The Washington herald., 1913-02-10

! lCopsnsht. 1915. ry MHIurr N,vspApcr ~.ndicatc)
NO. 81.
When Washington tablished himself
in Gen. Howe's headquarters, in Mrs.
Edwards comfortable lodging house, at
the head Of state Street. he could con-
Gratulato himself not only on a Surpris-
ing victory brilliantly won, but on the
possession besides. Of more powder and
better stores and equipments than he
could have dreamed Of In his camp At
Cambridge
He taught up his landladv's little
granddaughter one day, set her on his
knee. as he liked to do. and asked her.
smiling. which she liked the better, tEe
redcnats or the provinCials.
The redcoats.' said the child.
All, my dear" said the young gen.
eral. a blithe light in his blue eyes.
they look better but they don't fight.
The ragged fellows are the boys for
fightiRg.
Washington Leaves Boston.
But he did not linger at Boston
He knew that its capture did not end.
but only deepened. the struggle. Ret
endorsements would be poured out Of
England with the spring, and the next
point Of attack would unquestionably be
New York. the key to the Hudson.
Here again was city fanked about
on either hand by water. and command
ed by heights-the heights of Brooklyn
A garrison must be left in Boston, and
New York must lie held for the most
part by a new levy. as raw, as i'll or
ganized anS equipped, as facetious. as
uncertain in capacity and purpose. as
that which had awaited his discipline and
guidance before Boston.
An Evcr-chauginE Army.
II was an army always a-makinS and
to be made.
The sea was open. moreover. The Brit
ish could enter the great harbor when
they pleas
The insurgents had no naval force
whatever with which to Withstand them
on the water There were a score Of
points 10 be defended which were yet
without defense on the long island where
the town lay, and round about the spread
ing arms OF the sea that incIused il: and
there were but 1900 militiamen mus
tered for the formidable task. in the
midst OF an active loyalist population.
The thing must be attempted. never
theless.
Vital to Hold the Hudson.
The command of the Hudson would
very likely turn out to be the command
of the continent. and the struggle was
now to he to the death.
1t was too late TO draw back.
The royal authority had in fact. been
everywhere openly thrown off, even in
the middle colonies, where allegiance and
opinion hung still at so. doubtful a bal
ance.
For Washington the whole situation
must have seemed to be summed I'D in
what had taken place in his own colony
at home.
DunmOre Raids and Destroys.
Dunmore, when he fed to the men-of-
war IN the bay. had called upon all who
were loyal to follow him: had even Of
fered freedom to all slaves and servants
who would enlist In the force he should
collect for the purpose of reducing the
colony to a proper sense of its duty"
Unable to do more. he had ravaged the
coasts on either hand upon the bay, and
had put men ashore within the rivers to
raid and burn, making Norfolk. with its
loyalist merchants, his headquarters and
Driven thence by the provincial militia,
he had utterly destroyed the town by
fire, and was now refuged upon Gwynns
Island, striking when he could, as before
at the unprotected hamIets and planta-
tions that looked everywhere out upon
the water.
Virginia's only executive, those nine
months and more, had been her Com
mittee OF Safety. of which Edmund PEN
dleton was president.
Carolina Declares Independence.
Washington had hardly begun his work |
Of organization and defense of New York |
before North Carolina tApril u. 177sI |
her delegates in the Congress
a pbiIadalDhia Ia ioin in
OF independence; and the next month |
May 15) the Congress advised the COL |
onies TO give over all show and pretence