The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-02-20
Charles Wilson Peale.
James Sharpless.
Edward ga vamn
RIOUS ARTISTS

1899.
ter ne gathered as many OF his suffering
troops as possible at Brunswick. And all
this time there was a perpetual clamor
of indignation against him on account OF
his continued retreat.
It would have been the act of mad
man to follow any other course then.
There were, on the other hand, friends
and others who appreciated the gran.
deur of Washington and understood his
struggle, but the same motives that kept
him silent kept them silent too.
Washington, with his feeble, dis
heartened band, fingered in a state Of
fearful destitution at Brunswick until
the LIST of December The enemy in
solid columns were marching proudly
through the country with infantry, ar
tillery and cavalry, impressius horses,
wagons, sheep, cattle and everything
which could add to the comfort Of his
warmly clad and well fed hosts.
Irving says; The people Of New Jer-
sey beheld the commander in chief re.
treating through their country with a
handful Of men, weary and way worn,
dispirited, without tents, without cloth
ing, many Of them barefooted, exposed
to wintry weather, and driven from post
to post by well clad, triumphant force,
tricked out In all the glittering bravery
of war.
"The chill winds of winter were moan
ing over the fields and ice was be-
ginning to clog the swollen streams.
About I 200 men were stationed at
Princeton TO watch the movements OF
the enemy On the 9i this harassed
army reached Trenton In that dark
hour, when all hearts failed, Washing
ton still remained undaunted. He wrote
to General Mercer; we must retire to
Augusta county, in Virginia Numbers
will repair to us for safety We v-ill
try a predatory war If overpowered
we must cross the Alleghanies.
In these hours Of dependency and
iismay Admiral Howe and his brother
;he general, on the 30th OF November
ssued a proclamation offering pardon
% all who would dsband and return to
their homes Many Of those who had
property TO lose complied with these
.erms. On the 2d Of December the
British reported that Washington was
seen retreating with two brigades to
Trenton, where they talk of resisting.
But such a panic has seized the rebels
that no part Of tho Jerseys will hold
hem, and doubt whether Philadelphia
tself win stop their career. Congress
has lost authority; they are in such con-
Iternation that they know not what to
TO-"
And all this time Lee was lettering ut
Morristown with about 1000 men, until
The 18th, when, fortunately for the good
IF his country, he was captured and car
:ied to Brunswick,
Washington combined in his character
10 an astonishing degree courage and
prudence Is is doubtful whether there
was another man on the continent who
could have conducted his retreat through
the Jerseys With these few wretched,
suffering, almost naked men he retreated
more than a hundred miles before a
powerful foe flushed with victory and
strengthened with abundance. He baf-
aed all their endeayors to cut him of
and preserved all his field pieces, ammu-
nition and nearly all his stores. There
was a grandeur in his achievements that
far surpassed any ordinary victory At
this juncture congress invested him with
almost dictatorial authority, aud Gen
eral Sullivan hastened 70 join him with
Lees destitute troops.
Washington then crossed the Della
ware, destroyed the bridges and seized
all the boats for a distance Of seventy
miles up and down theriver These he
either destroyed or placed under guard
on the west bank Here he stationed
his army, with the broad river between
him and ais foes lie then had about
Ave or six thousand men, and here he
awaited events in silence and sombel
gloom, yet always on the alert 10 seize
any occasion % strike blow where il
would do most good or defend hii
wretched army from their powerful en-
emy Never had the prospects Of the
colonies seemed SO dark, and it may bl
doubted if they we're ever again so dark
The British,generals, as all their letter.
show, considered the war practically al
an end. There might be a few more des
ultory fights, but the rebel army woul'
rapidly dissolve How sudden arc tn
transitions Of human affairs, how vain
J the pride Of the haughtyl In a few day
the tide was uddsnlyto turn and event
/ occur 10 make tho banks Of the Della
3 ware immortal in song aud story ans
! pictorial art