The Greater Republic Part 12

Lee was confused, but, breaking in upon him, the commander ordered him to the rear, while he took command. The battle lasted until five o clock in the afternoon, scores on each side succ.u.mbing from the heat. While the advantage was with the Americans, the battle was indecisive, and Was.h.i.+ngton anxiously waited for daylight to complete his victory; but Clinton moved away in the night, and, reaching Sandy Hook, was taken aboard of Howe's fleet and landed in New York on the 5th of July.

Was.h.i.+ngton marched to the Hudson, crossed at King's Ferry, and took position near his former camp at White Plains. Lee was court-martialed and dismissed for his conduct, and, as stated elsewhere, it has been proven that he was a traitor to the American cause.

There are several interesting facts connected with the battle of Monmouth, on whose grounds a fine monument was erected some years ago.

Among the British grenadiers slain was a sergeant who was seven feet four inches in height. So many of these grenadiers were killed that thirteen were buried in one grave. Lieutenant-Colonel Monckton, their commander, was among the slain. On the pews and floor of the old Tennent church, still standing on the scene of the battle, may be seen the dark stains from the wounds of several soldiers who were carried within the quaint structure.

THE STORY OF MOLLY PITCHER.

It would never do to omit the story of Molly Pitcher from the account of the battle of Monmouth, for the incident is true, and is commemorated on one of the bronze reliefs of the monument. Her husband was a cannoneer, who with his companions suffered so much from thirst that Molly was kept busy carrying water for them from a neighboring spring. While thus engaged, her husband was killed before her eyes, and there being no one available to handle the piece, an officer ordered its removal. Molly asked the privilege of taking her husband's place.

Permission was given, and she handled the cannon with skill throughout the entire action.

The incident was told to Was.h.i.+ngton, who after the battle asked that she be presented to him. He complimented her warmly, and conferred upon her the rank of lieutenant, while Congress gave her half-pay during life.

The State of Pennsylvania, where she afterward made her home at Carlisle, added to this, so that she lived in comfort for the rest of her days. Her right name was Mary McAuley, and she died in Carlisle in 1833, a fine slab of marble marking her last resting-place.

DISAPPOINTMENT OVER THE AID FROM FRANCE.

Despite the great expectations roused by the friends.h.i.+p of France and the arrival of her fleet, it gave little aid to the Americans until the Yorktown campaign. D'Estaing had a fine opportunity of forcing his way into New York, destroying the British fleet and blockading Clinton, but he lacked the courage to do so. Then he sailed for Newport, Rhode Island, to attack the British forces there, but matters were so delayed that Howe arrived with a fleet of equal strength. While they were manoeuvring for position, a violent storm arose, and, at the close, D'Estaing sailed to Boston for repairs, taking all his troops with him, while Howe returned to New York.

The Americans were indignant over the desertion of their allies. The French officers were insulted on the streets of Boston, and one of them was killed in a brawl. Sullivan and Greene were so outspoken that it required all the shrewdness of Was.h.i.+ngton and Congress to prevent an open rupture.

THE WYOMING Ma.s.sACRE.

In the month of July, 1778, a band of Tories and Indians entered the lovely valley of Wyoming, under the leaders.h.i.+p of Colonel John Butler, whose cousin, Colonel Zebulon Butler, was commander of the old men and boys left in the town by the departure of nearly all of the able-bodied men to fight in the Continental armies. The patriots made a brave defense, but they were overcome and put to flight. Women and children ran to the woods, in which they were overtaken and tomahawked; others died from exposure, while a few succeeded in reaching the towns on the upper Delaware. This sad ma.s.sacre has made the name of Wyoming known throughout the world, and gives a sad pathos to the monument which was erected in 1824 over the bones of the victims.

PUNISHMENT OF THE IROQUOIS.

Some months later, Cherry Valley in New York suffered a similar visitation from the Indians, who now learned for the first time that a power had grown up in this country which could not only punish, but could do so with unprecedented vigor. The red men were so troublesome that Congress saw it would not do to defer giving them a much-needed lesson. The guilty Indians were the Iroquois in central New York. In 1779, General Sullivan led an expedition against them. He showed no mercy to those that had denied mercy to the helpless. Hundreds were killed, their houses burned, their fields laid waste, and the whole country made such a desert that many perished from starvation.

THE CONTINENTAL CURRENCY.

One of the "sinews of war" is money. It is impossible for any nation to carry on a war long without funds. The Americans were poor, but they issued paper promises to pay, which were known as Continental money. As the war progressed, and more money was needed, it was issued. In 1778, it took eight paper dollars to equal one of gold or silver. More was necessary and more was issued. Besides this, the paper and printing were of such poor quality that the British in New York made a great many counterfeits that were exchanged with the farmers in the vicinity. The value of the currency decreased until the time came when it was absolutely worthless.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (Continental Currency)]

When Clinton occupied New York and Was.h.i.+ngton was encamped on the Hudson above, there were many forays against each other. The design of the British commander was to force his way to the Highlands, seize the pa.s.ses and gain full command of the Hudson. He had already secured Stony Point, and Was.h.i.+ngton formed a plan for retaking it, which was intrusted to the brilliant Anthony Wayne.

In the middle of July, Wayne took command of four regiments of infantry, which marched twelve miles through the insufferably hot night, when they reached a point about a mile from the fort. Wayne went forward while his men were resting and made a careful reconnaissance.

Rejoining his troops, he divided them into two columns, and, to prevent any mistake as to their ident.i.ty, a piece of white paper was pinned to each hat. All the superfluous clothing was flung aside. He impressed upon his men that the bayonet alone was to be used, and, to prevent the discharge of a gun by some nervous soldier, he ordered his officers to cut down the first man who took his musket from his shoulder without the order to do so.

The two divisions approaching from opposite sides were to attack the fort at the same moment. Before it was reached, the pickets discovered them and opened fire. The garrison was aroused, and, hurrying to their posts, cried out tauntingly:

"Come on, you rebels! we're waiting for you!"

"We'll be there," was the reply; and the patriots kept their word, carrying matters with such a rush that the flag was speedily lowered.

While leading his men, Wayne was struck in the forehead by a musket-ball and fell to the ground. Believing himself mortally wounded, he asked to be carried forward that he might die within the fort. While his men were a.s.sisting him, it was found that he had only been stunned. He recovered a moment later and was among the first to enter the defenses.

The American loss was slight, and they secured nearly six hundred prisoners, with a lot of valuable stores. The fort was destroyed before they left, the ruins being occupied some days later by a British force.

THE INFANT AMERICAN NAVY.

Thus far we have had nothing to tell about the infant American navy. At the beginning of the war, in 1775, Was.h.i.+ngton sent several privateers to cruise along the New England coast, and Congress established a naval department. Thirteen s.h.i.+ps were fitted out and two battalions of seamen enlisted. The opportunity of capturing prizes from the enemy was very alluring to the skillful American seamen, and so many das.h.i.+ng privateers started forth in quest of them that in the course of three years fully five hundred s.h.i.+ps, sailing under the English flag, were captured. Some of the daring cruisers did not hesitate to enter British waters in search of the enemy.

GREAT NAVAL VICTORY OF PAUL JONES.

No braver man than John Paul Jones ever trod the quarter-deck. On the first chance he displayed so much courage and skill that he was made a captain. He was cruising off Solway Firth near his birthplace one night, when he rowed ash.o.r.e on the coast of c.u.mberland, with only thirty-one volunteers, and burned three vessels in the harbor of Whitehaven and spiked a number of cannon in the guard-room of the fort. England was alarmed, declared him a pirate, and put forth every effort to capture him.

In 1779, Paul Jones, as he is more generally known, put to sea in command of the _Bon Homme Richard_, and accompanied by two consorts, the _Alliance_ and the _Pallas_. The _Richard_ was an old East Indiaman, given him by the king of France and named in compliment to Franklin, who had published "Poor Richard's Almanac" for so many years that he was often identified with the publication.

When Jones was off Scarborough, he sighted the Baltic fleet of merchantmen homeward bound, and escorted by the frigates _Countess of Scarborough_ and the _Serapis_. The latter carried fifty guns and the former twenty-two, while Jones had forty-four guns and three hundred and seventy-five men, two-thirds of whom were prisoners of war, since he had greatly weakened his crew in order to send home the many prizes captured.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PAUL JONES]

The moment Jones identified the enemy, he signaled to his consorts to join him in pursuit. Night had closed in and the moon was s.h.i.+ning, when the captain of the _Serapis_ hailed Jones, who answered by opening fire.

The enemy was equally prompt, and thus one of the most famous fights in naval history began. It is almost past comprehension how Jones fought so terrifically when the disadvantages under which he labored are known.

Firing had scarcely begun when one of the guns on the lower deck exploded, killing several men. The survivors ran above, and the piece was not used again during the fight.

Jones tried to close with the _Serapis_, but, finding he could not bring his guns to bear, he allowed his s.h.i.+p to fall off. The prisoners, who outnumbered his crew, were kept busy extinguis.h.i.+ng the fires that continually broke out, by being told that it was the only way to save themselves from death by burning. In the midst of the terrific fighting, when the _Richard_ seemed doomed, Captain Pearson of the _Serapis_ shouted:

"Have you struck?"

"Struck!" replied Jones; "I am just beginning to fight."

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGHT BETWEEN BON HOMME RICHARD AND SERAPIS.]

While the s.h.i.+ps were lurching, one of the enemy's anchors caught the quarter of the _Richard_ and the two held fast, thenceforward fighting side by side. They were so close indeed that the _Serapis_ could not open her starboard ports, and the cannon were fired through the port-lids, which were blown off; but the main deck of the _Richard_ was so high that the broadsides of the enemy injured no one, though they did great damage to the vessel. This tremendous battle lasted for two hours, the muzzles of the guns sc.r.a.ping one another, and the cannon being discharged as fast as they could be loaded. The _Richard_ was soon shattered to that extent that she began sinking. Fire broke out repeatedly on both vessels, and finally Jones was able to work only three of his guns. At this crisis, he found that his consort, the _Alliance_, Captain Landais, was firing into him as well as the _Serapis_; but not heeding him, he continued his battle with the _Serapis_, whose sailors fought as bravely as his own.

The fearful struggle was decided by a sailor in the rigging of the _Richard_, who was engaged in throwing hand-grenades on the deck of the _Serapis_. One of these dropped into the hatchway and exploded a ma.s.s of eighteen-pound cartridges, which killed twenty and wounded twice as many more. Captain Pearson placed himself at the head of his boarders and made a rush for the deck of the _Richard_. Jones, leading his own men, drove them back. The explosion of the grenades silenced the main battery of the _Serapis_, and Captain Pearson himself hauled down his colors, both crews in the awful confusion believing for some minutes that it was the _Richard_ that had surrendered.

When day dawned, the riddled _Richard_ was settling fast, and Jones had barely time to remove his crew to the _Serapis_ when his own vessel went down. Four-fifths of his men had been killed or wounded.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BRITISH CAPTAIN SURRENDERING HIS SWORD TO PAUL JONES.]

Investigation of the conduct of Captain Landais in firing into the _Richard_ led to the conclusion that he was insane, and he was deprived of his command. Jones did no more special service for the Americans. For his unsurpa.s.sable achievement he received the thanks of Congress, and the king of France presented him with a gold sword. After the war he became a rear-admiral in the Russian navy, and died in Paris in 1792.

One of the saddest and most shocking events of the Revolution was the treason of Benedict Arnold, who had won a brilliant reputation for his bravery and generals.h.i.+p. He was quick-tempered, treacherous, and extravagant, and disliked by most of his men, despite his extraordinary daring. His first resentment against Congress was the failure of that body to make him one of the first five major-generals, in the face, too, of Was.h.i.+ngton's urgent recommendation for such promotion, which was made after Arnold's splendid services at Saratoga.

He was placed in command at Philadelphia, while recovering from the wounds received at Saratoga. He married a Tory lady, and his misconduct caused his trial by court-martial, which sentenced him to be reprimanded by the commander-in-chief. Was.h.i.+ngton performed the unpleasant duty with delicacy, but its memory rankled and was increased by his anger against Congress for its refusal to allow his claims for expenses in the Canadian expedition. Influenced also, no doubt, by the Tory sentiments of his wife, he determined to take the step which has covered his name with everlasting infamy.

On the plea that his wounds were not yet healed, he induced Was.h.i.+ngton to place him in command at West Point, the most important post in the country and the princ.i.p.al depot of supplies. He opened a correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton at New York, and agreed for a stated sum of money and an appointment in the British army to surrender the post to a force which Clinton was to send against it. When a point in the negotiations was reached where it was necessary to send a trusted agent to meet Arnold, Clinton dispatched Major John Andre, who went up the Hudson in a sloop, and, September 22, 1780, met Arnold at the foot of Long Clove Mountain. Everything being agreed upon, Andre started to return to the sloop, but found that, owing to its having been fired upon by a party of Americans, it had dropped down stream. Obliged to make his way to New York by land, he a.s.sumed the dress of a civilian, and, furnished with a pa.s.s by Arnold, he set out on horseback.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CAPTURE OF MAJOR ANDRe

Much sympathy was felt in America for Andre, but the justice of his being hung as a spy was never questioned. His three captors, Paulding, Van Wart and Williams, were honored with medals and $200.00 a year each for life, and monuments were erected to their memories by our Government.]