The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1913-06-14
Lees Flasco and Capture.

Lees F2asco and Capture.
harles Lee, hts second In command,
ing to make some stroke for him
:,..f upon the Hudson, had withheld
full half tho army in a safe post upon
the river, in direct disobedience to
orders, while the British drove Wash
lngton southwark through New Jel>
sey; but Lee was now happily in the
hand of the enemy, taken at an IN
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most of the troops he had withdrawn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
erty at stake, and a life devoted must
be my excuse"
What he planned and did won him
. character with his foes.
Before the year was out he had
collected six thousand men, and was
ready to strike blow at the weak,
for the most part-which Howe had
left to hold the Delaware.
On Christmas day Washington
made his advance, and ordered q
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 to
cross the storm-swept river In the
pitchy darkness, amidst the hazards
Of floating Ice, but not man or 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.
Washinqton'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 MORALLY 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 Perilous 0ane.
It was a perilous place to be, no
doubt, with the great unbridged
stream behind him; but the enemy's
line was everywhere broken, now that
It's center had been taken; had
been withdrawn from the river in
haste, abandoning it's cannon even and
'ts baggage at Burlington; and Wash
hgton calmly dared to play the game
he had planned.
It was not Howe who came to meet
him, but the gallant CORVALLIS, no
mean adversary, bringing eight thou
Iand men. Washington let him come
Ill 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-
ddent Eli lishman went to bed that
night exclaiming. AT last we have
run down the old fox, and well bag
him in the morning"
The Fox Escapes.
Then, while a small force kept the
eamp-f1res 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
wick, where he knew Corvallis
stores must be.
AS the mornings light broadened
into day (January 3, 1777) he met the
British detachment at Princeton in the
way, and drove it back In a decisive
rout, a keen ardor coming into his
blood as he saw the sharp work done.
An old-fashioned Virginia fox-hunt,
gentlemen" he exclaimed, shouting
the view-halloo. Had his troops been
fresh and properly shod to outstrip
CORVALLIS at their heels, he would
bare pressed on to New Brunswick
and taken the stores there; but he
had done all that could be done with
dispatch, and withdrew straight I'll
the heights Of Morristown.
Tho Patriots Winners.
I CORVALLIS could only hasten back
10 New York. By the end Of the montl
the Americans were everywhere afoot
tho British held no posts in New Jer
sey but Paulus Hook, Amboy, an.
New Brunswick; and Washington ha,
issued proclamation commanding al
Z who had accepted General Howe's OF
fer Of pardon either to withdraw with
In the British lines or to take the oatl
Of allegiance to the United States.
Men loved to tell afterwards how
Frederick the Great had said it wa,
the most brilliant campaign of tn.
century.
Congress took steps before the win
ter was over to secure long enlist