The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-02-19

-ZA&\r~ II American
f armies. Hewas bat
SN Ting for govern
ment that had no head, and was con-
stantly menaced or interfered with by
a congress, many members of which
were secretly, if not openly hostile to
him. The several states, too, were in
perpetual state of fault-fnding, and
their governors and legislatures seemed
never so happy as when they could
throw obstacles in his path.
A man naturally of a high temper,
as was shown in his rebuke of Lee at
Monmouth, and in his righteous rage
ut the cowardice of the recruits at
Kipp's Bay, in New York, he held his
passion in complete subsection, calmly,
dignifiedly and silently disregardingth the
adverse criticism of the carping, i'm
PEELED by lofty patriotism, which sub
ordinated self to country. At no time
in all the period of the war did he have
the hearty, unanimous support of con-
gress and of the states, but his lofty
courage, high sense of duty and in
vincible purpose to make America free
raised him to II height from whence he
could look down with Indifference upon
the factionists beneath.
Perhaps at no time in all the contest
did his great soul undergo greater
travail than at Valley Forge, in the
winter of 1777-177S. At this historic
point, but 20 miles from Philadelphia,
On the picturesque Schuyllill, his
hungry and exhausted army of 1000
IIen arrived on bitter cold day in
December, and bivouacked that night in
tl|f, openeair upon the hard and frozen
ground.
Two thousand of these men were alb
solutely shoeless, and left drops of
their blood along the paths trod by
their lacerated feet. An equal num-
Der were in tatters, the naked flesh be-
ing exposed in many places to the Bit
ing wind from the north. Of all the
command there was scarcely a single
company that presented a respectable
appearance, or one man who was com
fortably clad. The army, indeed, was
horde of ragamuffins, held together,
first, by their unfaltering devotion to
Washington, and, secondly, by their
patriotism. When Baron Steuben saw
these poor fellows he cried aloud in
establishment ard declared that
no person upon earth save Washington
could hold together such motley band
OF sufferers.
The privations of these men were in
tense. True, within short time they
had built for themselves huts of logs
and earth, but such was the intensity of
tue cold that many nights they burst
not lie down, being compelled to sit
close by roaring blazes to keep from
freezing to death.
During many weeks there was not an
ounce of meat in camp, while the bread
that was supplied the brave fellows
was totally inadequate to their neces-
stiles. Their bodies wasted and their
depleted physical condition made them
more keenly susceptible to the dread
influences of the inclement weather.
The great sympathetic heart of the
chief was moved as by storm of trou-
bic Earnestly he turned to congress
wants of the heroes who were defend
ing the country. He asked nothing for
himself; did not refer to his own prlva-
tons or the agony that was piercing
his soul as n knife that is sharpened to
keenest edge and driven into the body
by the hand of putative dear friend
Knowing that congress could afford
succor if it would and realizing in ali
it's bitterness the ingratitude of that
power towards those under him. he
repressed. neyert heless, every sugges
ton of reproach in his comm unication.
contenting himself with clearly and
graphically portraying the dire need
for helpful action and expressing his
lively and profound sympathy for the
humble, heroic martyrs under his com
mand. How pathetic his concluding
words that his grief was intensified in
that witnessing the agony and bloody
sweat of those under him he yet was I'M
able to afford them any succor.
4 The clouds had indeed gathered thick
In his sky, with not a single thread of
silver in their lining. Retrospecting
he saw three years of war with but
a barren victory or two for the conti-
snentals, while the vista revealed his own
hosts fleeing again and again before the
common enemy and nearly all the i'm
pcrtant places seized and occupied by
the British.
The enemy in large force was scarcely
n days march distant, and liable at any
time to move upon him, yet nearly 5000
of his soldiers had to be relieved alto
gether from duty because of their
Ealedness, all of his command was
physically exhausted from insufficiency
of food, and, to crown their danger,
there was scarcely dozen rounds of
ammunition for the army, while the
artillery must have remained silent
since there were no powder and no
balls for the heavier guns.