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WASHINGTON 
 
 AT 
 
 //9 
 
 ¥J!.3|aE,m¥ 
 
 TOGETHER 
 
 WITH THE DUCHE COMESPONDENCE. 
 
 '* A dny, an hour of virtuous liberty, ^ 
 
 Is worth a whole eternity in bondage.", ^.-'^^i '^LP'^^^^^^ 
 
 ?^. 
 
 PUBLISHSB BY 
 J. M. BUTLER, 242 CHESTNUT ST., 
 
 ©Iti Numicr 84, 
 JAYNES GRANITE BUILDING, 
 
 1881 
 ^f WASH\H' 
 
 cC^y 
 
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by 
 
 J. M. BUTLER, 
 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of 
 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 STF.REOTYPKP BY JesPER HaRDIXG & SoN", 
 INQUIRER BUILDING, SOUTH THLRD STREET, PHILA. 
 
wisifflCT®a AT fiLLiY mmE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " When freedom from her mountain height 
 Unfiirrd iier standard to the air, 
 She tore the azure robe of night 
 
 And set the stars of glory there ! 
 She mingled with its gorgeous dyes 
 The milky baldric of the skies, 
 And striped its pure celestial white, 
 With streakings from the morning light ! 
 Then, from his mansion in the sun, 
 She called her eagle bearer down. 
 And gave into his mighty hand 
 The symbol of her chosen land !" 
 
 Joseph Rodman Drake. 
 
 In the history of a nation, how frequently 
 we overlook the accomplishments of peace, 
 for the glittering page that records their con- 
 quests and their miUtary fame ! The absorb- 
 ing interest attached to scenes of strife and 
 
 (3) 
 
4 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 carnage, chiefly engross the attention of the 
 reader; they glide over the less exciting in- 
 cidents of the story, and hasten on to those 
 scenes, whose terrible realities far exceed 
 the wildest illusions of romance. The 
 historian, aw\are of this proclivity of the 
 human mind, imparts interest to his page, 
 by presenting in glowing language all that 
 can allure or startle the reader. What varied 
 emotions are excited by the thriUing narra- 
 tive of the combat ! From the first onset, to 
 the final overthrow, every event is presented 
 with terrible distinctness; and the blood- 
 stained field, ghastly with its burden of 
 death, is vividly pourtrayed, dimly revealed 
 in the pale moonbeams, or illumed by the 
 glare of burning villages, adding new horrors 
 to the scene it discloses. 
 
 Although the brilliant achievements of 
 the battle-field may dazzle by their evane- 
 scent splendor, and excite the most vivid 
 emotions of the mind b}' presenting in fear- 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 6 
 
 ful reality all that the wildest imngination 
 can conceive of what is dreadful and appall- 
 ing; although the martial theme may glow 
 with brightest lustre on the historic page, a 
 nation s most enduring glory is not to be won 
 in scenes like these. The courage that 
 nerves the arm, and sustains the spirit in 
 the battle's shock, is but a savage attribute ; 
 it exists in the bosom of the hireling soldier, 
 and animates the savage beast of the forest 
 in search of its ^vey. But the sublime hero- 
 ism, the constancy and resignation that sus- 
 tain the patriot in his country's cause, are 
 far nobler attributes than those which 
 animate the mere adventurer in the bloody 
 game. When fate is adverse, and cruel for- 
 tune presses him to the earth, with what 
 pure devotion and self-sacrifice he calmly 
 awaits -the propitious moment when Heaven 
 shall reward his struggles and bid his suffer- 
 ings cease ! He fights not for the spoils of 
 conquest, nor the oppression of a race, but 
 
6 W A SHINGTON AT 
 
 for a home, rich in all the blessings that flow 
 from a free and enlightened country. 
 
 This was the sjDirit that animated and sus- 
 tained the patriot army when it Iny encamped 
 at Valley Forge, in the memorable winter of 
 1777, '78. How many recollections, endear- 
 in"; to American hearts, are associated with 
 that sacred spot ! It was there, after a cam- 
 paign of four months, harassed by tiresome 
 marches and perpetual alarms, their life one 
 continued scene of hardship and danger, they 
 came with naked and bleeding feet amidst 
 the driving snows of winter, and lay down 
 in that dreary camp to become acquainted 
 with hunger, cold, and watchfulness ! There, 
 in the midst of frost and snow, they erected 
 Liberty's altar; and the history of the world 
 has no parallel to the sublime heroism which, 
 animated and sustained by the immortal 
 Washington, upheld the cause of freedom 
 through the gloomiest period of American 
 history ! How the heart thrills with admira- 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 7 
 
 tion at their devotion and courage, or is moved 
 with pity at the recital of their sufferings! 
 Unhappy men. far from home and the tender 
 assiduities of friendship, their sufferings un- 
 mitigated and iinreheved by their ahiiost 
 despairing country, with no well known 
 voices of home to soothe their sorrows, no 
 wife, nor mother near, to relieve their wants 
 or close their eyes in death ; they sank into 
 the 2:rave almost unnoticed and unnumbered, 
 with no friendly tear but those of sorrowing 
 comrades shed for their sufferings or mingled 
 with their dust. But their sufferings have 
 consecrated the spot in every patriot heart, 
 while history, tradition, and art shall trans- 
 mit the tragic story to remotest posterity, as 
 a sublime incentive to emulation when the 
 imperilled liberties of their country shall 
 summon them to arms. 
 
 After a few unimportant skirmishes and 
 show of battle at Whitemarsh, the British 
 general, seeing no probability of an engage- 
 
5 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 men I:, and the season being far advanced, 
 resolved to retire into winter quarters at 
 Philadelpiiia, after directing a general forage 
 of the country on the western side of tlie 
 Schuylkill. On the 30th of November, Wash- 
 ington called a general council of Avar, for the 
 purpose of selecting the most eligible spot, and 
 to decide on the best manner of cantoning the 
 troops for the winter. ' So numerous were 
 the selections, and so conflicting the state- 
 ments of the advantages of each, that Wash- 
 ington, seeing a unanimous decision could 
 not be hoped for, selected on his own respon- 
 sibility Valley Forge, as the most eligible 
 spot. Among other advantages it possessed, 
 w^as the important one of being sufficiently 
 near Philadelphia, to w^atch the eneni}^ and 
 prevent its foraging parties from ravaging 
 the country. In general orders issued two 
 days previous to the patriot army quitting 
 Whitemarsh, Washington gave explicit direc- 
 tions for the erection of huts to shelter the 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 9 
 
 troops, canvas tents being considered utterly 
 insufficient to shelter them from the severity 
 of the weather ; at the same time stating his 
 determination to share with his soldiers every 
 hardship and privation that awaited them. 
 Nothing could have been more deplorable 
 than the condition of the army when it be- 
 gan its march for Valley Forge ; they were 
 wholly unprovided even with the commonest 
 necessaries for the arduous service before 
 them; none were provided with sufficient 
 clothing to protect them with any degree of 
 comfort from the weather, while numbers 
 had nothing but rags to cover them. 80 
 pitiable was their condition, "that they 
 appeared more like mendicants than the 
 defenders of a generous country,"* many 
 were entirely without shoes, and their 
 naked feet, lacerated by the hard and frozen 
 earth, marked with bloody footprints every 
 step of that sorrowful march. 
 
 * Oiis';; Boltii. 
 
10 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 Valley Forge is situated in Chester Cuunt}^, 
 about twenty miles from Philadelphia, on 
 the western side of the Schuylkill ; it is a 
 deep and rugged hollow, scooped out, as it 
 were, from the side of the mounlain. It was 
 on the mountainous flanks of this valley, 
 and the plain overlooking it, that the arm}' 
 encamped. A little stream runs through the 
 valley, turning in its course the v;heel of a 
 cotton factory that stands on its banks, near 
 where it empties into the Schu3'lkill ; the 
 factory stands on the side of the old forge 
 erected many years ago by Isajic^^t^s, who 
 had extensive mining interests in the district, 
 and from this circumstance the place derived 
 its name of Valley Forge. 
 
 In the season of summer, when nature 
 shines in full beauty and splendor, when 
 the groves are melodious with the songs of 
 birds, and pure and gentle gales blow from 
 the mountains, when every hill-top and vale 
 presents a scene on which the ej'e loves to 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 11 
 
 linger, the visitor to Valley Forge Avill find 
 it a scene of exquisite rural beauty; the 
 little stream that ripples through the valley 
 murmuring a gentle invitation to enter upon 
 the sacred spot. But when the patriot army 
 approached, it presented a far different 
 aspect; the white drapery of winter lay on 
 the dead earth like a shroud, emblematic of 
 their almost expiring hopes of home and 
 country ; the little brook w^as silent in its icy 
 covering, and the blasts of winter howled 
 their fierce welcome through the defiles of 
 the mountains; the w^hole aspect of nature 
 affording a sad intimation of the many trials 
 that awaited them. 
 
 So slow was the march of the army that 
 it required from the 11th to the 19th of 
 December to reach Valley Forge. On the 
 18th the entire army engaged in religious 
 services. Congress having recommended it as 
 a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. On 
 the morning of the 19 th the army reached 
 
12 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 Valley Forge, and immediately began the 
 necessary woik of erecting hufs for shelter. 
 They worked with great alacrit}^, and hill- 
 side and plain were soon alive with activity 
 and bustle. Excepting those who were too 
 poorly clad to admit of exposure, all worked 
 with zeal ; the strongest cut down the trees, 
 others fashioned them into shape and con- 
 veyed them to the spot where they w^ere to 
 be used ; and soon the rude huts began to 
 rise above the hitherto deserted plain. 
 Washington, to stimulate exertion and re- 
 w-ard the active and skillful, promised the 
 reward of twelve dollars to the party in each 
 regiment who finished their hut in the most 
 expeditious and workmanlike manner; an 
 additional reward of one hundred dollars was 
 offered to the officer or soldier who could 
 devise a suitable form of covering for the 
 huts cheaper and more easily obtained than 
 boards. In a few da3^s the barracks w^ere 
 completed, and having been built with some 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 13 
 
 degree of regularity iu streets and squares, 
 presented somewhat the appearance of a 
 city. Washington now removed to the 
 dwelling of Isaac Potts, and made it his 
 head-quarters, having occupied his marquee, 
 comfortless and exposed as it was, during 
 the building of the huts, according to his 
 resolve to share w^ith his soldiers exery 
 vicissitude that hard fortune imposed upon 
 them. 
 
 On the spot where Washington planted his 
 marquee on the day of his arrival there nov/ 
 stands an observatory erected by Mr. Charles 
 H. Rogers, who owns the cotton factory and 
 much of the landed property in the vicinit}^ 
 It is a handsome structure, octagon in shape, 
 and about forty feet in height, wdth a spiral 
 stair-case leading to an open gallery on the 
 top. Standing on the brow of a hill, it 
 affords an extensive view of the surround- 
 ing country and the camping ground of the 
 army. 
 
14 AV A S H I N G T N AT 
 
 We are indebted to Lossing's " Field 
 Book of the Revolution/' for the following 
 account of the encampment and the disposi- 
 tion of the troops : 
 
 '^ Near Washington's head-quarters, on a 
 gentle elevation by the river, were stationed 
 his body or life-guard, under the command 
 of Charles Gibb, of Rhode Island. A little 
 to the right of the guard was the brigade of 
 General M'Intosh ; and further up the hill 
 were the brigades of Huntington, Conway, 
 and Maxwell. Between these and M'ln- 
 tosh's brigade were a redoubt and slight in- 
 trenchment, and directly in front of them 
 was a line of ahaiis. Nearer the Schuylkill, 
 and on the top of the hill, was the brigade of 
 General Varnum, near a star redoubt. At 
 a distance of about a mile, and forming a line 
 from the Schuylkill to Valley Creek, w^as the 
 main portion of the army, under Brigadiers 
 Muhlenberg, Weedon, Paterson, Learned, 
 Glover, Poor, Wayne, Scott, and Woodford, 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 15 
 
 with a line of intrenchments in front. The 
 artificers of the army were on the north side 
 of the creek, opposite the General's quarters; 
 and near the cotton factory was the army 
 bake-house. There was also an irregular 
 line of intrenchments along the brow of the 
 hill, on the south side of the creek. Not 
 far southward of Rogers' observatory was a 
 redoubt, and near it was Knox's artillery. 
 The remains of this redoubt are yet very 
 prominent in the woods, on the right side of 
 the road leading from Valley Forge to Paoli; 
 also the redoubt on the left wing of the en- 
 campment (now near the Reading Raih'oad) 
 is well preserved, the forest protecting it 
 from demolition." 
 
 Thus ended this severe and arduous cam- 
 paign. The only advantage derived by the 
 British General from his various successes, 
 was the important one of having secured 
 most excellent winter quarters for his troops ; 
 and this advantage was enjoyed to the 
 
16 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 utmost. With them, the period of inaC" 
 tivity was enlivened by scenes of gaiety and 
 splendor; and the few hours devoted to 
 military duty were followed by the convivial 
 scene, where plenty abounded, and luxury 
 wooed them to indulgence. Bat how differ- 
 ent was it with the patriot army ! — there, 
 amid the snow-covered hills of Valley Forge, 
 where freedom's flame but feebly glimmered 
 on the altar, the sons of freedom were con- 
 tending with hunger and cold, and every 
 form of wretchedness that can crush the 
 spirit or subdue the heart ; while their ranks 
 w^ere daily thinned by diseases insidious and 
 deadly, and more fatal than the sword. 
 
 The house occupied by Washington as his 
 head-quarters, is a substantial stone edifice, 
 standing near the mouth of the creek; his 
 own room was very small, with a deep win- 
 dow looking eastward, and commanding a 
 view of the neighboring slopes, and a large 
 portion of the ground w^here the army was 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 17 
 
 encamped. The visitor is yet shown, in the 
 broad sill of the window, the little trap-door, 
 and the cavity beneath it, which Washing- 
 ton had arranged as a secret depository for 
 his papers. The associations connected with 
 this sacred spot are of the most interesting 
 character. In this humble apartment Wash- 
 ington toiled uncensingly to alleviate the suffer- 
 ings of his army, and to retrieve the adverse 
 fortunes of his country. As we stand before 
 the little casement, and gaze upon the ex- 
 tended prospect, radiant with the bloom of 
 spring, the mind reverts to those daj^s of 
 trial when Washington stood here, gazing 
 with anguish and sorrow upon the snow- 
 covered hills, where his suffering army Iny 
 Avithering in the grasp of winter and desti- 
 tution ! How frequently has this little win- 
 dow shone with the light of his midnight 
 labor, gleaming through the darkness like the 
 star of hope in the midst of gloom and de- 
 spair, cheering the weary sentinel in his 
 
18 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 bleak night watchj as the guiding star of 
 heaven cheers the lone mariner on the track- 
 less seas ! How frequently has this hallowed 
 room witnessed his communion with the 
 throne of grace, when oppressed by the trials 
 inseparable to his exalted position ! One of 
 the most prominent traits in Washington's 
 character was his steadj^ reliance on Divine 
 assistance; and with a firm conviction of the 
 justice of his cause, he moved on, calm and 
 serene, amid the distrust of friends and the 
 imputations of his enemies, with bright hopes 
 and brilliant plans for the future. 
 
 The following affecting incident is related 
 of Washington in Lossing's beautiful " Field 
 Book of the Revolution;" it is one of the 
 niost interesting incidents among the events 
 of that sad period : 
 
 " Isaac Potts, at whose house Washington 
 was quartered, relates that one day, while 
 the Americans w^ere encamped at Valley 
 Forge, he strolled up the creek, when, not 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 19 
 
 f{ir from his dam he heard a solemn voice. 
 He walked quietly in the direction of it, and 
 saw Washington's horse tied to a sapling. 
 In a thicket near by was the beloved chief 
 upon his knees in prayer, his cheeks suffased 
 with tears. Like iMoses at the bush, Isaac 
 felt that he was upon holy ground, and with- 
 drew unobserved. He was much agitated, 
 and on entering the room where his wife was, 
 he burst into tears. On her inquiring the 
 cause, he informed her of what he had seen, 
 and added : ' If there is any one on this 
 earth whom the Lord will listen to, it is 
 George Washington; and I feel a pi'esenti- 
 nient that under such a commander there 
 can be no doubt of our eventuall}^ establish- 
 ing our independence, and that God in his 
 providence has willed it so.'" 
 
 ''Oil ! who ?hall know the might 
 Of the words he uttered there? 
 The fate of nations tliere was turn'd 
 
 By the fervor of his prayer." — J. L. Chestkr. 
 
20 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Thy spirit, independence, let me sliare ! 
 
 Lord of tlie lion heart and eagle eye ; 
 Thy steps I follow witli my bosom bare,. 
 
 Nor heed the storm that howls along the sky. 
 
 Smollett. 
 
 The impoverished condition of the army at 
 Valley Forge must be nsciibed to a number 
 of causes. Congress, being inexperienced 
 in the management of affairs-, and particu- 
 larly those of a military nature, h;id advised, 
 as if in an enemy's country, the seizure of 
 everything that could serve to suppl}^ the 
 wants of the army. This measure, though 
 promptly acted upon, and pursued with in- 
 credible exertion, only procured a meagre 
 supply for a few days. So unpopular was 
 this movement, that an adverse disposition 
 soon began to be manifested hy the inhabi- 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 21 
 
 tants of the surrounding country. They 
 drove their cattle into the woods and swamps, 
 and hid aw\ay in secluded and secret places 
 everything that was likely to be seized upon 
 for the use of the army. Many preferred 
 encountering every risk in conveying their 
 property to Philadelphia, where they w^ere 
 paid for it in hard cash by the British, rather 
 than dispose of it to the patriot army in ex- 
 change for the doubtful paper currency 
 issued by Congress. So greatly had these 
 bills depreciated, that many regarded them 
 as utterly worthless. The still doubtful issue 
 of the contest, and the instability of the 
 government, rendered it very improbable 
 that the vast quantity of paper money 
 issued by Congress would ever be redeemed. 
 Many untoward circumstances, impossible 
 to be controlled, contributed to this state of 
 affairs. The country around w^as deeply 
 tainted with toryism; and the coercive 
 measures advised by Congress had alienated 
 
22 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 many who were previoiisl}^ well inclined to the 
 cause. The peculations and deliquencies of 
 avaricious contractors, and the want of effi- 
 cient coniuiissaries, greatly increased the 
 general distress, and contributed to those 
 disasters that for a time threatened the army 
 with dissolution. 
 
 Scarcely were the troops settled in their 
 encampment at Valley Forge, w^hen Wash- 
 ington, apprised of an intended expedition 
 by Howe to forage the islands of the Dela- 
 ware and the country around Darby, resolved 
 to detach a large force for the purpose of 
 intercepting it. An inspection of the maga- 
 zines to provision this force, revealed the 
 appalling fact that scarcely a single day's 
 suppl}^ remained in the camp. This fearful 
 condition of affairs not only compelled the 
 relinquishment of all offensive operations, 
 but revealed the necessity of inmiediate aud 
 active exertion in procuring supplies, if the 
 army was to be saved from famine and 
 
VALLEY F E. a E . 23 
 
 dissolution. The absolute powers conferred 
 upon Washington by Congress not only im- 
 powered him to levy upon the surrounding 
 country, and seize upon everything that 
 could be used to subsist the army, but that 
 body had commanded that this measure 
 should be resorted to; and the fatal neces- 
 sity that existed urged its immediate and 
 effective consummation. Foraging parties 
 were sent out and swept the country around, 
 but the greatest exertions could only procure 
 a sufficiency for a few days. This meagre 
 supply was soon exhausted, and all subse- 
 quent exertions were but gleaning the field. 
 Notwithstanding the pressing necessity that 
 existed, Washington was greatly disinclined 
 to this method of subsisting the army. The 
 supplies ^vere meagre and unsatisffxctory, 
 and could only be procured by incredible 
 exertions. It ahenated the population whose 
 goods were seized, and greatly strengthened 
 the disaffected in their opposition to the 
 
24 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 government, and added to their numbers. 
 It ac<}ustomed his soldiers to disregard the 
 private rights of the people ; it inclined 
 them to lay hands upon the property of 
 others, and to seize upon ^vhatever might be 
 used for public service or contribute to per- 
 sonal gratification ; it promoted lawlessness, 
 and engendered a spirit of license and in- 
 subordination that greatly endangered the 
 safety of the camp. 
 
 Washington, being fully aware of the im- 
 possibility of subsisting an army any length 
 of time by compulsory requisitions, had writ- 
 ten to the various Governors of New Eng- 
 land, urging them, in the most pressing lan- 
 guage, to forward, with the greatest despatch, 
 provisions for the army, particularly cattle 
 which abounded in those provinces. The 
 Commissaries had repaired thither by the 
 direction of Congress, and made contracts for 
 an immense supply of provisions. But here 
 a new difficult}^ presented itself, and one 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 2o 
 
 which threatened to frustrate the good ef- 
 fects of these important measures. The re- 
 verses sustained by the American arms, and 
 the gloomy aspect of affairs in Pennsylvania, 
 had caused the enormous issue of paper money, 
 which Congress was continually making, to 
 depreciate to one-fourth its nominal value, 
 so that one hundred dollars in paper would 
 command but twenty-five in specie, while 
 articles of necessity had advanced nearly in 
 the same ratio; so that in order to complete 
 their contracts, the Commissaries had been 
 obliged to conform to the current rates. But 
 Congress disapproved of their action, and, 
 unwisely attributing to cupidity what w^as 
 really the effect of public distress, either re- 
 fused to ratify their contracts, or postponed 
 the execution of them. In addition to this, 
 they passed a law, requiring the several 
 States to establish by express laws the 
 price of labor, and also to fix the price of all 
 articles in common use among the people. 
 
26" WASHINGTON AT 
 
 The bad effects of these laws Avere soon ap- 
 parent; the citizens secreted their effects; 
 the regular marts of trade were deserted ; 
 and buyers could find nothing they "wanted 
 either in the markets or elsewhere. 
 
 While these operations were pending, and 
 the much desired relief delayed by the tardy 
 action of Congress, the American camp pre- 
 sented a terrible picture of distress; gaunt 
 famine prevailed; the soldiers w^ere enfee- 
 bled by hunger and exposure ; and the want 
 of everything necessary to preserve them in 
 health, had propagated disease, which spread 
 rapidly among them. Overcome by a mise- 
 rable lassitude, the strong as well as the 
 weak sank before it; the hospitals were 
 crowded with miserable wretches who looked 
 forward to no other relief but that of death. 
 
 One of the severest necessities felt by 
 them was the want of straw ; there was 
 none in the camp, nor was there anything 
 that could be used to raise them from the 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 27 
 
 ground while they slept; the severe and 
 nrdaous service of the day found no re- 
 freshing repose at night— no other couch 
 than the bai'e and frozen earth. This proved 
 a most prolific source of disease, and more 
 perished than by the sword. The hospital 
 buildings were unsuitable in every respect, 
 and overcrowded, w^ith none of the resources 
 necessary to support and restore the sick. 
 They were miserably destitute of furniture, 
 and illy prepared in every respect for hos- 
 pital purposes. The amount of distress pre- 
 sented by these dreadful receptacles baf- 
 fles description, and humanity must shud- 
 der at what it failed to alleviate. Con- 
 fined to a scanty and unwholesome diet — 
 for the coarsest provisions could scarcely 
 be procured — with no changes of linen, so 
 indispensable to the comforts of the sick, and 
 no medicine but what w^as made worse than 
 useless by the pernicious adulteration of ava- 
 ricious contractors, they proved rather re- 
 
28 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 ceptacles for the dying than a refuge for the 
 sick; and where the voice of kindness and 
 sympathy alone shouhl have been heard, the 
 dreary walls echoed only the wail of lamen- 
 tation and despair. The soldiers regarded 
 these pestilential abodes with horror, and 
 many refused to enter them, prefen-ing the 
 risk of perishing in the open air rather than 
 do so. Their defective organization, and 
 the absence of all sanitary regulations, had 
 engendered the hospital fever, and hundreds 
 of valuable lives were sacrificed that might, 
 with proper assistance, have been saved for 
 the service of their country. 
 
 In February, out of nearly seventeen thou- 
 sand men that had entered the camp the pre- 
 vious December, scarcely five thousand Avere 
 fit for duty ; the barracks were crowded with 
 men unfitted for service for want of sufficient 
 clothing to cover them ; and large numbers 
 had found refuge in the neighboring farm- 
 houses, unable to take the field from the 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 29 
 
 same cause. It cannot be overlooked, that 
 if General Hovre bad seized the opportunity 
 and made a sudden attack on the camp, it 
 would, in all probabilit3% have proved victo- 
 rious ; for it would have been apparentl}^ 
 impossible, with a starving and disabled 
 army, for the American General to have 
 successfully defended his intrenchments ; 
 and had he been compelled to take the field 
 in the midst of so severe a winter, with a 
 force unequipped even for a summer cam- 
 paign, it must have resulted in the dis- 
 persion or entire destruction of his arm3^ 
 Howe's apath}^ in neglecting so favorable an 
 opportunity is unaccountable, and must be 
 ascribed either to timidity or excessive pru- 
 dence. 
 
 The pernicious effects of the many evils 
 that pressed so severely upon the Americin 
 camp, began to be fearfully prominent. Al- 
 though the brilliant example and patient en- 
 durance of many of the officers, had snp- 
 3* 
 
30 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 pressed everything like a mutinous disposi- 
 tion on the part of the troops, it cannot be 
 denied that all system had greatly relaxed, 
 discipline had declined, and restraint of any 
 kind was but slightly acknowledged ; horses 
 were permitted to wander into the fields and 
 to be lost for w^ant of search, or perish mise- 
 rably in the highways from neglect and ex- 
 posure ; carts and other vehicles belonging 
 to the army were permitted to encumber the 
 roads useless and disregarded, which would 
 have been of incalculable service if properly 
 employed ; while hundreds of men were con- 
 strained to perform, as they renlly did with 
 incredible patience and exertion, the duty of 
 beasts of burden, in dragging firewood, and 
 assisting in the transportation of stores for 
 the camp. In this manner many of the evils 
 resulting from the defective organization of 
 the camp were remedied to a considerable 
 extent ; but how can we sufficiently appre- 
 ciate the patriotism of these self-sacrificing 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 81 
 
 men, who maintained with unshaken forti- 
 tude, in the midst of frost and famine, their 
 pledge of fidelity to their country; and firmly 
 endured every vicissitude that attends desti- 
 tution and misery, rather than succumb with 
 dishonor, and disappoint the hopes of their 
 country in the hour of gloom and despair? 
 Washington was untiring in his efforts to 
 ameliorate the sufferings of his army, and to 
 the love and veneration with which the sol- 
 diers regarded their beloved Commander, 
 must be attributed the continued existence 
 of the army through that perilous period. 
 His importunities at length awakened Con- 
 gress to the imperative necessity that ex- 
 isted for retracing their steps, w^hich they 
 did by advising the several States to repeal 
 their laws on the subject of prices ; they with- 
 drew their restrictions on the purchasing com- 
 missaries, and permitted their contracts to 
 take effect. The great w^ant of wheeled car- 
 riages, however, greatly delayed the arrival 
 
6A WASHINGTON AT 
 
 of the supplies, and so much time was lost 
 ill procuring these conveyances, that much 
 of it was wasted or destroyed before the 
 convoys reached the camp. In the mean- 
 time, to save the army from dissolution, 
 Washington ordered a general forage of the 
 surrounding country to procure supplies. 
 General Greene swept the country in the 
 neighborhood of the camp; Captains Lee and 
 M'Lane, both active and zealous officers, 
 were despatched to the States of Maryland 
 and Delaware, and Colonel Tilghman to New 
 Jersey. These commissions were carried 
 out wuth great zeal and activity; they pene- 
 trated into the most secret pLices, and found 
 vast quantities of supplies hidden awa}^ ; 
 in the marshy islands of the Delaware par- 
 ticularly, they found hid<len large droves of 
 cattle intended for the Philadelphia market, 
 but which they soon compelled to take an- 
 other direction towards the camp. These 
 suppUes were timely and abundant, and went 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 33 
 
 far towards relieving the pressing necessities 
 of the camp. 
 
 Amid the numerous calamities that pressed 
 with such severity upon the camp, there 
 was none which caused so much anxiety 
 to Washington as the pernicious exam- 
 ple afforded by some of the officers, who had 
 openly declared their intentions of quitting 
 the service. Owing to the great depreciation 
 of the paper money issued by Congress and 
 the immense advance on articles of consump- 
 tion, in consequence also of the season and 
 the existing commercial difficulties, many 
 officers had found it impossible to live upon 
 their pay ; those who were destitute of pri- 
 vate resources were compelled to live in the 
 most parsimonious manner, or to contract 
 debts which they could not liquidate; and 
 many who possessed private fortunes had 
 greatly embarrassed themselves by en- 
 deavouring to maintain an appearance suita- 
 ble to their rank in the army. A large 
 
34 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 number had already resigned their commis- 
 sions and returned to their families. These 
 resignations, unfortunatel}', were not confined 
 to officers of the lowest grade, but included 
 some of the bravest and the worthiest in the 
 army. Their quitting the service at this period 
 cannot be considered wholly a dereliction 
 of duty; they considered the pitiable condi- 
 tion to which they were reduced as degrad- 
 ing ; and although willing to accord all that 
 patriotism could demand or honour require in 
 the service of their country, they could not 
 endure a condition incompatible with their 
 sense of personal honour and self-respect, 
 and hence their disinclination to the service. 
 Washington was greatly alarmed at the 
 spread of this spirit of disaffection, and was 
 untiring in his efforts to stay its progress. 
 lie spared neither promises nor encourage- 
 ment in his efforts to do so; he earnestly 
 importuned Congress to take speedy and 
 effective action in the matter; he particularly 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 35 
 
 directed their attention to the necessity of 
 securing to the officers half pay for life, or 
 for a definite term of years dating from the 
 expiration of the war; he urged, in the most 
 forcible language, the necessity of thorough 
 measures; he told them it was in vain to 
 rely solely upon the efforts of patriotism 
 and individual sacrifices to maintain a 
 protracted war; and that it would be impossi- 
 ble to bring the struggle to a successful issue 
 without the incentive of interest or hope of 
 reward. Although the struggle had furnished 
 the most brilliant examples of patriotism and 
 self-sacrifices, and many continued to act 
 from the same noble impulses, yet they were 
 wholly inadequate for the support of the 
 war; that it w^as too much to hope for, that 
 large bodies of men could be held together 
 without the generous support of the govern- 
 ment; and as it was impossible to entirely 
 control the actions of men, it would be bet- 
 ter to secure a support so indispensable to 
 
36 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 the states by appealing to their interest, or 
 offering any inducements that would content 
 them. These propositions were not acted upon 
 as promptly as was desired by Washing- 
 ton ; they were coldly received by Congress ; 
 they considered them as extraordinary, and 
 manifested at first very little inclination to 
 grant them ; they considered the grants of 
 lands already made to officers and soldiers as 
 sufficient to gratify the wishes of moderate 
 men. They were soon awakened from this 
 state of indifference by the necessity that 
 existed for the most effective operations; 
 they decreed an allowance of half pay for 
 life to the officers of the army, with the 
 reserved power to commute it to the sum of 
 six years' half pay if considered expedient. 
 Subsequently they passed another resolution, 
 restricting the allowance of half pay to seven 
 years, dating from the end of the war. 
 These measures, unfortunately, were taken 
 too late to have as salutav}^ an effect as was 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 37 
 
 lioped for; a large number of officers had 
 already resigned their commissions and re- 
 turned to their families. This serious defec- 
 tion might have been prevented, to a great 
 extent, by a more liberal and spontaneous 
 eifort on the part of the government. 
 
 Not\vithst;niding the unremitting exertions 
 of Washington to prepare the army for the 
 ensuing campaign, the advancing season 
 found them but scantily prepared, and the 
 spring had entirely passed before the organi- 
 zation of the army was completed. By a 
 decree of the 27th of May, the infantr}^, 
 cavalry, artillery, and engineers, were organ- 
 ized upon a uniform system throughout the 
 arm}^ ; up to this time great confusion had pre- 
 vailed in the service, owing to the great dis- 
 parity existing not only between the regi- 
 ments of different States, but those belong- 
 ing to the same State. In addition to the 
 complete organization of the army, it had 
 
 been rendered far more eff'eclive in its disci- 
 4 
 
38 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 pline than it had ever before been, by the 
 services of the Baron Steuben, a veteran com- 
 mander and disciplinarian from the army of 
 Frederick the Great; he joined the Ameri- 
 can camp at Valley Forge, in Mny, 1778, as 
 a volunteer, and was almost immediately ap- 
 pointed Inspector Geiiernl with the rank and 
 pay of Mnjor General; the nppoiiitraent was 
 accompanied with the most flattering resolu- 
 tions from Congress ; his services were of 
 incalculable benefit to the arm}^ and the 
 effects of his rigid discipline were seen in 
 the skillful manoeuvring, and in the firmness 
 and decision of the troops in the ensuing 
 campaign. Pie was a brave man, devoted to 
 liberty, and a warm-hearted, generous friend 
 of America. 
 
 During the occupancy of Philadelphia by 
 the British, they evinced but little activity, 
 and their stay was unmarked by any impor- 
 tant event; they contented themselves with 
 foraging the country around Philadelphia, 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 39 
 
 and by frequent excursions into the nearer 
 parts of New Jersey, to procure supplies 
 and secure the roads. These enterprises 
 were of the most ordin.'uy character, with 
 one or two exceptions, — in one instance, in 
 the month of March, a party of Americans 
 were surprised at Hancock House, near the 
 -Bridges of Quinton and Hancock, and were 
 ruthlessly massacred while appealing for 
 quarter ; they were completely surprised 
 whilst sleeping in their beds, and though no 
 resistance was made, not a man escaped in 
 this unmitigated murder. They also at- 
 tempted to surprise the encampment at 
 Barren Hill on the left side of the Schuyl- 
 kill, under the command of the Marquis de 
 la Fayette, but were completely foiled by his 
 activity and courage. 
 
 While these events were passing on land, 
 the naval contests of the Americans were 
 marked by the most brilliant success. Brit- 
 ish commerce suiTered incredible losses by 
 
40 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 the daring and enterprise of American cruis- 
 ers, they conquered hiindi'eds of vessels, and 
 swept many a rich prize from off the coast of 
 England itself These maritime conquests 
 were brilliant and decided, and afforded a 
 cheering contrast to the gloom and depres- 
 sion of the land operations. 
 
 In the meanwhile, Sir William Howe, be- 
 coming dissatisfied with the course of his 
 government at home, had offered his resig- 
 nation, which was promptly accepted, and 
 Sir Henry Clinton appointed his successor. 
 In his instructions was ordered the imme- 
 diate evacuation of Philadelphia. He took 
 command of the army on the Ilth of May, 
 and immediately began his preparations for 
 departure; in the meanwhile, Washington, 
 informed of his evident intention to abandon 
 the city, placed his arm}^ in a condition to 
 I'esume hostilities at once. 
 
 On the morning of the 18th of June, a 
 little before day-hreak, the British left the 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 41 
 
 city and commenced crossing the Delaware at 
 Gloucester point; before noon the entire 
 army had crossed; and toward evening the 
 whole force was encamped around Iladdon- 
 field, on the south side of Cooper's creek, 
 about five miles south-east of Camden. 
 
 Washington was not informed of the 
 evacuation of the city until the British had 
 actually crossed the Delaware; being satisfied 
 of Clinton's intention to push forward 
 towards New York, he immediately broke up 
 his camp, and pushed forward with nearly 
 his entire force towards the Dehiware for 
 the purpose of intercepting him. General 
 Arnold, who w^as unfitted for active service 
 by a severe wound, took possession of Phila- 
 delphia with a small detachment. In the 
 brilliant campaign that followed, the rnpid 
 marches, the spirited manoeuvring, and well 
 contested field of Monmouth, gave unequivo- 
 cal proof, how little the patriot army were 
 broken in spirit, or diminished in courage, 
 
 4* 
 
42 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 by the dreadful sufferings of Ihat fenrM 
 Aviuter at Valley Forge. 
 
 It would be tedious, in a sketch like this, 
 to advert to the many intrigues and cabals 
 that distressed Washington, and embarrassed 
 the government at tliis period; many indi- 
 viduals prominent in military and civil life, 
 were implicated in these agitations ; those who 
 are acquainted with the history of the Revo- 
 lution, must be familiar with the circum- 
 stances, and their results upon the past and 
 present history of the country. There were 
 several attempts to subvert the government, 
 and to supplant Washington in the command 
 of the army. Although fuWy apprised of the 
 artifices employed to diminish his well eained 
 reputation, his exalted mind exhibited that 
 constancy and moderation, that evinced his 
 entire subjugation of self to the great work 
 before him ; he indulged in no secret discon- 
 tent against his country; his zeal for duty 
 experienced no remission ; his enemies were 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 43 
 
 unnoticed and rendered powerless by his 
 silence, and in his devotion to liis country he 
 seems to have foigotten himself. 
 
 One of the most insidious of these 
 treasonable efforts, was the extraordinary 
 letters written by Jacob Duche to General 
 Washington, imploring him to abandon the 
 American cause, and to assist in the subver- 
 sion of the attempt to establish the indepen- 
 dence of the country. Duche was the friend 
 of Washington, and had officiated as chaplain 
 in the first Continental Congress; he was then 
 rector of Christ Church in Philadelphia, and 
 was a resident of the city during its occu- 
 pancy by the British. This event, though 
 but lightly touched upon by the historian, 
 and but casually mentioned in revolutionary 
 writings, was perhaps the most critical for 
 the country and its hopes of any similar 
 attempt during the struggle; this document 
 was as fatal to the peace and reputation of 
 of its author, as its rejection by Washington 
 
44 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 is the grandest monument to that undevijit- 
 ing honour and integrity, that shone with 
 such constant splendour throughout his illus- 
 trious career. 
 
THE REV. JACOB DUCHE, . 
 RECTOR OF CHRIST CHURCH & ST P ETE RS. "P H I LA D - 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 45 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The subject of this memoir, Jacob Duche, 
 was born in Philadelphia, about the year 
 1738. His Himily was of Huguenot origin, 
 and came over to this country among the 
 early settlers who accompanied or followed 
 William Penn, though at what precise date 
 we have been unable to ascertain. 
 
 He graduated in 1757, at the Pennsyl- 
 vania University, in Philadelphin, and pur- 
 sued his theological studies in the same city; 
 after which he went to England for the pur- 
 pose of being ordained to the ministry of 
 the Episcopal Church. On his return to 
 Philadelphia, he continued to officiate for 
 manj^ 3'ears as assistant minister and rector. 
 
 The early period of his life is marked by 
 no particular incidents. He was gifted with 
 
4G WASHINGTON AT 
 
 a peculiar style of pulpit eloquence, which was 
 pronounced to be very effective, and which 
 procured for him a considerable degree of 
 popularity amongst the parishioners of the 
 churches in which he ofKiciated. In 1771, 
 he published liis " Letters of Tamoc Caspi- 
 pinaj' a kind of half political and half reli- 
 gious work, having reference to his connec- 
 tion with Christ Church and the English 
 politics of the times. The name was com- 
 posed of the initial letters of the words — 
 '' The Assistant Minister of Christ Church and 
 St.- Peter s, in Philadelphia, in North America^ 
 
 It is probable that the name of Jacob 
 DucHE would have long been forgotten with 
 those of many far greater men, but for its 
 connection wdth the important events that 
 were then transpiring. 
 
 On the 5th of September, 1774, there 
 assembled in Philadelphia, in Carpenter's 
 Hall, the first Continental Congress; this 
 august body was composed of such men as 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 47 
 
 George Washington, Patrick Henry, Peyton 
 Randolph, and a brilhant galaxy of others, 
 numbering in all fifty-one delegates, and re- 
 presenting all the Colonies excepting Georgia. 
 The first two days were spent in organizing 
 and arranging preliminaries, when it was 
 proposed by Mr. Gushing, of Massachusetts, 
 that their sessions should be opened Avith 
 prayer. After some discussion, arising from 
 the fact that the delegates were of different 
 religious denominations, it was suggested by 
 Samuel Adams, '* that Mr. Duche, an Eng- 
 lish Episcopal Clergyman, might be desired 
 to read prayers before the Congress to-mor- 
 row morning." This motion had the effect 
 of producing unanimity of feeling, Mr. Adams 
 being himself a strong Congregationalist. In 
 the course of the day a rumor reached Phi- 
 ladelphia, that Boston had been cannonaded 
 by the British. It produced a strong sensa- 
 tion; and when Congress met on the follow- 
 ing morning, (the 7th,) the effect of the in- 
 
48 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 telligence was vi^sible in every countenance. 
 Mr. Duche appeared in his canonicals, and 
 attended by his clerk, he read with great so- 
 lemnity several prayers in the established 
 form, the clerk making the responses. After 
 which he read the Psalms for the seventh 
 morning of the month, among which was the 
 Thirty-fifth Psalm, commencing thus : 
 
 *' Plead my cause, Lord, with them that strive 
 with me; fi<;ht against them that fight against me. 
 
 " Lay hand upon the sliicld and buckler, and stand 
 Tip to help me. 
 
 "Bring forth the spear and stop the way against 
 them that persecute me : say unto my soul, I am thy 
 salvation," &c. 
 
 The singular appropriateness of this ap- 
 peared to strike all present. John Adams, 
 in a letter to his w'ife on the day followdng, 
 thus describes the scene : 
 
 '' I never saw a greater effect upon an 
 audience. It seemed as if Heaven had 
 ordained that Psalm to be read on that 
 morning. After this Mr. Duche, unexpect- 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 49 
 
 edly to every body, strack out into an ex- 
 temporary prayer^ which filled the bosom of 
 every man present, I must confess I never 
 heard a better pra3^er, or one so well pro- 
 nounced." For the benefit of our readers, 
 who mny not have seen it, we will give this 
 prayer in full : 
 
 ^^0 Lord our Heavenly Fcitlier, higli and niiglity 
 King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from tliy 
 throne behold all the dwellers on earth, and reignest 
 with 230wer supreme and uncontrolled over all Idng- 
 doms, empires, and governments ; look down in mercy, 
 we beseech thee, on these American States, who have 
 fled to thee from the rod of the oppressor, and 
 thrown themselves on thy gracious protection, de- 
 siring to be henceforth dependent only on thee ; to thee 
 they have appealed for the righteousness of their 
 cause; to thee do they now look up for that counte- 
 nance and support which thou alone canst give; take 
 them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under thy nurtur- 
 ing care ; give them wisdom in council, and valor in 
 the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel 
 adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of 
 their cause; and if they still persist in their sangui- 
 nary purposes. Oh ! let the voice of thine own unerring 
 justice sounding in their hearts, constrain them to 
 drop the weapons of v,'ar from their unnerved Lands 
 5 
 
50 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 ill the clay of battle. Be thou present, God of wis- 
 tlom, and direct the councils of this honorable assem- 
 bly; enable them to settle things on the best and 
 surest foundation, that the scene of blood may be 
 speedily closed, that order, harmony, and peace may 
 be effectually restored; and truth and justice, religion 
 and piety, prevail and flourish amongst thy people. 
 Preserve the health of their bodies and the vigor of 
 their minds; shower down on tliem and the miUions 
 they here represent, such temporal blessings as thou 
 seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them 
 with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this 
 we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus 
 Christ, thy Son, our Saviour. Amen !'^ 
 
 The solemnity of the occasion, and the 
 eloquent manner in which this prayer was 
 delivered, seemed to affect eveiy one pre- 
 sent, particularly Washington, who, it is re- 
 marked, while others stood, went through 
 the ceremony in a kneeling postm-e. 
 
 By a vote of Congress, Duche was thanked 
 for the eloquent prayer he delivered on this 
 occasion. 
 
 At this time, he was assistant rector of 
 two churches, Christ Church and St. Peter's; 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 51 
 
 and in the year following, at the death of 
 Dr. Richard Peters, the rector of these 
 churches, Mr. Duche was appointed to the 
 rectorship. 
 
 In July, 1776, Mr. Duche was appointed 
 chaplain to Congress, with a salary of one 
 hundred and fifty dollars. 
 
 He held his situation as chaplain about 
 three months, and then resigned ; his salary 
 he bestowed upon the families of those slain 
 in battle. Whether his piinciples had under- 
 gone a change at this time we cannot say; he 
 had never evinced much force of character 
 in his opposition to the British government, 
 and his participation in the Hevolutionary 
 movement can be considered nothing more 
 than a tacit acquiescence in the events trans- 
 piring around him; he must, however, have 
 continued obnoxious to the tories, for it 
 appears that a, day previous to Howe's entr}^ 
 into Philadelphia, he was seized by a party 
 of them and thrown into prison. 
 
52 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 When the British were in possession of 
 Philadelphia, Duche was much in the com- 
 pany of the officers, whose congenial society 
 and polite manners seem to have operated 
 upon his pliant disposition, and to swny a 
 mind not sufficiently strong to resist the in- 
 fluences at work around him. If we can 
 believe his own assertions, he had never 
 entered ardently into the American cause, 
 and when appointed chaplain to Congress, 
 he received the appointment with regret, 
 and performed its duties with reluctance. 
 His early resignation of the office, and the 
 bestowal of his salary on the families of 
 those slain in battle, seem rather to have 
 arisen from a desire to avoid all complicity 
 in the cause, than from any benevolent 
 motive. His English education, and the 
 allegiance to his sovereign inculcated by the 
 religion he professed, no doubt contributed 
 to w^eaken the adverse position he had at 
 first assumed toward the mother country. 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 53 
 
 Though possessed of an elegant and refined 
 mind, it was unfortunately connected with a 
 weak and facile disposition, and entirely 
 wanting in those strong qualities necessary 
 to confront the storm of war that was lower- 
 ing over his country. 
 
 In his letter, he distinctly disclaims all 
 coercion on the part of the British, and 
 assumes the entire responsibility of the act, 
 so that whatever of infamy or disgrace may 
 be attached to it, must properly belong to 
 himself. Bad his intervention been purely 
 the dictates of a Christian heart, anxious to 
 save the effusion of blood and restore peace 
 to a distracted country, he would have re- 
 tained his honour, and posterity would have 
 vindicated his character though it may have 
 condemned the act; but when he descended 
 from this high position, to vilify the noble 
 men who had pledged their lives, their for- 
 tunes, and their sacred honours in the con- 
 test, and to deride the efforts of those who 
 
54 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 had forsaken home and family to endure the 
 vicissitudes of war^ he assumed a position in 
 American histor}^ in which he has but one 
 associate, and from which the charitable his- 
 torian will never desire to withdraw^ the veil, 
 concealing the only blot that dims the lustre 
 of our Ptevolutionary fame. 
 
 The bearer of this letter to General Wash- 
 ington was an American lad}', the daughter 
 of Doctor Thomas Graeme of Pennsylvania, 
 then the wife of Hugh Ferguson. She w^as 
 a woman of superior character and attain- 
 ments, and, although the wife of an enemy 
 to the countr}^, had the confidence and 
 respect of leading patriots. It is supposed 
 she w^as not acquainted with the contents of 
 the letter, and that her motive was entirely 
 pure. When the letter began to be circu- 
 lated, she was at first suspected as a British 
 emissary; she lived, how^ever, to see all these 
 suspicions dissipated. - 
 
WASHINGTON AND THE DUCHE LETTER. 
 VA LLE^' FORGE 177 7. 
 
VALLEY FORGE. OD 
 
 FROM THE REVEREND JACOB DUCHE. 
 
 [Philadelphia], 8 October, 1777 * 
 
 Sir, 
 If this letter should find you in Council, or in the 
 field, before you read another sentence, I beg you to 
 take the first opportunity of retiring, and weighing its 
 important contents. You are perfectly acquainted 
 with the part I formerly took in the present unhappy 
 contest. I was, indeed, among the first to bear my 
 public testimony against having any recourse to 
 threats, or indulging a thought of an armed oppo- 
 sition. 
 
 * This extraordinary letter was iinmediafely transmitted by 
 "Washington to Congress. In a letter to tlie President of 
 Congress, dated October 16th, which accompanied it, he 
 wrote as follows : 
 
 '• I yestt-rduy, through tlie hands of Mrs. Ferguson, of 
 Ciahani Park, received a letter, of a very curious and extra- 
 ordinai-y nature, from Mr. Jacob Duche, whicli I ];ave 
 thought proper to transmit to Congress. To this ridiculous, 
 illihci-al perfoi-mance, I madeasliort reply, by desiring the 
 bearer of it, if she should hereafter, by any accident, meet MV. 
 Duche, to tell him I should have returned it unopened, it I 
 had had any idea of the contents ; observing, at the same 
 time, that T highly disappi'oved tlie intercourse she seemed to 
 have been carrying on, and expected it would be discontinued. 
 Notwithstanding the authors assertion, I cannot but sus- 
 pect that the measure did not originate with him, and that 
 he was induced to it by the liope of establishing his interest 
 and peace more effectually with the enemy." 
 
56 WAS TI I N G T N AT 
 
 The current, however, was too strong for my feeble 
 efforts to resist. I wished to follow my countrymen 
 as far only as virtue, and the riiihteousness of their 
 cause, would permit me. I was, however, prevailed 
 on, among the rest of my clerical brethren of this 
 city, to gratify the pressing desires of my fellow- 
 citizens, by preaching a sermon to the second city 
 battalion. I was pressed to publish this sermon, and 
 reluctantly consented. From a personal attachment, 
 of nearly twenty years' standing, and a high respect 
 for your character, in private as well as public life, I 
 took the liberty of dedicating this sermon to you. I 
 had your afi'ectionate thanks for my performance, in a 
 letter, wherein was expressed, in the most delicate 
 and obliging terms, your regard for me, and your 
 wishes for a continuance of my friendship and appro- 
 bation of your conduct. Further than this I in- 
 tended not to proceed. My sermon speaks for itself, 
 and wholly disclaims the idea of independency. My 
 sentiments were well known to my friends. I com- 
 municated them, without reserve, to many respectable 
 members of Congress, who expressed their warm ap- 
 probation of it then. I persisted, to the very last 
 moment, to use the prayers for my Soverei<i:n, though 
 threatened with insults from the violence of a party. 
 
 Upon the declaration of independency, I called my 
 vestry, and solemnly put the question to them, whether 
 they thought it best, for the peace and welfiire of the 
 congregation, to shut up the churches, or to continue 
 the service, without using the prayers for the Royal 
 
VALLEY FORGE. hi 
 
 Family. Tliis was the sad alternative. I eonchided 
 to abide by their decision, ;is I could not have time to 
 consult my spiritual superiors in England. They de- 
 termined it most expedient, under such critical circum- 
 stances, to keep open tlie churches, that the congrega- 
 tions might not be dispersed, which we had great 
 reason to apprehend. 
 
 A very few days after the fatal declaration of inde- 
 pendency, I received a letter from Mr. Hancock, sent 
 by express to Germantown, where my family were for 
 the summer season, acquainting me I was appointed 
 Chaplain to the Congress, and desired my attendance next 
 morning, at nine o'clock. Surprised and distressed, as 
 I was, by an event I was not prepared to expect; 
 obliged to give an immediate attendance, without the 
 opportunity of consulting my friends, I easily ac- 
 cepted the appointment. I could have but one mo- 
 tive for taking this step. I thought the churches in 
 danger, and hoped, by this means, to have been instru- 
 mental in preventing those ills I had so much reason 
 to apprehend. I can, however, with truth, declare, I 
 then looked upon independency rather as an expedi- 
 ent, and hazardous, or, indeed, thrown out in terrorem, 
 in order to procure some favorable terms, than a mea- 
 sure that was seriously persisted in, at all events. 
 My sudden change of conduct will clearly evince this 
 to have been my idea of the matter. 
 
 Upon the return of the Committee of Congress, ap- 
 pointed to confer with Lord Howe, I soon discerned 
 their whole intentions. The diiferent accounts which 
 
58 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 eacli member gave of this conference, the time they 
 took to make up the matter for public view, and the 
 amtizing disagreements between the newspaper ac- 
 counts, and the relation I njyself had from the mouth 
 of one of the Committee, convinced me there must 
 have been some unfair and ungenerous procedure. 
 This determination to treat on no other strain than 
 that of independency, which put it out of his Lord- 
 ship's power to mention any terms at all, was sufhcient 
 proof to me that independency was the idol they had 
 long wished to set up, and that, rather than sacrifice 
 this, they would deluge their country with blood. 
 From this moment I determined upon my resignation, 
 and, in the beginning of October, 1776, sent it, in 
 form, to Mr. Hancock, after having officiated only two 
 months and three weeks; and from that time, as far 
 as my safety would permit, I have been opposed to all 
 their measures. 
 
 This circumstantial account of my conduct, I think 
 due to the friendship you were so obliging as to ex- 
 press for me, and, I hope, will be sufficient to justify 
 my seeming inconsistencies in the part I have acted. 
 
 And now, dear Sir, suffer me, in the language of 
 truth and real aifection, to address myself to you. All 
 the world must be convinced you are engaged in the 
 service of your country from motives perfectly disin- 
 terested. You risked every thing that was dear to 
 you, abandoned the sweets of domestitJ-life, whicdi your 
 affluent fortune can give the uninterrupted enjoyment 
 of. But had you, could you have had, the least idea 
 
VALLEYFORGE. 59 
 
 of matters being carried to such a daiiirerous extre- 
 mity ? Your most intimate friends shuddered at the 
 tliought of a separation from the mother country, and 
 I took it for granted that your sentiments coincided 
 with theirs. What, then, can be the consequence of 
 this rash and violent measure, and degeneracy of re- 
 presentation, confusion of councils, blunders without 
 number? The most respectable characters have with- 
 drawn themselves, and are succeeded by a great majo- 
 rity of illiberal and violent men. Take an impartial 
 view of the present Congress, and what can you ex- 
 pect from them ? Your feelings must be greatly hurt 
 by the representation of your native Province. You 
 have no longer a Randolph, a Bland, ov a Braxton, 
 men, whose names will ever be revered, whose de- 
 mands never ran above the first ground on which they 
 set out, and whose truly glorious and virtuous senti- 
 ments I have frequently heard with rapture from their 
 own lips. Oh ! my dear Sir, what a sad contrast of 
 characters now presents; others, whose friends can 
 ne'er mingle with your own. Your Harrison alone 
 remains, and he disgusted with the unworthy asso- 
 ciates. 
 
 As to those of my own Province, some of them are 
 so obscure, that their very names were never in my 
 ears before, and others have only been distinguished 
 for the weakness of their understandings, and the vio- 
 lence of their tempers. One alone I except from the 
 general charge; a man of virtue, dragged reluctantly 
 into their measures, and restrained, by some false ideas 
 
60 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 of lion or, from retreating, after having gone too far. 
 You cannot be at a loss to cliscorer whose name answers 
 to this character. 
 
 From the New England provinces can you find one 
 that, as a gentleman, you could wish to associate with, 
 unless the soft and mild address of Mr. Hancock can 
 atone for his want of every other qualification neces- 
 sary for the seat which he fills? Bankrupts, attor- 
 neys, and men of desperate fortunes are his colleagues. 
 Maryland no longer sends a Tilghman and a Protest- 
 ant Carroll. Carolina has lost her Lynch; and the 
 elder Middleton has retired. Are the dregs of Con- 
 gress, then, still to influence a mind like yours? 
 These are not the men you engaged to serve; these 
 are not the men that America has chosen to represent 
 her. Most of them were chosen by a little, low fac- 
 tion, and the few gentlemen that are among them now 
 are well known to lie on the balance, and looking up 
 to your hand alone to turn the beam. ^Tis you, Sir, 
 and you only, that support the present Congress; of 
 this you must be fully sensible. Long before they 
 left Philadelphia, their dignity and consequence were 
 gone; what must it be now, since their precipitate re- 
 treat? I write with freedom, but without invective ; 
 I know these things to be true, and I write to one 
 whose own observation must have convinced him that 
 it is so. 
 
 After this view of the Congress, turn to the army. 
 The whole world knows that its only existence de- 
 pends upon you ; that your death or captivity dis- 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 61 
 
 perses it in a moment, and that there is not a man on 
 that side the question, in America, capable of succeed- 
 ing you. As to the army itself, what have you to ex- 
 pect from them? Have they not frequently aban-, 
 doned you yourself, in the hour of extremity ? Can 
 you have the least confidence in a set of undisciplined 
 men and officers, many of whom have been taken from 
 the lowest of the people, without principle, without 
 courage ? Take away them that surround your per- 
 son, how very few there are you can ask to sit at your 
 table ! As to your little navy, of that little, what is 
 left? Of the Delaware fleet, part are taken, and the 
 rest must soon surrender. Of those in the other pro- 
 vinces, some are taken, one or two at sea, and others 
 lying unmanned and unrigged in your harbors. 
 
 And, now, where are your resources ? Oh ! my 
 dear Sir, how sadly have you been abused by a faction 
 void of truth, and void of tenderness to you and your 
 country ! They have amused you with hopes of a de- 
 claration of war on the part of France. Believe me, from 
 the best authority, it was a fiction from the first. Early 
 in the year 1776, a French gentleman was introduced 
 to me, with whom I became intimately acquainted. 
 His business, to all appearance, was to speculate in 
 the mercantile way. But, I believe it will be found 
 that in his country he moved in a higher sphere. 
 He saw your cause. He became acquainted with all 
 your military preparations. He was introduced to 
 Congress, and engaged with them in a commercial 
 contract. In the course of our intimacy, he has fre- 
 6 
 
62 V/ A SUING TON AT 
 
 quently told p.ie, that he hoped the Americans would 
 never think of independency. He gave me his reasons : 
 " Independency can never be supported, unless France 
 should declare war against England. I well know 
 the state of her finances. Years to come will not put 
 them in a situation to enter upon a breach with Eng- 
 land. At this moment, there are two pL-v'ties in the 
 Court of Versailles; one enlisted under the Duke de 
 Choiseul, the other under the Count Maurepas. 
 Choiseul has no chance of succeeding, though he is 
 violent for Avar; Maurepas must get the better; he is 
 for economy and peace." This was his information, 
 which I mentioned to several members of Congress. 
 They treated it as a fable, depending entirely on Dr. 
 Franklin's intelligence. 
 
 The truth of the matter is this : — Dr. Franklin built 
 upon the success of Choiseul. Upon his arrival in 
 France, he found him out of place, his counsels repro- 
 bated, and his party dwindled into an insignificant 
 faction. This you may depend upon to be the true 
 state of affairs in France, or the court of Dr. F.; and, 
 further, by vast numbers of letters found on board 
 prizes taken by the king's ships, it appears that all 
 commerce with the merchants, through whom all your 
 supplies have been conveyed, will be at an end, the 
 letters being full of complaints of no remittances from 
 America, and many individuals having generally suf- 
 fered. 
 
 From your friends in England you have nothing to 
 expect. Their numbers have diminished to a cipher; 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 63 
 
 the spirit of the whole nation is in activity; a few 
 sounding names among tlie nobility, though perpetu- 
 all}" ringing in your ears, are without character, with- 
 out influence. Disappointed ambition has made them 
 desperate, and they only wish to make the deluded 
 Americans instruments of revenge. All orders and 
 ranks of men in Great Britain are now unanimous, 
 and determined to risk their all with content. Trade 
 and manufactures are found to flourish, and new chan- 
 nels are continually offering, that will perhaps more 
 than supply the loss of the old. 
 
 In America your harbors are blocked up, your 
 cities fall one after another; fortress after fortress, 
 battle after battle is lost. A British army, after hav- 
 ing passed unmolested through a vast extent of coun- 
 try, have possessed themselves of the Capital of Ame- 
 rica. How unequal the contest! How fruitless the 
 expense of blood! Under so many discouraging cir- 
 cumstances, can virtue, can honor, can the love of 
 your country, prompt you to proceed? Humanity 
 iti^elf, and sure humanity is no stranger to your breast, 
 calls upon you to desist. Your army must perish for 
 want of common necessaries, or thousands of inno- 
 cent families must perish to support them; v/herever 
 they encamp, the country must be impoverished; 
 wherever they march, the troops of Britain will pur- 
 sue, and must complete the destruction which Ame- 
 rica herself has begun. Perhaps it may be said, it is 
 better to die than to be made slaves. This, indeed, is 
 a splendid maxim in theory, and perhaps, in some in- 
 
64 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 stances, may be found experimentally true ; but when 
 there is the least probability of an happy accommoda- 
 tion, surely wisdom and humanity call for some sacri- 
 fices to be made, to prevent inevitable destruction. 
 You well know there is but one invincible bar to such 
 an accommodation; could this be removed, other obsta- 
 cles might readily be removed. It is to you, and you 
 alone, your bleeding country looks, and calls aloud for 
 this sacrifice. Your arm alone has strength sufficient 
 to remove this bar. May heaven inspire you with 
 this glorious resolution of exerting your strength, at 
 this crisis, and immortalizing yourself as friend and 
 guardian to your country! Your penetrating eye 
 needs not more explicit language to discern my mean- 
 ing. AVith that prudence and delicacy, therefore, of 
 which I know you possessed, represent to Congress the 
 indispensable necessity of rescinding the hasty and 
 ill-advised declaration of independency. Recommend, 
 and you have an undoubted right to recommend, an 
 immediate cessation of hostilities. Let the contro- 
 versy be taken up where that declaration left it, and 
 where Lord Howe certainly expected to find it left. 
 Let men of clear and impartial characters, in or out of 
 Congress, liberal in their sentiments, heretofore inde- 
 pendent in their fortunes, — and some such may bo 
 found in America, — be appointed to confer with his 
 Majesty's Commissioners. Let them, if they please, 
 propose some well-digested constitutional plan, to lay 
 before them at the commencement of the negotiation. 
 When they have gone thus far, I am confident the 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 65 
 
 usual happy consequences will ensue; unanimity will 
 immediately take place through the different pro- 
 vinces; thousands vrho are now ardently wishing and 
 praying for such a measure, will step forth, and de- 
 clare themselves the zealous advocates for constitu- 
 tional liberty; and millions will bless the hero that 
 left the field of war, to decide this most important 
 contest with the weapons of wisdom and humanity. 
 
 Oh! Sir, let no false ideas of worldly honor deter 
 you from engaging in so glorious a task. Whatever 
 censure may be thrown out by mean, illiberal minds, 
 your character will rise in the estimation of the vir- 
 tuous and noble. It will appear with lustre in the an- 
 nals of history, and form a glorious contrast to that of 
 those who have fought to obtain conquest, and gratify 
 their own ambition by the destruction of their species 
 and the ruin of their country. Be assured, Sir, that 
 I write not this under the eye of any British officer, 
 or person connected with the British army, or minis- 
 try. The sentiments I express are the real sentiments 
 of my own heart, such as I have long held, and which I 
 should have made known to you by letter before, had I 
 not fully expected an opportunity of a private confer- 
 ence. When you passed through Philadelphia on your 
 way to Wilmington, I was confined, by a severe fit of the 
 gravel, to my chamber; I have since continued much 
 indisposed, and times have been so very distressing, 
 that I had neither spirit to write a letter, nor an op- 
 portunity to convey it when written ; nor do I yet know 
 by what means I shall get these sheets to your hands. 
 
66 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 I would fain hope that I have said nothing by 
 whicli your delicacy can be in the least hurt. If I 
 have, I assure you it has been without the least inten- 
 tion, and, therefore, your candor will lead you to for- 
 give me. I have spoke freely of Congress and of the 
 army; but what I have said is partly from my own 
 knowledge, and partly from the information of some 
 respectable members of the former, and some of the 
 best officers of the latter. I would not offend the 
 meanest person upon earth ; what I say to you I say 
 in confidence, to answer what I cannot but deem a 
 most vcduahle 'purpose. I love my country; I love 
 you; but to the love of truth, the love of peace, and 
 the love of God, I hope I should be enabled, if called 
 upon to the trial, to sacrifice every other inferior love. 
 If the arguments made use of in this letter should 
 have so much influence as to engage you in the glori- 
 ous work which I have warmly recommended, I shall 
 ever deem my success the highest temporal favor that 
 Providence could grant me. Your interposition and 
 advice, I am confident, would meet with a favorable 
 reception from the authority under which you act. 
 
 If it should not, you have an infallible recourse 
 still left; negotiate for your cituntry at the head of 
 your army. After all, it may appear presumption, as 
 an individual, to address himself to you on a subject 
 of sucli magnitude, or to say what measures would 
 best secure the interest and welfare of a whole Conti- 
 nent. The friendly and favorable opinion you have 
 always expressed for me, emboldens me to undertake 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 67 
 
 it, and wliicli has greatly added to the weight of this 
 motive. I have been strongly impressed with a sense 
 of duty upon the occasion, which left my conscience 
 uneasy, and my heart afflicted, till I fully discharged 
 it. I am no enthusiast; the course is new and singu- 
 lar to me; but I could not enjoy one moment's peace 
 till this letter was written. With the most ardent 
 prayers for your spiritual as well as temporal welfare, 
 I am your most 
 
 Obedient and humble friend and servant, 
 
 Jacob Duche. 
 
 " This letter elicited do reply from Wash- 
 ington, and no other notice of it than to 
 enclose it in his despatches to Congress. 
 Copies of it were speedily taken and circu- 
 lated, and it was soon printed in the news- 
 papers. The respectable character of Mr. 
 Duch6, and the remarkable tenor of the 
 letter, gave it notoriety at the time, and 
 caused the particulars to be recorded among 
 the events of history. 
 
 '"'Mr. Duche had married a sister of Mr. 
 Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the 
 Declaration of Independence, who, when the 
 
6S Vv' A S II TXGTON AT 
 
 letter wns written, was at Bordentown, as a 
 iiiember of the Coiilinental Navy Board. A 
 co])}^ was forwarded to Mr. Ilopkinson, and 
 lie wrote a letter to Mr. Diiclie on the sub- 
 ject, which he enclosed to General Washing- 
 ton, that it might be transmitted to him in 
 Philadelphia, through the regular conveyjince 
 of a flag."* 
 
 This letter was received by General Wash- 
 ington, and elicited the following in reply : 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON TO FRANCIS HOPKINSON. 
 Head Quarters, 21 Noveiuber, 1777. 
 Sir, 
 
 I am favoured with yours of the 14th inst., inclos- 
 ing a letter for the Rev. Mr. Duche. 1 will endeavor 
 to forward it to him, but I imauine it will never be 
 permitted to reach his hands. I confess to you, that I 
 was not more surprised than concerned, at receiving 
 so extraordinary a letter from Mr. Duche, of whom I 
 had entertained the most favorable opinion, and I am 
 still willino; to suppose, thnt it was rather dictated by 
 his fears than by bis real sentiments; but I very much 
 doubt whether the great numbers of respectable char- 
 acters, in the state and army, on whom he has bestowed 
 
 * Wasliiiigton's Writings. (Sparks.) Yul. v. 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 69 
 
 the most unprovoked and unmerited abuse, will ever 
 attribute it to the same cause, or forgive the man, who 
 has artfully endeavored to engage me to sacrifice 
 them to purchase my own safety, 
 
 I never intended to make the letter more public, 
 than by laying it before Congress. I thought this a 
 duty, which I owed to myself; for, had any accident 
 happened to the army entrusted to my command, and 
 it had ever afterwards appeared, that such a letter had 
 been written to and received by me, might it not have 
 been said, that I had betrayed my country ? And 
 would not such a correspondence, if kept a secret, have 
 given good grounds for the suspicion ? I thank you 
 for your favorable sentiments, which you are pleased 
 to express of me, and I hope no act of mine will ever 
 induce you to alter them. I am, etc., 
 
 George Washington". 
 
 "Mr.Hopkinson's letter to Duche deserves 
 to be recorded in this place, not more on ac- 
 count of its connexion with the subject, than 
 of the force and feeling with which it is 
 written, and its lofty tone of patriotism and 
 
 public virtue." 
 
 Bordentown, 14 November, 1777. 
 Dear Brother, 
 A letter signed with your name, dated at Philadel- 
 phia, on the 8th of October, and addressed to his 
 Excellency General Washington, is handed about the 
 
70 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 coll^tr3^ Many copies are taken, and T doubt not but 
 it will soon get into the press, and become public 
 throughout the Continent. Words cannot express the 
 grief and consternation that wounded my soul at the 
 sight of this fatal performance. What infatuation 
 could influence you to offer to his Excellency an address 
 filled with gross misrepresentation, illiberal abuse, aiid 
 sentiments unworthy of a man of character? You 
 have endeavoured to screen your own weaknesses by 
 the most artful glosses, and to apologize to the General 
 for the instability of your temper in a manner, that I 
 am sure cannot be satisfactory to your own conscience. 
 
 I could go through this extraordinary letter, and 
 point out to you truth distorted in every leading part. 
 But the world will doubtless do this with a severity, 
 that must be daggers to the sensibilities of your heart. 
 Read that letter over again, and if possible divest 
 yourself of the fears and influence, whatever they were, 
 that induced you to pen it. Consider its contents with 
 an impartial eye, and reflect on the ideas it will 
 naturally raise in the minds of the multitude. 
 
 You will then find, that by a vain and weak effort 
 you have attempted the integrity of one, whose virtue 
 is impregnable to the assaults of fear or flattery, whose 
 judgment needed not your information, and who, I am 
 sure, would have resigned his charge the moment he 
 found it likely to lead him out of the paths of virtue 
 and honor. You will find that you have drawn upon 
 you the resentment of Congress, the resentment of the 
 army, the resentment of many worthy and noble char- 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 71 
 
 acters in England, whom you know not, and the resent- 
 Hjeiit of your insulted country. You have ventured 
 to assert mai)y things at large of tlie affairs of England, 
 France, and America, which are far from being true, 
 and which, from your contracted knowledge in these 
 matters, it is impossible for you to be acquainted with. 
 In the whole of your letter, you have never recom- 
 mended yourself to those, whose favour you seem 
 desirous of obtaining, by expatiatiug on the justice 
 or humanity of their conduct; and at the same time 
 have said everything that can render you odious to 
 those, on whom the happiness of your future life must 
 depend. 
 
 You presumptuously advise our worthy General, on 
 whom millions depend with implicit confidence, to 
 abandon their dearest hopes, and with or without the 
 consent of his constituents, " to negotiate for America at 
 the head of his army.'' 
 
 Would not the blood of the slain in battle rise 
 agaiust such perfidy ? And with whom would you 
 have him negotiate ? Are they not those, w^ho, with- 
 out the sanction of any civil, moral, or religious right, 
 have come three thousand miles to destroy our peace 
 and property, to lay waste yowr native country with fire 
 and sword, and cruelly murder its inhabitants? Look 
 for their justice and honour in their several proclama- 
 tions, and look for their humanity in the jails of New 
 York and Philadelphia, and in your own Potter's 
 Field, The whole force of the reasoning contained in 
 your letter tends to this point; that virtue and honour 
 
72 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 require us to stand by truth, as lonp; as it can be clone 
 with safety, but that her cause may be abandoned on 
 the approach of danger; or, in other words, that the 
 justice of the American cause ought to be squared by 
 the success of her arms. On the whole, I find it im- 
 possible to reconcile the matter and style of this letter 
 with your general conduct, or with the virtues of your 
 heart, I would fain hope, notwithstanding your asser- 
 tion to the contrary, that you wrote it with a bayonet 
 held to your breast, by order of the unprincipled 
 usurpers of your native city. But my chief motive 
 for writing to you at this time is to assure you, that 
 I firmly believe that our just defensive war will be 
 crowned with success, and that we shall ere long re- 
 turn to our habitations in Philadelphia. I would, 
 therefore, most earnestly warn you to evade the dismal 
 consequences of your ill-judged address to our beloved 
 General. Do all you can to wipe off, if possible, its 
 unhappy effects. I tremble for you, for my good sis- 
 ter, and her little family. I tremble for your personal 
 safety. Be assured I write this from true brotherly 
 love. Our intimacy has been of a long duration, even 
 from our early youth; long and uninterrupted, without 
 even a rub in the way; and so long have the sweetness 
 of your manners, and the integrity of your heart, 
 fixed my affections. 
 
 I am perfectly disposed to attribute this unfortunate 
 step to the timidity of your temper, the weakness of 
 your nerves, and the undue influence of those about you. 
 But will the world hold you so excused ? Will the indivi- 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 73 
 
 duals you have so freely censured and characterized with 
 contempt have this tenderness for you ? I fear nut. 
 They will only judge of your conduct by its rashness, 
 and proportion their resentment to their sensibility of 
 the wounds you have given. 
 
 I pray God to inspire you with some means of ex- 
 tricating yourself from this embarrassing difficulty. 
 For my own part, I have well considered the principles 
 on which I took part with my country, and am deter- 
 mined to abide by them to the last extremity. I beg 
 my love to my good mother, and my affectionate sisters, 
 I often think of them with great pain and anxietv, 
 lest they should suffer from the want of those necessary 
 supplies, that are now cut oflP. May Grod preserve 
 them and you in this time of trial. I am, etc., 
 
 Francis Hopkinson. 
 
 ''Mr. Duche went to England with his 
 
 family, and was appointed preacher in the 
 
 Lambeth Asylum, where the fame of his 
 
 eloquence drew around him a large concourse 
 
 of hearers. He was respected by the best 
 
 classes of society, and appears to have 
 
 received a competent remuneration for his 
 
 pastoral services, and to have enjoyed all 
 
 that consideration to which he was entitled 
 
 by his character and profession. He was ill 
 
74 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 Mt ease, however, in a foreign land, and 
 sighed to return to his native country. The 
 following letter is creditable to his heart, and 
 show^s at least that he was constant in his 
 attachments, and ready to confess an error 
 into which he had been betrayed by a weak- 
 ness of judgment." 
 
 JACOB DUCHE TO GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 
 Asylum, Lambeth, 2 April, 1783. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Will your Excellency condescend to accept of a 
 few lines from one, who ever was and wishes still to 
 be your sincere friend, who never intentionally sought 
 to give you a moment's pain, who entertains for you 
 the highest personal respect, and would be happy to be 
 assured under your own hand, that he does not labor 
 under your displeasure, but that yon freely forgive 
 what a weak judgment, but a very affectionate heart, 
 once presumed to advise ? Many circumstances, at 
 present unknown to you, conspired to make me deem it 
 my duty to write to you. Ignorance and simplicity saw 
 not the necessity of your divulging the letter, I am 
 convinced, however, that you could not, in your public 
 station, do otherwise. I cannot say a word in vindica- 
 tion of my conduct but this, that I had been for 
 months before distressed with continual apprehensions 
 for you and all n)y friends without the British lines. 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 75 
 
 I looked upon all as gone; or that nothing could save 
 you, but rescinding the Declaration of Independency. 
 Upon thiji ground alone I presumed to speak ; not to 
 advise an act of base treachery, my soul would have 
 recoiled from the thought; not to surrender your arm}', 
 or betray the righteous cause of your country, but, at 
 the head of that army, siqjporting and mpported hy 
 them, to negotiate with Britain for our constitutional 
 rights. 
 
 Can you then join with my country in pardoning 
 this error of judgment? Will you yet honor me with 
 your great interest and influence, by recommending, at 
 least expressing your approbation of the repeal of an 
 act, that keeps me in a state of banishment from my 
 native country, from the arms of a dear aged father, 
 and the embraces of a numerous circle of valuable and 
 long-loved friends ? Your liberal, generous mind, I 
 am persuaded, will never exclude me wholly from your 
 regard for a mere political error; especially, as you 
 must have heard, that, since the date of that letter, I 
 have led a life of perfect retirement, and since my 
 arrival in England have devoted m^'self wholly to the 
 duties of my profession, and confined my acquaintance 
 to a happy circle of literary and religious friends. 
 
 I have written to my father and many of my 
 friends largely on this subject, requesting them to 
 make such application to the State of Pennsylvania in 
 my behalf, as may be judged necessary and expedient. 
 Should this application be honored with success, I 
 know of nothing that would more effectually satisfv 
 
76 WASHINGTON AT 
 
 my desires in a matter of such importance to m5'self 
 and my family, as a line or two from your Excellency, 
 expressive of your approbation of my return. Tem- 
 poral emoluments are not wanting to induce me to 
 remain for life on this side of the Athmtic. I have 
 been most hospitably received and kindly treated by all 
 ranks of people, and I should be ungrateful not to 
 acknowledge in the strongest terms my obligation to 
 those, who have placed me in the easy and comfortable 
 situation I now enjoy. It is not necessity, therefore, 
 but unalterable affection to my native country, that 
 urges me to seek return. With every good wish and 
 prayer for your best felicity, and my most hearty con- 
 gratulations on the happy event of peace, I have the 
 honor to be your Excellency's most obedient and hum- 
 ble servant, 
 
 Jacob Duche. 
 
 george washington to jacob duche. 
 
 Head Quarters, 10 August, 1783. 
 Sir, 
 I have received your letter of the 2d of April, and, 
 reflecting on its contents, I cannot but say that I am 
 heartily sorry for the occasion which has produced it. 
 Personal enmity I bear none to any man. So far, 
 therefore, as your return to this country depends on 
 my private voice, it would be given in favor of it with 
 cheerfulness. But, removed as I am from the people 
 and policy of the State, in which you formerly re- 
 sided, and to whose determination your case must be 
 
VALLEY FORGE. 77 
 
 submitted, it is my duty, wliatever may be my incli- 
 nation, to leave its decision to its constitutional judges. 
 Should tins be agreeable to your wishes, it cannot fail 
 to meet my entire approbation. I am, &c. 
 
 G-EORGE Washington. 
 
 " The laws of Pennsylvania excluding the 
 refugees from that State, were not repealed 
 till after the adoption of the Constitution of 
 the United States. Mr. Duche returned to 
 Philadelphia in the year 1790, much broken 
 in health, having suffered a paralytic affec- 
 tion. He died in 1794, being then about 
 sixty years of age."* 
 
 * Wasbingtou's Writings. (Sparks.) Yol. v. 
 7* 
 
78 CHRIST CHURCH. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 This fine building ranks among tlie most 
 ancient church edifices in the country, and 
 is connected with many interesting remi- 
 niscences of the past. It was founded in 
 1695, under the care of the Rev. Mr. Clay- 
 ton. The first building erected was humble 
 indeed; it was but one story high, and so 
 low that the ceiling could be touched by 
 the uplifted hand. The bell, which was used 
 to summon the people to worship, swung in 
 the crotch of a large tree in front of the 
 church. 
 
 In 1710, a larger, and far more commodi- 
 ous building was erected, enclosing the old 
 one, in which the congregation continued to 
 
CHRIST CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA, 
 
CHRIST CHURCH. 79 
 
 worship until the new building was suffi- 
 ciently completed to admit of its removal. 
 
 In 1727, the west end of the church, as it 
 now stands, was erected. In 1731, the east- 
 ern side was finished. The building was 
 erected under the supervision of Dr. John 
 Kearslej, of Philadelphia, who is said to 
 have introduced this style of architecture, 
 which is similar to that adopted in the old 
 State House. It is a solid structure, and 
 being built of dark bricks throughout, pre- 
 sents a heavy and sombre appearance. 
 
 The steeple, which is one of the loftiest in 
 the city, was erected in 1753-4 ; it is reputed 
 to be 196 feet in height, and is of an ele- 
 gant form. The means for its construction 
 was raised by a lottery. The chime of bells 
 in this church are very fine, their musical 
 tones break as gently on the sacred stillness 
 of the Sabbath as in days of yore, when the 
 people gathered from the neighboring towns 
 and villages to listen to their harmony. 
 
80 CHRIST CHURCH. 
 
 These bells were sunk in the Delaware be- 
 fore the British entered Philadelphia, but 
 were hung up again immediately after the 
 evacuation of the city. 
 
 Among the revolutionary incidents con- 
 nected with this church, was the destruction 
 of a bust of King George, carved in relief 
 in front of the church. When the contest 
 began, the spirited patriots could no longer 
 brook this effigy of their oppressor amongst 
 them. They mounted to the spot by means 
 of a ladder, and with a hatchet chopped off 
 its head, and otherwise mutilated it. 
 
 With the exception of a few alterations in 
 the interior, the church remains unchanged 
 since the days when Washington and Frank- 
 lin — when Congress and the officers of the 
 Continental army worshipped within its walls. 
 
 The engraving is from a very old picture, 
 with the church surrounded by the humble 
 buildings of the Revolutionary period. 
 
S^'PLTER'S CH URCH, PHILADELPH I A 
 
ST. Peter's church. 81 
 
 ST. PETIl'S eiBECl^ 
 
 St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, ranks 
 among the time-honored Church edifices of 
 the country. Although a fine building, it can 
 boast of but little architectural display. Its 
 exterior is plain, and almost entirely devoid 
 of ornament ; in its style there is some re- 
 semblance to Christ Church, though less 
 ornate, and far more aerial and agreeable in 
 its effect. At the west end, is a high, square 
 brick tower, from which rises a graceful and 
 tapering spire. On its summit is a large 
 ball and golden cross ; from its lofty eleva- 
 tion, this glittering symbol of the Christian 
 faith is a conspicuous object, flashing in the 
 sunlight with a lustre as pure as the redeem- 
 ing faith it represents. 
 
82 ST. Peter's church. 
 
 In beauty of situation this church is unri- 
 valled, the grounds are extensive, of great 
 beauty, and well kept; although situated in 
 the midst of business, and in a densely popu- 
 lated district, there is not within the limits 
 of the city a lovelier or more attractive spot. 
 
 In the cemetery attached to the church 
 are many fine tombs and monuments cover- 
 ing the remains of the honored dead. 
 
 The Rev. Jacob Duch6 was once rector of 
 this church. At the eastern end of the church, 
 marked by an unpretending stone, are buried 
 his wife and several of his family. 
 
 The engraving represents the church only, 
 wathout the adjacent scenery, or the spire, 
 which is a recent addition. It is surrounded 
 by trees, whose rich foliage, in summer, al- 
 most excludes it from view. The church has 
 a fine chime of bells, which are rung on the 
 Sabbath and other appropriate occasions. 
 
UNITED STATES SENATE^ A. D. 1850. 83 
 
 mm $MiB Senate, Jl. p. ) 850. 
 
 In bringing before the public this elegant 
 engraving, the publishers feel confident of 
 having produced a woi'k of great value to 
 the American people ; independent of its in- 
 trinsic merit as a work of art, which is of 
 the highest order, it is pre-eminently na- 
 tional in its character, and must claim the 
 particular attention of the American people 
 as the finest national picture ever produced 
 in the country, whilst the exquisite manner 
 in which the subject is rendered, must com- 
 mand the admiration of every lover of art. 
 The point of time selected by the artist may 
 justly be regarded as the period when the 
 representative greatness of the country had 
 
84 UNITED STATES SENATE, A. D. 1850. 
 
 reached its acme. It represents the cele- 
 brated Henry Clay of Kentucky, delivering 
 his great speech on the state of the Union, 
 in 1850, the last words he ever uttered in 
 that Senate chamber where he had toiled so 
 long and so faithfully in the public service. 
 Around him are beautifully grouped his dis- 
 tinguished cotemporaries, listening with rapt 
 attention to the thrilling eloquence of the re- 
 nowned American orator; prominent among 
 them are the celebrated Daniel AVebster, 
 Millard Fillmore, J. C. Calhoun, Thomas H. 
 Benton, Gen. Cass, Seward, Hale, Houston, 
 King, Bell, of Tennessee, and including the 
 entire number of senators of that session. 
 The picture possesses great additional inte- 
 rest from the fact, that it was the last 
 senate in which the most distinguished of 
 these great men ever appeared together; the 
 congratulations that hailed the settlement of 
 the agitating questions before the country 
 had scarcely ceased, when the voice of 
 
UNITED STATES SENATE, A. D. 1850. 85 
 
 mourning arose in the land, from the North 
 to the South, theEast and the West, it went 
 forth in one commingling cry, for the most 
 distinguished of her sons hnd fallen. With 
 the session of 1850 closed the earthly labors 
 of Clay, Webster, and Calhoun; they passed 
 from the council chamber to the grave, and 
 the halls that had so often echoed to their 
 words of eloquence and power, were destined 
 to know them no more. The portraits in the 
 engraving are universally acknowledged to be 
 the most accurate ever published of these dis- 
 tinguished individuals; they are taken princi- 
 pally from the best daguerreotypes, and from 
 the most reliable portraits that could be pro- 
 cured. The picture is 34 inches by 27 in 
 size, painted by P. Rothermel, of Philadel- 
 phia, in his best style, and engraved by 
 Robert Whitechurch, of London. 
 
 The engraving can be securely rolled, and 
 sent to any part of the country. Persons 
 wishing to ascertain the terms of subscrip- 
 
86 UNITED STATES SENATE, A. D. 1850. 
 
 tion for artist's proofs, colored copies, India 
 or plain proofs, can do so by directing to 
 J. M. Butler, 84 Chestnut Street, Jayne's 
 Granite Building, Philadelphia. 
 
A MERRY-MAKING. 87 
 
 A MERRY-MAKING 
 
 l« THE OLDEN TIME* 
 
 " When the merry bells ring round, 
 And the jocund rebecs sound 
 To many a youth, and many a maid, 
 Dancing in the chequered shade ; 
 And young and old come forth to play 
 On a sunshine holy-day. 
 
 Milton's L' Allegro. 
 
 In this beautiful engraving we have one of 
 those delightful pictures of rural festivity, 
 that, in simplicity and true enjoyment, closely 
 accords with those of our own time. It is 
 one of those scenes which the painter takes 
 an especial interest in portraying. In this 
 composition, we have all the excellencies, 
 the life, vigor, and humor of the old masters, 
 
88 A MERRY-MAKING. 
 
 without the common-place vulgarities that 
 generally distinguished their delineations of 
 rural scenes and festivities. 
 
 In the " huge old oak," that occupies the 
 centre of the picture, we recognize one of 
 those monarchs of the wood, that might well 
 be the pride of the village, or become the 
 boast of a nation. Beneath its wide-spread- 
 ing branches the old and young have gathered 
 in happy groups, intent upon those innocent 
 pastimes that bring no sorrow or bitter re- 
 flections in their train. On the right of the 
 picture, embowered among trees, are clus- 
 tered the lovely cottages, with luxuriant 
 vines and flowers crowning the humble porch 
 Avith loveliness, and sheltering the little win- 
 dows with their graceful foliage. In the fore- 
 ground of the picture is a very fine group. 
 Surrounded by happy children are an aged 
 couple on whom age has descended — 
 
 '• As a geiiorous winter, 
 Frostv but kinillv." 
 
A MERRY-MAKING. 89 
 
 The old lady, who sits quietly sipping her 
 tea before the cottage door, is evidently en- 
 joying the confusion of her aged partner, 
 who, surrounded by a group of happy girls 
 and children, is being led forth to join in the 
 more active pleasures of the scene ; in the 
 middle distance the dance is merrily footed 
 by a group of villagers ; on the left of the 
 picture is a knot of sturdy men engaged in 
 athletic sports, and enjoying themselves in 
 true rustic fashion. 
 
 In the foreground are several fine groups ; 
 in one stands the village booby twirling his 
 hat, thoroughly disconcerted by the angry 
 glances of the lovers whose tete-a-tete he 
 has evidently disturbed ; in another group, 
 the garrulous fortune-teller has grasped the 
 hand of a beautiful girl, who, with half averted 
 frice and mingled look of fear and pleasure, 
 seems to be listening to the usual story of 
 good fortune through life. The only reverse 
 side to this pleasing composition is on the 
 
90 A MERRY-MAKING. 
 
 left of the picture, where a besotted boor, 
 overcome by excess, has sunk helplessly in 
 a chair, his wife stands beside him, holding 
 by the hand her ragged boy; in this touching 
 little episode, in which there is much signi- 
 ficance, we have the only digression from the 
 spirit of happiness prevailing throughout the 
 work. The artist has exhibited such skill 
 in the composition of the various groups, as 
 to constitute a very effective picture; audit 
 is such scenes as this, speaking of the plea-, 
 sant sunshine and the heart's happiness, that 
 are always welcome, even when contemplated 
 with the critic's eye. 
 
 To those who have passed much time amid 
 village scenes, this picture must prove an 
 ever pleasing memento, and a delightful re- 
 miniscence to those who have but occasion- 
 ally been a participant in the happy scene it 
 represents. 
 
 The engraving can be securely rolled, and 
 sent to any part of the countr}'. Persons 
 
A MERRY-MAKING. 91 
 
 wishing to ascertain the terms of subscrip- 
 tion for artist's proofs, colored copies, India 
 or plain proofs, can do so by directing to 
 J. M. Butler, 84 Chestnut Street, Jayne's 
 Granite Building, Philadelphia. - 
 
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