Class. Book COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT American History for Young Folks OR STORY OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY FROM THE Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time INCLUDING OMPLETE ACCOUNT OF THE NORSEMEN ; THE MOUND-BUILDERS VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS; HARDSHIPS OF EARLY SETTLERS; THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS; KING PHILIP'S WAR; FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS; THE STORY OF CANADA The Struggle for Liberty in the Revolution THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND; PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNITED STATES; THE GREAT CIVIL WAR ; THE WAR WITH SPAIN AND THE LATEST EVENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP Author of " Story of the New World," " War in Cuba," " Gem Cyclopedia,'' Etc., Etc. SUPERBLY EMBELLISHED WITH PHOTOTYPE AND WOOD ENGRAVINGS ^^, National Publishing Co. 241 AMERICAN STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA. 184( Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1808 by J. R. JONES, In the Office of the lyibrarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. All Rights Reserved. 2nd COPY. 1898. ua^Vli^x (novo. ..CO J En* wo COPIES !?ECEIVEO. PREFACE. AYS the old Roman, Cicero : " Not to know what has been trans- acted in former times, is to be always a child. If no nse is made of the labors of past ages, the world must remain always in the infancy of knowledge.'' The same thought is well stated by an old English author : " History makes a young man to be old, Avithout wrinkles or gray hairs, and gives him the experience of age, without the infirmities thereof." This is not placing too high a value upon history, as will be admitted by all intelligent persons. And what history can be more important and valuable than that of America ? The very name awakens a thrill of patri- otic emotion. Her story is the most captivating ever written, and is an exhaustless source of instruction and entertainment. It should be familiar to both old and young, and may become so by a perusal of the compre- hensive volume prefaced by these lines. This work contains a full account of the Norsemen, the earliest dis- coverers of the Western world, and of the Mound-builders, the earliest in- habitants. It then takes up the story of Columbus — his long years of waiting and disappointment ; his successful appeal at last to the King and Queen of Spain ; his tempestuous voyage, attended by dangers of the deep and mutiny on board; his heroic courage, his splendid reception on his return, and then the dark days and sorrowful death of the great discoverer. It treats of the settlement of America, and narrates the fascinating story of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas ; the attempts of the Indians to destroy the Colonies ; the disasters and sufferings encountered by the settlers. It details the persecutions of the Puritans in England, and their flight to Holland ; the storm-tossed " Mayflower " voyaging to the " wild New England coast;" King Philip's war; the history of witchcraft in Massachusetts — that strange craze which resulted in the death of many innocent persons ; the colonization of Connecticut ; William Penn and the Quakers ; settlement of the Carolinas and Georgia. Step by step the book traces the growth of the Colonies, their hardships and dangers, and the frightful massacres by the Red Men. It gives a vivid picture of the heroism and sacrifices which laid the foundations of our Great Republic. vi PREFACE. A graphic account is given of that terrible ordeal through which the settlers passed, the French and Indian war, also of the uprising of an op- pressed people ; their heroic struggle for independence ; exciting scenes and progress of the war ; sufferings of the American arni}^ ; darkest days of the conflict and final victor3^ Washington and his compeers stand out in bold relief and majestic proportions, as seen in the light of history. The war of 1812 with Great Britain and the Mexican war at a later period are fully related, and the growth of the nation is traced from small beginnings to its commanding position among the great and influential nations of the world. Then comes a stirring account of the great Civil War ; the attack on Fort Sumter ; the country aroused ; troops hurrying to the Capital ; opening events of the war in Virginia; bloodshed in Missouri; campaign in Ken- tucky and capture of Vicksburg; battles of South Mountain, Antietam, and Gettysburg; Sheridan's raid; Sherman's great march to the sea; terrible battles in the Wilderness ; Grant before Richmond ; surrender of Lee's army and end of the great conflict. The history of this great struggle is the most wonderful narrative ever penned. It is the story of the sublimest heroism ever witnessed, of the most thrilling adventure, of the loftiest patriotism, and of the most inflexible courage and determination. It is a story that should ever remain fresh in the minds of the American people, and its glowing details should be trans- mitted by them to future generations with patriotic fidelity. All the events of our subsequent history are narrated, from the assas- sination of President Lincoln down to the present time, including the ad- ministrations of Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Cleveland, Harrison and McKinley. The last part of this most attractive work relates to the war between the United States and Spain ; Spanish tyranny and oppression in Cuba ; the star- vation of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children ; the outbreak of hosdlities, and the determination of the United States Government to render the people of Cuba free and independent. The exploits of Admiral Sampson's fleet ; the great naval victory of Admiral Dewey at Manila, and the operations of the United States army at Santiago, including the gallant exploit of Lieutenant Hobson in sinking the " Merrimac " at the mouth of the harbor of Santiago, are all fully detailed. Thus the work is brought fully up to date, and includes all the latest events in American history. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE The Northmen 17 CHAPTER II. The Famous Mound-Builders 25 CHAPTER III. Discovery of America by Columbus 30 CHAPTER IV. Adventures of De Soto and Others 44 CHAPTER V. Story of Sir Walter Raleigh 52 CHAPTER VI. Captain John Smith and Pocahontas 59 CHAPTER VII. Story of the Virginia Colony 69 CHAPTER VIII. The Settlement of Maryland 73 CHAPTER IX. The Landing of the Pilgrims ' 77 CHAPTER X. King Philip's War 90 vii viii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XL page The Growing Nation 98 CHAPTER Xn. Pennsylvania and its Founder 107 CHAPTER XHI. Witchcraft in New England 112 CHAPTER XIV. Colonies on the Southern Coast 118 CHAPTER XV. Story of Captain Kidd > 124 CHAPTER XVI. The French and Indian War 130 CHAPTER XVII. The Story of Canada and Quebec 139 CHAPTER XVIII. Beginning of the American Revolution 152 CHAPTER XIX. Progress of the War 163 CHAPTER XX. The Americans Resolved to be Free 176 CHAPTER XXL The Struggle for Liberty 189 CHAPTER XXII. Battles and Sieges 201 CONTENTS ix CHAPTER XXIII. ^^G« Close of the War o . . 218 CHAPTER XXIV. The New Republic 229 CHAPTER XXV. Outbreak of the Great Civil War = « 261 CHAPTER XXVI. Campaigns of McClellan and Lee 275 CHAPTER XXVII. Important Union Successes 289 CHAPTER XXVIII. Campaigns of Sherman and Grant 302 CHAPTER XXIX. Battles on Land and Sea 317 CHAPTER XXX. Surrender of the Confederate Army 327 CHAPTER XXXI. Assassination of President Lincoln 337 CHAPTER XXXII. Administration of President Grant 347 CHAPTER XXXIII. Assassination of President Garfield 356 CHAPTER XXXIV. Administration of Grover Cleveland , . „ . 370 CHAPTER XXXV. Latest Events of American History 375 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Lief Eric — A Norse Sea-King 19 Remarkable Mounds at Marietta, Ohio, 26 Christopher Columbus, 31 Columbus at the Monastery of La Rabida, 32 Landing of Columbus on the Island of San Salvador, .... 36 Columbus Receiving Natives on Board his Ship, 39 Natives Astonished at an Eclipse of the Sun, 42 Ferdinand De Soto, 47 Spaniards Descending the Mississippi, 48 Sir Martin Frobisher, 50 Sir Walter Raleigh, 53 Murder of White's Assistant by the Indians, 56 Captain John Smith, 59 Pocahontas, 61 Captain Smith's Fight with an Indian Chief, 63 Flight of the Indians after the Massacre, GQ The Attack on the Doeg Wigwam, 70 Cecil, Lord Baltimore, 74 Mock Suns, Seen by Early Explorers, 75 The ''Mayflower" in Plymouth Harbor, 81 Treaty between Plymouth Colony and Massasoit, 83 Types of North American Indians, . ' 86 John Winthrop, 89 King Philip, 90 Attack of the Indians on Brookfield, 93 Indian Weapons, 96 The Charter Oak, 101 Hendrick Hudson, 102 Peter Stuyvesant, 105 xi xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, PAGE William Penn, , . 108 The Rev. Cottox :\Iather, 114 General Oglethorpe, 119 John Wesley, 122 Digging eor Captain Kidd's Treasures, 126 Executing Negroes in New York, 128 Benjamin Franklin, 134 Disastrous Defeat of General Braddock, 137 General Montcalm, 139 Willia:\i Pitt, Earl of Chatham, 141 General James Wolfe, 148 Washington Planting the Flag on Fort Duquesne, . . . .144 Death of General Wolfe before Quebec, 148 Attack on the Fort at Presque Isle, 150 Colonel Barre, 153 John Hancock, 155 Samuel Adams, 157 Throwing the Tea Overboard in Boston Harbor, 159 Death of Captain Davis at Lexington Bridge, 161 Capture of Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen, 164 General Burgoyne, 166 Battle of Bunker Hill, 167 Bunker Hill Monument, 169 Medal in Honor of the Recapture of Boston, 173 Sergeant Jasper at Fort Moultrie, 174 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 177 Old Independence Bell, . . 178 Rattlesnake Flag, 179 Flag and Shield, 180 American Marksman in a Tree, 181 Washington Crossing the Delaware, 185 The Marquis De Lafayette, 190 General Burgoy'ne Addressing the Indians, 191 General Horatio Gates, 193 Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Saratoga, . . . . . 196 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xiii PAGE 198 Attack on Chew's House, 199 General Anthony Wayne, Seal of the United States, 204 Death of Count Pulaski, 206 An American Rifleman, ■o T ... 207 John Paul Tones, 208 Medal in Honor of Paul Jones, ... 209 Daniel Boone, 211 Tirleton's Lieutenant and the Farmer, 214 Benedict Arnold, 215 Major Andre, 216 Esc\PE OF Benedict Arnold, 219 IvORD CORNWALLIS, 221 Continental Bills, . • 224 Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, 296 Attack on the Block House, . 229 George Washington, . . . . » ^ rA ^ . . 230 Indian Child in Cradle, . 231 John Adams, ;L T ... 233 Thomas Jefferson, .... 234 James Madison, A Pioneer Hero's Fight with the Savages, Capture OF the "GuERRiERE" BY THE "Constitution," .... 238 . 939 The "Wasp" Boarding the "Frolic, T^ ^ . . 240 Perry's Victory on Lake Erie 242 James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, -^ ^ . . 244 Henry Clay, 245 Andrew Jackson, .247 Daniel Webster, . 248 Martin Van Buren, 249 William Henry Harrison, . 250 John Tyler, ^^^ Professor Morse, General Sam Houston, xiv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Thk Anti-Rent Riot, 2.>J James K. Polk, , . 25o Lieutenant Grant going for Ammunition at Monterey, . . . 250 Zachary Taylor, 2o7 Millard Fillmore, 258. Franklin Pierce, 2oft^»^v-^ ^o*--^-> / 3b < X CO w m CO CO h-t P o DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY COLUMBUS. 37 their native country, this proposition did not appear to them unreasonable. Nor did Columbus hazard much in confining himself to a term so short. The presages of discovering land were now so numerous and promising, that he deemed them infallible. For some days the sounding line reached the bottom, and the soil which it brought up indicated land to be at no great distance. The flocks of birds increased, and were composed not only of sea-fowl, but of such land birds as could not be supposed to fly far from the shore. The crew of the Pinta observed a cane floating which seemed to be newly cut, and likewise a piece of timber artificially carved. The sailors aboard the Nigna took up the branch of a tree with red berries per- fectly fresh. The clouds around the setting sun assumed a new appear- ance ; the air was more mild and warm ; and, during night, the wind became unequal and variable. Welcome News that Land is Discovered. From all these symptoms, Columbus was so confident of being near land that, on the evening of the 11th of October, after public prayers for success, he ordered the sails to be furled, and the ships to lie by, keeping strict watch, lest they should be driven ashore in the night. During this interval of suspense and expectation no man shut his eyes. About two hours before midnight Columbus, standing on the forecastle, observed a light at a distance, and privately pointed it out to Pedro Gut- tierez, a page of the queen's wardrobe. Guttierez perceived it, and calling to Salcedo, comptroller of the fleet, all three saw it in motion, as if it were carried from place to place. At 2 o'clock next morning Roderic Triana discovered land, and the joj^ful sound of Land ! land ! was heard from the Pinta, which kept always ahead of the other ships. But having been deceived so often b}^ fallacious appearances, every man was now become slow of belief, and waited, in all the anguish of uncertainty and impatience, for the return of day. As soon as morning dawned, all doubts and fears were dispelled. From every ship an island was seen about two leagues to the north, whose flat and verdant fields, well stored with wood and watered with many rivulets, presented the aspect of a delightful country. The crew of the Pinta instantly began the ' Tc Deum^ as a hymn of thanksgiving to God ; and were joined by those of the other ships, with tears of joy and transports of congratulation. 38 DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY COLUMBUS. This office of gratitude to heaven was followed b}^ an act of justice to their commander. They threw themselves at the feet of Columbus with feelings of self-condemnation mingled with reverence. They implored him to pardon their ignorance, incredulity and insolence, which had created him so much unnecessary disquiet, and had so often obstructed the prosecution of his well-concerted plan ; and passing, in the warmth of their admiration, from one extreme to another, they now pronounced the man whom they had so lately reviled and threatened, to be a person inspired b}^ Heaven with sagacity and fortitude more than human, in order to accomplish a design so far be3''ond the ideas and conception of all former ages. Astonishraent of the People on Shore. As soon as the sun arose all their boats were manned and armed. They rowed towards the island with their colors displayed, with warlike music, and other martial pomp. As they approached the coast the}^ saw it covered with a multitude of people, whom the novelt}'- of the spectacle had drawn together, M^hose attitudes and gestures expressed wonder and astonishment at the strange objects they saw. Columbus was the first European who set foot in the New World which he had discovered. He landed in a rich dress and with a naked sword in his hand. His men followed ; and, kneeling down, they all kissed the ground which they had so long desired to see. They next erected a crucifix, and, prostrating themselves before it, returned thanks to God for conducting their voyage to such a happy issue. The island was one of the Bahama islands, to which he gave the name of Saji Salvadoi^ and took possession of it in the name of their Catholic Majesties. In this first voyage he discovered several other of the Lucayo or Bahama Islands, with those of Cuba and Hispaniola. The natives con- sidered the Spaniards as divinities, and the discharge of the artillery as their thunder ; they fell prostrate at the sound. He afterwards touched at several of the islands in the same cluster, inquiring everywhere for gold, which he thought was the only object of commerce worth his attention. In steering southward he discovered the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, inhabited by a humane and hospitable people. Before embarking for Spain, Columbus took on board some of the products of the new world to convince the people on the other side of the ocean that he had made a great and important discovery. He captured some COLUMBUS RECEIVING NATIVES ON BOARD HIS SHIP. 39 40 DISCOVERY Of AMERICA BY COLUMBUS. of the birds and animals, and also induced several of the natives to accom- pany him. The latter were ornamented with feathers, necklaces, etc. On his return he was overtaken by a storm, which had nearly proved fatal to his ships and their crews. At a crisis when all was given ujd for lost, Columbus had presence of mind enough to retire into his cabin, and to write upon parchment a short account of his voyage ; this he wrapped in an oiled cloth, which he enclosed in a cake of wax, put it into a tight cask, and threw it into the sea, in hopes that some fortunate accident might preserve a deposit of so much importance to the world. Columbus Welcomed by the Court and People. He arrived at Palos in Spain, whence he had sailed the year before, on the 15th of March, 1493. He was welcomed with all the acclamations which the populace are ever ready to bestow on great and glorious characters ; and the court received him with marks of the greatest respect. A second expedition, consisting of seventeen ships and fifteen hundred men, was now fitted out, and sailed from Cadiz under the command of Co- lumbus on the 25th of September, 1493. On this voyage he discovered Jamaica and many of the Caribbee Islands. In, 1498 Columbus made a third voyage, and in this expedition he discovered the mainland of the American Continent near the mouth of the Orinoco, and explored the coast of the provinces, since called Para and Cumana. He was not aware of the true nature of his discovery, but supposed that the South American coast was a part of a large island belonging to Cathay or Farther India. In the meantime gold had been discovered in Hayti, and crowds of adventurers were drawn hither from Spain. They inflicted great hardships upon the natives, and when Columbus arrived he found the affairs of the colony in a most deplorable state. The sovereigns at length sent over a commissioner named Bobadilla to investigate the affairs of the colony. He M'as a narrow-minded, incompetent man, and instead of investigating the charges against the admiral, arrested him, and sent him back to Spain in irons. When the officers of the ship which bore him back home wished to remove his fetters, he refused to allow them to do so, saying, "I will wear them as a memento of the gratitude of princes." The news of this outrage filled the people of Spain with honest indignation. " All seemed to feel it as a national dishonor," says Prescott, "that such indignities should be heaped DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY COLUMBUS. 41 upon the man, who, whatever might be his indiscretions, had done so much for Spain, and for the civilized world." Queen Isabella at once ordered his fetters to be struck off, and he was summoned to court, reinstated in all his honors, and treated with the highest consideration. Isabella gained from the king a promise to aid her in doing justice to the admiral, and in punishing his enemies ; but Ferdinand, who could never bear to do a generous or noble act, evaded his promise, and the admiral failed to receive his just recompense. Shipwrecked on the Coast of Jamaica. In 1504 Columbus sailed on his fourth voyage; his object this time being to find a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, by which he might reach India. He explored the Gulf of Honduras, and saw the continent of North America, but was compelled by the mutiny of his crew and by severe storms to abandon his attempt and return to the north- ward. He was shipwrecked on the coast of Jamaica, where he remained more than a year. Returning to Spain in November, 1505, he found his best friend, Queen Isabella, on her death-bed. The enemies whom his great success had raised up for him were numerous and powerful, while he was now old and broken in health. He vainly sought from Ferdinand a faithful execution of the original compact between them ; but though he received fair words and promises in abundance from the king, Ferdinand steadily refused to comply with the just demands of the admiral. On the last voyage of Columbus the Spaniards were so harsh and unjust to the Indians that they refused to bring in the supplies on which it may be said the lives of the visitors depended. Columbus led them to do so by appealing to their superstition. He foretold an eclipse of the sun, which, proving true, they were so terrified that they hastened to do his will. In addition to these trials, Columbus suffered verj^ much from the diseases that had rooted themselves in his system. At last relief vessels arrived, and he set sail for Spain, landing, after a tempestous voyage, at Seville, September 7, 1504. Disease was making rapid inroads on the brave old navigator, who had undergone such vicissitudes of fortune. He had overcome obstacles that would have crushed ordinary men ; he had quelled mutinies and faced perils innumerable by land and sea; but he could not beat off the attacks 42 DISCO VERY Of AMERICA BY COLUMBUS. which came with increasing years. When he reached Seville he was too ill to go to court, and his son Diego was sent forward to attend to his interests. The feeble admiral M-as treated kindly and with great honor. In Ma}', 1505, he was removed to the court at Segovia, and thence to Valladolid, growing steadily "weaker in body all the time. NATIVES ASTONISHED BY THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. The last document' ary note of Columbus i:. in a final codicil to his \\ill, made at ^"alladolid, May 19, 1506. This he wrote and signed with his own hand. The next day he passed away. He was quietly buried at Valladolid; but, some DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY COLUMBUS. 43 time later, his boues were removed to tlie Carthusian monastery of Las Cuevas, Seville, where the remains of his son Diego were also subsequently laid. In 1536 the bodies of father and son were exhumed and taken across the ocean to San Domingo (Hispaniola), where they were buried in the cathedral. There they remained until 1 795-1 796, when, on the cession of the island to the French, the ashes were again exhumed, and with great state and ceremou}", transferred to the cathedral of Havana, where they now remain. This male issue of Columbus ended with the third genera- tion, and the estates and titles were transferred b}^ marriage to the scion of the house of Braganca. Columbus lived to experience the ingratitude of the sovereigns whom he had so faithfull37- ser\'ed. They sought to deprive him of the reward they had promised ; and it was only by a long and expensive lav/suit that iis son succeeded at last in establishing his rights and founding a noble family, whose descendants are still among the highest grandees of Spain. Story of Columbus and the Egg. Columbus's readiness and address are well illustrated by the following anecdote : " Soon after Columbus's return from his first voyage, a splendid entertainment was proposed, to which he was invited, again to recount the particulars of his vo3'age in a more familiar and detailed manner than he had done before. There were many of the courtiers who secretly envied the good fortune of Columbus, and tried to disparge his success, by hint- ing that anybody might have done the same thing — that there was nothing very man^ellous in discovering a western world — that if he had not done it, somebody else would ; that the thing was, after all, by no means difi&cult. " Upon this Columbus took up an &gg^ and civilly asked those present if they could make it stand on either of its ends. The courtiers tried, and tried, and tried again without success ; and, after a while, \vere forced to give up the point. ' You see,' said Columbus, ' it is impossible.' Colum- bus then gave the &gg a slight blow on one end, so as just to break in the shell. The ^gg stood immediately. ' There,' said he, ' it is possible after all ; but I found out the wa}'- to do it, which none of 3'ou could.' The queen laughed heartily, and declared that Columbus was the victor." CHAPTER IV. ADVENTURES OF DE SOTO AND OTHERS. )FTER the discovery of the Western world by Columbus, the principal European nations who made discoveries were the English, the French, the Spanish and the Dutch. It was under the reign of the politic, though cruel, Henry VII. of England, that the shores of the United States were explored. The names of the Cabots should be remembered by American citizens with that of Columbus, for they equally form connecting links between our history and that of Europe. John Cabot, a native of Venice, had, with his family, settled in England. He and his renowned son, Sebastian, were men of great learning, enterprise and ability. By a com- mission of Henry VII., dated March 5th, 1496 (the oldest American state paper of England), they had authority to discover any heathen countries not before known to Christians. They, defraying the expenses of the voy- age, were to possess these countries as the king's lieutenants, paying him one-fifth of all gains. They sailed from England in Ma}^, 1497, and in June discovered the Island of Newfoundland, which they called Prima Vista. Steering north- ward, they made the first discovery of the continent on the coast of Lab- rador. On their return they pursued a southerly direction to an uncertain distance. Sebastian Cabot sailed a second time — reached Labrador, thence turning southerly, and became the discoverer of the coast of the United States, along which he proceeded as far as the southern latitude of Maryland. It is much to be regretted that so few particulars remain on record of these two voyages, which form so fundamental a portion of our history. Smitten by the common passion of the sovereigns of Europe for American discover}^, Francis I., of France, turned aside alike from his elegant and his warlike pursuits, and one year before his defeat at Pavia he found for his service another Italian discoverer. This was John Verra- zani, a Florentine, who reached the continent in the latitude of Wilmington, 44 Q > en < D Q ^ a: CO LL o h Z LJJ Q < m o CO 'M^.iO': ^ CHAPTER VII. STORY OF THE VIRGINIA COLONY. iN 1644, the aged Opechacanougb. once more struck for the inherit- ance of his forests, by another attempt to cut off, simultaneously, the scattered colonial population. Scarcely had the warfare begun, and the English aroused to resistance, when the Indians were struck with panic and fled. The Virginians pursed them vigor- ously and killed three hundred. The chief was taken prisoner, then inhumanly wounded. His proud spirit suffered from his being kept as a public spectacle, and he welcomed relief by death. Charles I. had perished on the scaffold ; and the powerful mind of Cromwell led the policy of Kngland. To promote her commercial pros- perity, he continued, and perfected a system of colonial oppression in respect to trade, by the celebrated " Navigation Act." By this the colonies were not allowed to find a market for themselves, and sell their produce to the highest bidder, but were obliged to carry it direct to the mother coun- try. The English merchants bought it at their own price ; and thus they, and not the colonist, made the profit on the fruits of his industry. At the same time the act prohibited any but English vessels from conveying merchandise to the colonies ; thus compelling them to obtain their supplies of the English merchant, of course at such prices as he chose to fix upon his goods. Even free traffic among the colonists was prohibited, Charles II, was restored in 1660. Berkele}^, after various changes, was at the moment exercising the office of Governor under the authority of the Assembly of Virginia, by whom he had been elected. The fires of rejoicing were kindled in the province, and Berkeley changed his style, and issued his mandates in the name of Charles. The monarch afterwards confirmed him in his office, Berkeley was accused of favoring the Indians for the sake of the monopoly in the beaver-trade, and the settlers resolved that if he would not protect them, they would protect themselves. They went sullenly to their homes^ and awaited what they knew was certain to come, 69 70 THE ATTACK ON THE DOEG WIGWAM. STORY OF THE VIRGINIA COLONY. 71 Some months later, several persons on their way to church came upon a mortally-wounded settler in front of his own door, while a friendly Indian lay dead a few feet away. The neighbor lived long enough to say that some Doeg warriors were the cause of their deaths. The alarm quickly spread, and in a brief while thirty men had taken the trail and were in hot pursuit. Crossing the river twenty miles above the trail forked, and the pursuers divided into two parties. Bloody Conflicts with the Indians. One of these speedily came upon a Doeg wigwam, and here the pur- suers killed eleven of the Indians. It is more than likely they were the murderers. Almost at the same time the other party discovered a wigwam and opened fire, without waiting to ask questions. After killing fourteen it was found they were not Doegs, but Susquehannocks. However, the settlers concluded they had avenged the death of their neighbor and went home. The surrounding tribes were roused to fury. The peril was so immi- nent that Virginia and Maryland sent out a force of a thousand men under Major Thomas Truman, of Maryland, and Colonel John Washington, of Virginia, great-grandfather of George Washington. They surrounded a strong fort on the Piscataway, in which the Susquehannocks had taken refuge, with their women and children. Before opening fire, six of the chiefs were called out for a conference. They denied that any of their tribe had harmed the whites, saying that the Senecas, who had fied northward, were the offenders. Major Truman was satisfied and assured them they should suffer no harm. The Virginians thought the major was too credulous. The next day, when the mutilated bodies of a settler and his family, that had recently been murdered, were brought into camp, the infuriated soldiers seized five of the chiefs who had come out for another conference, and put them to death. This piece of treachery filled the authorities in INIaryland and Virginia with indignation. Truman was tried by the Maryland legislature, and found guilty of causing the death of the five Indians contrary to the laws of God and of nations. When Washington took his seat in the Virginia assembl}'- at Jamestown, Governor Berkeley in his opening address pointedly rebuked him. This was the only punishment Washington received, and the records do not show what was done with Truman, when found guilty. Again the Indians were aroused to deeds of atrocity. The}'- assailed 72 STORY OF THE VIRGINIA COLONY. the settlers along tlie Rappahannock, James and York rivers, with the fury of wild beasts, killing more than fifty during the following winter. The people awoke in their might. They desired to organize for self- defense, and in a peremptor}?- manner demanded for their leader Nathaniel Bacon, a popular young lawyer. Berkeley refused to grant him a commis- sion. New murders occurring. Bacon assumed command, and with his followers departed for the Indian war. Instigated by the aristocracy, Berke- ley declared him and his adherents rebels. The People Again Aroused. The people, in a fresh insurrection, required of the governor the election of a new house of burgesses ; and he was forced to submit. Bacon having returned from his expedition, was elected a member for Henrico count}'. Popular liberty now prevailed, and laws were passed with which Berkeley was highly displeased. Bacon, fearing treachery, withdrew to the countr}-. The people rallied around him, and he returned to Jamestown at the head of five hundred armed men. Berkeley met them, and, baring his breast, exclaimed, " a fair mark, shoot." Bacon declared that he had come only for a commission, their lives being in danger from the savages. The commission was issued, and Bacon again departed for the Indian warfare. Berkeley in the meantime withdrew to the seashore, and there collecting numbers of seamen and loyalists, he came up the river with a fleet, landed his army at Jamestown, and again proclaimed Bacon and his party rebels and traitors. Bacon having quelled the Indians, only a small band of his followers remained in arms. With these he hastened to Jamestown, and Berkele}^ fled at his approach. In order that its few dwellings should no more shelter their oppressors, the inhabitants set them on fire, the owners of the best houses applying the match with their own hands. Then leaving that endeared and now desolated spot. Bacon pursued the royalists to the Rap- pahannock, where the Virginians, hitherto of Berkele3^'s part}^, deserted and joined his standard. His enemies were at his mercy ; but his exposure to the night air had induced disease, and he died. The party of Bacon, now without a leader, broke into fragments, and the royalists were again in the ascendant. As the principal adherents of Bacon, hunted and made prisoners, were one by one brought before Berkeley, he adjudged them, with insulting taunts, to instant and ignominious death. CHAPTER VIII. THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND. )0 go back a little in our history, previous to the events narrated in the preceding chapter, Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and the hero of his age, formed, in 1627, the project of sending to America a colony of his subjects from Sweden and Finland. About ten years afterwards, in 1638, they came over headed by Peter Minuets, and settled at Christiana Creek, on the west side of the Delaware, calling that river Swedeland- stream, and the country. New Sweden. Though this was the first effectual settlement, yet the Dutch had, in 1629, purchased of the natives a tract of land extending from Cape Henlopen to the mouth of the Delaware river. A small colony conducted by De Vries came from Holland, and settled near Lewiston. They perished by the savages ; but the Dutch continuing to claim the country, dissensions arose between them and the Swedish emigrants. In 1631 William Clayborne obtained from Charles I. a license to traffic in those parts of America for which there was not already a patent granted. Clayborne planted a small colony on Kent island, in Chesapeake Bay, opposite to the spot where Annapolis now stands. George Calvert, afterwards Lord Baltimore, had represented, in the English Parliament, his native district of Yorkshire. The favor of the monarch and the principal ministers had been manifested by influential appointments at court ; but these he resigned to make a public profession of the Roman Catholic faith. To enjoy his religion unmolested, he wished to emigrate to some vacant tract in America. He had fixed on Virginia as a desirable location, and accordingly made a visit to that colony. The people there would not encourage a settlement, unless an oath was taken, to which he could not in conscience subscribe. Finding he must seek an asylum elsewhere, he explored the country to the north, and then returned to England. The Queen, Henrietta Maria, daughter to Henr}^ IV. of France, gave to the territory the name of IMaryland, and Lord Baltimore obtained it by a royal patent. 73 74 THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND. He died in London in 1632, before his patent passed to a legal form ; but his son, Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, by the influence of Sir Robert Cecil, obtained the grant intended for his father. By this patent he held the country from the Potomac to the 40th degree of north latitude ; and thus, by a mere act of the crown, what had long before been granted to Vir- ginia was now taken away ; as what was now granted was subsequently given to Penn, to the extent of a de- gree. Hence long and ob- stinate altercations ensued. Lord Baltimore appoint- ed as governor his brother, Leonard Calvert, who, with two hundred emigrants, sailed for America near the close of 1633, and ar- rived at the Potomac early in 1634. Here the}^ pur- chased of the natives Ya- maco, one of their settle- ments, to which was given the name of St. Mary. Calvert thus secured by a pacific course comfortable habitations, some improved CECIL, LORD BALTIMORE. ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ friendship of the natives. Other circumstances served to increase the prosperity of the colony. The country was pleasant, great religious freedom existed, and a liberal charter had been granted, which allowed the proprietor, aided by the freemen, to pass laws, without reserving to the crown the right of rejecting them. Emigrants accordingly soon flocked to the province from the other colonies and from England. Thus had the earliest settlers of this beautiful portion of our country established themselves, without the sufferings endured by the pioneers of THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND. 75 lormer settlements. The proprietary government, generally so detrimental, proved here a nursing mother. Lord Baltimore expended for the colonists, within a few years, forty thousand pounds ; and they, " out of desire to return some testimony of gratitude," voted in their assembly "such a sub- sidy as the low and poor estate of the colony could bear." Lord Baltimore invited the Puritans of Massachusetts, of whom we shall read later, to emigrate to Maryland, offering them "free liberty of MOCK SUNS, SEEN BY EARLY EXPLORERS. religion." They rejected this, as they did a similar proposition from Crom- well, to remove to the West Indies. The restless, intriguing Clayborne, the evil genius of Maryland, had been constantly on the alert to establish a claim to the country, and to subvert the government of the good proprietary. In his traffic with the natives he had learned their dispositions, and he wrought them to jealous hostility. In England the authority of the long Parliament now superseded that of the king, and those who derived their authority from him ; and of this, not only Clayborne, but other disorderly subjects of Lord Baltimore, were inclined to take undue advantage. Thus the fair dawn of this rising settlement was early overcast. 76 THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND. In 1G21 Sir Francis Wyatt arrived as governor, bringing from the company in England a more perfect and permanent constitution for the colony. The power of making laws was vested in the general assembly. No regulations, however, could be enforced until they had received the sanction of the general court of the company in England. At the same time the orders of the company were not binding upon the colony, without the sanction of their assembly. These liberal concessions not only gratified the settlers, but encouraged emigration ; and a large number accordingly accompanied Governor Wyatt to the province. This year cotton was first planted in Virginia, and "the plentiful coming up of the seed," was regarded by the planters with curiosity and interest. Butchering Men and Woraen. Opechacanough, the brother and successor of Powhatan, had determined to extirpate the whites, and regain the country for its savage lords. For this purpose he formed a conspiracy to massacre all the English ; and during four years he was, with impenetrable secrecy, concerting his plan. To each tribe its station was allotted, and the part it was to act prescribed. On the 22d of March, 1622, at midday, they rushed upon the English in all their settlements, and butchered men, women, and children, without pity or remorse. In one hour nearly a fourth part of the whole colony was cut off. The slaughter would have been universal, if compassion, or a sense of duty, had not moved a converted Indian to whom the secret was communi- cated, to reveal it to his master on the night before the massacre. This was done in time to save Jamestown and the adjacent settlements. A bloody war ensued. The English, by their arms and discipline, were more than a match for the Indians, and they retaliated in such a manner as left the colonists for a long time free from savage molestation. They also received considerable accessions of lands by appropriating those of the conquered natives. o CD (—1 CQ o h^ Eh - amined the valle}^ The Plymouth people had been, some time previously, advised by the Dutch to settle on Connecticut River ; and they now determined to pursue the enterprise. They fixed on the site of Windsor, as the place to erect a trading-house. But dela3-s occurred, and the Dutch having repented of their former moderation, and now anxious to secure the territory for them- selves, erected a small trading fort, called the house of Good Hope, on a 100 THE GROWING NATION. point of land in Snkeag, since Hartford, at the junction of the Little river with the Connecticut. How firmly the little state had become established in a short time is shown from the shock which it now met and repelled. The Pequods were endeavoring to unite the Indian tribes in a plot to exterminate the English, especially those of this colony, named from its river, Connecticut. A general court was called on the last of May, at Hartford. Thirty persons had already been killed, and the evidence was conclusive that the savages designed a general massacre. The court, therefore, righteously declared war. The quota of troops from the three towns now settled, shows the rapid progress of the settlement. Hartford was to furnish ninety men, Windsor forty-two, and Wethersfield eighteen, making one hundred and fifty. John Mason was chosen captain. The troops embarked at Hartford, sailed down the river, and along the coast to Narragansett Bay. Miantonomoh furnished them two hundred warriors, Uncas sixty. There were actually embodied of the English only seventy-seven, of whom twenty, commanded by Captain Underbill, were from Massachusetts. Terrible Slaughter of the Natives. Guided by a Pequod deserter, they reached Mystic, one of the two forts of Sassacus, at dawn of day. Their Indian allies showed signs of fear, and Mason, arranging them at a distance around the fort, advanced with his own little army. If they fell there was no second force to defend their state, their wives and helpless children. As they approach a dog barks, and an Indian sentinel cries out, " Owannox, Owannox!" the English, the English! They leap within the fort. The Indians fight desperately, and victory is ■doubtful. Mason then seizes and throws a flaming brand, shouting, "we must burn them." The light materials of their wigwams were instantl}'- in a blaze. Hemmed in, as the Indians now were, escape was impossible ; and six hundred, all who were within the fort, of every sex and age, in one hour perished. Three hundred Pequods, issuing from the other and royal fortress of Sassacus, pursued Mason with infuriated rage, as he retreated to the Pequod River, where he embarked on his vessels, which he met there. Two of the English were killed, and twenty wounded. The subjects of Sassacus now reproached him as the author of their misfortunes ; and, to escape destruction, he with his chief captains fled to - GENERAL NELSON A. MILES 1 Captain charles d. sigsbee THE GROWING NATION. 101 the Moliawks ; but he was afterwards slain by a revengeful subject. Three hundred of his warriors, having burned his remaining fort, fled along the sea-coast. Massachusetts had raised a body of men to aid in the war, which on account of the theological disturbance, arrived too late for the battle. These, under Captain Patrick, now joined with forty men under Mason, pursued the fugitive savages, traced them to a swamp in Fairfield, and there fought and defeated them. The prowess of the English had thus put the natives in fear, and a long peace ensued. All the churches in New England commemorated this deliverance by keeping a day of common and devout thanksgiving. Charles II. died in 1685, and was succeeded by the Duke of York, under the title of James II. He declared that there should be no free governments in his dominions ; and accord- ingly ordered writs to be issued against the charters of the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island. These colonies presented letters and addresses, which, containing ex- pressions of humble duty, the king con- strued them into an actual surrender of their charters ; and, affecting to believe that all impediments to the royal will were removed, he proceeded to establish a tem- porary government over New England. Sir ^^^ charter oak. Joseph Dudley was appointed president in 1686 ; but in December of the same 3'ear he was succeeded by Sir Edmund Andros, as governor-general, in whom, with a council, was vested all the powers of government. Sir Edmund began his career with the most flattering professions of his regard to the public safety and happiness. It was, however, well observed, that " Nero concealed his tyrannical disposition more years than Sir Edmund did months." He assumed control over the press, and appointed the detested Randolph, licenser. Soon after the arrival of Andros, he sent to Connecticut, demanding the surrender of her charter. This being refused, in 1687, he came with a guard to Hartford, during the session of the general assembly, and in person required its delivery. After debating until evening, the charter was produced, and laid on the table where the assembly were sitting. The lights were extinguished, and one of the members privately conveyed it away, and hid 102 THE GROWING NATION. it in a cavity of a large oak tree. The candles were officiously relighted, but the charter was gone ; and no discovery could be made of it, or at that time, of the person who carried it away. The government of the colony was, however, surrendered to Andros. It is time now to give some account of the settlement of New York, the greatest State in the Union in population and wealth. It contains the finest river for navigation, possesses the commercial capital, and holds a position which alone connects New England with the South and West. In 1609 occurred the discovery of the Hudson river, which has proved the finest for navigation of any in America, and under cir- cumstances which, giving to two nations claims to its waters and their adjoining country, became the occasion of subsequent wars. Hendrick Hudson, the discoverer, was an Englishman by birth, but in the service of the Dutch East India Compan}^ The next year the Dutch sent ships to this river to open a trade with the natives, but the Court of England disowned their claim to the country. The Dutch, however, followed up their good fortune, and soon erected forts Orange and Manhattan, near the sites of Albany and New York. Holland was one of those kingdoms which the early Fathers of New England were wont to say, " the Lord had sifted for good seed to sow the wilderness." It was just after this nation had succeeded in its struggle against the bloody tyranny of Philip II, of Spain, and established an independent federal government, that Henry Hudson, in the service of the Dutch East India Company, as already stated, sailed from the Texel for the purpose of discovering a northwest passage to India ; but being unsuccessful, he coasted along the shores of Newfoundland, proceeded south as far as Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, then returning northward he became the discoverer of the noble river which bears his name. HENDRICK HUDSON. THE GROWING NATION. 103 In 1614 a company of mercliants having received permission from the State's General, fitted out a squadron of several ships, and sent them to trade to the country which Hudson had discovered. A rude fort was con- structed on Manhattan Island. One of the captains of the squadron, Adrian Blok, sailed through the East river and determined the insulated position of Long Island. He probably entered Connecticut river, and it is fully believed that he examined the coast as far as Cape Cod. Fort Built by the Traders. The next year the adventurers sailed up the Hudson, and on a little island, just below the present position of Albany, they built a small fort, naming it Fort Orange. But no families had emigrated. The Dutch were then merely traders. Afterwards they changed their location, and fixed where Albany now stands. Holland was torn b}^ factions. Grotius, the most enlightened of her sons, was sentenced to imprisonment for life, and the disciples of his school were now ready to emigrate. To promote trade, the " West India Company " was formed, with full powers. The willing settlers were sent over. Cot- tages clustered around Manhattan fort, now called New Amsterdam, and Peter Minuets was made its first governor. IMany settlements were now made, and a great part of the best land was soon appropriated. The Indian chiefs conveyed to the excellent Van Renselaer the tract around Fort Orange to the mouth of the Mohawk, and the College of Nineteen gave a patent. Six years afterwards the grant was extended twelve miles further to the south. De Vries conducted from Holland a colon)'- which settled Lewistown, near the Delaware ; a small fort called Nassau having been previously erected by the Dutch. In consequence of disagreements among the company in Holland, Peter Minuets returned, having been superseded by Walter Van Twiller. Minuets became the leader of a colony of Swedes. The Dutch were now curtailed of the territory which they claimed on Connecticut river by the settlement of Hooker and others, and also by the subjects of Gustavus Adolphus, led by Minuets, of that on the banks of the Delaware, Difficulties also arose with the savages. Governor Keift, who had succeeded Van Twiller, had an inconsiderable quarrel with the Man- hattan Indians. Notwithstanding, when the Mohawks came down upon them, they collected in groups, and begged him to shelter and assist 104 THE GROWING NATION. them. Instead of this, the barbarous Keift sent his troops, and at night murdered them all — men, women and helpless babes — to the number of a hundred. Indian vengeance awoke, as well it might, and its tokens spread quickly from tribe to tribe. No English family within reach of the Algonquins was safe. The Dutch villages were in flames around, and the people fleeing to Holland. Near New York the family of Anne Hutchinson, and many others, were massacred ; and in New Bngland all was jeopardy and alarm. The Dutch troops defended themselves, having placed at their head Captain Underbill, who had been expelled from Massachusetts. At this time is supposed to have occurred a bloody battle at Strickland's Plain, in Greenwich, Connec- ticut, of which, however, the details seem strangely lost. Tomaha-wk Buried under the Tree of Peace. The Mohawks, who were friendly to the Dutch, at length interfered,, and the congregated Indian sachems met in council with the whites, on the ground of the battery in New York. " The tree of peace was planted and the tomahawk buried beneath its shade." Keift, execrated by all the colo- nies, was remanded to Holland ; and, on his return, perished by ship- wreck on the coast of AVales. Peter Stuyvesant had succeeded to his office before his departure. He went to Hartford, and there entered into negotia- tions. The Dutch claims to Connecticut were relinquished, and Long Island was divided between the two parties. The Dutch had built fort Casimir on the site of Newcastle, in Dela- ware. The Swedes conceiving this to be an encroachment on their terri- tory, Rising, their Governor, by an unworthy stratagem, made himself its master. In 1655, Stuyvesant, acting by orders received from Holland, em- barked at New Amsterdam with six hundred men, and sailing up the Dela- ware he subjugated the Swedes. New Sweden was heard of no more ; but the settlers were secured in their rights of private property, and their descendants are among the best of our citizens. IMany emigrants now came to New Netherlands, from among the oppressed, the discontented, and the enterprising of other colonies and of European nations. At length the inhabitants sought a share of political power. They assembled, and by their delegates demanded that no laws should be passed, except with the consent of the people. Stuyvesant very unceremoniously let them know that he was not to be directed "by a few THE GROWING NATION. 105 ignorant subjects;" and lie forthwith dissolved the assembly. The "Nine- teen" highly approved his course; and charged him not "to allow the people to indulge such visionary dreams, as that taxes should not be im- posed without their consent." But popular libert}^, though checked here, prevailed in the adjoining provinces ; and they consequently grew more rapidly and crowded upon the Dutch. The In- dians made war upon some of their vil- lages, especially that of Esopus,now King- ston; and New Neth- erlands could not ob- tain aid from Hol- land. The States General had given the whole concern into the hands of the Nineteen, they to pay all expenses ; and this council re- fused to make need- ful advances. In the meantime, Charles II. had granted to his brother James then peter stuyvesant, governor of new york. Duke of York and Albany, the territory from the banks of the Connecti- cut to those of the Delaware. Sir Robert Nichols, a confidential officer of his household, was dispatched with a fleet to take possession. Nichols brought over commissioners to New England, and landed them at Boston. Taking in from Long Island the younger Winthrop, now Governor of Connecticut, he sailed to New Amsterdam, and suddenly demanded of the astonished Stuyvesant to give up the place. Winthrop advised him to do 106 THE GROWING NATION. so, but the faithful Dutchmau replied that a tame surrender " would be reproved in the fatherland;" and he would have defended his post if he could. But the body of the people preferred the English rule to that of the Dutch, the privileges of Englishmen having been promised them. Nichols therefore entered, took possession in the name of his master, and called the place New York. A part of the English fleet, under Sir George Carteret, sailed up the Hudson to Fort Orange, which surrendered and was named Albany. The Dutch fort on the Delaware was also taken by the English. The rights of property were respected, and a treat}^ was made with the Five Nations. The whole line of coast from Acadia to Florida, was now in posses- sion of the English. But there was destined to be a long struggle between the European nations for the mastery of the new world. There was as much rivalry as could have been expected at a time when the vast resources of the new country were quite unknown and the difficulties of ocean naviga- tion were so great. Most of the towns that now teem with population, were, in the first place, trading stations and forts. These became centres of industry and traffic, and as the country grew older such centres of population became rallying points for the settlers. Our history shows that these early settle- ments nearly all suffered during the wars with the Indians which broke out from time to time, and were carried on with savage barbarity. The strong hold the English obtained in America continued, and their settlements increased in number on almost every part of the coast. Even at this early period, there w^as a stir in the old world, and westward the course of empire was taking its way. The growth of the colonies fluctuated according to circumstances, but there was a steady movement of industrious, thrifty, resolute people toward the American wilderness. CHAPTER XII. PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS FOUNDER. ^HE great and good man, to whom Pennsylvania owes its origin, was tlie son of Vice Admiral Sir William Penn, and was born in London in 1644. He was regarded as a child of great promise. At eleven years of age, being, as he relates, at Oxford School, he was suddenly surprised " with an inward comfort, and an external glor}^ in the belief of God, and his communion with his soul." Nothing, through a long life, ever shook his faith in the reality of this divinely communicated " inner light." At fifteen he entered Oxford College ; but though an excellent scholar — his religious sensibilities having been farther excited by the preaching of Thomas Loe, a Quaker, he was led to some irregularities as a student, involving a contempt of the authority, which caused his expulsion. His father, disappointed in the ambitious hopes which the uncommon talents of his son had raised, used every means, not excepting fatherly chastise- ment, to cure him of what he considered his whimsical obstinacy. All his efforts failing, he turned him from his door. But a generous nature, with the persuasions of his wife, soon made him relent, and restore his sou to his favor. William was next sent to travel in France and Italy, where he spent two years. He returned with an elegant polish of manners, which delighted his father. But the admiral soon found that, wherever his religion was concerned, his son had the same peculiar views, and the same unbend ing spirit as before. His father next sent him to Ireland, in hopes that the splendid court of his friend, the Earl of Ormond, now Lord Lieutenant of that kingdom, would make him a man of the world. Having the agency of his father's large estates in Ireland, William applied himself to business with so much ability that his father was delighted with his success. But he again heard the preacher, Thomas Loe, and became a decided member of the Quaker Society, and as such he was persecuted and imprisoned. His father hear- 107 108 PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS FOUNDER. ing of this, recalled him to England. Mortified at his oddities, but proud of his talents, the impassioned father entreats and beseeches, — even with tears. The affectionate son struggles between his love for his earthly and that for his Heavenly Parent, and decides that he must, at whatever cost^ be in subjection to the Father of his spirit. The admiral is willing to endure much, and finally proposes to com- promise, and allow his son's peculiarities, provided he will consent partially to waive the Quaker custom of wearing the hat in every human presence, and uncover his head before the King, the Duke of York and himself. Penn reflected that his spiritual strength and comfort depended upon obedience to his inward monitor. Christianity taught that the outward act should never belie the heart; and "hat-wor- ship " he believed could not otherwise be practiced. He therefore refused his father's proffer, and was again excluded from the shelter of his roof. Penn now became a preacher and an author, and was ere long cast into ''^'^ prison for his violation of the severe laws respecting public worship; and though released by his father's medi- ation, he was soon re-committed. His fearless eloquence on one occasion, gained the jury to his cause. He was accused before the Mayor and Recorder of London of holding a private meeting with his brethren for religious worship; and though the court directed, threatened, and kept the jury two days without " meat, drink, fire or tobacco," these twelve bold jurors would not find a bill against the prisoner. For this the court fined them, and cast them into prison for their fine. Such was the spirit of the times. Admiral Penn, when his health failed, recalled his beloved son. He gave a charge on his death-bed to his friend, the Duke of York, who accepted the office, to watch the fate of William, and, as far as possible, shield him from the evils to which his peculiar tenets must expose him. WILLIAM PENN. COMMANDER RICHARD WAINWRIGHT WILLIAM MCKINLEY PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS FOUNDER. lOD Soou after his father's death Penu is again in prison. But notwithstanding this, we soon find him allying himself in marriage to a family of high respectability, and to a woman of extraordinary intelligence, beauty, and goodness. That he had now the public confidence also appears from the trust reposed in him by the assignees of Edward Billinge, while the high order of his talents was manifested by his legislation for the two Jerseys. His thoughts were by this turned to America ; and the sufferings of his dear persecuted brethren led him to plans of colonizing there, which he proceeded to put into operation. His father had left claims to the amount of sixteen thousand pounds against the crown ; and Penn, finding that there was a tract yet ungranted, north of Lord Baltimore's patent^ solicited and obtained of Charles II. a charter of the country, "which was bounded on the east by the river Delaware, extending westward through five degrees of longitude, and stretching from twelve miles northward of New- castle to the forty-third degree of latitude, and was limited on the south by a circle of twelve miles drawn around Newcastle, to the beginning of the fortieth degree of north latitude." It was called by the king Pennsylvania. A Council to Establish Peace. Soon after the date of this grant, two other conveyances were made to Penn by the Duke of York ; one of which embraced the present state of Delaware, and was called the "Territories." The other was a release from the Duke of any claims to Pennsylvania. Directions had been given to Colonel Markham, who preceded Penn, that the natives shold be treated kindly and fairly ; and accordingly no land had been entered upon but b}'- their consent. They had also been notified that Penn, to whom they gave the name of Onas, was to kindle a council fire at a certain time, in order to meet and establish with them a treaty of perpetual peace. On the morning of the appointed day, under a huge elm at Shackamaxon, now a suburb of Philadelphia, William Penn, majestic in person, beautiful in countenance, graceful, though plain in manner and attire, his only ornament being a sash of pale blue, stood and held in his hand the roll of peace. Sending around his loving glance, he sees "far as his eyes can carry" among the trees of the forest, its painted and plumed children gathering towards him. The chiefs came forward and half encircle him. The principal .sachem puts upon his own head a horned chaplet, the symbol of his power. 110 PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS FOUNDER. At once every warrior lays down his bow and tomahawk, and seats himself upon the ground. The grand chief then announces to Onas that the nations are ready to hear his words, believing him to be an angel sent to them by the Great vSpirit. Penn gave tliem instructions, and solemnly appealed to the Almighty, who knew his inmost thoughts, that it was the ardent desire of his heart to do them good. "He would not call them brothers or children, but they should be to him and his, as half of the same body." The chiefs then gave their pledge for themselves, and for their tribes, " to live in love with him and his children, as long as the sun and moon should endure." The treaty was then executed, the chiefs marking down the emblems of their several tribes. The purchases of Markham were confirmed and others made. The City of Philadelphia Founded. After this Penn went to a villa which his nephew had built for his residence, opposite the site of Burlington, and called Pennsbury. Here he gave directions for laying out towns and counties, and in conjunction with the surveyor. Holme, drew the plan of his capital, and in the spirit of "brotherly love," named it Philadelphia. Vessels came fast with new settlers, until twenty-two bearing two thousand persons, had arrived. Some came so late in the fall, that they could not be provided with house-room in the rude dwellings of the new city ; and " the caves " were dug in the banks of the river to receive them. Providence fed them b}' flocks of pigeons and the fish of the rivers ; and the Indians, regarding them as the children of Onas, hunted to bring them game. Penn had left be3^ond the ocean his beloved famil}'. Letters from England spoke of the sufferings of his Quaker brethren, and he believed that he might exercise an influence there to check persecution. He embarked on the fourth of August, and wrote on board the ship an affec- tionate adieu to his province, which he sent on shore before he sailed. He said, " And thou, Philadelphia, virgin of the province ! my soul pra3^s for thee, that, faithful to the God of thy mercies, in the life of righteousness, thou maj'Cst be preserved unto the end!" After William Penn's arrival in England he became one of the most influential persons in the kingdom ; for when the Duke of York was made king, under the title of James H., he manifested for him much confidence and affection. The influence thus possessed at court was never used for I PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS FOUNDER. Ill selfish purposes, but mainly to obtain benefits for distressed Quakers, and laws in favor of general toleration. When James became an exile in France, Penn was suspected, by his successor, of holding with him a treasonable correspondence, and upon vague charges to this effect he was a number of times imprisoned. In 1692 the government of Pennsylvania was taken from him, and Fletcher, governor of New York, appointed by the crown to rule his province. After strict scrutiny, the conduct of Penn was found to be irreproachable, and in 1694 he was restored to the favor of the king, and reinstated in his govern- ment ; but not immediately returning to Pennsylvania, he appointed the worthy Thomas Lloyd his deputy-governor. The Duke's Claims Adjudged to be Oppressive. Sir Edmund Andros, w^hen governor of New York, under pretence of the claims of the Duke of York, usurped the government both in East and West Jersey, and laid a tax upon all goods imported, and upon the pro- perty of all who came to settle in the country. Penn received complaints of these abuses, and with such strength of argument opposed the claims of the duke that the commissioners to whom the case was referred adjudged the duties to be illegal and oppressive ; in consequence of which, in 1680, they were removed, and the proprietors reinstated in the government. Edward Byllinge was appointed their governor, and the next year, 1681, he sum- moned the first General Assembly held in West Jersey. In 1682 the people, by the advice of Penn, amended their government. Contrary to the wishes of the proprietor, the next year they proceeded to elect their own governor. CHAPTER XIII. WITCHCRAFT IN NEW ENGLAND. )HE story of witchcraft in the Massachusetts colony is one of the most singular ever recorded. In 1688 a case occurred which excited general interest, and was the beginning of one of the saddest periods in the history of New England. The daughter of John Goodwin, a child of thirteen years, accused the daughter of an Irish laundress of stealing some linen. The mother of the laundress, a friendless emigrant, succeeded in disproving the charge, and abused the girl soundly for making a false accusation. Soon after this the accuser was seized with a fit, and pretended to be bewitched in order to be revenged upon the poor Irish woman. Her younger sister and two of her brothers followed her example. They pre- tended to be dumb, then deaf, then blind, and then all three at once. Nevertheless their appetite was good, and they slept soundly at night. The youngest of these little impostors was less than five years old. It was at once given out that the Goodwin children were bewitched, and no one suspected or hinted at the fraud. They would bark like dogs and mew like cats, and a physician who was called in to treat them solemnly de- clared that they were possessed by devils. A conference of the four ministers of Boston, and one from Charles- town, was held at Goodwin's house, where they observed a day of fasting and prayer. As a result of their efforts the youngest child, a boy of less than five years, was delivered of his evil spirit. The ministers now had no doubt that the children had been bewitched, and as the little ones accused the Irish woman of their misfortune, she was arrested, tried for witchcraft, convicted and hanged, notwithstanding that many persons thought the poor creature a lunatic. Among the ministers who had investigated this case and had procured the execution of the woman was Cotton Mather, the son of Increase Mather, then president of Harvard College. He was a young man who had but recently entered the ministry, and was regarded as one of the most learned 112 WITCHCRAFT IN NEW ENGLAND. 113 and gifted preachers in the colony. He was withal a man of overweening vanity and full of ambition. He could not bear contradiction, and was devoted to the maintenance of the political power of the clergy. He was superstitious by nature, and was firmly convinced of the reality of witchcraft. He had become deeply interested in the case of the Goodwin children, and in order to study it more deeply took the eldest girl to his house, where he could observe and experiment upon her devil at his leisure. She was a cunning creature, and soon found that it was to her interest to humor the j^oung pastor in his views, and she played upon his weakness wath a shrewdness and skill which were remarkable in one so young, and exhibit the credulity of the investigator in a most pitiable light. Mather carried on his experiments with a diligence which would have seemed ludicrous had its object been less baneful to the community. He read the Bible, and prayed aloud in the presence of the girl, who would pretend to be thrown into a fit by the pious exercise. At the same time she read the Book of Common Prayer, or Quaker or Popish treatises, with- out any interruption from her familiar spirits. The minister then tested the proficiency of the devil in languages, by reading aloud passages of the Bible in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, which the girl professed to understand. Concluded that all Devils are not Alike. When he tried her with an Indian dialect, however, she could not comprehend him. By other experiments, designed to ascertain if the spirits could read the thoughts of others, Mather came to the sage conclusion that " all devils are not alike sagacious." The girl flattered his vanity, and lulled his suspicion of fraud by telling him that his own person was especially protected against the evil spirits by the power of God, and that the devils did not dare to enter his study. In 1692 a new case of witchcraft occurred in Salem village, now the town of Danvers. The minister of this place was Samuel Parris, between whom and a number of his people there had for some time existed dissen- sions of such a bitter nature that the attention of the general court had been directed to them. In February, 1692, the daughter and niece of Parris, the former a child of nine years, and the latter of less than twelve, gave signs of being bewitched. Parris at once recognized the opportunity which was thus offered him for vengeance upon his enemies, and deliberately availed himself of it. 114 WITCHCRAFT IN NEW ENGLAND, He demanded of the children the names of the persons who had bewitched them, and then proceeded to accnse those whom he succeeded in inducing the girls to denounce. The first victim was Rebecca Nurse. She was known in the community as a woman of exemplary Christian character; but she was one of the most resolute opponents of Parris. Upon his accusation she was arrested and imprisoned. The next Sunday Parris preached a sermon from the text^ "Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of 3^ou is a devil. '^ As his remarks were directed against Mistress Nurse^ Sarah Clo3^ce, her sister, at once left the church. This in itself was a serious of- fence in those days^ and Parris took ad- vantage of it to ac- cuse the offender of witchcraft, and she was seen to join THE REV. COTTON MATHER. Her sistcr in prison. Mather, who deemed his credit at stake, lent his active aid to the prosecution of these unfortunate people, and had the vanity to declare that he regarded the efforts of " the evil angels upon the country as a particular defiance unto himself" Parris scattered his accusations right and left, becoming both informer and witness against those whom he meant to destroy for their opposition to him. WITCHCRAFr IN NEW ENGLAND. 115 In a few weeks nearly one hundred persons were in prison upon the charge of witchcraft. Abigail Williams, Parris's niece, aided her uncle with her tales, which the least examination would have shown to be absurd. George Burroughs, one of the ministers of Salem, had long been regarded by Parris as a rival, and he now openly expressed his disbelief in witchcraft, and his disapproval of the measures against those charged with that offence. This boldness sealed his doom. He was accused by Parris and committed to prison "with the rest of the witches." "The gallows was to be set up, not for those who professed themselves witches, but for those who rebuked the delusion." Governor Bradstreet, who had been chosen by the people, was unwilling to proceed to extreme measures against the accused, as he had no faith in the evidence against them. The arrival of the royal governor and the new charter in Boston in May, 1692, placed Cotton Mather and his fellow-prosecu- tors in a position to carry out their bloody designs. The General Court alone had authority to appoint special courts, but Governor Phipps did not hesitate to appoint one himself for the trial of the accused persons at Salem, and this illegal tribunal, with Stoughton as its chief judge, met at Salem on the 2d of June. In this court, Parris acted as prosecutor, keeping back some witnesses, and pushing others forward, as suited his plans. A Woman Suspected, and Hanged. The first victim of the court was Bridget Bishop, " a poor, friendless old woman." Parris, who had examined her at the time of her commitment, was the principal M'itness against her. Deliverance Hobbs being also accused, a natural infirmity of her body was taken as a proof of her guilt, and she was hanged, protesting her innocence. Rebecca Nurse was at first acquitted of the charges against her, but the court refused to receive the verdict of the jury, and Parris was determined that the woman against whom he had preached and prayed should not escape him, and the jur}^ were induced to convict her, and she was hanged. John Willard, who had been compelled, by his duty as a constable, to arrest the accused, now refused to serve in this capacit}^ any longer, as he had become convinced of the hypocrisy of the insti- gators of the persecution. He was immediately denounced, tried and hanged. When George Burroiighs, the minister, was placed on trial, the witnesses produced against him pretended to be dumb. " Who hinders these witnesses from giving their testimonies ? " asked Stoughton, the chief judge. " I 116 WITCHCRAFT IN NEW ENGLAND. suppose the devil," replied Burroughs, contemptuously. " How comes the devil," cried Stoughton, exultingly, " so loath to have any testimony borne against you?" The words of the prisoner were regarded as a confession, and his remarkable bodily strength was made an evidence of his guilt. He was convicted and sentenced to be hanged. He was executed on the 19th of August, with four others. As he ascended the scaffold, Burroughs made an appeal to the people assembled to witness the execution, and effectually vindi- cated himself from the absurd charges against him, and repeated the Lord's prayer, which was regarded as a test of innocence. The spectators seemed about to interfere in favor of the victim. A Reign of Terror in the Colony. Cotton Mather, who was present on horseback, now exerted himself to complete the judicial murder. He harangued the people, insisted on the guilt of Burroughs, reminding them that the devil could sometimes assume the form of an angel of light, and even descended to the falsehood of declaring that Burroughs was no true minister, as his ordination was not valid. His appeal was sucsessful, and the execution was completed. Giles Cory, an old man over eighty years of age, seeing that no denial of guilt availed anything, refused to plead, and was pressed to death, in accordance with an old English law, long obsolete, which was revived to meet his case. Samuel Wardwell confessed his guilt, and escaped the gallows. Overcome with shame for his cowardice, he retracted his confes- sion, and was hanged for denying witchcraft. A reign of terror prevailed in Salem ; the prisons were full, and no one could feel sure how long he would escape accusation and arrest. Many persons confessed their guilt to save their lives. Children accused their parents, parents their children, and husbands and wives each other of the most impossible offences, in the hope of escaping the persecution themselves. Hale, the minister of Beverley, was a zealous advocate of the persecution, until the bitter cup was presented to his own lips b}^ the accusation of his wife. Many persons were obliged to fly the colony, and the magistrates, conscious that they were exceeding their powers, did not demand their surrender. We have mentioned only some of the principal cases to show the character of the persecution, as our limits forbid the relation of all. The total number hanged was twenty ; fifty-five were tortured or terrified into MAJOR GENERAL FITZHUGH LEE WITCHCRAFT IN NEW ENGLAND, 117 confessions of guilt. The accusations were at first lodged against persons of humble station, but at length reached the higher classes. Stoughton's court, having hanged twenty of its victims, adjourned about the last of September, 1692, until November, and on the eighteenth of October the general court met. The indignation of the people had been gathering force, and men were determined to put a stop to the judicial murders and tortures which had disgraced them so long. Remonstrances were at once presented to the assembly against " the doings of the witch tribunals,'' the people of Andover leading the way in this effort. The assembly abolished the special court, and established a tribunal by public law. The Dreadful Mistake is Acknowledged. The danger was now over. It was no longer possible to procure a conviction for witchcraft. The indignant people of Salem village at once drove the wretched Parris and his family from the place. Noyes, the minister of Salem, who had been active in the persecutions, was compelled to ask the forgiveness of the people, after a public confession of his error. The devotion of the rest of his life to works of charity won him the pardon he sought. Sewall, one of the judges, struck with horror at the part he had played in the persecution, made an open and frank confession of his error, and implored the forgiveness of his fellow-citizens. His sincerity was so evident that he soon regained the favor he had lost. Stoughton passed the remainder of his life in proud and haughty disregard of the opinion of his fellow-men, scorning to make any acknowledgment of error, and evincing no remorse for his cruelties. As for the prime mover of the delusion, the Rev. Cotton Mather^ nothing could induce him to admit that he could by any possibility have been in error ; not even the recollection of the sorrow he had brought uporL some of the best people in the colony could shake his impenetrable self- conceit or humble him. When it was plain to him that he was the object of the indignation of all good men in New England, he had the hardihood to endeavor to persuade them that after all he had not been specially active in the sad affair. CHAPTER XIV. COLONIES ON THE SOUTHERN COAST. FTER Charles II. was restored to the throne of England his rapacious courtiers, taking advantage of his improvident good nature, obtained for their services real or pretended, from him who had little else to give, large tracts of American territory. Nor was that monarch, as we have already seen, at all scrupu- lous when a favorite was to be gratified, if what he gave had before been granted, or if it belonged to other nations. But settlers were wanted, and to procure these, various inducements were held out. Two settlements had already been formed. One of these, near the Sound, called, from the title given to the restorer of Charles II., Albemarle, was begun at an early day by enterprising planters from Vir- ginia; and enjoying entire liberty, it had been augmented from that and other colonies, whenever religious or political oppression had scattered their people. The other colony was to the south of this, on Cape Fear or Clarendon River ; and had been originally made by a little band of adventurers from New England. They, as well as the former colony, had purchased their land of the natives — they had occupied it, and they claimed, as a law of nature, the right of self-government. In the meantime, a number of planters from Barbadoes, desiring to re-establish themselves in independ- ence, purchased lands of the sachems, and settled on Cape Fear River, near the territory of the New Englanders. The two parties united. In 1667 they were in danger of famine, and Massachusetts sent them relief. William Sayle, the first proprietary governor of Carolina, brought over a colon}^, with which he founded old Charleston. Dying in 1671 his colony was annexed to that of Governor Yeamens. In 1680 the city was removed to the point of land between the two rivers, which received, in compliment to Lord Shaftsbury, the names of Ashley and Cooper. The foundation of the present capital of the south was laid, and the name of the king per- petuated in that of Charleston. 118 COLONIES ON THE SOUTHERN COAST 119 During the year 1690 King William sent out a large body of FrencH Protestants, who had been compelled to leave their country by the arbitrary measures of Louis XIV. To a part of these, lands were allotted in Vir- ginia on James River, and others settled in Carolina on the banks of the Santee, and in Charleston. They introduced the culture of the vine, and were among the most useful settlers of the province. About 1723 a new colon}'- was projected in England. The country between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers, although within the limits of the Carolina grant, was still unoc- cupied by European settlers. The patriotic deemed it important that this region should be planted b}^ a British colony, otherwise, it was feared, it would be seized by the Spaniards from Florida, or the French from the Mississippi. At the same time, a spirit of philanthropy was abroad in England, to notice the distresses of the poor, especi- ally those shut up in prisons, and to provide for their relief. Actuated by these generous considerations, a number of gentle- men in England, of whom James Oglethorpe was the most zealous, formed a project to settle this tract by such of the suffering poor as GENERAL OGLETHORPE. might be willing to seek, in the new world, the means of subsistence. To this company, the territory between the Savannah and Altamaha, now, in honor of the king, denominated Georgia, was granted ; and with its settlement was completed that of the thirteen veteran colonies, which fought the War of the Revolution, and whose emblematic stars and stripes still decorate the banner of American Independence. Oglethorpe, having prepared for the settlement of Georgia, by the assistance of a corporation, consisting of twenty-one persons, who were called " Trustees for settling and establishing the colony of Georgia," embarked in November, 1732, with one hundred and sixteen emigrants for America. 120 COLONIES ON THE SOUTHERN COAST. They arrived at Charleston in January, 1733. Governor Johnson, sensible of the importance of having a barrier between his people and the Southern Indians, gave them all the aid in his power, and accompanied them to the place of their destination. This was Yamacraw Bluff, since called Savannah, which they reached on the 1st of February, and Ogle- thorpe immediately commenced a fort. His next care was to propitiate the Indians. The tribe settled at Yamacraw was , considerable. The Creeks, at this period, could muster 2,500 warriors; the Cherokees, 6,000; the Choctaws, 5,000; and the Chick- asaws, 700 ; amounting in the whole to 14,200. Aware, that without the friendship of these nations, his colony could not even exist, much less prosper, Oglethorpe summoned a general meeting of the chiefs, fifty of whom met him in council at Savannah. By means of an interpreter, he made them the most friendly professions, which they reciprocated ; and these amicable dispositions passed into a solemn treaty. Idle and Vicious Emigrants. Soon after these occurrences, Georgia was increased by five or six hun- dred emigrants ; but most of them were idle, and many of them vicious. In 1 736, Oglethorpe erected three forts, one on the Savannah, at Augusta ; another called Frederica, in the vicinity of the Scotch settlement, on the island of St. Simons ; and a third, named Fort William, on Cumberland island. The Spaniards remonstrated, and insisted on the evacuation of the country as far as the thirty-third degree of north latitude. Oglethorpe about this time returned to England. That nation being determined to maintain their claim to the disputed territory, appointed him commander-in-chief of the British forces in Carolina and Georgia, and sent him back with a regiment of six hundred men. On his arrival in America, he established his headquarters at Frederica. About this time, a number of slaves near Charleston, influenced by the Spaniards, rose in a body, armed themselves by forcing open a magazine at Stono, and, thence proceeding south twelve miles, they killed all the whites they met, and compelled the negroes to join them. At length, becoming intoxicated, they were attacked and overcome by the men of a worshipping assembly, who, according to law, went armed. Most of them were put to death. In May, 1742, a fleet wa5 sent from Havana, from which in June, COLONIES ON THE SOUTHERN COAST. 121 debarked 2000 Spanish troops at St. Simons. Oglethorpe, with his wonted energy, had collected troops and posted himself at Frederica. He was not in sufficient force openly to attack the enemy, but was himself attacked by a party of Spaniards. His troops, particularly the Highlanders under Captain Mcintosh, fought bravely, repulsed, and slew two hundred of the enemy at " the Bloody Marsh." Oglethorpe, on being informed of a division in their camp, next deter- mined on a surprise, and marched his army during the night within two miles of their entrenchments, when a French soldier of his party discharged his musket and ran into their lines. Discovery defeated every hope of success, and Oglethorpe returned to his camp. He then adroitly planned to make the Spaniards believe that the deserter was a spy, and was giving them information to mislead them. He wrote him a letter, urging him to give the Spanish such an account of the situation of his army as should induce them to attack him, or would, at any rate, serve to detain them in their own camp until the succors which he expected should arrive. The Panic-Stricken Spaniards Flee. This letter, as Oglethorpe had contrived, fell into the hands of the Spanish, who, having loaded the deserter \vith irons, were deliberating upon its contents, when they perceived off the coast some ships of war, which South Carolina had sent to Oglethorpe without his knowledge. Panic- struck, the Spaniards embarked, and left the coast in such haste that their artillery, provisions, and military stores fell into the hands of the Georgians. Georgia, in its early settlement, was distinguished by the peculiar humanity in which it was founded. The chivalric Oglethorpe "sought not himself, but others ;" and for ten 3'ears he gave his disinterested services, without claiming so much as a cottage or a farm. Though a brave warrior, compassion was the leading trait of his mind. Hence the imprisoned debtors of England, the unfortunate adherents of the Scottish Stewarts, and those holy persecuted men, the missionary Aloravians of Germany, each found in him a father. His mercy was also extended to the African ; and he would not, at first, allow a slave in his colony. The refusal of Oglethorpe to allow the Georgians to possess slaves, when the adjoining colonies carried on their plantations by their labor, was greatly injurious to its pecuniary prosperity; and at length even the pious Moravians, a party of whom were, for a time, in Georgia, agreed that if their T22 COLONIES ON THE SOUTHERN COAST. \ salvation was regarded, it was, under the circumstances, proper to own and employ llieni. This opinion at length prevailed, it being also justified by the ardent and eloquent Whitfield, who, with the two Wesleys, the three founders of the sect of IMethodists, sympathized with Oglethorpe in his benevolence ; and each spent some time in America, assisting him in his enterprise. Whit- field founded, near Savannah, a house for orphans. In 1752 the trustees, wearied with a trou- blesome and profit- less charge, resigned their office, and Georgia became a royal province. Louisiana, after having been for four- teen years under a company of avari- cious speculators formed at Paris, re- verted to the French crown ; and Bien- ville was appointed as governor. The Chickasaws were the dread of the Louisianians. They had incited the Natchez to commit JOHN wESLKY. cruel murders upon the whites, which had ended in the entire destruction of that peculiar nation ; the Great Sun himself, with four hundred of his subjects, having been sold into slavery. The Chickasaws occupied a large and beautiful tract east of the ^Mississippi, and on the head of the Tombigbee. This they would not allow the French to occupy, but maintained their own independence. COLONIES ON THE SOUTHERN COAST. 123 It was concerted in France that a force under Bienville should ascend the Tombigbee to meet an army collected from the region of the Illinois, under the young and valorous d'Artaguette. At the time appointed the ardent young warrior with his small army was in the country of the hostile savages; but the laggards from the south had not seasonably arrived. After a brave effort to subdue the Chickasaws, he was overcome. Bienville at length arrived, but the Indians, aware of his approach, and aided by Bnglish traders, received their army in such a manner that they threw their artillery into the Tombigbee, and, crest-fallen, returned down its stream. The Chicka- saws compelled the brave d'Artaguette to witness the torture and death of his companions, one of whom was the same Vincennes who had given his name to the capital of Illiuois. The young warrior was then dismissed to go and relate to the whites the deeds of the Chickasaws. Four years afterwards a larger French and Indian force, aided by troops from Canada, invaded the country of the Chickasaws; but sickness wasted them, and at length Bienville, who led them, was glad to treat with the Indians on their own terms. LIEUT. R. P. HOBSON' STORY OF CAPTAIN KIDD. 125 MucH romance has been written about this famous rover of the seas. Few particulars of his voyages and exploits are known with certainty, but no doubt he was a thorough scoundrel, who, placing himself on good terms with the other pirates in those distant waters, plundered right and left, whenever opportunity presented. He was cruel to the last degree, and, when he landed, as he frequently did, he burned houses and murdered innocent people. He acquired enormous gains, so much so that it is said even the common sailors became wealthy. Having gained all the riches he wanted, he had the hardihood to set sail for Boston, believing he could bribe or deceive his former friends as to his guilt. Orders Given to Arrest the Pirate. But news having reached London that Kidd had become a pirate, orders were sent to the English colonies to use all efforts to arrest him. Before this could be done, he had burned his ship and dispersed his men. He decei\'ed Lord Bellamont for a time, but he was finally arrested and sent to London, where he was hanged in 1701. Ever since the death of this famous pirate, stories have been told of the riches which he buried at different points along the Atlantic coast. You would be astonithed if you could learn how many persons have searched for those hidden trearures, which have never yet been, and are not likely to be, brought to light, since there is no reason to believe that the free- booter ever hid any part of his surplus wealth. The increase of the number of proprietors in West Jersey had intro- duced great confusion into that province, disputes constantly arising not only among the settlers, but between the proprietors themselves ; so that for three 3'-ears it might be said that West Jersey had no regular authority whatever. On this account, in 1698, the proprietors surrendered the right of government to the crown. Queen Anne united it with the east province, and New Jersey, as the whole was now called, was to be ruled jointly with New York by a royal governor, having a separate council and assembly of representatives. The Queen appointed, as governor of the two provinces, the worthless Lord Cornbury, who, as well as herself, was a grandchild of Lord Claren- don. He rendered himself odious to the people, squandering, for his own use, large sums of money which had been appropriated for public purposes, and left to his disposal as governor. In 1708 the assemblies of New York and New Jersey, no longer willing to submit to his government, drew up ^ % DIGGING FOR TREASURES SUPPOSED TO BE BURIED BY CAPTAIN KIDD. 126 STORY OF CAPTAIN KIDD. 127' a complaint against him, and sent it to the queen. She removed him, and appointed Lord lyovelace in his room. After a short administration Lovelace was succeeded by Sir Robert Hunter, known as the friend of Dean Swift, and he, in 1719, by Peter Schuyler, so often mentioned as the mediator between the whites and Indians, he being the oldest member of the council. Commissioners were, at this time, appointed to draw the line of partition between the provinces of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. A Trading House made into a Fortress. In 1720 Mr. Burnet succeeded Schuyler. In order to deprive the French of their supplies for the Indians, he instituted measures to stop the trade between New York and Canada ; and by this means displeased the merchants. They being thus prohibited from a direct trafiic with Canada, built a trading house at Oswego, which, in defiance of the protest of the French, and the displeasure of the Iroquois, was, in 1727, converted into a fortress. At length Burnet became so unpopular with the merchants, that though generally acceptable to the people, he was superseded in the gov- ernment by Colonel Montgomery. On his death the command devolved on Rip Van Dam, he being the oldest member of the council, and an eminent merchant. He passively permitted the encroachments of the French, and during his administration they erected a fort at Crown Point, which commanded Lake Champlain, and which was within the knowledged limits of New York. A few years later occurred in New York the events of what is known in history as the " Negro Plot." Slaves at that time were numerous in the town and city. In the winter of 1740-41 fires broke out, and followed each other so rapidly that no doubt many of them were kindled on pur- pose, though it has been proved that a number of the first were purely accidental. The suspicion was aroused that the slaves caused these con- flagrations with the intention of burning the town. One of the easiest things in the world is to start a panic. A proclamation was issued by the magistrates offering pardon, freedom and rewards to any slave who would bear witness against incendiaries and conspirators. Such inducements are sure to bring forward those who are eager to commit perjury for the sake of gain. The magistrates did not have to wait. Some women of bad character swore that the negroes had formed a plot for burning the city and placing 128 EXECUTING NEGROES IN NEW YORK. STORY OF CAPTAIN KIDD. 129 one of their own number at the head of affairs. Other witnesses did their best to gain the reward by adding their testimony, which often was of the most worthless character. White men, too, were accused, and New York shuddered with a terror like that caused by the witchcraft delusion which swept through Massachusetts half a century before. People went wild with panic, losing their judgment and sense of humanity and mercy. Before the strange excitement ended, over thirty persons had been executed, several of whom were burned at the stake, while others were transported. When the citizens regained their senses it came to be generally doubted, as many cool-headed persons had doubted all along, whether there had ever been an}^ plot at all. Crazed and Deluded for no Reason. The story of this delusion is much like that of witchcraft in Massa- chusetts. A strange delirium seized the populace, and in the excited state of the public mind suspicions were easil}^ formed. These did not need any basis of fact in order to convince the persons who entertained them that they were well founded. When an excited community makes up its mind to believe a thing, however absurd, no argument can prevent it. Facts are easily ignored for the time being, and only after the strange craze has begun to subside do people come to their senses and discover their mistake. What horrible reproaches and pangs of self-torment must have taken possession of the credulous people of New York when they made the awful discovery that they had been killing persons who were entirely innocent of the crimes charged against them I 9 1 CHAPTER XVI. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. HE French, by virtue of the discoveries of Champlain, Marquette, La Salle, and others, claimed all the lands occupied by the waters flowing into the St. Lawrence and the Lakes, and all watered by the Mississippi and its branches. In fact, our whole country, according to their geographers, was New France, except that east of the great ranges of mountains, whose streams flow into the Atlantic ; and of this portion they claimed the basin of the Kennebec, and all Maine to the east of that valley. The British, on the other hand, asserted a right to the entire countr}?-, on account of the discovery of Cabot, as may be seen by their earl}' patents, to which the}^ gave an extension from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This title they had sought to strengthen.' The chiefs of the confederate Iroquois had set up a claim, that their nations had, at some indefinite period, con- quered the country of the Mississippi ; and this title, such as it was, the English had bought. But in this contest for the right, which was rather with the savage occupants of the soil, than with either of the disputants, one thing was evident ; the question would ultimately be settled between them, by an appeal to arms ; and the crisis approached. The French had formed the vast plan of a chain of forts to connect their settlements, recently made at the mouth of the Mississippi, with their earlier colonies on the St. Lawrence. They had accomplished their purpose in part, having fortresses along the Lakes as far as the southern shore of Lake Erie, where they had two forts, one at Presque Isle, and another on French creek, twelve miles south. On the Mississippi, and on the Ohio and its branches, they had also their fortifications. A number of gentlemen, mostly in Virginia, of whom Lawrence Wash- ington was one, procured, in 1750, an act of the British Parliament, constituting them " the Ohio Companj'-," and granting them six hundred thousand acres of land on or near the Ohio river. They caused the tract 130 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, 131 to be surveyed, and opened a trade with the Indians in the vicinity. This becoming known to the French, the governor of Canada complained to the authorities of New York and Pennsylvania, threatening to seize their traders if they did not quit their territory ; and several of their number were accordingly taken and carried to the fort at Presque Isle. A Trader who Acted as a Spy. The governor of Virginia, the zealous and active Dinwiddie, alarmed at these movements on the part of the French, had sent a trader among them as a sp}--, -who, returning, increased his fears by vague accounts of the French posts near Lake Erie, without gratifying his curiosity as to the number or object of their forces. Dinwiddie determined, although the season was advanced, to send immediately a trusty person to require the French commandant to quit the territory ; and also to bring back such an account of his strength and position, that if he refused peaceably to retreat, some feasible method of ejectment might be adopted. A young man of twenty-two, an ofi&cer of the militia, was chosen. His figure was commanding, his air inspired respect and confidence. His name was George Washington. Major Washington was now placed over one of the four divisions into which Dinwiddie had portioned the militia of " the Dominion," the name then given to Virginia. He introduced a uniform discipline, and infused throughout his command his own military spirit. It was at this period that he w^as chosen by the governor as his envoy to the French. The seat of government for Virginia was Williamsburg. Thither Washington repaired, and was furnished with instructions and dispatches ; the most im- portant of which was a letter from Dinwiddie, to St. Pierre the French commandant, . requiring him with threats, to withdraw from the territory belonging to the English sovereign. Washington departed late in October, 1753, to traverse more than five hiiudred miles, much of the Avay a pathless, as well as a wintry desert. His route lay through Fredericksburg, Alexandria and Winchester, to Will's Creek, since Cumberland. Here, taking leave of every vestige of civilization, and having procured Mr. Gist, agent of the Ohio company, as interpreter and guide, his part}?- of eight plunged into the recesses of the wilderness. They passed through snow and storms, over mountain preci- pices, and down among thickets into flooded valleys, to ford unbridged and 132 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. swollen rivers on frail and dangerous rafts. Coming upon the Yough- iogeny they followed it to the IMonongahela, and that to its junction with the Alleghan3^ "The Fork," as the site of Pittsburg was called, was then a desert, but Washington noticed, and afterwards reported it, as a suit- able place for a fort. From the Fork he went down the river twenty miles to Logstown, where he was to deliver friendly greetings from Dinwiddle to the great chief of the Southern Hurons, Tanacharison, or the Half-king; whose friendship was courted both b}'- French and English. The chief received him with kindness. He had been, he told Washington, to the French camp and had there made a set speech, in which he declared to the of&cers that the land in question belonged neither to the English nor the French ; but the Great Spirit had given it to the Indians, and allowed them to make it their residence. " I desire 3'ou, therefore," said he, '' to withdraw, as I have our brothers, the English ; for I will keep 3^ou at arm's length." He would Obey his Orders. After Major Washington had attended a friendl}^ council with the Indians, Tanacharison and three of his principal men, accompanied him north, more than a hundred miles to the encampment at French Creek. Here St. Pierre, who had been but a few days in command of the post, received him with the courteous bearing and hospitable attentions of the French gentleman. But to Dinwiddle's request that he would leave the territory which belonged to the British, he replied, after two days consul- tation with his officers, that it did not become him to discuss treaties ; such questions should rather be addressed to the Governor-General, the Marquis du Quesne ; he acted under his orders, and those he should be careful to obey. Washington and his party, by previous concert, had been making every possible observation on the state of the forces and camp, and now receiving the reply of St. Pierre, he was desirous to depart ; but the French were tampering with the Indians, and unwilling to dismiss the Half-king, until they had corrupted his fidelit}^ ; but in this tlie}^ failed. The return of Washington in the dead of winter was full of startling and perilous adventure. Once a treacherous guide aimed his musket at him, but it missed fire ; and once, on the Alleghany River, he and his guide, having made in a day, with one poor hatchet, a miserable raft, they THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 133 at sunset trusted themselves upon it to cross the swollen river, amidst large masses of floating ice. It came down upon them, and threw them from their raft into ten feet water. But they saved themselves by swim- ming to an island. Major Washington arrived at Williamsburg on the 16th of Januar}^ having been absent only eleven weeks. The boldness, energy and prudence with which he had met and overcome dangers, and the ability which he had manifested in the discharge of his trust, sunk deep into the minds of his countrymen ; and his written reports were published with applause, not only through the colonies, but in England. Troops were now raised in Virginia, and Washington was made lieuten- ant-colonel and intrusted with the command. In April, 1754, he marched into the disputed territory, and, encamping at the Great Meadows, he there learned that the French had dispossessed the Virginians of a fort which, in consequence of his recommendation, they were erecting at the Fork, and which the French finished and named Fort du Quesne. He was also informed that a detachment of French troops had been sent against him, and were encamped but a few miles west of the Great Meadows. The Little Army Intrenched in the Port. Surrounding their encampment he surprised and defeated them. The commander, De Jumonville, was killed, with ten of his party. On his return to the Great Aleadows he was reinforced by regulars from New York and South Carolina, and erected there a small stockade called Fort Necessity. With less than 400 men Washington now marched to dislodge the enemy from Fort du Quesne; but after proceeding thirteen miles he received the intelligence that the}^ had been reinforced from Canada, when he reluctantly relinquished the enterprise and retired. Unable to continue his retreat, from a failure of expected munitions, he intrenched his little army within Fort Necessit}^ A party of 1,500 French, under Monsieur De Villiers, soon followed and assaulted the fort; the Americans bravel}^ resisted, from ten in the morning until dark. Washington deeming it folly longer to contend with so unequal a force, signed, in the course of the night, articles of capitulation, by which the fort was surrendered, but the garrison permitted to march out with the honors of war, and return unmolested to their homes. The British cabinet had perceived that a war was inevitable. Accord- 134 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. ingly in their instructions to the colonies, in 1753, they directed them to cultivate the friendship of the Six Nations, and recommended what they had at a former period proposed, though not formall}^, that a union be formed among the colonies for their mutual protection and defense. Agree- abl}^ to these instructions a congress was held at Albany in June, 1754, to which delegates were sent from IMassachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. About one hundred and fifty Indians of the Six Nations were present, with whom the convention concluded an explanator}^ and pacific treaty, and then proceeded to consider the subject of the proposed union. Their situation, with regard to the French, called for immediate and effectual measures ; and it was unanimously resolved " that a union of the colonies was absolutely necessary for their preserva- tion." Desiring that their counsels, treas- ure and strength might be emplo3^ed in due proportion against the common enem}?-, a committee, consisting of one member from each colony represented, was ap- pointed to draw a plan of union. That which was drawn by Benjamin Franklin, of Pennsylvania, was substantially adopted and signed on the 4th of July, twenty-two years before this great statesman signed that more important instrument, which he also assisted in forming — the Declaration of Independence. The delegates from Connecticut alone BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. rcfuscd their consent to this plan, and on the ground that it gave too much power to the presiding general, who was to be appointed over the colonies by the crown. It was presented to the colonial legislatures and the British parliament for their sanction, but it was rejected by both ; by the colonies because it gave too much power to the crown, and by the crown because it gave too much power to the people; thus showing how widely different, even at this period, were the views of Great Britain and her colonies respecting the rights of the latter, and fore- boding the contest and separation which afterwards followed. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 135 The ministry, Having rejected this scheme of union, proposed to Governor Shirley and others, that the governors of the colonies (most of whom were appointed by the crown), attended by one or more of their council, should meet from time to time to concert measures for the general defense, with power to draw on the British treasury for such sums of money as they needed; which sums were, however, to be reimbursed by a tax, to be imposed on the colonies. But the colonies were not so to be drawn into a consent to submit to a taxation by Great Britain, and they rejected the plan. As the only alternative, the crown then resolved to carry on the war with British troops and such auxiliary forces as the colonial assemblies might voluntarily furnish ; and to this the Americans cheerfully assented. The establishment of French posts on the Ohio, and the attack upon Colonel Washington, were stated by the British government as the com- mencement of hostilities; and 1500 troops, under General Braddock, were dispatched from England. On his arrival in America, he requested a convention of the colonial governors to assemble in Virginia, to concert with him a plan of military operations. Planning for a Combined Attack. Four expeditions were here resolved upon. General Braddock was to attack Fort du Quesne ; Governor Shirley was to lead the American regulars and Indians against Niagara; the militia of the northern colonies were to be directed against Crown Point ; and Nova Scotia was to be invaded. Early in the spring the French sent out a powerful fleet, carrying a large body of troops, under the Baron Dieskau, to reinforce the army in Canada. For the expedition against Nova Scotia three thousand men, under Generals Monckton and Winslow, sailed from Boston in May. They arrived at Chignecto, on the Bay of Fundy, the 1st of June. Here they were joined by 300 British troops, and proceeding against Beau Sejour, now the principal post of the French in that countr}-, invested and took possession of it, after a bombardment of five days. The fleet appearing in the river St. John, the French set fire to their works, and evacuated the country. With the loss of only twenty men, the English took possession of Nova Scotia. Colonel Washington, on his return from the Great IMeadows, had public thanks voted him by the house of burgesses. He rejoined his regiment at Alexandria, and was ordered by the governor to fill up his companies by enlistments — go back immediate! 3^ — conquer the French, and build a fort 136 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. beyond the mountains. He wrote to a member of the council, showing the folly and impracticability of the scheme; and it was given up. Dinwiddie had new plans. He reorganized the militia into independent companies, so that there was now no higher office than captain. Washington promptly offered his resignation, but his services being needed, he was warmly solicited to remain, and it was hinted that he might keep his commission. This he indignantly rejected, as neither rank nor emolument were offered with it ; and he wrote that those who supposed he would accept it on such terms must think him "more empty than the commission itself.'^ Pushed on Regardless of Danger. Braddock, when he arrived, requested Colonel Washington to become one of his military family, preserving his rank. This Washington did not hesitate to accept, because he knew his own value to his country, and wished to improve in military skill. General Braddock marched from Vir- ginia in June ; but such were the delays occasioned by the difficulty of procuring horses, wagons, and provisions, that, by the advice of Wash- ington, he left the heavy baggage behind, under the care of Colonel Dunbar, with an escort of 600 men, and placing himself at the head of 1,200 select troops, he proceeded by more rapid marches, towards Fort du Quesne. Braddock was not deficient in courage, or military skill ; but he was wholly ignorant of the mode of conducting warfare in American woods and morasses, and at the same time he held the opinions of the colonial officers in contempt. Nevertheless, Washington had ventured to suggest the expe- diency of employing the Indians, who, under the Half-king, had offered their services, as scouting, and advance parties. Braddock not only dis- dained the advice, but offended the Indians by the rudeness of his manner. Thus he rashly pushed on, without knowing the dangers near. Washington had, the day before, rejoined the army, from which he had been for a short time detained by severe illness. It was noon, on the 9th of July, when, from the height above the right bank of the Mononga- hela, he looked back upon the ascending army, which, ten miles from Fort du Quesne, had just crossed the stream for the second time. Every thing looked more bright and beautiful than aught he had ever witnessed before. The companies, in their crimson uniform, with burnished arms and floating banners, were marching gaily to cheerful music as they entered the forest. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 137 Suddenly there burst upon them the Indian war-whoop, and a deadly fire, from opposite quarters, and from unseen foes. Many fell. Panic-stricken, their ranks broke, and they would have fled, but Braddock rallied them ; and, a bigot to the rules of European warfare, he constantly sought to preserve a regular order of battle. Thus he kept his men like sheep penned in a fold, fair marks for a foe beyond their reach, and whose num- bers were so much inferior to their own, that they had not dreamed of DISASTROUS DEFEAT OF GENERAL BRADDOCK. defeating, but only expected to annoy and delay the British army. Their places of concealment were two ravines on each side of the road ; but Brad- dock would neither retreat, or pass beyond that fatal spot. The Indians, singling out the officers, shot down every one on horse- back, Washington alone excepted. He, as the sole remaining aid of the general, rode by turns over every part of the field to carry his orders. The Indians afterwards averred that they had specially noticed his bearing and conspicuous figure, and repeatedly shot at him ; but at length thc}^ became convinced that he was protected by an Invisible Power, and that no bullet could harm him. After the battle was over four were found lodged in his coat, and two horses had been killed under him ; but the appointed guardian of his country escaped without a wound. 138 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. Braddock, who had been undismayed amidst continued showers of bullets, at length received a mortal wound. Upon his fall the regular troops fled in confusion. Washingon formed, and covered their retreat with the provincials, whom Braddock in his contempt had kept in the rear. The defeat was total ; sixty-four officers out of eighty-five, and nearly half the privates, were killed or wounded. Death of General Braddock. The flight of the army was so precipitate that it made no halt till it met the division under Dunbar, then about forty miles in the rear, where Braddock died. To this division was communicated the same spirit of flight, and they continued to retreat till they reached Fort Cumberland, one hundred and twenty miles from the place of action. The command now devolved on Colonel Dunbar, who withdrew the regulars to Philadel- phia, leaving the whole frontier of Virginia open to the depredations of the French and Indians. The French at Fort du Quesne attempted to seduce the Cherokees from English interest. Some of their tribe gave notice of this to the governor of South Carolina, who, at their suggestion, met a council of the Cherokee chiefs in their own country, and concluded with them a treaty of peace and amity, in which they ceded to Great Britain a large tract of land in South Carolina. CHAPTER XVII. THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. )HH campaign of 1757 was made no less disgraceful to tlie BnglisH than the former, by the futile schemes and inef&cient measures of Lord Loudon. It is chiefly memorable in our annals for the dreadful " massacre at Fort William Henry." Montcalm, the French comman- der, had early concentrated his forces, amounting to 9000 regulars, Canadians and In- dians, on the shores of the Champlain, at Ticonderoga. Passing up Lake George, he laid siege to Fort William Henry, was commanded by Col. Monroe, a British of&cer. Gen. Webb was at the time lying at Fort Edward, with the main British army, four' or five thousand strong. Monroe, being vigorousl}^ pressed, while he defended himself with spirit, earnestly entreated Gen. Webb for aid. But he entreated in vain, and necessity compelled him, in August, to surrender. By the articles of capitulation Montcalm engaged that the English should be allowed to leave the fort with the honors of war ; and, in order to protect them from the Indians, that an escort should be pro- vided to conduct them to fort Edward. 139 GENERAL MONTCALM. 140 THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. Soon after a detachment of the French took possession of the works. At the same moment the Indians, who had engaged to serve in the war on the promise of plunder, irritated at the terms of the surrender, rushed over the parapet, and began their outrages. Monroe, feeling the horrors of his situation, with his troops exposed at midnight, within the camp, to the cruelty of the savages, vainly attempted to conduct them forth ; but no sooner had he put them in motion than he found that, bad as was their position within, it was worse without, for the woods were infested with ferocious Indians thirsting for blood and plunder. He complained to Montcalm, and, demanding the promised escort, left the camp at morning to begin his march for Fort Edward. A Cold-Blooded Massacre. The French, themselves intimidated, gave them only the poor meed of advice, to yield up their private property as a means of appeasing the furious savages and saving life. They attempted this, and threw them their money and effects ; but their rapacity increasing with this partial gratification, they rushed, tomahawk in hand, upon the Bnglish, now a band of desperate fugitives who, stripping off their clothes, were glad to escape naked with their lives. The sick, the wounded, the women and the children, unable to escape, were murdered. Webb, on receiving intelligence of the capitulation, ordered five hundred men to meet the captured troops, and conduct them to his camp. The few who survived were discovered flying through the woods, singly or in small parties — some distracted, and many bleeding with the horrid cuts of the tomahawk — faint and nearly exhausted. There is little in the separate civil history of the colonies, during this period, which deserves particular attention. In all their proceedings with the royal governors, as well as in their direct intercourse with Great Britain, the colonists evinced that jealousy of their liberties which pre- vented any bold attempt, on the part of Great Britain, to enforce restric- tive measures, especially during the war. In Penns34vania a dispute arose between the proprietary governor and the assembly, respecting the right of the proprietors to exempt their own lands in the province from a taxation, the object of which was to pay for the defence of those lands. To adjust this dispute Benjamin Franklin was sent to England, and the business was soon closed by the proprietors submitting their property to be taxed, provided the assessments were just. THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. 141 The languid and spiritless manner in wliicli tlie war Had been con- ducted, and its consequent ill success, aroused both England and America, and produced a reaction wbicli brought forward as prime minister, the greatest statesman of the British annals, William Pitt, afterwards Earl of Chatham. So powerful was his eloquence and so austere his patriotism, that he controlled at length the energies of the government and the spirit of the peo- ple. His dreaded voice fearlessly denounced the selfishness and pusillanimity of the public agents. With intense search he found out worth, and resolutely brought it forward for public em- ployment. His per- severance was equal to his energ}^ ; and his efforts were guided by a judgment, which whilst it was rapid, was, at the same time, profound and compre- hensive. Aware that the col- onies were in danger of becoming discour- aged by the ineffici- ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^'^' ^^^^ ^^ Chatham. ency of the parent country, the minister assured them, in a circular which he addressed to the governors of the provinces, that an effectual force should be sent against the French; and he exhorted them to use their utmost exertions to raise men in their respective colonies, pledging himself that their own choice should direct by what of&cers their troops should be commanded ; and that those of the colonies should no longer be 142 THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. made inferior to Britisli officers of the same rank. Reassured and animated by tliis call, the colonists renewed their efforts and increased their army to twenty thousand. General Abercrombie was appointed to succeed the Earl of Loudon in the command of all the British forces in America. An armament Avas sent out under Admiral Boscawen, conveying twelve thousand British troops commanded by General Amherst, which, with the British forces previously in America, and the provincials, made up an army far greater than had ever before existed in America. These troops were all in readiness for action early in the spring. Nor were they delayed by irresolution as to the objects to be attempted. These having been well considered the pre- ceding winter, three expeditions were resolved on, against Louisburg, Crown Point and Fort du Quesne. The Town Captured after a Regular Siege. The possession of Louisburg was deemed important, principally, because it would, by opening the gulf of St. Lawrence to the English, facilitate the seizure of the capital of Canada; the grand project of the British minister having in view the absolute destruction of the French power in America. The enterprise against this fortress was conducted by the land and naval commanders, Amherst and Boscawen, with twenty ships of the line, and 14,000 men. The armament left Halifax late in May, and arrived before Louisburg early in June. A regular siege, the best conducted of any which had ever been laid in America, placed this fortress in the hands of the British. It was by his gallant conduct during this siege, that James Wolfe began his high career of military renown. The loss of Louisburg was deeply felt by France, and its gain by England and her rejoicing colonies. The garrison and mariners, to the amount of nearly 6000, went prisoners to England, and the inhabi- tants of the place were transported to France. With Louisburg the whole island of Cape Breton, and that of St. John's, fell under the power of the British. General Abercrombie, at the head of 16,000 men, proceeded against Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Early in July he crossed Lake George, and debarking at its northern extremity, he attempted, with unskilled guides, to pass the three miles of dense woods which lay between his army and Ticonderoga. As he approached that fort a detachment of the French fell I THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. 143 upon him, and an engagement ensued in which the assailants lost 300 men ; but of the British fell the amiable Lord Howe; a young officer of great promise, and much beloved both in England and America. Abercrombie, learning that reinforcements were daily expected by the French, without waiting for his artillery, made a brave but imprudent assault upon the fort, and was repulsed with the heavy loss of nearly two thousand killed and wounded. He then retired to his former quarters, on the south side of Lake George. Here he consented, at the solicitation of Colonel Bradstreet, to detach him with 3000 men, against Fort Frontenac. With these troopSjWho were mostly provin- cials, he marched to Oswego, embarked on Lake Ontario, and landed late in August within a mile of the fort, opened his batteries, and in two days forced this impor- tant fortress to surrender. As this fort, afterwards named Kingston, contained the mili- tary stores which were in- tended for the Indians, and for the supply of the south- western troops, its demolition general james wolfe. contributed to the success of the expedition against Fort du Quesne. To General Forbes, with an army of 8000 men, -was assigned the capture of this fort. Early in July the army marched from Philadelphia to Ray's Town. Washington, gratified that the expedition was at length to be undertaken, was at Cumberland with the Virginia militia, whom he commanded, and who were in readiness to join the main army. Here he learned to his surprise, that General Forbes, induced by the citizens of Philadelphia, had decided to open a new road from Ray's Town to the Ohio. In vain W^ashington remonstrated. 144 WASHINGTON PLANTING THE FLAG ON FORT DU QUESNE. i THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. 145 But before the army had arrived the weather became so cold and the men endured such severe sufferings that a council of ofB.cers decided that they must abandon their object and return. This they were about to do when they received such intelligence of the weakness of the French garri- son, that they roused to fresh effort, and late in November reached du Quesne. But it was only a solitary pile of ruins which they found. On the preceding night the French had set fire to the fort, and embarked to go down the Ohio. While the army were engaged in making the new road, Major Grant with a detachment had been suffered to throw himself forward, so as to encounter the full force of the French garrison. He was totally defeated and made prisoner, with eighteen of his of&cers. Three hundred of his party were either killed or taken by the enemy. New works were erected on the site of du Quesne, and named Fort Pitt. The Whole Garrison Captured. More distant Indian tribes felt that their safety, since the capture of Fort du Quesne, was best consulted by peace with the English, and at a grand council held in Kaston, Pa., deputies from the Six Nations met with those from New England, and from the tribes ranging along the eastern Alleghanies, as far south as North Carolina. On the part of the English, Sir William Johnson and the governors of New York and New Jersey entered with them into friendly relations, and the calumet sent up to heaven a far more grateful odor than the steam of reeking battle-fields. The campaign of 1759 had for its object the entire reduction of Can- ada. Prideaux besieged Niagara on the 6th of July. He was killed by the bursting of a shell, and the command devolved upon Sir William Johnson. The French gave battle to the English, but the Indians in their alliance deserted them in the heat of the engagement, and victory declared in favor of the English. The garrison, consisting of six hundred men, fell into the hands of the British, who now possessing this important post, all com- munication between the northern and southern possessions of the French was barred, and the quiet behavior of the Indians secured. After the taking of Louisburg, Wolfe returned to England. Pitt, who had discerned his extraordinary qualities while he was yet obscure, and had brought him forward against the prejudices of the King, and resolutel}^ sustained him, confided to him the command against Quebec. His sub- 10 146 THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. ordinate officers were carefully chosen. He was provided witli a choice army of eight thousand men, and a heavy train of artillery. Admirals Saunders and Holmes, seamen of great merit, commanded the fleet. It was late in June when the army debarked upon the Island of Orleans. From this spot Wolfe reconnoitered the position of his enemy, and saw the full magnitude of the difficulties which surrounded him. The city of Quebec rose before him upon the north side of the St. Lawrence ; its upper town and strong fortifications, situated on a rock, whose bold and steep front continued far westward, parallel with the river, its base near to the shore ; thus presenting a wall, which it seemed impossible to scale. From the northwest came down the St. Charles, entering the St. Lawrence just below the town ; its banks high and uneven, and cut by deep ravines while armed vessels were borne upon its waters, and floating batteries obstructed its entrance. A few miles below the Montmorenci leapt down its cataract into the St. Lawrence ; and, strongly posted along the sloping bank of that river, and between these two tributaries, the French army, com- manded by Montcalm, displayed its formidable lines. Heavy Batteries Opened on the Town. The first measure of Wolfe was to get possession of Point Levi, oppo- site Quebec. Here he erected and opened heavy batteries, which swept from the lower town, the buildings along the margin of the river ; but the fortifications, resting on the huge table of rock above, remained uninjured. Perceiving this, Wolfe next sought to draw the enemy from his en- trenchments, and bring on an engagement. For this purpose he landed his army below the Montmorenci ; but the wary Montcalm eluded every artifice to draw him out. Wolfe next crossed the stream with a portion of his army, and attacked him in his camp. The troops which were to commence the assault fell into disorder, having, with irregular ardor, disobe3^ed the orders of the general. Perceiving their confusion, he drew them off with the loss of four hundred men, and recrossed the Montmorenci. Here he was informed that his expected succors were likely to fail him. Amherst had found Ticonderoga and Crown Point vacated, and was pre- paring to attack the French forces withdrawn from these forts to the Isle aux Noix. Prideaux had lost his life, but his plans were carried out by Sir William Johnson. But the enemy were in force at Montreal ; and from neither division of the British army could the commander at Quebec THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. 147 now hope for any assistance. At this point of the enterprise Wolfe was severely tried. The plan which he had revolved in his mind, and, with the approbation of his officers, had determined to attempt, was to scale, in the night, and at some distance above Quebec, the bold precipice on which the fortifications were built, and thus reach the level plain above, called the Heights of Abraham. Montcalm, perceiving that something was to be attempted, dispatched M. de Bourgainville, with one thousand five hundred men, to move higher up the St. Lawrence and watch the motions of the English. Wolfe, pur- suant to his plan, broke up his camp at Montmorenci and returned to Orleans. Then embarking with his army he directed Admiral Holmes, who commanded the fleet, in which himself and the army had embarked, to sail up the river several miles higher than the intended point of de- barkation. This movement deceived De Bourgainville, and gave Wolfe the advantage of the current to float his boats down to the destined spot. Wolfe's Army Scales the Precipice. This was done about an hour before daylight. Wolfe was the first man who leaped on shore. When he saw the difficulties around him, he said to some one near, " I do not believe there is a possibility of getting up, but we must do our endeavor." The rapidity of the stream was hurry- ing along their boats, and some had already gone beyond the narrow landing-place. The shore was so shelving that it was almost impossible to ascend, and it was lined with French sentinels. One of these hailed, and was answered by a captain, who fully understood the French language, and who had been especially instructed for this purpose. Escaping these dangers at the water's edge, they proceeded, though with the utmost difficulty, to scale the precipice, pulling themselves up by the roots and branches of the trees and the projecting rocks in their way. The first party v/ho reached the heights secured a small batter}^, which crowned them ; and thus the remainder of the army ascended in safety, and there, on this lofty plain which commands one of the most magnificent prospects which nature has formed, the British army, drawn up in a highly advantageous position, were, in the morning, discovered by the French. Montcalm, learning with surprise and deep regret the advantage gained by his opponent, left his strong position, crossed the St. Charles, and, dis- playing his lines for battle, intrepidly led on the attack. Being on the left 148 THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. of the French, he was opposed to Wolfe, who was occupying the right of tl\e British forces. In the heat of the engagement both commanders were mortally wounded. The wound with which Wolfe fell was the third which he had received in the battle. He was removed from the field; but he watched it with DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE BEEORE QUEBEC. intense anxiety as, faint with the loss of blood, he reclined his languid head upon the supporting arm of an officer. A cry was heard, "They fly, they fly!" "Who fly?" he exclaimed. "The enemy," was the reply. " Then," said he, " I die content ;" and expired. Not less heroic was the death of Montcalm. He rejoiced M'hen told that his Avound was mortal ; " For," said he, " I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec. After the battle the affairs of the English were conducted with great discretion by General Townshend, whereas the French, in their panic, appear to have jaelded at once to the suggestions of their fears. The capitulation of Quebec was signed within five days after the battle. Townshend gave X THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. 149 favorable terms to the garrison, for lie knew that the resources of the French were by no means exhausted. The French, in retiring from Fort du Quesne, passed into Louisiana. On their route they had intrigued with the Cherokees, who continued a predatory war upon the Carolinians. General Amherst, in 1760, sent Colonel Montgomery with a body of regulars to their relief Being joined by such forces as could be raised in Carolina, he marched into the Cherokee country, destroyed all their lower towns, and was approaching Etchoc, the first of their middle settlements, when he was attacked, in an almost impenetrable thicket, by a large body of savages. In the battle which ensued the English claimed the victory; but so great was their loss, that they immediately retreated from the country. Fierce Attack on the Block-House. There was hard fighting at Fort Presque Isle, whicb stood near the present site of Erie, Pennsylvania, and was under the command of Ensign Christie, with a courageous garrison. Early on June 15th, it was surrounded by two. hundred Indians, most of them from the neighborhood of Detroit. The garrison immediately withdrew to the block-house, prepared to fight as long as the last hope remained, As at other points, burning arrows rained upon the roof, which repeatedly caught fire, but was as often extinguished by the cool daring of the soldiers. The assailants threw up a rude but strong breastwork on a ridge commanding the fort, and for two days and a half the desperate fight continued, A number of the Indians, with unusual daring, attempted to run from behind their breastworks, and shelter themselves close to the walls of the fort, but the watchful garrison picked off every one of them. The defenders, though as sparing in the use of water as possible, were compelled to use all they had to fight the flames that broke out again and again. The well in the parade ground was swept by the iron sleet, so that it was sure death to seek water from that source. Then the men set to work to dig a well inside the block-house. By the most desperate toil, the}^ succeeded in reaching water just in time to extinguish the flames kindled by the blazing arrows. The bravery of the garrison only nerved the assailants to more deter- mined work. They began a mine, and, there being no way of checking them, succeeded in reaching and firing the house of the commanding officer. The 150 THE STORY OF CANADA AND OUEBEC. smoke and lieai almost stifled the garrison, but they held out grimly, and whenever they could catch sight of a dusky figure, riddled it with bullets. All that night and through the next day the heroes fought and labored with unsur- passed courage. Meanwhile the as- sailants pushed their mining operations, until the sound of their digging was heard under the edge of the block- house itself. Further resist- ATTACK ON THE FORT AT PRESQUE ISLE. ^^^^^ ^^^^|^ ^^^^1 UOthiug, and Knsign Christie agreed to surrender under pledge that he and his exhausted THE STORY OF CANADA AND QUEBEC. 151 men should be allowed to depart unmolested. The promise was given, but broken ; all were bound and taken as prisoners to Pontiac's camp, from which Christie succeeded in escaping and reaching the fort at Detroit. Pontiac's Treachery Discovered. Pontiac chose to command in person at Detroit, that post being regarded as the ke}^ to the upper country. The Indians, to the number of six hundred, had collected in the woods about the fort. In the evening a squaw, who had been kindly treated, betrays to Major Gladwin, the com- mandant, the designs of the savages. Pontiac, with a party of his chiefs, present themselves as in peace, desiring to hold a council with the officers within the fort. They are admitted, but to their surprise immediately surrounded by the garrison, fully armed. Major Gladwin approaches Pontiac, lifts his blanket, and finds a short rifle concealed beneath it. Similar ones are sought for and found upon each of his party. Thus unexpectedly discovered, Pontiac himself was disconcerted. The Indians from without were not let in ; but the chief escaped, or was suffered to go forth. He then besieged the fort, holding the garrison confined for many months, and cutting off supplies and reinforcements. At length his allies grew weary of war, and peace was concluded. Pontiac died three years afterwards. CHAPTER XVIII. BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. )N 1TG5 Lord Grenville introduced into the British Parliament his plan for taxing America, to commence with duties on stamps. By this act no written instrument could be legal unless the paper on which it was drawn was stamped ; and this stamped paper was to be purchased, at exorbitant prices, of the agents of the British Government. Provision was made for the recovery of penalties for the breach of this act, as of all others relating to trade and revenue, in any admiralty, or king's marine court, throughout the colonies. These courts proceeded in trials, without the intervention of a jury. This act, both in regard to the suspension of what the colonists regarded as one of the most important of their rights, that of trial by jury, and also in regard to that extension of jurisdiction, by which they were liable to be called to trial for real or supposed offenses, to distant provinces, was, next to that for direct taxation, the most obnoxious to the colonies of any aggression of the British government. In the House of Commons the project, though ably supported, met with ardent and animated opposition. It was on this occasion that Colonel Barre was roused to that unpremeditated effort of eloquence which has. made his name, to this day, appear to Americans like that of a friend. In answer to Charles Townshend, he having caught that orator's last expression, he rose and exclaimed, "Children planted by your care I No ! Your oppressions planted them in America ! They fled from j^our tyranny to an uncultivated land, where they were exposed to all the hardships to which human nature is liable, and, among others, to the cruelties of a savage foe the most subtle and, I will take it upon me to say, the most terrible that ever inherited any part of God's earth. Nourished by your indulgence ! No ! They grew by your neglect ! When you began to care about them that care was exercised in sending persons to rule over them whose character and conduct has caused the blood of these sons of libert}^ to recoil within them. Protected by your arms ! They have nobly taken 152 BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 153 up arms in your defense ! The people of i\merica are as truly loyal as any subjects the king has, but a people jealous of their liberties, and they will vindicate them." Neither the eloquence of Colonel Barre, the petitions of the London merchants, nor the remonstrances of the colonies could prevent the passage of the Stamp Act. Of three hundred who voted in the House of Com- mons, only fifty were against it; in the House of Lords there was not a sin- gle dissenting voice, and the royal as- sent was readily ob- tained. Anticipa- ting opposition to these measures. Par- liament passed laws for sending troops to America, and obliging the inhao- itants of those colo- nies to which they should be sent to furnish them with quarters, and all supplies necessary for carrying on the war successfully. The Stamp Act was to take effect on the first day of November. The night after its passage Dr. Franklin, then in London as agent for Pennsyl- vania, wrote to his friend, Charles Thompson, "The sun of liberty is set; you must light up the candles of industry and economy." "Be assured," said Mr. Thompson, in reply, "we shall light up torches of quite another sort." On the arrival of the Stamp Act the smothered feelings of the colonists COLONEL BARRE. 164 BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. broke forth into one general burst of indignation. The house of burgesses in Virginia were at that time in session. It was here that the first public opposition was made to the odious act ; and the man by whom the resolu- tions, which expressed this opposition, were introduced was the eloquent and ardent Patrick Henry, then a young lawyer and a new member. Of his five celebrated resolutions, the first four asserted the rights and privi- leges claimed by the colonists; the last declared they were not bound to 3'ield obedience to any law imposing taxes upon them, excepting such as were passed by the general assembly of the colony. These resolutions, more especially the last, were warmly opposed by the house of burgesses ; but the bold and irresistible elequence of Henry finally prevailed, and they Avere passed by a majority of a single voice. Exciting Scene Caused by Patrick Henry. In the heat of the debate, the conduct of the king was, for the first time in an}^ public body in America, arraigned; and Patrick Henry, in this, dared what might have cost him his life. He asserted that the king, in assenting to the law for taxing the colonies, had acted the part of a tyrant ; and, alluding to the fate of other tyrants, he exclaimed, " Cssar had his Brutus, Charles I. his Cromwell, and George III." — he was interrupted by the cry of " treason !" — pausing for a moment, he deliberately concluded — " may profit by their example ; — if this be treason, make the most of it." The next day the members were alarmed, on considering the bold stand which they had taken, and in the absence of Henry the fifth reso- lution was rescinded; but it had already with the others gone forth, and, although at first cautiously circulated, all were at length openly published, and produced violent excitements throughout the country. Although, on account of the bold opposition to it, the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, yet the colonists continued a jealous watch over the British government. In May, 1767, Charles Townshend, then chancellor of the exchequer, influenced by Lord Grenville, brought into Parliament a second plan for taxing America by imposing duties on all tea, glass, paper and painters' colors, which should be imported into the colonies. This bill passed both houses of Parliament without much opposition. And during the same ses- sion an act was passed, suspending the authority of the assembly of New York until they should comply with the requisition to quarter troops, BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 155 which they had refused ; and another, appointing the officers of the navy, as custom-house officers, to enforce the acts of trade and navigation. These three acts following each other in quick succession, caused, throughout America, a revival of the same feelings which the passage of the Stamp Act had produced. In January, 1768, the assembly of Massa- chusetts prepared a petition to the king and sent letters to those persons in Great Britain who had been most active in defend- ing the cause of Amer- ica, again asserting what they considered their rights and claim- ing deliverance from those unjust and op- pressive taxes, which had been imposed by the recent acts of Par- liament. They also addressed circulars to the other colonial as- semblies, entreating their co-operation in obtaining the redress of their grievances. In June the custom- house officers seized JOHN HANCOCK. a sloop belonging to John Hancock, a merchant of eminence and a patriot much beloved by the peo- ple of Boston. They assembled in crowds, insulted and beat the officers, and compelled them to leave the town. Non-importation agreements, with regard to all articles on which duties had been laid, were at this time very ■extensively adopted. A report was circulated that troops were ordered to march into Boston. A town meeting was called, and the governor was earnestly entreated to 156 BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION convoke the assembly. His reply was " that he could not call another assembly this year without further commands from the king. Orders were given to General Gage, the commander-in-chief of the British troops in the colonies, to station a force in Boston, to overawe the citizens, and protect the custom-house officers in the discharge of their duty. Two regiments were accordingly ordered from Halifax, and escorted by seven armed vessels, they arrived at Boston in September. Resistance in the Assembly of Massachusetts. In May the assembly of Alassachusetts convened. They refused to proceed with business while the state house was surrounded by an armed force. The governor would not remove it, but adjourned them to Cambridge. Here they expressed their decided belief that the establishment of a standing army in the colony in time of peace, was an invasion of their natural rights. They refused to make any of the appropriations of money which the governor proposed. In March, 1770, some of the inhabitants of Boston insulted the military, while under arms ; and an affray took place, in which four persons w^ere killed. The bells were instantly rung ; the people rushed from the country to the aid of the citizens, and the soldiers were obliged to retire to Castle, William, in order to avoid the fury of the enraged multitude. A trial was instituted ; the soldiers arraigned were all acquitted, except two, who were found guilty of manslaughter. In England Lord North was appointed to the ministry. He introduced a bill into Parliament, which passed on the 12th of April, removing the duties which had been laid in 1767, excepting those on tea. But, as had been predicted by those who opposed this partial removal, the people of America were not satisfied, while the system was adhered to and Parliament claimed the right of taxing the colonies. In 1772 meetings were held in the towns throughout Massachusetts, where committees were appointed to maintain a correspondence with each other. These meetings, which proved the nurseries of independence, were censured by Great Britain as being the hot-beds of treason and rebellion. In Rhode Island a daring resistance was made to the custom-house of&cers; and the "Gaspee," an armed schooner which had been stationed in that colony for the purpose of enforcing the acts of trade was destroyed. The non-importation associations had, upon the repeal of the duties we BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 157 Tiave meutioned, limited tlieir oppositiou to the use of tea, and the East India Company in England found itself burdened with an enormous stock of tea, which it could not dispose of as usual in consequence of the cessation of sales in America. The company, therefore, proposed to pay all the duties on the tea in England and ship it to America at its own risk, hoping that the fact of there being no duty to pay in A77ier- ica would induce the colonists to purchase it. This plan met the determined opposition of the king, who would not consent to relinquish the assertion of his right to tax the Americans. Lord North could not under- stand that it was not the amount of the tax, but the principle involved in it, that was opposed by the Americans, and he proposed that the East India Company should pay tJiree-fourths of the duty in England, leav- ing the other fourth — about three pence on a pound — to be collected in America. His lord ship was told plainly that the Americans would not purchase the tea on these conditions, but he answered: "It is to no purpose the making objections, for the king will have it so. The king means to Xxy the question with the Americans." There were men in America who full}^ understood that the king meant " to try the question with the Americans," and were willing the trial should come, Samuel Adams was satisfied as to what would be the result, and was diligently working to prepare the people for it. He had the satisfaction of SAMUEL ADAMS. 158 BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. seeing public opinion in America daily assume a more enlightened and determined condition. A convention of all the colonies for taking action for a common resistance seemed to him a necessity, and he sent forth circulars to the various provinces urging them to assert their rights upon every possible occasion, and to combine for mutual support and protection. The news of the agreement between the East India Company and the government for the exportation of tea increased the determination of the colonists to resist the tax. It was also resolved that the tea should neither be landed nor sold. A meeting was held in Philadelphia and resolutions were passed requesting those to whom the tea was consigned " to resign their appointments." It was also resolved that whosoever should " aid or abet in unloading, receiving or vending the tea" should be regarded "as an enemy to his country." Meetings of a similar nature were held in New York and Charleston, and similar resolutions were adopted. Ships from England Loaded with Tea. A fast-sailing vessel reached Boston about the 1st of November, 1773^ with the news that several ships laden with tea had sailed from England to America. On the 3d of November a meeting was held at Faneuil Hall, and, on motion of Samuel Adams, it was unanimously resolved to send the tea back upon its arrival. A man in the crowd cried out : "The only way to get rid of it is to throw it overboard." The meeting invited the con- signees of the tea to resign their appointments. The first of the tea ships reached Boston on the 25th of November, 1773. A meeting of the citizens was held at Faneuil Hall, and it was ordered that the vessel should be moored to the wharf, and a guard of twenty-five citizens was placed over her to see that no tea was removed. The owner of the vessel agreed to send the cargo back if the governor would give his permit for the vessel to leave Boston. This the governor withheld, and in the meantime two other ships arrived with cargoes of tea and were ordered to anchor beside the first. The committee appointed by the meeting of citizens waited on the consignees, but obtained no satis- faction from them. On the 16th of December another meeting was held. The next day the time allowed by law would expire, and the tea would be placed under the protection of the fort and the armed ships in the harbor. The owner had gone to see the governor, at Milton, to obtain a pass for his vessels, BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 159 without which they could not leave the harbor. This the governor refused, on the ground that he had not a proper clearance. He returned to Boston late in the evening and reported the result of his mission to the meeting. Then Samuel Adams arose and gave the signal for the action that had been determined upon by saying: "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country." THROWING THE TEA OVERBOARD IN BOSTON HARBOR. Instantly a shout rang through the room, and a band of forty or fifty men " dressed like Mohawk Indians," with their faces blackened to prevent recognition, hastened from the meeting to the wharf where the ships were moored. A guard was posted to prevent the intrusion of spies, and the ships were at once seized. Three hundred and forty -two chests of tea were broken open and their contents poured into the water. The affair was witnessed in silence by a large crowd on the shore. When the destruc- tion of the tea was completed the " Indians " and the crowd dispersed to their homes. Paul Revere was despatched by the patriot leaders to carry the news to New York and Philadelphia. At New York and Philadelphia the people would not allow the tea to 160 BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. be landed, and at Charleston it was stored in damp cellars, where the whole cargo was soon mined. At Annapolis a ship and its cargo were burned, the owner of the vessel himself setting fire to the ship. The British government was greatly incensed at the refusal of the colonists to allow the tea to be landed, and determined to compel the Americans to submit to the authority of Great Britain. Boston, in par- ticular, was to be made a terrible example to the rest of the colonies. A bill was introduced into Parliament, and passed b}^ a majority of four to one, closing the port of Boston to all commerce, and transferring the seat of government to Salem. The British ministry boasted that with ten thousand regulars they could " march through the continent," and they were resolved to bring America to her knees, and make her confess her fault in dust and humiliation. Lord Howe sought an introduction to Dr. Franklin, through his sister, Mrs. How^e, the friend of the latter, and an honest endeavor was made on both sides to devise some plan to which the parties would consent. But the result of these secret and unofficial nego- tiations shows clearly that so wide was the difference of opinion in England and America that a war was inevitable. Drilling Minute-men in the use of Arms. ^^K In the meantime affairs in America were tending to a crisis which would preclude all hope of reconciliation. One Congress had been called by the colonies, and met in Philadelphia. The opposition to the unjust acts of the British government was very emphatic. A second provincial Congress, having assembled in Massachusetts, had ordered military stores to be collected, and encouraged the militia and minute-men to perfect themselves in the use of arms. The British General Gage, having learned that a number of field-pieces were collected at Salem, dispatched a party of soldiers to take possession of them in the name of the king. The people of Salem assembled in great numbers and, by pulling up a draw-bridge, prevented their entering the towm, and thus defeated their object. A large quantity of ammunition and stores was also deposited at Concord, about twenty miles from Boston ; these General Gage resolved to seize or destroy, and, with that view, he sent a detachment of 800 men under the command of Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn, ordering them to proceed with expedition and secrecy. The Americans had notice of the design, and when the British troops BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 161 arrived at Lexington, within five miles of Concord, the militia of the place were drawn np and ready to receive them. The advanced body of the British approached within musket-shot, when Major Pitcairn, riding forward, called to the Americans, " Disperse, you rebels ! — throw down your arms and disperse." Not being instantly obeyed, he discharged his pistol, and ordered his men to fire. They fired, and killed eight men. The militia dispersed, but the firing continued. One of those killed at the Lexington bridge was Isaac Davis, the DEATH OF CAPTAIN DAVIS AT LEXINGTON BRIDGE. captain of the minute-men of Acton. He had bidden his young wife a touching good-bye, as he ran to lead his men to the fight. A little later his dead body was brought to her door. The British troops then proceeded to Concord, and destroyed or took possession of the stores. They then began their retreat ; but the colonists pressing upon them on all sides, they went to Lexington, where they met Lord Percy with a reinforcement of 900 men, without which it is doubtful whether they could have reached Boston, for the Americans, better acquainted 11 162 BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. with the grounds, continually harassed their march. From every place of concealment — a stone fence, a cluster of bushes, or a bam — the concealed Americans poured upon them a destructive fire. At sunset the British, almost overcome with fatigue, passed Charlestown Neck, and found on Bunker's Hill a resting-place for the night, and the next morning, under the protection of a man-of-war, they entered Boston. Startling News Alarms the Country. Blood had now flowed, and no language can portray the feelings which the event excited. Couriers were dispatched in every direction, who gave, as they rode at full speed, their news, to be taken up and carried in like manner to other places ; and thus, in an increasing circle, it spread like electric fluid throughout the land. The messenger, if he arrived on Sunday, at once entered the church, and proclaimed to the breathless assembly — war has begun! Everywhere the cry was repeated, "war has begun!" and the universal response was, "to arms, then! liberty or death!" The legislatures of the several colonies convened, appointed officers, and gave orders to raise troops. Everywhere fathers were leaving their children, and mothers sending their sons to the field ; and an army of 20,000 was soon collected in the neighborhood of Boston. Thus war was beginning in earnest. But our fathers had a righteous cause ; and the contest was important, not only to themselves and their posterity, but to human rights. They had done all that was possible, and what none but great men could have done, to secure an honorable peace. What our country now is, and what it must have been, had they shrunk from the conflict, and tamely submitted to the 3^oke of servitude, speaks for their virtue and wisdom, in resolving to contend. The God of justice, in whom they trusted, proved their deliverer. They were, to the death, true to us, their posterity. Let not us be false to them ; but let us transmit the liberty and the noble institutions of our country, the inheritance earned by their blood, uncontaminated, to our descendants. i 1 CHAPTER XIX. PROGRESS OF THE WAR. ENERAIv GAGE was now closely besieged in Boston by an army of twenty thousand. He bad made bis fortifications so strong tbat tbe Americans did not attempt tbe place by assault; nor ^-^ |^M-^^ p% would tbey bave taken any sucb measures to annoy tbe enemy as would bave exposed tbe inhabitants. But so closely were tbe British invested, tbat, although tbey had tbe command of tbe sea, their provisions became scarce. Great vigilance, to prevent their obtaining supplies, was used along tbe coast, the inhabitants, for this purpose, often driving their cattle into the interior. ; The possession of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, on which depended the command of Lakes George and Champlain, was an object of essential importance. Without waiting for tbe action of Congress, individuals in Connecticut, at the bead of whom were Dean, Wooster, and Parsons, deter- mined to undertake it on their own responsibility ; and accordingly tbey borrowed of the legislature of that colony eighteen hundred dollars. They then proceeded to Bennington, confident of tbe co-operation of tbe hardy freemen who had settled in that vicinity by the authority of New Hampshire, and who bad, under the name of the " Green Mountain corps," manifested their resolution in defence of their lands from tbe sheriffs of New York, that state claiming over them a jurisdiction which they would not allow. At the head of these veterans were Colonels Ethan Allen and Seth Warner. Tbey gladly engaged in tbe enterprise. Troops were soon raised, and the command was intrusted to Allen. In tbe meantime, Benedict Arnold, with the intrepid boldness of his character, bad, in Boston, formed and matured tbe same design, and was on tbe march to execute it, when be found, M^tb astonishment, that be had been anticipated. Becoming second in command to Allen, they marched together at the head of three hundred men, from Castleton, and reached Lake Champlain, opposite Ticonderoga, on tbe 9th of Ma3^ On tbe morning of the lOtb tbey embarked with eigbt3^-tbree men, landed at dawn of day, 163 164 PROGRESS OF THE WAR. and completely surprised the fortress. The approach of a hostile force was so unexpected to De La Place, the commander, that he knew not from what quarter they were ; and when summoned to surrender, he demanded by what authority: — "In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Con- gress," said Allen. De La Place, incapable of making any resistance, delivered up the garrison, which consisted of only three officers and forty-four privates. The remainder of the troops having landed. Colonel Warner was dis- patched with a small party against Crown Point, of which he took peace- able possession. Arnold, having manned and armed a small schooner found in South Bay, captured a sloop-of-war lying at St. John's. The pass of Skeens- borough was seized at the same time, by a detachment of volunteers from Connecticut. Thus were obtained, with- CAPTURE OF TICONDEROGA BY ETHAN ALLEN. OUt bloodshcd these important posts, and the command of the lakes on which they stood, together with one hundred pieces of cannon, and other munitions of war. The success with which this expedition was crowned, greatly tended to raise the confidence which the Americans felt in themselves. The Conti- nental Congress again assembled at Philadelphia on the 10th of May, and ]\Ir. Hancock was chosen president. Bills of credit to the amount of three millions of dollars were issued for defraying the expenses of the war, and the faith of the " Twelve United Colonies " pledged for their redemption. Lord Dunmore, the governor of Virginia, on plea of insurrection in a neighboring county, caused some powder to be seized, by night, from the magazine belonging to the colou}^ at Williamsburgh, and conveyed on board an armed schooner, then lying in James River. Patrick Henry I PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 165 assembled an independent company, and was marching towards the capital, to obtain it by force, when he was met by a messenger from the governor, who paid him the full value in money. Henry and his party returned. Lord Dunmore, having fortified his palace, issued a proclamation, and declared them rebels. This highly incensed the people, with whom Henry was the favorite leader. About the same time, letters of Dunmore to England were inter- cepted, which were considered as gross slanders against the colony. Thus situated, he became apprehensive of personal danger, abandoned his gov- ernment, and went on board the Fowey, a man-of-war, then lying at York- town. In North Carolina, Governor Martin took refuge on board a national ship in Cape Fear River ; and in South Carolina, Lord William Campbell abandoned his goverment, and retired. Stirring Events Around Boston. Tryon, the artful and intriguing governor of New York, was still in or near the province, and no delegates to Congress were chosen at the proper time ; but after the battle of Lexington a convention was held for the sole purpose, and members were elected. In North Carolina the people of Mecklenburg County having, on the 20th of May, assembled at Char- lotte, passed resolutions embodying the bold declaration of Independence — the first made in America. In May, 1775, the British army in Boston received a powerful reinforce- ment from England, under Generals Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne. General Gage, thus reinforced, proceeded to bold measures. He proclaimed martial law throughout Massachusetts. He, however, offered pardon to all rebels who would return to their allegiance, except Samuel Adams and John Hancock. General Gage had, in the meantime, agreed to permit the people of Boston to depart ; but after a portion had gone he changed his policy, and kept the remainder. Learning that the British threatened to penetrate into the country Congress recommended to the council of war to take such measures as would put them on the defensive, and for this purpose a detachment of one thousand men, under Colonel Prescott, was ordered, on the night of the 16th of June, to throw up a breastwork on Bunker's Hill, near Charlestown. By some mistake the troops entrenched themselves on Breed's Hill, nearer to Boston. They labored with such silence and activity that by return of 166 PROGRESS OF THE WAR. light they had nearly completed a strong redoubt without being observed. At dawn, however, the British, discovering the advance of the Americans, commenced a severe cannonade from the ships in the river; but this not interrupting them. General Gage sent a body of nearly 3,000 men, under Generals Howe and Pigot. They left Boston in boats, and landed under the protection of the shipping in Charlestown, at the extreme point of the peninsula, and advanced against the Americans. — Generals Clinton and Burgoyne took their station on an eminence in Bos- ton, commanding a distinct view of the hill. The spires of the churches, the roofs of the houses, and every height which commanded a view of the bat- tle-ground, were covered with spectators, taking deep and opposite inter- ests in the conflict. The British set fire to Charlestown, and amidst the glare of its flames glittering upon their burnished arms they advance to the attack. The Americans wait their approach in silence, until they are within ten rods of the redoubt; then, taking a steady aim, and having advantage of the ground, they pour upon the British a deadly fire. They are thrown into GENEllAL BURGOYNE. PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 167 confusion, and many of their officers fall. They are thus twice repulsed. Clinton now arrives ; his men again rally, advance towards the fortifications, and attack the redoubt on three sides at once. The ammunition of the colonists failed. Courage was no longer of any avail, and Colonel Prescott, who commanded the redoubt, ordered a retreat. The Americans were obliged to pass Charlestown Neck, where they were exposed to a galling fire from BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. the ships in the harbor. Here fell General Joseph Warren, whose death was a severe blow to his mourning country. In this engagement three thousand men, composing the flower of the British army, were engaged. Their killed and wounded were more than a thousand, while the loss of the Americans was less than half that number. Although the ground was lost, the Americans regarded this as a victory, and the British as a defeat. Or, if they pretended otherwise, it was tauntingly asked, how many more such triumphs their army could afford? 168 PROGRESS OF THE WAR. The boldness with which the undisciplined troops of the colonies so long withstood the charges of the regulars increased their confidence, and con- vinced the English that they had to contend with a resolute foe. On the fifteenth of June Congress, still in session, elected, by a unani- mous vote, George Washington, who was then present, and had, from their first meeting at Philadelphia, been a delegate from Virginia, to the high ofiice of general and commander-in-chief of the army of the United Colonies. He declined all compensation for his services, for as money could not buy him from his endeared home, and as he served his country for justice, and the love he bore to her cause, he would not allow his motives to be mis- construed. He should keep an exact account of his expenses, and those Congress, he doubted not, would discharge. The British Army Harrassed by Washington. Artemas Ward, of Massachusetts; Colonel Lee, formerly a British officer; Philip Schuyler, of New York, and Israel Putnam, of Connecticut, then before Boston, were at the same time appointed to the rank of major- generals; and Horatio Gates to that of adjutant-general. Soon after his election Washington set out for the camp at Cambridge. He found the British army strongly posted on Bunker's and Breed's Hill, and Boston Neck. The American, consisting of 14,000 men, were entrenched on the heights around Boston, forming a line which extended from Roxbury on the right, to the river Mystic on the left, a distance of twelve miles. This disposition of the troops greatly distressed the British, who were confined to Boston, and often obliged to risk their lives to obtain the means of sustenance. Georgia now entered into the opposition made to the claims of the British Parliament to tax America, and chose delegates to Congress ; after which the style of " the Thirteen United Colonies " was assumed, and b}^ that title the English provinces were thenceforth designated. During this session of Congress also the first line of posts for the communication of intelligence through the United States was established. Benjamin Franklin was appointed, b}^ a unanimous vote, postmaster- gen- eral, wnth power to appoint as many deputies as he might deem proper and necessary for the conveyance of the mail from Falmouth, in Maine, to Savannah, in Georgia. While the British army was closely blockaded in Boston, congress con- ceived the design of sending a force into Canada ; as the movements of PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 169 Sir Guy Carletou, the governor of that province, seemed to threaten an invasion of the northwestern frontier. Two expeditions were accordingly organized and dispatched, one by the way of Champlain, under Generals Schuyler and Montgomer}^, the other by the wa}^ of the river Kenne- bec, under the command of Arnold, General Lee, with twelve hundred volunteers from Connecticut, was directed to repair to New York, and with the aid of the inhabitants, forti- fy th e city , and the highlands on the Hudson River. In pursuance of the plan of guard- ing the northern frontier by taking Canada, Generals Montgomery and Schuyler with two regiments of New York militia, and a body of men from New Kng land, amounting in the whole to bunker hill monument, erected in 1825. about two thousand, were ordered to move in that direction, while Gen- eral Montgomery was directed to proceed with the troops then in readiness and lay siege to St. John's, Colonel Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga, had a command under Mont- gomery ; and was sent by him with about eighty men to secure a party of hostile Indians, Having effected his object, he was returning to head- quarters, when he was met by ]\Iajor Brown, who, with a part}^ had been detached on a tour of observation. Without orders the}^ rashh' undertook to make a descent upon IMontreal. They divided into two parties, intend- ing to assail the city at opposite points, Allen crossed the river in the night, as had been proposed ; and although Brown and his part}- failed, he, Avith only eighty men, by desperate valor attempted to maintain his ground though attacked b}^ Carleton, at the head of several hundreds. 170 PROGRESS OF THE WAR. Compelled to yield lie and liis brave associates were loaded with irons and sent to England. On the 13th of October a small fort at Chamble, which was but slightly guarded, was taken by the Americans. Several pieces of artillery, and about one hundred and twenty barrels of gunpowder, were the fruits of the victory. This enabled Montgomery to proceed with vigor against St. John's. Carleton, on learning the situation of that fort, raised a force of eight hundred men for its relief, and embarked them in boats to cross the St. Lawrence to Longueil. Colonel Warner, who was stationed there with three hundred mountaineers, and a small piece of artillery, received him with a brisk fire ; prevented his landing, and compelled him to return to Montreal. When the news of this repulse reached Montgomery, he sent a flag to Major Preston, who commanded the besieged fortress, summoning him to surrender. The summons was obe3^ed on the 3d of November, and the fort entered by the Americans. Escaped Down the River in the Night. Carleton now abandoned Montreal to its fate, and made his escape down the river in the night, in a small canoe with mufSed oars. The next day, Montgomery, after engaging to allow the inhabitants their own laws, the free exercise of their religion, and the privilege of governing them- selves, entered the town. His benevolent conduct induced many Canadians to join his standard : j^et some of his own troops deserted, from severity of climate, and many, whose time of enlistment had nearly expired, insisted on returning home. With the remnant of his army, consisting of only three hundred men, he marched towards Quebec, expecting to meet there troops under Arnold, who were to penetrate by the way of the rivers Kene- bec and Chaudiere. Arnold commenced his march with one thousand men about the mid- dle of September. After sustaining almost incredible hardships in the trackless forests of Maine, he arrived at Point Levi, opposite Quebec, on the 9th of November. On the night of the 13th he crossed the St. Law- rence, and climbing the same precipice which Wolfe had ascended, he formed his army, now reduced to seven hundred men, on the heights near the memorable plains of Abraham, and advanced in the hope of surprising the city. Being convinced, by a cannon shot from the wall, that the gar- PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 171 rison had obtained knowledge of his approach, and were ready to receive him, and feeling his force to be insufficient, either to carry on a regular siege, or hazard a battle, he retired on the 18th, to Point aux Trembles, there to await the arrival of Montgomery. Spirited Attack upon Quebec. General Carleton, on retiring from Montreal, had proceeded to Quebec, and now had a garrison of 1500 men. Montgomery joined Arnold on the 1st of December. The united forces of the Americans amounted to less than 1000 effective men. On the 5th Montgomery sent a flag to the governor, with a summons to surrender. Carleton ordered his troops to fire upon the bearer, and forbade all communication. The American general attempted to batter the walls and harass the cit}^ by repeated attacks. During one night he constructed a batter}^ of ice, where he planted his cannon ; but thej^ were not of sufficient force to make any material impres- sion, or to alarm the garrison. Montgomery now found himself under circumstances even more critical and embarrassing than those which had sixteen years before environed Wolfe at the same place. The severe Canadian winter had set in, and several feet of snow covered the ground, and his troops had suffered much already. Yet to abandon the enterprise was to relinquish fame and disap- point the expectations, however unreasonable they might be, of his too sanguine countrymen. He, therefore, with the unanimous approbation of his officers, came to the desperate determination of storming the city. Just at the dawn of the last da}'- of the year, and during a violent snow storm, the troops marched from the camp, in four divisions, commanded by Montgomery, Arnold, Brown, and Livingston. The two latter were to make feigned attacks ; but, impeded by the snow, they did not arrive in season to execute their orders. Arnold and Montgomery were to make an assault at opposite points. IMontgomery, at the head of his valiant band, was obliged to advance through a narrow path, leading under the projecting rocks of a precipice. When they reached a block-house and picket he assisted with his own hands to open a passage for his troops, encouraging, by his voice and his example, his brave companions. The}^ advanced boldly and rapidly to force the barrier, when a single and accidental discharge from a cannon, proved fatal to this brave and excellent officer, and thus destroyed the hopes of the 172 PROGRESS OF THE WAR. enterprise. Several of Montgomery's best officers shared his fate , and Colonel Campbell, on whom the command devolved, found it impossible to pursue the advantages already gained. In the meantime, Arnold, at the head of his detachment, was intrepidly advancing, when he received a musket ball in the leg, and was carried from the field. Colonel Morgan, who succeeded him, led on the troops with vigor, and soon made himself master of the second barrier. But the British, freed from their apprehension of attack at any other point, turned their undivided force upon his party. Three hours did this resolute band resist, although attacked both in front and in rear; but at length were compelled to surrender themselves prisoners of war. The Americans lost 400 men in this disastrous attempt. The treatment of Carleton to his prisoners did honor to his humanity. Arnold, wounded as he was, retired with the remainder of his army, to the distance of three miles below Quebec, where, though inferior in numbers to the garrison, they kept the place in a state of blockade, and, in the course of the winter, reduced it to distress for want of provisions. Recruiting the American Army. Although Britain Avas preparing a formidable force, yet the American army was not only reduced in numbers, but, at the close of the year 1775, was almost destitute of necessary supplies. The terms of enlistment of all the troops had expired in December, and, although measures had been taken for recruiting the army, yet on the last day of December, there were but 9,650 men enlisted for the ensuing year. General Washington, finding how slowly the army was recruiting, proposed to Congress to try the influence of a bounty; but his proposal was not acceded to until late in Januar}^, and it was not until the middle of February, that the reg- ular army amounted to 14,000. In addition to these, the commander- in-chief, being vested by Congress with the power to call out the militia, made a requisition on the authorities of Massachussetts for 6,000, which were furnished. Washington had continued the blockade of Boston during the winter of 1775-6, and at last resolved to bring the enemy to action, or drive them from the town. On the night of the 4th of March, a detachment, under the command of General Thomas, silently reached Dorchester Heights, and there constructed, in a single night, a redoubt, which menaced the British PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 173 shipping witli destruction. When the light of the morning discovered to General Howe the advantage the Americans had gained, he preceived that no alternative remained for him but to dislodge them, or evacuate the place. He immediately dispatched a few regiments to attempt the former, but a violent tempest of wind and rain rendered their efforts ineffectual. The Americans had, however, continued with unremitting industry, to strengthen and improve their works, until they were now too dangerous to be neglected, and too secure to be forced, and it was determined, in a council of war, to evacuate the town. Accordingl}^, on the morning of the ITth, the whole Brit- ish force, with such of the loyalists as chose to follow their fortunes, set sail for Halifax. As the rear of the British troops were embarking, the forces of Washington entered the town in triumph. The British fleet, ■destined to the re- duction of the south- ern colonies, sailed. MEDAL STRUCK BY CONGRESS IX HONOR OK THE RECAPTURE OF BOSTON. under Sir Peter Parker, to attack Charleston, where they arrived early in June, 1776. The marines were commanded by General Clinton. An inter- cepted letter had given the Carolinians such information of the enemy's movements, that they were not unprepared for their reception. On Sulli- van's Island, at the entrance of Charleston harbor, they had constructed a fort of the palmetto tree, which resembles the cork. The militia had been called out, under the command of General L-ee, now exceedingly pop- ular ; and the}^ formed a force five or six thousand strong, for the defence of the menaced capital. The general was abh^ seconded by Colonels Gads- den, IMoultrie, and Thompson. The palmetto fort was garrisoned by about 400 men, commanded by Colonel jMoultrie. On the morning of the 28th of June, the British ships opened their broadsides upon it. The discharge of artillerj^ upon the little 174 PROGRESS OF THE WAR. fort was incessant, but the balls were received by the palmetto wood, a.id buried as in earth; while Moultrie, and the brave Carolinians under his command, returned the fire, and defended the fortification with such spirit, that it has ever since been called by the name of Moultrie. Once during the day, after a thunder- ing discharge from the British cannon, the flag of the fort was no longer seen to wave ; and the Amer- icans, who watched the battle from the opposite shore, were, every moment, ex- pecting to see the British troops mount the parapets in tri- umph. But none ap- peared, and, in a few moments, the striped banner of America was once more un- furled to their view. The staff had been SERGEANT JASPER AT FORT MOULTRIE. Carried away by a shot, and the flag had fallen upon the outside of the fort. A brave ser- geant, by the name of Jasper, jumped over the wall, and, amidst a shower of bullets, recovered and fastened it in its place. At evening, the British, completely foiled, drew off their ships, with the loss of two hundred men ; and, a few days after, they set sail, with the troops on board, for the vicinity of New York, where the whole British force had been ordered to assemble. PROGRESS OF THE WAR. 175 It had early occurred to Washington, that the central situation of New York, with the numerous advantages attending the possession of that city, would render it an object of great importance to the British. Under this impression, before the enemy left Boston, General Lee had been detached from Cambridge, to put Long Island and New York in a state of defense. Soon after the evacuation of Boston, the commander-in-chief followed, and, with the greater part of his army, fixed his headquarters in the city of New York. Washington showed how well he deserved the confidence reposed in him, by making every exertion to increase his army, which, enfeebled as it was when he commenced his march, had hourly diminished. His troops were unfed amidst fatigue; unshod, while their bleeding feet were forced rapidly over the sharp projections of frozen ground. In such a situation, the wonder is not, that many died and many deserted, but that enough remained to keep up the show of opposition. In this distressing situation, Washington manifested to his troops all the firmness of the commander, while he showed all the tenderness of the father. He visited the sick, paid every attention in his power to the wants of the army, praised their constancy, represented their sufferings to Con- gress, and encouraged their despairing minds, by holding out the prospects of a better future ; while the serene and benignant countenance with wliich he covered his aching heart, made them believe that their beloved and sagacious commander was himself animated with the prospects which he portrayed to them. CHAPTER XX. THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. N the 7tli of June, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, made , a motion in Congress for declaring the colonies free and inde- pendent States. The most vigorous exertions had been made by the friends of independence to prepare the minds of the people for this bold measure. Among the numerous writers on the momentous question, the most luminous and forcible was Thomas Paine. His pamphlet, entitled "Common sense," was read and understood by all. While it demonstrated the necessity, the advantage, and the prac- ticability of independence, it treated kingly government and hereditary succession with ridicule and opprobrium. Two years before, the inhabitants of the colonies were the loyal subjects of the king of England, and wished, not for independence, but for the constitutional liberty of the British subject. But the crown of England had, for their assertion of this right, declared them out of its protection, rejected their petitions, shackled their commerce, and finally employed foreign mercenaries to destroy them. Such were the €xciting causes which, being stirred up and directed by the master-spirits of the times, had, in the space of two years, changed the tide of public feeling in America, and throughout her extensive regions produced the general voice — We will be free. Satisfied, by indubitable signs, that such was the resolution of the people. Congress deliberately and solemnly decided to declare it to the Avorld; and the Declaration of Independence was agreed to in Congress on the 4th of July, 1776. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Frank- lin, Roger Sherman and R. R. Livingston had been appointed, on the 11th of June, to prepare a Declaration of Independence. It was agreed bj^^ this committee that each one should make such a draft as his judgment and feelings should dictate; and that, upon comparing them together, the one should be chosen as the report of the committee which should prove most conformable to the wishes of the whole. I\Ir. Jefferson's paper was the first read, and every member of the committee determined, spontaneously, to 176 THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE TREE. Ill suppress his own production, observing that it was unworthy to bear a competition with that which they had just heard. O^rt^ri^ •-^^gfe #^4 O [a rJt^ '*^^'^*' 'M^:^^^^ '///^ P3 5^ (n t/5V^.^,,^f^yfer^^^^ r!^^ Y^/Z: THE SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. A long enumeration of the oppressions of the British government is therein made, and closed with the assertion that "a prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people." 12 178 THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE, The signing of this declaration b}^ the American Congress was a momentous procedure. That firm band of patriots well knew that, in affixing their signatures, they were, in the eyes of England, committing the very act of treason and rebellion; and that, in case of her ultimate success, it was their own death-warrant which they signed. Their country- men felt that there was now no receding from the contest, without devoting to death these their political fathers, who had thus fearlessly made them- selves the organs of declaring what was equally the determination of all. Thus it was now the general feeling that the die was cast, and nott'^^o; remained but — "liberty or death!" Congress was in session in the hall of the State House in Philadelphia when the Decla- ration of Independence was adopted. In the spire of this venerable building hung a bell, inscribed with the words of Scripture : "Pro- claim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." On the morning of the fourth of July vast crowds assembled around the building, as it was known that Congress would on that day take definite action upon the declaration. The bell-ringer stationed him- self in the tower, ready to proclaim the good news the moment it should be announced to him, and had posted his little son at the door of the hall to await the signal of the door-keeper. AVhen the announcement of the vote was made the door-keeper gave the signal and the boy ran quickly to the tower. The old man heard him coming, and clutched the bell-rope with a firm grasp. The next instant the glad cry of the boy's voice was heard. " Ring! ring!" he cried, and then the deep, sonorous tones of the bell went rolling out of the tower, and were answered with a mighty shout from the assembled throng without. The declaration was received by all the States and by the army with enthusiasm. There is a common impression that the old Liberty Bell was cracked on the day it rang out liberty for the American people. This, however, is a mistake. The bell was cracked in 1835, while tolling for Chief Justice Marshall. It is the one sacred relic of the nation, is an object of great OLD INDEPENDENCE BELL. THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. 179 interest to all Americans, and is always regarded with a feeling somewhat akin to veneration. The thirteen united colonies were now the thirteen United States. It should not be forgotten that the declaration did not make the colonies independent states, or states in any sense. It was simply their announce- ment to the world that they had, each for itself, by the exercise of its own sovereign power, assumed the independence which rightfully belonged to it. The Declaration of Independence put an end to all the hopes that had been cherished of an accommodation with Great Britain, and caused those who were still wavering to embrace the cause of their country. It relieved Congress of the disadvantage under which it had hitherto acted, and enabled it to pursue a more vioforous and decisive policy in prosecution of the war. There was no retreat now ; nothing remained but to con- tinue the struggle until Great Britain should be compelled to acknowledge the independence of the states, or they should be reduced to the condition of conquered provinces. Soldiers must have a flag under which to fight. The first one hoisted over the American troops in Boston contained thirteen stripes like the Star Spangled Banner, but instead of the white stars in a blue field, it had a union of the crosses of Saint Andrew and Saint George. It is not certain that the Americans had any flag at the Battle of Bunker Hill, though there is a tradition that one floated over Prescott's redoubt with the words, "Come if 3'ou Dare." Gadsen, of South Carolina, on the 10th of February, presented the Colonial Assembly with a flag of the American navy, showing a rattlesnake with thirteen rattles, and the motto, "Don't tread on me." There were other variations, but the first recognized Continental standard was the one that Washington raised on the 2d of January, 17TG. B}'- resolution of Congress, June 14, 1777, this was replaced by the flag just as it is to-day, excepting that it then had only thirteen stars. Whenever a new state is admitted to RATTLESNAKE FLAG. 180 THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. 1 the Union another star is added to the constellation of the flag on the -ith of July following its admission. The troops from Halifax, under the command of General Howe, after touching at Sandy Hook, took possession of Staten Island on the 2d of July; and those from England, commanded by Admiral Howe, landed at the same place on the 12th. About the same time Clinton arrived with the troops which he had reconducted from the expedition against Charleston ; and Commodore Hotham, with the expected reinforcements from England. These, with several Hessian regiments which were daily expected, and which had been hired by Great Britain, would make up an army of 35,000 of the best troops of Europe. The American army occupied New York and its vicinity. Two de- tachments guarded Governor's Island and Paulus Hook. The militia, under the American Clinton, were stationed at East and West Chester, and New Rochelle, to prevent the British landing in force on the north shore, penetrating to Kingsbridge, and thus inclosing the Americans in the island. A still larger portion of the army was placed by Washington on Brooklyn Heights, in a fortified camp, extending from Wallabout Bay to Gowanus' Cove, of which the com- mand was given to Greene. This able officer, daily visited by his commander, FLAG AND SHIELD, carefully strengthened his fortifications and made him- self acquainted with every defile by which they might be approached. Unhappily he was smitten with fever, and four days before the battle of Brooklyn, Putnam received the command. Sterling and Sullivan appear to have acted under him. On the 22d of August the English landed without opposition on Long Island, between the villages of New Utrecht and Gravesend. They extended themselves to Flatlands, distant four miles from the Americans, and sepa- rated from them by a range of wood-covered hills, called the heights of Gowanus, which, running to the northeast, there divide the island. About midnight of the 26th Howe sent General Grant to attack the Americans from the left, thus inducing the belief that against this post the main strength of the British would be directed. Here he was met and bravely fought by General Sterling, with a detachment from the American camp. At daybreak on the 27th the Hessians, under General de Heister, THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. 18i attacked from the centre, and General Sullivan, who commanded the forces in front of the American camp, led them to repel the assailants ; little thinking that their attack was merely a stratagem to divert his attention from the real point of ,, , , «,,,, ,,. ;, ^ ^^^ danger. The ships also made much noise by a show of cannon- ading. Colonel Miles was sent by the Ameri- cans to guard the Jamaica pass, and re- connoitre the move- ments of the enemy. This service,as events proved, was the most important, and the worst performed of any on the side of the Americans. It was here that the British generals made their grand effort, and here ^ that the Americans suffered a fatal sur- prise. The right wing of the English, which was the most numer- ous, and entirely com- posed of select troops, was commanded by General Clinton ; and American marksman in a tree. before Allies perceived their approach, they had obtained possession of the Jamaica pass, upon the heights. Generals Percy and Cornwallis followed with the main army. Scouts sent out by Sullivan were captured ; and he was thus left in ignorance of the enemy's approach, until his flank was attacked by their infantry. 182 THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. He instantly ordered a retreat ; but he was intercepted by tbe Eng- lish, who now attacked him in the rear and compelled his troops to throw themselves into the neighboring woods. There they were met by the Hes- sians, who drove them back upon the English. Signal guns here informed Grant and de Heister, and they made earnest their feigned attack. The distressed Americans were alternately chased and intercepted, until, at length, several regiments cut their way, with desperate valor, through the midst of the enemy, and gained the camp of Putnam ; but a great part of the detachments were killed or taken prisoners. The loss of the Ameri- cans was variously estimated from one to four thousand. The British lost, in killed and wounded, three hundred and sixty-seven. Great Disaster to the Patriot Army. In the height of the engagement General Washington crossed to Brooklyn from New York. He saw his best troops slaughtered or taken prisoners, and with a glance which searched the future, he viewed in its consequences the terrible magnitude of the disaster, and he uttered an exclamation of anguish. But his prudence and wisdom remained unshaken. He might, at this moment, have drawn all his troops from the encamp- ment; and also called over all the forces in New York to take part in the conflict ; but he could have no reasonable hope of recovering the battle ; and, with true heroism, he " preserved himself and his army for a happier future." On the night of the 29th, Washington, by advice of a council of his of&cers, and aided by a dense fog, withdrew the remainder of his troops from Brooklyn to New York ; to which place the detachment from Gover- nor's Island also retired. Finding that it would be impossibie to defend the city he removed his forces to the heights of Harlem. About this time Captain Hale, a highly interesting young officer from Connecticut, learning that Washington wished to ascertain the state of the British Army on Long Island, undertook the dangerous service of a spy. He entered the British army in disguise, and obtained the desired informa- tion ; but being apprehended in his attempt to return, he was carried before Sir William Howe, and by his orders was executed the next morning. This was the work of the infamous Cunningham, by whom many prisoners were inhumanly executed. Hale was refused a clergyman, and even a Bible, and letters which he wrote to his mother and sisters were destroyed. At the i THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. 183 place of execution lie exclaimed, " I lament that I liave but one life to lay- down for my country." On tHe 15tli of September tbe Britisb army entered and took posses- sion of the city of New York. A few days after a fire broke out, which consumed nearly one-fourth part of the buildings. It was said that the fire was discovered in many different places at once ; and hence some have supposed that it was fired by the citizens, as Moscow, when threatened by Napoleon, was burned, to deprive its enemies of its hospitable shelter. On the 16th of September, the day after the British took possession of New York, a considerable body of their troops appeared in the plain between the two armies. Washington ordered Colonel Knowlton and Major Leech with a detachment, to get in their rear, while he amused them with prepa- rations to attack them in front. The plan succeeded ; and although the brave Knowlton was killed, the rencontre was favorable to the Americans, as it served, in some degree, to restore that confidence in themselves which their preceding misfortunes had destroyed. Gallant Defence of Fort Washington. General Howe next turned his attention towards the forts, Washington and Lee. They had been garrisoned, with the hope of preserving the command of the Hudson River, but the British had already, on two occa- sions, sent their ships past them. General Washington, foreseeing their danger, had written to General Greene, who commanded in that quarter, that if he should find Fort Washington not in a situation to sustain an assault, to cause it instantly to be evacuated. General Greene, believing it might be maintained, left it under the command of the brave Colonel Magaw, with a force of 2700 men. On the 16th of November the British attacked the fort in four different quarters. The Americans repelled them with such spirit that in the course of the day about 1200 of the assailants were killed or wounded. At length the Americans were forced to capitulate ; but not without securing to them- selves honorable terms. The prisoners taken by the British at this time amounted to about 2000, a greater number than had, on any previous occasion, fallen into their hands, and a most disastrous loss to their countr3\ The British army immediately crossed the Hudson to attack Fort Lee; but the garrison, apprised of their approach, evacuated the fort, and, under the guidance of General Greene, joined the main army now at Newark. 184 THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. The acquisition of these two forts and the diminution of the American army, by the departure of those soldiers whose term of service had expired, encouraged the British to hope that they should be able to annihilate with ease the remaining force of the republicans. Washington, still undismayed, pursued the policy of avoiding an engagement, as the only hope of preserving his little army, which, at this time, amounted to only three thousand. Finding himself, in the post which he had taken at Newark, too near his triumphant foe, he removed to Bruns- wick. The same day Cornwallis, with a part of the British army, entered Newark. Washington again retreated from Brunswick to Princeton, and thence to Trenton. The British still pursuing, he finally crossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania. Hfl The British general, not choosing to take the trouble of constructing flat-bottomed boats, for carrying over his troops, and the Americans having been careful not to leave theirs for his accommodation, he arranged his German troops, to the number of 4,000, along the Delaware, from Mount Holly to Trenton ; placed a strong detachment at Princeton ; stationed his main arniy at New Brunswick, and retired himself to New York, to wait for the river to freeze, that thus he might be furnished with a convenient bridge ; not doubting, as it would seem, that the Americans would quietly wait until he was ready to pass over and destroy them. A Bold Move against the British. Washington now determined to recross the Delaw^are, and attack the Hes- sians at different points. A force of twenty-four hundred picked troops, under his own command, was to cross the river a few miles above Trenton, and attack the enemy at that place ; and the same time another detach- ment, under Reed and Cadwallader, were to cross over from Bristol, and drive the Hessians, under Colonel Donop, out of Burlington. These attacks were to be simultaneous, and were ordered to be made at five o'clock, on the morning of the 26th of December. The division of Washington was accompanied by a train of twenty-four field-pieces, under Colonel Knox, The river was high and full of floating ice, and the weather was cold and stormy. A detachment of boats had been collected for the service, and was manned by Colonel Glover's regi- ment of Marblehead fishermen, who had ferried the army over the East River, in the retreat from Long Island. The march was begun just after w < W Q W W in o g O u o o l-H w 105 1S6 THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. dark on Christmas night, and Washington hoped to reach the New Jersey shore by midnight ; but the passage of the river was difficult and tedious, by reason of the floating ice and the high wind, which repeatedl}^ swept the boats out of their course, and it was four o'clock before the artillery was landed. The march was at once resumed. Washington, with the main body, moved b}- a wide circuit to gain the north of the town, while a detachment, under Sullivan, was ordered to advance by the river road, and attack the enemy from the west and south sides. The Enemy Taken by Surprise and Routed. A blinding storm of hail and snow delaj^ed the advance of the troops, but also concealed their movements from the enemy ; and it was eight O'clock before Trenton was reached. The attack was at once begun, and was pressed with vigor. The Hessians were completely taken by surprise ; they flew to arms promptly, but by this time the Americans had gained the main street, and were sweeping it with a battery of six pieces. Colonel Rahl was mortally wounded while leading his grenadiers to the charge, and his men, seized with a panic, endeavored to retreat. Finding that they ^vere surrounded, about one thousand of them threw down their arms, and surrendered. The remainder succeeded in escaping, and joining Colonel Donop at Burlington. Two days after the action, Washington crossed his whole arm}^ over the Delaware, and took quarters at Trenton. Howe was thunderstruck by this astonishing reverse. Lord Cornwallis was in New York, on the point of embarking for England ; but the commander ordered him instantl}^ to New Jersey, where he joined the British forces, now assembled at Princeton. Leaving a part of his troops at this place, he immediately proceeded towards Trenton, with the intention of giving battle to the Americans, and arrived, with his vanguard, on the 1 st of January. Washington, knowing the inferiorit}- of his force, sensible, too, that flight would be almost as fatal as defeat, conceived the project of marching to Princeton, and attacking the troops left in that place. About midnight, leaving his flres burning briskly, that his army should not be missed, he silently decamped, and gained, by a circuitous route, the rear of the eneni}^ At sunrise, the van of the American forces met, unexpectly, two British regiments, which were on the march to join Cornwallis. A conflict ensued : the Americans gave way : — all was at stake : Wash- THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. 187 ington himself, at this decisive moment, led the main body. The enemy were routed, and fled. Washington pressed fonvard towards Princeton, where one regiment of the enem}^ yet remained. K part of these saved themselves by flight ; the remainder, about three hundred in number, were made prisoners. The number killed on the side of the British was upwards of one hundred ; that of the Americans was less ; but among them was the excellent General Mercer, with several other valuable officers. Thrilling were the emotions with which these successes w^ere hailed by a disheartened nation. Bven to this da}', when an unexpected and thrilling event is to be related, the speaker, who perchance knows not the origin of the proverb, jo3^full3'' exclaims, "Great news from the Jerseys!" Continued Successes of the Revolutionists. On hearing the cannonade from Princeton, Cornwallis, apprehensive for the safet}'- of his Brunswick stores, immediately put his army in motion for that place. Washington, on his approach, retired to IMorristown. When somewhat refreshed he again took the field ; and having gained possession of Newark, Woodbridge, Hlizabethtown, and indeed of all the enemy's posts in New Jersey, except New Brunswick and Amboy, he retired to secure winter quarters at Morristown. Washington's military glory now rose to its meridian. Indeed, noth- ing in the histor}^ of war shows a leader in a more advantageous point of light than the last events of this campaign did the commanding general. Where can we find a passage in the life of Hannibal, of Julius Cassar, or Napoleon, in which the soldier's fearless daring and contempt of personal danger more strikingl}^ blends with the commander's fertility of resource, promptness to decide and act, vigor to follow up success, and moderation to stop at the precise point between braver}^ and rashness ? But Hannibal made war for revenge ; Caesar and Napoleon, for personal ambition ; Wash- ington for justice, for the rights of his country and of mankind. On the 12th of Juh-, 1776, a committee, who had been appointed by Congress to prepare and digest a form of confederation, reported certain articles, the discussion of which occupied a great share of the attention of that body until November 15, 1777, the day of their final adoption. They were subsequenth^ agreed to by the several state governments. By these articles it was determined that, on the first Monday- of November in each year, a general Congress should be convoked, of deputies from each of the 188 THE AMERICANS RESOLVED TO BE FREE. States, and invested with all tlie powers wHicli belong to the sovereigns of other nations. These powers were set forth, and the limits between the authority of the state and national government as clearly defined, as was at the time practicable. These " Articles of Confederation '' gave to the nation the style of the " United States of America," and formed the basis of the American government until the adoption of the federal constitution. Unlimited power was granted by Congress to Washington to raise troops, command them, and carry on the war, an act which showed the unbounded confidence reposed in him by all who were engaged in the great struggle for independence. Never was a more devoted or a wiser band of patriots than that which composed the Congress of '76. They were environed with difficulties which would have utterly discouraged men of weaker heads or fainter hearts. They were withoiit any power except the power to recommend. They had an exhausted army to recruit, amidst a discouraged people, and a powerful and triumphant foe ; and all this, not merely without money, but almost without credit ; for the bills, which they had formerly issued, had greatly depreciated and were daily depreciating; yet, amidst all these discourage- ments, they held on their course of patriotic exertions undismayed. CHAPTER XXI. THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. )HE first attempts of the enemy, during the campaign of 1777, were against the American stores collected at Courtland Manor, in New York, and at Danbury in Connecticut. Peekskill, the port of the Manor, was then in command of Colonel McDougal. The 23d of March the British, under Colonel Bird, attacked this post; and IMcDougal, knowing his small force could not defend it, destroyed the magazines and retired to the back country. The 25th of April two thousand men, under Governor Tryon, major of the royalists, or tories, having passed the sound, landed between Fairfield and Norwalk. The next day, proceeding to Danbury, he compelled the garrison, under Colonel Huntington, to retire ; and not only destroyed the stores, but burned the town. About this time the effects of the mission to France began to appear. Congress had, with great judgment, selected Dr. Franklin as one of the commissioners. A profound knowledge of human nature, united with a warm and cheerful benevolence, had given to this philosopher a manner possessing a peculiar charm, attractive to all, however different their tastes or pursuits. Several individuals of distinction in France formed the generous reso- lution of embarking in the cause of America, and combating in her armies. The most distinguished of these was the young Marquis de Lafayette. With everything to attach him to his country, rank, wealth, a deserving and beloved bride, he was yet moved b}^ compassion to suffering virtue, and by indignation against oppression, to leave all that was individually dear, to expose his life, and impair his fortune in the cause of American liberty, and the rights of man. He had early communicated his resolution to the commissioners. After hearing of the disasters which followed the battle of Long Island, they felt bound to make known to him the despairing state of their countr}'-; and to say that such was its extreme poverty, that they could not even 189 1110 THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. provide him with a vessel for his couveyance. " Then," said Lafayette^ " if 3'our country is indeed reduced to this extremit}', this is the moment that my departure to join its armies will render it the most essential ser- vice." His arrival caused a deep sensation of joy among the people. Congress soon made him a major-general in the army ; and Wash- ington received him into his famil}-, and regarded him through life with parental affec- tion. On the night of July 10, 1777, occurred the capture of the Brit- ish General Prescott, then in command on Rhode Island. Colonel Barton, with forty coun- try militia, from War- wick, under his com- mand, proceeded ten miles in whale boats, landed between New- port and Bristol, and marched a mile to Pres- cott's quarters, took the general from his bed, and conducted him THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE. with dispatch to a place of safety on the main land, Avhere he remained secure from molestation. Meantime great preparations were making for a descent upon the United States from Canada. The plan of dividing the states, by effecting a junction of the British army through Lake Champlain and the Hudson, was, at the beginning of this year, looked to, by the whole British nation, as the certain means of effecting the reduction of America. This scheme had gained new favor in England, by the representations of General Bur- THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. 191 govne, an officer wHo liad served under Carleton, and whose knowledge of American affairs was, therefore, undisputed. Burgoyne, by his importunities with the British ministry, obtained the object for which he had made a voyage to England. He was appointed to the command of all the troops in Canada, to the prejudice of Governor Carleton, and was furnished with an army and militarj^ stores. With these he arrived at Quebec in May. General Carleton exhibited an honorable example of moderation and patriotism, by seconding Burgoyne in his preparations, with great diligence GENERAL BURGOYNE ADDRESSING THE INDIANS. and energy. To increase the army, he exerted, not only his authority as governor, but also his influence among his numerous friends and partisans. Though himself averse to using the savages, yet, such being the orders of the British government, he aided in bringing to the field even a greater number than could be emplo3^ed. Burgojme's army was provided with a formidable train of artillery. The army consisted of 7,173 British and German troops, besides several thousands of Canadians and Indians. Burgoyne's plan of operation was, that Colonel St. Leger should proceed with a detachment by the St. Law- 192 THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY, rence, Oswego, and Fort Stanwix, to Alban3^ Burgoyne, proceeding by Champlain and the Hudson, was to meet St. Leger at Alban}^, and both join General Clinton at New York. His preparations completed, Burg03me moved forward with his army, and made his first encampment on the western shore of Lake Champlain, at the river Boquet. Here, in two instances, he betra3'ed that vanity which was his characteristic weakness. He made a speech to his Indian allies, in which, in terms of singular energ}'-, and with an imposing manner, he endeavored to persuade them to change their savage mode of warfare. Daring Exploit of Two American Officers. St. Leger had united with Sir John Johnson, and having nearly 2,000 troops, including savages, they invested Fort Stanwix, then commanded by Colonel Gansevoort. General Herkimer, having collected the militia, marched to the relief of Gansevoort. He fell into an Indian ambuscade on the Gth of August, and was defeated and slain, with 400 of his troops. St. Leger, wishing to profit by his victor}^, pressed upon the fort. In this perilous moment. Colonel Willet and Lieutenant Stockton left the fort^ fighting their way through the English camp ; and, eluding the Indians, they arrived at German Flats, and proceeded to Albany, to alarm the countr}^ and gain assistance. General Schuyler, on hearing the danger of the fort, dispatched Arnold to its relief On hearing of his approach, the Indians, having previously become dissatisfied, mutinied, and compelled St. Leger to return to Mon- treal. On the wa}^, they committed such depredations on the British troops, as to leave the impression, that the}' \vere no less dangerous as allies, than as enemies. Burgoyne took possession of Skeenesborough ; and the Amer- ican ami}', under Schuyler, retired from Fort Edward to Saratoga, and, on the 13th of August, to the islands at the mouth of the Alohawk, Congress was av/are of the great merits and exertions of General ScliU34er; yet they found that the misfortunes of the arni}^ had, though undeservedly, made him unpopular ; and, therefore, it was necessar3' to super- sede him, in order to make wa3^ for a leader who should inspire a confidence that would draw volunteers to the service. Accordingly, General Gates was appointed to the command, but did not arrive at the camp until the 21st of August. Lincoln also was ordered to the north, as were Arnold and Morgan, whose active spirits and brilliant achievements, it was hoped, would THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. 193 reanimate the dispirited troops. The celebrated patriot of Poland, Kosciusko, was also in the army, as its chief engineer, Burgoyne, having, with great expense of labor and time, opened a way for his army from Skeenesborough to the Hudson, arrived at Fort Edward on the 30th of Jul}-. But being in a hostile country, he could obtain no supplies except from Ticonderoga ; and these he was compelled to transp'^-^t by the way of Lake George. Ivcarning that there was a large depot of provi- sions at Bennington, he sent 500 men, under Lieutenant- Colonel Baum, a trusty German offi- cer, to seize them. General Stark, with a body of New Hampshire militia, was on his march to join General Schuy- ler, when hearing of Baum's approach, he recruited his forces from the neighbor- ing militia, and, with 1600 men, met him four miles from Ben- nington. After a sharp conflict Baum was killed and his party defeated. The general horatio gates. militia had dispersed to seek for plunder, when a British reinforcement of' 500 men, under Colonel Breymann, arrived. Fortunately for the Americaas^ the Green Mountain Boys, under Colonel Warner, appeared at the same time, and the British were again defeated and compelled to retreat. Their loss in both engagements was 600, the greater part of whom were taken 13 194 THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. prisoners. The speech attributed to General Stark, as he was about to lead his men to battle, is worthy of being remembered. " Now, my boys," he said, "we must beat them, or Mollie Stark is a widow to-night." The American loss was inconsiderable. The victory at Bennington was important in its consequences, as it proved the turning of that tide of fortune which had set so strongly in favor of the British arms. It embarrassed, weakened and dispirited them ; and was the first step in defeating their grand scheme of dividing the north from the south — while it revived the drooping hearts of the Ameri- cans, and gave the impulse of hope to their exertions. This was strength- ened by an impulse of another kind, but operating in the same direction. A cry of vengeance for murder was raised against the British on account of an atrocious act, committed by their Indian allies. Roraantic Story of Miss McCrea. ]\Iiss McCrea, an interesting young lady of Fort Edward, was betrothed to Captain Jones, then in the army of Burgoyne, which had now approached near to that place. Impatient for his marriage, the lover sent a party of Indians, as the safest convoy he could procure for his bride across the woods to the British camp ; having secured, as he thought, their fidelity by promise of reward. Confiding love prevailed in her mind over her strong fears of these terrible guides ; and the unfortunate girl left, by stealth, the kind shelter of her paternal roof Meantime her anxious lover, to make her safety more sure, sent out another party with like promises. The two met ; and the last demanded that the lady should be committed to them. Rather than give her up, and thus, as they supposed, lose their reward, the barbarians tied to a tree their innocent and helpless victim, and shot her dead. Instead of his bride the bridegroom received the bloody tresses, which the murderers had cut from her dying head. The sight withered and blasted him ; and, after lingering awhile, he died. The complicated miseries of a battle scene crowd the picture and con- fuse the mind ; and thus often produce less sympathy than a single case of distress. In the present instance every man could feel what it would have been or would be to him to have his bride torn, as it were, from his arms, shrieking, and murdered in the hour of his love and expectation ; and every pains was used to awaken these sympathies to their utmost THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. 195 extent, and turn them against the British who had let loose such blood- hounds upon the land. There was a general rising in the northern region and it seemed as if every man, who could bear arms, was rushing to the camp of Gates, to avenge the death of Miss McCrea, no less than to deliver his country. The army at the islands having thus been reinforced, and now amount- ing to 5000, Gates left that encampment the 8th of September, and proceeding to Stillwater, occupied Bemus Heights. On the 12th Burgoyne crossed the Hudson, and on the 14th encamped at Saratoga, about three miles distant from the American armj^ An obstinate and bloody battle occurred at Stillwater on the 19th. At first it was partial, commencing with a skirmish between advanced parties. Each side sent successive reinforcements to their own combatants, until nearly the whole were in action. The American troops took advantage of a wood which lay between the two camps, and poured from it a fire too deadly to be withstood. Hard-Fought Battle at Saratoga. The British lines broke; and the Americans, rushing from their coverts, pursued them to an eminence, where their flanks being supported, they rallied. Charging in their turn, they drove the Americans into the woods, from which they again poured a deadly fire, and again the British fell back. At every charge the British artillery fell into the hands of the Americans, who could neither carry it off or turn it on the enemy. At length night came on, and to fight longer would be to attack indiscrimi- nately friend and foe. The Americans retired to their camp, having lost between three and four hundred men. The loss of the British was five hundred. Both sides claimed the victory ; but the advantage was clearly on the side of the Americans. Skirmishes, frequent and animated, occurred between this and the 7th of October, when a general battle was fought at Saratoga. At this time the right wing of General Gates occupied the brow of the hill near the river, his camp being in the form of the segment of a large circle, the convex side towards the enemy. The Americans, under General Poor, attacked the left flank and front of the British ; and, at the same time. Colonel Morgan assailed their right. The action became general. The efforts of the combatants were desperate. Burgoyne and his officers fought like men who were defending at the last EXPLOIT OF BENEDICT ARNOLD AT THE BATTLE OF SARATOGA. 196 THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. 197 cast their military reputation; Gates and his army, like those who were deciding whether themselves and their children should be freemen or slaves. The invading army gave way in the short space of fifty-two minutes. The defenders of the soil pursued them to their entrenchments, forced the guard, and killed Colonel Bre3^mann, its commander. Arnold, the tiger of the American army, whose track was marked by carnage, headed a small band, stormed their M-orks, and followed them into their camp. But his horse was killed under him, he was himself wounded, and darkness was coming on. He retired ; thus reserving to another day the ruin of the British army. Surrender of General Burgoyne. Burgoyne now made efforts in various directions to effect a retreat ; but in every way he had been anticipated. He found himself in a foreign and hostile country, hemmed in by a foe whose army, constantly increasing, already amounted to four times his own wasting numbers. His boats, laden with his supplies, were taken, and his provisions were failing. He had early communicated with Sir Henry Clinton at New York, and had urged his co-operation. More recentl}^, when his fortune began to darken, he had entreated him for speedy aid, stating that, at the farthest, his army could not hold out beyond the 12th of October. The 12th arrived without the expected succor. His army \vas in the utmost distress, and Burgoyne capitulated on the 17th. The whole number surrendered amounted to 5752 men, ^vhich, together with the troops lost before, b}^ various disasters, made up the whole Brit- ish loss to 9213. There also fell into the hands of the Americans thirty- five brass field pieces and 5000 muskets. The British, having been driven out of New Jersey, formed the plan of taking possession of Philadelphia by an approach by way of Chesapeake Bay. In August Sir William Howe sailed from New York with 16,000 men, and on the 24th reached the head of Elk River, in jMaryland, from which point his army marched in two columns upon Philadelphia. On the 11th of September the American army on the Brandy wine was defeated with considerable loss. Lafaj^ette was among the severel}^ wounded. Wash- ington entered Philadelphia the following day. On the 19th his army crossed the Schuylkill and posted themselves on the eastern bank of the river. Detachments were placed at the several fords where the e"°my were likely to cross. ATTACK OX CHEW'S HOUSE AT THE BATTLE OF GERMANTOWN. 19S THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. 199 General Anthony Wayne, with 1500 men, was concealed in the woods. His purpose was to assail the rear of the invading army, but his presence was revealed to the British, who on the night of the 20th attacked him and killed about 300 men. This event is known as the Paoli massacre. Having secured the command of the Schuylkill, Howe crossed with his whole army. He advanced to Germantown, and on the 27th took peaceable possession of Philadelphia. The American army, re-enforced to 11,000 men, established some eighteen miles from Germantown. Washington having learned that Howe had withdrawn a part of his force from Germantown, resolved to surprise the remainder. A night march brought the American army to Germantown at sunrise on the morning of the 4th of October. A heavy fog hung over the coun- try and prevented the command- er-in-chief from seeing either the position of the enemy or that of his own troops. The British were taken by surprise and were driven in dis- order. The victory seemed with- in the grasp of Washington, when the Americans abandoned the pur- '- suit to attack a stone house, known -_ as " Chew's House," in which a number of the enemy had taken refuge. While thus engaged they general anthony wayne. were seized with an unaccountable panic, Avhich threw them into confusion. The British rallied, and, assailing the Americans in their turn, drove them from the field with a loss of one thousand men. Washington was greatl}^ mortified by this failure. He wrote to Congress : " Every account confirms the opinion I at first entertained, that our troops retreated at the instant when victory had declared itself in our favor." A few days after the battle, the ro^'^al army removed from Germantown to Philadelphia. Scarcit}^ of provisions prevented Howe from following the Americans, and he wished to co-operate in the design of opening the nav- igation of the Delaware. Indeed, this measure became necessary to the 200 THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY. preservation of liis army, which could not draw subsistence from the adjacent country ; so effectually did the menacing attitude of Washington's army operate, and also the edict of Congress, which pronounced the penalty of death upon any citizen who should dare to afford him supplies. Thus situated, the British general found, as Dr. Franklin wittily remarked, that, " instead of taking Philadelphia, Philadelphia had taken him." Lord Howe finally opened the navigation of the Delaware, so that he could communi- cate with his brother, the admiral. ■ Sufferings of Our Army at Valley Forge. ,Jk Washington, on the 11th of December, retired to Valley Forge, on the Schuylkill, twenty miles above Philadelphia. Here, in a wood on a high ground, he laid out his camp, and employed his army in building huts for winter-quarters. This work was not completed, when the magazines were found to contain scarcely a single day's provision. As to their clothing, some few of the soldiers had one shirt, some the remnant of one, the greater part none at all. Barefooted, on the frozen ground, their feet cut by ice, they left their tracks in blood. A few only had the luxury of a blanket at night. Cold and naked, more than 3,000 were excused from duty. Straw could not be obtained; and the soldiers, who, during the day, were benumbed with cold, and enfeebled by hunger, had at night no other bed than the humid ground. Diseases attacked them, and the hospitals were replenished as rapidly as the dead were carried out. The unsuitable- ness of the buildings, and the multitude of sick that crowded them, caused an insupportable fetor. Hospital fever ensued. It could not be remedied by change of linen, for none could be had ; nor by salubrious diet, as even the coarsest was not attainable ; nor by medicines, as even the worst were wholly wanting. The hospitals resembled more receptacles for the dying than places of refuge for the diseased. The patience with which these patriotic votaries of freedom endured such complicated evils, is, we believe, without a parallel in history. To gc to battle, cheered by the trumpet and the drum, with victory or the speedy bed of honor before the soldier, requires a heroic effort ; much more to starve, to freeze, and to lie down and die, in silent obscurity. Sparta knew the names of the individuals who fell in her cause at the pass of Ther- mopylae ; but America scarcely knows how many hundreds perished for her in the camp at Valley Forge. CHAPTER XXII. BATTLES AND SIEGES. • BOUT the 5tli of June, 1778, the British took measures to evacuate Philadelphia. This they accomplished on the morning of the 18th, their army proceeding through New Jersey towards New York. Washington immediately put his camp, at Valley Forge, in motion, and sent out a detachment to collect the New Jersey militia, in order to harass their rear. He thought it would be wise to bring the British to a general engagement ; but this opinion was contrary to that of the majority of his officers. He, however, persisted, and, following with his whole army, an engage- ment was brought about at Monmouth, or Freehold, on the 28th, in which the Americans had the advantage. The loss of the English was 700, that of the Americans much less. Though both sides claimed the victory, yet historians agree in awarding it to the Americans, as they remained masters of the field of battle. A French fleet, consisting of twelve ships of the line, and six frigates, was now sent to the aid of America, commanded by the Count d'Hstaing. The admiral left Toulon on the 18th of April, ^vith the intention of block- ading the British in the Delaware. He entered the mouth of the river, on the 8th of June ; but, finding that Admiral Howe had left Philadelphia for New York, he proceeded to that place, designing to engage him there ; but the large size of his ships prevented. In place of the combined attack upon New York, it was resolved by Washington, in concert with the French admiral, to attack Newport, and drive the British out of Rhode Island. The British had established one of their principal depots of supplies at this point, and had there a force of 6,000 men, under General Pigot. It was arranged that a force of American troops, under General Sullivan, should attack the enemy by land, while the French fleet and army should co-operate with Sullivan from the sea. On the 29th of July, d'Hstaing reached Narragansett Bay with his fleet, and on the 8th of August entered Newport harbor, in spite of the fire of the 201 202 BATTLES AND SIEGES. British batteries. A whole week had been lost, however, by the failure of |l the American troops to reach the positions assigned them as prompt as the French fleet. The delay was unavoidable, but it ruined the enterprise. The inhabitants of Wyoming valley, a beautiful region on the Sus- quehanna, had driven away the Tories from that region, and these had resolved upon revenge. The Tories were called such on account of their sympathy with England. Early in July a force of about eleven hundred Tories and Indians, under Colonel John Butler and the Indian chief Brandt, entered the Wyoming valle}^ in Pennsylvania. Nearly all the able-bodied settlers were absent with the American army, and upon hearing of the approach of the enem}^ a small force had been dispatched by Washington under Colonel Zebulon Butler, to the assistance of the settlers. OBVERSE. SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES. REVERSE. This force was defeated b}^ the Tories and Indians, who then pro- ceeded to lay waste the valley and murder the inhabitants. They per- formed their bloody work in the most barbarous manner, and the beautiful valley was made a desolation. In the following month Cherry Valley, in New York, was ravaged with equal cruelt}' b}^ a force of Tories and Indians, and the inhabitants v\^ere either murdered or carried into captivit}'. The entire region of the upper Susquehanna and Delaware and the valle}' of the IMohawk were at the mercy of the savage allies of Great Britain. The American forces in the Southern States were commanded b}^ Gen- eral Benjamin Lincoln. The Tories were ver}^ numerous and ver}- active in this region, and the feeling between them and the patriots was one of the bitterest hostility, and often manifested itself in bloody and relentless conflicts. Seven hundred Tories under Colonel Boyd set out in February, BATTLES AND SIEGES. 203 1779, to joiu Colonel Campbell, at Augusta. Ou the 14th they were at- tacked at Kettle Creek by a force of patriots under Colonel Pickens, and were defeated with heavy loss. Pickens hung five of his prisoners as traitors. General Lincoln now sent General Ashe with two thousand men to drive the British out of Augusta. Upon hearing of his approach Colonel Campbell evacuated Augusta and fell back to Briar Creek, a small stream about halfway to Savannah. Ashe followed him, but without observing proper caution, and on the 3d of March \vas surprised and routed by Campbell, with the loss of nearly his entire force. This defeat encouraged General Prevost to attempt the capture of Charleston. He marched rapidl}^ across the country to Charleston, and demanded its surrender. Lincoln, who had been reinforced, no sooner heard of this movement than he hastened b}'- forced marches to the relief of Charleston, and compelled Prevost to retire to St. John's Island, opposite the mainland. The British threw up a redoubt at Stone ferry to protect the crossing to this island. It was attacked on the 20th of June by the forces of General Lincoln, who were repulsed with heav}'- loss. A little later Prevost with- drew to Savannah. The intense heat of the weather suspended military operations in the south during the remainder of the summer. Savannah Besieged by the American Army. In September, 1779, the French fleet under Count D'Estaing arrived off the coast of Georgia from the West Indies, and the admiral agreed to join Lincoln in an effort to recapture Savannah, which had been taken b}' the British earlier in the year. The American army began its investment of the cit}'- on the 23d of September, and ever3"thing promised favorably for success ; but D'Estaing became impatient of the delay of a regular siege, and declared that he must return to the West Indies to watch the British fleet in those waters. Savannah must either be taken by assault, or he would withdraw from the siege. To please him, Lincoln consented to storm the British works, and the assault was made on the 9th of October, but was repulsed with severe loss. D'Estaing himself was wounded, and the chivalrous Count Pulaski was killed. Lincoln now retreated to Charleston, and the French fleet sailed to the West Indies, having a second time failed to render any real assistance to the Americans. This disaster closed the campaign for the 3^ear in the south. DEATH OF COUNT PULASKI AT THE BATTLE OF SAVANNAH. 204 BATTLES AXD SIEGES. 205 lu the meantime Sir Henry Clinton had been ordered by his govern- ment to harass the American coast, and in accordance with these instrnc- tions, dispatched a nnmber of plundering expeditions from New York against exposed points. One of these was sent in May, under General Mathews, into the Chesapeake. Mathews entered the Elizabeth River, plundered the towns of Norfolk and Portsmouth, and burned one hundred and thirty merchant vessels and several ships of war on the stocks at Gosport, near Portsmouth. He then ascended the James for some distance and ravaged its shores. He destroyed in this expedition two millions of dollars' worth of propert}^, and carried off about three thousand hogsheads of tobacco. Towns Plundered and Burned by the British. Upon the return of this expedition, Clinton ascended the Hudson for the purpose of destroying two forts which the Americans were constructing a short distance below West Point, for the pn^tection of King's Ferr}^, an important crossing-place between the Eastern and Middle States. One of these, which was being built at Stony Point, was abandoned. The work on A^'erplanck's Point, on the east side of the Hudson, immediatel}- opposite, Avas compelled to surrender earl}^ in June. Returning to New York, Clinton sent General Tryon with twenty-five hundred men to plunder the coast of Long Island Sound. He plundered New Haven, burned Fairfield and Norwalk, and committed other outrages at Sag Harbor, on Long Island. In the course of a few days this inhuman wretch burned two hundred and fifty dwelling-houses, five churches, and one hundred and twenty-five barns and stores. ]\Iany of the inhabitants were cruelly murdered, and a number of women were outraged b}^ the British troops. Tryon would have carried his outrages further had he not been recalled to New York by Clinton, who feared that. Washington, ^vas about to attack him. J-^sij The loss of Stony Point was a serious blow to Washington, as it com- pelled him to establish a new line of communication between the opposite sides of the Hudson b}^ a longer and more tedious route through the Highlands. He resolved, therefore, the recapture of the post from the British at all hazards. The British had greatl}^ strengthened the fort, which the Americans had left unfinished, and the only way in which it could be captured was by a surprise. It was a desperate undertaking, and Washington proposed to General Anthony Wayne to attempt it. 200 BATTLES AND SIEGES. Wayne readily couseuted, and the two generals made a careful recoii- noissance of the position. It was agreed to make the attempt at midnight, and in order to guard against a betrayal of the movement every dog in the vicinity was put to death. A negro who visited the fort regularly to sell fruit, and who had been for some time acting as a spy for the Americans, agreed to guide them to the work. At midnight on the 15th of July tl:c storming party, guided by the negro, ap- proached the fort in two divisions. Not a man was permitted to load his musket, lest the accidental discharge of a gun should ruin the movement. The negro, accompanied by two soldiers who were disguised as farmers, approached the first sentinel and gave the countersign. The sentinel was at once seized and gagged, and the same was done with the second sentinel. The third, however, gave the alarm, and the garrison flew to arms and opened a sharp fire upon the Ameri- cans. The latter now dashed forward at a run, scaled the parapet, and in a few moments the two opposite divisions met in the centre of the fort. The Americans took more than five hundred prisoners and all the supplies and artillery of the fort fell into their hands. Though they were justly ex- asperated by the brutal outrages of the British, which we have related, they con- ducted themselves towards their prisoners with a noble humanity. The privateers were unusually active, and w^ere hunted wdth unremit- ting vigilance by the English war vessels. They managed to inflict great loss upon the commerce of Great Britain, however. A number of Ameri- can cruisers were fitted out in France, and kept the English coast in terror. AN AMERICAN RIFLEMAN. BATTLES AND SIEGES. 207 John Paul Jones, a native of Scotland, who had been brought to Vir- ginia at an early age, was one of the first naval officers commissioned by Congress. He was given command of the " Ranger," a vessel of eighteen guns, and by his brilliant and daring exploits kept the English coast in a state of terror, and even ventured to attack exposed points on the coast of Scotland. In 1779 he was given command of a small squadron of three ships of war fitted out in France, and sailing from Iv'Orient, pro- ceeded on a cruise along the coast of Great Britain. On the 23d of September he fell in with a fleet of mer- chantmen convoyed by two English frigates, and at once attacked them. The battle began at seven in the evening and was continued for three hours with great iwvy. Jones lashed his flagship, the " Bon Homme Richard," to the Eng- lish frigate "Serapis," and the two vessels fought muzzle to muzzle until the Serapis sur- rendered. The other English vessel was also captured. The battle was one of the most desperate in the annals of naval warfare, and Jones' flagship was so badly injured that it sunk john paul jones. in a few hours after the fighting was over to the bottom of the sea. Jones was absent from home for about three years, during which time his exploits were numerous, and of the most astonishing character. He was denounced as a pirate by the English, who became so alarmed by his 'achievements that many people did not feel safe even in London. Some of the timid ones looked out on the Thames, half-expecting to see the terrible fellow lay their city under tribute. At one time he landed on the coast of Scotland, and, appearing at the residence of the Earl of Selkirk, captured 208 BATTLES AND SIEGES. a large amount of silver plate and boot3\ But he treated the earl's house- hold with great courtes}', and the plate that was seized at the time is now in the possession of the members of the Selkirk famil3\ Paul Jones returned to Philadelphia February 18, 1781, and received a heart}^ welcome. Congress gave him an appropriate medal, and a vote of thanks. While these events had been trans- piring upon the Atlantic seaboard, the United States had been steadily pushing their wa}^ westward beyond the mountains. In 1769, before the commencement of the Revolution, the beautiful region now known as Kentucky had been visited and explored by Daniel Boone, a famous Indian hunter. He was charmed with the beauty of the country, and the excellence of the climate, and resolved to make it his home. The reports of Boone and his companions aroused a great interest in the new coun- try among the inhabitants of the older settlements in Virginia and North Caro- lina, more especially as it was in this region that the lands given to the Virginia troops, for their services in the French war, were located. Surveyors were soon after sent out to lay off these lands, and, in 1773, a party under Captain Bullit MEDAL STRUCK IN HONOR OF PAUL reached the falls of the Ohio, and built a JONES. fortified camp, for their protection while engaged in their work of surveying the region. This was the commencement of the city of Louisville, but the actual settlement of the place \vas not begun until 1778. In 1774 Harrodsburg was founded by James Harrod, one of Boone's companions; and, in 1775, Daniel Boone built a fort on the site of the present town of Boonesborough. The savages made repeated attacks upon his party, but failed to drive them away. The fort was finished b}^ the middle of April, and soon A BATTLES AND SIEGES. 209 after Boone was joined by his wife and daugh- ters, the first white women in Kentucky. About the last of December, 1779, Sir Henry Clinton, leav- ing a strong garrison under General Knyp- hausen to hold New York, sailed South, with the greater part of his army, in the fleet of Admiral Ar- buthnot. He proceeded first to Savannah, and then moved north- ward, for the purpose of besieging Charles- ton. General Lincoln exerted himself with energy to fortify that Qity. Four thousand citizens enrolled them- selves to assist the regular garrison in the defence, but only two hundred militia from the interior responded to Lincoln's call for aid. Reinforcements were received from Virginia and North Carolina, and Lincoln was able daniel booxe. to muster seven thousand men, of whom but two thousand were regular troops. In February, 1 780, the British landed at St. John's Island, about thirt}^ miles below Charleston. Clinton advanced towards the cit}^ along the 14 210 BATTLES AND SIEGES. banks of the Ashley, while the fleet sailed around to force an entrance into the harbor. The advance of Clinton was very gradual, and Lincoln was enabled to strengthen his works, and prepare for a siege. It was not until early in April that Clinton's army appeared before the American works, and began preparations to reduce them. A day or two later, the British fleet passed Fort Moultrie, with but little loss, and took position off the cit}^ Charleston was now completely invested, and the siege w^as pressed with vigor by Clinton. Lincoln's situation became every day more hope- less. The fire of the British artillery destroyed his defences and dismounted his cannon, and, as he was entirely cut off from the country, he had no hope of relief from without. On the 9th day of May a terrific fire was opened upon the defences and the city of Charleston. The city was set on fire in five places, and the American works were reduced to a mass of ruins. Marion and Sumter Continue the Fight. On the 12th Lincoln surrendered the town and his army to Sir Henry Clinton. The prisoners, including every male adult in the city, numbered about six thousand men. The regulars were held as prisoners of war, but the militia were dismissed to their homes, on their promise not to serve again during the war. The only resistance kept up by the Americans was maintained by the partisan corps of patriots led by Marion, Sumter, and Pickens. The exploits of these daring bands caused the British commander to feel that he could not hold the Carolinas except by the aid of a strong force, and kept him in a state of constant uneasiness. On the IGth of August Sumter defeated a large body of British and Tories at Hanging Rock, east of the Wateree River. Large numbers of negroes deserted their masters and fled to the British. The fighting of Marion and his men was much like that of the wild Apaches of the southwest. When hotly pursued by the enenn^ his command would break up into small parties, and these, as they Avere hard pressed, would subdivide, until nearly every patriot was fleeing alone. There could be no successful pursuit, therefore, since the subdivision of the pursuing party weakened it too much. " We will give fifty pounds to get within reach of the scamp that galloped by here, just ahead of us," exclaimed a lieutenant of Tarleton's BATTLES AND SIEGES. 211 cavalry, as lie and three other troopers drew up before a farmer, who was hoehig in the field by the roadside. The farmer looked up, leaning on his hoe, took ■ off his old hat, and mop- ping his forehead with his haudkerchief, ;>^"!: l'";l.ll'ai. '^mr^ y; TARLETOX S LIEUTENANT AND THE FARMER. looked at the angry soldiers, and in a somewhat nonchalant manner said: 212 BATTLE^ AND SIEGES. "Fifty pounds is a big lot of money." In our money it is two hundred dollars. "So it is in these times, but we will give it to you in gold, if you'll show us where we can get a chance at that rebel; did you see anything of him?" "He was all alone, wasn't he? And he was mounted on a black horse with a white star in his forehead, and he was going like a streak of light- ning, wasn't he?" "That's the fellow!" exclaimed the questioners, hoping they were about to get the knowledge they wanted ''It looked to me like Jack Davis, though he went by so fast that I couldn't get a square look at his face, but he was one of Marion's men, and if I ain't greatly mistaken it was Jack Davis himself." He Escaped on His Swift Horse. Then looking up at the four British horsemen, the farmer added, with a quizzical expression : "I reckon that ere Jack Davis has hit yo\i chaps pretty hard this time, ain't he?" "Never mind about that,'''' replied the lieutenant; "what we want to know is where we can get a chance at him for just about five minutes. He has been in our camp, robbing and stealing like a pirate ; two men grabbed him, but he knocked down one, killed the other, ran to his horse, and away he went. He had his animal in the woods close b}^, but it was such a poor looking brute that we felt sure of catching him. But M-e've ridden hard for two hours and are further off than when we started. His horse seemed to be tired, and I've an idea that he may be hiding some- where around here." The farmer put his cotton handkerchief into his hat, which he now slowly replaced, and shook his head : "I don't think he's hiding round here," he said; "when he shot b}^ Jack was going so fast that it didn't look as if he could stop under four or five miles. Strangers, I'd like powerful well to earn that fift}- pounds, but I don't think you'll get a chance to squander it on me." After some further questioning, the lieutenant and his men wheeled their horses and trotted back toward the main body of Tarleton's cavalry. The farmer plied his hoe for several minutes, gradually working his way BATTLES AND SIEGES. 213 towards the stretch of woods some fifty yards from the roadside. Reaching the maigin of the field, he stepped in among the trees, hastily took off his clothing, tied it up in a bundle, shoved it under a flat rock from beneath which he drew a suit no better in quality, but showing a faint semblance to a uniform. Putting it on and then plunging still deeper into the woods, he soon reached a dimly-marked track, which he followed only a short distance, when a gentle whinney fell upon his ear. The next moment he vaulted on the back of a bony but blooded horse, marked by a beautiful star in his forehead. The satin skin of the steed shone as though he had been traveling hard, and his rider allowed him to walk along the path for a couple of miles, when he entered an open space where, near a spring, Francis Alarion and fully two hundred men were encamped. They were eating, smoking and chatting as though no such a horror as war was known. You understand, of course, that the farmer that leaned on his hoe bj^ the roadside and talked to Tarleton's lieutenant about Jack Davis and his exploits was Jack Davis himself. Infamous Plot of Benedict Arnold. About this time a plot was discovered which involved the fair fame of one of the most brilliant officers of the American army. General Benedict Arnold had been disabled by the wounds he had received at Quebec and Saratoga from undertaking active service, and through the influence of Washington had been placed in command of Philadelphia after its evacua- tion by Clinton in 1778. There he lived in a style far beyond his means, and became involved in debts, which he was unable to pay. To raise the funds to discharge them he engaged in privateering and mercantile specu- lations. These were generally unsuccessful, and merely increased his difficulties. His haught}' and overbearing manner involved him in a quarrel with the authorities of Pennsylvania, who accused him before Congress of abusing his official position and misusing the public funds. He was tried by a court-martial and was sentenced to be reprimanded by the commander-in-chief. Washington performed this disagreeable task as delicately as possible, but did not lose his confidence in Arnold. He knew him as an able officer, but, as his acquaintance with him was limited, was most likely ignorant of the faults of Arnold's character, which were well known to the members of Congress from Connecticut, who had no 214 BATTLES AND SIEGES. confidence in liim. To them he was known to be naturally dishonest, regardless of the rights of others, and cruel and tyrannical in his dealings with those under his authority. Arnold never forgave the disgrace in- flicted upon him by the sentence of the court-martial, and cherished the determination to be revenged upon Washington for the rep- rimand received from him. While in Philadelphia, Arnold had married a mem- ber of a Tory family, and was thus enabled to communicate readily with the British of- ficers. He opened a corres- pondence with Sir Henry Clin- ton,signing himself Gustavus. He kept up this correspond- ence for several months, and then made himself known to the British commander. In the meantime, at his earnest solicitation, he was appointed by Washington, in August, 1780, to the command of West BENEDICT ARNOLD. Poiut, the strougcst aud most important fortress in America. He did this with the deliberate intention of betraying the post into the hands of the enemy. The correspondence had been conducted on the part of Sir Henry Clinton by Major John Andre of the British army, a young man of ami- able character and more than ordinary accomplishments. He wTote under the assumed name of John Anderson. He was an especial favorite of Sir Henry Clinton, and was beloved by the wdiole army in which he served. Soon after the appointment of Arnold to the command of West Point, Andre volunteered to go up the Hudson and have an interview with him for the purpose of completing the arrangements for the betrayal of that fortress. His offer was accepted by Clinton, and he ascended the Hudson as far as Haverstraw in the sloop of war " Vulture." He was set ashore and was met near Haverstraw on the west bank of the Hudson by General BATTLES AND SIEGES. 215 Arnold, on the 22d of September. The meeting took place abont dark, and the night had passed before the arrangements were completed. Much against his will, Andre was compelled to pass the next day within the American lines. During the 23d the '-Vulture," having attracted the at- tention of the Americans, was fired upon and forced to drop down the river. Andre found the man who had set him ashore unwilling to row him back to the sloop, and he was compelled to return to New York by land. He changed his uniform for a citizen's dress, and, provided Math a pass from Arnold, under the name of John Anderson, set out for New York along the east bank of the river, which he deemed safer than the opposite shore. All went well until Andre reached the vicinity of Tar- ry town. He was stopped there hy three young men, John Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wart. They asked him his name and destination, and he, suppos- ing them to be Tories, did not use the pass given him by Arnold, but frankly avowed himself a British officer travel- ing on important business. To his great dismay he then learned that his captors were major andre. of the patriotic party, and he offered them his watch, purse, and any re- ward they might name, if they would suffer him to proceed. They refused to allow him to stir a step, and searched his person. They found con- cealed in his boots papers giving the plan of West Point, and an account ' of its garrison. Andre was taken by his captors before Colonel Jamison, the com- mander of the nearest American post. Jamison recognized the handwriting as that of Arnold, but, unwilling to believe that his commander could be 216 BATTLES AND SIEGES. guilty of treason, he detained the prisoner, and wrote to Arnold, informing him of the arrest of Andre, and of the papers found upon his person. - -:. ^ The papers themselves he forwarded by a special messenger to Washing- ton, who was on his return from Hartford. A ^- ESCAPE OF BENEDICT ARNOLD. ^-, Arnold received Colonel Jam- ison's letter, as he sat at breakfast with some of his officers. He concealed his emotion, and, excusing himself to his guests, called his wife from the room, told her he must ilee for his life, and hastening to his barge, escaped down the river to the "Vulture,'* BATTLES AND SIEGES. 217 and was received on board by the commander of that vessel. From his place of safety, he wrote to Washington, asking him to protect his wife, who, he declared, was innocent of any share in his plot. When he learned that Arnold was safe, Andre wrote to Washington and confessed the whole plot. He was at once brought to trial upon the charge of being within the American lines as a spy. The court-martial was presided over by General Greene, and Lafayette and Steuben were among its members. Andre asserted that he had been induced to enter the American lines by the misrepresentations of Arnold. Sentenced to be Hanged. He denied that he was a spy, and, though cautioned not to say au}^- thing that might criminate himself, he frankly confessed the whole plot. He was sentenced, upon his own confession, to be hanged. Clinton made great exertions to save him, and Washington, whose S3^mpathy was won by the amiable character of Andre, was anxious to spare him. The cir- cumstances of the case demanded that the law should be executed, and Andre was hanged at Tappan, near the Hudson, on the 2d of October, 1780. Congress voted to each of his three captors a pension of two hun- dred dollars for life, and a silver medal. The plot of Arnold had been discovered by the merest chance, and the American cause had narrowly escaped a crushing disaster. The loss of West Point would have given the British the entire control of the Hudson, and have enabled them to separate New England from the Middle and Southern States. It might have proved fatal to the cause, and certainly would have reduced Washington to great extremities. Arnold received for his treachery the sum of ten thousand pounds sterling, and a commission as brigadier-general in the English service. He was regarded with general contempt by the English officers, who refused to associate with him, and were greatly averse to serving under him. CHAPTER XXIII. CLOSE OF THE WAR. )HE American army passed the winter of 1780-81 in cantonments east and west of the Hudson. The Pennsylvania troops were stationed near Morristown, and the New Jersey regiments at Pompton. Though the troops were better provided with food than during the previous winter their sufferings were still very severe. They were neglected by Congress, which was too much occupied with its dissensions to make any serious effort to relieve the wants of the soldiers. On the 1st of January, 1781, thirteen hundred Pennsylvania troops left the camp at Morristown under arms and set off for Philadelphia to obtain redress from Congress. General Wayne, their commander, placed himself in front of them, and, pistol in hand, attempted to stop their march. In an instant their bayonets were at his breast. " We love, we respect you," they exclaimed, "but you are a dead man if you fire. Do not mistake us; we are not going to the enemy; were they now to come out you would see us fight under your orders with as much resolution and alacrity as ever." They halted at Princeton, where they were met by the agents of Sir Henry Clinton, who endeavored to induce them to join the British service. They promptly seized these men and delivered them up to General Wayne as spies. At a later period it was proposed to reward them for this action, but they refused to accept anything, saying: "We ask no reward fordoing our duty to our country." Congress was greatly alarmed by the approach of these troops, and a committee, accompanied by Read, the president, of Pennsylvania, was sent to meet them. The committee met the leaders of the mutineers and agreed to relieve their immediate wants and to secure them their back pay by means of certificates. Permission was given to all who had served three years to withdraw from the army. Upon these conditions the troops returned to duty. Washington was very anxious to attempt something decisive with his 218 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 219 own army, if he could secure the aid of a French army and fleet. Two enterprises oflfered themselves to him — an attack upon New York, which had been greatly weakened by detachments sent from its garrison to the south, and an expedition against Cornwallis. That commander had left Wilmington on the 20th of April, and had advanced without encountering any serious resistance, to Petersburg, Virginia. He arrived there on the 20th of May, and was joined by the troops under General Philips, who had been plunder- ing the country along the James River. While Washington was hesitating which would be the best course to pursue, a French frigate arrived at New- port, with the Count de Barras on board, who had come to take com- mand of the fleet at Newport. He brought the good news that a fleet of twenty ships-of- the-line, under the Count de Grasse, hav- ing on board a consid- erable force of troops, had sailed for America, lord cornwallis. and might be expected to arrive in the course of a few months. Washing- ton held a conference with the Count de Rochambeau, at Weathersfield, Connecticut, and it was resolved to attack New York. The French army was to march from Newport and form a junction with the Americans on the Hudson. A frigate was dispatched to the West Indies to inform the Count de Grasse of this arrangement, and to ask his co-operation. 220 CLOSE OF THE WAR. Sir Henry Clinton, who suspected the designs ot AVashington, now ordered Lord Coruwallis, who had crossed the James River, and was at Williamsburg, to send him a reinforcement of troops. Cornwallis prepared to comply wnth this order, and for that purpose marched towards Ports- mouth, followed cautiously by Lafayette and Steuben, who had with them about four thousand American troops. On the march a slight engagement occurred, near Westover, between Lafayette and Cornwallis, in which the Americans narrowly escaped a defeat. Yorktown Fortified by Cornwallis. The British army crossed to the south side of the James, and a de- tachment was embarked for New York. At this moment a second order was received from Sir Henry Clinton, who had received a reinforcement of Hessians from England, directing Cornwallis to retain all his force, choose some central position in Virginia, fortify himself in it, and await the development of the American plans. Cornwallis should have taken position at Portsmouth, from which place his -line of retreat to the South would have remained intact. In an evil hour for himself he recrossed the James, and crossing the peninsula between that river and the York, took position at the towns of Gloucester and Yorktown, opposite each other on the York River. He had with him an army of eight thousand effective troops, and proceeded to fortify his position with strong intrenchments. A number of vessels of war were anchored between Yorktown and Gloucester to main- tain the communication between those points and to assist in the defence of the place. During all this time the financial affairs of the republic were growing worse and more hopeless. The continental currency had become utterly worthless — one dollar in paper being worth only one cent in coin at the opening of the year 1781. In the spring of that year Congress sought to put an end to its financial troubles by taking the control of the finances from a board which had hitherto managed them, and intrusting them to Robert Morris. In July Washington was joined in the Highlands by the French army under Count de Rochambeau, and preparations were made to attack New York. An intercepted letter informed Sir Henry Clinton of this design, and he exerted himself to put the city in a state of defence. In the midst of his preparations Washington received a letter from the Count de Grasse, CLOSE OF THE WAR. 221 stating that he would sail for the Chesapeake instead of Newport. This decision of the French admiral compelled an entire change of plan on the part of the Americans. As De Grasse would not co-operate with them they must abandon the attack upon New York, and attempt the capture of Comwallis at Yorktown. No time was to be lost in making the attempt, for it was now the month of August. B}^ a series of skilful movements Sir Henry Clinton was induced to believe that an attack upon New York CONTINENTAL BILLS. would soon be made, and at the same time the American arm}^ was marched rapidly across New Jersey, followed by the French. Lafayette, M'ho was in Virginia, was ordered to prevent at all hazards a retreat of Cornwallis' army to North Carolina, and was directed to ask assistance of General Greene if necessary. The plan of Washington was to blockade Comwallis in the York River by means of the French fleet, and at the same time to besiege him in Yorktown with the army. The troops M^ere somewhat unwilling to undertake a southern campaign in August, but their good humor was restored at Philadelphia, where they received a part of their pa}^ in specie, and a supply of clothing, arms and ammunition, which had just arrived from France. From Philadelphia the combined armies proceeded to Elkton, at head of the Chesapeake, where the}- found transports, sent b}^ the French admiral and by Lafa\'ette, to conve}?' them to the James River. The first intimation Sir Henr\' Clinton had of a change in the Ameri- 222 CLOSE OF THE WAR. can plans was the sudden sailing of the French fleet from Newport on the 28th of August. Supposing that De Barras's object was to unite with another fleet in the Chesapeake, Clinton sent Admiral Graves to prevent the junction. Upon reaching the capes the British admiral was astonished to find the fleet of the Count de Grasse, consisting of twenty ships-of-the- line, anchored within the bay. De Grasse at once put to sea as if to engage the enemy, but in reality to draw them off and allow De Barras to enter the Chesapeake. For five days he amused the English by constant skirmishing. De Barras at length appeared and passed within the capes, and De Grasse at once followed him. Admiral Graves was unwilling "^ attack this combined force and returned to New York. Arnold's Depredations in New England. The movement of the American army to the south was known to Clinton, but he supposed it was only a manoeuvre to draw him off Alan- hattan Island into the open country. When the Americans were beyond the Delaware, and the French fleets had effected their junction in the Chesapeake, he recognized his mistake, and saw that the object of Wash- ington was the capture of Cornwallis. It was too late to prevent it ; but, in the hope of compelling Washington to send back a part of his force to defend New England, Clinton sent the traitor Arnold, with a large body of troops, to attack New London, in Connecticut. On the 6th of September Arnold captured that town, and burned the shipping and a large part of the town. He then took Fort Griswold, on the opposite side of the Thames, by storm, and basely massacred Colonel Indyard, the commander, and sixty of the garrison, after the surrender of the fort. The militia of the State were summoned to take up arms for its defence, and responded in such numbers that Arnold became alarmed for his safet}^, and returned to New York. The object of his expedition failed most signally. Washington left New England to defend herself, and continued his movement against Cornwallis. Cornwallis was very slow to realize his danger. He believed the small force under Lafaj-ette the only command opposed to him, and, on the 10th of September, wrote to Clinton that he could spare him twelve hundred men for the defence of New York. He did not perceive his error until the French fleet had anchored in the Chesapeake, and cut off his escape by water. He then attempted to retreat to North Carolina, as Washington CLOSE Oh THE WAR. 223 had foreseen, but Lafayette, who had been reinforced by three thousand French troops, under the Marquis de St. Simon, from the fleet of De Grasse, was too active for him, and, finding his retreat impossible, Cornwallis sent urgent appeals to Clinton for assistance, and strengthened his fortifications. In the meantime the American and French armies descended the Ches- apeake, and took position before Yorktown, while the French fleet closed the mouth of the York river. The siege was begun on the 28th of Sep- tember. Sixteen thousand men were present under Washington's orders. Works were erected completely enclosing those of the British, and on the 9th of October the cannonade was begun. It was continued for four days, and the British outworks were greatly damaged, and several of their vessels in the river were burned, by means of red-hot shot thrown into them by the French vessels. The Enemy's Intrenchments Stormed. On the 14th, two of the advanced redoubts of the enemy were stormed and taken, one by the Americans, the other by the French. From the positions thus gained, a very destructive fire was maintained upon the English lines, which were broken in many places, while many of their guns were dismounted and rendered useless. On the 15th Cornwallis found himself almost out of ammunition, and unable to maintain his position but for a few days longer. In this strait, the British commander resolved upon the desperate alternative of crossing the York to Gloucester, abandoning his sick and wounded, and baggage, and endeavoring to force his way northward by extraordinary marches to New York. It was a hopeless undertaking, but Cornwallis resolved to make the trial. On the night of the 16th of October, he crossed a part of his army from Yorktown to Gloucester, but a sudden storm delayed the passage of the river by the second division until after daylight, when it was useless to make the attempt. The first division was with difficulty brought back to Yorktown, as the boats were exposed to the fire of the American batteries while crossing the river. Nothing was left to Cornwallis now but a capitulation, as his works were in no condition to withstand an assault, and simple humanity to his men demanded that the contest should cease. He sent to Washington an offer to surrender, and the terms were soon arranged. On the 19th of October Cornwallis surrendered his army of seven thousand men as pris- 224 CLOSE OF THE WAR. oners of war to Washington, as commander of the allied army, and his shipping, seamen and naval stores to the Count de Grasse, as the repre. sentative of the king of France. Washington dispatched one of his aids to Philadelphia to communicate the good news to Congress. The officer pushed forward with all speed, and reached Philadelphia at midnight, and delivered his message. Soon the peals of the State-house bell roused the citizens, and the watchmen took up the cry, " Comwallis is taken! Cornwallis is taken!" The people poured SURRENDER OF LORD CORNWALLIS. out into the streets in throngs, and no one slept in Philadelphia that night. The next day Congress proceeded in a body to a church and gave thanks for the great victor3^ A national thanksgiving was ordered, and throughout the whole land rejoicings went up to God for the success which all men felt was decisive of the war. On the 19th of October, the day of the surrender of Cornwallis, Sir Henry Clinton sailed from New York to his assistance with a force of seven thousand men. Off the capes he learned of the surrender of the British army at Yorktown, and as his fleet was not strong enough to meet that of the French, he returned at once to New York. CLOSE OF THE WAR. 225 The news of the surrender of Cornwallis was received in England with astonishment and mortification. It was the second time England had lost an entire army by capture, and her efforts to subdue the United States were no nearer success than they had been at the opening of the war. The English people had never regarded the attempt to conquer America with favor, and they now became more open and energetic in their demands for peace. "Lord North, the prime minister," sa3'S an English writer, ^'received the intelligence of the capture of Cornwallis as he would have done a cannon ball in his breast ; he paced the room, and throwing his arms wildly about, kept exclaiming, 'O God! it is all over! it is all over!'" The king and the aristocracy, however, had no thought of yielding yet to the popular pressure, and were resolved to carry on the war. Washington's Army again on the Hudson. After the surrender at Yorktowm, Washington urged the Count de Grasse to co-operate with General Greene in an attack upon Charleston. The French admiral declined to comply with his request, alleging the necessity of his immediate return to the West Indies. The French troops were quartered for the winter at Williamsburg, Virginia, and the American army returned northward and resumed its old position on the Hudson. Washington, though convinced that peace was close at hand, did not relax Ms vigilance, and urged upon Congress the necessity of preparing for a vigorous campaign the next year ; but so thoroughly was Congress carried away by the prospect of peace that his recommendations were unheeded. In the south the British and Tories were so disheartened by the surrender of Cornwallis that they ceased active operations and evacuated all their posts but Savannah and Charleston. General Greene at once disposed his army in such a manner as to confine them closely to Charleston. In the Northern States the only place held by the British was New York. Some of the staunchest patriots and some of the most ferocious Tories resided in Monmouth county. New Jerse3^ The patriots built a block- house of logs at Dover, which was a strongly fortified building. The only method of ingress or egress was by the use of a scaling ladder. Captain John Huddy was commander of this post, and was one of the bravest men Avho fought for the American cause. His house was once surrounded by his foes, but escaping he jumped into the waters of the bay, and as he swam he shouted, "I am Huddy!" His escape was remarkable. 15 226 CLOSE OF THE WAR. On Alarcli 20, 1782, a party of forty Tories and eighty seamen, all fully armed, left New York in wlialeboats for the purpose of capturing Captain John Huddy. Their coming was announced by scouts, and prepa- rations were made to receive them. The bat- tle was one of the fiercest of the war. The powder in the fortress at length gave out, and Huddy, with sixteen men, four of whom were seri- ously wounded, was taken r prisoner. Huddy was a prisoner of war, and was entitled to treat- ment as such, but his enemies conspired to put him to death. He was executed on the morning of April 12, and his last words were, " I shall die innocent, and in a good cause." Captain Lippincott, who ordered Huddy's execution, cursed his men because they were unwilling to take the life of so brave a foe, and with his own hand helped to pull the rope.. ATTACK ON THE BLOCK-HOUSE. CLOSE OF THE WAR. 211 Returning to New York he reported to the board of loyalists that he had " exchanged " Captain Huddy for Philip White. The pastor of the Presby- terian Church at Freehold preached the funeral sermon from the front porch of the old Freehold hotel, and the body was buried with the honors of war. The desire of the English people for the close of the war had grown too strong to be resisted, and the king and his ministers were at length forced to yield. The impossibility of conquering America had become so apparent to the continental nations that in the spring of 1782 the Dutch republic recognized the independence of the United States, and received John Adams as envoy from that government. The king of England main- tained his obstinate opposition to the wishes of his people to the last moment. On the 22d of February, 1782, a resolution was introduced into the House of Commons to put an end to the American war and was sup- ported by the leaders of the Whig party. It was defeated by a majority of one, but on the 27th of February a similar resolution was introduced and was carried by a majorit}^ of nineteen. A Cessation of Hostilities Proposed. On the 20th of March Lord North and his colleagues were forced to relinquish their offices, and a new ministry was formed under the Marquis of Rockingham. Sir Henry Clinton was removed from his command in America and was succeeded by Sir Guy Carleton, whose humane conduct of the war while governor of Canada we have related. Carleton arrived in New York in May, 1782, with full powers to open negotiations for peace. He at once put a stop to the savage warfare of the Tories and Indians on the borders of Western New York, and opened a correspondence with Washington proposing a cessation of hostilities until a definite treaty of peace could be arranged. Five commissioners were appointed by Congress to conclude a peace with Great Britain. They were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Henry Laurens, who had just been released from the tower of London, where he had been kept a prisoner for about a year, and Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson was unable to leave America. Five commissioners were appointed by Great Britain to treat with " certain colonies " named in their instructions. The commissioners from the two countries met at Paris, but the Amer- ican commissioners refused to open negotiations except in the name of the 228 CLOSE OF THE WAR. " United States of America." This right was ackno\\ledged by Great Britain, and, on the 30th of November, 1782, a preliminary treaty was signed, which was ratified by Congress in April, 1783. This treaty could not be final, because, by the terms of the alliance between the United States and France, neither party could make a separate treaty of peace with England. In January, 1783, France and Great Britain agreed upon terms of peace, and, on the 3d of September, 1783, a final treaty of peace was signed by all the nations who had engaged in the war — by the United States, France, Spain and Holland on the one side, and Great Britain on the other. Close of Hostilities Proclaimed. In the spring of 1783 the news of the signing of the preliminary treaty of peace was received in America, and was officially communicated to the nation in a proclamation by Congress. On the 19th of April, 1783, just eight years from the commencement of the war at Lexington, the close of hostilities was proclaimed, in general orders, to the army at Newburg. A general exchange of prisoners followed, and large numbers of Tories were obliged to leave the country, as they feared to remain after the protection of the British forces was withdrawn. They emigrated chiefly to Canada Nova Scotia, and the AVest Indies. On the 2d of December, Washington issued a farewell address to the army, and, on the 4th of that month, took leave of the officers at New York. He then proceeded to Annapolis, where Congress was in session, and, on the 23d of December, under circumstances of great solemnit}'^, resigned his commission to that body ; and, after receiving the thanks of Congress for the able and faithful manner in which he had discharged the task intrusted to him, retired to his home at Mount Vernon, which he had not visited for eight years, except for a few hours, while on his way to attack Cornwallis at Yorktown. CHAPTER XXIV. THE NEW REPUBLIC. )HH Constitution of the United States was adopted and went into operation on the fourth of March, 1789. Elections were held for President and Vice-President of the United States, and for mem- bers of Congress. New York was named as the seat of the new government. The fourth of March, 1789, was ushered in with a public demonstration at New York; but a sufficient number of members of Congress to form a quorum for the transaction of business did not arrive until the thirtieth of March. On the sixth of April the electoral votes were counted, and it was found that George Washington had been unanimously chosen first President of the United States, and John Adams Vice-President. Commerce now began to show signs of a great revival from the stagnation and loss caused by the war. The duties levied upon for- eign goods gave to domestic manu- facturers an opportunity to place themselves upon a firmer founda- tion. Very great improvements "^; -%/;^, were made in the character of george Washington. American manufactures. In New England the weaving of cotton and woolen goods was begun, in a feeble way it is true, but the foundation was laid of that great industry which has since been a constant and growing source of wealth to that section. In 1790 the first census of the United States was taken, and showed the population to be 3,929,827 souls. 229 230 THE NEW REPUBLIC. The Indians of the northwest had been very troublesome for some time. The British agents in that region incited them to hostility against the United States, and urged them to claim the Ohio as their southern and eastern boundary. They committed innumerable outrages along this river and almost put a stop to the trade upon its waters by attacking and plunder- ing the flat-boats of the emigrants and traders which were constantly des- cending the river. The general government resolved to put a stop to their outrages, and General Harmer was sent against them in 1700, but was soon defeated with great loss. In 1791 General St. Clair, the gover- nor of the northwest territory, was placed in command of an expedition against the savages. He set out from Fort Washing- ton, now Cincinnati, about the middle of September, with a force of two thousand men, but near the headwaters of the Wa- bash was surprised and defeated by an In- dian force under Little Turtle, a famous chief of the Miamis. The wreck of his army fled to Fort Washington, and the frontier was once more defenceless. President Washington now placed Gen. Anthony Wayne in command of the forces destined to operate against the Indians. With his usual energy Wayne assembled his army at Fort Washington, and in the INDIAN CHILD IN CRADLE. sumuicr of 1794 uiarchcd into the Indian countr}^, laid it waste and defeated the Indian tribes in the battle of the Maumee, on the twentieth of August. In the summer of 1795 the Indians, cowed by their defeat and alarmed by the withdrawal of the British from the frontier posts, met General Wayne at his camp on the Miami and en- tered into a treaty with the United States, by which they ceded all the eastern and southern part of Ohio to the whites and themselves withdrew farther westward. In the elections of 1792 Washington and Adams were chosen Presi- dent and Vice-President of the United States, for a second term of four 3^ears. The disputes, which had been begun by the adoption of the Coiisti- THE NEW REPUBLIC. 231 tution, had been continued during the first terra of Washington's presi- dency, and had given rise to two political parties — the Federalists, or those who favor a strong national government, and who supported the adminis- tration; and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed the policy of the administration. At the close of his term of office, Washington withdrew to his home at Mount Vernon, to enjoy the repose he had so well earned, and which was so grateful to him. His administration had been eminently successful. When he entered upon the duties of the Presidency, the government was new and untried, and its best friends doubted its ability to exist long ; the finances were in confusion, and the coun- try was burdened with debt ; the dis- putes with Great Britain threatened to involve the country in a new war ; and the authority of the general government was uncertain and scarcely recognized. When he left office the state of affairs was changed. The government had been severely tested, and had been found equal to an}^ demand made upon it ; the finances had been placed upon a safe and healthy footing, and the debt of the country had been adjusted to the satisfaction of all parties concerned in it. The disputes with England had been arranged, and the country, no longer threatened with war, was free to devote its energies to its im- provement. Industry and commerce were growing rapidly. The exports from the United States had risen from nine- teen millions to over fifty-six millions of dollars, and the imports had increased in nearly the same proportion. The rule of non-interference in European quarrels, and of cultivating friendly relations with all the world, had become the settled policy of the republic, and its wisdom had been amply vindicated. The progress of the republic, during the eight years of Washington's administration, was indeed gratifying, and gave promise of a brilliant future. On the 4th of March, 1797, John Adams was inaugurated President of the United States, and Thomas Jefferson took the oath of office as Vice- JOHN ADAMS. 232 THE NEW REPUBLIC. President. Mr. Adams was in the sixty-second year of his age, and in the full vigor of health and intellect. He made no changes in the cabinet left by President Washington, and the policy of his administration corresponded throughout with that of his great predecessor. He came into office at a time when this policy was to be subjected to the severest test, and was to- be triumphantly vindicated by the trial. Mr. Adams began his official career with the declaration of his " determination to maintain peace and inviolate faith with all nations, and neutrality and impartiality with the belligerent powers of Europe." The second census of the United States, taken in 1800, showed the population of the country to be 5,319,762 souls. Author of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was inaugu- rated at the new capitol, in the city of Washington, on the 4tli of Marcli^ 1801. He was in his fifty-eighth year, and had long been regarded as one of the most illustrious men in America. He was the author of the Declara- tion of Independence, had represented the country as minister to France^ had served in the cabinet of General Washington as Secretary of State^ and had filled the high office of Vice-President during the administration of Mr. Adams. He was the founder of the Democratic part}^, and was regarded by it with an enthusiastic devotion, which could see no flaw in his character. By the Federalists he was denounced with intense bitterness as an enemy of organized government. He was unquestionably a believer in the largest freedom possible to man, but he was too deeply versed in the lessons of statesmanship, and was too pure a patriot, to entertain for a moment the levelling principles with which his enemies charged him. Under him the government of the republic suffered no diminution of strength, but his administration was a gain to the country. Mr. Jefferson had long been anxious to obtain for the United States the country bordering the lower Mississippi, as he was convinced that the power holding the mouth of that river must of necessity control the great valley through which it flows. Accordingly, Robert R. Livingston, the American minister at Paris, was ordered to open negotiations with the French government for the purchase of Louisiana. He found this an easier task than he had expected, for Napoleon, who THE NEW REPUBLIC. 23S was on the eve of a great European war, was much in need of money, and was by no means anxious to add to his troubles by being obliged to defend Louisiana. A bargain was soon concluded by which the United States became the possessors of the whole region of Louisiana, from the Mississippi to the Pacific, embracing an area of over a million square miles. The United States paid to France the sum of $15,- 000,000 for this immense region, and guaranteed to >^ the then in- ^ habitants all the rights of >^ American citi- -^ zens. "This 1 accession of territory," said Napoleon upon the completion of this very great purchase " strengthens forever the thomas jefferson. power of the United States, and I have just given to England a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her pride." James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, was inaug- urated at Washington on the 4th of March, 1809. He was in the fifty-eighth year of his age, and had long been one of the most prominent men in the Union. He had borne a distinguished part in the Convention of 1787, and was the author of the Virginia resolutions of 1786, which brought about 234 THE NEW REPUBLIC, the assembling of this Convention. He had entered the Convention as one of the most prominent leaders of the National party, which favored the consolidation of the States into one distinct and supreme nation, and had acted with Randolph, Hamilton, Wilson, IMorris, and King, in seeking to bring about such a result. When it was found impossible to carry out this plan Mr. Madison gave his cordial support to the system which was finally adopted by the Convention ; and while the con- stitution was under discussion by the states, he united with Hamilton and Jay in earnestly re- commending the adoption of the con- stitution b}^ the states, in a series of able articles, to which the general title of the " Feder- alist " was given. The Indians of the northwest were becoming very troublesome, and their aggressions were attributed to the instigation of the British in Can- JAMES MADISON. ^^^ Tccumsch, a Shawnee chief of unusual abilities, attempted to unite the Indians of the continent in a grand effort against the Americans, and for this purpose passed from tribe to tribe, from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and urged them to take up the hatchet. He was assisted by his twin brother, THE NEW REPUBLIC. 235 Elskwatawa, generally called '' the Prophet," who appealed to the superstitious fears of the savages by his juggler}^ The federal government determined to strike a blow at the savages before their plans for union could be brought to a successful issue. In the autumn of 1811 Major-General William Henry Harrison, then governor of Indiana Territory, was sent to operate against the tribes on the Wabash. He took with him a body of Kentuck}?- and Indiana militia, and one regi- ment of regiment troops. On the Gth of November he arrived at the junction of the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers, near the town of the Prophet, the brother of Tecumseh. Furious Attack on the American Camp. The Prophet sent several of the principal Indian chiefs to meet Harrison with offers of submission. The}' informed him that the Prophet would come into camp the next da}-, and make a treaty with him. Harrison suspected that the purpose of the Indians was simply to gain time, and that they would probably seek to surprise him during the night, and accordingly caused his men to bivouac on their arms that night. His precautions were well taken. About four o'clock on the morning of November 7th the savages made a furious attack on the American camp. They were promptly received, and after a severe conflict of several hours were put to flight. Tecumseh was not present in this engagement. General Harrison followed up this victory by destroying the Prophet's town, and building some forts for the protection of the country. The battle of Tippecanoe quieted the Indians of the northwest for a while, but greatly increased the desire of the people of that region for war with England. Disagreements having arisen between this country and Great Britain, our government demanded redress; otherwise war would be declared. On the 30th of May, 1812, the British minister at Washington delivered to the government of the United States the final reply of his government to the demands of this country in the questions at issue between them. This ultimatum was submitted to Congress b}- the President on the 1st of June, accompanied by a message in which he recapitulated the wrongs inflicted by Great Britain upon this countr}-, her violations of the rights of neutrals, her impressment of American seamen, her seizures of American ships and her refusal to enter into an 3^ equitable arrangement for the settlement of these questions. The determination of Great Britain to drive American 236 THE NEW REPUBLIC. commerce from the seas was evident, and the question was submitted to Congress whether the United States should continue to submit to these outrages or should resort to war to protect their rights. After a debate of several da3's an act declaring war against Great Britain was passed by Congress and was approved b}^ the President on the 18th of June, 1812. On the I'Jth the President issued a proclamation ax... : . A PIONEER HERO'S FIGHT WITH THE SAVAGES. declaring that w^ar existed between the United States and Great Britain and her dependencies. In the first campaign, including the year 1812, the results were disas- trous to the Americans. The attempts to invade Canada had ended M'itli the surrender of Detroit and the defeat at Queenstown. A large part of the frontier was lost, and over twentj'-five hundred men had been captured by the enemy. The fiiilures had aroused the discontent of a considerable portion of the people of the Union, and the opposition of the New England States to the war was greatl}^ increased. Alatters would have seemed hope- less had not the navy, which had been the most neglected branch of the public service, redeemed the national honor by a series of brilliant successes. THE NEW REPUBLIC. 237 It was the intention of the government at the outset of the war to retain the vessels of the navy in the ports of the country to assist in the defence of the harbors of the United States. The fear was openly expressed that if these vessels should venture to put to sea they would certainly be captured by the British cruisers. The of&cers of the navy were indignant at these insinuations, and as soon as the news of the declaration of war was received at New York several of the vessels of war in that port put to sea at once to avoid the orders which their commanders feared were on the wa}' to detain them in port, and also for the purpose of making a dash at the Jamaica fleet, which was on its way to England. They followed this fleet to the entrance of the British Channel, but without overtaking it. A British squadron sailed from Halifax to cruise off the port of New York. The American frigate "Constitution," Captain Hull, while endeav- oring to enter New York, fell in with this squadron, and was chased by it for four days. Her escape was due entirely to the superior skill of her officers and the energy of her crew. The chase was one of the most remarkable in history, and the escape of the American frigate won great credit for Captain Hull. Failing to reach New York, Hull sailed for Boston, and reached that port in safety. Remaining there a few days, he put to sea again, just in time to avoid orders from Washington to remain in port. Spirited Naval Engagements. In Jul}^ the American frigate " Essex " captured a transport filled with British soldiers, and a few da3^s later encountered the British sloop of war " Alert," which mistook her for a merchantman. The " Essex " suffered her to approach, and then opened a rapid fire upon her, which soon dis- abled her and forced her to surrender. The " Constitution " sailed from Boston to the northeast. On the 19th of August, while cruising off the mouth of the St. Lawrence, she fell in with the British frigate " Guerriere," Captain Dacres, one of the vessels that had chased her during the previous month. The "Guerriere" im- mediately stood towards her, and both vessels prepared for action. The English commander opened his fire at long range, but Captain Hull refused to reply until he had gotten his ship into a favorable position, and for an hour and a half he manoeuvred in silence, under a heavy fire from the British frigate. At length, having got within pistol shot of her adversary, the " Con- 238 THE NEW REPUBLIC. stitutiou " opeued a terrible fire upon her, and poured in her broadsides with such effect that the " Guerriere " struck her colors in thirty minutes. The " Guerriere " lost seventy-nine men killed and wounded, while the loss of the '' Constituticn " was but seven men. The " Guerriere " was so much injured in the fight that she could not be carried into port, and Hull had her burned. CAPTURE OF THE " GUERRIERE " BY THE "CONSTITUTION." The " Constitution " then returned to Boston with her prison'^'^s, and was received with an ovation. It was the first time in half a centur}^ tnat a British frigate had struck her flag in a fair fight, and the victor}^ was hailed with delight in all parts of the countr}-. On the 18th of October the American sloop-of-war " Wasp," eighteen, Captain Jones, met the British brig " Frolic," twenty-two, convoying six merchantmen. In order to give her convoy a chance to escape, the THE NEW REPUBLIC. 239 " Frolic " shortened sail and awaited the approach of the " Wasp." The " Wasp " ponred a raking fire into her antagonist and then boarded her. The boarders found the deck of the "Frolic" covered with the dead. Only one man remained unhurt, and he stood gallantly at his post at the wheel. Before the prize could be secured the British frigate " Poictiers," 74, hove in sight and captured both vessels. The " Wasp " lost eight men in the engagement; the "Frolic" eighty. THE '^ WASP " BOARDING THE " FROLIC." These victories aroused the greatest enthusiasm in the United States. The great disparity in the losses sustained by the respective combatants made it evident to both nations that the American ships had been better handled in every engagement. The British endeavored to account for the American successes by declaring that the United States vessels were seventy-fours in disguise, or that they carried heavier guns than their adversaries ; but the thinking men of both countries saw that they had been vron by the superior skill of the American officers. It w^as clear that nothing of importance could be accomplished on land as long as the British held Lake Erie. Oliver Hazard Perry, a young lieutenant of the United States navy, volunteered to win back the lake from 240 THE NEW REPUBLIC. perry's victory on lake ERIE. sisted of six vessels, carrying sixt3'-t'hree guns, of somewhere near five hundred men. the enemy, who held it with a small squadron under Capt. Bar- clay. By extraor- dinary^ exertions, Perry built and equipped a fleet at Presque Isle, now Erie. It con- sisted of nine ves- sels of various sizes, from one carr3ang twenty- five guns down to one which car- ried one gun. Its total armament amounted to fift}'- five guns. It was manned by a small force of sailors from the east, and b}' a large number of volunteers from General Harri- son's army. As soon as his fleet was in proper condition, Perr}' stood out into the lake to seek the enemy. The Brit- ish squadron con- Each carried a complement THE NEW REPUBLIC. 241 The two squadrons soon encountered each other, and on the 10th of September a severe battle was fought between them, at the western end of the lake. Perry, at the opening of the fight, displayed a flag from his vessel, bearing the words of the brave Lawrence, " Don't give up the ship." It was greeted with cheers from the men. During the battle, the American flag-ship, the " Lawrence," was disabled, and Perry passed in an open boat, under a heavy fire, to the " Niagara," the next largest ship, and trans- ferred his flag to her. The result was that the British fleet was defeated, and forced to surrender. Perry announced his victory to General Harrison in the following characteristic message: "We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two ships, one brig, a schooner, and a sloop.'' Death of the Famous Chief Tecumseh. This victory was of the highest importance to the Americans. It gave them the command of Lake Erie, and opened the way to Canada. Harrison hastened to profit by it, and advanced rapidl}^ towards Detroit and Maiden. Proctor abandoned those places, and retreated with his own forces, and Tecumseh and his Indians, into Canada. At Detroit Harrison was joined by thirty-five hundred mounted Kentuckians, under the aged Governor Shelby, one of the heroes of King's Mountain, and Col. Richard AI. John- son. He at once entered Canada in pursuit of Proctor, and, by a forced march of sixty miles, came up with him on the banks of the Thames, on October 5th. A short, but desperate battle ensued, in which Tecumseh was killed, and his Indians put to flight. The British were routed, and Proctor saved himself only by the speed of his horse. By these successes the Americans won back Michigan Territory, and for the present gave peace and security to the northwestern frontier. The second war with Great Britain closed with victory for the American arms, and a treaty of peace between the two countries was signed on the 14th of December, 1814. James Monroe was inaugurated President of the United States, at Washington, on the 4th of March, 1817. He had served during the revo- lution in the army of the United States, and had entered Congress soon after the formation of the government as a representative from Virginia, and had won great credit by his services in that body. He had been secre- tary of state during Mr. Madison's administration, and increased his fame by his discharge of the difficult and delicate duties of this position. In his inaugural address he declared his intention to administer the 16 242 THE NEW REPUBLIC. government in accordance with the principles of Washington, and the sen- timents of this docnnient were warmly applanded thronghont the conntry by Federalists as well as Democrats. The administration of Mr. IMonroe covered a period generally known in our political history as " the era of good feeling." Party lines were almost blotted out, and the people of the coun- try were more united than at any previous or subsequent period in the support of na- tional measures. A few months after his inauguration Presi- dent Monroe made a tour through the Eastern States. He was everj'where re- ceived with marked attention, and the Federalist city of Bos- ton entertained him with the cordial hos- pitality which is one of her characteristics. The last year of Mr. Monroe's admin- istration was marked JAMES MONROE. by an advent of the deepest interest to the whole country. In 1824 the venerable Marquis de Lafayette came to the United States at the express invitation of Con- gress to visit the nation whose freedom he had helped to achieve. He reached New York on the 13th of August, and was received with enthusiasm. He travelled through all the States, and was everywhere received with demonstrations of respect and affection, and he was given abundant evidence in all parts of the country that the nation cherished THE NEW REPUBLIC, 243 with love and pride the memory of the generous stranger who came to its aid in its darkest hour of trial. Returning to Washington during the session of Congress, Lafayette spent several weeks there. Congress, as a token of the gratitude of the nation for his services, voted him a township of land and the sum of two hundred thousand dollars. The frigate " Brandywine," just finished, was appointed to convey him back to France, a delicate compliment, as the ves- sel was named after the stream on whose banks Lafayette fought his first battle and was wounded in the cause of American independence. At the time of his visit to the United States Lafayette was nearly seventy years old. In the fall of 1824 the Presidential election was held amid great political ex- citement. The " era of good feeling " was at an end, and party spirit ran high. There were four candidates in the field, Mr. Monroe having declined a third term : Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William H. Crawford and Henry Clay. None of these received a popular ma- jority, and the election was thrown into the House of Representatives in Congress, and resulted in the choice of John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts, as President of the United States. John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, had been chosen Vice- President by the popular vote. On the 4th of March, 1825, John Quincy Adams was inaugurated President of the United States. He was the son of John Adams, the second President of the republic, and was in his fifty-eighth year. He was a man of great natural ability, of strong personal character, and of unbending integrity. He had been carefully educated, and was one of the most learned men in the Union. Apart from his general education, he had received a special training in statesmanship. He had served as minister to the Netherlands, and in the same capacity at the courts of Portugal, Prussia, Russia and England, where he had maintained a high reputation. He had represented the State of Massachusetts in the Federal Senate, and had been Secretary of State JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 244 THE NEW REPUBLIC. iu the cabinet of ]\Ir. Monroe, during the last administration. He was, therefore, thoroughly qualified for the duties of the high office upon which he now entered. He called to his cabinet men of marked ability, at the head of which was Henr}^ Clay, who became Secretary of State. The administration of ]\Ir. Adams was one of remarkable prosperity. The country was growing wealthier by the rapid increase of its agriculture, manufactures and com- merce, and abroad it commanded the respect of the world. Still party spirit raged with great violence during the whole of this period. On the 4th of July, 1826, died, within a few hours of each other, two ex-Presidents of the republic — John Adams and Thomas Jef- ferson — the latter the author of the Declaration of Independence, and the former its most efficient sup- porter. Mr. Adams died at his home at Quincy, Massachusetts, at the ripe age of ninety years ; Mr. Jefferson, at Monticello, his beauti- ful Virginian home, at the age of eighty-two. Both had filled the highest stations in the republic and both had lived to see the coun- HENRY CLAY. try they loved take rank among the first nations of the globe. They died on the fiftieth anniversary of American independence. Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, was inaugurated at Washington, on the 4th of Tvlarch, 1829. President Jackson was in many respects one of the most remarkable men of his day. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and was born in North Carolina, during the controversy between the colonies and Great Britain, which preceded the Revolution. He was left fatherless at an early age, and his youth was passed amid the stirring scenes of the Avar for independence. At the age of thirteen, he began his career by taking part in the fight at Hanging Rock, under General Sumter. THE NEW REPUBLIC. 245 The home of the Jacksons was broken up and pillaged by the Tories, and the mother and her two sons became wanderers. The sons were shortly after made prisoners by the Tories, and the day after his capture Andrew Jackson was ordered by a British of&cer to clean his boots. He indignantly refused, and the of6.cer struck him with the flat of his sword. The boys were at length exchanged, through the exer- tions of their lov- ing mother. Both had contracted the small-pox during their captivity, and the elder son soon died of his disease. Not long after- wards, Mrs. Jack- son, with a few other ladies, went to Charleston to minister to the wants of the Amer- ican prisoners of war, confined there by the British. A fever was raging among these un- fortunates at the time, and Mrs. Jackson was soon numbered among its victims. Thus, ^^^^^^^ JACKSON. at the age of fifteen, Andrew Jackson was left alone in the world without a relative. Though young in years, he had been greatly matured in character by his trials. Even at this early age he was generous to a fault to his friends, and immovable in his resolutions when once formed. A few years later he removed to Tennessee, then a Territory, and, 246 THE NEW REPUBLIC. upon the admission of the State into the Union, was elected as her first representative in Congress. His brilliant victory over the British at New Orleans made him one of the most noted men of the day, and his prompt and decisive measnres against the Spaniards in Florida, dnring ]\Ir. IMonroe's administration, greatly added to his repntation. General Jackson Elected President. During the administration of John Adams, General Jackson occupied a seat in the United States Senate, and gave a cordial support to the prin- ciples of Mr. Jefiferson. Resigning his seat in the Senate before the close of his term, he was elected one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. The election of General Jackson to the Presidency was regarded with some anxiety, for though his merits as a soldier w^ere conceded, it w^as feared by many that his known imperiousness of will and his inflexi- bility of purpose would seriously disqualify him for the delicate duties of the Presidency. Nature had made him a ruler, however, and his adminis- tration was marked by the fearless energy that characterized every act of his life, and was on the whole successful and satisfactory to the great majorit}^ of his countrymen. The tariff question now engaged the attention of the country once more. The manufacturing interests were still struggling against foreign competition, and it w^as the opinion of the Eastern and Middle States that the general government should protect them by the imposition of high duties upon products of foreign countries imported into the Union. The south was almost a unit in its opposition to a high tariff. Being, as we have said, an agricultural section, its interests demanded a free market, and it wished to avail itself of the privilege of purchasing where it could buy cheapest. The south and the west were the markets of the east, and the interests of that section demanded the exclusion of foreign competition in supplying these markets. In July, 1827, a convention of manufacturers was held at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and a memorial was adopted praying Congress to increase the duties on foreign goods to an extent which would protect American industry. When Congress met in December, 1827, the protective policy was the most important topic of the da}?-. It was warmly discussed in Congress and throughout the country. The interests of New England were championed by the matchless eloquence of Daniel Webster, who claimed THE NEW REPUBLIC. 14.1 that, as the adoption of the protective policy by the government had forced New England to tnrn her energies to manufacturers, the government was bound to protect her against competition. After a very able and exhaustive discussion the tariff bill was passed by the House on the fifteenth of April, 1828, and was approved by the President a little later. It was termed by its opponents the " Bill of Abominations." The Presidential election was held in the fall of 183G. General Jackson having declined to be a candidate for a third term, the Democratic party supported Martin Van Buren for President, and Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, for Vice-President. Mr. Van Buren was elected by a large majority; but the electors having failed to make a choice of a candidate for Vice-President, that task devolved upon the Senate, which elected Colonel Richard IM. Johnson by a majority of seven- teen votes. ]\Iartin Van Buren, the new President, entered upon the duties of his ofi&ce on the 4th of March, 1837. He was in his fifty-fifth year, and had occupied many dis- tinguished positions in public life. He had represented the State of daniel webster. New York in the Senate of the United States, and had been governor of that State. He had been minister to England, had been made Secretary of State at the commencement of General Jackson's first term, and had been elected Vice-President of the United States at the period of Jackson's re-election. The extraordinary prosperity which had prevailed throughout the nation during the last year of Jackson's term came to a sudden end almost imme- diately after the inauguration of Mr. Van Buren. For some time past a reckless spirit of speculation had engrossed the nation, and had led to excessive banking and the issuing of paper money to an extent far bej^ond the necessities of the country. The distress of the country was verv great. Hundreds of thousands of 248 THE NEW REPUBLIC. laborers were tlirown out of employment, and business of all kinds was much depressed. The government, which a few months before had been out of debt and in possession of a surplus of forty millions, now found itself unable to provide funds for its ordinary expenses. The President was com- pelled to summon an extra session of Congress, that met on the 4th of Sep- tember, 1837. The President in his message attributed the confused con- dition of the coun- try to the exces- sive issues of bank- notes, the great fire in New York in 1835, and the reck- less speculations of the people for sev- eral 3'ears past. He suggested no spe- cial legislation for the relief of these troubles, as he re- garded such a course as be3'ond the con- stitutional author- ity of the general government. In- deed, the govern- ment could do but little to restore public confidence ; that was the task of the people themselves, and it was not accomplished for several years. On the 4th of ]\Iarch, 1841, William Henry Harrison was inaugurated President of the United States at Washington, in the presence of an immense concourse of citizens from all parts of the Union. He was in his sixty- ninth year, and had spent forty years of his life in the public service. His MARTIN VAN BUREN. THE NEW REPUBLIC. 249 services during the Indian hostilities which preceded the War of 1812-15, and his exploits during that war, have been related. He had served as governor of Indiana Territorj^, and had been both a member of Congress and a senator of the United States. He was a man of pure life and earnest character, and the certainty of a change of policy in the measures of the federal government had caused the people of the country to look forward to his administration with hope and confidence. He began by calling to seats in his cabinet men of promi- nence and ability. At the head of the cabinet he placed Daniel Webster, as Secretary of State. The President issued a proclamation convening Congress in special session on the 31 st of May, 1841. He was not destined to fulfil the hopes of his friends, however. He was suddenly seized with pneumonia, and died on the 4tli of April, 1841 — ^just one month after his inauguration. It was the first time that a president of the United States had died in office, and a gloom was cast over the nation by the sad event. The mourning of the people was sincere, for in General Harrison the nation lost a faithful, upright and able 'J;'*^ citizen. He had spent forty years in prominent public positions, and had dis- charged every duty confided to him with marked ability and integrity, and at last went to his grave a poor man. "Brave old Cincinnatus ! he left but his plow." Upon the assembling of Congress, that bod}^, " out of consideration of his expenses in removing to the seat of government, and the limited means he had left behind," appropriated the equivalent of one year's presidential salary — twenty-five thousand dollars — to Mrs. Harrison. According to the terms of the constitution, upon the death of General Harrison, the office of president of the United States devolved upon the vice-president, John Tyler, of Virginia Mr. Tyler was not in the city of Washington at the time of the death of his predecessor, but repaired to that cit}^ without loss of time, upon being notified of the need of his presence, and on the 6th of April took the oath of office before Judge Cranch, WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 2^)0 THE NEW REPUBLIC. chief justice of the District of Columbia. Mr. Tyler M'as iu his fifty-second year, aud had served as governor of Virginia, and as representative and senator in Congress from that state. On the 9th of April President Tyler issued an address to the people of the United States, in which there was no indication of a departure from the policy announced in the inaugural of General Harrison. He retained the cab- inet ministers of his predecessor in their respective positions. In 1842 a series of disturbances oc- curred in the state of Illinois, which were but the fore- runners cf a more embarrass- serious ment to the general government at a still later period. A new religious sect had sprung up some 3'ears before in the western part of New York. The}^ called themselves Mor- mons, and were founded by a most remarkable man b}^ the name of Joseph JOHN TYLER. Smith, who pro- fessed to have a new revelation from God, written on plates of gold. Among the articles of the Mormon faith is one which teaches the doctrine of a plurality of wives. Feeling that the east was not favorable to their growth, the Mormons at an early day removed to the west. They settled at first in Missouri, but so exasperated the people of that state by their conduct that they were soon driven out of Missouri- THE NEW REPUBLIC. 251 They settled in Illinois, and founded a city wliicli they called Nauvoo, and built a temple. Their numbers increased rapidly from emigration from nearly every country in Europe. The new-comers were mainly persons of low position and without education. Conscious of their strength they raised troops, and set the authority of the State of Illinois at defiance. The State endeavored to reduce them to obedience, and their conduct, as in Missouri, turned the people against them. Several conflicts ensued between the Mor- mons and the authorities. In one of these Joe Smith, the prophet, and his brother, were seized and put in jail, and while l3^ing there were mur- dered by the mob in Jul}^, 1844. This brought matters to a crisis, and the people of Illinois determined to drive the Mormons across the Missis- sippi. Nauvoo was attacked in 1845, and the Mormons M^ere compelled to leave the State. In 1846 they bent their steps westward, and after a long and painful joume}' across the plains, reached the valle}^ of Salt Lake, and established a settlement there. Out of this settlement grew the Territory of Utah. In 1 844 occurred one of the most important events in the history of the world. In 1832 Samuel F. B. IMorse, a native of Massachusetts, invented the electric telegraph. He spent some years in perfecting his in- vention, and in 1838 applied to Congress for a small appropriation to as- sist him in building a line of wire to demonstrate the usefulness of his discovery. He was obliged to wait five years for a favorable answer, and it was not nntil he had given up all hope of receiving aid from Congress that that bod}', on the last da}^ of the session of 1843, appropriated the sum of thirty thousand dollars to construct a telegraph line between Wash- ing City and Baltimore, a distance of forty miles. The line was com- pleted in 1844, and was successfully operated by Professor Morse. This was the first line established in the world. In the number of years which have elapsed since then the use of the telegraph has become general PROFESSOR MORSE. 252 THE XEW REPUBLIC. througlioiit the civilized world, and in the United vStates alone there are hnndreds of thousands of miles of telegraph lines in operation at the present time. In the fall of 1844 the Presidential election took place. The leading political question of the day was the annexation of Texas. It was advocated b}^ the administration cf President Tyler and by the Democratic part}^ This party also made the claim of the United States to Oregon one of the leading issues of the campaign. Its candidates w-ere James K. Polk, of Tennessee, and George M. Dallas, of Pennsylvania. The Whig party gave their support to Henry Clay, of Kentucky, and Theodore Fre- lingliuysen, of New Jersey, and op- posed the annexation of Texas. During this campaign, which was one of unusual excitement, the Anti-slavery party made its appear- ance for the first time as a distinct political organization, and nominated James G. Birney ar, its candidate for the Presidency. The result of th.e campaign was a decisive victory for the Democrats. This success was generally regarded GENERAL SAM HOUSTON. as au emphatic expression of the popular will respecting the Texas and Oregon questions. Mr. Birne}- did not receive a single electoral vote, and of the popular vote only sixt3^-four thousand six liundred and fifty-three ballots were cast for him. One of the leading men in Texas at this time, and in fact for many years, was General Sam Houston, whose popularity assured him the most eminent positions both, as governor of his adopted state and senator at Washington. He commanded the Texan army in a revolt against Alexico and gained a brilliant victory. An alarming tendency to anarcliy was experienced in the anti-rent disturbances in the State of New York in 184-4. In the early history of this State certain settlers received patents of considerable portions of land — THE ANTI-RENT RIOT IN COLUMBIA COUNTY. NEW YORK. ■ 254 THE NEW REPUBLIC. of which that of Van Rensselaer was the most extensive— comprehending the greater part of Albany and Rensselaer Counties. These lands were divided into farms containing from 100 to lOO acres, and leased in per- petuity, on the following conditions: The tenant must each year pay to the landlord a quantity of wheat, from 22}^ bushels to 10, with four fat fowls and a day's service with horses and wagon. If the tenant sold his lease, the landlord was entitled to one-quarter of the purchase-money. In process of time the tenants began to consider these legal conditions as anti-republican — a relic of feudal tyranny. The excellent Stephen Van Rensselaer > who came into possession of the patent in 1785, had, in the kindness of his nature, omitted to exact his legal rights; and $200,000 back rent had accrued— which he, dying in 1840, appropriated by will. The tenants murmured when called on to pay it, and sheriffs, in attempting to execute legal precepts, were forcibly resisted. An ineffectual attempt to put down these disorders was made on the part of the State authorities by a military movement, called in derision "the Heldeberg war." Mounted Bands Disguised as Indians. In the summer of 1844 the anti-rent disturbances broke out with great violence in the eastern towns of Rensselaer, and on the Livingston manor, in Columbia County. Extensive associations were formed by the anti- renters to resist the laws. They kept armed and mounted bands, disguised as Indians, scouring the country; and the traveler as he met them, issuing from some dark wood, with their hideous masks and gaudy calicoes, \vas required, on penalty of insult, to say, " Down with the rent." These law- less rangers forcibly entered houses, took men from their homes, and tarred and feathered or otherwise maltreated them. In Rensselaer County, at noonday, a man was killed where about fifty "Indians" were present- some of whom were afterwards arraigned, when they swore that they knew nothing of the murder. Sometimes 1,000 of these disguised anarchists were assembled in one body. Similar disturbances occurred in Delaware County. At length Steele, a deputy-sheriff, was murdered in the execution of his official duty, and his murderers were apprehended. Meanwhile Silas Wright was chosen governor of the State. Much does his country owe him for the wisdom and firmness of the measures by which public order was restored. On the 27tli of August he proclaimed the County of Delaware in a state of insurrection. Resolute men were THE NEW REPUBLIC. 255 made sheriffs, and competent military aid afforded them. Leading anti- renters were taken, brought to trial, and imprisoned. The murderers of Steele were condemned to death — but their punishment was commuted to that of perpetual confinement. On the l^Vth of January, 1847, Governor Young, the successor of Mr. Wright, by his proclamation, released from the State's prison the whole number of eighteen, who had been committed for anti-rent offences. The inauguration of James K. Folk as President of the United S*:ates took place on the fourth of March, 1845. He had served the country as governor of the State of Tennessee, and for fourteen years had been a member of the House of Represen- tatives in Congress from that State, and had been several times chosen speaker of that body. His cabinet was selected from the first men of his party. In 1845 the government of the United States sent an ambassador to Mexico to settle the boundaries, and arrange any difficulties that existed between the two countries; but, on his arrival, the IMexican government refused to receive him. In the meantime the American army had been ordered to march to the Rio ^^^^^ ^- ^''^'^^ Grande, and in 184G hostilities commenced between the two countries. Alexico claimed that the limits of Texas properly ended at the Neuces river, while the Texans insisted that their boundary was the Rio Grande. Thus the region between these two rivers became a debatable land, claimed by both parties, and a source of great and immediate danger. It was evident that Mexico was about to occupy this region with her troops, and the legislature of Texas, alarmed by the threatening attitude of that countr}', called upon the United States government to protect its territor}^ The President at once sent General Zachary Taylor with a force of fifteen hundred regular troops, called the " army of occupation," to "take position in the country between the Neuces and the Rio Grande, and to repel any invasion of the Texan territor3^" 256 THE NEW REPUBLIC. General Taylor accordingly took position at CorjDns Christi, at the mouth of the Neuces, in September, 1845, and remained there until the spring of 1840. At the same time a squadron of war vessels under Com- modore Conner was despatched to the Gulf to cooperate with General Taylor. Both of these officers " were ordered to commit no act of hostility against Mexico unless she declared war, or was herself the aggressor by striking the first blow." In the war that followed, the Americans were successful in every /////^.^ ///yy yftui^ y y^^ UEUTENANT GRANT GOING FOR AMMUNITION AT MONTEREY. engagement. They took possession of all their chief cities and towns, and even their strong fortress at Vera Cruz. They conquered several provinces north and east of the capital, and on the 23d of August, 1847, they took possession of the City of Mexico. Their armies were then spread over the country to occupy the principal cities. In Ma}", 1848, peace was declared, and the American troops were withdrawn from the country. It was at the battle of Montere}^ that one of our great generals in the Civil War first exhibited those daring qualities that afterward gave him fame. General Grant, then an unknown young lieutenant, was in the battle, and distinguished himself on account of " gallant and meritorious services." THE NEW REPUBLIC. 257 Several times during the battle lie demonstrated his superior judgment and courage, not more in the fierce charge, than in volunteering to make a dangerous ride under fire, in search of ammunition. The 4tli of March, 1849, fell on Sunday, and the inauguration of General Taylor as President of the United States took place on Monday, the 5th of March. The new Presi- dent was a native of Virginia, but had removed with his parents to Kentuck}^ at an early age, and tad grown up to manhood on the fron_ tiers of that State, In 1808, at the age of twenty-four, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the army by President Jefferson, and had spent fort}'' j-ears in the military service of the country. His exploits in the Flor- ida war, and the war with Mexico, have been related. His zachary taylor. brilliant victories in Mexico had made him the most popular man in the United States, and had won him the high office of the Presidenc}^ He was without political experience, but he was a man of pure and stainless integrity, of great firmness, a sincere patriot, and possessed of strong, good sense. He had received a majority of the electoral votes of both the Northern and Southern States, and was free from party or sectional ties of any kind. 17 258 THE NEW REPUBLIC. On the liOtli of January, 1850, Henry Clay introduced into the Senate a series of resolutions, designed to settle all the points in dispute by a general compromise. The resolutions was referred to a committee of thir- teen, of which Mr. Clay was made chair- man. In due time the committee re- ported a bill, known as the " Omnibus Bill," from its em- bracing in one meas- ure all Mr. Clay's propositions. It pro- vided for the admis- sion of California as a free State ; the organization of the Territories of Utah and New ^lexico, without reference to slavery; the adjust- ment of the bound- ary between Texas and New IMexico, by paying to the former ten millions of dollars ; the aboli- tion of the slave trade in the District of Columbia ; and MILLARD FILLMORE. ^j^^ enactment by Congress of a more stringent and effective law for the return to their masters of fugitive slaves. The Omnibus bill was warmly opposed in Congress, and in the country at large. The debate in the Senate brought out the views of the leading statesmen of the countr3^ Senator Jefferson Davis declared the bill in no sense a compromise, because it M-as unequal in its provisions. The. THE NEW REPUBLIC. 259 South, he declared, gained nothing by this measure, as the Constitution already required the rendition of fugitive slaves. He proposed, therefore, that the Missouri Compromise line should be extended to the Pacific, " with the specific recognition of the right to hold slaves in the territory below that line." Mr. Clay replied to this that "no earthly power could induce him to vote for a specific measure for the introduction of slavery where it had not existed, either north or south of that line. I am unwilling that the pos- terity of the present inhabitants of California and New Mexico should reproach us for doing just what we reproach Great Britain for doing to us. If the citizens of those Territories come here with constitutions establishing slavery, I am for admitting them into the Union ; but then it will be their own work, and not ours, and their posterity will have to reproach them, and not us." Mr. Calhoun was too ill to take part in the debate in person, but he prepared a speech of great ability, which was read for him in the Senate by Senator Mason, of Virginia. He declared that the Union could be pre- served only by maintaining an equal number of free and slave States, in order that the representation of the two sections of the country might be equal in the Senate of the United States. Great Union Speech by Webster. Mr. Webster also took part in the debate, and on this occasion delivered what is known as his " great Union speech of the 7th of March," which occupied three days in its delivery. He expressed substantially the same views as those advocated by Mr. Clay. His speech created a profound sensation throughout the country, and did much to secure the final accept- ance of the compromise measures. A few months later, President Taylor was suddenly stricken down with a fever, which, in a few days, terminated fatally. He died on the 9th of Juh^, 1850, amid the grief of the whole country, which felt that it had lost a faithful and upright chief magistrate. Though the successful candidate of one political party, his administration had received the earnest support of the best men of the country, without regard to party, and his death was a national calamity. He had held office only sixteen months, but had shown himself equal to his difficult and delicate position. He was sixty-six years old at the time of his death. By the terms of the 2G0 THE NEW REPUBLIC. Constitution, the office of President devolved upon Millard Fillmore, Vice- President of the United States. President Pierce took the oath of office at the capitol at Washington on the 4tli of March, 185:), in the presence of an immense throng. He Avas in his forty-ninth year, and had won an enviable name by his previous services to the country. He was a native of New Hampshire, and had represented that State for ^our years in the Lower House of Congress, and for nearly a full term in the Senate of the United States. He had also served with distinction during the Mexican war, as a brigadier-general. In February, 1854, the American mer- chant steamer "Black Warrior" was seized by the Spanish authorities at Havana, on the pretext that she had evaded or violatec some uncertain revenue law, and the ship and her cargo were declared confiscated. This action of the Havana officials was ;'^. regarded in the United States as unjust, and aroused a great deal of feeling against the Spaniards, and gave a sudden impetus to the national sentiment in favor of the acquisition of Cuba. The affair of the " Black Warrior " was satisfactorily settled by the Spanish government. While the feeling aroused by the affair was at its height a conference of some of the American ministers in Europe, including Mr. Buchanan, minister to England, Mr. Mason, minister to France, and Mr. Soule, min- ister to Spain, and some others, was held at Ostend, in Belgium, and a circular was adopted recommending the acquisition of Cuba by the United States. This measure attracted much attention, and elicited considerable European criticism of the alleged ambitious designs of the United States. ]\Ir. Soule, on his return to Madrid, was stopped at Calais b}^ order of the emperor of the French, who had personal reasons for disliking him. The emperor, however, reconsidered his action, and allowed Soule to pass through France to the Spanish frontier. FRANKLIN PIERCE. CHAPTER XXV. OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. AMES BUCHANAN, the fifteenth President of the United States, was inaugurated at Washington on the 4th of March, 1857. He was in his sixty-sixth year, and was a statesman of great accom- plishments and ripe experience. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1791, and was by profession a lawyer. He had served his state in Congress as a representative and a senator, had been minister to Russia under President Jackson, and bad been a member of the cabinet of President Polk as secretary of state. During the four year previous to his election to the presidency he had resided abroad as the minister of the United States to Great Britain, and in tbat capacity bad greatly added to his reputation as a statesman. During tbe whole of Mr. Buchanan's administration the question of slavery in the territories continued to engross the minds of the people. In Kansas, which had not j^et been admitted as a state into the Union, there sprang up a bitter warfare between the party favoring slavery and the party opposed to it. John Brown, an eccentric yet sincere and earnest opponent of slavery, took part in the struggle, and afterwards attempted, with a small band of follow^ers, to strike a death-blow at slavery in West Virginia. He seized the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry, and gave orders for the arrest of prominent citizens. He was apprehended, tried on the charge of having committed treasonable acts, and was executed. His band of followers was dispersed, yet such was his heroism, and so deep an impression did his self-sacrificing spirit make upon a multitude of people at the north that thousands were animated by his example, and the well-known song begin- ning, "John Brown's body lies mouldering in the ground," was sung as a war-cry by the Union army. The anti- slavery party in Kansas finally triumphed, and the territor}^ was admitted into the Union as a free state. The people of the south, with a resolve quite unanimous, determined to sever their connection with 261 262 OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. tlie other states and form an independent Confederacy. South Carolina was the first state to take this serious step, which was the forerunner of one of the greatest conflicts known in histor3\ Virginia was the last of the Southern States to secede, and this was done contrary to the wishes of many of her people. Previous to this, in the election of 18G0, Abraham Lin- coln, the nominee of the Republican par- ty, had been chosen President of the United States, an act that gave offence to the South. Mr. Lin- coln M-as born in Kentucky, in 1809, of poor but honest parents. His father removed in 1817 to Indiana. The lad accompanied him, and, young as he was, aided in build- ing the log cabin which sheltered the family ; and after- wards, on their re- moval to Illinois, by helping to split the JAMES BUCHANAN. rails which fenced the farm, he obtained the title of " Rail-Splitter," which, though meant to be opprobrious, he regarded as most honorable. When President of the United States he carried a cane manufactured from one of those very rails, by which his honest and faithful industry had aided his indigent parents. His mother had early taught him to read the Bible, and imbued his OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. 263 mind witli its lioly moralit}'. Slie also taught him to write, and to com- municate his thoughts by writing. Everything was done that the poverty of the family allowed, to assist him in gaining from common schools an imperfect education. Among his few books were two biographies of Wash- ington and one of Henry Cla}'. At the age of nineteen he was intrusted with the care of a flat-boat, in wdiicli he made a voyage to New Orleans. He boldly chose the law as his profession, though with very imperfect means of learning its principles ; but in the beginning of his practice he had a case in which he proved the innocence of a widow's son, who would otherwise have been condemned and im- prisoned. By this he gained friends and reputation. Following the examples of Washing- ton and Henry Clay, he ever took great interest in the political movements of his country, and he was put forward to vari- ous of&ces of trust, first, in the State, and then to a seat in the House of Represen- tatives in Congress ; and he was, at the time of his great dispute with Douglas, a rival candidate with him for a seat in the United States Senate. His innate sense of right, which he never weakened or debased, either as a lawyer or a politician, by speaking in favor of what he knew to be wrong, was his guide in making political as well as other dis- tinctions ; so that in debate his mind was never distracted by being divided against itself The whole man went one wa3^ His illustrations were always at hand, from a ready memory stored with abundant facts, which were often amusing, as seen through his love of the ludicrous. Hence his great success when the State became the arena of his remark- able dispute with Douglas, who was already famous as a speaker. Air. Lincoln, guarded by troops, was inaugurated President on the 4th of March, 1861. In his inaugural address he tried to convince the South that they had, in the Constitution of the United States, a remedj^ for all their grievances, his earnest desire being to prevent the flow of blood. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 264 OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. Soon after the secession of the Southern States they organized a gov- ernment, and made choice of Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, as President, and Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia, as Vice-President. South Carolina had, on the 14th of January, 18G1, declared in her Legislature that any attempt to reinforce Fort Sumter would be regarded as a declaration of war. April 11th, Governor Pickens, in a note to Alajor Robert Anderson, commanding Fort Sumter, ordered him to deliver up the fort. Anderson answered that he had no power to comply. The navy-yards at Brooklyn received orders to have vessels in readi- ness to send supplies to the beleaguered. Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor. Sup- plies were sent by the " Star of the West,'^ but did not arrive in season, the vessel having retreated from the harbor after being fired upon. These were, in reality,, the first hostile shots from the Soutli on the national flag, though the attack on Fort Sumter is regarded as the beginning- of the war. The attack was conducted by Gen. G, ^ T. Beauregard, favorably known in con- nection with the ]\Iexican war, now ap- pointed to the chief command of the Con- federate forces. The assault was opened at four o'clock of April 12th, when w-as fired the first gun of the terrible civil war which ensued. The fort was sur- rendered on the afternoon of the 13th, after Anderson and his brave band of seventy men had fought for thirty-four hours, exposed to death by shot,, shell and conflagration. Major Anderson reports that he " marched out on the 14th with colors flying and drums beating, bringing away company and private property, and saluting our flag with fifty guns." The men carried away the flag they had defended. That same day and hour, four 3'ears aftenvards, that memorable flag was restored, and again waved over the shattered remains of Fort Sumter. The lightning of the telegraph flashed the news over the country that the flag was dishonored and the life of the nation threatened. ]\Ir. Lin- JEFFERSON DAVIS. OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. 265 coin, nerving himself to the terrible emergency, immediately issued a proclamation, in which he called for 75,000 troops, and convened Congress to meet on the 4th of July. There was a great uprising in the North and troops were hurried forward to Washington. The troops collected in the vicinity of Washington had surrounded the city with fortifications. Security was felt, and the cry " On to Richmond " began. General Scott had allowed himself to be misguided by it, and. unwisely to sanction an onward movement, the command of which he gave to General Irwin McDowell, and which resulted in the disastrous battle of Manassas, or Bull Run. This was the name of a small af- fluent of the Ocoquan River. 0:i this, thirt3^-seveu miles from Alex- andria, and near the important point of JManassas Junction (so called from the meeting of railroads), the Con- federates, anticipating the move- ment, had been for some time pre- paring their battle-ground. They had so arranged their ami}' that when the Union force should ap- pear they might be lured to a cer- tain fortified position on the stream. General Joseph E. Johnston, who had commanded a force of sev- geneiial joseph e. johnston. eral thousands at Harper's Ferry, after burning the bridge across the Poto- mac, removed his troops to Winchester, where was the able officer General Thomas J. Jackson, with his brigade, and a corps of cavalry. General Scott had, in the meantime, sent General Patterson, with an ample force, to keep General Johnston from leaving the valley of Virginia; but having Manas- sas in view, Johnston, after amusing Patterson with a skirmish at " Fall- ing Waters," eluded him, and escaped with his force through a gap in the mountain, in time to turn the fortunes of the da\^ at Alanassas. General McDowell moved from Washington on the IGth of Juh^, 1861. On the 18th, the army passed through Centre ville, their enemy luring 266 OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. them on as he quietly retired before them. A conflict in advance of the final battle, however, occurred, in which the losses of the combatants were eightj'-three Union and sixty-eight Confederate. General Beauregard, who commanded the Confederates, wished to delay the final action, to give the necessary time for Johnston to join him from the valle}', and General ^McDowell was obliged to defer the battle one day to receive provisions. On the morning of the 21st the attack, which was to have been made at six o'clock, was delaj-ed for two or three hours. "There is Jackson, standing like a stone wall." Johnston had, meanwhile, arrived with a part of his force. His encoun- ter with Colonel Ambrose Burnside was the opening of the fight. It was at first a hotl}"- contested field, and such as did no discredit on either side to American valor and military skill. The advantage at first was on the side of the Unionists. Sherman, since so well known, was here distin- guished. But while flushed with well-grounded hopes of victor}-, the Union- ists were suddenly assaulted with a fresh body of nearly 3,000 troops arrived by the railroad from the West, under General E. K. Smith, with cavalry under Jackson. The Confederate General Bee called to him, " Gen- eral, they are beating us back." Then turning to his men he exclaimed, ^' Look, there is Jackson, standing like a stone wall." The troops rallied, and though Bee was killed, the da}^ was won for the Confederates. The Unionists could not, b}- the utmost efforts of their officers, be rallied, and their retreat became at length a panic-stricken rout. The day when the telegraph sent throughout the North the unex- pected news of this defeat, is 3'et known as "dark Monda}' ;" the darkest day of the war. A pursuit was not ordered, though President Davis him- self was, at the close of the battle, on the ground. Jackson said : " Give me 10,000 men and I will take Washington ;" and probabl}^ he could then have done so ; for he possessed a genius for war perhaps greater than any other developed b}^ the American conflict. Ball's Bluff, an eminence on the upper Potomac, opposite Harrison's /Island, became known as the scene of a disastrous conflict. About 2,000 of the Union arm}-, under command of Ccl. H. Baker, of California, were emploj^ed by General Stone, of IMassachusetts, in connection with other forces, to reconnoitre, and learn the position of the Confederates under General Bvans, extending along tlie \^irginia side of the Potomac. By a OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. 267 skilfully concealed and superior force, Evans furiously assaulted Baker's command, which bravely stood firm till their gallant commander fell. They were then forced in M'ild disorder to the stream, where no adequate means had been provided for them to cross. One crazy scow was soon filled and swamped, and the men, with others, were shot as they were swimming to the further shore. Seeing escape was hopeless, 500 gave themselves up as prisoners. Lieutenant-Gen- eral Scott, on ac- count of lameness and other infirmi- ties, requested, in a note to the Sec- retary of War, to be relieved of his high command, and now onerous duties. With every demon- stration of respect from the President, and a special Cab- inet council, his request was com- plied with. Gen. G. GENERAL GEORGE B. McCLELLAN. B. McClellaU WaS thereupon appointed to succeed him as commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, now in command at Cairo, made a demonstration on Belmont, in Missouri, a landing-place on the JMississippi River, opposite to Columbus, Ky., and the headquarters of the Secession force opposed to Cairo. In Belmont, which was connected by a ferry with Columbus, was 268 OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. a camp, wliicli Grant took with its mmiitions ; having at the time drawn off the attention of the Confederates by a feigned attack on Columbns, which he had ordered from Paducah. Before Grant had withdrawn his men, howev^er, su^^erior forces under General Polk and General Pillow attacked them; and, though in the desperate fighting which ensued, their valor won them honor, they could not claim the victory. An important expedition left Hampton Roads on the 29tli of October, under Commodore Dupont, with a fleet of sixty ships, bearing a land-force of 10,000, under the command of Gen. W. T. Sherman. Their destination was Port Roj^al and Hilton Head, on the coast of South Carolina. On the 7th of November they attacked the two new forts, Walker and Beauregard, commanding the entrance of Port Royal ; and here the ships, by skillful firing and manoeuvring, in four hours performed an extraordinarj^ feat, proving that moving water-craft can defeat and silence stationary forts. On landing, forty-three heavy cannon w^ere seized, but the garrison escaped. The adjoining sea-islands, so fruitful in the best of cotton, were thus com- manded by the Unionists, wdio encouraged the negroes to remain and cultivate them. Beaufort was soon after occupied. Immense Army in the Field. At the assembling of Congress early in December, the reports of the Secretaries showed that the government had in service 682,000 soldiers, and 22,000 seamen and marines. These had mostly been raised by voluntary enlistment, excited by large bounties and high pa}^ ; but the expense was appalling. A popular loan system was ingeniousl}^ devised by the able Secretary of the Treasur}^, Salmon P. Chase. The entire force of the Confederates at this time was estimated at 350,000. Their funds were raised by loans from enthusiastic friends, and by Confederate bills representing money, and at first answering its purpose ; but, like the Continental money of the Revolution, continually dimin- ishing in value. Gen. George H. Thomas, encountered, near Mill Springs, in South- eastern Kentucky, the Confederate Generals Zollikoffer and Crittenden, and gained a victory ; for w^hicli he received the thanks of the President, — com- municated by Edwin M. Stanton, now Secretar}^ cf War, in place of vSimon Cameron, resigned. In this battle General Zollikoffer M-as killed. On the 2d of Februarv, General Grant sailed from Cairo, with Com- OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. 269 modore Foote cominandiug a fleet of gunboats and transports. Entering the Tennessee River at Paducah, they proceeded to Fort Henr}-, near the southern border of Kentucky, which, after a short, but earnest, resistance, was evacuated and taken. The expedition proceeded as far as Florence, at the foot of the muscle-shoals, in Alabama. This unexpected appearance of the old Union flag was hailed by the lo3^alists, not unfrequently, with tears of jo}^ Twelve miles east, on tlie Cumberland River, lay the formidable fortress of Fort Donelson, garrisoned by 15,000 men, which Grant resolved to attack. The gunboats were to co-operate on their return from Florence. Grant, meantime, marched across the country, and, at the head of 15,000 troops, proceeded to invest the stronghold. Unfortunately, a brave, but premature, attack was made on the works by a portion of the army under Gen. Lewis Wallace. On the arrival of the gunboats, Foote at once ran his iron-clad steamers close to the batteries, from which, however, they received so deadly a fire, that his flag-ship and ten others were disabled. He withdrew with the loss of fifty- four men killed and wounded. Capture of Fort Donelson. The attack by water having failed. Grant besieged the fort, hoping the further co-operation of the boats. General Floyd, commander of the garrison, attempted now to retreat to Nashville ; but was attacked by Grant's army, and, after a bloody battle, Avith severe loss on both sides. Fort Donelson was surrendered. Floyd and Pillow having fled with a brigade up the river, the formalities of surrender were enacted by General Buckner, the third in command. Nashville was now open to the Unionists, and was •occupied by them Avithin a week. Columbus, after the fall of the forts, was abandoned by the Confed- erates, after first moving what they could of their guns and munitions further down the river, to Island No. 10, a few miles above New Madrid. On the 3d of March, a body of Union cavalr}^ entered Columbus, and hoisted the national flag. On the 12th of January, there sailed from Hampton Roads, under Commodore Goldsborough, a fleet of 100 vessels of all classes, bearing land forces under General Burnside : they were destined to take Roanoke Island, on the coast of North Carolina. This spot, lying between Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, commanded their seashore, and had been strongly fortified 270 OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. with two new forts, bearing forty-three guns, and garrisoned by 3,000 men. The invaders made their entrance into the inner waters at Hatteras Inlet^ the same as in the former expedition; but a storm of terrible length and violence delayed them, and it was not until the 3d of February that the attack on the forts could be begun. Colonel Shaw, their commandant, resisted bravely till the evening of the 5th, when he surrendered. A small fleet of gunboats, under Commodore L3nich, had aided the forts, but now withdrew to Elizabeth Cit}-, to which place the Union vessels pursued them : they were all destroyed but two, which escaped up the Dismal Swamp Canal. In an attack on Fort Blanchard, Colonel Russell, of Con- necticut, was killed ; and, on the Confederate side, Capt. O. J. Wise, son of the ex-governor of Virginia, lost his life. Bloody Battle of Pea Ridge. In Missouri, after Fremont and Hunter had retired. General Halleck, who succeeded in command, had by judicious military operations driven Price across the State line into Arkansas. General Curtiss co-operated — while Price was joined by Generals Van Dorn and McCulloch, the former in command of a Confederate force said now to be 30,000 strong. Here the bloody battle of Pea Ridge occurred, lasting two days. On the first day the Confederates had the advantage ; but on the second the valor and conduct of the German General Sigel turned the fortunes of the field. The Confederates were defeated, and two Generals, McCulloch and Mcintosh, were killed. On the same day as the battle of Pea Ridge occurred the wonderful affair of the ram '' Merrimac." In no particular did the American war attract attention throughout the civilized world more than in the changes in naval warfare brought about by the iron-coating of vessels, making them impenetrable to shot. The Confederates had thus iron-plated the sides, and made roof-like the top of the old U. S. steam frigate " Merrimac," and had fastened to the bow an immense iron prong. Its destructive powers were appreciated, The Union Navy Department^ as well as several patriotic individuals, encouraged Mr. Ericsson, a Swede, in a plan which he had invented of a steam water-craft to meet this ram " Merrimac.'' On the morning of March 8 it was seen advancing upon the Union fleet in Hampton Roads. Regardless of terrific broadsides, the ram steered directly up to the frigate "Cumberland," struck her with the OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. 271 iron prong, and beat a large hole in her side. She sank, and half her crew were lost. The "]\Ierrimac" next sought the frigate "Congress," which struck her colors, and at night was burned. Another frigate, the "Minnesota," had run aground, and the "IMerrimac" rested. Amazement and dread sat on every countenance; was the whole navy to be thus destroyed? The next morning — so had Providence ordered — the little Ericsson' battery, called a "Monitor," appeared, commanded by Lieutenant Worden. IRON-CLAD GUNBOAT. She seemed like a small raft, with a revolving turret, in which were two enormous guns. As the "Merrimac" approached to assault the "Minne- sota," this little craft closed with her in a deadly conflict which lasted several hours. The "Merrimac" was finally obliged to succumb, and drew off totally disabled, never again to renew the conflict. In abandoning Columbus, the Confederates had made a stand at Island No. 10, in the Mississippi River, four miles above New Madrid. To take this island General Pope was sent by General Halleck with a land force, to co-operate with Commodore Foote with a fleet of gunboats, prepared at 272 OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR Cairo for this purpose. A memorable event occurred in the capture of this island; this was the cutting of a channel twelve miles long, through a part of which Colonel Bissell, of the engineer corps, had to employ his men in sawing off large trees four feet under water. Through this channel a part of the army of General Pope were moved to New ]\Iadrid, and thus the island, invested from above and below, was besieged for three weeks. Commodore Foote then determined, despite a hostile fleet, on running the gunboats past the forts on the island. The iron-clad steamer "Caron- delet,'' Captain AValke, was selected, and in a thunder-storm on the night of the 5th of April she accomplished the perilous success. The remainder of the fleet followed on the succeeding night, and debarked a land force. The Confederates at once, and without a conflict, evacuated the island. General W. D. McCall surrendered 5,000 soldiers, a great quantity of ammunition, tents, horses, etc., with more than 200 cannon. Surrender of Memphis. Some of their vessels the Confederates sank, but the larger part fell down the river to their next fortified point, which w^as Fort Pillow. There occurred severe naval fighting under Commodore Davis, to whom Foote had given over the command; but it was evacuated finally on the 4th of June. On the 5tli Commodore Davis assaulted the Confederate fleet in the harbor of Memphis, and after a fierce battle (there being iron-clad rams) victory remained with the Unionists, and Memphis, the largest cit}^ on the Mississippi between St. Louis and New Orleans, was now surrendered to the naval power of the Union. The Confederate army in the Southwest was under the command of General Beauregard and General A. S. Johnston, and was encamped at •Corinth, in Mississippi, near the Tennessee line. General Grant, intending to attack as soon as reinforcements under General Buell should arrive, had :arranged his army at Pittsburg Landing, in Tennessee, on the west side of the Tennessee River, and twenty miles from Corinth. The three divisions of his army under Sherman, McClernand and Prentiss, ^vere the -most advanced. To attack this army before it was reinforced, Beauregard and Johnston had urged forward their forces in three divisions, under Generals Hardee, Bragg and Polk. Leaving Corinth on the 4th, they had hoped to arrive vOn the -5th, but were delayed until early on the morning of the Gth. Their OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. 273 attack was so spirited, and so little expected, that at first the advanced Union divisions were thrown into great confusion. The soldiers were driven from tlieir camps, and some, never having been in battle, fled like cowards. The officers made desperate efforts to rall}^ the fugitives, and to /)rni and direct regiments that stood firm. Sherman was twice wounded, and had three horses killed under him. The Confederates, oil their side, fought with great bravery, and were managed with much skill. Johnston fell, and the sole command now devolved upon Beauregard. The Unionists, on the first day of this great battle, were driven a mile and a half from their camps on the high ground, where the small church of Shiloli stood, to the low banks of the river. Here Colonel Webster had found cannon sufficient for a powerful bat- tery, and when the •Confederates had formed for a final general w. t. sherman. effort, he opened it upon them with prodigious effect. At the same time two gunboats, lying in the river, had, b}^ putting into the mouth of a small stream, found a gap through which they could reach them with shells, and thus, just at night, they were obliged to fall back to the camps. 18 274 OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. Thus the Union army were preserved from destruction, and, knowing- that help was near, they rested on the bloody field, confident of regaining their losses the next day. The army of General Buell had, by General Grant, been hurried on, and arriving on the opposite bank of the Ten- nessee, they were ferried over that river during the dark and rainy night, and were ready at morning to aid those who the day before had fought so desperately. History makes mention of few battles fought on both sides with more courage and military skill than brother Americans here displa3-ed in destro^-ing each other. Success fluctuated, but finally the Unionists regained their lost guns and camps, and the Confederates retired, but they did so without confusion and in good order. Great Losses of both Armies. II General Beauregard, during the night, drew off the remains of his ami}', and directed his course to Corinth. He sent to General Grant for permission to bury his dead, and also that some who had lost friends might be allo\ved to seek for them. General Grant replied that he had already caused all who had fallen to be buried. Strewn upon the bloody field had lain 10,000 dead, and twice that number wounded, a destruction far exceeding that of any other battle ever before fought within the limits of Republican America. General Halleck now arrived. By his rank he superseded in command both Grant and Buell. He moved his army nearer to Corinth, and General Grant urged, though vainly, an immediate attack. On the 29th of April General Beauregard, not feeling strong enough to meet so large a force, aban- doned his encampment, taking away all his guns, and removing or destroying his munitions. On the 23d of July General Halleck (General McClellan's com- mand being confined to the Army of the Potomac) was made General-in-chief, and ordered to Washington, the army being sent in different directions. CHAPTER XXVI. CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. )E go back in tHe order of time. The attention of republican America was now fixed on the main Union army concentrated near Washington, and to be employed against Richmond by McClellan. This army was kept back inactive till the middle of March, in order, says General McClellan, to be disciplined, formed, and instructed, and a formidable artillery to be created ; and, while other armies were first to move and accomplish certain results, this one might then give the death-blow to the rebellion. Previous to this period. General McClellan had ordered movements, as commander-in-chief, extending over the whole country. Afterwards his command was cut down to the army of the Potomac ; and parts of that army, which were to co-operate with him, w^ere directed to other objects. Concerning no other officer of the war has the country been so divided in its opinion. It was on the 17th of March, 1862, that McClellan began embarking from Alexandria the main portion of his army, amounting to 85,000 men, in transports, for Fortress Monroe, where they debarked about the 1st of April. On the 4 th he received an astounding report from the War Depart- ment at Washington, that parts of the army whose co-operation, under General Banks and McDowell, he was to have received by a direct route as he approached Richmond, were to be diverted to other objects. He obtained, however, an increase of his force of 11,000 men, sent by General Franklin from McDowell's corps, and he made such representations at Washington, that he continued to advance with the strong hope that the original plan of the campaign might yet be carried out. General Joseph E- Johnston was in command of the Confederate military operations ; but the engineering skill of General Robert K. Lee had planned their great system of defence. General McClellan marched twenty miles to besiege Yorktown, in a violent rain over a miry road. The siege was memorable for the military skill displayed on both 275 276 CAMPAIGXS OF McCLLLLAN AND LEE. sides. At length, when McClellan was about to storm the works, the Confederates abandoned their stronghold, and on the night of the 4th of Ma}' silently withdrew. Gloucester, on the opposite side of York River, fell with Yorktown, and its guns and munitions also helped to increase the stores of the Unionists. General McClellan, on the morning of the 5th, ordered forward in pursuit cavalry and horse artiller}', under General Stoneman. This led to the battle of Williamsburg. The pursuing part}'- encountered a severe attack amidst rain and mire, and fought with determined bravery — Stoneman being relieved by Hooker, and he, after hours of fighting, by Kearney. Hancock had meantime flanked the Confederates, when they withdrew and evacuated Williamsburg, their policy being to delay the advance of their enemy, and thus gain time to perfect the defences of Richmond. Military Operations at Norfolk. Meantime General Wool, having obtained, during a visit of President Lincoln to him at Fortress Monroe, his consent for capturing Norfolk, marched to the assault at the head of 5000 men; but when he arrived at the fortified camp of General Huger, the Confederate commander, he found it had been evacuated. Citizens of Norfolk surrendered the city to General Wool. Huger had taken away or destroyed all the guns and munitions possible. The dreaded " Merrimac " still lay at Craney Island; but the next day after General Wool's arrival, her commander blew her up. A naval expedition was now set on foot by Commodore Goldsborough, to go up the James River, and co-operate with General McClellan. The vessels, among which was the "Monitor," assaulted Fort Darling, se\-en miles from Richmond; but, after an unsuccessful engagement, the attempt failed. General McClellan advanced; and, on the 15tli of May, his army was at the White House, a point where the Pamunky branch of the York River is intersected by a railroad from West Point to Richmond, it being under- stood that his supplies were to be sent to the White House by the way of the Potomac, Chesapeake Bay, and James River. The confidence in the co-operation of McDowell, with which McClellan had undertaken the capture of Richmond, had been shaken, but was renewed; and he went forward, confidently expecting his arrival from the North, his headquarters being at Fredericksburg. Learning that a Confederate force CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. 277 was at Hanover Court House, through which McDowell must pass, McCIellan, on the 27th, detached a force under General Fitz-John Porter, when, after a march of fourteen miles, and a spirited engagement, the Confederates were driven from the field, and the way for the expected advance opened ; and McClellan's last orders at night were, that McDow- ell's signals were to be listened for, and without a mo- ment's delay re- ported to him. But those signals were never made. General Mc- Dowell, much to his discontent, was recalled by Presi- dent Lincoln to guard Washing- ton, which was threatened by the Confederates, led by Stonewall Jack- son, who, in the Valle}^ of the Shen- andoah, had over- come the Union forces under Gen- erals IMilro}^, Fre- mont, and Banks, general t. j. (stonewall) jackson. in sanguinary battles fought at Front Royal, Kernestown, and Winchester. On the 25th of May, General McCIellan began crossing his army over the Chickahominy, at Bottom's Bridge, ten miles from Richmond. But a violent storm so raised the river as to destroy his new bridges before his army had completely crossed them. As the storm cleared away, on the 29th, the Confederates discovered that the army was thus divided by the 278 CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. river; and, taking advantage of this, the}' attacked, on the 31st, at noon, with great fury. Some of the front ranks, seized with panic, fled, while their officers vainly sought to rally them ; but other and firmer spirits taking their places, the day was recovered, and closed with almost the whole field in posses- sion of the Unionists. The Confederates, trusting to regain the battle, renewed it the next morning ; but McClellan's army were now prepared, and the fight resulted in a Union victory. The carnage had been great on both sides. Joseph E. Johnston was carried from, the field severel}' wounded, and General Robert E. Lee was appointed to succeed him. Severe Engagements in Virginia. General (Stonewall) Jackson, the hero of the Vallc}^, pursued Banks to the Potomac, and entered Harper's Ferr}^ His advance, so sudden and unexpected, had spread consternation. The President, as we have seen, recalled McDowell to the defence of Washington, thus defeating the plans of McClellan. The Secretary of War called on Northern Governors for troops. Jackson received, at Harper's Ferry, intelligence that Shields, sent by McDowell from Fredericksburg, and Fremont coming from the South branch of the Potomac, were moving to form a junction at Strasburg, in his rear ; but Jackson, with his wonted celerit}^ had passed Strasburg before Fremont and Shields arrived. The}^ pursued him along the passes of the mountains, but could not bring him to a stand, his rear being guarded by cavalry, commanded by that wonderful cavalry officer, Colonel Ashby, who died fighting, near Har- risonburg, before Jackson reached Port Republic. Here Jackson determined to make a stand, believing that the two pursuing armies were so situated that they might be fought separately, and defeated in detail; and in the event so it proved. A sanguinary battle was fought on the 8th and 9th of June, in which the Unionists were defeated. Jackson, with his remaining army, backed through a mountain pass, and joined Lee at Richmond. He had received from him an order, which his messenger delivered, directed to Stonewall Jackson, somewhere. After the first battle of Fair Oaks, McClellan had occupied his army r more than three weeks in constructing intrenchments, which extended twelve miles east and northeast of Richmond, on both sides of the Chicka- hominy, the nearest point being five miles distant. CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. 279 On the otHer hand, Lee and his assistants had intrenched Richmond by all the improved methods of modern art. McClellan was meantime urging on Mr. Lincoln and General Halleck, who had been called to Washington as commander-in-chief, the necessity of more troops to enable him to take Richmond. The Confederate leader was watching him. He sent General Stuart, his able cavalry commander, who rode qnite around McClellan's camp, and had discovered one unguarded point. Lee had meantime found means to summon Stonewall Jackson from the valley, and was now fully ready to ■commence the memorable seven days fighting. This was begun on the 2Gth of June, 8-t "Fair Oaks" or "Seven Pines," the two adjoining stations nearest the city. McClellan pushed his left wing towards Richmond, and after a day's hard fighting, succeeded in gaining a mile. In the meantime Stone- wall Jackson had been sent b}^ Lee with a strong force to penetrate the centre of the Union army at the unguarded point, and thus, by a flank movement, divide the right wing from the left. Severe Fighting and Dreadful Carnage. General Lee co-operated by attacking the left wing in front. This was on the 27th, at Mechanicsville. Meantime, three miles east, Jackson, after a detour, had made a fearful attack. IMcClellan prevented the capture of his whole left wing by immediately ordering his forces to retreat from Mechanicsville. Severe was the fighting, and dreadful the carnage. The Confederates were victorious, but they did not accomplish their purpose of ■dividing the army, though they caused McClellan to abandon his fortifica- tions on the left bank of the Chickahominy, and cut him off from his base of supplies. Anticipating that such might be the case, he had prepared for the ■emergency, and so succeeded in masking his intentions that the Confed- erates found little spoil at the White House; the stores and munitions having been brought in wagons to his camp, or embarked in transports to be sent up the James River, to which McClellan now directed the march of his army. He succeeded in safely conducting his long train of supplies, and finally saving his hard-pressed and diminished arm}^ — marching by night and fighting by day. At Malvern Hill was the last battle, and it was one of the most .sanguinary of the war. From the 26th of June to the 1st of July, inclusive, 280 CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. tlie army of the Potomac lost 15,249 men. The army embarked at Harrison's Landing, on James River, and was at length removed by water to the vicinity of Alexandria. New Orleans was then the second city in the United States in a com- mercial and mili- tary view — the most important in the Confeder- ac3^ Plan s for its capture were early set on foot. Captain David G. Farragut, of the nav}^, was select- ed to prepare for the expedition and command the naval force,- with. General B.F.But- ler to lead the land arm}'. Cap- tain Farragut was- a native of Ten- nessee, and at the age of fourteen 3'ears had distin- guished hi n: self as a midshipman on board the frig- ate Essex, Com- modore Porter, COMMODORE DAVID G. FARRAGUT. in tllC bloodicst naval battle in the last war Avitli England. At the opening of the Civil AVar he left his home in Norfolk, Va , took his family to New York, and hastened to Washington to offer his services to his country. Captain Farragut sailed from Hampton Roads February 3d, with a fleet cf forty-six vessels (including mortar-boats, under Commodore Porter), the: CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. 281 whole bearing three hundred guns of different descriptions. As a prelimi- nary measure, General Butler had already sent Brigadier-General John W. Phelps, of Vermont, to occup}^ Ship Island, lying off the southern coast of the Mississippi. The fleet arrived at Ship Island the 20th of February, and after making a reconnoissance, Captain Farragut decided to enter the Mississippi through its mouths, or "passes," knowing that after ascending twenty-five miles he would find on opposite sides of the river the two strong forts, Jackson (the stronger), and Fort Philip, seventy-five miles from the cit}^ of New Orleans. The Confederate Fleet Captured by Farragut. On entering the river, the bars at the mouth detained the fleet, but the}' were all passed by the 5th of April. The Confederate fleet, long sheltered under the guns of the forts, was commanded by Commodore G. N. Hollins, and consisted of thirteen gunboats, and two powerful iron-clad steamers. A formidable chain was also extended from one fort to the other. So confident were the newspapers of the city in the sufficiency of their defences, that thc}^ published, "Our only fear is that our Northern invaders will not appear." On the ISth of April, the bombardment opened, tlie mortar vessels taking the lead, and each throwing a shell once in ten minutes. The}' were answered by the 225 guns of the forts, and the fire of the Confederate fleet. Five ships, cotton loaded, were sent down from New Orleans to mingle with, and set fire to the Union fleet. They did no harm. The bombard- ment of the forts continued five days. Then Commodore Farragut succeeded in breaking the boom, or chain, across the river. After a fierce conflict with the Confederate fleet, in vchich one of the Federal ships, the "Varuna," Captain Boggs, sunk or disabled five Confed- erate vessels, and was then run ashore in a sinking condition. Captain Farragut destroyed or captured the Confederate fleet. The forts were passed, and Commodore Porter was left, with the transports and a part of the fleet, to reduce them. They were silenced, and were surrendered on the 27th of April. Captain Farragut next proceeded, with nine vessels, to New Orleans, meeting burning vessels loaded with cotton, and other evidences of the destruction to which the Confederates had subjected their propert}-, rather than that it should fall into Union hands. 282 CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. On the 2Ctli Captain Farragut addressed a letter to Mayor Monroe, requesting him, since General Lovell, the military commander, had disap- peared, to see that no flag but that of the United States should be permitted to fl}^ in the presence of the fleet; and he ^particularly requested the mayor to see that there be no firing upon women and children for expressing pleasure at witnessing the old flag. Mayor Monroe answered him, " that the city was his 'by brutal force;' but as to his hoisting any flag not of their own adoption or allegiance, there lives not a man in our midst whose liand and heart would not be paralyzed at the mere thought of such an act." Insult to United States Officers. Captain Farragut, in answer, said, that not only was the flag of Ivouisiana still flying, but those officers whom he had sent to hoist the flag of the United States over the mint were grossly insulted, and he therefore requests that women and children be removed previous to his vindicating the honor of his government by shelling the city. The mayor refused, and the captain happil}- did not fulfil his threat. He left the command to General Butler, who landed on the 1st of May. Farragut was afterwards promoted to the rank of Commodore. The results of the expedition were the opening of the Mississippi to l>Jatchez, the capture of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and the occupation of a large part of the State of Louisiana. The troops operating in Northern Virginia under Generals McDowell, Fremont, and Banks, were all combined in one army under Major-General Pope. He took the field on July llth, his forces being stationed at Cul- pepper and Fredericksburg. The withdrawal of General McClellan's army from the Peninsula had left General Lee to direct all his forces against General Pope. By the 1st of August the Confederates were in motion, marching northward — intending to invade Maryland, and capture Washington and Baltimore. The plan of the campaign was to fall upon and crush the forces of General Pope before any part of General IMcClellan's army could be brought to his support. The first conflict occurred at Cedar Mountain, where General Banks met and repulsed the advance of General Lee. General Pope, however, being unable to check the superior force brought against him, retired behind the Rapidan. Here he was attacked, but maintained his position, and compelled General Lee to move higher up, and seek a pass through the Bull Run CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. 283 mountains. In the meantime, Stuart's cavalry got into Pope's rear, and captured several trains, and made many prisoners. Before General Lee could strike General Pope, a part of McClellan's army had arrived, and a severe battle was fought on the plains of Manassas, and another at Chan- tilly, in both of which General Pope was defeated. In the latter the Union Generals Stevens and Kearney were killed. The army was drawn into the defences at Washington. General Pope's losses in this campaign were estimated at 15,000 to 20,000. The way was now open to General Lee either to attack Washington or invade jMaryland. He chose the latter, and crossed the Potomac near Point of Rocks. He advanced as far as Frederick, where, on the 8th, he issued an address to the people, inviting them to join his standard. The Battle of Antietam, When General McClellan arrived in Washington he was within General Pope's department, and without a command. By direction of the President he was ordered to assume command of all the troops for the defence of the capital. He took measures immediately to check General Lee. By the 9th of September his army was within sixteen miles of Frederick, and so posted to command all the lower fords of the Potomac. As soon as Lee heard of the approach of McClellan he withdrew from Frederick, and took a strong position at South Mountain. At the same time he dispatched Stonewall Jackson with 25,000 men to capture Harper's Ferr}^ and after- wards to rejoin him. General McClellan overtook Lee at South Mountain, and at once assaulted his position. The battle raged all the afternoon, when the Con- federates were driven from their ground, and retreated to a position behind Antietam Creek. The Federal army occupied the battle-ground. The Federal forces at Harper's Ferr}^ numbered 13,000, commanded by Colonel IMiles. The place was not fortified, and was not, perhaps, defensible. Colonel Miles surrendered, without any effort at defence or escape. The consequences were disastrous. If he had held the place even for a day or two he would have prevented the junction of Jackson and Lee at Antietam. General McClellan pushed on his troops in pursuit cf Lee, and attacked him at Antietam. The battle began early in the morning, and raged all day. Attack and defence were obstinate on both sides ; the ground was alternately lost and won, and nightfall left both armies on the field of 284 CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. battle, apparently read}^ to rcsniiie the contest in the morning. General McClellan being the attacking part}', and having Avon some points of the Confederate position, had the advantage. But he did not deem it prudent to renew the attack the next da}-, and during the night General Lee abandoned the field, recrossed the Potomac, and gave up all hopes of remaining in ]Maryland. The Confederate loss in th:3 campaign is sup- posed to have reached thirty thousand. The Union losscc, including the surrender at Harper's Ferr}-, must have been much larger. General IMcClellan, after the battle of Antietam, lay encamped on the north, bank of the Potomac, in the vicinity of Sharpsburgh and Har- per's Ferr}', until September 26th, when the cavalry under Pleasan- ton, with General Burnside's corps, crossed into Virginia. While so en- camped the Confederate General Stuart again appeared at Cliambers- burg witli 1,800 cavalr}", and, making the entire circuit of McClellan 5 army, re-entered Virginia at Con- rad's Ferr}^, six miles below the mouth of the Monocacy. He burned government store-houses and ma- chine shops, and carried off 1,000 horses. All attempts to intercept h'm failed. The delay of McClellan dissatisfied tbe Government. The army was in good condition and good spirits, and was steadily advancing and pressing the Confederates before it. On the Tth General IMcClellan was ordered to turn over his command to General Burnside, and await further orders at Trenton, New Jersey. General Burnside did not seek the command. He had refused it twice, and expressed the opinion which many held, that ^McClellan ought to be retained. He accepted only under peremptory orders from his superiors. He took command November 10, and moved the army rapidl}^ towards Fredericksburg. He had hoped to cross and occupy the heights around the city before General Lee could reach them. The pontoons, by GENERAL KOCrRT E. LEE. CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. 285 which he expected to cross the river, did not leave Alexandria until two days after he had arrived at Falmouth, nor until Lee had occupied the heights of Fredericksburg. During the 11th and 12th General Burnside threw bridges over the river, and his army crossed and occupied the city. The next day was spent in disposing his forces for an attack upon Lee's position, which extended in a semicircle from Point Royal to a point six miles above the city, and consisted of two rows of batteries, one a mile in rear of the other, and both overlooking the city. On the morning of the 13th General Burnside ordered the assault. His left wing was commanded by General Franklin, who endeavored to take a battery, but was repulsed. He then attempted to turn the right of Lee's position, and gained nearly a mile, which was the only success of the day. Driven Back by a Stcrm of Shot and Shell. General Sumner on the right, and General Hooker in the centre, made three attempts to scale the heights, but so deadly was the storm of shot and shell that they did not reach the first line of the Confederate position. The Federal dead and wounded lay where they fell, and could not be brought off. General Burnside ordered his army to recross the river on the night of the 15th, which was done without molestation from Lee. It was a bloody and fruitless battle, if battle it can be called, when one army, secure in its intrenchments, deliberately shoots dovrn another, led out into the open field helpless and shelterless. The Confederate loss was very small, while the Union loss was 1,138 killed, 9,105 wounded, and 2,078 missing, a total of 12,321. General Burn- side retained command until January 2G, 1863, when at his own request, he was relieved, and General Joseph Hooker was appointed to succeed him. After the battle of vShiloh, General Beauregard retired to his strong position at Corinth. General Halleck prepared to attack him by regular .siege approaches. The Confederates did not wait for an assault, but, keeping up'' a show of strength in front, quietly withdrexv, with nearly all their material, into Alabama and Georgia. General Halleck returned to St. Louis, leaving General Buell in command. The war was transferred to Middle Tennessee and Kentucky, and the Federal anr.y was rapidly marched there, to meet the advances of General Kirby Smith and General Bragg from Chattanooga, northward, threatening Nashville and Louisville. 286 CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. Smith drove before him small detachments of Unionists through Cumber- land Gap. Sharp encounters occurred between the cavalry of the two armies, but Bragg's march could not be checked. Buell fell back from Murfreesborough and from Nashville, reaching Louisville September 25th. Buell advised the evacuation of Nashville, but the military governor, Andrew Johnson, remonstrated so strongly against it, that it was decided to hold it. Bragg, detaching a force to attempt Nashville, pushed on towards Louisville, occupying Mumfordsville Septem- ber 17th. While Buell was collecting his troops at Louisville, an order came from Washington that Alajor-General George H. Thomas should supersede Buell, but, by his advice. General Buell was retained, with General Thomas second in command. Generals Price and Van Dorn, having crossed the Mississippi, at the head of a large force, too late to join Beauregard, advanced against Corinth, Miss., where General Rosecrans was stationed. A sharp battle w^as fought at luka, September 19th. General Price attempted to storm the Federal works without success. During the night he withdrew. Joining Van Dorn, their united forces fell upon Corinth October 4th ; after a fierce conflict of three hours, the Confederates were repulsed. In the two battles Rosecrans lost 2,600 men. He captured 2,268 soldiers, 3,000 stand of small arms, and many guns. He estimated the Confederate loss at 8,800 men. Furious Onset on the Union Lines. On the 1st of October, Buell resumed operations, moving one division of his army towards Frankfort, and the other three towards Bardstown. On the morning of the 8th, the Confederates were found strongly posted at Perrysville, and a brisk engagement occurred, the contest being for pos- session of a commanding position, covering some pools of water, for which the Federal army had been suffering three days. During the day, Bragg made a furious onset on the Federal lines, and at first gained a decided advantage, but, re-enforcements coming up, the Confederates were repulsed, and driven back through the town to their first position. Darkness ter- minated the conflict. Only two divisions of the Federal army had been engaged. The arrival of a third induced General Bragg to retreat, which he did during the night, in good order. Among the Union killed were Generals Terrell and Jackson. The Confederate loss is not known. General Buell pursued Bragg as far as Bowling Green and Glasgow, CAMPAIGNS OF McCLELLAN AND LEE. 287 Kentucky, where he remained until the 27th, when he was superseded by Gen. William S. Rosecrans. Bragg had concentrated his army at Mur- freesborough, having in his advance captured an immense booty, consisting^ of cattle, clothing, bacon, grain, and arms, which he took safely off in his retreat. Rosecrans reached Nashville November 7th, and remained there until December 26th, the time being actively spent in repairing the railroad to Louisville, and in bringing forward supplies. Bragg having sent a large cavalry force into Tennessee, and another into Kentucky, the occasion was seized to attack him. Forward Movement of Rosecrans. The movement began December 26th, and by the 30th, the army was con- centrated in the vicinity of Stone River. jMcCook commanded the right wing^ Thomas the centre, and Crittenden the left. The plan was to turn the Confed- erate right, but Bragg began the fight by an early and furious onslaught upon the right of Rosecrans. The Union forces were driven from their position^ and were only saved from defeat by the strenuous exertions of their general, who rallied them late in the day, and, forming a new line, repulsed the Confederates. The next day w^as spent in feeling each other's lines. On the morning of January 2d, Bragg opened a heavy fire of artillery upon Rosecrans' centre. It Avas soon silenced by a return fire, and, for a time, the combat ceased. Rosecrans pushed a division across Stone River, taking a strong posi- tion. About three o'clock p.m., the Confederates fell upon it, and drove it back, pursuing closely. But a terrible fire of artillery, followed by a charge of infantr}^, drove them in disorder across the river. Darkness and a chill winter rain closed the day, and prevented pursuit. The rain fell all the next day. On the night of the 3d, General Bragg evacuated Murfrees- borough, and General Rosecrans entered it on the 5th. Rosecrans had 43,400 men, of whom he lost 1,533 killed, 7,245 wounded, and 2,800 missing a total of 11,578. Bragg's army was estimated at 62,490, and his total loss at 14,560. An Indian massacre in Minnesota added to the horrors of the Civil War. The first disturbance, August 17th, was by four drunken Indians, near Red Wood, who, after an altercation with each other, killed several white men. The next day, between 250 and 300 Indians, led by their chief, Little Crow, attacked the agency at Little Medicine, and slaughtered 288 CAMPAIGNS OF MjCLELLAN AND LEE. all the Avhites. Thcu they spread themselves throughout all the western part of the State and into Dakota, burning and plundering isolated and defenceless farm-houses, murdering men, women, and children, thus renewing all the atrocities that marked the Indian wars of our early history. Colonel Schley held them in check, until at length General Pope was sent with a sufficient force, and, in a sharp battle at Wood Lake, utterly defeated them. Pive hundred were taken prisoners, and sentenced to be hung. By the President's order only thirty-eight were hung, and the rest, after a long imprisonment, Avere set at liberty. It is estimated that from 20,000 to 30.000 persons were driven from their homes, and that 500 lost their lives. Thousands of women and children were made dependent npon charity. In raising the means the excellent Bishop Whipple w^as very active. Depredations by Confederate Cruisers. A few cruisers, sailing under the Confederate flag during the war, inflicted great damage upon commerce. Every facility was afforded in Great Britain, and in her colonial ports, for building, victualling, arming, equipping and repairing these vessels. The " Oreto " was built in Liver- pool, sailed to Nassau August, 18G2, w^as there detained awhile, and then delivered to Captain Maffit, and subsequently appeared as the " Florida," sailine from Mobile. The " Alabama," built at Birkenhead, sailed from the Mersey June 29, 18G1, nnder Captain Semmes. The "Shenandoah," huilt at Glasgow in 1863, sailed from Liverpool to Madeira, and there received her crew and armament from the British brig " Laurel," and started on a cruise to the Arctic Ocean to destroy American whaling ves- sels. The British Government either could not, or would not, prevent these violations of neutrality. Our Government gave England notice that indemnity would be claimed for the damage done by such vessels. The Emperor Napoleon, in 1862, proposed to Great Britain and to Russia to unite with him in a joint effort at mediation between the United States and the Confederates. Those powers declining he nndertook it alone. He proposed that the two parties should appoint commissioners to deliber- ate upon and discuss the matters in difference, and endeavor to come to a peaceable solution. The President's reply respectfully declined the emperor's good office, and informed him that the Confederate States could, at any time, terminate the war by laying down their arms and resuming their old relations in the Union. CHAPTER XXVII. IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. I HE operations of 1862 had given to the Union possession of the whole valley of the Mississippi from Cairo to Memphis, and from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The Confederates still held Vicksburg and Port Hudson, with the intermediate coun- try. The campaign against Vicksburg began in November. General Grant was maturing his plans for a movement, and had already given orders for the forces at Memphis and Helena, in Arkansas, under General Sherman, and those at Cairo, under General McClernand, to descend the river to Vicksburg ; while he himself intended to march against the Confederates in the States of Mississippi, to the north and east. But the cowardly surrender of Holly Springs, his base of supplies, bj^ Colonel Murphy, tt) General Van Dorn, with all the army stores of food, clothing, ammunition, etc., compelled General Grant to fall back, and suspend the land movement. General Sherman, meantime, moved down the Mississippi to the mouth of the Yazoo River, and prepared to attack the defences of Vicksburg and the important post of Haines' Bluff, in its vicinity. The assault was made ; but the strength of the positions, the desperate defence of the Confederates, and the failure of General Grant to co-operate, induced General Sherman to suspend his attack and withdraw his forces to Milliken's Bend, twelve miles up the Mississippi River. While remaining here an expedition was sent up the Arkansas River, under General McClernand, which captured Arkansas Post, taking about 5,000 prisoners. Other small places on the White River were also taken. During January Grant moved his army from Memphis down to Young's Point, on the west bank of the river, a few miles north of Vicksburg. The whole of February and March were spent in preparing means to get below Vicksburg with the army. On the night of April 16th he attempted to run the gunboats and transports past the batteries of Vicksburg, and march the army by land. This perilous undertaking was successfully 19 289 290 IMPORTANT UXION SUCCESSES. accomplished. One transport was struck, set on fire, and abandoned by the crew. Six more followed, one of which was sunk ; but the others went through with slight injury. A part of the army had already reached the bank of the river, and were taken on board the transports down to Grand Gulf, which was shelled by the gunboats, but proved too strong to be captured by them. The troops were again landed, and marched to a point below; while the gun- boats and transports ran the batteries of Grand Gulf, and the troops crossed the river below, at Bruinsburg. The next day the army moved down to Port Gibson, and, defeating the Confederate troops that opposed them, Grand Gulf was evacuated, and possession taken by Commodore Porter. The Capture of Vicksburg. When General Grant, in the prosecution of his original plan, at length moved east and north from the river, he took onl}' five days' provisions. By the 19th of ]May he had fought five battles and one skirmish, and had occupied Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, driving General Joseph John- ston into the interior, and General Pemberton, with about 30,000 men, into Vicksburg. While he was closing in and around Vicksburg, Commodore Porter ascended the Yazoo River; and, just as the advance of Sherman's army made its appearance at Snyder's Bluff, Commodore Porter captured Haines' Bluff just below Vicksburg, whose fourteen forts, with all their armament, fell into his hands ; and the place was made thereafter the base of supplies for Grant's army. General assaults were twice made upon Vicksburg, but without suc- cess, Grant not having troops enough completely to invest it ; but, draw- ing re-enforcements from the army of the Ohio, General Grant was thus enabled to complete the investment, and he then commenced a regular siege. After the 26th of May firing was continued night and day. A hat was once held above, a port-hole, and in two minutes was pierced with fifteen balls by the Union sharpshooters. For the first five days of the siege the garrison had full rations ; but each person was afterwards re- duced to fourteen and a quarter ounces of food daih\ It was on the 4th of July, the nation's birthday, that the important event of Pemberton's final surrender occurred. The indomitable courage and perseverance shown by Grant had its influence upon the \vhole war ; not merely in the opening of the Missis- IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. 291 sippi, but as it manifested to America aud to the world that the Union had in this officer a master mind, with a genius for war ; and this mani- festation was made after the Confederates had lost Stonewall Jackson. Grant reported that during the campaign the Confederates had lost 37,000 in prisoners, and "10,000 killed and wounded. His own loss was 1,234 killed, 7,095 wounded, 557 missing. In order to aid General Grant, by destroying the communications of General Johnston with the Hast, an important expedition had been organ- ized at Memphis, which, under General Grierson, marched southward through the heart of Mississippi. In his course he destroyed the Memphis and New Orleans Railroad, with many bridges, and property to a great amount. General Grierson's march terminated at Baton Rouge. Battle of Ohancellorsville. The Mississippi was now open from its source to its mouth, and the Confederacy practically cut in twain. After the repulse of Burnside, General Lee remained at Fredericksburg, while General Hooker occupied the opposite bank of the river at Falmouth. Late in April General Hooker crossed the Rappahannock by Kelly's ford, twenty-five miles above Fredericksburg, and by the 30th had reached Chancellorsville, a few miles southwest of that place. Before moving his army, he had sent a strong cavalry force under General Stoneman to cut the railroad in Lee's rear, so as to prevent his receiving reinforcements from Richmond. Stoneman rode within a few miles of Richmond, destroyed many miles of railroad, much government property, arrived at Gloucester Point in safety, and embarked for Washington. When news of this success reached Hooker, the bloody battle of Chancellorsville had been lost and won. On the 2d of May, the left wing of Lee's army, led by Stonewall Jackson, made a powerful attack upon Hooker's right, and after heroic deeds of valor on both sides, victory rested with the Confederates. Stonewall Jackson, to whose skill in ordering the battle this success was owing, fell mortally wounded; and so universally was he respected and admired, that the news of his death sent a thrill through both armies, and throughout the nation. The Union loss was 11,000, among them General Whipple. The loss of the Confederates is unknown. On the night of the 5th, Hooker recrossed the Rappahannock in a heavy rain storm. General Lee was encouraged by his victory to make another invasion BATTLK OK CHANCELLORSVILLE. TACKSON'S ATTACK ON THE RIGHT WING. 202 IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. 29a of Maryland and Pennsylvania. His army numbered more than 100,000. He advanced by the Shenandoah valle}^, surprised and captured Winchester and Martinsburg, with their stores, and his march to Chambersburg was unchecked by any serious opposition. General Hooker, however had early divined Lee's purpose and had prepared for it by sending his sick, his wounded, and his mil- itary stores to Wash- ington. His army had been weakened by the return home of volun- teers whose term of enlistment had ex- pired, and he could expect no re-enforce- ments from the east. Yet Hooker had so disposed his retreat- ing army as to deter Lee from an attack, and also to cover Washington, When Lee had reached Chambersburg, Hook- er was at and near Frederick, Md. Lee's march had been rapid, and Hooker had kept pace with him. An order of President Lincoln, made at the general george g. meade. request of General Hooker, now placed General George G. Meade at the head of the army of the Potomac. This change of commander at such a critical moment was a hazardous experiment; and that no evil consequences resulted is an evidence that General Hooker had conducted his operations with skill, and had brought his army to a high state of discipline. 294 IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. Both armies were marching for the same point — the village of Gettys- burg in Pennsylvania, upon which many important roads converged. The army that should first occupy the town would have the advantage of choosing its position. General Reynolds, of the Uiiion army, first passed through the village, and encountered the advance of his enemy on the heights north of the town. A brisk engagement followed, which ended by the withdrawal of the Union forces to Cemetery Hill, south of the village. During the night both armies were placed in position for the struggle of the next day. At noon General Lee began the attack, and hurled his masses with great fury and persistence upon the Federal lines. Battle of Gettysburg. The battle raged all the afternoon and until 9 o'clock in the evening. The Confederate General Longstreet had gained and held a piece of ground from which General Lee thought the position, on the crest of Cemetery Hill could be successfully assailed. Early the next morning General Lee renewed the attack. The contest was kept up along the whole line, but the design of Lee was to conceal his real object, which was the Cemetery Hill, the key to Meade's position. All the forenoon was occupied in arranging his batteries to bring a concentric fire upon this hill. At 1 o'clock, at a given signal, one hundred and fifty guns opened a simultaneous fire, and within five minutes the crest of the hill was swept entirely bare. This rain of iron hail fell incessantly for three hours. General Howard, who com- manded the hill, had withdrawn behind the crest, and for two hours scarcely replied to the storm. General Lee, supposing the Federal guns silenced, ordered his columns to scale the hill. As they approach, a terrible fire of grape, shell, and canister, is opened upon them from forty guns. They press forward, charging over the rifle-pits, and up to the muzzles of the guns. A scorch- ing fire of infantry is now poured into their thinned and broken ranks^ They reel, they fall back. A regiment throws down its arms and sur- renders. All along the field, smaller detachments do the same ; and the escaped are seen flying, a disordered mass, over the plain. The celebrated charge of the Confederate General Pickett was one of the most daring exploits of the war. He was driven back with great loss. The battle was ended ; and during the night the combatants, tired and exhausted, slept. The morning of the 4th was spent by both armies in bur3''ing the 295 296 IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. dead, aud caring for the wounded. In the afternoon it rained heavily. During the night, Lee began his retreat, and by the 11th was at Williams- port, near the Potomac, On the night of the 13th, he succeeded in taking his army over the Potomac at Falling Waters and Williamsport. The Federal loss at Gettysburg was 2,834 killed, 13,790 wounded, G,G-1:3 missing. The Confederate loss was larger — 4,500 being buried on the field by the Union soldiers, and 40,121 were taken prisoners, 20,500 of whom were wounded. Nearly one-half of Lee's army was destroyed or taken. General Meade continued his pursuit until July 25th, when Lee had retired south of the Rapidan, and Meade was near Warrenton. The two armies occupied nearly the same quarters that they had two months before, and so remained all winter. The famous Confederate John Morgan was sent on a raid into Indiana and Ohio this year, to create diversions in favor of Lee, and prevent re-en- forcements being forwarded to Generals Grant and Hooker. He passed, in June, from Tennessee, near Burksville, on the Cumberland River, up through Kentucky to Brandenburg, on the Ohio, and then crossed into Indiana, with a force of about 4,500 cavalry. He marched through Cin- cinnati, made a detour a little north of that city, and pursued his way to Pomeroy, where he expected to cross, at Buffington's Island, into Kentucky. Pursuit and Capture of General Morgan. Here he was overtaken by General Hobson, and his force partly dis- persed and captured. He was taken prisoner with 500 men, by Colonel Shackelford, five days after, near New Lisbon. He had caused great alarm, and done much damage on his route, by the destruction of bridges, rail- roads, and other property, and by taking horses and levying on the inhab- tants for food and forage. This raid was part of the general plan of which Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania was the great feature, to transfer the war to the North. It is probable that aid was expected from the disaffected people in the IMiddle and Western States, whose numbers and influence were greately over-estimated at the South. There was practically no party ; there was only a small and contemptible faction, who would have made peace at the price of a divided Union, and a dissevered country. During the summer of 1863, the Confederate cruisers "Alabama" and " Florida '' inflicted great damage upon American commerce. They at first IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. 297 cruised in the West Indies, and had little difficulty in escaping the Federal war vessels by retiring, when hard pressed, into neutral ports. The "Florida" was captured October Tth, in the neutral port of Brazil,, by Captain Collins, of the "Wachusett." The " Vanderbilt," given to the government by Captain Vanderbilt, one of the swiftest and strongest steamers in the navy, made an unavailing chase after the "Alabama" across the Atlantic to Cape Town, and then through the Indian Ocean. Strategic Operations in Tennessee. The winter of 1863 was spent by the opposing armies in Tennessee in recruiting and preparing for the summer campaign. The only military operations were mutual raids to interrupt each other's communications, cut off and destroy trains and supplies. From January to June the Union army, under General Rosecrans, lay at Murfreesboro. Supplies were brought forward, and a large fortified depot was established. A cavalry force was also organized and equipped. Bragg's army, meantime, occupied a line on the north of Duck River, with his main base at Chattanooga, and a depot at Tullahoma. On the 23d of June Rosecrans began the campaign, and, by a series of strategetic move- ments, turned Bragg's position, and compelled him to abandon Tullahoma, which he did on the 30th. By the 5th of July Middle Tennessee was in possession of Rosecrans, and Bragg had crossed the Tennessee River at various points, fortifying himself in Chattanooga. This important result was obtained without any severe battle, and with but few slight skirmishes, in which Rosecrans lost 85 killed, 462 wounded, and 13 missing. He captured 1,634 prisoners. The next object was to capture Chattanooga, which commanded the route towards Atlanta and Georgia. The railroads between the Tennessee River and Nashville were first repaired, and were in condition for use Jul}' 25th, when Sheridan's division occupied Stevenson and Bridgeport. Between the 16th and 29th of August the army had crossed the Tennessee Mountains, and by the 4th of September had passed the Tennessee River. Passing the Sand Mountains and Lookout Mountain, on the 18th of Sep- tember, the army was concentrated near Crawfish Springs, in the valley of the Chickamauga. Meanwhile Bragg had retreated to La Fayette, Georgia, where, being reinforced by Longstreet's division from Virginia, he again moved towards Chattanooga. It was near midnight when Longstreet 298 IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. reached Bragg's headquarters. He was placed in command of the left wing. A new disposition of the forces was made, and it was ordered that the acticti should commence at daybreak on the morrow, which was Sunday. ..^ LONGSTREET'S ARRIVAI. AT BRAGG'S HEADQUARTERS. On the morning of the 19th began the battle of Chickamauga, b}^ an attack led by General Thomas upon Bragg's right. The battle became general along the whole line, and lasted all day, without material advantage to either side^ darkness closing the contest. The next morning Bragg renewed the fight by an overwhelming assault upon the Union centre, com- manded by Davis and Sheiidan, piercing the line and cutting the army in twain. The right wing was driven in confusion from the field, and retreated IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. 299 in great haste to Chattanooga, General Rosecrans being carried along with the other fugitives. The left wing, under General Thomas, maintained its ground, repulsed every assault, held its position until night, and then withdrew in good order to Rossville. Remaining there all the next day. General Thomas at night marched to Chattanooga. His skill and conduct saved the army. On the night of September 30th Bragg dispatched Wheeler's cavalry across the Tennessee River, above Chattanooga, with directions to cut Rosecrans' communications. Wheeler was closely followed by Generals McCook and Mitchell, who defeated him in two actions, and drove him out of Tennessee before he could do any damage to the railroads. The Federal Armies United. After the battle of Chickamauga, the three departments of the Ohio, the Cumberland, and the Tennessee were combined, and named the Mili- tary Division of the Mississippi, General Grant assuming command. The Army of the Cumberland was at Chattanooga ; the Army of the Ohio, under General Burnside, was at Knoxville ; General W. T. Sherman, with Blair's division of the Army of the Mississippi, was on his march from Memphis to re-enforce Rosecrans ; and Hooker's corps, from the Army of the Potomac, was on the way to Chattanooga. General Thomas, who had succeeded General Rosecrans in the command of the Army of the Cumber- land, ordered Hooker to occupy Bridgeport. General Grant, arriving at Chat- tanooga October 23, approved and executed the plans of General Thomas. Bragg's army was strongly posted on the heights around and below Chattanooga, and unless he could be dislodged that place was untenable. it series of movements, planned by General Thomas, wrested from Bragg the positions that commanded the river, and opened it as a channel of sup- plies, which had previously been brought in wagons sixty miles across the mountains. Early in November, and while Grant was concentrating his forces, Bragg weakened his army by detaching Longstreet to attack Burn- side at Knoxville. November IG, General Sherman reached Bridgeport, and November 23, crossing the river, fortified himself on Missionar}^ Ridge. Grant now ordered the attack upon Bragg's position. It was begun by General Thomas, who drove the Confederates from their front line, interposing one of his corps between them and the river. The same morning Hooker scaled the 300 IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. western slope of Lookout Mountain, drove the Confederates from their rifle-pits, capturing mau}^ prisoners, with small loss. The next morning he took possession of the top of the mountain, and swept across Lookout val- l^y to Rossville. His march was for hours among the clouds that enveloped the mountains, hiding the army from view, their course being indicated by the report and echoes of their guns. At the same time General Sherman assailed Bragg's right, gaining and holding a line close to his rifle-pits. General Thomas also assaulted Bragg's centre, his troops nimbly climbing the steep sides of Missionary Ridge, carrying the summit, and dashing irresistibly through and over the Con- federate works. Bragg, believing the heights impregnable, delayed his own retreat until the Unionists were close upon him, and in his haste he could not save his personal effects. By midnight his army was in full retreat, leaving on the field thousands of small arms, and a large part of his artillery. Hasty Retreat of General Longstreet. General Grant, without dela}^, ordered Sherman, with a strong body of men, to the relief of Burnside, now sorely pressed by Longstreet. The city had been furiously assailed by the best division of Lee's army of Northern Virginia, and had been gallantly and successfully defended. The approach of Sherman caused Longstreet to raise the siege, and retreat towards Vir- ginia. Sherman's advance entered Knoxville on the night of December 3, and he arrived on the 16th. Remaining a few daj'S to advise with Burn- side about the pursuit of Longstreet, and leaving Granger's corps at | Knoxville, with the rest of his division he returned by slow marches to Chattanooga. General Grant's loss in the campaign was 757 killed, 4529 wounded, and 330 missing. He captured 239 officers, 5903 privates, 40 guns, and 7000 small arms. The Confederate loss is not known, but it must have been at least equal to Grant's. In March, 1863, Congress passed an act requiring an enrolment of all the able-bodied male citizens of the United States. The whole country was divided into districts, for each of which a provost-marshal was appointed, subordinate to a provost-marshal-general at AVashington. The enrolment was rapidly completed, amidst some excitement and dissatisfaction. The result showed that the number of men, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, liable to military duty, and not in the army, was 3,113,305. IMPORTANT UNION SUCCESSES. 301 The draft was ordered to be made in July. One-fifth of the uiimber enrolled was assumed as the quota of each district. As the day approached for the drawing to begin threats were publicly made of forcible opposition. In many of the large cities combinations to resist were secretly formed. The draft, however, was made, and in most places without opposition. But in New York city, on the second day, the ofi&ce of one of the provost- marshals was assailed and demolished by a mob. A fearful riot followed, which raged for four days. Many houses and stores were sacked and burned. The fury of the mob was directed against prominent Union men, soldiers and citizens, many of whom were brutally murdered. Armories, gun-stores and rifle-factories were plundered. Great Destruction of Life and Property. The negroes were especially the objects of the fiendish hate and assault of the mob. They were knocked down, robbed and killed, without pity. The Colored Orphan Asylum was entered, its inmates thrust into the streets, and the building fired. Property valued at three or four millions of dollars was destroyed. Governor Seymour visited the city, and by public speech and private influence strove to save the city from violence. But reason and persuasion failed. Martial law was proclaimed, and the United States troops, under the direction of General Wool, aided by the admirable police of the city, finally suppressed the riot. It is said that more than a thousand lives were lost. A similar riot occurred in the city of Troy. In Boston, Portsmouth, and other places, the mob spirit was promptly quelled. This, and subsequent drafts, were completed without a recur- rence of violence. CHAPTER XXVIII. CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. HE close of the year 1863 left the Federal government in pos- session of the Mississippi River, and also of all the important ports on the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico, except Wil- mington, Charleston, and Mobile. The Confederacy still had two large armies, under two able commanders. Lee, in Vir- ginia and North Carolina, at the head of 150,000, and Johnston, in Georgia^ at the head of 60,000. The United States had, probably, twice that number in the field, besides those in forts and garrisons. The clash of arms ceased during the beginning of the Mdnter. The lull was broken by expeditions preparatory to the final struggle. General Sherman, February 3d, marched from Vicksburg, with 30,000 men, to Mer- idian, reaching the place on the 15th. Here he expected to be joined by a cavalry force of 7,000, under Gen. W. F. Smith, who set out from ]\Iem- phis on the 11th. But General Smith was met and checked by superior forces, under Forrest, and fell back to IMemphis. General Sherman occupied Meridian for a week, and then returned, February 26, to Vicksburg, having destroy- ed 200 miles of railroad, with cars and connections, sixty-seven bridges, thousands of bales of cotton, and millions of bushels of corn. This destruction of communications and prop- erty crippled the Confederates, and had a damaging effect upon all their operations for the year. General Johnston sent a force from Dalton to oppose the march of Sherman, supposing his object to be Mobile. To counteract this movement, General Grant ordered General Palmer to advance towards Dalton, and threaten an attack upon Johnston. The army moved forward within two miles of Dalton, but, after some slight skirmishes, withdrew to Ringgold. General Schofield, who had superseded General Bumside in East Ten- nessee, moved against General Longstreet, who had wintered there. Long- street retreated into Virginia, rejoining Lee. f An expedition designing to occupy Florida, consisting of twenty 302 I CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. 303 steamers and eight schooners, with 5,000 men, under General Gillmore, sailed from Hilton Head. The army began its march immediately, under General Seymour, and by the 15th, after slight skirmishing, reached Baldwin. Continuing the march, on the 20th they encountered General Finnegan, at Olustee ; and, after suffering a disastrous defeat, returned to Jacksonville. A formidable expedition for the capture of Shreveport, on the Red River, and the occupation of Western Louisiana, was organized under General Banks, at New Orleans. A large fleet under Rear-Admiral Porter, consisting of three monitors, seven iron-clads, and ten other vessels, was collected at the mouth of Red river. March 12th, the expedition began the ascent of the river. On the 14th, Fort De Russy was captured. The Confederate forces, under Gen. Dick Ta3dor, were defeated in two encounters, on the 21st, at Henderson Hill, and the 28th, at Cane river. On the morning of April 6th, the whole army, which had been concentrated at Alexandria and Grand Kcore, moved from the latter place, and engaged the Confederates at Pleasant Hill, very soon succeeding in driving them in disorder from the field. Heavy Losses of the Union Army. On the morning of the 8th, the advance of General Banks, consisting of about 8,000 men, reached Sabine Cross Roads ; while General Franklin, with the Nineteenth Corps, was in camp nine miles in the rear, and Gen- eral Smith, with half of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps, was twenty miles in the rear. Gen. Dick Taylor fell with his whole force upon General Banks, and, before General Franklin could come to his aid, defeated him, with a loss of 2,000 men, and the whole of his transportation train. Banks retreated during the night to Pleasant Hill, followed by Taylor, and a second battle ensued, in which the Confederates were driven from the field. But Banks' victor}^ was barren, and his losses so great, that the next morning, leaving his dead unburied, he began his retreat towards Alexandria, where he arrived April 27th. Here he v/as detained until May 14th. The water in the river was so low that the gunboats could not descend the falls, until Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey suggested the construction of wing-dams on each side of the river, leaving a channel fift}^ feet wide in the middle. His suggestion was carried into effect, under his own super- 304 CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. inteudence : the fleet passed safely over the falls, and reached the mouth of Red River, May IGth. The army returned to New Orleans, and the fleet to its station on the Mississippi. The expedition was a disastrous failure, with the loss of 3,000 men, 20 pieces of artillery, 1,200 horses and mules, and immense quantities of army stores. General Steele left his station at L-ittle Rock, Ark., March 23d, to co-operate with General Banks. He reached Arkadelphia the 28tli. April IGth, he was joined by General Thayer, who had marched from Fort Smith. After several severe skirmishes, in which he was successful, he occupied Camden, where he remained until the 2Gth. In the meantime, having heard of the defeat and retreat of General Banks, he retraced his steps, reaching Little Rock, ]\Iay 2d. April I'Jth, a Confederate force under General Hoke, aided by the ram "Albemarle," attacked Plymouth, N. C, commanded by Gen. H. W. Wessels, carried the place by assault, and captured the entire garrison and armament. The gunboat " Smithfield " was almost immediately sunk, and the "Miami" considerably disabled. Frightful Slaughter of Negro Troops. During the months of March and April, the Confederate General Forrest entered Kentucky, captured Union City and its garrison, and, March 24th, attacked Paducah, but w^as repulsed by Colonel Hicks, On the morning of April loth, Forrest attacked Fort Pillow, Tenn., garrisoned by a detachment of Tennessee cavalry and by the first regiment of Ala- bama colored troops, under Major Booth. The garrison refused to surrender, and fought bravely until 3 o'clock in the afternoon ; when, the fort being carried by assault, the men threw down their arms, but, being of the negro race, they were massacred without mercy. The guerilla John Morgan entered Kentucky, through Pound Gap, in the latter part of May, with two or three thousand men. After his capture in Ohio, he had escaped from prison. He attacked Cynthiana June 11th, and captured the garrison. On the 12th, he was met by General Bur- bridge, routed with loss, and driven out of the State. This dreaded raider was subsequentl}^ killed at Greenville, Tenn., while attempting to escape in the night, from a house which was surrounded by Union troops under the command of General Gillem. The army of the Potomac had lain on the north side of the Rapidan A CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. 305 from December, 1863, until May, 1864. The army of General Lee was encamped on the south side of the same river. The first important move- ment in the spring was the expedition under General Kilpatrick, who left Stevensburg February 28th with about 8,000 men, and crossed the Rapidan at Germania and Ely's Ford, about sixty miles from Richmond. He struck the Virginia Central railroad at Frederickshall, and tore it up for several miles. He then detached Colonel Dahlgren towards the James River Canal, and moved himself to Ashland. The detachment under Colonel Dahleren was misled by a negro guide, and, failing to rejoin Kilpatrick at Ashland, was defeated in a skirmish with Lieutenant-Colonel Pollard. Colonel Dahlgren was killed, and sixty of his men captured. Kilpatrick went within six miles of Richmond. Unable to approach nearer, he moved down the peninsula, effecting a junction with General Butler at Tunstall's Station, on the York River railroad. Promotion of General Grant. Congress, February 29th, passed an act reviving the grade of Lieuten- ant-General. The President approved the act, and immediately sent to the Senate the name of Ulysses S. Grant, whose nomination was confirmed Alarch 3d. General Grant coming to Washington, his commission was presented to him by President Lincoln, in the presence of the Cabinet and other distinguished persons. His first order, assuming command of the armies of the United States, was issued from his headquarters at Nashville. B}^ direction of the President he assigned the military division of the ^Mississippi, composed of the Departments of the Ohio, the Tennessee, the Cumberland, and the Arkansas, to Major-General W. T. Sherman; and the army of the Tennessee was placed under the direct command of Alajor- General J. B. McPherson. November 25th, in the night, a number of fires were set in the city of New York, simultaneousl}', in different places. They were clearly the work of incendiaries. The police subsequently arrested Robert Kenned}^ in the cars near Detroit. He was tried and convicted of setting fire to Barnum's Museum, Lovejoy's Hotel, Tammany Hall and the New England House. He said he had five accomplices, who each set fire to their board- ing-houses. The}" all stayed in the city the next da}', and then escaped to Canada. He further stated that he and his accomplices were hired to burn the city of New York by Confederate agents in Canada. The reason 20 300 CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT, assigned iu justification of the crime was the desolation of the Shenandoah Valley by General Sheridan. October 19th a raid from Canada upon St. Albans, Vermont, was made by a party, twenty or thirty in number, claiming to be in the Confederate service. They robbed the St. Albans' Bank of fifty thousand dollars, stole horses enough to mount the part}', fired upon unarmed citizens, and set fire to a hotel. Some of them were arrested in Canada and brought to trial, but were discharged unpunished. The Canadian government, how- ever, refunded a part of the money. This was the only successful raid among many planned by Confederates in Canada, aided and encouraged by sympathizing friends. General Grant, whose labors had hitherto been done in the West, left Nashville a fortnight after being made Commander-in-chief, and established his headquarters wath the Army of the Potomac. Soldiers Calmly Preparing for Death. Between the battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, and the close of the year, General Meade had followed Lee, until the latter took post on a strong line south of the Rapidan, a few miles east of Gordonsville. The campaign had been one of manoeuvres, b}^ which each had sought to gain some position where lie could fight his antagonist at a disadvantage. At one time jMeade crossed the Rapidan, near a small stream called Aline Run^ and drew up his troops in order of battle. The soldiers, who knew the strength of Lee's position, conscious of the desperate and hopeless task before them, calmly prepared for death. Each one wrote on a slip of paper his name, his compau}^, regiment and residence, and pinned it to his clothes, so that his dead body might be recognized by his friends. Aleade did not put them to the test. He recrossed the Rapidan to his camp, and thus the two armies confronted each other all winter. Both were strongly reinforced, and improved in drill and discipline. Longstreet was recalled by Lee from Hast Tennessee^ and his corps was encamped near Gordonsville. Lee also summoned to his aid all the troops that could be spared from the Carolinas. On the Union side the army of the Potomac was increased to nearly 100,000, and Burnside's corps, transferred from East Tennessee, was held in reserve. Aleade's arni}^ was composed of three corps: the Second, Fifth and Sixth, commanded respectively by Generals Hancock, Warren and Sedg- CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. 307 wick. General Sheridan commanded the cavalry; General H. J. Hunt was chief of artillery; Major Duane, chief engineer, and General Ingalls, quartermaster. Although Grant had supreme direction, all orders were issued by Aleade. As co-operative movements. General Butler, with 30,000 men, was at Fortress Monroe, ready to threaten Richmond by the James river; and' General Sigel, with 17,000 men, was in West Virginia — one column in the Shenandoah Valley, and another, under General Crook, in the Valley of the Kanawha. The army of the Potomac moved on the night of the 3d of May. The right column, under Warren and Sedgwick, crossed at Germania Ford, and the left, under Hancock, at Ely's Ford, six miles below. During the 4th the army crossed the river, and at night encamped on the battle- field of Chancellorsville. Clever Tactics of Lee and Longstreet. General Lee did not oppose the crossing. His right was turned. His force, consisting of three corps, extended from Somerville Ford to Gordons- ville — Longstreet's corps near the latter place, Hill's in the vicinity of Orange Court-house, and Ewell's to the right and along the Rapidan. On the morning of the 5th General IMeade put his forces in motion, intending to place himself between the Confederate army and Gordonsville. But General Lee, to foil this plan, marched his army rapidly to the east, on the Orange and Frederick plank-road and turnpike, and assailed Meade in the Wilderness. The country so called is a region where mining operations had been carried on, and the original forest having been cleared away, the land was rocky and uneven, overspread with a thick growth of low, scraggy pines and scrub-oaks. Cavalry could not penetrate it, and artillery could not be dragged over it. It was just such a field as that on which Braddock had been lured to destruction. It was a battle of musketry only, and only Indian tactics prevailed. Before noon Longstreet fell upon Hancock's left with such fierceness that it was forced to the Brock road, which Longstreet determined to seize. Should he succeed in doing so Grant would be forced to retreat to the Rapidan under circumstances as disastrous as his predecessors, who had invariably fallen back from before Lee. 308 CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. This success of Longstreet in making this highly important movement , was prevented by a remarkable accident. He spurred for- ward to lead the movement. At that j moment some Confederate troops mis- /- took him and his escort for Union cavalry, and fired a volley at them. Longstreet waved his hand / and shouted to them to stop firing. WOUNDING OF GENERAL LONGSTREET BY HIS OWN MEN. ^ but net until a bullet passed through his throat, coming out at the shoulder. He fell from his horse, and was believed to be dead. Such a calamity spread dismay for a time in the Confederate ranks, and prevented the success of the movement. CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. 309 Lee expected, by his sudden aud fierce onset, in a place where cavalry and artillery were useless, and his sharpshooters were at home, to drive Grant back over the Rapidan. Grant hoped to destroy Lee's army by the weight of his superior masses. Both failed. The Civil War here presented the melancholy spectacle of 15,000 Union and 8000 Confederate dead. The Union General Wadsworth was killed, and Generals Seymour and Shaler taken prisoners. General Longstreet was badly wounded, and disabled for the rest of the campaign. Battle of Spottsylvania Court-House. General Grant, on the 7th, directed his army to move to Spottsylvania Court-house, and turn Lee's right. General IMeade set the army early in motion, hoping to plant it between Lee and Richmond. The Confederate general was first on the ground, and intrenched. For twelve days the armies faced each other, Lee acting on the defensive. All attempts to break through his lines failed. One was attended with partial success. General Hancock, before daylight, carried the first line of Lee's works in the centre, taking 4000 prisoners and twenty guns. The ground thus gained was held, although General Lee in his endeavor to recapture it, kept up the contest until midnight, a continuous battle of twenty hours. It was the fiercest and bloodiest struggle of the campaign. General Grant afterwards made repeated attempts to find a weak point in Lee's lines, but they were impregnable. Here General Sheridan was detached wath his three divisions of cavalry, numbering 12,000 men, with thirty-two pieces of field artillery, under Generals Gregg, Merritt, and Wilson, besides those left with the army for picket and orderly duty, upon an expedition to the Confederate rear. The raid was designed to cut Lee's communications, by destroying in part the railroads between him and Richmond, to threaten, and, if practicable, seize that city, and to open communications with the army of the James. General Sheridan succeeded in burning Beaver Dam and Ashland Stations, with an immense accumulation of supplies, and in tearing up more than twenty miles of railroad. Near Beaver Dam he overtook and recap- tured nearly 400 Union prisoners, including Colonels Phelps aud Tally. He proceeded towards Richmond, met and defeated the Confederate cavalry at Yellow Tavern, eight miles north of the city, in a sharp combat, which resulted in the death of General J. E. B. Stuart. 310 CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. Sheridan pushed on, carried the first line of the defences of Richmond, again encountered the Confederate cavalry, reinforced by the Home Guards and other infantry, strongly intrenched, and after foiling a desperate effort to entrap his command, succeeded by hard fighting in forcing the passage at Meadow Bridge, and withdrawing to the north side of the Chickaliomin3\ Thence proceeding through Mechanicsville, he again met and defeated the Confederates, and then pushed on to Haxall's Landing, on the James river, where he communicated with General Butler at Bermuda Hun- dred. Here he embarked his force on transports, and rejoined the Army of the Potomac. On the same day that Meade crossed the Rapidan, General Butler embarked his troops on board of transports at Fortress IMonroe, and sailed lip the James river, convoyed by a fleet of gunboats. The next day he effected a landing at City Point and Port Powhatan, but disembarked his main body at Bermuda Hundred, a neck of land lying between the Appo- mattox and James rivers, ten miles north of Petersburg, and twenty miles south of Richmond. General Beauregard quickly drew all available forces from the south, foiled Butler's attempts upon Petersburg and Richmond, attacked him on the 16th, and drove him within his lines between the forks of the two rivers, and, intrenching in his front, covered the railroad and both cities. General Beauregard then reinforced Lee, who also was now joined by the troops under Breckinridge, from Tennessee. Union Troops Headed toward Richmond. General Sigel, advancing up the Shenandoah, was defeated at New Market, IMay 15, when he was superseded by General Hunter, who in his turn defeated the Confederates at Piedmont. Hunter marched to Lynch- burg, but finding the place too strongly defended, he turned back b}^ a route through West Virginia, bringing his command safel}^ through. The twelve days' conflict at Spottsylvania was ended by another turn- ing movement, which began by the march of Hancock's corps towards Richmond. The point aimed at was the line of the North Anna river. The two armies were soon in motion, and moving on parallel lines, the whole object of Lee being to interpose himself continually between Grant and Richmond. Grant crossed the North Anna river, but Lee still was able to intrench himself in an unassailable position, and again Grant, by a flank movement, reached Cold Harbor, once more to be confronted by Lee, CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. 311 in a position in advance of the Chickabominy, covering the Virginia Cen- tral, and the Fredericksburg and Richmond railroads. An attack was made at five o'clock in the evening on Lee's lines b\^ the Sixth Corps, and the troops under General William F. Smith, just arrived from General Butler's army. The attack was successful, and the ground gained held against repeated assaults. An attack was made along the whole line, and within twenty minutes more than ten thousand men BATTLE OF COLD HARBOR. fell before they could reach the Confederate lines. Some hours later General Meade ordered a second advance, and the men unanimously refused to obe}-. General Grant, June 14, transferred his army south of the James river. He then ordered General Butler to send General Smith, during the night, against Petersburg. The movement was not prompt, and General Smith, instead of marching into Petersburg, which was then undefended, rested over-night. The next morning it was too late. All that could be done was to carry the outer works. A good position was gained, and the arm}' pro- ceeded to envelop Petersburg towards the Southside railroad, as far as pos- sible, without attacking fortifications. As early as the 7th of June, General Sheridan had been sent on a 312 CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. raid towards Gordonsville, there to effect a junction, if possible, with Gen- eral Hunter, and destroy the Virginia Central railroad. General Sheridan reached Trevilian Station, where he encountered and defeated a body of cavalry, and destroyed about twelve miles of railroad. Hearing nothing of General Hunter he turned back, and on the 25th crossed the James river at Powhatan and rejoined the army. Between the 22d and oOth of June, Generals Wilson and Kautz made a cavalry raid r.jainst the railroads, south of Richmond. General Wilson reached Burkesville Station, and destroyed twenty-five miles of the Danville railroad. The Southside road and the Weldon road were both damaged. The expedition then returned, but with the loss of its artillery. A Regiment and Battery Blown Up. For some weeks in July the Ninth Army Corps had been engaged in digging a mine under one of the Confederate forts. Before springing the mine a demonstration was made on the north side of the James river against the New Market road, to induce the sending of troops away from the Petersburg defences. On the morning of the 30th, between four and five o'clock, the mine was sprung, blowing up a battery and most of a regi- ment. The advance of the assaulting column, formed of the Ninth Corps, took possession of the crater made by the explosion. Not being properly supported they were driven back with great slaughter. The failure to take the fort, the capture of which was certain to compel the evacuation of Peters- burg, was a bitter disappointment to General Grant and the nation. The occupation of the Weldon railroad, the completion of a railroad from City Point to the Weldon railroad, facilitating the transit of troops, arms, and supplies through the Union lines, the capture of Fort Harrison, north of the James river, and a futile attempt to extend the Federal lines to the Southside railroad, were the most important events in the siege of Petersburg and Richmond until the final grand advance. Here we break the current of our narrative and turn our attention to the movements of General Sherman. It was on the 14th of March that General Sherman took command of the Department of the Mississippi. He had three armies encamped in and around Chattanooga — the Army of the Cumberland, General Thomas commanding, 60,773 men ; the Army of the Tennessee, General McPherson commanding, 24,465 men ; and the Army of the Ohio, General Schofield commanding, 13,559 men. The whole was CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. 313 composed of 88,188 iufautry, G149 Ccavalry, and 44G0 artillery; or, 98,797 men and 254 guns. To supply this army there was but a single line of railroad from Louisville, Kentucky, through Nashville to Chattanooga. By the first of May the depots at Nashville and Chattanooga were well filled with supplies of provisions and military stores, and everything in readiness for an onward march. The Confederates lay in and about Dalton, thirty-eight miles south of Chattanooga. Their force was estimated at 50,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry, mostly veterans, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, an able general, second onl}^, and by some deemed superior, to General Lee in military skill and capacity. What he lacked in numbers was made up in the rugged and defensible character of the country. His position at Dalton was well fortified, and the hundred miles to Atlanta was the most impracticable region over which an aggressive march was ever undertaken. Retreat of General Johnston. General Sherman began his movement May 6th. He found the position at Buzzard's Roost too strong to be assaulted. General McPherson was sent through Snake Gap to turn it, while Generals Thomas and Schofiekl threatened it in front and on the north. The movement was successful. General Johnston, finding his retreat likely to be cut off, fell back to his fortified position at Resaca. Here he was attacked, and a lieav}'- battle ensued May 15th. During the night Johnston retreated. His rear-guard was overtaken and attacked at Adairsville. Severe skirmishing ensued. He continued his retreat until the 19th, when he crossed the Etowah river. While these operations were going on General Jefferson C. Davis' division of Thomas' army was sent to Rome, which, with its forts and artillery, its valuable mills and foundries, was captured and destroyed. After resting a few days. General Sherman put his army in motion for Dallas, with a view to turn the difiicult pass of Alatoona. On the 25tli General Hooker had a severe battle v.-ith a part of Hood's and Hardee's corps, driving them back to New Hope Church. Of several encounters, at and near Dallas, the most important was a desperate assault upon McPherson, which met with a bloody repulse. On the 4th of June Johnston retreated to the strong positions of Pine, Kenesaw and Lost mountains. For several days there was incessant skir- mishing. In the meantime the Federal army was reinforced by General ;314 CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRAA'T. Blair, with two divisions of the Seventeenth Army Corps.; and the Con- federate army by the Georgia militia and accessions of cavalry. On the 14 th the warrior-bishop, Leonidas Polk, was killed by an exploding shell while standing with "^ Johnston and Hardee on % the crest of ^.^^-^^ ^^ ]\Ionn- On the 28th Generals Thomas and McPherson made a determined assault on Johnston's works, but were re- pulsed Avith terrible slaughter. Defeated in his direct attack, General Sherman again moved his arm}^ by the right, and turned John- ston's position, compelling him to aban- don Kenesaw and retreat, July 3d, across the Chattahoochee. Both' armies rested in comparative quiet, the time being occupied by General Sherman in manoeuvres and movements for the purpose of crossing the Chattahoochee DEATH OF GENERAL POLK. I CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. 315 and turning Johnston's position, which had been carefully chosen, and strongl}^ fortified, as the last defence of Atlanta. On the 17th General Sherman had crossed the Chattahoochee, and by the 20th had forced Johnston into his intrenchments in front of Atlanta, and here General Johnston was, by order of President Davis, superseded in command by General J. B. Hood. General Hood immediately assumed the offensive, and made, during the latter part of July, several desperate assaults upon General Sherman's lines. The most determined attack was on July 22, during which the brave and accomplished General McPherson was killed. Hood was defeated in every attempt, and his army suffered losses which could not be repaired. The Confederate loss in this battle, the bloodiest in the campaign, was about 12,000 killed, wounded and prisoners, while that of the Federals was 3,722. General Logan succeeded General McPherson in command, until superseded by Major-General Howard. Three Expeditions Sent Forward. During the month of August General Sherman partiall}^ invested Atlanta. In the meantime three expeditions, under Generals McCook, Garrard and Stoneman, were made to cut the railroads south of Atlanta. The first was successful ; the others failed. General Rousseau had pre- viously made a successful raid upon the Atlanta and Montgomery railroad, and its branches near Opelika. About the same time, also, the Confederate General Wheeler left Atlanta with a large force of cavalry, intending to cut General Sherman's communications in the rear. He crossed the rail- road near Dalton, passed into Hast Tennessee, and then went to ^IcMinn- ville, Murfreesboro, and Franklin, and finally into Alabama. The damage done by him was repaired in a few days. General Sherman becoming convinced that he could not completely invest Atlanta, decided to move round Hood's left flank upon the Mont- gomery and Macon railroad, and thus draw him from his fortifications. Hood was compelled to abandon Atlanta, and being defeated at Rough and Ready, at Jonesboro and Lovejoy's, he retreated south. On the 2d General Slocum entered the city, and General Sherman, desisting from the pursuit of Hood, returned and encamped around it on the Sth. While General Sherman was marching and fighting his way towards Atlanta the single line of railroad from Nashville, by which alone he 316 CAMPAIGNS OF SHERMAN AND GRANT. could receive supplies, liad to be guarded the whole distance. The Con- federate General Forrest, in Northern Mississippi, was meditating an attack upon it, to cut off Sherman's retreat should he meet with a serious reverse. General Sherman, therefore, directed General Washburne to send General Sturgis, vvith the forces in West Tennessee, to operate against Forrest. On the morning of the 10th of June General Sturgis met Forrest near Guntown, Mississippi, was badly beaten, and retreated in utter con- fusion hotly pursued, to Memphis. But the conflict defeated Forrest's designs against Sherman, The movements of General Sherman were in keeping with the plan to divide the Confederacy, and break it up. Already the Union armies held a strong position in the central part of those States which were try- ing to sever themselves from the Union. General Sherman's plan was to cut the Confederacy in twain. While military operations were going on farther north, and on the coast, he resolved to strike at vital points. Possessed of great energy and military skill, his plans were formed with a far end in view, and he pushed for- ward, bravely determined to accomplish his purpose. Already the forces of the South were becoming weak, although not yet ready to give up the fight. Enthusiasm could not make up for lack of numbers. Men might be willing to starve, and even lay down their lives, but this was no surety that they could obtain the victory. CHAPTER XXIX, BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. )IIvAIINGTON, North Carolina, was the only seaport town on the coast that the United States fleet had been unable to blockade with any degree of success. The entrance to the city is by Cape Fear river, whose outlet is such that the navy could not effectually close it against blockade-runners, which were daily passing in and out with supplies from abroad, and exports of cotton and other products. The number of vessels that ran the blockade in fifteen months, from October 1, 1863, to December 31, 1864, \vas 397. English capitalists had invested in the trade more than sixty millions of dollars. Fifty cruisers stationed on the coast could not guard the entrance, although they made sixty-five captures of steamers, . whose value was more than thirteen millions of dollars. In the summer of 1864, it was determined to make an effort to capture the town. Its main defences were Fort Caswell, situated on the north end of Oak Island, on the south side of the river; and Fort Johnson, near Smithville, on the mainland ; and Fort Fisher, on the southern point of the mainland, on the south side of the river, commanding both the channel of the river and that of New Inlet. It was a strong fort, and garrisoned by 2,300 men. The naval part of the expedition was assembled in Hamp- ton Roads, and was ready to sail early in the fall. It consisted of the iron-clads " Ironsides," " Monadnock," " Canonicus," and " Mahopac ; " the frigates "Minnesota," "Colorado," "Wabash;" and several gunboats and vessels of smaller size, and a fleet of transports. The expedition got off on the 13th : the troops on board numbered 6,500. It was intended by General Grant that General Weitzel should command them. But General Butler, through whom, as the superior officer, the instructions to Weitzel were given, put the instructions in his pocket, and went himself. General Grant did not dream that Butler would take command, and thought that if he went, it would be merely to see the 317 318 BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. explosion of a boat laden with powder, which he had prepared at great expense and delay, as if fancying that the mud walls of Fort Fisher would fall at the noise, as the walls of Jericho did at the sound of Joshua's trumpets. The fleet arrived off New Inlet on the 15th, but a storm delayed the attack until the 24th. The powder boat was exploded the same morning, with so little effect that the Confederates did not know the object of it until they were informed by the Northern newspapers. At one o'clock the bombardment began, and in an hour and fifteen minutes the fort ceased to fire in return. The fire was kept up for five hours. The fleet suffered no injury, except by the explosion of its own guns, by which about forty men were killed, and others were wounded. The Works too Strong to be Taken. The next day the bombardment was renewed, and a landing of part of the force was made ; but General Weitzel, after a survey of the work, reported that it would be "butchery to order an assault." This opinion coincided with that of General Butler, who ordered the troops to re-embark, and return to Fortress Monroe. Rear-Admiral Porter, who commanded the fleet, did not agree with General Butler, and so wrote to the Navy Department. He remained off New Inlet two days, and then went to Beaufort, and waited in the confident expectation that General Grant would order a second attack. Accordingly, on the 30th of December, General Grant wrote to Admiral Porter to hold on, and he would send a force, and make another attempt to take the place. The same troops were ordered back, with the addition of a brigade of 1,500 men, and Gen. A. H. Terry was selected for the command. The expedition sailed January 6th, and arrived at Beaufort on the 8th. Here it was detained by rough weather until the 12th. The next day the troops were all landed. The fleet opened fire upon the fort, and kept it up continuously for two days. The assault was made at 3 p. m. January 15, by the army on the land face, and by a body of sailors and marines on the northeast bastion. The latter failed, but the army was more successful. By 5 o'clock nine traverses, being half the land front, were carried by hand-to-hand fighting. By 9 o'clock two more were carried, and an hour later the occupation of the fort was complete. BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. 319 The garrison retreated to Federal Point, where, their retreat being cut off, they surrendered unconditionally, to the number of 2083 ; the rest were killed and wounded. The Union loss, of both army and fleet, was about 900. The fall of Fort Fisher was followed by that of Fort Caswell, and the forts at Smith's Island, Smithville, and Reeve's Point, and the city of Wilmington. The Confederate gunboats "Tallahassee" and "Chickamauga" were also destro3^ed. The city of Mobile was defended by three forts at' the entrance of Mobile Bay, forts Morgan and Gaines, on opposite sides of the channel, the latter on Dauphin Island, and the former at the end of a long sandy reach of the mainland. These forts kept the blockading fleet out of the bay. Admiral Farragut, who commanded the Gulf Squadron, reconnoitered the approaches to the bay early in the 3'ear, and offered, with the assistance of two or three iron-clads and a few thousand soldiers to gain full possession of the ba}^ In the latter part of July four monitors were added to his squadron, and General Granger M-as prepared to co-operate with the troops. The Whole Fleet in Motion. On the evening of August 4th the monitors and wooden vessels were all assembled off the bar of Mobile Bay, and the next morning, before six o'clock, the whole fleet moved up the bay. The wooden ships had each an iron-clad lashed to the side next to Fort Morgan, for the double purpose of protection, and that if either should be disabled her partner might tow her along. The four monitors also moved between the ships and the fort, at the distance of about two hundred yards from the latter. Admiral Farragut, lashed to the topmast of his flagship, the Hartford, led the attack, and opened such a terrible and continuous fire upon the fort that the gunners were driven from their guns, and all the fleet passed the forts with very little damage, except to the monitor Tecumseh, which was struck by a torpedo, staving a hole in her side, when she filled and sank, carrying down her brave commander, T. A. M. Craven, and all her crew but four officers and seventeen men. Soon after eight o'clock a desperate battle began with the Confederate fleet, consisting of the "Selnia," "Morgan," and "Gaines," and the iron-clad ram "Tennessee," the most formidable ship ever constructed by the Confederates, and commanded by Admiral Buchanan, who had formerly commanded the Merrimac. After a contest of two hours with the whole 320 BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. Federal fleet, the ram surrendered. Admiral Buchanan lost a leg, and twelve of his crew were killed and wounded. Two hundred and eighty prisoners were taken. Admiral Farragut lost fifty-two killed and one hundred and seventy wounded, besides those drowned in the "Tecumseh." The forts w^ere immediately invested. Gaines surrendered on the 7th, and Morgan on the 23d. Fort Powell was blown up and abandoned. The number of prisoners captured was 14G4. Henceforth Mobile Bay was closed to external commerce. Early in June the "Alabama," Captain Semmes, after a successful cruise in the Southern Atlantic and Indian oceans against American merchant- men, returned, and put into the harbor of Cherbourg. The United States steamer "Kearsarge," Captain John A. Winslow, lying then at Flushing, immediately sailed for Cherbourg, to watch the Alabama. Captain Semmes repaired and refitted his ship, and twenty minutes past 10 o'clock Sunday morning, June 19th, sailed out of the harbor to fight the "Kearsarge.'' He was accompanied by the French ironclad "Couronne," and an English yacht, the "Deer-hound," owned by a Mr. Lancaster. The Famous Cruiser Goes Down. The two vessels were nearly equal in size and armament, the "Ala- bama" being larger by 120 tons, and having eight guns to the " Kearsarge's " seven. The latter had the more powerful engines. The crew of the " Kearsarge " was twenty-two officers and one hundred and forty men. It is not known what number of men the "Alabama" had. This naval combat was not between two American ships. The "Ala- bama" was a British ship, built in England, her armament and all her outfit English. Her crew were nearly all British sailors, her second lieutenant, Armstrong, being a relative of the inventor of the Armstrong gun. There was nothing American about her, except her name, and her captain, and a part of her officers. Before leaving Cherbourg, her guns were manned by trained and skilful artillerists, wdio were transferred from the British practice-ship "Excellent." After a short engagement the "Alabama" was sunk. The crew jumped into the sea. The " Kearsarge " picked up .sixty-nine, of whom seventeen were wounded. Twelve were taken to France by two pilot-boats. The "Deer-hound" picked up forty-two, including Captain Semmes, and took them to England. How many were killed and wounded cannot be known. BATTLES ON LAND AND SLA. 321 The conduct of Captain Scninics, who, after striking liis flag, threw his sword into the sea, and allowed himself to be carried off to England has been severely censured in the United States. The constitution and laws required a new election of President in 18G4. 4a4t, SINKING OF THE "ALABAMA" BY THE " KEARSARGE. It could not be postponed. Could it be peaceably held in the midst of war? Could the canvass for the rival candidates be conducted without riot and bloodshed amid the clash of arms? The statesmen of the old world asked these questions. But the people of the United States, with no more than the ordinary agitation of the political elements, went through the canvass and elected a president and vice-president. The friends of Mr. Lincoln proposed him as a candidate for re-election, and for the second time he was chosen president. The year 18G4 was crowded with events, and we must go back a little 21 322 BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. in the order of time. In Jnnc, (iencral Lee ascertaining that, in consequence of Hunter's sh)w retreat through the mountains of West Virginia, Mary- land was open to another invasion, and Washington exposed, ordered Gen- eral Karly with l-,n(l() men to descend the Shenandoah Valley and threaten Washington. Early reached Martinsburg on July ^kl, and four days later he occupied Frederick, Mar3dand. The only force to oppose him was a small division of the Sixth Army Corps, and such scattered bands as Gen . Lewis Wallace could collect together at Bal- timore. He met Early at a crossing of the Monocac}'' on the Sth, and although beaten, he gained considerable time for the lOtli Army Corps, under General Wright, and the re- mainder of the Sixth Corps, to arrive. He advanced on Washing- ton, but was repulsed GENERAL I'liii.ii- 11. SHERIDAN. by General Wright aud compelled to retreat back to llic Shenandoah Valley again. When General Grant, lunvever, ordered the return of the Nineteenth and Sixth Corps to Petersburg, Early was again re-enforced, and enter- ing Alaryland, a flying column sacked and burnt the city of Chambers- burg, Pennsjdvania. General Lee, by sending a large force into the Shenandoah Valley, expected to induce Grant to detach from his army so large a body of men as to w-eaken his hold upon the investing lines of Petersburg and Richmond. BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. 323 But the hero of Vicksburg would not relax a grasp ouce made. He determined rather to destroy the Confederate force in the vShenandoah Val- ley. He formed a new military department, and gave the command to General P. H. wShcridan. General Early was encamped near Winchester, on the west bank of Opequan creek, and General Sheridan on the cast side, near Berrysville. General Sheridan took command August 7, and the next six weeks were spent in organizing his army. General Grant paid him a visit August 15, and after consultation ordered him to attack Early. This he did on the IDth, inflicting a severe defeat. Early rallied his broken forces and made a stand at Fisher's Hill, where he was again attacked and defeated. He then retired beyond the passes of the Blue Ridge. Sheridan pushed his pursuit as far as vStaun- ton, and then retiring, laid waste the valley by the destruction of all barns, grain, forage, farming implements and mills. Early being again recnforccd took the offensive. The Union forces were posted at Cedar Creek. Gen- eral Sheridan had gene to Washington, leaving the command to (general Wright. By a night march Early surprised the Union camp, before da}'- liglit of October 19. A complete rout ensued, and the whole Union army retired in confusion and disorder as far as ]\Iiddleto\vn, where General Wright succeeded in arresting the flight and reforming his lines. Sheridan Suddenly Appears upon the Field. It was now ten o'clock a.m. At this moment General Sheridan dashed upon the field, and immediately ordered a counter-attack, which dnn'e Early in confusion beyond Cedar Creek, the Union forces recovering their camps, recapturing all they had lost, and taking many prisoners. Earl}' then abandoned the valley, and joined Lcc at Richmond. With this cam- paign ended all military operations in the Shenandoah Valley. The Sixth Corps and two divisions of cavalry were returned to Grant at Petersburg. Sherman, with the consent of General Grant, undertook to march from Atlanta to the sea. Having collected his forces, he began by destroying the railroad fnmi Atlanta to Dalton. Atlanta the pri/e so fiercely fought for, and won at such a sacrifice of life and treasure, was burnt and aban- doned. He divided his army into two divisions, the right under General Howard, and the left under General Slocum. He took with him only small provision and ammunition trains, intending to forage and subsist upon the country. 324 BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. Two lines of railroad connect Atlanta with tlie seaboard, one by Augusta tlirougli South Carolina to Charleston, 308 miles ; the other through Macon and Alillen to Savannah, 293 miles. Between these two roads, from forty to one hundred miles apart. General Sherman marched, SHERIDAN'S CAVALRY CHARGE AT CEDAR CREEK. his wings overlapping them. Two hundred miles of railroad were destro3'ed, the rails were heated and twisted, every tie, bridge, tank, wood-shed, and depot was burnt, and every culvert was blown up. All the cotton discovered was burned, about fifteen thousand bales. All the cattle, horses, mules, hogs, and poultry were taken, and either BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. 325 consumed on the way, or brought to SavanUcah. Eight or ten thousand slaves followed the army. It was forbidden to bum and pillage houses, but this was done to some extent by stragglers. A tornado's path burnt by fire could not have been more destructive. The Carolinas and Virginia were severed from Alabama and Mississippi, and Hood and Lee conld not again support each other. On the 11th of December, a dispatch from General Howard was received by General Foster, in command on the coast. On the 12th, Fort McAllister, which had resisted three assaults of the monitors in 18G3, was taken by assault by General Hazen. Preparations were made to besiege Savannah, but General Hardee withdrew from it during the night of the 20th, and it was occupied by Sherman the next da}^ His own losses on the march had been less than fifteen hundred men. Many Towns Captured. Anticipating General Sherman's arrival at Savannah, General Grant, December 6th, had issued orders to have his army put upon transports, and brought to the aid of General Meade. But, after learning the defeat of Hood by Thomas, the order was countermanded, and he was directed to resume his march from Savannah, through the Carolinas, to Goldsboro, N. C. He was readj^, and began his movement January loth. The spring rains had caused such an overflow of the rivers, that all the low grounds and swamps were submerged, and no real progress M'as made until the middle of February. He captured Columbia, S. C, February 17th, and March 12th he reached Fayetteville, N. C, when he opened communication with General Schofield, by way of Cape Fear river. On the 15th he resumed his march, and on the same day encountered and defeated a part of Johnston's forces at Averysboro. On the 18th, General Slocum, who led the advance, was attacked at Bentonville by Johnston's army, and driven back three miles, with the loss of three guns. General Slocum, learning that Johnston's whole army was in front, intrenched himself, and awaited re-enforcements. But, before their arrival, and on the night of the 21st, Johnston retreated to Smithfield, leaving his dead and wounded on the field. General Sherman had up to this time skilfully interposed his superior forces between the inferior forces of Johnston on the hills, and Hardee on the coast, and prevented their junction until he could unite with Schofield and ^26 BATTLES ON LAND AND SEA. Terry, the former from Newbern, and tlie latter from Wilmington. This junetion was effected on the 1^'Jd at Goldsboro, where the army lay during tJie month of March. The results of this campaign were the evacuation of Charleston on llie ISth of February, and its occupation by General Gilmore on the 21st. As he marched northward, the whole coast, with all its forts, docks, and l)roperty, from Savannah to Newbern, fell into possession of the Federal troo]-)S and fleets. Sheridan lay in winter-quarters at Winchester until February 27th, when, with 10,000 cavalry, he set out for an overland journey to join Grant or vSherman, his instructions directing him to cross the James river, strike the vSouthside railroad at Farmville, destroy it, and seek Sherman at Raleigh. But after scattering Early's small infantry force at Staunton, and destroying the railroad from Charlottesville to Lynchburg, and the James River Canal from New Market to Duiguidsville, he learned that the bridges across the James had been burned by the Confederates. He, there- fore, took another route, marched through Virginia to the White House, and thence across the peninsula to Jones' Landing, and joined the army before Petersburg. ciiAi''i~i';k XXX. SURRHNDHK OF Till: CONl-HDliUATH ARMY. u lllv circle of (Icstnictioii was now drriwiiiy; closer .-iiid eloser nroinid the eiludel of the Coiileder.'icy. ShcriiKiii was coiiiiiij.;" uj) lioiii llie South, Jiiid vStoucni.'in was rculy to co-opcnitc with him, having crossed the iiionntaius of Tennessee into North Caro- lina, destroying railroads, bridges, depots of su])])lies, and cap- turing Salisbury. The leaders of the Confederacy were now anxious to brini^ the war to a close. Three commissioners, among whom weic Al(xand«i 11. Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederacy, and vSenator IIunl«r, went eharged with power to arrange with Union agents the terms on wliieh peace conid Ix- concluded. The preliminary discussions resnlted in noihiii;-, and Imally President Lincoln and vSecretary vSeward went to h'ortress Monroe to (on- tinue the negotiations. As before, the conference brought no rc-sults, Mr. Lincoln insi.sting that the only terms of i>eace were for those who had originated the war to lay down their arms. Lee saw the painful necessity of abandoning Richmond and uniting with the vSouthern army under Johnston, lie c(.nld, at tin- hcfore he could .set out it was neces.sary to weaken (Grant's line on the left, near Hatcher's Run. This could be done mo.st effectually by an assault ni>on :,om<- point near and ea.st of Petersburg. In pursuit of this jdan. on tli.- morning of March 25, Fort vSteadman was surprised by a night attack and taken, but could not be held. A counter-assault not only drove the Confederates out of the fort, but gained for the Union troops the strongly intrenched picket- line, within a few steps from the Confederate works. The attack upon Fort Steadman cost Lee 2500 men killed and wounded, and MMlO men taken prisoners. The Union loss was less than 2000. 327 328 THE PEACE COMMISSIONERS. SURRENDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. 329 General Grant, prior to this affair, had issued orders for a general movement of the whole army. He had been apprehensive for weeks, every night when he retired to rest, that before he should awake next morning Lee would be gone. General Ord, at the head of four divisions of the Army of the James, moved out to Hatcher's Run. Other divisions, under Warren, Humphrej^s, Wright and Parke, followed the next day; while Sheridan, with his cavalry, held the extreme left of the line at Dinwiddie Court-house. A heavy rain for two days delaj^ed the attack. Lee had divined the object of his antagonist, and marshalled all his available forces to resist the shock upon his right. The contest opened with a fierce attack by Lee upon Warren, which was resisted with great braver3\ The Main Works Assaulted and Carried. The battle raged furiously all the morning, but Warren held his ground, and finally drove Lee back to his lines on the White Oak road. Foiled here, Lee turned his attention to Sheridan, who, by a bold push, had gained Five Forks, about eight miles north of Dinwiddie. Two divisions of infantry, under Pickett and Bushrod Johnson, forced Sheridan's cavalr}'- back towards Dinwiddie. He dismounted his men, and deployed them as infantry, and so maintained his ground till night. McKenzie's cavalry and the whole Fifth Corps were, during the night, ordered to join Sheridan. In the morning he took the offensive, hurled the Confederates back to Five Forks, assaulted and carried the main Avorks, and captured about five thousand prisoners. There were now left only two strong works in the hands of the Con- federates. These were Forts Alexander and Gregg. Fort Alexander was close to the Federal line, and it was overrun and captured with a hurrah. This left only Fort Gregg, and for a time the fate of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia depended on that ; for, if it could not be held until Lee had time to take a new position, his army was doomed. Its garrison numbered two hundred and ^(ty. General Ord immediately sent Gibbons' division to storm Fort Gregg. It charged in fine order, but within fifty yards received such a murderous volley that it fell back. This repulse was so admirably made that the thousands of Confederates who were watching broke into ringing cheers. A second charge was made, and then a third; but the fourth prevailed. The Union troops swept over and into the works, and found that, out of 330 SURRENDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. the two hundred and fifty comprising the garrison, only thirty were unhurt. All the rest were killed or wounded, ,- : ; ;,_^^ . j^ This decided the day. But Gen. Grant, ^^:.. -.^' — : — fearing that Lee would abandon his lines f^' * ] \ ^ " '1 GALLANT DEFENSE OF FORT GREGG. j^ and fall upon Sheridan with all his force, -_z -^^^0 ordered a general bombardment of Peters- ^ " burg, w'hich was continued until four o'clock in the morning, when an assault was made on the outer works. It was successful at all points. General Wright, with the Sixth Corps, SURRENDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. 331 pierced completely through, and reached the Appomattox river, thus sepa- rating Lee's right wing from his centre and left. The broken columns were pursued b}- General Miles to Sutherland Station, and made prisoners or dispersed. The Union troops now closed around Petersburg. Lee still tenaciously held his inner works, and even made two desperate attempts to retake some of the lost ground, in one of which— the last blow struck by the Army of Northern Virginia— fell General A. P. Hill, who had borne a distinguished part in all its campaigns. Richmond was no longer tenable, and there was but one line of retreat for Lee — by the Appomattox westward to Burkesville and the Danville line. The Fifth Corps of the Union Army was encamped at Sutherland Station, on the Southside railroad, two miles west of Petersburg; and Sheridan's cavalry had bivouacked at Ford's, ten miles further west. Lee Telegraphs to Jefferson Davis. At ten o'clock in the forenoon of Sunda}^ Lee telegraphed to Jefferson Davis that he must evacuate Richmond. The message found him in church, from which his sudden withdrawal made known the fatal tidings to the people. During the day President Davis and all the State officers, with the papers and coin belonging to the Confederate government, departed on a train for Danville. During the night the troops were quietly withdrawn from Petersburg and Richmond and all the fortified lines, and before morn- ing were sixteen miles on their way ^vestward. When the rear-guard crossed the James to leave Richmond General Hwell gave the foolish order to set fire to the warehouses containing the government tobacco, and soon all the business portion of the city was wrapped in flames. By the light of the blazing buildings, and the sound of exploding shells, General Weitzel was informed of the event, and in the gray dawn of INIonday morning forty troopers entered Richmond and planted their colors on the capitol. But General Grant did not enter the deserted city. Knowing that the strength of the Confederate government was concentrated in Lee's army he bent all his energies to the pursuit. To cut off Lee, by striking the Richmond and Danville railroad before he could reach Burkesville, was his first object. For this purpose Sheridan pushed on with all speed, fol- lowed by the Fifth and Sixth Corps, along the South side railroad. Before Lee left Richmond he had sent orders to Danville to tranship 332 SURRENDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. stores and rations for liis army to Amelia Courthouse. When he arrived at that place, April 4th, he learned that the train had passed on to Rich- mond, leaving his army without provisions. He also learned, before he was read}' to move, that General Sheridan had already reached Jettersville, seven miles west. He then turned towards Lynchburg. But General Ord, who had occupied Burkesville on the 6th, sent forward a small force under General Read to Farmville, where this gallant officer met and attacked the head of Lee's coluinn, and by the sacrifice of his own life and the loss of most of his heroic band, detained Lee until General Ord came up withf his whole army. General Sheridan and the Sixth and Second Corps were crowding upon Lee's rear, and the same day Ewell's Corps and nearly the whole wagon-train of the army were captured near Deatonsville. The Confederates in Full Retreat. The next day, the 7th, Lee crossed the Appomattox near Farmville, and ordered the bridges to be burned behind him. So vigorous, however, was the pursuit that General Humphreys was in time to save the wagon- bridge, and all but four spans of the railroad-bridge. The Union troops crossed immediately. But during the night Lee marched towards Appo- mattox Courthouse, hoping to reach Appomattox Station on the Lynchburg railroad. It was his only hope of escape. In the meantime General Grant had, on the 7th, demanded, in a letter to General Lee, the surrender of his army. Lee courteously asked what terms would be granted. Grant replied that the only conditions would be that the men and officers should be disqualified from ever again taking up arms against the United States. Lee declined to surrender, but proposed to meet Grant to confer upon the restoration of peace. To this suggestion Grant replied that he had no authority to treat on the subject of peace. Grant's last letter was dated the 9th, and before it reached Lee the time for parley had gone by. Sheridan, by a rapid march of thirty miles on the 8th, had reached Appomattox Station in the evening, just as Lee's vanguard arrived. Four trains of cars from Lynchburg, with supplies for Lee's army, were approach- ing. Sheridan threw a force in rear of the trains, captured them, and then attacking the vanguard, drove it back to Appomattox Court-house. Lee could now escape only by breaking through Sheridan's lines. This he attempted in the morning. He ordered his remnant of an army — eight SURRENDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. 333 or ten thousand men — in battle array, to cut their way through at all hazards. The attack was begun with zeal and impetuosity, and the Federal cavalry gave way; but, just at this moment, General Sheridan, Avho had been to Appomattox Station to hurry up the Army of the James, came upon the field. He directed his troopers to fall back gradually, resisting slightly, to give time for the infantry to come up and form into line. No sooner did the Confederates see the line of advancing bayonets than they began to give ground. Sheridan then gave the order to mount, and placing his cavalry on the left flank, was about to charge on the trains and the unarmed and confused mass, when a white flag emerged from the Confed- erate lines, bearing a letter from Lee to Grant, requesting a suspension of hostilities and an interview. K'udently, a matter of importance was on hand. Liberal Terms of Surrender. In an old farm-house the two generals met, and on a plain deal table drew up the form of agreement by which the Army of Northern Virginia ceased to exist. The terms of surrender were liberal. Nothing was exacted to humiliate the discomfited foe. Three days afterwards the Confederates marched to a designated place, near Appomattox Court-house, stacked their arms, and laid down their accoutrements. The number of armed men was 8000, and the unarmed about 20,000. Paroles were then accepted, and the men then dispersed to their several homes. The Union troops slowly retraced their steps to Richmond. Having put his arm}^ in camp at Goldsboro, General Sherman made a flying visit to City Point, where he had an interview with General Grant, who disclosed his plans, and directed Sherman to return to Goldsboro, and move against Raleigh as soon as April 10th. The stirring news of Grant's success reached him while still at Goldsboro. He immediately set his columns in motion, occupied Raleigh April 13th, and the next da}' entered into correspondence with General Johnston, which resulted in a suspension of hostilities, and a memorandum, or basis for peace, subject to the approval of the President. The agreement did not arrive at Washington until President Lincoln was succeeded by Air. Johnson, who disapproved it, and dispatched General Grant with instruction to General Sherman to terminate the truce, and SURRENDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. 335 commeuce operations against Johnston. The Confederate general made no further resistance ; but agreed to surrender on the same terms accorded to General Lee. The Confederate troops grounded their arms, accepted paroles, and dispersed to their homes, while Sherman's soldiers continued their march through Richmond to Washington, where, after a grand review, they were honorably dismissed to their several states. The Confederates, after the capture of the forts at the mouth of Mobile Bay, still held the city of Mobile. On the 20th of March General Canby moved against the city. The troops collected at the forts sailed up the bay. A force under Major-General Steele marched from Pensacola. Spanish Fort was occupied by the combined forces oa the 8tli of April, and Fort Blakely carried by assault on the 9th. Two days later the city was evacuated, and on the 12th General Canby took possession. Closing Scenes of the War. The last wasteful raid of the war was that of General Wilson, who, with 12,500 mounted men, marched from Chickasaw, Alabama, to Macon, Georgia. On the 1st of April he encountered General Forrest at Ebenezer Church, and defeated him. On the 2d he took by assault the fortified city of Selma, destroyed the armory, arsenal, naval foundrj', machine shops, vast quantities of stores, and captured 3000 prisoners. On the Itli he destoyed Tallahassee. On the 14th he reached Montgomery. On the 16th he cap- tured Columbus and West Point, destroying and taking an immense amount of property. On the 20th he took possession of Macon, Georgia, with sixty field guns, 1200 militia, and five generals, surrendered by General Howell Cobb. On the 4th of May General Dick Taylor surrendered to General Canby all the remaining Confederate forces east of the Mississippi. Ati army sufficient to overcome General Kirby Smith in Texas was organized, and immediately put in motion for Texas, with General Sheridan placed in command. General Smith, not waiting for an attack, surreudered all the Confederate troops in Texas to General Canby on the 2Gth of May; but exhibited the bad faith of first disbanding most of his army, and per- mitting an indiscriminate plunder of public property. This was the closing act of the war. When the Confederate president left Richmond, April 2d, he went to Danville, Virginia, and there, on the 5th, issued a proclamation, in which there is a mingled tone of confidence and defiance, based upon his expecta- 330 SURRENDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. tioii that General Lee would escape from Grant, and unite his anu}- with that of General Johnston. But the surrender of both those generals dashed his hopes to the ground. With a small body of cav^alry as an escort, he attempted to thread his way through the Federal lines, reach the coast of Florida, and escape on some vessel. He got as far as Irwinsville, Georgia, when he was overtaken by a squadron of the Fourth Michigan cavalr}', and captured, May 11th, with his famil}^ He was removed to Fortress Monroe, where he was finally paroled, as were the Confederate troops. The United States government magnanimously declined to condemn and execute an\' of the officers or men who had been engaged in the attempt to set up an independent government. The terms of the surrender were arranged on the 9th of April. On the 12th the Army of Northern Virginia formed in divisions for the last time, and marching to a designated spot near Appomattox Court-house, laid down its arms, and disbanded. About seventy-five hundred men with arms, and about eighteen thousand unarmed stragglers, took part in the surrender. The Federal troops treated their vanquished opponents with true soldierly kindness, and carefully refrained from everything which might seem to insult the valor that had won their earnest admiration. CHAPTER XXXI. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. N the 4tli of March 1865, Mr. Lincoln was sworn into office for a second term, before Chief- Justice Chase. His inaugural address was pervaded by a deep religious feeling. He took a hopeful view of the future, but ventured upon no promises or predictions. The fate of the nation is in the hands of God, who governs the world according to His own purposes. The address con- cludes as follows : " With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in ; to bind up the nation's wounds ; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan ; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations." On the 8th of March, he rescinded an order which required passports from all persons entering the United States from Canada. This order had been issued December 17, 1861, in consequence of the gathering of many Confederates in Canada, their threatened raids into the countr}^, and the facility with which spies and hostile persons could cross the frontier, travel from place to place, avoid detection, and escape apprehension. In the progress of the war, large numbers of soldiers had deserted, and subjected themselves to court-martial, and the penalty of death. ]\Ir. Lincoln, in compliance with an act of Congress, also issued a proclamation giving them sixty days in which to return, otherwise the}' v\'ould be con- sidered as having forfeited their rights of citizenshijD, and be forever incapable of exercising any rights of citizenship. He knew that General Grant was intending to move against Richmond, and went to City Point to be present at what both thought would be the final and successful struggle. He went into Richmond the da}^ after its occupation by the Union troops. He there had an interview with Judge Campbell, who urged him to permit the assembling of the \"irginia Legis- lature. On the 6th day of April, he wrote to General Weitzel, directing 22 337 338 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. him to permit them to meet, and sit until they might attempt some act hostile to the United States. He subsequently recalled his permission. The President returned to Washington, and on the evening of the 11th of April, the Presidential mansion and all the other public buildings in Washington were illuminated, in honor of the surrender of General Lee and his army. To the people, who assembled to congratulate him, he made the last address that fell from his lips, in which he briefly discussed the subject of the restoration of the States to the Union. He dwelt prin- cipally upon the State government in Louisiana in 1863, and defended his conduct. But he said that he was not inseparately wedded to any plan. He added : '' So great peculiarities pertain to each State, and such important and sudden changes occur in the same State ; and, withal, so new and unprecedented is the whole case, that an exclusive and inflexible plan would surely become a new entanglement." United States Authority Re-established. He did not think it wise to discuss the question whether the seceded States, so called, were in or out of the Union. He thought it a pernicious abstraction. He said : " We all agree that the seceded States, so called, are out of their political relation with the Union, and that the sole object of the government, civil and military, in regard to those States, is again to get them into that proper practical relation. I believe that it is not only possible, but in fact easier, to do this without deciding, or even con- sidering, whether these States have ever been out of the Union, than with it. Finding themselves safely at home, it would be utterly immaterial whether they had ever been abroad." Believing the war to be substantially ended, proclamation was made closing all the Southern ports, and claiming to exercise over them the same authority as over other ports of the United States, and declaring that ships of war belonging to foreign nations would receive in ports of the United States the same treatment which was given in their ports to cruisers of the United States. Orders were issued to stop recruiting for the army and navy, to make no more contracts for supplies, and no more purchases of war material. Mr. Lincoln naturally felt the elation which follows success. It was apparent in his gait, in his face, in his talk. The events of the last month lifted a burden from his mind, and inspired him with new life. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN 339 The cares and perplexities, the labors and respousibilities of office had borne heavily upon him. That his election had been made the occasion of secession and rebellion; that his whole term of four years had been one of civil war; that thousands of his fellow-citizens had fallen in the fratricidal contest, had sorely afflicted his generous and placable spirit. His tall form, that had bent slightly before the storm, was now again erect. The sadness that had settled upon his countenance was dispersed by the sun- rise of peace. If he had pushed the war resolutely and sternly, if he had refused to listen to any proposition that looked to a broken Union and disrupted ter- ritory, it was from a conviction of duty and with a determination to trans- mit to his successor the constitution unimpaired and the country undi- minished. His triumph was certain and his ambition satisjfied. The war had not embittered his feelings. He loved his friends, and did not hate his enemies. He did not speak of crime and punishment ; his thoughts dwelt upon reconciliation and forgiveness. It was his intention to temper justice with mercy, and to spend his second term in healing the wounds that had been given and received during the first. The Victim of a Foul Conspiracy. His life had been threatened in anonymous letters. He had been often warned to beware of assassination ; but he could never be persuaded to harbor the suspicions, nor take the precautions of a tyrant. His house was unguarded, his person was unattended, and he went from place to place, to public offices and private houses, to the church, to the theatre, like any citizen. He showed neither fear nor distrust. He was accessible and affable to all. And yet this good man, whose heart at the time was going out in mercy and kindness to his enemies, was the victim of a foul conspiracy. The conspirators only waited for the place and occasion. Mr. Lincoln, oppressed with the cares of state, had occasionally sought relief in recrea- tion in the theatre. He had been invited, and consented to attend Ford's theatre on the evening of the 14th of April. While he was seated in a private box, wicli his family and friends around him, absorbed in the mimic representation of the stage, the assassin stealthily entered the box, fastened the door with a board previously pre- pared for the purpose, so that he could not be followed, and with a Der- 340 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. riuger pistol shot his unconscious victim behind the ear, the ball penetrat- ing the brain. Mr. Lincoln's head fell back upon the chair, and his body remained motionless. He was removed to a house near by and attended by surgeons. The wound was mortal. He did not speak after it, but sank gradually until twenty-two minutes after seven o'clock in the morn- ing, when he expired. The bod}^ was embalmed and lay in state in the Green Room of the Presidential mansion, inclosed in a splendid cof&n, and within a grand cata- falque, until the 19th of April. The funeral was observed on that day, and it was set apart throughout the country as a day of mourning. The body was removed to the Rotunda of the Capitol, and for two days lay in state, and was visited by more than twenty-five thousand people. The next day it was placed on the car prepared for it, and borne to Springfield, 111., by the same route over which Mr. Lincoln came on his way to Washing- ton to enter upon his of&ce. Demonstrations of Profound Sorrow. Everywhere on the route the funeral cortege was received with demon- strations of respect and grief. The engines and cars on all the railroads were hung with crape ; churches were draped in mourning ; the buildings on all the principal streets in every village and city were festooned in black ; nearly all citizens of both sexes wore some funeral emblem. Every- where the national flag waved at half-mast. Wherever the cortege stopped thousands thronged to obtain a last look at the face of the dead. The nation was profoundly grieved. No man, whether monarch, statesman, martyr or public benefactor, was every more widely or sincerely mourned, and by none was his sudden death more deeply lamented and regretted than by those who had stood towards him for four years in the attitude of enemies. The funeral train arrived in Springfield, 111., on the 3d of May. The corpse was carried to the State House and placed in the Hall of Repre- sentatives. The people came into the city from every direction, and more than seventy-five thousand persons passed into the hall, gazed a moment at the familiar features, and went weeping awa3^ The next morning the coffin was finally closed at ten o'clock and the bod}?', followed b}^ the pro- cession, under the charge of Major-General Hooker, was carried to Oak Ridge Cemetery and deposited in the tomb. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 341 The assassination of President Lincoln called forth letters of grief and condolence from all foreign countries. Queen Victoria wrote a letter of sympathy to Mrs. Lincoln. The ruler of every nation of Europe expressed his horror at the deed. China, Japan and Siara sent words of condolence. Nor was the grief of Europe expressed alone in the courtly customary verbiasre of di- plomacy. The people were af- flicted and in- tensely stirred. They regarded Mr. Lincoln as the representa- tive of their class, and had broadly studied his character and watched his career. His suc- cess had always claimed their admiration, an'd his wisdom and goodness had won their love. His life would be an ever-liv- THE GRAVE OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. iugdcnialof the rights of legitimacy, and the divinity of kings, the claim of many centuries. Even in the South, which had made the election of Abraham Lincoln the occasion of the dissolution of the Union, the unaffected and manly virtues of this simply great man had conquered the people, who had come to regard him as their best and traest friend. His death was sincerely lamented there, and in the lamentation of the South, Abraham Lincoln had his proudest triumph. His death was a crushing misfortune to the whole country. He was the only man capable of carrying out a policy of generous conciliation towards the South, and ^^'^'"^^^^^ 342 ASSASSINATJON OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. he had resolved upon such a course. He was sincerel}' desirous to heal the wounds of the war as soon as possible, and was strong enough to put down all opposition to his policy. His untimely death, as well as the manner of it, threw back the settlement of our national troubles fully five years. As he leaped from the president's box to the stage the assassin's foot caught in an American flag with which the box was draped, and he fell heavily, breaking his leg. He managed to escape, however. It was imme- diatel}' ascertained that the assassin was Jolin Wilkes Booth, a 3^ounger son of the famous actor, Junius Brutus Booth. Almost at the same time that the President was shot another assassin, one Payne, alias Powell, entered the residence of Secretary Seward. Proceeding to the chamber where the Secretary M-as confined to a sick bed, he attacked the two attendants of the invalid and his son, Frederick W. Seward, and injured them severely, and then attempted to cut Mr. Seward's throat. He succeeded in gashing the face of his intended victim, but fled before further harm could be done. Why the Plot Failed. Booth, who most probably was insane, had drawn quite a number of persons into a conspiracy, which had for its object the murder of the President and Vice-President, Secretaries Seward and Stanton, and Chief Justice Chase. The plot failed through unexpected movements of some of the intended victims and the cowardice of some of the conspirators. Booth and a 3'oung man named Harold fled into lower Maryland, from which they crossed the Potomac into Virginia. They were pursued by the government detectives and a squadron of cavalr}^ and w^ere tracked to a barn in Caro- line Count}', Virginia, between Bowling Green and Port RoA^al. Here they were surrounded on the 26th of April. Harold surrendered himself, but Booth, refusing to yield, was shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett, and died a few hours later, after suffering intensely. His accomplices were arrested, and were brought to trial before a militar}' commission at Wash- ington. Pa3me or Powell, Atzerot, Harold, and JMrs. Surratt were condemned to death, and were hanged on the 7tli of July, 18G5, for complicity in the plot. Dr. Mudd, O'Laughlin, and Arnold were imprisoned in the Dry Tortugas for life, and Spangler for six years. What Booth expected to accomplish by his horrible deed 3'et remains a mystery. It is now generally believed that he was insane ; rendered so ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 343 perhaps by his dissipated habits— and in this state of mind had conceived the idea that Mr. Lincoln was a tyrant, and as such ought to be put to death. He had no accomplices in the South, and his bloody deed M-as regarded M'ith horror by the southern people. CAPTURE OF BOOTH, THE ASSASSIN OF PRESIDEXT LINCOLN. We must now return to Sherman's arm}', which we left resting at Goldsboro. Johnston's army was in the vicinity of Raleigh, and after the fall of Richmond was joined by ]\Ir. Davis and the various officers of the Confederate government. On the 10th of April Sherman advanced from 344 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. Goldsboro towards Joliuson's position, and steadily pressed the Confederate army bad:. On the 13th Sherman entered Raleigh, Being convinced that further resistance was hopeless, and having learned of the surrender of General Lee's army, General Johnston now opened negotiations with General Sherman for the surrender of his army to the Federal commander. The result of these negotiations was an agreement signed by the two commanders on the 18th of April, As this agreement provided for the restoration of the States of the Confederacy to their lost places in the Union, it was disapproved by the Federal government, and Sherman was ordered to resume hostilities. General Johnston was at once notified by General Sherman of this order, and on the 2Gth of April entered into an agreement with him by which he surrendered to General Sherman all the Confederate forces under his command on terms similar to those granted to General Lee by General Grant. The Last to Surrender. The example of Generals L-ee and Johnston was followed by the other Confederate commanders throughout the South. The last to surrender was General E. Kirby Smith, in Texas, on the 2Gth of May. On the 29th of May President Johnson issued a proclamation announcing the close of the war, and offering amnesty to all who had participated in it on the Con- federate side, with the exception of fourteen specified classes. Upon the surrender of Johnston's army Mr. Davis and the members of his former cabinet endeavored to make their w^ay to the coast of Florida, from which they hoped to be able to reach the West Indies, Some of them succeeded in doing so; but Air, Davis was captured at Irwinsville, Georgia, on the 10th of May, and was sent as a prisoner to Fortress ]\Ion- roe, where he was held in confinement until May, 1867. The civil war was over. It had cost the country one million men in the killed and crippled for life of the t\vo armies. In money the North and South had expended probably $5,000,000,000. The exact amount will never be known, as the Confederate debt perished with that government. Upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, the Vice-President, by the terms of the Constitution, became President of the United States. He took the oath of office on the 15th of April, and at once entered upon the discharge of his duties. His first act was to retain all the members of the cabinet appointed by Mr. Lincoln. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 345 Mr. Johnson was a native of North Carolina, having been born in Raleigh on the 29th of December, 1808. At the age of ten he was bound as an apprentice to a tailor of that city. He was at this time unable to read or write. Some years later, being determined to acquire an education, he learned the al- phabet from a fel- low-workman, and a friend taught him spelling. He was soon able to read, and pursued his studies stead- ily, working ten or twelve hours a day at his trade, and studying two or three more. In 1826 he removed to Greenville, Ten- nessee, carrying with him his mo- ther, Avho was de- pendent upon him for support. Upon attaining manhood he mar- ried, and continued his studies under the direction of his wife, support- ing his family in Andrew johnson. the meantime by his trade. He was subsequently chosen alderman of his town, and, with this election, entered upon his political career. Studying law he abandoned tailoring, and devoted himself to legal pursuits and politics. He was successively chosen mayor, member of the legislature, presidential elector, and State senator. He was twice elected governor of Tennessee, and three times a senator of the United States from that State. 346 ASSASSINATION 01 PRESIDENT LINCOLN. Upon the secession of Tennessee from the Union he refused to relinquish his seat in the Senate, and remained faithful to the cause of the Union throughout the war, winning considerable reputation during the struggle by his ser\aces in behalf of the national cause. He was an earnest, honest-hearted man, who sincerely desired to do his duty to the country. His mistakes were due to his temperament, and proceeded from no desire to serve his own interests or those of any part}'. In his public life he was incorruptible. A man of ardent nature, strong convictions and indomitable will, it was not possible that he should avoid errors, or fail to stir up a warm and determined opposition to his polic}-. Soldiers Return to their Homes. The first duty devolving upon the new administration was the dis- banding of the army, which, at the close of the war, numbered over a million men. It was prophesied b}'- foreign nations, and feared by many persons at home, that the sudden return of such a large body of men to the pursuits of civil life would be attended with serious evils, but both the Union and Confederate soldiers went back quietly and readily to their old avocations. Thus did these citizen-soldiers give to the world a splendid exhibition of the triumph of law and order in a free country, and a proof of the stability of our institutions. On the 29th of March, 1867, a treat}^ was concluded between the United States and Russia, b}^ which the latter power sold to the United States, for the sum of seven million two hundred thousand dollars, all of the region in the extreme northwestern part of the American continent known as Russian America. The treaty was ratified by the Senate on the 9th of April. The new territor}^ added to the area of the United States a district of about five hundred and seventy-seven thousand three hundred and ninety square miles. In the same j^ear a treaty Avas negotiated with China, through an embassy from that country, which visited the United States under the charge of Anson Burlingame, formerly the American Minister to China. It was the first instance in which that exclusive nation had ever sought to negotiate a treat}^ of commerce and friendship with a foreign nation. Liberty of conscience to Americans in China, protection of their prop- erty and persons, and important commercial privileges were secured by this treaty. CHAPTER XXXII. ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT. N the fall of 18GS, the Presidential election was held. The Repub- lican party nominated General Ulysses S. Grant, the commanding- general of the arm}^, for the Presidency, and Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, for the Vice-Presidency. The Democratic party nomi- nated Horatio Se^^mour, of New York, for the Presidency, and Frank P. Blair, of Alissouri, for the \^ice-Presidenc3\ The election resulted in the choice of General Grant, by a popular vote of 2,985,031, to 2,048,830 votes cast for IMr. Sej^mour. In the electoral college. Grant received two hundred and seventeen votes, and Seymour seventy-seven. The States of Virginia, Mississippi and Texas were not allowed to take part in this election, being still out of the Union. General Grant, the eighteenth President of the United States, was inaugurated at Washington with imposing ceremonies, on the 4th of March, 1SC9. He was born at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, on the 27th of April, 1822. His father was a tanner, and wished him to follow his trade, but the boy had more ambitious hopes, and, at the age of seventeen, a friend secured for him an appointment as a cadet at West Point, M'here he was educated. Upon graduating, he entered the army. Two 3^ears later he M-as sent to ^Mexico, and served through the war with that country M-ith distinction. He was specially noticed by his commanders, and was promoted for gallant conduct. '347 ULYSSES S. GRANT. 348 ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT. Soon after the close of the war, he resigned his commission, and remained in civil life and obscurity until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he volunteered his services, and was commissioned by Gov- ernor Yates, colonel of the Twenty-first Illinois regiment. He was soon made a brigadier-general, and fought his first battle at Belmont. His sub- sequent career has already been related in these pages. In February, 1869, the two houses of Congress adopted the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and submitted it to the various States for ratification by them. It was in the following words : " The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or any State, on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." A Great Railroad Across the Continent. The next important event of this year was the opening of the Pacific railroad, from the Missouri river to the Pacific Ocean. The eastern division of this road is known as the Union Pacific railway, and was begun at Omaha, Neb., in December, 1863, and carried westward. But little progress was made in the work until 1865, when it was pushed rapidly forward. The western division, known as the Central Pacific railwa}^, was begun at San Francisco, near about the same time, and carried eastward across the Sierra Nevada. The two roads unite at Ogden, near Salt Lake City, in Utah, and the union was accomplished on the 10th of Ma}^, 1869, on which day the last rail was laid. The Union Pacific railway, from Omaha to Ogden, is one thousand and thirty-two miles in length ; the Cen- tral Pacific, from Ogden to San Francisco, eight hundred and eight-two miles ; making a total line of nineteen hundred and fourteen miles, and constituting by far the most important railway enterprise in the world. By the completion of this great road, to the construction of Mdiicli the general government contributed liberally in money and lands, Portland, ]\Ie., and San Francisco, the extremes of the continent, are brought within a week's travel. The long and difi&cult journey across the plains has been dispensed with, and the traveller may now pass over this once terrible and dangerous route with speed and safety, enjoying all the while the highest comforts of the most advanced civilization. On the night of Sunday, October 8, 1871, a fire broke out in the city of Chicago, and raged with tremendous violence for two days, laying the ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT. 349 greater part of the city in ashes. It was the most destructive conflagra- tion of modern times. The total area of the city burned over was two thousand one hundred and twenty-four acres, or very nearly three and one- third square miles. The number of buildings destroyed was seventeen thousand four hundred and fifty. About two hundred and fifty persons died from various causes during the conflagration, and ninety-eight thou- sand persons were rendered homeless by it. The entire business quarter THE BURNING OF CHICAGO. was destroyed. The actual loss will never be known. As far as it can be ascertained, it was about one hundred and ninet3'-six millions of dollars. Almost simultaneous with this disaster extensive forest fires swept over the woods of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Alichigan. Whole villages were destroyed by the flames, which travelled with such speed that it was often impossible for the fleetest horse to escape from them. Over fifteen hun- dred people perished in Wisconsin alone. These terrible calamities aroused the generous sympathy of the rest of 350 ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT. the country, and aid in mone}-, clothing and the necessities of life was liberally extended to the sufferers in Chicago and the other afflicted com- munities. The telegraph flashed the news across the Atlantic, and in an almost incredibly short time liberal contributions in money came pour- ing in from England and continental Europe, and even from the far-off cities of India. In the fall of IS 72 the Presidential election occurred. The canvass was marked by the most in- tense partisan bitterness. The Republican party renominated General Grant for the Presi- dency, and supported Henry Wilson for the Vice-Presidency. The measures of the admini- stration had arrayed a large number of Republicans against it. These now organized them- selves as the Liberal Republican part}', and nominated Horace Greeley, of New York, for the Presidency, and B. Gratz Brown, of Missouri, for the Vice-Presi- dency. The Democratic party made no nominations, and its convention endorsed the candi- dates of the Liberal Republican HORACE GREELEY. party. The election resulted in the triumph of the Republican candidates by overwhelming majorities^ The elections were scarcely over, when the country was saddened by the death of Horace Greele}-. He had been one of the founders of the Republican party, and had been closel}^ identified with the political history of the country for over thirty years. He was the " Founder of the New York Tribune^'' and had done good service with his journal in behalf of the cause he believed to be founded in right. He was a man of simple and child-like character, utterl}^ unaffected, and generous to a fault. In his manner and dress he was eccentric, but nature had made him a true orentleman at heart. His intellectual ability ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT. 351 was conceded by all. His experience in public life, and his natural dis- position, induced him to favor a policy of conciliation in the settlement of the reconstruction question, and, influenced by these convictions, he signed the bail-bond of Jefferson Davis, and secured the release of the fallen leader of the South from his imprisonment. This act cost him a large part of his popularity in the North. He accepted the Presidential nomination of the Liberal party, in the belief that his election would aid in bringing about a better state of feeling between the North and the South. He was attacked by his political opponents with a bitterness which caused him much suffering, and many of his old friends deserted him, and joined in the warfare upon him. Just before the close of the canvass, his wife, to whom he was tenderly attached, died, and his grief for her, and the excitement and sorrow caused him by the political contest, broke down his firmness and unsettled his mind. He was conveyed by his friends to a private asylum, where he died on the 29th of November, 1872, in the sixty-second year of his age. Destructive Fire in Boston. On the 9th of November, 1872, a fire occurred in Boston, and burned until late on the 10th, sweeping over an area of sixty-five acres in the centre of the wholesale trade of the city, and destroying property to the amount of seventy-eight million dollars. As this fire was confined to the business quarter of the city, comparatively few persons were deprived of their homes. On the 4th of March, 1873, President Grant was inaugurated a second time, at Washington, with great pomp. Twelve thousand troops took part in the procession, which escorted him to the capitol. Early in 1873, a troublesome war began with the Alodoc Indian tribe, on the Pacific coast. These Indians had been removed by the government from their old homes in California to reservations in the northern part of Oregon. They at length became dissatisfied with their new location, which they declared was unable to afford them a support, and began a series of depredarions upon the settlements of the whites, which soon drew upon them the vengeance of the Federal government. Troops were sent against them, but they retreated to their fastnesses in the lava beds, where they maintained a successful resistance for several months The government at length reinforced the troops operating against 352 ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT. them, aud General Cauby, commanding the department of the Pacific assumed the immediate command of the troops in the field. At the same time a commission was appointed by the government to endeavor to settle . " ^^^^ - the quarrel with the Indians peaceably. ^ This commission held several con- [-^ ferences with Captain Jack, the *-? '"• fit! U.V,''^''''''^ ATTACK BY MODOCS ON THE PEACE COMMISSIONERS. head chief of the IModocs, and the other Indian leaders, but accomplished nothing. At length the commissioners and General Canby agreed to meet the Indians in the lava beds, a short distance in advance of the lines of the troops. The}^ went unarmed and without an escort. While the conference was in progress, the Indians suddenly rose upon the commissioners, and killed all ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT 353 OBVERSI' OF CENTENNIAL MEDAL. but cue, who managed to escape with severe wounds. General Canby was shot down at the same time, and died instantl3\ The Indians at once fled to their strongholds amid the rocks. The troops, infuriated b}^ the murder of their commander, closed in upon them from all sides, and shut them in the lava beds. Their position was one which a handful of men might defend against an army, and the}^ held it with a desperate determination. The}^ were dislodged finally b\^ the shells of the American guns, and such as were not killed were captured. Captain Jack and his associates in the murder of General Canby and the commissioners were tried by court-martial and sentenced to death. They were hanged in the presence of their countr3^men and of the troops on the 3d of October, 1873. The year 1875 completed the period of one hundred ^^ears from the opening of the revolution, and the events of 1775 were cele- brated M-ith appropriate commemorative cere- monies in the places where the}^ occurred. The centennial anniversar}^ of the battles at Lexington and Concord was celebrated at those places on the 19th of April, with great rejoicings. On the 17th of June the centen- nial of Bunker Hill ^vas celebrated at Charles- town. \"ast crowds were present from all parts of the countr3\ One of the most gratifying features of the celebration was the presence and hearty ^^^'^-^s^ ^^ centennlil medal. participation in the ceremonies of a large number of troops from the Southern States. Nearly all of these had served in the Confederate arm}^, and their presence in the metropolis of New England was ai: emphatic proof that the Union has indeed been restored. The memorv of the common glor}- won by the fathers of the republic has already done much to heal the wounds and obliterate the scars of the civil war. May the good work go on. 23 554 ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT GRANT. 355 As early as 1872 measures were set on foot for the proper observance of the one hundredth anniversary of the independence of the United States. It was resolved to commemorate the close of the first century of the republic by an international exhibition, to be held at Philadelphia in 1870, in which all the nations of the world were invited to participate. Preparations were at once set on foot for the great celebration. The Europeans governments with great cordiality responded to the invitations extended to them by the government of the United States, and on the 10th of May, 187G, the International Centennial Exhibition was opened with the most imposing ceremonies, in the presence of an immense concourse of citizens from all parts of the Union, and of the President of the United States and the Emperor of Brazil. The exhibition remained open from May 10th to November 10th, 1876, and was visited by several million people from the various States of the Union, from Canada, South America and Europe. It was one of the grandest and most notable events of the century, and illustrated our country's progress. The exhibition was held in the city of Philadelphia, which, as it was the nation's birthplace, was the most appropriate site for the centennial commemoration. Multitudes of people visited Independence Hall, Carpen- ter's Hall, and other objects of interest associated with the country's history. The year witnessed a great revival of the patriotic spirit, as well as showing the vast and rapid strides made by the republic in every department of science and industry during the century. The exhibition was also service- able in extending our commercial relations with foreign countries and opening markets for American products. CHAPTER XXXIII. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. UTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteentli President of the United States, was publicly inaugurated at Washington on Monday, INIarch 5th, 1877. As the 4th of March fell on Sun- day, the President-elect simply took the oath of office on that day. The inaugural ceremonies were carried out on the 5tli at the Capitol with the usual pomp and parade, and in the presence of an enormous multitude of citizens and visiting militar}^ organizations from all parts of the country. After the customary reception by the Senate, the new President was escorted to the eastern portico of the Capitol, Avliere he delivered his inaugural address to the assembled multitude, after which the oath of office was publicly administered to him by Chief Justice Waite. The new President was a native of Ohio, having been born at Dela- ware, in that State, on the 4th of October, 1822. He graduated at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, and obtained his professional education at the Cambridge Law School. He began the practice of the law at Cincinnati in 185G, He was shortl}^ afterwards made City Solicitor, which office he held until the beginning of the civil war in 18G1. Soon after the opening of the war he enlisted in die T\vent3^-third Ohio Volunteers, M-ith which regiment he served as major, lieutenant- colonel and colonel. He led his regiment, which formed a part of General Reno's division, at the battle of South Mountain, in September, 1862, aud and was severely wounded in the arm in that engagement. In the fall of 18G2 he was made colonel of the regiment, and in 18G4 was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general of volunteers "for gallant and meritorious services in the battles of AVinchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek," and was brevetted major-general " for gallant and distin- guished services during the campaigns of 18G4 in West Virginia, and particularl}' in the battles of Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek." At the time of this last promotion he was in command of a division. He served until the close of the war, receiving four wounds and having five horses 356 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 357 shot under him during his military career. In the fall of 18G4 he was elected to Congress, and was returned a second time in 1866. In 1867, before the expiration of his Congressional term, he was elected Governor of Ohio, and was re-elected to that office in 1869, being each time the candidate of the Republican party. In 1870 General Hayes was again elected to Congress, and in 1874 was nom- inated for a third term as Governor of Ohio. His op- ponent was Gov- ernor William Al- len, one of the most popular of la the Democratic leaders of Ohio. General Hayes was elected by a handsome major- ity. In March, 1877, he resigned this office to en- ter upon his new duties as Presi- dent of the United States. President Hayes, in his letter accepting the nomination of his party for the Presi- dency, declared that if elected he would earnestly and faithfully seek to do justice to the States of the South, and reform the civil service of the country by ridding it of corrupt men, and requiring a faithful discharge RUTHEllFORD B. HAYES. 358 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. of dut}^ at the hands of every public of&cer. Immediately upon his inau- guration he set to work to make good his promises. He selected his cabi- net from among the ablest men in the countr}^, making ability, and not partisan service, the test of the fitness of the persons selected. In the summer of 1880 the various political parties of the country met it convention to nominate candidates for the Presidency and Vice-Presi- dency of the United States. The Republican Convention met at Chicago on the 2d of June, and nomi- nated James A. Garfield, of Ohio, for President, and Chester A. Arthur, of New York, for Vice- President. The Democratic Con- vention met in Cincinnati, on the 22d of June, and nominated Win- field Scott Hancock, of Pennsyl- vania, for President, and Wil- liam H. English, of Indiana, for \^ice-President. The Greenback Convention met at Chicago, on the 9th of June, and nominated James A. Weaver, of Iowa, for President, and B. J. Chambers, of Texas, for Vice-President. The election was held on the 2d of November and resulted in the choice of General James A. Garfield, who received 214 elec- General Hancock. The popu- JAMES A. GARFIELD. toral votes to 155 electoral votes cast for lar vote cast was as follows: Garfield, 4,437,345; Hancock, 4,435,015; Weaver, 305,931. On the second Wednesda}^ in February, 1881, the two Houses of Con- gress met in joint-session in the hall of the House of Representatives, for the purpose of counting the electoral vote. The certificates of the electoral colleges of the various States having been opened and read, wath the result mentioned above, the Vice-President announced that James A. Gerfield had been dulv elected President of the United States, and Chester A. Arthur Vice-President, for the term of four years, from the 4th of March, 1881. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 359 The result of the election was cordially accepted by the country, and the nation began to look forward to a new era of prosperity and happiness. On Friday, March 4, 1881, the inauguration ceremonies took place upon a scale of unusual magnificence, and were participated in by numer- ous military and civic organizations, and by thousands of citizens from all parts of the country. After the new Vice-President had taken the oath of office. President-elect Garfield was formally received by the Senate, and escorted to the eastern portico of the capitol, where, in the presence of an immense multitude of citizens and soldiery, he delivered an able and elo- quent inaugural address, and took the oath of office at the hands of Chief-Justice Waite. The new President had been long and favorably known to his coun- trymen. He was in his fiftieth year, and in vigorous health. A man of commanding presence, he was dignified and courteous in his demeanor, accessible to the humblest citizen, and deservedly popular with men of all parties. Born a poor boy, without influential friends, he had b}' his own efforts secured a thorough collegiate education, and had carefully fitted him- self for the arduous duties he was now called upon to discharge. Promoted to the Rank of Major-General. Kntering the army at the outbreak of the civil war, he had won a brilliant reputation as a soldier, and had been promoted to the rank of major-general of volunteers. Elected to Congress from Ohio, in 186 2, he had entered the House of Representatives in December, 1863, and had seen almost eighteen years of constant service in that body, in which he had long ranked as one of the most brilliant and trusted leaders of the Repub- lican party. Early in 1880 he had been chosen a United States Senator from Ohio, but had been prevented from taking his seat in the Senate by his election to the Presidency. Immediately after his inauguration he sent to the Senate for confirma- tion the names of the members of his cabinet. They were chosen from among the leading members of the conservative portion of the Republican party, and were headed by James G. Blaine, of ]\Iaine, as secretary of state. They were at once confirmed by the Senate, and the new administration embarked upon its short-lived career. Very soon after entering upon his duties President Garfield found that the Executive chair was by no means a bed of roses. The Republican 360 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. party soon divided into two sections, one known as the " conservative," supporting the administration, and the other known as the " stalwarts," opposing it. A bitter partisan quarrel sprang up between these two wings of the party, and prolonged the Executive session of the senate until late in June. The quarrel was the fiercest over the appointment of a new col- lector for the port of New York, and culminated in the resignation of their seats in the senate by Senators Conkling and Piatt, of New York, on the sixteenth of May. The resignation of these gentlemen was based upon the ground that the President had nominated Judge Robertson to be collector of the port of New York, without consulting or 3aelding to the wishes of the Senators from that State, the said Senators in effect claiming the right to determine what appointments should or should not be made by the President in their State. The President, on his part, insisted upon his right to nominate to office any man whom he should deem worthy of the trust. The struggle was in reality a contest for the independence of the Executive in the mat- ter of public appointments, and President Gar- field was warmly supported by the great mass of the nation, without regard to party. He, therefore, pursued with unshaken firm- ness the policy he had determined upon. x\fter the resignation of Sen- ators Conkling and Plati", the nomination of Judge Robertson was confirmed by the Senate. As the time wore on, President Garfield gained steadily in the esteem of his countrymen. His purpose to give to the nation a fair and just administration of the government was every day more apparent, and his high and noble qualities became more conspicuous. Alen began to feel that the Executive chair was occupied by a President capable of conceiving a pure and noble standard of dut}^, and possessed of the firmness and strength of will necessary to carry it into execution. The country was prosperous, and there was every reason to expect a continuance of the general happiness. Soon after the opening of President Garfield's administration, the Post- JAMES G. BLAINE. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 361 master-General discovered that certain contracts for carrying the mails on what are known as "The Star Routes," were fraudulent, and that the persons interested in them were defrauding the government of large sums of money. The President, Postmaster-General and Attorney-General, sus- tained by the other members of the Cabinet, without exception, thereupon resolved to bring the guilty parties to justice. The latter, being men of wealth and position, bitterly resented the course of the government, and violently denounced it. Nevertheless, the THE ASSASSINATION OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. President caused measures looking to the punishment of the accused parties to be begun, and only the unexpected adjournment of the grand jury and court prevented a formal indictment from being brought against them. Before other measures could be taken, the attention of the entire nation was occupied by an event of graver importance. While these matters were still in progress. President Garfield began preparations for a brief pleasure trip to Long Branch, where ]\Irs. Garfield was recovering from a severe illness; intending from that point to visit New England, and be present at the commencement exercises of his ahua 362 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. mater^ Williams' College, iu Massachusetts. He was to be accompanied by a distinguished part}-, including several members of the Cabinet. On the morning of the '2d of July, the party proceeded to the Balti- more and Potomac depot, where they were to take the cars, in advance of the President, who arrived soon after, in company with Secretary Blaine, who came simply to see him off, and say good-bye. They left the Presi- dent's carriage together, and sauntered arm-in-arm through the depot towards the cars. In passing through the ladies' waiting-room, the President was fired at twice by a man named Charles J. Guiteau. The first shot inflicted a slight wound in the President's right arm, and the second a terrible wound in the right side of his back, between the hip and the kidne3\ The Presi- dent fell heavily to the floor, and the assassin was secured as he was seeking to make his escape from the building, and was conveyed to a police station, from which he was subsequently taken to prison. Hastily Removed to the White House. The President lay helpless upon the floor of the waiting-room, the blood flowing copiously from both his wounds. As soon as those near him recovered from the dismay into which the tragedy had thrown them, he was placed upon a mattress, physicians were summoned, and he was con- veyed to an upper room in the depot. He bore his sufferings with great firmness, and from the first displayed a cool courage that won the warm admiration of the country. The surgeons summoned were soon at hand, and found that the President's injuries were very critical. It was decided to remove him to the Executive Mansion, and he was carried down the stairs, placed in an army ambulance and driven rapidly to the White House. Arriving there he was conveyed to his wife's chamber, overlooking the Potomac, and placed in bed. Two attempts were made b}^ the surgeons to find the ball — one at the depot, and one at the White House after his. arrival there — but both were unsuccessful. Grave fears were entertained by the surgeons for the President's life, and Mrs. Garfield was summoned by telegraph from Long Branch. She arrived during the evening. The news of the attempt upon the President's life spread rapidly throughout the Union, and was everywhere received Math horror and indig- nation. During the afternoon his condition became more alarming, and bulletins were issued by the surgeons in charge at frequent intervals. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 363 giving the latest news of the state of the illustrious sufferer. These were telegraphed to all parts of the country, and were watched with eager impatience by vast crowds of citizens wherever they were posted. The sympathy of the whole nation went out warmly towards the wounded President and his afflicted family; and from the governments and nations of Europe messages of inquiry and sympathy were constantly received through the Atlantic cable. During the entire period of the President's illness the official bulletins were issued three times each day, and the nation was thus kept informed of his condition. Courageous and Cheerful under Suffering. The best medical and surgical skill of the countrj^ was employed in the effort to save the President's life, and throughout the whole period of his illness he never lost his calm courage, but displayed a firmness and cheerfulness that astonished his attendants, and encouraged them to hope for a favorable result. The afternoon of the 2d of July wore anxiously away, no signs of a reaction being manifested, but after the arrival of Mrs. Garfield, in the evening, the President began to rally slightly. The night was passed in anxious suspense. On the morning of the 3d the President was calm and cheerful, though he fuU}^ realized the gravit}'- of his situation. He told Dr. Bliss, the surgeon in charge of his case, that he wished to know exactly what his chances for life were ; that, while he desired to live, he was prepared to die, and did not fear to learn the worst. Dr. Bliss replied that, though his injuries were formidable, he had, in his judgment, a chance for his life. "Well, Doctor," exclaimed the sufferer, with a clieerful smile, "we'll take that chance." The da}^ passed awa}^ without any event of importance, and the anxi- ous nation, as well as the President's attendants, drew some hope from the fact he continued " to hold his own." The popular anxiety and sympathy were strikingly manifested on the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the National Independence, in the listless and careless manner in which the day was celebrated. The people were too much engrossed with their anxiety to take part in any demonstration of jo3^ The two months following the wounding of President Garfield dragged wearily away, the patient at times showing symptoms of marked improve- ment, and at others experiencing dangerous relapses. The nation alternated 364 ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. between hope and despair, and was kept all the while in a most painful suspense. The surgeons in charge, however, recognized the true char- acter of the wound from the first, and while they hoped for a recovery, could not conceal from themselves the fact that such a result would be almost miraculous. The President's sufferings were very great during this period, and were increased by the intense heat of the season and the unhealthy surround- ings of the White House. Yet he bore them all with unshaken firmness and unalterable cheerfulness. Dr. Bliss, his chief surgeon, writes of him during this period: "The time which passed until the 23d of July, when the first rigor occurred, was chiefly remarkable for the quiet, cool deter- mination of the sufferer. Quite ready for, and evidently expecting the worst, his demeanor was that of the man whose great intellect and wonder- ful will enabled him to give the most intelligent aid to the physician. Apparently indifferent as to result, so far as it should affect him alone, he still watched every symptom, even making inquiry after each examination as to the temperature, pulse and respiration, and every measure of relief adopted, with evidently firm determination to live for others if possible." Conveyed to Long Branch by Special Trair Towards the last of August the surgeons in attendance upon the Presi- dent resolved to remove him from the White House to l more healthful locality. The removal was a risk, but not so great a risk as to permit him to remain in the malarious atmosphere which surrounded the Execu- tive Mansion, and which was rapidly destroying the little strength left him. It was decided to convey him to Long Branch, in the hope that the pure and bracing air of the sea would enable him to regain some of his lost vitality. Accordingly, on the Gth of September, the President, accompanied by his family, his surgeons and attendants, was conveyed to Long Branch in a train specially prepared for the purpose. The journey was made quickly and successfully, and after reaching Long Branch the President seemed to rally. For the first few days after his arrival at the seashore his symp- toms were so much better that renewed hope sprang up in the hearts of his countrymen. It was only for a brief period, however. On the 16th of September there was a marked change for the worse, with unmistakable evidences of increasing weakness in mind and body. ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 365 Oil the ITtli the President sank still lower, and in the forenoon was seized with a severe rigor. On the evening of the 18th another alarming rigor occurred, followed by other grave symptoms. From this time the President continued to grow worse. On the morning of the 10th he was attacked with another severe rigor, but after that had passed away ap- peared more comfortable, and his attendants were more hopeful of a quiet night for him. Towards nine o'clock in the evening he fell into a quiet sleep, from which he awakened, shortly after ten o'clock, in great pain. General Swaim, who was watching b}^ him, alarmed by the President's symptoms, hastily summoned the family, and the surgeons. The President was uncon- scious when the}' arrived, and continued to sink rapidly. Efforts were made to revive him with stimulants, but in vain, and at thirty-five minutes after ten o'clock, the brave struggle was brought to an end, and the soul of James A. Garfield passed into eternity. The Country Shocked by the President's Death. The sad news of the death of President Garfield was at once tele- graphed to New York, and by eleven o'clock the whole country was aware that its Chief Magistrate was dead. Bells were tolled in every city, town, and village of the Union, and everywhere citizens draped their houses in mourning. Such a display of national sorrow had never been witnessed before. The news of the death of President Garfield was at once transmitted by telegraph to \'ice-President Arthur, by the members of the Cabinet present at Long Bran.ch, and he was advised by them to take the oath of office as President without delay. Accordingly, Justices Brady and Don- ahoe, of the Supreme Court of New York, were at once summoned by the Vice-President, and, at a little after two o'clock on the morning of the 20th of September, he took the oath of office as President of the United States before them at his private residence in New York. On the 20th of September, arrangements were made for removing the body of the late President to Washington City, and on the same day an autopsy was held upon the body by the surgeons who had been in attend- ance upon the President, assisted by several others. The autopsy revealed the fact that the wound had been fatal from the first. On the morning of the 21st, funeral ceremonies were held in the cottage at Long Branch, 366 .riSSASSLVAT/Oy OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. in which the President died, aud at ten o'clock the remains were placed on board of a special train, and conveyed to Washington, and accompanied b}' the family and friends of the dead President, and by President Arthnr and a number of distinguished personages. Washington was reached at 4.35 in the afternoon, and the body was escorted by a detachment of military and Knights Templar to the Capitol, and laid in state until the 23d. During the 22d and 23d, it was visited by over one hundred thousand persons. On the afternoon of the 23d, the public funeral services were held in the rotunda of the Capitol, after which the body was escorted to the Baltimore and Potomac depot, and con- veyed to Cleveland, Ohio, by a special train. Cleveland was reached the next da}^, and the remains were laid in state in a structure especially prepared for them, until the morning of the 26th, when they were buried, with the most imposing ceremonies, in Lake View Cemetery, in the suburbs of that city. Busi- ness was suspended, and me- morial services were held during the day in all parts of the United States. On the 22d of Septem- CHESTER A. ARTHUR. bgr, President Arthur again took the oath of ofSce, this time at the hands of the Chief-Justice of the United States, and w^as quietly inaugurated in the Vice-President's room, in the Capitol, delivering, upon this occasion, a brief inaugural address. Soon after the attempt upon the life of President Garfield, a popular subscription was set on foot to provide a fund for the support of his family in the event of his death. The movement w^as successful, and over $330,000 were raised, and invested in United States bonds, for the benefit of the widow and children of the " Martyred President." ASSASSnVAT/Oy OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 367 President Arthur entered quietly upon the duties of his administration, and his first acts were satisfactory to a majority of his countrymen. As he had been the leader of "the Stalwart" section of the Republican party, it was felt by the members of the Cabinet of the late President that he should be free to choose his own advisers. Therefore, immediately upon his accession to the Executive chair, Mr. Blaine and his colleagues tendered him their resignations. They were requested, however, by the new Presi- dent to retain their offices until he could find suitable successors to them. To this they agreed, but before the year was out several important changes had been made in the Cabinet. The principal of these were the substi- tution of Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, of New Jersey, for Mr. Blaine, as Secretary of State, and the appointment of Judge Charles J. Folger to the Treasury Department. President Garfield's Assassin Brought to Trial. One of the first acts of the new administration was to cause ^ja.e. indictment of Charles J. Guiteau for the murder of President Garfield. The grand jury of the District of Columbia met on the 3d of October, 18S1, and promptly found a true bill against Guiteau, who was arraigned in the Criminal Court of the District on the 14th of October. After some dela}-, the trial of the assassin began on the 14th of November. The first three days were consumed in selecting a jur}^, and then the trial began in earnest. It. ended on the 25th of January, 1882, in the conviction of Guiteau for the murder of the late President. The prisoner was defended b}^ able counsel, and was allowed many privileges never before granted to persons on trial ibr so grave an offence. , The plea upon which the defence was based was insanity, but the evidence entirely destroyed this assumption, and the verdict of the jury was received throughout the country as just and proper. An effort was made by Guiteau's counsel to obtain a new trial for him, but this was denied by the court, and on the 4th of February Guiteau was sentenced to be hanged, on the 30th of June, 1882. The counsel for the prisoner still continued his efforts to secure a new trial, but these being unsuccessful in each and every instance, his only resource was an appeal to the clemency of the Executive. The President declined, however, to interfere with the sentence. During the interval between his sentence and his execution, Guiteau was confined in the jail of the District of Columbia, at Washington. His S(^^ ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. conduct during this interval was in keeping with, that M'hich had marked his trial — vain, egotistical, and blasphemous. To the last the prisoner was confident that President Arthur would interfere in his behalf. THE BROOKLYN SUSPENSION BRIDGE. The execution took place in the District jail on the 30th of June, 1S82, and was witnessed by about two hundred people, nearl^^ all representatives ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. 365 of the press. Guiteau displayed more firmness than had been expected of him. He walked to the gallows without making the violent scene which had been anticipated by many, and ascended it with a firm step. Upon the scaffold, however, he displayed considerable emotion, which he quickly subdued. His religious adviser offered a short prayer, and Guiteau read a selection from the Holy Scriptures. Execution of the Murderer. Then he read a prayer, strangely at variance with his religious profes- sions, in which he called down the curse of the Almighty upon all who had been engaged in his trial and execution, and upon the nation at large, and denounced President Arthur as a coward and an ingrate. Finally he chanted a poem which he had written during the morning. At the close of this singular recital the trap fell, precisely at forty-three minutes past twelve o'clock, and the great crime against the American people was avenged. Guiteau's neck was broken by the fall, and his de-'th was painless. He died without a struggle, and with scarce a tremor. On the 27th of October, 1882, the two-hundredtn anniversary of the landing of William Penn was celebrated at Philadelphia. The exercises included public addresses, a military display, and an industrial parade. In addition to these there were various historic devices and tableaux, illus- trating events in the early history of Pennsylvania. It was estimated that upwards of four hundred thousand persons attended the celebration. One of the notable events of 1883 was the opening of the great Suspension Bridge over the East river, between New York City and Brooklyn. Work commenced January 3, 1870, and the bridge was opened to the public May 24, 1883. The total cost was $15,500,000. The total length from New York to Brooklyn is 5,989 feet, and the length of the main span is l,595i feet. The height of the towers is 2701 feet. The height of the floor of the bridge at the centre, above high-water mark, is 135 feet. The height of the floor of the bridge at the piers is 118 feet. The caisson for the New York pier was sunk 78 feet, and that for the Brooklyn pier 45i feet below the bed of the river. Each cable is 155 inches in diameter, and is made up of 5,000 wires, each i inch in diameter. The anchorages are 930 feet from the towers, and weigh 120,000,000 pounds each. The cables are capable of sustaining 49,200 tons. The weight of the central span is 6,742 tons. 24 CHAPTER XXXIV. ADMINISTRATION OF GROVER CLEVELAND. HE twenty-second President of the United States was Hon. Grover Cleveland. Mr. Cleveland was a native of New Jersey, and was born in Caldwell, Essex County, March 18, 1837. He came from sturdy New England stock, many of his ancestors having held honorable positions in their respective localities. President Cleveland, after teach- ing two or three years, studied law in Buffalo, was admitted to the bar, became sheriff of the county, mayor of the city, and, having received the nomi- nation for governor of New York, was elected by a large majority. This was followed by his nomination in the Dem- ocratic Convention of 1884, and his election in the following November to the Presidency, Naturally the departure of the Republican administration, and the return of the Demo- cratic party to power after twenty-four years of exile from the highest seats in the councils of the Republic awakened a profound interest. As the 4th of March, 1885, approached, eyes were turned towards Washington, and multitudes went up to the Capitol as to a Mecca. Washington itself, accustomed to civic displays, exciting events and magnificent parades, was more than usually awakened, and an interest was exhibited in the inauguration which over- shadowed all other concerns. The representatives of the press throughout the country were there in full force to record the event and depict the scene in its imposing aspects. 370 4 GROVER CLEVELAND. a7i 372 ADMINISTRATION OF G ROVER CLEVELAND. The ceremonies incident upon the inauguration presented a pageant exceeding, in civic and military display, any such preceding occasion in the history of the government. There were in attendance more than one hundred thousand visitors, and the city in its profuse decorations was a bewildering maze of bright colors. Among the significant allegorical designs was a great floral ladder reaching to the roof of a business house on Pennsylvania Avenue, which bore upon its rungs the words, " Sheriff," " Mayor," " Governor," " President," thus graphically symbolizing the life- work of the President-elect. The inaugural of President Cleveland began as follows: "In the pres- ence of this vast assemblage of my countrymen I am about to supplement and seal by the oath which I shall take the manifestation of the will of a great and free peo- ple. In the exercise of their power and right of self- government they have com- mitted to one of their fel- low-citizens a supreme and sacred trust, and he here con- secrates himself to their ser- COTTAGE IN WHICH GRANT DIED AT MT. m'GREGOR. vicC." On the 4th of March, the day of President Cleveland's inauguration, ex-President Grant was placed on the retired list of the army. For some months previous to this there were ominous rumors respecting the state of his health. The great general who had led the Federal forces in the last part of the civil war, and who had gained a military reputation second to that of no commander of modern times ; who had also been lifted to the highest position in the gift of a grateful people, and had served eight years in the White House as our chief executive, was reported to be in his last illness. The sympathy of the entire country was profoundly stirred by this announcement. Medical skill of the highest order was summoned; daily bulletins of the condition of the illustrious patient were issued ; hope was expressed that his life might be spared for many years, a hope which soon ADMINISTRATION OF GROVER CLEVELAND. 373 proved to be unfounded ; and although his labors in the preparation of his "Memoirs" continued, it became evident that he was sustained more by will-power than by any increasing strength, and that very soon he would be compelled to lay down his pen as he had already laid down his" sword. DEATH OF GENERAL GRANT. In the summer of 1885 he was removed to Mount McGregor, in the northern part of the State of New York, in the hope that he would be invigorated by the mountain air. Disease, however, had progressed so far that his death became inevitable, and this occurred on the 23d of July, at eight o'clock A. M. Demonstrations of sorrow attended his obsequies. A special train bore his remains from Mount McGregor to the city of New York, where the funeral services and the interment were to take place. On the 6th of August he was laid in state in the City Hall, and vast crowds of people came to take their last look. On August 8th the funeral took place, which was an extraordinary pageantry. It was attended by celebrities from all parts of the land. All that statesmen, members of Con- 374 ADMINISTRATION/ OF G ROVER CLEVELAND. gress, Governors of States, Judges of Supreme Courts and persons in the highest walks of professional and mercantile life could do to give honor to the illustrious dead was rendered on this occasion. At St. Louis, June 5th, 1888, the Democratic National Convention was held for the purpose of nominating candidates for the offices of President and Vice-President. President Grover Cleveland, of New York, was unani- mously nominated for the office of President of the United States, and Allen G. Thurman, of Ohio, for the office of Vice-President ; after which the convention ad- journed on June 7th. The meet- ings of the convention were attended by scenes of excite- ment and enthusiasm, which indicated complete harmony in the Democratic party, resolute determination to make the ap- r\^^^iHHl\l!IH\BW?1S!^HI^^Hi^iHlli^^S proaching campaign one of great vigor, and hope of suc- cess at the general election to be held in November. The Republican National Convention, held at Chicago BENJAMIN HARRISON. i^^^^ the 19th to the 25th of June, 1'888, nominated the Hon. Benjamin Harrison, of Indiana, for the office of President, and Hon. Levi P. Morton, of New York, for Vice-Presi- dent. When the convention, on the eighth ballot, declared in favor of Harrison, the decision was hailed with universal delight. Although the friends of other candidates had worked with great zeal to secure the prize for their favorites, there was a hearty acquiescence in the final decision, the choice was made unanimous, and the building shook with hearty plaudits. The election was held on the 6th of November and resulted in the success of Harrison and IMorton. CHAPTER XXV. LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. ON. BENJAMIN HARRISON was inaugurated President, March 4th, 1889. His inaugural address was devoted mainl}^ to the necessity of tarifif legislation and the enactment of laws for the protection of home manufactures and the encouragement of domestic industries. The President also recommended that our naturalization laws be so amended as to exclude the worst class of immi- grants. A strong navy for the protection of the United States was urged as a prime consideration, with such appropriations as would be needed to build and equip a fleet of war vessels capable of defending our coasts and upholding the dignity of our flag. By an appalling calamity which occurred at Johnstown, Pa., on June 1st, 1889, 4000 persons lost their lives. The South Forks dam, situated a few miles above the city of Johnstown, suddenly gave way, precipitating an immense body of water into the valley below. The alarm was given to the people of the terror-stricken district, who fled for their lives, but thousands were overtaken by the torrent. This great calamity created a deep impression throughout the country, and measures of relief for the sufferers who escaped with their lives met with a hearty response. On the 4th of March, 1893, Hon. Grover Cleveland entered for the second time upon his duties as President of the United States. Congress was called together in extraordinary session, August 7th, and received a message from the President, the main object of which was to recommend the immediate repeal of what was known as the Sherman law, relating to the purchase of silver by the Government for coinage. The session was preceded by a period of great financial depression, the closing of many manufacturing establishments, and a general disturbance of the industrial and business interests of the country. During President Cleveland's second term what was known as the Wilson Tariff Bill was passed. Preparations were begun and carried for^vard for the celebration of the 375 376 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus. By Act of Congress Chicago was selected as the site for the Exposition which was to be held. Dedication ceremonies were held in October, 1892, but the Kxposition was not formally opened until some months later. On Monday, the 1st day of May, 1893, in the presence of 300,000 people, President Cleveland, surrounded by the members of his Cabinet and by a distinguished representation from lands across the seas, pressed the electric button which set in motion the miles of shafting, the innumerable engines and machines, and the labyrinth of belting and gearing which made up the machinery of the World's Columbian Exposition. The following are the of&cial figures for the paid admissions to the Fair: Alay, 1,050,037; June, 2,675,113; July, 2,760,263; August, 3,515,493; September, 4,649,871; October, 6,816,435; making 21,477,212. The total admissions on passes were 2,052,188, making a grand total of 23,529,400. Financial Success of the Exposition. After every debt of the World's Fair was paid there remained $1,000,000 to be distributed among the stockholders. The treasurer made this pleasant announcement on the closing day. The eleventh Republican National Convention met at St. Louis on June 16th, 1896, and nominated as the candidates of the Republican party Hon. Wm. McKinley, of Ohio, for President, and Hon. Garret A. Hobart, of New Jersey, for Vice-President. The Convention was an unusually har- monious one, choosing its platform without debate, excepting for the pro- tests of the advocates of a plank for the free coinage of silver, who were voted down by a large majority. The Democratic National Convention met at Chicago on July 8th, and nominated for President, Hon. William J. Bryan, of Nebraska, and for Vice-President, Hon. Arthur Sewall, of Maine. On the 4th of March, 1897, Mr. McKinley was inaugurated President with imposing ceremonies, and Mr. Hobart was inducted into the office of Vice-President. President McKinley immediately called an extra session of Congress, which assembled on March 15th, for the purpose of revising the tariff, providing a revenue sufficient for the w^ants of the Government, and placing the finances of the nation upon a sound basis. On April 19th, 1898, Congress, at Washington, passed a series of resolutions which virtually ended the friendly relations between the United LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 377 States and Spain. In tlie resolutions Congress alluded to the abhorrent conditions which had existed for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near our own borders, which shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, and were a disgrace to Christian civilization culminating in the destruction of the United States battle-ship Maine, with 266 of its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbor of Havana, a state of things that could no longer be endured. The action of Congress declared that the people of the island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free and independent ; that it is the duty of the United States to demand, and the Government of the United States hereby does demand, that the Government of Spain at once relinquish its authority and government in the island of Cuba, and withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters. The demand contained in the resolutions was sent to the Spanish Minister at Washing- ton on April 20th, who at once called for his passports and left for Canada. On the same date the ultimatum of our Govern- ment was sent to U. S. Alin- william mckinley. ister Woodford, at Madrid, who was curtly handed his passports before he had an opportunity of formally presenting the document. These transactions involved a virtual declaration of war, although Congress did not formally declare that war actually existed until April 25th, dating the time back to the 21st. The North Atlantic Squadron was immediately ordered to blockade the Cuban ports, and on April 22d proceeded to carry out the order. Stirring news from our Asiatic fleet was soon received. On IMay 1st Admiral Dewey practically destroyed the Spanish squadron in the harbor of Manila, Philippine Islands, capturing nine vessels and inflicting a loss of 400 killed and 600 wounded. The Spanish war-ships were defended by batteries on shore and a long line of earthworks. 378 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. These works had been greatly strengthened, notably by the addition of several big modern guns. They were regarded as very formidable by old-fashioned Spanish military engineers, as were also the fort on Corregi- dor Island, the battery on Caballo Island, and the works on the mainland points to the north and south. These islands were all in readiness, and a (..--^v(.f MANILA HARBOR— SCENE OF THK GREAT BATTLE. chain of mines which guarded both channels was prepared to blow up each American ship as it passed. Saturday night fell with the Spaniards on land and water quite cheer- ful over the coming engagement. A short time after midnight, the dark- ness being intense, one of the guns in Corregidor suddenly boomed out, and all the other guns about the entrance to the bay took up the cry, and the anxious people in Manila poured into the streets. The}^ thought the battle had begun. In reality the American fleet was already past the en- trance and was on its wa}^ up the opposite side of the bay. LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 379 It was a night of terror in Manila. The women and children fled to the churches, and men rushed to and fro in the streets. Disma}^ seized upon the Spanish soldiers. They had not believed that the Americans could ever get past the entrance to the batteries and past the mines. Long be- fore dawn the panic became a frenzy because of reports that came from the interior of the island that natives were massing for a descent upon the city to pillage and massacre. When day broke the tens of thousands watching on all sides of the vast and beautiful harbor saw the enemy in line of bat- tle about ten miles out, directly in front of Manila. There were nine ves- sels in all. The Olj^mpia, 5800 tons, a swift commerce destroyer, carrj'ing four terrible eight-inch guns and ten deadly five-inch quick-firers. The Baltimore, scarcely less formidable than the Olympia, with four eight-inch guns and six six-inch rapid-firers. The Boston, smaller than the Olympia and Bal- timore, but still a real and powerful floating fort, with her two eight-inch guns and her six six-inch rapid-firers. The Raleigh, similar to the Boston, with one six-inch and ten five-inch guns. The Concord, with six six-inch guns. The gunboat Petrel, with five six-inch guns. To the rear of these the transport ships, with coal, ammunition and accommodations for wounded. Beginning of the Battle. On came the American fleet until it was within about three miles of IManila, and then a Spanish gun on the battery at the end of the Alole spoke ; but the shot fell short. Then from the Spanish fleet, steaming slowly up from Cavite, came several shots at the American fleet. The two duelists were now face to face. To expert e3^es the Spanish fleet seemed far inferior, yet to the people watching, and, apparently, to the Spanish ofiicers and sailors, the difference did not seem great. The Spanish ships were of older patterns, rather than smaller, and were far more numerous. These were : The Reina Cristina, of 3090 tons, with six six-inch and two three-inch guns. The Castilla, with four six-inch guns. The smaller cruisers Velasco, Don Juan de Austria and Don Antonio de Ulloa, besides ten gunboats. Then there were the batteries on shore all along the low peninsula. The American fleet began to steam languidly to and fro. Suddenly there were one or two sharp cracks, and then a succession of deafening roars, and then one long, reverberating roar, that boomed and bellowed 380 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. from shore to shore. A huge cloud of smoke lay close upon the waters^ and around it was a penumbra of thick haze. Through this the American ships could be seen moving, now slowly^ now more rapidly, flames shooting from their sides, and answering flames leaping from the Spanish ships and land batteries, while now and then from the direction of Manila came hollow rumbles as the big guns there were discharged, more from eagerness to take part than from the hope of lending effective aid. It was impossible to see from shore the effect of many of the shots, but from the fact that the American ships were alternately advancing and retreating in the course of their manoeuverings, the Spaniards on shore got the impression that the Yankees were being beaten. When the ships were again seen, the Reina Cristina was wrapped in flames. On her decks sailors, Spaniards and natives, were rushing frantically about. The Isla De Cuba came near, and part of the Reina Cristina's crew — perhaps all that were still alive — and the Spanish Admiral went aboard her, but hardly were they aboard when she too burst into flames. Spanish Ships Shattered and Sinking. Confusion now reigned throughout the Spanish fleet. On every vessel the decks were slippery with blood and the air filled with the shrieks and groans of the Spaniards. The native sailors rushed about in a frenzy of rage rather than terror. The Americans were seemingly calm and cool, and still in good order they pressed their advantage. In fact, they pushed on too closely, for now the fire from the Cavite batteries became effective. At this juncture the Don Juan de Austria became a centre of interest. She had been in the very front of battle and received, perhaps, more of the American shots than any other ship. Admiral Montojo, on the burning Isla de Cuba, threw up his arms with a gesture of despair as a heavy roar came from the Don Juan de Austria and part of her deck flew up in the air, taking with it scores of dead, dying and mangled. A shot had penetrated one of her magazines. She was ruined and sinking, but her crew refused to leave her. Weeping, cursing, praying and firing madly and blindly they went down with her, and as the Don Juan de Austria went down the Castilla burst into flames. The remainder of the Spanish fleet now turned and fled down the long, narrow inlet behind Cavite. Several of the gunboats were run ashore, others LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAA HISTORY. 381 fled up a small creek and were grounded there. The guns of Cavite kept on thundering, and the Americans, pressing their advantage no further, drew off. As the}^ steamed away toward their waiting transports the Spaniards went wild with joy. They thought that in spite of outward appearances the American fleet was crippled, and that as it would be unable to escape from the harbor it would fall into their hands. This was telegraphed up to Manila, and soon to Madrid, where it filled the Ministry with momentary delight ; but before \ \. UNIFORMS OF UNITED STATES MARINES AND NAVAL OFFICERS. the Ministers at Madrid had read the false news, the American fleet, with decks again cleared and with fresh supplies of ammunition, was steaming back toward Cavite. This second engagement w^as short. The last Spanish ship was soon grounded or sunk. The American guns were now trained on Cavite, and one ship after another steamed along pouring in a deadl}' fire. At 11.30 the batteries at Cavite ceased to answer, and the American fleet with ring- ing cheers from its exhausted, but triumphant crews steamed jubilantly back to the transport ships. And to the already long list of splendid naval 382 i!iUUili;ii.:3';i:>IKi||lW|:||i''-;^;:'il,i:illilf;[l.:; H w z o < Pi < > P5 d u o H o PL, < D >— 1 <: o H ^ Q Pi -< M O LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 383 victories beginning with the Revolution was added the glorious victory of Manila. In honor of his distinguished services Commodore Dewey was raised to the rank of Admiral, and Congress passed a series of resolutions thanking him and his men for services rendered their country. On May 12th Admiral Sampson's squadron arrived ofif Porto Rico, and for three hours bombarded the forts of San Juan, inflicting serious damage upon them and the town. The Admiral then withdrew, stating that his object was not to capture San Juan, but to find, if possible, the Spanish fleet which had sailed some days previously from the Cape Verde Islands. Great mystery attended the movements of the Spanish squadron. On May 19th the long suspense occasioned by the difficulty of ascertaining what Admiral Cervera intended to do with his fleet was over, and it was definitely known that his vessels were entrapped in the harbor of Santiago, Cuba. The government resolved to send troops at once to that point to aid the fleet in capturing the town. While it was known that the Spanish • vessels were inside the harbor of Santiago it was considered impossible for our battleships to enter the harbor on account of mines which had been planted, and the formidable attack sure to be made by forts and batteries on shore. The entrance to the harbor of Santiago is very narrow, and vessels are compelled at one point to go through a channel not much over three hundred feet wide. Here occurred on the morning of June 3d one of the most gallant acts recorded in the annals of naval warfare. Lieutenant Hobson, naval constructor, on the flagship of Admiral Sampson, conceived the plan of blocking this narrow entrance by sinking the collier Merri- mac, thus " bottling up " Cervera and his fleet. The reader will be inter- ested in a detailed account of this remarkable exploit. When the Admiral's consent for making the daring venture was obtained, Mr. Hobson became impatient of all delay, and that very night, after the moon went down, he set the time for the attempt. Volunteers were called for on all the ships of the fleet. Whole cheering crews stepped LIEUT. R. P. HOBSON. 384 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 1 forward at the summons for the extra-hazardous duty. About three hun- dred on board the New York, one hundred and eighty on board the Iowa, and a like proportion from the other ships volunteered, but Mr. Hobson decided to risk as few lives as possible. He picked three men from the New York and three from the Mer-^ rimac. The latter were green in the service, but they knew the ship, and had pleaded hard to go, and, contrary to orders, one man stowed away on board the collier. Six other men, selected from various ships, with Ensign Powell in com- mand, manned the launch, which was to lie at the harbor mouth and take HARBOR AND FORTIFICATIONS OF SANTIAGO. The star shows where the Merrimac was sunk. off those who escaped. The Merrimac was made ready. Six torpedoes were strung along her port side, with wire connections to the bridge. Her anchors were lashed at the bow and stern. Her cargo of coal was shifted, and her cargo-ports were opened so that she would more readily fill when the time came to cut her anchor-lashings, open the seacocks, and torpedo her bulk- heads. The Merrimac started in shortly after three o'clock Friday morning. The full moon had disappeared behind a black cloud-bank in the west. Three thousand strained eyes strove to pierce the deep veil of night. Suddenly there were several shots from the rocky eminence on which Morro Castle is situated. They were followed by jets and streams of fire from the batteries opposite. The Merrimac had reached the entrance of the harbor. She must have passed so close that a stone loosened from the CO o O w w H < (Si o O 386 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. frowning parapet of the Castle would have fallen on her deck. It seems a miracle that her apparently riddled hull could have reached the goal. After five minutes the firing ceased and all became dark again. When the curtain of the night was at last lifted the light disclosed a tin}' steam launch riding the waves at the very throat of the entrance of the harbor. In an instant the guns of the shore batteries were turned upon her, and, with a last lingering, vain look for the crew of the Merrimac, En- sign Powell headed his launch close along shore to the westward. In this la}?- his salvation. The guns of the batteries to the westward could not be depressed enough to hit the little launch, and the guns on Morro Castle would not bear upon her. Wild Firing by Spanish Gunners. But the Spaniards, nevertheless, fired wildly, overshooting the launch^ until the latter was fully two miles up the coast. Then some of the shells began to drop fairly close, and one of them threw a cloud of spray on board the small craft. In the meantime the ships of the fleet had drawn on until the New York, Massachusetts, Texas and Marblehead were barely three miles from Morro Castle. The fire of the great guns continued, but the gunnery seemed to grow- worse, until the Spaniards became tired. They were not rash enough, ex- cept in two instances, to fire at the fleet, fearing probably to provoke an antagonist with the strength of Admiral Sampson. Knowing of Hobson's desperate plan, the despatch boat had taken up a position opposite to the narrow harbor entrance and just outside the line of the blockading war ships. From here the Merrimac was seen entering the harbor. A few min- utes later the fire of the Spanish batteries was seen to be concentrated westward close to the shore. There a tiny thread of smoke disclosed their target. It was the New York's launch which Ensign Powell had gallantly held close under Morro's walls until after daylight, Avhen, driven out by the fire of the big guns, he had run far up the shore, under the partial cover of the bluffs. Lying closer in than the war ships, Powell had seen the firing when the Merrimac and her dare-devil crew, then well inside Morro Castle, were probably first discovered by the Spaniards. He also heard an explosion, which may have been caused by Hobson's torpedoes. The Ensign M-as not 1 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 387 sure. He waited vainly, hoping to rescue the heroes of the Merrimac, until he was shelled out by the forts. The work, however, was done. The big vessel had been swung across the narrow entrance to the harbor, the torpedoes had been fired, the explo- sion had come, the great collier was sinking at just the right poiut; and her gallant crew, having jumped into the water to save their lives, were taken on board the flagship of the Spanish Admiral, who praised their bravery, and sent an officer under flag of truce to assure Admiral Samp- son that the heroic band was safe and would be well cared for. Spanish chivalry was forced to admiration. Invasion of Cuba by General Shafter's Army. Vigorous preparations for landing troops in Cuba had been going on at Tampa. Under command of General Shafter about 16,000 men, including officers, sailed on June 13th and arrived at Santiago on the 20th. It was not long after General Shafter's army landed before the United States troops were engaged in active service, and had a sharp conflict with the enemy. The initial fight of Colonel Wood's Rough Riders and the troopers of the First and Tenth regular cavalry will be known in history as the battle of La Quasina. That it did not end in the complete slaughter of the Americans was not due to any miscalculation in the plan of the Spaniards, for as perfect an ambuscade as was ever formed in the brain of an Apache Indian was prepared, and Ivieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt and his men walked squarely into it. For an hour and a half they held their ground under a perfect storm of bullets from the front and sides, and then Colonel Wood, at the right, and Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt at the left, led a charge which turned the tide of battle, and sent the eneni}^ flying over the hills toward Santiago. The fight was opened by the First and Tenth Cavalry, under General Young. A force of Spaniards was known to be in the vicinity of La Quasina, and early in the morning Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt's men started off up the precipitous bluff back of Siboney to attack the Spaniards on their right flank, General Young, at the same time, taking the road at the foot of the hill. About two and one-half miles out from Siboney, some Cubans, breath- less and excited, rushed into camp with the announcement that the Spaniards M'ere but a little way in front, and were strongly intrenched. 388 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. Quickly the Hotchkiss guns out in the front were brought to the rear, while a strong scouting line was thrown out. Then cautiously and in silence the troops moved forward until a bend in the road disclosed a hill where the Spaniards were located. The guns were again brought to the front and placed in position, while the men crouched down in the road, waiting impatiently to give Roosevelt's men, who were toiling over the little trail along the crest of the ridge, time to get up. At 7.30 A. M., General Young gave the command to the men at the Hotchkiss guns to open fire. That command was the signal for a fight that for stubbornness has seldom been equaled. The instant the Hotchkiss guns were fired from the hillsides commanding the road came volley after volley from the Mausers of the Spaniards. Deeds of Heroism by United States Soldiers. In the two hours' fighting, during which the volunteers battled against their concealed enem}^, enough deeds of heroism were done to fill a volume. One of the men of Troop E, desperately wounded, was lying squarely between the lines of fire. Surgeon Church hurried to his side, and, with bullets pelting all around him, dressed the man's wound, bandaged it, and walked unconcernedly back, soon returning with two men and a litter. The wounded man was placed on the litter and brought into our lines. Another soldier of Troop L, concealing himself as best he could behind a tree, gave up his place to a wounded companion, and a moment or two later was himself wounded. Sergeant Bell stood by the side of Captain Capron when the latter was mortally hit. He had seen that he was fighting against terrible odds, but he never flinched. " Give me your gun a minute," he said to the sergeant, and, kneeling down, he deliberately aimed and fired two shots in quick suc- cession. At each a Spaniard was seen to fall. Bell in the meantime had seized a dead comrade's gun and knelt beside his captain and fired steadily. When Captain Capron fell he gave the sergeant a parting message to his wife , and father, and bade the sergeant good-bye in a cheerful voice, and was then borne away dying. Sergeant Hamilton Fish, Jr., was the first man killed b}^ the Spanish fire. He was near the head of the column as it turned from the woodside into the range of the Spanish ambuscade. He shot one Spaniard who was firing from the cover of a dense patch of underbrush. When a bullet struck his breast he LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 389 sauk at the foot of a tree with his back against it. Captain Capron stood over him shooting and others rallied around him, covering the wounded man. The ground was thick with empty shells where Fish lay. He lived twenty minutes. He gave a small lady's hunting-case watch from his belt to a mess- mate as a last souvenir. The American officers showed the utmost energy in preparing for the attack on Santiago; by July 1st everything was in readiness, and General Shafter ordered a forward movement with a view of investing and cap- turing the town. The advance was made in two divisions, the left storm- ing the works at San Juan. Our forces in this assault were composed of the Rough Riders, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt, and the First, Third, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth dismounted cavalry. Catching the enthusiasm and boldness of the Rough Riders, these men rushed against the San Juan defences with a fury that was irresistible. Desperate Resistance by the Spaniards. Their fierce assault was met by the Spaniards with a stubbornness born of desperation. Hour after hour the troops on both sides fought fiercely. In the early morning the Rough Riders met with a similar, though less costly, experience to the one they had at La Quasina just a w^eek before. They found themselves a target for a terrific Spanish fire, to resist which for a time was the work of madmen. But the Rough Riders did not flinch. Fighting like demons, they held their ground tena- ciously, now pressing forward a few feet, then falling back, under the enemy's fire, to the position they held a few moments before. The Spaniards were no match for the Roosevelt fighters, however, and, as had been the case at La Quasina, the Western cowboys and Eastern " dandies " hammered the enemy from their path. Straight ahead they advanced, until by noon they were well along toward San Juan, the capture of which was their immediate object. There was terrible fighting about the heights during the next two hours. While the Rough Riders were playing such havoc in the enemy's lines, the First, Third, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth cavalry gallantly pressed forward to right and left. Before the afternoon was far gone these organ- izations made one grand rush all along the line, carrying the Spaniards off their feet, capturing the San Juan fortifications, and sending the enemy in mad haste off toward Santiago. It was but three o'clock when these troops 390 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. were able to send word to General Shafter that they had taken possession ♦)f the position he had given them a day to capture. In this attack the cavalrymen were supported bj^ the Sixth and Six- teenth infantry, who made a brilliant charge at the crucial moment. The advance was up a long steep slope, through a heavy underbrush. Our men were subjected to a terrific fire from the enemy's trenches, and the Rough Riders and the Sixth cavalry suffered severely. There was no artillery to support the attack. The dynamite gun, which a detachment of Rough Riders, under charge of Sergeant Hallett Alsop Borrowe, had hauled up from the coast with such tremendous effort, was jammed during the opening hours of the engagement and rendered useless for the time. Defences Stormed and Captured. On the right General Lawton's division, supported b}- Van Home's brigade, under command temporaril}^ of Colonel Ludlow, of the Engineers, drove the enemy from in front of Caney, forcing them back into the village. There the Spaniards for a time were able to hold their own, but early in the afternoon the American troops stormed the village defences, driving the enemy out and taking possession of the place. Gaining the direct road into Santiago, they established their lines within three-quarters of a mile of the city at sunset. General Shafter's advance against the city of Santiago was resumed soon after daj^break on the morning of July 2d. The American troops renewed the attack on the Spanish defences with impetuous enthusiasm. They were not daunted by the heavy losses sustained in the first day's fighting. Inspired by the great advantages they had gained on the preced- ing da}^, the American troops were eager to make the final assault on the city itself. Their advance had been an uninterrupted series of successes, they having forced the Spaniards to retreat from each new position as fast as it had been taken. Admiral Sampson, with his entire fleet, joined in the attack. The battles before the intrenchments around Santiago resulted in advantage to General Shafter's army. Gradually he approached the city, holding every foot of ground gained. In the fighting of July 2d, the Spanish were forced back into the town, their commanding general was wounded, and the day closed with the certaint}- that soon our flag would float over Santiago. LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 391 The fleet of Admiral Cervera had long been shut up in the harbor, ■and during the two days' fighting gave effective aid to the Spanish infantry by throwing shells into the ranks of the Americans. On the morning of July 3d, another great naval victory was added to the successes of the American arms, a victory no less complete and memorable than that achieved by Dewey at Manila. Admiral Cervera's fleet, consisting of the armored cruisers Cristobal Colon, Almirante Oquendo, Infanta Maria Teresa, and Vizcaya, and two torpedo-boat destroyers, the Furor and the Pluton, which had been held in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba for six wrecks by the combined squadrons of Rear-Admiral Sampson and Commodore Schley, was sent to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea off" the southern coast of Cuba. Admiral Cervera and his Men Made Prisoners." The Spanish Admiral w^as made a prisoner of w^ar on the auxiliary gunboat Gloucester, and 1,000 to 1,500 other Spanish officers and sailors, all who escaped the frightful carnage caused by the shells from the Ameri- can warships, were also made prisoners of war by the United States na\^. The American victory was complete, and the American vessels were prac- tically untouched, and only one man was killed, though the ships were subjected to the heavy fire of the Spaniards all the time the baLtle lasted. Admiral Cervera made as gallant a dash for libert}' and for the preser- vation of the ships as has ever occurred in the histor}^ of naval warfare. In the face of overwhelming odds, with nothing before him but inevitable destruction or surrender if he remained any longer in the trap in ■ /hich the American fleet held him, he made a bold dash from the harbor at the time the iVmericans least expected him to do so, and, fighting every inch of his way, even when his ship was ablaze and sinking, he tried to escape the doom which was written on the muzzle of ever}^ American gun trained upon his vessels. The Americans saw him the moment he left the harbor, and com- menced their work of destruction immediatel}'. For an hour or two the}^ followed the flying Spaniards to the v/estw^ard along the shore-line, sending shot after shot into their blazing hulls, tearing great holes in their steel sides, and covering their decks with the blood of the killed and wounded. At no time did the Spaniards show any indication that they intended to do othenvise than fight to the last. They displayed no signals to sur- 392 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. render even when their ships commenced to sink and the great clouds of smoke pouring from their sides showed they were on fire. But they turned their heads toward the shore, less than a mile away, and ran them on the beach and rocks, where their destruction was soon completed. The officers and men on board then escaped to the shore as well as they could with the assistance of boats sent from the American men-of-war, and then threw themselves upon the mercy of their captors, who not only extended to them the gracious hand of American chivalry, but sent them a guard to protect them from the murderous bands of Cuban soldiers hiding in the bush on the hillside, eager to rush down and attack the unarmed, defeated, but valorous foe. One after another of the Spanish ships became the victims of the awful rain of shells which the American battleships, cruisers and gunboats poured upon them, and two hours after the first of the fleet had started out of Santiago harbor three cruisers and two torpedo-boat destroyers were lying on the shore ten to fifteen miles west of Morro Castle, pounding to pieces, smoke and flame pouring from every part of them and covering the entire coast line v/ith a mist which could be seen for miles. Terrific Explosions on Spanish Vessels. Heavy explosions of ammunition occurred every few minutes, sending curls of dense white smoke a hundred feet in the air and causing a shower of broken iron and steel to fall in the water on every side. The bluffs on the coast line echoed with the roar of every explosion, and the Spanish vessels sank deeper and deeper into the sand or else the rocks ground their hulls to pieces as they rolled or pitched forward or sidev/ays with every wave that washed upon them from the open sea. Admiral Cervera escaped to the shore in a boat sent by the Gloucester to the assistance of the Infanta Maria Teresa, and as soon as he touched the beach he surrendered himself and his command to Ivieutenant Morton, and asked to be taken on board the Gloucester, which was the onlj^ Ameri- can vessel near him at the time, with several of his officers, including the captain of the flagship. The Spanish admiral, who was wounded in the arm, was taken to the Gloucester, and was received at her gang^vay by her commander, Lieutenant-Commander Richard Wainwright, who grasped the hand of the gray-bearded admiral, and said to him : "I congratulate you, sir, upon having made as gallant a fight as was ever witnessed on the sea." LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 393 Tlie only casualties in the American fleet were one man killed and two wounded on the Brooklyn. There was no means of telling what the Spanish loss was, but it was believed to have been very heavy, as the prisoners in custody reported their decks strewn with dead and wounded in great numbers, and besides, there was a statement that many bodies could be seen fastened to pieces of wreckage floating in the sea, after the fight was over. A large number of the Spanish wounded were removed to the American ships. The results of the operations against Santiago were foreseen by General Toral, commander of the Spanish forces, who at once put himself in communi- cation with the Spanish Government for the purpose of deciding whether to surrender or continue a hopeless conflict. After attempting to save the Spanish troops from being included in the terms of capitulation, General Toral, on July 14th, made an unconditional surrender to General Shafter. Surrender of Santiago. Cervera took his ships to Santiago on May 19, and on jMa}^ 30 Commo- dore Schley reported that he had the Spanish Admiral bottled up. That was just six weeks before the surrender. On June 3 the Merrimac was sunk in the mouth of the harbor in an attempt to cork the bottle, which was not entirely successful. Shafter's troops began landing at Baiquiri, fifteen miles from Santiago, on June 22, and Cervera's fleet was taken out of the harbor and destroyed on July 3, after a sanguinary battle by the land forces, lasting two days, July 1 and 2. After that time there was no fighting of consequence, ten days having been consumed in negotiations for the surrender of the city. The campaign really lasted no more than twelve days— from June 20 to July 3 — but the losses were very heav}", aggregating at least 1,800 out of the army of 10,500 originally landed. The appearance of yellow fever was an admonition that these losses would be greatly increased if the arm}^ should be kept at Santiago. By the terms of surrender our Government agreed to transport the ten or twelve thousand soldiers captured back to Spain. The downfall of Santiago was hailed with delight throughout the country. After the first announcement that General Toral would surrender, and commissioners had been appointed to arrange the details, the negotiations were halted by the urgent request of the Spanish commander that his troops be allowed to retain their arms. This request was peremptorily refused by our ■394 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. Government, and after further parleying, the Spanish government, seeing that continued resistance was useless, consented to the terms of General Shafter. The formal sanction by the Madrid government of the terms of capitula- tion unraveled the tangled skeins of demands and counterdemands between the\ opposing commanders which threatened to end the negotiations and compel a return to arms. Terms of Santiago's Surrender. The agreement consisted of nine articles : The first declared that all hostilities should cease pending the agreement of final capitulation. Second. That the capitulation includes all the Spanish forces and the surrender of all war material within the prescribed limits. Third. The transportation of troops to Spain at the earliest possible moment, each force to be embarked at the nearest port. Fourth. That the Spanish officers shall retain their side arms and the enlisted men their personal property. Fifth. That after the final capitulation the Spanish forces shall assist in the removal of all obstructions to navigation in Santiago harbor. Sixth. That after the final capitulation, the commanding officers shall furnish a complete inventory of all arms and munitions of war, and a roster of all the soldiers in the district. Seventh. That the Spanish general shall be permitted to take the military archives and records with him. Eighth. That all guerrillas and Spanish irregulars shall be permitted to remain in Cuba if they so elect, giving a parole that thej^ will not again take up arms against the United States unless properly released from parole. Ninth. That the Spanish forces shall be permitted to march out with all the honors of war, depositing their arms to be disposed of by the United States in the future, the iVmerican commissioners to recommend to their government that the arms of the soldiers be returned to those '' who so bravely defended them." On the evening of July 17th the War Department at Washington posted the following dispatches from General Shafter : " I have the honor to announce that the American flag has been this instant, 12 o'clock noon, raised over the House of the Civil Government in the city of Santiago. An immense concourse of people was present, a squadron of cavalry and a regiment of infantr}^ presenting arms and a band playing national airs. The light battery fired a salute of twent3^-one guns. LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 395 '* Perfect order is being maintained by the municipal government. The cfistress is very great, but there is little sickness in the town. Scarcely any yellow fever. A small gunboat and about two hundred seamen, left by Cervera, have surrendered to me. Obstructions are being removed from the mouth of the harbor. " Upon coming into the city I discovered a perfect entanglement of defences. Fighting as the Spaniards did the first day it would have cost five thousand lives to have taken it. Battalions of Spanish troops have been depositing arms since daylight in the armory over which I have guard. General Toral formally surrendered the plaza and all stores at 9 A. M." Amid impressive ceremonies the Spanish troops laid down their arms between the lines of the Spanish and American forces at nine o'clock in the morning of Jul}- ITtli. General Shafter and the American division and brigade commanders and their staffs were escorted b}^ a troop of cavalry, and General Toral and his staff by one hundred picked men. Trumpeters on both sides saluted with flourishes. Raising the Stars and Stripes. General Shafter returned to General Toral the latter's sword after it had been handed to the American commander. Our troops, lined up at the trenches, were eye-witnesses to the ceremon3^ General Shafter and his escort, accompanied by General Toral, rode through the city, taking formal possession. The city had been sacked, before they arrived, by the Span- iards. General McKibben was appointed temporary militar}^ governor. The ceremony of hoisting the Stars and Stripes was worth all the blood and treasure it cost. A vast concourse of 10,000 people witnessed the stirrine and thrillinor scene, that will live forever in the minds of all the Americans present. A finer stage-setting for a dramatic episode it would be difficult to imagine. The palace, a picturesque old dwelling, in the Moorish style of architecture, faces the Plaza de la Reina, the prin- cipal public square. Opposite rises the imposing Catholic Cathedral. On one side is a quaint, brilliantly painted building, Avith broad ver- andas—the club of San Carlos ; on the other a building of much the same description— the Cafe De La Venus. Across the plaza was drawn up the Ninth Infantry, headed by the Sixth Cavalry Band. In the street facing the palace stood a picked troop of the Second Cavalry, with drawn sabres, 396 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. under command of Captain Brett. Massed on the stone flagging, between the band and the line of horsemen, were the brigade commanders of Gen- eral Shafter's division, with their staffs. On the red tiled roof of the palace stood Captain AIcKittrick, Lieu- tenant Miley and Lieutenant Wheeler ; immediately above them, upon the flagstaff, the illuminated Spanish arms and the legend " Vive Alfonso XIII." All about, pressing against the veranda rails, crowding the win- dows and doors, and lining the roofs, were the people of the town, prin- cipally women and non-combatants. The chimes of the old cathedral rang out the hour of twelve ; the infantry and cavalry presented arms. Every American uncovered, and Captain McKittrick hoisted the Stars and Stripes. As the brilliant folds unfurled in a gentle breeze against a fleckless sky, the cavalry band broke into the strains of '' The Star Spangled Banner," making the American pulse leap and the American heart thrill with joy. At the same instant the sound of the distant booming of Captain Capron's battery, firing a salute of twenty-one guns, drifted in. When the music ceased from all directions around our line came floating across the plaza the strains of the regimental bands and the muffled, hoarse - cheers of our troops. The infantry came to " order arms " a moment later, after the flag was up, and the band played " Rally Round the Flag, Boys." Instantly General McKibben called for three cheers for General Shafter, which were given with great enthusiasm, the band playing " Stars and Stripes For- ever." Hungry Army of Refugees. Since 4 o'clock in the morning a stream of refugees had been pouring into the city, some naked, and all hungry. Many had fallen b}^ the wayside. The town of Santiago presented a dismal sight. ]\Iost of the houses had been sacked and the stores had all been looted and nothing to eat could be had. In the streets of the city, at the intrenchments, at the breastworks and at every hundred feet or so of the barbed wire fences were the living skeletons of Spanish soldiers. The invasion of Porto Rico followed the surrender of Santiago. Troops under General Wilson left Charleston for that island on July 20th, and on the next day, General Miles, accompanied by transports and a Naval Convoy, left Siboney for the same destination. As the population of Porto Rico were hostile to the Spanish government, the arrival of the American troops was everywhere cordially welcomed. The small town of Guanica LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 397 was first captured, and on Jnl}^ 28th the city of Ponce capitulated and the American flag was hoisted over the town. The Spanish troops, how- ever, stationed in various parts of the island, made some show of resistance. In an engagement five miles bej^ond Guayama, on August 8th, the Americans were caught in an ambuscade. It was just 1 o'clock in the afternoon when a horseman came galloping into Guayama shouting : " Send the djmamite guns at once ! The Fourth Ohio is being annihilated ! " In less than five minutes the alarm had spread throughout the town, and the streets were filled with soldiers hurr3nng to their quarters. A Starthng Report. The Spanish attack grew out of the fact that Colonel Coit, ]\Iajor Dean and Lieutenant Wardman of General Brooke's staff, had started early in the morning to reconnoitre to the northward with the object of ascer- taining the truth of the report that the Spaniards had mined the bridges on the road to Caye}-, whither General Brooke's command was bound. On account of the smallness of the reconnoitring part}', the report that they had been attacked by the Spaniards caused consternation at the Guayama headquarters. A strong force was, however, at once hurried to the front. There were no horses to haul the dynamite guns, but the men buckled to and dragged them over the hills for five miles to the scene of action. Soon the d3'na- mite guns got into action. The first shell landed at one side of the blockhouse and exploded with a terrific roar. The Spaniards were simpl}- thrown into a state of panic by the explosion of the shell and were seen fleeing from the hill at top speed in all directions except toward the Americans. They could hardly be derided for evincing such a pressing desire to get out of range. The shell tore a hole in the ground for a dis- tance of fifty feet, and the shock of the explosion could be felt where the Americans stood. From the place in the road where the guns were fired the sight was a beautiful one. All up the hill the American soldiers, their brown hats sil- houtted against the sky, kept volleying away at the enemy and chatting at the same time in a manner to shock regular troops. After the third shot from the dynamite guns the Spaniards were in full retreat. The Americans then retired to Guayama for the night. There was a two hours' fight before daybreak at Cape San Juan August 398 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 9th. Eight hundred Spaniards attempted to retake the lighthouse, which was guarded by forty of our sailors, commanded by Lieutenant Atwater. The Spaniards were driven back by shells from the Amphitrite, Cincinnati and Ivcyden. Refugees reported that one hundred Spaniards were killed. The Spanish advance began from Rio Grande, whither the Spaniards had retreated after the first landing of troops at Cape San Juan the week before. They marched through Luquillo and pulled down the American flag at Fajorda and replaced the Spanish flag. On July 31st, a hard fought engagement occurred between the American troops under command of General Merritt and the Spanish troops at Manila^ in which the Americans were completely victorious. The Dawn of Peace. After the fall of Santiago there were rumors that Spain was seeking to bring the war to an end, and on August 2nd the Department of State at Washington issued a statement announcing oflicially the President's terms of peace, which were handed to Ambassador Cambon, the French Ambas- sador, who acted on behalf of Spain. They were that Spanish sovereignty must be forever relinquished in the West Indies ; that the United States should have a coaling station in the Ladrones, and that this country would occupy Manila's bay and harbor, as well as the city, pending the determi- nation of the control, disposition and government of the Philippines. The statement was as follows : " In order to remove any misapprehension in regard to the negotiations as to peace between the United States and Spain, it is deemed proper to say that the terms offered by the United States to Spain in the note tendered the French Ambassador on Saturday last are in substance as follows : " The President does not now put forward any claim for pecuniary indemnity, but requires the relinquishment of all claim of sovereignt}^ over or title to the Island of Cuba, as well as the immediate evacuation by Spain of the Island; the cession to the United States and immediate evacuation of Porto Rico and other Isla ds under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and the like cession oi an island in the Ladrones. " The United States M-ill occupy and hold the city, bay and harbor of Manila, pending the conclusion of a treaty of peace which shall determine the control, disposition and government of the Philippines. " If these are accepted by Spain in their entirety, commissioners will LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. 399 be named by the United States to meet commissioners on the part of Spain for the purpose of concluding a treaty of peace on the basis above indicated.'* The announcement on August 7th, from Madrid, that the Spanish Ministry had formally decided to accept the proposition of the United States for a peace convention relieved the anxiety felt for a definite decision. The President's Proclamation. On the evening of August 12, 1898, President McKinley issued the following proclamation : "By the President of the United States of America.— A Proclamation. "Whereas, by a protocol, concluded and signed, August 12, 1898, by William R. Day, Secretary of State of the United States, and his Excellency Jules Cambon, Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Republic of France at Washington, respectively representing for this purpose the Government of the United States and the Government of Spain, the United States and Spain have formally agreed upon the terms on which negotiations for the establishment of peace between the two countries shall be undertaken ; and "Whereas, it is in said protocol agreed, that upon its conclusion and signature hostilities between the two countries shall be suspended, and that notice to that efifect shall be given as soon as possible by each government to the commanders of its military and naval forces : "Now, therefore I, William McKinley, President of the United States, do, in accordance with the stipulations of the protocol, declare and proclaim, on the part of the United States, a suspension of hostilities, and do hereby command that orders be imme- diately given, through the proper channels, to the commanders of the military- and naval forces of the United States to abstain from all acts inconsistent with this proclamation. " In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be aflfixed. " Done at the city of Washington, this 12tli day of August, in the j-ear of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, and of the independence of the United States- the one hundred and twenty-third. William McKinley. "By the President. William R. Day, Secretary of State." The protocol, signed by Secretary Day (for the United States, and b}^ Ambassador Cambon for Spain, contained thr following provisions: That Spain will relinquish all claim o "; sovereignty over and title to Cuba. That Porto Rico and other Spanish islands in the West Indies, and an island in the Ladrones to be selected by the United States, shall be ceded to the latter. That the United States will occupy and hold the city, bay and harbor of Manila pending the conclusion of the treaty of 400 LATEST EVENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY.^^!^^ ^ peace, which shall determine the control, disposition and gov^ninent of the Philippines. That Cnba, Porto Rico and other Spanish Islands in the West Indies shall be immediately evacuated, and that commissioners, to be appointed within ten da3's, shall, within thirty days from the signing of the protocol, meet at Havana and San Juan, respectively, to arrange and execute the -details of the evacuation. That the United States and Spain will each appoint not more than £ve commissioners to negotiate and conclude a treaty of peace. The com- missioners are to meet at Paris not later than the 1st of October. On the signing of the protocol, hostilities will be suspended and notice to that effect will be given as soon as possible by each government to the ■commanders of its military and naval forces. Signing the Protocol. The closing chapter of events that led up to the signature of the protocol and the cessation of hostilities was full of interest. It was 4.23 o'clock, in the afternon of August 12th, when the final signatures were attached to the protocol, and within the knowledge of all the of&cials present this was the first time that a protocol or treaty had been signed at the White House. The President took the hand of the Ambassador and through him returned thanks to the sister republic of France for the exercise of her good offices in bringing about peace. He also thanked the Ambassador personally for the important part he had played in this matter, and the latter replied in suitable terms. As a further mark of his disposition, President McKinley called for the proclamation which he had caused to be drawn up suspending hostilities, and signed it in the presence of M. Cam- bon, who expressed his appreciation of the action. Messages were immediately sent to all army and navy commanders announcing that the war was ended and ordering them to immediately cease hostilities. Before the message reached Manila, Admiral Dewey and General Mer- ritt resolved to capture the city. The warships bombarded the forts on AuQfust 13th, and the land forces at the same time made an attack. After a spirited resistance by the Spaniards they surrendered, knowing it was useless to longer resist.