Norwich bulletin., 1920-03-18
Five Minutes a Day
 With Our Presidents
Copyright ts2o-sy James Morgan
fiI-FlRsT IN WAR

Hl-FlRST IN WAR
 175-June IS, appointed Com
 mahder- in Chief.
 17sf-oet. 15, received the sur
 render of cotnwaIIis at
 Yorktown.
 17sa-Dee. 2a, surrendered his
 Confusion to Congress. The choice of Washington to be comma nder in chief of the Revolu- ton is one of the mysterious but hap py incidents of history Nothing in the deeds of this militia colonel who had lost every fight that he had fought, pointed him out as the one and only man to meet the armies of the greatest emr:-e in the world. Nothing in the !. yrds of this farmer, who never had made a speech, inspir- ed the. Congress at Philadelphia to turn to him by unanimous consent as the leader of the young Nation. Yet Patrick Henry testified that this si- lent member was 'the greatest man | in an assemblage which Lord Chat | ham declared never had it's superior anywhere in history.
 l When patriot ortaors- raised their eloquent voices against the tyrant King, Washington offered to raise a regiment. T will raise thousand men. subsist them atsmy own expense l and march them to the relief of Bos- d ton.'' When Congress was debating whether it should contribute another III, he simply pu on his. war clothes, | his old hr.t7 and busf uniform, quietly walked in among the able de- baters aha tUon in4s seat. But when his fellow members elected him com mander of the army, ne blushed like a
 schoolgirl and fled through the door. As he went to the front, he met 8 courier on lathered horse beains
 the .tlirefui news of Bunker Hill. Did the militia fght?' was all he wished tc
 know. Yes Then the liberties oi
 te country are safe" Although it is
 said that Washington never in his life
 read but one book on the art of war
 he knew that if the people would only
 stand up to the Kings regulars they could lc.se every battle and still defea
 an enemy who was three thousand
 miles from his base. In these fve-minute visits with oul Presidents. there is no room or call fol a history of battles and siege. Any how, the only significant battle Wash l ington ever won was his last battle q , Yorktown. He never took town aft
 CT taking Boston. He let the Britisl , take New York, even Philadelphia, al though t was the capitol and take ai z the towns they wanted. But he woul not let them take him and his army { though five royal commanders in tur1 came out to entrap the old fox an
 ceased him up and down the land si 8 years.
 The Revolution was not won by tn ] sword or Washington, burt by his in s doinita5le character. It was his char Q aetef, slowly built up by poverty an . struggle. which had given him fro, 2 the start the leader ship over men wh
 talked more; yes. who knew more. , The i1vincible fortitude of a peep h heroiea'ly embodied in him. overthre c the Kings array and navy and h d Hessiors. The unconquerable spirit d three thousand hunted, hungerin C sb;vering, ragged Continentals of Va V ley Forfe wrested from the Britis
 crown an empire greater than all il . conduests made by Napoleons gran : army.
 = At the last, as the American leape n those last hurdles to independence, u r British redoubts at Yorktown Wasl a ington only said, "The work is dor T and well done. Bring me my horse U When he dined his vaquished foe ar e heard Lord Cornwallis toast "T p King ke may not have added-"C a England; c6nfne him there and the n I will drink a full bumper" But Il d amendment would have been in keel