The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-06-13
r.-z FIsseo- and Capture.

| the river, in direct dlSOOedlence 10
| 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most of the troops he had withdrawn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
-rty at stake. and life devoted must
be my excuse"
What he planned and did won him
a 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 10
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 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
Washington once more advanced TO
occupy the town.
Plays a Perious Game.
1t was a periloUs place to be, no
doubt, with the great unbridged
stream behind him; but the enemys
line was everywhere broken, now that
its center had been taken; had
been withdrawn from the river in
haste, abandoning its cannon even and
it's baggage at Burlington; and Wash
ington calmly dared to play the game
he had planned
1t 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 a small
tributary stream between his men and
the advancing columns; and the con-
fdent 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 a 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 7
wick, where he knew CORVALLIS /
stores must be.
AS the mornings light brOadened |
into day (January ,, 1777) he met the /
British detachment at Princeton IL the 7,
way, and drove it back in a decisive /
rout, keen ardor coming into his /
blood as he saw the sharp work done. !
An old-fasniOned Virginia fox-hunt. ,
gentlemen" he exclaimed. shouting (
the viewhallOo. Had his troops been
fresh and properly shod to outstrip .
CORVALLIS at their heels, he would .
have pressed on to New Brunswick I
and taken the stores there: but he I
had done all that could be done with /
dispatch. and withdrew straight TO
the heights of Morristown.
The Patriots Winners.
CORVALLIS could only hasten back
to New York. BY the end of the month .
the Americans were everywhere afoot; I
the British held no posts in New Jer-
sey but Paulus Hook. Amboy. and
New Brunswick; and Washington had .
issued proclamation commanding all
who had accepted General HOwes Of
fer of pardon either to withdraw with
in the British lines or to take the oath
of allegiance to the United States.
Men loved to tell afterwards how
Frederick the Great had said it was
the most brilliant campaign of the
century
Congress took cteps before the win
ter was over to secure long enlist
ments. and substitute a veritable army
for the three months levies with which