4* V*!^. +r. •7* «0 'J'. «"^ o-n, 4 o jy »l^% ^ <*^ 'o . » * .0' 4 o O > £-^ '.Wf; A ^V J .^ffl^° ^ V< V STORIES OF AMERICAN HISTORY The Santa Maria, the Little Flagship of Columbus, with whose memorable voyage American history begins. STORIES OF AMERICAN HISTORY BY WILBUR F. GORDY FORMERLY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, SPRINGFIELD, MASS.; AUTHOR OF "a HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR SCHOOLS," " ELEMENTARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES," "AMERI- CAN LEADERS AND HEROES," "AMERICAN BEGINNINGS IN EUROPE," "STORIES OF AMERICAN EXPLORERS," "COLONIAL DAYS," "STORIES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY," AND " STORIES OF LATER AMERICAN HISTORY " WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON ft* .3 Copyright, 1913, 1915, 1917, by CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS NOV 19 1917 ©CU477625 hi Ik PREFACE In writing this hook, no attempt has been made to deal especially with the causal aspects of history. They belong to a later phase of the learner's growth. The earlier stage, for which this book is designed, obtains its ideas of the past most naturally from the pictorial side; that is, from those external features of events which can best be presented through pictures, descriptions, and illustrative stories put together in chronological sequence. The aim of the author has been to select those interest- ing and colorful facts identified more or less closely with the lives of strong and masterful men who were the leaders of great movements and the centres of important situations ; and then, with the teacher's co-operation, to interpret the material thus selected in such a way as to appeal to the imagination, and through the imagination to the heart and will of the child. Thus will he be helped to reconstruct the past — to people it with vigorous flesh-and-blood men and women, thinking, feeling, willing, and acting very much like the men and women about him. He will, so far as his imagination allows, stand by the side of great leaders, feeling the impulse of their ideals and aspirations, sharing in their achievements, and learning from their successes and failures something of use in his own life. "Stories of American History" follows somewhat closely the course of study prepared by the Committee of Eight, covering the topics outlined for Grades IV and V. It was the plan of that committee to take up in these grades, largely in a biographical way, a great part of the essential facts of American history; and with this plan I, as a mem- ber of that committee, was in hearty accord. This method, vii viii PREFACE it is believed, serves a double purpose. In the first place, it is the best possible way of laying the foundation for the later and more detailed study of United States history in the higher grammar grades by those pupils who are to con- tinue in school; and in the second, it gives to that large number of pupils who will leave school before the end of the sixth grade — which is at least half of all the boys and girls in the schools of the country — some acquaintance with the leading men and prominent events of American history. It is without doubt a great mistake to allow half of the pupils to go out from our public schools with almost no knowledge of the moral and material forces which have made this nation what it is to-day. It is an injustice to the young people themselves; it is also an injury to their coun- try, the vigor of whose life will depend much upon their intelligent and patriotic support. It is confidently hoped that the fine illustrations and the attractive typographical features of the book will help to bring vividly before the mind of the child the events narrated in the text. Another aid in making the stories vivid will, it is in- tended, be found in "Some Things to Think About." These and many similar questions, which the teacher can easily frame to 'fit the needs of her class, will help the pupil to make real the life of days gone by as well as to connect it with the present time and with his own life. In conclusion, I wish to acknowledge my deep obliga- tions to Mr. Forrest Morgan, of the Watkinson Library, Hartford, and to Miss Elizabeth P. Peck, of the Hartford Public High School, both of whom have read the manu- script and have made many valuable criticisms and sug- gestions. Wilbur F. Gordy. Hartford, Conn., August 20, 1917. CONTENTS EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY CHAPTER PAGE I. Christopher Columbus 1 II. John Cabot and Americus Vespucius 15 III. The American Indians 18 IV. Vasco Nunez Balboa and Ferdinand Magellan .... 30 V. Hernando Cortez 36 VI. Francisco Pizarro 42 VII. Juan Ponce de Leon and Hernando de Soto 48 VIII. Jacques C artier 55 EX. Sir Francis Drake 58 X. Sir Walter Raleigh 63 XI. Stories of Early Virginia 71 XII. Stories of Early Maryland 87 XIII. Stories of Early New England 93 XIV. Stories of Early New York 116 XV. Stories of Early Pennsylvania 130 XVI. Stories of Early Georgia 136 XVII. Life in Early Colonial Days 140 XVIII. Father Marquette 158 ix x CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XIX. Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle 164 XX. Stories of the New Englanders and the Indians . . 172 XXI. Stories of the English and the French 17S XXII. The English and the French in North America. . 185 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY XXIII. Patrick Henry 205 XXIV. Samuel Adams 219 XXV. The War Begins Near Boston 234 XXVI. George Washington in the Revolution 249 XXVII. Nathanael Greene and Other Heroes in the South 277 XXVIII. John Paul Jones 291 XXIX. Daniel Boone 298 XXX. James Robertson 311 XXXI. John Sevier 32< : XXXII. George Rogers Clark 336 XX XIII. The New Republic 355 XXXIV. Increasing the Size of the New Republic 36? XXXV. Internal Improvements 391 XXXVI. The Republic Grows Larger 412 XXXVII. Three Great Statesmen 429 XXXVIII. The Civil War 447 XXXIX. Four Great Industries 485 Index 497 ILLUSTKATIONS The Santa Maria, the Little Flagship of Columbus Frontispiece PAGE Christopher Columbus 3 He was fond of playing on the wharves 4 The Fleet of Christopher Columbus S Columbus in Chains 13 John Cabot in London ...... 16 Americus Vespueius 17 In each wigwam lived a whole family 19 An Iroquois "Long House" 20 Sometimes these strange pueblos were perched high on the cliffs ... 21 Fish Spear, Arrow for War, Hunting Arrow, Shoshonee Bow 23 A Pappoose Case 23 An Indian Pipe 24 A light bark canoe, easily carried 25 Snow-shoes 2G Balboa 31 Ferdinand Magellan 32 The Strait of Magellan 3 Hernando Cortez 37 Horses they had never seen 38 Meeting of Cortez and Montezuma 40 A Street in Cuzco 4o The people of Peru thought the horses were strange monsters 44 The Inca Making the Mark Upon the Wall 45 The Death of Pizarro 46 xi o xii ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Searching for the Fountain of Youth 49 Hernando De Soto 50 De Soto Reaching the Mississippi River 52 Burial of De Soto 53 Jacques Cartier 55 Cartier Arriving at Montreal 56 Young Drake Watching Vessels Put Out to Sea 59 Drake Sees the Pacific Ocean for the First Time 60 A[Spanish Galleon of the Sixteenth Century 61 An English Ship of the Fifteenth Century 62 Raleigh Spreading His Cloak Before Queen Elizabeth 64 Sir Walter Raleigh 65 Queen Elizabeth 66 Finding the Name Carved Upon the Tree 68 John Smith 74 Pocahontas 77 Landing of Lord Delaware 79 Jamestown, 1622 82 A Virginia Planter 83 Vessel at Wharf Receiving Tobacco 84 George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) 88 Friendly Indians, crowding the banks, gazed in wonder at the huge ships 89 Departure of Pilgrim Fathers from Delft Haven, 1620 95 Miles Standish in Armor 97 William Bradford's Chair 98 Pilgrim Exiles 99 The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor 102 Plymouth in the Early Days 105 ILLUSTRATIONS xiii PAGE They built around Plymouth a palisade of posts 107 John Winthrop 108 Puritans on Horseback 109 Roger Williams Fleeing Through the Woods Ill Thomas Hooker and Party on the Way to Connecticut 113 Henry Hudson 117 Dutch Trading with the Indians 119 Indian Fur Trader 120 Champlain killed one or two of their number 121 APatroon 123 New Amsterdam in 1673 124-125 A Dutch Manor 126 Peter Stuyvesant 127 William Penn at the Age of 22 (1666) 131 Cottage of William Penn, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia 133 William Penn's Treaty with the Indians 134 James Oglethorpe 137 He noticed many mulberry-trees 138 A Block-House 140 One of the children runs to a neighbor and brings home a burning stick 142 The Spinning- Wheel 144 Their school-house is a rude log hut 145 The big fireplace with its high-backed seat on either side 146 The rich planters live in houses called mansions 150 Old Log Cabin for the Slaves 151 Tables, Chairs, Four-posted Bedstead 152 Early Dutch Windmill 154 The Great Chest of Drawers Set on Casters 155 xiv ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Statue of James Marquette 159 The priest, in his long black robe, in one canoe, and Joliet in the other . 160 Launching the Griffin 165 For sixty-five days this painful journey lasted 166 Here, in the name of the French king, he planted a column and a cross 16S One morning one of them shot him dead 170 They sailed down the Connecticut River , . 173 This was a village of wigwams, surrounded by a palisade 17-1 King Philip 175 Indians are stealing quietly upon the fort, stopping now and then to listen 179 They forced the mother and nurse to march with them toward Canada ISO Old House at Deerfield, Mass 182 The two were together much of the time 1S6 When he needed some one to survey land, he chose Washington for the task l!S7 Benjamin Franklin 192 Braddock's Toilsome March Through the Wilderness 195 The Arcadians were torn from their homes and carried into strange lands 197 James Wolfe 199 An English Soldier of Wolfe's Army . 199 Montcalm 200 Each man had to pull himself up by clinging to the roots and bushes . 201 Pioneers on the Overland Route, Westward Facing page 205 George III 206 Patrick Henry 209 Patrick Henry Delivering His Speech in the Virginia House of Burgesses 211 William Pitt 213 St. John's Church, Richmond 215 ILLUSTRATIONS. xv PAGE Samuel Adams 219 Patriots in New York Destroying Stamps Intended for Use in Connecti- cut 221 Faneuil Hall, Boston 226 Old South Church, Boston . 227 The "Boston Tea Party" 228 Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia 231 John Hancock 234 John Hancock's Home, Boston 235 A Minuteman 236 Old North Church 237 Paul Revere's Ride 23S Monument on Lexington Common Marking the Line of the Minutemen 240 Concord Bridge .- 243 President Langdon, the President of Harvard College, Praying for the Bunker Hill Entrenching Party on Cambridge Common Just Before Their Departure 245 Prescott at Bunker Hill 246 Bunker Hill Monument 247 George Washington 249 Washington, Henry, and Pendleton on the Way to Congress at Phila- delphia 251 The Washington Elm at Cambridge, Under Which Washington Took Command of the Army 252 Sir William Howe 255 Thomas Jefferson Looking Over the Rough Draught of the Declaration of Independence 256 The Retreat from Long Island 258 Nathan Hale 261 xvi • ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE British and Hessian Soldiers ' 265 Powder-Horn, Bullet-Flask, and Buckshot-Pouch Used in the Revo- lution 267 General Burgoyne Surrendering to General Gates 269 Marquis de Lafayette 271 Lafayette Offering His Services to Franklin 272 Winter at Valley Forge 274 Nathanael Greene 277 The Meeting of Greene and Gates Upon Greene's Assuming Command 281 Daniel Morgan 283 Francis Marion 2S6 Marion Surprising a British Wagon-Train 287 John Paul Jones 291 Battle Between the Ranger and. the Drake 293 The Fight Between the Ben Homme Richard and the Serapis .... 296 Daniel Boone 299 Boone's Escape from the Indians 301 Boonesborough 305 Boone Throwing Tobacco Into the Eyes of the Indians Who Had Come to Capture Him 309 James Robertson 311 Living-room of the Early Settler 315 Grinding Indian Corn 316 A Kentucky Pioneer's Cabin 319 John Sevier 326 A Barbecue of 1780 331 Battle of King's Mountain 332 George Rogers Clark 336 ILLUSTRATIONS xvii PAGE Clark on the Way to Kaskaskia 341 Clark's Surprise at Kaskaskia 342 Wampum Peace Belt 346 Clark's Advance on Vincennes 350 George Washington 355 Washington's Home, Mount Vernon 356 Tribute Rendered to Washington at Trenton 357 Washington Taking the Oath of Office as First President at Federal Hall, New York City 359 Washington's Inaugural Chair 360 Eli Whitney 362 Whitney's Cotton-Gin 363 A Colonial Planter 365 A Slave Settlement 363 Thomas Jefferson 368 "Monticello," the Home of Jefferson 369 A Rice-Field in Louisiana 372 A Flatboat on the Ohio River 375 House in New Orleans Where Louis Philippe Stopped in 1798 377 A Public Building in New Orleans Built in 1794 378 Meriwether Lewis 380 William Clark 380 Buffalo Hunted by Indians 381 The Lewis and Clark Expedition Working Its Way Westward .... 383 Andrew Jackson 385 "The Hermitage," the Home of Andrew Jackson 387 Fighting the Seminole Indians under Jackson 388 Robert Fulton 392 xviii ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Fulton's First Experiment with Paddle-Wheels 393 The Clermont in Duplicate at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 1909 . 396 The Opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 398 The Ceremony Called "The Marriage of the Waters" 399 Erie Canal on the Right and Aqueduct Over the Mohawk River, New York 401 "Tom Thumb."' Peter Cooper's Locomotive Working Model, First Used Near Baltimore in 1830 402 Railroad Poster of 1S43 403 Comparison of "De Witt Clinton" Locomotive and Train, the First Train Operated in New York, with a Modern Locomotive of the New York Central Railroad 404 S. F. B. Morse . . 406 The First Telegraph Instrument 407 Modern Telegraph Office .- 408 The Operator of the modern railroad is dependent upon the telegraph . 409 Sam Houston 412 Flag of the Republic of Texas 415 David Crockett 416 The Fight at the Alamo 417 John C. Fremont 419 Fremont's Expedition Crossing the Rocky Mountains 420 Kit Carson 421 Sutter's Mill 425 Placer-Mining in the Days of the California Gold Rush 427 John C. Calhoun 429 Calhoun's Office and Library 430 Henry Clay 432 The Birthplace of Henry Clay, near Richmond 432 ILLUSTRATIONS xix PAGE The Schoolhouse in "The Slashes" 433 Daniel Webster 436 The Home of Daniel Webster, Marshfield, Mass . . . 440 Henry Clay Addressing the United States Senate in 1850 443 Abraham Lincoln 447 Lincoln's Birthplace 448 Lincoln Studying by Firelight 450 Lincoln Splitting Rails 452 Lincoln as a Boatman 453 Lincoln Visiting Wounded Soldiers 457 Robert E. Lee 459 Lee's Home at Arlington, Va 460 Jefferson Davis 461 Thomas J. Jackson 462 A Confederate Flag 462 J. E. B. Stuart 463 Confederate Soldiers 464 Union Soldiers 466 Ulysses S. Grant 467 Grant's Birthplace, Point Pleasant, Ohio 468 General and Mrs. Grant with Their Son at City Point, Va 470 William Tecumseh Sherman 472 Sherman's March to the Sea 473 Philip H. Sheridan 476 Sheridan Rallying His Troops 477 The McLean House Where Lee Surrendered 470 General Lee on His Horse, Traveller 4S2 Cotton-Field in Blossom 486 xx ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE A Wheat-Field 488 Grain-Elevators at Buffalo 489 Cattle on the Western Plains . 491 Iron Smelters 493 Iron Ore Ready for Shipment 495 MAPS PAGE The First Voyage of Columbus, and Places of Interest in Connection with His Later Voyages 10 Routes Traversed by De Soto and De Leon 48 Raleigh's Various Colonies 67 Early Settlements in Virginia and Maryland 91 Early Settlements in New England 114 Early Settlements in New York and New Jersey 128 Early Settlements in Georgia 138 Map Showing Routes of Cartier, Champlain, and La Salle, also French and English Possessions at the Time of the Last French War ... 167 The English Colonies and the French Claims in 1754 183 The French in the Ohio Valley 191 Quebec and Surroundings 202 Boston and Vicinity 242 The War in the Middle States 263 The War in the South , 279 Early Settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee • . . 313 George Rogers Clark in the Northwest 340 The United States in 1803, after the Louisiana Purchase (Colored) Facing page 376 Jackson's Campaign 389 Scene of Houston's Campaign 414 Fremont's Western Explorations 423 Map of the United States Showing First and Second Areas (Colored) Between pages 458-459 Route of Sherman's March to the Sea 474 The Country Around Washington and Richmond 480 xx i STORIES OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY CHAPTER I CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Over 800 years ago, long before it was known there was such a place as A-mer'i-ca, a war broke out between the peoples of western Eu'rope and those of western A'sia. The peoples of western Europe were followers of Christ, while those of western Asia were followers of Ma-hom'et. The Ma-hom'et-ans held the Holy Land where Christ had lived, and the Christians wished to get it back. This war was followed by others. For nearly 200 years they never wholly died down, but the hard fighting was at eight different times. The wars were called the Cru-sades', or Wars of the Cross, because the Christian soldiers wore crosses on their coats. Millions of men lost their lives in this dreadful struggle, but many lived to go back to their homes in Europe. They told wonderful tales of the strange lands where they had fought, and of the curious and beautiful things they had seen there. They told of beasts and birds, fruits and flowers, peoples, dress, houses, furniture, and customs that seemed very strange. EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY How do you suppose this made the people feel who had stayed at home? Of course, they also wanted to visit these lands, and many who had never been far from home began to travel to Asia. They had known nothing of the great world outside of the little place where they had grown up. Imagine how surprised they were to find that the people of the East understood many arts of which they themselves knew nothing. They found soft, fine silks and other rich cloths to wear, spices which made their food taste better, rugs to warm and soften the floors, and many of the comforts of life. Wishing to take some of these things back home, they traded for them things they themselves had made. This business of trading kept growing, as time went on. In Ven'ice and Gen'o-a there were merchants and sailors who took a large part in it. Look at your maps and see if you can tell why boys growing up in those cities should take to the sea. From these two cities great merchant fleets sailed out, and returned loaded with goods from the East. These goods had to be brought on the backs of camels, horses, and mules, all the way from Per'sia, In'di-a, and Chi'na, down to the ports where the ships were waiting for them. Pict- ure to yourself long lines of these beasts of burden as they wound along their way to the sea-coast. At one time there were three main routes by which the CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS caravans reached the sea. All were costly and full of danger, for it was the custom of the Turks to plunder the caravans or to force them to give up a part of their goods before they would let them go on. The most northern route led through the Black Sea by way of what is now southern Russia. But in 1453 the Turks captured Con-stan-ti-no'ple and cut off this route. This was a hard blow to Genoa, for that city had always used the northern route. But it was a blow felt by all Europe, for other nations had become eager for a share in the Eastern trade. It hap- pened, too, just when the desire for Eastern goods was growing veiy fast. For a long time men had been trying to find a way to reach India, China, and Japan by water, so as to escape the dangers by land. Now they felt that such a route must be found. Por'tu-gal and Spain were the two nations whose sailors went most to sea. So they took the lead in the search for this all-water route. Portugal set out to find it by sailing down the west coast of Africa. It was very slow work, but at last a brave sea Christopher Columbus. EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY captain of that country, Vas'co da Gam 'a, reached the most southern end of Africa. He called it the "Cape of Storms." You can guess wiry. But the King of Portugal said, " It shall be called the Cape of Good Hope." Can you think why he gave it that name? When Portugal had found her route by sailing south, Spain dared not sail over it herself for fear of trouble with Portugal. So she had to find an- other way. The man who showed her how was Chris'to-pher Co- lum'bus. He was not a Spaniard. Let us see how it came about that Spain was the count ly to send him out and get the glory for what he did. Columbus was born in Genoa. His father was a poor man, who earned his living by making wool ready for the spinners. We do not know much about the boy Christopher, but we can well believe that he was fond of playing on the He was fond of playing on the wharves. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 5 wharves near his home. Here he could see hundreds of vessels coming and going. We may be sure that he spent many hours watching their white sails. Most likely he was fond of the water and learned while he was quite young to swim and to sail boats. But he did not play all the time. He had work to do like other boys. He learned his father's trade, and he also went to school, where he learned reading, writing, arith- metic, geography, and map-drawing. All these were of great use in his later life. He must have heard older people talk a great deal about the loss of the Eastern trade after the Turks had shut up the Black Sea route, and about the need of finding a new route over the ocean. YEARS OF TRIAL FOR COLUMBUS Many years later, when he had become a grown-up man, he went to live in Lis'bon, which, you know, is the capital of Portugal. Here lived one of his brothers, and here, as in Genoa, lived many sailors. Here again he mast have heard much talk about finding a water route to India. Columbus listened earnestly to sailors' stories; he stud- ied maps and charts; he thought a great deal. It seemed to him that the earth must be round like a globe, instead of flat as many others supposed. He tried to get all the proofs he could of this. He also took many voy- ages himself. 6 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY After many long years of study, he felt sure that he could get to India by sailing straight across the Atlantic Ocean. He would go right in the opposite direction from that in which India lay. "The way to the East is by the West," said he. If he should be able to reach India in this way, he would prove that the earth was round and would bring the wealth of the Indies to Europe. The more he thought about this great plan, the more he longed to carry it out. In fact, he thought of it by day and dreamed of it by night. But he was poor and he had few friends. How could he get money and help to make his great dream come true? At last he laid his plan before King John of Portugal. But the king would not promise to help him. Columbus then took his little son Diego (de-a'go) by the hand and started across the mountains to Spain. We may picture father and son hurrying along the rough moun- tain roads. Columbus could hardly stop to see whether his little boy was tired, so eager was he to find some one to help him. When he came to a place near the town of Pa'los, he left Diego with an aunt, and set out alone in search of the king and queen, Fer'di-nand and Is'a-bel-la. At that time a war was going on in the south of Spain between the Spaniards and the Moors. So Columbus had a hard time getting them to listen to him. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 7 At last they gave him a hearing. They had asked a number of wise men to be present. Some of them laughed at Columbus for saying that the earth was round like a globe. Others said, "We believe he is right." But the king and queen would not help him. Sick at heart, therefore, he planned to leave Spain and go to France. Up to this time he had failed. He was poor and had few friends. Men said, "He is a crazy dreamer." When he walked through a village with sad face and threadbare clothing, the boys laughed at him. But Columbus did not give up hope. He had faith in his plans, and believed that sometime he should succeed. He started bravely, therefore, for the court of France, taking Diego with him. At that time, we are told, Columbus was a fine-looking man. He was tall and strong, and had a noble face with keen blue eyes. His white hair fell in long wavy locks about his shoulders. Although his clothing was plain and per- haps shabby, there was something in his manner that made people like him. After father and son had walked about a mile and a half, they stopped at the Convent of St. Mary. Perhaps they wanted some bread and water. Just then the good Pri'or of the Convent was passing by and the two men began to talk together. Columbus reasoned well about his plans. The Prior 8 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY listened closety, and then wrote at once to Queen Isabella, who knew him and believed in him as a wise and good man. This letter proved a help to Columbus, for a little later the queen told him she would furnish him with men and vessels for the voyage. Santa Maria Pinta Nina The Fleet of Christopher Columbus. But even with the queen's help, he still had many trials before him. The ocean was unknown. The sailors were afraid to go out far from land upon the deep, dark waters. In the course of time, however, three small vessels with one hundred and twenty men were ready to start. The vessels were not larger than many of our fishing-boats to-day. The largest was the San'ta Ma-ri'a and was commanded by Columbus. It was about ninety feet long, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 9 and was the only vessel of the fleet which had a com- plete deck. A half hour before sunrise on Friday morning, August 3 ; 1492, the little fleet sailed out of the port of Palos. It was a sorrowful time for the poor sailors and their friends. All believed that the vessels would be lost, and that the sailors would never again see home and family. When, about a month later, they left the Canary Islands and the furthest land known to them faded from sight, the sailors cried like children. Fresh worries lay before them. At the end of a week the compass needle no longer pointed to the North Star. Of course, the poor sailors were in great fear. A few days later the fleet entered a vast stretch of sea- weed. Again the sailors were much troubled. They feared that the vessels would stick fast in the grass, or run upon rocks lying just below the surface of the water. But when the wind blew up a little stronger, the vessels passed on in safety. Later on they entered the belt of trade-winds, which blew them steadily westward. They said: "We are lost! We can never see our friends again!" They begged Colum- bus to turn about and steer for home. He refused. They became angry, called him crazy, and even wished to kill him. One of them said: "Let us push him overboard some night when he is looking at the stars." 10 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Columbus knew his life was in danger, but he would not give up. He still had faith and hope. The greater the dan- ger, the more firmly he set himself to meet it with an iron will and a high purpose. At last, on October 11, signs of land such as birds and broken bits of trees appeared. That night no one slept. COLUMBUS TIRST VOYAGE, 1492-S GULF OF \j .-, ^V / _ Columbus jZ' mbxico jf »V>r — •5 J=r_ / ~^>>^ •**' /Domingo PACIFIC™ «» India by that route, but it took too long. So, like Columbus, , he studied maps and charts to discover a shorter one. He i was sure that, if he could find a passage through America,, this route would be shorter. . Of course he had no proper map of America, for it was still almost an unknown land. But he could sail into every bay or river till he found one which went clear through. The king of his country' refused to aid him. So, like Columbus, he turned to Spain. That country was so glad! it had helped Columbus that it dared to take up this new plan. It gave him a fleet of five old vessels and two hundred and eighty men. With these in September, 1519, Magellan put out to sea. Many dangers awaited him. He had to face heavy i storms, the fear that food and water would not hold out, and angry sailors, who were only too ready to do him harm and make the voyage fail in order to get back home. Ferdinand Magellan. ! BALBOA AND MAGELLAN 33 Not until six months after leaving Spain did he find a well sheltered harbor. There he cast anchor, and there for the first time his men enjoyed a meal of fresh fish in place of salt junk. But they were still unhappy, for they had little bread and wine left and no hope of getting more. They begged The Strait of Magellan. Magellan to turn back, but he would not. Then three of his captains plotted to kill him. But he was more than a match for them all, and the ships sailed forward. Soon one of them was wrecked, but Magellan still pushed on. At length the fleet entered a new passage. On every side were great mountains. It was what we now call the Strait of Magellan at the end of South America. Again the sailors begged to return. " I will go on," said Magellan, if we have to eat the leather off the ship's yards." When, it 3-4 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY a little later, he passed through the strait and beheld the ocean, he wept for joy. He had only three ships left, but still he headed west- ward. Then began a terrible voyage across Balboa's South Sea, which Magellan now called the Pacific because it seemed so peaceful. But though the ocean was calm, not so the sailors. Ma- gellan's troubles were still thick about him. The worst were yet to come, — terrible hunger, disease, and death. Those who did not die grew sick at heart. They kept alive only by eating the skins and leather wound about the great ropes of the ship. At last they reached some islands, which are now part of the Philip-pines. But Death was waiting for the great cap- tain. In a fight with the natives the brave Magellan was slain. Those of his men who still lived pulled up the anchors and sailed for home. The voyage back was a long one. Not until September, 1522, nearly three years after setting out, did they arrive at the home port. Only one vessel, with eighteen starving sailors, got back to Spain. Such was the sad end of the most wonderful voyage that had ever been made. The glory of it has never faded. It meant a great deal to the men of those times, for there was no longer any doubt that the earth was round. Men now knew that the land discovered by Columbus was not the East Indies, but a New World. You know how they came to call it America. - BALBOA AND MAGELLAN 35 Some Things to Think About 1. Who was Balboa, and what did he do? 2. What did Magellan wish to do? What did he discover? 3. Imagine yourself sailing with him on his ship, and tell something of the dangers that were all about him. 4. How did his men suffer? W T hy did some of them desire to kill him? 5. Why do we call his voyage wonderful? What do you admire in Magellan? CHAPTER V HERNANDO CORTEZ Twelve years after Columbus made his first voyage to America, a young Spaniard of nineteen, Her-nan'do Cor'tez by name, sailed on one of the fleets bound for the New World. After a stormy voyage, he landed at Cuba, where he lived for some years. There was something about this man that made others admire him and look to him as a leader. So when a strong commander was needed to head an expedition to Mexico, he was chosen. He soon made his way to the eastern coast of that coun- try, reaching it in February, 1519. One of his first acts showed that he was bound to have his own way. Soon after landing, he gave the order, "Sink all the ships." This he did to prevent any homesick soldiers from going back to Cuba. He could not afford to lose one, for he had only 450 men. Yet with this small army, six small cannon, and fifteen horses, he dared to face any danger he might meet. And he had not far to go before danger came. He soon met a strong tribe which was unfriendly. They at once showed hatred for the white men and fear of the horses. 36 HERNANDO CORTEZ 37 Later he found that all the natives, even the ruling people of Mexico, the Az'tecs, and their chief, Mon-te- zu'ma, felt the same way, and he soon learned why. It seems that they be- lieved a story that long ago a fair-skinned being, called the Sky God, had been driven out of the countiy by the God of Darkness. During the stay of the Sky God among the Mexi- cans he had taught them much. When he left them, he said, "Some day I shall return and become ruler of the country." The natives believed that Cortez was this Sky God, and Montezuma jealously thought, "Now I shall have to give up my power." So you see why all the Mexicans hated the white-skinned warriors with their coats of iron and their shining swords. Horses they had never seen before, and they thought that the Sky God had brought those monsters from another world. But the Mexicans were not people who gave up easily. So the first tribe he met soon gathered courage to fight. Their army and their strange dress excited the won- der of Cortez and his men. They wore quilted cotton Hernando Cortez. 38 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY coats, leather shields, and helmets trimmed with feathers. Their weapons were long bows, arrows tipped with stone, Horses they had never seen before, and they thought that the Sky God had brought those monsters from another world. lances, slings, and heavy wooden swords with blades of sharpened stone. They fought two battles. In each Cortez won the vic- tory, and then the natives felt quite sure that he was more HERNANDO CORTEZ 39 than a man and that it was no use to fight him. After they had made peace, they sent at least a thousand warriors to march with him on toward the City of Mexico, for this tribe had been enemies of the Aztecs. A great surprise awaited the Spaniards when they first looked upon the city. They were astonished at its beauty. It stood on an island in a lake. From the shores of the lake three great roadways of solid mason-work, from twenty to thirty feet wide and from four to five miles long, led to the centre of the city. Where these roads met, stood a huge temple. Around it were steps of stone, one hundred and fourteen in all, leading up to an altar on top. Up these long flights of steps, it was the custom for religious proces- sions to wind their way for worship. As the Spaniards marched along the great roadways, they passed beautiful floating islands, and within the city they found canals which were used as streets. Here, canoes, gliding to and fro, reminded them of Venice, and blossom- ing gardens on the flat roofs seemed but another part of a beautiful dream. As soon as they reached the city, Cortez and his men were given quarters in a large building near the great temple. To weaken the power of his enemies, Cortez invited Montezuma to visit him. Though treated as a guest, the chief was in reality a prisoner. The Aztecs were angry and eager for revenge, yet they feared to make war without the 40 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY command of their king, and Montezuma dared not give the command for fear of instant death. But when at last during a religious festival the Spaniards attacked them and killed many of their leading men, the Meeting of Cortez and Montezuma. Aztecs could hold themselves in no longer. They fell upon the Spaniards with great fury, crowded the streets, and swarmed over the roofs as they tried to get at their hated foes. Cortez forced Montezuma to go out on the roof of his house, and order the Mexicans to stop the fighting. But, HERNANDO CORTEZ 41 as Montezuma's brother had now been made their leader, they did not obey their former king. With a shower of stones that filled the air, they struck him down. A few days later he died of a broken heart. After a whole week of hard fighting, Cortez saw that he must leave the city. He tried to steal away at night, but the Mexicans were on the watch and attacked him by land and by water. The fighting in the dark was frightful. Cortez barely got away after a large part of his army had been killed or captured. The next morning he was so overcome with grief by the loss and suffering of his men that he sat down upon a rock and wept bitterly. But he did not give up the idea of taking the city. With another army he returned about six months later and again made an attack. After five months the city surrendered, but it was half in ruins. Cortez had conquered Mexico. Some Things to Think About 1. What was Cortez trying to do? 2. Why were the Aztecs afraid of the Spaniards? Why did Monte- zuma fear Cortez? 3. Imagine yourself as having been one of the Spaniards, and tell what you saw when you first looked upon the city of Mexico. 4. Tell what happened to Montezuma after Cortez reached the city. 5. What was the great work of Cortez? What do you think of him? CHAPTER VI FRANCISCO PIZARRO Not many years after Cortez conquered Mexico, another Spaniard, equally daring, went to Peru. This soldier, who made his name famous, was Fran-cis'co Pi-zar'ro. He had served under Balboa and had been with him when the Pacific Ocean was discovered. Having heard many stories of the gold and silver lying south of Panama, he was eager to go there. In 1531, he sailed with three vessels, three hundred and fifty men, and fifty horses. A few months later, he landed on the coast of Pe-ru', and began to march toward Cuz'co, the city where the ruler dwelt. This ruler was called the In'ca. In Peru Pizarro and his men came upon many strange sights. They saw fields watered by canals, with growing crops of white potatoes, Indian corn, and fine, puffy white cotton, none of which grew in Europe. Men were pulling the wooden ploughs through the ground, for there were no horses and oxen. Although at times llamas were used for this purpose, they were too small and weak to do much. The Spaniards wondered at the fine roads. They were 42 FRANCISCO PIZARRO 43 about twenty-five feet wide and almost as level as our rail- roads are to-day. Of course you can see that it was not easy to build such roads in this country with so many hills, high mountains, and deep, broad valleys to cross. As Pizarro and his men climbed higher and higher on their wav over the moun- tains, they saw here and there beautiful gardens on the mountain-sides. Although the marching was slow and hard, the little army kept going forward. At last, when the Inca learned that the white strangers were on their way up from the sea, in fear he sent messengers to Pizarro with gifts and words of ft Wfc V A Street in Cuzco. welcome. Like the Mex- icans, the people of Peru thought the horses were strange monsters, and the guns thunder-bolts; so they were afraid. On meeting Pizarro, the Inca's messengers called him "Son of the Sky God," because they believed he had powers greater than those of human beings. After these greetings Pizarro marched to the city of Cax- a-mar'ca, and on November 15, entered it with a small army. 44 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY He at once sent De So'to, a trusty captain, with thirty-five horsernen, to invite the Inca to visit him. De Soto found the Inca surrounded by women slaves, and by chiefs wearing quilted cotton clothes, and carrying The people of Peru thought the horses were strange monsters. weapons. They had lances, clubs, bows, slings, and lassoes. The Inca treated them politely and promised to return the visit the next day. But when Pizarro learned of the size of the Inca's army, he felt that his small body of men was in great danger. FRANCISCO PIZARRO 45 Brave as he was, do you think he slept well that night? It is more than likely that all the Spaniards expected the next day would be their last. But Pizarro gave no sign of fear. He hid his men in the The Inca Making the Mark Upon the Wall. houses of Caxamarca, and sent a priest to meet the Inca. When the two met, the priest began to make a long speech, and handed a Bible to the Inca. The proud ruler threw it upon the ground, no doubt thinking it was something to harm him. 46 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY No sooner had he done this than, at a given signal, the Spaniards rushed from the houses where they were hidden, seized the Inca, and for two hours cut down his followers. He was shut in a room twenty-two feet long and seventeen feet wide. Reaching as high as he could, he made a mark upon the wall. He told -Pizarro that he would fill the room with gold up to that mark for the Spaniards, if they would let him go. The crafty Spanish leader agreed to do so. At once messen- gers were sent to many parts of Peru, and the promised gold began to come in. For six months the natives toiled away, bringing, day by day, great loads of gold and silver. At last they got together what would now be worth many million dollars. FRANCISCO PIZARRO 47 The greedy Spaniards were greatly pleased. For a time they treated the Inca with kindness. But a little later, fearing his power, Pizarro broke his promise, brought him to trial, and had him cruelly murdered. It was in this way that he made sure of conquering Peru (1533). But Pizarro was not to enjoy what he had won so un- fairly. A quarrel with one of his leaders soon brought him to a bitter end. One day at noon while he was at dinner, nineteen heavily armed: men entered his palace and took him by surprise. He had not time to put on his armor, but he quickly seized a spear and fought like a lion. Although a white-haired man past seventy years of age, he cut down one after an- other in the fearful struggle he made for his life. Finally they overcame him, and he fell. Making a cross on the floor,, he kissed it and breathed his last. With great joy his enemies shouted, "The tyrant is dead!" Such was the end of Pizarro, the fearless conqueror of Peru. Some Things to Think About 1. Why was Pizarro eager to go to Peru? 2. Imagine yourself as having been with the marching Spaniards and tell something of the strange sights they came upon. 3. What did the people of Peru think of the horses and guns of the Spaniards? 4. Tell how Pizarro treated the Inca. What do you think of such treatment? 5. Why was Pizarro murdered by his own men? Is there anything you admire in him? CHAPTER VII JUAN PONCE DE LEON AND HERNANDO DE SOTO PONCE DE LEON Among the many Spaniards who were seeking fortunes in the New World was Ju-an' Ponce de Leon (pon'tha da la-on'). He was governor of Por'to Ri'co about the time that Balboa discovered the Pacific. His health was poor, and he was no longer young. Hav- ing heard of a wonderful fountain of youth on an island not far to the north, he longed to drink of its waters, for he believed they would bring back his health and make him young again. So he got the consent of the King of Spain to explore and conquer the island on which he had been told this fountain could be found. Sailing north from Porto Rico, he reached land on Easter morning, 1513, and named the new country Flor'i-da, in honor of the day.* Of course he did not find the fountain of youth, and after sailing along the coast for • Pascua Florida is the Spanish name for Easter Sunday. 48 Routes Traversed by De Soto and De Leon Searching for the Fountain of Youth. 50 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY many miles with his men, he returned to Porto Rico. We remember him as the man who discovered Florida. »'*!W DE SOTO Most of the explorers sought, however, not youth, but gold. So many sailors had gone back to Spain with won- derful stories of what they had seen and heard that men were now eager to try their fortunes in the new land. Among these was Her-nan'do de So'to. You remember that he was with Pizarro in Peru. From there he went back to Spain with great wealth and honor. Hoping to find another land as rich as Peru and Mexico, he asked the King of Spain to make him governor of Cuba. The king did so, and also told him that he might conquer and settle Florida. De Soto easily found men to join his company. There were 600 in all, among them many gay nobles and daring soldiers. After reaching Cuba and planting a settlement there, De Soto, with 570 men and 223 horses, sailed for Florida. Two weeks later, in May, 1529, they landed on its western coast. Very soon their troubles began. The journey was full of Hernando De Soto. DE LEON AND DE SOTO 51 danger. As there were no roads, the Spaniards had to make their way through thick woods and tangled under- brush, by following the trails of Indians and wild beasts. Even these trails often failed, and then they had to cross rivers and wade through swamps, not knowing where they would come out. The soldiers suffered also from hunger, for the}' had little meat or salt. Then too they had to fight the Indians much of the time, for, from the start, De Soto had treated them with great cruelty, and they hated the Spaniards bitterly. After a while, some of De Soto's men lost heart and begged him to turn back. But he said, "We must go for- ward." In the course of his march he reached the town of a giant chief who had made ready to receive the strangers. He sat upon cushions on a raised platform. All about hini were his followers, and some of them held over his head a buckskin umbrella stained in red and white. He waited quietly for the coming of the Spanish horse- men, and showed no fear of their prancing steeds. But in spite of his grave dignity De Soto treated him with no respect. He compelled him to supply food, and then go with them to the next town. Here the Spaniards and the Indians had a bloody battle. It was one of the hardest ever fought in those early days between the white men and the red men. The Span- iards at last set fire to the houses, and by nightfall had 52 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY killed all the Indians but three. Two of these fell while fighting, and the last one hanged himself with his bowstring. The battle was a serious one for the white men also. Many of them were killed or wounded, and most of their De Soto Reaching the Mississippi River. clothing, arms, and supplies were burned. In fact, they had to weave long grass into mats for clothing. They were in a pitiful condition, and longed to return to home and friends. Again they begged Dc Soto to go back, but he would not. At last the Spaniards reached the Mississippi, and after crossing it marched north along its western bank, still searching for gold. DE LEON AND DE SOTO 53 The next winter was long and severe, and their suffer- ings were almost greater than they could bear. De Soto Burial of De Soto. himself now gave up all hope. He decided to go to the coast and build ships to send for aid. When he reached the mouth of the Red River, he went with an Indian chief as a guest to his town. Here, sick at heart and weakened in body, he fell ill with a fever, and died in May, 1542. At first his followers buried his body within the walls of the town, but they feared that the 54 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY red men might attack them if De Soto's death became known. So they dug up the body, wrapped it in blank- ets, and in the darkness of midnight lowered it into the black waters of the Mississippi. De Soto had come to America to seek wealth and honor. What he found was hunger, hardship, disease, and a grave in the mighty river he had discovered. Some Things to Think About 1. What was De Leon trying to find? What important thing did he do? 2. What did De Soto come to America to seek? 3. Imagine yourself as having been with him, and tell all you can about your struggles with hunger, disease, and the Indians. 4. Tell how De Soto treated the giant chief, and what was the out- come. 5. What was the great work of De Soto? What do you think of him? CHAPTER VIII JACQUES CARTIER Thus far nothing has been said about the work of the French explorers. But France was not willing to be left out of the struggle for riches and power. She, too, wanted the gold, silver, spices, and jewels which all were seeking. Yet it was not until 1534 that she sent an explorer to find the Northwest Passage to China. The name of this bold and skilful sea-captain was Jacques Cartier (zhak car- ty-a'). He sailed along the coast of northeastern America, passed into the Gulf of St. Law'rence ; and carried back to France a full report of what he had seen. The following year he made another voyage, this time up the St. Lawrence. He believed this river to be the passage through America which he was seeking. He landed at a little Indian village where Que-bec' now stands. The Indians did not want their rivals up the river to share in what the white men had taught them. So they told 55 Jacques Cartier. 56 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY absurd stories of awful tempests and islands of floating ice to frighten him out of going further. But he pushed on. On his way upstream he came to another Indian vil- Cartier Arriving at Montreal. lage with a very steep hill back of it. He named it Mont- re-al', which is French for "royal mountain." Here the Indians flocked down to the shore, all eager to welcome the white strangers. They danced and sang, and brought gifts of fish and corn. After the Frenchmen had landed, the Indian women and children crowded about them, feeling in wonder of the white men's beards and touching their faces. Then the warriors brought their sick chief and placed JACQUES CARTIER 57 him on the ground at Cartier's feet to be healed by his touch. After a brief stay, the French went back to Quebec. There they spent a terrible winter, losing twenty-five of their number. At one time only three or four were well enough to care for the sick. As the ground was frozen so hard that they could not dig graves, they hid the bodies of the dead in the deep snow-drifts. In the spring after this awful winter, Cartier was glad to go back to France. Five years later he tried again to plant a colony at Quebec, but again he failed. Some Things to Think About 1. What was Cartier trying to find? 2. Go with him in imagination up the St. Lawrence to Montreal, and tell what the Indians did when the Frenchmen landed. 3. How did Cartier and his men suffer during the following winter in Quebec? 4. Cartier did not find the Northwest Passage. Did he fail in any- thing else? CHAPTER IX SIR FRANCIS DRAKE After the conquest of Mexico and Peru, Spain got from them a very great quantity of gold and silver, which she spent in making wars upon other nations. She had a strong desire to crush England, and bring that country under her power. When English seamen were captured by Spanish sea- men, some were thrown into dark prisons, some hanged, and others burned to death at the stake. You will not need to be told, then, that Englishmen hated Spain, and no one hated her more than did Fran'cis Drake. He was a great sea-captain. He spent most of his life on the sea, and for many years fought against Spain, doing all he could to weaken her power. He made his first voyage to America as pilot for Sir John Haw'kins. While they were on the coast of Mexico, Spanish vessels suddenly swooped down upon them one day, took their gold and silver, and destroyed all but two of their ships. Of course, Drake was very angry. He became more bitter than ever against the Spaniards, and began to lay plans to attack their settlements and to capture their gold. 58 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 59 On one of his voyages he sailed to Panama, and while there he went across the Isthmus. One day the natives took him to the top of a hill, and from under the branches of a large tree he gazed upon the vast waters of the Pacific. He was the first Englishman to look upon that ocean. In awe he fell upon his knees, and prayed that God would let him go out upon that water. For he knew that the Spanish ships were sailing there and gathering gold and silver to carry back to Spain. It was several years before he could make another voyage to the New World. Then by the help of some wealth}' friends, he got together a fleet of five ships. They were richly fitted out. His table was set with dishes of gold and silver, and he himself dressed in fine clothes. The fleet sailed in November, 1577. After being nearly Young Drake Watching Vessels Put Out to Sea. 60 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY two months out of sight of land ; Drake and his men reached the coast of Brazil. Sailing along the coast they met with so many severe storms and dense fogs that they were often forced to turn back, and two of their vessels were lost. In August of the next year the three vessels that were left sailed into the Strait of Magellan. Here for two long weeks they were tossed about by storms and head-winds. They feared then- vessels might be dashed to pieces; but as Drake was brave and skilful, they passed safely on. It was a time of trial and heavy loss. One of the ves- sels deserted, and after a while another was lost. Now only the flag-ship, the Golden Hind, was left; but Drake would not turn back. After sailing through the Strait, there were no more Drake Sees the Pacific Ocean for the First Time. SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 61 storms. Then Drake went northward, passing along the western coast of the new continent, South America. Things looked brighter now, for he began to find the Spanish treasure he was seeking. In one harbor he captured a Spanish ship loaded with wine and gold, and in the harbor of Lima, he came upon Spanish ships lying at anchor, and took from them silks, linen, and a chest of plate. But he did not stop long, because he heard that a vessel loaded with treasure had just sailed out of the harbor for Panama. Eagerly he started after her, promising a golden chain to the sailor who should first sight the Spanish vessel. At last one of his men saw her, trying hard to escape. After a hot chase, Drake overtook her and obtained a large quantity of gold and jewels. He now began to think of sailing back to England. But it did not seem wise to return by the same way he had come, because the Spaniards might be lying in wait for him. For this reason he made up his mind to sail west and reach England that way. On his homeward voyage, he stopped at the Philippines A Spanish Galleon of the Sixteenth Century. 62 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY and other islands of the Pacific, where he traded with the natives and took on fresh food. Having explored these islands, he sailed for the Cape of Good Hope, and after several narrow escapes he reached the home port early in Novem- ber, 1580. His voyage had lasted nearly three years. At first the queen would not let him land, because in capturing Spanish ships Drake might have brought on a war with Spain. But later he was treated with great honor. He was in- vited to the Queen's court, and she herself came to dinner on board his ship, and made him a knight, so that from that time, he was called Sir Francis Drake. He was the second man and the first Englishman to sail entirely around the world. Can you think who had done this before? An English Ship of the Fifteenth Century. Some Things to Think About 1. Why did Drake and other Englishmen hate Spain? 2. What did Drake do soon after he looked upon the Pacific for the first time? Why? 3. Tell what you can about Drake's stormy passage through the Strait of Magellan. 4. In what ways did he try to harm the Spaniards? 5. Why did the Queen of England make him a knight? 6. What great thing did he do? W T hat do you admire in him? CHAPTER X SIR WALTER RALEIGH One of the foremost Englishmen that lived in the time of Drake was Wal'ter Ra'leigh (raw'li). He was born in a town near the sea in the southern part of England. He was a fine-looking lad ; full of life and fond of all out-door sports. In his home town lived many old sailors, who could tell the bright, wide-awake boy stirring tales of life at sea and of hard fights with Spaniards. While he was still a youth of less than twenty years, he went to France and became a soldier; and later he joined the army of the Dutch in Holland, who were at war with Spain. At the age of twenty-seven, a few years after his return from Holland, he attracted the notice of Queen Elizabeth by a simple act of courtesy. One day as the queen with her attendants was passing along, Raleigh happened to be standing by. On seeing her stop when she reached a muddy spot, he quickly took off his beautiful velvet cloak and spread it across the way for her to walk upon. As a queen and a woman, this won her heart and made her a friend of the young Raleigh, who soon became one of the leading men in her court. 63 64 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY He was now a tall, handsome man, with dark hair, a high color, and blue eyes. He dressed in a striking way. On his hat he wore a pearl-covered band, and a black feather Kaleigh Spreading His Cloak Before Queen Elizabeth. decked with jewels. His shoes, also, which were tied with white ribbons, were ornamented with gems. His richest suit of armor was made of silver. In those days rich men dressed much more brilliantly than women. Although Queen E-liz'a-beth herself had SIR WALTER RALEIGH 65 1,075 dresses decked with jewels of great value, and owned eighty wigs of various colors, yet the men of her court out- shone even her. While Raleigh had much money, he did not waste it. In fact, he almost always knew how to spend it wisely. As the story goes on, you will see that we Americans owe him much for what he did in trying to plant an English colony in the New World. In 1578 he joined his half- brother, Sir Humphrey Gil'bert, in a voyage to New'found-land with the purpose of planting a settle- ment on the coast of America. But this plan failed. Six years later Raleigh fitted out two vessels which he sent over to the New World to find out something about the countiy. On their return the men in charge of these vessels said they found the Indians friendly and the land beautiful. The queen was so pleased with this report that she said the new land should be called Vir-gin'ia in honor of herself, the Virgin Queen. The next year Raleigh sent out a colony of 108 per- sons. Sir Richard Gren'ville was commander of the fleet, and Ralph Lane was to be governor of the colony. They landed at Ro'a-noke. From the first they were Sir Walter Raleigh. 66 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY most unwise, because they treated the Indians so harshly that they became very unfriendly. And the ill-will of the Indians was not the only trouble the colonists had. Food became scarce, and Grenville had to sail to England for more. While he was away, Lane started out to explore the Roanoke River, of which he had heard wonderful tales from the Indians. "This stream flows through lands rich with gold and silver," they said. "Its waters come out of a fountain which is so near the South Sea that in time of storm the waves break over into the fountain. Near this stream also," they added, "is a town sur- rounded by walls made of pearls." But Lane and the men who went with him found no such fountain or town. What they did Their food became so scarce that they had to eat dog flesh to keep themselves alive. When Lane returned, all were sick at heart, the future looked so dark. But about this time, Sir Francis Drake with 23 vessels cast anchor near the island. He had come from the West Indies, where he had been plunder- ing Spanish settlements, and was on his way to England. He agreed to leave food and a part of his fleet with the Queen Elizabeth. find was great hardship. SIR WALTER RALEIGH 67 colonists. But when a heavy storm came up, the settlers in their fear begged to return to England, and he took them all on board. They had found no gold, but they took back to England things of far more value. These were sweet potatoes, Indian corn, and tobacco. Long before this first cargo had arrived in England, Grenville had returned to Roanoke with food. Finding no one there, he left 15 men and sailed back home. raleigh's second colony Most men would by this time have lost courage, but Raleigh was too strong and brave to give up. Two years later, he made an- other attempt. This time he sent Captain John White, with 150 men, 17 women, and 11 children. The company landed at Roanoke but could not find the 15 men left there by Grenville. Like the first colony, in a short time these settlers made enemies of the Indians. Very soon, also, food became scarce and they begged Captain White to go back to England for more. He did not wish to leave the colony. Nor did he like to say good-by to his little granddaughter, Virginia Dare, the Cape Hatteras Raleigh's Various Colonies. 68 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY first white child born in the New World. But he knew they must have food, so he started. Before he left, the settlers agreed that if they should leave the place for any reason, they would cut into the bark Finding the Name Carved Upon the Tree. of a tree the name of the place to which they were going. They said also, "If we are in trouble, we will make a cross above the name." White reached home just as his countrymen were prepar- ing to meet the attack of the great Spanish fleet, the "Ar- SIR WALTER RALEIGH 69 ma'da." To defend herself, England needed every ship that her seamen could get ready. So the two small vessels which Raleigh had fitted out for his colony were held for this great sea-fight. Almost three years went by before Captain White could return to Roanoke. When he at last arrived, not a single person was left. He found only some chests of books, some maps, and some fire-arms. You may be sure that he lost no time in looking for the message on the tree. He found " Cro-a-to'an " cut in cap- ital letters, but no cross. Now Croatoan is the name of an island near Roanoke. White therefore begged the captain of the vessel on which he was sailing to cany him to this island. But the weather was so stormy that the captain would not do so. Wliat became of the lost colony, no one has ever learned. Five times Raleigh sent out men to look for it, but he never heard from it again. Years afterwards it was found that four men, two boys, and one girl had been adopted into an Indian tribe. Very likely the rest of the settlers were killed by the Indians. Raleigh's work in America was over. Although he had failed to plant a colony, he had done something better. He had taught the English that they should not value the New World so much for the gold and silver they might find in it, as for the homes they might build there for themselves and their children. 70 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Some Things to Think About 1. Tell how Raleigh spread his cloak across the way for Queen Eliza- beth to walk upon. 2. Tell something about how Raleigh and the queen dressed. 3. In what ways did the men of Raleigh's first colony act unwisely? 4. What came out of his first attempt to plant a colony? What out of his second attempt? 5. Raleigh did something better than plant a colony. What was it? What do you think of him? CHAPTER XI STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA Twenty years passed by after Sir Walter Raleigh's col- ony came to such a sad end before any one tried again. Then a group of merchants, nobles, and sea-captains, called The London Company, made another attempt to start a settlement in the New World. They hoped that the settlers might make the company rich by finding gold and silver, as the Spaniards had done, and by building up trade. As a beginning, the company sent out 105 men. These set sail from London on New Year's Day, 1607, in three frail vessels. But they were not the right kind of men to settle a new country. About half of them were men who had never done any rough, hard work, such as cutting down trees and chopping wood. They called themselves "gentlemen," and they expected to come over to America and pick up a fort- une without work. Then they would go back to England and live at ease the rest of their lives. Their voyage across the ocean was a long one, and it was well that they did not know what dangers and hardships awaited them. They sailed down to the Canary Islands 71 72 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY and from there to the West Indies, where they stopped sev- eral weeks. It took them about four months to make the journey, and at the end their food was nearly gone. They had in- tended to land at Roanoke Island, where Raleigh's colony had been. But a storm drove them out of their course, and they entered Ches'a-peake Bay. From here they sailed up a beautiful river with the flowers of a southern May blooming on its banks. They named it the James, in honor of the King of England. Fifty miles from the mouth of the river, the voyagers landed and, after looking about, picked out a place in which to settle down, naming it after their king, James'town. You can imagine that when people come to live in a new land, there is a great deal to do. The first thing was to make some sort of shelter. Some of them quickly put up rude huts covered with bark or turf, some made tents of old sails, and some merely dug holes in the ground. Going to church did not mean for them going indoors, for their church had only an old sail for a roof, a plank nailed up between two trees for a pulpit, and logs of wood for seats. You boys and girls who like to camp out may think all this must have been great fun. But living in this way is . not so pleasant if one has to do it all the time. Before they were fairly settled, trouble began. It was very hot in the new countiy, and the damp, unhealthy air STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 73 rising from the undrained swamps brought disease. Many of the settlers fell ill and tossed about on their rough beds in high fever. Sometimes three or four died in a single night. Then, too, food became so scarce that each man had only a cupful of mouldy wheat or barley to last all day. To make matters even worse, the Indians were un- friendly. Very soon after the white men came, two hundred redskins had attacked them, killing one and wounding eleven of their number. After that, the settlers took turns in acting as watchmen. Each man had to be on guard every third night, and lying on the damp, bare ground caused more illness. Sometimes there were not five men strong enough to carry guns. JOHN SMITH AND THE INDIANS During the summer about half the colonists died. Per- haps none would have lived but for one brave and strong man. This was John Smith. According to his story, which, however, not everybody believes, he had already passed through many dangers in foreign lands, often narrowly escaping death. He had returned to England from the war with the Turks just in time to join these men coming to Virginia. Being fearless and quick to think what to do, he proved a great help to the colonists during this hard summer. When, however, the cooler days of autumn set in, the 74 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY \ John Smith. future looked much brighter. There was more food and less sickness. Game began to run in the woods, their garden vegetables ripened, and water-birds and fish were plentiful. Now that the colony was in better condition, Smith thought he ought to be looking for the passage to the "South Sea," as the London Com- pany had ordered them to do. You see, men were still searching for the shorter route to the East, and many even then believed that the Pacific Ocean lay just beyond the mountains west of Jamestown. It was December when Smith started out to explore, and the weather was cold. After some days, he reached the Chick-a-hom'i-ny River. When the water became too shallow for his boat, Smith changed into a light canoe and with two white men and two Indian guides paddled on upstream. Before long they landed. Then Smith left the white men in charge of the canoe, and with one of his Indians pushed his way into the forests. Soon they were set upon by two hundred Indian warriors, and Smith was captured. You may be sure he had an exciting story to tell, when l he got back, of what happened to him during the next few weeks. He said that the Indians first tied him to a tree and STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 75 were about to shoot him. But to save his life, he pulled out an ivory compass and showed it to them, in this way arousing their curiosity. They looked at the needle moving about under the glass and tried to touch it. When they could not, they were puzzled. Smith then wrote a letter to his friends at Jamestown, telling them of his capture, and sent it by some of the In- dians. They could not see how the white man was able to make the paper talk. Thinking that he must be more than human, they spared his life. The Indians took Smith around to visit manv of their villages, and at last to their chief, Pow-ha-tan'. This old chief lived in a "long house" on the York River fifteen miles from Jamestown. He was tall and strongly built. His face was round and fat, and his thin gray hair hung down his back. He was dressed in a robe of raccoon skin, and sat before the fire on a sort of bench covered with mats. Near him were young Indian maidens. At his right and at his left were warriors, and close to the wall on either side sat a row of squaws. What do you think happened next? Some of the war- riors placed two stones upon the ground, seized Smith, and laid him down with his head upon the stones. Then with clubs in their hands and arms raised they stood ready to kill him. But just at that moment, Smith tells us, the chief's little 76 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY daughter, Po-ca-hon'tas, rushed forward and fell upon his body. She threw her arms about his neck and begged her father to spare his life. Powhatan did so and adopted Smith into the tribe. This was all according to an Indian custom which was sometimes followed to save a prisoner's life. Three days later, Smith was allowed to return to James- town. He had been away about two weeks. When he got back, he found the settlers were out of food. But that very day Captain Newport returned from England with fresh supplies and with one hundred and twenty new colonists. Pocahontas also, along with a band of Indian braves, soon came to the settlement bringing baskets of corn, wild- fowl, and other kinds of food. What a good friend and peace-maker this little maid was! The following summer Smith explored the Potomac River and various parts of Chesapeake Bay. He sailed 3,000 miles and made some very good maps of the country. On his return to Jamestown (September, 1608), he was made president of the council. Not many weeks later, Jamestown was again- in trouble. The Indians had turned against the settlers. You see, Powhatan was afraid that if white people kept coming, his people would, before long, be driven from their hunting- grounds. So he planned to get rid of the Englishmen. He thought that by refusing to give them corn, he could starve them out. Smith, knowing well that the settlers STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 77 must make a brave stand, with some forty armed men went to Powhatan's village and said, "We must have corn." "You can have it," said Powhatan, "if for every basket- ful you will give me an English sword." Smith at once refused, but he com- pelled the Indians to carry corn on board his boat. Although the old chief acted as if he were friendly, he was all the time planning to murder Smith and all his men. But again little Poca- hontas proved herself a friend to the white man. For that night, at the risk of her life, she came to Smith in the dark- ness and told him of his danger. The next morning Smith sailed away unhurt. But as he needed more corn, he stopped at another Indian village. Suddenly he found that hundreds of warriors with weapons were surrounding him. Boldly he seized their chief by the scalp-lock, and putting a pistol to his breast cried, "Corn or your life!" Then the Indians brought Smith all the corn he needed. Pocahontas. 78 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY In this way Smith managed the Indians. It was well for Jamestown that he could manage the settlers also. For not long after he had brought back corn from the Indians, the colony had to face a new danger. Swarms of rats, which had been brought over in the ships, were eating up what little food they had. When this was discovered, Smith declared: "To save ourselves from starving, every man must turn to and help by working. He who will not help shall not eat." And every man had to obey the new rule. Although the lazy settlers did not like it, they set to work cutting down trees, building houses, clearing up the land, and planting corn. As we should expect, the outlook grew brighter. If Smith had stayed with them, we may well believe the col- ony would have prospered. But as he had received a wound which would not heal, he had to go back to England to have it treated. "THE STARVING TIME " AND WHAT FOLLOWED When he left, Jamestown had five hundred settlers. Shortly after he had gone the Indians began to rob and plunder the settlement, even killing some of the settlers. Cold weather set in, and then there was much sickness and suffering. Sometimes several died in a single day. To make matters worse, before the end of the winter there was no food. STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 79 The starving men tried in vain to live on roots and herbs, and then were driven to eat their dogs and horses. At the end of this dreadful winter, which was called "the starving time," only sixty of the five hundred men were left alive. *&*■ is J'' •frV W§ y fW Landing of Lord Delaware. Late in the spring a little vessel arrived from England with more men. They found the settlers so weak that they could hardly walk and quite unable to do any work. But oh, how glad they were to see friends! As the ship brought little food, they all decided to sail away to England. Before they got out of the mouth of the James River, however, they met Lord Del'a-ware. He was the new governor, and had come with three ships loaded 80 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY with men and supplies. So they turned back, and the colony was saved. Lord Delaware made wise laws, and everybody seemed ready to do his part. But just as they were becoming hope- ful once more, the governor had to go back to England be- cause he was not well. Sir Thomas Dale was left in charge of the colony. He was a stern ruler, but he made one very good change. Ever since coming to Jamestown, the colonists had kept up the foolish plan of having one large storehouse which they used in common. That is, every man put in what he raised, and took out what he needed. As you might expect, the lazy men let the others do the work for them. But by the new plan, each settler was to have three acres of land for himself and was to turn into this common storehouse only six bushels of corn a year. The rest of his crop he could use as he pleased. This was much fairer. The lazy men had to get to work or starve, while the good workers raised so much that the colony after that not only had all it needed but could sell to the Indians. Another change that worked well was a new way of making laws. Up to this time the settlers had had nothing to do with managing the affairs of the colony. But in 1619 a new charter allowed each settlement (there were now eleven) to send two men to an assembly to help make laws for all. STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 81 Now that each man could keep for himself what he earned and have a share in making the laws, a better class of settlers came to Virginia. Men with families were willing to take their chances in the new county. Up to this time most of the men who came over were not married. Of course they expected to remain only a while and then return to England. But if they had their own homes they would be likely to settle for good in Virginia. Early in 1620 the London Company sent out a new kind of cargo. It was ninety young women to become wives of the settlers. Each settler ; however ; had to win the consent of the maiden he chose for his bride. When he had done so ; he paid the company one hundred and fifty pounds of to- bacco, which was the cost of her passage from England. This all seems queer to us, but the plan worked finely, and many happy homes were started. The planters now had good reasons for being pleased with their new life. They were making money rapidly by raising tobacco, and they were all the time feeling safer and stronger as a colony because their numbers were growing larger. AN UPRISING OF THE INDIANS By 1622 the settlements extended from the coast along the James River up to where Richmond is now. They spread out, making a belt five or six miles wide on each side of the river. 82 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY In some places the settlers had put up thick-walled block'houses and pal'i-sades, or rows of stakes, as a defence against attacks from the Indians. But so far no attacks had been made. . . _-«^ - „csm$s£* Jamestown, 1622. a For years settlers and red men lived in peace and good- will with one another. The settlers freely visited the In- dian villages, and the Indians were welcome in the homes of the white men. To make the friendship even stronger, the Indian maiden, Pocahontas, married one of the leading white men, John Rolfe. But a change was about to take place. After Powhatan died, his brother became chief. He at once began to work in secret for the murder of all the white settlers in Virginia. The plan was that on a certain day all the settlements were to be attacked at the same hour. But until the time came, all the Indians were to pretend to be very friendly. STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 83 Even on the morning when the outbreak took place, they carried game to the settlers' houses and sat down as friends at their tables. But when the hour of eight o'clock came, the Indians set upon them and shot or struck dead every white person within reach, in field or shop or even at the breakfast tables where they had been eating as guests. Before the day closed, they had slain over four hundred settlers and left some seventy plantations without a living soul upon them. There was hardly a household of which at least one member was not killed. How do you think the white men felt at such base treatment? Of course, they arose in their might, and hunted down the Indians like wild beasts, killing them by hundreds. After conquering them they went back and took up the work of peace once more. TOBACCO AND THE PLANTATION They had found that the most money could be made by raising tobacco, so they planted many acres of it. But as tobacco would not grow year after year in the same soil, the planters had to own a great deal of land, that is, large plan-ta'tions. A Virginia Planter. 84 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY To care for these plantations, many workers were needed. To meet this need poor boys and girls were brought over from England and bound to service until they should grow up. Later on men came who had agreed, before starting, to work a certain number of years for the man who paid their passage. These were called indented servants. Until the promised number of years was up, they could be sold by their masters, just as horses, tobacco, or anything else could be. But when they had worked off their debt, they became free and could hire out. Some, by saving their wages, after a time bought plantations of their own. Finally some negroes were brought to Virginia. Twenty came from Africa in a Dutch vessel (1619) and were sold as slaves. But for a long time the number did not increase very much. There were many rivers in eastern Virginia, and each planter tried to secure a plantation facing one of them. Vessel at Wharf Receiving Tobacco. STORIES OF EARLY VIRGINIA 85 There he could have his own wharf and load his tobacco, for market. If the stream was so shallow that a vessel could not sail up to the wharf, the tobacco was loaded on rafts and pushed downstream. Sometimes casks filled with tobacco were rolled down to the landing over what were called "cor'du-roy roads/' made of tree-trunks laid side by side in the mud. Then again the casks were pulled to the wharf by horses or oxen. When the vessel which took the tobacco to England came back, it brought such things as chairs and tables, pots and kettles, axes, hoes, ploughs, and clothing. In fact, for years after Jamestown was settled almost everything that the planter needed for his house and his plantation was brought from England by vessel to his wharf. Among the indented servants were masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, sawyers, spinners, and weavers. There were also coopers, who made the casks in which the tobacco was shipped. So before long, the simpler things needed could be made at home. The plantations were so large and so far apart, that no large towns grew up. But the many rivers and smaller streams made it possible for the planters to visit one an- other. If they could not go by water, they were very likely to ride on horseback over bridle-paths through the forests. 86 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Some Things to Think About 1. Why did men of the London Company make another attempt to start a settlement in the New World? 2. Imagine yourself living in Jamestown that first summer, and tell all you can about the trials of the settlers. 3. Go in imagination with John Smith to the "long house." Tell what Smith saw as he entered the house, and also how little Pocahontas saved his life. 4. In what ways was she afterward kind to John Smith and the Vir- ginia settlers? 5. Go in imagination with John Smith when he went to the Indians after corn, and tell what happened. 6. Tell what you can about what Governor Dale did to do away with the common storehouse. Why was his plan a good one? 7. Why did the Indians attack the settlement ? 8. Why did the Virginia settlers raise so much tobacco and live on plantations? Why did most of the plantations face some river? CHAPTER XII STORIES OF EARLY MARYLAND At the time when the Jamestown settlers were having their hardest struggle with disease, famine, and Indians, the Catholics in England were also having a hard time. Some of them were fined and some of them thrown into prison for not obeying the laws about public worship. One of their number, George Calvert, Lord Bal'ti-more, resolved to plant a settlement in the New World where the Catholics could worship God in their own way without being punished. King James was his friend and gave him permis- sion to plant such a colony in New'f ound-land ; but it was too cold there. Lord Baltimore then got the consent of the new king, Charles I, the son of King James, to plant a colony in the lands lying north of the Po-to'mac. In November, 1633, two of Baltimore's vessels, the Ark and the Dove, sailed from England with between two and three hundred settlers. Only twenty of these called them- selves "gentlemen"; the rest were used to work. They had with them a good supply of food and tools. After a voyage of over three months, and a few days of rest at Point Comfort in Virginia, they reached the Potomac. 87 88 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Near its mouth they landed on a little wooded island, and planted a cross as a sign that it belonged to a Catholic people. The settlers were delighted with the beauty of the scen- ery, the blossoming river-bank, the strange trees, the wild grape-vines, the flocks of wild tur- keys, and the birds of bright colors. Friendly Indians, crowding the banks, gazed in wonder at the huge ships, scooped, they thought, like their canoes, out of single tree- trunks. They wondered where such great trees could grow. Sailing a few miles up the Po- tomac, the settlers entered a broad, inviting bay, which proved to be the mouths of some little streams. There was a good landing near its head, and they chose it for their first settlement. They named it St. Mary's, and the bay St. Mary's "River." The colony Lord Baltimore later called Maryland, after the Queen, Hen'ri-et'ta Ma-ri'a. They found the Indians friendly, and bought from them a tract of land, paying for it with axes, hoes, and cloth. Of course you know the Indians could not use money. These Indians seemed glad to have the white strangers dwell in their country. They even let them have a part of their own village. Indeed, one of their chiefs gave up his cabin to the priest, Father White, to be used as a chapel. George Calvert (Lord Baltimore). STORIES OF EARLY MARYLAND 89 The Indian braves joined the white men in their work, and the squaws taught the women how to make bread of Friendly Indians, crowding the banks, gazed in wonder at the huge ships. pounded corn. When later the Indians brought wild-tur- keys and other food to the settlement, they received a fair price, and often spent the night with the white men. 90 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY But although the Indians were friendly, this colony was not without its troubles. Its neighbors, the colonists of Vir- ginia, of whom you have just read, claimed the land where the Ma'ry-land-ers had settled and were angry at them for taking it. They disliked also to have a Catholic colony so near to them. But in time this trouble passed over. Lord Baltimore made all religions equal in the colony, and every one might worship as he pleased. There were other troubles of various kinds, but in spite of all Maryland grew and prospered. The climate was mild and healthful, the soil was good, and there was plenty of game. Deer, turkeys, and pigeons abounded in the for- ests; the streams were alive with swans, geese, and ducks; while Chesapeake Bay, as now, was the home of oysters and ter'ra-pin beyond number. Fancy what good things the little boys and girls of early Maryland had to eat, and what fun they must have had in helping to get them! As in Virginia, nearly all the people lived on plantations, most of which were connected by water. Travel was chiefly by boats and canoes, or on horseback, as there were no carriages. Everybody knew how to ride. A pretty sight it must have been to see the ladies and gentlemen cantering along the green forest paths. There were few highways, and so wild was the country and so dense the forests that lonely STORIES OF EARLY MARYLAND 91 travellers sometimes lost their way and had to spend the night in the woods. Strangers alwaj^s found a welcome in the settler's home. It was pleasant to get news from the outside world, for you must remember that there were no newspapers then. At night, when the candles were lighted and the logs were burning in the open fireplaces, stories true or made up were always sure of eager listeners. The large plantations lay along the rivers which emptied into Chesapeake Bay or into the Potomac. As in Virginia, the ships brought almost to the planter's door the things which he needed and took in trade his tobacco and corn, while from the inland plantations, where the ships could not go, tobacco was brought down to the river-fronts over "corduroy roads." As in Virginia, also, plantation life left no chance for towns to grow. For many years St. Mary's, the capital, Early Settlements in Virginia and Maryland. 92 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY was the only town in Maryland, and for a long time this was little more than a village. Some Things to Think About 1. Why did Lord Baltimore wish to plant a settlement in the New World? 2. Tell all you can about the friendly feeling between the settlers and the Indians. 3. Give any reasons why you think the boys and girls enjoyed living in the Maryland colony. 4. The settlers had large plantations just as the people in Virginia had. Can you tell why? Why did not towns grow in Mary- land and in Virginia? CHAPTER XIII STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND Besides the Catholics, there were other people in Eng- land who were not willing to worship as the law said they should. These people loved the Church of England, but they wished to make its forms of worship more simple. They were called Pu'ri-tans. Some of these disliked the forms of worship so much that they even wished to separate from the Church of England and form a church of their own. These are the people who later came to be called Pil'grims because, as we shall see, they journeyed about so much for the sake of their religion. Before they left England, these people met for Sunday service in the home of William Brewster, one of their chief men. He lived in the little village of Scroo'by. For a year they tried to worship by themselves. But the law did not permit secret meetings. So when they were found out they were punished and some were thrown into prison. This was hard, and after a while they made up their minds to leave England and seek homes in Holland, where they knew they could worship God as they pleased. 93 94 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY But as the king wanted his own way he was unwilling that they should go; so it was not easy for them to carry out their plan. Yet in 1608, a year after the settlement of Jamestown, the}^ managed to get away and they sailed to Am'ster-dam, moving later to Ley'den (li'd'n). They were well treated in Holland and got work as weavers, tailors, carpenters, and so on. But they were not happy there. They felt like strangers in a strange land. Besides, it was harder for them to make a living there than in England, where most of them had been farmers. Even after they had been in Holland for many years, they still loved England and did not get over longing for the English ways of doing things. It made them sad to see their children growing up as Dutch children and speaking Dutch instead of English. Finally, they said, "We will go to America, where we can worship God and bring up our children in our own way." But the English king was not willing to let them settle in America. Besides, they were poor, and found it hard to raise money for the voyage. At last the king promised he would not trouble them in America so long as they did noth- ing to displease him there. So the money needed for the voyage was borrowed, and after a long time a company was made ready to leave Hol- land. They sailed in a little vessel called the Speed' well. But STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 95 not all of them could go, — some were too old and weak, — and the parting was a sad one. When good-byes were said, we may be sure that many eyes filled with tears. The Front apainlingby Charles W. Cope. Departure of Pilgrim Fathers from Delft Haven, 1620. pastor, who stayed in Holland, knelt on the shore and asked God to bless those of his flock who were going to the far-off land. At Ply 'mouth, England, the Speedwell was joined by a rather larger vessel, the May'flow-er. Twice the Pilgrims started, and twice they had to go back because the Speed- well leaked. Finally, they had to leave her behind, and crowd as many as possible into the Mayflower. 96 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY At last on September 6, 1620, they made the final start. There were about one hundred people on board, among them twenty boys and eight girls. It was a terrible journey. Day after day, heavy storms and high winds tossed the boat about as if she were a cork. The sails were torn, and at times it seemed as if the little vessel would be lost in the great waves. Surely the Pilgrim bo) r s and girls must have been homesick for the safe though simple life they had left behind. In spite of storms, however, the ship sailed safely to the end of its voyage; and on Saturday, November 21st, she anchored in what is now called the Harbor of Prov'- ince-town. THE PILGRIMS IN SEARCH OF A HOME What thoughts must have come to these brave men and women as they caught the first glimpse of the strange new land which was to be their home! How tired and lonely they must have felt! Not a house nor a human being in sight! Only sand-hills and trees and dreary stretches of deep snow! Yet they had faith in God's care and were not afraid. They had been sixty-four days in crossing the At-lan'tic, a trip which some of our great steam-ships to-day make in less than a week. Before any one landed, the Pilgrim fathers gathered in the cabin of the Mayflower, and agreed to stand together STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 97 and obey such laws as they might pass later. They elected John Car'ver as their governor, and Captain Miles Stan'- dish as their military leader. Captain Standish was not a Pilgrim, but he liked these brave men and enjoyed adventure. He was a small man but active and daring. He was also a good soldier, and was a great help to the Pilgrims in meet- ing the dangers of their new life. Without delay a few of the men, with Miles Standish as leader, went ashore to look for a place to settle. At night they returned without having found one. As the next day was Sunday, all stayed on board the ship and listened to a sermon preached by their minister, Elder Brewster. On Monday morning the whole company landed. The water was too shallow to float the boat, so the men had to wade ashore carrying the women. The weather was so bitter cold that their wet clothing soon stiffened with ice. But fires were lighted at once, and while the women were busy washing clothes, the men stood on guard with mus- kets ready if wild beasts or Indians should attack them. Miles Standish in Armor. 98 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY The Pilgrims had brought with them a shallop, or small boat, which they expected to use in exploring the coast. While it was being made ready, Captain Standish and his men started out by land to look further for a good place to settle. They went as soldiers and put on all their armor. Just imagine how the little company looked ! Not much like our soldiers of to-day. They wore steel helmets, iron breast'plates, and quilted coats of mail. Surely Indian arrows could not hurt them! But what a heavy load to carry! Some of them, Captain Standish for one, of course, had swords hanging at their sides. All carried muskets, so big and heavy that they had to be rested on some support before they could be fired off. How clumsy and slow they would seem now I The Pilgrims had not gone more than a mile when they saw just ahead some Indians running away from them. Then they came upon a patch of land cleared for corn, and a hut. Inside was a large iron kettle which had been used for cooking. Looking about, they came upon some mounds in which were bows and arrows. In one were baskets of corn stored away. The Pilgrims took some of the corn for seed, but they were very careful to pay the Indians for it later. William Bradford's Chair. STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 99 While on this trip, William Bradford had a queer acci- dent. As he was picking his way through the underbrush, he was suddenly jerked upward and held dangling by one From a painting by G. H. Houghton. Pilgrim Exiles. leg in mid-air. His foot had been caught in a deer trap, and of course he was quickly set free. Very likely when he was safe on his feet again, all joined in a good laugh. After a two days' search the exploring party went back to the Mayflower without yet having found a suitable place for a settlement. Ten days later, still another party went out, this time in the shallop; but they did not succeed any better. It was now two weeks since the Mayflower had landed. The Pilgrims were tired and were longing for a home. 100 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Besides, the winter was already upon them, and they felt that they must get settled. On December 16, a company of ten picked men set out once more in the shallop. The day was bitter cold. The ocean spray, blown by the wind, froze to ice upon the men's clothing. Yet they bravely went forward. When it grew dark, they went ashore for the night. To j) r otect themselves against the Indians and to keep from freezing they built a barricade of logs, sticks, and boughs, five or six feet high, and inside kept a huge fire burning. With their cloaks wrapped about them and their feet turned toward the fire, all but the watchful sentinel lay down to sleep. The great trees of the forest were their only shelter that cold winter night. On the second morning, before daybreak all were astir, some preparing breakfast and others putting the supplies into the boat. Suddenly a strange cry made every one stop to listen. It was the warwhoop of the Indians. Then a shower of arrows fell upon the little Pilgrim band. For a time the fighting went on briskly. But when Captain Standish wounded the leader of the Indians they quickly fled and the Pilgrims took to their shallop. This was but the beginning of a day full of danger. Late in the afternoon a furious storm of snow and rain caught them. They were in great peril and found it hard to keep afloat. Just before dark, a big wave almost swal- STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 101 lowed them up. Soon their rudder was swept away, and then an angry gust of wind struck the mast and snapped it into three pieces. THE FIRST WINTER IN PLYMOUTH But they finally landed safe on an island where they found shelter. Here they kindled a fire to warm themselves and to dry their wet clothing. Sunday, as usual, was made a day of rest. But on Monday, December 21, they went to the mainland and at last chose a place to settle. They were not long in get- ting back to tell the company, and the same day the May- flower entered the harbor and the Pilgrims made a landing. One whole month had passed since they cast anchor near Cape Cod. They named the place Plymouth. I think you can tell why they loved that name. I wonder if you can tell also what the Pilgrims would look for in choosing a place in which to live. A good harbor, pure drinking-water from a running stream, and a hill near by on which to build a fort — these they must have, and all these they found at Plymouth. There were also several acres of cleared land, which had been used by the Indians some years before. As soon as the settlers had landed, everybody set to work. We can almost see the busy men and boys, some eagerly chopping down trees, others sawing trunks into logs of 102 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY proper length, and still others dragging the logs to the places where they were to be used. All this had to be done by hand, for we must remember the Pilgrims brought no horses, and in fact no animals at all, except a dog or two. From a pai7iting by IV, F. Hallsall. The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor. While the men and boys were getting up a big appetite over their work, the women and girls were busy kindling fires, washing clothes, cooking food, and doing the many things that need to be done for the family comfort. How good it would be to have a home once more ! The first building which they put up was a rude log- house twenty feet square. This was to serve for the com- mon storehouse and for shelter until they could build sep- arate houses to live in. The logs were laid upon one another, to form the walls STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 103 of the buildings. Then the cracks were filled with straw and mud, and the roof was covered with reeds. The win- dows were made of oiled paper. When, later, they built their houses, they placed them for safety in two rows, one on each side of the street which led from the harbor up the hill. At the top stood the fort, where they could run for protection if Indians attacked them. During that first winter their food was plain, and there was none too much of it. Bread made of wheat, rye, or barley was about all they had. Only once in a while, when some one killed a deer or a wild-fowl, did they have any meat to eat; for, like the planters of Jamestown, the Pil- grims had no chickens or cows. Cold water, too, was all they had to drink. They must have thought how good the milk which they used to have in England and Holland w r ould taste. But besides having too little food, and that not very good, the Pilgrims suffered much from the cold. Until their dwellings were finished, some had slept on board the May- flower. Scant food and lack of warm clothing, with many other hardships, caused much suffering. At one time only Elder Brewster, Captain Standish, and five others were well enough to take care of the sick. Standish, who was very gentle and kind in sickness, made an excellent nurse. He also cheerfully helped with the cooking, washing, and other household duties. 104 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY At times there was a death every day, and at the end of the first winter one-half of the settlers had gone. Yet in spite of all this suffering, when in the spring the Mayflower sailed back to England, not one would leave Plymouth. They felt that they must do the work which they had set out to do, and it was not right to give up. How proud we may be that our first Americans were such fine, strong people ! THE PILGRIMS AND THE INDIANS Although they were in constant dread of attack from the Indians, it was nearly three months before an Indian showed himself at the settlement. Then, one day in March, a dusky stranger was seen coming down the street of the village. His first words were: "Wel-come, En-glish-men." This was Sam'o-set. Where do you suppose he learned those English words? A week later he returned with a friend named Squan'to. Squanto had formerly lived at Plymouth with other Indians, who had been swept away by a plague. That was why the Pilgrims found the cleared land deserted. Squanto was glad to get back to his old home once more. He liked the Pilgrims so well that he was willing to live with them, and he taught them many things. He showed them how to hunt, to catch fish, and to plant corn, and how to feed the soil to make it grow. About a week after Samoset made his first visit to Plym- STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 105 outh, he came again, bringing the chief, Mas-sa-soit', with him. Captain Standish with his company of soldiers went out to meet the Indian chief and escort him to Governor Carver. This was an important meeting. The Pilgrims spread upon the floor of the cabin a green mat, and covered it with cushions for the chief and the governor to sit upon. ^-£»P»§g 7r>r«'X%' Plymouth in the Early Days. Amid the beating of drums and the blowing of trumpets, Massasoit was brought into the room where he met the Pil- grim governor. The two men agreed to be friends, and to keep peace between the white men and the red men. This peace lasted for more than fifty years. With summer came easier times. There was much less sickness and much more food. In the autumn they had good crops of corn and barley to store away, and plenty of wild ducks, geese, turkeys, and deer, which they brought down with their guns. 106 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Late in the autumn Massasoit with ninety Indians came to pay a visit to Plymouth. They brought with them some deer, and the Pilgrims supplied other food. A three days' feast followed, and that was the beginning of our New Eng- land Thanks-giv'ing. This feast made the Indians and white men still better friends than they had ever been before. But not all the Indians were so friendly as Massasoit and his tribe. One day a Nar-ra-gan'sett brave ran through the village of Plymouth, and threw into the governor's house a bundle of arrows tied up in a snake's skin. "What does this mean?" the Pilgrims asked Squanto. "It means," said he, "that the Indians wish to make war upon you." But the Pilgrims made a very good answer. They at once stuffed the skin with powder and bullets and sent it back to the chief. When it came back to him in this way, he was afraid to touch it. He was not even willing to let it stay in his wig- wam. So it was sent from place to place until it came back again to Plymouth. The Pilgrims thought it wise, however, to get ready for Indian attacks. They built around Plymouth a palisade of posts ten to twelve feet high. These were set deep in the ground and pointed at the top. They also built on "Burial Hill" a large, square blockhouse, or thick-walled building, with holes out of which to fire their guns. STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 107 The lower part was used as a meeting-house, where meet- ings of all kinds were held. On Sunday it was a place of worship. But when they wished to talk over some plan for the public good, such as the building of a road or a bridge, they met here also on week days. These week- day meetings were very like our town meetings to-day. But the Pilgrims had other worries be- sides the Indians. They had borrowed a great deal of money when they came to the New World, and men and women alike had to work very hard to pay it back. Yet by trading with the Indians, mainly for furs, by sending furs, fish, and tim- ber to England, and by earning and saving in eveiy way, at the end of six years they had freed themselves from debt. Such people were bound to succeed. Although poor in houses and lands, they had something which was worth They built around Plymouth a palisade of posts. 108 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY far more; and that was the desire and the will to do what was right. But life in the colony was hard, and their numbers grew but slowly. At the end of four years there were only one hundred and eighty persons and thirty-two houses. THE PURITANS COME TO NEW ENGLAND From time to time, news of the free life of the Pilgrims reached England, where the king, Charles I, was making it harder than ever for the Puritans. He believed that whatever he did as king was right, and that all should obey him without any question. The Puritans became so unhap- py that many of them gave up their old homes and sailed for New England to make new ones in a free country. They were not simple folk like the Pilgrims. Many were rich men, some belonged to families of high rank, and some had great learning. A small company had come over in 1628 and settled at Sa'lem. But in 1630 the great body of Puritans began to come over in throngs. Nine hundred of them, led by John Win'throp, a rich lawyer and country gentleman, settled first at Charles'town, then spread out to Bos'ton and other towns near by. John "Winthrop. STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 109 The first part of this company left England in eleven vessels, bringing with them horses, cattle, and many other things useful in settling a new countiy. After a voyage of nearly nine weeks they reached New England about the middle of June. The time of sailing had been carefully planned - -, * so that they should reach their new homes early enough to get ready for winter. But in spite of their foresight, all did not go as they had planned. Winter did not find them ready and they had many hardships to meet. The coarse food did not agree with them. Corn-bread, bad drinking-water, and poor shelter made many ill. Before December two hundred had died, and yet nobody thought of going back. " I am not sorry that I have come," said the leader, John Winthrop, a man of strong and beau- tiful character. When the future looked darkest, a fast-day was ap- pointed to ask for God's help. But on the very day before it, a supply ship came from England. So the fast-day was turned into a day of thanksgiving. d&i ( .Jf J»» Puritans on Horseback. 110 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY The worst was over. Soon spring brought milder weather, then came the early wild fruits, and soon after- ward the new crops. Before another winter they had learned how to make themselves more comfortable. ROGER WILLIAMS AND RHODE ISLAND The Puritans valued their religion more than anything else in the world. For its sake they had given up their homes in England and most of what was pleasant in their lives. Since their freedom of worship had cost so much, of course they wished to make sine of not losing it. They thought that, above all else, they must not let any other religions grow up. So they made very strict laws. They said: "Every one must go to the Puritan church." "No one may vote or take any part in making the laws except members of the church." Some of the Puritans did not like this. Among them was Roger Williams, a young man of gentle and noble, yet strong character. He was a minister, first at Salem, then at Plymouth, then again at Salem. While at Plymouth, he took a deep interest in the Indians. Although he was so poor that he had to earn his .living by farming and fishing, yet he gave much of his time to the red men. He studied their language and learned to know them well. He was kind to them in many ways, and they returned his love with kindness and good-will. STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 111 It was when he returned to Salem that he got into trouble with the Puritans, for he said many things they did not like. "You do not own the land you live on," he boldly declared. "You got your claim to it from the King of England. But as he never owned the land he had no right to give it to you." "You have no right, ' : he went on, "to tax people to sup- port a church to which they do not belong. Nor have you the right to make people go to church." His bold talk star- tled the Puritans. Of m Rogers Williams Fleeing Through the Woods. course, they did not like it. Such ideas might make them no end of trouble if Roger Williams kept on preaching them. So they made him leave the colony. Bidding good-by to his wife and children, he set out alone with only a compass for a guide. To keep from freezing, he carried an axe to chop wood, and flint and 112 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY steel to kindle fires. His only shelter at night was a hol- low tree or perhaps a covering of brush. After many days, he reached Mount Hope, and there the Indians sheltered him. He spent most of the winter in the wigwam of his good friend, Massasoit. In the spring he started out in a frail canoe to a place where the Indians said that there was good spring water. He found it, and, with five or six friends who had joined him, made a settlement, which he called Prov'i-dence. Such was the beginning of Rhode Island (rode i'land) Colony. There at first every man was welcome and every man could worship as he thought best, or not at all if he chose. THOMAS HOOKER AND THE HARTFORD COLONY During the same year (1636) in which Roger Williams began the settlement of Rhode Island, Thom'as Hook'er led a company of settlers to the Con-nect'i-cut Valley. Like Roger Williams, he believed that the Puritans were wrong in keeping all men except church-members from voting and from taking part in making the laws. So because of this belief and for some other reasons, he and the members of his congregation at Watertown left Massachusetts to make new homes for themselves on the bank of the Connecticut River. About one hundred men, women, and children set out in June, driving before them one hundred and sixty cattle. STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 113 The children must have been very tired sometimes, but they must have had their frolics too. We may imagine them gathering wild flowers and listening to the birds, and **v ' :' : '' : . Thomas Hooker and Party on the Way to Connecticut. also eating their meals, as if on a picnic, under leafy branches of spreading trees. The men carried packs on their backs and guns in their hands. There were no roads, nor even trails of Indians or wild beasts to follow through this wild region. A compass 114 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY was their only guide on their journey of more than one hundred miles through the woods. At last they reached the place where Hartford now stands. They were much pleased with its beauty. The Early Settlements in New England. rolling hills, the broad river with its wooded banks, the rich green meadows with the wigwams of the Indians, and the few log cabins of earlier settlers squatting here and there, made a restful sight for the eyes of the tired travellers. THE NEW HAVEN COLONY Two years later, another body of Puritans made a set- tlement thirty miles west of the Connecticut River on Long Island Sound. There in the spring of 1638, under the leafy branches of a great oak-tree, John Dav'en-port, their min- ister and leader, preached his first sermon. STORIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND 115 As in Mas-sa-chu'setts, so here, none but church-mem- bers were allowed to vote. There were no written laws, but all agreed to live by the Word of God. Such was the begin- ning of New Haven Colony. Some Things to Think About 1. Who were the Pilgrims? Why did they go to Holland, and why did they later come to New England? 2. Imagine yourself coming over with them on the Mayflower and tell about the stormy voyage. 3. Can you tell in your own words the story of what happened to the ten picked men who set out on December 16 to find a place for a settlement? 4. Do you know why so many of the Pilgrim settlers died during the first winter at Plymouth? 5. Give an account of the meeting between Governor Carver and Massasoit? In what way did this meeting prove to be a good thing for the settlers? 6. What do you think of Captain Miles Standish? What do you admire in the Pilgrims? 7. Why did the Puritans come to America? 8. How did they suffer during the first winter after landing? 9. Why did they drive Roger Williams out of the colony? Do you think this was right? 10. W r here did Roger Williams go then, and what did he do? What do you think of him? 11. Why did Thomas Hooker and his congregation leave Massa- chusetts and make new homes on the Connecticut River? Imagine yourself with this company on the long journey through the woods and tell what happened. CHAPTER XIV STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK In learning about the Spaniards and the English, we must not forget the part other ' countries took in settling America. The Dutch, like other nations of Europe, wanted to increase their trade. For this reason, in 1609, two years after the settlement of Jamestown, they sent out Henry Hudson in search of an all-water route to the Far East. In April of that year, in a little vessel called the Half Moon with a crew of about twenty sailors, he set out. First, he sailed in a northerly direction, believing that way would be shorter. But the sea was so blocked with icebergs and the danger was so great, that his men refused to go farther. So he changed his course and sailed across the Atlantic. He reached the New World near the mouth of the James River. Coasting along the shore to the north, he entered a broad inlet which he thought was a passage through America. It proved to be the mouth of a river, which later was named Hudson after him. There, in September, 1609, he cast an- chor. 116 STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 117 The Indians, who were friendly and curious, came aboard. They wore loose robes of deerskin and ornaments of copper. The pipes they smoked were copper also. They took a great fancy to the knives and beads which Hud- son had, and gave him tobacco leaves in exchange for them. A few of Hudson's men started off up the river, landing on its western shore. At once they were surrounded .by Indians, who gave them a welcome and made them gifts of tobacco and dried currants. But another party was not received in this kindly way, for the Indians attacked them and killed one man. About ten days after first casting anchor, Hudson him- self sailed up the river in the Half Moon, still looking for the Northwest Passage. He was delighted with the beauty of the country, and spoke of the land as "pleasant with grass and flowers and goodly trees." He went as far as the spot where Albany is now, but there he stopped, for things were not as he had hoped. It was plain that this river was not a strait after all. There being no reason why he should go farther, he turned back toward the open sea. Henry Hudson. 118 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY While sailing down the river ; Hudson went ashore in the canoe of an old Indian chief. On landing he was taken to the chief's wigwam. It was of bark, and within had been made ready to receive him with honor. Two mats were spread for him to sit upon, and food was served in red wooden bowls. A part of this was two pigeons and a dog, which were cooked as a dainty for the white men! Perhaps Hudson did not wholly enjoy his meal, but he knew that the Indians meant to show a kindly feeling. Although it was not his good fortune to discover the Northwest Passage, Hudson had found something else quite as good. This was a place where the Dutch could make money in trade, for among the gifts which the Indians brought were the glossy brown skins of beavers. At once a trade in furs was begun. It must have been interesting to see the red men bringing in the beautiful pelts and making the Dutch understand, by a sign language, what things they wanted in exchange. THE COMING OF DUTCH SETTLERS The Dutch did not make a settlement at once, for we should remember that they were not leaving their native land because of religious trouble, like the Massachusetts and Maryland settlers. They were thrifty traders, who came and went between Holland and the New World simply to make money. Five years passed, after Hudson sailed up the Hudson STORIES DF EARLY NEW YORK 119 River, before even a fort was built at the south end of Man-hat'tan Island (1614). Around this a settlement slowly grew up, and the Dutch called it New Am'ster-dam. Not until 1623 did they attempt to plant a colony. Dutch Trading With the Indians. The Dutch named the country which they had found New Neth'er-land after their home land, just as the English settlers had named theirs New England. Some of the settlers made their homes on Manhattan Island, on which a large part of our present city of New York is built, and a few sailed up the Hudson River and built a fort where Albany now stands. Others built a fort on the Delaware River, and still another group sailed up the Connecticut and built a fort where Hartford was settled later. 120 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY In 1625 two ships bringing cattle, horses, hogs, and sheep reached New Amsterdam. More emigrants came also, and soon there were two hundred settlers in the colony. The next year Peter Min'- u-it, a good and just man, was made governor. He man- aged very well. The settlers were contented, and the In- dians, being fairly treated, were friendly. The land which the settlers needed the governor bought from the Indians. Although he did not pay large sums, he gave enough to satisfy the Indians. You will be sur- prised to know that, for the whole island of Manhattan, where to-day land is so high that towering buildings are carried up many stories into the air, Peter Minuit gave about twenty-four dollars' worth of beads, colored cloth, and bits of glass! From the Indians the Dutch had nothing to fear at this time. By fair dealing Hudson had won their good- will, and by the same kind of treatment the fur traders had kept it. But there was still another reason why the powerful Ir'o-quois, who lived west of the Hudson, wanted to be Indian Fur Trader. STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 121 friends with the Dutch. It so happened that in the veiy same year in which Hudson was sailing north on the Hud- Champlain killed one or two of their number. son River, Cham-plain', a French explorer, of whom we shall speak again later, was coming south from Canada on the lake which now bears his name. He travelled with a band of sixty Al-gon'quin warriors, 122 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY who were enemies of the Iroquois. To keep the Algonquins friendly to himself, Champlain joined them in an attack upon two hundred Iroquois on the shores of Lake Champlain. Now, the Iroquois had never heard a gun before. So when Champlain fired, and killed one or two of the Iro- quois chiefs, the rest fled in panic. But they never forgot this defeat. From that day they hated the French, and were always glad to make them trouble and kill them when they could. Now you see why they wanted the help of the Dutch and their guns. But although the Indians made no trouble and Dutch vessels came and went, few people settled down to make homes here. The money to be made in the fur trade brought the restless, roaming traders but not the steady home-making farmers, who were better off in their homes across the sea. THE PATROONS To tempt farmers to go to New Netherland, the Dutch West India Company worked out a plan. They offered to give large tracts of lands in America to any members of the company who would take over, in the next four years, fifty grown-up settlers. The land might extend along the Hudson or some other river for sixteen miles on one side or for eight miles on both sides. It could also run back as far as the owner might wish. The owner of each tract of land was called a pa- STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 123 troon. He gave to the men living on his estate houses, farms, tools, and cattle. In return, the men promised to pay him a certain rent, and to remain on the farm where they were placed. This was fair, but there were some bad rules, for example, the men could not grind their corn except at the patroon's mill, nor hunt, nor fish, without his permission. So, in spite of getting their land and house for almost nothing, men with families were rather slow about coming to New Netherland. Other plans, then, had to be tried. In 1638 a most coaxing scheme was set before the people. Farmers with their families were to be carried across the Atlantic without charge. Each man was to have the use of a farm with its house, barn, and tools. Horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs were to be provided. And, best of all, it was to be made easy for him to become the owner of his little estate in five years. This plan worked well. Settlers began to come, and kept coming in larger and larger numbers. Not all the people by any means came from Holland. One reason for this was that the laws let the people worship A Patroon. 124 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY as they pleased. So men flocked here from many countries, and it is said that as many as eighteen languages were spoken by the settlers. Fifteen years after the first settlement, New Netherland had about ten thousand people, sixteen hundred of whom lived in New Amsterdam. At this time New Amsterdam New Amsterdaix was confined to the southern part of Manhattan Island, south of the present Wall Street. Would you like to know how this street, which to-day is one of the busiest and richest in the world, got its name? As a defence against the Indians, the Dutch built a wall, or palisade, across the northern side of the town. The street which in time took its place was called Wall Street. In the wall was a gate-way opening into a broad high- way, and this to-day is the well-known Broadway of New York City. What would the people who built this wall and this gate think if to-day they could be set down in the midst of these rushing, thronging streets! In time the Hudson River came to be lined with the STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 125 large estates of the patroons, stretching far back into the country. Perhaps your teacher will read you the story of Sleep'y Hol'low, which tells of life on one of these Dutch estates. Here and there along other streams also were houses and The people from these places carried their prod- villages. in 1673. uce and their furs by boat to New Amsterdam, and there traded for such things as they needed. When the exchange did not come out even and there was needed a sort of money, wampum and beaver skins were used instead of gold and silver. The small purses in which we carry our money to-day would not have been of much use in those days! Life was now going better in New Netherland, but the Dutch settlers were, not without their troubles. We have seen that Hudson and the Dutch traders were just to the Indians. These Indians were the Iroquois, who had always been friendly with the Dutch. But the Indians around New Amsterdam were Algon- quins, and these tribes, as you remember, were the enemies 126 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY of the Iroquois. For a long time the Dutch had kept the friendship of all the tribes. But they were now to have serious trouble with the Algonquins. In the first place, there were getting to be so many Dutch farmers that their roaming cattle worried the In- dians. In the second place, Kieft, the new governor, was not friendly with them. Matters went from bad to worse. Finally, a small band of Indians stole some pigs, and a company of soldiers was sent out from New Amsterdam to punish the tribe to which the thieves belonged. The settlers killed several Indian braves and burned some of the Indian crops. This began a war which lasted four years. It was a time of much terror and bloodshed, and when it came to an end, sixteen hundred Indians had been killed. The Dutch also had lost many men and had spent much money which they needed for other things. A Dutch Manor. PETER STUYVESANT AND HIS TROUBLES The next and last of the Dutch governors was Peter Stuy've-sant. He was a very large man, haughty, and commanding. He had been a brave soldier and had STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 127 lost a leg in battle, so that now he stumped around on a wooden one. When he became governor of New Netherland he told the people he would rule them "as a father does his chil- dren." The people thought this meant that he would be kind and gentle. But instead he treated them as if they could not think for themselves and had no rights of their own. At last he fell into trouble with the Swedes who had settled along the Delaware River. They had captured the Dutch fort there, "because," they said, "it is on our land." The blustering old gov- ernor could never allow that. So he spent a great deal of money getting ready a fleet, and sailed up the Delaware with a large body of soldiers. He captured the fort and forced the Swedes to give up to the Dutch as masters of the country. But this was not altogether a good thing for the Dutch. The colony had never had much fighting strength, because their ruling men would not vote money for that purpose. Now, after fighting the Swedes, they were weaker than ever. 1 Peter Stuyvesant. 128 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY So when a few years later (1664), English war-ships ap- peared in the harbor, the Dutch were not strong enough to drive the fleet away. The commander of the English vessels sent an officer ashore demanding surrender. This was a complete surprise to the Dutch, for it was an act of war, and at that time England and Holland were at peace. But the English coveted New Nether- land for many reasons. They wanted to get control of its trade, and of its fine harbor, the best on the Atlantic Coast. Although the Eng- lish force was much stronger than the Dutch, Governor Stuyvesant, brave old soldier that he was, begged the people to fight for the town. "I would go to my grave," he cried out in a rage, as he stamped the floor with his wooden leg, "rather than give up to the English." "Read the letter the English commander has sent you and find out just what he wants," said some one. Early Settlements in New York and New Jersey. STORIES OF EARLY NEW YORK 129 This only made him more angry, and he tore it into bits and threw them upon the floor. But he had to give up. The Dutch flag was pulled down, and the English flag waved in its place. New Netherland was now called New York, and was an English colony. Under the rule of the English it prospered and went on growing year after year. For a long time, however, more of the people were Dutch than English, and to this day, many old families are proud of their Dutch names. Some Things to Think About 1. Why did the Dutch send out Henry Hudson? What did he dis- cover? 2. In what way did the Dutch win the good-will of the Indians? 3. What mistake did Champlain make with the Iroquois, and how did the French suffer later for this mistake? 4. Tell all you can about the patroons. 5. Why were men with families rather slow about coming from Holland to New Netherland? 6. What kind of man was Governor Stuyvesant? What do you ad- mire in him? 7. Why was the name of the colony changed from New Netherland to New York? CHAPTER XV STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA We have seen that the Pilgrims and Puritans went to New England; and the Catholics to Maryland, because they were punished at home for their religion. There were still other people living in England who were having a hard time because of the way they worshipped. In those days, you remember, people who made the laws in England believed that eveiybody in the country should go to the same kind of church. Men and women going to any other were punished by being fined, or thrown into prison, or whipped; and sometimes such persons were even burned at the stake. One body of English people who insisted on their own way of worship called themselves "Friends." By others they were nicknamed Qua'kers. Some of their customs were new and strange. For in- stance, they would not go to war, nor pay taxes to support war, because they believed it was wrong to fight. And because they believed all men were equal before the law, they would not doff their hats to any man, not even the king. 130 STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA 131 Most of them also refused to wear fine clothing or adorn their houses because the}* believed in simple living. One of these Quakers, William Penn, was a rich man and the son of a powerful admiral. He did not go so far in his belief as some, for he wore handsome clothing and had a fine home. But he saw that the only way for his Quaker friends to have peace was to go to live in the New World ; as others who suffered for their religion had done. To carry out his plan, he used his own large fortune. It happened that King Charles II owed Penn $80,000. Now, for a king who liked to spend money as well as Charles II did, this was a big debt to pay. But Penn saw a way for the king to get rid of the debt, and yet not pay out a penny. Will you give me land instead of money?" he asked. Willingly," said the king. You see the land had cost him nothing. So he set off for Penn a large tract lying west of the Delaware River, and called it Pennsylvania, which means "Perm's woods." William Penn at the Age of 22 (1666) a «■ 132 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Penn was so modest that he did not wish the country named for himself. So the king said, "We will name it for your father." The next year, a colony of about three thousand settled on the banks of the Delaware. In October of the year after that, Penn himself left England to join his colony. Bidding good-b}' to his wife and children, he sailed for America in the ship Welcome with one hundred passengers. Most of these were Quakers, who had been Penn's neigh- bors in England. After a voyage of two months they landed at New'- cas-tle, Delaware, where the}' were greeted with shouts of welcome. This was not his own colony, but some of those who came the year before had settled here, among the Swedes and Dutch. Penn sailed on up the Delaware River until he came to the mouth of the Schuyl'kill (skool-kill) River. Here he found a city laid out by those who had come before him. He named it Phil-a-del'phi-a, which means "City of Brotherly Love." This name showed the feeling which Penn had for the settlers and wished them to have for one another. The plan of the city was simple. Most of the land was level, and the streets crossed one another at right angles. They were given such names as Chestnut Street, Oak Street, Elm Street, from the trees of the forest which were cut down to make room for them. STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA 133 Settlers came in such large numbers that houses could not be built fast enough. So for a time some of them had to live in caves dug in the river-banks. The first houses were built of logs, and were very simple. They had only two rooms, and no floor except the bare ground. But in less than three years, many houses of boards had been put up, and some of the bright-red brick of which Philadelphia to-day has so much. The city grew rapidly, and so did the whole colony. This was partly be- cause the Indians were friendly. Penn had made friends with them at the start. One day he held a meeting with them under the spreading branches of a large elm-tree, and together they smoked the pipe of peace. "The friendship between you and me," said Penn, "is not like a chain, for the chain may rust; neither is it like a tree, for the falling tree may break. It is as if we were parts of one man's body. We are all one flesh and blood." Of course, these words pleased the Indians, for they had feelings very much like those of white men. They replied to Penn in words as kind as his own. Handing him Cottage of William Penn, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. 134 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY a wampum belt of peace they said: "We will live in love and peace with William Penn as long as the sun and moon shall last." Penn paid the Indians for the land, although he had already paid the king a large sum. For he believed that William Penn's Treaty with the Indians. the Indians had rights, and he wished to deal fairly with them. He gave them knives, kettles, axes, beads, and some other things which made their lives easier and happier. These were more useful to the Indians than money. Penn was always kind and honest in his dealings with the men of the forest; and they, in their turn, were true to him. In the course of years, settlers from many countries STORIES OF EARLY PENNSYLVANIA 135 came in large numbers to Pennsylvania. Englishmen, Swedes, Welsh, Dutch, and Germans all found their way here, and the colony grew so fast that there was plenty of work for all. People liked to live where the laws were wise, and where the}^ could worship as they pleased. This they could do in Pennsylvania, and the colony continued to prosper. Some Things to Think About 1. Tell all you can about the strange and new customs of the Quakers. 2. Who was William Penn? Why did he wish to make a settlement in America? 3. What name did he give his first settlement, and why? 4. How did he treat the Indians, and how did they treat him? What do you admire in William Penn? 5. Why did his colony grow rapidly? CHAPTER XVI STORIES OF EARLY GEORGIA In the days of which we are speaking, there were other troubles which needed righting besides those of religion. The laws about debt caused great and hopeless misery. When a man could not pay a debt, even if it were for only a small sum, he was thrown into prison, and if he had no friends to help him out, he usually stayed there the rest of his life. Many died early, of starvation, filthy quarters, and because they lost hope. Among the rich men of high birth who lived at this time was James O'gle-thorpe. He was a brave soldier and a noble and tender-hearted man. He resolved to do some- thing to help the poor men who suffered from the hard and stupid laws. His plan was to pay the debts of the most worthy, and then set them free, if they would agree to go to America. "There," said this kind man, "they can begin life over again." Besides a wish to help poor men, he had something else in mind. He wished to plant a colony far to the south, that 136 STORIES OF EARLY GEORGIA 137 would be strong enough to ward off attacks by the Spaniards in Florida. Early in 1733, he sailed with his men to the southern coast of North America. Choosing a high bluff near the bank of the Savannah River, he made a settlement and called it Savannah. He named his colony Georgia, in honor of King George II. At first Oglethorpe took up his quarters in a tent, sheltered by four beautiful pine-trees, and there he lived for more than a year. Like Penn, he treated the red men fairly, and won their friendship. As a token of good feeling one day they handed him a buffalo skin, on the inside of which was a picture of the head and feathers of an eagle. " Here is a little present," they said. "The feathers of the eagle are soft, and this means love. The skin of the buffalo is warm, and this means protection. Therefore, love and protect our people." Such was the beginning of a lasting friendship between Oglethorpe and the Indians. They were friendly to him because he was just and kind to them. They lived in peace with him, just as the Indians farther north lived in peace with William Penn. To bring more money into the colony, he began to trade with the Indians for fur. James Oglethorpe. 138 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY He noticed many mulberry-trees, and that made him think of raising silk-worms. Then he noticed that there were many mul'ber-ry-trees growing in Georgia, and that made him think of raising silk- worms; for, as you know, mul- berry leaves are the food which silk-worms like best. After a little the people began to weave silk; and then they sent a dress pattern to the queen, who had it made up into a gown and wore it. Oglethorpe honestly tried to do everything possible for the good of the settlers; but they did not like his way of governing. He gave them no share in making the laws. There were also other things they did not like. For instance, he would not have any rum made or sold, because he thought it would bring harm to the people. Neither would he have negro slaves in the colony, because he wished only hard-working white men to live there. The settlers, however, said they needed the rum, and that the climate was so hot and bred such fevers that they must have negroes to do the work. Early Settlements in Georgia. STORIES OF EARLY GEORGIA 139 At last they were allowed to have their own way. But the men who had been failures in England were not the kind to start right as colonists in the New World. Georgia, therefore, did not prosper at first. It has long since, how- ever, become one of the great States of our Union. Some Things to Think About 1. Why did James Oglethorpe wish to plant a colony in America? 2. How did he make friends with the Indians? 3. What made him think of raising silk-worms? 4. What do you admire in James Oglethorpe? CHAPTER XVII LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS ??**> NEW ENGLAND Now that we have seen something of the way in which the colonies started; let us go back on a make-believe jour- ney and see how the people lived in those early days. First, we will visit New England. Here we shall find many villages. In some the houses are built along both sides of a road ; in others, they are grouped around a central green. But we are pretty sure to find the meeting-house, the block-house, the minister's house, and the inn not far apart. When Indians are close by the village, there are three or four block-houses, with palisades around them. For, in times of danger, the families living outside the village come here to spend the night. If during the day some one gives warning that the Indians are on the war-path, all the men, women, and children who live in the outlying cabins come 140 ^r-J7~ *tt A Block-House. LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 141 flocking to the nearest block-house. Let us hope that this will not happen during our visit. Here and there we see some newer houses of brick and stone, and if we should come at a later time we should find rich merchants and ship-owners living in fine houses with costly furniture. But most of the dwellings we see now are rough wooden cabins, containing only two rooms, a living-room and a kitchen, with the chimney between. The people seem glad to see us and ask us in. What huge fireplaces! Here is one big enough to take in a great log six feet long and three feet thick. But the people tell us that even when the flames roar up the chim- ney, the ink freezes on their pens a few feet away from the fire! What would happen if the fire should go out? There are no matches, of course. They tell us that at night they cover the glowing coals over with ashes, so that the fire will keep. Does it ever go out? Yes, sometimes, and then one of the children runs to a neighbor's and brings home a pan of red coals or a burning stick to relight it; or sparks are struck from flint into a tinder-box or into diy leaves to start a little blaze. It is nearly noon when we arrive, and in front of the fire the meat or fowl for dinner is being roasted. It hangs by a hempen string from a hook above. A child keeps the string turning, and sometimes the housewife twists it and 142 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY lets it untwist again. Perhaps you are looking for a crane, or rod on which to hang kettles, such as your grandmother may have told you about. This has not yet come into use. One of the children runs to a neighbor's and brings home a burning stick. When we sit down to the table, we must make no re- marks about the simple furnishings. The table is a long board, about three feet wide, with a bench on either side for seats. There are no plates, but the food is served on wooden blocks, ten or twelve inches square, and three or four inches thick, scooped out in the centre something like shallow bowls. They are called trenchers. LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 143 No forks either! We will eat with our fingers, as the others do. And what a queer drinking-cup ! It might be iron or leather, but this seems to be horn. Pass it on to the one next you, for there is only one for the whole family. How good the food tastes! After dinner, perhaps the family will let us go about and see them at work. They are very busy people. The farmers have to work very hard, for their soil is poor and rocky. They also make most of their furniture, cooking utensils, and farming tools in the house or in little workshops close by. They have only the simplest tools and everything is rudely made. There are grist-mills to grind the corn and saw-mills to make the lumber, both run by the small streams which rush down the hillside. If the village is near the coast, we shall find some fisher- men who make their living by catching cod or whale. We shall also see some ship-building going on, for it is easy to get good timber in the large forests. THE BOYS AND GIRLS AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL The mother, too, is veiy busy, for she does many things which nowadays are done outside the home. Besides cook- ing and keeping the house in order, she makes clothes for all the family, and even makes the cloth in the first place 1 144 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY The wool and the flax are raised on the little farm, and spun and woven by her into cloth. Perhaps she will turn the spinning-wheel for you to show how the wool or flax is How it whirs and hums! drawn out into long threads. The Spinning- Wheel. Of course, you will want to see what the children are doing. The girls help their mothers in many ways. They learn to cook, to mould candles, to make soap, to milk the cows, and to make butter and cheese. They work in the gardens, and pluck the geese to get feathers for pillows and feather-beds. They are also learning to spin, weave, dye, and make clothing. Perhaps you know more about books, but I doubt if you could keep house as well ! LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 145 Their school-house is a rude log hut. The boys are as busy helping their fathers as the girls in helping their mothers. They chop and saw wood, plant and weed the fields, feed the pigs, water the horses, clean the stables, and do many kinds of work of which most of you boys know nothing. Of course, the children go to school, too. As you remember, one reason why the Pilgrims left Holland was that they might bring up their children in their own way. From the first," they have taken great pains to educate them. So have the Puritans, and at a very early day public schools were started — so that eveiy town has its school. It is kind of the children to ask us to visit their school- house. It does not look at all like your big building. It is a rude log hut, and the seats are long slabs from sawed logs, with the flat side up, raised on sticks. There are no black-boards nor maps on the wall. The children have no slates and few pencils. Some of them are doing their sums on birch bark, for paper is very scarce. The boys and girls, at home and at school, have very few books. A Bible, a catechism, a hymn-book, and a primer are about all. Yet the children learn to read and write. Perhaps the best time of the day is when school and 146 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY work are over, and all sit down for the evening. How cheer- ful then the big fireplace looks with its high-backed seat on The big fireplace with its high-backed seat on either side. either side! Here the children sit, listening to the talk of the grown-ups, or perhaps cracking nuts while a row of roasting apples sputters before the fire. When bedtime comes, and the children leave their LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 147 warm, cosey corner, they do not walk over a soft carpet, nor even over a wooden floor. Perhaps there is a rug or the skin of an animal over the bare earth. While they sleep, the snow often sifts in through cracks in the wall, making tiny drifts before morning. THE PURITAN SABBATH I think perhaps you will want to see how these children of long ago spent their Saturdays and Sundays. Saturday is a very busy day. Everything must be made ready for Sunday, because on that day no cooking is allowed and very little work of any kind. The Puritans are very strict about this. The minute the sun goes down their Sabbath begins. All work and play must be put aside, for the Sabbath must be a day of rest. When nine o'clock in the morning comes, a drum, bell, or horn is sounded. Then each family starts for the meet- ing-house, the father and mother walking in front of their children. At church we shall see nearly every one who is not sick, for a man who stays away a month without a good reason is punished. If there is danger from Indians, a sentinel stands on guard at the door of the meeting-house, and each man sits with his gun beside him. The sermon is sometimes two or three hours long. The time is kept by an hour-glass which the sexton turns at the 148 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY end of eveiy hour. We are a little tired when the service is over. But we must not think that the New England people spend all their time in work and worship. Life for the Puritan children is by no means without play. There is plenty of hunting and fishing, and in winter there are lively snowball fights and skating. In summer the younger chil- dren roll hoops, spin tops, and play at leap-frog and see-saw. Indoors there are merrymakings with games like hide-and- go-seek and blind-man's-buff. If the older people invite us to any of their gatherings, it will be to a house-raising or corn-husking party, or per- haps to a spinning-bee or a quilting-bee or an apple-paring. For they had their good times helping each other in this way. If we should happen to be there at Thanksgiving time, which came after the corn and pumpkins and apples were stored away for the winter, we should find the table loaded with good things to eat, such as turkey, chicken, pudding, pies, nuts, raisins, and other things that make us hungry even to name. One reason why strangers are made so welcome is that the settlers see very little of the people outside of their own villages and towns. It is not easy to go from place to place, and it takes a great deal of time. There are no roads across the country, — nothing but Indian trails, so that people have to go on horseback. But between the LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 149 settlements that are near the water, they go in "dugouts" or small boats. How would you like to change places with these boys and girls of the New England of long ago? THE SOUTH If now we take a trip to the South, we shall find life in Virginia and Maryland different in many ways from that in New England. Here the people are not living on small farms, rather near together, but on big plantations, spreading over many acres. The first houses of the early settlers were cabins, much like those of New England, but built loose and open, for it is warmer here. But at the time of our visit, there are many rich planters living in two-story houses of wood or brick. Very pleasant they look with their vine-clad porches in front, and wide hallways inside. They are called man'sions. Near the planter's house are little cabins, squatting in the midst of gardens and poultry-yards. These are for slaves, and about them the little black children romp and play at all hours of the day. There, also, are the stable, the barn, the smoke-house, and other needed buildings, so that each plantation is a little village by itself, with its own blacksmith, wheelwright, shoemaker, doctor, overseer, and so on. 150 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY If we are invited into the "big house/' we shall not find carpeted floors, unless our visit is made a hundred years or so after the first settlement. But we may find rugs, and handsome furniture,— tables, side-boards, four-posted bed- steads, and other pieces bought from English merchants. A Southern Mansion. The family uses pewter dishes every day, but there are some shining silver pieces on the side-board. The cooking is done over a fireplace, just as in New England, and cakes of corn-meal or, "pones," are baked in the hot ashes. We see the spinning-wheel and flax-wheel in many homes, and also moulds in which candles are made. For LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 151 candle-light is the only evening light, except that from the blazing wood in the fireplace. Much of the clothing, however, and many of the uten- sils for house and farm are brought from England, in ex- change for the planter's tobacco. sSrf 88 ^.'^^ V>affffl A Typical Log Cabin of the South. It may be our good luck to see a ship from England come in while we are here. At these times everybody is excited and happy. For it brings not only needed things for which the people have long been waiting, but also news from friends in the mother-country, and sometimes, best of all, the friends themselves. What glad meetings they must be and how everybody must talk and laugh at once! 152 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY We cannot go to school with these children, for, on these big plantations, they live too far apart to go to a common school as in New England. Many of the poorer children are growing up without learning to read and write. But perhaps the planter's children will show us how they study. Tables, Chairs, Four-posted Bedstead. They are taught at home by tutors or clergymen. When they grow older, some of the boys will go to Europe to study further. There are many men in the South who read a great deal ; for the planter can live without working with his own hands, and has much time for books. Some of them have fine libraries. LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 153 Their sports are different from those in New England. They are veiy fond of riding to the hunt. The wild woods are full of game, and no Southern youth is thought manly until he is a good rider and hunter. How exciting it is when a fox runs past, followed a little later by a pack of hounds in full chase and a group of horsemen riding fast and jumping the ditches and fences in their path! On the day of a horse-race people come nocking from far awav. Besides the horse-race, there are hurdle-races and other lively sports, with greased poles and greased pigs, to entertain the crowd. These people do not keep Thanksgiving Day, but they make a great deal of Christmas. Then all is gay and bright in the planter's house. There is much feasting, which is followed in the evening by dancing and music. What a pretty sight it is ! NEW YORK Before coming back from our journey let us go to early New York. Here all is quite different from either New England or the South, because in those colonies most of the people were English, while here they are mostly Dutch. Some live in towns where trade is carried on. Yet many live on farms larger than those of New England, but not so large as the Southern plantations. In the towns we find a few cabins of early settlers, but most of the Dutch houses have stoops in front, where neigh- 154 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY bors like to visit and gossip. The houses stand with their gabled ends toward the street, and at the back is a garden with vegetables and flower-beds. It is the fashion in New Amsterdam to sit out-doors as much as the weather allows, on the stoop or in arbors or summer-houses in the gardens. The men smoke their pipes and tell stories while the women knit or sew. If we visit a patroon's estate, we shall see as we draw near big windmills, like those in Holland, slowly turning their big white canvas sails in the wind. Near the grand house we shall find large gardens, bright with splen- did tulips, lilies, and other beau- tiful blossoms; for the Dutch are very fond of flowers. As we enter, the huge fireplace reminds us of those we saw in New England. And we see again the spinning-wheel and hand-loom. But the rest of the rich furniture is large and heavy. The chief piece is the great chest of drawers and shelves set on casters. We are allowed to look in, and we see the finest pieces of family silver, choice dishes, and other costly treasures. There are other chests too, some for linen and clothing. There is a small one of very handsome wood with Early Dutch Windmill. LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 155 knobs of glass or silver or even gold. It is for trinkets and small pieces of table-ware. But even in this handsome house we see no carpet. The floors are kept clean by constant scrubbing, and in some rooms they are sprinkled with sand made into straight or wavy lines by the broom. The table is loaded with good things to eat, for all Dutch women are noted for their cooking. There are crullers and cookies, tarts and jellies, cream dishes, preserved fruits, and many other things which make us hungry to think about. To drink, there is buttermilk or beer. In the bedroom we see high beds showing finely carved legs and posts. Here are little steps up which you must mount if you are to sleep in this fine bed. Then down, down you will sink into the soft feathers, forgetting all about the outside world. Although the men of this colony seem slow and easy- going, nearly all are workers. They are honest and saving, and many have become rich. Perhaps the ship-owners and traders make the most money, for just as the South sends ship-loads of tobacco to Europe, so New York sends cargoes of fur in exchange for things made across the sea. The Great Chest of Drawers Set on Casters. 156 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY The little Dutch children go to school, for from the first the settlers have taken much interest in having their chil- dren taught. There are more holidays here than in New England. The people take life more easily than the Puritans. They are fond of dress, of sports, and merrymakings. In the country they go to spinning-bees, house-raisings, corn-husk- ings, and dancing-parties; in the towns they enjoy horse- racing, bowling, and picnics. They make much of Christmas, New Year's, and Easter. They gave us our Santa Claus for Christmas; they started the custom of making calls upon New Year's Day; they were the first to color eggs for Easter. Perhaps after all you would have liked best to live in "little old New York." Some Things to Think About 1. Tell what you can about the huge fireplaces in the early New Eng- land houses and about the way the fire was kept going. 2. How did the boys and girls help their fathers and mothers? 3. Tell all you can about their schools. 4. Imagine yourself going to church in New England, and tell about what you see there. 5. What kind of amusements did the older people and the young people have? 6. Imagine yourself in Maryland or Virginia in the early days and tell all you can about the planter's house and its surround- ings. 7. Why were the people so glad to see a ship come in from Eng- land? LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS 157 8. What were the sports in the South? 9. Tell all you can about the grand house of the patroon. How was it furnished? 10. What kind of cooking did the Dutch like? 11. What do you know about Dutch sports and holidays? CHAPTER XVIII FATHER MARQUETTE Thus far we have not said much about the French people in the New World. But we must not think that there were none here during all the years when the English were planting settlements along the Atlantic coast. You remember how Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence in search of the Northwest Passage to China, and how Champlain fought in the battle with Iroquois Indians on the shore of Lake Champlain. This same Champlain had planted a French colony at Quebec. Indeed, he did so much there for his country that he has been called "the father of New France." At first the French came in small numbers. They were mostly traders in furs, although some made a living by cod- fishing and some by farming. They were very friendly with the Indians. They joined them in their sports and in their ways of living. They sometimes even married In- dian squaws. But besides the trader, in fur and the soldier with his musket, there were in the French settlements many Cath- olic priests. Some were called Jes'u-its. These men did 158 FATHER MARQUETTE 159 not come to the New World to make money, but to make Christians of the Indians. They went from village to village through the wild forest, in summer paddling the streams and lakes in their birch-bark canoes, and in winter skimming lightly and rapidly along on snow-shoes. They passed through many dangers. Often they suffered from hunger and cold. Some of them were cruelly tortured, and some were burnt at the stake. But those who were spared kept faithfully on with the good work. One of these brave priests was Father Mar-quette'. He came to Canada nearly sixty years after Champlain made the settlement at Quebec. From there he went far to the west, and on the north side of the Strait of Mack'i-nac built a little bark chapel, where he worked faithfully to make Christians of the red men. One day an Indian hunter told him of a great river lying still farther to the west. Father Marquette kept thinking of it and of the work he might do in the Indian villages along its banks. After a while he made up his mind to go Statue of James Marquette. 160 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY in search of this river. Along with him went a fur-trader, Lou'is Jo'li-et. In May, 1673, with five trained woodsmen, they started on their long journey. Smoothly they glided over the blue '''*'"•;„"♦? -o\ % %^~r'--MWx&.*~ The priest, in his long black robe, in one canoe, and Joliet in the other. waters of Lake Michigan in two bark canoes, well supplied with smoked meat and Indian-corn. The priest, in his long back robe, sat in one canoe, and Joliet, wearing a hunting- suit of buckskin and a fur cap, in the other. When the shadows of late afternoon fell, they went FATHER MARQUETTE 161 ashore. Gathering wood, they kindled a fire, took the food out of the canoes, and turned them up so that they could creep under them for a shelter at night. On either side of the fire they drove two forked sticks firmly into the ground, and across them laid a green log. Here they hung their kettle and boiled some corn, and over the blazing logs, on long-handled forks made of green sticks, they broiled the fish they had caught during the day. Their active day in the open air must have made this simple meal taste like a royal feast. After supper they smoked their pipes and talked, and then turned in for the night. Wrapping themselves in their blankets, with their heads sheltered by the overturned canoes and their feet stretched out toward the fire, they went to sleep. THE FRENCH EXPLORERS AND THE INDIANS Travelling in this way, they passed on to the head of Green Bay and, entering Fox River, soon came upon an Indian town. Here they asked for guides, who showed them the way through the forest to the Wis-con'sin River. Once more launching their canoes, they paddled down- stream. A week later they entered the mighty Mississippi, of which the Indians far back in Mackinac had told them. No white man had ever been there before. Wishing to explore the river still further, they made 162 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY their way slowly downstream, and at length reached the mouth of the Arkansas. One day, as they were about to land, they suddenly found themselves in great danger. A band of young braves, with tomahawks and war-clubs raised over their heads, rushed toward the Frenchmen at the river-bank as if they were going to murder them. But the good Father Marquette calmly held high the pipe of peace, and the older Indians, calling back the youths, became friendly and received the white men in a kindly way. On their way farther down the river, the explorers visited other Indian villages. But as the natives were not friendly to them, they decided to return. They feared that if they should go further, they might be killed by Indians or captured by Spaniards. They had already learned from the Indians that the Mississippi flowed into the Gulf of Mexico and not into the Pacific Ocean. The stream, therefore, was not the passage to the Pacific which they were seeking. Turning northward, they travelled back toward Green Bay, which they reached safely after having been away four months. They had made a journey of more than twenty- five hundred miles. In so doing, they had given France a claim to a vast territory in the New World, on the ground that Frenchmen had discovered it. FATHER MARQUETTE 163 Some Things to Think About 1. Tell all you can about the work of the Catholic priests among the Indians. How did many of these priests suffer? 2. Why did Father Marquette make his long journey down the Mississippi River? 3. Imagine yourself with him and tell about how the little company of Frenchmen spent the night on the shore. 4. How did this long journey help the French people? What do you admire in Father Marquette? CHAPTER XIX ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE The story of Marquette's voyage made a stir in France. Already the French had control of the St. Lawrence River. If now they could get control of the Mississippi also, they might build up a trade which would pour vast sums into the nation's treasury and make France veiy rich. To do this, a young Frenchman, La Salle, gave the best years of his life. He was only twenty-three years old when he came to the New World. He too had hopes of finding the Northwest Passage, but meanwhile there were two great plans which he wished to carry out. One was to build a chain of trading posts along the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi River; and the other was to plant a French colony and fort at the mouth of the Mississippi. After long and carefLil planning, he built a small vessel, the Griffin, on the Ni-ag'a-ra River, to carry him and his crew through the lakes on their way to the Mississippi. They started in August, 1679. The voyage was a stormy one, but they reached Green Bay in September. Here La Salle found a large quantity of furs, which 164 ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE 165 some of his men had gone ahead to collect for him. He loaded them on the Griffin and sent her back to Niagara, for he expected by selling the furs to get money to pay for his journey down the Mississippi. Not waiting for the return of the Griffin, La Salle, with From a painting by Carlton T. Chapman. Launching the Griffin. fourteen men and four canoes, went ahead on his journey. They paddled down the west side of Lake Michigan as far as the St. Joseph River. Landing here they built a fort, and then went on to the Il-li-nois' country, where they built another fort. All this time La Salle was expecting news of the Griffin. As day after day passed he grew anxious, and finally gave 166 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY up hope. Indeed, he never heard from the little vessel again. But he must have a ship, so he planned to go back to Canada. Leaving a few men to guard the forts which he had built, and taking four Frenchmen, an Indian hunter, a sup- ply of powder and shot and blankets, and skins for mocca- sins, he started (March 1, 1680) for Canada. It was a terrible jour- ney. Sometimes the streams were frozen, and they had to drag the canoes on sledges. At other times the ice was not thick enough to bear their weight, but too thick for them to break a passage for the ca- noes, which then had to be carried on the men's shoulders through the woods. When they reached the St. Joseph River, they struck out across country. The woods were thick and full of danger. Thorny underbrush tore their clothing into shreds and cut their faces and hands. For three days they endured great suffering. Then a rapid journey of two days more brought them to a marshy country. For sixty-five days this painful journey lasted. 168 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY One night they took off their drenched clothing, and, wrapping themselves in blankets, slept on a dry hill. But Here, in the name of the French king, he planted a column and a cross. in the morning they had to build a fire to thaw their frozen clothes before they could put them on. For sixty-five da) r s this painful journey lasted. Yet the end of La Salle's journey did not bring the end ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE 169 of his troubles. When he got back to the Illinois country with fresh supplies, he could find neither the forts nor the men he had left there. Perhaps the men had been capt- ured and the forts destroyed by the Indians. LA SALLE REACHES THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI So again he had to make his way back to Canada to get a vessel there, but he could not get one. Then, in spite of all discouragements, he started out for the third time, saying, "We will go even in canoes." Two years and a half had passed since his first start in the Griffin. At last (February, 1682) he was ready. Then, with twenty-three Frenchmen and thirty-one Indians, he began his journey down the Mississippi. His little fleet of bark canoes made a picture far different from the one he had seen in his mind when building the Griffin. But it was the best he could do. After some weeks, he reached the Gulf of Mexico and landed. Here, in the name of the French king, he planted a column and a cross, and claimed all the land drained by the Mississippi River and its branches. He called it Lou- is'i-an'a in honor of Louis XIV, King of France. La Salle had carried out the first part of his plan — that of building forts and trading posts along his route. Now it remained to found a colony at the mouth of the Mis- sissippi. To get help for this, he had to go to France. His plan 170 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY met with favor there, and with men and supplies he sailed back to America in the summer of 1684. But new trouble awaited him. He missed the mouth of the Mississippi, and landed some four hundred miles to the west of it on the coast of what is now Texas. Here he built a fort. Then trials came thick and fast. The Indians attacked him. For lack of food, many of his men became sick, and a large number died. He was the only one who did not lose heart. Day after day he kept looking for help from France, but it did not come. For two years he fought like a hero with dangers and hardships. Then it was plain that something must be done at once to save the colony. So the iron-willed La Salle resolved to go to Canada for sup- plies. In January, 1687, with seventeen men and five horses, One morning one of tliein shot him dead. ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE 171 he started on the long, perilous journey north from Texas to Canada through the trackless forest. He alone had faith in ever reaching the end of the journey. The men were afraid. To them the forest meant dis- ease, famine, Indians, wild beasts, and heat or cold too intense to bear. They cared nothing for their heroic leader. In fact, they had already suffered so much in fol- lowing him that they had come to hate him. Since there was no other way of escape, they planned to murder him; and one morning, as he came forward to speak, one of them shot him dead. This was about two months after they had left the fort. Such was the end of one of the bravest and boldest of the French explorers. Although he was not able to carry out his plans, he did much for his country. He gave France a better right to claim a large part of the American continent. Some Things to Think About 1. What two great plans did La Salle wish to carry out? Did he succeed? x 2. Think of yourself as having been with him in his dangerous journey through the woods in the spring of 16S1, and tell what hap- pened. 3. Tell all you can about the trials of La Salle and his men at the fort in Texas. 4. Why did his men kill him? What do you think of him? CHAPTER XX STORIES OP THE NEW ENGLANDERS AND THE INDIANS While the French were exploring Canada and the West and were living mostly as traders among the Indians, the English were planting settlements along the Atlantic Coast from New England to Georgia. Most of them paid the Indians for their land; but the red men did not know at first that the English would cut down the forests, and so take away their hunting-grounds. When they came to understand this, they seized the first excuse for trying to drive them off again. So there was much fighting between the English and the red men. A large part of this took place in New England. Soon after Thomas Hooker and his company came to the Connecticut Valley, they had a war with the Pequot Indians, a fierce and powerful tribe then living in the southern part of what is now Connecticut. These Indians killed two traders from Massachusetts, and stole their goods. When the people in Massachusetts tried to punish them, the Indians began to torture and 172 STORIES OF THE NEW ENGLANDERS 173 murder all the men, women, and children they could lay their hands on. They killed over thirty, and the settlers in the valley of the Connecticut saw that they must either conquer the Pequots or leave the country. ^^sm^' 1 **^ They sailed down the Connecticut River. So they prepared at once to send a body of men against the Pequot fort. They sailed down the Connecticut River and along the coast eastward, landing near the mouth of the Thames River. There they pitched their tents for the night. 174 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Before daybreak the next morning, they advanced slowly and silently upon the Indians, who were still asleep in their stronghold. This was a village of wigwams, sur- £fc-. This was a village of wigwams, surrounded by a palisade. rounded by a palisade, ten or twelve feet high, having only two doors, each just wide enough for one man to pass through. The first alarm was the barking of a dog; next came the cry of a waking Indian. Quickly the white soldiers hurried to the openings to keep the Indians from escaping. Some rushed into the fort and others threw fire-brands among the wigwams from the outside and set them on fire. The red men fought bravely, but in vain. Many were burned alive, and others were killed as they rushed to the gates or jumped over the palisade. Only fourteen survived, of whom seven were captured. The others escaped. STORIES OF THE NEW ENGLANDERS 175 KING PHILIP S WAR It was some forty years before New England had any further serious trouble from the Indians. Then a very able chief, called by the English "King Phil'ip," made a last mighty effort to free the land from the whites. King Philip was the son and successor of Massasoit, who, as you remember, made peace with Governor Carver in Plym- outh. Philip himself opened the war in June, 1675, on the little village of Swan'sea, a group of forty houses not far from his home. While the peo- ple were gathered in the meet- ing-house to pray for peace, a band of his Indians stole into the town and set fire to two of the houses. Then they killed men, women, and children, and drove off the cattle. During the following spring, the Plymouth colony was set upon by Indians, and many houses were burned. This thoroughly aroused the colonists. Every settler in New England, able to carry a musket, took up arms, and the Indians soon had the worst of it. Their fields were laid King Philip. 176 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY waste, and, without food, many of them lost courage and had to give up. To bring the war to an end, a great fighter, Captain Church, was put at the head of a large force. From that time on Philip was hunted from one hiding-place to an- other, until at last he made his way to Mount Hope, in the Rhode Island swamp, the home of his childhood. Here Captain Church defeated the Indians and took Philip's wife and son captive. Philip himself came near losing his life. "My heart breaks," he cried in bitterness. "Now I am ready to die!" He escaped, however, and found shelter in an Indian camp. But Captain Church followed close upon him and with his men surrounded the camp. While trying to get away, Philip was shot dead. This put an end to King Philip's War, which was a costly one to the English settlements. Twelve or thirteen of the towns of Massachusetts and Plymouth had been de- stroyed, and nearly one thousand men slain. But in central and southern New England the power of the Indians was forever broken. They did no further harm, except, as we shall see in the next chapter, in their raids with the French on the northern frontier. STORIES OF THE NEW ENGLANDERS 177 Some Things to Think About 1. Do you understand why there was much fighting between the English and the Indians? 2. Tell all you can about the attack upon the Pequot fort. 3. What did King Philip try to do in his war against the New England settlers? 4. How did the war end? What do you think of King Philip? CHAPTER XXI STORIES OF THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH Now let us go back to a time seven years after William Perm settled Pennsylvania and La Salle reached the mouth of the Mississippi. These two events happened about the same time. We shall find England and France at war. This war is the first of four long and bitter wars between these two countries. In America the English and French colonies took up the fight. Let us see what kind of war the settlers of the new country carried on. The French would begin the fighting. Their method was to stir up the Indians on the border. Then the red men would steal through the silent forests, and, waiting for nightfall, would attack the villages and cabins where the English settlers lay asleep. The sleepers awoke to be killed outright, or tortured to death, or carried off as prisoners. One of the attacks was made upon Schenectady (1690). Picture to yourself the sleeping settlement. A palisade sur- rounds the village, but, as the settlers are not expecting an attack, no sentinels guard the gates, which in fact are not 178 STORIES OF THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH 179 even closed. As make-believe sentinels, two snow-men stand in front of one of them. It is a little before midnight, and a party of French and Indians are stealing quietly upon the fort, stopping v ""' The French calmly finished the fort for themselves and called it Fort Duquesne (du-can'). Then a large body of French soldiers advanced to meet Washington, defeated him in a battle at Great Meadows, and forced him to march back to Virginia. This was in the spring of 1754. The war to decide who owned the Ohio Valley had begun, and soon grew into a war which would decide who owned the greater part of North America. As you may remem- ber, the English had made settlements all along the Atlantic coast, while most of the French had settled in Canada. There were fifteen times as many Eng- lish settlers as there were French; but the English lived and worked in separate groups, while the French were all together. Some sort of union was very much needed among the English colonies. The French in the Ohio Valley. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN One of their leading men tried to bring it about. His name was Ben'ja-min Frank'lin, and he was truly a great man. 192 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY . He had such an important part in what happened to the colonies then and later that we should know something about his life. It is full of interest. His father was a candle-maker, and when Benjamin was only ten he went to work in his father's shop. Here he did such things as cutting wicks for the candles, filling the moulds with tallow, selling soap in the shop, and acting as errand-boy. Although he was faithful in all his work, he did not enjoy doing these things. But he was fond of being outdoors, and near the wa- ter. He could swim and row and sail boats better than most of the boys. He had good habits. He was never idle, because he put a high value upon time. He never spent money foolishly, because he knew the easiest way to make money was to save what he had. He was very fond of books and reading. On that account his father put him into a printer's shop in Boston with his older brother. But Benjamin thought his brother was not quite fair with him, and he set out to seek his fortune alone. He was then seventeen. He went to Philadelphia where most of his life was spent. An amusing stoiy is told of how he looked to his ^ Benjamin Franklin. ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 193 future wife when he first arrived in that city. Look it up and tell it to your teacher. Years after this he set up in the printing business for himself. But in order to do it, he had to borrow money. He worked early and late to pay off the debt, and some- times even made his own ink and cast type with his own hands. But no matter where he was, or how hard he had to work, he always found time to read and improve his mind. Here are some of the rules he made: "Be orderly about your work. Do not waste anything. Never be idle. When you decide to do anything, do it with a brave heart." Some of these rules appeared in an almanac which he published and called "Poor Richard's Almanack." People liked it very much, and it became well known everywhere. Franklin also liked to make things that were useful in the home. Perhaps you have seen a Franklin stove. This invention was so much better than the open fireplace that it soon came to be widely used. But the most wonderful of all the things he did was to prove that e-lec-tric'i-ty was the same thing as the lightning we see in the clouds. You would hardly expect a man of these tastes to be the one to work out a plan to unite the English colonies. Yet it was he who, seeing clearly that the English colonies would be much stronger if they would work together, pro- posed in 1754 a "Plan of Union." 194 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY This was a step toward the union which the colonies made later in the struggle against England which we call the American Revolution. But at this time ; they were not far-seeing enough to get together and ward off the Indians. So the war was fought out by the different groups in differ- ent parts of the country. England's help In 1755 England sent out help to her colonies. General Brad'dock with a large number of English troops came over, and made plans to march against Fort Duquesne. He invited Washington to be one of his aids. Braddock's task was a hard one. He had to cut a road through the forest much of the way, and at the same time fight the Indians. He was used to making war in the open fields of Europe, but of this woodland warfare he knew nothing. Washington warned him to be on the lookout against the Indian way of fighting. But he thought he knew more about the business of war than young Washington, and he paid no attention to this warning. After many toilsome days of inarching, at last, when within eight miles of the French fort, they had a battle. First they suddenly saw a man bounding along the pathway just ahead. He was dressed like an Indian. Catching sight of the British army, he turned and waved his hat. At once a body of French soldiers and Indian warriors ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 195 dashed out from the underbrush and a hideous warwhoop rent the air. Then, as suddenly as they had come, the French and the Indians vanished. They had run back and, hiding behind trees and bushes where Braddock and his men could not see Braddock's Toilsome March Through the Wilderness. them, they shot down the English by hundreds. Brad- dock's men could only fire blindly into the dense forests. They could not see a single man. After two hours of fighting, the English threw away their guns and fled for their lives. Braddock fought bravely. So did Washington. Two horses were shot from under him and four bullets tore through his clothing, but he was not hurt. Seven hundred 196 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY men were either killed or wounded, among them Brad dock himself, who received a mortal wound. The defeat was a terrible one. If Washington had not managed to get the armv back it would have been even worse. Such was the result of the first real battle of the last French War. THE ACADIANS During the same year in which General Braddock was defeated, war was going on far to the north, and a very sad thing happened. This was the removal of the A-ca'- di-ans from their home land. The Acadians were simple French peasants living in what we now call No'va Sco'tia. They called it A-ca'di-a, and they or their forefathers had lived there since early in the seventeenth century. They did not like the English, and, although their land had come under English control, they themselves remained French at heart and loyal to France. They would not promise to be faithful to England. Nor would they promise to join the English armies against the French or the Indians. It was quite plain to the English that if the French should attack Acadia, the people there would rise as one man to help them against the English. For this reason, they decided to move the Acadians away and scatter them among the English colonies. In doing this, they tried to keep the people of each ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 197 village together on the vessels that carried them away. But in the grief of partings and in the confusion of getting The Acadians were torn from their homes and carried into strange lands. off, husbands were separated from their wives and mothers from their children. And they never saw one another again. By this cruel act, six thousand Acadians were torn from their homes and carried into strange lands. 198 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Before the Acadians sailed away, their houses and barns were burned, so as to be of no use to any who might try to remain behind. Some day you will read the pitiful stories of the Acadians in a beautiful poem, Evangeline, by Long- fellow. THE ENGLISH BEGIN TO WIN For the next three years, the French got the best of the fighting. But in 1758 and 1759, the English began to win. They drove the French from Fort Duquesne and named it Fort Pitt, after William Pitt, who was then at the head of affairs in England. At the north they also drove the French from their strongholds on Lake George and Lake Champlain. 1 They next set out to conquer the French in the St. Law- rence Valley. To do this, they had to capture Quebec, the most important French stronghold on the St. Lawrence River. GENERAL WOLFE For this great task William Pitt picked out James Wolfe, who became the hero of Quebec. He is indeed one of the heroes of the world. i One of the colonial leaders who took an important part in defeating the French ■was Sir William Johnson. He was an Englishman who had settled on the Mohawk River, where he lived in a large stone mansion. He knew well the language of the Indians and their customs. He lived their life, joining in their sports and sitting at their council fires. He always treated them fairly so that they trusted him and came to love him. In fact, the Mohawks adopted him into their nation and made him a war chief. It is said that no other man at that time had so much power over the Iroquois Indians. ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 199 3R James "Wolfe. At this time, he was thirty-two years old. To look at him you would never imagine that he was a soldier. He was tall and thin, with narrow shoul- ders and frail body. His hair was red and his face plain, but his beautiful eyes were full of thought and showed a fearless spirit. His health was never robust. As a child, he had often been sick, and at this time he was suffering from a disease which must soon have ended his life. But he had an iron will and a strong wish to serve his country in some way. Although he had a hot temper, he had a tender and frank nature, which helped him to make friends and to keep them. His soldiers loved him and were willing to follow him through any dangers even to death. It was in June, 1759, that Wolfe with an army of nearly nine thousand men cast an- chor in the St. Lawrence River not far from Quebec. The town stood on a rocky An English soldier of Wolfe's Army. cliff two hundred feet above the river. Wolfe saw from the first that it would be no easy task to capture this place, so hard to reach. 200 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY And there were many hardships to endure. His soldiers suffered from the intense heat and drenching rains. Many were sick, and Wolfe himself became ill with a fever. But he would not give up. Although in great pain most of the time, he went from tent to tent among his men, trying to give them courage. He said to his doctor: "I know you cannot cure me. But pray make me up so that I can be without pain for a few days, and able to do my duty. That is all I want." You see he feared that his weak body would not keep him alive long enough for him to finish his task. At last, after much waiting and searching, he discovered a pathway up the steep cliff leading to the fort. Then he knew that the best way to defeat Montcalm, the French commander, was to get the English army up to the plain by this pathway. Montcalm. THE CAPTURE OF QUEBEC So Wolfe took a number of men in boats up the river to a point nine miles above the place where he intended to make the attack. Two hours after midnight, on Sep- tember 13th, the signal was given for the advance. It was a clear, starlit night, but as there was no moon the English ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA 201 were hidden in darkness while they moved slowly down the river. Let us imagine ourselves standing by Wolfe's side as the boats float quietly down the stream. He is speaking in low tones. We listen closer. He is repeating the words of a poem that he loves. One line seems to make him sad: "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." He has come to the end. He pauses and says gently: "Gentlemen, I would rather have written those lines than take Quebec." Alter landing, Eacn man had to pull himself up by clinging to , t T-i t i ii the roots and bushes. the English struggled up the great cliff. Each man, with musket over his shoul- der, had to pull himself up by clinging to the roots and bushes. But by six o'clock in the morning Wolfe had his army drawn up in line ready for battle. It had been an anxious night for the sick young English general. But it was no less so for Montcalm. Though not sick 202 EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY Quebec and Surroundings. in body, he was sick at heart. He was fighting for a losing cause, and he knew it. He had not men enough to defend the city, he was short of supplies, and the people of the city did not stand by him. He said that he had not taken off his clothes to rest since the twenty-third of June. About six o'clock that morn- ing he heard musket shots and the firing of cannon. Mounting his black horse, he rode at once toward Quebec. When he saw in the distance the British soldiers drawn up in red ranks, he said to an officer who was riding by his side: "This is serious business." At ten o'clock the French advanced upon the English. The struggle was a bitter as if the King's followers had winked slyly at one another and said: "We shall see — we shall see! Those colonists must have their tea to drink, and a little matter of threepence a pound they will overlook." It would have been much better for England if she had taken off all the taxes and made friends with the colonists. Many leaders in that country said so, but the stubborn King was bent upon having his own way. "I will be King," he said. "Thev shall do as I say." Then he and his followers worked up what seemed to them a clever scheme for hoodwinking the colonists. "We will make the tea cheaper in America than in England," they said. "Such a bargain! How can the simple colo- nists resist it?" Great faith was put in this foolish plan. But they were soon to find out that those simple colo- nists were onl} r Englishmen across the sea, that they too had strong wills, and that they did not care half so much SAMUEL ADAMS 225 about buying cheap tea as they did about giving up a prin- ciple and paying a tax ; however small, which they had no part in levying. King George went straight ahead to carry out his plan. It was arranged that the East India Company should ship cargoes of tea to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. In due time the tea arrived. Then the King's eyes were opened. What did he find out about the spirit of these colonists ? That they simply would not use this tea. The people in New York and Philadelphia refused to let it land, and in Charleston they stored it in damp cellars, where it spoiled. But the most exciting time was in Boston, where the Tory governor, Hutchinson, was determined to carry out the King's wishes. Hence occurred the famous "Boston Tea Party,"— a strange tea-party, where no cups were used, no guests invited, and no tea drunk ! Did you ever hear of such a part)'? Let us see what really happened. It was on a quiet Sunday, the 28th of November, 1773, when the Dartmouth, the first of the three tea ships bound for Boston, sailed into the harbor. The people were attend- ing service in the various churches when the cry, "The Dartmouth is in!" spread like wild-fire. Soon the streets were alive with people. That was a strange Sunday in Puritan Boston. The leaders quickly sought out Benjamin Rotch, the 220 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY owner of the Dartmouth, and obtained his promise that the tea should not be landed before Tuesday. Then they called a mass meeting for Monday morning, in Fanueil Hall, afterward known as the "Cradle of Liberty." The crowd was so great that they adjourned to the Old South Church, and there they overflowed into the street. There were five thou- sand in all, some of them from near-by towns. Samuel Adams presided. In ad- dressing the meeting, he asked: "Is it the firm reso- lution of this body not only that the tea shall be sent back, but that no duty shall be paid thereon?" "Yes!" came the prompt and united answer from these brave men. So the patriots of Boston and the surrounding towns, with Samuel Adams at their head, were determined that the tea should not be landed. Governor Hutchinson was equally determined that it should be. A stubborn fight, therefore, was on hand. The Boston patriots appointed men, armed with muskets and bayonets, to watch the tea ships, some by day, others Fanueil Hall, Boston. SAMUEL ADAMS 227 by night. Six post-riders were appointed, who should keep their horses saddled and bridled, ready to speed into the country to give the alarm if a landing should be at- tempted. Sentinels were stationed in the church belfries to ring the bells, and beacon-fires were made ready for lighting on the surrounding hilltops. Tuesday, December 16, dawned. It was a critical day. If the tea should remain in the harbor until the morrow — the twentieth day after arrival — the revenue officer would be empowered by law to land it forcibly. Men, talking angrily and shak- ing their fists with excitement, were thronging into the streets of Boston from the surrounding towns. By ten o'clock over seven thousand had assembled in the Old South Church and in the streets outside. They were waiting for the coming of Benjamin Rotch, who had gone to see if the collector would give him a "clearance," or permission to sail out of the port of Boston with the tea. Rotch came in and told the angry crowd that the col- lector refused to give the clearance. The people told him that he must get a pass from the governor. Then the meeting adjourned for the morning. Old South Church. Boston. 228 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY At three o'clock in the afternoon a great throng of eager men again crowded the Old South Church and the streets outside to wait for the return of Rotch. It was an anxious moment. "If the governor refuses to give the pass, shall the revenue officer be allowed to seize the tea and land it to-morrow morn- ing?" Many anx- ious faces showed that men were ask- ing themselves this momentous question. But while, in deep suspense, the meeting waited for Botch to come they discussed the situation, and suddenly John Rowe asked: "Who knows how tea will mingle with salt water?" At once a whirlwind of applause swept through the assembly and the masses outside. A plan was soon formed. The afternoon light of the short winter day faded, and darkness deepened; the lights of candles sprang up here and there in the windows. It was past six o'clock when Benjamin Rotch entered the church and, with pale face, said: "The governor refuses to give a pass." An angry murmur arose, but the crowd soon became The "Boston Tea Party." SAMUEL ADAMS 229 silent as Samuel Adams stood up. He said quietly: "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country." These words were plainly a signal. In an instant a war-whoop sounded outside, and forty or fifty "Mohawks/' or men dressed as Indians, who had been waiting, dashed past the door and down Milk Street toward Griffin's Wharf, where the tea ships were lying at anchor. It was then bright moonlight, and everything could be plainly seen. Many men stood on shore and watched the "Mohawks" as they broke open three hundred and forty- two chests, and poured the tea into the harbor. There was no confusion. All was done in perfect order. But what a strange "tea party" it was! Certainly no other ever used so much tea or so much water. Soon waiting messengers were speeding to outlying towns with the hews, and Paul Revere, "booted and spurred," mounted a swift horse and carried the glorious message through the colonies as far as Philadelphia. SOME RESULTS OF THE "BOSTON TEA PARTY " The Boston Tea Party was not a festivity which pleased the King. In fact, it made him very furious. He promptly decided to punish the rebellious colony. Parliament therefore passed the "Boston Port Bill," by which the port of Boston was to be closed to trade until the people paid for the tea. But this they had no mind to do. They stubbornly refused. Not Boston alone came under the displeasure of King 230 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY George and Parliament. They put Massachusetts under military rule, with General Gage as governor, and sent more soldiers. The new governor gave orders that the colonial assembly should hold no more meetings. He said that the people should no longer make their own laws, nor levy their own taxes. This punishment was indeed severe. With no vessels allowed to enter or leave the harbor and trade entirely cut off, the people of Boston soon began to suffer. But the brave men and women would not give in. They said: "We will not pay for the tea, nor will we tell the King we are sorry for what we have done." When the people of the other colonies heard of the suffering in Boston, they sent wheat, cows, sheep, fish, sugar, and other kinds of food to help out. The King thought that by punishing Boston he would frighten the other colonies. But he was mistaken, for they said: "We will help the people of our sister colony. Her cause is our cause. We must all pull together in our resistance to King George and the English Parliament." So his action really united the colonies. In order to work together to better advantage, the col- onies agreed that each should send to a great meeting some of their strongest men to talk over their troubles and work out some plan of united action. This meeting, which was called the First Continental Congress, was held at Car- penters' Hall, Philadelphia (1774). Samuel Adams and his cousin, John Adams, were two SAMUEL ADAMS 231 of the four men that Massachusetts sent. They began their journey from Boston in a coach drawn by four horses. In front rode two white servants, well mounted and bearing arms; while behind were four black serv- ants in livery, two on horseback and two as foot- men. Such was the manner of colonial gentle- men. As they jour- neyed through the country the people honored them in many ways. From some of the larger towns officials and citizens rode out on horse- back and in carriages to meet them and act as escort; and on reaching a town they were feasted at banquets and greeted by gleaming bonfires, the ringing of bells, and the firing of cannon. These celebrations showed honor not to the men alone but to the cause. Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia. 232 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY The First Continental Congress, to which these mes- sengers were travelling, urged the people to stand together in resisting the attempt of King George and Parliament to force them to pay taxes which they had had no share in laying. They added: "We have the right not only to tax ourselves, but also to govern ourselves." With all these movements Samuel Adams was in sym- pathy. He went even further, for at this time he was almost or quite alone in his desire for independence, and he has well been called the "Father of the Revolution." Perhaps we think of him especially in connection with the Boston Tea Party, but his influence for the good of his country lasted far beyond that time. Till the close of his life he was an earnest and sincere patriot. He died in 1803, at the age of eighty-one years. Not an orator like Patrick Henry, but a man of action like Washington, he had great power in dealing with men. Truly his life was one of great and heroic service to his country. Some Thix\gs to Think About 1. In what respects were Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry unlike as boys ? 2. Tell why Samuel Adams had great power over men. 3. What kind of man was George III ? Why did he so strongly desire that the colonists should be compelled to pay a tax to England? 4. What was the tax law of 1767, and why did the colonists object to paying the new taxes? SAMUEL ADAMS 233 5. What led up to the "Boston Tea Party"? Imagine yourself one of the party, and tell what you did. 6. In what way did George III and Parliament punish Boston for throwing the tea overboard ? How did the colonies help the people of Boston at this time? 7. What was the First Continental Congress, and what did it do ? 8. What dc you admire in Samuel Adams ? CHAPTER XXV THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON When Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill, the King believed that such severe punishment would not only put a stop to further rebellious acts, but would cause the colonists to feel sorry for what they had done and incline them once more to obey him. Im- agine his surprise and indignation at what followed ! As soon as General Gage ordered that the Massachusetts Assembly should hold no more meetings, the colonists made up their minds they would not be put down in this man- ner. They said: "The King has broken up the assembly. Very well. We will form a new governing body and give it a new name, the Provincial Congress." And what do you suppose the chief business of this Congress was? To make ready for war! An army was called for, and provision made that a certain number of the men enlisted should be prepared to leave their homes at a minute's notice. These men were called "minute-men." 234 John Hancock. THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 235 Even while the patriots, for so the rebellious subjects of King George called themselves, were making these prepa- rations, General Gage, who was in command of the British troops in Boston, had received orders from Eng- land to seize as traitors Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were the most ac- tive leaders. Of Samuel Adams you al- ready know. John Hancock was president of the newly made Pro- vincial Congress. General Gage knew that Adams and Hancock were staying for a while with a friend in Lexington. He had learned also through spies that minutemen had collected some cannon and mili- tary stores in Concord, twenty miles from Boston, and only eight miles beyond Lexington. The British general planned, therefore, to send a body of troops to arrest the two leaders at Lexington, and Arthuo E JAMES* John Hancock's Home, Boston. 236 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY then to push on and capture or destroy the stores at Concord. Although he acted with the greatest secrecy, he was un- able to keep his plans from the watchful minutemen. We shall see how one of these, Paul Revere, outwitted him. Perhaps you have read Longfellow's poem which tells the story of the famous "midnight ride" taken by this fearless young man. Paul Revere had taken an ac- tive part in the "Boston Tea Party," and the following year, with about thirty other young pa- triots, he had formed a society to spy out the British plans. I fancy that the daring and courage called for in this business appealed to the high spirits and love of adventure of these young men. Always on the watch, they were quick to notice an}^ strange movement and report to such leaders as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Doctor Joseph Warren. On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and his friends brought word to Doctor Warren that they believed General Gage was about to carry out his plan, already re- ported to the patriots, of capturing Adams and Hancock, and of taking or destroying the military stores at Concord. A Miuuteman. THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 23; Doctor Warren quickly decided that Paul Revere and William Dawes should go on horseback to Lexington and Concord and give the alarm. He sent them by different routes, hoping that one at least might escape the British patrols with whom Gage had carefully guarded, all the roads leading from Boston. Soon Dawes was galloping across ♦ Boston Neck, and Paul Revere was getting ready for a long night ride. After arranging with a friend for a lantern signal to be hung in the belfry of the Old North Church to show by - ^Q^^^^TMM^t which route the ,t» I 1 Old North Church. British forces were advancing, "one if by land and two if by sea/' he stepped into a light skiff with two friends who rowed him from Boston across the Charles River to Charlestown. Upon reaching the other side of the river, he obtained 2:'>s LATER AMERICAN HISTORY a fleet horse and stood ready, bridle in hand, straining his eyes in the darkness to catch sight of the signal-lights. The horse waits obedient to his master's touch, and the master stands eagerly watching the spot where the signal is to appear. Paul Revere's Ride. At eleven o'clock a light flashes forth. Exciting mo- ment ! Then another light! "Two if by sea!" The British troops are crossing the Charles River to march through Cambridge ! THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 239 No time to lose ! Springing into his saddle and spur- ring his horse, he speeds like the wind toward Lexington. Suddenly two British officers are about to capture him. He turns quickly and, dashing into a side-path, with spurs in horse he is soon far from his pursuers. Then, in his swift flight along the road he pauses at every house to shout: "Up and arm! Up and arm! The regulars are out ! The regulars are out !" Families are roused. Lights gleam from the windows. Doors open and close. Minutemen are mustering. When Lexington is reached, it is just midnight. Eight minutemen are guarding the house where Adams and Hancock are sleeping. "Make less noise! Don't disturb the people inside," they warn the lusty rider. "Noise!" cries Paul Revere. "You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are out !" Soon William Dawes arrived and joined Revere. Hastily refreshing themselves with a light meal, they rode off to- gether toward Concord, in company with Samuel Prescott, a prominent Son of Liberty whose home was in that town. About half-way there, they were surprised by mounted British officers, who called: "Halt." Prescott managed to escape by making his horse leap a stone wall, and rode in hot haste to Concord, which he reached in safety; but Paul Revere and William Dawes both fell into the hands of the British. 240 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD Meantime, the British troops numbering eight hundred men, under Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, were on their way to Lexington. But before they had gone far they were ^■. l :.'^j-.v^:f-.'^3 Monument on Lexington Common Marking the Line of the Minutemen. made aware, by the ringing of church-bells, the firing of signal-guns, the beating of drums, and the gleaming of beacon-fires from the surrounding hilltops, that their secret was out, and that the minutemen knew what was going on. Surprised and disturbed by these signs that the colo- nists were on the alert, Colonel Smith sent Major Pitcairn ahead with a picked body of troops, in the hope that they THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 241 might reach Lexington before the town could be completely aroused. He also sent back to Boston for more men. The British commander would have been still more dis- turbed if he had known all that was happening, for the alarm-signals were calling to arms thousands of patriots ready to die for their rights. Hastily wakened from sleep, men snatched their old muskets from over the door, and bidding a hurried good-by to wife and children, started for the meeting-places long before agreed upon. Just as the sun was rising, Major Pitcairn marched into Lexington, where he found forty or fifty minutemen ready to dispute his advance. "Disperse, ye rebels; disperse!" he cried, riding up. But they did not disperse. Pitcairn ordered his men to fire, and eighteen minutemen fell to the ground. Before the arrival of Pitcairn the British officers who had captured Revere and Dawes returned with them to Lexington, where, commanding Revere to dismount, they let him go. Running off at full speed to the house where Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying, he told them what had happened, and then guided them across the fields to a place of safety. Leaving the shocked and dazed villagers to collect their dead and wounded, Colonel Smith hastened to Concord. He arrived about seven in the morning, six hours after Doctor Prescott had given the alarm. There had been time to hide the military stores, so the 242 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY British could not get at those. But they cut down the liberty-pole, set fire to the court-house, spiked a few cannon, and emptied some barrels of flour. About two hundred of them stood guard at the North Bridge, while a body of minutemen gathered on a hill on the opposite side. When the minutemen had increased to four hundred, they advanced to the bridge and brought on a fight which re- sulted in loss of life on both sides. Then, pushing on across the bridge, they forced the British to withdraw into the town. The affair had become more seri- ous than the British had expected. Even in the town they could not rest, for an ever-increasing body of minutemen kept swarming into Concord from every direction. By noon Colonel Smith could see that it would be un- wise to delay the return to Boston. So, although his men had marched twenty miles, and had had little or no food for fourteen hours, he gave the order for the return march. But when they started back, the minutemen kept after Boston and Vicinity. THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 243 them and began a deadly attack. It was an unequal fight. The minutemen, trained to woodland warfare, slipped from tree to tree, shot down the worn and helpless British soldiers, and then retreated only to return and re- peat the harass- ing attack. The wooded country through which they were passing favored this kind of fight- ing. But even in the open coun- try eveiy stone wall and hill, eveiy house and barn seemed to the exhausted Concord Bridge. British troops to bristle with the guns cf minutemen. The retreating army dragged wearily forward, fighting as bravely as possible, but on the verge of confusion and panic. They reached Lexington Common at two o'clock, quite overcome with fatigue. There they were met by one thou- sand two hundred fresh troops, under Lord Percy, whose timely arrival saved the entire force from capture. Lord 244 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY Percy's men formed a square for the protection of the retreating soldiers, and into it they staggered, falling upon the ground, "with their tongues hanging out of their mouths like those of dogs after a chase.'' After resting for an hour, the British again took up their march to Boston. The minutemen, increasing in numbers every moment, kept up the same kind of running attack that they had made between Concord and Lexington until, late in the day, the redcoats came under the protec- tion of the guns of the war vessels in Boston Harbor. The British had failed. There was no denying that. They had been driven back, almost in a panic, to Boston, with a loss of nearly three hundred men. The Americans had not lost one hundred. But the King was not aroused to the situation. He had a vision of his superb regiments in their brilliant uniforms overriding all before them. And how did the Provincials, as the British called the Americans, regard the situation? They saw clearly and without glamour the deadly nature of the struggle upon which they had entered and the strength of the opposing army against which they must measure their own strength. The people of Massachusetts for miles around Boston were now in a state of great excitement. Farmers, me- chanics, men in all walks of life nocked to the army, and within a few days the Americans, sixteen thousand strong, were surrounding the British in Boston. THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 245 While the people of Massachusetts were in the midst of these stirring scenes, an event of deep meaning to all the colonies was taking place in Philadelphia. Here the Con- tinental Congress, coming together for the second time, was President Langdon, the President of Harvard College, Praying for the Bunker Hill Entrenching Party on Cambridge Common Just Before Their Departure. making plans for carrying on the war by voting money for war purposes and by making George Washington com- mander-in-chief of the Continental army, of which the troops around Boston were the beginning. Thus did the colonies recognize that war had come and that they must stand together in the fight. Meantime more British troops, under the command of 246 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY General Howe, arrived in Boston, making an army of ten thousand men. Believing they could be forced to leave the town by can- non planted on Bunker Hill, the Americans decided to occupy it. On the night of June 16, therefore, shortly before mid- night, twelve hun- dred Americans marched quietly from Cambridge and, advancing to Breed's Hill, which was nearer Boston than Bunker Hill, began to throw up breastworks. They worked hard all night, and by early morning had made good headway. The British, on awaking, were greatly surprised to see what had been done. They turned the fire of their war vessels upon the Americans, who, however, kept right on with their work. General Howe, now in command of the British army, thought it would be easy enough to drive off the "rebels." Prescott at Bunker Hill. THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON 2¥, x\ t So about three o'clock in the afternoon he made an assault upon their works. The British soldiers, burdened with heavy knapsacks, and suffering from the heat of a summer sun, had to march through tall grass reaching above their knees and to climb many fences. Behind their breastworks the Americans watched the scarlet ranks coming nearer and nearer. Powder was low, and must not be wasted. Colonel William Prescott, who was in command, told his men not to fire too soon. "Wait till you see the whites of their eyes," he said. Twice the British soldiers, in their scarlet uniforms, climb the slope of the hill and charge the breastworks. Twice the Americans drive them back, ploughing great gaps in their ranks. A third time they advance. But now the Americans do not answer the charge. There is good reason — the powder has given out ! A great rush — and the redcoats have climbed over. But it is no easy victory even now, and thera is no lack of bravery on the part of the Americans. With clubbed muskets they meet the invaders. Bunker Hill Monument. 248 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY The British won the victory, but with great loss "Many such/' said one critic, "would have cost them their army." On the other hand, the Americans had fought like heroes, and news of the battle brought joy to every loyal heart. Washington heard of it when on his way to take command of the army. "Did the Americans stand fire?" was his first question. Yes," was the answer. Then," said he, "the liberties of the country are safe." if Some Things to Think About 1. Impersonating Paul Revere, tell the story of his famous ride. What do you think of him? 2. Why did the British troops march out to Lexington and Concord ? 3. Imagine yourself at Concord on the morning of the battle, and tell what happened. 4. Why did the Americans fortify Breed's Hill? What were the results of the Battle of Bunker Hill ? 5. What did Washington say when he heard that the Americans had stood their ground in face of the British assault? CHAPTER XXVI GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION In electing George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental army, the Continental Congress probably made the veiy wisest choice possible. Of course, this was not so clear then. For even leaders like Samuel Adams and John Adams and Patrick Henry did not know Wash- ington's ability as we have come to know it now. But they had learned enough about his wonderful power over men and his great skill as a leader in time of war to believe that he was the man to whom they might trust the great work of directing the army in this mo- mentous crisis. We have already learned, in a previous book, something of Washington's boyhood, so simple and free and full of activity. We recall him, as he grew up, first as a youthful surveyor, then as the trusted messenger of his colony, Virginia, to the commander of the French 249 George Washington. 250 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY forts west of the Alleghanies, and afterward as an aide of General Braddock when the war with the French broke out. In the discharge of all these duties and in all his rela- tions with men 7 whether above him in office or under his command, he had shown himself trustworthy and efficient, a man of clear mind and decisive action — one who com- manded men's respect, obedience, and even love. After the last battle of the Last French War Washington had returned to his home at Mount Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac, and very soon (1759) married Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow whom he had met at a friend's house while he was on the way to Williamsburg the year before. With the -addition of his wife's property to his own, he became a man of much wealth and at one time was one of the largest landholders in America. But with all his wealth and experience Washington had the modesty which always goes with true greatness. In the Virginia House of Burgesses, to which he was elected after the Last French War, he was given a vote of thanks for his brave services in that war. Rising to reply, Wash- ington, still a young man, stood blushing and stammering, unable to say a word. The speaker, liking him none the less for this embarrassment, said, with much grace: "Sit down, Mr. Washington. Your modesty equals your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language I possess." . Some years rolled by and the home-loving young planter lived the busy but quiet life of a high-bred Virginia gentle- GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 251 man. Meanwhile the exciting events of which we have been speaking were crowding upon one another and lead- ing up to the Revolution; and in this interval of quiet country life Washington was unconsciously preparing for the greater task for which he was soon to be chosen. Washington, Henry, and Pendleton on the Way to Congress at Philadelphia. In the events of these days Washington took his own part. He was one of the representatives of Virginia at the first meeting of the Continental Congress, in 1774, going to Philadelphia in company with Patrick Henry and others. He was also a delegate to the second meeting of the Con- tinental Congress, in May, 1775. He filled well each place of trust ; and what more natural than that the Congress should choose as commander-in- chief of the American army this gentleman, young, able, and already tried and proven ? He was chosen unanimously. 252 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY On being elected, Washington rose and thanked Congress for the honor, adding modestly: "I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with." No doubt in the dark days of war to follow he often felt in this way, The Washington Elm at Cambridge, under which Washington took Command of the Army. but as the task had fallen to him, he determined to do his best and trust in a higher power for the outcome. He refused to accept any salary for his services, but said he would keep an account of his expenses. The idea of gain for himself in the time of his country's need was far removed from this great man's heart ! On the 21st of June, Washington set out on horseback from Philadelphia, in company with a small body of horse- GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 253 men, to take command of the American army around Bos- ton. This journey, which can now be made by train in a few hours, took several days. Soon after starting, Washington was much encouraged, as we have seen in a preceding chapter, by the news of the brave stand the provincials had made at the battle of Bunker Hill. After three days, he reached New York, about four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, and was given a royal wel- come. Nine companies of soldiers on foot escorted him as he passed through the streets in an open carriage drawn by two white horses. All along the route the streets were lined with people who greeted him with cheers. Continuing his journey, on July 2 he reached the camp in Cambridge, and there officers and soldiers received him with enthusiasm. WASHINGTON IN COMMAND OF THE ARMY Next day under the famous elm still standing near Har- vard University, Washington drew his sword and took com- mand of the American army. He was then forty-three years old, tall and manly in form, noble and dignified in bearing. His soldiers looked upon him with pride as he sat upon his horse, a superb picture of strength and dignity. He wore a three-cornered hat with the cockade of liberty upon it, and across his breast a broad band of blue silk. The impression he made 254 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY was most pleasing, his courteous and kindly manner winning friends immediately. Washington at once began the labor of getting his troops ready to fight, as his army was one only in name. For although the men were brave and willing, they had never been trained for war, and were not even supplied with muskets or powder. Fortunately, the British did not know how badly off the American army was, and were taking their ease inside their own defenses. The autumn and the winter slipped by before Washington could make the attempt to drive the British out of Boston. At last, by the first of March, some cannon and other supplies arrived in camp. Many of them had been dragged over the snow from Ticonderoga on sledges drawn by oxen. This gave Washington his opportunity to strike. One night, while the cannon of the American army, which was just outside of Boston, were firing upon the British for the purpose of concealing Washington's plan, he sent troops to seize and fortify Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston on the south. Next morning when the astonished British commander, Howe, realized what the Americans had done, he saw clearly that he must drive them from the Heights or else leave Boston himself. But before he could send a force across the bay, a violent storm came up and delayed the attack. In the meantime the Americans had made their earth- GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 255 works so strong that Howe decided not to molest them. He remembered too well the Bunker Hill affair. So with all his army he sailed away to Halifax, leaving behind much powder and many cannon, which you may be sure the Americans lost no time in seizing. Sir William Howe. Washington believed that after leaving Boston the British would try to take New York in order to get control of the Hud- son River and the middle col- onies. To outwit them his men must get to New York first. This they did. He had not gone far in put- ting up defenses there when an event of profound importance took place in Philadelphia. This was the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. Up to the summer of 1776, it was for their rights as free-born Englishmen that the col- onists had been fighting. But now that King George was sending thousands of soldiers to force them to give up these rights, which were as dear to them as their own lives, they said: "We will cut ourselves off from England. We will make our own laws ; we will levy our own taxes ; we will manage our affairs in our own way. We will declare our independence. i) 256 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY So they appointed a committee, two of whom were Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, to draw up the Declaration of Independence. This was signed July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson Looking Over the Rough Draught of the Declaration of Independence. It was a great day in American history, and worthy of celebration. After that, the thirteen colonies became States, and each organized its own government. GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 257 This act, no doubt, gave Washington good heart for the difficult work he had in hand, but the task itself was no easier. While he was waiting at New York for the enemy's attack, he had only an ill-assorted army of about eighteen thousand men to meet them. General Howe, who soon arrived, had thirty thousand men and a large fleet as well. Yet Washington pluckily made plans to defend the city. When Brooklyn Heights, on Long Island, had been for- tified, he sent General Putnam with half the army across East River to occupy them. On August 27 General Howe, with something like twenty thousand men, attacked a part of these forces and defeated them. If he had attacked the remainder at once, he might have captured the full half of the army un- der Putnam's command — and even Washington himself, who, during the heat of the battle, had crossed over from New York. But, as we have seen, the British were apt to "put off till to-morrow." And very fortunate it was for the Americans. Possibly General Howe could have ended the war at this time if he had continued his attack. But of course he did not know that the Americans were going to escape, any more than he had known that they were going to cap- ture Boston. His men had fought hard at the end of a long night march and needed rest. Besides, he felt so sure of making an easy capture of the remainder of the army that there was no need of haste. For how could the Ameri- 25S LATER AMERICAN HISTORY cans get away? Did not the British fleet have them so close under its nose that it could easily get between them and New York and make escape impossible? This all seemed so clear to the easy-going General Howe that with good conscience he gave his tired men a The Retreat from Long Island. rest after the battle on the 27th. On the 28th a heavy rain fell, and on the 29th a dense fog covered the island. But before middav of the 29th, some American officers riding down toward the shore noticed an unusual stir in the British fleet. Boats were going to and fro as if carry- ing orders. "It looks as if the English vessels may soon sail up be- tween New York and Long Island and cut off our retreat," GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 259 said these officers to Washington. The situation was peril- ous. At once Washington gave orders to secure all the boats possible, in order to attempt escape during the night. It was a desperate undertaking. There were ten thou- sand men to be taken across, and the width of the river at the point of crossing was nearly a mile. It would hardly seem possible that such a movement could be made in a single night without being discovered by the British troops, who were lying in camp within gunshot of the retreating- Americans. But that which seemed impossible was done, for the army was transferred in safety. The night must have been a long and anxious one for Washington, who stayed at his post of duty on the Long Island shore until the last boat-load had pushed off. The retreat was as brilliant as it was daring, and it saved the American cause. But even after he had saved his army from capture and once more outwitted the British, the situation was still one of great danger. No sooner had the Americans made their perilous escape from Long Island than the British seized Brooklyn Heights. So just across the river from New York were the British troops, and just below them in the harbor lay the British fleet. 260 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY THE HEROIC NATHAN HALE With forces so unequal, a single unwise movement might bring disaster. If only Washington could learn the plans of the British ! The only way to do this was to send a spy over into their camp. He called for a volunteer to go inside the enemy's line and get information. Now, you know that spying is dangerous business, for if captured the man will be hanged; and none but a brave man will under- take it. Probably many of you boys and girls know the name of the hero whom Washington selected for this delicate and dangerous task. It was Nathan Hale. Perhaps you ask why he was chosen, and why he was willing to go. We can answer those questions best by finding out something about his life. Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, a little town in Connecticut, in 1755. His parents, who were very religious people, had taught him to be always honest, brave, and loyal. Nathan was bright in school and fond of books. He was also fond of play. Although he was not very strong as a small boy, he grew sturdy and healthy by joining in the sports of the other boys. They liked him, because, like George Washington, he always played fair. Later he went to Yale College, where he studied hard GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 261 but yet had time for fun. He became a fine athlete, tall, and well-built. He sang well, and his gentlemanly manner and thoughtfulness of others made him beloved by all who knew him. After he left college, he taught school with much suc- cess, being respected and loved by his pupils. He was teaching in New London, Connecticut, when the Revolutionary War broke out. He felt sorry to leave his school, but believing his country needed the service of every patriotic man, he joined the army and was made a captain. When he learned that his commander needed a spy, he said: "I am ready to go. Send me." He was only twenty-one, hardly more than a boy, yet he knew the danger. And although life was very dear to him he loved his country more than his own life. His noble bearing and grace of manner might easily permit him to pass as a Loyalist, that is, an American who sympathized with England — there were many such in the British camp — and Washington accepted him for the mis- sion. He dressed himself like a schoolmaster, so that the Brit- ish would not suspect that he was an American soldier. Then, entering the enemy's lines, he visited all the Nathan Hale. 262 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY camps, took notes, and made sketches of the fortifica- tions, hiding the papers in the soles of his shoes. He was just about returning when he was captured. The pa- pers being found upon him, he was condemned to be hanged as a spy before sunrise the next morning. The marshal who guarded him that night was a cruel man. He would not allow his prisoner to have a Bible, and even tore in pieces before his eyes the farewell letters which the young spy had written to his mother and friends. But Nathan Hale was not afraid to die, and held him- self calm and steady to the end. Looking down upon the few soldiers who were standing near by as he went to his death, he said: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." All honor to this brave and true young patriot ! A TIME OF TRIAL FOR WASHINGTON But the death of Nathan Hale was only one of the hard things Washington had to bear in this trying year of 1776. We have seen that when the Americans left the Long Island shore, the British promptly occupied it. On Brooklyn Heights they planted their cannon, commanding New York. So Washington had to withdraw, and he retreated north- ward to White Plains, stubbornly contesting every inch of ground. In the fighting of the next two months the Americans lost heavily. Two forts on the Hudson River with three GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 263 Lake C»an>yla(n thousand men were captured by the British. The outlook was gloomy enough, and it was well for the Americans that they could not foresee the even more trying events that were to follow. In order to save him- self and his men from the enemy, Washington had to retreat once more, this time across New Jersey toward Philadelphia. With the British army, in every way stronger than his own, close upon him, it was a race for life. Sometimes there was only a burning bridge, which the rear-guard of the Americans had set on fire, between the fleeing forces and the pursuing army. To make things worse, Washington saw his own army becoming smaller every day, because the men whose term of enlistment had expired were leaving to go to their homes. When he reached the Delaware River he had barely three thousand men left. A T L A N T I C V C i A X The War in the Middle States. 264 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY Here again Washington showed a master-stroke of genius. Having collected boats for seventy miles along the river, he succeeded in getting his army safely across at a place a little above Trenton. As the British had no boats, they had to come to a halt. In their usual easy way, they decided to wait until the river should freeze, when — as they thought — they would cross in triumph and make a speedy capture of Philadelphia. To most people in England and in America alike, the early downfall of the American cause seemed certain. General Cornwallis was so sure that the war would soon come to an end that he had already packed some of his luggage and sent it to the ship in which he expected to re- turn to England. But Washington had no thought of giving up the strug- gle. Others might say: "It's of no use to fight against such heavy odds." General Washington was not that kind of man. He faced the dark outlook with all his courage and energy. Full of faith in the cause for which he was willing to die, he watched eagerly for the opportunity to turn suddenly upon his overconfident enemy and strike a heavy blow. THE VICTORY AT TRENTON Such an opportunity came soon. A body of British troops, made up of Hessians (or Germans mainly from Hesse-Cassel, hired as soldiers by King George), was sta- GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 265 tioned at Trenton, and Washington planned to surprise them on Christmas night, when, as he knew, it was their custom to hold a feast and revel. With two thousand four hundred picked men he pre- pared to cross the Delaware River at a point nine miles British and Hessian Soldiers. above Trenton. The ground was white with snow, and the weather was bitterly cold. As the soldiers marched to the place of crossing, some of them whose feet were almost bare left bloody footprints along the route. At sunset the troops began to cross. It was a terrible night. Angry gusts of wind, and great blocks of ice swept along by the swift, current, threatened every moment to dash in pieces the frail boats. 266 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY From the Trenton side of the river, General Knox, who had been sent ahead by Washington, loudly shouted to let the struggling boatmen know where to land. For ten hours boat-load after boat-load of men made the dangerous crossing. A long, long night this must have been to Wash- ington, as he stood in the midst of the wild storm, anxious, yet hopeful that the next day would bring him victory. It was not until four in the morning that the already weary men were in line to march. Trenton was nine miles away, and a fearful storm of snow and sleet beat fiercely upon them as they advanced. Yet they pushed forward. Surely such courage and hardihood deserved its reward ! The Hessians, sleeping heavily after their night's feast- ing, were quite unaware of the approaching army. About sunrise they were surprised and most of them easily cap- tured after a brief struggle. Like a gleam of light in the darkness, news of this vic- tory shot through the colonies. It brought hope to every patriot heart The British were amazed at the daring feat, and Cornwallis decided not to leave America for a time. Instead, he advanced with a large force upon Trenton, hoping to capture Washington's army there. At nightfall, January 2, 1777, he took his stand on the farther side of a small creek, near Trenton, and thought he had Washington in a trap. "At last," said Cornwallis, "we have run down the old fox, and we will bag him in the morning." In the morning again ! GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 267 ■ But Washington was too sly a fox for Cornwallis to bag. During the night he led his army around Cornwallis's camp and, pushing on to Princeton, defeated the rear-guard, which had not yet joined the main body. He then retired in safety to his winter quarters among the hills about Morristown. During this fateful campaign Wash- ington had handled his army in a mas- terly way. He had begun with bitter de- feat; he had ended with glorious victory. The Americans now felt that their cause was by no means hopeless. It was well that they had this encouragement, for the year that began with the battle of Princeton (1777) was to test their courage and loyalty to the uttermost. Powder-Horn, Bullet-Flask, and Buckfhot-Pouch. Used in the Revolution. BURGOYNE S INVASION It had become plain to the British that if they could get control of the Hudson River, thus cutting off New England from the other States, they could so weaken the Americans as to make their defeat easy. So they adopted this plan: Burgoyne with nearly eight thousand men was to inarch from Canada, by way of Lake Champlain and Fort Ed- ward, to Albany, where he was to meet a small force of 268 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY British, who also were to come from Canada by way of the Mohawk Valley. The main army of eighteen thou- sand men, under General Howe, was expected to sail up the Hudson from New York. They believed that this plan could be easily carried out and would soon bring the war to a close. And their plan might have succeeded if General Howe had done his part. Let us see what happened. Howe thought that before going up the river to meet and help Burgoyne, he would just march across New Jersey and capture Philadelphia. This, however, was not so easy as he had expected it to be. Washington's army was in his pathway, and, not caring to fight his way across, he returned to New York and tried another route, sailing with his army to Chesapeake Bay. The voyage took two months, much longer than he expected. When at length he landed and advanced toward Phil- adelphia, he was again thwarted. Washington's army grimly fronted him at Brandywine Creek, and a battle had to be fought. The Americans were defeated, it is true, but Washington handled his army with such skill that it took Howe two weeks to reach Philadelphia, which was only twenty-six miles away from the field of battle. Howe was thus kept busy by Washington until it was too late for him to send help to Burgoyne. Moreover, Burgoyne was disappointed also in the help GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 269 which he had expected from the Mohawk Valley, for the army which was to come from that direction had been General Burgoyne Surrendering to General Gates. forced to retreat to Canada almost before reaching the valley at all. Burgoyne was now in a hard place. The Americans were in front of him, blocking his way, and also behind him, preventing him from retreating or from getting powder and other greatly needed supplies from Canada. He could move in neither direction. 270 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY Thus left in the lurch by those from whom he expected aid and penned in by the Americans, there was nothing for him to do but fight or give up. Like a good soldier, he fought, and the result was two battles near Saratoga and the defeat of the British. In the end Burgoyne had to surrender his entire army of six thou- sand regular troops (October 17, 1777). Such was the way in which the British plan worked out. Of course the result was a great blow to England. On the other hand, the victory was a great cause of joy to the Americans. It made hope stronger at home; it won confidence abroad. France had been watching closely to see whether the Americans were likely to win in their struggle, before aiding them openly. Now she was ready to do so, and was quite willing to make a treaty with them, even though such a course should lead to war with Eng- land. To bring about this treaty with France, Benjamin Franklin did more than any other man. After signing the Declaration of Independence — and you will remember that he was a member of the committee appointed to draft that great state paper — he went to France to secure aid for the American cause. He must have been a quaint figure at the French court, his plain hair and plain cloth coat con- trasting strangely with the fashion and elegance about him. Yet this simple-hearted man was welcomed by the French people, who gave feasts and parades in his honor and dis- GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 271 played his picture in public places. By his personal influ- ence he did very much to secure the aid which France gave us. LAFAYETTE JOINS THE AMERICAN ARMY Even before an open treaty was signed France had secretly helped the cause of the Americans. She had sent them money and army supplies and, besides this, able French- men had come across the At- lantic to join the American army. The most noted of these was the Marquis de Lafayette. . The circumstances under which he came were quite ro- mantic. Lafayette was but nineteen when he heard for the first time at a dinner-party the story of the American people fighting for their liberty. It interested and deeply moved him. For in his own land a desire for freedom had been growing, and he had been in sympathy with it. Now he made it his business to find out more about this war, and then he quickly decided to help all he could. He belonged to one of the noblest families of France, and was very wealthy. He had a young wife and a baby, whom he regretted to leave. But he believed that his Marquis de'Lafayette. 272 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY duty called him to join the cause of freedom. His wife was proud of the lofty purpose of her noble husband, and encouraged him to carry out his plan. But Lafayette found it very hard to get away, for his family was one of influence. His relatives and also the Lafayette Offering His Services to Franklin. men in power were very angry when he made known his purpose, and they tried to prevent his going. But he bought a ship with his own money and loaded it with army supplies. Then, disguising himself as a post- boy, he arrived at the coast without being found out. After a long, tiresome voyage he reached the United States and went to Philadelphia. GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 273 There Congress gave him the rank of major-general, but in accepting it Lafayette asked that he might serve without pay. A warm friendship at once sprang up between Wash- ington and the young Frenchman, and a feeling of con- fidence as between father and son. The older man made the young major-general a member of his military family, and Lafayette was always proud to serve his chief. He spent his money freely and risked his life to help the cause of American liberty. We can never forget his unselfish service. At the close of the year 1777 Washington took his army to a strong position among the hills at Valley Forge, about twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia, there to spend the winter. It was a period of intense suffering. Sometimes the soldiers went for days without bread. "For some days past," wrote Washington, "there has been little less than famine in the camp." Most of the soldiers were in rags, only a few had bed clothing. Many had to sit by the fire all night to keep warm, and some of the sick soldiers were without beds or even loose straw to lie upon. Nearly three thousand of the men were barefoot in this severe winter weather, and many had frozen feet because of the lack of shoes. It makes one heart-sick to read about what these brave men passed through during that wretched winter. 274 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY Yet, in spite of bitter trials and distressing times, Wash- ington never lost faith that in the end the American cause would triumph. A beautiful stoiy is told showing the Winter at Valley Forge. faith of this courageous man while in the midst of these pitiful scenes at Valley Forge. One day, when "Friend Potts," a good Quaker farmer, was near the camp, he saw Washington on his knees, his GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION 275 cheeks wet with tears, praying for help and guidance. When the farmer returned to his home, he said to his wife : " George Washington will succeed ! George Washington will succeed! The Americans will secure their indepen- dence." "What makes thee think so, Isaac?" inquired his wife. "I have heard him pray, Hannah, out in the woods to-day, and the Lord will surely hear his prayer. He will, Hannah; thee may rest assured He will." Many events happened between this winter at Valley Forge and the surrender of Cornwallis with all his army at Yorktown, but these we shall take up in a later chapter. Washington had led his army through the valley of despair, and never again while the war lasted was the sky so dark. At the close of the war Washington was glad to return to Mount Vernon and become a Virginia planter once more. But, as we shall learn further on, he was not per- mitted to spend the remainder of his days in the quiet rural life which he liked so well. For his countrymen had come to honor and trust him as their leader, and the time was not far away when they would again seek his firm and wise guidance. Some Things to Think About 1. What kind of army did Washington have when he took command at Cambridge ? 2. What was the Declaration of Independence, and when was it signed ? 276 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY 3. How did Washington show his ability as a general at New York ? What great mistake did General Howe make at that time ? 4. What did Nathan Hale do ? What do you think of him ? 5. Imagine yourself with Washington in the attack upon Trenton; and tell what happened. 6. What were the results of the capture of Burgoyne ? 7. Who was Lafayette, and what did he do for the American cause ? 8. Describe as well as you can the sufferings of the Americans at Valley Forge. 9. Are you making frequent use of the map ? CHAPTER XXVII NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES IN THE SOUTH We have given a rapid glance at the part which Wash- ington took in the Revolution. He, as commander-in- chief, stands first. But he would have been quick to say that much of the credit for the success in that uneven struggle was due to the able generals who carried out his plans. Standing next to Wash- ington himself as a military leader was Nathanael Greene. As you remember, the first fighting of the Revolution was in New England near Boston. Failing there, the British tried hard to get control of the Hud- son River and the Middle States, as we have just seen. Again they were baffled by Washington. One course remained, and that was to gain control of the southern States. Beginning in Georgia, they captured Savannah. Two years later in May (1780), they captured General Lincoln and all his 277 Nathanael Greene 27S LATER AMERICAN HISTORY force at Charleston, and in the following August badly de- feated General Gates, at Camden, South Carolina, where with a new army he was now commanding in General Lincoln's place. The outlook for the patriot cause was discouraging. One thing was certain. A skilful general must take charge of the Amei'3an forces in the south, or the British would soon have everything in their own hands. Washington had great faith in General Greene, and did not hesitate to appoint him for this hard task. Let us see what led the commander-in-chief to choose this New England man for duty in a post so far away. Nathanael Greene was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, in 1742. His father, who on week-days was a blacksmith and miller, on Sundays was a Quaker preacher. Nathanael was trained to work at the forge and in the mill and in the fields as well. He was robust and active and, like young George Washington, a leader in outdoor sports. But with all his other activities he was also, like young Samuel Adams, a good student of books. We like to think of these colonial boys going to school and playing at games just as boys do now, quite unaware of the great things waiting for them to do in the world. Had they known of their future, they could have prepared in no better way than by taking their faithful part in the work and honest sport of each day as it came. Greene, being ten years younger than Washington, was NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 279 ~V I K G about thirty-two years old when the Boston Tea Party and those other exciting events of that time occurred. - Although news did not travel so rapidly then as now, Greene was soon aware that war was likely to break out at any time, and he took an active part in preparing for it. He helped to organize a company of soldiers who should be ready to fight for the American cause, and made the trip from Rhode Island to Boston to get a musket for himself. In Boston he watched with much interest the Brit- ish regulars taking their drill, and brought back with him not only a musket, hidden under some straw in his wagon, but also a runaway British soldier, who was to drill his company. When news of the battle of Bunker Hill passed swiftly over the country, proving that the war had actually begun, Rhode Island raised three regiments of troops and placed Greene at their head as general. He marched at once to Boston, and when Washington arrived to take command NORTH .Kiug's Mount Cowpens . •Camdeu x SOUTH CAROLINA ©7 »S Eutaw Springs The War in the South. 280 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY of the American troops, it was General Greene who had the honor of welcoming him in the name of the army. GENERAL GREENE IN THE SOUTH At this time Greene was a man of stalwart appearance, six feet tall, strong and vigorous in body, and with a frank, intelligent face. At once he won the friendship and con- fidence of Washington, who always trusted him with posi- tions calling for courage, ability, and skill. It was not long before he was Washington's right-hand man. So you can easily see why Washington chose him in 1780 as com- mander of the American army in the south. When General Greene reached the Carolinas, it was December, and he found the army in a pitiable condition. There was but a single blanket for the use of every three soldiers, and there was not food enough in camp to last three days. The soldiers had lost heart because of defeat, they were angry because they had not been paid, and many were sick because they had not enough to eat. They camped in rude huts made of fence rails, corn-stalks, and brushwood. A weak man would have said: "What can I do with an army like this? The task is impossible. To remain here is to fail, so I will resign." But General Greene said nothing of the kind. He set to work with a will, for he believed that the right was on his side. By wise planning, skilful handling of the army, and hard labor, he managed, with the forces at hand, to NATHAN AEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 281 ward off the enemy, get food supplies, and put new spirit into his men. Soon he won the confidence and love of both officers and soldiers. A story is told that shows us the sympathy The Meeting of Greene and Gates upon Greene's Assuming Command. he had for his men and their faith in him. On one oc- casion Greene said to a barefoot sentinel: "How you must suffer from cold!" Not knowing that he spoke to his general, the soldier replied: "I do not complain. I know I should have what I need if our general could get supplies." 282 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY DANIEL MORGAN, THE GREAT RIFLEMAN It was indeed fortunate for General Greene that in this time of need his men were so loyal to him. Among them was one who later became noted for his brilliant, daring exploits. This was Daniel Morgan, the great rifleman. You will be interested to hear of some of his thrilling ex- periences. When about nineteen years old, Morgan began his mili- tary career as a teamster in Braddock's army, and at the time of Braddock's defeat he did good service by bringing wounded men off the battle-field. It was about this time that he became known to Washington, who liked and trusted him. The young man was so dependable and brave that he was steadily promoted. When he was twenty-three, he had an exciting adven- ture which brought him the only wound he ever received. It was during the Last French War. With two other men, he was sent to carry a message to the commanding officer at Winchester. They had still about a mile to ride when a party of French and Indians who were hiding in the woods near the roadside fired upon them. Morgan's comrade fell dead instantly. He himself was so severely wounded in the neck by a musket-ball that he came near fainting and believed he was going to die. But he managed to cling to his horse's neck and spurred him along the forest trail. One Indian, hoping to get Morgan's scalp, ran for a NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEORES 283 time beside the horse. But when he saw that the animal was outstripping him, he gave up the chase, hurling his tomahawk with an angry yell at the fleeing man. Morgan was soon safe in the hands of friends. During the Revolution his services were, in more than one critical situation, of great value to the American cause. In the campaign which ended with Burgoyne's defeat, for in- stance, his riflemen fought like heroes. General Burgoyne, after his surrender, exclaimed to Mor- gan: "Sir, you command the finest regiment in the world.'' Indeed, it was regarded at that time as the best regiment in the American army, and this was largely due to Morgan's skill in handling his men. He made them feel as if they were one family. He was always thoughtful for their health and com- fort, and he appealed to their pride but never to their fear. He was a very tall and strong man, with handsome features and a remarkable power to endure. His manner was quiet and refined, and his noble bearing indicated a high sense of honor. He was liked by his companions be- cause he was always good-natured and ready for the most daring adventure. General Greene made good use of this true patriot, Daniel Morgan. 284 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY and not long after taking command of the army he sent Morgan with nine hundred picked men to the westward to threaten the British outposts. General Cornwallis, in command of the British army in the south ; ordered Colo- nel Tarleton to lead a body of soldiers against Morgan. Early in the morning of January 17 ; 1781, after a hard night march, Tarleton, overconfident of success, attacked Morgan at Cowpens, in the northern part of South Caro- lina. The Americans stood up bravely against the attack and won a brilliant victory. The British lost almost their entire force, including six hundred prisoners. Cornwallis was bitterly disappointed, for his plan, under- taken in such confidence, had ended in a crushing defeat. However, gathering his forces together, he set out to march rapidly across country in pursuit of Morgan, hoping to overwhelm him and recapture the six hundred British prisoners before he could join Greene's army. But Morgan was too waiy to be caught napping, and, suspecting that this would be Cornwallis's game, he re- treated rapidly in a northeasterly direction toward that part of the army under Greene. Meantime Greene had heard the glorious news of the American victory at Cowpens, and he too realized that there was great danger of Morgan's falling into the hands of Cornwallis. To prevent this, and at the same time draw Cornwallis far away from his supplies at Wilmington, he decided to go to Morgan's relief. NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 285 Sending his army by an easier, roundabout route, he himself with a small guard rode swiftly a distance of one hundred and fifty miles across the rough country and joined Morgan on the last day of January. Morgan was cleverly retreating with Cornwallis in hot pursuit. For ten days the race for life continued, with the chances in favor of Cornwallis, for his army was larger, besides being trained and disciplined. This was a famous retreat. It covered a distance of two hundred miles through the Carolinas, across three rivers whose waters, swollen by recent rains, rose rapidly after the Americans had crossed, and checked the British in their pursuit. When the last river, the Dan, was forded, the chase was so close that the rear of the retreating army had a skirmish with the van of the pursuers. Yet Greene was so alert and skilful that he escaped every danger and saved his army. In this trying campaign valuable aid was given by "partisans" in the south. These were private companies, not part of the regular army. Such companies had been formed in the south by both sides, and that is why they were called "partisans." MARION, THE " SWAMP FOX " Perhaps the most noted partisan leader was Francis Marion, of South Carolina. He was born in Georgetown, South Carolina, in 1732, and was therefore the same age as I'M', LATER AMERICAN HISTORY Washington. Although as a child he was very frail, he became strong as he grew older. As a man he was short and slight of frame, but strong and hardy in consti- tution. When the British began to swarm into South Carolina, Marion raised and drilled a company of neighbors and friends, known as "Marion's Brigade." These men were without uniforms or tents, and they served without pay. They did not look much like soldiers on parade, but were among the bravest and best fighters of the Revolution. Their swords were beaten out of old mill-saws at the country forge, and their bullets were made largely from pewter mugs and other pewter utensils. Their rations were very scant and simple. Marion, their leader, as a rule, ate hominy and potatoes and drank water flavored with a little vinegar. The story is told that one day a British officer came to the camp with a flag of truce. After the officers had talked, Marion, with his usual delicate courtesy, invited the visitor to dinner. We can imagine the Englishman's surprise when, on a log which made the camp table, there was served a dinner consisting only of roasted sweet potatoes Francis Marion. NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 287 passed on pieces of bark! The officer was still more amazed to learn that even potatoes were something of a luxury. Marion's brigade of farmers and hunters seldom num- bered more than seventy, and often less than twenty. Marion Surprising a British Wagon-Train. But with this veiy small force he annoyed the British be- yond measure by rescuing prisoners, and by capturing supply-trains and outposts. One day a scout brought in the report that a party of ninety British with two hundred prisoners were on the march for Charleston. Waiting for the darkness to con- ceal his movements, Marion with thirty men sallied out, 288 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY swooped down upon the British camp, capturing the entire force and rescuing all the American prisoners. It was the custom of Marion's men, when hard pressed by a superior force, to^scatter, each man looking out for himself. 'Often they would dash headlong into a dense, dark swamp, to meet again at some place agreed upon. Even while they were still in hiding, they would some- times dart out just as suddenly as they had vanished, and surprise another squad of British which might be near at hand. "Swamp Fox" was the name the British gave to Marion. With the aid of such partisan bands, and with skilful handling of his army, Greene was more than a match for Cornwallis. He was not strong enough just yet for a pitched battle, but he kept Cornwallis chasing without losing his own army. That was about all he could hope to do for a while. But when he received recruits from Virginia, he thought it wise to strike a blow, even though he could not win a victory. Turning, therefore, upon his enemy, he fought a battle at Guilford Court House, North Carolina (March, 1781). He was defeated, but came off as well as he expected, and so crippled the British army that Cornwallis had to retreat. He went to the coast to get supplies for his half- starved men. Like the battle of Bunker Hill, it was a dearly bought victory for the British. NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES 289 Cornwallis now saw clearly that he could not hope longer for success in the south, and having taken on fresh supplies, he marched northward to try his luck at York- town, Virginia. Washington, with an army of French and American troops, was at the time in camp on the Hudson River, waiting for the coming of the French fleet to New York. That city was still in the hands of the British. As soon as this fleet should arrive, Washington expected to attack the British army in New York by land, while the fleet attacked it by sea. But the French fleet was well on its way to the Chesa- peake instead of to New York as expected. When this information came to Washington, he worked out a bold and brilliant scheme. It was to march his army as quickly and as secretly as possible to Yorktown, a distance of four hundred miles, there join the American army under La- fayette, and, combining with the French fleet on its arrival, capture the British under Cornwallis. This daring scheme succeeded so well that Cornwallis surrendered his entire army of eight thousand men on October 19, 1781. This important event, which practically ended the war, we shall speak of again. The surrender at Yorktown ended the fighting, although the treaty of peace was not signed until 1783. By that treaty the Americans won their independence from Eng- land. The country which they could now call their own 290 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY extended from Canada to Florida, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. After the treaty of peace was signed, and the army disbanded, General Greene went home. In 1785 he moved with his family to a plantation which the State of Georgia had given him. Here he lived in quiet and happiness, but only a short time, for he died of sunstroke at the age of forty-four. His comrade Anthony Wayne, voiced the feel- ing of his countrymen when he said: "I have seen a great and good man die." Some Things to Think About 1. Tell what you can about General Greene's early life. 2. What was the condition of his army when he took command in the South ? How did he prove his strength at that time ? 3. What kind of man was Daniel Morgan, and what do you think of him? 4. Tell all you can about Marion, the "Swamp Fox," and his ways of making trouble for the British. 5. When did the Revolution begin? When did it end? What did the Americans win by the treaty? What was the extent of our country at that time? CHAPTER XXVIII JOHN PAUL JONES While the Revolution was being fought out on the land, important battles were taking place also at sea. Until this war began, the Americans had had no need of a navy because the mother t country had protected them. But when unfriendly feeling arose, Congress ordered war vessels to be built. These were very useful in capturing British vessels, many of which were loaded with arms and ammunition intended for Brit- ish soldiers. Powder, as you c * will remember, was sorely John Paul Jones. needed by Washington's army. Among the men who commanded the American war vessels were some noted sea-captains, the most famous of whom was John Paul Jones. He was of Scottish birth. His father, John Paul, was a gardener, who lived on the southwestern coast of Scot- land. The cottage in which our hero spent his early boy- 291 292 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY hood days stood near the beautiful bay called Solway Firth, which made a safe harbor for ships in time of storm. Here little John Paul heard many sailors tell thrilling stories of adventure at sea and in far-away lands. Here, also, to the inlets along the shore, the active lad and his playmates took their tiny boats and made believe they were sailors, John Paul always acting as captain. Sometimes when he was tired and all alone, he would sit by the hour watching the big waves rolling in, and dreaming perhaps of the day .when he would become a great sea-captain. When he was only twelve, he wished to begin his life as a real sailor. So his father apprenticed him to a mer- chant afe Whitehaven who owned a vessel and traded in goods brought from other lands. Soon afterward John Paul went on a voyage to Virginia, where the vessel was to be loaded with tobacco. While there he visited an older brother, who owned a plantation at Fredericksburg. For six years John Paul remained with the Whitehaven merchant, and during this time he learned much about good seamanship. After the merchant failed in business, John Paul still continued to follow a seafaring life, and in a short time became a captain. But when his brother in Virginia died, John Paul went to Fredericksburg to manage the plantation his brother had left. It was now his intention to spend the rest of his life here, but, like Patrick Henry, he failed as a farmer. In fact, it would seem that he was born to be a sailor. JOHN PAUL JONES 293 In the meantime he had come to be a loyal American, and when the Revolution broke out he determined to offer his services to Congress. When he did so, he changed his name to John Paul Jones. Just why, we do not know. Battle Between the Ranger and the Drake. Congress accepted his services by appointing him first lieutenant. He proved himself so able that in the second year of the war he was put in command of two vessels, with which he captured sixteen prizes in six weeks. In the following year he was appointed captain of the Ranger and sent to France with letters to Benjamin Frank- lin, who was then American commissioner at the French court, trying to secure aid for the American cause. 294 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY At that time English vessels were annoying American coasts by burning and destroying property. Jones got per- mission from Franklin to attack British coasts in the same way, and he was allowed to sail from France in his vessel with that purpose in view. His plan was to sail along the western coast of England and set fire to the large shipping-yards at Whitehaven, with which harbor, you remember, he had become familiar in boyhood. He meant to burn all the three hundred vessels lying at anchor there. Although he succeeded in setting fire to only one large ship, he alarmed the people all along the coast. The warning was carried from town to town: "Beware of Paul Jones, the pirate!" An English war vessel, the Drake, was sent out to cap- ture the Ranger. As the Drake carried two more guns and a crew better drilled for fighting, it was thought she would make short work of the American ship in a fight. But it was just the other way, for after a battle of a single hour the English vessel surrendered, having lost many men. The American loss was only two men killed and six wounded. After this brilliant victory the young captain put back to France. There he found great rejoicing among the peo- ple, whose good-will was more with America than with England. And as war had already broken out between France and England, the French King was quite willing to furnish Jones with a considerable naval force. JOHX PAUL JONES 295 A DESPERATE SEA DUEL Accordingly, in August, 1779, Captain Jones put to sea once more, this time with a fleet of four vessels. He named his flag-ship Bon Homme Richard (bo-nom'-re -shar'), after the Richard of Poor Richard's Almanac, which you will remember Benjamin Franklin had written. In this ship, which was old, he set out to cruise along the western coast of Ireland, in order to capture English merchant vessels. After reaching the southern point of Ireland, he cruised northward around Scotland and down its eastern coast. Then he sailed up and down the eastern coast of England, looking for merchant vessels. At noon on the 23d of September Jones sighted a fleet of forty-two merchantmen, guarded by two English ships of war, all sailing from the north. He at once decided to make an attack. This took place early in the evening, the action being mainly between the Richard and the English man-of-war Serapis, which was a large ship, new and swift, and very much better than the Richard. During the first hour the American vessel got the worst of the fight and "was leaking like a basket." The English captain, feeling sure of victory, called out: "Has your ship struck?" Our hero, Paul Jones, shouted back: "I have not yet begun to fight !" As the British vessel came alongside his own for a more deadly struggle, Jones with his own hands lashed the two 296 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY together. Soon both were badly leaking, but the fighting went on as fiercely as ever. Presently both caught fire. Then Jones turned his cannon upon the mainmast of the Serapis, and when it threatened to fall the English cap- The Fight Between the Bon Homme Riehafr'i and the Serapis. tain surrendered. So after all it was the English ship and not the American that "struck" the flag. But the Richard could not have held out much longer, for even before the surrender she had begun to sink. When the English captain gave up his sword to John Paul Jones, he said: "It is very hard to surrender to a man who has fought with a halter around his neck." You see, JOHN PAUL JONES 297 Captain Jones would have been hanged as a pirate, if taken. Jones replied: "Sir, you have fought like a hero. I hope your King will reward you." This was a desperate sea duel, and it lasted from half past seven in the evening until ten o'clock. It was im- portant also in its results, for it won much needed respect for our flag and gave a wonderful uplift to the American cause. The victor, John Paul Jones, who was loaded with honors, from that day took rank with the great sea-cap- tains of the world. Some Things to Think About 1. Tell all you can about the early life of John Paul Jones. 2. Why did the English call him a pirate when he was sailing along the British coasts in order to destroy property? 3. What was the outcome of the desperate sea duel between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis ? 4. What do you admire about John Paul Jones ? 5. Do not fail to locate every event upon the map. CHAPTER XXIX DANIEL BOONE You remember that when the Last French War began, in 1756, the English colonists lived almost entirely east of the Alleghany Mountains. If you will look at your map, you will see how small a part of our present great country they occupied. Even up to the beginning of the Revolution the Ameri- cans had few settlers west of the Alleghanies, and had done very little there to make good their claims to land. Yet at the close of the war we find that their western boundary-line had been pushed back as far as the Missis- sippi River. How this was done we shall see if we turn our attention to those early hunters and backwoodsmen who did great service to our country as pioneers in open- ing up new lands. One of the most famous of these was Daniel Boone. He was born in Pennsylvania, and, like many of the heroes of the Revolution, he was born in the "thirties" (1735). As a boy, Daniel liked to wander in the woods with musket and fishing-rod, and was never so happy as when alone in the wild forest. The story is told that while a mere lad he wandered one day into the woods some dis- 298 DANIEL BOONE 299 tance from home and built himself a rough shelter of logs, where he would spend days at a time, with only his rifle for company. As he was a "good shot/' we may be sure he never went hungry for lack of food. The game which his rifle brought down he would cook over a pile of burning sticks. If you have done outdoor camp cook- ing, you can almost taste its woodland flavor. Then at night as he lay under the star-lit sky on a bed of leaves, with the skin of a wild animal for cover- ing, a prince might have envied his dreamless slumber. This free, wild life made him thoroughly at home in the forests, and trained him for the work he was to do later as a fearless hunter and woodsman. When Daniel was about thirteen years old his father removed to North Carolina and settled on the Yadkin River. There the boy grew to manhood. After his mar- riage, at twenty, he built himself a hut far out in the lonely forest, beyond the homes of the other settlers. But he was a restless man and looked with longing toward the rugged mountains on the west. Along the foot- hills other pioneer settlers and hunters had taken up their Daniel Boone. 300 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY abode. And young Boone's imagination leaped to the country beyond the mountains, where the forest stretched for miles upon miles, no one knew how far, to the Missis- sippi River. It was an immense wilderness teeming with game, and he wanted to hunt and explore in it. He was twenty-five when he made the first "long hunt" we know about. At this time he went as far as what is now Boone's Creek, in eastern Tennessee. Other trips doubtless he made which increased his love for wandering; and in 1769, nine years after his first trip, having heard from a stray Indian of a wonderful hunting- ground far to the west, he started out with this Indian and four other men to wander through the wilderness of Kentucky. For five weeks these bold hunters threaded their way through lonely and pathless mountain forests, facing many dangers from wild beasts and Indians. BOONE GOES TO KENTUCKY But when, in June, they reached the blue-grass region of Kentucky, a beautiful land of stretching prairies, lofty forests, and running streams, they felt well repaid for all the hardships of their long journey. It was indeed as the Indian had said, alive with game. Buffaloes, wolves, bears, elk, deer, and wild beasts of many kinds abounded, making truly a hunter's paradise. They at once put up a log shelter, and for six months DANIEL BOONE 30] they hunted to their hearts' content. Then one day two of the party, Boone himself and a man named Stewart, while off on a hunting expedition, were captured by an Indian band. For several days the dusky warriors care- Boone's Escape from the Indians. fully guarded the two white captives. But on the seventh night, having eaten greedily of game they had killed during the day, they fell into a sound sleep. Then Boone, who had been watching for this chance, arose quietly from his place among the sleeping Indians and gently wakened Stewart. The two crept stealthily away until out of hearing of the Indians, when, rising to their feet, they bounded off like deer through the dark woods to their own camp. But they found no one there, for the rest of the party had fled back home. However, Boone and Stewart stayed on, and some 302 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY weeks later they were pleasantly surprised when Daniel's brother, Squire Boone, also a woodsman, unexpectedly ar- rived with another man and joined the camp. The four were quite contented, living and hunting together, until one day Stewart was shot by an Indian and killed. His death so frightened the man who had come over the moun- tains with Squire Boone, that the woods lost their charm for the poor fellow and he went back home. So only the two brothers were left. They remained together three months longer in a little cabin in the forest. Then, as their powder and lead were getting low, Squire Boone returned to North Carolina for a fresh supply, leav- ing his brother to hold the hunting-ground. Now Boone was left all alone. His life was continually in danger from the Indians. For fear of being surprised, he dared not sleep in camp, but hid himself at night in the cane-brake or thick underbrush, not even kindling a fire lest he should attract the Indians. During these weeks of waiting for his brother, he led a very lonely life. In all that time he did not speak to a single human being, nor had he even a dog, cat, or horse for company. Without salt, sugar, or flour, his sole food was the game he shot or caught in traps. How gladly he must have welcomed his brother, who returned at the end of two months, bringing the needed supplies ! Other hunters also came from time to time, and Boone joined one party of them for a while. DANIEL BOONE 303 After two years of his life in the woods he returned to his home on the Yadkin to bring ,ut his wife and children. By September, 1773, he had sold his farm and was ready with his family to go and settle in Kentucky. He had praised the new land so much that many others wished to go with him. So when he started there were, besides his wife and children, five families and forty men driving their horses and cattle before them. This group was the first to attempt settlement far out in the wilderness, away from the other settlers. But while still on its way, the little company was set upon by a band of Indians near a narrow and difficult pass in the mountains. Six men were killed, among them Boone's eldest son, and the cattle were scattered. This misfortune brought such gloom upon the party that all turned back for a time to a settlement on the Clinch River. But Daniel Boone was one of those who would not give up. He said of himself that he was "ordained of God to settle the wilderness," and in the end he carried out his unflinching purpose to make his home in the beautiful Kentucky region. This region had already become well known by report east of the mountains. The Indians called it "a dark and bloody ground," for, as an old chief told Boone, many tribes hunted and fought there, and the Indians had roamed over it for hundreds of years. But none of the tribes really owned the land. So it 304 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY was not possible to buy any part of it outright. Yet, to avoid strife, a friend of Eoone's, Richard Henderson, and a few others made treaties with the most powerful tribe, the Cherokees, who said that they might settle there. As soon as it became certain that the Indians would not make trouble, Henderson sent Boone, in charge of thirty men, to open a pathway from the Holston River through Cumberland Gap to the Kentucky River. With their axes the men chopped out a path through the dense undergrowth and cane-brakes broad enough for a pack-horse. You will be interested to know that this bridle-path was the beginning of the famous "Wilderness Road," as it is still called. Later the narrow trail was widened into a highway for wagons, and it was along this way, rightly called a "wilderness road," that in later years so many thousand settlers led their pack-trains over the mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee. But that is taking a long look ahead ! Just now we are thinking about the very first of these settlers, Daniel Boone and his company. THE KENTUCKY SETTLERS AT BOONESBOROUGH When they reached the Kentucky River, Boone and his followers built a fort on the left bank of the stream and called it Boonesborough. Its four walls consisted in part of the outer sides of log cabins, and in part of a stockade, some twelve feet high, made by setting deep into the ground DANIEL BOONE 305 stout posts with pointed tops. In all the cabins there were loopholes through which to shoot, and at each corner of the fort stood a loophole blockhouse. There were also two strong wooden ,~-~rr~-M gates on opposite sides of the fort. After the fort was built, Boone went back to the Clinch River and brought on his wife and chil- dren. When they settled, it was springtime, and Kentucky was at its best. Trees were in leaf, the beautiful dogwood was in flower, and the woods were fragrant with the blossoms of May. Do you wonder that they loved their new home? At first the cattle and horses were always driven into the fort at night. Later, however, every settler had a cabin in his own clearing, where he lived with his family and took care of his own stock. But even then in time of great danger all went to the fort, driving their animals inside its walls. This fort, with the outlying cabins, made the first permanent settlement in Kentucky. Boonesborough. 306 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY Boone was a man you would have liked to know. Even the Indians admired him. He was tall and slender, with muscles of iron, and so healthy and strong that he could endure great hardship. Though quiet and serious, his courage never shrank in the face of danger, and men believed in him because he believed in himself, while at the same time his kind heart and tender sympathy won him lasting friendships. These vigorous and sterling quali- ties commanded respect everywhere. As a rule he wore the Indian garb of fur cap, fringed hunting-shirt, moccasins and leggings, all made from the skins of wild animals he had taken. This dress best suited the wilderness life. Of course, this life in a new country would not be with- out its exciting adventures. One day, some months after Boone's family had come to Boonesborough, Boone's daugh- ter, with two girl friends, was on the river floating in a boat near the bank. Suddenly five Indians darted out of the woods, seized the three girls, and hurried away with them. In their flight the Indians observed the eldest of the girls breaking twigs and dropping them in their trail. They threatened to tomahawk her unless she stopped it. But, watching her chance, from time to time she tore off strips of her dress and dropped them as a clew for those she knew would come to rescue them. When the capture became known, Boone, accompanied by the three lovers of the captured maidens and four other DANIEL BOONE 307 men from the fort, started upon the trail and kept up the pursuit until, early on the second morning, they discovered the Indians sitting around a fire cooking breakfast. Sud- denly the white men fired a volley, killing two of the In- dians and frightening the others so badly that they beat a hasty retreat without harming the girls. Another exciting experience, which nearly caused the settlement to lose its leader, came about through the set- tlers' need of salt. We can get salt so easily that it is hard to imagine the difficulty which those settlers, living far back from the ocean, had in obtaining this necessary part of their food. They had to go to " salt-licks," as they called the grounds about the salt-water springs. The men would get the salt water from the springs and boil it until all the water evaporated and left the salt behind. Boone with twenty-nine other men had gone, early in 1778, to the Blue Licks to make salt for the settlement. They were so successful that in a few weeks they were able to send back a load so large that it took three men to carry it. Hardly had they started, however, when the men re- maining, including Boone, were surprised by eighty or ninety Indians, captured, and carried off to the English at Detroit. For we must not forget that all this time, while we have been following Boone's fortunes west of the Alleghanies, on the east side of those mountains the Revolution was being fought, and the Indians west of the Alleghanies were fighting on the English side. They received a sum of 80S LATER AMERICAN HISTORY money for handing over to the English at Detroit any Americans they might capture, and that is why the Indians took Boone and his companions to that place. But, strangely enough, the Indians decided not to give Boone up, although the English, realizing that he was a prize, offered five hundred dollars for him. The Indians admired him because he was a mighty hunter, and the}' liked him because he was cheerful. So they adopted him into the tribe and took him to their home. Boone remained with them two months, making the best of the life he had to lead. But when he overheard the Indians planning to make an attack upon Boonesborough, he made up his mind to escape if possible and give his friends warning. His own words tell the brave story in a simple way: "On the 16th of June, before sunrise, I departed in the most secret manner, and arrived in Boonesborough on the 20th ; after a journey of one hundred and sixty miles, dur- ing which I had but one meal." ' He could not get any food, for he dared not use his gun nor build a fire for fear his foes might find out where he was. He reached the fort in safety, and was of great service in beating off the attacking party. This is only one of the many narrow escapes of this fearless backwoodsman. Another incident illustrates his quick wit. One day, while he was in a shed looking after some tobacco, four Indians with loaded guns appeared at the door. They DANIEL BOONE 309 said: "Now, Boone, we got you. You no get away any more. You no cheat us any more." While they were speaking Boone had gathered up in his arms a number of dry tobacco leaves. Rub- bing them to dust, he sud- denly flung it into the faces of the Indians, fill- ing their eyes and nostrils. Then, while they were coughing, sneezing, and rubbing their eyes, he escaped. These are but a few of Boone's dangerous adventures. From them all he came out safe and for years continued to be the able leader of the set- tlers at Boonesborough. There he remained until after Kentucky was admitted as a State into the Union (1791). Four years later he moved still farther west, led on by love for the wild, lonely life of the forest, a life which never lost its charm for him, even down to his last days. Boone Throwing Tobacco into the Eyes of the Indians Who Had Come to Capture Him. 310 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY He died in 1820, eighty-five years old, his long life covering a period of very great change in the growth of our country. By that time we had become a nation with broadly expanded boundaries. It has been said that but for Daniel Boone the settle- ment of Kentucky could not have been made for several years. However this may be, we know that he was one of those fearless and daring men whose courage helped to establish that part of our country long known as "the West." Some Things to Think About 1. What kind of boyhood had Daniel Boone? 2. Imagine yourself to have been in his place during the weeks when he was alone in the Kentucky forests; give an account of what happened. 3. Tell about his second capture by the Indians and his escape. Why did they admire him ? 4. What did he do for Kentucky? What kind of man was he? CHAPTER XXX JAMES ROBERTSON Another pioneer who lived in Boone's day was James Robertson. Like Boone, he came from North Carolina, and he led the way for the settling of Tennessee very much as Boone did for Kentucky. The story of those days shows that he was one of the most forceful and successful of the early English pioneers who led out settlements west of the Alle- ghanies. Born in 1742, Robertson was ten years younger than Washington. But this boy's early life was very different from young George Washington's, for little James was born in a backwoods cabin, and his father and mother were too poor to send him to school. So he grew up to manhood without being able to read and write. But he wanted to study, and was persevering and brave enough to learn the letters of the alphabet and how to spell and to write after he had grown to manhood. We can be sure, therefore, that James was the right sort of boy, and that he would have mastered books if he had been given the chance, just as he mastered the wilderness in later life. But 311 James Robertson. 312 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY it is as a backwoodsman that we first come to know Robert- son and learn why he was trusted and followed so willingly. Although not tall, he was vigorous and robust, having fair complexion, dark hair, and honest blue eyes that met one's glance squarely. His frank, serious face, his quiet manner, and his coolness and daring in the midst of danger gave him a mastery over others such as it is given but few men to have. Like Boone, he was noted as a successful hunter; but hunting and exploring were not with him the chief motives for going into the wilderness. He was first of all a pioneer settler who was seeking rich farming lands with near-by springs, where he could make a good home for his family and give his children advantages which he himself had never enjoyed. Led by this motive, he left his home in North Carolina to seek his fortune among the forest-clad mountains, whose summits he could see far away to the west. With no com- panion but his horse and no protection but his rifle, he slowly and patiently made his way through the trackless woods, crossing mountain range after mountain range, until he came to the region where the rivers flowing westward had their beginning. Much to his surprise, he found here on the Watauga River some settlers from Virginia, who gave him a kindly welcome. He stayed long enough to plant a crop of corn and see it grow up and ripen. JAMES ROBERTSON 313 Then ; late in the autumn, having decided that this was a good place for his family, he started back home. His faithful horse was his only companion. Some corn in his leather wallet was all the food he carried. He trusted his rifle for the rest. All went well for a time, but in the depth of the path- less forest he missed his way, and the mountains became L.L -POSIES CO. ..if f!t*A - ->Y*' ■•' ///* . C*& / ' ■ && r? .^\ww?s- m^x p.- — land J Oumb.erlan^ap^ /Jr^-^sU^' JF Washy me'"..^,^*,^ ^iJjWsb^rqi,.^ R T H ■>fe^;^,0.-^^p^ A NESS ^&Jlw^^t^s^.Mm Early Settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee. so steep and rough that his horse could not get across. Imagine his sorrow when, to save his own life, he had to part from his dumb friend and start on alone. Other misfortunes befell him. The little store of corn that he had brought with him gave out, and his powder became so wet that it was useless for shooting game. So almost his only food for fourteen days was such nuts and berries as he could gather in his desperate search. He was near death by starvation when he chanced to 314 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY meet two hunters. They gave him food and asked him to join them. Then, allowing him to take turns in riding their horses, they helped him to reach home in safety. You might think that this bitter experience would have made Robertson unwilling to risk another journey back through the wilderness. But, as we have said, he was not easily thwarted, and the thought of what lay beyond the mountains made him hold the cost light. He gave such glowing accounts of the wonderful coun- try he had seen that by spring sixteen families were ready to go with him to make their home there. HOW THE BACKWOODSMEN LIVED Let us in imagination join this group of travellers as it starts out to cross the mountains. Each family has its pack-horse — perhaps a few families have two — carrying household goods. These are not so bulky as ours to-day, for pioneer life is simple, and the people have at most only what they need. There are, of course, some rolls of bedding and clothing, a few cooking utensils, a few packages of salt and seed corn, and a flask or two of medicine. The pack- horse carries also the mother and perhaps a very small child or two. The boys who are old enough to shoulder rifles march in front with their father, ready to shoot game for food or to stand guard against Indians. Some of the older children drive the cows which the settlers are taking along with them. JAMES ROBERSTON 315 After reaching the place selected for their settlement, the younger children are set to clearing away the brush and piling it up in heaps ready for burning. The father and the elder sons, who are big enough to wield an axe, lose no time in cutting down trees and making a clearing for the log cabin. All work with a will, and soon the cabin is ready. The furniture, like the cabin itself, is rude and simple. A bedstead is set up in a corner, a washstand is placed near by, and a few three-legged stools are put here and there; and of course there is a table to eat at. Places are quickly found for the water bucket, used to bring water from the stream, the gourd dipper with which to fill it, and 316 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY other small utensils; while pegs driven into the wall in convenient places hold clothes, rifles, skins, and the like. If our pioneers are well-to-do, there may be tucked away in some pack a wool blanket, but usually the chief covering on the bed is the dried skin of some animal: deer, bear, or perhaps buffalo. There is plenty of food, though of course it is plain and simple, con- sisting mostly of game. Instead of the pork and beef which are largely eaten in the east, we shall find these settlers making their meal of bear's meat or venison. For flour corn -meal is used. Each family has a mill for grinding the kernels into meal, while for beating it into hominy they use a crude mortar, made perhaps by burning a hole in the top of a block of wood. Bread-making is a simpler matter with them than with us, for a dough of corn-meal is mixed on a wooden trencher and then either baked in the ashes and called ash-cake or Grinding Indian Corn JAMES ROBERTSON 317 before the fire on a board and called johnny-cake. Corn- meal is also made into mush, or hasty pudding; and when the settler has cows, mush-and-milk is a common dish, especially for supper. For butter the settlers use the fat of bear's meat or the gravy of the goose. Instead of coffee, they make a drink of parched rye and beans, and for tea they boil sassafras root. Every backwoodsman must be able to use the rifle to good effect, for he has to provide his own meat and protect himself and his family from attack. He must be skilful also in hiding, in moving noiselessly through the forests, and in imitating the notes and calls of different beasts and birds. Sharp eyes and ears must tell him where to look for his game, and his aim must be swift and sure. But most important of all, he must be able to endure hardship and exposure. Sometimes he lives for months in the woods with no food but meat and no shelter but a lean-to of brush or even the trunk of a hollow tree into which he may crawl. Deer and bear are the most plentiful game; but now and then there is an exciting combat with wolves, panthers, or cougars, while prowling Indians keep him ever on his guard. The pioneer must be strong, alert, and brave. Each family depends upon itself for most of the neces- saries of life. Each member has his own work. The father is the protector and provider; the mother is the housekeeper, 318 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY the cook ; the weaver, and the tailor. Father and sons work out-of-doors with axe, hoe, and sickle; while indoors the hum of the spinning-wheel or the clatter of the loom shows that mother and daughters are busily doing their part. There are some articles, however, like salt and iron, which the settlers cannot always get in the backwoods. These they must obtain by barter. So each family col- lects all the furs it can, and once a year, after the harvest is gathered, loads them on pack-horses, which are driven across the mountains to some large trading town on the seacoast. There the skins are traded for the needed iron or salt. Often many neighbors plan to go together on such a journey. Sometimes they drive before them their steers and hogs to find a market in the east. A bushel of salt costs in these early days a good cow and calf. Now, that is a great deal to pay; and further- more, as each small and poorly fed pack-animal can carry but two bushels, salt is a highly prized article. Since it is so expensive and hard to get, it has to be used sparingly by the mountaineers. Therefore the housewife, instead of salting or pickling her meat, preserves or "jerks" it by drying it in the sun or smoking it over the fire. The Tennessee settler, like Boone's followers in Ken- tucky, dresses very much like the Indians, for that is the easiest and most fitting way in which to clothe himself JAMES ROBERTSON 319 for the forest life he leads. And very fine do many stalwart figures appear in the fur cap and moccasins, the loose trou- sers, or simply leggings of buckskin, and the fringed hunt- ing-shirt reaching nearly to the knees. It is held in by a broad belt having a tomahawk in one side and a knife in the other. While this free outdoor life develops strong and vigor- ous bodies, there is not much schooling in these back- woods settle- ments. Most •srv.w ... \ Hfe^ fc 3KV boys and girls learn very little except reading and writing and very simple ci- phering, or arith- metic. If there are any schoolhouses at all, they are log huts, dimly lighted and furnished very scantily and rudely. The schoolmaster, as a rule, does not know much of books, and is quite untrained as a teacher. His discipline, though severe, is very poor. And he is paid in a way that may seem strange to you. He receives very little in cash, and for the rest of his wages he "boards around" with the families of the children he teaches, making his stay longer or shorter according to the number of children in school. In many ways, as you see, the life of the pioneer child, while it was active and full of interest, was very different. A Kentucky Pioneer's Cabin. 320 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY from yours. He learned, like his elders, to imitate bird calls, to set traps, to shoot a rifle, and at twelve the little lad became a foot soldier. He knew from just which loop- hole he was to shoot if the Indians attacked the fort, and he took pride in becoming a good marksman. He was carefully trained, too, to follow an Indian trail and to con- ceal his own when on the war-path — for such knowledge would be very useful to him as a hunter and fighter in the forests. i ROBERTSON A BRAVE LEADER Such was the life of these early woodsmen and their families, and to this life Robertson and those who went out with him soon became accustomed. On their arrival at the Watauga River the newcomers mingled readily with the Virginians already on the ground. Robertson soon became one of the leading men. His cabin of logs stood on an island in the river, and is said to have been the largest in the settlement. It had a log veranda in front, several rooms, a loft, and best of all, a huge fireplace made of sticks and stones laid in clay, in which a pile of blazing logs roared on cold days, making it a centre of good cheer as well as of heat. To us it would have been a most inviting spot for a summer holiday. Robertson was very prosperous and successful at Wa- tauga; but in 1799, after ten years of leadership at this settlement, a restless craving for change and adventure JAMES ROBERTSON 321 stole over him, and he went forth once more into the wil- derness to seek a new home still deeper in the forest. The place he chose was the beautiful country lying along the great bend of the Cumberland River, where Nashville now stands. Many bold settlers were ready and even eager to join Robertson in the new venture, for he was a born leader. A small party went ahead early in the spring to plant corn, so that the settlers might have food when they ar- rived in the autumn. Robertson and eight other men, who made up the party, left the Watauga by the Wilderness Road through Cumberland Gap, crossing the Cumberland River. Then, following the trail of wild animals in a south- westerly direction, they came to a suitable place. Here they put up cabins and planted corn, and then, leaving three men to keep the buffaloes from eating the corn when it came up, the other six returned to Watauga. In the autumn two parties started out for the new settle- ment. One of these, made up mostly of women and chil- dren, went by water in flatboats, dugouts, and canoes, a route supposed to be easier though much the longer of the two. Whether it was easier, we shall see. The other party, including Robertson himself, went by land, hoping thus to reach the place of settlement in time to make ready for those coming by water. Robertson and his men arrived about Christmas. Then began a tedious four months of waiting for the others. It 322 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY was springtime again, April 24, when they at last arrived. Their roundabout route had taken them down the Tennes- see River, then up the Ohio, and lastly up the Cumberland. The Indians in ambush on the river banks had attacked them many times during their long and toilsome journey, and the boats were so slow and clumsy that it was impos- sible for them to escape the flights of arrows. But when they arrived, past troubles were soon forgotten, and with good heart, now that all were together, the settlers took up the work of making homes. However, difficulties with the Indians were not over. The first company of settlers that arrived had been left quite unmolested. But now, as spring opened, bands of Indian hunters and warriors began to make life wretched for them all. There is no doubt that the red men did not like to have the settlers kill the game, or scare it off by clearing up the land; but the principal motive for the attacks was the desire for scalps and plunder, just as it was in assailing other Indian tribes. The Indians became a constant terror. They killed the settlers while working in the clearings, hunting game, or getting salt at the licks. They loved to lure on the unwary by imitating the gobbling of a turkey or the call of some wild beast, and then pounce upon their human prey. As the corn crop, so carefully planned, had been de- stroyed by heavy freshets in the autumn, the settlers had JAMES ROBERTSON 323 to scour the woods for food, living on nuts and game. By the time winter had set in, they had used up so much of their powder and bullets that Robertson resolved to go to Ken- tucky for more. ROBERTSON SAVES THE SETTLEMENT He went safely, though quite alone, and returned on the evening of January 15 (1780) with a good supply of ammunition. You may be sure he had a hearty welcome in the fort, where all were gathered. There was much to talk about, and they sat up till late into the night. All went to bed, tired and sleepy, without any fear. For at that season of the year the red men seldom molested them; and no sentinels were left on guard. Soon all were in deep slumber except Robertson, whose sense of lurking danger would not let him sleep. He kept feeling that enemies might be near. And he was right. For just outside the fort, prowling in the thick underbrush and hidden by the great trees, there lay in ambush a band of painted, warriors, hungry for plunder, eager for scalps. They creep forward to their attack. They are very cautious, for a bright moon lights up the blockhouses and the palisaded fort. Suddenly a moving shadow falls upon the moonlit clear- ing outside the fort. An Indian is stealthily crossing from the dark woods to the wall. There he crouches close, to be out of sight of the inmates of the fort. Another crouch- 324 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY ing figure, and another. One by one every feathered war- rior crosses and keeps close to the palisade. The next move is to slide cautiously the strong bar and undo the chain which fastens the gate. It is done skilfully enough, but the chain clanks or the hinges creak. The wakeful Robertson springs quickly to his feet. His keen eyes catch sight of the swift, dark figures, moving stealthily into the fort. "Indians!" he shouts, and off goes his rifle. Instantly every settler has snatched the gun lying at his side. In a second the shots ring out; and the Indians flee through the gate to disappear into the leafy woods. But they have lost one man, whom Robertson has shot, and have killed or wounded three or four of the settlers. Robertson, by keen watchfulness, has saved the fort from capture and his comrades from probable torture or death. This was only one of many occasions in which Robert- son's leadership saved the day. After the Revolution ended (1783) the Indians were not so unfriendly, for the English were no longer paying them for scalps. People, therefore, became less timid about crossing the mountains, and a large number migrated from Virginia and North Carolina to the Tennessee settlement and made their homes at Nashville. As numbers grew larger, dangers became less. By this time Robertson had become well known through the successful planting of his two settlements, and for the wisdom and bravery with which he managed them. As a JAMES ROBERTSON 325 reward for his valuable services, Washington later on (1790) made him a general in the army. In 1814 he died. He is the kind of man we like to think of as a pioneer in the making of our history. Sturdy and self-reliant, strong and fearless, he cheerfully faced the unending struggle with the hard conditions of those early days. Though his life was narrow, it cut deep in its loyalty to friends and country. Some Things to Think About 1. What can you tell of Robertson's boyhood? 2. Imagine yourself as one of a group of travellers on the way to Kentucky or Tennessee, and tell all you can about the journey. 3. Tell all you can about the food, clothing, shelter, and other con- ditions of life in these backwoods settlements. 4. What sort of training did the pioneer boy receive in school and at home? 5. Why did Robertson plant a settlement at the place where Nash- ville now stands ? 6. How did he save this settlement from the Indians? What do you admire about him? 7. Are you making frequent use of the map ? CHAPTER XXXI JOHN SEVIER Another daring leader who did much to build up the settlements in Tennessee was John Sevier. Born in 1745, Sevier was but three years younger than Robertson, and was closely associated with him in later life. Sevier's birthplace was in the western part of Virginia, but while he was still a young boy, the family was driven from their home by the Indians and went to Fredericksburg, Virginia. There he went to the same school which George Washington had attended not many years before. John's mother had taught him to read, and at school he learned some useful things; still he was not fond of books, and learned most from people and what was going on about him. He left school when he was sixteen and married before he was seventeen. About six miles from his father's house he put up a building which was dwelling, storehouse, and fort all in one. Here on the frontier he carried on a thriving 326 JOHN SEVIER 327 trade with settlers and Indians, and was so successful that by the time he was twenty-six he was looked upon as a rich man. He was attractive in appearance, being tall, slender, and erect, with frank blue eyes, fair skin, and brown hair. He was a man of commanding presence, and his athletic figure seemed well suited to the fringed hunting-suit which every pioneer wore. His merry disposition and great charm of manner easily won many friends; and these he kept by his natural kind- ness and courtesy. He was never happier than when en- tertaining generously those who came to his home. Yet these gentle and lovable qualities did not prevent him from being a brave and skilful warrior, who could carry terror to the hearts of his foes. It was while he was engaged in his trading business that Sevier heard of Robertson's settlement in the west, and became interested in it as a possible home for himself and his family. In 1772 he decided to ride through the forests to the Watauga settlement and find out what kind of place it was. Alone over the mountains and through the woods he made the journey. At the journey's end, when he met Robertson, they became friends at once, for in spirit and aims they were much alike. Both were brave and fear- less, and both were seeking better homes for their families. Sevier decided to join the settlement on the Watauga, 328 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY and went back to bring his wife and two children. Return- ing with them, he entered heartily into the common life of the frontier, with its many hardships and pleasures, and soon became a prominent man in the little colony. For a time after their arrival the settlement was not much troubled by the Indians. The Cherokees had given their consent to have the land taken up, and all went well for a period. But, as we have already seen in the case of Boone, the breaking out of the Revolution, and the action of the Brit- ish in arming the Indians with guns and rewarding them for bringing in captives, disturbed this peace and stirred up the tribes against the backwoodsmen. The Cherokees then broke their agreement with the settlers and in large numbers made bold and murderous attacks upon the many back-country settlements in south- western Virginia, the eastern Carolinas, northwestern Georgia, and what is now eastern Tennessee. As Watauga was the nearest settlement to the Chero- kee towns and villages, it was likely to suffer most from the attack. Robertson commanded the fort, with Sevier as his lieutenant. Only forty or fifty men were in the fort when it was attacked, although it was crowded with women and children. But these few men were resolute, well armed, and on their guard. It was in the gray light of the early morning that the Indians stole up for the attack. But a friendly squaw had JOHN SEVIER 329 given warning of danger, and the settlers were ready. The loopholes opened upon the Indians and they were at once beaten back with loss. This was the beginning of a long, dreary siege. As the stockade was too strong to be taken by an assault, the Indians tried to starve the colonists out. For about three weeks they lurked about so that the people within the fort dared not go outside for food, and had to live mostly on parched corn. It was a weary time. As you may imagine, all be- came very tired of that diet and very impatient at being kept shut up within the palisades for so long, and from time to time some one would venture out, heedless of warn- ing and of danger. In running this risk, three or four men were shot by the Indians, and one boy was carried off to an Indian village and burned at the stake. A woman also was captured. You will be interested in the thrilling experience of an- other woman. Her name was Kate Sherrill. She was tall and beautiful, graceful and gentle in manner, and, as we shall see, not lacking courage. One day, taking a pitcher to get water from the river, she had ventured some distance from the fort, when Indians dashed out of the forest and sprang toward her. Seeing her danger, she darted swiftly back, with her bloodthirsty foes close at her heels. It was a race for life, and she knew it. There was not time to reach the gate; sc she ran the shortest way to the 330 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY fort, caught hold of the top of the pickets, and, by an al- most superhuman effort sprung over to the other side. She did not fall to the ground as she expected, but into the arms of John Sevier, for he was standing at a loophole close by, and caught her. He had witnessed her danger and helped her to escape by shooting the Indian closest in the chase. A romance is connected with this, for we are told that John Sevier, who was then a young widower of thirty- one, married Kate Sherrill during the siege. Although the Indian braves were eager for the scalps of the Watauga settlers, they failed to capture the fort and finally went away, just as they did from the neighboring settlements. For a while, but only for a while, the pioneers were left free from Indian ravages. SEVIER A HERO AMONG THE TENNESSEE SETTLERS In spite of the danger, however, daring men kept com- ing to join the pioneers at the Watauga settlements. Se- vier continued to be a leading man in that backwoods region, and when, some years later, Robertson, as you re- member, left Watauga to go to the Cumberland valley, Sevier became the most prominent man in the colony. He was so prosperous that he could surround himself with much comfort. He built a rambling, one-story house on the Nolichucky Creek, a branch of the French Broad River. It was the largest in the settlement and was noted for the lavish entertainments given there, for Sevier was JOHN SEVIER 331 the same generous host as of old. His house consisted of two groups of rooms connected by a covered porch. Sevier with his family lived in one of the groups, and housed his A Barbecue of 1780. guests in the other. There were large verandas and huge fireplaces, in which, during cold weather, cheerful wood- fires blazed. Here to all, rich and poor alike, and especially to the men who had followed him in the many battles against the Indians, Sevier gave a hearty welcome. Rarely was his hospitable home without guests, and the table was heaped with such plain and wholesome food as woods and fields afforded. It was Sevier's delight at weddings or special merry- makings to feast all the backwoods people of the neighbor- hood at a barbecue, where an ox was roasted whole over the 332 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY fire, and where, in fair weather, board tables were set under the trees. These were loaded with wild fowl, bear's meat, venison, beef, johnny-cakes, ash-cakes, hominy, and apple- jack. Should you not like to have been one of the guests? During one of these merrymaking feasts (1780) news was brought that Major Ferguson, one of the ablest officers in Cornwallis's army, was threatening to make an attack on the back-country settlements. At once Sevier, along with Isaac Shelby and others, set out to raise an army of frontiersmen to march against Ferguson. Soon a thou- sand men were riding through the forests to find the British force, of which every man except the commander was an American Tory. They came upon it in a strong position on King's Moun- tain. Without delay the Americans made a furious attack. They fought with great heroism, charging up the steep mountainside with reckless braver}'. They were divided into three bodies, one on the right of the British, one on the left, and another in front. Sevier commanded the division on the left. At just the right mo- ment he led his men in a resistless rush up the mountain- side and made victory certain for the Americans. The British raised the white flag of surrender. All of Fergu- son's soldiers who had not been killed or wounded were made prisoners. By this victory the backwoods hunters greatly weakened the British cause in the south and made easier General JOHN SEVIER 333 Greene's victory over Cornwallis, of which we have already learned. Thus they took their part in winning the nation's liberty. On returning from King's Mountain to their homes, these pioneer warriors had to meet the Cherokees again Battle of King's Mountain. in stubborn warfare. In his usual way Sevier struck a swift, crushing blow by marching to the mountain homes of his savage foes, where he burned a thousand of their cabins and destroyed fifty thousand bushels of their corn. In spite of this defeat, however, the Indians kept on fighting. So Sevier determined to strike another blow. At the head of one hundred and fifty picked horsemen, he 334 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY rode for one hundred and fifty miles through the mountain wilds and completely surprised the Indians, who did not think it possible for an enemy to reach them. After taking the main town, burning two other towns and three villages, capturing two hundred horses, destroying a large quantity of provisions, and doing other damage, he withdrew and returned home in safety. He had made the Indians afraid, and they were quiet for a time. These glimpses into the life of John Sevier must help you to understand why he became a hero among all the people of the frontier. They admired him for his brilliant leadership ; they were grateful for his protection ; and they loved him as a friend. They fondly called him ''Noli- chucky Jack"; and when, later, the settlements became the State of Tennessee, again and again they elected him governor, and sent him to Congress. Without doubt few men of his day were his equal as a fighter against the Indians. It is said that in all his war- fare with them he won thirty -five victories and never lost a battle. As we have seen, he moved with great swiftness in attacking his foes. Through his able scouts he learned the strength and weakness of his enemies and, before they realized what was going on, with a wild shout he and his bold followers swept down upon them like a hurricane, striking terror to the hearts of even the bravest. Sevier was active in public interests even to the last years of his long life. When eighty years old, he was at JOHN SEVIER 335 the head of a body of men who were marking the border line between Georgia and the lands of the Indians. The labor proved too great for his bodily strength, and the aged man died (1815), in his tent, with only a few soldiers and Indians around him. He was buried where he died, and a simple slab, with the two words, "John Sevier," inscribed upon it, indicates the spot where his body rests. In the homes of eastern Tennessee stories of his brave deeds are still told to eager, listening chil dren, for his mem- ory is held dear in the hearts of old and young alike. Ten- nessee owes much to this brave, loyal, and high-minded man, who played a large part in shaping her destiny. Some Things to Think About 1. Why did Sevier go with his family to the Watauga settlement? 2. Imagine yourself in the Watauga Fort when the Cherokees were trying to capture it, and give an account of what happened. 3. Describe Sevier's hospitable home, and tell something about the kind of feast he prepared for a wedding there. 4. What kind of Indian fighter was Sevier? 5. Tell all you can about his personal appearance. What do you admire about him? CHAPTER XXXII GEORGE ROGERS CLARK Among the foremost of those who promoted the west- ward growth of our country stands George Rogers Clark. He was born near Monticello, Virginia, November 19, 1752. He came of a good family and he received fairly good training in school. But he learned much more from life than from books. When twenty vears old he was already a woodsman and surveyor on the Upper Ohio, and did some- thing also at farming. About two years later, with measuring rod and axe, he moved on to Ken- tucky, where he continued his work as a surveyor. A deadly struggle was going on here, you remember, with the Indians, who had been roused by the British against the backwoodsmen, and in this struggle Clark be- came a leader. Why it was that in hardly more than a year's time this young man of twenty-four rose to a position of leadership among the settlers, and was chosen one of their lawmakers, 336 George Rogers Clark. GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 337 we shall understand when we come to see more of his ster- ling qualities. Nature had given him a pleasing face which men trusted. His forehead was high and broad under a shock of sandy hair, and honest blue eyes peered out from under heavy, shaggy eyebrows. His strong body could endure almost any hardship, and his splendid health was matched by his ad- venturous spirit. His fearless courage was equal to any danger, and his resolute purpose would not give way in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties. His great task would have been impossible except as he possessed these qualities, and we know that one does not come by them suddenly. They grow by bravely con- quering the fears of every-day life and not giving in to difficulties. It was in this way that the fearless hunters of Kentucky quickly recognized in him a master spirit. Clark, as you may imagine, was not content to remain in Kentucky merely as a skilful hunter and bold leader of war parties sent out to punish Indian bands. His keen mind had worked out a brilliant plan, which he was eager to carry through. It was nothing less than to conquer for his country the vast stretch of land lying north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi, now included in the present Great Lake States. In this vast region of forest and prairie the only settle- ments were the scattered French hamlets, begun in the early days of exploration, when the French occupied the 338 LATER AMERICAN HISTORY land and traded with the Indians for fur. These hamlets had passed into the hands of the English after the Last French War and were made the centres of English power, from which, as we have seen, the English commanders aroused the Indians against the backwoodsmen remote from their home settlements. These few villages or trading-posts, which were defended by forts, were scattered here and there at convenient places along the river courses, the three strongest forts being at Vincennes, on the Wabash, at Kaskaskia, and at Detroit. Over all the rest of the wild territory roamed hostile Indian tribes, hunting and fighting against one another as well as against the frontiersmen. Clark saw that if this region should be conquered the spreading prairies could be opened up for settlement. As the first step in carrying out his plan, he needed to secure aid from Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia. Early in October, 1777, he started out on horseback from Harrodsburg, one of the Kentucky settlements, to ride through the forests and over the mountains to Williams- burg, then the capital of the State. So urgent was his haste that he stopped on the way but a single day at his father's house, the home of his childhood, and then pressed on to Williamsburg. It took a whole month to make this journey of six hundred and twenty miles. Patrick Henry at once fell in with Clark's plan. He arranged that the government should furnish six thousand GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 339 dollars. But as it was needful that the utmost secrecy should be preserved, nothing was said about the matter to the Virginia Assembly. Clark was to raise his own company among the frontiersmen. The whole burden of making the necessary preparations rested upon him. CLARK STARTS ON HIS LONG JOURNEY With good heart he shouldered it, and in May, 1778, was ready with one hundred and fifty-three men to start from the Redstone Settlements, on the Monongahela River. He stopped at both Pittsburg and Wheeling for needed supplies. Then his flatboats, manned by tall backwoods- men in their picturesque dress, rowed or floated cautiously down the Ohio River. They did not know on how great a journey they had entered, for even to his followers Clark could not tell his plan. Toward the last of the month, on reaching the falls of the Ohio, near the present site of Louisville, they landed on an island, where Clark built a fort and drilled his men. Some of the families that had come with him, and were on their way to Kentucky, remained there until autumn, planting some corn and naming the island Corn Island. When about to leave, Clark said to the men: "We are going to the Mississippi." Some were faint-hearted and wished to turn back. "You may go," said Clark, for he wanted no discontented men among his number. From :U() LATER AMERICAN HISTORY those remaining he carefully picked out the ones who seemed robust enough to endure the extreme hardships which he knew awaited them. As the success of the enterprise depended upon sur- prising the enemy, it was extremely important that he press forward as secretly and as speedily as possible. Ac-