The Nenana daily news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1918-1921, 1918-05-13

ever, and in less than two weeks
he sailed into Hampton Roads with
his naval forces. three thousand
French Dragons and a strong con-
tingent of artillery, including siege
guns, and full equipment of am
munition and supplies. And now
came the crucial moment that mark
ed the beginning of the end, and the
situation for a few brief hours
looked dark for the American col
onies; for just at this critical june
ture, Sir Samual Hood appeared off
the Chesapeake Capes with nineteen
heavily armed British ships of war,
and the French were apparently
bottled up in Hampton Roads. OF
course they had to fight. And about
five o'clock one October afternoon,
these two flying squadrons swept out
past the Chesapeake Capes before
the west wind, in grim parallel lines,
their decks stripped for action, and
cutting loose at each other in full
fury.
1t was a terrific naval engage
ment; but when the moon and stars
came out it was drawn battle.
One British ship had gone to the
bottom, and several others were
severely damaged. But the French
were crippled too, and deemed 1t
expedient to put back into Hamp-
ton Roads; and Sir Samual Hood,
believing himself overmatched, sailed
away, leaving Lord CORVALLIS at
Yorktown, to his own resources.
Meantime, General Washington
had been making the supreme effort
of his life to effect a junction with
the French force at Newport At
his earnest solicitations, five thous
and French soldiers at that point
filed out upon the highways of
Rhode Island and Connecticut, max
ing forced march Of two hundred
miles in ten days, an average of
more than twenty miles per day,
with all their artillery and equip
ment without losing a man.
The joined Washington at North
Castle, and then came that great
march of five hundred miles, down
through Pennsylvania and Maryland,
to the outskirts of Yorktown, where
they were joyfully hailed by the
three thousand Dragons that had
disembarked from de Grasses squad
ron.
The two famous fighting corps
the American Light Infantry and the
French Grenadiers, were then placed
under the command of Alexander
Hamilton, and while Washington
looked on with encouraging ap)-hal,
these determined fighters swept over
the last enemy Notwithstanding
everything before them at the point
of the bayonet-capturing My Lord
CORVALLIS and six thousand troops
with all their ammunition and sup
plies.
This engagement practically ended
the Revolutionary war, and when We
foot up the two columns of the led
ger, the account shows a beautiful
balance in favor of France.
She had helped US in great number
of ways prior to this time. She
had loaned US vast sums of money
when we were bankrupt, without de-
manding collateral, and refused to
accept interest on such loans. But
now her aid in this last desperate
moment was of a far more splendid
character than ever before. To fight
the winning battle of our independ-
ence she had placed at our disposal
an army of seven thousand picked
troops-just twice as larg, ar army
as we had in the field at that time
and had equipped our focce, and her
own as well, with all the amn;uhi-
ton and other supplies that We're re-
quired.
My friends, it was a golden piece
of friendship, and in that fateful
hour of victory we were placed
under an obligation that We can
never fully repay. Roughly speak