The Yale expositor., 1896-02-21


drummers. All the tools were fairly
divided; each regiment had its ground
assigned It; the streets and intervals
were marked out, and when the work
was begun the valley was alive with
/ sy builders.
Each colonel divided his regiment
into parties of twelve, gave them their
share of axes and shovels, and let them
know that they were building a home
for themselves. A cabin was to be &C.
cupied by twelve men. Gen. Washing
ton added the stimulant of reward to
the party that should build the best
hut An order of the day had this in
teresting passage:
AS an encouragement to industry
and art, the general promises to reward
the party in each regiment which fin
ishes its hut in the quickest and most
workmanliEe manner with twelve dol
lars. And as there is reason to believe
that boards for covering the huts may
be found scarce and difficult to be got,
he offers one hundred dollars to any
officer or soldier who, in the opinion
of three gentlemen that he shall ap-
point as judges, shall substitute some
other covering that may be cheaper
and more quickly made and will in
every respect answer the end"
The huts were fourteen feet by six
teen, and six and half feet high. The
officers huts were ranged in line be-
hind those of the soldiers, and only
IAI he
fence of having whole house to them
selves. Gen. Washington inhabited
cabin Of one room until later in the
season, when a second was added for
the accommodation of Mrs. Washing
ton. He said, in another order of the
day, that 1.-The general himself will
share in the hardships and partake OF
every inconvenience.
1t does not appear that any one in
vented better roofing than slabs, nor
has any one recorded what company of
soldiers won the twelve-dollar prize.
We only know that the cabin-building
was begun early in the morning Of De-
cember 10, and that most of the army
would have eaten their Christmas din
ner in their cabins il there had been
any Christmas dinner to eat. 1t was
lust then that the worst of the starv-
ing time began. While the men were
building their cabin city they lived
chiefly upon cakes made Of -four and
water, and there was a lamentable
scarcity of all the most necessary sup
plies-shoes, clothes, blankets and
straw. Nothing saved the army from
dissolution but the fiery remonstrances
and energetic action of IL" commander
in-chief. There Is preserved at Phila-
delphia hand-bill issued by him while
the army was building it's huts. In
this he notified the farmers to thrash
out their grain with all convenient
speed, on pain Of having the sheaves
seized by the commissares and paid
for at the price of straw. The conduct
Of the commander during these agoniz-
ing weeks can only be estimated Alright
by persons Familiarity acquainted with
the circumstances. No man ever gave
higher example either of fortitude or
wisdom; and it was directly through
the exercise of those virtues by him
that the army was saved While the
men were busy building, news was
brought to the camp that a force of
the enemy was approaching. The
troops were in such dire need Of food
and shoes that they were unable to
stir. There was not pound of meat
in the camp, and not ration of flour
per man. 1t was while he was con-
tending with such difficulties as these
that the intrigue to supplant the gen.
eral was most active and the clamor
loudest for a winter campaign.
II can assure those gentleman"
wrote the general, that 1t is a much
easier and less distressing thing to
draw remonstrances in a comfortable
room, by a good freside, than to oc-
cupy cold, bleak hill. and sleep UNI
der frost and snow without clothes or
blankets"
This dispatch to the president of con-
gress abounds In force and pathos, and
shows how much better writer it's
author was than any man who ever