Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-07-14
THE GLOUCESTER COUNTY DEMOCRAT

citation with the Church of England element,
small in numbers, but usually wealthy and
socially prominent. Links were forged by
Quaker and churchmen, whether by reason
of conscientious scrHples against war, or for
other considerations that quite firmly united
Philadelphia to the Crown. To find the
Revolutionary spirit one must look among
the Irish, the Scotch Irish, and the Welsh,
search the records, particularly, of the
churches representing various phases Of the
Calvinistic movement, and among the
sectaries, whom Penn brought to Pa.
Added to these were the Free Fighting
Quakers who held to the faith of Fox, but
grasped the sword in defense Of liberty.
Then there was that ever-presents shifting
element in the community, taking protec-
tion papers from Howe, in 1777, with as
easy a conscience as it gave a parting
malediction to Clinton, in 1778. This
element claimed and secured political recog-
milton from the Wings when the war was
over.
AS in the various States so was it in
Philadelphia struggle for supremacy
between warning interests. And as both
armies fought to control or defend, secure
or retain, y the city, it may be said that
Philadelphia was microcosm, represent
ing, in little, the various emotional phases
of the struggle.
During the years 1776 and 1777 two
distinct attempts were made by the British
to capture Philadelphia AS early as the
Spring of 1776, military operations were
shifted from Boston and its vieinage, to the
region now embraced within the limits Of
Greater New York. From August of that
year until the opening gun at the battle of
Trenton, December 26tb, reverse was piled
upon reverse, and the only hope seemed to
be for General Washington to lead his
vanquished troops beyond the Alleghanies
and establish a republic in the Ohio valley.
Long Island, Harlem Heights, Fort Wash
ington, Fort Lee, and the Retreat through
the Jerseys, gave full force to Thomas
Paines' famous words. These are the
Times that Try Mems Souls. 2
During this ordeal of four months, when
the fate Of the infant republic hung by a
thread, there was not day when an ener-
getic British commander could not have
closed the campaign. Lord Howe and his
advisers, after their occupancy of what is
now Greater New York and much Of North
Eastern New Jersey were seized with
apathy. The capture of Philadelphia was
cherished desire; for some of the veteran
troops remembered Philadelphia's comforts
and advantages, in an earlier experience
during the French and Indian war Various
causes or combination of causes deferred
Howe from pushing forward One was
that he underestimated the spirit of Wash
ington and his men, thinking that constant
desertions from the American army and a
pronounced Tory sentiment in Central New
Jersey would render easier a subsequent
conquest Furthermore Lo.d Howe loved
ease and luxury, which he could obtain in
New York City, and in his oyer-weening
self confidence, preferred TO wait for Spring
He winked at the saturnalia of lust, crime,
and debauchery committed by the Hessian
troops in New Jersey ard paid but little
attention to the constant quarrels between
English officers and the German hireIings
With Rail at Trenton to watch the sold
fox, as Washington was called, the Revo-
lutionists would starve, desert and then
abandon their cause. The war would be a
nine days wonder.
During much Of the month of December,
| 1776, General Washington and his troops
were in Pennsylvania opposite and above
Trenton That Washington realized the
danger to which Philadelphia was exposed,
is shown by letter written to the Presi-
dent Of the Continental Congress in which
the American commander, then at Norris
vile, says:
II shall remove further up the river to
be near the main body of my small army,
with which every possible opposition shall
be given to any further approach Of the
enemy towards Philadelphia Whereupon
the Continental Congress, Of which body
the more one knows the less one admires
fled to Baltimore, after charging Washing
ton with dictatorial powers, leaving Phila-
delphia to be influenced by Joseph Gal
loway and other half hearted Wings, and
who later become open Tory sympathizers
One need but recall the crossing of the
Delaware, the fight at Trenton and the
utter rout of the British outposts, to realize
that Rails excesses. Howe's indecision and
Washington's audacity saved Philadelphia
and gave an entirely different aspect to the