere long she had re-
gained all that had been lost, and much more a;
and twoyearS later, occupying every vantage
ground, the flag that chad braved thousand
years the, battle and the breeze" t1oated high
over weak and weary adversary, driven to
the last pangs of extremity and despair.
During 1918, Washington, in June, COM
hated Sir Henry Clinton at Monmouth, but
the decisive results hoped for were lost by too
great display of the ''rascally virtue OF pru-
dence," on the part of Gen. Charles Lee,
whom Washington rebuked upon the field !;
and soon after the British commander at
Monmouth, succeeded Howe in chief COM
mand. He speedily changed the theatre of
operations, and to the subjugation of the South
he turned his veteran legions.
On the 23rd of December of that year, a
British armament, under Col Campbell, ap-
peared near Savannah. Right speedily the
mission of conquest was accomplished. On
the 29th, the American General Howe was
defeated, and Savannah fell, with four hun
dred and fifty prisoners and large store of
provisions and munitions of war. The British
were already masters of Florida. Now Geor-
ga had been felled at single stroke, and lay
prostrate at their feet. The year ended in
deepest gloom. The conquest of the South
had begun.
The year 1873 came and went but with it
no decisive turn in the aspect of affairs. The
war. like wounded snake, dragged it's slow
length along" In the spring, Sir Henry Clin-
ton captured Stony Point. In the summer
Mad Anthony stormed and replanted the