Evening star., 1922-06-09

be remembered that there is an inti-
mate relationship between political
conditions and military operations.
and that in this case the political
greatly on military developments
The destruction of Washing toms army
would almost have snuffed out the
revolution. 1t would have given a
demonstration Of the overwhelming
pteponderance of British power.
patriot would have found difficult to
deny On the other hand. Washing
| ton perceived both the military and
the political opportunity presented
to him in the disposition Of the enc
my's forces. There was a desperate
! chance to win a telling victory. which
would convert the New Jersey cam
paign into disaster for the enemy;
and there was also the possibility Of
| winning a political victory by demon
| leadership and American soldiers to
| outwit and Outright veterans Of Eu-
ropean battlefields.
washington. who was at once SOL
dier, politician and statesman, recog-
i nized all these possibilities. He seized
pletely to his own advantage. and
! thereby inspired his army and the
country behind him with a new con-
fidence in themselves.
Gave CORVALLIS Dinner.
Years afterward Lord CORVALLIS
| and the members of his staff were
given dinner by Gen. Washington.
following the surrender at Yorktown.
The compliments of the occasion were
and amiable that, as we read Of 1t
| now. 1t is difficult to realize all their
significance. Among the rest Lord
CORVALLIS made a speech. in which
he paid his compliments to the mill
tary genius of Washington. Compar-
ing the Yorktown campaign with the
Trenton Princeton operation, he de-
clared. turning to Gen. Washington
and bowling profoundly. that, When
history shall have made up its ver-
dict the fairest Iaurels will be gath
| cred for your excellency, not from the
shores of the Chesapeake. but from
| the banks of the Delaware. Corn
wallis regarded the Trenton-Prince-
| ton campaign as the crowning glory
| of the Washington military career;
and we do not need to be reminded
| of the verdict Of Frederick the Great.
who ranked the Trenton Princeton
| campaign as the most brilliant Of
which he had knowledge.
When We view the course of hu-
man affairs from the detached stand
point OF history's student. we are
| amazed to discover how seldom a par
| ticuiar military operation has deter
! mined the results of a campaign or
the outcome of great war. Wars
! are writ very big in history: very
much bigger sometimes than. they de-
| cided the fates of peoples The real
story OF human progress is written
| elsewhere than on the worlds battle
| fields. and war and conflicts have pro-
Vlded rather its punctuation than it's
| theme But among the exceptions
1 n mr. Ia IT,, t-k.
lar conflict has had consequences and
reverberations far greater in their
| potency than could possibly be i'm
| agined from a consideration of the
| numbers engaged or the immediate
results. none stands out more dis
| tinctly than does the Trenton Prince
ton campaign. We cannot say that
the cause of independence and union
| would have been lost without it; but
! we must find ourselves at loss if
we attempt to picture the successful
| conclusion of the revolution had
sue from the struggle of those hard.
midwinter days.
Climax at Princeton.
The climax Of that desperate ad-
venture came on the field of Prince
ton. Trenton had been an almost
complete surprise. an easy victory
Princeton was desperately contest
ed engagement. whose immediate re-
suit included not only an enhearten-
ing of the patriot cause, but pro-
found disbursement to those on the
other side of the Atlantic. who were
responsible for the continuation of
the war.
so you have erected here at Prince
ton fitting memorial to the heroes
and heroism of that day. We bring
and lay at it's foot the laurel wreaths
which gratitude and patriotic senti-
ment will always dedicate to those
who have borne the heat and burden
of the conflict. Let US believe that
| their example in all of the future
may be, as thus far 1t has been a glo-