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HERO STORIES 
 FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
BLAISDELL'S HISTORICAL READERS 
 
 By ALBERT F. BLA1SDELL 
 
 STORIES FROM ENGLISH HISTORY 
 
 A Supplementary Reader for the Fifth and Sixth Grades 
 Fully illustrated. List price, 40 cents 
 
 THE STORY OF AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 A Supplementary Reader for the Seventh and Eighth Grades 
 Fully illustrated. List price, 60 cents 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 By ALBERT F. BLAISDELL and FRANCIS K. BALL 
 
 A Supplementary Reader for the Sixth and Seventh Grades 
 Fully illustrated. List price, cents 
 
 GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 
 
'J M 
 
 T is the star-spangled banner : 0, long may it wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! " 
 
HERO STORIES 
 FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 
 
 BY- 
 ALBERT F. BLAISDELL 
 
 Author of "Stories from English History," "The Story of 
 American History," etc., etc. 
 
 FRANCIS K. BALL 
 
 roR in the Phillips Exeter Academy 
 
 Boston, U.S.A., and London 
 
 GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 
 
 (ZTbt SttbcncTum press 
 
 1903 
 
Tv/c Copies Received 
 
 m 16 1903 
 
 Copynghl Lntry 
 CLASS tV W«, No 
 
 JT'L / -Z- 3> 
 copy e. 
 
 e: ns. 
 
 .3 
 3633 
 
 Entered at Stationers' Hall 
 
 Copyright, 1903, by 
 Albert F. Blaisdeli. and Francis K. Ball 
 
 lI.L RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
TO 
 
 Gdwtti 6inn 
 
 FINANCIER EDUCATOR 
 PHILANTHROPIST 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THIS book is intended to be used as a supplementary his- 
 torical reader for the sixth and seventh grades of our 
 public schools, or for any other pupils from twelve to fifteen 
 years of age. It is also designed for collateral reading in 
 connection with the study of a formal text-book on American 
 history. 
 
 The period here included is the first fifty years of our national 
 life. No attempt has been made, however, to present a con- 
 nected account, or to furnish a bird's-eye view, of this half 
 century. 
 
 It is the universal testimony of experienced teachers that such 
 materials as are pervaded with reality serve a useful purpose 
 with young pupils. The reason is plain. Historical matter 
 that is instinct with human life attracts and holds the attention 
 <.t boys and girls, and whets their desire to know more of the 
 real meaning of their country's history. For this reason the 
 authors have selected rapid historical narratives, treating of 
 notable and dramatic events, and have embellished them with 
 more details than is feasible within the limits of most school- 
 books. Free use has been made of personal incidents and 
 anecdotes, which thrill us because of their human element, and 
 smack of the picturesque life of our forefathers. 
 
 It has seemed advisable to arrange the subjects in chrono- 
 logical order. As the various chapters have appeared in proof, 
 they have been put to a practical test in the sixth grade in sev- 
 eral grammar schools. In a number of instances the pupils 
 
X HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 learned that, in the first reading, some of the stories were less 
 difficult than others. From the nature of the subject-matter 
 this is inevitable. For instance, it was found easier, and doubt- 
 less more interesting, to read " The Patriot Spy " and "A Dar- 
 ing Exploit " before beginning "The Hero of Vincennes " and 
 "The Crisis." "Old Ironsides" will at first probably appeal 
 to more young people than " The Final Victory." 
 
 An historical reader would truly be of little value if it could 
 be read at a glance, like so many insipid storybooks, and then 
 thrown aside. 
 
 Hence, it is suggested that teachers, after becoming familiar 
 with the general scope of this book and gauging with some 
 care the capabilities of their pupils, should, if they find it for 
 the best interests of their classes, change the order of the chap- 
 ters for the first reading. But in the second, or review read- 
 ing, they should follow the chronological order. 
 
 The attention of teachers is called to the questions for review 
 on pages 217-230, the pronunciation of proper names on pages 
 231, 232, and the reference books and supplementary reading 
 in American history mentioned on pages 233-239. The index 
 (page 241) is made full for purposes of reference and review. 
 
 In the preparation of this book, old journals, original records 
 and documents, and sundry other trustworthy sources have been 
 diligently consulted and freely utilized. 
 
 We would acknowledge our indebtedness to Mrs. Janet Net- 
 tleton Ball, who has aided us materially at several stages of our 
 work ; and to Mr. Ralph Hartt Bowles, Instructor in English in 
 The Phillips Exeter Academy, for valuable assistance in reading 
 the manuscript and the proofs. 
 
 ALBERT F. BLAISDELL, 
 FRANCIS K. BALL. 
 
 Boston, March, 1903 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I page 
 
 The Hero of Vincennes i 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 A Midwinter Campaign iS 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 How Palmetto Logs may be used 36 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 The Patriot Spy 50 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 Our Greatest Patriot 62 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 A Midnight Surprise . . . jy 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 The Defeat of the Red Dragoons 90 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 From Teamster to Major Generaj . 105 
 
xil HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER IX page 
 
 The Final Victory „ . . .123 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 The Crisis . . . . „ . . . . . .138 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 A Daring Exploit . . . I5 6 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 "Old Ironsides" 169 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 "Old Hickory's" Christmas .185 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 A Hero's Welcome 
 
 199 
 
 Questions for Review , .217 
 
 Pronunciation of Proper Names .... -231 
 
 Books for Reference and Reading in the Study of 
 
 American History 233 
 
 Index 241 
 
HERO STORIES 
 FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 THE HERO OF VINCENNES 
 
 EARLY in 1775 Daniel Boone, the famous hunter 
 and Indian fighter, with thirty other backwoods- 
 men, set out from the Holston settlements to clear the 
 first trail, or bridle path, to what is now Kentucky. 
 In the spring of the same year, George Rogers Clark, 
 although a young fellow of only twenty-three years, 
 tramped through the wilderness alone. When he 
 reached the frontier settlements, he at once became the 
 leader of the little band of pioneers. 
 
 One evening in the autumn of 1775, Clark and his 
 companions were sitting round their camp fire in the 
 wilderness. They had just drawn the lines for a fort, 
 and were busy talking about it, when a messenger came 
 with tidings of the bloodshed at Lexington, in far-away 
 Massachusetts. With wild cheers these hunters listened 
 to the story of the minutemeri, and, in honor of the 
 event, named their log fort " Lexington." 
 
HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 At the close of this eventful year, three hundred reso- 
 lute men had gained a foothold in Kentucky. In the 
 trackless wilderness, hemmed in by savage foes, these 
 pioneers with their wives and their children began their 
 struggle for a home. In one short year, this handful of 
 men along the western border were drawn into the midst 
 
 of the war of the Revolution. 
 From now on, the East and 
 the West had each its own 
 work to do. While Wash- 
 ington and his " ragged Con- 
 tinentals " fought for our 
 independence, "the rear 
 guard of the Revolution," as 
 the frontiersmen were called, 
 were not less busy. 
 
 Under their brave leaders, 
 Boone, Clark, and Harrod, in 
 half a dozen little blockhouses and settlements, they 
 were laying the foundations of a great commonwealth, 
 while between them and the nearest eastern settlements 
 were two hundred miles of wilderness. The struggle 
 became so desperate in the fall of 1776 that Clark 
 tramped back to Virginia, to ask the governor for help 
 and to trade for powder. 
 
 Virginia was at this time straining every nerve to do 
 her part in the fight against Great Britain, and could 
 not spare men to defend her distant county of Kentucky ; 
 
 A Minuteman of 1776 
 
THE HERO OK VINCKNNKS 
 
 but, won by Clark's earnest appeal, the governor lent 
 him, on his own personal security, five hundred pounds 
 of powder. After many thrilling adventures and sharp 
 fighting with the Indians, Clark got the powder down 
 the Ohio River, and distributed it among the settlers. 
 The war with their savage foes was now carried on with 
 greater vigor than ever. 
 
 Now we must remember that the vast region north 
 of the Ohio was at this time a part of Canada. In this 
 wilderness of forests and prairies lived many tribes of war- 
 like Indians. Here 
 and t h e r e w ere 
 clusters of French 
 Creole villages, and 
 forts occupied by 
 British soldiers; for 
 with the conquest 
 of Canada these 
 French settlements 
 had passed to the 
 English crown. 
 When the war of 
 the American Rev- 
 olution broke out, 
 the British govern- 
 ment tried to unite all the tribes of Indians against its 
 rebellious subjects in America. In this way the people 
 were to be kept from going west to settle. 
 
 Indians attacking a Stockaded Fort on the Frontier 
 
4 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Colonel Henry Hamilton was the lieutenant governor 
 of Canada, with headquarters at Detroit. It was his 
 task to let loose the redskins that they might burn 
 the cabins of the settlers on the border, and kill their 
 women and children, or carry them into captivity. The 
 British commander supplied the savages with rum, rifles, 
 and powder; and he paid gold for the scalps which 
 they brought him. The pioneers named Hamilton the 
 " hair buyer." 
 
 For the next two years Kentucky well deserved the 
 name of "the dark and bloody ground." It was one 
 long, dismal story of desperate fighting, in which heroic 
 women, with tender hearts but iron muscles, fought 
 side by side with their husbands and their lovers. 
 
 Meanwhile, Clark was busy planning deeds never 
 dreamed of by those round him. He saw that the 
 Kentucky settlers were losing ground, and were doing 
 little harm to their enemies. The French villages, 
 guarded by British forts, were the headquarters for 
 stirring up, arming, and guiding the savages. It seemed 
 to Clark that the way to defend Kentucky was to carry 
 the war across the Ohio, and to take these outposts 
 from the British. He made up his mind that the whole 
 region could be won for the United States by a bold and 
 sudden march. 
 
 In 1777, he sent two hunters as spies through the 
 Illinois country. They brought back word that the 
 French took little interest in the war between England 
 
THE HKRO OF VINCENNES 
 
 and her colonies ; that they did not care for the British, 
 and were much afraid of the pioneers. Clark was a 
 keen and far-sighted soldier. He knew that it took all 
 the wisdom and courage of his fellow settlers to defend 
 their own homes. He must 
 bring the main part of his 
 force from Virginia. 
 
 Two weeks before Bur- 
 goyne's surrender at Sara- 
 toga, he tramped through the 
 woods for the third time, to 
 lay his cause before Patrick 
 Henry, who was then gov- 
 ernor of Virginia. Henry 
 was a fiery patriot, and he 
 was deeply moved by the faith 
 and the eloquence of the gallant young soldier. 
 
 Virginia was at this time nearly worn out by the 
 struggle against King George. A few of the leading 
 patriots, such as Jefferson and Madison, listened favor- 
 ably to Clark's plan of conquest, and helped him as 
 much as they could. At last the governor made Clark 
 a colonel, and gave him power to raise three hun- 
 dred and fifty men from the frontier counties west 
 of the Blue Ridge. He also gave orders on the state 
 officers at Fort Pitt for boats, supplies, and powder. 
 All this did not mean much except to show good 
 will and to give the legal right to relieve Kentucky, 
 
 X, 
 
 General George Rogers Clark 
 
6 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Everything now depended on Clark's own energy and 
 influence. 
 
 During the winter he succeeded in raising one hun- 
 dred and fifty riflemen. In the spring he took his little 
 army, and, with a few settlers and their families, drifted 
 clown the Ohio in flatboats to the place where stands 
 to-day the city of Louisville. 
 
 The young leader now weeded out of his army all 
 who seemed to him unable to stand hardship and fatigue. 
 Four companies of less than fifty men each, under four 
 trusty captains, were chosen. All of these were familiar 
 with frontier warfare. 
 
 On the 24th of June, the little fleet shot the Falls 
 of the Ohio amid the darkness of a total eclipse of 
 the sun. Clark planned to land at a deserted French 
 fort opposite the mouth of the Tennessee River, and 
 from there to march across the country against Kas- 
 kaskia, the nearest Illinois town. He did not dare to 
 go up the Mississippi, the usual way of the fur traders, 
 for fear of discovery. 
 
 At the landing place, the army was joined by a band 
 of American hunters who had just come from the French 
 settlements. These hunters said that the fort at Kas- 
 kaskia was in good order; and that the Creole militia 
 not only were well drilled, but greatly outnumbered 
 the invading force. They also said that the only chance 
 of success was to surprise the town; and they offered 
 to guide the frontier leader bv the shortest route. 
 
THE HERO OF VINCENXKS 
 
 With these hunters as guides, Clark began his march 
 of a hundred miles through the wilderness. The first 
 fifty miles led through a tangled and pathless forest. 
 On the prairies the marching was less difficult. Once 
 the chief guide lost his course, and all were in dismay. 
 Clark, fearing treachery, coolly told the man that he 
 should shoot him in 
 two hours if he did 
 not find the trail. The 
 guide was, however, 
 loyal ; and, marching 
 by night and hiding 
 by day, the party 
 reached the river Kas- 
 kaskia, w i thi n three 
 miles of the town that 
 lay on the farther side. 
 
 The chances were A Map showin s the Line of Clark ' s March 
 greatly against our young leader. Only the speed and 
 the silence of his march gave him hope of success. Under 
 the cover of darkness, and in silence, Clark ferried his 
 men across the river, and spread his little army as if to 
 surround the town. 
 
 Fortune favored him at every move. It was a hot July 
 night ; and through the open windows of the fort came the 
 sound of music and dancing. The officers were giving a 
 ball to the light-hearted Creoles. All the men of the vil- 
 lage were there ; even the sentinels had left their posts. 
 
 ^arrodsburg~\£ oones k 
 
 'OF KENTUCKY 
 
 >»V [ K G I N 
 
HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Leaving a few men at the entrance, Clark walked 
 boldly into the great hall, and, leaning silently against 
 the doorpost, watched the gay dancers as they whirled 
 round in the light of the flaring torches. Suddenly an 
 Indian lying on the floor spied the tall stranger, sprang 
 
 to his feet, and gave a 
 whoop. The dancing 
 stopped. The Creole 
 girls screamed, and 
 their partners rushed 
 toward the doors. 
 
 " Go on with your 
 dance," said Clark, 
 " but remember that 
 henceforth you dance 
 under the American 
 flag, and not under that 
 of Great Britain." 
 
 The surprise was 
 complete. Nobody had 
 a chance to resist. The 
 town and the fort were in the hands of the riflemen. 
 
 Clark at once made friends with the fickle Creoles. 
 He formed them into companies, and drilled them every 
 day. A priest known as Father Gibault, a man of ability 
 and influence, became a devoted friend to the Americans. 
 He persuaded the people at Cahokia and at other Creole 
 villages, and even at Vincennes, about one hundred and 
 
 Clark interrupts the Dance 
 
THE HERO OF VINCENNES 9 
 
 forty miles away on the Wabash, to turn from the British 
 and to raise the American flag. Thus, without the loss 
 of a drop of blood, all the posts in the Wabash valley 
 passed into the hands of the Americans, and the boundary 
 of the rising republic was extended to the Mississippi. 
 
 Clark soon had another chance to show what kind of 
 man he was. With less than two hundred riflemen and 
 a few fickle Creoles, he was hemmed in by tribes of faith- 
 less savages, with no hope of getting help or advice for 
 months; but he acted as few other men in the country 
 would have dared to act. He had just conquered a 
 territory as large as almost any European kingdom. 
 If he could hold it, it would become a part of the 
 new nation. Could he do it ? 
 
 From the Great Lakes to the Mississippi came the 
 chiefs and the warriors to Cahokia to hear what the great 
 chief of the " Long Knives " had to say for himself. The 
 sullen and hideously painted warriors strutted to and fro 
 in the village. At times there were enough of them to 
 scalp every white man at one blow, if they had only 
 dared. Clark knew exactly how to treat them. 
 
 One day when it seemed as if there would be trouble 
 at any moment, the fearless commander did not even 
 shift his lodging to the fort. To show his contempt of 
 the peril, he held a grand dance, and "the ladies and 
 gentlemen danced nearly the whole night," while the 
 sullen warriors spent the time in secret council. Clark 
 appeared not to care, but at the same time he had a large 
 
IO 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 room near by filled with trusty riflemen. It was hard 
 work, but the young Virginian did not give up. He 
 won the friendship and the respect of the different tribes, 
 and secured from them pledges of peace. It was little 
 trouble to satisfy the easy-going Creoles. 
 
 Let me tell you of an incident which showed Clark's 
 boldness in dealing with Indians. Years after the Illinois 
 
 campaign, three 
 hundred Shaw- 
 nee warriors 
 came in full war 
 paint to Fort 
 Washington, the 
 present site of 
 Cincinnati, to 
 meet the great 
 " Long Knife " 
 chief in council. 
 Clark had only 
 seventy men in 
 the stockade. The savages strode into the council room 
 with a war belt and a peace belt. Full of fight and ugli- 
 ness, they threw the belts on the table, and told the great 
 pioneer leader to take his choice. 
 
 Quick as a flash, Clark rose to his feet, swept both 
 the belts to the floor with his cane, stamped upon them, 
 and thrust the savages out of the hall, telling them 
 to make peace at once, or he would drive them off the 
 
 Fort Washington, a Stockaded Fort on the Ohio, the 
 Present Site of Cincinnati 
 
THE HERO OF VINCENNES II 
 
 face of the earth. The Shawnees held a council which 
 lasted all night, but in the morning they humbly agreed 
 to bury the hatchet. 
 
 Great was the wrath of Hamilton, the "hair buyer gen- 
 eral," when he heard what the young Virginian had done. 
 He at once sent out runners to stir up the savages; and, 
 in the first week of October, he set out in person from 
 Detroit with five hundred British regulars, French, and 
 Indians. He recaptured Vincennes without any trouble. 
 Clark had been able to leave only a few of the men he 
 had sent there, and the Creoles deserted the moment 
 they caught sight of the redcoats. 
 
 If Hamilton had pushed on through the Illinois coun- 
 try, he could easily have crushed the little American 
 force; but it was no easy thing to march one hundred 
 and forty miles over snow-covered prairies, and so the 
 British commander decided to wait until spring. 
 
 When Clark heard of the capture of Vincennes, he 
 knew that he had not enough men to meet Hamilton in 
 open fight. What was he to do ? Fortune again came 
 to his aid. 
 
 The last of January, he heard that Hamilton had sent 
 most of his men back to Detroit; that the Indians 
 had scattered among the villages; and that the British 
 commander himself was now wintering at Vincennes 
 with about a hundred men. Clark at once decided to 
 do what Hamilton had failed to do. Having selected 
 the best of his riflemen, together with a few Creoles, 
 
12 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 one hundred and seventy men in all, he set out on 
 February 7 for Vincennes. 
 
 All went well for the first week. They marched 
 rapidly. Their rifles supplied them with food. At 
 night, as an old journal says, they "broiled their meat 
 over the huge camp fires, and feasted like Indian war 
 dancers." After a week the ice had broken up, and the 
 thaw flooded everything. The branches of the Little 
 Wabash now made one great river five miles wide, the 
 water even in the shallow places being three feet deep. 
 
 It took three days of the hardest work to ferry the 
 little force across the flooded plain. All day long the 
 men waded in the icy waters, and at night they slept 
 as well as they could on some muddy hillock that rose 
 above the flood. By this time they had come so near 
 Vincennes that they dared not fire a gun for fear of 
 being discovered. 
 
 Marching at the head of his chilled and foot-sore army, 
 Clark was the first to test every danger. 
 
 " Come on, boys! " he would shout, as he plunged into 
 the flood. 
 
 Were the men short of food ? " I am not hungry," 
 he would say, " help yourself." Was some poor fellow 
 chilled to the bone ? " Take my blanket," said Clark, 
 " I am glad to get rid of it." 
 
 In fact, as peril and suffering increased, the courage 
 and the cheerfulness of the young leader seemed to grow 
 stronger. 
 
THE HERO OE VINCENNES 13 
 
 On February 17, the tired army heard Hamilton's 
 sunrise gun on the fort at Vincennes, nine miles away, 
 boom across the muddy flood. 
 
 Their food had now given out. The Creoles began 
 to lose heart, and wished to go back. In hastily made 
 dugouts the men were ferried, in a driving rain, to the 
 eastern bank of the Wabash ; but they found no dry land 
 for miles round. With Clark leading the way, the men 
 waded for three miles with the water often up to their 
 chins, and camped on a hillock for the night. The 
 records tell us that a little drummer boy, whom some of 
 the tallest men carried on their shoulders, made a deal 
 of fun for the weary men by his pranks and jokes. 
 
 Death now stared them in the face. The canoes could 
 find no place to ford. Even the riflemen huddled together 
 in despair. Clark blacked his face with damp gunpowder, 
 as the Indians did when ready to die, gave the war whoop, 
 and leaped into the ice-cold river. With a wild shout the 
 men followed. The whole column took up their line of 
 march, singing a merry song. They halted six miles from 
 Vincennes. The night was bitterly cold, and the half- 
 frozen and half-starved men tried to sleep on a hillock. 
 
 The next morning the sun rose bright and beautiful. 
 Clark made a thrilling speech and told his famished men 
 that they would surely reach the fort before dark. One 
 of the captains, however, was sent with twenty-five 
 trusty riflemen to bring up the rear, with orders to shoot 
 any man that tried to turn back. 
 
14 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The worst of all came when they crossed the Horse- 
 shoe Plain, which the floods had made a shallow lake 
 four miles wide, with dense woods on the farther side. 
 In the deep water the tall and the strong helped the 
 short and the weak. The little dugouts picked up the 
 poor fellows who were clinging to bushes and old logs, 
 and ferried them to a spot of dry land. When they 
 reached the farther shore, so many of the men were 
 chilled that the strong ones had to seize those half- 
 frozen, and run them up and down the bank until they 
 were able to walk. 
 
 One of the dugouts captured an Indian canoe pad- 
 dled by some squaws. It proved a rich prize, for in it 
 were buffalo meat and some kettles. Broth was soon 
 made and served to the weakest. The strong gave up 
 their share. Then amid much joking and merry songs, 
 the column marched in single file through a bit of timber. 
 Not two miles away was Vincennes, the goal of all their 
 hopes. 
 
 A Creole who was out shooting ducks was captured. 
 From him it was learned that nobody suspected the 
 coming of the Americans, and that two hundred Indians 
 had just come into town. 
 
 With the hope that the Creoles would not dare to fight, 
 and that the Indians would escape, Clark boldly sent the 
 duck hunter back to town with the news of his arrival. 
 He sent warning to the Creoles to remain in their houses, 
 for he came only to fight the British. 
 
THE HERO OF VINCENNES 
 
 15 
 
 So great was the terror of Clark's name that the French 
 shut themselves up in their houses, while most of the 
 Indians took to the woods. Nobody dared give a word of 
 warningtothe British. 
 
 Just after dark the 
 riflemen marched into 
 the streets of the vil- 
 lage before the red- 
 coats knew what was 
 going on. 
 
 Crack! crack! 
 sharply sounded half 
 a dozen rifles outside 
 the fort. 
 
 " That is Clark, and 
 your time is short! " 
 cried Captain Helm, 
 who was Hamilton's 
 prisoner at this time ; 
 " he will have this fort 
 tumbling on your 
 heads before to- 
 morrow morning." 
 
 During the night 
 the Americans threw up an intrenchmeni within rifle 
 shot of the fort, and at daybreak opened a hot fire into 
 the portholes. The men begged their leader to let them 
 storm the fort, but he dared not risk their lives. A party 
 
 a Frontier Fort against the British 
 and Indians 
 
1 6 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 of Indians that had been pillaging the Kentucky settle- 
 ments came marching into the village, and were caught 
 red-handed with scalps hanging at their belts. 
 
 Clark was not slow to show his power. 
 
 " Think, men," he said sternly, "of the cries of the widows 
 and the fatherless on our frontier. Do your duty." 
 
 Six of the savages were tomahawked before the fort, 
 where the garrison could see them, and their dead bodies 
 were thrown into the river. 
 
 The British defended their fort for a few days, but 
 could not stand against the fire of the long rifles. It 
 was sure death for a gunner to try to fire a cannon. Not 
 a man dared show himself at a porthole, through which 
 the rifle bullets were humming like mad hornets. 
 
 Hamilton the "hair buyer" gave up the defense as a 
 bad job, and surrendered the fort, defended by cannon 
 and occupied by regular troops, as he says in his journal, 
 " to a set of uncivilized Virginia backwoodsmen armed 
 with rifles." 
 
 Tap ! tap ! sounded the . drums, as Clark gave the 
 signal, and down came the British colors. 
 
 Thirteen cannon boomed the salute over the flooded 
 plains of the Wabash, and a hundred frontier soldiers 
 shouted themselves hoarse when the stars and stripes 
 went up at Vincennes, never to come down again. 
 
 The British authority over this region was forever 
 at an end. It only remained for Clark to defend what 
 he had so gallantly won. 
 
THE HERO OF VINCENNES 1 7 
 
 Of all the deeds done west of the Alleghanies during 
 the war of the Revolution, Clark's campaign, in the region 
 which seemed so remote and so strange to our forefathers, 
 is the most remarkable. The vast region north of the 
 Ohio River was wrested from the British crown. When 
 peace came, a few years later, the boundary lines of the 
 United States were the Great Lakes on the north, and 
 on the west the Mississippi River. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 
 
 A SPLENDID monument overlooks the battlefield 
 of Saratoga. Heroic bronze statues of Schuyler, 
 Gates, and Morgan, three of the four great leaders in 
 this battle, stand each in a niche on three faces of the 
 obelisk. On the south side the space is empty. The 
 man who led the patriots to victory forfeited his place 
 on this monument. What a sermon in stone is the 
 empty niche on that massive granite shaft ! We need 
 no chiseled words to tell us of the great name so 
 gallantly won by Arnold the hero, and so wretchedly 
 lost by Arnold the traitor. 
 
 Only a few months after Benedict Arnold had turned 
 traitor, and was fighting against his native land, he was 
 sent by Sir Henry Clinton, the British commander, to 
 sack and plunder in Virginia. In one of these raids a 
 captain of the colonial army was taken prisoner. 
 
 " What will your people do with me if they catch 
 me?" Arnold is said to have asked his prisoner. 
 
 " They will cut off your leg that was shot at Quebec 
 and Saratoga," said the plucky and witty officer, "and 
 bury it with the honors of war, and hang the rest of your 
 body on a gibbet." 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 
 
 19 
 
 Tliis bold reply of the patriot soldier showed the 
 hatred and the contempt in which Arnold was held by 
 all true Americans; it also hints at an earlier fame which 
 this strange and remarkable man had won in fighting 
 the battles of his country. 
 
 Now that war with the mother country had begun, an 
 attack upon Canada seemed to be an act of self-defense ; 
 for through the valley of the St. Lawrence the colonies 
 to the south could be in- 
 vaded. The "back door," 
 as Canada was called, which 
 was now open for such inva- 
 sion, must be tightly shut. 
 In fact it was believed that 
 Sir Guy Carleton, the gov- 
 ernor of Canada, w^as even 
 now trying to get the In- 
 dians to sweep down the 
 valley of the Hudson, to 
 harry the New England 
 frontier. 
 
 Meanwhile, under the 
 old elm in Cambridge, Washington had taken command 
 of the Continental army. Shortly afterwards he met 
 Benedict Arnold for the first time. The great Virgin- 
 ian found the young officer a man after his own heart. 
 Arnold was at this time captain of the best-drilled and 
 best-equipped company that the patriot army could boast. 
 
 
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 The Washington Elm in Cambridge, 
 Massachusetts, under which Wash- 
 ington took Command 
 
20 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 He had already proved himself a man of energy and of 
 rare personal bravery. 
 
 Before his meeting with Washington, Arnold had 
 hurried spies into Canada to find out the enemy's 
 strength; and he had also sent Indians with wampum, to 
 make friends with the redskins along the St. Lawrence. 
 Some years before, he had been to Canada to buy 
 horses ; and through his friends in Quebec and in 
 Montreal he was now able to get a great deal of infor- 
 mation, which he promptly sent to Congress. 
 
 Congress voted to send out an expedition. An army 
 was to enter Canada by the way of the Kennebec and 
 Chaudiere rivers; there to unite forces with Mont- 
 gomery, who had started from Ticonderoga; and then, 
 if possible, to surprise Quebec. 
 
 The patriot army of some eighteen thousand men was 
 at this time engaged in the siege of Boston. During the 
 first week in September, orders came to draft men for 
 Quebec. For the purpose of carrying the troops up the 
 Kennebec River, a force of carpenters was sent ahead 
 to build two hundred bateaux, or flat-bottomed boats. 
 To Arnold, as colonel, was given the command of the 
 expedition. For the sake of avoiding any ill feeling, 
 the officers were allowed to draw lots. So eager were 
 the troops to share in the possible glories of the cam- 
 paign that several thousand at once volunteered. 
 
 About eleven hundred men were chosen, the very 
 flower of the Continental army. More than one half of 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 21 
 
 these came from New England ; three hundred were 
 riflemen from Pennsylvania and from Virginia, among 
 whom were Daniel Morgan and his famous riflemen 
 from the west bank of the Potomac. 
 
 On September 13, the little army left Cambridge 
 and marched through Essex to Newburyport The 
 good people of this old seaport gave the troops an ova- 
 tion, on their arrival Saturday night. They escorted 
 them to the churches on Sunday, and on Tuesday morn- 
 ing bade them good-by, "with colors flying, drums and 
 fifes playing, the hills all around being covered with 
 pretty girls weeping for their departing swains." 
 
 On the following Thursday, with a fair wind, the 
 troops reached the mouth of the Kennebec, one hundred 
 and fifty miles away. Working their way up the river, 
 they came to anchor at what is now the city of Gardi- 
 ner. Near this place, the two hundred bateaux had been 
 hastily built of green pine. The little army now advanced 
 six miles up the river to Fort Western, opposite the 
 present city of Augusta. Here they rested for three 
 days, and made ready for the ascent of the Kennebec. 
 
 An old journal tells us that the people who lived 
 near prepared a grand feast for the soldiers, with three 
 bears roasted whole in frontier fashion, and an abun- 
 dance of venison, smoked salmon, and huge pumpkin 
 pies, all washed down with plenty of West India rum. 
 
 Among the guests at this frontier feast was a half 
 breed Indian girl named Jacataqua, who had fallen in 
 
2 2 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 love with a handsome young officer of the expedition. 
 This officer was Aaron Burr, who afterwards became 
 Vice President of the United States. When the young 
 visitor found that the wives of two riflemen, James 
 Warner and Sergeant Grier, were going to tramp to 
 Canada with the troops, she, too, with some of her Indian 
 friends, made up her mind to go with them. This 
 trifling incident, as we shall see later, saved the lives 
 of many brave men. 
 
 The season was now far advanced. There must be no 
 delay, or the early Canadian winter would close in upon 
 them. The little army was divided into four divisions. 
 On September 25, Daniel Morgan and his riflemen 
 led the advance, with orders to go with all speed to 
 what was called the Twelve Mile carrying place. The 
 second division, under the command of Colonel Greene, 
 started the next day. Then came the third division, 
 under Major Meigs, while Colonel Enos brought up the 
 rear. There were fourteen companies, each provided 
 with sixteen bateaux. 
 
 These boats were heavy and clumsy. When loaded, 
 four men could hardly haul or push them through the 
 shallow channels, or row them against the strong current 
 of the river. It was hard and rough work. And those 
 dreadful carrying places ! Before they reached Lake 
 Megantic, they dragged these boats, or what was left 
 of them, round the rapids twenty-four times. At each 
 carrying place, kegs of powder and of bullets, barrels of 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 
 
 flour and of pork, iron kettles, and all manner of camp 
 baggage had to be unpacked from the boats, carried 
 round on the men's backs, and reloaded again. Some- 
 times the " carry " was only a matter of a 
 few rods, and again it was two miles long. 
 
 From the day the army left Norridge- 
 wock, the last outpost of civilization, 
 troubles came thick and fast. Water 
 from the leaky boats spoiled the dried 
 codfish and most of the flour. The salt 
 beef was found unfit for use. There was 
 now nothing left to eat but flour and pork. 
 The all-day exposure in water, the chilling 
 river fogs at night, and the sleeping in 
 uniforms which were frozen stiff even in 
 front of the camp fires, all began to thin 
 the ranks of these sturdy backwoodsmen. 
 
 On October 12, Colonel Enos and the rear guard 
 reached the Twelve Mile carrying place. The army 
 that had set out from Fort Western with nearly twelve 
 hundred men could now muster only nine hundred and 
 fifty well men. And yet they were only beginning the 
 most perilous stage of their journey. All about them 
 stood the dark and silent wilderness, through which they 
 were to make their way for sixteen miles, to reach the 
 Dead River. In this dreaded route there were four 
 carrying places. The last was three miles long, a third 
 of which was a miry spruce and cedar swamp. It took 
 
 A Map of Arnold's 
 Route to Quebec 
 
24 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 five days of hardest toil to cut their way through the 
 unbroken wilderness. Fortunately, the hunters shot four 
 moose and caught plenty of salmon trout. 
 
 Now began the snail-like advance for eighty-six miles 
 up the crooked course of the Dead River. Sometimes 
 they cut their way through the thickets and the under- 
 brush, but oftener they waded along the banks. Then 
 came a heavy rainstorm, which grew into a hurricane 
 during the night. The river overflowed its banks for a 
 mile or more on either side. Many of the boats sank or 
 were dashed to pieces. Barrels of pork and of flour were 
 swept away. For the next ten days, these heroic men 
 seemed to be pressing forward to a slow death by star- 
 vation. Each man's ration was reduced to half a pint of 
 flour a clay. 
 
 The old adage tells us that misfortunes never come 
 singly. The rear guard under Colonel Enos, with its 
 trail hewn out for it, had carried the bulk of the supplies ; 
 but, after losing most of the provisions in the freshet, he 
 refused any more flour for his half-starved comrades at 
 the front. 
 
 On October 25, the rear guard having caught up 
 with Greene's division, which was in the worst plight of 
 all, encamped at a place called Ledge Falls. At a coun- 
 cil of war held in the midst of a driving snowstorm, 
 Enos himself voted at first to go forward ; but afterwards 
 he decided to go back. So the rear guard, grudgingly 
 giving up two barrels of flour, turned their backs, and, 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 25 
 
 in spite of the jeers and the threats of their comrades, 
 started home. Greene and his brave fellows showed no 
 signs of faltering, but, as a diary reads, " took each man 
 his duds to his back, bid them adieu, and marched on." 
 
 Just over the boundary between Maine and Canada 
 there was a great swamp. In this bog two companies 
 lost their way, and waded knee-deep in the mire for ten 
 miles in endless circles. Reaching a little hillock after 
 dark, they stood up all night long to keep from freezing. 
 Each man was for himself in the struggle for life. The 
 strong dared not halt to help the weak for fear they 
 too should perish. 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! " writes one soldier, " these horrid specta- 
 cles ! my heart sickens at the recollection." 
 
 That each man might fully realize how little food 
 was left, a final division was made of the remaining 
 provisions. Five pints of flour were given to each man ! 
 This must last him for a hundred miles through the 
 pathless wilderness, a tramp of at least six days. In the 
 ashes of the camp fire, each man baked his flour, Indian 
 fashion, into five little cakes. Though the officers 
 coaxed and threatened, some of the poor frantic fellows 
 ate all their cakes at one meal. 
 
 On November 2, our little army, scattered for more 
 than forty miles along the banks of the Chaudiere River, 
 was still dragging out its weary way. Tents, boats, and 
 camp supplies were all gone, except here and there a tin 
 camp kettle or an ax. A rifleman tells us that one day 
 
26 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 he roasted and chewed his shot pouch, and adds, "in a 
 short time there was not a shot pouch to be seen among 
 all those in my view. " For four days this man had not 
 eaten anything except a squirrel skin, which he had picked 
 up some days before. 
 
 Several dogs that had faithfully followed their masters 
 were now killed and roasted ; and even their feet, skin, 
 and entrails were eaten. Captain Dearborn tells us how 
 downcast he was when he was forced to kill and eat his 
 fine Newfoundland dog. He writes, " we even pounded 
 up the dog's bones and made broth for another meal." 
 A dozen men, who had been left behind to die, caught 
 a stray horse that had run away from some settlement. 
 They shot it and ate heartily of the flesh while they 
 rested, and at last reached the main army. For seven 
 days these men had had nothing for food but roots and 
 black birch bark. 
 
 The Indian girl Jacataqua, with a pet dog, still followed 
 the troops. She proved herself of the greatest service as 
 a guide. She knew, also, about roots and herbs, and 
 these she prepared in Indian fashion for the sick and the 
 injured. The men did not dare to kill her dog, for she 
 threatened to leave them to their fate if they harmed the 
 faithful animal. 
 
 At one place James Warner, whose wife Jemima was 
 marching with the troops, lagged behind, and, before his 
 wife knew it, sank exhausted. The faithful woman ran 
 back alone, and stayed with him until he died. She 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 
 
 27 
 
 buried him with leaves ; and then, taking his musket and 
 girding on his cartridge belt, she hurried breathless and 
 panting for twenty miles, until she caught up with the 
 troops. And as for Sergeant Grier's good wife, she 
 tramped and starved her way with the men. No won- 
 der that one writer, a boy of seventeen at the time, says, 
 
 Arnold's Men marching through the Flooded Wilderness 
 
 as he saw this plucky woman wading through the rivers, 
 " My mind was humbled, yet astonished at the exertions 
 of this good woman." 
 
 Where was the bold commander all this time, the man 
 who was to lead these sturdy riflemen to easy victory? 
 After paddling thirteen miles across Lake Megantic, 
 
28 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Arnold performed one of those brilliant and reckless 
 deeds for which he was noted. Perhaps no other man 
 in the American army would have dared to do what he 
 did. The remnant of his famishing soldiers must be 
 saved, and the time was short. 
 
 On October 28, he started down the swollen Chaudiere 
 River with only a few men and without a guide. Sarti- 
 gan, the nearest French settlement where provisions could 
 be bought, was nearly seventy miles away. The swift 
 current carried the frail canoes down the first twenty 
 miles in two hours. Here through the rapids, there 
 over hidden ledges, now escaping the driftwood and 
 the sharp-edged rocks, Arnold and his men wrestled 
 with the angry river. 
 
 At one place they plunged over a fall, and every canoe 
 was capsized. Six of the men found themselves swim- 
 ming in a large rock-bound basin, while the angry flood 
 thundered thirty feet over the ledges just beyond them. 
 The men swam ashore, thankful to escape death. 
 
 The last twenty miles was tramped through the wilder- 
 ness, but such was the energy of their leader that Sartigan 
 was reached on the evening of the second day. Long 
 before daybreak, cattle and bags of flour were ready, and, 
 with a relief party of French Canadians on horseback, 
 Arnold was on his way back to the starving army. 
 
 Four days later, from the famished men in the frozen 
 wilderness was heard far and wide the joyful cry, " Pro- 
 visions ! " " Provisions ! " 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 29 
 
 The cry was echoed from hill to hill, and along the 
 snow-covered banks of the great river. The grim fight 
 for life was over. They had won. How like a pack of 
 famished wolves did they kill, cook, and devour the 
 cattle ! 
 
 The next day, two companies dashed through the icy 
 waters of the Du Loup River, and, shortly afterwards, 
 greeted with cheers the first house they had seen for 
 thirty days. Six miles beyond, was Sartigan, — a half 
 dozen log cabins and a few Indian wigwams. 
 
 A snowstorm now set in, but the joyful men hastily 
 built huts of pine boughs, kindled huge camp fires, and 
 waited for the stragglers. The severe Canadian winter 
 was well begun. It kept on snowing heavily. As 
 Quebec might be reenforced at any moment, every cap- 
 tain was ordered to get his men over the remaining 
 fifty-four miles with all possible speed. 
 
 " Quebec ! " " Quebec ! " was in everybody's mouth. 
 
 Five days later, on November 9, the patriots reached 
 Point Levi, a little French village opposite Quebec. 
 The people looked on with astonishment as they 
 straggled out of the woods, a worn-out army of perhaps 
 six hundred men, with faces haggard, clothing in tat- 
 ters, and many barefooted and bareheaded. Over 
 eighty had died in the wilderness, and a hundred were 
 on the sick list. So pitiful and so ludicrous was their 
 appearance that one man wrote in his diary that 
 they " resembled those animals of New Spain called 
 
30 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 orang-outangs," and " unlike the children of Israel, whose 
 clothes waxed not old in the wilderness, theirs hardly 
 held together." 
 
 With his usual bravado, Arnold planned to capture 
 the " Gibraltar of America " at one stroke. He little 
 knew that, a few days before, some treacherous Indians 
 had warned the British commander of his approach. 
 
 On the night of November 13, Arnold ferried five 
 hundred of his men across the St. Lawrence, and climbed 
 to the Heights of Abraham, at the very place where 
 Wolfe had climbed to victory sixteen years before. At 
 daybreak the walls of the city were covered with soldiers 
 and with citizens. Within half a mile of the walls, which 
 fairly bristled with cannon, the ragged soldiers halted 
 and began to cheer lustily. The redcoats shouted back 
 their defiance. Arnold wrote a letter to the governor of 
 Quebec, demanding the surrender of the city. The 
 bearer of the letter, although under a flag of truce, was 
 not even allowed to come near the walls. 
 
 After six days the little army slipped away one dark 
 night, and tramped to a village some twenty miles to 
 the west of Quebec. Here they hoped to join forces 
 with Montgomery, who had already captured Montreal, 
 and then come back to renew the siege. 
 
 Ten days later, on December 1, Arnold paraded his 
 troops in front of the village church to greet Montgomery 
 with his army. The united forces, still less than a thou- 
 sand men, now trudged their way back to Quebec. On 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 31 
 
 arriving there, Montgomery boldly demanded the sur- 
 render of the town. 
 
 Meanwhile, on November 19, Sir Guy Carleton had 
 left Montreal, and, having made his way down the 
 river, in the disguise of a farmer, slipped into Quebec. 
 This was the salvation of Canada. 
 
 The British general was an able soldier. He at once 
 took energetic steps for the defense of the city. At 
 every available point he built blockhouses, barricades, 
 and palisades; and mounted one hundred and fifty can- 
 non. He took five hundred sailors from the war vessels 
 to help man the guns, and thus increased the garrison 
 to eighteen hundred fighting men. 
 
 For two weeks the patriot army fired their little three- 
 pounders, and threw several hundred "fire pills," as the 
 men called them, against the granite ramparts and into 
 the town. Even the women laughed at them, for they 
 did no more harm than so many popguns. The redcoats 
 kept up the bloodless contest by raking with their cannon 
 the patriots' feeble breastworks of ice and snow. 
 
 Montgomery spoke hopefully to his men, but in his 
 heart was despair. How could he ever go home without 
 taking Quebec ? Washington and Congress expected 
 it, and the people at home were waiting for it. When 
 he bade his young wife good-by at their home on the 
 Hudson, he said, " You shall never blush for your Mont- 
 gomery." What was his duty now? Should he not 
 make at least one desperate attempt? Did not Wolfe 
 
32 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 take equally desperate chances and win deathless renown ? 
 At last it was decided to wait for a dark night, in which 
 to attack the Lower Town. 
 
 At midnight on the last day of 1775, came the snow- 
 storm so long awaited. The word was given, and about 
 half past three the columns marched to the assault. 
 Every man pinned to his hat a piece of white paper, on 
 which was written the motto of Morgan's far-famed 
 riflemen, " Liberty or Death ! " 
 
 Arnold and Morgan, with about six hundred men, 
 were to make the attack on one side of the town, and 
 Montgomery, with three hundred men, on the other side. 
 
 The storm had become furious. With their heads 
 down and their guns under their coats, the men had 
 enough to do to keep up with Arnold as he led the 
 attack. Presently a musket ball shattered his leg and 
 stretched him bleeding in the snow. Morgan at once 
 took command, and, cheering on his men, carried the 
 batteries ; then, forcing his way into the streets of the 
 Lower Town, he waited for the promised signal from 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Meantime, the precious moments slipped by, while the 
 young Montgomery was forcing his way through the 
 darkness and the huge snowdrifts, along the shores of 
 the St. Lawrence. When the head of his column crept 
 cautiously round a point of the steep cliff, they came 
 face to face with the redcoats standing beside their 
 cannon with lighted matches. 
 
A M1DW1NTKR CAMPAIGN 
 
 33 
 
 " On, boys, Quebec is ours ! " shouted Montgomery, 
 as he sprang forward. 
 
 A storm of grape and canister swept the narrow pass, 
 and the young general fell dead. In dismay and confusion, 
 
 The Midnight Attack on Quebec 
 
 the column gave way. The command to retreat was 
 hastily given and obeyed. Strange to say, so dazed 
 were the British by the fierce attack that they, too, ran 
 
34 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 away, but soon rallied. The driving snow quickly 
 covered the dead and the wounded in a funeral 
 .shroud. 
 
 The enemy were now free to close in upon Morgan 
 and his riflemen, on the other side of the town. All 
 night long, fierce hand to hand fighting went on in the 
 narrow streets, amid the howling storm of driving snow ; 
 and the morning light broke slowly upon scenes of 
 confusion and horror. Morgan and his men fought 
 like heroes, but they were outnumbered, and were 
 forced to surrender. 
 
 The rest of this sad story may be briefly told. 
 Arnold was given the chief command. Although he 
 was weakened from loss of blood, and helpless from his 
 shattered leg, nothing could break his dauntless will. 
 Expecting the enemy at any moment to attack the hos- 
 pital, he had his pistols and his sword placed on his bed, 
 that he might die fighting. From that bedside, he kept 
 his army of seven hundred men sternly to its duty. In 
 a month he was out of doors, hobbling about on crutches, 
 and hopeful as ever of success. 
 
 Washington sent orders for Arnold to stand his 
 ground, and as late as January 27 wrote him that "the 
 glorious work must be accomplished this winter." With 
 bulldog grip, Arnold obeyed orders, and kept up the 
 hopeless siege. During the winter, more troops came 
 to his help from across the lakes, but they only closed 
 the gaps made by hardships and smallpox. 
 
A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 35 
 
 On the 14th of March, a flag of truce was again sent 
 to the city, demanding its surrender. 
 
 " No flag will be received," said the officer of the day, 
 " unless it comes to implore the mercy of the king." 
 
 A wooden horse was mounted on the walls near the 
 famous old St. John's gate, with a bundle of hay before it. 
 Upon the horse was tacked a placard, on which was 
 written, " When this horse has eaten this bunch of hay, 
 we will surrender." 
 
 Although they were short of food, and were forced 
 to tear down the houses for firewood, the garrison was 
 safe and quite comfortable behind the snow-covered 
 ramparts. 
 
 The end of the coldest winter ever known in Canada 
 save one came at last. The river was full of ice during 
 the first week of May. A few days later, three men-of- 
 war forced their way up the St. Lawrence through 
 the floating ice, and relieved the besieged city. The 
 salute of twenty-one guns fired by the fleet was joyful 
 music to the people of Quebec. Amid the thundering 
 of the guns from the citadel, the great bell of the Cathe- 
 dral clanged the death knell to Arnold's hopes. 
 
 The " Gibraltar of America " still remained in the pos- 
 session of England. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 
 
 IN 1775, in Virginia, the patriots forced the royal gov- 
 ernor, Lord Dunmore, to take refuge on board a 
 British man-of-war in Norfolk Harbor. In revenge, the 
 town of Norfolk, the largest and the most important 
 in the Old Dominion, was, on New Year's Day, 1776, 
 shelled and destroyed. This bombardment, and scores 
 of other less wanton acts of the men-of-war, alarmed 
 every coastwise town from Maine to Georgia. 
 
 Early in the fall of 1775, the British government 
 planned to strike a hard blow against the Southern 
 colonies. North Carolina was to be the first to receive 
 punishment. It was the first colony, as perhaps you 
 know, to take decided action in declaring its inde- 
 pendence from the mother country. To carry out 
 the intent of the British, Sir Henry Clinton, with two 
 thousand troops, sailed from Boston for the Cape Fear 
 River. 
 
 The minutemen of the Old North State rallied from 
 far and near, as they had done in Massachusetts after 
 the battle of Lexington. Within ten days, there were 
 ten thousand men ready to fight the redcoats. And 
 so when Sir Henry arrived off the coast, he decided, 
 
 36 
 
HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 37 
 
 like a prudent man, not to land; but cruised along 
 the shore, waiting for the coming of war vessels from 
 England. 
 
 This long-expected fleet was under the command of 
 Sir Peter Parker. Baffled by head winds, and tossed 
 about by storms, the ships were nearly three months on 
 the voyage, and did not arrive at Cape Fear until the 
 first of May. There they found Clinton. 
 
 Sir Peter and Sir Henry could not agree as to what 
 action was best. Clinton, with a wholesome respect for 
 the minutemen of the Old North State, wished to sail 
 to the Chesapeake ; while Lord Campbell, the royal 
 governor of South Carolina, who was now an officer of 
 the fleet, begged that the first hard blow should fall 
 upon Charleston. He declared that, as soon as the city 
 was captured, the loyalists would be strong enough to 
 restore the king's power. Campbell, it seems, had his 
 way at last, and it was decided to sail south, to capture 
 Charleston. 
 
 Meanwhile, the people of South Carolina had received 
 ample warning. So they were not surprised when, on 
 the last day of May, a British fleet under a cloud of 
 canvas was seen bearing up for Charleston. On the 
 next day, Sir Peter Parker cast anchor off the bar, with 
 upwards of fifty war ships and transports. Affairs looked 
 serious for the people of this fair city; but they were 
 of fighting stock, and, with the war thus brought to their 
 doors, were not slow to show their mettle. 
 
2>S HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 For weeks the patriots had been pushing the works 
 of defense. Stores and warehouses were leveled to the 
 ground, to give room for the fire of cannon and muskets 
 from various lines of earthworks; seven hundred wagons 
 belonging to loyalists were pressed into service, to help 
 build redoubts; owners of houses gave the lead from 
 their windows, to be cast into bullets; fire boats were 
 made ready to burn the enemy's vessels, if they passed 
 the forts. The militia came pouring in from the neigh- 
 boring colonies until there were sixty-five hundred ready 
 to defend the city. 
 
 It was believed that a fort built on the southern end 
 of Sullivan's Island, within point-blank shot of the 
 channel leading into Charleston Harbor, might help 
 prevent the British fleet from sailing up to the city. 
 At all events it would be worth trying. So, in the 
 early spring of 1776, Colonel William Moultrie, a vet- 
 eran of the Indian wars, was ordered to build a square 
 fort large enough to hold a thousand men. 
 
 The use of palmetto logs was a happy thought. 
 Hundreds of negroes were set at work cutting down 
 the trees and hauling them to the southern end of 
 the island. The long straight logs were laid one upon 
 another in two parallel rows sixteen feet apart, and 
 were bound together with cross timbers dovetailed and 
 bolted into the logs. The space between the two rows 
 of logs was filled with sand. This made the walls of 
 the fort. 
 
HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 
 
 39 
 
 The cannon were mounted upon platforms six feet 
 high, which rested upon brick pillars. Upon these plat- 
 forms the men could stand and fire through the open- 
 ings. The rear of the fort and the eastern side were left 
 unfinished, being merely built up seven feet with logs. 
 Thirty-one cannon were mounted, but only twenty-five 
 could at any one time be brought to bear upon the 
 enemy. 
 
 On the day of the battle, 
 there were about four hundred 
 and fifty men in the fort, only 
 thirty of whom knew anything 
 about handling cannon. But 
 most of the garrison were expert 
 riflemen, and it was soon found 
 that their skill in small arms 
 helped them in sighting the 
 artillery. 
 
 One day early in June, Gen- 
 eral Charles Lee, who had been 
 
 sent down to take the chief command, went over to the 
 island to visit the fort. As the old-time soldier, who 
 had seen long service in the British army, looked over 
 the rudely built affair, and saw that it was not even 
 finished, he gravely shook his head. 
 
 " The ships will anchor off there," said he to Moultrie, 
 pointing to the channel, " and will make your fort a 
 mere slaughter pen." 
 
 Colonel William Moultrie 
 
40 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The weak-kneed general, who afterwards sold himself 
 to the British, went back and told Governor Rutledge 
 that the only thing to do was to abandon the fort. 
 The governor, however, was made of better stuff, and, 
 besides, had the greatest faith in Colonel Moultrie. But 
 he did ask his old friend if he thought he really could 
 defend the cob-house fort, which Lee had laughed to 
 scorn. 
 
 Moultrie was a man of few words, and replied simply, 
 " I think I can." 
 
 " General Lee wishes you to give up the fort," added 
 Rutledge, " but you are not to do it without an order 
 from me, and I will sooner cut off my right hand than 
 write one." 
 
 The idea of retreating seems never to have occurred 
 to the brave commander. 
 
 " I was never uneasy," wrote Moultrie in after years, 
 "because I never thought the enemy could force me to 
 retire." 
 
 It was indeed fortunate that Colonel Moultrie was a 
 stout-hearted man, for otherwise he might well have been 
 discouraged. A few days before the battle, the master 
 of a privateer, whose vessel was laid up in Charleston 
 harbor, paid him a visit. As the two friends stood on 
 the palmetto walls, looking at the fleet in the distance, 
 the naval officer said, " Well, Colonel Moultrie, what do 
 you think of it now ? " 
 
 Moultrie replied, " We shall beat them." 
 
HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 4 1 
 
 " Sir," exclaimed his visitor, pointing to the distant men- 
 of-war, " when those ships come to lay alongside of your 
 fort, they will knock it down in less than thirty minutes." 
 
 " We will then fight behind the ruins," said the stub- 
 born patriot, " and prevent their men from landing." 
 
 The British plan of attack, to judge from all military 
 rules, should have been successful. First, the redcoat 
 regulars were to land upon Long Island, lying to the 
 north, and wade across the inlet which separates it from 
 Sullivan's Island. Then, after the war ships had silenced 
 the guns in the fort, the land troops were to storm the 
 position, and thus leave the channel clear for the com- 
 bined forces to sail up and capture the city. 
 
 If a great naval captain like Nelson or Farragut had 
 been in command, probably the ships would not have 
 waited a month, but would at once have made a bold 
 dash past the fort, and straightway captured Charleston. 
 Sir Peter, however, was slow, and felt sure of success. 
 For over three weeks he delayed the attack, thus giving 
 the patriots more time for completing their defenses. 
 
 Friday morning, June 28, was hot, but bright and 
 beautiful. Early in the day, Colonel Moultrie rode to 
 the northern end of the island to see Colonel Thompson. 
 The latter had charge of a little fort manned by sharp- 
 shooters, and it was his duty to prevent Clinton's troops 
 from getting across the inlet. 
 
 Suddenly the men-of-war begin to spread their top- 
 sails and raise their anchors. The tide is coming in. 
 
42 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The wind is fair. One after another, the war ships get under 
 way and come proudly up the harbor, under full sail. The 
 all-important moment of Moultrie's life is at hand. He puts 
 spurs to his horse and gallops back to the palmetto fort. 
 
 " Beat the long roll ! " he shouts to his officers, Colonel 
 Motte and Captain Marion. 
 
 The drums beat, and each man hurries to his chosen 
 place beside the cannon. The supreme test for the little 
 cob-house fort has come. The men shout, as a blue flag 
 with a crescent, the colors of South Carolina, is flung to 
 the breeze. 
 
 Just as a year before, the people of Boston crowded 
 the roofs and the belfries, to watch the outcome of Bunker 
 Hill; so now, the old men and the women and children 
 of Charleston cluster on the wharves, the church towers, 
 and the roofs, all that hot day, to watch the duel 
 between the palmetto fort and the British fleet. 
 
 Sir Peter Parker has a powerful fleet. He is ready 
 to do his work. Two of his ships carry fifty guns each, 
 and four carry twenty-eight guns each. With a strong 
 flood tide and a favorable southwest wind, the stately 
 men-of-war sweep gracefully to their positions. Moul- 
 trie's fighting blood is up, and his dark eyes flash with 
 delight. The men of South Carolina, eager to fight for 
 their homes, train their cannon upon the war ships. 
 
 " Fire ! fire ! " shouts Moultrie, as the men-of-war 
 come within point-blank shot. The low palmetto cob 
 house begins to thunder with its heavy guns. 
 
HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 43 
 
 A bomb vessel casts anchor about a mile from the fort. 
 Puff! bang! a thirteen-inch shell rises in the air with 
 a fine curve and falls into the fort. It bursts and hurls 
 up cart loads of sand, but hurts nobody. Four of the 
 largest war ships are now within easy range. Down go 
 the anchors, with spring ropes fastened to the cables, to 
 keep the vessels broadside to the fort. The smaller 
 men-of-war take their positions in a second line, in the 
 rear. Fast and furious, more than one hundred and fifty 
 cannon bang away at the little inclosure. 
 
 But, even from the first, things did not turn out as the 
 British expected. After firing some fifty shells, which 
 buried themselves in the loose sand and did not explode, 
 the bomb vessel broke down. 
 
 About noon, the flagship signaled to three of the 
 men-of-war, " Move down and take position southwest 
 of the fort." 
 
 Once there, the platforms inside the fort could be 
 raked from end to end. As good fortune would have 
 it, two of these vessels, in attempting to carry out their 
 orders, ran afoul of each other, and all three stuck fast on 
 the shoal on which is now the famed Fort Sumter. 
 
 How goes the battle inside the fort ? The men, stripped 
 to the waist and with handkerchiefs bound round their 
 heads, stand at the guns all that sweltering day, with the 
 coolness and the courage of old soldiers. The supply of 
 powder is scant. They take careful aim, fire slowly, and 
 make almost every shot tell. The twenty-six-pound balls 
 
44 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 splinter the masts, and make sad havoc on the decks. 
 Crash ! crash ! strike the enemy's cannon balls against 
 the palmetto logs. The wood is soft and spongy, and 
 the huge shot either bury themselves without making 
 splinters, or else bound off like rubber balls. 
 
 Meanwhile, where was Sir Henry Clinton ? For nearly 
 three weeks he had been encamped with some two thou- 
 sand men on the sand bar known as Long Island. The 
 men had suffered fearfully from the heat, from lack of 
 water, and from the mosquitoes. 
 
 During the bombardment of Fort Sullivan, Sir Henry 
 marched his men down to the end of the sand island, 
 but could not cross ; for the water in the inlet proved 
 to be seven feet deep even at low tide. Somebody had 
 blundered about the ford. The redcoats, however, were 
 paraded on the sandy shore while some armed boats 
 made ready to cross the inlet. The grapeshot from 
 two cannon, and the bullets of Colonel Thompson's 
 riflemen, so raked the decks that the men could not 
 stay at their posts. Memories of Bunker Hill, per- 
 haps, made the British officers a trifle timid about 
 crossing the inlet, and marching over the sandy shore, 
 to attack intrenched sharpshooters. Thus it happened 
 that Clinton and his men, through stupidity, were kept 
 prisoners on the sand island, mere spectators of the 
 thrilling scene. They had to content themselves with 
 fighting mosquitoes, under the sweltering rays of a 
 Southern sun. 
 
HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 
 
 45 
 
 All this time, Sir Peter was doing his best to pound 
 the fort down. The fort trembled and shook, but it 
 stood. Moultrie and his men, with perfect coolness 
 and with steady aim, made havoc of the war ships. 
 Colonel Moultrie 
 
 » 
 
 4„ jM i 
 
 prepared grog by 
 the pailful, which, 
 with a negro as 
 helper, he dipped 
 out to the tired men 
 at the guns. 
 
 " Take good aim. 
 boys," he said, as 
 he passed from gun 
 to gun, " mind the 
 big ships, and don't 
 waste the powder." 
 
 The mainmast of 
 the flagship Bristol 
 was hit nine times, 
 and the mizzenmast 
 was struck by seven 
 thirty-two-pound balls, and had to be cut away. In 
 short, the flagship was pierced so many times that she 
 would have sunk had not the wind been light and 
 the water smooth. While the battle raged in all its 
 fury, the carpenters worked like beavers to keep the 
 vessel afloat. 
 
 «sfi4~ 
 
 Defending the Palmetto Fort 
 
46 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 At one time a cannon ball shot off one of the cables, 
 and the ship swung round with the tide. 
 
 " Give it to her, boys ! " shouts Moultrie, " now is your 
 time ! " and the cannon balls rake the decks from stem 
 to stern. 
 
 The captain of the flagship was struck twice, Lord 
 Campbell was hurt, and one hundred men were either 
 killed or wounded. Once Sir Peter was the only man 
 left on the quarter-deck, and he himself was twice 
 wounded. 
 
 The other big ship, the Experiment, fared fully as 
 hard as did the flagship. The captain lost his right 
 arm, and nearly a hundred of his men were killed or 
 wounded. 
 
 In fact, these two vessels were about to be left to their 
 fate, when suddenly the fire of the fort slackened. 
 
 " Fire once in ten minutes," orders Colonel Moultrie, 
 for the supply of powder is becoming dangerously small. 
 
 An aid from General Lee came running over to the 
 fort. " When your powder is gone, spike your guns and 
 retreat," wrote the general. 
 
 Moultrie was not that kind of man. 
 
 Between three and five o'clock in the afternoon, the 
 fire of the fort almost stopped. The British thought 
 the guns were silenced. Not a bit of it ! Even then 
 a fresh supply of five hundred pounds of powder 
 had nearly reached the fort. It came from Governor 
 Rutledge with a note, saying, " Honor and victory, my 
 
HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 
 
 47 
 
 the fort thunder again. 
 
 good sir, to you and your worthy men with you. Don't 
 make too free with your cannon. Keep cool and do 
 mischief." 
 
 How those men shouted when the powder came ! 
 Bang! bang! the cannon in 
 The British admiral 
 tries to batter down the 
 fort by firing several 
 broadsides at the same 
 moment. At times it 
 seemed as if it would 
 tumble in a heap. Once 
 the broadsides of four 
 vessels struck the fort 
 at one time; but the 
 palmetto logs stood un- 
 harmed. A gunner by 
 the name of Mc Daniel 
 was mortally wounded 
 by a cannon ball. As 
 the dying soldier was 
 being carried away, he 
 cried out to his comrades in words that will never be 
 forgotten, " Fight on, brave boys, and don't let liberty 
 die with this day ! " 
 
 In the hottest of the fight, the flagstaff is shot away. 
 Down falls the blue banner upon the beach, outside 
 the fort. 
 
 ^§tl 
 
 Sergeant Jasper saves the Flag 
 
48 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 " The flag is down ! " " The fort has surrendered ! " 
 cry the people of Charleston, with pale faces and tearful 
 eyes. 
 
 Out from one of the cannon openings leaps Sergeant 
 William Jasper. Walking the whole length of the fort, 
 he tears away the flag from the staff. Returning with 
 it, he fastens it to the rammer of a cannon, and plants 
 it on the ramparts, amidst the rain of shot and shell. 
 
 With the setting of the sun, the roar of battle slackens. 
 The victory is Moultrie's. Twilight and silence fall 
 upon the smoking fort. Here and there lights glimmer 
 in the city, as the joyful people of Charleston return to 
 their homes. The stars look clown upon the lapping 
 waters of the bay, where ride at anchor the shadowy 
 vessels of the British fleet. Towards midnight, when 
 the tide begins to ebb, the battered war ships slip their 
 cables and sail out into the darkness with their dead. 
 
 The next day, hundreds came from the city to rejoice 
 with Moultrie and his sturdy fighters. Governor Rut- 
 ledge came down with a party of ladies, and presented 
 a silk banner to the fort. Calling for Sergeant Jasper, 
 he took his own short sword from his side, buckled it 
 on him, and thanked him in the name of his country. 
 He also offered him a lieutenant's commission, but the 
 young hero modestly refused the honor, saying, " I am 
 not fitted for an officer; I am only a sergeant." 
 
 For several days, the crippled British fleet lay in the 
 harbor, too much shattered to fight or to go to sea. In 
 
HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY EL USED 49 
 
 fajct, it was the first week in August before the patriots 
 of South Carolina saw the last war ship and the last 
 transport put out to sea, and fade away in the distance. 
 The hated redcoats were gone. 
 
 In the ten hours of active fighting, the British fleet 
 fired seventeen tons of powder and nearly ten thousand 
 shot and shell, but, in that little inclosure of green logs 
 and sand, only one gun w r as silenced. 
 
 The defense of Fort Sullivan ranks as one of the few 
 complete American victories of the Revolution. The 
 moral effect of the victory was perhaps more far-reaching 
 than the battle of Bunker Hill. Many of the Southern 
 people who had been lukewarm now openly united their 
 fortunes with the patriot cause. 
 
 Honors were showered upon the brave Colonel 
 Moultrie. His services to his state and to his country 
 continued through life. He died at a good old age, 
 beloved by his fellow citizens. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 THE PATRIOT SPY 
 
 IT was plain that Washington was troubled. As he 
 paced the piazza of the stately Murray mansion one 
 fine autumn afternoon, he was saying half aloud to 
 himself, " Shall we defend or shall we quit New York ? " 
 
 At this time Washington's headquarters were on 
 Manhattan Island, at the home of the Quaker mer- 
 chant, Robert Murray; and here, in the first week of 
 September, 1776, he had asked his officers to meet him 
 in council. 
 
 Was it strange that Washington's heart was heavy ? 
 During the last week of August, the Continental army 
 had been defeated in the battle of Long Island. A 
 fourth of the army were on the sick list ; a third were 
 without tents. Winter was close at hand, and the 
 men, mostly new recruits, were short of clothing, shoes, 
 and blankets. Only fourteen thousand men were fit 
 for duty, and they were scattered all the way from the 
 Battery to Kingsbridge, a distance of a dozen miles 
 or more. 
 
 The British army, numbering about twenty-five thou- 
 sand, lay encamped along the shores of New York Bay 
 and the East River. The soldiers were veterans, and 
 
 5° 
 
THE PATRIOT SPY 51 
 
 they were led by veterans. A large fleet of war ships, 
 lying at anchor, was ready to assist the land forces at 
 a moment's notice. Scores of guard ships sailed to and 
 fro, watching every movement of the patriot troops. 
 
 To give up the city to the British without battle 
 seemed a great pity. The effect upon the patriot cause 
 in all the colonies would be bad. Still, there was no 
 help for it. What was the use of fighting against such 
 odds ? Why run the risk of almost certain defeat ? 
 Washington always looked beyond the present, and he 
 did not intend now to be shut up on Manhattan Island, 
 perhaps to lose his entire army ; so, with the main body, 
 he moved north to Harlem Heights. Here he was soon 
 informed by scouts that the British were getting ready 
 to move at once. Whither, nobody could tell. Such 
 was the state of affairs that led Washington to call his 
 chief officers to the Murray mansion, on that September 
 afternoon. 
 
 Of course they talked over the situation long and 
 calmly. After all, the main question was, What shall 
 be done? Among other things, it was thought best to 
 find the right sort of man, and send him in disguise 
 into the British camp on Long Island, to find out just 
 where the enemy were planning to attack. 
 
 " Upon this, gentlemen," said Washington, " depends 
 at this time the fate of our army." 
 
 The commander in chief sent for Colonel Knowlton, 
 the hero of the rail fence at Bunker Hill. 
 
52 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 " I want you to find for me in your regiment or in 
 some other," he said, " some young officer to go at once 
 into the British camp, to discover what is going on. The 
 man must have a quick eye, a cool head, and nerves of 
 steel. I wish him to make notes of the position of the 
 enemy, draw plans of the forts, and listen to the talk of 
 the officers. Can you find such a man for me this very 
 afternoon ? " 
 
 " I will do my best, General Washington," said the 
 colonel, as he took leave to go to his regiment. 
 
 On arriving at his quarters that afternoon, Knowlton 
 called together a number of officers. He briefly told 
 them what Washington wanted, and asked for volun- 
 teers. There was a long pause, amid deep surprise. 
 These soldiers were willing to serve their country; but 
 to play the spy, the hated spy, was too much even for 
 Washington to ask. 
 
 One after another of the officers, as Knowlton called 
 them by name, declined. His task seemed hopeless. At 
 last, he asked a grizzled Frenchman, who had fought in 
 many battles and was noted for his rash bravery. 
 
 " No, no ! Colonel Knowlton," he said, " I am ready to 
 fight the redcoats at any place and at any time ; but, sir, 
 I am not willing to play the spy, and be hanged like a 
 dog if I am caught." 
 
 Just as Knowlton gave up hope of finding a man will- 
 ing to go on the perilous mission, there came to him the 
 painfully thrilling but cheering words, " I will undertake 
 
THE PATRIOT SPY 
 
 53 
 
 it." It was the voice of Captain Nathan Hale. He had 
 just entered Knovvlton's tent. His face was still pale 
 from a severe sickness. Every man was astonished. 
 The whole company knew the brilliant young officer, 
 and they loved him. Now they all tried to dissuade him. 
 They spoke of his fair prospects, and of the fond hopes 
 of his parents and his friends. It was all in vain. They 
 could not turn him from his purpose. 
 
 " I wish to be useful," he said, " and every kind of 
 service necessary for the public good becomes honorable 
 by being necessary. If my 
 country needs a peculiar 
 service, its claims upon 
 me are imperious." 
 
 These patriotic words fifl 
 of a man willing to give JR 
 up his life, if necessary, /■'; 
 for the good of his coun- 
 try silenced his brother 
 officers. 
 
 "Good-by, Nathan!" 
 " Don't you let the red- 
 coats catch you ! " " Good 
 luck to you ! " " We never 
 expect to see you again ! " cried his nearest friends in 
 camp, as, in company with Colonel Knowlton, the young 
 captain rode out that same afternoon to receive his orders 
 from Washington himself. 
 
 Hale receiving his Orders from Washington 
 
54 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Nathan Hale was born, as were his eight brothers and 
 his three sisters, in an old-fashioned, two-storied house, 
 in a little country village of Connecticut. His father, 
 a man of integrity, was a stanch patriot. Instead of 
 allowing his family to use the wool raised on his farm, 
 he saved it to make blankets for the Continental army. 
 The mother of this large family was a woman of high 
 moral and domestic worth, devoted to her children, for 
 whom she sought the highest good. It was a quiet, 
 strict household, Puritan in its faith and its manners, 
 where the Bible ruled, where family prayers never failed, 
 nor was grace ever omitted at meals. On a Saturday 
 night, no work was done after sundown. 
 
 Young Nathan was a bright, active American boy. 
 He liked his gun and his fishing pole. He was fond of 
 running, leaping, wrestling, and playing ball. One of 
 his pupils said that Hale would put his hand upon a 
 fence as high as his head, and clear it easily at a bound. 
 He liked books, and read much out of school. Like two 
 of his brothers, he was to be educated for the ministry. 
 When only sixteen, he entered Yale College, and was 
 graduated two years before the battle of Bunker Hill. 
 Early in the fall of 1773, the young graduate began to 
 teach school, and was soon afterwards made master of 
 a select school in New London, in his native state. 
 
 At this time young Hale was about six feet tall, and 
 well built. He had a broad chest, full face, light blue 
 eyes, fair complexion, and light brown hair. He had a 
 
THE PATRIOT SPY 55 
 
 large mole on his neck, just where the knot of his cravat 
 came. At college his friends used to joke him about it, 
 declaring that he was surely born to be hanged. 
 
 Such was Nathan Hale when the news of the blood- 
 shed at Lexington reached New London. A rousing 
 meeting was held that evening. The young school- 
 master was one of the speakers. 
 
 " Let us march at once," he said, " and never lay down 
 our arms until we obtain our independence." 
 
 The next morning, Hale called his pupils together, 
 "gave them earnest counsel, prayed with them, and shak- 
 ing each by the hand," took his leave, and during the 
 same forenoon marched with his company for Cambridge. 
 
 The young officer from Connecticut took an active 
 part in the siege of Boston, and soon became captain 
 of his company. Hale's diary is still preserved, and 
 after all these years it is full of interest. It seems that 
 he took charge of his men's clothing, rations, and money. 
 Much of his time he was on picket duty, and took part 
 in many lively skirmishes with the redcoats. Besides 
 studying military tactics, he found time to make up 
 wrestling matches, to play football and checkers, and, 
 on Sundays, to hold religious meetings in barns. 
 
 Within a few hours after bidding good-by to General 
 Washington, Captain Hale, taking with him one of his 
 own trusty soldiers, left the camp at Harlem, intending 
 at the first opportunity to cross Long Island Sound. 
 There were so many British guard ships on the watch 
 
56 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 that he and his companion found no safe place to cross 
 until they had reached Norwalk, fifty miles up the Sound 
 on the Connecticut shore. Here a small sloop was to 
 land Hale on the other side. 
 
 Stripping off his uniform, the young captain put on a 
 plain brown suit of citizen's clothes, and a broad-brimmed 
 hat. Thus attired in the dress of a schoolmaster, he was 
 landed across the Sound, and shortly afterwards reached 
 the nearest British camp. 
 
 The redcoats received the pretended schoolmaster 
 cordially. A captain of the dragoons spoke of him 
 long afterwards as a "jolly good fellow." Hale pre- 
 tended that he was tired of the " rebel cause," and that 
 he was in search of a place to teach school. 
 
 It would be interesting to know just what the "school- 
 master " did in the next two weeks. Think of the poor 
 fellow's eagerness to make the most of his time, drawing 
 plans of the forts, and going rapidly from one point to 
 another to watch the marching of troops, patrols, and 
 guards. Think of his sleepless nights, his fearful risk, 
 the ever-present dread of being recognized by some 
 Tory. All this we know nothing about, but his brave 
 and tender heart must sometimes have been sorely tried. 
 
 From the midst of all these dangers Hale, unharmed, 
 began his return trip to the American lines. He had 
 threaded his way through the woods, and round all 
 the British camps on Long Island, until he reached in 
 safety the point where he had first landed. Here he had 
 
THE PATRIOT SPY 57 
 
 planned for a boat to meet him early the next morning, 
 to take him over to the mainland. 
 
 Many a patriotic American boy has thought what he 
 should have done if he could have exchanged places 
 with Nathan Hale on this evening. Near by, at a place 
 then called and still called " The Cedars," a woman by 
 the name of Chichester, and nicknamed " Mother Chick," 
 kept a tavern, which was the favorite resort of all the 
 Tories in that region. Hale was sure that nobody would 
 know him in his strange dress, and so he ventured into 
 the tavern. A number of people were in the barroom. 
 A few minutes afterwards, a man whose face seemed 
 familiar to Hale suddenly left the room, and was not 
 seen again. 
 
 The pretended schoolmaster spent the night at the 
 tavern. 
 
 Early the next morning, the landlady rushed into the 
 barroom, crying out to her guests, " Look out, boys ! 
 there is a strange boat close in shore ! " 
 
 The Tories scampered as if the house were on fire. 
 
 " That surely is the very boat I 'm looking for," thought 
 Hale on leaving the tavern, and hastened towards the 
 beach, where the boat had already landed. 
 
 A moment more, and the young captain was amazed 
 at the sight of six British marines, standing erect in the 
 boat, with their muskets aimed at him. He tinned to 
 run, when a loud voice cried out, " Surrender or die ! " 
 He was within close range of their guns. Escape was 
 
58 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 not possible. The poor fellow gave himself up. He was 
 taken on board the British guard ship Halifax, which 
 lay at anchor close by, hidden from sight by a point 
 of land. 
 
 Some have declared that the man who so suddenly 
 left the tavern was a Tory cousin to Hale, and saw 
 at once through the patriot's disguise ; that, being quite 
 a rascal, he hurried away to get word to the British 
 camp. There seems to be no good reason, however, 
 to believe that the fellow was a kinsman. 
 
 However this may be, the British captured Captain 
 Hale in disguise. They stripped him and searched him, 
 and found his drawings and his notes. These were 
 written in Latin, and had been tucked away between 
 the soles of his shoes. 
 
 " I am sorry that so fine a fellow has fallen into my 
 hands," said the captain of the guard ship, "but you are 
 my prisoner, and I think a spy. So to New York you 
 must go ! " 
 
 General Howe's headquarters were at this time in the 
 elegant Beekman mansion, situated near what is now the 
 corner of Fifty-First Street and First Avenue. Calm and 
 fearless, the captured spy stood before the British com- 
 mander. He bravely owned that he was an American 
 officer, and said that he was sorry he had not been able 
 to serve his country better. No time was to be wasted 
 in calling a court-martial. Without trial of any kind, 
 Captain Hale was condemned to die the death of a spy. 
 
I'lIK PATRIOT SPY 
 
 59 
 
 The verdict was that he should be hanged by the neck, 
 " to-morrow morning at daybreak." 
 
 That night, which was Saturday, September 21, the 
 condemned man was kept under a strong guard, in the 
 greenhouse near the 
 Beekman mansion. He 
 had been given over to 
 the care of the brutal 
 Cunningham, the in- 
 famous British provost 
 marshal, with orders to 
 carry out the sentence 
 before sunrise the next 
 
 " To-morrow morn- 
 ing at daybreak." 
 
 How cruelly brief ! 
 Nathan Hale, the pa- 
 triot spy, was left to 
 himself for the night. 
 
 When mo r n i n g 
 came, Cunningham 
 found his prisoner ready. While preparations were being 
 made, a young officer, moved in spite of himself, allowed 
 Hale to sit in his tent long enough to write brief letters 
 to his parents and his friends. The letters were passed to 
 Cunningham to be sent. He read them, and as he saw 
 the noble spirit which breathed in every line, the wretch 
 
 The Patriot Spy before the British General 
 
6o 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 began to curse, and tore the letters into bits before the 
 face of his victim. He said that the rebels should never 
 know they had a man who could 
 die with such firmness. 
 
 It was just before sunrise on a 
 lovely Sabbath morning that 
 Nathan Hale was led out to death. 
 The gallows was the limb of an 
 apple tree. Early as it was, a 
 number of men and women had 
 come to witness the execution. 
 
 " Give us your dying speech, you 
 young rebel ! " shouted the brutal 
 Cunningham. 
 
 The young patriot, standing upon 
 the fatal ladder, lifted his eyes 
 toward heaven, and said, in a calm, 
 clear voice, " I only regret that I 
 have but one life to lose for my 
 country." 
 
 These were his last words. The 
 women sobbed, and some of the men 
 began to show signs of sympathy. 
 
 " Swing the rebel off ! " cried 
 Cunningham, in a voice hoarse with 
 anger. The order was obeyed. 
 Half an hour later, the body of the patriot spy was 
 buried, probably beneath the apple tree, but the grave 
 
 Statue of Nathan Hale, stand 
 ing in City Hall Park ir 
 New York City 
 
THE PATRIOT SPY 6 1 
 
 was not marked, and the exact spot is now unknown. 
 A British officer was sent, under a flag of truce, to tell 
 Washington of the fate of his gallant young captain. 
 
 Thus died in the bloom of life, Captain Nathan Hale, 
 the early martyr in the cause of our freedom. Gifted, 
 educated, ambitious, he laid aside every thought of 
 himself, and entered upon a service of the greatest risk 
 to life and to honor, because Washington deemed it 
 important to the sacred cause to which they had both 
 given their best efforts. 
 
 " What was to have been your reward in case you 
 succeeded ? " asked Major Tallmadge, Hale's classmate, 
 of the British spy, Major Andre, as his prisoner was 
 being rowed across the Hudson River to be tried by 
 court-martial. 
 
 " Military glory was all I sought for," replied Andre ; 
 " the thanks of my general and the approbation of my 
 king would have been a rich reward." 
 
 Hale did not expect, nor did he care, to be a hero. 
 He had no thought of reward or of promotion. He 
 sacrificed his life from a pure sense of what he thought 
 to be his duty. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 
 
 IF American boys and girls were asked to name the 
 one great man in their country's history whom they 
 would like to have seen and talked with, nine out of 
 every ten would probably say, " Washington." Many 
 an old man of our day has asked his grandfather or his 
 great-grandfather how Washington looked. Indeed, so 
 much has been said and written of the " Father of his 
 Country" that we are apt to think of him as some- 
 thing more than human. 
 
 Washington was truly a remarkable man, from what- 
 ever point of view we choose to study his life. He left, 
 as a priceless legacy to his fellow citizens, an example of 
 what a man with a pure and noble character can do 
 for himself and for his country. Duty performed with 
 faithfulness was the keynote to every word and every 
 act of his life. 
 
 Still, we must not overlook the fact that Washington 
 was, after all, quite human. Like all the rest of us, he 
 had his faults, his trials, and his failures. Knowing this, 
 we are only drawn nearer to him, and find ourselves 
 possessed of a more abiding admiration for the life he 
 
 lived. 
 
 62 
 
OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 
 
 Washington was tall, and straight as an arrow. His 
 favorite nephew, Lawrence Lewis, once asked him about 
 his height. He replied, " In my best days, Lawrence, I 
 stood six feet and two inches, in ordinary shoes." 
 
 During his whole life, Washington was rather spare 
 than fleshy. Most of his portraits, it is said, give to his 
 person a fullness that 
 
 it did not have. He \ 
 
 once said that the best / : v| 
 
 weight of his best clays 
 never exceeded two 
 hundred and twenty 
 pounds. His chest 
 was broad but not well 
 rounded. His arms 
 and his legs were long, 
 large, and sinewy. 
 His feet and his hands 
 were especially large. 
 Lafayette, who aided 
 us in the Revolution, 
 once said to a friend, 
 any human being, as the general's." 
 
 Washington's eyes were of a light, grayish blue, and 
 were so deep sunken that they gave him an unusually 
 serious expression. On being asked why he painted 
 these eyes of a deeper blue than life, the artist said, 
 "In a hundred years they will have faded to the right 
 
 George Washington 
 
 I never saw so large a hand on 
 
64 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 color." This painting, by Stuart, of the bust of Wash- 
 ington, is said to be wonderfully true to life. 
 
 Many stories are told of the mighty power of Wash- 
 ington's right arm. It is said that he once threw a 
 stone from the bed of the stream to the top of the 
 Natural Bridge, in Virginia. Again, we are told that 
 once upon a time he rounded a piece of slate to the 
 size of a silver dollar, and threw it across the Rappa- 
 hannock at Fredericksburg, the slate falling at least 
 thirty feet on the other side. Many strong men have 
 since tried the same feat, but have never cleared the 
 water. 
 
 Peale, who was called the soldier artist, was once 
 visiting Washington at Mount Vernon. One day, he 
 tells us, some athletic young men were pitching the 
 iron bar in the presence of their host. Suddenly, with- 
 out taking off his coat, Washington grasped the bar 
 and hurled it, with little effort, much farther than any 
 of them had done. " We were indeed amazed," said 
 one of the young men, " as we stood round, all stripped 
 to the buff, and having thought ourselves very clever 
 fellows, while the colonel, on retiring, pleasantly said, 
 ' When you beat my pitch, young gentlemen, I '11 try 
 again.' " 
 
 At another time, Washington witnessed a wrestling 
 match. The champion of the day challenged him, in 
 sport, to wrestle. Washington did not stop to take off 
 his coat, but grasped the " strong man of Virginia." 
 
OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 65 
 
 It was all over in a moment, for, said the wrestler, " in 
 Washington's lionlike grasp, I became powerless, and 
 was hurled to the ground with a force that seemed to 
 jar the very marrow in my bones." 
 
 In the days of the Revolution, some of the riflemen 
 and the backwoodsmen were men of gigantic strength, 
 but it was generally believed, by good judges, that their 
 commander in chief was the strongest man in the army. 
 
 During all his life, Washington was fond of dancing. 
 He learned in boyhood, and danced at "balls and routs" 
 until he was sixty-four. To attend a dance, he often 
 rode to Alexandria, ten miles distant from Mount Vernon. 
 The year he died he was forced, on account of his failing 
 health, to give up this recreation. " Alas ! " he wrote, 
 " my dancing days are no more." 
 
 Many and merry were the dances at the army head- 
 quarters during the long winter evenings. General 
 Greene once wrote to a friend, " We had a little dance, 
 and His Excellency and Mrs. Greene danced upwards 
 of three hours, without once sitting down." Another 
 winter, although they had not a ton of hay for the 
 horses, as Greene wrote, and the provisions had about 
 given out, and for two weeks there was not cash enough 
 in camp to forward the public dispatches, Washington 
 subscribed to a series of dancing parties. 
 
 Amid all the hardships of campaign life, Washington 
 was ever the same dignified and self-contained gentle- 
 man. At one time, the headquarters were in an old log 
 
66 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 house, in which there was only one bed. He alone 
 occupied this, while the fourteen members of his staff 
 slept on the floor in the same room. Food, except mush 
 and milk, was scarce. At this homely but wholesome fare, 
 the commander in chief presided with his usual dignity. 
 
 For a man so large and so strong, Washington ate 
 sparingly and of the simplest food. We are told that he 
 "breakfasted at seven o'clock on three small Indian hoe- 
 cakes, and as many dishes of tea." Custis, his adopted 
 son, once said that the general ate for breakfast " Indian 
 cakes, honey, and tea," and that " he was excessively fond 
 of fish." In fact, salt codfish was at Mount Vernon the 
 regular Sunday dinner. Even at the state banquets, the 
 President generally dined on a single dish, and that of a 
 very simple kind. When asked to eat some rich food, 
 his courteous refusal was, " That is too good for me." 
 People at a distance, hearing of the great man's liking 
 for honey, took pride in sending him great quantities of 
 it. During fast clays, he religiously went without food 
 the entire day. 
 
 Washington was fond of rich and costly clothes. In 
 truth, he was in early life a good deal of a dandy. His 
 clothes were made in London ; and from his long letters 
 to his tailor we know that he was fussy about their 
 quality and their fit. Even while away from home fight- 
 ing Indians and making surveys, he did not neglect to 
 write to London for " Silver Lace for a Hatt," " Ruffled 
 Shirts," " Waistcoat of superfine scarlet Cloth and gold 
 
OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 67 
 
 Lace," " Marble colored Silk Hose," "a fashionable gold 
 lace Hat," " a superfine blue Broadcloth Coat with silver 
 Trimmings," and many other costly and highly colored 
 articles of apparel worn by the rich young men of that 
 period. As he grew older, he wore more subdued cloth- 
 ing, and in old age reminded his nephew that " fine 
 Cloathes do not make fine Men more than fine Feathers 
 make fine Birds." 
 
 You have noticed, of course, the wrong spelling of cer- 
 tain words quoted from Washington's letters and journals. 
 These words are spelled as he wrote them. The truth is, 
 the " Father of his Country " was all his life a poor 
 speller. He was always sensitive over what he called his 
 " defective education." His more formal letters and his 
 state papers were in many instances put into shape by 
 his aids or his secretaries, or by others associated with 
 him in official life. 
 
 If Washington had an amiable weakness, it was for 
 horses. From early boyhood, he was a skillful and 
 daring rider. He rode on horseback, year in and year 
 out, until shortly before his death. Many were the 
 stories told by the " ragged Continentals " of the superb 
 appearance of their commander in chief at the head of 
 the army or in battle. In speaking of the battle of Mon- 
 mouth, Lafayette said, " Amid the roar and confusion of 
 that conflict I took time to admire our beloved chief, 
 mounted on a splendid charger, as he rode along the 
 ranks amid the shouts of the soldiers. I thought then, 
 
68 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 as now," continued he, " that never had I beheld so 
 superb a man." Jefferson summed it all up in one brief 
 sentence : " Washington was the best horseman of his 
 
 age, and the 
 most graceful 
 figure that 
 could be seen 
 on horseback." 
 During all his 
 life, Washing- 
 ton was thrifty, 
 and very me- 
 thodical in busi- 
 ness. He grew 
 so wealthy that 
 when he died 
 his estate was 
 valued at half 
 a million dol- 
 lars. This large 
 fortune for 
 those days did 
 not include his 
 wife's estate, or the Mount Vernon property, which 
 he inherited from his brother. He was the richest 
 American of his time. 
 
 His management of the Mount Vernon estate would 
 make of itself an interesting and instructive book. Of 
 
 Washington before Trenton 
 
OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 
 
 69 
 
 the eight thousand acres, nearly one half was under cul- 
 tivation during the last part of its owner's life. We must 
 not forget that at this time few tools and very little 
 machinery were used in farming. At Mount Vernon, the 
 negroes and the hired laborers numbered more than five 
 hundred. The owner's orders were, " Buy nothing you 
 
 
 Mount Vernon, the He 
 
 can make within yourselves." The Mount Vernon grist- 
 mill not only ground all the flour and the meal for the 
 help, but it also turned out a brand of flour which sold at 
 a fancy price. The coopers of the place made the flour 
 barrels, and Washington's own sloop carried the flour to 
 market. A dozen kinds of cloth, from woolen and linen 
 to bedticking and toweling, were woven on the premises. 
 
70 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 In 1793, although he had one hundred and one cows 
 on his farms, Washington writes that he was obliged to 
 buy butter for the use of his family. Another time, he 
 says that one hundred and fifteen hogsheads of " sweetly 
 scented and neatly managed Tobacco " were raised, and 
 that in a single year he sold eighty-five thousand herring, 
 taken from the Potomac. 
 
 For his services in the French and Indian Wars, 
 Washington received as a bounty fifteen thousand acres 
 of Western lands. By buying the claims of his fellow 
 officers who needed money, he secured nearly as much 
 more. After the Revolution, Washington and General 
 Clinton bought six thousand acres " amazingly cheap," in 
 the Mohawk valley. No wonder Washington was spoken 
 of as "perhaps the greatest landholder in America." 
 
 Like many other Southern proprietors, Washington 
 had no end of bother with his slaves. He bought and 
 sold negroes as he did his cattle and his horses, but, as 
 he said, " except on the richest of Soils they only add to 
 the Expense." In 1791, the slaves on the Mount Vernon 
 estate alone numbered three hundred. In this same year, 
 the owner wrote one clay in his diary that he would 
 never buy another slave ; but the next night his cook 
 ran away, and not being able to hire one, " white or 
 black," he had to buy one. " Something must be done," 
 he said, " or I shall be ruined. It would be for my Inter- 
 est to set them free, rather than give them Victuals and 
 Clooths." 
 
OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 71 
 
 Washington was too kind-hearted ever to flog his 
 slaves, and yet his kindness was often abused. Fat and 
 lazy, they made believe to be sick, or they ran away, and 
 they played all kinds of pranks. In his diary, w r e read 
 the tale of woe. We are told that his slaves would steal 
 his sheep and his potatoes ; would burn their tools ; and 
 wasted six thousand twelvepenny nails in building a 
 corn-house. 
 
 Like other rich Virginians of his time, Washington 
 kept open house. He once said that his home had 
 become "a well resorted tavern." Indeed it was, for 
 guests of all sorts and conditions were dined and wined 
 to their hearts' content. According to the diary, it 
 seemed to matter little whether it was a real nobleman, 
 or a tramp " who called himself a French Nobleman," a 
 sick or a wounded soldier, or " a Farmer who came to 
 see the new drill Plow," all " were desired to tarry," to 
 help eat the hot roasts and drink the choice wines. 
 
 There seems to have been almost no end to the sums 
 of money, both large and small, which Washington gave 
 away. Through the pages of his ledgers, we find hun- 
 dreds of items of cash paid in charity. Here are a few 
 entries which are typical of the whole: " 10 Shillings for 
 a wounded Soldier"; "gave a poor Man $2.00"; "two 
 deserving French Women, $25"; "a poor blind Man, 
 $1.50"; "a Lady in Distress, $50"; "the poor in Alex- 
 andria, $100"; "Sufferers by Fire, $300"; "School in 
 Kentucky, $100." His lavish hospitality and his 
 
72 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 unceasing charity were a constant drain on his income. 
 Had he not been so thorough in business, he surely would 
 have been brought to financial ruin. 
 
 After the war of the Revolution was over, Congress 
 having failed to pay certain prominent officers of the 
 army, an outbreak was threatened. A meeting was 
 held at Newburgh, New York. Washington was there. 
 Everybody present knew that he had served without pay, 
 and had advanced large sums from his private fortune, 
 to pay the army expenses. There was a deathlike still- 
 ness when the commander in chief rose to read his 
 address. His eyesight had become so poor that he was 
 now using glasses. He had never worn these in public, 
 but, finding his sight dim, he stopped reading, took his 
 spectacles from his pocket, and put them on, saying 
 quietly, " You will permit me to put on my spectacles. 
 I have grown gray in the service of my country, and now 
 find myself growing blind." It was not merely what the 
 beloved general said, but the way he spoke the few, 
 simple words. The pathos of this act, and the solemn 
 address of this majestic man touched every heart. No 
 wonder that some of the veterans were moved to tears. 
 
 One day a schoolboy stood on the stone steps before 
 the old State House, in Philadelphia, as the first Presi- 
 dent of the United States was driven up to make his 
 formal visit to Congress. This small boy glided into the 
 hall, under the cover of the long coats of the finely 
 dressed escort. Boylike he climbed to a hiding place, 
 
OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 
 
 73 
 
 from which he watched the proceedings with the deepest 
 awe. The boy lived to write fifty years afterwards a 
 pleasing description F r 
 of the affair. He 
 tells us that while 
 Washington 
 entered, and walked 
 up the broad aisle, 
 and ascended the 
 steps leading to the 
 speaker's chair, the 
 large and crowded 
 chamber " was as || 
 profoundly still as a 
 house of worship in 
 the most solemn 
 pauses of devotion." 
 On this occasion, 
 Washington was 
 dressed in a full suit 
 of the richest black 
 velvet, with diamond 
 knee buckles, and 
 square silver buc- 
 kles set upon shoes 
 japanned with the 
 greatest neatness, black silk stockings, his shirt ruffled 
 at the breast and the wrists, a light sword, his hair fully 
 
 General Washington and Staff riding through 
 a Country Village 
 
74 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 dressed, so as to project at the sides, and gathered behind 
 in a silk bag, ornamented with a large rose of black ribbon. 
 As he advanced toward the chair, he held in his hand his 
 cocked hat, which had a large black cockade. When 
 seated, he laid his hat upon the table. Amid the most 
 profound silence, Washington, taking a roll of paper from 
 his inside coat pocket, arose and read with a deep, rich 
 voice his opening address. 
 
 Those who knew Washington have said that his 
 presence inspired a feeling of awe and veneration rarely 
 experienced in the presence of any other American. 
 His countenance rarely softened or changed its habitual 
 gravity, and his manner in public life was always grave 
 and self-contained. In vain did the merry young women 
 at Lady Washington's receptions do their best to make 
 the stately President laugh. Some declared that he 
 could not laugh. Beautiful Nellie Custis, his ward and 
 foster child, used to boast of her occasional success in 
 making the sedate President laugh aloud. 
 
 We may be sure that President Washington's recep- 
 tions, every other Tuesday afternoon, were formal. On 
 such occasions, he was in the full dress of a gentleman of 
 that day, — black velvet, powdered hair gathered in a 
 large silk bag, and yellow gloves. At his side was a long, 
 finely wrought sword, with a scabbard of white polished 
 leather. He always stood in front of the fireplace, with 
 his face toward the door. He received each visitor with 
 a dignified bow, but never shook hands, even with his 
 
OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 
 
 75 
 
 nearest friends. He considered himself visited, not as a 
 friend, but as President of the United States. 
 
 While President, Washington used to give a public 
 dinner, every Thursday at four o'clock, " to as many as 
 my table will hold." He allowed five minutes for differ- 
 ence in watches, and, at exactly five minutes past four 
 
 * % 
 
 
 
 Washington at Mount Vernon 
 
 by his hall clock, went to the table. His only apology 
 to the laggard guest was, " I have a cook who never asks 
 whether the company has come, but whether the hour 
 has come." 
 
 If we may judge from the very full accounts of 
 these grand dinners, as described in the diaries of the 
 
76 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 guests, they must have been stiff affairs. These people 
 probably wrote the truth when they said, "glad it is 
 over," "great formality," "my duty to submit to it," 
 " scarcely a word was said," " there was a dead silence." 
 No doubt there was much good food to eat and choice 
 wine to drink, but the formal manners of the times were 
 emphasized by awe of their grave host. Very few of the 
 guests, both at Mount Vernon and at Philadelphia, failed 
 to allude to the habit that Washington had of playing 
 with his fork and striking on the table with it. 
 
 It would take a book many times larger than this to 
 tell you all that has been written about Washington's 
 everyday life. Some day you will delight to read more 
 about him, and learn why he was, in every sense of the 
 word, a wise, a good, and a great man, — the man who 
 " without a beacon, without a chart, but with an unswerv- 
 ing eye and steady hand, guided his country safe through 
 darkness and through storm." 
 
 Every young American should remember of Washing- 
 ton that " there is no word spoken, no line written, no 
 deed done by him, which justice would reverse or wisdom 
 deplore." His greatness did not consist so much in his 
 intellect, his skill, and his genius, though he possessed 
 all these, as in his honor, his integrity, his truthfulness, 
 his high and controlling sense of duty — in a word, his 
 character, honest, pure, noble, great. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 
 
 WE have certainly read enough about General 
 Washington to know that he often planned to 
 steal a march on the British. Don't you remember how 
 surprised General Howe was one morning to find that 
 Washington had gone to Dorchester Heights, with a 
 big force of men, horses, and carts, and how he threw 
 up breastworks, mounted cannon, and forced the British 
 general after a few days to quit the good city of Boston ? 
 Have n't we also read how the " ragged Continentals " 
 left their bloody footprints in the snow, as they marched 
 to Trenton all that bitter cold night in December, 1777, 
 and gave the Hessians a Christmas greeting they little 
 expected ? 
 
 In January, 1779, England sent orders to General Clin- 
 ton " to bring Mr. Washington to a general and decisive 
 action at the opening of the campaign," and also " to 
 harry the frontiers and coasts north and south." 
 
 General Clinton wrote back that he had found 
 " Mr. Washington " a hard nut to crack, but he would 
 do his level best, he said, " to strike at Washington 
 while he was in motion." 
 
 77 
 
78 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The main American force was still in winter quarters 
 in northern New Jersey, near New York. Various bri- 
 gades were stationed up and down the Hudson as far as 
 West Point. As at the beginning of the war, so now in 
 1779, the line of the Hudson from Albany to New York 
 was the key to the general situation. Its protection, as 
 Washington had written, was of "infinite consequence 
 to our cause." 
 
 The first real move in the game was made in May, 
 when a large British force marched up, captured, and 
 strongly fortified the two forts at Stony Point and Ver- 
 planck's Point, only thirteen miles below West Point. 
 The enemy thus secured the control of King's Ferry, 
 where troops and supplies for the patriot army were 
 ferried across the Hudson. 
 
 Our spies now sent word to Washington that the 
 British were ready to move on some secret service. 
 The patriot army was at once marched up, and went 
 into camp within easy reach of West Point, to wait 
 for the next move in the game. Once more these 
 far-famed Hudson Highlands were to become the 
 storm center of the struggle. 
 
 For some reason, Clinton did not push farther up the 
 Hudson. On the contrary, he began to make raids into 
 various parts of the country, from Martha's Vineyard to 
 the James River. These raids were marked by cruelties 
 unknown in the earlier years of the war. The hated 
 Tryon, once the royal governor cf New York, led 
 
A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 79 
 
 twenty-six hundred men into Connecticut. His brutal 
 soldiers killed unarmed and helpless men and women, 
 and sacked and burned houses and churches. 
 
 One of Clinton's objects in sending out the raiders 
 was to coax Washington to weaken his army by sending 
 out forces to offset them, or to tease him into making 
 what he called a "false move." Washington was, of 
 course, keenly alive to the misery brought upon the 
 people of the country by these brutalities, but he was 
 too wise a general to run any risk of losing his hold 
 upon the line of the Hudson. The Continental army 
 could not muster ten thousand men. Although not 
 strong enough to begin a vigorous campaign, yet it was 
 sufficiently powerful to hold the key to the Highlands. 
 
 Washington could, if need be, strike a quick, hard 
 blow, either in New England or farther south. It might 
 be, to be sure, a sort of side play, and yet it was to have 
 the effect of a great battle. Indeed, it was high time to 
 give the enemy another surprise. 
 
 At length it was decided to attack Stony Point. Any 
 open assault, however, would be hopeless. This strong- 
 hold, if taken at all, must be taken by night. 
 
 What kind of place was this Stony Point? 
 
 It was a huge rocky bluff, shooting out into the river 
 more than half a mile from the shore, and rising, at its 
 highest point, nearly two hundred feet. It was joined 
 to the shore by a marshy neck of land, crossed by a 
 rude bridge, or causeway. 
 
So HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The British had fortified the top of this rocky point 
 with half a dozen separate batteries. The cannon were 
 so mounted as to defend all sides. Between the fort 
 and the mainland, two rows of logs were set into the 
 ground, with their ends sharpened to a point and 
 directed outwards, forming what is known in military 
 language as an abatis. This stronghold was defended 
 by six hundred men. 
 
 Washington Irving well describes Stony Point as "a 
 natural sentinel guarding the gateway of the far-famed 
 Highlands of the Hudson." The British called it their 
 " little Gibraltar," and defied the rebels to come and 
 take it. 
 
 And now for a leader ! Who was the best man to 
 perform this desperate exploit? 
 
 There was really no choice, for there was only one 
 officer in the whole army who was fitted for the under- 
 taking, — General Anthony Wayne. 
 
 Wayne was a little over thirty years old. He was a 
 fine-looking man with a high forehead and fiery hazel 
 eyes. He had a youthful face, full of beauty. He liked 
 handsome uniforms and fine military equipments. Some 
 of his officers used to speak of him in fun as " Dandy 
 Wayne." But the men who followed their dashing, 
 almost reckless leader called him " Mad Anthony," and 
 this name has clung to him ever since. 
 
 Wayne was, without doubt, the hardest fighter pro- 
 duced on either side during the American Revolution. 
 
A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 8 1 
 
 He had an eager love of battle; and he was cautious, 
 vigilant, and firm as a rock. This gallant officer eagerly 
 caught at the idea when the commander in chief told 
 him what he wanted. And so it came to pass that Wash- 
 ington did the planning, and Wayne did the fighting. 
 
 Washington's plans were made with the greatest care. 
 The clogs for three miles about the fort were killed the 
 day before the intended attack, ^___ ^ 
 
 lest some indiscreet bark might 
 alarm the garrison. The com- 
 mander in chief himself rode 
 down and spent the whole day 
 looking over the situation. 
 Trusty men, who knew every 
 inch of the region, guarded 
 every road and every trail by 
 which spies and deserters could 
 pass. 
 
 " Ten minutes' notice to the 
 enemy blasts all your hopes," wrote Washington to Wayne. 
 
 The orders were " to take and keep all stragglers." 
 
 " Took the widow Calhoun and another widow going 
 to the enemy with chickens and greens," reported Captain 
 McLane. " Drove off twenty head of horned cattle from 
 their pasture." 
 
 The hour of attack was to be midnight. Washington 
 hoped for a dark night and even a rainy one. Not a gun 
 was to be loaded except by two companies who were to 
 
 
 - 
 | 
 
 M> " 
 
 ST.*. ! 
 
 C| 
 
 JW 
 
 if -A 
 
 ^mt^ 
 
 i jj#- 
 
 M 
 
 
 General A: 
 
 nthony Wayne 
 
82 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 make the false attack. The bayonet alone was to be 
 used, Wayne's favorite weapon. At Germantown, it was 
 Wayne's men who drove the Hessians at the point of 
 the bayonet. And at Monmouth, these men had met, 
 with cold steel, the fierce bayonet charge of the far-famed 
 British grenadiers. 
 
 About thirteen hundred men of the famous light 
 infantry were chosen to make the attack. Both officers 
 and men were veterans and the flower of the Continental 
 army. 
 
 On the forenoon of July 15, the companies were called 
 in from the various camps, and drawn up for inspec- 
 tion as a battalion, " fresh-shaved and well-powdered," as 
 Wayne had commanded. 
 
 At twelve o'clock the inspection was over, but the men, 
 instead of being sent to their quarters, were wheeled into 
 the road, with the head of the column facing southward. 
 The march to Stony Point had begun. 
 
 " If any soldier loads his musket, or fires from the 
 ranks, or tries to skulk in the face of danger, he is at 
 once to be put to death by the officer nearest him." One 
 soldier did begin to load his gun, saying that he did not 
 know how to fight without firing. His captain warned 
 him once. The soldier would not stop. The officer 
 then ran his sword through him in an instant. The 
 next day, however, the captain came to Colonel Hull 
 and said he was sorry that he had killed the poor fellow. 
 " You performed a painful service," said Hull, " by which, 
 
A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE S3 
 
 perhaps, victory has been secured, and the life of many 
 a brave man saved. Be satisfied." 
 
 All that hot July afternoon, the men picked their way 
 along rough and narrow roads, up steep hillsides, and 
 through swamps and dense ravines, often in single 
 file. No soldier was allowed to leave the ranks, on 
 any excuse whatever, except at a general halt, and then 
 only in company with an officer. 
 
 At eight o'clock the little army came to a final halt at 
 a farmhouse, thirteen miles from their camp, and a little 
 more than a mile back of Stony Point. Nobody was per- 
 mitted to speak. The tired men dropped upon the ground, 
 and ate in silence their supper of bread and cold meat. 
 
 A little later, Wayne's order of battle was read. For 
 the first time the men knew what was before them. No 
 doubt many a brave fellow's knees shook and his cheek 
 grew pale, when he thought of what might happen before 
 another sunrise. 
 
 Until half past eleven o'clock they rested. 
 
 Each man now pinned a piece of white paper " to the 
 most conspicuous part of his hat or his cap," so that, in 
 the thick of the midnight fight, he might not run his 
 bayonet through some comrade. No man was to speak 
 until the parapet of the main fort was reached. Then 
 all were to shout the watchword of the night, " The 
 fort 's our own ! " 
 
 One of the last things that Wayne did was to write 
 a letter to a friend at his home in Philadelphia, dated 
 
84 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 " Eleven o'clock and near the hour and scene of car- 
 nage." He wrote that he hoped his friend would look 
 after the education of his children. 
 
 " I am called to sup," he wrote, " but where to break- 
 fast ? Either within the enemy's lines in triumph, or in 
 another world." 
 
 Half past eleven ! It was time to start. 
 
 A negro, named Pompey, who sold cherries and straw- 
 berries to the garrison, was used as a guide. This shrewd 
 darkey had got the British password for the night, by 
 claiming that his master would not let him come in during 
 the daytime, because he was needed to hoe corn. You 
 will be glad to know that Pompey, as a reward for this 
 eventful night's service, never had to hoe corn again, 
 and that his master not only gave him a horse to ride, 
 but also set him free. 
 
 Wayne divided his little army into two main columns, 
 to attack right and left, having detached two companies, 
 with loaded guns, to move in between the two columns 
 and make a false attack. 
 
 Each column was divided into three parts. A "for- 
 lorn hope " of twenty men was to be the first to rush head- 
 long into the hand to hand fight. Then followed an 
 advance guard of one hundred and fifty men, who, with 
 axes in hand and muskets slung, were to cut away the 
 timbers. Last of all came the main body. 
 
 The silent band reaches the edge of the marsh at 
 midnight, the hour set by Washington for the assault. 
 
A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 
 
 85 
 
 Wayne himself leads the right column, to attack by the 
 south approach. The tide has not ebbed, and the water 
 is in places waist deep. The marsh is fully six hundred 
 feet across. No matter for that! Straight ahead the 
 column moves as if 
 on parade. Now they AfS&L^'r 
 
 have crossed, and are 
 close to the outer 
 defense. The British 
 pickets hear the noise, 
 open fire, and give the 
 general alarm. The 
 drums on the hill beat 
 the "long roll." Quick 
 and sharp come the 
 orders. The redcoats 
 leap from the bar- 
 racks, and in a few 
 moments every man 
 is at his post. 
 
 Up rush the pio- 
 neers with their axes, and cut away the sharpened timbers 
 the best they can in the darkness, while the bullets whiz 
 over their heads. Then follow the main columns, who 
 climb over, and form on the other side. Now they reach 
 the second defense. They cut and tear away the sharp 
 stakes. The bullets fall like hail. On, on, the two 
 columns rush. They push up the steep hill, and dash 
 
 Pompey guiding General Wayne 
 
86 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 for the main fort on the top. On the left, the "forlorn 
 hope " has lost seventeen out of twenty men, either killed 
 or wounded. 
 
 Meanwhile, Colonel Murfree and his two companies 
 take their stand directly in front of the fort, and open a 
 brisk and rapid fire, to make the garrison believe that 
 they are the real attacking party. The redcoats are 
 surely fooled, for they hurry down with a strong force 
 to meet them, only to find their fort captured before 
 they can get back. 
 
 Wayne is struck in the head by a musket ball, and 
 falls. The blood flows over his face. He fears in the 
 confusion that he has received his death wound. 
 
 He cries to his aids, " Carry me into the fort and let 
 me die at the head of the column." 
 
 Two of his officers pick up their gallant leader, and 
 hurry forward; but it is only a scalp wound, and Wayne 
 returns to the fight. 
 
 Wayne's column scales the ramparts. 
 
 The first man over shouts, " The fort 's our own," and 
 pulls down the British flag. 
 
 The second main column follows. 
 
 " The fort 's our own ! " " The fort 's our own ! " 
 echoes and reechoes over the hills. 
 
 The bayonet is now doing its grim work. The dark- 
 ness is lighted only by the flashes from the guns of the 
 redcoats. The bewildered British are driven at the 
 point of the bayonet into the corners of the fort, and 
 
A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 
 
 »7 
 
 cry, " Mercy, mercy, dear Americans ! " " Quarter ! quar- 
 ter!" "Don't kill us! we surrender!" 
 
 At one o'clock the work was done, — thirty minutes 
 from the time the marsh was crossed ! As soon as they 
 were sure of vic- 
 tory, Wayne's 
 men gave three 
 rousing cheers. 
 The British on 
 the war vessels 
 in the river, and 
 at the fort on 
 the opposite 
 side of the river, 
 answered; for 
 they thought 
 that the attack- 
 ing party had 
 been defeated. 
 The only Brit- 
 ish soldier to 
 escape from 
 S t o n y Point 
 was a captain. 
 Leaping into the Hudson, he swam a mile to the Vulture 
 and told its captain what had happened. In this way 
 the news of the disaster reached Sir Henry Clinton 
 at breakfast. 
 
 Wayne leads the Assault 
 
88 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 After the surrender, Wayne wrote the following letter 
 to Washington : 
 
 Stony Point, 16th July, 1779, 2 o'clock. 
 
 Dear General, 
 
 The fort and garrison with Colonel Johnson are ours. 
 
 Our officers and men behaved like men who are determined 
 
 to be free. 
 
 Yours most sincerely, 
 
 Ant'y Wayne. 
 General Washington. 
 
 The news spread like wildfire. Wayne and his light 
 infantry were the heroes of the hour. 
 
 Two days afterwards, Washington, with his chief 
 officers, rode down to Stony Point and heard the whole 
 story. The commander in chief shook hands with the 
 men, and " with joy that glowed in his countenance, 
 here offered his thanks to Almighty God, that He had 
 been our shield and protector amidst the dangers we 
 had been called to encounter." 
 
 Washington did not, of course, intend to hold Stony 
 Point, for the enemy could besiege it by land and by 
 water. The prisoners, the cannon, and the supplies were 
 carried away, and very little was left to the foe but the 
 bare rock of their " little Gibraltar." 
 
 This exploit gave the Continental soldier greater 
 confidence in himself. It proved to the British that 
 the " rebel " could use the bayonet with as much bold- 
 ness and effect as the proudest grenadier. The fight 
 
A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 89 
 
 was not a great affair in itself. Only fifteen Americans 
 were killed and eighty-three wounded; of the British, 
 sixty-three were killed and some seventy wounded. 
 
 As for Clinton, although he put on a bold face in the 
 matter, and spoke of the event as an accident, he owned 
 that he felt the blow keenly. 
 
 " Mr. Washington " was still master of the situation. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 
 
 IF what the proverb tells us is true, that it is always 
 darkest before dawn, the patriots of the South in 
 1780 must indeed have prayed for the light. Affairs 
 had gone rapidly from bad to worse. Sir Henry Clinton 
 had come again from New York, and in May of that year 
 had captured Charleston with all of Lincoln's army. 
 
 Sir Henry went back to New York, leaving Lord 
 Cornwallis in command. Washington desired to send 
 his right-hand man, General Greene, to stem the tide of 
 British success, but the Continental Congress chose to 
 send General Gates. 
 
 In August, this weak general was utterly defeated in 
 the battle of Camden, in South Carolina. How the 
 bitter words of General Charles Lee, " Beware lest your 
 Northern laurels change to Southern willows," must 
 have rung in his ears ! Gates fled from Camden like 
 the commonest coward in the army. Mounted on a 
 fast horse, he did not stop until he reached Charlotte, 
 seventy miles away. 
 
 No organized American force now held the field in 
 the South, and the red dragoons easily overran Georgia 
 and South Carolina. There seemed to be little left for 
 
THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 91 
 
 Cornwallis to do; for the three Southern colonies were 
 for the time ground under the iron heel of the enemy. 
 
 Crushing blows, however, only nerved the leaders, 
 Sumter, Pickens, Marion, Davie, and others, to greater 
 efforts. The insolence, the cruelty, and the tyranny of 
 the British soldiers, and the bitter hatred of the Tories, 
 had brought to the front a new class of patriots. These 
 men cared little about the original cause of the war, but 
 the burning of their houses, the stealing of their cattle 
 and their horses, and the brutal insulting of their wives 
 and their daughters, aroused them to avenge their wrongs 
 to the bitter end. And many were the skirmishes they 
 brought about with the British. 
 
 Thirty days had now passed since the battle of 
 Camden, and Cornwallis on his return march had not 
 yet reached the Old North State. It was still a long 
 way to Virginia, and the road thither was beset with 
 many dangers. 
 
 Meanwhile, the British commander had intrusted to 
 two of his officers, Tarleton and Ferguson, the task of 
 pillaging plantations, raising and drilling troops among 
 the Tories, and breaking up the bands of armed patriots. 
 
 The brutal manner in which Tarleton and his men 
 plundered, burned, and hanged does not concern this 
 story. 
 
 Ferguson was the colonel of a regular regiment that 
 had been recruited in this country, instead of in England. 
 With his kind heart and his winning manner, he was bold 
 
92 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 and brave, and always ready to take desperate chances in 
 battle. He was noted for hard riding, night attacks, and 
 swift movements with his troopers ; and as a marksman 
 he was unsurpassed. In short, Ferguson was just the 
 leader to win the respect and the admiration of the Tories ; 
 and they eagerly enlisted in his service. 
 
 With a few regulars and a large force of loyalists, he 
 pushed his victories to the foot of the mountains, in the 
 western borders of the Carolinas. For the first time, he 
 learned that over the high ranges in front of him were 
 the homes of the men who had been causing him annoy- 
 ance, and who were harboring those that had fled before 
 his advance. 
 
 The proud young Briton now made the mistake of 
 his life. He sent a prisoner, Samuel Phillips, over to 
 the frontier settlements, to Colonel Isaac Shelby, with 
 the insolent message that, if the •" backwater " men did 
 not quit resisting the royal arms, he would march his 
 army over the mountains, and would straightway lay 
 waste their homes with fire and sword, and hang their 
 leaders. 
 
 He little knew what kind of men he had stirred to 
 wrath. The frontier settlers of Franklin and Holston, 
 which grew into the great commonwealth of Tennessee, 
 were, for the most part, Scotch-Irish people. They had 
 grappled with the wilderness, and had hewn out homes 
 for themselves. Along with their log cabins they had 
 built meetinghouses and schoolhouses. Their life was 
 
THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 93 
 
 full of ever-present peril and hardship; for they were 
 engaged in a ceaseless struggle with the Indians. The 
 minister preached with his gun at his side, and the 
 men listened with their rifles within their grasp. 
 
 As we should expect, these hardy settlers were gen- 
 erally stanch patriots. They believed in Washington 
 and in the Continental Congress. They knew that 
 British gold bribed the Indians, and furnished them 
 with weapons to butcher their women and children. 
 It was British gold, too, that hired the wild and lawless 
 among them to enlist in the invading army; and it was 
 British officers that drilled them to become expert in 
 killing their brethren of the lowlands. 
 
 At the time of the Revolution, these backwoodsmen 
 were still fighting with the savages, and so had not 
 taken an active part in the war on the seaboard. Like 
 a rear guard of well-seasoned veterans, they stood between 
 the Indians and their people on the coast. 
 
 Now these hardy mountaineers took Ferguson's threat 
 seriously. Their Scotch-Irish blood was up. 
 
 Colonel Shelby, one of the county lieutenants of 
 Washington County, rode posthaste to John Sevier's 
 home, sixty miles away, to carry Ferguson's threat. 
 
 Sevier lived on the Nolichucky River, and from his 
 deeds of daring and his hospitality was nicknamed 
 " Chucky Jack." When Shelby arrived, it was a day 
 of merrymaking. They were having a barbecue; that 
 is, they were roasting oxen whole on great spits; and a 
 
94 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 horse race was to be run. The colonel told his story, 
 and the merrymakers agreed to turn out. 
 
 Shelby now rode home at full speed to muster his own 
 men, and sent urgent word to Colonel William Campbell, 
 a famous Indian fighter, who lived forty miles away, to 
 call out the Holston Virginians. 
 
 The place appointed for meeting was at Sycamore 
 Shoals, a central point on the Watauga River. The day 
 set was September 25. 
 
 Hither came Shelby and Sevier with about five hun- 
 dred men, William Campbell with four hundred Vir- 
 ginians, and McDowell with about one hundred and 
 sixty refugees from North Carolina. 
 
 Word was sent to Colonel Cleveland, a hunter and 
 Indian fighter of Wilkes County in North Carolina, to 
 come with all the men he could raise east of the 
 mountains. 
 
 Colonel Sevier tried in vain to borrow money to furnish 
 the men with horses and supplies. The people were 
 willing to give their last dollar, but they had paid out 
 all their money for land, and the cash was in the hands 
 of the county entry taker, John Adair. 
 
 Sevier appealed to him. 
 
 This patriot's reply is historic: "I have no authority 
 by law, Colonel Sevier, to make that disposition of this 
 money. It belongs to the treasury of North Carolina, 
 and I dare not appropriate a penny of it to any purpose. 
 But if the country is overrun by the British, liberty is 
 
THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 95 
 
 gone. Let the money go, too. Take it. If the enemy, 
 by its use, is driven from the country, I can trust that 
 country to justify and vindicate my conduct. Take it." 
 
 This money, thirteen thousand dollars in silver and 
 gold, was taken, and the supplies bought. Shelby and 
 Sevier pledged themselves to refund the money, or to 
 have the act legalized by the legislature. 
 
 September 25 was a day of intense excitement in 
 those frontier settlements. The entire military force of 
 what is now Tennessee met at Sycamore Shoals. The 
 younger and more vigorous men were to march, while the 
 older men with poorer guns were to remain behind, to 
 help the women defend their homes against the savages. 
 But all came, to bid good-by to husbands, to brothers, 
 and to lovers. Food, horses, guns, blankets, — everything 
 except money was brought without stint. 
 
 The backwoodsmen were mounted on swift, wiry 
 horses. Their long hunting shirts were girded with 
 bead-worked belts. Some wore caps made of mink 
 or of coonskins, with the tails hanging clown behind; 
 others had soft hats, in each of which was fastened 
 either a sprig of evergreen or a buck's tail. 
 
 Nearly all were armed with what was called the 
 Deckhand rifle, remarkable for the precision and the 
 distance of its shot. Every man carried a tomahawk 
 and a scalping knife. There was not a bayonet in 
 the whole force. Here and there an officer wore a 
 sword. 
 
9 6 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 There was no staff, no commissary, no quartermaster, 
 and no surgeon. 
 
 Early in the morning of September 26, the little army 
 was ready to march. Before leaving camp, all met in an 
 open grove to hear their minister, the Rev. Samuel Doak, 
 
 invoke divine blessing 
 on their perilous under- 
 taking. 
 
 Years before, this 
 God-fearing man had 
 crossed the mountains, 
 driving before him an 
 "old flea-bitten gray 
 horse" loaded with 
 Bibles, and had cast 
 his lot with the Hol- 
 ston settlers. By his 
 energy in founding 
 churches and in build- 
 ing schoolhouses, as 
 well as by his skill in 
 shooting Indians, he had become a potent influence for 
 good among these frontier people. 
 
 Every man doffed his hat and bowed his head on 
 his long rifle, as the white-headed Presbyterian prayed 
 in burning words that they might stand bravely in 
 battle, and that the sword of the Lord and of Gideon 
 might smite their foes. 
 
 Praying for the Success of the Riflemen 
 
THE DEFEAT OE THE RED DRAGOONS 97 
 
 Our little army now pushed on over the mountains. 
 On the third day they crossed the Blue Ridge, and saw 
 far away the fertile valleys of the upper Catawba. The 
 next day they reached the lovely lowlands, where Colonel 
 Cleveland with three hundred and fifty militia joined them. 
 
 Hitherto, each band of the mountain army had been 
 under the command of its own leader. Some of the men 
 were unruly; others were disposed to plunder. This 
 would never do, if they were to be successful ; and so, 
 on October 2, it was decided to give the supreme 
 command to Colonel Cleveland. 
 
 Before the army set out on the following day, the 
 colonels told their men what was expected of them. 
 
 " Now, my brave fellows," said Colonel Cleveland, " the 
 redcoats are at hand. We must up and at them. When 
 the pinch comes, I shall be with you." 
 
 " Everybody must be his own officer ! " cried Colonel 
 Shelby. "Give them Indian play, boys; and now if a 
 single man among you wants to go back home, this is 
 your chance; let him step three paces to the rear." 
 
 Not a man did so. 
 
 The pioneer army continued its march, picking up 
 small bands of refugees. When they reached Gilbert- 
 town the next night, they numbered nearly fifteen hun- 
 dred men. They hoped to find Ferguson at this place, 
 but the wily partisan had sharp eyes and quick ears. 
 He had been told by his Tory friends that the army of 
 riflemen were after him. 
 
98 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The Briton sent posthaste to Cornwallis for more men ; 
 he called upon the Tories to rally to his support ; and 
 he issued a proclamation, in which he called the back- 
 woodsmen " the dregs of mankind," " a set of mongrels," 
 and other bad names. " Something must be done," he 
 wrote to Cornwallis. 
 
 All this showed to the patriot riflemen that Ferguson 
 was retreating because he feared them. Doubtless he 
 would have escaped easily enough from ordinary soldiers ; 
 but his pursuers were made of different stuff. They had 
 hunted wild beasts and savages all their lives. Now 
 they were after the redcoats in the same way they would 
 pursue a band of Indians. They had come over the 
 mountains to fight, and fight they would. 
 
 Seven hundred and fifty men, mounted on the stron- 
 gest horses, now hurried forward, leaving the rest to 
 follow. 
 
 At sunset, on October 6, they reached Cowpens, where 
 three months later Morgan was to defeat Tarleton. 
 Here several hundred militia under noted partisan 
 leaders joined them. Seated round their blazing camp 
 fires, the hungry men roasted for supper the corn which 
 they had stripped from the field of a rich Tory. 
 
 The colonels decided in council to pick out about nine 
 hundred men, and with these to push on all night in 
 pursuit of their hated foe. Some were so eager to fight 
 that they followed on foot, and actually arrived in time 
 for the battle. 
 
THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 
 
 99 
 
 All this time Ferguson was working to keep out of 
 the way of the patriots. Several large bands of Tories 
 were already on their way to help him. He also expected 
 help from Cornwallis. The one thing needed was a clay 
 or two of time, and then he would be able to make a 
 stand against 
 
 his pursuers. 
 
 On the same 
 night of Octo- 
 ber 6, Fergu- 
 son halted at 
 King's Moun- 
 tain, about a 
 day's march 
 fro m the 
 riflemen at 
 Cowpens, and 
 thirty-five 
 miles from the 
 camp of Corn- 
 wallis. The 
 
 A Map of the Military Operations in the Carolinas 
 
 ridge on which he pitched his camp was nearly half a 
 mile long, and about sixty feet above the level of the 
 valley. Its steep sides were covered with timber. 
 
 The next clay the British did not move. The heavy 
 baggage wagons were massed along the northeast part 
 of the ridge, while the soldiers camped on the south 
 side. 
 
lOO HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 In his pride, the haughty young Briton declared that 
 he could defend the hill against any rebel force, and " that 
 God Almighty Himself could not drive him from it." 
 
 Through that dark and rainy night the mountaineers 
 marched. It rained hard all the next forenoon, but the 
 men wrapped their blankets and the skirts of their hunt- 
 ing shirts round their gunlocks, and hurried on after 
 Ferguson. A few of Shelby's men stopped at a Tory's 
 house. 
 
 " How many are there of you?" asked a young girl. 
 
 " Enough," said one of the riflemen, " to whip Fergu- 
 son, if we can catch him." 
 
 " He is on that hill yonder," replied the girl, pointing 
 to the high range about three miles away. 
 
 Shelby had sent out Enoch Gilmer as a spy. He 
 came back, saying that he had met a young woman who 
 had been at the enemy's camp to sell chickens, and that 
 Ferguson was encamped on the spot where some hunters 
 had been the year before. These same hunters were 
 with Shelby, and at once said they knew every inch of 
 the way. Two captured Tories were compelled to tell 
 how the British leader was dressed. 
 
 It was now three o'clock. It had stopped raining, and 
 the sun was shining. All was hurry and bustle. The 
 plan was to surround the hill, to give the men a better 
 chance to fire upward, without firing into each other. 
 
 When the patriots came within about a mile of the 
 ridge, thev dismounted and tied their . horses. The 
 
THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 
 
 IOI 
 
 watchword was " Buford," the name of the brave officer 
 whose troops had been massacred by Tarleton after their 
 s n rrende r. 
 Each man was 
 ordered to 
 fight for him- 
 self. He might 
 retreat before 
 the British 
 bayonets, but 
 he must rally 
 at once to the 
 fight, and let 
 the redcoats 
 have " Indian 
 play." 
 
 Sevier led 
 the right wing. 
 Some of his 
 men by hard 
 riding got to 
 the rear of 
 Ferguson's 
 army, and cut 
 off the only 
 chance for retreat. Cleveland had charge of the left wing, 
 while Campbell and Shelby were to attack in front. 
 So swiftly did the different detachments reach their 
 
 Charging the British at King's Mountain 
 
102 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 places that Ferguson found himself attacked on every 
 side at once. 
 
 On horseback the gallant Briton leads his regulars in 
 a bayonet charge down the steep hillside. With the 
 Indian war whoop, which echoes and reechoes, Campbell's 
 riflemen rush forward. They have no bayonets, and 
 are driven down the hill. In a voice of thunder, Camp- 
 bell rallies his men, and up the hill they go with a still 
 deadlier fire, as the regulars retreat. 
 
 Now Shelby's men swarm up on the other side. Again 
 the bayonets drive these new foes down the rocky cliffs. 
 No sooner do the redcoats retire, than up comes 
 Shelby again at the head of his men, nearer the top 
 than before. 
 
 Meanwhile the riflemen, behind every tree and every 
 rock, were picking off the redcoats. Clad in a hunting 
 shirt, and blowing his silver whistle, the brave Ferguson 
 dashes here and there to rally his men. He cuts and 
 slashes with his sword until it is broken off at the hilt. 
 Two horses are killed under him. 
 
 Some of the Tories raise a white flag. Ferguson 
 rides up and cuts it down. A second flag is raised 
 elsewhere. He rides there and cuts that clown. 
 
 Now he flies at Sevier's riflemen, who had just made 
 their way to the top of the hill. At once they recognize 
 their man. In an instant, half a dozen bullets strike the 
 gallant officer, and he falls dead from his horse. No 
 longer is the shrill whistle heard. 
 
THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 103 
 
 Colonel De Peyster, the next in command, bravely 
 keeps up the fight, but the deadly rifles have done their 
 work. The British are hemmed in and there is no 
 escape. At the head of their men the several colonels 
 arrive at the top of the hill about the same time. The 
 Tories are now huddled together near the baggage 
 wagons. 
 
 " Quarter ! quarter ! " they cry everywhere. 
 
 " Remember Buford ! " madly shout the victorious 
 patriots. 
 
 " Throw clown your arms, if you want quarter!" cries 
 Shelby. 
 
 In despair, De Peyster at last raises a white flag, and 
 white handkerchiefs are waved from ramrods. Some of 
 the younger backwoodsmen did not know what a white 
 flag meant, and kept on firing. The colonels ordered 
 them to stop, and then made the Tories take off their 
 hats and sit clown on the ground. 
 
 There had been fierce and bloody work this beauti- 
 ful autumn afternoon, on the crest of that rocky hill. 
 Friends, neighbors, and relatives, in their bitter hatred, 
 taunted and jeered one another, as they shot and stabbed 
 in the desperate struggle. 
 
 Ferguson had about eleven hundred men in the action. 
 Of these about four hundred were killed, wounded, or 
 missing, and some seven hundred made prisoners. Of 
 the patriots, twenty-eight were killed and about sixty 
 wounded. 
 
104 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Under bold and resolute leaders, the backwoods rifle- 
 men had swept over the mountains like a Highland clan. 
 Their work done, they wished to return home. They 
 knew too well the dangers of an Indian attack on those 
 they had left in their distant log cabins. 
 
 After burying their dead, and loading their horses 
 with the captured guns and supplies, the victors shoul- 
 dered their rifles, and, carrying their wounded on litters 
 made of the captured tents, vanished from the mountains 
 as suddenly as they had appeared. 
 
 Such was the defeat of the red dragoons at King's 
 Mountain. It proved to be one of the decisive battles 
 of the Revolution, and was the turn of the tide of British 
 success in the South. The courage of the Southern 
 patriots rose at a bound, and the Tories of the Carolinas 
 never recovered from the blow. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 ON July 3, 1775, under the great elm on Cambridge 
 Common, Washington took command of the patriot 
 army. During the siege of Boston, which followed, 
 his headquarters were in that fine old mansion, the 
 Craigie house, where, from time to time, met men whose 
 names became great in the history of the Revolution. 
 
 Hither came to consult with the commander in chief 
 three men who died hated and scorned by their country- 
 men. The first was Horatio Gates, a vainglorious man, 
 given to intrigue and treachery. Next came tall and 
 slovenly Charles Lee of Virginia, a restless adventurer, 
 who, by his cowardice in the battle of Monmouth, stirred 
 even Washington to anger. Then there was a young 
 man for whom Washington had a peculiar liking on 
 account of his great personal bravery, who afterward 
 became the despised Benedict Arnold. 
 
 But here were also gathered men of another stamp, — 
 men whom the nation delights to honor. From the 
 granite hills of New Hampshire, came rough and ready 
 John Stark, who afterwards whipped the British at 
 Bennington. From little Rhode Island, came Nathanael 
 Greene, a young Quaker, who began life as a blacksmith, 
 
 105 
 
106 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 but who became the ablest general of the Revolution 
 except Washington. 
 
 Into this group of patriot leaders came also Daniel 
 Morgan of Virginia. Little is known of the early life 
 of this remarkable man. He would rarely say anything 
 about his family. It is believed that he was born of 
 obscure Welsh people, in New Jersey, about the year 
 
 1737- 
 
 At seventeen, Morgan could barely read and write. 
 He was rude of speech and uncouth in manners, but 
 his heart was brave, and he scorned to lie. 
 
 The next two years did wonders for this awkward boy. 
 He grew to be over six feet tall, with limbs of fine build, 
 and with muscles like iron. In some way he had found 
 time to study, and was regarded by the village people 
 as a promising young fellow. 
 
 Stirring times were at hand. The bitter struggle 
 between the French and the English in the Ohio valley 
 was raging. 
 
 Morgan at once enlisted in the Virginia troops, and 
 served one of the companies as a teamster. An incident 
 revealed the stuff of which the young wagoner was made. 
 The captain of his company had trouble with a surly 
 fellow who was a great bully and a skillful boxer. It 
 was agreed, according to the unwritten rules of the 
 time, that the matter should be settled by a fight at the 
 next stopping place ; and so when the troops halted for 
 dinner, out strode the captain to meet his foe. 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 107 
 
 " You must not fight this man," said Morgan, stepping 
 to the front. 
 
 " Why not ? " asked the officer. 
 
 " Because you are our captain," replied the young 
 teamster, "and if the fellow whips you, we shall all be 
 disgraced. Let me 
 fight him, and if he 
 whips me, it will 
 not hurt the name 
 of the company." 
 
 The captain said 
 it would never do, 
 but at last yielded. 
 Morgan promptly 
 gave the bully a 
 sound thrashing. 
 
 After the defeat 
 of Braddock, in 
 1 755, the French 
 and the redskins 
 wreaked their vengeance upon the terrified frontier settle- 
 ments. A regiment of a thousand men was raised, and 
 Washington was made its colonel. With this small force, 
 he was supposed to guard a frontier of two hundred and 
 fifty miles. 
 
 Morgan enlisted as a teamster. It was his duty to 
 carry supplies to the various military posts on this long 
 frontier. This meant almost daily exposure to all kinds 
 
 Washington taking Command of the American 
 Army, at Cambridge 
 
108 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 of dangers. It was a rough, hard school for a young 
 man of twenty ; but it made him an expert with the rifle 
 and the tomahawk, and a master of Indian warfare, 
 which was so useful to him in after years. 
 
 During one of these wild campaigns on the frontier, a 
 British captain took offense at something young Morgan 
 had said or done, and struck him with the flat of his 
 sword. This was too much for the high-strung teamster. 
 He straightway knocked the redcoat officer senseless. 
 
 A drumhead court-martial sentenced the young Vir- 
 ginian to receive one hundred lashes on the bare back. 
 He was at once stripped, tied up, and punished. Morgan 
 said in joke that there was a miscount, and that he 
 actually received only ninety-nine blows. With his 
 wonderful power of endurance, the young fellow stood 
 the punishment like a hero, and came out of it alive 
 and defiant. 
 
 This act, extreme even in those days of British cruelty, 
 doubtless nerved him to incredible deeds of bravery in 
 fighting the hated redcoats. 
 
 Shortly after this, he became a private in the militia. 
 He made his mark when the French and Indians attacked 
 a fort near Winchester. The story is that he killed four 
 savages in as many minutes. 
 
 The young Virginian never drove any more army 
 wagons. From this time, he stood forth as a born fighter 
 and a leader of men. Such was his coolness in danger, 
 his sound judgment, and, more than all else, his great 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 109 
 
 influence over his men, that he was recommended to 
 Governor Dinwiddie for a captain's commission. 
 
 "What!" exclaimed the governor, " to a camp boxer 
 and a teamster? 
 
 Still, the best men of Virginia urged it, and the royal 
 governor so far yielded as to give him the commission 
 of an ensign. 
 
 Not long afterwards, in one of the bloody fights with 
 the French and Indians, Morgan was shot through the 
 
 ...-iti- ---■-, 
 
 Morgan's Escape from the Indian 
 
 back of the neck. The bullet went through his mouth 
 and came out through the left cheek, knocking out all 
 the teeth on the left side. Supposing that he was 
 
HO HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 mortally wounded, and resolved not to lose his scalp, 
 the fainting rifleman clasped his arms tightly round the 
 neck of his good horse, and galloped for life through the 
 woods. A fleet Indian ran after him, tomahawk in 
 hand. Finding at last that the horse was leaving him 
 behind, the panting savage hurled his weapon, and with 
 a wild yell gave up the chase. 
 
 The hardy frontiersman lay for months hovering 
 between life and death, but finally recovered, and was 
 once more in the thick of the wild warfare. 
 
 In his old age, Morgan used to tell his grandchildren 
 of the fiendish look on the Indian's face while he felt 
 sure of another scalp, and he would also imitate the hor- 
 rible yell the redskin made when he was forced to give 
 up the pursuit. 
 
 At last the war was over, and Morgan went back to 
 his farm. He brought home with him, however, the 
 vices of his wild campaign life. He used strong drink, 
 and gambled. Far and near, he was noted as a boxer 
 and a wrestler. Pugilists came from a distance to try 
 their skill with the noted Indian fighter and athlete, who 
 weighed over two hundred pounds, and yet had not an 
 extra ounce of flesh. 
 
 But these were only passing incidents in the life of the 
 great man. With a giant's frame, he had a tender heart. 
 His good angel came to him in the person of a farmer's 
 daughter, Abigail Bailey. She had great beauty; and 
 she was a loving, Christian woman. 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 1 1 1 
 
 They were soon married, and, as the fairy books 
 say, were happy ever after. As if by a magic spell, the 
 strong man left his tavern chums and their rough sports, 
 
 his boxing, his «*g<«r-' 
 
 gambling, and his 
 
 strong drink, and to 
 
 the day of his death 
 
 lived an upright 
 
 life. 
 
 The young wife 
 taught her husband 
 to believe in God, 
 and to trust in 
 p r a y e r. In his 
 simple-hearted 
 way, Morgan tells 
 us that, just before 
 the fierce attack on 
 the fort at Quebec, 
 he knelt in the 
 drifting snow, and 
 felt that God had 
 nerved him to fight. 
 
 In riding over the 
 battlefield after his 
 great victory at Cowpens, old soldiers saw with wonder 
 the fierce fighter stop his horse and pray aloud, and, with 
 tears running down his face, thank God for the victory. 
 
 Riflemen treating with Indians in the 
 Wilderness of Virginia 
 
112 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 His men never scoffed at their leader's prayers, for it 
 was noticed that the harder " old Dan Morgan " prayed, 
 the more certain they were of being soon led into the 
 jaws of death itself. 
 
 Meanwhile, he and his young bride were thrifty and 
 prosperous. They were both ignorant of books, but 
 they studied early and late to make up for lost time. 
 For the next nine years, Morgan, with his household 
 treasures, — his good wife, and his two little daughters, 
 — lived in the pure atmosphere of a Christian home. 
 
 The storm cloud of the Revolution was now gathering 
 thick and fast. Events followed each other with startling 
 rapidity. Morgan watched keenly. He never did any- 
 thing in a half-hearted way; and we may be sure that he 
 took up the cause of the Revolution with all the fervor 
 of his strong nature. 
 
 After the bloodshed at Lexington, the Continental 
 Congress called for ten companies from Pennsylvania, 
 Maryland, and Virginia. Morgan received his commis- 
 sion as captain, five days after Bunker Hill. When he 
 shouted, " Come, boys, who's for the camp before Cam- 
 bridge ? " every man in his section turned out. 
 
 In less than ten days, Morgan at the head of ninety-six 
 expert riflemen started for Boston. It was six hundred 
 miles away, but they marched the distance in twenty-one 
 days without the loss of a single man. 
 
 One clay as Washington was riding out to inspect the 
 redoubts, he met these Virginians. 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 113 
 
 Morgan halted his men, and saluted the commander 
 in chief, saying, " From the right bank of the Potomac, 
 General ! " 
 
 Washington dismounted, and, walking along the line, 
 shook hands with each of them. 
 
 Late in the fall of 1775, Morgan and his famous sharp- 
 shooters marched with about a thousand other troops on 
 Arnold's ill-fated expedition to Quebec. This campaign, 
 as you have read, was one of the most remarkable exploits 
 of the war. 
 
 In the attack upon Quebec, after Arnold had been 
 carried wounded from the field, and Montgomery had 
 been killed, Morgan took Arnold's place and fought like 
 a hero. He forced his way so far into the city that he 
 and all his men were surrounded and captured. 
 
 A British officer who greatly admired his daring visited 
 him in prison, and offered him the rank and pay of a 
 colonel in the royal army. 
 
 " I hope, sir," answered the Virginian patriot, " you 
 will never again insult me, in my present distressed and 
 unfortunate situation, by making me offers which plainly 
 imply that you think me a scoundrel." 
 
 Soon after his release, Congress voted him a colonel's 
 commission, with orders to raise a regiment. The regi- 
 ment reported for service at Morristown, New Jersey, in 
 the winter of 1776. 
 
 Five hundred of the best riflemen were selected from 
 the various regiments, and put under the command of 
 
114 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Colonel Morgan. He was well fitted to be the leader of 
 this celebrated corps of sharpshooters. They were always 
 to be at the front, to watch every movement of the 
 enemy, and to furnish prompt and accurate news for 
 Washington. They were to harass the British, and to 
 fight with the enemy's outposts for every inch of ground. 
 
 Meanwhile, in the fall of 1777, Burgoyne, with a large 
 army of British, Hessians, and Indians, marched clown 
 from Canada, through the valley of the Hudson. The 
 country was greatly alarmed. Washington could ill 
 spare Morgan, but generously sent him with his riflemen 
 to help drive back the invaders. 
 
 Two great battles, the first at Freeman's Farm, the 
 second at Saratoga, sealed Burgoyne's fate. In each 
 battle, the sharpshooters did signal service. Before their 
 deadly rifles, the British officers, clad in scarlet uniforms, 
 fell with frightful rapidity. They were a terror to the 
 Hessians. As Morgan would often say in high glee, 
 " The very sight of my riflemen was always enough for 
 the Hessian pickets. They would scamper into their lines 
 as if the devil drove them, shouting in all the English 
 they knew, ' Rebel in de bush ! rebel in de bush ! ' " 
 
 After the surrender, when Burgoyne was introduced 
 to Morgan, he took him warmly by the hand and said, 
 " Sir, you command the finest regiment in the world." 
 
 For over a year and a half after Saratoga, Morgan and 
 his riflemen were attached to Washington's army, and 
 saw hard service. Their incessant attacks on the enemy's 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 "5 
 
 outposts, and their numberless picket skirmishes, are all 
 lost to history, and are now forgotten. 
 
 Just before the battle of Monmouth, a painful disease, 
 known as sciatica, brought on by constant exposure and 
 hardship, disabled Morgan. Sick and discouraged because 
 he had seen officers who were favorites with Congress pro- 
 moted over his head, he, like 
 Greene, Stark, and Schuyler, 
 now left the army for a time. 
 
 But after Gates was defeated 
 at Camden, the fighting blood 
 of the old Virginian was greatly 
 stirred. He declared that no 
 man should have any personal 
 feeling when his country was 
 in peril. So he hurried down 
 South, and took, under Gates, 
 his old place as colonel. 
 
 After the battle at King's Mountain, Congress very 
 wisely made Morgan a brigadier general. 
 
 The glorious and ever-memorable victory at Cowpens 
 made him more famous than ever before. Hitherto he 
 had fought in battles that other men had planned. 
 Now he had a chance to plan and to fight as he pleased. 
 It was not a great battle so far as numbers were con- 
 cerned, but "in point of tactics," says John Fiske, the 
 historian, " it was the most brilliant battle of the war 
 for independence." 
 
 General Daniel Morgan 
 
Il6 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 After leading eleven hundred men into the northeast 
 part of South Carolina, to cut off Cornwallis from the 
 seacoast, General Greene gave Morgan the command of 
 about a thousand men, with orders to march to the south- 
 west, and threaten the inland posts and their garrisons. 
 Cornwallis, the English earl, scarcely knew which way 
 to turn ; but he followed Greene's example, and, dividing 
 his army, sent Colonel Tarleton to crush Morgan. 
 
 Tarleton, confident of success, dashed away with his 
 eleven hundred troopers to pounce upon the "old wag- 
 oner" and crush him at a single blow. Morgan, well 
 trained in the school of Washington and Greene, and 
 wishing just then to avoid a decisive battle, skillfully fell 
 back until he found a spot in which to fight after his 
 own fashion. 
 
 His choice was at a place where cattle were rounded 
 up and branded, known as Cowpens. A broad, deep 
 river, which lay in the rear, cut off all hope of retreat. 
 A long, thickly wooded slope commanded the enemy's 
 approach for a great distance. Morgan afterwards said 
 that he made this choice purposely, that the militia 
 might know they could not run away, but must fight 
 or die. 
 
 At Cowpens, then, the patriot army lay encamped the 
 night before the expected battle. A trusty spy was sent 
 to Tarleton, to say that the Americans had faced about, 
 and were waiting to fight him sometime the next day. 
 There was no fuss and feathers about Morgan. In the 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 117 
 
 evening, lie went round among the various camp fires, 
 and with fatherly words talked the situation over. 
 
 " Stand by me, boys," said he in his blunt way, " and 
 the old 'wagoner' will crack his whip for sure over 
 Tarleton to-morrow." 
 
 The British commander, eager to strike a sudden blow, 
 put his army in motion at three o'clock in the morning. 
 He was not early enough, however, to catch the old rifle- 
 man napping. Morgan had rested his men during the 
 night, and given them a good breakfast early in the 
 morning. When Tarleton appeared upon the scene 
 about sunrise, he found the patriots ready. 
 
 In the skirmish line, Morgan placed one hundred and 
 twenty riflemen that could bring down a squirrel from 
 the tallest tree. The militia, under the command of 
 Colonel Pickens, were drawn up about three hundred 
 yards in front of the hill. Along the brow of the hill, 
 and about one hundred and fifty yards behind the militia, 
 were the veterans of the Continental line. And beyond 
 the brow of the hill, he stationed Colonel Washington with 
 his cavalry, out of sight, and ready to move in an instant. 
 
 " Be firm, keep cool, take good aim. Give two volleys 
 at killing distance, and fall back," were the orders to the 
 raw militia. 
 
 u Don't lose heart," said Morgan to the Continentals, 
 "when the skirmishers and the militia fall back. 'T is 
 a part of the plan. Stand firm, and fire low. Listen for 
 my turkey call." 
 
I IS HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Morgan was in the habit of using a small turkey call 
 such as hunters use to decoy turkeys. In the heat of 
 battle he would blow a loud blast. This he said was to 
 let the boys know that he was still alive and was watch- 
 ing them fight. 
 
 Tarleton, unmindful of the fact that Morgan's retreat 
 was " sullen, stern, and dangerous," had marched his men 
 all night through the mud. They were tired out and 
 hungry. Never mind, their restless leader would crush 
 "old wagoner" first, and eat breakfast afterwards. He 
 could hardly wait to form his line or to allow his reserves 
 to come up. 
 
 The battle begins in real earnest. The militia fire 
 several well-aimed volleys, and fall back behind the Con- 
 tinentals. With a wild hurrah, the redcoats advance on 
 the run. They are met with a deadly volley. They 
 overlap the Continentals a little, who fall back a short 
 distance, to save their left flank. Tarleton hurls his 
 whole force upon them. The veterans stand their ground 
 and pour in a heavy and well-sustained fire. Quick as a 
 flash, Morgan sees his golden chance. 
 
 " They are coming on like a mob ! " shouts Colonel 
 Washington to the gallant Colonel Howard, the com- 
 mander of the Continentals. " Face about and fire, and 
 I will charge them." 
 
 Then is heard the shrill whistle of the turkey call, and 
 Morgan's voice rings along the lines, " Face about ! One 
 good fire, and the victory is ours ! " 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 119 
 
 Like a thunderbolt, Colonel Washington and his 
 troopers, flying their famous crimson flag, sweep down 
 in a semicircle 
 round the hill, 
 and charge the 
 enemy's right 
 flank. 
 
 " Charge bay- 
 onets!" shouts 
 Howard. 
 
 Instantly the 
 splendid veterans 
 face about, open 
 a deadly fire, and 
 charge the dis- 
 ordered British 
 line with the 
 bayonet. 
 
 All was over in 
 a few minutes. 
 The old "team- 
 ster " had set his 
 trap, and the 
 redcoats were 
 caught. Finding 
 
 themselves surrounded, six hundred threw down their 
 guns, and cried for quarter. The rest, including 
 Tarleton himself, by hard riding, escaped. 
 
 The Carolina Militia resisting the British 
 Grenadiers at Cowpens 
 
120 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Colonel Washington and his troopers rode in hot haste 
 to capture Tarleton, if possible. In the eagerness of 
 his pursuit, Washington rode in advance of his men. 
 Tarleton and two of his aids turned upon him. Just as 
 one of the aids was about to strike the colonel with his 
 saber, a trooper came up and disabled the redcoat's arm. 
 Before the other aid could strike, he was wounded by 
 Washington's little bugler, who, too small to handle a 
 sword, fired his pistol. Tarleton now made a thrust at 
 the colonel with his sword. The latter parried the blow, 
 and wounded his enemy in the hand. 
 
 As the story is told, this wound was twice the subject 
 for witty remarks by two young women, the daughters of 
 a North Carolina patriot. Tarleton remarked to one of 
 these sisters that he understood Colonel Washington 
 was an unlettered fellow, hardly able to write his name. 
 
 " Ah, Colonel," said the lady, " you ought to know 
 better, for you can testify that he knows how to make 
 his mark." 
 
 At another time, Tarleton said with a sneer to 
 the other sister, " I should be happy to see Colonel 
 Washington." 
 
 " If you had looked behind you at the battle of Cowpens, 
 Colonel Tarleton," she replied, " you would have enjoyed 
 that pleasure." 
 
 In the battle of Cowpens, the British lost two hundred 
 and thirty, killed and wounded. The Americans had 
 twelve killed and sixty-one wounded. 
 
FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERA] 
 
 Morgan did not rest for one moment after his victory. 
 He knew that Lord Cornwallis, stung by the defeat of 
 Tarleton, would do his best to crush him before he 
 could rejoin Greene's army. By forced marches, he 
 got to the fords of the Catawba first, and when his 
 lordship reached the 
 river, he learned that 
 the patriots had 
 crossed with all their 
 prisoners and booty 
 two days before, and 
 were well on their 
 way to join General 
 Greene. 
 
 Soon after the bat- 
 tle of Cowpens, re- 
 peated attacks of his 
 old enemy, sciatica, so 
 
 disabled Morgan that Hand to Hand Fight between Colonel Washing- 
 
 hr i . . • ton and Colonel Tarleton 
 
 e was rorced to retire 
 
 from the service and go back to his home, in Virginia. 
 
 During the summer of 1780, when the British invaded 
 the Old Dominion, he again took the field. With Wayne 
 and Lafayette, he took part in a series of movements 
 which led to the capture of Cornwallis. The exposure 
 of camp life again brought on a severe illness. 
 
 " I lay out the night after coming into camp," Morgan 
 wrote General Greene, " and caught cold." 
 
122 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Crippled and suffering great pain, he went home with 
 the belief that he had dealt his last blow for the cause 
 he loved so well. He afterward received from Washing- 
 ton, Greene, Jefferson, Lafayette, and other leaders, letters 
 that stir our blood after so many years. 
 
 From a simple teamster, Morgan had become a major 
 general. After taking part in fifty battles, he lived to 
 serve his country in peace as well as in war, and was 
 returned to Congress the second time. His valor at the 
 North is commemorated, as you already know, by the 
 statue on the monument at Saratoga. In the little city 
 of Spartanburg, in South Carolina, stands another figure 
 of Daniel Morgan, the " old wagoner of the Alleghanies," 
 the hero of Cowpens. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 THE FINAL VICTORY 
 
 ABOUT the middle of March, 1781, Lord Cornwallis 
 l defeated Greene in a stubborn battle at Guilford, 
 North Carolina. Although victorious, the British gen- 
 eral was in desperate straits. He had lost a fourth of 
 his whole army, and was over two hundred miles from 
 his base of supplies. He could not afford to risk another 
 battle. 
 
 There was now really only one thing for Cornwallis 
 to do, and that was to make a bee line for Wilmington, 
 the nearest point on the coast, and look for help from 
 the fleet. 
 
 General Greene must have guessed that the British 
 general would march northwards, to unite forces with 
 Arnold, who was already in Virginia. At all events, the 
 sagacious American general made a bold move. He 
 followed Cornwallis for about fifty miles from Guilford, 
 and then, facing about, marched with all speed to Camden, 
 a hundred and sixty miles away. 
 
 His lordship was not a little vexed. He was simply 
 ignored by his wily foe, and left to do as he pleased. So 
 he made his way into Virginia, and on May 20 arrived 
 at Petersburg. 
 
 123 
 
124 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Benedict Arnold, who was now fighting under the 
 Britisli flag, had been sent to Virginia to burn and to 
 pillage. Washington dispatched Lafayette to check 
 the traitor's dastardly work. When Lord Cornwallis 
 reached Virginia, Arnold had been recalled, and the 
 young Frenchman was at Richmond. 
 
 Cornwallis thought he might now regain his reputa- 
 tion by some grand stroke. The first thing to do was 
 to crush the young Lafayette. 
 
 " The boy cannot escape me," he said. 
 
 But Lafayette was so skillful at retreating and avoid- 
 ing a decisive action that his lordship could get no 
 chance to deal him a blow. 
 
 " I am not strong enough even to be beaten," wrote 
 the French general to the commander in chief. 
 
 Away to the west rode our friend Colonel Tarleton, 
 still smarting from the sound thrashing he had received 
 from old Dan Morgan at Cowpens. He was trying to 
 break up the State Assembly, and capture Thomas 
 Jefferson, governor of Virginia. 
 
 It was a narrow escape for the man who wrote the 
 Declaration of Independence. The story is told that 
 Jefferson had only five minutes in which to take flight 
 into the woods, before Tarleton's hard riders surrounded 
 his house at Monticello. 
 
 About this time, Mad Anthony Wayne, with a thou- 
 sand Pennsylvania regulars, appeared upon the scene and 
 joined Lafayette. 
 
THE FINAL VICTORY 125 
 
 Now Cornwallis, finding that he could not catch 
 " the boy," and having a wholesome respect for Wayne, 
 stopped his marching and countermarching, and retreated 
 to Williamsburg by way of Richmond and the York 
 peninsula. 
 
 During the first week in August, the British com- 
 mander continued his retreat to the coast, and occupied 
 Yorktown, with about seven thousand men. Lafayette 
 was encamped on Malvern Hill, in the York peninsula, 
 where he was waiting for the next act in the drama. 
 
 Far away in the North, at West Point, Washington 
 was keeping a sharp lookout over the whole field. The 
 main part of the patriot army was encamped along the 
 Hudson. 
 
 At Newport, there was a French force under General 
 Rochambeau. Late in May, Washington rode over to 
 a little town in Connecticut, to consult with him. It 
 was decided that the French army should march to the 
 Hudson as speedily as possible, and unite with the patriot 
 forces encamped there. 
 
 The plan at this time was to capture New York. 
 This could not be done without the aid of a large fleet. 
 
 Early in the spring of this year, 1781, the French gov- 
 ernment had sent a powerful fleet to the West Indies, 
 under the command of Count de Grasse. De Grasse 
 now had orders to act in concert with Washington and 
 Rochambeau, against the common enemy. This was 
 joyful news. 
 
126 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 News traveled very slowly in those times. It took 
 ten days for Washington to hear from Lafayette that 
 Cornwallis had retreated to Yorktown, and thirty days 
 to learn that Greene was marching southward against 
 Lord Rawdon in South Carolina. And as for De Grasse, 
 it was uncertain just when and where he would arrive 
 on the coast. 
 
 Washington had some hard thinking to do. The storm 
 center of the whole war might suddenly shift to Virginia. 
 
 Now came the test for his military genius. Hitherto, 
 the British fleet had been in control of our coast. Now, 
 however, nobody but a Nelson would ever hope to defeat 
 the French men-of-war that were nearing our shores. 
 Cornwallis was safe enough on the York peninsula so 
 long as the British fleet had control of the Virginia 
 coast. But suppose De Grasse should take up a posi- 
 tion on the three sides of Yorktown, would it not be an 
 easy matter, with the aid of a large land force, to entrap 
 Cornwallis? 
 
 The supreme moment for the patriot cause was now 
 at hand. In the middle of August, word came from 
 De Grasse that he was headed with his whole fleet for 
 Chesapeake Bay. 
 
 As might be expected, Washington was equal to the 
 occasion. The capture of New York must wait. He 
 made up his mind that he would swoop down with his 
 army upon Yorktown, four hundred miles away, and 
 crush Cornwallis. 
 
THE FINAL VICTORY 
 
 i 27 
 
 Yes, but what about Sir Henry Clinton, the British 
 commander in chief in New York? If Sir Henry should 
 happen to get an inkling of what Washington intended 
 to do, what would prevent his sending an army by sea 
 to the relief of Yorktown? 
 
 Nothing, of course, and so the all-important point was 
 to hoodwink the British commander. It was cleverly 
 done, as we shall see. 
 
 Clinton knew that the French fleet was expected; but 
 everything pointed to an attack on New York. 
 
 If we glance at the map of this section, we shall see 
 that, from his headquarters at West Point, Washington 
 could march half way to York- 
 town, by way of New Jersey, with- 
 out arousing suspicions of his 
 real design. 
 
 Nobody but Ro chain beau had 
 the least knowledge of what he 
 intended to do. Bodies of troops 
 were moved toward Long Island. 
 Ovens were built as if to bake 
 bread for a large army. The 
 patriots seemed merely to be wait- 
 ing for the French fleet before beginning in earnest 
 the siege of New York. 
 
 Washington wrote a letter to Lafayette which was pur^ 
 posely sent in such a way as to be captured by Clinton. 
 In this letter, the American general said he should be 
 
 
 *%$ 
 
 
 km 
 
 General Lafayette 
 
128 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 happy if Cornwallis fortified Yorktown or Old Point 
 Comfort, because in that case he would remain under 
 the protection of the British fleet. 
 
 Washington wrote similar letters to throw Clinton off 
 his guard. For instance, to one of his generals he wrote 
 in detail just how he had planned to lay siege to New 
 York. He selected a young minister, by the name of 
 Montaigne, to carry the dispatch to Morristown, through 
 what was called the Clove. 
 
 "If I go through the Clove," said Montaigne, "the 
 cowboys will capture me." 
 
 " Your duty, young man, is to obey," sternly replied 
 Washington. 
 
 The hope of the ever-alert commander in chief was 
 fulfilled, for the young clergyman soon found himself a 
 prisoner in the famous Sugar House, in New York. 
 The next day, the dispatch was printed with great show 
 in Rivington's Tory paper. 
 
 On August 19, or just five days after receiving the 
 dispatch from De Grasse, Washington crossed the Hud- 
 son at King's Ferry, and set out on his long march, with 
 two thousand Continental and four thousand French 
 troops. 
 
 They had nearly reached Philadelphia before their real 
 destination was suspected. 
 
 The good people of the Quaker city had just heard of 
 Greene's successes in the South. The popular feeling 
 showed itself in the rousing welcome they gave to the 
 
THE FINAL VICTORY I 29 
 
 " ragged Continentals " and to the finely dressed French 
 troops, as the combined forces marched hurriedly through 
 the streets. The drums and fifes played " The White 
 Cockade and the Peacock's Feather"; everywhere the 
 stars and stripes were flung to the breeze; and ladies 
 threw flowers from the windows. 
 
 " Long live Washington ! " shouted the people, as the 
 dusty soldiers marched by in a column nearly two miles 
 long. ' 
 
 " He has gone to catch Cornwallis in his mouse trap! " 
 shouted the crowd, in great glee. 
 
 Even the self-possessed Washington was a trifle 
 nervous. Galloping ahead to Chester on his favorite 
 charger, Nelson, he sent back word that De Grasse had 
 arrived in Chesapeake Bay. 
 
 By rapid marches, the combined armies reached the 
 head of the Bay on September 6. From this point, most 
 of the men were carried in transports to the scene of 
 action. In another week, an army of more than sixteen 
 thousand men was closing round Cornwallis. 
 
 Soon after his arrival, Washington, accompanied by 
 Rochambeau, Knox, Hamilton, and others, made a 
 formal call on Admiral De Grasse on board his flag- 
 ship, the famous ship of the line, Ville de Paris, then 
 at anchor in Hampton Roads. 
 
 When Washington reached the quarter-deck, the little 
 French admiral ran to embrace his guest, and kissed him 
 on each cheek, after the French fashion. 
 
130 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 " My dear little general ! " he exclaimed, hugging him. 
 
 Now when the excited admiral stood on tiptoe to 
 embrace the majestic Washington, and began to call 
 him " petit," or " little," the scene was ludicrous. The 
 French officers politely turned aside ; but it was too 
 much for General Knox, who was a big, jolly man. He 
 simply forgot his politeness, and laughed aloud until his 
 sides shook. 
 
 Where was the British fleet all this time ? 
 
 Its commander, Admiral Hood, had followed sharply 
 after De Grasse, and had outsailed him. Not finding 
 the enemy's fleet in the Chesapeake, he sailed on to New 
 York and reported to Admiral Graves. 
 
 Then Sir Henry began to open his eyes to the real 
 state of affairs. All was bustle and hurry. Crowding 
 on all sail, the British fleet headed for the Chesapeake, 
 and there found De Grasse blockading the bay. 
 
 It would be all up with Washington's plans if the Brit- 
 ish fleet should now defeat the French. The French 
 fleet, however, was much the stronger, and Graves was 
 no Nelson. There was a sharp fight for two hours. On 
 the two fleets, the killed and the wounded amounted to 
 seven hundred. The British admiral was then forced 
 to withdraw ; and after a few days he sailed back to New 
 York. De Grasse was now in complete control of the 
 Chesapeake. 
 
 Cornwallis did not as yet know that Washington was 
 marching at full speed straight for Yorktown. Still, his 
 
THK FINAL VICTORY 
 
 3' 
 
 <v 
 
 lordship began to realize that he was fast getting himself 
 into a tight place. 
 
 Why not cross the James River and retreat to a safe 
 place in North Carolina? 
 
 It was too late. Three thousand French troops had 
 already landed on the neck of the peninsula, and were 
 united with the patriot 
 forces. The " boy " had 
 now more than eight 
 thousand men, with 
 which he could easily 
 cut off every chance for 
 his lordship's retreat. 
 
 In the American 
 camp, the combined 
 armies were working 
 with a hearty good will 
 to hasten the siege. 
 There could be no delay. 
 The British fleet was 
 sure to return, and 
 another fleet was hourly expected from England. Again, 
 Sir Henry might at any moment come by sea to the 
 rescue. Day and night the men toiled. Nobody was 
 permitted to speak aloud, for they were close to the 
 British pickets. Intrenchments were made, and can- 
 non were rapidly dragged up and placed in position. 
 By October 10, all was ready. 
 
 General Washington in the Trenches 
 before Yorktown 
 
132 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The siege begins in earnest. Shot and shell are 
 hurled into the British lines. All day and all night long, 
 are heard the roaring of cannon and the bursting of 
 shells. Bang ! bang ! The French fire red-hot shot 
 across the water and set fire to the British transports. 
 
 New lines of redoubts are thrown up during the night, 
 and guns are mounted, which pound away at the doomed 
 army. Two of the British redoubts are troublesome. 
 These are gallantly captured. 
 
 On the next night, Cornwallis makes a vigorous effort 
 to break through the American lines, but is driven back 
 into the town. With seventy cannon pounding away, 
 the British earthworks are fast crumbling. The British 
 commander grows desperate. He thinks that, by leaving 
 his baggage and his sick behind, he can cross the river to 
 Gloucester in boats, by night, cut through the French, 
 and by forced marches make his way to New York. 
 
 On the night of the 16th, a few of the redcoats actually 
 succeeded in reaching the opposite shore, when a storm 
 of wind and rain suddenly arose and continued till morn- 
 ing. This last ray of hope was gone. 
 
 Cornwallis had his headquarters in a large brick man- 
 sion owned by a Tory. It was a fine target for the 
 artillery, and was soon riddled. His lordship stayed in 
 the house until a cannon ball killed his steward, as he 
 was carrying a tureen of soup to his master's table. 
 
 The British general now moved his headquarters into 
 Governor Nelson's fine stone mansion. Its owner was 
 
THE FINAL VICTORY 1 33 
 
 in command of the Virginia troops in the besieging 
 army. He was the " war governor " who had left his 
 crops to their fate, and his plows in the furrows, while 
 his horses and his oxen were harnessed to the cannon 
 that were being hurried to the siege. When Nelson 
 learned, through a deserter, where Cornwallis and his 
 staff were, regardless of his personal loss, he ordered the 
 bombarding of the house. 
 
 In Trumbull's famous painting, " The Surrender of 
 Cornwallis," Governor Nelson's mansion is plainly seen. 
 
 By this time, the only safe place in Yorktown was a 
 cave, which had been dug under the bank of the river. 
 To this spot, as the story goes, Cornwallis moved his 
 headquarters. Here he received a British colonel who 
 had made his way in the night through the French 
 fleet, to bring orders from Sir Henry Clinton. Corn- 
 wallis was to hold out to the last. Seven thousand 
 troops had sailed to his relief. 
 
 His lordship served a lunch for his guest, and while 
 they were drinking their wine, the colonel declared his 
 intention of going up on the ramparts for a moment, to 
 take a look at the Yankees. As he left, he gayly said 
 that on his return he would give Washington's health in 
 a bumper. It was useless to urge him to remain under 
 shelter. He had scarcely climbed to the top of the 
 redoubt when his head was shot off by a cannon ball. 
 
 On October 1 7, the thirteenth day of the siege and the 
 fourth anniversary of Burgoyne's surrender, a redcoated 
 
134 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 drummer boy stands on the rampart and beats a parley. 
 A white flag is raised on the British works. The roar 
 of the cannon ceases. Cornwallis sends an officer to ask 
 that fighting be stopped for twenty-four hours. 
 
 Twenty-four hours ! No ! " No more fighting for 
 two hours," says Washington. 
 
 Held in an iron grasp both by land and by sea, the 
 British commander knows that all is lost. He can do 
 nothing but surrender. 
 
 At two o'clock on the afternoon of October 19, in a 
 field not far from Washington's headquarters, the formal 
 surrender takes place. This ceremony, so joyful to the 
 one side, so painful to the other, is carried out in stately 
 form. The officers on both sides wear their best uniforms 
 and military equipments. Washington rides his favorite 
 charger, Nelson. The stars and stripes of America, and 
 the white flag and lilies of France, wave in triumph. 
 While the band plays a quaint old English melody, 
 " The World Turned Upside Down," the British troops, 
 over seven thousand in number, slowly march between 
 the columns of the combined armies and lay down their 
 arms. 
 
 Cornwallis was not there. Saying that he was sick, 
 he sent O'Hara, one of his generals, to deliver up his 
 sword, while Washington, with his usual high regard 
 for official dignity, sent General Lincoln. 
 
 As perhaps you may remember, when General Lin- 
 coln was forced to surrender to Cornwallis, at Charleston 
 
THE FINAL VICTORY 
 
 135 
 
 in 1780, the haughty British general turned him over 
 to an inferior officer, as if to treat his surrender with 
 contempt. 
 
 Lafayette said, in after years, that the captive redcoats, 
 while they gazed at the French soldiers with their showy 
 trappings, "did not as much 
 as look at my darling light 
 infantry, the apple of my eye 
 and the pride of my heart." 
 Whereupon the lively young 
 French general ordered his fife 
 and drum corps to strike up 
 "Yankee Doodle." "Then," 
 he said, "they did look at us, 
 but were not very well pleased." 
 
 After the surrender, both the 
 Americans and the British 
 hastened away. Scores of brave 
 men, whom thus far the bullets 
 had spared, were the victims 
 of camp fever and smallpox. Fourteen days afterwards, 
 Yorktown became again a sleepy little hamlet of sixty 
 houses. 
 
 On the same day that Cornwallis found "the world 
 turned upside down," Clinton sailed from New York, with 
 thirty-five ships and over seven thousand of his best troops. 
 Had this great force reached the scene ten days earlier, 
 the story of Yorktown might have been different. 
 
 The Night Watchman announcing 
 the Capture of Cornwallis 
 
136 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 "Cornwallis is taken ! " How quickly the news spread ! 
 Men, women, and children pour in from the country, 
 and wait along the road leading to Philadelphia, for the 
 long-expected news. 
 
 At length a horseman is seen riding at headlong speed. 
 
 He waves his hat and shouts to the eager people, 
 " Cornwallis is taken ! " 
 
 It is Colonel Tilghman, whom Washington sent post- 
 haste to Philadelphia to inform Congress of the surrender. 
 
 It is after midnight when he arrives. The drowsy 
 night watchman is slowly pacing the streets. Sud- 
 denly is heard the joyful cry, " Past three o'clock, and 
 Cornwallis is taken ! " 
 
 Up go the windows. Men and women rush into the 
 streets, all eager to hear the news. An hour before 
 daylight, old Independence bell rings out its loudest 
 peals, and sunrise is greeted with the boom of cannon. 
 
 Congress meets during the forenoon, to read Washing- 
 ton's dispatches. In the afternoon, the members go in 
 solemn procession to the Lutheran church, " and return 
 thanks to Almighty God for crowning the allied armies 
 of the United States and France with success." 
 
 At noon on Sunday, November 25, the news reached 
 London. Somebody asked a member of the cabinet 
 how Lord North, the prime minister, received the 
 "communication." 
 
 "As he would have taken a cannon ball in his chest," 
 was the reply; "for he opened his arms, exclaimed 
 
THE FINAL VICTORY 137 
 
 wildly, as he walked up and down the room during a 
 few minutes, 'O God! it is all over! it is all over!'" 
 
 The news was sent to King George, who replied the 
 same evening. It was noted that His Majesty being 
 a trifle stupid, wrote very calmly, but forgot to mark the 
 exact hour and minute of his writing. This circum- 
 stance, the like of which had never happened before, 
 seemed to indicate to his cabinet some unusual disturb- 
 ance. Shortly afterwards, however, the old king took 
 some comfort in declaring that the Yankees were a 
 wretched set of knaves, whom he was glad to get rid of 
 at any price. 
 
 On a gentle slope at Yorktown stands a monument, 
 erected a century later by Congress, in commemoration 
 of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. There it stands, 
 a tall, white shaft, solitary, glorious, and impressive, a 
 landmark for many miles along that sleepy shore. 
 
E 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 THE CRISIS 
 
 XACTLY eight years from the day when 
 
 "the embattled farmers stood, 
 And fired the shot heard round the world,' 
 
 the Continental Congress informed General Washington 
 that the war was over. In September, 1783, the formal 
 treaty of peace was signed; a month later, the Conti- 
 nental army was disbanded ; and three weeks later, the 
 British army sailed from New York. 
 
 What a pathetic and impressive scene took place at a 
 little tavern, in lower New York, when Washington said 
 good-by to his generals ! With hearts too full for words, 
 and with eyes dimmed with tears, these veterans embraced 
 their chief and bade him farewell. 
 
 A few clays before Christmas, Washington gave up 
 the command of the army, and hurried away to spend 
 the holidays at Mount Vernon. 
 
 " The times that tried men's souls are over," wrote the 
 author of " Common Sense," a man whose writings 
 voiced the opinions of the people. 
 
 Freedom was indeed won, but the country was in a 
 sad plight. 
 
THE CRISIS 
 
 139 
 
 "It is not too much to say," says John Fiske, "that 
 the period of five years following the peace of 1783 was 
 the most critical moment in all the history of the Ameri- 
 can people." 
 
 Thirteen little republics, fringing the Atlantic, were 
 hemmed in on the north, the south, and the west, by two 
 hostile European 
 nations that were 
 capable of much mis- 
 chief. 
 
 In 1774, under the 
 pressure of a com- 
 mon peril and the 
 need of quick action, 
 the colonies had 
 banded together for 
 the common good. 
 By a kind of general 
 consent their rep- 
 resentatives in 
 the Continental 
 Congress had assumed the task of carrying on the war. 
 But for nine years Congress had steadily declined in 
 power, and now that peace had come and the need of 
 united action was removed, there was danger that this 
 shadowy union would dissolve. Believing strongly in 
 their own state governments, the people had almost no 
 feeling in favor of federation. 
 
 Washington's Farewell to his Generals 
 
140 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Just before the disbanding of the army and his retire- 
 ment to private life, Washington wrote a letter to the 
 governor of each colony. This letter, he said, was his 
 " legacy " to the American people. 
 
 He urged the necessity of forming a more perfect 
 union, under a single government. He declared that the 
 war debt must be paid to the last penny; that the people 
 must be willing to sacrifice some of their local interests 
 for the common good; and that they must regard one 
 another as fellow citizens of a common country. 
 
 We must not make the mistake of thinking that the 
 Continental Congress was like our present national 
 Congress. 
 
 When the struggle between the colonies and the 
 mother country threatened war, the colonies through 
 their assemblies, or special conventions, chose delegates 
 to represent them in Philadelphia. These delegates 
 composed the first Continental Congress. It met on 
 September 5, 1774, and broke up during the last week of 
 the following October. 
 
 Three weeks after Lexington, a second Congress met 
 in the same city. This was the Congress that appointed 
 Washington commander in chief, and issued the immortal 
 Declaration of Independence. 
 
 In the strict sense of the word, this body had no legal 
 authority. It was really a meeting of delegates from the 
 several colonies, to advise and consult with each other 
 concerning the public welfare. 
 
THE CRISIS 141 
 
 There was war in the land. Something must be 
 done to meet the crisis. The Continental Congress, 
 therefore, acted in the name of the " United Colonies." 
 
 Many of the ablest and most patriotic men of the 
 country were sent as delegates to this Congress; and 
 until the crowning victory at Yorktown, although with- 
 out clearly denned powers, it continued to act, by com- 
 mon consent, as if it had the highest authority. It made 
 an alliance with France ; it built a navy ; it granted per- 
 mits to privateers ; it raised and organized an army ; it 
 borrowed large sums of money, and issued paper bills. 
 
 A few clays after the Declaration of Independence was 
 signed, a form of government, called the " Articles of 
 Confederation," was brought before Congress; but it 
 was not adopted until several weeks after the surrender 
 of Burgoyne, in 1777. 
 
 The " Articles " were not finally ratified by the states 
 until the spring of 1781. 
 
 The constitution thus adopted was a league of friend- 
 ship between the states. It was bad from beginning to 
 end ; for it dealt with the thirteen states as thirteen units, 
 and not with the people of the several states. It never 
 secured a hold upon the people of the country, and for 
 very good reasons. 
 
 Each state, whether large or small, had only one vote. 
 A single delegate from Delaware or from Rhode Island 
 could balance the whole delegation from New York 
 or from Virginia. 
 
142 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Congress had no power to enforce any law whatever. 
 It could recommend all manner of things to the states, 
 but it could do nothing more. It could not even protect 
 itself. 
 
 Hence, the states violated the "Articles" whenever 
 they pleased. Thus Congress might call for troops, but 
 the states could refuse to obey. Without the consent of 
 every state, not a dollar could be raised by taxation. 
 
 At one time, twelve states voted to allow Congress to 
 raise money to pay the soldiers; but little Rhode Island 
 flatly refused, and the plan failed. The next year Rhode 
 Island consented, but New York refused. 
 
 Although Congress had authority to coin money, to 
 issue bills of credit, and to make its notes legal tender 
 for debts, each one of the thirteen states had the same 
 authority. 
 
 Money affairs got into a wretched condition. Paper 
 money became almost worthless. The year after Sara- 
 toga, a paper dollar was worth only sixteen cents, and 
 early in 1 780 its value had fallen to two cents. 
 
 A trader in Philadelphia papered his shop with dollar 
 bills, to show what he thought of the flimsy stuff. In the 
 year of Cornwallis's surrender, a bushel of corn sold for 
 one hundred and fifty dollars ; and Samuel Adams, the 
 Boston patriot, had to pay two thousand dollars for a hat 
 and a suit of clothes. 
 
 A private soldier had to serve four months before 
 his pay would buy a bushel of wheat. When he could 
 
THE CRISIS 143 
 
 not collect this beggarly sum, is it any wonder that he 
 deserted or rebelled ? 
 
 At one time, being unable to get money for the army, 
 Congress asked the states to contribute supplies of corn, 
 pork, and hay. 
 
 To add to the general misery, the states began to 
 quarrel with one another, like a lot of schoolboys. 
 They almost came to bloodshed over boundary lines, 
 and levied the most absurd taxes and duties. 
 
 If a Connecticut farmer brought a load of firewood 
 into New York, he had to pay a heavy duty. Sloops 
 that sailed through Hell Gate, and Jersey market boats 
 that crossed to Manhattan Island, were treated as if from 
 foreign ports. Entrance fees had to be paid, and clear- 
 ance papers must be got at the custom house. 
 
 The country was indeed in a bad condition. There 
 were riots, bankruptcy, endless wranglings, foreclosed 
 mortgages, and imprisonment for debt. 
 
 The gallant Colonel Barton, who captured General 
 Prescott, was kept locked up because he could not pay a 
 small sum of money. Robert Morris, once a wealthy 
 merchant, was sent to jail for debt, although he had 
 given his whole fortune to the patriot cause. 
 
 Thoughtful and patriotic men and women throughout 
 the country felt that something must be done. 
 
 Washington and other far-sighted men of Virginia 
 began to work out the problem. First it was proposed 
 that delegates from two or three states should meet at 
 
i 4 4 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Annapolis, to discuss the question of trade. Finally all 
 the states were invited to send delegates. 
 
 At this meeting, only twelve delegates, from five 
 states, were present. Alexander Hamilton wrote an 
 eloquent address, which it was voted to send to the 
 state assemblies, strongly recommending that delegates 
 
 should be appointed to meet 
 at Philadelphia on the second 
 day of May, 1787. 
 
 This plan, however, Con- 
 gress promptly rejected. 
 
 During the winter of 1 786, 
 the times were perhaps even 
 harder, and the country 
 nearer to the brink of civil 
 war and ruin. There were 
 riots in New Hampshire and 
 in Vermont and Shays's Re- 
 bellion in the old Bay State. 
 There were also the threatened separation of the North- 
 ern and Southern states, the worthless paper money, 
 wildcat speculation, the failure to carry out certain pro- 
 visions of the treaty of peace, and many troubles of less 
 importance. 
 
 As we may well suppose, all this discord made King 
 George and his court happy. He declared that the 
 several states would soon repent, and beg on bended 
 knees to be taken back into the British empire. 
 
 Alexander Hamilton 
 
THE CRISIS 145 
 
 When it was predicted in Parliament that we should 
 become a great nation, a British statesman, who bore 
 us no ill will, said, "It is one of the idlest and most 
 visionary notions that was ever conceived even by a 
 writer of romance." 
 
 Frederick the Great was friendly to us, but he declared 
 that nobody but a king could ever rule so large a country. 
 
 All these unhappy 
 events produced a great 1 
 
 change in public opinion. til if 
 
 People were convinced ^V"' 
 
 that anarchy might be 
 worse than the union of 
 these thirteen little com- 
 monwealths, under a 
 strong, central govern- 
 
 ment. The Old State House, in Phila- fj\ 
 
 delphia. now called Independence 
 Hall 
 
 
 At this great crisis in 
 affairs, Virginia boldly 
 took the lead, and promptly sent seven of her ablest 
 citizens, one of whom was Washington, to the Philadel- 
 phia convention. This was a masterly stroke of policy. 
 People everywhere applauded, and the tide of popular 
 sentiment soon favored the convention. At last Congress 
 yielded to the voice of the people and approved the plan. 
 Every state except Rhode Island sent delegates. 
 
 It was a notable group of Americans that met in one 
 of the upper rooms of old Independence Hall, the last 
 
146 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 week of May, 1787. There were fifty-five delegates in 
 all, some of whom, however, did not arrive for several 
 weeks after the convention began its meetings. 
 
 Eight of the delegates had signed the Declaration of 
 Independence, in the same room; twenty-eight had been 
 members of the Continental Congress, and seven had 
 been governors of states. Two afterwards became 
 presidents of the United States, and many others 
 in after years filled high places in the national gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 Head and shoulders above all others towered George 
 Washington. The man most widely known, except 
 Washington, was Benjamin Franklin, eighty-one years 
 old; the youngest delegate was Mr. Dayton of New 
 Jersey, who was only twenty-six. 
 
 Here also were two of the ablest statesmen of their 
 time, Alexander Hamilton of New York, and James 
 Madison of Virginia. 
 
 Connecticut sent two of her great men, Oliver Ells- 
 worth, afterwards chief justice of the United States, and 
 Roger Sherman, the learned shoemaker. 
 
 Near Robert Morris, the great financier, sat his name- 
 sake, Gouverneur Morris, who originated our decimal 
 system of money, and James Wilson, one of the most 
 learned lawyers of his day. 
 
 The two brilliant Pinckneys and John Rutledge, the 
 silver-tongued orator, were there to represent South 
 Carolina. 
 
THE CRISIS 
 
 47 
 
 Then there were Elbridge Gerry and Rufus King of 
 Massachusetts, John Langdon of New Hampshire, John 
 Dickinson of Delaware, and the great orator, Edmund 
 Randolph of Virginia. 
 
 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams would no doubt 
 have been delegates, had they not been abroad in the 
 service of their 
 country. Patrick 
 Henry and Samuel 
 Adams remained at 
 home; for they did 
 not approve of the 
 convention. 
 
 How Rhode Is- 
 land must have 
 missed her most 
 eminent citizen, 
 Nathanael Greene, 
 who had just died 
 of sunstroke, in the 
 prime of manhood ! 
 
 Washington was 
 elected president of the convention. The doors were 
 locked, and, every member being pledged to secrecy, they 
 settled down to work. 
 
 Just what was said and done during those four months 
 was for more than fifty years kept a profound secret. 
 After the death of James Madison, often called the 
 
 James Madison 
 
148 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 ." Father of the Constitution," his journal was published, 
 giving a complete account of the proceedings. 
 
 When the delegates began their work, they soon 
 realized what a problem it was to frame a government 
 for the whole country. As might have been expected, 
 some of these men had a fit of moral cowardice. They 
 began to cut and to trim, and tried to avoid any meas- 
 ure of thorough reform. 
 
 Washington was equal to the occasion. He was not 
 a brilliant orator, and his speech was very brief ; but the 
 solemn words of this majestic man, as his tall figure 
 drawn up to its full height rose from the president's 
 chair, carried conviction to every delegate. 
 
 " If, to please the people," he said, " we offer what 
 we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend 
 our work ? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and 
 the honest can repair; the event is in the hand of God." 
 
 The details of what this convention did would be dull 
 reading; but some clay we shall want to study in our 
 school work the noble Constitution which these men 
 framed. 
 
 The gist of the whole matter is that our Federal Con- 
 stitution is based upon three great compromises. 
 
 The first compromise was between the small and the 
 large states. In the upper house, or Senate, equal repre- 
 sentation was conceded to all the states, but in the lower 
 house of Congress, representation was arranged accord- 
 ing to the population. 
 
THE CRISIS 149 
 
 Thus, as you know, little Rhode Island and Delaware 
 have each two senators, while the great commonwealths 
 of New York and Ohio have no more. In the House of 
 Representatives, on the other hand, New York has thirty- 
 seven representatives, and Ohio has twenty-one, while 
 Rhode Island has two, and Delaware only one. 
 
 The second compromise was between the free and 
 the slave states. 
 
 Were the slaves to be counted as persons or as 
 goods ? 
 
 South Carolina and Georgia maintained that they were 
 persons; the Northern states said they were merely 
 property. 
 
 Now indeed there was a clashing over local interest; 
 but it was decided that in counting the population, 
 whether for taxation, or for representation in the lower 
 house, a slave should be considered as three fifths of an 
 individual. And so it stood until the outbreak of the 
 Civil War. 
 
 It was a bitter pill for far-sighted men like Washington, 
 Madison, and others, who hated slavery. Without this 
 compromise, however, they believed that nine slave states 
 would never adopt the Constitution, and doubtless they 
 were right. 
 
 The slave question was the real bone of contention 
 that resulted in the third compromise. The majority of 
 the delegates, especially those from Virginia, were bit- 
 terly opposed to slavery. 
 
150 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 " This infernal traffic that brings the judgment of 
 Heaven on a country ! " said George Mason of Virginia.- 
 
 At first, it was proposed to abolish foreign slave trade. 
 South Carolina and Georgia sturdily protested. 
 
 " Are we wanted in the Union ? " they said. 
 
 They declared that it was not a question of morality 
 or of religion, but purely a matter of business. 
 
 Rhode Island had refused to send delegates; and those 
 from New York had gone home in anger. The discus- 
 sions were bitter, and the situation became dangerous. 
 
 While the convention " was scarcely held together by 
 the strength of a hair," the question came up for dis- 
 cussion, whether Congress or the individual states should 
 have control over commerce. 
 
 The New England states, with their wealth of ship- 
 ping, said that by all means Congress should have the 
 control, and should make a uniform tariff in all the 
 states. This, it was believed, would put an end to all 
 the wranglings and the unjust acts which were so 
 ruinous to commerce. 
 
 The extreme Southern states that had no shipping 
 said it would never do; for New England, by controlling 
 the carrying trade, would extort ruinous prices for ship- 
 ping tobacco and rice. 
 
 When the outlook seemed darkest, two of the Con- 
 necticut delegates suggested a compromise. 
 
 " Yes," said Franklin, " when a carpenter wishes to 
 fit two boards, he sometimes pares off a bit from each." 
 
THK CRISIS 
 
 151 
 
 It was finally decided that there should be free trade 
 between the states, and that Congress should control 
 commerce. 
 
 To complete the "bargain," nothing was to be done 
 about the African slave trade for twenty years. Slavery 
 had been slowly dying out both in the North and in the 
 South, for nearly fifty years. The wisest men of 1787 
 
 Signing the Constitution 
 
 believed that it would speedily die a natural death and 
 give way to a better system of labor. 
 
 It was upon these three great foundation stones, or com- 
 promises, that our Constitution was built. The rest of 
 the work, while very important, was not difficult or dan- 
 gerous. The question of choosing a president, and a 
 hundred other less important matters were at last 
 settled. 
 
152 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The scorching summer of 1787 was well-nigh spent 
 before the great document was finished. The convention 
 broke up on September 17. Few of its members were 
 satisfied with their work. None supposed it complete. 
 
 Tradition says that Washington, who was the first to 
 sign, standing by the table, held up his pen and said 
 solemnly, " Should the states reject this excellent Consti- 
 tution, they probably will never sign another in peace. 
 The next will be drawn in blood." 
 
 Of the delegates who were present on the last day of 
 the convention, all but three signed the Constitution. 
 
 It is said that when the last man had signed, many of 
 the delegates seemed awe-struck at what they had done. 
 Washington himself sat with head bowed in deep thought. 
 
 Thirty-three years before this, and before some of the 
 delegates then present were born, Franklin had done his 
 best to bring the colonies into a federal union. He was 
 sixty years of age when, in this very room, he put his 
 name to the Declaration of Independence. Now, as the 
 genial old man saw the noble aim of his life accomplished, 
 he indulged in one of his homely bits of pleasantry. 
 
 There was a rude painting of a half sun, gorgeous with 
 its yellow rays, on the back of the president's black arm- 
 chair. When Washington solemnly rose, as the meet- 
 ing was breaking up, Franklin pointed to the chair and 
 said, " As I have been sitting here all these weeks, I have 
 often wondered whether that sun behind our president is 
 Now I do know that it is a rising sun." 
 
THE CRISIS 
 
 153 
 
 The Constitution was sent to the Continental Con- 
 gress, who submitted it to the people of the several 
 states for their approval. It was agreed that when it 
 was adopted by nine states, it should become the supreme 
 law of the land. 
 
 Now for the first 
 time there was a real 
 national issue. The 
 people arranged 
 themselves into two 
 great political parties, 
 the Federalists, who 
 believed in a strong 
 government and the 
 new Constitution, and 
 the Anti-Federalists, 
 who were opposed to 
 a stronger union 
 between the states. 
 
 And now w hat 
 keen discussions, 
 
 
 
 Wy 
 
 m 
 
 1 
 
 m'm 
 
 i 
 
 
 fW : ■■•.. 
 
 ■ fei . -^iflHi^^' 
 
 
 
 y 
 
 
 Benjamin Franklin 
 
 bitter quarrels, and scurrilous and abusive newspaper 
 articles ! A bloodless war of squibs, broadsides, pam- 
 phlets, and frenzied oratory was waged everywhere. 
 
 Hamilton and Madison were " mere boys " and " vision- 
 ary young men " ; Franklin was an " old dotard " and " in 
 his second childhood"; and as for Washington, "What 
 did he know about politics ? " 
 
154 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The Constitution was called " a triple-headed mon- 
 ster." Many able men sincerely believed it to be "as 
 deep and wicked a conspiracy as ever was invented in 
 the darkest ages against the liberties of the people." 
 
 How eloquently did such men as Hamilton, Madison, 
 Randolph, Jay, " Light-Horse Harry" Lee, John Marshall, 
 Fisher Ames, and a score of other " makers of our coun- 
 try " defend the " New Roof," as the people were then 
 fond of calling the Federal Constitution ! 
 
 A series of short essays written by Hamilton, Madi- 
 son, and Jay, and published under the name of " The 
 Federalist," were widely read. Although written at a 
 white heat, their grave and lofty eloquence and their 
 stern patriotism carried conviction to the hearts of the 
 people. 
 
 " The Delaware State," as it was called, was the first to 
 adopt the Constitution. It was not until the next June 
 that Massachusetts and Virginia ratified it, as the sixth 
 and tenth states. New York next fell into line in July. 
 
 The victory was won ! The " New Roof " was up and 
 finished, supported by eleven stout pillars! 
 
 On the glorious "Fourth" in 1788, there was great 
 rejoicing throughout the land. Bonfires, stump speeches, 
 fireworks, processions, music, gorgeous banners, and bar- 
 becues of oxen expressed the joy of the people over 
 the establishment of a federal government. 
 
 " Hurrah for the United States of America ! " shouted 
 every patriot. 
 
THE CRISIS 155 
 
 " The good ship Constitution " was at last fairly 
 launched. 
 
 The wheels of the new government began to turn 
 slowly and with much friction. It was not until the first 
 week of April, 1789, that the House of Representatives 
 and the Senate met and counted the electoral votes for 
 a President of the newly born nation. There were sixty- 
 nine votes in all, and of these every one was for George 
 Washington. John Adams was the second choice of the 
 electoral college. He received thirty-four votes, and was 
 accordingly declared Vice President. 
 
 Thus was formed and adopted our just and wise Con- 
 stitution, which, except for a few amendments, has ever 
 since been the supreme law of the land. This document 
 has been called by Gladstone "the greatest work ever 
 struck off at any time by the mind and purpose of man." 
 To it we owe our prosperity and our high place among 
 nations. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 A DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 ABOUT a century ago, pirates on the northern coast 
 i\ of Africa were causing a great deal of trouble. 
 They used to dash out in their vessels, and capture and 
 plunder the merchant ships of all nations. The poor 
 sailors were sold as slaves, and then kicked and cuffed 
 about by cruel masters. 
 
 You will hardly believe it, but our country used to do 
 exactly what other nations did. We used to buy the 
 good will of these Barbary pirates, by giving them, every 
 year, cannon, powder, and great sums of money. In 
 fact we could not at first help it; for we were then a 
 young and feeble nation with many troubles, and our 
 navy was so small that we could not do as we pleased. 
 
 The payment of this blackmail soon became a serious 
 affair. The ruler, or pasha, of Tripoli was bold enough 
 to declare war against this country, and cut down the 
 flagstaff in front of our consul's house. Two other 
 Barbary states, Morocco and Tunis, began to be impu- 
 dent because they did not get enough money. 
 
 This was more than our people could stand. These 
 
 scamps needed a lesson. 
 
 156 
 
A DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 157 
 
 You will, of course, remember Thomas Jefferson, who 
 wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was at this 
 time President of the United States. As you may well 
 think, he was not the man to put up with such insults. 
 
 "It reminds me," said Jefferson, "of what my good 
 friend, Hen Franklin, once said in his Poor Richard's 
 Almanac : ' If you make 
 yourself a sheep, the 
 wolves will eat you.' 
 We must put a stop 
 to paying this blood 
 money, and deal with 
 these pirates with an 
 iron hand." 
 
 So it came to pass 
 that Commodore Dale 
 was sent to the Medi- 
 terranean, with a small 
 fleet of war ships. 
 
 When our little fleet 
 arrived off the Barbary 
 coast, Morocco and 
 Tunis stopped grumbling and soon came to terms. 
 We were then free to deal with Tripoli. 
 
 Our war ships had orders simply to look after our 
 merchantmen, without doing any fighting. Still, to give 
 the proud ruler of Tripoli a hint of what he might soon 
 expect, one of our small vessels, the Enterprise, afterwards 
 
 Thomas Jefferson 
 
158 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 commanded by Decatur, fought a short but furious battle 
 with a Tripolitan man-of-war. 
 
 The pirate captain hauled his flag down three times, 
 but hoisted it again when the fire of the Enterprise ceased. 
 This insult was too much for Dale. Bringing his vessel 
 alongside the pirate craft, he sprang over her side, fol- 
 lowed by fifty of his men. The pirate crew, with their 
 long curved swords, fought hard ; yet in fifteen minutes 
 they were beaten. 
 
 Our sailors now cut away the masts of the enemy's 
 vessel, and, stripping her of everything except one old 
 sail and a single spar, let her drift back to Tripoli, as a 
 hint of how the new nation across the Atlantic was likely 
 to deal with pirates. 
 
 " Tell your pasha," shouted the American captain, as 
 the Barbary ship drifted away, " that this is the way my 
 country will pay him tribute after this." 
 
 In the year 1803, the command of our fleet was given 
 to Commodore Preble, who had just forced the ruler of 
 Morocco to pay for an attack upon one of our merchant 
 ships. The famous frigate Constitution, better known 
 to every wide-awake American boy and girl as " Old 
 Ironsides," was his flagship. 
 
 Among his officers, or " schoolboy captains," as he 
 called them, were many bright young men, who afterwards 
 gained fame in fighting their country's battles. One of 
 these officers was Stephen Decatur, the hero of this story, 
 who afterwards, as captain of the frigate United States, 
 
A DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 159 
 
 whipped the British frigate Macedonian after a fight 
 of an hour and a half. 
 
 One morning late in the fall of 1803, the frigate 
 Philadelphia, one of the best ships of our little navy, 
 while chasing a piratical craft, ran upon a sunken reef 
 near the harbor of Tripoli. The good ship was helpless 
 either to fight or to get 
 away. 
 
 The officers and crew 
 worked with all their 
 m ight. They threw some 
 of the cannon overboard, 
 they cut away the fore- 
 mast, they did everything 
 they could to float the 
 vessel. It was no use; 
 the ship stuck fast. 
 
 Of course it did not take 
 long for the Tripolitans 
 to see that the American war ship was helpless. Their 
 gunboats swarmed round the ill-fated vessel and opened 
 fire. It was a trying hour for the gallant Captain Bain- 
 bridge and his men. Down must come the colors, and 
 down they came. The officers and the sailors were taken 
 ashore and thrown into prison. 
 
 After a time, the Tripolitans got the Philadelphia off 
 the reef. Then, towing her into the harbor of Tripoli, 
 they anchored her close under the guns of their forts. 
 
 Wm 
 
 Fight between Dale and the Tripolitan 
 Pirates 
 
160 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The vessel was refitted, cannon were put on board, 
 together with a crew of several hundred sailors, and the 
 crescent flag was raised. She was now ready to sail out 
 to attack our shipping. 
 
 Just think of the days of grief and shame for Captain 
 Bainbridge and his men ! Think of them as they looked 
 day after day out of the narrow windows of the pasha's 
 castle, and saw this vessel, one of the handsomest in the 
 world, flying the colors of the enemy ! These brave 
 Americans had need of all their grit ; but they kept up 
 their courage and bided their time. 
 
 Commodore Preble now sailed to Sicily, and cast 
 anchor in the harbor of Syracuse. 
 
 Don't you suppose the recapture of the Philadelphia 
 was talked of every day ? 
 
 Of course it was. Everybody in the fleet, from the 
 commodore to the powder monkey, was thinking about 
 it. They must do something, and the sooner the better. 
 
 Even Captain Bainbridge in his prison cell wrote 
 several letters with lemon juice, which could be read on 
 being held to the fire, and sent them to Preble. These 
 letters contained plans for sinking the ill-fated ship. 
 
 Every one of Preble's young captains was eager to 
 try it. It might mean glory, and promotion, or perhaps 
 failure, and death. 
 
 Somehow or other all looked to the clashing Stephen 
 Decatur ; for from the first he had taken a leading part 
 in planning the desperate deed. 
 
A DARING KXPLOIT 
 
 161 
 
 " For the honor of the flag, sir, the ship must be 
 destroyed. She must never be allowed to sail under 
 that pirate flag," said Commodore Preble to Decatur. 
 
 " My father was the ship's first commander," replied 
 the young officer, whose fine black eyes gleamed, " and 
 if I can only rescue 
 her, it will be glory 
 enough for a life- 
 time." 
 
 " You have spoken 
 first," said the com- 
 modore, " and it is 
 only right that you 
 should have the first 
 chance." 
 
 No time was lost. 
 All hands went to 
 work. 
 
 What was their 
 plan ? 
 
 With a vessel made 
 to look like a Maltese 
 trader, and with his men dressed like Maltese sailors, 
 Decatur meant to steal into the harbor at night, set fire 
 to the Philadelphia, and then make a race for life. 
 
 A short time before this, Decatur had captured a 
 small vessel, known as a ketch. As this kind of boat 
 was common here, nobody would suspect her. 
 
 American Sailors sold into Slavery by the 
 Barbary Pirates 
 
1 62 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The little craft, now named the Intrepid^ was soon 
 loaded with all kinds of things that would catch fire easily. 
 
 On board the Enterprise on the afternoon of February 
 3, 1803, the order was, " All hands to muster ! " 
 
 " I want sixty-one men out of this ship's crew," said 
 Decatur, " to leave to-morrow in the Intrepid, to help 
 destroy the Philadelphia. Let each man who w r ants to 
 go take two steps ahead." 
 
 With a cheer, every officer, every sailor, and even the 
 smallest powder boys stepped forward. No wonder the 
 young captain's fine face beamed with joy. 
 
 " A thousand thanks, my men," he said, and the tears 
 came into his eyes; " I am sorry, but you can't all go. I 
 will now choose the men I want to take with me." He 
 picked out about sixty of the youngest and most active. 
 
 " Thankee, sir," said each man when his name was 
 called. 
 
 Besides his own younger officers and his surgeon, 
 Decatur took five young officers from the Constitution, 
 and a Sicilian pilot named Catalano, who knew the 
 harbor of Tripoli. 
 
 That same evening, the little ketch, with its crew of 
 some seventy-five men, sailed out of the harbor of Syra- 
 cuse amid three lusty cheers. The war brig Siren went 
 with her. 
 
 In four days, the two vessels reached the harbor of 
 Tripoli, but a bad storm drove them off shore. What a 
 time they had for six days! The Intrepid was a poor 
 
A DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 163 
 
 affair at best, and there was no shelter from the fury and 
 the cold of the storm. The sailors slept on the hard 
 deck, nibbled what little ship bread was not water-soaked, 
 — for they had lost all their bacon, — and caught rain water 
 to drink. In cold, hunger, and wet, these men, like true 
 American sailors, sang their songs, cracked their jokes, 
 and kept up their courage. 
 
 After a week, the fury of the storm 
 abated, the bright sunshine brought 
 comfort, and the two vessels set sail 
 for Tripoli. 
 
 As they drew near the coast, 
 towards evening, the wind was so 
 light that the Siren was almost 
 becalmed. The Intrepid, however, 
 met a light breeze, which sped her 
 toward the rocky harbor. 
 
 Decatur saw that his best hope now 
 was to make a bold dash, without waiting for the brig. 
 
 " Never mind, boys," he said, "the fewer the number, 
 the greater the glory. Keep your heads level ; obey 
 orders every time ; and do your duty." 
 
 About sunset, the ketch with her alert crew came in 
 sight of the white-walled city. They could see the chain 
 of forts and the frowning castle. The tall black hull and 
 the shining masts of the Philadelphia stood out boldly 
 against the bright blue African sky. Two huge men- 
 of-war and a score of gunboats were moored near her. 
 
 Commodore Stephen 
 Decatur 
 
1 64 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 The harbor was like a giant cavern, at the back of which 
 lay the Philadelphia, manned by pirates armed to the 
 teeth, who were waiting for an attack from the dreaded 
 Americans. 
 
 Into these jaws of death, Decatur boldly steered his 
 little craft. The breeze was still fresh. It would never 
 do to take in sail, for the ever-watchful pirates would 
 think it strange. So spare sails and buckets were towed 
 astern to act as a drag, for fear they should reach their 
 goal too early. 
 
 The men now hid themselves by lying flat upon the 
 deck, behind the bulwarks, the rails, and the masts. Only 
 a few persons, dressed like Maltese sailors, could be seen. 
 Decatur stood calmly at the wheel by the side of Cata- 
 lano, the pilot. 
 
 " We lay packed closer than sardines in a box, and 
 were still as so many dead men," said one of the men 
 long afterwards to his grandchildren. 
 
 About nine o'clock the moon rose, and by its clear 
 light the ketch was steered straight across the blue waters 
 for the bows of the Philadelphia. 
 
 " Vessel ahoy ! What vessel is that ?" shouted an officer 
 of the frigate, as the Intrepid boldly came nearer. 
 
 Decatur whispered to his pilot. 
 
 " This is the ketch Stella, from Malta," shouted Cata- 
 lano, in Italian. "We have lost our anchors, and were 
 nearly wrecked in the gale; we want to ride near you 
 during the night." 
 
A DARING EXPLOIT 1 65 
 
 "All right! but only until daylight," replied the officer, 
 and ordered a line to be lowered. 
 
 Without a moment's delay, a boat under the command 
 of young Lawrence put off from the Intrepid. On 
 meeting the pirate boat, he took the line and rowed back 
 to the ketch. 
 
 The Americans, in their red jackets and fezzes, hauled 
 away with a right good will, and brought their little craft 
 steadily in toward the huge black hull of the frigate, 
 where they were soon being made fast under her port 
 side. 
 
 As the ketch now drifted into a patch of moonlight, 
 the pirate officer spied the anchors with their cables 
 coiled up. 
 
 "Keep off! You have lied to me," he shouted, and 
 ordered his men to cut the hawser. 
 
 As if by magic, the deck of the ketch swarmed with 
 men, whose strong arms forced their vessel up against 
 the side of the Philadelphia. 
 
 "Americans! Americans!" cried the dazed Tripolitans. 
 
 " Board ! board ! " shouted Decatur, as he made a 
 spring for the deck of the frigate, followed by his gallant 
 men. 
 
 Although taken by surprise, the Tripolitans fought 
 hard. They were called the best hand to hand fighters 
 in the world, but they were no match for American 
 sailors. As Preble's orders were " to carry all with the 
 sword," no firearms were used. The only weapons 
 
1 66 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 were cutlasses. The watchword was " Philadelphia," 
 which they were to use in the darkness. 
 
 The Americans formed a line from one side of the ship 
 to the other, and, with Decatur as leader, swept every- 
 thing before them on the main deck. On the gun deck, 
 Lawrence and McDonough did the same thing. In 
 fifteen minutes, every Tripolitan had been cut clown or 
 driven overboard. In spite of the close, sharp fighting, 
 not one of our men received a scratch. 
 
 But now comes the tug of war! Every man knows 
 exactly what to do, for he has been well drilled. Some 
 hand up kegs of powder and balls of oakum soaked in 
 tar. Others carry these along the deck and down below. 
 Now they drag two eighteen-pounders amidships, double- 
 shot them, and point them down the main hatch, so as 
 to blow out the bottom of the ship. In a few minutes 
 everything is ready. 
 
 " Start the fires ! " A puff of smoke, a little blaze, 
 then flames everywhere ! 
 
 Quick and sharp comes the order to leap aboard the 
 ketch. Decatur, sure that the work thus far is well 
 done, is the last man to leave. 
 
 Now all are safe aboard the Intrepid. The order is 
 given to cast off. The ketch still clings to the blazing 
 frigate, from whose portholes the flames are shooting 
 out. The gunpowder left on the deck is covered only 
 with canvas. Life is in peril. They find that the stern 
 rope has not been cast off. Up rush Decatur and his 
 
A DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 I6 7 
 
 officers, and cut the hawser with their swords. The 
 boat swings clear, and the men row for their lives. 
 
 The fierce flames of the burning ship bring the 
 Intrepid into plain view. She is a target for every gun. 
 Bang! bang! 
 thunder a hun- 
 dred cannon. 
 
 "Stop rowing, 
 boys, and give 
 'e m three 
 cheers," shouts 
 Decatur. 
 
 Everybody is 
 on his feet in 
 an instant, and 
 joins in the hur- 
 rahs. 
 
 Solid shot, 
 grape, a n d 
 shells whistle 
 and scream in 
 the air above 
 the little ketch, 
 and throw up 
 showers of spray 
 as they strike the water. Only one shot hits, and that 
 whizzes through the mainsail. The men bend to their 
 oars and pull for dear life. They are soon well out of 
 
 The Burning of the Philadelphia 
 
1 68 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 range, and, in a short time, safe under the guns of 
 the Siren. 
 
 What wild hurrahs were heard when Decatur, clad in 
 a sailor's pea-jacket, and begrimed with powder, sprang 
 on board and shouted, "Didn't she make a glorious 
 bonfire, and we did n't lose a man ! " 
 
 In telling the story afterwards, the men said it was a 
 superb sight. The flames burst out and ran rapidly up 
 the masts and the rigging, and lighted up the sea and 
 the sky with a lurid glare. The guns soon became 
 heated and began to go off. They fired their hot shot 
 into the shipping, and even into the town. Then, as 
 if giving a last salute, the Philadelphia parted her cables, 
 drifted ashore, and blew up. 
 
 As a popular saying goes, " Nothing succeeds like 
 success." So it was with Decatur's deed. His cool 
 head and the fine discipline of his men won success. 
 The famous Lord Nelson, the greatest naval commander 
 of his time, said it was " the most bold and daring act of 
 the age." 
 
 Decatur was well rewarded. At twenty-five he was 
 made a captain, and given the command of " Old 
 Ironsides," probably the finest frigate at that time in 
 the world. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 "OLD IRONSIDES" 
 
 " Ay, tear her tattered ensign down ! 
 Long has it waved on high, 
 And many an eye has danced to see 
 That banner in the sky." 
 
 IN 1833, when the old war ship Constitution, unfit 
 for service, lay in the navy yard in Charlestown, the 
 Secretary of the Navy decided to sell her or to break her 
 up. On the appearance of this bit of news in a Boston 
 paper, Oliver Wendell Holmes, a law student at Harvard, 
 scribbled some verses and sent them to the editor. 
 
 This poem of twenty-four lines was at once published, 
 and was soon copied into the leading newspapers of the 
 country. In our large cities, the poem was circulated 
 as a handbill. Popular indignation rose to a white heat, 
 and swept everything before it. 
 
 The order was at once revoked, and Congress decided 
 that the old frigate, so dear to the hearts of the American 
 people, should be rebuilt. 
 
 Why did the people care so much about " Old Iron- 
 sides" ? 
 
 For twenty-five years after the adoption of the Con- 
 stitution, we had a rough road to travel. We were 
 
 169 
 
\JO HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 nearly crushed by our foreign debts, and could do little 
 to defend ourselves on the high seas. England boarded 
 our ships and carried off our sailors, and France cap- 
 tured our vessels and stole their cargoes. Even the 
 Barbary pirates, when they spied the new flag, began 
 to plunder and burn our merchantmen, and sell their 
 crews into slavery. 
 
 In the fall of 1793, eight Algerine pirate craft sailed 
 out into the Atlantic, and within a month had captured 
 eleven of our ships and made slaves of more than a 
 hundred of our sailors. 
 
 Think of our consul at Lisbon writing home, " Another 
 Algerine pirate in the Atlantic. God preserve us ! " 
 
 In behalf of American citizens held as slaves by these 
 pirates, a petition was sent to Congress. A bill was then 
 passed, allowing President Washington to build or to 
 buy six frigates. 
 
 It was a fortunate day for our nation when the plans 
 of Mr. Humphreys, a shipbuilder of Philadelphia, were 
 accepted. He was directed by Congress to prepare the 
 models of six war ships, to be built in different towns on 
 the coast. 
 
 The design of the Constitution was sent to Boston, 
 and her keel was laid in Hartt's Naval Yard, near 
 what is now Constitution Wharf. The ideas of Mr. 
 Humphreys were carried out to the letter. The new 
 frigate was to have better guns, greater speed, greater 
 cruising capacity, — in fact, was to be a little better 
 
OLD IRONSIDES 
 
 171 
 
 in every respect than the British and the French ships 
 of the same rating. 
 
 The Constitution was called a forty-four-gun frigate, 
 although she actually carried thirty twenty-four-pounders 
 
 % 
 
 j^L 
 
 -%^ 
 
 
 Old Ironsides ' 
 
 on her main deck, and twenty-two thirty-two-pounders 
 on her spar deck. She had one gun deck instead of 
 two, and her cannon were heavier than were usually 
 carried on foreign war ships of her own class. She was 
 twenty feet longer and about five feet broader than 
 
172 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the far-famed thirty-eight-gun British frigates. In com- 
 parison with a modern war ship, she was less than one 
 half as long as the armed cruiser New York, and not 
 far from the size of one of our gunboats. 
 
 The British naval officers made much sport of these 
 new ships; but after "Old Ironsides" had destroyed 
 two fine British frigates, and had outsailed a large British 
 fleet, they went to work and made over some of their line 
 of battle ships into large frigates. 
 
 The Constitution was built of the best material, and 
 with unusual care. A Boston shipwright was sent 
 South to select live oak, red cedar, and hard pine. Paul 
 Revere, who made the famous midnight ride to Con- 
 cord, received nearly four thousand dollars for the 
 copper which he furnished for the new frigate. 
 
 From the laying of the keel to the final equipment, 
 the Constitution was kept in the shipyard fully three 
 years. Her live oak timbers, having had two years to 
 season, were hard as iron. 
 
 After many delays, the stanch ship was set afloat at 
 midday, October 21, 1797, "before a numerous and 
 brilliant collection of citizens." 
 
 In 1803, a fleet was sent to the north of Africa, to 
 force the pirates of the Barbary coast to respect the 
 persons and the property of American citizens. Com- 
 modore Preble was made commander, with the Constitu- 
 tion as his flagship. He had under him the Philadelphia, 
 a fine new frigate, and five smaller war ships. 
 
"OLD IRONSIDES" 173 
 
 Preble was a remarkable man, and his " schoolboy cap- 
 tains," as he called them, all under twenty-five years of 
 age, were also remarkable men. 
 
 For two years or more, there was plenty of stubborn 
 fighting. Within forty days, five attacks were made on 
 the forts and the war ships of Tripoli. In three of these 
 attacks, the Constitution took part ; and once, while sup- 
 porting the fleet, she silenced more than a hundred guns 
 behind the forts of the pirate capital. 
 
 Even from the first, the new frigate was lucky. She 
 was never dismasted, or seriously injured, in battle or by 
 weather. In all her service, not one commanding officer 
 was ever lost, and few of her crew were ever killed. 
 
 On one occasion, six of our gunboats made a savage 
 hand to hand attack on twenty-one Tripolitan gunboats, 
 and drove them back into the harbor with great loss. 
 
 " There, Commodore Preble," said young Decatur, as 
 he came over the side of the Constitution, and walked 
 joyfully up to his commander on the quarter-deck, " I 
 have brought you out three of the gunboats." 
 
 Preble had a kind heart, but a very quick temper. 
 Like a flash, he seized Decatur by the collar and shook 
 him, shouting, "Aye, sir, why did you not bring me out 
 more ? " and walked into his cabin. 
 
 The stern old fighter was over his temper in a moment. 
 He sent for his young officer, and made ample amends for 
 bad temper and hasty words. Ever afterwards these two 
 great men were the best of friends. 
 
174 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 During the war of 1812, "the war for free trade and 
 sailors' rights," the Constitution won her chief honors. 
 The story of her remarkable escape from a British 
 squadron has been often told. 
 
 It was at daybreak about the middle of July, 181 2, off 
 the New Jersey coast. Not a breath ruffled the ocean. 
 Captain Isaac Hull, every inch of him a sailor, was in 
 command. A British fleet of five frigates and some 
 smaller vessels, which had been sighted the day before, 
 had crept up during the night, and at daylight almost 
 surrounded "Old Ironsides." 
 
 Hull knew his ship and his men. Not for one moment 
 did he think of giving up his vessel. Of course he could 
 not fight his powerful foe with his single ship. He 
 must get away. But how? 
 
 One of the British frigates, the Shannon, had furled 
 her sails, and was being towed by all the boats of the 
 fleet. 
 
 " This," said Lieutenant Morris, " seemed to decide 
 our fate." 
 
 A moment later, however, a puff of wind carried our 
 frigate out of gunshot. 
 
 " How deep is the water? " shouts Captain Hull. 
 
 " Twenty fathoms," is the reply. 
 
 " Out with the kedge anchor! " cries Hull. 
 
 All the spare ropes and cables are fastened together 
 and payed out to an anchor, which is dropped into the 
 sea a mile ahead. The sailors on the frigate go round 
 
OLD IRONSIDES" 
 
 175 
 
 the windlass on the run, and the vessel is slowly drawn 
 ahead to the anchor, which is now quickly taken up and 
 carried out once more. This is called kedging. 
 
 Our sailor boys give cheer on cheer as they whirl the 
 windlass and pull at the oars. 
 
 The captain of one of the enemy's frigates now sees 
 the game, and tries kedging, but does not get near 
 enough to throw a shot. 
 
 Three of the pursuing ..ffty^X 
 
 frigates open fire at long 
 range, without doing any 
 damage. 
 
 All day long this pursuit 
 is kept up. Every gun is 
 loaded, ready to fire. The 
 men rest by the cannon, 
 with their rammers and 
 their sponges beside them. 
 All the next day the chase 
 goes on. At last, slowly 
 but surely, the American frigate gains on her pursuers. 
 At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Shannon is four 
 miles astern. 
 
 Two hours later, a squall gave Hull a chance to play 
 a trick on his pursuers. Sail was shortened the moment 
 the squall struck. The British captain, seeing the 
 apparent confusion on board the Yankee frigate, also 
 shortened sail. The moment his vessel was hidden by 
 
 Isaac Hull 
 
1/6 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 the rain, Hull quickly made sail again. When the 
 weather cleared, his nearest pursuer was far astern. 
 
 At daylight the next morning, the British fleet was 
 almost out of sight, and, after a chase of three nights 
 and two days, gave up the contest. 
 
 Six days later, the good people of Boston went wild 
 with delight, as their favorite frigate ran the blockade 
 and came to anchor in the harbor. 
 
 Captain Hull was not the man to be shut up in Bos- 
 ton harbor if he could help it. In less than two weeks 
 he ran the blockade and sailed out upon the broad ocean. 
 A powerful British fleet was off the coast. Hull knew 
 it, but out he sailed with his single ship to battle for his 
 country. 
 
 Now the British had a fine frigate named the Guer- 
 riere. This vessel was one of the fleet that had given 
 the Constitution such a hot chase a few days before. 
 Captain Dacres, her commander, and Captain Hull were 
 personal friends, and had wagered a hat on the result of 
 a possible battle between their frigates. The British 
 captain had just written a challenge to the commander of 
 our fleet, saying that he should like to meet any frigate 
 of the United States, to have a few minutes tete-a-tete. 
 
 On the afternoon of August 19, about seven hundred 
 miles northeast of Boston, these two finest frigates in 
 the world, the Guerriere and the Constitution, met for 
 the "interview" that Dacres so much wanted. 
 
 All is hurry and bustle on " Old Ironsides." 
 
"OLD IRONSIDES" I 77 
 
 " Clear for action ! " shrilly sounds the boatswain's 
 whistle. 
 
 The fife and drum call to quarters. Everybody hur- 
 ries to his place. 
 
 The British frigate, as if in defiance, flings out a flag 
 from each topmast. Her big guns flash, but the balls 
 fall short. 
 
 " Don't fire until I give the word," orders Captain Hull. 
 
 Now the Guerriere, drawing nearer and nearer, pours 
 in a broadside. 
 
 "Shall we not fire, sir?" asks Lieutenant Morris. 
 
 " Not yet," is Hull's reply. 
 
 Another broadside tears through the rigging, w r ound- 
 ing several men. The sailors are restless at their double- 
 shotted guns. 
 
 Now the two frigates are fairly abreast, and within 
 pistol shot of each other. 
 
 " Now, boys, do your duty. Fire!" shouts the gallant 
 commander, at the top of his voice. 
 
 Hull is a short and stout man. As he leans over 
 to give the order to fire, his breeches burst from hip 
 to knee. The men roar with laughter. There is no 
 time to waste, however, and so he finishes the battle in 
 his laughable plight. 
 
 An officer, pointing to the captain, cries, " Hull her, 
 boys! hull her!" 
 
 The men, catching the play upon words, shout, " Hull 
 her! Yes, we'll hull her!" 
 
178 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 " Old Ironsides" now lets fly a terrible broadside at close 
 range. The Guerriere's mizzenmast goes overboard. 
 
 " My lads, you have made a brig of that craft ! " cries 
 Hull. 
 
 "Wait a moment, sir, and we'll make her a sloop!" 
 shout back the sailors. 
 
 Sure enough, the Guerriere swings round and gets a 
 raking fire, which cuts away the foremast and much of 
 the rigging, and leaves her a helpless hulk in the trough 
 of the sea. The flag goes down with the rigging, and 
 there is nothing to do but to surrender. 
 
 In just thirty minutes, the British frigate is a wreck. 
 
 During the hottest part of the battle, a sailor, at least 
 so runs the story, saw a cannon ball strike the side of the 
 vessel and fall back into the sea. 
 
 "Hurrah, boys! hurrah for 'Old Ironsides'!" he 
 shouted to his mates ; " her sides are made of iron." 
 
 Some say that from this incident the nickname of 
 "Old Ironsides" took its origin. 
 
 Captain Hull received his old friend Dacres, kindly, 
 on board the Constitution, and said, " I see you are 
 wounded, Dacres. Let me help you." 
 
 When the British captain offered his sword, Hull said, 
 " No, Dacres, I cannot take the sword of a man who 
 knows so well how to use it, but I will thank you for 
 that hat!" 
 
 Just as they were ready to blow up the Guerriere, 
 Dacres remembered that a Bible, his wife's gift, which 
 
OLD IRONSIDES 1 
 
 179 
 
 he had carried with him for years, had been left behind. 
 Captain Hull at once sent a boat after it. 
 
 Twenty-five years after this incident, Captain Dacres, 
 then an admiral, gave Hull a dinner on his flagship, at 
 Gibraltar, and told the ladies the story of his wife's Bible. 
 
 When "Old Iron- 
 sides "came sailing 
 up the harbor, on 
 the last day of 
 August, what a 
 rousing reception 
 the people of Bos- 
 ton gave Captain 
 Hull and his gal- 
 lant men ! 
 
 All the people of 
 the town crowded 
 the wharves or 
 filled the windows 
 and the housetops 
 overlooking the 
 bay. The streets 
 
 were gay with bunting, and there was a grand dinner, 
 with many patriotic speeches and deafening cheers. 
 
 In less than five months after her battle with the 
 Guerriere, the Constitution had her hardest fight. It 
 was with the Java, one of the best frigates in the British 
 navy. Her commander, Captain Lambert, was said to be 
 
 Hull refuses Dacres's Sword 
 
lSo HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 one of the ablest sailors that ever handled a war ship. 
 The battle took place some thirty miles off the north- 
 east coast of Brazil. 
 
 The Constitution was commanded by Captain William 
 Bainbridge. Before this, he had done some feats of seaman- 
 ship, but thus far in his career he had not been fortunate. 
 As you remember, Captain Bainbridge, through no fault 
 of his own, lost the Philadelphia off the harbor of Tripoli. 
 
 The battle began about two o'clock in the afternoon, 
 with broadsides from both frigates. 
 
 Bainbridge was soon wounded in the hip by a musket 
 ball ; then the wheel was shattered, and a small copper 
 bolt was driven into his thigh. Unwilling to leave the 
 deck a moment, he had his wounds dressed while direct- 
 ing the battle. 
 
 Finding that he could not get near enough to the swift 
 British frigate, Bainbridge boldly headed for the enemy. 
 There was great risk of getting raked, but fortunately 
 the Java's shots went wild. 
 
 " Old Ironsides " was now within close range of the Java, 
 and the fire of her heavy cannon soon left the British 
 frigate dismasted and helpless. The British did not 
 surrender, however, until every stick in the ship except 
 a part of the mainmast had been cut away. 
 
 Captain Lambert was mortally injured, his first lieu- 
 tenant severely hurt, and nearly fifty men were killed 
 and more than one hundred wounded. " Old Ironsides " 
 came out of the battle with every spar in place. 
 
OLD JRONSIDKS" 
 
 181 
 
 The wheel of the Java was removed and fitted on the 
 Constitution, to replace the one which had been shot away. 
 
 A few years 
 after the war, 
 some British 
 naval officers 
 paid a visit to 
 "Old I r o n- 
 s i d e s." 
 
 " You have a 
 most perfect 
 vessel," said one 
 of them, " but I 
 must say that 
 you have a very 
 ugly wheel for 
 so beautiful a 
 frigate." 
 
 "Yes," said 
 the American 
 captain to whom 
 the remark was 
 m a d e, "it is 
 ugly. We lost 
 our w h eel i n 
 fighting the 
 Java, and after the battle we replaced it with her wheel, 
 and somehow we have never felt like changing it." 
 
 "Old Ironsides" bearing down on a British 
 Man-of-War 
 
1 82 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Bainbridge was a great-hearted and heroic man. 
 When he was told that Captain Lambert was mor- 
 tally injured, he forgot his own wounds and had his men 
 carry him to the blood-stained quarter-deck, where the 
 British officer lay. He then put into the dying man's 
 hand the sword he had just surrendered. 
 
 On Captain Bainbridge's return to Boston, another 
 long procession marched up State Street, and another 
 grand dinner was given. When he traveled by coach to 
 Washington, the people along the route turned out in 
 great crowds to honor the naval hero. 
 
 The Constitution fought her last battle off the Madeira 
 Islands, on February 20, 181 5, under the command of 
 Captain Charles Stewart, one of the hardest fighters in 
 the history of our navy. 
 
 " What shall I bring you for a present? " said Captain 
 Stewart to his bride. 
 
 " A British frigate," promptly replied the patriotic 
 young wife. 
 
 " I will bring you two," answered Stewart. 
 
 On the afternoon of February 20, two British men-of- 
 war hove in sight. They proved to be the frigate Cyane 
 and the sloop of war Levant. 
 
 " Old Ironsides " made all sail to overhaul them. 
 
 Stewart's superb seamanship in this sharp battle has 
 excited the admiration of naval experts, even to our own 
 day. It is generally admitted that no American ship 
 was ever better handled. He raked one vessel and then 
 
"OLD IRONSIDES" 183 
 
 the other, repeatedly. Neither of the enemy's war ships 
 got in a single broadside. 
 
 Just forty minutes after Stewart's first fire, the Cyane 
 surrendered. A full moon then rose in all its splendor, 
 and the battle went stoutly on with the Levant. At ten 
 o'clock, however, she, too, perfectly helpless, struck her 
 colors. 
 
 " Old Ironsides' " last great battle was over. Single- 
 handed, she had fought two British war ships at one 
 time and defeated them, and that, too, with only three 
 men killed and twelve wounded. In less than three 
 hours our stanch frigate was again in fighting trim. 
 
 With the exception of long periods of rest, " Old 
 Ironsides" carried her country's flag with dignity and 
 honor for forty years. 
 
 Her cruising days ended just before the outburst of 
 the Civil War, in 1861, when she was taken to Newport, 
 Rhode Island, to serve as a school-ship for the Naval 
 Academy. Later, she was housed over, and used as a 
 receiving ship at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In the 
 fall of 1897, she was towed to the navy yard at Charles- 
 town, to take part in her centennial celebration, October 
 21, 1897. 
 
 The old Constitution has been rebuilt in parts, and 
 repaired many times; so that little remains of the original 
 vessel except her keel and her floor frames. These huge 
 pieces of her framework, hewn by hand from solid oak, 
 are the same that thrilled with the shock of the old guns, 
 
1 84 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 before the granite forts of Tripoli. Over them floated 
 the American flag and the pennants of Preble, Hull, 
 Bainbridge, Decatur, Stewart, and many other gallant 
 men, whose heroic deeds have shed luster on the 
 American navy. 
 
 It is interesting to know that Commodore Stewart 
 was the last survivor of the great captains of the war of 
 1812. He served his country faithfully for seventy-one 
 years, and lived to be ninety-one. He died at his home, 
 called " Old Ironsides," in New Jersey, in 1869. 
 
 The loss of a few frigates did not matter much to 
 England, but the loss of her naval prestige in the war of 
 18 1 2 was of importance to the whole world. For the 
 first time, Europe realized that there was a new nation, 
 which was able and willing to fight for its freedom on 
 the ocean, as it had fought for its independence on land. 
 
 "Old Ironsides" still survives, a weather-beaten and 
 battle-scarred hull, but a precious memorial of the nation's 
 glory. She has earned a lasting place in the affections 
 of the American people. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 "OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 
 
 AT the beginning of the last century, England was 
 L fighting for her very life against the mighty 
 Napoleon. We remained neutral ; but our ships were 
 doing a fine business in carrying supplies to the two 
 nations. 
 
 England, however, looked at us with a jealous eye, 
 and was determined to prevent our trade with France. 
 On the other hand, Napoleon was eager to shut us out 
 from England. 
 
 Thus trouble arose. Both nations began to meddle with 
 our commerce, and to capture and plunder our ships. 
 What did they care for the rights of a feeble nation so 
 long as each could cut off the other's supplies? 
 
 Great Britain, moreover, could not man her enormous 
 navy. To get sailors, she overhauled our merchantmen 
 on the high seas and carried men away to supply her war 
 ships. In 1807, nearly two hundred of our merchantmen 
 had been taken by the British, and fully as many more 
 by the French. The time had come when we must 
 either fight or give up our trade. 
 
 It was hard to know what was best to do. Some were 
 for fighting both England and France at the same time. 
 
 ,85 
 
1 86 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Thomas Jefferson, who was President at this time, and 
 James Madison, who followed him in 1809, were men of 
 peace, and believed that the nation should keep out of 
 war. 
 
 In 1811, however, the pent-up wrath of the people, 
 roused by even greater insults, found relief in electing 
 a " war " Congress. Then, through men like Henry 
 Clay and John C. Calhoun, President Madison yielded to 
 popular feeling, and in June, 181 2, war was declared with 
 Great Britain. 
 
 It was a bold thing to do. England had thousands of 
 well-seasoned troops, commanded by officers who had 
 been trained by Wellington. Our regular army had less 
 than seven thousand men, and our main dependence 
 was upon the militia, who proved of little service. To 
 meet England on the water, we had only six frigates and 
 a dozen or more little craft. England had more than two 
 hundred war ships larger than any of ours. 
 
 The war began, and was carried on, in a haphazard 
 sort of way. Most of our land battles were inglorious 
 enough ; but the story of our naval battles is another 
 thing. England, the "mistress of the seas," met with 
 some unpleasant surprises. Out of fifteen naval con- 
 tests, with equal forces, we won twelve. Never before 
 had the British navy met with such defeats. 
 
 Early in the year 18 14, Napoleon was driven into 
 exile at Elba, and Europe was for a time free from war. 
 England was now able to send larger fleets and more 
 
"OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 187 
 
 troops to our shores, and planned to capture New Orleans, 
 the gateway to the commerce of the Mississippi. The 
 hour of trial had indeed come for the fair Creole city. 
 
 New Orleans was foreign in character, having been 
 joined to our republic by purchase, with little in common 
 with our people except a bitter hatred for England. 
 
 In the last week of. November, a great fleet with ten 
 thousand veterans sailed across the Gulf of Mexico, in 
 the direction of New Orleans. The troops, most of 
 whom had just served in Spain, under the " Iron Duke," 
 were held to be the best fighting men in the world. 
 
 The voyage seems to have been a kind of gala trip. 
 The wives of many of the officers sailed with their 
 husbands; and the time was spent in dancing, in 
 musical and theatrical performances, and in other 
 festivities. 
 
 So sure were the proud Britons of taking the Creole 
 city that they brought officers to govern it. 
 
 On December 9, in the midst of a storm, the ships 
 anchored off the delta of the Mississippi. 
 
 The British, having planned to approach New Orleans 
 from the east, sent the lighter craft to cross Lake Borgne, 
 some fifteen miles from the city. 
 
 Five American gunboats, commanded by a young offi- 
 cer named Jones, with less than two hundred men, were 
 guarding the lake. The British landed twelve hundred 
 marines. There was a sharp hand to hand fight for an 
 hour, in which over three hundred of the British were 
 
1 88 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 killed or wounded. But it was twelve hundred against 
 two hundred. Young Jones was severely wounded, and 
 his gunboats were captured. 
 
 It was now two days before Christmas. In a little 
 dwelling house on Royal Street all was hurry and bustle. 
 This was General Jackson's headquarters. Early in the 
 afternoon, a young French officer, Major Villere, had 
 galloped to the door, with the word that an outpost on 
 his father's plantation, twelve miles below New Orleans, 
 had been surprised that morning by the British. 
 
 " The redcoats are marching in full force straight for 
 the city," he said ; " and if they keep on, they will reach 
 here this very night." 
 
 " By the Eternal ! " exclaimed Jackson. His eyes 
 flashed, his reddish gray hair began to bristle, and he 
 brought his fist down upon the table. " They shall 
 not sleep upon our soil this night." 
 
 " Gentlemen," he continued to his officers and to the 
 citizens round him, "the British are below; we must 
 fight them to-night." 
 
 The great bell on the old cathedral of St. Louis begins 
 to ring, cannon are fired three times to signify danger, 
 and messengers ride to and fro in hot haste, with orders 
 for the troops to take up their line of march. 
 
 The people of New Orleans had heard how the rough 
 Britons dealt with the cities of Spain, and they knew 
 well enough that the hated redcoats would treat their 
 own loved city in like manner. 
 
OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 
 
 189 
 
 Jackson put every able-bodied man at work. It was 
 a motley crowd. Creoles, Frenchmen, Spaniards, prison 
 convicts, negroes, and even Lafitte, the far-famed " Pirate 
 of the Gulf," and his 
 crew of buccaneers, 
 answered Jackson's 
 call. The people 
 cheerfully submitted 
 to martial law. The 
 streets resounded 
 with "Yankee Doo- 
 dle" and with " The 
 Marseillaise " sung in 
 English, French, and 
 Spanish. 
 
 The backwoodsmen 
 once more came to 
 the front, as they had 
 done at King's Moun- 
 tain, thirty-five years 
 before. The stern 
 features of " Old 
 Hickory" relaxed a 
 bit at the sight of 
 Colonel Carroll and 
 his riflemen from Nashville. They arrived in flatboats 
 on the same day that the British vanguard reached the 
 river. Clad in coonskin caps and fringed leggins, and 
 
 On the E\ 
 
 \ of the Battle, Spies infor 
 of the Enemy's Position 
 
 jac 
 
190 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 with their long rifles on their shoulders, these rough 
 pioneers came tramping into the city. They were tall, 
 gaunt fellows, with powder horns over their buckskin 
 shirts, and with hunting knives in their belts. 
 
 Colonel Coffee, too, had come with his regiment of 
 mounted riflemen, and was encamped five miles below 
 the city. 
 
 Now Jackson knew that if he did not have time to 
 throw up some earthworks, the city was likely to fall. 
 In his usual fiery way, he made up his mind to attack the 
 enemy that very night. 
 
 Meanwhile the British had built their camp fires along 
 the levee, and were eating their supper. Not once did 
 they think themselves in clanger. 
 
 Soon after dark, a strange vessel, dropping quietly 
 down the river, anchored within musket shot. Some of 
 the redcoats thought it best to stir up the stranger, and 
 so fired several times at her. 
 
 Suddenly a hoarse voice was heard, " Now give it to 
 them, boys, for the honor of America ! " 
 
 It was the Carolina, an American war schooner. 
 
 At once shot and shell rained on the British camp, 
 killing or wounding at least a hundred men in ten min- 
 utes. The redcoats trampled out their camp fires, and 
 fled behind the levee for shelter. 
 
 This was a rather warm reception, but it became a 
 great deal warmer when Jackson charged into their 
 camp. For two hours in the dark was fought a series 
 
OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 
 
 191 
 
 of deadly hand to hand fights. The British used their 
 bayonets, the riflemen their hunting knives. 
 
 At last, a thick fog from the river made it impossible 
 to tell friend from foe. The redcoats retreated and found 
 shelter behind the levee. The Americans fell back about 
 three miles and camped. 
 
 This bold night attack cost 
 the British five hundred in 
 killed and wounded, and saved 
 New Orleans from capture. 
 Jackson had gained his point. 
 He had dealt the enemy a 
 sudden, stinging blow. 
 
 Christmas opened drearily 
 enough for the invaders, but 
 before night, to their great joy, 
 Sir Edward Pakenham arrived 
 from England, and took com- 
 
 General Jackson, nicknamed 
 "Old Hickory" 
 
 mand. The British had now 
 
 about ten thousand men, led 
 
 by three veterans. Surely, it would be nothing but boy's 
 
 play for the great Sir Edward to defeat the "backwoods 
 
 general " and his motley army. On his return home, his 
 
 reward was to be a peerage. 
 
 Pakenham went to work bright and early the next 
 morning. Within two days, eleven cannon and a mor- 
 tar were brought from the fleet, and mounted in a redoubt 
 on the bank of the river. The battery at once began 
 
192 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 to throw red-hot shells at the two war vessels in the 
 river. The little Carolina soon blew up, while the 
 Louisiana was towed out of range and escaped. 
 
 The next morning, Sir Edward thought that by march- 
 ing out his army he might get a look at the enemy. He 
 was not disappointed, for after advancing nearly three 
 miles, he stumbled on the Americans in good earnest. 
 
 No sooner were the British columns in sight than 
 they were driven back by a brisk fire of shot and shell. 
 Then followed a furious artillery duel. In vain the British 
 pounded away with field pieces, rocket guns, and mortars ; 
 they were forced back by the cannon of the Americans. 
 
 The British commander now saw that he must lay 
 regular siege to the American position. 
 
 Shortly after midnight, on New Year's morning, his 
 men silently advanced to within three hundred yards of 
 Jackson's first intrenchments, which were made of cotton 
 bales, and threw up a redoubt of mud and hogsheads 
 of sugar. When the fog lifted at ten o'clock, the Ameri- 
 cans were surprised to see the British cannon frowning 
 upon them. 
 
 The artillery began to roar. Jackson's cotton bales 
 were soon burning. On the other hand, the Louisiana 
 and a water battery did fine work with their raking fire, 
 and soon blew the sugar barrels into thousands of pieces. 
 The British guns were quickly silenced, and only the 
 gallantry of the sailors from the war ships saved them 
 from capture. 
 
"OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 193 
 
 Sir Edward had boasted that he should pass this New 
 Year's night in New Orleans; but his reception had 
 been so warm that he was now forced to withdraw. 
 Jackson had made it so lively for the invaders that they 
 had been without sleep and food for nearly sixty hours. 
 
 The British admiral tried a grim joke by sending 
 word to Sir Edward that, if he did not hurry and cap- 
 ture the city, he should land his marines and do up the 
 job himself. 
 
 The British now decided to carry by storm the Ameri- 
 can lines on both sides of the river, and chose Sunday 
 morning, January 8, for the attack. 
 
 Jackson gave himself and his men no rest, night or 
 day. He had redoubts thrown up even to the city itself. 
 
 The main line of defense, over which not a single 
 British soldier passed, except as prisoner, was a mud bank 
 about a mile and a half long. In front of it was a ditch, 
 or half choked canal, which ran from the river to an 
 impassable cypress swamp on the left wing. 
 
 All Saturday night, January 7, was heard in the 
 British camp the sound of pickax and shovel, the rumble 
 of artillery, and the muffled tread of the regiments, as they 
 marched to their several positions in the line of battle. 
 
 After a day of great fatigue, Jackson lay down upon a 
 sofa to rest. At midnight, he looked at his watch and 
 spoke to his aids. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said, " we have slept long enough. 
 The enemy will be upon us in a few moments." 
 
194 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Long before daylight, "Old Hickory" saw to it that 
 every man was at his post. Leaning on their rifles, or 
 grouped about the great guns, the men in silence saluted 
 their beloved general, as he rode from post to post, in the 
 thick fog of that long, wakeful night. 
 
 The lifting of the fog in the early light revealed 
 the long scarlet lines of British veterans, in battle array. 
 Surely it was only something to whet their appetites 
 for breakfast, for such well-trained fighters to carry that 
 low, mud earthwork. 
 
 The bugle sounded, and the red-coated grenadiers and 
 the kilted Highlanders moved steadily forward in col- 
 umns. Not a rifle cracked, but the cannon from the mud 
 earthwork thundered furiously. Grape and solid shot 
 tore long lanes through the advancing battalions. 
 
 General Gibbs led the attack on the left, which a 
 deserter had told Pakenham was the weakest part of 
 the earthwork. So it was ; but on the clay before the 
 battle, Jackson had stationed there his Tennessee rifle- 
 men. 
 
 Nearer come the British regulars on the dcuble-quick. 
 The four lines of sturdy riflemen wait until three fourths 
 of the distance is covered. 
 
 Suddenly the clear voice of General Carroll rings out, 
 " Fire ! " 
 
 A sheet of flame bursts from the earthwork. The 
 advancing columns falter, stop, break, and run. Not a 
 man reaches the redoubt. 
 
••OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 195 
 
 It was said that an old thirty-two-pounder had been 
 loaded to the muzzle with musket balls, the first volley 
 of which killed or wounded two hundred of the enemy. 
 
 " Here comes the Ninety-Third ! Rally on the Ninety- 
 Third!" shouts Pakenham, as this splendid regiment of 
 eight hundred kilted Highlanders advances amid the 
 confusion. 
 
 The brave men now rally for another desperate charge. 
 
 "Hurrah, boys! the clay is ours!" shouts Colonel 
 Rennie, as he leads the attack on the right flank. 
 
 But the day is not theirs. A few officers and men 
 actually get across the ditch, but every one of them is 
 shot dead the moment his head shows over the earth- 
 work. The wavering columns stagger and give way. 
 
 Sir Edward leaves General Lambert in command of 
 the reserve, and, with generals Gibbs and Keane, now 
 leads the assault. The mud earthwork again belches 
 its sheets of flame, as the backwoods riflemen fire their 
 death-dealing volleys. Again the proud columns give 
 way. 
 
 " Forward, men, forward ! " cries Pakenham, ordering 
 the bugler to sound the charge. 
 
 A rifle ball carries away the bugle before a note is 
 sounded. 
 
 " Order up the reserve ! " shouts the British commander, 
 and leads his men to another deadly charge. 
 
 A rifle bullet shatters his right leg, another kills his 
 horse, and finally a third, fired by a negro, instantly 
 
I96 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 kills him. Gibbs and Keane are both severely wounded. 
 The officers in the brilliant uniforms are easy targets for 
 the sharpshooters. 
 
 It is what Bunker Hill might have been if the 
 patriots had had stronger breastworks and plenty of 
 ammunition. 
 
 The eight hundred Highlanders, with pale faces but 
 firm step, advance to the ditch, and, too proud to run, 
 stand the fire until few more than a hundred are left. 
 These slowly retire with their faces still toward the 
 Americans. 
 
 The battle lasted only twenty-five minutes. During 
 this time the American flag was kept flying near the 
 middle of the line. A military band roused the troops. 
 Just after the fight, Jackson and his staff in full uniform 
 rode slowly along the lines. The wild uproar of that 
 motley army was echoed by thousands of spectators, who 
 with fear and trembling had watched the issue of the 
 contest. 
 
 In the final and decisive action on that Sunday morn- 
 ing, the British had about six thousand men, while Jack- 
 son had less than three thousand. Of the British, seven 
 hundred were killed, fourteen hundred wounded, and five 
 hundred taken prisoners. The Americans had only eight 
 killed and fourteen wounded ! 
 
 It was the most astonishing battle ever fought on this 
 continent. There had never been a defeat so crushing, 
 with a loss so small. 
 
OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 
 
 197 
 
 For a week or more, the British kept sullenly within 
 their lines. Jackson clung to his intrenchments. He 
 was a fearless fighter, but was unwilling to risk a battle 
 with well-tried veterans in an open field. He kept 
 up, however, a continual pounding with his big guns, 
 and his mounted riflemen gave the redcoats no rest. 
 
 General Jackson riding along the Lines, after the Battle 
 
 In about three weeks, General Lambert skillfully 
 retreated to the ships, and, soon afterwards, the entire 
 army sailed for England. 
 
 Such was the glorious but dreadful battle of New 
 Orleans, the anniversary of which is still celebrated. 
 
198 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Honors fell thick and fast upon " Old Hickory." Four- 
 teen years later, he became the seventh President of the 
 United States. 
 
 The sad part of this astounding victory is that peace 
 had been declared about two weeks before the battle 
 was fought. A "cablegram," or even an ocean grey- 
 hound, could have saved the lives of many brave men. 
 
 When peace was made, nothing was said about impress- 
 ing our sailors, or about the rights of our merchantmen. 
 From that day to this, however, no American citizen has 
 been forced to serve on a British war ship, and no Amer- 
 ican vessel has ever been searched on the high seas. 
 
 The war of 18 12 was not fought in vain. The nations 
 of the world saw that we would fight to maintain our 
 rights. Best of all, perhaps, this war served to strengthen 
 the feeling of nationality among our own people. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 A HERO'S WELCOME 
 
 RARELY has the benefactor of a people been awarded 
 such measure of gratitude as we gave Lafayette, in 
 1 8 24. Eager crowds flocked into the cities and the villages 
 to welcome this hero. Thousands of children, the boys 
 in blue jackets and the girls in white dresses, scattered 
 flowers before him. If you could get your grandfather 
 or your grandmother to tell you of this visit, it would 
 be as interesting as a storybook. 
 
 The conditions in the United States were just right 
 for Mich an outburst of feeling. Everybody knew the 
 story of the rich French nobleman, who, at the age of 
 nineteen, had left friends, wife, home, and native land, to 
 cast his lot with strange people, three thousand miles 
 away, engaged in fighting for freedom. 
 
 It was not until after the battle of Bunker Hill that, 
 at a grand dinner party, the young marquis heard of our 
 struggle for independence. He knew neither our country 
 nor our people, and he did not speak our language ; but 
 his sympathies were at once awakened, and he made up 
 his mind to fight for us. 
 
 In the spring of 1777, at his own expense, he bought 
 
 and fitted out a vessel with military supplies, and sailed 
 
 199 
 
200 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 for America. Seven weeks later, he landed in South 
 Carolina, and at once went to Philadelphia to offer his 
 services to Congress. 
 
 He wrote a note to a member of Congress, in which 
 he said, " After the sacrifices I have made, I have the 
 right to exact two favors ; one is, to serve at my own 
 expense, the other, to serve as a volunteer." 
 
 These manly words and the striking appearance of the 
 young Frenchman, together with letters from Benjamin 
 Franklin, had their effect. His services were accepted, 
 and he was made a major general. 
 
 For seven years Lafayette served Washington as an 
 aid and a personal friend. His deep sympathy, his gen- 
 erous conduct, and his gracious ways won all hearts, from 
 the stately Washington to the humblest soldier. Per- 
 sonal bravery on the battlefield at once gained fame for 
 him as a soldier, and made him one of the heroes of the 
 hour. His example worked wonders in getting the best 
 young men of the country to enlist in the army. 
 
 During the fearful winter at Valley Forge, the young 
 nobleman suddenly changed his manner of living. Used 
 to ease and personal comforts, he became even more 
 frugal and self-denying than the half-starved and half- 
 frozen soldiers. How different it must have been from 
 the gayeties and the luxuries of the French court of the 
 winter before ! 
 
 The battle of Monmouth was fought on a hot Sunday 
 in June, 1778. From four o'clock in the morning until 
 
A HERO'S WELCOME 
 
 dusk, Lafayette fought like a hero. Late at night, when 
 the battle was over, he and Washington lay upon the 
 same cloak, under a tree, and talked over the strange 
 ' events of the day until they fell asleep. 
 
 After the battle of Monmouth, Lafayette went back to 
 France to visit his family, and to plead the cause of his 
 adopted country. He 
 was kindly received 
 at court. 
 
 u Tell us all the 
 good news about our 
 dearly-beloved 
 Americans," begged 
 the queen. 
 
 To the king, La- 
 fayette spoke plainly : 
 " The m oney that 
 you spend, Sire, on 
 one of your court 
 balls would go far 
 towards sending an 
 army to the colonies 
 in America, and 
 dealing England a blow where she would most feel it." 
 
 In the spring of 1780, Lafayette returned to America 
 with the French king's pledge of help. 
 
 At the close of the Revolution, the gallant young 
 marquis went back to France, the hero of his nation, but 
 
 Lafayette's Visit to Washington at Mount 
 Vernon, in 1784 
 
202 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 his interest in America never grew less. When the 
 treaty of peace was signed at Paris, he hired a vessel 
 and hurried it across the ocean, with the good news. 
 
 In 1784, the year after peace was declared, Lafayette 
 visited this country for the third time. He made Wash- 
 ington a long visit at Mount Vernon, went over the old 
 battlefields, and met his old comrades. 
 
 In 1824, it was known that Lafayette, now an old 
 man, longed to visit once more the American people 
 and the scenes he loved so well. Congress at once 
 requested President Monroe to invite him as the nation's 
 guest. 
 
 Forty years had wrought a marvelous change in 
 America. The thirteen colonies, in whose cause the 
 young Frenchman came over the sea, had been united 
 into a nation of twenty-four states. The experiment of 
 laying the foundation of a great republic had proved 
 successful. The problem of self-government had been 
 solved. 
 
 The United States had taken its place among the 
 great nations of the world, — a republic of twelve millions 
 of prosperous and happy people. Towns and cities had 
 sprung up like magic. The tide of immigration had 
 taken possession of mountain and valley of what was 
 then the far West. 
 
 The people of the young nation were still rejoicing 
 over the glorious victories of Hull, Decatur, Bainbridge, 
 Perry, and other heroes of the sea. Less than ten years 
 
A HIIRO'S WELCOME 203 
 
 before, General Jackson had won his great victory at 
 New Orleans. 
 
 Time had dealt heavily with the great generals of the 
 Revolution. Washington had been laid away in the 
 tomb at Mount Vernon, twenty-five years before. Greene, 
 Wayne, Marion, Morgan, Schuyler, Knox, and Lincoln 
 were all dead. Stark had died only two years before. 
 Sumter was still living. Lafayette was the last surviv- 
 ing major general of the Revolution. 
 
 The people of this country were familiar with Lafay- 
 ette's remarkable history since he had left America. 
 They had heard of his lifelong struggle against tyranny 
 in his native land. They knew him as the gallant 
 knight who had dealt hard blows in the cause of freedom. 
 They cared little about the turmoils of French politics, 
 but knew that this champion of liberty had been for 
 five years in an Austrian dungeon. 
 
 Do you wonder that the grateful people of the sturdy 
 young republic were eager to receive him as their guest? 
 
 In company with his son, George Washington Lafay- 
 ette, and his private secretary, Lafayette landed at Staten 
 Island, New York, on Sunday, August 15, 1824. He 
 spent the night at the house of Vice President Tompkins. 
 The next daw six thousand citizens came, in a grand 
 procession of gayly decked vessels, to escort the national 
 guest to the city. The cannon from the forts and from 
 the men-of-war boomed a welcome, while two hundred 
 thousand people cheered themselves hoarse. 
 
204 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 
 Within a few days Lafayette went to Washington, and 
 was formally received as the nation's guest by President 
 Monroe, at the White House. 
 
 As our guest now enters upon an unbroken series of 
 receptions and triumphal ovations in the twenty-four 
 
 states of the Union, let 
 us take a glimpse at his 
 personal appearance. 
 
 Lafayette was tall, 
 rather stout, and had a 
 large head. His face 
 was oval and regular, 
 with a high forehead. 
 His complexion was 
 light, and his cheeks 
 were red. He had a 
 long nose, and well- 
 arched eyebrows over- 
 hanging grayish blue 
 eyes. He had lost his 
 hair in the Austrian 
 prison, and in its place 
 wore a curly, reddish brown wig, set low upon his fore- 
 head, thus concealing the heavy wrinkles upon his 
 brow. 
 
 " Time has much changed us, for then we were young 
 and active," said Lafayette to his old friend, the famous 
 Indian chief Red Jacket, whom he met at Buffalo. 
 
 President Monroe, who received the 
 Nation's Guest 
 
A HERO'S WELCOME 205 
 
 " Alas ! " said the aged warrior, who did not suspect the 
 finely made French wig, " time has left my white brother 
 red cheeks and a head covered with hair ; but for me, — 
 look!" and, untying the handkerchief that covered his 
 head, the old chieftain showed with a grim smile that he 
 was entirely bald. 
 
 The veteran soldiers of the Revolution said they could 
 not see any resemblance to their youthful hero of nearly 
 half a century before. He was always a plain-looking, 
 if not a homely man, but his smile w r as magnetic, his 
 face singularly attractive, and his manner full of sweet 
 and gracious courtesy. To the people of the Revolution 
 he was always known as " the young marquis." 
 
 Lafayette remained in New York four days; but, 
 having promised to attend the graduating exercises at 
 Harvard College, he was forced to hasten to Boston. 
 The trip was made by a relay of carriages, with a large 
 civic and military escort. 
 
 Although the party traveled from five o'clock in the 
 morning until midnight, it took five days to reach the 
 city. Every village along the route had its triumphal 
 arch, trimmed with flowers and patriotic mottoes. Peo- 
 ple came for many miles round, to welcome the great 
 man and his party. At night the long file of carriages 
 was escorted by men on horseback, carrying torches. 
 Cannon were fired and church bells rung, all along the 
 route ; while, after dark, huge bonfires were lighted on 
 the hilltops and on every village green. 
 
206 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 When Lafayette appeared, there was wild excitement 
 in the staid city of Boston. He rode in an open 
 barouche drawn by six white horses; and was escorted 
 by companies of militia, and by twelve hundred mounted 
 tradesmen, clad in white frocks. 
 
 It seems that Dr. Bowditch, the famous mathematician, 
 a man too dignified to smile on ordinary occasions, was 
 caught in the crowd that was waiting for Lafayette. He 
 walked up a flight of steps, that he might with proper 
 dignity let the crowd pass. At the sight of the famous 
 Frenchman, he seemed to lose his senses; for in an 
 instant he was in the front ranks of the crowd, trying to 
 shake hands with the honored guest, and shouting with 
 all his might. 
 
 On this trip Lafayette went east as far as Portsmouth, 
 New Hampshire. His tour was then directed by way of 
 Worcester, Hartford, and the familiar scenes of the Hud- 
 son, to the South and the Southwest, where he visited 
 all the large cities. From New Orleans, he ascended 
 the Mississippi and the Ohio. He then crossed Lake 
 Erie, and, passing through the state of New York and 
 the old Bay State, visited Portland, Maine. Returning 
 by Lake Champlain and the Hudson, he reached New 
 York in time for the magnificent celebration of the 
 Fourth of July, 1825. The tour was brought to an end 
 in September, by a visit to the national capital. 
 
 Lafayette's journey through the country lasted for 
 more than a year, and was one unbroken ovation. 
 
A HIIRO'S WELCOME 207 
 
 Towns and cities all over the land vied with each other 
 in paying him honor. It was one long series of public 
 dinners, patriotic speeches, bonfires, flower-decked arches, 
 processions of school children, and brilliant balls. 
 
 The old veterans who had fought under Washington 
 eagerly put on their faded uniforms, and found themselves 
 the heroes of the hour, as they fought their battles over 
 again to crowds of eager listeners. In fact, Lafayette's 
 interviews with the old soldiers and the few surviving 
 officers appear to have been the most interesting and the 
 most pathetic features of the whole journey. 
 
 A few weeks after his arrival in this country, Lafayette 
 went to Yorktown, to celebrate the anniversary of that 
 notable victory. He was entertained in the house which 
 had been the headquarters of Cornwallis, forty-three 
 years before. A single bed was found for the marquis; 
 but the little village was so crowded that the governor of 
 Virginia and the great officers of the state were forced 
 to cam}) on straw spread on the floor. 
 
 A big box of candles, which once belonged to Corn- 
 wallis's supplies, was found in good order in the cellar. 
 They were lighted and arranged in the middle of the 
 cam]), where the ladies and the soldiers danced. 
 
 The next clay, Lafayette received his callers in the 
 large Washington tent, which had been brought from 
 Mount Vernon for this purpose. Branches cut from a 
 fine laurel in front of the Nelson house were woven into 
 a crown, and placed on the head of the honored guest. 
 
208 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Lafayette at once took it off, and, putting it on the 
 head of his old comrade, Colonel Nicholas Fish, who 
 helped him carry the redoubt at Yorktown, said, " Take 
 it ; this wreath belongs to you also ; keep it as a deposit 
 for which we must account to our comrades." 
 
 " Nick," said Lafayette at another time to this aged 
 man, as the two old friends sailed up the Hudson, " do you 
 remember when we used to slide clown that hill with the 
 Newburgh girls, on an ox sled ? " 
 
 On the trip through the Southwest, one of the grand- 
 est ovations took place at Nashville, Tennessee. Gen- 
 eral Jackson, the hero of New Orleans, with forty 
 veterans of the Revolution, and thousands of people 
 from far and near, gave their guest a rousing welcome. 
 
 One old German veteran, who came over with Lafay- 
 ette in 1777, and who served with him during the whole 
 war, traveled a hundred and fifty miles over the moun- 
 tains to reach Nashville. 
 
 As he threw himself into his general's arms, he 
 exclaimed, " I have seen you once again ; I have nothing 
 more to wish for; I have lived long enough." 
 
 In the grand procession at New Orleans, one hundred 
 Choctaw Indians marched in single file. They had been 
 in camp near the city for a month, that they might be on 
 hand to see " the great warrior," " the brother of their 
 great father Washington." 
 
 It would fill a good-sized book to tell you all the inci- 
 dents and the courtesies that marked this triumphal tour. 
 
A HIIRO'S WELCOME 209 
 
 At Hartford, Connecticut, eight hundred school chil- 
 dren, who had saved their pennies, gave Lafayette a 
 gold medal, and a hundred veterans of the Revolution 
 escorted him through the city to the boat. 
 
 When the grand cavalcade reached Portsmouth, New 
 Hampshire, the rain came down in torrents, but a thou- 
 sand school children, crowned with flowers, lined the road 
 to greet the far-famed man, and not one left the ranks. 
 
 In New York City, there was a firemen's parade with 
 nearly fifty hand engines, each drawn by thirty red- 
 shirted men. A sham house was built and set on fire; 
 then, at the captain's signal, the firemen leaped to the 
 brakes and showed their foreign guest how fire was put 
 out in America. 
 
 Sixty Boston boys, from twelve to fourteen years of 
 age, formed a flying artillery company, and, keeping just 
 ahead of the long procession, fired salute after salute as 
 the party neared the city. 
 
 While in Boston, Lafayette rode out to Quincy one 
 Sunday, to pay a visit of respect to the venerable John 
 Adams, and dine with him. He was astonished to find 
 this noted man and ex- President of the United States 
 living in a one-story frame house. Although the old 
 statesman was so feeble that his grandchildren had to 
 put the food into his mouth, Lafayette said "he kept up 
 the conversation on the old times with an ease and readi- 
 ness of memory which made us forget his eighty-nine 
 years." 
 
2IO HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 One beautiful night while Lafayette was the guest of 
 Philadelphia, the whole city was illuminated in his honor. 
 Forty thousand strangers flocked into town for the 
 night. The next morning the mayor called upon the 
 distinguished guest, and told him that although it was " a 
 night of joyous and popular effervescence," perfect order 
 prevailed, and not a single arrest was made. 
 
 A word was coined to express this flood tide of 
 popular homage, and, for many years afterwards, when- 
 ever special honors were paid to anybody, he was said to 
 be " Lafayetted." 
 
 A touching incident shows the spirit of gratitude which 
 seemed to seize even the humblest of citizens, in trying 
 to please the nation's guest. The party stopped at a 
 small tavern on a byroad in Virginia, to rest the horses. 
 The landlord came out and begged Lafayette to come 
 into his house, if only for five minutes. The marquis, 
 with his usual courtesy, yielded to the request, and 
 entered. 
 
 The plain but neat living room was trimmed with 
 fir trees, and upon its whitewashed wall was written, 
 in charcoal, " Welcome, Lafayette." On a small table 
 was a bottle of strong drink, with glasses, as was the cus- 
 tom in those days. There was also a plate of thin slices 
 of bread, all neatly covered with a napkin. The land- 
 lord introduced his wife, and brought in his little five- 
 year old boy. The food was served, and the health of 
 the guest was drunk. 
 
A HERO'S WELCOME 
 
 The speech for the occasion was recited by the boy : 
 "General Lafayette, I thank you for the liberty which 
 you have won for my father, for my mother, for myself, 
 and for my country." 
 
 Lafayette was much moved by the sincerity of it all; 
 and after kissing the boy and getting into his carriage, 
 he said, with tears in 
 
 his eyes, that it was 
 
 one of the happiest 
 moments of his life. 
 
 While on his way 
 to Yorktown, in Octo- 
 ber, Lafayette paid a 
 visit to Mount Ver- 
 non. Again he passed 
 through the rooms 
 and over the grounds 
 with which he was so 
 familiar. What mem- 
 ories of its owner, his 
 great and faithful 
 friend for twenty-two years, must have crowded upon 
 the old hero ! 
 
 The remains of Washington then lay in the old tomb 
 near the river. The door was opened, and Lafayette 
 went down into the vault, where he remained some 
 moments beside the coffin of his great chief. He came 
 out with his head bowed, and with tears streaming down 
 
 Lafayette's Reception at a Roadside Tavern 
 in Virginia 
 
212 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 his face. He then led his son into the tomb, where they 
 knelt reverently, and, after the French fashion, kissed 
 the coffin. 
 
 Meanwhile, the fiftieth anniversary of the battle of 
 Bunker Hill was near at hand. The prosperous and 
 happy people of the old Bay State were preparing 
 a celebration. The corner stone of 
 Bunker Hill Monument was to be 
 laid by Lafayette. 
 
 The weather on this memorable 
 June day was perfect. Never before 
 had such a crowd been seen in 
 Boston. 
 
 A Yankee stage driver very aptly 
 said, " Everything that had wheels 
 and everything that had legs used 
 them to get to Boston." 
 
 Through the densely crowded 
 
 streets, a grand civic and military 
 
 procession of seven thousand people 
 
 escorted the guests to Bunker Hill. 
 
 As one famous man said, " It seemed as if no spot where 
 
 a human foot could plant itself was left unoccupied." 
 
 Two hundred officers and soldiers of the Revolution 
 inarched at the head of the procession. One old man, 
 who had been a drummer in the battle of Bunker Hill, 
 carried the same drum with which he had rallied the 
 patriot forces. 
 
 Bunker Hill Monument 
 
A HERO'S WKI.COME 
 
 213 
 
 How they shouted when the hero of the day came 
 riding slowly along, in an open barouche drawn by six 
 white horses! The women waved their handkerchiefs, 
 and the gayly decked school children scattered flowers. 
 
 How thrilling it 
 was to see those forty 
 white-haired men, the 
 survivors of Bunker 
 Hill! 
 
 During the morn- 
 ing, these honored 
 heroes had been pre- 
 sented to Lafayette. 
 He had shaken hands 
 with them, had called 
 them by name, and 
 had spoken a few 
 tender words to each 
 of them, as if to some 
 dear friend. 
 
 Not a field officer or a staff officer of the battle was 
 living. Captain Clark, the highest surviving officer, 
 came tottering along under the weight of ninety-five 
 years, to shake hands with the French nobleman. 
 
 The young man who introduced the veterans, and who 
 in after years became one of the most honored citizens 
 and mayors of Boston, said of this occasion, " If there 
 were dry eyes in the room, mine were not among them." 
 
 Lafayette's Reception, in Boston, to the 
 Veterans of the Revolution 
 
HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 What a scene it was for an historical picture, when the 
 brave old minister, the Reverend Joseph Thaxter, who 
 was chaplain of Colonel Prescott's regiment, rose to offer 
 prayer and to give the benediction ! As his feeble voice 
 was lifted to ask for the blessing of God, it did not seem 
 possible that fifty years before, on the same spot, this man 
 had stood and prayed for the patriot cause. 
 
 Daniel Webster was the orator of the day. A famous 
 Englishman once said that no man could be as great as 
 Webster looked, and on this day the majestic orator 
 seemed to tower above all other men. 
 
 Every American schoolboy who has had " to speak 
 -^^—— his piece " knows by heart 
 
 the famous passage from 
 this oration, beginning, 
 "Venerable men! you 
 have come down to us 
 from a former generation. 
 Heaven has bounteously 
 lengthened out your 
 lives, that you might be- 
 hold this joyous day." 
 
 Mr. Webster's voice 
 was in such good order 
 that fifteen thousand people are said to have been able 
 to hear him. 
 
 At the banquet during the same evening, the great 
 orator said, " I shall never desire to behold again the 
 
 Daniel Webster 
 
A HERO'S WELCOME 215 
 
 awful spectacle of so many, human faces all turned 
 towards me." 
 
 Near the end, Lafayette visited Thomas Jefferson at 
 Monticello. The veteran statesman, now eighty-one 
 years old, drove his old-time friend and guest over to a 
 grand banquet at the University of Virginia. James 
 Madison was present. When the students and the great 
 crowd of people saw Washington's friend seated between 
 the two aged statesmen, a shout went up, the like of 
 which, it was said, was never before heard in the Old 
 Dominion. 
 
 When Lafayette arrived in America, in August, 1824, 
 he first visited the national capital, and was formally 
 received at the White House by President Monroe and 
 by many of the great men of the country. On his return 
 to Washington in 1825, he was told that Congress had 
 voted him two hundred thousand dollars and two large 
 tracts of land, for his services during the Revolution. 
 
 It was now September, and Lafayette had remained 
 in this country much longer than he had expected. The 
 new President, John Quincy Adams, gave him a farewell 
 dinner at the White House, with a large party of notable 
 men. The President's formal farewell to the country's 
 guest is a classic in our literature. 
 
 Amid the blessings and the prayers of a grateful 
 people, Lafayette sailed for France in the new and 
 beautiful frigate Brandywine, which had been built and 
 named in his honor. 
 
216 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 For years afterwards, some people used to tell their 
 children, with a peculiar thrill and feeling of awe, that 
 a beautiful rainbow arched the heavens just before 
 Lafayette landed at Staten Island, and that an equally 
 beautiful symbol of peace spanned the broad ocean, as 
 the steamboat moved slowly clown Chesapeake Bay, to 
 take the nation's guest on board the Brandywine. 
 
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 
 
 Chapter I, Page i 
 
 THE HERO OF VINCENNES 
 
 I. Who was Daniel Boone? 2. When did Boone live? 3. How old 
 was George Rogers Clark at this time? 4. Was Clark brave? 5. Why 
 were the pioneers so long in hearing of the battle of Lexington, which 
 was fought in April? 6. How did Lexington, Kentucky, get its name? 
 7. What kind of life did the pioneers lead in the wilderness? 8. Did the 
 pioneers have other enemies besides the Indians? 9. Why did Clark go 
 back to Virginia? 10. Who lived north of the Ohio? 
 
 II. Why did England try to keep the Americans from going west? 
 12. Who was Hamilton the " hair buyer " ? 13. What made the Indians 
 so hostile to the pioneers? 14. How did Clark plan to defend Kentucky? 
 15. Where was the Illinois country? 16. Why did Clark go back a 
 second time to Virginia? 17. Did anybody think well of Clark's plan of 
 campaign? 18. How much oT an army did Clark have for his campaign? 
 19. Where did Clark plan to begin his campaign? 20. Why did Clark 
 avoid the Mississippi River? 
 
 21. Whom did Clark have as guides? 22. How long a march was it 
 to Kaskaskia? 23. What time of year was it when Clark marched to 
 Kaskaskia? 24. Did Clark have trouble in getting into the town of Kas- 
 kaskia? 25. What were the people of Kaskaskia doing? 26. How did 
 Clark introduce himself? 27. Who were the Creoles? (Consult a large 
 dictionary.) 28. Who helped Clark make friends? 29. What sort of 
 man was Clark ? 30. What did Hamilton do when he heard of Clark's 
 conquest? 
 
 31. Why did not Hamilton march from Vincennes to Kaskaskia? 
 32. Why did Clark decide to push on to Vincennes? 33. At what time 
 
 217 
 
218 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 of year did Clark start for Vincennes? 34. What did the little army 
 have for food ? 35. What hindered Clark's march ? 36. How long did 
 it take to cross the plain of the Wabash River? 37. What is a dugout? 
 
 38. How did the army get along in crossing the Horseshoe Plain? 
 
 39. Who announced Clark's arrival at Vincennes ? 40. At what time did 
 Clark reach the village ? 
 
 41. Why did not Clark allow his men to storm the fort? 42. How 
 did Clark get possession of the fort? 43. Why was Clark's campaign so 
 important? 44. What states are now in this region of Clark's conquest? 
 45. Do you think Clark was a hero? 
 
 Chapter II, Page 18 
 
 A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 
 
 I. Who led the patriots to victory at Saratoga, New York? 2. Why 
 did Arnold's leg deserve to be buried with the honors of war? 3. When 
 the Revolution began, why did Washington wish to attack Canada ? 
 4. Why did Washington like Benedict Arnold ? 5. How had Arnold got 
 information about Canada ? 6. How did Arnold try to make friends of 
 the Indians? 7. What is wampum? 8. How was the expedition to 
 reach Canada? 9. Why was it easy to get soldiers for this campaign? 
 10. What time of year was it when the army started? 
 
 II. How were the soldiers treated at Newburyport and at Fort West- 
 ern ? 12. Who was Jacataqua ? 13. Why did Jacataqua decide to go with 
 the troops? 14. How was the army divided ? 15. What trouble did they 
 have with their boats? 16. What is a carrying place? 17. What made 
 the army diminish in numbers? 18. Why was it so hard to reach the 
 Dead River? 19. Why was the ascent of the Dead River so difficult? 
 20. How many cups of flour in half a pint ? 
 
 21. What sort of patriot was Colonel Enos ? 22. When the flour was 
 gone, what did the army do for food? 23. What did Jacataqua do? 
 24. What did Arnold do to save his army ? 25. What sort of man was 
 Arnold at this time ? 26. How far did Arnold have to go to get pro- 
 visions? 27. When did the army reach Point Levi? 28. What was the 
 condition of the army when it reached Point Levi ? 29. What did the 
 
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 219 
 
 Indians do who learned of Arnold's approach? 30. How did Arnold 
 reach the city of Quebec ? 
 
 31. How did the British treat Arnold and his men? 32. Why did 
 Arnold leave Quebec ? 33. What did Sir Guy Carleton do to save 
 Quebec? 34. Why did the patriots wait so long before attacking the city? 
 35. How was the attack to be made ? 36. What happened to Mont- 
 gomery, Arnold, and Morgan ? 37. How did relief finally come to Quebec ? 
 38. How long had this campaign lasted? 
 
 Chapter III, Page 36 
 
 HOW PALMETTO LOGS MAY BE USED 
 
 I. Why did the British destroy Norfolk? 2. Why did England wish 
 to punish North Carolina first of all ? 3. Why did Sir Henry Clinton 
 delay the attack upon North Carolina? 4. Why did Lord Campbell wish to 
 capture Charleston? 5. What sort of people were the South Carolinians? 
 6. Why was a fort built on Sullivan's Island? 7. Who was Moultrie? 
 8. How were the walls of the fort made ? 9. How many cannon did 
 Moultrie have ? io. What made the patriots skillful in firing the cannon ? 
 
 II. What was the difference between General Charles Lee and Governor 
 Rutledge? 12. What sort of man was Colonel Moultrie? 13. How did 
 the British plan to attack the fort? 14. How was the weather on the day 
 of the battle ? 15. How many cannon were the British able to fire at one 
 time ? 16. What happened to the men-of-war when they were changing 
 their positions ? 17. What sort of men were in the palmetto fort ? 
 18. Do you know a good use for palmetto logs? 19. What share in 
 the battle did Sir Henry Clinton and his men have? 20. Did the patriots 
 have plenty of powder? 
 
 21. What did McDaniel think about when he was dying? 22. Why 
 did the people of Charleston suppose the fort had surrendered? 23. What 
 did Jasper do to save the flag? 24. Why did not Jasper accept promo- 
 tion ? 25. The people of South Carolina decreed that the fort on Sul- 
 livan's Island should forever be called Fort Moultrie. Why do you 
 think they did so? 26. What was the effect of Moultrie's victory? 
 27. What can you say of Moultrie's after life ? 
 
220 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 Chapter IV, Page 50 
 
 THE PATRIOT SPY 
 
 I. What condition of affairs was troubling Washington at this time? 
 2. Were the British well situated at this time? 3. Why did Washington 
 withdraw from New York? 4. What did Washington think should be 
 done? 5. What kind of man was needed to carry out Washington's plan? 
 
 6. Why did Knowlton find it hard to get a man for Washington's purpose ? 
 
 7. What reason did Nathan Hale give for volunteering to act as spy? 
 
 8. What kind of home did Hale have ? 9. What kind of boy had Hale 
 been ? 10. What was Hale doing at the time of the battle of Lexington ? 
 
 II. What did Hale do when he learned of the battle of Lexington? 
 12. What kind of life did Hale lead when captain in the army ? 13. How 
 did Hale disguise himself? 14. What sort of place was "The Cedars"? 
 
 15. Was it wise for Hale to spend the night at " Mother Chick's " tavern ? 
 
 16. What did the British marines do with Hale ? 17. Where did the 
 captain of the Halifax send Hale? 18. Did Hale receive a trial? 
 19. What do you think of Cunningham ? 20. What regret did Hale 
 have ? 
 
 21. How was Hale executed ? 22. Where was Hale buried ? 23. Was 
 Hale a patriot? 24. Would you call Hale a hero? 
 
 Chapter V, Page 62 
 
 OUR GREATEST PATRIOT 
 
 I. Whom do you consider our greatest patriot? 2. What kind of 
 example has Washington set us ?. 3. Why do we admire Washington ? 
 4. What was Washington's appearance? 5. What do you know of 
 Washington's strength? 6. What was Washington's favorite amusement? 
 7. What can you say of Washington's dignity? 8. What was Washing- 
 ton's dief ? 9. What do you know of Washington's fondness for fine 
 dress? 10. What can you say of Washington's education? 
 
 II. What kind of horseman was Washington? 12. How wealthy was 
 Washington? 13. How did Washington become so wealthy? 14. How 
 much land did Washington have? 15. What did Washington think of 
 
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 22 1 
 
 slaves? 16. How did Washington treat his slaves? 17. How did Wash- 
 ington's slaves treat him ? 18. Why did Washington call his house " a 
 well resorted tavern"? 19. What can you say of Washington's charity? 
 20. What kept Washington from financial ruin? 
 
 21. How did Washington look when at the meeting at Newburgh, New 
 York ? 22. How was the first President of the United States dressed when 
 he made his formal visit to Congress? 23. What can you say of Washing- 
 ton's gravity ? 24. What do you know of President Washington's public 
 receptions ? 25. How did the guests enjoy President Washington's grand 
 dinners? 26. In what did Washington's greatness consist ? 
 
 Chapter VI, Page 77 
 
 A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 
 
 I. What sort of general was Washington? 2. What did General Clin- 
 ton think of Washington? 3. What part of the country did Washington 
 need to protect? 4. What did the British do in May, 1779? 5. Why 
 was it important for the Americans to have possession of King's Ferry ? 
 6. Where did the patriot army now take up its quarters? 7. How did the 
 British soldiers act in Connecticut ? 8. Why did General Clinton send 
 out raiders? 9. Why did not Washington follow up Clinton's raiders? 
 10. What did Washington decide to do? 
 
 II. What kind of place was Stony Point? 12. Who had possession 
 of Stony Point? 13. How was Stony Point defended? 14. How many 
 soldiers were in the garrison at Stony Point ? 15. What does Washington 
 Irving say of Stony Point? 16. What name did the British give to Stony 
 Point? 17. Who led the attack on Stony Point? 18. How old was 
 General Anthony Wayne at this time? 19. How did Wayne look? 
 20. Why was Wayne called " Mad Anthony " ? 
 
 21. What sort of soldier was Anthony Wayne? 22. What was Wash- 
 ington's plan of attack ? 23. At what hour was the attack to be made ? 
 24. What weapons were to be used in attacking Stony Point? 25. How 
 many men were chosen to go to Stony Point? 26. What time of year was 
 it now? 27. Why was the soldier put to death for loading his gun? 
 28. What sort of road was it to Stony Point? 29. When did the men 
 learn where they were going? 30. What was the watchword? 
 
2 22 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 31. What did Wayne write to his friend? 32. What did Pompey do? 
 33. How did Wayne divide h is army to make the attack? 34. What is a 
 "forlorn hope"? (Consult a large dictionary.) 35. How did the Ameri- 
 cans show their good discipline ? 36. What are pioneers ? (Consult a large 
 dictionary.) 37. What was the effect of having Colonel Murfree and his 
 men appear in front of the fort? 38. How long did the fight last? 
 39. How many of the British escaped from Stony Point? 40. Why did 
 not Washington hold Stony Point ? 
 
 41. What effect did this victory have on the American soldier ? 42. What 
 did the British think of the " rebels " ? 43. How did General Clinton take 
 it all ? 
 
 Chapter VII, Page 90 
 
 THE DEFEAT OF THE RED DRAGOONS 
 
 I. How did the patriots of the South get on in 1780? 2. What have 
 we already learned about Sir Henry Clinton? (See the Index, page 243.) 
 
 3. What were General Gates's "Northern laurels"? (See page 18.) 
 
 4. What sort of man was Gates? (Compare page 105.) 5. What effect 
 did the crushing blows of the British have on the Southern patriots ? 
 
 6. What orders did Tarleton and Ferguson receive from Lord Cornwallis? 
 
 7. What sort of man was Ferguson ? 8. What threat did Ferguson send 
 to the backwoodsmen? 9. What was the character of the Franklin and 
 Holston settlers? 10. What is the name of the state that grew out of the 
 Franklin and Holston settlements ? 
 
 II. What have we already learned about the Holston settlements ? (See 
 page 1.) 12. What had become of the lawless men of the Franklin and 
 Holston settlements ? 13. What did the people do when they heard Fer- 
 guson's threat ? 14. Where was the money got to buy supplies for the 
 army ? 15. What do you know of the gathering at Sycamore Shoals ? 
 16. How were the backwoodsmen dressed ? 17. What arms did the 
 backwoodsmen have ? 18. Who was Samuel Doak ? 19. Why were 
 the bands of pioneers put under one supreme commander? 20. Why did 
 the backwoodsmen not find Ferguson at Gilberttown ? 
 
 21. What kind of spirit did the pioneers show in their pursuit of Fer- 
 guson? 22. How far away were the patriots when Ferguson camped at 
 
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 223 
 
 King's Mountain ? 23. Wliy did Ferguson choose King's Mountain for 
 his camp ? 24. How long were the riflemen in getting from Cowpens to 
 King's Mountain ? 25. What was the riflemen's plan of attack ? 26. How 
 was Ferguson killed ? 27. Who succeeded Ferguson in command ? 28. Why 
 was this battle so fierce ? 29. What was the effect of the victory at King's 
 Mountain ? 
 
 Chapter VIII, Page 105 
 
 FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 I. What have we already learned of Gates ? (See the Index, page 243.) 
 2. Where was Daniel Morgan's home ? 3. What kind of education did 
 Morgan have ? 4. Why was Morgan well thought of by the village peo- 
 ple ? 5. What kind of times were at hand ? 6. Why did Morgan wish to 
 fight the bully ? 7. What is a drumhead court-martial? (Consult a large 
 dictionary.) 8. What do you know of Morgan's strength? 9. Why did 
 Morgan stop driving army wagons? 10. Why did Governor Dinwiddie 
 object to promoting Morgan? 
 
 II. How did Morgan escape from the Indian? 12. What effect did the 
 army life have on Morgan ? 13. What can you say of Morgan's marriage? 
 14. What do you know of Morgan's religious life ? 15. When was Mor- 
 gan appointed captain? 16. How many men answered Morgan's call? 
 17. How long a march was it to Boston ? 18. When was Morgan made a 
 colonel ? 19. What kind of regiment did Morgan command ? 20. What 
 was the duty of Morgan and his sharpshooters ? 
 
 21. What have we already learned about Morgan at Saratoga, New 
 York? (See page 18.) 22. How did the Hessians like Morgan's rifle- 
 men? 23. What did Burgoyne think of Morgan's regiment ? 24. Why did 
 Morgan leave the army for a while? 25. Why did Morgan return to the 
 army? 26. When was Morgan made a brigadier general? 27. What do 
 you remember about King's Mountain? (Seepages 99-104.) 28. Why 
 did the battle of Cowpens make Morgan so famous? 29. What does 
 John Fiske say of this battle? 30. What do you know of Colonel 
 Tarleton? (See page 91.) 
 
 31. Where did Morgan get the names "old wagoner," "wagoner," and 
 "teamster"? (See pages 106-108.) 32. Why did not Morgan meet 
 
224 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Tarleton at once ? 33. Why did Morgan choose Cowpens for his battle 
 ground? 34. What did Tarleton do when the spy told him that Morgan 
 had halted? 35. What was the condition of Morgan and his men when 
 Tarleton appeared ? 36. What was the condition of Tarleton's soldiers 
 when they began the battle ? 37. What did Tarleton do when defeat came ? 
 38. What did the young ladies say to Tarleton? 39. How did Morgan 
 outwit Lord Cornwallis ? 40. Why did Morgan again retire from service? 
 41. When did Morgan again take part in the war? 42. What do you 
 know about Wayne? (See pages 80-89.) 43- How was Morgan remem- 
 bered by Washington and other leaders? 44. In how many battles did 
 Morgan take part ? 45. What was Morgan besides being a great soldier ? 
 46. What was Morgan's success due to ? 47. How is Morgan's valor 
 commemorated ? 
 
 Chapter IX, Page 123 
 
 THE FINAL VICTORY 
 
 i. What have you already learned about General Greene ? (See page 105.) 
 
 2. What was the condition of Lord Cornwallis after his victory over Greene ? 
 
 3. What did Cornwallis now do? 4. Where is Petersburg, Virginia? 
 (See the map on page 99.) 5. What was the nationality of Lafayette? 
 6. Where is Yorktown ? (See the map on page 99.) 7. Where was 
 Washington at this time ? 8. Where was the main part of the patriot 
 army at this time ? 9. What was Washington planning to do? 10. Who 
 was Count de Grasse ? 
 
 11. Why did news travel so slowly in those days ? 12. Why did Wash- 
 ington need a fleet? 13. What did Washington hope to do with the 
 assistance of the French fleet? 14. Where was Sir Henry Clinton at this 
 time ? 15. Why did Washington send troops to Long Island ? 16. Why 
 was the young minister sent through the Clove ? 17. How were the 
 Continental and French troops received at Philadelphia? 18. How large 
 an army did Washington have in Virginia? 19. What have we already 
 learned of Rochambeau? (See page 125.) 20. When did Sir Henry 
 Clinton begin to open his eyes ? 
 
 21. How did the British fleet fare at Chesapeake Bay? 22. Why did 
 not Lord Cornwallis retreat from Yorktown? 23. Why did the patriots 
 
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 225 
 
 hasten the siege of Yorktown? 24. What last attempt did Lord Corn- 
 wallis make? 25. Where did Lord Cornwallis have his headquarters? 
 26. What kind of man was Governor Nelson? 27. Where did Lord 
 Cornwallis finally make his headquarters? 28. What message did Sir 
 Henry Clinton send Lord Cornwallis? 29. How long did the siege of 
 Yorktown continue ? 30. Why did Lord Cornwallis wish a truce for so 
 long a time? 
 
 31. What was Washington's reply to Lord Cornwallis? 32. How many 
 soldiers were there in Cornwallis's army ? 33. Why did not Cornwallis 
 take part in the surrender? 34. Whom did Washington send to receive 
 Cornwallis's sword ? 35. Why did the armies hurry away from Yorktown? 
 
 36. How might Sir Henry Clinton have changed the history of Yorktown? 
 
 37. How did the people get news of the surrender? 38. How was the 
 news received by the prime minister of England, and by the king? 
 39. What did King George say of the Yankees? 40. How is the sur- 
 render of Cornwallis commemorated? 
 
 Chapter X, Page 13S 
 
 THE CRISIS 
 
 I. What battle began the war of the Revolution? (See pages 1 and 2.) 
 2. How long did the war last? 3. What did Thomas Paine, the author of 
 the pamphlet called "Common Sense," say of the Revolutionary War? 
 
 4. What does John Fiske say of our condition after peace was made? 
 
 5. Why did the colonies band together in 1774? 6. Why did the Conti- 
 nental Congress decline in power? 7. What is a federation? (Consult 
 a large dictionary.) 8. Why did the people care so little about a federa- 
 tion, or federal government? 9. What did Washington say in his letter 
 to the colonies? 10. What authority did the Continental Congress have? 
 
 II. What kind of men were delegates to the Continental Congress? 
 12. How long did the Continental Congress continue to act? 13. What 
 was done by the Continental Congress? 14. What is a privateer? 
 (Consult a large dictionary.) 15. What can you say of the Articles of 
 Confederation? 16. What power did the Articles of Confederation 
 grant to each state ? 17. What power did Congress have under the 
 
226 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Articles of Confederation? 18. How obedient were the states to the 
 Articles of Confederation ? 19. What was the condition of paper money 
 in 1 780 ? 20. How long had a soldier to serve before he could buy a 
 bushel of wheat? 
 
 21. How did the states begin to treat each other? 22. What can you 
 say of imprisonment for debt? 23. How did Washington and others 
 begin to work out the problem of our national existence ? 24. How 
 successful was the meeting at Annapolis? 25. What further troubles 
 occurred in 1786? 26. How was England affected by our troubles? 
 27. What prediction about our nation was made in Parliament? 28. What 
 opinion of us did Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, have ? 29. What did 
 the people of the several states at last begin to think ? 30. What state 
 took the lead in sending delegates to Philadelphia? 
 
 31. How many states were represented at Philadelphia? 32. What kind 
 of men were sent to the Philadelphia convention ? 33. Who, next to Wash- 
 ington, was the most noted nian at the Philadelphia convention? 34. Can 
 you name some others of the delegates to the Philadelphia convention? 
 35. Why did not Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Patrick Henry, and 
 Samuel Adams attend the Philadelphia convention? 36. What do you 
 know of Nathanael Greene? (See page 105.) 37. Who was chosen 
 president of the Philadelphia convention ? 38. How long did the Phila- 
 delphia convention continue in session ? 39. How did some of the dele- 
 gates wish to deal with the great problem of the national government ? 
 40. How did Washington convince the delegates of their duty? 
 
 41. By what means did the delegates at Philadelphia succeed in agreeing 
 on a form of federal government ? 42. What is a compromise? (Consult 
 a large dictionary.) 43. What was the first compromise in framing the 
 Constitution ? 44. What was the second compromise in framing the Con- 
 stitution? 45. What question about the slaves arose? 46. How was it 
 decided to count the slaves? 47. How did Washington and others feel 
 about the second compromise ? 48. What was the cause of the third com- 
 promise ? 49. What was the third compromise? 50. What did Wash- 
 ington think of the Constitution ? 
 
 51. What was Franklin's opinion of the Constitution? 52. When was 
 the Constitution to become law ? 53. To what two political parties did 
 the Constitution give rise ? 54. What did many of the people throughout 
 
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 227 
 
 the country think of the Constitution ? 55. Which was the first state to 
 sign the Constitution? 56. Why was the Fourth of July in 1788 so glo- 
 rious ? 57. Who was the first President, and who the first Vice President, 
 of the new nation? 58. What did Gladstone say of the Constitution ? 
 59. Why do we owe such a debt of gratitude to the builders of '• the 
 good ship Constitution " ? 
 
 Chapter XI, Page 156 
 
 A DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 I. Who were the Barbary pirates? 2. Why did we buy the good will 
 of the Barbary pirates? 3. What is blackmail? (Consult a large dic- 
 tionary.) 4. What did Thomas Jefferson think should be done concerning 
 the barbary pirates? 5. Who was sent to the Mediterranean Sea? 
 6. What was the exploit of the Enterprise ? 7. What is a pasha? (Con- 
 sult a large dictionary.) 8. What happened to the frigate Philadelphia 
 and her crew ? 9. What did Commodore Preble do when the Philadelphia 
 was captured ? 10. Why was Stephen Decatur chosen to destroy the 
 Philadelphia ? 
 
 II. What was Decatur's plan for destroying the Philadelphia? 12. What 
 is a ketch? (Consult a large dictionary.) 13. How many men volun- 
 teered for the dangerous undertaking ? 14. What kind of time did Decatur 
 and his men have off the shore of Tripoli ? 15. What happened to the 
 Siren? 16. Mow was the Philadelphia guarded? 17. What was the object 
 in dragging sails and buckets in the water? 18. How did Decatur deceive 
 the pirate officer? 19. How did the pirates discover the Americans? 
 20. What kind of fighters were the Tripolitan pirates said to be ? 
 
 21. How long did the fight on board the Philadelphia last? 22. How 
 many of Decatur's men were injured? 23. What did the Americans do 
 with the Philadelphia? 24. Why were the Americans obliged to burn the 
 Philadelphia? (Read page 159.) 25. How successful were the pirates in 
 tiring at the Americans? 26. What did the sailors say afterwards about 
 the burning ship? 27. Why was it the Americans were so successful 
 in burning the Philadelphia? 28. What did Nelson say of Decatur's 
 deed? 29. What promotion did Decatur receive? 
 
2 28 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 Chapter XII, Page 169 
 
 ' ' OLD IRONSIDES ' ' 
 
 I. What did the Secretary of the Navy in 1833 intend to do with the 
 Constitution? 2. Why did Congress decide to rebuild the Constitution? 
 3. What troubles did we have with other nations during the first twenty-five 
 years of our national life? 4. Why was Washington instructed to add six 
 war ships to our navy? 5. Where was the Constitution built? 6. How 
 does the Constitution compare in size with our modern war ships? 7. Why 
 did England model some of her ships after "Old Ironsides"? 8. When 
 was the Constitution launched ? 9. What success did the Constitution 
 have in fighting with Tripoli ? 10. How did Commodore Preble treat 
 Decatur after his capture of the Tripolitan gunboats ? 
 
 II. How did Captain Isaac Hull get away from the British fleet? 
 12. How did Captain Hull win a hat from Captain Dacres? 13. How 
 is the Constitution said to have received the name "Old Ironsides"? 
 
 14. What kind of welcome did Boston have in store for Captain Hull? 
 
 15. What was the hardest battle that "Old Ironsides" had? 16. What 
 was done with the wheel of the Java? 17. Why was not a new wheel 
 put on "Old Ironsides"? 18. How did Captain Bainbridge treat the 
 dying Captain Lambert ? 19. What was the Constitution's last battle ? 
 20. What is said of Captain Stewart's seamanship in the last battle of 
 "Old Ironsides"? 
 
 21. When was "Old Ironsides" taken to Newport? 22. How was 
 "Old Ironsides" used at Newport? 23. What is a receiving ship? 
 (Consult a large dictionary, under the word "receive" or " receiving.") 
 24. When was " Old Ironsides" taken to Charlestown ? 25. How much 
 of the original ship Constitution still exists ? 26. Why were the battles 
 of " Old Ironsides " so important to us as a nation ? 27. Why should 
 we continue to preserve "Old Ironsides"? 
 
 Chapter XIII, Page 185 
 
 "OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 
 
 i. Why were both England and France so jealous of us a century ago? 
 2. What did England and France do to our merchantmen? 3. Why did 
 
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 229 
 
 we not declare war on Great Britain before 181 2 ? 4. How did our navy 
 compare with England's in 181 2? 5. What was England's plan in 18 14? 
 6. What was the character of New Orleans ? 7. Who was the " Iron 
 Duke " ? (Wellington.) 8. When did the British fleet arrive at the delta 
 of the Mississippi ? 9. Why was General Jackson so busy just before Christ- 
 mas ? 10. How was the alarm sounded to the people of New Orleans? 
 
 11. Who answered Jackson's call for assistance? 12. Who came from 
 outside New Orleans to help defend the city? 13. How did the riflemen 
 look as they came into town? 14. Why did Jackson plan to attack the 
 British at once ? 15. What did the war schooner Carolina do ? 16. How 
 were the British reenforced on Christmas day? 17. What did Sir Edward 
 Pakenham think of the task before him ? 18. How did Pakenham begin 
 his operations ? 19. How did Sir Edward fare when he marched out to 
 get a look at the Americans? 20. What were Jackson's first intrench- 
 ments made of ? 
 
 21. What did Pakenham use for making a redoubt? 22. What hap- 
 pened to Jackson's defenses ? 23. Of how much use was Pakenham's 
 redoubt? 24. What did the British now decide to do? 25. What was 
 Jackson's main line of defense ? 26. How early did Jackson's men go 
 to their posts on that last Sunday morning? 27. What happened to Sir 
 Edward Pakenham, and to Generals Gibbs and Keane? 28. Why did the 
 British lose so many officers in the battle ? 29. How long did the engage- 
 ment on Sunday morning continue ? 30. How many men did the British 
 have in the final action, and how many did the Americans have ? 
 
 31. How many men did the British lose in the final action, and how 
 many did the Americans lose? 32. What did General Lambert do after 
 the battle? 33. How was "Old Hickory" honored? 34. Why is the 
 victory a sad one to think of ? 35. What was the result of the war of 
 1812? 
 
 Chapter XIV, Page 199 
 
 A HERO'S WELCOME 
 
 I. What kind of welcome did we give Lafayette in 1824 ? 2. Who was 
 Lafayette ? 3. Why did Lafayette first come to this country ? 4. When 
 did Lafayette first come to this country ? 5. Why did Congress accept 
 Lafayette's services? 6. What was the effect of Lafayette's manner and 
 
230 HERO STORIES FROM. AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 example? 7. How did Lafayette live at Valley Forge? 8. What did 
 Lafayette do on his return to France? 9. What did Lafayette do when 
 peace was declared ? 10. When did Lafayette make his third trip to this 
 country ? 
 
 11. How had our country changed when Lafayette came in 1824? 
 12. What had been Lafayette's career in his own country? 13. Why did 
 it take Lafayette so long to go from New York to Boston ? 14. Who 
 was Dr. Bowditch ? 15. How much of our country did Lafayette visit? 
 16. What did Lafayette do with the laurel wreath presented to him at 
 Yorktown? 17. Can you describe some of the incidents of Lafayette's 
 visit? 18. What did " Laf ayetted " mean? 19. What occurred at the 
 tavern in Virginia ? 20. How did Lafayette show his affection for 
 Washington ? 
 
 21. What can you say of the scenes connected with the fiftieth anniver- 
 sary of the battle of Bunker Hill? 22. Who was the orator at the laying 
 of the corner stone of Bunker Hill Monument? 23. How was Lafayette 
 received at the University of Virginia ? 24. How did Congress show 
 its gratitude for Lafayette's services during the Revolution? 25. What 
 was the last honor shown the departing guest? (The frigate on which 
 Lafayette sailed for France was named in commemoration of Lafayette's 
 gallantry at the battle of the Brandywine. Although wounded in the leg, 
 Lafayette kept the field till the battle was over. To the surgeon who cared 
 for the injured Lafayette, Washington said, " Take care of him as though 
 he were my son.") 
 
PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES 
 
 Abigail, ab'i-gl. 
 Adair, a-dair' . 
 Algerine, al-je-reen' '. 
 Alleghanies, al'e-ga-nies. 
 Andre", aridray. 
 Annapolis, aii-iiap'o-lis. 
 
 B 
 Bailey, bay' ly. 
 Bainbridge, bain'bridge. 
 Barbary, bar'ba-ry. 
 Belgium, bel'ji-um. 
 Borgne, born, 
 Brandywine, bran'dy-wine. 
 Brazil, bra-zil' '. 
 Burgoyne, bur-goin'. 
 
 Cahokia, ka-ho'ki-a. 
 Calhoun, kal-hoon'. 
 Carleton, karl'ton. 
 Carolina, kar-o-li'na. 
 Catalano, kdh-tah-lah'no. 
 Catawba, ka-taw'ba. 
 Champlain, sham-plain' '. 
 Chaudiere, sho-de-air'. 
 Chesapeake, clies'a-peek. 
 Connecticut, kon-nefi-kut. 
 Cornwallis, korn-wall'iss. 
 Creole, kre'ole. 
 Cunningham, kun'ing-am. 
 Cyane, see-ann'. 
 
 D acres, day'kers. 
 Dearborn, deer' burn. 
 Decatur, de-kay'tur. 
 De Grasse, de-grass'. 
 Detroit, de-troit . 
 Dickinson, dik'in-son. 
 Dinwiddie, din-wid'y. 
 
 F 
 
 Farragut, far'a-gut. 
 
 Gardiner, gard'ner. 
 Gerry, ger'y (g as in get). 
 Ghent, jent. 
 Gibault, zhe-bo' . 
 Gibraltar, ji-brall'tar. 
 Gladstone, glad'ston. 
 Gloucester, gloss' ter. 
 Gouverneur, goo-ver-ner. 
 Grier, greer. 
 Guerriere, gher-i-air' . 
 Guilford, gil'ford (g as mget). 
 
 Hessians, Iiesh'ans. 
 
 Illinois, il-i-noi' or il-i-noiz' . 
 
 J 
 
 Jacataqua, ja-cat'a-quah. 
 
232 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Kaskaskia, kas-kas'ki-a. 
 Keane, keen. 
 Kennebec, ken-c-bck'. 
 
 Lafayette, lah-fa-yet'. 
 Lafitte, lah-Jit'. 
 Levant, le-vant' . 
 Louisiana, loo-eez-i-an'a. 
 Louisville, loo'is-vill or loo'y-vill. 
 
 M 
 McDonough, mak-don'oh. 
 Madeira, ma-de'ra or ma-day' i-ra. 
 Maltese, mall-tees' or mall-teez'. 
 Marseillaise, mar-se-layz' . 
 Maryland, mer'i-land. 
 Mediterranean, mcd-i-ter-ra' ne-an . 
 Megantic, me-gaii'tic. 
 Meigs, megs. 
 Montaigne, mon-tain'. 
 Monti cello, mon-te-sel'lo. 
 Montreal, mont-re-aW . 
 Morocco, mo-rock'o. 
 Moultrie, moo' try or mool'try. 
 
 N 
 Napoleon, na-po'le-on. 
 Newburyport, new-ber-y-port' . 
 Newfoundland, new'fund-land. 
 Nolichucky, nol-i-chuck'y. 
 Norridgewock, nor'ij-walk. 
 
 O'Hara, o-hah'ra. 
 
 Pakenham, pak' en-am. 
 Portsmouth, ports' ninth. 
 
 Preble, preb'el. 
 Prussia, prush'a. 
 
 Quebec, kwee-bek' . 
 Quincy, kwin'zy. 
 
 R 
 
 Randolph, ran'dolf. 
 Rappahannock, rap-a-han'ok. 
 Rawdon, raw'don. 
 Rennie, ren'y. 
 Revere, re-veer'. 
 Rochambeau, ro-sham-bo' . 
 
 St. Louis, saint loo'is or saint loo'y. 
 
 Saratoga, sar-a-to'ga. 
 
 Sartigan, sar'ti-gan. 
 
 Schuyler, sky'ler. 
 
 Sevier, se-veer' . 
 
 Shawnees, shaw-neez' . 
 
 Staten, s tat' en. 
 
 T 
 Tallmadge, tal'mij. 
 Ticonderoga, ti-kon-de-ro'ga. 
 Tilghman, till'man. 
 Tompkins, tomp'kins. 
 Tripoli, trip'o-ly. 
 
 V 
 
 Ville de Paris, vill de (e as in her) 
 
 pah-ree'. 
 Villere, vill-e-ray'. 
 Vincennes, vin-senz'. 
 
 W 
 
 Wabash, ivaw'bash. 
 
 Watauga, wa-taw'ga. 
 
 Wayne, wain. 
 
 Worcester, ivoos'ter (oo as \n/oot). 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 BOOKS FOR REFERENCE AND READING IN THE 
 STUDY OF AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 This book is designed to be used either before the formal text-book on 
 American history is begun, or to be read in connection with it. It is also 
 intended to serve as a convenient basis for more extended work on the part 
 of both teacher and pupils. Hence, to the reading of the preceding chapters 
 should be added a systematic course in supplementary reading. 
 
 The following plan is suggested, which may be readily modified to meet 
 the needs of any particular class of pupils : 
 
 Reference Books for Teachers 
 
 Two books are of special value to teachers. These are Channing and 
 Hart's Guide to American History (Ginn & Company, $2.00), and Gordy 
 and Twitchell's Pathfinder in American History (Lee & Shepard, $1.20. 
 In separate parts, Part I, 60 cents ; Part II, 90 cents). 
 
 These two works are replete with suggestions, hints, and helps on col- 
 lateral study, with numerous references, detailed lists of topics, and a wide 
 range of other subjects which make them indispensable to the teacher 
 of American history. 
 
 Note. — The subject of reference books on American history is treated thoroughly in 
 Montgomery's American History (see "Short List of Books," page xxxiii in Appendix), 
 and Fiske's History of the I 'nited States (see Appendix D, page 530, Appendix E, page 539, 
 and Appendix F, page 542). 
 
 For original materials pertaining to the colonial period and the Revolution, admirably 
 edited for school use, consult Hart's - Source-Readers in American History " : No. 1, Colonial 
 Children; No. 2, Camps and Firesides of the Revolution ; No. 3, How our Grandfathers 
 Lived. 
 
 In searching libraries for books on the Revolution, the teacher will find 
 Winsor's Reader s Handbook of the American Revolution very useful. 
 
 2 33 
 
234 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 School Text-Books for Reading and Reference 
 
 Pupils should have easy access, by means of the school library or other- 
 wise, to a few of the formal school text-books on American history. In 
 connection with this book, Montgomery's Leading Facts of American 
 History, Fiske's History of the United States, Eggleston's History of 
 the United States, and Steele's Brief History of the United States (usually 
 known as " Barnes's History ") are especially valuable. 
 
 If less difficult and much smaller works are thought desirable, the fol- 
 lowing five books are recommended : Montgomery's Beginner's American 
 History, McMaster's Primary History of the United States, Tappan's Our 
 Country's Story, Thorpe's funior History of the United States, and Eggle- 
 ston's First Book in American History. 
 
 These books are useful for additional topics, for dates, maps, illustra- 
 tions, reference tables, and for filling in subjects which do not come within 
 the scope of this book. 
 
 Pupils should also have easy reference to books from which topics may 
 be read, or from which may be read sparingly passages indicated by the 
 teacher. Some of the books which have been suggested are more useful on 
 account of their interesting style than for strict historical accuracy. Read 
 the designated works not as a whole, but only by topics or by selections. 
 They will do much to awaken and maintain a lively interest in American 
 history. 
 
 Reading at Home 
 
 While the study of this book is in progress, it is well for the pupils to limit 
 their home reading to such books as bear directly upon the subject. Under 
 this head we have suggested several books which belong to the " storybook " 
 order. Wholesome books of fiction and semifiction may certainly do much 
 to stimulate and hold the attention of young students of American history. 
 Thus, Churchill's Richard Carvel and Cooper's Pilot furnish stirring scenes 
 in the career of Paul Jones. 
 
 With the home reading, as with all other collateral reading, the teacher 
 should exercise a careful supervision. 
 
 The work in history should be enlivened by reading occasionally, before 
 the class or the school, poems or prose selections which bear directly upon 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 235 
 
 the general topic under consideration. 1 For instance, in the appropriate 
 chapters Finch's well-known poem, " Nathan Hale," Simms's " Ballad of 
 King's Mountain," and Holmes's "Old Ironsides" may be read. 
 
 A Topic Book, or Notebook 
 
 Teacher and pupil should appreciate the scope and the usefulness of 
 a topic book, or notebook. By this is meant a blank book of a convenient 
 size, with semiflexible or board covers, and of at least forty-eight pages. 
 Into this blank book should be written carefully, with ink, brief notes, as 
 the several chapters of this book are read or studied. It may well be a 
 kind of enlarged diary of the pupil's work. 
 
 Make brief notes of the various books read in whole or in part ; of topics 
 not treated in this book but discussed in the class, such as the treason of 
 Benedict Arnold, the battle of Bennington, etc. ; of references to new books 
 to be reserved for future reading ; and of other subjects which will readily 
 suggest themselves. 
 
 This notebook should be enlivened with inexpensive photographic copies 
 (sold for about one cent each) of famous pictures illustrating important 
 events in American history. Catalogues giving the exact titles, the cost, 
 and other details are frequently advertised. 
 
 The notebook may be illustrated with photographic reproductions of such 
 works as Stuart's " Washington " ; Faed's " Washington at Trenton " ; 
 Trumbull's "The Surrender of Cornwallis" and "Signing the Declaration of 
 Independence " ; Benjamin West's " Penn's Treaty " ; Leutze's " Washing- 
 ton crossing the Delaware " ; Vanderlyn's " The Landing of Columbus " ; 
 Johnson's "Old Ironsides"; Overend's "An August Morning with Far- 
 ragut ; " and many other historical subjects. 
 
 Portraits, maps, facsimiles of documents and autographs, etc., etc. are 
 often easily obtained from book catalogues, guide books, advertising pages, 
 and secondhand text-books. 
 
 All this illustrative material should be pasted into the notebook at the 
 proper place, neatly and with good judgment, with plenty of space for 
 margins. Such a compilation is, of course, a matter of slow growth. It 
 should be preserved as a pleasant reminder of school days. 
 
 1 For a list of books which may be classed as useful under the preceding paragraphs, see 
 BlaisdelPs Story of American History, pp. 431-434. 
 
236 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 REFERENCE BOOKS AND SUPPLEMENTARY READING 
 
 TO BE USED WITH "HERO STORIES FROM 
 
 AMERICAN HISTORY" 
 
 Chapter I, Pack i 
 
 THE HERO OF VINCENNES 
 
 For two short articles on George Rogers Clark, read Roosevelt and 
 Lodge's Hero Tales from American History, p. 29, and Brady's Border 
 Fights and Fighters, p. 211. For a more extended account, consult 
 Roosevelt's Winning of the West, Vol. II, p. 31. 
 
 A novel by Maurice Thompson, Alice of Old Vincennes, gives a graphic 
 description of Clark's campaign. 
 
 Chapter II, Page 18 
 
 A MIDWINTER CAMPAIGN 
 
 For an account of Arnold's expedition to Canada, read articles in The 
 Century Magazine for January and February, 1903, by Professor Justin H. 
 Smith. Codman's Arnold's Expedition to Quebec is a fair-sized volume, 
 and full of interest. Read also Lodge's Story of the Revolution, Vol. I, 
 p. 106. 
 
 Tomlinson's Under Colonial Colors, the story of Arnold's expedition to 
 Quebec told for boys, is an interesting and stimulating work of fiction. 
 
 Chapter III, Page 36 
 
 how palmetto logs may be used 
 
 The defense of Fort Sullivan is well described in Brady's American 
 Fights and Fighters, p. 5, and Lodge's Story of the Revolution, Vol. I, 
 p. 126. 
 
APPENDIX 237 
 
 Chapter IV, Page 50 
 
 THE PATRIOT SPY 
 
 Perhaps the most readable account of Nathan Hale is to be found in 
 Lossing's Two Spies (Andre and Hale). Consult Partridge's Nathan Hale, 
 a character study. 
 
 In connection with this story, Chapter XVII, "The Story of Arnold's 
 Treason," in Blaisdell's Story of American History may be profitably 
 read. 
 
 Chapter V, Page 62 
 our greatest patriot 
 
 For the everyday life of Washington, consult Paul Leicester Ford's The 
 True George Washington. Refer to sundry sections in Bolton's The 
 Private Soldier under Washington and in Herbert's Washington : His 
 Homes and his Households. 
 
 Read the stirring romance about Washington, A Virginia Cavalier, by 
 Molly Elliot Seawell. 
 
 Chapter VI, Page 77 
 
 A MIDNIGHT SURPRISE 
 
 For the capture of Stony Point, read Lodge's Story of the Revolution, 
 Vol. II, p. 130; Brady's American Fights and Fighters, p. 121 ; and Roose- 
 velt and Lodge's Hero Tales from American History, p. 79. Henry P. 
 Johnston's The Storming of Stony Point is perhaps the best account ever 
 written of this famous exploit. 
 
 Chapter VII, Page 90 
 
 the defeat of the red dragoons 
 
 Read Roosevelt and Lodge's Hero Tales from American History, p. 69, 
 and Lodge's Story of the Revohttion, p. 56. 
 
In connection with Chapters VII and VIII, read "The War of the Revo- 
 lution in the South," in Blaisdell's Story of American History, Chapter XVI, 
 p. 250. 
 
 Chapter VIII, Page 105 
 
 FROM TEAMSTER TO MAJOR GENERAL 
 
 Read Brady's American Fights and Fighters, p. 84, for an account of 
 General Morgan ; also Chapter IV, " King's Mountain and the Cowpens," in 
 Lodge's Story of the Revolution, Vol. II, p. 56. 
 
 Chapter IX, Page 123 
 
 THE FINAL VICTORY 
 
 For a description of the battle at Yorktown, read Brady's American 
 Fights and- Fighters, p. 143, and Chapter VII in Lodge's Story of the 
 Revolution, p. 165. Henry P. Johnston's The Yorktown Campaign is 
 excellent for collateral reference. 
 
 Chapter X, Page 138 
 
 THE CRISIS 
 
 Very little collateral reading should be allowed in reading this chapter 
 on framing the Constitution. Sundry topics may be sparingly selected for 
 reading from the index to Fiske's Critical Period of American History. 
 Fiske's Civil Government in the United States may be utilized for 
 reference. 
 
 Read Brooks's Century Book for Young Americans j Chapter II in 
 Elson's Side Lights on American History (First Series, p. 24), on "The 
 Framing of the Constitution"; and Chapter XII, p. 283, in Higginson's 
 Larger History of the United States, on "The Birth of a Nation." 
 
 Note.— For the War of the Revolution no more interesting books can be read by pupils 
 than Brooks's Century Book of the Revolution and Coffin's Boys of '76. Lossing's Field 
 Book of the Revolution, in two large volumes, is interesting, and contains hundreds of 
 
 illustrations. 
 
APPENDIX 239 
 
 Chapter XI, Page 156 
 
 A DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 Read " Decatur and the Philadelphia," in Brady's American Fights and 
 Fighters, p. 199, and "The Burning of the Philadelphia," in Roosevelt 
 and Lodge's Hero Tales front American History, p. 103. 
 
 Read Seawell's storybook, Decatur and Somers ; and Barnes's Commo- 
 dore Bainbridge, a story. 
 
 Chapter XII, Page 169 
 
 "OLD IRONSIDES" 
 
 Consult two chapters in Brady's American Fights and Fighters : " The 
 Constitution's Hardest Fight," p. 215, and " The Constitution's Last Battle," 
 ]). 304. Hollis's Frigate Constitution is invaluable for reading and refer- 
 ence. Refer to Lossing's History of the War of 1812 and Lodge's A 
 Fighting Frigate and Oilier Essays. 
 
 In connection with this chapter, read "What our Navy did in the War 
 of 1 81 2," in Blaisdell's Story of American History, Chapter XXI, p. 323. 
 
 Chapter XIII, Page 185 
 
 "OLD HICKORY'S" CHRISTMAS 
 
 Read "The Battle of New Orleans," in Roosevelt and Lodge's Hero 
 Talcs from American History, p. 139, and "The Last Battle with Eng- 
 land," in Brady's American Fights and Fighters, p. 287. Chapter XVIII, 
 p. 431, in Higginson's Larger History of the United States is well worth 
 reading. 
 
 Chapter XIV, Page 199 
 
 A HERO'S WELCOME 
 
 Concerning Lafayette's visit to this country in 1824, no books are readily 
 accessible. Consult Quincy's Figures of the Past and Brooks's The True 
 Story of Lafayette. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Adair, John, the historic reply of, to 
 
 Colonel Sevier, 94. 
 Adams, John, abroad, 147. 
 
 the first Vice President of the 
 
 United States, 155. 
 the visit of Lafayette to, at 
 Quincy, Massachusetts, 209. 
 gives Lafayette a farewell din- 
 ner at the White House, 2 1 5. 
 Adams, Samuel, stays at home, 147. 
 Alexandria, Virginia, Washington at- 
 tends dances at, 65. 
 Algerine pirates, the, in the Atlantic, 
 
 170. 
 Ames, Fisher, defends the Constitu- 
 tion, 154. 
 Andr£, Major, the British spy, 61. 
 Annapolis, delegates meet at, 144. 
 Anti-Federalists, the, 153. 
 Arnold, Benedict, 18. 
 
 forfeits his place on the monu- 
 ment at Saratoga, iS. 
 sends spies into Canada, 20. 
 given command of the expedi- 
 tion to Quebec, in 1776, 20. 
 leaves Cambridge, 21. 
 given an ovation at Newbury- 
 
 port, 21. 
 reaches the Kennebec, 21. 
 feasted at Fort Western, 21. 
 divides his army, 22. 
 ascends the Dead River, 24. 
 
 Arnold, Benedict, deserted by Colonel 
 Enos, 24. 
 reaches the Chaudiere River, 
 
 2 5- 
 crosses Lake Megantic, 27. 
 starts down the Chaudiere 
 
 River, 28. 
 reaches Sartigan, 28. 
 arrives at Point Levi, 29. 
 before Quebec, 30. 
 joins Montgomery, 30. 
 leads the attack on Quebec and 
 
 is wounded, 32. 
 in the hospital, 34. 
 lays siege to Quebec, 34. 
 hears from Washington, 34. 
 the death knell to the hopes 
 
 of. 35- 
 in Virginia, 124. 
 Articles of Confederation, the, 141. 
 the defects of, 141-144. 
 
 B 
 
 Bailey, Abigail, married to Daniel Mor- 
 gan, no. 
 Bainbridge, William, 159, 160. 
 
 in command of the Constitu- 
 tion, 180. 
 Barbary pirates, the, 156, 157, 172. 
 Barton, Colonel, captures General Pres- 
 cott, 143. 
 imprisoned for debt, 143. 
 
242 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Bateaux, built for Arnold's expedition, 
 
 21. 
 Bay State, the, Massachusetts, 144, 206, 
 
 212. 
 Beekman mansion, the, Hale a captive 
 
 of Howe at, 58, 59. 
 Bennington, Vermont, John Stark de- 
 feats the British at, 105. 
 Boone, Daniel, 1, 2. 
 Bowditch, Dr., an anecdote of, 206. 
 Braddock, General, defeated by the 
 
 French and Indians, in 1755, 
 
 107. 
 Brazil, " Old Ironsides " destroys the 
 
 British frigate Java off the 
 
 coast of, 180. 
 Bristol, the, a British man-of-war, 45. 
 Buford, used as a watchword, 101. 
 Bunker Hill, the battle of, awakens in 
 
 Lafayette an interest in us, 
 
 199. 
 Lafayette visits, 212. 
 Burgoyne, marches down the valley of 
 
 the Hudson, 114. 
 defeated at Freeman's Farm 
 
 and at Saratoga, 114. 
 Burr, Aaron, 22. 
 
 Cahokia, a Creole village in the 
 country of the Illinois In- 
 dians, 8. 
 
 Calhoun, John C, favors making war 
 on Great Britain, 186. 
 
 Cambridge, Massachusetts, Arnold's 
 expedition leaves, 21. 
 Washington's headquarters at, 
 
 in the Craigie house, 105. 
 Morgan marches to, 112. 
 
 Camden, defeat of Gates at, 90. 
 
 Campbell, Lord, royal governor of 
 
 South Carolina, 37. 
 injured in the attack on Fort 
 
 Sullivan, 46. 
 Campbell, William, rallies the back- 
 woodsmen, 94. 
 leads the advance at King's 
 
 Mountain, 101. 
 Canada, extending to the Ohio and 
 
 Mississippi rivers, 3. See 
 
 the map on page 7. 
 the "back door," 19. 
 the winters of, 22, 29. 
 Cape Fear River, the, Clinton sails for, 
 
 36. 
 Carleton, Sir Guy, 19. 
 
 leaves Montreal and slips into 
 
 Quebec, 31. 
 fortifies Quebec, 31. 
 Carolina, the, throws shells into the 
 
 British camp, 190. 
 Carroll, Colonel, with his riflemen 
 
 arrives from Nashville, 189. 
 in the battle of New Orleans, 
 
 194. 
 Carrying places, work at the, 22. 
 Catalano, the Sicilian pilot, used by 
 
 Decatur, 162, 164. 
 Cedars, The, Hale passes a night at, 
 
 57- 
 Champlain, Lake, Lafayette visits, 206. 
 Charleston, attack on, planned by the 
 
 British, 37. 
 the patriots prepare for the 
 
 defense of, 38. 
 Charleston Harbor, Sullivan's Island 
 
 near, 38. 
 Charlestown, a part of Boston, " Old 
 
 Ironsides " lies in the navy 
 
 yard at, 169, 183, 184. 
 
INDEX 
 
 243 
 
 Charlotte, North Carolina, Gates flees 
 
 to, 90. 
 Chaudiere River, the, an army to enter 
 
 Canada by, 20. 
 Arnold's army scattered along, 
 
 2 5- 
 the perils of, 28. 
 Chesapeake Bay, De Grasse headed 
 for, 126. 
 De Grasse reaches, 129. 
 the patriot armies march to, 129. 
 Clinton sends a fleet to, 130. 
 Admiral Graves forced to with- 
 draw from, 130. 
 De Grasse gets control of, 130. 
 Lafayette returns to France by, 
 216. 
 Chick, Mother, the tavern of, 57. 
 Clark, Captain, at Bunker Hill, 213. 
 Clark, George Rogers, 1. 
 
 starts for Kentucky, 1. 
 tramps back to Virginia, 2, 5. 
 receives help from Virginia, 3. 
 plans great deeds, 4. 
 sends out spies, 4. 
 appointed colonel, 5. 
 helped by Jefferson and Madi- 
 son, 5. 
 starts down the Ohio, 6. 
 begins his march to Kaskas- 
 
 kia, 7. 
 interrupts the dance, 8. 
 captures Kaskaskia, 8. 
 makes friends of the Creoles, 8. 
 shows the kind of man he is, 9. 
 visited by Indians, 9. 
 shows his contempt for the In- 
 dians, 9. 
 an incident showing the bold- 
 ness of, 10. 
 
 Clark, George Rogers, decides to recap- 
 ture Vincennes, 1 1. 
 
 starts for Vincennes, 12. 
 
 shows brave leadership, 13. 
 
 makes a speech to his men, 13. 
 
 captures an Indian canoe, 14. 
 
 captures a Creole hunter, 14. 
 
 reaches Vincennes, 15. 
 
 punishes some Indians, 16. 
 
 captures Vincennes, 16. 
 Clay, Henry, favors making war on 
 
 Great Britain, 186. 
 Cleveland, Colonel, rallies the back- 
 woodsmen, 94. 
 
 given the supreme command 
 at King's Mountain, 97. 
 
 leads the left wing at King's 
 Mountain, 101. 
 Clinton, Sir Henry, 18. 
 
 sails for the Cape Fear River, 
 36. 
 
 at the attack on Fort Sulli- 
 van, 44. 
 
 receives orders to bring " Mr. 
 Washington " to a decisive 
 action, 77. 
 
 makes raids along the coast, 78. 
 
 hears of the capture of Stony 
 Point, 87. 
 
 at Charleston, 90. 
 
 hoodwinked by Washington, 
 127. 
 
 sails for Vorktown, 133, 135. 
 Coffee, Colonel, and his mounted rifle- 
 men at New Orleans, 190. 
 Commerce controlled by Congress, 151. 
 Common Sense, a pamphlet by Thomas 
 
 Paine, 138. 
 Compromises, the three, in framing the 
 Constitution, 148-151. 
 
244 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Confederation, the Articles of, 141. 
 
 the defects of the Articles of, 
 I4I-I44- 
 Congress, sends General Gates to the 
 South, 90. 
 believed in by the people of 
 
 the South, 93. 
 calls for ten companies, 112. 
 gives thanks for the surrender 
 
 of Cornwallis, 136. 
 the national, erects a monu- 
 ment at Yorktown, 137. 
 the weakness of, 139, 142. 
 the first Continental, 140. 
 the second Continental, 140. 
 submits the Constitution to 
 the states, 153. 
 Connecticut, 54, 125, 143, 146. 
 Constitution, the, the framing of, 138- 
 
 155- 
 
 the state of the country before, 
 142-144. 
 
 the convention meets to frame, 
 145. 
 
 the noted men who helped 
 frame, 146, 147. 
 
 the three compromises in fram- 
 ing, 148-151. 
 
 Washington signs, 152. 
 
 the witty remark of Franklin 
 about, 152. 
 
 the discussions over the adop- 
 tion of, by the Federalists 
 and by the A nti- Federalists, 
 
 153. 154- 
 
 the rejoicings over the adop- 
 tion of, 154. 
 
 Gladstone's opinion of, 155. 
 Constitution, the frigate, commanded 
 by Preble, 15S. 
 
 Constitution, the frigate, the history 
 of, 169-184. 
 
 the poem on, by Oliver Wen- 
 dell Holmes, 169. 
 
 built in Boston, 170. 
 
 a description of, 171. 
 
 sport made of, by British naval 
 officers, 172. 
 
 the launching of, 172. 
 
 the battle of, before Tripoli, 173. 
 
 the escape of, from a British 
 fleet, 174. 
 
 the battle of, with the Guerriere, 
 176. 
 
 the battle of, with the Java, 179. 
 
 the battle of, with the Cyane 
 and the Levant, 182. 
 
 the after history of, 183. 
 Constitution Wharf, in Boston, 170. 
 Continentals, the ragged, 2, 77, 129. 
 Cornwallis, Lord, given the command 
 in the South, 90. 
 
 marches north to Virginia, 91, 
 123. 
 
 attempts to crush Lafayette, 
 124. 
 
 retreats to Yorktown, 125. 
 
 attempts to escape from York- 
 town, 131. 
 
 attempts to break through the 
 American lines, 132. 
 
 forced to surrender, 134. 
 
 the surrender of, announced in 
 Philadelphia, 136. 
 Cowpens, the battle of, 1 16-120. 
 Craigie house, the, in Cambridge, Mass- 
 achusetts, becomes Washing- 
 ton's headquarters, 105. 
 Creole villages, the, north of the Ohio 
 River, 3, 6, 7-1 1, 14. 
 
[NDEX 
 
 2 45 
 
 Creoles, the, at New Orleans, 189. 
 Crisis, the, 138-155. See Constitution. 
 Cunningham, the cruelty of, to Hale, 
 
 59, 60. 
 Custis, the adopted son of Washington, 
 
 66. 
 Custis, Nellie, Washington's ward, 74. 
 Cyane, the, a British frigate, destroyed 
 
 by " Old Ironsides," 182, 183. 
 
 Dale, Commodore, sent to the Mediter- 
 ranean Sea, 157. 
 captures a Tripolitan war ship, 
 .58. 
 Daring exploit, a, 156-16S. See Phil- 
 adelphia, the frigate. 
 Davie, William, a leader in the South, 
 
 91. 
 Dayton, Jonathan, of New Jersey, at 
 the Philadelphia convention, 
 146. 
 Dearborn, Captain, kills his fine dog, 26. 
 Decatur, Stephen, 158. 
 
 chosen to destroy the Philadel- 
 phia, 161. 
 calls for volunteers, 162. 
 sails for Tripoli, 162. 
 boards the Philadelphia and 
 
 sets her on fire, 165, 166. 
 the promotion of, 16S. 
 how received by Commodore 
 Preble, 173. 
 Deckhard rifle, the, used in the South, 95. 
 Declaration of Independence, the, 140, 
 
 141, 146, 157. 
 De Grasse receives orders to act with 
 Washington, 125. 
 headed for Chesapeake Bay, 
 126. 
 
 De Grasse defeats the British fleet and 
 controls Chesapeake Bay, 
 130. 
 at the blockade of Yorktown, 
 134- 
 
 Delaware, the representation of, in Con- 
 gress, 149. 
 the first to adopt the Constitu- 
 tion, 154. 
 
 DePeyster, Colonel, the bravery of, 103. 
 
 Detroit, Fort, Hamilton's headquarters, 
 4, 11. See the map on page 
 
 Dickinson, John, at the Philadelphia 
 
 convention, 147. 
 Dinwiddie, governor of Virginia, 109. 
 Doak, Rev. Samuel, invokes a blessing 
 
 before the march to King's 
 
 Mountain, 96. 
 Dragoons, the defeat of the red, 90-104. 
 
 See King's Mountain. 
 Du Loup River, the, Arnold's men cross, 
 
 29. 
 Dunmore, Lord, driven from Virginia, 
 
 Ellsworth, Oliver, at the Philadelphia 
 convention, 146. 
 
 Enos, Colonel, 22, 23. 
 
 deserts Arnold, 24. 
 
 Enterprise, the, fights a Tripolitan man- 
 of-war, 157. 
 
 Experiment, the, a British man-of-war, 
 46. 
 
 Farragut, Admiral, 41. 
 Federalist, the, 154. 
 Federalists, the, 153. 
 
246 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Ferguson, Colonel, character of, 91. 
 
 enlists Tories and raids the 
 
 Carolinas, 92. 
 threatens the backwoodsmen, 
 
 92. 
 the rally of the backwoods- 
 men to attack, 94. 
 retreats before the backwoods- 
 men, 97. 
 makes a stand at King's Moun- 
 tain, 99. 
 defeated at King's Mountain, 
 
 101-103. 
 the death of, at King's Moun- 
 tain, 102. 
 Fish, Nicholas, with Lafayette at York- 
 town, 208. 
 Fiske, John, the historian, 115, 139. 
 Fort Detroit, Hamilton's headquarters, 
 4,11. Seethe map on page 7. 
 Fort Pitt, 5. See the map on page 7. 
 Fort Sullivan, the defense of, 36-49. 
 built of palmetto logs, 38. 
 the mounting of cannon in, 39. 
 visited by General Lee, 39. 
 Lee advises the surrender of, 
 
 39. 46. 
 the British plan of attack on, 
 
 41. 
 the attack on, 41-48. 
 the repulse of the British attack 
 
 on, 48. 
 the moral effect of the defense 
 of, 49. 
 Fort Sumter, 43. 
 
 France, the king of, promises us aid, 201. 
 Franklin and Holston settlements, now 
 
 Tennessee, 92. 
 Franklin, Benjamin, at the Philadel- 
 phia convention, 146. 
 
 Franklin, Benjamin, work of, in fram- 
 ing the Constitution, 1 50, 152. 
 the witty remark of, about the 
 
 Constitution, 152. 
 a quotation from the almanac 
 
 of, 157. 
 aids Lafayette, 200. 
 
 Frederick the Great of Prussia, friendly 
 to us, 145. 
 
 Freeman's Farm, Burgoyne defeated 
 at, 114. 
 
 French Canadians, the, help Arnold, 28. 
 
 French fleet, the, under De Grasse, 125. 
 See De Grasse. 
 
 French villages, the, north of the Ohio 
 River, 3, 11, 15. 
 
 Gates, General, the statue of, at Sara- 
 toga, 18. 
 sent to take command in the 
 
 South, 90. 
 defeated at Camden, South 
 
 Carolina, 90. 
 the character of, 90, 10 q. 
 George, King, receives word of Corn- 
 
 wallis's surrender, 137. 
 Georgia, overrun by the British, 90. 
 
 protests against abolishing slav- 
 ery, 150. 
 Germantown, Pennsylvania, Wayne at, 
 
 82. 
 Gerry, Elbridge, at the Philadelphia 
 
 convention, 147. 
 Gibault, Father, aids Clark, 8. 
 Gibbs, General, leads the British at New 
 Orleans, 195. 
 severely wounded, 196. 
 Gibraltar, Dacres gives Hull a dinner 
 at, 179. 
 
[NDEX 
 
 247 
 
 Gibraltar of America, the, Quebec, 30, 
 
 35- 
 the little, Stony Point, 80, SS. 
 Gilmer, Enoch, spies out Ferguson, 100. 
 Gladstone, William Ewart, how the 
 
 Constitution was regarded 
 
 by, 155- 
 
 Gloucester, Virginia, Cornwallis plans 
 
 to escape by way of, 132. 
 Graves, Admiral, forced to withdraw 
 
 from Chesapeake Bay, 130. 
 Greene, Nathanael, 65. 
 
 Washington's right-hand man, 
 
 90. 
 the ability of, 105. 
 left the army for a time, 1 1 5. 
 defeated at Guilford, North 
 
 Carolina, 123. 
 the death of, 147. 
 Grier, Sergeant, and his wife, with 
 Arnold's expedition to Que- 
 bec, 22, 27. 
 Guerriere, the, a British frigate, de- 
 stroyed by " Old Ironsides," 
 
 Guilford, North Carolina, Lord Corn- 
 wallis defeats Greene at, 123. 
 
 H 
 
 Hale, Nathan, the patriot spy, 50-61. 
 \( >lunteers to serve as a spy, 53. 
 receives his instructions from 
 
 Washington, 53. 
 the parentage and the home of, 
 
 54- 
 the boyhood of, 54. 
 the education of, 54. 
 teaches school in New London, 
 
 Connecticut, 54. 
 bids his pupils farewell, 55. 
 
 Hale, Nathan, starts for Cambridge, 55. 
 the diary of, 55. 
 disguises himself, 56. 
 returns in safety from the Brit- 
 ish lines, but puts up at 
 " Mother Chick's," 57. 
 arrested, 57. 
 taken to New York, 58. 
 condemned to die, 59. 
 the dying speech of, 60. 
 hanged, 60. 
 Hamilton, Alexander, the address of, 
 at Annapolis, 144. 
 at the Philadelphia convention, 
 
 146. 
 defends the Constitution, 154. 
 Hamilton, Henry, the " hair buyer," 4. 
 stirs up the savages, 11. 
 recaptures Vincennes, 11. 
 surrenders Vincennes to Clark, 
 16. 
 Hampton Roads, Virginia, De Grasse 
 
 in, 129. 
 Harlem Heights, the patriots retreat to, 
 
 Si- 
 
 Harrod, James, one of the leaders in 
 Kentucky, 2. 
 
 Hartford, Connecticut, Lafayette visits, 
 206, 209. 
 
 Hartt, the naval yard of, in Boston, 170. 
 
 Harvard College, Lafayette attends com- 
 mencement at, 205. 
 
 Heights of Abraham, the, Arnold climbs 
 to, 30. 
 Wolfe climbs to, in 1759, 30. 
 
 Helm, Captain, a prisoner at Vincennes, 
 
 is- 
 
 Henry, Patrick, aids Clark, 5. 
 
 does not attend the Philadel- 
 phia convention, 147. 
 
248 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Hero's welcome, a, 199-216. See 
 Lafayette. 
 
 Hessians, the, the " ragged Continen- 
 tals " meet, at Trenton, 77. 
 Wayne meets, at Germantown, 
 
 Intrepid, the, used by Decatur to destroy 
 the Philadelphia, 162-168. 
 
 Ironsides, Old, 169-184. See Consti- 
 tution, the frigate. 
 
 march with Burgoyne, 1 14. 
 Morgan's men a terror to, 114. 
 Highlanders, Scotch, in the battle of 
 New Orleans, 194-196. 
 the backwoodsmen compared 
 to a clan of, 104. 
 Holmes, Oliver Wendell, saves "Old 
 Ironsides," 169. 
 at Harvard College, 169. 
 Holston settlements, the, now a part of 
 
 Tennessee, 1, 92. 
 Hood, Admiral, at Chesapeake Bay, 130. ' 
 Horseshoe Plain, the, Clark crosses, 14. 
 Howard, Colonel, commands the Con- 
 tinentals at Cowpens, 118. 
 Howe, General, Hale brought before, 58. 
 
 evacuates Boston, 77. 
 Hudson River, the, 78, 79. 
 
 Lafayette visits, 206, 208. 
 Hull, Colonel, 82. 
 
 Hull, Isaac, Captain, in command of 
 the Constitution, 174. 
 has an "interview" with 
 
 Dacres, 176. 
 at Gibraltar, 179. 
 Humphreys, Mr., of Philadelphia, the 
 builder of " Old Ironsides," 170. 
 
 I 
 Illinois Indians, the, the country of, 4, 6. 
 
 See the map on page 7. 
 Imprisonment for debt, 143. 
 Independence Hall, the Old State 
 
 House in Philadelphia, 145. 
 
 Jacataqua, the Indian girl, joins Ar- 
 nold's expedition to Quebec, 
 
 acts as guide, and cares for the 
 sick and the injured, 26. 
 Jackson, Andrew, in command at New 
 Orleans, 18S. 
 hears of the advance of the 
 
 British, 18S. 
 prepares to defend New Or- 
 leans, 189. 
 attacks the British bynight, 190. 
 throws up earthworks, 193. 
 at the battle of New Orleans, 
 
 194. 
 wins a remarkable victory, 196. 
 the after history of, 198. 
 James River, the, 78, 131. 
 Jasper, William, the heroism of, 48. 
 Java, the, destroyed by "Old Iron- 
 sides," 180. 
 the wheel of, fitted on " Old 
 Ironsides," 181. 
 Jay, John, defends the Constitution, 
 
 154- 
 Jefferson, Thomas, the narrow escape 
 of, from Tarleton, 124. 
 abroad, 147. 
 President of the United States, 
 
 a man of peace, 157, 186. 
 visited by Lafayette, 214. 
 Jones, one of Jackson's officers, guards 
 Lake Borgne and is killed, 
 187. 
 
INDEX 
 
 249 
 
 Kaskaskia, 6-8. 
 
 Keane, General, leads the British at 
 New Orleans, 195. 
 severely wounded, 196. 
 Kentucky, the founding of Lexington, 1. 
 the pioneers in, 1, 2. 
 the fighting in, " the dark and 
 bloody ground," 4. 
 King, Rufus, at the Philadelphia con- 
 vention, 147. 
 King's Ferry, on the Hudson River, the 
 British get the control of, 78. 
 King's Mountain, the battle 0^90-104. 
 the state of affairs before the 
 
 battle of, 90-93. 
 the rally of the backwoodsmen 
 
 before the battle of, 93. 
 the march of the pioneers to, 
 
 96-100. 
 the plan of the battle of, 100. 
 the battle of, 101-103. 
 ths victory of the backwoods- 
 men at, 103, 104. 
 the effect of the victory at, 104. 
 Knowlton, Colonel, 51. 
 
 interviews his officers, 52. 
 Knox, Henry, an American general, 
 130, 203. 
 
 Lafayette, in the Yorktown campaign, 
 124, [31, 135. 
 
 hears of our struggle for inde- 
 pendence, 199. 
 
 arrives in this country, 200. 
 
 serves under Washington, 200. 
 
 returns to France, 201. 
 
 returns to America with the 
 king's pledge of help, 201. 
 
 Lafayette, returns to France, but re- 
 members us, 201. 
 visits America in 1784, 202. 
 visits us again in 1824, 202. 
 the admiration of our people 
 
 for, 203. 
 the personal appearance of, 
 
 204. 
 the interview of, with Red 
 
 Jacket, 204. 
 the receptions given to, from 
 
 New York to Boston, 205. 
 the tour of, through the United 
 
 States, 206. 
 visits Yorktown, 207. 
 visits New Orleans, 208. 
 visits other towns and cities, 
 . 208-210. 
 goes to Mount Vernon, 211. 
 at Boston and Bunker Hill, 
 
 212-214. 
 the formal reception of, at 
 
 Washington, 215. 
 
 returns to France, 215. 
 
 Lafayette, George Washington, visits 
 
 us with his father in 1824, 
 
 203. 
 Lafitte, the " Pirate of the Gulf," aids 
 
 Jackson, 189. 
 Lake Borgne, near New Orleans, the 
 
 British cross, 187. 
 Lambert, Henry, Captain, commander 
 
 of the British frigate Java, 
 
 179. 
 mortally wounded, 182. 
 Lambert, John, General, leads the Brit- 
 ish reserve at New Orleans, 
 
 195. 
 retreats from New Orleans and 
 
 sails for England, 197. 
 
250 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Langdon, John, at the Philadelphia 
 convention, 147. 
 
 Lawrence, James, with Decatur, 165, 
 166. 
 
 Ledge Falls, Greene's division reaches, 
 24. 
 Enos turns back at, 24. 
 
 Lee, Charles, advises the abandoning 
 of Fort Sullivan, 39, 46. 
 the character of, 40. 
 the cowardice of, at Monmouth, 
 105. 
 
 Lee, Henry, or " Light-Horse Harry," 
 defends the Constitution, 154. 
 
 Levant, the, a British sloop of war, 
 destroyed by " Old Iron- 
 sides," 1S2, 183. 
 
 Levi, Point, the arrival of Arnold at, 
 29. 
 
 Lewis, Lawrence, Washington's favor- 
 ite nephew, 63. 
 
 Lexington, Kentucky, the origin of the 
 name, 1. 
 
 Lexington, Massachusetts, the Revolu- 
 tion begins at, 1, 36, 112, 140. 
 
 Lincoln, General, surrenders Charles- 
 ton, 90, 134. 
 receives Cornwallis's sword, 
 
 Lower house, the, of Congress, or 
 House of Representatives, 
 14S, 149, 155. 
 
 Lower Town, the, at Quebec, Arnold's 
 men attack, 32. 
 
 Madeira Islands, the, " Old Ironsides " 
 fights a great battle near, 
 182. 
 Madison, James, of Virginia, 146. 
 
 " Father of the Constitution," 
 
 148. 
 hated slavery, 149. 
 defends the Constitution, 154. 
 President of the United States, 
 a man of peace, 186. 
 Maltese sailors, Decatur's sailors 
 
 dressed like, 161, 164. 
 Manhattan Island, the patriots retire 
 
 from, 51. 
 Map, a, showing the line of Clark's 
 march, 7. 
 of Arnold's route to Quebec, 
 
 2 3- 
 of the military operations in 
 the Carolinas, 99. 
 Marion, Francis, a leader in the South, 
 
 Little Wabash, the, Clark crosses, 12. 
 Long Island, New York, the patriots 
 
 defeated in the battle of, 50. 
 Hale enters, in disguise, 56. 
 Long Island, South Carolina, north of 
 
 Sullivan's Island, 41, 44. 
 Long Knives, the, the backwoodsmen 
 
 called, 9, 10. 
 Louisiana, the, an American war vessel, 
 
 blows Sir Edward's sugar 
 
 barrels to pieces, 192. 
 
 Marseillaise, The, the national hymn of 
 France, 189. 
 
 Marshall, John, defends the Constitu- 
 tion, 154. 
 
 Martha's Vineyard, 78. 
 
 Maryland called on for volunteers, 112. 
 
 Mason, George, of Virginia, opposed to 
 slavery, 1 50. 
 
 McDaniell, an anecdote of, 47. 
 
 McDonough, Thomas, with Decatur, 
 166. 
 
[NDEX 
 
 251 
 
 McDowell, leads the refugees, 94. 
 McLane, Captain, one of Wayne's 
 
 pii kets, 81. 
 Meigs, Major, a commander under 
 
 Arnold, 22. 
 Midnight surprise, a, 77-89. See 
 
 Stony Point. 
 Midwinter campaign, a, iS— 35. See 
 
 Arnold. 
 Minutemen, the, of the Old North 
 
 State, 36. 
 Mississippi River, the, Lafayette 
 
 ascends, 206. 
 Monmouth, New Jersey, the battle of, 
 200. 
 Wayne at, 82. 
 
 the cowardice of Charles Lee 
 at, 105. 
 Monroe, President, instructed to invite 
 Lafayette as the nation's 
 guest, 202. 
 receives Lafayette at the White 
 House, 204. 
 Montgomery, General, 20. 
 
 joined by Arnold, 30. 
 demands the surrender of 
 
 Quebec, 31. 
 despairs of the expedition, 31. 
 leads the attack on Quebec, 32. 
 the death of, 23- 
 Monticello, the home of Thomas Jef- 
 ferson, near Charlottesville, 
 Virginia, 124, 214. 
 Montreal, captured by Montgomery, 30. 
 
 Sir Guy Carleton leaves, 31. 
 Monument, the, at Saratoga, 18, 122. 
 at Yorktown, 137. 
 the statues of Schuyler, Gates, 
 and Morgan on, at Saratoga, 
 
 Monument, the, Arnold forfeits his 
 
 place on, at Saratoga, 18. 
 Morgan, Daniel, the life of, 105-122. 
 
 the statue of, at Saratoga, New 
 
 York, 18, 122. 
 the statue of, at Spartanburg, 
 
 South Carolina, 122. 
 joins Arnold's expedition, 21. 
 leads the advance in Arnold's 
 
 expedition, 22. 
 . forced to surrender at Quebec, 
 
 34- 
 the early life of, 106. 
 enlists in the Virginia troops 
 
 and serves as a teamster, 
 
 106. 
 takes pride in his company 
 
 and shows his skill as a 
 
 boxer, 107. 
 enlists as a teamster in Wash- 
 ington's regiment, 107. 
 receives one hundred lashes, 
 
 10S. 
 makes his mark as a private, 
 
 10S. 
 drives no more army wagons, 
 
 108. 
 receives the commission of an 
 
 ensign, 109. 
 severely wounded, 109. 
 returns to his farm, no. 
 the marriage of, no. 
 marches to Cambridge, 112. 
 at the siege of Quebec, 113. 
 made a colonel, 113. 
 at Freeman's Farm and at 
 
 Saratoga, 114. 
 leaves the army for a time, 1 1 5. 
 rejoins the army in the South, 
 under Gates, 115. 
 
25 ; 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Morgan, Daniel, made a brigadier gen- 
 eral, 1 15. 
 makes his plan for a battle with 
 
 Tarleton, 116. 
 makes his stand at Cowpens, 
 
 116. 
 victorious at Cowpens, 119. 
 marches to join General 
 
 Greene, 121. 
 retires from the army again, 
 
 121. 
 takes part in the Virginia cam- 
 paign of 17S0, 121. 
 the after life of, 122. 
 the valor of, commemorated at 
 Saratoga, New York, and at 
 Spartanburg, South Caro- 
 lina, 122. 
 Morocco, 156, 158. 
 
 Morris, Gouverneur, originator of our 
 decimal system of money, at- 
 tends the Philadelphia con- 
 vention, 146. 
 Morris, Lieutenant, with Captain Hull 
 on " Old Ironsides," 174, 177. 
 Morris, Robert, imprisoned for debt, 
 
 143- 
 
 at the Philadelphia convention, 
 146. 
 Morristown, New Jersey, Morgan re- 
 ports at, 113. 
 Moultrie, William, ordered to build a 
 fort on Sullivan's Island, 38. 
 
 visited by Charles Lee, 39. 
 
 visited by the master of a pri- 
 vateer, 40. 
 
 defends his fort, 42. 
 
 encourages his men, 45. 
 
 honored for his defense of 
 Fort Sullivan, 49. 
 
 Moultrie, William, the after life of, 49. 
 Mount Vernon, Washington's home, 
 
 68-70, 76, 138. 
 visited by Lafayette in 1784, 
 
 202. 
 visited by Lafayette in 1824, 
 
 21 1. 
 Murfree, Colonel, at Stony Point, 86. 
 Murray mansion, the, Washington's 
 
 headquarters in 1776, 50. 
 
 N 
 Napoleon, England struggles against, 
 185. 
 at Elba, 186. 
 Nashville, Tennessee, the riflemen of, 
 189. 
 Lafayette visits, 20S. 
 Natural Bridge, the, in Virginia, Wash- 
 ington throws to the top of, 
 64. 
 Nelson, Governor, of Virginia, 132. 
 the house of, 132, 133, 207. 
 called the " war governor," 
 
 l 33- 
 Nelson, Lord, England's great admiral, 
 41. 
 praises Decatur's deed in the 
 Mediterranean, 168. 
 New Jersey, Trenton, 77. 
 Monmouth, 82. 
 Morristown, 113. 
 " Old Ironsides," the home of 
 
 Commodore Stewart, 184. 
 Washington plans to go to 
 Yorktown by way of, 127. 
 New Orleans, the battle of, 185-198. 
 
 the events leading to the battle 
 
 of, 185. 
 foreign in character, 187, 189. 
 
INDEX 
 
 253 
 
 New Orleans, the British plan to cap- 
 ture, 187. 
 the expedition sent against, 1S7. 
 Jackson's headquarters in, 1S8. 
 Jackson plans for the defense 
 
 of, 189. 
 the arrival of the riflemen at, 
 
 1S9. 
 Jackson throws up earthworks 
 
 below, 190. 
 the night attack on the British 
 
 below, 190. 
 the beginning of the battle 
 
 below, 192. 
 a description of the battle of, 
 
 194-196. 
 the British defeated at, 196. 
 the retreat of the British after 
 
 the battle of, 197. 
 the sad part of the victory at, 
 
 198. 
 Lafayette visits, 206, 208. 
 New Roof, the, 154. 
 New York, the city of, 143. 
 
 Lafayette at, 203, 209. 
 
 the state of, 142, 149. 
 
 Nolichucky River, the, Sevier's home 
 
 on, 93. 
 Norfolk, shelled and destroyed by a 
 
 British fleet, 36. 
 Norridgewock, Maine, Arnold's army 
 
 leaves, 23. 
 North, Lord, receives word of Corn- 
 
 wallis's surrender, 136. 
 North State, the Old, North Carolina, 
 3 6 > 37. 9i- 
 
 O'Hara, General, sent by Cornwallis to 
 deliver up his sword, 134. 
 
 Ohio, the representation of, in Con- 
 gress, 149. 
 
 Ohio River, the, Clark floats down, 6. 
 Lafayette ascends, 206. 
 
 Old Dominion, the, Virginia, 215. 
 
 Old Hickory's Christmas, 1S5-19S. 
 See New Orleans. 
 
 Old Ironsides, 169-1S4. See Constitu- 
 tion, the frigate, 
 origin of the name, 178. 
 
 Old North State, the, North Carolina, 
 3 6 > 37- 9 1 - 
 
 Old State House, the, in Philadelphia, 
 now called Independence 
 Hall, 145. 
 
 Orang-outangs, Arnold's men resemble, 
 
 3°- 
 
 P 
 
 Pakenham, Sir Edward, arrives at New 
 Orleans on Christmas Day, 
 1814, 191. 
 takes a look at the Americans, 
 
 192. 
 killed in the battle of New 
 Orleans, 195. 
 Palmetto logs, one way of using, 36-49. 
 
 See Fort Sullivan. 
 Parker, Sir Peter, arrives at Cape Fear, 
 37- 
 takes command of the com- 
 bined British fleets and sails 
 for Charleston, yj. 
 delays his attack on Charles- 
 ton, 41. 
 attacks Fort Sullivan, 42. 
 the fleet of, defeated, 48. 
 Pasha of Tripoli, the, 1 56. 
 Patriot, our greatest, 62-76. See 
 Washington, 
 spy, the, 50-61. See Hale. 
 
254 HERO STORIES EROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Peace, the treaty of, with Great Britain 
 signed in Paris, France, in 
 September, 17S3, 138, 202. 
 the treaty of, with Great Britain 
 in 1814 was signed at Ghent, 
 Belgium, on Christmas eve, 
 1814, about two weeks before 
 the battle of New Orleans, 
 198. 
 
 Pennsylvania called on for volunteers, 
 
 Perry, Commodore, the hero of the 
 
 battle of Lake Erie, 202. 
 Petersburg, Lord Cornwallis arrives at, 
 
 123. 
 Philadelphia, the first Continental 
 Congress at, 140. 
 the second Continental Con- 
 gress at, 140. 
 the Constitution drafted at, in 
 
 the Old State House, 145. 
 the visit of Lafayette to, 210. 
 Philadelphia, the frigate, the burning 
 of, 156-168. 
 the events leading to the cap- 
 ture of, 1 56-1 59. 
 towed into the harbor of Trip- 
 oli, 159. 
 plans made for retaking, 160. 
 Decatur's plan for the retaking 
 " of, 161. 
 
 Decatur starts for the recap- 
 ture of, 162. 
 the capture and the burning of, 
 166. 
 Phillips, Samuel, carries Ferguson's 
 threat to the backwoodsmen, 
 92. 
 Pickens, Andrew, a leader in the South, 
 91. 
 
 Pickens, Andrew, at the battle of Cow- 
 pens, 117. 
 
 Pinckneys, the two brilliant, Charles 
 and Thomas, of South Caro- 
 lina, at the Philadelphia con- 
 vention, 146. 
 
 Pirates, the, on the African coast, 1 56, 
 170. 
 
 Pitt, Fort, 5. See the map on page 7. 
 
 Point Levi, the arrival of Arnold at, 29. 
 
 Pompey, Wayne's guide at Stony 
 Point, 84. 
 
 Poor Richard's Almanac, a quotation 
 from, 157. 
 
 Portland, Maine, Lafayette visits, 206. 
 
 Portsmouth, New Hampshire, " Old 
 Ironsides " at, 183. 
 Lafayette visits, 206. 
 
 Preble, Commodore, in command of 
 our fleet in the Mediterra- 
 nean, 158, 161, 172. 
 sails for Sicily, 160. 
 the quick temper of, 173. 
 
 Prescott, General, captured by Colonel 
 Barton, 143. 
 
 Prescott, William, at the battle of 
 Bunker Hill, 213. 
 
 Quebec, an expedition planned against, 
 20. 
 
 the "Gibraltar of America," 30. 
 
 reached by Arnold's expedi- 
 tion, 30. 
 
 the siege of, 31. 
 
 the midnight attack on, 32. 
 
 the siege of, raised, 35. 
 
 Morgan at, 34, in, 113. 
 Quincy, Massachusetts, Lafayette visits, 
 to see John Adams, 209. 
 
[NDEX 
 
 2 55 
 
 R 
 
 Randolph, Edmund, at the Philadel- 
 phia convention, 147. 
 defends the Constitution, 154. 
 Rappahannock River, the, Washington 
 
 throws across, 64. 
 Rawdon, Lord, in South Carolina, 
 
 126. 
 Red Jacket, the Indian chief, meets 
 
 Lafayette, 204. 
 Rennie, Colonel, a British commander 
 at the battle of New Orleans, 
 195- 
 Representatives in Congress, 149. 
 Revere, Paul, furnishes the copper used 
 
 in "Old Ironsides," 172. 
 Rhode Island, 142, 147. 
 
 sends no delegates to Philadel- 
 phia, 145. 
 the representation of, in Con- 
 gress. 149. 
 "Old Ironsides" at Newport, 
 r8 3 . 
 Rutledge, John, Governor, the char- 
 acter of, 40. 
 sends powder to Fort Sulli- 
 van, 46. 
 rewards Sergeant Jasper, 48. 
 at the Philadelphia convention, 
 146. 
 
 St. John's gate at Quebec, 35. 
 Saratoga, New York, the monument 
 at, 18. 
 
 Burgoyne defeated at, 114. 
 
 Morgan at, 114. 
 Sartigan, Canada, Arnold reaches, 28. 
 
 Arnold's men arrive at, 29. 
 Schoolmaster, Hale disguised as a, 56. 
 
 Schuyler, General, the statue of, at 
 Saratoga, 18. 
 left the army for a time, 1 15. 
 Scotch-Irish in the South, 92, 93. 
 Senate, the, or upper house of Con- 
 gress, 148, 155. 
 Senators in Congress, 149. 
 Sevier, Colonel, rallies the backwoods- 
 men, 93. 
 uses the county funds to buy 
 supplies for the riflemen, 94. 
 leads the right wing at King's 
 Mountain, 101. 
 Shannon, the, a British frigate, 174, 175. 
 Shawnees, the, Clark meets, 10. 
 Shelby, Colonel, rallies the backwoods- 
 men, 92, 93. 
 leads a column of the riflemen 
 at King's Mountain, 101. 
 Sherman, Roger, at the Philadelphia 
 
 convention, 146. 
 Sicily, Commodore Preble sails to, 160. 
 Siren, the brig, accompanies Decatur 
 
 to Tripoli, 162, 163. 
 Slave question, the, in framing the 
 
 Constitution, 149-151. 
 South, the, a blow aimed at, by the 
 British, 36. 
 British success in, 90. 
 the patriot leaders in, 91. 
 the brutality of the British in, 
 91. 
 South Carolina, overrun by the British, 
 90. 
 protests against abolishing 
 slavery, 150. 
 Spy, the patriot, 50-61. See Hale. 
 Stark, John, defeats the British at 
 Bennington, Vermont, 105. 
 leaves the army for a time, 115. 
 
256 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Stewart, Charles, in command of the 
 
 frigate Constitution, 182. 
 
 the death of, 184. 
 
 Stony Point, on the Hudson River, the 
 
 capture of, by Wayne, 77-89. 
 
 the British capture and fortify, 
 
 78. 
 Washington plans to attack, 
 
 79- 
 a description of, 79. 
 a description of the fortifica- 
 tions of, 80. 
 the " little Gibraltar," 80. 
 Wayne appointed commander 
 of the expedition against, 80. 
 Wayne's march to, 82. 
 Wayne's plan of attack on, 84. 
 the attack on, 85. 
 the capture of, 86. 
 the capture of, announced to 
 Washington, 88. 
 Sullivan, Fort, the defense of, 36-49. 
 
 See Fort Sullivan. 
 Sumter, Fort, 43- 
 
 Sumter, Thomas, General, a leader in 
 the South, 91. 
 still alive in 1824, 203. 
 Surprise, a midnight, 77-89. See 
 
 Stony Point. 
 Sycamore Shoals, 94. 
 
 the backwoodsmen meet at, 95. 
 Syracuse, Sicily, Commodore Preble 
 sails to, 160. 
 Decatur sails from, 162. 
 
 Tallmadge, Major, questions Andre, 61. 
 Tarleton, Colonel, the brutality of, in 
 the South, 91. 
 defeated at Cowpens, 118, 119. 
 
 Tarleton, Colonel, and the two young 
 
 ladies, 120. 
 in the Yorktown campaign, 124. 
 Teamster, the old, 105-122. See 
 
 Morgan. 
 Thaxter, Rev. Joseph, at Bunker Hill, 
 
 213. 
 Thompson, Colonel, and his sharp- 
 shooters aid Moultrie, 41,44. 
 Tilghman, Colonel, informs Congress 
 » of Cornwallis's surrender, 
 
 136. 
 Tompkins, Daniel, Vice President of 
 
 the United States, entertains 
 
 Lafayette in 1824, 203. 
 Tories, the, at " Mother Chick's," 57. 
 in the South, 91, 92, 97, 99, 
 
 100, 102. 
 Trade, free, between the states, 151. 
 Trenton, New Jersey, the British 
 
 defeated at, 77. 
 Tripoli, 156-16S, 173, 1S0, 184. 
 Trumbull, "The Surrender of Corn- 
 
 wallis " painted by, 133. 
 Tryon, William, the hated, a British 
 
 general, 78. 
 Tunis, 156. 
 Twelve Mile carrying place, the, 22. 
 
 Enos reaches the, 23. 
 
 u 
 
 United Colonies, the, 141. 
 
 United States, the frigate, commanded 
 
 by Decatur, 158. 
 United States of America, the, 1 54. 
 
 the Constitution of, 155. See 
 
 Constitution, 
 the growth of, 202. 
 University of Virginia, the, Lafayette 
 entertained at, 214. 
 
INDEX 
 
 257 
 
 Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Lafayette 
 at, 200. 
 the patriots suffer greatly at, 
 200. 
 Vernon, Mount, Washington's home, 68. 
 the slaves at, 70. 
 the hospitality at, 71, 76. 
 Washington retires to, 13S. 
 Lafayette's visits to, 202, 211. 
 Verplanck's Point, on the Hudson 
 River, the British fortify, 78. 
 Victory, the final, 123-137. See York- 
 town campaign. 
 Ville de Paris, the flagship of De 
 
 Grasse, 129. 
 Viller£, Major, informs Jackson of the 
 approach of the British, 188. 
 Vincennes, the hero of, 1-17. See 
 
 Clark. 
 Virginia, in the struggle with Great 
 Britain, 2, 5. 
 aids Clark, 3, 5. 
 called on for volunteers, 112. 
 takes the lead in sending dele- 
 gates to Philadelphia, 145. 
 the University of, Lafayette 
 visits, 214. 
 Vulture, the, a British war ship at 
 Stony Point, 87. 
 
 w 
 
 Wabash River, the Little, Clark crosses, 
 12. 
 
 Wabash River, the, Clark crosses, 13. 
 
 Wagoner, the old, 105-122. See 
 Morgan. 
 
 Warner, James, and his wife with 
 Arnold's expedition to Que- 
 bec, 22, 26. 
 
 Washington, Lafayette received by 
 President Monroe at, 204. 
 
 Lafayette's farewell dinner at, 
 215. 
 Washington, George, in the Revolu- 
 tion, 2. 
 
 takes command of the patriots 
 at Cambridge, Massachu- 
 setts, 19. 
 
 meets Benedict Arnold, 19. 
 • confers with his officers at the 
 Murray mansion, 50. 
 
 gives Hale his orders, 53. 
 
 informed of Hale's execution, 
 61. 
 
 our greatest patriot, 62-76. 
 
 the personal appearance of, 
 63- 
 
 the strength of, 64. 
 
 likes dancing, 65. 
 
 eats simple food, 66. 
 
 fond of fine clothes, 66. 
 
 a fine horseman, 67. 
 
 methodical in business, 68. 
 
 owns much land, 69, 70. 
 
 dislikes slaves, 70. 
 
 the generosity of, 71. 
 
 attends the meeting at New- 
 burgh, New York, 72. 
 
 the appearance of, on his first 
 visit to Congress, described 
 by an eyewitness, 73. 
 
 the formal receptions of, 74. 
 
 the state dinners of, 75. 
 
 the greatness of, 76. 
 
 a hard nut to crack, says Gen- 
 eral Clinton, 77. 
 
 plans an attack on Stony Point, 
 
 79- Si- 
 visits Stony Point, 88. 
 
258 
 
 HERO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
 Washington, George, famous men 
 gathered about, in the siege 
 of Boston, 105. 
 
 meets Daniel Morgan, 112. 
 
 in the Yorktown campaign, 
 124-136. 
 
 bids farewell to his generals, 
 138. 
 
 retires to Mount Vernon, 138. 
 
 the " legacy " of, to the Amer- 
 ican people, 140. 
 
 works at the problem of our 
 national existence, 143. 
 
 attends the Philadelphia con- 
 vention, 145. 
 
 made president of the Phila- 
 delphia convention, 147. 
 
 holds the Philadelphia conven- 
 tion to its duty, 148. 
 
 signs the Constitution, 152. 
 
 the first President of the 
 United States, 155. 
 
 Lafayette serves under, 200. 
 
 Lafayette visits, at Mount Ver- 
 non, 202. 
 
 tomb of, at Mount Vernon, 211. 
 Washington, William, at the battle of 
 Cowpens, 1 17-1 19. 
 
 in a hand to hand fight with 
 Tarleton, 120. 
 
 " knows how to make his 
 mark," 120. 
 Wayne, Anthony, the personal appear- 
 ance of, 80. 
 
 chosen to attack Stony Point, 
 80. 
 
 at Germantown and at Mon- 
 mouth, 82. 
 
 the march of, to Stony Point, 
 82. 
 
 Wayne, Anthony, reads his order of 
 battle at Stony Point, 83. 
 writes to a friend at Philadel- 
 phia, 83. 
 leads the attack on Stony 
 
 Point, 85. 
 wounded in the head, 86. 
 captures the fort, 87. 
 writes a letter to Washington, 
 
 88. 
 in the Yorktown campaign, 121, 
 124. 
 Webster, Daniel, speaks at the dedica : 
 tion of the Bunker Hill 
 Monument, 214. 
 Wellington, the Duke of, a British 
 general, 1S6. 
 called the " Iron Duke," 1S7. 
 West Point, the Americans at, 78, 125. 
 Washington's headquarters at, 
 127. 
 Wilson, James, the learned lawyer, at 
 the Philadelphia convention, 
 146. 
 Winchester, Virginia, 108. 
 Wolfe captures Quebec in 1759, 30. 
 Worcester, Massachusetts, Lafayette 
 visits, 206. 
 
 Yorktown, the monument at, 137. 
 
 the visit of Lafayette to, 207. 
 Yorktown campaign, the, 123-137. 
 
 the state of affairs in the 
 
 South before, 123. 
 the first move of Cornwallis in, 
 
 124. 
 made possible by the aid of a 
 
 French fleet, 125. 
 planned by Washington, 126. 
 
[NDEX 
 
 59 
 
 Yorktown campaign, the, Washington's 
 first move in, 12S. 
 the Continental and French 
 troops march to take part 
 
 Clinton awakens to the 
 tance of, 1 30. 
 
 impor 
 
 Yorktown campaign, the, De Grasse 
 aids in, with a large fleet, 130. 
 
 the siege in, 132. 
 
 Cornwallis surrenders in, 134. 
 
 the effect of the victory in, 
 upon King George and his 
 ministers, 136, 137. 
 
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