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Show i BY THE PRESIDENT W-C The states alone could make It pos-ilble pos-ilble to tai lb country to pay the army; tbelr thirteen governments were tha only civil authority, and lory took tha need and tha discontents of the array very lightly, deemed peace ecura and war expenses unnecessary, and let mattera drift aa they would. They came very near drifting to another an-other revolution a revolution tuch aa politician! had left out of their reckoning, reck-oning, and only Washington could avert. Washington Helps Congress. After Yorktown. Washington spent four mouths In 1'hlladelphU, helping be congress forward with tha business busi-ness of tha winter, but aa March of the new year (17S2I drew towarda Its close, ha rejoined tha army at New-burgh, New-burgh, to resume his watch upon New York. lie had been scarcely two months at hla poet when a letter waa placed In his hands which revealed, more fully than any observations of his own could have revealed It, tha pass to which affairs had come. An Unwelcome Latter, The letter waa from Colonel Lewis Nicola, an old and respected officer, who stood nearer than did moat of bla fellow officers to the commander-in-chief In intimacy and affection, and who felt It hla privilege to apeak plainly. plain-ly. Tha letter waa calm tn temper, grava and moderate in tone, with something of tha gravity and method of a disquisition written upon abstract questions of government; did not broach ita meaning Ilka a revolutionary revolution-ary document. Hut what It proposed waa nothing less, whan read between the lines, than that Washington should suffer himself to ba made ktng. and that ao an and abould be put to the Incompetency and ingratitude of a band of weak and futile republlca. An Overwhelming Rebuke. Washington met the auggestlon with a rebuke ao direct and overwhelming that Colonel Nicola must himself have wondered how ha bad ever dared make such a venture. "lie assured, sir," said tha Indignant commander, "no occurrence In the course of the war lias given me more painful sensations than your information informa-tion of thHr being such Ideas existing In the army. ... I am much at a loss to conceive what part of my conduct con-duct could have given encouragement to an address which to me seems big with the greatest mischiefs that can befall my country. If I am not do-cleved do-cleved In the knowledge of myself, you could not have found a person to der crders, no man who could lend the aervlre a hand or take a turn at counsel, coun-sel, was likely to escape seeing the com madder In chief's handwriting often oft-en enough to keep him in mind of his tireless power to foresee and to direct di-rect A Silent Man. Washington seemed present tn every ev-ery transaction of the war. And yet always and to every one be seemed a silent man. What he aald and what he wrote never touched himself, lie spoke seldom of motives, always of what waa to be dona and considered; and even Ms secretaries, though they handled the multitude of bla papers, were left oftentimes to woader and speculate about the man himself ao frank and yet ao reserved, so atralghtforward and simple and yet ao proud and aelf-contalned, revealing powers, but somehow not revealing himself. It must have seemed at times to those who followed blm and pondered what they saw that he bad caught from nature ber own manner while be took hla breeding aa a boy and his preparation as a man amidst the forests for-ests of a wild frontier; that bla character char-acter spoke In what be did and without with-out self consciousness; that be bad no moods but those of action. A Man Without Rsproach. Nor did men know blm for what be Tea Uy w'as until the war waa over. lila own officers then found they bad something more to learn of the man they had fought under for six years and those all. all of them, sucn as lay bare the charactera of men. What remained to be done during the two trying, anxious years, 1782 and 1783, seemed as If Intended for a supreme and final Ut of the qualities quali-ties of the man wfeuse genius and character bad mado tha Revolution possible. "At tha end of a long civil a ii i i.i. , iu i. tan . i ina usi..,," " """..!' ' " lasyaia aajii ia j i.i.t'k Lf ' , i-t - ''V-''vr : Surrender of Cornwallla at Vorktown. get a purpose made good. And they could not deem blm cold, though they found hliu self possessed, keeping bla own counsel; for was not the country full or talk how passlouately ba waa like to act tt a moment of crisis and in the field? A Fearless Leader. They only feared to lose a leader ao reckless of himself when danger waa sharpest "Our army lova their general very much," one of his officers bad said, "but they bavo one thing against him. which is the little care be takes of himself In any action; for ba had aeen bow Washington pressed at Trenton and at Princeton to tha points that were most exposed, thinking of bis troops, not of himself. him-self. Tha spirit of fight had run high In Washington tha whole war through. Even during those dismal weeks of 1776, when affairs looked darkest, end be bad but a handful of men about him as ba all but Oed before llowe through New Jersey, bo rid spoken, aa If In tha very pleasantry of daring, of what be would do abould thlnga coma to tha worst with blm. ills thought turned to those western fastnesses fast-nesses ba knew ao well, where tha highlands of bis own state lay, and he spoke calmly of a desperate venture thither. "Reed." be exclaimed, to one of bis aidea. "my neck does not feel aa though It was made for a halter. We must retire to Augusta county. In Virginia, and if overpowered, must pass tha Alleghany mountains." Faith In His Army. And when the last movement of the war came, It was still with the same feeling that be drew hla lines about Cornwallla. "We may be beaten by the English." he said; "it Is the chance of war; but there Is the army they will never conquer." "The privates are all generals, but not soldiers." the gallant Montgomery had cried. In bla hot Impatience with the heady militiamen he was bidden command; but It was not ao In the presence of Washington, when once these men had taken bis measure. They were then "rivals in praising him." the Abbe Robin declared, "fearing "fear-ing him even when be was silent, and retaining their full confidence in him after defeats and disgrace. French Officers Puuled. . The singular majesty and polsa of this revolutionary hero atruck the French officera as Infinitely mora remarkable re-markable than his mastery In the field and hla ascendency In council. They had looked to find blm great In action, but tbey bad not thought to see In him a great gentleman, a man after their own kind In grace and courtesy and tact, and yet so lifted above the manner of courta and drawing-rooms by an Incommunicable quality qual-ity of grave aincerlty which they were at a lots bow to describe. No one could tell whether It were a gift of the mind or of the heart. It waa certainly only that It constituted the atmosphere and apotheosis of the man. Tba Marquis de Cbastellux noted, not-ed, with a aort of reverent aw for this, hero not yet turned of fifty, bow perfect a union reigned between bis physical and moral qualities. "One alone," be declared, "will enable you to judge of all the rest." "It Is not ray Intention to exaggerate," be said; "1 wish only to express my Impression Impres-sion of a perfect whole, which cannot be the product of enthusiasm, since the effect of proportion Is rather to diminish tha Idea of greatness." Chsng In Washington's Looks. Strangere who had noted bla appearance ap-pearance In the earlier years of the war bad remarked the spirit and Ufa that sat in Wasblngton'a eyes; but when the war was over, and Its atraln relaxed, they found those eyea grown , pensive, "more attentive than sparkling"; spark-ling"; steady still, and noble In their frankneaa and good feeling, but touched a little with care, dimmed with watching. ( Tba Prince de Rroglle found blm . "still aa fresh and active as a young , man" In 1782, but thought "be must , have been much handsomer three years ago," for "the gentlemen who had remained with him during all that time aald tbat ba seemed to have grown much older. Twould have been no marvel bad he broken under the burden be bad ' carried, athletic soldier and hardened J campaigner though be was. "This Is the seventh year that be baa com- 1 manded the army and that ba baa 1 obeyed the congress; more need not ' be said." tbe Marquis de Cbastellux 1 declared, unconsciously uttering a 1 very bitter gibe against the govern- ' ment, when be meant only to praise ' its general. Letters foe All. 1 Such service told tba more heavily 1 open Washington because be bad ren- ( dered It In alienee, 1 No man among all tha Revolution- 1 ary leaders. It Is true, had been more at tba desk than be. Letters of com- ( mand and pereuastoo, reports that carried every detail of tbe army's Ufa and hopes In tbelr careful phrases, t ordera of urgency and of provident ax- raagement, writings of any aod every a aort that might keep the hard war a afoot, ba bad soured forth Incessant- t ly. and as If Incapable of fatigue or g discouragement- No eaa who was ua Installment 17 Tha Count de Urease, with twenty eight ships of tha tine, six frigates, and twenty thousand men, waa In tb Weat Indlea, and In August sent word to Washington that ba waa about tc bring hla whole fleet to the Cbesa peake, aa Washington bad urged. Elth er the Chesapeake or New York, bad been Washington's prayer to him. Making aa If ha were but moving about New York from north to south for some advantage of position, Wash Ington suddenly took two thousand Continentals and four thousand Frenchmen, all tha long four hundred tulles to York liver In Virginia, to find Corn wall Is already entrapped there, ai ba bad planned, between Qraase'a flee! In the bay and Lafayette Intrenched across tba peninsula with eight thou sand men, now tba French bad loaned blm three thousand. Pralaa From Cornwallla. A few weeks' siege snd tha decla Iva work waa done, to tba admiration of Cornwallla himself. Tba Drltlsfa army waa taken. The generous Englishman could not elthhold an expression of hla admiration admir-ation for tha extraordinary skill with which Washington bad struck all thi way from New York with six thousand men aa easily as If with six hundred "But, after all." he added, "your ex celleney'a achievements in New Jer aey were such tbat nothing could sur pass them." Does Not Bring Peace. Tba victory at Yorktown brought neither peace nor ease In affairs. The revolution waa Indeed accomplished tbat every man could ae w ho bsd the candor to look facta in tha face; bul Ita accomplishment brought taski harder even than the tasks of war. Hostilities slackened were almost wholly dona with before anolhet spring had come. No more troopi came over sea. Tbe ministry In Eng land were discredited and ousted. Every one knew that tbe proud mother country must yield, for all hei stout defiance of the world. but s long year dragged by, nevertheless, be fore even preliminary articlca of ac commodation were signed; and atil! another before definite peace came with Independence and the full frulU of victory. Shadowy Powera of Congress. Meanwhile there waa an army to b maintained, despite desperate incom petence on tbe part of the congresi and a hopeless Indifference among tb people; and a government to be kept presentably afoot, despite lack of money mon-ey and lack of men. Tbe articles of confederation proposed pro-posed at the heart of the war-time (November 16, 1777) bad at last been adopted (March 1, 1781). in season to create at least a government govern-ment which could sign treatlea and conclude wars, but neither soon enough nor wisely enough to bring order or-der out of chaos. The states, glad to think the war over, would do nothing for tha army, nothing for the public credit, nothing even for the maintenance mainten-ance of order; and tbe articles of confederation only gave the congress written warranty for offering advice; tbey did not make Ita shadowy power real. Washington Keeps Hia Command. It waa beyond measure fortunate that at auch a critical time as tbia Washington still kept bis command, still held affairs under the steady pressure pres-sure of bla will ills successes bad at last given blm a place of authority in the thoughts sod affections of bis countrymen In tome aort commensurate with hla capacity ca-pacity and bis vision In affalra. He bad risen to a very aafe footing of power among all the people aa (he war drew towarda Its close, filling tbelr Imaginations, and reigning among them aa securely aa among bis troops, who for ao long had felt hla will wrought upon them day by day. Mis very reserve, and tha large dignity dig-nity and pride of kla ateady bearing. Dado blm seem the more like a hero la tba wrople's eyea. Tbey could on-lesatand on-lesatand a man made la this ample u simple kind, give them but time inrtigb to see blm In bla full propor-doae. propor-doae. It answered to their Uought f blm to Sad blm too proud to dla-tembte, dla-tembte, too masterful to brook enreav wnsble faulta. and yet alow to grow m patient, though ha saaat wall a bola twelvemonth to see a plaa ma-tare, ma-tare, or coax a hU score states to whom your schemes are more disagreeable. disa-greeable. . . . Let me conjure you, If you have any regard for your country, coun-try, concern for yourself or posterity, or respect for me, to banish these thoughts from your mind, and never communicate, as from yourself or any one else, a sentiment of tbe like nature." na-ture." ITO IIB fONTINUKD.) war," .said tbe Marquis da Chastellux, with a noble pride for hla friend, "he bad nothing with which ha could reproach re-proach himself"; but it waa these last years which were to crown this perfect per-fect praise with Its full meaning. In tba absence of any real government, govern-ment, Washington proved alinoat tha only prop of authority and law. What the crisis waa no one knew quits ao thoroughly or ao particularly aa ba. It consisted la the ominous fact tbat the army was tbe only organized and central power in tha country, and that It had deep reason for discontent and Insubordination. When once It had served Its pur-post pur-post greatly at Yorktown, and the war aeemed ended at a stroke, tbe country turned from It In Indifference left It without money; talked of disbanding It without further ceremony, ahd with no provision made for arreara of pay; aeemed almost to challenge It to Indignation In-dignation and mutiny. The Army en a War Footing. It waa necessary, for every reason of prudence and good statesmanship, to keep the army still upon a war foot. Ing There are aure signs of peace, no doubt, but no man could foretell what might be the course of politics ere England abould have compounded ber quarrel with France and Spain, and ended tbe wars with which the Revolution bad become Inextricably Involved. Twrre folly to leave tbe English army at New York unchecked. Pre mature confidence tbat peace bad coma might bring aoma sudden die aster of arma, abould tha enemy take tha field again. Tba array must be ready to fight. If only to make fighting unnecessary. No Power to Raise Money. Washington would have assumed tbe offensive again, would have crush, ed Clinton where be lay In New York; snd tba congress waa not alack aa lacknesa waa counted there In sue laiainc bla counsels Put the coo-tress coo-tress Sad no power to raise money; kad do power to command. |