Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-15

come in. May oath he wrote to Washington
that he was not strong enough even to be
beaten. He abandoned Richmond and moved
back toward Fredericksburg May 9th, in the
face Of splendid body Of the enemy All
eyes now turned to the situation-all real
lied that great hazard was about to be de-
cided. CORVALLIS declared " The boy cannot
escape me-" Lafayette was struggling to join
| Wayne, and CORVALLIS was striving to pre-
vent it. Early in June the little Frenchman
had retreated as far as the memorable s. VIII
| derness," and crossing the Rapi1an twenty
miles above Fredericksburg rested. Corn
| wallis advance aroused the people to sense
of their insecurity. It is unnecessary to fol-
| low the details of the mastery manner IN
which LAFAYETTE baffled the attempts to drive
him from Virginia. Mere reference to the
facts will serve to recall to mind the familiar
story of that
| WONDERFUL CONTEST.
june 9TH Wayne and Lafayette united
forces near Raccoon Ford on the Rapidan,
and then marched against CORVALLIS with all
speed. Meanwhile all Virginia was alarmed
| at the conquest CORVALLIS was making
Richard Henry Lee besought Washington Co
| come to the South Congress was urged TO
send him TO save the Southern States. JEFF
ferson seconded the plea. \ call was made
| for Greene to come to the rescue, but he
feared TO leave South Carolina, where the
enemy had Just been reinforced. Washington
at the far North confronting Clinton, Greene
| at the far South neither dared to leave. and
| Lafayette was left alone to defend Virginia.
! 1t was herculean task, but he met it well,
| and the confidence reposed in him was not
misplaced. 1t is not too much to say that
the fate of the Colonies was in his hands.
June 18th CORVALLIS faced eastward from
Elk Hill and moved back to Richmond. 1t
was the first ray of hope for the American
arms. Lafayette followed, gaining strength
daily. The British chief had turned
back to the waters of the Chesa-
peake to await orders from Clinton at
New York, and to secure and keep intact
his water communication with him.
| On the 10Th Steuben joined Lafayette Corn
wallis left Richmond on the goth, and twenty
hours afterward Lafayette entered the city.
Once CORVALLIS turned to meet the French
man. On the 26sh occurred the first sllirmisb.
| Maneuvers retrograde and many followed.
| Steadily CORVALLIS withdrew from the heart
of the State, but he was not forced to retreat;
other reasons than those of physical force urged
| tin truth the subjugation of Virginia had
proved vastly costly task, both in men and
money. and called for greater body than
CORVALLIS could rally. Meanwhile
WASHINGTON
Threatened Clinton at New York, and the lat.
| ter sent to CORVALLIS for part Ct his troops.
The latter obeyed and crossed the James at
jamestown Island. Lafayette made dash
at this moment but met with a
severe reverse at Green Spring, for
which he was severely. criticised, but he
lost nothing in reputation. CORVALLIS was
now fairly out of the body of the State and
| crossed the James to Gotham on the 18th of
| July, while Lafayette returned to Malvern
Hill on the goth and rested. He had doubts
| as to remaining, and wrote to Washington,
| asking if CORVALLIS left Virginia ii he should
not return to New York. CORVALLIS move
ments were now matters of mere speculation.
| Suddenly, early in August, CORVALLIS re-
turned across the james into the peninsula,
and occupied Y Yorktown, the spot he was des-
| tined to leave only as a prisoner of war.
Clinton had suddenly decided not to withdraw
| his troops from the Chesapeake though they
were ready to sail for New York, and left the
whole force with the Earl, in all 1000 rank
and file, with orders to occupy and fortify
Old Point Comfort and Yorktown. HIS en-
gineers reported against the former place, and
hence he clustered his force at Yorktown and
fortified it and Gloucester Point opposite,
as the best available naval station.
| -Four hundred miles to the north vera
Washington and the French allies. Wash
| ington's force was weak. Ill clad and worse
| fed. Dependency seemed about to seize him
| for its own. He resolved to strike at Clinton,
in New York, in order to secure relief for
Lafayette by forcing Clinton to recall troops
| from the Chesapeake; then, if all was favor
able, and relying on the French naval force,
| perhaps a southwark movement might be
made. De Grasse was coming from France
with o powerful feet, but as to his future
| movements Washington had no intimation.
| He wrote to the French Minister to urge De
GTasse to cooperate at once on the coast in
| season to engage in the contemplated opera.
tions. At the same time he reused the Gov
ernors of New England TO Eli up their regi-
ments and be prepared to give him the aid of
| the militia at weeks notice. All this was
| five months before the surrender of York
| town. On the 18th Of June Washington
heard, from Rochambeau, that De Grasse
would be on hand by midsummer. Now all
movements hinged on that expectation. At
the same tune came the news of the move
ments in Virginia, and that CORVALLIS had
abandoned North Carolina and gone into the
former State. This brought the two ends of
the contest nearer together. The question
now was how to relieve the South. The solu-
ton of this question is the
GRANDEsT PAGE
In all our military history of the Revolution
In June word was sent by the frigate Con-
corde to De Grasse to enter the Chesapeake
with his feet, strike if occasion offered, and
then sail to New York, to join in the attack
on Clinton there. July 9th Rochamheau
joined the Americans on the Hudson. July
Dist the reconnaissance in force of New York
begun, and its seige, in fact opened. August
14th word came to Washington that De
Grasse would enter Chesapeake Bay to aid
operations there and he wanted the land
forces to meet and cooperate with him. as he
must return TO the West Indies by the middle
of October. Here was crisis-a new situa
tion-and all things must be shaped to fit it.
The seige of New York was abandoned and
the army on the Hudson in part removed to
the head of Elk to be transferred to Virginia
to cooperate with LAFAYETTE and the force
from The West Indies. Washington was not
the mere creature of these circumstances
he had long considered the possibility of
CORVALLIS being trapped in Virginia. He
advised Lafayette to be ready for move of
the northern army to Virginia. He saw the
time had come, and the situation had formed
he had considered as an alternative of all his
plans. He was ripe for the occasion and
ready for it. Then came
THE GRANDEsT MOVEMENT
OF the campaign, the march from the Hud-
son to the York-to leave in the face Of a
powerful enemy an established base, and
enter new field 400 miles away Failure
might result; on the outcome rested the des-
tiny of the States. The force for the South
was the French 1000 strong and 1000 of the
American army, leaving but 1900 men on
the Hudson and a smaller force on the Can
ada frontier. August 10Th the movement
south began from Dobb's Ferry, and came
on the 18th to Chatham. The march looked
like an attempt upon Staten Island, or an
effort TO meet the French fleet; but on the
29th the columns headed for Princeton and
Trenton, and the push for the Chesapeake
was no longer secret. The feint served its
purpose-not soldier had known of the real
destination of the troops. and no deserter
could carry the story to Clinton, who
was completely blinded as to the move
ments of Mr.. Washington" The Delaware
was crossed on the LIST. and Ph;ladel pnia
reached on the I'd of September. Inc
reception of Washington aud Roehsm-
beau and other troops was one Of
the most brilliant in the history of
that city All felt that great crisis was