The Washington herald., 1913-02-11

tCopyrEht. Iss bg Harper & BrOthers. All rights
rescrTcdl
Copyright, 1915, by Mcclure Newspaper syndicats)
NO. so.
No strength OF will. however. could
suffice TO hold New York and its open
harbor against a powerful enemy with
such troops as Washington could drill
and make between April and July.
On the 18th OF June British transports
began TO gather In the lower bay. With
in a few days they had brought thirty
thousand men. armed and equipped as no
other army had ever been In America
British Hold staten Island.
1t was impossible TO prevent their land
ing. and they were allowed TO take pos
session OF Staten Island unopposed. Men
Of-war passed untouched through the
Narrows, and made their way at will up
the broad Hudson. unhurt by the bat
teries upon either shore.
Gen. Howe remembered Dorchester and
Charlestown Heights. and directed his
first movement against Washingtons in
trcnChed position on the hills of Brook
lyn, where quite half the American army
lay. For little space he waited, till
his brother. Admiral Lord Howe. should
come to act with him in negotiation and
command.
Lord Howe Offers Pardon.
Lord Howe was authorized to offer
pardon for submission, and very honor
ably used a month and more OF good
fighting time in learning that the colonists
had no desire to be pardoned. NO doubt
we all need pardon from Heaven for our
manifold sins and transgressions," was
Gov. TrumbuIls Connecticut version OF
the general feeling. but the American
who needs the pardon of his Britannia
majesty Is yet to be found"
On the I'd OF August. accordingly, Gen.
Howe put twenty thousand men ashore
at Gravesend Bay.
British Drive the ColonIsts.
On the 9th. his arrangements for an
overwhelming attack succeeding at every
point. he drove the five thousand AmerI-
their works upon the heights, with a
loss of four hundred killed and wounded
and a thousand taken.
Still mindful of Bunker's Hill, he would
not storm the intrenchments, to which
Washington himself had brought rein
forcements which swelled his strength
upon the heights to ten thousand. He
determined. instead. to draw lines of
siege about them. and at his leisure take
army. position. stores, and all
Washington Decides to Retreat.
Washington, seeing at once what Howe
intended, and how possible 1t was, de-
cided to withdraw Immediately. before
fleet should be In the river and his
retreat cut of.
1t was a ma sterly piece Of work. The
British commander was as much astound-
ed TO see Brooklyn Heights empty on the
ha hal haar n
see Dorchester Heights occupied that
memorable morning six months before.
Washington had taken ten thousand
men across that broad river, with all
their stores and arms, in a single night.
while a small guard kept up sharp
fire from the breastworks, and no sound
of the retreat reached the duh cars OF
the British sentries.
washington's Army Demornlized.
But the sharp fighting and bitter de-
feat of the 9th had sadly. even shame
fully, demoralized Washington's raw
troops, and he knew he must withdraw
from New York.
All through September and part OF
October he held what he could OF the
island. fighting for II almost mile by mile
as he withdrew-now cut to the quick
and afame with almost uncomfortable
anger tn see what towards his men could
he: again heartened to see them stand
and hold their ground like men, even in
t6e open. The most that he could do
was to check and thwart the powerful
army pressing steadily upon his front
and the free feet threatening his tanks.
A Distressing Setback.
lie repuIsed the enemy at Harlem
Heights (September 16): he kept his
ground before them at White Plains, de-
spite the loss OF an outpost at Chatter
ton Hill October 81; he might possibly
have foiled and harassed them the winter
through had not Gen. Greene suffered a
garrison of three thousand of the best
trained men in the army to be penned