Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-02-17
FIRST IN AMER
| 1CAN HEARTS.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

years and more ago. for the field Of his
tory, in so far as it relates 70 the Amcri.
can revolution and the men who were
representative in its accomplishment. has
been well explored and volumnously ex-
pounded by hundreds Of men equal to the
task. Nor IL there a school child of ~
years in all this country, who has not
written his essay on these same men and
events. SO that their history Is in-burned
In the minds OF oil Americans. Yet this
is one of the hopeful signs of the dispo-
sition of great people towards those
who called its nation into existence. And
Of the leader of all those courageous
men, the one who before all others ear
ricd to an astonishing and successful
achievement the herculcan labors Of
bringing victorious u handful of ragged
and unframed soldiers through the dark
ness of struggle with one of the most
powerful countries OH carth. certainly
nothing now needs he said.
As young man. Washington was prob.
ably no less flippant and worldly than
hundreds OF others IN the colonies. His
manners, which have been thought extra.
ordinary In their courtlincss, were prob.
ably not the slightest bit more SO than
tuosc VI tuC uluyoilly Va usv"U'u'
anccs. lie was not grcc from the faults
of men Of his time. lie was accustomed
to mcthodical cxactncss from his expert.
encc ON his mothers plantation and to
her he no doubt owed many OF the traits
which afterwards stood him In such good
stead. From hts school teachers, VII.
liam Hobby, who was also tho church
sexton, and Thomas Williams, he learn.
cd to read and to write ns well as 10 un-
derstand the art Of computation. The
latter Of the two also gave him the rudt.
ments Of surveying which served a. much
az any other one thing 10 develop him In.
to the general Of the American forces.
For It was ON account Of bis knowledge
Of this science that he spent three Of
his years Of early manhood In the wildt
Of the forests, running lines, dctcrmin,
Ing levels, fixing boundaries. His wages
ut this time were sniIicicnt to enable hiny
to purchase large pieces Of that trackless
wilderness bordering on streams. whica
were afterwards Of great value. thus de-.
vcloping his insight aud shrcwdness as u
business man. but the Lessons that be
learned from that rugged nature In the
solitary hours, were vriccless, and tho
constitution that was hardened by his
life In the woods enabled him In after
years to endure untolu strains OF expos.
ure and suffering. to rescue Braddock af.
ter that generals defeat by the French.
to conceive the crossing Of the Delaware
on that bleak and chccrlcss December
night. to undergo Valley Forge aud to
emerge from them all, the modest, self
contained, reserved gentleman. II was
because Of his knowledge OF the ways Of
the forest that he was sent on that
seemingly needless crrand to warn the
French off English territory In the win.
ter Of 1884, on which he quilted him.
self well and learned his first lessons In
practical warfare. The next year he
was chosen to go with Braddock on his
Inflated expedition against the French.
Here 1t was that Washington learned for
the first time, that Americans were Of
just as good stun as Englishn,cn. that
they could fight just as bravcly az the
seasoned veterans of the mother country.
For It was through the efforts OF the
"bush- -whacking' Virginians that Brad.
docks force escaped entire destruction.
The colOnists knew better than did Brad.
dock that the cvOlutiOns Of the parade
ground were of no avail In the sort OF
warfare In which they were at that time
engaged. The physical strain undergone
by Washington at this timc was cxtra-
ordinary. From tho ninth to the six
tecnth Of that July. no had little sleep.
walking and riding, sometimes Ill night
long through the forest, and succeeding
In bringing mp some support for Brad
docks rctreating army. lie was then
% years old. In the course OF that one
expedition he had seen enough to give
him an uncomfortable faith In the valor
aud abilities of his fellow colonists. This
faith, It may have been. that so upheld
him through the dark hours OF defea, aud
intrigue. when his army well nigh per-
ished from lack Of food and clothing.
Washington had no iIea. even when the
colonies were being greatly reused over
the injustice Of their treatment by Eng
land, that the end would be war. lie
did not desire war. And 1t was only when
there was no other way to decide the
mOmcntOus question of principle that he
sct his heart on hOstilities. Tho cOur-
age Of the man in accepting the position
of cOmmandcr-in-chief which was offered
to him by the assembly was sublime.
The mother country could send hundreds
of thousands of trained soldiers against
the cOlonists; her ships ruled the seas.
On the other hand. the colonists were a
few thousands, undiscipincd In any war
fare except that against the Indians;
their resources were comparatively insig-
niiicant. 1t seems as IL there could have
been but one outcome. But Washington
mOdestly undertook the task, refusing
first any money remuneration for the
services he might render. And then his
sagacity as commander began TO display
itself. Quietly did he collect stores and
ammunition and prepare for the struggle.
The retreats which he managed In the
following years were almost as inspiring
as the victories he planned. His must be
waiting game to u great extent, and
how well he played II history tells. lie
compelled England to rccognizc the trou-
Bile as more than u mere resurrection
and secured thus the rights of civilized
warfare.
How great the odds were against Gen.
Washington can never be rightly csti-
mated. Time aud again was his army
on the point of dissolying away. There
were many true hearts In the Congress;
but there were many, also. who still lean
cd a little towards England, fearing that
the new order of things would never be
successful. There was only q half.heart'