The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-08-19

remained with him by the time he
had reached Princeton.
Congress. in it's fright, removed to
Baltimore, hundreds OF persons hur-
ried to take the oath OF allegiance
upon Howe's offer of pardon; and the
British COMMANDERS deemed the rebel
lion at an end.
They did not understand the man
they we're fighting.
When he had put the broad Della
ware between his dwindling regiments
and the British at his heels, he stop
ped, undaunted, to collect force and
give his opponents a taste Of his
| quality Such an exigency only stiff
fened his temper, and added a touch
of daring to his spirit.
Lees Fiasco and Capture.
Charles Lee, his second in command,
hoping to make some stroke for him
self upon the Hudson, had withheld
full half the army in a safe post upon
the river. in direct iisobedience to
orders, while the British drove Wash
ington southwark through New Jer-
sey; but Lee was now happily in the
hand of the enemy, taken at an un
guarded tavern where he lodged. and
most of the troops he had withdrawn
found their way at last to Washing
ton beyond the Delaware.
Desperate efforts at recruiting were
made. Washington strained his au-
thority to the utmost to keep and
equip his force, and excused himself
to congress very nobly. "a charac-
ter to lose,'' he said, IAN estate to for
felt, the inestimable blessing of lib
erty at stake, and life devoted must
be my excuse"
What he planned and did won him
character with his foes.
Before the year was out he had
collected six thousand men. and was
ready to strike a blow at the weak,
extended line-Hessian mercenaries
for the most part-which Howe had
left to hold the Delaware.
On Christmas day Washington
made his advance, and ordered a
crossing to be made in three divisions,
under cover of the night Only his
own division, twenty-five hundred
strong. effected the passage
Twas ten hours perilous work to
cross the storm-swept river in the
pitchy darkness, amidst the hazards
of floating ice, but not man or a gun
was lost. There was a nine miles
march through driving snow and sleet
after the landing before Trenton could
be reached, the point of attack, and
two men were frozen to death as they
went
Washington's Famous Order.
/ General Sullivan sent word that the
guns were wet: Tell him to use
the bayonet," said Washington, ''for
the town must be- taken"
And it was taken-in the early
morning. at the point of the bayonet,
with a loss of but two or three men.
The surprise was complete.
Colonel Rail, the commander of the
place, was mortally wounded at the
first onset, and nine hundred Hessians
surrendered at discretion
When he had gotten his prisoners
safe on the south side of the river,
4 NooA1uSIOA OtlCO 4AOic hQtduC0u "
occupy the town
Plays a Periious Game.
Il was perilous place to be, no
doubt, with the great unbridged
stream behind him; but the enemy
line was everywhere broken, now that
its center had been taken; had
been withdrawn from the river in
haste, abandoning it's cannon even ant
its baggage at Burlington; and Wash
ington calmly dared to play the game
he had planned
II, was not Howe who came to meet
him, but the gallant CORVALLIS, no
mean adversary, bringing eight thou
sand men. Washington let him come
all the way to Delaware without him,
self stirring, except to put small
tributary stream between his men and
the advancing columns; and the con
hdent Englishman went to bed that
night exclaiming, "At last we have
run down the old fox, and wen bag
him. in the morning."
The Fox Escapes.
+ Then. while small force kept the
camp-fres burning and worked aud
IDLY at the ramparts the cold night
through, the fox was up and away.
He put the whole Of his force upon
the road to Princeton and New Bruins
wick, where he knew CORVALLIS
stores must be-