LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 00005726514 '^o'^ :. -^^o^ OK :"^^M". ^^(^ . •^^«< r»^ .N^ SO^s «• **^** l^- /•% •.^.- **^% ll^- /•% '.TO V^^f^^•.^^^ <->^-V' V^V^ V^-'o' ^^.♦" .: '^^«"« "»^, t^^ bV ^ • • • AT <^ • " «^ ^ • • • Ay \.*^ - _,'.•• /%. '•^•' **"% -•.^•- /% •.^•- /% •.!_ v-^^ .v^. X9 'o.T» v^ <> ♦•^V»* 6*^ O 'o, ^» »'^ C° /i .c" ♦: A°^ .. "-w^^^*^% \ip/ ..^'x '^) r. T • ■ A <. ♦/T7T** .&*■ ."^'A <> •'":7r»\o'' tj^ -0.1- v> ■C> •'.. • .W '^ • • » •»:* •'..» ,0 "^ "• .^°"*-. '-^^,^' ..^' ♦MA". U ^ :^^' \ '^^ ^Mi£% "^ ♦^ *jS^'- ^^ 4^ ♦^ ' *'^IIP/ /'X "oW^*\ ^^^% \giK*- /^"\ -oOT^*- ^*^% \1 X-. -,,0 jW -^ ,,,- ^. >^ V*. -it..^^ :. ^v^^ V"^ 1- '»rti?' V c"" •♦•<>. '^o^ :' .♦" ...., -^o -o v" :' r. -^«^o« V* .//^^'X co^:^ife..^°o .^*\.^;>.\ -o v" :' JP-^K. -." >6* •> . V^^'/ \^^'^\/ V^^'/ \*^^*\/ Copyright, 1900. by George W. Bei DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS OF THE CENTURY STANDARD History of the United States FOR HOME STUDENTS THE PROGRESS OF A GREAT NATION FROM THE DISCOVERY OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOVERIES OF THE NORSEMEN, SPANIARDS, ENGLISH AND FRENCH ; THE MOUND BUILDERS; THE AMERICAN INDIANS; FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS ; THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR ; THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND; THE MEXICAN WAR; HISTORY OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR; THE WAR WITH SPAIN; INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR NEW POSSESSIONS PORTO RICO, HAWAII AND THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ALSO BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROGRESSIVE AMERICANS AS EXAMPLES OF MODERN ACHIEVEMENT UNDER OUR GREAT REPUBLIC THE WHOLE FORMING A SUPPLEMENTARY COURSE OF HOME STUDIES IN AMERICAN HISTORY FOR STUDENTS OF ALL AGES TO WHICH IS ADDED A SUPPLEMENT OF AIDS AND HELPS TO THE STUDY OF AMERICAN HISTORY EXPLAINING THE GOVERNMENT OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES; THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE: THE POSTAL SERVICE ; PATENT LAWS ; NATIONAL TIME SYSTEM ; AMERICA'S COMMERCIAL INVASION OF EUROPE ; INTERSTATE COMMERCE LAW; CIVIL SERVICE AND HOW TO OBTAIN A GOVERNMENT POSITION, ETC., ETC. ALSO CONTAINING THE LATEST OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT CENSUS By HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP Magnificently Illustrated with Six Hundred Superb Engravings NATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 235 TO 243 SOUTH AMERICAN STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA. STANDARD History of the United States FOR HOME STUDENTS THE PROGRESS OF A GREAT NATION FROM THE DISCOVERY OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOVERIES OF THE NORSEMEN, SPANIARDS, ENGLISH AND FRENCH; THE MOUND BUILDERS; THE AMERICAN INDIANS; FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS ; THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR ; THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND ; THE MEXICAN WAR ; HISTORY OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR; THE WAR WITH SPAIN; INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR NEW POSSESSIONS PORTO RICO, HAWAII AND THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ALSO BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROGRESSIVE AMERICANS AS EXAMPLES OF MODERN ACHIEVEMENT UNDER OUR GREAT REPUBLIC THE WHOLE FORMING A SUPPLEMENTARY COURSE OF HOME STUDIES IN AMERICAN HISTORY FOR STUDENTS OF ALL AGES TO WHICH IS ADDED A SUPPLEMENT OF AIDS AND HELPS TO THE STUDY OF AMERICAN HISTORY EXPLAINING THE GOVERNMENT OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES; THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE: THE POSTAL SERVICE ; PATENT LAWS ; NATIONAL TIME SYSTEM ; AMERICA'S COMMERCIAL INVASION OF EUROPE ; INTERSTATE COMMERCE LAW; CIVIL SERVICE AND HOW TO OBTAIN A GOVERNMENT POSITION, ETC., ETC. ALSO CONTAINING THE LATEST OFFICL\L GOVERNMENT CENSUS By HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP Magnificently Illustrated with Six Hundred Superb Engravings NATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 235 TO 243 SOUTH AMERICAN STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA. PREFACE. Such is the land designed by God for the home of libert)-. The people to whom He has intrusted it have not abused His good- ness. In the short space of two centuries, the American people have grown from a small handful of hardy adventurers to a "mighty continental nation," increasing with a rapidity that is almost marvellous. They have built up their country on a scale of magnificence of which they are justly proud. They have covered it with powerful and free States, and splendid cities, connected by a network of railwa\'s, telegraphs, navigable rivers, and canals, which bind all the scat- tered parts into one solid whole. They have made a commerce and a system of manufac- tures before which the fabled wealth of Tyre sinks into insignificance. They have created a literature which commands the respect of the world ; they have illustrated their histor\- with deeds of arms not less splendid than their more peaceful achievements, and have given to the world names in every walk of life that will never die. They have shown that liberty and power can go hand in hand; they have made themselves a nation in which God is feared, and of which Christianity is the basis, in which ignorance and vice are des- pised, and in which the great lesson that lib- erty is possible only to an educated and virtuous people is being practically demon- strated. This is a grand history — a record of the highest achievement of humanity — the noblest, most thrilling, and glorious story ever penned on earth. Yet the fact remains that the great mass of the American people arc but imperfectly acquainted with it. There is a real need that we should know better than we do what we have done. It is only by a thoughtful study of our past that we can/ safely provide for the perils of the future. We have triumphed over adversity, and we are now called upon to bear the test of suc- cess. He can be no good citizen who is ignorant of his country's history. In the preparation of this volume, no authority of importance has been overlooked; the author has carefully searched every source of information open to him ; and has availed himself of every fact that could throw new light upon, or impart additional interest to, the subject under consideration. In the narration of military events, he has preferred to give each campaign as a whole rather than to mingle several b}^ presenting the events in chronological order. At the same time he has sought to preserve the inter-relation of events in one field of opera- tions to those in the others. The book is offered to the public in the sincere hope that it may induce its readers to take to heart the lessons which our history teaches, and to set a higher value upon the precious heritage of constitutional liberty which our fathers won for us with their blood, and handed down to us in trust for our .hil- dren's children. CONTENTS. BOOK I. Discovery of the Western Continent. CHAPTER I. Strange People in a Strange Land. Earliest Inhabitants of the United States — The Mound Builders — Remarkable Works Constructed by Them — Evidences of a Primitive Civilization — Indications of the Antiquity of this Period — A Re- markable Cherokee — Who Were the Mound Build- ers — Ancient Phoenicians — False Assumption — The American Indians — Divisions of the Country Among the Tribes — Names and Location of the Various Tribes — Organization and Government of the In- dians — Their Dress, Manners and Customs — Vil- lages — Indian Inventions — The War Dance — Le- gends of the Norsemen Respecting the Discovery of America 17 CHAPTER n. The Voyages of Columbus. Maritime Enterprise in the Fifteenth Centui-y — -The- ories Respecting the Earth's Surface — Christopher Columbus — His Early Life — His Theory of a West- ern Passage to India — His Struggles to Obtain the Means of Making a Voyage — Is Aided by Ferdi- nand and Isabella of Spain — His First Voyage — • Discovery of America — Reception in Spain — His Second Voyage — Settlement of Hayti — Third Voy- age of Columbus — He Reaches the Mainland — Dis- covery of Gold in Hayti — Troubles in the Colony — Columbus Sent to Spain in Irons — Indignation of the Queen — Last Voyage of Columbus — His Ship- wreck — Returns to Spain — Refusal of Ferdinand to Comply with His Promises — Death of Columbus — Amerigo Vespucci — Origin of the Name America 32 CHAPTER ni. English and French Discoveries. Discovery of the North American Continent by John Cabot — Voyages of Sebastian Cabot — The English Fail to Follow Up these Discoveries — Efforts of the French to Explore America — Voyage and Discov- eries of Verrazzani — Cartier Explores the St. Law- rence — Reaches Monlreal — Efforts to Found a Col- ony on the St. Lawrence — Failure — Roberval's Colony — Trading Voyages — Explorations of Cham- plain — Colonization of Nova Scotia — Founding of Quebec — Discovery of Lake Champlain — Arrival of the Jesuits in Canada — Death of Champlain ... 43 CHAPTER IV. The Spaniards i.n America. Settlement of the West Indies — Discovery of the Pa- cific Ocean — Voyage of Magellan — Discovery of Florida — Ponce de Leon's Search fur the Fountain of Youth — Vasquez de Ayllon Kidnaps a Cargo of Indians — Effort of Pamphilo de Narvaez to Con- quer Florida — A Terrible March — The Voyage on the Gulf of Mexico— Fate of the Fleet — Escape of Cabeza de Vaca and His Comrades — Discovery of New Mexico — Ferdinand de Soto — Obtains Leave to Conquer Florida — Sails from Spain — Arrival in Cuba — Departure for Florida — Landing at Tampa Bay — Events of the First Year — De Soto Enters Georgia — Descends the Alabama — Battle of Ma- villa — Destruction of Chickasaw — Sufferings of thf Spaniards — Discovery of the Mississippi — The Spaniards Cross the Great River — De Soto in Ar kansas — Reaches the Mississippi Again — Sickness and Death of De Soto — His Burial — Escape of His Followers to Mexico — The Huguenot Colony in Carolina — Its Failure — The French Settle in Florida — Wrath of Philip II. — Melendez Ordered to Exterminate the Huguenots — Foundation of St. Augustine — Massacre of (he French at Fort Caro- lina — The Vengeance of De (iourges 50 CHAPTER V. The First English Colony. The English Claim to America — Voyages of Fro bisher — Exploits of Sir Francis Drake — .Sir Humph- rey Gilbert — Intends to found a Colony in Anaerica — Is lost at Sea — Sir Walter Raleigh obtains a Pat- ent of Colonization — Discoveries of Amidas and vii CONTENTS. Harlow — Raleigh sends out a Colony to Virginia — Seltlement on Roanoke Island — Its Failure — Arri- val of Grenville — Second Eftbrt of Raleigh to Colo- nize Virginia — Roanoke Island again Settled — The "City of Raleigh" — Virginia Dare — Fate of the Colony— Death of Raleigh — Other Voyages of the English 63 BOOK II. Settlement of America. CHAPTER VI. Captain John Smith and Tocahontas. Formation of the London Company — Conditions of its Charier — Departure of the first Colony — Quarrels during the Voyage — Arrival in the Chesapeake — Settlement of Jamestown — Formation of the Gov- ernment — Character of Captain John Smith — Ex- ploration of the James River — Newport and Smith visit Powhatan — Smith Admitted to the Govern- ment — Explores the Chickahominy — Is Captured and Sentenced to Death — Is Saved by Pocahontas — Gains the Friendship of Powhatan for the Colony —Returns to Jamestown — His Decisive Measures — Return of Newport — .Smith Explores the Chesa- peake Bay — The new Emigrants — Smith compels them to Labor — Smith is Wounded and compelled to return to England — Disasters to the Colony — Ar- rival of Sir Thomas Gates — Jamestown Abandoned — Arrival of Lord Delaware — The Return to James- town — A Change for the Better — New Settlements • — Sir Thomas Gales arrives with Reinforcements — Capture of Pocahontas by Captain Argall — She is Bapti/.ed — Marries John Rolfe — Sir Thomas Dale's Administration — Yeardley Governor — The first Leg- islative Assembly — Representative Government es- tablished in America — The Colonists obtain Wives — Changes in the Government 73 CHAPTER Vn. Progress of the Virginia Colony. Introduction of Negro Slavery into Virginia — Efforts of the Assembly to Restrict Slavery — The Indians At- tempt the Destruction of the Colony — Terrible Suf- ferings of the Whites — Aid from England — The Indian War Begun — King James Revokes the Char- ter of the London Company — Charles I. Desires a Monopoly of the Tobacco Trade — Action of the Assembly — Sir William Berkeley's First Adminis- tration — Severe Measures against Dissenters — Close of the Indian War — Death of Opechancanough — Emigration of Rovolists to Virgini.i — Virgmia and and the Commonwealth— Treaty with England — The Assembly Asserts its Independence of the Gov ernor — The Restoration — Berkeley Chosen Gover- nor by the Assembly — His Hypocrisy 85 CHAPTER Vni. Virginia After the Restoration. Characteristics of the Virginians — Causes of the Suc- cess of the Royalists — Growth of the Aristocratic Class — Berkeley decides against the People — The .\ristocratic Assembly Claims the Right to sit Per- petually — Deprives the Common People of their Liberties — Revival of the Navigation Act by Charles II. — The King bestows Virginia as a Gift upon his Favorites — Protestsof the Assembly — Growing Hos- tility of the Virginians to the Colonial Government — The Indian War — The Governor Refuses to allow the Colonists to Defend themselves — Nathaniel Ba- con — He Marches against the Indians — Rebellion of the People against Berkeley and the Assembly — The Convention — Repeal of the Obnoxious Laws — Berkeley's Duplicity — The People take up Arms — Flight of Berkeley — Destruction of Jamestown — Death of Bacon — Causes of the Failure of the Rebel- lion — Berkeley's Triumph — Execution of the Patriot Leaders — Berkeley's Course Condemned by the King — Death of Berkeley — The Unjust Laws Re- enacted — Lord Culpepper Governor — His Extor- tions — James II. and Virginia — Effects upon Vir- ginia of the Revolution of 1688— -William and Mary College Founded g? CHAPTER IX. The Colonization ok Maryland. Extent of the Territory of Virginia — Clayborn's Traa ing-Posts established — Sir George Calvert, Lord Baltimore — Becomes interested in American coloni- zation — Obtains a Grant of Maryland — Terms of the Charter — A Colony sent out — .\rrival in the Chesapeake — St. Mary's Founded — -Charter of the Colony — Friendly Relations established with the Indians — First Legislature of Maryland — Trouble with Clayborne — Rapid Growth of the Colony — Progress of Popular Liberty — Policy respectiiig the Treatment of the Indians — Clayborne's Rebellion — Law granting Religious toleration enacted — Condi- tion of Maryland under the Commonwealth — The People declared Supreme — Lord Baltimore re- covers his Proprietary Rights — Characteristics of the Colony — Rapid Increase in Population — Charles Calvert, Governor — Death of the second Lord CONTENTS. Baltimore — Roman Catholics disfranchised — Maiy- land becomes a Royal Province — Triumph of the Protestants — Annapolis made the Seat of Govern- ment — Restoration of the Proprietary Government — Continued Prosperity of Maryland 1 1 1 CHAPTER X. The Pilgrim Fathers. Rise of the Puritans — Their Increase in England — They are Persecuted by the English Church and Government- — Conduct of James I. — His Hatred of Puritanism — Puritans take Refuge in Holland — The Congregation of John Robinson — They Escape to Holland — The Pilgrims — their Sojourn at Leyden — They wish to Emigrate to Virginia — Failure of their Negotiations with the London Company — They form a Partnership in England — A Hard Bargain — Departure of the Pilgrims from Holland — Voyage of the " Mayflower " — Arrival in New England — The Agreement on board the " Mayflower" — Car ver chosen Governor — Settlement of Plymouth — The first Winter in New England — Suff'erings of the Pilgrims — Arrival of new Emigrants — Continued Suffering — Assignment of Lands — Friendly In- tercourse with Indians — Samoset and Squanto — Visit of Massasoit — A Threat of War — Bradford's Defiance — Weston's Men — A Narrow Escape — The Colonists Purchase the Interests of their English Partners — Lands Assigned in Fee Simple — The Colony Benefited by the Change — Government of Plymouth — Steady Growth of the Colony .... 121 CHAPTER XI. Skitlement of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Settlement of New Hampshire — The English Puritans determine to form a new Colony in America — The Plymouth Council — A Colony sent ou to Salem under Endicott — Colonization of MriS;.achusetts liay begun — A Charter obtained — Concessions of the King — Progress of the Salem Colony — The Charter and Government of the Colony removed to New England — -'\rrival of Governor Winthrop — Settlement of Boston — Sufferings of thS Colonists — Roger Williams — His Opinions give off'ence to the Authorities — The Success of the Bay Colony Estab- lished — Growth of Popular Liberty — The Ballot Box — Banishment of Roger Williams — He goes \nto the Wilderness — Founds Providence — Growth of Williams's Colony — C nued Growth of Massa- chusetts — Arrival of Sir Henry Vane — Is elected Governor — Mrs. Anne Hutchinson — The Antino- mian Controversy — Mrs. Hutchinson banished — ■ Settlement of Rhode Island — Murder of Mrs. Hutchinson . , Ij8 CHAPTER XII. Colonization ok Connecticut. PAGB Tije Dutch claim the Connecticut Valley — They build a Fort at Hartford — Governor Winslow makes a Ijodgment in Connecticut for the English — With- drawal of the Dutch— The First Efforts of the Eng- lish to Settle Connecticut — Emigration of Hooker and his Cc"gregation — They Settle at Hartford — Winthrop builds a Fort at Saybrook — Hostility of the Indians — Visit of Roger Williams to Miantono- moh — A Brave Deed — The Pequod War — Capture of the Indian Fort — Destruction of the Pequod Tribe — Effect of this War upon the other Tribes — Connecticut Adopts a Constitution — Its Peculiar Features — Settlement of New Haven «5o CHAPTER XIII. The Union of the New England Colonies. Feeling of the Colonies towards England — Hostility of the English Government to New England — Efforts to Introduce Episcopacy — Massachusetts Threatens Resistance — The Revolution in England — Estab- lishment of Free Schools in New England — Har- vard College — The Printing Press — The Long Par- liament Friendly to New England — The United Colonies of New England — Rhode Island obtains a Charter — Maine Annexed to Massachusetts — The Quakers are Persecuted — Efforts to Christianize the Indians — John Eliot, the Apostle to the Indians . . 157 CHAPTER XIV. New England After the Restoration. Arrival of the News of the Restoration of Charles II. — The Regicides in New England — They are Pro- tected — Revival of the Navigation Acts — Effect of this Measure upon the New England Colonies — Massachusetts delays the Proclamation of the King — Connecticut obtains a Charter — Union of New Haven with the Connecticut Colony — Rhode Island given a new Charter — Massachusetts settles her diffi- culties with the Crown — Changes in the Govern- ment — High-handed acts of the Royal Commission- ers — Troubles with the Indians — Injustice of the Whites — King Philip's War — A Forest Hero — An Incident in the Attack upon Hadley — Sufferings of the Colonies — Destruction of the Narragansetts — Death of Philip — Close of the War — England assert* her right to Tax the Colonies — Massachusetts buys Gorges' claims to Maine — New Hampshire made a separate Piovince — James II. Revokes the Charter of Massachusetts — Dudley and Randolph in New England— Andros appointed Governor-General — CONTENTS. II is Tyranny — lie demands the Charier of Connect- icut — It is carried away and Hidden — The Charter Oak — Fall of James II. — The people of Massachu- setts take up Arms — Andros arrested — ElTects of the Revolution ujion New England 166 CHAPTER XV. WlTCHCRAKT IN MASSACHUSETTS. Keailts of the Failure of Massachusetts to Resume her Charter — The New Charter — Loss of the Liberties of the Colony — Union of Plymouth with Massachu- setts Bay — Belief ni Witchcraft — The History of Witchcraft in Massachusetts — The Case of the Good- win Children — Cotton Mather espouses the Cause of the Witches — Samuel Parris — He Originates the Sa- lem Delusion — A Strange History — A Special Court Appointed for the Trial of the Witches — The Vic- tims — Execution of the Rev. George Burroughs — Cotton Mather's Part in the Tragedies — The Gen- eral Court takes Action in behalf of the People — End of the Persecution — ^Failure of Cotton Mather's Attempt » > Save his Credit 1S2 CHAPTER XVL The Settlement ov New York. Voyages of Henry Hudson — He is Employed by the Dutch — Discovery of the Hudson River — Early Dutch Voyages — Adrian Block — Fate of Hudson — The Dutch build a Fort on Manhattan Island — Set- tlement of New Amsterdam — The Province named New Netherlands — Fort Nassau — Peter Minuits Governor — The Dutch Settlement of Delaware — Wouter Van Twiller — Kieft Governor — -His Unjust Treatment of the Indians — Massacre of the Indians at lloboken — The Indian War — Stuyvesant Ap- pointed Governor — Disputes with the English in Connecticut — The Swedes Settle Delaware — Stuy- vesant Captures the Swedish Forts — (Srowth of New Amsterdam — Disputes between tire People and Gov- ernor — Growing Spirit of Popular Liberty — Thf People Appeal to the States General — Capture of New Netherlands by the English — The Name of the Province changed to New York — Results of the English Conquest — Progress of New Jersey — An- dros Governor of New York — He Fails to Establish His Authority over Connecticut — New York allowed an Assembly — Discontents of the People — Leisler's Rebellion — Execution of Leisler and Milbourne — • Fletcher Governor — His Attempt to obtain Com- mand of the Connecticut Militi.i — Episcopacy Es- tablished in New York — The P'reedom of the Press Sustained — New Jersey a Royal Province .... I93 CHAPTER XVn. Colonization of Pennsylvania. The Quakers — Their Origin and Doctrines — William Penn — Becomes a Quaker — Is Persecuted for his Religious C»pinioBS — Becomes interested in Ameri- can Colonization — Purchases West Jersey from the Proprietor — Conceives the Idea of Founding a Free State in America — Purchases Pennsylvania froim Charles II. — Conditions of his Charter — Sends out a Colony — Arrival of Penn in America — Philadel- phia Founded — Penn's Treaty with the Indians — Religious Toleration Guaranteed — Penn's Relations with his Colonists — -Rapid Growtli of Pennsylvania in Population and Prosperity — William Penn and James II. — Renewal of Penn's Troubles — William HI. Declares Pennsylvania a Royal Province — Penn is Vindicated and Restored to his Proprietary Rights — His Return to Pennsylvania — Character of the Settlers of the Province — Penn Goes Back to England — Efforts to deprive him of his Possessions — His Death 21; CHAPTER XVni. Settlement of the Carolinas. Gradual Settlement of North Carolina from Virginia — Charles II. grants Carolina to Clarendon and others — The " Grand Model " — An Ideal Aristocracy Proposed for Carolina — The Authority cf the Pro- prietarie* Established in North Carolina — Con- tinued Settlement of that Region — Characteristics of the Early Settlers of North Carolina — The People Reject the Grand Model — Hostility of England to the Colonial Commerce — ^Insurrection in North Carolina — Slothel Governor — Settlement of South Carolina — Charleston Founded — The Proprietary Constitutions Rejected by South Carolina — Rapid Growth of the Colony- — Introduction of Slavery — Chracteristicsof the Early Settlers of South Carolina — Efforts to Enforce the Navigation Acts — Resis- tance of the People — The Proprietaries Abandon their Constitutions — Archdale's Reforms — Religious Intolerance — Eatablishment of the Church of Eng- land in South Carolina — Action of the Crown — Continued Prosperity of South Carolina — Governor Moore Attacks St. Augustine — Failure of the Effort — The Spaniards are Repulsed in an Attempt to Capture Charleston — Indian War in North Caro- lina — The Tuscaroras Driven Northward — War with the Yemmassees— Destruction of their Power — Separation of the Carolinas 2zj CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. Settlement of Georgia. General James Edward Oglethorpe — His Efforts to Reform Prison Discipline of England — Proposes to Found a Colony in America for the Poor and frr Prisoners for Debt — A Charter Obtained from the King — Colonization of Georgia — Savannah .Settled —First Years of the Colony — Labors of Oglethorpe —Arrival of New Emigrants — Augusta Founded — • fhe Moravian Settlements — The Wesleys in Amer- ica — George Whitelield — War between England and Spain — Oglethorpe Invades Florida — Failure of the Attack upon St. Augustine — The Spaniards In- vade Georgia — Oglethorpe's Stratagem — Its Success —Battle of" Bloody Marsh " — Close of the War — Charges against Oglethorpe — His Vindication — His Return to Europe — Changes in the Colonial Government — Introduction of Slavery into Georgia —Prosperity of the Colony 241 CHAPTER XX. The French in the Valley of the Mississippi. Origin of the Hostility of the Iriquois to the French ■ — .Settlement of Canada — Plans of the French res- pecting the Indians — The Jesuits — Their Work in America — Success of their Missions — The Early Missionaries — Foundation of a College at Quebec — Efforts of the Jesuits to Convsrt the Iroquois — Father Jogues — Death of Ahasistari — Father Allouez — The Missions on the Upper Lakes — Father Marquette — His Exploration of the Upper Mississippi — Death of Marquette — La Salle — ■ Efforts of France to Secure the Valley of the Missis- sippi — La Salle Descends the Mississippi to its Mouth — His Effort to Colonize the Lower Missis- sippi—The First Colony in Texas — Its Failure Death of La Salle — Lemoine d'Ibberville — Settle- ment of Louisiana — Colony of Biloxi — Settlement Mobile — Crozat's Monopoly — Founding of New Orleans — Detroit Founded — Slow Growth of the French Colonies — Occupation of the Ohio Valley by the French — Wars with the Indians — Exter- mination of the Natchez Tribe — War with the Cbickasaws 251 CHAPTER XXI. Conflicts Between the English and French. Relations Between the English and the Five Nations — The Hostility of the Latter to the French — King William's War — Destruction of Dover — The Jesuit Missionaries Incite the Indians to Attack the Eng- lish — Expedition against Quebec — Attack on Dus- tin's Farm — Peace of Ryswick — Hostility of the English to Roman Catholics — Queen Anne's War ■ — Burning of Deerfield — Eunice Williams — Cruel- ties of the French — Effort of New England to Con- quer Acadia — Capture of Port Royal — Failure o( the Expedition against Quebec — King George's War — Expedition against Louisburg — Its Composi- tion — Arrival of the Fleet at Cape Breton — Good Conduct of the Provincials — Capture of Louisburg - — Treaty of Aix-la-Chapeile — Unjust Treatment of the Colonies by England — Sentiment of the Ameri- cans towards England 26> BOOK III. The French and Indian ^Var. CHAPTER XXII. Outbreak of Hostilities. England Claims the Valley of the Ohio — Organiza- tion of the Ohio Company — The French Extend their Posts into the Ohio Country — Washington's Mission to the French at Fort Duquesne — His Jour- ney — Reception by the French — His Journey 1 lome — A Perilous Undertaking — Organization of the Virginia Forces — Washington Made .Second in Command — The French Drive the English from the Head of the Ohio — Fort Duquesne Built by Them — Washington Crosses the Mountains — The Fight at Great Meadows — Beginning of the French and In- dian War— Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French — Unjust Treatment of the Colonial Ofiicers --Congress of the Colonies at New York — Frank- lin's Plan of a Union of the Colonies — Its Failure — Reasons of the British Government for Rejecting It — England Assumes the Direction of the War — Ar- rival of General Braddock — Plan of Campaign — • Obstinacy of Braddock — He Passes the Mountains — Defeat of Braddock — Heroism of Washington- Retreat of Dunbar beyond the Mountains — Vigor- ous Action of Pennsylvania — Annstrong Defeats the Indians and Burns the Town of Kittanning ... 2^, CHAPTER XXIII. Sanguniary Struggles on the Frontier. Expedition against Acadia — Brutal Treatment of the ' Acadians — They Are Expelled from their Country — A Sad Story — Fate of the Acadians — Johnson at Lake George — March of Dieskau — Battle of Lake jeorge— Failure of Shirley's Expedition — Arrivai of the Earl of Loudon — Montcalm in Canada — xil CONTENTS. Capture of Oswego by the Freiich — Outrages of the Earl of Loudon upon New York and Philadelpliia — Expedition against Louisburg — How the Earl of Loudon Beat the P'rench — Capture of Fort William ITcnry by Montcalm — Massacre of the Prisoners by the Indiana — Efforts of Montcalm to Save Them — The Royal Officers Attempt to Cover Their Failures by Outraging the Colonies 29S CHAPTER XXIV. End uv the French and Indian War. A Change for the Better — William Pitt Prime Minister ' — Vigorous Measures Adopted — Recall of the I'Jarl <3f Loudon — Capture of Louisburg — Abercromliie on Lake George — Advances against Ticonderoga — Death of Lord Howe — Failure of the English At- tack upon Ticonderoga — Disgraceful Conduct of Abercrombie — His Retreat — Capture of Fort Fron- tenac — Advance of General Forbes — Grant's Defeat — TheVirginians Again Save the Regulars— Capturi. of Fort Duquesne — Washington Retires from the Army — Ticonderoga and Crown Point Occupied by the English — Capture of Fort Niagara — The Expe- dition against Quebec — Failure of the First Opera- tions — Despondency of Wolfe — He Discovers a Landing-place — Th3 Army Scales the Heights of Abraham— Montcalm's Sui-prise— Battle of the Plains of Abraham — Death of Wolfe — Defeat of the French — Death of Montcalm — Surrender of Quebec — Capture of Montreal — Treaty of Paris — Canada Ceded to England — France Loses all Her American Possessions — The Cherokee War — Hostility of the Indians to the English — Pontiac's War — Death of Pontiac — Bouquet Relieves Fort Duquesne — Results of the War 309 BOOK IV. The American Revolution. CHAPTER XXV. Causes of the Struggle for Independence. ftijustice of Great Britain towards Her Colonies — The "^lavigation Acts — Effects of these Laws upon the Colonies: — Great Britain Seeks to Destroy the Man- ufactures of America — Writs of Assistance — They Are Opposed — Home Manufactures Encouraged by the Americans — Ignorance of Englishmen Concern- ing America — Great Britain Claims the Right to Tax America — Resistance of the Colonists — .Samuel Adams — The Parsons' Cause — Patrick Henry — England Persists in Her Determination to Tax Amer- ica — Passage of the Stamp Act — Resistance of the Colonists — Meeting of the First Colonial Congress — Its Action — William Pitt — Repeal of the Stamp Act — Franklin before the House of Commons — New Taxes Imposed upon America — Increased Re- sistance of the Colonics — Troops Quartered in Bos ton — The " Massacre " — The Non-Importation As sociation — Growth of Hostility to England — Burn- ing of the " Gasp6" — The Tax on Tea Retained by the King — Destiiiction of Tea at Boston — Wrath of the British Government — Boston Harbor Closed -Troops Quartered in Boston— The Colonists Come to the Assistance of Boston — Action of the Virginia Assembly — General Gage in Boston — The Regulat- ing Act — Its Failure — Gage Seizes the Massachu- setts Powder — Uprising of the Colony — Meeting of the Continental Congress — Its Action — Addresses to the King and People of England — The Earl of Chatham'slndorsement of Congress — The King Re- mains Stubborn 327 CHAPTER XXVI. Progress of the War. Gage fortifies Boston Neck — He Summons the Gen- eral Court — Recalls his Proclamation — The Provin- cial Congress of Massachusetts — It takes Measures for Defence — The Militia C)rganized — The Minute Men — Friends of America in England — Gage re- solves to seize the Stores at Concord — Midnight March of the British Troops — The Alarm given — ■ Skirmishes at Lexington and Concord — Retreat of the British — A Terrible March — Uprising of New England — Boston Invested — Dunraore seizes the Virginia Powder — Is made to pay for it — Uprising of the Middle and Southern Colonies — The Meck- lenlmrg Declaration of Independence — Capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point — Meeting of the Sec- ond Cantinental Congress — Congress resolves to sus- tain Massachusetts — Renewed Efforts for Peace — Congress Assumes the General Government of the Colonies — A Federal Union Organized — Its Charac- ter — A Continental Army formed — George Wash- ington Appointed Commander-in-chief — General Officers Appointed — Condition of the Army before Bo.'ton — Inaction of Gage — Battle of Breed's Hill — A. Glorious Defence — The Battle Equiv.alent to a Victory in its Effects upon the Country — .\rrival of Washington at Cambridge — He takes Command of Ihe Army — He Reorganizes the Army — Difficulties of the Undertaking — The Invasion of Canada Re- .solved upon — March of Montgomery and Arnold — Rapid Successes of Montgomery — Me Capture* CONTENTS. Montreal — March of Arnold through the Wilder- ness — Arrival before Quebec- -Forms a Junction with Montgomery — The Siege of Quebec — The Ice Forts — Failure of the Attack — Death of Montgom- ery — Retreat of the Americans from Canada — Lord Dunmore's War in Virginia — Destruction of Nor- folk — The Thirteen United Colonies — Burning of Falmouth — Naval Mattei-s — Action of Great Britain —The War to be carried on — The Hessians . . . 354 CHAPTER XXVII. The Declaration of Independence. r^Ki Siege of Boston — Difficulties of the American Atiijy — Activity of the Privateers — Clinton's Expe- tion — Colol^el Knox arrives from Ticonderoga with Cannon — Seizure of Dorchester Heights by Wash- ington — The British Evacuate Boston — Royalist Plots in New York — Paper Money Issued by Con- gress — Gates sent to the North — The British Attack Charleston — Battle of Fort Moultrie — The Howes in New York Bay — Change in the Character of the War — Growing Sentiment in Favor of Independence — — Virginia Proposes the Colonies Assert their Inde- pendence — Action of Congress — The Declaration of Independence — Articles of Confederation Adopted by Congress — Lord Howe's Efforts at Conciliation — \ddresses a Letter to Washington — Battle of Long island — Defeat of the Americans — Retreat from Loiig Island — Evacuation of New York by the Americans — Loss of Fort Washington — Washington Retreats through New Jersey — He Crosses the Del- aware — Darkest Period of the War — Washington's Determination to Continue the War — Lord Howe's Proclamation — Its Effect — Congress at Baltimore — Carleton invades New York — Defeats Arnold on Lake Champlain — Carleton Retires into Canada — Battle of Trenton — Happy Effects of the Victory —Congress confers Dictatiorial Powers upon Wash .ngton — Commissioners sent to France 377 CHAPTER XXVIII. The Year 1777. iowe Attempts to Cmsh Washington — Battle 01 Princeton — The British Conlineu to the Seaboard — Recovery of New Jersey — The American Army in Winter Quarters at Morristown — Effects of the American Successes — Difficulty of Procmring Troops — Washington Pefuses to Exchange Prisoners — His Course Approved by Congress — Measures of Con- gress — Naval Affairs — Tryon Burns Danbury — Gal- lantry of Arnold — Troubles in the Northern Depart- ment — Congress Adopts a National Flag — " The Stars and Stripes" — Course of France towards the United States — France Decides to Assist the Amer leans — Lafayette — His Arrival in America — Captiu-e of the British General Prescott — Howe Threatens Philadelphia — Washington Moves Southward — Battle of the Brandy wine — Washington Retreats to the Schuylkill — Wayne's Defeat at Paoli — Philadel- phia Exacuated by the Americans — It Is Occupied by the British — Battle of Germantown — The British Attack the Forts on the Delaware — They Are Aban doned by the Americans — Burgoyne's Army in Canada — Advance of Burgoyne into New York — Investment of Ticonderoga — It Is Abandoned by I the Americans— The Retreat to Fort Edward— Burgoyne Reaches the Hudson — Murder of Miss McCrea — Siege of Fort Schuyler — Battle of Ben. nington — Critical Situation of Burgoyne — Gates in Command of the American Army — Battles of Beh- mus' Heights and Stillwater — Surrender ot Bur- goyne's Army — Clinton in the Highlands .... 405 CHAPTER XXIX. Aid From Abroad. Sufferings of the Array at Valley Forge — Appeafc of Washington to Congress — The British in Philadel- phia — The Conway Cabal — Its Disgraceful Failure — Efforts to Improve the Army — Worlhlessness of Continental Bills — General Lee Exchanged — Effect of Burgoyne's Surrender upon England — The King Is Forced to Agree to Measures of Conciliation-^ Action of France — Louis XVI. Recognizes the In- dependence of the United States — Alliance Between the United States and France — Failure of the Brit- 'sh Measm-es of Conciliation — Clinton Evacuates Philadelphia — Battle of Monmouth — General Lee Dismissed from the .\nny — Attack upon Newport — Its Failure — Withdrawal of the French Fleet to the West Indies — Outrages of the British on Long Island Sound — Massacre of Wyoming — the Winter of 1779-80 — The Army in Winter Quarters — Robert Morris — Condition of Congress — Georgia Subdued by the British — Prevost Attempts to Take Charleston — Siege of Savannah — Its Failure — Cap- ture of Stony Point — Capture of Paulus Hook — The Indians Punished — Naval Affairs — Exploits of John Paul Jones — Evacuation of Newport — Settle- ment of Kentucky — Conquest of the Illinois Country hv George Rogers Clarke — Settlement of Tennessee. 4^ CHAPTER XXX. The Close of the War. Severity of the Winter of 1779-S0 — Sufferings of the American Army — Clinton Sails for the Caroli- nas — Colonel Tarleton — Capture of Charleston — Conquest of South Carolina — Gates in Command of the Southern Army — Battle of Camden— Exploits XIV CONTENTS. of Marion and Sumter — Advance of Cornwallis — Battle of King's Mountain— Gates Succeeded by General Greene — Knyphausen's Expeditions into New Jersey — Arrival of the French Fleet and Army — Arnold's Treason — The Plot for the Be- trayal of West Point — Arrest of Major Andr6 — Flight of Arnold — Execution of Andre — Mutiny of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Troops — Meas- ures of Congress — Arnold Captures Richmond, Vir- ginia — Battle of the Cowpens — Masterly Retreat of General Greene — Cornwallis Baffled, — Battle of Guilford Court House — Cornwallis at Wilmington —Battle of Hobkirk's Hill— Siege of Ninety-Six— Execution of Colonel Hayne — Battle of Eutaw Springs — Washington Decides to Attack New York — The French Army on the Hudson — Financial Affairs — Resumption of Specie Payments — Message from the Count De Grasse — Cornwallis at York- town — The American Aimy Moves Southward^ Siege of Yorktown — Surrender of Cornwallis — Ef- fect of the News in England — Indian Troubles— Efforts in England for Peace — Negotiations Opened — Treaty of Paris — End of the War~_The Army Disbanded — Washington Resigns His Commission 450 BOOK V. From the Close of the Revolution to the Civil War. CHAPTER XXXI. The Adoption of the Constitution — Washington's Administration. 'Insettled Condition of the Country — Failure of the Articles of Confederation — Desire for Reform — Meeting of the Federal Convention at Philadelphia — The Constitution of the United States — Adoption of a Decimal Currency — The Northwest Territory — Washington Elected President — His Journey to New York — Establishment of the New Government ■ — The Fiist Cabinet — Financial Measures — Re- moval of the Capital Agieed Upon — The Govern- ment at Philadelphia — The First Census — The In- dians of the Northwest Conquered — Re-electitui of Washington — Division of Parties — The French Revolution — The United States Neutral — Citizen Genet — Eflorts to Commit the United States to the French Alliance — Genet's Recall Demanded — The «' Whiskey Insurrection" — Jay's Treaty with Eng- land — Opposition to It — Negotiations with Algiers Political Disputes — Hostility to Washington — His Farewell Address — Its Effect upon the Country — Election of John Adams to the Presidency — Admis- sion of Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee — Retire- ment of Washington — His Administratiou . . . 481 CHAPTER XXXn. The Administrations of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. PAO Inauguration of John Adams — Aggressions of France upon the United States — The American Commis- sioners Insulted by the French Government — The Alien and Sedition Laws — The United States Pre- pare for War with France — France Signifies her Willingness to Treat — New Commissioners Ap- pointed — Settlement of the Dispute — Hostilities at Sea — Capture of the " Insurgente " and " Ven- geance " — Death of Washington — Removal of the Capital to Washington City — The Second Census — Inauguration of Thomas Jefferson — The President's Message — His First Measures — Admission of Ohio — Louisiana Purchased by the United States — War with the Barbary Powers — Burning of the " Phila- delphia " — Re-election of Mr. Jefferson — Aaron Burr Kills Alexander Hamilton in a Duel — Burr's Subse- quent Career — Fulton's Steamboat — Outrages of England and France upon American Commerce — American Vessels Searched and American Seamen Impressed by England — Efforts to Settle these Questions — Affair of the " Chesapeake" and " Leop- ard" — The Embargo — Results of this Measure- Losses of the Eastern States — Election of James Madison to the Presidency — Repeal of the Embargo. 49^ CHAPTER XXXIII. The Administration of James Madison — The SecoNi' War with England. Inauguration of Mr. Madi.son — Negotiations with Mr. Erskine — Their Failure — Seizure of American Ves- sels in France — Sufferings of American Ship-owners — Great Britain Stations her Ships of War off Amer- can Ports — Affair of the "President" and "Little Belt" — Trouble with the Northwestern Indians — • Tecumseh — Battle of Tippecanoe — Meeting of the Twelfth Congress — Measures for Defence — Admis- sion of Louisiana into the Union — Death of George Clinton — The British Ultimatum — War Declared Against Great Britain — Opposition to the War — The British Offer of Settlement Rejected — The War for "Free Trade and the Sailors' Rights"— Mr. Madi- son Re-elected — Campaign of 1812 — Preparations for the Invasion of Canada General Hull .Sui- renders Detroit to the British — Loss of the Ntnth- western Frontier — Failure of the Attack on Queens- town — Exploitsof the Navy — Captureof the " Guer riere" by the "Constitution" — The Privateers- Russia Offers to Mediate between the United States and England — Financial Affairs — Harrison's Cam- paign — Massacre at the River Basin — Defence of Forts Meigs and Stephenson-Perry's Victory on Lak* CONTENTS. Erie-^Battle of the Thames — Death of Tecumseh — - Recovery of the Northwest — Capture of York — British Attack on Sackett's Harbor Repulsed — Removal of General Dearborn — Failure of the Cam- paign on the Lower Lakes — The Creek War — Jackson's Victories — Naval Affairs — The British Outrages in Chesapeake Bay— Negotiations for Peace — Capture of Fort Erie — Battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane — Siege of Fort Erie — Successes of the Americans — Advance of Prevost — Battle of Plattsburgh — Macdonough's Victory on Lake Cham- plain — Battle of Bladensburg — Capture of Wash- ington — Destruction of the PuKic Buildings by the British — Attack on Baltimore — Death of General Ross — " The Star- Spangled Banner " — The British Attack on the New England Coast — Opposition of New England to the War — The Hartford Conven- tion — The British in Florida — General Jackson Expels Them — Jackson at New Orleans — Arrival ot the British Expedition off the Coast — Vigorous Measures of Jackson — Battle of New Orleans — Defeat of the British— Naval Affairs— The Treaty of Peace — The Barbary Powers Humbled — The Tariff — The Bank of the United States — Admis- sion of Indiana — James Monroe Elected President . 512 CHAPTER XXXIV. Administrations of James Monroe and John Qutncy Adams. inauguration of Mr. Monroe — His Tour through the Eastern Slates — Admission of Mississippi into the Union — Troubles with the Indians — General Jack- son's Vigorous Measures against the Spaniards in Florida — Purchase of Florida by the Onited States — Illinois Becomes a State — The First Steamship • — Maine Admitted into the Union — The Slavery Question — The Missouri Compromise — Admission of Missouri as a State — The Fourth Census — Re- electiou of Mr. Monroe — The Tariff — Protective Policy of the Government — Recognition of the Spanish Republics — -The Monroe Doctrine — Visit of Lafayette to the United States — Retirement of Mr Monroe — John Quincy Adams Elected President — His Inauguration — Rapid Improvement of the Coun- try — Increase of Wealth and Prosperity — Internal Improvements — The Creek Lands in Georgia Ceded to the United .States — Death of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams — The Anti-M.xsons — The Tariff of 1828 — Andrew Jackson Elected President . . . 54S CHAPTER XXXV. Administrations of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. Character of Andrew Jackson — Indian Policy of this Administration — Tlie President Vetoes tlie Bill to Renew the Charter of the United States BanK — De- bate Between Hayne and Webster — Jackson's Quar- rel with Calhourn — Death of ex-President Monroe — The Cholera — Black Hawk's War — Re-election of President Jackson — The Tariff— Action of South Carolina — The Nullification Ordinance — Firmness of the President — The Matter Settled by Compro- mise — Patriotism of Henry Clay — The Removal ol the Deposits — The Seminole War Begun — Great Fire in New York — Settlement of the French Claims — Arkansas Admitted into the Union — The National Debt Paid — Death of ex-President Madi- son — Martin Van Buren Elected President — Michi- gan Admitted into the Union — The Panic of 1837 — ■ Causes of It — Suspension of Specie Payments — Great Distress throughout the Union — The Sub- Treasury — Repudiation of State Debts — The Can- adian Rebellion^The President's Course — The Seminole War Ended — The Anti-Slavery Party — Resolutions of Congress Respecting Slavery- William Henry Harrison Elected President — The Sixth Census 561 CHAPTER XXXVI. Administrations of William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. An Extra Session of Congress Summoned — Death of President Harrison — John Tyi^ CHAPTER XXXVIII. fcOMlNISTRATIONS OF ZacHARY TaYLOR AND MlI.IA' , Fillmore. Character of General Taylor — Department of the Inte- rior — Death of ex-President Polk — The Slavery \gitation — Views of Clay and Webster — California asks admission into the Union — Message of President Taylor— The Omnibus Bill— Efforts of Henry Clay — A Memorable Debate — Webster's " Great Union Speech " — Death of John C. Calhoun — Death of President Taylor — Millard Fillmore becomes Pres- ident — Passage of the Compromise Measures of 1^50 — Death of Henry Clay — Dissatisfaction with the Compromise — The Fugitive Slave Law Nul- lified, by the Northern States — The Nashville Con- vention — Organization of Utah Territory — The Seventh Census — The Expedition of Lopez against Cuba — The Search for Sir John Franklin — The Grinnel] Expedition — Dr. Kane's Voyages — Inaug- uration of Cheap Postage — Laying the Comer. Stone of the new Capitol — Death of Daniel Webster —Arrival of Kossuth — The President Rejects the Tripartite Treaty — Franklin Pierce elected Pres- ident — Death of William R. King . 626 CHAPTER XXXIX. The Administration of Franklin Piercii. PAoa Dispute with Mexico — The Gadsden Purchase — Sur- veys for a Pacific Railway — The Japan Expedition — Treaty with Japan — The Koszta Affair — ^The " Black Warrior " seized by the Cuban Officials- Tire "Ostend Conference" — Dismissal of the British Minister — The Kansas-Nebraska Bill — History of the Bill — Its Passage by Congress — History of the Struggle in Kansas — Conflict between the Pro Slavery and Free Soil Settlers — Lawrence Sacked — Civil War — The Presidential Campaign of 1856 — James Buchanan elected President of the United States — Rapid Increase of the Republican Party . 63 CHAPTER XL. The Administration of James Buchanan. Inauguration of Mr. Buchanan — The Mormon Re- bellion — The Financial Crisis of 1S57 — Laying of the Atlantic Telegraphic Caljle — Minnesota admit- ted into the Union — The San Juan Affair — Admis- sion of Oregon into the Union — The Kansas Ques- tion — The Lecompton Constitution — Its Defeat — The Wyandotte Constitution — Admission of Kansas into the Union — The John Brown Raid — Prompt Action of the Government — Brown and his Ccm- panioiis Surrendeied to the State of Virginia—. Their Trial and Execution — Presidential Campaign of i860 — Rupture of the Democratic Party — -Abra- ham Lincoln elec;ed President of the United States — Secession of South Carolina — Reasons for this Act — Secession of the other Cotton States — Major An» derson Occupies Fort Sumter — ^Trying Position of the General Government — Course of Mr Buchanan —The " Star of the West " fired upon by the South Carolina Batteries — Organization of the Confeder. ate Stales of America — ^Jefferson Davis elected President of the Southern Republic — 1 he Peace Congress — Its Failure 045 BOOK VI. The Civil War. CHAPTER XLI. The Administration of Abraham Lincolw Inauguration of President Lincoln — His History — The Confederate Commissioners at Washington — AttaA upon Fort Sumter by the Confederates — The Pres- ident calls for Troops — Response of the North and West — Secession of the Border States — Opening Events of the War in Virginia — Withdrawal of West Virginia — Admitted into the Union as a Separate itate — Meeting of Congress — The West Virginia CONTENTS. tampaign- -Battle ol Bull Run — The War in Mis- Bouri — Kentucky Occupied — The Blockade — Cap- ture of Port Royal— The "Trent" Affair— Insur- rection in East Tennessee — State of Affairs at the Opening of the Year 1S62 — Edwin M. Stanton made Secretai-y of War — Capture of Forts Henry and Don- elson — The Confederates fall back from Kentucky — Battle of Shiloh— Capture of Island No. 10— Evac- uation of Corinth — Capture of Memphis— Bragg's Kentucky Campaign — His Retreat into Tennessee —Battles of luka and Corinth — Battle of Murfrees- boro'.or Stone River — Grant's Campaign against Vicksburg — Its Failure — The War beyond the Mis- sissippi — Battle of Pea Ridge — Capture of Roanoke Island — Capture of New Orleans— Surrender of Fort Pulaski — The War in Virginia — Johnston's Retreat from Centreville — Battle between the " Monitor " and " Virginia " — The Move to the Peninsula^ lohnston Retreats to the Chickahominy — Battle of Seven Pines — ^Jackson's Successes in the Valley of Virginia — The Seven Days' Battles before Richmond — Battle of Cedar Mountain — Defeat of General Pope's Army — Lee Invades Maryland — Capture of Harper's Ferry — Battles of South Mountain and Antietam — Retreat of Lee into Virginia — McClellan Removed — Battle of Fredericksburg 666 CHAPTER XLII. The Administration of Abraham Lincoln — thk. Civil War — Concluded. rhe Emancipation Proclamation — Battle of Chancel- Inr.sville — Death of Stonewall Jackson — Invasion of the North by Lee's Army — Battle of Gettysburg- Retreat of Lee into Virginia — Grant's Army crosses the Mississippi — Battle of Champion HiUs — Invest ment of Vicksburg — Surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson — Battle of Chickamauga — Rosecrans shut up in Chattanooga — Grant in command of the Western Armies — Battles of Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge — Defeat of Bragg's Array — The Cam- paign in East Tennessee — Retreat of Longstreet — Capture of Galveston — Attack on Charleston — Cap- ture of Fort Wagner — Charleston Bombarded — State of Affairs in the Spring of 1864 — The Red River Expedition — Grant made Lieutenant-General — Advance of the Army of the Potomac — Battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor — Sheri- dan's Raid— Death of General J. E. B. Stuart— Bat- tle of New Market — Early sent into the Valley of Virginia — Butler's Army at Bermuda Hundreds^ Grant crosses the James River — The Siege of Peters- burg begun — Early's Raid upon Washington — Sheri dan defeats Eaily at Winchester and Fisher's Hill — Battle of Cedar Creek— The final Defeat of Early's Army — Sherman's Advance to Atlanta — ^Johnston Removed — Defeat of Hood before Atlanta — Evacu- ation of Atlanta — . Toad's Invasion of Tennessee — Baltle of Franklin — Siege of Nashville — Hood Defeated at Nashville — His Retreat — Sherman's "March to the Sea" — Capture of Savannah — Battle of Mobile Bay — Attack on Fort Fisher— The Confederate Cruisers — Sinking of the "Ala bama" by the " Kearsarge" — Re-election of Pres- ident Lincoln — Admission of Nevada into the Union — The Hampton Roads Peace Conference — Capture of Fort Fisher — Occupa'ion of Wilmington — Sher- man advances through South Carolina — Evacuation of Charleston — Battles of Averasboro' and Benton- ville — Sherman at Goldsboro' — Critical Situation of Lee's Army — Attack on Fort Steadman — Sheridan joins Grant — Advance of Grant's Army — Battle of Five Forks — Attack on Petersburg — Evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg — Retreat of Lee's Army — Richmond Occupied — Surrender of General Lee's Army — Rejoicings in the North — Assas- sination of President Lincoln — Death of Booth — Execution of the Conspirators — Johnston Sur- renders — Surrender of the other Confederate Forces — Capture of Jefferson Davis — Close of the War 719 CHAPTER XLHI. The Administration of Andrew Johnson. The New President — Return of the Army to Civil Life — The Public Debt — The Reconstruction Ques- tion — Action of the President — He declares the Southern States Readmitted into the Union — The Fifteenth Amendment — Meeting of Congress — The Presidert's Acts Annulled — Reconstruction Policy of Congress — The Fourteenth Amendment^The Freedman's Bureau and Civil Rights Bill — The Tenure of Office Act — Admission of Nebraska into the Union — The Southern States Organized as Mil- itary Districts — Admission of Southern States into the Union — The Fourteenth Amendment Ratified — President Johnson's Quarrel with Secretary Stantoa — Impeachment of the President — His Acquittal- Release of Jefferson Davis — Indian War — Tha French in Mexico — Fall of the Mexican Empire- Laying of the Atlantic Telegraph — Purchase of Alaska — Naturlization Treaty with Germany — Treaty with China — Death of General Scott — Death of ex-President Buchanan — General Grant Elected President— The Fifteenth Amendment 790 CHAPTER XLIV. The Administration of Ulysses S. Grant Early Life of President Grant — Completion of thf Pacific Railway — Death of ex-President Pierc« CONTENTS. The Fifteenth Amendment Ratified— The En- forcement Act— The Test Oath Abolished— The Constitutionality of the Legal -Tender Act Affirmed— The Income Tax Repealed — The Alabama Claims — Treaty of Washington — The Geneva Conference — Award in Favor of the United States — Burning of Chicago — The Civil Disabilities Removed from the South- ern People — Re-election of General Grant — Great Fire at Boston — The Modoc War — Murder of General Canby and the Peace Commissioners — Execution of the Modoc Chiefs— The Panic of 1873— Bill for the Re- sumption of Specie Payments — The Centen- nial Exhibition— The Sioux War — Death of General Custer — Presidential Election — The Electoral Commission — Count of the Vote — Hayes Declared Elected 801 CHAPTER XLV. The Administration of Rutherford B. Hayes. Inauguration of President Hayes — Sketch of the New President — Civil Service Reform — Troops in South Carolina — Two Legislatures in Ses- sion — Investigation by President Hayes — Prompt Action — Settlement of the Troubles in South Carolina and Louisiana — General Grant's Tour Around the World — Enthusiastic Reception by the Crowned Heads of Other Nations — Election of General Garfield as Presi- dent 841 CHAPTER XLVI. The Administration of James A. Garfield. General Garfield Declared President — Inaugural Ceremonies — Sketch of the New President — The Star Route Cases — Assassination of Presi- dent Garfield — His Illness — Removal to Long Branch — Death of President Garfield — Inaugu- ration of President Arthur — Indictment of Guiteau for Murder — Trial and Execution of Garfield's Assassin — The Greely Arctic Ex- pedition — Reaching a Point Beyond the Eighty-first Parallel— Lieutenant Lockwood's Heroic Exploit — Celebration of the Landing of William Penn — Great Suspension Bridge between New York and Brooklyn 849 CHAPTER XLVII. The Administr.\tion of Grover Cleveland. Mr. Cleveland's Early Life — Governor of New York — Elected President — Inauguration Cere- monies—The New Cabinet— Death of General Grant — Honors to the Illustrious Dead — Death of General George B. McClellan— Pen- sion Granted to the Widow of President Grant — President Cleveland's Message — Bill Regulating the Presidential Succession— Labor Agitations— Riot at Chicago Instigated by "Anarchists" — Statue of Liberty Enlighten- ing the World— President Cleveland's Mar- riage — Nomination of President Cleveland — Nomination of Benjamin Harrison — Harri- son's Election S64 CHAPTER XLVni. The Administration of Benjamin Harrison. Inauguration of President Harrison —President Harrision's Inaugural Address — Celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of Washington's Inauguration — The New Cabinet — Terrible Calamity at Johnstown — Admission of New States— President's Message to the Fifty-first Congress— Legislation of the First Session of the Fifty-first Congress— The New Tariff Law —Indian War in the Northwest — Death of Sitting Bull — Restriction of Iniigration- Mob Law in New Orleans — Trouble in Chile — Political Conventions of 1S92 — Labor Contes*: at Homestead — Defeat of the Silver Bill . . 378 CHAPTER XLIX. Second Administration of Grover Cleveland Second Inauguration of President Cleveland — The New Cabinet — Extraordinary Session of Congress— Repeal of the Sherman Silver Law —New Tariff Bill— The President Refuses to Sign the Bill— Bland Seigniorage Bill— Utah Admitted as a State — Congress Investigatei the Relations of the United States to Hawaii 898 CHAPTER E. Cuba and Venezuela. Story of Cuban Insurrections— Great Revolution of 184S— Gallant Uprising of the People for Life and Liberty — Long and Bitter Struggle — Political Situation in Cuba 901 CHAPTER LI. Latest Events of American History. Presidential Election of 1896 — Struggle of Cuba for Independence — Blowing up of the Battle- ship Maine — Spanish-American War — Massa- cres of Americans in China — Great Galveston Calamity — Presidential Election of 1900 . . . 917 EMINENT AMERICANS. OUR NEW POSSESSIONS. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Frontispikce. Mounds at Marrietta, Ohio 19 A Dead Town of the Moquis Indians 21 Indian Village in Winter 24 Navajo Boy 25 Pueblo Indian at Prayer 26 Civilized Indian Woman 27 Thorvald Wounded by the Red Men 30 Christopher Columbus 33 Columbus Watching for Land 37 Landing of Columbus 38 Reception of Columbus by Ferdinand and Isabella . 39 Norse Sea-king 41 Sebastian Cabot 44 Samuel Champlain 47 Cabot on the Shores of Labrador 48 The Coast of Florida 51 Hernando Cortez 52 Fernando De Soto 55 The Spaniards Descending the Mississippi after the Death of De Soto 59 The Renowned E.xplorer, Sir Martin Frobisher . . 64 Sir Walter Raleigh 65 Frobisher and His Ships Passing Greenwich .... 66 Queen Elizabeth 67 Murder of White's Assistant 70 Captain John Smith 76 Pocahontas Interceding for the Life of Captain John Smith 78 Pocahontas 80 Building the First House in Jamestown 82 Types of North American Indians 85 Massacre of Settlers by Indians 90 Flight of the Indians after the Ma.ssacre 92 Indian Weapon; 94 King Charles II 99 Indians Making a Midnight Attack upon Settlers . . 103 Bacon Demands the Commission of Berkley .... 105 Cecil, Second Lord Baltimore 113 A Civilized Indian 115 Oliver Cromwell 116 William III iiS Chained Bible, Time of James I 122 , The Puritans in Conference with James I 124 The Pilgrims at Plymouth 126 The " Mayflower " at Plymouth Harbor 128 Governor Brewster's Chair 129 Landing of the Pilgrims 131 The First Church in New England 133 The Treaty between Plymouth Colony and Massasoit 135 John Endicott 135 John Winthrop 141 Roger Williams Seeking Refuge Among the Indians . 145 Landing of Roger Williams at Providence 147 John Hampden lej A Group of Indians 153 Yale College 155 An American Free School 159 John Eliot Preaching to the Indians 162 Indian Medicine Man 164 Indian Life in Their Native Forests 170 King Philip 172 The Burning of Brookfield by the Indians 173 Mrs. Rowlandson Captured by the Indians 175 Sir Edmund Andros 178 The Charter Oak iSo The Rev. Cotton Mather • • . . 183 Execution of the Rev. George Burroughs 189 Nova Zembla — From an Old Print 194 Mock Suns Seen by Early E-tplorers 195 Henry Hudson 196 Hudson Strait 197 Mutiny on Hudson's Ship 198 First Settlement of New York 199 Peter Stuyvesant 203 Gustavus Adolphus 205 Queen Anne 212 William Penn 217 WiUiam Penn's Treaty with the Indians 220 Penn Treaty Monument 221 The Old Swedes' Church, Built in 1641 222 Indian Amusements — Canoe Race between Squaws . 223 The Coast of North Carolina 229 A Settler's Cabin 231, Birds'-Eye View of Charleston, South Carolina . . . 233 Scene on a Tributary of the St. John's River .... 235 xix XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE King George 1 239 General Oglethorpe 243 A Southern Plantation 244 John Wesley 245 George Whiteficld 246 University and Normal School Buiklings at 1 oronto in 1892 254 Falls of St. Anthony 261 Murder of La Salle 263 View of Montreal from Mount Royal 268 Return of the Daughter of Eunice Williams . ... 272 Cruel Murder of Rasle 274 French Explorers Buying Leaden Plates 279 Scenes in the Allegheny Mountains 28 1 The Half King 285 Benjamin Franklin 289 Wills' Creek Meadows 291 Disastrous*Defeat of General Braddock 294 Burning of Kittaning by General Armstrong .... 296 The Palisades of the Hudson 302 Site of Fort William Henry on Lake George .... 305 Montcalm 306 Arrival of ludian Allies at the French Camp .... 307 William Pitt 310 Washington Planting the Flag on Fort Duquesne . . 315 Niagara Falls 317 General James Wolfe 31S Death of General Wolfe before Quebec 320 King George III 321 Visit of Pontiac and the Indians to Major Gl.ulwin . . 324 Scene near the Source of the Raritan River 329 Samuel Adams 332 Patrick Henry ^ij Colonel Barre . . . ■ 335 Hanging a Stamp Act Official in Effigy 337 Stamp Act Official Beaten by the People 339 British Troops in Boston 342 Throwing the Tea Overboard in Boston Harbor . . 347 John Hancock 349 Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia .... 351 The Minute Man . 355 The Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775 35^ Death of Isaac Davis 358 Capture of Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen 360 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration 361 General Israel Putnam 364 General Burgoyne 365 Battle of Bunker Hill 36S Death of Major Pitcairn 370 Bunker Hill Monument 372 General Richard Montgomery 374 General Henry Knox 378 Medal .Struck by Congress in Honor of the Recapture of Boston • 3S0 rAGB Continental Bills 381 Sergeant Jasper at Fort Moultrie 3S3 Independence Hall, Philadelphia 385 House in which the Declaration of Independence was Written, Philadelphia 386 Signing the Declaration of Independence 387 Old Bell of Independence Hall 388 Signatures of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde- pendence 390 General John Sullivan 393 The Declaration of Independence Read to the Army 396 \ General Charles Lee 398 Washington Crossing the Delaware . 401 Washington Calls on Colonel Rahl 403 -American Marksman in a Tree 406 Washington's Quarters at Morristown 408 General Philip Schuyler 411 Flag and Shield 412 Seal of the United State; — Obverse 412 Seal of the United States — Reverse 412 The Marqui„ le Lafayette 413 -Arrest of General Prescott 415 Lafayette and Washington 417 General Burgoyne -Addressing the Indians 420 Ruins of Fort Ticonderoga 421 Herkimer Mortally Wounded ■ .... 423 General John Stark 424 General Horatio Gates 426 -An American Rifleman 431 Louis XVI 434 Sir Henry Clinton 435 Indian Scalp Dance 439 General Benjamin Lincoln 441 Gallant Charge of Count Pulaski • • ■ . 442 General Anthony Wayne 443 Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Lee 444 Paul Jones Seizing the Silver Plate of Lady Selkirk . 445 John Paul Jones 446 Medal Struck in Honor of Paul Jones — Obverse . . 447 Medal .Struck in Honor of Paul Jones — Reverse . . 447 Daniel Boone 44S Lord Cornwallis 453 Tctal Rout of the Loyal Recruits 454 General Francis Marion 455 General Nathaniel Greene • 457 " Now Put Watts into them, Boys," 45S Benedict Arnold 460 Major -Andre 461 Escape of Benedict Arnold 463 General Daniel Morgan 466 Lord Rawden, afterwards Marquis of Hastings . . 468 Scene in the Highlands of the Hudson 471 View of Vorktown 473 Surrender of Lord Cornwallis 474 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xxl Captain Huddy led from Prison to be Hanged . . . 477 Washington's Headquarters at Newburg, New York . 479 The Room with Seven Doors and One Window . . ff9 Oliver Ellsworth 482 Washington's Reception at Trenton 483 Rufus King 484 C. C. Pinckney 485 The Inauguration of Washington 486 George Washington 487 Indian Child in Cradle 488 Alexander Hamilton 489 Rufus Putman 490 John Jay 491 yisher Ames 492 Scene in the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky 493 Washington's Home at Mount Vernon 494 John Adams 497 John Marshall 498 Washington's Grave, Mount ^^ernon 5°*^ Thomas Jefferson 501 Aaron Burr 5'-'- Robert R. Livingston 5°3 Na[X)leon 1 504 Captain (afterward Commodore) Bainbridge and the Dey of Algiers 505 Duel between Burr and Hamilton 506 Fulton's First Steamboat 507 William Pinkney 509 Officers of the "Chesapeake" Surrendering their Swords 510 James Madison 513 A Pioneer Hero's Fight with the Savages 516 John Randolph 517 Stephen Van Rensselaer 519 Massacre by Indians at Fort Dearborn 520 Capture of the " Guerriere" by the "Constitution" . 522 Commodore Hull 523 The '• Wasp" Boarding the " Frolic" 524 Indians Torturing Prisoners 526 Commodore Perry 527 Perry's Victory on Lake Erie 52S Battle of the Thames — Death of Tecumsch .... 529 Captain (afterward Sir Philip) Broke 531 Fight between the" Chesapeake" and the ".Shannon" 533 Sceneof the Battle of Lake Champlain 536 Commodore MacDonough , 537 A New England Farmhouse 539 Joseph Story 540 The Plain of Chalmette — Scene of the Battle of New Orleans S4I Pakenham Leading the Attack on New Orleans . . . 543 Commodore Decatur 544 Decatur and the Dey of Algiers 545 William C. C. Claiborne 546 rAGS James Monroe 5^9 Old Way of Picking Cotton 551 Henry Clay - . . . 553 Unique Cotton Harvester 555 John Quincy Adams 557 Steamboat Loading with Cotton 558 Statue of Jefferson at Washington 559 Daniel Webster 560 Andrew Jackson 562 Robert Y. Hayne 563 A Lumberman's Camp in the Woods of Maine . . . 564 John C. Calhourn 565 Edward Livingston 566 The LTnited States Treasury at Washington, D. C. . • 567 Osceola, Chief of the Seminoles 566 Martin Van Buren 571 Canadian Trappers 574 The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. . . 575 View of the National Capitol at Washington . . . . 577 William Henry Harrison 580 John Tyler 581 Fac-Simile, According to Joe Smith, of the Writing on the Original Plates of the " Book Mormon " . . 583 Murder of the Smiths 584 The Mormon Hand-cart Company Crossing the Plains 5S5 Mormon Tabernacle at Salt Lake, Utah 586 Professor Morse 587 A Village in Texas 588 Santa Anna 589 General Houston 590 General Post Office, Washington 59I James K. Polk 594 Columbia River, Oregon 595 Battle of Palo Alto 598 Major Ringgold Mortally Wounded 599 Charge of the Dragoons 600 General Winfield Scof. 601 Capture of a Battery at Monterey 603 Lieutenant Grant Going for Amnmnition at Mon- terey 604 Mexican Cart and Oxen 607 Battle of Buena Vista 609 General View of the Yosemite Valley 611 The Great Canon and Lower Falls, Yellowstone . . 613 East Side of Plaza — Sante Fe 614 Bombardment of Vera Cruz 616 Battle of Cerro Gordo 6ljr Storming of Chapultepec 621 General Scott Entering the City of Mexico 622 A Mexican Cathedral 623 Hydraulic Mining 624 Zachary Taylor 627 The White House, Washington, D. C 628 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONh. Robert Toombs Millard Fillmore Portraits of Leading Mormons Cuban Fillibusters on the March Sir John V lin ReUcs of Franklin's Polar Voyage Dr. E. K. Kane and his Companions Franklin Pierce Stephen A Douglas Salmon P. Chase Scene on the Allegheny River Charles Sumner James Buchanan The Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah .... Mountain Meadow Massacre Washington Irving Edward Everett Bridge Crossing the Susquehanna River at Harris- burg Jefferson Davis Inauguration of Jefferson Davis Abraham Lincoln William U. Seward Arrival of President Lincoln at the Capitol Fort Prickens Major Anderson Fort Sumter in 1861 Forts Sumter and Moultrie Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor The Confederate Flag The Sixth Massachusetts Regiment Passing through Baltimore Fortifications in and around Washington Portraits of Prominent Federal Generals Map Showing the Shenandoah Valley The Battle of Manassas, or Bull Run Capitol at Richmond Virginia Portraits of Prominent Federal Generals The " Nashville " Destroying a Federal "Merchant- man" Lieutenant-General Polk John M. Mason John Slidell The Arrest of Mason and Slidell on the Rritish Steamer "Trent " Grant's Headquarters near Fort Donelson A View of the Country, Showing Fort Donelson in the Distance Map Showing Pittsburg Landing and Corinth .... Charge of the Federals at Corinth Ironclad Gunboat Island No. lo Burning Horses at Shiloh Massacre of the Morrisites . . . 629 631 632 633 635 636 637 640 642 644 645 647 650 651 652 6S5 658 660 663 664 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 67S 680 6S1 682 684 685 PAM Portraits of Prominent Confederate Generals .... 697 General Sherman at the Outbreak of the War .... 699 Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras Bar .... 700 Portraits of the Principal Naval Commanders during the War 70J The "Merrimac " Sinking the "Cumberland" . . . . 704 General George B. McClellan 706 View of the Chickahominy near Mechanicsville . . . 707 Map of Northern Virginia 708 Lieutenant-General T. J. Jackson 709 Portraits of Prominent Confederate Generals . . . ■ 71 1 Portraits of Prominent Federal Generals 714 Major-General Philip Kearney 7'5 McClellan at the Battle of Antietam 717 View of Antietam Battle Ground 718 Portraits of Some of the Generals of the Army of the Potomac 720 General John Sedgwick 721 General George G. Meade 7^3 Battle of Gettysburg 724 Positions during the First Day's Fight at Gettys- burg 727 Positions during the Second and Third Days' Fight at Gettysburg 727 Map Showing Vicksburg and Us .A i)proaches . . . . 730 Vicksburg, Mississippi 731 Gunboats Running Past Vicksburg at Night .... 732 General John C. Pemberton 733 Grant's Headquarters near Vicksburg 734 Map of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Cam- P-iig'is ■ 735 Positions of the Armies at the B.ittle of Missionary Ridge 736 Grant's Headquarters at Chattanooga 737 Capture of Lookout Mountain 738 Missionary Ridge from the Cemetery at Chattanooga 739 The Attack on Fort Sumter by the Monitor Fleet . . 740 Portraits of Prominent Federal Generals 7-' Fort De Russy 742 Bailey's Red River Dam 743 Grant Writing Dispatches before Crossing the Ripadan 744 Gener.1l James Longstreet . 74$ The Place where Sedgwick was KilleiX 746 General I'itzhugh Lee . . . ' 747 Battle of Cold Harbor 748 Battle of Spottsylvania Court-house 749 General J. E. B. Stuart 750 General Winfield S.Hancock 751 Stuart's Cavalry Cutting Telegraph Wires 752 Pontoon Bridge at Deep Bottom . 753 General Philip H. Sheridan 754 Portraits of Federal Cavalry Commanders 755 Sheridan's Cavalry Charge at Cedar Creek .... 750 LIST Oi- ILLUSTRATIONS. Country between Chattanooga anil Atlanta 757 General Joseph E. Johnston 75S General James B. McPhei son 761 General George II. Thomas 7^2 Portraits of Sherman and some of his Commanders . 763 The Country Traversed by Shennan in His March through Georgia 7^4 Map Showing the City of Mobile and Its Defences . . 765 Commodore David G. Farragiit 766 Cape Fear River and Approaches to Wilmington, N. C • 767 Boat 01 the "Deerhound " Rescuing Captain Semmes 768 Sinking of the " Alabama" by the " Kearsarge ' . . 769 Raphael Semmes 770 Portraits of Prominent Federal Generals 771 Major-General J. M. ochofield 772 Portraits of Federal Cavalry Commanders 773 Interior of Fort Steadman 774 Positions of the Annies near Petersburg, Va 775 General Robert E. Lee 776 The Last Cavalry Charge of the War 777 General John B. Gordon 7^° The McLean House 781 Surrender of General Lee 7S2 General Lee's Farewell to His Soldiers 7S3 Assassination of President Lincoln 7^5 The Grave of President Lincoln 7^^ 'i-»erview between Generals Sherman and Johns- ton 788 Indrew Johnson 79' Ruins of Richmond after the War 792 Fort Warren, Boston Harbor 79j Lincoln Monument in Fairmount Park, Philadel- phia 795 Emperor MaNimilian 79'*^ Natives of Alaska Building Houses 799 Ulysses S. Grant S02 View on the Greene River at the Crossing of the LTnion Pacific Railroad, Wyoming S03 President Grant on his way to the Inauguration. . . 804 Humboldt Palisades, Pacific Railway 805 Cheyenne Indians Reconrioitering the First Traill on tire Pacific Railroad 806 The Geneva Board of Arbitration Settling the Ala- bama Claims 807 The Burning of Chicago 808 Horace Greeley 809 President Grant Passing Through the Rotunda to take the Oath of Office Sio Mrs. U. S. Grant. . Si I Vhe Lava Beds — Scene of the Modoc War .... S12 Scene in the New York Stock Exchange During the Panic of 1S73 814 Scene on the Colorado River S15 View in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River SiS Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia . . . 820 View of the Main Building of the International Cen- tennial Exhibition 822 General J. R. Hawley 824 Intersection of Ninth and Chestnut Streets, Philadel phia 826 Obverse of Centennial Medal • • • . . iS25 Reverse cl Centennial Medal 827 Shoshone Falls, Idaho 828 General George Crook 829 Indians Surprised and Defeated 830 Horseshoe Bend on the Pennsylvania P.ailroad near Altoona 831 Canyon of the Lodore and Greene Rivers, Wyoming. 832 Samuel J. Tilden 833 Thomas A. Hendricks 834 Point P'easant, Ohio, the Birthplace of General Grant 835 Samuel J. Randall 836 The New Department of State, Washington, D. C . . 837 George F. Edmunds 838 Thomas F. Bayard 839 Rutherford B. Hayes 842 William A. Wheeler 843 Arrival of General Grant at San Francisco in the Steamer " City of Tokio " 844 William H. English 845 The " Jeannette ' Crushed by the Ice 846 The Mirage — .\ Scene in the Arctic Regions .... 847 James A. Garfield 850 Mrs. Lucretia R. Garfield 851 James G. Blaine . 853 The Assassination of James A. Garfield 853 Death-bed of James A. Garfield 854 The Catafalque at Cleveland, Ohio 855 James A. Garfield Lying in State In the Rotunda of the Capitol at Washington 856 Chester A. Arthur 857 John A. Logan 85S John G. Carlisle S59 Sanderson's Hope, Upemavik, Baffin Bay 860 Arctic Region — Beechey Head 86I Scene In the Arctic Region — .\mong the Icebergs . . 862 The Brooklyn Suspension Bridge 863 Grover Cleveland 865 Chief Justice Waite Administering the Oath of Office to President Cleveland 8615 Death of General Grant 86^ Cottage in which Grant Died at Mount McGregor . . 8^ General Grant's Temporary Tomb, Riverside ParV, New York S69 Mrs. Frances Folsora Cleveland 872 The New Post Office Buiiding, Philadelphia .... 87^ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The New City Hall, Philadelphia 874 Steamship Docks on the Delaware River .... 875 Allen G. Thurman S76 Levi P. Morton 877 Benjamin Harrison 879 Bird's eye View of New York City 880 The Post Office, New York 8S1 The Battery and Castle Garden, New York . . .882 The Harbor of New York 883 The Break in South Forks Dam, Johnstown, Pa. 884 William McKinley 885 Charles F. Crisp 886 Sitting Bull in his War Dress 887 PAGE . 88S Chief American Horse General Nelson A. Miles Wallace Found After the Wounded Knee Fight Scene on the Yellow Stone River ■ Manila Harbor — Scene of the Great Battle . . Uniforms of U. S Marines and Naval Officers Street Scene in Manila — Philippine Islands . Bombardment of Sau Juan, Porto Rico 933 Lieut. R. P. Hobson 934 Harbor and Fortifications of Santiago 936 Admiral George Dewe)' 953 General Wesley Merritt 954 Garret A. Hobart 985 890 892 929 93' 932 The Supreme Court. The Great Events in American History. Christopher Columbus Sighting Land. Landing of Columbus. De Soto Discovering the Mississippi. Entrance of Cortez into Mexico. Landing of the Pilgrims. Settlement of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth. Penn's Treaty with the Indian.s. The Landing of Roger Williams. Boston Massacre, 1770. Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia. Signing of the Declaration of Independence. George Washington. First Blow for Liberty. Battle of Bennington. Battle of Bunker Hill. Patrick Henry. Putnam's Escape at Horseneck. MoUie Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth. Admiral John Paul Jones. Washington and His Generals. Decatur's Conflict with the " Algerine " at Tripoli General Harrison and Tecumseh. Battle of Tippecanoe. Commodore Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie. Battle of New Orleans. General Scott at the Battle of Cerdo Gordo. United States Senate in 1850. The Home of Abraham Lincoln. Battle of Antietam. Battle of Chancellorsville. Battle of Chickamauga. General George H. Thomas. Battle of Chattanooga. General George G. Meade. Battle of Lookout Mountain. General William T. Sherman. Fall of Petersburg. General P. H. Sheridau. Gay FULL PAGE PHOTOTYPE ENGRAVINGS. rSattle of Cedar Creek. Surrender of General Lee to General Grant. Group of Major Generals During the Civil War. The Capitol, Washington. State, Navy and War Building. Battle of Little Horn River. General George A. Custer. Capture and Death of the Indian Chief, Sitting Bull. William McKinley. Our Celebrated American Naval Heroes. Great American Victory at Manila. Battle of San Juan, near Santiago, Cuba. Cajiture of El Caney and F'ortifications of Santiago, Surrender of Admiral Cervera ou July 3, 1898. Rough Riders. Capture of Manila. Rattle of Caloocan, near Manila. American and Spanish Peace Commissioners. Revolving Gun Used for Coast Defence. Court of Honor Erected to Commemorate the National Peace Jubilee at Philadelphia. Obsequies of President McKinley at the Capitol. President Theodore Roosevelt. Bartholdi Statue of Liberty. Chief Justices of the United States. Betsy Ross House, Philadelphia. U. S. Cruiser " Baltimore." U. S. Cruiser " Petrel." U. S. Cruiser " Philadelphia." U. S. Cruiser " Newark." U. S. Cruiser " Yorktown." U. S. Cruiser "San Francisco." U. S. Cruiser "Columbia." U. S. Cruiser " Chicago.'' U. S. Battleship " Texas." U. S. Battleship "Oregon." U. S. Battleship " Maine." U. S. Battleship " Indiana." U. S. Battleship " Iowa." V. S. Monitor " Miantonomoh." U. S. Ram " Katahdin." U. S. Dynamite Cruiser " Vesuvius." STANDARD HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATK? BOOK 1 Discovery of t^^ "W'esteri) Coi)bii)ei)b CHAPTER I Strange People in a Strange Land _ ,, J X) -u^,, TJ (.mnrtable Works Constructed DV Them — Rarliest Inhabitants of the United States-The MoundBuUders-Remari^able W _^^^ ^^^^.^^^ Evidences of a Primitive Civilization-Ind.cat.on^ ?t^Hames and location of the Various Tribes- Indians-Division of the Conn*ry Among the T^ '^^f/f ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ Customs-Villages-Indian E do not .now who were , ^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ _^::r: ::r'::^':z the inhabitants, or what was the history of North America previous to its discovery and settlement by the Europeans. That it was at some remote period occupiec! by a more civiHzed and powerful race tl:,in the Indians, found by the first explorers, is very certain ; but who ] they were, what was their history, or what the cause of their extinction, are among the profoundest mysteries of the past. Traces as distinct as those which mark the various physical changes which the continent has undergone, exi,-.t to show that these primi- tive inhabitants Wvre both numerous and far advanced in civi'.u xtion ; but this is all that we know concerning them. In various parts of the country, and espe- cially in the valley of the Mississippi, large mounds and other structures of earth and stone, but chiefly of earth, remain to "'--w 2 theje people, to whom the name " Mound Builders" is generally applied. Some of these earthworks embrace as much as fifteen or sixteen miles of embankment. As no domestic animals existed in this country at that period, these works must have been constructed by bringing the earth used in them by hand; a fact which show^ that the primitive population was a larg.: one. The construction of the works proves that they had considerable engineering skill. The square, the circle, the ellipse, and the octagon are all used in these structures being all combined in a single system of works in some places. The proportions are always perfect. The square is always a true square, and the circle a true circle. Many implements and ornaments of copper, silver, and precious stones— such as axes, chisels, knives, bracelets, beads, and pieces of thread and cloth, and well-shaped vases of pottery have been found in these mounds, and show 17 l» DISCOVERY Ol" THE WESTERN CONTINENT. the extent of the civilization of the " Mound Builders" and their knowledge of the arts. In the region of Lake Superior are found old copper mines worked by these ancient people. In one of these mines there was discovered an immense block of copper weighing nearly six tons. It had been left in the process of removal to the top of the mine, nearly thirty feet above, and was sup- ported on logs of wood which were partly petrified. The stone and copper tools used by the miners were discovered Ij'ing about as they had been left by their owners ages before. At the mouth of this mine are piles of earth thrown out in digging it, and out of these embankments trees are growing which are nearly four hundred j'ears old. Who Were the "Mound Builders?" The following interesting account of the mounds and their builders is from the pen of Mr. J. H. Beadle, who has kindly given us permission to quote from his valuable work, entitled T/te Undeveloped West ; In his description, Mr. Beadle says; A people for whom we have no name, vaguely included under the general term of Mound Builders, have left evidences of exten- sive works in the vicinity of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and their tributaries. These are of three kinds : mounds, square and circular inclosures, and raised embank- ments of various forms. Of mounds, the following are most important and best known : One at Grave Creek, West Virginia, 70 feet high and i ,000 feet in circumference at the base; one near Miamisburg, Ohio, 68 feet high and 852 feet in circumference; the great truncated pyramid at Cahokia, Illinois, 700 feet long, 500 wide, and 90 in height ; the immense square mound, with face of 188 feet, near Marietta, Ohio ; and some hun- dreds of inferior mounds from 60 to 30 feet in height, in different States, from Wisconsin to the mouth of the Mississippi. Unlike all the mounds in Mexico and Central and South America, those in our country have no trace of buildings on them. Why? Until I visited Arizona I had no answer. There the solution was easy. In those regions stone was abundant and timber was scarce; here the reverse was the case. Our predecessors built of wood, the others of stone; the works of the latter remain to this day, while wooden buildings would leave no trace after one or two centuries, if indeed they were not burnt by the savages as soon as abandoned. Immense Structures. Of the second class the best known are : the square fortification at Cedar Bank, Scioto River, Ohio, with face of 800 feet, inclosing a mound 245 feet long by 150 broad ; the works four miles north of Chilli- cothe, Ohio, a square and a circular fortifica- tion inclosing twenty acres each ; the graded way near Piketon, Ohio ; about a hundred mounds and inclosures in Ross County, Ohio; the pyramid at Seltzertown, Missis- sippi, 600 feet long and 40 feet high, and a vast number of mounds, inclosures, squares and pyramids on the upper lakes, and scat- tered thiough the Southern and Western States. Every State in this great region contains these ancient structures. By far the greatest division is in Central and South America ; and here we find our- selves at the point where our ancient civiliza- tion reached its height, among works which are the astonishment of explorers and per- plexity of scholars. Yucatan is a vast field for antiquarian research, dotted from one end to the other with the ruins of cities, temples and palaces. But in the great forest which covers the northern half of Guatemala, the -southern half of Yucatan, and parts of other States, covering an area larger than Ohio, is STRANGE PEOPLE IN A STRANGE LAND. 19 to be found the key to our ancient history. Within a few years past cities have been dis- covered which must have contained a popu- lation of a quarter of a milHon, in an advanced condition of civiHzation ; and yet, owing to tbs jealousy of the natives and the indiffer- ence of modern scholars, next to nothing is known, and few scientific researches have been made upon this intensely interesting subject. In my limited space I confine this inquiry mostly to the remains in our own country. 2. They were an agricultural people. The barbarous state requires many times a.<' large an area for the same number of peopU as the civilized state; and the savage cond; tion a much larger. The State of Ohio will support an agricultural population of many millions ; yet it never contained fifty thousand savages. It is easily proven that that portion of the United States east of the Mississippi never contained half a million Indians. It follows, also, that a very large portion of the country around their works MOUNDS AT MARIETTA, OHIO. Fiom what we see in the Western and Southern States, the following conclusions are evident : I. The Mound Builders constituted a considerable population, under one govern- ment. No wandering and feeble tribes could have erected such works ; and the extent of ,he works, evidently many years in erection, as well as their completeness and scientific exactness show the controlling energy of one directing central power, which alone can account for their uniform character. must have been cleared of timber and in cultivated fields. 3. They left our country a long time ago. Nature does not give a forest growth at once to abandoned fields ; a preparatory growth of shrubs and softer timber conu first. But forest trees have been found upon the summit of their mounds, which show, by annual rings and other signs, at least six hundred years of growth. There could be no better proof of their great antiquity. Their works are never found upon the DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. lowest terrace of the formation on the rivers ; though many signs indicate that tliey builS some as nearly on a level with the streams as possible. Their " covered ways," leading down to water, now terminate on the second terrace above. It is demonstrable that of the various terraces — " second bottoms " — on our streams, the lowest was longest in form- ing. From these and many other signs, it is proved that the last of the Mound Builders left the Ohio valley at least a thousand years ago. Kow Long were They Here? 4. i'hey occupied the country, at least the southern part of it, where their popula- tion was densest a very long time. This is shown by the extent of their works, the evidences of their working the copper-mines of the Superior region, and many other proofs. The best judges estimate that nearly a thousand years elapsed from the time of their entrance till their departure from the Mississippi valley. 5. At the south they were at peace; but as they advanced northward, they came more and more into contact with the wild tribes, before whom they finally retired — again towards the south. These facts are clearly proved by the increase of fortifica- tions northward, and broad flat mounds, suitable only for buildings, southward. So much for proof; and, connecting these with other proofs, the latest antiquarians are of the opinion that the Toltecs — the civilized race preceding the Aztecs — were our Mound Builders. This opinion is the only reason- able one that can be fot-med under all the circumstances. When we pass to ii'e more southern ruins the proofs of great antiquity, large population and long occupation are vastly increased. Some of them have been alluded to= The great forest of Guatemala and Yucatan is nearly as large as Ohio and Indiana combined, and could easily have sustained a civilized population of ten mil- lions. The Aztecs, whom the Spaniards found, were the last of at least three civilized races, and much inferior to the Toltecs immediately preceding them. Their history indicates that they were merely one of the original races, who overthrew and mingled with the Toltecs, adopting part of their re- ligion and civilization. The Peruvian Incas, found by Pizarro, seemed to have been the second in the series of races. But civiliza- tion is not spontaneous ; it must have re- quired nearly a thousand years for the first of the three dynasties to have developed art and learning far enough to erect the build- ings we find. To that race before the Incas, the authors of the original civilization, De Bourbourg and others have given the name of Colhuas. What may Reasonably be Conjectured. Thus we have the series: a thousand years since the Mound Builders left our country ; a previous thousand years of set- tlement and occupation, and a thousand years for the precedent civilization to develop. Or, beginning in Mexico, etc.: a thousand years of Spaniard and Aztec ; a previous thousand years for Toltec migration and settlement, and a thousand years before thai for the Colhuas to develop, flourish and decline. This carries us back to the time when the same course of events was inaugu- rated on the Eastern Continent. We know that it has required so long to produce all we see in Europe and Asia; all reasoning, by analogy, goes to show that at least as long a time has been required to produce equally great evidences in America. Besides a host of surmises there have been at least nine theories promulgated, and strenulously defended, in regard to *^^he origin of this civilization. I STRANGE PEOPLE IN A STRANGE EAND. 21 such a people as the Jews could, in a few centuries, lose all trace of their language, religion, form of government, art, science and general knowledge,and sink into a tribe !. The Jewish theory. Some sixty years since Major Noah maintained that the "Lost Tribes " were the ancestors of the American Indians and the builders of the ruins de- A DEAD TOWN OF 1'HE MOQUIS INDIANS. scribed ; and a few others held that, if not the Ten Tribes, there was a Jewish Colony. It would certainly be an amazing thing if of barbarians. But when we add that their bodily shape must have completely changed, their skulls lengthened, the beard DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. dropped from their faces, and their lan- guage undergone a reversion from a deriv- ative to a primitive type — a thing unknown in any human tongue — the supposition be- comes too monstrous even to be discussed,. 2. The Malay theory is that a gi-at Malay Empire, once existing in the island of Malaysia, planted colonies here ; but this is easily disproved. Works of the Phoenicians. 3. The Phcenician theory : that those ancient navigators planted colonies in Amer- ica. If correct, this would be certain of demonstration ; for they were pre-eminently a people of letters and monuments. The Phcenician alphabet is the parent of all the alphabets of Europe except the Turkish. They nmst have left some trace ot their lan- guage But none has been found. Nor can any similarity be traced in the ruins with the works of the Phcenicians. 4. 5,6. The Assj'rian, Egyptian and Roman theories fell for the same reasons as the Phoenician. The works of none of these people have any marked resemblance to those found in America. A pyramid or temple here is no more like an Egyptian or Assyrian one than a Chinese pagoda is like an American church. 7. The Northmen in America have been credited with these works. It is barely possible the remains in the United States might be thus accounted for; but how about the far more extensive and elaborate works in Mexico, Central and South America? The cause ascribed is utterly inadequate for the effect. 8. The Chinese or Tartary theory is, that about the year 1250 Kublai Khan sen; Tartar colonies to America; that among them were some Nestorian Christians, which accounts for the crosses found. The time is utterly inadequate. Palenque and Copan were built and abandoned before the yeaf 1250. 9. The Atlantean theory is, by far, the most brilliant and fascinating of all proposed, and appeals with subtle power to the imagi- nation. It is propounded by Brasseur de Bourbourg, who maintains that the Island of Atlantis, often mentioned by ancient poets had a real existence ; that it extended nearly across the Atlantic, and was the cradle of civilization ; that it actually sank in the sea as the Greek poets tell us, and that the West India Islands are the only portions that remain above water. He conjectures that from this common centre civilization spread east and west, and supports this view by numerous traditions from both sides of the Atlantic. Of this theory we must regretfully say, " Not proven." A False Assumption. To dispose of so many theories to make way for my own opinion, is scarcely in keeping with the modesty I had proposed to myself; but, in my humble judgment, these theorists all start from one fatal assumption : that this civilization was necessarily an exotic. Why not a civilization native to America as well as to any other country ? I would sug- gest that a good basis might be laid by analogy with the course of civilization in Europe. There it began in the South, spread slowly by successive developments towards the North, where it was overwhelmed and driven back, as it were, by an irruption of barbarians ; it again revived in the South, and slowly extended to the North, where it is now advanced beyond the original. Similarly here the Colhuas originated civilization in the South ; their successors the Toltecs, carried it towards the North, about the line of Ohio, they encountered the irruption of northern barbarians, and slowly retired towards the South ; there civilization iSTRANGE PEOPLE IN A STRANGE 1.AND. 23 again revived, and ..as steadiVy acNctncing towards the North when the Spaniards came and destroyed it. On each continent the full cycle required a period of about three thousand years. On this basis I should place the Moquis and other Pueblo races the last in a series of four, the second the greatest, and a decline thence to the last: Colhaus, Toltecs, Aztecs, Pueblos. In summing up, why are we reduced to the necessity of adopting any hypothesis of an Eastern origin > Is it unreasonable to believe that self-improve- ment began among savages in America, as it did three thousand years ago among savages in Egypt and Greece ? Does sound philos- ophy forbid the theory of a spontaneous civilization in America? We are, perhaps, too much in the habit of thinking that everything really good originated with our branch of the human race. To my mind, the evidences are many — though a profound American archseologist might smile at the supposition — that this civilization was siii generis, native and not derived. A Remarkable Indian. We now know that in China a civiliza- tion developed spontaneously, totally unlike and receiving no aid from that of Europe. Two starting points proved, what is there to forbid the idea of a third? This is as dis- tinct from the European as is the Chinese ; it shows no signs of derivation, and facts indicate clearly that the native mind of Amer- ica is naturally equal to either of the others. Within the memory of man a Cherokee has invented a complete alphabet, one serving the purpose in his language better than ours does in the English. (Better because each letter represents invariably one and the same sound). This fact is worth a volume of con- jecture. It shows that the human mind was slowly working toward something better in America, the same as in P^urope, the only difference being that, from reasons of race or climate, it there got an earlier start, Outgrowing Barbarism. And as to the northern barbarians wl destroyed this civilization, why arc we drive;. to inventing a plausible theory as to how they crossed from Asia ? On the whole, I incline to flank all the difficulties of the main question thus : America, as shown by geo- logy, is the oldest of the continents, and it is quite reasonable, therefore, to suppose was early inhabited. This race had a native genius peculiarly its own, totally unlike that which developed in Asia the Chinese civili- zation, or that in Europe which created that of the Greek and Roman and the later nations. Like them, many hundreds of years passed in barbarism before even a start was apparent. But civilization did begin in Amer- ica, and was reviving from its first overthrow when the whites came. Mexico had advanced through the savage and barbarous to the half-civilized state; the New England tribes had taken the first steps toward improvement, and the New York Indians had already a political organization, code of laws, national confederacy and sys- tem of representative council and govern- ment. Had the whites discovered America a thousand years later, they might have found on the Atlantic coast a completed native civilization as perfect as that of China to-day. The innate power of the Indian mind among the superior tribes is evident. The inferior ones would have perished as did inferior aboriginal races before Asiatic and European oivilization. The foregoing theories, by Mr. Beadle, are doubtless the best solution to this problem. At the time of its discovery by the whites" the Indians were the sole human occupants of the continent, which was covered with vast 24 DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. wooJs aiiu plains abounding with game of every description. Though nominally divided into tribes and " nations," the Indians were really one great family in physical appearance, manners, cus- toms, religion, and in the observance of their social and political systems. The division and Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware. Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina as far south as Cape Fear, a large part of Kentucky and Tennessee, and nearly all of Ohio, Indi- ana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Min- nesota. This nation was subdivided into the following tribes: the Ottawas, Chippewas, /lAN VILLAGE IN WINTER. into tribes was the result of their difference in language. Each tribe had a dialect pecu- liar to itself and distinct from those of the others. The tribes were for the most part hostile to and were constantly engaged in war with each other. They were generally divided into eight nations, speaking eight radically distinct languages. These were: I. Tlie Algo>iq?ti7ts, who inhabited the ter- ritory now comprised in the six New Eng- land States, the eastern oart of New York Sacs and Foxes, Miamis, Potawatomies, Shawnees, Powhatans, Delawarcs, Mohegans, Narragansetts and Pequods. The Famous "Five Nations " II. Iroqiwis, who occupied almost all of that part of Canada south of the Ottawa, and between lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, the greater part of New York, and the country lying along the south shore of Lake Erie, now included in the States of Ohio and Penn- sylvania. This territory, it will be seen, •-^i*- • >• • •<• -•►-• VENEZOBLA. PAKAGUAT. DBNMASK. HANOVBR. fO^ FLAGS OF ALL NATIONS. ■ < " • ► • -•►- ■ <• -^ — «i-^ ABOENTINB BBPUBLIO. PHTLADELPHIA C3ITT. SANDWICH ISLANDS. FLAGS OF ALL NATIONS. m ^> ■•►Ht ■ <* »» • ^* ■•►-• 8WITZBRLAND. MBW QSANASA. FLAGS OF ALL NATIONS. *-r, he sailed southward for 150 miles, and then turned northward, examining th'5 coast as he proceeded on his journey. An Earthly Paradise. Verrazzani was surprised and delighted bjr the appearance of the new country and its^ inhabitants. The latter welcomed with hos- pitality the strangers whom they had not yet learned to fear, and the Europeans, on their part, regarded with wonder the " russet "- colored natives in their dress of skins orna- mented with feathers. Judging from the accounts which they carried to Europe, the voyagers regarded the country as a sort of terrestrial paradise. " Their imagination could not conceive of more delightful fields and forests ; the groves spreading perfumes far from the shore, gave promise of the spices of the East; and the color of the earth argued an abundance of gold." The harbor' of New York and Newport were carefullj explored, and in the latter the voyagers remained fifteen days. They then proceeded along the New England coast to Nova Scotia, and still farther to the north. They found the natives here less friendly than those farther south. A Portu- guese commander, Caspar Cortereal, had visited their coast a few years before, and had carried away some of their number and sold them ''nto slavery. Returning to France, Verrazzani published an account of his voyage. This narrative forms the earliest original description now in existence of the American coast, and added very much to the knowledge of the Euro- peans concerning this country. France at a subsequentperiod based, upon Verrazzani's discoveries, her claim to the whole coast of America from Newfoundland to South Car- olina. The French, however, were not des- tined to obtain a foothold in the new world The struggle in which Francis I. was engaged with the Emperor Charles V. pi e 46 DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. vented him from taking advantage of these discoveries, and nothing was done with regard to them by the French until ten years later, when Chabot, Admiral of France, induced King Francis to make another effort to explore and colonize America. An expedi- tion was fitted out, placed under the com- mand of James Cartier, a mariner of St. Malo, and despatched in April, 1534, for the pur- pose of exploring the American coast with a view to colonizing it. A quick voyage of twenty days carried Cartier to Newfound- land. Having passed through the straits of Belleisle, he crossed the gulf and entered a bay which he named Des Chaleurs, from the extreme heat.« he e.xperienced there. France Sends Out a Colony. He proceeded along the coast as far as the small ii/^et called Gaspe, where he landed and took formal possession of the country in the name of the king of France. Leaving Gaspe Bay Cartier discovered the great river of Canada, and sailed up the stream until he could see the land on either side. His explorations consumed the months of May, June and July. Being unprepared to pass the ivinter in America, the fleet sailed for Europe. The reports of Cartier concerning America aroused the deepest interest in France, and it was determined by the government to pro- ceed at once to the founding of a colony in the new world. A fleet of three well-equipped ehips was fitted out, and volunteers from some of the noblest families in France were not lacking. The whole company repaired to the cathedral, where they received the bishop's blessing, and on the nineteenth of May, 1535, the expedition sailed from St. Malo. The voyage was long and stormy, but Newfoundland was reached at length. Passing through the straits of Belleisle, they entered the gulf lying west of Newfoundland on the tenth of August, the festival of St. Lawrence the Martyr, and gave to the gulf the name of that saint, which was subsequently applied to the great river emptying into it A Beautiful Country. The voyagers ascended the stream to the island since called Orleans. There the fleet anchored, while Cartier proceeded farther up the river to the chief Indian settlement on the island of Hochelega. It was the delightful season of September, and the country was beautiful and inviting. Cartier ascended a hill at the foot of which the Indian settle- ment lay, and gazed with admiration at the magnificent region which spread out before him. He named the hill Mont Real, or Royal Mount, a name which is now borne by the island and by the great city which marks the site of Indian village. The balminess of the autunm induced Cartier to hope that the climate would prove as mild as that of France ; but a rigorous winter, which was rendered horrible by the prevalence of scurvy among the ships' crews, disheartened the whole expedition. The winter was spent at the Isle of Orleans, and in the early spring Cartier erected a cross on the shore, to which was affixed a shield inscribed with the arms of France and a legend declaring Francis I. the true and rightful king of the country. The fleet then sailed for France, and arrived at St. Malo on the sixth of July, 1536. Cartier published a truthful account of his voyage, setting forth the severity of the Canadian climate and the absence of mines of precious metals. His report checked for the time the enthu- siasm with which the French had regarded America, and for four years the plan of col- onizing the new country was laid aside, and all attempts were abandoned until a more favorable opportunity should present itself. Some ardent spirits, however, still believed in the possibility of planting successful col- onies in the new world and bringing that ENGLISH AND FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 47 vast r'.gion under the dominion of France. Among these was Francis de la Roque, lord of Roberval, a nobleman of Picardy. He was appointed, by King Francis, Viceroy of the territories on or near the gulf and river of St. Lawrence, to which the high-sounding name of Norimbega was given, and was jempowered to colonize it. The assistance of Cartier was necessary to such an undertak- ing, and he had the additional advantage of possessing the entire confidence of his royal master the king. Roberval was forced to employ him, and Cartier was given author- ity by the king to search the prisons and take from them such persons as he needed for the expedition. Roberval and Cartier, however, failed to agree, and their dissensions defeated the object of the under- taking. Cartier sailed from St. Malo in May, 1541, and ascended the St. Lawrence to a point near the pres- ent city of Quebec, where he built a fort. The winter was passed in idleness and discord, and in the spring of 1542 Cartier abandoned the attempt, and sailed away for France with his ships just as Rob- erval arrived with a large reinforce- ment, prepared to render aid. Roberval was unable to accom- plish more than Cartier. His new subjects had been largely drawn from the prisons, and they gave him con- siderable trouble, if we may judge from the efforts resorted to to keep them quiet. One of them was hanged for theft during the winter, several were put in irons, and a num- ber of men and women were whipped. After remaining in Canada for a year, Roberval became disheartened, and re-embarked his subjects and returned to France. Thus ended the attempt to colonize Canada. Nearly thirty years passed away, during which the French made no effort to secure to themselves the region of the St. Law- rence. Their fishermen, however, continuec to frequent the American waters. By the close of the sixteenth century one hundred and fifty vessels were engaged in the fisheries of Newfoundland, and voyages for the pur- pose of trading with the Indians had become common. In 159S the Marquis de la Roche, ^JlCMjfiT SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN. a nobleman of Brittany, attempted to plant a colony on the Isle of Sable. The colonists consisted of criminals from the prisons of France, and the effort proved a failure, as might have been expected from the outset. In 1600, Chauvin obtained a patent fron' the crown, conferring upon him a monopoly of the fur trade, and Pontgrave, a merchant of St. Malo, became his partner in the enter* prise. Two successful voyages were made DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT to Canada, and Chauvin intended founding a colony there. His death, in 1602, prevented the execution of this plan. In 1603, a company of merchants of Rouen was organized, and Samuel Champlain, an able and experienced office, of the French aavy, was placed in charge of an expedition, CABOT ON THE SHORES OF LABRADOR and sent to Canada to explore the country. He was in every way qualified for the task committed to him, and after making a thor- ough and systematic examination of the region of the St. Lawrence, and fixing upon Quebec as the proper site for a fort, returned to France, and laid before his emplov ers his report, which is still valuable for its accurate description of the country and the manne'" of the natives. Soon after Champlain's return to Prance/ a patent was issued to Des Monts, conferring^ upon him the sole right to colonize the vast region lying between the fortieth and forty-sixth parallels of latitude] As this territory embraced the St. Lawrence region, the Rouen com- pany were unable for the present to accomplish anything. Des Monts luoceeded with his preparations, and in March, 1604, an expedition, consisting of two ships, was sent out to Acadie or Nova Scotia. The summer was passed in trading with the Indians and exploring the coast, and in the autumn the col- onists made a settlement on the island of St. Croix, at the mouth of t^f river of the same name. In the spring of 1605, they aban- iloned this settlement and removed to Port Royal, now known as An- napolis. Efforts were made to find a more southern location in the latter part of 1605 and 1606, but the ex- peditions sent out for this purpose were driven back by storms or wrecked among the shoals of Cape Cod, and the colonists decided to remain at Port Royal. Thus the permanency of the colony was estab- lished. Some years later a number of Jesuit missionaries were sent out to Port Royal. These labored dili- gently among the tribes between the Penob- scot and the Kennebec, and not only spread the Christian faith among them, bu<- won for, the French the constant affection of the( savages. During all her contests with the English in America, these tribes remained CARPENTER'S HALL— PHILADELPHIA In this building assembled the first Continental Congress o:i Jfonday, Sept. 5, '774. Fil'ty-four delegates were present, represen'ing twelve Colonies. GFNERAL t.fOlict WA^HINGTOfJ ^ % rhx^. VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS. ^9 the faithful ana unwavering allies oi France. In i6i 3 a French colony was planted on the eastern shore of Mount Desert. The settle- ment was named St. Sauveur, and became another centre of missionary enterprise among the savages of Maine. In the meantime the French merchants had succeeded in obtaining a revocation of the impolitic monopoly of Des Monts. A company of merchants of St. Malo and Dieppe was formed, and an expedition was sent out to Canada under Champlain, who " aimed not at the profits of trade, but at the glory of founding a state." On the third of July, 1608, the city of Quebec was begun by the erection of one or two "ottages. In 1609, Champlain, with but two L..io- peans, joined a party of Hurons from Mon treal, and Algonquins from Quebec, in ai expedition against the Five Nations. He ascended the Sorel, explored the lake which is now called by his name, and exam= '.ned a considerable part of northern New York. The religious disputes of France spread to the colony, and Champlain wa'i obliged to use all his energy and authority to overcome the evils which these inflicted upon the infant settlcinent. He succeeded in overcoming them, and by his energy an J perseverance the fortunes of Quebec were placed beyond the reach of failure. Chan plain died in 1635, and was buried in " Neu France," of which he is called " the father CHAPTER IV The Spaniards in America settlement of the West Indies — Discovery of the Pacific Ocean — Voyage of Magellan — Discovery of Florida— Ponof dt Leon's Search for the Fcnntain of Youth — Vasquez de Ayllon Kidnaps a Cargo of Indians — Etlort oi Jamphik de Narvaez to Conquer Fiorida — A Tenible March — The Voyage on the Gulf of Mexico — Fate oi tne f leet — escape nl Cabeza de Vaca and his Comrades — Discovery of New Mexico — Fernando de Soto — Obtains leave lo Conquer Florida — Sails from Spain — Arrival in Cuba — Departure for Florida — Landing at Tampa Bay — Events of tne First Year — D& Soto enters Georgia — Decendsthe Alabama — Battle of Mavilla — Destruction of Chickasaw — Sufferings of the Spaniards — Discovery of the Mississippi — The Spaniards Cross the Great River — De Soto in Arkansas — Reaches the Mississippi again — Sickness and Death of De Soto — His Burial — Escape of his Followers to Mexico — The Huguenot Colony in Carolina — Its Failure — The French Settle in Florida — Wrath of Phiiip II. — Melendez ordered to Exterminaie the Huguenots — Foundation of St. Augustine — Massacre of the French at Fort Carolina — The Vengeance of De Gouiges. WHILE the French were seek- ing to obtain a footing in the north, the Spaniards were busy in the south. In the iirst years of the sixteenth century the more important of the West India Islands were subdued and colonized, and from ihese, expeditions were from time to time sent out to explore the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The southern part of the peninsula of Yucatan was explored, and a ■-"ilony was established on the Isthmus of Darien. One of the governors of this colony wasVasco Nunez de Balboa. In 15 13, while searching the Isthmus for gold, he discovered "^he Pacific Ocean, and took possession of it '1 the name of the king of Spain. In 1520, a Portuguese navigator named Magellan, employed by the king of Spain, )assed through the straits north of Cape -lorn, which bear his name, and entered the iVestern ocean, which he named the Pacific, because it was so calm and free from storms. He died on the voyage, but his ship reached the coast of Asia, and returned thence to Spain b\' the C?.pe of Good Hope, thus JO making the first voyage around the world, and establishing its spherical form beyond dispute. In 1 5 13, Juan Ponce de Leon, who had been a companion of Coiumbus on his sec- ond voyage, and had been governor of Porto Rico, fitted out three ships at his own expense to make a voyage of discovery. He had heard the reports which were then com monly believed by his countrymen, that somewhere in the new world was a fountain flowing in the midst of a country sparkling with gold and gems, whose waters would give perpetual youtnto the man who should drink of and bathe in them. Ponce de Leon was an old man, and he longed to taste again the pleasures and the dreams of youth. He gave a willing ear to the stories of this wonderful fountain, and in March, 15 13, set sail from Porto Rico in search of it. He sailed among the Bahama.% but failed to find it, and on Easter Sunday, which the Spaniards call Pascua Florida, land was discovered. It wa.^ supposed to be an island, but was in reality the long souti. em peninsula of the United States. Ponce THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 51 de Leon gave it the name of Florida — which it has since borne — partly in honor of the ^ay, and partly because of the beauty of its iiowers and foliage. The weather was very bad, and it was some days before he could go ashore. He landed near the site of St. Augustine, and took possession of the coun- try for Spain on the eighth of April, 1 5 1 3. He remained many weeks on the coast, exploring it, and sailing southward, doubled Cape Florida, and cruised among the Tor- tugas. He failed to find the fountain of youth and returned in despair to Porto Rico. The king of Spain rewarded his discov- ery by appointing him governor of Florida, on condition that he should colonize the country. A few years later he attempted to plant a colony in Florida, but was attacked by the Indians, who were very hostile, and driv- en to his ships with the loss of a number of his men. Ponce de Leon himself received > painful wound, and 'leturned to Cuba to die. He had staked his fe upon the search for perpetual youth ; je found only a grave. Between the years 151S and 1521, the expeditions of Hernando Cortez against Mexico, and of Francesco Pizarro against Peru, were despatched from Cuba. They resulted in the conquest of those countries and their colonization by Spain. These expe- ditions, however, form no part of this narra- tive, and we cannot dwell upon them. The native population of the West Indies died out rapidly under the cruel rule of the Spaniards, and it soon became necessary to look elsewhere for a supply of laborers for the plantations and the mines. In 1520, Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, at the head of a company of seven Spaniards, fitted out a fleet of two slave-ships from St. Domingo orHis- paniola, for the deliberate purpose of seizing the natives of the mainland and selling them as slaves. The vessels went first to the THE COAST OF FLORIDA. Bahamas, from which they sailed to the North Americari coast, reaching it at or near St. Helena sound, in the present State of South Carolina. The Indians had not yet learned to fear the whites, and were utterly unsus- picious of the fate which awaited them. They were timid at first, but this feeling was soon overcome by the distribution of presents among them. Their confidence being won, they received the Spaniards with kindness, and at their request visited the ships. DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. When the decks of the vessels were cov - ered with the unsuspecting natives Vasquez made sail, and standing out to sea steered for the West Indies, regardless of the entreaties of the natives who were thus torn from their friends and relatives on the shore. A retrib- utive justice speedily avenged this crime. A. violent storm arose and one of the ships foundered with all on board. A pestilence broke out in the remaining vessel, and swept "way many of the captives. Returning to HERNANDO CORTEZ. Spain, Vasquez boasted of his infamous deed, and even claimed a reward for it at the hands of the Emperor Charles V., who acknow- ledged his claim, and appointed him governor of Chicora, as South Carolina was called, with authority to conquer that country. Vasquez spent his entire fortune in fitting out an expe- dition, and reached the coast of Chicora in 1525- There he met with nothing but misfortune. His largest ship was stranded in the Com- bahee River, then called by the whites the River Jordan, and so many of his men were killed by the Indians that he was obliged to abandon the undertaking. He returned to Europe to die of grief and mortification for his failure. " It may be," says Bancroft, " that ships sailing under his authority made the discovery of the Chesapeake and named it the Bay of St. Mary ; and perhaps even em tered the Bay of Delaware, which in Spanisk geography was called Saint Christopher's Adventurers Seeking Fortune. In 1526, Pamphilo de Narvaez obtained from the Emperor Charles V. authority to explore and conquer all the country be- tween the Atlantic and the River of Palms. He was very wealthy, and spent his entire estate in preparation for the expedition. There was no lack of volunteers, and many younger sons of nobles joined him, hoping to find fame and fortune in the new world. Among the adventurers was Cabeza de Vaca tlie historian of the expedition, who held the second place in it as treasurer. Narvaes sailed from the Guadalquivir in June, 1527 touched at St. Domingo, and passed tht winter in Cuba. In the spring of 1528, he - \\ as driven by a strong south wind to the American coast, and on the fourteenth of April his fleet cast anchor in Tampa Bay. A week later he landed and took possession of the peninsula of Florida in the name nf Spain. The natives showed unmistakable signs of hostility, but they exhibited to the governor samples of gold, which he believed, from their signs, caine from the north. In spite of the earnest advice of Cabeza de Vaca, he determined to go in search of the precious metal. He directed his ships to meet him at a harbor with which his pilot pretended to be acquainted, and then, at the head of three hundred men, forty of whom were mounted, THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 53 set off into tlie interior of the country. No one knew whither he was going, but all be- lieved that each step led them nearer to the land of gold. The beauty- of the forest, the richness of its regetation, and the size of its gigantic live- oaks, filled them with wonder and admira- tion, and the variety and abundance of the birds and wild beats of the country excited their surprise ; but they found neither the gold nor the splendid cities they had fondly believed they were about to discover. The forest grew denser and mure intricate at ev- ery step, and the rivers were broad and deep, with swift currents, and could be crossed only by means of rafts, which were con- structed with great difficulty. The march lay through swamps, in which the Indian ^varriors harassed the strangers painfully, and, their provisions becoming exhausted, they began to suffer with hunger. Late in June they reached Appalachee, which they had supposed was a large and wealthy city. They found it only a hamlet of some forty poor wigwams; but remained there twenty- five days, searching the neighboring coun- tr}' for gold and silver, and finding none. A Perilous Voyage. It was plain now even to the governor that there was no gold to be found in this region, and every nerve was strained to hasten the march to the harbor where they had ap- pointed to meet the ships. There was but one impulse now in the whole expedition — to escape from the terrible country which was proving so fatal to them. After a pain- ful march they reached a bay which they called the Baia de Caballos, now the harbor of St. Marks. The ships could not be seen, and it was resolved at once to build boats and attempt to reach some of the Spanish possessions by sea. The horses were slain to furnish food, and several hundred bushels of corn were seized from the Indians Sub- sisting upon these supplies, the Spaniards beat their spurs, stirrups, cro.ss-bows, and other implements into saws and axes and nails, and in sixteen days built five boats, each more than thirty feet long. Pitch for the calking of the boats was made from the pine trees, and the fibre of the palmetto served as oakum. Ropes were made ot twisted horsehair and palmetto fibres, and the shirts of the men were pieced together for sails. Fifty men had been lost on the march, and on the twenty-second of Sep- tember the survivors, two hundred and fifty in number, began their perilous voyage. The Fleet Scattered by a Storm. They followed the shore, encountering many dangers, and suffering greatly from hunger and thirst. On tlie thirtieth of Oc- tober they discovered one of the mouths of the Mississippi, and on the 5 th of November a storm scattered the little fleet. Cabeza de Vaca's boat was wrecked upon an island which is believed to be that of Galveston. Castillo's boat was driven ashore farther to the east, but he and his crew were saved alive. Of the fate of the other boats noth- ing is known with certainty. Of those who were cast ashore, all but Cabeza de Vaca, Dorantes, Castillo, and Estevanico, a negro, died of exposure and hardship. These four were detained captives among the Indians for nearly six years. At the end of this period, Cabeza induced hio companions to join him in an attempt lo escape. In September, 1534, they set out, naked, ignorant of the way, and without any means of sustaining life. In this condition these men accomplished the wonderful feat of traversing the continent. The journe>' occupied upwards of twenty months, and extended from the coast of Texas to the Canadian River, and thence into New 54 DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. Mexico, froui which they continued their way to the village of San Miguel, in Souora, near the Pacific Ocean. They reached this village in May, 1536, and found themselves again among their countrymen. They were escorted to Compostella by Spanish soldiers, and from that place were forwarded to the City of Mexico by the authorities. Fabulous Tales of Gold. The reports of Cabeza and his compan- ions made the Viceroy Mendoza anxious to send oTit an expedition to explore New Mexico, which was believed to be richer in wealth and splendid cities than Mexico itself. A Franciscan friar boasted that he had vis- ited a region in the interior named Cibola, the Land of Buffaloes, in which were seven splendid cities. He declared that the land was rich in silver and gold, and that his In- dian guides had described to him a region still wealthier. The friar's story was religi- ously believed, and an expedition set out in 1 5 39, under command of Francisco Vasquez Coronado, the governor of New Galicia. The expedition explored the region of the Colorado, examined the country now known as New Mexico, and penetrated as far east as the present State of Kansas. Coronado found neither gold nor precious stones, and the only cities he discovered were the towns of the Zuni Indians of New Mexico. He reported to the viceroy on his return to Mexico that the region was not fit to be col- onized, and his description of the country llnough which he marched is so accurate as to challenge the admiration of every 5 uc- ceeding traveler. Still the Spaniards refused to abandon the belief that fabulous wealth was to be found in the interior of the continent; and even those who had borne a part in the conquest of Mexico and Peru gave credit to the wild stories that were told concerning the undis- covered regions. Among those who gave such implicit faith to these stories was Fer- nando de Soto, of Xeres, a veteran soldier who had served with distinction with Pizarro in the conquest of Peru, and had amassed a considerable fortune from the spoils of that province. The fame and wealth acquired by him in this expedition opened the way to other successes in Evirope. He was honored with the favor of the Emperor Charles V., and received the hand of a noble lady in marriage. Eager to distinguish himself still further, he determined to attempt the con- quest of Florida. He demanded and re- ceived from the emperor permission to undertake this at his own cost, and was also made governor of Cuba and all the terri- tories he should conquer. As soon as he made known his intentions applications for leave to serve in the expedition poured in upon him. Many of the volunteers were of noble birth, and sold their lands and other property to equip themselves for the undertaking. Adventures of De Soto. De Soto selected six hundred well- equipped men from the number who had volunteered, and in 1538 sailed from Spain to Cuba, where he was welcomed with great rejoicings. A vessel was despatched from Cuba to find a harbor in Florida suitable for the landing of the expedition. On its return it brought two Indian captives, who per- ceiving what was wanted of them, told by signs such stories of the wealth of the coun- try as greatly delighted the governor and his companions. Volunteers in Cubaswelled the ranks of the expedition to nearly one thousand men, of whom three hundred were horsemen. In May, 1539, leaving his wife to govern the island, De Soto sailed with his fleet for Florida, and a fortnight later landed at Espi- THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 5S ritu SantOj now Tampa Bay. Eveiything had been ptovided which the foresight of an experienced commander deemed necessary, and De Soto, in order to remove any tempta- tion to retreat, sent his ships back to Cuba. He never dreamed of failure, for he believed that at the most the task before him would not be more difficult than those which had been accomplished by Cortez and Pizarro. After a brief halt at Tampa Bay the march into the interior was begun. It was long and tedious, and was full of danger. The Indians were hostile, and the guides con- stantly led the Spaniards astray, and plunged them into difficult swamps. The guides were instantly given to the bloodhounds, and torn in pieces by the ferocious animals ; but not even this dreadful punishment -A^as sufficient to prevent a renewal of such acts. Before the close of the first season the whole com- pany, save the governor, had become con- vinced that their hope of finding gold was vain, and they besought De Soto to return to Cuba. He sternly refused to abandon the effort, and pushed on to the country of the Appalachians, east of the Flint River, and not far from the Bay of Appalachee. The winter was passed in this region, and a scouting party during this season discovered Pensacola. In the spring of 1540 the march was resumed. An Indian guide promised to con- duct the Spaniards to a country abounding I'm gold and governed by a woman, and he described the process of refining gold so ac- curately that De Soto believed his story. It 's possible that the Indian may have referred to the gold region of North Carolina. One of the guides told the governor plainly that he knew of no such country as his companion had described, and De Soto had him burned for what he supposed was his falsehood. The Indians, terrified by his fate, from this time invented all manner of fabulous stories to e.xcite the cupidity of the Spaniards. De Soto, with a singular perversity, held to his belief that he would yet realize his hopeSj and continued to push on long after his men had become disheartened ; and so great was his influence over them that in their deepest despondency he managed to inspire them with something of his own courage and hopefulness. FERNANDO DE SOTO. Instead of conciliating the Indians, the Spaniards seized their provisions, and pro- voked their hostility in numberless ways They treated their captives with the greatest cruelty. They cut off the hands of the poor Indians, burned them at the stake, or turned them over to the bloodhounds, who tor? them in pieces. They were chained together by the neck, and forced to carry the baggage and provisions of the troops. The march was now into the interior of Georgia, as far as the headwaters of the Chattahoochee, from which the Spaniards passed to the head- waters of the Coosa. Herf; they turned to 56 DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. the Southwest, and marched through Ala- bama to the junction of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. At this point there was a large and strongly fortified town called Mavilla, or Mobile, a name which has since been given to the river and bay. The town consisted of " eighty handsome houses, each sufficiently capacious to contain a thousand men. They were encompassed by a high wall, made of immense trunks of trees, set deep in the gftound and close together, strengthened with cross-timbers and interwoven with large vines. " It was the middle of October when Mavilla was reached, and the Span- iards tired of living in the open country so long, wished to occupy the town. The Indians resisted them, and a desperate bat- tle ensued, which was won by the Spanish cavalry. The victory cost the whites dear, however, for the town was burned during ''lae battle, and with it all the baggage of te Spaniards was consumed. The Indians fought with a desperate bravery, and num- bers of them were slain and burned to death in the town. The Spaniards had eighteen killed and one hundred and fifty wounded ; twelve horses killed, seventy-two wounded. De Soto Presses On. Ships had arrived in the meantime, accord- ing to appointment, at Pensacola, and by them De Soto received letters from his wife. He would send no news home, however. He had not yet realized the object of the expe- dition, and he determined to send no news of himself to his countrymen until he had found some rich country. Turning his back resolutely upon the ships, the gov- ernor resumed his march to the northwest. By the middle of December he reached the northwestern part ofthe State of Mississippi, and finding a deserted village in the country ofthe Chickasaws, occupied it as the winter quarters ofthe expedition. December, 154O, the winter was severe, and the ground was covered with snow, but the corn was still standing in the fields, and this furnished the Spaniards with food. Their force was now reduced to five hundred men, and it was evi- dent to all, except the governor, that they would never find the cities or the wealth they had set out to seek. Discovery of the Mississippi. With the opening of the spring of 154 1 a new disaster befell the Spaniards. De Soto, as had been his custom with the other tribes, demanded of the Chickasaw chief two hun- dred men to carry the baggage of the troops. The demand was refused, and that night the Indians, deceiving the sentinels, set fire to the village. The bewildered Spaniards were aroused from their slumbers to meet a fierce attack of the savages. The latter were re- pulsed after a hard fight, but the whites were left in an almost helpless condition. The little they had saved from the flames at Mavilla was destroyed in the burning vil- lage. Armor and weapons were rendered worthless, and scarcely any clothing was saved. The troops were forced to resort to dresses of skins and the long moss of the country woven into mats. In this condition, they suffered greatly from the cold. To supply the weapons destroyed forges were erected, and the swords were retempered and new lances made. Renewing theii march the Spaniards pushed on still farther west, and about the second of May reached the banks of the Mississippi, at a point a short distance below the present city of Memphis. They were the first white men to gaze upon the mighty flood of this noble river, but De Soto had no admiration to express for it. It was only an obstacle in his westward march, and would require greater efforts for its passage than THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 5; any stream he had yet encountered. A month was passed on the banks of the river in constructing barges large enough to hold three horsemen each. At length they were completed, and the Spaniards were trans- ported in safety to the opposite shore. The natives received them kindly, and presented them with food, and regarding them as the children of their god, the sun, brought to them their sick to be healed, and their blind to be restored to sight. The blunt soldier, "ruel as he had been to the savages, shrank irom claiming the power of heaven. ' ' Pray only to God, who is in heaven, for whatso- ever ye need," he answered. Exploring the Country. De Soto remained forty days on the west- ern bank of the Mississippi, and during this time an exploring party was sent to examine the country to the north. They reported that this region was thinly inhabited by hun-ers, who lived by chasing the bison, which abounded in this region. The gover- nor then turned to the west and northwest, and advanced two hundred miles farther into the interior of the continent, probably to the highlands of the White River. Then turning southward, he passed through a succession of Indian tribes who lived by cultivating the soil, and who enjoy- ed a civilization superior to that of their nomadic brethren. The winter was passed near the Hot Springs of Arkansas. The Indians west of the Mississippi were treated with the same cruelties that had marked the 'onduct of the Spaniards towards the sav- ages east of that stream. ' ' Any trifling consideration of safety would induce the governor to set fire to a hamlet. He did not delight in cruelty, but the happiness, the life and the rights of the Indians were Held of no account." In thespiingof i 542, De Sotodetermined to descend the Washita to its mouth, an( endeavor to reach the sea. At last, after ; most arduous march, in which he frequently lost his way amid the swamps and bayous of the region, he reached the Mississippi. The chieftain of this region could not tell him the distance to the sea, but informed hnn that the country along the lower river was a vast and uninhabited swamp. An exploring party was sent to descend the banks of the river, and returned, after penetrating about thirty miles in eight days, to confirm the Indian's report. Reaching the vicinity of Natchez, the governor found the Indians prepared to con- test his occupation of the town. He at- tempted to overawe them by claiming to be the child of the sun, their chief deity. The chieftain answered him scornfully: "You say you are the child of the sun. Dry up the river and I will believe you. Do you desire to see me ? Visit the town where I dwell. If you come in peace, I will receive you with special good will ; if in war, I will not shrink one foot back." The savages were becoming more dangerous every day, and the Spaniards less able to resist theii assaults. Burial of De Soto. De Soto was nowconquered. Itwasatlast as plain to him as it had been all along tc his followers that the expedition was a failure. He had spent three years in roaming ovei the continent, and he had found neither the cities nor the wealth he had hoped for. Hi= magnificent anticipations had disappeared; his little army was reduced to a mere hand- ful of the splendid force that had left Cuba; and he was in the midst of a region from which he could see no escape. A deep mel- ancholy took the place of the .stern pride that had hitherto marked his demeanor, and his heart was torn by a conflict of 5S DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. emotions. His health gave way rapidly, and he was seized with a violent fever. When informed by his medical attendant that his end was at hand, he expressed his jesiguation to the will of God, and at the request of his men appointed Louis de Mo- coso his successor, and advised him to con- tinue the expedition. He died on the fifth of June, 1 542. In order to conceal his death from the savages, who had come to regard him as immortal, his body was wrapped in a mantle, and in the silence of midnight was rowed out into the middle of the Mis- sissippi. There, amid the darkness and the wailing requiems of the priests, the mortal remains of Fernando de Soto were com- mitted to the great river he had discov- ered. Harrassed by the Indians. The Spaniards at once prepared to disre- gard the advice of their dead leader, and resolved to set out across the country for Mexico, believing it less dangerous to go by land than by sea. They roused the whole country against them by their barbarous treatment of the people, and, having pro- ceeded upwards of three hundred miles we.st of the Mississippi, were driven back to that stream by the savages. It now became necessary to build vessels and descend the river. Seven of these were constructed with great difficulty, and amidst the constant hostility of the Indians. They were frail barks, without decks, and in order to con- struct them the Spaniards were obliged to beat their weapons, and even their stirrups, spurs and bridles into saws, axes and nails. During this period they suSered greatly from the lack of clothing, for it was the winter season. They obtained provisions by plundering the granaries of the neighboring tribes, and thus dooming many of the sav- ages to death by starvation. On the first of July, 1543, they embarked in their vessels, their number now being reduced to about two hundred and fifty, and began the descent of the river. Their progress was harrassed at every mile by the Indians, who covered the stream with their canoes and kept up an ' almost constant assault upon the fleet. On . the eighteenth ofJuly,the vessels entered the Gulf of Mexico, and by the tenth of Septem- ber the Mexican coast was reached. The vessels succeeded in gaining the Spanish set- tlement of Panuco, where the survivors were hospitably received by their countrymen. Ribault's Expedition. The failure of Narvaez and de Soto pre- vented the Spaniards from making any further attempt for many years to colonize the Florida coast. The next effort to found a settlement in that region was by the French. The religious wars which had dis- tracted France for so many years made the great Huguenot leader, Coligny, Admiral of France, anxious to provide in the new world a refuge to which his persecuted brethren of the faith might fly in times of danger, and be freetoworshipGodafter the dictates of their own conscience. He succeeded in obtaining authority for this undertaking from Charles IX., and in 1 562 an expedition was de- spatched to America under the command of Jean Ribault, a Protestant. He was in- structed to avoid the climate of Canada, and to select a southern location for the colony. Land was made in May, 1562, in the vicinity of St. Augustine, Florida, and the fleet anchored in Port Royal Harbor. Ribault was delighted with the noble har- bor, which he believed to be the outlet of a large river, and with the beauty and richness of the country. A fort was built on an island in the harbor, and called Carolina, which name was also applied to the country in honor of Charles IX. of France. A force THE SPANIARDS IN AMERICA. 59 •f twenty-five men was left to garrison the fort, and Ribault returned to France to report his success and bring out reinforcements for the colony. He reached France in the midst of the civil war, which prevented any attention being paid to the colony. The garrison of Fort Carolina waited in vain for the promised reinforcements and supplies, and at last, becoming disheartened, built a In 1564 there was a lull in the struggle between the contending parties in France, and Coligny took advantage of it to renew his efforts to colonize America. Three ships were furnished by the king, and were placed in command of Laudonniere,who had accom- panied Ribault in the first expedition. Emi-' grants volunteered readily, and the required, number was soon completed. In order to THE SPANIARDS DESCENDING THF MISSISSIPPI AFTER THE DEATH OF DE SOTO. brigantine and set sail for their own country. Their provisions soon gave out, and they began to suffer the horrors of famine. When they were nearly exhausted, they were res- cued by an English vessel, which set the most feeble upon the coast of France, but carried the remainder to England. In both countries the colonists spread their accounts of the beauty and fertility of Carolina. obtain reliable information concerning the country, Coligny sent out with the expedi- tion a skillful painter, James le Moyne, called Des Morgues, with orders to make accurate colored sketches of the region. The fleet sailed on the twenty-second of April, 1564, and on the twenty-second of June reached the coast of Florida. Avoiding Port Royal, the site of the first colony, the colonists chose a location in Florida, on the banks of the Go bISCOVFRY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. St. John's then called the River May. A I'ort was built, and called, like the first, Caro- lina. The colony was begun with prayers and songs of thanksgiving, but the bulk of the colonists were by no means religious men. 'xheir true character soon began to appear. They wasted the supplies they had brought with them, as well as those they succeeded m extorting from the Indians, whom they alienated by their cruelties. Mutinies were frequent. The majority of the men had joined the enterprise in the hope of acquiring sudden wealth, and, finding their hopes vain, resolved to abandon the colony. They com- pelled Laudonniere to sign an order allowing them to embark for New Spain, ",nder the pretext oi' wishing to avoid a famine, and at once equipped two vessels and began a career of piracy against the Spaniards. Their ves- sels were soon captured, and the pirates were sold as slaves. A few escaped in a boat and took refuge at Fort Carolina. Laudonniere caused them to be hanged ; but their out- rages had already drawn upon the colony the bitter hostility of the Spaniards. Beginning of the Slave-Traffic. Famine now began to be felt by the lit- tle settlement, and as month after month passed by the sufferings of the colonists in- creased. The natives, who were at first friendly, had been rendered hostile by the cruel treatment they had received from the French, and no provisions could be obtained Vom them. On the third of August, 1565, .sir John Hawkins, an English commander, arrived with several ships from the West Indies, where he had just sold a cargo of negro slaves whom he had kidnapped in their native Africa. He is said to have been the first Englishman who engaged in this infamous traffic. He proved himself a generous friend to the suffering colonists. however, and supplied them with provisions and gave them one of his own ships. They had suffered too much to be content with this, and were resolved to adandon the settle- ment. They were on the point of embark- ing in the ship furnished them by Sir John, when a fleet of several vessel;; was discovered standing into the river. It wa 5 the squadron of Ribault, with reinforcements and all the supplies necessary for founding a permanent settlement. The despair of the colonists was changed to rejoicing, and all were now will- ing to remain in the colony. Thrilling Events in Florida. When the news of the planting of the French colony in Florida reached Philip II. of Spain, he was greatly incensed. Florida was a part of his dominions, and he not only resented the intrusion of the French, but could not tolerate the idea of allowing a Protestant colony to enjoy its settlement in peace. He determined at once to exterminate the heretics, and for this purpose employed Pedro Melendez de Aviles, an officer who had rendered himself notorious for his cruelty when engaged against the pirates and in the wars of Spanish America. His son and heir having been shipwrecked among the Ber- mudas, Melendez desired to return to America to search for him. Philip, who knew his desperate character, suggested to him the conquest of Florida, and an agreement was entered into between the king and Melendez, by which the latter was to invade and conquer Florida within three years, and establish in that region a colony of not less than five hundred persons, ol whom one hundred should be married men, twelve priests of the Catholic Church and four members of the order of the Jesuits. Melendez also agreed to transport to Florida all kinds of domestic animals, and five Kin- dred negro slaves. AU this was to be done THE SPANIARDS iN AMERICA. by Melendez at his own cost, and he was secured by the king in the government of the province for life with the privilege of naming his successor, and was grante*^ large estates in the province and a comfortable salary. Though the destruction of the French colony was not named in the agreement, Philip and Melendez understood each other on that point. The cry was at once raised in Spain that the heretics must be extermin- ated, and Melandez had no trouble in obtain- ing recruits. Twenty-five hundred persons gathered under his orders, " soldiers, sailors, priests, Jesuits, married men with their fami- lies, laborers and mechanics, and. with the exception of three hundred soldiers, all at the cost of Melendez." Escape of the French Fleet. The expedition sailed in June, 1565, but the vessels were parted by a storm, and Mel- endez reached Porto Rico in August with but a third of his force. Unwilling to lose time, however, he sailed at once to the main- land, and arrived off the coast of Florida on the twenty-eighth of August. On the second of September, he discovered a fine harbor and river, and selected this place as the site of his colony. He named the river and bay in honor of St. Augustine, on whose festival he had arrived off the Florida coast. Ascer- taining from the Indians the position of the French, he sailed to the northward, and on the fourth of September arrived off Fort Carolina, where a portion of Ribault's fleet lay anchored in the roadstead. The French commander demanded his name and the object of his visit. He was answered : " I am Melendez of Spain, sent with strict orders from my king to gibbet and behead all the Protestants in these regions. The Frenrh- man who is a Catholic I will spare ; every heretic shall die." The French fleet being unprepared for battle, cut its cables and stood out to sea. Melendez gave chase, but failed to overtake it. Returning to the har- bor of St. Augustine, he went on shore on the eighth of September, and took possession of the country in the name of Phillip II. of Spain, who was proclaimed monarch of all North America. A solemn mass was said, and the foundations of the town of St. Augus- tine were laid. Thus was established th' ■ first permanent town within the limits of th- United States. This task accomplished, Melendez prepared to attack Fort Care ina by land. Ribault had returned with his ships to Fort Carolina after escaping from the Spa* iards. A council of war was held, and it was, debated among the French whether they should strengthen their works and await the approach of the enemy, or proceed to St. Augustine and attack them with the fleet. Ribault supposed that Melendez would attack the fort by sea, and favored the latter plan, but his officers opposed his design. Disre- garding their advice, Ribault put to sea, but had scarcely cleared the harbor when a violent storm wrecked his entire fleet on the Florida coast. Nearly all the men reached the shore unharmed, about one hundred and fifty miles south of Fort Carolina. Terrible Massacre. The wreck of the French fleet was kno wi to Melend''j, and he resolved to strike a blow a once at the fort, which he knew to b>.\ in a defenceless state. Leading his men through the forests and swamps, which lay between the two settlements, he surprised and captured the fort on the twenty-first of September. Every soul within the walls including the aged, the women and children, was put to death. A few escaped to the woods before the capture of the fort, among whom were Laudonniere, Challus and Le Moyne. Their condition was pitiable. They d5 DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. could expect uo mercy from the Spaniards, and death awaited them in the forest. A few gave themselves up to the Spaniards, and were at once murdered ; the remainder suc- ceeded in gaining the sea-shore, where they were rescued by two French vessels which liad remained in the harbor and escaped the storm. These immediately sailed for France. The number of persons massacred by the Spaniards at Fort Carolina amounted to nearly two hundred. When the victims were all dead, mass was said, a cross raised, and a site selected for a church. Then Melendez set out to find the survivors of the shipwrecked fleet. They were discovered in ahelpless condition, worn out with fatigue, hunger and thirst. Melendez promised to treat them with kindness if they would sur- render to him, and trusting to his plighted word, they placed themselves in his hands. They were at once seized and bound, and marched toward St. Augustine. As they approached the settlement a signal was given, and the Spaniards fell upon them and massacred all but a few Catholics and some mechanics, who were reserved as slaves. French writers place the number of those who perished in the two massacres at nine hundred. The Spaniards gave a smaller number. On the scene of his bar- barity, Melendez set up this inscription : "I do not this as unto Frenchmen, but as nnto Lutherans." In 1 566 Melendez attempted to plant a col- ony on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, but Uie vessel despatched for this purpose met lich contrary winds that the crew aban- doned the effort to reach the bay, and sailed for Spain. Melendez, the next year, re- turned to Spain, having spent his fortune in establishing the colony of St. Augustine, from which he had derived no benefit. The massacre of the French and the destruction of the colony at Fort Carolina excited not even a remonstrance from the French court, which was blinded to its true interests by its religious bigotry. The Hu- guenots and the better part of the nation felt keenly the wrong the country had suffered, and Dominic de Gourges, a gallant gentle- man of Gascony, determined to avenge it. Selling his ancestral estate, he equipped three vessels, and with one hundred and fifty men sailed for Florida, in August, 1567. He surprised and captured a Span- ish fort near the site of Fort Carolina, and took the garrison prisoners. He spent the winter here, and finding himself too weak to maintain his position, sailed for France in May, 1 568. Before do- ing so, however, he hanged his prisoners, and set up over them the inscription : " I do not this as unto Spaniards or mariners, but as unto traitors, robbers and murderers." His expedition was disavowed by the French government, and he was obliged to conceal himself to escape arrest after his return to France. France now abandoned her efforts to col- onize the southern part of North America, and relinquished her pretensions to Florida. Spain, on the other hand, gave more atten- tion to this region, and emigrants from her dominions were encouraged to settle, and new colonies were formed within its limits. In the West Indies, Mexico, Central and South America, Spain was supreme during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. CHAPTER V The First English Colony. The English Claim to America — Voyages of Frobisher — Exploits of Sir Francis Drake — Sir Humphrey Gilbert — Intends to Found a Colony in America — Is Lost at Sea — Sir Walter Raleigh Obtains a Patent of Colonization — Discoveries of Auiidas and Barlow — Raleigh Sends Out a Colony to Virginia — Settlement on Roanoke Island — Its Failure — Arrival of Grenville — Second Effort of Raleigh to Colonize Virginia — Roanoke Island Again Settled — ^The " City of Raleigh" — Virginia Dare — Fate of the Colony— Death of Raleigh — Other Voyages of the English. THOUGH England had made no effort to colonize America during the long period we have been con- sidering, she never abandoned her claims to that region, claims which were based tipon the discoveries and ex- plorations of John and Sebastian Cabot. The voyages of her fishermen to New- foimdland kept the country fresh in the minds of the seafaring Englishmen, and from time to time voyages were made to the American coast for the purpose of trad- ing with the savages. Under Elizabeth, who pursued the wise policy of fostering her navy, a race of hardy and daring sailors grew up in England, and carried the flag of their country into every sea. In this reign Martin Frobisher with two small ships made a voyage to the frozen regions of Labrador in search of the north- west passage. He failed to find it, but penetrated farther north than any Euro- pean had yet done, A. D. 15 76. His second voyage was made the next year, and was un- dertaken in the hope of finding gold, as one of the stones he had brought home on his first cruise had been pronounced by the refin- es of London to contain the precious metal. The fleet did not advance as far north as Frobisher had done on his first attempt, as a large mass of yellow earth was found which was believed to contain gold. The ships were loaded with this, and all sail was made for home, only to find on reach- ing England that their cargo was but a heap of worthless dirt. A third voyage with fifteen ships was attempted in 1578, but no gold was found, and the extreme northern latitudes were ascertained to be too bleak for colonization. Between the years 1577 and 1580 Sir Francis Drake sailed to the Pacific, and by levying exactions upon the Spanish settle- ments on the western coast of America ac- quired an immense treasure. As Bancroft well observes, this part of Drake's career ' ' was but a splendid piracy against a nation with which his sovereign and his country professed to be at peace." Having acquired this enormous wealth Drake applied him- '^elf to the more useful task of discovery, grossing the equator he sailed northward, as far as the southern part of Oregon, hoping to find a northern passage between the oceans. The cold seemed very great to voyagers just from the tropics, and he abandoned his attempt and returned southward to a harbor on the coast of Mexico. Here he refitted his ship, and then returned to Eng- land through the seas of Asia, having 63 t)iSCOVEkY Oi^ tHfi N^'ESTERN COiiTlNKf^tT. lieved that a lucrative trade might be bpeneb with the new world by the planting of a col- ony within its limits. He obtained authority from Queen Elizabeth to establish such S colony in the vicinity of the fisheries. circumnavigated the globe, a feat which had been accomplished only by the ship of Magellan. ,. . It was not the splendid but demoralizing achievements of Drake which led the way to THE RENOWNED EXPLORER, SIR MARTIN FROBISHER. the establishment ot the English power in America. That was the work of the hum- ble fishermen who sailed on their yearly voyages to the banks of Newfoundland. The progress of this valuable industry was closely watched by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who be- In 1578 he sailed to America on avoy.: age of discovery, and in August of that yeai landed at St. Johns, Newfoundland, and tooK formal possession of the country for England. He then sailed to the southward, exploring the coast, but lost his largest ship with aU THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY. «$ WJboa.^. This made it necessary for hini to return home, as the two vessels which re- mained to him were too small to attempt a protracted voyage. One of them, called the " Squirrel," was a mere boat of ten tons. Unwilling to expose his men to a danger which he would not face, Sir Humphrey took passage in the " Squirrel " instead of in the larger and safer vessel. Terrific Storm. Or '..>e hf'.iieward voyage the ships en- countered a terrific storm. In the midst of the gale the people on the " Hind," the larger ship, saw Sir Humphrey sitting at the stern of his tittle vessel, which was laboring pain- fully in the heavy seas. He was calmly reading a book, perhaps that sublimes t of books, from which he had drawn the j.ure principles that guided his whole life. As the "Hind" passed him he called out to those on board of her, " We are as near to heaven by sea aj by lanJ." That night the iights of the ■' Squirrel ' suddenly disap- peared, and the good Sir Humphrey was seen no more. The '/ Hind" continued her voyage, and reached Falmouth in safety. Sir Walter Raleigh, Gilbert's half brother, had been interested in this expedition, but its ill success did not dishearten him. He was one of the noblest spirits of his age, and has laid the world under heavy obligatio.:s to him by his many noble services in the cause of humanity. He had served in the army of the Huguenots of France under Coligni, and had heard from the voyagers Bent out by that leader of the richness and beauty of Carolina. Undaunted by the »ad fate of Sir Hum- phrey Gilbert, Raleigh determined to plant a colony in the region from which the Huguenots had been driven. He had no difficulty in obtaining from the queen a pat- sat as liberal as that which had been graated Sir Humphrey Gilbert. He was given ample powers over the region he proposed to col- onize, as its feudal lord, and was bound to maintain the authority of the queen aud church of England in his possessions. An Inviting Country. He fitted out two vessels, commanded r9> spectivelyby Philip Amidas and Arthur Bar. low, and sent them to explore the region granted to him, and to obtain accurate infor- mation concerning it. They reached the coast of North Carolina at Ocracock Inlet, and took formal possession of the country; They partially explored Albemarle and Pam« lico Sounds, together with the neighboring SIR WALTER RALEIGH. coast and islands. It was the month of July,^' and the climate was delightful, the sea was calm, the atmosphere clear, and the heat was tempered by the delicious sea-breeze. The woods abounded with birds and echoed with their carols, and wild grapes were found in the greatest profusion. 66 DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. The explorers were enchanted with this leHghtful region, and returning to England published glowing accounts of it. They took with them two Indians, named Wan- chese and Manteo, the latter of whom after- wards did good service to the colonists as an ierpreter. Queen Elizabeth deemed her _eign honored by the discoveries of Amidas mand of the fleet, and Ralph Lane, who was also a man of considerable distinction, was made governor of the colony. The fleet sailed from Plymouth on the ninth of April, 1585, and after a long and trying voyage reached Ocracock Inlet in June. Passing through the inlet, a settle- ment was established on Roanoke Island FROlilSUEK AND JUS .MIITS PASSING GREENWICH. and Barlow, and gave to the new region the ame of Virginia ir. hcr.or of England's vir- gin queen. Raleigh at once Set to work to organize a colony. Emigrants volunteered readily, and in a short time a fleet of seven vessels, con- "■aining one hundred and eight persons, apart .. Om the crews, was in readiness. Sir Rich- .,rd Grenville, a friend of Raleigh, and a man •f tried skill and bravery, was given the caiji- lying between Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. Expeditions were sent out to explore the surrounding country, and in one of these a silver cup was stolen by an Indian, and its restoration was delayed. With thoughtless cruelty Grenville punished this faui-' by the destruction of the village to which the culprit belonged, and also of all the standing corn. This inconsiderate revenge made the Indians the enemies of the whites, and brought great THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY. 67 future suffering upon the colony. A little later, having seen the colonists successfully established on Roanoke Island, Granville returned to England with the fleet, captur- the inhabitants. Many of the plants were strange to them. Among these were the Indian corn, tobacco and the sweet potato. Hariot, " the inventor of the system of nota- QUEEN ELIZABETH. ing a rich Spanish prize on the voyage home. Left to themselves the colonists began to explore the country, and to observe the productions of the soil, and the character of tion in modern algebra, the historian of the expedition, ' ' observed these plants and their culture with great minuteness, and became a firm believer in the healing virtues of tobacco. He has left an interesting account 68 DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. of the natives of the country and their man- ners and customs. The Indians, alarmed by the superiority of the whites, began to plot their destruction, as they believed their entire country would be overrun by the new comers. Lane, on his part, became suspicious of the savages, and this feeling of mutual distrust had the most unhappy consequences. Being informed by the savages that there was a splendid city, whose walls glittered with gold and pearls, on the upper waters of the Roanoke, Gov- ernor Lane made a boat voyage up that stream, but failed to find anything. He returned to the colony just in time to discon- -ert the plan of the savages for attacking the whites during the absence of the exploring party. Inhuman Butchery. Lane now determined to outrival the savages in perfidy. He visited Wingina, one of the most active of the neighboring chiefs, and professing to come as a friend, was received with confidence by the Indians. At a given signal from the governor the whites fell upon the chief and his warriors, and put them to death. Lane proved himself utterly unfit to govern such a colony, and his people soon lost confidence in him. Their discon- tent was increased by the failure of their provisions, and they began to entertain the idea of abandoning the colony and returning home. On the eighth of June, 1586, Sir Francis Drake, with a fleet of twenty-three ships, anchored in the roadstead off Roanoke Island. He had been cruising in the West Indies, and had called on his homeward voyage to visit the plantation of his friend Raleigh. He at once set to work to remedy the wants of the colony, and supplied the settlers with such things as they needed. They were thoroughly disheartened, how- ever, with their year's experience, and begged Drake so earnestly to take them back to England that he received them on board his ships and put to sea. Thus the first effort of the English to settle America resulted in failure. Drake's fleet had scarcely disappeared when a ship loaded with supplies, which had been des- patched by Raleigh, reached the island. Finding the place deserted, the commander returned to England. A fortnight later, Grenville arrived with three ships. Finding the colonists had gone, he, too, returned to England, leaving fifteen men to nold the island. Another Colony and Its Fate. Raleigh was greatly disappointed by the failure of his colony, but he did not despair of success ; for notwithstanding the gloomy stories of Lane and his followers, the con- clusive testimony of Hariot convinced him that the country could be made to yield a rich return for the trouble and expense of its settlement ; and he set to work to form another colony. With the hope of giving the settlers a permanent interest in the plan- tation, he selected emigrants with wives and families, who should regard the new world as their future home, and endeavor to found a permanent State in that region. Every- thing was provided which could contribute to the success of the colony, and agricul- tural implements were furnished for the proper cultivation of the soil. All the expense of the undertaking was borne by Raleigh, for though Queen Elizabeth greatly favored the venture, she declined to con- tribute anything toward it. John White was appointed governor of the colony. A fleet of transport vessels was equipped, also, at Raleigh's expense, and on the twenty- sixth of April, 1587, the expedition sailed from England. The coast of North Caro- lina was reached in July. THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY. 69 The approach to Roanoke Island was both difficult and dangerous, and Raleigh ordered the new settlers to select a site for their col- ony on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The expedition proceeded first, however, to Roanoke Island to search for the men left there by Grenville. They could not be found. The Island was deserted, the fort was in ruins, and the human bones which lay scattered over the field told plainly that the unfortunate garrison left by Grenville had been murdered by the Indians. Governor White was now anxious to sail to the Chesa- peake, but Fernando, the commander of the fleet, refused to proceed any farther, as he wished to go to the West Indies for purposes of trade. Dangers of the First Settlers. The old settlement of Governor Lane was rebuilt, and another effort was made to estab- lish the "City of Raleigh." The Indians were bitterly hostile to the settlers, and a friendly tribe was offended by an unfortnate attack upon them, made upon the supposi- tion that they were hositle Indians. The settlers, becoming alarmed, implored the gov- ernor to return to England and exert him- self to hasten the sending out of reinforce- ments and supplies to them. He was un- willing to do this, as he deemed it his duty to remain among them, but at length yielded to their unanimous appeal. Just before his departure his daughter, Mrs. Dare, the wife of one of his lieutenants, gave birth to a daughter, the first child born of English parents within the limits of the United States, and the little one was named Virginia from the place of its birth. White sailed for England in August, i 587. He found the mother country greatly excited overthe threatenedinvasion of the Spaniards. Raleigh, who was energetically engaged in the efforts for the defence of the country, did not neglect his colony. He fitted out two ships with the needed supplies, and dis- patched them under White's orders in April, 1588. No Traces of the Colony. At last one of them fell in with a man-of- war from Rochelle, and after a sharp fight was plundered of her stores. Both ships were obliged to return to England, to the anger and disgust of Raleigh. The approach of the Invincible Armada and the exertions demanded of the nation for its defeat, made it impossible for anything more to be done for the colonists at Roanoke until after the Spanish Fleet had been destroyed. Even then Raleigh, who had spent over forty thou- sand pounds without return, was unable to send aid at once to the colony, and a year elapsed before a vessel could be sent out un- der White. In 1590, the governor reached Roanoke, but no trace of the colony could be found. The settlers had either died, been massacred, or taken prisoners. "The conjecture has been hazarded," says Bancroft, "that the deserted colony, neglected by their own countrymen, were hospitably adopted into the tribe of Hatteras Indians, and became amalgamated with the sons of the forest. This was the tradition of the natives at a later day, and was thought to be confirmed by the physical character of the tribe, in which the English and the Indian race seem to have been blended." The generous heart of Raleigh could not bear to leave his countrymen unaided while a single hope of finding them remained, and he is said to have sent to America as many as five expeditions a*^ "li^ own cost to search for them. MURDER OF WHITE S ASblbTANT THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY. 7» With the failure of the settlement at Roanoke Raleigh relinquished his hope of colonizing Virginia. He had expended nearly his entire fortune in the undertaking, and the remainder of his life was passed un- der the cloud of undeserved misfortune. His «ireer as a statesman was honorable to him- self and to his country, and he proved him- self in all his acts a loyal subject and a de- voted patriot. His zeal in behalf of knowl- edge made him a generous friend of the learned, and he merits the gratitude of the American people, not only for his efforts to colonize our shores with his countrymen, but for the liberality with which he spread a knowledge of America throughout Eng- land by his publication of the reports of Hariot and Hakluyt. He opened the way for the dominion of the English in the new world, and his memory is preserved in the name of the capital city of the great State which he sought to make the seat of an Eng- lish empire. Accused of High Treason. Upon the accession of James L, Raleigh, broken in health and fortune, but still the most illustrious Englishman of his day, was arraigned on a charge of high treason, of which not even his enemies believed him guilty, and was sentenced to the Tower, as the king did not yet dare to order his execu- tion. During this period Sir Walter beguiled the weariness of his imprisonment by com- posing his " History of the World." He re- mained a prisoner for thirteen years, and was then released on condition of making a voy- age to Guiana in search of gold. His failure to accomplish the object of the voyage sealed his doom, and on his return to England he was beheaded, not upon any fresh charge, but on his old sentence. His real fault was that he was too true an Englishman to sus- tain the sacrifice of the national honor by King James to the demands of Spain, and he was generally regarded by the nation as the victim of the king's cowardice. He met Jiis fate with the calm bravery which had marked his whole life. Kidnapping Indians. Until now the voyage from England tO America had been made by way of the Canary Islands and the West Indies. In 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold conceived the idea of proceeding direct from England to Virginia, as the whole region north of Flor- ida was called by the English. Sailing directly across the Atlantic he reached Cape Elizabeth, on the coast of Maine, after a voy- age of seven weeks. Proceeding southward along the coast he reached Cape Cod, to which he gave the name on the fifteenth of May, and went ashore there. He was thus the first Englishman to set foot in New Eng- land. He continued his voyage along the coast and entered Buzzard's Bay. To the westernmost of the islands of this statelv sound he gave the name of Eliza beth — a name which has since been applied to the entire group. Loading his ship wi*:;: sassairas root, which was then highly esteemed for its medicinal virtues, Gosnold sailed for England, and arrived home safely after a voyage of less than four weeks. He gave the most favorable accounts of the region he had visited, and other adventurers were induced by his reports to undertake voyages for the purpose of trading with the natives. Among these was George Way- mouth, who reached and explored the coast of Maine in 1605. On his return voyage, Waymouth kidnapped five Indians and car* ried them to England, "to be instructed ill English, and to serve as guides in some future expedition." The voyages of Gosnold and Waymouth' to the coast of New England were followed DISCOVERY OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT. by those of numerous other English adven- turers. In 1614, Captain John Smith, who had already distinguished himself by his services in Virginia, made a voyage to Amer- ica with two ships, furnished at the expense of himself and four merchants of London. The voyage was for the purpose of trading with the natives, and was very successful. Smith took advantage of the opportunity to explore the coast from Penobscot to Cape Cod. He prepared a map of the coast, and named the country New England — a title which was confirmed by the Prince of Wales, afterwards Charles I. After Smith's return to England, Hunt; the commander of the other vessel, suc- ceeded in inducing twenty of the nathres, with their chief, Squanto, to visit his ship, and as soon as they were on board put to sea. He sold the savages as slaves in Spain, A (tM of then\ Squanta among the r umber were purchased by some kind-hearted monks, who instructed them in the Christian faith in order to send them back to their own people as missionaries of the cross. Squanto escaped to England in 1619, and there learned the language, and was afterward an interpreter between the English settlers aad his people JAMES BOOK II Settlement of America CHAPTER VI Captain John Smith and Pocahontas Formation of tlie London Company— Conditions of its Charter— Departure of the First Colony— Quarrels During the Voyage— Arrival in the Chesapeake— Settlement of Jamestown— Formation of the Govern- ment-Character of Captain John Smith— Exploration of the James River— Newport and Smith Visit Powhatan— Smith Admitted to the Government— Explores the Chickahominy— Is Captured and Sen- tenced to Death— Is Saved by Pocahontas— Gains the Friendship of Powhatan for the Colony— Returns to Jamestown— His Decisive Measures— Return of Newport— Smith Explores the Chesapeake Bay-The New Emigrants— Smith Compels Them to Labor— Smith is Wounded and Compelled to Return to England- Disasters to the Colony— Arrival of Sir Thomas Gates— Jamestown Abandoned— Arrival of Lord Delaware —The Return to Jamestown -A Change for the Better— New Settlements— Sir Thomas Gates Arrives with Reinforcements— Capture of Pocahontas by Captain Argall— She is Baptized— Marries John Rolfe— Sir Thomas Dale's Administration— Yeardley Governor— The First Legislative Assembly— Representative Government Established in America— The Colonists Obtain Wives— Changes in the Government. TH E favorable reports which had been brought back to England by the voyagers to the new world had pre- vented the interest of Englishmen in America from entirely dying out, and some ardent spirits still believed it possible to make that continent the seat of a pros- perous dominion dependent upon England. The former assistantsof Raleigh, inparticu- lar, held to theconvictions which their chief hadentertained to thedayof his death. The selfish and timid policy of Kingjames hav- ing made it impossible for men to acquire distinction by naval exploits, as in the days of Elizabeth, the more adventurous classes lent a willing ear to the plans for colonizing America, which were discussed in various Jjarts of the kingdom. Bartholomew Gos- nold, who had explored the New England coast, was especially active in seeking to induce capitalists to send out a colony to it. His glowing accounts of the New World awakened a good deal of enthu- siasm, and men who had money to invest, and were somewhat inclined to indulge in .speculation, were ready to aid any scheme that promised to be lucrative and advan- tageous to themselves. Sir Ferdinand Gorges, a wealthy gentle- man and Governor of Plymouth, had been much interested in America by the accounts of Waymouth, who had given him two of the Indians he had brought to England. These succeeded in interesting others in their plans, and the result was that early in the reign of King James two companies were formed in England for the colonization of America. One of these was the " London Company," composed chiefly of noblemen and merchants residing in London. The other was the " Plymouth Company," com- posed of "knights, gentlemen and mei- chants," residing in the west of England, King James divided Virginia into two parts. To the London Company he granted ' ' South Virginia," extending from Cape Fear, in 73 74 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. North Carolina, to the Potomac. To the Plymouth touipany he gave " North Vir- ginia," stretching from the Hudson to New- foundland. The region between the Potomac and the Hudson he left as a broad belt of neutral land to keep the companies from en- croaching upon each other's domains. Either was at liberty to form settlements in this region within fifty miles of its own border. The London Company was the first to settle the country assigned it. A liberal charter was granted the company: the lands in the new world were to be held by it on the simple conditions of homage and the pay- ment to the crown of one-fifth of the gold and silver and one-fifteenth of the copper that should be discovered. A general coun- cil, residing in England, was to have author- ity over the whole province, and the mem- bers of this council were to be appointed and removed by the king at his good pleasure. Each separate colony was to be under the control of a colonial council residing within its own limits, and the king retained the right to direct the appointment or removal of the members of these councils at his pleasure. Laws of the London Company. The king also reserved the supreme legis- lative authority over the colonies, and framed for their government a code of laws — " an exercise of royal legislation which has been pronounced in itself illegal." The colonists were placed by this code under the rule of the superior and local councils wfr have named, in the choice of which they had no voice. The religion of the Church of Eng- land was established as that of the colony, and conformity to it was secured by severe penalties. Death was the punishment for murder, manslaughter, adultery, dangerous seditions and tumults. In all cases not affecting life and limb ofilenders might be tried by a magistrate, but for capital offences trial by jury was secured. In the former cases the punishment of the offender was at the discretion of the president and council. The Indians were to be treated with kind- ness, and efforts were to be made for theit conversion to Christianity. For five yearj at least the affairs of the colonists were tobs conducted in a joint stock. The right to impose future legislation upon the province was reserved by the king. The Settlers Oppressed. Such was the form of government first pre scribed for Virginia by England, in which, as Bancroft truly says, there was "not an ele- ment of popular liberty." " To the emi- grants themselves it conceded not one elect- ive franchise, not one of the rights of self- government. They were to be subjected to the ordinances of a commercial corporation, of which they c&ald not be members; to the dominiori of a domestic council, in ap- pointing which they had no voice ; to the control of a superior council in England, which had no sympathy with their rights; and finally, to the arbitrary legislation o( the sovereign." Under this charter the London Company prepared to send out a colony to Virginia. It was to be a commercial settlement, and the emigrants were composed altogether of men. One hundred and five persons, exclu- sive of the crews of the vessels, joined the expedition. Of these not twenty were farm- ers or mechanics. The remainder were " gentlemen," or men who had ruined them- selves at home by idleness and dissipation. A fleet of three small ships, under command of Captain Newport, was assembled, and on the nineteenth of December, 1606, sailed foi America. The emigrants sailed without having pei^ fected any organization. The king had fool ishly placed the names of those who were to CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS. 75 constitute the government in a sealed box, which the adventurers were ordered not to open until they had selected a site for their settlement and were ready to form a govern- ment. This was most unfortunate, for during the long voyage dissensions arose, and there was no one in the expedition who could control the unruly spirits. These quarrels grew more intense with the lapse of time, and when the shores of Virginia were reached the seeds of raany of the evils from which the colony afterwards suffered severely had been thoroughly sown. There were among the number several who were well qualified to direct the affairs of the expedition, but they were without the proper authority to do so, and there was no such thing as voluntary submission to be seen among the adventurers. The merits of the deserving merely excited ihe jealousy of their companions, and the great master spirit of the enterprise found from the first his disinterested efforts for the good of the txpedition met by a jealous opposition. Point Comfort Named. Newport was not acquainted with the direct route, and made the old passage by way of the Canaries and the West Indies. He thus consumed the whole of the winter, and while searching for the island of Roanoke, the scene of Raleigh's colony, his fleet was driven northwaKr^ t^v a severe storm, and forced to take refu£_ n the Chesapeake Bay on the twenty-sixth of April, 1607. He named the headlands of this bay Cape Henry and Cape Charles, in honor of the two sons of James I., and because of the comfortable anchorage which he obtained in the splendid roadstead which enters the bay opposite its mouth, he gave to the northern point the name of Point Comfort, which it has since borne. Passing this, a noble river was dis- covered coming from the westward, and was named the James, in honor of the English king. The country was explored with energy, and though one small tribe of Indians was found to be hostile, a treaty of peace and friendship was made with another at Hamp- ton. The fleet ascended the river and ex- plored it for fifty miles. A pleasant penin» sula, on the left bank of the stream was selected as the site of the colony, and on the thirteenth of May, 1607, the settlement was definitely begun, and was named Jamestown, in honor of the king. Smith's Daring Deeds. The leading spirit of the enterprise was John Smith, one of the truest heroes of his- tory, who has been deservedly called " the father of Virginia." He was still a young man, being but thirty years of age, but he was old in experience and knightly deeds. While yet a youth he had served in Holland in the ranks of the army of freedom, and had travelled through France, Egypt and Italy. Burning to distinguish himself, he had re- paired to Hungary, and had won a brilliant reputation by his exploits in the ranks of the Christian army engaged in the defence of that country against the Mohammedans. He repeatedly defeated the chosen champions of the Turks in single combat, but being at length captured was sent to Constantinople and sold as a slave. The wife of his master, pitying his misfortunes, sent him to a rela- tive in the Crimea, with a request to treat him with kindness, but contrary to her wishes he was subjected to the greatest harshness. Rendered desperate by this experience, he rose against his task-master, slew him, and seizing his horse escaped to the border of the Russiai. territory, where he was kindly received. He wandered across the country to Transylvania, and rejoined his old com panions in arms. Then, filled with a longing 76 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. to see his "own sweet country" once aore, he returned to England. He arrived just as the plans for the colonization of Virginia were being matured. He readily engaged in the expedition organized by the London Company, and exerted himself in a marked degree to make it a success. He Was in all respects the most capable man in the whole colony, for his natural abilities were fully equal to his experience. He had studied human nature under many forms in CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. many lands, and in adversity and danger had learned patience and fortitude. His calm, cool tourage.his resolute will, and his intuitive per- ception of the necessities of a new settlement, were destined to make him the main stay of the colony of Virginia, but as yet these high quali- ties had only excited the malicious envy of his associates, and the efforts he had made to heal the dissensions which had broken out daring Vie voyage had made him many enemies. When the box containing the names oi those who were to constitute the colonial government was opened, it was found that the king had appointed John Smith one o' the council. Smith was at this time in con- finement, having been arrested on the voy- age upon the frivolous charges of sedition and treason against the crown, and his enemies, notwithstanding the royal appointment, ex- cluded him from the council. Edward Wingfield, " a grovelling merchant of the west of England," was chosen president of the council and governor of the colony. The services of Smith could not be dispensed with, however, and he was released from his confinement, and sent with Newport and twenty others to explore the river. They ascended the James to the falls, where the city of Richmond now stands, and visited Powhatan, the principal chief of the Indian nation holding the country into which they had eome. He was then dwelling at his favorite seat on the left bank of the river, a few miles below the falls. Powhatan received them kindly, and silenced the remonstrances of his people by saying: "They hurt you not; they only want a little land." The chief was a man of powerful sta- ture, " tall, sour and athletic." He was sixty years of age, and had under him a population of six or eight thousand souls, two thousand being warriors. Having carefully observed the river. Smith and Newport returned to Jamestown. Their presence there was needed, for Wingfield had proved himself utterly unfit to govern the colony. He would not allow the colonists to build either houses for them- selves or a fortification for the common de- fence against the savages. While they were in this helpless condition, they were suddenly CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS. 77 attacked by a force of four hundred Indians, and were saved from destruction only by the nre of the shipping, which filled the savages with terror and put them to flight. It is believed that the cause of Wingfield's singular conduct was his jealousy of Smith whose talents he feared would attract the support of the settlers. Tried and Acquitted. The fort was now built without delay, cannon were mounted, and the men trained in the exercise of arms. When the ships were in readiness to sail to England, it was intimated toSmith that he would consulthis own interests by returning in them, but he refused to do so, and boldly demanded a trial upon the charges which had been pre- ferred against him. The council did not dare to refuse him this trial, and the result was his triumphant acquittal. More than this, he succeeded so well in exposing the malice of his enemies that the president, as the originator of the charges against him, was compelled to pay him two hundred pounds damages, which sum Smith gener- ously applied to the needs of the colony. His seat in the council could no longer be denied him, and he took his place at the board to the great gain of the colony. Newport sailed for England about the middle of June, leaving the settlement in a most pitiable condition. The provisions sent out from England had been spoiled on the voyage, and the colonists were too indo- lent to cultivate the land, or to seek to obtain supplies from the Indians. Sickness broke out among them, owing to the malarious character of their location, and by thebegin- ningofthewintermore than half their num- ber had died. Among these was Bartholo- mew Gosnold, the originator of the London Company, who had come out to Virginia to risk his life iu the effort to settle the country. He was a man of rare merits, and, together with Mr. Hunt, "the preacher," who was also one of the projectors of the company, had contributed successfully to the preserva- tion of harmony in the colony. In the midst of these sufferings it was found that Wingfield was preparing to load the pinnace with the remainder of the stores and es- cape to the West Indies. He was deposed by the council, who appointed John Rat- cliffe in his place. The new president was not much better than his predecessor. He was incapable of discharging the duties of his ofiSce, and was perfectly satisfied that Smith should direct the affairs of the settlement for him. From this time Smith was the actual head of the government. Food was the prime necessity of the colony, and as it was now too late to raise it. Smith exerted himself to obtain it from the Indians. He purchased a supply, and towards the close of the autumn the wild fowl which frequent the region furn- ished an additional means of subsistence. Danger of Famine. The danger of a famine thus removed, Smith proceeded to explore the country. In one of these expeditions he ascended the Chickahominy as far as he could penetrate in his boat, and then leaving it in charge of two men, struck into the interior with an Indian guide. His men disobeyed his in- structions, and were surprised and put to death by the Indians. Smith himself was taken prisoner, and deeply impressed his captors by his cool courage and self-posses- sion. Instead of begging for his life, he set to work to convince them of his superiority over them, and succeeded so well that they regarded him with a sort of awe. He aston- ished them by showing them his pocket com- pass and explaining to them its uses, and excited their admiration by writing a letter :AH0NTAS interceding for the life of captain JOHN SMITH 78 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS. 79 to his friends at Jamestown informing them of his situation, and of the danger to which they were exposed from a contemplated attack of the Indians. One of the savages 'oore the letter to its destination. A Grand Reception. Smith had been captured by Opechan- canough, a powerful chieftain of the Pamun- key Indians ; but as the curiosity of the neighboring tribes was greatly aroused by his presence, he was led in triumph from the Chickahominy to the villages on the Rappahannock and the Potomac, and then taken through other towns to the residence of Opechancanough, on the Pamunkey. Here the medicine men of the tribe held a three days' incantation over him to ascertain his character and design. All this while his demeanor was calm and fearless, as if he entertained no apprehension for his safety. He was regarded by the savages as a su- perior being, and was treated with kindness, though kept a close prisoner. His fate was referred to Powhatan for de- cision, as the other tribes feared to bring the blood of such an extraordinary being upon their heads. Powhatan was then residing at Werowocomoco, which lay on the north side of Fork River, in what is now Gloucester County, Virginia. He received the captive in great state, surrounded by his warriors. " He wore," saj-s Smith, " such a grave and majestical countenance as drove me into ad- miration to see." Brought into the presence of Powhatan, Smith was received with a shout from the assembled warriors. A hand- some young squaw brought him water to wash his hands, and another gave him a bunch of feathers to dry them. Food was then set before him, and while he applied himself to the repast a consultation was held by the savages as to his fate. Smith watched the proceedings closely, and was aware from the gestures of the council that his death had been determined upon. Two great stones were then brought into the assembly and laid before the king. The captive was seized and dragged to the stones, forced down, and his head laid upon them. Two brawny savages stood by to beatV out hisbrainswiththeirclubs. Duringthese proceedings Pocahontas, a child of ten or twelve years, "dearly loved daughter" of Powhatan, touched with pity for the unfor- tunate stranger, had been earnestly pleading with her father to spare his life. Failing in this, she sprang forward at the moment the executioners were about to despatch their victim, and throwing herself by his side, clasped her arms about his neck and laid her head upon his to protect him from the im- pending stroke. This remarkable action in a child so young moved the savages with profound astonishment. They regarded it as a manifestation of the will of Heaven in favor of the captive, and it was determined to spare his life and seek his friendship. The Captive Released. & nith was released from his bonds, anJ was g 'en to Pocahontas to make beads an bells for her, and to weave for her ornaments of copper. The friendship which the inno- cent child of the forest conceived for him grew stronger every day, and ceased only with her life. Powhatan took him into his favor, and endeavored to induce him to abandon the English and cast his lot with him. He even sought to obtain his aid in an attack upon the colony. Smith declined these offers, and by his decision of character succeeded in averting the hostility of the savages from his friends at Jamestown, and in winning their good-will for the English. In a short while the Indians allowed him to return to Jamestown, upon his promise to send to King Powhatan two cannon and a So SETTLEMENT OE AMERICA. griudstoue. Upon arriving at Jamestown he showed the Indians who had accompanied him two of the largest cannon, and asked them to lift them. This was impossible ; nor could they succeed any better with the grindstone. Smith then discharged the can- non in their presence, which so frightened them that they refused to have anything to do with them. Having evaded his promise in this manner, Smith bestowed more suit- able presents upon his guides, and sent them POCAHONTAS. home with gifts for Powhatan and Poca- hontas. The savage king was doubtless well satisfied to let the ' ' great guns ' ' alone after hearing the report of his messengers concerning them, and was great'y pleased with the gifts sent him. Pocahontas Brings Food. Smith found the colony at Jamestown re- duced to forty men and affairs in great con- fusion. His companions had believed that he had fallen a victim to the hostility of the Indians, and he was greeted with delight, as cAe need of his firm hand had been sadly felt. He found that a party of malcontents were preparing to run away from the colony with the pinnacle,and he at once rallied his supporters and trained the guns of the fort upon the little vessel, and avowed his de- termination to fire upon the mutineers if they sought to depart. His firmness put an end to this danger, and the friendly relations which he had managed to establish with the Indians now enabled him to buy from thesavages the food necessary to sustain the colonists through the winter. In many ways his captivity / proved a great blessing to the settlement. He had not onlj' explored the country be- tween the James and Potomac, and gained considerable knowledge of the languageand customs of the natives, but had disposed the Indian tribes subject to Powhatan to regard the colony with friendship at the most criti- cal period of its existence. Had the savages been hostile during the winter the James- town colony must have perished of starva- tion ; but now, every few days throughout this season, Pocahontas came to the fort accompanied by a number of her country- men bearing baskets of corn for the whites. Exploring Chesapeake Bay. In the spring of 1608, Newport arrived fioni England, bringing a reinforcement of one hundred and twenty emigrants. The newcomers were joyfully welcomed by the colonists, but they proved of no real advan- tage to th« settlement. They were either idlers or goldsmiths who had come out to America in the hope of finding gold. The refiners of the party believed they had found the precious metal in a heap of glittering earth, of which there was an abundance near Jamestown, and in spite of the remonstrances of Smith, would do nothing but dig gold. Newport, who .shared the delusion, loaded CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS. 8i his ships with the worthless earth and sailed for England after a sojourn in the colony of fourteen weeks. While these fruitless labors were in pro- gress. Smith, thoroughly disgus*:ed with the folly of the emigrants, undertoOK the explora- tion of the Chesapeake Bay. He spent the summer of l6o8 in visiting the shores of the bay and ascending its tributaries in an open boat, accompanied by a few men. He ex- plored the Chesapeake to the Susquehanna, ascended the Potomac to the falls, and explored the Patapsco. This voyage em- braced a total distance of nearly three thou- sand miles, and resulted not only in the gain- ing of accurate information respecting the country bordering the Chesapeake, but also in establishing friendly relations with the tribes along its shores, and preparing the way for future friendly intercourse with them. The energetic explorer prepared a map of the Chesapeake and its tributaries, and sent it to his employers in England, by whom it was published. It is yet in existence, and its accuracy and minuteness have often elic- ited the praise of subsequent topo-^raphers. Idlers Must Not Eat. Smith returned to Jamestown on the seventh of September, and three days later was made president of the council. The good effects of his administration were soon felt. In the autumn, however, another rein- forcement of idle and useless men arrived. Smith, indignant at the continual arrival of such worthless persons, wrote to the com- pany : " When you send again, I entreat you rather send but thirty carpenters, husband- men, gardeners, fishermen, blacksmiths^ ma- sons, and diggers up of trees' roots, well pro- vided, than a thousand of such as we have." Upon the return of the fleet to England the governor exerted his authority to compel the idlers *o go to work. It was ordered that six hours in each day should be spent in useful labor by each person, and that " he who would not work might not eat." In a short while the settlement began to assumt the appearance of a regular habitation ; but still so little land had been cultivated — only about thirty or forty acres in all — that during the winter of 1608-9, the settlers were com- pelled to depend upon the Indians for food Yet the prudent management of Smith kept the colony in good health. Infamous Laws. In the s^jring of 1609, great changes were made in the London Company, and a more earnest interest was manifested in the colony by all classes of the English people. Sub- scriptions were made to the stock of tin company by many noblemen as well as mer- chants, and a new charter was obtained. By this charter the stockholders had the power to appoint the supreme council in England, and to this council were confided the powers of legislation and government, which were relinquished by the king. The council ap' pointed the governor of the colony, who was to rule the settlement with absolute au- thority according to the instructions of the C3uncil. He was made master of the lives and iiberties of the settlers by being author- ized to declare martial law whenever in his judgment the necessity for that measure should atise, and was made the sole execu- tive officer in its administration. Thus the emigrants were depriveor ot every civil right, and were placed at ''se mercy of a governor appointed by a corpo- ration whose only object was to make money. The company, however, defeated this object by the manner in which it se- lected emigrants. Instead of sending out honest and industrious laborers who were capable of building up a state, they sent only idlers and vaeabonda men who wera 82 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. neither willing iioi fit to work. The com- mon stock feature was maintained, and thus the greatest obstacle to industry that could be devised was placed in the way of the success of the colony. Still there were many who were willing to seek the new BUILDING THE FIRST HOUSE IN JAMESTOWN. world even under these conditions, and many others whose friends desired to gf^.t them out of the country'. The company was soon able to equip a fleet of nine vessels containing more than five hundred emigrants, and a stock of do- mestic animals and fowls was included in the outfit of the expedition. Lord Delaware, a nobleman, whose character command .■d the confidence of his countrymen, was made governor of the colony for life. As he was not able to sail with the expedition, he dele- gated his authority during his absence to Newport, who was admiral of the fleet. Sir Thomas Gates, and Sir George Somers, who were to govern the col- ony until his arrival. The fleet sailed in the springof i6o9,butwhen off the American coast was overtaken by a se- vere storm, and two ves- sels — on one of which the admiral and com- mi.ssioners had sailed — were wrecked on one of the Bermuda islands. Seven ships reached Virginia, and brought the worst lot of emi- grants that had yet been sent out to the colony. Smith was still acting president, and as the commissioners had not arrived was determined to hold his position until relieved by his lawful successors. The new emigrants at first refused to recognize his author- ity, but he compelled them to submit, and in order to lessen the evil of their presence, divided them into bodies sufficiently numer- ous for safety, and sent them to make settle- ments in other parts of Virginia. These settlements proved so many failures, and, unfortunately for the colony. Smith was so .severely wounded by an accidental explosion of gunpowder, in the autumn of 1609, that CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS. 83 •je was obliged to relinquish the government and return to England for surgical treatment. He delegated his authority to George Percy, and sailed for England, never to return to Virginia again. It was to him alone that the success of the colony was due, but he received in return nothing but ingratitude. Pocahontas Saves the Colony. The departure of Smith was followed by the most disastrous consequences. There was no longer an acknowledged government >n Virginia, and the settlers gave themselves up to the most reckless idleness. Their pro- visions were quickly consumed, and the In- dians refused to furnish them with anymore. The friendship of the savages had been due to their personal regard for Smith, who had tompelled the colonists to respect their rights and to refrain from maltreating them. Now that Smith was no longer at the head of affairs, the Indians regarded the settlers with the contempt they fully merited, and hostili- ties soon began. Stragglers from the town were cut off, and parties who went out to seek food among the savages were deliber- ately murdered. On one occasion a plan was laid to surprise the town and massacre the colonists. The danger was averted by Pocahontas, who stole from her father's camp, through night and storm, to give warning to the settlers. Fail- ing in this effort the Indians resolved to starve the colony, and soon the whites began to experience the sufferings of a famine. Thirty of them seized one of the ships, escaped to sea, and began a course of piracy. In si.K months the four hundred and ninety persons left by Smith in the colony ai his departure had dwindled down to sixty ; and this wretched remnant would have perished speedily had not aid reached them. On the twenty-fourth of May, 1610. Sir Thomas Gates and the members of the expe- dition who had been wrecked on the Ber- mudas reached Jamestown after a stay oi nine months on those islands, during which time they had built two vessels from the wreck of their ship and the wood found on the island. In these they managed to reach/ Virginia, expecting to find the colony in a prosperous condition. They found instead the sixty men already mentioned, so feeble and full of despair as to be helpless. In the general despondency it was determined to abandon the colony, sail to Newfoundland, and join the fishing vessels which came an- nually from England to that island. A ^Velcome Arrival. Some of the emigrants wished to burn the town, but this was prevented by the resolute conduct of Sir Thomas Gates. On the seventh of June the settlers embarked, and that night dropped down the James with the tide. The next morning they were aston- ished to meet a fleet of vessels entering th« river. It was Lord Delaware, who had arrived with fresh emigrants and supplies. The fugitives hailed the arrival of the gover- nor with delight, and put about and ascended the stream with him. A fair wind enabled them to reach Jamestown the same night. On the tenth of June, 1610, the founda- tions of the colony were solemnly relaid with prayer and supplication to Almighty God for success in the effort to establish a state. The authority of Lord Delaware silenced all dissensions, and his equitable but firm administration soon placed the settle- ment on a more successful basis than it had yet occupied. The labors of each day were opened with prayer in the little church, after which, from si.x in the morning till ten, and from two in the afternoon until four, all engaged in the tasks demanded of them. The good effects of the new system were soon manifest in the increased comfort and SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. prosperity of the colony. In about a year the health of Lord Delaware gave way, and he delegated his authority to George Percy, whom Smith had chosen as his successor, and returned to England. Fortunately for the colony, the company, before the arrival of Lord Delaware in Eng- land, had sent out Sir Thomas Dale with supplies. He reached Jamestown in May, 1611, and finding Lord Delaware gone, assumed the government. He brought with him a code of laws, prepared and sent out by Sir Thomas Smith, the treasurer of the company, without the order or sanction of the council, and which established martial law as the rule of the colony. Though he ruled with such a stern hand, Dale ren- dered good service to Virginia by recom- mending to the company to maintain the settlement at all hazards as certain of yielding them a rich reward in the end. The New Settlers. This energetic appeal so greatly encour- aged the council, which had been consider- ably disheartened by Lord Delaware's re- turn, that in thesummerof 161 1 Sir Thomas Gates was sent out to Virginia with six ships and three hundred emigrants. He car- ried also a stock of cattle and abundant supplies. The emigrants sent out with him were of a better character and more indus- trious than any that had yet left England for Virginia. Gates assumed the govern- ment, and matters began to prosper again. The colony now numbered seven hundred persons, and was deemed so prosperous that Dale, with the approval of the governor, led a number of the men to the vicinity of the fallsof the James, and there established another settlement, which was called Hen- rico, in honor of the Prince of Wales. Among the changes for the better was the assignment to each settler of a few acres of land forhisowu cultivation. This "incipient establishment ot private property" pro- duced the happiest results, and from this time there was no scarcity of provisions in the colony, which became so powerful and prosperous as to be no longer exposed to the mercy of the savages. The Indians themselves were quick to notice this change, ; and some neighboring tribes acknowledged themselves subjects of King James. The whites, however, did not always respect the rights of the Indians. Late in 161 3, Pocahontas was betrayed into the hands of a foraging party under Captain Argall. Argall kept her a prisoner, and demanded of Powhatan a ransom. For three months Powhatan did not deign to re- ply to this demand, but prepared for war. In the meantime Pocahontas was instructed in the faith of the Christians, and at length openly embraced it, and was baptized. Her conversion was hastened by a powerful sen- timent, which had taken possession of her heart. She had always regarded the Eng- lish as superior to her own race, and now her aflfections were won by a )oung English- man of good character, named John Rolfe. Marriage of Pocahontas. Rolfe, with the approval of the governor, asked her hand of her father in marriage. Powhatan consented to the union, but re- fused to be present at the marriage, as he was too shrewd to place his person in the hands of the English. He sent his brother Opachisco and two of his sons to witness the marriage, which was solemnized in the little church at Jamestown, in the presence of Sir Thomas Dale, the acting governor. The marriage conciliated Powhatan and his tribe, who continued their peaceful relations with the colony. King James, however, was greatly displeased at what he deemed the presumption of a subject in wedding a TYPES OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 86 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. princess. Pocahontas was soon aftev taken to England by her husband, and was re- ceived there with great attention and kind- ness. She remained in England for a little more than a year, and then prepared to re- turn to her own country. As she was about to sail, she died, at the age of twenty-two, A. D. 1616. She left a son, who subse- quently became a man of distinction in Virginia, and the ancestor of some of the proudest families of the Old dominion. Earliest Land Laws of Virginia. In the meantime the settlements of the French on the coast of Maine had attracted tlie attention and excited the jealousy of the English. In 161 3, Captain Samuel Argall, who was cruising on the banks of Newfound- land to protect the English fishermen, dis- covered the French settlement of Saint Sauveur on the island of Mount Desert, and captured it. He treated the colonists with inexcusable harshness, and compelled them to leave the country. In the same year he destroyed the fortifications which Des Monts had erected on the isle of St. Croix and burned the deserted settlement of Port Royal. At Jamestown and the other settlements that had been formed in Virginia private in- dustry was fast placing the colony on an assured basis of success. " The condition of private property in lands, among the colon- ists, depended, in some measure, on the cir- cumstances under which they had emigrated. Some had been sent and maintained at the exclusive cost of the company, and were its servants. One month of their time and three acres of land were set apart for them, besides a small allowance of two bushels of corn from the public store ; the rest of their labor belonged to their employers. This number had gradually decreased ; and in 1617 there were of them all men, women and djiildren, but fifty-four. Others, especi- ally the favorite settlement near the mouth of the Appomattox, were tenants, paying two and a half bushels of corn as a yearly tribute to the store, and giving to the public service one month's labor, which was to be required neither at seed time nor hervest. He who came himself, or had sent others at his own expense, had been entitled to a hundred acres of land for each person ; now tliat the colony was well established, the bounty on emigration was fixed at fifty acres, of which the actual occupation and culture gave a further right to as many more, to be assigned at leisure. Beside this, lands were granted as rewards of merit ; yet not more than two thousand acres could be so appro- priated to one person. A payment to the company's treasury of twelve pounds and ten shillings likewise obtained a title to any hundred acres of land not yet granted or possessed, with a reserved claim to as much more. Such were the earliest land laws of Virginia ; though imperfect and unequal, tl:ey gave the cultivator the means of be- coming a proprietor of the soil. These val- uable changes were established by Sir Thomas Dale."* Tobacco Becomes the Currency. The survivors of Raleigh's colony at Roanoke had introduced into England the use of tobacco which they had learned from the Indians, and there was now a steady de- mand for that article from the mother country. Encouraged by this demand, and stimulated by the acquisition of property of their own, the Virginia colonists devoted themselves with ardor to the culture of tobacco, and soon all the available land about the settlements, and even the streets and public squares of Jamestown, wer. ^History of the United Slat':s. By Geo. Bancroft, vol. i., p. 150. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS. 87 planted with it. Tobacco soon became the currency of the colony, and great attention was given to it, even to the exclusion of ather agricultural interests. A New Govemo.^. In 161^, Sir Thomas Dale, who had been governor of the colony for two years, dele- gated his authority to George Yeardley, and sailed for England. Under Yeardley 's ad- mirable administration the colony continued to increase in prosperity. A faction of th- settiers, however, succeeded in removing him from his position, and replaced him with Argall, who was a selfish and brutal tyrant. He held office for two years, and goverjied according to the most rigid forms of martial law. He swindled the company, and ex- torted their hard earnings from the settlers, who were driven to desperation by his brutal- ities. In their distress they appealed to the company for redress, and, as Argall had robbed the corporation also, their prayer was heard. Argall was removed from office, and the bloody code of Sir Thomas Smith was abolished. Sir George Yeardley was appointed governor, Lord Delaware having died, and reached Jamestown in April, 1619. He was greatly beloved by the Virginians, and his arrival was looked upon as the be- ginning of new life for the province, as indeed it was. Among the changes which Yeardley was empowered by the company to inaugurate was one which exercised the greatest influ- ence upon the subsequent history of Vir- ginia. After years of blundering and arbi- trary rule, the London Company had become convinced that the best way to promote the welfare of Virginia was to give the settlers a share in the management of their own affairs. "That the planters might have a hande in the governing of themselves, yt was graunted Uiat a generall assemblie shoulde be helde yearly once, whereat were to be present the governor and consell with two burgesses from each plantation, freely to be elected by the inhabitantes thereof, this assemblie to have power to make and ordaine whatsoever lawes and orders shoulde by them be though* good and profitable for their subsistence." First Representative Assembly. In accordance with this authorization. Governor Yeardley issued his writs for the election of representatives from the various colonies, and on the tenth day of July, 1619, two delegates from each of the eleven settle- ments of the colony met at Jamestown, and organized the House of Burgesses of the Colony of Virginia, the first representative assembly ever convened in America. In this assembly the governor and council sat with the burgesses, and engaged in the de- bates and motions. John Pory, a member of the council and secretary of the colony, was chosen speaker, although he was not a member of the house. Sensible of their de- pendence upon the Supreme Ruler of the world, the burgesses opened their delibera- tions with prayer, and thus established the practice. " The assembly exercised fully the right of judging of the proper election of Its members ; and they would not suffer any patent, conceding manorial jurisdiction, to bar the obligation of obedience to their decisions." Laws were enacted against idle- ness and vice, and for the encouragement ol industry and order. He who refused to labor was to be " sold to a master for wages till he shewe apparent signs of amendment." The playing of dice and cards, and drunkenness and profane swearing were pro« hibited under severe penalties. Inducements were held out to increase the planting of corn, mulberry trees, hemp and the vine. The price of tobacco was fixed by law at three shillings a pound for the best grade 88 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. ind half that price for the inferior grade. Provision was also made for " the erecting of a university and college" for the proper edu- cation of the children who should be born to the planters. It was designed to extend to the Indians the benefit of these institutions, »nd it was ordered that the " most towardly ^(Indian) boys in wit and graces of nature should be brought up in the first elements of literature, and sent from college to the work of converting the natives to Christian- ity" The measures of the assembly were put in force without waiting the approval of the London Company, and the good effects of them were quickly visible in the colony. The priiciples of free government having been planted in the community, the settlers, who had been thereby transformed from the mere creatures of the governor into free- dom Englishmen once more, began to regard ''irginia as their permanent home, and set to lork with a will to build houses and plant fields. One thing only was lacking to give the settlers homes in the truest sense of the word ; and to supply that need Sir Edwin Sandys induced ninety young and vir- tuous women to emigrate to America, that the colonists might be able to marry and form domestic ties which alone could perma- nently attach them to America. Wives Imported. The young women were sent over to the colony in 1619, atthe expense of the com- pany, and were married to the tenants of the corporation or to men who were well enough V) do to support them. The next year sixty Wore were sent over, and quickly found husbands. In all cases the husbands were required to repay to the company the cost of the passage of their wives from England. This was paid in tobacco, and was regarded AS a debt of honor, to bs discharged at any sacrifice. In order to aid the husbands In these payments, as well as in their general matters, the company, in employing labor, gave the preference to the married men The colony now increased in a marked degree, emigrants coming out so rapidly from England that by 162 1 there were four thou- sand persons in Virginia. It having become understood that the colony had passed the stage at which failure was possible, and had become a permanent state, the new emigrants J were largely men of family, who brought ^ their households with them. Virginia's ^Vritte,n Constitution. In July, i62i,the London Company, which was now controlled by the patriot party in England, granted to Virginia a written consti- tution, which gave to the colony a form of government similar to that of England her- self. A governor and permanent council were to be appointed by the company. The house of burgesses was to have the power of enacting such laws as should be needed for the general good, but no law so enacted was to be valid unless approved by the company, On the other hand, no orders of the court ir London were to be binding in Virginia unless ratified by the house of burgesses. Courts of justice were established and ordered to be administered according to the law and forms of trial in use in England. Thus the common law of England was firmly established in Virginia, and under its beneficent protection the colony advanced steadily in prosperity. The colonists were to be no longer merely J the subjects of a commercial corporation, and I as such to hold their liberties and property at the pleasure of their masters ; bur were definitely accorded the right to govern them- selves, and to take such measures for their safety and prosperity as in their judgment should seem best. Such were the provisions of the constitution. CHAPTER VII. Progress of the Virginia Colony Tntroduction of Negro Slavery Into Virginia — Efforts of the Assembly to Restrict Slavery — The Indians Attempt the Destruction of the Colony — Terrible Sufferings of the Whites — Aid from England — The Indian War Begun — King James Revokes the Charter of the London Company — Charles I. Desires a Monopoly of the Tobacco Trade — Action of the Assembly — Sir William Berkeley's First Administration — Severe Measures Against Dissenters— Close of the Indian War — Death of Opechancauough — Emigration of Royalists to Virginia— Virginia and the Commonwealth — Treaty With England — The Assembly Asserts Its Independence of the Governor — The Restoration — Berkley Chosen Governor by the Assembly — His Hypocrisy. IN August, 1619, a few months after the meeting of the first colonial legislature, there occurred an event which was des- tined toinfluence thehistory of Virginia and of America for remote generations, per- haps forever. A Dutch vessel of war entered the James River and offered twenty negroes for sale as slaves. These were purchased by the planters, and negro slavery was thus es- tablished in Virginia. Laborers were in de- mand, and the necessity for themblindedthe planters to the evil they were fastening upon the colony. The first importation was fol- lowed by others, the infamous business being principally in the hands of the Dutch at this period. Still the blacks increased very slow- ly. Legislation from the first discouraged the traffic by a heavy tax upon female slaves. Sir Francis Wyatt, the first governor ap- pointed under the new constitution, reached Virginia in 1621, and the new laws were soon in successful operation. Soon after his ar- rival a terrible misfortune befell the colony, and almost caused its destruction. For some time there had been bad blood between the whites and the Indians. Powhatan, the friend of the English, was dead, and Opec- hancanough, the veteran chief, who, since the death of Powhatan, had become the leader, was bitterly hostile to the English, and not without reason. The savages origi- nally held the best lands in the colony, but the whites, when these lands were wanted, took possession of them without regard to the rights of their dusky owners. The Indians, unable to contend with the whites in open conflict, saw themselves driven steadily away from their accustomed homes, and menaced with total destruction by the supe- rior race. Opechancauough, though out- wardly friendly to the colonists, now secretly resolved upon their destruction, and sought to accomplish this by treachery. There were about five thousand Indians, of whom fifteen hundred were warriors, within sixty miles of Jamestown, and the whites in the same region numbered in all about four thousand. These were scattered in fancied safety along both sides of the Jamesandforsomedistanceintotheinterior. A plot was organizied by the Indian leader for the extermination of every settler in the colony. At noon on a designated day every settlement was to be surprised and all the inhabitants murdered. The savages in the meantime kept up their pretence of friendship. Opechancanough declared with fervor, "Sooner shall the sky fall than my friendshipfor the English should cease." So unsuspicious were the English that to the very last moment they received the savages amongst them without fear of harm, and it go MASSACRE OF SETTLERS BY INDIANS. PROGRESS OF THE VIRGINIA ^COLONY. 91 many places the latter were then in the h^juses of the people they meant to destroy. On the twenty-second of March, 1622, a geneial attack was made by the savages upon all the settlements of the colony. On the previous night the plot had been revealed to a converted Indian named Chauco, who at once hastened to Jamestown and gave warn- ing of the danger. The alarm spread rapidly to the nearest settlements, but those at a dis- tance could not be reached in time to avert their fate. Those settlements which had been warned were able to offer a successful resistance to their assailants, and some of those which were surprised beat off the Indians ; but the number of victims, men women and children, who fell this day amounted to three hundred and forty-seven. All these were slain, and their fate would have been shared by the whole colony but for the warning of the friendly Indian. Terrible Destruction. The effect upon the colony was appalling. The distant plantations had been destroyed by the savages, and out of eighty settlements ^ight alone survived. These, and especially Jamestown, were crowded beyond their ca- pacity with fugitives who had fled to them for shelter. Sickness soon began to prevail, the public works were discontinued, and pri- vate industry was greatly diminished. A gloom rested over the entire colony, and the population fell off. At the end of two years after the massacre, the number of inhabitants had been reduced to two thousand. Much sympathy was manifested for the suffering colonists by the people of England. The city of London sent them liberal assistance, and private individuals subscribed to their need. King James was aroused into an affectation of generous sympathy, and sent over to the colony a supply of muskets which had been condemned as worthless in England. The whites recovered from their gloom, and on their part began to form plans for the extermination of their foes. During the next ten years expeditions were sent against the Indians at frequent intervals. The object kept sternly in view was to either destroy the savages altogether, or force them back from the seaboard into the interior. As late as 1630 it was ordered by the general assem- bly that no peace should be made with the Indians. Virginia's Charter Revoked. An important change now occurred in the fortunes of the colony. The London Com- pany was bankrupt, and its stockholders having abandoned all hope of gain from the colony, held on to their shares merely as a means of exercising political power. The company was divided between two parties. One of these favored the direct rule of the colony by the sovereign, the other maintained the independent government of the province by its own legislature under the constitution granted to it. The debates between these ' factions greatly annoyed the king, who could never tolerate the expression of an independ- ent opinion by any of his subjects. He endeavored in various ways to silence these disputes, and to regain the powers he had relinquished to the company, but the Letter firmly refused to surrender their charter, and the colonists, who feared that the king might seek to impose his own arbitrary will upon them in the place of their constitution and the laws of England, sustained the company in its refusal. In spite of this opposition, however, James carried his point. The charter of the com- pany was revoked, and Virginia was made a royal province. The company appealed to the courts, but these being under the influ- ence of the crown sustained the king. Their decision was rendered in June, 1624. Jar?^€S SETTLEMEf^ OF AMERICA. did not interfere with any of the liberties or privileges of Virginia, however. Sir Francis Wyatt was retained in his office of governor, FLIGHT OF THE INDIANS AFT^R THE MASSACRE. and the colony was left under the laws and in possession of the privileges secured to it in 1621. James announced his intention to prepare a code of laws for the government of Virginia, but fortunately for that pro/ince he died before he could execute his design. Charles I. succeeded his father on the Eng- lish throne on the twenty-seventh o' March, 1625. He was favorably disposed toward the colony^ for he did not suppose the principles of civil liberty had taken so deep a root in it, and, moreover, he wished to secure for the crown the monopoly of the tobacco trade. He carried his con- descension to the ex- tent of recognizing ^ tht house of burgesses as a legislative body and requesting it to pass a bill restricting the sales of tobacco to the crown. The house answered him respect- fully, but firmly, that to grant his majesty's request would be to injure the trade of the colony. Defeated in this efifort to secure this monopoly the king continued throughout his reign to seek to get the tobacco trade into his hands. He declared London to be the sole market for the sale of tobacco, and endeav- ored in many ways, and in vain, to regulat* the trade. I PROGRESS OF THE VIRGINIA COLONY. 93 In the meantime Sir Francis Wyatt retired from the government of the colony, and Sir George Yeardley was appointed his successor in 1626. The latter died the next year, and Francis West was elected governor by the council until the pleasure of the king should be known. Upon the receipt in England of the news of Yeardley's death, Charles appointed Sir John Harvey governor of Virginia. At the same time he granted to the council in Virginia authority to fill all vacancies occurring in their body. Previous to the arrival of Harvey, West was succeeded by another governor, named Pott, elected by the council. An Unpopular Governor. Harvey reached Virginia late in the autumn of 1629, and remained in office until 1639. He was greatly disliked, and his failure to enforce the claims of Virginia against the colony of Maryland, which was planted in 1634 upon territory embraced within the original grant to Virginia, made him still more unpopular. In 1635 he was removed from ofifice by the council, and an appeal was made to the king by both Harvey and the council. Harvey returned to England to manage his case, and John West was appointed governor until the decision of the case by the king. Harvey succeeded in defeating his opponents, who were not even allowed a hearing in England, and returned to Virginia in January, 1636, and resumed his place as governor. The complaints against him were so numerous, that in 1639 he was removed by the king, who appointed Sir Francis Wyatt his successor. In 1 641 Wyatt was succeeded by Sir William Berkeley, who reached Jamestown in 1642. In the spring of this year, an effort was made to revive the London Company, but Virginia, which was now a royal province, opposed the measure, and urged the king to allow her to remain in the exercise of the self-government which had contributed in so marked a degree to her prosperity. The king, impressed with the force of the arguments by which this appeal was sustained, declared his intention to make no change in the colonial government. The Puritans Banished. Berkeley, during his first administration, provi-J in the main a good governor, and the coiuiiy continued to improve. The courts of justice were brought as near as possible to the English standard, and the titles to lands were arranged upon a more satisfactory basis than had hitherto been found possible. Taxes were assessed accord- ing to the wealth of the settlers, and a treaty was arranged with Maryland by which the vexed questions between the two colonies were satisfactorily adjusted. The Virginians, accustomed to freedom, were in all things, save their acknowledgment of the king's supremacy, a practically independent nation, so little were they interfered with by the sovereign. The colony was devoted to the established church of England, and even at this early day there were severe laws for the enforcement of conformity to its rules, and for the punishment of dissenters. When Puritan ministers came from New England into the colonv in 1643, they were banished by the colonial government, not- withstanding they had been invited into Virginia by the Puritan settlements in that province. The majority of the Virginians, with the governor at their head, were royal- ists and staunch friends of the king. . The Puritans living in the colony were regarded with suspicion, and when they re- fused to conform to the established church, it was ordered that they should be banished. [ Many of them passed over into Maryland ' and settled there. With the exception of 94 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. this harmless bigotry, the colony took no share in the great quarrel which was rending the mother coimtry in twain. It was rather a gainer by it, as the troubles which encom- passed Charles I. compelled him to cease his A -"-■"^"jfe INDIAN WEAPONS. efforts to interfere with the trade of the planters. The chief trouble of this period was with the Indians. There had been no peace with them since the massacre of 1622, but fre- quent expeditions had been sent against them. In 1644, the savages, led by their veteran chief Opechancanough, resolved to make one more effort to exterminate the whites, forgetting that in the twenty years that elapsed their enemies had grown stronger, while they had grown weaker On the eighteenth of April the frontier set- tlements were at- tacked, and threehun- dred of the settlers were put to death. Tlie whites at once inaugurated vigorous measures for their defence, and a sharp warfare was waged on the savages until October, 1646. It was brought to a close by the capture of Opechancanough, who was so decre^Dit that he was unable to walk, and was carried in the arms of his people. His flesh was emaciated, the sinews so relaxed, and his eyelids so heavy that whenever he desired to see they were lifted by his attendants. Yet still the vigor of his intellect remained to him, and he was to the last both feared by his enemies and loved by his people. Berkeley, having taken him pris- oner, exposed him to the rude gaze of the colonists, an indignity that stung the proud monarch of the forest to the heart. On one PROGRESS OF THE VIRGINIA COLONY, 95 occasion, hearing that the governor was approaching, he caused his eyeUds to be raised, and fixing upon his captor a look of stern rebuke, said to him, " If Sir William Berkeley had become my prisoner, I should not thus meanly have exposed him as a show to my people." A Cowardly Assassination. A few days later, Opechancanough was basely assassinated by one of the colonists charged with the duty of guarding him. Thus perished one of the greatest of the native chieftains of America. In October, 1646, Necotowance, the successor of Opechancan- ough, entered into a treaty with the colony, by which he and his people relinquished to the English the lands that had been the heritage of their fathers, and withdrew into the interior. Their power was completely broken, and submission was all that was left to them. Virginia was now on the high road to prosperity. The population at the close of the year 1648 numbered twenty thousand, and was increasing rapidly. A fair trade had been built up with other countries, and at Christmas of this year " there were i;rading in Virginia ten ships from London, two from Bristol, twelve Hollanders, and seven from New England." The quarrels of the mother country had not affected the colony, though a thrill of horror and indignation ran through all Virginia when the news was leceived of the execution of Charles I. Upon the fall of that monarch a large number of the royalist party in England, un- willing to submit to or make any compromise with the Parliament, fled to Virginia, and were received there with sympathizing hospi- tality by the government and people. Many of them made the colony their permanent home, and thus began the pleasant relations between Virginia and England, which have in numerous cases remained unbroken. The Virginians regarded Charles II., then an exile at Breda, as their rightful sovereign, and it was seriously proposed to him to come over to America and be king of Virginia. Charles' interests obliged him to remain in Europe, but he continued to regard himselj as king of Virginia. From this circum- stance Virginia came to be called " The Old Dominion." Arrivai of a Fleet. The Parliament, however, did not long suffer the colony to maintain this attitude. Having triumphed over all its enemies in Europe it prepared to enforce its authority in America. In 1650 an ordinance was passed forbidding all intercourse with the colonies that had adhered to the Stuarts, except by the especial permission of Parlia- ment or the Council of State. In the spring of 1652 more energetic measures were put in force, and a fleet was dispatched to America to compel the submission of the colonies. The fleet arrived off Jamestown. No resist- ance was attempted, for the commissioners appointed by the commonwealth were in- structed to grant terms honorable to both parties. The Virginians were prepared to resist any attempt to force them into submis- sion, but they were disarmed by the liberal spirit with which the commonwealth met them, and a treaty was concluded between England and Virginia, as equal treating with equal. It was stipulated : " First. — That this should be considered 3 voluntary act, not forced or constrained by a conquest upon the country ; and that the colony should have and enjoy such freedoms and privileges as belong to the freeborn people of England. " Secondly. — That the grand assembly, as formerly, should convene and transact the affairs of Virginia, doing nothing contrary to 96 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. the government of the commonwealth or laws of England. " Thirdly. — That there should be a full and total remission of all acts, words., or writ- ings against the Parliament. Demand for a New Charter. " Fourthly. — That Virginia should have her ancient bounds and limits, granted by the charters of the former kings, and that a new charter was to be sought from Parliament to that effect, against such as had trespassed against their ancient rights. " Fifthly. — That all patents of land under the seal of the colony, granted by the gover- nor, should remain in full force. " Sixthly. — That the privilege of fifty acres of land for every person emigrating to the colony should remain in full force. " Seventhly. — That the people of Virginia have free trade, as the people of England enjoy, with all places and nations, according to the laws of the commonwealth ; and that Virginia should enjoyequal privileges, in every respect, with any other colony in America. " Eighthly. — That Virginia should be free from all taxes, customs, and impositions what- soever; and that none should be imposed upon them without the consent of their grand assembly ; and no forts or castles be erected, or garrison maintained, without their consent. " Ninthly. — That no charge should be re- quired from the country on account of the expense incurred in the present fleet. " Tenthly. — That this agreement should be tendered to all persons, and that such as should refuse to subscribe to it should have a year's time to remove themselves and effects from Virginia, and in the meantime enjoy equal justice." " These terms," says Bancroft, " so favor- able to liberty, and almost conceding inde- pendence, were faithfully observed until the restoration. Historians have, indeed, drawn gloomy pictures of the discontent which pef' vaded the colony, and have represented the discontent as heightened by commercial op- pression. The statement is a fiction. The colony of Virginia enjoyed liberties as large as the favored New England ; dis- played an equal degree of fondness for pop- ular sovereignty, and fearlessly exercised political independence." " Old Ironsides." Richard Bennett, one of the commission- ers, wa." chosen governor in the place of Berkeley. Until now it had been customary for the governor and council to sit in the assembly, and take part in the debates. Ob- jection was now made to their presence, and the matter was compromised by obliging them to take the oath required of the bur- gesses. During the protectorate Cromwell wisely let the colony alone. He appointed none of the governors, and never interfered with the management of its affairs. In 1658, Samuel Mathews being governor, the assem- bly, on the first of April, passed a law exclud- ing the governor and council from their sessions, and thus secured to themselves a free and uninterrupted discussion of their measures. The governor and council in re- turn declared the assembly dissolved, but that body vindicated its authority and inde- pendence by removing the governor and council and compelled them to submit j They were then re-elected to their respective positions. Thus did the spirit of popular liberty establish all its claims. Upon the death of Oliver Cromwell, th« burgesses met in secret session and decided to recognize Richard Cromwell as protector " It was a more interesting question whethef the change of protector in England would endanger liberty in Virginia. The letter from the council had left the government to i be administered according to former usagt. PROGRESS Op- THE VIRGINIA COLONY. 97 The assembly declared itself satisfied with the language. But that there might be no reason to question the existing usage, the governor was summoned to come to the house, where he appeared in person, deliber- ately acknowledged the supreme power of electing officers to be, by the present laws, resident in the assembly, and pledged himself to join in addressing the new protector for special confirmation of all existing privileges. The reason for this extraordinary proceeding is assigned, ' that what was their privilege now, might be the privilege of their pos- terity.' The frame of the Virginia govern- ment was deemed worthy of being transmit- ted to remote generations." * Governor Mathews died in March, lo, j, about the time of the resignation of Richard Cromwell in England. Both the mother country and the colony were thus left without a government. In this emergency the gen- ital assembly of Virginia resolved " that the 7 supreme government of this country shali be resident in the assembly, and ail writs shall issue in its name, until there shall arrive from England a commission, which theasseni' bly itself shall adjudge to be lawful." The assembly had no thought of asserting its independence of England, but as it cher ished the earnest hope that the king would be restored to his rights, it proceeded to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Governor Mathews by electing Sir William Berkeley, the devoted partisan of the Stuarts, governor of Virginia. Berkeley accepted the office, acknowledged the validity of the acts of the assembly, and expressed his con- viction that he could in no event dissolve that body. " I am," said he, " but the ser- vant of the assembly." We shall see in the course of this, narrative how he regarded this promise in the light of subseqi'^nt events. * History of the United States. By Geo. Bancroft, Vf»J i., p. 228. CHAPTER VIII. Virginia After the Restoration. Characteristky of the Virginians — Causes of the Success of the Roj'alists — Growth of the Aristocratic Clas;j— Berkeley Decides Against the People — The Aristocratic Assembly Claims the Right to Sit Per- petually — Deprives the Common People of Their Liberties — Revival of the Navigation Act by Charles II — The King Bestows Virginia as a Gift Upon His Favorites — Protests of the Assembly — Growing Hos- tilities of the Virginians to the Colonial Government — The Indian War — The Governor Refuses to Allow the Colonists to Defend Themselves— Nathaniel Bacon— He Marches Against the Indians — Rebel- lion of the People Against Berkeley and the Assembly — The Convention — Repeal of the Obnoxious Laws — Berkeley's Duplicity — The People Take Up Arms — Flight of Berkele}' — Destruction of James- town — Death of Bacon — Causes of the Failure of the Rebellion — Berkeley's Triumph — Execution of the Patriot Leaders — Berkeley's Course Condemned by tlie King — Death of Berkeley — The Unjust Laws Re- enacted — Lord Culpepper Governor — His Extortions — James II. and Virginia — Effects Upon Virginia of the Revolution of 1688— William and Mary College Founded. ON the eighth ofMay, 1660, Charles II. wasproclaimcd king in Eng- land, and on the twenty-ninth niadehis entry into London. The rebellion and the commonwealth had pro- duced but little effect upon Virgitiia. The restoration was jjroductive of the most mo mentous consequences in the colony. During the long period of the commonwealth Vir- ginia had been practically independent. The people had acquired political rights, and had exercised them with prudence. The colony had prospered in a marked degiee under the blessings of popular gov- ernment, and the rights of the people were jealously guarded by their legislators. "No trace of established privilege appeared in its code or its government : in its forms and in its legislation Virginia was a representative democracy ; so jealous of a landed aristoc- rac)'that it insisted on universality of suf- frage ; so hostile to the infltience of com- mercial wealth, that it would not tolerate the ' mercenary ' ministers of the law ; so con- siderate for religious freedom, that each parish was left to take care of itself. Every officer was, directly or indirectl}-, chosen by the people."* The restoration was to change all this. Thesociety olVirginia was peculiar. The colony had been settled by adventurers nn- dercircumstances which compelled equalit) among all classes of its people. Thus there had grown up a strong population born to the enjoyment of this equality, and devoted to its maintenance. They constituted the bulk of the inhabitants. By degrees there had sprung up a colonial aristocracy com- posed of the large landholders. These were persons of culture, many of whom had been men of po.sition and education in England. The laws favored the accumulation of large estates, and the possession of them awak- ened feelings of family pride. The large emigration ofmenof rank and culture at the overthrow of Charles I. greatly increased this class. The existence of an established church gave it another element of strength, .'jince the interests of the state church and the aristocrac}- are always identi- cal. Education was almost entirely confined to the landholding cla-ss, and with this never- » Bancroft's History 0/ the United States, vol. ii., p. Virginia after the (restoration. tailing weapon in iheir grasp they soon ob- tained tlie direction of the affairs of the colony, and retained it. Unfortunately for Virginia, the mass of the people had no means of acquiring knowledge. There were no common schools in the colony. In 167 1, Sir William Berkeley wrote: "Every man instructs his children according to his dbility." He added: "I thank God there are no free schools nor printing, and I hope we shall not have these hundred years; for 'earning has brought disobedience and heresy and sects into the world, and printing has divulged them and libels against the best ;^(wernment. God keep us from both I " Tlju.51 were the common people doomed to hopeless ignorance, and left helpless and at the mercy of the smaller but educated class. There was no printing press in Virginia, and the colony remained without one until nearly a century after New England had enjoyed its benefits. An Element of 'Weakness. Bitterlly" did the people of Virginia atone for their neglect of their best interests. They had shown at the first the power of creating free institutions ; but these institutions cannot be preserved among- .an ignorant people. Freedom and intelligence go hand in hand. The institution of negro slavery was another element of weakness and degradation. Labor was debased in the eyes of the whites by being made the task of a slave, when it should 'rave been the glory of a freeman. The in- stitution served to confirm the power of the landed aristocracy, while it sank tlac common jpeople deeper into ignorance. - «; Thus when Sir William Berkeley entered tjpon his second term of office, at the period of the restoration, there were two elements, by nature hostile to each other, contending for the control of the colony — a people eager ifor the enjoyment of popular liberty, hut sinking deeper into ignorance and helpless- rtess, and a rising aristocracy, composed of men of wealth and education, and united by a common interest. Unhappily for the people, the governor was a natural aristocrat. In spite of his professions of loyalty to the assembly, he regarded the people with con- tempt, and could never tolerate the exercise of the least of their rights. In the midst of the rejoicings in Virginia which hailed the return of Charles II. to the KING CHARLES U. throne of his fathers, Berkeley took a decisivfi stand, and boldly declared that he was governor of Vifgijiia, not by the election ol the assembly, but by virtue of his commission from the king. At the same time he issued writs for the election of a new assembly ia the name of King Charles. Popular sover- eignty was struck dead in Virginia. The n'>w assembly njej: in March, 1661. It was L.ofC. SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. composed exclusively of landholdeis. Until now the assembly had been elected for but a single year, and its members were chosen by the people. This first aristocratic assembly, true to its instincts, at a blow deprived the people of the right of choosing their repre- sentatives, by assuming to itself the power to sit perpetually. Sustained by the governor, the burgesses were enabled to continue their usurpation for fourteen years, and only yielded to an in- surrection. The salaries of the members were paid by their respective counties, and the house, in 1662, passed a law regulating the pay and allowances of its members. The compensation was fixed at two hundred and fifty pounds of tobacco per day, or about nine dollars — a rate deemed enormous in these days of abundant wealth, and utterly unsuited to the period of poverty and struggle we are considering. In order to perpetuate its power, the assembly repealed the laws giving the right of suffrage to every citizen, and confined it to freeholders and house- keepers. Laws Against Ine Quakers. Nor did the assembly neglect to provide for the church. Conformity was required by severe laws. Every inhabitant of the colony was compelled to attend its services and to contribute a fixed sum to its support. The assessment of parish taxes was intrusted to twelve vestrymen in each parish, who had power to fill all vacancies in their number. They thus became practically a close corpo- ration, responsible to no one for their acts. Rigorous lawa were directed against the Quakers. They were forbidden to hold their own religious assemblies, and their absence from church was punished by a heavy fine. In September, 1663, the house expelled one of its members " because he was well affected to the Quakers." " The organization of the judiciary plat?** that department of the government almost beyond the control of the people. The gov- ernor and council were the highest ordinary tribunal, and these were all appointed, directly or indirectly, by the crown. Besides this, there were in each county eight unpaid justices of the peace, commissioned by the governor during his pleasure. These justices held monthly courts in their respective coun- ties. Thus the administration of justice in the counties was in the hands of persons holding their offices at the good will of the governor; while the governor himself and his executive council constituted the general court, and had cognizance of all sorts of causes. Religious Liberty Destroyed. " Was an appeal made to chancery it was but for another hearing; before the same men ; and it was only for a few years longer that appeals were permitted from the general court to the assembly. The place of sherifl in each county was conferred on one of the justices for that county, and so devolved to every commissioner in course. * * * But the county courts, thus independent of the people, possessed and exercised the arbitrary power of levying county taxes, which, in their amount, usually exceeded the public levy. This system proceeded so far that the commissioners, of themselves, levied taxes to meet their own expenses. In like manner, the self-perpetuating vestries made out their lists of tithables, and assessed taxes witliout regard to the consent of the parish. These private levies were unequal and oppressive., were seldom^ — it is said, never — brought to audit, and were, in some cases, luanaged by men who combined to defraud the public." * These were the effects upon Virginia of the restoration of Charles II. to the throne *Hutory the United States. By George iiancroft^ vol ii., pp., 204. VIRGINIA AFTER THE RESTORATION. lOr »f England. The guarantee wh'ch a frequenl renewal of the assembly secured to the rights \ 01 the people was removed by the perpetu- ation of that body. The right of suffrage — the sole protection of the liberties of a free people — was taken from a majority of the inhabitants of the province. Religious lib- erty, which it was fondly believed had been .established, was struck down at a single blow. A system of arbitrary taxation by irresponsible magistrates was set up in the place of the carefully scrutinized levies of the representatives of the people. Education was discouraged and the press regarded with hostility. Ignorance, with all its accompany- ing evils, was fastened upon the colony. Ten years sufficed to accomplish these changes; but it took more than a century for the people of Virginia to recover their lost rights. An Infamous Law. Charles II. remembered the loyalty of Virginia only in his adversity. One of his first acts was to revive in a more odious form tne navigation act, which had originated in the Long Parliament as a measure for compeltiug the submission of the colonies to the authority of the commonwealth. In 1 660, a new and enlarged navigation act was passed by Parlia- ment. It forbade foreign vessels to trade with the colonies, and required colonists to ship certain " enumerated articles, such as sugar, tobacco, cotton, wool, ginger or dyewoods " produced in the colony, to England alone. This act bore very hard upon Virginia, as it gave to the English merchants the monop- oly of her tobacco trade. The merchants were thus enabled to regulate the price of the commodity, and to supply the wants of the colonists in return upon their own terms. Efforts were made to evade this iniquitous law, but it remamed fastened upon the colo- nies, and was the first of a long series of out- rap-es Charles was not satisfied with crippling the industry of the colony that had remained faithful to him in his adversity. In order to please his worthless favorites at home he consented to plunder the Virginians of theit property. In 1 6^g, a patent was granted to a company of cavaliers for the region lying be tween the Rappahannock and the Potomac, and known in Virginia asthe Northern Neck< It was intended to make this region a refuge for their partisans, but the design was never carried out. Other settlers located them- selves there, and in 1669 it contained a num- ber of thriving plantations. In the latter yeat Lord Culpepper, one of the most avaricious m=" in England, obtained from the king a pat- ent for the Northern Neck, having previously acquired all the shares of the company to whom the grant of 1649 had been made. This patent was in direct violation of the rights of the actual settlers, and bore very hard upon them. But it was as nothing com- pa'-ed with the ne.Kt gift of the king. In 1673, he bestowed, as a free gift, upon Lord Culpepper and the Earl of Arlington, " all tiie dominion of land and water called Virginia," for a term of thirty-one years. Firm Remonstrance. Even the aristocratic assembly was startled by this summary disposal of the colony and commissioners were sent to England to le- monstrate with the king. " We are unwill- ing," the assembly declared, " and conceive that we ought not to submit to those to whom his majesty, upon misinformation, hath granted the dominion over us, who do most contentedly pay to his majesty more than we have ourselves for our labor. Whilst we labor for the advantage of the crown, and do wish we could be more advantageous to the king an'' nation, we humbly request not to be subjected to our fellow -subjects, b.'t, 'br the future, to be secured from our fears of SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. being enslaved." The commissioners were granted no satisfaction in England, and the efforts of the colony to obtain justice at the hands of the king failed. General Discont nt. Virginia at this time was a sparsely settled i^rovince. Jamestown was the only town deserving the name withi'^ *he limits of the colony. The inhabitants wert _cattered over the country, separated from each other. They dwelt on their farms and plantations, coming together rarely except on Sundays, on court-days, and at elections. This soli- tary life taught them independence and self- rel iance. They were proud of their personal liberty, and so long as this was not taken from them they were willing to submit to almost any form of government that might be imposed upon them. The truth is t.'iat until the restoration the Virginians were not iccustomed to being governed iiuich. The neasuresof the royalist governor and assem- bly greatly curtailed the freedom which the people had enjoyed under their former governments, and the imposition of new bur- dens upon them aroused a general disccn- tent. Men began to come together to discuss their wrongs, and the hostility to the aristo- cratic party and the governor increased rapidly, so rapidly, indeed, that the people were ripe for insurrection in 1674, and would have risen in revolt had not some of the cooler heads induced them to try more peaceful measures of redress. Still the taxes were continued at such a rate that the col- onists were driven to desperation. They complained, with justice, that they were de- prived of all the fruits of their labors by the iniquitous levies made upon them, and their complaints, instead of producing a change for the better, merely brought an increase of their burdens. At length their patience was exhausted, and they only lacked an excuse fpf taking up arms. The opportunity soon came. In the meantime the governor and the assembly, with characteristic contempt for the commons, went on extorting money from the people by unjust ta.^es principally for their own benefit, and put in successive operation the measures we have already described for strengthening their own power, and reducing the people to subjection to them. Six Chiefs Murdered. The people of Maryland had become in- volved in a war with the Susquehannah Indians and their confederates, and the struggle was so serious that the savages ex- tended their depredations to the Potomac, and even to the limits of Virginia. To guard against this danger the border militia were set to watch the line of the river, and in 1675 a body of them, under Colonel John Wash- ington, crossed over into Maryland to help the people of that colony. This John Washington had emigrated from the north of England about eighteen years before, and had settled in Westmoreland County. He became the great-grandfather of George Washington. The war was conducted with great fury on both sides. Six of the chiefs of the Susquehannah tribe at length came into the camp of the Virginians to treat for peace, and were treacherously murdered. This barbarous act aroused the indignation of Governor Berkeley. " If they had killed my father and my mother, and all my friends," said he, "yet if they had come to treat of peace, they ought to have gone in peace." The massacre was bloodily avenged by the Indians. The Susquehannahs im- mediately crossed the Potomac and waged a relentless warfare along the borders of Vir- ginia until they had slain ten whites for each one of their chiefs, a sacrifice required of i»3 I04 SETTLEMENT Ol'" AMERICA. them by the customs of their tribe, in order that the siiirits of their braves might rest in peace. The people appealed to the governor for protection, but Berkeley refused to grant them aid. It is said that he was too deeply interested in the fur trade to be willing to offend the Indians by aiding his people. The colonists then demanded permission to defend themselves, to invade the Indian country, and drive the savages farther into the interior. This was also refused, and during all this time the frontier was suffering fearfully from the outrages of Berkeley's In- dian friends. A Patriotic Leader. At last the patience of the people was ex- hausted. A leader was at hand in the person of Nathaniel Bacon. 'Ic was a young planter of the county oi Henrico, a native of England, and a lawyer by profession. He was ardent in temper, eloquent and per- suasive in speech, winning in manner, a true patriot, and possessed of the firmness and decision necessary in a leader of a popular movement. He had been reared in England amid the struggles which ushered in the es- tablishment of the commonwealth, and had learned the lesson of freedom too well to forget it in a home where every incident of his daily life required the exercise of the best qualities of his nature. His love of repub- licanism had gained him the dislike of Governor Berkeley, who hated any man that dared to criticise his tyranny. The same principles which made him obnoxious to the governor won him the affectionate confidence of the people of Virginia, who were quick to recognize their true friend. When volunteers began to offer them- selves for the war against the Indians they petitioned the governor to commission Bacon their commander-in-chief This Berkeley refused, declaring that he would not counte- nance such presumption on the part of the " common people." In the meantime the murders continued, and Bacon, who shared the indignation of the people, determined that if another man was slain he would march the militia against the Indians without a commission. Almost immediately several of his own men were murdered on his own plantation near the falls of the James. He at once gave the signal. Five hundred men were soon under arms, and Bacon was made their leader. About the twentieth of April, 1676, he set out on his march against the savages, whom he chastised and drove back into the interior. The people were in arms, and they were not disposed to lay down their weapons until their grievances were redressed. The quarrel was not with the Indians, but with the government. As soon as Bacon had begun his march into the Indian country, Berkeley denounced him as a traitor, and his followers as rebels, and ordered them to disperse. He was obeyed by some who feared the loss of their property, but the populous counties bordering the bay answered him by joining the .surrection. The Assembly Dissolved, The people of the colony with one voice demanded the dissolution of the assembly, which had unlawfully maintained its exist- ence for fourteen years. Opposed by the entire people the governor was compelled to yield. The assembly had fairly earned the universal hatred with which it was regarded by its selfishness and its hostility to popular liberty. It was dissolved, and writs were issued for a new election. Among the new members elected was Bacon, who was re- turned from the county of Henrico. The new assembly was naturally favorable to the rights of the people, and it at once proceeded to rectify many of the abuses VIRGINIA AFTER THE RESTORATION. 105 which had produced the insurrection. Taxes were adjusted more equitably; the right of suffrage was restored to the people ; the monopoly of the Indian trade, in which it vestries was broken by limiting their term of office to three years, and giving the election of these officials to the freemen of the parish ; a gt-neral amnesty was proclaimed for all past BACON DEMANDS THE COMMISSION OF BERKELEY. was believed the governor was deeply inter- ested, was suspended ; many of the evils con- nected with the expenditure of the public funds were corrected ; the power of the parish offences ; and Bacon, amid the rejoicings of the people, was elected commander of the army destined to act against the Indians. io6 SETTLEMENT OE AMERICA. These measures were utterly distasteful to the haughty old goveruor. He refused to give them his sanction, or to sign the com- mission ordered for Bacon by the assembly. Fearful of treachery Bacon withdrew from the capital. The people quickly rallied to his support, and in a few days he entered Jamestown at the head of five hundred men. Berkeley, who was as courageous as he was obstinate, met him, and baring his breast said, haughtily, "A fair mark ; shoot!" Bacon answered him calmly, " I will not hurt a hair of your head, or of any man's ; we are come for the commission to save our lives from the Indians. " The governor was it length obliged to yield. The commission ivas issued, the acts of the a.ssembly were ratified, and Berkeley joined the assembly and council in sending to England an in- dorsement of the loyalty, patriotism, and energy of Bacon. This consent was given on the twenty-fourth of June, or, according to the new style of calculation, on the fourth of July, 1676, just one hundred years before the Declaration of Independence Hunted Like a Wolf. Bacon at once marched against tne In- dians, and in a brilliant and successful campaign broke their power and gave peace and security to the frontier. In the midst of these honorable labors he was again assailed by Berkeley, who had only consented to the reconciliation to gain time. The governor withdrew from Jamestown to Gloucester, which was the most populous and the most loyal county of Virginia. He summoned a convention of the inhabitants, and renewed his efforts against Bacon. The people of Gloucester, justly regarding Bacon as the defender of the colony, opposed the gov- ernor's proposals, but he persisted in spite of their advice, and again proclaimed Bacon a traitor. This inexcusable pursuit of a man who had rendered nothing but good service to the colony aroused the indignation of the troops. " It vexes me to the heart," said Bacon, " that while I am hunting the wolves and tigers that destroy our lambs I should myself be pursued as a savage. Shall per- sons wholly devoted to their king and country — men hazarding their lives against the public enemy — deserve the appellation of rebels and traitors ? The whole country is witness to our f)eaceable behavior. But those in authority, how have they obtained their estates? Have they not devoured the common treasury ? What arts, what sciences, what schools of learning, have they promoted ? I appeal to the king and Parliament, where the cause of the people will be heard impartially." Bacon appealed to the people of Virginia to unite for the defence of their liberties against the tyranny of the governor. They responded to this call with enthusiasm, and a convention of the most eminent men in the colony assembled at Middle Plantations, now Williamsburg, on the third of August, 1676. It was resolved by the convention to sustain Bacon with the whole power of the colony in the camp.ugn against the Indians. If the governor persisted in his attempt to hunt him as atrator,the members of the con- vention pledged themselves to defend Bacon with arms,even against theroyal troops, un- til an appeal could be made to the king in person. The people of Virginia were re- solved to protect themselves against the ty- ranny of Berkeley and Bacon, strengthened by their indorsement of his course, finished his campaign. Governor Berkeley with- drew across the bay to the eastern shore, and there collected a force of sailors be- longing to .some English vessels and a band of worthless Indians. With this force, "men of a base and cowardly disposition, VIRGINIA AFTER THE RESTORATION. allured by the passion for plunder," he pre- pared to return to Jamestown. The people decided to regard the retreat of the governor as an abdication on his part of his office. The ten years for which he had been appointed had expired, and the colonial records afforded a precedent for his removal. Bacon and four others, who had been members of the council, issued writs for the election of a representative conven- tion to which the management of the affair^ of the colony was to be committed. With the exception of a few royalists the whole people of Virginia indorsed the move- ment ; the women were enthusiastic, and urged their husbands to risk everything, even Jife, in defence of their hberties. Early in September Sir William Berkeley reached Jamestown with the rabble which he called his army. He took possession of the town without resistance, and was joined by a number of royalists. He offered freedom to the slaves of the Virginians who were opposed to him on the condition of their joining his ranks. Bacon and his party were again pro- claimed traitors and rebels. The People Fly to Arms. The people at once flew to arms, and Bacon soon found himself at the head of the little army that had been so successful against the Indians. Without delay they marched to Jamestown. The resistance attempted by Berkeley's cowardly followers was feeble, and the whole force, including their leader, retrriated to their ships, and dropped down the river by night. The next morning the army of the people entered Jamestown. It was rumored that a party of royalists was marching from the northern counties to the sujiport of Berkeley, and a council was held to decide upon the fate of the capital. It was agreed that it should be burned to pre- vent it from being used as p ^ ronghold for 107 I their enemies. The torch was applied; Drummond and Lawrence, leaders of the popular party, set fire to their dwellings with their own hands ; and in a few hours only a heap of smouldering ruins marked the site of the first capital of Virginia. Its destruction left the colony without a single town withir- its limits. From the ruins of Jamestown Bacon marched promptly to meet the royalist force advancing from the Rappahannock region. The latter in a body joined the army of the people, and even the county of Gloucester the stronghold of royalty, gave its adhesion to the patriotic movement. With the excep- tion of the eastern shore the entire colony was united in support o'"the cause of popular liberty. Untimely Death of Bacon. Unhappily, at this critical juncture. Bacon was seized with a fatal fever, of which he died on the first of October, 1676. His followers grieved for him with passionate sorrow, and with good cause. It has been the good fortune of Virginia to give many great names to the cause of liberty, but in all the immortal roll there are none who sur- passed Nathaniel Bacon in pure and disin- terested patriotism. Others were permitted to accomplish more, but none cherished loftier aims or desired more earnestly the good of their fellow-citizens. The death of Bacon left the popular party without a head ; and now began to be seen for the first time in Virginia the evils which the neglect of education must produce in a community. The Virginians were not lack- ing in courage, determination, or devotion to their liberties, and their cause was one cal- culated to succeed without leaders. In an educated community there would have been no lack of union or perseverance because of the death of one man, and the people would I08 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. have found the means to continue their struggle until successful. In the uneducated Virginian community of 1676 the presence ot a^bold, capable, and resolute leader was a necessity, and his sudden removal left the popular party helpless. The grand struggle degenerated into a series of petty insurrec- tions ; the royalists took heart, and Robert Beverley, their most competent leader, was able to destroy in detail the resistance of the patriots and to restore the supremacy of Berkeley. A Woman's Self-Sacrifice. The governoi now proceeded to take a summary vengeance upon the patriots, and more than twenty of the best men of the colony gave their lives on the scaffold for the liberties of their country. The first of these martyrs for freedom— the first Ameri- can to die for the right of the people to goverr •:hemselves— was Thomas Hansford, a Vir- inian born, and a noble specimen of the chivalrous sons of the Old Dominion. The wife of Edmund Cheesman, upon the capture of her husband, flung herself at the governor's feet, and declaring that her ex- hortations had induced her husband to join Bacon, begged to be allowed to die in his place. The brutal Berkeley repelled the heroic woman with a gross insult. When Drummond was taken and brought before him the governor received him with mock courtesy. " I am more glad to see you," he said, "than any man in Virginia; you shall be hanged in half an hour." The royalist assembly, horrified at the cruelty of the gov- ernor, appealed to him to "spill no more Wood" The property of the victims was confi: cated, and their helpless families were turned out upon tiio charities of the people for whom the martyrs had died. Not con- tent with these cruelties Berkeley attempted to silence the people, and prevent them from either censuring him or vindicating tht memory of their dead heroes. Whoever should speak ill of Berkeley or his friends was to be whipped. At last the end came, and Berkeley re- turned to England. His departure was celebrated with rejoicings throughout the colony; bells were rung, guns were fired, and bonfires blazed. Berkeley hoped to be able to justify his conduct in England, but upon his arrival in that country he found his course sternly condemned by the voice of public opinion. Even Charles II. censured him with all the energy that soulless monarch was master of. " The old fool," said the king, " has taken away more lives in that naked land than I for the murder of my father." His disappointment and mortifica- tion were too much for the proud man, and he died soon after his arrival in England. Revival of Abuses. The fiilure of Bacon's rebellion brought many serious misfortunes to Virginia. The insurrection was made the excuse by the king for refusing a liberal charter, and the colony was made dependent for its rights and privileges entirely upon the royal will. The assembly was composed almost ex clusively of royalists, and at once proceeded to undo the work of the popular party. AU the laws of Bacon's assembly were repealed ; the right of suffrage was restricted to free- holders, and the iniquitous taxes were re imposed. All the abuses that had led to the rebellion were revived. In 1677 Lord Culpepper, one of the favor- ites to whom Charles II. had f, ranted Vir- ginia, was appointed governor of the colony for life. The new governor regarded his office as a sinecure, and while receiving its emoluments desired to remain in England to enjoy them. In 16S0, however, the king ' -mpelled him to repair to his government VIRGINIA AFTER THE RESTORATION. I person. He brought with him authority ii-om the sovereign to settle all past griev- ances, but he used this power for his own profit. He extorted money from all parties, and when he had acquired a considerable sum returned to England, having spent less than a year in Virginia. He left the colony in the greatest distress. The Virginians, robbed of the profits of their labors for the enrichment of their rulers, were reduced to despair. Riots took place in various places, and the wnole colony was on the verge of insurrection. A Plunderer. Rumors of these disturbances having reached England the king ordered Culpepper to return and reduce the colony to obedience. He did so, and caused several influential men to be hanged as traitors, and used the power intrusted to him to wrest from the council the last remnant of its authority to control his outrages upon the people. This accom- plished, he proceeded to force the settlers of the Northern Neck to surrender their planta- tions to him, or pay him the sums he de- manded for the privilege of retaining thern. He found his residence among a people he had come to plunder very disagreeable, and in the course of a few months ret' rned to England amid the bitter curses of the Vir- ginians. The council reported the distress of the province to the king, and appealed to him to recall the grant to Culpepper and Arlington. Arlington surrendered his rights to Culpepper, whose patent was rendered void by a process of law, and in July, 1684, Virginia became once more a royal province. Lord Howard, of Effingham, was appointed to succeed Culpepper, but he was a poorer and more grasping man than his predecessor, and the change afforded no relief to Virginia. In 1685 James 11. came to the throne of England, and in the same year occurred the insurrection in England known as Mon- iog mouth's rebellion. A number 01 prisoners were taken in this struggle by the royal forces, and many of these were sent out to the colonies of Virginia and Maryland to be sold as servants for a term of ten years. Many of them were men of education and family. The general assembly of Virginia refused to sanction this infamous measure, and, in spite of the prohibition of King James, passed a law declaring all such per- sons free. Indeed at this time the practice of selling white servants in America had be- come so profitable that quite a thriving business was carried on between the west of England and Virginia and Maryland. Not only persons condemned for crime, but innocent people were kidnapped and sold in the colonies for a term of years for money. " At Bristol," says Bancroft, " the mayor and justices would intimidate small rogues and pilferers, who, under the terror of being hanged, prayed for transportation as the only avenue to safety, and were then divided among the members of the court. The trade was exceedingly profitable — far more so than the slave trade— and had been conducted for years." Uprising for Freedom. One of the last acts of Charles II. with reference to Virginia was to forbid the set- ting up of a printing press within the limits of the colony; James II. continued this pro- hibition. Effingham endeavored to take from the colony the few privileges left to it. The result was that the party of freedom increased rapidly. Many of the aristocratic party seeing that the king and the governor menaced every right and privilege they pos- sessed went over to the popular side. The assembly began to assert the popular demand for self-government, and became so unman- ageable that in November, 1686, it was dis- solved by royal proclamation. no SETTLEMENT UF AMERICA. A new assemoiy was convened, which met in April, 1688, a few months before che British revolution. The governor and coun- cil found this body more indisposed to submit to the aggressions of the crown than its pre- decessor had been. The people sustained their delegates, and a new insurrection was threatened. Effingham was in the midst of a hostile population, without troops to enforce his will, and was obliged to conduct himself with moderation. The royal authority was never stronger in Virginia than during this reign, but it was found impossible to establish it upon the ruins of the liberties of the colony. The result of all the long years ci oppression we have been considering was simply to confirm the Virginians in their attachment to their liberties, and in their determination to maintain them at any cost. Virginia remained to the end an aristocratic colony, but it was none the less " a land of liberty." Founding a College. The revolution of 1688 in England did not change affairs in Virginia materially as regarded the forms of the colonial govern- ment. The liberties of the colony were established by law too securely to be any longer at the mercy of an individual, but the power of the governor was still very great. Every department of the colonial administra- tion, the finances, and even the management ot the church, was made subject to his con- trol. He had the power to dissolve the assembly at pleasure, and was sure to exer- cise it if that body manifested too great a spirit of independence. He also appointed the clerk of the assembly, who was for this reason a check upon its freedom of debate The only means of resistance to the meas- ures of the government which the assembly retained was to refuse to vote supplies ir excess of the permanent revenue. This right was sometimes exercised, and the governof was prevented from carrying out unpopulat measures by the lack of the necessary funds. Soon after the accession of William and Mary to the throne an effort was made to establish a college in Virginia, although the printing press was still forbidden. Donations were made by a number of persons in England, and the king bestowed several liberal grants upon the proposed institution. The measure was carried through to success by the energy of the Rev. James Blair, who was sent out by the Bishop of London as commissary, " to supply the office and juris- diction of the bishop in the outplaces of the diocese." The college was established in 1691, and was named William and Mary, in honor of the king and queen. Mr. Blair was its first president, and held that office for fifty years. The ministry did not approve the action of the king in granting even the very moderate endowments which he bestowed upon the college. They regarded Virginia merely as a place in which to raise tobacco for the English market, and cared nothing for the interests of the people. They treated the colony with injustice and neglect in every- thing. The planters could sell their tobacco only to an English purchaser, who regulated the price to suit himself, and supplied th» planters in return with the wares they needed at his own prices. CHAPTER IX The Colonisation of Maryland jITlitent of the Territory of Virginia — Claybome's Trailing Posts Established — Sir George Calvert, Lord Baltimore — Be- comes Interested in American Colonization — Obtains a Grant oi Maryland — Terms of the Charter — A Colony Sent Out — Arrival in the Chesapeake — St. Mary's Founded — Character of the Colony — Friendly Relations Established with She Indians — First Legislature of Maryland — Trouble with Clayborne — Rapid Growth of the Colony — Progress of Popular Liberty — Policy Respecting the Treatment of the Indians — Clayborne's Rebellion — Law Granting Religious Toleration Enacted — Condition of Maryland Under the Commonwealth — The People Declared Supreme—Lord Baltimore Recovers His Proprietary Rights — Characlerisiics of the Colony — Rapid Increase in Population — Charles Calvert, Governor — Death of the Second Lord Baltimore — Roman Catholics Disfranchised — Maryland Becomes a Royal Province — Triumph of the Protestants — Annapolis Made the Seat of Governmeot — Restoration of the Proprietary Government — Continued Prosperity of Maryland. THE second charter of Virginia granted to that province the country north of the Potomac as far as the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. This grant included the territory of the present State of Maryland. The discoveries of Captain John Smith had brought the region along the head of the bay into notice, and other explorers had confirmed his state- ments as to its value. A very profitable trade was established with the Indians of this section, and, in order to develop its advantages, William Clayborne, a man of great resolution and of no mean abilities, a surveyor by profession, was employed by the Governor of Virginia to explore the region of the upper Chesapeake. His report was so favorable that a company was formed in England for the purpose of trading with the Indians. Under authority from this company, Clayborne obtained a license from the colonial government of Virginia, and established two trading stations on the bay ; one on Kent Island, opposite the present city of Annapolis, and one at the mouth o*" the Susquehanna. These posts were established in the spring of 163I. In the meantime efforts were being nade 4a Englantl to secure the settlement n' the same region. Sir George Calvert, a man ol noble character, liberal education and great political experience, had become at an early day deeply interested in the question ol colonizing America. Having embraced the Roir.an Catholic faith, he relinquished his office of Secretary of State, and made a pub- lic acknowledgment of his conversion. His noble character commanded the confidence of King James, and he was retained as a mem- ber of the Privy Council, and was made Lord Baltimore in the Irish peerage. He was anxious to found a colony in America, which might serve as a place of refuge for persons of the Catholic faith, and obtained a patent for the southern part of Newfoundland. That region was too bleak and rugged to admit of the success cf the eiiLerprise, an:, the attempt to settle it was soon abandoned Lord Baltimore next contemplated a set- tlement in some portion of Virginia, and in October, 1629, visited that colony with a view to making arrangements for his planta^ tion. The laws of Virginia against Roman Catholics were very severe, and immediately upon the arrival of so distinguished a Cath- olic the assembly ordered the oaths of allegiance and supremacy to be tendered him. Lord Baltimore proposed a form >II II2 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. which he was willing to subscribe, but the colonial government insisted upon that which had been ordered by the English Par- liament, and which was of such a character that no Catholic could accept it. There was nothing left for Calvert but to withdraw torn Virginia, and his reception there con- vinced him that that province was not the place for the plantation he wished to estab- lish. Large Grant to Lord Baltimore. The region north of the Potomac was still uninhabited, and seemed to promi.se advan- tages equal to Virginia. Calvert applied to Charles I. for a patent for this region, and was given a territory corresponding veiy nearly to the present State of Maryland in extent. The king granted him a liberal charter, which, while it piovided for his interests as proprietor, secured the liberties of the colonists. In this it was simply the expression of the wishes of Lord Baltimore, who desired to establish a settlement of freemen. The country embraced in the grant was given to Lord Baltimore, his heirs and assigns, in absolute possession. They were required to pay an annual tribute to the crown of two Indian arrow.*^ and one- fifth of all the gold and silver wjich might be found. The colonists were to have a voice in making their own laws, and they were to be entitled to all the rights and privileges of Englishmen. No taxes were to be imposed upon them without their consent, nor was the authority of the proprietor to e.xtend to their lives or property. It was enjoined that the exercise of the faith and worship of the established Church of England should be protected in the colony, but no uniform standard of faith or worship was imposed by the charter. The new province was carefully separated from Virginia and made independent of it. The colony was left free from the supervision of the crown, and the proprie- tor was not obliged to obtain the roj-al assent to the appointments or legislation of his province. The king also renounced for himself, his heirs and his successors, the right to tax the colony, thus leaving it entirely free from English taxation. These were vast powers to intrust to one mm ; but they were placed in safe hands. The first Lord Baltimore was a man wiio hated t)'ranny of all kinds, and who had carefully observed the effects of intolerance and arbitrary rule upon the efforts that had already been made to establish successful colonies in America. He designed his col- ony as an asylum in which men of all creeds could meet upon a common basis of a faith in Jesus Christ, and his convict on that relig- ious freedom is necessary to the success of a state, confirmed in him his attachment to the principles of civil libertw Practical Charity. He invited both Protestants and Catholics to join him in his enterprise, and adopted a form of governuient, based upon popular representation, well calculated to secure them in the possession of all their privileges. In honor of the queen of Charles I., he named the region granted to him Marjland. Before the patent was issued. Lord Baltimore died, on the fifteenth of April, 1632, leaving his son, Cecil, heir to his designs as well as to his title. The charter granted to his father was issued to him, and he proceeded at once to collect a colonj' for the settlement of Maryland. Lord Baltimore delegated the task of con- ducting the emigrants to Maryland to his brother, Leonard Calvert. On Friday, No- vember 22, 1632, a company of two hun- dred, chiefly Roman Catholics of good birth, with their families and servants, sailed from THE COLONIZATION OF MARYLAND. Vnglavd in the " Ark " and the " Dove," the former a ship of large burthen, the latter a small pinnace. The voyage was made by .vay of the West Indies, and the Chesapeake was not reached until the twenty-fourth of February, 1634. The ships anchored off Old Point Comfort, and were visited Sy Sir John Harvey, Governor of Vir- ginia, who had been commanded by the king to welcome the new colony with kindness. Resting in Hampton roads for a few days the emigrants ascended the bay and entered the stately Potomac. Deeming it unsafe to plant his first settle- ment high up the river, Calvert chose a site on a small tributary of the Potomac, not far from its mouth. This stream, now known as the St. Mary's, he named the St. Giorge's. An Indian village, called Yoacomoco, was selected as the site of the colony. The place was being deserted b)' the natives, who had sufferetl severely from the superior power of the Susequehannahs, and were removing farther into the interior for greate*- security. They readily sold their town and the surround- ing lands to the English,andnAade with them a treaty of peace and friendship ; and on the twenty- 5eventh of March, iG34,thp col- onists landed and laid the founda- tions of the town of St. Mary's. A few days later. Sir John Harvey arrived from Virginia on a friendly visit. His orders from the king were to treat the settlers with friendship, and to aid them as far as lay in his power. About the same time the native chiefs came in to visit the colony, and were so well received that they established friendly 8 113 relations with the settlers. The Indian women taught their English sisters how to make bread from the meal of the Indian corn, and the warriors instructed the Eng- lishmen in the simple arts of the chase. The colonists obtained provisions and cattle for 3 while froni Virginia; but, as they 'vent tr CECIL, SECOND LORD BALTIMORE. work at once and with energy to cultivate their land, the first year's h.arvest gave them an abundance of supplies. The proprietor sent out from England such things as were necessary to the success and comfort of the colony, treating the new settlement with a wise liberality. Thus were 114 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA the foundations of Maryland laid amid peace and prosperity. The colony was successful from the first. Roman Catholic settlers fol- lowed the first emigrants in considerable numbers, and even Protestants sought the shores of Maryland, which the liberality of Lord Baltimore had made a refuge to them from the persecutions of their own brethren. New settlements were formed, and within six months the colony " had advanced more than Virginia had done in as many years." Piracy and Murder. In February, 1635, the first legislative assembly of Maryland met. Legislation had become necessary by this time. Clay- borne, who had established trading posts in the upper Chesapeake, had met the first set- tlers under Leonard Calvert at their anchor- age at Old Point Comfort, and had endeav- ored to dissuade them from settling along the bay by exaggerating the dangers to be apprehended from the hostility of the In- dians. Failing in this effort, he became the evil genius of Maryland, as the grant to Lord Baltimore made void his license to trade with the Indians along the bay. He re- fused to acknowledge the authority of the proprietor of Maryland, and attempted to retain his trading post by force of arms. Within a year or two after the settlement of the colony, a bloody skirmish occurred in one of the rivers of the eastern shore, in which Clayborne's men were defeated. In 1638, Leonard Calvert took forcible posses- sion of Kent Island, and hanged one or two of Clayborne's people on a charge of piracy and murder. Clayborne was in England at the time prosecuting his claims before the king. Governor Harvey of Virginia had given ♦.he weight of his influence in this contest to the cause of Lord Baltimore, but the people of Virginia, who resented the tjrant of Maryland as an invasion of their rights, sympathized with Clayborne, and caused Harvey to be impeached and sent to England for trial. The English courts de- cided that Clayborne's license was not valid against the charter granted to Lord Balti more, and Harvey was sent back to Virginia as governor in April, 1639. In the meantime the colony continued to grow and prosper. The assembly, while acknowledging the allegiance of the people of Maryland to the king, and making ample provisions for the rights of Lord Baltimore as proprietor, took care to secure the liberties of the people, and claimed for itself the exercise in the province of all the powers belonging to the British H juse of Commons. Representative government was definitely established, and the colonists were secured in all the liberties granted to the people of England by the common law of that country. Tobacco became, as in Vir- ginia, the staple of the colony. Maryland Contenteo. In 1642, in gratitude for the great ex- pense which Lord Baltimore had volun- tarily incurred for them, the people of Maryland granted him " such a subsidy as the young and poor estate of the colony could bear." As far as the people themsefves were concerned, the condition of Maryland was one of marked happiness and content- ment. Harmony prevailed between all classes of the people and the government ; the settlers were blessed with complete toler- ation in religion ; emigration was rapidly increasing, and the commerce of the colony was growing in extent and value Maryland had its troubles, however. The Indians, alarmed by its rapid growth, began in. 1642 a series of aggressions which led to a frontier war. This struggle continued for some time, but was productive of no decisive results and in 1644 peace was restored. The THE COLONIZATION OF MARYLAND. 115 Indians promised submission, and tlie whites, on their part, agreed to treat them witli friendship and justice. Laws were enacted compelling the settlers to refrain from injustice toward the savages, and humanity to the red man was made the policy of the colony. The kidnapping of an Indian was pun- ishable with death, and the sale of arms to the savages was constituted a felony. Ef- forts were also made to convert the natives to Christianity. Four missions were es- tablished among them b\- the priests of the Catholic church, and the effects of their devoted labors were soon manifest. A chief, named Tayac, and his wife were baptised, he taking the name of Charles and she that of Mary. About one hundred and thirty other converts were afterwards added to the Christian fold among the In. dians,and many of these sent their children to receive instruction at the hands of the priests. Though the effort to Christianize the savages failed, as it has ever done, the good effects of these endeavors were not lost, as the friendship for the whites aroused by them continued to influence these tribes in their policy toward the colony. Clayborne's Rebellion. Clayborne, who had certainly cause for thinking himselfwronged in being deprived of his property without just compensation, returned to Maryland to revenge himself upon the colonists. The civil war in Eng- land furnished him with an admirable op- portunity for his attempt. He was able to secure a number of followers in Maryland, and in i644beganan insurrection. The next year the governor was driven out of the col- ony and obliged to take refuge in Virginia, and Clayborne was triumphant. For more than a year the rebels held possession of the government, and this whole time was a period ofdisorder and misrule, during which the greater part of the colonial records were lost or stolen. At the end of this time the better classes of the people of Maryland drove out the rebels and recalled the proprietary government. A general amnesty was proclaimed to all offenders, and peace was restored to the colony. The year 1649 was marked in England by the execution of Charles I. and the complete A CIVILIZED INDI.\N. establishmentof theauthority of the Parlia- ment. It seemed to the people of Maryland that this tritnnph of the popular party was to usher in a new war upon the Roman Catho- lic faith, which was professed by a large ma- jority of the colonists. Dreading a war of religion as the greatest of evils, they deter- mined to secure the colony from it by plac- ing the freedom of conscience within their limits upon as secure a basis as possible. In doing this they gave expression to the popu- lar will, and aimed to secure their future welfare. On April 21, 1649, the assem- bly of Maryland adopted the following ii6 SETTLFMENT OF AMERICA. act : "And, whereas, the enforcing of con- science in matters of religion hath frequently- fallen out to be of dangerous consequence in those commonwealths where it has been practiced, and for the moi? v^i'lv-^t and peace- Christ, shall be anyways troublea, ruoiestca or discountenanced for his or her religion, or in the free exercise thereof, or be compelled to the belief or practice of any other relig'.oO asrainst theit consent." OLIVER CROMWELL. able government of this province, and the better to preserve mutual love and amity among the inhabitants, no person within this province, professing to believe in Jesus This statute, noble as it was, applied onl\ to Christians. It was ^jrovided that " What- soever person shall blaspheme God, or shall deny or reproach the Holy Trinity, or any THE COLONIZATION OF MARYLAND. «l? of the three persons thereof, shall be pun- ished with death." Maryland had taken a great stride in advance in making her soil a sanctuary for Christians of all beliefs, but she had not yet accorded to her people a tolera- tion equal to that of Rhode Island, which colony, in 1647, granted liberty to all opinions, infidel as well as Christian. Cromwell's Blunt Order, During the existence of the common- wealth, the colony was troubled with an unsettled government. It submitted to the authority of Cromwell, and the Puritans, regardless of the example of their brethren of the Catholic faith, attempted by an act of assembly, in 1654, to disfranchise the whole Roman Catholic population on the ground of their religious belief Cromwell disap- proved this action, and bluntly ordered his commissioners " not to busy themselves about religion, but to settle the civil govern- ment." In 1660, without waiting to hear the issue of matters in England, the assembly repudiated the authority of both the com- monwealth and the proprietor, and asserted the sovereignty of the people as the supreme authority in Maryland. Upon the restoration of Charles 11., Lord Baltimore made his peace with the king for having yielded to the power of Cromwell, and received back all the rights he had enjoyed in Maryland. He at once proceeded to re-establish his authority in the provir je, but being a man of humanity and of liberal views, he made a generous use of his power. A general pardon was grantee" to all offenders against him, his rule w., once more submitted to, and for thirty years *he colony was at peace. "Like Virginia, Maryland was a cc on ' of planters ; its staple was tobacco, and iis prosperity was equally checked by the pressure of the navigation acts. Like Virginia, it possessed no considerable village ; its inhabitants were scattered among the woods and along the rivers ; each plantation was a little world within itself, and legislation vainly attempted the creation of towns by statute. Like Virginia, its laborers were in part indentured servants, whose term of service was limited by persevering legislation; in part negro slaves, who were employed in the colony from an early period, and whose importation was favored both by English cupidity and provincial statutes.'" " As in Virginia, the appointing power to nearly every office in the counties as well as in the province was not with the people ; and the judiciary was placed beyond their control As in Virginia, the party of the proprietary, which possessed the government, was animated byajealous regard for preroga- tive, and by the royalist principles, which derive the sanction of authority from the will of Heaven. As in Virginia, the taxes levied by the county officers were not conceded by the direct vote of the people, and were, therefore, burdensome alike from their excessive amount and the manner of their levy. But though the administration of Maryland did not favor the increasing spirit of popular liberty, it was marked by con ciliation and humanity. To foster industry, to promote union, to cherish religious peace, ****** these were the honest pur- poses of Lord Baltimore during his long supremacy." * Arrival of Immigrants. Yet the colony continued to prosper. Emigrants came to it from almost every country of western Europe, and even from Sweden and Finland. The only persons who had cause for complaint in Maryland were the Quakers, who were treated with * History of tht United States. "•. P- 235- By George Bancroft, vol Ii8 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. considerable harshness for their refusal to perform military duty ; but no effort was made to interfere with the exercise of their religion. In 1662, Charles Calvert, the son and heir of Ivord Baltimore, came to reside in the thousand dollars. By numerous acts of com- promise between Lord Baltimore and the assembly the question of taxation was ad- justed upon a .satisfactory basis. The people assumed the expense of the provincial gov- erniiieut, and agreed to the imposition of an >% WILLI.A.M HI. colony. Money was coined at a colonial mint, a tonnage duty was imposed upon all vessels trading with the colony, and a state house was built in 1674, at a cost of forty thousand j^ounds of tobacco, or about five export duty of two shillings per hogshead upon all the tobacco sent out of the colony. One-half of this duty was appropriated to the support of the government, and the re- mainder was assigned nnconditionallv to the THE COLONIZATION OF MARYLAND. 119 uses of Lord Baltimore, as " an act of grati- tude " for his care of the colony. On the thirtieth of November, 1675, Cecil Calvert, second Lord Baltimore, died. He had been for fourteen years the earnest and devoted friend, as well as the generous lord of the province, and had lived long enough to enjoy the gratitude with which the colony sought to repay his judicious care. His memory is perpetuated by the chief city of Maryland, which bears his name, and which is already the largest city on the Atlantic oast, south of the Susequehanna, and the seventh in population in the United States. Charles Calvert, who had been for fourteen years governor of Maryland, succeeded to his father's titles and possessions, and in 1676 returned to England. Previous to his de- parture from Maryland he gave his sanction to the colonial code of laws, which had been thoroughly revised. One of these laws pro- hibited the "importation of convicted per- sons" into the colony without regard te the will of the king or Parliament of England. Roman Catholics Disfranchised. Notwithstanding the mild and equitable government of the third Lord Baltimore, the spirit of popular liberty was becoming too strong in the colony for the rule of the proprietor to be cheerfully acquiesced in much longer. The rebellion of Bacon in Virginia affected the Maryland colony pro- foundly, and when Lord Baltimore returned to the province in 168 1, he found a large part of the people hostile to him. An at- tempt at insurrection was suppressed, but the seeds of trouble were too deeply sown not to spring up again. The increase of th^ population had left {he Roman Catholics in a small minority, so that Maryland was now to all intents and purposes a Protestant colony. During the iatter part of the reign of Charles H. the Protestants, regardless of the wise policy of toleration which had hitherto marked tlv^ history of the province, endeavored to secure the establishment by law of the Church of England in Maryland. Lord Baltimore steadfastly resisted this unwise course, and maintained the freedom of conscience as the right of the people. He thus added to the existing opposition to his proprietary rule the hostility of the Protestant bigots. A little later, the English ministry struck the first blow at his proprietary rights and at the religious freedom of Maryland by ordering that all the offices of the colonial govern- ment should be bestowed upon Protestants alone. " Roman Catholics v/ere disfranchised in the province which they had planted." An Insurrection. Lord Baltimore hoped that the succession of James II., a Catholic sovereign, would restore him the rights of which he had been deprived in his province ; but he was soon undeceived, for the king, who intended to bring all the American colonies directly under the control of the crown, would make no exception in favor of Maryland, and measures were put in force for the abolition of the proprietary government. The revolu- tion which placed William and Mary on the throne prevented the execution of these plans. The troubles of Lord Baltimore were in- creased by the failure of the deputy-governoi. whom he had left in Maryland, to acknowl- edge William and Mary promptly. In August, 1689, occurred an insurrection led by " The association in arms for the defence jf the Protestant religion." The deputy- governor was driven from office, the pro- prietary government was overturned, and William and Mary were proclaimed sov- ereigns of Maryland. The party in power appealed to the king to annul the proprietary SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. charter, and governed the colony Dy means of a convention until the royal pleasure should be known. Lord Baltimore endeav- ored to defend his rights in spite of his struggles, William III., in June, 1691, annulled the charter of Maryland, and by the ."xercise of his own power constituted that n;olony a royal province. In 1692, the king appointed Sir Lionel Copley Governor of Maryland. Upon his arrival in the colony he dissolved the con- vention and assumed the government. He at once summoned an assembly, which, recognizing William and Mary as the l.iwful sovereigns of Maryland, established the Church of England as the religion of the colony, and imposed taxes for its support. The capital was removed from St. Mary's to Annapolis, both because the old seat of gov- ernment had become inconvenient and oecause it was desired to remove the govern- ment to the centre of Protestant influence. The disfranchisement of the Catholics ad- vanced step by step. At first the dissenters from the established church were granted toleration and protection, but in 1 704 the triumph of bigotry was complete. All the dissenting bodies were tolerated, but Roman Catholics were forbidden the exercise of their faith. Mass was not allowed to be said in public, nor was any bishop or clergyman of the Roman Catholic church to be permitted to seek to make converts for his faith. Other severe measures were enacted, and in the land which Catholics had settled, the members of tliat communion alone were de- nied the rights which in the day of their power they had offered to others. Nor did the royalist assembly manifest any care foi the true interests of the province. Education was neglected ; the establishment of printing was prohibited : and the domestic manufac- tures which the necessities of the colony had brought into existence were discouraged. In 1710 the population numbered over 30,000 free and slave. In 17 1 5 Benedict Charles Calvert, the fourth Lord Baltimore, succeeded in obtain ing the restoration of his rights in Maryland, and the province passed into his hamls. The people had been so disgusted with the rule of the royal governors that no opposition was made to this change. The new Lord Baltimore, unlike the rest of his family, was a Protestant, which v/as the cause of his restoration to his hereditary rights. After his restoration the colony increased with still greater rapidity. The establishment of a post route in 1695, between the Potomac and Philadelphia, had brought it into com- munication with the Northern colonies. In 1729 the town of Baltimore was founded. Frederick City was settled in 1745, and in 175 1 was followed by Georgetown, now in the District of Columbia. In 1756 the pop ulation of the colony had increased to 154,188 souls, of whom over 40,000 were negroes. The increase in material prosjierity was equally marked. By the last-mentioned year the annual export of tobacco was 30,000 hogsheads, and, in spite of the efforts of the home government to prevent it, there were eight furnaces and nine forges for smelting copper in operation in the province CHAPTER X The Pilgrim Fathers Rise jf the Puritans — ^ITieir Increase in England — They Are Persecuted by the English Church and Government- Conduct of James I — His Hatred of Puritanism — Puritans Take Refuge in Holland — The Congregation of John Robinson — They Escape to Holland — The Pilgrims — Their Sojourn at Leyden — They Wish to Emigrate to Virginia —Failure of Their Negotiations with the London Company — They Form a Partnership in England — A Plard Bargain — Departure of the Klgrims from Holland — Voyageof the " Mayflower" — Arrival in New England — The Agreement on Board the " Mayflower" — Carver Chosen Governor — Settlement of Plymouth — The First Winter in New Englan^l —Sufferings of the Pilgrims — Arrival of Nev/ Emigrants — Continued Sufiering — Assignment of Lands— Friendly In tercourse with Indians — Samoset and Squanto — Visit of Massa'^oit — A Threat of War — Bradford's Defiance — West. en's Men — A Narrow Escape — The Colonists Purchase the Interests of Their English Partners — Lands Assigned ij. Fee Simple — The Colony Benefited by the Change — Go'/ernment of Plymouth — Steady Growth of the Colony, THE persecutions with which Queen Mary afflicted the reformers of England in her bloody effort to re- store the Roman Catholic iaith in that country caused many of the most emi- nent men of the English church to seek safety on the continent of Europe. Upon the accession of Elizabeth the Church of England became once more the religion of the state, and the reformers were free to re- turn to their own country. They came back with broader and more liberal views than they had carried away with them, and there sprang up in the English church a party which demanded a purer and more spiritual form of worship than that of the church. These persons were called in derision Puri- tans. They adopted the name without hesi- tation, and soon made it an honorable dis- tinction. The queen, however, was determined to compel her subjects to conform to the estab- lished church, and was especially lesolved to make them acknowledge her supremacy over the church. To the Puritan the worship of the Church of England was only less sinful than that of Rome, and to acknowledge the queen as the head of the church was to com- mit blasphemy. He claimed that the queen had no control over him in matters of relig" ion, and that it was his right to worship God in his own way, without interference. The Puritans gradually came to embrace in theii number some of the best men in the Eng lish church. These sincerely deprecated a separation from the church, and earnestly desired to carry the reformation to the extent of remedying the abuses of which they complained, and to remain in communioi with the church. One of the reforms which they wished to inaugurate was the abolition of Episcopacy. Failing in their efforts, they desired to be let alone to form their own or- ganizations and to worship God according to their own ideas, without the pale of the Church of England. The queen and the bishops were not con- tent to allow them this freedom. England had not yet learned the lesson of toleration,! and severe measures were inaugurated to ' compel the dissenters to conform to the established church. All persons in the kingdom were required to conform to the ceremonies of the church. A refusal to do so was punished with banishment. Should any person so banished return to the king- dom without permission he was to be put to death. Accused persons were obliged to 121 122 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. answer upon oath all questions concerning themselves and their acquaintance, respect- ing their attendance upon public worship. Ministers refusing to conform to the estab- [I'ishcd usage were deprived of their parishes; ' and if they persisted in preaching to their congregations, or if the congregations were detected in listening to their deposed pastors, the ofienders were fined or subjected to some severe punishment. Absence from the ser- vices of ihe church for a certain length of lime waa also punished. The persecution thus inaugurated drove many of the noncon- formists', as they were termed, into exile from Cnjla.Ju They fled to Holland and Swit- CHAINED BIBLE, TIME OF JAMES I. zerland, where alone they foi;nd "freedom to worship God." In spite of Ihe severe meas- ures and determined efforts of Elizabeth, the Puritans increased steadily in numbers and importance in England. Persecution onl^ served to multiply them. They were hopeful that James 1. would prove a more lenient sovereign to them than Elizabeth had been, and they had good ground for this hope. The real character ol James was unknown in England, and while King of Scotland he had shown great favo to the Presbyterians of that kingdom, whon it was his interest to conciliate. He had once publicly thanked God " that he was king of such a kirk — the purest kirk in all the world. As for the Kirk of England,'' he added, " its service is an evil-said mass." This most contemptible of monarchs had scarcely become King of England when he uttered the famous maxim, " No bishop, no king ! " Interest had made him the foe of Episcopacy in Scotland ; the same motive made him its champion in England. A Royal Demagogue. Upon bis entrance into his new kingdom, the Puritans met him with an humble peti- tion for a redress of their grievances. James quickly saw that the majority of the English people favored a support of the church as it was, and had no sympathy with the Puri- tans, and he at once constituted himself the enemy of the petitioners. Still, in order to cover his desertion of the party to which he had belonged in Scotland, he appointed 3 conference at Hampton Court. The conference was held in January, 1604, aiid the king, silencing all real debate, made the meeting merely the occasion of display- ing what he regarded as his talents for theo- logical controversy, and for announcing the decision he had resolved upon from the first. He demanded entire obedience to the church in matters of faith and worship. "I will have none of that liberty as tD ceremonies,"* he declared. " I will have one doctrine, one discipline, one religion in substance and in ceremony. Never speak more as fee how far you are bound to obey.' THE PILGRIM FATHERS. The Puritans then demanded perniissiiJii to hold occasional ceremonies of their own, with the right of free discussions in them ; but James, who could never tolerate the ex- pression of any opinion adverse to his own, replied : "You are aiming; at a Scot's presby- tery, which agrees with monarchy as well as God and the devil- Then Jack and Tom and Will and Dick shall meet, and at their pleasure censure me and my council and all our proceedings. Then Will shall stand up and say. It must be thus. Then Dick shall reply and say, Nay, marry, but we will have it thus. And, therefore, here I must once more reiterate my former speech, and say, The king forbids." Then turning to the bishops, he added: " I will make them con- form, or I will harry them out of the land, or else worse ; only hang them ; tliat's all." Champions of Popular Liberty. The king kept his word. The severe laws against the nonconformists were enforced that year with such energy that three hun- dred Puritan ministers are said to have been silenced, imprisoned or exiled. The church party proceeded in the next few years to still more rigorous measures, and were willing even to place the liberties of the nation at the mercy of the crown in order to compel the submission of the Puritans. The intro- duction of foreign publications into the kingdom was greatly restricted, and the press was placed under a severe censorshi23. The Puritans were thus forced to become the champions of popular liberty against the tyranny of the ciown and the ecclesi- astical party. There was a congregation of Puritans in the north of England, composed of people of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, with some from Yorkshire. The jjastor was John Robinson, "a man not easily to be paral- leled," who possessed in an unusual degree 123 the love and confidence of his people They were greatly harassed by the agents of the king and the bishops, and were sub- jected to such serious annoyances that it was with difficulty that they could hold their meetings. Finding it impossible to live in peace at home without doing vio- lence to their consciences, they determined to leave England and seek refuge from persecution in Holland. That country was friendly to the Englisli, and the Dutch had learned from tlieir own sufferings to respect the rights of conscience in others. It was not an easy matter to leave Eng- land, liowever, for it was held by the gov- ernment to be almost a crime to attempt to escape from persecution. A vessel was hired to convey the refugees to Holland ; but the ro3al officers were informed of the intended voyage and seized the whole com- pany as they were about to embark. Their per.sons were searched, their small posses- sions seized, and the whole church — men, women and children — thrown into prison. In a short while all but seven were re- leased. These were brought to trial, but it was found impossible to prove any crime against them, and they also were discharged. A Boat Stranded. This action of the government, so far I'rom intimidating the sufferers, but increased their resolve to leave England, and in the spring of 1608 the effort was renewed. A Dutch captain consented to convey them to Holland, and it was agreed that the refu- gees should assemble upon a lonely heath in Lincolnshire, near the moutli of the Hum- ber, and be taken on board by the Dutch skipper. The men of the party went to the rendezvous by land and got safely on board the ship ; but the boat conveying the women and children was stranded and captured by a party of horsemen sent in pursuit. 1 Ill' /I 1 1 1 t V v. 1 X""'' (T m EsJ^ «}4 THE PURITANS IN CONFERENCE WITH JAMES \. THE PILGRIM FATHERS. 125 The Dutch skipper, fearful of becoming in- volved in trouble with the English author- ities, at once puL ! ■ sea, and the exiles were separated from their ,. nilies, who were left helpless in the hands of their oppressors. The women and children were treated with great harshness by their captors, and were taken before the magistrates, who found it impossible to punish them for an attempt to follow the fortunes of their husbands and fathers. They were at loss to know what to do with the prisoners, who no longer had homes in England, and at Inst released them unconditionally, and permitted them to rejoin t'a ir natural protectors in Holland. The Pilgrims Discontented. The exiles reached Amsterdam in the spring of 1608. They were well pleased to be safe in this peaceful refuge, but they did not deceire themselves with the hope that it could ever be a home to them. " They knew they were Pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lifted up their eyes to Heaven, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits." They found it hard to earn a support in Amsterdam, and in 1609 removed to Leyden, where, by their industry and frugality, they managed to live in com- parative comfort. Their piety and exemplary conduct won for them the respect of the Dutch, who would have ojjenly shown them marked favor but for their fear of offending the king of England. The magistrates of Leyden bore ready witness to their purity of life. " Never," said they, " did we have any suit or accusation against any of them.'' In the course of time tlie Pilgrims were ioined by a number of their brethren from England They were nearly all accustomed to agricultural pursuits, and in Holland they ivere obliged to earn their bread by mechan- ical labors. It was with difficulty that they could do this, and they never formed any attachment to the pla^ : of their exile. They preserved, through all their trials, their affec- tion for their native land, and cherished the hope that they might continue Englishmen to the close of their lives. They viewed with alarm the prospect of raising their childreR in Holland, where they would necessarily be thrown in constant contact with, and be in- fluenced by, the manners and customs of the country. Above all they dreaded the effect upon their children of the dissolute example of the disbanded soldiers and sailors whr filled the country. These and other th -igs made them unwilling to look upon Holland as their permanent home. But whither should they go in case of their departure from Hol- land? Their own country was closed against them, and the nations of continental Europe could offer them no asylum. As their conviction, that it was their duty to seek some other home, deepened, their thoughts became more irresistibly directed towards the new world. In the vast soli- tuaes of the American continent, and there alone, they could establish a home in which they could worship God without fear oi >ioLstation, and rear their children in the ways that seemed to them good. Thither would they go. Seeking a New Hom>. They were anxious to make their venture under the protection of England, and de clined the offers made them by the Dutch, who wished them to establish their colonv as a dependency of Holland. They had heard of the excellent climate and fertile soil of Virginia, and it seemed best to them to choose that promising region as the scene ol their experiment. It was necessary to obtain the consent of the London Company to their settlement, as Virginia had been granted to that body by the king of England , and in THE PILGRIMS AT PLYMOUTH. THE PIUiRIM FATHERS. 127 1617 two of the leading menibers of the congregation — John Carver and Robert Cushman — went to England to lay their application before the company. They were kindly received by Sir Edwin Sandys, the secretary of the company. They laid before the directors the request for per- mission to form a settlement in Virginia, with which they had been charged by their breth- ren. The application was signed by the greater part of the congregation, and con- tained a statement of their principles, and their reasons for desiring to emigrate to America. "We verily believe that God is with us," said the petitioners," and will pros- per us in our endeavors ; we are weaned from our mother country, and have learned patience in a hard and strange land. We are industrious and frugal ; we are bound together by a sacred bond of the Eord, whereofwe make great conscience, holding ourselves to each other's good. We do not wish ourselves home again ; we have nothing to hope from England or Holland ; we are men who will not be easily discouraged." Efforts to Reach America. The appeal of the Pilgrims was received with such favor by the London Company that Carver and Cushman ventured to peti- tion the king to grant them liberty to exer- cise their religion unmolested in the wilds of America. The most that James would con- sent to grant them, however, was a half promise to pay no attention to them in their new home. The London Company agreed to grant them permission to settle in Vir- ginia, but the dissensions of that body pre- vented anything from being done in their behalf. The Pilgrims were too poor to defray the cost of their emigration, and they set to work to find persons of means willing to assist them. At length they were successful, and a compan}' was formed consisting of them- selves and several merchants of London. The latter was to advance the funds neces- sary for the enterprise, while the former were to contribute their entire services for a period of seven years as their share of the stock of the company. At the end of seven years the profits of the enterprise were to be divided according to the amount of each one's investment ; and it was agreed that a contribution of ten pounds in money by a merchant should be entitled to as great a share of the profits as seven years of labor on the part of the emigrant. Departure for the New \Vorld. These were hard terms for the Pilgrinis,but they were the best they could obtain, and they were accepted, as the exiles were will- ing to suffer any .sacrifice in order to be able to found a community of their own in which they could bring uptheirchildrenin thefear of God. The main thing with them was to reach the .shores of America. Once there these men who had learned the lessons of .self-denial and endurance did not doubt their ability to succeed even in the face of the heavy disadvantages they were obliged to assume. With the funds thus obtained the Pilgrims began to prejjare for their departure. A ship of sixty tons, called the "Speedwell," was purchased, and another, of one hundred and eighty tons, called the " Mayflower," was chartered. These, however, could trans- port but a part of the congregation, and it was resolved to send out at first only "such of the youngest and strongest as freely offered themselves." Thepastor, Robinson, and the aged and infirm were to remain at Leyden until their brethren could send for them, and the colony was placed under the guidance of William Brewster, governing elder, who was an able teacher and much 128 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. respected and beloved for his noble char- acter. When all was in readiness, a day of fasting and prayer was held, in order that at the very beginning of their enterprise the Pilgrims might invoke the guidance and protection of God. " Let us seek of God," they said, " a .^^^^^m^^}k^ THE " MAYFLOWER " IN PLYMOUTH HARBOR " I charge you before God And his blesseo' angels," he said, in tones of deep emotioi: "that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow the Lord Jesus Christ, If God reveal anything to you, be ready to re- ceive it ; for I am verily persuaded that the Lord has more truth yet to break out of his holy word. I beseech you, remember that ft is an article of youf church covenant, that you be ready to re- ceive whatever truth shall be made known to you from the writ- ten word of God. Take heed what ye receive as truth ; examine it, consider it, anr': com- pare it v.Ich other scriptures of truth be- fore you receive it; the Christian world has not yet come to the perfection of knowledge." From lx)'(ltP 1 number of the breth j rcn accompanied the emigrants to Delft Haven, from which jiort they were to sail. The night before their departure, they all as- sembled in prayer and religious exercises, which were continued right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all of our substance." The venerable pastor made this solemn season the occasion of delivering a tender farewell to the mem- bers of his charge who were about to depart, and of appealing to them to be true to the principles of their religion in their new home. until the dawn, when they prepared to go on board the ship. Arrived at the shore, they knelt again, and the pastor, Robinson, led them in prayer — the emigrants listening to his voice for the last time on earth. "And so," says Edward Winslow, " lifting up our hands to each other, and THE PILGRIM FATHERS. 129 our hearts to the Lord our God, we de- parted." Southampton was soon reached, and the voyagers were transferred to the " May- flower " and the " Speedwell." On the fifth of August, 1620, those vessels sailed from Southampton for America. Soon after get- ting to sea, it was discovered that the " Speedwell " was in need of repairs, /"nd that they must return to England. "Hiey put about and reached the port of Dartmouth, where the smaller vessel was repaired. Eight days were consumed in this undertak- ing, and the voyage was resumed. One Ship Abandoned. They were scarcely out of sight of land when the commander of the " Speedwell," alarmed by the dangers of the voyage, de- cSared that his ship was not strong enough to cross the ocean. The vessels at once put back to Plymouth, where the smaller ship Was discharged. At the same time those who had grown faint-hearted were permitted to withdraw from the expedition. The re- mainder of the company, to the number of one liundred and one, sailed from Plymouth in the " Mayflower," on the sixth of Septem- ber, i620. Some of these were women well ndvanced in pregnancy, and some were children. Their little vessel was but a frail barque compared with the ships that now nc.vigate the sea ; but a band of braver and more resolute souls never trusted themselves to the mercies of the stormy Atlantic. The leading man in the little band of Pilgrims was the ruling elder, William Brew- ster, who was to be their preacher until the arrival, of a regularly chosen pastor. He was s man of fine education, refined and scholarly tastes, and of pure and lofty Chris- tian character. " He laid his hand," says Elliott," to the daily tasks of life, as well as spent his soul in trying to benefit his fellows 9 — so bringing himself as near as possible to the early Christian practices ; he was worthy of being the first minister of New England." He was well advanced in life, and was looked up to with affecdonate regard by his associates. Another was John Carver, also a man of years and ripe experience, who had sacrificed his fortune to the cause, and whose dignified and benevolent character won him the honor of being chosen the first chief magistrate oi the colony. GOVERNOR BREWSTER S CHAIR. Prominent among the leaders was William Bradford. He was only thirty-two, but was a man of earnest and resolute character, firm and true, "a man of nerve and public spirit." He had begun life as a farmer's boy in Eng- land, and in Holland had supported himself by practising the art of dyeing; but, in spite of his constant labors, he had educated him- self and had managed to accumulate books o( his own. He systematically devoted a lars? i3o SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. part of his time to study, and thus carefully trained his great natural abilities. Edward Winslow, a man of sweet and amiable disposition, was twenty-six years old. He was a gentleman by birth, and had been well educated, and had acquired consider- able information and experience by travel. Miles Standish had attained the manly age of thirty-six, and was a veteran soldier. He had seen service in the wars of the con- tinent of Europe, and had gained an honor- able distinction in them. He was not a member of the church, but was strongly at- tached to its institutions. '■ With the people of God he had chosen to suffer affliction ; In return for his zeal, they made him Captain of Plymouth ; He was a man of honor, of noble and generous na- ture; Though he was rough, he was kindly .... Somewhat hasty and hot .... and headstrong, Stern as a soldier might be, but hearty and placable always. Not to be laughed at and scorned, because he was Jitlle of stature ; For he was great of heart, magnanimous, courtly, courageous." Tempestuous Voyage. The voyage of the " Mayflower " was long and stormy. The Pilgrims had selected the country near the mouth of the Hudson as the best region for their settlement, but a severe storm drove them northward to the coast of New England. Si.xty-three days were con- sumed in the passage, during which, one of their number had died, and at length land was made, and two days later, the " May- flower " cast anchor in the harbor of Caps Cod. The Pilgrims had cotne to America at their own risk and without the sanction of, or a charter from, the king or any lawful organization in England. They were thrown upon their own resources, and could look to no quarter for protection or support. Appre- ciating the necessity of an organized govern- ment, their first acts after anchoring in Cape Cod bay were to organize themselves into a body politic and to form a government. The First Compact. The following compact was drawn up in the cabin of the " Mayflower," and was signed by all the men of the colony, to the number of forty-one: " In the name of God, amen ; we whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Kingjames, having undertaken, for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the north- ern parts of Virginia, do, by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and of one another, covenant and com- bine ourselves together, in a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preserva- tion, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof, to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most convenient for the general good cxf the colony, unto which we promise r'l due submission aijc' obedience." This was the first constitution of New England, democratic in form, and resting upon the consent of the governed. It at once established the new commonwealth upon the basis of constitutional liberty, and secured to the people "just and equal laws " fo"" the " general good." In virtue of the compact, John Carver was chosen governor of the colony for the ensuing year. The prospect which presented itself to the Pilgrims upon their arrival at Cape Cod might well have daunted even their resolute souls. It was the opening of the winter, a'jd the ' had come to a barren and rugged coai-t. THE PILGRIM FATHERvS. 131 The climate was severe, and the land was a wilderness. The English colony in Virginia was five hundred miles distant, and to the north of them the nearest white settlement was the French colony at Port Royal. The "Mayflower" was only chartered to convey them to America, and must return to Eng- land as soon as they had chosen a site and established a settlement. Yet no one fal- tered. The new land was reached, the diffi- culties and dangers were such as could be overcome by patience and fortitude, and the Pilgrims without hesitation addressed themselves to the task before them. Planting the Colony. The first thing to be done was to explore the coast and choose a site for the colony, for it was important to begin their settlement be- fore the severity of the winter should render such an effort impossible. The shallop was gotten out, but unfortunately it was found to need repairs. The ship's carpenter worked so slowly that nearly three weeks were spent in this task. This delay was a great misfor- tune at this advanced season of the year, and some of the party becoming impatient, it was resolved to go ashore in the ship's boat and explore the country by land. A party of sixteen men was detailed for this purpose, and placed under the command of Captain Miles Standish. William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins and Edward Tilly were included in the party as a council of war. The ex- plorers were given numerous instructions, and were rather permitted than ordered to go upon their journey, which was regarded as perilous, and the time of their absence was limited to two days. Upon reaching the shore they followed it for about a mile, when they discovered sev- eral Indians watching them from a distance. The savages fled as soon as they saw they "'»re observed, and the whites followed in pursuit. They struck the trail of the retreat- ing Indians, and followed it until nightfall, butbeingencumberedby the weight oftheir armor and impeded by the tangled thickets through which they had to pass, they vs^ere unable to overtake the Indians. The ex- plorers bivouacked that night by a clear LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS. spring, whose waters refreshed them after their fatiguing march. They made few dis- coveries, but the expedition was not en- tirely unprofitable. An Indian Graveyard. In one place they fou nd a deer-trap, made by bending a young tree to the earth, with a noose underground covered with acorns. Mr. Bradford was caught by the foot in this snare, which occasioned much merriment. 132 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. An Indian graveyard was discovered in another place, and in one of the graves there was an earthen pot, a mortar, a bow and some arrows, and other rude implements. These were carefully replaced by the whites, who respected the resting-place of the dead. The most important discovery was the find- ing of a cellar or pit carefully lined with bark, and covered over with a heap of sand, and containing about four bushels of seed corn in ears. As much of this as the men could carry was secured, and it was deter- mined to pay the owners of the corn for?tas Boon as they could be found. Searching the Neighborhood. The shallop being finished at fength, a party, consisting of Carver, Bradford, Wins- low, Standish and others, with eight or ten seamen, was sent out on a second expedition on the sixth of December. The weather was very cold, and their clothing, drenched with spray, froze as stiff as iron armor. They reached the bottom of Cape Cod bay that day, and landed, instructing the people in the shallop to follow them along the shore. The next day they divided, and searched the neighborhood. They found a number of Indian graves, and some deserted wigwams, but saw no signs of the inhabitants of the country. That night they encamped near Namtasket, or Great Meadow Creek. On the morning of the eighth of December, just as they had finished their prayers, the explorers vvere startled by a war-whoop and a flight of arrows. The Indians, who were of the tribe of the Nausites, were put to flight by the dis- charge of a few guns. Someof their people had been kidnapped by the English a few years before, and hence they regarded the new-comers as bent on the same errand. The day was spent in searching for a safe harbor for the ship, and at nightfall a violent Btorm of rain and snow drove them through the breakers into a small cove suelterc from the gale by a hill. They were so wet and chilled that they landed at once, and. regardless of the danger of drawing the sav- ages upon them, built a fire with great diffi- culty, in order to keep from perishing with the cold. When the morning dawned they found that they were on an island at tht, entrance to a harbor. The day w Js spent in* rest and preparations. The next day, December loth, was tht Sabbath, and, notwithstanding the need of prompt action, they spent it in rest and religious exercises. The next day, Decem- ber II, 1620, old style, or December 22d, according to our present system, the explor- ing party of the Pilgrims landed at the head of the harbor they had discovered. The rock upon which their footsteps were first planted is still preserved by their descendants. The place was explored and chosen as the site of the settlement, and was named Plymouth, tn memory of the last English town from which the Pilgrims had sailed. Anchored at Plymouth, The adventurers hastened back to the ship, which stood across the bay, and four days later cast anchor in Plymouth harbor. No time was to be lost; the " Mayflower" must soon return to England, and the emigrants must have some shelter over their heads be- fore her departure. To save time each man was allowed to build his own house. This was a most arduous task. Many of the men were almost broken down by their ex- posure to the cold, and some had alread). contracted the fatal diseases which were to carry them to the grave before the close of the winter. Still they persevered, working bravely when the absence of rain and snow would permit them to do so. As the winter deepened, th« sickness sna I mortality of the colony increased. At on« THE PILGRIM FATHERS. »33 time there w^ve but seven well men in the company. More than forty of the settlers died during the winter. John Carver, the good governor of the colony, buried his son, and himself soon succumbed to the hardships from which he had never shrunk, though never able to endure them. He was followed by his heart-broken widow. The wives of Bradford and Winslow, and Rose Standish, tlie sweet young bride of "the Captain of Plymouth" were also among the victims. They were all buried on the shore near the rock on which they had landed, and lest their graves should tell the Indians of the sufferings and weak- ness of the settlement, their resting-place w i^ levelled and sown with grass. William Bra I ford was chosen gov- ernor in the place of Carver, and the vvoik ivent on with tirm ness and without le pining. At last the long wi n- ter drew to a close, and the balmy spring came to cheer the settlers with its bright skies and warm breeze. The sick began to recover, and the building of the settlement was completed. In course of time a large shed was erected for the public stores, and a small hospital for the sick. A church was also built. It was made stronger than the other buildings, as it was to serve as a foi-tress as well as a place of worship, and four cannon were mounted on top of it for defence against the savages. Here the)- assembled on the Sabbath for religious worship, and to hear the word oi God from the lips of their pastor, the good Elder Brewster. In the spring the ground was prepared for cultivation, but until the harvest was grown the colonists lived by fishing and hunting. No Wish to Leave the Wilderness. In March, 162 1, the " Mayflower " sailed for England. Not one of the Pilgrims wished to return in her. They had their trials, and these were sore and heavy, but they had also made a home and a govern- nir riR 1 ctiiKCH in npw t\i>LA\n ment for themselves, where they could enjoy the benefits and protection of their own laws, and worship God in safety and in peace. They did not doubt that they would some day triumph over their difficulties, and that God would in His own good time crown their labors and their patience with success. In the autumn of 1621, a reinforcement o( new emigrants arrived. They t>rought no provisions, and were dependent upon the scanty stock of the colony, and the increased »34 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. demand upon this soon brought the settlers face to face with the danger of famine. For six months no one received more than half allowance, and this was frequently reduced. " I have seen men," says Winslow, " stagger jy reason of faintness for want of food." On one occasion the whole company would have perished but for the kindness of some fishermen, who relieved ;;heir wants. Every Man for Himself. This scarcity of provisions continued for several years, and it was not until the end of the fourth year of the settlement that the colonists had anything like a proper supply of food. In that year neat cattle were intro- duced into Plymouth. None of the colonies vvere called upon to endure such privations as were suffered by the Pilgrims. Yet they Uore them with unshaken fortitude, still trusting that God would give them a pleas- anter lot in the end. The conditions of the contract with the English merchants had required the labor of the colonists to be thrown into the common stock. This was found to be an unprofitable arrangement, and in 1623 it was agreed that each settler should plant for himself, and each family was assigned a parcel of land in pro- portion to its numbers, to cultivate, but " not for an inheritance." This arrangement gave great satisfaction and the colonists went to work with such a will that after this season there was no scarcity of food. In the spring of 1624 each colonist was given a little land in fee. The very e.Kistence of the colony de- manded this departure from the hard bargain with the English merchants, and the result justified the measure. Abundant harvests rewarded the labors of the settlers, and corn soon became so plentiful that the colonists were able to supply the savages with it. These, preferring the chase to the labor of the field, brought in game and skins to Plymouth and received corn in return. In the meantime a friendly intercourse had sprung up between the settlers and the Indians. In the first year of the settlement the red men were seen hovering upon the outskirts of the village, but they fled upon the approach of the whites. Distant columns of smoke, rising beyond the woods, told that the savages were close at hand, and it was deemed best to organize the settlers into a military company, the command of which was given to Miles Standish. One day, in fvlarch, 1621, the whole village was startled by the appearance of an Indian, who boldly entered the settlement^ and greeted the whites with the friendly words, " Welcome, English- men ! Welcome, Englishmen ! " A Romantic History. He was kindly received, and it was found that he was Samoset, and had learned a little English of the fishermen at Penobscot. He belonged to the Wampanoags, a tribe oc- cupying the country north of Narragansett Bay and between the rivers of Providence and Taunton. He told them that they might possess the lands they had taken in peace, as the tribe to which they had belonged had been swept away by a pestilence the year be- fore the arrival of the Pilgrims. He re- mained one night with the settlers, who gave him a knife, a ring, and a bracelet, and then went back to his people, promising to return soon and bring other Indians to trade with them. In a few days he came back, bring- ing with him Squanto, the Indian who had been kidnapped by Hunt and sold in Spain. From that country Squanto had escaped to England, where he had learned the lan- guage. He had managed to return to his own country, and now appeared to act as interpreter to the English in their inter- course with his people. They announced THE PILGRIM FATHERS. 135 that Massasoit, the sachem of the Wampa- noags, desired to visit the colony. The chieftain was received with all the ceremony the little settlement could afford. Squanto acted as mterpreter, and a treaty of friendship was arranged between Massasoit on behalf of his people and the English. Friendly Agreement. The parties to the agreement promised to treat each other with kindness and justice, to deliver up offenders, and to assist each other when attacked by their enemies. This treaty was faithfully observ- ed by both parties for fifty years. The Pil- grims expressed their willingness to pay for the baskets of corn that had been taken by their first explor- ing party, and this they did six months later, when the right- ful owners presented themselves. A trade with the Indians was established and fu is were brought into Plymouth by them and sold for articles of European manu- facture. Squanto was the faithful friend of the col- ony to the end of his life, and was regarded by the Pilgrims as " a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expecta- tion." He taught them the Indian method of planting corn and putting fish with it to fer- tilize the ground, and where to find and how to catch fish and game. He showed them his friendship in many ways, and was during his lifetime the interpreter of the colony. The Pilgrims on their part were not ungrate- ful to him. On one occasion it was rumored in Ply- mouth that Squanto had b;en seized by the Narragansetts, and had been put t? deaih, A party of ten men at once marched inia the forest, and surprised the hut where the chief of the Narragansetts was. Although the tribe could bring five thousand war* riors into the field, the chief was overawed by the determined action of the Englishf whose firearms gave them a great superi- ority, and Squanto was released unharmed. On his death-bed Squanto, who had been THE TREATY BETWEEN PLYMOUTH COLONY AND MASSASOIl". carefully nursed by his white friends, asked the governor to pray that he might go to " the Englishman's God in Heaven." His death was regarded as a serious misfortune to the colony. The Great Chief Massasoit. Massasoit, whose tribe had been greatly reduced by pestilence, desired the alliance oi the English as a protection against the Nar- ragansetts, who had escaped the scourge, and whose chief, Canonicus, was hostile to hin. 136 .'^ETTLKMnNT OF AMERICA. The Narragansetts lived upon the shores of the beautiful bay to which they have given their name, and were a powerful and warHke race. Canonicus regarded the English with hostility, and in 1622 sent them as a defiance a bundle of arrows wrapped in the skin of a rattlesnake. Governor Bradford received the challenge from the hands of the chieftain's messenger, and stuffing the skin with powder and ball re- turned it to him, and sternly bade him bear it back to his master. The Indians regarded the mysterious contents of the skin with ter- ror and dread, and passed it from tribe to tribe. None dared either keep or destroy it, as it was regarded as possessed of some mys- terious but powerful iniluence for harm. It was finally returned to the colony, and in a short while Canonicus, who had been cowed by the spirited answer of Bradford, offered to make a treaty of peace and alliance with the colony. The Pilgrima endeavored to treat the Indians with justice. Severe penalties were denounced against those who should deprive the savages of their property without paying for it, or should treat them with violence. Yet the colonists were to have trouble with the red men, and that through no fai'lt of hpir o'.vn. It happened on this wise. A Timely Warning. Among the merchants of London who had invested money in the planting of the Ply- mouth coloiy was Thomas Weston. Envi- ous of the advance made by the colony in the fur trade, he desired to secure all the profits of that traffic by establishing a trading- post of his own. He obtained a patent for a small tract on Boston harbor, near Wey- mouth, and settled there a colony of sixty men, th.i greater number of whom were in Ventured servants. These men, disregarding lie warnings of th'2 people of Plymouth, gave themselves up to a dissolute life, and drew upon themselves the wrath of the Indians by maltreating them, and stealing their corn The Indians, unable to distinguish betwee> the guilty and the innocent, resolved tv. avenge the misconduct of Weston's men by a Lnassacre of every v/hite settler in thecouni try. Before the plot could be put in execution Massasoit fell sick. Winslow visited him, and found his lodge full of medicine-men s.nd jugglers, who were killing him with the noise they made to drive away the disease. The kind-hearted Englishman turned the Indian doctors out of the lodge, and by giv- ing Massasoit rest, and administering such remedies as his case required, restored him to health. The grateful chief revealed the plot of his people for the extermination of the English. The Plymouth settlers were greatly alarmed, and measures were promptly taken to avert the danger. Nine Whi^e Braves. Standish, with eight armed men, was sent to the assistance of the settlement at Wey- mouth. They arrived in time to prevent the attack. The Indians, who had begun to collect for the massacre, were surprised and defeated in a brief engagement, and the chief, who was the leader of the conspiracy, was slain, with a number of his men. This gallant exploit established the supremacy of the English in New England, and many of the native tribes sought their friendship and alliance. The Weymouth men were unwill- ing to continue their colony after their nar- row escape. Some went to Plymouth where they became a source of trouble, and others returned to England. The spring of 1623 saw the last of this settlement. In the autumn of 1623 the best harvest was gathered in that had yet blessed the labors of the Pilgrims. It was an abundant THE PILGRIM FATHERS. 137 yield, and put an end to all fears of a re- newal of the danger of famine. Wlien the labors of the harvest were over Governor Bradford sent out men to collect game, in order that the people might enjoy a thanks- giving feast. On the appointed day the people " met together and thanked God with ali their hearts for the good world and the good things in it." Thus was established the custom of an annual thanksgiving to God for the blessings of the year, which though at first a celebration peculiar to New England has at length become a national festival. Each Settler a Land Owner. The colonists themselves were satisfied with the progress they had made, but their merchant partners in England were greatly dis-pleased with the smallness of the profits they had received from their investments, and in many ways made the colony feel their dissatisfaction. Robinson and his congrega- tion at Leyden were anxious to join their friends in America, but the merchant partners refused to send them across the Atlantic, and not content with this endeavored to force upon the Plymouth people a pastor friendly to the Church of Eingland. They soon got rid of this individual, however, whose con- duct quickly enabled them to expel him from Plymouth as an evil liver. The merchants also sent a vessel to New England to oppose the colonists in the fur trade ; and demanded exorbitant prices for the goods they sold the settlers, charging them the enormous profit of seventy per cent. It was not possible, however, to destroy the results of the industry and self-denial of the Pilgrims. Seeing that their association with their English partners would continue to operate merely as a drag upon the advance of the colony, they managed in 1627, at con- siderable sacrifice, to purchase the entire interest of their partners. The stock and the land of the colony were then divided equitably among the settlers, and the share of each man became his own private prop« erty. Each settler was thus made the owner of a piece of land which it was to his in« terest to improve to the highest degree pos- sible. Freed from the burdens under which it had labored for so long, the colony began to increase in prosperity and in population. The government of the Pilgrims was sim- ple, but effective. They had no charter, and were from the first driven upon their own resources. They had a governor who was chosen by the votes of all the settlers. In 1624 a council of five was given him, and in 1633 this number was increased to seven. The council assisted the governor in the ex- ercise of his duties, and imposed a check upon his authority, as in its meetings he had merely a double vote. The whole number of male settlers for eighteen years constituted the legislative body. They met at stated times, and enacted such laws as were neces- sary for the welfare of the colony. The people were frequently convened by the gov- ernor, in the earlier years of the settlement, to aid him with their advice upon difficult questions brought before them. When the colony increased in population, and a number of towns were included within its limits, each town sent representatives to a general court at Plymouth. If the colony grew slowly, it grew steadily, and at length the Pilgrims had their reward in seeing their little settlement expand into a flourishing province, in which the principles of civil freedom were cherished, religion honored, and industry and economy made the basis of the wealth of the little state. CHAPTER XI Settlement of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Settlement of New Hampshire — The English Puritans Determine to Form a New Colony in America — The Plymouth Council — A Colony Sent Out to Salem under Endicott — Colonization of Massachusetts Baj- Begun^A Charter Obtained— Concessions of the King — Progress of the Salem Colony — The Charter and Government of the Colony Removed to New England — Arrival of Governor Winthrop— Settlement of Boston— Sufferings of the Colonists — Roger Williams His Opinions Give Offence to the Authorities— The Success of the Bay Colony Established— Growth of Popular Liberty — The Ballot Box — Banishment if Roger Williams — He Goes into the Wilderness — Founds Providence — Growth of Williams' Colony — Continued Growth of Massachusetts— Arrival of Sir Henry Vane — Is Elected Governor— Mrs. Anne Hutchinson -The Antinomiau Controversy — Mrs. Hutchinson Banished — Settlement of Rhode Island — Murder of Mrs. Hutchinson. THE success of the Pilgrims in es- tabli.sliing the Plymouth colony aroused a feeling of deep interest in England,and .some of those who had watched the effort were encouraged to attempt ventures of their own. Sir Ferdi- nand Gorges, who had taken a deep interest in the schemes to settle the new world, and John Mason, the secretary of the council of Plymouth, obtained a patent for the region called L,aconia, which comprised the whole country between the sea, the St. Lawrence, the Merrimac and the Kennebec, and now embraced partly in Maine and partly in New Hampshire. A comi^any of English merchants was formed, and in 1623 perma- nent colonies were established in Ports- mouth, Dover and one or two other places near the mouth of the Piscataqua. These were small, feeble settlements, and were more trading posts than towns. For many years their growth was slow, and it was not until other parts of New England were well peopled and advanced far beyond their early trials that they began to show signs of prosperity. In 1653, *:hirty years after its settlement, Portsmouth con- tained only "between fifty and sixty fam- ilies." The settlers of these towns were not all Puritans, and their colonies had not the religious character of those of the rest of New England. In 1641, they were an- nexed at their own request to the province of Massachusetts, the general court having agreed not to require the freemen and deputies to be church members. In the meantime the news of the success- ful planting of Plymouth was producing other and more important results in Eng- land. The persecution of the Non-con- formists, which marked the entire reign of James I., were continued through that of his son and successor, Charles I. The Puri- tans, sorely distressed by the tyranny to which they were subjected, listened with eagerness to the accounts of America which were sent over by the members of the Plymouth colony, and published from time to time in England. The descriptions of the Pilgrims were not exaggerated. They did not promise either fame or sudden wealth to settlers in their province, but clearly set forth the cares and labors which were to be the price of success in America. They dwelt with special emphasis, how- ever, upon that which was in their eyes the chief reward of all their toil and suffering — the ability to exercise their religion without SETTLEMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND. 139 restraint. Their brethren in England heard their accounts with a longing to be with them to enjoy the freedom with which they were blessed, and it was not long before a number of English Non-conformists began to concert measures for making New Eng- land a place of refuge for the persecuted members of their faith. The leading spirit in these enterprises was the Rev. Mr. White, a minister (jf Dorchester, a Puritan, but not a Separatist. Re- garding the vicinity of the present town of Salem as the most suitable place for colonization, he exerted liimself with energy to se- cure it for his brethren. In the meantime the Plymouth Company had ceased to exist, and its place had been taken by the council of Plymouth. That body cared for New England only as a source of profit, and sold the ter- ritory of that region to a number of purchasers, assigning the same district to different people, and thus paving the way for vexa- tious litigation. In 1628, it sold to a company of gentlemen of Dorchester, which White's energy had succeeded in bringing into existence, a district extending from three miles south of Massachusetts Bay to three miles north of the Merrimac River. As was usual in all grants of the day, the Pacific was made the western boundarv of this region. This company was at once prepared to send out a colony, and in the early summer of that year one hundred persons under John Eudicott,as governor, were despatched to New England. Endicott took his family with him, and in September, 1628, reached New England, and established the settle- ment of Salem, the site of which was already occupied by a few men whom White had placed there to hold it. Endicott, who was i. JOHN ENDICOTT man of undaunted courage and acknowl- edged integrity of charactersoon established his authority over the few settlements that had sprung up along the shores of the bay. At this time the site of Charlestown was oc- cupied by an Euglishman,ThomasWalford, a blacksmith, who had fortified his cabin with a palisade. The only dweller on the I40 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. tri-mountain peninsula of Shawmut was the Rev. William Blackstone, a clergyman of the Church of England ; the island now known as East Boston was occupied by Samuel Maverick. At Nantasket and a few places farther south some Englishmen had located themselves, and lived by fishing and trading in skins : and on the site of Quincy was the wreck of a colony which had nearly perished in consequence of its evils ways. These> with the settlement at Salem, constituted the colony of Massachusetts Bay. Arrivals at Salem. Soon after the departure of Endicott's colony from England, the company, acting upon the advice of their counsel, obtained from the king a confimation of their grant. In March, 1629, the king granted to the colony of Massachusetts Bay a charter under which it conducted its affairs for more than fifty years. By the terms of this charter the governor was to be elected by the free- men for the term of one year, provision was made for the assembling at stated times of a general court, which was to have the power to make all the needed laws for the colony, and it was not necessary that these laws should receive the royal signature in order to be valid. This was conceding practical inde- pendence to the colony. In the spring of 1629, a second company of emigrants sailed from England for Massa- chusetts. They were, like the first, all Puri- tans, and took with them, as their minister, the Rev. Francis Higginson, formerly of Jesus College, Cambridge, a man of learn- ing and deep piety. The colonists were instructed to do no violence to the Indians. " If any of the salvages," so read the com- pany's orders, " pretend right of inheritance to all or any part of the lands granted in our patent, endeavor to purchase their tytle, that we may avoid the least scruple of intrusion." Six shipwrights were sent over for the use of the colony, an experienced engineer tc lay out a fortified town, and a master gun- ner, who was to teach the men of the colony the use of arms and military exercises. Cattle and horses and goats were sent out also. The voyage was prosperous, and the new settlers reached Salem about the last of June. They found the settlement in a feeble con- dition, and greatly in need of their assistance. The old and the new colonists numbered about three hundred. The majority of these remained at Salem, and the rest were sent by Endicott to establish a colony at Charles- towK, in order to secure that place from occupation by the partisans of Sir Ferdi- nand Gorges, who claimed the region. The emigrants were scrupulous to acquire from the Indians the right to the lands they occu- pied. The twelfth of July was observed as a day of fasting and prayer "for the choice of a pastor and teacher at Salem." No one advanced any claim founded on his; ordination in England ; personal fitness was the only qualification recognized by the Puritans. Samuel Skelton was chosen castor, and Francis Higginson teacher. The Brownes Cast Out. Three or four of the gravest members of the church laid their hands upon the heads of these men, with prayer, and solemn- ly appointed them to their respective offices. "Thus the church, like that of Plymouth, was self-constituted, on the principle of the independence of each religious community. It did not ask the assent of the king, ot recognize him as its head; its ofificers were set apart and ordained among themselves; it used no liturgy; it rejected unnecessary ceremonies, and reduced the simplicity of Calvin to a still plainer standard The motives which controlled it.« ''ecisions were 1 SETTLEMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND. 141 so deeply seated that its practices were repeated spontaneously by Puritan New England." An opposition to the organiza- tion of the church was attempted by a party led by John and Samuel Browne, men of ability; but this was treated as a mutiny and put down, and the Brownes were sent back- to England. The charter of Massachusetts, though it made liberal concessions to the colony, contained no provision for the rights of the people, who were left at the mercy of the company. For the proper government of the colony, it was necessary to re- move the charter to Massachusetts, and such a removal was advisable on another ground. The charter contained no guar- antee for the reglious freedom of the co lony, and the king might at any moment seek to interfere with this, the most pre- cious right of the Puritans. The only way to escape the evils which the com- pany had reason to dread was for the governing council to change its place of meeting from England to Massachu- setts, which the provisions of the charter gave it authority to do. An Independent Colony. On the twenty -sixth of August, 1629, John Winthrop, Isaac Johnson, Thomas Dudley, Richard Saltonstall and eigh, others, men of fortune and education, met at Cambridge and bound them- selves by a solemn agreement to settle in New England if the whole government of the colony, together with the patent should be legally transferred to that region before the end of September. On the twenty- ninth of the month, the court took the de- cisive step and ordered that " the govern- ment and patent should be settled in New England." This was a bold step, but its legality was no*- contested by any one, and it made the government of the colony independ- ent of control by any power in England. The officers of the colony were to be a governor and eighteen assistants. On the twentieth of October, a meeting of the court was held to choose them, and John Winthrop was elected governor for one year. It was a fortunate selection, for Winthrop proved himself for many years the very mainstay of the colony, sustaining his companions by his calm courage, and setting them a noble ex- JOHN WINTHROP. ample in his patience, his quiet heroism and his devotion to the welfare of others. He seemed to find his greatest pleasure in doing good, and his liberality acted as a check upon the bigotry of his associates and kept them in paths of greater moderation. Efforts were made to send over new settlers to Massachusetts, and about a thousand emigrants, with cattle, horses and goats, were transported thither in the season of 1630. 142 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. Early in Apn7, Governor Winthrop and about seven hundred emigrants sailed from England in a fleet of eleven ships. Many of them were " men of high endowments and large fortune; scholars, well versed in the learning of the times; clergymen who ranked among the best educated and most pious in the realm." Death Among the Settlers. They reached Salem on the twelfth of June, after a voyage of sixty-one days, and were gladly welcomed by the settlers, whom they found in great distress from sickness and a scarcity of provisions. About eighty had died during the winter, and many were sick. There was scarcely a fortnight's sup- ply of food in the settlement, and it was nec- essary to send one of the ships back to Eng- land at once for a supply of provisions. Salem did not please the new-comers, and settlements were made at Lynn, Charles- town, Newtown, Dorchester, Roxbury, Mai- den and Watertown. The governor and a large part of the emigrants settled first at Charlestown,but at length, in order to obtain better water, crossed over and occupied the little tri-mountain peninsula of Shawmut. To this settlement was given the name of Boston, in honor of the town in Lincolnshire in England, which had been the home of the Rev. John Wilson, who became the pastor of the first church of Boston. The location was central to the whole province, and Bos- ton became the seat of government. When the year for which the first colonial officers had been chosen expired a new election was held, and Governor Winthrop and all the old officials were re-elected. Terrible Sufferings. The colonists now began to feel the effects of their new life. The change of climate was very trying to them, and many of them fell victims to its rigors, and to the hardships of their position. A large number ofthem had been brought up in ease and refinement, ana were unaccustomed to privation or exposure. They sank beneath the severe trials to which they were subjected. By December, 1630, at least two hundred had died. Among these were the Lady Arbella Johnson and her husband, among the most liberal and de- voted supporters of the colony, and a son 01 Governor Winthrop, who left a widow and children in England. Others became dis- heartened, and morethan a hundred returned to England, where they endeavored to e.< cuse their desertion of their companions by grossly exaggerated accounts of the hard- ships of the colony. Patient Endurance. Yet among the colonists themselves there was no repining. They exhibited in their deep distress a fortitude and heroism worthy of thefr lofty character. " Honor is due," says Bancroft, " not less to those who per- ished than to those who survived ; to the martyrs the hour of death was the hour ot triumph ; such as is never witnessed in more tranquil seasons. ***** Even children caught the spirit of the place ; awaited the impending change in the tranquil confidence of faith, and went to the grave full of immor- tality. The survivors bore all things meekly, ' remembering the end of their coming hither.'" Winthrop wrote to his wife, who had been detained in England by sickness: " We enjoy here God and Jesus Christ, and is not this enough ? I thank God I like so well to be here, as I do not repent my com- ing. I would not have altered my course though I had foreseen all these afflictions. I never had more content of mind." Another danger which threatened the colony arose from the scarcity of provisions, but this was removed on the fifth of February, i63i,by the timely arrival of the "Lyon" from England, laden with provisions. This relief was greeted with public thanksgivmga SETTLEMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND. 143 in all the settlements- The " Lyon," how- ever, brought only twenty passengers, and in 163 1 only ninety persons came out from England. The number of arrivals in 1632 was only two hundred and fifty. Thus the colony grew very slowly. By the close of the latter year the total population of Massa- chusetts was only a little over one thousand souls. Sketch of Roger Williams, Among the passengers of the " Lyon " was a young minister, described in the old records as " lovely in his carriage, godly and .zealous, having precious gifts," Roger Williams by name. He had been a favorite pupil of the great Sir Edward Coke, andhnd learned from him precious lessons of liberty and toleration. He had been carefully edu- cated at Pembroke College, in the University of Cambridge, and had entered the ministry. His opposition to the laws requiring con- formity to the established church had drawn upon him the wrath of Archbishop Laud, and he had been driven out of England. The great doctrine which he had em- braced as the result of his studies and ex- perience was the freedom of conscience from secular control. " The civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control opinion; should punish guilt, but never violate inward freedom." He would place all forms of religion upon an equality, and would refuse to the government the power to com- . pel conformity to, or attendance upon, any of them, leaving such matters to the con- science of the individual. He also favored the abolition of tithes, and the enforced con- tribution to the support of the church. Such views were far in advance of the age, and when Williams landed in Boston he found himself unable to join the church in that place, because of its adoption of prin- , ciples the opposite of his own. Upon his arrival the church had intended engaging him to fill Mr. Wilson's place, while that minister returned to England to bring over his wife, but upon learning his views the idea was abandoned. A little later the church in Salem, which had been deprived of its teacher by the death of the Rev. Francis Higginson, called Williams to be his successor. Williams accepted the call ; but Governor Winthrop and the assistants warned the people of Salem to beware how they placed in so important a position a man already at such variance with the established order of things. The warning had the de- sired effect upon the people of Salem, who withdrew their invitation. Williams then went to Plymouth, where he lived for two years in peace. An Oath of Fidelity. But though unwilling to accord to Williamn the liberty he desired, the colonial govern- ment was careful to take every precaution against the anticipated efforts of the Church of England to extend its authority over Massachusetts. A general court held in May, 163 1, ordered an oath of fidelity to be tendered to the freemen of the colony, which bound them " to be obedient and conform- able to the laws and constitutions of this commonwealth, to advance its peace, and not to suffer any attempt at making any change or alteration of the government con- trary to its laws." The same general court took a still more decided stand by the adoption of a law which limited the citizen- ship of the colony to " such as are members of some of the churches within the limits of the same." This was practically makingthe state a theocracy. Yet the people were not prepared to sur- render their political rights, even when alarmed by the danger which seemed to 144 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA thrsaten their religious establishment. Until now the assistants could hold office for life and they also possessed the power of elect- ing the governor. They were thus inde- pendent of the people. The right of the freemen to choose their magistrates was now distinctly asserted, and in May, 1632, was conceded. The governor and assistants were to be elected annually, and by the votes of ths freemen; none but church members being entitled to the privileges of freemen. Another important change was brought about at the same time by the hostility of the people to levying of taxes by the board of assistants. Each town was ordered to send two of its best men to represent it at a general court " to concert a plan for a public treasury." friendly Mohegan Chief. The colonists had faithfully obeyed their instructions to treat the Indians with fair- ness, and to seek to cultivate their friend- ship. Many of the native tribes sought their alliance, and the sachem of the Mohegans came from the banks of the Connecticut to make a treaty with the colony, and to urge the English to settle in his country, which he described as exceedingly fertile and inviting. In the autumn of 1632 a pleasant intercourse was opened with the Plymouth colony ; and in the same year a trade in corn was begun with Virginia, and commercial relations were established with the Dutch, who had settled along the Hudson River. The colony of Massachusetts Bay was slowly entering upon a more prosperous period. Emigrants now began to come over in greater numbers, and among them were John Haynes, " the acute and subtile Cotton," and Thomas Hooker, who have been called the "Light of the Western Churches." The freemen by the middle of the year 1634 numbered between three and four hundred. and these were bent upon establishing the* political power in the state. Great advances were made in the direction of representative government, and the ballot-box was intro- duced in elections, which had been formerly conducted by an erection of hands. As a guard against arbitrary taxation by magis- trates it was enacted that none but tlv properly chosen representatives of thepeopl might dispose of lands, or raise money. A Long Controversy. In the spring of 1635 the people went a step further, and demanded a written con- stitution for the purpose of still more per- fectly securing their liberties. This demand opened a controversy which continued for ten years. The general court was com- posed of assistants and deputies. The first were elected by the people of the whole colony ; the latter by the towns. The two bodies acted together in meetings of the assembly, but the assistants claimed thff exclusive privilege of meeting and exercising a separate negative upon the proceedings of the court. This claim was energetically denied by the deputies, who were sustained by the body of the people; while the magistrates and the ministers upheld the pretensions of the assistants. In 1644 the matter was compromised by the division of the general court into two branches, each of which was given a negative upon the proceedings of the other. All parties were agreed, however, in the work of connecting the religion and the government of the colony so closely that they should mutually sustain each other against the attacks of the Church of England. While these measures were in course of adjustment other matters were engaging the attention of the colony. After Roger Will- iams had been a little more than two years in Plymouth, he was called again to Salera, lO ROGER WILLIAMS SEEKING REFUGE AMONG THE INDIANS 145 146 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. and accepted the invitation. This gave offence to many persons, and in January, 16:4, complaints were made against Williams because of a paper he had written while at Plymouth, denying that the king had any power to grant lands in America to his sub- jects, since the lands were the property of the Indians. In this Williams was wrong, as the settlers in New England had been care- ful to obtain the consent of the natives to their occupation of the lands they had pos- sessed. He made a proper explanation of his paper, when he understood the true state of the case, and consented that it should be burned. Williams will not Retract, Still the jealousy and dislike of the Puri- tans was aroused by the radical opposition of Williams to their system, although he conducted himself with a forbearance and amiableness that should have won him the love of those with whom he was thrown. Williams strongly condemned the law enforc- ing the attendance of the people upon reli gious services, declaring that a man had a right to stay away if he wished to do so. He also censured the practice of selecting the colonial officials exclusively from the mem- bers of the church, and said that a physician or a pilot might with equal propriety be chosen because of his piety, his skill in theology, or his standing in the church. These and other similar views were drawn from him in a series of controversies, held with him by a committee of ministers, for the purpose of inducing him to retract his radical sentiments. He remained firm in them, however, and his opponents declared that his principles were calculated not only to destroy religion, but also to subvert all forms of civil government. It was resolved to banish him from the colony, and as the people of Salem warmly supported Williams, they were admonished by the court, and a tract of land, which was rightfully theirs, was withheld from them as a punishment. Williams and the church at Salem appealed to the people against the in- justice of the magistrates, and asked the other churches of the colony to " admonish the magistratesof their injustice." This was regarded as treason by the colonial govern- ment, and at the next general court Salem was disfranchised until the town should make ample apology for its offence. Will- iams was summoned before the general court in October, 1635, and maintained his opinions with firmness, though with mod- eration. He was sentenced to banishment from the colony, not, as it was declared, because of his religious views, but because the magistrates averred his principles, if carried out, would destroy all civil govern- ment. A Fugitive in the Wilderness. The season was so far advanced that it would have been barbarous to drive any one out of the colony at that time, and Williams obtained leave to remain in the province until the spring, when he intended forming a settlement on Narragansett Bay. The affection of his people at Salem, which had seemed to grow cold when the town began to feel the weight of the punishment inflicted by the general court, now revived, and they thronged to his house in great numbers to hear him, and his opinions spread rapidly. The magistrates were alarmed, and it was resolved to send him at once to England in a ship that was just about to sail from Boston. He was ordered to come to Boston and embark there, but refused to obey the summons. A boat's crew was then sent to arrest him and bring him to Boston by force; but when the officers reached Salem he had disappeared. SETTLEMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND. 147 Three days before their arrival Roger Williams had left Salem, a wanderer for con- science sake. It was the depth of winter, the snow lay thickly over the country, and the weather was cold and inclement. For fourteen weeks, he says, he " was sorely tost in a bitter season, not knowing what bread or bed did mean." Banished from the set- tlements of his own race the exile went out into the wilderness, and sought the country of the Indians, whose friendship he had won during his stay in the colony. He had ac- quired their language during his residence at Plymouth, and could speak it fluently. He went from lodge to lodge, kindly wel- comed by the sav- ages, and lodging sometimes in a hol- low tree, until he reached Mount Hope, the residence of Mas- sasoit, who was his friend. Canonicus.the great chieftain of the Narragansetts, loved him with a strong af- fection, which ceased only with his life; and in the country of these friendly chiefs Williams passed the winter in peace and safety. He never ceased to be grateful for their aid in his distress, and during his whole life he was the especial friend and champion of the Indians in New England It was the intention of Williams to settle at Seekonk, on the Pawtucket River ; but that place was found to be within the limits of the Plymouth colony. Governor Winslow wrote to Williams advising him to remove to the region of Narragansett Bay, which was beyou'l the jurisdiction of the English, and would render any misunderstanding be- tween the Plymouth and Bay colonies on his account impossible " I took his prudent motion," says Williams, " as a voice from God." Providence Founded. Being joined by five companions, Williams embarked in a canoe in June, 1635, and pass- ing over to the west arm of Narragansett Bay, landed at an attractive spot, where he found a spring of pure water. He chose the place as the site of a new settlement, and in gratitude for his deliverance from the many LANDING OF ROGliK WILLIAMS AT FKOVIUENCE. dangers through which he had passed, named it Providence. He sought to purchase enough land for a settlement, but Canonicuj refused to sell the land, and gave it to his friend " to enjoy forever." This grant was made to Williams alone, and constituted him absolute owner of the lands included in it. He might have sold them to settlers on terms advantageous to himself; but he declined to do so. In the next two years he was joined by « number c-f his old followers from Massachu 14$ SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. setts, and by others who fled to h's asylum. He gave a share of land to all who came to settle, and admitted them to an equality with himself in the political administration of the colony. The government was administered by the whole people. The voice of the majority decided all public measures ; but in matters of conscience every man was left an- swerable to God alone. All forms of relig- ious belief were tolerated and protected. Even infidelity was safe here from punish- ment by the civil or ecclesiastical power. Praiseworthy Charity. Williams was anxious to establish friendly relations with the Massachusetts colo ■'y for though he felt keenly the injustice of liis per- secutors, he cherished no bitterness or resent- ment towards them. He condemned only what he considered the delusions of the magistrates of Massachusetts, but never at- tacked his persecutors, "1 did ever from my soul," he wrote with simple magnanimity, "honor and love them, even when their judg- ment led them to afflict me." Winslow, touched with his true Christian forbearance, came from Plymouth to visit him, ana ^eft with his wife some money for their support; and some of the leaders of the Bay colony began to bear tardy witness to his virtues. The settlement at Providence continued to grow slowly, and was blessed with peace and an increasing prosperity. Massachusetts in the meantime continued to receive numerous additions to herpopula- tion by emigration from England. In the autumn of 1635, twelve families left Boston, and journeying into the interior, founded the town of Concord. They had a hard struggle to eftablish their little settlement, but per- severad, and at length their labors were crowned with success. Three thousand oeoplecame over to Massachusetts this year. Among them were Hugh Peters -^an of great eloquence and ability and a devoted republican, who had been pastor to a church of exiles at Rotterdam, and Henry Vane the younger, " a man of the purest mind ; a statesman ot spotless integrity ; whose name the progress of intelligence and liberty will erase from the rubic of fanatics and traitors, and insert high among the aspirants after truth and the martyrs for liberty." * In the following spring (1636) Vane was elected governor uf the colony. The peoph were dazzled by his high birth and pleasinf qualities, and committed an error in choos- ing him, for neither his age nor his expert ence fitted him for the distinguished position conferred upon him. The arrival of Vant seemed to promise an emigration of a num- ber of the English nobility, and an effort was made by several of them in England to pro- cure the division of the general court into two branches, and the establishment of an hereditary nobility in the colony which should possess a right to seats in the upper branch of the court. The magistrates of the colony were anxious to conciliate these val- uable friends, but they firmly refused to establish hereditary nobility in their new state. Trouble in the Church. Religious discussions formed a large part of the life of the colony. Meetings were held by the men, and passages of Scripture were discussed, and the sermons of the min- isters made the subject of searching criticism. The women might attend these meetings, but were not allowed to take part in the discus- sions. Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, a woman of talent and eloquence, claimed for her sex the right to participate equally with the men in these meetings ; but as this was not possible; she began to hold meetings for the benefit of the women at her own house. At thes^ ♦Bancroft, SETTLEMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND. 149 religious doctrines were discussed and advo- cated, which were at variance with the prin- ciples of the magistrates. Mrs. Hutchinson and her followers held that the authority of private judgment was superior to that of the church, and con- demned the efforts of the colony to enforce conformity to the established system as viola- tive of the inherent rights of Christians. She was encouraged by John Wheelwright, a silenced minister, who had married her sister, and by Governor Vane, and her opinions were adopted by a large number of the people, and by members of the general court and some of the magistrates. The ministers saw their authority menaced by the new belief, and made common cause against Mrs. Hutchinson and her protector, Governor Vane. The colony was divided into two parties, and the religious question became a matter of great political import- ance. Under the established system the ministers formed almost a distinct estate of the government, and political privileges were entirely dependent upon theological conformity. Fetling sure that they would not receive justice at the hands of their opponents, the friends of Mrs. Hutchinson declared their intention to appeal to the king. This aroused a storm of indignation in the colony, and " it wa.s accounted perjury and treason to speak of appeals to the king." This threat changed the whole character of the question, and was fatal to the party which made it. The Puritans had come to Massachusetts to escape the interference of the crown witn their religious belief, and to appeal to the king in this case would be simply to place the liber- ties of the colony at his mercy. When the elections were held, in the spring of 1637, Governor Winthrop and the old magistrates we:e chosen by a large majority. Vane soon after returner! *o England. The church party being now in powet resolved to silence Mrs. Hutchinson. She was admonished to cease her teachings, and upon her refusal to obey this order, she and her followers were exiled from the colony. Wheelwright and a number of his friends went to New Hampshire, and founded *hF town of Exeter, at the head of tide-water on the Piscataqua. Mrs. Hutchinson and tlu majority of her followers removed, in the spring of 1638, to the southward, intending to settle on Long Island or on the Delaware. Roger Williams induced them to remain near his plantation, and obtained for them from Miantonomoh, the chief of the Narra- gansett tribe, the gift of the beautiful island in the lower part of Narragansett Bay, which they called the island of Rhodes, or Rhode Island. Sad Fate of Mrs. Hutchinson. The number of settlers was scarcely more than twenty, but they proceeded to form a government upon a plan agreeable to the principles they professed. It was a pure democracy, founded upon the universal consent of the people, who signed a social compact pledging themselves to obey the laws made by the majority, and to respect the rights of conscience. William Codding- ton, who had been a magistrate in the Bay colony, was elected judge or ruler, and three elders were chosen as his assistants. The settlement grew rapidly, and by 1641 the population had become so numerous as to require a written constitution. Mrs. Hutchinson remained in Rhode Island for several years ; but fearing that the hostility of the magistrates of Massa- chusetts would reach her even there, removed beyond New Haven into the territory of the Dutch, where, in 1643, she and all her family who were with her, except one child, who was taken prisoner, were murdered by the Indians. CHAPTER XL. Colonization of Connecticut. The Dutch Claim the Connecticut Valley — They Build a Fort at Hartford — Governor Winslow Makes a Lodgment in Connecticut for the English — Withdrawal of the Dutch — The First Efforts of llie English to Settle Connecticut — Emigration of Hooker and His Congregation —They Settle at Hartford — Win- throp Builds a Fort at Saj'brooke — Hostility of the Indians— Visit of Roger Williams to Miantonomoh^ A Brave Deed — The Pequod War — Capture of the Indian Fort — Destruction of the Pequod Tribe — Effect of This War Upon the Other Tribes— Connecticut Adopts a Constitution — Its Peculiar Features — Settle- ment of New Haven. THE fertile region of the Connecticut had attracted the attention of the English at an early day ; but be- fore they could make any effort to occupy it the Dutch sent an exploring party from Manhattan Island, in 1614, and exam- ined the river and the country through which it flowed. They built and fortified a trading-post on the site of the present city of Hartford, but soon excited the ill-will of the Indians by their cruel treatment to them. The Dutch found themselves unable to occupy the country, and, being unwilling to lose it, endeavored, but withotit success, to induce the Pilgrims to remove from Ply- mouth to the Connecticut, and settle in that region under their protection. In 1630 the council of Plymouth granted the Connecticut region to the Earl of War- wick, who, in 1 63 1, assigned his claim to lyords Say and Brooke, John Hampden, and others. As soon as this grant was known to the Dutch they sent a party to the site of Hartford and re-established their trading- post, and began a profitable trade with the Indians. They mounted two cannons on their fort for the purpose of preventing the English from ascending the river. Towards the latter part of the year 1633, Governor Winslow, of Pljmouth, in order to secure a foothold for the English in this valuable region, sent Captain William Holmes to the 150 Connecticut with a sloop and a number of men to make a settlement. Upon ascending the river to the site of Hartford, Holmes found his jDrogress barred by the Dutch fort, the commander of which threatened to fire upon him if he attempted to continue his voyage. Undaunted by this threat. Holmes passed by the fort without harm, and ascended the stream to Windsor, where he erected a fortified post. In 1634, the Dutch made an tmsuccessful attempt to drive him away. Failing in this,and seeing that it was the deliberate purpose of the Englisli to occupy the Connecticut valley, the Dutch relinquished all claim to that region, and a boundary line was arranged between their possessions and those of the English, cor- responding very nearly to that between the states of Connecticut and New York. In 1635, the Pilgrims determined to make settlements in this inviting region, and late in the fall of that year a company of sixty persons, men, women and children, set out from Plymouth by land, sending a sloop laden with provisions and their household goods around by sea, with orders to join them upon the Connecticut River. They began their journey too late in the season, and their sufferings were very great in con- sequence. Upon reaching the river they found the ground covered with snow, and their sloop was delayed by storms and ice COLONIZATION OF CONNFXTICUT. 15' Their cattle died from cold and exposure, and but for a little corn which they obtained from the Indians, and such acorns as they could gather, the whole company must have starved to death. Many of them abandoned their new home and returned by land to the 'settlements on the coast. ^ The Puritans were resolved to continue the effort to settle Connecticut, and in the spring of 1636 several com- panies emigrated to that re- gion. The principal party set out in June, led by the Rev. Thomas Hooker. It comprised about one hundred persons, and consisted prin- cipally of Hooker's congrega- tion, who followed their pastor with enthusiasm. They drove before them a considerable number of cattle, which fur- nished them with milk on the march. The emigrants were largely made up of persons of refine- ment and culture, and com- prised many of the oldest and most valued citizens of the Bay colony. They were at- tracted to the valley of the Connecticut by the superior advantages which it offered for the prosecution of the fur trade, and by the great fertil- ity of its soil. They had no guide but a compass, and their route lay through an unbroken Afilderness. The journey was long and fatiguing. The emigrants accom- plished scarcely more than ten miles a day, carrying their sick on litters, and making the forests ring with their holy hymns. At length the site :>( Hartford, where it was pro- posed to establish the settlement, was reached by the first of July. The greater number remained there; some went higher up the river and founded Springfield, and the rest went to Wethersfield, where there was already a small settlement. In the same year the younger John Win- throp arrived from England, with orders from Lords Say and Brooke to establish a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut River. Thi.' JOHN HAMPDE.X. he accomplished, naming the new settlement Saybrooke, in honor of the proprietors. The settlements in Connecticut grew rapidly, the excellent soil and pleasant climate attract- ing many emigrants to them. The existence of these settlements was precarious, however. The region in which i52 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. they had been planted was the country of the Pequods, who inhabited it in large num- bers. They were the most powerful and warlike tribe in New England, and could bring nearly two thousand warriors into the field. They occupied the southwestern part of Connecticut, and their territory extended almost to the Hudson on the west, where it joined that of the Moliegans. On the east their territory b(/Tdered that of the Narra- gansetts. Both of these tribes were the ene- mies of the Pequods and the friends of the English. Tliis friendship was resented by the Pequods, who were already jealous of the English because of their occupation of the lands along the Connecticut. The tribe bore a bad name, and had manifested their hostil- ity by murdering, a few years before, a Vir- ginia trader named Stone, together with the crew of his vessel, who were engaged in trading on the Connecticut River. Blood Shed on Both Sides, Somewhat later Captain Oldham and his crew, while exploring the river, were also murdered by Indians living on Block Island. The Pequods justified the murder of Stone by alleging that he had attacked them. Wishing to make a treaty with the English, they sent their chiefs to Boston for that pur- pose, and promised — as the magistrates un- derstood them — to deliver up the two men who had killed Stone. Captain John Endi- cott was sent with a vessel, in 1636, to punish the Block Island Indians for the murder of Oldham and was ordered to call on his re- turn at the Pequod town, and demand the surrender of the murderers of Stone. The Pequods declined to surrender these men, but offered to ransom them. This was in accordance with their customs. But Endi- cott refused to accept any compensation for the crime that had been committed, and to punish the Indians destroyed their corn and burned two of their villages. This made open hostilities inevitable. The Pequods be- gan to hang around the Connecticut settle- ments and cut off stragglers from them. By the close of the winter more than thirty per- sons had fallen victims to their vengeance. A Dangerous Mission. '1 he settlements in the Connecticut val- ley were now greatly alarmed. They could not muster over two hundred fighting men, and the Indians in their immediate vicin- ity could bring into the field at least seven hundred warriors. War was certain, and it was not known at what moment the savages would attack the settlements in overwhelming force. Connecticut called upon Massachusetts for aid, but only twenty men, under Captain Underhill, were sent to their aid. The energies and attention of the Bay colony were engrossed by the Hutchinson quarrel. The Pequods, notwithstanding their im- mense numerical superiority, were unwill- ing to make war upon the English without the support of another tribe. They accord- ingly sent envoys to Miantonomoh, the chief of the Narragansetts, to endeavor to engage that tribe in the effort against the whites. Such a union would have menaced all New England, and as soon as the news of the negotiation reached Boston the gov- ernment of the Bay colony prepared to pre- vent the alliance. Governor Vane at once wrote to Roger Williams, the friend of Mian- tonomoh, urging him to seek that chieftain and prevent him from joining the Pequods. It was a dangerous mission, and certainly a great .service for the magistrates of Massa- chusetts to ask of the man whom they had driven into exile. They did not ask in vain, however. All of Williams' generous nature was aroused by the danger which threatened his brethren, and he embarked in a frail COLONIZATION OF CONNECTICUT. 153 canoe, and braving the danger of a severe gale, sought the quarters of Miantonomoh. He found the Pequod chiefs already there, and the Narragansetts wavering. Knowing the errand on which he had come, the hostile chieftains were ready at any movnent to des- patch him, and had Miantonomoh shown the least fa- vor to the project, Williams would have paid for his boldness with his life. He spent three days and nights in the company of the savages, and suc- ceeded in inducing Miantonomoh not jnly to refuse to join the war against the English, but to promise the colo- nists his assistance against the Pe- quods. In the meantime he sent a messenger to Bos- ton to inform the governor of the de- signs of the In- dians. The Pequods, left to continue the struggle alone, flat- tered themselves that their superi- ority in numbers would give them the vic- tory, and continued their aggressions upon the Connecticut settlements to such an extent. that in May, 1637, the general nourt of tha'i province resolved to begin the war at- once A force of eighty men, including those sei from Massachusetts, was assembled at Harf ford, and the command was conferred b, A GROUP OF INDIANS. Hooker upon Captain John Mason, The night previous to their departure was spent in prayer, and on the twentieth of May th'w little force embarked in boats and descended 154 SETTLEMENT OV AMERICA. the river to the sound, and passed around to Narragansett Bay, intending to approach the Pequod town from that quarter. As the boats sailed by the mouth of the Thames, the savages supposed the English were abandoning the Connecticut valley. The day after the arrival of the English in Narragansett Bay was the Sabbath, and was scrupulous!/ observed. On the following day they repaired to the quarters of Canonicus, the old hi_f and principal ruler of the Narragansett tribe, and asked his assistance against the Pequods. Mian- tonomoh, the nephew and prospective suc- cessor of Canonicus, hesitated to join in the doubtful enterprise, but two hundred war- riors agreed to accompany the English, who could not, however, count upon the fidelity of these reinforcements. Seventy Mohe- gans, under Uncas, their chief, also joined Mason. With this force the English com- mander marched across the country toward the Pequod towns on the Thames, and halted on the night of the twenty-fifth of May within hearing of them. A Sudden Attack. In the meantime the Pequods, convinced that the English had fled from the Connecti- cut region, and never dreading an attack in their fort, which they considered impreg- nable, had given themselves up to rejoicing The night, passed by the English in waiting the signal for the attack, was spent by the Pequods in revelry and songs, which could be plainly heard in the English camp. Two hours before dawn, on the morning of the twenty-sixth of Ma)', the order was given to the little band under Mason to advance. They knew they would have to decide the battle by their own efforts, and were by no means certain that their Indian allies would not turn against them. The Pequods were posted in two strong forts made of palisades driven into ♦■*»« ground and strengthened with rush-work, an excel- lent defence against a foe of their own race, but worthless when assailed by Europeans. The principal fort stood on the summit of a considerable hill, and was regarded bySassa- cus, the Pequod chief, as impregnable. The tramp of the advancing force aroused a dog,, whose fierce bark awoke the Indian sentinel. The keen eye of tht savage detected the enemy in the gloom of the morning, and he rushed into the fort, shouting, " The English ! The English ! " The ne.xt moment the English were through the palisades. On all sides they beheld the Indians pouring out of their lodges to take part in the hand-to-hand fight. The odds were too great. " We must burn them," cried Mason, and, suiting the action to the word, he applied a torch to a wigwam constructed of dry reeds. The flames sprang up instantly, and spread with the rapidity of lightning. The Indians vainly endeavored to extinguish the fire, and the English, with- drawing to a greater distance, began to pick off the savages, who were doubly exposed by the light of the blazing fort. Wherever a Pequod appeared, he was shot down. The Narragansetts and Mohegans now joined in the conflict, and the victory was complete. More than six hundred Pequods, men, women and children, perished, the majority of them in the flames. The P^nglish lost only two men ; and the battle was over in an hour. Indians in a Rag«. As the sun rose, a body of three hundred Pequod warriors were seen advancing from their second fort. They came expecting to rejoice with their comrades in the destruc- tion of the English. When they beheld the ruined fort and the rerr-r.ins of its defenders, they screamed, stamped on the ground and tore their hair with rage and despair. Mason held them in check with twenty men, while COLONIZATION OF CONNECTICUT 155 }^i^ the rest of the English embarked in their boats, which had come round from Narra- gansett Bay, and hastened home to protect the settlements against a sudden attack. Mason, with the party mentioned, marched across the country to the fort at Saybrooke, where he was received with the honors due to his successful exploit. In a few days a body of one hundred men arrived from Massachusetts, under Captain Stoughton, and the cam- paign against the Pe- quods was resumed. Their pride was crushed, and they made but a feeble resistance. They fled to the west, closely pursued by the English, who destroyed their cornfields, burned their villages and put their women and children to death without mercy. They made a last des- perate effort at resist- ance in the fastnesses of a swamp, but were de- feated with great slaugh- ter. Sassacus, their chief, with a few of his men took refuge with the Mohawks, where he was soon after put to death by one of his own people. The remainder of the tribe, about two hundred in number, surrendered to the English, and were reduced to slavery. Some were given to their enemies, the Narragansetts and Mo- hegans ; others were sent to the West Indies and sold as slaves. The Pequod nation was utterly destroyed. The thoroughness and remorselessness of the work struck terror to the neighboring tribes. If the Pequods, the most powerful of all their race, had been exterminated by a mere handful of Englishmen, what could they expect in a contest with them but a similar fate ? For forty years the horror of this dreadful deed remained fresh in the savage mind, and protected the young settlements more effectually than the most vigilant' watchfulness on the part of the whites could have done. Relieved fron^ the fear of the Indians, the ^^ 111 -^- iWj% Y.\LE COLLEGK. people of Connecticut prepared to establish a civil government for the colony, and in Jan- uary, 1639, a constitution was adopted. It was more liberal, and therefor^ more lasting, than thit framed by any of the other colo- nies. It provided for the government of the colony by a governor, a legislature and the usual magistrates of an English province, who were to be chosen annually by ballot Every settler who should take the oath of 156 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. allegiance to the commonwealth was to have the right of suffrage. The members of tiie legislature were apportioned among the towns according to the population. The colony was held to be supreme within its own limits, and no recognition was made of the sovereignty of the king or Parliament. When Connecticut took her place among the states of the American Union, at the opening of the war of the Revolution, her constitution needed no change to adapt her to her new position. It remained in forr-; for one hun- dred and fifty years. The Celebrated John Davenport. In the year of the Pequod war (1637), John Davenport, a celebrated clergyman of London, and Theophilus Eaton, a merchant of wealth, and a number of their associates, who had been exiled from England for their religious opinions, reached Boston. They were warmly welcomed, and were urged to stay in the Bay colony, but the theological disputes were so high there that they pre- ferred to go into the wilderness and found a settlement where they could be at peace Eaton with a few men was sent to explore the region west ot the Connecticut, which had been discovered by the pursuers of the Pequods. He examined the coast of Long Island Sound, and spent the winter at a place which he selected as a settlement. In April, 1638, Davenport and the rest of the company sailed from Boston and established a settle- ment on the spot chosen by Eaton. The settlers obtained a title to their lands from the natives, and agreed in return to protect them against the Mohawks. They named their settlement New Haven. In 1639 a form of government was adopted, and Eaton was elected governor. He was annually chosen to this position until his death, twenty years later. The colonists pledged themselves " to be governed in all things by the rules which the Scriptures held forth to them." The right of suffrage was restricted to church members. " Thus New Haven made the Bible its statute book, and the elect its freemen." In the next ten years settlements spread along the sound and ex- tended to the opposite shores of Long Island. The colony was distinct from and independ- ent of the Connecticut colony, with which friendly relations were soon established. CHAPTER XIII The Union of the New England Colonies Feeling of ihe Colonies Towards England — Hostility of the English Government to New England — Eflbrta to Intro duce Episcopacy — Massachusetts Threatens Resistance — The Revolution in England — Establishment of Free Schools tn New England — Harvard College — The Printing Press — The Long Parliament Friendly to New England — The United Colonies of New England — Rhode Island Obtains a Charter — Maine Annexed to Massachusetts— The Quakers are Persecuted — Efforts to Christianize the Indians — ^John Eliot, the Apostle to the Indians. THE sentiments with which the people of the New England colonies regarded the mother country may- be briefly stated. They were proud of the name of Englishmen, and took a deep interest in the welfare of their old home. They regarded the British constitution as the supreme law of their new states, and claimed to be true and loyal subjects of the King of England. Nevertheless, they looked upon the success of their colonies as their own work, accomplished by their own patience and heroism, and they were fully aware that they owed nothing to the mother country. They had been driven forth from her shores by persecution, and left in neglect to struggle up to the successful position they now occu- pied. They owed nothing to England; in their deepest distress they had never asked aid of her, and they were willing to undergo any hardship rather than do so. They had made laws and established institutions under which they had surmounted their early trials, and they regarded their paramount allegiance as due to their respective provinces. They acknowledged the right of no power beyond the Atlantic to interfere with or change their work. They would acknowledge their alle- giance to the king as long as he respected the system they had built up at such great cost, and without assistance from him, but would esist any effort from him, or any one else, to iterfere with it They had made New Eng- land what she was, and they meant to retain the possession and control of their new home at any cost. They had made themselves a free people, and they meant to preserve their liberties as a precious heritage for their children. This was the general sentiment of New England. There were some discontented persons, however, in the midst of these deter- mined people. They had found the stern discipline of the Massachusetts colony too oppressive, and some had been severely pun- ished by the fiery Endicott. Upon returning to England they endeavored to induce the king to exert his power and remedy what they termed the distraction and disorder of the province of Massachusetts. Their com- plaints were echoed by a strong party in England. Burdett wrote to Archbishop Laud that " The colonists aimed not at a new dis- cipline, but at sovereignty ; that it was accounted treason in their general co'xrt to speak of appeals to the king ; " in w iich assertion he was right. The English archbishop began to regard the departure of so many " faithful and free born Englishmen and good Christians " to join a new communion as a serious matter^ and impediments were thrown in the way of emigration. In February, 1634, a requisi- tion was addressed to the colony of Massa- chusetts ordering the colonial officials to produce the patent of the company in IS7 IS8 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. England. The colony took no notice of this demand. A little later the king appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury and some Others a special commission, with full power over the American colonies. They were authorized to make such changes in church and state as they deemed necessary; to enforce them with heavy penalties ; and even to revoke all charters that contained privi- leges inconsistent with the royal prerogative. Massachusetts Indignant. The news of the appointment of this com- mission reached Boston in September, 1634, and it was also rumored that a governor- general for the colonies had been appointed, and had sailed from England. All Massa- chusetts burned with indignation, and the colony resolved to resist the attempt upon its liberties. It was very poor, but in a short space of time the large sum of si.x hundred pounds was raised for the public defence, and fortifications were begun and pushed forward with energy. In January, 1 63 5 , the ministers were assembled at Boston and their opinion was asked upon the question whether the colony should receive a governor-general. They answered boldly : " We ought to defend our lawful possessions if we are able; if not, to avoid and protract." In April, 163S, the privy council demanded the surrender of the charter of Massachu- setts, threatening in case of refusal that the king would take the management of the colony into his own hands. The colonial authorities were firmly resolved to give the king no pretext for interference with their affairs, and instead of complying with the order of the privy council, they addressed a remonstrance to that body against the surrender required of them, thus seeking to gain time. They were fully determined not to give up their charter ; but before their remonstrance could reach Eng- land the troubles which encompassed Charles at home made it impossible for him to carry out his designs against Massachusetts. The breaking out of the civil war in Eng- land put a stop to the emigration to New England. At the opening of the year 1 640 the population of New England numbered twentj thousand. Some fifty towns and between thirty and forty churches had been built, and the most desponding could no longer doubt the ultimate success and prosperity of the country. The wretched cabins of the firsl settlers were rapidly giving way to fair and comfortable houses, and the colonists were beginning to gather about them many of the comforts and much of the refinement they had been accustomed to in England. The Puritans. Nor were the Puritans mindful of material success only. Many of them were persons of education, and they were anxious that their children should have the opportunity of enjoying the blessings of knowledge in their new homes. In 1636 the general court made provision for the establishment at New- town of a high school. The name of the town was changed to Cambridge as a token that the people meant that it should yet be the seat of a university. In 1637 the school was Ibrmally opened. The next year the Rev. John Harvard, of Charlestown, bequeathed to the infant insti- tution his library and the half of his fortune, and in gratitude for this assistance the school took the name of "Harvard College." In 1647 the general court ordered that in every town or district of fifty families there should be a common school ; and that in every town or district of one hundred families there should be a grammar school, conducted by teachers competent to prepare young men for college. This system rapidly found its way into th" other New England colonies, with the exct^r tioa of Rhode Island. i THE UNION OF THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. ijg Thus was founded the American system of common schools. Until now education had been the task of the church, or had been confided to private individuals; but now, for the first time in the history of the world, the state took the task of educating its young citizens into its own hands, and established the schools in which it was to be conducted. Henceforth knowledge was to be restricted to no favored class ; education was made free more for posterity than this, they would still deserve to be held in grateful remembrance as the founders of our public schools. Gen- erations yet unborn shall rise up to call them blessed, and to acknowledge the truth o< their conviction that ignorant men cannot make good citizens. In 1639 a printing press, presented to the colony by some friends in Holland, was se' up in Massachusetts. Stephen Daye was thf AN AMERICAN FREE SCHOOL. to every child, and every parent being taxed for the support of the public schools was made to feel interested in their proper con- duct. From the little beginning thus made a vast and noble system has been developed, the beneficial results of which must be felt to the latest period of our national existence. Had tlie fathers of New England done nothing printer, and in that year printec? an almanac calculated for New England, and in 1640 a metrical version of the Psalms, made " by Thomas Welde and John Eliot, ministers of Roxbury, assisted by Richard Mather, min- ister of Dorchester." It was the first book printed in the English language in America, and continued to be used for a long time in the worship of the New England churches. i6o SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. Many of the settlers went back to England ' at the outset of the civil war to take part in the struggle, among vvh(-^i were Governor Henry Vane and Hugh Peters, and very few emigrants arrived in New England during the existence of the commonwealth. Yet the colonies continued to prosper. Ship- building, which had been introduced by the first settlers of Salem, was carried on with activity, and vessels of four hundred tons were constructed. A little later the manu- fsiCture of woollen and linen cloth was begun by order of the general court. The colonial churches were invited to send their representatives to the assembly of divines at Westminster, but they wisely neglected to do so, judging it better to remain in their obscurity than to give the English people a pretext for future interference by joining in their affairs. Religious Liberty. The Long Parliament was friendly to New England, and granted to the colonies an exemption from all duties upon their com- merce " until the House of Commons should take order to the contrary." Massachusetts took advantage of the security afforded by the friendship of the Long Parliament to establish a written constitution, or " body of liberties," which placed the rights and privi- leges of her people upon a more stable basis. It contained some of the severest laws of the Mosaic code, such as those against witch- craft, blasphemy, and sins against nature, but secured the freedom of the citizen, the right ofrepresentative government, and the indepen- dence of the state and the municipality. The rights ofproperty, the freedom of inheritance, and the independence of each church from control by the others were also placed beyond dispute. " This constitution," says Bancroft, " for its liberality and comprehensiveness, may vie with any similar record from the days of Magna Charta." in April, 1642, the towns on the Piscata- qua, now embraced within the limits of the state of New Hampshire, were annexed at their own request to Massachusetts. As the people of this region were not Puritans, and many of them were attached to the forms and faith of the Church of England, the gen- eral court in September adopted a measure providing that neither the freemen nor the deputies of New Hampshire should be required to be church members. This act of justice removed all danger of political dis- cord. In the same year Massachusetts made a less creditable and an unsucoessfuJ eifort to annex Rhode Island to her dominion? The United Colonies. Though relieved of the interference of thff mother country, the dangers of New Eng- land were not yet at an end. The Indians were still powerful upon their narrow border, the French were beginning to threaten then, from the direction of Canada, and the Dutch from the Hudson. The colonies had so many interests in common that it was of vital im- portance that they should act in concert for their defence. After several ineffectual attempts, a league was formed in 1643 between the colonies of Massachusetts, Ply- mouth, Connecticut, and New Haven, under the title of " T/ie United Colonics of Neio England." Each colony was to retain its freedom in the management of its own affairs ; the authority of the union, which was intrusted to a commission of two members from each province, being limited to objects which concerned the general welfare of the colonies. Provision was made for the pres- ervation of the purity of the gospel, the com- missioners were required to be church mem- bers, and the expenses of the confederacy were to be assessed upon the colonies acording to population. This union lasted for iorty years. ^HE UNION OF THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. i6i The colony of Rhode Island desired to be admitted into the union, but its petition was refused, as it would not acknowledge the jurisdiction of Plymouth. The people of the twosettlements on Narragansett Bay,dread- iug an attempt to absorb them into some of the other colonies, now determined to apply to Parliament for an independent charter. Roger Williams was despatched to England for that purpose in 1643, and reached that country soon after the death of Hampden. The fame of his labors among the Indians secured for him a cordial welcome. The Charter Confirmed. Assisted by Sir Henry Vane, a charter was obtained in March, 1644, organizingthe settlements on Narragansett Bay as an inde- pendent colony iinder the name of "The Providence Plantations," " with full power and authority to rule themselves." The ex- ecutive council of state in England, in 1 65 1) made some grants to Coddington which would have dismembered the little state,and Williams was obliged to make a second voy- age to England to have these grants va" cated. He succeeded in his efforts, and the charter was confirmed. He received in this, as in his former mission, the cordial co" operation of Sir Henry Vane, whose name should be ever dear to the people of Rhode Island, since but for him her territory would have been divided among the neighboring colonies^ In the interval between his first and second voyages Roger Williams became a Baptist, and founded the first church of that denomination in America. The country between the Piscataqua and the Kennebec was assigned to Sir Ferdi- nand Gorges, who, in 1639, was confirmed in his possession by a formal charter from Charles I., who called the territory the Province of Maine. In 1640, Gorges sent liis son Thomas to Maine as his representa- tive. Thomas Gorges took up his residence at the settlement of Agamenticus, now the town of York, and in 1642 changed the name of the place to Gorgeana. Maine Comes Into the Union. Since the settlement of the colon}' tl\ French had claimed the region between the St. Croix and the Penobscot, which they had settled under the name of Acadia, as has been stated elsewhere. After the death of Sir Ferdinand Gorges Maine was divided among his heirs. These cut it up into four weak communities, whose help- lessness laid them open to the encroach- ments of the French in Canada. Appre- hensive of the result of this, Massachusetts, to whom many of the inhabitants of the province had appealed to take such a course, in 1651 claimed the province of Maine as a part of the territory which had been granted to the colony by the original charter of Massachusetts. Commissioners were sent to establish the authority of the Bay colony over the prov- ince, but the magistrates of Maine resisted them, and appealed to the English govern- ment for protection. The people of Maine were the adherents of the king and the estab- lished church, and England was now ruled by the Puritans ; consequently Massachu- setts won her cause, and Maine was declared a part of that province. Massachusetts made a generous use of her power,and allowed the towns of Maine very much the same govern- ment and privileges they now enjoy, and in religious matters treated them with the same leniency she had shown to New Hampshire. In 1646, a dispute in the Bay colony in- duced one of the parties to it to appeal to Par- liament to sustain his claims, and an order was sent to Boston in his behalf "couched in terms which involved the right of Parlia- ment to reverse the decisions and control t ie TOHN ELIOT PREACHING TO THE INDIANS. THE UNION OF THE MEW ENGLAND COLONIES. goveniiiieiit of Massachusetts." In plainer terms, Parliament claimed the right to re- voke the charter of the colon)', as the king had done at the outset of the civil war. The danger was great and Mas.sachusetts met it with firmness. The general court met on the fourth of November, and sat with closed doors to discuss the claim of the English government. It was resolved "that Massachusetts owed to England the same allegiance as the free Hanse towns had rendered to the empire; as Normandy, when its dukes were kings of England, paid to the monarchs of France." Parliament Must Keep Hands Off. The court also refused to accept a new charter from Parliament, as that action might imply a surrender of the original in- strument, or to allow Parliament to control in an)' way the independence of the colony. Great as this claim was, it was admitted by the English Parliament, in which the rights of the colony were stoutly maintained by Sir Henry Vane and others ; and in reply to a respectful address of the general court set- ting forth the views of that body, a com- mittee of Parliament declared: "We en- courage no appeals from your justice. We leave you with all the freedom and latitude that may, in any respect, be duly claimed by you." Later on, upon the establishment of tlie commonwealth, Parliament invited the people of Massachusetts to receive a new patent from that body; but the colonial au- thorities wisely declined to do this, or to al- low the home government any hold upon the administration of the affairs of the province. In 165 1, Cromwell, who had subdued Ireland, offered the island to the Puritans of New England as a new home; but they declined to leave America. Cromwell proved himself in many ways a judicious friend of New England, and the people of that country tieasured his memory witli tlie gratitude and lespect it so richly deserved. Though so successful in asserting her own liberties, Massachusetts had not yet learned the lesson of religious tolerance. When the Baptists begar to appear in the colony, severe measures were inaugurated to crush them, and one (>f theirnumber — Holmes — a resident of L\an, was whipped unmerci- fulh'. Still griMter were the severities prac- tised towards (iie Quakers. This sect had grown out of the Protestant Reformation, and constitut^-il at this day the most ad- vanced thinkers upon religious matters to be found in England. They claimed'a per- fect freedom in matters of faith and worship, and regarded al! laws for enforcing religious systems as wo'.!-:s of the devil. They were persons of pur; lives, and even their most inveterate enejiies could not charge them with wrongdoing. Previous to their appear- ance in Massaouusetts exaggerated reports reached the coiony concerning them. They were represented as making war upon all forms of religion and government. Intolerance Toward Quakers. The first of this creed who came to New England were Mary Fisher and Ann Austin, who reached Boston in July, 1656. In the absence of a -special law against Quakers, they were arre:ited under the provisions of the general svntute against heresy; their trunks were searched and their books burned by the hangman. Their persons were examined for marks of witchcraft, but nothing cuuld be found against them, and after beinj; kept close prisoners for five weeks, they were sent back to England. During the year eight others were also sent back to England. Laws which were a disgrace to an esilightened community were now passed piuhibiting the Quakers from entering the colony. Such as came were 1 64 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. imprisoned, cruelly whipped, and sent away. In 1657 a woman was whipped with twenty stripes for this offence. In 1658 a law was enacted that if any Quaker should return after being banished, his or her offence should be punished with death. It was hoped that this barbarous measure would rid the colony of their presence ; but they came in still greater numbers, to reprove the magis- :rates for their persecuting spirit, and to call INDIAN MEDICINE-MAN. them try repentance. In 1659 Marmaduke Stephenson, William Robinson, Mary Dyar and William Leddro were hanged on Boston Common for returning to the colony after Jjeing banished. I These cruelties were regarded with great discontent by the people of the colony, whose humanity was shocked by the barbarity of the majdstrates. Their opposition grew stronger every day, and at last it became evi- dent to the magistrates themselves that their severities were of no avail. When VVilliam Leddro was being sentenced to death, the magistrates were startled by the entrance into the court-room of Wenlock Christison, a Quaker who had been bareished and forbid- den to return on pain of death. Christison was arrested, but the complaints of the people became so loud that the magistrates . were obliged to pause in their bloody work.{ Christison and twenty-seven of his com- panions were •'eleased from custody, the persecution of the Quakers was discon- tinued, and the general court, in obedi- ence to the will of the people, repealed the barbarous laws against that sect. The Apostle to the Indians. In pleasing contrast with these sever ities were the efforts of the Puritans to spread a knowledge of the gospel among the savages. Chief among those engaged in the good work was John Eliot, the min- ister of Roxbury, whose labors won him the name of "the apostle Eliot." He went among the red men in the forests, and ac- quired a knowledge of their language that he might preach to them in their own tongue. When he had become suffi- ciently proficient in it, he translated the Bible into the Indian language. This translation was printed at Cambridge, and a part of the type was set by an Indian compositor. He spent many years in the preparation of his Bible, and made a good use of it during his life; but it is now valu- able only as a literary curiosity and as the evidence of the devotion of the translator to his noble work. The destruction of the race for which it was intended has made it ^ sealed book. Eliot gathered his savage converts into a settlement at Natick, and taught the men the art of agriculture and the women to spin and to weave cloth. He had to encounter the THE UNION OF THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. opposition of the chiefs s^nd medicine men or priests, who resented his efforts to win their people from the worship and habits of their ancestors, b>rt he persevered. He Ivas greatly beloved by his disciples, and continued his labors among them far into aid age, and to a limited extent to che day of his death, which took place when he ^aad attained the ripe age of eighty-six years. " My memory, my utter- ance fails me," he said near the close of his life', " but I thank God my charity holds out still." When Walton, a brother minister, visited him on his death-bed, he greeted him with the words ; " Brother, you are welcome; but retire to your study and pray that I may be gone." His last words on earth were the triumphal shout with which he entered upon his reward : " Welcome joy ! " Many of the Quakers, after the persecu- tion against them was over, joined Eliot in his labors. He had other fellow-workersj. The two Mayhews, father and son, Cotton, and Brainerd thought it a privilege to labor for the souls of the poor savages. Native preachers were ordained, and at last there were thirty churches of "praying Indians" under such preachers. CHAPTER XIV New England after the Restoration. Arrival of the News of the Restoration of Charles II. — The Regicides in New England — They are Protected — Revival of the Navigation Acts - -Effect of this Measure upon the New England Colonies — Massachusetts Delays the Proclamation of the King — Connecticut Obtains a Charter — Union of New Haven with the Connecticut Colouj' — Rhode IsUr.d Given a New Charter — Massachusetts Settles her DifEculties with the Crown —Changes in the Government— High handed Acts of the Royal Commissioners — Troubles with the Indians — Injustice of the Whites— King Philip's War— A Forest Hero — An incident in the Attack upon Hadley — Sufferings of the ColoLies — Destruction of the Narragansetts — Death of Phillip — Close of the War — I^ugland Asserts her Righ< to Tax the Colonies — Massachusetts buys Gorges' Claims to Maine — New Hampshire Made a separate Pravince — James II. Revokes the Charter of Massachusetts — Dudley and Raudolph in New England — Ardros Appointed Governor-General — His Tyranny— He Demands the Charter of Connecticut — It is Carried Away and Hidden — The Charter Oak — Fall of James II. — The Peo- ple of Massachusetts take up Arltss — Andros Arrested — Effects of the Revolution upon New England. THE news of the lestoration of Charles II. to the iinglish throne was brotight to Bos !on by Edward Whalley and William Goffe, two of the judges of Charles I. They came to seek refuge from the vengeairoe of the king, having offended him beyond forgiveness by their share in the death of his father. They remained about a year in Massachusetts, protected by the people, anU preaching to them. A few months aftei their arrival, warrants for their arrest and transportation to England for trial arrived from the king, and to escape this danger they took refuge in New Haven. The royal officers institi ted a diligent search for them, and they -vfere obliged to change their place of concealment fre- quently. Great rewards were offered for their betrayal, and even Indirais were urged to search the woods for theii hiding-places. The people whom they trusted protected them, and aided them to esi'ape the royal officers until the vigor of the r.earch was ex- hausted. They then conducted them to a secure refuge in the vicini''.y of Hadley, where they remained in seclusion and peace until the close of the*' lives. I66 News was constantly arriving in the colo- nies of the execution of the men who had been the friends of America in the Parlia- ment, and a general sadness was cast ovel the settlements by the tidings of the death of Hugh Peters and the noble Sir Henry Vane. From the first the people of New England saw plainly that they had little reason to expect justice at the hands of the royal government, and there was little re- joicing in that region at the return of the king to "his own again." One of Charles's first acts was to revive in a more odious form the navigation act of the Long Parliament. We have spoken of the eflfect of this measure upon the colonies of Virginiaand Maryland. This act closed the harbors of America against the ^■essels of every European nation save England, and forbade the exportation of certain American productions to any country but England of her possessions. This was a very serious blow to New England, and was intended as such. The colonies of that region had already built up a growing commerce, and . this, together with their activity in ship- building, excited the envy and the hostility of the British merchants, who hoped, by NEW ENGLAND AFTER THE RESTORATION. i6r inuucing the king to place these restrictions upon the colonies, to compel the Ameri- cans to depend upon them for the supply of all tlieir wants. Later on, America was forbidden not only to manufacture any articles which might compete with English manufactures in for- eign markets, but to supply her own wants with her own manufactures. At the same time Parliament endeavored to destroy the trade that had grown up between New Eng- land and the southern colonies by imposing upon the articlesexported from one colony to another aduty equal to that imposed upon the consumption of these articles in England. Foul Injustice. Thus did Great Britain lay the foundation of that system of commercial injustice to- ward her colonies which evenlRially deprived her of them, and which her greatest writer on political economy declared to be ' 'a mani- fest violation of the rights of mankind." The policy thus established in the reign of Charles II was never departed from. Each succeeding administration remained trueto the principles of the navigation act, and consistently declined to admit the claim of the colonies to just and honorable treat- ment at the hands of the mother country. Charles II was promptly proclaimed in the colonies of Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven and Rhode Island, and those prov- inces were administered in his name. Mas- sachusetts,distrusting his purposes towards her, held back, and waited until he should show his intentions more plainly. Connecticut had purchased the claims of the assigns of the Earl of Warwick to the region occupied by her,and had bought the territory of the Mohegans from Uncas, their sachem. The colony sent the younger Win- throp to England in 1661 to obtain a charter from the king. The noble character of Gov- ernorWinthrop was well known i n England and impressed even the profligate Chailes. His reception was cordial and hismission en- tirely successful. In 1662, the king granted to the colony a charter incorporating Hart- ford and New Haven in one province under / the name of Connecticut, and extending its limits from Long Island Sound westward to the Pacific Ocean, thus bestowing upon the colony those rich western lands which were subsequently made the basis of the magnifi- cent school fund of Connecticut. The char- tei was substantially the same in its provi- sions as the constitution adopted by the Hartford colony. By it the king conferred upon the colonists the right to elect their own officers and to make and administer their own laws without interference from England in any event whatever. Connecti- cut was made independent in all but name, and the charter continued in force as the constitution of the state after the period of independence until 18 18. Good Fortune of Connecticut. The colony of New Haven was much op- posed to the union with Connecticut, and it required al) Governor Winthrop's efforts to induce the people of that colony to accept it. The matter was adjusted in 1665, when the union was finally accomplished. The labors of Governor Winthrop were rewarded by his annual election as governor of Con- necticut for fourteen years. Connecticutwas a fortunate colony. Its government was ably and honestly administered; no persecutions marred its peace, and its course was uni- formly prosperous and happy. It was always one of the most peaceful and orderly colon- ies of New England, and for a century it; population doubled once in twenty years, notwithstanding frequent emigrations of its people to other parts of the country. The colony at an early day made a liberal pr(/ i66 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. vision for education, and in 1700 Yale Col- lege was founded. It was originally located at Saybrooke, but in 17 18 was removed to New Haven. Rhode Island was equally fortunate. Through its resident agent at London, John Clarke, it made application to the king for a lew charter, and after some delay, caused by die difficulty of arranging satisfactorily the limits of the province, a charter was granted in 1663, formally establishing the colony of " Rhode Island and Providence Planta- tions." This charter continued to be the sole constitution of Rhode Island until the year 1842. By its provisions the govern- ment of the colony was to consist of a gov- ernor, deputy-governor, ten assistants, and representatives from the towns. Equal Rights to All. The laws were to be agreeable to those of England, but no oath of allegiance was re- quired of the colony, and in matters of re- ligion the charter declared that " no person within the said colony,at any time hereafter, shall be anywise molested, punished, dis- quieted, or called in any question for any difference in opinion in matters of religion; every person may at all times freely and fully enjoy his ownjudgment and conscience in matters of religious concernments. ' ' Free- dom of conscience was not restricted to Christians; it was extended by the charter to infidels and pagans as well. This charter made the little colony secure against the attempts of Massachusetts to absorb her, and its reception by the people was joyful -vnd enthusiastic. At this period the population of Rhode Island was about twenty-five hundred. It increased rapidly and steadily; the excellent harbors of the province encouraged com- merce, and the little state soon began to rival her larger associates in prosperity. Massachusetts was from the first regarded with disfavor by the royal government. It delayed its acknowledgement of Charles II for over a year, and the king was not pro- claimed at Boston until the seventh of August, 1661. Even then the general court forbade all manifestations of joy. These signs ofthe independent spirit of the people had been observed in England, and the col- ony had been watched by the government with anything but favor. The enemies of the young state hurried their complaints be- fore the king, and Massachusetts at length found it to her interest to send commission- ers to London, as, indeed, the express orders of the king required her to do. Among the agents sent over were John Norton and Si- mon Bradstreet, men of ability and modera- tion, who commanded the confidence of all classes ofthe colonists. Their instructions were to assure the king of the loyalty of Massachusetts, to engage his favor for the colony ; but to agree to " nothing preju- dicial to their present standing according to their patent, and to endeavor the estab- lishment of the rights and privileges then enjoyed." Two Parties in Massachusetts. The commissioners reached London in January, 1662, and were gTaciously received by the king, who confirmed the charter, and granted a complete amnesty for all past of- fences against his majesty. He required, however, that all laws derogatory to his authority should be repealed ; that the col- onists should take the oath of allegiance to him; that justice should be administered in his name; that the right of suffrage should be thrown open to all freeholders of com- petent estates; and that all who wish to do so should be free to use " the book of com- mon prayer, and perform their devotion in the manner established in England," NEW ENGLAND AFTER THE RESTORATION. .65 Tliese were better terms than the commis- sif^ners had reason to expect, and were not in themselves objectionable, as Massachu- setts was growing beyond its early preju- dices ; but the acceptance of them would have implied an acknowledgment by the Colony of the king's right to change its fun- damental law, and to interfere with its affairs at pleasure. Massachusetts was at once divided into two parties, the larger of which maintained the independence of the colony of royal control ; the smaller party supported the claims of the king. Under other circum- stances no opposition would have been made to the toleration of the practices of the Church of England in the colony; but now that it seemed that episcopacy was to be in' troduced as the ally of the royal power, the people of Massachusetts resolved to prevent it from obtaining a foothold in their midst. The general court resolved to maintain their political independence, and their religious establishment as well. .\3 a measure of pre- caution, the charter was secretly intrusted for safe-keeping to a committee of four, ap- pointed by the general court ; and it was ordered that only small bodies of officers and men should be allowed to land from ships, and should be required to yield a strict obedience to the laws of the province while on shore. Contempt for Puritan Customs. These last measures were adopted beciuse of the appointment by the king of commis- sioners to regulate the affairs of New Eng- land. The commissioners reached Boston in July, 1664, escorted by the fleet sent out from England for the reduction of New Amsterdam. They were ordered to investi- gate the manner in which the charters of the New England colonies had been exercised, and had " full authority to provide for the peace of the country, according to the royal instructions, and their own discretion " — a power which Massachusetts was justified in regarding as dangerous to her liberties. The People Redress their 'Wrongs. The commissioners cared very little fot the prejudices of the people of Massachu- setts, and from the first proceeded to outrage their feelings. They introduced the service5 of the Church of England into Boston to the great disgust of the people. The Puritans had always observed the old Jewish custom of beginning their Sabbath at sunset. The commissioners contemptuously disregarded this custom, and spent Saturday evening in merry-making. They soon gave cause for more serious alarm by exercising the powers with which they had been intrusted, and pro- ceeding to redress the grievances of the people. All persons who hfid complamts against Massachusetts were called upon to lay them before the commissioners, and Rhode Island and the Narragansett chiefs promptly availed themselves of the invita- tion. The general court now cut the matter short by a decisive step, and sternly ordered the commissioners to discontinue their pro- ceedings, as contrary to the charter. The commissioners obeyed the order, and though the firmness of the colony aroused the indig- nation of the king, he was not able to shake the determination of a free people. Nor was this the only opposition shown by Ne\* England to the injustice of the mother country. The navigation acts were generally disregarded; they could not be enforced; and Boston and the other New England ports continued to enjoy their grow- ing commerce as freely as before the passage of these infamous acts. Vessels from all the other colonies, and from France, Spain, Hol- land and Italy, as well as from England, were to be seen at all seasons in the port «»f j Boston, iJO SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. Massachusetts owned the greater number of vessels built and operated in America, and was the principal carrier for the other colonies. Its ships sailed to the most dis- tant lands beyond the sea, and the commerce of the colony was rapidly becoming a source of great wealth. So marked indeed was the piosperity of New England, that upon the receipt of the news of the great fire in Lon- don the colonists were able to send large sums to the assistance of the sufferers. The 14,000; Massachusetts, about 22,000; Maine, about 4,000; New Hampshire, about 4,ooo; Rhode Island, about 4,000. The settlements lay principally along the coast, irom New Haven to the northeastern border of Maine. Little progress had been made towards pene- trating the interior. Haverhill, Deerfield, Northfielc' and Westfield were towns on the remote frontier. This rapid growth alarmed the Indians, who had already begun to regard the white' INDIAN LIFE IN THEIR NATIVE FORESTS. %)eople of New England were industrious and frugal. Villages multiplied rapidly, and wherever a village sprang up a common school accompanied it. The villages began to assume a more tasteful and pleasing ap- pearance, and men gave more care to the adornment and beautifying of their homes. The population of New England in 1675 has been estimated at about 55,000 souls, divided among the colonies as follows : Kymouth, about 7,000; Connecticut, about as enemies bent on their destruction. Though there had been peace for forty years in New England, the savages saw that the policy pursued by the settlers was meant to force them back from the lands of their fathers. The whites had gradually absorbed the best lands in New England, and the red men had been as gradually crowded down upon the narrow necks and bays of the southern shores of the Plymouth and Rhode Island colonies. This had been done in pursuance NEW ENGLAND AFTER THE RESTORATION. 171 of a settled policy, as tlie savages could be more carefully watched, and more easily managed in these localities than if left to roam at will over the country. The Indians on their part sullenly resented the course of the wliites,and they had cause for complaint. They were ignorant of the art of cultivating the soil, and unwilling to practice it, and in tlieirrestricted limit it was difficult for them to obtain the means of supporting life. The game had been almost entirely driven from the forests, and the savages wei'e forced to depend upon fish for their food ; and these were obtained in scanty and uncertain quan- tities. Thus the very success of New Eng- land was about to bring upon it the most serioiis misfortunes it had yet sustained. The Chief Entrapped. Massasoit,whohad been the early friend of the English, left two sons at his death, Wamsuttaand Metacom, who had long been reckoned among the friends of the Plymouth colony. They were frequent visitors at Plymouth, and received from the Eng- lish the names of Alexander and Philip. At the death of Massasoit, Wamsutta, or Alex- ander, became chief of the Wampanoags. He and his brother Philip were men of more than ordinary abilities, and felt the wrongs which were beginning to fall thickly upon their race. Uncas, the chief of the Mohe- gans, the determined enemy of Wamsutta, exerted himself, with success, to fill the minds of the English with su.spicions of the intentions of the Wampanoag chieftain, and it was resolved to arrest him and bring him to Plymouth. Winslow was sent at the head of an armed force, and succeeded in surprising the chief in his hunting-lodge, together with eighty of his followers. The proud spirit of Wamsutta chafed with such fury at the indignity thus put upon him that he was seizedwith a dan- gerous fever, aiid the English were obliged to permit himto return home. "He died on his way," says Elliott. " He was carried home on the shoulders of men, and borne to his silent grave near Mount Hope, in the evening of the day, and inthe prime of his life, between lines of sad, quick-minded Indians, who well believed him the victimof injustice and ingratitude; for his father had been the ally, :iot the subject, of England, and so was he, and the like indignity had not before been put upon any sachem." By the death of his brother, Metacom, or Philip, became chief of the Wampanoags. He kept his owl 1 council, but the whites soon had cause to believe that he meditated a des- perate vengeanve upon tliem for the death of Wamsutta and ( he wrongs of his race. To make the sense j f injury deeper in his mind, the Plymouth authorities treated him witli great harshness; and compelled him to give up his arms. A " praying Indian " who lived among hi;- people informed the colo- nists that the cliief meditated harm against them, and his dead body was .soon after found. Three of Philip's men were sus- pected of the murder. They were arrested, tried and found guilty by a jury composed of whites and Indians, and were put to death. This w is early in 1675. Crj for Revenge. The execution of these men awoke a wild thirst for revenj^e among the tribes to which they belonged, a nd the young warriors clam- ored loudly for war against the English. Philip, whose vi|^orous mind enabled him to judge more clairh- of the issue of such a struggle, entered into the contest with reluct- ance, for he saw that it must end in the de- struction of his race. He was powerless to resist the universal sentiment of his people, and like a true hero resolved to make the best of the situation in which he was placed, 172 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. and to share the fate of his nation. The Indians were tolerably well provided with Hre-arms, for, in spite of the severe punish- ments denounced against the sale of weapons to the savages, the colonists had not been proof against the temptations of gain held out to them by this traffic. Their chief dependence, however, was upon their primitive weapons. The English, on the other hand, were well armed, and were provided with forts and towns which fur- nished them with secure places of refuge. KING PHILIPc f hey might have averted the war by concil- iating the savages, but they persisted in their unjust treatment of them, regarding them as " bloody heathen," who it was their duty to drive back into the wilderness. Philip was able to bring seven hundred desperate warriors into the field. They had no hope of success, and they fought only for vengeance. They knew every nook and hiding-place of the forest, and in these nat- ural defences could hope to continue the struggle as long as the leaves remamed on the trees to conceal their lurking-places from the white man's search. War Breaks Out. Immediately after the execution of the three Indians at Plymouth, Philip's men had begun to rob exposed houses and carry off cattle, but the war did not actually begin until the twenty-fourth of June, 1675, the day of fasting and prayer appointed by the gov- ernment as a preparation for the struggle. On that day the people of Swanzey, in Ply- mouth colony, while returning home from church, were attacked by the Wampanoags, and eight or nine were killed. Philip burst into tears when the news of this attack was brought to him, but he threw himself with energy into the hopeless struggle, now that it had come. Reinforcements were sent from Massachu- setts to the aid of the Plymouth colony, and on the twenty-ninth of June the united forces made an attack upon the Wampanoags, killed six or seven of their men and drove them to a swamp in which they took refuge. The English surrounded this swamp, determined to starve the Indians into submission, but Philip and his v.'arriors escaped and took refuge among the Nipmucks, a small tribe occupying what is now Worcester county, Massachusetts. The English then marched into the territory of the Narragansetts and compelled them to agree to remain neutral, and to deliver up the fugitive Indians who should take refuge among them. This accomplished, the colonists hoped they had put an end to the war. Philip succeeded in inducing the Nipmucks to join him in the struggle, and his warriors began to hang around the English settle- ments. The whites were murdered wherever they ventured to expose themselves, and a feeling of general terror spread through the NEW ENGLAND AFTER THE RESTORATION. 173 colonfes. No one knew the extent of the hostility of the savage tribes, or how many allies Philip had gained ; nor was it certain when or where the next great blow of the savages would be struck. Strange Stories. Some of the colonists began to give way lo superstitious fears. It wa:; asserted that an Indian bow, a sign of impending evil, had been seen clearly defined -j ^ against the heavens, and ^ that at the eclipse which occurred at this time the moon bore the figure of an Indian scalp on its ^,-^ face. The northern heavens glowed with auroral lights of unusual brilliancy; troops of phantom horsemen were heard to dash through the air; thesighingof the night wind was like the sound of whistling bullets; an 1 the howling of the wolves was fiercer and more con- stant than usual. These things, the superstitious declared, were warnings that the colonies were about to be severely pun- ished for their sins, amon^ ivhich they named profan swearing, the neglect of bringing up their children in more rigid observances, the licensing of ale houses, and the wearing of long hair by the men, and of gay apparel by the women. The more extreme even declared that they were about to be " jud^ d " for not exterminating the Quakers. In the meantime, Philip, with a party of Nipmucks and his own people, carried the fvar into the valley of the Connecticut, and spread death along the line of settlements from Springfield to Northfield, then the most remote inland town. With the hope of withi drawing the Nipmucks, who could muster fifteen hundred warriors, from the confed- erac}^ Captain Hutchinson, with twenty men, was sent to treat with them. His party was ambushed and murdered at Brookfield early in August. The Indians then attacked THE BURNING OF BROOKFIELD BY THE INDIANS. Brookfield, and burned the village with the exception of one stiong house to which the colonists retreated. After a siege of two days, during which they kept up a constant fire upon the build- ing, thev attempted to burn the house, but were orevented by a shower of rain which 174 vSKTTIvEMENT OF AMERICA. extinguislied tht flames. At the same moment a reinforcement of fifty men ar- rived to the aid of the whites, and the savages were driven of? with the loss of several of their number. Philip suc- ceeded in drawing to hi:> support nearly all the tribes of New England, and it was resolved by the savages to make a general effort for the destruction of the whites. A concerted attack was to [>e made upon a large number of settlemen--.,s at the same day and hour, and the SabbatU was chosen as the day most favorable for the movement. King Philip a i^efugee. Deerfield in Massachusetts and Hadley in Connecticut were amoi/g the places at- tacked. The former was hurned. Hadley was assailed while the congregation were worshiping in the church j and the whites where hard pressed by their antagonists Suddenly in the midst of the battle there appeared a tall and venen(ble man with a flowing beard, and clad in a strange dress. With sword in hand he raUied the settlers, and led them to a new effitft, in which the savages were beaten back. When the bat- tle was over, the stranger could not be found and the wondering people declared that he was an angel sent by God for their deliverauce. It was Gol^', the regicide, who had suddenly left his jilace of conceal- ment to aid his countrymei liu their struggle with the savages. He had bijen lying in con- cealment at the house of R issell, the minis- ter of Hadley, and returned to his place of refuge when the danger ■« as over. On the whole, the Indi; (ns, though they succeeded in causing great suff'ering to the colonies, were unsuccessful in their e9"orts. In October, Philip returned to hisold home, but, finding Mount Hope in ruins, took shelter among the Karrag jnsetts, who pro- tected him notwithstaudiivij their promise to deliver up all fugitives to the English. The colonial authorities seeing that the tribe had no intention of fulfilling their promise, and being fearful that Philip would succeed in winning them over to his side, resolved to anticipate the danger and treat them as euemies. A force was collected and sent into the Narragansett country in December, 1675. This tribe, numbering about three thous- and souls, had erected a strong fort of palisades, in the midst of a swamp near the present town of Kingston, Rhode Island. It was almost inaccessible, and had but a single entrance, defended by a morass, which could be passed only by means of a fallen tree. The English were led to the fort by an Indian traitor, and attacked it on the nineteenth of December. After a severe fight of two hours they succeeded in forcing an entrance into the the fort. The wigwams were then fired, and the whole place was soon in flames. The defeat of the savages was complete, but it was purchased by the loss of six captains and two hundred and fifty men, killed and wounded, on the part of the English. Fury of the Savages. About one thousand of the Narragansetts were slain, their provisions were destroyed and numbers were made prisoners. Those wlio escaped wandered through the frozen woods without shelter, and for food were compelled to dig for nuts and acorns under the snow. Many died during the winter. Canonchet, the Narragansett chief, was among the survivors. "We will fight to the last man rather than become servants to the English," said the undaunted chieftain. He was taken prisoner in April, 1676, near blackstone, and was oflTered his life if he would induce the Indians to make peace. He refused llie offer with scorn, and, when MRS. ROWLANDSON CAPTURED BY THE INDIANS 175 176 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. sentenced to death, answered proudly : " I like it well ; I shall die before I speak any- thing unworthy of myself." In the spring of 1676, Philip, who had been io the west to endeavor to induce the VIoliawks to join the war against the Eng- lish, returned to place himself at the head of his countrymen in New England. The work of murdering and burning was resumed with renewed fury. The Indians seemed to be everywhere and innumerable, and the whites could find safety only in their forts. The surviving Narragansetts scourged the Rhode Island and Plymouth colonies with fire and axe, and even the aged Roger Williams was obliged to take up arms for the defence of his home. Lancaster, Medford, Weymouth, Groton, Springfield, Sudbury and Marl- borough, in Massachusetts, and Providence and Warwick, in Rhode Island, were de- stroyed either wholly or in part, and numer- ous other settlements were attacked and made to suffer more or less severely. Mother and Child Wounded. Among the prisoners carried away by the savages was Mrs, Rowlandson, wife of the resident minister, and her little girl six years old. A single bullet fired during the attack wounded both mother and child. With that devotion which is part of the nature of a mother, she carried and nursed the little one for nine days, when it died in her arms. The parent endured many hardships, and was a captive among the Indians for three months, when she was ransomed for twenty pounds. As the season advanced the cause of the Indians became more hopeless, and they began to quarrel among themselves. In June the Nipmucks submitted, and the tribes on the Connecticut refused to shelter Philip any longer. He then appealed to the Mohawks to take up the hatchet, but seeing that his cause was hopeless, they refused tc ioin Tiim. In proud despair Philip went back to Mount Hope to die. One of his people urged him to make peace with the whites and was struck dead by the chief for daring to mention such a humiliation. "I Am Ready to Die!" It became known that Philip had returned to his old home, and Captain Church marched against him, dispersed his followers, and took the chiefs wife and little son pris- oners. Philip, who had bo/ne the reverses and the reproaches of his nation with the firmness of a hero, was conquered by this misfortune. *' My heart breaks," he cried, despairingly, " I am ready to die! " He was soon attacked by Church in his place of concealment, and in attempting to escape* was shot by an Indian who was serving ia the ranks of his enemies. Philip's little so. v. was sold as a slave in Bermuda, and the granason of Massasoit, who had welcomed and befriended the English, was condemned to pass his days in bondage in a foreign clime. The death of Philip was soon followed by the close of hostilities. The power of the Indians was completely broken. Of the Narragansetts scarcely one hundred men were left alive, and the other tribes had suf- fered severely. The Mohegans had remained faithful to the English, and Connecticut had been happily spared the sufferings experi- enced by the other colonies, which were very severe. Twelve or thirteen towns were destroyed, and many others were seriously crippled. Six hundred houses were burned, and the pecuniary losses amounted to the then enormous sum of half a million of dollars. Over six hundred men, chiefly young men, fell in the war, and there was scarcely a family which did not mourn son\ loved one who had given his life for tlM country. VKW ENGLAND AFTER THE RESTORATION. 177 In all their distress the colonies received no aid from England. The mother country left them to fight out their struggle of life and death alone. The English people and government were indifferent to their fate. One generous Non-conformist church in Dublin sent a contribution of five hundred pounds to the sufferers. This relief was gratefully acknowledged ; but to the credit of New England it should be remembered that her colonies never asked assistance from England. The king was very careful, however, to exact every penny he could wring from the colonies, and towards the close of the Indian war established a royal custom-house at Boston for the collection of duties. Duties were imposed upon the com- merce of the colonies, and the royal govern- ment endeavored to enforce their payment by threatening to refuse the New England ships the protection which enabled them to escape the outrages of the African pirates of the Mediterranean. The province of Maine had been restored by Charles II. to the heirs of Sir Ferdinand Gorges, and in 1677 Massachusetts pur- chased their claims for the sum of twelve hundred and fifty pounds, and thus con- firmed her possession of the region between the Piscataqua and the Kennebec. The region between the Kennebec and the Penobscot was held by the Duke of York, and that from the Penobscot to the St. Croix was occupied by the French. In July, 1679, King Charles detached New Hampshire from Massachusetts, and organ- ized it as a royal province ; the first ever erected in New England. The province at once asserted its rights, and a controversy- was begun with the crown, which was con- tinued for several years. The people resisted the effort to force upon them the observances of the English church, and the collection of taxes assessed by the xoyal oflficials, and Cranfield, the royal governor, finding it impossible to continue his arbitrary rule, wrote to the British government, " I shall esteem it the greatest happiness in the v/orld to remove from these unreasonable people. They cavil at the royal commission, and not at my person. No one will be accepted by them who puts the king's commands in execution." Conflict With the King. In the last years of his reign Charles IL made a determined effort to destroy the charter of Massachusetts. Commissioners were sent by the colony to England to endeavor to defend its rights, but the royal government was resolved upon its course, and the people of Massachusetts were equally determined not to consent to the surrender of their liberties. At length, in 1 684, the general court having in the name of the people distinctly refused to make a surrender of the charter to the king, the English courts declared the charter for- feited. A copy of the judgment was sent to Boston, and was received there on thesecond of July, 1685. The colony was full of appre- hension. The charter under which it had grown and prospered, and which secured its liberties to it without the interference of the crown, had been stricken down by the sub- servient courts of the mother country, and there was now no defence between the liber- ties of Massachusetts and the arbitrary will of the king, who had given the colony good cause to fear his hostility. James II. came to the English throne in 1685. He was even more hostile to New England than his brother Charles. He was a bigoted Roman Catholic, and was resolved to introduce that faith, not only into Eng- land, but also into the colonies. He attempted to accomplish this by proclaiming an indul- gence or toleration of all creeds. As he 17J? SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. dared not proceed openly to violate his cor- onation oath, he hoped by this underhanded scheme to place his own religion upon such a footing in England that he would soon be in a position to compel its adoption by his subjects. He had greatly mistaken the temper of both England and America. Joseph Dudley, who had been sent to England as one of the agents of Massachu- SIR EDMUND ANDROS. setts in the last controversy between the colony and King Charles, now found it to his interest to become as ardent a defender as he had formerly been an opponent of the royal prerogative, and James finding him a willing abettor of his designs, appointed him president of Massachusetts until a royal governor should arrive, for the king was resolved to take away the charter of all the colonies and make them royal provinces. At the same time, being determined to cur- tail the liberty of the press, the king ap- pointed Edward Randolph its censor. Dud- ley was regarded by the people as the be- trayer of the liberties of his country, and both he and Randolph were cordially de- spised by them. The king in appointing Dudley made no provision for an assembly or general court, as he meant to govern the colonies without reference to the people. He regarded the American pro- vinces as so many possessions of the crown, possessed of no rights, and entitled to no privi- leges save what he chose to allow them. In pursuance of this plan, Sir Edmund Andros, whom the king had appointed governor of New York, was made governor-gen- eral of all New England. He reached Boston in December, 1686. Dudley was made chief justice, and Randolph colonial secretary. The governor-general was empowered by the king to appoint his own council, impose such taxes as he should think fit, command the militia of the colonies, enforce the naviga- tion acts, prohibit printing, and establish episcopacy in New England ; and in order to enable him to enforce his will, two companies of soldiers were sent over with him and quartered in Boston. Thus were the liberties of New England placed at the mercy of a tyrant, and thus was inaugu- , rated a despotism the most galling tliat was ever imposed upon men of English descent. NEW ENGLAND AFTER THE RESTORATION. 179 Andrvj3 promptly put in force a series of ihe most arbitrary measures. The public schools, which had been fostered with such care by the colonial governments, were allowed to fall into decay. The support which had been granted to the churches was withdrawn. The people were forbidden to assemble for the discussion of any public matter, though they were allowed the poor privilege of electing their town officers. The Iform of oath in use in New England was an appeal to Heaven with uplifted hand. The governor now ordered the substitution of a form which required the person to place his hand on the Bible. This was particularly repugnant to the Puritans, who regarded it as a " Popish practice." Probate fees were increased twenty-fold. The holders of lands were told that their titles were invalid because obtained under a charter which had been declared forfeited. Tyrannical Proceedings. No person was allowed to leave the colony without a pass signed by the governor. The Puritan magistrates and ministers were refused authority to unite persons in mar- riagi^. The clergyman of the Church of Eng'and, stationed at Boston, was the only person in New England who could perform a legal marriage. Episcopacy was formally established, and the people were required to build a church for its uses. At the com- mand of the king, a tax of a penny in the pound, and a poll-ta.x of twentj' pence, was imposed upon every person in the colony. Some of the towns had the boldness to refuse to pay this tax, and John Wise, the minister of Ipswich, advised his fellow- townsmen to resist it. He and a number of otliers were arrested and fined. When they pleaded their privileges under the laws of England, they were told by one of the coun- cil: "You have no privilege left you but not to be sold as slaves." " Do you think," asked one of the judges, " that the laws ol England follow you to the ends ol the earth ? " The iniquitous exactions of Andros and his associates threatened the country with ruin. When the magistrates mentioned thiSj they were told, " It is not for his majesty's interest you should thrive." " The governor invaded liberty and property after such a manner," wrote Increase Mather, " as no man could say anything was his own." The Old " Charter Oak." The other colonies came in for their share of bad treatment. Soon after he reached Boston, Andros demanded of the authorities of Rhode Island the surrender of their char- ter. Governor Clarke declined to comply with this demand, and Andros went to Providence, broke the seal of the colony, and declared its government dissolved. He appointed a com- mission irresponsible to the people for the government of Rhode Island, and then had the effrontery to declare that the people of that colony were satisfied with what he had done. In October, Andros went to Conneaicut with an armed guard to take possession ol the government of that colony. He reached Hartford on the thirty-first of the month, and found the legislature in session, and de- manded ot that body the surrender of the charter. The discussion was prolonged until evening, and then candles were brought, and the charter was placed on the table. Sud- denly the lights were extinguished, and when they were relighted the charter could not be found. It had been secured by Joseph Wadsworth of Hartford, and carried to the southern part of the city, where it was con- cealed in a hollow oak tree, which was after- wards known as the " Charter Oak." Andros, furious at the disappearance of the charter, was rwt to be balked of his purpose iO SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. of seizing the colonial government, and taking the record book of the assembly, he wrote the word " Finis " at the end of the last day's proceedings. He then declared the colonial government at an end, and proceeded to administer the affairs of the province in the spirit in which he had governed Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The people of New England had borne these outrages with a patience which no one had expected of them. They were a law- abiding people, and wished to exhaust all legal means of redress before proceeding to extreme measures for their protectiop : but THE CHARTER OAK. the party in favor of driving Andros and his fellow-plunderers out of the country was rapidly growing stronger, and it was not certain how much longer the policy of for- bearance would be continued. Increase Mather was appointed to go to England and endeavor to procure a redress of the grievances of the colonies. It was a danger- ous mission, for the king was in full sympa- thy with the men whom he had placed over the liberties of New England. It was also difficult to leave America without the knowl- -dje of Andros and his colleagues, but -I'lather succeeded in escaping their vigilance, and was on his way to the old world wh<'n relief arrived from a most unexpected quarter. The efforts of James to bring about the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic religion in England roused the whole Eng» lish nation against him, and in 1689 the nation invited William, Prince of Orange, the husband of James' eldest daughter, Mary, to come over to England and assume the throne. James, left without any adher- ents, fled to France, and William and Mary were securely seated upon the throne. The news of the landing of William in England and the flight of King James reached Boston on the fourth of April, 1689. The messenger was at once imprisoned by Andros, but hi? tidings soon became known to the citizens. On the morning of the eight- eenth the people of Boston took up arms, and having secured the person of the com- mander of the royal frigate in the harbor, seized the royalist sheriff Sent to England for Trial. The militia were assembled, and Andros and his companions were obliged to take refuge in the fort. Simon Bradstreet, the governor who had held office at the time of the abrogation of the charter, was called upon by the people to resume his post, anci the old magistrates were reinstated and organized as a council of safety. Andros and his creatures attempted to escape to the frigate, but were prevented and were com- pelled to surrender. The next day rein- forcements came pouring into Boston from the other settlements, and the fort was taken and the frigate mastered. Town meetings were now held throughout the colony, and it was voted to resume the former charter. The people were almost unanimous in favor of this course, but the counsels of a more timid minority prevailed, and the council, wh''-h had appointed itself to the control ot NEW ENGLAND ^ -xE RESTORATION. iSi affairs, decided to solicit a new charter from William and Mary. A general court was convened on the twenty-second of May. The people of the colony were anxious that Andros, Dudley and Randolph should receive prompt punishment for their of- fences, but the authorities wisely deter- mined to send them to England for trial. Plymouth, upon receipt of the news from Boston, seized the agent of Andros, impris- oned him, and re-established the govern- ment which Andros had overthrown, under the constitution signed on board the "Mayflower." There were none of the old Pilgrim fathers living to witness this event, but their children were none the less determined to maintain unimpaired the liberties they had inherited from them. The Charter Safe. Rhode Island promptly resumed her charter and reinstated the officers whom Andros had displaced. Connecticut, upon hearing of the downfall of the governor- general, brought out her charter from its hiding place, and restored the old officers. Thus the work of James II. was over- thrown, and the destinies of New England were once more in the hands of her own people. The generation that had settled New England had nearly all been gathered to their rest, and their children were in some respects different from the fathers. They had learned lessons of toleration, and had acquired many of the refining graces that the elder Puritans regarded as mere vanity. They retained, however, the earn- est and lofty virtues which had made the first generation superior to hardships and trials of all kinds, and which had enabled them in the face of every discouragement to lay the foundations of the great common- wealths which to-day cherish their mem- ories as their most precious legacies. The fathers of New Bmgland richly merited the honor which succeeding generations have delighted to bestow upon their memories. However they may have erred, they were men who earnestly sought to do right in all things, who did their duty fearlessly according to the light before them. In the first generation we have noticed an extraordinary degree of influence ex- erted by the ministers. This was due to no desire of the Puritans to connect church and state, but was owing to the fact that the ministers represented the best educated and most intellectual class of that day, and the people regarded them as the best qualified guides in the commimity. As New England advanced in prosperity her schools and col- leges were able to turn out numbers of edu- cated men, who embraced the other learned professions, and divided the influence with the ministers. New England always chose its leaders from among its most intelligent men, and its people always yielded a will- ing homage to the claims of intellect. At the downfall of Andros there were about two hundred thousand white inhabi- tants in the English colonies of North America. Of these, ]\Iassachusetts, in- cluding Plymouth and Maine, had about forty-four thousand ; New Hampshire and Rhode Island about six thousand each ; Connecticut about twenty thousand ; mak- ing the total population of New England about seventy-six thousand. CHAPTER XV. Witchcraft in Massachusetts. Results of the Failure of Massachusetts to Resume her Charter — The New Charier — Loss of the Liberties of the Colony — Union of Plymoutli with Massachusetts Bay — Belief in Witchcraft — The History of Witch- craft in Massachusetts— The Case of the Goodwin Children — Cotton Mather Espouses the Cause of the Witches — Samuel Parris — He Originates the Salem Delusion — A Strange History — A Special Court Appointed for the Trial of the Witches — The Victims — Execution of the Rev. George Burroughs — Cotton Mather's Part in the Tragedies — The General Court takes Action in Behalf of the People — End of the Persecution — Pailure of Cotton Mather's Attempt to Save his Credit. THE deci.sioii of the magistrates of Massachusetts to disregard the wishes of a majority of the people of the colony, who desired an im- mediate restoration of the government under the old charter, and to wait for a new charter from William and Mary, gave great offence to the popular party. Had the wish of this party been complied with, Massachus- etts might have recovered every liberty and privilege of which she had been deprived by King James. Increase Mather distinctly de- clares that "had they at that time entered upon the full exercise of their charter gov- ernment, as their undoubted right, wise men in England were of the opinion that they might have gone on without disturbance. " The self-constituted government hesitated, however, and the opportunity was lost. When the convention of the people met, in May, 1689, they refused to acknowledge the council that had taken charge of affairs upon the downfall of Andros, and demanded that the governor, deputy governor and assist- ants elected in 1686 should be restored to office. The council refused to comply with this demand, and the matter was referred to the people, who sustained their representa- tives. A compromise was effected, and the council agreed to permit the officers of 1686 to resume their places until instructions could be received from England. Agents 182 were sent to England to solicit a restoration of the charter, and their appeal was sup- ported by the English Presbyterians with unanimity. The Archbishop of Canterbury urged the king "not to take away from the people of New England any of the privi- leges which Charles I. had granted them." In spite of the pressure exerted upon him in behalf of the colony. King William granted to Massachusetts a charter which placed the liberties of the province so en- tireh- at the mercy of the crown that the colonial agent refused to accept it. There was no help for it, however, and the charter became the fundamental law of Massachus- etts. Under the old charter the governor of Massachusetts had been elected annually by the votes of the freemen ; he was now to be appointed by the king and to serve during the royal pleasure. He was given power to summon the general court, and to adjourn or dissolve that body. The election of magistrates of all kinds, which had been confided to the people by the old charter, was taken from them, and henceforth these officials were to be ap- pointed by the governor with the consent of the council. The old charter had made the decision of the colonial courts final; the new permitted appeals from these tribunals to the privy council in England. The old charter had given to the srerenal court full WrrCHCRArl. A Child Bewitched. In i6S8 a case occurred which excited general interest, and was the beginning of one of the saddest periods in the history of New England. The daughter of John Goodwin, a child of thirteen years, accused the daughter of an Irish laundress of stealing some linen. The mother of the laundress, a friendless emigrant, succeeded in disproving the charge, and abused the girl soundly for making a false accusation. Soon after this, the accuser was seized with a fit, and pre- tended to be bewitched in order to be revenged upon the poor Irish woman. Her )'ounger sister and two of her brothers fol- lowed her example. They pretended to be dumb, then deaf, then blind, and then all three at once. " They were struck dead at the sight of the ' Assembly's Catechism,' " says Governor Hutchinson, dryly, " ' Cot- ton's Milk for Babes,' and some other good books, but could read in Oxford jests, Popish and Quaker books, and the Common Prayer without any difficulty." Nevertheless their appetite was good, and they slept soundly at night. The youngest of these little im- postors was less than five years old. It was at once given out that the Goodwin children were bewitched, and no one suspected or hinted at the fraud. They would bark like dogs and mew like cats, and a physician who was called in to treat them solemnly declared that they were possessed by devils, as he discovered many of the symptoms laid down in Increase Mather's book. A conference of the four ministers ot Boston, and one from Charlestown, was held at Goodwin's house, where they observed a day of fasting and prayer. As a result of their efforts, the youngest child, a boy of less than five years, was delivered of his evi'f spirit. The ministers now had no douU^ that the children had been bewitched, and as the little ones accused the Irish woman of their misfortune, she was arrested, tried for witchcraft, convicted and hanged, notwith- standing that many persons thought the poor creature a lunatic. Among the ministers who had investigated this case and had procured the execution oC the woman was Cotton Mather, the son of Increase Mather, then president of Harvard College. He was a young man who had but recently entered the ministry, and was regarded as one of the most learned and gifted preachers in the colony. He was withal a man of overweening vanity and full of ambition. He could not bear contradic- tion, and was devoted to the maintenance of the political power of the clergy. He was superstitious by nature, and was firmly con- vinced of the reality of witchcraft. He had become deeply interested in the case of the Goodwin children, and in order to study it more deeply took the eldest girl to his house, where he could observe and experi- ment upon her devil at his leisure. She was a cunning creature, and soon found that it was to her interest to humor the young pas- tor in his views, and she played upon his weakness with a shrewdness and skill which were remarkable in one so young, and exhibit the credulity of the investigator in a most pitiable light. " All Devils are Not Alike." Mather carried on his experiments with a diligence which would have seemed ludi- crous had its object been less baneful to the WITCHCRAFT IN MASSACHUSETTS. 187 community. He read the Bible, and prayed aloud in the presence of the girl, who would pretend to be thrown into a fit by the pious exercise. At the same time she read the Book of Common Prayer, or Quaker or Popish treatises, without any interruption from her familiar spirits. The minister then trsted the proficiency of the devil in lan- guages, by reading aloud passages of the Bible in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, which the girl professed to understand. When he tried her with an Indian dialect, however, she could not comprehend him. By other exper- iments, designed to ascertain if the spirits could read the thoughts of others, Mather came to the sage conclusion that " ali devils are not alike sagacious." The girl flattered his vanity, and lulled his suspicioi\ of fraud by telling him that his own pe"son was especially protected against the e ^1 spirits by the power of God, and that the devils did not dare to enter his study. Pious Belief in Witchcraft. The vanity of Cotton Mather was elated to the highest pitch by what he deemed his successful experiments, and he wrote a book upon witchcraft, in which he endeavored to prove the truth of his theories, and declared that he should esteem it a personal insult if any one should hereafter venture to deny the existence of witchcraft. His book was reprinted in London, with a preface by Richard Baxter, the well- known author of " The Saints' Rest," warmly indorsing it. It was very generally read in New England, and had a most pernicious effect upon the people by inducing them to give credit to the stories of the writer rather than to listen to the promptings of their own good sense. Still there were some in Boston who had the boldness to difTfer with Mather, and these the indignant divine denounced as "sad- 4ucees." Mather supported his views by his sermons. "There are multitudes of sad- ducees in our day," he declared. "A devil in the apprehension of these mighty acute philosophers is no more than a quality or a distemper. Men counted it wisdom to credit nothing but what they say and feel. The^ never saw any witches ; therefore there aic none." The ministers of Boston and Charlestown gave their young colleague their hearty support, and declared that those who doubted the existence of witchcraft were guilty of atheism, and indorsed Mather's book as proving clearly that " there is both a God and a devil, and witchcraft." Thus did the clergy of Massachusetts set themselves to the task of forcing their own narrow views upon the people. It was a needed lesson. New England had passed the time when clerical rule in political affairs could be pro- ductive of good, and was now to be taught the danger of permitting it to extend beyond this period. Af- this juncture Mather's power was greacly strengthened by the appointment of his friend and parishioner, Sir William Phipps, as governor of the province, and the nomination of his father-in-law and many of his intimate friends to the council. The ambitious Stoughton, the deputy governor, was also subject to his influence. Here was a fine opportunity to endeavor to establish the power of the clergy upon the old founda- tions, which were being destroyed by the growing intelligence and independence of the people. Many of the ministers, under the lead of Cotton Mather, had committed themselves to the doctrine of witchcraft, and the people must accept it upon their simple assertion. No Inquiry must be allowed into the matter, the opinions of the ministers must be adopted by the laity. And so Mather and his followers resorted to the usual weapons of superstition to accomplish tht success of their plang. t88 SETTLtMliNT OF AMERICA- In 1692,3 new case of witchcraft occurred in Salem village, now the town of Danvers. The minister of this place was Samuel Parris, between whom and a number of his people there had for some time existed dissensions of such a bitter nature that the attention of the general court had been directed to them. In February, 1692, the daughter and niece of Parris, the former a child of nine years, and the latter of less than twelve, gave signs of being bewitched. Parris at once recognized the opportunity which was thus offered him for vengeance upon his enemies, and delib- erately availed himself of it. He demanded of the children the names of the persons who had bewitched them, and then proceeded to accuse those whom he succeeded in inducing the girls to denounce. The first victim was Rebecca Nurse. She was known in the community as a woman of exemplary Chris- tian character ; but she was one of the most resolute opponents of Parris. Upon his accusation she was arrested and imprisoned. The next Sunday Parris preached a sermon from the text, " Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil." As his remarks were directed against Mistress Nurse, Sarah Cloyce, her sister, at once left the church. A Hundred in Prison. This in itself was a serious offence in those days, and Parris took advantage of it to accuse the offender of witchcraft, and she was sent to join her sister in prison. Mather, who deemed his credit at stake, lent his active aid to the persecution of these unfortunate peclares Pennsylvania a Royal Province — Penn is Vindicated and Restored to His Proprietary Rights — His Return to Pennsylvania — Character of the Settlers of the Province — Penn Goes Back to England — Efforts to Deprive Him of His Possessions— His Death. ONE of trie most remarkable result.s of the English Reformation was the rise and growth of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, as they came to be called Discarding what seemed to them superfluous and unnecessary forms in religion, they confined themselves to a simjjler and more primitive expression of their faith. Believing that the only evil a Christian should resist is the evil of his own heart, they opposed no resistance to perse- cution or to ill-treatment from their fellow- men ; and as servants of the Prince of Peace, were unchangeably opposed to war and bloodshed. They held the doctrine of the Trinity : that we obtain salvation by the atoning blood of Christ ; that man was cre- ated a free and responsible agent; that he forfeited his right to the blessings of the Creator by his fall, and will owe his restor- ation to his lost estate to the mercy of God and the blood of Christ ; that the Holy Scriptures are the work of .nspiration, and a good rule of life and faith. With them the test of CWristianity was not a man's standing in the church, but the answer of a good conscience ; the sense of true inward communion between the soul of the individual and God. They conducted their worship in silence, and regarded all their members as sent by God to preach His Gospel ; therefore, any one, even women, was free to speak in their meetings the message which came to him from the Holy Spirit. They denied that the right to preach was restricted to any particular class, and refused to acknowledge the authority of the regular clergy. Oaths were regarded as unlawful for Christian men, and temperance and the utmost simplicity in all things were enjoined upon their people. They refused to recog- nize the social distinctions which prevailed in the world, though they admitted the power of the magistrates to enforce the laws, and regarded all men as equals. Their dress was simple and in proportion to the means of the wearer, and their lives were blame- less. They admitted the right of all men to worship God in their own way, and thus extended to all others the perfect toleration they claimed for themselves. The founder of this sect was the good George Fox, the son of a weaver of Leices- tershire, and " by his mother descended from the stock of the martyrs." He began to teach his doctrines about the middle of the seventeenth century, and at first his converts were people of the humbler classes of England. He was met with a determined opposition from both the established church 215 2l6 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. and the Presbyterians, and was imprisoned, set in the stocks, cruelly beaten and other- wise persecuted, and driven from place to place. Yet he persevered, and his doctrines began to spread. Distressed by the perse- cutions to which his followers were sub- jected, he visited America after the restora- tion of Charles II., in the hope of finding there a place of refuge for his people, but could find none. Puritan New England was hostile to his doctrines, and the power of the Church of England was strong enough in the southern colonies to defeat his object. The Founder of Pennsylvania. Among Fox's converts were a few from the higher classes of English society. One of these was destined to be, next to its founder, the greatest benefactor of his faith, and one o-f the choice instruments of the Almighty in the settlement and Christianiza- tion of America. This was William Penn. He was the son and heir of Admiral Sir William Penn, one of the most distinguished naval commanders of England. The admiral desired for his son the advantages which his high position would readily secure to him, but the young man at an early day, happening to converse with a simple-minded Quaker, became so deeply impressed with his prin- ciples that he adopted them as his own. This greatly annoyed the father, but suppos- ing that it was a mere boyish notion which his son would outgrow, William was sent to study at the University of Oxford, and after leaving that institution was made to travel through Europe to improve his mind and to remove his tendency to Quakerism. William returned to England, after an absence of two years, greatly improved in mind, but still true to his religious convic- tions. In 1666, while traveling in Ireland, Penn met his old friend, Thomas Loe, and heard him speak of the glorious triumph of the faith of a Christian over the adversities of the world. His enthusiasm was once more awakened to such an extent that he from that moment began to seek to draw others into the communion which had given him so much happiness. His course gave offence to the authorities and he was impris- oned. He addressed a remonstrance to the viceroy of Ireland, in which he declared : " Religion is my crime and my innocence ; it makes me a prisoner to malice, but my own freeman." Being liberated, he went back home, but only to meet with mockery and persecution. He was ridiculed by his companions of his own rank in life, and it was a common jest in society, says Pepys, that " William Penn was a Quaker again, or some very melan- choly thing." His father, disappointed and indignant at the failure of his hopes, turned him out of his house without a penny ; but his mother, truer to her nattue, supplied him with sufficient funds to relieve his most pressing wants. Thrust Into Prison. Penn now began to defend his doctrines through the press, and thus brought them into greater prominence. This soon made him the victim of the ecclesiastical authori- ties, and the Bishop of London threatened him with imprisonment for life if he did not recant his doctrines. He answered firmly : " Then my prison shall be my grave." He was committed to the Tower on a charge 0/ heresy and kept in close confinement. Charles II., naturally kind-hearted, was touched by his firmness, and sent the learned Stillingfleet, himself a man of humanity, to reason with him. " The Tower," said Penn, " is to me the worst argument in the world." At the end of a year his father's friend, the Duke of York, procured his release, foj- the consistency of the young man had won back COLONIZATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. 2i; for him the affection and sympathy of the stern old admiral. Every effort was now made to draw William Penn away from his faith. A high rank in the royal navy, the favor of the king, and many other inducements were held out to him, but he refused them a)' and remained true to his principles. In less than a year after his release from the Tower he was arrested for hav- ing spoken at a Quaker meeting. He protested his right to do this and declared that no power on earth should prevent him from worshiping the God who made him. He was placed on trial foi his offence, and bold- ly demanded to know on what law the indictment against him was founded. " On the common law," replied the recordei. "Where is that law?" asked Penn. " The law which is not in being, fai from being common, is no law at all." He con- ducted his own defence, and as he was pleading earnestly for his rights as an Englishman, was hurried out of court. He appealed to the jury to remember that they were his judges. The jury, in spite of an unfavor- able charge from the judge, brought in a verdict of acquittal. The court ordered them back to their room, with the angry declaration : " We will have a verdict, by the help of God or you shall starve for it." " You are Englishmen," cried Penn to the jurors, as they were retiring: "mind your privilege ; give not away your right." At last, after being kept two days and nights without food, the jury repeated their verdict of " not guilty," and were fined by the court for daring to assert their inde WILLIAM PENN. pendence. Penn was fined for contempt of court, and sent back to prison. His fine was soon discharged by his father, who died shortly afterwards. " Son William," saic the dying admiral, to whom earthly honoi- 2l8 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. now appeared in their true light, " if you and your friends keep to your plain way of preaching and living, you will make an end of the priests." Penn was now nearly twenty-six years old, and had inherited from his father a handsome estate. He continued to explain jaiid defend his doctrines through the press, Snd in 1671 was arrested and sentenced to six months' imprisonment in Newgate. From his prison he addressed a noble plea to Parliament and to the nation for tolera- tion in all matters of faith. The Wife of Penn. Upon his release from prison, Penn trav- elled in Holland and Germany, and upon his return to England, in 1673, married a woman of great beauty, whose noble character ren- dered her a fitting companion to him. He took no part in public affairs until the imprisonment of George Fox, upon his return to England to America, called him once more to the defence of his brethren. Fox being released, he and Penn and several others travelled through Holland and a part of Germany, seeking to make converts to their faith — an effort in which they were very successful among the Dutch and Ger- man peasantry. Returning to England, he once more appealed to Parliament, but with- out success, to do justice to the Quakers, and grant them the toleration to which they Were entitled. Despairing of success in England, Penn •low directed the whole of his energies to securing a home for his persecuted brethren ia the new world. A number of Quakers were already settled along the banks of the Delaware and in New Jersey, and in 1675 the embarrassments of Edward Byllinge, who had purchased Lord Berkeley's mterest in New Jersey, obliged him to sell his share of that province. It was purchased by William Penn, Gawen Lourie and Nicholas Lucas, for the benefit of the Quakers This placed the Friends in possession of an asylum, but it left them more at the mercy of the English government and church than they desired to be, and New Jersey was divided into two' equal parts; Cartaret, Berkeley's former partner, retaining East Jersey, and West Jersey becoming the property of tht Quakers. The People Rule. This was accomplished in 1676, and in March of the following year a government resting upon the will of the people, and securing to the inhabitants protection and equality in all their political and religious rights and privileges, was set up in West Jersey. The English Quakers came over to the new province in great numbers, with the good wishes of Charles II., and peaceful relations were established with the Indians. Byllinge, who had retained some interest in the province, now began to be troublesome, and claimed the right to nominate the deputy governor. The people denied his claim, and at the instigation of William Penn, amended their constitution so as to place the choice of all their officers in their own hands, and then elected a governor. Penn had now become deeply interested in the colonization of America, and wished to secure for his faith a wider domain than West Jersey. He had inherited from his father a claim against the English govern- ment amounting to sixteen thousand pounds. He now proposed to exchange this claim for a grant of territory in America. Charles II., who was always in want of money, and who never set much value upon the lands of the new world, readily accepted his offer, as it was urged by Lords North, Halifax and Sunderland, and the Duke of York, who were firm friends of William Penn. The COLONIZATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. 219 king, in 1681, granted to Penn a district lying west of the Delaware River, and corre- sponding very nearly to territory embraced in the present state of PennsyK'ania, which name the king bestowed upon it in honor of the proprietor. The Duke of York claimed Delaware as his own property, and Penn, who wished to have free access to the sea, purchased it of him the next year. The territory was granted to Penn as absolute proprietor; the people were secured in the right of self-government; religious equality was guaranteed to all; the acts of the colonial legislature were to be submitted to the king and council, who had the power to annul them if contrary to the law of England ; the power of levying customs was reserved to Parliament ; and no taxes were to be imposed upon the people save by the colonial legislature or by Parlia- ment. Settlers Throng the Wilderness. Penn then invited all persons who desired to do so to settle in Pennsylvania, and in a proclamation declared his intention to leave the settlers free to make their own laws. " 1 propose," he said, " to leave myself and suc- cessors no power of doing mischief, that the will of no one man may hinder the good of a whole country." "God," he declared, "has furnished me with a better resolution, and has given me His grace to keep it." His resolution was soon tested. Soon after he obtained his patent a company of traders offered him six thousand pounds and an annual payment of a stipulated sum for the monopoly of the Indian traffic between the Delaware and the Susquehanna. He had already straitened himself very much by his expenditures for his colony, and his fimily had been obliged to endure some deprivations in consequence. The offer was tempting, but he declined it firmly. What was free to him should be free to every inhabitant of Pennsylvania, and he would derive no advantage at the expense of his people. Liberal Education. A company was collected and sent out to Pennsylvania, under William Markham, Penn's nephew, and the personal character of the proprietor of the colony was deemed by all a sufficient guarantee for the protec- tion of their liberties. Penn intended fol- lowing this company as soon as he could, and in the meantime enjoined Markham to continue the establishment already existing along the Delaware, and to govern in accord- ance with the laws of England. In 1682 he prepared to go out to America to superin- tend the formal establishment of his colony. As he was about to sail, he wrote to hi? wife, to whom he was devoted with all the ardor of his youth : " Live low and spar- ingly till my debts be paid ; I desire not riches, but to owe nothing ; be liberal to the poor and kind to all." W^ith regard to their children, he wrote: " Let their learning be liberal ; spare no cost, for by such parsimony all is lost that is .saved." Penn took out with him one hundred emigrants, and reached Newcastle on the twenty-seventh of October, 1682, after a long and trying voyage. In the presence of the Swedish, Dutch and English settlers, who welcomed him with joy, he took formal pos- session of the provmce, which was surren- dered to him by the agents of the Duke of York. He pledged himself to the people to grant them liberty of conscience and all their civil privileges. From Newcastle Penn went up the river to Chester, where a settlement had been formed by emigrants from the north of England, who had preceded him. Early in November, accompanied by a few friends, Penn ascended the Delaware in an COLONIZATION OF t'f.NNSYLVANIA. open boat to the mouth of the Schuylkill, and passing a little distance beyond this, landed on the beautiful site now occupied by tlie city of Philadelphia. The place at which he landed was lung known as the " Blue Anchor Landing," from a tavern of tiiat name which stood there. A little later, under a spreading elm, Pcnn met the chiefs of the neighboring Indian tribes and entered into a treaty of peace and friend.ship with them. This treaty was confirmed by no oath, but it remained unbroken for fifty years, and as neither side sought to evade its obligations, which were simply of peace anJ good will, the colony of Pennsylvania escaped in its earlier yeans the horrors of a savage warfare from which the other settlers suffered. " We will live," said the Indian sachems, " in love with William Penn and his children as long as the moon and the sun shall endure." They kept their word. " Penn came without arms ; he declared his purpose to abstain from violence ; he had no message but peace; and not a drop of Quaker blood was ever shed by an Indian." The scene of the treaty was at Shacka- maxon, now Kensington, in the city of Phil- adelphia. Philadelphia Laid Out. On the pleasant tract lying between the Delaware and the Schuylkill, which was purchased from the Swedes, who had on their jiait purchased it from the Indians, Pcnn in 16S3 laid out the capital of his province, which he named Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, in token of the principles which he meant should con.stitute the common law of his possessions. It was abundantly supplied with streams of pure water and was admirably situated for pur- poses of trade. He did not wish it to be built after the manner of European cities, but dc igncd it to be a " greene country town, gardens round each house, that it might never be burned, and always be wholesome." The streets were laid off by marking their course through the primitive forest by blazing the trees, and the building of dwellings was begun. In the first year of Penn's arrival in the colony twenty-three ships with emigrants arrived in Pennsylvania. In three years after its foundation Philadel- phia contained upwards of six hundred houses, and the colony had a population of ten thousand. The Indians proved the firm friends of the colonists and supplied them with wild fowl and venison in return for articles of European manufacture. fi jbHB I i^|HHwiLilAfA PCNN L^ - J ^^BHIH AND THC 1^ _°> jk^S ^^H^HiNoif^H HATOir -^ ~.^M ^^^IH L '^^S HSBHuNSKOKlH TATH V t-J^ " ^TpMffl p ?,-« mi^ ^""^^^^If ^^n «L2^' tL^i-^^m^ MfeCTB» aWl^li^t 6Ay^s ^tif^J^yS"^^^^*^^ ' ^^ "^^BK a^^S^^EV""^^ ^ €^ ^^^^^^^m^ I'F.NN TREATY MONUMENT. Pcnn from the fir.st refused to retain ni ii... hands the exercise of the vast powers with' which the charter granted him by the king invested him. As early as December, 1682, he convened a general convention of the people and gave them a charter of liberties which Bancroft thus sums up : "God was declared the only Lord of conscience ; the first day of the week was reserved as a day of leisure, for the ease of the creation. The rule of equality was introduced into families by abrogating the privileges of primogeni- ture. The word of an honest man was SETTLEMENT OK AMERICA. evidence without an oatli. Tiic mad spirit of speculation was checked by a system of strict accountability, applied to factors and agents. " Every man liable to civil burdens pos- sessed the right of suffrage; and, without regard to sect, every Christian was eligible to office. No tax or custom could be levied but by law. The Quaker is a spiritualist; the pleasures of the senses, masks, revels and Till': iM 11 swims' CHURCH, ruii.t in 1(141 stage plays, not less than bull-baits antl cock-fights, were prohibited. Murder was the only crime punishable by death. Mar- riage was esteemed a civil contract ; adultery a felony. The Quakers had suffered wrong from imprisonment ; the false accuser was liable to double damages. Every prison for convicts was made a workliouse. There were neither poor-rates nor tithes. The Swcilcs, and Finns, and Dutch were invested with the liberties of Englishmen."* In March, 1683, the first general assembly of Pennsylvania met at Philadelphia. " I am ready," said Penn to this body, " to settle such foundations as may be for your happi- ness." Under the guidance of the founder of the colony, the assembly established a constitu- tion which made Pennsylvania emphatically a free state. A government was es- tablished, consisting of a governor, a legislative council and an assembly composed of representatives of the people. As the charter made the pro- prietor responsible to the king for the legislation of the colony, no act of legislation was to be valid until it had passed the great seal of the province. With this exception, the entire power of the province was left in the hands of the people. " But for the hereditary office of proprietary, Penn- sj'lvania had been a representative (lemocrac)-. In Maryland the council w as named by Lord Baltimore ; in I'rimsylvania, by the people. In M.uyland, the power of appointing magistrates, and all, even the subor- dinate executive officers, rested solely with the proprietary; in Pennsylvania, W 11 Ham Penn could not appoint a justice or a constable; every executive officer, except the highest, was elected by the people or their representatives ; and the governor could perform no public act but with the consent of the council. Lord Baltimore had a revenue derived from the export of tobacco, the staple of Maryland ; and his colony was burdened with taxes; a similar revenue was offered to William Penn and declined, and tax-gatherers were un- known in his province." * Bancroft's History of Ihc UniteJ States, vol. ii., r- 3S^ COLONIZATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. 223 Thus did the "Quaker King" complete one of the sublimest surrenders of political power in all the annals of history. " I de- sired," he said, in his grand simplicity, " to show men as free and happy as they can be." The colony improved rapidly. Men were attracted from all parts of Great Britain, from Ireland, the Low countries, from Ger- many and Sweden, to Pennsylvania. The personal character of William Penn, not less than the advantaws afforded them, induced Lord Baltimore claimed Delaware as a part of the country granted to him. Penn sus- tained his claim to that region by pleading the actual settlement of the Dutch previous to the grant to Lord Baltimore, and his pur^ chase of the rights which the Duke of York had derived from the Dutch. The English courts decided, in 1685, that Delaware did not constitute a part of Maryland and sus< taincd Penn's claim. The boundaries of the two colonies were settled by a compromise INDIAN AMUSEMENTS CANOE-KACE BETWEi!.N SyUAWS, them to settle m the happy colony. Phila- delphia especially grew with rapidity, and already gave promise of becoming the prin- cipal city of colonial America. Schools were opened and liberally encouraged, for ignorance had no advocates in this thrifty community. The printing press was also set up and put to work. In August, 1684, 1 Penn, having successfully established his I colony, took leave of his people and returned | to England, I During Penn's absence in England (-tie people of Delaware began to be restless. They presented to the proprietary a list o! grievances, and were granted by Penn a sep- arate government. The fall of James II., who continued the friend of William Penn, though so widelj opposed to him in religion, was the beginning of trouble for the proprietor of Pennsylvania. Penn did not relinquish his fricnd.shi[) for the dethroned king, and his enemies made tlii* 224 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. constancy, which in no way interfered with his loyalty to William and Mary, the means of injuring him in the estimation of the new king. William was intluccd to believe the charges of disloyally which were brought against Pcnn, and dcjirived Iiim of his patent and pro]>riotorship of Pennsylvania. Penn was also imprisoned several times for dis- loyalty. Absurd Teachings. During this period the colony was much annoyed by a ilisturbance led by one George Keith, who jnished the Quaker doctrine of non-resistance to the verge of absurdity. He argued that no Quaker could with consist- ency take part in public affairs as a magis- trate or legislator. As the liberties of the colony were the work of Quakers the infer- ence was plain. If Keith was right, then Pennsylvania had no lawful government, and must apply to the king for one. Keith pro- duced such trouble in the colony that even the tolerant Quakers ivcre at length obliged to lay lianils on him. lie was tried and fined for using seditious language ; but lest their action should seem to be a punish- ment of opinion the Quaker magistrates remitted the fine. I Ic subsequently became a clergyman of the English church. This disturbance gave the king a pretext for declaring Pennsylvania a royal province, and in April, 1693, Benjamin Fletcher was appointed by William and Mary governor of Pennsylvania, to which province Delaware was reunited. The people, indignant at this invasion of their rights, attempted no resist- ance, but refused to recognize the royalist governor. Some of the magistrates resigned their offices upon his arrival. Upon the meeting of the assembly the hostility to P'letcher increased. The members of the assembly declared the laws they had made under the charter granted to Penn to be valid, and refused to have new ones, or recognize any other authority. A charter granted by King Charles was, they maintained, as valid as one granted by King William, and they refused to re-enact their old laws, as such a course would be to brand them as illegal. Fletcher de- manded that the assembly should appropriate a sum for the defence of New York against the Indians. His demand was flatly refused. The assembly was willing, however, to make an a[)propriation for the relief of the people of New York who had suffered by this war, but only upon condition that this sum should be disbursed by officers of its own appoint- ment. P""letcher refused to consent to this condition, as he regarded it as an infringe- ment of the king's prerogative, and the assembly was dissolved, A. D. 1694. Penn's Misfortunes, In the meantime Pcnn had been restored to his proprietary rights. The king ex- pressed himself satisfied of his innocence, which was established before the council, and in August, 1694, the patent for his restoration was formally issued. Penn was anxious to return to Pennsylvania, but was detained in England by his inability to raise the funds necessary for the voyage. He had spent a large part of his fortune in planting the colony, and the persecutions and annoy- ances to which he had been subjected in England had caused him great loss. Nor was this his only trouble. His wife and eldest son had died iluring his trials, and some whom he had imagined his friends in his prosperity had in his adversity shown themselves his enemies. He retained his serenity of mind, however, and persevered in the good work to which he had devoted his life. Being unable to go to Pennsylvania he sent his nephew, Markham, as his deputy. Markham summoned an assembly, and this body, alarmed at the recent changes in COLONIZATION Ol' n^NNSYF.VANIA. (lull (ImiIci, wlllill ll.lll tlllCllclK-d tl) Ji'piivr llicm (if llirir |)(ilili(,il iii',llls, cii- (Icivoiid to |)r()viilc a^;aiii!>l: a icciiitciki.' of tin- (lander by assianiiij^^r the power of fraiii- iii^f acoiislitiilion for themselves. The assein- i)ly' of i')i)6 made .still fnrtiier cliaiifjjes, and plated llic control of the colonial f^ovcrn- iiicnt entirely in the hands of tiie peojjle by fjivinfj them tlic election of all the officials of tli(- provi'"e. Old Charter Dibcarded. Pcmi retiiihcd lo Pennsylvania in Novem- ber, 1699, and sanctioneil the action of the people. (3ne of the members of the council pro[)ose(l that they should make a constitu tion that slionid be " firni and lastinf^" to them and to tlR:ir d(S( iiidants. " Keep what is ^ood in the ( liartcr and frame of {rovern- ineiit," said J'enn ; "and lay aside what is bnrtlensome.and add what may best suit the common pood." It was agreed by all par- ties that it wonid be best to .surrender the old charter and frame a new constitution. This was attended with considerable diffi- I ully, as Delaware dreaded the loss of its independence. It was conciliated by bein^ ^'iven its own legislature, but was under the administration of the governor of I'ennsyl- vani.i. The two colonies were never again united. The constitution .secured to the pen])le all the political privileges they claimed. I'enn, whose sole desire was for the welfare of tl"; colony, held back nothing for himself. Among the earliest emigrants to I'enn.syl- vania were many Germans who had been converted to the Quaker doctrines by Will- iam Penn during his missionary labors on the continent of Europe. They .settled at (iermantown, to which they gave its name. Towards the close of the seventeenth century the severe wars in I'airope drove out large numbers of Germans from the Rhine valley. 15 They sought irfngcr ill I'",nj.;l,ind .il lii.l,.iiirl fioni 111, it country jjassed over to i'eimsyl- vani.i. They were chiefly Lutherans, and members of the German Reformed rhurch. They settled chiefly in the sonlheiii part of Pennsylvania, and clung together instead of separating, thus giving to this ])art of the state the peculiar characteristics which dis-t linguish it to the present day. They held aloof from the linglish, and allowed the German language alone to be taught to their children. 1 lu;y attracted other settlers from their native country, and the region occupied by them was soon thickly settled, and was noted as one of the best cultivated sections of the province. Industrious Settlers. About tlur beginning of the eighteenth century a large emigration from the nf)rth of Ireland and from Scotland began to set in, and continued for someyears. Thescpcople were nearly all Presbyterians and located themselves chiefly in the eastern and central sections of the province. They were an energetic, industrious and intelligent com- munity, and set to work with a will to improve their new home. They advanced the frontier of Pennsylvania steadily west' ward by their new plantations, and proved themselves among the most desirable settlers that had yet come into the province. William Penn had come to Pennsylvania with the intention of passing the remainder of his life there; but rumors now began to reach the colony that it was the intention of the crown to deprive Pennsylvania of its charter and make it a royal province. These rei)orts made it necessary for Penn to return to England, a step to which nothing but the iniportaiice of being near the home govern- ment to defend the liberties of his peoj)!?' could have forced him. lb- li.id done hi.^ work in America well, and loiild go back to 126 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. his native land with the satisfaction that he had successfully laid the foundations of a great and rapidly-growing state, and had placed the liberties of its people upon such a secure basis that they would endure for all time, lie had founded a democracy, and had proved by the most generous surrender ,)f his truly regal powers that his chief aim /m life was the good of his fellow-men. After making such arrangements as he deemed best for the welfare of his " young ^ountrie," he went back to England in 1701. Pcnn's Honorable Poverty. There were not wanting efforts after his arrival in England to deprive him of his proprietary rights and to convert Pennsyl- vania into a royal province; but the deep reverence with which the English people had now come to regard the virtues of Will- iam Penn prevented the consummation of these designs, and saved the people of Penn- sylvania from the rule of royal governors, such as plundered the sister province of New York. The crovn could never be persuaded to rob the man whose pure life was an honor to the nation. In his last years Penn was so poor that he was for a while an inmate of a debtors' prison. He had bought the prov- ince of Pennsylvania from Charles II., and had confirmed his claim by purchasing the lands from the Indians, so that he was abso- lute owner of the unoccupied lands of the colony. He thus had it in his power to relieve his distress by selling his claims, but in his deepest poverty he refused to part with Pennsylvania, except upon terms which would secure to his people the full and per-' feet enjoyment of the liberties he had guar- anteed them. lie died in 17 18, peacefully and amid the sympathy of his countrymen in England, and the sorrow of those whom he had befriended in his beloved Pennsyl- vania. By his pure life he won for the peo- ple of his faith the respect of all candid men, and by his fidelity to the principles he pro- fessed he became the benefactor of millions who will ever count it a privilege to honor his name. Penn left three sons, who were all minors at the time of his death. They succeeded to his rights as proprietary of Pennsylvania, and the government of the colony was ad- ministered for them by deputies until the Revolution, wlicn their claims were pur- chased by the state. CHAPTER XVIII Settlement of the Carolinas. Gradual Settlement of North Carolina from Virginia — Charles 11. Grants Carolina to Clarendon and Others — The " Grand Model " — An Ideal Aristocracy Proposed for Carolina — The Authority of the Proprietaries Established in North Carolina — Continued Settlement of that Region — Characteristics of the Early Settlers of North Carolina — The people Reject the Grand Model — Hostility of England to the Colonial Commerce — Insurrection in North Carolina — Slothel Governor — Settlement of South Carolina — Charleston P'ouuded — The Proprietary Constitutions Rejected by South Carolina — Rapid Growth of the Colony — Introduction of Slavery — Characteristics of the Early Settlers of South Carolina — KfTorts to Enforce the Navigation Acts — Resistance of the People— The Proprietaries Abandon their Constitutions — Archdale's Reforms — Religious Intolerance — Establishment of the Church of England in South Carolina — Action of the Crowu — Continued Prosperity of South Carolina — Governor Moore Attacks ,St. Augustine — P'ailure of the P^ffoft — The Spaniards are Repulsed in an Attempt to Capture Charleston — Indian War in North Carolina — The Tuscaroras Driven Northward — War with the Yemmassees — Destruction of their Power — Separation of the Carolinas. WE have related the efforts of the French to colonize the shores of the beantiful region which they named Carolina, and the failure of Raleigh's attempt to found a city upon Roanoke Island. We have now to consider the successful planting of this same region with English settlements. After the .settlement of Virginia the atten- tion of the English was frequently drawn to the fertile region south of the James, and as their plantations spread in that direction ad- venturous explorers went into this region, and returned with reportsofits great beauty and fertility. When the severe measures of the Virginia colony for enforcing conformity to the established church were put in oper- ation, many dis.senters withdrew from the limits of the colony and settled in what are U(jw the northeastern counties of North Carolina. Among these were a company of Presbyterians, who settled upon the Chowan. Others followed them, and by the year 1663 these counties contained a prosperous and growing community of English-speaking people. In 1663, CharlesII., who always displayed the most remarkable liberality iu his gifts | of American lands, granted to eight of hi;? favorites the vast region extending from the present southern boundary of Virginia to the St. John's River in Florida, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Tho.se upon whom this rich gift was bestowed were the P^arl of Clarendon, the prime minister, Lord Ashley Cooper, who was afterwards Earl of .Shaftes- bury, the duke of Albemarle, Lord Craven, Sir John Colleton, Lord John Berkeley, his brother, Sir William Berkeley, theOoveruor of Virginia, and Sir George Cartaret. They were given absolute power over their terri- tory, the king reserving only a claim upon their allegiance. The country had been called Carolina by the first French .settlers iu honor of Charles IX. of France ; the old name was retaiund in honor of Charles 1 1, of England. The proprietors had but one object in view, to enrich themselves ; but they claim to be influenced by a "pious zeal for the propaga- tion of the gospel." They at once .set to work to prepare a code of laws for the govern- ment of their province; This task was given to Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury, and theg^eatphilosopher.John Locke, then an almost unkaowa man. These produce^ 227 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. a cotle known as "The Grand Model," or " Fnndanicntal Constitutions." This was a system which might have been success- ful if the ])cople for whom it was intended had been some European community of the Middle Ages, but it was utterly unsuited to a colony in the woods of America, com- ])osed of men whose personal independence and sturdy love of freedom were the indis- pensable conditions of the success of their enterjnise. By the terms of the "Grand Model " an order of nobilit)' was created, in- to whose hands the sole right to rule was committed. Earls, barons, and squires ■were made the natural heads of the various classes of society, and the common people were attached to the soil as tenants. A Mockery of Freedom. A simple tenant could never rise above his humble position, and was denied the right of suffrage ; only those who possessed fifty acres of land were allowed this right, or were entitled to the name of freemen. The freemen were allowed an assembly, but that body was placed entirely under the control of the nobility. Religious free- dom was promised to all persons, but the constitution expressly declared thattheonly orthodox establishment was the Church of England. Trial by jury was guaranteed, but with the destructive provision that a ma- jority should decide the verdict of the jury. It was very clear that this magnificent constitution would not suit the settlers in the log cabin;:, of North Carolina, but the proprietors, ignorant of the people they had to deal with, proceeded to organize their government in England by electing the Duke of Albemarle to the rank of Pala- tine, as the head oftheir system was termed. Sir William Berkeley, then governor of Virginia,- was ordered to establisl: the authority of the proprietors over the settlers on Albemarle Sound. This he did, and appointed William Drummond, a Scotch- man, governor. This was the same Dnim- mond who afterwards took part in Bacon's rebellion in Virginia, and was hanged by Berkeley, as has been related. A simple form of government was established, and the people of North Carolina were left in peace tintil it .should be time to collect the quit-rents which the proprietors claimed as due for their occupation of their lands. In 1 66 1, a few years previous to this action of Berkeley, a company from New England had made a .settlement on the Cape Fear River. The colony did not prosper, however, though liberal induce- ments were held out to it, and many of the emigrants returned home. In 1664 a colony from the Barbadoes joined the settlers on the Cape Fear. The new-comers had been sent out by a company at the Barbadoes, who purchased from the Indians a tract of land thirty-two miles .square on the Cape Fear, and asked of the proprietors of Caro- lina, a confirmation of their purchase and a separate charter of government. A liberal charter was granted them, the country was named Clarendon, and Sir John Yeamans, a resident of Barbadoes, was appointed gov- ernor. He was instructed to ' ' make things easy to the people of New England ; from thence the greatest supplies are expected."* Lumber Trade. In 1665 he led a company of emigrants from Barbadoes, and formed a settlement on the Cape Fear. The effort to found a town was unsuccessful, and the emigrants found difficulty in contending against the natural barrenness and poverty of the region in which they had located. They devoted themselves to the cuttingand export of lum- ber, and established a trade in boards, staves' and shingles to the West Indies, which is SETTLEMENT OF THE CAROLINAS. 239 still carried on by their descendants. This trade was found to be profitable, and emi- gration increased. In 1 666 the colony is said to have had a population of eight hundred souls. In the meantime the settlements on Albe- marle Sound and the Chowan had prospered, and had increased steadily in population, under the simple government established over them. This government consisted of a council of six persons named by the proprie- taries and six chosen by the assembly, and an assembly consist- ing of the governor, the council and twelve representatives chos- en by the freeholders of the colony. The proprietaries had con- | firmed the colonists in the possession of their lands, and had solemnly promised them religious tolera- tion and exemption from taxation except by the colonial legis- lature. In 1669 the assembly, feeling se- cure in these guaran- tees, enacted a series of laws for the govern- ment of the colony, which remained in force in North Carolina until near the close of the next century. It was enacted that no emigrant should be sued for a debt contracted before his settle- 'ment in the colony until he had been a resident of the province for five years. Marriage was made a civil contract, and for its validity required simply the consent of the contracting parties before ?, magistrate in the presence of witnesses. No emigrant could be taxed during his hrsc year's resi- dence in the colony. New settlers were invited by the offer of large bounties in lands, but no title to these lands could j6 obtained until after a two years' residence in the colony. The governor's salary and the other expenses of the province were secured by the imposition of a fee of thirty pounds of tobacco in every lawsuit. The members of the assembly served without compensa- tion, seeking no emoluments from office. THE COAST OF NORTH VAKOLINA. In 1670 the constitution of Shaftesbury and Locke was sent over by the proprie- taries, and Mie governor was ordered to establish i'^ in the colony. It met with a determin-ed resistance from both legislature and people, who could never be induced to submit 10 it. Tlie people upon whom the proprietaries entWivored to enforce their" Grand Model" w' JOHN WESLEY. Ebenezer, and was deeply impressed with th« caie with which they protected the orphan and helpless children of their community. He determined to establish an institution similar to the orphan house at Halle, in ^4^ SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. Gcnnsny, anrl by his personal exertions suc- ceeded in raising in England and America the funds necessary for the success oi his enterprise. lis tiicreu[ion established near Savannah fh*? first orphan asylum in America. He GEORGE WHITEFIELD. watched it with unceasing care during his life, but after his death it languished and was at length discontinued. Whitefield did not confine his labors to Georgia. He visited ■n^erv colony in America, and finally died and was buried in New England. ^'he memory of his wondertul eloquence is still retained in this country by the children ol those who listened to him. Immediately upon his return to Georgia, Oglethorpe proceeded to visit the Lutheran settlement at Ebenezer, to encourage the people and lay out their town. The Germans repaid nis care by their industry, and in a few years their total annual product of raw silk amounted to ten thousand pounds. The culture of indigo was also carried on by them with marked success. Oglethorpe, having visited the Scotch set- tlement at Darien, now resolved to come to a definite understanding with the Spaniards at St. Augustine respect- ing the southern bordet of Georgia, and to sus- tain the pretensions of Great Britain to the country as far south as the St. John's. Proceed ing with a detachment ol Highlanders to Cumber- land Island, he marked out the location for a fort, to be called St. Andrew's, and on the southern end of Amelia Island, at the mouth oi the St. John's, built Fort St. George. The Spaniards on their part claimed the whole coast as far north as St. Helena's Sound, and Oglethorpe, a little later, decided to abandon Fort St. George, but strengthened Fort St. SETTLEME^IT OF GEORGIA. 247 Andrew, as it defended the entrance to the St. Mary's, which stream was finally settled upon as the boundary between Georgia and Florida. Oglethorpe was commissioned a brigadier-general by the king, and was charged with the defence of Georgia and South Carolina. He repaired to England and raised a regiment of troops, with which he returned to Georgia in 1738. Spain and England were rapidly drifting into war. The system of restrictions by which the European governments sought to retain the exclusive possession of the com- merce of their respective colonies was always a fruitful source of trouble. It now operated to bring England and Spain to open hostili- ties. The Spanish colonies were forbidden by law to trade with any port but that of Cadiz. The merchants of this place, being given a monopoly of the colonial commerce, were enabled to fi.x their prices without fear of competition, and thus earned large fortunes. Grasping Smugglers. The trade of the Spanish-American col- onies, however, was too tempting not to pro- duce rivals to the merchants of Cadiz. The English, who had watched its growth with eager eyes, determined to gain a share of it. By the terms of a treaty between the two nations, an English vessel was allowed to visit Portobello, in the West Indies, once a year, and dispose of its cargo. This vessel was followed by smaller ones, which in the night replaced with their cargoes the bales of goods that had been discharged during the day. An active smuggling trade sprang up between the English and Spanish-American ports, and English vessels repeatedly sought these ports, under the pretence of distress, and sold their goods. These enterprises were carried to such an extent that the Spanish merchants were unable to compete with the English smugglers in the colonial markets, and the tonnage of the port of Cadiz fell from fifteen thousand to two thou- sand tons. The Spaniards visited with severe punish- ments all who were detected in engaging in this illicit traffic. Some of the offenders wer« imprisoned, and others were deprived of their ears. The English people resented the pun- ishment of these traders as an infringement of the freedom of trade, and regarded the smugglers who had suffered at the hands of Spanish justice as martyrs. The popular sentiment was therefore in favor of a war with Spain, and the English government, which had all along connived at this illicit trade, which was rapidly crippling a rival power, shared the national feeling. Grievances of the Settlers. The English colonists, who had watched the growth of the trouble between the two European countries, had grievances of their own. South Carolina was a. sufferer by the loss of numerous runaway negro slaves, who escaped to the Spaniards at St. Augustine. The return of these fugitives was demanded, and was refused, not because the Spaniards were opposed to slavery, but because they were always ready to injure the English col- onies by any means in their power. More- over, the Spanish authorities of Florida had ordered the English to withdraw from Georgia, and it was not certain that they would refrain from seeking to enforce this order. Oglethorpe had become convinced that war was inevitable, and in order to be prepared for it had visited Europe and raised a regiment of six hundred men, as has been related. War was declared against Spain by Eng- land in October, 1739. Admiral Vernon was sent against Portobello with his fleet, and captured that town and its fortifications, and gained some other successes over the 248 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. Spaniards in Central America. In 1740, the American colonies were ordered by the British government to contribute each its quota to a grand expedition against tlie Spanisli possessions in the West Indies. Each colony made its contribution promptly, and Pennsylvania, in the place of troops, voted a sum of money. Fleet of a Hundred Vessels. The expedition reached Jamaica in Janu- ary, 1741, but instead of proceeding at once to attack Havana, which was only three days distant, and the conquest of which would have made England supreme in the West Indies, the fleet was detained for over a month at Jamaica by the dissensions be- tween Wentworth, the incompetent com- mander of the land forces, and Vernon, the admiral of the fleet. The expedition num- bered ovei one hundred vessels, of which twenty-nine were ships of the line, and was manned with fifteen thousand sailors and twelve thousand troops, and supplied with every requisite for a successful siege. Havana might have been taken, and England have gained a hold upon the southern waters of America which could never have been wrested from her. Instead of undertaking this important measure, the expedition attacked Cartha- gena, the strongest fortress in Spanish America. The Spaniards defended it with obstinancy and held the English in check until the besieging force, decimated by the ravages of the climate, was compelled to withdraw. The war continued through the next year, but England gained no advan- tage in the West Indies which could at all compensate her for her losses in the struggle. In the autumn of 1739, upon the breaking out of the war, Oglethorpe was ordered to invade Florida, and attack St. Augustine. He hastened to Charleston and urged upon the authorities of South Carolina, which formed a part of his military command, the necessity of acting with promptness and de- cision. He was granted supplies and a force of four hundred men, which, added to his own regiment, gave him a force of one thousand white troops. He was also fur- nished with a body of Indian warriors by the friendly tribes, and with his little army in- vaded Florida in the spring of I74i,and laid siege to St. Augustine. He found the gar- rison more numerous and the fortifications stronger than he had been led to believe. The Indians soon became disheartened and began to desert, and the troops from South Carolina, " enfeebled by the heat, dispirited by sickness and fatigued by fruitless efforts, marched away in large bodies." Spanish Settlers Protected. The small naval force also became dissat- isfied, and Oglethorpe, left with only his own regiment, was obliged to withdraw into Georgia after a siege of five weeks. During this campaign Oglethorpe made a few pris- oners, whom he treated with kindness. He prevented the Indians from maltreating the Spanish settlers, and, throughout the inva- sion, " endured more fatigues than any of his soldiers; and in spite of ill-health, he was at the head in every important action." The invasion of Florida was a misfortune for Georgia in every way. Not only were some of the inhabitants lost to the colony by death, and the industry of the province greatly interfered with by the calling off of the troops from their ordinary avocations, but a serious misfortune was sustained in the withdrawal of the Moravians from the prov- ince. Uncompromisingly oppo.sed to war, they withdrew from Georgia in a body and settled in Penn.sylvania, where they founded the towns of Bethlehem antl Nazareth. SETTLEMENT OF GEORGIA. 249 In the last year of the war, 1742, the Spaniards resolved to avenge the attack upon Florida by driving the English out of Georgia. A strong fleet with a considerable land force was sent from Cuba to St. Augus- tine, from which it proceeded to the mouth of the St. Mary's. Oglethorpe had con- structed a strong work called Fort William, on the southern end of Cumberland Island, for the defence of this river. With no aid from Carolina, and with less than a thousand men, Oglethorpe was left to defend this position as well as he could. He posted his main force at Frederica, a small village on St. Simon's Island. The Spanish fleet attacked Fort William in June and succeeded in passing it and entering the harbor of St. Simon's. The troops were landed and ar- rangements were made for a combined attack upon Frederica. Entrapped and Defeated. Oglethorpe now resolved to anticipate the attack of the enemy by a night assault upon *heir position, but as his forces were approach- ing the Spanish camp, under cover of dark- ness, one of his soldiers, a Frenchman, betrayed the movement by firing his gun, and escaping into the enemy's lines, where he gave the alarm. Oglethorpe, by a happy stratagem, now induced the enemy to with- draw, and drew upon the deserter the pun- ishment he merited. He bribed a Spanish prisoner to carry a letter to the deserter, in which he addressed the Frenchman as a spy of the English, and urged him to use every efTott to detain the Spaniaius before Fred- erica for several days longer, until a fleet of six English ships of war, which had sailed *froni Charleston, could reach and destroy St. Augustine. The letter was delivered by the released prisoner to the Spanish com- mander, as Oglethorpe had known would be the case, and the deserter was placed m con- finement. Fortunately, at this moment, some vessels from South Carolina, laden with supplies for Oglethorpe, appeared in the ofifing. These the Spanish commander was confident were the ships on their way to attack St. Augus- tine. He determined to strike a vigorous blow at Frederica before sailing to the relief of his countrymen in Florida. On his march towards the English position he was ambus- caded and defeated, with great losSj at a place since called " Bloody Marsh." The next night he embarked his forces and sailec^ for St. Augustine to defend it from the attack which had no existence save in the fertile brain of Oglethorpe, whose stratagem was thus entirely successful. On their withdrawal the Spaniards renewed their attempt to cap- ture Fort William, but without success. The firmness and vigor of Oglethorpe had saved Georgia and Carolina from the ruin which the Spaniards, who had no intention of occupying the country, had designed for them. Oglethorpe Acquitted. Yet the founder and brave defender o\ Georgia was not to escape the experience of those who seek with disinterested zeal to serve their fellow-men. The disaffect'^d settlers sent an agent to England to lodge complaints against him with the government. In July, 1743, having made sure of the tran- quility and safety of the colony, Oglethorpe sailed for England to meet his accuser, and upon arriving in his native country demanded an investigation of his conduct in the land for which he had sacrificed so much. The result of the inquiry was the trium- phant acquittal of Oglethorpe and the pun- ishment of his accuser for making false charges. Oglethorpe was promoted to the grade of major-general in the English army. He did not return to Georgia again, but he had the satisfaction of knowing that 'during 250 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. his ten years of sacrifice and toil in America he had .siiccessfnlly laid the foundations of a vigorous state and had placed it far beyond the possibility of failure, and that his name was honored and loved by the people for whom he had given his best efforts without any personal reward. He died at the age of ninety years. After the departure of Og- lethorpe many improvements were made in the government of Georgia, which was changed from a military rule to a civil establishment. The forms and customs of the English law were introduced and the usual magistrates appointed. Human Cargoes from Africa. Slavery had been forbidden by the trus- tees, but the majority of the people were dissatisfied with this prohibition. The Ger- mans and tlie Scotch were opposed to the introduction of slave labor, but the greater number of the English, many of whom had been redticed to poverty by their idleness and wastefulness, were of the opinion that the agricultural wealth of the colony could not be properly developed by white labor alone. "They were im willing to labor, but were clamorous for privileges to which they had no right." They declared that the use of strong liquors was rendered ab- solutely necessary by the climate and de- manded the repeal of the laws against their introduction. Negro slaves were hired from the Carolina planters at first for a few years, and finally for a term of one hundred years, which was a practical establishment of slavery in the colony. Within seven years after Oglethorpe's departure slave-ships from Africa brought their cargoes direct to Savannah and sold them there. The scruples of the Germans were at length overcome, and they were induced to believe that negroes might be led into the Christian fold by their proper treatment by Christian masters, and that in this way their change of country might result in benefit to them. "If you take slaves in faith," wrote their friends from Germany, "and with the intent of conduct- ing them to Christ, the action will not be a sin, but may prove a benediction." Even the pious Whitefield took this view of the subject and urged the tru.stees to grant per- mission to the colonists to hold slaves, as indispensable to the prosperity of Georgia. The trustees were so strongly urged to this step by all classes of the colony, and so overrun with complaints, that the twenty- one years of their guardianship having ex- pired, they were glad to surrender their trust, which they did in 1752, and Georgia became a royal province. Privileges simi- lar to those granted the other colonies were allowed it. The king appointed the gov- ernor and some of the other higher oflSicials, and the assembly discharged the duties, and enjoyed the rights appertaining to similar bodies in the other provinces. Georgia was always a favored colony. Among the most important privileges be- stowed upon it was the right to import and hold negro slaves, which was conferred upon it by Parliament after a careful exam- ination into the matter. After this the colony grew rapidly, and cotton and ricf were largely cultivated. In 1752, at the time of the relinquishment of the colony to the crown, Georgia contained a poptilation less than twenty-five hundred whites and( about four hundred negroes. In 1775, at the outbreak of the Revolution, the popu- lation numbered about seventy-five thou- sand souls, and its exports were valued at over half a million of dollars. CHAPTER XX The French in the Valley of the Mississippi. Origin of the Hostility of the Iroquois to the French — Settlement of Canada — Plans of the French Respecting the Indians — The Jesuits — Their Work iu America — Success of their Missions — The Early Missionaries — Foundation of a College at Quebec — Rfforts of the Jesuits to Convert the Iroquois — Father Jogues — Death of Ahasistari — Father Allouez — The Missions on the Upper Lakes — Father Marquette — His Exploration of the Upper Mississippi — Death of Marquette — La Salle^Efforts of France to Secure the Valley of the Mis- ' sissippi — La Salle Descends the Mississippi to its Mouth — His Effort to Colonize the Lower Mississippi — The First Colony iu Texas — Its F'ailure — Death of La Salle — Lemoiued'Ibberville — Settlement of Louisiana — Colony of Biloxi — Settlement of Mobile — Crozat's Monopoly — Founding of New Orleans — Detroit Founded — Slow Growth oC the French Colonies — Occupation of the Ohio Valley by the French — Wars with the Indians — Extermination of the Natchez Tribe — War with the Chickasaws. WE have already spoken of the explorations of Saiiuiel Cliam- plaiu in Canada and in the northern part of New York. It is necessary now, in order to obtain a proper comprehension of the period at which we have arrived, to go back to the time of his discoveries and trace the efforts of France to extend her dominion over the great valley of the Mississippi. We have seen Champlain in one of his last expedi- tions accompanying a war party of the Hu- rons and Algonquins against their inveter- ate enemies, the Iroquois or Five Nations. By his aid the former were enabled to de- feat the Iroquois, and that great confederacy thus became the bitter and uncompromising enemies of the French nation. They cher- ished this hostility to the latest period of the dominion of France in Canada, and no effort of the French governors was ever able to overcome it. The efforts of Champlain established the settlement of Canada upon a sure basis of juccess, and after his death settlers came over to Canada from France in considerable numbers. Quebec became an important place, and other settlements were founded. It was apparent from the first that the Freucb colonies must occupy a very differ- ent footing from those of England. The soil and the climate were both unfavorable to agriculture, and the Frencli .settlements were of necessity organized chiefly as trad- ing-posts. The trade in furs was immensely valuable, and the Frencli .sought to secure the exclusive possession of it. To this end it was indispensable to secure the friend- ship of the Indians, especially of those tribes inhabiting the country to the north and west of the great lakes. In 1634, three years before the death of Champlain, Louis XIII. granted a charter to a company of French nobles and mer- chants, bestowing upon them the entire region embraced in the valley of the St. Lawrence, then known as New France. Richelieu and Champlain, who were mem- bers of this company, were wi.se enough to understand that their countrymen were not suited to the task of colonization, and that if France was to found an empire in the new world, it must be by civilizing and Chris- tianizing the Indians and Ijringing theni under the rule of her king, and not by seek- ing to people Canada with Frenchmen. From this time it became the policy of France to bring the savages under her sway. The efforts of the settlers in Canada were mainly devoted to trading with the Indians. 251 252 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. and no attempt was made to found an agri- cultural state. Champlain had conceived a sincere desire for the conversion of the savages to Chris- tianity, and had employed several priests of the order of St. Francis as his companions, jnd these had gained sufficient success among the savages to give ground for the hope that the red men might yet be brought into the fold of Christ. Father Le Caron, one of this order, had penetrated far up the St. Law- rence, had explored the southern coast of Lake Ontario, and had even entered Lake Huron. He brought back tidings of thou- sands of the sons of the forest living in darkness and superstition, ignorant of the gospel, and dying " in the bondage of their sins," In France a sudden enthusiasm was awakened in behalf of the savages, and at court zeal for the conversion of the Indians became the sure road to distinction. Much of this was the result of genuine disinterested regard for the welfare of the red men, but much also was due to the conviction that by such a course the power of France would be most surely established in Canada. Work of the Jesuits. The missions were placed entirely in the hands of the Jesuits, an order well suited to tlie task demanded of it. It had been estab- lished by its founder for the express design of defeating the influences and the work of the Reformation, and its members were chosen with especial regard to their fitness for the duties required of them. They were to meet and refute the arguments by which the Reformers justified their withdrawal from the Rom.an church, to beat back the advanc- ing wave of Protestantism, and bring all Christendom once more in humble submis- sion to the feet of the Roman pontiff. The Reformers had made a most successful aaeoi trducation in winning men from Rome , the Jesuits would take their own weapons against the Protestants. They would no longer command absolute and unquestioning submission to their church ; but would edu- cate the people to accept the faith of Rome as the result of study and investigation ; and in order that study and investigation should lead to this desired result, the control ot these processes should be placed exclusively in the hands of the members of the Jesuit order, who should direct them as they deemed best. Such a task required a band of de- voted men, carefully trained for their special work ; and such an order the Jesuits became. Surrendering his conscience and will to the direction of his superiors, and sinking his personality in that of his order, the Jesuit became a mere intellectual machine in the hands of his superior. A Solemn Oath. Bound by a most solemn oath to obey without inquiry or hesitation the commands of the Pope, or the superiors of the order, the Jesuit holds himself in readiness to execute instantly, and to the best of his ability, any task imposed upon him. Neither fatigue, danger, hunger nor suffering was to stand in his way of perfect and unhesitating obedi- ence. No distance was to be considered an obstacle, and no lack of ordinary facilities of travel was to prevent him from attempting to reach the fields in which he was ordered to labor. The merit of obedience in his eyes atoned for every other short-coming ; devo- tion to the church, the glory of making proselytes, made even suffering pleasure and death a triumph, if met in the discharge of duty. Such an order was in every way qualified for the work of Christianizing the savages, and America offered the noblest field to which its energies had yet been invited. There, cut off from the ambitious schemes THE FRENCH IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 2S3 and corrupt influences which had enlisted their powers in Europe, the Jesuits could achieve and did achieve their noblest and most useful triumphs. There, their influ- ence was for good alone, and their labors stand in striking contrast with those which won for the order the universal execration of Europe. Not only did they win the honor of gaining many converts to the Christian faith, but they were the means of extending the dominion of their country far beyond the boundaries of Canada, and of bringing the great valley of the Mississippi under the authority of France. Marriage of Whites and Indians. By the year 1536 there were thirteen Jesuit missionaries in Canada laboring among the Indians. Not content with re- maining around the posts, they pushed out beyond the frontier settlements into the boundless forest, making new converts and important discoveries. Each convert was regarded as a subject of France, and the equal of the whites, and the kindliest rela- tions were established between the French and the natives. Many of the traders took them Indian wives, and from these marriages sprang the class of half-breeds afterwards so numerous in Canada. The limits of Canada were too narrow for the ambition of the Jesuits ; they burned to carry Christianity to the tribes in the more distant regions beyond the lakes. In the autumn of 1634 Fathers Brabeuf and Daniel accompanied a party of Hurons, who had •"ome to Quebec on a trading e-xpedition, to their home on the shores of the lake which bears their name. It was a long and difficult journey of nine hundred miles, and it taxed 'he endurance of the missionaries to the ut- aiost, but they persevered, and finally gained a resting-place at the Huron villages or Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe Tl' they erected a rude chapel in a little grove, and celebrated the mysteries of their religion in the midst of the wondering red men, who looked on with awe and not without interest. New Missions. Six missions were soon established among the Indian villages in this part of the lake, and converts began to reward the labors of the devoted priests. Father Brabeuf had not an idle moment. The first four hours of the day were passed in prayer and in the flagel- lation of his body ; he wore a shirt of hair, and his fasts were frequent and severe. The remainder of the day was given to catechis- ing and teaching the Indians. As he passed along the streets of the village he would ring his little bell, and in this way summon the warriors to converse with him upon the mysteries of the Christian faith. He spent fifteen years in his labors among the Indians, and hundreds of converts were by means of him gained to Christ among the dusky chil- dren of the forest. The great Huron chief, Ahasistari, was among the converts of Father Brabeuf. " Before you came to this country," he said to the missionary, " when I have incurred the greatest perils and have alone escaped, I have said to myself, ' Some powerful Spirit has the guardianship of my days.' " That Spirit he now declared was Jesus Christ, and as he had before adored him in ignorance, he now became his acknowledged servant. Being satisfied of his sincerity, Father Brabeuf baptized him, and the chief, in the enthusi- asm of his new belief, exclaimed, " Let us .strive to make the whole world embrace the faith in Jesus." The report of the successful efforts of the missionaries gave great satisfaction in France, and the king and queen and the nobles made liberal donations in support of the missions and for the assistance of the converts. ^ 254 UNIVERSITY AND NORMAL SCHOOL BUILDINGS AT TORONTO, THE FRENCH IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSLSSTPPI. 255 college for the education of missionaries was founded at Quebec in 1635. This was the first institution of learning established in America, and preceded the founding of Har- vard College by two years, Madame de la Peltrie, a wealthy young widow of Alencon, v.ith the aid of three nuns, established in 1639 the Ursuline Convent for the education of Indian girls. The three nuns came out from France to take charge of it, and were received with enthusiasm, especially by the Indians. Montreal being regarded as a more suit- able place, the institution was removed to that island and permanently established there. The Powerful Mohawks. The labors of the missioi.aries had thus far been confined to the Huron and Algon- quin tribes, whom they found very willing to listen to them, and among whom they counted their converts by thousands. They had encountered but little hostility from them, and the dangers of the enterprise were merely those inseparable from the unsettled condition of the country. They were anxious to extend their efforts to the fiercer and more powerful Iroquois, as the conver- sion of the tribes of this confederacy would not only swell the number of their converts, but would extend the influence of France to the very borders of the English settlements on the Atlantic roast. The Iroquois, or Five Nations, consisted, as has been said, of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Mohawk tribes. They occupied almost all that part of Canada south of the Ottawa, and between Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, the greater part of New York and the country lying along the south shore of Lake Erie, now included in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. They were generally called by the English the Mohawks. They wf-re the most intelligent. as well as the most powerful, of the tribes with whom the French missionaries came in contact. Their traditions related that their confed- eracy had been formed in accordance with the instructicns of Hiawatha, the greatest and wisest of their chiefs, who had been blessed by the Great Spirit with more than human beauty and wisdom and courage. He had made his people great, united and prosperous ; had then taken a solemn leave of them, and had sailed out into the distant sunset in a snow-white canoe, amid the sweetest music from the spirit land. They were regarded with dread by the sur- rounding tribes, many of which were tribu- tary to them. Their influence extended eastward as far as New England, and west ward as far as the countries of the Illinois ana the Miamis. They regarded the Hurons as their hereditary enemies, and the French, as allies of the Hurons, now shared this hos- tility. The savages long remembered, and never forgave, the alliance of Champlain with the Hurons and Algonquins, to which reference has been made. Enmity of the Red Men. The Jesuit missionaries vainly endeavored to add the tribes of the Five Nations to their converts. The latter, regarding the French as enemies, could never be made to look upon the missionaries of that race as friends, and considered the efforts of the good fathers in their behalf as a species of incantation designed for their destruction. They closed the region south of Lake Ontario to the French traders and priests and kept a vigilant watch over the passes of the St. Lawrence for the purpose of breaking up the trade of the French at Montreal with the tribes on the lakes. The only route by which the lakes could be reached in safety was by the Ottawa and f.^6 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. through the wilderness beyond. Yet occa- sionally a trading party would slip through the blockade established by the Iroquois, and, descending the lakes and the St. Law- rence, reach Montreal and Quebec in safety. These expeditions constituted the only means by which the Jesuit missionaries in the remote regions could communicate with their principal establishment at Montreal. In the summer of 1642, Father Jogues, who had labored with great success in the country now embraced in the state of Michi- gan, left the Sault Sainte Marie under the escort of the great Huron war chief Ahasis- tari and a number of his braves, and, descend- ing the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence, reached Montreal and Quebec in safety. On the first of August he set out on his return, ac- companied by a larger fleet of Huron canoes. Before the mouth of the Ottawa was reached the part}'' was attacked by a band of Mo- hawks, and the canoes were so much dam- aged that the occupants were forced to make for the opposite shore. The greater number escaped, but a few, among whom were Father Jogues and Father Goupil, a fellow-priest, were taken prisoners. Died at the Stake. Ahasistari had succeeded i n reaching a place of safety, and from his concealment saw the missionaries prisoners in the hands of their tnemies. He knew the fate that awaited them, and resolved to share it with them. Father Jogues might have escaped, but as there were among the prisoners several con- verts who had not yet received baptism, he decided to remain with them in the hope of being able to administer the sacred rite to them before their execution. Ahasistari , strode through the midst of the astonished Mohawks to the side of the priest. " My brother," said the chief, " I made oath to thee that I would share thy fortune, whether death or life ; here am I to keep my vow," He received absolution from the hands of his teacher, and died at the stake with the firm- ness of a Christian and a hero. Jogues and Goupil were carried to the Mohawk, and in each village through which they were led were compelled to run the gauntlet. On an ear of corn which was thrown to them foi food a few drops of the dew had remained, and with these Father Jogues baptized two of his converts. Peace with the Five Nations. Goupil was not so fortunate. He was seen in the act of making the sign of the cross over an Indian child, and was struck dead by a blow from the tonia- hawk of the child's father, who sup- posed he was working a spell for the little one's harm. Father Jogues had expected the same fate, but he was spared, and even allowed to erect a large cross near the villagt at which he was detained, and to worship before it at pleasure. He escaped at length and reached Albany, where he was kindly received by the Dutch, who enabled him to return to France, from which country he sailed again for Canada. He went boldly into the Mohawk country and began again the efforts which he had made during his captivity to convert his enemies to the true faith, but his labors were soon cut short by his murder by a Mohawk warrior. Other missionaries sought the country of these tribes, but only to meet torture and death at their hands. In 1645, the Frenca, who desired to secure their possessions, made a treaty of peace with the Five Nations. The latter professed to forget and bury the wrongs of the past, and agreed to be the true friends of the French. The Algonquins joined in the peace, but neither tribe was sincere in its professions of friendship. THE FRENCH IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPL 257 The Abenakis of Maine, who had heard of the good deeds of the Jesuit fathers, sent messengers to Montreal asking that mission- aries might be sent to dwell among them. Their appeal was favorably considered, and Father Dreuilettes made his way across the wilderness to the head of the Kennebec, and descended that stream to a point within a few miles of its mouth, where he established his mission. Large numbers of the savages came to him for religious instruction, and he found them ready to embrace the truths he caught them. He entered heartily into all the modes of Indian life, hunting and fishing with them, and winning their confidence and affection. After remaining with them about a year he returned to Quebec, escorted by a band of his converts. He gave such favora- ble accounts of the disposition of the Maine Indians that a permanent mission was estab- lished among them. Uncivilized Wild Men. By the close of the year 1646 the French had established a line of missions extending across the continent from Lake Superior to Nova Scotia, and between sixty and seventy missionaries were actively. engaged in in- structing and preaching to the savages. How far the labors of these devoted men were actually successful will never be known, as their work was of a character which can- not be submitted to any human test. They did not succeed, however, in changing either the character or the habits of their converts. They were still wild men, who scorned to ingage in the labor of cultivating their lands, and lived by hunting and fishing. They learned to engage in the religious services of the missionaries, to chant matins and ves- pers, but they made no approach to civiliza- ition. When, in after years, the zeal of the whites for their conversion became less act- ive, and the missionaries less numerous, they fell back into their old ways, 17 In 1648 the peace between the Mohawks and the Hurons was broken, and the war blazed up again fiercer than ever. Bands of Mohawk warriors invaded the territory of the Hurons, and both the savage and the missionary fell victims to their fury. On the morning of the fourth of July the village of St. Joseph, on Lake Simcoe, was attacked by a war party of the Mohawks. Pierced With Arrows. The Huron braves were absent on a hunt- ing expedition, and only the old men and the women and children of the tribe were left in the village. This was the village founded by the missionaries Brabeuf and Daniel, the latter of whom, now an old man, was still dwelling with his converts. At the opening of the attack the good priest has- tened to baptize such as he could, and to give absolution to all whom he could reach. Then, as the Mohawks forced the stockade which protected the village and swarmed in among the wigwams, he advanced calmly from the chapel to meet them, and fell pierced with numerous arrows. During the next year the Jesuit missions in Upper Canada were broken up. At the capture of the village Father Brabeuf and his companion, Gabriel Lallemand, were made prisoners, and were subsequently put to death with the crudest tortures. They bore their sufferings with a firmness which astonished their persecutors. The Hurons were scattered and their country was added to the dominion of the Five Nations. Many of the captive Hurons were adopted into the conquering tribes. A large number of these had embraced Christianity — so many, indeed, that the Jesuits, who had been in nowise discouraged by the terrible scenes which had marked the war, began to cherish the hope that the presence of these converts would induce the Iroquois to receive a missionary K8 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. ?imong them. It was decided to make the ittempt among the Onondagas,and Oswego, which was their principal village, was chosen as the site of the mission. Useless Efforts. The Iroquois made no effort to disturb the missionaries, and priests were sent among the other tribes of the confederacy. Encour- aged by this reception, the French undertook to secure a firm footing in this inviting region by establishing a colony at the mouth of the Oswego, and fifty persons were des- patched to that point to begin a settlement there. This aroused the alarm of the Indians, who compelled the colonists to withdraw and forced the missionaries to de- part with them. This was the last effort of the French to obtain possession of New York. The Five Nations were not to be reconciled with them on any terms, and their hostility made it useless to attempt the col- onization of that fertile region. Defeated in their hope of obtaining a footing in the country of the Five Nations, the Jesuit fathers turned their attention more energetically to the vast region beyond the lakes. In 1654 two young fur-traders had penetrated into the country beyond Lake Superior, and after an absence of two years had returned to Quebec, bringing with them accounts of the powerful and numerous tribes occupying that region. They brought with them a number of Indians, who urged the French to open commercial relations with and send missionaries among these tribes. Their request was promptly granted, and missionaries were soon on the ground. One of these, the aged Father Mesnard, while journeying through the forests, wan- dered off from his attendants and was never seen again. His cassock and breviary were found by the Sioux, and were long retained by them as a protection against evil. In 1665 Father Claude Alloiiez ascendeu the Ottawa and crossed the wilderness to the Sault Ste-Marie, on a mission to the tribes of the far west. In October he reached the principal town of the Chippewas at the head of Lake Superior. He found the tribe in great excitement ; the young warriors werfc eager to engage in a war against the formid- able Sioux, and the old men were seeking to restrain them. A grand council was in progress, which was attended by the chiefs, of ten or twelve of the neighboring tribes for the purpose of preserving peace •.; possible. Father Alloiiez was admitted to this assembly and exhorted the warriors to abandon their hostile intentions, and urged them to join the French in an alliance against the Five Nations. His appeal was successful ; the war against the Sioux was abandoned, and the savages came in from all parts of the surrounding country to listen to the words of the mis- sionary. A chapel was built on the shore of the lake and the mission of the Holy Spirit was founded. The fame of the missionary spread far to the west and north, and the tribes dwelling north of Lake Superior, the Pottawatomies from Lake Michigan, who worshiped the sun, and the Sioux and the Illinois from the distant prairies of the west, came to the mission to hear the teachings of the missionary. They told him of their country, an unbroken expanse of level land, without trees, but covered with long rich grass, upon which grazed innumerable herds of buffalo and deer ; of the rice which grew wild in their distant homes ; of the rich yield of maize which their fields produced ; of the copper mines of which they but dimly comprehended the value ; and of the great river which flowed through their country from the far north to the unknown regions of the south, and which Alloiiez understood them to call the " Messipi." THE FRENCH IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPJ 259 After remaininiJ at his mission for two years, Allciiez returned to Quebec to ask for other laborers in the great field around him, and to urge the French to estabh'sh per- manent settlements of emigrants or tradei* in the Lake Superior country. He remainf*." at Quebec two days, was given an assistant, and at once returned to his post, where he continued his labors for many years. " Dur- ing his long sojourn he lighted the torch of laith for more than twenty different nations."' In 1668 the French West India Company, under whose auspices the settlement of Canada had been conducted, relinquished their monopoly of the fur trade, and a great improvement in the condition and prospects of Canada ensued. In the same year Fathers Claude Dablon and James Marquette estab- lished the mission of Ste-Marie at the rapids through which the waters of Lake Superior rush into those of Huron. " For the suc- ceeding years," says Bancroft, " the illus- trious triumvirate, Alloiiez, Dablon and Marquette, were employed in confirming the influence of France in the vast regions that extend from Green Bay to the head of Lake Superior, mingling happiness with suffering, and winning enduring glory by their fearless perseverance." Wonderful Scene. In 1669, Father Alloiiez went to establish mission at Green Bay, and Father Mar- quette took his place at the mission of the Holy Spirit. Marquette had heard so much of the Mississippi that he resolved to under- take the discovery of the upper waters of that stream. He employed a young Illinois warrior as his companion, and from him jearned the dialect of that tribe. In 1673, accompanied by a fellow-priest named Joliet, five French boatmen, and some Indian guides and interpreters, bearing their canoes on their backs, Marquette set out from his mission. and crossing the narrow portage which divides the Fox River from the Wifcconsin, reached the headwaters of the latter stream. There the guides left them, wondering at their rashness in seeking to venture into a legion which the simple imagination of the sa\ ages filled with vague terrors. The axii'enturers floated down the Wisconsin, and in ^even days entered the Mississippi, " with a joy that could not be expressed." Raising the sails of their canoes they glided down the mighty father of waters, gazing with wonder upon the magnificent forests which lined its shores, and which swarmed with game, and admiring the boundless prairie* which stretched away from either bank to th" horizon. The Pipe of Peace. One hundred and eighty miles belOW the mouth of the Wisconsin the voyagers for the first time discovered signs of human beings. They landed, and found an Indian village >} few miles distant from the river. They wer^ kindly received by the inhabitants, who spoke the language of the Indians who had come with Marquette, and a week was passed at this hospitable village. The villagers told the travellers that the lower river extended faf to the south, where the heat was deadly, and that in those latitudes the stream abounded with monsters which destroyed both men and canoes. At the departure of the whites the chief of the tribe hung around Marquette's neck the peace-pipe, and ex- plained to him that it would prove a safe« guard to him among the tribes into \ hosg territory his journey would lead hltn. Continuing their voyage the . explorer? reached the mouth of the Missouri, and noticed the strong, muddy stream which it poured into the Mississippi. "When I return," said Marquette, " I will gscend that river and pass beyond its headwaters, and 26o SETTLEMENl OF AMERICA. proclaim the gospel." One hundred and twenty miles farther south they passed the mouth of the Ohio, of which river they had heard from the Illinois at the village they had visited. As they proceeded farther south the heat became more intense, for it was the month of July. They met with Indians, whose hostility was disarmed by the peace- pipe which Marquette bore. Some of these Indians were armed with axes of European manufacture, which they had obtained either from the Spaniards in the far south, or from the English in Virginia. The voyage was continued to the mouth of the Arkansas. Marquette was now satisfied that the great river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, and as he was fearful of falling into the hands of the Spaniards in that region, he decided to bring his voyage to an end, and return to the lakes. The Dying Missionary. The task of ascending the river was accom- plished with great difiRculty, and at length the mouth of the Illinois was reached. As they supposed this stream would lead them to the lakes the voyagers ascended it to its headwaters, and then crossed the country to the site of Chicago, from which they con- tinued the voyage by way of Lake Michigan to Green Bay. Marquette despatched Joliet to Quebec to report the results of the voyage, but himself remained at Green Bay. It was his purpose to preach the gospel among the Illinois, who had begged him during his voyage to come back to them. He was detained at Green Bay for some time by feeble health, but in 1675 went back to the Illinois, and began his labors among them. Feeling that his end was near he undertook to return to the mis- sion of St. Mary's, but fell ill on the way. He gave absolution to all his companions, and retired to pray. An hour afterwards. uneasy at his absence, his peoole went to seek him, and found him kneeling, but pray- ing no longer, for his spirit had gone to receive its reward. He was buried on the banks of the river that bears his name, and his memory was long cherished with affec- tion by the Indians. The work of exploration which Marquette had begun was taken up by a bolder and firmer hand. Robert Cavalier de la Salle, a man of good family, had been educated for the service of the Jesuits, but had abandoned his design of entering that order after com- pleting his education. In 1G67 he had emi- grated to Canada to seek his fortune, and had established himself as a fur-trader on Lake Ontario. Encouraged by the governor of Canada he had explored Lake Ontario, and had ascended to Lake Erie. When the French governor a few years later built Fort Frontenac to guard the outlet of Lake Ontario, La Salle was granted an extensive domain, including Fort Frontenac, now the town of Kingston, on condition that he would maintain the fort. He thus obtained the monopoly of the fur-trade w-th the Five Nations. Here he was residing at the tinw of the death of Marquette. On the Road to Fortune. The news of Marquette's discoveries filled him with the deepest interest, and he was eager to continue the e.xploration of the river at the point at which Marquette liad discontinued it, and to trace it to its mouth. He was already on the road to fortune, but the prospect of winning greater fame was too tempting to be resisted, and, leaving his pos- sessions on Lake Ontario, he sailed for France and laid before Colbert, the minister, the schemes he had for the exploration and colonization of the valley of the Mississippi. He obtained a grant of valuable privileges and received permission to attempt the task THE FRENCH IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPL 361 Supplies were necessary to the exploration of the Mississippi, and La Salle being deter- mined to obtain them, took with him three companions and crossed the wilderness to Fort Frontenac, which he reached in the spring of 1680. During his absence. Father Hennepin, by his orders, explored the Upper Mississippi as far as the falls, which he named m honor of St. Anthony, the patron saint of the expedition. In the summer of 1680 La Salle returned to the Illinois, but various '-^- of adding that vast region to the dominions of France. He returned to Fort Frontenac HI the autumn of 1678, bringing with him as his lieutenant an Italian veteran named Tonti and a number of mechanics and seamen, to- gether with the materials for rigging a ship. Before the winter had set in he Ascended Lake Ontario to the Niagara River, where he built a trading-post. Then passing around the falls he constructed a vessel of sixty tons at the foot of Lake Erie. Tonti and Father Hennepin, a Franciscan, went among the Senecas during the construction of the ship and estab- lished friendly relations with them, and La Salle exerted himself to pro cure furs with which to freight his vessel. The vessel completed, he as- cended Lake Erie, pas.sed through the straits into Lakes Huron and Michi- gan, and entered Green Bay. Then loading his vessel with a cargo of valuable furs, he sent her to the Niagara, with orders to return with supplies as soon as pos- sible. During her absence La Salle and his com- FALLS OF ST. ANTHONY. as far as the mouth of the St. Joseph's, where they built a fort. Then crossing over to the valley of the Illinois, he built a fort on a bluff near the site of Peoria, and awaited the re- turn of the " Griffin." The vessel had been wrecked on the voyage to Niagara, and when It became evident that she would not return La Salle named his fort Crevecceur (" Heart- break.") able to undertake his exploration of the Mississippi until 1682. In that year he built a barge on the upper Illinois, and embarking with his companions, floated down that stream to the Mississippi, which he descended to the Gulf of Mexico. He named the country along the banks of the river Louis- iana, in honor of Louis XIV., King of France. Then ascending the Mississippi, he returned 262 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. by the Lakes to Quebec, and in 1683 sailed for France to enlist the government and peo- ple in his project for colonizing the country along the lower Mississippi. An Unfortunate Wreck. His design was encouraged by the king, and emigrants were readily found. In 1C84, he sailed from France with four ships and two hundred and eighty per- sons to plant a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi. Unhappily the command- er of the fleet was not in sympathy with La Salle, and being jealous of his authority, man- ifested a degree of stubbornness which was fatal to the expedition. One hundred of the colonists were soldiers ; of the rest, some were volunteers, some mechanics, some women, and some priests. After a long voy- age they entered the Gulf of Mexico in Jan- uary, 1685. They sailed past the mouth of the Mississippi, and when La Salle perceived his error, Beaujeu, the commander of the fleet, refused to return, but continued his western course until the bay of Matagorda was reached. There La Salle, weary of his disputes with Beaujeu, resolved to land, hoping that he might yet find the mouth of the Mississippi. A careless pilot, in attempt- ing to get the store-ship into the harbor, wrecked her, and all the supplies which Louis XIV. had provided with a lavish hand were lost. The colony, which was named Fort St. Louis, was from the first doomed to misfor- tune, and in a little more than two years was reduced by disease and suffering to thirty- six persons. In January, 1687, La Salle, leaving twenty men at Fort St. Louis, set out with sixteen men to march across the conti- nent to Canada to obtain aid for the settle- ment. His remarkable courage and deter- mination would doubtless have accomplished this feat, but on the way he was murdered by two of his men, who regarded him as the author of their sufferings. Of the rest of liiF companions, five who kept together reached a small French post near the mouth of the Arkansas, after a journey of six months. The twenty men left at Fort St. Louis were, never heard of again. The effort to colonize Texas completely failed, and all that was accomplished by La Salle's enterprise was the establishment of the claim of France to this region. Searching for La Salle. To La Salle is due the credit of having been the first to comprehend the importance of securing to France the great region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries, and it was through his efforts that the atten- tion of France was seriously directed to its colonization. His remarkable qualities must always command the admiration and his sad fate elicit the sympathy of all generous hearts. While La Salle was vainly striving to ac- complish some good result with the Texas colony, his friend and lieutenant, Tonti, in obedience to his instructions, started from the Illinois and descended the Mississippi almost to its mouth, hoping to meet him. At length, despairing of seeing him, Tonti engraved a cross and the arms of France upon a tree on the bank« of the river, and returned to the Illinois. In 1699, twelve years after the death of La Salle, another and this time a successful effort was made to secure Louisiana to France. Lemoine d'lbberville, a native of Canada and a man of ability and courage, resolved to plant a colony near the mouth of the Missis- sippi. With four vessels and two hundred emigrants, some of whom were women and children, he sailed from Canada for the mouth of the Mississippi. He landed at the mouth of the river Pascagoula, and with two barges MUKUliK UK LA SALLE. 263 264 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. manned by forty-eight men searched the coast for the mouth of the Mississippi. He found it and ascended as high as the mouth of the Red River. Here he was met by the Indians, who, to his astonishment, gave him H letter which had been placed in their charge lourteen years before. It was from Tonti, md was addressed to La Salle. He had given it to the Indians, and had charged them to deliver it to the first Frenchman they met. Shiftless Colonists. D'Ibberville returned to the gulf by way of Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, which he named after two of the ministers of Louis XIV. Deeming the shores of the Mississippi too marshy for colonization, D'Ibberville formed a settlement at Biloxi, at the mouth of the Pascagoula, within the limits of the present state of Mississippi, and soon afterwards sailed for France to obtain rein- forcements and supplies, leaving one of his brothers, Sauville by name, as governor, and he other, Bienville, to explore the Missis- sippi and the country along its banks. Early in 1700 D'Ibberville returned from France, and about the same time Tonti, La Salle's former lieutenant, now an aged man, arrived from the country of the Illinois. Acting upon Tonti's advice, D'Ibberville ascended the Mississippi for four hundred miles, and on the site of the present city of Natchez built a fort which he named Rosalie, in honor of the Duchess of Pontchartrain. Neither the settlement at Biloxi nor Rosalie prospered, however. The colonists were a shiftless set, and instead of seeking to culti- vate the soil and establish homes for them- selves, went farther west to seek for gold. In 1702 D'Ibberville removed the colony from Biloxi to Mobile, which was founded in that year, and became the capital of Louis- iana and the centre of the French influence in the south. This settlement languished, however, and in ten years only two hundred emigrants were added to its population. It was forced to depend upon the French colonies in the West Indies for subsistence. New Orleans Founded. In 1 7 14 the French government, becoming convinced that it was necessary to make a more vigorous effort to colonize Louisiana if it meant to hold that country, granted a monopoly of trade to Arthur Crozat, who agreed to send over every year two ships laden with emigrants 'and supplies, and also a cargo of African slaves. The king, on his part, agreed to furnish the sum of ten thou- sand dollars annually for the protection o( the colony. In the same year a trading- house was established at Natchitoches on the Red River, and another on the Alabama, near the present site of Montgomery, Fort Rosalie was made the centre of an importan) trade, and matters becan to wear a new aspect in Louisiana. In 17 18 Bienville, who had become satis- fied of the propriety of removing the seat of government from Mobile to the more produc- tive region of the lower Mississippi, put the convicts to work to clear up the thicket o( cane which covered the site on which he meant to locate his new city, and upon the ground thus prepared erected a few huts, the germ of the great city of JVew Orleans. It grew more rapidly than any of the settlements in Louisiana. In 1722 it contained about one hundred log huts, and a population of seven hundred. In 1723 the seat of govern- ment was removed from Mobile to New Orleans; and 1 727 the construction of the levee was begun. While these efforts were in progress in the lower Mississippi, the French were even more active in the west. Detroit was founded in 1 70 1, and the villages of Kaskaskin and THE FRENCH IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI 26s Cabokla were formed around the stations of the missionaries on the east bank of the Mis- sissippi, above the mouth of the Ohio. The French population in America grew very slowly, however. In 1690 the population of Canada was only twelve hundred ; that, of Acadia, or Nova Scotia, less than one thou- sand ; and that of Louisiana less than five hundred. France had formed a deliberate and mag- nificent plan with respect to her American possessions. She meant to build up a mighty empire in the valley of the Mississippi, extending from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and touching Canada. Her efforts to accomplish this were lavish and persistent, but the unhealthiness of the climate, and the almost constant wars with the Natchez and Chickasaw Indians disheartened the settlers, and the French population grew so slowly that it could not accomplish the destiny demanded of it by the government at home. As late as 1 740 Louisiana contained only about five thousand whites and less than two thousand five hundred negroes. The slow increase of the population made it necessary to hold the country by a series of military posts. By the year 1750 more than sixty of these posts had been built between Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico, by way of Green Bay, the Illinois, the Wabash, and the Maumee rivers, and along the Mississippi to New Orleans. French Claims in America. The most important of these forts we.e held by garrisons of regular troops, who were relieved once in six years. They accomplished this in the face of the constant hostility of their old enemies, the tribes of the Five Nations, and the Natchez and Chickasaws. In 1748 the French extended their claim to the country south of Lake Erie, as far east as the mountains, which they e.xplored, and took formal possession of by burying at the most important points leaden plates engraved with the arms of France. According to the ideas of the times, their claim was a valid one. In the meantime the settlements of Louis- iana had been obliged to struggle against the constant hostility of the Natchez Indians, who occupied the country around the present city which bears their name. They were not very numerous, but were more intelligent and civilized than the tribes among whom they dwelt. They worshiped the sifn, from which deity their principal chief claimed to be descended. They watched the growing power of the French with alarm, and at length resolved to put a stop to the progress of the whites by a general massacre. Seven Hundred Murders. On the twenty-eighth of November, 1729. they fell upon the settlement at Fort Rosalie and massacred the garrison and settlers, seven hundred in number. They were nol long perrrytted to exult over their success. When the news of the massacre reached New Orleans, Bienville resolved to retaliate severely upon the aggressors. He applied to the Choctaws, the hereditary enemies ol the Natchez, for assistance, and was furnished by them with si.xteen hundred warriors. With these and his own troops Bienvillo besieged the Natchez in their fort; but they escaped under the cover of the night and fled \/estofthe Mississippi. They were followed, by the French and forced to surrender, after which they were taken to New Or- leans and sent to St. Domingo, where they were sold as slaves. The Great Sun was among the captives, and the tribe of the Natchez was completely destroyed. It was well known to the French that the Chickasaws.a powerful tribe dwelling between the territory of the Natchez and the Ohio op 266 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. the north, and as far as the country of the Cherokees on the east, had incited the Natchez against them. Bienville therefore resolved to turn his arms against them. They had also given great trouble to the French by attacking and plundering their trading-boats descending the Mississippi from the posts on the Illinois. Bienville con- certed measures for a combined attack upon the Chickasaws with D'Artaguette, governor of the Illinois country, and two expeditions were despatched against the Indians. Bienville, with a strong force of French troops and twelve hundred Choctaw warriors, sailed in boats from New Orleans to Mobile and asjended the Tombigbee five hundred miles, to the place now known as Cotton Gin point. He landed here and marched twenty-five miles overland to the principal fort of the Chickasaws, which he at once attacked. He was repulsed with the loss c' one hundred men, and was so discouraged, that he returned to New Orleans. D'Arta- guette entered the Chickasaw country with fifty Frenchmen and one thousand Indians, He was defeated and taken prisoner, and was burned at the stake in May, 1735. In 1740 another effort was made by the French to crush the Chickasaws, but was equally un successful. CHAPTER XXI. Conflicts Between the English and French. Relatb™ Between the English and the Five Nations — The Hostility of the Latter to the French— King William's Wa» — Destruction of Dover — The Jesuit Missionaries Incite the Indians to Attack the English — Expedition Against Que- bec — Attack on Dustin's Farm — Peace of Ryswick — Hostility of the English to Roman Catholics — Queen Anne's War — Burning of Deerfield — -Eunice Williams — Cruelties to the French — Effort of New England to Conquer Acadia — Capture of Port Royal^Failure of the Expedition Against Quebec — King George's War — Expedition Against Louis- burg — Its Composition — Arrival of the Fleet at Cape Breton — Good Conduct of the Provincials — Capture of Louis- burg — Treaty of Aix-laChapelle — Unjust Treatment of the Colonies by England — Sentiment of the Americans Towards England. THE territory of the Five Nations lay between the English and French colonies. The friendship which these tribes had borne to the Dutch was transfei red to the English upon the con- quest of New Netherlands by the latter, and they remained the faithful and devoted allies of Great Britain until after the Revolution. Though they remained at peace with the French for some years after the treaty, which has been mentioned in the preceding chap- ter, they regarded a renewal of hostilities with them as certain, and were on the whole anxious to resume the struggle at the earliest moment. James II., eager to establish the Roman Catholic religion in America, instructed the governor of New York to cultivate friendly relations with the French, and to exert all his influence to induce the Five Nations to receive Jesuit missionaries. The governor, however, saw that the French were rapidly monopolizing the fur trade, and he encour- aged the Five Nations to regard them with suspicion and dislike. The French by their own bad treatment of the Mohawks .put an end to the hope of a lasting peace with them. Upon the escape of James II. to France, Louis XIV. warmly espoused the cause of ihe dethroned king, which he declared was the cause of legitimate monarchy as opposed to the right of the people to self-government ; and the war wh'ch was thus begun in Europe spread to the possessions of the rival powers in America. The objects of the two parties in America were very different. That of the people of New England, who were princi- pally interested in the struggle, was to secure their northern frontier against invasion from Canada, and to get possession of the fisheries. The French, on the other hand, wished to obtain entire control of the valley of the Mississippi, which would make them sole masters of the fur trade, and to extend their power over the valley of the St. Lawrence, and thus obtain control of the fisheries also. To accomplish their first object the friend- ship of the Indian tribes in the valley of the Mississippi was indispensable, and they exerted every means of which they were possessed to gain it. They renewed their efforts to win over the Five Nations, but without success. The war between these tribes and the French was soon renewed, as ' has been related, and on the twenty-fifth of August, 1689, a band of fifteen hundred Mo- hawk warriors surprised and captured Mon- treal, and put two hundred of the inhabitants to death with horrible cruelty. An equal number of whites were made prisoners. 267 268 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. In the same year Count Frontenac was appointed governor of Canada for the second time. He came resolved to break the power of the English, and reached Canada just in time to hear of the capture of Montreal. He at once set to work to incite the Indians to a series of incursions against the English set- tlements which should thoroughly establish his influence over the savage warriors, who would obey none but a successful chief, and at the same time strike terror to the enemies of France. VIEW OF MONTREAL FROM MOUNT ROYAL. The first blow was struck at Dover, in New Hampshire. The commander of the garrison at this place was Major Richard Waldron. Thirteen years before, during King Philip's war, two hundred eastern Indians came to Dover to treat of peace. iValdron treacherously seized them and sent •r'hem to Boston, where some of them were hanged, and the remainder sold into slavery. The savages had neither forgotten nor for- given the wrongs of their brothers, and now they resolved to meet the whites with their own weapons of deceit and treachery. On the evening of the twenty-seventh of June, 1689, two Indian squaws came to Dover and asked for a night's lodging. Waldron. now an old man of eighty, was unsuspicious of harm. Their request was granted and the squaws were lodged in his house. In the dead of the night the women arose, unbarred the gates and admitted the warriors, who had lain in ambush near the town. Waldron's house was first entered, the first duty of the savages being to discharge their debt of vengeance by a cold-blooded murder. _ . .^^ ^ — ^^ The brave old man ^ " ' ~" ^^' .jized his sword and defended himself un- til he was felled to the floor by a blow which stunned him. He was then seated in a chair and placed on a table, and the savages sa- luted him with jeers. " Who will judge In- dians now?" they asked. "Who will hang our brothers ? Will the pale-face Waldron give us life for life ?" As they spoke they gashed him across the breast with their knives, inflicting wounds equal in number to their friends whom he had be- trayed. The old man bore his tortures firmly until he died ; the Indians then set fire to the house and burned the rest of the settlement. Nearly half the inhabitants were murdered and the remainder were carried into captivity. The other frontier towns suffered severely from Maine to New York. A band of French and Indians, in February, 1690, toiled across the wilderness from Montreal to central New York on snow-shoes and CONFLICTS BETWP:EN the ENGLISH AND FRENCH. 269 surprised Schenectady. The place was burned, the majority of the settlers were killed, and many women and children were carried into captivity. A few escaped through the snow to Albany. Deerfield and Haverhill in Massachusetts, Salmon Falls in New Hampshire, and Casco in Maine met a similar fate. The French had resolved to make the war one of extermination, and neither they nor their savage allies showed any mercy to the English in their hour of triumph. Failure to Capture MontreaL The savages were incited to their bloody task by the Jesuit missionaries. The first race of missionaries, whose good deeds we have chronicled in the last chapter, had died out, and their successors could conceive of no higher standard of duty than the exter- mination of the English heretics. They roused the fury of their dusky converts against the English as the enemies of the Roman religion, and then confessing and absolving the savage warriors, sent them forth to murder and destroy, with the solemn assurance that such acts on their part would win thefn the favor of their Father in Heaven. When peace was made two Jesuit priests, Thury and Bigot, induced the Eastern Indians to break the treaty and renew the war, and even took pride in acknowledging themselves the instigators of the atrocities of the savages. These things were well under- stood among the English, and they came to regard the Jesuit missionaries as the enemies of mankind. In May, 1690, a congress of delegates from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York was held at New York for the purpose of concerting a plan for an invasion of Can- ada. It was resolved to send an army against Montreal by way of Lake Champlain, while M^isbachusetts should despatch a fleet to attack Quebec. The first expedition, com- posed of the troops of New York and Con- necticut, advanced to Lake Champlain, attended by a strong force of Mohawk allies. Frontcnac promptly assembled his French and Indians for the defence of Montreal, and succeeded in inflicting a sharp defeat upon the Mohawks, under Colonel Philip Schuyler, who led the advance of the English army. ' The Mohawks were unable to regain their lost ground and the provincial troops were delayed by the dissensions of their leaders until the provisions ran short and the small- pox broke out among the men. It then became necessary to abandon the attempt. Death and Desolation. In the meantime Massachusetts equipped a fleet ol thirty-two vessels and two thou- sand men and despatched it to the St. Law- rence under the command of the governor, Sir William Phipps, whose incompetency produced the failure of the expeditioa Frontenac was promptly informed of the departure of the fleet by an Indian runner from the Piscataqua, who reached Montreal in twelve days. Frontenac at once set out for Quebec and arrived there three days in advance of the English fleet, which was obliged to feel its way cautiously up the St. Lawrence. When the hostile vessels arrived off the city, Quebec was prepared to offer a determined resistance. After a few harmless demonstrations, Sir William Phipps withdrew and returned to Boston, to the great disap- pointment of the colony. A large debt had been incurred in this enterprise and a num- ber of valuable lives had been lost, but noth- ing had been gained. The Eastern Indians continued their ag- gressions, but were severely punished b)i Captain Samuel Church, who had served with distinction in King Philip's war. On one occasion he was so exasperated by the 270 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. cruelties of the savages that he put a number of his prisoners, including some women and children, to death. The savages mercilessly avenged the murder of their friends and car- ried death and desolation along the borders of New England. Nearly every settlement V> Maine was destroyed by them or aban- doned by the inhabitants, who fled to the other colonies for protection. The Indians prowled around the frontier posts. They had been well armed by the French, and shot down the men without mercy. The women and children were generally spared and carried <-o Canada, where they were sold to the French as slaves. In 1693 peace was made with the Abenakis, or Eastern Indians, but within a year the Jesuits had succeeded in inducing the savages to resume hostilities. A Daring Escape. A party of Indians attacked the house of a farmer named Dustin, residing near Haver- hill. He was at work in the field when the shouts of the savages warned him of the danger of his wife and children. Throwing himself on his horse, he hastened to their rescue, and on the way met his children fly- ing for safety pursued by the savages. He threw himself in front of the little ones, and by a few well-aimed shots kept the pursuers back until the children reached a place of safety. Hannah Dustin, her youngest child — only a few days old — her nurse, and a boy from Worcester, unable to fly, were made prisoners by the Indians. The little one was killed, and the two women and the boy were carried away by the savages to their village, situated on an island in the Merrimac, just above Concord. Hannah Dustin resolved to escape, and communicated her plan to her companions. Each secured a tomahawk, and at night be- gan the destruction of their captors, twelve in number. Ten Indians were killed and one squaw was wounded. The twelfth, a child, was purposely spared. Then collecting the gun and tomahawk of the murderer of her infant, and a bag full of scalps, the heroic women secured a canoe, and embarking in it with her companions, floated down the Mer- rimac and soon reached Haverhill, wher< they were received with astonishment anc delight by their friends. This struggle, which is known in Ameri can history as "King William's War," was brought to a close in September, 1697, by the Peace of Ryswick. It had lasted seven years, and had caused severe suffering to the northern colonies, without yielding them any compensating advantages. The Five Nations were also severe suffer- ers. Failing to win them from their alliance with the English, Frontenac several times invaded their country with an army of French troops and Indians, and ravaged it with great cruelty. Frontenac led these expeditions in person, though he was seventy-four years old. The people of New York, regarding the Jesuits as the true authors of the miseries endured by the English and their allies, en- acted a law in 1700, that every Romish priest who voluntarily came into tb*" province should be l^anged. Butchery at Deerfield. Five years after the Peace of Ryswick, the War of the Spanish Succession, or, as it is known in American history, "' Queen Anne's War," began in Europe. It soon extended to America, and embroiled the English and French in this country. The English settle- ments on the western frontier of New Eng- land were almost annihilated by the Indians, and the French were unusually active. The people of Deerfield were warned by the friendly Mohawks that the French and Indians were meditating an attack upon their CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH. 27» settlements and through the winter oi' 1703-4 a vigilant watch was kept by night and day. The winter was very severe ; the snow lay four feet deep, and the clear, cold atmosphere made it almost* as hard as ice. Profiting by this, a war party of about two hundred French and one hundred and forty-two In- dians, under the command of Hertel de Rou- ville, set out from Canada, and by the aid of mow-shoes crossed the country on the snow and reached the vicinity of Deerfield on the last night of February, 1704. Towards day- break on the first of March the sentinels, supposing that all was safe, left their posts at Deerfield, and the enemy at once silently mounted on the snow-drifts to the top of the palisades and entered the enclosure, which had an area of twenty acres. A general massacre followed. The town was destroyed, forty persons were killed, and one hundred and twelve were carried away into Canada. Fate of Eunice Williams. Among the captives were the minister Williams, his wife Eunice, and their five chil- dren. The sufferings of the prisoners on the marcii to Canada were fearful. Two men starved to death. The infant, whose cries disturbed the captors, was tossed out into the snow to die ; and the mother who faltered from fatigue or anguish was despatched by a blow from the tomahawk. Eunice Williams had brought her Bible along with her, and in the brief intervals afforded by the halts of the savages for rest, drew from its sacred pages the consolations she so sorely needed. Her strength soon failed, as she had but recently lecovered from her confinement. Her hus- band sought to cheer her by pointing her to "the house not made with hands," and she assured him that she was satisfied to endure any suffering, counting it gain for Christ's sake. Peiceiving that her end was near, she eommended her children to God and to their father's care, and was immediately killed by the savages, as she could go no farther. The Williams family were taken to Can- ada, and a few years later were ransomed, with the exception of the youngest daughter, with whom the savages refused to part. She was adopted into a village of Christian In^ dians near Montreal, and became a convert to the Roman Catholic faith, and subse* quently married a Mohawk chief. Years afterwards she appeared at Deerfield clad in the dress of her tribe. She had come to visit her relatives; but no entreaties could induce her to remain with them, and she went back to her adopted people and to her children. Slaughter of the Helpless. The war was conducted with brutal ferocity by the French. Hertel de Rouville gained eternal infamy by his butcheries of helpless women and children. Vaudreuil, the gov- ernor of Canada, urged on his forces to deeds of fresh atrocity, but at length the savages became disgusted with their bloody work and refused to murder any more English. The French succeeded, however, in inducing some of them to continue their assistance, and in 1708 Haverhill was surprised by the French and Indians under Rouville, and its inhabitants massacred with the most fiendish cruelty. None of them escaped death or captivity. Filled with horror and indignation, Colonel Peter Schuyler, of New York, wrote to the Marquis de Vaudreuil : " I hold it my duty towards God and my neighbor, to prevent, if possible, these barbarous and heathen cruel- ties. My heart swells with indignation when I think that a war between Christian princes, bound to the exactest laws of honor and gen- erosity, which their noble ancestors have illustrated by brilliant examples, is degene- rating Into a savage and boundless butchery. 272 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. These are not the methods for terminating the war." " Such fruitless cruelties," says Bancroft, " inspired our fathers with a deep hatred of the French missionaries ; they compelled the employment of a large part of the inhabitants as soldiers, so that there was one year during this war when even a fifth part of all who were capable of bearing arms were in active service. They gave birth also to a willing- ness to exterminate the natives. The Indians RETURN OF THE DAUGHTER OF EUNICE WILLIAMS. vanished when their homes were invaded ; they could not be reduced by usual methods of warfare ; hence a bounty was offered for every Indian scalp ; to regular forces under pay the grant was ten pounds — to volunteers in actual service, twice that sum ; but if men would, of themselves, without pay, make up parties and patrol the forests in search of Indians, as of old the woods were scoured for wild beasts, the chase was invigorated by the promised ' encourgement of fifty pounds per scalp. ' " In 1707 Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island made a combined attempt to conquer Acadia. A fleet was despatched against Port Royal, but without success. In 17 10 a second expedition was sent from Boston against Port Royal, aided this time by an English fleet. Port Royal was taken, the French were driven out of the greater part of Acadia, and that province was an-' nexed to the English do- minions and called Nova Scotia. The name of Port Royal was changed to An- napolis, in honor of the Queen of England. Encouraged by this sut cess, the English Gov^ni- ment the next year at- tempted the conquest ol Canada by two expeditions, one by land and the other by sea. A powerful fleet and a strong army was des- patched from England to co-operate with the colo- nists. The effort was un- successful. The fleet, which was badly handled by the admiral in attempting to ascend the St. Lawrence, was wrecked with the loss of eight vessels and eight eighty-four men, and was The failure ol hundred and obliged to return to Boston. the fleet to accomplish anything compelled the abandonment of the land expedition against Montreal. In 171 3 the war was brought to an end by the treaty of Utrecht, by which Acadia was ceded permanently to Great Britain and became a province of the English crown. The third Indian war broke out in 1723 CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH. 273 in the northern colonies, and spread from the disputed border on the east to Maine and New Hampshire, where the scenes which we have so often described were unacted over again. The crack of the rifle, the war-whoop of the Indian, the crash of the tomahawk, and the smoke of the cabin played their dreadful part, as they had done so many times before, and have done so often since. Father Sebastien Rasle had dwelt among Indians for near); lorty years, living so thor- oughly their life, while he preached and ministered to them, that his influence was un- bounded. He possessed great learning, and, beinga French Jesuit, sympathized so strongly with the views of the governor of Canada that he was worth a whole regiment of troops. The Indian settlement at Norridgewock, where it may be said this French chief was sole ruler, was highly prosperous. Two attempts were made to break it by capturing Rasle, but he escaped each time. Peace at Last. In August, 1724, however, it was attacked by a force of two hundred men, when most of the warriors were gone from home. Those who escaped fled to the woods, and Father Rasle was killed while trying to divert attention from the flying fugitives. When the assailants departed and the Indians re- turned, they found the dead body of Rasle, scalped, hacked and mutilated. They gave it tender burial under the altar of the pil- laged chapel, and uttered many a wild vow of vengeance on those who had robbed them of their beloved leader. In the hope of checking the shocking brutalities, the provinces sent representatives to Governor Vaudreuil at Montreal. He treated them with much courtesy, but it took a long time to bring him to terms. He finally promised to advise the Indians to stop hostilities. The eastern tribe learned shortly after .that preparations were on foot to press them more than ever, and they con- sented to make peace, which, with now and then a slight interruption, continued down to the French and Indian war. In 1744 the disputes in Europe concerning the succession of the Austrian throne cul- minated in a war, which is known in Euro pean history as the War of the Austrian Succession, and in America as King George's war. As usual, England and France were arrayed on opposite sides, and their colonies in America soon became involved in hostili- ties. The French were the first to receive information from Europe of the existence of war, and began the struggle by attacking and capturing the English fort at Canso and carrying the garrison prisoners to Louisburg. Louisburg, the principal port of the island of Cape Breton, was at this time the strongest fortress in America, and from its secure har- bor the French were constantly despatching privateers against the merchant vessels and fishermen of New England. These depre- dations caused such serious loss to the eastern colonies that at length Governor Shirley proposed to the general court of Massachusetts to undertake the capture oi Louisburg as the only means of putting a stop to them, and this measure was laid by the general court before the other colonies. Another Appeal to Arms. It was understood that no aid was to be expected from the mother country, which was too busily engaged in conducting the war in Europe, and that the colonies would be obliged to depend entirely upon their own resources for their success. Neverthe- less, the measure was popular, and the enthu- siasm of the colonists was aroused to the highest point. Nearly all the northern col- onies had suffered severely at the hands of ' i'^!> 274 CRUEL MURDER OF RASLB. CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH. 275 flie French and Indians, and in every ship- ping port were to be found scores of men who had been robbed and otherwise mal- treated by the French privatec;; Pennsyl- vania and New Jersey, under the influence of the Quaker dislike of war, declined to send troops, but furnished a fair supply of money to defray their share of the expenses of the expedition ; New York made a con- tribution of money ancl of a number of pieces of artillery; Connecticut gave five hundred men, and New Hampshire and Rhode I land each contributed a regiment- Moving Against the Enemy. Massachusetts, being the most interested in the success of the expedition by reason of being the largest owner of shipping, under- took the principal part of the expense and agreed to furnish a majority of the troops and the vessels. There was no difficulty in procuring volunteers, but those who offered themselves were civilians, ignorant of military discipline, and utterly unprepared to attempt the reduction of such a fortress as that against which the expedition was directed. These disadvantages, however, were lost sight of in the enthusiasm aroused by the hope of destroying the ability of the French to prey upon the commerce of the colonies. Sir William Pepperell,a wealthy merchant of Maine, was elected commander of the ex- pedition, which rendezvoused at Boston in the early spring of 1745. One hundred vessels and a force of over three thousand men were assembled, and about the first of April sailed for Canso, which was reached on the seventh. The ice was drifting i» such quantities that the fleet could not enter the harbor of Louisburg, and was obliged to remain at Canso for more than two weeks. Admiral Warren, commanding the West India squadron, had been invited to join the expedition, but in the absence of instructions from England had declined to do so. Al most immediately afterwards he received orders from home to render Massachusetts every aid in his power, and at once joined the New England fleet at Canso with four ships of war and a detachment of regular troops. At length, the ice having moved south- ward, the New England fleet entered the harbor of Louisburg on the thirtieth of April. The fortress was built on a neck of land on the south side of the harbor, and its walls were from twenty to thirty feet high and forty feet thick at the base, and were surrounded with a ditch eighty feet in width. Outlying forts protected the main work, and there was not a foot of the walls that was not swept by the fire of the artillery. Nearly two hundred and fifty cannon of all sizes constituted the armament of the fortress, and the principal outwork, the " royal battery," was deemed capable of withstanding an attack of five thousand men. The garrison numbered six- teen hundred men. To attack this fortress the New England troops brought with them eighteen cannon and three mortars. The French Driven to the Woods. As the fleet drew near the town the French marched down to the beach to op- pose the landing of the troops. Immediately the whale-boats of the ships were lowered and manned, and at a signal from the flag- ship darted for the shore with a speed which astonished and struck terror to the French, who were quickly driven to the woods. The landing was secured, and the next day a de- tachment of four hundred men marched by the town, giving it three cheers as they passed, and took position near the northeast harbor, completely cutting off the fortress from communication with the country in its rear. This completed the investment, as the fleet closed the harbor, and prevented the approach of relief by sea ^76 SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA. That night the troops in the royal battery spiked the guns of that work, abandoned it, and retrec c'l into the town. It was imme- diately occ -oied by the New Englanders, who drilled ti ^ spikes out of the vent-holes of the guns, and turned them against the town. Batteries were erected by the colonial troops, and their fire opened upon Louis- burg. The volunteers proved admirable soldiers, exciting the surprise of the English naval officers by the readiness and facility with which they discharged the various duties required of them. Numbers of them were mechanics by profession, and their skill was of the greatest service in this emergency. A New Hampshire colonel, who was a carpenter, constructed sledges with which to drag the artillery across a morass to the positions assigned the batteries. The weather was mild and singularly dry, and the men were healthy. " All day long the men, if not on duty, were busy with amuse- ments — firing at marks, fishing, fowling, wrestling, racing or running after balls shot from the enemy'i guns." An Important Capture. In the meantime the ships of Admiral Warren blockaded the harbor, and not only prevented French vessels from entering the port, but succeeded in decoying into the midst of the English fleet the French frigate " Vigilante," of sixty guns, which was cap- tured after a sharp engagement of several hours. She was loaded with stores for the fortress, and these fell into the hands of the '.'ictors. The French commander, who had shown but little energy during the siege, was now so thoroughly disheartened that on the sev- enteenth of June, just seven weeks after the commencement of the investment, he surren- dered the town and fortifications. As the . olonial troops entered the place to take dos- session of it they were astonished at the strength of the works. " God has gone out of the way of His common providence, in a remarkable and miraculous manner," they said, " to incline the hearts of the l^'rench to give up, and deliver this strong city into our hands." The capture of Louisburg by the undisciplined volunteers of America was the greatest success achieved by England during the war. The colonists were justly proud of it Bells were rung and bonfires lighted in all the colonies, and the people rejoiced greatly at the success of their brethren and friends. England, with chaiacteristic selfish- ness, claimed the glory exclusively for the squadron of Admiral Warren. Humiliatinfi Treaty. France was greatly alarmed at the capture of Louisburg, which seriously threatened her dominion in America, and measures were at once begun for its recovery, and for the de- struction of the English colonies. In 1746, a large fleet was despatched to America under the Duke d'Anville, but many of the vessels were lost at sea, and the fleet was greatly weakened by pestilence. In the midst of these misfortunes the Duke d'An- ville suddenly died, and his successor lost his mind, and committed suicide. The expedi- tion made no serious demonstration against the English, and resulted in total failure. In 1747, another fleet was sent out from France for the same purpose, but was captured after a severe fight by an English fleet under Admirals Anson and Warren. In spite of these successes, however, the frontiers of the northern colonies suffered considerably, and the English government resolved to attempt once more the conquest of Canada. All the coloni'es were required to furnish men or money to this enterprise, and eight thousand men were enlisted. The British government delayed, however, and I CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH. 277 finally abandoned the enterprise. On the eighteenth of October, 1748, the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle closed the war. The treaty required that all places taken by either party during the war should be restored, and Louisburg was delivered up to the French, to the great disgust of the New England colonies, who saw all the resuhs of their sacrifices thrown away, and their com- merce and fisheries once more placed at the mercy of the French. England had never regarded the interests of her colonies as worth considering, however, and it was not to be expected that she should manifest any concern for them now. Dangerous Neighbors. It was commonly believed in AmetiCa, and with good reason, that the king did not desire that New England should enjoy the security necessary to her prosperity. His majesty was beginning to be jealous of his American subjects, who had, as Admiral Warren ex- pressed it, " the highest notion of the rights and liberties of an Englishman," and he was resolved to keep them so weak that they should not forget their dependence upon him. Peter Kalm, a Swedish traveller, who visited New York in 1748, thus records the prevailing sentiment in America at this period : " The English colonies in this part of the world have increased so much in wealth and population that they will vie with European England. But to maintain the commerce and the power of the metropo- lis they are forbid to establish new manufac- tures, which might compete with the English ; ihey may dig for gold and silver only on con- 'dition of shipping them immediately to Eng- land ; they have, with the exception of a few fixed places, no liberty to trade to any ports not belonging to the English dominions, and foreigners are not allowed the least com- merce with these American colonies. And there are many similar restrictions. " These oppressions have made the inhab- itants of the English colonies less tender to their motherland. This coldness is increased by the many foreigners who are settled among them ; for Dutch, Germans and French are here blended with England, and have no special love for old England. Besides, somt people are always discontented and love change ; and exceeding freedom and pros- perity nurse an untamable spirit. I have been told, not only by native Americans, but by English emigrants, publicly, that within thirty or fifty years the English colo- nies in North America may constitute a separate state entirely independent of Eng- land. But as this whole country is towards the sea unguarded, and on the frontier is kept uneasy by the French, these dangerous neighbors are the reason why the love of these colonies for their metropolis does not utterly decline. The English government has, therefore, reason to regard the French in North America as the chief power that urges their colonies to submission." During the last year of the war an incident occurred at Boston which might have opened the eyes of the ministry to the growing de- termination of the Americans to resist any interference with their liberties. Desertions from the English ships-of-war in Boston har- bor had become so frequent that Sir Charles Knowles, the commanding officer, sent his boats up to Boston one morning and seized a number of seamen in the vessels at the wharves, and a number of mechanics and laborers engaged in work on shore. The people of Boston indignantly demanded of the governor the release of the impressed men. As his excellency declined to inter- fere in the matter, the people seized the com- manders and officers of the ships who hap- pened to be in the town, and kept them pris- oners until they agreed to release thi' men they had unlawfully seized. BOOK III The French and Indian War CHAPTER XXII Outbreak of Hostilities England Qaims the Valley of the Ohio — Organization of the Ohio Company — The French Extend Their Posti Into the Ohio Country — Washington's Mission to the French at Fort Duquesne — His Journey — Reception by the French — His Journey Home — A Perilous Undertaking — Organization of the Virginia Forces — Washington Made Second in Com- mand — The French Drive the English from the Head of the Ohio — Fort Duquesne Built by Them — Washington Crosses the Mountains — The Fight at Great Meadows — Beginning of the French and Indian War — Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French — Unjust Treatment of the Colonial Officers — Congress of the Colonies at New York — Frank- lin's Plan of a Union of the Colonies — Its Failure — Reasons ot the British Government for Rejecting It — England Assumes the Direction of the War — Arrival of General Braddock — Plan of Campaign — Obstinacy of Braddock — He Passes the Mountains — Defeat of Braddock — Heroism of Washington — Retreat of Dunbar Beyond the Mountains — Vigorous Action of Pennsylvania — Armstrong Defeats the Indians and Burns the Town of Kittanning. THE wars between the English and French in America which we have just considered were but a prelude to the great struggle which was to decide which of these powers should con- trol the destinies of the new world. The English, as we have seen, were growing stronger and more numerous along the At- lantic coast, and were directing their new settlements farther into the interior with each succeeding year. The French held Canada and the valley of the Mississippi, but their tenure was that of a military occu- pation rather than a colonization. Between the possessions of these hostile nations lay the valley of the Ohio, a beauti- ful and fertile region, claimed by both, but occupied as yet by neither. The French had explored the country, and had caused leaden plates engraved with the arms of France to be deposited at its principal points to attest their claim ; and had opened friendly rela- tions with the Indians. 278 The region had been frequently visited by the traders, who brought back reports of its remarkable beauty and fertility and of its excellent climate. The British government regarded this region as a portion of Virginia, and one of the chief desires of the Earl o( Halifax, the prime minister of England, was to secure the Ohio valley by planting an English colony in it. A company was or- ganized in Virginia and Maryland for this purpose and for the purpose of trading with the Indians, and was warmly supported by the Earl of Halifax. It was named the Ohio Company, and at length succeeded in obtain- ing a favorable charter from the king, who, in March, 1749, ordered the governor of Virginia to assign to the Ohio Company five hundred thousand acres of land lying be- tween the Monongahela and Kanawha rivers, and along the Ohio The company were required to despatch, within seven years at least, one hundred fam- ilies to the territory granted them, to locate without delay at least two-fifths of the lands they desired to occupy, and to build and gar- rison a fort at their own cost. They were granted an exemption from quit-rents and other dues for ten years, and this freedom OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. 279 needed for their traffic with the Indians, the Ohio Company built a trading-post at Wills' Creek, within the limits of Maryland, on the site of the present city of Cumberland. Here one of the easiest of the passes over the FRENCH EXPLORERS BURYING LEADEN PLATES. from taxation was extenaed by the company to all who would settle in their domain. A number of Indian traders had located themselves west of the Alleghanies, and in order to supply these with the articles Alleghanies began, and by means of it the traders could easily transport their goods to the Indian country west of the mountains and return with the furs their traffic enabled them to collect. 28o THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. Being anxious to explore the country west of the mountains, the company employed Christopher Gist, one of the most experi- enced Indian traders, and instructed him " to examine the western country as far as the falls of the Ohio, to look for a large tract of good level land to mark the passes in the mountains, to trace the courses of the rivers, to count the falls, to observe the strength and numbers of the Indian nations." A Land of Beauty. Gist set out on his perilous mission on the last day of October, 1750, and crossing the mountains reached the Delaware towns on the Alleghany River, from which he passed down to Logstown, a short distance below the head of the Ohio. " You are come to settle the Indians' lands ; you shall never go home safe," said the jealous people ; but in spite of their threats they suffered him to proceed without molestation. He traversed the country to the Muskingum and the Scioto, and then crossing the Ohio explored the Kentucky to its source, and returned to Wills' Creek in safety. He reported that the region he had traversed merited all the praise that had been bestowed upon it ; that it pos- sessed a pleasant and healthy climate, and was a land of great beauty. The soil was fertile and the streams abundant and excel- lent. The land was covered with a rich growth of the most valuable and beautiful trees, and abounded in small level districts and meadows covered with long grass and white clover, on which the elk, the deer, and the buffalo grazed in herds. Wild turkeys and other game abounded, and the country offered every attraction to settlers who were willing to improve it. Gist also reported that the agents of the French were actively engaged in seeking to induce the western tribes to make war upon the English and prevent them from obtain- ing a footing west of the mountains. The purposes of the English were well known to the French, who viewed them with alarm, as the successful occupation of the Ohio valley by the English would cut off the communi- cation established by the French between Canada and the Mississippi. This the French were resolved to prevent at any cost. The Indians regarded both of the white nations as intruders in their country. They were willing to trade with both, but were averse to giving up their lands to either. " If the French," said they, " take possession of the north side of the Ohio, and the English of the south, where is the Indian's land ? " A Line of Forts. Tiie possession of the Ohio valley was thus of the highest importance to the French. Their fortified post of Fort Front- enac gave them the command of Lake On- tario, which they further secured by con- structing armed vessels for the navigation of the lake. They retained their hold upon Lake Erie by strengthening Fort Niagara, which La Salle had built at the foot of that lake. They entered into treaties with the Shawnees, the Delawares and other powerful tribes between the lake and the Ohio, and steadily pushed their way eastward towards the mountains. They began their advance into the valley of the Ohio by building a fort at Presque Isle, now the city of Erie, in Pennsylvania, another on French Creek, on the site of the present town of Waterford, and a third on the site of the present town of Franklin, at the confluence of French Creek with the Alleghany. These rapid advances eastward alarmed the English government, which instructed the governor of Virginia to address a remon- strance to the French authorities and to warn them of the consequences which must result from their intrusion into the territorj- SCENE IN THE ALLEGHENY MOUNTAINS. 2^1 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 282 of the English. To do this it was necessary for the governor to despatch his communica- tion to the nearest French post by the hands of some messenger of sufficient resolution to overcome the natural dangers of such an undertaking, and of sufficient intelligence to gain information respecting the designs and strength of the French ; and Governor Din- widdie was somewhat at loss to find such a person. Fortunately the man needed was at hand, and the attention of the governor being called to him, his excellency decided to intrust him with the delicate and danger- ous mission. The Coming Hero. The person selected for this task was a young man in the twenty-second year of his age, George Washington by name. He was a native of Westmoreland County, Virginia, where he was born on the twenty-second of February, 1732. He was a great-grandson of the Colonel John Washington, whom we have noticed as the leader of an expedition against the Indians in the time of Sir William Berkeley. His father, Augustine Washington, was a wealthy planter, but his death, when George was eleven years old, deprived his son of his care, and also of the means of acquiring an education. He soon acquired all the learning that it was possible to gain at a country school, from which he passed to an academy of somewhat higher grade, where he devoted himself principally to the study of mathematics. His half- brother, Lawrence, who was fourteen years older than himself, had received a careful education and directed the studies of his younger brother, to whom he was devotedly attached. Though deprived of the care of his fatner at such an early age, it was the good fortune of George Washington to possess in his mother a guide well qualified to fill the place of both parents to her fatherless child- ren. She was a woman of rare good sense, of great decision of character, and one whose life was guided by the most earnest Chris- tian principle. Her tenderness and sweet womanly qualities won the devoted love of) her children, and her firmness enforced their^ obedience. From her George inherited a quick and ardent temper, and from her he learned the lesson of self-conti d1 which '"n abled him to govern it. Washington's Boyhood. As a boy, Washington was noted for his truthfulness, his courage and his generosity. He was both liked and respected by his schoolmates, and such was their confidence in his fairness and good judgment that he was usually chosen the arbiter of their boy- ish disputes. He joined heartily in their sports and was noted for his skill in athletic exercises. He was a fearless rider and a -rood hunter, and by his fondness for manly sports developed his naturally vigorous body to a high degree of strength. He was cheer- ful and genial in temper, though reserved and grave m manner. He early acquired habitr of industry and order, and there are stii existing many evidences of the careful anc systematic manner in which he discharged every duty assigned him at this early age. At the age of fourteen it was decided that he should enter the navy, and his brother Lawrence, who had served with credit in that branch of the royal service, had no difficulty in obtaining for him a midshipman's war- rant. The ship he was to join lay in the Po- tomac, and his trunk was sent on board ; but at the last moment his mother, dreading the effect of the temptations of a seaman's life upon a boy so young, appealed to him by his affection for her to remain with her Washington was sorely disappointed, but he yielded cheerfully to his mother's wish. OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. 283 The marriage of his brother Lawrence gave to the young man a second home at Mount Vernon, where he passed a large part of his time. Here he was brought into con- stant contact with the most cuhivated and refined society of Virginia, an association which had a happy influence upon the forma- tion of his character. There also he formed the acquaintance and won the friendship of Lord Fairfax, the grandson of Lord Culpep- per, and the inheritor of Culpepper's vast estates in Virginia, which comprised about one-seventh of the area of the state of Vir- ginia as it existed prior to the separation of West Virginia in 1861. Lord Fairfax con - , ceived a great fondness for the young man, and took a deep interest in his future welfare. Industry and Diligence. Washington, upon leaving school, had chosen the profession of a surveyor as his future avocation, and soon after his first meeting with Lord Fairfax was employed by that nobleman to survey the lands belonging to him, many of which had been occupied by settlers without right or title. It was an arduous and responsible task, and Washing- ton, who was just entering his seventeenth year, seemed almost too young for it ; but ' Lord Thomas " had satisfied himself of his /oung friend's capability for it, and the result ^jstified the opinion he had formed. His work was done with care and accuracy, and Ills measurements were so exact that they are still relied upon. His life as a surveyor was in many respects a hard one, but he enjoyed it. It gave new vigor to his naturally robust constitution and his splendid figure, and while yet a youth he acquired the appearance and habits of mature manhood. He also learned forest life in all its various phases, and by his constant intercourse with the hunters and Indians, gained a knowledge of the character and habits of these wild men which in after years was of infinite value to him. During his surveying expeditions Wash- ington was a frequent visitor at Greenway Court, the seat of Lord Fairfax, where, in addition to the other attractions, there was a well-selected library, of which the young man regularly availed himself His reading was of a serious and useful nature ; " Addi- son's Spectator " and the " History of Eng- land " were among his favorite works. Though the heir to a considerable estate, Washington supported himself during this period by his earnings as a surveyor. " His father had bequeathed to the eldest son, Lawrence, the estate afterwards called Mount Vernon. To Augustine, the second son, he had given the old homstead in Westmoreland County. And George, at the age of twenty- one years, was to inherit the house and lands in Suffolk County. As yet, however, he derived no benefit from this landed property. But his industry and diligence in his labor- ious occupation supplied him with abundant pecuniary means. His habits of life were simple and economical ; he indulged in no gay and expensive pleasures." Military Education. In 175 1, in order to prepare for any emergency to which the hostility of the French and Indians might give rise, the col- ony of Virginia was divided into military districts, each of which was placed in charge of an adjutant and inspector, with the rank of major, whose duty it was to keep the militia in readiness for instant service. Washington had at an early day evinced a great fondness for military exercises, and as a boy had often drilled his school-fellows in the simplest manceuvres of the troops. As he advanced towards manhood, his brother Lawrence, Adjutant Muse, of West- moreland, and Jacob Vanbraam, a fencing- master, and others, had given him numerous 284 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. lessons in the art of war. Though but nine- teen years old, he was regarded by his acquaintance as one of the best-informed persons upon military matters in the colony, and at the general desire of those who knew him he was commissioned a major in the colonial forces, and placed in command of one of the military districts. He discharged his duties with ability and zeal, and gave such satisfaction that when Governor Din- widdie, in 1752, divided the province into four military districts, Major Washington was placed in command of the northern dis- trict. " The counties comprehended in this division he promptly and statedly traversed, and he soon effected the thorough discipline of their militia for warlike operations." He was discharging the duties of this position when selected by the governor of Virginia to bear his message to the commander of the French forces on the Ohio. Governor Dinwiddie intrusted to his young envoy a letter addressed to the commander of the French forces on the Ohio, in which he demanded of him his reasons for invading the territory of England while Great Britain and France weie at peace with each other. Washington was instructed to observe care- fully the numbers and positions of the French, the strength of their forts, the na- ture of their communications with Canada and with their various posts, and to endeavor to ascertain the real designs of the French in occupying the Ohio valley, and the proba- bilities of their being vigorously supported from Canada. Perilous Journey. " Ye're a braw lad," said the governor, as he delivered his instructions to the young major, " and gin you play your cards weel, my boy, ye shall hae nae cause to rue your bargain." Washington received his instructions on the thirtieth of October, 1753, and on the same day set out for Winchester, then & frontier post, from which he proceeded to Wills' Creek, where he was to cross the mountains. Having secured the services of Christopher Gist as guide, and of two inter- preters and four others, Washington set out on his journey about the middle of Novem- ber. They crossed the mountains and jour- neyed through an unbroken country, with no paths save the Indian trails to serve as guides, across rugged ravines, over steep hills, and across streams swollen with the recent rains, until in nine days they reached the point where the Alleghany and Monon- gahela unite and form the Ohio. Washing- ton carefully examined the place and waa greatly impressed with the advantages offered for the location of a fort by the point of land at the junction of the two rivers. The judg ment expressed by him at the time was sub- sequently confirmed by the choice of this spot by the French for one of their mos* important posts — Fort Duquesne. Interview With " Half-King." Washington had been ordered b)' the gov- ernor to proceed direct to Logstown, where he was to hold an interview with the Dela- ware chief known as the Half King, to acquaint the Indians with the nature of his mission and ascertain their disposition to- wards the English. While he was at this place he met several French deserters from the posts on the lower Ohio, who told him the location, number and strength of the French posts between Quebec and New Orleans by way of the Wabash and the Maumee, and informed him of the intention of the French to occupy the Ohio from its head to its mouth with a similar chain of forts. The Half King confirmed the story of the deserters. He had heard that the French were coming with a strong force to dri'.'e the OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. 285 English out of the land. A " grand talk " was held with the chiefs in council by Wash- ington, and they answered him, by the Half King, that what he had said was true ; they were brothers, and would guard him on his way to the nearest French post. They wi.shed neither the English nor the French to settle in their country ; but as the French were the first intruders, they were willing to aid the English in their efforts to expel them. They agreed to break off friendly relations with the French ; but Washington, who knew the Indian character well, was not altogether satisfied with their promises. On the thirtieth of November he set out from Logstown with his companions, at- tended by the Half King and three other Indians, and on the fourth arrived at the French post at Venango. The officer in command of this fort had no authority to receive his letter and referred him to the Chevalier St. Pierre, the commander of the next post. They treated the English with courtesy and invited Washington to sup with them. When the wine was passed around they drank deeply and soon lost their discretion. Loud Boasting. The sober and vigilant Washington noted their words with great attention and recorded them in his diary. " They told me," he writes, " that it was their absolute design to take possession of the Ohio, and, by G — d, they would do it; for, that although they were sensible the English could raise two men for their one, they knew their motions were too slow and dilatory to prevent any undertaking of theirs. They pretend to have an undoubted right to the river, from a discovery made by one La Salle sixty years ago ; and the rise of this expedition is to prevent our settling on the river or waters of it, as they heard of some families moving out in order thereto." The French officers then informed Washington of their strength south of the lakes, and of the number and location of their posts between Montreal and Venango. The French exerted every stratagem to detach the Indians from Washington's party, and they met with enough success to justify Washington's distrust of them. All had come to delive'- up the French .speech-belts, or, in other words, to break off friendly rela- tions with the French. The Delaware chiefs wavered and failed to fulfill their promise- THE HALF KING. " but the Half King clung to Washington like a brother, and delivered up his belt as he had promised." The party left Venango on the seventh of December, and reached Fort Le Boeuf, the next post, on the eleventh. It was a strong work, defended by cannon, and near by Washington saw a number of canoes and boats, and the materials for building others, sure indications that an expedition down the river was about to be attempted. He ob- tained an interview with St. Pierre, the com- mander, an officer of experience and integri- ty, greatly beloved as well as feared by the Indians. He received the young envoy with 286 THE FRENCH \ND INDIAN WAR. courtesy, but refused to discuss questions of right with him. " I am here," he said, " by the orders of my general, to which I shall conform with exactness and resolu- tion." On the fourteenth, St. Pierre delivered to Washington his answer to the letter of Gov- ernor Dinwiddie, and next day the party set out on its return. They descended French Creek in canoes, at no little risk, as the stream was full of ice. At Venango, which was reached on the twenty-second, they found their horses, which were so feeble that it was doubtful whether they would be able to make the journey home. " I put myself in an Indian walking-dress," says Washington, " and continued with them three days, until I found there was no possi- bility of their getting home in any reason- able time. The horses became less able to travel every day ; the cold increased very fast, and the roads were becoming much worse by a deep snow continually freezing ; therefore, as I was uneasy to get back to make report of my proceedings to his honor the governor, I determined to prc'cute my journey the nearest way through the woods on foot." A Shot that Missed. Taking Gist as his only companion, and directing their way by the compass, Wash- ington set out on the twenty-sixth, by the nearest way across the country, for the head of the Ohio. The next day an Indian who had lain in wait for them fired at Washington at a distance of only fifteen steps, but missed him, and was made a prisoner by him. Gist was anxious to kill the savage on the spot, but Washington would not allow this, and they kept the fellow until dark, and then released him. They travelled all night and all the next day in order to make sure of escaping from the enemies they felt certain their freed captive would set upon their trail. At dark on the twenty-eighth they reached the Alleghany, and spent the night on the banks of that stream. The next morning they set to work with one poor hatchet to construct a raft, on which to pass the river, which was full of floating ice. They com- pleted their raft about sunset and launched it upon the stream. It was caught in the floating ice, and Washington was hurled off into the water and nearly drowned. Unable to reach the opposite shore, they made for an island in mid-stream and passed the night there. The cold was intense, and Gist had all his fingers and several of his toes frozen. The next morning the river was a solid mass of ice, hard enough to bear their weight. They at once crossed to the opposite bank and continued their journey, and on the sixteenth of January, 1754, were at Williams- burg, where Washington delivered to thej governor of Virginia the reply of the French! commander, and reported the results of his| journey. Eager for New Territory. The French commander returned a cour- teous but evasive answer to Governor Din- widdle's communication, and referred him for a definite settlement rf the matter to the Marquis Duquesne, the governor of Canada. It was clear from the tone of his letter that he meant to hold on to the territory he had occupied, and the governor of Virginia was, satisfied from Major Washington's report of his observations that St. Pierre was about to extend the line of French posts down the Ohio. The authorities of Virginia resolved to anticipate him, and in the spring of 1754 the Ohio Company Lent a force of about forty men to build a fort at the head of the Ohio, on the site to which Washington had called attention. In the meantime, measures were set on foot in Virginia for the protection of the OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. gSi frontiers. A i jgiment of troops was ordered to be raised, and it was the general wish that Major Washington should be appointed to the command. He declined the commission when tendered him, on the ground of his youth and inexperience, and was made lieu- tenant-colonel, the command of the regiment being conferred upon Colonel Joshua Fry. 'Washington was ordered to repair to the west to take charge of the defence of the frontiers, and in April, 1754, reached Wills' Creek with three companies of his regiment. Washington Pushes Forward. Just at this moment news arrived that the party sent to build a fort at the head of the Ohio had been driven away by the French. A force of one thousand men, with artillery, under Captain Coutrecceur, had descended ihe Alleghany and had surrounded the Eng- lish. One hour was given them to surren- der, and being utterly unable to offer any resistance, they capitulated upon condition of being allowed to retire to Virginia. Imme- diately upon the withdrawal of the English, the French forces occupied the unfinished work, completed it, and named it Fort Du- quesne. This was a more important act than either party believed it at the time. It was the beginning of the final struggle by which the power of France in America was broken. In the history of Europe this struggle is known as the *' Seven Years' War ; " in our own history as the " French and Indian War." Hostilities were now inevitable, and Wash- ington, who was on his march to the Ohio when the news of the aggression of the French was received, resolved to push for- ward without delay. Colonel Fry had fallen sick, and the direction of affairs on the bor- der had passed entirely into the hands of the young lieutenant-colonel. He intended to proceed to the junction of Red Stone Creek and the Monongahola, the site occupied by the present town of Brownsville, to erect a fort there and hold it until he could be rein- forced. His force was poorly provided with clothing and tents, and was deficient in mili- tary supplies of all kinds. The country to be traversed was a wild, unbroken region, without roads or bridges, and through it the artillery and wagons were to be transported. The little force moved slowly and with diffi- culty, and Washington pushed on in ad- vance with a small detachment, intending to secure the position on the Monongahela and await the arrival of the main body, when the whole force could descend the river in flat- boats to Fort Duquesne. On the twentieth of May he reached the Youghiogheny and there received a message from his ally, the Half King, telling him that the French were in heavy force at Fort Duquesne. This report was confirmed at the Little Meadows by the traders, and by another message from the Half King on the twenty-fifth of May, warning Washington that a force of French and Indians had left Fort Duquesne on a secret expedition. Washington was sure that this expedition was destined to attack him, and advanced to the Great Meadows and took position there. The First Blood Shed. On the morning of the twenty-seventh Gist arrived and reported that he had seen the trail of the French within five miles of the Great Meadows. In the evening of the same day a runner came in from the Half King, and with a message that the French were close at hand. Taking with him forty men, Washington set off for the Half King's camp, and by a difficult night march through a tangled forest, in the midst of a driving rain, reached it about daylight. The runners of the Half King found the French encamped in a deep glen not far distant, and it was THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. decided to attack them at once. The Half King and his warriors placed themselves under Washington's orders, and the march was resumed towards the French camp. The French were surprised, and an action of about a quarter of an hour ensued. The French lost ten men killed, among whom was their commander, Jumonville, and twenty-one orisoners. This was the first blood shed on the American continent in the long struggle which won America for the free institutions of the Anglo-Saxon race. Washington was very anxious to follow up the advantage he had gained, and had already appealed to the governors of Mary- land and Pennsylvania for assistance, but no aid reached him. Unable to advance in the face of the rapidly increasing forces of the French, he threw up a stockade fort at Great Meadows, which he named Fort Necessity, from the fact that the provisions of the troops were so nearly exhausted that the danger of a famine was imminent. A Dutchman's Blunder. On the third of July six hundred French and one hundred Indians suddenly appeared before the fort and occupied the hills sur- rounding it. The attacking party were able to shelter themselves behind trees and could command the fort from their safe position, while the English were greatly exposed, and it was evident to the most inexperienced that the fort was untenable. Nevertheless, the work was held for nine hours under a heavy fire, and amid the discomforts of a severe rain-storm. At length De Villiers, the French commander, fearing that his am- munition would be exhausted, proposed a parley and offered terms to Washington. The English had lost thirty killed, and the French but three. The terms of capitulation proposed by De Villiers were interpreted to Washington, who did not understand French, and m consequence of the interpretation, which was made by " a Dutchman little acquainted with the English tongue," Wash- ington and his officers " were betrayed into a pledge which they would never have con- sented to give, and an act of moral suicide which they could never have deliberately committed. " They understood from Vanbraam's inter- pretation, that no fort was to be built beyond the mountains on land: belonging to the King of France ; but the terms of the articles are, ' neither in this place or beyond the mountains.'" The Virginians were allowed to march out of the fort with the honors of war, retaining their arms and all their stores, but leaving their artillery. This they did on the next morning, July fourth, 1754. The march across the mountains was rendered painful by the lack of provisions, and after much suffering the troops arrived at Fort Cumberland in Maryland. Although the expedition had been unsuccessful, the coni duct of Washington had been marked by so much prudence and good judgment that he received the thanks of the general assembly of Virginia. Washington's Cutting Reply. Governor Dinwiddie had already thrown many obstacles in the way of the defence of the colony, and he now refused to reward the provincial officers with the promotions they had so well earned. In order to avoid this he dissolved the Virginia regiment, and re- organized it into independent companies, no officer of which was to have a higher rank than that of captain. It was also ordered that officers holding commissions from the king should take precedence of those holding commissions from the colonial gov- ernment. Washington, feeling that he could no longer remain in the service with self-respect. OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. 289 resigned his commission and withdrew to JVIount Vernon. Soon afterwards Governor Sharpe, of Maryland, having been appointed by the king commander in-chief of the forces of the southern colonies, proposed to Wash- ington, through a friend, to return to the army and accept the rank of colonel, but with the actual authority of captain. Washington declined the offer with characteristic dignity. " If you think me," he wrote, " capable of holding a commission that has neither rank nor emolument annexed to it, you must maintain a very contemptible opinion of my weakness, and believe me more empty than the commission itself." In the meantime, although peace still remained nominally unbroken between Eng- land and France, each nation was perfectly convinced of the certainty of a conflict in America, and each began to prepare for it. France sent large reinforcements to Canada, and the English went on rapidly with their plans for the conquest of that country. The British government was very anxious that the colonies should bear the brunt of the struggle, though it was fully determined to scud a royal army to their assistance, and urged upon them to unite in some plan for ;heir common defence. , Alliance with the Six Nations. For the purpose of carrying out the wishes of the home government, a convention of delegates from seven of the colonies assem- bled at Albany, New York, on the nineteenth ofjune, 1754. "The Virginia government was represented by the presiding officer, Delan- cey, the lieutenant-governor of New York ; " but New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Mary- land were represented by their own delegates. The first object of this convention was to secure the friendship of the powerful con- federacy of the Si.x Nations, on the northern 19 border, and this was successfully accom- plished. The leading man of this convention was Benjamin Franklin. He was a native of Bos- ton, and the son of a tallow chandler. While still a youth he had removed to Philadelphia, and by the force of his own genius had risen from poverty and obscurity to great prom- inence among the public men of Pennsylva- nia, and the literary and scientific men of his BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. He had chosen the avocation of a printer ; and by his industry, energy and integrity had accumulated property enough to make him independent. He was among the most active men in America in promoting the advance- ment of literary, scientific and benevolent institutions, and had already won a world- wide reputation by his discoveries in science, and especially by his investigations in elec- tricity and lightning. He was not inexperi- enced in public affairs. He had served as 290 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. clerk to the general assembly of Pennsylva- nia, as postmaster of Philadelphia, as a mem- ber of the provincial assembly of Pennsylvania, and in 1753 had been appointed by the king postmaster-general of the American colonies- In each of these positions he had served with distinction, and now, at the ripe age of forty- eight, he had come to take part in the most important convention ever held in America. Fra'iklin had long been of the opinion that the true interests of the colonies required their union in all measures relating to their common welfare. Believing that the force of circumstances would soon drive them into such a union, he sought to accomplish that end through the medium of this convention. Accordingly he presented to the convention a plan for the union of all the American colonies, which union he intended should be perpetual. Proposed Confederacy. He proposed that while each colony should retain the separate and independent control of its own affairs, all should unite in a per- petual union for the management of their general affairs. This confederacy was to be controlled by a general government, to consist of a goverrtor-general and a council. The seat of the federal government was to be Philadelphia,which city he regarded as central to all the colonies. The governor-general was to be appointed and paid by the king, and was to have thepower of vetoing all laws which should seem to him objectionable. The members of the council were to be elected triennially by the colonial legisla- tures, and were to be apportioned among the colonies according to their respective popula- tion. " The governor-general was to .lominate military officers, subject to the advice of 'he council, which, in turn, was to nominate all civil officers. No money was to be issued but by their joint order. Each colony was to retain its domestic constitution ; the federal government was to regulate all rela- tions of peace or war with the Indians, affairs of trade, and purchases of lands not withiij the bounds of particular colonies ; to estab- lish, organize and temporarily to govern new settlements ; to raise soldiers, and equip ves sels of force on the seas, rivers or lakes; to make laws, and levy just and equal taxes. The grand council were to meet once a year to choose their own speaker, and neither to be dissolved nor prorogued, nor continue sitting longer than si.K weeks at any one time, but by their own consent." The Union Opposec This plan met with considerable opposi- tion, was thoroughly discussed, and was finally adopted by the convention. It was not altogether acceptable to the colonies, each of which dreaded that the establishment of a central government would result in the destruction of the liberties' of the individual provinces. Connecticut promptly rejected it. New York received it with coldness, and Massachusetts showed a more active opposi- tion to it. Upon its reception in England i was at once thrown aside by the royal gov- ernment. The Union proposed by the plan was too perfect and would make America practically independent of Great Britain, and so the board of trade did not even bring it before the notice of the king. Franklin regarded the failure of his pL„ of union with great regret. In after years he wrote : " The colonies so united would havi been sufficiently strong to defend themselves. There would then have been no need of troops from England; of course the subse- quent pretext for taxing America, and the bloody contest it occasioned, would have been avoided. But such mistakes are not new ; histor}' is full of the errors of states and princes."^ OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES The piaii for the union of the colonies having failed, the British government re- solved to take into its own hands the task of .arrying on the war, with such assistance as the colonies might be willing to afford. A million of pounds was voted for the defence of the British possessions in America, and four strong fleets were sent to sea, together with numerous privateers, which nearly de- stroyed the French West Indian trade. In 1755, Major General Edward Braddock was ap- pointed comman- ';r-in-chief of the inglish forces in America. He had .served under the Duke of Cumber- land, in his expe- dition into Scot- land against the Pretender Charles Edward, in 1746, and was regarded as one of the most promising officers in his majesty's service. Braddock ailed from Cork, m Ireland, early in "anuary, 1755, and on the twentieth of February arrived at Alexandria, in Virginia. He was soon followed by two regiments of infantry, consisting of five hundred men each, ;he largest force of regulars Great Britain had ever assembled in America. A conference of the colonial governors with the new commandei -in-chief was held at Alexandria, and a plan of campaign was decided upon. Four expeditions were to be despatched against the French. The first, under Braddock in person, was to advance 291 upon Fort Duquesne; the second, under Governor Shirley of Massachusetts, was to attempt the capture of Fort Niagara ; the third, under William John, the Indian agent among the Mohawks, and a man of great influence over them, was to be directed against Crown Point ; and the fourth was to capture the French posts near the head of the Bay of Fundy, and expel the French from Acadia. \VlIL-> LKLLK N'-VRROW-., MD It was now evident that the war was about to commence in good earnest, and the colo- nies exerted themselves to support the efforts of the mother country to the extent of their ability. General Braddock was thoroughly pro- ficient in the theory of his profession, but his experience of actual warfare had been limited to a single campaign, and that a brief one. He possessed the entire confidence of his superiors in England, and his faith in 292 iriK FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. himself was boundless. He believed thai the regulars of the British army were capable of accomplishing any task assigned them, and enteicdined a thorough contempt for the pro- vincial troops that were to form a part of his command. Soon after his arrival in Virginia he offered Washington a position on his staff as aid-de-camp, with the rank of colonel, which was promptly accepted. Had Genera! Braddock been a different man the presence of Washington in his mili tary family might have been of the greatest service to him, for the experience of the young colonel would have made him an in- valuable counselor. Braddock was in a strange country, and was charged with the conduct of a campaign in which the ordinary rules of warfare as practiced in Europe could not be adhered to. He knew nothing of the difficulties of marching his army through a tangled wilderness and over a mountain range of the first magnitude. Unfortunately for him, he was not aware of his ignorance, and would neither ask for nor listen to advice or information upon the subject. Franklin's Opinion of Braddock. "He was, I think, a brave man,'" says Franklin, " and might probably have made a figure as a good officer in some European war. But he had too much self-confidence, too high an opinion of the validity of regular troops, and too mean ^. one of both Ameri- cans and Indians." Dui'ng one of his inter- views- with him Franklin undertook to im- press upon liim the necessity of guarding against the danger of Indian ambuscades. " He smiled at my ignorance," says Frank- lin, " and replied : ' These savages may in- deed be a formidable enemy to your raw American militia; but upon the king's regular and disciplined troops, sir, it is impossible they should make any impres- sion.' " The army assembled at Wills' Creek, to which place General Braddock repaired in his coach. The bad roads had put him in a passion, and had broken his coach, and he was in no mood upon his arrival to pursue a sensible course. He was advised to employ Indians as scouts on the march, or to use them to protect a force of Pennsylvanians who were making a road over the mountains for the passage of the army, but he refused to do either. Washington urged him to aban- don his wagon-train, to use pack-horses in place of these vehicles, and to move with as little baggage as possible. Braddock ridiculed this suggestion. Neither he nor any of his officers would consent to be separated from their cumbrous baggage, or to dispense with any of the luxuries they had been used to. Famous " Captain Jack." A month was lost at Wills' Creek, and in June the army began its march. It was greatly impeded by the difficulty of drag- ging the wagons and artillery over roads filled with the stumps of trees and with rocks. Such little progress was made that Braddock, greatly disheartened, privately asked Washington to advise him what to do. As it was known that the garrison at Fort Duquesne was small, Washington advised him to hasten forward with a division of the army, in light marching order, and seize the fort before reinforcements could arrive from Canada. Braddock accordingly detached a division of twelve hundred men and ten pieces of cannon, with a train of pack-horses to carry the baggage, and pushed on in advance with them, leaving Colonel Dunbar to bring up the main division as promptly as possible. A famous hunter and Indian fighter named Captain Jack, who was regarded as the most experienced man in savage warfare in the OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. 293 colonies, now offered his services and those of his men to Braddock to act as scouts. Braddock received him with frigid courtesy, and refused his offer, saying that he " had e.xperienced troops upon whom he could rely for all purposes." Braddock's Blunder. Instead of pushing on with energy with his advance division, Braddock moved very slowly, gaining but a little more than three miles a day. " They halt," wrote Washing- ton, " to level every mole hill and to erect a bridge over every brook." On the eighth of July the army reached the east bank of the Monongahela, about fifteen miles above Fort Duquesne, having taken about double the necessary time in the march from Wills' Creek. On the same day Washington, who had been ill for some days, and was still un- well, rejoined Braddock. Early on the morning of the ninth of July the march was resumed. The Monongahela was forded a short distance below the mouth of the Youghiogheny, and the advance con- tinued along the southern bank of that river. About noon the Monongahela was forded again, and the army was planted upon the strip of land between the rivers which form the Ohio. Washington was well convinced that the French and Indians were informed of the movements of the army and would seek to interfere with it before its arrival before the fort, which was only ten miles distant, and urged Braddock to throw in advance the Virginia Rangers, three hundred strong, as they were experienced Indian fighters. Braddock angrily rebuked his aide, and as if to make the rebuke more pointed, ordered the Virginia troops and other provincials to take position in the rear of the regulars. The general was fully convinced of the ability of his trained troops to take care of them- selves. They made a gallant show as they marched along with their gay uniforms, their burnished arms and flying colors, and their drums beating a lively march. Wash- ington could not repress his admiration at the brilliant sight, nor his anxiety for the result. In the meantime the French at Fort Du- quesne had been informed by their scouts ol Braddock's movements, and had resolved to ambuscade him on his march. Early on the morning of the ninth a force of about two hundred and thirty French and Canadians and six hundred and thirty-seven Indians, under De Beaujeu, the commandant at Fort Duquesne, was despatched with orders to occupy a designated spot and attack the enemy upon their approach. Before reach- ing it, about two o'clock in the afternoon, they encountered the advanced force of thu English army, under Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Gage, and at once attacked them with spirit. Galling Fire. The English army at this moment was moving along a narrow road, about twelve feet in width, with scarcely a scout thrown out in advance or upon the flanks. The engineer who was locating the road was the first to discover the enemy, and called out : " French and Indians ! " Instantly a heavy fire was opened upon Gage's force, and his indecision allowed the French and Indians to seize a commanding ridge, from which they maintained their attack with spirit. There, concealed among the trees, they were almost invisible to the English, who were fully exposed to their fire, as they occupied a broad ravine, covered with low shrubs, im- mediately below the eminence held by the French. The regulars were quickly thrown into confusion by the heavy fire and the fierce yells of the Indians, who could nowhere b« 894 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. seen, and their losses were so severe and sudden that they became panic-stricken. They were ordered to charge up the hill and drive the French from their cover, but re- fused to move, and in their terror fired at random into the woods. In the meantime the Indians were rapidly spreading along the sides of the ravine and continuing their fire from their cover among the trees with fear- ful accuracy. that not one of his commands was obeyed!, and his defeat was complete. The only semblance of resistance main- tained by the English was by the Virginia Rangers, whom Braddock had insulted at the beginning of the day's march. Immedi- ately upon the commencement of the battle they had adopted tlie tactics of the Indian'., and had thrown themselves behind trees, from which shelter they were rapidly pickirjg DISASTROUS DEFEAT OF GENERAL BRADDOCK. The advance of the English was driven back, and it crowded upon the second divi- sion in utter disorder. A reinforcement of eight hundred men, under Colonel Burton, arrived at this moment, but only to add to the confusion. The French pushed their lines forward now and increased the disorder of the English, who had by this time lost nearly all their officers. Braddock now came up and gallantly exerted himself to restore order, but " the king's regulars and discip- lined troops " were so utterly demoralized off the Indians. Washington entreated Braddock to allow the regulars to follow the example of the Virginians, but he refused, and stubbornly endeavored to form them in platoons under the fatal fire that was being poured upon them by their hidden assailants. Thus through his obstinacy many useful lives were needlessly thrown away before he would admit his defeat. ! The officers did not share the panic of the men, but behaved with the greatest gallantry. They were the especial marks of the Indian OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. 295 sharpshooters, and many of them were killed or wounded. Two of Braddock's aides were seriously wounded, and their duties devolved upon Washington in addition to his own. He passed repeatedly over the field, carrying the orders of the commander and encourag- ing the men. When sent to bring up the artillery, he found it surrounded by Indians, its commander, Sir Peter Halket, killed, and the men standing helpless from fear. Spring- ing from his horse, he appealed to the men to save the guns, pointed a field-piece and discharged it at the savages, and entreated the gunners to rally. He could accomplish nothing by either his words or example. The men deserted the guns and fled. In a letter to his brother, Washington wrote : " I had four bullets through my coat, two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, though death was levelling my companions on every side around me." * Braddock had five horses shot under him, and at length himself received a mortal wound. As he fell, Captain Stewart, of the Virginia troops, caught him in his arms. He was borne from the field, though he begged to be left to die on the scene of his defeat. His fall was fortunate for the army, which it saved from destruction. A Fatal Rout. The order was given to fall back, and tne " regulars fled like sheep before the hounds." The French and Indians pressed forward in pursuit, and all would have been lost had not the Virginia Rangers themselves been in the rear, and covered the flight of the regu- lars with a determination which checked the pursuers. The artillery, wagons, and all the camp train was abandoned, and the savages, stopping to plunder these, allowed the fugi- tives to recross the river in safety. Having seen the general as comfortable as circumstances would permit, Washington rode all that night and the next day to Dun- bar's camp to procure wagons for the wounded and soldiers to guard them. With these he hastened back to the fugi- tives. The Engl sh General's Death. Braddock, unable to ride or to endure the jolting of a wagon, was carried m a litter as far as the Great Meadows. He seemed to be heart-broken and rarely spoke. Occa- sionally he would say, as if speaking to him- self, with a deep sigh, " Who would have thought it ? " It is said that he warmly thanked Captain Stewart for his care and kindness, and apologized to Washington for the manner in which he had received his advice. He had no wish to live, and he died at Fort Necessity on the night of the thir- teenth of July. He was buried the next morning before daybreak as secretly as pos- sible for fear that the savages might find and violate his grave. Close by the national road, about a mile west of Fort Necessity. a pile of stones still marks his resting- place. The losses of the English in the battle were terrible. Out of eighty-six officers, twenty-six were killed and thirty-six wounded. Upward of seven hundred of the regulars were killed and wounded. The Virginia Rangers had suffered terrible losses, for they had not only borne the brunt of the battle, but had lost many of their number by the random fire of the frightened regulars. Dunbar, who succeeded Braddock in the com- mand, still had fifteen hundred effective men * Washington attributed his wonderful escape from even a wound to the overruling providence of God. The Indians regarded the matter in the same light. About fifteen years after the battle, while examining some lands near the mouth of the Great Kanawha River, Washington was visited by an old chief. The chief told him " he was present at the 296 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. left to him ; but he was too badly frightened to proud reflection that the only thing that had attempt to retrieve the disaster, which a com- petent officer might have done with such a force. He broke up his camp, destroyed his stores, and retreated beyond the mountains- Disregarding the entreaties of the colonists not to leave the frontiers exposed to the savages, he continued his retreat to Phila- delphia, and went into winter quarters there, to get ready for future operations. BURNING OF KITTANNING BV GENERAL ARMSTRONG The effect of these reverses upon the colonists was most marked. When they understood that Braddock's splendid force of disciplined regulars had been routed by a mere handful of French and Indians, their respect for the invincibility of British troops was destroyed ; and their confidence in their own prowess was greatly increased by the been done to save the army of Braddock from total destruction had been accomp- lished by the provincials. Washington's conduct was a subject of praise in all the colonies and brought his name conspicuously before the whole people of America. In a sermon preached a few months after Brad- dock's defeat, the Rev. Samuel Davies, a learned clergyman, spoke of him as " that heroic youth, Colonel Wash- ington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a man- ner for some important service to his country." The retreat of Dunbar left the frontiers of Virginia and Pennsylvania at the mercy of the savages, who maintained a desultory but destructive warfare along the entire bor- der. The defence of this ex- posed region was intrusted to Colonel Washington ; but he had so few men as to make his undertaking a hopeless one. The frontier settlements of Virginia were destroyed ; tlie beautiful valley of the Shenandoah was ravaged with merciless fury, and the more protected regions were kept in a state of constant uneasiness and alarm. Governor Dinwiddle was repeatedly appealed to to furnish more men, but refused, and endea- vored to excuse his delinquency by saying : " We dare not part with any of our white men to any distance, as we must have a watchful eye over our negro slaves." battle, and among the Indian allies of the French ; that he singled him out and repeatedly tired his rifle at him ; that he also ordered his young warriors to make him their only mark ; but that on finding all their bullets turned aside by some invisible and inscrutable interposition, he was convinced that the hero at whom he had so often and so truly aimed must be, for ■ionie wise purpose, specially protected by the Great Spirit. He now came, therefore, to testify his veneration." OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES. 297 Pennsylvania met the troubles with greater vigor and resolution. About thirty miles above Fort Duquesne, on the Alleghany River, was the Indian village of Kittanning, the home of a noted chief named Captain Jacobs. Together with the Delaware chief Shlngis, he had, at the instigation of the French, kept up a continual warfare upon the frontier settlements. A military force for the defence of the frontier was raised by the colony and placed under the command of Benjamin Franklin as colonel. He soon resigned, and was succeeded by Colonel John Armstrong, a man better suited to the posi- tion, and who subsequently became a major general in the war of the Revolution. Armstrong resolved to destroy Kittanning and the tribe inhabiting it as the best means of putting a stop to their outrages, and called for volunteers for the enterprise. Three hundred men responded. Toward the last of September, 1756, they crossed the moun- tains on horseback, and in a few days reached the vicinity of Kittanning. Dismounting and leaving their horses in charge of a guard, they silently surrounded the village. The Indians spent the night in carousing within hearing of the whites, and retired to rest at a very late hour. Just before daybreak the whites attacked the village and set it on fire. It was completely destroyed, and Jacobs and all but a handful of his men were slain. The kw survivors fled farther west, and the Pennsylvania frontier was re- lieved of the sufferings it had so long endured. CHAFi-ER XXIIl Sanguinary Struggles on the Frontier Expedition Against Acadia — Brutal Treatment of the Acadians — They Are Expelled from Their Country — ^ASad Story—* Fate of the Acadians-— Johnson at Lake George — March of Dieskau — Battle of Lake George — Failure of Shirley's Expedition — Arrival of the Earl of Loudon — Montcalm in Canada — Capture of Oswego by the French — Outrages of the Earl of Loudon Upon New York and Philadelphia — Expedition Against Louisburg — How the Earl of Loudon Beat the French — Capture of Fort William Henry by Montcalm — Massacre of the Prisoners by the Indians — Efforts of Montcalm to Save Them — The Royal Officers Attempt to Cover Their Failures by Outraging the Colonies. WHILE the events we have re- lated were transpiring in the Ohio valley other expeditions were despatched against the French. One of these was directed against that part of Acadia, or Nova Scotia, which still remained in the hands of the French. It lay at the head of the Bay of Fundy, and was defended by two French forts. This region was the oldest French colony in North America, having been settled sixteen years before the landing of the Pilgrims, but was regarded by the English as within their jurisdiction. In May, 1755, an expedition of three thou- sand New England troops was despatched from Boston, under Colonel John Winslow, to attack these forts and establish the Eng- lish authority over the French settlements. Upon reaching the Bay of Ftmdy Winslow was joined by three hundred English regulars under Colonel Monckton, who assumed the command. The forts were taken with com- paratively little effort, and the authority of England was extended over the whole of Nova Scotia. The Acadians agreed to acknowledge the authority of their new masters, and to observe a strict neutrality between France and England in the war; and the English on their part promised not to require of them the usual oaths of allegi- ance, to excuse them from bearing arms 298 against France, and to protect them in the exercise of the Catholic religion. The Acadians numbered about seventeen thousand souls. They were a simple and harmless people, and were enjoying in a marked degree the blessings of industry and thrift. They had begun their settlements by depending upon the fur trade and the fish- eries for. their support, but had abandoned these pursuits for that of agriculture, which was already yielding them rich rewards for their skill and labor. They were proud of their farms, and took but little interest in public affairs, scarcely knowing what was transpiring in the world around them. It is hard to imagine a more peaceful or a happier community than this one at the time they passed under the baleful rule of England. Crime was unknown among them, and they seldom carried their disputes before the Eng- lish magistrates, but settled them by the arbitration of their old men. They en- couraged early marriages as the best means of preserving the morality of their people ; and when a young man married, his neigh- bors turned out in force and built him a house, and for the first year of his marriage aided him to establish himself firmly, while the bride's relatives helped her to furnish the home thus prepared. Thus the people were taught to regard and practice neighborly kindness as one of the SANGUINARY STRUGGLES ON Tllf': FRONTIER. 299 cardinal Christian virtues. They were de- voted Catholics, and practiced their religion without bigotry. They were attached to the rule of France by language and religion, and would have been glad to see her authority re-established over them ; but they submitted peacefully to the rule of the English and faithfully observed the terms of their sur- render. Unfortunately for the Acadians their pos- sessions soon began to excite the envy of the English. Lawrence, the governor of Nova Scotia, expressed this feeling in his letter to Lord Halifax, the English premier " They possess the best and largest tract of land in this province," he wrote ; " if they refuse the oaths, it would be much better that they were away." The English authorities had prepared a cunningly devised scheme for dis- possessing these simplepeople of their homes, and they now proceeded to put it in execu- tion. The usual oaths of allegiance had not been tendered to the Acadians upon their surrender, as it was known that as French- men and Catholics they could not take them, as they required them to bear arms against their own brethren in Canada, and to make war upon their religion. Cruel Treatment. It was resolved now to offer the oaths to them, and thus either drive them into rebel- lion or force them to abandon their homes. When this intention was known, the priests urged them to refuse the oaths. " Better surrender your meadows to the sea," tliey declared, " and your houses to the flames, than, at the peril of your souls, take the oath of allegiance to the British government." As for the Acadians themselves, " they, from their very simplicity and anxious sincerity, were uncertain in their resolves ; now gath- ering courage to flee beyond the isthmus, for ether homes in New France, and now yearn- ing for their own houses and fields, their herds and pastures." The officers sent by the English authori- ties to enforce their demands conducted themselves with a haughtiness and cruelty which added greatly to the sorrows of the Acadians. Their titles to their lands were declared null and void, and all their papers and title-deeds were taken from them. Their property was taken for the public service without compensation, and if they failed to furnish wood at the times required, the Eng- lish soldiers " might take their houses for fuel." Their guns were seized, and they were deprived of their boats on the pretext that they might be used to communicate with the French in Canada. At last, wearied out with these oppressions, the Acadians offered to swear allegiance to Great Britain. This, however, formed no part of the plan of their persecutors, and they were answered that by a British statute persons who had been once offered the oaths, and who had refused them, could not be permitted to take them, but must be treated as Popish recu- sants. This brought matters to a crisis, and the English now resolved to strike the decisive blow. A proclamation was issued, requiring " the old men, and young men, as well as all lads over ten years of age," to assemble on the fifth of September, 1755, at a certain hour, at designated places in their respective districts, to hear the " wishes of the king." In the greater number of places the order was obeyed. What happened at the village of Grand Pre, the principal settlement, will show the course pursued by the English in all the districts. Four hundred and eighteen of the men of the place assembled. They were unarmed, and were marched into the church, which was securely guarded. Winslow, the New England commander, then addressed them as follows : " You are 300 THE FRENCH AND iNDIAN WAR. convened together to manifest to you his majesty's final resolution to the French in- habitants of this his province. Your lands and tenements, cattle of all kinds, and live stock of all sorts, are forfeited to the crown, and you yourselves are to be removed from this his province. I am, through his majes- ty's goodness, directed to allow you liberty to carry off your money and household goods, as many as you can, without discom- moding the vessels you go in." He then declared them, together with their wives and children, a total of nineteen hundred and twenty-three souls, the king's prisoners. English Barbarity. The announcement took the unfortunate men by surprise, and filled them with the deepest indignation ; but they were unarmed and unable to resist. They were held close prisoners in the church, and their homes, which they had left in the morning full of hope, were to see them no more. They were kept without food for themselves or their children that day, and were poorly fed during the remainder of their captivity. They were held in confinement until the tenth of September, when it was announced that the vessels were in readiness to carry them away. They were not to be allowed to join their brethren in Canada lest they should serve as a reinforcement to the French in that province, but were to be scattered as paupers through the English colonies, among people of another race and a different faith. On the morning of the tenth the captives were drawn up si.x deep. The English, in- tending to make their trial as bitter and as painful as possible, had resolved upon the barbarous measure of separating the families of their victims. The young men and boys were driven at the point of the bayonet from the church to the ship and compelled to embark. They passed amid the rows of their mothers and sisters, who, kneeling, prayed Heaven to bless and keep them. Then the fathers and husbands were forced by the bayonet on board of another ship, and as the vessels were now full, the women and child- ren were left behind until more ships could come for them. They were kept for weeks near the sea, suffering greatly from lack of proper shelter and food, and it was December before the last of them were removed. Those who tried to escape were ruthlessly shot down by the sentinels. " Our soldiers hate them," wrote an English officer, " and if they can but find a prete.xt to kill them, they will." In some of the settlements the designs of the English were suspected and the procla- mation was not heeded. Some of the people fled to Canada; others sought shelter with the Indians, who received them with kind- ness ; others still fled to the woods, hoping to hide there till the storm was over. The English at once proceeded to lay waste their homes ; the country was made desolate in order that the fugitives might be compelled through starvation to surrender themselves. Families Scattered. Seven thousand Acadians were torn from their homes and scattered among the Eng- lish colonies on the Atlantic coast, from New Hampshire to Georgia. Families were ut- terly broken up, never to be reunited. The colonial newspapers for many years were filled with mournful advertisements, inquir- ing for a lost husband or wife; parents sought their missing children, and children their parents in this way. But of all these inquiries few were answered. The exiles were doomed to a parting worse than death, and their captors had done their work so well that human ingenuity could not undo it. Some of those who had been carried to Georgia attempted to return to their homes. SANGUINARY STRUGGLES ON THE FRONTIER. 30 ' They escaped to sea in boats, and coasted from point to point iiurthward until they reached New England, when they were sternly ordered back. Their homes were their own no longer. More than three thousand Acadians Hed to Canada, and of these about fifteen hundred settled south of the Ristigouche. Upon the surrender of Canada they were again sub- jected to the persecutions of the English. " Once those who dwelt in Pennsylvania presented a humble petition to the Earl of Loudon, then the British commander-in- chief in America, and the cold-hearted peer, offended that the prayer was made in French, seized their five principal men, who in their ovvn land had been persons of dignity and substance, and shipped them to England, with the request that they might be kept from ever again becoming troublesome by being consigned to service as common sailors on board ships of war. Unparalleled Oppression, " No doubt existed of the king's approba- tion. The lords of trade, more merciless than the savages and than the wilderness in winter, wished very much that every one of the Acadians should be driven out; and when it seemed that the work was done, congratulated the king that ' the zealous endeavors of Lawrence had been crowned with an entire success.' I know not if the annals of the human race keep the record of sorrows so wantonly inflicted, sc bitter and so perennial, as fell upon the French inhab- itants of Acadia. ' We have been true,' they said of themselves, 'to our religion, and true to ourselves ; yet nature appears to con- sider us only as the objects of public ven- geance.' The hand of the English official seemed under a spell with regard to them ; and was never uplifted but to curse them." * * Baiicroft'.s History of the VniUd States, vol. iv., p. 206. While these sorrows were being heaped upon the helpless Acadians by England, the provincial forces were serving the cause else- where with more credit to their manhood. As has been stated, the e.xpedition against the French fort at Crown Point, on Lake Champlain, had been intrusted to General William Johnson. His army consisted prin- cipally of troo[)s from Massachusetts and Connecticut. They were joined at Albany by a regiment from New Hampshire. The troops rendezvoused at the head of boat navigation, on the Hudson, in July, 1755, under the command of (ieneral Lyman. They numbered about si.K thousand men. A fort Wo, built and named by the troops, in honor f their commander. Fort Lyman. Johnson's Expedition. In August Johnson arrived with the stores and artillery, and assumed the command of the expedition. He ungenerously changed the name of the fort to Fort Edward. Leav- ing a strong force to garrison it, he moved with five thousand men to the head of Lake George, from which he intended to descend the lake in boats. The French had been informed of John- son's movements by their scouts. Baron Dieskau, the governor of Canada, placed the entire arms-bearing population of the Mon- treal district in the field and resolved to prevent Johnson from reaching Crown Point by attackmg hmi in his ovvn country. With a force of two hundred P"i'ench regulars and about one thousand two hundred Indians, he{ set out across the country to attack Fort) Edward. Upon arriving in the vicinity of the fort the Indians learned that it was de- fended by artillery, of which they were greatly afraid, and refused to attack it. Dies- kau was, therefore, compelled to change his plan, and resolved to strike a blow at John- son's camp, which he was informed was without cannon. 302 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. In the meantime the scouts of the English had detected the movement against Fort Edward. Ignorant of the change in Dies- kau's plans Johnson sent a force of one thousand men, under Colonel Ephraim Will- iams of Massachusetts, and two hundred Mohawks, under their famous chief Hen- drick, to the relief of the fort. Their march was reported to the French, who placed THE PALISADES OF THE HUDSON. themselves in ambush along the road they were pursuing, and attacked them as soon as they had fairly entered the defile. The Eng- lish were at once thrown into confusion. Hendrick was shot down at the first fire, and Williams fell a few moments later. The English and Mohawks then began a rapid retreat to their camp, closely pursued by their assailants. The .sound of the firing was soon heard in Johnson's camp, and as it drew nearer if became apparent that the detachment was retreating. The troops were gotten under arms, and the trees in front of the camp were hurriedly felled to form a rude breastwork. A few cannon had just arrived from the Hudson, and these were placed to command the road by which the French were ap- proaching. These arrangements were just completed when the fugitives of Williams' command appeared in full retreat, with the French and Indians but a few hundred yards behind them. Dieskau urged his men for ward with the greatest energy, intending to force his way into the English camp along with the fugitives. The artillery was care- fully trained upon the road by which he waj advancing, and the moment the fiigitives were past the guns they opened with a ter- rific fire of grape, which caused the Canadians and Indians to break in confusion, and '■ak'y to the woods for shelter. Stolen Honors. The regulars held their ground, and main tained a determined contest of five Lours, ir which they were nearly all slain. The In dians and Canadians did little execution, ai they stood in dread of the artillery. At length Dieskau, seeing that his effort had failed, drew off his men, and retreated. He was pursued for some distance by the Eng- lish. Towards evening he was suddenly at- tacked by the New Hampshire regiment, which was marching from Fort Edward to Johnson's assistance. The French were seized with a panic at this new attack, and abandoning their brave commander fled for their lives. Dieskau, who had been severely wounded several times, was taken prisoner. He was kindly treated, and was su'jsequently sent to England, where he died. General Johnson was slightly wounded at the commencement of the battle, and with SANGUINARY STRUGGLES ON THE FRONTIER. 303 drew from the field, leaving the command to General Lyman, to whom the victory was really due. Notwithstanding this Johnson did not even mention Lyman's name in his report of the battle, but claimed all the honor for himself. He was rewarded by the king with a baronetcy, and the gift of twenty-five thousand dollars. General Lyman was not ever thanked for his services. Great Military Preparations. johnson made no effort to improve his victory. The expedition against Crown Point, which mighr now have been under- taken with a better prospect of success, was abandoned, and Johnson contented himself with building a useless log fort at the head of Lake George, which he named Fort Will- iam Henry. Late in the fall he placed a garrison in this fort, and then returned to Albany, where he disbanded his army. The expedition under Governor Shirley, against Fort Niagara, was equally unsuccess- ful. By the month of August Shirley had advanced no farther than Oswego. Here he received the news of Braddock's defeat, which so disheartened him that, after building and garrisoning two forts at Oswego, he returned to Albany. By the death of Braddock Shir- ty succeeded to the chief command of all the royal forces in America. In December, 1755, Shirley held a cr n- ference with the colonial governors, at New York, to decide upon the campaign for the next year. It was agreed that three expedi- tions should be undertaken in 1756: one against Niagara; a second against Fort Du- quesne, and a third against Crown Point. In the meantime Lord Loudon was appointed by the king commander-in-chief of the forces in America. He sent over General Aber- crombie as his lieutenant. Abercrombie ar- rived in June with several regiments of British regulars. He relieved General Shir- ley from command, but nothing was to be done until the arrival of the commander-in- chief, who did not reach America until July. Lord Loudon was a more pompous and a slower man than Braddock, and more incom- petent. A force of seven thousand men was assembled at Albany for the expedition against Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and Loudon at once repaired thither, and as- sumed the command. The colonists were confident that something of importance would now be accomplished ; but they were destined to disappointment. The com- mander-in-chief and his subordinates spent their time in settling the relative rank of the royal and provincial officers. Notwithstanding the fact that all that had been accomplished during the war had been gained by the colonial forces, there was an iniquitous regulation which gave the pre- cedence to the lowest officer holding a royal commission over one holding a higher rank from any of the colonies. This led to many disputes, and the colonists saw themselves robbed of the honors they had so fairly won. This was only one of the many wrongs by which Great Britain succeeded in alienating the people of America ''rrm their attachment to her. Successes of Montcalm. In the meantime Dieskau had been suc- ceeded as governor of Canada by the Marquis de Montcalm, the ablest of the rulers of New France. He was a man of genuine ability and of indomitable energy. He reached Quebec in 1756, and at once set out for Ticonderoga, which he placed in a state of defence. Perceiving the exposed condition of the English forts at Oswego he resolved to capture them. Collecting a force of five thousand Frenchmen, Canadians and Indians, he crossed the lake from Frontenac, and reached Oswego on the fiftii of August, 304 '11 II-: I'kl.Nell AND INDIAN WAR. lie soon drove the l'",nL;li.sh out of I'ort Oswego ; but Fort Ontario, the second work, opposed a more vigorous resistance to him. The garrison held out until their coni- mander, Colonel Mercer, was killed, and they had lost all hope of receiving aid from Albany, when they capitulated. An immense amount of military stores, one hundred and thirty-five pieces of cannon, and all the boats and vessels Shirley had prepared for the ex- pedition against Niagara fell into the hands of Montcalm. The Iroquois had viewed the erection of the forts at Oswego by the Eng- lish with great jealousy, and in order to con- ciliate them Montcalm wisely destroyed the works, and witluhcw into Canada. Master of Twenty Legions. Louiion had detached a fore* under Colonel Webb to the assistance of the Oswego forts, but it was sent so late that it was met on the way by the news of the cap- ture of the forts. Colonel Webb, in disma_\', fell back ra[)idly, and obstructeii the road to Albany. Having failed to accomplish anything against the enemy Lord Loudon now under- took to subjugate the colonies of New York and Pennsylvania. He was firmly convinced that the colonists needed to be taught sub- mission to liie will of the royal commander, and as he had been made a sort of viceroy of all the colonies, he thought the present a fitting occasion to teach them this lesson. I le demanded of the cities of Albany, New York and Philadelphia free quarters for his troops during the winter. The mayor of New York refused the demand " as contrary to the laws of England and the liberties of America." " G — d d — n my blood," said the viceroy to the mayor ; " if you do not billet my officers upon free quarters this day, I'll order here all the troops in North America uiuier lu)- command, and billet them m)'self upon the cit_\-." There was no reasoning with " the master of twenty legit)ns," and the magistrates were obliged to get up a subscription for the free support, during the winter, of an arni\' that had passed a whole campaign wiliiout com- ing in sight of the eneni}-. In Phihulelphia the matter was settled very much in the s.une way. Albany was also obliged to sub- mit, but the magistrates took occasion to tell the royal officers that they did not want their services, as they could defend their frontiers themselves. " The frontier was left open to the French ; this quartering troops in the principal towns, at the expense of the inhabitants, by the illegal authority of a military chief, was the great result of the cami)aign,'" It was becoming clear to the colonists that their safety from the depreda- tions of the French and savages was not to be gained b)* the roj'al troops, but by their own efTorts. Mock Battles and Sieges. A congress of governors was held at Boston in January, 1757, and it was resolved that there should be but one expedition this )ear, aiul that this shoukl be sent under the ICarl of Loudon against Loui.sburg. The frontier posts, especially Forts Edward and William Henry, were to be defended, and Washington, with the Virginia troops, was to guard the border of that colony against the expeditions of the French from Fort Du- quesne. The last was a difficult and almost impossible duty, for the French from Fort Duquesne could choose their point of attack- anywhere on the long and exposed frontier, while the force under Washington was utterly inadequate to the task of watching the entire line. Leaving Bouquet to guard the frontier of Carolina against the Cherokees, and W'ehb io SANGUINARY STRUGGLl'lS ON THE FRUNllER. 30s hold tlic country between Lake Geori^c aiul the Hudson, Lord Loudon, on the twentieth of June, 1757, sailed from New York with six thousand regulars to attack Louisburg. He proceeded to Halifax, where he was joined by a fleet of eleven ships of war and four thousand troops, bringing his whole force to ten thousand regulars and six- teen ships of the line and a number of frigates. The campaign of this redoubtable warrior is thus des- cribed by Bancroft "He landed (at Ha- lifax), levelled the uneven ground for a parade, planted a vegetable garden as a precaution against the scurv\', exercised the men in mock battles and sieges and storm- ings of fortresses, and when August came, and the spirit of the army was broken, and Hay, a major-general, ex- pressed contempt .;o loudly as to be arrested, the troops were embarked, as if for Louisburg. But ere the ships sailed, the reconnoitring vessels came with the news that the French at Cape Breton had one more ship than the English, and the plan of campaign was changed. Part of the soldiers landed again at Halifax, and the Earl of Loudon, leaving his garden to the weeds, and his place of arm to briars, sailed for New York. 30 The Marquis of Montcalm was a rcry different man from the Earl of Loudon. As a man he was superior to him in every way ; as a commander he was active, quick and resolute ; while Loudon was incompetent, slow and pompous. Montcalm had stationed himself at Ticonderoga, in order to be able to watch the English, and he resolved to take advantage of Lord Loudon's absence to attack Fort William Henry, at the head of SITE OF FORT WILLIAM HEN'KV ON LAKE GEOKGE. Lake George. In the first place, previous to starting on this enterprise, he made his court to the Oneidas, the Senecas and other sav- age tribes, and gained them over to his interests. These native warriors crossed the waters of Lake Champlain in two hundred canoes with pennons flying, and all the pomp of savage warfare. Assembling beneath the 3o6 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. battlements of Ticonderoga, in the midst of woods and mountains, they sang the war- song, danced the war- dance, and listened to the eloquence of their orators. On the sec- ond of August Montcalm appeared before the fort with a force of about six thousand French and Canadians and seventeen hun- dred Indians, and laid siege to it. The MONTCALM. garrison consisted of about three thousand men, under Colonel Monroe, a gallant offi- cer. Montcalm summoned him to surrender the fort, but Monroe returned an indignant refusal to this demand, and sent to General Webbe, at Fort Edward, fifteen miles dis- tant, to ask for assistance. Webbe might easilv have saved the fiirt, as he had four thousand men under his command, but he made no effort to do so. Colonel Putnam, afterwards famous in the Revolution, eagerly sought and at last re- ceived permission to march with his regi- ment to Monroe's assistance, but he had proceeded only a few miles when Webbe commanded him to return to Fort Edward. In the place of assistance, the timid Webbe then sent to Mon- roe a letter greatly exaggerating the force of the French and ad- vising him to surrender. This letter was intercepted by Mont- calm, who was on the point of raising the siege, and he for- warded it to Monroe, with a renewed demand for his sur- render. The brave veteran held out, however, until nearly all his guns were disabled and his am- munition nearly exhausted. He then hung out a flag of truce, and Montcalm, who was too true a hero not to appreciate valor in a foe, granted him liberal terms. The garrison were allowed to march out with the honors of war upon giving their parole not to serve against France for eight- een months. They were to re- tain their private property and were to liberate all their pris- oners. On the ninth of Augu'-t che fort was surrendered to the French. Montcalm had kept the savages from liquor, in order to be able to restrain them in the hour of victory. They now sought and obtained rum from the English, and spent the night in dancing and singing. The next morning, as the English marched out of their camp, the Indians fell upon them and began t'^ plunder them. From robbery tiic 3o8 TIIK FRKNCII AND INDIAN WAR. excited savages soon passed to imirder, aiul many of the Englisli were killed and others nuule prisoners. The I'rench officers threw themselves into the melee and e.xerted themselves gallantly to control the Indians. Many of tiiem were wounded in these efforts. Montcalm in an agony implored the Indians to respect the treaty. " Kill me," he cried, as he struggled to restrain the savages, " but spare the English, who are under my protec- tion." He called to the English soldiers to defend themselves. The retreat to Fort ICdward becanie a disorderly fight. Only about si.x hundred men reached there in a body. More than four hundred had sought shelter in the French camp, and were sent hy Montcalm to their friends under the pro- tection of a strong escort. He also sent one of his officers to ransom those who had been taken prisoners by the Indians. The vast stores accumulated at Fort William Henr\' were carried away by the French, and the work itself demolished. Triumph of the French. The loss of Fort William Henry greatly frightened General Wobbe at Fort Edward, la spite of his forceof six thousi'ud men, and the withdrawal of the French to Lake Cham- plain, he seriously contemplated a retreat to beyond Albany. Lord Loudon, who had arrived at New York, was equally impressed with the danger, and proposed to take posi- tiim with his army on Long Island, for the defence of the continent. The campaign was over, and the French were everj'where triumphant. With the ex- ception of Acadia, they held all the country they had occupied at the beginning of the war. The English had lost the forts at Oswego and William Henry, and immense quantities of supplies. They had been en- tirely expelled from the valleys of the Ohio and the St, Lawrence, and the hostile parties of the Indians were enabled to extend their ravages far into the interior of the colonies. America was thoroughly disgusted with the incompetency and cowardice of the royal commanders. The old spell of British invin- cibility was broken, and the colonists were rapidly losing their respect for the troops sent over from England to protect them. Men were coming to the conclusion that their connection with Great Britain was sim- |)ly a curse to the colonies. They regarded the conduct of the war thus far by the royal officials as simply " a mi.xture of ignorance and cowardice," and were satisfied that they were amply able to defend themselves against the French and Indians without any assist- ance whatever from Ivngland. Attempts to Force Submission. The royal officials sought to cover their iailures by complaints against the Ameri- cans. The hearty disgust and contempt with which the colonists regarded their pusillanimous conduct was reported by them to the home goverment as evidence of a mutinous sjjirit on thepartof the Americans. Throughout the colonies they pursued one uniform system of seeking to force the prov- inces into submission to their own illegal acts, and to compel them to an acknowledg- ment of tlie arbitrary power of the crown. " Everywhere," says Bancroft, " the royal officers actively asserted the authoiity of the king and the British nation ovtr America. Did the increase of population lead the leg- islature to enlarge the representative body? The right to do so was denied, and represen- tation was held to be a privilege conceded by the king as a boon, and limited by his will. Did the British commander believe that the French colonies through the neutral islands derived provisions from the continent ? By his own authority he proclaimed an embargo in every American port." CHAPTER XXIV End of the French and Indian War ,'<. ( hangefor tlie Heller — William Pill, Prime Minister — Vigorous Measures Adopted — Recall of the Eail of Loudon ■ ';:apture of 1 .oiii.slMirg — Abcrcrombie on Lake George — Advances Against Ticomleroga — Deatli of Lord Howe- Failure of the English Attack Upon Ticonderoga — Disgraceful Conduct of Abercrombic — Mis Retreat — Capture ol Fort Fronlenac— Advar.ce of Cercral lorbes— Grant's Defeat — The Virginians Again Save the Regulars — Capture ci Fort Duriuesne — Washington Retires from the Army — Ticonderoga and Crown Point Occupied by the English- Capture of Fort Niagara — The Exjiedition Against Quebec— Failure of tlie First Operations — Despondency o( Wolfe — He Discovers a Landing Place — The Army Scales the Heights of Abraham — Montcalm's Surprise — Hattle of ihe Plains of Abraham — Death of Wolfe — Defeat of the French— Death of Montcalm — Surrender of Quebec- Capture of Montreal — Treaty of Paris — Canada Ceded to England — France Loses All Her American Possessions— The Cherokee War— Hostility of the Indians to the English — Pontiac's War — Death of Pontiac — Bouquet RelieveJ Fort Du(|ucsnc -Results of the War. TIIIC gross misinaiiagcmcnt of affairs in America aroused a storm of in- dignation in England, and King George was obliged to yield to the popular sentiment and change his ministers. At the luatl of the new ministry he placed William ritl, tlie leader of the popular party, who was destined to become one of the greatest of English statesmen. His great talents had raised him from the insignificant position t)f ensign in the guards tc the lead- ership of the government of Great Britain, and v/ere n(nv to be the means o!" retrieving the disasters (jf his country and regaining for her her lost power and ])rcstige. A truly great man, Pitt knew how to ad- mire and sympathize with merit in others, and was not blinded by the glitter of rank, nor hampered by an aristocratic faith in the divinity of royalty. He appreciated and sympathized with the Americans more per- fectly than any of his predecessors in office, and began his career with the wise determi- nation to encourage and develop their patri- otism by a generous and systematic assist- ance of their efforts. He caused the government of Great Britain to assume the expenses of the war, and announced that the sums expended by the colonies for the piibric defence, since the commencement of hostili- ties, would be refunded, and that henceforth the British government would provide the funds for the prosecution of the war. The colonies were each required to furnish troops, but Pitt " stipulated that the colonial troops raised for this purpose should be sup- plied with arms, ammunition, tents and provi- sions in the same manner as the regular troops and at the king's expense ; so that the only charge to the colonic.? would be that of levy- ing, clothing, and paying the men. The governors were also authorized to issue com- ' missions to provincial officers, from colonel.'-, downwards, and these officers were to hold rank in the united army according to their commissions. Had this liberal and just r,ys- teni been adopted at the outset, it wotild have ]iut a very different face upon the affairs of the colonies."* These energetic and jii.st measures were promptly responded to by the colonies, which placed a force of twenty- eight thousand men in the field. To these Pitt added twenty-two thousantl British reg- ulars, making a total of fifty thousand men, Sparks' IViitinj^s of IVaihini^ton, vol. ii., j> 28 )- -Note. 3IO THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. the largest ariny that had ever been assem- bled ill America, and exceeding in number the ^ntire male population of Canada. The Earl of Loudon was recalled, and in- stead of a single supreme command three separate expeditions were organized under different officers. An expedition against WILLIAM PITT. 'I.ouisburg was placed under the orders of Lord Jeffrey Amherst, an able and upright soldier, assisted by Brigadier General James Wolfe ; who, though only thirty-one years old, had spent eighteen years in the army, and had served at Dettingen, Fontenoy and Laffeldt. Me was considered one of Uie ablest commanders in the English service, and was universally beloved. To General Forbes the task of conquering the Ohio val- ley was assigned ; and the expedition against Ticonderoga and Crown Point was intrustec? to General Abercrombie. Pitt had little faith in Abercrombie, who had been Lord Loudon's most trusted lieutenant; but retained him to please Lord Bute, and associated with him, as his second in con.mand, the young and gifted Lord George Howe, in the hope that Howe's genius would redeem Abercrombie's faults, and lead him to victory. The expedition against Louisburg consisted of a fleet of twenty ships of the line and eighteen frigates, under Admiral Boscawen, and an army of fourteen thousand men, under General Am- herst. The fleet leached Cabarus Bay on the se- cond of June, 1758. The fortifications of Louis- burg were somewhat di- lapidated, but were held by a garrison of thirty' two hundred men, com- manded by Chevalier Drucour, an officer of experience and determination. These frigates were sunk across the mouth of the harbor tc close it against the luiglish, and within the basin lay five ships of the line, one fifty-gun ship and two frigates, which took part in tlw' defence of the place. END OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 3" The surf was so heavy that Amherst was unable to land his troops until the eighth. The first division was led by Wolfe, under rhe cover of the fire of the fleet. He forbade a gun to be fired from his command, and, upon nearing the shore, leaped into the water, followed by his men, and in the face of a sharp resistance, drove the French from their outposts into the town. The place was now regularly invested, and, after a bombard- ment of fifty days, during which the shipping in the harbor was destroyed, the town and • furtifications were surrendered to the English on the twenty-seventh of July. With Louis- burg the French gave up the islands of Cape Breton and Prince Edward. Five thousand prisoners and an immense quantity of mili- tary supplies were secured by the English. Halifax being already the chief naval sta- tion of the English in these waters, Louis- burg was abandoned. Amherst, Wolfe and Boscawen were honored by the English gov- ernment for their victory. The season was too far advanced after the capture of Louis- burg to admit of the commencement of operations against Quebec, and Amherst was suddenly called away from the coast to take charge of the army on Lake George. Down Lake George. Abercrombie had assembled a force seven thousand English regulars and nine thousand Americans at the head of Lake George. Among the American troops were Stark and Putnam, afterwards famous in the war for independence, the former serving as a captain in the New Hampshire regiment, the latter as a major of Connecticut troops, Abercrombie was commander-in-chief, but the troops had little confidence in him. They were devoted to Lord Howe, who was the real leader of the expedition. On the fifth of July the army broke up its camp, and embarking in ten hundred and thirty-five boats, with the artillery on rafts, descended the lake to its lower end, from which they were to advance overland upon Fort Carillon, which the French had erected on the pro- montory of Ticonderoga. The next morning Lord Howe pushed forward with the ad« vanced guard, and encountered a scouting party of the French. A sharp conflict en sued. The French were easily driven back, but Lord Howe was killed almost at the first fire. His death cast a gloom over the arniv-. which promised ill for the success of th: undertaking. Gallant Attack. Abercrombie continued to advance, and on the morning of the ninth sent Clerk, his chief engineer, to reconnoitre the French position at Ticonderoga. Clerk reported that the French works were feeble, and im- perfectly armed. Stark, of New Hampshire, and some of the English officers saw that they were both strong and well provided with artillery. They so reported to Aber- crombie, but he accepted the statement of his engineer, and, witho"t waiting for his artil- lery, ordered an assault upon the French lines that very day. The Marquis of Montcalm was command- ing in person at Ticonderoga, and had dis- posed his small force of thirty-six hundred and fifty men in a line of breastworks thrown up about half a mile beyond the fort, and extending across the promontory on which that work stood. The death of Lord Howe had deprived the English of their only leader capable of contending against this accom plished commander, and the incompetency of Abercrombie was to render easy what might have been, under other circumstances a rnost difficult undertaking. Abercromoie could b^^'ff broueht up his artillery by the next day, but he was 5i_^ willing to wait for it, as he anticipated an 312 TIIF, I'RI'.NCII AND INI^IAN WAR. easy victory. lie stationed liiinself in ri placi; of safety about two miles fiom the field, and ordered liis: troops to assail the French in- trenchnients with the bayonet. The attack- was made in gallant style, and was continued with energy during the afternoon. The English performed prodigies of valor, but were not able to overcome the strength of the French works, or the activity with which the defenders maintained their position. Un- like the English commander, Montcalm was everywhere along his line, cheering his men with his presence and example, and distribut- ing refreshments to them with his own hands. Without a commander who dared place himself under fire, with no one on the spot to direct their movements, the valor of the English was thrown away. A volley from an advanced party of their own men com- pleted their confusion, and they broke help- lessly and fell back in disorder towards Lake George. Abercrombie made no effort to rally them ; he was too badly frightened for that; and led the army towards the lantling- place, on Lake George, with such haste that but for the energetic action of Colonel Brad- street the troops would have rushed pell-mell into the boats, withoi^t any semblance of order, and with a still greater loss of life. The English Retreat. The English lost nearly two thousand men in the attack upon the French works, but they still had left a force of more than four times the strength of the F'rench, and their artillery had not been engaged. With this force they might have taken Ticonderoga, but Abercrombie was too much terrified to attempt anything of the kind. On the morn- ing of the ninth he embarked his troops and hastened to the head of Lake George. Montcalm was astounded at his retreat, but as he had too small a force, and his men were exhausted, he m.ulc no effort at pur- suit. Arrived at the head of Lake George, the frightened Abercrombie sent the artillery and ammunition back to Albany for safety, and occupied his army with the erection of F'ort George, near the ruins of Fort William Henry. The news of this disaster caused General Amherst to hasten with four regi ments and a battalion from Louisburg to Lake George. He reached the camp of Abercrombie on the fifth of October. In November orders arrived from England ap- pointing Amherst commander-in-chief of the royal forces in America, and recalling Aber- crombie, who returned to England to attempt to excuse his cowardice by villifying Amer ica and the Americans. He could not de- ceive Pitt, however, whose indignation at liis pusillanimous conduct was only restrained by the influence of Lord Bute in the royal councils. Sudden Flight. After Abercrombie's retreat. Colonel Brad- street, of New York, at liis earnest solicita- tion, obtained leave from the council of war to undertake an expedition against Fort Frontenac, which, being situated at the foot of Lake Ontario, commanded both the lake and the St. Lawrence. Its possession was of the highest importance to the French, as it was their main depot for the supply of the posts on the upper lakes and the Ohio with military stores. Collecting a force of twenty- seven hundred men, all Americans, consist- ing chiefly of troops from New York and Massachusetts, Bradstreet hastened to O.s- wego before his movements were known to the enemy. From Oswego he crossed the lake in open boats, and landed on the Can- ada side within a mile of Fort Frontenac. His sudden arrival struck terror to the garrison, and the greater part secured their safety by an instantaneous flight. Tlie next da\' the fort surrendered. The victors cap- END Ol" THE [■Rl'.NCH AND INDIAN WAR. 3'3 turcd with it a vast quantity of military stores cicstincd for the forts in the interior, and a fleet of nine armed vessels, with which the I'Vench controlled the lake. Two of the vessels were laden with a part of the stores and sent to Oswego, and the remainder of the vessels and stores, together with the fort, were destroyed. The English then re- crossed the lake to Oswego. The capture of Fort Frontenac was an event of great im- portance, as it led, as we shall see further on, to the abandonment by the French of their posts in the valley of the Ohio. For the reduction of Fort Duque^ne a force of seven thousand men was assembled under General Forbes. Of these, five thou- sand wore from Pennsylvania and Virginia, the tro()[)s from the latter colony being under the command of Colonel Washington. The I'cnnsjlvania troops assembled at Raystown, on the Juiiiata, and the Virginians at I'^ort Cuniberlati'l. Washington urged upon Forbes the advantages of adopting the old road cut by Braddock's army in his advance to the Ohio, but Forbes, at the suggestion of some land-speculators, decided to construct a new and a better road farther to the north. As regarded the future settlement of the west this was an excellent plan, but as far as it concerned the immediate object of the campaign it was a mistake, as it involved a large expenditure of labor and a great waste of time. While this road was being constructed General Bouquet, with the advanced guard, crossed Laurel Hill and established a post at Loyal Hanna. The new road progressed j/ery slowly, only forty-five miles being con- structed in six weeks. Bouquet had with him a force of about two thousand men, chiclly Highlanders and Virginians. Learn- ing from his scouts that Fort Duquesne was held by a garrison of only eight hundred men, of whom three hundred were Indians, Bouquet, without orders from General Forbes, resolved to attempt the capture of the fort by a sudden blow. He detached a force of eight hundred Highlanders and a company of Virginians, under Major Grant, to reconnoitre Fort Duquesne. The French were fully informed of all of Grant's movements, but they allowed him to approach unmolested, intending to disarm his vigilance and then attack him. Grant affected the usual contempt for the provincial troops, and upon arriving before the fort, placed Major Lewis with the Vir- ginians to guard the baggage, and sent his regulars forward to reconnoitre and make a sketch of the work. He was greatly en- couraged by the fact that the French allowed him to approach without firing a gun at him, and in his self-complacency marched right into an ambuscade which the enemy had prepared for him. The Regulars' Narrow Escape. The French conimamicr luui posted thv, Indians along the sides of the defile by which Grant was advancing, and at a given signal the garrison made a sudden sally from the fort against the Highlanders, while the In- dians opened a heavy fire upon them from their place of concealment. The regular.-; were quickly thrown into confusion, and their officers were found incapable of con ducting such a mode of warfare. Attracted by the firing. Major Lewis, with a company of Virginians, hastened to the scene of the encounter, and by engaging the enemy hand to-hand enabled the regulars to save them- selves from a general massacre. The de- tachment was routed with heavy loss, ano both Grant and Lewis were taken prisoners The fugitives retreated to the point where the baggage had been left. It was guarded by C.iptain Bullit, whom Lewis had Icftthere with one compjMiy of Virginians. 314 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. B)- the gallant and skillful resistance of this little force the French and Indians were checked, and finally driven back in confusion. The English then continued their retreat with all speed to Loyal Hanna. Again the provincials had saved the regulars from total destruction. General Forbes had the mag- nanimity to acknowledge and compliment the Virginians for their services, and Cap- tain Bullit was promoted to the rank of major. General Forbes was greatly disheartened by the news of Grant's disaster. A council of war was called to deliberate upon the future operations of the army, and decided that as it was now November, and they were still fifty miles from Fort Duquesne, with an unbroken forest between them and the fort, nothing more could be accomplished until the spring. The enterprise was on the point of being abandoned when fortunately three prisoners were brought in, from whom Wash- ington drew the information that the garri- son of Fort Duquesne was reduced to a very small force, that the Indians had all deserted the French, and that the expected reinforce- ments and supplies from Canada had not arrived. It was evident that a wcll-e.\ecuted effort would result in the capture of the fort. The Fort Abandoned. This information decided General Forbes to continue the expedition. A force of twenty-five hundred picked troops was placed under Washington's command, and he was ordered to push forward as rapidly as possible, and prepare the road for the ad- vance of the main army. Washington was ably seconded in his movements by the en- ergetic Armstrong, and the march was pressed with such vigor that in ten days the army arrived in the vicinity of Fort Duquesne. The French now saw that the fall of the fort was inevitable. They had but five hun- dred men, and Bradstreet's capture of Fort Frontenac had cut them off from the rein- forcements and supplies they had expected from Canada. Unwilling to stand a siege, the result of which was certain, they aban- doned the fort on the night of the twenty- fourth of November, and embarking in flat boats, floated down the Ohio to join their countrymen in the valley of the Mississippi. On the morning of the twenty-fifth, Wash- ington, with his gallant band, entered the fort and planted the British flag on the ram- parts just abandoned by the French. At the universal desire of the army, Forbes named the place Fort Pitt, which has since been changed to Pittsburgh. The splendid city which occupies the site is the proudest monument that has been built to the memory of the " Great Commoner." Two regiments, composed of Pennsyl- vanians, Virginians and Marylanders, under Mercer, were left to garrison Fort Pitt, which was restored to its former strength. General Forbes then returned cast of the mountains, and Washington resigned his commission and retired to private life. The object of the campaign was accomplished, and he could now enjoy the rest to which five years of constant service had entitled him. The capture of Fort Duquesne was the most important event of the war. It put an end to the French occupation of the valley of the Ohio and settled the claim of Great Britain to that valuable region. The Indians, having no longer the support and encour- agement which they had derived from the French at this post, ceased their hostile efforts, and during the remainder of the war the frontiers of Virginia and Pennsylvania were at peace. The capture of the fort wag followed by a large emigration west of the mountains, which, beginning the next spring; WASHINGTON PLANTING THE FLAG ON FORT 1JU(,)UFSNE. 3i6 THE fki-:ncii and indian war. soon placed a large and energetic population of Englishmen and their families in the val- ley of the Ohio. The Indians, disheartened by the defeat of the F"rench, began to form treaties of peace or neutrality with the Eng- lish. Washington's Valor. Washington's services in this campaign were acknowledged with pride throughout the colonies, but the British government took no notice of them. Not even Pitt, with all his appreciation of America, thought it worth while to offer him any promotion or reward, as had been done in the case of other meritorious provincial commanders Soon after his withdrawal from the army he took his seat in the house of burgesses, to which he had been elected. That body ordered its speaker to publicly thank Colonel Washington in the name of the house and of the people of Virginia for his services to his country. The speaker discharged this duty with ease and dignity, but when Washington attempted to reply he blushed and stam- mered and was unable to speak a word. The speaker relieved his confusion by coming to his assistance with the kind remark : " Sit down, Mr. Washington ; your modesty equals your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language I possess." The English cause was now more success- ful than it had ever been, and Canada was exhausted by the efforts she had put forth for her defence. This was clear to Mont- calm, who had no hope of holding New France against the attacks of Great Britain, and it was also clear to the far-seeing mind oi Pitt. The British minister, therefore, re- solved that the next campaign should be decisive of the war. He promptly reim- bursed the colonies for the expenses incurred by them during the past year, and found no difficulty in enlisting them heartily in his schemes. Three expeditions were ordered for the year 1759. Amherst was to advance by way of Lake Champlain, and after capturing Ticonderoga and Crown Point, was to lay siege to Montreal ; Wolfe was to ascend the St. Lawrence and attack Quebec, and was to be joined by Amherst if the latter should be successful in his efforts against Montreal ; and General Prideaux was to proceed by way of Oswego to capture Fort Niagara, and then descend Lake Ontario and join Amherst at Montreal. Amherst moved promptly against Ticon- deroga, which post was abandoned by the French upon his approach. Crown Point fell into his hands in the same manner, but here the advance of the English was stayed. No boats had been provided to transport the army down Lake Champlain, and Amherst was forced to halt until these could be pro- cured. He was thus able to invest Mon- treal, or to cooperate with Wolfe in the movement against Quebec. The American Gibraltar. General Prideau.x began his march to Os- wego about the same time, and proceeding from Oswego, laid siege to P'ort Niagara. He was killed by the bursting of a gun soon after the commencement of the siege, and the command devolved upon Sir William Johnson, who pressed the attack with vigor. On the twenty-third of July, 1758, the fort capitulated ; but Johnson was obliged to abandon the attempt to descend the St. Law- rence to Wolfe's assistance from a lack of boats and provisions. The expedition against Quebec assembled in June, 1758, at Louisburg, under the com- mand of General Wolfe. It consisted of eight thousand troops and a fleet of twenty- two ships of the line, besides frigates and some smaller vessels. On the twenty-sixth of June the Isle of Orleans was reached, and END 01= THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAP 317 the troops were imme- diately landed. A short distance up the river Quebec rose defiantly, its seemingly impregna- ble citadel of St. Louis crowning the lofty hills that rose from the river's brink. For the defence of the place Montcalm had six greatly reduced bat- talions of regulars and a force of Canadian miliiia. A few Indians remained faithful to him ; but the majority of the tribes, doubtful of the issue of the contest, preferred to remain neutral. The French commander, see- ing the inferiority of his force to that of the Ew^- !ish, put his trust chiellN- in the natural strenL;Hi of his position, which he believed would enable him to hold it even with his small force. The situation of Que- bec was peculiar. It la\' on a peninsula, between the river St. Charles on the north and the .St. Lawrence on the south and ea.st. On these sides it was perfectly protect, il by the river, leaving tli^ west side alone exposed. The lower town was situated on the beach, whilf the upper stood on the cliffs two hundred feet above the water, and above this still rose the castle of St. Louis. Above the city tlie high pro- montory on which the upper town was built NIAGARA bALLS stretched away for several miles in an elevated plain, and from the river to this plain tile rocks rose almost perpendicularly. Every landing-place was carefully guard- ed, and the whole range of cliffs .seemed 318 THE FRENCH ixND INDIAN WAR. bristling with cannon. The French com- mander did not believe it possible for an army to scale these cliffs. Montcalm located his camp below the city, between the St. Charles and the Montmorenci rivers, and covered the river front of his position with many floating batteries and ships of war, *(hich presented a formidable appearance. GENERAL JAMES WOLFE. Tlie naval superiority of the English at once gave them the command of the river. The French were driven from Point Levi, opposite the city, and upon it Wolfe erected batteries, from which he bombarded the lower town and soon laid it in ashes. The upper town and the citadel were beyond the range of his guns, and could not be injured by this fire. Wolfe now decided to storm the French camp on the opposite side of the St. Law- rence, and in the month of July attacked them from the direction of the Montmorenci, but owing to the haste of the first division, which advanced to the assault before it could be properly supported by the second, the attack was repulsed with a loss of five hun dred men. This repulse greatly dis- heartened the English commande-, whose sensitive spirit suffered keenly under the dread that his enterprise was doomed to failure. He obtained news of the capture of Fort Niagara and the occupation of Ticonder- oga and Crown Point, and eagerly w^-.tched for the approach of the promised assistance from Amherst. It never came, and Wolfe saw that he must take Quebec by his own efforts or not at all. He attempted several diversions above the city in the hope of drawing Montcalm from his intrenchments into the open field, but the latter merely sent De Bougainville with fifteen hundred men to watch the shore above Quebec and prevent a landing. Wolfe fell into a fever, caused by his anxiety, and his despatches to his government created the gravest uneasiness in England for the suc- cess of his enterprise. Though ill, Wolfe e.xamined the river with eagle eyes to detect some place at which a landing could be attempted. His energy was rewarded by his discovery of the cove which now bears his name. From the shore at the head of this cove a steep and difficult pathway, along which two men could scarcely march abreast, wound up to the summit of the heights and was guarded by a small force of Canadians. Wolfe at once resolved to effect a landintr here and ascend END OP THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 319 the heights by this path. The greatest secrecy was necessary to the success of the undertak):ig, and in order to deceive the French as to his real design, Captain Cook, afterwards famous as a great navigator, was sent to take soundings and place buoys opposite Montcalm's camp, as if that were to be the real point of attack. The morning of the thirteenth of September was chosen for the movement, and the day and night of the twelfth were spent in preparations for it. "To Conquer or Die." At one o'clock on the morning of the thir- teenth a force of about five thousand men under Wolfe, with Monckton and Murray, set off in boats from the i^eet, which had ascended the river several days before, and dropped down to the point designated for the land- ing. Each officer was thoroughly informed of the duties required of him, and each shared the resolution of the gallant young commander, to conquer or die. As the boats floated down the stream, in the clear, cool starlight, Wolfe spoke to his officers of the poet Gray, and of his " Elegy in a Country Churchyard." " I would prefer," aaid he, " being the author of that poem to the glory of beating the French to-morrow." Then in a musing voice he repeated the ines : "The boast of heraldy, the pomp of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Await alike the inexorable hour ; ' The paths of glory lead but to the grave " In a short while the landing-place was reached, and the fleet, following silently, took position to cover the landing if neces- sary. Wolfe and his immediate command leaped ashore and secured the pathway. The light infantry, who were carried by the tide a little below the path, clambered up the side of the heights, sustaining themselves by clinging to the roots and shrubs which lined the precipitous face of the hill. They reached the summit and drove off tlie picket- guard after a slight skirmish. The rest of the troops ascended in safety by the path- way, and a battery of two guns was aban- doned on the left to Colonel Howe. Having gained the heights, Wolfe moved forward rapidly to clear the forest, and by daybreak his army was drawn up 011 the Heights of Abraham, in the rear of the city Montcalm was speedily informed of the presence of the English. " It can be but a small party come to burn 3_ few houses and retire," he answered incredulously. A brief examination satisfied him of his danger, and he e.KcIaimed in amazement: "Then they have at last got to the weak side of this miserable garrison. Wv, must give battle and crush them before mid-day." He at once despatched a messenger for De Bou- gainville, who was fifteen miles up the river, and marched from his camp opposite the city to the Heights of Abraham to drive the English from them. The opposing forces were about equal in numbers, though the English troops were superior to their adver- saries in steadiness and determination. Death of a Hero. The battle began about ten o'clock and was stubbornly contested. It was at length decided in favor of the English. Wolfe, though wounded several times, continued to tirect his army until, as he was leading them to the final charge, he received a musket ball m the breast. He tottered and called to an officer near him : " Support me ; let not my brave fellows see me drop." He was borne tenderly to the rear, and water was brought him to quench his thirst. At this moment the officer upon whom he was leaning cried out : " They run ! they run ! " " Who run ? " asked the dying hero, eagerly. " The French," said 320 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. the officer, " g. . vi way everywhere." " What ?" said Wolfe, summoning up his remaining strength, " do they run already ? Go, one of you, to Colonel Burton ; bid him march Webb's regiment with all speed to Charles River to cut off the fugitives." Then, a smile of contentment overspreading his pale features, he murmured: "Now, God be praised, I die happy,"' and expired. He had De Bougainville arrived with his division, but Townshend declined to renew the en- gagement. Montcalm had bonie himself heroically during the battle, ^nd had done all that a brave and skillful commander could do tc win the \'ictory. As he was endeavoring to rally his troops at their final repulse, he was wounded for the second time, and was car- DEATII OF GENERAL WOI.FE BEFORE QUEBEC. done his whole duty, and with his life had purchased an empire for his country. Monckton, the second in rank, having been wounded, the command devolved upon General Townshend, a brave officer, but incapable of following up such a success with vigor. He recalled the troops from the pursuit and contented himself with the pos- S'jssion of the battle-fieH At this moment ried into the city. The surgeon informed him that his wound was mortal. " So much the better," he answered cheerfully ; " I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." De Ramsay, the commandant of the post asked his advice about the defence of the city " To your keeping," answered Mont calm, " I commend the honor of France. I I will neithc" pivc orders nor interfere any END OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 321 further. I have business of greater moment to attend to. My time is short. I shall pass the night with God, and prepare myself for death." He then wrote a letter to the English com- mander, commending the French prisoners to his generosity, and at five o'clock on the morn- ing of the fourteenth his spirit passed away. Suc- ceeding generations have paid to his memory the honors it deserves, and on the spot where the fate of Quebec was de- cided the people of Ca- nada have erected, to commemorate the hero- ism of the conqueror and the conquered, a noble monument inscribed with the names of Wolfe and Montcalm. The French lost five hundred killed and one thousand prisoners,while the loss of the English was six hundred in killed and wounded. Five days afterward, on the eight- eenth of September, the city and garris on of Que- bec surrendered to Gen- eral Townshend. The capture of this great stronghold was hailed with rejoicings in both America and England. Congratulations were showered upon Pitt, who modestly put them aside witK *he reverent remark : " I will arm to serve my country ; but the more a man is versed in business, the more he finds the hand of Providence everywhere." 21 In April, 1 760, De Levi, the French com mander at Montreal, attacked Quebec with a force often thousand men, hoping to reduce it before the arrival of reinforcements from England. Murray, the English commander, marched out with three thousand men to KING GEORGE III. attack him, and in a severe battle on the twenty-sixth of April was defeated and driven back to the city with a loss of one thousand men. The French then laid siege to Quebec, but on the ninth of May ai\ S22 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. English fleet arrived to its relief, and De Levi was obliged to withdraw to Montreal. In September, Montreal itself was invested by a powerful force under General Amherst. Seeing that there was no hope of resistance, the French commander surrendered the town on the eighth of September, 1760. With this capture Canada passed entirely into the hands of the English. Detroit and the other posts on the lakes were soon given up by the French, and the dominion of France in America was confined to the valley of the Mississippi. There were no further hctili- ties between the English and French- Important Treaty. The French and Indian war was closed by the treaty of Paris, on the tenth of February, 1763. By this treaty Great Britain obtained all the French territory east of the Missis- sippi, with the exception of the island of New Orleans, the northern boundary of which was the rivers Iberville and Amite, and Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain. Florida was ceded to England by Spain in exchange for Havana. France ceded to Spain the island of New Orleans and all Louisiana west of the Mississippi. Thus Great Britain was mistress of the whole of the vast region east of the Mississippi, with the exception of the island of New Orleans, from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexi- co. The region west of the Mississippi was claimed by Spain. In all the vast continent of America France retained not one foot of ground. In the meantime the Indians of the south- west had become involved in war with the whites. The Cherokees, who had always been friendly to the English, had done good service during the early part of the war by protecting the frontiers of Virginia, and had served also in Forbes' expedition against Fort Duquesne. They received for tlieu: services no reward or pay from any source, and as they were setting out for their he ties neither General Forbes nor the colonial au- thorities supplied them with either food or money. To avoid starvation on their march they were compelled to plunder the barns of some of the settlers, and this led to a conflict which rapidly spread into a border war. The Cherokees Driven to Arms. Lyttleton, the governor of South Carolina, exerted himself to prevent the restoration of peace, and with success, as he desired the credit of exterminating the Cherokees. He was opposed by the legislature and people of the colony, but in 1759 he sent a force into their country, which committed such ravages that the Cherokees, driven to despair, re- solved upon a war of extermination. They made a league with the Muscogees, and sent to the French in Louisiana for military stores. The Carolinians asked aid of General Am- herst, who sent them a force of twelve hun- dred men, principally highlanders, under General Montgomery. Reinforced by a body of Carolinians, Montgomery invaded the Cherokee country in 1760, and laid it waste. This tribe had made great advances in civil- ization, and had settled in villages, and en- gaged in the cultivation of their lands. Their hornes were made desolate, and they were driven to the mountains. Montgomery then rejoined Amherst, in the north, in obedience to orders ; but the Indians for many years maintained a desultory ■ warfare along the southwestern border. The surrender of Canada to the English * was viewed with the greatest disfavor by the Indians of the north and west, who were attached to the French, and were unwillii>g to submit to the rule of the f-nghsh. Im- mediately after the surrender the English occupied all the French posts along the lakes, and in the Ohio valley, with small END OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 323 garrisons. The contrast between these and the French, who had formerly held these forts, soon impressed itself forcibly upon the minds of the savages. The French had been friendly and kind to the Indians, and had sought to convert them to Christianity ; the English were haughty and domineering, and insulted their priests, and denounced their religion. " King Pontiac." The French had prohibited the sale of rum to the Indians ; the English introduced it, and finding it profitable continued it, with a recklessness of consequences which did not escape the keen observation of the savages. The demoralization of the red men was rapid, and drunkenness and its attendant vices wrought sad changes in them. The tribes were bitterly hostile to the men who were ruining their people, and all were alarmed by the rapidity with wh'ch emigration had been pouring over the mountains since the capture of Fort Duquesne. They saw that they were about to be driven from their homes, and forced westward, before the advancing tide o'" the whites. The most determined opponent ot the Enghsh rule was Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawas. He was a Catawba by birth, had been brought from his native country as a prisoner, and had been adopted into the Ot- tawa tribe, whose chief he had become by his bravery and skill. He was the idol of his own people, and his influence over the neigh- boring tribes was boundless. He was styled "the king and lord of all the country of the northwest," and bitterly resented the English occupation of his dominions. The first Eng- lish officer who came to take possession of the French forts was received by him with the stern demand, " How dare you come to visit my country without my leave ?" This " forest hero " now resolved to unite all the tribes of the northwest in a last de- termined effort to drive out the English, and regain the independence of the red man. The plan of operations which he adopted was most comprehensive, and was the most remarkable exhibition of genuine leadership ever given by an Indian. He began negotia- tions with the neighboring tribes, and in- duced the Delawares, Shawnees, the Senecas, Miamis, and many of the smaller tribes, oc- cupying the great region of the upper lakes, the valley of the Ohio, and a portion of tlie Mississippi valley, to join his people in their effort against the English. He sent a prophet to all the tribes to declare to them that the Great Spirit had revealed to him "that if the English were permitted to dwell in their midst, then the white man's diseases and poisons would utterly destroy them." The conspiracy was pressed forward with energy, and though it was more than a year in forming, it was kept a profound secret. The Plot Revealed. The principal post on the upper lakes was Detroit. It V/as surrounded by a numerous French population engaged in agriculture and trading. It was the centre of the trade of this region, and its possession was of the highest importance to the English. Pontiac was anxious to obtain possession of this fort and sent word to Major Gladwin, the commandant, that he was coming on a cer- tain day, with his warriors, to have a talk with him. The chief was resolved to make this visit the occasion of seizing the fort and massacring the garrison, and he and his warriors selected for the attempt cut down their rifles to a length which enabled them to conceal them under their blankets, in order to enter the fort with their arms. The plot was revealed to Gladwin by an Indian girl, whose affections had been won by one of the English office: s, and when Ponriac and his warriors repaired to the fort 324 END OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 32? for their "talk" Gladwin mide him aware that his conspiracy was discovered, and very unwisely permitted him to leave the fort in safety. Pontiac now threw off the mask of friendship and boldly attacked Detroit. Wholesale Slaughter. This was the signal for a general war. In about three weeks' time the savages sur- prised and captured every fort west of Ni- agara, with the exception of Detroit and Pittsburgh. The garrisons were, with a few exceptions, put to death. Over one hundred traders were killed and scalped in the woods, and more than five hundred families were driven, with the loss of many of their numbers, from their settlements on the fron- tier. Pontiac endeavored, without success, to capture Detroit, and a large force of the warriors of several of the tribes laid siege to Pittsburgh, the most important post in the valley of the Ohio. The ravages of the Indians were extended over the wide terri- tory between the Ohio and the Mississippi, and the settlements in that region /vere for the time completely broken up. General Bouquet, with a force ol five hundred men, consisting chiefly of Scotch Highlanders, was sent from eastern Penn- sylvania to the relief of Fort Ligonier, which was located at the western base of the mountains, near Pittsburgh. Their march lay through a region which had been deso- lated by the Indians, and they were obliged to depend upon the stores they carried with them. Upon reaching Fort Ligonier, Bou- quet found the communication with Pitts- burgh cut off, and could learn nothing of the fate of the fort or garrison. Leaving his cattle and wagons at Ligo- nier, he pushed forward with his men in light marching order, determined to ascer- tain if Pittsburgh still held out. He had to <\ght his way through the Indians, who turned aside from the siege of the fort and ambushed the Highlanders at nearly every step. They were overwhelmingly defeated by the gallant Highlanders, for Bouquet was now a veteran Indian fighter, and had learned to fight the savages with their own tactics. Their rout was complete, and Bouquet reach- ed Pittsburgh in safety, to the great joy of the garrison. Victory Over the Indians. Bouquet's victory was decisive. The In dians were utterly disheartened and fled westward ; and from that day the Ohio val- ley was freed from their violence. The tide of emigration once more began to fJow over the mountains, and this time it was to know no cessation. The tribes concerned in Pon- tiac's conspiracy lost hope, and were over- awed by the preparations of the English for their destruction, and began to withdraw from the confederacy and make peace with the whites. Pontiac soon found himself de- serted by all his followers, even by his own people ; but his proud spirit would not brook the thought of submission. He would make no treaty; he was the mortal foe of the English, and would never acknowledge their rule. Leaving his home and his people, he set out for the country of the Illinois, for purpose of stirring up the more distant tribes to war. A proclamation from Lord Amherst offered a reward for his murder, and he soon fell, the victim of the hired assassin. The long war was over. It had brought both loss and gain to the colonies. It had involved them in an expenditure of sixteen million dollars, of which sum but five million dollars had been refunded by the English government. Thus the debts of the colonies were greatly increased. Thirty thousand men had been killed, or had died from wounds or disease during the war, and the sufferings of the settlers along the extended 326 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. and exposed frontiers had been almost incal- culable. On the other hand, the war had greatly increased the business of the colonies, es- pecially in those of the north. Large sums had been spent in America by Great Britain for the support of her armies and fleets, and many fortunes were built up by enterprising men during this period. Above all the Americans had been taught their own strength, and the value of united action. They had often proved their superiority to the regular troops of the English army, and had learned valuable lessons in the art of war. In the long struggle Washington, Gates, Morgan, Montgomery, Stark, Putnam and others were trained for the great work which was to be required of them in future years. The colonies were bound together by a common grievance, arising out of the haughty contempt with which the royal commanders treated the provincial troops, and sacrificed their interests to those of the regulars. The lesson that the colonies could do without the assistance of England, and that their true interests demanded a separation from her, was deeply implanted in the minds of many of the leading men. Another gain for the colonies was a posi tive increase in their liberties resulting from the war. The necessity of securing the cor dial co-operation of the Americans during the struggle caused the royal governors to cease their efforts to enforce arbitrary laws, during the existence of hostilities, as the en- forcement of such measures would have alienated the colonists, and have prevented them from raising the needed supplies of men and money. The colonial assemblies were careful to take advantage of this state of affairs. They made their grants of sup- plies with great caution, and retained in their own hands all the disbursements of the pub- lic funds. They thus accustomed the people to the practices of free government, and taught them their rights in the matter, so that when the war closed the royal governors found that they were no longer able to prac- tice their accustomed tyranny. BOOK IV The American Revolution CHAPTER XXV Causes of the Struggle for Independence Injustice of Great Britain Towards Her Colonies — The Navigation Acts — Effects of Tliese Laws Upon the Co!onies-\ Great Britain Seeks to Destroy the Manufactures of America — Writs of Assistance — They Are Opposed — Home Manulacturcs Encouraged by the Americans--- Ignorance of Englishmen Concerning America — Great Britain Claims the Right to Tax America — Resistance of ihe Colonists — Samuel Adams — The Parsons' Cause — Patrick Henry — England Persists in Her Determination to Tax America — Passage of the Stamp Act — Resistance of the Colonies- Meeting of the First Colonial Congress — Us Action — William Pitt — Repeal of the Stamp Act — Franklin Before the House of Commons — New Taxes Imposed Upon America — Increased Resistance of the Colonies— Troops Quartered in Boston — The " Massacre" — The Non-Importation Associations — Growth of Hostility to England — Burning of ihf «'Gasp6" — The Tax on Tea Retained by the King — Destruction of Tea at Boston — Wrath of the British Govern- ment — Boston Harbor Closed — Troops Quartered in Boston — The Colonics Come to the Assistance of Boston- Action of the Virginia Assembly — General Gage in Boston — The Regulating Act— Its Failure— Gage Seizes the Massachusetts Powder — Uprising of the Colony — Meeting of the Continental Congress — Its Action — Addresses to >he King and People of England — The Earl of Chatham's Indorsement of Congress — The King Remains Stubborn. THE treaty of Paris placed England in control of the North American con- tinent east of liie Mississippi, and the English government was of the opinion that this possession brought with it the right to treat America as it pleased, with- out regard to the rights or liberties of her people. We have already considered some of the many acts of injustice by which Great Britain drove the colonies into rebellion against her. We have now to relate those bearing more immediately on the separation. The navigation acts of 1660 and 1663 were passed, as we have seen, for the purpose of crippling the commerce of the colonies, and confirming their dependence upon England. They were severely felt throughout all the col- onies, and especially in New England, which was largely dependent upon its commerce. These acts were the beginning of a policy deliberately adopted by England, and per- •isted in by her for more than a century, for the purpose of enriching her mercantile clas? by depriving the colonists of the just rewards of their labors. The Americans were re- garded by the mother country as inferiors, and as dependents, who had been planted by her in " settlements established in distant parts of the world for the benefit of trade." The natural right of all men to acquire property and wealth by the exercise of their industry was denied to them ; they were to labor only that the British merchant might grow rich at their expense. Every species of industry in America, save the mere culti- vation of the soil, was to be heavily taxed that it might be crushed out of existence. The Americans were to be obliged to ship their products to England for sale, and to be compelled to purchase in her markets the supplies they needed. No foreign country might trade directly with the colonies. Such articles of foreign production as were needed must be shipped to England, and then ,^27 328 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. transferred to British vessels for transporta- tion to the colonies, in order that they might yield a profit to the English ship-owner. The only direct trade which was allowed, and was not taxed, was the infamous trafific in negro slaves, against which every colony protested, and which Great Britain compelled them to accept. Even the trees in the " free woods," suitable for masts, were claimed by the king, and marked by his "surveyor-general of woods." It was a criminal offence to cut one of them after being so marked. Restrictions upon Trade. In spite of these outrages the colonies persisted in their efforts to establish manu- factures and a commerce of their own. As early as 1643 iron works were established in Massachusetts, and in 1721 the New England colonies contained six furnaces and nineteen forges. Pennsylvania was still more largely engaged in the manufacture of this metal, and exported large quantities of it to other colonies. By the year 1756 there were eight furnaces and nine forges, for smelting copper, in oper- ation in Maryland. In 1721 the British iron- masters endeavored to induce Parliament to put a stop to the production of iron in America, but without success. In 1750 they were more successful. In that year an act of Parliament forbade, under heavy penalties, the exportation of pig-iron from America to England, and the manufacture by the Ameri- cans of bar-iron or steel for their own use. All the iron works in the colonies were ordered to be closed, and any that might afterwards be erected were to be destroyed as " nuisances." Some of the colonies had engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods, and the mak- ing of hats had become a very large and profitable business. In 1732 Parliament for- bade the transportation of woolen goods of American manufacture from one colony to another, and the same restriction was placed upon the trade in hats. As an excuse for this outrage it was argued that as the Ameri- cans had an unlimited supply of beaver and other furs open to them, they would soon be able to supply all Europe, as well as them- selves, with hats. England was unwilling that America should manufacture a single article which she could supply, and in ordei to cripple the industry of the colonies still further it was enacted by Parliament that no manufacturer should employ more than two apprentices. In 1733 the famous " Molasses Act " was passed, imposing a duty on sugar, molasses, or rum, imported into any of the British possessions from any foreign colony. The object of this act was to benefit the British West India possessions by compell- ing the North American colonies to trade with them. Thrilling Speech of James Otis. In order to enforce the various restrictions upon the trade of the colonies Great Britain established in America a large force of cus- toms officers, who were given unlawful powers for this purpose. Parliament enacted that any sheriff or officer of the customs, who suspcclcdthdX merchandise imported into the colony in which he was stationed had not paid the duty required by law, might apply to the colonial courts for a search warrant, or " writ of assistance," and enter a store or private dwelling and search for the goods he suspected of being unlawfully imported. These writs were first used in Massachu- setts in 1 76 1, and aroused a storm of indig- nation from the people, who felt that their most sacred rights were being violated by them. They were resisted, and the case was carried before the courts in order to test their validity. James Otis, the attorney for the crown, resigned his office rather than argue SCENE NEAR THE SOURCE OF THE RARITAN RIVER 330 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. in behalf of them, and with great eloquence pleaded the cause of the people. His speech created a profound impression throughout the colonies, and aroused a determination in the hearts of his fellow-citizens to oppose the other enactments of Parliament which they felt to be unjust. This trial was fatal to the writs, which \ ;ere scarcely ever used after- wards. " Then and there," says John Adams, " was the first opposition to arbi- trary acts of Great Britain. Then and there American Independence was born" Taxing the Colonies. The spirit of opposition soon manifested itself in the New England colonies. The manufactures, trade and fisheries of that sec- tion were almost ruined, and the people had no choice but to defend themselves. Asso- ciations were formed in all the colonies pledging themselves not to purchase of Eng- lish manufacturers anything but the absolute necessities of life. Families began to make their own linen and woolen cloths, and to preserve sheep for their wool. Homespun garments became the dress of the patriot party, and foreign cloths were almost driven out of use. It was resolved to encourage home manufactures in every possible way and associations were formed for this pur- pose. These measures became very pop- ular, and were adopted by the other colonies in rapid succession. England was blind to these signs of alien- ation and danger, and such of her public men as saw them regarded them as of no importance. It was resolved to go still further, and levy direct taxes upon the col- onies. In 1763 such a proposition was brought forward by the ministers. It was claimed by them that as the debt of England had been largely increased by the French war, which had been fought in their defence, it was but right that they should help to de- fray the expense by paying a tax to the English government. In the meantime the colonies had warmly discussed the intentions of Great Britain re- specting them, and all strenuously denied the right of the mother country to tax them without granting them some form of reprC' sentation in her government. They claimed the right to have a voice in the disposal ot their property, and they regarded the design of Parliament as but a new proof of the indis- position of the mother country to treat them with justice. The feeling of the Americans towards England at this period has been aptly de- scribed as " distrust and suspicion, strangely mixed up with filial reverence — an instinctive sense of injury, instantly met by the in- stinctive suggestion that there must be some constitutional reason for doing it, or it would not be done." In spite of the injuries they had received at her hands, the Americans were warmly attached to England. They gloried in her triumphs, were proud to trace their descent from her, and claimed a share in her great history and grand achievements. Had England been wise she might have strength- ened this attachment to such an extent that the ties which bound the two countries could never have been sundered. But England was not only careless of the rights of Amer- icans, she was grossly ignorant of their country and of their character. Ignorant Rulers. " Few Englishmen had accurate ideas of the nature, the extent, or even the position! of the colonies. And when the Duke of Newcastle hurried to the king with the in- formation that Cape Breton was an island, he did what perhaps half his colleagues in the ministry, and more than half his colleagues in Parliament, would have done in his place. They knew that the colonies were of vast CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. extent ; that they lay far away beyond the sea ; that they produced many things which Englishmen wanted to buy, and consumed many things which Englishmen wanted to sell ; that English soldiers had met Eng- land's hereditary enemies, the French, in their forests ; that English sailors had beaten French sailors on their coasts. But they did not know that the most flourishing of these colonics liad been planted by men who, prizing freedom above all other blessings, had planted them in order to secure for tiiemselves and their children a home in which they could worship God according to their own idea of worship, and put forth the strength of their minds and of their bodies, according to their own conception of what was best for them here and hereafter."* The few Americans who visited Great Britain found themselves looked upon as aliens and inferiors ; their affection for the land of their fathers was met with contempt, and they were ridiculed as barbarians. The English colonial officials made this feeling apparent to those Americans who remained at home. Everywhere the colonists saw themselves treated with injustice. The hard- earned glories of their troops in the colonial wars were denied them and claimed for the English regulars, and there was scarcely a provincial who had borne arms but had some petty insult or injury, at the hands of the royal authorities, to complain of Looking back over their history, the Americans could not remember a time when they had not been treated with injustice by Great Britain. They owed that country nothing for the planting of the colonies ; that was the work of their ancestors, who had been forced to fly from England to escape wrong and injury. They had been left to ^Historical View of the American Revolution. By G. ■W. Greene, p. IS. conquer their early difficulties without aid, and with scanty sympathy from England, who had taken no notice of them until they were sufficiently prosperous to be profitable to her. Injustice of the Mother Country. Then she had rarely laid her hand upon them but to wrong them. She had pur- sued such a uniformly unjust policy towards them that their affection for her \yas rapidly giving way to a general desire to separate from her. They owed her nothing ; they were resolved to maintain their liberties against her. Some of the leading men of the colony had already begun to dream of the future greatness of America, and had become convinced that the true interests of their country required a separation from England. In spite of this feeling England persisted in her course of folly. In March, 1764, the House of Commons resolved, " that Parlia- ment had a right to tax America." The next month (April) witnessed the enforce- ment of this claim in the passage of an act of Parliament levying duties upon certain articles imported into America. By the same act iron and lumber were added to the " enumerated articles " which could be ex- ported only to England. The preamble to this measure declared that its purpose was to raise " a revenue for the expenses of defend- ing, protecting and securing his majesty's dominions in America." The colonists protested against this act as a violation of their liberties, and declared that they had borne their full share of the expense of the wars for their defence, that they were now able to protect themselves without assistance from the king, and added the significant warning that " ta.xation with- out representation was tyranny." No one yet thought of armed resistance ; the colo- nists were resolved to exhaust every peaceful 332 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. means of redress before proceeding to extreme measures. As yet the desire for separation was confined to a few far-seeing men. Prominent among these was Samuel Adams, of Boston, a man in whom the loftiest virtues of the old Puritans were min- SAMUEL ADAMS. gled with the graces of more modern times. Modest and unassuming- in manner, a man of incorruptible integrity and sincere piety, he was insensible to fear in the discharge of his duty. He was a deep student of constitu- tional law, and was gifted with an eloquence which could move multitudes. His clear vision had already discerned the dangers which threatened his country, and had dis- covered the only path by which she could emerge from them in safety. His plan was simple: resistance, peaceable at first; forci- ble if necessary. Under his guidance the people of Boston met and protested against the new plan ot taxation, and instructed their repre- sentatives in thtf general court to oppose it. "We claim British rights, not by charter only," said the Boston resolves ; " we are born to them. If we are taxed without our con- sent, our property is taken without our consent, and then we are no more free- men, but slaves." The gen- eral court of Massachusetts declared " that the imposi- tion of duties and taxes by the Parliament of Great Britain upon a people not repres'"P*:ed in the House o\ Commons is absolutely irreconcilable with theii rights." A committee was appointed to correspond with the other colonies, with a view to bringing about a concerted action for the redress of griev- ances. In Virginia, New York, Connecticut and the Carolinas equally vigorous measures were taken. In Virginia the first indication of the in- tention of the people to resist the arbitraiy measures of the crown was given in a matter insignificant in itself, but clearly involving the great principle at issue. In that colony tobacco was the lawful currency, and the CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 333 failure of a crop, or a rise in the price of to- bacco, made such payments often very bur- densome. In the winter of 1763 the legisla- ture passed a law authorizing the people of the colony to pay their taxes and otherpublic dues in money, at the rate of twopence a pound for the tobacco due. The clergymen of the established church had each a salary fixed by law at a certain number of pounds of tobacco, and as this measure involved them in a loss they refused to acquiesce in it and induced Sherlock, the bishop of London, to persuade the king to refuse the law his signature. " The rights of the clergy and the luthority of the king must stand or fall together," was the sound argument of the bishop. Failing of the royal signature the law was inoperative. The matter was soon brought to an issue in Virginia. The Rev. JVIr. Maury, one of the clergymen affected by the law, brought a ^uit to recover damages, or the difference between twopence per pound and the current market price of tobacco, which was much higher. This was popularly known as the " Parsons' Cause." It was a clearly joined issue between the right of the people to nake their own laws on the one side, and the kind's prerogative on the other. The Man for the Hour. The " parsons " secured the best valent in the colony for the prosecution of their claims ; the cause of the " people " was confided to a young man of twenty-seven, whose youth was supplemented by the additional disad- vantages of being poor and unknown. He was Patrick Henry, the son of a plain far- mer, and a native of the county of Hanover. He had received but little education, as his father's straitened circumstances had com pelled him to put his son to the task of earning his bread at the early age of fifteen years. He entered a country store, and the next year went into business with his elder brother, William, who, being too indolent to attend to business, left the store to the man- agement, or /ather the mismanagement of Patrick. The young man was brimming over with good nature, and could never find it in his heart to refuse any one credit, and was toe kind-hearted to press unwilling debtors to payment. He let the store " manage itself," and amused himself by studying the charac- ter of his customers, and with h.s lute and violin. He was also a great reader, and read PATRICK HENRY. every work he could buy or borrow. The store survived about a year, and the next two or three years were passed by Patrick in settling its affairs. At the age of eighteen he married, and began life as a farmer. He soon grew tired of this pursuit, and selling his farm once more engaged in mercantile life. It was not suited to him, nor he to it. lie passed his days in reading, tliis time giving his attention to works of history and philosophy. Livy was his favorite, and he read it through at least once a year for many years. 334 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. His second mercantile enterprise ended in bankruptcy in a few years, and in extreme want he determined to try the law. He ob- tained a license to practice after a six weeks' course of study, and entered upon his new career utterly ignorant of its duties. It is said that he could not then draw up the simplest legal paper without assistance. He was then twenty-four years old, but it was not until he had reached the age of twenty- seven that he obtained a case worthy of his powers , for he had genius, and it only re- quired the proper circumstances to draw it out. He had passed days in communion with nature in his frequent hunting and fish- ing excursions, and had drunk deeply of the wisdom she imparts to her vr'aries. He had studied men with the eye of a master, and he had at last fallen into the position from which he could rise to his true place among the leading spirits of the age. In the case with which he was now intrusted, a decision cf the court on a demurrer, in favor of the claims of the clergy, had left nothing unde- termined but the amount of damages in the cause which was pending. Argument for Damages. "The array before Mr. Henry's eyes," says his biographer, William Wirt, " was now most fearful. On the bench sat more than twenty clergymen, the most learned men in the colony, and the most capable, as well as the severest critics before whom '.t was possible for him to nave made his debut. The court-house was crowded with an over- whelming multitude, and surrounded with an immense and anxious throng, who, not Tinding room to enter, were endeavoring to listen without, in the deepest attention. But there was something still more awfully dis- concerting than all this for in the chair of the presiding magistrate sat no other person than his own father. Mr. Lyons opened the cause very briefly : in the way of argument he did nothing more than explain to the jury that the decision upon the demurrer had put the act of 1750 entirely out of the way, and left the law of 1748 as the only standard of their damages ; he then concluded with a highly wrought eulogium on the benevo- lence of the clergy." When it came Patrick Henry's turn to speak, he rose awkwardly, amid a profound silence. No one had ever heard him speak, and all were anxious to see how he would acquit himself. He clutched nervously at his papers, and faltered out his opening sen- tences with a degree of confusion which threatened every moment to put an end to his effort. The people watched their cham- pion in sorrow and indignation ; the clergy exchanged glances of triumph, and eyed the speaker with contempt ; while his father, overcome with shame, seemed ready to drop from his chair. But suddenly there came a change over the young advocate. Warming with his subject, he threw off his embarrass- ment and awkwardness, and stood erect and confident. His look of timidity gave place to one of command; his countenance glowed with the fire of genius, and startled the gazers by the aspect of majesty which it assum d for the first time. " He Has Spoken Treason." His tones grew clear and bold, his action graceful and con^manding, and the astounded jury and audience were given a display of eloquence such as was without a parallel in the history of the colony. Henry knew that the case was against him, but he pleaded the natural right of Virginia to make her own laws independently of the king and Parlia- ment. He proved the justness of the law ; he drew a striking picture of the character of a good king, who should be the father ol his Deople,but wh*" ^ecom^s their tyrant and CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 335 oppressor, and forfeits his claim to obedience when he annuls just and good laws. The opposing counsel cried out at this bold declaration, " He has spoken treason," but •as silenced by the excited throng. " They say," says Mr. Wirt, " that the people, whose countenances had fallen as he arose, had heard but a very few sentences bclore they began t look up ; then to look at each other in sur- prise, as if doubting the evidence of their own senses ; then, at- tracted by some ges- ture, struck by some majestic attitude, fas- cinated by the spell of his eye, the charm of his emphasis, and the varied and com- manding expression of his countenance, they could look avvay no more. In less than twenty minutes they might be seen in every part of the house, on every bench, in every window, stooping for- ward from their stands, in death-like silence; their features fixed in amazement and awe, all their senses listening and /-iveted upon the speaker, as if to catch the last strain of some heavenly visitant. " The mockery of the clergy was soon turned into alarm, their triumph into con- fusion and despair, and at one burst of his rapid and overwhelming invective, they fled from the bench in precipitation and terror. As for the father, such was his surprise, juch his amazement, such his rapture, that, forget- ting where he was, and the character which he was filling, tears of ecstacy streamed down his cheeks without the power or inclination to repress them." COLONEL EARRE. The jury brought in a verdict ot ouS penny damages for the " parsons," anc. the court overruled the motion of their counsel for a new trial. Henry from that moment took his place among the leaders of the patriot party in Virginia. He had struck a i36 chord which responded in every American heart ; he had denied the right of the king to make laws for the colonies. The remonstrance of Massachusetts was followed by similar appeals from Connecti- cut, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia. The petition of New York was couched in such strong terms that no member of Par- liament could be found bold enough to pre- sent it. These remonstrances were unheeded by Parliament, which pronounced them "ab- surd " and " insolent." That body persisted in its determination to tax the colonies, and Grenville, the prime minister, warned the Americans that in a contest with Great Britain they could expect nothing but defeat. He announced the intention of the English government to levy the taxes, and graciously added that if the colonies preferred any spe- cial form of taxation, their wishes would be met as far as possible. In March, 1765, the measure known as the " Stamp Act " passed the House of Commons by a vote of five to one, and was adopted almost unanimously by the House of Lords. An Insane King. It met with a warm opposition in the Commons from the friends of America, pro- minent among whom was Colonel Barre, who had served with Wolfe in America, and had learned to appreciate the American character. The measure received the royal signature at once. The poor king would have signed anything he was bidden — lie was insane. The act imposed a duty on all paper, vellum and parchment used in the colonies, and required that all writings of a legal or business nature should be made on "stamped paper;" otherwise they were de- clared null and void. In order to enforce the " Stamp Act," Parliament, two months later, passed " the Quartering Act." It authorized the minis- THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, ters to send as many troops as they .should see fit to America, to enforce submission to the acts of Parliament. Wherever these troops should be .stationed, it should be the duty of the people, at their own expense, to furnish them with quarters, fuel, bedding, cider or rum, candles, soap " and other necessaries. I' Exciting Scene. The news of the passage of these acts pro- duced the most intense e.xcitement in Amer- ica. The general assembly of Virginia was in session when the news was received in May. The royalist leaders were amazed at the folly of the ministry, but deemed it best to take no action in the matter. Patrick Henry, now a member of the assembly, rose in his place and offered a series of resolu- tions, declaring that the people of Virginia were bound to pay only such taxes as should be levied by their own assembly, and that all who maintained the contrary should be regarded as enemies of the liberties of the colony. These resolutions provoked an exciting debate, in which Henry, in a magnificent oration, exposed the tyranny of the British government, and stirred the hearts of the burgesses with a determination to resist. " Ca.'sar had his Brutus," exclaimed the ora- tor in one of his loftiest flights, " Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third — ." The assembly was in an uproar. " Treason ! treason ! " shouted the speaker. A few joined in the cry, but the majority waited in breathless suspense the comple- tion of the sentence of Henry, who, fixing his eye upon the speaker, added in a tone which was peculiar to himself, " may profit by their example. If that be treason, make the most of it." The resolutions were adopted by a large majority. The next day, during Henry's absence, the timid assembly rescinded some of the CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 33; resolves and modified the others. The assembly, for thus daring to exercise its right of expressing its opinion, was at once dis- solved by the governor, but too late to pre- vent its action from producing its effect. Copies of the resolutions of Henry were forwarded to Philadelphia, where they were printed and circulated tlirough the ccildiiics. the colonies to send delegates to a congress to be held at New York in October. In the meantime associations were organized in all the colonies as far south as Maryland, called " Sons of Liberty," for the purpose of stopping the use of stamps. The people were resolved to take the matter in their own haiuls. HANGING A STAMP ACT OFFICIAL IN EFFIGY. They aroused die drooping spirits of the people, and it was resolved everywhere that the stamps should not be used in America. The general court of Massachusetts or- dered that the courts should not require the use of stamps in conducting their business ; and in June, before the Virginia resolutions reached Boston, issued a circular inviting all 22 In Boston the mob attacked the house of Oliver, the secretary of the colony, who had been appointed to distribute the stamps, and compelled him to resign. They also attacked the houses of some of the most prominent supporters of the ministry, but the patriots sincerely deplored and condemned these violent proceedings. At Wethersfield, 538 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Connecticut.fivc hundred farmers seized Jared Ingersol, the stamp officer for that colony, compelled him to resign, and then to remove his hat and give " three cheers for liberty, property, and no stamps." Similar scenes A'ere enacted in the other colonies. Rights and Grievances. On the seventh of October, 1765, the First Colonial Congress met at New York. It was composed of delegates from the col- onies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con- necticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, New York and New Jersey. New Hampshire, though not represented by a delegate, gave her support to its measures, and Georgia formally signified her accept- ance of the work of this body. Timothy Ruggles, of Massachusetts, was chosen president. The session extended over three weeks, and resulted in the adoption of a " Declaration of the Rights and Grievances of the Colonies ; " a petition to the king ; and a memorial to both Houses of Par- liament. In the Declaration of Rights the Congress took the ground that it was a violation of their rights to tax them without granting them a representation in the Parliament of Great Britain, and that as such representa- tion was impossible because of the distance between the two countries, no taxes could be legally imposed upon the colonies but by their own assemblies. The measures of the Congress were, as soon as possible, indorsed by all the colonial assemblies, and thus the colonics were drawn into that union which, in their own language, became " a bundle of sticks, which could neither be bent nor broken." At length the first of November arrived, the day on which the Stamp Act was to go into operation. Not a man could be found to execute the law, all the stamp officers hav- ing resigned through fear of popular vio- lence. Governor Colden, of New York, de clared he was resolved to have the stamps distributed, but the people of the city warned him that he would do so at his peril, and burned him in effigy. Colden became alarmed at these demonstrations, and on the fifth of November delivered the stamps to the mayor and council of New York. A Day of Mourning. In all the colonies the first of November was observed as a day of mourning. Bells were tolled, flags hung at half-mast, and business suspended. The merchants of New York, Boston and Philadelphia united in an agreement to import no more goods from England, to countermand the orders already sent out, and to receive no goods on commission until the Stamp Act should be repealed. Their action was promptly sustained by the people, who pledged themselves to buy no articles of English manufacture, and to encourage home productions. Circulars were sent throughout the colonies urging the people to unite in such action, and were heartily responded to. Business went on without the use of stamps, and the courts ignored them in their proceedings. The news of these proceedings should have warned the English ministers of their folly ; it only made them more determined to persist in it. They resolved not to repeal the Stamp Act. To comply with the request of the colonists, now that they had resisted the law, would, they declared, be simply a surrender to rebellion. " Sooner than make our colonies our allies," said one of their number, " I would wish to see them re- turned to their primitive deserts." The friends of America, led by the aged and infirm William Pitt, made a determined ef- fort to procure the repeal of the Stamp Act, CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INUEl'ENUENCK. 339 and mey were now supported by all the in- ( House to give the desired information. He fluence of the English merchants, who found their trade rapidly falling off in consequence of the non-intercourse resolves adopted by the Americans. Swathed in flannels, Pitt proceeded to the House of Commons, and in a speech of great vigor urged the House to repeal the obnox- ious and unconstitutional measure. In reply to Grenville, the prime minister, who accused him of exciting sedition in America, he said, " Sir, I have been charged with giving birth to sedition in America. Sorry I am to have the liberty of speech in this House imputed as a crime. But the imputa- tion will not deter me; it is a liberty I mean to exercise. The gentleman tells us that America is obstinate ; that America is almost in rebellion. I rejoice that America has resisted." The House started at these words, but Pitt con- tinued firmly, " If they had submitted, they would have voluntarily become slaves. They have been driven to madness by injustice. My opinion is that the Stamp Act should be repealed, abso- lutely, totally, immediately." ICdmund Burke, then a rising young man, eloquently sustained the appeal of the great commoner. The Commons had already begun to waver, but before yielding entirely they wished to ascertain from competent witnesses the exact temper and disposition of the Americans. For this purpose, Benjamin Franklin, who was residing in London at the time as the agent of several of the colo- nies, was summoned before the bar of the appeared, in answer to the summons, on the thirteenth of February, 1766. He was questioned by Lord Grenville and Charles Townshend, and by" several friends of the ministry, and delivered his answers with firmness and clearness. He told them that the colonists could not pay for the stamps, as there was not enough gold and silver in the colonies for that purpose; that they had STAMP ACT OFFICIAL BEATE.N BV THF PEOPLE. incurred more than their share of the ex- pense of the last war, for which Great Britain had in no way reimbursed them ; that they were still burdened with heavy debts contracted in consequence of this war ; that they were well disposed towards Great Britain before 1763, and considered Parlia- ment as "the great bulwark and security of their liberties and privileges; but that now their temper was much altered, and their 340 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. respect for it lessened ; and if the act is not repealed, the consequence would be a total loss of the respect and affection they bore to this country, and of all the commerce that depended on that respect and affection." Franklin Startles Parliament. He startled the House by declaring that .n a few years America would be amply able to supply herself with all the necessities of life then furnished her by Great Britain. " I do not know," said he, "a single article im- ported into the northern colonies but what they can either do without or make them- selves. The people will spin and work for themselves, in their own houses. In three years there may be wool and manufactures enough." " If the legislature," he was asked, " should think fit to ascertain its right to ky taxes, by any act laying a small tax, conti:!rv to their opinion, would they sub- mit to pay the tax ? " "An interna! tax," he replied, " how small soever, laid by the legislature here, on the people there, will never be submitted to. They will oppose it to the last. The people will pay no internal tax by Parliament." " May they not," asked a friend of Grenville, " by the same interpretation of their common rights, as Englishmen, as declared by Magna Charta and the Petition of Right, object to the Par- liament's right of external taxation?"* "They never have hitherto," answered Franklin, promptly. " Many arguments have been lately used here to show them that there is no difference, and that if you have no right to tax them internally, you have none to tax them externally, or make any other law to bind them. At pres- ,:m they do not reason so ; but in time they may be convinced by these arguments." *The levying -of duties by Parliament on merchandise mpoKed into llie colonies. Franklin's testimony was conclusive. The Stamp Act was repealed on the eighteenth of Pvlarch, 1766, not because it was acknowl- edged by England as a measure of injustice, but because it could not be enforced without a collision with the colonies, which the min istry were not as yet prepared for. Tht people of London greeted the repeal with great joy. Bonfires were lighted, bells were rung, the city was illuminated, and the ship- ping in the Thames was decorated with flags. The news was sent by special mes- sengers to the nearest ports, in order that it might reach America with as little delay as possible. Rejoicings in America. In America the news of the repeal of the Stamp Act was received with the greatest joy. The bells were rung in the principal cities, the imprisoned debtors were released from captivity, the associations for non- intercourse with England were dissolved, and everywhere Pitt was hailed as the cham- pion of the liberties of America. New York, Virginia and Maryland each voted a statue to him. The rejoicings of the Americans were premature. Parliament in repealing the Stamp Act solemnly asserted, by a bill for that purpose, its right and power to " bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever." Eng- land was only baffled for the moment; she had not relinquished her designs upon the liberties of America. The repeal of the Stamp Act brought with it the fall of Grenville's ministry. Another was appointed under the leadership of the Marquis of Rockingham ; but it was short- lived and soon gave way. The king then summoned William Pitt, who had in the meantime been created Earl of Chatham, to form an independent ministry, late in 1766. This act was regarded with great hope in CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. America, as Pitt was universally considered the colonists' best friend. These hopes were doomed to disappointment. In January, 1767, Charles Townshend, the chancellor of the exchequer in Pitt's cabinet, taking ad- vantage of the absence of the prime minister, declared in the House of Commons that it was his intention, at all risks, to derive a revenue from America by laying taxes upon her, and that he knew how to raise this reve- nue from her. Pitt Withdraws from the Cabinet. Having thus thrown down the gauntlet to his official chief, ix. became evident that either the Earl of Chatham must relinquish the premiership, or Townshend must leave the cabinet. Chatham was anxious to dis- miss him from the chancellorship, but as it was known that Townshend was acting in accordance with the sympathies and wishes of the king, no one was willing to risk his prospects by accepting the chancellorship in Townshend's place ; and Chatham, unable to fill his place, was obliged to retain him. In utter disgust Chatham withdrew from active participation in the affairs of the cabinet, an J Townshend remained supreme director of the colonial policy of England. In May, Townshend revealed his plan for raising a revenue in America. It was to levy a duty, to be collected in the colonies, on certain articles of commerce, such as wine, oil, paints, glass, paper, and lead colors, and especially upon iea, which last commodity he declared the Americans obtained cheaper from the Dutch smugglers than the English themselves. , He was told that if he would withdraw the army from America there would be no neces- sity for taxing the colonies. He replied, " I will hear nothing on the subject ; it is abso- lutely necessary to keep an army there." In June, 1767, an act was passed by Parlia- 34t ment levying upon the colonies the duties proposed by Townshend ; and a board of commissioners of the customs for America was established, with its headquarters at Boston. Soon after their appointment the " Romney " frigate entered Boston Harbor, and the new commissioners, confident in her protection, treated the people of Boston with unbearable haughtiness. Her officers fre- quently stopped the New England vessels as they entered the harbor, and impressed seamen from their decks. The colonies were moved with the pro- foundest indignation upon the receipt of the newsof the imposition of the new taxes. The colonial newspapers, which now numbered twenty-five, were filled with appeals to the people to stand up for their liberties. The old associations for non-importation of Eng- lish goods were revived, and on every hand the declaration was unanimous that the Americans would neither eat, drink, nor wear anything imported from England. The gen- eral court of Massachusetts issued a circular letter to the other colonial assemblies in- viting them to unite with her in measures for obtaining redress. The Colonies Strike Back. T'le English ministers were greatly in- censed at the new resistance of the colonists, and in June, 1768, ordered the general court of Massachusetts to rescind its circular let- ter. Their demand was refused, and the general court, led by James Otis and Samuel Adams, expressed its conviction that Parlia- ment would better serve the cause of peace by repealing its obnoxious laws. The circu- lar had been favorably received by the other colonies, and Massachusetts was constantly receiving from them encouragement to persist in her resistance to the tyranny of the minis- try. As a punishment for the refusal of the general court to rescind its circular, that body U2 BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON. CAUSES OF TIIK STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 343 ifa.s dissolved by the royal governor of Mas- sachusetts. Some of the other colonial as- semblies that had shown sympathy with Massachusetts were also dissolved by their respective governors. Opposition in Bosto.i. A very bitter feeling existed between the people and the royal officials, and, to make matters worse, at this crisis the revenue offi- :ers at Boston seized a schooner belonging to John Hancock, one of the patriot leaders, on the pretext that her owner had made a false entry of her cargo, which consisted of wine. The schooner was towed under the guns of the " Romney " frigate, and a crowd collected in Boston and attacked the houses of the commissioners of customs, who were forced to fly to the fort on Castle Island for safety. The report of this outbreak was trans- mitted to England as proof that Massachu- setts was almost in a state of insurrection, and it was resolved by the ministry to send troops to overawe " the insolent town of Boston," and to hold Massachusetts as a conquered country. A regiment of regulars under General Gage reached Boston in Sep- tember, 1768, but the assembly refused to provide quarters or food, or the other neces- saries which were demanded by their com- mander in accordance with the " Quartering Act." General Gage was obliged to encamp a part of his men on Boston Common, while he lodged the rest temporarily in Faneuil Hall. With considerable difficulty he hired several houses in Boston and quartered his troops in them. The assembly of New York also refused to provide food or quarters for the royal troops, and was dissolved by the governor of the province. The wrath of the English officials was concentrated upon Boston, which was held as though it were a conquered city. Senti- nels were placed at the street corners, and the citizens were challenged by them as they went about their daily duties. The ill-feeling between the citizens and the troops gave rise to several encounters between them. On the evening of the second of March, 1770, a sentinel was attacked by the mob. A de- tachment of troops was sent to his aid, anJ was stoned by the mob. At length a soldiej fired his musket at the crowd and his com- rades poured in a volley, killing three and wounding five citizens. The city was thrown into an uproar, the alarm bells were rung, and crowds poured into the streets. The danger of a general collision was very great, but the people were persuaded to disperse upon the promise of Hutchinson, the gov- ernor, that justice should be done. This outbreak was known at the time as " the Boston Massacre." The Soldiers Driven Out. The next morning a meeting of the citi- zens was held at Fatieuil Hall. Resolutions were passed, demanding the removal of the troops from the city to the fort on Castle Island, and the arraignment before the civil courts of Captain Preston, the officer who orilered the troops to fire. The soldiers were removed from the town as the only means o( preserving the peace, and Captain Preston and six of his men were arraigned for mur- der. John Adams and Josiah Quincy, twc leaders of the patriot party, undertook the defence of the accused officer and his men in order to make sure that they should have a fair trial. They were acquitted of murder, but two of the soldiers were convicted o* manslaughter. The calmness and delibera tion with which this trial was conducted had a happy effect in England, and exhibited the fairness and moderation of the colonists in the most favorable light. The British merchants now began to feel the effect of the non-importation associations 344 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. of the Americans, and their trade suffered even more tlian it had done in the times of the Stamp Act, in consequence of the cessa- tion of orders for goods from the colonies. They now began to sustain the demand of the co'jiusts for the repeal of the unjust taxes. Lord North, who was now prime ^linister, was willing to grant their demand, and to remove all the taxes except the duty on tea, which he retained at the express command of the king, who had now recov- ered liis reason, and was the real director of the policy of his government. George III. field on with the most stubborn tenacity to the assertion of his right to tax the colonies, and insisted " that there should be always v)ne tax, at lea.st, to keep up the right of tax- ing." This concession was made in May, 1770, and for nearly a year there was a lull in the excitement. The matter was not settled, however, for the Americans had not resisted the amount of the tax, but the impo- sition of any tax at all. They were contend- ing for a principle, not for the saving of a few dollars. Depredations and Quarrels. The bad feeling which was rapidly grow- ing up between the colonists and the mother country was greatly increased by the injus- tice and annoyance heaped upon the colonists by the royal officials. Almost every colony had to complain of these outrages, and the king's officers seemed to think they coulo not do their cause better service than by exasperating the Americans. In New York the people had erected a liberty pole in the fields, now the City Hall Park. One night in January, 1 770, a party of soldiers from the fort cut down the pole. This act was bitterly resented by the citizens, and fre- quent quarrels occurred between them and the troops, though there was no actual bloodshed. Early in 1772 the armed schooner " Gaspe " was stationed in Narragansett Bay to enforce the revenue laws. Her com- mander, Lieutenant Dudingston, undertook to execute his orders in the most insulting and arbitrary manner. Market boats and other vessels passing the " Gaspe " were compelled to lower their colors to her, and armed parties froni the schooner were ser*^ ashore on the neighboring islands, and car- ried off such provisions as they desired. Complaint was made by the citizens of Provi- dence to the governor rf Rhode Island, who referred the matter to the chief justice, Hop- kins, for his opinion. The chief ju.stice de- clared " that any person who should come into the colony and exercise any authority by force of arms, without showing his com- mission to the governor, and, if a custom- house officer, without being sworn into his office, was guilty of a trespass, if not piracy." It was clear from the opinion of the chief justice that Dudingston was exceeding his authority, and the governor sent a sheriff on board the " Gaspe " to ascertain by what orders the lieutenant acted. Dudingston referred the matter to the admiral at Boston, who replied : " The lieutenant, sir, has done his duty. I shall give the king's officers directions that they send every man taken in molesting them to me. As sure as the peo- ple of Newport attempt to rescue any vessel and any of them are taken, I will hang them as pirates." The Schooner Captured. The insolence of the admiral caused even more indignation than the outrages of Dud- ingston, and the citizens of Rhode Island resolved to take the matter into their own hands at the earliest opportunity. On the ninth of June, 1772, the Providence packet, a swift sailer, was passing up the bay when she was hailed by the " Gaspe." She paid CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 345 no attention to the hail, and being of hght draught, stood in near the shore. The " Gaspe ' gave chase, and, attempting to follow her, ran aground on Naniquit, a short distance below Pautuxet. The tide falling soon, left her fast. The news of her disaster was conveyed to Providence by the packet, and a plan was at once matured for her destruction. On the following night a party of men in six or seven boats, led by John Brown, a leading merchant of Providence, Captain Abraham Whipple, of Providence, Simeon Potter, of Bristol, and others, left Providence and dropped down towards the position of the " Gaspe." They were discovered as i they approached, and were hailed by Dud- ' ingston. One of the party in the boats fired and Dudingston fell wounded. The schooner was then boarded without opposition, her crew were set ashore, and the " Gaspe " was set on fire and burned to the water's edge. A large reward was offered for the perpetrat- ors of this bold act. All were known in Providence, but in spite of this, the royal officials were not able to secure the appre- hension of any of them. The secret was faithfully kept. Objections Are Useless. The non-importation associations had, upon the repeal of the duties we have men- tioned, limited their opposition to the use of tea, and the East India Company in England found itself burdened with an enormous stock of tea, which it could not dispose of as usual in consequence of the cessation of sales in America. The company therefore proposed to pay all the duties on the tea in England and ship it to America at its own risk, hoping that the fact of there being no duty to pay in America would induce the colonists to purchase it. This plan met the determined opposition of the king, who would not consent to re- linquish the assertion of his right to tax the Americans. Lord North could not under- stand that it was not the amount of the tax, but the principle involved in it, that was opposed by the Americans, and he proposed that the East India Company should pay ihree-foiirths o{ the duty in England, leaving the other fourth — about three pence on a pound — to be collected in America. His lordship was told plainly that the Americans would not purchase the tea on these condi- tions, but he answered: " It is to no pur- pose the making objections, for the king will have it so. The king means to try the qu'^stion with the Americans." Trouble About Tea. There were men in America who fully understood that the king meant " to try the question with the Americans," and were will ing the trial should come. Samuel Adams was satisfied as to what would be the result, and was diligently working to prepare the people for it. He had the satisfaction of seeing public opinion in America daily assume a more enlightened and determined condition. A convention of all the colonies for taking action for a common resistance seemed to him a necessity, and he sent forth circulars to the various provinces urging them to assert their rights upon every pos- sible occasion, and to combine for mutual support and protection. The news of the agreement between the East India Company and the governmeni for the exportation of tea increased the de- termination of the colonists to resist the tax, It was also resolved that the tea should neither be landed nor sold. A meeting was held in Philadelphia and resolutions were passed requesting those to whom the tea was consigned " to resign their appoint- ments." It was also resolved that whosoever should " aid or abet in unloading, receiving, 346 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. or vending the tea " should be regarded " as an enemy to his country." Meetings of a similar nature were held in New York and Charleston, and similar resolutions were adopted. A fast-sailing vessel reached Boston about ;he first of November, 1773, with the news that several ships laden with tea had sailed from England to America. On the third of November a meeting was held at Faneuil Hall, and, on motion of Samuel Adams, it vvas unanimously resolved to send the tea back upon its arrival. A man in the crowd cried out : " The only way to get rid of it is to throw it overboard." The meeting in- vited the consignees of the tea to resign their appointments. Two of these men were sons of Governor Hutchinson, who was intenselj- hated by the people of Massachusetts be- cause of his double-faced policy, which had been detected and exposed by Dr. Franklin. Until this discovery Hutchinson iiad induced the people of Massachusetts to believe that he was their best friend, when in reality he had suggested to tlie British government nearly all the unjust measures thai: had been directed against that colony. An Ominous Silence. The first of the tea ships reached Boston on the twenty-fifth of November, 1773. A meeting of the citizens was held at Faneuil Hall, and it was ordered that the vessel should be moored to the wharf, and a guard of twenty-five citizens was placed over her to see that no tea was removed. The owner of the vessel agreed to send the cargo back if the governor would give his permit for the /essel to leave Boston. This tne governor •vithheld, and in the meantime two other ships arrived with cargoes of tea and were ordered to anchor beside the first The com- mittee appointed by th:; meeting of citizens waited on the consignees, but obtained no satisfaction from them. The law required that the tea must be landed within twenty days after its arrival, or be seized for non-payment of duties; The consignees and the governor had defermined to wait until the expiration of tliis time, when the ro\'al authorities would seize the tea and remove it bej'ond the reach of the citizens The duties could then be paid and the tee landed an 1 sold. Their intentions were fully understood by the patriots. When the committee made its report to the meet- ing of citizens, it was received in a dead silence, and the meeting adjourned without taking any action upon it. This ominous silence alarmed the consignees. Hutchin- son's two sons fled to the fort and placed themselves under the protection of ihe troops, while the governor quietly left the city. Tea Thrown Overboard. On the sixteenth of December another meeting was held. The next day the time ■allowed by law would expire, and the tea would be placed under the protection of the fort and the armed ships in the harbor. The owner h, d gone to see the governor, at Milton, to obtain a pass for his vessels, with- out which they could not leave the harbor. This the go\ernor refused, on the ground that he had not a proper clearance. He re- turned to l>oston late in the evening and re- ported the result o.' his mission to the meet- ing. Then Samuel Adams arose and gave the signal for the action that had been de- termined upon by saying : " This meeting can do nothing more to save the country." Instantly a shout rang through the room, and a band of forty or fifty men " dressed like Mohawk Indians," with their faces blackened to prevent recognition, hastened from the meeting to the wharf where the ships were moored. A guard was posted to prevent the intrusion of spies, and the ships CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 347 were at once seized. Three hundred and forty-two chests of tea were broken open and their contents poured into the water. The affair was witnessed in silence by a large crowd on the shore. When the destruction of the tea was completed, the " Indians " and the crowd dispersed to their homes. Paul Kevere was despatched by the patriot lead- ers to carry the news to New York and Philadelphia. compel the Americans to submit to the au~ thority of Great Britain. Boston, in particu- lar, was to be made a terrible example to the rest of the colonies, A bill was introduced into Parliament, and passed by a majority of four to one, closing the port of Boston to all commerce, and transferring the seat of gov- ernment to Salem. The British ministry boasted that with ten thousand regulars they could " march through the continent," and THROWING THE TEA OVERBOARD IN BOSTON HARBOR. At New York and Philadelphia the people ft-ould not allow the tea to be landed, and at Charleston it was stored in damp cellars, where the whole cargo was soon ruined. At Annapolis a ship and its cargo were burned ; the owner of the vessel himself setting fire to the ship. , V The British government was greatly in- censed at the refusal of the colonists to allow the tea to be landed, and determined to they were resolved to bring America to her knees and make her confess her fault in dust and humiliation. In addition to the Boston Port Bill, Parlia- ment passed other measures of equal severity. By one of these the royal officers were ordered to quarter the troops sent out from England on all the colonies at the people's expense ; another provided that if any officer, in the execution of the Quartering Act, should 34S THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. commit an act of violence, he should be sent to England for trial. The deliberate pur- pose of this last act was to encourage the military and other officials to acts of violence and oppression by shielding them from pun- ishment in America. The liberties of the American people were thus placed at the mercy of every petty official bearing a royal commission. Another law, known as the " Quebec Act," granted unusual concessions to the Roman Catholics of Canada, in order to attach them to the royal cause in the event of a collision between England and hcrcolo- Help for the Patriots. Boston was largely dependent upon her commerce, and the closing of her harbor entirely destroyed her trade and brought great loss and suffering to her people. The outrage to which she was thus subjected was resented by the whole country, and evidences of sympathy poured in upon her from every quarter. Salem refused to allow the estab- lishment of the seat of government within her limits, and offered the use of her port to the merchants ot Boston free of charge. Marblehead made a similar offer. Large numbers of the people of Boston were thrown out of employment by the closing of Boston harbor, and their families, left help- less, suffered considerably. The various colonies came forward promptly to their relief. The neighboring towns sent in provisions and other neces- saries of life, and money was subscribed in other parts of the country. South Carolina sent to Boston two hundred barrels of rice, and promised eight hundred more when they were wanted. North Carolina sent a contri- bution of two thou.'iand pounds in money, and money and orovisions were sent from Virginia and Maryland. In the former colo- ny, the farmers beyond the Blue Ridge raised a contribution of one hundred and thltty seven barrels of flour and sent it to Boston. Even the city of London sent one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the relief of Boston. Cheered by these evidences of sym- pathy, Boston resolved to hold out to the end. One of the first and most determined of the colonies in expressing her sympathy for Massachusetts was Virginia. Upon the re- ceipt of the news of the closing of the port of Boston, the assembly of this colony passed resolutions of sympathy with Massachusetts, and appointed the first of June, the day designated for the enforcement of the Port Bill, as a day of fasting and prayer. For this bold action the governor dissolved the; assembly. General Gage Appointed Governor. It met the next day — May 25th — in spite of Governor Dunmore's prohibition, in the coffee-room of the Raleigh Tavern, and de- clared that an attack on Massachusetts was an attack on every other colony and ought to be opposed by the united wisdom of all. The assembly urged that a general congress of all the colonies should be held to take united action for the redress of grievances, and a committee was appointed to corres- pond with the other colonies for the purpose of bringing about thi5 congress. The first of June was rigidly observed in Virginia as a fast day. George Mason charged his family to be careful to attend church on that day clad in mourning. In the meantime Hutchinson had been replaced as governor of Massachusetts by General Gage, the commander-in-chief of the British army in North America. He .landed in Boston on the seventeenth of May, 1774, and was well received by the people. He was a man of mild character and great good-nature, and utterly unfit for the task of CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. ^49 coercing a free people. The determined at- titude of the patriots bewildered hir.i. He brought with him instructions for " the seiz- ure and condign punishment of Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Joseph Warren and other leading patriots, but he stood in such dread of them that he never so much as attempted their arrest." He was greatly per- plexed to know how to manage the people of Boston. It was clear to him that they intended to resist the injustice of the mother country, but they kept so carefully within the law that he could not take hold of their acts. They held meetings and discussed their grievances, but vio- lated no law, and dis- countenanced violence of all kinds. He was authorized by the British government to fire upon the colonists whenever he should see fit ; but their prudent and peace- ful course gave him no opportunity for so doing. The government at length undertook to put a stop to the town meet- ings of the Americans by forbidding them to hold such meetings after a cer- tain day. They evaded this law by convoking the meetings before the designated day, and " keeping them alive" by adjourning them from time to time. Faneuil Hall and the Old South Church were the favorite places of meeting, but many of these assemblies were held under the Liberty Tree. In the meantime the recommendation of Virginia for a general congress was accepted by the other colonies, and measures were set on foot to bring it about. The need of such an assembly, which should represent the whole country, was becoming more and more apparent every day. In the various JOHN HANCOCK. colonies delegates were chosen, and ft was agreed, at the instance of the legis- lature of Massachusetts, that the congress should meet in Philadelphia on the fifth of September, 1774. Martin, the royalist governor of Georgia, prevented that colony 350 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. from choosing delegates to the congress, and General Gage attempted a similar inter- ference with the general court of Massachu- setts. Samuel Adams, as usual, had antici- pated him, however. On the seventeenth of June, having privately ascertained the senti- ments of the members, he locked the door of the room in which the meeting of the assembly was held, and so kept out the governor's secretary, who came to dissolve the session, and who knocked in vain for admission. Thus, safe from executive inter- ference, the general court proceeded to ap- point its delegates to the congress and to make provision for their support. This ac- complished, the doors were opened and the members submitted to the dissolution pro- nounced by Governor Gage. Organized Opposition. The act of Parliament by which the British government undertook to prohibit the town meetings of Massachusetts was known as the " Regulation Act." It was introduced into Parliament by Lord North in April, and re- cei\'ed the royal assent in May, 1754. It was an infamous measure. It annulled the charter of the colony, and " without previous notice to Massachusetts, and without a hear- ing, it arbitrarily took awoy rights and lib- erties which the people had enjoyed from the foundation of the colony, except in the evil da\-s of James II." All the power of the colony was concentrated in the hands of the royal governor bv conferring upon him the appointment of all the courts of justice and every official connected with them. The courts were all to be remodelled in the in- terest of the king, and Gage at once set to work to appoint the new judges. The whole colony united in a determined resistance to them. In many of the towns the citizens would not allow the new courts to be opened, and in Boston no man could be found to serve as a juror in the courts ap- pointed for that city. A meeting of the citi- zens of Boston was held at Faneuil Hall on the twenty-sixth of August, 1774, and was attended by delegates from the counties of Worcester, Middlesex and Plssex. It adopted a series of resolutions denying the authority of Parliament to change any of the laws of the province, and declared that the new govern- ment set up by Gage under the Regulating Act was unconstitutional, and that the new officers, should they attempt to act, would become the enemies of the province although they bore the commission of the king. The People Aroused. In order to provide for the safety of the colony a provincial congress with large ex- ecutive powers was advised by the conven- tion. Gage found himself unable to enforce the new laws. "The chief justice and his colleagues, repairing in a body to the gov- ernor, represented the impossibility of exer- cising their office in Boston or in any other part of the province ; the army was too small for their protection ; and besides, none would act as jurors. Thus the authoritj^ ol the new government, as established by act of Parliament, perished in the presence of the governor, the judges and the army."* Thus defeated, Gage began to increase the number of troops at Boston. On the first of September Gage sent a de tachment to Quarry Hill, near Charlestown, and seized the public magazine in which the province of Massachusetts kept its powder for its militia, and brought it to Boston. The news of this seizure roused the people of the surrounding counties to a high state of 'n- dignation. A body of several thousand of the best citizens of Middlesex, " leaving theii guns in the rear," marched to Cambricjge to CAUSES OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 3SI protest against the outrage. They com- pelled Dan'brth, a county judge and a mem- ber of Gage's council ; Phipps, the high sheriff; and Oliver, the lieutenant-governor, ■'o resign their places. They attempted no violence, and inasmuch as Gage had acted within the letter of the law in removing the powder, dispersed quietly, satisfied for the time with their protest. Their demonstra- tion thoroughly alarmed Gage, who kept the troops in Boston under arms all night, posted cannon to command the approaches to the town, and doubled all the guards. At the same time he wrote to England for reinforce- ments. The news of the seiz- ure of the Massachusetts powder spread rapidly through the province and into the adjoining colo- nies. The seizure was made on Thursday morn- ing, and by Saturday morning twenty thou- sand men were under arms and advancing upon Boston. They were stopped by expresses from the patriots at Boston, but their prompt action showed the spirit of the province. When the news reached Israel Putnam, in his home in Connecticut, the old hero at once called on the militia to go with him to the aid of Boston, where the report said the people had been fired on by the royal troops and shipping. His call was answered by thousands, but later a-dvices from Boston put a stop to the march. " But for counter intelligence," wrote Put- nam to the patriots at Boston, " we should have had forty thousand men, well equipped and ready to march this morning. Send a written express to the foreman of this com- mittee when you have occasion of our martial assistance ; we shall attend your summons, and shall glory in having a share in the honor of ridding our country of the yoke of tyranny which our forefathers have not borne, neither will we. And we much desire you to keep a strict guard over the remainder of your powder, for that must be the great means, under God, of the salvation of our country." The excitement was not without its good results, however. It led every man to ex- CARPENTERS HALL, PHILADELPHL'i. amine the condition of his means of resist ance, and to supply his deficiencies in arms and equipments. The royal authority was at an end outside of Boston, and active roy- alists found it best to seek safety within that city. The general congress, or, as it is better known, the Old Continental Congress, met in Carpenter's Hall, in Philadelphia, on the fifth of September, 1774. It numbered fifty- five members, consisting of delegates from every colony save Georgia, whose governor had prevented the election of delegates. 352 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Among the members were many of the most eminent men in the land. From Virginia came George Washington, Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee; from Massachu- setts, Samuel Adams and John Adanii^ ; from New York, Philip Livingston, John Jay and William Livingston; from Rhode Island, the venerable Stephen Hopkins ; from Con- necticut, Roger Sherman ; from South Caro- lina, Edward and John Rutledge and Chris- topher Gadsden ; and from New Jersey, the Rev. John Witherspoon, the president of Princeton College. The members of this illustrious body were not strangers to each other, though the majority of them met now for the first *;'me. They had corresponded with each other and had discussed their .vrongs so thoroughly that each was well acquainted with the sentiments of his col- leagues, and all were bound together by a common sympathy. Prayer and Patriotism. The congress was organized by the elec- tion of Peyton Randolph, of Virginia, as speaker. Charles Thomson, of Pennsylva- nia, an Irishman by birth, and the principal of the Quaker High School in Philadelphia, was then chosen secretary. It was proposed to open the sessions with prayer. Some of the members thought this might be inexpe- dient, as all the delegates might not be able to join in the same form of worship. Up rose Samuel Adams, in whose great soul there was not a grain of sham. He was a strict Congregationalist. " I am no bigot," he said. " I can hear a prayer from a man of piety and virtue, whatever may be his cloth, provided he is at the same time a friend to his country." On his motion, the Rev. Mr. Duche, an Episcopal clergyman of Philadelphia, was invited to act as chaplain. Mr. Duche accepted the invitation. When the congress assembled the next morning, all was anxiety and apprehension. tor the rumor of t'hv. attack upon Boston, waich had reached Putnam and aroused Connecticut, had gotten as far as Philadel- phia. The chaplain opened the session by reading the thirty-fifth Psalm, which seemeH. as John Adams said, ordained by Heaven to be read that morning, and then broke forth into an extempore prayer of great fervor and eloquence. A Recital of Wrongs. At the close of the prayer a deep silence prevailed in the hall. It was broken by Patrick Henry, who rose to open the day's proceedings. He began slowly and hesi- tatingly at first, " as if borne down by the weight of his subject," but as he proceeded he rose grandly to the duty of the occasion, and in a speech of masterly eloquence he re- cited the wrongs of the American colonies at the hands of Great Britain, and declared thaf all government in America was dissolved, and urged upon the congress the necessity of forming a new government for the colo- nies. Towards the close of his speech he struck a chord which answered in every heart. " British oppression," he exclaimed^ " has effaced the boundaries of the several colonies ; the distinctions between Virgin- ians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Vir- ginian, but an American." The deputie.-; were astonished at his eloquence, as well as at the magnitude of the interests with which they were intrusted. The congress continued its sessions for seven weeks. It had no authority to bind the colonies to any course ; its powers were merely advisory, and it did not transcend its authority. It drew up a Declaration of Rights, in which it defined the latural rights of man to be the enjoyment of life, liberty and property. It claimed for the Ameri- cans, as British subjects, the right to particii CAUSES OF THE STRUGGL,E FOR INDEPENDENCE. 353 pate in the making of their laws, and the levying of taxes upon their own people. Tlie right of trial by jury in the immediate vicinity of the scene of the alleged offence, and the right of holding public meetings and petitioning for the redress of grievances were solemnly asserted. A protest was entered against the maintaining of standing armies in America without the consent of the colonies, and against eleven specified acts passed since the opening of the reign of George III, as violative of the rights of the colonies. The declaration concluded with the solemn warning, "To these grievous acts and measures Americans cannot sub- mit." Prompt Measures. Congress then addressed itself to a plan for obtaining redre.ss. It was agreed to form an "American Association," who.se members were to pledge themselves not to trade with Great Britain or the West Indies, or with persons engaged in the slave trade ; nor to use tea or any British goods; and not to trade with any colony which should re- fuse to join the association. For the purpose of enforcing the objects of this association, committees were to be appointed in the va- rious parts of the country to see that its provisions were carried into effect. Other papers were adopted by the con- gress, setting forth its views more clearly. A petition to the king was prepared by John Dickinson, of Pennsylvania, who also drafted an address to the people of Canada. A memorial to the people of the colonies was written by Richard Henry Lee, of Vir- ginia, and an address to the people of Great Britain by John Jay, of New York. These papers were forwarded to England to be laid before the British government, and on the twenty-sixth of October tlie congress ad- journed to meet on the tenth of May, 1775. In January, 1775, Lord North presented the papers adopted by congress to the House of Commons, and at the same time they were laid before the House of Lords by I,ord Dartmouth. The venerable Earl of Chatham made this the occasion of a pow- erful appeal to the majority in Parliament to reverse their arbitrary course towards the Americans before it should be too late. Referring to the papers laid before the House, he said : " When your lordships look at the papers transmitted us from America, when you consider their decency, firmness and wisdom, you cannot but re- spect their cause and wish to make it \our own. For myself, I must avow, that in all my reading — and I have read Thucydides, and have studied and admired the master states of the world — for solidity of rea.son, force of sagacity, and wisdom of couclusiou under a complication of difficult circum- stances, no nation or body of men can stand in i^reference to the general congress at Philadelphia. The histories of Greece and Rome give us nothing equal to it, and all attempts to impose servitude upon such a mighty continental nation must be in vain. We shall b^ forced ultimately to retract ; let us retictcc while we can, not when we must. These violent acts must be repealed ; you will repeal them ; I pledge myself for it, I stake my reputation on it, that you will in the end repeal them. Avoid, then, this humiliating necessity." The king was furious when the words of the greatest statesman of his kingdom were repeated to him. Neither the wisdom nor the eloquence of Chatham could turn the king or the ministers from their mad course. They had but one plan for Amer- ica now. She must submit humbly to their will ; if she should resist, she must be crushed into submission. The king meant to try the question with the Americans. CHAPTER XXVI Progress of the War Gage Fortifies Boston Neck — He Suminous the General Court — Recalls his Proclamation — The Provincial Congress of Massachusetts — It takes Measures for Defence — The Militia Organizeti — The Minute Men — Friends of America in Kugland — Gage Resolves to Seize the Stores at Concord — Midnight March of the British Troops — The Alarm Given — Skirmishes at Lexington and Concord — Retreat of the British — A Terrible March — llprisiug of New England — Boston Invested — Dunmore Seizes the Virginia Powder — Is Made to Pay for It — Uprising of the Middle and Southern Colonies — The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence — Capture of Ticouderoga and Crown Point— Meeting of the Second Continental Congress — Congress Resolves to Sustain Massachusetts — Renewed Efforts for Peace — Congress Assumes the General Government of the Colonies — A Federal ITnion Organized — Its Character — A Continental Army Formed — (ieorge Washington Appointed Commander in-Chief— General Officers Appointed — Coudition of the Army Before Boston — Inaction of Gage — Battle of Breed's Hill — A Glorious Defence — The Battle Equiva- lent to a Victory in its ElTects upon the Countrj — Arrival of Washington at Cambridge — He Takes Com- mand of the Army — He Reorganizes the Army— Difficulties of the Undertaking— The Invasion of Canada Resolved Upon — March of Montgomery and Aruold — Rapid Successes of Montgomery — He Captures Montreal — March of Arnold Through the Wilderness— Arrival Before Quebec — Forms a Junction with Montgomery — The Siege of Quebec — The Ice Forts — I'ailure of the Attack — Death of Montgomery — Retreat of the Americans from Canada— Lord Duninore's War in Virginia — Destruction of Norfolk — The Thirteen United Colonies--Burniug of Falmouth— Naval Matters— Action of Great Britain— The War to be Carried On— The Hessians. WHILE the ContiiientalCongi ess was in session, matters were in a most serions state in Mas- sachnsetts. General Gage, alarmed by the threatening aspect of the Americans, began to fortify Boston Neck, the narrow peninsnla which nnited the city with the mainland. A regiment was station- ed at these works to prevent communication between the citizens and the people in the country. The news of this action spread rapidly. At Portsmonth, New Hampshire, a company of volnntcers seized the fort and carried off one hundred and fifty barrels of powder and several cannon. At Newport forty-fonr cannon were seized by the people and sent to Providence for safe-keeping. m the midst of this excitement, (iage, thinking .such a step might conciliate the people, summoned the general court to meet at Salem ; but, alarmed at the growing spirit of liberty, countermanded the order. The members of the general court met, however, 354 at Salem, on the fifth of October, 1774, but finding no one to organize them adjourned to Concord, where they resolved themselves into a provincial congress, of which John Hancock was elected president. This con- gress existed as the government of the peo- ple, and was independent of the authority of the king. They protested their loyalty to King George, and their desire for peace, and endeavored to induce Gage to desist from fortifying Boston Neck. Gage refused to comply with their demand, and warned them to desist from their unlawful course. The provincial congress paid no attention to his warning, but proceeded to call out the militia to the number of twelve thousand. They were allowed to remain at their ]u)mes, but were required to be ready for service at a minute's warning. Hence they were known as " Minute Men." Two comniitteesof safety were appointed; one to call out the minute men when their services were needed ; the other to supply PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 355 them with provisions and ammunition. Two general officers, Artemas Ward and Seth Pomeroy, were appointed. The other New England colonies were invited to increase the number of minute men to twenty thousand. The sum of twenty thousand pounds was k^oted for the military service, and Massa- chusetts prepared for the worst. In every colony military pre[iarations were set on foot, and the whole of America began to prepare for the coming storm which all thinking men now saw was close at hand. The papers drawn up by the Continental Congress had been widely circulated in Eng- land, and had aroused a great deal of sym- pathy for America, and it was hoped by many that the new Parliament, which met in Janu- ary, 1775, would see the necessity of doing justice to the colonies. The cause of America was eloquently pleaded by the Earl of Chat- ham and others, but the King and the Minis- ters were resolved to compel the submission of the Americans, and the majority in Parlia- ment sustained them. A measure known as the "New England Restraining Bill" was introduced by Lord North, which deprived the people of New England of the privilege of fishing on the banks '>f Newfoundland. The Colonies Act Promptly. In March news arrived that all the colonies had endorsed the action of the Continental Congress and had pledged themselves to support it. To punish them the provisions of the Restraining Bill were extended to every colony save New York, Delaware and North Carolina. These colonies were exempted in the hope of inducing them to desert the American cause. The measure failed of its object, and the three favored colonies re- mained firm in the support of the Congress. General Gage now resolved to take a decisive step. He learned that the patriots had established a depot of provisions and military stores at Concord, eighteen miles from Boston, and resolved to seize these supplie? at once. The military force under his com- mand at Boston numbered three thousand men, and he felt himself strong enough not only to seize these stores, but also to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who wert; lodging at Lexington. Accordingly, on the night of the eighteenth of April, 17715, hc THE MINUTE MAN. detached a force of eight hundred men under Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, and shortly before midnight had them conveyed across Charles River tc' Cambridge, from which place they began their march to Concord. Gage had conducted the whole movement with the greatest secrecy, but his preparations had been detected by the patriot leaders in Boston, and Hancock and Adamr had been warned 3S6 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. of their danger. The British had hardly embarked in their boats when two lanterns were displayed from the tower of the Old North Church. Paul Revere, the chosen messenger, who had been awaiting this signal, at once set off from Charlestown and rode in haste to Lex- ington to warn the patriots of the approach Df the British troops. At the same time not gone far when they heard in advance of them the firing of alarm guns and the tolling of bells. The British officers were astonished at the rapidity with which their movement had been discovered ; but they could not doubt the meaning of these signals. The country was being aroused, and their situa- tion was becoming serious. Lieutenant- Colonel Smith sent a messenger to General THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON, APRIL I9, 177$. William Dawes left Boston by the road over the Neck, and rode at full speed towards Lexington, arousing the country as he went along with his stirring tidings. Other mes- sengers were sent forward by these men, and the alarm spread rapidly through the country. From Cambridge the British pushed for- ward rapidly towards Lexington. They had Gage for reinforcements, and ordered Major Pitcairn to push forward with a part of the force and seize the two bridges at Concord. Pitcairn obeyed his orders promptly, and arrested every one whom he met or over- took save a countryman, who escaped and reached Lexington in time to give the alarm. PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 357 ritcairn's division reached Lexington at daybreak on the nineteenth of April. They found seventy or eighty minute men, and several other persons, assembled on the common. They were ignorant of the inten- tions of the British, and supposed they merely rt'ished to arrest Adams and Hancock, who 'lad left the village upon the first alarm. " Disperse, ye Rebels !" As he saw the group Pitcairn ordered his men to halt and load their muskets.and called out to the Americans : " Disperse, ye villains, ye rebels, disperse ; lay down your arms ; why don't you lay down your arms and dis- perse ?" The Americans stood motionless and silent, " witnesses against agression ; too few to resist ; too brave to fly." Pitcairn, seeing that his order was not obeyed, dis- charged his pistol and ordered his men to fire. A few .straggling shots followed this order, and then the regulars poured a close heavy volley into the Americans, killing seven and wounding nine of them. Parker, the commander of the minute men, seeing that the atlair was to be a massacre instcail of a battle, ordered his men to disperse. The British then gave three cheers for their vic- tory. In a little while Colonel Smith arrived with the'remainder of his command, and the whole party then pushed on towards Con- cord. The alarm had already reached Concord, and in a little while news was received of the massacre at Lexington. The minute men promptly assembled on the common, near the church, and awaited the approach of the enemy. The nn'nute men from Lin- coln came in at an early hour, and a few from Acton. About seven o'clock the British were seen advancing in two divisions, and as it was evident that they were about four times as numerous as the Americans, the latter retreated to the summit of a hill on the opposite side of the Concord River, and there awaited the arrival of reinforcements, which were coming in from the surrounding country. The British occupied the town, and post- ing a force of one hundred men to hold the North Bridge, began their search for arms and stores. The greater part of these had been secreted, but the soldiers found a few that could not be removed, and gave the rest of their time to plundering the houses of the town. " This slight waste of stores," says Bancroft, " was all the advantage for which Gage precipitated a civil war." Arrival of the Minute Men. Between nine and ten o'clock the Ameri- can force had increased by the arrival of the minute men from Acton, Bedford, Wcstford, Carlisle, Littleton and Chelmsford, )o about four hundred and fifty. Below them, in full view, were the regulars plundering their homes, and from the town rose the smoke of the fires the soldiers had kindled for the d'.'struction of the few stores they had man- aged to secure. Not knowing whether they meant to burn the town or not, the officers of the minute men resolved to advance and enter Concord. Barret, the commanding ofiRcer, cautioned the men not to fire unless attacked. As their approach was discovered the l^ritish began to take up the planks of the North Bridge, and to prevent this the Americans quickened their pace. The regu- lars then fired a volley, which killed two of the minute men. The fire was returned, and two of the soldiers were killed and several wounded. These volleys were followed by some desultory skirmishing, and about noon Colonel Smith drew off his men and began to retreat by the way he had come. One of those killed at the bridge was Isaac Davis, the captain of the minute t^r.en of Acton. He had bidden his young vvffe a 358 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. touching good-bye, as he ran to lead his men to the fight. A little later his dead body was brought to her door. With the retreat of the British from Con- cord the real work of the day began. The country was thoroughly aroused, and men came pouring in from every direction, eager to get a shot at the regulars. The road by which the royal forces were retreating v/as narrow and crooked, and led through forests the strife as the regulars entered its limits. Far and wide the alarm was spreading through the country, and the people were getting under arms. By noon a messenger rode furiously into the distant town of Wor- cester and shouted the alarm. Instantly the minute men of the town got under arms, and after joining their minister in prayer, on the common, took up the march for Cambridge. The whole province was rising, and the DEATH OF ISAAC DAVIS. and thickets, and was bordered by the stone walls which enclosed the farms. At every 5tep the militia and minute men hung upon the enemy, and kept up an irregular but fatal fire upon them from behind trees, fences and houses. Flanking parties were thrown out to clear the way, but without .■success. The number of the Americans increased at every step- Each town took up enemies of the fugitive regulars were increasing every moment. Smith hurried his command through Lex- ington at a rapid rate, and a short distance beyond the town met Lord Percy advancing to his assistance with twelve hundred infantry and two pieces of artillery. Percy formed his men into a square, enclosing the fugitives, who dropped helplessly rm the PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 359 ground, " their tongues hanging out of their mouths like those of dogs after a chase,'' and with his cannon kept the Americans at bay. He could not think of holding his position, however, and after a halt of half an hour resumed the retreat, first setting fire o some houses in Lexington. The fighting now became more energetic than ever. From cither side, from in front and the rear, the Americans kept up a constant fire upon the British, who revenged them- selves by murdering some helpless people along the road and burning houses. Below West Cambridge the British broke into a run, and at length, about sunset, succeeded in escaping across Charlestown Neck, where they were safe under the fire of their ship- ping. Had the militia from Marblehead and Salem, who were on the march, been more alert, the entire British force would have been captured, as they were in no condition to resist a determined attack in front. The loss of the Americans during the day was Ibrty-nine killed, thirty-four wounded and five missing. The British lost in killed, wounded and missing two hundred and seventy-three men, or more than fell in Wolfe's army in the battle of the Heights of Abraham. Many of the officers, including Colonel Smith, were wounded. The News Spreads Like Wildfire. The news of the conflicts at Lexington and Concord spread rapidly through New Eng- land, and was sent by express messengers to New York and the colonies farther south. In New England it produced a general upris- ing of the people, and in ten days Boston was blockaded by an irregular army of twenty thousand provincial troops, whose encamp- ments extended from Roxbury to the Mystic River, above Charlestown, a distance of ten miles. John Stark, who had served with pallantry in the old French war, was on his way to Boston in ten minutes after he wa£ informed of the fighting. Israel Putnam, a veteran soldier, and as true a hero as ever lived, was ploughing in his field when the courier rode by with the tidings of the battle. He left his plough, sprang on his horse, and after rousing hi? neighbors rode from his home, in Connecti- cut, to Cambridge, without even stopping to change his clothes. The Massachusetts Con- gress took energetic measures for the sup- port of the army before Boston, and in a few days this force began to assume a more regu- lar character. Arms and Ammunition Seized. Matters had also reached a crisis in Vir- ginia. On the night of the twentieth of April Lord Dunmore seized the powder in the magazine at Williamsburg, and sent it, under guard of a party of marines, on board an armed schooner in the James river. The inhabitants, on the morning of the twenty- first, took arms to compel the restoration of the powder, but were persuaded to refrain from violence. In a few days the news from Lexington and Concord was received, and it was the general belief that Dunmore's course was only a part of a general plan to disarm the colonies. On the second of May Patrick Henry summoned the independent companies of Hanover to meet him at a certain place, and led them towards Williamsburg, determined to compel the governor to restore the powder or pay its full value in money. On the march they were met by a messenger from Dunmore, who paid them the full value of the powder in money. This money was soon after for- warded to Congress. The companies then disbanded and returned home. Dunmore, thoroughly frightened, fled with his family on board a man-of-war, and declared " Pat- rick Henry and his associates to be in rebel- 360 THE AMERICAN REVOLU'lION. lion.'" Afraid to meet the Virginians in an open fight, he threatened to arm their slaves against them, and inaugurated a general massacre. The middle and southern colonies were jjrompt to follow the example of New Eng- land. The people of New York seized the provisions intended for the king's troops at Boston, shut up the custom-house, and for- bade any vessels to leave the harbor for ports or colonies acknowledging the authority of Great Britain. The arms and ammunition belonging to the city were seized by the CAPTURE OF TICONDEROGA BY ETHAN ALLEN. volunteers, and measures were set on foot for a general resistance to the authority of the king. New Jersey was equally determined, and in Pennsylvania enthusiastic meetings of citizens resolved " to associate for the pur- pose of defending, with arms, their lives, their property, and liberty." Military companies were formed and trained in the exercise of arms. The people of Mary- land compelled their royalist governor to surrender to them all the arms and ammuni- tion of the province. The militia officers of South Carolina at once resigned their com- missions from the governor, and regiments of militia for the defence of the colony were raised and drilled. At Charleston the royal arsenal was seized, and its contents distributed among the people. Georgia also placed her- self in the ranks of her patriot sisters, and seizing the ammunition and arms within her limits prepared for resistance. North Carolina took a more decisive stand than any of the colonies. The spirit of resist- ance ran high within her borders. A con vention of the people of Mecklenburg county was held at Charlotte on the twenty-ninth of May, and adopted a scries of resolu- tions declaring themselves inde- pendent of the control of Great Britain, and re- nouncing all alli.' giancetoher. This was the fa m o u s " Mecklenburg De- claration of Inde- pendence." The whole count r )-, from New Hamp- shire to Georgia, was united in its determination to resist the injustice of Great Britain with arms. Massachusetts had struck the first blow, but every colony was now prepared and determined to bear its part in the great struggle for freedom. The Massachusetts Committee of Safety were anxious to secure the important posts of Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain. The possession of these posts would not only enable the Americans to command the entrance to Canada, but would give them the large quantities of military supplies stored in these forts. The project PROGRESS OF THE WAR, 30i was enteted into with gieat energy by Bene- dict Arnold then commanding a company before Boston, and by Ethan Allen, of Ver- mont. Allen was the leader of the Green Mountain Boys, a military organization in Vermont, which had been formed to resist the authority of New York, which claimed Vermont as a part of its territory. The people of Vermont, however, preferred the authority of New Hampshire to that of New York. The dispute had become quite animated when the outbreak of the Revolution drew the attention of all parties to more stirring events. Arnold, upon hearing that Allen was preparing to seize the forts, set out at once for Vermont, and over- took the Green Mountain Boys near the head of Lake Champlain. Pro- ducing a colonel's commission he ordered Allen to surrender the com- mand to him, but the latter refused and was sustained by his men, and Arnold at length agreed to serve as a volunteer. Secuiing a few boats Allen cros- sed the lake with his little force, about two hundred and seventy in number, and at daybreak, on the morning of May lo, surprised Fort Ticonderoga, and made prisoners of the garrison before they were fairly awake. Not a blow was struck. The astounded commander of the fort asked Allen by whose authority he acted. " In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress," was the instant repl)', delivered in stentorian tones. The commandant instantly submitted. On the twelfth of May Seth Warner, Allen's lieutenant, surprised Crown Point, and secured the fort. Arnold secured a number 9f boats and, descending the lake, captured St. John's, in the '' Soiel.'- Sixty pri jjijers were taken in this expedition, and be.<;ides two of the most important military posts in America the patriots secured two hundred cannon, and a large supply of ammuni- tion. On the tenth of May, the day of the cap- ture of Ticonderoga, the second Contineutaf a ■'^'K^nef SIGNERS OF THE MECKLENBURG DECLARATION. Congress met at Philadelphia. This tiint they assembled in the State House, a placf more suited to the dignity of such a body and calculated to give more publicity to theK proceedings. No change was at first made in the officers of the preceding session, but in a few days Peyton Randolph resigned his position to return home to attend the Vir- ginia legislatu"e, which had beati summoned 362 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. by the governor. Thomas Jefferson was appointed to fill his position as a delegate. John Hancock of Massachusetts, who had been specially exempted by the king from all offers of amnesty, was chosen president of the Congress. Three new members of note now entered the Congress. They were Ben- jamin Franklin, a delegate from Pennsyl- vania, and George Clinton and Robert R. Livingston, delegates from New York. Franklin had just returned from England, where he had resided for several years as the agent for some of the colonies. He had been in constant official contact with the lead- ing men of Great Britain and was thoroughly informed as to the policy of the British gov- ernment respecting America. He was, there- fore, a most valuable acquisition to the Con- gress. Justice Demanded of Great Britain. The circumstances under which this Con- gress assembled were very different from those which had attended the meeting of its predecessor. Then there was hope that the remonstrances of the colonies would open the eyes of the British government to the folly of its course ; but those remonstances had been received with fresh outrages, their petitions had " been spurned with contempt from the foot of the throne," and the British army had begun the war at Lexington and Concord. Massachusetts, driven beyond the point of forbearance, had taken up arms, and had besieged the royal troops in Boston. A state of war actually existed and Congress must either sustain Massachusetts, and so involve every colony in the struggle, or eave her to meet the power of Great Britain unaided. The whole country was in favor of stand- ing by Massachusetts, and the delegates in Congress reflected its feeling. It was, there- fore, resolved by Congress to place all the colonies in a state of defence, and to prepare for a vigorous prosecution of the war should it be found impossible to avert it. At the same time, as a last means of preserving peace, a new petition was addressed to the king stating the grievances of the colonies, and asking for justice at his majesty's hands. Addresses were also issued to the people ol Great Britain, Ireland and Jamaica. To the people of Great Britain they declared, after relating their wrongs, and their failure to obtain redress : " We are reduced to the alternative of choosing an unconditional sub- mission to the tryanny of irritated ministers, or resistance by force. The latter is our choice. We have counted the cost of this contest, and we find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery." In the petition to the king Congress denied that it was the inten- tion of the colonies to cast off their allegi- ance ; but asserted their intention to main- tain their rights. When this petition was presented to the king in September, he refused to take any notice of it. The Federal Union. In view of the altered position of affairs Massachusetts consulted the Congress as to the propriety of establishing a regular sys- tem of government, and was advised to make such regulations for that purpose as were necessary, and to continue them as a temporary expedient until it should be known whether the king would allow the colony to resume the government guaran- teed to it by its charter. In order to avoid the trouble which would ensue from an inter- ruption of the regular postal communication between the colonies. Congress assumed the power of organizing a general system of mails for the whole country, and appointed Dr. Franklin postmaster-general. From these acts Congress advanced to others still more important. A " Federal PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 363 Union " of the colonies was organized, in which each colony retained the exclusive control of its internal affairs, but delegated to Congress authority to direct all matters pertaining to the general welfare of the col- onies, such as the power to declare war, make peace, and negotiate treaties of alliance and friendship with foreign countries. In the exercise of these powers Congress assumed the general government of America. A day of fasting and prayer to God, for his assist- ance in the struggle for freedom, was enjoined upon all the colonies. All persons were for- bidden to furnish provisions under any cir- cumstances. Who shall Command the Army ? Measures were adopted for the organiza- tion and enlistment of an army, and for the purpose of erecting fortifications at suitable points, and procuring arms and ammunition. In order to raise the funds needed for carry- ing out these objects " Bills of Credit," to the amount of two millions of dollars, were issued, and for their redemption Congress pledged the faith of the " United Colonies." The provincial congress of Massachusetts requested the Congress at Philadelphia to adopt the New England forces before Boston as the "Continental Army," and this request was at once complied with. As General Ward, the commander of these troops, held his commission from Massachusetts, it was necessary for Congress to appoint a com- mander-in-chief commissioned by itself With respect to this appointment the mem- bers were divided. Some thought that as the troops were all New England men, the commander should be chosen from the same section. Others favored the appointment of a commander who would inspire the confi- dence of, and be acceptable to, the entire country. The name of General Ward was 'uggested by the first party; but a majority of the delegates favored the appointment of Colonel Washington, who was a member o( Congress, and chairman of the committee on military affairs, in which capacity he had proposed the plan for the organization of the army, and had suggested the most important measures for defence. He had profoundly impressed the delegates with his great and commanding character, his military ability, and his wisdom as a statesman. Washington Appointed. Patrick Henry, on his return home from the first Congress, had been asked who was the greatest man in that body. His reply expressed the views of his colleagues respect- ing Washington. " If you speak of elo- quence," he said, " Mr. Rutledge, of South Carolina, is, by far, the greatest orator ; but if you speak of solid information and sound judgment Colonel Washington is unques- tionably the greatest man on that floor." Dr. Warren wrote from Massachusetts tr Samuel Adams, in Congress, about this time, that the appointment of Colonel Washing- ton as commander in-chief would give great satisfaction to many leading men in Massa- chusetts. John Adams was anxious for the appointment, and having satisfied hi\nself o^ the wishes of the greater part of the delegates, ventured openly to allude to Washington as the proper person for the position, and spoke of him as a gentleman whose " skill and experience as an officer, whose independent fortune, great talents, and excellent universal character, would command the approbation of all America, and unite the cordial exer- tions of the colonies better than any otheT person in the Union." On the 14th of June M. Johnson, ci Maryland, formally nominated Wa.shingtoP to the office of commander-in-chief, and he was unanimously chosen by ballot. The next day his election was communicated te 364 THE AMERICAN REVOLUT]t)N. him hy the President of Congress. Washing- ton rose in his place, thanked the House for the unexpected honor conferred upon him, assured them of his devotion to the cause, and announced his acceptance of the great trust confided to him. He declared his intention to refuse the pay affixed to the office, which had been placed at five hundred dollars a month, and added : " I will keep an exact account of my expenses. These, I doubt not, they will discharge, and that is all Gates. GENERAL ISRAEL PUTNAM. I desire." Congress, on its part, pledged its hearty support to the new commander, and resolved "to maintain and assist, and adhere ito him with their lives and fortunes in the defence of American liberty." Washington lost no time in proceeding to assume the command conferred upon him. After a few days spent in preparation in Philadelphia he left that city on the twenty- first of June for the headquarters of the army, accompanied by Generals Lee and Schuyler. A few days after the election of the com- mander-in-chief Congress appoiiited four major-generals, one adjutant-general^ with the rank of brigadier, and eight biigadier- generals for the subordinate commands in the American army. Major-Generals. The major-generals were Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, Philip Schuyler and Israel Put- nam. The adjutant-general was Horatio The brigp.diers were Seth Pomeroy. Richard Montgomery, David Woos- ter, William Heath, Joseph Spencer, John Thomas, John Sullivan and Nathaniel Greene. In the meantime the blockade ol Boston had been continued by the provincial army under General Ward. These forces numbered about fifteen thousand men, and had come from their respective towns in independent companies, and were without any regular or- ganization. They had no uniform, but the majority wore their ordinary home-spun working clothes ; they were deficient in arms ; a few had muskets, but the majority had rifles and fowling-pieces. The artillery consisted of nine pieces of cannon, and was commanded by Colonel Gridley, who had directed the artil- lery at the siege of Louisburg. The Massa- chusetts troops were commanded by Gen- eral Ward ; those from New Hampshire by Colonel Stark ; the Connecticut troops by Putnam ; and the regiment from Rhode Island by Nathaniel Greene, a young black- smith. Save for the solemnity of the cause, and the earnestness and determination which animated the whole force, there was little to save this quaint assemblage from the ridicule which the royal officers heaped upon it. It PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 36s did to ordinary view seem the height of folly to oppose such an ill-provided and unorganized mass to the splendidly equipped veterans who served King George. Yet this force " with calico frocks and fowling-pieces" hemmed in within the nar- row limits of Boston ihe splendid army of ten thousand men, commanded by such generals as Howe, Burgoyne and Sir Henry Clinton, which Gage had concen- trated in Boston. Bur- goyne could not repress his astonish- ment upon reaching Boston. "What!" he exclaimed, "ten thou- sand peasants keep five thousand king's troops shut up ! Well, let us get in and we'll soon find elbow room." Inspite of his immense superiority, however, Gage did not venture to attack the Ameri- can lines. He con- tented himself with issuing a proclama- tion declaring the province under mar- tial law, and offering a free pardon to all rebels who should return to their allegi- ance, with the exception of Samuel Adams and John Hancock. These rebels were cut off from all hope of the king's mercy, and were given to understand that they could expect nothing but the most sum- mary punishment. General Gage now determined to extend his lines and to occupy Dorchester Heights, overlooking South Boston, and Bunker Hill, an eminence rising beyond Charlestown, on the north of Boston. The execution of this design was fixed for the eighteenth of June, GENERAL BURGOYNE. and in the meantime Gage's intention became known in the American camp. To prevent it, it was resolved, at the instance of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, to seize and fortify these eminences, beginning with Bunker Hill. The more prudent opposed 366 THP: AMERICAN REVOLUTION. this undertaking as too rash; it was certain to bring on a general engagement of the opposing forces, and the Americans were too poorly provided with arms and ammunition to hope for success. Others insisted that no time should be lost in securing the Heights. A Daring Enterprise. Putnam was confident they could be hel''. with proper intrenchments, and that thus pro- tected the troops could be relied upon to hold their position. The great scarcity of ammunition rendered the undertaking one of peculiar daring and it was necessary to select for the command an officer whose firm- ness and discretion could be depended upon. The choice fell upon Colonel William Pres- cott, of Massachusetts, and a brigade was placed under his orders. Soon after the sunset on the sixteenth of June a force of about eleven hundred men, armed principally with fowling-pieces, and carrying their scanty stock of powder and ball in their old-fashioned powder horns and pouches, assembled on Cambridge Com- mon. Langdon, the President of Harvard College, one of the chaplains of the army, offered up an impressive prayer, and then the order was given to march, and the col- innn moved off in the darkness. No one knew the object of the expedition, but the presence of several wagons loaded with mtrenching tools, made it evident that the movement was one : "importance. Charles- town Neck was strongly gunrded, but the detachment passed it in safety and reached the summit of Bunker Hill without being observed. The Committee of Safety had suggested that Bunker Hill should be secured, but Prescott's orders from General Ward were to fortify Breed's Hill, a lower eminence but nearer to Boston, and couMnanding the har- bor more perfectly. If: was a more exposed position than the other, but Prescott decided to obey his orders. Colonel Gridley, who was an experienced engineer, marked out a redoubt about eight rods square, and in the clear June starlight the men set to work with a will to construct the fortification before the morning should reveal them to the British. It was midnight when the men began their labors. A strong guard was thrown out along the shore of the harbor to prevent a surprise, and the men could distinctly hear the call of the senti nels on the men-of-war in the harbor. During the night Putnam came over to the hill to encourage the Connecticut troops. Heavy Guns Open Fire. The early morning light revealed to the astonished royalists the half-finished redoubt on Breed's Hill and the Americans still bus- ily at work upon it. The sloop-of-war " Lively," lying off the present navy yard, without waiting for orders, opened a steady fire upon the redoubt, and her example was soon followed by the other war vessels and the floating batteries in the harbor. A battery of heavy guns was posted on Copp's Hill in Boston, and opened on the redoubt. This fire was well calculated to demoralizes a raw force such as that within the redoubt, but it produced no effect upon the Ameri- cans, who went on with their task quietly and with energy. Gridley soon withdrew from the hill, and Prescott, thus deserted, and without an engineer, prepared to extend his line to the best of his abilitj'. He pro longed it from the east side of the redoubt northward for about twenty rods towards the bottom of the hill ; but the men were pre- vented from completing it by the heavy fire of the British artillery. One man ;'entured beyond the redoubt early in the day, and was killed by a shell. Prescott ordered him to be instantly buried, lest the sight of his PROGRESS OF THE WAR. i^7 body might dishearten the men. To inspire the troops with confidence, Prescott sprang upon the parapet and walked slowly up and down the work examining it and issuing his orders. Boston Aroused by the Cannonading. In the meantime the firing had aroused the people of Boston, who crowded the house-tops, and every available point from which a view of the action could be obtained. General Gage reconnoitred the American position from Boston, through his glass, and observed Prescott, who was standing on the redoubt inspecting the work. " Who is that officer in command?" he asked of Councillor Willard.who was by his side. "Will he fight?" Willard had recognized Prescott, who was his brother-in-law, and replied : " He is an old soldier, and will fight to the last drop of his blood." Gage thereupon determined to dis- lodge the Americans from their position without loss of time, and summoned a coun- cil of his officers at his headquarters, in which it was decided to cross Charles River, effect a landing at Moulton's Point, and attack the works in front. Generals Clinton and Grant advocated an attack from the direction of Charlestown Neck, which would have resulted in the capture of the whole American force ; but Gage refdsed to place his attacking column between the American army at Cambridge and the detachment on the hill. The bustle in Boston as the British pre- pared for the attack could be distinctly seen by the Americans, and urgent messages were sent to General Ward for reinforcements and provisions. Putnam hurried to Ward's head- quarters to urge this demand; but Ward, who was greatly oppressed by the scarcity of powder in the camp, hesitated to weaken ihe main body, and it was not until eleven o'clock on the morning of the seventeenth of June that he gave orders for the regi- ments of Stark and Reed to advance to Pre- scott's assistance. The arrival of these troops greatly cheered the little band under Prescott, who had been working all night, and were greatly in need of food. In the meantime Prescott had posted the ConnecticLit troops behind a rustic breast- work which he had constructed on the north of the redoubt. A stone fence ran down the side of the hill towards a swamp in this direction. Behind this the Ameri- cans placed a post and rail fence which they had torn up, and filled the interval between ■them with new-mown hay, thus forming a rude shelter. A part of the reinforcements joined Knowlton at this breastwork, and the remainder halted on Bunker Hill to enable Putnam to hold that point, the posses- sion of which he considered essential to the safety of the force on Breed's Hill. About two o'clock General Warren arrived. He held the commission of a major-general, and both Prescott and Putnam offered to relin- quish the command to him, but he refused it, saying he had come to serve as a volun- teer, and took his place in the ranks at the redoubt. Reinforcements for the British. At noon twenty- eight barges filled with regulars, under the command of Generals Howe and Pigott, left Boston, and crossing the harbor, landed at Moulton's Point, under the cover of a heavy fire from the shipping General Howe now discovered that the American position was stronger than he had supposed, and sent over to General Gage for reinforcements. While awaiting their arrival he refreshed his men with provisions and grog. His reinforcements having arrived. General Howe found himself at the head of over two thousand veteran troops splendidly equipped in every respect. Opposed to him 368 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. were about fifteen hundred imperfectly armed Americans. Gage had threatened that if Charlestown Heights were occupied by the provincials he would burn the town of Charlestown. He now proceeded to execute hii barbarous threat, and fired the town by ?near* of shells from the battery on Copp's HJJl hoping that the flames and smoke to storm the redoubt, while the other vtaS led by General Howe in person against the rail fence, for the purpose of turning the American left flank and cutting off the retreat of the force in the redoubt Prescott passed along his line as he saw the advance of the enemy, and encouraged his men with his cheering words. " The red coats," he BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. would screen the approach of his attacking party under General Howe. A change of wind prevented this, however, and carried the smoke in the opposite direction. About half-past two o'clock on the after- noon of the seventeenth of June General Howe gave the order to advance. One division, under General Pigott, was ordered said, " will never reach the redoubt if you will but withhold your fire till I give the order, and be careful not to shoot over theli heads." Putnam had come down to the rail fence to encourage the men posted there, and as he saw the advance of the enemy, called out to the troops : " Wait till you see the white of their eyes; aim PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 3^9 at their waistband ; pick off the handsome coats." The British advanced in splendid style up the side of the hill, firing rapidly as they moved on. The Americans awaited their advance in a deep silence. As Pigott's division came within forty yards of the redoubt, the defenders levelled their guns and took a steady aim. A minute or two later Prescott gave the command, " Fire !" A sheet of flame broke from the rampart and tore great gaps in the English line, which reeled and staggered back down the hill. The officers exerted themselves gallantly to rally the men, and once more the line advanced. This time the Americans suffered them to come nearer, and again drove them back with a fatal fire before which whole ranks went down. They broke in such confusion that Pigott himself ordered a retreat. The division under General Howe was equally unfortu- nate. It was suffered to advance within thir'y yards of the rail fence, and was then dri'ii "n back by a fire which broke it in con- fusion. The British retired to the shore from which they had started. The Whole Line Driven Back. Greatly astonished, but not disheartened by his repulse, General Howe reformed his line, and after an interval of fifteen minutes moved off again against the works, his plan being the same as that of the first assault. This time the Americans reserved their fire as before, and once more sent the whole British line reeling and broken down the hill. Officers on the English side who had been in many engagements subsequently declared that they had never seen such firing in any battle in which they had been engaged. A deafen- ing cheer from the patriot line greeted the repulse of the enemy. " If we can drive them back once more," cried Prescott, " they can- not rally again." A shout from the redoubt answered him. " We are ready for the red coats again ! " General Clinton had witnessed the repulse of the regulars from his position on Copp's Hill, and was filled with astonishment and indignation at the sight. Without waiting for orders he crossed over to Charlestown wich reinforcements, and offered his services to General Howe as a volunteer. Many of the English officers were opposed to another attack ; but as it was learned that the ammu- nition of the Americans was very low, Howe resolved to storm the works with the bayonet, and this time to break through the open space between the redoubt and the rail fence breastwork. His men were ordered to lay aside their knapsacks, and many of them threw off their coats also. A raking fire of artillery drove the Americans from the breastwork extending from the redoubt into that work for shelter, and the order was given to the regulars to advance with fixed bayonets. Hand-to-hand Struggle. The Americans were nearly out of ammu- nition, and in the whole command there were not fifty men with bayonets to their guns. They met the advance of the enemy with a sharp fire, but their powder having given out, were not able to check them. Pressing on the British assailed the redoubt on three sides with the bayonet. A desperate hand- to-hand struggle followed ; the Americans fighting with clubbed guns and with stones. It was impossible to hold the work, how- ever, and Prescott gave the order to retreat The men fell back in good order. The aged General Pomeroy, who was serving as a volunteer in the ranks, clubbed his gun and retreated with his face to the regulars, keep- ing them at bay by his determined action. The detachment at the rail fence, under Knowlton, Stark and Reed, held their posi- tion until their comrades had wi*-Vdravvn S70 DEATH OK MAJOR I'lTCAIKX PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 371 from the redoubt, and then retreated in good order down tlic hill, thus preventing the enemy from cutting off the retreat of Pres- cott's party. One of the last to leave the redoubt was General Warren, who had borne himself with great gallantry in the engagement. He had scarcely left the irenchcs when he fell shot through the head, thus consecratmg the spot with his blood, and leaving to his country a noble memory which she has ever held in grateful honor. Putman had gone to tne rear before the final attack of the enemy to collect men for a reinforcement. On his return he met the retreating provincials passing over Bunker Hill. Without orders from any one, he rallied such as would obey him, and for the first time during the day assumed the com- mand. With these forces, and a detachment which arrived too late to take part in the battle, he withdrew to Prospect Hill, where he began to fortify his position. The British made no effort to pursue him, but contented themselves with occupyiiu^ Breed's and Bun- ker Hills. Heavy Losses on Both Sides. In this battle the Americans lost four hundred and fifty men, killed, wounded and prisoners. The British, out of a force of less than three thousand, lost one thousand and fifty-four, including eighty-three officers, thirteen of whom were killed. Among the killed was Major Pitcairn, who had ordered his men to fire on the patriots at Lexington. The victory was dearly bought by the British. In its moral effects the battle was worth as much to the Americans as a success. It taught them that undisciplined provincials could hold their ground against the king's regulars, and inspired them with a confidence in their own ability to maintain the struggle. They had held their ground against twice their number, and were driven from it only when their ammunition failed. General Gage was deeply impressed with this lesson, and made no attempt to assume the offensive When the news of the battle reached Eng- land the ministers were greatly dissatisfied with their victory. Gage was recalled, and General Howe was appointed his successor. Preparations for the Conflict. Washington, who had started on his jour- ney to New England before the arrival of the news of the battle, was met on the way by the courier who bore the tidings to Congress. He hastened his journey, and reached Cam- bridge on the second of July. The next day he formally assumed the command of the army. He was received with enthusiasm which was most gratifying to him, and at once set to work to place the army in a proper condition for the service required of it. He was fully aware of the magnitude ol the task he had undertaken, and his letters written at the time indicate a deep reliance upon God for assistance in discharging it. The army numbered about fourteen thous- and men, and was without organization, with- out uniforms, poorly armed, and imperfectly clothed. It must be disciplined, supplied with arms and clothing, and with ammuni- tion. At the same time the enemy in Bos- ton must be watched and kept in check. To make the army effective its force must be raised to twenty or twenty-five thousand men, and the petty jealousies which divided it must be removed. It was resolved to maintain the present position of the army before Boston, and to capture or drive out the British force in that city. Washington established his head- quarters at Cambridge, which was his centre, and was under the immediate command of General Putnam. The right wing, under General Ward held Roxbury, and the left. 372 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. under General Charles Lee, was at Prospect Hill. About this time the army was joined by a force of riflemen from Virginia, Mary- land, and Pennsylvania, under Daniel Mor- gan, who was destined to achieve distinction during the war. He was rough and unedu- cated, but was one of the truest sons of America. He was never found wanting in my position in which he was placed, and was a man upon whose devotion and integ- BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. rity absolute reliance could be placed by his commanders. The winter was passed in the organization of the army. The want of ammunition pre- vented Washington from assuming the offen- sive, though he greatly desired to do so. It was necessary to observe the greatest care to prevent this state of affairs from becoming known to the British, and at the same time every effort was made to supply the defi- ciency. These efforts were partially success- ful. It was proposed to attack Canada soon after the capture of the forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. This proposal met with little favor in Congress until it was known that the British were assembling a force of regulars and enlisting the Indians in Canada for the invasion of New York. Then, as a measure of self-defence, the proposed invasior of that country was sanctioned, and prepar tions for it were actively begun. Two expe- ditions were deter- mined upon ; one by way of Lakf Champlain, th other across th wilderness, by waj of the Kennebec and Chaudiere Riv- ers. The first was intrusted to Gener- -\\ Philip Schuyle; w.io had been an pointed by WaSf ington to the con. mand in New York, and the latter to Co one! Arnold, wh was in the camp a\. Cambridge, eagpi for some opportu- nity to distinguisi himself. A force of New York and New Englan<^ troops was assembled on Lake Champlaiij under Schuyler, who was ably seconded by Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who had served under Wolfe in the old French war. Schuyler moved down the lake to the Isle aux Noix, in the Sorel River, and occu- pied that island. In September he made an attempt to capture St. John's, but finding i' much stronger than he had supposed, re- sumed his former position. Falling seriously ill soon after, he was obliged to withdraw i<. PROGRESS OF THE WAR, 3?i Aloany, and relinquished the command to Montgomery. Reaching Albany, he suc- ceeded in securing supplies, ammunition and reinforcements, and sent them to Mont- gomery. An Important Success. That energetic officer at once assumed the ' ofiensive, and captured St. John's, on the Sorel River, on the third of November, after a spirited resistance, and in spite of the efforts of Sir Guy Carleton to relieve it. On the thirteenth of November Montgomery arrived before Montreal, which surrendered upon his first summons. This capture enabled the American commander to supply his men with woolen clothes, of which they were very much in need. Although it was the begin- ning of the winter, and his force was reduced to three hundred men, poorly clad and lack- ing almost every kind of supplies, Montgom- ery set out without delay to join Arnold before Quebec. Arnold had left the camp at Cambridge in September with a force of eleven hundred men, including three companies of riflemen under Morgan. He was to ascend the Kennebec and march across the wilderness to Quebec, where he was to unite his force with the army from New York. The march across the unbroken wilderness of Maine and Canada is one of the most memorable in history. It consumed two months of time, and was marked by intense suffering and unceasing and severe labor. The troops had to cut their way through an unbroken wilderness^ ford icy streams, climb mountains and brave the rigors of the Canadian winter. Their provisions gave out, and thry were reduced to the necessity of eating their dogs and chewing their moccasins. At length, on the ninth of November, Arnold, with about si.x hundred and fifty effective men, reached the St. Lawrence, at Point Levi. Could he have crossed over to Quebec at once, that city must have fallen into his hands; but he was unable to do so, as he had no boats ; and in a few days Sir Guy Carleton arrived from Montreal, which he had abandoned to Montgomery, and put the city in a state of defence. Eluding the two armed vessels which held the rivp», Arnold crossed his command to the opposite side of the St. Lawrence, and climbing the cliffs by the path which Wolfe had ascended, occupied the Heights of Abra- ham, and endeavored to draw the garrison out of their works to meet him. They declined his challenge, and finding it impos- sible to besiege the city without artillery, he moved to a point twenty miles up the river, where he met Montgomery, from whom he obtained clothing for his men, who had lost nearly all their clothes in their march through the wilderness A Difficult March. Montgomery now assumed the command of the united forces, which numbered les.s than a thousand men, and on the fifth of December laid siege to Quebec. Having no materials for the proper construction of a battery, a novel expedient was adopted. Gabions were filled with ice and snow, over which water was poured. The cold soon froze this to a solid mass ; but, as the ice was brittle, it afforded no protection against the fire of the enemy's guns. The Americans soon found their artillery too light to make any impression upon the walls of the city, and, as a last resort, it was determined to attempt the capture of the place by an assault, which was ordered for the thirty-first of December. The attack was made with spirit, but was unsuccessful. Montgomery was shot down while leading the attack on the lower town, and his column wa."; driven back. Arnold was severely V/4 TUK AMERICAN REVOLUTIOrJ. ivouiided in the assault upon the upper town, and the command passed to Morgan, the next in rank. Morgan succeeded in carry- ing the two batteries whicli defended the entrance to Quebec, and in forcing his way Into the town ; but, being overpowered by numbers, was compelled to surrender. He »nd his men were treated with especial kind- ness by Sir Guy Carletrn in recognition of their bravery. The attack having proved a feil'irc. Arnold, whose force had been reduced '/"-/■"-m GENERAL RICHARD MONTGOMERY, to five iiundrcd men, fell back to a position about three miles above Quebec, and hold it all winter, hoping to receive such reinforce- ments as would enable him to take Quebec. In April, 1776, General Wooster joined Arnold with reinforcements, and, assuming the command, made another unsuccessful effort to capture Quebec. Wooster was soon recalled, and was succeeded by General Thomas. Sir Guy Carleton, governor of Canada, was lieavily reinforced, and Thomas was obliged to abandon the attempt on Quebec and reti-eat. His movement was so hasty that he left his baggage, artillery and sick in Carleton's hands. The British com- mander, with a humanity rare among his countrymen during this struggle, treated the sick prisoners with gr-eat kindness. Thon.aj. fell back as far as the Sorel, where he died of the small-pox, which was making great ra/ages among the troops. Sir Guy Carle- ton continued to advance, and defeated a. portion of the army under General Thomp- son at Three Rivers. Thompson and a number of his officers and men were made prisoners. The remainder secured their retreat and joined General Sullivan on the Sor-el. The wreck of the army now fell back from Canada to Crown Point in a most miser-able and dis- heartened condition. Thus ended the inva- sion of Canada, the most disastrous expedi lion attempted by the Americans during the \\ar; )'et still one the failur'es of whicn were greatly offset by the heroic daring of the troops engaged. Carleton was able to occupy the entrances to Canada with a strong force and to make any future attempt at invasion impossible, Norfolk Bombarded. vVhiie these events were transpiring in Canada, Virginia was also the scene of war. Towards the close of the year 1775 Lord Dunmore, the royalist governor of Virginia, who had taken refuge on board a man-of- war, issued a proclamation offering freedom to the negro slaves and indentured white ser- vants of the patriots wlio would join him in the ser-vile war he meant to inaugurate. With a force collected in this manner, he landed at Norfolk and took possession of the town. Fugitive slaves joined him in con- siderable numbers, anil it seemed likely that he would be able to can}- out his threat and PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 375 scourge Virginia and North Carolina with a warfare of massacre and servile vit)lcncc. Several regiments were raised in Virginia to drive him out of the pro\'ince. The second of these, under Colonel Woodford, seized the narrow peninsula which connects Norfolk ivith the mainland, and on the ninth of December was attacked by Dunmore's forces, which were summarily defeated. In revenge. Dunmore returned in January, 1776, and bombarded and burned Norfolk, then the largest and richest town and the principal shipping port of Virginia. On the fifth of September, 1775, the Con- tinental Congress resumed its sessions. Delegates from Georgia appeared and were admitted to .seats in the Congress, and the colonies assumed the style of the Thirteen United Colonies. Matters were not very encouraging when Congress met. The army was in need of everything that could con- tribute to its efficiency, and the New England coast was harassed with the armed vessels of Great Britain, which laid its towns under exaction, or subjected them to bombard- ment, and committed other gross outrages upon the inhabitants. On the eighteenth of October the town of Falmouth, now Port- land, in Maine, was burned by Lieutenant Mowatt of the British navy„ The other towns, warned by the fate of Falmouth, pro- ceeded to fortify themselves, and escaped with nothing worse than an occasional engagement with some royal cruiser. Naval matters very largely occupied the attention of the whole country at this period. The only way in which the needed supplies could be obtained was by purchase abroad or the capture of the enemy's ships. Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina promptly estab- lished naval boards for the purpose of fitting out cruisers for this service ; and among the first acts of Washington, after assuming the command of the army, was to send out armed vessels to the St. Lawrence and the New iMigland waters to seize the supply ships of the English on their way to Canada and Boston. A number of vessels were captured by these cruisers, and a considera- ble quantity of arms, ammunitinn and other stores thus accumulated. Securing War Supplies. Congress appointed a secret committee to import powder from the West Indies, and to erect mills in the interior for its manufac- ture ; and foundries for casting cannon. Licenses were issued to privateers, and a naval committee was appointed to superin- tend the formation of a marine force for the defence of the harbors, and was charged with the building of thirteen frigates. In Decem- ber a secret committee was appointed to open and conduct a correspondence with foreign nations, or with frientls of the cause in luirope. Parliament, in the meantime, had not been itlle, but had enacted stringent measures for the prosecution of the war and the punish- ment of the colonists. The nieasuies adopted by the British government were cruel and barbarous. The Americans were to be treated as criminals and as deserving of death. They were made subject to the pains and penalties of treason if cai)tured, and could in no case expect the treatment of prisoners of war. The crews of all vessels captured in trading to the colonies were con- demned beforehand to serve in the marine corps of the royal navy. It was decided to increase the British army in America to forty thousand men. Twenty-five thousand of these troops were to he raised, and the effort to enlist men was begun in England, but without success. Recruits could not be found in sufficient numbers to repay the effort. The ministry could not hope fot better success in Ireland, as they had been 376 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. warned by Geneidi Howe tliat the Irish were strong sympathizers with the Americans and could not be relied upon to fight against them. In this emergency the government resolved to employ German troops for the subjuga- tion of America, and negotiations were opened with Brunswick and Hesse Cassel, two petty German States. The result was that Great Britain hired seventeen thousand troops from these states for the conquest of the English-speaking people of America. These mercenaries were generally known as Hes- sians, and became the objects of the bitter hatred of the Americans — a hatred which they fully earned by their subsequent cruel- ties towards the colonists. These measures were not adopted by tht British government without opposition. There was a determined minority in Eng- land, consisting of such men as Burke, Barre and the Duke of Grafton, who manfully sought to obtain justice for the colonies up to the last moment at which a settlement was possible. The corporation of London and the mercantile interests of the country generally were opposed to the measures of the government, and sought to procure a just and peaceful settlement; but all ef- forts were in vain. The king and the ministry were resolved upon the subjuga- tion of America ; nothing else would satisfy tiiem. CHAPTER XXVII. The Declaration of Independence The Siege of Boston —Difficulties of the American Army — Activity of the Privateers— Clinton's Expeditio* — Colonel Knox Arrives from Ticonderoga with Cannon — Seizure of Dorchester Heights by Washington— The British Evacuate Boston — Royalist Plots in New York — Paper Money Issued by Congress — Gates Sent to the North— The British Attack Charleston— Battle of Fort Moultrie — The Howes in New York Bay —Change in the Character of the War — Growing Sentiment in Favor of Independence — Virginia Proposes that the Colonies Assert their Independence^Actiou of Congress — The Declaration of Inde- pendence — Articles of Confederation Adopted by Congress — Lord Howe's Eflforts at Conciliation — Addresses a Letter to Washington — Battle of Long Island — Defeat of the Americans — Retreat from Long Island — Evacuation of New York by the Americans — Loss of F^ort Washington^Washington Retreats Through New Jersey- -He Crosses the Delaware — Darkest Period of the War — Washington's Determination to Continue the War — Lord Howe's Proclamation — Its Effect — Congress at Baltimore — Carleton Invades New York — Defeats Arnold on Lake Champlain — Carleton Retires into Canada — Battle of Trenton — Happy Effects of the Victory — Congress Confers Dictatorial Powers upon Washington — Commissioners Sent to France. THE winter of 1775-76 was pa.ssed by the army before Boston in inaction. There was not amnntnition enongh in the camp to enable Washington to attack Boston, and the British were well content to remain within their lines without seeking to raise the siege. Washington ex- erted himself to the utmost to obtain artil- lery and powder. Henry Knox, a bookseller of Boston, who had entered the military ser- vice of the colonies, had attracted the atten- tion of the commander-in-chief by his skill in the use of artillery and in planning the works erected for the defence of the camp. Knox now proposed to go to Ticonderoga and bring away from that place and from Crown Point all the artillery and powderthat could be spared, and his plan was at once ap- proved by Washington, who urged Congress to commission him a colonel of artillery. At the same time he wrote to Schuyler, the commander in New York, to give Knox every assistance in his power in his effort to bring the artillery from Lake Champlain to Boston. Great difficulties were experienced during the winter in inducing the troops to renew their enlistments. It required all the ingenuity and tact of which Washington was master to remove the prejudices and jealous- ies which had grown up in the campsince the commencement of the blockade of Boston, and which threatened to disband the army. He succeeded in a greater degree than he had expected. At the opening of the year 1 776 he had about ten thousand men in camp, many of whom were raw troops newly en- listed and without arms. Still they were a more harmonious and contented force than thefirstarmy. Towardsthe close of 1775 the privateers made extensive captures from the British. Captain Manly, of the schooner " Lee, " captured a British brig off Cape Ann, laden with arms, artillery and military stores for the British army at Boston. These were sent at once toWashington,and proved of the greatest service. Among the captures was an immense mortar, which Putnam named the "Congress," and placed in position at Lechmere Point, on the north of Boston. Matters were gloomy indeed. The people were very anxious that Boston should be attacked, but such a course was impossible. As late as the tenth of February, 1776, Washington wrote: "Without men, without 377 378 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. arms, without ammunition, little is to be done." To increase the discouragement of the patriots news came of the defeat of the attempt to conquer Canada. The British were collecting a fleet for a demonstration against some point on the Atlantic coast, and as it was not certain where the blow would fall, a feeling of general uneasiness prevailed along the entire seaboard. This expedition sailed from Boston, under Sir Henry Clinton, about the first of Febru- ary. Washington, who had for some time GENER.\L HENRY KNO.X. suspected that it was designed to capture New York, had already sent General Charles Lee to raise troops to occupy that important city and hold it against the British. Lee executed his task with energy, and on the fourth of February entered New York and encamped in the suburbs, in what is now the City Hall Park. Governor Tryon, who had taken refuge on board a man-of-war, threatened to bombard the city if the Ameri- can forces should enter it ; but Lee informed him that tJ^ first shot fired at New York would be the signal for the execution of the leading friends of the royal cause in that city. This decisive answer induced Tryon to delay his barbarous purpose. That afternoon Sir Henry Clinton, with his fleet, entered the harbor. Finding that he had come too late to secure the city, Clinton declared that he had merely called at the harbor to pay a visit to his friend Tryon, and in a few days he sailed away for North Carolina, where the royalist Governor Martin, who, like Tryon, had taken refuge on board a man-of-war, had been endeavoring to stir up an insurrection of the Tories, as the royalists were called. The command of this movement was to be assumed by Clinton. Martin also expected a fleet under Sir Peter Parker from Ireland. Decisive Defeat of the Tories. To gain time, and stir up the Tories to prompt action, he commissioned two retired officers of the British army, Scotchmen, named McDonald and McLeod, who had recently settled in North Carolina, to raise troops among the friends of the king in the interior. They succeeded in raising about fifteen hundred men, and set off for the coast to join Martin. The patriots at once rallied in considerable force to oppose their march, and intercepted them at Moore's Creek Bridge, near Wilmington. On the twenty- fifth of February a sharp engagement was fought here, which resulted in the defeat of the Tories. McLeod was killed and McDonald was taken prisoner. Eighteen hundred stand of arms, one hundred and fifty swords, two medicine-chests, and the sum of fifteen thousand pounds sterling in gold fell into the hands of the victors, and went far toward supplying their deficiencies. The contem- plated rising of the Tories was put down in the interior counties, and Martin find- ing his hopes of raising troops in North Carolina destroyed, withdrew with Clinton THE DFXLA RATION OF INDEPENDKNCE. 379 to the Cape Fear to await the arrival of the fleet of Sir Peter Parker. In the meantime a Union flag had been provided for the army before Boston, and was formally displayed for the first time in the American camp on the first of January, 1776. It retained the English cross in the upper left-hand corner, in token of the rela- tions still existing between the colonies and England, and bore on its broad field thirteen stripes of alternate red and white, represent- ing the thirteen colonies united for the defence of their liberties. Towards the close of February the stock of powder was consider- ably increased, and a little later Colonel Knox arrived from Ticonderoga with the cannon and ammunition from that post. Me had transported them on sledges across the long stretch of country between Lake Champlain and Boston, and had overcome difficulties in the accomplishment of this task which seemed at first insurmountable. The arrival of these guns gave Washington a fair supply of heavy ordnance and put an end to the long delay which had prevailed in the American camp. The regular army had been increased to fourteen thousand men, and had been reinforced by six thousand militia from Massachusetts. Ready for Decisive Action. All now was bustle and activity. The newly arrived cannon were mounted to com- mand the city, and Washington was at length able to attempt the long desired demonstra- tion against the enemy in Boston. As early as December, 1775, Congress had urged him to undertake the capture of Boston, and had authorized him to destroy the city if he could e.xpel the British in no other way, and John Hancock, who was a large property-owner, regardless of the fate of his possessions, had written to him : " Do it, and may God crown your attempt with success." All through the winter Washington had been held back from such an attempt by the advice of his council of war, which hesitated to assume; the offensive with an insufficient supply of ammunition and artillery. Putnam had suc- ceeded in fortifying the neighboring heights on the mainland, but had been obliged to do much of this work at night to avoid the fire of the enemy's shipping. The last obstacle to decisive action was now removed. Washington resolved to seize the eminence on the south of Boston, known as Dorchester Heights. It commanded the town from that quarter and also the shipping in the harbor. Its possession by the Americans would force Sir William Howe either to evacuate the city or risk a general engagement for its recovery. Heavy Fire of Shot and Shell. On the evening of the second of March a heavy fire was opened upon the British lines by the American batteries and also upon Boston. A number of houses were set on fire, and the attention of the British was fully occupied in extinguishing the flames. The bombardment was renewed the next night. At dark on the evening of the fourth of March the Americans renewed their fire with redoubled vigor, and were replied to with spirit by the British, and during the whole night the roar of cannon went on, covering the movements of the Americans from ob- servation by the enemy. The force assigned for the seizure of Dorchester Heights was placed under the command of General Thomas, and in case the movement should be discovered, and the enemy should seek to dis- lodge this detachment from the Heights, General Putnam was ordered to cross Charles River with a column of four thousand picked troops and attack the city from that quarter. Under the cover of the heavy cannonade the column of General Thomas passed tlie 38o THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. narrow isthmus in safety, and reached the Heights by eight o'clock undiscovered by the enemy. They at once set to work, though the ground was frozen to a depth of more than eighteen inches, and by morning nad thrown up a series of earthworks which entirely commanded both the city and the harbor. General Howe was greatly aston- ished as he examined these works through his glass when the mists of the morning cleared away. " The rebels," he said, " have done more work in a night than my whole army would have done in a month." The British MEDAL STRUCK BY CONGRESS IN HONOR OK THE RECAPIURE OF BOSTON, adm/ral declared that his ships could not remain in the harbor, as the possession of the Heights by the Americans placed the fleet entirely at their mercy. It was evident to all the British commanders that the Heights must be recovered or the city abandoned and Greneral Howe determined to storm the American works that night, and made prep- arations for an attack. This movement was prevented by a severe storm, which put a stop to the cooperation of the fleet, and when the storm had died away the works had been so greatly strengthened as to render an assault hopeless. A council of war was held, and it wi.j resolved to abandon the town. As such a step required some time, Howe secured the safety of his army by declaring that he would burn the town if his troops were fired on during their embarkation. A deputation of the citizens proceeded to the American camp and informed General Washington of Howe's determination, and in order to save the city from further suffering the British were allowed to depart in peace. They consumed eleven days in their embarkation. They embarked about fifteen hundred Tories with them, and after plundering a num- ber of stores and private houses, and robbing the inhabitants of a consid- erable supply of pro- visions, they embarked on the seventeenth of March, and dropping down the bay anchored at Nantasket Roads. They had scarcely lefi the city when the Ameri- can army, under Wash ington, marched in and occupied the place. The long siege often months was at an end, and Bos. ton was again free. The patriot army was received with enthusiasm, and matters soon began to resume their accustomed condition. By the capture of Boston the Americans obtained possession of two hundred and fifty pieces of artillery, four mortars, and a con- siderable quantity of ammunition, provisions and ..Nothing, vhich the British could not carry away. After the departure of the British fleet from Nantasket Roads several transports with troops, not aware of the evacuation, entered the harbor, and were captured. Several storeships, laden with military supplies of all kinds, also arrived THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 38> from England, and were captured in the same way. These captures were of the highest importance to the patriots. Their supply of immunition was in this way increased more than sevenfold. The capture cf Boston was justly esteemed the most important success of the war. It freed New England from the presence of the English, and enabled her to contribute men and money to the defence of the middle colonies. On motion of John Adams, Con- gress adopted a unanimous vote of thanks to defence. He soon discovered that the Tories in the city were in constant communication with Governor Tryon and the British ships in the harbor. Severe measures were at once adopted to stop this intercourse. A con- spiracy for the recovery of the city by Tryon was discovered, and his agents were found tampering with the American soldiers. One Thomas Hickey, a deserter from the British army, was hanged " for mutiny, sedition and treachery," and this vigorous measure at once put a stop to the plots of the Tories. CONTINENTAL BILLS. Washington and the army, and ordered a gold medal to be struck in commemoration of the deliverance of Boston. The British fleet remained in Nantasket roads for several days after the evacuation of Boston, and then bore away for Halifax. Washington was fearful that its destination was Nev/ York, and leaving General Ward with five regiments to hold Boston, hastened southward with the main body of the army. He reached New York on the thirteenth of April, and set to work with vigor to put the city and its approaches in a state of Congress, in February, 1776, found itself obliged to issue four millions of dollars ot additional paper money in order to meet the expenses of the war, which were heavier than had been supposed. For the proper manage- ment of the finances, an auditor-general and assistants were appointed to act under the financial committee of Congress, and it was not long before this branch of the public service assumed the form of a treasury department. In April a war office was established by Congress under the super- vision of a committee of its members. John 382 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Adams was made chairman of this committee, ind resigned his post of chief-justice of Massachusetts to accept it. The retreat of Sulhvan from Canada now became known, and the conduct of that officer was approved by Congress, which passed a vote of thanks to him. At the same time it appointed Major-General Horatio Gates to the command of the army in his place. Gates was an Englishman by birtli, and had joined the colonial movement in the hope of winning honors and fame by his services. He had served in the British army during the colonial period, but had failed to receive the rewards he deemed himself entitled to, and had resigned his commission in disgust, and had come to America to reside a few years before the rupture with England. His experience and skill made him a valuable acquisition to the American army, but his ambition and jealousy were tlestined to cause it considerable trouble. Gates at once claimed that his command embraced not only the troops on Lake Champlain, but also the whole northern army under Schuyler. The matter was referred to Congress, and it was decided that Gates was independent of the control of Schuyler only while in Canada. Elsewhere he was subject to Schuyler's com- mand. Expedition Against Charleston. In the meantime Congress had sent Gen- eral Charles Lee to the south to take com- mand of the troops assembling to oppose Sir Henry Clinton, who was waiting off the mouth of the Cape Fear river for the arrival of the flctt of Sir Peter Parker from Ireland. This fleet joined Clinton in May, and a little later Congress learned by means of inter- cepted letters that Charleston, in South Carolina, was the object of attack. The command of the strong militarj' force which the fleet brought was to be held by Sir Henry Clinton, to whom the general direction of the expedition was intrusted. Lee hastened at once to Charleston. He found there a force of about six thou.sand men, from the Carolinas and Virginia ; but the city was not defended by a single fortifi- cation. Had Clinton assailed it at once, it must have fallen into his hands, as he arrived in the harbor on the fourth of June, the very day that Lee reached the city ; but he delayed his attack until he could fortify his own position, and so gave Lee time to erect works for the defence of the city. Fort Moultrie Bombarded. Ihe key to the American position was Fort Moultrie, a small work built of palmetto logs, and situated on the southwest point of Sullivan's Island. It was commanded by Colonel William Moultrie, whose name it bore. In front of it lay the British fleet under Sir Peter Parker. Sir Henry Clinton had taken position with two thousand men on Long Island, which was separated from Sul- livan's Island by only a narrow creek, and was building batteries to cover his passage of the creek. His plan was to allow the fleet to breach the walls of P"ort Moultrie and then to cross his troops to Sullivan's Island under the cover of his batteries, and carry the fort by storm. Lee, who was ignorant of the capacity of the soft, spongy palmetto wood for resisting the force of cannon shot, regarded the effort to hold Fort Moultrie as madness. He stationed a force under Colonel Thomp- son on Sullivan's Island opposite Clinton to dispute his passage of the creek, and took position on the mainland with the rest of his force where he could support either Moultrie or Thompson, as might be necessary. On the twenty-eighth of June the enemy's fleet opened fire on Fort Moultrie, which replied with spirit, and for ten hours the can- nonade wa« maintained with great vigor by THE DECLARATION OF INDErENDENCE 383 both sides. The enemy's balls buried them- selves in the soft, spongy wood of the pal- metto logs, and thus did little injury to the fort; but the well-directed fire of the Ameri- can guns inflicted great damage upon the fleet. The British were finally compelled to withdraw with heavy loss, and abandoned and set fire to one of their ships During the engagement the flag of the fort was shot away, and fell out- side of the walls. Scr geant Jasper, of the South Carolina forces, at once sprang over the wall and amidst a heavy fire secured the flag, tied it to a pole, and set it up again on the ramparts This done, he rejoined his comrades at the guns A few days later Gov- ernor Rutledge pre sented Jasper with his own sword and offered him a lieutenant's com mission. Jasper accepted the sword, but declined the commission on the ground that he could neither read nor write. Clinton made repeated efforts to cross the creek and storm the fort during the battle, but was as often driven back by the batteries under Thompson. At length, the fleet having withdrawn, he embarked his men, and soon after sailed for New York to join the troops assembling near that Washington was correct in supposing that New York was the true destination of Sir William Howe after leaving the Nantasket Roads. That commander sailed first to Mali- SERGEANT JASPER AT FORT MOULTRIE. fa.x, where he landed the civilians and other useless incumbrances he had been obliged to carry away from Boston. Then, refitting his command, he awaited the arrival of his brother. Admiral Lord I lowc, who was on 384 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. liis way from Eiii^laiid witli reinforcements. In the latter part of June he sailed from Halifax for New York, and arrived within Sandy Hook on the twenty-eighth cf June, the very day of the attack on Fort Moultrie, He landed his forces on Staten Island, where he was received with enthusiasm by the Tories. A little later he was joined by Sir Henry Clinton from Charleston, and about the mid- dle of July Lord Howe arrived with rein- forcements, a large part of whom were Hessians, hired, as we have stated, by the King of England from the Duke of Hesse Cassel, in Germany. Their arrival raised the strength of the British army in New York Ray to thirty thousand men. Their attack upi>n the city was merely a question of time, .nd under the most favorable circumstances it was scarcely to be hoped that Washington would succeed in maintaining his hold upon New York. In the meantime an e\ent of the highest importance had changed the whole character of the war as regarded the Ameri- cans. England Will Not Relent. The colonists had taken up arms to resist the aggressions of the King and Government of Great Britain upon their liberties and to compel the mother country to respect the rights guaranteed to them by their charters and by the British Constitution. Thus far the war had been waged for these ends. At the outset of the struggle a few far-seeing persons, such as Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry, had been convinced that an appeal to arms would render the final separation of the colonies from England inevitable, and that such an issue was but the fulfilment of the destiny of their country, and as such to be desired. The great majority of the people, however, aeithcr thought of nor wished for independ- ence. The)' would have been satisfied to secure their liberties and privileges as F^nglish subjects, and would gladly ha\e continued loyal to the king. The events of the war had made it plain to the most skeptical that England did not intend to do justice to her colonies. Neither the king, the ministr\-, nor Parliament were disposed to swerve from their purpose of reducing America to absolute submission to their will. They were determined that the colonists should bear every burden of British citizenship, and enjoy none of its privileges save what they should see fit to allow them. Americans were not to enjoy either libert}' or property as lawful rights The Feeling Toward Great Britain. This determination was so clear that noP'" could mistake it. Since the commencement of the struggle public opinion in America had imdergonc a great change, and tht party in favor of a total antl final separatioi from the mother country had increased sc rapidly that it now embraced the great major ity of the American people. Now that thej had become convinced that they could main tain their liberties only by a total and unqua! ified separation from Great Britain, they did not hesitate to choose that course. Theii choice was made without regret. At the commencement of the war a very genuine attachment bound the people of the colonies to England ; but the course of the royal government and the severities of the British commanders in the Nortliern colonies, and the outrages of the royal governors in the South, had entirely alienated the people from their love for England. Still there were many Tories, or friends of the king, in America, and they were active and bitter in their opposition to the patriots. From the first the Americans regarded the Tories with a feeling of hatred which increased IS the struggle went ou, and this feeling was THK DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 38s soon extended to all who fought under the royal flag or sought to uphold its cause. Not only had the people been gradually coming tc view independence as desirable and indispensable ; tlic exercise by Congress of the functions of a supreme government had accustomed them to it, and had shown them their capacity for conducting a gen- eral government for the whole country. Early in March, 1776, Congress granted let- ters of marque and re- prisal against British commerce, and some- what later sent Silas Deane as its commis- sioner to France to seek assistance from that country. In May it had formally recom- mended the colonies to disregard the royal governments and adopt systems suited to their needs, and in harmony with the changed state of affairs. To all men it was evi- dent that a formal re- nunciation of allegi- ance to Great Britain and the assertion of their independence by the colonies was mere- ly & question of time. It was, therefore, a surprise to no one when the first definite action looking towards inde- pendence was taken. On the fifteenth of May, 1776, the general assembly of Virginia instructed the delegates of that colonv in Congress to ofier a resolution in favor of the separation of the colonies from England, and the formal declaration of their independence. On the thirtieth of May Massachusetts instructed her delegates to support this reso- IN'nEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA. lution. On the seventh of June Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, offered a resolution in Congress, "that the united colonics are, and ought to be, free and independent States, and that their political connection 386 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. with Great Britain is, and ought to be, dis- solved." The resolution was seconded by John Adams, of Massachusetts, and was debated with great earnestness. It was adopted by a bare majority of one — seven colonies voting for it, and six against it. In accordance with the resolution, a committee was appointed to draw up a declaration of independence, and, in order that the delegates might have an "■jpportunity to ascertain the wishes of their Constituents, the consideration of the subject "'IS postponed until the first of July. Two HOUSE IN WHICH THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS WRITTEN, PHILADELPHIA, other committees were also appointed. One of these was charged with the preparation of a plan for uniting the colonies in a single government ; the other was to report a plan for securing alliances with foreign nations. The committee charged with the preparation of a declaration of independence consisted of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. On the twenty-eighth of June the com- mittee reported the declaration to Congress. It was written by Thomas .Jefferson, and, with a few verbal alterations, was a^jpttd by the committee as it came from his hand. It reviewed in a clear and comprehensive manner the cause which had impelled the colonies to take up arms for the defence of their liberties, and which now induced them to sever the ties that bound them to Great Britain. The declaration concluded in these mem orable words : " We, therefore, the repre- sentatives of the United States of America, in general Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of all the world for the rectitude of our inten- tions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states ; that they are absolved from all alle- giance to the British crown, and that all poli- tical connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, dissolved ; and that, as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace contract alliances, establish commerce and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this decla- ration, with a firm reliance on the protection of a Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." The declaration was debated in Congress, and a few passages, which it was feared might offend the friends of the colonies in Great Britain, were stricken out. The. vots SIGNING THP DECLARATION OF INDKPENDENCe. 387 388 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. was then taken by colonies, and though some of the delegates voted against it, the declaration received the votes of all the colo- nies with the exception of New York, which accepted it a few days later. On the fourth day of July, 1776, the Declaration of Inde- pendence was formally adopted by Congress, and was ordered to be published to the world, and to be read at the head of the regiments of the army. Congress was in session in the hall of the state house in Philadelphia. In the spire of this venerable building hung a bell, inscribed OLD BELL OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. with the words of Scripture : " Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" On the morning of the fourth of July vast crowds assembled around the building, as it was known that Congress would on that day take definite action upon the declaration. The bell-ringer stationed himself in the tower, ready to proclaim the good news the moment it should be announced to him, and had posted his little .son at the door of the hall to await the signal of the door-keeper. When the announcement of the vote was made, the door-keeper gave the signal and the boy ran quickly to the tower. The old man heard him coming, and clutched the bell-rope with a firm grasp. The ne.xt instant the glad cry of the boy's voice was heard " Ring ! ring ! " he cried, and then the deep, sonorous tones of the bell went rolling out ol the tower, and were answered with a mighty shout from the assembled throng without The declaration was received by all the states and by the army with enthusiasm. Thus the thirteen united colonies became the thir- teen United States. It should not be for- gotten that the dviclaration did not make the colonies independent states, or states in any sense. It was simply their announcement to the world that they had, each for itself, by the exercise of its own sovereign power, assumed the independence which rightfully belonged to it. The Declaration of Independence put an end to all the hopes that had been cherished of an accommodation with Great Britain, and caused those who were still wavering to embrace the cause of their country. It relieved Congress of the disadvantage under which it had hitherto acted, and enabled it to pursue a more vigorous and decisive policy in the prosecution of the war. There was no retreat now ; nothing remained but to continue the struggle until Great Britain should be compelled to acknowledge the independence of the states, or they should be reduced to the condition of conquered pi evinces. On the twelfth of July the committee appointed to prepare a plan for the union of the states reported one, which is thus summed up: " 1st. The style of the confederacy was to be ' The United States of America.' " 2d. Each state retained its sovereignty, freedom and independence and every power THE DECLARATION OE INDEPENDENCE 389 and right which is not expressly delegated to the United States. " 3d. The object ot the confederation was for their mutual defence, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other against all force offered to or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretence whatever. " 4th. In determining all questions in Congress each State was to have one vote. " 5th. Each State was to maintain its own delegates. " 6th. The free inhabitants of each State, paupers, vagabonds and fugitives from jus- tice excepted, were to be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several States. " 7th. All fugitives from justice from one State into another were to be delivered up on demand. "8th. Full faith and credit were to be given to the records of each State in all the others. " 9th. Congress was to grant no title of nobility. " loth. No person holding any office was to receive a present from a foreign power. "nth. No State was to form any agree- ment or alliance with a foreign power with- out the consent of the States in Congress assembled. " 1 2th. No two or more States were to form any alliance between themselves with- out the like consent of the States in Congress assembled. " 13th. No State, without the like consent of Congress, was to keep war ships or an army in time of peace ; but each was to keep a well-organized and disciplined militia, with munitions of war. " 14th. No State was to lay any duty upon foreign imports which would interfere with any treaty made by Congress. " 15th. No State was to issue letters of marque, or to engage in war, without the consent of the Congress, unless actually invaded or menaced with invasion. " 16th. When Federal land forces were raised, each State was to raise the quota required by Congress, arm and equip them at the expense of all the States, and to appoint all officers of and under the rank oi colonel. " 17th. Each State was to levy and raise the quota of tax required by Congress for Federal purposes. " 1 8th. The faith of all the States was pledged to pay all the bills of credit emitted, or money borrowed on their joint account, by the Congress. " 19th. It was agreed and covenanted that Canada might accede to the union so formed if she chose to do so. " 20th (and lastly). Each State was to abide by the determination of all the States in Congress assembled, on all questions which, by the confederation, were submitted to them. The Articles of Confederation were to be inviolably observed by every State, and the Union was to be perpetual. No article of the confederation was to be altered without the consent of every State. " The delegations of power by each of the States to all the States, in general Congress assembled, upon a like analysis, may be stated as follows : " 1st. The sole and exclusive power to determine on war and peace, except in case a State should be invaded or menaced with invasion. " 2d. To send and receive ambassadors. " 3d. To make treaties, with a proviso, etc, "4th. To establish rules for captures. " 5th. To grant letters of marque and re^ prisal. " 6th. To appoint courts for trial of piracie." and other crimes snecified. J90 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. "7th. To decide questions of dispute between two or more States in a prescribed manner. " 8th. The sole and exclusive power to " lOth. To regulate trade with the Indian tribes, " I ith. To establish post offices. ^k^^ /Itc/v (7/i^ AMft a/i SIGNATURES OF THE SIGNERS OK THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE coin money and regulate the value. " 9th. To fi.i 3 standard of weights and measures. " I2th. To appoint all officers of the miliiia land forces, when called out by Congr***^ except regimental. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 391 f 3th. To appoint all officers of the Fede- ral naval forces. " 14th. To make rules and regulations for the government of land and naval forces. " 15th. To appropriate and apply public money for public expenses, the common defence and general welfare. " i6th. To borrow money and emit bills of credit. " 17th. To build and equip a navy. " i8th. To agree upon the number of land forces and make requisitions upon the States for their quotas in proportion to the value uf all land within each State. " The foregoing powers were delegated with this limitation : The war power, the treaty power, the power to coin money, the power to regulate the value thereof, the power of fi.xing the quotas of money to be raised by the States, the power to emit bills of credit, the power to borrow money, the power to appropriate money, the power to regulate the number of land and naval forces, and the power to appoint a comnander-in-chief of the army as well as the navy, were never to be exercised unless nine of the States were assenting to the same. " These articles form the original basis and first Constitution of the existing Federal Union of the United States of America." * The States Come Into Line. These Articles of Confederation were adopted, after discussion, by Congress, vot- ing by States, and were then submitted to the several States for ratification by them. In the meantime Congress continued to exer- cise the powers conferred by them. By the early part of 1777 all the States save Mary- land had ratified and adopted the articles. That State did not give her full assent to them until 1781. *Hon, .\le.xander H. Stephens, Lord Howe arrived in New York Bay about the middle of July, as has been stated. He was vested with full powers by the king to settle the quarrel between America and England if the Americans would agree to submit unconditionally to the king. Failing to accomplish a settlement, he and hif brother, Sir William Howe, were charged with the supreme conduct of the war. Lord Howe was a man of amiable disposition, and really desired peace ; but as he was fully convinced of the justice of the royal preten- sions, he could not understand or appreciate the claims or grievances of the Americans. Moreover, he had come too late. The Ameri- can people meant that their separation from Great Britain should be final. Lord Howe was greatly deceived upon his arrival as to the actual state of feeling in America. He was received with loyal addresses by the Tories of Long and Staten Islands and the New Jersey shore, and was assured by Gov- ernor Tryon that the country was full of friends of the king who might be induced to join him if properly supported. V/ashington Insulted, Lord Howe, therefore, resolved to attempt a peaceful settlement before proceeding to hostilities, and issued a circular addressed to the people of America, ofifering them the royal pardon if they would cease their rebel lion, lay down their arms and trust to the- clemency of the king. Congress gave to this circular the widest publicity by causing it to be published in every newspaper in the Union, in order that the people might see that the only settlement that would be accepted by England was their voluntary and absolute submission to her arbitrary will. " They must fight or be slaves." About the same time Lord Howe addressed a letter to the American commander-in-chief, styling him George Washington, Esquire. 392 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. No notice of this communication was taken by Washington, and Howe sent him another letter addressed to George Washington, etc., etc. Washington, rightly considering that the omission of his official title was an insult to his country, refused to receive the letter. lAdjutant-General Patterson, of Lord Howe's staff, who bore the communication, expressed his regret that the letter could not be opened. Lord Howe, he said, came vested with great power, and was sincerely anxious for peace. Washington, who had received him with kindly courtesy, replied that he was aware that Lord Howe was intrusted with the power to grant pardons, but that as the Americans were engaged in the defence of their rights, and had committed no crime, they had no need of pardon, and his lordship's good inten- tions could not be of service to them. It was now plain to Lord Howe that Ik had been deceived by Tryon and his friends and that nothing could be accomplished save by force of arms. His circular had produced no effect, and he could detect no sign of wavering on the part of the Americans. Measures for Defence. It had been evident for some time that the next effort of the British would be to get possession of the city of New York. Their fleet already held the harbor, and should they succeed in securing the Hudson they . would be able to establish a direct commu- nication with Canada, and to isolate New England and New York from the Middle States and the South. Reinforcements were sent to Washington from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. These gave the American commander a force of about twenty-five thousand men ; but scarcely seventeen thousand were fit for duty ; the remainder being disabled by sickness. Washington erected two forts on Man- hattan island, one just above Kingsbridge, named Fort Washington, and the other just below it, named Fort Independence. Kmgs- bridge furnished the only communication between the island of Manhattan and the mainland, and these forts were erected for its defence, as well as to hold the enemy's vessels in check should they attempt to ascend the Hudson. On the New Jersey side of the river, opposite Fort Washington, a third work was erected, and named Fort Lee. Other forts were built higher up the Hudson to hold the river against the enemy and maintain the communication between the Northern and Southern States. One of these, called Fort Montgomery, was located at the entrance to the Highlands, opposite the promontory of Anthony's Nose ; another was built six miles higher up the river, and was known as Fort Constitution. Battle on Long Island. For the defence of the heights of Brooklyn, which commanded the city of -New York, Washington caused a line of works to be erected on a range of hills a short distance south of Brooklyn, and established there an intrenched camp. General Nathaniel Greene was placed in command of this position, and exerted himself with vigor to strengthen it. When he had matured his plans he was sud- denly taken ill, and was obliged to relinquish the commend to General Sullivan. The British fleet lay in Gravesend Bay. just without the Narrows, and Washington was for a while uncertain whether they would make their first attempt against the force on Long Island, or attack the city of New York It soon became evident that the capture of the lines on Long Island would be their first care, and Sullivan was reinforced with six battalions, all that could be spared form New York, and on the twenty-fourth of August General Putnam was placed in command of the forces on Long Island. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 393 On the night of the twenty-sixth of August the British crossed over from Staten Ishuid to Long Island, and prepared to give battle. Their plan was to engage the attention of the Americans by a direct attack with two divisions, while Sir Henry Clinton, with a third division, was to turn the left flank of the Americans and gain their rear. They lioped, if these movements were successful, to surround a;u! capture the entire force under Putnam. Clinton began his march about nine o'clock on the night of the twenty-sixth, guided by a Long Island Tory. About daylight on the morning of the twenty-seventh of Au- gust, the enemy made their attack upon the front of the American posi- tion, and engaged tiieir attention in this direction, while Clinton, by a rapid march, gained their rear. For a while the Americans fought well, but finding themselves almost V surrounded, and in danger of being captured, they abandoned the field and retreated within the intrench - ments at Brooklyn. The Hessian troops behaved with great barbarity during the engagement, and a num- ber of the Americans were cruelly and wantonly bayoneted by them. A part of the engagement was fought in the beautiful region now occupied by Greenwood cemetery. Washington hastened to Brooklyn as soon as informed of the battle, and arrived just in time to witness the defeat of his troops. He was powerless to repair the disaster, and could only look on in helpless agony. " My God ! " he exclaimed, with tears : " What brave fellows I must lose this day ! " The American loss was very severe in this battle. Out of a force of five thou- sand men engaged they lost two thousand men, a large number of whom were pri- soners. The British had sixteen thousand men engaged, and lost four hundred. Had they followed up their victory by an imme- diate assault upon the American intrench- ' ments they must have carried them; but General Howe believed that Washington had a much stronger force for their defence than was the case, and encamped in front of the iiitrenchments, intending to besjin GENERAL JOHN SULLIVAN. operations against them the next day. The twenty-eighth, however, was a day of drenching rain, and the enemy were unable to do more than break ground for a battery. On the twenty-ninth a dense fog hung over the island ; but it lifted for a moment, and enabled the Americans to 'Jetect an unusual commotion among the British shipping. It seemed plain that the enemy were pre- paring to enter the East River with their 394 Till". AMERICAN RI':V( )I.UTTON. fleet, and so separate the force on Long Island from that in New York. Washing- ton at once summoned a council of war, and it was decided to retreat from Long Island without delay. It was a hazardous attempt, for the army onder General Howe was so -lose to the American lines that the conver- 7atio'is of the men could be heard, and the British fleet might at any moment seize the East River. To withdraw a force of nine thousand men across a wide, deep river, in the face of such an army and fleet, was a task which required the greatest skill. It vas successfully accomplished, however. Every boat in and around New York and Brooklyn was impressed, and though the orders for the retreat were not issued until noon on the twenty-ninth, everything was in readiness for the retreat by eight o'clock that evening. At midnight the troops took up their silent march from the intrenched line to the ferry, where the boats, manned by Glover's regiment, which was composed of fishermen from Marblehead, awaited them. Hy eight o'clock the ne.xt morning the entire irmy, with .^Jl its cattle, horses and wagons, vas safe upon the New York side of ^-'le iver, and beyond the reach of the enemy. Important Conference, Howe was greatly mortified at the escape of the American army, for he had regarded it as a sure prize, and prepared, with the aid of his ships, to seize the upper part of Man- hattan Island, and confine the Americans to the city of New York, where their surrender would be inevitable. Before proceeding to the execution of this plan he resolved to make another effort to induce the Americans to aban- don their cause, as he rightly believed their defeat on Long Island would be followed by a season of great depression. A few days after the retreat he released General Sullivan, who had been taken prisoner in the battle, on parole, and sent a letter by him to Congress, asking that body to send an informal com- mittee, whom he would receive as private gentlemen, to confer with him on some meas- ure of reconciliation. Interview with Lord Howe, Congress, willing to hear what he had to propose, sent Dr. Franklin, John Adams and Edward Rutledge to confer with him. They met Lord Howe at a house on Staten Island, opposite Amboy. The only terms his lordship had to propose were the uncon- ditional submission of the Americans to the royal mercy. He was informed that the Americans would consent to treat with Great Britain only as " a free and independ- ent nation," and that it was useless to propose any other basis for a settlement. Lord Howe thereupon expressed his regret that he should be obliged to distress the Ameri- cans. Dr. Franklin thanked him for his good feeling, and remarked : " The Ameri- cans will endeavor to lessen the pain you may feel by taking good care of themselves." The report of the interview was made pub- lic by Congress, and had a happy effect. It convinced all classes that England had no terms to offer them but such as embraced a shameful surrender of their liberties. Fearful that Howe would seek to shut him up in New York, Washington left a force within the city to hold it, and encamped with the main body of his army on Harlem Heights, at the northern end of the island, from which he could secure his retreat into Westchester County. The army was reduced to less than twenty thousand men, and was disheartened by the defeat on Long Island. It was seriously debated whether New York should be defended or not ; and it was pro- posed to burn the city to the ground, in order to prevent the enemy from securing comfortable winter-quarters in it. Congress Till'. Dl'lCLARAlION OI'' 1 NDl'.I'ENDENCE. 395 ordered that the city should not tic de- stroyed, but it was evident that it could not be held. Washington was anxious to learn the intcnti(Mis of the enemy, who still remained on Long Island, and Captain Nathan Hale, a talented young officer of the Connecticut line, volunteered to enter their lines and pro- cure the desired information. I le jiroceeded to the British camp, obtained the information wanted, and was returning in safety when he was arrested by a party of the enemy, among whom was a Tory relative, who re- cognised him. Me was taken to Howe's headquarters, and the ne.\t morning, Sep- tember 22d, without any form of trial, was hanged as a spy. Me met his death with firmness, saying : " I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." ''Old Put " Saves His Command. in the nieaiitinic the J5ritish hatl seized the islands at the mouth of tiie Harlem River, and had erected a battery on one of them. On the fifteenth of September they crossed in force to Manhattan Island, at Kipp's Bay, about three miles above the city. They easily drove back the force sta- tioned there to resist their landing, and secured their position. Washington at once sent General Heath fo hold the enemy in check, and ordered Putnam to evacuate the city of New York, and retire to 1 larlem Heights, without the loss of a moment. Putnam obeyed his orders promptly, and retreated from the city along the line of the Bloomingdale Road, now the upper part of Broadway. His march was retarded by a crowd of women and children fleeing from the city, and was e,xpo.scd to the fire of the enemy's ships in the Hud.son. By great exertion.s he managed to .save his command, but was obliged to leave his heavy artillery and three hundred men in the hands of the enemy. The British at once took posses- sion of New York, and. threw up a line of intrenchments above the city, from the Hud- son, at Bloomingdale, to the East River, at Kipp's Bay. The Americans now held the upper part of the island, and erected a double line of earthworks from river to^ river, about four miles below Kingsbridgc. i On the si.xteenth of September the enemy, made an attack upon the American advanced posts, but were handsomely repulsed by the Virginia and Connecticut troops. Major Leitch, the commander of the Virginians, and Colonel Knowlton, the commander of the Connecticut regiment, and one of the captains at Bunker Hill, were killed. In spite of the.se losses the spirit of the troops, which had been much depres.sed by the recent disasters, were greatly cheered. A lull of several weeks followed, during which the Americans suffered greatly from sickness. They were without proper hospi- tal accommodations, " and they lay about in almost every barn, stable, shed, and ever under the fences and bushes." Washington's Skillful Tactics. Howe now began to move his army to- wards Long Island Sound, for the purpose of marching across the mainland to the Hudson and cutting off the retreat of Washington from Manhattan Island, and at the same time sent his fleet up the Hudson. His intention was understood by Washington, who left three thousand men to defend P'ort Washington, and with the main body of his army fell back to the line of the Bron.K, near the village of White Plains. Here he was attacked on the twenty-eighth of October by General Howe, who was advancing from the direction of New Rochelle, and who was still hopeful of gaining the American rear. A spirited en- couuLcr ensued, in which each jiarty lost about four hundred men: unci tiie Britist 396 UK l.KCLAKATION OF INDK.-KNDKNCl.; RKAD TO THK AKMY. THE DECLARATION OF INDKPENDKNCE. \)1 intrcJiCL. the .•selves in front of the Ameri- can position. Apprehensive of an effort on the part of the enemy to storm his line, Washington caused the troops to spend the night in strengthen- ing the rude works which covered it. They labored with such diligence that the next morning the British commander decided that the line was too strong to be attacked, and determined to wait for reinforcements, riiat night Washington silently abandoned his lines at White Plains, and withdrew to the heights of North Castle, five miles dis- tant. I lowe, unwilling to follow him further, marched to Dobb's Ferry, on the Hudson, and encamped. British Successes. This movement of the British commander caused Washington to fear that he meant to cross over into New Jersey. He accordingly made a new disposition of his forces to meet any emergency. General Charles Lcc, who had recently returned from the South, was left at North Castle with a portion of the army to watch Howe; Heath, with another portion, was ordered to occupy Peekskill to defend the passes of the Highlands ; and Putnam was stationed, with a third detach- ment, on the west side of the Hudson to hold that region. With the remainder of his troops Wash- ington crossed the Hudson and joined Gen- eral Greene at Fort Lee, arriving there on the thirteenth of November, A force of three thousand Pennsylvania troops had been left to hold Fort Washington, on Manhattan Island. Washington was in favor of with- drawing them at once, but left the matter to the decision of General Greene, and Colonel Magaw, the conmiander of the fort, who determined to hold it. The result proved their error. Fort Washington was attacked on the sixteenth of November by a force of five thousand Hessians and some English troops, under General Knyphausen, and wa,s taken by storm. The enemy lost nearly one thousand men and took over two thousand prisoners. Washington witnessed the cap- ture from Fort Lee without the ability to aid the garrison. Fort Washington having fallen. Fort Lee was no longer of service, and the commander- in-chief resolved to abandon it before it was too late. The removal of the stores was at once begun, but before it could be completed Lord Cornwallis, with a force of six thousand men, crossed the Hudson below Dobb's Ferry, and by a rapid march across the coun- try endeavored to confine the Americans to the strip of land between the Hudson and the Hackensack. An immediate retreat from I'ort Lee became necessary in order to secure the bridge over the Hackensack. All the heavy cannon at Fort Lee, a considerable quantity of provisions and military stores, and three hundred tents were abandoned, and fell into the hands of the British. The pas- sage of the Hackensack was secured, and the army began its memorable retreat across Now Jersey, closely followed by the enemy under Cornwallis. Dark Days for the American Cause. P'rom the Hackensack Washington fell back behind the Passaic at Newark. As his rear-guard passed out of the town the advance of Cornwallis entered Newark. The Raritan was crossed at New Brunswick, and Washington left a force of twelve hundred men at Princeton, under Lord Stirling, and pushed on to Trenton to secure the passage of the Delaware. The British hung closely upon him during the whole retreat, the opposing forces being often within cannon-shot of each other. On the eighth of December, with scarcely three thousand men, Washington crossed the 30.S Tin-: AMI-RICAN K INVOLUTION. Delaware at Tronton, ami wcnl into (.amp in Pennsylvania. The enemy reached the river soon after, hut, as ail the boats had been secured h)- the Americans, were unable to cross (U'er. Lord Cornwallis was very anxious to pioeure boats, cross the ri\'er and push on to I'liilatlelphia, but Howe decided to wait until the river should \w frozen, and to pass it on the ice. Tn the meantime the Hesstrns weie stationed in Trenton, and guardetl the river fo and below the town. some tlistance above ^r!"^^^'-^ GENKK.M, CllAKI.KS I.KK. The American war hatl now entered its darkest period for the Americans. New York was lost to them, they had been driven from New Jersey, and their army seemed melting away, Duriuij the painful retreat across New Jersey, Washini^ton had exerted himself to the utmost to call in the other detachments of his army. General Schuyler was directed to send him tlie Pennsj-lvania and New Jersey troops in his command ; but the enlistments of these troops were rapidly exjiirini;, and they ccudd not be induced to renew them. General Charles Lee was ordered to cross the Hudson and join the commander-in-chief with all speed, but he moved with a slowness and carelessness that were i riniinal. He reni.iiut'd about a fort niy;ht on the east side of the Hudson, and then betjan his march with such slownes.s that he did not reach Morristown until the eighth of December. On the thirteentli, \vhile lying carelessly apart fi-om his troops, at a small innatBask- ingridge, he was captured b\' a troop of Britisli cavalrj'. TIk command passed to General .Sul- livan, and in a few days he h.ul united his forces with those of the commander-in-chief General Lee liad an abiding confidence in his own ability, and was reluctant •^o lose his independent command o)- joining Washington. His natur.d self-conceit had been gieatl}- increased by his success at the South, and he was firmly convinced that he alone was capable of guiding the American cause through the difficultic'- which encompassed it. Influ- enced by this feeling, he disre- garded the authority of the com- mander-in-chief, and subjected him to great inconvenience. Me was not untrue to the cause he had em- braced, but his patriotism was of a differcp.t type from tliat which animated Washington. The enlistments of a large part of the troops expired on tlic first of December, and nothing could induce them to remain in the army. Whole regiments abandoned the service, and the liandful of reinforcements which was obtained from Philadelphia fell far short of suppl_\'ing their place. The people were lisheartened, and it seemed THK DKCLARATION (^1' INDKPKNlDKNCK. 3% that the cause was hopeless. A force of six militia regiments in Massachusetts and Con- necticut was on the point of marching to Washington's assistance, when the fleet of Sir Peter Parker entered Newport Harbor and laniled a force on the island of Rhode Ishuui, which took possess;">ii of Newport. In view of this invasion, it was deemed best to retain tin; New England militia at home. Taking the Oath o Allegiance. Wasliington was fully alive to the danger which threatened the cause ; but he was calm and cheerful. During tlie retreat through New Jersey he said to Colonel Reed : '' Should we retreat to the back parts of Pennsylvania, will the Pennsylvanians sup- port us ? " " If the lower counties are sub- dued and give up," said the colonel, '' the hack counties will do the same." Washing- ton passed his hand over his throat, and said, with a smile : " My neck does not feel as though it was made for a halter. We must retire to Augusta County, in Virginia. Numbers will be obliged to repair to us for safety ; and we m.ust try what we can do in carrying on a predatory war ; and if over- powered, we must cross the Allegheny Mountains." At this. juncture of affairs Lord and Gen- eral Howe issued a proclamation, by virtue of their authority as commissioners appointed by the crown for the .settlement of the war, in which all persons in America in arms against his majesty's government were ordered to disperse and return to their homes, and all civil officers were commanded to discontinue their treasonable practices, and relinquish their usurped authority. A full and free pardon was offered to every one who would, within si.xty days, appear before certain designated officials, claim the pardon offered, and take an oath pledging liim to obey the laws and sujjmit to the authority of the king. Large numbers of persons, mo.st of whom were possessed of property which they desired to save, at once came forward, made their submission and took the riquiri'd oath. .Some of these were men who had borne a prominent part in the patriot move- ment ; among them were two delegates from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress, and the president of the New Jersey con- vention, which had ratified the Declaration of Independence. Within ten days after the proclamation was issued, between two and three thousand persons submitted and swore allegiance to the king. In Philadel[)hia great excitement prevailed, and General Putnam, who was in command there, feeling that there was danger that the royalists in the city might succeed in obtaining control of it, advised that, until matters were placed on a more certain footing, Congress should hold its sessions at some safer place. Accord- ingly it adjourned on the twelfth of Decern ber to meet in Baltimore. A Gallant Fleet. The only quarter in which the Americans had been able to oppose anything of a suc- cessful resistance to the British was the region of Lake Champlain. We have related the retn;at of Sullivan and Arnold from Canada, and the appointment of Gates to the command of their forces. The army halted at Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Points which it strengthenetl, and awaited the development of the plans of Sir Guy Cari> ton, the British commander in Canada. That officer had determined to secure the control of Lakes Champlain and George, and then to push on to the Hudson, open communication with the Howes at NevV York, and spend the winter at Albany. He would thus entirely sever the communica tion between New England and New York, and the Middle and .Southern .States. Sullivan 40O Till". AMERICAN REVOLUTION. had wisely destroyed all the boats on Lake Champlain which he did not need for his own purposes, and as there was no road along the shore by which he could advance, Carleto« was obliged to construct a fleet before he could attempt to ascend the lake. Me exerted himself with such energy that in three months he had a fleet ot five large and twenty small vessels and a number of armcil boats assembled at the foot of the lake. Gates was informed of Carleton's design, and ordered Arnold, who was possessed of some nautical knowledge, to construct a flotilla and take command of it for the pur- pose of contesting Carleton's effort to ascend the lake. Arnold set to work with enthu- siasm, anil soon had a force of vessels afloat about half as strong as that of the enemy. He chose a favorable position and awaited Carleton's approach. A sharp encounter occurred between the opposing forces early in October near \^alcour Island, but was indecirfve, and at nightfall Carleton took possession to cut off Arnold's retreat. The night was dark and cloudy, and taking advantage of it, Arnold passed the enemy and sailed for Crown Point. His vessels were in bad condition, however, and two were sunk on the voyage. Only si.x suc- ceeded in coming within sight of Crown Point, near which they were overtaken by Carleton on tlie sixth of October. The Flag-ship Riddled. Arnold made a gallant figiit with his remaining vessels. One was taken with her crew, and Arnold's flag-ship, the " Congress," was cut to pieces, and half of her crew were slain. Resolved not to surrender, Arnold ordered the vessels to be run aground, and set them on fire. He and his men then waded ashore, and by a sharp fire from their rifles kept the enemy from the burning gal- leys until they were entirely consumed. The Americans then hastened to Crown Point, where they set fire to the fort and the stores, and continued their retreat to Ticonderoga. Gates greatly strengthened the defences of this post, and when Carleton arrived before it, he found it too strong to be attacked. I le therefore abandoned his attempt to reach the Hudson, and returned to Canada. A few weeks later, feeling that the lake country was safe for the winter. Gates, iu obedience to orders from Washington, sent him part of his force, and shortly afterwards marched with the remainder of his troops to the assistance of the commander-in-chief. New Military Movements. Including these troops, Washington's force now numbered about six thousand men fit for duty. The enlistments of many of them would expire on the last day of December, and it was of the highest import- ance that something should be done to re- vive the confidence of the country before these men should be lost to the army. The circumstances in which Washington was placed required a blow to be struck in some quarter. A victory would be productive of the most important moral results ; a defeat could do no more than ruin the cause, and a policy of inaction was sure to accomplish that. An opportunity at once presented itself. The British had ceased their pursuit, and though they held New Jersey in strong force, had scattered their detachments through the state. General Howe was in New York, and Lord Cornwallis was at the same place, and was about to sail for P>ng land. Both commanders believed the Ame- rican army to be too seriously crippled to assume the offensive during the winter. The Hessians, who constituted the advance-guard of the royal forces, were stationed along the Delaware. Colonel Donop had his head- quarters at Burlington, and Colonel Rahl lilliit P2 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. was at Trenton with a force of fifteen hun- dred men. Rahl was a brave and competent officer, but he entertained such a thorough contempt for the Americans that he neglected to protect his position by earthworks or other defences. The Hessians kept the country in terror ; they were inveterate thieves, and plundered both patriot and royalist without mercy. They had earned the deep and abiding hatred of the Ameri- can soldiers by bayoneting the wounded in the battles in which they had been engaged. Midnight Marches. Washington now determined to re-cro:s the Delaware and attack the Hessians at different points. A force of twenty-four hundred picked troops under his own com- mand was to cross the river a few miles above Trenton and attack the enemy at that place; and the same time another detach- ment under Reed and Cadwallader were to cross over from Bristol and drive the Hes- sians under Colonel Donop out of Burling- ton. These attacks were to be simultaneous, and were ordered to be made at five o'clock on the morning of the twenty-sixth of De- cember. The division of Washington was accom- panied by a train of twenty-four field-pieces under Colonel Knox. The river was high and full of floating ice, and the weather was cold and stormy. A detachment of boats had been collected for the service, and was manned by Colonel Glover's regiment of Marblehcad fishermen, who had ferried the army over the East River in the retreat from Long Island. The march was begun just after dark on Christmas night, and Wash- iugton hoped to reach the New Jersey shore by midnight ; but the passage of the river was difficult and tedious by reason of the floating ice and the high wind which re- peatedly swept the boats out of their course; and it was four o'clock before the artillery was landed. The march was at once re- sumed. Washington, with the main body, moved by a wide circuit to gain the north of the town, while a detachment under Sul- livan was ordered to advance by the river road and attack the enemy from the west and south sides. A blinding storm of hail and snow delayed the advance of the troops, but also concealed their movements from the enemy ; and it was eight o'clock before Trenton was reached. The attack was at once begun, and was pressed with vigor. The Hessians were completely taken by suprise; they flew to arms promptly, but by this time the Ameri- cans had gained the main street, and were sweeping it with a battery of six pieces. Colonel Rahl was mortally wounded while leading his grenadiers to the charge, and his men, seized with a panic, endeavored to re- treat. Finding that they were surrounded, about one thousand of them threw down their arms and surrendered. The remainder succeeded in escaping and joining Colonel Donop at Burlington. The magnanimity of Washington w^s shown on this occasion by his paying a friendly visit to Colonel Rahl, who was lying at Trenton on his dying bed. Washington expressed his sympathy for the wounded officer, who, upon his death, is believed to have been buried in the graveyard of the First Presbyterian Church, where his sup- posed remains were found ', in the western part of Connecticut, about twenty-three miles from the Sound. On the twenty-sixth of April Tryon landed near Norwalk, and marched to Danbury, where he burned the stores and set fire to the town. Thus far he had met with no opposition ; but the alarm had spread imme- diately after his landing, and the Conneticut militia, to the number of six hundred men, assembled under Generals Silliman and Wooster. Arnold chanced to be at New Haven, and collecting a small force of volun- teers, hurried to join Silliman and Wooster, and the whole command hastened after the marauders. Tryon Retreats to New York. Tryon began his retreat from Danbury before daylight on the morning of the twenty- seventh, and was soon after attacked by the militia. During the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth the British were harrassed at every step by the little band of Americans, who, though too weak to defeat them in any single encounter, hung upon their march and inflicted upon them a loss of nearly three hundred men. The enemy at last came under the protection of the guns of their ships and the Americans were forced to withdraw. Tryon then re-embarked his exhausted troops and returned to New York. The American loss was slight. The brave old General Wooster, a veteran of sixty-eight years, was mortally wounded at the head of his men and died a few days later. Arnold behaved with such distinguished gallantry in this affair that Congress rewarded him with the rank of major-general and presented him with a horse handsomely equipped. Even this acknowledgment of his merit was min- gled with injustice, for the date of his com- mission still left him below the rank he was entiled to, and he felt the second slight as another undeserved injury. THE YKAR 1777. 411 The Connecticut militia were very indij,'- nant at the burning of Danbury, and resolved to avenge it. In the latter part of May a party of one hundred and seventy men, under Colonel Meigs, crossed the Sound in whale- boats to the east end of Long Island. They carried their boats during the night fifteen miles across the neck, and launching them again, proceeded to Sag Harbor, where they destroyed twelve vessels and a large quan- tity of stores collected there by the British, and made ninety prisoners. They then returned to Conneeticut without the loss of a man. General Schuyler Vindicated. Recruits came into the American camp very slowly, and various expedients were adopted by Washington to hasten the enlist- ments. At his instance Congress declared that all indentured servants who enlisted in the army should receive their freedom at once. Bounties in land were offered to such Hessians as should desert the British service. This last measure did not accomplish much towards crippling the enemy. In the northern department, Schuyler was left with a mere skeleton of an army, lie had but seven hundred men, at the most, at Ticondcroga, and he was fearful that Carle- ton would learn his weakness, pass Lake Champlain on the ice, capture Ticonderoga, and push on to Albany. He repeatedly urged the commander-in-chief to send him reinforcements and supplies, but his request could not be granted, as there were none to spare from Washington's army. During the winter a persistent effort was made to ■drive Schu)-ler from his command, in order that Gates might succeed to it. Charges were brought against him with such recklessness that he offered his resignation \o Congress. That body refused to accept ^ ; but ?.s the efforts of his enemies were not discontinued, Schuyler Went to Pliila- delphia, in April, 1777, and demanded an investigation into his conduct. Gates suc- ceeded him in his command. Schuyler was fully vindicated by the report of the investi- gating committee of Congress, and was ordered to resume his command. Gates was greatly surprised by the result, and reluct- antly relinquished the command of the northern department to his rival, and repaired to Philadelphia to seek redress at the hands of Congress for what he termed his wrontrs. GENERAL PHILIP SCHUYLER. Until now- the Americans had been with- out a national flag. Congress, in June, 1777, remedied this very serious want by adopting the old " Union Flag," with its thirteen stripes; but substituted, in place of St. George's Cross, a group of thirteen stars, one for each State. Thus the " Stars and Stripes " became the national ensign of the republic — a star having been added for each additional State that has since joined the original thirteen. One of the first things that occupied the attention of Congress after the proclamation of the Declaration of Inilependcnce was the 412 THE AMEkICAN REVOLUTION. [iioparation of a device for a great seal of the confederation. This was assigned to a com- mittee consisting of Franklin, Jefferson and John Adams. The seal as finally adopted has never been changed. FLAG AND SHIELD. The war in America had been watched with the deepest interest in Europe, and especially by France. The French Govern- ment had been convinced long before the outbreak of the Revolution that the treat- ment which the colonies were receiving from land was alienating the Americans by het treatment of them. Choiseul conceived the hope that, by offering the Americans free trade with France, they would be made to resent the course of England even more decidedly. When the Revolution began the French Government was fully prepared for it, and was ready to avenge the loss of Canada by aiding the new republic in its efforts to throw ott the authority of Great Britain. It was merely waiting to see whether the Americans were able to maintain the stand they had taken. The news of the defeat on Long Island, the loss of New York, and the retreat through New Jersey, filled the friends of America with serious alarm, and it was gen- erally believed in Europe that the Americans would not be able to withstand the superior force of the mother country. In the early spring of 1777 it was known in Europe that the American army, which SKAL OK THK UNITED STATES. Great Britain would ultimateK- cause their separation from her ; anil ten years before the war began the Duke de Choiseul, the prime minister of Louis XV., had sent Baron De Kalb to examine and report the state of feelings of the colonists towards Great Britain. De Kalb was a shrewd observer, and furnished his government w ith ample proofs that Eng- it was supposed had been driven in hopeless disorder over the Delaware without the means of continuing the war, had suddenly rallied and beaten a force of veteran troops at Trenton, and again at Princeton, and had recovered New Jersey from the enemy. This intelligence produced the most profound astonishment in Europe, and was received in THE YEAR 1777. Frarxce with genuine satisfaction. The Americans were extolled as a race of heroes, and the prudence and good generalship of Washington were spoken of with the highest praise. The French Government now felt justified in aiding the patriots, but it proceeded with caution. American pri- vateers were secretly fitted out, with the con- nivance of the govern- ment, and were permitted to sell their prizes in French ports, and the protests of the British ambassador against such acts were unheeded. The government made secret grants of arms and mili- tary stol'es to the Ame- ricans, and three ship- loads were sent out in the spring of 1777. Two of these vessels were captured by the English, but the third reached America in safety, and its cargo went to sup- ply the deficiencies of the army at Morristown. In the spring of this year the commissioners sent to France by Con- gress reached that coui7 try. They had full pov ers to enter into an all ance with the French King. They were granted several private interviews by the Count de Vergennes, the French Prime Minister, and were secretly encouraged to hope for the success of their mission. As yet, however, France was not prepared to declare war against Great Britain. 41? Though the government delayed its action, there were generous hearts in France who were determined to give all the aid and comfort in their power to the struggling patriots. One of these was the youthful Marquis de Lafayette, the heir of a nol ■« MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE. name, the possessor of wealth and a high social position, and the husband of a beauti- ful and accomplished wife. He had heard at a dinner party given by the French offi- cials at Mayence to the Duke of Gloucester, a brother of the King of England, the story 414 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. of the war then going on in America, and its causes, related by the lips of the royal guest. His generous heart at once went out in sympathy to the patriots, and he resolved to leave his family and all his advantages at home and go to the aid of the Americans. He revealed his intention to the Count de Broglie, a Marshal of France, who regarded his enterprise as Quixotic and refused to aid him. Finding him determined, the count introduced his young friend to the Baron de Kalb, an officer of experience and merit, who had visited America as Choiseur's agent in the last reign. De Kalb introduced Lafayette to Silas Deane, then the only American Commissioner in France. A Young Major-General. The news of the loss of New York and of New Jersey arrived about this time, but did not lessen the ardor of Lafayette ; and though the newly-arrived commissioners, Franklin and Lee, candidly told him that they could not encourage him to hope for a successful issue of their cause, he avowed his determination to proceed. He pur- chased a vessel, which was loaded with arms and supplies by the commissioners. The French government attempted to prevent him from sailing, but he succeeded in get- ting off, accompanied by De Kalb and several others. He reached Philadelphia, offered his services to Congress without pay and was commissioned as a major-general in the American army, though not yet twenty years old. Lafayette was not the only foreigner whose services were accepted by Congress. De Kalb, Count Pulaski and Thaddeus Kos- ciusko, natives of Poland, and Conway, an Irishman who had seen thirty years' service in the French army, and who, in an evil hour cdvit it. ( )n tin,' eleventh uf Si'ptcmhiT tin- lirilisli army reaclicxl the crcclc, Ildwe mdcnd Cieiural Knyphauscn Washington was tleccived by tiie ofTii er sent to ascertain if tlic enemy were tlircatcniny his liglit, and was left in i'j.Mioranec of Cornwaliis' lliovenietit iMitil it was loo late to [)ievent it. LAI'AYKTTK AND WASUINfi'lON. to malce a feint at Chadd's Ford as if lie were al)oiit to force a passage, while he .sent Corn- wallis with a strong column to pass the creek higlicr up and turn the American right flanU. '1 his [)lan was successfully carried out. Heingoutflank(xl,tho American ariny was com- jielled to fill back- with a los.s of twelve hundred men The troops did not know they had suf- crcd a reverse, but su[)posin[.; they had merely experienced a check were in high spirits. 4f8 THl': yVMERICAN REVOLUTION. Lafayette was wounded in this battle, and Pulaski so greatly distinguished himself that he was subsequently rewarded by Congress with the rank of brigadier-general and the command of the cavalry. Sir William Howe did not push his advan- tage, but remained for two days near the battle-field. Washington in the meantime retreated to Chester, and then to the Schuyl- kill, which he crossed on the twelfth of Sep- tember, and proceeded to Germantown, where the army went into camp. The men were in excellent spirits, and a day or two later Washington recrossed the river and moved towards the enemy, whom he encountered about twenty-five miles from Philadelphia on the sixteenth. A violent rain storm pre- vented the two armies from engaging, and injured the arms and ammunition of the men so much that Washington deemed it best to withdraw to Pott's Grove, on the Schuylkill, about thirty miles from Philadelphia. Atthe same time he detached General Wa)'ne, with a force of fifteen hundred men, to gain the enemy's rear and cut off their wagon train. A Tory carried information of this movement to the British commander, and Wayne was him.'scif surprised at Paoli tavern, on the twentieth of September, and defeated with a loss of three hundred men. Philadelphia and the British. It being impossible to save the city of Philadelphia from capture the military stores vere removed, and a contribution was levied upon the people to supply the army with clothing, shoes and other necessaries during the winter. Congress, in view of the great danger which threatened the country, con- ferred dictatorial powers upon Washington for sixty days, and then extended this time to a period of four months. Con- gress then adjourned to meet at Lancaster, from which, a few days later, it transferred its sessions to York, beyond the Susque- hanna. Howe crossed the Schuylkill by a night march, and on the twenty-sixth of Septem- ber entered Philadelphia. The bulk of his army was stationed at Germantown, and a small detachment was left to hold the city. The Americans, though they had lost Philadelphia, .still held the forts on the Dcla ware, a short distance below the mouth ot the Schuylkill. The work on the Pennsyl- vania side was called Fort Mifflin, and was built on a low mud island. Immediately opposite, at Red Bank, on the New Jersey shore, was Fort Mercer. Both works were armed with heavy guns, and commanded the river perfectly. The channel was obstructed with heavy logs fastened together and sunk in the stream so securely as to render their removal difficult. Above these obstructions were several floating batteries. A Victory Given Away. After landing the British army at Elkton, Lord Howe carried his fleet down the Chesa- peake, and entering the Delaware took posi- tion below the forts to await the co-operation of the army in the attack upon them. Washington having learned that Howe had withdrawn a part of his force from Ger- mantown to aid in the operations against the fort, resolved to surprise the remainder. A night march of fourteen miles brought the, American army to Germantown at sunrise on the morning of the fourth of October. A heavy fog hung over the country and pre- vented the commander-in-chief from seeing either the position of the enemy or that of his own troops. The British were taken by surprise, and were driven in disorder. The victory seemed within the grasp of Washington, when the Americans abandoned the pursuit to attack a stone house in which a few of the enemy THE YI>:AR 1777. had taken refuge. While thus engaged they were seized with an unaccountable panic, which threw them into confusion. The British rallied, and, assailing the Americans in their turn, drove them from the field with a loss of one tliousand men. Washington was greatly mortified by this failure. He wrote to Congress : " Every account confirms the opinion I at first entertained, that our troops retreated at the instant when victory was declaring herself in our favor." Howe now drew in his army nearer to Philadelphia, and prepared for an immediate attack on the forts on the Delaware. These held that river so securely that the British fleet was not able to bring supolics up to the city. The provisions of the arri /were nearly exhausted, and if the forts could not be reduced it would be necessary to evacuate Philadelphia in order lo obtain food. On the twenty-second of October, Count Donop was sent with a force of twelve hundred picked Hessians to storm Fort Mercer, at Red Bank, while the fleet reduced Fort Mif- flin. Donop's attack was repulsed with a loss of four hundred men, the Hessian com- mander himself being among the slain. In the attack on Fort Mifflin the British lost two ships, and the remainder were more or less injured by the fire of the American guns. Washington at Valley Frge. Shortly after this repulse, the British erected batteries on a small island in the Delaware, which commanded Fort Mifflin, and on the tenth of November opened a heavy bombardment of the fort from these works and from their fleet. The bombaril- ment was continued until the night of the fifteeenth. The works being nearly des- troyed. Fort Mifflin was abandoned on the nightof the sixteenth, and on the eighteenth the garrison was withdrawn from the fort at 419 Red Bank. The British now removed the oljstrtictions from the river, and their fleet ascended to Philadelphia. General Howe constructed a strongly fortified line from the .Schuylkill to the Delaware, above Philadel- phia, and went into winter quarters with his army behind these defences. The season being loo late for active opera- tions, Washington withdrew his army to Valley Forge on the Schuylkill, about twenty miles from Philadelphia, and went into winter quarters. From this position he could protect Congress, sitting at York. Burgoyne's Great "War Feast." In the northern department the year had been marked by the most important events. Sir Guy Carleton was succeeded in the com- mand of the British forces in Canada by General Burgoyne, an officer of ability and integrity. Me was strongly reinforced and soon had under his command a finely cquipjjed army of ten thousand men. Bur- goyne gave a great " war feast " to the In- dians, who, in answer to his appeal on this occasion, promised to aid him, thinking that with his fine large army he would be able to whip the rebels in a short time. About eight thousand of Burgoyne's troops were British and Hessian regulars, the remainder Canadians and Indians. The army was plentifully supplied with artillery of the most improved pattern, which was under the immediate command of General Philips, a veteran who had served with great distinction in the seven years' war. The second in command of the army was General Frazer, an officer of acknowledgecl skill, who was greatly beloved by the troops. Baron Reidesel, the commander of the Hessians, was also an old soldier. Altogether, the force under Burgoyne was the most splendid body f)f troops Great Britain had yet as.sembled in America. With this army Burgoyne was to 420 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. advance by way of Lake Champlain to the Hudson, while a detachment under General St. Leger was to move eastward by way of Oswego and descend the Mohawk to the Hudson. Having secured the Hudson, Bur- goyne was to open communication with Sir Henry Clinton in New York, capture the forts in the Highlands and so cut off New England from the Middle and Southern States. To oppose his advance General Schuyler that post- Opposite Fort Ticonderoga, on the right-hand side of the outlet of Lake George, is a lofty hill known as Mount Defiance. The Americans had neglected to fortify this hill, thinking it inaccessible to artillery. General Philips was of a different opinion, and in three days of hard labor suc- ceeded in dragging his guns to the summit of Mount Defiance, from which they com- manded the forts on both sides of the lake GENERAL BURGOYNE ADDRESSING THE INDIANS. had a weak army between Albany and Lake Champlain. General St. Clair, with a detach- ment of three thousand men held Ticonde- roga, and though he seriously feared that his force was too weak to offer much resist- ance, trusted to the natural strength of his position and hoped to be able to hold Ticon- deroga until aid could reach him. On the second cf July Burgoyne's army appeared before Ticonderoga and invested St. Clair now saw that the foits were unter^ able and that he must evacuate them at once in order to save his army. Sending his baggage and stores in boats up the lake to Skenesborough, now Whitehall, he evacuated Fort Ticonderoga and crossed over to Fort Independence on the opposite side of the lake. His withdrawal was discovered before it was completed, and the British at once THE YEAR 1777. 421 followed in pursuit. Burgoyne ordered Gen- eral Frazer to follow St. Clair's command, while he himself passed up the lake and des- troyed the stores at Skenesborough. Upon his approach, on the afternoon of the seventh, the American force at Skenesborough set fire to the stores and retreated rapidly to Fort Anne, which was reached the next morning. The British appeared before this fort the same day, but were held in check, and that night the Americans set fire to Fort Anne and re- treated to Fort Ed- ward, sixteen miles further. On the afternoon of the seventh General Frazer came up with St. Clair's rear guard at Hubbardton and defeated it with severe loss. St. Clair con- tinued his retreat through the woods, and a week later reached Fort Edward with his exhausted troops. General Schuyler had advanced to Fort Edward with a force of five thousand men, nearly all of whom were militia. Many were ivithout arms, and there was a woeful arcity of ammunition and ])rovisions in his camp. Schuyler was joined here by the rem- nant of Saint Clair's command, and as Bur- goyne had halted for a few days at the head of Lake Champlain, which was twenty-four miles distant from l-'ort luhvard, Schuyler set his men to work to obstruct the road between those two points by felling trees across it and by destroying bridges. So thoroughly was this work done that Burgoyne's army con- sumed a fortnight in its advance from Skenes- borough to the H udson. It reached the neigh- borhood of Fort Edward on the twenty-ninth of July. Schuyler at once abandoned the fort, and fell back to Saratoga, from which he moved to Stillwater, near the mouth of the MoJiawk. The loss of Ticonderoga and the northern forts was regarded by Congress as an evidence RUINS OF FORT TICONDEROGA. of the incapacity of Schuyler and his subor- dinates, and so little allowance was made for the serious disadvantages under which those officers labored, that Congress ordered all the northern generals to be recalled and their conduct investigated. It was not until Wash- ington called the attention of Congress to the fact that a compliance with this order would leave the northern army without officers, that that body consented to suspend its unwise decree. 422 The prejudice against Schuyler, though unjust, was deep, and his removal from his command was resolved upon. Washington declined to deprive him of his command, as his confidence in Schuyler was unshaken, and Congress took the matter in its own hands. " The eastern influence prevailed," says Irv- ing, " and Gates received the appointment so ong the object of his aspirations, if not in- trigues." Upon reaching Fort Edward, Burgoyne, confident that the game was in his own hands, 'ssued a proclamation calling upon the people to send representatives to a convention to meet at Castleton to provide for the re-estab- lishment of the royal authority. This was net by a proclamation from Schuyler, who declared that he would punish as traitors all who should comply with Burgoyne's call, or in any way give aid and comfort to the enemy. There was not much need for this threat, for the militia of the northern district were "apidly rallying to Schuyler's aid. The people of the whole region were profoumil}- e.\cit«d, and they were determined that the British army should never leave their country. Story of Jenny McCrea. Much of this feeling was caused by the outrages of the Indians in Burgoyne's army, who prowled about the country, murdering and plundering the people who were exposed to their fury. One of their crimes roused the whole northern region to action. A beau- tiful young girl, Jenny McCrea by name, was visiting a friend near Fort Edward. She was betrothed to a young Tory who had fled to Canada some time since, and was now serving as a lieutenant in Burgoyne's army. When her friends removed from Fort Edward to Albany, to avoid the danger which threat- ened them, she lingered behind in spite of their invitation to accompany them, hoping TME AMERICAN REVOLUTION. to meet her lover upon the advance of Bur- goyne's forces. The house in which she was staying was attacked by a party of Indians, and she was taken prisoner. Anxious for her safety she promised her captors a liberal reward if they would conduct her to her lover in the Brit- ish camp. On the way they quarrelled ovei the promised reward, and in their rage mur- dered the poor girl and carried her scalp into the British camp. Burgoyne was horror- struck at the atrocious deed, and promptly disavowed it; but the news of the murder roused a stern desire for vengeance through- out the northern department. The terrible scenes of the old French war were not for- gotten, and the people were fearful they would now be revived under British influe.ice unless Burgoyne's army were destroyed. Thousands flocked to the American camp, with such arms as they could nrocure, eager to crush the enemy. The Brave Herkimer. In the meantime St. Leger had moved from Oswego into the valley of the Mohawk, and had laid siege to Fort Schuyler or Stan- wix, on the site of the present city of Rome. The fort was commanded by Colonel Gan- sevoort. The siege was begun on the third of A.ugust, and a few days later news was received by the little garrison that General Herkimer, with eight hundred militia, was advancing to their assistance. On the sixth of August Herkimer reached a place called Oriskany, where, owing to the impatience of his men, he fell into an ambush of Tories and Indians. The fight which ensued was one of the most desperate of the war; quar- ter was neither asked nor given by either party. Herkimer was mortally wounded, but con- tinued to cheer on his men, until a successful sally from the fort compelled St. Leger to THIl VEAR 1777. 423 recall the force engaged with Herkimer to defend hir. own camp. The American militia then retreated, carrying with them their commander, who died a few days later. Fort Schuyler was left in a critical condition, and hastily abandoned his camp, and retreated into Canada with the remainder of his force. Burgoyne had now reached the Hudsonj and had full command of Lakes George and Champlain ; but the people of the country HERKIMER MORTALLY WOUNDED. Arnold was sent at his own request to its relief. He caused the strength of his force lo be greatly exaggerated, and spread a report that Burgoyne had been defeateil. The Indians deserted St. Leger rapidly upon hearing these reports, and that commander were hostile to him, and he found it hard to procure either cattle or horses. Though his camp on the Hudson was but eighteen miles from Lake George, this lack of animals made it almost impossible to transport his supplies across the intervening country, and his 424 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. army was beginning to run short of provi- sions. To obtain horses and provisions, Bur- goyne, early in August, sent a force of five hundred Germans and a detachment of Indians and Tories, under Lieutenant- Colonel Baum, to seize the stores collected by the Americans at Bennington, Vermont, and to collect such horses and cattle as they could - the march. He was told that the peoole GF.NERAL JOHN STARK. of the neighborhood were largely devoted to the king, and that the stores were unguarded. The news of the approach of this force spread rapidly through the country, and the Green Mountain Boys, as the Vermont militia were termed, flew to arms. Colonel Stark, who had retired from the Continental army on account of having been neglected in the recent promotions, was in the neighborhood, and was offered the command of the aather- ing forces. He accepted it promptly, and issued a warning to the people along the route of the British to drive off their horses and cattle, and to conceal their grain and wagons to prevent their capture by the enemy. A messenger was sent with all speed to Manchester to Colonel Seth Warner, urg- ing him to march at once with his regiment to Bennington, where he was needed. Battle of Bennington. Baum had advanced to within six miles of Bennington when he heard of the approach of the militia under Stark. He halted, in- trenched his position, and sent to Burgoyne for reinforcements. Colonel Breyman with five hundred Hessians and two pieces of artillery was despatched to his assistance. Stark was prevented from making an im- mediate attack upon Baum by a furious rain-storm, which also delayed the march of Brej'nian and Warner. During the night of the fifteenth of August Stark was joined by the militia from Berkshire, Massachusetts They were anxious to engage the enemy at once, and were impatient at the delay caused by the storm. One of their number. Parson Allen, approached Stark. " General," said he, " the people of Berkshire have often been called out to no purpose ; if you don't give them a chance to fight now tJiey vill never turn out again." Stark remarked his earnestness, and said, with a smile, " Yoi would not turn out now, while it is darli and raining, would you ?" " Not just now,'1 answered the parson. " Well," said StarkJ " if the Lord should once more give us sun-J shine, and I don't give you fighting enoughj I'll never ask you to turn out again." The morning of the sixteenth came bright and clear, and Stark at once began hig advance upon the enemy. Arriving in sight of the British works, he pointed them out to his men. " There are the red coats ! We THE YEAR 1777. 425 must beat them to-day or Molly Stark sleeps a widow to-night." A spirited attack was made upon the British lines, both in front and in the rear, and after two hours' hard fighting they were carried by storm. Baum fell mortally wounded and his men laid down their arms. The Indians and Tories ■had escaped to the woods at the opening of the battle. The fighting had scarcely ended when the force under Colonel Breyman appeared and at once engaged the Americans. At the same moment Warner's regiment, which had pushed forward all night in the rain, reached the field. The battle was continued until nightfall, when Breyman abandoned his artillery and made a hurried retreat to Bur- goyne's camp on the Hudson. The Ameri- cans had fourteen killed and forty wounded. They took six hundred prisoners, one thou- sand stand of arms and four pieces of cannon. Burgoyne in Straits. Burgoyne now found himself in a most critical condition. He had reached the Hudson, but his troops were short of pro- visions ; his efforts against Fort Schuyler and Bennington had failed, and his force was being reduced by the desertions of the Indians. Burgoyne, who was a man of humanity and true soldierly spirit, had no sympathy with the barbarous policy of his government in employing the savages against the Americans, and had sternly cut short their cruelties. The Indians had taken offence at his course and were leaving his army in great numbers. He made no effort to detain them, preferring to lose their ser- vices rather than allow them to continue their atrocities. On the other hand the American army was daily growing stronger. The militia were flocking to it in great numbers, and reinforcements were received from the Highlands. The militia of New Hanpshire and Massachusetts were threatening Ticon- deroga, the capture of which post would cut off his communications with Canada. The contrast between the present condition of the British army and that of a few weeks before was marked indeed. A Jealous General. Matters were in this state when General Gates arrived, late in August, and assumed the command of the army, which was now six thousand strong, and receiving reinforce- ments every day. Schuyler, superior to ah sense of personal wrong, cheerfully rendered him all the assistance in his power in mastering the question before him ; but Gates repaid his generosity with charac- teristic jealousy. He did not even invite Schuyler to his first council of war held a few days later. He at once left the position at the mouth of the Mohawk, and on the twelfth of September advanced to Behmus' Heights, a spur of hills bordering the Hud- son. The army now numbered nine thou> sand effective men, indifferently armed, but resolved to conquer. "Gates had no fitness for command," says Bancroft, " and wanted personal courage." He intrenched his posi- tion, and for the defence of his right and left flanks erected strong batteries. Burgoyne by great exertion succeeded in bringing up a month's provisions from Lake George for his army, which was now reduced to about six thousand men. He resolved to adhere to his original plan, and endeavored to force his way to Albany, and on the thir- teenth of September crossed the Hudson at Schuylerville, and encamped on the plains of Saratoga, intending to decide the campaign by a general engagement. On the morning of the nineteenth of Sep- tember he advanced against the American position. Gates wished to await the attack 4- THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. of the enemy in his intrenched position, but Arnold urged him to tlirow forward a force to hold them in check, and not permit them to turn the American left, as they evidently intended. After considerable solicitation he obtained the desired permission from Gates, GENERAL HORATIO GATES. and moved forward to check the advance of the British. A determined conflict immedi- ately ensued and continued until nightfall. It was one of the most stubbornly contested engagements of the war, and its result was mainly due to the skill and courage of Ar- nold, who held the enemy in check during the day, and prevented the success of their plan for turning Gates' left flank. The Brit- ish remained in possession of the field -^t night, and the Americans rejoined their main body. The latter regarded the battle as a victory, as they had accomplished all they had expected. Burgoyne's diffi- culties thickened rap- idly. On the seven- teenth a detachment of Massachusetts militia seized the posts at the outlet of Lake George and captured a fleet of three hundred boats loaded with supplies for Burgoyne's army, and took three hun- dred prisoners. This force then united with another and laid siege toTiconderoga. These successes completely destroyed Burgoyne's communication with Canada, and with it his means oi' supply- ing his army. In this emergency he was greatly CTiCouraged by the receipt of a letter from Sir Henry Clinton at New York, informing him that he (Clinton) would in a few days make an effort to ascend the Hud- son and open communication with him. Burgoyne thereupon resolved to endeavor to hold his position until the arrival of Clinton. Three weeks passed away in inaction, and though skirmishes between the advanced THE YEAR 1777. 427 parties were frequent, neither commander cared to attack the other; Burgoyne because he was anxious to defer a decisive engage- ment, Gates because he was scantily supplied with ammunition. Arnold Again at the Front. The success of the battle of Behmus' Heights was generally attributed by the troops to Arnold, who was very popular with them. Gates' jealously was most probably aroused by this belief and he unceremoni- ously deprived Arnold of his command. During this delay the American army was increased by the arrival of the Massachusetts militia and other reinforcements, to about eleven thousand men. Burgoyne's situation was now more critical than ever. His best officers favored a letreat to Fort Edward ; but the British commander decided before undertaking that movement to reconnoitre the American position in strong force. If it was found that it could not be attacked, he was willing to retreat to Fort Edward. A force of fifteen hundred picked men and ten pieces of cannon, com- manded by the most experienced officers in the army, v/as sent on the seventh of October to reconnoitre the American position. Gates, by the advice of Morgan, attacked this force on both flanks, and sent Morgan with his rifle- men to cut the enemy off from their camp. The sound of the firing roused Arnold, who was brooding over his wrongs. He mounted his horse and rode at full speed to the battle-field in spite of the efforts of Gates to stop him. He reached the scene of action and was reconized by the troops, who re- ceived him with cheers. Without orders or any definite command, he placed him.self at the head of the troops and led them against the enemy. The British, led by General Frazer, held their ground manfully, but at length Frazer was mortally wounded by one of Morgan's riflenien, and his line gave way. Burgoyne fearlessly exposed himself in the efforts to rally his men, but was at length obliged to order a retreat to the camp. This was accomplished with extreme diffi- culty, and the Americans, following in close pursuit, made a determined attack upon thej British intrenchments, which were stubborn-' ly defended. In this attack Arnold displayed great heroism, and was wounded within the enemy's works. Though they failed to cap- ture the whole line, the Americans carried the camp of Colonel Breymen's regiment of Hessians, the key to Burgoyne's position, and took a number of prisoners. Success of the Federals. The Americans bivouaced on the field, in tending to renew the battle the next day, but during the night Burgoyne abandoned his sick and wounded, and silently withdrew from his intrenchments. The roads being rendered bad by the rains, he halted and took posi- tion about two miles from the town of Sara- toga. On the night of the ninth, finding that the Americans held the Hudson in such heavy force as to render its passage impracti- cable, he retreated to Saratoga. He then sent out a detachment to rebuild the bridges on the road to Fort Edward, but found the road in the possession of the Americans, who also held Fort Edward, and had captured all the boats laden with provisions for his army. He was thus left with but three days rations for his men. On the twelfth the Amer- ican army, which had followed the British closely, invested their position, and opened a heavy fire on their camp. On the thir- teenth Burgoyne called a council of his offi- cers, and it was resolved to open negotiations with Gates. He proposed to Gates to surrender his army on condition that they should he allowed to sail for England from the port of 428 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Boston, first pledging themselves not to serve again in North America during the war. Gates had heard of the successes of Chnton on the Hudson, and was fearful that he would reach Albany. He therefore weakly agreed to Burgoyne's proposal, and consented that the British arniy should march out of camp with the honors of war ; that the troops should be taken to Boston and sent to England, and that they should pledge themselves not to serve again in America during the war. These matters being arranged the British army surrendered on the seventeenth of October, and was fed by the Americans, for its provisions were exhausted. About six thousand prisoners were surrendered, together with nearly five thousand muskets, forty-two brass field- pieces and a large quantity of military stores. Upon the surrender of Burgoyne the British garrison at Ticonderoga evacuated that place and retreated into Canada. Surrender of Burgoyne. Congress refused to ratify the .erms granted to Burgoyne by Gates. It was plain that if they were sent to England they could release an equal number of troops there, who could be sent to the aid of Sir Henry Clinton in New York. This would deprive the United States of one of the most important results of the surrender. Burgoyne and two attendants were permitted to return to England, but the captive troops were held as prisoners of war, and the ne.xt year were marched to Charlottesville, Vir- ginia, and quartered in log huts, where the greater part of them remained until near the close of the war. Some time before Burgoyne's surrender Sir Henry Clinton, having received rein- forcements from England, resolved to unde» take the capture of the forts in the High- lands of the Hudson, the garrisons of which had been greatly weakened by the detach- ments sent from them to Washington and Gates. On the sixth of October he attacked and captured Forts Montgomery and Clin- ton. General George Clinton, who com- manded at these forts, finding he could not hold them, sent to General Putnam for assistance, but his messenger deserted to the enemy and the forts were abandoned. General Tryon was sent to occupy Kingston, which he ordered to be burned. When the enemy heard of Burgoyne's surrender they retreated, setting fire to the house of every patriot along the river. Clinton then dis- mantled the captured forts and returned to New York, taking with him all the heavy cannon and stores. The capture of Burgoyne's army was hailed with delight throughout the country. It was the most important success of the war, and put an end to the danger of invasion from Canada. Gates was greatly puffed up by his triumph, and imagined himself the hero of the war. He sent his official report of the surrender to Congress direct, and not through the commander-in-chiei, as his duty required, thus offering a grave insult to Washington. General Schuyler now demanded an inves- tigation of his conduct previons to his relinquishment of his command to Gates. He was thoroughly acquitted of the charges of mismanagement brought against him by his enemies, and was strongly urged by Congress to remain in the army. He declined to do so and resigned his commis- sion ; but was soon afterwards returned to Congress from the State of New York. CHAPTER XXIX Aid from Abroad Sufferings of the Army at Valley Forge — Appeals of Washington to Congress — The British in Philadelphia — The Coo- way Cabal — Its Disgraceful Failure — Efforts to Improve the Army — Worthlessness of Continental Bills — General Lee Exchanged — Effect of Burgoyne's Surrender Upon England — The King is Forced to Agree to Measures of Concilia- lion — Action of France — Louis XVI. Recognizes the Independence of the United States — Alliance Between the United Stales and France — Failure of the British Measures of Conciliation — Clinton Evacuates Philadelphia — Battle of Monmouth — General Lee Dismissed from the Army — Attack Upon Newport — Its Failure— Withdrawal of the French Fleet to the West Indies — Outrages of the British on Long Island Sound — Massacre of Wyoming — The Winter of 1779 So — The Army in Winter Quarters — Robert Morris — Condition of Congress — Georgia Subdued by the British — Prevost attempts to Take Charleston — Siege of Savannah — Its Failure — Capture of Stony Point — Capture of Paulus Hook — The Indians Punished — Naval Affairs— Exploits of John Paul Jones — Evacuation of Newport — Settlement of Kentucky — Conquest of the Illinois Country by George Rogers Clarke — Settlement of Tennessee. THE sufferings of the American army during the long winter at Valley Forge were very great. Many were barefooted, and their marches through the frost and snow could be traced by the blood from their feet. They were without clothing, without food and were utterly unable to keep the field. Yet in spite of these sufferings many persons severely censured the commander-in-chief for going into winter quarters without attacking Philadelphia. In reply to one of these remonstrances from the Legislature of Pennsylvania, Wash- ington wrote to Congress on the tvveiity- third of December, 1777 : " Men are confined to hospitals or in farmers' houses for want of shoes. We hw,e this day no less than iwo thousand eight hundred and ninety- eight men in camp unfit for duty because they are barefoot and otherwise naked. Our whole strength in Continental troops amounts to no more than eight thousand two hundred in camp fit for duty. Since the fourth instant our numbers fit for duty from hardships and exposures have decreased nearly two thousand men. Numbers still are obliged to sit all night by fires. Gen- tlemen reprobate the going into winter quar- ters as much as if they thought the soldier* were made of stocks and stones. I can assure those gentlemen that it is a much easier and less distressing thing to draw remonstrances in a comfortable room by a good fireside than to occupy a cold, bleak hill, and sleep under frost and snow without clothes or blankets. However, although they seein to have little feeling for the naked and distressed soldiers, I feel superabund- antly for them, and from my soul I pity those miseries which it is neither in my power to relieve nor prevent." Congress did little or nothing to relieve the sufferings of the army. It promised the troops one month's extra pay, but made no effort to provide food or clothing for them. It authorized Washington to impress what- ever articles he needed, but he remonstrated against this arbitrary use of power, as he was convinced that it would not supply the wants of the army, but would certainly anger the people of the country. Congress towards the close of the winter manifested so much hostility to the army because of its appeals for food and clothes, that Washing- <-"n earnestly remonstrated against this feeling 429 430 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. and reminded that body that the troops were " citizens, having all the ties and interests of citizens." It is not too much to say that the personal influence of Washington went further than anything else in keeping the army together during this trying winter. Under any other commander the troops would have dispersed, luicouraged by the calm and lofty patience of Washington, the troops remained faithful to their cause and bore their sufferings with a heroic fortitude which their descendants will ever bear in grateful honor. All this while the British army was com- fortably quartered in Philadelphia, and the officers were billeted upon the inhabitants. They were amply supplied with every com- fort, and their leisure time was given up to pleasure and dissipation on a scale the Quaker City had never dreamed of " By a proportionate tax on the pay and allowances of each officer a house was opened for daily resort and for weekly balls, with a gaming table which had assiduous votaries, and a room devoted to the game of chess. Thrice a week plays were enacted by amateur per- formers. . . . The officers, among whom all ranks of the British aristocracy were represented, lived in open licentiousness." The contrast between the pleasures and ease of these well-fed troops and the sufferings and privations of the ragged patriots at Valley Forge was marked indeed'; and when it is remembered that the comforts of ,the British could ha\'e been purchased by 'the patriots at the price of desertion their heroic constancy becomes more striking. The Conway Plot. The patriotism of Washington was not appreciated by all parties. A number of dis- contented members of Congress and officers of the army were anxious that he should be removed or forced to resign in order that their favorite General Gates might be pro- moted to the chief command of the army. One of the prime movers of the intrigue was an Irish adventurer named Conwa)-, who had been promoted to the rank of brigader-gen- enal, from which circumstance the plot is known as the " Conway Cabal." The entire truth concerning this plot will never be known for after its failure the actors in it were only too glad to disavow their connection with it The conspirators did not dare to make an open attack upon the commander-in-chief, but undertook by mean of anonymous letters underhanded appeals to the officers and men of the army, and comparisons between Gates success and what they termed Washington's failure, to destroy the confidence of the troops in their leader, and to disgust him with his command and so drive him to resign it. A Conspiracy Thwarted. Generals Mifflin and Gates were very ac- tive in th.s conspiricy, and even Sullivan and Wayne were in favor of making Gates com- mander-in-chief Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote a letter, to which he did not dare to sign his name, to Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia, representing the army of Washing- ton as without a head, and disparaging Wash- ington as no general. " A Gates, a Lee or a Conway," he added, " would in a few weeks render them an irresistible body of men. Some of the contents of this letter ought to be made public in order to awaken, enlighten and alarm our country." Patrick Henry took no notice of this paper save to forward it to Washington. A similar anonymous docu- ment was forwarded to Henry Laurens, the president of Congress, who also sent it to Washington. Great efforts were made to win over Lafayette to the plot, but without the least success. Washington was to a great extent aware of the plot against him but took no public AID FROM ABROAD. 43 > notice of it. H'. was deeply pained by the unjust censure to wiiich he was subjected, but he never for a moment harbored the thought of laying down the great work he had assumed. He knew his course would bear the most rigid inspection. He knew that the capture of Burgoyne's army which had made Gates the hero of the hour, was due to no skill on the part of that officer but was the result of the plan of defence Washington had long before arranged with General Schuyler. In his efforts to contend against General Howe he was under many disadvantages, not the least of which was the fact that his army was encamped in a region abounding in Tories who refused him any sup- port and constantly aided the British. His army was imperfectly disciplined ; it was infer- ior in numbers and equipment to the enemy ; and was in no condition to meet Howe in the open field, still less to undertake the difficult task of driving him from his intrenchments at Philadelphia. Conway in Disgrace. "Had the same spirit pervaded the people of this and the neighboring States, as the States of New York and New England," said Wash- ington," we might have had General Howe nearly in the same situation as General Bur- goyne." Washington knew that the salva- tion of the country demanded his presence at the head of the army. He trusted to time for his vindication, and was chiefly anxious that the enemy should not learn of the dissensions in the councils and camp of the Americans. He firmly opposed the appointment of Con- way to the post of " inspector of the armies of the United States," but Congress, under the influence of the cabal, appointed Canway to that place with the rank of major-general. In a little while the actions of the conspir- itors became known and aroused such a storm of indignation from the officers and men of the army, from the legislatures of the States, and from the great mass of the people that Gates and Conway and their associates cow- ered before it, and Congress became heartily AN AMERICAN RIFLEMAN. ashamed of having given the plot any en- couragement. The only effect of the con- spiricy was to raise Washington higher in the confidence and affection of his countrymen. The members of the conspiricy were ever 432 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. afterwards anxious to deny their share in it. The punishment of Gates came as soon as he was entrusted with an independent com- mand, as we shall see. As for Conway, he was despised by the better part of the officers ofthearmj', and found his position so unenvia- ble that lie addressed a note to Congress complaining that he had been badly treated, and intimated his intention to resign because he was not ordered to the northern depart- ment. Congress was by this time ashamed of having bestowed upon him such unde- served honors, and gladly interpreted his let- ter as an actual resignation of his rank, and at once ended the difticulty by accepting it. Challenged to a Duel. Conway was profoundly astonished. He was confident that Congress would be terri- fied by his threat to resign, and urge him to remain in the service, and was utterly unpre- pared for the action of that body. He hast- ened to explain his letter but was not listened to. Some time after he ventured to de- nounce the commander-in-chief, and was challenged to a duel by General Cadwallader who had already charged him with cowardice at the battle of Gormantown. Conway was wounded ; and belciving himself near death wrote to Washington, apologizing for his conduct towards him. " You are," he said, " in my eyes the great and good man. May you long enjoy the love, veneration and es- teem of these States whose liberties you have asserted by your virtues." His wound was not mortal as he had supposed, and he recov- ered, and soon left the country. The winter was passed by Washington in an effort to increase the army, and render it more efficient. Baron Steuben, a Prussian officer, who had served under Frederick the Great, was appointed inspector, with the rank of major-general. He introduced into the army the drill and discipline of the Prussian service, and greatly increased its efficiency. The various States, save Georgia and South Carolina, were called upon by Ccngress to contribute their quota of troops to the army. In consideration of their large slave popula- tion, and the neccessity of retaining their troops for their own defence, those States were e.xcused from compliance with thi'' de- mand. Congress and the Army. Count Pulaski succeeded in raising an in- dependent body of cavalry, and Major Henry Lee organized a regiment of light horse, which under his command subsequently be- came noted as one of the most efficient corps of the army. Congress proposed to in- crease the force of the army to sixty thous- and men, but was never able to bring it to more than half that number. The inability of Congress to pay the troops compelled many of the officers to leave the army, in order to provide for their families, who were suffering. Congress called upon the States to raise the money for the public expenses by taxing their people, but some of them neglected to respond to this appearand the remainder were too poor to rendersuch as- sistance. Congress issued new bills of credit but the value of the " Continental Currency," as this money was called, hail depreciated so greatly that a pair of shoes could not be bought for less than from five to six hundred dollars in these bills. The Tories and the British depreciated them still further by flood- ing the country with counterfeits. A great improvement was made in the supply of provisions furnished the army by the appdintment of General Greene, at the request of Washington, to the post of quarter- master-general, which had been held by Gen- eral Mifflin, who had neglected its duties on all occaisons. At the urgent solicitation of the commander-in-chief, Greene assumed AID FROM ABROAD. 433 the distasteful position for one year, and dis- charged its duties with a skill and precision \ hich kept the army so well supplied with jrovisions and ammunition that it was never, during his administration, obliggd to aban- don a movement because of a lack of these necessities. A Traitor in the Camp, In April, 1778, General Prescott was exchanged for General Charles Lee, who at once returned to duty in the army. During his captivity Lee, who was willing to ruin the cause if he could benefit himself, pro- posed a plan to the British ministry by which they could, in his opinion, bring the war to J successful close. The ministers did not see fit to adopt Lee's plan, but filed it away among the British archives, and the traitor was exchanged and permitted to resume his command in the American army, to become again a source of trouble and loss to it. In the meantime the American cause had assumed a new phase abroad. The English government had confidently expected that 3urgoyne's expedition would be successful, ind the result of his operations was watched by France with the deepest anxiety. When news arrived of the defeat of Burgoyne the astonishment of King George and his min- isters was equalled only by their mortifica- •■ior.. It was resolved to wipe out the numiliation by a more vigorous prosecution ;l the war. It was rumored that France was about to aid the Americans, and that Holland was on the point of loaning them money. These rumors aroused the English people to a heartier support of the government than they had yet given it^ and many of the principal cities offered to raise troops to supply the places of those who had been surrendered by Burgoyne. At the same >ime the fiiends of America Vv'ere ereatlv encouraged and resolved to make a new effort to put a stop to the war by offering America such terms as would either induce her to renew her former connection with Great Britain or to become the ally and friend of that country. A considerable suri. of money was subscribed by these for tU relief of the American prisoners, who were left by the governmep" with'""* even the necessaries of life. Trouble in Parliament. When Parliament assembled a strong attack was made upon the policy of the king by the friends of America. The em- ployment of the Hessians, and, above all, ol the barbarous Indians of North America, whose cruelties shocked the English people, was severely denounced. The mercantile class was seriously discontented. Its trade with America was destroyed, and the activity of the American cruisers was so great that six hundred English vessels had alread) been captured ; and it was necessary to con voy merchantmen by vessels of war fron' one port of the kingdom to another. Thus far the war had caused an expenditure ol twenty thousand lives and one hundred mil- lions of dollars, and the conquest of America was as far off as at the commencement of hostilities. Under this pressure the king was con- strained to yield, and, in February, 1778, Lord North presented to Parliment two bills by which his majesty hoped to maintain his authority in A.merica, and conciliate his re- volted subjects. The first of these renounced all intention on the part of Great Britian to levy taxes in America ; the other appointed five commissioners to negotiate with the Americans for the restoration of the authority of luigland and the close of the war. The consent of the king to these measures was wrung from him by the complaints of a largt 434 TIIK AMERICAN REVOLUTION. part of the iMiglisIi people, and by his fear that France would openly aid the United States. These bills involved a direct sur- render of the whole ground of the war; but indicated no change of opinion on the part of the king. This action on the part of Great l^ritian aroused the French government to a more energetic course. Louis XVI. was opposed to treating with the United States; but the French ministers were aware that a prompt recognition on their part of the independence of the rejniblic would effectually neutralize the measures of Great Britain, and prevent ^ reconciliation. France was perfectly willing that America and England should weaken each other by their contest, but she was re- solved that Great Britain should never recover her colonies. The capture of Burgoyne's army had demonstrated the ability of Amer- ica to continue the war, and the French minis- ters resolved to lose no time in concluding an alliance with her. On the seventeenth of Decem- ber, 1777, the Count de Ver- gennes caused Franklin and Deane to be informed of the •king's intention not only to acknowledge but to support the independence of America, and on the sixth of February a treaty of friendship and commerce, and a second treaty of defensive alli- ance, were concluded between the United States and France. The latter bound the United States to support France in case Great Britain should declare war against her. The King of France acknowledged the independence of the United States of America, and agreed to assist them with his fleet and army. No peace was to be made without mutual consent, and not until the inde- pendence of the United States should be acknowledged by Great Britain. These treaties were ratified by Congress, and were hailed with joy by the Americans, whose confidence was revived by the assurance of the assist- ance of one of the most powerful states of Europe. When the news of the treaties was received in l-Lngland, the friends of America urged the government ti ■ abandon the war, antl acknowl- edge the independence of the United States. AID FROM ABROAD. 435 as the only way of retaining the good feehng and trade of that country. The government would not even entertain the proprosition. The most it would do was to pass the concil- iatory bills of Lord North. If they failed to accomplish the desired end the war must go on. In March France formally communi- cated to England hct treaties with America. This was regarded by England as a declara- tion of war, and the British ambassador was at once recalled from Paris. In June the Bri- tish commissioners, appointed to treat under Lord North's conciliatory measures, arrived in America and opened negotia- tions. Congress de- manded as a prelude to any negotiations, that the independence of the United States should be recognized by England, and her fleets and armies with- drawn from America. The commissioners having no authority to treat upon any such basis returned to Eng- land, having first made several ineffectual ef- forts to detach prominent Americans from the cause by bribery. The course of Sir William Howe had not pleased the British government, and he was removed from his command on the eleventh of May, 1788, and was replaced by Sir Henry Clinton. About the same time Clin- ton was informed by his government that a large French fleet might be expected at any moment on the American coast, and was ordered to evacuate Philadelphia and concen- trate all his forces at New York. SIR HENRV CLINTON. He accordingly sent his sick and wounded and most of his stores, with his fleet around to New York by sea ; while, with his army, twelve thousand strong, he left Philadelphia on the eighteenth of June, and, crossing the Delaware, began his march through New *36 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Jersey to New York. As soon as Washing- ton learned of his movement he broke up his camp, on the twenty-fourth of June, and crossed the Delaware in pursuit of the Brit- ish army. The intense heat of the weather, and the heavy train which the British carried with them, caused them to move very slowly, and Washington soon overtook them. A council of war was called, at which General Charles Lee, who held the second rank in the American army, urged that Washington should confine his efforts to harassing the British on the march. It was resolved- how- ever to attack the enemy and force them to a general engagement. Lee at first declined to take any part in the battle, but at the last moment changed his mind, and solicited a Command. Retreat of Clinton. Upon the adjournment of the council of war, on the twenty-seventh of June, Wash- ington sent Lafayette, with two thousand men, to occupy the hills near Monmouth Court-house and confine the enemy to the plains. On the morning of the twenty-eighth of June Lee, who had asked for a command, was sent forward by Washington with two brigades to attack the enemy. Upon coming up with Lafayette, who was his junior, Lee assumed the command of the whole advanced force and marched in the direction of the enemy, who had encamped on the previous night near .Monmouth Court-house, and had resumed their march early on the morn- ing of the twenty-eighth. As soon as Clin- '^on heard of Lee's advance he determined to drive him back, and for this purpose wheeled about with his whole rear division, and made a sharp attack upon Lee, who fell back to higher ground. A misunderstand- ing of his order caused one of his subordi- nate officers to abandon his position and Lee's whole force fell back in some confusion. In the excitement of the moment Lee forgot to send word to Washington of hi? movement, and the first the commander-in- chief, who was advancing with the main body, knew of it was the right of Lee's command falling back rapidly and in dis- order. Riding up to the fugitives he asked them why they were retreating, and was answered that they did not know, but had been ordered to do so. Suspecting that the retreat had been ordered for the purpost of ruining the plan of battle, Washingtor hastened forward until he met General Le' and sternly demanded of him : " What i the meaning of all this, sir? " Lee was dis concerted for a moment, and then answerec- that the retreat was contrary to his orders ^ and moreover, that he did not wish to en- counter the whole British army. " lam sorry," said Washington, " that you under- took the command unless you meant to fight the enemy." Lee answered that he did not think it prudent to bring on a genera engagement. Washington replied, sternly? ■' Whatever your opinion may have been, I expect my orders to be obeyed." Fugitives Made to Halt. Washington at once .'eformed the men on a commanding eminence, and hurried the main body of the Americans forward to their support. The British soon appeared in force and endeavored to dislodge the Ameri- cans from their position, and failing in this, attempted, but without success, to turn thei< left flank. The battle lasted till nigmfall. and the American army bivouaced on the field, expecting to renew the engagement the next morning ; but during the night Clinton skilfully withdrew from his lines and continued his retreat. The weather was so warm that Washington did not deem it prudent to continue the pursuit, and Clinton was allowed to regain New York without AID FROM ABROAD. 437 further molestation. The Americans lost about two hundred men in this engagement, a number of whom died from the effects of the extreme heat. The British lost three hundred men. During the retreat two thousand Hessians deserted from the British ranks. Lee Dismissed from the Army. As General Lee possesseiJ a large share of the confidence of the commander-in-chief, he might have saved himself from the con- sequences of his fault, had he sought to ex- plain his conduct in a proper manner. On the day after the battle he addressed an insulting letter to Washington, and met the reply of the commander-in-chief with another letter still more disrespectful in tone, demanding a court of inquiry. The court found him guilty of disobedience of orders, and of disrespect to the commander-in-chief, and sentenced him to be suspended from his rank for one year. Towards the close of his term of punishment he addressed an insolent letter to Congress, in consequence of some fancied neglect, and was dismissed from the army. A few rears later he died in Phila- delphia. After the battle of Monmouth Washington halted for a short time to refresh his men, and then marching to the Hudson crossed that stream and took position at White Plains, in New York, to be ready to co- operate with the French fleet, which was daily expected, in an attack upon the city of New York. The French fleet under Count DEstaing, with Tour thousand troops on board, had arrived in the Delaware just after Lord Howe had sailed for New York. Fail- ing to find the enemy in the Delaware, D'Estaing sailed for New York, but Lord Howe withdrew his vessels into Raritan Bay, and as the larger French ships could not cross the bar, the contemplated attack upon New York was abandoned, to the great regret of Washington. The French fleet brought the American commissioners who had negotiated the treaty with France, and also Monsieur Gerard, the first ambassador from the French king to the United States. In place of the combined attack upon New York it was resolved by Washington, in con- cert with the French admiral, to attack Newport and drive the British out of Rhode Island. The British had established one of their principal depots of supplies at this point, and had there a force of six thousand men under General Pigot. It was arranged that a force of American troops under General Sullivan should attack the enemy by land, while the French fleet and army should cooperate with Sullivan from the sea. On the twenty-ninth of July D'Estaing reached Narragansett Bay with his fleet, and on the eighth af August entered Newport harbor, in spite of the fire of the British batteries. A who!e week had been lost, however, by the failure of the American troops to reach the positions assigned them as promptly as the French fleet. The delay was unavoidable, but it ruined the enterprise. The Fleet Scattered. Oil the ninth Lord Howe arrived off New- port harbor with his fleet to the assistance of General Pigot. On the tenth D'Estaing sailed out to engage the British fleet, but before this could be effected a sudden and terrible storm scattered both fleets. Howe returned to New York, and D'Estaing made his way back to Narragansett bay in a crippled condition. Instead of landing the four thous- and French troops he had brought with him, the French admiral sailed to Boston with his whole force to refit. Sullivan in the meantime had crossed from the mainland to t^e island of Rhode Island 438 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ,ind had taken position before the British in- trenchments in front of Newport. Here he awaited the return of the French fleet, and in tlie meanwhile kept up a steady fire upon the British works. Upon D'Estaing's return lie informed Sullivan of his intention to sail to Boston to refit his ships. Sullivan earnesth- begged him to remain two or three daj's, as the British must certainly surrender by the end of that time. D'Estaing refused to do so. Sullivan then asked that the French troops might be left to cooperate with him and this also was refused. Left alone, Sulli- \'an was obliged to retreat to the mainland, as he learned that aid was on its way from New York to Pigot. He effected this move- ment with skill and success, on the night of the thirtieth of August. The next day Sir Henry Clinton reached Newport with a squadron of several ships and a reinforce- ment of four thousand men. Brutal Warfare. As he had arrived too late to attack the force under Sullivan, Clinton sent the troops he had brought with him, under Major-Gen- cral Grey.to ravage the coasts to the eastward. Grey destroyed a large number of vessels along the coasts, and stripped Fair Haven, New Bedford, and the island of Martha's Vineyard of everything that could be carried off, and returned to New York laden with plunder. Late in October a Britisli fleet which had been dispatched from England under Ad- miral Byron in pursuit of D'Estaing, arrived off Boston harbor. Byron was unwilling to venture within the harbor, and the French Would not leave their place of security, and the English remained off Boston until a storm arose and scattered their fleet. On the first of November the French, taking advantage of the enforced withdrawal of their enemy, stood out to sea and sailed for tlie West Indies, and on the same day Clinton des patched a force of five thousand British troops from New York to the West Indies, Brutal as was the conduct of General Grey, it had been already surpassed by the British and their Indian allies in Pennyslvania. The inhabitants of Wyoming valle\-, a beautifu! region on the Susquehanna, had driven away the Tories from that region, and these hat' resolved upon revenge. Early in July a force of about eleven hundred Tories and Indians, under Colonel John Butler and the Indian chief Brandt, entered the Wyoming valley. Nearly all the able-bodied settlers were ab- sent with the American army, and upon hearing of the approach of the enemy a small force had been despatched by Wash- ington under Colonel Zebulon Butler, to the assistance of the settlers. Tills force was defeated by the Tories and Indians, who then proceeded to lay waste the valley and murder the inhabitants. They performed their bloody work in the most barbarous manner, and the beautiful valley was made a desolation. In the following month Cherry Valley in New York was rav- aged with equal cruelty by a force of Tories and Indians, and the inhabitants were either murdered or carried into captivity. The entire region of the upper Susquehanna and Delaware and the valley of the Mohawk were at the mercy of the savage allies ai Great Britain. Battle o'l Savannah. In the latter part of November, Sir Henry Clinton sent a force of two thousand men from New York under Colonel Campbell to attack Savannah, Georgia, which v.'as held by a garrison of one thousand men unde' General Robert Howe. The British carried the American position after a sharp engage- ment, and on the twenty-ninth of December, Savannah surrendered to them. General AID FROM ABROAD. 439 Prevost, the English commander in Florida, now repaired to Savannah, and assumed the command. On his march across the country he captured Sunbury, a fort of considerable importance. Upon reaching Savannah he sent Colonel Campbell to seize Augusta, tvhich was quickly secured and fortified. ton established his headquarters at Middle- brook, New Jersey, near the centre of his line. The winter passed away without any event of importance. The British held New York and Newport with too strong a force to make an attack upon either post success- fully, and the withdrawal of the French fleet INDIAN SCALt' DANCE. Georgia was mus entirely subdued by the British by the middle of January, 1779. After the failure of the attack upon New- port the American Army went into winter quarters, occupying a series of cantonments extending from the eastern end of Long Island sound to the Delaware. This dispo- sition enabled them to oppose a force to the British at every important point. Washing- to the West Indies left Washington without any means of encountering the naval force of the enemy. The season was not without its trials, how- ever. Washington wrote at the beginning of the year 1779, " Our affairs are in a more distressed, ruinous, and deplorable condition than they have been since the commence- ment of the war." The currency of the 440 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. country grew more worthless every day. During the year 1779 the enormous sum of one hundred and thirty-one million of dol- lars was issued in continental bills. The magnitude of the yolume of the currency only served to depreciate it more and more, and though supplies and articles of trade were plentiful, their owners refused to accept the depreciated bills of Congress, and would Bell for gold and silver only. " A wagon load of money," Washington wrote to the president of Congress, "will not purchase a wagon-load of provisions." During the year the currency depreciated from eight dollars foi one dollar to forty-one dollars and fifty cents for one dollar. Congress had so little specie that everything must have gone to ruin but for the e.Kertions of Robert Morris, a member of Congress from Pennsylvania, and a leading merchant of Philadelphia, who borrowed large sums of coin on his own credit, and loaned them to the government. This he continued to do tliroughout the war. Congress had long before this been de- prived of many of its ablest members, who had resigned their seats in order to accept appointments in their own Sta.es, or to enter the army. Their places were filled with weaker men, and many dissensions mark the deliberations of the Congress of this period. Many members of Congress and a large part of the people seemed to regard the alli- ance with France as decisive of the war, and were disposed to relax their efforts. France and Canada. ' During the winter it was proposed to join the French in an expedition for the recovery of Canada for France, and the scheme found favor with a majority of the delegates in Con- gress. Washington opposed it with firm- ness. He pointed out to Congress the diffi- culty of the undertaking, and declared his conviction that it was not to the interest oi the United States that a power different in race, language and religion from the people of this republic should have a footing upon this continent. In addition to this he did not desire the people of the United States to increase their obligations to a foreign, even though a friendly, power. The American forces in the Southern States were commanded by General Benjamin Lincoln, The Tories were very numerous and very active in this region, and the feel- ing between them and the patriots was one of the bitterest hostility, and often manifested itself in bloody and relentless conflicts. Seven hundred Tories under Colonel Boyd set out in February, 1779, to join Colonel Campbell at Augusta. On the fourteenth they were attacked at Kettle Creek by a force of patriots under Colonel Pickens, and were defeated with heavy loss. Pickens hung five of his prisoners as traitors. Fighting at Charleston, General Lincoln now sent General Ashe with two thousand men to drive the British outof Augusta. Upon hearing of his approach Colonel Campbell evacuated Augusta and fell back to Brier Creek, a small stream about halfway to Savannah. Ashe followed him, but without observing proper caution, and on the third of March was surprised and routed by Campbell, with the loss of nearly his entire force. This defeat encouraged General Prevost to attempt the capture of Charleston. He marched rapidly across the country to Charleston, and demanded its surrender. Lincoln, who had been reinforced, no sooner heard of this movement than he hastened by forced marches to the relief of Charleston and compelled Prevost to retire to St. John's island, opposite the mainland. The British threw up a redoubt at Stone ferry to protect AID FROM ABROAD. 441 the crossing to this island. It was attacked on th_ twentieth of June by the forces of General Lincoln, who were repulsed Vv'ith heavy loss. A little later Prevost withdrew to Savannah. The intense heat of the wea- ther suspended military operations in the south during the remainder of tlie summer. In September, 1779, the French fleet under Count D'Estaing arrived off the coast of Georgia from the West Indies, and the admi- ral agreed to join Lincoln in an effort to recapture Savannah. The American army began its investment of the city oa the twenty-third of September, and every- thing promised favorably for success; but D'Estaing became impatient of the delay of a regular siege, and dcclaicd that he must return to the West IndiC!, to watch the British fleet in those waters Savannah must either be taken by assaul*^, or he would withdraw from the siege To please him Lincoln consented tostoiiii - the British works, and the assault was made on the ninth of October, but u a- repulsed with severe loss. D'Estauig himself was wounded, and the chivalrou-- Count Pulaski was killed. Lincoln no\ retreated to Charleston, and the Frcnc. leet sailed to the West Indies, having a second time failed to render any leal assistance to the Americans. This dis- aster closed the campaign for the year in the south. In the meantime Sir Henry Clinton had been ordered by his government to harass the American coast, and in accordance with these instructions despatched a number of pl:*ndcring expeditions from New York against exposed points. One of these was sent in May, under General Mathews, into the Chesapeake. Mathews entered the Eliza- beth river, plundered the towns of Norfolk and Portsmouth, and burned one hundred and thirty merchant vessels and «everal ships of war on the stocks at Gosport, near Ports- mouth. He then ascended the James for some distance and ravaged its shores. He destroyed in this expedition two millions of dollars worth of property, and carried off about three thousand hogsheads of tobacco. Upon the return of this expedition, Clinton ascended the Hudson for the purpose of destroying two forts which the Americans were constructing a short distance below West Point, for the protection of King's Ferry, an important crossing-place between GENERAL BENJAMIN LINCOLN. the Eastern and Middle States. One of these, which was being built at Stony Point, was abandoned. The work on Verplanck's Point, on the east side of the Hudson, immediately opposite, was compelled to surrender early in June. Returning to New York, Clinton sent General Tryon with twenty-five hundred men to plunder the coast of Long Island Sound. He plundered New Haven, burned Fairfield and Norwalk, and committed other outrages at Sag Harbor, on Long Island. In 44^ GALLANT CHARGE OF COUNT PULASKI. AID FROM ABROAD. 443 the cotirse of a few days this inhuniau wretch burned two hundred and fifty dwelling- houses, five churches, and one hundred and twenty-five barns and stores. Many of the inhabitants were cruelly murdered, and a number of women were outraged by tlie British troops. Tryon would have carried his outrages further had he not been recalled to New York by Clinton, who feared that Washington was about to attack him. The loss of Stony Point was a serious blow to Washington, as it compelled him to establish a new line of communication between the opposite sides of the Hudson by a longer and more tedious route through the Highlands. He resolved, therefore, to recapture the post from the British at all hazards. The British had greatly strengthened the fort, which the Americans had left unfinished, and the only way in which it could be captured was by a surprise. It was a desperate undertaking, and Washington proposed to General An- thony Wayne to attempt it. Wayne readily consented, and the two generals made a careful recon- noissance of the position. It was agreed to make the attempt at mid- night, and in order to guard against a betrayal of the movemen*, every dog in the vicinity was put to death. A negro who visited the fort regularly tosell fruit, and who had been for some time acting as a spy for the Americans, agreed to guide them to the work. At midnight on the fifteenth of July the storming party, guided by the negro, ap- proached tlie fort in two divisions. Not a man was permitted to load his musket, lest the accidental discharge ofagunshould ruin the movement. The negro, accompanied by two soldiers who were disguised as farmers, approached the first sentinel and gave the countersign. The sentinel was at once seized and gagged, and the .same was done with the second .sentinel. The third, however, gave the alarm, and the garrison flew to arms and opened a sharp fire upon the Americans. The latter now dashed for- ward at a run, scaled the parapet, and in a few moments the two opposite divisions met in the centre of the fort. The Americans took more than five hun- dred prisoners and all the supplies and artillery of the fort fell into their hands. GtVERAL 4NrHON\ WAYNE. Though they were justly exasperated by the brutal outrages of the British, which we have related, they conducted themselves towards their prisoners with a noble humanity. The British historian, Stedman. declares, " They (the Americans) would have been fully justified in putting the gar- rison to the sword ; not one man of which was put to death but in fair combat." It was one of the most brilliant expeditions of the war. Wayne now proceeded to prepare 444 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. for the reduction of the fort at Verplanck's Point, but while he was thus engaged a heavy British force ascended the river to its reh'ef, and he was obliged to forego his attacl: and also to abandon Stony Point. On the night of the eighteenth of June Major Henry Lee made a bold dash at the British fort at Paulus Hook, now Jersey City, and captured it, taking one hundred and fifty-nine prisoners. The Britisli made great efforts to intercept him, but he effected his retreat in safety, bringing off his prisoners and losing on!)' two men. For LlEUTEN.\NT-COLONEL HHNKY LEE. these gallant exploits both Wayne and Lee were each voted a gold medal by Congress. Towards the close of the summer of 1779 Washington resolved to inflict upon the Indians a severe punishment for their out- ■ ages upon the whites, and especially for massacres of Wyoming and Cherry Valley in the previous year. Early in August General Sullivan was sent into Western New York with three thousand men, with orders to ravish the country of the Six Nations. He was joined by General James Clinton with two thousand men, and on the twenty-ninth of August attacked and de- feated a force of seventeen hundred Indians and Tories at Newtown, now Elmira. Sulli- van followed up his victory by pushing for- ■\\ard into the Indian country and laying it waste with fire and sword. In the course of a few weeks he destroyed more than forty Indian villages and burned all the cornfields and orchards. The beautiful valley of the Genesee was made a desert, and to avoid starvation the Indians and their Tory allies were obliged to emigrate to Canada. They were quieted but for a time by the terrible vengeance of the Americans, and soon re- newed their depredations, and continued them to the end of the war. Congress had made great efforts to increase the force of the nav>', and the num- ber of American men-of-war had been materially enlarged. Many of them had been captured, however, by the enemy, and the na\y was still weak and unable to render much service to the cause, American Cruisers. The privateers were unusually active, and were hunted with unremitting vigilance by the English war vessels. They managed to inflict great loss upon the commerce of Great Britain, however. A number ol American cruisers were fitted out in France, and kept the English coast in terror. John Paul Jones, a native of Scotland, who had been brought to Virginia at an early age, was one of the first naval officers commissioned by Congress. He was given command of the " Ranger," a vessel of eighteen guns, and by his brilliant and daring exploits kept the English coast in a state of terror, and even ventured to attack exposed points on the coast of Scotland. In 1779 he was given command of a small squadron of three ships of war fitted out in France, and sailing from L'Orient, proceeded on a cruise along the coast of Great Britain. PAUL JONES SEIZING THE SILVER PLATE OF LADY SELKIRK 445 446 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. On the twenty-third of September he fell in with a fleet of merchantmen convoyed by two English frigates, and at once attacked them. The battle began at seven in the evening and was continned for three hours with great fury. Jones lashed his flagship, •file "Bon Homme Richard," to the English JOHN PAUL JONES. frigate " Serapis," and the two vessels fought muzzle to muzzle until the Serapis sur- rendered. The other English vessel was also captured. The battle was one of the most desperate in the annals of naval war- fare, and Jones' flagship was so badly inj'ured that it sunk in a few hours after the fighting was over. Jones was absent from home for about three years, during which time his exploits were numerous and of the most astonishing character. He was denounced as a pirate by the English, who became so alarmed by his achievements that many people did not feel safe even in London. Some of the timid ones looked out on the Thames, half-expecting to see the terrible fellow lay their city under tribute. At one time he landed on the coast of Scotland, and, appearing at the residence of the Earl of Selkirk, captured a large amount of silvei plate and booty. But he treated the Earl's household with great courtesy, and the plate that was seized at the time is now in the possession of the members of the Selkirk family. Paul Jones returned to Phila- delphia February i8, 1781, and received a hearty welcome. Con- gress gave him an appropriate medal and a vote of thanks. In October Sir Henry Clinton, in obedience to orders from home, evacuated Newport and concen^ trated his forces at New York, which place he believed was in danger of an attack by the Ameri- cans and French. Until the close of the season Washington cher- ished the hope that the French fleet would return and assist him ■ in an effort to regain New York, and had called out militia for this purpose. When he learned that D'Estaing had sailed tc the West Indies after the failure of the attack upon Savannah he dismissed the militia to their homes and went into winter quarters in New Jersey, with his headquarters at Morristown. While these events had been transpiring upon the Atlantic seaboard the United States AID FROM ABROAD. 447 had been steadily pushing their way west- ward beyond the mountains. In 1769, before the commencement of the Revolu- tion, the beautiful region now known as Kentucky had been visited and explored by Daniel Boone, a famous Indian hunter. He was charmed with the beauty of the country and the excellence of the climate, and re- solved to make it his home. The reports of Boone and his companions aroused a great interest in the new country among the in- habitants of the older settlements in Vir- ginia and North Carolina, more especially as it was in this region that the lands given to the Virginia troops for their services in the French war were located. Surveyors were soon after sent out to lay off these lands, and in 1773 a party under Captain Bullit reached the falls of the Ohio and built a fortified canip there for the purpose of sur- veying the region. The Celebrated Daniel Boone. This was the commencement of the city of Louisville, but the actual settlement of the place was not begun until 1778. In 1774 Harrodsburg was founded by James Harrod, one of Boone's companions ; and in 1775 Daniel Boone built a fort on the site of the present town of Boonesborough. The sav- ages made repeated attacks upon his party, but failed to drive them away. The fort was finished by the middle of April, and soon after Boone was joined by his wife and daughters, the first white women in Ken- tucky. The region of Kentucky was claimed by Virginia, but the settlers submitted to the authority of that province with impatience. They sent a delegate to the Continental Congress in October, 1775, and claimed re- presentation in that body as an independent colony under the name of Transylvania; but the delegate of the fourteenth colony was not admitted by Congress, as Virginia claimed the territory as her own. In the spring of 1777 the general assembly of Virginia organized the Kentucky region as a county, and established a court of quarte; sessions at Harrodsburg. In this condition Kentucky remained during the Revolution MEDAL STRUCK IN HONOR OF PAUL JONES. The population increased rapidly in spite of the war and of the unremitting hostility 0/ the Indians. During the revolution the Kentucky set- tlements suffered very much from the hos- tility of the Indians, who were urged on by the emissaries of Great Britain to a war o.' THE AMERICAN REVOEUTION. DANIEL BOONE. extermination. The principal agent of the mother country in this barbarous warfare was Hamilton, the British commander at Detroit. In order to put a stop to his intrigues and deprive the Indians of his aid, Congress re- solved to despatch 3 force to attack Detroit While this plan waF in contemplation the State of Virginia in 177S- sent Colonel George Rogers Clarke with a force of two hundred men to conquer the ter- ritory northwest of ;he Ohio, which \'irginir claimed as a part of he! possessions. Clarke wai a backwoodsman, bu^ one of nature's heroes. He assembled his men at Pittsburg, and des cended the Ohio to the falls in flat-boats. Therr he established a setf ment of thirteen familic.-,, the germ of the present city of Louisville. Being joined by some Kentu^k- ians he continued ui» descent of the rivej- to a short distance below the mouth of the Tennessee. Landing and conceal ing Lis boats, he struck across the country and surprised and captured the town of Kaskaskia, within the limits of the present State of Indiana. A detachment was sent to Kahokia, and re- ceived its submission. The people of these towns were of French origin, and were greatly averse to the English rule under MD FROM ABROAD. 4^ which they had hved since the conquest of Canada. The aUiance between the United States and France made them very willing to ac- knowledge the authority of the Union, to which they readily swore allegian,vi. The fort at Vincennes was in a weak condition and was held by a small garrison, and readily submitted to Clarke. Hamilton no sooner heard of the suc- cesses of Clarke than he set out from De- troit on the seventh of October, 1778, with a force of three hundred and fifty warriors, and on the seventeenth of December reoc- cupied Vincennes. He now prepared to drive the Americans out of the Illinois country, and spent the winter in trying to arouse the savages against them. He offered a significant reward for every American scalp brought in to him, but offered nothing for prisoners. At the same time he pro- posed to invade Virginia in the spring with with an overwhelming force of Indian! " To Their Armpits in Water." Clarke and his party were in very great danger. They were entirely cut off from Virginia, and without hope of reinforements. In this emergency, Clarke, who had learned that Hamilton had greatly weakened the garrison at Vincennes, resolved to stake the fate of the west on a single issue, and attempt the capture of that post. On the seventh of February, 1779, he left Kaskaskia with one hundred and thirty men, and marched across the country towards Vincennes. On the eighteenth they wer' within nine miles of Vincennes. The Wabash had overflowed the country along its banks, and in order to reach the object of their march, Clarke and his men were obliged to cross the submerged lands, up to their armpits in water. They were five days in crossing these " drowned lands," 2«» and had the weather been less mild must have perished. On the twenty-thirJ Vin- cennes was reached, and the town was at once carried. Clarke then laid siege to the fort, assisted in this task by the inhabitants of the town, and in twenty-four hours com pelled Hamilton and his men to surrende. themselves prisoners of war. A British 'Scheme Frustrated. Clarke was unable to advance against Detroit because of the insufficiency of his force. His successes, however, were among the most important of the war. They not only put an end to the British scheme of a general Indian war along the western frontier of the United States, but established the authority of the Union over the country east of the Mississippi, and prevented Great Bri- tain from asserting a claim to that region at the conclusion of peace, a few years later. Returning to the Ohio, Clarke built a block- house at the falls. The conquered territory was claimed by Virginia, and was erected by the legislature of that State into the county of Illinois. By order of Governor Jefferson of Virf,inia, darke established a fort on the Mississippi, about five miles below the mouth of the Ohio, which he named Fort Jefferson, and entered into friendly relations with the Spaniards at St. Louis. The Tennessee region, which formed a part of the province of North Carolina, had been settled previous to the outbreak of hos- tilities. Fort Loudon, about thirty miles southwest of KnoxviUe, was built in 1756, and in 1770 the Cumberland Valley was settled, and Nashville was founded. By the commencement of the revolution the Ten- nessee country was quickly settled, and the population was increasing at an encouraging rate. In 1776 the Cherokees, incited by the British, waged a formidable war upon the settlers, but wen? defeated. CHAPTER XXX The Close of the War Severity of the Winter of 1779-80 — Sufferings of the American Army — Clinton Sails for the Carolinas — Col- onel Tarleton — Capture of Charleston — Conquest of South Carolina — Gates iu Command of the Southern Army — Battle of Camden — Exploits of Marion and Sumter — Advance of Cornwallis — Battle of King's Mountain — Gates Succeeded by General Greene — Kuyphausen's Expedition into New Jersey — Arrival of the French Fleet and Army — Arnold's Treason — The Plot for the Betrayal of West Point — Arrest of Major Andre — Flight of Arnold — Execution of Andre — Mutiny of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Troops- Measures of Congress — Arnold Captures Richmond, Virginia — Battle of Cowpens — Masterly Retreat of General Greene — Cornwallis BafHed — Battle of Guilford Court House — Cornwallis at Wilmington — Battle of Hobkirk's Hill — Siege of Ninety-six — Execution of Colonel Hayne — Battle of Eutaw Springs — Wash- ington Decides to Attack New York — The French Army on the Hudson — Financial Affairs — Resumption of Specie Paj-ments — Message from the Count De Grasse — Cornwallis at Yorktown — The American Army Moves Southward — Siege of Yorktown — Surrender of Cornwallis — Effect of the News in England — Indian Troubles — Efforts in England for Peace — Negotiations Opened — Treaty of Paris — End of the War — The Army Disbanded — Washington Resigns his Commission. THE winter of 1779-80 was passed by the American army in huts near Morristown. It was one of the severest seasons ever experienced in America. The harbor of New York was frozen over as far as the Narrows, and the ice was strong enough to bear the heaviest artillery. Comnniuication between New York and the sea was entirely cut off and the British garrison and the citizens suf- fered from a scarcity of provisions. Knyp- hausen was afraid the Americans would seek to pass the Hudson on the ice and at- tack the city, and landed the crews of the shipping in the harbor and added them to the garrison. His precautions were use- less, as the American army was too weak and too poorly supplied to undertake the capture of New York. The troops at Morristown suffered very greatly during the winter. They had scarce- ly clothing enough to protect them from the cold ; and provisions were so scarce that in order to keep his men from starvation Washington was compelled to impress sup- plies from the people of the surrounding 450 country. The heavy snows made the army entirely dependent upon New Jersey for its subsistence, as transportation from a long distance could not be attempted. The people of New Jersey bore the sacrifices im- posed upon them with a noble cheerfulness, and though their state was drained almost to exhaustion, were untiring in their efforts to provide food and clothing for the troops. The Continental currency had fallen so low that one dollar in silver was worth thirty dollars in paper by the beginning of the year 1780; but neither officers nor men could obtain their pay in this depreciated currency. It was almost impossible for the government to purchase anything with its notes. About the last of December, 1779, Sir Henry Clinton, leavinga strong garrison un- derGeneral Knyphausen to hold New York, sailed south, with the greater part of his army, in the fleet of Admiral Arbuthnot. " He proceeded first to Savannah, and then moved northward for the purpose of besieg- ing Charleston. Gen. Lincoln exerted him- self with energy to fortify that city. Four| THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 45 1 thousand citizens enrolled il,eniselvcs to as'sist the regular garrison in the defence, but only two hundred militia from the interior responded to Lincoln's call for aid. Rein- forcements were received from Virginia and North Carolina, and Lincoln was able to muster seven thousand men, of whom but two thousand were regular troops. In February, 1780, the British landed at St. John's island, about thirty miles below Charleston. Clinton advanced towards the city along the banks of the Ashley, while the fleet sailed around to force an entrance into the harbor. The advance of Clinton was very gradual, and Lincoln was enabled to strengthen his works and prepare for a siege. It was not until early in April that Clinton's army appeared before the Amer- ican works and began preparations to reduce them. A day or two later the British fleet passed Fort Moultrie with but little loss and took position off the city. British Successes. Clinton had lost nearly all his horses on the voyage from New York, and was anxious to replace them from the country north of Charleston. The Americans had stationed bodies of militia at different points north of the city to keep open the communications with Charleston, and to prevent the foraging parties of the British from reaching the inte- rior. Clinton intrusted the task of breaking up these posts and obtaining fresh horses to Lieutenant- Colonel Banastre Tarleton, a young and energetic officer. Tarleton was short of stature, of a dark, swarthy com- plexion, and broad shouldered and muscular He was insensible to fatigue, unscrupulous as to the means by which he accomplished his objects, merciless in battle, and unflag- ging in pursuit. He was one of the most efficient officers in the English army, and one of the most cruel. By purchase from friends and seizures front foes, he soon supplied Clinton with all the horses he needed. Ho then began his at- tempt to break up the American posts north of Charleston. On the night of the 14th of April, he surprised a body of fourteen hun- dred cavalry under General Huger and Col- onel William Washington, at Monk's Corner, about thirty miles north of Charleston. The Americans were defeated with a loss of one hund4-ed prisoners and four hundred wagons laden with stores. A little later Fort Moul- trie surrendered, and soon after Tarleton cut to pieces another detachment of American cavalry. Charleston was now completely invested, and the siege was pressed with vigor by Clin- ton. Lincoln's situation became every day more hopeless. The fire of the British artil- lery destroyed his defences and dismounted his cannon, and as he was entirely cut ofif from the country he had no hope of relief from without. On the ninth of May a terri ble fire was opened upon the defences and the city of Charleston. The city was set on fire in five places, and the American works were reduced to a mass of ruins. Surrender of Charleston. On the twelfth Lincoln surrendered the town and his army to Sir Henry Clinton. The pri- soners, including every male adult in the city, numbered about si.x thousand men. The reg- ulars were held as prisoners of war, but the militia were dismissed to their homes on their promise not to serve again during the war. Clinton followed up his capture of the city by a series of vigorous measures. Tarleton was despatched into the interior to attack a Virginia regiment under Beaufort, which was advancing to the relief of Charleston. Beaufort began his retreat as soon as he heard of the surrender of Charleston, but was overtaken and surprised by Tarleton at 452 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Waxhaw's, on the boundary of North Carolina. The British had made a forced march of one hundred and five miles in fifty-four hours. They gave no quarters to the Americans, and put to the sword all who were unable to escape. Their barbarous conduct on this occasion was termed by the American's 'Tarleton's quarters." A second column was sent by Clinton to Augusta, and a third towards Camden to reduce the country between Charleston and those points. They encountered but little resistance. Negroes Desert their Masters. Clinton issued a proclamation threatening to visit the severest punishiTiCnts upon those who refused to submit to the royal authority, and this was followed a little later by another, offering pardon to all who would return to their allegiance and assist in restoring the authority of the king. The measures of the British commander were entir ly successful, and South Carolina was so completely sub- j-ugated that early in June Sir Henry Clinton sailed for New York, leaving Lord Corn- wallis to complete the conquest of the State. The country abounded in Tories, who e.x erted themselves actively to assist the British commander in his efforts to hold the Carol inas in subjection. Large numbers of them joined the British army, and " loyal legion? " were formed in various parts of the country. The only resistance kept up by the Ameri- cans was maintained by the partisan corps of patriots led by Marion, Sumter, and Pickens. The exploits of these daring bands caused the British commander to feel that he could not hold the Carol inas e.xcept by the aid of a strong force, and kept him in a state of con- stant uneasiness. On the sixteenth of A-Ugust Sumter defeated a large body of British and Tories at Hanging Rock, east of theWateree river. Large numbers of negroes deserted their masters and fled to the British. In order to offer a definite resistance to the British, and to collect a regular army to oppose them, the Baron De Kalb was sent to to take command of the troops in the south, and all the regulars south of Pennsylvania were ordered to join him. De Kalb man- aged to collect about two regiments, and with these moved slowly southward. A lack of provisions forced him to halt three weeks on Deep river, one of the upper tributaries of the Cape Fear. Matters were so bad in the south that Con- gress resolved to send General Gates, the conqueror of Burgoyne, to take command of the army in that quarter. General Charles Lee, who knew that Gates was not the man to retrieve such losses, predicted that " his northern laurels would soon be changed into southern willows." Gates hastened south- ward, and overtook De Kalb at Deep river, and assumed the command. De Kalb ad- vised him to move into South Carolina by a circuitous route through the county of Meck- lenburg, which was true to the patriot cause, and where provisions could be easily ob- tained. Total Defeat of General Gates. Gates declined to take his advice, and marched towards Camden by the direct route, which led througii a barren and almost uninhabited region. He was sure that his ■ wagons from the north laden with provisions; ■ would overtake the troops in two days ; but he was mistaken ; the wagons never made their appearance, and the troops suffered greatly from hunger and disease. His army increased every day by reinforcements from Virginia and North Carolina. On the thir- teenth of August, he reached Clermont, aboiit twelve miles from Camden. His force now amounted to nearly four thousand men, nearly two-thirds of whom were Con- tinentals. The close of the war. 4S3 Upon the approach of Gates, Lord Raw- don, the British commander in this part of the State, fell back to Camden, where he was joined by Cornwallis, who had just arrived from Charleston, and who assumed the com- mand. On the night of the fifteenth, Gates moved nearer to Cam- den, and at the same time Cornwallis advanced to ittack Gates, whom he hoped to surprise. The advanced guards en- countered each other in the woods, and the two armies halted until morn- ing. The battle began with dawn, on the six- teenth of August. The militia fled at the first charge of the British, but the Continentals, under the brave De Kalb, stood firm, though attacked in front and flank. At length De Kalb fell mor- tally wounded, and the Continentals gave way. The American army was completely routed, and was broken up into small parties and scattered through the country. These continued a dis- orderly retreat, closely followed for about thirty miles by Tarleton's cav- alry, who cut them down without mercy. The battle of Camden was the most disas- trous defeat incurred by the Americans curing the whole war. They lost nearly eighteen hundred men in killed and prison- ers, and all their artillery and stores. A few days after the battle, Gates reached Char- lotte, North Carolina, with about two hun- dred men, the remains of the qrmy which his incapacity had ruined. A few days previous to the battle, Sumter surprised a detachment convoying stores to the British army at Camden, and took two LORD CORNWALLIS. hundred prisoners. As soon as Cornwallis heard of this, he sent Tarleton in pursuit of the " Game Cock," as he styled Sumtei. Tarleton pushed forward with such vigor that half of his men and horses were broken down. He overtook Sumter at Fishing THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 455 Creek, on the west bank of the Catawba, and routed him with the loss of the greater part of his partisan corps, and rescued the prisoners. Early in December afterwards, an engage- ment took place between the Whigs and Tories on Long Cane, near Ninety-Six, which resulted disastrously to the patriot cause, and which was of sufficient importance to be noticed. Colonel Benjamin Few, of Georgia, was the senior officer in com- mand of the Whigs, composed of Georgia and South Carolina militia. Colonel Cruger, the British officer in command at Ninety-Six, with a greatly uperior force, determined to attack i^ew in his camp by surprise. His forces were within three miles of Few's camp before the latter was aware of their approach. Colonel Clarke, Lieu- tenant Colonel McCall,and Major John Lindsay, with one hundred men, were ^ ordered out to meet and skirmish with the enemy until the main body of Few's forces could bo brought to their ssistance. In this skirmish, Clarke received a wound in the shoulder which was thought to be mortal, and was carried from the field. McCall was wounded in the arm, and his horse being killed uiider him, narrowly made his escape. Major Lindsay lost his sword-hand by a sabre cut just at the wrist-joint. The advance or skirmish- ing party were routed, with fourteen killed and seven, chiefly officers, wounded. Colonel Few, then acting as brigadier-general, re- treated with the balance of his forces with- out further loss. All united and organized resistance to the British in the Carolinas now ceased for a time. The true policy of Cornwallis was to conciliate the people by acts of clemency, but instead of this he exasperated them by his unneces- sary severity. Among the prisoners taken at the defeat of Sumter were a number who had given their parole not to serve during the war. Some of these were hanged on the spot; the remainder were subjected to a severe impri- sonment. These severities aroused a desire for vengeance among the people, and gave many recruits to Marion, who from the swamps of the lower Pedee maintained a constant and severe partisan warfare against the British. GENERAL FRANCIS MARION. At the same time, Sumter by great exer- tion recruited his command, and resumed his operations in the upper country. These bands were deficient in arms at first, but sup- plied themselves from the enemy. They made their own gunpowder, cast their own bullets, and provided food for themselves and their horses. By their rapid and secret movements they kept the British in a state of constant alarm. They would make a sud- den and unexpected attack upon the enemy 456 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. at some exposed point, and before pursuit could be attempted would be miles away, or safe in the labyrinths of the swamps. Gates continued to retreat slowly to the northward after his defeat. He had now about a thousand men with him. Virginia and Maryland made great exertions to rein- force him, but without success. The Patriots Aroused. In September, Cornwallis advanced north- ward with the main body of his army. Upon reaching Charlotte he despatched Colonel Ferguson, one of his most trusted officers, to rally the Tories among the mountains in the interior. Cornwallis intended to advance from Charlotte by way of Salisbury and Hills- borough into Virginia, and form a junction with a force to be sent to the lower Chesa- peake by Sir Henry Clinton. The success of this movement would complete the subjuga- tion of the south . The patriots in the country through which his army passed were very active. His expresses were captured or shot, and his plans made known to the Americans. While Ferguson was on the march, Corn- wallis advanced to Salisbury. The movement of Ferguson roused the patriots of the interior counties to arms, and they assembled rapidly, with the intention of cutting him off" from the army under Corn- wallis. They came from all directions, from as far as Kentucky and Tennessee. Their weapons were their rifles, to the use of which they had been trained from childhood ; they had no baggage; and they moved forward as rapidly as their horses could carry them. These forces had been gathering for several days before the rumors of their march reached Colonel Ferguson. He regarded the reports with distrust at first, but upon receiving more accurate information began a rapid retreat. About the same time the various parties of the Americans effected a junction. They numbered three thousand men. A council of war was held, and it was resolved to send forward a detachment to bring Ferguson to a stand, and to follow with the main body as quickly as possible. Brilliant Exploits of Colonel Campbell. Nine hundred meu mounted on swift horses, were sent forward, under Colonel Campbell. They rode for thirty-six hours, a large part of the time through a drenching rain, and dismounted but once during this period. Ferguson, alarmed and astounded at this determination to crush him, fell back to a strong position on King's mountain, near the Catawba. He was attacked there on the seventh of October by the Americans, and defeated after a hotly contested fight. Fer- guson and about one hundred and fifty of his men were killed, the remainder were com- pelled to surrender. The prisoners num- bered about nine hundred and fifty, of whom about one hundred and fifty were wounded. The Americans lost twenty killed and a somewhat larger number wounded. The North Carolinians selected ten of the Tories who had earned their fate bv their cruelties to the Americans, and hanged them on the spot. The Americans then separated and re- turned home, after seeing their prisoners safe in the hands of the proper authorities. Their victory raised the drooping spirits of their countrymen, and encouraged them to fresh exertions to resist the British. As soon as Cornwallis heard of it, he abandoned his for- ward movement, and, falling back into South Carolina, took position between the Broad and Saluda rivers. He remained there unti' the close ^f the year. Marion took advantage of the change c feeling caused by the victory of King's mour tain to renew his operations on the Pedee, bt Tarleton compelled him to withdraw to hi THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 457 fastness in the swamps. Sumter was more successful in tiie northern part of the State, and defeated a detchment sent in pursuit of him. Tarleton then went after him in person, ut was defeated and forced to retreat. Sum- ^r was wounded in this engagement, and -vas compelled to withdraw from the field for several months. During this period his com- mand, deprived of their leader, disbanded. The contest in the Carolinas de- generated into a savage civil war. The patriots and Tories fought each other wherever they met, and destroyed each other's property throughout the State. The country was thus kept in constant terror. Upon the retreat of Cornwallis from Salisbury, Gates advanced southward as far as Charlotte. Here he was relieved of his com- / mand by General Nathaniel Greene, who had been appointed by Con- gress, at the urgent solicitation of Washington, to take charge of the southern department. Gates had given great disatisfaction by his failure in the south, and Congress ordered a court of inquiry to exa- mine into his conduct. Greene was ylaced in charge of the entire south " from Delaware to Georgia, "subject to the control of the commander-in- chief." Thus Washington was given the supreme direction of the war. Greene pos- sessed his entire confidence, and the most cordial and affectionate relations existed between them. Greene found the rem- nants of Gates' army in a half mutinous condition. The men were without pay, without clothing, and suffering for the necessaries of life. Reinforcements were sent him from the north, among which were Morgan's regiment of riflemen, Lee's legion of lighthorse, and several batteries of artil- lery. We must now return to the army under Washington. As the spring opened the sufferings of the troops at Morristown in- creased. Food was so scarce that the troops were driven to desperation. Two regiments of Connecticut troops declared their intention to abandon the army and march home, or wrest provisions from the people of the sur- GENERAL NATHANIEL GREENE. rounding country by force. Washington wa! compelled to exert all his influence and authority to restore order. It was with great difficulty that provisions were procured, and the wants of the troops supplied. The danget caused by this state of affairs was so greaf that Congress authorized Washington to declare martial law. The news of these troubles in the American camp induced Knyphausen to undertake an expedition into New Jersey. He landed «' 458 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Elizabethtown, with five thousand men, on the sixth of June, and marched towards Springfield. His advance was warmly con- tested by the militia of the region, but he penetrated as far as the village of Connecticut Farms. Being unable to advance farther he caused the village to be sacked and burned ; and Mrs. Caldwell, the wife of the minister most infamous deeds of the war, and gave rise to a fierce and general spirit of vengeance. Her bushand, an eloquent and highly es- teemed minister, animated his contrymen by his stirring sermons, and he soon had the satisfaction of seeing that his labors were not in vain. After the return of Sir Henr)- Clinton to •,M j/ ;j , NOW PUT WATTS INTO THEM, BOYS. of the village, was murdered by some of the British troops. The militia of the region gathered in force, and Knyphausen was obliged to make a hasty retreat to Eliza- bethtown. The murder of Mrs. Caldwell aroused the most intense excitement throughout New Jersey. It was denounced as one of the New York Washington moved a part of hIS troops towards the Highlands. Knyphausen again advanced from Elizabethtown towards Springfield, hoping to gain the passes beyonO Morristown before his march should be dis- covered. His advance was detected, however, and General Greene, who was in command of the American forces, prepared to resist THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 459 him. A sharp fight ensued, in which Greene succeeded in checking the British advance. The New Jersey regiment, of which Caldwell was chaplain, was engaged in the battle. The wadding of the men gave out, and Caldwell, mounting his horse, galloped to the Presbyterian church, and returned with an armful of Dr. Watts' hymn books, which he distributed among the troops, with the pious injunction, " Now put Watts into them, boys ! " The militia came flocking in to the support of General Greene, and Knyphausen finding it impossible to advance farther, burned Springfield and fell back to Elizabeth- town. Return of Lafayette. The Americans were greatly encouraged in the spring by the return of Lafayette, who had spent the winter in France. He had been successful in his endeavors to induce the French court to send another fleet and army to the assistance of the patriots ; and he now brought the good news that a new expedition was on its way to America. In July a fleet under Count de Tiernay, with an army of seven thousand men, under Count de Rochambeau, reached Newport. The Count de Rochambeau was directed by his government to place himself under the orders of General Warhington in order to avoid disputes that might arise from military etiquette. This expedition was the first divi • sion of the army to be sent to America by France. The second division was to sail from Brest, but was unable to do so, as it was blockaded in that harbor by a British squadron. Thus the supplies of arms and clothing which were to have been sent to the American army were delayed, and the troops under Washington were unable to cooperate with the French in an attack upon New York. An English fleet had followed the French across the Atlantic, and Clinton was anxious to secure its cooperation in an attack upon the French at Newport. He could not agree with Admiral Arbuthnot upon a plan of attack, and the English admiral contented himself with blockading the French in New port harbor. Washington called out the militia of New England to assist in the de- fence of Newport in case of an attack. The French fleet was shut up in this port, and to the great disappointment of Washington, was unable to take part in any combined operation. Some weeks later Washington, anxious to strike a decisive blow at the enemy, invited the French commanders, De Tiernay and Rochambeau, to meet him at Hartford, to arrange a plan for an attack upon New York. The meeting was held, but it was decided to ask the cooperation of the French admiral in the West Indies, as the fleet at Newport was not strong enough to cope with the British fleet at New York. Until the answer of the admiral was received nothing could be done. A Treasonable Plot. While absent at Hartford a plot was dis- covered which involved the fair fame of one of the most brilliant officers of the American army. General Benedict Arnold had been disabled by the wounds he had received at Quebec and Saratoga from undertakingactive service, and through the influence of Wash- ington had been placed in command of Phila- delphia after its evacuation by Clinton in 1778. There he lived in a style far beyond his means, and became involved in debts, which he was unable to pay. To raise the funds to discharge them he engaged in pri- vateering and mercantile speculations. These were generally unsuccessful, and merely in- creased his difficulties. His haughty and overbearing manner involved him in 1 quar- 4t5o THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. rel with the authorities of Pennsylvania who accused him before Congress of abusing his official position and misusinr the public funds. He was tried by a court-martial and was sentenced to be reprimanded by the com- mander-in-chief. Washington performed this disagreeable task as delicately as possible, >ut did not lose his confidence in Arnold. BENEDICT ARNOLD. He knew him as an able officer, but, as his acquaintance with him was limited, was most Jikely ignorant of the faults of Arnold's char- acter, which were well known to the mem- bers of Congress from Connecticut, who had no confidence in him. To them he was known to be naturally- dishonest, regardless of the rights of others, and cruel and tyran- nical in his dealings with those under his authority. Arnold never forgave the dis- grace inflicted upon him by the sentence of the court-martial, and cherished the deter- mination to be revenged upon Washington for the reprimand received from him. While in Philadelphia, Arnold had marrier a member of a Tory family, and was thuo enabled to communicate readily with thf British officers. He opened a correspond ence with Sir Henry Clinton, signing himse)' Gustavus. He kept up this cor respondence for several months and then made himself known to the British commander. In the meantime, at his earnest soli citation, he was appointed by Washington, in August, 1780 to the command of West Point the strongest and most important fortress in America. He did this with the deliberate intention 01 betraying the post into the hands of the enemy. The correspondence had been conducted on the part of Si) Henry Clinton by Major Johf Andre of the British army, h young man of amiable character and more than ordinary accom- plishments. He wrote under the assumed name of John Ander son. He was an especial favorit of Sir Henry Clinton, and wa. beloved by the whole army ir which he served. Soon after thf appointment of Arnold to the command 01 West Point, Andre volunteered to go up the Hudson and have an interview with him for the purpose of completing the arrangements for the betrayal of that fortress. H's offer was accepted by Clinton, and he ascended the Hudson as far as Haverstraw in the sloop of war " Vulture." He was set ashore and was met near Haverstraw on the west bank of the Hudson by General Arnold, THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. m the twenty-second of September. The meeting took place about dark, and the iiiglit had passed before the arrangements were completed. Much against his will, Andre was compelled to pass the next day within the American lines. During the twenty-third the " Vulture," having attracted the attention of the Americans, was fired upon and forced to drop down the river, Andre found the man who had set him ashore unwilling to row him back to the sloop, and he was compelled to return to New York by land. He changed his uniform for a citizen's dress, and, provided with a pass from Arnold, under the name of John Anderson, set out for New York along the east bank of the river, which he deemed safer than the opposite shore. All went well unci! Andre reached the vicinity of Tarry- town. There he was stopped by three young men, John Paulding, David Williams, and Tsaac Van Wart. They asked him his name and destination, and he, suppos- ing them to be Tories, did not use the pass given him by Arnold, but frankly avowed himself a British officer travelling on important business. To his dismay he then learned that his captors were of the patriotic party, and he offered them his watch, purse, and any reward they might name if they would suffer him to pro- ceed. They refused to allow him to stir a step, and searched his person. They found concealed in his boots papers giving the plan of West Point, and an account of its garrison. Andre was taken by his captors before Colonel Jamison, the commander of the nearest American post. Jamison recognized the handwriting as that cf Arnold, but, un- willing to believe that his commander could be guilty of treason, he detained the prisoner, and wrote to Arnold informing him of the arrest of Andre and of the papers found upon his person. The papers themselves he for- warded by a special messenger to Washing- ton, who was on his return from Hartford. Arnold received Colonel Jamison's letten MAJOR ANDRE. as he sat at breakfast with some of his offi- cers. He concealed his emotion, and excus- ing himself to his guests, called his wife from the room, told her he must flee for his life, and hastening to his barge, escaped down the river to the " Vulture," and was received on board by the commander of th.^t vessel. From his place of safety he wrote to Wash- ington, asking him to protect his wife, who, '4(52 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. he declared, was innocent of any share in his plot. When he learned that Arnold was safe, Andre wrote to Washington, and confessed the whole plot. He was at once brought to trial upon the charge of being within the American lines as a spy. The court-martial was presided over by General Greene, and Lafayette and Steuben were among its mem- bers. Andre asserted that he had been induced to enter the American lines by the misrepresentations of Arnold. The Infamous Plot Confessed, He denied that he was a spy, and though cautioned not to say anything that might criminate himself, he frankly confessed the whole plot. He was sentenced, upon his own confession, to be hanged. Clinton made great exertions to save him, and Washing- ton, whose sympathy was won by the amiable .haracter of Andre, was anxious to spare him. The circumstances of the case de- manded that the law should be executed, and Andre was hanged at Tappan, near the Hudson, on the second of October, 1780. Congress voted to each of his three captors a pension of two hundred dollars for life and .nd a silver medal. The plot of Arnold had been discovered by the merest chance, and the American cause had narrowly escaped a crushing dis- aster. The loss of West Point would have ^^iven the British the entire control of the Hudson, and have enabled them to separate New England from the Middle and Southern States. It might have proved fatal to the cause, and certaiiily would have reduced Washington to great extremities. Arnold received for his treachery the sum of ten thousand pounds sterling and a commission as brigadier-general in the English service. He was regarded with general contempt by the English officers, who refused to associate with him, and were greatly averse to serving under him. In the summer of 1780 it seemed likely that England would be involved in war with the whole civilized world. The claina of Great Britain to the right to search the ves- sels of neutral nations for articles contraband of war was productive of great annoyance to the northern powers, whose commerce was subjected to serious loss by these arbi- trary measures. Catharine II. of Russia determined to resist it, and organized with Denmark and Sweden a league known as the " Armed Neutrality," for the purpose of enforcing the principle that neutral ships in time of war are entitled to carry merchan- dise without being liable to search or seizure by the belligerent powers. War in Europe. Holland joined this league, and concludcJ a secret commercial treaty with the United States. This treaty was discovered by Great Britain almost immediately, and in the fol- lowing manner : The American minister to Holland, Henry Laurens, was captured at sea by a British frigate. He threw his papers, the treaty among them, into the sea, but they were recovered by an English sailor, who sprang overboard and secured them. They were laid before the British government, which demanded that Holland should dis- avow the treaty and the correspondence with the United States. The Dutch government returned an evasive answer, and England immediately declared war against Holland. The English fleet at once proceeded to attack the Dutch possessions and commerce in all parts of the world. Holland declared war against Great Britain, and her fleet was added to that of France against England. Spain now made an alliance with France against England, and sent her fleet to co- operate with the French in the West Indies, ESCAPE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. 463 4^4 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. and also laid siege to Gibraltar. The Irish about the same time demanded a reform of the many abuses from which that island had been suffering since the battle of the Boyne, and this demand was sustained by a force of eighty thousand armed Protestant volunteers which had been raised for the defence of Ire- land against a threatened attack of the French. They demanded an independent parliament, and even threatened a total separation from Great Britain. In the face of these difficul- ties the spirit of England rose higher than ever, and that country, with a vigor worthy of her ancient renown, put forth all her energies to find a way out of her difficulties. The whole world was arrayed against her, but in the face of it she held her own. The heroism manifested by England at this try- ing period is worthy of the highest admira- tion. Sufferings of the Patriots. The American army passed the winter of 17S0-81 in cantonments east and west of the Hudson. The Pennsylvania troops were stationed near Morristown, and the New Jer- Jersey regiments at Pompton. Though the troops were better provided with food than during the previous winter their sufferings were still very severe. They were neglected by Congress, which was too much occupied with its dissensions to make any serious effort to relieve the wants of the soldiers. The Pennsylvania troops had an especial cause of complaint. Their enlistments were for three years or the war. The three years had expired, but the government refused to discharge them on the ground that the enlist- ments were for the period of the war no matter how long it should last. The troops on the other hand contended that the words, 'for the war," meant that the enlistments should expire if the war closed in less than three years. On the first of January, 1781, thirteen hundred Pennsylvania troops left the camp at Morristown under arms and set off for Philadelphia to obtain redress from Con- gress. General Wayne, their commander, placed himself in front of them, and, pistol in hand, attempted to stop their march, hi an instant their bayonets were at his breast. " We love, we respect you," they ex- claimed, " but you are a dead man if you fire. Do not mistake us ; we are not going to the enemy ; were they now to come out you would see us fight under your orders with as much resolution and alacrity as ever." They halted at Princeton, where they were met by the agents of Sir Henry Clinton, who endeavored to induce them to join the British service. They promptly seized these men and delivered them up to General Wayne as spies. At a later period it was proposed to reward them for this action, but they refused to accept anything, saying : " We ask no reward for doing our duty to our country." Mutiny Promptly Quelled. Congress was greatly alarmed by the ap« proach of these troops, and a committee, accompanied by Reed, the President of Penn- sylvania, was sent to meet them. The com- mittee met the leaders of the mutineers and agreed to relieve their immediate wants and to secure them their back pay by means of certificates. Permission was given to all who had served three years to withdraw from the army. Upon these conditions the troops returned to duty. The disaffection was increased by the yielding of Congress. On the twentieth of January the New Jersey troops at Pompton mutinied, but this out- break was quelled by a detachment sent from West Point by Washington. The mutiny opened the eyes of the couu- I try to the sufferings of the army, and aroused THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 46c all parties tc the necessity of providing for the troops. It was clearly understood that a failure to sustain the army would result in the defeat of the cause. Urgent appeals were made by Congress to all the States, especially to those of New England, to sup- ply the wants of the army, and Congress endeavored to negotiate a loan abroad. Direct taxation was resorted to to provide money at once. The British in Virginia. The year 1781 opened with a military ex- pedition under the command of the traitor Arnold, now a brigadier-general in the British service. Early in January he was sent by Sir Henry Clinton, with si.xteen hundred British and Tories, from New York to the Chesapeake to ravage the shores of Virginia, After plundering the plantations along the lower bay and the James, Arnold ascended the river, and landing his troops marched to Richmond. Thomas Jefferson, tnen Governor of Virginia, called out the militia, but only a handful responded. Arnold occupied Richmond, burned the public buildings and some private dwellings, and then re-embarked and dropped down the the river to Portsmouth. Washington was anxious to capture him, and sent Lafayette with a force of twelve hundred men south- ward by land to prevent Arnold from escaping overland to join Cornwallis in the Carolinas, and at the same time the French fleet sailed from Newport for the Chesapeake to prevent the escape of the traitor by water. The British Admiral Arbuthnot followed the French fleet artd brought it to an en- gagement off the mouth of the Chesapeake. The French were worsted and obliged to return to Newport, and Admiral Arbuthnot entered the bay and reinforced Arnold with two thousand British troops under General Philips, who assumed the command at Ports- 30 mouth and fortified his position there. Froip. his camp he sent out detachments to ravage the country in all directions. Lafayette, in the meantime, upon hearing of the failure of the plan, halted at Annapolis, in Maryland. Arnold, upon being superseded by Philips, returned to New York. Battle of the " Cowpens." Early in January Cornwallis, who was at Winnsborough, South Carolina, sent Colonel Tarleton, with a force of one thousand cavalry and light infantry, to cut off Mor- gan's division from the column under Gen- eral Greene. Morgan was between the Broad and Catawba Rivers at the time, and upon hearing of Tarleton's approach began to retreat towards the Catawba. Tarleton pushed on with such speed that Morgan saw he must be overtaken. He accordingly halted and took position at the " Cowpens," ahout thirty miles west of King's Mountain, and rested his men. Tarleton arrived in front of this position on the seventeenth of January and made an impetuous attack upon the Americans. At first he drove the mili- tia before him, but Morgan keeping his Continentals well in hand, suddenly wheeled upon him and drove him from the field. The two forces were about equal. Morgan lost but eighty men, while the loss of the British was over si.K hundred. Tarleton escaped from the field with only a few of his cavalry. Cornwalli.5 moved forward as soon as he learned of Tarleton's defeat. He supposed that Morgan would be encumbered with his wounded and prisoners, and would be slow in leaving the scene of his victory, and he hoped by a rapid march to come up with him, crush him, and rescue the prisoners before he could join General Greene. Mor- gan was much too wary to be caught in , such a trap. He felt sure Cornwallis would 466 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. seek to avenge Tarleton's defeat, and leaving his wounded under a flag of truce, he re- sumed his retreat witli all speed immediately after the battle, and hurrying towards the Catawba, crossed that river. Two hours after he had passed it the advance of Cornwallis' army reached the bank o*' the river, but owing to a sudden rise in the stream were unable to cross it. The British were detained in this manner for two days, during which Morgan rested his GENERAL DANIEL MORGAN. men and sent off his prisoners to a place of safety. Two days after the passage of the Catawba Morgan was joined by the troops under General Greene, who had heard of the vic- tory of the Cowpens, and was advancing to the assistance of his lieutenant. Greene was not yet strong enough to meet the British, and he continued the retreat toward the Yadkin. He moved slowly, and his rear guard was still engaged in the passage of the Yadkin when the advance guard of Corn- wallis reached that stream, oa tlie third ol February. Cornwallis had burned all his heavy baggage, and had reduced his army to the strictest light marching order, in the hope of being able to intercept Greene. A skirmish ensued on the banks of the Yadkin, and night coming on the British commander deferred the passage of the stream until the next day. During the night a heavy rain swelled the river so high that it could net be forded, and the Americans had secured all the boats on the other side. Greene, profiting by this delay, hurried on to cross the Dan into Virginia, where he could receive reinforcements and sup- plies. Morgan was left to cover the retreat of the army, but falling ill was obliged to relinquish the command of the rear guard to Colonel Otho H. Williams. Cornwallis passed the Yadkin as soon as possible and strained every nerve to ^ prevent Greene from crossing the Dan. He supposed the Americans would not be able to cross at the lower ferries, but would be obliged to pass the river higher up, where it could be forded. He there- fore urged his army to its utmost exer- tions to secure these fords before the a 'ival of the Americans. Perceiving Co.nwallis' error, Colonel Williams re- treated towards the upper fords and so confirmed the British commander in his delusion. Having led the British sufficiently out of the way, Williams wheeled about, and by a rapid march of forty miles in twenty-four hours down the river, rejoined Greene, who had moved with all speed to the lower ferries, where, in anticipation of his retreat, he had collected a supply of boats. The Dan was passed on the fifteenth of February, and the American army was safe from its pursuers. An hour or two later Cornwallis, who had discovered his mistake and had marched THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 467 ■vith speed from the upper fords, appeared on the opposite bank of the river, only to see his adversary safely beyond his reach. The river was too deep to be forded, and Greene had all the boats in his possession. Corn- wallis was deeply mortified at his failure to intercept Greene. He had pursued him for over two hundred miles, and had made great sacrifices to come up with him, but the American commander had managed to elude him and had successfully carried out one of the most brilliant retreats in history. The Americans regarded their escape as provi- dential, and not without cause. Their way across the Carolinas might be tracked by the blood from their feet; and twice, when the enemy had come within gunshot of them, the rising of the waters of the Catawba and the Yadkin, which they had passed in safety, had held back the British and enabled them to escape. After resting his men for a few days on the banks of the Dan, Corn- wallis fell back to Hillsborough. Greene Compelled to Retreat. Having received reinforcements. General Greene recrossed the Dan, about the last of February, and advanced into the Carolinas to watch Cornwallis and encourage the patriots of that region. Cornwallis, being short of supplies, moved slowly southward. Greene followed him cautiously, too weak to risk a battle, but ready to take advantage of the first error on the part of his adversary. His movements were conducted with the utmost circumspection, and in order to guard against a surprise he never remained in the same place more than one day, and kept secret until the last moment the places he selected for his encampments. In the meantime he was gradually receiving rein- forcements from Virginia and Maryland, until his army numbered four thousand men. Feeling himself strong enough to attack the enemy, Greene left his baggage at a point of safety and advanced to Guilford Court-house, seventeen miles distant, with the intention of bringing Cornwallis to a decisive engagement. Here he was attacked by Cornwallis on the fifteenth of March, and after one of the hardest-fought battles of the war was compelled to retreat. Greene with- drew in good order, and Cornwallis, though victorious on the field, was so sorely crippled that he was unable to make any pursuit, and was obliged to fall back to Wilmington, near the mouth of Cape Fear River. By the time he reached that place his army had been so much weakened by desertions and losses in battle that it amounted to but four- teen hundred men. Ooerations in South Carolina. Greene had lost a thousand militia by desertion during his retreat, but was soon enabled to supply their places. He then moved into South Carolina for the purpose of attacking the British force under Lord Rawdon, which was posted at Camden. He advanced to Hobkirk's Hill, about two >aiiles from Camden, where he was attacked on the twenty-fifth of April by Lord Rawdon. After a sharp engagement Greene w.is de- feated and obliged to retreat. He withdrew his army in good order, having inflicted upon his adversary a loss about equal to his own. Rawdon was unable to derive any advantage from his victory, as he could not bring Greene to another general engagement. The activity of the American partisan corps in his rear alarmed him for the safety of his communications with Charleston, and he abandoned Camden and fell back to Monk's Corner. In the meantime Lee, Marion, Pickens, and the other partisan leaders had broken up the fortified posts of the British with 468 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. such success that by the month of June, 1781, only three positions of importance remained to the British in So'ith Carolina Charleston, Nelson's Ferry and Fort Ninety- six, near the Saluda, The last-named posi- LORL RAWUON, AFTERWARD MARQUIS OF HASTINGS. tion was of the greatest importance, and was held by a force of Carolina Tories. Lee and Pickens were sent against Augusta, Georgia, and captured it after a close invest- ment of seven days. General Greene him- self marched against Ninety-six and laid siege to it. Being informed that Lord Raw don was marching to relieve it, he deter- mined to carry the fort by assault before Rawdon could arrive. The assault was made on the eighteenth of June, but was repulsed with severe loss. Greene then raised the siege and retreated across the Saluda. Early in July the excessive heat put an end to active opera- tions on the part of the two armies. Greene withdrew to the high hills of the Santee, and llie British went into camp on the Congaree. A bitter partisan war- fare now sprung up between the patriots and the tories, and continued during the summer. Houses were pillaged and burned, farms were laid waste and no quarter was given by either party. Even women and children were included in these dreadful mas- sacres. Lord Rawdon now resolved to add to the horrors of this war- fare by executing as traitors those who had given their parole not to engage in the war or had received a protection, if they should be taken in arms. Among the prisoners taken by the British at the capture of Charleston, was Colonel Isaac Hayne, a distinguished citizen of that jjlace. His wife I THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 469 was dying and his children were helpless, and he gave his parole to remain neutral, in order to be able to take care of them, and was promised protection. At a later period, the British commander being in need of rein- forcements, Ilayne was ordered to take up arms against his country in behalf of the !:ing. He regarded himself as relieved from liis parole by this command, and soon after escaped from Charleston and raised a partisan corps, at the head of which ho was captured, ^e was condemned to die as a traitor ; and .hough the inhabitants of Charleston, both patriot and royalist, petitioned for his pardon, it was refused, and he was hanged, by order of Lord Rawdon, on the 5 th of August. Life for Life. His execution was regarded by the Amer- icans as cruel and unjust, and as contrary to military law. General Greene felt himself obliged to retaliate by executing as deserters all those prisoners who had formerly served in his own army, and so bitter was the feeling of the American troops that they could scarcely be prevented front shooting the British officers who fell into their hands. Lord Rawdon now sailed for England, and left the command of his army to Colonel Stewart, an officer of ability and experience. At the close of the summer General Greene, whose army had been increased by the com- mands of Marion and Pickens to twenty-five hundred men, resumed the offensive. He attacked the British at Eutaw Springs on the eighth of September, and after a severely con- tested battle the left wing of the British was routed. Li the moment of victory the Amer- ican army stopped to plunder the enemy's camp, and the British, taking advantage of the del ly, rallied and made a stand in a large stone l.i>use, from which they could not be driven. Greene was forced to draw off his troops awd leave the field to the British, who lost seven hundred men m the engagement. The American loss was five hundred men. Both sides claimed the victory ; but the ad- vantage certainly was not with the British, who lost more than a third of their men. Colonel Stev/art, in view of this loss, fell back to the vicinity of Charleston. Greene followed him as far as Monk's Corner, and then returned to the hills of the Santee. The American commander had abundant reason to be satisfied with the result of his opera- tions in South Carolina. He liad rescued the greater part of the State fiom the British, and had confined them to the region between the Santee and the lower Savannah. He had repeatedly engaged the enemy with the most inadequate means and under the most unfa- vorable circumstances, and had never failed, even though defeated, to accomplish the object for which he fought. He had baffled the British commanders over again, and, like William of Orange, had managed to derive greater advantages from his reverses than his adversaries were able to draw from their victories. Plan to Recapture New York. Washington was well pleased with the achievements, in the South, of his most trusted lieutenant. He was very anxious to attempt something decisive with his own army, if he could secure the aid of a French army and fleet. Two enterprises offered themselves to him — an attack upon New York, which had been greatly weakened by detachments sent from its garrison to the south, and an expedition against Cornwallis. That commander had left Wilmington on the twentieth of April, and had advanced, without encountering any serious resistance, to Petersburg, Virginia. He arrived there on the twentieth of May, and was joined by the troops under General Philips, who had been plundering the country along the James river. 47C THE amp:rican revolution While Washington was hesitating which would be the best course to pursue, a French frigate arrived at Newport, with the Count de Barras on board, who had come to take command of the fleet at Newport. He brought the good news that a fleet of twenty ihips-of-the-line, under the Count de Grasse, having on board a considerable force of troops, had sailed for America, and might be expected to arrive in the course of a few months. Washington held a conference with the Count de Rochambeau, at Weathersfield, Connecticut, and it was resolved to attack New York. The French army was to march from Newport and form a junction with the Americans on the Hudson. A frigate was •despatched to the West Indies to inform the Count de Grasse of this arrangement, and to ask his co-operation in the proposed Bittack. Cornwallis Strongly Intrenched. Si! Henry Clinton, who suspected the designs of Washington, now ordered Lord Cornwallis, who had crosssed the James river, and was at Williamsburg, to send him a reinforcement of troops. Cornwallis pre- pared to comply with this order, and for that purpose marched towards Portsmouth, followed cautiously by Lafayette and Steu- ben, who hid with them about four thousand American troops. On the march a slight engagement occurred, near Westover, be- tween Lafayette and Cornwallis, in which the A.mericans narrowly escaped a defeat. The British army crossed to the south side of the James, and a detachment was embarked ior New York. At this moment a second order was received from Sir Henry Clinton, who had received a reinforcement of Hessians from England, directing Cornwallis to retain all his force, choose some central position in Virginia, fortify himself in it, and await the development of the American plans. Corn- wallis should have taken position at Port^s- mouth, from which place his line of retreat to the South would have remained intact. In an evil hour for himself he recrossed the James, and crossing the peninsula between that river and the York, took position at the towns of Gloucester and Yorktown opposite each other, on the York River, He had with him an army of eight thousand effective troops, and proceeded to fortify his position with strong intrenchments. A number of vessels of war were anchored between Yorktown and Gloucester to main- tain the communication between those points and to assist in the defence of the place. During all this time the financial affairs of the republic were growing worse and more hopeless. The continental currency had become utterly worthless, one dollar in paper being worth only one cent in coin at the opening of the year 1781. In the spring of that year Congress sought to put an end to its financial troubles by taking the control of the finances from a board which had hitherto managed them, and intrusting them to Robert Morris, whose services in behalf of the cause have been mentioned before. Return to Specie Payments. Morris was an experienced financier, and had opposed with all his energy the system of making continental money a legal tender. He new made a return to specie payments the condition of his acceptance of the trust imposed upon him by Congress. On the twenty-second of May, 1 781, Congress most unwillingly resolved : " That the whole debts already due by the United States be liqui- dated as soon as may be to their specie value, and funded, if agreeable to the creditors, as a loan upon interest ; that the States be severally informed that the calcu- lations of the present campaign are made in solid coin, and, therefore, that the requisitions THE CLOSE OF HIE WAR. 471 from them respectively being grounded on those calculations, must be complied with in such manner as effectually to answer the the purpose designed ; that experience having evinced the inefificacy of all attempts to support the credit of paper money by compulsory acts, it is recommended to such States where laws making paper bills a tender yet exist to repeal the same." On the thirty-first of May continental bills, being no longer a legal tender, ceased to cir- culate. Henceforth all transactions were to be in hard money. The result amply vin- dicated Morris' views. He induced Congress ';o establish the Bank of the United States at Philadelphia, with a capital of two millions of dollars and a chai- ter for ten years. This bank was allowed the privilege of issuing its own notes, which it was required to re- deem in specie upon presentation. This re- quirement gained for the bank the confi- dence of the people, and capitalists availed themselves of it fcr the investment of their money. Morris used the bank freely in his public operations, and at the same time used it so wisely that he was able to secure all the aid it was capable of bestowing without subject- ing it to too severe a strain. He raised the credit of the government higher than it had ever stood before, and was able to do much towards paying the soldiers and supplying them with food and clothing. As often as the p'ibh'c funds failed he pledged his own credit to supf'" the deficiency No man did more to contrib'te to the success of the cause than Robert Men is, and no man received more ingratitude from the govern- ment and people of the Union than he. In July Washington was joined in the Highlands by the French army under Count de Rochambeau, and preparations were made to attack New York. An intercepted letter informed Sir Henry Clinton of this design, and he exerted himself to put the . .MutH SCENE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF THE HUDSON. city in a state of defence. In the midst of his preparations Washington received a letter from the Count de Grasse, stating that he would sail for the Chesapeake instead of Newport. This decision of the French admiral compelled an entire change of plan on the part of the Americans. As De Grasse would not co-operate with them, they must abandon the attack upon New York, and attempt the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown. No time was to be lost in \V~ THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. making the attempt, ior it was now the month of August. By a series of skilful movements Sir Menry Clinton was induced to believe that an attack upon New York would soon be made, and at the same time the American army was marched rapidly across New Jersey, followed by the French. Lafayette, who was in Virginia, vis ordered to prevent at all hazards a retreat of Corn- .vallis' ami)' to North Carolina, and was directed to ask assistance of General Greene if necessary. Cornwallis Entrapped. The plan of Washington was to blockade Cornwallis in the York river by means of the French fleet, and at the same time to besiege him in Yorktown with the army. The troops were somewhat unwilling to undertake a southern campaign in August, but their good humor was restored at Phila- dtlphia, where they received a part of their pay in specie, and a supply of clothing, arms and ammunition, which had just arrived from France. From Philadelphia the combined armies proceeded to Elkton, at head of the the Chesapeake, where they found trans- ports, sent by the French admiral and by Lafayette, to convey them to the James river. The first intimation Sir Henry Clinton had of a change in the American plans was the sudden sailing of the French fleet from New- port on the twenty-eight of August Sup- posing that De Barras's object was :o unite with another fleet in the Chesapeake, Clinton sent Admiral Graves to prevent the junction. Upon reaching the capes the British admiral was astonished to find the fleet of the Count de Grasse, consisting of twenty ships-of-the line, anchored within the bay. De Grasse at once put to sea as if to engage the enemy, but in reality to draw them off" and allow De iiarras to enter the Chesapeake. For five days he amused the English b\ constant skirmishing. De Barras at length appeared and passed within the capes, and De Grasse at once followed him. Admiral Graves was unwilling to attack this combined force and returned to New York. The movement of the American army to the south was known to Clinton, but he sup- posed it was only a manoeuvre to draw him off of Manhattan Island into the open coun- try. When the Americans were beyond the Delaware and the French fleets had effected their junction in the Chesapeake, he recog- nized his mistake and saw that the object of Washington was the capture of Cornwallis. It was too late to prevent it ; but in the hope of compelling Washington to send back a part of his force to defend New England, Clinton sent the traitor Arnold with a large body of troops to attack New Londo.- "vi Connecticut. On the sixth of September Arnold captured that town and burned the shipping and a large part of the town. A Horrible Massacre. He then took Fort Griswold,on the oppo- site side of the Thames, by storm, and basely massacred Colonel Ledyard, the commander, and si.xty of the garrison after the surrender of the fort. The militia of the State were summoned to take up arms for its defence, and responded in such numbers that Arnold became alarmed for his safety and returned to New York. The object of his expeilition foiled most signally. Washington left New England to defend herself, and continued his movement against Cornwallis. Cornwallis was very slow to realize his danger. He believed the small force under Lafayette the only command opposed to him, and on the tenth ofSeptember wrote to Clinton tiiat he could spare him twelve hundred men for the defence of New York. He did not perceive his error until the French fleet had THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 473 anchored in the Chesapeake and cut off his escape by water. He then attempted to retreat to North CaroHna, as Washington had foreseen, but Lafayette, who had been reinforced by three thousand French troops under tlie Marquis de St. Simon, from the fleet of De Grasse, was too active for him, 9Jid finding his retreat impossible, CornwaUis the British, and on the ninth of Oc tobet the cannonade was begun. It was continued for four days, and the British outworks were greatly damaged, and several of their vessels in the river were burned by means of red- hot shot thrown into them by the Frencb vessels. On the fourteenth two of the ad- vanced redoubts of the enemy were stormed VIEW OF YOKKTOWN. sent urgent appeals to (.;iinton for assistance, and strengthened his fortifications. In the meantime the American and Frencli armies descended the Chesapeake, and took position before Yorktown, while tlic French fleet closed the mouth of York river. The siege was begun on the twenty-eight of Sep- tember. Sixteen thousand men were pre- sent under Washington's orders. Works were erected completely enclosing those of and taken, one by the Americans, the other by the French. From the positions thus gained a very destructive fire was maintained upon the English lines, which were broken in many places, while many of their guns were dismounted and rendered useless. On the fifteenth CornwaUis found himself al- most out of ammunition, and unable to maintain )iis position but for a few days longer. 474 THK AMERICAN REVOLUTION. lu this strait the British commander re- solved upon the desperate alternative of crossing the York to Gloucester, abandon- ing his sick and wounded and baggage, and endeavoring to force his way northward by extraordinary marches to New York. It was a hopeless undertaking, but Cornwallis resolved to make the trial. On the night of the sixteenth of October he crossed a part of his army from Yorktown to Gloucester, but a sudden storm delayed the passage of cease. He sent to Washington an offer to surrender, and the terms were soon arranged. On the nineteenth of October Cornwallis surrendered his army of seven thousand men as prisoners of war to Washington, as com- mander of the allied army, and his shipping, seamen and naval stores to the Count de Grasse, as the representative of the king of France. Washington despatched one of his aids to Philadelphia to communicate the good news SURRENDER OF LORD CORNWALLIS. the river by the second division until after daylight, when it was useless to make the attempt. The first division was with difficulty brought back to Yorktown, as the boats were exposed to the fire of the American batteries while crossing the river. Nothing was left to Cornwallis now but a capitula- tion, as his works were in no condition to withstand an assault, and simple humanity to his men demanded that the contest should to Congress. The officer pushed forward with all speed, and reached Philadelphia at midnight, and delivered his message. Soon the peals of the State-house bell roused the citizens, and the watchmen took up the cry, "Cornwallis is taken ! Cornwallis is taken !" The people poured out into the streets in throngs, and no one slept in Philadelphia that night. The next day Congress proceed- ed in a body to a church and gave thanks for the great victory. A national thanksgiving THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 47i was ordered, and throughout the whole land rejoicings went up to God for the success which all men felt was decisive of the war. On the nineteenth of October, the day of the surrender of Cornwallis, Sir Henry Clin- ton sailed from New York to his assistance with a force of seven thousand men. Off the capes he learned of the surrender of the British army at Yorktown, and as his fleet was not strong enough to meet that of the French he returned at once to New York. " It is All Over." The news of the surrender of Cornwallis was received in England with astonishment and mortification. It was the second time England had lost an entire army by capture, and her efforts to subdue the United States were no nearer success than they had been at the opening of the war. The English people had never regarded the attempt to conquer America with favor, and they now became more open and energetic in their demands for peace. " Lord North, the prime minister," says an English writer, " received the intelligence of the capture of Cornwallis as he would have done a cannon ball in his breast; he paced the room, and throwing his arms wildly about, kept exclaiming, ' O God! it is all over! it is all over!'" The king and the aristocracy, however, had no thought of yielding yet to the popular pressure, and were resolved to carry on the war. After the surrender at Yorktown, Wash- ington urged 'the Count de Grasse to coop- erate with General Greene in an attack upon Charleston. The French admiral declined to comply with his request, alleging the necessity of his immediate return to the West Indies. The French troops were quar- tered for the winter at Williamsburg, Vir- ginia, and the American army returned northwai d and resumed its old position on the Hudson. Washington, though con- vinced that peaee was close at hand, did not relax his vigilance, and urged upon Congress the necessity of preparing for a vigorous campaign the next year; but so thoroughly was Congress carried away by the prospecl of peace that his recommendations were unheeded. In the south the British and Tories were so disheartened by the surrender of Corn- wallis that they ceased active operations and evacuated all theit posts but Savannah and Charleston. General Greene at once dis- posed his army in such a manner as to con- fine them closely to Charleston. In the Northern States the only place held by the British was New York. Indian and Tory Outrages. Though active operations had ceased on the part of the two armies, a cruel and destructive warfare was continued by the Indian allies of the British against the border settlements of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and a similar warfare was maintained by the Tories and Indians along the frontier of New York. These outrages involved the Christ- ian Delaware Indians in the punishment of the guilty savages. The Delawares had become converted to Christianity under the influence of the Moravian missionaries, and had removed from the Susquehanna to the Muskingum. They were suspected by the Americans of the crimes of their heathen brethren, and in the spring and summer of 1782 their towns were destroyed and numbers of them were slain. The war was carried into the country of the Wyandottes by the whites, but with less success. On the sixth of June a force of Pennsylvanians under Colonel Crawford was defeated by the Wyandottes. In the same summer a band of northern Indians led by Simon Girty, a Tory of infamous 476 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. character, invaded Kentucky. They were met by the Kentuckians under Boone, Todd, and other leaders. A severe battle was fought at the Big Blue Lick, and the Ken- tuckians were defeated with the los.s of nearly one-half their force. Story of Captain Huddy. Some of the staunchest patriots and some of the most ferocious Tories resided in Mon- mouth county, New Jersey. The patriots built a block-house of logs at Dover, which was a strongly fortified building. The only method of ingress or egress was by the use of a scaling ladder. Captain John Huddy was commander of this post, and was one of the bravest men who fought for the Amer- ican cause. His house was once surrounded by his foes, but esccping he jumped into the waters of the bay, and as he swam he shouted, " I am Huddy ! " His escape on this occasion was remarkable. On March 20, 1782, a party of forty Tories and eighty seamen, all fully armed, left New York in whaleboats for the pur- pose of capturing Captain John Huddy. Their coming was announced by scouts, and preparations were made to receive them. The battle was one of the fiercest of the war. The powder in the fortress at length gave out, and Huddy, with sixteen men, four of whom were wounded, was taken prisoner. Huddy was a prisoner of war, and was entitled to treatment as such, but his enemies conspired to put him to death. He was executed on the morning of April 12, and his last words were, " I shall die innocent, and in a good cause." Captain Lippincott, who ordered Huddy 's execution, cursed his men because they were unwilling- to take the life of so brave a foe, and with his own hand helped to pull the rope. Returning to New York he reported Vj the board of loyalists that he had " ex- changed " Captain Huddy for Philip White- The pastor of the Presbyterian church at Freehold preached the funeral sermon front the front porch of the old Freehold hotel, and the body was buried with the honors of war. The desire of the English people for the close of the war had grown too strong to be resisted, and the king and his ministers, were at length forced to yield. The impossi- bility of conquering America had become so apparent to the continental nations that in the spring of 1782 the Dutch republic recognized the independence of the United States, and received John Adams as envoy from that government. The king of P"ng- land maintained his obstinate opposition to the wishes of his people to the last moment. On the twenty-second of February, 1782, a resolution was introduced into the House of Commons to put an end to the American war and was supported by the leaders of the Whig party. It was defeated by a majority of one, but on the twenty-seventh of February a similar resolution was introduced and was carried by a majority of nineteen. j£ngland Gives Up the Struggle. On the twentieth of March Lord North and his colleagues were forced to relinquish their offices, and a new ministry was formed under the Marquis of Rockingham. Sir Henry Clinton was removed from his com- mand in America, and was succeeded by Sir Guy Carleton, whose humane conduct of the war while governor of Canada we have related. Carleton arrived in New York in May, 1782, with full powers to open nego- tiations for peace. He at once put a stop to the savage warfare of the Tories and Indians on the borders of western New York, and opened a correspondence with Washington proposing a cessation of hostilities until a definite treaty of peace could be arranged. CAPTAIN HUDDY LBD FROM PRISON TO BE HANGEP 477 478 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Five coin 111 issioners were ai)poiiite(l by Congress to conclude a peace with Great Britain. They were John Adams, Benjainin Franklin, John Jay, Henry lyanrens, who iiad just been leleased from the tower of London, wliere he had been kept a prisoner for about a year, and Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson was unable to leave America. Five commissioners were appointed by Great Britain to treat with "certain colonies'' named in their instructions. A Treaty Formed, Tlie commissioners from the two countries met at Paris, but the American commis- sioners refused to open negotiations except iu the name of the "United States of America." This right was acknowledged by Great Britain, and on the thirtieth of November, 1782, a preliminary treaty was signed, which was ratified by Congress in April, 1783. This treaty could not be final because by the terms of the alliance between tlie United States and France neither party could make a separate treaty of peace with England. In January, 1783, France and Great Britain agreed upon terms of peace, and on the third of September, 1783, a final treaty of peace was signed by all the nations who had engaged in the war — by the United States, France, Spain and Holland on the one side, and Great Britain on the other. Great Britain acknowledged the independ- ence of the States of the Union in the fol- lowing words: "His Brittanic Majesty acknowledges the said United States, viz. : New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connec- ticut, New York, Newjersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Caro- lina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free, .sovereign and independent States ; that he treats with them as such ; and for himself, his heirs and successors, relinquishes all claim to the government, proprietary aiii territorial rights of the .same, and every part thereof." It should be observed that the treaty acknowledged liie independence and sovereignty of each of the thirteen States, and not of the United States as a single nation. The independence of the States had already been recognized by several of the European ]iowers : by Sweden, on the fifth of rVbruar)', 1783 ; by Denmark, on the twenty-fifth of February, 1783 ; by Spain, on the twenty-fourth of March ; and by Ru.ssiainjuly, 1783. Treaties of friendship and commerce were entered into between the United States and these powers. Washington and His Army. During the year 1782 the greater part of the American army was encamiied at New- burg, on the Hudson. Washington made his headquarters in an old stone house, which was well adapted for defence and con- cealment, one of the rooms having seven doors leading to other parts of the house, and but one window. The troops were un- paid and were neglected by Congress and by the various .States. Washington warned the government of the dangerof further neglect of the army, but his warning was unheeded, and in March the patience of the army was so far exhausted that it was seriously pro- posed to march to Philadelphia and compel Congress to do justice to the troops. Wash- ington appealed to the oflficers to remain patient a little longer, and pledged himself to use his influence with Congress to fulfill its neglected promi.ses to the army. His appeal (piieted the trouble for a time. Congress shortly after agreed to advance full pay to the soldiers for four months, and to pay in one gross sum the full pay of the officers for five years. The condition of the country was a sub- ject of tli.e gravest apprehension. It was WASHINGTON'S HKADOUARTERS AT NKWBURGH, NfiW YORK Tllli KOOM WnU SEVliN UOOKb AND U.Nli WINDOW 479 iSo THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. plain that the articles of confederation were not capable of continuing the Union much longer, and many persons believed that the only hope of preserving a regular govern- ment, and a permanent union to the country, lay in the establishment of a monarchy. In May, 1782, Colonel Nicola, of the Pennsyl- vania line, at the instance of a number of officers, wrote a letter to Washington, pro- posing the creation of a monarchy, and offer- ing him the crown. Washington indignantly refused to entertain the proposition, and severely rebuked the writer of the letter. Peace at Last. In the spring of 1783 the news of tne signing of the preliminary treaty of peace was received in America, and was officially communicated to the nation in a proclama- .ion by Congress. On the nineteenth of April, 1783, just eight years from the com- mencement of the war at Lexington, the close of hostilities was proclaimed, in general orders, to the army at Newburg. A general exchange of prisoners followed, and large numbers of Tories were obliged to leave the country, as they feared to remain after the orotvvh'ori of the British forces was with- drawn. They emigrated chiefly to Canada, Nova Scotia, and the West Indies. The fina' treaty having been signed, the army was dis- banded on the third of November, and the troops, with the exception of a small force, returned to their homes to enjoy their well- earned honors and the thanks of their grate- ful countrymen. On the twenty-fifth of November the British evacuated New York, which was at once occupied by a small force of Americans, under General Knox. In December Charleston was also evacuated by the British. On the second of December Washington issued a farewell address to the army, and on the fourth of that month took leave of the officers at New York. He then proceeded to Annapolis, where Congress was in ses- sion, and on the twenty-third of December, under circumstances of great solemnity, re- signed his commission to that body, and after receiving the thanks of Congress for the able and faithful manner in which he had dis- charged the task intrusted to him, retired to his home at Mount Vernon, which he had not visited for eight years, except for a few hours, while on his way to attack Cornwallis at Yorktown. BOOK V From the Close of the Revolution to the Civil War CHAPTER XXXI The Adoption of the Constitution — Washington's Administration CJrsettled Condition of the Country — Failure cf tlie Articles of Confederation — Desire for Reform — Meeting of the Federa) Convention at Philadelphia — The Constitution of the United States — Adoption of a Decimal Currency — The North ;fest Territory — Washington Elected President — His Journey to New York — Establishment of the New Government — The First Cabinet — Financial Measures — Removal of the Capital Agreed Upon — The Government at Philadelphia — The First Census — The Indians of the Northwest Conquered — Re-election of Washington — Division of parlies — The French Revolution — The United States Neutral — Citizen Genet — Efforts to Commit the United States to the French Alliance — Genet's Recall Demanded — The " Whiskey Insurrection" — Jay's Treaty with England — Opposition to It — Negotiations with Algiers — Political Disputes — Hostility to Washington — His Farewell Address — Its Effect Upon the Country — Election of John Adams to the Presidency — Admission of Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee — Retirement rf Washington — Results of His Administration. THE long war was over ana inde- pendence had been achieved; but the condition of the country was such as to excite the gravest ap- prehensions. The country was exhausted by the sacrifices and burdens of the war, and its debts amounted to the enormous sum of one hundred and seventy millions of dollars, a sum vastly out of proportion to its resources. Two-thirds of these debts had been contracted by Congress ; the re- mainder by the States. The articles of con- federation were found inadequate to the task of enforcing the authority of the general government, and the States treated the orders of Congress with neglect. Commerce was sadly deranged for the want of a unifonn system. The States entered into competition with each other for the trade of foreign nations, and articles which were required to pay 31 hcdvy duties in some of the States were admitted free of duty in others. Many of the States were unable to enforce the collec- tion of taxes within their own limits. The British merchants at the close of the war flooded the American markets with their manufactures at reduced prices. The result: was that the domestic manufactures of the States were ruined ; the country was drained of its specie, and the merchants and people of the Union were involved in heavy debts. A general poverty ensued in the Eastern States, which gave rise to much discontent. In Massachusetts, in Deo/mber, 1786,3 body of a thousand men, under Daniel Shays, assembled at Wore ster and com pelled the Supreme Court to adjourn in order to prevent it from issu'.ng writs for the collection of debts. The nJlitia was called out and " Shay's Rebellion ' was put down, but it was evident that the sympathies oi 48 z 482 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. the people were largely with the insurgents. These troubles brought home to the whole country the necessity of a more perfect system of government, and measures were begun for bringing about the changes needed. In September, 1783, delegates from five of the States met at Annapolis to deliberate upon a plan for the improvement of com- merce and the revenue. They recommended the assembling of a convention to revise the ar*:icles of confederation ; and, accordingly, OC^CrT^li^ delegates from all the States met for \ his purpose at Philadelphia in May, 1787. Among the more prominent of these may be named Samuel Johnson, Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth, of Connecticut ; Dun- ning Bedford and George Read, of Delaware; William Few, George Walton and Abraham Baldwin, of Georgia; Daniel Carroll, James McHenry and Luther Martin, of Maryland; Nathaniel Gorham, Caleb Strong, Elbridge Gerry and Rufus King, of Massachusetts; John Langdon and Nicholas Gilnian, of New Hampshire; Jonathan Dayton, William Livingston and William Patterson, of New Jersey ; John Lansing, Robert Yates and Alexander Hamilton, of New York ; Alex ander Martin, Richard D. Spaight and Wil- liam R. Davie, of North Carolina ; Robert Morris, Gouverneur Morris, James Wilsor and Benjamin Franklin, of Pennsylvania; John Rutledge, Pierce Butler, Charles Pinckney and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, of South Carolina ; Edmund Randolph, George Mason, James Madison and George Washington, of Virginia. Patrick Henry was opposed to the general objects of the convention, and therefore declined any par- ticipation in its action. Mr. Jefferson was Minister to France, and not in the country at the time. Birth of the Constitution. George Washington, who was one of the delegates from Virginia, was unanimously chosen president of the convention. The sessions of this body lasted four months, and the convention, instead of revising the arti- cles of confederation, adopted an entirely new constitution. Each article of this con stitution was discussed with care and minute- ness, and with great feeling. The sessions of the convention were held with closed coors ; but its proceedings were so far from harmonious that there were several occa- sions when it seemed likely the convention would break up in confusion, and leave its work unfinished. At length, however, through the patriotism and forbearance of its members, the convention brought its work to a close, and presented the constitu- tion to Congress. It was submitted by that body to the several States for their approval. The State gov^^rnments summcied con- ventions of their respective people, and sub- mitted the constitutio. \ to them for their acceptance or rejection. By the end of 178? 483 WASHINGTON'S RECEPTION AT TRENTON 484 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. it was ratified by eleven States. North Carolina did not ratify it until November, 1789 ; and Rhode Island held aloof from the Union until May, 1790. The right of these States to reject the constitution, and to continue their separate existence as inde- pendent States, was not questioned by any one. The new constitution was not entirely satisfactory to any party, and represented the sacrifices made by all to achieve the great end of a central go\ernment, strong tnough to carry out the objects of the Union. It was a document of compromises, three of which were of especial importance. The first was a concession to the smaller States, which had feared the loss of their independence ; they were placed on the same footing as the larger States by being given an equal representation in the Senate. The second was a concession to the slave- holding States of the south, and guaranteed that in apportioning their representation in Congress three-fifths of the slaves were to be included with the white population. The third was a concession to Georgia and South Carolina, and granted them permission to continue the African slave-trade until 1808. The delegates from those States refused to sign the constitution except upon this con- dition. Decimal Currency. In the meantime Congress had taken a step of the highest importance in adopting the plan, presented by Mr. Jefferson, for a decimal currency. Until now the use of the English currency had been general in all the States. In August, 1786, our present sys- tem of dollars and cents was adopted by Congress, and a mint was established some what later. The government was so poor however, that it could only coin a small quantity of copper cents. The sessions of Congress were held at New York. In the session of 1787 a Meas- ure was adopted, which had the most im- portant influence upon the subsequent his- tory of the country. The treaty of Paris fixed the Mississippi river as the western boundary of the United States. This river consequently became the western limit ol Virginia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In 1784 Virginia ceded to the general gov- ernment of the United States her claim to the vast region owned by her beyond the Ohio. Massachusetts and Connecticut soon followed her example, and New York also ceded her western territory to the govern- ment. In July, 1787, Congress organized this vast region as the territory of the northwest. It was provided that slavery should never be permitted to exist in this territory, or in any of the States which might afterwards be formed out of it. This wise provision, which WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 485 was the basis of the wonderful prosperity of tin's great region, was due to the foresight ot Thomas Jefferson. The northwest being secured to freedom, emigration soon set in, and it began its great career of prosperity which has since known no slackening. Washington Elected President. It was provided by the constitution that when it should have been ratified by two- thirds of the States, it should go into opera- tion on the fourth of March, 1789. Eleven of the States having ratified the constitution, elections were held for President and Vice- President of the United States, and for mem- bers of Congress. New York was named as the seat of the new government. The fourth of March, 17S9, was ushered in with a public demonstration at New York ; but a sufficient number of members of Congress i to form a quorum for the transaction of busi- ness did not arrive until the tiiirticth of March. On tiic sixth of Api il tiic electoral votes were countcil, and it was found that George Washington had been unanimously chosen first President of the United States, and John Adams Vice-President. Charles Thompson, the oldest secretary of Congress, was sent to Mount Vernon to notify Washington of his election, and a mes- senger was despatched to Boston on a similar errand to Mr. Adams. Washington promptly signified his acceptance of the office, and, two days later, started for New York. It was his desire to travel as quietly and unos- tentatiously as possible, but the people of the States through which he passed would not permit him to do so. His journey was a constant ovation. Crowds greeted him at every town with the most enthusiastic denion- strations of affection and confidence ; trium- phal arches were erected ; his way was strewn with flowers by young girls ; and maidens and mothers greeted him with songs com- posed in his honor. In consequence of these demonstrations his progress was so much retarded that he did not reach New York until the latter part of April. On the thirtieth of April Washington appeared on the balcony of P'ederal Hall, New York, on the site of which the United States Treasury now stands, and took the oath of office in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, and a large crowd of citizens assembled in the streets below. He then repaired to the Senate chamber, and there delivered an address to both houses of Congress. The organization of the government being now complete, Congress proceeded to arrange the executive department by the creation of the depart- ments of state, the treasury and war. Presi- dent Washington appoijited Thomas Jeffer- son, secretary of state, Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, and General Henry Knox, secretary of war. John Jay was made 4S6 THE INAUGURATION OF WASHINGTON. WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 487 chief jUoLicc of the United States, and Edmond Randolph, attorney-general. The new government found itself face to face with many difficulties, the principal of which was the payment of the national debt. This debt was in the form of notes of the government, or promises to pay for value received. These notes had been issued by the States as well as by Congress during the revolution, and had been given in payment for services rendered the general and State governments, and for supplies. In Janu- ary, 1790, Alexander Hamilton proposed to pay all these debts in full, and that the general government should assume the war debts of States. This plan met with considerable oppo- sition at first, but was at length adopted. It was also arranged that the revenue of the country should be divided as follows: As the control of commerce had passed into the hands of Congress the revenue derived from the duties levied upon im j)i)rted merchandise was to be applied to the uses of the general government. The proceeds of the direct taxes upon rea. estate and other property, which coulu be levied only by the respective States, were to be used for the expenses of those States. It had been for some time considered desirable to remove the seat of federal government to some point more central than New York, and which could be brought under the supreme control of Congress. In 1790 it was resolved that the seat of govern- ment be fixed at Philadelphia for ten years, and at the end of that time be removed to a new city to be built on the banks of the Potomac. A federal district, ten miles square, was ob- tained by cession from Virginia and Mary- land, and was placed under the sole control of the United States. The foundations of a new city, named Washington, in honor of the " leather of his country," were laid on the left bank of the Potomac, a short dis- tance below the falls of that river, and build- ings for the accommodation of the general government were begun and pushed forward as rapidly as possible. The general government was removed to Philadelphia in 179 1, and in December ol that year the second Congress began if sessions in that city. The principal measu' of this session was the establishment of the GEORGE WASHINGTON. Bank of the United States, in accordance with the recommendations of Alexander Hamilton. The bank was chartered for twenty years, and its capital was ten millions of dollars, of which the government took two millions and private individuals the re- mainder. The measure was carried in the face of considerable opposition in Congress, but was very beneficial to the government, as well as to the general business of the country. The notes of the bank 'vere FROM THE REVOLUIION TO THE CIVIL WAR. payable in gold and silver upon presentation at its counters. Commerce now began to show signs of a great revival from the stagnation and loss i:aused by the war. The duties levied upon foreign goods gave to domestic manufac- turers an opportunity to place themselves upon a firmer foundation. Very great im- provements were made in the character of American manufactures. In New England INDIAN CHILD IN CRADLE. the weaviiig of cotton and woolen goods was be^un, in a feeble way it is true, but the ibundation was laid of that great industry which has since been a constant and grow- ing source of wealth to that section. In 1790 the first census of the United States was taken, and showed the population to be 3,929,827 souls. The Indians of the northwest had been very troublesome for some time. The British agents in that region incited them to hostility against the United States, and urged them to claim the Ohio as their southern and eastern boundary. They com- mitted innumerable outrages along this river and almost put a stop to the trade upon its waters by attacking and plundering the flat- boats of the emigrants and traders which' were constantly descending the river. The general government resolved to put a stop to their outrages, and General Harmer was sent against them in 1790, but was defeated with great loss. " Little Turtle " Defeats St. Clair. In 1791 General St. Clair, the governof of the northwest territory, was placed in command of an expedition against the savages. He set out from Fort Washing- ton, now Cincinnati, about the middle of September, with a force of two thousand men, but near the headwaters of the Wabash was surprised and defeated by an Indian force under Little Turtle, a famous chief of the Miamis. The wreck of his army fled to Fort Washington, and the frontier was once more defenceless. President Washington now placed General Anthony Wayne in command of the forces destined to operate against the Indians. With his usual energy Wayne assembled his army at Fort Washington, and in the sum- mer of T 794 marched into the Indian country, laid it waste and defeated the Indian tribes in the battle of the Maumee on the twentieth of August. In the summer of 1795 the Indians, cowed by their defeat and alarmed by the withdrawal of the British from the frontier posts, met General Wayne at his camp on the Miami and entered into a treaty with the United States by which they ceded all the eastern and southern part of Ohio to the whites and withdrew farther westward. WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION: 489 In the elections of 1792 Washington and Adams were chosen President and Vice- President of the United States for a second term of four years. The disputes which had been begun by the adoption of the constitu- tion had been continued during the first term of Washington's presidency, and had given rise to two political parties — the Federahsts, or those who favor a strong national government, and who supported the administration, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed the policy of the administration. Among the leaders of the Federalist party were Washington, Adams, Hamilton and Jay ; among the Anti-Federalist leaders were Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Reign of Terror in France. The differences between Jefferson and Hamilton increased with time, and soon as- sumed the character of a personal hostility, a circumstance which was productive of great trouble to the president, since it prevented his cabinet from acting harmoniously. As the quarrel deepened, the Anti-Federalist party repudiated that title, and took the name of Republican, as it better expressed their principles. The political questions entered largely into the second election, and pre- vented Mr. Adams from receiving the unani- mous vote which was given to Washington. Shortly after the commencement of Wash- ington's first term of office, the French revo- lution broke out, and drew upon France the attention of the whole world. The events of this great struggle were watched with the deepest interest in America, for the nation cherished the warmest sentiments of grati- tude to France for her aid in the revolution. The Republican party urgently favored an alliance with the French republic, but Washington and the greater part of his cabinet were resolved to maintain a strict neutrality as to all European quarrels. The excesses of the revolutionists shocked the public sentiment of America, and the events of the reign of terror cooled the zeal of many of the most ardent friends of the French republic. Still party feeling ran high upon the subject, and the disputes were yet very bitter when Mr. Edmond Charles Genet, or " Citizen Genet," as he was gen erally styled, arrived in the United States, in 1793, as minister from the French republic. He brought the news that France had de- clared war with Great Britain. Heva^well ALEXANui-R HAMILTON. received by the Republicans, who were anxious that the United States should become the ally of France, and thus engage in a new war with Great Britain. Washington and his cabinet were unmoved by this clamor, and a proclamation was issued declaring the neutrality of the United States in the war between Great Britain and France, and warning the American people to refrain from the commission of acts inconsistent with this neutrality. The firmness of the President in resisting; the demand for afl 490 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. alliance with France saved tlic country from innumerable losses, perhaps from the des- truction of the work of the revolution. Genet, encouraged by the sympathy of the Slepublican party, was determined to embroil the United States with Great Britain to such an extent that they would be compelled to make common cause with France. He 'herefore began to fit out privateers from '\.merican ports against the commerce of ".ngland. He was warned by the govern- ment that he was transcending liis privileges as a rninister of a friendly power, but paid no attention to this rebuke. The Republican party now took a more active stand in favor of the FVench alliance, and its more ultra members assumed the name of Democrats, and others styled themselves Democratic Republicans. The determination of Presi- dent Washington not to interfere in the quarrels of Europe was vehemently assailed, and the newspapers of this party went so far as to denounce the President and his sup- porters as the enemies of France, and the friends and secret supporters of their old op- pressor, the king of England. Genet was greatly deceived by these clamors, which he mistook for the sentiment of the American people. He took a step fur- ther, and authorized the French consuls ii . the American ports to receive and sell ves sels captured by French cruisers from the English, with whom the United States were at peace. He also contemplated raising a force in Georgia and the Carolinas for the purpose of seizing Florida, and another in Kentucky for the conquest of Louisiana, both of which regions were then held by Spain, a power friendly to the United States. The patience of the President having been exhausted by Genet's insolent conduct Washington requested the French govern ment to recall him, which it did in 1794, much to the astonishment of citizen Genet. M. Fauchet was appointed in his place. Genet did not return home, but became a citizen of the United States. Whiskey Tax Unpopular. The impunity with which Genet had braved the federal government gave rise to fears that it was not strong enough to enforce its authority. Advantage was taken of this feel- ing in an unexpected quarter. The fertile region of Western Pennsylvania, watered by by the Monongahela and its tributaries, had been settled by a hardy population, chiefly of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, who had with great labor and amid constant exposure to the attacks of the Indians, redeemed the land from the wilderness, and covered it with thriving farms and orchards. Grain and apples and peaches were their staple products ; the grain was distilled into whiskey, and the fruits were made into brandies. WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 491 One jf lamilton's favorite measures for the raising of a revenue was the imposition of an excise or duty upon whiskey. This tax was generally unpopular throughout the country, but especially so in the four western counties of Pennsylvania. The settlers of this region organized themselves in secret societies for the purpose of resisting this tax, and at length, in 1792, rose in rebellion against the government, refused to pay the tax, and drove off the excise officers. The best men in this section were engaged in the rebellion, and it was openly proposed to separate from Pennsylvania and form a new State. Nearly seven thousand armed men assembled, and declared their intention to resist the authority of the State and federal governments. England Imcatens Our Commerce. Matters remained in this condition for about two years, and at length Washington, finding it necessary to employ force for the suppression of the revolt, sent a strong body of troops to compel the rebels to submit. Upon the appearance of the troops, the leaders of the movement fled, and the " Whiskey Insurrection " suddenly came to an end. This vigorous action of the federal govern- ment greatly added to its strength. The fidelity with which Washington soi'ne of the brightest intellects and most ear- nest patriots of the republic. His loss was remaining years were passed in restless intrigue. In 1805 he went west, and there undertook the organization of a military movement of some sort, which from the secrecy with which it was conducted, was generally regarded as treasonable and in- tended for his own aggrandizement. Ir 1806 he was arrested by the United States; and after a prolonged trial, during which he FULTON S FIRST STEAMBOAT. "egarded as second only to that of Wash- ngton, and the sad news of his death was ^•eceived in all parts of the country with profound and unaffected sorrow. A feeling of deep and general indignation was aroused against Burr, who found it expedient to withdraw from New York and retire to Georgia until the excitement had subsided. The murder of Hamilton, for it was nothing else, closed Burr's political career. His defended himself with great ability, he was acquitted of the charge of treason. His sub - sequent career was obscure, and he died in 1836, friendless and alone. He was a man of great ability ; but he failed to put his great talents to an honest use. In the year 1807 a great change was made in the system of navigation by Robert Ful- ton, a native of Pennsylvania, who built and successfully navigated the first steamboat. S08 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. He named it the " Clermont," and made the "oyage from New York to Albany, a dis- tance of about one hundred and fifty miles, in thirty-six hours. From this time steam navigation rapidly superseded the old sys- tem of sailing vessels in the waters of the United states and exercised a powerful in- fluence in the development of the wealth and prosperity of the country. Since the beginning of the century France and England had been at war with each other, and their quarrels had drawn the whole European world into the struggle. The administration of Mr. Jefferson had continued the neutrality of its predecessors, but in a fit of mistaken economy it exhibited the greatest hostility to the navy, which had been reduced to the most inefficient state possible. The commerce of the Union had grown with remarkable rapidity, and the need of a navy for its protection was now greater than ever. The administration could not be brought to recognize this fact, however, and it regarded the navy as of no other use than to enforce the revenue laws in its home waters. Seizure of American Vessels. The general character of the European war had thrown the commerce of the old world into the hands of the few nations which were not engaged in the struggle. The United States obtained the largest share of this trade, but were not left long to enjoy it in peace. The efforts of Great Britain and France to injure each other had caused them to extend their attacks to neutral nations. The British government, by its "orders in council," declared all vessels engaged in conveying West India produce from the United States to Europe legal prizes. This measure was intended to cripple France, and at the same time to injure the United States, which had become too suc- cessful a commercial rival to England. A number of American vessels were seized and condemned upon this pretext. Great indig- nation was e.xpressed throughout the United States, but the government did nothing to remedy the trouble. In May, 1806, Great Britain declared the European coast, from Brest to the mouth of the river Elbe, in a .state of blockade, thus forbidding neutral vessels to trade with any port within these prescribed limits on pain of capture and con- fiscation. This high-handed measure was a direct blow to the United States. Mutterings of War. It was met on the part of France by aa act equally unjustifiable. Napoleon issued his famous " Berlin decree," by which he declared the whole coast of Great Britain in a state of blockade, and forbade the intro- duction of English goods into France, and the admission into French ports of any neutral vessel that should first touch at an English port. In answer to this decree Great Britain forbade all trade with France by neutral nations. Napoleon thereupon issued his " Milan decree," confiscating not only the vessels and cargoes that should violate the " Berlin decree," but also such as submit to be searched by the English. Thus the commerce of the world was placed at the mercy of these two nations. The United States were the chief sufferers by these arbi- trary measures. Their ships were captured by both British and French cruisers, and their remonstrances produced no cessation of the outrages. It was not possible to do anything for the protection of the commerce of the country, as the mistaken policy of the administration had deprived it of an efficient navy. The whole Atlantic seaboard demanded a cTiange in this respect, and petitions poured in upon Congress asking for the construction of more ADMINISTRATIONS OF ADAMS AND JEFFERSON. 509 vessels of war and for protection from the aggressions of the European powers. The only result of these petitions was a recom- mendation from the president to Congress to build more gunboats. It was not possi- ble to go to war with both England and France, and the American government was left to make a choice as to which power it would undertake to settle the question with. The popular feeling was stronger against England, which, being the most active power at sea, was the principal ag- gressor, and the events to be related finally turned the scale against England. Remonstrance Against British Outrages. The British government maintained the doctrine that no subject could expatriate himself or become a citizen of another coun- try. This was the opposite of the view held by the United States, which welcomed emi- grants from other countries, bestowed upon them the rights of citizenship, and in their new character of adopted citizens protected them. The commanders of the British men- of-war were accustomed to stop American vessels on the high seas and search them for deserters. Under this head they included all persons born within the dominions of Great Britain, whether naturalized American citizens or not. When found on American vessels these persons were removed by force and compelled to serve on board English ships of war. The British officers did not confine these impressments to " deserters," but seized and forced into their service great numbers of native-born Americans, who were thus torn from their homes and con- signed to a slavery which was bitter and cruel to them. The government of the United States addressed urgent remonstrances to that of Great Britain against these outrages, and finally, in the spring of 1806, sent William Pinckney as joint commissioner with James Monroe, then minister to England, for the purpose of negotiating a treaty which should put a stop to the acts complained of. The commissioners appointed by Great Britain expressed the desire of their country not to impress American seaman, and their willing- ness to redress as promptly as possible any mistake of the kind. They declined to relinquish the right to search for deserters. as it would be ruinous to the English navy. The truth is Great Britain treated her sea- men with such cruelty that they would have, deserted by the thousand had they been assured of protection from arrest. The British commissioners declared that while their country would not relinquish the right of search and impressment, strict orders would be issued to their naval commanders to use the right with caution and moder- ation. The British government itself was sincerely desirous ol conciliating the United Sio FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. States, but its naval commanders, tempted by the weakness of the American navy, paid no attention to its orders and conducted themselves with haughty insolence towards American vessels, seizing and searching them, and forcing men from their decks with the same activity as before, and rarely miss- ing' an occasion to insult the flag of the upon an act which threw the relations be tween the two countries into a more hope- less state than ever. The United States frigate " Chesapeake," 38, under the com- mand of Commodore Barron, was about to sail for a European station. Strict orders were issued to her officers not to enlist any British subject, knowing him to be such ; but OFFICERS OF THE CHESAPEAKE SURRENDERING THEIR SWORDS. republic. Meanwhile the commissioners concluded a treaty for ten years between the United States and Great Britain. It was on the whole more advantageous than Jay's treaty, but the president was not satisfied with it, and assumed the responsibility of rejecting it, in the spring of i8o7, without submitting it to the Senate. A British naval commander now ventured it was said that four of her crew were desert- ers from the British frigate " Melampus." Several British war vessels were lying in th». Chesapeake Bay, and one of these, the " Leopard," a fifty-gun frigate, put to sea z few hours before the " Chesapeake " sailed The latter vessel sailed before she was fulJ^ ready for sea, and the work of getting tne ship ii order was still in progress, when she ADMINISTRATIONS OF was hailed off the capes by the " Leopard," under the pretence of sending despatches to Europe. A lieutenant of the British frigate came on board and demanded the surrender of the four men we have mentioned. Commodore Barron refused the demand on the ground that there ivere no such men on board. The lieutenant then returned to his ship, and the " Leopard " opened fire upon the " Chesa- peake," and killed three of her men and wounded eighteen others. The " Chesa- peake" was utterly unprepared for resist- ance, and Barron struck his colors after a single gun had been fired. The four men were taken from the " Chesapeake," the " Leopard " sailed for Halifax, and the Amer- ican frigate returned to Norfolk. The Embargo Act. The news of this outrage excited the pro- foundest indignation throughout the coun- try. On the second of July, 1807, the presi dent issued a proclamation ordering all British vessels of war to depart from Ameri- can waters, and the people were warned against holding any intercourse with them. A special session of Congress was called, and the American minister at London was ordered to demand satisfaction for the out- rage. The British government had received infor- mation of the affair before the arrival of the American demand. The action of the com- mandei of the " Leopard " was disavowed, and a special messenger was sent to the United States to arrange the matter. Great Britain disclaimed the right to search vessels of war, and the excitement was quieted for a time. In Deceember, 1806, as the outrages upon American commerce were continued, Con- gress, at the recommendation of the presi- dent, passed the " Embargo Act." by which ADAMS AND J?:FFERS0N. $u all merchant vessels of the United States were prevented from leaving the ports of this country. This measure entirely put an end to the intercourse between the United States and the European nations. James Madison Elected President. In the election of 180S Mr. Jefferson fol lowing the exampleof Washington, declined to be a candidate for a third term, and the Democratic or administration party support- ed James Madison for the Presidency, and George Clinton for the Vice-Presidency. They were elected by large majorities ; but the effect of the embargo was seen in tht casting of the electoral votes of the five New England States against the administration. The disaffection of the New England States induced Mr. Jefferson, just before the expira- tion of his term of office, to recommend to Congress the repeal of the embargo act. His opinion was unchanged as to the propriety of the embargo, but he recommended its repeal as a measure of peace and concilia- tion. The law was repealed on the first of March, 1809, and in the same month Con- gress passed an act prohibiting trade with France and England. At thj close of his term of office Mr. Jefferson withdrew from public life, and retired to his home at Montecello, in Virginia. The wisdom and success of the general policy of his administration had far outweighed his mistakes, and he retired from office with undiminished popularity, and with the res pect and confidence of che nation. Indeed his Dopularity was greater at the close of his administration than at the beginning — a rare and gratifying reward to a public servant. His great services in the revolution, his draft of the Declaration of Independence, his acquisition of Louisiana, and the purity and grandeur of his character, placed him, in the public estimation, next to Washington. CHAPTER XXXIII The Administration of James Madison — 1 he Second War with England "oauguration of Mr. Madison — Negotiations with Mr. Erskine — Their Failure — Seizure of American Vessels in France < Sufferings of American Ship-Owners — Great Britain Stations Her Ships of War Off American Ports — Affair of tht " President " and " Little Belt " — Trouble with the Northwestern Indians — Tecumseh — Battle of Tippecanoe — Meet- ing of the Twelfth Congress — Measures for Defence — Admission of Louisiana Into the Union — Death of George Clinton — The British Ultimatum — War Declared Against Great Britain — Opposition to the War — The British Offer of Settlement Rejected — The War for " Free Trade and the Siilors' Rights "' — Mr. Madison Reelected — Campaign of (8l2 — Preparations for the Invasion of Canada — General Hull Surrenders Detroit to the British — Loss or the North- western Frontier — Failure of the Attack on Queenstown- -Exploits of the Navy — Capture of tlie " Guerriere " by tht " Constitution " — The Privateers — Russia Offers to Mediale Between the United States and England — Financia •Affairs — Harrison's Campaign — Massacre at the River Raisin — Deienceof Forts Meigs and Stephenson — Perry's Vii ry on Lake Erie — Battle of the Thames— Death of Tecumseh — Recovery of the Northwest — Capture Df York Kritish Attack on S.ickett's Harbor Repulsed — Removal of General Dearborn — Failure of the Campaign on the Lowei Lakes — The Creek War — Jackson's Victories — Naval Affairs — The British Outrages in Chesapeake Bay — Negoli itions for Peace — Capture of Fort Erie — Battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane— Sieg"; of Fort Erie — Successes o the Americans — Advance of Prevost — Battle of Plattsburg — Macdonough's Victory on Lake Champlain — Battle of Bladensburg — Capture of Washington — Destruction of the Public Buildings by the British — Attack on Baltimore— £)eath of General Ross — "The Star Spangled Banner" — The British Attack on the New England Coast — Oppo oition of New England to the War — The Hartford Convention — The British in Florida — General Jackson Expels rhem — Jackson at New Orleans — Arrival of the British Expedition Oft the Coast — Vigorous Measures of Jackson — Battle of New Orleans — Defeat of the British — Naval Affairs — The Treaty of Peace — The Barbary Powers Humbled— The Tariff — The Bank of the United States — Admission of Indiana — ^James Monroe Elected President. JAMES MADISON, the fourth presi- dent of the United States, was inaug- urated £t Washington on the fourth of March, 1809. He was in the fifty- eighth year of his age, and had long been one of the most prominent men in the Unio.i. He had borne a distinguished part in the convention of 1787, and was the author of the Virginia resolutions of 1786, which brought about the assembling of this convention. He had entered the convention as one of the most prominent leaders of the national party, which favored the consolida- tion of :he States into one distinct and supreme nation, and had acted with Ran- dolph, Hamilton, Wilson, Morris, and King, in seeking to bring about such a result. When it was found impossible to carry O"*' S12 this plan Mr. Madison gave his cordial sup port to the system which was finally adopteo by the convention ; and while the constitu- tion was under discussion by the .States, he united with Hamilton and Jay in earnestly recommending the adoption of the constiti» tion by the States, in a series of able articles to which the general title of the " Federalist ' was given. \ After the organization of the government Mr. Madison was a member of the House of Representatives, and was regarded as one of the leaders of the Federalist party, and gave to Hamilton his cordial support in the. finance measures of that nrinister. Towards* the close of Washington's administration, however, Mr. Madison's political view'3 'vnderwen* a great change. He was a neai^ ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. neighbor and warm friend of Mr. Jefferson, and was greatly influenced by the opinions and tlie strong personal character of that great statesman. As the political contro- versies of the times deepened he became more and more inclined to- wards the Republican or " Strict Construc- tion " party, and in Mr. Adams' adminis- tration took his posi- tion as one of the headers of that party. At the time of his election to the Presi- dency, Mr. Jefferson having withdrawn from public life, Mr. Madison was the re- cognized leader of the Democratic party, as the Republican party had come to be called. In 1799 his famous report upon the Vir- ginia resolutions of 1798 stamped him as one of the first states- men in America, and this report has always been regarded by suc- ceeding generations as the most masterly exposition of the true principles of the con- stitution ever penned. During the whole o. Mr. Jefferson's admi- nistration Mr. Madison served as secretary of state, and not only added to his great fame by his eminent services in that capacity, but prepared himself for the difficult duties of the presidency. Mr. Madison had opposed the embargo, 33 513 while sustaining the general foreign policy of Mr. Jefferson, but was in favor of the non- intercourse act, which forbade the country to trade with England and France. This act contained a clause which provided thai JAMES MADISON. it should cease to apply to either or both of them as soon as they should repeal their " decrees," or " orders in council," affecting the commerce of the United States. Mr. Erskine, the British minister to the United States, ~ .nan of noble and generous 514 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. character, was anxious that the differences between the two countries should be settled amicably, and he entered heartily into nego- tiations with the American government for this purpose. In accordance with the in- structions he had received from England, he believed himself authorized to inform the American government that the " orders in council " of Great Britain would be revoked by that government, as far as they applied to the commerce of the United States, and to offer " a suitable provision for the widows and orphans of those who were killed on board the ' Chesapeake.' " Upon these assurances the President, on the nineteenth of April, 1810, issued a proclamation sus- pending the non-intercourse act, as to Eng- land, after the tenth of June following. Seizure of American Ships. The news was received with joy all over the country, and in the course of a few weeks over one thousand vessels sailed from the United States, laden with Americar pTO- ducts, for foreign ports. They had hardly gotten to sea when the President was in- formed by the British government that Mr. Krskine had exceeded his powers in promis- ing the withdrawal of the " orders in coun- cil." The President immediately issued a second proclamation, withdrawing his first, ind matters resumed their old footing. Mr. "krskine was recalled, and a Mr. Jackson was ■"ppointed in his place. The failure of the ■:gotiations with Erskine had greatly morti- ned not only the President and his cabinet, out the whole nation, and Mr. Jackson was ^oldly received. That gentleman adopted a tone and style in his correspondence with the secretary of state, which were so offensive that the President refused to hold communi- cation with him, and demanded his recall. All the diplomatic intercourse between the two countries thus came to an end. The outrages upon American commerco continued. Danish privateers almost drove the American merchantmen from the Baltic. The American ship-owners asked permission to arm their vessels for their own defence, as the government had not a navy sufficient to protect them ; but their petition was refused by Congress, on the ground that such a state of affairs would be equivalent to war. The sentiment of the people of the country was rapidly settling in favor of war, and they could see little difference between the exist- ing state of affairs and open hostilities. France was equally guilty with Great Britain. In the spring of 18 10 Napoleon issued a decree by which any American vessel enter- ing any port of France, or of any country under French control, was made liable to seizure and confiscation. The decree was held back for six weeks after its date, with the deliberate design of involving as many American ships as possible in the ruin intended for them. The first intimation given to the United States of its existence was the seizure of one hundred and thirty-two Amer- ican ships in the French ports. They were shortly afterwards sold with their cagocs, and added the sum of eight millions of dol- lars to the French treasury. The government of the United States remonstrated against this high-handed outrage, but to no purpose, until Napoleon's want of money induced him to adopt a more honest course. Great Britain's Unlawful Acts. About the middle of the year 18 10 the American minister at Paris was informed that the Berlin and Milan decrees were re- voked, and would cease to have effect aftef the first of November of that year. In accord- ance with this information the President, on the first of November, 18 10, issued a procla- mation suspending the non-intercourse act with respect to France, and announcing that ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. 51S the provisions of the act would be continued with respect to Great Britain unless her "orders in council" should be revoked within three months from that date. The President also called the attention of the British government to the repeal of the French decrees, and as the " orders in council " were based upon these decrees, urged their repeal. Great Britain replied that the evidence of the revocation of the Berlin and Milan decrees was insufficient, and that the non-intercourse acts of Congress and the President's proclamation were partial and unjust. This ^''answer was regarded in the United States as evidence of Great Britain's deliberate intention to continue her outrages upon this country, and very greatly increased the popular desire for war. England persisted in her determination to enforce her " orders in council," and even went to the inexcusable length of stationing her war vessels off the principal harbors of the United States for the purpose of intercepting our merchant- metV and injuring our commerce. British Sloop Disabled While matters were in this unsettled con- dition, the American frigate " President," on the evening of the sixteenth of May, 181 1, encountered a strange vessel off the mouth of the Delaware. As the dusk of the evening was too deep for Commodore Rodgers to distinguish the stranger's nationality, he hailed her, and was insolently answered by a gun from her. He replied with a broad- side, and after an action of twenty minutes the stranger was disabled. Rodgers then hailed again, and was answered that the dis- abled vessel was the British sloop of war " Little Belt." She was greatly damaged, and had thirty-two of her crew killed and wound- ed. The " President" was scarcely injured, and had but one man slightly wounded. A different statement of the affair was ren- dered to his government by each of the com- manding officers, and was accepted by each government. In this conflict of testimony, the matter was suffered to pass by. The news of the prompt chastisement of the insolence of the British commander was received with delight in the United States, and the affair was generally regarded as, in some measure, an atonement for the disgrace of the sur- render of the " Chesapeake " to the " Leopard." Furious Attack by the Savages. The Indians of the northwest were becom- ing very troublesome, and their aggressions were attributed to the instigation of the British in Canada. Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief of unusual abilities, attempted to unite the Indians of the continent in a grand effort against the Americans, and for this purpose passed from tribe to <--be, from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and urged them to take up the hatchet. He was assisted by his twin brother, Elskwatawa, generally called " the Prophet," who appealed to the superstitious fears of the savages by his jugglery. The federal government determined to strike a blow at the savages before their plans for union could be brought to a suc- cessful issue. In the autumn of 181 1, Major- General William Henry Harrison, then gov- ernor of Indiana Territory, was sent to operate against the tribes on the Wabash. He took with him a body of Kentucky and Indiana militia, and one regiment of regular troops. On the sixth of November he arrived at the junction of the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers near the town of the Prophet, the brother of Tecumseh. The Prophet sent several of the principal Indian chiefs to meet Harrison with offers o{ submission. They informed him that the Prophet would come into camp the next FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. 516 day, and make a treaty with liim. Harrison suspected that tlie purpose of the Indians was simply to gain time, and that they would probably seek to surprise him during the night, and accordingly caused his men to bivouac on their arms that night. His pre- cautions were well taken. About four o'clock on the morning of November seventh the savages made a furious attack on the Ameri- can camp. They were promptly received, In view of the threatening condition of affairs the President, by his proclamation, convened the twelfth Congress in session a month earlier than usual, and that body met on the fourth of November, 181 1. It was remarkable, as was also its successor, the thirteenth Congress, for the number of its members who afterwards took their places among the great men of the republic. The public men of the revolutionary period were A nONEEK HliKOb I'lUUr WITH THE SAVAGES. and after a severe conflict of several hours were put to flight. Tecumseh was not pres- ent in this engagement. General Harrison followed up his victory by destroying the Prophet's town, and building some forts for the protection of the country. The battle of Tippecanoe quieted the Indians of the northwest for a while, but greatly increased the desire of the people of that region for war with Entrland. (Irojjplng out of political life, and new men, with new ideas, were taking their places in the councils of the nation. Among the new members of Congress were Henry Cla)', a native of Virginia, but a representative fron\ Kentucky; John C. Cal- houn, of South Carolina ; John Randolph, of Virginia; Felix Grundy, of Tennessee; Josiah Quincy, of Massachusetts, and Lang- don Cheeves and William Lowndes, of South ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON Carolina. Tlicie was a large administration majority in both Houses, and the prevailing 517 sentiment of Congress was in favor of war with England. In this respect Congress fairly reflected the feeling of the country. Under the influence of this feeling, Con- gress during this session voted to increase the regular army to thirty-five thousand men, and authorized the President to accept the services of fifty thousand volunteers, and to call out the militia whenever occasion might require. The vessels of the navy were ordered to be fitted for sea, and new ships were to be constructed. There was need for these measures, as the army at the time consisted of but three thousand men, and the navy of less than twenty frigates and sloops of war in commission, and about one hundred and fifty gunboats for harbor defence. The third census, taken in 18 10, showed the population of the country to be 7,239,903. War Declared Against Great Britain. During this winter the government de- tected and laid before Congress an effort of Great Britain to produce disaffection in the New England States, with a view to secure their withdrawal from the Union. The agent of this plot was one John Henry. The committee appointed by Congress to investigate the matter reported that " the transaction disclosed by the President's mes- sage presents to the mind of the committee conclusive evidence that the British govern- ment, at a period of peace, and during the most friendly professions, have been delib- erately and perfidiously pursuing measures divide these States and to involve our citizens in all the guilt of treason and the horrors of civil war." Amid these troubles the State of Louisiana vas admitted into the Union on the eighth )f April, 1812. Shortly afterwards thepor- -ion of the Louisiana purchase lying outside of the limits of the State of Louisiana was organized into the Territory of Missouri. On the twentieth of April, 1805, George Clinton, the Vice-President of the United States, died at Washington, at the age of seventy-three. His place was filled by William H. Crawford, of Georgia, the presi- dent //-t? levipore of the Senate. On the thirtieth of May, 1812, the British minister at Washington delivered to the government of the United States the final reply of his government to the demands of this country in the questions at issue between them. This ultiniatitm was submitted to Congress by the President on the first of June, accompanied by a message in which he recapitulated the wrongs inflicted by Great Britain upon this country, her violations of the rights of neutrals, her impressment of American seamen, her seizures of American ships and her refusal to enter into any equit- able arrangement for the settlement of these questions. The determination of Great 518 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO TffE CIVir. WAR Britain to drive American commerce from the seas was evident, and tlie question was submitted to Congress whether the United States should continue to submit to these outrages or should resort to war to protect their rights. After a debate of several days an act declaring war against Great Britain was passed by Congress and was approved by the President on the eighteenth of June, 1 812. On the nineteenth the President issued a proclamation declaring that war existed between the United States and Great Britain and her dependencies. Congress authorized the President to enlist twenty-five thousand men for the regular army, to raise a force of fifty thousand volunteers, and to call out one hundred thousand militia for garrison duty. General Henry Dearborn, of Massachusetts, was appointed to the chief command of the army. Opposition to the War. The war measures of Congress were not passed without considerable opposition. A large party, composed of some of the ablest and best men in that party, was opposed to the war, and resented the effort to go to war with England alone. They claimed that France had given as good cause for war, but that nothing was said of punishing her. This was true, but this party lost sight of the fact that the United States could not go to war with both powers, and were compelled to direct their efforts against the principal offender, which was clearly England. The war was regarded as an administra- tion measure, and though it was sustained by a large majority of the American people, there was still a strong and respectable party especially in the New P^ngland States, which opposed it, and which claimed that all peaceful means of settlement had not yet been exhausted. John Randolph, of Vir- ginia, opposed the declaration of war in a speech in the House of Representatives re- markable for its boldness and vigor, and declared that he had no hesitation in saying that he should prefer a contest with France to one with England. Soon after the declaration of w.ir Plngland made an effort to settle the controversy with the United States by negotiation. In Sep- tember, 1 81 2, Admiral Warren, command- ing the British fleet at Halifax, addressed a letter to Mr. Monroe, the secretary of state, informing him that he was authorized by his government to enter into negotiations for a cessation of hostilities upon a basis of revo- cation of the "orders in council." The Cause of Hostilities. Mr. Monroe replied that the President was willing to enter into an armi.stice provided Admiral Warren had power and was willing to include in the negotiations measures for the discontinuance of the practices of seizing and searching American vessels and impress- ing American sailors from their decks, as experience had shown that no peace be- tween the two countries could be lasting which did not include a settlement of the.se questions. As Admiral Warren had no authority to enter into these questions, the President declined to proceed further, and the effort at negotiations came to an end. It has been held by many that the rejection by the President of the British overture was a grave error. John Randolph thought that all the ques tions at issue, save the right of a 15ritish sub- ject to expatriate himself and receive Amer- ican protection, could be settled by negoti- ation. That point he did not believe Eng- land would ever concede. His opinion was to some extent vindicated by the uncondi- tional revocation of the French decrees, and the immediate repeal of the British " orders ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. in council " upon the receipt of the news of this revocation. These measures were repealed within a month after the declaration of war by the United States. The only cause of the war remaining unsettled was the im- pressment question. The war thus became a struggle for the personal freedom of Amer- ican sailors ; and in a better cause no nation ever drew the sword. Plan of Carrying On the War. The weakness of the American navy made it impossible for this country to attempt any distant enterprise against Great Britain, and it was not believed by even the most enthu- siastic Americans that we could contend with her upon terms of equality at sea. The only means by which she could be crippled Dy this country was by the invasion and conquest of Canada, and to this end the efforts of the United States were directed during the war. It was also believed that the commerce of England could be seriously injured by the efforts of American privateers, and from the commencement of hostilities great activity was displayed in getting vessels of this class to sea. In the autumn of 1812 Mr. Madison was reelected to the presidency by a large ma- jority. Elbridge Gerry, of Connecticut, was chosen Vice-President. Mr. Madison entered upon his second term on the fourth of March, 1813, some months after the war had begun. At the outset of the war the American forces 'vere stationed along the Canadian frontier as follows : General Dearborn, the commander-in-chief, held the right, or east- ern part of the line ; the centre was com- manded by General Stephen Van Rens- selaer; and the left was held by General William Hull, then governor of Michigan . Territory. The forces under these com- manders were to cooperate with each other in their movements, and were to converge 519 the upon Montreal as the objective point of campaign. Early in July General Hull, who had seen service in the war of the revolution, col- lected a force of about two thousand men at Detroit. His position was very mucfj exposed, Detroit being at that time sej> arated from the other settlements by about two hundred miles of unbroken forest. He urged upon the government to increase his force to three thousand men, and to secure the command of Lake Erie before the British STEPHEN VAN KENSSELAEK. should obtain possession of it. His requests could not be complied with, and he was obliged to depend upon the force at Detroit. Immediately upon the declaration of war the British commanders in Canada displayed great activity, seizing the most important points along the frontier. In less than m month Fort Mackinaw and other points were in their possession, and Hull's position at Detroit was surrounded and his communi- caticns with the States cut ofT. Hull there- upon fortified his position, and endeavored, but without success, to open communication 520 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO TIFE CIVIL WAR, with the country in his rear. In the mean- time a strong British force assembled at Fort Maiden, in Canada, opposite Detroit, under the command of General Brock, the governor of Upper Canada ; and the British igents set to work to arouse the Indians of le northwest against the Americans. In these efforts they were successful. lines they were astounded to sec a whU hag flying from them. An officer rode up to inquire the cause. The flag was the sign^, for a parley. Negotiations were begun, and later in the day Detroit, with its garrisou and stores, and the whole of Michigan ter- ritory, was surrendered to the British by General Hull. The American troops were MASS.\CKli BY INDIANS AT FORT DEARBORN. Brock erected batteries on the Canadian side of the river, in a position to command Detroit, and demanded of Hull the surrender of that place. The demand being refused. Brock crossetl his forces to the American shore, about three miles below the position occupied by General Hull, on the sixteenth of August, and advanced to attack him. As the British army drew near the American t)vcrcomc with astonishment and mortifica- tion at this shameful surrender; for the force of the enemy, to whom they were betrayed by their commander, consisted of but seven hundred British and Canadians, and six hundred Indians. By \he surrender of Detroit the whole northwestern frontier was exposed to the British and their Indian allies. Great Britain, ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. t>2\ unmindful of tlie shame she had incurred by her employment of the savages during the revolution, did not hesitate once more to devote the American frontier to the horrors of a savage war. The west was greatly alarmed, and ten thousand volunteers offered their services to the government for the defence of the frontier. They were accepted, and were placed under the command of Gen- eral Harrison, who was appointed to succeed Hull. General Hull Guilty of Cowardice. Two years later, after being exchanged, General Hull was brought to trial by a court- martial for the surrender of Detroit and his army. He was found guilty of cowardice and neglect of duty, and was sentenced to be shot. He was pardoned by the President in consideration of his services during the revolution. When Detroit surrendered, Fort Dearborn ■stood on the site of the city of Chicago, and was occupied by Captain Nathan Heald and fifty regulars. Receiving orders from Ger Hull to evacuate the fort and join him at Detroit, he attempted to obey, though warned ly several scouts and friendly Indians that t was certain death to make the attempt. \fraid of treachery on the part of the large number of Indians around the fort, Captain Heald destroyed during the night the gun- powder, firearms and liquor which he had promised them. The exasperated savages "waited till he was well on his way with the fifty soldiers and several families, and then attacked him. The women fought as bravely Bs the men. Twenty-six of the regular troops, all the militia, and a number of the men and women were killed. One of the savages leaped into a wagon containing twelve little ones and tomahawked them all. The next day Fort Dearborn was burned to the ground. This was a sorry beginning for the war, and was followed by another disaster. Gen- eral Van Rensselaer, the commander of the centre of the American line, had collected a force, principally New York militia, at Lewis- ton, on the Niagara river. At Queenstown, on the opposite side of the river. General Brock had stationed himself with a British force. On the thirteenth of October General Van Rensselaer crossed a force, under Col- onel Van Rensselaer, and attacked the British fort and captured it. General Brock now arrived with a force of six hundred men, and endeavored to regain the fort, but was defeated and killed. General Van Rensselaer hastened back to the American side to bring over more troops, but his men refused to obey his orders, alleging that they could not be ordered out of their own State without their consent. The British were heavily reinforced, and the Americans were attacked and defeated ; all who had crossed to the Canada side being killed or captured. Brilliant Successes of the Navy. Among the prisoners was Lieutenant- Colonel Winfield Scott, afterwards com- mander-in-chief of the American army, then a young man, who had crossed over as a volunteer to aid the force on the Canada side. Utterly disgusted with the conduct of his troops, General Van Rensselaer resigned his command after the battle of Queenstown. General Smyth, of Virginia, was appointed to succeed him. He made one or two efforts to enter Canada, but being each time pre- vented by his council of war, resigned his command. Thus closed the year 1812, and the first campaign of the war. Its results were dis- astrous and disheartening. The attempts to invade Canada had ended with the surrender of Detroit and the defeat at Queenstown. A larsje n^rt of the frontier was lost, and over 522 FROM nil' Rl'.Vni.UTION TO Till-: civil. WAR. twenty-five Imiulretl iiicn liail hccii eapliiied by the enemy. The.se falliire.s had aroiLsed the di.scontcnt of a considerable portion of the people of the Union, and the opposition of the New England States to the war was greatly increased. Matters would have .seemed hopeless had not the navy, wliich had been the most neglected branch of the they would certainly be captured by the l^ritish cruisers. Tiie officers of the navy were indignant at these insinuations, and as soon as the news of the declaration of war was received at New York, several o*" the vessels of war in that port put to sja at once to avoid the orders which their com- manders feared were on the way to detain CAPTLIKK OF THE "cUERRIEKE" 1!V TllK "CONSTITUTION. public service, redeemed the national honor by a series of brilliant successes. It was the intention of the government at the outset of the war to retain the vessels of the navy in the ports of the country to assist in the defence of Mie harbors of the United States. The fear was openly expressed that if thew vess'^Is should venture to put to sea them in port, and also for the purpose of making a dash at the Jamaica fleet, which was on its way to England. They followed this fleet to the entrance to the British chan- nel, but without overtaking it. A British squadron sailed from I lalifax to cruise off the port of New York. The Amer- ican frigate "Constitution," Captain Hull, ADMINISTRATION UF JAMES MADISON. 523 while cndeavoriiifj to enter New York har- bor, fell in with this sciiiadron, and was chased by it for four days. Her escape was due entirely to the superior skill of her officers and the energy of her crew. The chase was one of the most remarkable in history, and the escape of the American frigate won great rredit for Cai)tain Hull. Failing to reach New York, Hull sailed for Boston, and reached that port in safety. Remaining there a few days, he put to se,' again, just in time to avoid orders from Washington to remain in port. In July tile American frigate "l'"ssex" captured a transport filled with British soldiers, and a few days later encountered the British sloop of war " Alert," which mistook her for a mer- chantman. The " Essex " suf- fered her to approach, and then opened a rapid fire upon lier, which soon disabled her, and forced her to surrender. The " Constitution " sailed from Boston to the northeast. On the nineteenth of August, while cruising off the mouth of the St. Lawrence, she fell in with the Britisii frigate " Guer'-ierc," Captain Dacrcs, one of the ves- sels that had chased her during the previous month. Tlie "Guerriere" immediately stood towards Iier, and both vessels prepared for action. The Flnglish commander opened his fire at long range, but Captain Hull refused to reply until he had gotten his shi() into a favorable position, and for an hour and a half he manoeuvred in silence, under a heavy fire from the liritish frigate. At length, having got within pistol shot of her adversary, the " Constitution " opened a terrible fire upon her, and poured in her broadsides with such effect that the " Guer- riere " struck her colors in thirty minutes. The " Guerriere" lost seventy-nine men killed and wounded, while the loss of the " Constitution " was but seven men. The " Guerriere " was so much injured in the (igh* that she could not be carried into port, aiVj Hull had her burned. The " Constitution " then returned to Bos- ton with her prisoners, and was received with an ovation. It was the first time fn half a COMMODORE HULL century thnt a British frigate had struck her flag in a fair fight, and the victory was hailed with delight in all parts of the country. On the eighteenth of October the .Ameri' can sloop-of-war " Wasp," eighteen, Captain Jones, met the British brig " Frolic," twenty- two, convoying six merchantmen. In order to give her convoy a chance to escape, the "Frolic" shortened sail and awaited the approach of the "Wasp." The "Wasp" poured a raking fire into her antngiimVi and 524 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVH. WAR. then boarded her. The boarders found the deck of the " FroHc" covered with the dead. Only one man remained unhurt, and he stood gallantly at his post at the wheel. Before the prize could be secured the British frigate " Poictiers, " 74, hove in sight and captured both vessels. The " Wasp " lost eight men in the engagement ; the " Frolic " eighty. On the twenty-fifth of October the fri- gate '■ United States," 44, Captain Decatur, Captain Bainbridge, captured the Britisfi frigate "Java," 38, off the coast of Brazil, after an action of three hours. The "Java" was reduced to a wreck, and as lie was notable to get her into a friendly port, Captain Bainbridge caused her to be burned. The "Java" lost one hundred and sixty-one men out of a crew of four hundred ; the " Constitution " lost thirty-four in killed and wounded. Among the wounded was Cap- tain Bainbridge. THE " WASP " BOARDING THE " FROLIC." encountered the British frigate " Mace- donian," 49, off the Azores, and after a ^running fight of an hour and a half forced iier to strike her colors. The "United jjtates" lost seven killed and five wounded ; the " Macedonian," thirty-six killed and sixty-eighty wounded out of a crew of three hundred men. Decatur succeeded in bring- in-j his prize into New York. On the twenty-ninth of December the " Constitution," now under the command of These victories aroused the greatest en- thusiasm in the United States. The grea/ disparity in the losses sustained by tht respective combatants made it evident tc both nations that the American ships had been better handled in every engagement. The British endeavored to account for the American successes by declaring that the United States vessels were seventy-fours in disguise, or that they carried heavier guns than their adversaries ; but the thinking mei ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. 525 of both countries saw that they had been won by the superior skill of the American officers, and that they were the plain an- nouncement of the fact that England had found a rival capable of contesting her supremacy on the ocean. British Commerce Damaged. The American privateers inflicted great damage upon the commerce of Great Britain. During the year 1812 these vessels captured about five hundred British merchantmen and made prisoners of three thousand British seamen. The cargoes of the captured vessels amounted to an enormous sum. On the eighth of March, 18 13, the Rus- sian minister at Washington communicated to President Madison an offer from the Em- peror Alexander of his mediation between the United States and Great Britain for the purpose of bringing about a peace between them. The President at once accepted the Russian offer, and s".nt Albert Gallatin and James A Bayard to St. Petersburg to join John Quincy Adams, then Minisver to Russia, as rTiinisters to negotiate a treaty. The British government declined the Rus- sian mediation and the matter was drop- ped. The thirteenth Congress met on the twenty-fourth of May, 18 13, and entered upon the task of providing the means of carrying on the war. The principal measure resorted to was the imposition of direct taxes and internal duties. The financial situation of the government was disheartening. The expenses of the war had greatly exceeded the estimates, and a heavy deficit had to be provided for. To meet the necessities of the occasion new loans were authorized, but they were generally paid in the depreciated treasury notes which had been issued ac- cording to act of Congress, and did not yield much to the government. The business of the country was in a state of confusion. All the banks, save a few in New England, had suspended specie pay- ments, and the war spirit was dying out in many parts of the Union. New England had entered into the war with great reluc^ tance and was a heavy loser by it. Her opposition to it was increasing daily. Discontent and Disagreement, The government opened the campaign of 1 8 1 3 with the determination to make another effort to conquer Canada. The army of the west, under General Harrison, was stationed at the upper end of Lake Erie ; that of the centre, under General Dearborn, the com- mander-in-chief, was postedalong the Niagara river ; and that of the east, under General Wade Hampton, was at Lake Champlain. Simultaneous movements were to be made from these points against the British in Canada. To oppose these forces the British stationed their armies along their frontier as follows : General Proctor was stationed with a considerable force near Detroit; General Sheaf with another force covered Montreal and the approaches from the United States by way of Lake Champlain and the Sorel river; and Sir George Prevost, the com- mander-in-chief, held the line of the Niagara river. General Harrison was charged with the duty of recovering the territory lost by General Hull. Volunteers flocked to him from all parts of the west, and especially from Kentucky. A part of his force, under General Winchester, held a fort on the Maumee. In January, 18 13, the British made a demonstration against Frenchtown, on the river Raisin, and Winchester sent a detachment to its relief, which compelled the British to retreat. A little later Win- chester followed with the rest of his troops and took position in the open country. Hi.s §26 FROM tup: revolution to the civil war. whole force amounted to scarcely one thou- sand men. Hearing of Winchester's e.xposed posi- tion, General Proctor marched from Fort Maiden, b{*f)osite Detroit, with fifteen hun- dred British and Indians, and, crossing the lake on the ice, attacked Winchester on the twenty-second of January, and after a des- perate encounter forced him to surrender; Proctor promised Winchester that his men save his reputation by protecting his prison- ers, and his inhuman conduct in leaving them to the fury of the savages, in violation of his pledge, met, as it deserved, the un- qualified denunciation of every honorable man. It roused a fierce spirit of revenge througout the west. Harrison was on his march to Winches- ter's assistance when he learned of his surrender. He halted at the rapids of INDIANS TORTURING PRISONERS. should be treated as prisoners of war, but in violation of his pledge set out at once on his retreat to Maiden, leaving the wounded Americans behind. The Indians of Proc- tor's command fell upon the helpless wounded men, massacred the majority of them, and carried the remainder to Detroit. Some of these they ofYered to release on pay- ment of heavy ransoms ; the others they held for torture. Proctor made no effort to Maumee, and built a fort which he named Fort Meigs, in honor of the governor of Ohio. Proctor advanced in the spring to attack this fort, and on the first of May opened his batteries upon it. A force of twelve hundred Kentuckians, under Gen- eral Green Clay, of Kentucky, advanced to the relief of the fort, and the British and Indians were obliged to raise the siege and retreat. ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. 6V General Clay was placed in command of Fort Meigs. In July Proctor again advanced and made siege to it, but was unable to cap- ture it. Hearing that Fort Stephenson, on the Sandusky, had a small garrison, Proctor withdrew from Fort Meigs and attacked Fort Stephenson. This fort had a garrison of one hundred and sixty men, and was commanded by Major George Croghan, ayoung man jn his twenty-second year. He was summoned to surrender, but answered that he should hold the f(5rt to the last man. On the second of August Proctor made a determined assault upon the fort, and his regulars gained the ditch, into which they crowded preparatory to attempting to scale the parapet. At this moment the only cannon in the fort, which had been doubly charged with musket-balls, opened upon them from a masked port-hole. The British were cut down by the score, and retreated in confusion. That night, fearing that Harrison would come to Croghan's relief, Proctor abandoned the siege, and re- treated towards Maiden. Battle of Lake Erie. It was clear that nothing of importance could be accomplished in this quarter as long as the British held Lake Erie. Oliver Hazard Perry, a young lieutenant of the United States navy, volunteered to win back the lake from the enemy, who held it with a small squadron under Captain Barclay. By extraordinary exertions Perry built and equipped a fleet at Presque Isle, now Erie. It consisted of nine vessels of various sizes, from one ivhich carried twenty-five guns down to one which carried one gun. Its total armament amounted to fifty-five guns. It was manned by a small force of sailors from the east, and by a large number ot volunteers from General Harrison's army. As soon as his fleet was in proper condition Perry stood out into the lake to seek the enemy. The British squadron consis«:^d ot six vessels, carrying sixty-three guns. Each fleet carried about five hundred men. The two squadrons soon encountered each other, and on the tenth of September a severe battle was foueht between them at the western end of tne lake.' Perry at the open- ing of the fight displayed a flag from his vessel bearing the words of the brave Law- rence, " Don't give up the ship." It was greeted with cheers from the men. During the battle the American flag-ship, the " Law- COMMODORE PERRY. rence," was disabled, and Perry passed in an open boat, under a heavy fire, to the " Nia- gara," the ne.xt largest ship, and tranferred his flag to her. The result was that the British fleet was defeated and forced to sur- render. Perry announced his victory to General Harrison in the following character- istic message : " We have met the enerny and they are ours. Two shipp, one brig, a a schooner, and a sloop." This victory was of the highest importance to the Americans. It gave them the com- Tiand of Lake Erie, and opened the way to 528 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. PERRY S VICTORY ON LAKE ERIE. Canada. Harrison hastened to profit by it, I and advanced rapidly towards Detroit and J Maiden. Proctor aban- doned those places and retreated with his own forces and Tecumseh and his Indians into Lanada. At Detroit Harrison was joined by thirty-five hundred mountedKentiickians, under the aged Gov- ernor Shelby, one oi the heroes of King's Mountain, and Col- onel Richard M.John- son. He at once en- tered Canada in pur- suit of Proctor, and by a forced march of sixty miles came up with him on the banks of the Thames, on the tlfth of October. A short but desperate battleensued, in which Tecumseh was killed and his Indians put to flight. The British were routed, and Proc- tor saved himself only b}' the speed of his horse. By these successes the Americans won back Michigan Terri- tory, and for the pres- sent gave peace and security to the north- western frontier. The Kentuckians returned home, and Colonel Lewis Cass, who was soon after appointed governor o. Michigan, was left to garrison Detroit with his brigade. With fifteen ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. hundred regulars Harrison embarked on Lake Erie and sailed for Buffalo to assist in the invasion of Canada from that quar- ter A small fleet of armed vessels was main- tained in Lake Ontario by each of the com- batants. The American fleet was commanded by Commodore Chauncey. In April General Dearborn embarked a force of seventeen hundred picked men in these vessels and 529 stores fell Into the hands of the captors. They were transferred to Sackett's Harbor. As it was not part of the plan of General Dearborn to hold York, the place was eva- cuated. Just before the withdrawal of the Americans a small building, known as tha Parliament House, was burned. The British attributed this act to the Americans, who disclaimed it. The American officers believed that the house was set on fiie by liAlllI- Ob Jill lllWll-, — DlAlll 01 Tl CUMSFll. sailed across Lake Ontario to attack York, now Toronto, the capital of Upper Canada. The Americans landed a short distance below the town, and advanced upon it. On the the twenty-seventh of April the place was carried by assault. The British fired the magazine of one of the works from which they were driven, and General Pike, the commander of the storming party, and one or two hundred of his troops were killed by the explosion. A large amount of military the disaffected Canadians, who had threat' ened to burn it. The burning of this build- ing was made by the British the pretext for the destruction of the capitol and other public buildings at Washington, the next/ year. From York General Dearborn sailed to the Niagara to attack Fort George. The commander of this work, on the approach of the Americans, blew up his magazines and retreated to Burlington Heights, near the 530 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL Vv^AR. western end of the lake. Dearborn followed them in pursuit, but was attacked and driven back by the British on the night of the sixth of June. Two American generals, Winder and Chanler. 'vere made prisoners in this engagement. Dearborn fell back in haste to Fort George. In the meantime General Prevost, having llearned of Dearborn's absence from Sackett's Harbor, attacked that place, on the twenty- ninth of May, with one thousand men. He was repulsed with such vigor by the gar- rison, under General Brown, that he retreated to his ships, leaving his wounded behind. Failure of a Canadian Expedition. Soon after this General Dearborn suffered another reverse at Fort George, and allowed a detachment of six hundred men of his army to be cut off by the British. In con- sequence of these failures General Dearborn was removed by the President, who appointed General Wilkinson, the commander of the troops at New Orleans, as his successor. It was proposed that General Wilkinson should enter Canada with his troops and advance upon Montreal, and that General Hampton, commanding the forces on Lake Champlain, should join him on the St. Law- rence. Wilkinson and Hampton were not on friendly terms, and neither of them were possessed of sufficient patriotism to overlook their personal differences for the good of their country. Wilkinson advanced as far as the rapids of the St. Lawrence, and sent a body of troops, under General Brown, to cover the descent of the rapids by the army. An engagement occurred at Chrysler's Farm, on the eleventh of November ; the British were driven back ; but the Americans lost more than three hundred men. Wilk- inson now sent word to Hampton t^ move forward to his support, but the latter answered that he had abandoned the expe- dition, and was going into winter quarters, Under these circumstances Wilkinson fell back to French Mills, about nine miles from St. Regis, where he went into winter quar- ters. Hampton prepared to pass the wintei at Plattsburg on Lake Champlain. Thus the expedition was ruined by the quarrels of it*- commanders. British Depredations, In December the Americans abandoned Fort George, and retreated across the Niagara river. Before doing so Genera) McClure, the commanding officer, burned the village of Newark, in order to prevent the enemy from using it as quarters for their troops during the winter. There was no necessity and no excuse for the destruction of this village, and it was speedily avenged by the enemy. About the middle of Decem- ber the British crossed the Niagara river, surprised Fort Niagara, and put the garrison to the sword. In retaliation for the burning of Newark they burned every town and house that could be reached on the Amer- ican side of the river, including Lewistown, Youngstown, Manchester, Black Rock, and Buffalo. The war was not confined to the northern frontier. In the spring of 1813 Tecumseh had visited the Creek tribes in the southwest and aroused their war spirit. In August seven hundred Creeks attacked and capture''' Fort Mims, on the west bank of the Alabama river, near the mouth of the Tombigbee. Between three and four hundred settlers, who had taken refuge in the fort, were mas- sacred. The south was soon aroused by the ne»>-s of this massacre, and in a shorfc while a forct of seven thousand volunteers was marching into the Indian country in four divisions, One division, under General Andrew Jack- son, of Tennessee, moved southward fronu ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES MADISON. 53' Nashville; another from East Tennessee, under General Cocke ; a third from Georgia, under General Floyd, and a fourth from Mis- sissippi Territory. In addition to these forces the lower Creeks took up arms against their brethren, and the Cherokees and Choc- taws joined the Amer- ricans. The principal villages of the hostile Creeks lay on and near the Coosa and Talla- poosa Rivers, and their hunting-grounds ex- tended much farther north. The Tennessee for- ces, under General Jackson, were the first to enter the Indian country, and a num- ber of unimportant encounters occurred. On the third of Nov- ember the Indians were defeated in a bloody battle at Tal- lasehatche, and on the eighth of the same month at Talladega. These were hard-won victories for the Amer- icans, and terrible blows to the savages. On the twenty-ninth of November the Georgia volunteers under General Floyd, attacked the Creek town of Autossee, and killed two hundred warriors. The Creeks were badly armed, but their spirit was unbroken by their reverses. Early in the year 1814 they assumed the offensive, and on the twenty-second of January attacked General Jackson at Emucfau. Jackson suc- ceeded in repulsing them, but in spite of his victory deemed it best to fall back to Fort Strother. On ?he twenty-fifth the Indians again attacked him and were again defeated. Soon after this Jackson, being largely reir CAPTAIN (afterward SIR PHILIP) BROKE. forced, advanced into the Indiari country with an army of four thousand Tennes- seeans. At the Horse-Shoe Bend of the Tallaposa the Creeks had their principal settlement, an intrenched camp, in which they had collected S32 their women FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVH. WAR. cliildicn, under the pro- tection of one tlionsanil warriors. They Acre attaci^"iorida was a possession of Spain, which was supposed to be a neutral power. Great Britain had laid Spain under heavy obliga- tions in her struggle against Napoleon, am! the British had now no diUkulty in entering Florida, and using it as a base of operations against the south. Their licet entered Pen- sacola harbor and obtained possession of the forts. l'"roni this point they began to stir up the Click hulians to make war on the Americans, and fitted out an e.\pedition against I'ort Bowyer, commanded by Major Lawrence, who defended the harbor ot Mobile. On the fifteenth of September an attack was made upon this fort, and was repulsed with the loss to the onemy of a vessel and a number of men. Jackson and New Orleans. General Jackson, having collected a force of three thousand Tennessceans, marched to Pensacola, entered the town on the seventh of November, demanded that the British should leave the place at once, and notified the Spanish Governor that he should hold him responsible for the occupation of the town or the forts by the British for purposes of hostility towards the United States. The British immediately blew up a fort which they had erected seven miles below the town and embarked in their ships, Conrulent that New Orleans would be the ne.\t object of attack by the British, and l^nowing that the city was poorly prepared to resist. General Jackson at once sent Cicneral Coffee with the mounted Tennessce- ans to that city, ami followed with the rest of his troops as rapidly as possible. New c Orleans was at this time a city of about twenty thousand inhabitants, less than one- li.ilf ofwhom were whites. The whites were principally of French birth or [larentage.and caretl little for the United States. Tiiey could not be relied upon to hold the city against the British. The defences were in a misera- ble state, antl the people were demoralized and insubordinate. Jackson set to work with vigor. He proclaimed martial law, and put down the opposition to his measures for the safety of the city with ;i firm hand. He called for volunteers to defend the city, and urged the free men of color to come forward and enroll themselves. They responded in considerable numbers. The prisons were em[)tied, and the prisoners enrolled in the ranks of the army. The services of Lafitte, a noteil smuggler ciiief of Bariitaria bay, and ADMINISTRATION OF JAMKS MAUISON. 541 of his band, were accepted. Tlie British had endeavored to secure the aid of this band as pilots, as they knew the coast thoroughly, but Lafitte and his men liad re- fused to hold any communication with them. While Jackson was thus enga''» of intrenchments in the rear of his first. Brilliant American Victory. Havinjj finished their preparations, the British erected a battery of si.x eighteen- pounders on the night of the seventh of January, and on the morning of the eighth advanced to carry the American line by storm. Their centre was led by General Pakenham in person, and other columns under Generals Gibbs and Keene moved against the right and left wings of the Americans. The open space over which the enemy were obliged to pass was nearly a mile in width, and was completely com- manded by Jackson's guns. The British advanced in splendid style, and were soon within range of the American artillery, which opened on them with terrible effect. They never wavered, but closing up their ranks firmly pressed on. As they came within musket shot the Kentucky and Ten- nessee riflemen opened a fatal fire upon them which literally mowed them down. Thej- wavered and broke. General Pakenham attempted to rally them, and was shot down. Generals Gibbs and Keene were wounded while engaged in the same attempt, tha latter mortally. The command devolved upon General Lambert, who made two more attempts to carry the line by storm. Each time the fatal fire of the American riflemen drove back the tried veterans of Wellington's rampaigns, and at last they broke and fled in confusion. General Lambert continued the retreat to the shore of the gulf, where the British fleet lay, and about a fortnight later embarked his troops and withdrew. Close of the War. The American loss in the battle of New Orleans was seven killed and si.x wounded. The British lost two thousand in killed and wounded. The victory was of the highest importance. It saved not only New Orleans but the mouth of the Mississippi from British con- trol. Had the army of General Pakenham been successful, there is good reason to believe that England wouid have refused to relinquish the Mississippi, and the war would have gone on, or peace would have been made with the mouth of the great river under the control of England. The victory closed the war, and was won as we shall see three weeks after the treaty of peace was sifrned. At sea the war was carried on by the few American cruisers that managed to elude the blockade of our coast. The frigate " Essex," Commodore Porter, went to sea in 181 3, and made a number of captures in the Atlantic. Learning that the British whalers, which had been armed for the pur- pose of capturing American vessels, engaged in the same trade, were doing considerable damage in the Pacific, Commodore Portef sailed around Cape Horn and entered that ocean. He captured twelve armed British whalers in the course of a few months, and then learnincj tJia* the British frijiate 544 FROM TIIK RKVOI,UTION TO Till", CIVIT. WAR " Ph(cbc " had been sent in pursuit of him, Porter sailed to Valparaiso to look for her. While he lay there the " Phoebe," accompa- nied by the Knyjlish sloop of war " Cherub," arrived off the harbor. The " Pho.'be " was herself a full match for the " Essex," but Porter resolved to fight both vessels. As he was leaving the harbor a sudden sijuall carried away his niaintop- niast, and left him at the mercy of his ene- mies, which at once attacked him. 1 1 is defence was one of the most gallant and COMMODORli UECATUK. desperate in histor)-, l)ut he was forced to surrender, but not until he had lost fifty- eight of liis crew killed, and sixty-six Wounded. In January, 1S15, the frigate " Fresiilent," Commodore Decatur, managed to ehule the blockade of New York, and get to sea. She Was chased by a British squadron of five Vessels, and a running fight ensued. Being entirely disabled, the " Presiilcnt " was forced to surrender. In Fcbruar)% 1S15, while cruising off the «V3r'' :»'' Lisbon, one fine moonlight night. the " Constitution," Captain Stewart, encoun- tered two British sloops of war, the "Cyane," 24, and the " Levant," 18, and captured both of them after a short engagement. These vessels were captured after peace was signed, and were restored to the British. On the twenty-third of March, the " Hornet," Cap- tain Biddle, captured the Biitish brig " Pen- guin" of the Cape of Good Hope. The " Penguin " was so much injured that Biddle was forced to destroy her. On the thirtieth of June the " Peacock," Captain Warrington, ignorant of the close of the war, captured the " Nau- tilus " in the East Indies. The latter vessel was res- tored to the British. Thus the war, which opened so gloomily ft)r the Americans, closed with a series of bril- iant successes for them. In the meantime negotia- tions for peace had been conducted between the 7\merican and British com- missioners at Ghent, in Ik'lgium. The American commissioners had been instructed to demand tha settlement of the impress- ment question, and at the same time to give assurance that upon the relinquishment of that claim by England Congress would enact a law forbidding the enlistment of English .sailors in either the navy or merchant service of the United States. On the fourteenth of December, 1 8 14, the labors of the commissioners were brought to a close, and a treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain was signed. The treaty provided that all places cap- tured by either party during the war should be restored to their rightiul possessors. ADIVriNISTRATION OF JAMKS MADISON. 545 Arrangements were made for determining the nf)rthwcst boundary of the United States, and for settling matters of minor importance. The treaty was silent on the subject of to revive it, so that the object of the war the protection of American sailors from impress- ment by England, was attained after all. The treaty was unanimously ratifieil by the DECATUR AND THE DEY OF ALGIEKS. impressments, the cause of the war. Nev- ertheless Great Britain ceased to exercise her claim to this right as regarded the United States, and has not since attemoted 3.S Senate, and on the eighteenth of February peace was proclaimed by the President. A fi:w days later the President recommended to Congress the passage of a law forbidding 54^ FROM THE RFVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. the cnHstnient of foreign seamen in American vessels. The proclamation of peace was hailed with ielight in all parts of the country, cs^jecial.y •n the Atlantic cities which had suffered heavily by the war, and the national rejoic- ings were intensified by the news which arrived a few days later of the brilliant (victory of New Orleans. Soon afler the conclusion of peace with Great Britain, the United States were called 'jpon to punish the insolence of the dey WILLIAM C. C. CLAIBORNE. jf Algiers. That ruler, thinking that the United States was too much cripj^lcd by ;heir recent conflict with Great Britain to ounish his insolence, suddenly made M'ar ujion them. He threatened to reduce Mr. Lear, the American consul, to slavery, and compelled him to purchase his liberty and that of" his family by the payment of a large ransom. Several American merchantmen were captured by the Algerine pirates, and their crews reduced to slavery. The e.Kcuse offered by the dey for these outrages was that the presents cf the American govern- ment were not satisfactory. The government of the United States determined to compel the Barbary powers to make a definite settlement of the questions at issue between them and this country, and in May, 1815, Commodore Decatur was despatched to the Mediterranean with a fleet o'l ten vessels, three of which were frigates. He was ordered to compel the dey to make satisfaction for his past out- rages, and to give a guarantee for his future good conduct. On the voyage out Decatur fell in with the largest frigate in the Algerine service, near Gibraltar, on the seventeenth of June, and captured her after a fight of thirty minutes. On the nineteenth ai'other Algerine cruiser was taken. Decatur at Tunis and Tripoli. The fleet then proceeded to Algiers, but upon its arrival found the dey in a very humble frame of mind. The loss of his two best ships, and the determined aspect of the Americans, terrified him into submission, and he humbly sued for peace. He was required to come on board of Decatur's flag- ship, and there sign a humiliating treaty with the Ignited States, by which he bound him- self to indemnify the Americans from whom he had extorted ransoms, to surrender all his prisoners unconditionally, to renounce all claim to tribute from the American gevern- ment, and to cease from molesting American vessels in future. The difficulty with Algiers having been satisfactorily settled, Decatur sailed to Tunis and Tripoli, and demanded of the govern- ment of each of those countries in- demnity for some American vessels which had been captured by the British in their harbors with their connivance. The demand was coupled in each case with a threat of bonibariinieiit, and \v«is complied with. ADMINISTRATION (W JAMl'.S MADISON. 547 About the mitldic of tlie simimcr Commo- dore Bainbridj^c joined Decatur with tlie " Independence," seventy-four, the "Con- gress," and several other vessels, but the energetic Decatur had settled all difficulties, and had so humbled the Barbary powers that they never again renewed their aggres- sions upon American commerce. The American fleet then visited the principal ports of the Mediterranean. The brilliant record made by the navy during the war with England secured it a flattering re?'p- tion everywhere. Indian Tribes at Peace. In the autumn of 1815 the Indian tribes, deprived of the support of Great Britain, made peace with each other and with the United States. The northwestern frontier was thus secured against the further hostility of the savages. The finances of the country were in a wretched condition at the close of the war. All the banks but those of New England had suspended specie payments, and none were now in a condition to return to a specie basis. The public debt was over ;^ 1 00,000,000 and there was a general lack of confidence throughout the country. Mr. A. J. Dallas, the secretary of the treasury, in view of the general distress, proposed to abolish a num ■ ber of the internal taxes which had been levied for the support of the war. In their place he advised the imposition upon im- ports from foreign countries of duties suffi- ciently high not only to afford a revenue, but also to protect the manufactures which had sprung up during the war, and which were threatened with ruin by the competition of European goods. The President, in his annual message, warmly recommended such a course. Another important measure was also enacted. The charter of the first Bank of the United States expired in 18 1 1. Efforts had been made, without success, to obtain its renewal, and Mr. Madison in January, 1 8 14 had vetoed a bill for this purpose which had passed both Houses of Congress. In the spring of 18 16 a bill was passed by Congress chartering a new Bank of the United States for twenty years, with a capital of i? 3 5. 000,000, and received the President's signature on the tenth of April. It was located in Philadelphia, but had branches in other States. It gave the people a uniform currency, good in all parts of the country, and redeemable on demand in . gold and silver, and thus did much to remedy the financial difficulties of the times. Somewhat later a law was passed requiring that all sums of money due the United States should be paid in gold or silver coin, " in treasury notes, in notes of the Bank of the United States, or in notes of banks payable and paid on demand in specie." On the nineteenth of April, 18 16, the Ter- ritory of Indiana was admitted into the Union as a State, making the nineteenth member of the Confederacy. William C. C. Claiborne, a distinguished lawyer and states- man and former governor cf the Territory, was one of the senators-elect of the new State, and became a famous member of that body. The Presidential election took place in the fall of 1 8 16. Mr. Madison having decline-, to be a candidate for a third term, the Democratic party nominated James Monroe, of Virginia, for President, and Daniel D. Tompkins, of New York, for Vice-President, and elected them by large majorities over the Federal candidates, who were: For President, Rufus King, of New York ; for Vice-President, John Howard, of Maryland. CHAPTER XXXIV The Administrations of James Monroe and John Quincy Adams Inauguration of Mr. Monroe — His Tour through the Eastern States — Admission of Mississippi into the Union — Troubles with the luilians — General Jackson's Vigorous Measures against the Spaniards in Florida^ Purchase of Florida by the United States — Illinois becomes a State — The first Steamship — Maine admitted into the Union -The Slavery Question — The Missouri Compromise — Admission of Missouri as a State — The Fourth Census — Re-election of Mr. Monroe — The Tariff — I'rotective Policy of the Government — Recognition of the Spauish Republics — The Monroe Doctrine — Visit of Lafayette to the United States — Retirement of Mr. Monroe— John Quincy Adams elected President — His Inauguration — Rapid Improve- ment of the Country — Increase of Wealth and Prosperity — Internal Improvements — The Creek Lands in Georgia Ceded to the United States — Death of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams — The Anti-Masous — The Tariff of 1828 — Andrew Jackson elected President of the United States. JAMES MONROE was inaugurated President of the United States, at Washington, on the fourth of March, 1817. He had served during the revolution in the army of the United States, and had entered Congress soon after the for- mation of the government as a representative from Virginia, and had won great credit by his services in that body. He had been secretary of state during the eight years of Mr. Madison's administration, and had greatly increased his fame by his discharge of the difficult and delicate duties of this position. He was a man of amiable and conciliatory character, and was popular with both parties. In his inaugural address he declared his intention to administer the government in accordancewith the principles of Washing- ton, and the sentiments of this document were warmly applauded throughout the country by Federalists as well as Democrats. The administration of Mr. Monroe covered a fieriod generally known in our political history as "the era of good feeling." Party lines were almost blotted out, and the people of the country were more united than at any 548 previous or subsequent period in the sup- port of national measures. A few months after his inauguration President Monroe made a tour through the Ea.steru States. He was received with marked attention everywhere, and the Fed- eralist city of Boston entertained him with the cordial hospitality which is one of her characteristics. On the tenth of December, 18 17, the western portion of the Territor>' of Missis- sippi was admitted into the Union as the State of Mississippi. The eastern portion of the former Territory became the Terri- tory of Alabama, for which a government was provided by Congress. Towards the close of the year 18 17 the Seminole Indians, whose lands lay within the Spauish province of Florida, began to commit depredations along the borders of Georgia and Alabama Territory. They were joined by the Creeks, and their operations soon became so important as to demand the immediateaction of the federal government General Gains, connnanding the federal troops in Alabama, attempted to check the Indians, but his forces were inadequate to the ADMlNlSTRAtiONS OF MONROE AND J. Q. ADAMS. ask, and he was compelled to ask assistance of the government. General Jackson, com- manding the southern department, was ordered to call out the militia and take the field against the Indians. He collected a force of one thousand mounted Tennesseeans, and | in March, 1818, invaded the Indian country, and in a few weeks laid it waste, the villages and cornfields were burned, and the cattle captured or killed. Being satisfied that the Spaniards in Florida had incited the Indians to make war on the United States, General Jackson, as soon as he had pun- ished the Indians, march- edinto Floridaandseized St. Marks, on Appalachee bay, the only fortified town of the Spaniards in that part of Florida. An armed American vessel, cruising off the Florida coast, hoisted the British icolors, and two promin- ent hostile Creek chiefs were decoyed on board, and were summarily hanged by order of Jack- son. In one of his forays against the Indians Jack- son captured two Bri- tish traders, Robert C. Ambrister, or Ambuster, and Alexander Arbuthnot. They were accused of aiding the Indians, were tried and found guilty by a court-martial, and were promptly hanged. The Spanish governor indignantly protested against the invasion of Florida, but Jackson, 549 unmoved by this protest, advanced in May to Pensacola, the seat of the Spanish provincial government, which place was immediately surrendered to him. The Spanish governor fled to Fort Barrancas, below the town. Jackson attacked the fort and compelled it JAMES MONROE. to surrender after a brief resistance, where- upon the governor continued his flight to Havana. The invasion of Florida by Jackson drew forth an indignant protest from the Spanish government, but his conduct was sustained by a decisive majority in both SKO FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIl. WAR. Houses of Congress; The Spanish govern- ment did not press the matter, as negotiations were soon entered upon which brought about an amicable settlement of the difficulty. The Spanish kingdom was indebted to certain citizens of the United States in sums amounting in the aggregate to five million dollars. Spain instructed her minister at Washington to conclude a treaty with the United States ceding Florida to them as an equivalent for these claims. The treaty was arranged in 1 8 ig. Spaii ceded to the United States all her claims to East and West Florida, and to the territory claimed by her on the Pacific coast north of forty-two degrees of north latitude, and the federal government assumed the Spanish debt to the citizens of this country. Two years later this treaty was ratified by Spain, and on the twenty- second of April, 1 82 1, the President formally announced the acquisition of Florida by the United States. Oregon and Illinois. This purchase also included the territory in Oregon claimed by Spain, and embraced an area of 367,320 square miles. Florida was at once organized as a Territory, and General Jackson was appointed its first gov- ernor. On the third of December, 18 18, the Ter- ritory of Illinois was admitted into the Union as a State. The year 1 8 1 9 was marked by an event Oj- great importance in the history of the world. Steam had been used for some time in the inland navigation of the Union, but it was not generally believed it could be applied to sea-going vessels. The steamship " Savan- nah," built in New York, but owned in the city from which she was named, made a suc- cessful voyage from New York to Savannah in the early part of 1819. In May of that year she sailed from Savannah for Liverpool, and reached that port in safety From Liver- pool she subsequently made a voyage to St. Petersburg. She was the first steam vessel that ever crossed the Atlantic, and, wherever she went, was an object of the greatest interest. The question of steam navigation^ on the ocean was thus satisfactorily settled by America. On the fourteenth of December, 18 19, Alabama was admitted into the Union as a State, making the total number of States twenty-two. North and South. On the fifteenth of March, 1820, IViaine, which had formed a part of Massachusetts, but had been ceded by that State to the gen- eral government, was admitted into the Union as a State. The object of the erection of this new State was to offset the growing power of the Southern States by the creation of? new member of the Union in New Eng- land. The number of the New England States was thus increased to six. For some years past the question of African slavery in the States had been assuming an important and alarming position in the public mind. The States of the north and west had gotten rid of such negro slaves as they had originnlly possessed, and had forbidden their citizens to own or bring within their limits for purposes of labor any persons of this class. The Southern States, on the other hand, comprised a region in vvhich slave labor was particularly profitable, and ic was believed by the people of this region that the industry of many parts of the south could not be properly developed by white men, as the climate was more unsuited to them than the negroes. The production of cotton, rice, sugar, and tobacco depended on the labor of the negro, and in the States where those great staples were raised slavery was regarded as a necessity. ADMINISTRATIONS OK MONROE AND J. Q. ADAMS. 551 At the period wc are now considering slavery existed in the States of Delaware. Maryland, Virginia, North and South Caro- lina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Missis- sippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Being regarded by these States as necessary to their prosperity, they considered any and all plans for its removal as attacks upon their chief source of wealth. In the non-slaveholding States the feeling that slavery was sinful had been gradually gaining ground, and there were many per- sons in the south who held the same view s Certain religious bo dies in the country had distinctly expressed their belief that it was contrary to the teach- ings of Christianity to own slaves, and mem- orials had been pre sented to the legisla- tures of some of the States, and to the Con- gress of the United States, praying for the abolition of slavery The law for the organization of the Northwest Territory forbade the admis- sion of slavery into the States to be formed out of that Territory, and thus secured them for free labor. Though Congress did not hesitate to legislate upon the subject of slavery in this case, it steadily refused to comply with the demands of the petitions presented to it praying it to take measures for the abolition of slavery throughout the nation. The exist- ence of slavery within the individual States was recognized and protected by the Consti- tution, and Congress held that it had no right to interfere with the domestic relations of those States in which slavery, thus recog- nized and protected, was established. In February, 1819, the Territory of Mis- souri, which was formed out of a part of the Louisiana purchase, asked permission to form a constitution preparatory to being admitted into the Union as a State. When ULIJ U V\ 1)1 IKKIM, (OTTON the bill for this purpose was presented to the House of Representatives on the thirteenth of February, Mr. Tallmadge, of New York, proposed to insert a clause providing " that the further introduction of slavery, or invol- untary servitude, be prohibited, except for the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted ; and that all children born in said State, after the admis- 55: FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. sion thereof into the Union, shall be free at the age of twenty-five years. The announcement of tliis amendment proihiced a great .sensation in the 1 louse, aiul tliroughout the country. It was believed by the advocates of slavery that tlie resolu- tions of the House of Representatives of 1790, in reply to the first petition presented to it for the abolition of slavery, had settled the question of the powers of the federal government respecting slavery. No effort had been made to revive the subject in the admission of Kentucky, Tennessee, Louis- iana, Mississippi, or Alabama, in each of which States negro slavery existed. Many of the most determined opponents of slavery believed that, under the constitution and the Louisiana treaty with France, Congress had no right to adopt the proposed restriijtion upon the admission of Missouri as a State. Free and Slave Labor. Among these were Mr. Jefferson, then living in retirement at Monticello, and John Quincy Adams, the .secretary of state in Mr. Monroe's cabinet. Both of these gentlemen were sincerely desirous of the abolition of slavery. Mr. Jefferson believed that the Stales alone had j)ower to legislate upon the subject within their respective limits. The opponents of slavery, on the otlicr hand, contended that while Congress had no power to interfere with slavery in the thirteen orig- inal States, it had full power to legislate concerning it in the Territories, which were the common property of the States north and south. The advocates of slavery con- tended that, as the treaty under which the Louisiana purchase was made contained a pledge to the inhabitants of that Territory that they should enjoy " all the privileges of citizens of the United States," such a restric- tion as that proposed by Mr. Tallmadge would be a violation of this pledge. They claimed also that as slaves were property, and the Territories the common possession of the States, the citizens of the slaveholding States had the right to carry their property into the Territories ; and that the probibition of slavery in the Territories would be to deprive the south of her share I in their enjoyment. The anti-slavery advo- cates replied to this, that slave and free labor could not coexist on the same soil, and that to allow slavery in the Territories would be to diive free labor out of them ; and that it would be a great wrong to allow the intro- duction of a few hundred thousand slaves at the cost of driving millions of free men from the Territories. The National Controversy. The discussion of this question produced intense feeling between the Northern and Southern States, and the sectional division of the country was drawn too deep to be effaced while the cause of it remained. If was very clear to thinking men that th( feelings aroused by this controversy could not be quieted imtil the institution of slavery should be abolished throughout the country, or should be introduceil into every new State formed out of the Territories remaining to the republic. The excitement deepened daily, and at one time became so intense as to threaten the existence of the Union. Good men of all parties gave their best efforts to the task of eftecting a settlement of the difficulty, but amid the storm of passion which was aroused by the debate in Congress it was hard to accomplish anything. The bill allowing the people of Missouri to form a State constitution passed the House of Representatives with Mr. TalU madge's amendment by a small majority. It was defeated in the Senate. When Con- gress met again in December, 1S19, the debate was renewed upon the Missouri ADMINISTRATIONS OF MONROE AND J. Q. ADaMS. question. The House again passed the bill for- bidding the existence of slavery in Missouri. The Senate struck out Mr. Tallmadge's amendment, and added to the House bill, as a substitute for it, a proviso offered by Mr. Thomas, of Illinois, that slavery should not exist in any part of the Louisiana Territory north of thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes north latitude, and west of the proposed State of Missouri, or in any State to be formed out of this Territory. The I louse refused to accej)! the Senate's amend- ment, and in order to adjust their dif erences a committee of conference was ftpjjniiited by the two Houses. Maine, whose admission we have re- lated, was an applicant for admission into the Union at this time, and it was T:ontended by the south that it was unjust to admit her without any restric- tion as to her domestic institutions, anc' yet to impose upon Missouri a restric- tion which would deprive a large part of her pojiuiation of their property, and close the State against emigration from the south. The result of the committee n conference was that after long and exciting d'jbates the amendment offered by Mr. Thomas, of Illinois, was ac.epted. Maine was admitted as a free State. It was enacted by Congress that slavery should never exist north of the line of thirty-six degrees thirty minutes north latitude; and that Missouri should be admit- ted into the Union as a slave State upon the adoption of a constitution by her people. This was regarded as an equitable settle- ment of the difficulty, and the measure is known as the Missouri Compromise. The act for the admission of Maine received the President's approval on the third of March, 1820, and the State was admitted into the Union under it on the fifteenth of March. The separate act in relation to Missouri was 553 approved by the President on the eighth of March, 1820. Its title shows its object. It was " An act to authorize the people of Mis- souri Territory to form a constitution and State government, and for the admission of such State into the Union on an ecjual foot- ing with the original States, and to prohibit slavery in certain Territories." As we shall see, the State of Missouri was not admitted into the Union under the famous Missouri Compromise. HENRY CLAY. When Congress met in December, 1820, the constitution adopted by Missouri was presented to that body. It contained a clause which prevented free people of color from settling in the State. " This clause," says Colonel Benton, " was adopted for the sake of peace — for the sake of internal tranquil- ity — and to prevent the agitation of the slave question."* It was objected to in Congress * lienton'i Thirty Years'' View, vol. i., p. 8. 554 FROM THK RKVOLUTION TO THK CIVIT, WAR. by the party that liad previously opposed the admission of Missouri as a slave State. This party argued that the constitution required that the citizens of one State should be entitled to the privileges of citizens in the other States ; and that as some of the States recognized free people of color as citizens, this provision of the Missouri constitution was in open hostility to the constitution of the United States, since it deprived the citi- zens of some of the States of their rights. The friends of the compromise measure were astounded, as they had supposed that it had removed all obstacles to the admis- sion of Missouri, which had already exer- cised the privileges of a State in electing senators and representatives to Congress, and in taking part in the presidential election of 1820. The subject was reopened in Con- gress in all its bitterness, and the country again plunged into profound agitation. The Struggle Renewed. At this juncture 1 lenry Clay exerted him- self with great energy to bring about a settle- ment of the dispute. He induced the House to commit the matter to a committee of thir- teen, of which he was made chairman. This committee advised the admission of Missouri upon the condition that the obnoxious clause in her constitution should be withdrawn and that her legislature should pass no law vio- lative of the rights of citizens of other States. Mr. Clay supposed that as this recommenda- tion amply met the objection to the admis- sion of Missouri, it would remove the last obstacle to the accomplishment of that object. To his astonishment it was defeated by a vote of eighty for it and eighty-three against it. The struggle now became more bitter than ever. The anti-slavery party, which had by this time obtained a definite existence, were determined that the right of the general government to control the slavery question should be acknowledged. The pro-slavery party were determined to resist the e.xercise of that claim. Threats were freely indulged to destroy the Union by the withdrawal of the Stat^is. Mr. Clay, undaunted by hib failure, 1 jnewed his patriotic efforts to bring about a settlement of the dispute, and at length secured the passage of measures sub- stantially the same as those advised by his first committee. The act of Congress for this purpose was approved by the President on the second of March, 1821. The Missouri legislature on the twenty-sixth of June expunged the obnoxious article from the constitution of the State, and on the tenth of August the President issued his proclamatior admitting Missouri into the Union.* The slavery question was quieted for a time by the admission of Missouri, but it was not settled. We shall encounter it again and again in the remaining chapters of this work. In 1820 the fourth census of the United States placed the population of tlie republic at 9,638,191 souls. In the fall of 1820 Mr. Monroe and Gov- ernor Tompkins we-e re-elected President and Vice-President of the United States. Mr, * " A general idea prevails very extensively that Missouri was admitted as a slave .State in 1820, under an agree- ment with the Restriclionists, or Centralists, i)roposed by Mr. Clay, that she should be so admitted upon condition that negro slavery should be forever prohibited in the public domain north of 36 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. No greater errorin any important historical event ever existed. The truth is, Mr. Clay was not the author of the territorial line of 36 degrees 30 minutes, incorporated in the act of 1820, nor wa.s Missouri admitted under the provisions of thai act. On the contrary, she was admitted on the tenth of .\ugust, 1821, by presidential proclamation, upon the ' Funda- mental Conditions,' in substance, that the State government, in all its dep.irlments, should be subject to the constitution of the United States, as all the State governments were, and are." — .-/ Compendium of the History of the UniteJ Statu. By Hon. Alexander II. Stephens, p. 329. ADMINISTRATIONS OF MONROE AND J. Q. ADAMS. 555 Monroe received at the polls a majority ol the votes of every State in the Union, and every electoral vote but one, which was one in the college of New Hampshire, and was cast for John Quincy Adams. Mr. Monroe entered upon his second term on the fourth of March, 1821. Next in importance to the slavery ques- world, and com[)elled the States to depend upon their own exertions for the supply of their wants. During this period numerous rr.anufacturin;^' enterprises had s[)rung up, especially in New luigland, where capital was idle and labor aijundant. At the close of the war the country was flooded with European goods, which were 'JNIQUIi COTTON IlAKVliSTEK. tion was that of the tariff, or the imposition of a protective duty in favor of home manu- factures. In his inaugural address the Presi- dent had recommended the imposition of such a system of duties. During the war the non-intercourse laws of Congress, and the rigid blockade maintained by the British fleet, entirely cut the United States off from commercial intercourse with the rest of the sold at reduced prices for the especial pur- pose of ruining American manufactures. In, their weak and helpless condition the Ameri- can enterprises could not endure this com- petition, and the tariff was proposed as the only means of saving them from ruin. Tiie first measure of this kind was passed by Congress in 18 16, and was opposed by the New England States, which were then largely 556 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVH. WAR. engaged in commerce, and was supported by tlic south. Ill 1820 tlic tariff was revised. Tile New F.iigland States, which had directed tlie chief elTorts to manufactures since 1S16, had felt the beneficial effects of protective duties, and now became the warm supporters of the tariff. The south being an agricultural section had found that its interests liemanded free trade, liad changed its position and resolutely opposed the tariff. In spite of the opposition to the measure, lunvever, the duties were increased in the tariff of 1820. Mexico and South America, For some years past Mexico and the States of South America formerly held by Spain as provinces had been struggling to achieve tlieir independence of the mother country. Heiuy Clay had exerted liimself with enthusiasm to obtain from Congress a recognition of their independence, but such a step had been considered premature. In March, 1822, however, his efforts were crowned with success, and a bill was passed by Congress in accordance with the recom- mendation of the President, recognizing the independence of Mexico and the South American republics, and providing for the establishment of diplomatic relations with them. The next j'car President Monroe declared in a message to Congress that, " as a princi- ple, the American continents, by the free and independent position they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization b\' any European power." This claim that America belongs to republicanism, and is not to be the scene of European schemes for territorial aggrandizement, has since been known as the " Monroe doctrine," and been regarded as one of the cardinal points of tiie policy of the government of the United States The last year of Mr. Monroe's administra- tion was marked by an advent of the deepest interest to the whole country. In 1824 the venerable Marquis de Lafayette came to the United States at the express invitation oi Congress to visit the nation whose freedom he had helped to achieve. He reached New York on the thirteenth of August, and was received with enthusiasm. 1 le travelled through all tlie States, and was everywhere received with demonstrations of respect andi affection, and he was given abundant evi- dence in all parts of the country that the nati:.,k cherished with love and pride the memory of the generous stranger who came to its aid in its darkest hour of trial. Re turning to Washington dining the session of Congress, Lafayette spent several weeks there. Congress, as a token of the gratitude of the nation for his services, voted him a a township of kuid and the sum of two hun- dred thousand ilollars. The frigate " Brandy- wine," just finished, was appointed to convey him back to France, a delicate complimeiit, as the ves.se! was named after the stream oil wliosc banks Lafayette fought his first battli; and was wounded in the cause of American independence. At the time of his visit to the United States Lafayette was nearly seventy years t)ld. Election of John Quincy Adams. Ill the fall of 1824 the Presitiential election was lield amid great political excitement The " era of good feeling " was at an end, and part)' spirit ran high- There were foul canilidales in the field, Mr. Monroe having declined a third term : Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William H. Crawford ami Henry Clay. None of these received a popular majority and the election was thrown into the House of Representati\'es in Congress, and resulted in the choice of John Quincy Adams, oi ADMINISTRATIONS OF MONROE AND J. Q. ADAMS. 557 Massachiisctts, as President of tlic United States. John C. Calhoun, of South Caiohna, had been chosen Vice-President by the popular vote. On the fourth of March, 1825, John Quincy Adams was inaugurated President of the United States, lie was the son of John Adams, the second President of tlic republic, and was in his fifty-eighth year. He was a man of great natural ability, of strong personal character, and of unbending integrity. He had been carefully educated, and was one of the most learned men in the Union. Apart from his general education he had received a special training in statesmanship. He had served as minister to the Nether- lands, and in the same capacity at the courts of Portugal, Prussia Russia and England, where he had maintained a high reputation. He had represented the State of Massachusetts in the Federal Senate, and had been secretary of state in the cabinet of Mr. Monroe during the last administration. He was therefore thoroughly qualified for the duties of the high office upon which he now entered. " King Cotton." He called to his cabinet men of marked ability, at the head of which was Henry Clay, who became secretary ot state. The administration of Mr. Adams was one of re- markable prosperity. The country was growing wealthier by the rapid increase of its agriculture, manufactures and commerce, and abroati it commanded the respect of the world. Still party spirit raged with great violence during the whole of this period. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, in 1793, by which the seed was separated from the cotton, had so cheapened the cost of producing that great staple, that it had become the principal article of export from the United States, and a source of great and growing wealth to the whole country. Several important undertakings were prosecuted with vigor, or were completed during Mr. Adams' term of office. The National Road, a splendidly constructed highway, built by the general government, from Cumberland, Maryland, across the mountains, was completed to Wheeling, on the Ohio, in 1820, and was carried beyond that stream during Mr. Adams' administra- JOIIN QUINCY ADAMS. tion, the design being to extend it to the Mississippi. It furnished a broad and well- built thoroughfare between the seaboard and the west, and exerted a marked influence upon the internal trade of the country. The road from Cumberland to Wheeling cost ^1,700,000. The Erie canal, extending from Buffalo on Lake Erie to the Hudson at Albany, was projected by De Witt Clinton, The plan was at first pronounced impracticable, but Clinton succeeded in inducing the State f» 5S8 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. New York to undertake the scheme, and in 1825 the great work was completed and the waters of the lakes and the Hudson were united. The completion of this canal secured to the city of New York the control of the western trade, and added to its wealth and importance in a marked degree. Mauch Chunk railway, from the coal mines to the Lehigh river, in Pennsylvania, in 1827. These were merely local works, and of but little importance, except in so far as they helped to demonstrate to the public mind the possibility and the usefulness of such enter- prises upon a larger scale. STEAJIBOAT LO.'^DING WITH COTTON. Steam had been for some years in use as the motive power in the navigation of the rivers of the Union, and it now began to be applied to purposes of land transportation. The first railroad in this country was a mere tramway, for the transportation of granite from the quarries at Ouincy to the Neponsett river, in Massachusetts, and was constructed in the \'car 1S26. This was followed h ' the Charters tor roads of more imponance were soon obtained in several of the States. In 1828 work was begun on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and in 1S29 on the South Carolina railroad. In the year 1827 there were three miles of railroad in operation in the United States. In 1875 the number of miles in operation is a little over seventy ihousaiid. ADMINISTRATIONS OF MONROE AND J. Q. ADAMS. 559 For some time previous to the entrance of Mr. Adams upon office, Geort^ia had been involved in a dispute with the general gov- ernment and with the Creek Indians con- cerning the lands of the latter, which the United States had agreed to purchase for the benefit of Georgia. Twenty-five years passed after the promise was made, and the lands re- mained unpurchased be- cause the Indians would not sell them. A treaty ^ v\as finally made in 1825 .^ by which some of the chiefs ceded to the gen- eral governiirient the lands in question. The majority of the Indians declared the chiefs had no authority to enter into this treaty, and called upon the United States to repudi- ate it. It was cancelled by the general govern- ment, but the State of Georgia determined to enforce it. The general government took the side of the Indians, and for a while it seemed that an open conflict would ensue between the State and federal authorities. The matter was settled by the Creeks consent- ing to sell their lands and to accept new homes in the west. The Indian lands were purchased by the United States, and the Creeks emigrated beyond the Missis- sippi. On the fourth of July, 1826, died, within a fcw hours of each other, two ex-presidents of the republic — John Adams and Thomas Jef- ferson — the latter the author of the Declara- tion of Independence, and the former its most efficient supporter. Mr. Adams died at his home at Qnincy, Massachusetts, at the ripe old a^e of ninety years ; Mr. Jefferson, at STATUE OF JEFFERSON AT WASHINGTON. Monticello, his beautiful Virginian home, at the age of eighty-two. Both had filled the highest stations in the republic, and both had lived to see the country they loved take rank among the first nations of the globe. They died on the fiftieth anniversarv of American independence. 560 FROM Till': RKVOLUriON TO THE CIVIL WAR. Ill tlie vcar 1826 a now party made its appcaiancc in our politics. A man named William Morgan, residing in the western l)ai t of New York, published a book purport- ing to reveal the secrets of the order of Free- masons. He suddenl}' disappeared, and it was charged that he had been seized and murdered by the Freemasons in revenge for his exposures. The affair caused great ex- citement in the Northern, and some of the Western States, and gave rise to a political n.\Mii. \\ laisri'.u. jiarty known as the Anti-Masons, whose avowed object was the exclusion of Masons from office, it accjuired considerable strength in some of the .States, but in a few )'ears died out. The tai iff question now engaged the atten- tion of the country once more. The manu- facturing interests were still struggling against foreign competition, and it was the opinion of the Eastern and Middle States that the gen- eral government should protect them bv the imposition of high duties upon products of foreign countries imported into the Union. The south was almost a unit in its opposition to a high tariff. Being, as we have said, an agricultural section, its interests demanded a free market, and it wished to avail itself of the privilege of purchasing where it could buy cheapest. The south and the west were the markets of the east, and the interests of that section demanded the exclusion of for- eign competition in supplying these markets. In July, 1S37, a convention of manu- facturers was held at Harrisburg, Venn- sylvania, and a memorial was adopted praying Congress to increase the duties on foreign goods to an extent which would protect American industry. When Congress met in December, 1827, the protective policy was the most important topic of the day. It was warmly dis- cussed in Congress and throughout the countr)'. The interests of New England .vore championed by the matchless elo- quence of Daniel Webster, who churned that as the ailoption of the protective policy by the government had forced New England to turn her energies to manufacturers, the government was bound to protect her against competi- tion. After a very able and exhaustive dis- cussion, the tariff bill was passed by the House on the fifteenth of April, 1S2S, and was approved by the President a little later. It was termed by its opponents the " Kill of Abominations." In the midst of this excitement the Presi- ilential election occurred. Mr. Adams was a candiilate for re-election, but was over- whelmingly defeated by Andrew Jackson, ol Tennessee. John C. Calhoun was chosen \'^ice-President. The election of Jackson was regarded as a popular condemnation of the protective policy of the government. PUTNAM'S ESCAPE AT HORSE NECK ADMIRAL JOHr: PAUL JONES DECATUR'S CONFLICT WITH THb: ALGERIN B AT TRIPOLI CHAPTER XXXV The Administrations of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren haracter of Andrew Jackson— Indian Policy of this Administration — The President Vetoes the Bill to Reney the Charter of the United States Bank— Debate Between Hayne and Webster— Jackson's Quarrel With Calhoun— Death of ex-President Monroe— The Cholera— Black Hawk's War— Re-election of President Jackson— The Tariflf— Action of South Carolina— The Nullification Ordinance— Firmness of the President —The Matter settled by Compromise — Patriotism of Henry Clay — The Removal of the Deposits— The Seminole War Begun — Great Fire at New York — Settlement of the French Claims — Arkansas Admitted Into the Union— The National Debt Paid— Death of ex-President Madison — Martin Van Buren Elected President— Michigan Admitted Into the Union — The Panic of 1837 — Causes of It— Suspension of Specie Payments— Great Distress Throughout the Union — The Sub-Treasury — Repudiation of State Debts— The Canadian Rebellion— The President's Course— The Seminole War Ended— The Anti-Slavery Party — Reso- lutions of Congress Respecting Slavery— William Henry Harrison Elected President — The Si-fth Census. ANDREW JACKSON, the seventh Presidentof the United States, was inaugurated at Washington, on the fourth of March, 1829. President Jackson was in many respects one of the most remarkable men of his day. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and was born in North Carolina during the contro- versy between the colonists and Great Britain, which preceded the revolution. He was left fatherless at an early age, and his youth was passed amid the stirring scenes of the war for independence. At the age of thirteen he began his career by taking part in the fight at Hanging Rock, u nder General Sumter. The home of the Jacksons was broken up and pillaged by the Tories, and the mother and her two sons became wan- derers. The sons were shortly after made prisoners by the Tories, and the day after his capture Andrew Jackson was ordered by a British officer to clean his boots. He indignantly refused, and the officer struck him with the flat of his sword. The boys were at length exchanged through the exer- tions of their mother. Both had contracted the small-pox during their captivity, and the elder sou soon died of his disease. 36 Not long afterwards Mrs. Jackson, witb some other ladies, went to Charleston to minister to the wants of the American pris- oners of war confined there by the British. A fever wasraging a mong these unfortu nates at the time, and Mrs. Jackson was soon num- bered among its victims. Thus, at the age of fifteen, Andrew Jackson was left alone in the world withoutarelative. Though young in years, he had been greatly matured in character by his trials. Even at this early age he was generous to a fault to his friends, and immovable in his resolutions when once formed. A few years later he removed to Tennes- see, then a Territory, and upon the admis- sion of the State into the Union was elected as her first representative in Congress. His services during the war of 1 8 1 2- 1 5 have been related. His brilliant victory over the British at New Orleans made him one of the mo.st noted men of the day, and his prompt and decisive measures against the Spaniards in Florida during Mr. Monroe's administration greatly added to his reputation. During the administration of John Adams General Jackson held a seat in the United States Senate, and gave a cordial support to S61 562 .-•'ROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. the principles of Mr. Jefferson. Resigning his seat in the Senate before the close of his term, he was elected one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. The election of General Jackson to the ANDREW JACKSON. Presidency was regarded with some anxiety, for though his merits as a soldier were con- ceded, it was feared by many that his known imper:ousness of will and his inflexibility of purpose would seriously disqualify him for the delicate duties of the Presidency. Nature had. made him a ruler, however, and his adminis- tration was marked by the fearless energy that characterized every act of his life, and was on the whole successful and satisfactory to the great majority of his countrymen. General Jackson began his administra- tion by appointing a new cabinet, at the head of which he placed Martin Van Buren, of New York, as secretary of state. Until now the Post- master-General had not been regarded as a cabinet officer. Gen- eral Jackson now in- vited that officer to a seat in liis cabinet and a share in its delibera- tions, and his course has since been pur- sued by each and all of his successors. The first important act of the new Presi- dent was to recom- mend to Congress the removal of all the In- dian tribes remaining east of the Mississippi to new homes west of that stream. Such a measure, he con- tended, would givf to them a broader range, and one more suited to their wants, and would relieve the States east of the Mississippi from all further apprehension of Indian wars. This removal involved considerable loss and hard- ship to the Creeks in Georgia, who had made an encouraging adxance in civilization A ADMINISTRATIONS OF JACKSON AND VAN HUREN. 563 bill was passed by the Twenty-first Congress in May, 1830, for the purpose of carrying this policy into effect ; but the removal of the Indians was not completed for some years afterwards. In his first annual message to Congress, in 1829, the President took strong ground against the renewal of the charter of the Bank of the United States, which was about to expire. This was a bold step, as the bank was the most powerful institution in the United States, and had warm friends in every part of the country. The stockholders of the bank applied to the Twenty-second Con- gress during its first session, which began in December, 1831, for a renewal of their char- tor, and in the late spring of 1832 a bill renewing this charter was passed by both Houses of Congress. The President refused to ^'gn the bill, and returned it to Congress with his objections. He held that Congress had no constitutional power to charter such a bank, and regarded it as inexpedient to continue its existence. An effort was made by the friends of the bill to pass it over the President's veto, but it failed to obtain the necessary tv/o-thirds vote, and consequently did not become a law. The bank was there- fore obliged to suspend its operations at the e.\piration of its charter in 1836. A Historic Debate. In 1830 Senator Foot, of Connecticut, sub- mitted a resolution of inquiry to the Senate concerning the disposal of the public lands. The debate upon the resolution extended far beyond the subject embraced in that docu- ment, and in the course of it Senator Robert Y. Hayne, of South Carolina, a brilliant orator, declared that any State had the right, in the exercise of its sovereigr. power, to declare null and void any act of Congress which it should consider unconstitutional. This was a plain statement of the doctrine that the Union was simply a compact between the States, from which any of the States could secede at pleasure, and it was the first time such a sentiment had been expressed on the floor of Congress. Mr. Webster, of Massa- chusetts, replied to Mr. Hayne, in an oration of superb eloquence. He denied the doc trine that the Union was a compact of sover eign, independent States, from which any one of them could withdraw at pleasure ; and argued that the constitution was the work o the people themselves, not as seoarate States ROBERT V. HAYNE. but as members of a great nation, and w-m designed to make the Union perpetual ; that the controversies between the States and the general government were to be decided by the supreme court, the tribunal created for that purpose by the constitution, and not by the States themselves ; and that any attempt on the part of the people of a State to with- draw from the Union was treason. The debate added greatly to the fame of both senators, and the sentiments of Mr. Webster were unanimously re-echoed by the 564 FROM niE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. north, and by a large majority at the south. The effect of the debate was to direct the attention of the people to a study of the principles of the constitution. Different ifiews were maintained. The Northern and Western States regarded the Union as indis- soluble, while the Southern States held that ~t was a compact of sovereign States, and A lumberman's camp in the woods of MAINE. that any State could withdraw from the Union for just cause. During the session of the Twenty-first Congress a breach occurred between Presi- dent Jackson and Mr. Calhoun, the vice- president. The former was told for the first time that Mr. Calhoun, while a member of Mr. Monroe's cabinet, had endeavored to prevent the government from sustaining him in his invasion of Florida in 18 18. General Jackson deeply resented this, and the breach between himself and Mr. Calhoun widened daily. Shortly afterwards Mr. Calhoun re- signed the vice-presidency, and was elected to the Senate by the legislature of South Carolina in 183 1. In the same year Mr. Clay was elected to the Senate from Ken- tucky, and £dw:ird Livmgston was nic Je sccictary of state. On the fourth ot July, 1831, ex-Presi- (icnt Monroe died in New York, in the se- VLnty-fo ir>. year of his ge. In June, 1832, the Asiatic cholera made its first appearance in the United States, and swept with fearful ra- pidity over the whole country. Thousands of persons of all ages and conditions died of it within a few- months, and a feeling of general terror per- vaded the country. Its principal ravages occurred in the North- ern States and in the valley of the Missis- sippi. In the spring of 1832 the Sacs and Fo.xes, and some other tribes of Indians, inhabiting the region now known as Wisconsin, made incursions against the frontier settlements of Illinois. General Atkinson was sent by the general government with a force of troops to crush them, and, with the assistance of the militia, after a series of skirmishes, drove them beyond the Mississippi. Black Hawk, ADMINISTRATIONS OF JACKSON AND VAN BUREN. 565 a chief of the Sac nation, and the leader of the movement, was tal"'ctory over the savages neir the same place. The Seminole War. The Creeks joined the Seminoles in May, 1836, and the war spread into Georgia. The former were soon crushed by the United States troops, and were sent west of the Mississippi. The Seminoles continued the war, and as often as they were defeated in the open field would take refuge in the swamps and everglades, where it was diffi- cult for the whites to follow them, and from which they maintained a constant and effect- ive warfare upon their enemies. Osceola was always ready to make a treaty, and never hesitated to break it. At last he was con- quered by his own weapon of deceit. In October, 1837, he came into the American camp under a flag of truce. He was at once seized, with all his followers, by General Jessup, the American commander. Osceola was sent as a prisoner to Fort Moultrie, in South Carolina, where he died of a fever. The war went on for several years longer. The winter of 1S34-5 was one of the coldest ever known in America. The Chesa- peake Bay was frozen from its head to the Capes, and on the eighth of February, 1835, the mercury stood at eight degrees below zero as far south as Charleston. On the fourth of January the mercury congealed at Lebanon, New York. On the night of De- cember 16, 1835, a fire broke out in the city of New York, and in fourteen hours con sumed the greater part of the business por- tion of the city, and destroyed over seven- teen million dollars worth of property. Dispute with France Settled. In the last years of his administration Pres- ident Jackson brought to a successful close a vexatious dispute with France, which had long been a source of annoyance to the coun- try. American merchants held claims to the amount of five million dollars against France, for the " unlawful seizures, captures, and destruction of vessels and cargoes" during the wars of Napoleon. The government of Louis Philippe acknowledged the justice o( these claims, and in 1831 a treaty was nego- tiated between the United States and France for their payment. The Chamber of Deputies refused three times during as many years to appropriate the money for the payment of these claims, and in 1834 President Jackson ordered the United States minister at Paris to demand his passports, and advised Congress to make reprisals on French vessels. This vigorous course brought France to her senses, and at this juncture Great Britain offered her media- tion for the settlement of the difficulty. The Chamber of Deputies appropriated the neces- sary sum, and the American claims were paid and the matter settled to the satisfaction of all parties. Claims for similar seizures were brought against Spain, Naples, and Denmark, and were satisfactorily settled through the firm- ness of the President. Treaties of friendship and commerce were negotiated with Russia and Turkey. ADMINISTRATIONS OF JACKSON AND VAN ]?UREN. 571 On the fifteenth of June, 1836, Arkansas was admitted into the Union as a State. One of the most impoitant acts of General Jackson's administration was the payment of tiie national debt. He not only left the nation free from debt, but handed over to his successor a sur- plus of forty millions of dollars in the na- tional treasury. On the twenty- eighth of June, 1S36, ex-President James Madison died at Montpelier, his home, in Virginia, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. The Presidential election was held in the fall of 1836. Gen- eral Jackson having declined to be a can- didate for a third term, the Democratic party supported Martin Van Buren for President and Richard M. John- son, of Kentucky, fur Vice-President. Mr. Van Buren was elected by a large majority; but the electors hav- ing failed to make a choice of a candidate for Vice-President, that task devolved upon the Senate, which elected Colonel Richard M. Johnson liy a majority of seventeen votes. On the twenty-sixth of January, 1837, Michigan was admitted into the Union as a State, making the twenty-sixth member of the Confederacy. The original thirteen States had been doubled in number, and the Union was strong at home, and respected abroad. At the close of his teri.i General Jackson retired from public life, and passed the remainder of his da\s at his beautiful home. MAKTIN VAN lUIKKN. near Nashville, in Tennessee, which ho had named the " Hermitage." He had conducted one of the most remarkable administrations in our history, and one of the most success- ful, and had shown himself to be an earnest, incorruptible, and self-sacrificing patriot, and m FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAU. a man of unbending honesty and of extra- ordinary energy and inflexibility of purpose. Martin Van Buren, the new President, entered upon the duties of his office on the fourth of March, 1837. He was in his fifty- fifth year, and had occupied many distin- guished positions in public life. He had represented the State of New York in the Senate of the United States, and had been governor of that State. He had been min- ister to England, had been made secretary of state at the commencement of General Jack- son's first term, and had been elected Vice- President of the United States at the period o'^ jickson's re-election. Wild Speculation. The extraordinary prosperity which had prevailed throughout the nation during the last year of Jackson's term came to a sudden end almost immediately after the inaugura- tion of Mr. Van Buren. For some time past a reckless spirit of speculation had engrossed the nation, and had led to excessive banking and the issuing of paper money to an extent far beyond the necessities of the country. The State banks, witl) which the public funds had been deposited by President Jackson, supposed they would be able to control these funds for an indefinite period, as the revenue of the government was largely in excess of its expenses ; and they made loans freely, and upon not the best securities, in all cases. Few of the new banks which sprang into existence had enough gold and silver in their vaults to redeem the notes with which they flooded the country. Fictitious values pre- vailed in every department of trade, and the banks vied with each other in affording the means for the wildest speculations. In the midst of this excitement two acts of the general government brought matters to a crisis. The speculation mania had extended to the public lands, and in order to restrain it within manageable bounds President Jaclf- son caused the secretary of the treasury to issue an order to the collectors at the local offices to receive only gold and silver in pay- ments for land. This order was generally known as the " Specie Circular." In the summer of 1836 a law was passed by Con- gress requiring the President to distribute among the States the funds on deposit in the banks. This was an unexpected measure to the banks, and forced them to call in their loans to meet the withdrawal of the govern- ment funds. The operations of the " Specie Circular" at the same time sent largpe quan- tities of their notes back to them to be redeemed in coin. This complication of difficulties brought them at once to the end of their resources, and they were rendered powerless to extend their usual facilities to their customers. The result was that the business of the country was thrown into a state of hopeless confusion, and by the spring of 1837 the failures in New York alone amounted to one hundred million dollars. All parts of the country were afiected by the financial troubles, and in New Orleans the failures amounted to twenty-seven million dollars. Suspension of Specie Payments. Petitions were addressed to the President from all parts of the Union, praying him to take some steps to relieve the general distress, and in May a deputation of merchants and bankers from New York waited upon Presi- dent Van Buren, and urged him to postpone the immediate collection of duties for which merchants had given bonds, to withdraw the treasury orders requiring sums due the United States to be paid in gold and silver, and to convene Congress in extra session for the purpose of devising measures of relief The President complied with their request to suspend the collection of duties for which ADMINISTRATIONS OF JACKSON AND VAN BUREN. 573 bonds had been given, but declined to take the other steps asked of him. Within a few days after his answer was known the banks of New York suspended specie payments, and their example was followed by the rest of the banks throughout the Union. The Country in Distress. The distress of the country was very great. Hundreds of thousands of laborers were thrown out of employment, and busi- ness of all kinds was at a standstill. The government, which a few months before had been out of debt and in possession of a sur- plus of forty millions, now found itself unable to provide funds for its ordinary ex- penses. The President was compelled to summon an extra session of Congress, which met on the fourth of September, 1837. The President in his message attributed the em- barrassed condition of the country to the excessive issues of bank notes, the great fire in New York in 1835, and the reckless speculations of the people for several years past. He suggested no special legislation for the relief of these troubles, as he regarded inch a course as beyond the constitutional Jiithority of the general government. Indeed, the government could do but little ^o restore public confidence ; that was the ;ask of the people themselves, and it was not accomplished for several years. To meet tlie necessities of the government and pro- I'idealegal currency Congress, at the re- :nmmendation of the President, issued treasury notes to the amount of ten millions of dollars. Another recommendation of the President did not give such general satisfac- tion. The President advised the creation of an independent treasury for the public funds, as a means of avoiding the risks assumed by the government in depositing its funds in the banks. These treasuries were to be located at certain central points, and the sub- treasurers were to be appointed by the Presi- dent, and were to give bonds for the proper fulfilment of their duties. The President believed that the adoption of this measure would withdraw large sums of money from active circulation and so put a stop to specu- lation. The bill for the creation of the inde- pendent treasury was warmly opposed in and out of Congress, as it was feared by many that the withdrawal of so much gold and silver from circulation would seriously injure the business of the country. Mr. Calhoun supported the measure with all his great aliilities, and Mr. Clay and Mr. Web- ster opposed it. The measure failed at the extra session, but became a law in 1840. In 1 841 it was repealed, and in 1846 it was re- enacted. It is still in force, and its wisdom and usefulness are now generally admitted Great Increase of Debt. The spirit of speculation had extended to the State governments as well as to private individuals, and State bonds had been issued to the amount of one hundred million dol- lars. The pretext for this excessive increase of debt was the necessity of raising funds to carry out their system of internal improve- ments. The panic involved the States in its effects, and eight of them found themselves unable in 1838 to pay the interest on their bonds. In course of time they made good their obligations, but the State of Mississippi and the Territory of Florida not only refused to pay the interest on their bonds, but repu- diated their debts. The sale of their bonds had been made principally in Europe, and their repudiation of their debts aroused great indignation on the other side of the Atlantic, and brought disgrace upon the whole nation The effects of this were seen a few years later, when the United States sought to negotiate a national loan in Europe. Not a FROM Till': RKVOI.UTION TO TIIK CIVIL WAR. dollar obtained 574 bond could be sold or there. In 1837 a movement was made by the people of Canada to throw off their connec- tion with Great Britain and to establish their independence. It aronsed the sympathies jfa large number of the people of the United States, and in northern New York associa- tions called "Hunters' Lodges" were formed for the purpose of aiding the Canadian of Schlosser on the American .shore to the island. The British authorities in Canada determined to destroy the boat. One dark night in December, 1837, a detachment from Canada was sent to Navy Ishuul foi this purpose. Not finding the " Caroline " they went over to Schlosser, where she was moored at her dock. The boat was captured after a short struggle, in which one American wa= t A\ \ni.\N fKAI PI.KS. patriots. Tlie President of the United States and the Governor of New York endeavored to suppress these illegal associations, but without success. A body of seven hundred Canadians and American sympathizers took possession of Navy Island in the Niagara River. The island is a part of Canada, and lies near the shore of that country. The force on the island emplo)-ed the steamboat ' Caroline " to convey men and provisions from the town killed, and was carried out into the stream and set on fire. She drifted down to the falls and plunged over them in a blaze. The British minister at Washington at once de- clared the responsibility of his government for the capture of the boat, anil justifictl it on the ground of self-defence. In the meantime the President had sent General Wool with a strong force to the Canadian border with orders to prevent an\' expedition from leaving this country to aid ADMINISTRATIONS OF JACKSON AND VAN BURKN. tlic Canadians. He compelled the force on Navy Island to surrender, but the border war continued until the close of 1S3.S, when it was put down. On the first of September of this year (1838) the United States, by their agent, received the liberal donation which was be- (lueathed to them in trust for the " general diffusion of knowledge among men," by James Smithson.an Englishman, which con- stitutes the endowment of t'--^ Institute in Washington city that bears his name. The amount of the legacy received, in American coin, was ^575,169. In 1840 the question of the " Carolina " re- vived. Alexander Mc- Lcod, a British subject residing in Canada, boasted that he had been engaged in the capture of the " Caroline," and had killed the American who fell in the conflict. Shortly afterwards he visited the New York side of the river and was at once arrested upon a charge of murder by the authorities of that State. The British government demanded his unconditional release on the ground that lie had simply obeyed the orders of his government, which was alone respon- sible for his act. The general government of the United States also demanded the surrender of McLeod to the Federal authorities. The State of New York, however, held that the offence with which McLeod was charged had been committed on her soil, and brought the prisoner t(j trial. As he succeeded in prov- ing that he was not engaged in or present at 575 the attack, he was accpiittcd. This conflict between the Federal and State authority led to the passage by Congress of a law requir- ing similar offences to be tried before the United States courts. In the midst of the Canachan controversy a quarrel sprang up between the State of Maine and the British provinces of New Brunswick, concerning the northeast bound- ary of the United States. Both parties pre- pared for a conflict, hut the President sent THE SMITHSONIAN IN.STITUTIUN, WASHINGTON, I). C. General Scott to the scene of danger, and he, by his moderation and firmness, suc- ceeded in maintaining peace until the matter could be .settled by treaty. The war with the Seminole Indians in Florida continued through the whole of this administration. The capture and death of Osceola, which we have related, though a severe blow to his followers, did not dis- hearten them. On the twenty-fifth of December, 1838, Colonel Zachary Taylor 576 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. inflicted a severe defeat upon the Indians at Lake Okeechobee. The war was at length brought to an end in 1842, but not until it had lasted seven years and had cost many valuable lives and the enormous sum of nearly forty million dollars. The Seminoles were subdued and were removed from Florida to new homes beyond the Mississipi. The Missouri Compromise did not quiet the agitation of the slavery question. It gave to the country only a momentary respite. The Anti-slavery or Abolition party had now become one of the recognized politi- cal organizations of the country. Its avowed object was the abolition of sla^^ery in every State in which it existed. It was argued in opposition to their principles that the consti- tution recognized and protected slavery in the States in which it existed; but they met this assertion by the bold declaration that they would continue their agitation until they had destroyed either ;,lat^cry or the Union. They did not wish to Vive under a constitution which protected slavery, and which one of their principal leaders de- nounced as " a covenant with death and an agreement with hell." The body embraced the extreme Anti-slavery men of the north. Opposition to the Abolitionists. Among its adversaries were some of the sincerest opponents of slavery, who hoped to accomplish their ends by constitutional means and by the influences of a better and more enlightened public opinion, and who deprecated and opposed the violence of the extreme Abolitionists. The leader of the ultia party in Congress was John Quincy Adams, who had been returned to the House of Representatives from Massachusetts in 1831. Memorials were presented to Con- gress praying the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and gave rise to excit- ing debates in that body, which affected the whole country profoundly, and did much to widen the breach between the Northern and Southern States. This agitation continued through the whole of Mr. Van Buren's term of office. Congress Must Not Interfere. Early in the session of 1838-39, Mr. Ath- erton, of New Hampshire, offered a series o( resolutions expressing the relations of the general government towards the States, and declaring the inability of Congress to inter- fere with slavery in those States in which it already existed, or in the District of Colum- bia, or the Territories. These resolutions were adopted by the House by decisive majorities, and were regarded by Mr. Clay and by the leading public men of the country as effectually disposing of the troublesome question as far as the general government was concerned. The resolutions ver as follows : " Ri-solvcA, That this government is a goveri mcnt of limited powers, and that by the constitutioii of the United States Congress has no jurisdiction whatever over the institution of slavery in th-, sev- eral States of the confederacy." The vote upon this resolution stood : 196 for it, and 6 against it. The second resolution was in these words : " Resolved, That petitions for the aboHtion oi slavery in the District of Columbia and the Terri- tories of the United States, and against the removal of slaves from one State to another, are a part of a plan of operations set on foot to affect the institu- tion of slavery in the Southern States, and thus indi- rectly to destroy that institution within their limits." On this resolution the vote stood ; 136 for it, and 65 against it. The third resolution was in these words : " Resoh'ed, That Congress has no right to do that indirectly which it cannot do directly ; and that the agitation of the subject of slavery in the District of Columbia, or the Territories, as a means, and with a view, of disturbing or overthrowing that institution in the several States, is against the true spirit an'* 37 MEW OF THE NATIONAL CAFITOL AT WASHINGK 577 S7S FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. meaning of the constitution, an infringement of the rights of the States affected, and a breach of the public faith upon which they entered into the con- federacy." The vote on this resolution was: 164 in favor of it, and 40 against it. The fourth of this series was in these words : " Resohicd, The constitution rests on the broad principle of equality among the members of this confederacy, and that Congress, in the exercise of its acknowledged powers, has no right to discrimi- nate between the institutions of one portion of the States and another, with a view of abolishing the one and promoting the other." The vote on this resolution was: 174 in favor of it, and 24 against it. Resolution Agaii>st Slavery Agitation. The fifth and last of Mr. Atherton's reso- lutions was in these words : " Resolved, That all attempts on the part of Congress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, or the Territories, or to prohibit the removal of slaves from State to State, or to discriminate between the insti- tutions of one portion of the confederacy and another, with the view aforesaid, are in violation of the con- stitution, destructive of the fundamental principle on which the union of these States rests, and beyond the jurisdiction of Congress ; and that every peti- tion, memorial, resolution, proposition, or paper, touchiirr or relating in any way, or to any e.Ktent whatever to slavery, as aforesaid, or the abolition thereof, shall on the presentation thereof, without any further action thereon, be laid upon the table, without being debated, printed, or referred." The vote on the first branch of this reso- lution was, 146 in favor, and 52 against it ; on the second branch of the resolution the vote stood, 126 for it, and 78 against it. As we shall see, this declaration of Con- gress was far from quieting the agitation upon this troublesome question. The slavery conflict had in reality just begun. In the fall of 1840 the Presidential election was held. Mr. Van Buren and Vice-Presi- dent Johnson were nominated for re-election by the Democratic party, and the Whigs supported General William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, for President, and John Tyler, of Virginia, for Vice-President. The financial distress of the country had been but slightly relieved, and was generally attributed by the people to the interference of the government with the currency. This feeling made the Democratic nominees exceedingly unpop- ular, and the political campaign, which was one of the most exciting ever conducted in this country, resulted in the election of Har- rison and Tyler by overwhelming majorities. In 1840 the sixth census showed the popu- lation of the United States to be 17,069,453, x-s^^^ 4, ^ M CHAPTER XXXVI The Administrations of William Henry Harrison ana John Tyler An Extr, Jession of Congress Summoned — Death of President Harrison — ^John Tyler becomes President of the Uniteu States — Meeting of Congress — The Bankrupt Law — President Tyler Vetoes the Bills to Revive the United States Bank — His Quarrel with His Party — The " Tyler Whigs " — The Tarififof 1842 — The Treaty of Washington — The United States will not Tolerate the Exercise of the Right of Search — Dorr's Rebellion — The Mormons— Invention of the Electric Telegraph — Explosion on the " Princeton " — Efforts to Secure the Annexation of Texas — Early History ot Texas — The Texan War of Independence — Battle of San Jacinto — Texan Independence Established — Texas Ap- plies for Admission into the Union — Opposition to the Measure — Significance of the Vote at the Presidential Election — James K. Polk Elected President — Texas Admitted into the Union— Iowa and Florida become States. ON THE fourth of March, 1841, William Henry Harrison was inaugurated President of the United States at Washington in the presence of an immense concourse of citizens from all parts of the Union. He was in his sixty-ninth year, and had spent forty years of his life in the public service. His services during the Indian hostilities which preceded the war of 1812-15, and his exploits during that war, have been related. He had served as governor of Indiana Ter- ritory, and had been both a member of Con- gress and a senator of the United States. He was a man of pure life and earnest character, and the certainty of a change of policy in the measures of the federal govern- ment had caused the people of the country to look forward to his administration with hope and confidence. He began by calling to seats in his cabinet men of prominence and ability. At the head of the cabinet he placed Daniel Webster, as secretary of state. The President issued a proclamation con- vening Congress in special session on the thirty-first of May, 1841- He was not destined to fulfil the hopes of his friends, howev^.r. He was suddenly seized with pneumonia, and died on the fourth of April, 1841 — just one month after his inaugura- tion. It was the first time that a president of the United States had died in office, and a gloom was cast over the nation by the sad event. The mourning of the people was sincere, for in General Harrison the nation lost a faith- ful, upright and able citizen. He had spent forty years in prominent public positions, and had discharged every duty confided to him with ability and integrity, and went to his grave a poor man. " Brave old Cincinnatus ! he left but his plow." Upon the assembling of Congress, that body, " out of consideration of his expenses in removing to the seat of government, and the limited means he had left behind," appro- priated the equivalent of one year's presi- dential salary — twenty-five thousand dollars — to Mrs. Harrison. According to the terms of the constitution, upon the death of General Harrison, the office of president of the United States devolved upon the vice-president, John Tyler, of Vir- ginia. Mr. Tyler was not in the city of Washington at the time of the death of his oredecessor, but repaired to that city witliout 579 58o FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. loss of time, upon being notified of the need of his presence, and on the sixth of April took the oath of office before Judge Cranch, chief justice of the District of Columbia. Mr. Tyler was in his fifty-second year, and had served as governor of Virginia, and as representative and senator in Congress from that State. On the ninth of April President Tyler issued an address to the people of the United States, in which there was no indica- tion of a departure from the policy announced in the inaugural of General Harrison. He WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. retained the cabinet ministers of his preae- cessor in their respective positions. On the thirty-first of May the Twenty- seventh Congress convened in extra session. It was known as the " Whig Congress," as a large majority of its members were of that party. Had this party remained united they could have controlled rhe action of Congress to suit themselves, but as we shall see, the policy of the executive soon divided them. The first act of this Congress was to repeal the sub-treasury bill which had been passed in 1840. The effects of the commercial crisis had involved thousands of merchants in hopeless bankruptcy, and under the old laws they had no means of recovering their lost position, as they were crushed down by their debts Neither their creditors nor the country at large derived any benefit from this state of affairs, and Congress at once passed a general bankrupt law for the relief of persons thus situated. It was highly beneficial to the country, and was repealed in 1843, when the necessity for it had ceased to exist. Important Veto by President Tyler EfTbrts were made to revive the Bank of the United States, and a bill was passed establishing an institution known as the " Fiscal Bank of the United States." Mr. Tyler, who was a member of the strict con- structionist school, now found himself at variance with a majority of his party in both Houses of Congress. As he did not believe that Congress could constitutionally charter such an institution, he vetoed this bill. The advocates of the measure could not com- mand the requisite two-thirds majority for the passage of the bill over the president's veto, and his action was sustained. Another bill was passed by Congress of a similar character, establishing " The Fiscal Corpora- tion of the United States," but this also was vetoed by the president for the same reasons. His veto was sustained by Congress in this instance also. The vetoes of these measures were generally approved by the strict con- structionists throughout the Union, without regard to party ; but they were bitterly de- nounced by the majority of the Whigs, who charged the president with having violated the implied pledges upon which he was elected, and with having betrayed his party. The Whigs were for the time forgetful of the fact that at the time of his nomination to the vice-presidency Mr. Tyler was known ADMINISTRATIONS OF HARRISON AND TYLER. 5S1 to be opposed to the Bank of the United States. The members of the cabinet, with ttie single exception of the secretary of state, resigned tlieir positions in consequence of Mr. Tyler's course. Mr. Webster retained his position in order to complete the important negotiations he was at the time conducting with England. The places of the other members of the cabi- net were filled by the President with pro- minent members fif the strict construc- tionist school of the Whig party, who sus- tained the President. The second session of the Twenty-seventh Congress met in De- cember, i84i,andcon- tinued its sittings until August, 1842. It was noted as the longest session ever held u]) to this time. It found the Whig party divid- ed, and the opposing factions bitterly hostile to each other. The majority, led by Mr. Clay, opposed the administration. The minority, because of their support of the President, received the name of " T)'lcr Whigs." The principa' question agitated during this session was the tariff. Accord- ing to the compromise act of 1833, the duties this year were to be regulated accord- ing to a revenue standard. The majority in Congress, however, paid no regard to the pledge given in this com- promise, and a new tariff bill was passed by both Houses of Congress, regulating the duties on a strongly protective basis, and with the avowed object of reviving the pro- tective policy. It was vetoed by the Presi JOHN TYLER. dent. Anotlier measure of a similar though slightly modified character was passed, and this was vetoed also. Congress then passed the tariff of 1842, in which the principles of the compromise of 1833 were altogether set aside, and the ^'uties made strictly protectiv». 582 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. It required a sharp struggle in Congress to secure the passage of this bill, which received the executive signature on the thirtieth of August. Settlement of Disputes. In the meantime Mr. Webster succeeded in bringing the negotiations with Great Bri- tain to a successful close. ^Phese negotia- tions had grown out of the revolutionary disturbances in Canada, and the controversy respecting the northeast boundary of the United States during the administration of Mr. Van Buren, which we have related. The boundary question^ was of older origin :han the former controversy, and had been lending between the United States and Eng- land for fifty years. Mr. Webster, imme- diately upon his entrance upon the office of secretary of state, had, with the approval of the President, signified the desire of this country to terminate the controversy, and Lord Ashburton had been sent by the British government as special minister to the United States, with full power to settle all the con- troversies between the two countries. The treaty of Washington was concluded in 1 842, and was accepted by both countries as a settlement of the questions at issue between them. By the terms of this treaty tfie northeastern boundary was arranged as it exists at present ; the United States obtained the free naviga- tion of the St. John's river to the sea ; and gained possession of the important military position of Rouse's Point, at the outlet of Lake Champlain. The two countries mutually agreed to surrender upon proper demand all fugitives from justice escaping from the territory of one into that of the other ; and to maintain a certain number of ships of war on the African coast to aid in suppressing the slave trade. When the treaty was completed two sub- jects presented themselves to the negotiators. One of these was the right claimed by Great Britain for her cruisers to stop and if neces- sary to search merchant vessels belonging to other nations on the high seas ; the other was the impressment of seamen from Amer- ican merchant vessels by British cruisers. Mr. Webster, in a paper of great ability, ad- dressed to the American minister at London, but intended for the British foreign minister, denied the right of search, and sustained his position by arguments that were simply irre- futable. In a letter tj Lord Ashburton Mr. Web- ster refused to consider the impressment question, as the United States could in no case admit such a claim on the part of Great Britain, and declared that every case of im- pressment would be considered an act of hostility and would be repelled as such. He declared as the unalterable policy of this country the doctrine that " Every merchant vessel on the high seas is rightfully con- sidered as a part of the territory to which it belongs ; " that " in every regularly docu- mented American merchant vessel the at an early day ^«N removed to tne west. They settled at first in Missouri, but so exasperated the people ft 3^ I ^1 V ^^ i* of that State by their conduct, that they were soon driven out of Missouri, 584 ADMINISTRATIONS OF HARRISON AND TYLER. sss Crossing the Mississippi, they settled in Illinois, and founded a city which they called Nauvoo, and built a temple. Their numbers increased rapidly from emigration from nearly every country in Europe. The new- comers were mainly persons of low position and without education. Conscious of their strength they raised troops, and set the authority of the State of Illinois at defiance. The State endeavored to reduce them to obedience, and their conduct, as in Missouri, westward, and after a long and painful jour- ney across the plains, reached the valley of Salt Lake, and established a settlement there. Out of this settlement grew the Ter- ritoiy of Utah. In 1844 occurred one of the most im- portant events in the history of the world. In 1832 Samuel F. B. Morse, a native of Massachusetts, invented the electric tele- graph. He spent some years in perfecting his invention, and in 1838 applied to Congress THE MORMON HAND-CART COMPANY CROSSING THE PLAINS. turned the people against them. .Several conflicts ensued between the Mormons and the authorities. In one of these Joe Smith, the prophet, and his brother were seized and put in jail, and while lying there were murdered by the mob in July, 1844. This brought matters to a crisis, and the people of Illinois determined to drive the Mormons across the Mississippi. Nauvoo was attacked in 1845, and the Mormons were compelled to leave the State. In 1 846 they bent their steps for a small appropriation to assist him in building a line of wire to demonstrate the usefulness of his discovery. He was obliged to wait five years for a favorable answer, and it was not until he had give 1 up all hope of receiving aid from Congress that that body, on the last day of the session of 1843, appro- priated the sum of thirty thousand dollars to construct a telegraph line between Washing- ton City and Baltimore, a distance of forty miles. The line was completed in 1844, and 586 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. was successfully operated by Professor Morse. This was the first line established in the world. In the number of years which have elapsed since then the use of the telegraph has become general throughout the civilized world, and in the United States alone hun- dreds of thousands of miles of telegraph lines are in operation at the present time. On the twenty-eighth of February, 1844, the President, accompanied by the members spectators. This sad event was greatly lamented throughout the country. Judge Upshur was succeeded as secretary of state by John C. Calhoun, then a senator frora South Carolina. The last years of Mr. Tyler's administra- tion were devoted to the effort to secure the annexation of the republic of Texas to the United States. The territory embraced within the limits of Texas constituted a part MORMON TABERNACLE AT SALT LAKE, UTAH. of his cabinet and a number of distinguished citizens, officers of the army and navy, and ladies, went on board the new steam frigate " Princeton," lying in the Potomac, to wit- ness the experimental firings of a new cannon of unusual size on board that ship, to which the name of " The Peacemaker " had been given. At one of the discharges the gun exploded, causing the instant death of Messrs. Upshur and Gilmer, the secretaries of state and of the navy, and several other of the Spanish-American possessions, anrt was generally regarded as a part of Mexico. During the last century a number of forts had been erected in Texas by the Spaniards as a means of holding the province against the French, and each fort was made a mis- sionary station, from which efforts were made to convert the Indians, but withou- success. The United States were, in the early part of the present century, inclined to regard Texas as rightfully a part ol the ADMINISTRATIONS OF HARRISON AND TYLER. 587 Louisiana purchase, but this claim was waived when Florida was purchased. Early in the present century pioneers from the United States began to find their way to Texas which was then a wild country, in- habited only by roving Indians and the gar- risons of the few Spanish forts within its limits. One of these emigrants, Moses Austin, of Durham, Connecticut, conceived the plan of colonizing Texas with settlers from the United States. For this purpose he obtained from the Spanish government, in 1820, the grant of an extensive tract of land ; but before he could put his plans in execution he died. His son, Stephen F. Austin, inherited the rights of his father under this grant, and went to Te.xas with a number of emigrants from this country, and explored that region for the purpo.se of locating his grant. He selected as the most desirable site for his colony the country between the Brazos and Colorado rivers and founded a city, which he named Austin, in honor of the originator of the colony, to whom Texas owes its existence as an American commonwealth. 1 laving seen the settlers established in theit new homes, Mr. Austin returned to the United States to collect other emigrants for his colony. During his absence Mexico and the other Spanish provinces rose in revolt against Spain, and succeeded in establishing their in- dependence. Texas, being regarded as a part of the Mexican territory, shared the fortunes of that country. Upon his return to Texas, Austm, m consideration of the altered state of affairs, went to the city of Mexico and obtained from the Mexican government a confirma- tion of the grant made to his father. Such a confirmation was necessary in order to enable him to give the settlers valid titles to the lands of his colony. Mexico at first exercised but a nominal authority over the new settlements, and the colonists were allowed to live under their own laws, subject to the rules drawn up by Austin. In order to encourage settlements in Texas, the Mexi- can Congress on the second of May, 1824, enacted the following law, declaring, " That Texas is to be annexed to the Mexican prov ince of Cohahuila, until it is of sufficient importance to form a separate State, when it is to become an indcpentlcnt State of the Mexican republic, equal to the other States of which the same is composed, free, sover- I'KOFESSOR MOKSIC. eign, and independent in whatever exclu' sively relates to its internal government and administration." Encouraged by this decree, large num bers of Americans emigrated to Texas, and to these were added emigrants from all the countries of Europe. The population grew rapidly, new towns sprang up, and Austin's colony prospered in a marked degree, until 1830, when Bu.stamente having made himself by violence and intrigue president of the so-called Mexican republic, prohibited the 588 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. emigration of foreigners to the Mexican territory, and issued a number of decrees very oppressive to the people, and in viola- tion of the constitution of 1824. In order to enforce these measures in Texas, he occu- pied that province with his troops, and placed Texas under military rule. The Texans resented this interference with their rights, and finally compelled the Mexican troops to withdraw from the province. In 1832 A VILLAGE IN TEXAS. another revolution in Mexico drove Busta- mente from power, and placed Santa Anna at the head of affairs as president or dictator. Texas took no part in the disturbances of Mexico, but after the accession of Santa Anna to power, formed a constitution, and applied for admission into the Mexican republic as a State, in accordance with the constitution of 1 824, and the act of the Mexican Congress which we Jave quoted. Stephen F. Austin was sent to the city of Mexico to present the petition of Texas for this purpose. He was refused an answer to this petition for over a year, and at last wrote to the authorities of Texas, advising them to organize a State government with- out waiting for the action of the Mexican Congress. For this recommendation, which the Mexi- can government regarded as treasonable, Santa Anna caused the arrest of Austin, and kept him in orison for over a year. Texas now began to manifest the most determined opposition to the usurpation of Santa Anna, and measures were taken to maintain the rights of the province under the constitution of 1824. Troops were organized, and prepara- tions made to resist the force ■"hich it was certain Mexico uld send against them. Santa Anna did not allow them to remain long in sus- pense, but at once despatched a force under General Cos, to disarm the Texans. On the second of October, 1835, Cos attacked the town of Gon- zalez, which was held by a Texan force, but was repulsed with heavy loss. A week later, on the ninth of October, the Texans captured the town of Goliad, and a little later gained possession of the mission house of the Alamo. Both places were garrisoned, and the Texan army, which was under the com- mand of Austin, in the course of a few months succeeded in driving the Mexicans out of Texas. On the twelfth of November, 1835, a con- vention of the people of Texas met at the ADMINISTRATIONS OF HARRISON AND TYLER. 589 city of Austin, and organized a regular State government. Prominent among the members was General Sam Houston, a settler from the United States. Soon after the meeting of the convention General Austin resigned the com- mand of the army, and was sent to the United States as the commissioner of that State to this government, and was succeeded as commander-in-chief by General Sam Houston. Henry Smith was elected gov- ernor of Texas by the people. Orders to Shoot Prisoners. As soon as Santa Anna learned that his troops had been driven out of Texas, and that the Texans had set up a State govern- ment, he set out for that country with an army of seventy-five hundred men. He issued orders to his troops to shoot every prisoner taken, and intended to make the struggle a war of extermination. He arrived before the Alamo late in February, 1836 This fort was very strong, and was held by a force of one hundred and forty Texans under Colonel Travis. It was besieged by the whole Mexican army, and was subjected to a bombardment of eleven days. At last, on the sixth of March, the garrison being worn out with fatigue, the fort was carried by assault, and the whole garrison was put to the sword. Among the heroes who fell at the Texan Thermopylae was the eccentric but chivalrous Colonel Davy Crockett, of Tennessee, who had generously come to aid the Texans in their struggle for liberty. The capture of the Alamo cost the Mexicans a loss of sixteen hundred men, or over eleven men for every one of its defenders. On the 17th of March, 1836, the conven- tion adopted a constitution for an independ- ent republic, and formally proclaimed the independence of Texas. David G. Burnett was elected president of the republic. The fort at Goliad was held by a force of three hundred and thirty Texans, under Colonel Fanning, a native of Georgia. On the twenty-seventh of March it was attacked by the Mexican army. The garrison main- tained a gallant defence, but their resources being exhausted, and the Mexicans being reinforced during the night, Fanning decided to surrender his force, if he could obtain honorable terms. He proposed to Santa SANTA ANNA Anna to lay down his arms and surrenaer the post on condition that he and his men should be allowed and assisted to return to the United States The proposition was accepted by Santa Anna, and the terms of the surrender were formally drawn up and were signed by each commander. As soon as the surrender was made, however, and the arms of the Texans were delivered, Santa 590 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. Anna, in base violation of his pledge, caused Fanning and the survivors of the garrison, to the number of three hundred men, to be put to death. The massacres of the Alamo and Goliad, and the steady advance of the Me.xican army under Santa Anna caused a feeling of pro- libund alarm throughout the new republic. The government was removed temporarily to Galveston, and General Houston retreated GENERAL HOUSTON. behind the San Jacinto. Santa Anna pur- sued the Texan forces, and at length came up with them on the banks of that stream. Houston had but seven hundred and fifty men with him, and these were imperfectly armed and without discipline. With this force he surprised the Mexican camp, on the twenty-first of April, and routed the Mexican army, inflicting upon it a loss of over six hundred killed, and taking more than eight hundred prisoners. Santa Anna himself was among the prisoners. Houston at once entered into negotiations with him for the withdrawal of the Mexican forces from Texas. This was done at once, and the independence of Texas was achieved. Santa Anna also recognized the independ- ence of the new republic, but the Mexican Congress refused to confirm this act. Houston was now the idol of the Texan people as the deliverer of their country from the hated Mexicans. At the next gen- eral election he was chosen President of the republic, and was inaugurated on the twenty-second of October, 1836. General Mirabeau B. Lamar was the third Presi- dent of the republic of Te.xas, and entered upon his ofifice in 1838. He was suc- ceeded in 1844 by Anson Jones, the fourth President. The territory of the republic was sufficiently large to make five States the size of New York, and its climate and soil were among the most delightful and fertile in the world. It contained a population of about two hundred thousand, and was increasing rapidly in inhabitants and in prosperity. On the third of March, 1 837, the inde- pendence of the republic of Texas was acknowledged by the United States, and in 1839 by France and Flngland. Being young and feeble, and being settled al- most entirely by Americans, the people of Texas at an early day came to the conclusion that their best interests required them to seek a union with the United States, and PS early as August, 1837,3 proposition was submitted to Mr. Van Buren looking to such a union. It was declined by him, but the question was taken up by the press and people of the Union, and was discussed with the greatest interest and activity. The south was unanimously in favor of the annexation of Texas, as it was a region in which slave laho'- would be particularly ADMINISTRATIONS OF HARRISON AND TYLER. 79 > profitable ; and a strong party in the nortli opposed the annexation for the reason that it would inevitably extend the area of slavery. An additional argument against annexation was that it would involve a war with Mexico, which had never acknowledged the inde- pendence of Texas. In April, 184,1, Texas formally applied for admission into the United States, and a ing issues of the campaign. Its candidatt, were James K. Polk, of Tennessee, and George M. Dallas, of Pennsylvania. The Whig party supported Henry Clay, of Ken- tucky, and Theodore Frelinghuysen, of New Jersey, and opposed the annexation ol Texas. During this campaign, which was one ot unusual excitement, the Anti-slavery party GENERAL POST OFFICE WASHINGTON. treaty for that purpose was negotiated with her by the government of this country. It was rejected by the Senate. In the fall of 1844 the Presidential election took place. The leading political question of die day was the annexation of Texas. It was advocated by 'the administration of President Tyler and by the Democratic party. This party also made the claim of the United States to Oregon one of the lead- made its appearance for the first time as a distinct political organization, and nominated James G. Birney zs its candidate for tht. Presidency. The result of the campaign was a decisive victory for the Democrats. This success was generally regarded as an emphatic expression of the popular will respecting the Texas and Oregon questions. Mr. Birney did not receive a single electoral 592 FROM THK RKVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. .;Ote, and of the popular vote only sixty-four thousand six hundred and fifty-three ballots were cast for him. When Congress met in December, 1844, the efforts for the annexation of Texas were renewed. A proposition was made to receive Texas into the Union by a joint resolution of Congress. A bill for this purpose passed the House of Representatives, but the Senate added an amendment appointing commis- sioners to negotiate with Mexico for the annexation of Texas, which she still claimed as a part of her territory. The President was authorized by a clause in these resolu- tions to adopt either the House or the Senate plan of annexation, and on the second of March, 1845, the' resolutions were adopted. Senator Benton, of Missouri, the author of the Senate plan, was of the opinion that the matter would be left to Mr. Polk, the Presi- dent-elect, to be conducted by him ; and that gentleman had expressed his intention to carry out the Senate plan, as he hoped an amicable arrangement could be made with Mexico. Mr. Tyler, however, determined not to leave the annexation of Texas to his successor, and at once adopted the plan proposed in the House resolutions, and on the night of Sunday, March 3d, a messenger was despatched with all speed to Texas to lay the proposition before the authorities of that State. It was accepted by them, and on the fourth of July, 1845, Texas became - one of the United States. The area thus added to the territory of the Union comprised two hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred and four square miles. It was provided by the act of admission that four additional States might, be formed out of the territory of Texas, when the population should increase to an extent which should make such a step desir- able. Those States lying north of the Mis- souri Compromise line — 36° 30' north lati- tude — were to be free States ; those south of that line were to be free or slaveholding, " as the people of each State asking admission may desire." To Te.xas was reserved the right to refuse to allow the division of her territor\-. On the third of March, 1845, the President approved an act of Congress admitting the Territories of Iowa and Florida into the Union as States. No President has ever been more unpop- ular during his administration than Mr. Tyler. His administration speaks for itself however, and bears out the truth of his mem- orable words : " I appeal from the vituper- ation of the present day to the pen of impar- tial history, in the full confidence that neither my motives nor my acts will bear the inter- pretation which has, for sinister purposes, been placed upon them." I CHAPTER XXXVII The Administration of James K. Polk — The War With Mexico. rhe firegon Ouestion — Position of President Polk respecting it — The Question Settled — Treaty for Settlement of Claia» against Mexico — Mexico Resents the Annexation of Texas — General Taylor Ordered to Texas— He Advances to tht Rio Grande — Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma — The War with Mexico Begun — Invasion of Mexico- Occupation of Matamoras — Action of the United States Government — Taylor Advances into the Interior — The Storm- ing and Capture of Monterey — The Armistice — Return of Santa Anna to Mexico — President Polk Duped — Sant; Anna Seizes the Mexican Government — General Wool Joins General Taylor — Troops Taken from Taylor's Army — Advance of the Mexicans — Battle of Buena Vista — Conquest of California by Fremont and Stockton — Occupation rt Santa Fe — New Mexico Conquered — Doniphan's March — Occupatio o" Chihuahua — Sailing of Scott's Expedition — Reduction of Vera Cruz — Santa Anna Collects a New Army--Battli: of Cerro Gordo — Occupation of Puebia by Scott — Troubl<: with Mr. Trist — Vigorous Measures of Santa Anna — Scott Aavances upon the City of Mexico — El Penon Turned — Battles of Contreras and Churubusco — Capture of Molino del Rey — Storming of Chapultepec^ Capture of the City of Mexico — Siege of Puebia Raised — Flight of Santa Anna — Treaty of Peace Negotiated — C'.os» of the War — Acquisition of California and New Mexico— Discovery of Gold in California — Rapid Emi'jration to the Pacific — Death of John Qtiincy Adams — The Wilmot P'jviso — Revival of the Slavery Question — Gencal Taylo* Elected President. THE inauguration of James K. Polk, as President of the United States, took place on the fourth of March, 1845. He had served the country as governor of the State of Tennessee, and for fourteen years had been a member of the House of Representatives in Congress from that State, and had been several times chosen speaker of that body. His cabinet was selected from the first men of his party. James Buchanan was secretary of state ; Robert J. Walker was secretary of the treas- ury ; William L. Marcy, secretary of war, and George Bancroft, the historian, secretary of the navy. Two important question.^ presented them- selves to the new administration for settle- ment: the troubles with Mexico growing out of the annexation of Texas, and the arrange- ment of the northwestern boundary of the United States. The question of the northwestern bound- ary had been left unsettled by the treaty of 38 Washington in 1842. Great Britain wa? anxious to arrange the matter, and late in the year 1S42 Mr. Fox, the British minister at Washington, proposed to Mr. Webster, then secretary of state, to open negotiations. The British proposition was accepted, but nothing further was done until February, 1844, when Sir Richard Packenham, the British minister at Washington, proposed to take up the question of the Oregon boundary and settle it. Mr. Upshur, the secretary of state, accepted the offer, but was killed a few days later by the explosion on board the " Prince- ton." Six months later, Sir Richard Pack- enham renewed the proposal to Mr. Calhoun, who had become secretary of state, and nego< tiations were entered upon in earnest. i The territory of Oregon lay between the forty-second and fifty-fourth parallels of north latitude, and extended from the Rocky moun- tains on the east to the Pacific ocean on the west. This region was originally claimed by Spain, by whose subjects it was first 593 S94 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVH. WAR. discovered. At the cession of Florida, Spain ceded to the United States all her territory north of the forty-second parallel of north latitude, from the headwaters of the Arkan- sas to the Pacific. Mexico, upon achieving her independence, had acknowledged by a treaty with the United States the validity of this boundary The line of fifty-four degrees forty minutes north latitude was established by treaty between the United States, Great Britain and Russia as the southern boundary of the Russian possessions in Arrierica. JAMES K. POLK. The United States claimed the entire re- gion of Oregon in virtue of the cession of Spain in the Florida treaty; the discoveries of Captain Gray of Boston, who circumnavi- gated the globe, and in 1792 discovered to a certain extent and explored the Columbia river ; the explorations of Lewis and Clarke in 1805 and 1806 of the southern main branch of the Columbia, and of the river itself from the mouth of that branch to the sea ; and the settlement of Astoria, planted at the mouth of the Columbia in 181 1 by John Jacob A^^'^t of New York. Oregon was also claimed by Elngland, who also rested iier pretensions on discovery, and on the set- tlement made by the Northwest Company on Eraser's river in 1806, and on another near the head waters of the north branch of the Columbia. " All of Oregon, or None." In i8i8 the United States and Great Britain had agreed upon the forty-ninth degree of north latitude, as the boundary between the United States and British Amer- ica from the Lake of the Woods to the sum- mit of the Rocky mountains. Mr. Calhoun now opened the negotiations by proposing to continue this line to the Pacific. The British minister would not consent to this, but proposed to extend the forty-ninth paral- lel from the mountains to the north branch of the Columbia, and then to make the boun- dary follow that stream from this point of intersection to the sea. Mr. Calhoun at once declined to accept this boundary, md the further consideration of the subject was post- poned until Packenham could receive addi- tional instructions from his government. During the Presidential campaign of 1844 the Democratic party adopted as its watch- word, " all of Oregon or none," and the ex- citement upon the question ran high. The election of Mr. Polk showed that the Ameri- can people were resolved to insist upon their claim to Oregon, and when the new President in his inaugural address took the bold ground that the American title to " Oregon terri- tory " " was dear and indisputable," and declared his intention to maintain it at the cost of war with England, the matter assumed a serious aspect, and for a while it seemed that party passion would involve the two countries in hostilities. President Polk, upon a calmer consideration of the subject, caused the secretary of state to reopen the negotia- tions by proposing to Great Britain the for^' ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. <;95 siinth parallel of latitude as a boundary. The British minister declined the proposition, and the matter was dropped. According to the treaties of i8j8 and 1828, the joint occupation of OregOii could be terminated by either party by giving the other twelve months' notice. The President now proposed to give the required notice, which was done bv a resolution of Congress. British ministry decided at length to reopen negotiations, and Sir Richard Packenham shortly after communicated to Mr. Buchanan the willingness of his government to accept the forty-ninth parallel as a boundary. The time at which thejoint occupation would terminate was rapidly drawing to a close, and the President was anxious to settle the mat- ter, but at the same time was not willing to A BASIM ON THF COLUMBIA RIVER, OREGON — .'^NO MOLMAIN I LAL IN 1. 11. nisFANCL. This put an end to the old arrangement, and compelled the two countries to make a new settlement of the difficulty ; and this was the object of the President in terminating the oint occupation. The subject was brought to the notice of the British Parliament by Sir Robert Peel who expressed his regret that the last offer of the United States had been declined. The assume the responsibility of accepting a boundary which fell so far short of the popular expectations. At the suggestion of Senator Benton, of Missouri, he ^sked the advice of the Senate as to the propriety of accepting the British offer, and pledged him- self to be guided by its decision. The Senate advised him to accept it, and when the treaty was sent to it, ratified it after a warm debate 596 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. extending over two days. Thus the matter was brought to a close. By the treaty, which was concluded in 1846, the forty-ninth parallel of north lati- tude was made the boundary between the United States and the British possessions, from the summit of the Rocky Mountains to the middle of the channel between Van- couver's Island and the mainland, and thence southerly through the middle of the Straits of San Juan de Fuca to the Pacific. The navigation of the Columbia river and its main northern branch was made free to both parties. Trouble with Mexico. In the meantime the Mexican difficulty Iiad been found much harder of settlement. Mexico had never acknowledged the inde- pendence of Texas, and since the defeat at San Jacinto had repeatedly threatened to restore her authority over the Texans by force of arms. She warmly resented the annexa- tion of Texas by the United States, and a few days after that event was completed, General Almonte, the Mexican minister at Washing- ton, entered a formal protest against the course of the United States, demanded his passports and left the country. Some years before this a number of American ships trading with Mexican ports had been seized and plundered by the Mex- ican authorities, who also confiscated the property of a number of American residents in that country. The sufferers by these outrages appealed foi redress to the govern- ment of the United States, which had repeat- edly tried to negotiate with Mexico for the collection of these claims, which amounted to six millions of dollars. Mexico made [several promises of settlement, but failed to comply with them. In 1840, however, a new treaty was made between that country and the United States, and Mexico pledged her- self to pay the American claims in twenty annual instalments of three hundred thousand dollars each. Three of these instalments had been paid at the time of the annexation of Te.xas ; but Mexico now refused to make any further payment. Troops Sent to Texas. Mexico claimed that the limits of Texas properly ended at the Neuces river, whik the Texans insisted that their boundary was the Rio Grande. Thus tlie region between these two rivers became a debatable land, claimed by both parties, and a source of great and immediate danger. It was evident that Mexico was about to occupy this region with her troops, and the legislature of Texas, alarmed by the threatening attitude of that country, called upon the United States gov- ernment to protect its territory. The Presi- dent at once sent General Zachary Taylor with a force of fifteen huudred regular troops, called the " army of occupation," to " take position in the country lietween the Neuces and the Rio Grande, and uo repel any irvr sion of the Texan territory." General Taylor accordingly took position at Corpus Christi, at the mouth of the Neuces, in September, 1845, and remained there until the spring of 1846. At the same time a squadron of war vessels under Com- modore Conner was despatched to the Gulf to cooperate with General Taylor. Both of these ofificers " were ordered to commit no act of hostility against Mexico unless she declared war, or was herself the aggressor by striking the first blow." At the commencement of the dispute between the two countries, Herrera was President of Mexico. Although diplomatic communications had ceased between the United States and Me.xico, he was anxious to settle the quarrel by negotiation, but at the Presidential election held about this time ADMINISTRATION Herrefa was defeated, and Paredes, who was bitterly hostile to the United States, was chosen President of the Mexican republic. Paredes openly avowed his determination to drive the Americans beyond the Neuces. In February, 1846, General Taylor was oidered by President Polk to advance from the Neuces to a point on the Rio Grande, opposite the Mexican town of Matamoras, and establish there a fortified post, in order to check the Mexican forces which were assembling there in large numbers for the purpose of invading Texas. Taylor at once set out, and leaving the greater part of his stores at Point Isabel, on the Gulf, advanced to the Rio Grande, and built a fort and established a camp opposite and within cannon shot of Matamoras. General Am- pudia, commanding the Mexican forces at Matamoras, immediately notified General Taylor that this was an act of war upon Me.xican soil, and demanded that he should " break up his camp and retire beyond the Neuces " within twenty-four hours. First Blood Shed. Taylor replied that he was acting in accordance with the orders of his govern- ment, which was alone responsible for his conduct, and that he should maintain the position he had chosen. He pushed forward the work on his fortifications with energy, and kept a close watch upon the Mexicans. Neither commander was willing to take the responsibility of beginning the war, and Am- pudia, notwithstanding his threat, remained inactive. His course did not satisfy his gov- ment, and he was removed and General Arista appointed in his place. Arista at once began hostilities by interposing detach- ments of his army between Taylor's force and his depot of supplies at Point Isabel. On the twenty-sixth of April Taylor sent a party of sixty dragoons under Captain OF JAMES K. POLK. 597 Thornton to reconnoitre the Mexican lines. The dragoons were surprised with a loss of sixteen killed. The remainder were made prisoners, and Thornton alone escaped. This was the first blood shed in the war with Mexico, the beginning of the struggle. Gallant Major Brown. A day or two later, being informed byi Captain Walker, who, with his Texan Rangers was guarding the line of communi- cation with Point Isabel, that the Mexicans were threatening the latter place in heavy force, General Taylor left Major Brown with three hundred men to hold the fort, and marched to Point Isabel to relieve that place. He agreed with Major Brown that if the fort should be attacked or hard pressed, the latter should notify him of his danger by firing heavy signal guns at certain intervals. He reached Point Isabel, twenty miles dis- tant, on the second of May without meeting any opposition on the march. General Arista, attributing Taylor's with* drawal to fear, determined to capture the fortification on the opposite side of the river. On the third of May he opened fire upon it from a heavy battery at Matamoras, and sent a large force across the Rio Grande, which took position in the rear of the fort and intrenched themselves there. In the face of this double attack the little garrison defended themselves bravely, but at length Major Brown fell mortally wounded. The command devolved upon Captain Hawkins, who now felt himself justified in warning Taylor of his danger, and began to fire the signal guns agreed upon. Taylor was joined at Point Isabel by a small detachment, and his force was increased to twenty-three hundred men. He listened anxiously for the booming of the signal guns from the fort on the Rio Grande, and at length they were heard. He knew that the FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. need of assistance must be great, as the little band in the fort had held out so long with- out calling for help, and he at once set out to join them. He left Point Isabel on the seventh of May, taking with him a heavy supply train. The steady firing of the sig- nal guns from Fort Brown (for so the work was afterwards named in honor of its gallant commander) urged the army to its greatest exertions. Ringgold's light battery on the right; Dun- can's battery on the left, and a battery o( eighteen-pounders in the centre. The artillery was thrown well in front of the infantry, and the order was given to advance. The Mexicans at once opened fire with their ' batteries, but the distance was too great to accomplish anything. The American bat- teries did not reply until they had gotten' within easy range, when they opened a fire 5.\TTLE OF PALO ALTO. On the eighth of May the Mexican army, six thousand strong, was discovered holding a strong position in front of a chaparral, near the small stream called the Palo Alto, in- tending to dispute the advance of the Ameri- cans. Taylor promptly made his disposi- tions to attack them. His troops were ordered to drink from the little stream and to fill their canteens. The train was closed up, and the line was formed with Major the accuracy and rapidity of which astonished the Mexicans. Their lines were broken and they fell back, and the Americans advanced steadily through the chaparral, which had been set on fire by the discharge of cannon, until a new position within close range was reached. Paying no attention to the Mexican artillery, the American guns directed their fire upon the enemy's infantry and cavalry, and broke ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 599 hem again and again. Tiie battle lasted five hours and ceased at nightfall. It was fought entirely by the artillery of the two armies, and was won by the superior hand- Zing and precision of the American guns. The loss of the Mexicans was four hun- dred killed and wounded ; that of the Americans nine killed and forty-four wounded. Early in the battle Major Ring- gold was mortally wounded and died a little occupying a much stronger position than they had held at Palo Alto. Their line was formed behind f ravine, called Resaca de la Palma, or the Dry River of Palms. Their flanks were protected by the thick chaparral, and their artillery was thrown forward beyond the ravine and protected by an intrenchment, and swept the road by which the Americans must advance. During the night fresh troops had joined the Mexican army, and had' MAJOR RINGGOLD MORTALLY WOUNDED. later. He was regarded as one of the most gifted officers of the army, and to him was chiefly due the precision and rapidity of movement acquired by the " flying artil- lery" of the American army, which were so successfully tested during this war. The American army encamped on the battle-field, and the next morning. May 9th, as the Mexicans had retreated, leaving their dead unburied, resumed its advance. In the afternoon the Mexicans were discovered increased their force to seven thousand men. Taylor formed his line with his artillery in the centre. The artillery was ordered to advance along the road commanded by the Mexican battery, and the infantry were directed to move as rapidly as possible, through the chaparral, and drive out the Mexican sharpshooters. The infantry execut- ed this order in handsome style, but the chaparral was so dense that each man was 6oc FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. obliged to act for himself as he forced his way throught it. The Mexican battery was handled with great skill and coolness, and held the centre in check until some time after the infantry had forced their way close to the edge of the ravine. At this juncture Captain May was ordered to charge the Mexican guns, amd started down the road at a trot. As he reached the position of the American artillery, Lieutenant guns. Leaving the battery lo the American infantry which now hurried forward to secure it, the dragoons charged the Mexican centre and broke it. The whole American line then advanced rapidly ; the Mexicans gave way, and were soon flying in utter confusion towards the Rio Grande, which they crossed in such haste that many of them were drowned in the attempt to reach the Mexican shore. CHARGE OF THE DRAGOONS. Ridgely suggested that May should halt and allow him to draw the Mexican fire. Ridgely opened a rapid fire on the Mexican guns, which answered immediately. At the same moment May dashed at the Mexican battery with his dragoons, and reached it before the cannoneers could reload their pieces. They were sabred at their guns, and the battery as carried. Captain May himself made a prisoner of General La Vega, as the latter was in the act of discharging one of the General Arista, the Mexican commander fled alone from the field, leaving all his pri- vate and official papers behind him. The Americans lost one hundred and twenty-two men killed and wounded ; the Mexicans twelve hundred. All the Mexican artillery two thousand stand of arms, and six hundred mules were captured by the Americans. General Taylor advanced from the battle- field to Fort Brown, the garrison of which had heard the distant roar of the battle, an<^ ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 6oi had seen the flight of the Mexicans across the Rio Grande. The defeat of the Mexicans at Palo Alto and Resacade la Palma had greatly disheart- ened them. They not only abandoned their intention to invade Texas, but gave up all hope of holding the Rio Grande frontier. On the night of the seventeenth of May their army evacuated Slatamoras, and retreated upon Monterey. On the eighteenth the American armycro.':sed the Rio Grande, and occupied Matamoras. General Taylor scrupulously respected the municipal laws of the town, and protected the citizens in the exercise of their civil and leligious privileges. All supplies needed by the troops were purchased at a liberal price, and no plundering or disorder was allowed or attempted. In the meantime the news of the attack upon the dragoons under Captain Thorn- ton had reached the United States, and with it the rumor that the American army was confronted on the Te.xan side of the Rio Grande by a vastly superior force of Mexicans, and that its destruc- tion was almost certain. The President sent a special message to Congress on the eleventh of May, in which he informed that body that " war existed by the act of Mexico," and called upon Congress to recognize the state of war, and to provide for its support by appropriating the necessary funds, and to authorize him to call for vol- unteers. Under the impression that the perilous ^ituation of Taylor's army made instant action necessary, Congress appropriated ten millions of dollars for the prosecution of the war, and authorized the President to accept the services of fift) thousand volunteers. One-half of this force was to be mustered into the service ; the remainder held as a re- serve. The President's call was responded to with enthusiasm all over the land, apd in the course of a few weeks two hundred thousand volunteers offered their services. General Wool was ordered to muster the volunteers accepted by the President into the service. Preparations were made by the American government to prosecute the war with vigor At the suggestion of General Scott a com- prehensive plan of operations was adopted Two separate expeditions were to be organ PENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT. ized. One, called the " Army of the West," was to assemble at Fort Leavenworth, on the Missouri, to cross the plains and the Rocky mountains, and to invade and con- quer the northern provinces of Mexico. A powerful fleet was to be sent around Cape Horn to attack the Mexican ports on the Pacific and cooperate with the Army of the West. A second force, called the "Army of the Centre," was to advance from Texas to the city of Mexico, and, if it was thought best, was to cooperate with the " Army of 602 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR, Occupation " under General Taylor. As we shall see, the plan was afterwards modified, and the advance upon the Mexican capital was made from Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico. Towards the last of May the news of the brilliant victories on the Rio Grande was re- ceived at Washington, and was hailed with rejoicings throughout the Union. On the thirtieth of May Congress conferred upon General Taylor the rank of major-general by srevet as a reward for his victories. On the twenty-third of May the Mexican [Congress formally declared war against the 'Jnited States, and the call of the Mexican government for volunteers tor the defence of that countrj' was responded to with enthu- siasm. Thanks to the energy of General Wool, twelve thousand volunteers were mustered into the service of the United States in six weeks. Nine thousand of these were sent forward rapidly to reinforce General Taylor, and with the remainder Wool marched to San Antonio, in Texas, to await further orders, and be ready for action. Strong Intrenchments. General Taylor had been delayed at Mata- moras for three months by the weakness of his force; but, as soon as reinforcements reached him, he prepared to advance into the interior. His first movement was directed against the city of Monterey, the capital of the State of New Leon, where the Mexicans had collected an army. His army numbered about nine thousand men of all arms, and of these a little over twenty-three hundred men were detached for garrisons, leaving an active force of six thousand si.x hundred and seventy men. On the twentietl. ^f August General Worth's division marched from Matamoras, and a fortnight later General Taylor set out from the Rio Grande with the main army. On the ninth of September the American forces encamped within three miles of Mon- terey. Monterey is an old Spanish city, nearly three hundred years old. It lies in a beauti ful valley, and is about two miles in length, by one mile in breadth. The mountains approach close to it, and protect it on all sides but two. On one of these sides it is approached from the northeast by the road from Matamoras, and on the other by a rocky gorge through which runs the road connect- ing the city with Saltillo. The city has three large plazas or public squares, and is built like the towns of old Spain, with narrow streets, and houses of stone one story in height, with strong walls of masonry rising about three feet above the flat roofs. The city itself is enclosed with strong walls, in- tended for artillery. Battle of Monterey. Every means of defence had been ex- hausted by the Mexicans. Forty-two heavy cannon were mounted on the city walls, the streets were barricaded, and the flat roofs and stone walls of the houses were arranged for infantry. Each house was a separate for- tress. A strongly fortified building of heavy stone, called the Bishop's palace, stood on the side of a hill without the city walls, and on the opposite side of the city were redoubts held by infantry and artillery. The com- mand of Monterey and its defences was held by General Ampudia, and the garrison con- sisted often thousand veteran troops. Ten days were passed by the American army in reconnoitering the town, its peculiar situation rendering such movements very difficult. On the afternoon of the twentieth of September General Worth was ordered to turn the hill on which stood the Bishop's palace, gain the Saltillo road, and carry the works in that direction. This movement was ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 603 successfully accomplished ; but in order to gain the desired position Worth was obliged to cut a new road across the mountain. His troops bivouacked for the night just out of range of the enemy's guns. During the night the Americans built a battery to com- mand the Mexican citadel. On the morning of the twenty-first of Sep- tember the American artillery opened fire on Monterey, and the infantry advanced to carry During the night of the twenty-first the Mexicans evacuated the lower part of the city, but kept their hold upon the citadel and the upper town, from which they maintained a vigorous fire upon the American positions. At daybreak, on the twenty-second, Worth's division, advancing in the midst of a fog and;' rain, carried the crest commanding the' Bishop's palace, and by noon had captured the palace itself. The guns of the captured CAPTURE OF A BATTERY AT MONTEREY. the Mexican works. The brigade of General Quitman carried a strong work in the lower part of the town, and at the same time General Butler, with a part of his division, forced his way into the town on the right. While these operations were in progress General Worth's division seized the Saltillo road, and secured the enemy's line of retreat. Several fortified positions along the heights were also carried, and their guns turned upon the Bishop's palace works were now directed upon the enemy in the city below. The enemy had fortified the city so thor- oughly that the Americans were not only forced to carry the various barricades in suc- cession, but were compelled to break through the walls of the fortified houses, and advance from house to house in this way. One or two field pieces were drawn up to the flat roofs, and the Mexicans were driven from point to point during the twenty -second and 604 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THI-: CIVIL WAR. twenty-third, until they were confined to the citadel and plaza. On the night of the twenty-third General Ainpudia opened nego- tiations, and on the morning of the twenty- fourth surrendered the town and garrison to General Taylor. The Mexican soldiers were allowed to march out with the honors of 'war. General Taylor was induced to grant this concession by his generous desire to spare the people of the city the sufferings days' rations — Taylor agreed to a cessation of hostilities for eight weeks, subject to the consent of his government. The Mexican army withdrew from Monterey, and aa American garrison, under General Worth, as governor, occupied the city. The main body of Taylor's army then went into camp at Walnut Springs, three miles distant from Monterey. The Americans lost four hundred and eighty-eif..it men, killed and wounded,* LIEUTENANT ORAN 1' GOING FOR AMMUNITION AT MONTEREV. which would have been caused by a pro- longed defence. The Mexican commander represented to General Taylor that the Mexican government was sincerely an.xious for peace, and that it would respond favorably to any fair propo- sitions upon this subject that might be laid before it. In order to afford an opportunity for such an arrangement of the war, and influ- enced by the scarcity of provisions — the American army having at the time but ten in the storming of Monterey. The Mexican loss was much greater. General Grant, then an unknown younglieu- tenant, was in the battle of Monterey, and distinguished himself on account of "gallant and meritorious services." Several times during the battle he demonstrated his supe- rior judgment and courage, not more in the fierce charge than in volunteering to make a dangerous ride under fire, in search of ammu- nition. ADMINISTRATION OF JAMKS K. POLK. 605 'n the meantime the government uf the United States had been led into a terrible blunder by its desire to bring the war to a speedy close. Santa Anna, who had been driven out of Mexico by one of the numerous revolutions in that country, was living in exile at Havana. He declared that if he were allowed to return to Mexico he would use his influence in favor of peace, and would secure a treaty for the accomplishment of that end. He was sure he could carry out this scheme, and only needed to be sustained by the United States government with the sum of three or four millions of dollars to enable him to get control of the Mexican govern- ment. President Polk was completely duped by the " illustrious exile," and not only urged Congress to appropriate the sum of two millions of dollars to assist Santa Anna, but issued an order to Commodore Conner, com- manding the American fleet in the Gulf, to permit Santa Anna to pass through his lines and return to Mexico. Santa Anna at once availed himself of this order, and landing at Vera Cruz hastened into the interior. Manifesto by Santa Anna. Once in Mexico, Santa Anna thought no more of his promises to President Polk. He set to work to gain possession of the gov ernment, but not with a view to mak'ng peace. He issued a manifesto, in which he called on his countrymen to rally under his banner for the defence of their homes and country. He assured them of Uis undying hatred of the " perfidious Yan'cees," pointed to the reverses of the governxent of Paredes, and declared that he alone could save the country. His appeals were successful. The Mexican people ros'^. it his call, deposed Paredes, and elected Santa Anna President. The repeated defeats of their armies were forgotten in the new enthusiasm svhich Santa Anna'.-! presence and proclamations aroused. and in the course of a few months that leader found himself at the head of a well-equipped army of twenty thousand men, which was! being steadily inrreased by the arrival of fresh recruits. Justice to the Enemy. , In the meantime General Wool, with a reinforcement of three thousand troops, had marched from San Antonio to join General Taylor. He had reached Monclova, about .seventy miles from Monterey, when he heard of the capture of the latter place by Taylor. His route had lain across an uninhabited and desert region, in which the troops suf- fered greatly for want of water. He was directed by General Taylor to take position in a fertile district in tl.e province 0/ Durango, wnere he could obtain supplies for his own command as well as for the army at Monterey. General Wool concili- ated the people of the region occupied by him by protecting them in their liberties and property, and paying fair prices for all the supplies furnished by them. The Mexicans were far better treated by the conquering army than they had been by 'heir own "■tulers. In accordance with orders received from Washington General Taylor put an end to the armistice on the thir*-eenth of November. On the fifteenth General Worth, with seven hundred men, occupied Saltillo, the capital of the State of Coahuila. Leaving a garrison in Monterey, under General Butler, Taylor moved towards the coast to attack Tampico. Upon reaching Victoria, the capital of the State of Tamaulipas, he learned that Tampico had surrendered to the United States squad- ron, under Commodore Conner, on the four- teenth of November. Victoria was occupieo' on the twenty-ninth of December. The troops under General Wool were now ordered to join General Worth at Saltillo, 6o6 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. and General Taylor prepared to resume his forward moveme^t into the heart of Mexico. At this juncture his offensive operations were suddenly brought to a close. Massing the Forces. The plan of the invasion adopted by the government of tht United States had been so far modified that the " Army of the Centre," under General Win field Scott, was ordered to capture Vera Cruz, the principal Mexican port on the Gulf, and advance upon the city of Mexico from that point. Troops in suffi- cient numbers could not be drawn from the United States, and General Scott, as com- mander-in-chief, decided to draw the desired number of men from Taylor's army. The order for the withdrawal of these troops reached General Taylor just as he was aboutto resume active operations. Taylor was keenly dis- appointed at being thus condemned to inactivity, but like the true soldier that he « "is, at once obeyed the orders sent him. Generals Worth and Quitman, with their divisions, and the greater portion of the volunteers who had come out with General Wool, were at once despatched to the Gulf coast to join the expedition against Vera Cruz. The withdrawal of these troops left General Taylor with a very small force. During the month of January and the early part of February, 1847, reinforcements from the United States increased his army to about six thousand men. A portion of these was placed in garrison at Monterey and Sal- tillo, leaving General Taylor about forty- seven hundred effective troops, of whom but six hundred were regulars. Early in January, 1847, General Scott sent Lieutenant Richey with an escort of cavalry to convey a despatch to General Taylor. Lieutenant Richey was killed by the Mex- icans on the way, and his despatches were forwarded to Santa Anna, who learned from them the American plan for the invasion of Mexico. He at once resolved upon his own course. Relying upon the strength of Vera Cruz to hold Scott's army in check, he de- termined to attack General Taylor at once, and crush him. By the most energetic and despotic measures he silenced the opposition which prevailed in the city of Mexico, and obtained both men and money for his attempt. On the twenty-sixth of January he began his march upon Saltilio with twenty-three thou- sand well-armed and equipped men, and twenty pieces of artillery. Rapid Marches. The Mexican army had reached San Louis Potosi, about sixty miles south of Saltilio, when General Wool, commanding at the latter place, learned of their approach. He at once notified General Taylor, who ad- vanced with his whole effective force from ■ Monterey to Saltilio. As the enemy con- ■ tinned to approach, Taylor left his stores at Saltilio, and moved rapidly to Agua Nueva,' eighteen miles beyond Saltilio, on the road to San Louis Potosi His design was tosecurethe southern end of the pass through the Sierra Nevada. With this pass in possession of the Americans the Mexican army would be com- pelled to fight at once, as the country in their rear was incapable of supplying them with provisions. The reports of the reconnoitering parties made it evident that the Mexican force was vastly superior to that of the Americans, and General Taylor also learned that a strong body of Mexican cavalry, under General Minon, was some distance to the left of his position, which could be turned. A daring reconnoissance was made by Major M'Culloch, of the Te.xan Rangers. He entered the Mexican camp, passed through it, and obtained accurate information oftheit numbers, and regained his own lines in safety. ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 607 'r^ Upon receipt of M'Culloch's intelligence, and the report of the effort of the Mexican cavalry to turn his left, General Taylor fell back from Agua Nueva to a new position, eleven miles higher up the valley on the twenty-first of February. The withdrawal of the American army was made in good time. Santa Anna had sent Minon with the cavalry to gain the rear of Taylor's army, and at the same time en- deavored, by a forced march of fifty miles, to surprise General Taylor at Agua Nueva. Upon ar- riving in front of that place he found to his astonish- ment and disappointment that Taylor had abandoned his position. Interpreting this movement as a fligtit, the Mexican commandei pushed on in pursuit of his adversary, and came up with him on the morning of the twenty- :ond of February. The position chosen by General Taylor was at the north end of the valley known as Las Angosturas, or the Narrows, and mar the hacienda or plantation known as Buena Vista, from which latter place the battle took its name. It was one of great strength. Its flanks were protected by the mountains which arose abruptly from the defile, and the ground in front was broken by numerous ravines and gullies. The American forces Were disposed so as to secure every advantage afforded by the nature of the ground and the road through the pass — the key to the whole position — was swept by the fire of the artillery. The troops were in high spirits. It was Washington's birthday, and this incident was generally commented upon as a good omen. About noon a Mexican officer brought a rote to General Taylor, in which Santa Anna demanded the surrender of the Ameri- can army. This demand was refused, and skirmishing at once began. During the aftern ion Santa Anna sent a force under Gene il Ampudia to ascend the mountains and turn the American left. This brought on severe skirmishing in this quarter, but nothing definite was accomplished during MEXICAN CART AND OXEN. the afternoon. Late in the afternoon the Mexican cavalry under General Minon, which had passed the mountains, appeared in the plains north of Saltillo. Minon was ordered to halt in the position he had gained and await the result of the battle of the next day at Buena Vista. His appearance caused great anxiety to General Ta-'lor, who hastened to Saltilla with reiniorcement' after nightfall, as he feared Minon wor''^ seek to capture that place. 6o8 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. During the night of the twenty-second Santa Anna reinforced the column under Ampudia, and opened the battle at daybreak on the twenty-third of February, by endeav- o-ing to turn the American left. A little later he opened fire from his artillery, and moved forward three powerful columns of attack against the American centre. The movement of the column of Ampudia was successful, the left of the American line was completely turned, but the attack upon the centre was repulsed by the splendid fire of the American batteries. A Blast of Deadly Fire. At this moment General Taylor arri /ed upon the field from Saltillo, bringing with him May's dragoons, several companies of Mississippi riflemen, and a portion of the Arkansas cavalry, embracing every man that could be spared from Saltillo. He had come at a critii,al moment, for the turning of his left flank by Ampudia had neutralized the natural advantage of the position. Many of the troops were in full retreat upon Buena Vista, and nothing but the courage and con- stancy of those who yet remained firm could save the day. By great e.xertions Colonel Jefferson Davis rallied the greater part of his own regiment — the Mississippi rifles — and a part of the Second Indiana, and by a rapid advance drove back a strong Mexican col- umn in his front. He had scarcely accom- plished this when he was assailed by a body of one thousand splendid Mexican lancers. Davis quickly formed his own men and the Second and Third Indiana in the shape of the letter V, with the opening towards the enemy, and posted Sherman's battery on his left. The li.ie thus formed awaited in silence the approach of the Mexican cavalry, which came on at a gallop. As they drew near the opening of this terrible V the Mexicans, who had expected the Americans to fire, when they intended to dash in upon them before the men could reload, were astonished at the silence with which they were received, and slackened their pace until they came to a walk within eighty yards of the opening of the angle. In an instant Davis gave the command, and his men took deliberate aim. Then a volley flashed from the rifles and swept away the head of the Mexican column. The next moment Sherman's guns opened upon the cavalry with grape and canister. Under this combined fire horses and lancers fell in great numbers, forming a barricade over which the enemy could not pass, and the Mexicans, seized with a panic, wheeled about and fled in confusion. While this attack was in progress the Mexicans sent a body of cavalry under Tor- rejon to seize the plantation of Buena Vista. Torrejon made his attack with vigor, but was driven back by the Kentucky and Ar- kansas volunteers, assisted by Colonel May t- dragoons. Colonel Yell, of the Arkansas regiment, was killed and Torrejon was wounded in this part of the engagement. Splendid Valor of the Americans. During all this while a steady cannonade had been in progress along the centre of the American line. The Mexicans endeavored to silence the American batteries, but with- out success. Santa Anna now sent a strong force to pass around the American left and gain the rear of Taylor's line, and this force was joined by a part of Torrejon's command, which was retreating from Buena Vista. The movement was detected by Colonel May, who met it with his cavalry and several companies of Illinois and Indiana volunteers. General Taylor sent to his assistance all the cavalry he could spare and Bragg's battery. ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 60- The retreat of the Mexicans, who had I the panic which had set in among- them. It passed beyond the American left, was cUt seemed that the whole Mexican column, off, and they were driven in confusion to the base of the mountain, while Bragg's guns showered canister upon them and increased ■}9 IJATTLE 01' i;UE.\A \ISTA. numbering five thousand men. must sur- render or be exterminated. In this emer- gencv the Me.xican commander raised the 6io FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. white flag and asked for a parley, professing to ha 'O a message from Santa Anna to General Taylor, and the American guns ceased firing. Before the trick was dis- covered the Mexican right escaped under the cover of the flag of truce by passing along the base of the mountain to a point from which they rejoined their main army. Bragg' s Flying Artillery. Santa Anna now brought up his reserves, and late in the afternoon made a determined attack upon the American right, which had been greatly weakened to assist the troops engaged in repelling the attack on the left. The Mexican column, twelve thousand strong, easily drove back the few scattered /olunteers that disputed their advance, and captured O'Brien's battery, which was with- out infantry support, but not until every man had been killed or wounded. Washington's guns now opened upon the enemy, and suc- ceeded in holding their cavalry in check for a moment. The Mexican infantry pushed on, firing as they advanced, and it wa^ evident that the crisis of the, battle was at hand. The battle had been going on for eight hours, and the American troops were greatly exhausted by the unusual exertions they had been subjected to ; while the Mexican col- umn, consisting mainly of their reserves, was fresh, and four times as strong as the whole American army. Keenly alive to his dan- ger, Taylor exerted himself in every possible way to bring up his scattered regiments in time to save the position. The flying artil- lery of Captain Bragg was the first to reach the field. There was not an infantry soldier Tiear to support him, and the salvation of the army depended upon Bragg's efforts. He unlimbered his guns within a few yards of the rap.'dly advancing Mexicans, and poured in discharge after discharge with a rapidity which seemed wonderful. The Mexican advance was checked, and Sherman now came up and opened fire from his guns upon them. Washington's battery a little later joined in the fire. The Mississippi and In- diana volunteers now reached the field, and made a spirited attack upon the enemy's right flank. Under this terrible fire the Mexicans wavered for a few moments, and then broke in confusion and fled from the field. The Mexicans made no further attack dur- ing the day, and that night Santa Anna, abandoning his wounded, and leaving his dead unburied, retreated rapidly towards Agua Nueva. The American loss in the battle of Buena Vista was two hundred and sixty-seven killed and four hundred and fifty- six wounded. That of the Mexicans was over two thousand killed and wounded, in- cluding many officers of high rank. Taylor followed the Mexican army on the twenty- fourth, as far as Agua Nueva, and collecting their wounded, removed them to Saltillo, where they were attended by the American surgeons. Honors to General Taylor. The victory of Buena Vista was decisive o( the war. It saved the valley of the Rio Grande from invasion by a victorious Mexi- can army, and enabled the expedition of General Scott against Vera Cruz to proceed without delay to the accomplishment of its objects. It also greatly disheartened the Mexican people, and during the remainder of the year Taylor's army had nothing to do but to hold the country it occupied. General Taylor remained at Agua Nueva until he was satisfied that no further trouble was to be apprehended from the Mexican army, and then returned by easy stages to his cartip at Walnut Springs, near Monterey, which he reached by the last of Mas ch. la ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 6ii the summer of 1847, leaving General Wool in command of the army, General Taylor returned to the United States, where he was received with distinguished honor. While these events were going on in Mexico Captain John C. Fremont, of the United States army, had been engaged in prosecuting the discoveries in the Rocky mountain region, which he had begun in that Territory, and to conciliate the good- will of the inhabitants toward the United States. Fremont had but sixty men with him, but he at once moved into the valley 0/ the Sacramento. The Mexican inhabitants were seriously considering at this time whether they should massacre the American settlers, or whether, in the event of a war between Mexico and GENERAL VIEW OF THE YGSEMITE VALLEY. 1843, in which year he had explored the val- ley known as the Great Basin, the region of the Great Salt Lake, and the valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, on the Pacific coast. In May, 1845, Fremont set out on his third expedition, and passed the winter in the valley of the San Joaquin, then Mexican terri- tory. In May, 1 846, he received orders from Washington to move into California and Counteract any foreign scheme for securing the United States, they should place Cali- fornia under the protection of Great Britain. Fremont was informed of these plots, and, though no war existed as yet between the two republics, he also learned that the Mex- ican General De Castro was advancing to drive him out of California. The American settlers flocked to Fremont's camp, with their arms and horses, and he soon found himself at the head of a considerable force. 6l2 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO TPiE CIVIT, WAR, He was thus enabled to repulse De Castro's attack, and, after a few conflicts, to drive him from Upper California. By July, 1846, the Mexican authority was entirely overthrown i'n upper California, and the flag of independ- ence was raised by the settlers. Pursued by a British Squadron. The American squadron in the Pacific was "omnianded by Commodore Sloat, who was „.Jered by the secretary of the navy to seize ^he port of San Francisco as soon as he was eliably informed of the existence of war etween the two countries, and to occupy or ^ockade such father Mexican ports as his ,rce would permit. In the early summer f 1846 the American squadron was lying at Mazatlan. A British squadron under Admiral Seymour also lay in th^ harbor, an J the American commodore became convinced that the British admiral was watching him for the purpose of interfering with his designs upon California. He therefore resolved to get rid of him_ and put to sea and sailed to the westward, as if making for the Sandwich islands. The British fleet followed him promptly, but in the night the commodore tacked and sailed up the coast to Monterey, while the British continued their course to the islands. Sloat was coldly received at Monterey by the authorities. Hearing of the action of Fre- mont and the American settlers, the com- modore a few days later took possession of the town, and sent a courier to Fremont, who at once joined him with his mounted men. California was now taken possession of in the name of the United States. About the middle of July Commodore Stockton arrived in the harbor, and suc- ceeded Commodore Sloat, who returned home, in the command of the squadron. The next day Admiral Seymour arrived at Monterey. He saw he was too late, and quietly submitted to what he could not pre- vent, though he was greatly astonished to find the town in possession of the American forces. On the seventeenth of August Fre- mont and Stockton occupied Los Angeles, the capital of Upper California. In June, 1846, General Kearney, with the " Army of the West," numbering eighteen hundred men, marched from Fort Leaven- worth, on the Missouri, across the plains to Santa Fe, the capital of the Mexican prov- ince of New Mexico. After a march of nearly one thousand miles, he occupied Santa Fe on the eighteenth of August. Leaving a garrison at Santa Fe, Kearney pushed on towards California, intending "-o conquer that province also ; but upon reach- ing the Gila river, he was met by the famous hunter. Kit Carson, who informed him of the conquest of California by Fremont and Stockton. Kearney thereupon sent two companies of dragoons under Major Sumner back to Santa Fe, and with the remainder continued his march to the Pacific coast. Revolt in New Mexico. Upon leaving Santa Fe, Kearney had instructed Colonel Doniphan to invade the country of the Navajoe Indians and compel them to make peace with the Americans. Doniphan set out in November, 1846, and crossing the mountains, succeeded in mak- ing a treaty with the Navajoes, by which they agreed to refrain from hostilities against the people of New Me.xico. He then .marched to the southeast to meet General Wool at Chihuahua. The inhabitants of New Mexico, encourageCT by the absence of Doniphan with so large a force, rose in revolt against the American forces, and murdered the American governor of the territory and several other officials on the fourteenth of January, 1847. Colonel Sterling Price, commanding the troops at ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 613 Santa Fe, at once marched against the insur- gents, defeated them in two engagements, though they greatly outnumbered his force, and suppressed the rebellion. The insur- gents obtained peace only by surrendering their leaders, several of whom were hanged by the Americans, Colonel Doniphan, in the meantime, had continued his march. His route lay through a barren region destitute of water or grass, the twenty-eighth he occupied EI Paso, and there waited until his artillery could join him from Santa Fe. It arrived in the course of a month, and on the eighth of February he resumed his march to Chihuahua. On the twenty-eighth he encountered and defeated a Mexican force of over fifteen hun- dred men with ten pieces of artillery, at a pass oftheSacramento river, a tributary of the Rio Grande. The Mexicans lost over three hun- THE C.REAT CANON AND LOWER FALLS, YELLOWSTONE. called the Jornado del Muerto — " The Jour- ney of Death." He pressed forward with firmness through this terrible region, his men and animals suffering greatly on the march, and in the latter part of December ente'^ed |the valley of the Rio Grande. With a force of eight hundred and fifty-six men he defeated over twelve hundred Mexicans at Brazito, on the twenty-sixth of December, 1846, and inflicted upon them a loss of nearly two hun- dred men, losing only seven men himself On dred killed and a number wounded. The Americans lost two killed and several wounded. The Mexicans were completely routed, and left their artillery and all their train in the hands of the Americans. On the first of March, 1S47, Doniphan entered Chihuahua, and raising the American flag on the citadel, took possession of the province in the name of the United States. Chihuahua was one of the largest cities in Mexico, and contained nearly thirty thousand 6i4 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. inhabitants. Doniphan's force was less than one thousand men. He had expected to find General Wool here, and failing to meet him was in utter ignorance of the posi- tions of the American forces. His own position, in the midst of a hostile population, was perilous indeed, but by his firm and just measures he conciliated the inhabitants. He remained at Chihuahua for six weeks, vainly expecting the arrival of General Wool, and on the twenty-seventh o. April evacuated PLAZA SANTA FE. that place, and set out for Saltillo, three hundred and fifty miles distant. He reached that place on the twenty-second of Ma)'. Remaining there but three days, he continued his march to Monterey, from which he pro- ceeded to Matamoras. The enlistments of his men being over, they were transported to New Orleans, and there mustered out of the service. Thus ended the most remarkable expedi- tion on record. In less than one year a corps of volunteers, unused to t'^e hardships ' he could escape. of war, had marched over snow-coverea mountains and across burning deserts, a dis- tance of over five thousand miles, over three thousand of which lay through an unknown and hostile country, abounding in enemies who might have crushed them at any moment had they rallied in sufficient force. In the meantime there had been new troubles in California. In August, 1847,' Commodore Stockton appointed Captain Fremont military commandant of California, and soon after sailed from San Francisco to Monterey, from which place he con- tinued his voyage to San Diego. Soon after the de- parture of the fleet Fremont learned of a conspiracy to overthrow his government. By a forced march of one hundred and fifty miles he surprised and captured the insurgent leader, Don J. Pico. A court-martial sen- tenced him to death, but Fremont wisely spared his life, and Pico, in gratitude for this clemency, gave him his powerful aid in his efforts to tranquilize the country. General Kearney had con- tinued his march from New Mexico, encount- ering great difficulties along the route, and suf- fering considerably from the repeated attacks of superior parties of the enemy. In Decem- ber, 1847. he reached San Pasqual, where he was obliged to halt. His situation was des- perate indeed ; his provisions were exhausted; his horses had died on the march ; his mules were disabled ; a large number of his men were sick ; and his camp was surrounded by the enemy, who held every road by which In this situation three I ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 615 men — Kit Carson, Lieutenant Beales of the navy, and an Indian, whose name is unfor- tunately unknown — vohanteered to make their way through the enemy's hues to San Diego, thirty miles distant, and inform Com- modore Stockton of Kearney's need of assistance. They succeeded in reaching San Diego, and the commodore promptly sent reinforcements to Kearney, which ena- bled him to drive off the enemy and reach San Diego in safety. General Scott's Expedition. Commodore Stockton now directed his a.tention to suppressing the insurrection of the Mexican inhabitants of California, who had gotten possession of Los Angeles. Driven to extremities, they surrendered the town on the condition that the Americans should respect the rights and property of the citizens. Commodore Stockton having been re- lieved of his civil functions by orders from Washington, General Kearney claimed the governorship of the territory by virtue of his rank. Fremont refused to recognize his authority, and was brought to trial before a court-martial, which tound him guilty of disobedience of orders and mutiny, and sen- tenced him to be dismissed from the service. The sentence was remitted by the President on account of Fremont's meritorious and valuable services, but Fremont refused to accept the clemency of the President and thus admit the justice of the sentence of the court, and resigned his commission. General Kearney remained in California as governor of that territory. The expedition under General Scott sailed irom New Orleans late in November, 1846, and rendezvoused at the island of Lobos, about one hundred and twenty-five miles north of Vera Cruz. The plan of operations for this army was very simple — to capture Vera Cruz and march to the city of Mexico by the most direct route. At length every- thing being in readiness, the expedition sailed from Lobos Island, and on the morn- ing of the ninth of March, 1847, the army, thirteen thousand strong, landed without, opposition at a point selected by Genera', Scott and Commodore Conner a few days- before. The city and vicinity had been thoroughly reconnoitred, and the troops were at once marched to the positions assigned them by the commander-in-chief. Vera Cruz is the principal seaport of Mexico, and contained at the time of the siege about fifteen thousand inhabitants. It was strongly fortified on the land side, and towards the Gulf was defended by the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa, the strongest fortress in America, with the exception of Quebec. Attack Upon Vera Cruz. On the tenth of March the investment of the city was begun by General Worth, and the American lines were definitely estab- lished around the city for a distance of six miles. During the day, and for several days thereafter, bodies of Mexicans attempted to harass the besiegers, and a steady fire was maintained upon them by the guns of the castle and the city as they worked at their batteries. The American works being com- pleted, and their guns in position. General Scott summoned the city of Vera Cruz to surrender, stipulating that no batteries should be placed in the city to attack the castle unless the city should be fired upon by that work. The demand was refused by General Mor- ales, who commanded both the city and the castle, and at 4 o'clock on the afternoon ol the twenty-second of March, the American batteries opened fire upon the town. The bombardment was continued for five days, and the fleet joined in the attack upon the 6i6 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL NA'AR. castle. The city suffered terribly ; a number of the inhabitants were killed, and many buildings were set on fire by the shells. On the twenty-seventh the city and castle surrendered, and were promptly occupied by the Americans. Over five thousand prison- ers and five hundred pieces of artillery fell into the hands of the victors. The garrison BOMBARDMENT OF VERA CRUZ, were required to march out, lay down their arms, and were then dismissed upon their parole. The inhabitants were protected in their civil and religious rights. The sur- render was completed on the morning of the twenty-ninth. Having secured the city and the castle, Genera! Scott placed a strong garrison in each, and appointed General Worth governor of Vera Cruz. He then prepared to march upon the city of Mexico, and on the eighth o \pril the advance division, under General Twiggs, set out from Vera Cruz towards Jalapa. Deducting the force left to garrison Vera Cruz, Scott's whole army amounted to but eighty-five hundred men. Santa Anna had not found the consequen- ces to himself of the battle of Buena Vista as bad as he had expected. He had succeeded in pursuading his country- men that he had not been defeated in that battle, but had simply retreated for want of provisions, and they had agreed to give him an- other trial. He had pledged himself to pre- vent the advance of the Americans to the capital, in the event of the fall of Vera Cruz, and with the aid of those of his countrymen who were willing to support him had quelled an insurrec- tion at the capital, and had strengthened his power to a greater de- gree than ever. With a force of twelve thou- sand men he had taken position at Cerro Gordo, a mountain pass at the eastern edge of the Cordilleras, to hold the American army in check, and had fortified his position with great skill and care. General Twiggs halted before the Mexican position to await the arrival of General Scott, who soon joined him with the main army. The Mexican lines were carefully reconnoi- tered, and on the eighteenth of April Gene' ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 617 Srott, avoiding a direct attack, turned the enemy's I'ft, seized the heights commanding their position, and drove them from their works with a loss of three thousand prisoners and forty-three pieces of artillery. Santa Anna mounted a mule, taken from his car- riage, and fled, leaving the carriage and his private papers in the hands of the Americans. Besides their prisoners, the Mexicans lost overone thousand men in killed andvvounded. the second city of Mexico, containing eighty thousand inhabitants, was occupied. Gen- eral Scott established his headquarters at Puebia, and awaited reinforcements. The terms of the volunteers would expire in June, and they refused to re-enlist, as they were afraid to encounter the yellow fevery the scourge of the Mexican climate, the season for which was close at hand. They were returned to the United States and Gen- Scott's loss was four hundred and thirty-one killed and wounded. Thebrilliant victory of Cerro Gordo opened the way for the American army to Jalapa, which was occupied on the nineteenth of April. Continuing his advance, General Scott captured the strong fortress of Perote, situated on a peak of the Eastern Cordille- ras, which was abandoned almost without a blow by its defenders, on the twenty-second of April. On the fifteenth of May, Puebia, eral Scott was forced to spend three months at Puebia in inactivity. The force he had with him was greatly weakened by sickness, and eighteen hundred men were in the hos pitals of Puebia alone. While at Puebia General Scott was ordered by the secretary of war to collect duties on merchandise entering the Mexican ports, and to apply the money thus obtained to the needs of the army. He was also ordered to levy contributions upon the Mexican people 6i8 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. for the use of the troops. He refused to obey this order, declaring that the country through which he was moving was too poor to warrant impressments, and that such a measure would exasperate the Mexicans and cause them to refuse to supply the army at all. " Not a ration for man or horse," he said, ' would be brought in except by the bayonet, which would oblige the troops to spread themselves out many leagues to the right and left in search of subsistence, and stop all military operations." He contmued to buy provisions for his army at the regular prices of the country, and by so doing greatly allayed the bitterness of feeling with which the Mexicans regarded the Americans. Attempt to Suspend Hostilities. Another annoyance to which the com- mander-in-chief was subjected atose from the ill-advised action of Mr. N. P. Trist, who had been sent out to Mexico in the quality of peace commissioner. Soon after th^ cap- ture of Vera Cruz, General Scott had sug- gested to the President the propriety of sending out commissioners to his headquar- ters, who should be empowered to treat for peace when a suitable occasion should offer itself. The President selected for this pur- pose Mr. N. P. Trist, who had been United States consul at Havana, and who was acquainted with the Spanish language — a singular selection. Mr. Trist was furnished with the draft of a treaty carefully prepared in the state de- partment at Washington, and was intrusted with a despatch from Mr. Buchanan, the secretary of state, to the Mexican minister of foreign relations. He was instructed to communicate confidentially to General Scott and Commodore Perry both the treaty and nis instructions. General Scott was informed of Trist's mission by the secretary of war, and was directed to suspend military opera- tions until further orders, unless attacked. Mr. Trist reached Vera Cruz in due time, but instead of explaining his mission, as directed, to General Scott, he sent a note to the commander-in-chief from Vera Cruz, enclosing the letter of the secretary of war, and the sealed despatch to the Mexican minister, which he requested the general to: forward to its destination. The latter of the secretary of war could not be understood by General Scott without the explanations Mr. Trist was directed to give, but failed to make. General Scott very properly resented the conduct of Trist as an attempt to degrade him by making him subordinate to that per- sonage, and in his reply to him declared that the suspension of hostilities belonged to the commander in the field and not to the secretary of war a thousand miles away. Trist thereupon wrote to General Scott, giving a full explanation of his mission, but did so in disrespectful terms. In conclusion he claimed to be the aid-de-camp of the President, and as such to possess the right to issue orders to the commander in-chief Scott referred the matter to the governmenl at Washington, maintaining in the meantim.' his independence of action as commandin.,- general. In due time explanations came from Washington satisfactory to the general and Mr. Trist was sharply reprimanded by the secretary of state " for his presuming to command the general-in-chief." Santa Anna in Disgrace. Aftei his defeat at Cerro Gordo, Santa Anna repaired to Orizaba, where he organ- ized a number of guerrilla bands to attack the American trains on the road betweer Vera Cruz and Scott's army. He the i returned to the city of Mexico, where he was coldly received by the people. The affairs of the Mexican nation were in the ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 615 ■.nost hopeless confusion, and the people were utterly disheartened. Their army on which they had depended for the defence of the road to the capital had been routed at Cerro Gordo, and there was no force in exist- ence with which to stay the advance of the victorious Americans. Had General Scott been able to advance upon Mexico immedi- ately after his occupation of Puebla, the city would have fallen at once, and the war have been brought to an immediate close. A number of leaders contested the supremacy at the capital, and the quarrels of these fac- tions paralyzed the efforts of the govern- ment. The most capable of these leaders was Santa Anna, and his strong qualities natur- ally attracted to him the largest following By his extraordinary energy he suppressed the opposition to him, secured the money he needed by forced loans from the people, and Taised an army of twenty-five thousand men md sixty pieces of artillery, and fortified the city of Mexico. The three months' enforced delay of General Scott's army at Puebla gave him time to carry out these measures, and he endeavored to gain still further advantages by opening negotiations secretly with Mr, Trist, and pretending to be anxious lor peace He declared that he needed money to enable him to act with freedom in arranging a treaty, and succeeded in getting about ten thousand dollars from the secret service fund at the disposal of General Scott ; but his designs were soon detected by the Amer- ican commander, and the supply of money was discontinued. The American Army Advances. Reinforcements from the United States arrived at Puebla in July, and on the seventh of August General Scott resumed his advance on the city of Mexico, with a force increased to ten thousand men. The route lay through a beautiful upland country, abounding in water, and rich in the most picturesque scenery. The troops pressed on with enthusiasm, and on the tenth of August the summit of the Cordilleras was passed, and then almost from the very spot from which, more than three centuries before, the follow« ers of Cortez looked down upon the halls of the Montezumas, the American army beheld the beautiful valley of Mexico stretching out for miles before them, with the city of Mexico lying in the midst, encircled by the strong works that had been erected for its defence. Another Important Conquest. Tne passes on the direct road to the city had been well fortified and garrisoned by the Mexicans, but the country upon the flanks had been left unprotected, because Santa Anna deemed it utterly impossible for any troops to pass over it, and turn his position. El Peiion, the most formidable of these defences, was reconnoitered by the engi- neers, who reported that it would cost at least three thousand lives to carry it. Scott thereupon determined to turn El Peiion, instead of attacking it. The city and its defences were carefully reconnoitered, and it was discovered that the works on the south and west were weaker than those at any other points. General Scott now moved to the left, passed El Peiion on the south, and by the aid of a corps of skillful engineers moved his army across ravines and chasms which the Mexican commander had pro- nounced impassable, and had left unguarded. General Twiggs led the advance, and halted and encamped at Chalco, on the lake of the same name. Worth followed, and passing Twiggs, encamped at the town of San Augustin, eight miles from the capital. As soon as Santa Anna found that the Americans had turned El Pefion, and had advanced to the south side of the city, he left 620 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. that fortress and took position in the strong fort of San Antonio, which lay directly in front of Worth's new position. Northwest of San Antonio, and four miles from the city, lay the little village of Churubusco, which had been strongly fortified by the Mexicans. A little to the west of San Augustin was the fortified camp of Contreras, with a garrison of about six thousand men. In the rear, between the camp and the city, was a reserve force of twelve thousand men. The whole number of Mexicans manning these defences was about thirty-five thousand, with at least one hundred pieces of artillery of various sizes. Driven Like Chaff. General Scott lost no time in moving against the enemy's works. General Persifer F. Smith was ordered to attack the en- trenched camp at Contreras, while Shields and Pierce should move between the cainp and Santa Anna at San Antonio, and prevent him from going to the assistance of the force at Contreras. At three o'clock on the morn- ing of August 20th, in the midst of a cold rain. Smith began his march, his men hold- ing on to each other, to avoid being sepa- rated in the darkness. He made his attack at sunrise, and in fifteen minutes had posses- sion of the camp. He took three thousand prisoners and thirty three pieces of cannon. The camp at Contreras having fallen, Gen- eral Scott attacked the fortified village of Churubusco an hour or two later, and car- ried it after a desperate struggle of several hours. General Worth's division stormed and carried the strong fort of San Antonio, and General Twiggs captured another im- portant work. The Mexicans outnumbered their assailants three to one, and fought bravely. Their efforts were in vain, how- ever, and late in the afternoon they were driven from their defences, and pursued by the American cavalry to the gates of the city. These two victories had been won over a force of thirty thousand Mexicans by less than ten thousand Americans, and a loss of four thousand killed and wounded and three thousand prisoners had been inflicted upon the Mexican army. The American loss was eleven hundred men. Santa Anna retreated within the city, and on the twenty-first of August the American army advanced to within three miles of the city of Mexico. On the same day Santa Anna sent a flag of truce to General Scott, asking for a suspension of hostilities, in order to arrange the terms of a peace. The request was granted, and Mr. Trist was despatched to the city, and began negotiations with the Mexican commissioners. After protracted delays, designed to gain time, the Mexican commissioners declined the American con- ditions, and proposed others which they knew would not be accepted. Thoroughlj disgusted, Mr. Trist returned to the Amen ican camp, and brought with him the in- telligence that Santa Anna had violated the armistice by using the time accorded him by it in strengthening his defences. Indignant at such treachery. General Scott at once re- sumed his advance upon the city. A Hard-fought Battle. The Mexican capital was still defenaed by two powerful works. One of these was Molino del Rey, " The King's Mill," a foua- dry, where it was said the church bells were being cast into cannon ; the other was the strong castle of Chapultepec. General Scott resolved to make his first attack upon Molino del Rey, which was held by fourteen thou- sand Mexicans. It was stormed and carried on the eighth of September, after a severe contest by Worth's division, four thousand strong. This was regarded as the hardest ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK. 621 ivon victory of the war. The Mexicans were nearly four times as numerous as the Americans, and their position was one of very great strength. The Americans fought principally with their rifles and muskets, their artillery being of but little use to them, owing to the nature of the position. Their loss was seven hundred and eighty-seven killed and wounded — nearly one-fourth of the force engaged. to the city by the causeway leading to the Belen gate, closely followed by Quitman's division. Worth's division was moved for- ward to attack the San Cosmo gate, while Quitman assailed the Belen gate. The defences of the causeways were taken in succession, and by nightfall the Belen and San Cosmo gates were in possession of the Americans after a hard fight for them. The troops slept on the ground they had won. STORMING OF CHAPULTF.PEC. The castle of Chapultepec stood on a steep and lofty hill, and could not be turned. If won at all, it must be by a direct assault. On the twelfth of September the American artillery opened fire upon it, and reduced it almost to ruins. On the morning of the thirteenth a determined assault was made by the Americans, and the castle was carried after a sharp struggle. The fugitives from Chapultepec retreated During the night of the thirteenth Santa Anna, with the remains of his army, retreated from the city, leaving the authorities to make the best terms they could with the conquel^ ors. The city officials presented themselves before General Scott before daybreak, and proposed terms of capitulation. The general replied that the city was already in his power, and that he would enter it on his own terms. The next day, September 14, 1847, the 622 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. American army entered the city of Mexico, oc- cupied the grand square, and hoisted the stars GENERAL SCOTT ENTERING THE CITY OF MEXICO and stripes over the government buildings. Santa Anna retreated with f->iir or five thousand men from the capital to the vicinity of Puebla, which was besieged by a Mexican force. The city contained eighteen hundred sick Americans, and was held by a garrison of five hun- dred men under Colonel Childs. This little force held out bravely until the arrival of a brigade from Vera Cruz, under Gen- eral Lane, on its way to reinforce General Scott. Lane d''ove off Santa Anna's army, and re- lieved Puebla on the eighth of October. Ten days later Santa Anna was reported to be col- lecting another force at Ali.xo. Lane set out im- mediately for that place, reached it by a forced march, and dispersed the Mexicans beyond all hope of reunion. Immediately after the capture of the city of Mexico Santa Anna re- signed the presidency of the republic in favor of Senor Peiia y Pena, pre- sident of the Supreme Court of Justice, but re- tained his position as commander-in-chief of the army. The fall of the city was followed by vhc inauguration of a new government, one of the first acts of which was to dismiss Santa Anna from the command of the army. He at once left the country, and fled to the West Indies. ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. ?OLK. 623 The Mexican government was removed to the city of Queretaro, and a new congress was elected, which began its sessions in that city. Negotiations for peace liad been opened in the meantime, and the meetings of the Mexican commissioners and Mr. Trist were held at the town of Guadaloupe Hidalgo, where, on the second of February, 1848, a treaty of peace was signed by Nicholas P. Trist, on the part of the United States, and Senors Couto, Atristain and Cuevas, on the part of Mexico. Though Mr. Trist's powers had been withdrawn by President Polk some time before, he ventured to continue his authority on the ground that the opportunity for bringing the war to a close was too favorable to be lost. The commissioners appointed by the President to super- sede him reached Mexico a little later, but found the treaty signed and sealed. f]' Tt was forwarded to Wash- ington, and was laid by the President before the Senate, which body after a brief discussion ratified it. On the Fourth of July, 1848, President Polk issued a proclamation an- nouncing the return of peace. By the terms of the treaty the Rio Grande was accepted by Mexico as the western boundary of the United States and of Texas, and that republic ceded to the United States the provinces of New Mexico and Upper California. For this immense territory the ^government of the United States agreed to pay to Mexico the sum of fifteen millions of dollars, and to assume the debts due by Mexico to citizens of the United States, amounting to the sum of three and a half millions of dollars. The treaty having been ratified, the Ameri- can forces were promptly withdrawn from Mexico. By the cession of California and New Mexico, regions as yet unknown, a territory four times as large as France, was added to the dominions of the United States. Califor- nia bordered the Pacific coast for about six hundred and fifty miles, and extended inland for about the same distance. It embraced an area of about four hundred and fifty thousand square miles, comprising what is now known as California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and 1 Inu 1^ if' ^*.^ A ME.XICAN CATHEDRAL. parts of Colorado and New Mexico. At the close of the war it contained about fifteen thousand inhabitants. In February, 1848, occurred an event des- tined to change the whole history of the Pacific coast. A laborer on the plantation of Captain Sutter, situated in Coloma county, California, on a branch of the Sacramento river, while working on a mill-race, discov- ered gold in the sands of the little stream. The precious metal was soon found to be in abundance in the neighborhood, and the news spread rapidly. It reached the United States about the time of the ratification of $24 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVII, WAR. tlic treaty, and produced the most intense excitement. In the course of a few months thousands of emigrants were on their way to CaHfornia t ' dig gold. Some went in steamers and ailing vessels around Cape Horn ; some crossed the Isthmus of Panama, and worked 'heir way up the Pacific coast ; and others, ind by far the greater number, undertook cne long and dangerous journey across the plains and the Rocky Mountains, traveling HVDKAULic Mining. generally in cara\'ans. In a short time mul- titudes came flocking from every country in Eu'ope to join the throng in search of the precious metal. San F"rancisco was the cen- tral point cf this vast emigration, and that place soon grew from a village of a few miserable huts to a city of over fifteen thou- sand inhabitants. Within two years after the discovery of gold the population of California had increased to nearly a hundred thousand ; two years later, in 1852, it numbered two hundred and si.\ty-four thousand The iniluence of the discovery of gold in Califurnia was not limited to this country. It gave an impetus to the commerce and in- dustry of the whole world. On the twenty-first of February, 1848, ex President John Quincy Adams, then a mem' ber of the House of Representatives in Congress, was stricken with paralysis in his seat in the House. He was carried into the speaker's room, where he died two days later, '\t the age of eight}'. ^- On the twenty-ninth of May, 1848, Wisconsin was admitted >-=f into the Union as a State, mak- V __ '.ngthe thirtieth member of the 3 confederacy. Before the return of peace with Mexico the slavery ques- tion had been revived in the United States, and had been 3 the cause of an agitation full of trouble to both sections. On the eighth of August, 1846, President Polk sent a message to Congress asking Til appropriation of three millions of dollars to enable mill to negotiate a treaty of pL ice with Me.xico, based upon the policy of obtain- ing a cession of territory outside the existing limits During tue debate upon a bill this appropriation, Mr. David representative from Pennsyl- vania, made the following amendment, known as the"Wilmot Proviso:" "Pri>7'u/fd, That there shall be neither slavery nor in* voluntary servitude in any territory which shall hereafter be acquired, or be annexed to the United States, otherwise than in tho. punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted; Prcnndcd a/wtu's, That any person escaping into the of Texas. to grant Wilmot, GENERAL GEORGE H. THOMAS GENERAL GEORGE G. MEADE GEN. P. H SHERIDAN GFNERAL WILLIAM T. SHERMAN ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES K. POLK:. 625 same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any one of the United States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed out of said territory to the person claiming his or her labor or service." The Country Profoundly Excited. This amendment took no notice of the Missouri Compromise line, and was opposed with great warmth by the southern members,' who declared it an attempt to rob the Southern States in advance of their fair share of the territory that might be won by the joint efforts of the States. The bill failed in the Senate ; but the announcement of the Wilmot Proviso re-opened the slavery question in all its bitterness, and plunged the country into a state of profound excitement. The agitation was renewed in January, 1 847, when a bill for the organization of a ter- ritorial government for Oregon was reported to the House with the Wilmot Proviso incorporated in it. Mr. Burt, of South Carolina, moved to amend the bill by inserting before the restrictive clause the words : " Inasmuch as the whole of said territory lies north of 36° 30' north latitude." This was an effort to apply to the Oregon bill the principles of the Missouri Com- promise ; but the friends of the restriction rejected the amendment. The bill passed the House, but was defeated in the Senate. During the next session the measure was revived, and a territorial government was organized for Oregon with an unqualified restriction upon slavery. In the fall of 1848 the Presidential election occurred. The Democratic party supported Senator Lewis Cass, of Michigan, for the Presidency, and General William O. Butler, of Kentucky, for the Vice-Presidency. The Whig party nominated General Zachary Taylor, of Louisiana, for the Presidency, and Millard Fillmore, of New York, for the Vice Presidency. The Anti-slavery or Free Soil party put in nomination for the Presi- dency Martin Van Buren, of New York, and for the Vice-Presidency Charles Francis Adams, of Massachusetts. In the election which followed the political campaign, the candidates of the Whig party were elected by decisive majorities. The Free Soil party failed to receive a single electoral vote, but out of the popular vote of nearly three mil- lions, nearly three hundred thousand ballots were cast for its candidates, showing a remarkable gain in strength in the past four years. CHAPTER XXXVIII The Administrations of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore oaracler of General Taylor — Department of tlie Interior— Death of ex-President Polk — The Slavery Agitation-. Views of Clay and Webster — California Asks Admission Into the Union — Message of President Taylor — The Omnibus Bill — Efforts of Henry Clay — A Memorable Debate — Webster's " Great Unior. Speech " — Death of John C. Calhoua — Death of President Taylor — Millard Fillmore Becomes President — Passage of the Compromise Measures of 1S50 — Death of Henry Clay — Dissatisfaction With the Compromise — The Fugitive Slave Law Nullified by the Northern States — The Nashville Convention — Organization of Utah Territory — The Seventh Census — The Expedition of Lopei Against Cuba — The Search for Sir John Franklin — The Grinnel Expedition — Dr. Kane's Voyages — Inauguration of Cheap Postage — Laying the Corner-stone of the New Capitol — Death of Daniel Webster — Arrival of Kossuth — The President Rejects the Tripartite Treaty — Franklin Pierce Elected President — Death of William R. King. THE fourth oi March, 1849, fell on Sunday, and the inauguration of General Taylor as President of the United States took place on Mon- day, March fifth. The new President was a native of Vir- ginia. b"t had removed with his parents to Kentucky at an early age, and had grown up to manhood on the frontiers of that State. In 1808, at the age of twenty-four, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the army by President Jefferson, and had spent forty years in the military service of the country. His exploits in the Florida war and the war with Mexico have been related His brillant vic- tories in Mexico had made him the most popular man in the United States, and had won him the high office of the presidency at the hands of his grateful fellow-citizens. He was without political experience, but he was a man of pure and stainless integrity, of great firmness, a sincere patriot, and pos- sessed of strong good sense. He had received a majority of the electoral votes of both the Northern and Southern States, and was free from party or sectional ties of any kind. His inaugural address was brief, and was confined to a statement of general principles. 626 His cabinet was composed of the leaders of the Whig party, with John M. Clayton, of Delaware, as secretary of state. The last Congress had created a new executive de- partment — that of the interior — to relieve the secretary of the treasury of a part of his duties, and President Taylor was called upon to appoint the first secretary of the interior, which he did in the person of Thomas Ewing, of Ohio. The new department was charged with the management of the public lands, the Indian tribes, and the issuing of patents to inventors. A few months after the opening of Pre sident Taylor's administration, ex-President Polk died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on the fifteenth of June, 1849, in the fifty- fourth year of his age. Since the announcement of the Wilmot Proviso, the agitation of the slavery question had been incessant, and had increased instead of diminishing with each succeeding year. It was one of the chief topics of discussion in the newspaper press of the country, and entered largely into every political contro- versy, however local or insignificant in its nature. The opponents of slavery regarded the annexation of Texas and the Mexican ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND FILLMORE. 627 war as efforts to extend that institution, and were resolved to put an end to its existence at any cost. The advocates of slavery claimed that the Southern States had an equal right to the common property of the States, and were entitled to protec- tion for their slaves in any of the Territories then owned by the States or that might af- terwards be acquired by them. The Missouri Com promise forbade the ex- istence of slavery north of the line of 36° 30' north latitude, and left the inhabitants south of that line free to decide upon their own institu- tions. The Anti-slavery party was resolved that slavery should be ex- cluded from the territory acquired from Mexico, and in the Wilmot Pro- viso struck their first blow for the accomplish- ment of this purpose. We have seen that they succeded in prohibiting slavery, by a special act of Congress, in Oregon, although the terms of the Missouri Compro- mise would have ex- cluded the institution from that Territory. Their object was fully understood by the southern people, and was bitterly resented by them. The agitation ofthe subject aroused a storm of passion throughout the country, and produced a very bitter feeling between the Northern and Southern StpVs. In his I last message to Congress, President Polk had recommended that the line of 36° 30' north latitude be extended to the Pacific, and thus leave it to the people south of that line: to decide whether they would have slavery or ZACHARY TAYLOR. not. This proposition was acceptable to the South ; but it was rejected by the Anti-slavery party. The Missouri Compromise line had been limited to the Louisiana purchase, which was entirely slaveholding, and had iiade more than one-half of it free- To 628 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. extend the line to the Pacific would be to give the South a chance to establish slavery in territory which was free at the time of its acquisition by the United States. The North Would not listen to such a proposition. During the last session of Congress in Mr. Polk's administration, an effort had been made to establish territorial governments for Utah and New Mexico, but had failed in the supreme law of the land, it was superior to any territorial law or act of Congress abol- ishing slavery ; and that the constitution clearly and unequivocally established and protected slavery in the Territories. i Mr. Webster, speaking for the north, de- clared that the constitution was designed for the government of the States, and not for the Territories. Congress, he said, had the right THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D. C. consequence of the inability of Congress to agree upon the question of slavery in these Territories. In the debate in the Senate upon these measures, Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Webster took an active part, and each presented in a masterly manner the views of the section he represented upon this great question. Mr. Cal- houn, speaking for the south, argued that the constitution recognized slavery; that as it was to govern the Territories independently o\ the constitution, and he maintained that it often exercised this right contrary to the constitution, as it did things in the Territories which it could not do in the States. He | added : " When new territory has been ac- quired it has always been subject to the laws of Congress— to sui:h laws as Congress thought proper to oass for its immediate ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND FILLMORE. 629 jjovernment and preparatory state in which it was to remain until it was ready to come into the Union as one of the family of States." He quoted in support of his position the clause of the constitution which declares that the " constitution and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pur- /;suance thereof, .... shall be the supreme law of the land." Congress having failed to make any pro- vision for territorial governments for Utah and New Mexico, those Territories were left in a condition of anarchy. One of the first duties devolving upon the new administration was the alleviation of this evil until it could be definitely settled by Congress. President Taylor instructed the federal officers in those Territories to encourage the people to organize temporary governments for them- selves. A New Accession to the Union, California in the meantime had grown with such rapidit)', and had experienced so much trouble from its sudden increase of popula- tion and the lack of a definite government, that its leading citizens determined to seek admission into the Union. In the autumn of 1849 ^ convention of the people was held, a constitution formed, and a State govern- ment organized- The action of the conven- tion was promptly ratified by the people. Upon the assembling of the Thirty-first Con- gress in the winter of 1849, California applied for admission into the Union as a State, with a constitution forbidding slavery within her limits. The organization of the Thirty-first Con- gress was delayed for three weeks. Parties were about evenly divided, and sixty ballots were taken before a speaker could be chosen. One of the leaders on the Democratic side was Robert Toombs, of Georgia. The choice at last fell upon Howell Cobb, of Georgia, who was elected by a plurality. Partisan bitterness ran high during this struggle. Upon the organization of the House, Presi- dent Taylor sent in his first and only mes- sage. He recognized the danger with which the sectional controversy threatened the country, expressed his views of the situation in moderate terms, and intimated that he should faithfully discharge his duties to the whole country. He recommended the admis- sion of California with the constitution she had chosen ; and advised that Utah and Ne\i ROBERT TOOMBS. Mexico should be organized as Territories with liberty to decide the question of slavery for themselves when they were ready to enter the Union as States. A dispute having arisen between Texas and New Mexico concerning the prop r boundary between them, the Pre- sident recommended that it should be settled by the courts of the United States. The other questions which demanded im- mediate settlement were slavery in the Dis- trict of Columbia, and the demand of the Southern States for a more faithful execution 630 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. of the provision of the constitution which required the arrest and return of fugitive slaves. The South opposed the admission of Cali- fornia with 1 free constitution, and the North demanded the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia, and the Northern States were unwilling to allow their officers to execute the Fugitive Slave Law within their limits. The excitement became intense, and threats to dissolve the Union of the States were fieely indulged in by the extrem- ists of both the North and the South. Opposing Views in the Senate. On the twenty-ninth of January, 1850, Henry Clay introduced into the Senate a series of resolutions designed to settle all the points in dispute by a general compromise. The resolutions were referred to a commitee of thirteen, of which Mr. Clay was made chairman. In due time the committee re- ported a bill known as the " Omnibus Bill " from its embracing in one measure all Mr. Clay's propositions. It provided for the admis- •sion of California as a free State ; the organi- zation of the Territories of Utah and New Mexico, without reference to slavery ; the adjustment of the boundary between Texas and New Mexico by paying to the former ten millions of dollars ; the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia ; and the enactment by Congress of a more string- ent and effeciive law for the rendition of fugitive slaves. The Omnibus bill was warmly opposed in Congress and in the country at large. The debate in the Senate brought out the views of the leading statesmen of the country. Senator Jefferson Davis declared the bill in no sense a compromise, because it was un- equal in its provisions. The South, he de- clared, gained nothing by the measure, as the constitution already required the rendi- tion of fugitive slaves. He proposed, there- fore, that the Missouri Compromise line should be extended to the Pacific, " with the specific recognition of the right to hold slaves in the territory below that line." Mr. Clay replied to this that " no earthly power cou'd induce him to vote for a specific measure for the introduction of slavery where it had not existed, either north of south of that line. I am unwilling that the posterity of the present inhabitants of Cali- fornia and of New Mexico should reproach us for doing just what we reproach Great Britain for doing to us. If the citizens of those Territories come here with constitu- tions establishing slavery, I am for admitting them into the Union; but then it will be their own work and not ours, and their pos- terity will have to reproach them and net us." V^ebster's Union Speech. Mr. Calhoun was too ill to take part in the debate in person, but he prepared a speech of great ability, which was read for him in the Senate by Senator Mason of Vir- ginia. He declared that the Union could be preserved only by maintaining an equal num- ber of free and slave States, in order that the representation of the two sections of the country might be equal in the Senate. Mr. Webster also took part in the debate, and on this occasion delivered what is known as his " great Union speech of the seventh of March," which occupied three days in its delivery. He expressed substantially the same /lews as those advocated by Mr. Clay. He opposed restriction of slavery in the Ter- ritories, and declared he would vote against the Wilmot Proviso. His speech created a profound sensation throughout the country, and did much to secure the final acceptance of the compromise measures. In the midst of this discussion John C, Calhoun died, on the thirty-first of March, ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND FILLMORE. 631 1850. He had entered Congress in 1811, and had been in public life from that time until the day of his death. He had filled many high offices, both State and national, and had discharged the duties of each and all with disinterested fidelity and admitted ability. He was one of the first statesmen this country has ever pro- duced, and was the ac- knowledged leader of the South in the sectional controversy with the North. His character was above reproach, and he was a sincere and dis- interested patriot. His death v/as generally la- mented throughout the country, and his political adversaries joined heart- ily in the tributes of the nation to his many vir- tues and great abilities. A few months later President Taylor was suddenly stricken down with a fever, whict Hi a few days terminated fatally. He died on cfie ninth of July, 1850, amid the grief of the whole country, which felt that it had lost a faithful and upright chief magistrate. Tho/gh the successful candidate of one poli- tical party, his administration had received the earnest support of the best men of the country without regard to party, and his death was a national calamity. He had held office only sixteen months, but had shown himself equal to his difficult and delicate position. He was sixty-six years old at the time of his death. By the terms of the constitution the office of President devolved upon Millard Fillmore, Vice-President of the United States. Oi? MILLARD FILLMORE. the tenth of July he took the oath of office before Chief Justice Cranch of the District of Columbia, and at once entered upon the duties of his new position. Mr. Fillmore was a native of New York, and was born in that State in the year 1800. 632 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. He had served his State in Congress, and as governor, and was personally one of the most popular of the Presidents. The cabinet of General Taylor resigned their offices imme- PORTRAITS OF LEADlNli MORMONS. diately after his death, and the new President filled their places by appointing a new cabi- net with Daniel Webster at its head as secre- tary of state. Mr. Fillmore was in active sym- pathy with Mr. Clay in his efforts to secure the passage of the compromise measures, as he deemed them the best adjustment of the trouble possible under the circumstances. The compromise measures were warmly debated in Con- gress, the sessions of which ex- tended through the summer into the latter part of September. The bill was then taken up and passed, article by article, by the House of Representatives, it hav- ing previously passed the Senate The bill at once received the ex- ecutive approval, and became a law. The clause admitting Calilor- nia into the Union as a State was adopted on the ninth of September, 1850. The course of Mr. Clay in securing the passage of the com- promise measures of 1850 was justly regarded as the crowning glory of his life. It won for him the love and confidence of the w hole country without regard to party, and the man who "had rather be right than be Presi- dent" had the proud satisfaction of seeing all the faults and mis takes of his earlier years for- gotten in the confidence and gra- titude with which his country- men regarded him. He ceased now to take an active part in the questions of the day, for it was fitting that his life shoi^'d close with this great service to nis country. His health failed ra- pidly, but he continued to hold his seat in the Senate until the twenty-ninth of June, 1852, when he died at the age of seventy-five years. Honors were showered upon his memory in ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND FILLMORE. 633 all parts of the Union, and he was laid to his [ measures failed to give satisfaction. The rest amid a nation's unaffected mourning. | Fugitive Slave Law was bitterly denounced CUBAN FILLIBUSTEKS ON THE MARCH. There were still many extremists both I by the Anti-slavery party in the North. As North and South, to whom the compromise | the Supreme Court of the United States had 634 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. decided that the justices of the peace in the respective States could not be called upon to execute the law for the rendition of fugi- tive slaves, a clause was inserted in the Fugi- tive Slave Law of 1850, providing for the appointment of United States commission- ■irs, before whom such cases could be tried. The Fugitive Slave Law. The Northern States successively enacted laws for the nullification of the provisions of this law. All their jails and other State buildings were refused to the federal officers for the securing of fugitive slaves, and all State, county, and city officers were forbid- den to arrest or assist in arresting or detain- ing any fugitive slave. In many of the States severe punishmenis were denounced against masters coming within their limits to claim their slaves, and such fugitives entering these States were declared free. These laws were denounced by the slave- holding States as violative of the constitu- tion of the United States, and gave rise to great bitterness of feeling toward the North, It was maintained that these laws were direct evidence of the intention of the northern people to rob the South of its property in negro slaves. The extremists of the South v/ere equally dissatisfied with the compromise. They decla/ad that the South had sacrificed everything and gained nothing by it, and boldly avowed their intention to bring about the secession of the Southern States from the Union. In the summer of 1S50 a south- ern convention was held at Nashville, Ten- nessee. Its real end was the dissolution of the Union, and for that purpose it urged the Southern States to appoint delegates to a "Southern Congress." The legislatures of South Carolina and Mississippi alone responded to this invitation, but the great mass of the southern people turned a deaf ear to the appeals of the disunionists, and the convention failed to accomplish its object. In the inauguration of a territorial govern- ment for Utah, the Mormons, whose settle- ment in that Territory while it was yet 3 possession of Me.xico we have related, endeavored to frame their own government, and gave to the Territory the name of Des- eret, which they declared was a word of theii peculiar language meaning " The Land of the Honey Bee." President Fillmore set aside this name and carried out the act of Congress by which the Territory received its present name. Brigham Young, the Mormon leader or prophet, was appointed governor of the Territory. In 1850 the seventh census showed the population of the IJnited States to be 23,- 191,876 souls. Capture of General Lopez. In the early part of President Taylor's administration, General Lopez, a Spaniard, began to enlist men in the United States ostensibly for the purpose of aiding the people of the island of Cuba to throw off their allegiance to Spain and establish their independence, but really for the purpose o' driving out the Spaniards and securing the annexation of Cuba to the United States. He succeeded in inducing a number of adventurous persons to join him. President Taylor, upon learning of the movement, issued a proclamation forbidding citizens of the United States to engage in it In spite of this warning, Lopez collected a. force of six hundred men, and eluding the vigilance of the United States officers, sailed for Cuba. He landed at Cardenas, but received so little encouragement that the party sailed for Key West. In 1851, Lopez again entered Cuba, this time at the head of four hundred and fifty men. His party was ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAYLOR AND FILLMORE. 63? captured almost immediately, and he and a number of his men were put to death by the Spanish authorities at Havana. In May, 1850, an expedition of a different character sailed from the United States. The (ate of Sir John Franklin, who .sailed from England in 1845, in search of the northwest passage, had long enlisted the sym- pathies of humane and gen- erous souls. It was thought that the daring navigator might be confined to the Arctic regions by the loss of his ships, and that a well-executed search might either result in the dis- covery and relief of Frank- lin or settle the question as to his fate. Mr. Henrj' Grinnell, a wealthy mer- chant of New York, fitted out an expedition at his own expense, and placing it under the command of Lieutenant Pe Haven, of the United States navy, despatched it to the Arctic regions to search fo^ s^'Vank- li'i and his men, in May, 1850. De Haven M'as ac- companied by Dr. E. K. Kane, in the capacity of surgeon and naturalist. After a year's absence the vessels returned, the search having been unsuccessful. The general government despatched another expedition in 185 r, on the same errand, and placed it under command of Dr. Kane. This expedition was absent four years, and the government, becoming appre- hensive of its fate, sent two vessels to search for Kane and his companions. They were found at the isle of Disco, in Greenland, having been forced to abandon their vessel in the ice. Nothing was learned by Dr. Kane concerning the fate of Sir John Franklin ; but the expedition resulted in the discovery of the open Polar sea. Nothing SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. definite was learned of the fate of Sir John Franklin until 1859, when the steamer " Fox," despatched by Lady Franklin, made the melancholy discovery that Sir John Franklin died on the eleventh of June, 1847, and in 1848 the " Erebus " and " Terror " 636 FROM tmp: revolution to the civil war. were abandoned in the ice. The survi- vors of these disasters, one hundred and five in number, died one by one from cold and exhaustion on King William's Island. In the early part of 185 i Congress reduced the postage on prepaid letters to three cents to all parts of the United States, prepayment being made by means of stamps provided by under great disadvantages. His htalth had been failing for some time past, and his weakness was so great that he could speak only with difficulty. This oration was one of the last public acts of the great statesman. On the twenty-fourth of October, 1852, he died at his home at Marshfield, Massachusetts, aged seventy years, and in him perished the first statesman RELICS OF FRANKLIN S POLAR VOYAGE. the government. The result was a rapid and immense increase of the postal revenue of the country. On the fourth of July, 185 i, the corner- stone of the extension of the capitol at Washington was laid by President Fillmore with appropriate ceremonies. The orator of the day was Daniel Webster. His address was onp of his best efforts, but was delivered of America. He was large and stout in frame, of swarthy complexion, and slow and heavy in movement — a man of noble and commanding appearance. His intellect was cast in the same gigantic mould as his body. His language was simple and chaste, and his arguments irresistible. His patriotism knew no sectional limits. " I am as ready," he once said, "to fight and to fall for the ADMINISTRATIONS OF TAVLOR AND FILMORB. 63? constitutional rights of Virginia as 1 am for those of Massachusetts." Alexander H. Stephens has said of hirn : " He was too great a man and had too great an intellect not to see the truth when it was presented, and he was too honest and too ordeal, and that lie passed it with unflinch ing firmness is one of the grandest features in the general grandeur of his character. Even his detractors have been constrained to render him unwilling homage in this re- spect" * His memory was honored by appro- patriotic a man not to proclaim the truth priate demonstrations in all parts of the when he saw it, even to an unwilling people, i country, and it is said that the popular DR E. K. KANE AND HIS COMPANIONS. In this quality of moral greatness I often thought Mr. Webster had the advantage of his great contemporaries, Messrs. Clay and Calhoun. Not that I would be understood as saying that they were not men of great moral courage, for both of them showed this high quality in many instances, but they never gave the world such striking exhibitions of it as he did Webster often passed this tributes on this occasion were equalled only by those of the nation at the death ol Washington. In December, 185 1, Louis Kossuth, the chief of the Hungarian insurrection of 1848, visited the United States. His avowed object was to promote the cause of his * TTie War Between the States, vol. i., pp. 405,406 638 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. countrymen, and he made frequent addresses in various parts of the Union, which were listened to by vast multitudes who were charmed with his eloquence. He visited vVashington, and was granted a public recep- tion by Congress. The Austrian minister at Washington, the Chevalier Hulseman, pro- tested against this reception, and his protest being unheeded, he withdrew from Washing- ton for a while. Protection for Cuba. The attempt of Lopez upon Cuba had greatly alarmed Spain for the safety of that island. England and France, sympathizing with her, and anxious to render the acquisi- tion of Cuba by the United States impossible, proposed to the American government to join them in a " tripartite treaty," in which each should disclaim any intention to seize that island, and should guarantee Spain in her possession of it. In December, 1852, Edward Everett, who had succeeded Mr. Webster as secretary of state, by direction of the President, replied to the proposition of England and France, declining to accept it. " The President," he said, " does not covet the acquisition of Cuba for the United States," but " could not see with indifference that island fall into the possession of any Euro- pean government than Spain." He stated that the situation of the island rendered it peculiarly interesting to this country by reason of its proxim.ity to our coast, and its commanding the approach to the Gulf of Mexico and the mouth of the Mississippi The European powers were thus given to understand that the United States would not tolerate their interference in a question purely American. The year 1852 was marked by intense ex- citement consequent on the political cani' paign which terminated in the fall in the Presidential election. The Democratic party made a strong and successful effort to recover its lost power, and nominated Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire, for President, and William R. King; of Alabama, for Vice- President. The Whig party nominated Gen- eral Winiield Scott for President, and Wil- liam A. Graham, of North Carolina, for Vice- President. The Anti-slavery party pit in nomination John P. Hale, of New Hamp- shire, and George W. Julian, of Indiana. The election resulted in the choice of the candidates of the Democratic party by an overwhelming majority. The Anti-slavery party on this occasion polled but 155,825 votes, or a little more than half of the strength it had shown at the previous election. Mr. King, the Vice-President-elect, did not long survive his triumph. His health had been delicate for many years, and he was obliged to pass the winter succeeding the election in Cuba. Being unable to returi, home, he took the oath of office before the American consul, at Havana, on the fourth of March, 1853. He then returned to the United States, and died at his home in Ala- bama on the eighteenth of April, 1853. CHAPTER XXXIX The Administration of Franklin Pierce. lispute with Mexico — The Gadsden Purchase — Surveys for a Pacific Railway — The Japan Expedition — Treaty wi(ll /apan — The Koszta Affair — The " Black Warrior " Seized by the Cuban Officials — The " Oslend Conference " — Dis- missal of the British Minister — The Kansas-Nebraska Bill — History of the Bill — Its Passage by Congress — History of ihe Struggle in Kansas — Conflict Between the Pro-Slavery and Free-Soil Settlers — Lawrence Sacked — Civil War— The Presidential Campaign of 1856 — James Buchanan Elected President of the United States — Rapid Increase of the Republican Party. PRESIDENT PIERCE took the oath of office at the capitol at Washington on the fourth of March, 1853, in the presence of in immense throng. He was in his forty- linth year, and had won an enviable name by his previous services to the country. He »vas a native of New Hampshire, and had represented that State for four years in the lower House of Congress, and for nearly a full term in the Senate of the United States. He had also served with distinction during the Mexican war as brigadier-gen- eral. He placed William L. Marcy, of New York, at the head of his cabinet as secretary of state. The first question of importance the new President was called upon to settle grew out of a dispute with Mexico concerning the boundary between that country and the Territory of New Mexico. At the time of the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo the maps were so imperfect that the boundary line had not been drawn with sufficient exact- ness. Both countries claimed the Mesilla valley, which was said to be very fertile, but which was more important to the United States as affording what was generally regarded as the most practicable route to California. Santa Anna was now President of the Mexican republic again, and sent a force of Mexican troops to occupy the region in dis pute. The matter was settled by negotia tion, however, and the United States obtained the Mesilla valley and the free navigation of the Gulf of California and of the Colorado to the American frontier. For these concessions the federal government paid Mexico the sum of ten millions of dol- lars. The district thus acquired was known as the " Gadsden Ptirchase," and was subse quently erected into the Territory of Ari- zona. The necessity of more rapid and certait communication with California had brougKi the nation to regard a railway between the Mississippi and the Pacific as a necessity, and as such an undertaking was considered beyond the resources of a private corpora- tion, it was believed that it should be built by the general government, or at least that the general government should bear a part of the expense. The year 1853 witnessec' the first steps towards the construction of . this great work. Two expeditions were de- f' spatched under the orders of the war depart- ment to explore the best routes for a Pacific railway. The acquisition of California brought the United States into new relations with the nations of the eastern world, as it secured for them a base upon the Pacific from which a direct trade could be conducted with China 639 ^40 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAk. md Japan. The empire of Japan, however, >vas closed to foreigners, and it was very de- sirable to open commercial relations with it. Towards the close of Mr. Fillmore's term of office. Commodore Perry, a brother of the hero of Lake Erie, was despatched to China with a fleet of seven war steamers to nego- tiate a treaty with the Japanese government. He arrived in the bay of Jeddo in the sum- mer of 1853. The natives were greatly astonished at the appearance of his steamers, >he first that had ever been seen in those FRANKLIN PIERCE. waters, and at his boldness in venturing into their harbors. The Japanese officials ordered Jiim to depart, but he refused, and insisted on seeing the emperor, and making known to him the object of his friendly visit. They at length decided to lay the matter 6efore the emperor, who consented to grant an 'nterview to the commodore, and named the fourteenth of July for that purpose. On the day appointed the commodore landed, accompanied by a strong body of marines He was received with great ceremony by tne Japanese, and delivered the Vresident's let ter, to which an answer was promised. The answer of the emperor was submitted to him several months later, and was favorable. A treaty was concluded between the United States and Japan, by which the former were allowed to trade in two specified ports — ■ Simodi and Hokadadi. American citizens were permitted to reside at these ports, and consuls were accepted for them. Thus the United States had the honor of being the first to open the rich markets of the island empire to the commerce of the civilized world. Since then the relations between the two countries have steadily grown more cor- dial, and Japan has shown a remarkable rapidity and facility for adopting the civiliza- tion of the west. In July, 1853, occurred an event which did much to increase the respect for our navy among the powers of the world. Martin Koszta, a Hungarian, who had taken the preliminary steps to be naturalized in the United States, happening to be in Smyrna, in Asia Minor, on business, was seized as a rebel and a refugee by order of the Austrian consul-general, and taken on board an Aus- trian brig. The United States sloop-of-wat " St. Louis," Captain Ingraham, was lying in the harbor at the time, and Ingraham wa3 apiiealed to for protection for Koszta. Ingraham Threatens to Fire. He at once demanded his release as an American citizen. The demand was refused by the authorities, and Ingraham at once called his crew to quarters and threatened to fire upon the Austrian ship if Koszta was not immediately released. The Austrians at once smrendered their prisoner, and ha was placed in custody of the French consul to await the action of the government of the United States. The matter was settled by negotiation between this country and Austria, and Koszta was released Austria addressed ADMINISTRATION OF FRANKLIN PIERCE. 641 to the government at Washington a remon- strance against the conduct of Captain Ingra- hani, but his course was warmly applauded by his countrymen and by disinterested per- sons in Europe. In February, 1854, the American merchant steamer " Black Warrior " was seized by the Spanish authorities at Havana, on tlie pre- text that she had evaded or violated some uncertain revenue law, and the ship and her cargo were declared confiscated. This a- tion of the Havana officials was regarded in the United States as unjust, and aroused a great deal of feeling against the Spaniards, and gave a sudden impetus to the national senti- ment in favor of the acquisition of Cuba. The affair of the " Black Warrior" was satis- factorily settled by the Spanish government. ' Vhile the feeling aroused by the affair was at its height a conference of some of the American ministers in Europe, including Mr. Buchanan, minister to England, Mr. Mason, minister to France, and Mr. Soule, minister to Spain, and some others, was held at Ostend, in Belgium, and a circular was adopted recommending the acquisition of Cuba by the United States. This measure attracted much attention, and elicited con- siderable European criticism of the alleged ambitious designs of the United States. Mr. Soule, on his return to Madrid, was stopped at Calais by order of the emperor of the French, who had personal reasons for dis- liking him. The emperor, however, recon- sidered his action, and allowed Soule to pass through France to the Spanish frontier. British Minister Dismissed. In 1855 Great Britain, France, Sardinia Kind Turkey, being engaged in a war with Russia, the agents of the British government undertook to enlist recruits for their army within the limits of the United States in de- fiance of the neutrality laws of this country. The matter being brought to the attention of the United States government, it was found that the British minister at Washing- ton and the British consuls in some of the principal cities of the Union had encouraged, if they had not authorized, these enlistments The government of the United States there- upon called the attention of Great Britain to the conduct of her minister, and requested her to recall him. The queen declined to comply with this request, and the minister and the consuls were promptly dismissed by the President. The matter caused consider- able irritation in England for a while, but the good sense of the English people at length perceived the propriety of the course of the American government, and cordial relations were re-established between the two countries. Territory of Nebraska. The most important measure of Mr. Pierce's administration was the bill to organize the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The region embraced in these Territories formed a part of the Louisiana purchase, and extended from the borders o( Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota to the sum- mit of the Rocky mountains, and from the parallel of 36° 30^ north latitude to the border of British America. The whole region by the terms of the Missouri Com- promise had been secured to free labor by the exclusion of slavery. Until the year 1850 this vast area was called by the general and somewhat indefi- nite name of the " Platte Country," from the Platte river, which flows through it. Little was known concerning it save that it was a region of great fertility. It was mainly occupied by the reservations of the Indian tribes, which had been removed from the other States to make way for the whites. Across it swept the grand trails of the over. 642 FROM THE RKVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. lanti route to Utah and the Pacific. The people of the New England States were very- anxious that the Indian reservations which covered the eastern part should be bought up by the general government and the coun- try thrown open to emigration. Petitions to this effect were presented to the Thirty- second Congress, but no action was taken upon them until December, 1852, when Mr. Hall, of Missouri, introduced a bill into the House to organize the " Territory of Platte." STEPHEN ,\. DOUGLAS. It was referred to the Committee on Ter- ritories, which in February, 1853, reported a bill organizing the " Territory of Nebraska." The bill was opposed in the House of Rep- resentatives by the full strength of the South, and in the Senate the only southern sena- tors who voted for it were those from Mis- souri. The Missouri Compromise, as has been stated, secured the entire Nebraska region to free labor; but notwithstanding this the southern members of Congress were resolved to oppose the organ>*atioo of a new free Territory, and to endeavoi to obtain a footing for slavery, in at least a part of it. The matter was revived in the Senate on the sixteenth of January, 1854, by Senator Dixon, of Kentucky, who gave notice that whenever the Nebraska bill should be called up lie would move the following amend- ment : " That so much of the eighth section of an act approved March 6, 1820, entitled ' An act to authorize the people of the Mis- souri Territory to form a constitution and State government, for the admission of such State into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, and to prohibit slavery in certain Territories,' as declares 'That, in all the territory ceded by France to the United States, under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of 36° 3o' north latitude, slavery and involuntary servitude, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall be for ever prohibited,' shall not be so construed as to apply to the Territory contemplated by this act, or to any other Territory of the United States , but that the citizens of the several States or Territories shall be at liberty to take and hold their slaves within any of the Terri- tories or States to be formed therefrom, as if the said act, entitled as aforesaid, had never been passed." More Slavery Agitation. The announcement of this amendment startled the country as much as the Wilmot Proviso had done years before, and produced much angry excitement. It was a clear repudiation of the Missouri Compromise, which it did not even seek to repeal. Senator Douglas, of Illinois, chairman of the Committee on Territories, on the twenty- third of January, 1854, reported a bill which provided for the organization of the Platte country into tit/o Territories. The ADMINISTRATION OF tRANKUN PIERCE. 6^3 southern portion, which lay directly west of Missouri, stretching to the Rock Mountains on the west, and extending from the thirty- seventh to the fortieth parallel of north lati- tude, was to be organized into a distinct Territory, to be called Kansas. The remain- der was to be called Nebraska, having the line of 43° 30' for its northern boundary Senator Douglas, in an evil hour for the country, incorporated in the bill the main features of Mr. Dixon's amendment. The bill contained the following provisions : " Section 21. And be it further enacted, That, in order to avoid misconstruction, it is hereby declared to be the true intent and meaning of this act, so far as the question of slavery is concerned, to carry into practical operation the following propositions and principles, established by the compromise measures of 1850, to wit: " First. — That all questions pertaining to slavery in the Territories, and in the new States to be formed therefrom, are to be left to the decision of the people residing therein, through their appropriate representatives. " Second. — That all cases invo'- '.ig title to slaves, and questions of personal freedom, are referred to the adjudication of the local tribunals, with the right of appeal tn the Supreme Court of the United States. " Third. — That the provisions of the consti- tution and laws of the United States, in respect to fugitives from service, are to be carried into faithful execution in all the 'organized Territories,' the same as in the States." A Blow at the Missouri Compromise. The section of the bill which prescribed the qualifications and mode of election of a delegate from each of the Territories was as follows: "The constitution, and all laws of the United States which are not locally inap- plicable, shall have the same force and effect within the said Territory as elsewhere in the United States, except the section of the act preparatory to the admission of Missouri into the Union, approved March 6, 1820, which was superseded by the pri iciples of the leg- islation of 1850, commonly called the com- promise measures, and is declared inoper ative." Mr. Dixon declared that the bill, as reported by Senator Douglas, met with his hearty approval, and that he would support it with all his ability. The debate on the bill began in the Senate on the twenty-fourth of January, and continued through several weeks. It was conducted with great ability on both sides, and engaged the earnest atten- tion of the whole country. The Free Soil senators unanimously opposed the bill, which they denounced as a violation of the Missouri Compromise, by which the faith of the nation was pledged to the settlement therj effected. The southern senators supported it with equal unanimity, as they held that the Missouri Compromise had been super- seded by the compromise of 1850. Motion to Strike Out. On the sixth of February Mr. Chase, of Oliio, moved to strike out so much of the bill as declared the Missouri Compromise •'superseded" by the compromise of 1850, but the motion was defeated. Whereupon Mr. Douglas, on the fifteenth of February, moved to strike out the clause objected to by Mr. Chase, and insert the following: " Which being inconsistent with the prin- ciple of non-intervention by Congress with slavery in the States and Territories, as recognized by the legislation of 1850 (com- monly called the compromise measures), is hereby declared inoperative and void ; it being the true intent and meaning of this act not to legislate slavery into any Territory or State, nor to exclude it therefrom, but to 644 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. leave the people thereof perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the constitu- tion of the United States." Mr. Douglas' amendment was at once adopted, and seemed fair enough on its face. Mr. Chase exposed the hollowness of it by proposing to add to it the following clause, which was promptly voted down : " Under vhich the people of the Territories, through Oeir appropriate representatives, may, if they SALMON p. CHASE. sec fit, prohibit the existence of slavery therein." The bill was adopted by the Senate by a vote of thirty-seven yeas to fourteen nays, and by the Mouse by a vote of one hundred ind thirteen yeas to one hundred nays, and 5n the thirty-first of May, 1854, received the lipproval of the President and became a law. The whole country engaged warmly in the Jiscussion arou..ed by the re-opening of the ijuestion of slavery in the Territories. The North resented the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and in the South a large and resjiectabie party sincerely regretted the re- peal of that settlement. By the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill the Thirty-third Congress assumed a grave responsibility, and opened the door to a bloody and bitter con- flict in the Territories between slavery and free labor. The events now to be related were the logical consequences of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. A few months befc re the final vote upon the Kansas-Nebraska b''.l the gen- eral government succeeded in purchas- ing the Indian reservations in those Ter- ritories, and removed the Indian tribes to new homes farther west. Tnis action at once threw Kansas and Nebraska open to white settlers, and measures were set on foot in the New England States to encourage emigration thither. Kansas 6eing a more fertile country than '^ Nebraska naturally attracted tiie greater number of settlers. Before anything could be done hy the Free Soil men, tlie people living on the border of Missouri passed over into Kansas, and selecting the best lands, put their mark upon tiiem, hoping in this way to establish a pre-emption claim to them. Their object was to organize and hold the Territory in the interest of slavery, but very few of tiieni removed to Kansas, or had any wish to do so. In the meantime societies had been formed in the New England States for the promo- tion of emigratiDU to Kansas. As the Pro- slavery settlers had come into the Territoi^ so slowly, and in such small numbers, it seemed certain that the northern people could secure Kansas to free labor by sending out settlers to occupy the Territory in good faith. The Pro-slavery party in Missouri determined to prevent this. In July, 1854, a meeting was ADMINISTRATION OF FRANKLIN PIICRCF. 645 held at Westport in that State, at which it was resolved that the persons taking part in the meeting would, " whenever called upon by any of the citizens of Kansas Territory, hold ' themselves ' in readiness together to resist and remove any and all emigrants who go there under the auspices of the Northern Emigrant Aid Societies." The first party scit out by the New England Aid Societies reached a point on the Kaw river, in Kan- sas, about the middle of July. There they pitched their tents and began the building of a town, which they named Lawrence, in honor of Amos A. Law- rence, of Boston. By the last of the month they were joined by seventy more emigrants and the work of founding their town was pushed forward with en- ergy. There was not a drone in the little commun- ity. They were all honest, intelligent, God-fearing men and women, and they meant to succeed in the undertak- ing they had begun. They were in legal and peaceable possession of their settle- ment, and thus far had mo- lested or wronged no one. They were not to live , sc: m peace, however. Before they had finished building their houses, they were startled by the announcement that two hundred and fifty armed Missourians had encamped within a short distance of them for the purpose of driving them out of the Terri- tory. The ne.xt morning the Missourians sent them a formal notice that " the Aboli- tionists must leave the Territory, never more to return to it." They declared their desire to avoid bloodshed ; but notified the settlers iiiL Ar irr.iii w kivi k. that they must be ready to leave the Terri tory, with all their effects, at one o'clock that day. This the .settlers refu.sed to do, and prepared to defend f^ieir homes. The messengers of the Missourians found them 646 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. drilling behind their tents and reported this fact to their leaders. The firm but quiet attitude of the people of Lawrence had a happy effect. The Mis- sou rians made no effort to carry out their threat, but broke up their camp that night, and withdrew across the border, leaving the settlers in peace. Meanwhile the town of Lawrence grew and prospered, and the New England Societies continuing to send other emigrants into the Territory, other towns uere founded. Settlers from the Southern ■states came into the Territory very slowly. The general government threw its influ- ence as far as possible in favor of the Pro- slavery party, in the organization of the Territory, by appointing a majority of the territorial officers from the slaveholding .States. A. H. Reeder was appointed governor by President Pierce. He endeavored to execute the laws faithfully, and ordered an election for members of a territorial legisla- ture, to be held on the thirtieth of March, 1855. On that day large numbers of armed Missourians crossed the border, and, taking possession of the polling-places in Kansas, succeeded in returning a Pro-slavery legisla- ture. Oppressive Laws. Six districts at once forwarded protests to the governor against the elections, showing beyond all reasonable doubt that they had been controlled by citizens of Missouri. The governor, who was an.xious to do justice to all parties, ordered a new election in these districts, each of which, with the exception of Lecompton, returned a Free Soil delegate. The new delegates, however, were refused their seats upon the assembling of the legis- lature, and the successful candidates at the original election were admitted. The governor had summoned the legisla- ture to meet at Pawnee City, on the Kansas river, a town nearly one hundred miles dis- tant from the border, and supposed to be fat enough away to be free from intimidation by the Missourians ; but the legislature, immedi- ately upon assembling, adjourned to Shawnee Mission, on the Missouri border. The reso- lution for this purpose was vetoed by the governor, but was passed over his veto, and was at once carried into effect. Upon reassembling at Shawnee Mission, the Legis- lature proceeded to adopt the laws of Mis- souri as the laws of Kansas, and to frame a series of statutes designedly cruel and oppres- sive. These laws were vetoed by Governor Reeder, who was removed by the President. Wilson Shannon, of Ohio, was then appoint- ed governor of Kansas. Bold Acts of Pro-Slavery Men. In the meantime the Free Soil settlers had increased so rapidly that they at length largely outnumbered the Pro-slavery settlers. They now felt themselves strong enough to resist the outrages of the Missourians, and accordingly, on the fifth of September, 1855, held a convention, in which they distinctly repudiated the government that had been forced upon them by men who were not residents of the Territory. They announced their intention not to take part in the election of a delegate to Congress, which the territo- rial authorities had ordered to be held on the first of October, and called upon the actual residents of the Territory to send delegates to a convention to meet at Topeka on the nineteenth of September. This convention organized an executive committee for the Territory, and ordered an election to be held for the purpose of choosing a delegate to Congress. Governor Reeder was nominated and elected to Congress. On the twenty- third of October the convention adopted a Free State constitution, and forwarded it to Congress with a petition for the admission of Kansas into the Union as a State. ADMINISTRAT1(3N OF FRANKLIN PIERCE. 647 The struggle for the possession of the Territory now passed out of the area of politics. As we have said, the repeal of the Missouri Compromise opened the way for, and was the direct cause of, the conflict between the Free and Pro-slavery settlers of Kansas. The outrages of the Pro-slavery men had forced the Free-Soilers into an atti- tude of direct and uncompromising resist- ance ; and after the action of the latter, at Topeka, the struggle which had hitherto been comparatively bloodless changed its character and became an open and sangui- nary war between the two parties. In this struggle the Pro-slavery men were the aggressors. Bands of young men, armed and regularly organized into companies and regiments, came into the Territory from South Carolina, Georgia and the extreme Southern States, with the avowed design of making Kansas a slaveholding State at all hazards. On the morning of May 21st, 1S56, under the pretext of aiding the United States marshal to serve certain processes upon citizens of Lawrence, they captured that town, sacked it, burned several houses i and inflicted a loss upon it amounting t vice for several years, but afterward was re-elected almost unanimously and resumed his seat. This cowardly assault was uni- versally condemned. In the summer of 1856 Governor Shan- non, of Kansas, was removed, and John W. Geary, of Pennsylvania, was appointed in his place. He exerted himself honestly to restore peace and execute the laws, and ordered " all bodies of men combined, armed and equipped with munitions 0/ ■»'ar, with- al 50,000. From this time the war went on '^ m a series of desultory but bloody encoun- ters, some of which assumed the propor- tions of battles. During this month an event occurred which aroused universal indignation throughout the Northern States. Senator Charles Sumner, of Massachusetts, made an eloquent speech in the Senate at Wash- ington on the Kansas question, some parts of which excited the anger of Preston S. Brooks, a southern member of Congress. On the twenty-second of May Brooks assaulted Mr. Sumner while he was sitting in the Senate chamber, and beat him on the head with a cane until he became insensible. Mr. Sumner was disabled for the public ser- CHARLES SUMNER. out authority of the government, insf-intly to disband and quit the Territory." In obedience to this order the Free Soil 'Com- panies nearly all disbanded, but the Vro- slavery party paid scarcely any attention to it. They concentrated a force of two thou- sand men and advanced upon Lawrence to attack it. Governor Geary at once pla'xd himself at the head of the United St3tes dragoons stationed in the Territory, and by a rapid march threw himself with th«se 648 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVH. WAR. troop., oetween the town of Lawrence and the hostile force and prevented another con- flict. Matters had reached this stage when the Presidential campaign opened in 1856. The struggle in the Territories had greatly weak- ■ned the Democratic party, and had given jise to a new party which called itself Republican, and which was based upon an avowed hostility to the extension of slavery. A third party, called the American, or Know Nothing, also took part in the campaign, and was based upon the doctrine that the political offices of the country should be held only by persons of American birth. The Democratic party nominated James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, for the Presi- dency, and John C. Breckenridge, of Ken- tucky, for the Vice-Presidency. The Repub- lican nominee for the Presidency was John C. Fremont, of California ; for the Vice- Presidency William L. Dayton, of New Jersey. The American party supported Millard Fillmore, of New York, for the Presidency, and Andrew J. Donelson, of Tennessee, for the Vice-Presidency. The Whig party had been broken to pieces by its defeat in 1852, and had now entirely dis- appeared. The canvass was unusually excited. Slavery was the principal question in dis- pute: Party ties had little influence upon men. The sentiment of the nation at large had been outraged by the repeal of the Mis- souri Compromise, and thousands of Demo- crats, desiring to rebuke iheir party for its course in bringing about this repeal, united with the Republican party, which declared as its leading principle that it was " both the right and the duty of Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbar- ism — polygamy and slavery." The elections resulted in the triumph of James Buchanan, the candidate of the Dem- ocratic party. Mr. Buchanan received 174 electoral votes to 1 14 cast for Fremont. Though a majority of the American people sustained the action of the Democratic party, the significant fact remained that 1,341,264 of the voters of the country had recorded their condemnation of it by casting theif votes for Fremont and Dayton. i CHAPTER XL The Administration of James Buchanan. JiMiuguration of Mr Buchanan — The Mormon Rebellion — The Financial Crisis of 1857 — Laying of the Atlantic Telt graphic Cable — Minnesota Admitted Into the Union — The San Juan Affair — Admission of Oregon Into the Union— The Kansas Question — The Lecompton Constitution — Its Defeat — The Wyandotte Constitution — Admission of Kan «as Into the Union — The John Brown Raid — Prompt Action of the Government — Brown and His Companions Sat Tendered to the State of Virginia — Their Trial and Execution — Presidential Campaign of t S60 — Rupture of the Dem,o cratic Party — Abraham Lincoln Elected President of the United States — Secession of South Carolina — Reasons for this Act — Secession of the Other Cotton States — Major Anderson Occupies Fort Sumter — Trying Position of the Gen- eral Government — Course of Mr. Buchanan— The " Star of the West " Fired Upon by the South Carolina Batteries- Organization of the Confederate States of America — ^Jefferson Davis Elected President of the Southern Republic — ffh< Peace Congress — Its Failure. JAMES BUCHANAN, the fifteenth President of the United States, was inaugurated at Washington on the fourth of March, 1857. He was in his si.xty-sixth year, and was a statesman of reat accomplishments and ripe experience. f^e was born in Pennsylvania in 1 79 1, and Was by profession a lawyer. He had served 'sis State in Congress as a representative and J. senator, had been minister to Russia under President Jackson, and had been a member of the cabinet of President Polk as secretary jf state. During the four years previous to his election to the Presidency he had resided abroad as the minister of the United States to Great Britain, and in that capacity had greatly added to his reputation as a states- man. He avowed the obj'ect of his administra- tion to be " to destroy any sectional party, whether North or South, and to restore, if possible, that national fraternal feeling between the different States that had existed during the early days of the republic." The intense sectional feeling which the discussion of the slavery question had aroused had alarmed patriotic men in all parts of the Union, and it was earnestly hoped that Mr. Buchanan's administration would be able to iftect a peaceful settlement of the quarreL Mr. Buchanan selected his cabinet from the leading men of the Democratic party, and placed at its head as secretary of state Lewis Cass, of Michigan. We have in a previous portion ot this work noticed the rise and growth of the Mormon sect, and their settlement in the region of the Great Salt lake, then a part of the Mexican republic. They were not at all pleased with their transfer to the United States by the cession of the territory occupied by them by the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo. Their obj'ect in emigrating to Utah had been to place themselves beyond the limits of the United States, where they could enjoy with- out molestation their religious practices, and maintain among themselves the institution of polygamy, to which they were attached as the foundation of their faith. They were not disturbed by the Mexican government, which was indeed scarcely aware of their existence, and thus unnoticed devoted their energies to building up the country they had occupied. Their missionaries were sent into the va- rious countries of Europe, and converts were made with extraordinary success and rapid- ity. They built up a thriving town on th« 649 6so FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVH. WAR. borders of the great lake, to which they gave the name of Salt Lake City, and founded other towns in various parts of the Territory. By the year 1850 the population of the Ter- ritory had increased to 11,380. Being on the highway to California, the greater part JAMES BUCHANAN. of the overland traffic and travel to tlie Pacific passed through Salt Lake City, and was a source of considerable profit to the Mormons. In 1850 the Territory of Utah was organ- ized, and Brigham Young, who had suc- ceeded Joe Smith as the prophet or leader of the Mormons, was appointed by President Fillmore governor of the Territory. His appointment was renewed by President Pierce, and the Mormons were left during these two administrations to manage their affairs very much iii their own way. Rely- ing upon the immense distance which sepa- rated them from the States, they paid but little regard to the au- thority of the United States, and finally ven- tured openly to resist the officers of the gen- eral government, antl expelled the federal judge from the Ter- ritory. President Buchanan thereupon removed Brigham Young from his office of governor, and appointed a Mr. Cuniming his succes- sor. The Mormons having declared that the new governor should not enter the Territo ry. General Harney was ordered to accompany him with a large body o) troops and compel the submission of the peo- ple of Utah to the au- thority of the federal government. Under the leadership of Brigham Young the Mormons took up arms and prepared to dispute the entrance of the troops into the Territory. They declared that their settle- ment and civilization of Utah had given them ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES BUCHANAN. 651 the sole right to the Territory, and that they owed no allegiance to the United States. Their resistance was so formidable that the force under General Harney was largely increased, and the command was conferred upon Brigadier- General Albert Sid- ney Johnston, wlio was considered the most efficient offi- cer in the service. General Johnston Joined his troops at Fort Bridger, about one hundred miles from Salt Lake City, in Sep- tember, 1857. The Mormons in heavy force occupied the passes leading to the valley of the Great Salt lake. The season was so far advanced at the time of his arrival that General Johns- ton concluded to pass the winter at Fort Bridger. The Mormons were very active during the winter in cut- ting offthe trains of the federal troops. It was General Johnston's inten- tion to move upon Salt Lake City im- mediately upon the opening of the spring, but before that season arrived the matter was settled through the efforts of a Mr. Kane, of Philadelphia. He was sent out to Salt Lake City by the government, and succeeded in inducing the Mormons to lay dow n their arms and submit. Governor Gumming and the fed- eral officers then entered Salt Lake City and assumed the offices to which they had been appointed, and a force of federal troops was THE MOKMON TKMFLE, SAI.r I A K i-J cn\', encamped near the city to render them such assistance as should be found necessary PresiJi,;., Buchanan then issued a proclama- tion granting a free pardon "to all, for the seditions and treasons by them committed." 052 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVH. WAR. Subsequently it transpired that a horrible atrocity of the most cruel and bloody descrip- tion had been committed. On the eighteenth jf September, 1857, one hundred and thirty- six emigrants, who were said to have offended the Mormons, were massacred in cold blood at Mountain Meadow, Utah. Many years later Bishop Lee, of the Mormon Church, was accused of having ordered this wholesale murder. Brigham Young was exonerated in 1875. Bishop Lee was convicted, sen- New York on the thirteenth of October, and by those of Boston on the fourteenth. The failures inthe United States for the year ending December 6, 1857, are said to have reached the enormous aggregate of ^291,750,000. The Western States suffered in a marked degree from the effects of this " crisis ;" but the South was comparatively unharmed by it. Various causes wereassigned for the panic, the principal of which were the large speculations in western lands and a heavy fall in the value MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE. tenced to death, and shot March 23, 1877, nearly twenty years after the dastardly crime was committed. In the fall of 1857 the general business of he country was thrown into confusion by A sudden financial panic, which seriously embarrassed all commercial and industrial enterprises and caused general distress. On the twenty-sixth of September the banks of Philadelphia suspended specie payments ; and their example was followed by the banks of of railway stocks. The New York banks re- sumed specie payments on the twellth of December, 1857; the Boston banks on the fourteenth of December of that year; and those of Philadelphia in April, 1S58. Specie payments were gradually resumed in other parts of the country, but the depression of business continued until during the course of the year 1859. In 1858 occurred an event second only in importance to the invention of the ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES BUCHANAN, 653 eTecJric telegraph. For some years it had been believed possible tq connect the shores of Europe with those of America by means of a submarine telegraphic cable across the Atlantic. In 1857 an unsuc- cessful effort was made by a company of American and English capitalists to accom- plish this object. The attempt was renewed in 1858. Two war steamers were furnished for the work of laying the cable — the ■' Niagara " by the United States, and the " Agamemnon " by Great Britain. The two vessels met in mid ocean, and sailed each to its own country, paying out the cable as they pro- ceeded on their way. On the fifth of August, 1858, the " Niagara" ent^'ed Trinity bay, in Newfoundland, and made fast her end of the cable to the shore, and on the same day the " Agamemnon " reached Valentia bay, in Ireland, having successfully ac^.omplished her part of the work. The First Ocean Cable. The great work was thus ended, and on the sixteenth of August a message was received through the wires from the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, addressed to the Presi- dent of the United States, who at once returned a suitable reply. Other messages wl:re exchanged between the two continents, and the practicability of the scheme was fully demonstrated. On the first of September the laying of the cable was celebrated with impos- ing ceremonies in New York, and rejoicings were held in other cities. The hopes aroused by the successful accomplishment of the great enterprise were soon disappointed, for after a short time the wires ceased to work, and no effort could re-establish the communication be- tween the two ends of the line. The feasi- bility of the undertaking had been practi- cally demonstrated, however, and the deter- mined men who had carried it through to success were convinced that a new effort would be attended with more satisfactory results. On the eleventh of May, 1858, the Territory of Minnesota was admitted into the Union as a State. In the autumn of 1859 ^ dispute arose between the United States and Great Br-tain as to the ownership of the large island of San Juan, lying in the strait which separates Vancouver's island from the territory of the United States. General Harney, commanding the American troops in the northwest, took possession of the island. Governor Douglas, of British Columbia, protested against this occupation, and for a while there was danger that the two parties would come to blows. The general government despatched General Scott to the scene of the controversy, and he succeeded in bringing about an adjustment of the quarrel. On the fourteenth of February, 1859, Oregon was admitted into the Union as a State, the Territory of Washington being separated from it. A New Governor for Kansas. Durmg the whole of Mr. Buchanan's ad- ministration the question of slavery in the Territories continued to engross the atten- tion of the people. The struggle in Kansas went on with increased bitterness. In the summer of 1857 an election was ordered by the legislature of Kansas for delegates to a convention for the purpose of framing a con- stitution, and care was taken to arrange the matter so that a majority of Pro-slavery dele- gates should be chosen. For this reason, and others of equal force, the Free Soil men refused to take any part in the election, which consequently resulted in the choice of a Pro- slavery convention. The Free Soil party thereupon issued an address to the people of the United States, relating the wrongs they had suffered and were still enduring. 654 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. Governor Geary now resigned his position and President Buclianan appointed, as gov- ernor of Kansas, Robert J. Walker, a man of great eminence and ability, who was in sen- timent opposed to slavery. Mr. Walker sin- cerely desired to effect a settlement of the quarrel, and succeeded in inducing the Free Soil party to vote at the coming election for members of the territorial legislature and a delegate to Congress. They did so, and a fair election was held, which resulted in the choice of tiie Free Soil candidates by over- whelming niajoiitics. Intense Feeling in Congress. In the autumn of 1857 the convention elected, as \vc have seen, assembled at Le- compton, and framed a State constitution. This instrument contained a clause adopting .avery, and the convention submitted this clause only to the people of the Territory for ratification or rejection at the polls. The remainder of the constitution was withheld from the popular vote. The convention also ordered that all whose votes were challenged at the polls should be required " to take an oath to support the constitution if adopted," before being allowed to deposit their ballot. The Free State men refused to take part in the vote on the ratification of this constitu- tion, and consequently all the votes cast were in favor of it. It was declared adopted, and was sent to Congress for the approval of that body. The discussion of the Lecompton consti- tution in Congress was marked by great bit- terness. It was supported by the Democratic party and the administration, and was opposed with determination by the Republicans. The latter took the strong ground that the Le- compton constitution was not the work of the people of Kansas, but of a mere faction, and was distasteful to the majority of the citizens of that Territory, who were opposed to slavery. Finally, on the thirtieth of April, 1858,3 bill was passed jto submit the Lecompton constitution to the people of Kansas, This bill declared that if they ratified the consti- tution, they should be given certain public lands for State purposes; but that if they failed to ratify it, Kansas should not be per- niittcil to enter the Uiiinn until it had a j)opulation of ninety-three thousand. With these strange conditions, the constitution was submitted to the people of Kansas on the second of August, 1S58, and was rejected by them by a vote of eleven thousand three hundred against it, to seventeen hundred and eighty-eight votes in its favor. lii January, 1859, the civil strife having subsided in the Territory, and the Free Soil men having a majority in the legislature, a convention was summoned at Wyandotte. It met in July, and adopted a free State con- stitution, which was submitted to the people and ratified by a large majority. The "Wyandotte Constituti .n"' \wis then laid before Congress, aid a bill admitting Kansas into the Uni ni as a State was passed by the lower IIousi. early in i860. Kansas Admitted Into the Union. The Senate, however, failed to act ui)on the bill. At the next session the measure was revived, and on the thirtieth of Januaij-, 1 861, the opposition of the South having ceased by reason of the withdrawal of a large number of the southern representatives and senators from Congress, Kansas ^''as admitted into the Union as a free State. Two notable events of this year should not escape special mention. They are, however, of a very different character. One was the death of the great American writer and author, Washington Irving, who may be considered as the father of American liter- ature. He was bred a lawyer, but his tastes and aptitudes led him into other fields for the ADMINISTRATION OF JAMKS BUCHANAN. *55 acquisition of botii fame and wealth, lie commenced writing for tlie press at the early age of nineteen. Mis first sketches were iituler the noiii de plume of Jonathan Oklstyle ; then came his " Knickerbocker's History of New York ;" but it was the " Sketch Book " which " laid the foundation of the fortune, and the permanent fame of Irving ; the legends of Sleepy Hollow ' and ' Rip Van Winkle ' at once took rank as modern classics, while the pictures of Eng- lish life and customs wore so genial, artistic, and withal so faithful, that they fairly took the reading worlil by storm." This work was brought out in I^ngland in good style by the publisher, Murray, in 1820, upon the reconnnendation of Sir Walter Scott. A writer in " Johnson's Cyclopa.'dia " saj's, that after this publication, " a new phe- nomenon had appeared in the world of let- ters — the first American author had gained an honorable name in Albemarle street and Paternoster Row. Henceforth the path of Irving was smooth, and liis subsequent writ- ings appeared with rapidit)-." This great author was born in New York City, on the tiiird of April, 1783, and died at his resi- dence, Sunnyside, Tarrytown, on the Hud- son, on the twenty-eighth of November, 1859, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. The house in which he liveil is a quaint old edifice. It has become one of the shrines of American pilgrimage. The other notable event of this year which made a deep impression on the popular mind, North and South, and which was attended with political results of the great- est im[)ortance, was the raid of JnJui Brown upon Harper's herry. On the night of the si.Kteenth of October, 1859, John Brown, who had acquired a con- siderable notoriety as the leader of a Free Soil company during the war in Kansas, entered the State of Virginia, at Harijcr's Ferry, with a party of twenty-one compan- ions, and .seized the United States arsenal at that place. 1 le then sent out parties to arrest the leading citizens of the vicinity, as hostages, and to induce the negro slaves to join him, his avowed object being to put an end to slavery in Virginia by exciting an insurrection of tiie slaves. Several citizens were kidnapped by these parties, but the slaves refused to join Brown, or to take any part in the insurrection. At d.iylight on the WASHINGTON IKVING. seventeenth of October the alarm was given, and tluring the morning the militia of the surrounding country was ordered under arms to put down the outbreak. Brown's force was unknown, and was greatly exag- gerated. The news of the seizure of the arsenal was telegraphed to Washington, and the govern- ment decided to recover it at once and con- fine the trouble to the .spot on which it had originated. General Scott was absent from the capital ,it tin- time, and the ) 'resilient ,ir.n 6S6 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. secretary of war summoned Colonel Robert E. Lee, a distinguished officer of the army, to consult with them as to the best course co pursue. The interview resulted in the despatching of a battalion of marines to Harper's Ferry, under the command of Colonel Lee. Orders were telegraphed to that poiut to suspend all operations theif until Colonel Lee's arrival. He reached Harper's Ferry on the night of the seven- teenth. In the meantime, upon the appeirance of the militia, Brown and his compinions re- treated to the fire-engine house ir the arsenal yard. This was a strong stone building, and they barricaded the doors, ?nd during the Jay maintained a desultor/ fire upon the town. They had taken Co'onel Washington, Mr. Dangerfield, and th". other citizens kid- napped by them, into the engine-house with them, where they hel J them, in the hope that the presence of th'.se gentlemen would pre- vent the troops 'rom firing upon them. Capture of the Insurrectionists. As soojI as Colonel Lee arrived at Har- per's Fe/ry, he proceeded to surround the engine house with the marines to prevent the escape of Brown and his men, and deferred his attack upon them until the next morning, le'it in a night assault some of the captive citizens might be injured. At daylight on the eighteenth, wishing, if possible, to accom- plish the object in view without bloodshed, Colonel Lee sent his aid, Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart, to demand the surrender of the insur- gents, promising to protect them from vio- lence at the hands of the citizens, and to hold them subject to the orders of the President. Brown refused the terms offered, and demanded to be permitted to march out with his men and prisoners, with the arms of the former, to be allowed to proceed, without being followed, to a point at a certain distance from Harper's Ferry, where he would free his prisoners. He was then willing that the troops should pursue him, and to fight if he could not escape. This proposition was inadmissible, but as a last resort, Colonel Lee directed Lieutenant Stuart to remonstrate with the insurgents upon the folly of their course. This duty Stuart performed, re- maining before the engine-house until his personal danger compelled him to withdraw. Finding that nothing but force would avail, Colonel Lee gave the order for the assault, and the marines made a dash at the engine- house, broke in the doors, and captured its inmates. Several of the insurgents were killed and wounded. Brown himself being desperately hurt. The marines lost one man killed and one wounded. Fortunately none of the citizens captured by Brown were injured. Execution of John Brown. Colonel Lee took care to protect his prisoners, and there is little doubt that but for his precautions in their behalf they would have been shot down by the excited civil- ians. He telegraphed to Washington for in- structions, and was directed to deliver the prisoners to Mr. Ould, the attorney for the District of Columbia, who was ordered by the government to take charge of them and bring them to trial. As soon as Mr. Ould arrived Colonel Lee turned over the prisoners to him, and being satisfied that the danger was over, went back to Washington. As Brown and his companions had com< mitted their chief crime against the United States, by seizing the federal ar<;enal and re~ sisting the troops sent to reduce them to submission, it seemed proper that they should be tried for their offences by the general gov- ernment. The attempt to incite an insurrec- tion of the slaves, however, was a crime against the laws of the State of Virginia, and ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES BUCHANAN. 657 the governor of that State demanded of the federal authorities the surrender of Brown and his fellow prisoners for trial by the State courts. The demand was complied with, and the prisoners were arraigned in the court of the county of Jefferson, the county in which their offence was committed. They were given a fair trial, and were defended by able counsel from the free States, who came to Charlestown for that purpose. Brown frankly confessed that his object was to produce an insurrection among the slaves, and then carry them off to the free States. The prisoners were found guilty of treason, murder, and an attempt to incite insurrection, and were sen- tenced to be hanged. Brown was executed at Charlestown on the second of December, 1859, and six of his companions met the same fate a few weeks later. Proofs of a Conspiracy. During his trial Brown steadily denied that he had been aided or encouraged by any persons in the North. His denial was gen- erally doubted at the time, and it is now known that he was assisted with money and advice by some of the most respectable leaders of the extreme Anti-slavery party, and that several persons high in position knew of the designs of Brown, but failed to warn either the general government or the State of Virginia of the intended attack.* The execution of Brown and his compan- ions drew upon the South a storm of furious denunciation from the Anti-slavery men. Brown was regarded as a martyr to the cause of freedom, and the day of his execution was observed in many of the towns of the Northern States by the tolling of bells, prayer in the churches, the firing of minute- guns, and other public demonstrations of sor- row and respect. The conservative class in the North, however, and in this number were included some of the firmest opponents of slavery, sincerely deplored Brown's course, and acknowledged his punishment as merited. " The Irrepressible Conflict." Brown was a man of many good qualities. but the undertaking in which he met his fate was criminal in the extreme. Not even the intention of rescuing the slaves of Virginia from their bondage can excuse him for seek- ing to excite a servile war, in which murder and violence would have been inevitable, and in which the aged and the helpless, the defenceless women and children, would have been the chief sufferers. The effect of Brown's attempt upon the southern people was most unfortunate. They regarded it as unanswerable evidence of the intention of the people of the North to make war upon them under the cover of the Union. Regarding this view of the case as true, they came to listen with more favoi to the arguments of the extreme class which openly favored a dissolution of the Uniow, and which asserted that the only safety of the South lay in pursuing such a course. The John Brown raid was the most power- ful argument that had ever been placed in the hands of the disunionists, and in the alarm and excitement produced by that event the southern people lost sight of the fact that the great mass of the northern people sincerely deplored and condemned the action of Brown and his supporters. The voice of reason was drowned in the storm of passionate excitement which swept * Mr. F. B. Sanborn, one of Brown's confederates, in a series of papers published in Tie Atlantic Monthly (vol. XXXV.) gives the details of this conspiracy, together with many interesting incidents connected with it, which »w tain the vi«w of the case presented above. 42 658 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. over the land, and the extremists on both sides were able to prosecute their unpatriotic work to great advantage. While the excitement was at its height the Presidential campaign opened in the Spring of i860. The slavery question was the chief issue in this struggle. The convention of the Democratic party met at Charleston, in April, but being unable to effect an organi- EDW.\KD EVERETT. zation adjourned to Baltimore, and reassem- bled in that city in June. The extreme south- ern delegates were resolved that the conven- tion should be committed to the protection of slavery in the Territories by Congress, and failing to control it withdrew from it in a body, and organized a separate convention, which they declared represented the Demo- cratic party, but which, in reality, as the vote subsequently proved, represented but a minority of that party. The new conven tion was joined by a number of delegates from the Northern and Western States. The convention, after the withdrawal of these delegates, nominated for the Presi- dency Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, and for the Vice-Presidency Herschell V. John- son, of Georgia. It then proceeded to adopt the platform put forward by the entire party four years before at Cincinnati, upon the nomination of Mr. Buchanan, with this additional declaration " That as differences of opinion exist in the Democratic party as to the nature and extent of the powers of a territorial legislature, and as to the powers and duties of Congress under the constitution of the United States over the institution of slaver)- within the Territories . . . the party will abide by the decisions oi ^i the Supreme Court of the United States on the questions of constitu- tional law." The "Seceders' Convention," as it was commonly called, also adopted the Cincinnati platform, and pledged themselves to non-inte'.'erence by Congress with slavery m the Terri- tories or the District of Columbia. This party held to the doctrine that the constitution recognized slaver\' as existing in the Territories, and sanctioned and protected it there, that neither Congress nor the peo- and pie of the Territories could frame any law against slavery until the admission of such Territories into the Union as States. The regular convention held that Congress had no right to interfere with slavery in the Ter- ritories, to legislate either for or against it; that the regulation of that question belonged entirely to the people of the respective Ter- ritories acting through their Legislatures, 1 ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES BUCHANAN. 659 Thisdoctrine was popularlyknown as"Squat- ter Sovereignty," and was credited to Mr. Douglas. The " Scceders' Convention " put forward as its candidate for the Presidency John C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, and for the Vice-Presidency Joseph Lane, of Oregon. Republican Nominations. The RepubHcan party took issue with both wings of the Democratic party. Its conven- tion was held at Chicago, Illinois, and its can- didates were, for President Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, and for Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine. The platform of principles adopted by the Chicago Convention declared that " the maintenance of the principles pro- mulgated in the Declaration of Independence and embodied in the Federal Constitution is essential to the preservation of our republican institutions. . . . That all men are created equal ; that they are endowed by their Crea- tor with certain inalienable rights. . . . That the Federal Constitution, the rights of the States and the union of the States must and shall be preserved." The platform also declared that the rights of the States should be maintained inviolate, "especially the right of each State to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively." It asserted " that the normal condition of all the territory of the United States is that of freedom," and denied the right or " authority of Congress, of a Territorial Legislature, or of individuals, to give legal existence to slavery in any Territory of the United States." A fourth party, known as the " Constitu- tional Union Party," proclaimed as its plat- form the following vague sentence : "The con- stitution of the country, the union of the States and the enforcement of the laws." The convention of this party met at Baltimore, and nominated for the Presidency John Bell, of Tennessee, and for the Vice-Presidency Edward Everett, of Massachusetts. The contest between these parties was bit- ter beyond all precedent. When the elec- tion took place in November, the result was as follows : Popular vote for IJncoIn. 1,866.452 Douglas, 1,375.157 " " Breckenridge, 847,953 Bell, 590,631 The electoral vote stood as foUow.s : Fcr Lincoln, 180; for Breckenridge, 72; !<*• Bell, 39; for Douglas, 12. Election of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln was thus elected by a pluralitj of the popular vote, which secured for him the electoral votes of eighteen States. These States were entirely north of the sectional line, and he received not a single electoral vote from a Southern State. The States, which cast their electoral votes for Brecken- ridge, Bell and Douglas, were entirely slave- holding. The division thus made was alarm- ing. It was the first time in the history of the Republic that a President had been elected by the votes of a single section of tlie Union. The state in which the Presidential election left the country, was alarming. The excite- ment was higher than it had been before the struggle at the polls. The Gulf States had declared at an early period of the political campaign that they would withdraw from the Union in the event of the election of a Re- publican President. The people of the South generally regarded the result of the election as an evidence of the determination of the Northern States to use the power of the fed- eral government to destroy the institution of slavery. The disunion leaders exerted them- selves to deepen this conviction, and to arouse the fears of the South. 66o FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL WAR. On the other hand, the Republican leaders took little pains to allay the excitement by declaring their intentions to cvecute faith- fully the constitution and laws of the Union. Their declarations of fidelity to the Union were abundant, and were generally accom- panied by equally plain assertions of their d'?^ country's history as he had never been needed before ; but, alas ! statesmanship ot any kind was painfully wanting. As soon as the election of Mr. Lincoln was definitely ascertained, the legislature of South Carolina summoned a sovereign con- vention of the people of that State, which BKIDGE CROSSING THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AT HARRISBURG. determination to oppose by force the with- I'.rawal of the Southern States — declarations which were ill-suited to calm the fears of the South, or to encourage the party in that sec- tion, which desired a perpetuation of the Union. A statesman of the Henry Clay school was needed at thi" cpsjs of our met on the seventeenth of December, i860 This convention adopted an ordinance of secession on the twentieth of December, and declared the State no longer a mem- ber of the Union. The reasons assigned for this action were thus stated by the conven- tion : ADMINISTRATION OF "An increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery has led to a disregard of their obli- gations, and the laws of the general govern- ment have ceased to effect the objects of the constitution. The States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Con- necticut, Rhode Island, New York, Penn- sylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wis- consin, and Iowa, have enacted laws which either nullify the acts of Congress or render useless any attempt to execute them. Strong Affirmations. " In many of these States the fugitive is discharged from the service or labor claimed, and in none of them has the State govern- ment complied with the stipulations made in the constitution. . . . Thus the consti- tutional compact has been deliberately broken and disregarded by these non-slaveholding States, and the consequence follows that South Carolina is released from her obli- gation. " We affirm that these ends for which this government was instituted have been defeated, and the government itself has been made destructive of them by the action of non- slaveholding States. Those States have assumed the right of deciding upon the pro- priety of our domestic institutions ; and have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the constitution ; they have denounced as sinful jhe institution of slavery ; they have per- Vnittcd the open establishment among them bf societies whose avowed object is to disturb the peace and to eloigne the property of citizens of other States. They have encour- aged and assisted thousands of our slaves to leave their homes ; and those who remain have been incited by emissaries, books, and pictures to servile insurrection. JAMES BUCHANAN. 66t " For twenty-five years this agitation has been steadily increasing, until it has now secured to its aid the power of the common government. Observing the forms of the constitution, a sectional party* has found within that article establishing the executive department the means of subverting the con- stitution itself. A geographical line has been drawn across the Union, and all the States north of that line have united in the election of a man to the high office of Presi- dent of the United States whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery. Charges Against Certain States. " He is to be intrusted with the admin- istration of the common government because he has declared that that ' government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free,' and that the public mind must rest in the belief that slavery is in tne course of ultimate extinction. " This sectional combination for the sub- version of the constitution has been aided in some of the States by elevating to citizen- ship persons who, by the supreme law of the land, are incapable of becoming citizens ; and their votes have been used to inaugurate a new policy, hostile to the South, and destruc- tive of its peace and safety. '• On the fourth of March next this party will take possession of the government. It has announced that the South shall be excluded from the common territory ; that the judicial tribunals shall be made sectional, and that a war must be waged against slavery until it shall cease throughout the United States. " The guarantees of the constitution will then no longer exist ; the equal rights of the States will be lost. The slaveholding States will no longer have the power of self-govern- ment or self-protection, and the federal government will become their enemy." 662 FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CIVIL W/VR. These reasons were substantially the same as those avowed by the other Southern States in support of their action, and therefore wc have quoted them at Icngtii. The example of South Carolina was fol- lowed by the other States of the far South, which summoned conventions and adopted ordinances of secession. Mississip[)i with- drew from the Union on the ninth of January, l86i ; Florida on the tenth of January; Alabama on the eleventh of January ; Geor- gia on the nineteenth of January ; Louisiana on the twenty-sixth of January, and Texas on the first of February. The forts, arsenals and other public property of the United States within the limits of these States were seized by the authorities of the States in which they were situated, and were held by their troops, with the exception of Forts Moultrie and Sumter, in Charleston harbor, and Fort Pick- ens, at Pensacola. Critical State of Affairs. Fort Moultrie was occupied by Major Robert Anderson, of the United States armj', with a garrison of eighty men. Becoming alarmed at the rapid concentration of troops in Charleston, Major Anderson evacuated the fort on the night of December 25, i860, and threw himself with his command into Fort Sumter, which was built in the bay at some distance from either shore. The State troops at once occupied Fort Moultrie, and began to erect batteries of heavy guns at different points along the harbor for the reduction of Fort Sumter. Fort Pickens was held by a garrison under Lieutenant Slemmer. The State of Florida occupied the nav"- yard at Pensacola and the other forts in that harbor with her troops. The property of the general government seized by the seceded States amounted to over twenty millions of dollars in value. The position of the general government was one of great difficulty. The President was called upon either to recognize the law- fulness of the acts of the seceded States, and thus to join in the work of dissolving the Union, or to maintain the authority of the federal government, and compel the submis- sion of the Southern States to tlie constitu- tion and laws of the land. The govern- ment was almost powerless to enforce its authority. The army, but sixteen thou- sand strong, was stationed upon the re- mote frontier, and the available vessels of the navy were nearly all absent on foreign service. Many of the most prominent federal officials, including several of the cabinet ministers, were in open sympathy with the seceded States. The President's position was unquestionably embarrassing, but he made no use of the means at his command. General Scott, the veteran commander of the army, believed that prompt action on the part of the general government would confine the evil to the si.x cotton States, and urged the Presi- dent to act with vigor. Mr. Buchanan was sorely perplexed, and seemed chiefly anxious to postpone all defi- nite action until the inauguration of his suc- cessor. He was in favor of conceding every- thing but separate independence to the South, failing to percei/c that the leaders of the secession movement would accept nothing but separation ; and by his timidity lost the advantages which the government would have gained by a bold, firm course. Attempt to Aid Major Anderson. As Major Anderson was short of supplies and needed reinforcements, the steamship " Star of the West " was despatched by the government to Charleston with provisions and a detachment of two hundred and fifty men to his assistance. She reached Charles- ton on the ninth of January, 1861, and d ADMINISTRATION OF JAMES BUCHANAN. 663 attempted to enter the harbor, but was fired upon by the South Caroh'na batteries, and turned back. The President was urged by the friends of the Soutii to order Major Anderson to evac- uate Fort Sumter and return to Fort Moul- trie, but refused to do so. South Carolina then offered to purchase Fort Sumter from the general government, for its full value, but the President refused to make the sale. Immediately upon their withdrawal from the Union the six seceded States began to concert measures for their common protec- tion. Delegates were elected to a convention which met at Montgomery, Alabama, on the fourth of February, 1 861, to devise a plan for this purpose. The convention at once pro- ceeded to organize a new republic, for which they adopted the name of The Confederate States of America. On the eighth of Febru- ary, a provisional constitution having been adopted, the convention elected Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, President, and Alexan- der H. Stephens, of Georgia, Vice-president of the Confederate States. The action of the convention was sustained by all the States comprising the new confederacy, and the provisional government at once entered upon its duties. Mr. Davis was inaugurated Presi- dent of the Confederate States at Montgom- •^ry, Alabama, February 18, 1861. Sketch of Jefferson Davis. Jefferson Davis was a native of Kentucky, and was born on the third of June, 1808. His father had removed to Mississippi during his early childhood, and he had grown up to manhood in that State. He was educated at the West Point Military Academy, from which he was graduated in 1828, and passed the next seven years of his life in the army. He served with distinction during the Black Hawk war and against the Indian tribes on the frontier. Entering into politics after his withdrawal from the army, he was soon sent to represent his State in Congress, in which borly he served until the commencement of the Mexican war. During that struggle he commanded the Mississippi Rifles, and dis- tinguished himself greatly in the battles of General Taylor's army, and especially at Buena Vista. Upon his return home he was chosen to represent Mississippi in the Senate of the United .States. Upon the inauguration of JEFFERSON DAVIS. V President Pierce, he accepted a seat in thf cabinet as secretary of war. Returning to the Senate after the close of Mr. Pierce's administration, he remained in that body until the secession of Mississippi, when he resigned his seat and returned home. He was now in his fifty-third year, antl was regarded as one of the most brilliant public men in America. His election was generally looked upon in the South as a concession to the more conservative portion of the south ern people, for he had not been considered AOMINISIKA riON nv jAMl'S HI K 'I I AN AN. (.f.S as (lIU- oltllC (II i|Mll.ll 111 lUO'.l nil I ,1 -.(•( I'.MiMl l.M.l.r.. riic ( iiir.ci \ .iti\c clciiu-nt'. ivl In il li •■ci linns in.lilc !Ml \'ii I'IMI.l 1 ,illi il M|iiiU .ill I lie Si. lies 1(1 •,,•11(1 (l(ic;;.il('. I.. .Ill inl..iin.il |ic.l( (■ ( ((ll!'.li^,^> 1(1 in( el III W'.i .liiiii;t((ll. I 111'. |)(i(l\ .i.'.cniMcd 111 l'( liMi,ii\ , l'\\('iil\' Si. lie. HCIC |c|i| (••.cillcd 111 ll llllilccil l|(l| llici II .111(1 •.(•\(ll '.((111 llci II .111(1 lllc \ ( IK I .ililc ( \ i'lc-.Kh III I'v Ici w.r. ( lid.cii l() |ii(',i(lc (p\(i tl. (Iclilx i.ili.iir.. Wiiioir. pl.iii'. (ll •■(•lllc IIICIll \\( IC |ll (>|I(C.( (I, .111(1 .1 ( olllllllllcc, ( oil .si^.lllli; (i| (lllc lllcilll 1(1 lldlll c.K ll ."^il.ih , w.w il|i|>(i|iil<'(l III |ii('|i.ii(' .1 {il.iii iijidii u lih ll llii ('(>ll|;ic.. (iillld llllllc. Ill due Iliilc ll lll.idc il'. lc|i(ill 111 lllc ( I illj'ic... .111(1 .lllci .1 ( .liclnl .111(1 cl.ilxii.ih (ll.'.( u:i:>l(ili lllc ic:.uliiU(ill:> wcic .ld,i|>lc(l, .111(1 wcic (ildcicd 1(1 lie I. lid l.rldir lllc I 1\ .ll |;(i\ (1 llllicill^.. I'lic CiiUjjK-ci IIk 11 .i(l|(>lii lied. lllc |i|.ill |ild|i(i'U'il i)y the. lid(l\ |il(,c,i (I iicillii I .idc-. rile Sdllllicill Si. lie. WCIC iidl •..ill. lied Willi Ihc ;:il.ll.llllcc. ll dllcicd Idl Mil |il(i|( ( lldil (4 iIkii ii|;lils il) tlic iii.ill( 1 dl •.l.iv'ciy; .imltiic Ndillicm .Sl.ilci. wcK iiinvilliiij; 1(1 '..iiiiliiiii .1 iiidic ii[',i(l ciirnn ciiiciil dl Ihc (dii'ililii- lldii.il |iid\'r,i(i|| lor (lie iciidilldii dl lll|;iliv(; •.I.IM ".. IllC cHdll Id (Id.C 111, I.I,,,, ll l,C- Iwccll lllc .Sl.llc^. ,l|ll\' ■.,l\',-,l I,) \VI,I, 11 ll. IM.ilIci'. Win III llii. iiiili.i|i|i\' .111,1 est llrtl (dlldllldll W ll, 11 ill,' .mIiIIIIU'.Ii .ll I, 111 dl Ml'. ItiK ll. III. Ill ( .1111,' 1,1 .1 , 1(1, C. ,\ll('l lllc III. Ill <;ill.illdll dl 111. '.IK ( (".•.dl , lie Killed In lll't Ikhiic .ll W'lic.lll.iiid. llc.ii I ..iiK .I'.lci , I'cilU- .•,)1\ .1111.1, ullcic lie died 111 June, I.Sdfi. f,u"T :^»■^ r-,r-'->~x-r^>r-r BOOK VI The Civil War CHAPTER XLI The Administration of Abraham Lincoln tnauguration of President Lincoln — His History — The Confederate Commissioners at Washington — Attack upon Fo'^ Sumter by the Confederates — The President Calls for Troops — Response of the North and West — Secession of the Border States — Opening Events of the War in Virginia — Withdrawal of West Virginia — Admitted into the Union as n Separate State — Meeting of Congress — The West Virginia Camjiaign — Battle of Bull Run — -The War in Missouri- Kentucky Occupied — The Blockade — Capture of I'ort Royal — The "Trent" Affair — Insurrection in East Tennessee — State of Aflairs at the Opening of the Year 1S62 — Edwin M. Stnnton made Secretary of War — Capture of Forts Henry and Donelson — The Confederates Fall Back from Kentucky — Battle of Shiloh — Capture of Island No. 10 — Evacuation of Corinth — Capture of Memphis — Bragg's Kentucky Campaign — His Retreat into Teiuiessee — Battles of luka and Corinth — Battle of Murfreesboro', or Stone River — Granl'c Campaign against Vicksburg — Its Failure — The War Beyond the Mississippi — Battle of Pea Ridge — Capture of Roanoke Island — Capture of New Orleans— Surrender of Fort Pulaski — Tlie War in Virginia — Johnston's Retreat from Centreville — Battle between the " Monitor " and " Virginia" — The Move to the Peninsula — Johnston Retreats to the Chickahominy — Battle of Seven Pines — Jackson's Successes in the Valley of Virginia — The Seven Days' Battles Before Richmond — Battle of Cedar Mountain — Defeat of General Pope's Army — Lee Invades Maryland -Capture of Harper's Ferry — Battles of South Mountain and Antietam— Retreat of Lee into Virginia — McClellan Removed — Battle of Fredericksburg. ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the si.x- 1 teenth President of the United States, was inaugurated at Wash- ington on the fourth of March, 1861. : As it was feared that an atter::pt would be I made to prevent the inauguration, the city- was held by a strong body of regular troops under General Scott, and the President-elect was escorted from his hotel to the Capitol by a military force. No effort was made to inter- fere with the ceremonies, and the inaugura- tion passed off quietly. The new President was in his fifty-third year, and was a native of Kentucky. When he was but eight years old his father rcinoved to Indiana, and the boyhood of the future President was spent in hard labor upon the farm. Until he reached manhood he con- tinued to lead this life, and during this entire period attended school for only a year. At tlic age of twenty-one he removed to Illinois, 666 ABRAHAM LINCOLN ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 667 where he began life as a storekeeper. Being anxious to rise above his humble position, he determined to study law. He was too poor to buy the-necessary books, and so borrowed ihem from a neighboring lawyer, read them at night and returned them in the morning. His genial character, great good nature and love of humor won him the friendship of the people among whom he resided, and they elected him to the lower house of the Legis- lature of Illinois. He now abandoned his mercantile pursuits, and began the practice of the law, and was subsequently elected a representative to Con- gress from the Springfield District. He took an active part in the politics of his State, and in 1858 was the candidate of the Republican Party for United States Senator. In this capacity he engaged in a series of de- bates in various parts of the State with Sena- tor Douglas, the Democratic candidate for re-election to the same position. This de- bate was remarkable for its brilliancy and in- tellectual vigor, and brought him promi- nently before the whole country, and opened ihe way to his nomination for the Presi- dency. The Inaugural Address. In person he was tall and ungainly, and in manner he was rough and awkward, little versed in the refinements of society. He was a man, however, of great natural vigor of intellect, and was possessed of a fund of strong common sense, which enabled him to see at a glance throus^h the shams by which he was surrounded, and to pursue his own aims wifh singleness of heart and directness of purpose. He had sprung from the ranks of the people, and he was never false to them. He was a simple, unaffected, kind-hearted man ; anxious to do his duty to the whole country ; domestic in his tastes and habits ; and incorruptible in every relation of life. He was fond of humor, and overfiowed with it ; finding in his " little stories " the only relaxation he ever sought from the heavy cares of the trying position upon which he was now entering. He selected his cabinet from the leading men of the Republican party, and placed William H. Seward, of New York, at its head as Secretary of State. Mr. Lincoln was sincerely anxious to avoid everything which might j^recipitate the civil strife ; but at the same time was deter- WILLIAM H. SKWARD. mined to maintain the authority of the gen- eral government over the seceded States. In his inaugural address he declared his pur- pose to collect the public revenues at the ports of the seceded States, and to " hold, occupy and possess " the forts, arsenals and other public property seized by those States. At the time of his entrance upon the duties of his office Fort Sumter and Fort Pickens were still held by the Federal forces. 668 THE CIVIL WAR. The Confederate government was con- vinced that war was inevitable ; and since its inauguration, had been preparing for the coming struggle. Nearly all the officers of the army and navy of the United States, who were natives of the seceded States, resigned their commissions in the old service, and were given similar positions in the army of the ARRIVAL OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN AT THE CAPITOL Confederate States. The forces collected at Charleston and Pensacola were reinforced by troops from other States, and the command at the former place was conferred upon Gen- eral Pierre G. T. Beauregard, and at the latter upon General Braxton Bragg, both of whom had been distinguished officers of the old army. Just before the close of Mr. Buchanan's term of office, the Confederate government despatched John Forsyth, of Alabama, Mar- tin J. Crawford, of Georgia, and A. B. Roman, of Louisiana, to Washington as commission- ers to endeavor to effect a peaceable adjust- ment of the matters at issue between the two governments, and to treat for an equitable division of the public property of the United States. Mr. Buchanan refused to receive the commis- sioners in their official capacity, and after the inauguration of the new administration they ad- dressed a note to Mr. Seward, the new Secretary of State, set- ting forth the objects of their mission, and soliciting an official interview with the President. Mr. Seward declined to receive them in their official capacity, but answered them verbally through Mr. Justice John A. Campbell, oi the Supreme Court of the United States, that he was in favor of a peaceful settlement of the diffi- culty, and that the troops would be withdrawn from Fort Sumter in less than ten days. Mr. Sew- ard's object appears to have been to deceive the commissioners, and lull their suspicions, in order to gain time for the preparations which had been determined upon for the relief of Fort Sumter. In the meantime, the govern^ ment having resolved to rein-| force and provision Fort Sumter at allj hazards, every nerve was strained to carr out this design before it should become known to the Confederates. An expeditioi consisting of seven ships, carrying two hua dred and eighty-five guns and twenty-four hundred men, was prepared at New York ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 669 -/ and Norfolk. The southern commissioners, whose suspicions had been allayed by Mr. Seward's message, were alarmed by the ru- mors of these preparations, which they sus- pected were for the relief of Fort Sumter. They waited upon Judge Campbell to ask an explanation, and that gentleman, on the sev- enth of April, addressed a note to Mr. Sew- ard asking if the assurances he had given were well or ill founded. Mr. Seward replied as follows : " Faith as to Sumter fully kept ; wait and see." In the meantime the expedition had sailed from New York and Norfolk, and ^ was on its way to ^^b* Charleston harbor. On the eighth of April, 1 861, Gov- ernor Pickens, of South Carolina, was notified by the general govern- ment of its inten- tion to relieve Fort Sumter at all haz- ards, and of the sailing of the fleet for that purpose. Governor Pickens at once informed General Beauregard of this notification, and the news was telegraphed by him to the Confederate government at Montgomery. The Confederate Secretary of War there- upon ordered General Beauregard to demand the immediate surrender of Fort Sumter ; " and if this should be refused to proceed to reduce it." On the eleventh of April General Beauregard demanded of Major Anderson the surrender of the fort. The demand was refused in writing ; but Major Anderson added verbally to the mes- senger, " I will await the first shot, and if you do not batter us to pieces, we will be starved out in a few days." Beauregard telegraphed this remark with Anderson's reply to his government, and was answered, " Do not desire needlessly to bom- bard Fort Sumter. If Major Anderson will state the tim^ at which, as indicated by him- self, he will evacuate, and agree that, in the meantime, he will not use his guns against us unless ours should be employed against Fort Sumter, you are authorized thus to avoid the effusion of blood. If this or its equivalent be refused, reduce the fort, as your judgment decides most practicable." The Federal fleet was on its way to Charles- ton, and if the attack of the Confederates was to be made at all, no time was to be lost. 1 General Beauregard, therefore, gave Major Anderson warning that he should open fire upon Fort Sumter at half-past four o'clock the next morning. At the designated hour on the morning of April 1 2th, the Confederate batteries opened fire upon Fort Sumter, which replied to them with spirit. The bombardment lasted over thirty-two hours, and the fort was greatly 670 THE CIVIL WAR. damaged, and many of the guns were dis- mounted. The fleet arrived off" the harbor during the bombardment, but remained in the offing, and took no part in the engage- ment. Not a single life was lost in this memorable battle. Late in the afternoon of the thirteenth, Major Anderson agreed to capitulate, and the firing ceased. The MAJOR ANDERSON. victois granted liberal terms to Anderson ■and his men, whose heroism had aroused their warmest admiration ; and on the morn- ing of Sunday, April 14th, the fort was sur- rendered to the Confederate forces, and Major Anderson and the garrison embarked in one of the vessels of the fleet, which at once sailed for New York. The attack upon Fort Sumter put an end to the last hope of peace, and aroused the most intense excitement in both sections of the country. On the fifteenth of April, Presi- dent Lincoln issued a proclamation calling upon the States to furnish seventy-five thousand troops for the suppression of the rebellion, and convening Congress in extra session on the Fourth of July. The Northern and Western States re- sponded with enthu- siasm to the President's call for troops, and at once began to forward their quotas to the points designated by the war department. The enthusiasm in the South was fully equal to that of the North. The Confederate government issued a call for volun- teers to repel the threat- ened invasion of the fed- eral forces, and it was responded to with ala- crity. Until now the States of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennes- see, Kentuck)-, Arkansas and Missouri, generally known as the Border States, had remained in the Union, hoping to be able to effect a peaceable settlement of the quarrel. Their sympathies were with the Southern States, and it was gen- erally believed that in the event of war they would cast their lots with those States. Each of these States was included in the call of President Lincoln for troops. The governors of most of them replied by refusing to furnish the quotas required of them, and by denouncing the President's demand as illegal. ADMINISTRATION O^ ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 671 Convention!^ of the people were held, and sll but Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri withdrew from the Union. The secession of Virginia took place on the seventeenth of April ; that of Arkansas on the sixth of May ; that of North Carolina on the twentieth of May ; and that of Tennessee on the eighth of June. These States subsequently ratified the constitution of the Confederate States, and became members of the new republic. Kentucky and Missouri remained neutral. The passage of the act of secession by the Virginia convention was kept secret for ;i day or two in order to give the authorities of that State an oppor- tunity to seize the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry, and the navy yard at Ports- mouth. The officer in command of the arsenal, upon hearing of tlie approach of a f o r c e of Virginia troops, destroyed a number of the mus- kets stored there, set fire to the buildings, and retreated into Pennsylvania. The Virginians extinguished the flames and secured a large quantity of arms and equipments and the valuable ma- chinery for the manufacture of arms. The commandant of the navy yard at Portsmouth, upon the approach of the Virginians, made no attempt to defend his post, but spiked the cannon, burned or sunk the war vessels lying in the harbor, set fire to the buildings, and retreated with two war steamers. The navy yard was at once occupied by the Virginians, who secured nearly two thousand pieces of cannon, and an immense quantity of stores and munitions of all kinds. The governors of the seceded Border States issued calls for volunteers immediately upon the withdrawal of their States. Men came for- ward in such large numbers that arms could not be provided for all of them. The prominent points of danger in Virginia were occupied and fortified by the State troops ; but the control of the military af- fairs in all the Border States soon passed FOKT SUMTER IN I 86 1 . into the hands of the Confederate govern- ment. As it was certain that the first operations of the war would take place upon the bor- / ders of Virginia, the city of Richmond was made the capital of the Confederate States, and on the twenty-first of May the Confed- erate government was removed to that city. The western part of the State of Virginia refused to join the remainder of the State in its withdrawal from the Union. On the eleventh of June, 1861, the people of the 672 THE CIVIL WAR. western counties met in convention at Wheel- ing, declared their independence of the old State, organized a State government, and proclaimed their intention to remain faithful to the Union. The action of this convention was sustained bythe Federal government, and on the twenty-sixth of November, 1861, another convention met at Wheeling, and FORTS iSUMTI^K AND MOULTRIE. In the meantime the Federal government set to work with energy to prepare for tli« struggle before it. The call of President Lincoln for troops had been answered by three hundred thousand volunteers. On the seventeenth of April, two days after the Pres- ident's proclamation, the Si.xth Massachu- setts regiment left Boston for Washington. In passing through Baltimore it was at- tacked by a crowd of cili/.ens who .sympa- thized with the South, and three soldiers were killed and eight wounded. Several citizens were killed andwoundeil. Thereg- iniL-pt reached Wash- ington the same day. In a short time the force at the capital was sufficient to put an end to all fears fof its safety. Alexandria and the Virginia shore opposite Washington were seized and for- tified. Baltimore was occupied by a force imdcr General Butler, anil the communica- tions of Washington with the North and West were made sure. On tlie nineteenth of adopted a constitution for the new State of West Virginia. This constitution was rati- fied by the people at the polls on the third of May, 1S62, and application was made for itlie admission of West Virginia into the Union as a State, which was accomplished by act of Congress on the twentieth of June, 1863. April the President issued a proclamation declaring all the southern ports in a state of blockade; and on the third of May lie put forth another proclamation ordering the regu- lar army of the United States to be increased to sixty-four thousand seven hundred and forty-eight men, and the navy to eighteen tbouaand seaniea. On the tenth of May he ADMINISTRATION OF AHRAttAM LINCOLN. 67i issued 3 foi;rlli proclamation, suspending the writ oi habeas corpus in certain localities, and authority to suspend this privilet^e was con- ferred upon the commanders of military de- partments soon afterward. Under the instructions of the government these commanders now proceeded to arrest great numbers of persons in various parts of the country who were suspected of sympa- government paid no attention to this deci- sion, and held the prisoner in confinement. A little later the Legislature of Maryland, which was strongly Southern in its sympa- thies, was prevented from meeting by th< sudden arrest and imprisonment ot a large number of its members by order of the secretary of war. On the fourth of July, i86i Congres" FORT MOULTRIE, CHARLESTON HARBOR. thJzfng with tne South. They were impris- oned at tiic military posts, and were denied trial by the civi! courts. John Merryman, a citizen of Maryland, was one of the persons so arrested. His friends applied for redress to the Chief Justice of the United States, who held the suspension of the habeas corpus act Dy the President tc be unconstitutional, and ordered the discharge of the prisoner. The 43 convened in extra session at Washington, in accordance with the President's proclama tion. This body proceeded to give to the government a prompt and effectual support. Resolutions were introduced to legalize the extraordinary acts of the President in setting aside the writ of habeas corpus, in ordering the arbitrary arrest and confinement of citi- zens, and in assuming certain other powers 0/4 THE CIVIL WAR. which belonged to Congress. Congress lefused to throw over these acts, however necessary, the sanction of the law ; but in view of the necessity of prompt and vigorous action on the part of the President, excused his acts on the distinct ground of the" necessities <•*" war." Measures were adopted without delay for putting in the field an army of five hundred and twenty-five thousand men, and for equipping a powerful navy ; and the sum of five hundred millions of dollars was appro- priated for the prosecution of the war. During this session Congress also adopted a solemn resolution declaring " that this war is not prosecuted on our part in any spirit of THE CONFEDERATE FLAG. oppression, nor for any purpose of conquest or subjugation, nor for the purpose of over- throwing or interfering with the rights or established institutions of those [the seceded] States , h'lt to defend and maintain the supremacy of the constitution and all laws made in pursuance thereof, and to preserve the Union with all the dignity, equality and rigiits of the several States unimpaired ; that as soon as these objects are accomplished the wa*- ought to cease." In the meantime the ConiecTera es had collected troops at important points to resist the advance of the Federal troops intoVirginia. A force under Brigadier-General Garn^tt' was stationed in West Virginia to cover the approaches from that direction; Harpers Ferry, which commanded the entrance into the valley of Virginia, was held by an army of seven thousand or eight thousand men, under General Joseph E. Johnston ; a much larger force, under General Beauregard, took position near Manassas Junction, about thirty miles from Washington, and a column of several thousand men, under General John B. Magruder, was stationed at Yorktown, on the peninsula between the York and James rivers, to cover Richmond iVom the direction of Fortress Monroe at the mouth of Hamp- ton Roads, which was still held by the Federal troops. Norfolk was also held by a strong force. With the exception of that occupied by General Garnett's command, all these positions were carefully fortified. Bethel Church and Rich Mountain. The Union army at Fortres.'i Monroe num- bered about .twelve thousand men, and was commanded by General B. F. Butler. Early in June, Magruder moved a force of eighteen hundred men and several pieces of artillery from Yorktown, and took position at Bethel Church, about half way between Yorktown and Hampton. On the tenth of June he was attacked by a force of four thousand trooos under General Pierce, of Massachusetts, but succeeded in repulsing the attack and main- taining his position. In the opposite quarter of the State, the Union forces were more successful. In order to prevent the Confederates from overrun- ning West Virginia, a strong body of Ohio and Indiana troops, under General George B. McClellan, was sent into that region. McClellan set to work at once to drive the Confederates out of West Virginia, and on the third of June a portion of his command, under General Kelly, defeated General Garnett at Philippi. McClellan now advanced ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 675 against the main body of Garnett's forces. On the eleventh of July, he attacked the com- mand of Colonel Pegram at Rich Mountain, and defeated it. This defeat compelled Gen- eral Garnett to fall back towards the valley of Virginia. He was pursued by McClellan and overtaken at Carrick's ford, on the Cheat river In the battle which ensued here, Gar- mander, Colonel Ellsworth, was killed by a citizen. Strong defences were erected on the Virginia shore between Washington and Alexandria, and the army was encamped within these lines. Two months were passed in organizing and disciplining this force, and in the meantime the people of the Northern and Western States became impatient of •^he THE SIXTH MASSACHUSETTS REGLME^T PASSING THROUGH BALTIMORE. flett was killed, and the remnant of his com- mand was driven beyond the mountains. The United States had assembled a con- eiderable army of volunteers and regulars at \Vashington under Major-General Irwin Mc- Dowell. On the twenty-fourth of May, Alex- andria, on the Virginia side of the Potomac, rine miles below Washington, was seized by ii detachment from this army. Its corn- delay, and demanded an immediate advance upon the southern army and Richmcnd. Preparatory to his own advance, General McDowell sent General Patterson with twenty thousand men to cross the Potomac at Wil- liamsport, and prevent General Johnston from leaving the valley and joining Beauregard at Manassas. Upon the arrival of Patterson on the upper Potomac, General Johnston 676 THE CIVIL WAR. evacuated Harper's Ferry and took position at Winchester. Patterson made a considerable show of force in the valley, but refrained from attacking Johnston, although the latter sought to induce him to do so. He took position about nine miles from Winchester, and remained inactive there. In the meantime the preparations for the FORTIFICATIONS IN AND AROUND W \MUNOT0N. advance of McDowell's army were completed, and on the seventeenth of July he began his march from the Potomac towards Bull Run, I on the banks of which the Confederates were posted. His army numbered over fifty thou- sand men, and forty-nine pieces of artillery. As soon as the advance of this army was known to him, General Beauregard infortued General Johnston of it, and begged him to come to his assistance. Johnston skilfully eluded Patterson's army, and hastened to Bull Run, arriving there with a part of his command in time to take part in the battle. The Confederate army had taken position behind Bull Run, and in advance of Manassas Junction. Including the force brought by General Johnston, who assumed the chief command by virtue of his rank, it con- sisted of thirty-one thousand four hun- dred and thirty-one men and fiftv-6vf guns. On theeighteentJi of July General Mc- Dowell attempted to force a passage of Bull Run at Blackburn's ford, but was repulsed. On the morning ol the twenty-first, the Union army advanced in force, and endeavoied to turn the left of the Southern line. An obstinately- contested battle ensued, which lasted from sunrise until nearly sunset. It resulted in the total defeat of the Federal army, which was driven back in utter rout upon Alexandria and Washington, with a loss of between four and five thou- sand men in killed, wounded and prison- ers, and twenty-eight pieces of artillery. For a while the effects of this disaste upon the Federal army were so great tha\ Washington was almost defenceless ; but the Confederates made no effort to follow up their victory. They were almost as badly de- moralized by their success as the Union army by its defeat. Recovering from the dismay of its fire' threat reverse, the government went to wort PORTRAITS OF PROMINENT FEDERAI, GENERALS. 678 THE CIVIIv WAR. with vigor to repair the disaster. The levy 1 people to wipe out the disgraceol Bull Run. of five hundred thousand men ordered by | At his own request General Scott, whose bodily infirmities were so great as to render him unable to dis- charge the duties of his position, was re- licvcd of the com- mand of the army. Major-General Geo. B. McClellan was given the chief com- mand of the armies of the Union, and or- dered to take charge of the force assem- bling before Wash- ington, which was named the Army of the Potomac. He devoted himself with success to the task of organizing and dis- ciplining the recruits, which came pouring in during the fall and winter. The remainder of the year 1861 passed away quietly on the Potomac, with the single exception of the battle of Lees- burg. Colonel Baker, with a force of two thousand men, was sent by General Stone to cross the Potomac, at Edward's ferry, and drive back the Con- federate force under MAP SHOWING THE SHENANnoAH VALLEY. General Evans from Congress was raised promptly and without I its position near Lee.sburg. He made his difficulty, so eager w.<.s the desire of the | attack on the twenty-fir.st of October, but was ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 679 repul.'>ed with the loss of eight hundred killed and wounded, being himself among the slain. The Confederate army held its position at Centreville through the fall and winter, and at one time its outposts were pushed forward within view of the city of Washington. In the fall of i86i an army of ten thou- .sand men was sent by the Confederate gov- ernment into the valley of Virginia to pre- vent its occupation by the federal forces. The command of these troops was conferred upon General T. J. Jackson, whose conspicuous gallantry at Bull Run had won him the so- briquet of" Stonewall Jackson," by which he was afterwards known by both armies. He established his headquarters at Winchester. Prompt Action in Missouri. In the meantime the war had been going on in Western Virginia. After the transfer of General McClellan to Washington, the com- mand of the Union forces passed to Briga- dier-General Rosecranz, an able officer. He had several indecisive encounters with the commands of Generals Floyd and Wise, in the region of the Gauley and New rivers. General Robert E. Lee was sent by the Con- federate government to assume the chief command in the west. He attacked the brigade of General Reynolds at Cheat moun- tain on the fourteenth of September, but was repulsed and obliged to retreat. On the fourth of October, General Reynolds attacked a Confederate force under General Henry R. Jackson on the Greenbrier river, but was re- pulsed. The State of Missouri took no part in the secession movements of the spring of 186 1. Her people were divided ; a large party sympathized with the South ; but still a larger party was determined that the State should remain in the Union. These parties soon came in conflict. The governor and leading officials of the State were in favor of seces- sion, and used all their influence to •oring about the withdrawal of Missouri from the Union. A camp of the State militia was formed near St. Louis, and was called Camp Jackson in honor of the governor. It was known that the force assembled at this camp was intended to serve as a nucleus around' which an army hostile to the federal govern- ment might assemble. By extraordinary exertions Colonel Frances P. Blair. Jr., a member of Congress from St. Louis, and Captain Nathaniel Lyon, commanding the troops at the Jefferson barracks, near St. Louis, succeeded in collecting a force of five regiments of Union volunteers. On the tenth of May, 1861, Lyon with these five regiments suddenly surrounded Camp Jackson, and compelled General Frost, the commanding officer, to surrender his whole force, camp and equipments. By this prompt action the State forces were prevented from carrying out their plan for seizing the United States arsenal at St. Louis, which contained sixty thousand stantl of arms of the latest patterns, and a number of cannon, and a large quantity of ammunition. For this decisive action Captain Lyon was commis- sioned a brigadier-general by the President. Movements of General Lyon's Army. Satisfied that the desire of the southern party in Missouri to remain neutral was but a pretext to gain time to arm the State for a union with the Confederates, President Lin- coln determined to compel all the State forces not in the federal service to disband. An in- terview was held at St. Louis on the eleventh of June between Governor Jackson and Gen- eral Lyon, now commanding the federal troops in Missouri. Governor Jackson de- manded that no United States forces should be quartered in or marched through Mis- souri. General Lyon refused to comply with this demand, and insisted that the State forces 68o < 1 I oc x'° u. * O c Q < O I CO 3f HMOUS CAVALHV COMMANOEK, ASSOCIATCO WITH GENERAL SHERIDAN IN THE PURSUIT CAPTURE OF GENERAL LEE'S ARMY ; AFTERWARD CELEBRATED INDIAN FIGHTER ; KILLED BY THE INDIANS, JUNE 25, 1876 p y _| UJ O . iJ m I- l.J H 55 <= 5 Z < 3 < « £: ui 5S I -J ul ^' = z 2 U. Ul a p^RSiDENT Mckinley in his library at the white house ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLM. 68 i should be disbanded, pledging himself to respect the rights and privileges of the State. At the close of the interview the Governor returned to Jefferson City, the capital of the State, and the next day, the twelfth, issued his proclamation calling 50,000 of the State 'militia into active service for the purpose of driving the Federal troops from the State, and protecting the " lives, liberty and property of the citizens." General Lyon at once marched upon Jefferson City, and occupied it on the fifteenth, the Governor and his supporters having retired to the interior of the State. On the seventeenth Lyon proceeded to Booneville and defeated the State troops stationed there under General Price. The southwestern part of Missouri is rich in deposits of lead, and valuable mines of this mineral are worked there. The State authorities were anxious to hold this region, as it was of the highest importance to them to obtain the use of these mines to supply their army with lead. A column of Federal troops under General Sigel was sent by Gen- eral Lyon to intercept the retreat of the State troops. On the fifth of July, Sigel attacked the State troops under Governor Jackson at Carthage, but was repulsed. Battle of Wilson's Creek. The next day, July 6th, Governor Jackson was joined at Carthage by General Sterling Price, of the Missouri State Guard, and Gen- eral Ben McCuUoch, of the Confederate army, with several thousand men. The command of the whole force was conferred upon Gen- eral McCuUoch, who had been ordered by his governnient to advance into Missouri. The Southern army, according to General McCulloch's statement, numbered 5,300 infantry, 6,000 mounted men and fifteen pieces of artillery. It advanced rapidly into the in- terior of the State, and on the ninth of August reached Wilson's Creek, near Springfield, General JLyon naa taKen position there with a force somewhat smaller than that of the Confederates. On the morning of the tenth he attacked the Southern army. The battle lasted six hours, and was hotly con- tested. General Lyon was killed at the head of his troops while endeavoring to turn the left flank ofthe Confederates, and his army was forced back. His body was left in the hands of the Confederates, who treated it with becoming respect. Springfield was occupied by the Confeder- ates the day after the battle; but McCuUoch and Price being unable to agree upon the plan of the campaign, they soon withdrew CAPITOL AT RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. to the Arkansas border. The Union army after the battle withdrew to Rolla, near the centre ofthe State. A few weeks later General Price with a force of over five thousand Confederates laid siege to Lexington, on the Missouri river, which was held by about three thousand men under Colonel Mulligan. After a gallant defence Mulligan was forced to surrender on the twentieth of September. Major-General John C. Fremont was now appointed by President Lincoln to take com- mand of the western army. He forced Price's command back into the southwestern part of the State. Arriving near Springfield, 682 PORTRAITS OF PROMINENT FEDERAL GENERALS. ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 683 Fremont prepared to bring the Confederates to a decisive engagement, but on the second of November was removed from his com- mand. He was succeeded by General Hunter, who abandoned the pursuit, and fell back to St. Louis. On the eighteenth r f November Hunter was superseded by Major-General Halleck, who by a rapid advance drove Price once more towards the Arkansas border. This movement closed the campaign of 1861 in Missouri. The Union army had not only saved the State to the Union, but had con- fined the Confederates to the Arkansas 'jorder. Southern Part^^ in Kentucky. In the meantime Governor Jackson had summoned the legislature of Missouri to meet at Neosho. It assembled at that place in October, passed an ordinance of secession, and elected delegates and senators to the Con- federate Congress. Though this action was merely formal, and received the support of but a small part of the people of Missouri, it was recognized as valid by the Confederate government, and Missouri was proclaimed one of the Confederate States. The governor and State authorities of Kentucky attempted at the outset of the war to hold the position of armed neutrality between the parties to the contest ; but as in the case of Missouri, this effort failed. Neither the Federal government nor that of the Southern Confederacy could, in the nature of things, respect this neutrality. The Federal troops were poured into Ken- tucky, and the Confederates seized Columbus, on the Mississippi, Bowling Green, in the centre of the State, and other positions in the western part. The Southern party in Kentucky, within the protection of the Con- federate lines, organized a provisional govern- ment for the State, sent senators and repre- sentatives to the Congress at Richmond, which formally recognized Kentucky as one of the Confederate States. The force at Columbus was commanded by General Polk of the Confederate army. At Belmont, on the Missouri shore of the river, immediately opposite Columbus, a body of Confederate troops v/as stationed. On the seventh of November, General U. S. Grant having descended the Mississippi from Cairo, attacked the force at Belmont with his command of three thousand men. After a sharp struggle he was '■"oulsed, and forced to retreat to Cairo. On October nth, , ,e privateer "Nash- ville," which had been fitted out by the Con- federates to capture Federal vessels, escaped from Charleston harbor and began to com- mit depredations upon the commerce of the North. The bold operations of the " Nash- ville" and other privateers produced a reign of terror on the high seas. Naval and Military Expedition. At the outset of the war the Confederates occupied the principal ports of the South, and a number of prominent points on the Atlantic coast. These were fortified by them as well as the means at hand would permit. The general government resolved to capture these as rapidly as possible, as their reduction was necessary in order to render the blockade of the southern coast effectual. The first expe- dition was despatched from Fortress Monroe in August, 1 861, under Commodore String- ham aud General Butler, and was directed against the Confederate works at Hatteras Inlet, which commanded the entrance to Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. These works were captured on the twenty-ninth o( August. The great extent of the coast to be block aded by the navy made it necessary that a good harbor at some central point should be secured, where supplies could be stored for 684 ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM IJNCOLN. 685 the fleet, and where vessels coiild refill with- out returning to the northern ports. Port Royal harbor, in South Carolina, was selected »s the best place for this purpose. It was defended by Fort Walker on Hilton Head and Fort Beauregard on the opposite side of the harbor. A powerful naval and military expedition under Commodore Dupont and General Thomas W. Sherman attacked these vorks on the seventh of November, and reduced them after terrible bombardment by the fleet. Port Royal was at once occupied by the expedition, and during the war was the principal depot on the southern coast for the fleets and armies of the Union. It was not possible, however, to render the blockade effective. Great efforts were made to increase the number of vessels employed in this duty, but the Confederates succeeded in eluding the Union cruisers almost at plea- sure, and a steady communication was main- tained between the southern ports and Eng- land by way of the West Indies. A number of armed vessels in the service of the Con- federacy succeeded in getting to sea. By the close of the year they had inflicted severe damage upon the commerce of the Northern States, and had almost driven the foreign trade of the United States from the ocean. Affair of the " Trent." During the early part of the war the South- ern government was encouraged to hope that the governments of England and France would recognize the independence of the Confederate States, and in the fall of i86i, James M. Mason, of Virginia, and John Slidell, of Louisiana, were ordered to proceed to Europe, as commissioners from the Confederate States, to secure this recog- nition. They sailed from Charleston on the twelfth of October, and reached Cuba in safety. There they took passage for England on board the British mail-steamer " Trent." Hearing of this. Captain Wilkes, of the United States war-steamer "San Jacinto," overhauled the " Trent " upon the high seas boarded her, and seized the two commission- ers and their secretaries and sailed with them to Boston harbor, where they were im- prisoned in one of the forts. The " Trent " in the meantime proceeded on her voyage, and upon reaching England her commander informed the British govern- ment of the outrage that had been commit- ted upon its flag. The English government at once demanded of President Lincoln the immediate and unconditional release of the LIEUTENANT-GEN'EKAL POLK. Confederate commissioners and satisfac- tion for the insult to its flag. It was under- stood that France was prepared to sustain England in her demands. The Federal gov- ernment disavowed the action of Captain Wilkes in seizing the commissioners, and those gentlemen were released and allowed to continue their voyage. They reached England in due time. Mr. Mason proceeded to London and Mr. Slidell to France. Neither the English nor the French govern- ments would receive the commissioners offic- ially. It was understood that the United States would regard the interference of either in the American quarrel as a cause of war, and neither power cared to join in the struggle. Tennessee seceded from the Union, as we have related, in the spring of 1861. Tht* 68A THE CIVIL WAR. tvestern ancf central portions of the State were unanimously in favor of joining the Southern States and gave a hearty support to the Confederacy during the war, but East Tennessee, inhabited by a race of hardy mountaineers, was devoted to the Union, and was unwilling to leave it. In the autumn of 1 86 1, the East Tennesseans took up arms against the Confederate Government, and began to destroy the railway bridges in that part of the State. This movement was full of danger to the Confederacy, as the principal line of commu- nication between Virginia and the Mississippi passed through East Tennessee. A consid- erable force of Confederate troops was sent JAMES M. MAbON. into East Tennessee to hold the people in subjection and protect the railroads, but throughout the war, the hostility of the peo- ple of this region was a constant source of danger and weakness to the Confederates. When the year 1862 opened, the war had assumed colossal proportions. The military operations extended almost across the conti- nent, and engaged a number of powerful armies, and a formidable navy. The call of President Lincoln for troops had been cheer- fully responded to, and the opening of the year found the United States provided with a force of over half a million of men, splendidly armed and equipped, and supplied with every- thing necessary for the successful prosecution of the war. The North had profited by its first reverses, and was resolved that its next effort, which was to be made at the opening of the season for active operations, should find it thoroughly prepared for the task it had undertaken. A cordial support was given to the meas- ures of the government by the people. Its wants were supplied by means of a heavy loan which was readily negotiated with the capitalists of the Eastern States. From the moment that the despondency caused by the reverse at Bull Run had subsided sufficiently to enable the people of the loyal States to face the situation calmly, everyone saw that the work of preparation must all be done over JOHN SLIDELL. from the beginning, and it was done bravely and thoroughly. During the fall and winter the army was rapidly increased ; vessels were purchased and built for the navy. The Southern armies, ca the other hand, had grown steadily weaken The first suc- cesses of the Confederate troops had greatly demoralized the Southern people. Volun- teering soon ceased almost entirely. Even the heaviest bounties failed to bring recruits. There was a widespread delusion throughout the South that the war was practically ended. The measures of the Confederate Congress steadily thinned, instead of filling up the ranks of the Southern armies, and when the new year dawned there was grave reason to THU AKKEST OF MASON AND SLIDliLI, ON THK BKITI.Sil STKAMHK •TKK.NT. 687 THE CIVIL WAR. fear that the spring campaign would find the South without an adequate army unless more vigorous measures were resorted to. It was exceedingly doubtful whether the troops already in the service would renew their en- listments, which expired in the spring of 1 862. During the winter the Southern Congress adopted a law granting a furlough and a heavy bounty to every soldier who would re-enlist for the war. The furlough was to be granted during the winter; the bounty to be paid at a later period. Many of those who went home on these furloughs did so with the intention of remaining there; and the practi- GKANX'S llhWD-OUAKTEKS NKAK FOKT cal effect of the measure was to diminish the strengtu of the Confederate armies. At length the Confederate Congress was driven by the necessities of the situation to adopt a most stringent and sweeping measure. On the sixteenth of April, 1S62, a conscription act was passed, giving to the President of the Confederacy the power to call into the mili- tary service the entire male population of the various States between the ages of eighteen and thirty- five years. In September, 1862, a second act was passed extending the con- script age to forty-five years. The measure was acquiesced in by the *• luthern people, but was never popular with them. It served the purpose for which it was intended, however, and enabled the Confed- erate Government to collect a force of several hundred thousand men in the spring of 1862, and thus to fill up the ranks of its armies in the field, and to retain the regiments already in the service. When the spring opened, General Halleck, whose headquarters were at St. Louis, held Missouri against the Confederates with a powerful army. General Buell, with a con- siderable force, was stationed in Central Ken- tucky. In his front an inferior force of Con- federates, under General Albert Sidney John- ston, held BowlingGreen and covered Nashville and the Tennessee and I he Cumberland Rivers. They also held Colum- bus and other prominent points on the Mississippi. The Army of the Poto- mac, under General Mc- Clellan, lay along the Potomac, confronting the Confederate army of Northern Virginia, which held Centreville. A con- iHiNELSON. siderable force was col- lected at Fortress Monroe, and an army o about 10,000 Confederates, under Magruder, held a strongly fortified line, extending from Yorktown across the Peninsula to the James River. In addition to these forces, the Federal Government had collected a powerful flotilla of steamers and gunboats at Cairo, the junc- tion of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, to assist in the operations of the Western armies. The capture of New Orleans had been resolved upon, and a combined naval and military e.xpedition under Commodore Farragut and General Butler was assembled for that purpose ; and another expeditioo ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 68g *vas organized in the Chesapeake for the reduction of Roanoke Island and the forts on the North Carolina coast. Soon after the opening of the new y.'ir, Mr. Cameron, whose administration of the war department had failed to give satisfac- tion to the country, was removed by Presi- dent Lincoln, and sent to Russia as minister from the United States. The President on the thirteenth of January appointee' Edwin M. Stanton, of Ohio, Secretary of War. The iiew secretary was confessedly one of s^ the ablest men in America, and his accession to the control ol the war department infused newlifeintothe mil- itary preparations of the government. During the remain- der of the war he occupied this posi- tion, and itisnottoo muchtosaythat his vigorous adminis- tration of his de- partment was one of the chief causes of the final success of the Union arms Active operations were resumed earlier in the west than in the east. On the nineteenth of January, General George H. Thomas drove the Confederates under General Zol- licoffer from Mill Spring in Kentucky. The defeated force had held the right of the Con- federate line in Kentucky, tlie centre of which wa? at Bowling Greer, and the left at Columbus, and its leversf was a serious disaster to the Confederates The department of Gen'^ral llalleck em- brac«^d Kentucky vn ^vtliivon to the country 44 west of the Mississippi. In order to hold the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, which afforded water communication far back into the country in the rear of their line, the Con- federates had built a work, known as Fort Henry, on the Tennessee, a little south of the Kentucky border, and another and a stronger work, known as Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland and a little below Nashville. At the solicitation of Brigadier-General U. S. Grant, commanding at Cairo, Genera' 'iv\nr>i'^^^^^wi A VIEW Oh IHE COUNTRY, SllOWINC. FORT DONELbON IN IHK DISTANCE. Halleck determined to capture these forts, and so break the Confederate line, and com- pel their army to fall back from Kentucky. Fort Henry was to be first attacked. The fleet of gunboats under Commodore p-Qote and Grant's troops from Cairo were sent against Fort Henry, which was captured on the sixth of February after a severe bombard- ment by the gunboats which had ascended the Tennessee. The garrison escaped to Fort Donelson, twelve miles distant aero.*" the country. Ogo f THE CIVIL WAR. Tlie loss of Fort Henry compelled the Confederates to evacuate all their positions General Sidney Johnston slowly retired from Bowling Green upon Nashville, followed hy General Buell. After the capture of Fort Henry the gunboats returned to Cairo, and, taking on board sup plies and reinforce ments for the army ascended the Ohio and entered the Cumber- land, up which they passed to Fort Donel- son. Grant, in the meantime, moirched across the country from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson.and in- vested the latter work. The roads were so dif- ficult that although the distance between the two forts was but twelve miles, Grant spent six days in marching it. This delay gave General Johnston an oppor- tunity to reinforce Fort Donelson. He halted at Nashville with his main army to await the result of Grant's attack on the fort. The gunboats did not joinGrant until the fourteenth of Febru- ary, and the invest- ment was not begun until their arrival. The fo 1 1 o w i 11 g MAP SHOWING PITTSBURG LANDING AND CORINTH. graphic description of in Kentucky. General Beauregard fell back I the capture of Fort Henry is from the pen oi from Columbus to Corinth, Mississippi and | the historian, John Laird Wilson : HW/f^ ""■^ r^ g\ \ '» k \({ \M 'S li\ \ t 1 f^ 1 > ■ \ ; ]''' i\ li-fi^ ' k4i \r'i 691 (592 THE CIVIL WAR. "Immediately on receiving permission from Halleck to proceed with his proposed plan, Grant made arrangements for the attack on Fort Henry. He had at his disposal some seventeen thousand men. It was arranged that Commodore Foote, with a flotilla of seven gunboats, should move along the Ohio, steer up the Tennessee, and open the attack, while Grant, on the land side, should to move slowly and shell the woods, in order to discover whether there were any concealed batteries. "On the morning of the si.xth it was under- stood that everything was in readiness for the attack, which was to be made simultaneously on land and water. A heavy thunder-storm had raged the previous night; and, as aeon- sequence, the roads were heavy and the IRON-CLAD GUNBOAT. render what assistance was necessary and cut off all retreat. On Monday, the second of February, Foote left Cairo, and on the morning of Tuesday he was a few miles below Fort Henry. Grant, in the meantime, with the divisions of McCIernand and C. F. Smith, had embarked in transports which were convoyed by the flotilla. These landed a few miles below the fort ; and Foote pro- ceeded up the river, having orders from Grant streams so swollen that bridges h.ad to be built for the passage of artillery. The land forces, thus encountering unlooked-for obsta- cles, were considerably delayed. Shortly after twelve o'clcck Foote opened fire upon the fort. Beginning at a thousand yards distance, he grad.ially ran his vessels to within six hundred } ards of the enemy. The firing for a time wa" vigorously returned; but Foote pressed i^rth with irres'stible ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 093 bravery, and his men worked with a will and as if ''hZj meant co win. It was evident to ^hman from the first that it was next to Itnpossible for him to hold the fort. He nevertheless exerted himself to the utmost, encourapjing his men alike by word and example, going so far as to work one of the guns himself Serious Accidents. ''A series of accidents meanwhile occurred inside the fort. A rifled twenty-four pounder burst, killing and wounding a number of the men. A forty-two pounder burst prematurely and killed three of the gunners. In a short time the well-directea fire from the gunboats had dismounted seven of the guns and made them useless; the flagstaff also was shot away, riic garrison became completely demoralized. It was in vain that Tilghman attempted to re- place the exhausted gunners. The troops in the camp outside the fort made good their escape, some by the Dover road, leading to Fort Donelson, others on board a steamer which was lying a little above Fort Henry. "Foote had promised to reduce the fort within an hour. When he made that promise he counted on assistance from the forces on the land side. Without any such aid — for the land forces had not yet arrived on the scene — he made good his word; forthehour had scarcely expired when the white flag was raised. There was no unnecessary delay. The main body of his troops having made good their escape, Tilghman, with his staff and some si.xty artillerists, surrendered to the victorious Foote. In killed and wounded the Confederate loss was twenty one men. The only serious darnage sus- tained by the fleet in the river was on board the ironclad Essex. A shot from the enemy ii ad penetrated her boiler ; and some twenty- nine offices and men. including Commander Porter, were seriously scalded." The capture of Fort Henry was felt by the South to be a damaging b'ow; and it led to bitter murmuring and even loud complaints against the authorities at Richmond. It was justly regarded by the North as a victory of great importance. It was full of instruction, inasmnch as it proved the value of gunboats on the narrow rivers of the West, especially when acting in conjunction with land forces. It inspired hope, inasmuch as it reclaimed lost territory, and restored the old flag. " Fort Henry is ours !" said Halleck in his despatch to McClellan. " The flag of the Union is re-established on the soil of Ten- nessee. It will never be removed." Foote was formally thanked by the Secretary of the Navy. " The country," he was told, " appre- ciates your gallant deeds, and this Depart- ment desires to convey to you and your brave associates its profound thanks for the service you have rendered." Important Union Success. Fort Donelson was a stronger work than Fort Henry, and was held by a force of about thirteen thousand men, commanded by Gen- eral John B. Floyd. On the fourteenth of February the gunboats opened fire upon the fort, and at the same time the army of Gen- eral Grant, reinforced to about thirty thou- sand men, began to occupy the positions as- signed it in the investment. The operations of the fourteenth ended, with the repulse of the fleet, Commodore Foote being severely wounded in the engagement. Satisfied of his inability to hold the fort against the over- whelming force of the Federal army, General Floyd resolved to cut his way through, and retreat upon Nashville. On the fifteenth he made a gallant attempt to break Grant's lines, but was driven back, and a portion of the Southern intrenchments' remained in the hands of the Union army. On the night of the fifteenth a council ol 094 THE CIVIL WAR. war was held by the Confederate comman- ders. It was evident that escape was impos- sible and a surrender inevitable. General Floyd refused to surrender, and retreated from the fort with a considerable force of infantry and cavalry, with which he suc- ceeded in reaching Nashville. General Pil- low, who was left by Floyd in command, turned over the command to General Buck- ner, the next in rank, and joined Floyd in his flight. Being unable to offer further re- sistance, General Buckner, on the morning of the sixteenth, sur'endered the fort and his troops unconditionally to the Federal army. ISLAND NO. lO. The capture at Fort Donelson was by far the most important success that had yet been won by the Union armies, an J was hailed with rejoicings throughout the north and west. By this capture over five thousand prisoners, besides the Confederate wounded, fell into the hands of the Union forces. The Federals also lost heavily in killed and wounded. General Johnston, upon learning of the fall, of Fort Donelson, fell back from Nashville to Murfreesboro', from which place he subse- quently continued his retreat across the State, and eventually joined General Beaure- gard, who had taken position at Corinth, at ihe junction of two important railway lines on the northern border of Mississippi. Beau. regard, in falling back from Columbus, had left a force at Island No. lo, which had been strongly fortified, to hold the Mississippi against the efforts of the Federal fleet and army to obtain the control of the river. Nashville was occupied by the army of General Buell, and Grant's army was moved up the Tennessee as far as Pittsburgh Land- ing. General Buell was ordered to march across the country from Nashville to the Tennessee, to unite his forces with Grant's and attack the Confederates at Corinth. General Johnston, the Confederate com- mander, had feared this concentration, which would make the Federal power in ^ ^"^ this quarter irresis- tible, and had de- termined to attack Grant's army and crush it before Buell could arrive, after which he would be free to engage Buell. His plan was ably con- ceived but his march was dela}'ed by the fearful state of the roads, and he did not arrive opposite the Federal position until two days after the time fixed for his attack. Grant was encamped at Shiloh Church, near Pittsburgh Landingj with the Tennessee river in his rear. On the morning of Sunday, April sixth, his army was suddenly attacked by Johnston, and was driven steadily from its original position to the banks of the Tennessee, where it was sheltered by the fire of the gunboats. The battle was stubbornly contested, and the losses on both sides were very heavy. Late in the afternoon General Johnston was mortally wounded, and died soon after- wards. The command passed to General ••5,s< -^"^^v^ \ ■MW?{jr ^ ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 695 Beauregard, who failed to follow up his advantage. During the night the army of General Buell arrived, and reinforced Grant. On the morning of the seventh Grant attacked the Confederates, and after a sharp fight drove them back. They retreated slowly and returned to Corinth, While these operations were in progress, the gunboats under Commodore Foote and a strong force of Western troops under Pope laid siege to Island No. 10, on the Mis- sissippi. After a bombardment of twenty- three days, the Confederate works were cap- tured, together with five thousand prisoners, on the seventh of April, the day on which Beauregard was driven back from Shiloh. The Confederates still held Fort Pillow, a strong work a short distance above Mem- phis. If this could be captured, the Federal forces would obtain the control of the river as far south as Vicksburg. General Pope was anxious to move against it at once, but his army was ordered to join General Hal- leck. Commodore Foot being disabled by his wound received at Fort Donelson, was ■succeeded by Captain Davis, who descended the river and took position above Fort Pil- low. General Halleck now repaired to the Ten- nessee, and took command of the Union armies there, amounting to more than one hundred thousand men. He moved forward leisurely towards Corinth, and laid siege to that place. Beauregard, seeing that it was impossible to hold Corinth against this greatly superior force, evacuated it on the night of the twenty-ninth of May, and retreated to Tupelo, Mississippi. The next day General Halleck occupied Corinth. The loss of Corinth compelled the evacuation of Fort Pillow, which was abandoned by the Confederates on the fourth of June. On the sixth the Union gunboats descended the river to Memphis, and defeated the Confederate flotilla above that city. Memphis at once surrendered, and was occupied by the Union forces. All West Kentucky and West Ten- nessee were now under the control of the Union armies, which now occupied a line extending from Memphis, through Corinth, almost to Chattanooga. i Early in July news came to the East of another massacre in the Mormon territory. ' A fanatic by the name of Morris, who claimed to be the true successor of Joseph Smith, and had gathered several hundred followers, was accused of having committed various depredations, and a small force was sent by order of the chief Mormons to arres/- BURNING HORSES AT SHILOH. him. The force was under command of one Burton, sheriff of Salt Lake county. Morris refused to surrender, a conflict ensued, the camp of the Morrisites was riddled with cannon balls, and Morris was shot by Burton. Two Brighamites and ten Morrisites were killed, and a large number were wounded The attacking party appears to t/ave prac ticed unnecessary cruelty. Returning to the story of the war, the Confederates still held East Tennessee in heavy force. Shortly after the evacuation ol Corinth General Beauregard was removed from his command, and was succeeded by General Braxton Bragg Bragg was strongly 696 THK CIVIL WAR. reinforced, and it was determined to make a bold effort to drive back the Federal advance and regain West Tennessee and, if possible, Kentucky. Bragg's army was concentrated at Chattanooga, and Geneneral Kirby Smith at Knoxviile was strongly reinforced. Smith was to move from Knoxviile, while Bragg was to advance from Chattanooga, and the two armies were to unite in the centre of the State of Kentucky. Their combined forces amounted to over fifty thousand men, and it Smith then occupied Lexmgton and Frank fort, and advanced towards Cincinnati ; but ascertaining that a strong force was assem- bling at that city, under General Lewis Wal- lace, he fell back to Frankfort, where he joined General Bragg on the fourth of October. Bragg had begun his march as soon as Kirby Smith had gotten fairly started. His objective point was Louisville, and he hoped to be able to elude the army of General Buell which was at Nn<;hviHe, and bv a rapid ad- ^ MASSACRE OF THE MORRISITES. was hoped that this movement would compel the Federal army to abandon its advance, and fall bade into Kentucky to protect that Stale and Ohio from the Confederates. Then, by a decisi\e xictor}-, Bragg expected to be able to overrun and hold Kentucky and even to invade Ohio. The divisio.i of General Smitli moved for- jward about the middle of August, and on the thirtieth of August defeated a Union force under General Manson at Richmond, Ken- tucky, inflicting upon it a loss of 6,000 men. vance seize Louisville before Buell's arrival. By the seventeenth of September he was at Munfordsville, Kentucky, which he captured after several slight encounters, takmg forty- five hundred prisoners. Buell in the mean- time had divined Bragg's purpose, and had set out froT Nashville for the Ohio by forced marches. He reached Louisville before the arrival of the Confederates, and being heavily reinforced ad\'anced to attack Bragg, who had turned aside and occupied Frankfort on the fourth of October, PORTRAITS OF PROMINENT CONFEPERATE GENERALS. ^^ 098 THE CIVIL WAK. Bragg fell back slowly, ravaging the coun- try along his route, and was followed by Buell with equal deliberation. On the eighth of October an indecisive battle was fought be- tween the tivo armies at Perryville. After this conflict, in which both sides lost heavily, Buell refrained from attacking Bragg again, and the latter continued his retreat leisurely intoTennessee, taking with him a wagon train forty miles in length, loaded with plunder captured in Kentucky. Grant Strikes Decisive Blows. During this campaign the Federal army under General Grant had held its line in West Tennessee, extending from Corinth to Mem- phis. A Confederate army under Generals Price and Van Dorn was assembled in Mis- sissippi in front of the Union position. Grant, who was now in command of the Federal forces in West Tennessee (Halleck having been summond to Washington as Com- manding General), ordered General Rosecrans to his assistance. Upon the arrival of this commander with his troops. Grant advanced upon Price at luka, and defeated him on the nineteenth of September. He then repaired to Jackson, Tennessee, leaving Rosecrans with nineteen thousand men to hold Corinth against the Confederates. After his defeat at luka Price was joined by Van Dorn, whose troops brought the strength of the Confederate army to eighteen thousand men. Thej' at once advanced upon Corinth,and on the fourth of October attacked that place. The battle which ensued was noted for the obstinacy with which it vas contested by both sides. The ConfedVi-ces .were defeat/^d with a loss .jf about three thou- sand ki'' .d and wounded, and were pursued for about thirty miles southward. The Union loss was about five hundred and eighteen killed, wounded and missing. The Federal Government was greatly dis- satisfied with Buell's failure to intercept Bragg, and upon his arrival at Nashville he was removed from the command of his army, which was conferred upon General Rose- crans, as a reward for his victory at Corinth. Bragg had taken position near Murfreesboro", about thirty miles distant from Nashville, and Rosecrans, towards the last of December, moved upon that place to attack him. Bragg had at the same time completed his prepara- tions to resume the offensive, and had begun his advance upon Nashville, and the two armies encountered each other at Stone River, near Murfreesboro', on the thirty-first of December. They were about equal in strength, each numbering about forty thou- sand men. Bragg Repulsed by Rosecrans. The battle was fiercely disputed, but at nightfall Rosecrans was driven back with heavy loss, and Bragg telegraphed to Rich- mond news of a great victory. Rosecrans, however, had merely fallen back to a new and stronger position. On the second o) January, 1S63, Bragg renewed his attack, but was repulsed with terrible slaughter. On the third a heavy rain fell and prevented all military operations, and that night Bragg retreated from the field. He retired in good order to Tullahoma, about thirty miles from Murfreesboro'. The losses on both sides in this battle were heavy, ranging from ten thousand to twelve thousand nvn in each army. The Confederates, having lost the uppei and lowe Mississippi, had fortified Vicksburg and Port Hudson, in order to maintain theii hold upon that stream, and to keep open theii communications with the countr\' west of the Mississippi. Vicksburg had been made a., post of e.xtraordinary strength, and was gar- risoned by a considerable force of Confed- erate troops. Towards the last of the year ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 699 CJeneral Grant determined to undertake an expedition against it. He sent General Sher- man with forty thousand men, and a fleet of gunboats, under Commodore Porter, to de- scend the Mississippi and attack the southern works above the city ; and advanced south- ward from Corinth with the main army by land. Grant had accomplished fully half the distance when a strong body of Con- federate cavalry, under General Van Dorn, made a dash into his rear, and on the twen- tieth of December cap- tured Holly Springs, Grant's principal de- pot of supplies. This movement compelled Grant to abandon his advance upon Vicksburg, and to fall back and re- establish his com- mun'cations with his base. Sherman, ignor- ant of this disaster, left Memphis on the twentieth of Decem- ber, and a few days later landed his troops on the banks of the Yazoo, from which he advanced upon the Confederate works at Chickasaw bayou, on the north of Vicksburg. On the twenty-ninth of December he made a spirited attack upon them, but was repulsed. He withdrew his troops to the boats, and retired to Young's Point, on the Louisiana shore, a short distance above Vicksburg. The Confederates were driven out of Mis- souri at the close of J 861, and retired into Arkansas. General Van Dorn was now sent by the Confederate government to take command of the forces of Price and McCul GENERAL SHERMAN AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR. loch, which numbered about sixteen thousand men. He reached the head-quarters of this force on the third of March, 1862. The Federal army, under General Curtis, with General Sigel as his second in command, had taken position on the heights of Pei» ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. yot Ridge, around Sugar creek, in the north- western part of Arkansas. It numbered about eleven thousand men. On the seventh of March Van Dorn attacked the Union army in this position, and after a bloody fight, which lasted for about seven or eight hours, drove it back. Curtis took up a new position during the night, and the next morning the Confederates renewed the attack, and were repulsed. After the battle of Shiloh, the troops of Price and Van Dorn were withdrawn across the Mississippi to reinforce General Beau- regard at Corinth. We have seen them bearing the brunt of the campaign in northern Mississip[)i against Grant's army. Towards the close of the summer, it being necessary to make a vigorous effort to hold the trans- Mississippi region against the efforts of the Union forces, the Confederate government sent Lieutenant-General Holmes to take command of it. The operations in ihis region during the remainder of the year were of an unimportant character. General Burnside's Expedition. The plan of the Federal government for seizing the prominent points on the coast was carried forward with great energy during the year 1862. Between Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, on the coast of North Caro- lina, lies Roanoke Island, famous as the scene of Sir Walter Raleigh's unfortunate attempts to colonize America, and com- manding the entrance to Albemarle Sound. The possession of this island by the Federal forces would give them the command of the rivers entering into the sounds, place the rear defertces of Norfolk at their mercy, and afford them a safe base from which to attack the towns on the North Carolina coast. The Federal government having determined to obtain possession of Roanoke Island, a powerful expedition against it was fitted out early in the year, under the comniartd sunk her with a blow of her iron prow. The frigate " Congress," lying near by, was chased into shoal water and compelled to surrender, after which she was set on fire. GENERAL GEORGE B. M CLELLAN The ram then endeavored to inflict a similar fate upon the frigate " Minnesota," but that vessel escaped into water too shallow for the iron-clad to venture into. At sunset the "Virginia" drew oft, and returned to the Elizabeth River. She had destroyed two of the finest vessels in the Federal navy, and inflicted upon her adversaries a loss of two hundred and fifty officers and men. She was herself uninjured, and had but two men killed and eight wounded. The success of the " Virginia " struck terror to the fleet in Hampton Roads, and it was by no means certain that the vic- torious vessel would not the next day either attack Fort Monroe, or pass by it and as- cend the Chesapeake, in which case both Washington and Bal- timore would be at her mercy. During the night, however, a most unlooked-for assist- ance arrived. The " Monitor," an iron- clad vessel of a new plan, invented by Cap- tain John Ericsson, entered Hampton Roads on her trial trip from New York. Upon learning the state of affairs her commander, Lieuten- jnt Worden, deter mined to engage the "Virginia" the next day. On the morning of the ninth the "Vir- ginia " again steamed out of the Elizabeth River into Hampton Roads. The " Monitor," though her inferior in size, and carrying but a single gun, at once moved forward to meet her. An engagement of several hours' duration ensued, in which both vessels were fought ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 707 with great gallantry ; and at the end of this time the " Virginia " drew off, and returned to Norfolk severely injured. The arrival of the " Monitor" was most fortunate. It saved the Federal fleet in Hampton Roads from total destruction, and prevented the " Vir- ginia " from extending her ravages to the ports of the Union. The battle between the " Monitor" and the " Virginia " will ever be famous as the first engagement between iron- clad vessels. It inaugurated a new era in naval warfare. In spite of the result of the battle, however, the presence of the " Vir- ginia" at Norfolk deterred the Federal forces from risking an attack on that place, and prevented them from mak- ing any effort to ascend the James River with their fleet. In the meantime the army Gen- eral McClellan had returned to its position near Alexandria, after the retreat of the Confederates to the Rapidan. General McClellan now proposed to move the bulk of his army to Fortress Monroe, and to advance from that point upon Rich- mond by way of the peninsula between the York and James Rivers. About seventy-five thousand men were left on the Potomac to cover Washington, and the remainder, about one hundred and twenty thousand in number, were trans- ported by water to Fortress Monroe. This lovement was accomplished by the second jf April. Johnston's Successful Retreat. On the fourth the Army of the Potomac began its march towards the lines of York- town, which were held by about eleven thousand five hundred men, under General Magruder. The Confederate commander had passed the first year of the war in forti- fying his position, and had constructed a series of powerful works which enabled him, with his small force, to hold McClellan's whole army in check. On .he fifth and si.xth of April McClellan made repeated attempts to force the southern lines, and failing in these decided to lay siege to them. The time thus gained by Magruder enabled General Johnston to move his army from the Rapidan to the peninsula. It was in position on the lines of Yorktown by the seventeenth of April, making the force opposed to McClellan about fifty-eight thousand strong. The Confederates did not expect to hold VIEW OF THE CHICKAHOMINY NEAR MECHANICSVILLE. their position on the peninsula, but from the first intended to move back nearer to Richmond, and occupy the line oftheChick- ahominy. When their preparations were completed they fell back from the lines of Yorktown, on the night of the third of May, just as McClellan was about to begin his bombardment of their position. The Federal army discovered the retreat on the morning of the fourth of May, and moved forward promptly in the hope of inter- cepting the Southern army. On the morning of the fifth the advanced forces attacked the 7o8 THE CIVIL WAR. rear-guard of Johnston's armyat Williams- burgf. The Confederate commander held his MAP OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. ground until his trains had gotten off in safety, and then resumed his retreat, and reached the Chickahominy about the tenth of May without further molestation from the Union forces. General McCIellan, following leisurely, took posi- tion on the left bank of the Chickahominy, with the river between the two armies. In accordance with General McClellan's urgent request, Presi- dent Lincoln decided to order the force left to cover Washington to join the Army of the Potomac^ before Richmond, by the way of Fredericks- burg. With his force thus augmented the Union commander had no doubt of his ability to capture Richmond. Alive to this danger General Johnston directed General Jackson, who had been left to hold the valley of Vir- ginia.to manceuvre his army so as to threaten Washington, a.id com- pel the Federal gov- ernment to retain the force intended for Mc- CIellan for the defence of Washington. While awaiting the arrival oi this foice McCIellan threw his left wing across the Chicka- I hominy, and lodged it in a position nearer to Richmond. The Federal lines now extended ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 709 from Bottom's Bridge, on the Chickahominy, to Mechanicsvillc, north of that stream. The evacuation of the peninsula compelled the Confederates to abandon Norfolk also. They withdrew their troops from that city on the ninth of May, and sent them to rein- force General Johns- ton. On the tenth Nor- folk and Portsmouth were occupied by the Federal forces under General Wool. Before leaving the Confeder- ates had set fire to the navy yard, which was destroyed. The iron- clad steamer " Vir- ginia" was taken into the James River, and on the eleventh was abandoned and blown up. The loss of this steamer, which could have held the James against the whole Union fleet, left the river open to within eight miles of Rich- mond. The gunboat^, in- cluding the '• Moni- tor," were sent up to try to force their way to Richmond, but on the fifteenth of May were driven back by a battery of heavy guns located on the heights at Drewr)'s bluff, eight miles below Richmond. They were badly injured by the plunging fire of the Confederates. The river was securely obstructed at tiiis point to prevent a pas- sage of the batteries by the Federal fleet. Having been heavily reinforced, Generai Johnston determined to attack McClellan's exposed left wing, and on the thirty-first of May fell upon it at Seven Pines, and drove it back with heavy loss. General Johnston Ll EUTENANT-GENERAL T. J. JACKSON. was .severely wounded towards the close of the day, and was unable to carry out the plan upon which he had begun the battle. The next day there was heavy skir- mishing until about ten o'clock in the morn- ini^, but nothing of a more serious nature was 710 THE CIVIL WAR. attempted by either side. General McClel- lan, warned by the narrow escape of his left wing, now proceeded to fortify his position on the south bank of the Chickahominy. While these events were in progress on the Chickahominy, General Jackson carried out with brilliant success the movements assigned him in the valley of Virginia. His task required the exercise of the greatest skill and determination. He was to neu- tralize the forces of Fremont, Banks and McDowell, and prevent them from render- ing any assistance to McClellan. Jackson's army fell back from Winchester on the elev- enth of March, and retired as far as Mount Jackson. Then rapidly retracing its steps it attacked Banks' forces at Kernstown, near Winchester. Though repulsed in this engagement, it succeeded in alarming the Federal government for the safety of Wash- ington. Banks' command was therefore retained in the valley to watch Jackson, and the force under McDowell was not allowed to go to McClellan's assistance on the peninsula, lest by so doing it should uncover Washington. After the battle of Kernstown Jackson retired up the valley, and a season of comparative quietude ensued. The Federal government even believed that his troops had been sent to Richmond. Jackson's Brilliant Achievements. Fremont's army was ordered to move from western Virginia into the valley ; Banks was directed to march to Manassas and cover Washington ; while McDowell, with forty thousand men, was ordered to move from Fredericksburg, from which he was to march across the country and unite with McClel- lan's left wing, which was thrown out far to the north of Richmond to meet him. These orders were in process of execution when Jackson, who had been reinforced by a divis- ion under General Ewell, destroyed the whole Federal plan of campaign. Knowing that he could not possibly resist the combined forces of Fremont and Banks, Jackson determined to beat them in detail. Marching rapidly westward, he crossed the^ mountains, fell upon the advance guard of Fremont's army at McDowell, on the eighth of May, defeated it, and drove it back into western Virginia. Then retracing his steps with remarkable speed, he returned to the valley, and on the twenty-third of May attacked Banks' outlying force at Front Royal, and drove it in upon the main body at Strasburg. Banks at once broke up his camp and fell back down the valley, pursued by Jackson, who dealt him a terrible blow at Winchester on the twenty-fifth. By extraordinary exer- tions Banks succeeded in escaping across the Potomac, but left about three thousand prisoners, several pieces of artillery, nine thousand stand of arms, and the greater part of his stores in the hands of the Confederates. Richmond Saved from Capture. This bold advance greatly alarmed ine government at Washington, and the Presi- dent ordered Fremont to move with speed into the valley, and directed General Mc- Dowell to suspend his movement to the assistance of McClellan, and send a force of twenty thousand men to gain Jackson's rear and prevent his return up the valley. Mc- Dowell sent the required force under General Shields, and Fremont hurried on to gain the upper valley in advance of Jackson. These movements entirely prevented McClellan from receiving the assistance of McDowell's corps, and saved Richmond from capture. Jackson was too good a general to be caught in a trap so skillfully laid for him. He retired up the valley with the greatest speed, and having interposed his army PORTRAITS OF PROMINENT CONFEDERATE GENERALS. 7" 712 THE CIVIL WAr.. between Fremont and Shields, turned upon the former, and with a part of his force attacked him at Cross Keys on the eighth of June, and checked his advance. Then re- uniting his forces he fell upon Shields at Port Republic on the ninth of June, and drove him back with heavy loss after one of the hardest fought battles of the war. Hav- ing thus put an end to the pursuit of his antagonists, Jackson withdrew to a safe posi- tion, from which he could hold them in check or go to the aid of the army defend- ing Richmond. ' The latter move being decided ujion, he eluded the Federal forces in the valley, and marched rapidly to the Chickahominy. Be fore his absence from the valley was sus- pected, he had joined General Lee. His campaign in the valley is justly regarded as one of the most brilliant of the war. With less thar tw.nty thousand men !iC had neu- tralized a ibrce of sixty t'.iousand Union troops, and prevented the execution of Mc- Clellan's carefully laid plans for the capture of Richmond. General Lee Takes Command. Upon the fall of General Johnston the command of the Confederate army before Richmond was conferred upon General Robert E. Lee, whom subsequent events proved to be the ablest of the Southern leaders. Troops were drawn from every pos- sible point to reinforce General Lee's army, and by the middle of June his forces, includ- ing Jackson's army, amounted to ninety thousand men. The Federal army was one hundred and fifteen thousand strong. Both armies were in fine condition. General Mc- Clellan, finding it impossible to obtain the assistance of McDowell's corps, and fearing for the safety of his communications with his base of supplies, which was at West Point, at tlie head of the York River, prepared to move hi.^ army to the south side of the Chickahominy, and establish a new and more secure base upon the James River. Before he could put this design in opera- tion he was attacked by General Lee, who, on the twenty-fifth of June, fell upon the right of the Union line at Mechanicsville, and forced it back upon the centre at Cold Harbor. On the twcnty-si.xth the position at Cold Harbor was attacked and carried by the Confederates after a desperate struggle. With great difficulty McClellan secured his retreat to the south side of the Chickahom- iny, and destroyed the bridges in his rear. Having decided to retreat to the James River rather than attempt to retain his com- munication with 'West Point, McClellan destroyed his stores, and on the twenty- eighth began his retreat from the Chicka hominy by way of White Oak Swamp. As soon as his movement was discovered pur- suit was made by the Confederates, who attacked his rear guard under General Sum- ner at Savage Station late in the afternoon of the twenty-ninth. Sumner held his ground until the darkness put an end to the action, and during the night of the twenty-ninth withdrew across White Oak Swamp, destroy- ing all the bridges after him. End of the " Seven Days' Battles." On the thirtieth General Lee made a last effort to prevent McClellan from reaching the James, and towards the close of the afternoon the bloody battle of Frazier's Farm was fought. It was continued until nine o'clock. The Federal force at Frazier's Farm held its ground until the remainder of McClellan's army had safely traversed White Oak Swamp. The object of the battle hav- ing been accomplished, McClellan resumed his retreat to the James River, and took posi- tion upon Malvern Hill, within a short dis- tance of that stream. Here he massed his ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 7»3 nrtillery, and the gunboats in the James River moved up to a point from which they could throw their shells into the Confederate lines. On the afternoon of the first of July the Confederates made a gallant attempt to carry Malvern Hill, but were repulsed with severe loss. The next morning the Federal army withdrew to Harrison's Landing on the James River. Thus ended the " Seven Days' Battles," during which the Federal army lost about twenty thousand men in killed, wounded and prisoners, fifty-two pieces of artillery, thirty-five thousand stand of arms, and an enormous quantity of stores of all kinds. The Confederate loss was nineteen thousand five hundred and thirty-three killed, wounded and missing. The retreat of McClellan'sarmy threw the North into the deepest despondency. On the second of July President Lincoln issued a call for three hundred thousand fresh troops. The necessities of the struggle, however, made this force insufficient, and on the fourth of August the President ordered that a draft of three hundred thousand militia should be made and placed in the service of the United States for a period of nine months unless sooner discharged. The States complied with the requisitions upon them, and in the brief period of three months the enormous mass of six hundred thousand fresh troops was raised, armed and placed in the field. Battle of Cedar Mountain. For the protection of Washington the Federal government now collected the com- mands of Banks, Fremont and McDowell in one army, and placed it under command of Major-General John Pope, whose capture of Island No. lo and other points in the west had given him a fair reputation. He assumed his new command with aprofiision of boasts, and promised to succeed where McClellan had failed. According to General Pope the capture of Richmond was the easiest under- taking in the world. His army towards the. latter part of July advanced to the Rapidan. To watch this force General Lee, late in July, sent General Jackson's corps to the Rapidan. On the ninth of August Jackson attacked the advanced corps of Pope's army at Cedar Mountain, and defeated it. This defeat suspended General Pope's forward movement. General McClellan now received orders from Washington to evacuate Harri- son's Landing and to reinforce General Pope with his army. He at once put this order in execution. The withdrawal of his troops was detected by General Lee, who rapidly reinforced Jackson, and finally moved with his whole army to the Rapidan. Daring Flank Movement. About the same time Burnside's corps, which had been withdrawn from the southern coast, and was awaiting orders in Hampton Roads, was directed to move into the Potomac and reinforce Pope. General Pope had now under his command a force of over one hundred thousand men. The Confed- erate army, which was concentrated upon the Rapidan by the eighteenth of August, num- bered about seventy thousand men. Its strength was greatly overestimated by Gen- eral Pope, who deemed it most prudent to retire behind the Rappahannock, which he did on the eighteenth and nineteenth of August. His new position was weli chosen. His right was at Rappahannock Station, and his left at Kelley's ford, some distance lower down the river. General Lee now resolved to attack Pope before he could be joined by McCIellan's troops. He divided his army into two columns, and sent Jackson's corps by a cir- cuitous route, by way of Thoroughfare Gap, to gain the rear of the Federal arm)' This 714 THE CIVIL WAR. daring flank march was accomplished by I trains loaded with supplies. Upon learning Jackson, and on the twenty-sixth of August | of this movement Pope at once fell back PORTRAITS OF PROMINENT FEDERAL GENERALS. he captured Manassas Junction, Pope's main depotof supplies, with an enormous quantity of stores of all kinds, and several railroad from the Rappahannock, intending to crush the isolated corps of Jackson, and at tlie same time Lee set off rapidly by way ol ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 71S Thoroughfare Gap to join his endangered lieutenant. Pope's army had been reinforced by the corps of Porter and Heintaelman, and Rey- nolds' division of McClellan's army, and was ^t least one hundred and twenty thousand strong. He moved back rapidly to attack Jackson, and encountered Ewell's division near Manassas Junction on the twenty- seventh. Ewell held his ground, and at night rejoined Jackson, who moved swiftly from Manassas to a new position near the old Bull Run battle-field. This brought him nearer to Lee, and secured his retreat in case of a defeat. Ewell's resistance deceived General Pope, who had posted McDowell's and Porter's corps to hold the road from Thoroughfare Gap, by which Lee must advance to Jackson's assistance. Supposing that Jackson meant to make a .stand at Manassas, Pope ordered these troops to move from the positions they had taken and to advance upon Manassas Junction. Manassas was reached at noon on the twenty- eighth, and then General Pope saw for the first time how he had been deceived by Jackson, and how he had blundered in leaving the road from Thoroughfare Gap open to Lee. His command was in a critical position, and he was so situated that he could not make the best use of the forces which were at his disposal Repulse of the Union Forces. He endeavored to repair his error by at- tacking Jackson at once. He did attack that general in his new position late in the afternoon of the twenty-eighth, but was re- pulsed with severe loss. On the same after- noon General Lee with Longstreet's corps forced the passage of Thoroughfare Gap, and bivouacked that night in the open country beyond it. On the morning of the twenty- ninth he pushed forward with speed, and by noon his advanced division reached Jack- son's position. By four o'clock in the after- noon the Confederate army was reunited under the command of General Lee. About three o'clock in the afternoon General Pope determined to attack upon Lee's position, but was repulsed. On the thirtieth, having reunited all the corps of his army, General Pope determined to risk the fate of the campaign upon a de- cisive engagement. The Confederates held a large part of the old battlefield of Bull Run, and the conflict which ensued is usually MAJOK-GENEKAL PMILIF KEARNEV. known as the second battle of Bull Run. It resulted in the defeat of General Pope, who was driven back to the heights of Centre- viile with heavy loss. On the thirty-first Jackson attacked the Federal rear-guard at Chantilly. A spirited encounter took place, and the Federal troops were slowly forced back, losing General Phil Kearney, one of the most accomplished officers in the service. General Pope now withdrew his army within, the lines of Washington. He had lost since the opening of the campaign over thirty thousand men, includ- ing eight generals killed, thirty pieces of artillery, over twenty thousand stand oi 7i6 arms, and an enormous quantity of stores. Tlie Confederate loss was nine thousand one hundred and twelve, including five generals. The defeat of the Union army and the presence of the Confederates on the Poto- mac placed the city of Washington in great danger. The government acted with vigor and decision in this emergency. The losses of Pope's army were made up by reinforce- ments. General Pope was relieved of com— ' mand, and General McClellan was restored to the command of the army of the Potomac. He set to work with energy to reorganize the broken masses of Pope's army into an effective force. McClellan at South Mountain. General Lee now crossed the Potomac and invaded Maryland, hoping to be able not only to remove the war from the soil of Vir- ginia, but also to obtain large reinforcements from the southern sympathizers in Maryland. In this he was disappointed, as scarcely any one joined him. On the fifth of September he crossed the Potomac, and on the sixth occupied Frederick City. Harper's Ferry was held by a force of eleven thousand men under Colonel Miles, and it was necessary to reduce this post in order to preserve the com- munications of the Confederate army with its own country. General Jackson was despatched with his corps to capture Harp- er's Ferry. He promptly carried the heights overlooking the town, and on the fifteenth of September the town and garrison surren- dered to him after a feeble resistance. General Lee in the meantime had taken position at South Mountain to await the issue of Jackson's attack upon Harper's Ferry. McClellan, advancing slowly from Washington, reached Frederick on the twelfth of September. There he found a copy of General Lee's confidential order to his corps commanders, which had been lost THE CIVIL WAR. by some one. This document gave the Con- federate plan of operations, and enabled McClellan to act with certainty in directing his own movements. Hastening forward he attacked General Lee at South Mountain on the fourteenth of September, and after a stubborn fight Lee fell back behind Antietam Creek, and on the morning of the seven- teenth was joined there by the troops of Jackson, who had made a forced march from Harper's Ferry. The Confederate army numbered about forty thousand men, having been terribly reduced by the straggling of the men on the march through Virginia. The Federal army numbered over eighty thousand men, and was eager for a contest. The prolonged resistance of Harper's Ferry, and the losses of his army by straggling, had defeated Lee's plan of campaign. He was now compelled to retire across the Potomac, and he halted on the Antietam only to secure the reunion of Jackson's corps with his army and a safe passage of the Potomac. Battle of Antietam. On the morning of the seventeenth of Sep- tember General McClellan attacked the Con- federate army in force, but it held its ground during the da}', both armies at nightfall occu- pying about the same positions they had held in the morning. The Federal loss was twelve thousand four hundred and sixty-nine, includ- ing thirteen generals wounded, one mortally ; that of the Confederates eight thousand seven hundred and ninety, including three generals killed, five wounded. The eighteenth passed quietly away, and that night Lee silently withdrew from his position and retreated across the Potomac. He retired up the valley to Winchester. The Federal army moved to the vicinity of Harper's Ferry, and did not cross the Potomac until the second of November. 7i8 Tin-, CIVIL WAR. Upon fiiUMiii^- Virj^iiiia Gcncr.il McClcUan ni(>\(J President Lincoln took the hold step of issu- ing a i)rocIamation i> announcing that if llie secetled Slates did not return to tlieir allegiance to the Union, he would declare all the negro slaves rcc from the first of imation was issucil on the twcul)- second of September, imme- dialcl\- after the battle of Antietam. Tlie army and na\y o( the United States were to enforce the loiuis of this proclamation, and from the new yew there was to be no more slavery within tlie limits of the Union. The proclamation was avowedly a war meas- ure, but it was sustained by Congress by appropriate legislation during the ensuiivt; winter- witliii\ tiuir limits lauuar\- next. Tliis pri CHAPTl'R XLir The Administration of Abraham I.iiuohi -The Civil War- — CoiuhuK'd. The Kmanclpation Pioclamnlioii — Battlcof Clinnccllorsvillc — Death of Sloiiewall Jackson liivusiun of Ihu North by l.ee'sAiiny — Battle of Gettysburg — Retreat of I. ee into Virginia — Grant's Army Crosses the Mississi|)|ii liallle ol ' Champion Hills — Investment of Viclsahing — Surrender of VicUsbmg and I'ort Hudson — Hatlle of Chickainauga — kosecrans Shut Up in Chattanooga — Grant in Command of the Western Armies — Baltics of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Kidge — Defeat of Bragg's Army- 'I'lie Campaign in Kast Tennessee — Ketreat of I.ongslreet — Capture of Galveston — Attack on (Charleston — C'apture of Tort Wagner — (Charleston Bombarded— State of Affairs in the Spring of 1S64 — The Red River Kxpeilition- — Grant Made i juutenant Oeneral — Advance of the Army of the rotcjniac — Battle of the Wilderness, Spotlsylvania and Cold Harbor— Sheridan's Raid— Death of (Jeneral J. K. U. Stuart — Battle of New Market — ICarly Sent into the Valley of Virginia — Butler's Army at Bermuda Hundreds — (!rant Crosses the James River — The Siege of Petersburg Begun — Karly's Raid upon Washington — Sheridan Defeats Karlyat Winchester and Fisher'sHill — Battle of Cedar Creek- — The Final Defeat of Karly's Army — Sherman's Advance to Atlanta — Johns ton Removed — Defeat of Hood Before Atlanta Evacuation of Atlanta — Hood's Invasion of Tennessee — Battle of Franklin — Siege of Nashville — Hood Dcfealcil at Nashville — His Retreat— Sherman's " March to Sea " — Capture of Savannah — Battle of Mobile Bay— Attack on Fort I'isher — The Confederate Cruisers — Sinking of the " Alalmma " by the" Kearsarge " — Re-election of President Lincoln — Admission of Nevada into the Uiiif^ clubbed and bayoneted at their guns. " Pickett, however, is now left entirely alone. The forces which were intended to cover his left have been defeated, captured or d^'iven from the field. Wilcox, whose duty it was to come up and cover his right, has failed to advance. The right of his own division has been badly cut up and destroyed. Hancock, who this day revealed all the qualities of a great command r in actual conflict, now massed his men on the point which was in danger. Hall and Harrow, who had now no longer an enemy in their front, were brought over with their brigades to reinforce the centre. The Nineteenth Massachusetts, Col- onel Devereux, and Mallou's Forty-Second New York, both of Gate's brigade, of Double- day's division, of the First corps, were moved in the same direction. " Stannard, at the same time, moved for- ward two of his Vermont regiments to strike the enemy on the right flank. The situation, Hancock tells us, 'had now become very pecu- liar. The men of all the brigades had, in some measure, lost their regimental organiza- tion, but 'ndividually, they were firm. The ambition of irz-'-vidual commanders to cover the point penetrated by the enemy, the smoke of the battle and the intensity of the engage- ment caused this confusion. The point, how- ever, was covered. In regular formation, our line would have stood four ranks deep.' Pickett's men were now pressed on all sides, " The colors of the different National regi- ments were well advanced. Cheered by the words, and fired by the e.xample of their officers, the men pressed bravely forward. It is the climax of the fight ; but the end is at band. Pickett's men had done their best and their utmost — they had fought like true heroes ; but now, utterly overpowered, and reduced to the last stage of desperation, they give up the fight. Flinging their arms from 73° THE CIVIL WAR. them, many of tliem raise their hands in token of surrender; others fall upon the MAP SHOWING VICKSBURG AND ITS APPROACHES ground to escape the destructive fire; the remainder seek safety in precipitate flight. " In this last struggle, Gibbon's division took twelve colors and two thousand five hundred prisoners. So far, Hancock had captured twenty- seven battle flags and four thousand five hundred pris- oners. It was a magnificent trophy. The losses on both sides were very heavy. The face of the hill and the low ground was literally covered with the dead and wounded. In no previous battle had the officers suffered so severely. On the National side large numbers had been struck down, Generals Gibbon and Hancock being among the wounded. The Confederates left on the field fourteen of their field-officers, only one of that rank escaping unhurt; and, of the three brigade com- manders, of Pickett's division, Garnett was killed, Armitage fell within the National lines, fatally wounded, and Kemper was carried off the field, dan- gerously hurt." The victory was decisive. It put an end to the Confed- erate invasion. On the night of the fourth of July General Lee withdrew from Seminary Ridge and retreated to the Potomac, which he crossed on the thirteenth and four- teenth without serious opposi- tion from the Federal army. On the fifteenth Lee moved back to Winchester. The Fed- eral loss at Gettysburg was twenty-three thousand, and that of the Con- federates about the same. SCMC er M/L£S K I ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 73 1 On the seventeenth and eighteenth of July General Meade crossed the Potomac below Harper's Ferry, and moving east of the Blue Ridge, endeavored to place his army between Lee and Richmond. The Confederate com- mander by rapid marches reached Culpepper Court-house in advance of him, however, and about the first of August occupied the line of the Rappahannock. The remainder of the year witnessed but one important oper- the Federal arms. At the opening of the year the army of General Grant lay on the Mississippi above Vicksburg, assisted by the fleet of gunboats under Admiral Porter. The first three months of the year were passed by the Federal army in a series of movements along the Yazoo River, the result of which was to convince General Grant that Vicks» burg could not be taken from that quarter. He therefore determined upon a new and VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI. ation by the armies in Virginia. In October General Lee made a sudden xorward move- ment for the purpose of throwing his army between Meade and Washington, but the latter eluded him and reached Centreville in safety. Lee then withdrew to the Rapidan, and the army of the Potomac took position on the north side of that stream. Both armies passed the winter there. In the west and southwest success crowned more daring plan of operations. He decided to march his army across the Louisiana shore from Milliken's bend, above Vicksburg, to New Carthage, below that city, and to run his gunboats and transports by the bat- teries. Should the boats succeed in passing, he meant to cross his command to the Missis- sippi shore, and attack Vicksburg from the rear. By investing the city from the land 732 ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 733 side his flanks would rest upon and be cov- ered by the Mississippi, and he could re-estab- lish communication between his right wing and his base of supplies at Milliken's Bend. The plan was daring in the highest degree, and required the greatest skill and resolution in its execution. ■ In order to retain their hold upon the Mis- sissippi the Confederates had fortified Vicks- burg with great care. Port Hudson, about two hundred and forty miles lower down the river, had also been fortified, but not so strongly as Vicksburg. As long as the Con- federates held these points they were able to keep a considerable extent of the river open to themselves and closed to the Union gun- boats. Preparing for the Struggle. Thus they were enabled to cross in safety the enormous herds of beef cattle which they drew from the rich pastures of Texas for their rmies east of the Mississippi. A strong orceheld the works at Port Hudson. Vicks- burg was occupied by a large garrison, and 'as under the command of Lieutenant-Gen- ral John C. Pemberton, who, with an army of about thirty thousand men, independent of he garrison of Vicksburg, held the country in the rear of that city. Appreciating the importance of defeating the Federal army in this quarter, the Confederate Government, in the spring of 1863, sent General Joseph E. Johnston to take command of all the forces in Mississippi. It failed to supply him with a proper force of troops, and General Pem- berton treated his orders with open defiance. Grant having completed his preparations ^oved his army from Milliken's Bend to a point on the Louisiana shore opposite Grand Gulf. On the night of the sixteenth of April a division of gunboats and transports ran by the I'^icksburg batteries, suffering severely from the heavy fire to which they were exposed for a distance of eight miles. On the night of the twenty-second a second division passed the batteries with similar loss. Once below Vicksburg, however, the boats were safe. They then proceeded to Grant's position on the river below. On the twenty-ninth of April the gunboats attacked the batteries at Grand Gulf, but were repulsed. The troops were then marched to a point opposite Bruins- burg, Mississippi, and the gunboats and transports were run by the Grand Gulf bat- teries. On the first of May the Federal army was ferried across to the Mississippi shore, and at /*- It, GENERAL JOHN C. PEJIBERTON. once began its march into the interior. Neai Port Gibson a part of Pemberton's army was encountered and defeated on the same day. This success compelled the evacuation of Grand Gulf by the Confederates. Grant now boldly threw his army between Johnston's forces at Jackson and Pemberton's army, intending to hold the former in check, and drive the latter within the defences of Vicks- burg. On the fourteenth of May he attacked Johnston at Jackson, the capital of Missis- sippi, and forced him to retreat northward towards Canton. Then turning upon Pem- berton he attacked him at Champion Hills, or Baker's Creek, on the sixteenth, and 734 THE CIVIL WAR. inflicted a severe defeat upon him. Peni- berton withdrew towards the Big Black River, and the next day met a second defeat there. He now retreated within the defences of Vicksburg, which place was promptly invested by Grant's army. On the nineteenth of May Grant attempted to carry the Confederate position by assault, but was repulsed with heavy loss. The assault was repeated with a like result on the twenty-second. There remained then nothing but a regular siege. This was GRANTS HEADQUARTERS NEAR VICKSBURC pressed with vigor, and the city was sub- jected to a terrible bombardment, which caused great suffering to the people. While the siege was carried on Johnston's army was held back, and prevented from under- taking any movement for the relief of Vicks- burg. At length, reduced to despair by the steady approach of the Union trenches, Pem- berton surrendered the city and his army to General Grant on the fourth of July. By this surrender thirty thousand prisoners, two hundred and fifty cannon, and sixty thousand stand of arms, together with a large quan^ tity of military stores, fell into the hands oi the Union forces. It was justly esteemc the greatest victory of the war. While the "flege of Vicksburg was in pre gress, General Banks ascended the Mis- sissippi from New Orleans and laid siege to Port Hudson. Upon hearing of the fall of Vicksburg, the Confederate commander sur- rendered the post and his army of sixty-two hundred and thirty-three men to General Banks, on the eighth of July. These victories wrested from the Confederates their last hold upon the Mississippi. They cre- ated the most intense rejoicing in the Northern and Western States, and a corresponding depres- sion in the South. Being simultaneous with the defeat of the Southern army at Gettysburg, they were regarded as deci- sive of the war: as indeed they were. P"rom this time we shall trace the declining fortunes of the Southern Confederacy and the gradual but steady re-establishment of the autho«ty of the Union over the Southern States. After the battle of Murfreesboro', or Ston River, the army of Genera' Rosecrans remained quietly in winter quarters at Nash- ville and Murfreesboro'. Bragg's army passed the winter at Chattanooga. Towards the last of June Rosecrans moved forward from Nashville, and advancing slowly threat- ened Bragg's communications with Rich- mond. The Confederate commander had no wish to emulate the example of Fembeiton ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 735 at Vicksburg, and at once evacuated Chatta- nooga, on the eighth of September, and retired towards Dal- ton, Georgia. This movement, which was interpreted by Rose- crans as a retreat, was designed to secure the union with Bragg's army of Longstreet's corpsj which had been detached from Lee's army and sent to join ■^■"^gS- This junc' tion was effected on the eighteenth, anc' other reinforcements arrived from Missis- sippi. Thus strength- ened Bragg suddenly wheeled upon Rose- crans, and on the nine- teenth of September attacked him at Chick- amauga. The battle was severe, but inde- cisive, and was re- newed the next day. Towards noon, on the twentieth, Rose- crans having greatly weakened the other parts of his line to help the left, which was hard pressed, Longstreet made a fu- rious dash at the weak- ened part, and in an ir- resistible attack swept the Federal right and centre fiom the field. Rosecrans endeavored wing, under the command of General George H. Thomas, remained firm. Had that given MAP OF THE CmCKAMAUGA AND CHATTANOOGA CAMPAIGNS. to stop the retreat, but was borne along in I way the rout would have been complete; the dense crowd o< fugitives. Only the left [ but all through the long afternoon, Thomafl THE CIVIL WAR. he withdrew his corps in good order and re- tired upon Chatta- nooga. The Union loss at Chickamauga was sixteen thousand men and fifty-one» guns; Bragg's about eighteen thousand men. Bragg advanced at once upon the defeated army of Rosecrans. which had taken re- fuge in Chattanooga, occupied the heights commanding the city, and seized the com- munications of the Federal army with Nashville. Thus close- ly besieged, the Union forces suffered consid- erably from a scarcity of provision-;. General Rosecrans was now removed from the command of the Army of the Cum- berland, and General Grant was appointed to the chief command of all the western ar- mies. He at once set to work to extricate the Army of the Cum- berland, to the com- mand of which Gen- eral Thomas had suc- ceeded, from itj peril- ous situation. Hooker POSITIONS OF THE ARMIES AT THE BATTLE OF iZiSSIONARY RIDGE. was Sent with tVVenty- held on to his position with a grim resolution I three thousand men from Meade's army to which nothing could shake. After nightfall | his assistance, and Sherman was ordered ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 737 to march with the force which had taken Vicksburg along the line of the railway from Memphis to Chattanooga. The arrival of these reinforcements soon changed the aspect of affairs. On the twenty-third of November the Army of the Cumberland made a vigorous sortie and drove the Confederates from the important position of Orchard Knob. On i.he twenty-fourth, Hooker stormed Lookout Mountain, the left of the Confederate line, and carried it after a hard fight. The invest- ment was now thoroughly broken, and the Confederates were confined to Missionary Ridge, which had formerly constituted the right of their line. On the twenty-fifth, this posi- tion was assaulted by tlic whole strength of the Federal army, and was carried after a stubborn fight. Bragg, beaten at all points, with heavy loss, retreated into Geor- gia, where he was soon after removed from his command and immedi- ately succeeded by Gen- eral Joseph E. Johnston. During the progress of this campaign General Burnside had moved from Kentucky with a force of about twenty-five thousand men, about the time that Rosecrans began his advance from Nashville in June. The strong position of Cumberland Gap was sur- rendered to him with scarcely an effort for Jits defence by the Confederates, and he moved into East Tennessee. Driving back the Confederate forces, which sought to stop his march, he occupied Knoxville. The object of his expedition was to afford a ral- lying point for the Union men of East Ten- nessee. After the battle of Chickamauga, and the investment of Chattanooga, President 47 Jefferson Davis visited Bragg's army, and being convinced that the capture of Rose- crans' force was inevitable, decided to with- draw General Longstreet's corps from Bragg, and to send it to drive Burnside out of East Tennessee. Longstreet's men were in no condition to undertake such a campaign, but under their energetic commander, succeeded in confining Burnside's army to the defences of Knoxville. The siege of that place was formed, and several assaults were made upon the Union works, but were each repulsed with heavy loss. Burnside's men were reduced almost to starvation, but held out with unshaken GRANTS HEADQUARTERS NEAR ClIATTANUOGA. resolution. After the defeat of Bragg at Mis sionary Ridge, Grant ordered Sherman tc march with his corps to the relief of Knox- ville. Upon the approach of this force Long- street, on the fourth of December, raised the siege and retreated into Virginia. Beyond the Mississippi the war was car- ried on with varying success throughout the year 1863, but to the general advantage of the Federal forces. On the third of July the Confederates, under General Holmes, attacked Helena, Arkansas, but were re- pulsed. By the close of the year the Con- federate forces had been pressed back as far as the Red River. 738 THE CIVIL WAR. On the first of January, 1863, Galveston, Texas, which had surrendered to the Federal forces in the fall of 1862, was recaptured by the Confederates, under General Magruder. By the capture of this place, the Confederates obtained one more port from which they could maintain communications with and receive supplies from Europe. of land troops, under General Gilmore, effected a lodgment on the south end of Morris' Island, and secured their position by intrench- ments. The Union parallels were pushed forward steadily towards Fort Wagner, at the north end of the island, and a final assault of that work was ordered. Before the order could 'Hii^ CAPTURE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. In the spring of 1863, a powerful naval I be executed, Fort Wagner was evacuated on xpedition, under Admiral Dupont, was des- ' the night of the sixth of September. The patched against Charleston. On the seventh of April, Dupont attempted to force his way Federal batteries on Morris' Island now maintained a heavy and constant fire upon into the harbor, but was driven back by the j Fort Sumter, and reduced it to a shapeless forts and batteries, and nine of his iron-clads j mass of rubbish on the land side. Yet, in wore severely injured. Early in July, a force | this condition it was stronger than at firs^, ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 739 the mass of rubbish offering a more effectual resistance to shot and shell than the walls. The long-range guns on Morris' Island threw shells into the city of Charleston, which was regularly bombarded from this time until its fall, in 1865. The capture of Fort Wagner enabled the Federal forces to close the har- bor of Charleston effectually against blockade runners. In spite of the victories of Chancellorsville and Chickamauga, and the invasion of the North, the close of the year found the South fairly on the downward road to final failure. Missouri was freed from the presence of the Confederate army, and the greater part of ' Arkansas was held by the Federal troops. The Mis- sissippi was lost to the South, and the immense supplies from the trans-Mis- sissippi region were no longer available to the Confede rate- forces east of the great river. Tennes- see was occupied by the Federal forces, and the invasion of the North had ended in disaster. The resources of the South were gradually becoming exhausted, and the supply of men was falling off. The North, on the other hand, was increasing in determination. The war had opened new channels of industry, and these had more than repaid the losses of the first period of the struggle. The North was growing richer in spite of the war, while the South was growing poorer because of it. At the end of 1863 the Federal debt had reached the enormous total of ^1,300,000,000, with the certainty of a heavy increase during the coming year. Still the people of the loyal States responded with heartiness to the heavy demands of the Federal government for men and money. Specie had long since disappeared from circulation, but a system of Treasury notes, which were made a legal tender, had replaced coin as a circulating medium. The new paper money was abun- dant, and the North gave few outward signs of distress. Everything spoke of prosperity. The contrast between the condition of the Union and the Confederacy was striking and most suggestive. Early in the .spring of 1864 an expedition was sent into that part of Louisiana known as the Red River country. It consisted of a force of ten thousand troops, under Genera" MISSIONARY RIUGE FROM THE CEMETERY AT CHATTANOOGA. Smith, from Vicksburg, and a fleet of gun- boats, under Admiral Porter. On the four- teenth of March Fort de Russy was captured by the troops, and on the twenty-first Natch- itoches was occupied General Banks now arrived with a strong reinforcement of troops from New Orleans, and took command of the expedition. About the first of April he set out for Shreveport, at the head of navigation on the Red River, his army marching along the shore, and the gunboats ascending the stream. The Confederates gathered in heavy force, under the command of General Kirby Smith, to oppose his advance. On the eighth of April the Confederate army attacked Banks at Sabine Cross-Roads, 740 THE CIVIL WAR. near Mansfield, and inflicted a stinging defeat upon him. The Union forces were ralhed at Pleasant Hill, where they were attacked by the Confederates on the ninth. The Confed- erates were repulsed, but Banks continued his retreat, and reached Alexandria on the iwenty-fifth of April. The expedition then :«turp>ed to the Mississippi. Banks was The Red River expedition was thus a total failure, and was a source of great mortifica- tion, as well as serious loss, to the Federal government. Early in March General Grant was raised to the grade of Lieutenant-Gcneral, that rank having been revived by act of Congress to reward him for his s;reat services durin? THE ATTACK ON FOKT SUMTEK BY THE MONITOR Fr.EET. relieved of the command at New Orleans, and was succeeded by General Canby. General Steele, commanding the Union forces in Arkanses, had moved from Little Rock, on the twenty-third of March, towards Shreveport, to co-operate with General Banks. He was attacked by the Confed- erates and driven back to Little Rock, which he reached on the second of May. the war. It had been held only by Wash- ington, General Scott having been given only the brevet rank. He was also appointed commander of all the armies of the United States. He decided to assume the immedi- ate direction of the campaign in Virginia, and established his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac. At the same time General W. T. Sherman was appointed to M PORlKAirt, UP hkuMlNhNl FEDERAL GENERALS. 741 742 THE CIVIL WAR. the command of the military division of the Mississippi, in which were included the Armies of the Cumberland, of the Ohio, and of the Tennessee. The supreme control of the military oper- ations both east and west was vested in Gen- eral Grant — a great gain, inasmuch as the oper- ations in the two quarters of the Union could now be made to assist each other. The plan of the campaign embraced a simultaneous advance of both armies ; the Army of the Potomac was charged with the task of defeat- ing Lee and capturing Richmond ; the west- ern army, under Sherman, was to force John- ston back into Geor.DEERHOUND" RESCUING CAPTAIN SEMMES ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 769 sailed to the Cape Fear. Fort Fisher was subjected to a vigorous bombardment, which was begun on the twenty-fourth of Decem- ber, and the troops were landed ; but at the last moment General Butler decided that the fort was too strong to he assaulted, and the expedition returned to Hampton Roads. Mobile in August of that year. In January, 1863, she ran the blockade, and in three months captured and destroyed fifteen mer- chant vessels. She was at length seized in the harbor of Bahia, in Brazil, by a Federal man-of-war, and taken to Hampton Roads. The Brazilian Government, resenting this SINKING OF THL Since the opening of the war the Confed- erate cruisers had nearly driven the commerce of the Northern States from the ocean. These vessels were built in England, and were usually manned by crews of English seamen under Confederate naval officers. One of these, the " Florida," put to sea in the summer of 1862, and succeeded in reaching 49 v" l;v hie " kearsarge, breach of its neutrality, demanded the release of the " Florida," but while the negotiations were in progress, she was sunk in Hampton Roads by a collision with another vessel. The most famous of all the Confederate cruisers, was the 'Alabama." She was built at Liverpool, and was suffered to go to sea in spite of the protest of the Americaa f70 THE CIVIL WAR. •ninister at London. She was co /nmanded by Captain Raphael Semmes, ard during her long career, captured sixty-five merchant vessels, and destroyed over ten millions of dollars worth of property. During her entire career, she never entered a Confederate port. In the summer of 1864, she put into the harbor of Cherbourg, in France, and was blockaded there by the United States war steamer, " Kearsarge," Captain Winslow. The French government ordered the "Ala- bama " to leave Cherbourg, and she went to sea on the nineteenth of June. She was at on'"e attacked by the " Kearsarge," and was sunk by the guns of that steamer, after an RA.'HAEL SEMMES engagement of an hour and a quartet. Semmes was saved from drowning by the English yacht " Deerhound," that had wit- nessed the battle and wa% set ashore. The destruction of the "Alabama " was hailed ^nth delight throughout the North. In the fall of 1864, the presidential election was held in the States remaining faithful to the Union. The Republican party nominated President Lincoln for re-election, and Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee for the vice-presidency. The Democratic party supported General George B. McClellan for the presidency, and George H. Pendleton, of Ohio, for the vice- presidency. Mr. Lincoln received at the polls, 2,213,665 votes to 1,802,237 cast foi McClellan ; and the electoral votes of every State, save those of New Jersey, Delaware, and Kentucky, were cast for him. On the thirty-first of October, 1 864, Nevada was admitted into the Union as a separate State. , The year 1864 closed brilliantly for the Union cause. Though the Confederates had gained a number of important victories dur- ing the year, they had, on the whole, steadily lost ground. Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, were over- run by the Federal armies, and on the coast there was not a single port remaining open to the Confederacy save that of Wilmington, which was blockaded by a powerful fleet. A Million Union Troops. It was evident that the coming spring cam- paign would end the war. The Federal force? had been increased to the enormous total o< one million of men. The Confederates could bring into the field scarcely two hundred thousand men, and for these it was difficult to find subsistence. The vicious iinancial system jdopted by the Confederate Govern- ment had run its appointed course, and the notes of the Confederate Treasury were worth scarcely three or four cents on the dollar. The year 1865 opened with an effort to secure the return of peace without further bloodshed. In January Mr. F. P. Blair, Sr., came from Washington to Richmond, and on his own responsibility proposed to the Con- federate Government the appointment of commissioners to negotiate with the Federal Government for the close of the war. The following commissioners were appointed by the Confederate Government : Alexander H. Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederate States; R. M. T. Hunter, Senator from Vir- ginia in the Confederate Congress, and John A. Campbell, Assistant Secretary of War. PORTRAITS Of PROMINENT FEDERAL GENERALS. 771 772 THE CIVIL WAR. They proceeded to City Point under a safe conduct from General Grant, and were con- veyed from t'hat place to Hampton Roads in a Government steamer. On the third of February President Lincoln and Secretary Se"'ard having reached Hampton Roads, an WAJOK-r.F.NERAL J. M. SCHOFIELD. informal conference was held between the President and the commissioners. The Presi- dent refused to entertain any propositions which were not based upon the unconditional submission of the Southern States to the authority of the Union, and as the commis- sioners had no authority from their govern- ment to enter into any such arrangement the conference accomplished nothing. In the meantime, however, Admiral Porter, undaunted by the failure of Butler to take Fort Fisher, had remained off the fort with his fleet and had asked for troops to renew the attempt. The s.inie force that Butler had commanded, with fifteen hundred additional men, was placed under Gen- eral Terry's command and ordered to join Por- ter. This force arrived off Fort Fisher on the twelfth of January, and on the morning of the thirteenth accomplished its landing with success. A terrible fire was rained upon the fort by the fleet during the thirteenth and fourteenth, and on the fourteenth a daring re- k^onnoissance of the Union force revealed the fact that the fort had been severely damaged by this bombardment. The trenches of the Union army were pushed rapidl)' ':hrough the sand to within two hundred yards of Fort Fisher in order to attract the atten- tion of the garrison, and on the fifteenth a feint was. made by a force of sailo."s and marines from the fleet in this direction. At the same time the troops under General Terry stormed the fort from the land side, and after a hard hand- to-hand struggle of aboi;t five hours, during which each traverse was carried in succession by a separate fight, Fort Fisher was captured. PORTKAITt^ OF T Knt?RAL CAVALRY COMMANDERS. 773 774 THK CIVIL WAR. On the sixteenth and seventeenth the Con- federates blew up their other works at the mouth of the Cape Fear and retreated towards Wihnington. The mouth of the river was now in the possession of the Fed- eral forces, and the last port of the South was closed. A number of blockade runners, igno- rant of the capture, ran into the river and fell into the hands of the victors. Later in the month, General J. M. Schofield was placed in command of the department of North Carolina, and on the twenty-second of Feb- ruary occupied the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, with his troops. "J^-^^Si INTERIOR OF FORT STEADMAN. Sherman, after the capture of Savannah, allowed his army a month's rest on the coast, and towards the end of January moved northward through South Carolina towards Virginia. His force was sixty thousand strong and moved in four columns, covering a front of fifty miles. His route was marked by the same desolation he had spread through Georgia. The roads were in a horrible con- dition, and in many places the men were forced to wade through the icy waters up to the armpits. Still he pressed on right into the heart of the Confederacy. On the seven- teenth of February he reached Columbia, South Carolina, having destroyed the rail- road leading north from Charleston. General Hardee, commanding the Con- federate forces at Charleston, apprehensive of being shut up in that city, which was utterly unprepared for a siege, evacuated Charleston and its defences on the seven- teenth of February and retreated northward to join General Johnston in North Carolina. The next day Charleston was occupied by the Federal forces. Fort Sumter was also taken possession of at the same time. The fort was a mass of ruins ; the city was not much better off. It had suffered severely from the bombardment to which it had been subjected since the fall of Fort Wagner, and the Confederates upon their withdrawal had set fire to a considerable part of it. From Columbia, Sherman moved to- wards Fayetteville, North Carolina, driv- ing back the Confederate forces that resisted his progress, and entered that place on the twelfth of March. From Fayetteville he moved towards Golds- borough. The Coiifetlerate government, in the emergency to which it was reduced, was obliged to reappoint General Joseph E. Johnston to the command of the force assembling in Sher.nan's front. Johns- ton succeeded in collecting about thirty-five thousand troops.with which he attacked Sher- man at Averasborough on the sixteenth of March, and again at Bentonville on the nine- teenth. The Confederates fought with their old enthusiasm in these encounters, but were unable to stay the progress of the Federal army, and on the twenty-third of March Sherman occupied Goldsborough. Johnston withdrew towards Raleigh. At Goldsborough Sherman was joined by the forces of Gen- erals Schofield and Terry, which had come up from the coast. The armies of Grant and Lee had lain con fronting each other during the winter. General Lee had little hope of maintaining ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 775 his position after the opening of hostilities. I destroyed the railroad between Charlottes- His army was growing weaker from sickness | ville and Lynchburg for about forty miles and desertion, and no more men could be obtained. The Con- federate Congress made a feeble effoit during the winter to enlist negro troops in its service, but with singular recklessness refused to offer the boon of freedom to such of the blacks as would take up arms. That body believed that the negroes would fight for their own enslavement Early having been driven out of the val- ley. General Sheridan was ordered to start from Winchester with a column often thou- sand cavalry, and cut the communications of Lee's army by rail- road and telegraph north and east of Rich- mond. He left Win- chester on the twenty- seventh of February, and defeating Early's force at Waynesbor- ough, broke the Vir- ginia Central Railroad it that point and moved to Charlottes ville, which surrend- ered to him. He then divided his force into positions of the armies near Petersburg, va. two columns and resumed his " ride " on I and the canal between Richmond and the sixth of March. He most thoroughly I Lynchburg shared the same fate for a jy6 THE CIVIL WAR. considerable distance. Being unable to cross the James above Richmond on account of the high water, he moved around the north of Richmond, crossed the river at Deep Bottom and joined Grant before Petersburg on the twenty-sixth of March. He had utterly laid waste the country along his route. The arrival of this splendid force of cavalry was of the greatest service to Grant, as we shall see. The situation nf Gnural Lee's army was GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. growmg more critical every day. He had less than forty thousand troops. He was fully convinced of the necessity of abandon- ing Richmond and Petersburg, and was anx- ious to do so at once, and unite his army with that of General Johnston and occupy a new position in the interior of the South. In order to secure the withdrawal of his army, he determined to make a vigorous attack upon Grant's right, hoping to compel him, in order to help his right, to draw back his left wing, which was in dangerous pro.ximity to the road by which Lee wished to retreat Could he succeed in this effort, he meant to evacuate his position at Petersburg and retire towards Danville, where he hoped to unite with General Johnston. On the twenty-fifth of March, he made a heavy attack upon Fort Steadman, on the right of Grant's line, and captured it. The Federal forces rallied, however, and drove the Confederates from the captured works back to their own line, inflicting upon them a loss of three thousand men. Lee had now no alternative but to await the move- ments of General Grant, as he could not afford to make the sacrifice of men which a renewal of his efforts would require of him. General Grant lost no time in taking the field. By the last of March, his army, numbering about one hundred and seventy thousand men, including Sheridan's mag- nificent cavalry division, was in readiness to begin the campaign. On the twenty- ninth of March, the advance of the Federal army was begun. Leaving the bulk of his army before Petersburg, Grant sent a col- umn of twenty-five thousand men to turn the Confederate right and seize the South- side railroad, Lee's only means of com- munication with Johnston's army and the country in his rear. By the morning of the thirtieth, the Federal left had gotten fairly to the right of the Confederates. On the thirtieth, a heavy storm prevented a further advance, and Lee took advantage of the delay to reinforce his right wing with all the troops he could spare. On the thirty- first, he attempted to drive back the Federal left, but without success. While this battle was going on, Sheridan swung around the Confederate right and seized the important position of Five Forks. Lee then sent Pick- ett's and Johnston's divisions to recover this point, and they drove off the cavalry, and \ ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 777 occupied Five Forks at night-fall on the thirty-first. Being joined by the Fifth corps, Sheridan attacked the Confederates on the morning of the first of April, and defeated them after a determined encounter, taking over five thousand prisoners. As soon as Sheridan had secured Five Forks, Grant opened a heavy artillery fire upon the lines of Petersburg along his whole front, and continued the bombardment through the night. On the morning of the second of April he made a determined attack upon Lee's line and broke it at several points. Gen- eral Lee was now forced to assume a new and shorter line immediately around Petersburg. The Federal army made a vigorous effort to force its way into the city, but "vas unsuccessful. The fate of Petersburg was now decided. It was impossible to hold it longer. On the night of tin; second of April Gen- eral Lee withdiew his army fruin Richmond and Petersburg and re- treated in the direction of Amelia Court-house. His intention was to move towards Danville and endeavor to join Johnston. His retreat was discovered on the morning of the third of April, and the Federal army, leaving a small force to occupy Petersburg, set off in pursuit, following the line of the Southside Railroad. On the morning of the third the withdrawal of the Confederates from the lines of Rich- mond was discovered by General Weitzel commanding the Federal forces on the north side of the James. He at once advanced and occupied the city of Richmond, a large part of which was in flames as he entered it, hav- ing been set on fire by the Confederates upon their evacuation of it. Thus fell the Confed- erate capital after four long years of bloody war for its possession. Upon reaching Amelia Court-house Gen- eral Lee found that the supplies he had ordered to be sent there from Danville were not to be had. The trains sent from Danville by his instructions had been ordered to Rich- mond to remove the property of the Confed- erate government, and had not been allowed THE LAST CAVALRY CHARGE OF THE WAR. to unload their stores at Amelia Court-house. This was a terrible blow to Lee, who was now unable to furnish food to his troops, who had eaten nothing since the commencement of the retreat. Parties were sent into the sur- rounding country to obtain supplies, and this consumed the whole of the fourth and fifth of April, which Lee had hoped to spend in pushing on beyond his pursuers. The delay enabled Sheridan, with eighteen thousand mounted men, to seize the Confed- erate line of retreat at Jetersville. This 778 THE CIVIL WAR. movement put an end to Lee's hope of reach- ing Danville and joining Johnston. A battle was impossible, for Sheridan had a force nearly equal to his own, and Grant was hurrying on with the rest of the Federal army. General Lee therefore turned off and retreated towards Farniville, hoping to be able to reach Lynch- burg, but Sheridan, after passing Farniville, pushed forward again, and by a forced march reached Appomattox Station, on the South- side Railroad, on the night of the eighth, and planted his force squarely across the Confed- erate line of retreat. Surrender of General Lee. The next morning Lee, when near Appo- mattox Court-house, discovered this obstacle in his way, and about the same time Sheridan was joined by the Army of the James, under General Ord, while the Army of the Poto- mac, under General Meade, was closing in fast upon Lee's rear. General Lee had now but eight thousand men with arms in their hands. The bulk of his forces, being too much broken down by fatigue and hunger to keep their places in their ranks, accompa- nied the regiments in a disorganized mass. As soon as he discovered Sheridan in his front, Lee attempted to cut his way through his lines, but failing in this effort, and being convinced that further resistance would merely be a useless sacrifice of his mea he asked for a suspension of hostilities, and went to meet General Grant. The two commanders met at a house near Appomattox Court-house, and after a brief interview arranged the terms of the surren- der. General Grant treated the beaten army with great liberality. The hungry Confed- erates were fed by the victors, and after laying down their arms were permitted to return to their homes. In order that the men might betake themselves as soon as possible to the cultivation of the soil, and so avoid the suffering which the failure ol llic harvest would entail upon the South, Gen- eral Grant released all captured l>orses which were identified as the property of the sol- diers surrendering them. The terms of the surrender were arranged on the ninth of April. On the twelfth the Army of Northern Virginia formed in divis- ions for the last time, and marching to a des- ignated spot near Appomattox Court-house^ laid down its arms, and disbanded. About seventy-five hundred men with arms, and about eighteen thousand unarmed strag- glers, took part in the surrender. The Fed- eral troops treated their vanquished oppo- nents with true soldierly kindness, and care- fully refrained from everything which might seem to insult the valor that had won their earnest admiration. Terms of Surrender. The following is a detailed account of the correspondence which passed between Gen- erals Grant and Lee, and a full statement of thj terms upon which the Confederate Gen- eral surrendered his army. On the evening of April 7th Lee received Grant's first letter " April 7th, 1865. "General: The result of the last week must con- vince you of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood, by asking of you the sur- render of that portion of the Confederate States army known as the Army of Northern Virginia. ■' U. S. GRANT, Lieut.-General. "General R. E. Lee." To this letter Lee wrote an immediate answc ; but it was not until the following morning that it reached Grant at Farmville. It was couched in these words : " April 7th, 1865. "General: I have received your note of this date. Though not entertaining the opinion you ex- press of the hopelessness of further resistance on the ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 77.is army ; but as the res- toration of peace should be the sole object of all, I desire to know whether your proposals would tend to that end. I cannot, therefore, meet you with o view to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia; but so far as your proposition may affect the Confed- erate States forces under my command, and tend to the restoration of peace, I should be pleased to meei 78o THE CIVIL WAR. you at ten A. M., to-morrow, on the old stage-road to Richmond, between the picket-lines of the two armies. " R. E. I.EE, General. ■'Lieut.-General II. S. Grant.'' This note was received by ("nant about midnight; and he replied next iiuuning in the following terms : " April 8th, 1865. ' General : ^'our note of yesterday is received. GENERAL JOHN B. GORDON. As 1 have no authority to treat on the subject of peace, the meeting proposed for ten A. M., to-day, could lead to no good. I will state, however. Gen- eral, that I am equally anxious for peace with your- self; and the whole North entertain the same feel- ing. The terms upon which peace can be had are well understood. By the South laying down their arms they will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and hundreds of millions of property not yet destroyed. Sincerely hoping that all our difficulties may be settled with- out the loss of another life, I subscribe myself, " U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. " General R. E. Lee." As soon as he had finished this letter Grant left Meade in charge of the Second and Sixth corps and hurried on to join Sheridan and Griffin. While the letter was on its way, and before the General-in-chief had joined the one or the other, further parley had become unnecessary. Sheridan had already settled the question. On the morning of the eighth, after a forced march of about thirty miles, his advance, under Custer, had reached Appomatto.x Station, about four miles to the south of Appomat- tox Court House. Tee's vanguard ha! just arrived wilh (our trains of cars, laden with supplies. Custer Makes a Dash. Custer, with lightning-like rapidity, dashed upon the rear of the trains, and cap- tured them. Supported by Devin, who had come uj), he then rushed with fierce energy on the vanguard, and drove it back to Ap- pomattox Court House, near which was the main body of Lee's army. Twenty-five guns, a hospital train, a large number of ad- ditional wagons, with many prisoners, were captured by the National cavalry. Sheridan, hurrying forward with the remainder of his command, flung himself across the line cf Lee's retreat, with the determination of hold- ing his ground at any and every risk until the morning, when, he knew, he would be joined by Ord, and the Army of the James, and by Griffin with the Fifth corps. He knew also that by that time, Meade, with the Second and Si.xth corps, would be well forward and able to fall with effect on the Confederate rear. Such was the situation of affairs on the night of the eighth. Lee was completely cut off from his own line of retreat. Brave and resolute to the last, and believing that he had notning but cavalry in front of him, he ADMINISTRATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 781 decided to make an attempt, at least, to cut through Sheridan's lines. Early on the morning of the ninth Lee was ready to carry out his purpose. His heart, however, must have bled within him, when he looked around him, and beheld the wretched remnant of what was once the proud and invincible army of Northern Vir- ginia. It consisted of two thin lines — the one composed of what was left of Hill's, now Gordon's command, the other of the wreck of Longstreet's corps. Between these lines were the debris of the wagon-train, and some thousands of miserable creatures who were too weak to ^_ carry arms. Lee gave orders to Gordon to cut his way through, at all hazards. The charge was made with tremendous energy. Such, in truth, was the violence of the shock, and so persistent was the pressure, that Sheridan's men who had dismounted to resist the attack, were forced back. At this critical moment, Sher- idan, who had been to Appomat- tox Station for ;he purpose of hurrying forward Ord, arrived on the scene of action. Knowing well the purpose of the enemy, and keenly alive to the value of time, he directed his troopers to fall back gradually, but to continue to offer a firm and steady resistance, so as to allow Ord, with his infantry, to come up and form his lines. This done, they were to move to the right and mount. Sheridan's orders were admirably executed. As soon as the cavalry moved towards their own right, the Confed- erates beheld to their amazement, the glit- tering arms and serried ranks oi the in- fantry. The unlooked-for vision had all the effect of a stunning and unexpected blow The Confederates immediately discontinued their pressure, and began to give way. The Na- tional infantry were now pressing upon the confused and bewildered multitude. Sheridan had ridden round to the Confederate left flank ; his bugles had sounded the order to remount, and he was just about to fall with all his weight on the already disordered mass, when a flag of truce was presented to Custer who led the advance. Sheridan rode to Appomattox Court House, where he was met by General Gordon and General Wilco.x. Gordon asked for a suspension of hostilities, 1111 McLLAi, liuU.->h. and informed Sheridan that Grant and Lee were, even now, making arrangements fort. ' Upon attaining manhood he married, and continued his studies under the direction of his wife, supporting his family in the mean time by his trade. He was subsequently chosen alderman of hia town, and with this election entered upon his political career. 790 Studing law he abandoned tailoring, and devoted himself to legal pursuits and politics. He was succesively chosen mayor, member of the legislature, presidential elector, and State senator. He was twice elected gover- nor of Tennessee, and three times a senator of the United States from that State. Upon the secession of Tennessee tioai the Uniun he refused to relinquish his seat in the Senate, and remained faithful to the cause of the Union throughout the war, wining consider- able reputation during the struggle by ins services in behalf of the national cause. He was an earnest, honest-hearted man, who sincerely desired to do his duty to the country. His mistakes were due to his tem- perament, and proceeded from no desire to serve his own interests or those of any party. In his public life he was incorruptible. A man of ardent nature, strong convictions, and indomitable will, it was not possible that he should avoid errors, or fail to stir up a warm and determined opposition to his policy. The first duty devolving upon the new administration was the disbanding of the army, which at the close of the war numbered over a million of men. It was prophesied by foreign nations, and feared by- many per- sons at home, that the sudden return of such a large body of men to the pursuits of civil ADMINISTRATION OF ANDREW JOHNSON. 791 imposed taxes upon manufactured articles, .('fe would be attended with serious evils, but both the Union and the Confederate soldiers went back quietly and readily to their old avocatiopj. Thus did these citizen-soldiers give to the. world a splendid exhibition of the triumph of law and order in a free country, and a proof of tile "otability of our institutions. Two questions — both difficult and de- licate — presented themselves for settle- ment by the govern- ment. In June, 1865, the war debt amount- ed to ^2,700,000,000. The interest on this sumwas$ 1 33,000,000, and was nearly all pay- able in gold. The gov- ernment was called upon to raise the latter amount to pay the interest on its bonds, and at the same time *.o take measures to .;trengthen the confi- dence of the bond- holders in the security of their investments. The latter object was accomplished by a solemn resolution of the House of Repre- sentatives, adopted with but one dissent- ing voice on the fifth of December, 1865, pledging the faith oftne nation to the payment of the public debt, " principal and interest." In order to provide for the immediate wants of the government Congress levied additional duties on imported articles, and incomes, etc. These burdensome imposts were cheerfully submitted to by the people, and a revenue of over $300,000,000 was raised, providing not only for the payment of the interest on the debt, and of the current ANDREW JOHNSON. I expenses of the government, but also leaving a large surplus, which was applied to the reduction of the national debt. In the year 1866, " before all the e.xtra troops called out by the war had been discharged, the debt had been diminished more than thirty-one 7-92 THE CIVIL WAR. millions of dollars " — a striking proof of the ibility as well as the willingness of the nation ;o discharge its financial obligations. During the remainder of Mr. Johnson's term this policy was faithfully adhered to under the able guidance of Hugh McCulloch, secretary of the treasury. ' which he claimed they had no power to renounce. Now that they had submit- ted to the authority they had formerly endea- vored to reject, he claimed that they were entitled to immediate restoration to their old places in the Union. In support of his position he quoted tin RUINS OF RICHMOND AULK JIM W \K The other question demanding immediate attention was the adjustment of the relations of the States of the South to the Union. The President held that they had never been out of the Union but had simply been in insur- rection, and had been brought back to the acknowledgment of their allegiance to the constitution and laws of the United States, solemn declaration of Congress in the sum- mer of 1 86 1, and the assurances of Mr. Lincoln's administration that the war was fought for the restoration of the Union, and not for purposes of conquest. In accordance v/ith these declarations, provisional govern- ments had been formed in some of the South- ern States and their representatives had been ADMINISTRATION OF ANDREW JOHNSON. 793 admited to Congress during the progress of the war. A considerable party in the North supported President Johnson in this position ; Dut the Republican party, now the dominant political organization of the United States, opposed his views with great determination. The Republicans insisted that the results of the war should be secured by stringent laws, and that the Southern States, before their admission into the Union, should be Preside, t Johnson, however, proceeded alone and without delay to the work oi restoring the Southern States to their places in the Union. On the twenty-ninth of May, 1865, he issued a proclamation appointing a provisional governor for the State of North Carolina, and providing for the assembling of a convention in that State for the purpose of forming a new constitution, under which the State would be recognized by him as 3 FORT WARREN, BOSTON HARBOR. compelled to give guarantees for the perpet- uation of these results. The Republican party, moreover, claimed that the work of reconstructing the Union properly belonged to the legislative branch of the government and not to the President. Had the President summoned Congress in extra session and sought the aid of that body in the task before him, a conciliatory policy might have been agreed upon, and the work of recon- struction have been completed without delay. member of the Federal Union. In the mean- time North Carolina was kept under military rule. A similar course was pursued by the President towards the States of Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississipi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. The people of the ten Southern States held conventions in accordance with the President's requirements, annulled their or- dinances of secession, renewed their obliga- tions to the Federal Union, adopted new 794 THE CIVIL WAR. State constitutions, and ratifiefl the thirteenth amendement to the constitution of the United States prohibiting slavery forever in all the States of the Union. They also elected sen- ators and representatives to Congress, and were recognized by the President as formally restored to their places in the Federal Union. On the first of February, 1865, Congress passed a resolution submitting to the legisla- tures of the various States the following amendement to the constitution : "Article XIII. Section i. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly con- victed, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. " Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." On the eighteenth of December, William H. Seward, Secretary of State, formally an- nounced that this, the thirteenth amendment, had been duly ratified by the States, and had become a part of the constitution of the United States. The ratification of this amend- ment had been required of the Southern States by the President as a condition of their readimission into the Union. The Thirty-ninth Congress met in Decem- bre, 1865, and at once took measures to neutralize the reconstruction policy of the President. The Republican party had a large majority in each house, and was thor- oughly united in its opposition to the Presi- dent. The senators and representatives of the Southern States were refused admission to seats in Congress, and the reconstruction measures of the President were treated as null and void. Congress insisted that the Union should not be " restored " as it was before the war, but " reconstructed " upon an entirely new basis. The measures of the President had made no change in the political status of the black population of the South. Tl^ negroes were secured in their freedom by the thirteenth amendment. Congress now proceeded to make the negro a citizen of the United States, and to reconstruct the Union upon this basis. The following, known as the fourteenth amendment to the constitution, was adopted by Congress and proposed to the States for ratification : " Article XIV. Section i. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United blates ; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. "Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respec- tive numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed ; but when the right to vote at any election, for the choice of electors for President and vice-President of the United States, representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a State or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State (being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States), or in any way abridged except for participa- tion in rebellion or other crime, the basis of repre- sentation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age, in said State. "Section j. No person shall be a senator or repre- sentative in Congress, or elector of President and vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States or as a member of any State legislature, or as an execu- tive or judicial officer of any State, to support the constitution of the United States, shall have en- gaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof; but Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. "Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States authorized by law, including debt* ADMINISTRATION OF ANDREW JOHNSON. 795 incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned ; but neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebel- lion against tlie United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave ; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void. "Sectio7i J. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article." This amendement was rejected by all the Southern States except Tennessee, and by several of the North- ern States. Tennessee ratified the amend- ment, and was admit- ted by Congress into the Union. Congress at this session enacted what is known as the " Freedman's Bureau Bill," creating a de- partment under the Federal Government for the care and pro- tection of the newly emancipated negroes and the destitute whites of the South. This measure was ve- toed by the President as unconstitutional, and was passed over his veto. It was immediately put in operation throughout the South. While the Freed- man's Bureau did much to assist the negro in adapting himself to the duties of his new position, it was productive of an immense amount of corruption and fraud. Another measure of Congress which was vetoed by the President upon constitutional grounds, and was passed over his veto, was the " Civil Rights Bill," which secured to the negro the rights of a citizen. As the quarrel between the President and Congress deepened, various efforts were made by the latter to hamper the executive and impair his powers. The Thirty-ninth Con- gress adopted for this purpose a measure known as the " Tenure of Olifice Act," by the terms of which the President was forbid- den to remove any person from a civil office under the government without the consent of the Senate. This bill was promptly vetoe(^ by the President, but was passed over his veto by the Congress. LINCOLN MONUMENT IN FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILADELPH LA. On the first of March, 1867, a new State was added to the Union by the admission of Nebraska on an equality with the original thirteen States — four of which were at that time undergoing the process of reconstruc- tion. In February, 1867, Congress proceeded to take extreme measures with the Southern States that had refused to ratify the four- teenth amendment. The State governments were abolished, the State ofificers removed. 796 THE CIVIL WAR. and the Southern States were organized as military districts, and placed under absolute martial law. The writ of habeas corpus was suspended, and the civil law was made to give place to the will of a military com- mander. This was done with the avowed intention of compelling the Southern States to ratify the fourteenth amendment and seek admission into the Union upon the terms prescribed by Congress. Bitter Hostility in the South. The effect of the measures of Congress was to disfranchise the better class of the South- ern people, and to confer the unrestricted right of suffrage upon the negroes. The mtelligence of the Southern States was denied any voice in their government, which was intrusted to the most ignorant and degraded part of their population. The measures of Congress were regarded with bitter hostility by the South, and there were very many of the more thoughtful Republicans of the North who seriously doubted the wisdom of this method of reconstruction. The mea- sures of Congress were vetoed by the Presi- dent, but were passed over his veto, March 2, 1867. Upon the organization of the military dis- tricts, the commanding generals, who, as a rule, exercised their power with moderation and forbearance, caused a registry of voters to be made, and ordered elections to be held for conventions to form State governments. The conventions so elected could not in any case be said to represent the white people of the South. After a bitter and protracted struggle, some of the conventions ratified tiie fourteenth amendment, and organized State governments. On the twenty-fourth of June, 1867, Congress passed a bill over the President's veto admiting the States of Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louis- iana, North Carolina, and South Carolina into the Union, Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas, having refused to ratify the amend- ment, were denied admission into the Union. The fourteenth amendment having becf adopted by the requisite number of States was formally declared a part of the constitu- tion on the twenty-eighth of July, 1868. Attempt to Impeach the President. In the meantime the quarrel between the President and Congress came to a decisive issue. The extreme or radical wing of the Republican party, comprising the majority in Congress, was anxious to remove Mr. Johnson from his position. Could it succeed in doing so, Benjamin Wade, of Ohio, the President of the Senate, would, by virtue 0} his office, become President of the United States. As Mr. Wade was one of the ex- treme radical leaders, this would place the whole power o*" the government in the hands of that party. A quarrel be- tween the President and Mr. Stanton, the Secretary of War, furnished the occasion for this effort. On the twelfth of August, 1867, Secretary Stanton was removed from the war department by President Johnson, who ap- pointed General Grant Secretary of War ad interim. Upon the meeting of Congress, in December, 1867, the President's course was denounced as a violation of the tenure of office act, and on the twelfth of January, 1868, the Senate refused to sanction the removal of Mr. Stanton. Mr. Stanton thereupon de- manded of General Grant the surrender of the war department, and the latter at once complied with the demand. On the twenty-first of February, President Johnson again removed Mr. Stanton, and appointed General Lorenzo Thomas, adjutant- general of the United States, Secretary of War ad interim. He held the tenure of office act to be unconstitutional, and an invasion of his lawful powers as chief magistrate o^ ADMINISTRATION OF ANDREW JOHNSON. the Republic. This second removal of Mr. Stanton brought matters to a crisis, and on the twenty-fourth of February, 1 868, the House of Representatives, by a strict party vote, ordered the President to be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors.* The Senate, siting as a high court of impeach- ment, met on the fifth of March, 1868, under the presidency of Chief-Justice Chase. The impeachment was conducted by managers appointed by the House, and the President was defended by able counsel. On the twenty-sixth of May, the case being closed, the vote was taken, with the following result : For conviction, thirty-four; for acquittal, nineteen. There not being the requisite two-thirds vote for conviction, the President was acquitted. Jefferson Davis Releasd on Bail. Jefferson Davis had been confined in For- tress Monroe since his capture by the Federal forces, in May, 1865. All the Confederate officials taken by the Union forces had been released within a year after their capture on giving their parole to answer any prosecution that might be brought against them by the Federal authorities. Mr. Davis was ex- cepted from this clemency, and remained in 797 prison for two years. A prosecution for treason was instituted against him in the district court of Virginia, but he was not brought to trial. A number of prominent citizens of the North who had been so active in their support of the war that their motives could not be suspected, ex- erted themselves to procure his release on bail, and became his sureties. He was ac- cordingly released on bail on the thirteenth of May, 1867. During the following year the indictment against him was quashed by the government. During the latter part of the civil war a vexatious and bloody warfare with the Indians broke out on the frontier. It began in 1864, and e.xtended through 1865 and 1866, and until the fall of 1868 its ravages were spread along the frontier through Southern Colorado into the Indian Territory, causing severe suffering to the settlers of this region. By the winter of i865-'66 the war had assumed such formidable proportions that General Sheridan was sent with a con- siderable force against the savages. The vigorous measures of Sheridan, and General Custer's victory over the band of Black Kettle at Wacheta, brought the war to a close in the fall of 1868. * The charges against the President may be summed up as follows : I. Unlawfully ordering the removal of Mr. Stanton from the office of Secretary of War, in violation of the provisions of the tenure of office act. 2. The unlawful appointment of General Lorenzo Thomas as Secretary of War ad interim. 3. Conspiring with General Thomas and other persons ti prevent Edwin M. Stanton, the lawfully appointed Secretaiy of War, from holding that office. 5. Conspiring with General Thomas and other persons to hinder the operation of the tenure of office act; and in pusuance of this conspiracy attempting to prevent Mr. Stanton from acting as Secretary of War. 6. Conspiring with General Thomas and others to take forcible possession of the property in the war department. 7- The President was charged with having called before him the commander of the troops in the department of Washington, and declaring to him that a law passed on the thirtieth of June, 1867, directing that " all orders and instructions relating to military operations, issued by the President or Secretary of War, shall be issued through the general of the army, and in case of his inability, through the next in rank," was unconstitutional, and not binding upon the commander of the department of Washington, the design being to induce that commander to violate the law, and obey orders issued directly from the President. 8. That in a number of public speeches the President had attempted to set aside the authority of Congress, to bring it into disgrace, and to excite the hatred and resentment of the people against Congress and the laws enacted by it. 9. That in August, 1S66, in a public speech in Washington, the President had declared that Congress was not a body authorized by the constitution to exercise legislative powers. Then followed a specification of alleged attempts on the part of the President to prevent the execution of the laws of Congress. The impeachment articles were eleven in number. The other two were simply repetkious of some of the above charges. 798 THE CIVIL WAR. While the civil war was at its height, France, England and Spain became involved in a quarrel with Mexico concerning the non- payment of certain claims due citizens of those countries by the Mexican republic. the fourth of March, 1862, and withdrew their forces. The French, however, continued the war, and after a hard struggle, during which the Mexicans fought gallantly for their country^ EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN. and a joint expedition was despatched to Mexico in the fall of 1861. Discovering that France was seeking to use the expe- dition to destroythe independence of Mexico, England and Spain settled their claims with the republic by the convention nf Solidad, on Me.xico was conquered, and early in June 1863, the French army entered the capital. The emperor of the French now proceeded to overthrow the republic, it being hi.« intention to replace it with an empire which should be dependent upon France. An ADMINISTRATION OF ANDREW JOHNSON. election was held, and under the intimidation of the French, resulted in a majority in favor of the abolition of the republic and the erection of the empire. Through the same influence, the Mexicans chose Maximilian, archduke of Austria, emporer of Mexico, and in an evil hour for himself, that amiable and high-souled prince accepted the crown. The government of the United States had viewed the interference of France in Mexican affairs with marked displeasure, but being too much engaged in its efforts to bring the civil war to a successful close to undertake any new difficulty, simply entered its protest against the action of France. The civil war having been brouglit to a close, however, it took a bolder stand, and demanded of the French emporer the withdrawal of his troops from Mexico. The action of the gov- ernment was sustained by the great mass of the American people, and it was believed by many that a foreign war would be a sure and speedy way of bringin toration of the Union. The Emperor Napoleon hesitated for a while, but finally acceded to the American demand. The French troops were recalled at the close of the year 1 866, and the Emperor Maximilian was left to face the Mexican people alone. They at once rose against him, defeated his forces and took him prisoner. On the nineteenth of June, 1867, he was shot by order of the Mexican government, in spite of the efforts of the United States to save him. Thus ended the hope of reviving 799 the American the dominion of France on continent. The efforts of the gentlemen interested in the laying of a teles^raphic cable across the Atlantic did not end with their failures in 1858. In 1865 the same company succeeded in laying a cable for about fourteen hundred miles from the Irish coast, when it suddenly parted and sank into the sea. The expe- dition then returned to England. Undis- mayed by this failure, Mr. Cyrus W. Field, of New York, to whose courage and deter- mination the final success of the scheme was NATIVES OF ALASKA BUILDING HOUSES, about the res- due, succeeded in persuading capitalists to make one more effort, and in July, 1866, a cable was laid from Valentia Bay, in Ireland, to Heart's Content, in Newfoundland, a dis- tance of eighteen hundred and sixty-four miles. It was found to work to the entire satisfaction of all parties, and the great enter- prise was now an accomplished fact. The fleet then sailed from Newfoundland to the spot where the cable of 1865 had parted in mid-ocean, and proceeded to grap- ple for it. It was recovered and raised from a depth of over two miles, and was then 8oo THE CIVIL WAR. splicea to tlio coil on board the " Great Eastern," the ship employed in the under- taking. The huge steamer then put about, and completed the laying of the cable to Heart's Content, thus giving the company two working lines. The completion of the work was hailed with rejoicings in both America and Europe. Purchase of Russian America. On thetwenty-ninthof March, 1867, atreaty was concluded between the United States and Russia, by which the latter power sold to the United States for the sum of seven mil- lion two hundred thousand dollars, all of the region in the extreme northwestern part of the American continent known as Russian America. The treaty was ratified by the Senate on the ninth of April. The new territory added to the area of the United States a district of about five hundred and seventy-seven thousand three hundred and ninety square miles. In the same year a treaty was negotiated with China, through an embassy from that ;ountry, which visited the United States under the charge of Anson Burlingame, for- merly the American Minister to China. It was the first instance in which that e.xclusive nation had ever sought to negotiate a treaty of commerce and friendship with a foreign nation. Liberty of conscience to Americans residing in China, protection of their property and persons and important commercial privi- leges were secured by this treaty. In 1 866 the Fenians, a secret society, organ- ized for the purpose of delivering Ireland from British rule, invaded Canada in large numbers from Buffalo, New York, and St. Albans, Vermont. President Johnson at once issued his proclamation declaring the Fenian movement a violation of the neutrality of the United States, and sent General Meade with a sufficient force to the border to execute the laws. This decisive action put an end to the hopes of the Fenians of embroiling this coun- try in hostilities with Great Britain, and after some slight encounters with the British troops in Canada they abandoned the expedition. During President Johnson's administration, two distinguished public servants passed awa\-. On the twent\'-ninth of May, 1866, Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, the vet- eran conqueror of Mexico, died at the age of eighty years. On the first of June, 1868, ex-President James Buchanan died at his home at Wheatland, near Lancaster, Penn- sylvania, in the seventy-eighth year of his In the fall of 1 868, the presidential election was held. The Republican party nominated General Ulysses S. Grant, the commanding- general of the army, for the presidency, and Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, for the vice- presidency. The Democratic party nomin- ated Horatio Seymour, of New York, for the presidency, and Frank P. Blair, of Missouri, for the vice-presidency. The election resulted in the choice of General Grant by a popula: vote of 2,985,031 to 2,648,830 votes cast for Mr. Seymour. In the electoral college, Grant received two hundred and seventeen votes and Seymour, seventy-seven. The States of Virginia, Mississippi and Texas were not allowed to take part in this election, being still out of the Union. In February, 1869, the two houses of Con- gress adopted the fifteenth amendment to the constitution of the United States, and sub- mitted it to the various States for ratification by them. It was in the following words: " The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by tiie United States, o any State, on account (if race, color, or previous condition of servi- tude." CHAPTER XLIV. The Administration of Ulysses S. Grant. ~,ariy Life of President Grant — Completion of the Pacific Railway — Death of ex-President Pierce — The Fifteenth Amendment Ratified — Prosperity of the Country — The Enforcement Act — The Test-oath Abolished — The Constitu tionality of the Legal Tender Act Affirmed — Death of Admiral Farragut — Death of General Lee--The Income Tax Repealed — The Alabama Claims — Treaty of Washington — The Geneva Conference — Award in favor of the United States — The San Juan Boundary Question settled — Efforts to annex St. Domingo — Burning of Chicago — Forest Fires — The Civil Disabilities removed from the Southern People — Re-election of General Grani — Death of Horace Greeley — Great fire at Boston — The Modoc War — Murder of General Canby and the Peace Commissioners — Execution of the Modoc Chiefs — The Cuban Revolution — Capture of the "Virginius" — Execution of the Prisoners — Action of the Federal Government —The Panic of 1873 — Bill for the Resumption of Specie Payments — The Centennial Exhibition — The Sioux War — Death of General Custer — Presidential Election — Controversy overit — The Electoral Commission — The Count of the Vote — Hayes declared elected ULYSSES S. GRANT, the eigh- teenth president of the United States, was inaugurated at Wash- ington with imposing ceremonies, on the fourth of March, 1869. He was born at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, on the twenty- seventh of April, 1822. His father was a tanner, and wished him to follow his trade, but the boy had more ambitious hopes, and at the age of seventeen, a friend secured for him an appointment as a cadet at West Point, where he was educated. Upon graduating, he entered the army. Two years later he was sent to Mexico, and sensed through the war with that country with distinction. He was specially noticed by his commanders, and was promoted for gallant conduct. Soon after the close of the war he resigned his commission, and remained in civil life and obscurity until the breaking out of the civil war, when he volunteered his services, and was commissioned by Governor Yates, col- onel of the twenty-first Illinois regiment. He was soon made a brigadier-general, and fought his first battle at Belmont. His sub- sequent career has already been related in these pages. He selected the members of his cabinet more because of his personal 51 friendship for them, than for their weight and influence in the party that had elected him. Hamilton Fish, of New York, was made sec- retary of state. The most important event of the year 1869, was the opening of the Pacific rail- way from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. The eastern division of this road is known as the Union Pacific railwaj-, and was begun at Omaha, Nebraska, in December, 1863, and carried westward. But little prog- ress was made in the work until 1865, when it was pushed rapidly forward. The western division, known as the Central Pacific rail- way, was begun at San Francisco, near about the same time, and carried eastward across the Sierra Nevada. The two roads unite at Ogden, near Salt Lake City, in Utah, and the union was accomplished on the tenth of May, 1869, on which day the last rail was laid. The Union Pacific railway, from Omaha to Ogden, is one thousand and thirty-two miles in length ; the Central Pacific, from Ogden to San Francisco, eight hundred and eighty-two miles ; making a total line of nineteen hundred and fourteen miles, and constituting by far the most important rail- way enterprise in the world. 801 8oa ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. By the completion of this great road, to the construction of which the general gov- ernment contributed liberally in money and lands, Portland, Maine, and San Francisco, the extremes of the continent, are brought within a week's travel. The long and difficult journey across the plains has been dispensed with, and the traveler may now pass over this once terrible and dangerous route with speed and safety, enjoying all the while the highest comforts of the most advanced civil- ization. ULYSSES S. GRANT. The east and the west are no longer separ- ated, and the rapid development of the resources of the rich Pacific slope has more than repaid the enormous cost of the road. A direct trade with China and Japan has been opened, and the wealth of the Orient is beginning to pour into America through the portals of the Golden Gate. The shortest route to India — the dream of Columbus and the old mariners — has indeed been found. On the eighth of October, 1869, ex-Presi- dent Franklin Pierce died, at the age of sixty- five years. The fifteenth amendment, having been ratified by the necessary number of States was formally proclaimed by Hamilton Fish, secretary of state, a part of the constitution of the United States, on the thirtieth of March, 1870. In the year 1870 the ninth census of the United States was taken, and showed the population of the country to be 38,558,371 souls. The country had now attained a marked degree of prosperity. Gold fell to one hundred and ten, and during the first two years of President Grant's administration, ^204,000,000 of the national debt were paid. The effects of the war were being rapidly overcome, and the bitter feelings engendered by the struggle were giving way to a more friendly intercourse between the North and the South. The manufacturing industries of the country had nearly doubled since i860, and the five years that had elapsed since the war had witnes'jed a marked improvement in the condition of the South, '^'' which was gradually adjusting her industry upon the basis of free labor, and entering upon new and profitable enterprises of manufacture and commerce. The work of reconstruction was concluded in the year 1870. On the eighth of October 1869, the State of Virginia ratified the four- teenth and fifteenth amendments, and on the twenty-sixth of January, 1870, was read- mitted into the Union. On the eleventh of January, 1870, Mississippi ratified these amendments, and was readmitted into the Union on the seventeenth of February, 1870, Texas was the last to return to the Union, but came in during the year, having rati/^ed the amendments to the constitution. The political troubles in the South, how- ever, did not end with the return of the States ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. 803 to the Union. A great deal of lawlessness pre- vailed in many of the Southern States, and con- siderable suffering' was experienced by the negroes, whose sudden endowment with the rights and privileges of citizenship was re- sented by a lawless class of white men. The Federal goverment undertook to remedy these troubles rather than leave them to be dealt with by the States. ber issued a proclamation suspending the writ of habeas corpus in nine counties in South Carolina, in order that the law might be enforced without the interference of the Courts of the State. The evils which these severe measures were intended to remedy were unquestionably very great, but the enforcement bill was nevertheless a danger- ous departure from the principles of free VIEW ON THE GREENE RIVER AT THE CROSSING OF THE U. P. R. R., WVOMlNt In the spring of 1871 Congress passed a measure known as the " Enforcement Act," or the "KukluxAct of 1871," which gave to the Federal officials absolute power over the liberties of the citizens of the States in "/hich these troubles occurred. The Presi- dent carried out the terms of the act with promptness, and on the seventeenth of Octo- government as understood in this country. A free people cannot too jealously guard their liberties. On the thirty-first of January, 1S71, Con-, gress repealed the test oath law, which required all applicants for civil offices to swear that they had not participated in the secession movement. As few Southern men 8o4 ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. could take this oath, tliis law excluded the genuine inhabitants of the Southern States from office under the general government, and threw the political power of those States int ish Government in li ment was unsatisfactory to the Senate, which body refused to ratify it. Two years later the matter was revived, and in 1871 a joint high commission, com- posed of a number of distinguished public men, appointed by the American and British Governments, met at Washington, and arranged a settlement known as the treaty of Washington, which was ratified by both Governments. This treaty was ratified by the Senate on the twenty-fourth of May, and provided for the settlement not only of the Alabama claims, but of all other questions at issue between the United States and Great Britain. The Alabama claims were referred by the treaty of Washington to a board of arbitra- tion composed of five commissioners selected from the neutral nations. This board met at Geneva, in Switzerland, on the fifteenth oi April, 1S72, and the American and English representatives presented to it their respective cases, which had been prepared by the most learned counsel in both countries. On the HUMBOLDT PALISADES, PACIFIC RAILWAY. but this arrange- twenty-seventh of June the board announced its decision. The claims of the United States were admitted, and the damages awarded to that Government were ;gi6, 250,000. These were paid in due time. In our account of the administration of Mr. Buchanan we have related the dispute between the United States and Great Britain concerning the possession of the Island of San Juan, growing out of the uncertainty as to the true course of the northwestern bound- ary of the Union. This had been an open question all through the civil war. By the 8o6 ADMINISTRATION OF ULVSSKS S. GRANT. thirty-fourth article of the treaty of Washing- ton the two countries agreed to refer this dispute to the friendly arbitration of the Emperor of Germany. Soon after the award of the Geneva conference was made tiie boundary question was decided by tile Emper- or William in favor of the United .States, into tiie possession of which the island of San Juan accordingly passed. Thus were these delicate and dangerous (juestions satisfactor- Measures were introducoti into Congress for the purpose of securing this union, but were warmly opposed. A commission of eminent gentlemen was appointed bj' the President to visit the island and examine into its condi- tion. They reported favorably, but after a' warm debate in Congress the measures for the annexation of the Dominican republic were defeated by a decisive majorit)'. On the night of Sunday, October 8, 1871, CIIEVICNNE INDIANS KECONNOITb.KING THE FIKST TK.MN ON THE PACIFIC RAILROAD. ily adjusted b}-peacelul methoils, and not by the sword. In iS/Othe republic of .St. Domingo, com- |)i ising a large part of the island of Haj-ti, applied for annexation to the United States. President Grant was very anxious to secure the annexation of this island, and to accom- plish it went to tlie \ery verge of his consti- tutional powers — going farther, indeed, than many of his friends believed he had the right. a fire broke out in the city of Chicago, and raged with tremendous violence for two da}s laying the greater part of the city in ashes. It was the most destructive conflagration of modern times. The total area of the city burned over was two thousand one hundred and twenty-four acres, or very nearly three and one-third square miles. The number of buildings destroyed was seventeen thousand four hundred and fifty. About two hundred (ioS ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. and fifty persons died from various causes during the conflagration, and ninety-eight ihousand persons were rendered homeless by it. The entire business quarter was destroyed. The actual loss will never be known. As far is it can be ascertained, it was about one hundred and ninety-six millions of dollars. Almost simultaneous with this disaster extensive forest fires swept over the woods of i sities of life was liberally extended to the sufferers in Chicago and the other afflicted communities. The telegraph flashed the news across the Atlantic, and in an almost incredibly short time liberal contributions in money came pouring in from England and continental Europe, and even from the far-off cities of India. (~)n the twenty-ninth of Ma\-, 1872. Con- TllE BURNING OF CHlCALiO. Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. Whole villages were destroyed by the flames, which traveled with such speed that it was often impossible for the fleetest horse to escape from them. Over fifteen hundred people perished in Wisconsin alone. These terrible calamities aroused the gen- erous sympathy of the rest of the country, and aid in money, clothing, and the neces- gress passed an act removing the disabilities imposed upon the Southern people by the third section of the fourteenth amendment to the constitution. From this general exemption were excepted all persons who had been members of Congress, officers of the army or navy, heads of departments under the general government, or ministers to foreign countries, who had resigned their positions ADMINISTRATION OF ind joined the secession movement. By this act at least one hundred and fifty thousand men of capacity and experience, whose services were greatly needed by the South, were restored to political life. In the fall of 1872 the presidential election occurred. The canvass was marked by the most intense partisan bitterness. The Repub- lican party renominated General Grant for the Presidency, and supported Henry Wilson for the Vice- Presidency. The mea- sures of the administration had arrayed a large number of Republicans againsi it. These now organized themselves as the Liberal Republican party, and nominated Horace Greeley of New York for the Presidency, and B. Gratz Brown of Missouri for the Vice-Presi- dency. The Democratic party made no nominations, and its convention endorsed the candidates of the Liberal Republican party. The election re- sulted in the triumph of the Republican candidates by overwhelming majorities. The elections were scarcely over when the country was saddened by the death of Horace Greeley. He had been one of the founders of the Republican party, and had been closely identified with the political history of the coun- try for over thirty years. He was the " Founder of the New York Tribune" and had done good service with his journal in behalf of the cause he believed to be founded in right. He was a man of simple and childlike character, utterly unaffected, and generous to a fault. In his manner and dress he was eccentric, but nature had made him a true gentleman at heart. His intellectual ability was conceded by all. His experience in public life and his natural disposition induced him to favor a policy of conciliation in the settlement of the reconstruction ULYSSES S. GRANT. 809 question, and, influenced b\- these convictions, he signed the bail-bond of Jefferson Davis and secured the release of the fallen leader of the South from his imprisonment. This act cost him a large part of his popu- larity in the North. He accepted the presi- dential nomination of the Liberal party in the belief that his election would aid in bringing about a better state of feeling between the North and the South. He was attacked by HORACE (JREELEY. his political opponents with a bitterness which caused him much suffering, and many of his old friends deserted him and joined in the warfare upon him. Just before the close of the canvass, his wife, to whom he was ten- derly attached, died, and his grief for her and the excitement and sorrow caused him by the political contest, broke down his firmness and unsettled his mind. He was conveyed by his friends to a private asylum, where he died on ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. the twenty-ninth of November, 1872, in the sixy-second year of his age. The country could ill afford to spare him. On the ninth of November, 1872, a fire occurred in Boston, and burned uptU late on the tenth, sweeping over an area of sixty-five Grant was inaugurated a second time, at Washington, with great pomp. Twelve thou- sand troops took part in the procession which escorted him to the capitol. Early in 1873, a troublesome war began with the Modoc Indian tribe, on the Pacific PRESIDENT GRANT PASSINO TnROU(;H THE ROTUNDA TO TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE. acres in the centre of the wiiolesale trade of the city, and destroying property to the amount of seventy-eight million dollars. As this fire was confined to the business quarter of the city, compartively few persons were deprived of their homes. Oi the fourth of March, 1873, President coast. These Indians had been remo\'ed by the government from their old homes in Cai- ifornia to reservations in the northern part of Oregon. They at length became dissatisfied with their new location, which they declared was unable to afford them a support, and began a series of depredations upon the ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. 8it settlements of the whites, which soon drew upon them the vengence of the Federal gov- ernment. Troops were sent against them, but they retreated to their fastnesses in the lava beds, where they maintained a succesr.ful resistance for several months. The govern- ment at length reinforced the troops operating against them, and General Canby, command- ing the department of the Pacific, assumed the immediate command of the troops in the field. At the same time, a commission was appointed by the government to endeavor to settle the quarrel with the Indians peace- ably. This commission held several con- ferences with Captain Jack, the head chief of the Modocs, and the other Indian leaders, but accomplished nothing. At length the commissioners and General Canby agreed to meet the Indians in the lava beds, a short distance in advance of the lines of the troops. They went unarmed and without an escort. While the conference was in progress, the Indians suddenly rose upon the coinmis sioners, and killed all but one, who managed to escape with severe wounds. General Canby was shot down at the same time, and died instantly. The Indians at once fled to their strong- holds amid the rocks. Tlie troops, infu- riated by the murder of their commander, closed in upon them from all sides, and shut them in the lava beds. Their position was one which a handful of men might defend against an army, and they held it with a desperate determination. They were dis- lodged finally by the shells of the American guns, and such as were not killed were cap- tured. Captain Jack and his associates in the murder of General Canby and the com- missioners were tried by a court-martial and sentenced to death. They were hanged in the presence of their countrymen and of the troops on the third of October, 1873. For many years Cuba had been growing dissatisfied with the rule of Spain. In 1S68 a revolution broke out in that island, having for its object the expulsion of the Spaniards and the establishment of the independence of Cuba. The patriot army was able to win numerous successes over the Spanish troops, and for several years maintained its position against every effort to dislodge it. Very great sympathy was manifested for the Cuban patriots by the people of the United States, and repeated efforts were made to induce the government of this country to recognize the independence of Cuba and assist the patriots, or at least to acknowledge their rights as belligerents. The govern ment, however, faithfully observed its obli" gations as a neutral power, and forbade the organization or departure of all expeditions from this country for the assistance of the Cubans. The Cuban agents were prevented f) om shipping arms or military supplies to Sl2 ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S GRANT. theii forces, and several vessels intended to serve as cruisers against the Spanish com- merce were seized and detained by the Federal authorities. In spite of the precautions of the govern- ment, however, several expeditions did suc- ceed in getting to sea and reaching Cuba. One of these embarked on the steamer the next day. Captain Fry, the com- mander of the " Virginius," and the crew and passengers of the vessel were thrown into prison. After a mock trial, in which the simplest forms of decency were disregarded, Captain Fry and a number of the crew and passengers of the " Virginius," about thirty-five or fortv THE LAVA BEDS SCENE OF THE MODOC WAR. "Virginius," in the fall of 1873. When off the coast of Jamaica the Spanish war steamer " Tornado " was sighted. She at once gave chase, and though the "Virginius" was on the high seas and was flying the American flag, overhauled her and took possession of her on the thirty-first of October. The " Tornado " then carried her prize into the port of Santiago de Cuba, which was reached in all, were shot by order of the i.iilitary authorities. The other prisoners were held in a most cruel captivity to await the pleasure of the Spanish officials at Havana. The con- sul of the United States at Sanciago de Cuba made great exertions to save Fry and those condemned to die with him. He was treated with great indignity by the Spanish officials, and was not allowed to communicate with ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. S13 Havana, from which point he could consult his government by telegraph. When the news of the seizure of the " Vir- ginius " at sea under the American flag reached the United States it aroused a storm of indignation. Meetings were held in all the principal cities, and the press unanimously sustained the popular demand that the gov- ernment should require satisfaction for the outrage upon its flag. The general senti- ment of the people was in favor of instant war, and it was openly declared that a better opportunity would never arise to drive the Spaniards out of Cuba and obtai:; possession of the island. Prompt Demands of the United States. The government acted with firmness and prudence. Several vessels of war were sent ^' to Santiago de Cuba to prevent the execution W of the surviving prisoners taken with the T^ " Virginius ;" the fleet in the West Indies ^' was reinforced as rapidly as possible, and the ^ navy was at once put on a war footing in order to be ready for any emergency. The President was urged to convene Congress in extra session, but he declined to do so, know- ing that that body would be most likely to yield to the popular demand for war, and he was anxious to settle the difficulty by peace- ful means if possible. General Sickels, the American minister at Madrid, was ordered to demand of the Spanish government the arrest and punish- ment of the officials implicated in the mas- sacre of Captain Fry and his associates, a suitable indemnity in money for the families of the murdered men, an apology to the United States for the outrage upon their flag, and the surrender of the " Virginius " to the naval authorities of the United States. These demands were at once submitted to Senor Castellar, the President of the Spanish repub- lic. In the critical situation in which Spain was then placed by her internal dissensions, Castellar had no choice but to submit to the American demands. Orders were at once transmitted to Cuba to surrender the " Vir- ginius " and all the prisoners to the Ameri- can naval forces. The orders of the Spanish government were at first disregarded by the officials at Havana, who blustered a great deal, and declared their willingness to go to war with the United States. They were brought to their senses, however, by the warning of Captain General Jovellar, who told them that their refusal to obey the orders of the Madrid government would certainly involve them in a war with the United States, in which Spain would leave them to fight that power without aid from her. The Havana officials, there- fore, yielded an ungracious obedience to the orders of the home government. The survivors of the " Virginius " expe- dition, who were in a most pitiable condition in consequence of the cruelty with which they had been treated during their imprison- ment, were released, and delivered on board of an American man-of-war in the harbor of Havana. On the twelfth of December the " Virginius" which had been taken to Havana by her captors some time before, was towed from that harbor and delivered to an Ameri- can vessel sent to receive her. She was car- ried to Key West, from which port she was ordered to New York. On the voyage she foundered at sea in a gale off Cape Fear, on the twenty-sixth of December. At a later ' period the Spanish government paid the indemnity demanded by the United States. Financial Crisis. In the fall of 1 873 a severe commerciiiL Crisis, known as the " Railroad Panic," burst upon the country. It was caused by excessive speculation in railway stocks and the reckless construction of railways in portions of the 8t4 ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. country where hey were not yet needed and which could not support them. The excite- ment began oii the seventeenth of September, and on the eighteenth, nineteenth and twen- tieth several of the principal banking firms of New York and Philadelphia suspended payment. The failure of these houses in- volved hundreds of other firms in all parts of the country in their ruin. The excitement measures to be taken for the relief of the business of the country. Various measures were urged upon them. A strong appeal was made to the President to lend the whole or the greater part of the treasury reserve of forty-four million dollars of greenbacks to the banks to furnish the Wall street brokers with funds to settle their losses and resume busi- ness. He at once declined to take so grave bcl M. 1\ IHl NI-W YORK STOCK EXCHANGE DUKINC, V 1 WIL became so intense that on the twentieth the New York Stock Exchange closed its doors and put a stop to all sales of stocks in order to prevent a general destruction of the values of all securities. The banks were obliged to resort to the most stringent measures to avoid being drawn into the common ruin. President Grant and the Secretary of the Treasury hastened to New York to consult the capitalists of that city as to the proper a step, and, thanks to his firmness, the cred