Evening star., 1928-02-19

him In the night to fall on Princeton?
But for the exhaustion OF the men
| they had not slept for SO hours-Bruns-
wick and the British supplies would
| have been captured. but even so. Wash
ington retired to Winter quarters a,
Morristown with the wild acclaim Of an
encouraged country ringing in his ears.
| He himself suffered no illusions. The
| British fleet controlled the sea, and his
clear eye saw that all the Howes had
to do was TO seize Boston. New York,
sit tight while America strsageid.
Even should the British continue to
overlook this obvious strategy. a second
deadly peril threatened. Burgoyne was
marching down from Canada. and II
Howe sailing up the Hudson. joined
/ forces with him 1t would give the Brit
| isf full control of the great river. cut
ting America In isolated halves.
At this crisis in American affairs,
there came the blessing Of another Brit
ish blunder. for Howe elected TO cap
! ture Philadelphia before efIecting a
juncture with Burgoyne. Washington
was more than content to let him have
the city. but Congress was now in fun
cry against Fabian tactics" lacking the
wit to see either their genius or their
necessity. and he was forced TO give
battle at the Brandywine.
Defeated. as he knew he would be. on
the very heels OF that defeat Washing
ton lifted the ragged Army in the grip
OF his own tremendous resolve and
hurled 1t in a surprise attack on Howes
forces as they lay In Germantown. A
fog fell. and a confusion In troop move
mentS lost the Americans a great VIC
tory.
Howe. nevertheless. was penned In
Philadelphia. and soon from the north
came news of Burgoyne's surrender
Gates. appointed to command at the
last moment by the favoritism of Con-
gress. received battle plans worked out
BY Washington and skillfully executed by
the unfortunate Schuyler. but even so
he almost invited ruin.
For 80 days he labored valiantly to
let Burgoyne escape the trap that had
been laid for him. and when fiery Bene-
dict Arnold cried out against such cow
ardly fooling. he was ordered to his
tent. At last Daniel Morgan's rinemen
took matters In their own hands. and
as the issue hung in the balance. Ar
mold rushed upon the field and led the
desperate charges that smashed British
resistance and forced Burgoyne's sur
render.
MEANWHILE Washington. going into
Winter quarters at Valley Forge.
was given neither money. food. clothing
nor blankets Shoeless men left bloody
footprints In the snow: half-naked
wretches huddled about fires through
the bitter nights that they might not
freeze In their coverless hunks, while
starvation yied with smallpox In taking
toll Of human life.
Then It was that Joy went out OF
George Washington's life forever: that
laughter left his heart. never TO return.
and that sadness reset his face In those
iron lines his portraits show. His own
private fortune had been pledged to the
limit; Robert Morris's exchequer WAS
exhausted: the intrigues and criminal
imbccilities OF Congress defeated every
hope and plan. and as he fell on hts
knees under the midnight sky. It was
from broken. bleeding heart that he
cried to God.
Slowly the fearful Winter wore away
and May brought the glad news tina,
France was now an ally. With this
threat against England's control Of the
sea, Howe was superseded by Sir Henry
Clinton, and In June the new command
er set about the business OF leaving
Philadelphia for New York.
Springing 10 the pursuit with furious
energy. Washington trapped the British
at Monmouth Court House and would