Show y 4 installment 13 tie had proposed was done and his very opponents served upon the committee charged with its accod it was not going more than other colonies had done it was only saving more it was only deal ang more fearlessly and frankly with fortune even slow conservative men like john dickinson of pennsylvania shielded themselves behind colyan if the first act of violence on the part of administration in america they knew or the attempt to reinforce general gage this w inter or next year will put the whole continent in arms from nova to georgia regulars meet the what they feared very speedily cama to pass hardly four weeks from the day sir henry proclaimed a state 0 war in the convention at richmond before the king s regulars were set upon at lexington and concord and driven back in rout to their quarters by the swarming inen of mass achu on the of april they had set out across a peaceful country to seize the military stores placed at concord before the day was out they had been fairly thrown back into boilon close upon three hundred of their corn rades gone to a last reckoning and the next morning disclosed a rapidly growing provincial army drawn in threatened siege about them lord dunmore polled in the darkness of that very night april 20 at the command 02 dun more force of marines was land cd from an armed sloop that lay in james river in virginia to seize the gunpowder stored at williams burg the in their turn sprang to arms and dunmore was forced ere he could rid himself of the busl ness to pay for the powder taken pa captain patrick henry at the head of a body of under arms ethan alien holds two forts on the ot may the second con congress met at philadelphia with business to transact vastly differ ent from that to which the farst con gross of committees had addressed it elt not protests and resolves but quick and efficient action the ery day it met a body of dar ing provincials under ethan alien had walked into the open gates of alcon ceroga and taken possession of the trout fortress in the name of the great jehovah and the continental congress and two days later a similar exploit secured crown point to the insurgents the country united active war had begun an army was set down before boston a rude army that had grown to be sixteen thousand strong within the first week of its rally the country was united in a gen eral resistance and looked to the con gross to give it and guld ance colonel washington had come to the congress in his provincial uniform and found himself a great deal sought ater in its committees not only the drawing of state papers which would once more justify their cause and their resor to arms in the eyes of the word but the actual mus terling and equipment of an army quick fortification the gathering of munitions and supplies the raising of money and the organization of a corn the re of the in d ans upon the frontier was the att business bu hiness in hand and washington a advice was invaluable when such mat tera were afoot washington prompt to act he showed no hesitation aa to what should bo done ills aviu mind long ago been made up and the sessions of the con gross were not ended before virginia as committed beyond all possibility 01 drawing back the ast 1st of june saw her last house of burgesses convene tor by tho ct the month dunmore was a bugl alie had seen the anger of a wll mob blaze hot against him and had taken refuge in a man ot wai lying up he river the province was ready tor revola alon and V was ready to g jhb it if beant more than Washl ngo trot that jaa bad come to abila t like a soldier 1 nd cot abon bis purpose to dran VJ all eyes upon him it was merely his instinctive expression af pf his own per bonal feeling with regard to the crisis that had come but it waa in its way a fulfillment fulfilment 0 prophecy when the first virginian convention chose delegates to attend the con gresa of 1774 some of the tickets on the ballot assigned reasons tor the choice expressed in them randolph should preside in congress lee and henry should display the different kinds ot eloquence tor which they were renowned washington should command the army if an army should be raised bland should open the treasures of ancient colonial learning harrlson should utter plain truths and pendleton should be the penman for business self poise of tho virginian no wonder the gentlemen from clr glela coming with such confidence to the congress made the instant am pres slon they did for mastery and self poise there are bome fine fellows come from virginia joseph reed had reported but they are very high we understand they are the capital men of the colony washington alone awaited his cue now he was to get it without expect ing it A struggling army the irregular army swarming before boston was without standing or government it had run hastily together out of four colonies was subject to no common authority hardly know what allegiance it bore might fall to pieces unless it were adequately commanded N the congress in philadelphia was called upon to recognize and adopt it give it leave and authority to act for all the colonies give it a commander and summon the whole country to recruit it A leader outside new england there was an obvious political necessity that the thing should be done and done promptly did not wish to stand alone new eng land wanted the active assistance of the other colonies something must be attempted to secure common action the first thing to do was to choose an acceptable and efficient leader and to choose him outside new england to john adams the choice seemed simple enough there was no soldier in america outside new england nor inside either to be compared cheth cr in experience or distinction with washington the gallant ward earnest virginian he had learn ed so to esteem and trust there in philadelphia john adams names washington he accordingly moved that congress adopt the army at cambridge and declared that he had but one gentleman in mind tor its command a gentleman from virginia who was among us he said and very well known to all of us a gentleman whose skill and experience as an boffl whose independent fortune great talents and excellent universal char acter would command the alon of all america and unite the cor dial exertions of all the colonies bet ter than any other person in the union washington taken unawares rose and slipped in contusion from the room washington the unanimous choice some of his own friends doubted the expediency of putting a at the head of a new england army but the more clear sighted among the new englanders did not and the se lection was made after a letle tion unanimously washington accepted his commas slon with that mixture of modesty and pride that made men love and honor him you may believe me my dear patsy were his simple words to his wife when I 1 assure you in the most solemn manner that so far from seek ing this appointment I 1 have used ev cry endeavor in my power to avoid it not only from my unwillingness to part with you and the family but from a consciousness of its being a trust too great tor my capacity but as it has been a kind of destiny that has thrown me upon this service I 1 shall hope that my undertaking it Is designed to answer some good purpose it was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment without exposing my character to such censures as would have reflected dishonor upon myself and given pain to my friends washington accept with modesty he spoke in the came tone to the congress I 1 beg it may be heinem bared he said by every gentleman n this room that I 1 this day declare with the utmost sincerity I 1 do not think myself equal to the command I 1 am honored with ills commission was signed on the of june on the he was on the road to the north the road he had traveled twenty years ago to con i gul with governor sharley in boston upon questions of rank and to fall into mary snare by the way tho road he had ridden after the races but three years ago to put jacky custas at college in new york john adam delighted there Is something charming to me in the conduct of washington exclaimed john adams and it was wholesome tor the whole country that such a man should be put at the head of affairs many ignoble things were being done in the name of liberty and an ugly tyranny had been brought to every man s door the tyranny ot his next door neighbor there were men by the score in the colonies who bad no taste or thy for the rebellion they now saw afoot common men who knew little or nothing of the mother country as well as gentlemen of culture who loved her traditions and revered her crown farmers and village lawyers as well as merchants at the ports wha baw their living gone and ruin staring them in the face rule of the majority but the local committees and the sons of liberty everywhere saw to it that such men should know and dread and tearfully submit to the views of the majority government was suspended there was nowhere so much as a justice of the peace acting under the authority of the crown there might have been universal 11 cense had the rabble not seen their leaders so noble so bent upon high and honorable purposes it was an object lesson in the character of the revolution to see washington ride through the colonies to take charge of an insurgent army and no man or woman or child even was likely to miss the lesson that noble figure drew all eyes to it that fetn as it the man were a prince that sincere and open countenance which every man could see was lighted by a good conscience that cordial ease in salute as of a man who felt himself brother to bis friends show himself to the people there was something about wash ington that quickened the pulses of a crowd at the same time that it awed them that drew cheers which were a sort of voice of worship call dren desired sight of him and men felt lifted after ho had passed it was good to have such a man ride all the open way from philadelphia to cam bridge in sight of the people io as sume command of the peoples army it gave character to the thoughts of all who saw him matters had not stood still before boston to await a commander sent by congress while washington waited tor his commission and made ready for bis journey there had been fighting done which was to simplify his task general william inowe had reached boston with reinforcements on the of may and quite ten thousand troops held the city while a strong fleet of men odwar lay watchfully in the harbor the british hesitate there was no burrs it seemed about attacking the sixteen thousand raw provincials whose long lines were drawn loosely about the town from charlestown Charles town neck to jamaica plain but commanding hills looked across the water on either band in charles town on the north and in dorchester on the southeast and it would be well lowe saw to secure them lest they should be occupied by the ansur gents on the rooming of the lath of june however while leisurely preparations were a making in boston to occupy the hills of it was als covered that the provincials had been beforehand in the project there they were in the clear sun working dill gently at re doubts of their own upon the height at a fearful cost three thousand men were put across the water to drive them oft though they mustered only seventeen hundred behind their unfinished works there were several assaults and the loss of a thousand men was the cost of dislodging them they w withheld their alre till the red coats were within eltty nay thirty yards of them and then poured out a deadly blazing alre which no man could face and live they were oust ed only when they tailed of powder and despaired of reinforcements veteran officers who bad led the an adult declared the regulars of france were not more formidable than thesa men whom they bad despised as raw peasants there was no desire to buy another american position at that price and washington had time enough for the complimentary receptions and ad dresses and the elaborate parade of escort and review that adelaed his journey to headquarters he reached cambridge on the ad of july and bore himself with so straightforward and engaging a cour tesy in taking command that the boffl cers he superseded could not but like him jealousy was disarmed not ideal soldiers but he found neither the preparations nor ahe spirit of the army to his liking ills soldierly bense of or der was shocked by the lose discipline and his instinct of command by the free and easy insolence of that lr regular levy and his authority grew stern as he labored to bring the mot ley host to order and effective the people of this government have obtained a character his conal dentral letters declared which they by no means deserved their officers generally speaking are the most in different kind of people I 1 ever saw I 1 dare say the men would fight very well it properly officered although they are an exceedingly dirty and nasty people it Is among the most difficult tasks I 1 ever undertook in my life to induce these people to believe that there Is or can be danger till the bayonet Is pushed at their breasts not that it proceeds from any buncom mon prowess but rather from an un accountable kind of stupidity in the lower class of these people which believe me prevails but too generally among the officers ot the massachi Mass achu part of the army who are near ly of the same kidney with the arl vates improve on acquaintance he had seen like demoralization and slackness in the old days at winchester on the wild frontier but he had expected to a better spirit and discipline in the new england levies his farst disgust however soon wore off he was not slow to see how shrewd and sturdy these uncouth in tractable plough boys and farmers could prove themselves upon occa slon material for a good army 1 I bae a sincere pleasure in observing he wrote to congress that there are materials tor a good army a great number of able bodied men active zealous in the cause and of unquestionable courage there was time enough and to spare in which to learn his army a quality our lines ot defence are now corn plated he could tell lund washing ton on the ot august aa near so at least as can be we now wish them to come out as soon as they please but they discover no inclination to quit their own works ot defense and as it is almost impossible for us to get at them we do nothing but watch each others motions all day at the distance of about a mile an immense correspondence he could even turn away from military affairs to advise that spin nang should go forward with all pos sible despatch on the estate at home and to say 1 I much approve of your sowing wheat in clean ground al though you should be late in doing it once more he settled to the old fa millar work this time upon a great scale of carrying a difficult enterprise forward by correspondence letters to the continental congress at palla dechla letters to the provincial con grosses of the new england letters to subordinate sometimes in officers at distant posts letters to intimate friends and in fluent lal nen everywhere setting forth the needs and situation of the army advising measures of alon supply and defense pointing out means that might be used and mistakes that must be avoided command ing dissuading guiding forecasting poured steadily forth from those busy headquarters where the in chief was always to be found in tent deeply employed calmly impera live never tiring never hesitating never storming a leader and master of men and affairs TO BE |