The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-21
ARIucLE ".


not already perfectly well known 1t may
be worth while, however, to emphasize
one or two elements in his character and
work in connection with our early history
that are sometimes lost sight of or are
| not generally appreciated to their full
value.
Most men like to be dazzled by bril-
liant actions and dramatic situations.
They have sort of admiration for those
who strike attitudes and indulge in
heroics, even when they half suspect that
there is a deal of humbug underneath the
posing. They enjoy the picturesque, and
lacking this element their heroes are not
half so heroic. Buffalo Bill would not.
be nearly SO fascinating to the would
be juvenile cowboy if he should have his
hair cut and wear civilized clothes.
Washington never INDUCED in mock he
roles. He never posed, and possibly this
is one reason why he is so often regard
ed as having been commonplace. That
men often do. SO regard him is beyond
question. And yet I venture to claim
that even Washington was brilliant
man. that he was not simply in position,
but in fact a great man.
Washington was unusually fortunate in
his early circumstances. In happy accord
were the planets that shone upon his
birth and early years, and indeed his en-
tire career. Born in a prominent family,
welcomed from the youth to the most ex-
elusive society of Virginia. richer per-
haps than any other man in America at
the time of his death, endowed with a
splendid body and an iron constitution,
honored with the highest gifts of the peo-
pie, closing at last a useful life in the
security of a happy home, mourned by an
entire nation and revered by the civilized
world-Surely this man was favorite of
all the gods.
1t has often been assumed that Wash
ington was not a great general. / think
it can be shown that he was one of the
greatest, that his name is entitled to be
placed alongside the names of Alexander
and Caesar and Napoleon and Moltke and
Grant as one of the great commanders
of the world. If to lead an army made
quate in numbers and equipment against
great odds, If to lead it without a blunder
and in the best way to abundant success,
if to provide his soldiers with clothing
and food and arms as we'll as to lead
them, If to outgeneral his antagonists
both in strategy and tactics-if to do all
this, and that, too, in the face of plots
and treachery, is to be a great general,
then he was a great general. Many 4
man can command a great army and lead
it to victory if he has unlimited
sources 1t requires greater genius to
lead small army and make it do the
work of one twice large. This Wash
ington did.
When Washington took command or
the continental army under the old oak
at Cambridge, the battle of Bunker Hill
had just been fought He found the
army little more than an undisciplined
mob full of petty jealousies, poorly
armed, not used to obedience. most OF
them enlisted for only three months. Tin.
trained for such service. Out of this
chaos he proceeded to bring order In
few months out of such material he had
made an army and at the same time had
kept the British cooped, up in Boston.
Then he so managed his forces that the
enemy was forced to evacuate the city
and thus he both delivered the most pop
ulous city and freed New England from
British occupancy, so that it was not
again the theater of military operations
of consequence. Washington had CONS
pletely outgenera1ed Lord Howe and had
gained an enormous advantage.
Difficult Achieyement.
IF seems to be agreed by military eX-
perts that one of the most difficult
achievements is safely to conduct a re-
treat in the face of a victorious and
exultant foe. This difficult task Wash
ington performed in a manner that has
won the praise of soldiers from that day
to this. The American army was at
tempting to hold New York. The COM
1nander-in-chief could not abandon that
important city without a struggle. But
at last British force of about twice
His numbers outfianked his little army
and a bloody battle ensued. The Amer
leans We're defeated and penned up in
a corner of Long Island, with the East
river behind them, a triumphant enemy
10,
There seemed no escape from either an
initiation or surrender. But Washington
was equal to the emergency. From I'M
der the very noses of the confident foe,
under cover of the-night and fog, he
withdrew his army of 5000 weary and
defeated soldiers, and when the enemy
woke in the morning they discovered
that the game which they had thought
securely bagged and which they expected
to have for breakfast, had escaped. 1t
was the only chance. Washington saw
that chance, seized it promptly and saw
ed the remnant of his army. Napoleon
could not have done better
CORVALLIS was one of the ablest and
most famous English generals of his time
and surely the greatest of all those sent
to America to reduce the recalcitrant col-
onists to subsection. When the British
had forced the colonial army out of New
across New Jersey with CORVALLIS in hot
pursuit. On reaching the Delaware river
the British general is said to have re-
marked THE old fox is trapped at last
But he did not yet know how foxy the
said "old fox was in the contests De-
tween these two men. Washington was
not the one who was finally trapped
The English army encamped for the
night, expecting after breakfast in the
morning to gather in the quarry at
leisure. But when the morning dawne0
they learned to their chagrin that WASH
ington had concluded that he had not
time to wait and had been SO incOnsiGer-
ate as to withdraw across the river dur
ing the night with all his army, ana
that, by previous arrangement, he hao
even gathered up all the boats along tho
shore for distance of seventy miles,
Both the retreat and the passage of the
Delaware were conducted in manner
possible only to the highest generalship.
During the latter movement he had few
men remain to keep the camp fires burn
ing. so that the British rested in the
serene confidence that their willy foes
were waiting for them.
In Aggressive Warfare.
But it must not be supposed that
Washington was n great leader simply
when conducting a retreat. He was
equally skillful in aggressive warfare.
So soon as he had extricated his little
army from pressing peril he was alert
and vigiiant IN seeking for an oppor-
tunity to strike telling blow in return !
And such an opportunity he was not
long in finding The enemy confident
that they had conquered New Jersey,
settled down in some of the towns
along the river, apparently assuming
that they could take their ease for the
winter. Then, while they were thus re-
posing in conscious security the Amer
lean general with supreme audacity,
made that remarkable Passage of the