The Washington herald., 1913-02-18
NO. 38.

| NJ. 80.
But sudden turning of affairs
marked the close of the year.
CORVALLIS had penetrated too far
into the Carolinas: had advanced into
North Carolina. and was beset. as Bur
goyne had been. by rising of the
country. He lost 1,200 men at King S
Mountain October :. l1S0I. as Bur
goyne had lost 1000 at Bennington;
and everywhere, as he moved. he found
himself checked by the best officers the
long war had bred-Nathaniel Green.
who had been Washington's right-hand
man the war through; Henry Lee. the
daring master OF cavalry. whom Wash
ington loved; the veteran Steuben;
Morgan. who had won Saratoga with
Arnold: and partisan leaders score
whom he had learned to dread in that
wide forested country.
CORVALLIS OutEeneraled.
He was outgeneraled: his forces were
taken in detail and beaten, and he him
self was forced at last into Virginia.
BY midsummer. 1871. all his interior
posts were lost. and he was cut OF
from Charleston and Savannah by
country he dared not cross again. In
Virginia, though at first he raided as
he pleased, he was checked more and
more as the season advanced by a
growing force under Lafayette. and by
the first week in August he had taken
council of prudence, and established
himself. 1000 strong, at Yorktown.
near the sea, his base of supplies.
The Final Blow.
Then it was that Washington struck
the blow which ended the war.
At last Rochambeau was free to
move: at last a French fleet was al
hand to block the free passage Of the
sea.
The Count dc Grasse. with twenty
eight ships OF the line. six frigates. and
10000 men, was in the West Indies,
and in August sent word to Washing
ton that he was about to bring his
whole feet TO the Chesapeake. as
Washington had urged. Either the
Chesapeake or New York had been
washington's prayer to him.
Making as II he were hut moving
about New York from north to south
for some advantage of position, Wash
ington suddenly took 1000 continen-
tails and 1000 Frenchmen. under Ro-
chambeau. all the long 400 miles to
York River in Virginia. to find Corn
wallis already entrapped there. as he
had planned, between Grasses fleet in
the bay and Lafayette intrenched
across the peninsula with 5000 men.
now the French had loaned him 1000.
Praise from Cornwallis.
few weeks siege and the decisive
work was done. to the admiration Of
himself. The British army
was taken.
The generous Englishman could not
withhold an expression of his admira-
tion for the extraordinary skill with
which Washington had struck all the
way from New York with 5000 men as
easily as ii with 900. But, after ALL"
he added, your excellency's achieve
ments in New Jersey were such that
nothing could surpass them"
Does Not Bring Peace.
The victory at Yorktown brought |
neither peace nor ease in affairs. The |
revolution was indeed accomplished-l
that every man could see who had the |
candor to look facts in the face; but its |
brought tasks harder |
even than the tasks of war.
Hostilities slackened-were almost |
wholly done with before another spring |
had come No more troops came over |
the sea. The ministry in England were |
and ousted.
Every one knew that the proud |
mother country must yield, for all her
stout defiance of the world. But long |
year dragged by, nevertheless. before
wen preliminary articles of accommo-
iation were signed: and still another
before definite peace came, with inde-
oendence and the full fruits Of victory.
Shadowy Powers of ConErens.
Meanwhile there was an army to be
despite desperate incom-
,ctence on the part Of the Congress
nd a hopeless indifference among the
people; and a government to be kept
afoot, despite lack of
money and lack of men.
The articles of confederation pro-
,osed at the heart of the wartime
Is. I770 had at last bean