The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-02-25

which the end may justify the means; and a
final triumph may be won by avoiding battles
on the enemys terms, But further than this,
Washington's generalship was a part of his
manhood. The qualities that made him great
as a soldier were not ASSOCIATED from the
other qualities that made him great, and were
always exercised in relation to them The
worlds that make up the solar system would
be just as big were they flying singly through
space, but each orbit is grander because of the
mutual respect of all. Washington possessed
the cardinal virtues as have other men. but
their related adjustment in him constitute a
fifth excellence. (Applause,)
1t can but be a constant source of joy to
Jerseymen that Washington suffered defeat in
no engagement on the soil of our State, that
though Trenton was but a surprise of 1.-TWO
battalions of Hessians who were sleeping off
their Christmas debauch' and Princeton but
the cutting off and to pieces of two isolated
regiments and Monmouth but days hind
rance in the march of the enemy; these affairs
had the moral effects of battles won. We tes-
tify by monuments to our sense of the worth
of these three engagements; but they form but
a part of the blessing of which New Jersey is
the depository. In our State were otherwise
displayed many traits of Washington's char
acter, but here also it was largely influenced
and mended. This becomes apparent through
painstaking study of those of his writings,
public and private, which were written in New
Jersey. have often thought that reprint of
those of the letters of Washington which were
written within our State would be capital
means of instruction for our youth and con-
slant source of inspiration and standard of
patriotic conduct for all who have the good for
tune to dwell here. Here Washington first
felt the burden in all the fullness of its weight,
and here events first justified his faith that all
would yet be we'll On the hills of New Jersey
on its plains he touched the extremes of
personal experience in his relations with men
and affairs. Here at the age of fortysfive he
was coming into complete possession of him
self and his maturing powers. Here were re-
vealed to him the littleness of which men are
capable when protesting to be governed by the
highest motives, the baseness of sullen jeal-
ousy, and croucEing intrigue, the heinous
guilt of the sin of omission when opportunity
cries aloud to the Indifferent and the wilfully
blind, the dear worth of personal attachment
and loyalty, and the holy fervor of devotion to
cause when its doom seems to impend. Nine
times during the war for independence, Wash
ington fixed his headquarters for longer or
shorter periods in New Jersey. More than
two years of the eight were spent in our State,
and here he gained large and essential part
of the experience necessary to equip him
through knowledge of men and measures for
his share in the work of the next twenty years
to serve as the guiding spirit of the Federal
convention and in 1883 and the eight following
years, to set going the new Republic. and to
constitute him to-day in character and con-
duct and spirit our standard for the statesman
and the humblest citizen. l would put within
a frame by itself what Washington said in
New Jersey, and what he thought of what he
h11fx rifh 10 nIiO hot Erf fol- poyf
special and particular view one might learn its
relations to the whole, not only of that strug
gle and that time, but of the developing life of
the nation then and as it now is and of that to
come; that Washington was an exponent not
only of the principles of that day, but, in his
own words. of 1.-The cause of humanity" that
in his own words again, he must act ION a
large scale;' that in the largest sense he but
began a battle which it still conflict through
which progress comes and which is still I'M
won.
Washington's first week in New Jersey. that
from the 18th to the 2lst of November. was
crowded with grief Sorrows came mot
single spies but in battalions.'' Cropping after
some clue to the enemy's plans, he pleads with
Congress for artillery, which has not been es-
sential, as he says lin the rough and strong
grounds" but without which when the scene
of action is changed to a level, champaign
country, the worst of consequences are to be
epprehended. The fort on the east bank of
the Hudson called by his name is lost on the
10th, and with it 1900 men; trained - so he
says, with more than common atten-
tion,'' together with their arms and
accoutrements. 1t was Green's judg-
ment that had been at fault. to
which Washington had yielded his owr but
in the plain, straightforward tale of the disas
ter to Congress the Chief ascribes no blame to
Greene but only the worthiest motives. Gen
eral Greene - he says WAS struck with the i'm
portance of the post and the disbursement,
which our evacuation of posts must necessari-
ly have given - His letter written on the very
day of the disaster. calls it an incentive to
renewed effort. Only to his brother does the
resolute heart, that just now seemed so calm
and measured in its beat. pour out its throb-
bill gs-"I am wearied almost to death" he
writes: but before he seals his letter he adds,
the unhappy affair of the 10th has been sue
ceeded by further misfortunes." Fort Lee on
the Jersey shore has been evacuated and with
it went cannon. baggage, stores, tents. This
loss was inevitable" he says; happily the
ammunition had been got away and ne Sc
cures his retreat from marrow neck of land"
as he calls it, between the north and the Hack
ensack, but only to come into just such anoth-
er. between the Hackensack and the Passaic,
(which promises not the smallest probability
of success and we are taking measures to retire
disposition will be formed that circumstances
will admit Of thus always-Das Beste hOf-
fend doch auf das Schlimmste gefasst-ready
for the worst, yet hoping the best. From
military point of view Washington may be
criticised for not bringing off from Fort Wash
ington the garrison and its reinforcement. for
not setting the seal of prompt will to his calm
judgement, but a careful review of the course
of the war will convince us. that by the act of
confiding in the discretion of Greene in this
he won him henceforward for his chief rel
ance: and sorely enough was he to be in need
of such right arm for in these next days Lee
was to tail him. He who should have been the
source of his strength. weakly tries to become
his supplanter. When Lee was caught by the
enemy, Washington speaks of his folly and i'm
prudence;" he was already beginning to know
him for a laggard; he was soon to know that
he had been a schemer; only in our generation
has Lee been proved to have been a traitor.
The mistake at Fort Washington may very
well have helped to make Greene the devoted
friend of his chief and the skilled captain that
he afterwards proved himself to have become.
At the end of his second week in Jersey
Washington is at Brunswick. 1t has been eight
6aVs of added main. unflinchinplV horne