rrk* ■/■>p^: xO<=.. '^■'^^.' „-^^' •I: >p^. '.% 0^ C.V' ^ . -n <:• -i o.\ • , "bo'^ „^ O N (, .^< •■■ o'^^»r./'V, *"">\'^''*. "o. I ,<^^ >0' C* \ ■ v% .^•^ Z O /■■v "^^V .-.S'^ '^^. "oo'' .' * ■■> ■> V,- ^OO, .<:> .0- V, .^'^' .S^^. ■^^ ■ ■"" ^^V ,vi ., a' . " '- ^ "<. .^■^ % °-t. * N O ' \'\> ^ ^0 VS> C ~ !J ■-:, ' •^ V* : xO°<. d^ % .0^ >^"^ -^*, -^ ,0' - .>■ ■%_ V-*' .^ "bo'< ^ " ■".. ,^"^. .^■ V .^"^ ''"«^\-X^' ovi., V . '■■ '; . ■->, / ja i' LOSSING'S NEW HISTORY OF THE United States, From the Discovery of the American Continent to the Present Time. SCENES AND EVENTS IN THE blFE AND SlMES 0P WaSHIN6T0N, TO WHICH IS ADDED THE PORTRAITS AND AUTOGRAPHS OF THE PRESIDENTS OF A CENTURY, 1789-1889. A WORK FOR ALL READERS. BElirSON J. LOSSIi^G, LL.D., AUTHOR OF "the PICTORIAL FIELD-BOOK OF THE REVOLUTION," "thE WAR OF 1812" "the civil war," "a HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR SCHOOLS," " LIVES OF EMINENT AMERICANS," "tHE HOME OF WASHINGTON," "lOSSING'S BOOK OF THE HUDSON," "oUR COUNTRY," "THE GREAT REPUBLIC OF THE WEST, ITS STATES AND TERRITORIES," Etc. COXTAINING VALUABLE SUPPLEMENTAST MATTEB, AXD OYER FOUR HUXDRED CHOICE ENORAYINGS, WITH STATE, NATIONAL. NAVAL, AND MILITARY FLAGS OF THE UNITED STATES, IN RICH COLORS. NEW YORK : GAY BROTHERS & CONIRANY, 30, 32 & 34 READE STREET. •St lJ.^f Copyrighted 1888, By Bbsson J. LossiNQ, LL.D. q^ IQQQ ' \) PRELIMIMEY NOTE. This is an age of universal activity, and few persons excepting plodding students can afford to spend time in the perusal of the minute details of history, even that of their own country. The vast multitude of busy men and women, and youth of both sexes, ask for the kernels of knowledge and find them sufficient for their daily intellectual food. For the use of such this volume has been especially prepared with gi-eat care to supply an acknowledged want. It embraces a brief record of every important event of the wonderful history of the United States of America. The plan of the work is new and will be found to possess superior facili- ties for obtaining and fixing in the memory a knowledge of the great events which constitute the sum of the history of our Republic. The cause of every important event is explained, and thns, by developing the philosophy of our history, the writer has endeavored to make the work more attractive and instructive than a bald record of facts and incidents. And when the text seemed to need further elucidation additional facts have ,been given in foot-notes. A new feature, original with the Author, is a system of Concordance in- terwoven with the foot-notes thronghoixt the work. This is of vast impor- tance to the casual reader as well as to the student. When a fact is named which bears a relation to another fact elsewhere recorded in the volume, a reference is made to the page where such (second) fact is mentioned. A knowledge of such relationshijj of separate events is often essential to a clear view of the subject. Without this concordance a great deal of time would be spent in searching for such relationship. Favorable examples of the utility of this new feature may be found on page 289. This arrangement has given the Author an o|iportunity to make the history of our country full and complete in one volume — more so than any other work within the same space — because it avoids the necessity of a repetition of facts to show the connection of events. The materials for this work have been drawn from original public docu- ments involving much research, and from the pages of earlier, most elaborate, and most trustworthy histories and chronicles of events on our continent ; also from the records of later researches which have corrected earlier histo- ries. ' Having visited most of the localities made memorable by important oc- currences in our country (having travelled more than thirty thousand miles for the purpose), the writer claims that he possesses an advantage over his predecessors and contemporaries in this special field of labor, for he has been IV PRELIMINAKYNOTE. enabled to correct many errors and give truthful impressions of things and events after personal observations. The history of the United States naturally divides itself into six distinct epochs — namely : 1, Aboriginal ; 2, Discoveries ; 3, Settlements ; 4, Colo- nies ; 5, War for Indei^endeuce ; 6, the Nation. The Jirst exhibits a gene- ral view of the dusky race which inhabited the continent when Europeans came ; the second contains a record of the discoveries and preparations for settlements ; the third delineates the progress of settlements until colonial governments were formed ; the fourth tells tlie story of the colonies as sejja- rate communities, showing the development of republican ideas and tenden- cies which finally resulted in a political confederation ; the fiftJi contains a history of the Kevolution, or the old War fo'- Independence, and the xixlh a history of the Nation from the adoption of tlie National Constitution until the present time. The history is topically arranged as follows : The In- dian Nations. The Discoveries of Navigators. The Settlement AND Growth of Colonies. The Indian Wars. The War of the Revo- lution. The War of 1S12-15. The War with Mexico. The several Administrations of the Government from Washington to President Arthur. A Graphic History of the late Civil War. In tiie Supplement may be found various important papers relating to the formation ami devL-lopment of our Republic, including the ''Articles of Confederation," " Declaration of Independence" in fac-simile of the original handwriting of Thomas Jefferson, a history of "The National Progress," autograph fac-simile of President Lincoln's "Proclamation of Emancipation," " Our Government and How it is Administered," also "The National Constitution," copied by the Author from the original manuscript in the archives of the Government, and explained by copious foot-notes, and em- In-acing chronological tables of universal history contemporary with each Presidential administration. Illustrations are introduced not for embellishment only, but to enhance the value of the work as an instructoi-. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the delineations of men and things, that they may not convey a false impression. (ieoiiraphical maps have been omitted because they would be necessarily too small to be of essential service ; but history should never be studied with- out the aid of an Atlas, which is usually found in families. In treating of the Civil War, special care has been taken to give an impar- tial and truthful narrative. Nothing, at this date, can be gained by excit- ing partisan or sectional feelings. It .should 1)e the earnest desire of every patriot to restore iicrfect liarmony throughout the whole country. This is essentially a Family Histori/. The chief aim of the Author has been to make it attractive and innfriictive. To the same end the Publishers have generously contributed their means, taste, and skill. B. J. L. ILLUSTRATIONS. KNQRAV1KG8 ONWOOD. I. Stoux Indifciii 1 Portr4lt of EUd JkektL i A Wigwam 4. W.inpiim i. In.llnd Hieroglyphlct. 6. InilUn Weapon I • 7. fall, nets B. Inilnn BurUl-Place 9. In.lii.n Tntutn 10. Pr.,dleof blBck Hftwk 11. Udcm'i Monument 12. Porir»ilof S. Klrkl.nd 13. SoHlhern Inrtiaoi 14. Columbui before the CoaDCl) 1 5. Portrait of Vespucci 16. Northiuan n. Nornirtn Ship Ift, Old Tower &t Newport 1 9. Portrai t of Col um bn« 50. Portrull of Isnbella. • 91. The KWi of Colnmboa 32. Banner of llie EjpedilloD 33. Ufilboft 31. Portrait of Da Soto 35. PortfHll of Cnhi.t 36. Portrait of Vertuanl. Vl. Curil^r'a Ship 34. Afms i.r France •iV. French NnLlernau. IWO 3(1. Rdlei^h'* Ex)>eilUioa. 31. Portrait of Rjvleinh, 33. Rale eh'B Sliii.s. iX EoKlish Cieo-.letnan, 15S0 D-t Portrait v{ Heury HudwD 35. The HRlf-Mnon. 36. Iliilldlng Jdineelown 37. Pyrtraitof Cnplaln J. Smith j!<. P.Tlrailof Poofthi'OUB. 39. S«al of N«» Netberland '3 la A Puritan '6 41. Tlie .Mayflower "" J3. Gi,verii...r CarTer'e Chair '9 43. Portrait of Lord Baltimora. Bl 44. Hooker's EtniKrai.in. 83 45. Fint Muut nf[-ri<>u*u to ConnActlcat "6 46. Portrait of Koeer WiUiftina 9" 47. P>rtralt of WllllHra Peon »5 43. TheAa^iDbly Hwim »' ii. Oiilpthnrpe. at Savuonab '01 60. Eini.ftrkutlan of the Pilgrlmi ">^ 51. Forlrail ..f Oelethorpe IM ft Church Towef at Juttieatnwn US hi. Firat Colouv Seal, MaBsachuaatU IH 54. PortTHlt uf J^l.u Winthrop 117 55. Flrai Mooev Coin<:-d In the United SutM 13*J M. Portrait of KloE Philip lO'* 67. PallaudeJ BnUdloK j" 68. Portrait of Captain Cborell 1'" 69. PorUalt of Cotton Mather 133 6U WlUlauit'e Honae. 135 61, Plazi of the Slag* of LonUbnrf 13? 6i Portrait of Peter Stnyvetani l-t^ 63. City of New York In 16&A. l^-» W. SluyTeaant'iSorrendar US 65. The Charter Oak '56 66. Penu'a HonaeL •''S 67. Plan of Cbwlealon In 1680 166 63. Early New England Houm 11* C9. Dutchman. 1660 1'6 70. Plan of Fort Dn Queine, IS6 71. Portrait of Braddock l^* •-a, Barial of Braddock I3^ 7 J. Planuf Fort Edward 1^0 11. Portrait of Sir W. Johnaon 190 75. Plan of Fort WllUam Henry 190 J V Portrait of A bercromble '91 77. Plana of Foru »i Oaweg» '93 •8. Block Hoiiae '9' ,« Map of Lake George. 19< W. P..rtr«liof Lord Amhan* 196 Bl, I'lun of Tlconderoga Bi. ftuina of Tlconderoga 33 Portrait of Lord How» M. Plan of Crown Point li. PliJi e(*¥oH Nlttgar* t*. fiaseral Wolfe . Millt«rv Operalloni at QnebM , . Monuirienl to VW.lfe and Moalcalm , . Pairicb llunrv before tb« Virginia AMUUbly .. . Purtraitof Jan.BiOils . . pi.rlrail of Benjamin Wml , P rirrtilof DiiviO Riltenbouie...... . Ponrniiof Patrick Henry . A .•^laitip. ..... . Pi.rtr..it of rsdwallader Colden . Porlrwitof Willl«m PiU , , . PorlrHitof John Dlckena>.n . PorlrHit of Stimuel Adama . Portrait of Lord North ■ . Fu..e.iil M.-ill . SoAke I'evice. . Portrait of Charlea Tbomaon . Cftrpenler'a Hall . Jnhn Hancock . Plan of U'lnker Hill Buttle . Bunker Ihll MoDuinent, , , Poririiit of Joseph Warreo . Porlrail of Phllij. b. huy l«f . Plan of the WalU of Quebec . Portrait of General MoDlgomary . CulpeiJp^r Flag- . Unian Fins Continental Monev. . Portrait of General I^e . Portrait of General Moultrie . Slate Houae^ Phlla.lB |;tiia . Portrait of Benjarnin Ruah . Portrait of General Puloa-i . Plan of the Battle oo l.ong Liland , . Plan of Fort Waaliineton , Retreat from Long Inland . The Jersev Prlaon Sbni . Plan of the Battle at Trenlon . Portrait uf Robert MorrU . Portrait of Silaa Ueane , . Portrait of BenjamiJi Franklin , . Plan of the Battle at Princeton . Portrait of La Fayeit*' i . Plan of the Battle at ibe Brandywloa. . CbBvavix-de-Friea , . Plan of the Balile at Getmanlown . Portrallof General M. Clair . P'-rlraltof K..aciuaako. . . Portrait of J. laeph Brnnt . portrait of General Burfoyna . A Treaty . Burg^'Tne'S Surrender . Oj'eruilonaat Bemla'i Hdghta . P.ir-trall of FrancJa Hi'pklnaon . Encampment at Valley Forge . Portrait of Sir Henry Clinton, . Plan of the Battle at Mnnmonlh . Portrait of Count Ii'F.atalng . P'Tlrail of Baron Steuben . Pi)rtrait of General Lincoln . FlftD of Stony Point . Portrait of General V^ayne . P'lrlrait of Daniel Iwvne . Portrait of G«orge R. Clarke . Clarke'a Eipeditlon . Portrait of General Sulliran - Plan of the Siege of ^uvannah , PorlreitofConni Pulaflkl . IVrtraltof John Paul Jonaa .. AGun-boatat Boal.->n . P-ftrailof Admiral Hopktni . Clplier Alphabet L Portrait of Governor Potledge '. Portrait of C' nimo>lore Whtppliu 1. Plan of til* Sieee of Charleston. . Portrait of Darld Ramsay I. Purlr.ilt of General Gatea. ;. Portrait of General Somter., L Plan of Buttle at Sandert'a Creelt •<■ : Portr»it if Baron De lUlb ;. Porirail of Colonel Tareton- . Portniit of General Marlon. I. Po' trait of Iv-ird Corn wall l« I. Marien'e Encampment en the Pede« I. P'.rtrail of Governor TmrnbalL ......^ . Portrait of Benedict Arnold. !. The* aptor*' Mednl , 971 S78 981 984 985 981 107 808 lOI 119 110 811 813 tu lU 811 111 lU 117 •18 »S1 Its Hi n; vm ILLT7STRATI0N" S. 178. 182. ina. I3f Portrait of General Greene 331 '"*• Portrait of General Morgan 331 '"5- Portraitof Colonel Washington 332 '"6- Portrait of Colonel Henry Lee 333 Plan of the Battle at Guilford 333 Plan of the Battle at Hobkirk's Hill 334 Portrait of Rebecca Motte 335 Plan of Fort Ninety-Six 336 Portrait of General Pickens 336 Portrait of Count de Rochambeau 339 Portrait of Count de Grasse 340 »3*- Planofthe Siege of Yorktown 241 185. Portrait of Benjamin Thompson 346 186. Portrait of James Jackson 347 187. Portrait of George Clinton 350 188. portrailof John Marshall 351 189. Portrait of General Mifflin 352 •90. Order of the Cincinnati 352 loi* Portrait of Bishop Carroll 354 l°«- Franklin before the Convention ..■■.......> 357 193. Portrait of Oliver Ellsworth 360 194. Portrait of Alexander Hamilton 361 195. Portrait of Rufus Putnam ,.... 262 }^'- Inauguration of Washington 364 loo* Pol'^it of Gouvemeur Morris..... > 3S4 •?8- Portrait of Washington 365 Portrait of Robert R. LiTii^ston 266 Portrait of Tench Coxe 369 Ponrait of General Knox 370 Wayne's Defeat of the Indians. 375 Portrait of John Jay 379 Portrait of Fisher Ames SSO Portrait of Jonn Adams 283 PortraitofC. C. Pinckney 384 Portrait of Martha Washington 367 208. Portrait of Thomas Jefferson 389 309. Portrait of Commodore Bainbridge 391 S "t. United States Frigate 391 Sjl- Portrait of Lieutenant Decatur 392 2'2. Mohammedan Soldier 392 213. Burning ofthePhiladelphiaat Tripoli 393 214. Portrait of Rufus King 395 215. Portrait of Aaron Burr - 396 2". Portrait of Robert Fulton. , 398 Si7. Fulton'sfirst Steamboat S99 21?. Portrait of William Pinkney 400 £'9- A Felucca Gun-Boat 401 2*"- Portrait of John Randolph 403 221. Portrailof James Madison 405 2V1. Portrait of General Dearborn 410 223. PortraitofS. Van Rennsselaer 413 2-'4. Sloop of-War 415 2i5. Portrait of Governor Shelby 417 -iS. Plan of Fort Meigs 418 227. Plan of Fort Sandusky 419 5'28, MajorCroghan -IJO 5(29. Perry on Lake Erie. 4:1 i30. Portrait of Commodore Perry 4^>3 231. Portrait of General Pike -l^'S 232. Fort Niagara in 18 1 3 427 233. Portrait ofCaptain Lawrence 4J9 234. Porlraitof Commodore Porter 431 236. Portrait of General Brown 432 236. Mapof the Niagara Frontier 434 Portrait of Commodore Macdonough 435 Planofthe Battle of New Orleans 439 Portrait cfW. C C.CIaiboi Jackson at New Orleans 2ftO. SOI. 202. 203. 204. 205. Sfl6. 207. 2;if(. 239. 240. 241. 242. 24a. Portrait t Capture Porlraitof Edward Livingston '. 452 353. The Chattanooea.' 283. FortSumterin 1661. '^1 2S4. The Confederal*, flag. 555 285. Harper's Ferrv in ISei 557 286. Portrait of Salmon P. Chase sm 287. Seal of West Virginia rig 283. Porlraitof R. E.Lee 5J 289. Ellsworth Zouave I.."...." 565 290. Arsennl at St. Louia. 566 291. Porlraitof S. Price. .'.*.'..'.*.".".*."*.'."" 566 292. Porlraitof Winfield Scott !!!!!!!!' 568 293. Ruins of the Stonfr-bridge 1!!!"*!!!!!!*"" 569 294. Defenses of Waahingt-.n 573 295. Portrait of Leonidaa Pollt 577 296. Fort Hatteraa gfiO 297. FortPiokeDs Igi 298. Portrait of & F. Dupont iril!^^!! 582 299. Port Rovai Ferry... m3 300. Fort Lafayette... \\,' fA 301. Portrailof C.Wilkea. 5&« 302. Portrailof W. a Seward. "■" 588 303. Portrait of A. E. Buraside - •■• 304. Porlraitof S. A. Curtis. ;",.; 591 305. Texas Ranj^er '* 593 306. Porlraitof H-W.Halleck .'.'**.'.'*""* 595 307. ViewatFort Donelson \\\\".. 596 303. Porlraitof Lewis Wallace. '" 597 309. Island Number Ten 599 310. Porlraitof U.S.Grant ^" .'.'.' .'.'.' 601 311. Burning horses at Shiloh... .*..',*.*.'.".',"'." 603 312. Porlraitof Beauregard fi04 313. A Mor.ar BoaU... ..."";!::"""::"■ 605 314. Porlraitof O.M.Milchel ". 606 315. Colyer'fl Head -Quarters 607 316. Fort Pulaski breached ' fiOS 317. Portrait of D. D. Porter '....".\\\ 609 318. Ram Manassaa £10 319. The Levee at New Orleans, 6II 320. Porlraitof G.B.MeClellan. '.'.'.'. 612 321. Monitor and Merrtmack 614 322. Porlraitof J. E.Johnatun 616 323. Porlraitof T.J. Jackson \ 617 324. View on the Chickahominy gjo 325. Harrison Mansion ,,., gja 326. Thoroughfare Gap .,, !"!"! 625 327. Monument at Groveton ^.I"!"" * 626 328. Portrait of Philip Kearnev 6:i7 329. Battle-Field of South Mountain ^. 628 330. Antiebtm Baltle-ground 630 331. Fredericksburg on fire , * 631 332. View at Nashville. 632 333. Porlraitof D.C. EuelL 633 334. Graves at luka ;;.. 636 33& Confederate flag , 635 336l Portrait of D. G. Farragut 636 337. Porlraitof W.S.Rose7rans. 637 338. Monument at Stone's River. 638 339. Portrait of R. Semmes. ."."'" Wl 34a Portrait of J. C. Pembertoa. ' 642 341. A Louisiana Swamp. 644 342. Cave-Life in Vicksburg '...,.'.'.'.'.,', 645 343. Corjjs Badges £47 344. Portrait of J. Hooker. !",*'" 649 345. Ruina of Cbancelloravillo 661 346. Portrait of G. G. Mead .' 65J 347. Scene near Gettysburg. 655 348. Drafting. ,. , 657 440 S49. Abatis 660 441 350. Libby Prison. .'.'..'.'."!!! 663 f James Monroe , 447 351. Pack Mules ..'.'. 664 afPensacola... , 449 352. Porlraitof G. H. Thomas. ,' .'.'!."!"!!! 665 244. Portrailof lohn Quincy A3ams.....i 455 245, Portrailof Dewitt Clinton 456 246. Portrailof Jchn C. Calhoun 15S 247, Portrait of General Jackscn 460 24t<. Portrait of Robert V. Hayne 463 249. Portrait of Osceola 466 250. Mapof the Seat of the Seminole War 467 25). Portrait of Martin Van Buren 4"0 25-'. Portrait of William H. Harrison... 474 253. Portrailof John Tyler 476 254. Porlraitof James K.Polk 479 255. Poruaitof General Scott 485 256. The Reglonof Taylor's Operations 486 267. Porlraitof John C. Fremont 4S3 258. Planof Intrenchments at Vera Cri:z .'. 489 259. The Route of Scotfs Army in Mexico 490 250. Bombardment of Vera Cruz 491 261. Operations near Mexico \ 493 262. GeneralScott entering the City of Mexico ".". 495 263. Portrailof General Taylor 498 264. Porlraitof Henry Clay 500 265. Portrailof Millard Fillmore 602 266. Portrailof Daniel Webster 603 376, PortraVt of JV'a": Vinsfow: 267. Portrailof Joseph Smith 504 ------ 263. Mormon Emigration 605 269. Portrait of S.F. B. Morse 507 270. Portrailof E. K. Kane 509 271. Portrait of Franklin Pierce 513 272. Portrailof Santa Anna 514 273. An Ocean Steamship 515 274. Crystal Palace. New York 516 276. Portrailof James M. Mason , 59a 276, Portrailof James Buchanan 53I 277. Porlrdilof tohn bhdell 878. South Carolina Institute *79. " Wigwam " at Chicago ,,., jeQ_ Palmetto Cockade 2s 1 . Portrait of Jerfersnti Ditvis M;. Portrailof Robert Anderson.... 665 _ ...-__ 667 354. Pulpit Rock 669 355. Missionaries* Ridge. 669 356. P'-.rlrait of J. Longstreet. 670 357. A ParrottGun 673 358. Torpedo 573 359. The Swamp Angel , ,,, 6"4 36^ Fort de Rusay I..!!!.'! 677 361. New Era. fi^-j 362. Red River Dam [ ggs 363. Place where Sedgwick was killed 690 364. Porlraitof P. R Sheridaa 692 "">. Pontoon Bridge 694 >. Belle Isle , 6^3 L The Butler Medal 696 368. View at Cedar Cr*^k 697 369. Portrait of W. T. Sherman 698 3t0. Kenesaw Mountain 70O 371. Porlraitof J. B. Hood 700 372. JSherman's Quarters in Atlanta 702 '3. Sherman's Quarters in Savannah , 703 The Albemarle 704 Frank 1 in Btillle-ground 706 Porlraitof J. A. Winslow 708 377. Bloekade-Riinner. 709 378. Portrait of C. L. Vallandighoni 711 379. Interior of Fori Kifiher 713 SSO. Interior of Fort SteadmaD 717 381. CapiUd at Richmond 719 582. McLean's House 7i0 383. Portrait of A. Jnhnson VX 384. Davis's Prison, Fortress M.mroe 7"2 385. The Cnpitnl al Waahinglon 731 3.86. The Senate Chiimber, in which President Johnaon was tried. 733 387. Portrait of Joseph R. Hawley 746 540 s8S. Seal ofCenteiini!il Commiflsion 747 . .. 543 1(89. Centennial Medal 7J7 546 390. Portrait of Rutherford B. HavM M3 I 39'. Portrait or James A Gortield 535 "> 392. Poiiriiitoffh.-iirr A. Arthur. 750 7.^5 759 SCENES AND EVENTS IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF VASHINGTeN: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OUR FIRST PRESIDENT, BENSON J. LOSSING, L. L. D., PORTRAITS AND AUTOGRAPHS THE PRESIDENTS A CENTURY. WASHINGTON TO HARRISON. 1789-1889. Copyrighted l! » H l-l 09 O H C5 M w CO IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. II in the life of George Washington. It was a sure prophecy of his future career. A Dutchman who understood French was his inter- preter. At Wills Creek, on the borders of settlements, where they entered the unbroken forest, they were joined by Mr. Gist, who was expert in woodcraft. They reached the forks of the Ohio (the site of Pittsburgh) in safety, and from thence were accompanied to the French fort, their destination, twenty miles from Lake Erie, a hun- dred and twenty miles distant, by four Indians who were friendlv to the English. There Washington delivered a letter from Governor Dinwiddle to the commander, St. Pierre, a courteous, elderly gentle- man. The letter asserted the claims of the English to the country which the French had invaded, and urged their speedy and peaceable departure. The commandant, after consulting with his ofificers, replied that he would make no answer as a soldier, and that the letter should have been sent to the Governor of Canada. Washington and his companions were hospitably entertained while at the fort They made critical observation of its structure, ascer- tained the number of men, and of boats in the stream passing near it; and so thoroughly was the plan of the fort impressed on Washington's memory, that he made a drawing of it on his return, which was sent to the British Government with his report. The greatest sufferings of the party were endured on their return journey. They encountered hostile Indians, and great perils in crossing streams, but happily all returned in safety. Washington's full report of the expedition (which was printed) revealed the intentions of the French so completely, that Dinwiddle thought it expedient to exercise prompt and energetic action. A military force was raised and Major Washington was put in command of them with the commission of colonel. The object was to take possession of the Ohio before the French should secure it. But very little was done to that end, and Colonel Washington, disgusted I 2 SCENES AND EVENTS with the conduct of the wrong-headed Governor, threw up his commission. Early in 1755 England declared war against France. Their respective colonies in America prepared for war. General Braddock, a distinguished Irish officer, was sent to Virginia with a small force of regular troops. He made his headquarters at Alexandria, where he heard from every lip praises of Colonel Washington. Braddock invited him to headquarters, when the British general asked the provincial colonel to become one of his military family with the same rank. After some hesitation, on account of the adverse wishes of his mother, he accepted the position. He had said to his mother : " The God to whom you commended me, when I set out on a more perilous errand, defended me from all harm, and I trust He will do so now ; do you not? " Colonel Washington became one of General Braddock's staff, and on the battlefield of Monongahela, in July following, when the British and provincial forces were vanquished by the French and Indians, and his commander was mortally wounded, Washington was the only one of sixty-five officers who escaped death or wounds. Conducting a masterly retreat, he saved the remnant of the little army; and he read the solemn burial service of the Anglican Church, by torchlight, when the body of Braddock was consigned to the earth. In a letter to his mother at Fort Cumberland he wrote : " I luckily escaped without a wound, though I had four bullets through my coat, and had two horses shot under me." The Virginia Assembly appointed Colonel Washington com- mander-in-chief of all their forces. He accepted this trust, and early in the autumn of T755 he made his headquarters at Winchester, in the Shenandoah Valley. He was then between twenty-three and twenty-four years of age. A dispute concerning military rank arose between Washington - ».-^ WASHINGTON ON HIS MISSION TO THE OHIO. IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. I5 and Colonel Dagworthy, commissioned by the Governor of Mary- land, who had joined the little army under the Virginia commander, at Cumberland. Having held a royal commission in the army, Dag- worthy looked with contempt on provincial officers, and refused to comply with orders issued by Washington. It was resolved to refer the matter to General Shirley at Boston, the commander-in-chief of the British army in America, as it was creating great insubordination. Washington was appointed to carry the matter, in person, to Shirley. On his way, early in 1756, he stopped at New York, where he was kindly entertained at the home of Beverly Robinson. There he was smitten with the charms of Mary Phillipse, Mrs. Robinson's sister. He lingered ; and on his return from Boston, he sought the society of the charmer. He did not venture to offer her his heart and hand, and in a few months his companion-in-arms on the field of Mononga- hela — Colonel Roger Morris — carried off the prize. Nothing of much importance was done with the troops under Washington, in the campaign of 1757. The idea of offensive opera- tions was abandoned, and fifteen hundred volunteers were placed in stockades for the defense of the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Vir- ginia. Only a few men were stationed at headquarters at Winchester, and these were constantly threatened with attack by hostile Indians. In 1758 Washington was chosen a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and at near the close of that year he left the army, having served nearly five years. He performed very important mili- tary service in an e.xpedition against the French fort, Duquesne, which stood on the site of the city of Pittsburgh. After vexatious delays on account of the inefficiency of the general commander of the expedition, Washington pushed forward with a small body of Virginia troops. Indian scouts discovered them when within a day's march of the fort. The fears of the barbarians magnified the number of the provincials. The garrison at Duquesne was very weak in. 1 6 SCENES AND EVENTS numbers, and, in great alarm, the Gallic soldiers set fire to the fort and fled down the Ohio in boats by the light of the blaze, leaving everything behind them. Washington took possession the next dav. and changed the name of the fort to Pitt, in honor of the great English Commoner. The capture of Fort Duquesne closed the campaign of 175S, and toward the close of that year Washington left Winchester for Will- iamsburg on urgent official business with the Governor. He stopped at Mount Vernon on his way, and also at Fredericksburof to make the heart of his mother glad by informing her that he was about to retire from the military service. His route to the Virginia capital lay across the Pamunkey River, at Williams's Ferry ; a route he had travelled in the month of Mav the same year. CHAPTER II. In New Kent County, at this period, lived Martha Custis, a wealthy young widows charming in person and in disposition. Her late husband, Daniel Parke Custis, son of Hon. John Custis, one of the Kinof's Council for \'irginia. had left his large estate, which he had inherited, to her and their two children. The mansion of that estate was known as "The White House." She had a near neigh- bor and friend. Major William Chamberlayne, whose dwelling was on the right bank of the Pamunkey, near Williams's Ferry. In the pleasant month of May, 1758, Mrs. Custis was on a visit at Major Chamberlayne's. On the day after her arrival there a young officer, of stately figure and of noble mien and bearing, in military undress, riding a powerful chestnut-brown horse, and accompanied o H CS 'A M w CO (0 » < H (» U (» n H M » M t» p; P4 H M H a> p; M (X) o H CS iz; M M CO IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 1 9 by an elderly servant almost as tall as himself, and quite as military in his manner, crossed the ferry. Major Chamberlayne had seen them embark on a bateau, and met the travellers at the landing. He recognized the young officer, and pressed him to accept the hospi- talities of his house for a day or two. The soldier declined, giving as an excuse urgent business with the Governor, at Williamsburg^. try ' O Still the Major urged him. ' Again the soldier declined, and was about to ride on, when the Major brought up his reserve of persua- sion bv tellino- the voungf officer that one of the most charming younsf widows in all Virginia was then under his roof. The soldier made a conditional surrender, the terms being that he should dine — only dine — with Major Chamberlayne and his family. That young officer was Colonel George Washington. The horse on which he rode was the one from which Braddock fell mortally wounded. It was bequeathed to him by the dying British general. The servant was Thomas Bishop, who had borne the same relation to Braddock. He was ordered to stable the horses, and have them ready for departure at a specified hour in the afternoon. Major Chamberlayne and his guest entered the house, and when the latter was introduced to the several visitors in the drawine-room his presence produced a profound impression of respect and admira- tion because of his elegant figure, his courtly bearing, and the de- served honors which crowned his character. The fame of Colonel Washington was then resounding in every Virginia household. It is said that he and Mrs. Custis were mutually pleased at the moment of their introduction. The hero was charmed, nay, spell-bound, by the beauty of the person, the fascinating manners, and the good sense of the young widow. It was a notable example of " love at first sight." The guests lingered long at the table — quite beyond the time ap- pointed for the departure of Colonel AVashington. Bishop was 20 SCENES AND EVENTS puzzled. He had waited long at the gate with his master's steed. Never had that master been tardy before. .A. fair eye-witness wrote, describing the scene: " There was an urchin in that drawine-room more powerful than King George and all his governors ! Subtle as a sphinx, he had hidden the important dispatches from the soldier's sight, shut up his ears from the summons of the tell-tale clock, and was playing such pranks with the bravest heart in Christendom that it fluttered with an excess of new-found happiness " The sun had touched the western horizon when Colonel Wash- ington rose to depart. Major Chamberlayne, who had watched his lingering in conversation with Mrs. Custis, with amusement and satis- faction, said . " No guest ever leaves my house after sunset." The colonel was not loth to tarry. He and the young widow linofered loner in the drawine-room after the other oruests had retired. The sun had risen high in the heavens the next morning when Colo- nel Washington took his leave of the fascinating lady and the hospit- able host. He hastened to Williamsburg, finished his business there, and retraced his journey toward Williams's Ferry, turning aside from the road and reining up at the White House, where he was graciously received by its mistress. There he remained until the next day, when he and Martha Custis had plighted their troth to each other. Weary months of service in the field intervened before the nup- tials of this happy couple. They corresponded with each other. Late in December, while on his way to Williamsburg to take his seat in the House of Burgesses for the first time. Colonel Washington spent a day or two at the White House, when the time for the solem- nization of the marriage with Mrs. Custis was determined. It took place at the church of St. Peter, in Kent, early in January, 1759, Rev. Mr. Mossuin officiatine. The brideafroom was clothed in a suit of blue cloth, the coat lined with red silk and ornamented with silver IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 2 1 trimmings. His waistcoat was of vvliite satin, embroidered ; his shoe and knee buclcles were of gold ; his hair was powdered, and by his side hung a straight dress- sword. The bride was attired in a white satin quilted petticoat and a heavy, corded white silk overskirt; high- heeled shoes of white satin, with diamond buckles ; rich point lace ; pearl necklace, ear-rings and bracelet, and pearl ornaments in her hair. She was attended by three bridesmaids. When the session of the Legislature was closed, Washington took his bride to Mount Vernon. He possessed an ample fortune. His estate was in a high, healthful country and pleasant climate. "The borders of my estate," he wrote to a kinsman in London, "are washed by more than ten miles of tide-water, and several valuable fisheries appertain to it; the whole shore, in fact, is one entire fishery." He continued: " I am now, I believe, fixed on this spot with an agreeable partner for life ; and I hope to find more happiness in retirement than I ever experienced in the wide and bustling world." Washington enjoyed the pleasures of domestic life in the fullest extent from the time of his marriage until the gathering of the tempest of the Revolution disturbed his repose. He served his country faith- fully as a legislator for fifteen consecutive years. He managed his large estates with signal* industry and ability. He took part in the various social movements at the Virginia capital and at Annapulis, and dispensed a generous hospitality at Mount Vernon. He was fond of the chase, kept a choice kennel of fox-hounds, and devotees of the chase were ever welcome beneath his roof And there were other guests — statesmen and patriots — in a very few years after he became settled at Mount Vernon, who were gathering there seeking his counsel and co-operation. And now the dawn of the day of great events, in which Washing- ton was to become a conspicuous actor, glowed in the eastern sky. From the Atlantic seaboard, where marts of commerce had begun to 2 2 SCENES AND EVENTS spread their meshes (then small and feeble) for the world's traffic, came a sound of tumult; and the red presages of a tempest appeared in that glowing orient. At first that sound was like a low whisper upon the morning air, and finally boomed like a thunder-peal over the hills and valleys of the interior, arousing the inhabitants to the defense of the immunities of freemen and the inalienable rig-hts of man. Time after time for the space of a hundred years the decree had gone forth from British councils, that the English-American colonists should be the commercial as well as political vassals of the crown ; and chains of restriction upon trade had been forged by an unwise and unrighteous policy, and fastened upon the arms of the young Sriant of the West. And from time to time the ffiant, not all uncon- scious of his strength, yet docile because loyal, had spoken out mild remonstrances with deferential words. These had been heard and had been answered with scorn and renewed offences. When the well-known Stamp Act was signed by the king, and its requirements and its penalties were proclaimed in America, the tem- pest of which I have spoken was aroused. It swept from the sea to the mountains, and from the mountains to the sea, until those who had sown the wind were alarmed at the harvest of whirlwind they were reaping. At Mount Vernon there was a spirit that looked calmly, but not unconcernedly, upon the storm, and with prophetic vision seemed to perceive upon the shadowy political sky the horoscope of his own destiny. Washington, as a member of the Virginia House of Bur- gesses, had listened, from his seat, to the impassioned words of Patrick Henry, when he enunciated those living truths, for the main- tenance of which the husbandman of Mount Vernon drew his sword a few years later. His soul was fired with a sense of oppression and of aspirations for freedom, yet his solid judgment and calculating pru- dence repressed demonstrative enthusiasm. He had a wise counsellor IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 23 and sympathizing friend in his neighbor, George Mason, of Gunston Hall. Though Washington's senior by six years, he was frequently at Mount Vernon in quest of wise counsel himself. The storm of the Stamp Act passed by, but others soon followed. The representatives of royal authority had been buffeted by patriots at Boston. Acts of Parliament had been set at naught in Massachu- setts in such a manner, that an indignant decree went forth from the British throne that the port of the New England capital should be shut, and the entire machinery of the colonial government be clogged, until the people there should show practical signs of penitence for their political sins. The people defied the ministerial power, and laughed at ministerial anathemas. Then a new Governor, with armed soldiers, took possession of Boston, and with iron heel crushed its commerce and its prosperity. Hot indignation spread over the length and breadth of the land, and to every stroke of resistance given by the people of Massa- chusetts, those of Virginia abetted, and gave loud acclamations of applause. There was a universal desire for a general conference of representative men of all the colonies ; and such a conference, called a Continental Congress, was begun at Philadelphia in the first week in September, 1774. In that remarkable body,^the First Continental Congress, — Washington was a delegate from Virginia. He had long been engaged in serious contemplation and discussion of the momentous political problems of the day. He was firm in his opinions, but no enthusiast. With cautious but unwavering step he had walked in the path of opposition to ministerial measures. When the Virginia Assembly, of which he was a member, had been arbitrarily dissolved by the royal Governor, and the members met in an informal con- vention to consult about expedient measures, he was warmly in favor of a General Cong-ress, and was chosen a delegate to it. 24 SCENES AND EVENTS Washington was now fairly embarked upon the stormy ocean of political life. Vast were the stakes which he pledged. Life, fortune, honor, and every social enjoyment were imperilled. The sports of the chase, social visiting, and almost every amusement of life, now ceased at Mount Vernon. Grave men assembled there, and questions of mighty import were considered thoughtfully and prayerfully, for Washington was a man of prayer from his earliest manhood. The assembling of the First Continental Congress was a won- derful spectacle. Delegates came from twelve of the colonies. — Georgia alone was unrepresented. These delegates made their way toward Philadelphia, some on horseback, others in coaches or chaises, but none by public conveyances, for there were few of these even in the most populous provinces. Some travelled alone, others in pairs ; and, as they approached the Delaware or the Schuylkill, they found themselves in companies. From twelve vice-royalties, containing an aggregate of nearly three million people, the best and the wisest among them were on their way obedient to the public will, through vast forests and over rugged mountains, across broad rivers and broader morasses, and through richly cultivated districts, cheer- ful villages and expanding cities, to a common goal : there to meet, deliberate, and confederate for the welfare, not only of a continent, but of the world. It was a moral spectacle hitherto unrecorded by the pen of history. In that Congress, the sessions of which continued until the 26th of October, Washington distinguished himself, not as a debater, but chiefly as a counsellor. When Patrick Henry, on his return from Philadelphia, was asked whom he considered the greatest man in the Congress, he replied : " If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest orator ; but if you speak of solid information and sound judgment. Colonel Washington is un- IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OK WASHINGTON. 25 doubtedly the greatest man on that floor." There is ample evidence that Washington's mind had much to do in the general conduct of the business, especially in the preparation of the admirable State papers issued by the Congress, of which Lord Chatham said, in a speech in the House of Lords : " When your lordships look at the papers transmitted to us from America ; when you consider their decency, firmness, and wisdom, you cannot but respect their cause and wish to make it your own. For myself, 1 must declare and avow that in all my reading and study of history (and it has been my favorite study ; I have read Thucyd- ides, and have studied and admired the master states of the world), that for solidity of reasoning, force of sagacity, and wisdom of con- clusions, under such a complication of circumstances, no nation or body of men can stand in preference to the Congress at Philadelphia." When the Congress adjourned, Washington returned to Mount Vernon, full of desires for a reconciliation with the parent govern- ment, but without any well-grounded hope. The Congress itself, doubtful on that point, agreed to meet again at Philadelphia on the loth of May, 1775. The people, meanwhile, taught by long and bitter experience, expected no justice from a blinded ministry, and prepared for inevitable war. They organized into military companies for the purpose of discipline. Suddenly, as if by magic, a vast army was formed. It was strong and determined. It was not seen in the camp, the field, nor the garrison. No drum was heard calling it to action ; no trumpet was sounded for battle. Like electricity, it was harmless when latent, but terrible when aroused. It was all over the land — at the plough, in the workshop, and in the counting-room. Almost every household was its headquarters, and every roof its tent. It bivouacked in every chamber, and mothers, wives, sisters, and sweethearts made cartridges for its muskets and supplied its commissariat. It was the old story of Cadmus repeated in historv. 26 SCENES AND EVENTS British oppression had sown dragon's teeth all over the land, and a crop of armed men were ready to spring up, but not to destroy each other. This was the great army of Mm7iie Men. During the winter and spring of 1775, Washington was engaged, when his duties in the State Legislature would allow, in disciplining volunteer military companies in the State, who sought his counsel and offered him the general leadership. He was preparing to attend the Congress at Philadelphia, when, just at evening, on a warm day in April, while he and his neighbor, Bryan Fairfax, and Major Horatio Gates, were discussing stirring events which had just taken place at Williamsburg, and the bold stand taken by Patrick Henry, a messenger came in haste from Alexandria w-ith tidings of bloodshed at Lexington. The intelligence made a different impression on the minds of the three friends. Washington, moved with the intuitions of his loftier spirit, became thoughtful and reserved, and talked little but wisely, on the subject. All regarded the event as a casting away of the scabbard and a severing blow to colonial allegiance. On the evening of the 4th of May, Benjamin Harrison, great- grandfather of the present Chief Magistrate of our Republic, arrived at Mount Vernon, and on the next morning he and Washington departed for Philadelphia together. The Congress met on the loth. With the sword of defense in one hand and the olive-branch of reconciliation in the other, they began their momentous labors. Meanwhile a large but crude and ill-regulated army had gathered around Boston, and was keeping the British regulars there in close confinement on that little peninsula. The Congress clearly perceived that this army, so - undisciplined, possessed no other cohesion than what a sense ot mutual danger furnished. It was resolved to consolidate and organize this unwieldy body by adopting it as a Continental Army, with a com- mander-in-chief and assistant ofificers. It was done; and on Thurs- day, June 15th, two days before the batde of Bunker's Hill, George IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 2/ Washineton was chosen commander-in-chief of " all the continental forces raised, or to be raised, for the defense of American Hbertv." This appointment was officially announced to Washington on the following day, when it was modestly accepted. On the iSth he wrote a touching letter to his wife on the subject, telling her that he must depart immediately for the camp; begging her to summon all her fortitude ; to pass her time as agreeably as possible, and expressing a firm reliance on that Providence which had ever been bountiful to him, not doubting that he should return safe to her in the fall. In this letter Washington inclosed his will, drawn up for him in legal form by his friend. Colonel Pendleton. But Washington did not return to Mount Vernon in the fall. Darker and darker o-rew the clouds of war ; and duringr more than seven years, he visited his pleasant home on the Potomac only once, and then only for three days and nights. Mrs. Washington went to him, usually spending the time of the winter encampments at head- quarters. In his little speech of acceptance of the chieftaincy of the army, Washington thanked Congress for this "distinguished testimony of their approbation"; "but," he said, "lest some unlucky event should happen unfavorable to my reputation, I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in this room that I this day declare, with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with. As to pay," he continued, " I beg leave to assure the Congress that, as no pecuniary consideration could have tempted me to accept the arduous employment at the expense of my domestic ease and happiness, I do not wish to make any profit from it. I will keep an exact account of my expenses. Those, I doubt not, they will dis- charge, and that is all I desire." Alluding to this generous proposi- tion, Lord Byron wrote : 28 SCENES AND EVENTS " Great men have always not received great recompenses ; Epaminondas saved his Thebes and died, Not leaving even his funeral expenses ; George Washington had thanks, and naught beside. Except the all-cloudless glory (which few men's is) To free his country." Congress appointed as Washington's assistants, Artemus Ward, Charles Lee, Philip Schuyler, and Israel Putnam, major-generals ; Seth Pomeroy, Richard Montgomery, David Wooster, William Heath, Joseph Spencer, John Thomas, John Sullivan, and Nathaniel Greene, brigadier-generals ; and Horatio Gates, adjutant-general. To each of the major-generals Washington immediately assigned special fields of duty. He placed General Schuyler in command of the Northern Department, with Montgomery as his lieutenant, and retained the others under his immediate command. At the summer solstice he left Philadelphia for Cambridge, near Boston, where the motley army had gathered, to take the chief command. He was accompanied as far as New York by Generals Schuyler and Lee. They travelled on horseback. The first item in the account current of expenses, rendered by Washington at the close of the war, was as follows : " To the purchase of five horses (two of which were had on credit from Mr. James Mease), to equip me for my journey to the army at Cambridge, and for the service I was then going upon — having sent my chariot and horses back to Virginia." Washington was escorted by a troop of light-horse from Phila- delphia to New York. The Provincial Congress of New York was then in session. A committee from that body met him at Newark, and attended him across the Hudson River. On his arrival in the city addresses of congratulation and civility passed between him and that Congress. Gi-neral Schuyler was to remain in New York as commander ol IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 29 military operations there. It was a most delicate position at that time, for the royal Governor, Tryon, had then just returned to the city ; a British ship-of-war was in the harbor, and powerful and avowed friends of the Crown, in the city and province, were nu- merous. But Washington placed great confidence in the fidelity and discretion of General Schuyler ; and, after giving him full in- structions, the commander-in-chief departed for Cambridge, escorted, by volunteer military companies, to Springfield. There he was met by a committee from the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, who provided an escort and accompanied him through the remainder of the journey. CHAPTER III. Washington and his attendants arrived at Cambridge on the 2d of July. They had reached Watertown early in the morning. The Provincial Congress of Massachusetts were in session there. The president, James Warren, received the distinguished Virginian very cordially, and presented an address of the body over which he presided expressive of their esteem for the commander-in-chief, and strong assurances of their support. To this address Washington happily replied. From Watertown to Cambridge Washington was escorted by a troop of light-horse and a large company of mounted citizens ; and at two o'clock in the afternoon he arrived at the headquarters of the army at Cambridge, amid the shouts of a great multitude, the waving of banners, the clangor of bells, and the strains of martial music. The musket and the cannon were silent, because the Provincial 30 SCENES AND EVENTS Congress had prudently given orders for the "honorable reception" of Washington and his suite, " tvitJiont, however, any expense of poivder" for it was very scarce. Washington was then escorted to his quarters, which had been prepared for him — a spacious mansion known as the " Cragie House," which was, for many years, the resi- dence of H. W. Longfellow, the eminent poet. Speaking of the personal appearance of the commander-in-chief on his arrival at Watertown, Dr. James Thacher, who was a surgeon in the army during a greater portion of the war, wrote in his Jour- nal : "I have been much gratified this day with a view of General Washington. His Excellency was on horseback in company with several military gentlemen. It was not difficult to distinguish him from all others. His personal appearance is truly noble and majestic, being tall and well-proportioned. His dress is a blue coat with buff- colored facings, a rich epaulette on each shoulder, buff under-dress, an elegant small-sword; a black cockade on his hat." Mrs. John Adams wrote to her husband : " Dignity, with ease and complacency, both agreeably blended in him. Modesty marks every line and feature of his face. Those lines of Dryden instantly occurred to me: " 'Mark his majestic fabric ! He's a temple Sacred by birth, and built by hands divine ; His soul's the deity that lodges there ; Nor is the pile unworthy of the god.' " On the morning of July 3, 1775, Washington assumed the com- mand of the Continental Army. It was a clear, sultry morning. The troops were drawn up in order on the common near Harvard University, at about nine o'clock, to receive the commander-in-chief Accompanied by the general officers of the army who were present, he walked from his quarters to a venerable wide-spreading elm-tree (yet living, but feeble), and under its shadow, standing between his staff and the battalions, he drew his swgrd, made a few remarks, and WASHINGTON TAKING COMMAND OF THE ARMY. IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 33 formally took the chief command of the army. That was an auspi- cious act for America ; and the love and reverence then felt for Washington never waned during the eight long years of the conflict for liberty and independence. And admiration for his character has continually increased in volume and intensity till this hour. Within an hour after assuming command, Washington, with Lee and other officers, set out to ascertain the condition of the American army, and the character and position of the British works. They had visited several posts when, in the afternoon, a thunder-shower heralded a storm of thirty six hours' continuance, and nothing more was done until the 5th. The true state of affairs was soon ascertained. Every- thing necessary for offensive operations was lacking in the American army, excepting enthusiasm and numbers. In the essential article of aimnunition there was lamentable dearth. " We are so exceedingly destitute," Washington wrote to Congress, " that our artillery will be of little use without a supply both large and seasonable. What we have must be reserved for the small arms, and that managed with the utmost frugality." Washington called a council of war on the 9th of July. That council estimated the number of British troops at Boston to be 1 1,500 effective men, and the Americans 14,000 fit for duty. It was deter- mined to continue the siege by strengthening the posts then held by the Americans by fortifications and recruits. It was agreed that a force of at least 25,000 was necessary to act with efficiency against the enemy. The autumn was spent in building fortifications and thor- oughly organizing the army ; and at the close of the year the Ameri- cans, fourteen thousand strong, occupied an irregular line of intrench- ments, that circumvallated Boston on the land side. The right was commanded by General Artemus Ward, the left by General Lee, and the centre, at Cambridge, by Washington in person. At the beginning of the year 1776 Washington found his army 34 SCENES AND EVENTS before Boston somewhat reduced in numbers, but Massachusetts held about lo.ooo minute-men in reserve, ready to march for Cambridge at a moment's warning. Lake Champlain, northern New York, and Montreal had been snatched from the British, but the Americans had been repulsed before Quebec, and there Montgomery had been slain. In February (1776) the army before Boston was much increased, and that of the British much diminished, but in daily expectation of reinforcements from Halifa.x. On the evening of the 2d of March the Americans opened a heavy cannonade on the city ; and on the night of the 4th they secretly took possession of Dorchester Heights, and erected batteries which completely commanded Boston and the British shipping in its harbor. Perceiving the imminent peril of both fleet and army, General William Howe, who was in command of the British forces, attempted to drive the Americans from their vantage-ground, but was prevented by a storm which suddenly rose and made the harbor impassable. The British were soon reduced to the alternative of surrendering as prisoners of war, or evacuating Boston. They were permitted to choose the latter, and on the 17th of March the British forces, with scores of Tories, sailed away for Halifax. The next day the gates on Boston Neck were unbarred, and General Ward, with 5,000 troops at Roxbury, entered the city, with drums beating and flags flying. Congress voted thanks to Washington and a gold medal. The destination of the British who left Boston was tmknown to Washington. General Sir Henry Clinton had sailed from Boston on a secret expedition, with a considerable number of troops, before Howe left. He appeared off Sandy Hook in March. Supposing Howe had gone to him, Washington, after leaving a sufficient force to hold Boston, marched with the remainder of his army to New York, where he arrived at the middle of April. General Lee had preceded him, gathering militia on his way, and these, with the IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 35 " rebels " in the city, scared Clinton away. Howe went to Halifax, and Washington and his army remained in New York all summer in a defensive position. An expedition to seize Canada had failed. The American troops were driven out of the province, and some of the strongholds were recovered by the British. Meanwhile the Continental Congress, sitting at Philadelphia, had duly considered a resolution offered by Richard Henry Lee, of Vir- ginia, early in June, "That these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States ; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political con- nection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." In less than eighty days after the evacuation of Boston every Provincial Assembly had spoken in favor of independ- ence. Lee's resolution was adopted by Congress on the 2d of July (1776), and on the 4th a Declaration of the causes which had impelled the movement, and the independence of the colonies, was adopted. This Declaration had been read to Washington's army at New York, and inspired it with great enthusiasm. General Howe left Halifax with troops in transports, and arrived at Sandy Hook off the harbor of New York at the close of June. He took possession of Staten Island, and was soon joined by Sir Henry Clinton, with troops from the South, and by his brother. Admiral Howe, with a fleet and a large land force from England. By the first of August vessels had arrived with German mercenaries to assist the British in fighting British subjects, and fully 30,000 veteran soldiers stood ready to fall upon the republican army of 17,000 men, mostly militia, which lay entrenched less than a dozen miles distant. The grand object to be obtained was the seizure of New York City and the country along the Hudson River, and to keep open a communica- tion with Canada. American troops formed a fortified camp at Brooklyn, and guarded 36 SCENES AND EVENTS seven passes in a range of hills which extended from the Narrows to the village of Jamaica, on Long Island. Late in August about 5,000 of these troops were on Long Island. On the 22d the British landed 10,000 men and forty pieces of cannon at the lower end of Long Island. The American force was strengthened. The British moved against them in three columns, commanded respectively by Lord Corn- wallis and Sir Henry Clinton, and the Germans by General De Heister. A sanguinary battle was fought. The Americans were defeated, with much loss, and driven to their "entrenchments. Washington crossed over to Brooklyn the next morning. Howe delayed an attack on the American entrenchments, and that night and early the next morning, under the skillful management of the commander-in-chief the American army made a masterly retreat across the East River to New York, shielded by a dense fog. The whole army then moved to Harlem Heights, at the northern end of Manhattan Island, and there formed an entrenched camp. The British took possession of the city. Another important movement now occurred. Admiral Lord Howe bore the authority of a commissioner to treat with the Ameri- cans for peace and reconciliation. Believing their defeat on Long Island offered a favorable opportunity to exercise the functions of his mission, he sent General Sullivan, who was a prisoner of war on his flag-ship, to invite Congress to appoint a committee to confer with him on the subject of peace. Congress consented, and chose l^r. Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge such committee. The place chosen for the peace conference was the house of Captain Billop, formerly of the British navy. It stood on a high bank of Staten Island, opposite Perth Amboy. When the committee reached that village they found the barge of Lord Howe waiting for them, with a British officer who was left as a hostage. The meeting was friendly. Lord Howe, who was personally acquainted with INTERVIEW BETWEEN LOBD HOWE AND COMMITTEE OF CONGKESS I\ THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASI^NGTON. 39 Franklin, freely expressed his abhorrence of the war, and his sincere personal desire for peace. The whole interview was distinguished by courtesy and good feeling. Howe informed the committee that he would not recoenize them as members of Congress, but as private gentlemen, and that the inde- pendence of the colonies could not be considered for a moment. They told him he might call them what he pleased, they were, nevertheless, representatives of a free and independent people, and would not en- tertain any proposition which did not recognize the independence of the colonies. The gulf between the commissioner and the committee was evidently impassable, and the conference was soon terminated, for Howe had nothing acceptable to offer. He expressed his regret because of his obligation now to prosecute the war. Franklin assured him that the Americans would endeavor to lessen the pain he might feel on their account by taking good care of themselves. Thus ended the conference. The actors parted in perfect good nature, well con- vinced that reconciliation was out of the question. Washington occupied as his headquarters, on Harlem Heights, the fine mansion (yet standing) of Roger Morris, his companion-in- arms at the battle of the Monongahela, who married Mary Phillipse, as we have observed. The Phillipses, with Morris, had espoused the cause of the Crown, and the latter, with his family, had aban- doned his home and sought British protection. Washington did not occupy it long, for he was soon called to other scenes. The British crossed the East River at (present) Thirty-fourth Street, and attempted to intercept the retreat of the Americans to Harlem Heights. They extended a line across the island toward the Hudson for the purpose, but were too late. They and the Americans met in sharp conflict on the i6th of September on Harlem Plains. The latter won the victory, but at the expense of the loss of Colonel Knowlton, one of the bravest and best of the Continental field-officers. 40 SCENES AND EVENTS Perceiving the inutility of attacking the Americans in their strong- hold, the British attempted to gain their rear by sending armed ships up the Hudson River and landing a large force of British and Ger- man troops from vessels in the East River on the shores of lower Westchester. Seeing his peril, Washington placed a garrison of about 3,000 men in Fort Washington, built on the highest ground on the island, nearly opposite Fort Lee on the Palisades on the west shore. With the rest of his army he proceeded to White Plains, a village in Westchester County. There, on October 28th, a severe engagement took place, when the Americans were driven from their position and soon afterward crossed the Hudson and then joined General Greene at Fort Lee. After their victory at White Plains the British proceeded to attack Fort Washington, commanded by Colonel Magaw. The principal assailants were German mercenaries under General Knyp- hausen, five thousand strong. After losing a thousand men in the conflict with the garrison, they succeeded in capturing the fort and making two thousand American soldiers prisoners. During the siege of the fort, Washington anxiously watched the event from Fort Lee. One night, accompanied by Generals Putnam and Greene, he crossed the river, stealthily ascended Harlem Heights, and from the Roger Morris house surveyed the scene of operations. Fifteen minutes after they had left some British troops took possession of that house. It was a narrow escape. Two days after the fall of Fort Washington, Lord Cornwallis crossed the Hudson with six thousand men and took possession of Fort Lee, which the Americans abandoned on his approach. And now beean a most exciting scene. It was evident that the British were aiming at Philadelphia, the seat of the "rebel" government. Washington determined to fly to its defense with a remnant of his army, reduced to three thousand men, and not one entrenching-tool IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 4 1 left. He started for the Delaware River, and was closely pursued by Cornwallis with his stronger force, flushed with victory. He fled toward the Passaic River, and before night (November 26th) he was at Newark, with that river between his camp and the pursuing enemy. At almost every step Washington's army melted, for his men, half clad, almost penniless, weary and dispirited, deserted whenever opportunity offered. The term of enlistment of some of his troops was about to expire. He knew that very few would re-enlist. In this extremity he wrote to William Livingston, Governor of New Jersey, portraying his situation, and imploring him to bring out the New Jersey militia to replenish his army. He sent General Mifflin to Philadelphia to ask the immediate aid of Congress and the Penn- sylvania authorities. He also wrote to General Schuyler to send down, from the Northern Department, New Jersey and Pennsylvania troops, with orders to join his flying army. Washington had left a considerable body of troops with General Lee, with discretionary power to remain in the vicinity ot North Castle (to which strong position his army had retreated after its defeat at White Plains) or to follow him into New Jersey. When Cornwallis began his pursuit, Washington wrote urgent letters to Lee to join him. Lee paid no attention to his entreaties, so far as compliance with requests was concerned. Lee continued his diso- bedience of orders, until, tardily moving in the direction of the Del- aware, he was made a prisoner by a detachment of British light- horsemen, and was taken to New York. Lee was then, as has been proven by documentary evidence, plotting treason against the people he professed to serve. Washington now relied upon Lee, who had troops near at hand. Cornwallis pressing closely upon Washington at Newark, the latter called a council of war. Some of his officers advised a retreat 42 SCENES AND EVENTS to the hill-country at Morristown ; others coincided with the com- mander-in-chief in favor of making a stand at Brunswick on the Raritan or on the banks of the Delaware. Greene agreed with Washington, and, as the council could not make a satisfactory de- cision, the commander-in-chief took the whole responsibility on him- self, broke up his camp at Newark, and fled toward the Raritan. Cornwallis was so near that when the British advance-guard entered one end of Newark the rear-guard of the Americans had just left the other end ; and the music of the pursuers and pursued was often heard by each. The situation of the American army at Brunswick was very criti- cal. The Legislature, moving from place to place, in alarm, was on the verge of dissolution, and no assistance could be obtained from that body. New Jersey troops, whose terms of enlistment had now expired, would not re-enlist, while Pennsylvania levies, whose terms would not expire before January, deserted in large numbers. The inhabitants of New Jersey, dismayed by the aspect of affairs, were paralyzed. Utter ruin seemed inevitable. Washineton remained at Brunswick until the first of December, using every effort to save his dissolving army. He looked anxiously for reinforcements from some source, but in vain. Governor Living- ston's call for the militia was little heeded, for utter despondency had taken possession of men's minds in that State. " I can easily form some idea of the difficulties under which you labor," wrote Living- ston, sympathizingly, "particularly of one for which the public can make no allowance, because your prudence and fidelity to the cause will not suffer you to reveal it to the public ; an instance of magnan- imity, superior, perhaps, to any that can be shown in battle. But depend upon it, my dear sir, the impartial world will do you ample justice before long. May God support you under that fatigue, both of body and mind, to which you must be constantly expcsed." IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 43 These words were balm to the wounded spirit of the g-reat patriot, who had just had a sure revelation of Lee's incipient treason, and the disaffection of his trusted Adjutant-General, Colonel Reed. On the afternoon of December ist, the British approached the Raritan. Washington immediately caused the end of the bridge nearest the town to be destroyed, and then fled with his little army toward Princeton, leaving Captain Alexander Hamilton to plant his field-pieces on the high banks of the river, to check any attempt of the enemy to cross, it being fordable at the time. He left fully one thou- sand men at Princeton, under Generals Lord Stirling and Adam Stephen, and pushed on with the rest of his force to Trenton, which place he reached on the morning of the 2d, when he ordered the removal of military and other stores and baggage over the Delaware, resolved to cross with his little army if circumstances should require. Then he wrote to Lee, the seventh time, urging him to press forward. Congress was as much in the dark, concerning Lee, as Washing- ton was ; and they instructed a committee to send a messenger to him " to know where and in what situation he and the army are." On the 4th Washington received a letter from Lee at Haverstraw. He had just crossed the Hudson. He coolly informed his chief that, having heard of his retreat from Brunswick, it was impossible to know where he could join him. " But," he added, " although I should not be able to joiti yoti at all, the service which I can render you will, I hope, be full as efficacious." Then, after informing Washington that he should place himself at the head of the troops from the North, then on their way toward Morristown, making his combined force 5,000 strong, he added : " I entreat you to order some of your suite to take out of the way of danger my favorite mare, which is at that Wilson's, three miles beyond Princeton." What consummate impudence and heartlessness ! For days the commander-in-chief, with his army in the greatest peril, had been 44 SCENES AND EVENTS beseeching this villain (for such he proved to be) to hasten to his aid ; and now, when the menaced liberties of the country demanded every effort, every sacrifice, every thought on the part of those who had espoused its cause, this English adventurer, who had refused to go into the contest at all unless the Congress would first agree to in- demnify him for any loss that he might sustain thereby, asks his chief to turn aside from his high duty, and see that his favorite mare is placed out of the reach of the enemy ! And only three days after- ward, in a letter to Governor Cook, of Rhode Island, he meanly at- tempted to disparage Washington by general reflections. He was jealous of the great American general and plotted to supplant him. Cornwallis remained so long at Brunswick that Washington had ample time to remove his baggage and stores across the Delaware. In expectation of receiving a reinforcement of 1,500 Pennsylvania troops, then on their march under Mifflin, he wrote to Congress: "I shall now face about with such troops as are here fit for service, and march back to Princeton, and there govern myself by circumstances and the movements of General Lee." Washington sent 1,200 men to Lord Stirling at Princeton, and started for the same place himself, when an express from Stirling gave him the startling intelligence that the British were within three miles of Princeton, under full march. Washington turned back, collected all the boats he could find, and that night sent his army with all its appointments across the Delaware into Penn- sylvania. The commander-in-chief crossed, with the rear-guard, on Sunday morning, December 8th, just as Cornwallis came down, with o"reat parade, to the opposite shore, with the expectation of finding boats sufficient to transport his army over, and enable him to push on toward Philadelphia. IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINQTON. 45 CHAPTER IV. Washington caused all the boats that had conveyed him across the Delaware to be destroyed. Lee still lingered, and the chief con- tinued to send him letters, urging him to press forward. So late as the loth of December he was at Morristown. He had moved tardily on a little way, when, fortunately for the Republican cause, he was suddenly deprived of power for good or for evil in the military ser- vice. He was carelessly lodged three miles from his camp, and thus invited his capture. On the morning of the 14th Colonel Harcourt, an enterprising British officer, with some dragoons, made Lee a prisoner. He had just finished a letter to General Gates, his friend and admirer, in which he indulged in an ill-natured tirade ao^ainst Washingrton and his principal officers, and handed it to Major Wilkinson, of Gates' staff, who had arrived that morning. Lee was carried to Brunswick, and thence to New York. The British officers there were jubilant ; so were the British Ministry when they hear.d of the capture. " We have taken the American Palladium ! " all Britain exclaimed. One of England's most astute diplomatists, who knew Lee well, said : " He is the worst present any army can receive." Cornwallis resolved to wait for frost to build a brido-e over the Delaware for his troops to cross. He looked with such contempt on Washington's broken army that he believed he could take Philadel- phia at any time. He cantoned his troops at different points in New Jersey and returned to New York. At Trenton he stationed a body of Germans, or Hessians, as they were called, under Colonel Rail, and some British dragoons. Confidence makes officers neglectful. When Rail asked General Grant for reinforcements, the latter replied: " I will undertake to keep the peace in New Jersey with a corporal's guard." How they mistook the character of Washington ! 46 SCENES AND EVENTS Washington, ever hopeful, resolved to surprise the British force at Trenton. Sullivan, with a portion of Lee's force, had joined him. Recruiting, stimulated by the offer of bounties, became quite brisk. Although Congress, in alarm, had fled to Baltimore, and there was general despondency, his great soul was strong, and he proceeded to strike the contemplated blow at Trenton. On the evening of Christ- mas day (1776) he had assembled 2,400 men on the right bank of the Delaware (some distance above Trenton) in which "skim ice " was plentiful. Boats had been gathered there. The little army crossed in them in a heavy sleet storm, with the intention of reaching Trenton before daylight. They could not, and yet it was a surprise, their ap- pearance was so sudden. Rail rallied his troops. They fought gal- lantly. Rail was mortally wounded, and he with more than a thou- sand of his men were made prisoners. The British cavalry barely escaped. With prisoners and booty Washington recrossed the Dela- ware. This victory — this brilliant military exploit, spread joy and hope throughout the colonies. The soldiers re-enlisted. Recruits came. Robert Morris sent $50,000 hard money to Washington to pay bounties; and the commander-in-chief recrossed the Delaware, deter- mined to act on the offensive. Cornwallis resumed the command of the British troops in New Jersey, and prepared to attack the Amer- icans. On the first of January (1777) W^ashington had gathered as many troops as possible at Trenton (about 5,000 in number) and calmly awaited the appearance of his approaching enemy. He formed his troops in battle order. Cornwallis came in force at four o'clock in the afternoon. His second in command (General Erskine) urged him to attack the Americans at once. "No," said the Earl; "let our wearied troops repose to-night, for we may easily bag the fox in the morning." '■»1 f '>'ii;ii ./' 2B o H H O » 1-1 H H < » H % I-] «) O o o A n » IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 49 Reynard was too cunning for the British general. During the night Washington stole away with men, cannon and munitions, so softly, that even the sentinels of the enemy had no suspicion of his flight. Before sunrise a sound in the direction of Princeton, which Cornwallis mistook for thunder, was heard. "Thunder!" exclaimed General Erskine, whose quick ear decided otherwise. " To arms ! to arms, my Lord ! Washington has outgen- eraled us ! " It was even so. He had reached Princeton at dawn, and engaged in battle with troops which Cornwallis had left there. It was a cold and brilliant morning, and snow lay upon the ground. A division, led by General Mercer, was first assailed by the enemy. A desperate conflict ensued, in which Mercer, leading his men on foot, was pros- trated by a clubbed musket. His rank was discovered. The British supposed he was Washington and shouted, " The rebel general is taken ! " The Britons pierced him with bayonets until they supposed him dead. He did die soon afterward. Washington was in command of the main body of Americans, which had not been before discovered. The British artillery was immediately opened upon them. This, with Mercer's flying troops, threatened a panic in his army. Fearing this, the commander-in-chief put spurs to his horse, dashed past the trembling militia, toward the enemy, waving his hat and calling loudly upon them to maintain their ground. The presence and example of Washington gave courage to the troops. The flight of Mercer's men was checked. Order was brought oueht of confusion. For fifteen minutes the battle was hot. Wash- ington was in the thickest of the fight cheering on his men. There was a roar of musketry, succeeded by a loud shout. It was a shout of victory. The form of Washington was dimly seen in the clouds of smoke. The vanquished British battalions were broken and flying. 50 SCENES AND EVENTS ^ Other stirring scenes occurred in that memorable battle. The enemy was pursued a short distance, but the Americans were so wearied, not having slept for thirty-six hours, and were nearly famished, that Washington marched his army toward his destination — the hill country around Morristown. This second brilliant military feat gave unbounded confidence in Washington as a leader. The Congress, sitting at Baltimore, in- vested him with xhe. powc7' of a military Dictator. He established his winter-quarters at Morristown in East Jersey. He planted canton- ments at different points from Prince^ton to the Hudson Highlands, and sent out detachments to attack the perplexed British. By the first of March (1777) not a British soldier could be found in New Jersey excepting at Brunswick and Amboy. Congress returned to Philadelphia and resumed its labors there with renewed vigor. Washington remained at Morristown until near the last of May, when his army had swelled, by recruits, to almost 10,000 men. A por- tion of his troops had been inoculated against small-pox. He was perplexed by the movements of General Howe, at New York. The British had devised a scheme for separating the New England States from the rest of the Union by establishing a series of military posts along the Hudson and Lake Champlain between New York and Canada. Burgoyne was preparing for an invasion from the latter, but whether Howe was preparing to co-operate with him, or for an ex- pedition by land and water against Philadelphia, was, for a while, an unsolved problem. Washington prepared to meet either event. Washington stationed a considerable body of troops on the Hudson ; a strong detachment on the Pennsylvania side of the Dela- ware, and with the main body took a position at Middlebrook, in New Jersey, ten miles from the British camp at Brunswiclc, where Howe soon concentrated a large portion of his troops which had wintered in New York. He tried in vain to draw Washint>ton out WASHINGTON AT THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON. IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 53 to battle. He suddenly retreated to Staten Island. Leaving Gen- eral Clinton in command, he sailed southward — perhaps for the Del- aware — in July, with 18,000 land troops. Leaving a large body of troops on the Hudson, Washington now hastened to Philadelphia with the rest of his army. Foreign military officers, some of them mere adventurers, sought employment in the Continental service. These adventurers gave Washington much uneasiness by their persistent claims to the highest positions in the army which rightfully belonged to competent Ameri- cans. There were others who were moeed by higher motives than a selfish desire for places of honor and emolument. Among these were Lafayette, the Barons de Kalb and von Steuben, and Kos- ciusko, the Polish patriot. Tlie latter brought a letter from Dr. Franklin. When he was introduced to Washing^ton, the latter in- quired, "What do you seek here?" The Pole answered, "I come to fight as a volunteer, for American independence." " What can you do ? " asked Washington. " Try me," was the hero's laconic reply. He was one of the best engineers in the Continental Army. Lafayette, a French nobleman not twenty years of age, though a husband for three years, came in the same vessel with the Baron de Kalb and eleven French, German, and Polish officers. He re- paired to Philadelphia with letters of introduction from Dr. Franklin and Silas Deane. He sent them to Congress with an application for employment. So many applications had been made that Con- gress was embarrassed. Besides, he was a mere youth. They hesi- tated. The young marquis said : " After my sacrifices I have the right to ask two favors : one is to serve at my own expense ; the other to commence by serving as a volunteer." These terms were so extraordinary that they were accepted, and Congress commissioned him a Major- General of the Continental Army. Washington first met Lafayette at a public dinner at Philadelphia 54 SCENES AND EVENTS soon after his appointment, at which several members of Congress were present. The chief was formally introduced to the young marquis at the close of the banquet, by Baron de Kalb. Washington seems to have been impressed with a sense of the true nobility of the young man's character, at once. He took him aside, compli- mented him on his generosity, zeal, and disinterestedness, and in- vited him to share the hospitalities of headquarters as his home. He took him to his bosom with the confidence and affection that a father gives a son, and these qualities were fully reciprocated. They were life-long, loving friends. Lafayette named his son George Wash- ington, and when, after an absence of forty years, he made a pil- grimage to the tomb of the acknowledged " Father of his country," the then venerable marquis wept. Late in August Washington called a council of war, when it was decided that, as Howe had not entered the Delaware, he had sailed for Charleston, and it was determined that the army should break up camp and march toward the Hudson, to prevent Clinton giving assistance to Burgoyne, who was then on the upper waters of that river. But on the very next day everything was changed. A courier brought the news that the British fleet was at anchor in Chesapeake Bay, fully two hundred miles within the Capes. Howe was making his way toward Philadelphia, by that route, in accord- ance with a plan which General Lee, then a prisoner in New York, had secretly given him. Washington prepared at once to confront the intended invader. The several divisions of the army were summoned to Philadelphia, and the militia of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland were called to the field with all possible expedition ; at the same time the chief sent Colonel Morgan and his corps of riflemen to Gates, then en- deavoring to stem the tide of Burgoyne's invasion. On Sunday forenoon, the 24th of August, the American army, BABON BE KALB HfTBODUCING LAFAYBTTE TO SILAS DEANE IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 57 under the immediate command of Washington, marched down Front Street and up Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, with drums beating and flags flying, and each man wearing a sprig of green foliage in his hat. Washington rode at the head of his troops attended by his staff, and Lafayette riding by his side. It was an imposing spectacle, such as the Philadelphians had never seen before ; and the display had a most happy effect in giving confidence to the republicans and disheartening the loyalists, who abounded in that city. The army marched down the Delaware to Wilmington, and was continually augmented by the gathering militiamen. Washington established his headquarters at Wilmington, and on the same evening he re- ceived intelligence of the landing of Howe's army at the head of Chesapeake Bay, near the village of Elkton. On the first of September Howe turned his face toward Philadel- phia. On the night when Washington heard the news of his debark- ation, in company with Generals Greene, Weeden, and Lafayette, he rode in the midst of heavy rain to make personal observations of that important event. The night became tempestuous. The winds were all abroad, and these officers were compelled to take refuge in a farmhouse, whether the home of a friend or foe they knew not. A small British party might have captured them, but they were undisturbed. The presence of the two armies alarmed the inhabitants. Their advent had been so sudden that the people had no time to think calmly, and in obedience to their first impulses, they fled to places of safety with their most valuable effects. They fled with their horses, and the scarcity of these animals, which Howe intended to seize for the use of his army, detained him at the place of landing several days. Wilmington is at the mouth of the Brandywine Creek. A portion of Washington's army advanced some distance beyond that 58 SCENES AND EVENTS stream, but Howe's superior force compelled them to fall back to the east side of the creek. At Chad's Ford, several miles above Wil- mington, Washington made a stand for the defense of Philadelphia, rhe army did not then number more than 1 1,000 effective men, in- cluding militia, while that of the enemy brought actively against them a few days later, was fully 15,000. The advance division of the royal army was led by Lord Corn- wallis and General Knyphausen. The latter attacked the American left wing commanded by Washington in person, while Cornwallis, accompanied by Howe, crossed the Brandywine several miles above, and fell upon the right wing, under General Sullivan, near the Bir- mingham Quaker meeting-house. These movements occurred on the morning of September nth (lyyy). The contest raged fearfully all day, and at night the battered and defeated American army retreated to Chester, and on the following day to Philadelphia. The patriots lost fully 1,200 men, killed, wounded, and missing. Lafayette was severely wounded by a bullet that passed through his leg. He was conveyed to Bethlehem, where the Moravian Sisters nursed him dur- ing his confinement. The British lost about 800 men. Howe made slow progress toward Philadelphia. So soon as his troops were rested Washington recrossed the Schuylkill to confront him and impede his progress. Some skirmishing ensued, but no battle was fought. Washington felt compelled to abandon Philadel- phia and protect his stores at Reading. Congress fled at the approach of Howe, first to Lancaster and then to York, where they reassem- bled on September 30th, and remained until late in the following spring. Howe entered Philadelphia on the 26th, and made it his winter quarters. The main body of his army was encamped at Ger- mantown. A few miles below Philadelphia, on the banks of the Delaware, were Forts Mercer and Mifflin, of considerable strength, garrisoned IN THE T.IFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 59 by the Americans and commanding the river below, and also chcvaux- de-frise. These forts prevented the British army receiving supplies from the fleet, which had been ordered round to the Delaware. Howe sent a considerable force to seize these forts. While his army at Germantown was thus weakened Washington marched silently in the evening of October 3d (1777), to attack the British camp. He reached Chestnut Hill at dawn on the 4th, and near there a battle began which lasted almost three hours. The patriots were at first confused by a dense fog. They were repulsed with a loss about equal to that at the Brandywine Creek. Howe broke up his encampment at Germantown on the 19th, and billeted them in Philadelphia ; and late in the following month Wash- ington went into winter quarters at Whitemarsh, fourteen miles from Philadelphia. Meanwhile Burgoyne and his whole army had been compelled to surrender to the Americans at Saratoga (October 17th), after two battles. This ended all attempts to separate New England from the other States by a line of British forts from New York City to Canada. This victory had great weight in the minds of European rulers, and hastened the conclusion of a treaty of alliance and com- merce between France and the United States. Sir Henry Clinton had captured the American forts (Clinton and Montgomery) in the Hudson Highlands, and sent troops in transports to assist Burgoyne. They were too late. After burning Kingston, and doing other dam- aee, the invaders hastened back to New York. Some of Gates' troops joined Washington at Whitemarsh. Howe made several ineffectual attempts to allure Washington out to battle. The close pro.Kimity of the belligerent armies caused almost continual hostile movements on a small scale, until the middle of December, when the commander-in-chief thought it prudent to remove his troops and his headquarters to a greater distance from Philadelphia, and in a more secure position. Before the middle of December the encamp- 6o SCENES AND EVENTS ment was broken up, and the army, suffering from lack of sufficient clothing, especially in the item of shoes, marched to Valley Forge, near the Schuylkill River, about twenty miles from Philadelphia. Their footsteps in the snow were marked with blood from the lacer- ated feet of barefooted soldiers. On that dreadful journey of a few miles Mrs. Washington rode on horseback behind her husband on a pillion. The intense sufferings of the American army during the remainder of the winter of 1778 form a theme for every historian of that war. They were subjected to almost every kind of privation, yet they remained warmly loyal to the holy cause. Dr. Thacher, an army surgeon, wrote in his Journal: " It was with great difficulty that men enough could be found in a fit condition to discharge the military camp duties from day to day, and for this purpose those who were naked borrowed of those who had clothes When a miserable wretch was seen flitting from one hut to another, his nakedness was only covered with a dirty blanket." Unprovided with material to raise their beds from the ground, the dampness occasioned sickness and death. At the same time the British army were indulging in comforts and luxuries in Philadelphia. Amid all the distressing scenes of the camp at Valley Forge Washington early devised a plan of a new and improved system for the future, which contemplated radical changes in military plans hitherto pursued. The general officers all stated their views on the subject, in writing; and, finally, Washington asked Congress to seri- ously consider the subject. It was done, and, after some debate, that body appointed a committee of five members to confer with the com- mander-in-chief at the camp at Valley Forge. He laid before them a memoir drawn up with great care. The committee remained in camp three months, and reported the general plan proposed by Washington, which Congress adopted. iSMPSTPT'iTJi'itiii' T" }\mmmw o » I-) < CO EO pq (4 o ^ o o » H H M o » » a is; < o H w IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 63 As spring advanced, the comforts of the soldiers increased. Their clothing was replenished and their daily wants were more bountifully supplied. The shattered regiments were filled, and a more hopeful feeling prevailed in the camp and throughout the country. This feel- ing was greatly intensified and became real joy among the soldiers when, on the 3d of May, Washington received a despatch from the President of Congress, announcing the treaty of alliance, amity, and commerce, between the United States and France. These glad tid- ings were communicated to the army in general orders on the morn- ing of the 6th, and the next day was set apart for a general rejoicing. The brigades were all assembled on the 7th, to hear prayers and appropriate discourses from their several chaplains. At a given sio-- nal they fired d.feii de joie with cannons and small arms. Then there was a discharge of thirteen cannons and a running fire of small arms, followed by a simultaneous shout by the whole army, ''Long live the King of France ! " When the commander-in-chief retired from the scene with Mrs. Washington leaning on his arm, followed by the offi- cers and their wives, who had accompanied them from headquarters, there was a universal huzzaing, "Long live Gejieral Washington/ Long live Lady Washington ! " The latter had endeared herself to the whole army by her incessant labors in behalf of sick soldiers dur- ing the dreary winter encampment. The army at that time made a most creditable appearance. They had been disciplined by the Baron von Steuben, who had lately joined the Continental army as Inspector- General. CHAPTER V. The alliance with France gave the patriotic Americans great con- fidence in their ability to win the prize for which they were struggling, while it disheartened the British people and the army in America. In 64 SCENES AND EVENTS the spring- of i 778, Sir Henry Clinton, a more able general than Howe, succeeded him. A French fleet arrived at the mouth of the Delaware toward the close of May. Lord Howe, fortunately for himself had left these waters a few days before. Sir Henry, perceiving his peril, withdrew his army from Philadelphia, crossing the Delaware on the i8th of June, and began a march for New York by way of Brunswick and Amboy. He had 1 1,000 men and an immense baggage and provision train. Washington, ever on the alert, left Valley Forge with his whole army, 15,000 strong, crossed the Delaware above Trenton and pur- sued Clinton. General Lee had been exchanged, had joined the army at Valley Forge, and was in command of a division of it. So also was General Wayne. Detached portions of the American arm)', by adroit movements, so interfered with Clinton's marches, that he was compelled to abandon his design of reaching Amboy, and changed his course in the direction of Sandy Hook. New Jersey militia con- tinually harassed his flanks and rear. Finally, on a very hot Sab- bath day (June 28th), a general engagement between the belligerents took place on the plain near Monmouth Court-House, not far from the present village of Freehold. The two armies began to prepare for the conflict, just after mid- night. They were in motion at dawn, and before nine o'clock detach- ments were in deadly conflict, and from that hour, all through that long, burning, June day, until dark, the terrible conflict raged. It was begun by troops under the command of General Lee. Either through incompetence or design, there was such confusion in his orders to some of his officers that a general and tumultuous retreat of his divis- ion occurred. Happily Washington was approaching with the main body of the army, and quickly checked the retreat and restored order. The commander-in-chief was iiritated by the circumstance, and riding IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 65 up to General Lee addressed him with much warmth of language, and directed him to assist in restoring order. He did so. Washington's words angered Lee, and he addressed a very offensive letter to his chief. Lee was arrested, tried on a charge of disobedience of orders and misbehavior before the enemy, and was suspended from command for one year. This ended his military career. When night came on both parties were glad to rest. The Amer- icans slept on their arms, with the intention of renewing the battle in the morning. Clinton silently, in the soft, sandy soil, withdrew under cover of darkness, and made his way to Sandy Hook, and thence to New York. Washington did not follow. He made his way with his army to the Hudson River, crossed into Westchester County and remained there until late in autumn, when he passed over the river again, into New Jersey, and went into winter quarters at Mid- dlebrook, on the Raritan. As we are following the fortunes of Washington specially, we will not stop to notice the stirring events in Rhode Island and in the waters around it, the dreadful tragedy in the Wyoming Valley and the "dark and bloody ground" of the Mohawk region, or the inva- sion of Georgia toward the close of this year — 1778. The winter (1778- 1779), when the American army lay at Middle- brook, was exceedingly mild. There was scarcely a fall of snow or a frost after the loth of January. Vegetation began to grow in New Jersey in March; the fruit-trees were in bloom on the loth of April, and the roads were as dusty as in June. On Valentine's Day the peach-trees were in bloom in Virginia. Mrs. Washington, as usual, was at headquarters, and so were the wives of several of the general officers. These, with neighboring families, constituted a remarkable social circle, with the general and his spouse as the centre. In February the anniversary of the French alliance was celebrated at the artillery encampment of General Knox, not far from Middle- 66 SCENES AND EVENTS brook. A rude temple supported by a colonnade, one hundred feet in length, decorated with evergreens, and displaying thirteen arches, was erected. In the arches were historic or allegorical pictures from the hand of Charles Willson Peale. There was a crowd of invited guests, some of whom came from far, and partook of a sumptuous banquet at 4 o'clock. In the evening there was a fine display of fire- works ; and in the temple, which was brilliantly lighted by hundreds of candles, there was a ball, which was opened by Washington and Mrs, General Knox. Every day the commander-in-chief and his wife entertained a cer- tain number of the officers of the army at dinner. On the first of May the French minister, accompanied by Don Juan Miralles, a dis- tinguished Spanish gentleman, was entertained at headquarters, when there was a grand review of the troops. Late in May Mrs. Washington returned to Mount Vernon ; and on the 4th of June the encampment was broken up, and the arm)- marched to the vicinity of the Hudson Highlands, against the defenses of which Sir Henry Clinton was making hostile demonstra- tions. Washington made his headquarters at West Point from July to December (1779), when, with the main body of his troops, he took post at Morristown. During 1779 there had been stirring military events on and near the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia. General Clin- ton had sent out cruel marauding parties to desolate the towns on and near the coast of Connecticut. The troops under Washington meanwhile had struck some telling blows. General Wayne captured a strong post held by the British at Stony Point on the Hudson, and General Sullivan had severely thrashed some of the Indian desolaters of the Wyoming Valley. So early as the summer of i 779 Washington began to feel the malign influence of General Gates, who, jealous of him, intrigued IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 6/ to supplant him and occupy his place. In these intrigues he was encouraged by General Lee ; and finally, General Conway, a French officer, appeared so conspicuous, that the conspiracy against Washington was designated " Conway's Cabal." The disaffected toward Washington were found among the members of Congress. The conspirators tried to win Lafayette from his allegiance to his friend, but his keen perception detected the serpent's tooth under the smooth tongue of flattery. Their machinations availed nothing, and the vile effort was abandoned at the end of almost two years. Conway, wounded, and expecting to die, wrote an apologetic letter to Washington, deploring the injury he had attempted to do him. During the summer of 1779 Lafayette had been in France, and chiefly through his influence the French monarch agreed to send a land and naval force to assist the Americans. Hearing of this, the British ministry ordered Sir Henry Clinton to cause the evacu- ation of Rhode Island and to concentrate his troops at New York. It was to watch these, and to confine them to Manhattan Island, that Washington established the headquarters of the army at Mor- ristown, where it continued until early in June, 1780. At the beginning of June a British force from Staten Island made a raid into New Jersey. They took possession of Elizabeth and pushed on to Springfield, burning Connecticut Farms, a hamlet, on their way, and murdering the wife of a clergyman there. Clinton, with additional troops, endeavored to draw Washington into a general battle. In a severe skirmish at Springfield, the British were defeated and driven back to Staten Island. In July a powerful French fleet, with si.x; thousand troops under the Count de Rochambeau, arrived at Newport. To prevent any difficulty in the way of command, the French king commissioned Washington a lieutenant-general of France, and allowed him to take precedence of Rochambeau. In September Washington and Ro- 68 SCENES AND EVENTS chambeau met in conference at Hartford, and made preliminary arrangements for an allied campaign the next year. It was during his absence in Connecticut that the treason of Arnold was dis- covered. The story of the treason of Benedict Arnold and the capture, trial, and execution of Major Andre, the adjutant-general of the British army, is too familiar to all readers of American history to need repetition here. The part taken by Washington in the treat- ment of that momentous matter revealed the true nobility of his character as a statesman, a soldier, a patriot, and a Christian. With equal wisdom, sagacity, and justice he dealt with mutineers in his army at Morristown and at Pompton, in New Jersey, early in 1781. They were suffering intensely for want of pay, and their course seemed justified by circumstances. Arnold the traitor, made a brigadier in the British army, invaded Virginia by way of the James River, early in 17S1. Washington, with the headquarters of the army at New Windsor, on the Hudson, sent Lafayette to Virginia to confront him. At the latter part ot May Cornwallis arrived in Virginia from North Carolina, took prece- dence of Arnold, whose expedition was only a marauding one, and attempted to subjugate the State. Lafayette's forces were too small to resist the earl, and Von Steuben and Wayne were sent to his assistance. At the close of June Cornwallis received orders from Clinton to take post near the sea, that he might reinforce the garrison at New York, if necessary, which was then menaced by the combined American and French armies. The earl was then hard pressed by the American troops in Virginia. He crossed the James River at old Jamestown, where he was attacked by Wayne. He proceeded to Portsmouth, opposite Norfolk, but, disliking the situation, he went to Yorktown and established a fortified camp there. A Q 'Hi < o o is; o H <1 (H I-] M o H O iz; M M 10 il IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 85 quorum was not present until the beginning of April, when the votes of the Electoral College were counted and Washington was officially declared to be elected President of the United States. The delay was a source of pleasure to Washington. In a letter to General Knox he compared it to a reprieve, " for," he said, " in confi- dence I tell you (with the world it would obtain little credit), that mv movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execu- tion." " I am sensible," he continued, " that I am embarking the voice of the people, and a good name of my own, on this voyage, but what returns will be made for them Heaven alone can foretell. Integrity and firmness are all I can promise. These, be the voyage long or short, shall never forsake me, although I may be deserted by all men ; for of the consolations which are to be derived from these, under any circumstances, the world cannot deprive me." On the 6th of April the Senate of the United States was organ- ized and John Langdon, of New Hampshire, was chosen President pro tempore of that body. He immediately sent an official certifica- tion of his election to Washington, accompanied by a letter from himself The bearer was Charles Thomson, the venerable secretary of the late Continental Congress. Mr. Thomson arrived at Mount Vernon in the forenoon of the 14th. Washington was absent on his usual tour of his farms, and did not return till dinner-time. Mrs. Washington, who had enjoyed the hospitality of the distinguished messenger, at Philadelphia, received him cordially. Washington greeted his old friend warmly. His errand was ex- pected, and therefore it was not a surprise. The patriots lingered lon^ at the table after the family and two or three guests had with- drawn. They repaired to the library, where Washington answered the letter of Senator Langdon. Toward evening, Washington with " Billy " left Mount Vernon 86 SCENES AND EVENTS for Frededcksburg, to bid farewell to his aged mother, who was suffer- ing from an incurable disease and the weight of more than fourscore years. The interview between the matron and her illustrious son was full of the most touching sublimity. " The people, madame," said Washington, " have been pleased, with the most flattering unanimity, to elect me to the Chief Magis- tracy of the United States ; but before I can assume the functions of that office, I have come to bid you an affectionate farewell. So soon as the public business which must necessarily be encountered in ar- ranging a new government can be disposed of, I shall hasten to Vir- ginia, and " Here she interrupted him, saying: " You will see me no more. My great age, and the disease that is rapidly approaching my vitals, warn me that I shall not be long in this world. I trust in God that I am somewhat prepared for a better. But go, George ; fulfill the high destiny which Heaven appears to assign you — go, my son, and may that Heaven's and your mother's blessing be with you always." The mother and son embraced for the last time, for a few weeks afterward this noble matron was laid in the grave on her little farm near Fredericksburg. There was a great stir at Mount Vernon the ne.xt morning, the 1 6th of April. Before sunrise a messenger had come from Alexandria and departed ; and on that evening Washington wrote in his diary : " About ten o'clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity ; and with a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I have' words to express, set out for New York in company with Mr. Thomson and Colonel Humph- reys with the best disposition to render service to my country in obe- dience to its call, but with less hope of meeting its expectations." By invitation of his neighbors and friends Washington partook of a public dinner at Alexandria. He passed the night at Georgetown; TN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 8/ reached Baltimore the next evening, where he was entertained at a public supper given by leading citizens of that town, and before sun- rise the next morning departed for the Pennsylvania frontier amid the booming of cannons and escorted by a troop of cavalry and a ca\'al- cade of citizens. He had a strong desire to make the journey without parade ; but the love and reverence of the people made it a continuous ovation, like a triumphal procession. Early on the morning of the 19th Washington was met at the frontier of Pennsylvania by Governor Mifflin and a cavalcade of citizens from Philadelphia, who escorted him to the Pennsylvania capital. He left his carriage, and mounting a white charger, he joined in the cavalcade with Colonel Humphreys on one side of him and Secretary Thomson on the other side. At Gray's Ferry, on the Schuylkill, they were met by a great multitude of citizens. A tri- umphal arch had been erected on each side of the river covered with laurel branches and approached through avenues of evergreens. As Washington passed under the last arch Angelica Peale, a beautiful child and daughter of the famous artist of the Revolution, concealed in the laurel branches, let down upon the head of the patriot a beauti- fully decorated laurel wreath. The event brought tumultuous shouts from the multitude. Great honors were paid to Washington at Philadelphia ; and at Trenton a special compliment awaited him. On a bridge that spanned a small stream, over which he and his soldiers had passed twelve years before when driven by Cornvvallis, a triumphal arch, twenty feet in height, supported by thirteen columns entwined with evergreens, which the women of New Jersey had caused to be erected, stood to receive him. As he passed through the arch thirteen young girls dressed in white, their heads wreathed with flowers and holding baskets of flowers in their hands, scattered their contents in his way and singing : 88 SCENES AND EVENTS " Virgins fair and matrons grave, Those thy conq'ring arms did save, Build for thee triumphal bowers, Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers ! Strew your hero's way with flov/ers ! " Escorted by cavalcades of citizens to Elizabethtovvn Point, Wash- ington was met, on the morning of the 23d, by a committee of both Houses of Congress and several civil and military officers. They had prepared a magnificent barge, manned by thirteen pilots in white uni- form, commanded by Commodore Nicholson. In this barge Wash- ington and the committee crossed the bay and harbor of New York, which was crowded with gaily-decorated vessels of many kinds, the smaller ones filled with ladies and gentlemen. All exhibited tokens of honor for the President-elect excepting a Spanish war-vessel. While words of censure for her neglect of common courtesy were vehemently uttered, and just as the barge with its precious freight passed her, she suddenly displayed among her rigging every flag known among nations and discharged thirteen heavy guns. These were answered by the guns at the Battery on shore. In the midst of this cannonade and the shouts of the multitude the President was landed at Murray's wharf at the foot of Wall Street, where he was formally received by Governor Clinton and escorted by the military to the house prepared for his residence at No. 10 Cherry Street, near Franklin Square. It was a week after Washington's arrival in New York when his inauguration as the first President of the United States occurred. During that interval he received and answered many addresses and also numerous visits of ceremony and curiosity. Meanwhile the Com- mittee of Arrangements for the inauguration on the 30th were busy. They reported the programme on the 29th. The city was so crowded with visitors that night, that many were compelled to take shelter in IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 89 tents and outbuildings. They had streamed in from the country over Kingsbridge. All night long they came. The dawn of the 30th was proclaimed by a national salute at the Battery. The sky was clear ; the air balmy. The church-bells called the people to engage in worship in their several appointed places. These temples were crowded. At noon a procession was formed and took a position near the Presidential mansion, where it was joined by Washington and his suite, in a chariot drawn by four horses, and fol- lowed by officials of the National Government, and the Committee of Arrangements, in carriages. Arrived at the Federal Hall, corner of Wall and Nassau Streets, the President alighted and was conducted to the Senate Chamber, a handsome room, thirty by forty feet in size, elaborately garnished ; the windows curtained by light crimson damask, and the chairs covered with the same rich stuff. There he was formally received by Vice- President John Adams, and introduced to the members of both Houses of Congress. The Senate Chamber opened upon a balcony twelve feet deep, guarded in front by an iron railing. This balcony over- looked both Wall and Broad Streets. To it the Vice-President con- ducted Washington. The windows, the house-tops, and the streets in view were crowded with citizens of every class. Those in the streets, with upturned faces, stood as mute and almost as immovable as statues. Washington, standing between the central pillars of the balconv, with the tall and slender figure of Robert R. Livingston (Chancellor of the State of New York, who was to administer the oath) on one side, and short, plump Vice-President Adams on the other, his com- manding figure attracted all eyes. He was clad in a complete suit of dark-brown, fine American-made broadcloth, with white silk stockings manufactured in Connecticut, and plain silver buckles on his polished shoes ; his head uncovered and his powdered hair tied in the fashion of 90 SCENES AND EVENTS the day. The Vice-President, and the Chancellor were also dressed in American fabrics. Partly between the President and the Chancellor, stood Samuel A. Osgood, the Secretary of the Senate, a small, short man, holding, on a rich crimson-velvet cushion, an open quarto and clasped Bible. On a page of the sacred volume Washington laid his hand, when the Chancellor, in slow and distinct words, pronounced the oath. The Bible was raised, the President bowed and kissed it, and, as with closed eyes he recovered his erect position, he said, with great fervor : " I swear, so help me God !" " It is done," said the Chancellor, and, turning toward the multitude, he cried with a loud voice: " Lona^ live Georg-e Washington, President of the United States ! " The people echoed the shout, again and again. An American flag was unfurled from the cupola of Federal Hall, when the church-bells burst into a musical clamor, and cannons roared at all points, on land j and water. The President returned to the Senate Chamber, where, j after the members of Congress were seated, he read a brief Inaugural Address, with great emotion. So ended the ceremonies at the inau- guration of the first President of the United States, a hundred years ago. The city was brilliantly illuminated that evening. Bonfires blazed in every street, and many buildings were decorated with beauti- ful transparencies. Expecting Mrs. Washington would come to New York before the inauguration, great preparations were made for an Inauguration Ball, at the Assembly Rooms on Broadway, just above Wall Street. She did not come until nearly three weeks afterward. The entertainment was postponed for a week. It occurred on Thursday evening. May 7th, and was one of the most brilliant affairs of the kind ever before seen in the citv. It was specially notable for the array of distinguished men and women in attendance and the splendor of the decorations. The ^<^/// m ^m SKsBiiMaai INAUGURATION OF WASHINGTON. IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 93 President, Vice-President, Foreign Ministers, Congressmen, and emi- nent men in all the higher walks of life, were participants of the scene ; also many eminent women, wives and daughters of notable men pres- ent ; and distinguished representatives of the beauty and fashion of the city of 27,000 inhabitants. The French Minister gave a brilliant ball afterward in compliment to the President and his wife. CHAPTER VII. Never in the history of the human race, did men, charged with the management of public aflfairs, have a more solemn, important, and difficult task to perform than did Washington and his compeers in determining the policy of the new Government of the United States, and in putting in healthful motion its machinery. Some of the prob- lems to be solved were new to statesmen. The peculiar condition of the country, politically and commercially, rendered precedents fur- nished by the older States of Europe of no avail. The President and Congress moved cautiously in the performance of their momentous task, more intent upon avoiding dangerous errors than in accomplishing speedy results. The earliest efforts of Congress were in the elaboration of schemes for the future prosperity of the Republic. They had begun making arrangements of a system of revenues in order to adjust and regulate the unsettled financial aflfairs of the country, so soon as that body was organized, early in April. The subject was brought forward by Madison, the acknowledged leader of the House of Representatives. A system of duties was adopted which were favorable to American shipping ; and this was the beginning of our revenue system. This done, they turned their attention to the organization of the Execu- tive Departments. Three were established — Treasury, War, and 94 SCENES AND EVENTS Foreign Affairs. The heads of these departments were called Secre- taries. They were to be the advisers of the President, and his assist- ants in the performance of his duties as Chief Executive. These Cabinet officers were not appointed until the lapse of several months after the inauguration of Washington, when Alexander Ham- ilton, of New York, was appointed Secretary of the Treasury ; Henry Knox, Secretary of War; and Thomas Jefferson (then in France), Sec- retary of State, or of Foreign Affairs. Jefferson did not return and enter upon his duties until March, i 790. The office of Secretary of the Navy was not created until the Presidency of Mr. Adams. Naval ' affairs were under the control of the Secretary of War. A national judiciary was established, with John Jay as Chief-Justice, with five associates. There was no suitable precedent for the etiquette to be observed at the Republican court. Those of monarchy might not be followed, yet a certain dignity was to be observed. The arrangement of official ceremonies connected with the President personally, was left chiefly to Colonel Humphreys, who had been abroad, and was a judicious ob- server of the phases of society under every aspect. It was arranged that the President should hold a levee, or public reception, on every Tuesday, from three to four o'clock in the afternoon, for calls of cere- mony by gentlemen only. They were numerously attended. On j these occasions, after the seat of government was removed to Philadel- ' phia, the President was always dressed in a suit of black velvet, black silk stockings, silver knee and shoe buckles, and having his hair powdered and tied in a silk bag or queue, behind. He wore yellow gloves, and held in his hand a cocked hat with a cockade upon it, the edges adorned with a black feather about an inch deep. He also wore an elegant straight dress-sword, and with a polished steel hilt, vvhich appeared at his left hip. The scabbard was of white polished leather. He stood in front of the fire-place, with his face toward the door of THE FIRST CABINET. IN THK LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 97 entrance. The visitor was conducted to iiim by an usher, introduced with his name distinctly uttered, and was received with a dignified bow, the President's hands in a position which indicated that they were not to be shaken. The visitors formed a circle around the room. At a quarter past, three the doors were closed, and no more were ad- mitted. Mrs. Washington also held weekly receptions, from eight till nine o'clock in the evening, which both ladies and gentlemen attended. The visitors were required to appear in full evening-dress. On these occasions the President, who was always present, appeared as a private citizen and guest, mingling freely with the company, and convers- ing as familiarly as he would have done in his own drawing-room at Mount Vernon. He usually wore on these occasions a coat of brown cloth, with bright buttons, but carried neither a hat nor a sword. Mrs. Washington had arrived in New York on the 28th of May, and on the following day the President entertained at a family dinner, Vice-President Adams, Governor George Clinton, the French and Spanish Ministers, John Jay, General St. Clair; Senators Langdon, Wingate, Izard, and Few, and Mr. Muhlenburg, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The dinner was plain. Washington, standing at the head of the table, asked a blessing. After the dessert a single glass of wine was offered to each of the guests. The Presi- dent then rose and led the way to the drawing-room, where the com- pany departed without ceremony. Mrs. Washington held her first "drawing-room" on the ne.xt day. During the session of Congress that reception was held every Friday ; and on every Thursday there was a Congressional dinner at the Presidential mansion. On these occasions the servants all wore the family livery. There were expectations of a gay season in New York after the inauguration, but there was disappointment. The tardy arrival of Mrs. W^ashington, the severe illness of the President from the effects 98 SCENES AND EVENTS of a malignant carbuncle, and the death of his mother late in the summer, prevented Washington attending any ball given after that of the French minister. Mrs. Washington, who had little inclination to participate in the mere amusements of society, never attended a public hall during her residence in New York, but sometimes appeared with her husband at the dancing assemblies. The first session of the First Congress adjourned at the close of September, and the President made a tour in the Eastern States, avoiding Rhode Island, which had not ratified the Constitution, and was not considered a State of the Union. He travelled in his chariot, drawn by four spirited bay horses, accompanied by his two secretaries, Tobias Le:ir and Major William Jackson, on horseback. His journc)' extended as far east as Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He returned on the 13th of November. The President's house in Cherry Street became too small for the increasing demands of official business, and at the close of February, 1790, Washington removed, with his household, to the more spacious mansion which the French minister had occupied on Broadway. There he and his family lived until the following autumn, when the seat of Government was removed from New York to Philadelphia and fi.xed there for ten years. The second session of the First Congress began in January, 1790, and adjourned on the 12th of August following. It was marked by important actions, notably the able financial report of Secretary Ham- ilton, which established the general line of national fiscal policy fin- fully twenty years. Immediately after the adjournment of Congress Washington made a voyage to Newport, Rhode Island, for the benefit of his health. The cares r.nd incessant labors incident to his exalted station, and especially in the task of organizing the new Government, had pro- duced a nervous prostration which brought the President " nigh unto IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. 99 death." The sea-voyage was beneficial, and at the close of August he and his family returned to Mount Vernon. They left New York for Elizabethtown Point in the splendid barge which had fetched them to the city. Washington never saw New York again. Congress began its sessions in Philadelphia in December, 1790, and before its close measures were adopted which laid the foundations of public credit and national prosperity deep and abiding. North Carolina and Rhode Island had ratified the National Constitution and Vermont had been admitted as an equal State in the Union. The Presidential mansion in Philadelphia was in High Street, near the corner of Sixth Street. There were fine stables and a garden, with abundance of fruit-trees attached to it. The President and his family arrived there from Mount Vernon at the close of November; but Mrs. Washington's first public reception was not held until the evening of Christmas day. Her receptions, as well as those of the President, were held on Thursdays and Fridays, as in New York. Plain Congressional dinners were also given once a week. The tenor of their private lives continued to be simple and unostentatious. They went to Mount Vernon at the close of the session in March, 1791. A week after his arrival home the President set out on a tour in the Southern States, which extended to Savannah, Georgia. He was everywhere received with affection and veneration, and returned to Mount Vernon on the 12th of June much invigorated. The terrible storm of the French Revolution had now begun to rage furiously, and its influence was soon widely felt in the United States in political and social life. Blind, unreasoning sympathy with the revolutionists and intelligent conservatism soon produced antago- nistic parties here. Society was speedily divided by a strong line of demarcation, and these antagonisms became more and more violent during the whole of Washington's administration. Mr. Jefferson, who had been in France at the opening scenes of lOO SCENES AND EVENTS the Revolution there, deeply sympathized with the French " demo- crats." He came home to take a seat in Washington's Cabinet, and was chilled by the cold conservatism of the Republican court. Two strongly opposing parties were formed, one the old Federal party, and the other called the Republican or Democratic party. Jefferson be- came the leader of the latter party, and for a while he was almost monomaniacal in his active sympathies with the French revolutionists. Washington's Cabinet was divided on the French question, but he held it as a unit by his wisdom and prudence on the greater questions which arose, though Jefferson and Hamilton differed materially on financial and other subjects. In politics they were violently antago- nistic. Matters finally assumed a most serious aspect when, in 1793, E. C. Genet came to the United States as ambassador of the new govern- ment of France. The French had beheaded iheir kinff and were menacing the monarchies of Europe. With the radical spirit of an earnest propagandist. Genet, before he had presented his credentials, took measures for fitting out privateers in American ports, to depredate on British commerce. Great Britain and France being at war. Genet's insolence in defying the Government of the United States after his arrival in Philadelphia, disgusted Jefferson, and Washington soon put an end to his political career here by demanding his recall. He also checked the rising tendency of French sympathizers to give material aid to the revolutionists, by issuing a proclamation of neutralitv, which plainly assured Americans who should be caught in hostile acts against Great Britain or any other country, that they need not expect sym- pathy or protection from the Government of the United States. The people had re-elected Washington President. It was during his second term that the most exciting events occurred. In every crisis his judgment and calm wisdom triumphed. In that of the W^hiskey Insurrection in i 794, which for a while menaced the very stability of the IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. lOI Government, and was a great strain on the new Constitution, and the fearful agitations that attended the ratification of Jay's treaty, he firmly asserted and maintained the dignity and strength of the nation as pos- sessed of supreme power. He was earnestly entreated to accept a nomination for a third term, in 1796, but refused, and issued his famous Farewell Address to the people of the United States. After receiving special honors from the citizens of Philadelphia at the opening of the spring of 1797, he, with his family, and young George Washington Lafayette, retired to Mount Vernon, where, in peace and serenity, he passed the remainder of his life. Washington's dear friend, Lafayette, had become a victim of the in- sane spirit of the French Revolution. He had fled from France but to be incarcerated in an Austrian prison. There his wife and daughter joined him and shared his discomforts, and his son George, a lad of seventeen, was sent to the care and protection of Washington, accompanied by his tutor. His father, having been liberated, and the fiery reign of Robes- pierre and his band of assassins overthrown, young Lafayette returned to France. The quiet of private life and freedom from public cares, in their be- loved home on the banks of the Potomac, with a promise that it should never again be interrupted, gave exquisite enjoyment to Washington and his wife. To one of his friends he wrote: " If I could now and then meet the friends I esteem it would fill the measure of my enjoy- ments ; but if ever this happens it must be under my own vine and fig-tree, as I do not think it probable that I shall go twenty miles from them." Alas ! the voice of his country soon called him to its aid against the aggression of France, and he was again in Philadelphia as the commander-in-chief of an intended provisional army. Washington's proclamation of neutrality had oflFended the French, who claimed that it was a violation of the Treaty of 1778. They treated the American minister in France with great rudeness, and au- I02 SCENES AND EVENTS thorized depredations on American commerce by French cruisers. John Adams, who had succeeded Washington as President of the United States, attempted to negotiate for a good understanding, but failed, and Congress prepared to vindicate the dignity of our Govern- ment. A large provisional army was authorized, and Washington, urged by the President and the expressed public desire, accepted the position of commander-in-chief of the new army on the condition that he was not to take the field unless in case of great emergency. With this understanding, and that Colonel Alexander Hamilton should be made the acting commander-in-chief in the field, he undertook the great task. Happily, war did not ensue. There were a few hostile encounters on the ocean. The existing French Government fell to rise no more, and Napoleon Bonaparte, at the head of affairs, made an amicable arrangement with our Republic. Life at Mount Vernon was most delightful. Washington's two adopted children (George Washington Parke, and Nellie Parke Custis) had grown to young maturity. George was away at school, and Nellie, beautiful, vivacious, and witty, was continual sunshine in the household. Mrs. Washington wrote to Mrs. General Knox: " I cannot tell you, my dear friend, how much I have enjoyed home after having been deprived of one so long, for our dwelling in New York and Philadelphia was not kotiie, only a sojourning. The General and I feel like children just released from school or from a hard task- master, and we believe that nothing could tempt us to leave the sacred roof-tree again, except on private business or pleasure. We are so penurious with our enjoyment that we are loth to share it with any but our dear friends ; yet almost every day some stranger claims a portion of it, and we cannot refuse. Nellie and I are companions. ... I am again settled down to the pleasant duties of an old-fashioned Virginia housekeeper, steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and as cheerful as a cricket." IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. IO3 Nellie Custis was regarded as one of the most brilliant and most beautiful young women of her time. She was the pride of her grand- mother, and was greatly beloved by her father. Numerous suitors sought her heart and hand. She gave them both to Washington's favorite nephew, Lawrence Lewis, son of his deceased and much- loved sister, Elizabeth. Soon after his retirement from public life he invited Lawrence to become a permanent resident at Mount Vernon, for much company became burdensome to the master and mistress. Washington wrote to his nephew : " As both your Aunt and I are on the decline of life and regular in our habits, especially in our hours of rising and going to bed, I require some person (fit and proper) to ease me of the trouble of entertaining company, particularly of nights, as it is my inclination to retire (and unless prevented by very particular company, I always do retire) either to bed or to my study soon after candle-light. In taking these duties (which hospitality obliges me to bestow upon company) off my hands, it would render me a very acceptable service," Lawrence Lewis became one of the family at Mount Vernon early in the year 1798. He was a tall, finely proportioned, and handsome young man, of two and twenty years, and in face and figure bore a striking resemblance to his illustrious kinsman. He and Nellie Custis were already the best of friends. Their friendship now soon ripened into a mutual tender attachment, which gratified his uncle. They were married on Washington's birthday, 1 799. The nuptial day was a brilliant one. The air was as balmy as m spring, and the sun was unclouded. A gay and joyous company were assembled at Mount Vernon on that occasion. The bride was "given away" by her foster-father. The wedding ceremonies were adminis- tered by Rev. Thomas Davis, rector of Christ Church, Alexandria. The young couple resided at Mount Vernon until after the death ot Mrs. Washington in 1802. 104 SCENES AND EVENTS A few months after this happy event at Mount Vernon, another, full of sublimity, and one which touched the sensibilities of the civilized world, occurred there. Washington enjoyed unusual good health. He and Mrs. Washington were constant attendants at divine service at Alexandria ; and at near the middle of November they received an in- vitation to attend the dancing assemblies in that town, as they had frequently done. To this invitation Washington replied : "Mount Vernon, \2th Novembei^, 1799. " Gentlemen : Mrs. Washington and myself have been honored by your polite invitation to the Assemblies at Alexandria this winter, and thank you for this mark of your attention. But, alas ! our danc- ing days are no more. We wish, however, all of those who have a relish for so agreeable and innocent amusement all the pleasure the season will afford them." Just one month after the date of the above note, Washington rode over his farm, on horseback, for several hours in a heavy storm of sleet, and sat down to dinner on his return without removing his damp clothing. During the succeeding night he suffered a violent attack of membranous croup. His old friend and family physician. Dr. Craik, came, and soon so reduced his vital forces by excessive blood-letting, that he had not sufficient strength to resist the disease. He died from the effects of maltreatment, by an eminent physician, through igno- rance, at near midnight of Saturday, December 14, 1799. His last words were, " 'Tis well ! " At that moment his mind was strong and perfectly serene. Physical suffering had ceased, and the moment of the spirit's departure could scarcely be defined. " There is an awful stillness in the sky. When, after wondrous deeds and light supreme, A star goes out in golden prophecy. There is an awful stillness in the world, When, after wondrous deeds and light supreme, MARTHA WASHINGTON IN HER EARLY DAYS. ii IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. IO5 A hero dies, with all the future clear Before him, and his voice made jubilant By coming glories, and his nation hushed As though they heard the farewell of a god — A great man is to Earth as God to Heaven." — Wallace. Congress was in session at the time of Washington's death. The sad tidings reached them at Philadelphia on the day of his funeral, the 1 8th of December. It was formally announced to the House of Rep- resentatives by John Marshall, of Virginia, afterward Chief-Justice of the United States. On the 23d the Congress resolved that there should be a funeral procession from Congress Hall to the German Lutheran church, in memory of George Washington, on Thursday, the 26th instant ; that an oration be prepared, at the request of Con- gress, by a member of that body, to be delivered before both Houses on that day ; that the people of the United States should be recom- mended to wear crape on their left arm, as mourning, for thirty days ; and that a marble monument should be erected to his memory at the National Capital. Henry Lee, of Virginia, by invitation, delivered an eulogy on Washington on the occasion of this public funeral, in which he uttered the often-quoted words : " First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." After the lapse of nearly eighty-six years, a " marble monument " was erected at the National Capital in honor of the most illustrious citizen of the Republic. It was completed at the beginning of 1S85, and was dedicated on Washington's birthday, that year. It is a simple obelisk of white marble, the apex of which is five hundred and fifty-five feet above the earth. It stands near the bank of the Potomac, on the spot which Washington selected as the site of a proposed monument in commemoration of the American Revolution. I06 SCENES AND EVENTS IN LIFE AND TIMES OF WASHINGTON. The Centennial of the Inauguration of Washington as the first President of the United States, has just been celebrated at the city of New York with unsurpassed magnificence and splendor. At the time of Washington's inauguration the city contained, as we have observed, about 27,000 inhabitants ; now the number is, probably, nearly 1,600,000 within its limits : with those of its suburbs — its children — 2,500,000. The celebration of the centennial of the inauguration of the first Chief Magistrate of the Republic is well ; but there is another and more important aspect of this centennial season which should not be overlooked — nay, should be magnified. It is also the centennial of the nation's actual birth— its first springing into existence as a vigorous member of the family of nations, which had been created by the Con- stitution, the full puissance of which was asserted by the solemn fact proclaimed by Chancellor Livingston, to the people, from the balcony of Federal Hall, on April 30, 1789. May, 1S89. Benson J. Lossing. . I J(rfmyJdami' «s?^^ ^^^t^^K.-*-^ ^^^ ec^^^<^ ^'^ ^^ X 5, cAlo/Vvvi '-■^z . ft ^^^j^, YZ^?€{;Z'<^^^-Z/^ ^ 5 ,^xf3^'-'*T-<=*'T^' ^^^;^^^^52^^ t^C^c^^^ ■^' ^_ ^:^ ^t«-^ :.i o o o 00 w I — ( o I — I pc; Q w << CO W O oo HlSTOllY OF THE UNITED STATES. FIRST PERIOD. vHE study of aboriginal races, though interest- ing as a theme for speculation, is always unsatis- factory because of the absence of trustworthy knowledge ; their historic records existing in traditions only. The stu- dent of the supposed abori- gines of our continent finds no exception to this universal rule. ^ The dim realm of the prehis- toric perio'dof their existence is lighted only by the pale gleams of conjecture; and back of their discovery by civilized man there lies an impenetrable mys- tery which may never be unfolded. Only from the epoch of the advent of Europeans has history made a truthful record of the dusky people found here. Cultivated nations have a heroic age— a period when their first conquests of every kind were achieved. It was a period when society was rude, but was struggling nobly upwards toward light, and knowledge, and the blessings of civilization. When the standards of enlightened nations were first set up in this western hemisphere north of the Bahamas and the great gulf, and 10 THE ABORIGINALS. the contests for possession began between the wild Aboriginals, who thrust no spade into the soil, no sic] The Winnebagoes are the most dissolute of all the Indian remnants. In Aufrust. 1853, a treaty was made with them to occupy the beautiful country above St. Paul, westward of the Mississippi, between the Crow and Clear Water Rivers. - Page 408. ^ The AUeghany or Appalachian Mountains extend from the Catskills, in the State of New Tork, In a soutli-west direction, to Georgia and Alabama, and have been called " the backbone of the country." Some geographers extend them to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. '• Page 64. <■ Page 30. « Page 203. ' Note 7, page 205. " Note 4, page 237. = Page 374 20 THE ABORIGINALS. a miserable remnant, and occu]iy lands south of the Kansas Rive-"' The roar" from i'ort Independence' to Santa Fe passes through theii' territory. - The PowHATANS constituted a confederacy of more than twenty tribes, in- cluding the Accohannocks and Accomacs, on the eastern shore of the Chesa- peake Bay. Powhatan (the father of Pocahontas'), was the chief sachem or emperor of the confederacy, when the English first appeared upon the James River, in 1607. He had arisen, by the force of his own genius, from the po- sition of a petty chief to that of supreme ruler of a great confederacy. He gov- erned despotically, for no man in his nation could approach him in genuine ability as a leader and counselor. His court exhibited much barbaric state. Through fear of the English, and a selfish policy, he and his people remained nominally friendly to the white intruders during his lifetime, but after his death, they made two attempts [1622, 1644] to exterminate the Englisli. The Powhatans were subjugated in 1644,* and from that time they gradually di- minished in numbers and importance. Of all that great confederacy in Lower Virginia, it is believed that not one representative on earth remains, or that one tongue speaks their dialect. On the Atlantic coast, south of the Powhatans, were the Corees, Cheraws, and other small tribes, occupying the land once inhabited by the powerful Hat- teras Indians.^ They were allies of the Tuscaroras in 1711, in an attack upon the English,' suffered defeat, and have now disappeared from the earth. Their dialect also is forgotten. Upon the great peninsula between the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, were the Nanticokes. They were early made vassals, and finally allies, on com- pulsion, of the Five Nations. They left their ancient domain in 1710, occu- pied lands upon the Susquehanna, in Pennsylvania, until the Revolutionary War commenced, when they crossed the Alleghanies, and joined the British in the west. They are now [1883] scattered among many tribes. The Original People," as the Lenni-Lenape.-; (who are frequently called Del- ' United States fort on the Missouri. Santa Fe is in New Mexico, 765 miles south-west of Fort Independence. 2 One of tlie most eminent of tlic Shawnoe chiefs, was Cornstalk, who was gencrall_v friendly to the Americans, and was alwa3'S ready to a.ssist in negotiating an honoraljle peace belwoen lliem and his own people. But he cordially united witli Logan, the Mingo chietj against the wliite people in 1774 ; and during the same battle ;it Point Pleasant, liis voice, stentoriim in volume, wa.s frequently Iieard, calling to his men, "Be strong! be strong I" He made his warriors fight without wavering, and actually sunk his tomahawk deep into the head of one who endeavored to escape. He was murdrred by some exasperated soldiers at Point Pleasant. When he perceived their intent, he calmly said to his son, who had just joined him, " My son, the Great Spirit has seen fit that we sliould die together, and has sent you hither for that purpose. It is His will ; let us submit." Turning to tlie soldiers, he received the fital bullets, and his son, who was sitting near him, was shot at tlie same time. The celebrated Tecumtha — meaning a tiger crouching for his prey — who endeavored to confederate all the Western tribes in opposition to the white people, was also a Shawnoe chief. See page 408. = Page G6. < Page 108. 5 This tribe numbered about three thousand warriors when Raleigh's expedition landed ou Roanoke Island in 1584; when the English made permanent settlements in that vicinity, eighty years later, they were reduced to about fifteen bowmen. « Page IBS. ' This name has been applied to the whole ALGONQtriN nation. The Lenni-Lenapes claimed to have come from beyond the Mississippi, conquering a more civilized people on the wav, who inhabited the great valleys beyond the Alleghany Mouiit;iins. THE ALGONQUIN S. 21 awares) named themselves, comprised two powerful nations, nrfmelj, the Minsi and the Delawares proper. The former occupied the northern part of New Jersey, and a portion of Pennsylvania, and the latter inhabited lower New Jer- sey, the banks of the Delaware below Trenton, and the whole valley of the Schuylkill. The Five Natiijx.3 subjugated them in 1650. and brought them under degrading vassalage. They gradually retreated westward before the tide of civilization, and finally a portion of them crossed the Alleghanies, and settled in the land of the Hurons,' on the IMuskingum, iu Ohio. Those who remained in Pennsylvania joined the Shawnoese/ and aided the French against the En- glish, during the French and Indian War.^ In 1768, they all went over the mountains, and the great body of them became friends of the British during the Revolution. They were at the head of the confederacy of Western tribes who were u.'ushcd by Wayne in 1794,^ and the following year they ceded all their lands on the Muskingum, and seated themselves near the AVabash. In 1819, they ceded those lands also, and the remnant now [1883] occupy a territory north of the Kansas River, near its mouth. The MoHEGANS were a distinct tribe, on the Hudson River_, but the name was given to the several independent tribes who inhabited Long Island, and the country between the Lenni-Lenapes and the New England Indians.^ Of this family, the Pequods," iidiabiting eastern Connecticut, on the shores of Long Island Sound, were the most powerful. They exercised authority over the Montauks and twelve other tribes upon Long Island. Their power was broken by the revolt of Uncas against his chief, Sassacus,' a short time before the ap- pearance of the white people. The Manhattans were seated upon the Hudson, in lower Westchester, and sold Manhattan Island, whereon New York now st;vnds; to the Dutch. '^ The latter had frei[uent conflicts with these and other River Indians.' The Dutch were generally conquerors. The Mohawks, one of the Five Nations,'" were pressing hard upon them, at the same time, and several of the Mohegan tribes were reduced to the condition of vassals of that confederacy. Peace was effected, in 1665, by the English governor at New York. In the mean while, the English and Narragansets had smitten the Pequods," and the remaining independent Mohe- gans, reduced to a handful, finally took up their abode upon the west bank of the Thames, five miles below Norwich,'" at a place still known as Mohegan. Plain. Their burial-place was at Nor- wich, and there a granite monument rests upon the grave of Uncas. The tribe is now almost extinct — "the last of the Mo- Mo.vr.MENT. jjjgg^jjg" ^yjij gQQjj siggp yyitii j^jg fathcrs." ■ Pape 23. « Page 19. ' Fourth Period, Chap. Xll. ♦ Faire 374. ' Pape 22. » Page 8G. ' Page 87. » Pajfe 139. " Page 140. '° Page 23. " Page 87. "^ Note 4, page 340. " The last known lineal descendant of Uncas, named Mazeon, was buried in the Indian cemetery, at Norwich, in 1S27, when the remnant of tlie Mohegan tribe, then numberinij about sixty, were present, and partook of a cold collation prepared for them by a lady of that city. The most noted leaders among the New England Indians known to history, are Massasoit, the father of the re- nowned King Philip Caunbitant, a very distinguished captain; Hobomok; Cannnicns: Mianto- nomoh ; Ninigret, his cousin ; King Philip, the last of the Wampanoags ; Caiionchct, and Anna- wan. We shall meet them iu future pages. 22 THE ABORIGINALS. The Aboriginals who inhabited the country from Connecticut to the Saco River, were called the New Enulanu Ixdiaxs. The principal tribes were the Narragansets in Rhode Island, and on the western shores of Narraganset Bay ; the Pokonokets and Wampanoags on the eastern shore of the same bay, and in a portion of Massachusetts ; the Nipmucs in the center of Massachusetts ; the Massachusetts in the vicinity of Boston and the shores southward ; and the Pawtuckets in the north-eastern part of Massachusetts, embracing the Penna- cooks of New Hampshire. These were divided into smaller bands, havinz petty chiefs. The Pokonokets, for example, were divided into nine separate cantons or tribes, each having its military or civil ruler, but all holding alle- giance to one Grand Sachem. They were warlike, and were continually enrfaged in hostilities with the Five Nations, or with the Mohegans. The English and Dutch effected a general peace among them in 1673. Two years afterward [167oJ, Metacomet (King Philip) aroused most of the New England tribes against the English. A fierce war ensued, but ended in the subjugation of the Indians and the death of Philip, in 1676.' The power of the New England Indians was then completely broken. Some joined the more eastern tribes, and others took refuge in Canada, from whence they frequently came to the border settlements on errands of revenge.' These incursions ceased when the French dominion in Canada ended in 1763.' When the Puritans came' [1620], the New England Iiidi.-ins numbered about ten thousand souls; now [1883] ])rohably not three hundred representatives remain ; and the dialects of all, excepting that of the Narragansets, are forgotten. Eastward of the Saco River were the Abenakes. The chief trilies were the Penobscots, Norridgewocks, Androscoggins, and Passamaquoddies. These, with the more eastern tribes of the Micmacs and Etchemins, were made nom- inal Christians by the French Jesuits ;' and they were all firm allies of the French until the conquest of Canada by the English, in 1760.' Most of the Abenakes, except the Penobscots, withdrew to Canada in 1754. A few scattered families of the latter yet [188:3] dwell upon the banks of the Penob- scot River, and wanderers are seen on the St. Lawrence. Like other New England tribes, they are rapidly fading, and will, doubtless, be extinct before the dawn of another century. CHAPTER III. THE H U R N - 1 R Q U I S. We now come to consider the most interesting, in many respects, of all the aboriginal tribes of North America, called Iroquois by the French. The ] ire- fix " Huron" was given, because that people seemed, by their language, to form ' Page 128. ' Page 130. ' Page 202 « Page 114. » Page 130. • Page 203. THE HURON-IROQUOIS. 23 a part of the Iroquois nation, and like them, were isolated in the midst of the Algonquins, when discovered by the Europeans. The great body of the Iroquois occupied almost the whole territory in Canada, south-west of the Ottowa River, between Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron ; a greater portion of the State of New York, and a part of Pennsylvania and Ohio along the south- ern shores of Lake Erie. They were completely surrounded by the Algox- QUINS, in whose southern border in portions of North Carolina and Virginia, wore the Tuscaroras and a few smaller Iroquois tribes.' The Hurons occupied the Canadian portions of the territory, and the land on the southern shore oi Lake Erie, and appeared to be a distinct nation ; but their language was found to be identical with that of the Iroquois. The Hurons consisted of four smaller tribes, namely, the Wyandots or Hurons proper, the Attiouandirons,^ the Eries, and the Andastes. The two latter tribes were south of the lake, and claimed jurisdiction back to the domains of the Shawnoese.' Those "Romans of the Western World," the Five Nations, or Iroquois proper, formed a confederacy composed of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, On?ida, and Mohawk tribes, all occupying lands within the present State of New York. They flincifully called their confederacy the Long House. The eastern door was kept by the Mohawks ; the western by the Senecas ; and the Great Council fire was with the Onondagas, at the metropolis, or chief village, near the present city of Syracuse. The French, as we have observed, gave them the name of Iroquois ; the Algonquins called them Mingoes.' At what time the confederacy was formed, is not known. It was strong and powerful when the French discovered them, in 1609. and they were then engaged in bloody wars with their kinsmen, the Wyandots.' ' The Southern Iroquois were the Tuscarora.s, Chowans. Meherrins, and Nottow.iys. The thre latter were upon the rivers in lower Virginia, called by their respective names, and were kno«i undjr the general title of Tuscaroras. ■' Neutral Nation. When the Hurons and Five Nations were at war, the Attiouandirons Hed to the Sandusky, and built a fort for each of the belligerents when in that region. But their neu- trality did not save them from internal feuds which finally dismembered the tribe. One party joined tlie Wyandots ; the other the Iroquois. 3 Page 19. * Mingoes, Minquas, and Maquas, were terms more particularly applied to the Mohawk tribe^ who called themselves Kayingehaga, " possessors of the flint." The confederation assumed the title of Aquinuschioni, " united people ;" or as some say, Konoshioni, " cabin builders." 5 The time of the formation of the confederation is supposed to have been at about the year 1539. According to their own tradition, it was about two generations before the white people came to trade witli them. Clarke, in his history of Onondaga county, has given, from the lips of an old chief of the Onondaga tribe, that beautiful legend of the formation of the great confederacy, which forms tlie ba.sis of Longfellow's Indian Edda, " Hi-a-w.a.t-ha." Centuries ago, the story runs, the deity who presides over fisheries and streams, came from his dwelling-place in the clouds, to visit the inhabitants of earth. He was delighted with tlie land where the tribes that afterward Ibrmed the confederacy, dwelt ; and having bestowed many blessings on that land, he laid aside his Divine cliaracter, and resolved to remain on earth. He selected a beautiful residence on the shore of Te-uugk-too (Cross lake), and all the people called him Hi-a-wat-ha, "the wise man." After a while, the people were alarmed by the approach of a ferocious band of warriors from the country north of the great lakes. Destruction seemed inevitaljle. The inli.ibitants thronged around the lodge of Hi-a-wat-ha, from all quarters, craving his wise advice in this hour of great peril. After .solemn raedita ion, he told them to call a grand council of all the tribes. The chiefs and warriors from far and i_jar, a-sseraljled on the banks of Lake Oh-nen-ta-ha (Onondaga). The council-fire blazed three days before the venerable Hi-a-wat-ha arrived. He had been de\outly praying, in silence, to the Great Spirit, for guidance. Then, vnth his darling daughter, a virgin of twelve years, he entered iiis v.-liite canoe, and, to the great joy of the people, he "appeared on the Oli-nen- 24 THE ABORIGINALS. In the year 1649, the Five Nations resolved to strike a final and decisive blow against their western neighbors, and, gathering all their warriors, they made a successful invasion of the Wyandot, or Huron country. Great num- bers of the Wyandots were slain and made prisoners, and the whole tribe was dispersed. Some of the fugitives took refuge with the Chippewas ; others fled to Quebec, and a few were incorporated into the Iroquois confederacy. Yet the spirit of the Wyandots was not subdued, and they claimed and exer- cised sovereignty over almost the whole of the Ohio country. They had great influence among the Algonquin tribes,' and even as late as the treaty oi Greenville, in 1795, the principal cession of lands in Ohio to the United States was made by the Wyandot chiefs in council.'' They, too. are reduced to a mere remnant of less than five hundred souls, and now [1883] they occupy lands on the Neosho River, a chief tributary of the Arkansas. Being exceedingly warlike, the Five Nations made hostile expeditions against the New England Indians' in the East, the Eries, Andastes, and ta-ha. A great shout greeted him, and as he landed and walked up the bank, a sound like a rushing wind was heard ; a dark spot, every moment increa.?irig in size, was descending from tlie clear sky. Fear seized tlie people ; but Hi-a-wat-lia stood unmoved. The approaching object was an immense bird. It came swiftly to earth, cruslied the darling daughter of Hi-a-wat-ha — was itself destroyed, but tlie wise man was unharmed. Grief for his bereavement prostrated him in the dust for three days. The counoU anxiously awaited his presence. At length he came : the subject of the peril I'rom invaders was discussed, and after deliberating a day, the venerable Hi-a-wat-lia arose and said : " Friends and Brothers — You are members of many tribes and nations. You have come here, many of you, a great distance from your homes. We have met for one common purpose — to pro- mote one common interest, and tliat is, to provide for our mutual .safety, and how it shall best be accomplished. To oppose these foes from the north by tribes, singly and alone, would prove our certain destruction. We can make no progress in tliat way. We must unite ourselves into one common band of brothers; thus united, we may drive the invaders back ; this must be done, and we shall be safe. "You, the Mohawks, sitting under the shadow of the 'Great Tree,' whose roots sink deep into the earth, and whose brandies spread over a vast country, shall be the first nation, because you are warUke and mighty. "And you, Oneidas, a people who recline your bodies against the 'Everlasting Stone,' tliat can not be moved, shall be the second nation, because you give wise counsel. "And you, Ononbagas, who have your habitation at the 'Great Mountain,' and are over- shadowed by its crags, shall be the tliird nation, because you are greatly gifted in speech, and mighty in war. "And you, Cayugas, a people whose habitation is the 'Dark Forest,' and wliose liome is every- where, sliall be the fourth nation, because of your superior cunning in hunting. "And you, Senegas, a people who live in tlie 'Open Country,' and possess much wisdom, shall be the fifth nation, because you understand better the art of raising corn and beans, and making cabins. " You, five great and powerful nations, must unite and have but one common interest, and no foe shall be able to disturb or subdue you. If we unite, the Great Spirit will smile upon us. Brothers, these are the words of Hi-a-wat-ha — let them sink deep into your hearts. I have said it." Tliey reflected for a day, and then the people of the "Great Tree," the "Everlasting Stone,'" the " Great Mountain," the " Dark Forest," and the " Open Country," formed a league like that of the Amphyctioni of Greece. The enemy was repulsed, and the Five Nations became the terror of the Continent. Then Hi-a-watha said, " The Great Master of Breath calls me to go. I have patiently waited his summons. I am ready — farewell I" Myriads of singing voices burst upon the ears of the multitude, and the whole air seemed filled with music. Hi-a-wat-ha, seated in his white canoe, rose majestically above tlie throng, and as all eyes gazed in rapture upon the ascending wise man, he disappeared forever in the blue vault of heaven. The music melted into low whispers, like the soft summer breeze ; and there were pleasant dreams in every cabin of the Five Nations on that blessed night. ' Page 17. ^ Page 374. 3 Page 2'.J. THE HURON-IROQUOIS. 25 Miamies in tlie West," and penetrated to the domains of tiie Catawbas' and Cherokues' in the South. They subjugated the Eries in 1655, and after aeon- test of twenty years, brought the Andastes into vassalage. They conquered the Miamies' and Ottawas'* in 1657, and made incursions as fiir as the Roanoke and Cape Fear Rivers to the land of their kindred in language, the Tusaaroras, in 1701." Thirty years afterward, liaving been joined by the Tuscaroras, and the name of the confederacy changed to that of the Six Nations, they made war upon the Cherokees and Catawbas.' They were led on by Hi-o-ka-too, a Seneca chief. The Catawbas were almost annihilated by them, after a battle of two days. So determined were the Five Nations to subdue the southern tribes, that when, in 1744, they ceded a part of their lands to Virginia, they reserved a perpetual privilege of a war-path through the territory. In the year 1712, the Tuscaroras having been signally defeated by the Carolinians,' came northward, and in 1714 joined the Five Nations. From that time the confederacy was known as the Si.K Nations. They were gen- erally the sure friends of he English and inveterate foes of the French.' .:/(f/^/t'^^^^ Tliay were all friends of the British during the Revolution, except a part of the Oneidas, among whom the influence of the Rev. Samuel Kirkland'" was 1 Page n. » Page 26. 3 Page 27. 4 Page 17. 5 Page 17 6 Page 168. ' Page 17. s page 108. s Page 1H2. '" Samuel Kirkland was one of the most laborious and aelf-saeriflcing of the earlier missionaries, who labored among the tribes of the Six Nations. He was bom at Norwich, Oonueoticut, in December, 1741. He was educated at Dr. Wheelock's school, at Lebanon, where he prepared for that missionary work in which he labored forty years. His eflbrts were put forth chiefly among 26 THE ABORIGINALS. very powerful, in fiivor of the Republicans. The Mohawks were the most active enemies of the Americans ; and thej were obliged to leave the State and take refuge in Canada at the close of the Revolution. The others were allowed to remain, and now [IbSo] mere fragments of that great confederation exist, and, in habits and character, they are radically changed. The confederacy was forever extinguished by the sale of the residue of the Seneca lands in 1838. In 1715, the confederacy numbered more than forty thousand souls ; now [1883] they are probaljly less than four thousand, most of whom are upon lands beyond the Mississippi.' CHAPTER IV. THE CATAWBAS. In that beautiful, hilly region, between the Yadkin and Catawba Rivers, on each side of the- boundary line between North and South Carolina, dwelt tht Catawba nation. They were south-westward of the Tuscaroras, and were generally on good terms with them. They were brave, but not wailike. and their conflicts were usually in defense of their own territory. They expelled the fugitive Sbawnocse in 1672," but were overmatched and desolated by the warriors of the Five Nations' in 1701. They assisted the white people of South Carohna against the Tuscaroras and their confederates in 1712;* but when, three years afterward, the southern tribes, from the Neuse region to that of the St. Mary's, in Florida, and westward to the Alabama, seven thousand the Oneidas, and. during the Revolution, he was active in restraining them from an alliance with the rest of the confederacy against the Patriots. He was exceedingly useful in treaty-making: for he had the entire confidence of the Indians. He died at Paris, in Oneida county, in February, 1808, in the 67th year of his age. See Lossing's "Eminent Americans" for a more elaborate sketch. ' The chief men of tlie Five N.iTioNs, known to the wlute people, are Garangula, who was distinguished toward the close of the seventeenth century for his wisdom and sagacity in council, and was of the Onondaga tribe. Logan, whose celebrated reply to a white messenger has been preserved by Mr Jefferson, was of the Cayuga tribe. To the messenger he said: ''I appeal to any white man to say if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him no meat . if ever he came cold and naked and he clothed him not." Then speaking of the cruelty of the white people, who, in cold blood had murdered Ins family, he said : "They have murdered all the relations of Logan — not even sparing my women and children. This called on me Ibr revenge ^ I have sought It. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. But do not harbor the thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan ? Xo one I" Joseph Brant (Thaj'endanega), was the most celebrated of the Mohawk tribe ; and Red Jacket (Sagoyewatha), was a very renowned Seneca, greatly distinguished for his eloquence Cornplanter, who lived till past a century in age, was also a distinguished Seneca chief. Red Jacket was very intemperate toward tlie latter part of his life. On one occasion a lady inquired after his children. He had lost fourteen by consumption. Bowing his head, he said : " Red Jacket was once a great man, and in favor with the Great Spirit. He was a lofty pine among the smaller trees of the forest. But after years of glory, he degraded himself by drinking the tire-water of the white man. The Great Spirit has looked upon him in anger, and His lightning has stripped the pine of its branches!" 2 Page 19. 3 Page 23. < Page 168. THE CHER OKEES 27 stronc, confederated in an attempt to exterminate the Carolinians,' the Cataw- bas were among them. They were again the active allies of the Carolinians in 1760, when the Cherokees made war upon them,' and they remained true friends of the white people afterward. They joined the Americans during the Revolution, and have ever since experienced the fostering care of the State, in some degree.' Their chief village was upon the Catawba River, near the mouth of the Fishing Creek, in Yorkville district, South Carolina; and there the remnant of the nation, numbering less than a hundred souls, were living upon a reservation, a few miles square, when the late Civil W.ir began. CHAPTER V. THE CHEROKEES. Of all the Indian tribes, the Cherokees, who dwelt westward and adjoining the Tuscaroras' and Catawbas,^ among the high hills and fertile valleys, have ever been the most susceptible to the influences of civilization. They have been properly called the mountaineers of the South. Their beautiful land e-xtended from the Carolina Broad River on the east, to the Alabama on the west, includ- ing the whole of the upper portion of Georgia from the head waters of tlie Ala- tamaha, to those of the Tennessee. It is one of the most delightful regions of the United States. These mountaineers were the determined foes ot the Shawnoese," and after many conflicts, they finally drove them from the country south of the Ohio River. They joined with the Catawbas and the white people against the Tus- caroras in 1712,' but were members of the great confederation against the Carolinians in 1715,^ which we shall consider hereafter. The Five Natioxs and the Cherokees had bloody contests for a long time. A reconciliation was finally effected by the English about the year 1750, and the Cherokees became the allies of the peace-makers, against the French. They assisted in the capture of Fort Du Quesne in 1758,^ but their irregular- ities, on their return along the border settlements of Virginia, gave the white people an apparent excuse for killing two or three warriors. Hatred was en- gendered, and the Cherokees soon afterward retaliated by spreading destruction ' Page 170. 2 Page 204. ' In 1822, a Catawba warrior made an eloquent appeal to the legislature of South Cnrolina for aid. "I pursued the deer for .subsistence," he said, "but the deer are disnppearing. and I must starve. God ordained me for the forests, and mv ambition is the shade. But the strength of my arm decays, and my feet fail me in tlie cha.so. The hand that fought lor your liberties is now open to you for relief" A pension was granted. < Page 25. s Page 204. « Page 19. ' Page 168. 8 Page no. s Page 186. 28 THE ABORIGINALS along the frontiers.' Hostilities continued a greater portion of three years, when peace was established in 1761, and no more trouble ensued. During the Revolution the Cherokees adhei-ed to the British ; and for eight years afterward they continued to annoy the people of the upper country of the Carolinas. They were reconciled by treaty in 1791. They were friends of the United States in 1812. and assisted in the subjugation of the Creeks.* Civili- zation was rapidly elevating them from the condition of roving savages, to agri- culturists and artisans, when their removal west of the Mississippi was required. They had established schools, a printing press, and other means for improve- ment and culture, when they were compelled to leave their farms for a new home in the wilderness.^ They are in a fertile country, watered by the Arkansas and its tributaries, and now [1883] number about fourteen thousand souls. They were in a prosperous condition when the late Civil War began.' CHAPTER VI. THE UCHEES. In the pleasant country extending from the Savannah River, at Augusta, westward to Milledgeville, and along the banks of the Oconee and the head waters of the Ogeechee and Chattahooche. the Europeans found a remnant of the once powerful nation of the Uciiees. Their language was exceedingly harsh, and totally unlike that of any other people on the continent. They claimed to be descendants of the most ancient inhabitants of the country, and took great pride in the fact ; and they had no tradition of their ever occupy- ing any other territory than the domain on which they were found. They, too, have been driven beyond the Mississippi by the pressure of civilization, and have become partially absorbed by the Creeks, with whom less than 800 souls yet [Isy-J] remain. They are, in (;ut, an extinct nation, and their language is almost forgotten. ' Page 20-1. ' Page 428. 3 A native Cherokee, named by the white people, George Guess (.Sequoyah), who was ignorant of every language but his own, seeing boolis in tlie missionary schools, and being told that the characters represented the words of the spoken English language, conceived the idea of forming a written language for his people. He first made a separate character for each word, but this made the whole matter too voluminous, and he formed a syllabic alphabet of eighty-tive characters. It was soon ascertained that this was sufficient, even for the copious language of the Cherokees, and this sj'llabic alphabet was soon adopted, in the preparation of books for the missionary schools. In 1826, a newspaper, called the Clierokee Phcenir, printed m the new characters, was established. Many of the native Cherokees are now well educated, but the great body uf the natives are in ig- norance. * Note 4. page 32. THt; ilOBILIAN TRlBKS. 29 CHAPTER VII. THE NATCHEZ. Of this once considerable nation, who inhabited the borders of tlie Missis- sippi, where a modern city now perpetuates their name, very little is known. When first discovered by the French, they occupied a territory about as large as that inhabited by the lichees. It extended north-easterly from the Missis- sippi along the valley of the Pearl River, to the upper waters of the Chickasa- hawi For a long time they were supposed to belong to the nation of Mobilian tribes, by whom they were surrounded, but their language proved them to be a distinct people. They were sun-worshippers ; and from this circumstance, som? had supposed that they had once been in intimate communication with the adorers of the gi'eat luminary in Central and South America, in many things they were much superior to their neighbors, and displayed signs of the refinement of a former more civihzed condition. They became jealous of the French on their first appearance upon the Mississippi, and finally they con- spired, with others, to drive the intruders from the country. The French fell upon, and almost annihilated the nation, in 1730. They never recovered from the shock, and after maintaining a feeble nationality for almost a century, they have become merged into the Creek confederacy. They now [1883] number less than three hundred souls, and their language, in its purity, is unknown. CHAPTER VIII. THE MOBILIAN TRIBES. Like the Algonquins and Iroquois nations, the Mobilian was composed of a great number of tribes, speaking difierent dialects of the same lano-uacre. Their territory was ne.xt in e.xtent to that of the Algonquins.' It stretched along the Gulf of Mexico, fi-om the Atlantic to the Mississippi, more than six hundred miles ; up the Mississippi as far as the mouth of the Ohio ; and along the Atlantic to Cape Fear. It comprised a greater portion of the present State of Georgia, the whole of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, and parts of South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The r.ation was divided into three grand confederacies of tribes, namely, Muscogees or Creeks Choctaws, and Chick- asaws. ' Page 17. 30 THE ABORIGINALS. The Creek Confederacy extended from the Atlantic westward to the high lauds which sep- arate the waters of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers, including a great portion of the States of Alabama and Georgia, and the whole of Florida. Oglethorpe's first interviews' with the natives at Savannah, were with people of this confederacv. SOUTHERN INDIANS. ' ^ '^ The Yamassees, or Savannahs of Georgia and South Carolina, and the Seminoles of Florida, were of the Creek confederacy. The latter were strong and warlike. They were at the head of the Indian confederacy, to destroy the white people, in 1715.'^ When the general dis- persion followed that abortive attempt, the Yamassees took refuge with, the Spaniards of Florida. Small bands often annoyed the white frontier settle- ments of Georgia, but they were not engaged in general hostilities until the Revolution, when the whole Creek confederacy^ took part with the British. The most inveterate and treacherous enemy of the white people, have ever been the Seminoles. Bands of them often went out upon the war-path, with the Yamassees, to slay the pale-faces. They joined the British in 1812--14; and m 1817 they renewed hostilities.^ They were subdued by General Jzivk- son, and afterwai-d remained comparatively quiet until 1835, when they agam attacked the white settlements.' They were subjugated in 1842, after many lives and much treasure had been sacrificed.' A few of them yet [1883] remain in the everglades of Florida, but a greater portion of the tribe have gone west of the Mississippi, witli the other members of the Creek confederacy. The Creeks proper now [1883] number about fifteen thousand souls. The number of the \\bole confederacy is about twenty-four tliousand. They occupy lands upon the Arkansas and its tributaries, and are among the most peaceable and order-loving of the banished tribes. In the beautiful country bordering upon the Gulf of Mexico, and extending west of the Creeks to the Mississippi, lived the Choctaws. They were an agri- cullural people when the Europeans discovered them; and, attached to home and quiet pursuits, they have ever been a peaceful people. Their wars have always been on the defensive, and they never had public feuds with either their Spanish, French, or English neighbors. They, too, have been compelled t(" abandon their native country for the uncultivated wilderness west of Arkansas, between the Arkansas and Red Rivers. They now [188.3] number about thirteen thousand souls. They retain their peaceable character in their new homes. The Chickasaw tribe inhabited the country along the Mississippi, from the borders of the Choctaw domain to the Ohio River, and eastward beyond the Ten- nessee to the lands of the Cherokees' and Shawnees." This warlike people were the early friends of the English, and the most inveterate foes of the French, 'Page 102. 2 PaIcs. Natchez, Hichittiea, and Alabamas. The Creeks, like many other tribes, claim to be the Original People. < Page 44S. ' P.ige 466. « Page 468. ' Page 27. ^ Page 19. THE DAHCOTAH OR SIOUX TRIBES. 31 ■who had twice [1736-1740] invaded their country. They adhered to the British during the Revolution, but since that time they have held friendly rela- tions with the Government of the United States. The remnant, about four thousand in number, are upon lands almost a hundred leagues westward of the Mississippi. Thus, with almost chronological brevity, we have given an outline sketch of the history of the Aboriginal nations with whom the first European settlers in the United States became acquainted. They have now no legal habitation eastward of the Mississippi ; and the fragments of those powerful tribes who once claimed sovereignty over twenty-four degrees of longitude and twenty degrees of latitude, are now [1883] compressed within a quadrangle of about nine degrees, between the Red and Missouri Rivers.' Whether the grave of the last of those great tribes shall be within their present domain, or in some valley among the crags of the Rocky Mountains, expediency will hereafter determine. ^ ■ » ■ ^ CHAPTER IX. THE DAHCOTAH OR SIOUX TRIBES. The French were the earliest explorers of the regions of the Middle and Upper Mississippi, and they found a great number of tribes west of that river who spoke dialects of the same language. They occupied the vast domain from the Arkansas on the south, to the western tributary of Lake Winnipeg on the north, and westward to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. These have been classed into four grand divisions, namely, the Winnebagoes, who inhabited the country between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi, among the Algonquins ;'^ the Assixniboins and SlOUX proper, the most northerly nation ; the MiNETAREE Group in the Minnesota Territory, and the Southern Sioux, who dwelt in the country between the Arkansas and Platte Rivers, and whose hunting-ground extended to the Rocky Mountains. The most uneasy of these tribes were the Winnebagoes, who often attacked the Sioux west of the Mississippi. They generally lived on friendly terms with the Algonquins, after their martial spirit was somewhat subdued by the Illinois, who, in 1640, almost exterminated them. They were enemies to the ' Mr. Bancroft [II., 253] after consulting the most reliable authorities on the subject, makes the following estimate of the entire Aboriginal population in 1650 Algonquins, 90,000; Ea-stern Sioux, less than 3,000; Iroquois, including their southern kindred, abovit 17,000; Catawbas, 3,000, Cherokees (now more numerous than ever), 12,000; Mobilian tribes, 50,000; Uchees, 1,000; Natchez, 4,000 — m all, 180,000. Tliese were the only nations and tribes then known. With the expansion of our territory westward and southward, we hnvc embrnccd iiumernus Indian mtions. some of them quite populous, until the numijcr of tlie estimate above given has been almost doubled, according ti) the late census. 'Page 17. 32 THE ABORIGINALS Uiiit(Kl States during the second war with Great Britain,' and they confeder- ated with the Sacs and Foxes in iiostilities against the white people, under Black Hawk, in 1832.' The tribe, now [1881] less than four thousand strong, are seated upon the Mississippi, about eighty miles above St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota. Fear of the white people keeps them quiet. In the cold, wet country of the North, the Assiniboins yet inhabit their na- tive land. Having separated from the nation, they are called " rebels." Their neighbors, the Sioux proper, were first visited by the French in 1660, and have ever been regarded as the most fierce and warlike people on the continent. They also occupy their ancient domain, and are now [1883] abou- fifteen thousand strong. Further westward are the Minetarees, Mandans, and Crows, who form the MiNETAREE Group. They are classed with the Dahcotalis or Sioux, although the languages have only a slight affinity. The ]\Iinetarees and Mandans num- ber about three thousand souls each. They cultivate the soil, and live in vil- lages. The Crows number about fifteen hundred, and are wanderers and hunters. The Mandans are very light-colored. Some suppose them to be descendants of a colony from Wales, who, it is believed, came to America under Madoc, the son of a ^Velsii prince, in the twelfth century.^ There are eight ni number of the Southern Sioux tribes, namely, the Arkansas, Osages, Kansas, lowas, Missouries, Otoes, Omahas, and Puncahs. They are cultivators and hunters. They live in villages a part of the year, and are abroad upon their hunting-grounds during the remainder. Of these tribes, the Osages are the most warlike and powerful. All of the Southern Sioux tribes are upon lands watered by the Missouri and the Platte, and their tributaries. CHAPTER X. TUE EXTREME "WESTERN TRIBES. Within a few years, our domain has been widely expanded, and in our newly-acquired possessions on the borders of Mexico and the Pacific coast, and the recently organized Territories in the interior of the continent, are numer- ous powerful and warlike tribes,' of whom little is known, and whose history ' Page 260. 2 Page 287. ' It is said that Madoc, son of Prince Owen Gwignedd, sailed from Wales, wjtli ten ships anil three hundred men, at about the year 1170, on an exploring voyage, and never returned. Maiiv learned conjectures have been expressed, and among them the t>elief that tlie expedition reached the American continent, and became the progenitors of the Mandans, or White Indians, of our western plains. ' The whole number of Indians within the ;rresent limits of the United States, in 1881, accord- ing to official estimates, was a little less th.m 300.0U0 There are about 1 5,000 in tlie States east- ward of the Missis.sippi, principally in New York, Michigan, and Wisconsin : the remainder, i on^i.si- iug of Oherokees. Choct.iw.s. and Semjnoles, being iu North llarolina. Mis.sissippi, and Florida TI.m THE EXTRKAIE WESTERN TRIBES. 33 has no connection with that of tlie people of the United States, except tlie fact tiiat they were original occupants of the soil, and that some of them, especially the California and Oregon Indians, yet [1883] dispute our right to sovereignty. Of these, the Comauches and Apaches of California are the most warhke. The Pawnees upon the Great Plains toward the Rocky Mountains are very numer- ous, but not so warlike ; and the Utahs, among the Wasatch and neighboring ranges, are strong in numbers. Further northward and westward are the Blackfeet, Crow, Snake, Nezperces, and Flathead Indians, and smaller clans, with petty chiefs, whose domains stretch away toward the Knisteneaux and Esquimaux on the extreme north. These tribes are rapidly fading in the light of modern civilization, and are destined to total annihilation. The scythe of human progress is steadily cut- ting its swathes over all their lands ; and the time is not far distant when the foot-prints of the Indians will be no more known within the domain of our Re- public. In future years, the dusky son of an exile, coming from the far-oiF borders of the Slave Lake, will be gazed at in the streets of a city at the mouth of the Yellow Stone, with as much wonder as the Oneida woman, with her blue cloth blanket and bead- work merchandize is now [1883] in the city of New York. So the Aboriginals of our land are passing away, and even now they may chant in sorrow : " We, the rightful lords of yore, Are the rightful lords no more ; LiKe ".he silver mist, we fail. Like the red leaves on the gale — Fa/I, Uke shadows, when the dawning Waves the bright flag of the morning." J. McLellax, Je. " I will weep for a season, in bitterness fed, ' For my kindred are gone to the hiUs of the dead ; But they died not of hunger, or lingering decay — The hand of the white man hath swept them away." Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. numher in Minnesota and along the frontiers of tlie Western States and Texas (most of thera emi- grants from tlie country eastward of the Mississippi), is estimated lat 80,000. Those on the Plains and among the Rocky Mountains, not within any organized Territory, at .'iO,000; in Te.xas. at 25,000; in New Mexico, at 30,000; in California, at 78,000; in Utah, at 10,000; in Oregon and Washington Territories, at 20,000; — total, 308,000. For more minute accounts of the Indians, see Heckewelder's "History of the Indian Nations;" Schoolcraft's "Algic Researches;" M'Kinney's "History of the Indian Tribes;" Drake's "Book of the Indians;" CatUn's "Letters and Notes;" Schoolcraft's "Notes on the Iroquois." To the Department of the Interior of the National Government is intrusted the administration of Indian affairs. At this time [1883] the stocks and bonds held by the Department in trust for the Indians, from the income of which annuities are paid to them, amount to more than three millions of dollars. CHAPTER I. SCANDINAVIAN VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES. AMERIGO VESPUCCI. 0.\;i of the most interesting of the un- solved problems of history, is that which re- lates to the alleged discovery of America by mariners of north- ern Europe, almost five hundred years before Columbus left Palos, in Spain, to accomplish that great event. The tales and poetry of Iceland abound with intimations of such discoveries ; and records of early voyages from Iceland to a continent south- westward of Greenland, have been found. These, and the re- sults of recent investigations, appear to prove, by the strongest circumstqmtial evidence, that the New England' coast was vis- ited, and that settlements thereon were attempted by Scandi- navian navigrators,'- almost five centuries before the jrreat Genoese undertook his first voyage in quest of a western passage to India. ' The States of our Union eastwanl of Xi'iv Yark are collectively calleil Xesv Enj^land. P. 74. 2 The ancients called the territory wliich cimtains modern Norway, Swe.leii, Deutuark, Lapland, fccland, Finland, etc., by the general name of Scandinavia. SCANDINAVIAN VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES. 35 NORMAN SHIP. The navigators of northern Europe were remarkable for their boldness and perseverance. They discovered Iceland in the year 860, and colonized it. In 890 they colonized Greenland, and planted colonies there also. There was traffic, friendly and lucrative, between the colonists of Iceland and Greenland, and the parent Norwegians and Danes, as early as the year 950, and no mar- iners were so adventurous as these Northmen. Li the year 1002, according to an Icelandic chronicle, a Norwegian vessel, commanded by Captain Lief, sailed from Iceland for Greenland. A gale drove the voy- agers to the coast of Labrador. They explored the shores southward to the region of a genial climate, where they found noble forests and abundance of grapes. This, it is supposed, was the vicinity of Boston. Other voyages to the new-found land were afterward made by the adventurous Scandinavians, and they appear to have extended their explorations as far as Rhode Island — perhaps as far south as Cape May. It is further asserted that settlements in that pleas- ant climate were attempted, and that the child of a Scan- dinavian mother was born upon the shore of Mount Hope Bay, in Rhode Island.' In the absence of actual charts and maps, to fix these localities of latitude and longitude, of course they must be subjects of conjecture only, for these explorers left no traces of their presence here, un- less it shall be conceded that the round tower at New- port,' about the origin of which history and tradition are silent, was built by the Northmen. The period of this alleged discovery was that of the dark ages, when ig- norance brooded over Europe, like thick night. Information of these voyages seems not to have spread, and no records of intercourse with a western conti- nent later than 1120, have been found. The great discovery, if made, was for- gotten, or remembered only in dim traditionary tales of tiie exploits of the old " Sea-Kings''^ of the North. For centuries afterward, America was an un- TOWER AT NEWPORT. ' The old chronicle referred to says that Gudrida, wife of a Scandinavian navigator, gave birth to a child in America, to whom she gave tlie name of Snorre ; and it is further asserted tliat Ber- tel Tliorwalsden, the great Danish sculptor, was a descendant of this early white American. The records of these voyages were compiled by Bishop Thorlack, of Iceland, who was also a descendant of Snorre. ■^ Tins structure is of unhewn stone, laid in mortar made of the gravel of the soil around, and oyster-shell lime. It is a cylinder resting upon eiglit round columns, twenty-tliree feet in diameter, and twenty-four feet in height It was originally covered with stucco. It seems to have stood there when the white people first visited Rhode Island, and the Narraganset Indians, it is as- serted, had no tradition of its origin. There can be little doubt, all things considered, of its having been constructed by those northern navigators, who made attempts at settlement in that vicimty. ' This name was given to bold adventurers of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, who rebelled against Gorm the Old of Norway, and Harold Fairhair of Denmark, their conquerors, forsook their country, settled upon the islands of the North Sea, and Greenland, and from tlience went forth vpon piratical expeditions, even as far .south as the pleasant coasts of France. They trafficked, as well as plundered; and finally sweeping over Denmark and Germany, obtained possession of soma 36 DISCOVERIES. [1492. known region. It had no place upon maps, unless as an imaginary island witiiout a name, nor in tlie most acute geogi-apliical theories of the learned. When Columbus conceived the grand idea of reaching Asia by sailing westward, 110 whisper of those Scandinavian voyages was heard in Europe. CHAPTER II. SPANISH VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES. The first half of the fifteenth century was distinguished for great commer- cial activity. Sluggish Europe was just awaking from its slumber of centuries, and maritime discoveries were prosecuteil with untiring zeal by the people inhabiting the great south-western peninsula covered by Spain, Portugal, and France. The incentives to make these discoveries grew out of the political condition of Europe, and the promises of great commercial advantages. The rich commerce of the East centered in Rome, when that empire overshad- owed the known world. AVhcn it fell into fragments, the Italian cities con- tinued their monopoly of the rich trade of the Indies. Provinces which had arisen into independent kingdoms, became jealous of these cities, so rapidly outstripping them in power and opulence ; and Castile and Portugal, in par- ticular, engaged in efforts to open a direct trade with the East. The ocean was the only highway for such commerce, toward which the rivals could look with a hope of success. The errors of geographical science interposed great obsta- cles. Popular belief pictured an impassable region of fire beyond Cape Baja- dor, on the coast of Africa ; but bold navigators, under the auspices of Prince Henry of Portugal, soon penetrated that dreaded latitude, crossed the torrid zone, and, going around the southern extremity of Africa, opened a pathway to the East, through the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese court at Lisbon soon became a point of great attraction to the learned and adven- turous. . Among others came Christopher Columbus, the son of a wool-carder of Genoa, a mariner of great experience and considerable repute, and then in the prime of life. In person he was tall and commanding, and, in manners, exceedingly winning and graceful, for one unaccustomed to the polish of courts, or the higher orders in society. The rudi- ments of geometry, which he had learned in the of tlie best portions of Gaul. They finally invaded the British Islands, and placed Canute upon Hie throne of Alfred. It was among these people that chivalry, as an institution, originated ; and back to those " Sea-Kings" we may look for the hardiest elements of progress among the people of the United States. 1609,] SPANISH VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES. 37 university of Pavia, had been for years working out a magnificent theory in his mind, and he came to Lisbon to seek an opportunity to test its trutli. Fortune appeared to smile beneficently upon Columbus, during his early residence in Lisbon. He soon loved and married the daughter of Palestrello, a deceased navigator of eminence, and he became possessed of nautical papers of great value. They poured new light upon his mind. His convictions respecting the rotundity of the earth, and the necessity of a continent in the Atlantic Ocean, to balance the land in the eastern hemisphere ; or at least a nearer approach of eastern Asia to the shores of western Europe, than geo- graphical science had yet revealed, assumed the character of demonstrated realities. He was disposed to credit the narratives of Plato and other ancient writers, respecting the existence of a continent beyond the gloi'ious, but long- lost, island of Atlantis, in the waste of waters westward of Europe. He was convinced that Asia could be reached much sooner by sailing westward, than by going around the Cape of Good Hope." He based his whole theory upon the fundamental belief that the earth was a terraqueous globe, which might be traveled round from east to west, and that men stood foot to foot at opposite points. This, it should be remembered, was seventy years before Copernicus announced his theory of the form and motion of the planets [1543], and one hundred and sixty years [1633J before Galileo was compelled, before the court of the Inquisition at Rome, to renounce his belief in the diurnal revolu- tion of the earth. A deep religious sentiment imbued tlie whole being of Columbus, and he became strongly impressed with the idea that there were people beyond the waste of waters westward, unto whom he was commissioned by heaven to carry the Gospel." With the lofty aspirations which his theory and his faith gave him, he prosecuted his plans with great ardor. He made a voyage -co Iceland, and sailed a hundred leagues beyond, to the ice-fields of the polar cir- cle. He probably heard, there, vague traditions of early voyages to a western continent,' which gave stren