The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-06-13

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Washington intrenched position on
the hills of Brooklyn, where quite half
the American army lay. For little
space he waited till his brother Ad
miral Lord Howe, should come to
act with him in negotiation and COM
mand
Lord Howe Offers Pardon.
Lord Howe was authorized to offer
pardon for submission, and very hon
orably used a month and more Of
good fighting time in learning that the
colonists had no desire to be pardon
ed. mo doubt we all need pardon
from heaven for our manifold sins and
transgressions," was Governor Trum-
bulls Connecticut version Of the gen
eraI feeling. but the American who
needs the pardon of his Britannia
majesty is yet to be found"
On the 22d of August, accordingly,
General Howe put twenty thousand
men ashore at Gravesend Bay.
British Drive the CoIonists.
On the 9th, his arrangements for
an overwhelming attack succeeding at
every point. he drove the five thou
sand Americans thrown out to oppose
him back into their works upon the
heights, with a loss Of four hundred
killed and wounded and a thousand
taken.
Still mindful of Bunker Hill, he
would not storm the intrenchments, to
which Washington himself had
brought reinforcements 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 it
was, decided to withdraw Immediately.
before a fleet should be in the river
and his retreat cut off
1t was a mastery piece of work.
The British commander was as much
astonished to see Brooklyn Heights
empty on the morning of August 30
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 single
night, while small guard kept up a
sharp fire from the breastworks, and
no sound of the retreat reached the
dull ears of the British sentries.
Washington's Army DemoraIized.
But the sharp fighting and bitter
defeat of the 9th had sadly, even
shamefully, demorahzed Washingtons
raw troops, and he knew he must
withdraw from New York.
All through September and a part of
October he held what he could of the
Island, fighting for it almost mile by
mile as he withdrew-nOw cut to the
quick and afame with almost uncon-
trollable anger to see what towards
his men could be- again heartened to
see them stand and hold their ground
like men, even in the open. The most
that he could do was to check and
thwart the powerful army pressing
steadily upon his front and the free
fleet threatening his TANKS.
He repulsed the enemy at Harlem
Heights september 49, he kept his
ground before them at White Plains,
despite the loss of an outpost at Chat
tertOn Hill October 2S); he might
possibly have foiled and harassed
them the winter through had not Gen
eral Green suffered a garrison of three
thousand of the best-trained men in
the army to be penned up and taken
with a great store of artillery and
small arms besides. in Fort Washing
ton, on the island November 16).
After such a blow there was nothing
for it but to abandon the HUDSON and
retreat through New Jersey
Dark Days for Patriots.
His generals growing insubordi-
nate, Washington could not even col
iect his divisions and unite his forces
in retreat. His men deserted by the
score; whole companies took their
way homeward as their terms of en-
listment expired with the closing Of
the year; barely three thousand men
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 were 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.