:R IGWS 
 PATRIOTIC 
 CATECHISM
 
 GIFT OF 
 SEELEY W. MUDD 
 
 and 
 
 GEORGE L COCHRAN MEYER ELSASSER 
 DR.JOHNR. HAYNES WILLIAM L. HONNOLD 
 JAMES R. MARTIN MRS. JOSEPH F. SARTORI 
 
 to the 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 SOUTHERN BRANCH 
 
 JOHN FISKE
 
 
 
 f . 
 
 riot ic (vitecnlsrr 
 
 UN1V 
 
 This book is DUE on the last 
 date stamped below 
 
 MAR 2 1 
 
 JAIL X 8 1956
 
 AN AMERICAN'S 
 PATRIOTIC CATECHISM 
 
 A Brief History of the Settlement 
 of the American Colonies, Their 
 Royal Charters, the Causes of Their 
 Separation, and the Establishment 
 of Their Independence of Great 
 Britain, in the form of Question 
 and Answer. ----- 
 
 BY ELIZABETH SEDGWICK VAILL. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 THE REPUBLIC PRESS 
 
 1896 
 
 99734
 
 COPYRIGHT, l8g6 
 BY 
 
 ELIZABETH SEDGWICK VAJLL,
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 " Who, with heart and eyes, could walk 
 
 Where Liberty had been, nor see 
 The shining foot-prints of her Deity ?" 
 
 *T*His LITTLE BOOK has been prepared with an 
 imaginary audience of those who love the 
 story of Liberty attained by our forefathers. 
 If the answers to the questions do not satisfy, 
 my end as compiler will be gained if they 
 lead to a careful study of our Country's History 
 as told by Bancroft, Lossing, Fiske and others. 
 It has been my aim to connect the story so as 
 to make each month or year the father of the 
 next. I shall be glad if ' ' children of a larger 
 growth " find their memories refreshed as to 
 dates of important events. The time has gone 
 by when one can sit by the fireside and listen 
 to the recitals of a grandfather who, becoming 
 fired with his theme, "shoulders his crutch, 
 and shows how fields were won." But the time 
 has not come when we can afford to forget 
 that the Country of which we, as Americans, are 
 so proud, has cost the lives and fortunes of our 
 ancestors. Let us cherish, then, that Liberty so 
 dearly bought. 
 
 E. S. V. 
 DEMAREST, N. J., December, 1896.
 
 6 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. In 1583, by Sir Walter Raleigh, half- 
 brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the former 
 having obtained a transfer of the latter's 
 patent. 
 
 3. What did this charter to Sir Walter in- 
 clude ? 
 
 Ans. Nearly all the land on the Atlantic 
 coast now called the United States. 
 
 4. Was the expedition sent out by Raleigh 
 successful ? 
 
 Ans. The only thing accomplished was the 
 naming of nearly all the eastern coast Virginia 
 in honor of the Queen, and the introduction of 
 tobacco into England. 
 
 5. When was the first permanent English 
 settlement made ? 
 
 Ans. In 1607, under James I., who had given 
 charters to two companies, called "The Lon- 
 don Company" and "The Plymouth Com- 
 pany." 
 
 6. Which company made the first settlement ? 
 Ans. The London Company, which sent out 
 
 three ships and one hundred and five men, 
 under Capt. Christopher Newport. 
 
 7. Where did they land ? 
 
 Ans. They were driven by storms into Chesa- 
 peake Bay, from which they ascended a river 
 which they named for King James. Proceed-
 
 COLONIAL SETTLEMENT. 7 
 
 ing about forty miles up the river, they landed, 
 built a few huts, and named the place James- 
 town. 
 
 8. By whom was the next settlement made ? 
 Ans. By the Plymouth Company, which sent 
 
 out a party of one hundred persons in the ship 
 " Mayflower." 
 
 9. Where did they land ? 
 
 Ans. Inside of Cape Cod, on the shore of 
 what had been called "New England," by 
 Capt. John Smith, as early as 1614. The rock 
 on which they landed was called ' ' Plymouth 
 Rock," after the Plymouth Company. 
 
 i o. What was the date of this landing ? 
 
 Ans. December 21 st (new style), 1620. 
 
 11. What name has been given to those who 
 came over in the Mayflower ? 
 
 Ans. "The Pilgrim Fathers." 
 
 12. What names were given to the two colo- 
 nies ? 
 
 Ans. The London Company's settlement was 
 called "Virginia," and that of the Plymouth 
 Company was called " Massachusetts." 
 
 13. How were the rest of the thirteen English 
 colonies formed ? 
 
 Ans. Principally from Virginia and Massa- 
 chusetts; but also by companies direct from 
 England.
 
 O AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 ROYAL CHARTERS. 
 
 14. When, and under what Sovereign, did 
 each colony receive its Royal Charter ? 
 
 Ans. (i) VIRGINIA'S liberal charter, received 
 by the London Company in 1607, had enabled 
 her to flourish as a colony; but James I., jeal- 
 ous of her growing power, in 1624 annulled this 
 charter. Before he had completed a new code 
 of laws for the Province, he died, and his son, 
 Charles I. , succeeded him. After many years 
 of strife, and even extreme distress, under the 
 governors sent from England, Virginia again 
 became a royal province under Charles II., 
 1684. 
 
 (ii) MASSACHUSETTS, whose pioneers landed 
 on Plymouth Rock in 1620, conformed to the 
 Plymouth Company's grant. Large accessions 
 to this Colony were soon made by those who 
 sought religious freedom in the wilds of New 
 England, and, in 1629, they received from 
 Charles I. a charter confirming that of the 
 Plymouth Company, and conveying to them 
 powers of government. They were called 
 " The Massachusetts Bay Colony."
 
 ROYAL CHARTERS. 9 
 
 (iii) In NEW HAMPSHIRE settlements were 
 made on the Piscataqua river in 1623. It be- 
 came a distinct Royal Province in 1680 under 
 Charles II. 
 
 (iv) RHODE ISLAND was settled in 1636 by 
 Roger Williams, who had been driven from 
 Massachusetts on account of his religious 
 opinions. He obtained a grant of land from 
 Canonicus, chief Sachem of the Narragansetts, 
 and in recognition of ' ' God's merciful provi- 
 dence in his distress," he called the place Prov- 
 idence. He obtained a free charter in 1644. 
 
 (v) CONNECTICUT was first settled by the 
 Dutch at Hartford. They gave way to several 
 English Colonies, who combined under one 
 name in 1636 under a charter from Charles I. 
 
 (vi) NEW YORK was first settled by the 
 Dutch in 1614, but it was surrendered to the 
 English in 1664 under Charles II. 
 
 (vii) NEW JERSEY was settled by the Dutch 
 in 1620. The first permanent English settle- 
 ment was at Elizabethtown in 1664. She be- 
 came a separate Royal Province in 1736 under 
 George II. 
 
 (viii) PENNSYLVANIA was settled in 1681 by 
 William Penn, who obtained a grant of terri- 
 tory from Charles II. 
 
 (ix) DELAWARE was first settled by the Dutch,
 
 10 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Swedes, and Finns, but was taken by the 
 English in 1664 and became an English Colony 
 under Queen Anne in 1703. 
 
 (x) MARYLAND'S first English settlement was 
 made by Lord Baltimore at St. Mary's, under 
 a special charter from Charles I. in 1632. 
 
 (xi) NORTH CAROLINA was settled in 1663 by 
 a company of English noblemen to whom 
 Charles II. had granted the territory between 
 Virginia and Florida. This grant reverted to 
 the Crown in 1729, when North Carolina be- 
 came, under George II., a distinct Royal Pro- 
 vince. 
 
 (xii) SOUTH CAROLINA, settled by the English 
 in 1670, obtained her separate charter in 1729 
 under George II. 
 
 (xiii) GEORGIA was settled in 1733 by an 
 English gentleman (General James Oglethorpe), 
 who made a settlement at Savannah and named 
 the province Georgia, after George II.
 
 CAUSES OF SEPARATION. ii 
 
 PART III. 
 
 CAUSES LEADING TO THE WAR OF THE REVOLU- 
 TION. 
 
 15. Did the inhabitants of the thirteen Colo- 
 nies live contentedly under English government? 
 
 Ans. No; they suffered many acts of tyranny 
 and oppression. 
 
 1 6. Mention seven of the earlier causes of 
 dissatisfaction with England? 
 
 Ans. (i) All laws regulating trade between 
 the Colonies, and between the Colonies and 
 other countries, were made by the English Par- 
 liament. 
 
 (ii) The Colonies were forced to send nearly 
 all their leading products to England for sale. 
 
 (iii) The Colonies were not allowed to buy 
 European goods, except in England. 
 
 (iv) American manufactures were prohibited, 
 and it was declared that the Colonists had no 
 right to make a "horseshoe nail " without per- 
 mission of Parliament. 
 
 (v) A " Navigation Act " was passed in 1660, 
 which declared: " No merchandise shall be im- 
 ported into the plantations but in English ves- 
 sels, navigated by Englishmen, under penalty
 
 12 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 of forfeiture." Thus, foreign ships were pre- 
 vented from entering any port of the Colonies. 
 
 (vi) Customs-houses were established in all 
 principal ports, and duties were there collected 
 for the King. 
 
 (vii) "Writs of Assistance" were given to 
 English officers, conferring the right to search 
 all places of business and private houses for 
 smuggled goods. 
 
 17. How long had these wrongs existed ? 
 Ans. For more than one hundred years. 
 
 1 8. What act of injustice caused greater dis- 
 content than those just mentioned ? 
 
 Ans. An attempt to tax the Colonies to pay 
 the expenses of a war between France and Eng 
 land, which closed in 1763. 
 
 19. What was the occasion of this war be- 
 tween France and England ? 
 
 Ans. The French had been fast gaining a 
 foothold in America, and the English denied 
 them the right. 
 
 20. Had the Colonies assisted England in this 
 war ? 
 
 Ans. Yes; they had lost 30,000 men and 
 spent $16,000,000, of which England had re- 
 paid only $5,000,000. 
 
 21. Why did the Colonies object to this tax ? 
 Ans. Because they had no representation in
 
 CAUSES OF SEPARATION. 13 
 
 Parliament, and they declared that ' ' taxation 
 without representation" was tyranny. 
 
 22. What was the form of this tax ? 
 
 Ans. It was called the "Stamp Act," and 
 provided that a stamp bought of the English 
 Government should be placed upon " all legal 
 documents, newspapers, pamphlets, bills of 
 lading, marriage certificates, wills, college 
 diplomas, leases," etc. 
 
 23. Was any objection to this tax raised in 
 Parliament. 
 
 Ans. William Pitt, Edmund Burke, Isaac 
 Barre, and others made eloquent and cogent 
 appeals against this tax, as an act of oppression. 
 
 24. When did the Stamp Act become a law? 
 Ans. It was passed March 22, 1765, to go 
 
 into effect the first of the following November. 
 An attempt was made to have those who re- 
 sisted sent to England for trial. 
 
 25. Was the Stamp Act enforced? 
 
 Ans. No. The Colonists made such resist- 
 ance that no officer of the English government 
 dared, or could, sell a stamp. 
 
 26. What were some of these acts of resist- 
 ance ? 
 
 Ans. (i) A "Bill of Rights" was drawn up 
 asserting that the Colonists were entitled to all 
 the rights and privileges of natural born sub- 
 jects of Great Britain.
 
 14 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 (ii) Though America had almost no manu- 
 factories, the merchants pledged themselves 
 to import no English goods until the Stamp 
 Act was repealed. 
 
 (iii) Boston said, "We will form a combina- 
 tion to eat nothing, drink nothing and wear 
 nothing imported from Great Britain. " 
 
 (iv) When the day arrived for the Act to go 
 into effect, muffled bells were tolled, flags were 
 displayed at half-mast, Liberty was represented 
 as dead by burial scenes, and Government 
 stamp agents were hung in effigy. 
 
 27. What was the effect of these demonstra- 
 tions ? 
 
 Ans. Parliament was obliged to consider the 
 question of repeal. 
 
 28. What illustrious American was called 
 before Parliament to give his opinion in regard 
 to this tax ? 
 
 Ans. Benjamin Franklin, who was in Eng- 
 land to urge a petition for the Pennsylvania 
 Colony. 
 
 29. When did Franklin appear before Parlia- 
 ment ? 
 
 Ans. February 13, 1766. 
 
 30. What impression did Franklin make in 
 Parliament ? 
 
 Ans. His manly bearing and his wise and
 
 CAUSES OF SEPARATION. 15 
 
 brave answers gained him honor, and were 
 without doubt the immediate cause of the 
 repeal of the Stamp Act. 
 
 3 1 . When was the Stamp Act repealed ? 
 Ans. March 18, 1766. 
 
 32. What was the next act of oppression by 
 Parliament ? 
 
 Ans. In order to maintain the right of 
 the English Government to tax the Colonies, 
 new duties were imposed in 1767 on "glass, 
 paper, painters' colors, tea, etc.," and a 
 " Board of Trade," to act independently of the 
 Colonies, was established at Boston. 
 
 33. How did Parliament now guard against 
 any resistance on the part of the Colonies ? 
 
 Ans. Troops were sent to America to enforce 
 these taxes, and by a " Mutiny Act, " it was 
 ordered that the Colonists should furnish these 
 troops with quarters and supplies. 
 
 34. What was the effect of this Act upon the 
 Colonists ? 
 
 Ans. They were filled with indignation at 
 having to feed and shelter their oppressors. 
 >*Frequent quarrels arose between the people 
 and the soldiers, and on March 5, 1770, a fight 
 resulted, in which eight inhabitants of Boston 
 were killed and several wounded. This fight 
 was called the " Boston Massacre."
 
 16 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 35. How did Parliament receive the news of 
 the resistance ? 
 
 Ans. It took off all taxes except on tea, 
 which was left to maintain the principle of the 
 right of taxation. 
 
 36. How did the Colonists receive this con- 
 cession ? 
 
 Ans. As they, too, were contending for a prin- 
 ciple, they refused to buy tea, and began to use 
 as a substitute, raspberry leaves, sassafras, etc. 
 
 37. What was done with the tea sent from 
 England ? 
 
 Ans. Ships reaching New York and Phila- 
 delphia were sent back. At Boston, the 
 British authorities would not allow the tea- 
 ships to return. 
 
 38. In consequence what happened at Boston ? 
 Ans. On the night of December 16, 1773, 
 
 sixty men disguised as Indians boarded the 
 ships, and emptied 342 chests of tea into Boston 
 Harbor. This is known as the " Boston Tea- 
 Party. " 
 
 39. What action did the English Parliament 
 then take ? 
 
 Ans. On March 7, 1774, it passed a bill 
 declaring the port of Boston closed until the 
 tea destroyed should be paid for. 
 
 40. What was the effect of the Boston Port 
 Bill on other Colonies ?
 
 CAUSES OF SEPARATION. 17 
 
 Ans. (i) Letters of sympathy and material 
 aid were sent to Boston, and assemblies pro- 
 tested against this measure. 
 
 (ii) Party lines were drawn, those opposed to 
 Royalty being called Whigs and those in favor 
 called Tories. 
 
 (iii) The brig "Peggy Stewart" arrived at 
 Annapolis from London, October, 1774, with 
 more than 2,000 Ibs. of tea, on which the owner 
 made haste to pay the duty. The people of 
 Maryland resented this voluntary submission to 
 the British claim, and kept a watch to prevent 
 its landing until the two importers and the 
 shipowner offered to burn the tea. This did 
 not satisfy the people, and the owner of the 
 brig then proposed to burn the brig also. This 
 offer being accepted, the owner and importers 
 went on board with hats off and lighted torches 
 in their hands and set fire to the chests of tea, 
 all of which, with every appurtenance of the 
 " Peggy Stewart, " was consumed. This is only 
 one instance of the feeling that had been roused 
 throughout the Colonies. 
 
 41. By what method did the Colonies express 
 their UNITED sentiment? 
 
 Ans. By calling the First Continental Con- 
 gress, which met at Philadelphia on Sept. 5,1774. 
 
 42. What action did the Continental Congress 
 take?
 
 1 8 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. It sustained Massachusetts in her resist- 
 ance ; issued a protest against standing armies 
 being kept in the Colonies without the consent 
 of the people ; and agreed to hold no inter- 
 course with Great Britain. 
 
 43. At what cost did the Colonists maintain 
 their rights ? 
 
 Ans. As manufactures had been discouraged 
 by England, the Colonists suffered many priva- 
 tions, until they learned to be self-reliant and 
 produce their own necessaries of life. 
 
 44. What other act immediately followed the 
 Boston Port Bill ? 
 
 Ans. The Quebec Act, which was a plan to 
 subvert the charters of Massachusetts and other 
 Colonies by taking away their dearest rights, 
 and extending the boundaries of the ' ' new gov- 
 ernment of Quebec" to the Ohio and the Mis- 
 sissippi, and over a region which included the 
 area of the present States of Ohio, Michigan, 
 Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. 
 
 45. What sentiment was now growing in the 
 minds of the Colonists ? 
 
 Ans. Before the year 1774 very few of the 
 Colonists contemplated a separation from the 
 Mother Country, but developments in the 
 spring of that year aroused this very feeling.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 19 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 THE COLONIES DECLARE, AND TAKE MEASURES, 
 FOR INDEPENDENCE. 
 
 46. Where and when was the first united sen- 
 timent expressed that led to a separation from 
 the Mother Country ? 
 
 Ans. At the First Continental Congress, 
 which met at Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1774. The 
 Declaration and Resolves then framed not only 
 expressed the will of the Colonists, but paved 
 the way for the Declaration of Independence. 
 
 47. What steps did this Congress take toward 
 a reconciliation with the British government ? 
 
 Ans. It petitioned the King in the most affec- 
 tionate and respectful manner to restore the 
 violated rights of the Colonists, as "English 
 freemen. " 
 
 48. While this First Continental Congress 
 was thus in session at Philadelphia, what were 
 English officers doing in New England ? 
 
 Ans. They were seizing all military stores 
 possible, and the Colonists were resisting and 
 preparing for the conflict, now inevitable. 
 
 49. What were some of the first signs that 
 war was imminent ?
 
 20 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. (i) The Second Provincial Congress of 
 Massachusetts met in February, 1775, and ap- 
 pointed eleven men as their Committee of 
 Safety, charged to resist every attempt at exe- 
 cuting the acts of Parliament. 
 
 (ii) This committee was empowered to take 
 possession of all warlike stores in the province, 
 and to make returns of Militia and Minute-men 
 who had been preparing for the conflict. 
 
 (iii) Work or supplies for the English troops 
 were forbidden, and the committee was urged 
 to prepare military stores and review the com- 
 panies of Minute-men. 
 
 50. When did the Colonists first forcibly re- 
 sist the English government ? 
 
 Ans. On February 26, 1775, General Gage, 
 who was the English officer in charge at Boston, 
 having learned that a number of field-pieces 
 were collected at Salem, sent a party of soldiers 
 to take possession of them in the name of the 
 King. The people of Salem, having been ap- 
 prised of their approach, raised their draw- 
 bridge, and thus prevented their entering the 
 town, and defeated their purpose. 
 
 51. When and where did the War of the 
 Revolution actually begin ? 
 
 Ans. On April 19, 1775, at Lexington and 
 Concord, about sixteen miles from Boston,
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 21 
 
 52. What movement on the part of the 
 British led to this collision ? 
 
 Ans. The vigilant Dr. Joseph Warren, had 
 discovered preparations by the British to take 
 military stores which had been gathered at 
 Concord. 
 
 53. What measures were taken to defeat this 
 movement ? 
 
 Ans. On the night of April i8th, Paul 
 Revere, who also had watched developments, 
 learned that British troops were to start about 
 midnight for Concord, and that orders had 
 been given to British sentinels to allow no one 
 to leave the town. A few minutes before this 
 order went into effect, Revere having ar- 
 ranged for a friend to give the " lantern sig- 
 nals " now so memorable, was rowed across 
 the river Charles. The signals from the " Old 
 North Church " being given, he mounted a 
 horse that was in waiting, and struck out for 
 the country beyond. A knock on the doors 
 and a cry of alarm as he rushed through the 
 towns and village streets, roused the inhabit- 
 ants, and as the British troops advanced, the 
 firing of guns and ringing of bells revealed 
 that some herald had preceded them and 
 warned the people of their approach When 
 the morning of April igth dawned, Lexington
 
 22 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Green was alive with Minute-men, patriots from 
 twenty-three towns having answered this ' ' mid- 
 night call of Paul Revere." As the morning 
 broke, Major Pitcairn under orders from Gage, 
 leading 800 British soldiers, advanced, and 
 when within a few rods of the American 
 patriots cried out, ' ' Disperse, ye rebels ; lay 
 down your arms!" "Too few to resist, too 
 brave to fly," the Minute-men stood firm. 
 Pitcairn then ordered his men to fire. The fire 
 was feebly returned, and no harm was done to 
 the British troops; but Lexington lost seven 
 men killed and nine wounded. Then the 
 British troops drew up on the green, fired a 
 volley, huzzaed three times in triumph, and 
 after a short halt marched on to Concord. 
 
 54. What did they accomplish at Concord ? 
 
 Ans. They found nothing in the way of mili- 
 tary stores worthy the name ; for the guns had 
 been spiked and other material removed. 
 
 55. How did the troops show their chagrin at 
 this failure ? 
 
 Ans. Angry at this fruitless march, they 
 burned the liberty pole, set fire to the court- 
 house and rifled private dwellings. 
 
 56. Was any blood shed at Concord ? 
 
 Ans. Yes. The Minute-men, having heard of 
 the fight at Lexington, gathered and marched
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 23 
 
 to meet the British. On nearing the Concord 
 river, to prevent the Minute-men from crossing 
 the British began to take up the planks of the 
 bridge. Finding the Americans resolute, a 
 skirmish occurred. Three patriots were killed, 
 and the British lost two men. The British then 
 retreated in disorder, leaving the countrymen in 
 possession of the bridge. 
 
 57. How many were killed and wounded in 
 this raid ? 
 
 Ans. The British were terribly assailed all the 
 way on their retreat, and when on the morning 
 of April zoth, they crossed over to Boston, their 
 loss was ascertained to be in killed and 
 wounded 273. The American loss was less 
 than zoo. 
 
 58. What important military move did the 
 Americans then make ? 
 
 Ans. They began blockading Boston, and very 
 soon many thousands of men from New Hamp- 
 shire, Rhode Island and Connecticut were at 
 work with the Massachusetts men building in- 
 trenchments to shut in the British. The swift 
 response from other Colonies showed how 
 strong the determination was to avenge the 
 shedding of innocent blood, and also, that a firm 
 conviction had at last seized the people, that 
 liberty must come at all hazards.
 
 24 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 59. What was the immediate result of the 
 blockade ? 
 
 Ans. This sudden stoppage of supplies of all 
 kinds caused much suffering to the troops and 
 residents. 
 
 60. What partial relief did Gage institute ? 
 Ans. He allowed the patriots in the city, 
 
 men, women, and children, a safe conduct out 
 of the town, upon condition that they would 
 not join in any attack upon the troops, leave all 
 their arms and ammunition in Faneuil Hall, and 
 take no provisions. He soon rescinded this 
 order, however, leaving many thousands of 
 people still in the city. 
 
 61. What was the immediate effect of the 
 "news from Lexington" upon other Colonies? 
 
 Ans. (i) On the 23d of April, New York, 
 filled with indignation, declared her allegiance 
 to England null and void. Sloops lying at her 
 wharves laden with supplies, to the value of 
 eighty thousand pounds, for British troops at 
 Boston, were unloaded. On following days the 
 military stores of the city were secured, vol- 
 unteer companies paraded the streets, and on 
 May i, 1775, at the usual time and places of 
 election, a new Committee of One Hundred 
 men was chosen, which resolved, in the most 
 explicit manner, to ' ' stand or fall with the 
 Liberty of the Continent."
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 25 
 
 (ii) New Jersey patriots were willing to 
 hazard their lives and fortunes in support of 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 (iii) Pennsylvania said, " Let us not be bold 
 in declaration and cold in action." 
 
 (iv) Maryland gave up the arms and ammu- 
 nition of the province to their "freemen." 
 
 (v) Virginia, on the 2d of May, at the "cry 
 from Lexington," signified her readiness to 
 obey the call for Liberty. 
 
 (vi) North and South Carolina proceeded to 
 place their Colonies in a state of defence. 
 
 (vii) The skirmish at Lexington having be- 
 come known in Savannah on the loth of May, 
 Georgia joined the Union and sent 63 barrels 
 of rice and 122 pounds in spices to the " Boston 
 Wanderers." 
 
 62. What military step of great importance 
 did the Americans next take ? 
 
 Ans. They captured Fort Ticonderoga and 
 Crown Point, where a large number of cannon 
 and other military stores were held by the 
 British. Connecticut, acting on her own re- 
 sponsibility, with Col. Ethan Allen of her own 
 Colony at the head of eighty backwoodsmen, 
 principally from the New Hampshire grants 
 (now Vermont) made a sudden descent upon 
 Ticonderoga on the early morning of May 10,
 
 26 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 1775, an( ^ demanded its surrender. The officer 
 in charge inquired, " By whose authority ?" 
 Colonel Allen responded, "In the name of the 
 Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress. " 
 The demand was immediately complied with, 
 and Ticonderoga, that had cost England eight 
 million pounds sterling and many lives, was 
 won in ten minutes by a few undisciplined men, 
 without the loss of life or limb. More than one 
 hundred brass cannon and many small stores 
 were taken, which were of great service to the 
 future Continental Army. Ticonderoga and 
 Crown Point, which latter was captured at the 
 same time by Col. Seth Warner, were both 
 near the head of Lake Champlain and on the 
 high road to Canada. 
 
 63. What civil measures were the Colonists 
 now taking ? 
 
 Ans. The "Second Continental Congress" 
 was assembling at Philadelphia. The Colonies 
 now numbering 3,000,000 people had begun 
 to realize their importance and their power. 
 They also began to see that Liberty in its best 
 form must be assumed and maintained, and the 
 assembling of this Second Congress on May 10, 
 1775, was at the call of the Colonies. 
 
 64. What work lay before the Congress ? 
 Ans. No power was intrusted to it save that
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 27 
 
 of counsel, and it represented only the un- 
 formed opinions of an unformed people. 
 
 65. What was its first important action ? 
 
 Ans. After much conference with the Colo- 
 nies, and while news of encounters and engage- 
 ments were constantly coming to them, a Gen- 
 eralissimo was asked for, to educate and form 
 the rude forces which had been for a month or 
 more gathering around Boston. In answer to 
 this demand on June 15, 1775, at the particu- 
 lar request of New England, George Washing- 
 ton of Virginia, a member of the Continental 
 Congress, was nominated, and by ballot unan- 
 imously elected as " Commander-in-Chief . " 
 
 66. Meanwhile, what other significant en- 
 gagements, besides the taking of Fort Ticonder- 
 oga, occurred in May of 1775 ? 
 
 Ans. When the intelligence of the conflict at 
 Lexington and Concord reached the port of 
 Machias, in the Maine district, the people deter- 
 mined to seize the " Margretta " and her con- 
 voy, lying in port loading with lumber for the 
 British at Boston. The officer in charge, dis- 
 covering the hostile intent of the people, 
 weighed anchor, and moved down the river to a 
 wharf about four miles below the town. Not to 
 be thwarted, a few young men seized a timber 
 sloop lying at the wharf, secured the captain
 
 28 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 and crew, called for volunteers, and with twenty 
 fowling pieces, thirteen pitchforks, a dozen nar- 
 row axes, a few pounds of pork, a bag of bread, 
 and a barrel of water, they set sail with a fair 
 breeze from the northwest. The sloop proved 
 to be the better sailer, and the schooner was 
 speedily overtaken. The " Margretta " fired 
 upon the sloop, but the fire was returned with 
 good effect. The Britisher was boarded; 
 Joseph Wheaton of the sloop lowered the 
 schooner's colors, and thus ended the first naval 
 victory of the United Colonies. The "Mar- 
 gretta" was manned by two commissioned offi- 
 cers and thirty-eight warrant and petty officers. 
 She carried an ample supply of powder and 
 ball, ten six pounders, twenty swivels, forty 
 muskets, forty cutlasses, forty picks, forty 
 boarding axes, ten pairs of pistols, etc. The ex- 
 act loss of life on either side has not been re- 
 corded, but the aggregate did not exceed 
 twenty. This first blow struck on the water 
 after the war of the Revolution had actually be- 
 gun, has been called the "Lexington of the 
 Sea," for it was characterized by a rising of the 
 people against a regular force, a long chase, a 
 bloody struggle and a triumph. 
 
 67. Mention other encounters in May, 1775 ? 
 
 Ans. Boston was so beleaguered, that the only
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 29 
 
 supplies possible for the British army must be 
 obtained from islands in or near the harbor. 
 On the 2ist of May an attempt to get the hay 
 on Grape Island was discovered about sunrise. 
 Alarm guns were fired, drums beat to arms, 
 bells were rung, and patriots at once secured 
 boats and pushed off ; but the English re- 
 treated, and the Americans set fire to the hay. 
 On the 27th an attempt was made to secure or 
 destroy hay and stock on Noddle's and Hog 
 Islands, lest it should prove an aid to the Brit- 
 ish. A schooner and sloop, sent from the 
 British squadron to prevent this, were forced 
 to give up their purpose, with the loss by the 
 English of twenty killed and fifty wounded, and 
 by the provincials of four slightly wounded. 
 
 68. What famous battle occurred June 17, 
 
 1775? 
 
 Ans. The Battle of Bunker Hill. This bat- 
 tle has been the theme of the home and the 
 fireside more often, perhaps, than that of any 
 other engagement. 
 
 69. What led directly to this battle ? 
 
 Ans. The Colonists had learned that the 
 British intended to fortify Bunker Hill, and 
 they determined to anticipate them. George 
 Washington, -who was elected Commander-in- 
 Chief of the Army on June isth, had not as
 
 30 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 yet assumed command. A body of about 
 1,500 Americans, under Capt. William Prescott, 
 assembled at Cambridge on June i6th, and, 
 under cover of the night, they marched to the 
 place appointed. When the morning of the 
 i yth dawned, the British were startled by the 
 view of a redoubt on the Hill, that had not been 
 seen before. Resolved to drive the Americans 
 from the position thus occupied during the 
 night, General Howe crossed the Charles river 
 with 3,000 men, and, forming at the landing, 
 they slowly ascended the Hill. The patriot 
 ranks lay quietly behind the breastworks until 
 the British were within ten rods, when, at a 
 command from Prescott, a blaze of light shot 
 from the redoubt, and whole platoons of British 
 fell. There was a second advance, with a like 
 result. At a third advance, only one volley 
 smote them, for the ammunition of the Ameri- 
 cans was exhausted. The British then charged, 
 with fixed bayonets, and though the patriots 
 resisted with clubbed muskets, they were driven 
 from the field. The British were too much 
 broken to pursue, and the effect upon the 
 Americans of this first regular battle of the 
 Revolution was that of victory. The British 
 lost in killed and wounded about 1,100, and 
 the Americans about 400. The one great loss
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 31 
 
 to the Colonists was that of the brave Gen. 
 Joseph Warren, who was one of America's 
 truest sons. When the tidings of the Battle of 
 Charlestown (Bunker Hill) reached the Conti- 
 nental Congress, Patrick Henry exclaimed: 
 "A breach on our affection was needed to rouse 
 the country to action." 
 
 70. When and where did Washington take 
 command of the American Army ? 
 
 Ans. At Cambridge, on July 3, 1775. Soon 
 after his appointment he left Philadelphia for 
 New England. Congress had adopted the un- 
 disciplined troops around Boston as the " Con- 
 tinental Army," and appointed general officers 
 to assist Washington in its organization and 
 future operations. 
 
 71. What was Washington's first step on as- 
 suming command ? 
 
 Ans. To make returns to Congress of the 
 condition of affairs at Boston. 
 
 72. What was the apparent situation of the 
 British forces ? 
 
 Ans. From Prospect Hill, in Cambridge, 
 Washington took a view of Boston and Charles- 
 town. The latter town having been burned, 
 nothing was to be seen of it but ruins of the 
 former homes of patriots. Above these ruins 
 rose the tents of the British, who were strongly
 
 32 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 posted on Bunker Hill, and their sentries were 
 extended one hundred and fifty yards beyond 
 Charlestown Neck. On Breed's Hill, Copp's 
 Hill, and other important points, men with 
 batteries were on guard. A twenty-gun ship 
 was anchored below Charlestown ferry, and 
 three floating batteries lay on the Mystic. The 
 Light Horse and a few men were in Boston. 
 The remainder were on Roxbury Neck, strongly 
 fortified with outposts so far advanced that the 
 sentries of the two armies could almost have 
 conversation with each other. Of the inhab- 
 itants of Boston, nearly 7,000 still remained in 
 town. These were confined to their homes 
 after ten o'clock at night, deprived of whole- 
 some food, liable to be robbed without redress, 
 and exposed to the malice of the British sol- 
 diery. 
 
 73. How was the American Army disposed ? 
 
 Ans. They were gathered in a semicircle, 
 from the west end of Dorchester to Maiden, a 
 distance of twelve miles. Entrenchments had 
 been thrown up at convenient places. The 
 main street at Roxbury was defended by a 
 breastwork, in front of which sharpened trees 
 pointing toward Boston prevented the approach 
 of Light Horse, and sentinels and smaller posts 
 stretched beyond the Maiden river.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 33 
 
 74. What was the size of the American Army 
 at this time ? 
 
 Ans. The American rolls recorded 17,000 men, 
 but Washington never had more than 14,500 
 fit for duty. To bring all these crude volun- 
 teers into working order and fortify every 
 weak point was the imperative need, but 
 "Washington's strong and uniform will was 
 exerted with a quiet and commanding energy. " 
 
 75. What acts of the army occurred in July, 
 
 1775? 
 Ans, Skirmishes between the Americans and 
 
 the British were frequent. On July 8th, the 
 British advance guard nearest Roxbury was 
 driven in and several muskets taken. On the 
 night of the roth, 300 American Volunteers 
 swept Long Island, in Boston Harbor, of a 
 large number of sheep and cattle, and took 
 sixteen prisoners. Two days later, an Ameri- 
 can officer with a number of men went to the 
 same island and burned the hay which was 
 stacked there for the British cavalry. Other 
 American companies went to Weymouth and 
 Hingham, and reaped and brought off the 
 ripe grain from Nantasket. On the night 
 of the aoth, Vose, a Major in Heath's 
 regiment, set fire to the lighthouse in Boston 
 Harbor, and brought off ammunition and lamps.
 
 34 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 His party was pursued by a British man-of- 
 war, but the adventurous soldiers escaped. 
 Carpenters, with a guard of thirty British 
 marines, were sent to repair the lighthouse; 
 but on the 3oth they were attacked by a party 
 of Americans from Dorchester and Squantum, 
 who killed the lieutenant and one man and 
 captured all the rest of the party. The 
 Americans had one killed and two or three 
 wounded. On the next day, in "general 
 orders," Washington praised their gallant and 
 soldier-like conduct. 
 
 76. By what means was the Continental 
 Army supplied with the necessaries of life ? 
 
 Ans. Through the thoughtful benevolence 
 and patriotism of the Massachusetts Colony. 
 Each householder deemed himself a sort of 
 commissary. Such articles as could be spared 
 were devoted to the camp, and everybody's 
 wagons were used to forward them. The 
 troops were fed by the unselfish care of the 
 people, without so much as a barrel of flour 
 from Congress. 
 
 77. What was Congress waiting for ? 
 
 Ans. It still had hopes that its repeated 
 appeals to King George would result in con- 
 ciliatory measures. 
 
 78. What was accomplished by the Americans 
 in August, 1775.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 35 
 
 Ans. By the 4th of that month the army was 
 formed into three grand divisions: at Roxbury, 
 Cambridge and Winter Hill. 
 
 79. Who commanded these divisions ? 
 
 Ans. Generals Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, 
 and Israel Putnam. 
 
 80. What special work was being done by 
 them ? 
 
 Ans. With these forces, Washington was 
 closely investing Boston. 
 
 8 1. What movement was made in regard to 
 Canada ? 
 
 Ans. To prevent Canada being a place of 
 rendezvous and supplies for Great Britain, a 
 committee went to Cambridge to consult with 
 Washington. 
 
 82. What was the result of this conference ? 
 Ans. The commandants at Fort Ticonde- 
 
 roga and Crown Point were directed to proceed 
 by way of Lake Champlain to Montreal and 
 Quebec. On August 3ist, Gen. Richard Mont- 
 gomery left Crown Point for the purpose of 
 of invading Canada, and was joined by Philip 
 Schuyler on September 4th. General Wash- 
 ington also sent an expedition, under Col. 
 Benedict Arnold, by way of the Kennebec and 
 Chaudiere rivers, to attack Quebec. 
 
 83. What was effected by these expeditions ?
 
 36 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. On reaching Canada, Montgomery pro- 
 ceeded down the Sorrel River to St. John, where 
 there was a strong British garrison. The fort 
 was besieged, but made an obstinate resistance 
 till November 3, 1775, when it was taken. 
 Montgomery then pressed on to Montreal, 
 which was taken on November i3th. Reach- 
 ing on toward Quebec, Montgomery was met 
 before that citadel by Colonel Arnold, who had 
 taken an eastern route, by way of Kennebec 
 river. Supplies of warm clothing, which 
 Montgomery had taken in Montreal, were wel- 
 comed by Arnold's troops, who had experienced 
 much suffering in their long, cold marches. 
 The garrison at Quebec defied the Americans, 
 who, through almost daily snow storms, be- 
 sieged the town for three weeks. Finally, on 
 December 31, 1775, an assault of the fortress 
 was attempted, in which the good and brave 
 Gen. Richard Montgomery fell, and "with 
 him the soul of the expedition fled." The 
 American army went into camp near Quebec, 
 and passed a rigorous winter. Reinforcements 
 from England in the spring of 1776 obliged the 
 patriots to abandon their purpose, and by the 
 middle of June they gave up all foothold on 
 Canada. 
 
 84. When were warships first proposed ?
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 37 
 
 Ans. On October 5, 1775, by the Continental 
 Congress, and Washington was authorized to 
 employ two armed vessels to intercept British 
 storeships bound for Quebec. 
 
 85. When was the first gun fired in Virginia 
 against the British ? 
 
 Ans. On October 26, 1775, at Hampton, to 
 prevent the burning of the town by a British 
 war- vessel under Dunmore. 
 
 86. What was the result ? 
 
 Ans. Dunmore was driven off and his fleet 
 shattered. 
 
 87. What was the last important battle on Co- 
 lonial ground in 1775 ? 
 
 Ans. The battle of Great Bridge, Virginia, 
 twelve miles from Norfolk. After Dunmore's 
 defeat at Hampton, he declared open war. The 
 Virginia militia flew to arms, and prepared 
 breastworks to repulse the British. On Decem- 
 ber gth, an attempt by Dunmore to cross the 
 bridge was met by the Virginia sharpshooters. 
 After a struggle of fifteen minutes, the British 
 retreated, losing more than sixty men in killed 
 and wounded. The Virginians lost only one 
 man. 
 
 88. How did the year 1776 open in Virginia? 
 Ans. Dunmore, who had been royal governor 
 
 since 1770, infuriated by his want of success at 
 
 99734
 
 38 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Hampton and Great Bridge, set fire to the 
 town of Norfolk and destroyed it on January 
 i, 1776. 
 
 89. What was the American situation at 
 Boston in the winter of 17 75-' 7 6 ? 
 
 Ans. Washington had strengthened the in- 
 vestment of the city, closely watched the move 
 ments of the British, looked after the welfare of 
 his troops, and prepared for action. 
 
 90. What was the first effective military 
 movement in that vicinity in 1776 ? 
 
 Ans. On the night of March 4th intrench - 
 ments were raised on Dorchester Heights, which 
 menaced the British in Boston and brought con- 
 sternation to the leaders. 
 
 91. What was the result of this movement ? 
 Ans. The British, finding that they would not 
 
 be able to dislodge the patriots from their van- 
 tage ground, decided to evacuate Boston. 
 
 92. What is the date of the evacuation of 
 Boston ? 
 
 Ans. March 17, 1776. 
 
 93. How did Washington communicate the 
 news to Congress ? 
 
 Ans. By a letter dated March i7th, which 
 said: "This morning the ministerial troops 
 evacuated the town of Boston without destroy- 
 ing it, and we are now in full possession."
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 3$ 
 
 94. What gave evidence of haste in the flight 
 of the British ? 
 
 Ans. The stores of military goods which they 
 left. There were 250 cannon, 2,500 chaldrons 
 of seacoal, 25,000 bushels of wheat, 3,000 bush- 
 els of barley, 150 horses, bedding and clothing 
 for 'soldiers, etc. 
 
 95. What was Washington's next step ? 
 Ans. He put Boston in a state of security, and 
 
 supposing that Howe's destination would be New 
 York, he put the main body of his army in mo- 
 tion for that city, and reached there himself on 
 April 14, 1776. 
 
 96. What impressions were the foregoing 
 events making on the minds of the Colonists ? 
 
 Ans. In the opinion of the whole people the 
 necessity of a " Declaration of Independence " 
 was steadily gaining ground. 
 
 97. What was the attitude of the Continental 
 Congress toward independence ? 
 
 Ans. It had begun to realize that a separa- 
 tion must come, and had already authorized 
 measures for defence ; but not till June 7, 1776, 
 did Richard Henry Lee introduce a resolution 
 declaring "these United Colonies are, and of 
 right ought to be, free and independent States." 
 
 98. How was this resolution received by the 
 Colonies ?
 
 40 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. Before this time, five Colonies (Rhode 
 Island, Virginia, North Carolina, South Caro- 
 lina and Georgia) had declared for independ- 
 ence, and before June closed all the other 
 Colonies united in this decision. 
 
 99. When did Congress meet for a full dis- 
 cussion of the subject ? 
 
 Ans. On July i, 1776. 
 
 100. What were some of the important com- 
 mittees appointed by Congress to aid in carry- 
 ing out measures to insure independence ? 
 
 Ans. (i) Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, 
 Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert 
 R. Livingston were chosen, by ballot, to draft 
 a Declaration of Independence. 
 
 (ii) One member from each Colony was 
 named to construct a form of Confederation. 
 
 (iii) A plan for "Treaties with Foreign 
 Powers " was intrusted to five members, of 
 which Benjamin Franklin was one. 
 
 (iv) A "Board of War" was named, with 
 John Adams at the head. 
 
 (v) Congress resolved that ' ' all persons 
 abiding within any of the United Colonies and 
 deriving protection from its laws, owe allegi- 
 ance to the said laws, and are members of such 
 Colony." The guilt of treason was charged 
 upon "all members of any of the United
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 41 
 
 Colonies who should be adherent to the King of 
 Great Britain, giving him aid and comfort. " 
 
 10 1. When was the resolution in favor of 
 independence adopted by Congress ? 
 
 Ans. On July 2, 1776. 
 
 102. What day is called the Nation's Birth- 
 day, and why is it so celebrated ? 
 
 Ans. The Fourth of July, 1776 ; because on 
 that day the instrument known as "The 
 Declaration of Independence," as prepared in 
 its final form by the committee appointed for 
 that purpose, was reported to Congress, was 
 unanimously adopted by the representatives of 
 twelve of the thirteen Colonies, was signed by 
 John Hancock, President of the Congress, and 
 thus formally severed the political connection 
 between the United States of America and 
 Great Britain. New York's delegates, for 
 want of instructions, did not adopt the 
 Declaration of Independence until July gth. 
 Between July 4th and August 26. the names of 
 the "Signers" were affixed to the engrossed 
 copy of the historic document. 
 
 103. What was the immediate result of this 
 Declaration ? 
 
 (i) It changed the old thirteen Colonies into 
 free and independent States. 
 
 (ii) The war was no longer a civil war. 
 Great Britain was a foreign country.
 
 42 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 (iii) Every former subject of the King of 
 England, in the thirteen Colonies, now owed 
 allegiance to the new Republic. 
 
 (iv) The States, that were henceforth in- 
 dependent of Great Britain, were not in- 
 dependent of one another. 
 
 (v) The United States of America were now 
 one people, assuming powers over war, peace, 
 foreign alliances and commerce. 
 
 104. How did the Colonies signify their ac- 
 quiescence ? 
 
 Ans. In MASSACHUSETTS the " immortal 
 State paper " was read from the pulpit by each 
 minister to his congregation and entered in the 
 town records. 
 
 MARYLAND conjured every virtuous citizen to 
 join cordially in maintaining the freedom of her 
 State and that of the others. 
 
 In PHILADELPHIA the ''Committee of Safety" 
 and that of "Inspection" marched in proces- 
 sion to the State House, where the Declaration 
 was read to battalions of volunteers and a con- 
 course of inhabitants from the city and county, 
 after which chimes from the churches and peals 
 from the State House bell, proclaimed ' ' Lib- 
 erty throughout the land." 
 
 In NEW JERSEY the Congress of that State in 
 presence of the Committee of Safety, the Mili-
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 43 
 
 tia under arms, and a great assembly of the 
 people published at Trenton the Declaration of 
 Independence and their own Constitution. 
 
 In NEW YORK, by command of Washington, 
 the Declaration was read to every brigade in the 
 city, followed by the most hearty approbation. 
 In the evening the equestrian statue of George 
 III. that stood in Bowling Green was pulled 
 down, and the lead eventually run into bullets. 
 
 In all the other Colonies (now States) the Dec- 
 laration was received with similar demonstra- 
 tions and accepted with unspeakable pleasure. 
 
 105. What was the first battle after separation 
 was decided upon ? 
 
 Ans. The Battle of Sullivan's Island, in South 
 Carolina. 
 
 1 06. Can you give an account of this battle, 
 and its result ? 
 
 Ans. A large fleet was sent from England in 
 the spring of 1776 to operate on the sea coast of 
 the southern Colonies. They arrived off 
 Charleston bar on the 4th of June. Apprised of 
 their designs, and encouraged by a signal success 
 at Moore's Creek, North Carolina, on the preced- 
 ing February 27th, the southern patriots respond- 
 ed cheerfully to the call of Gen. John Rut- 
 ledge, President of the Colony. Several thou- 
 sand men were gathered in or near Charleston
 
 44 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 when the enemy appeared. Six mounted can- 
 non had been erected at Fort Sullivan, com- 
 manding the channel, and the fort was gar- 
 risoned by about 500 men under Col. William 
 Moultrie. The British commenced a combined 
 attack on June 28th under Sir Henry Clinton 
 by land, and Sir Peter Parker by sea. The 
 conflict raged for ten hours, or till nightfall, 
 when the British fleet, almost shattered into 
 fragments, abandoned the enterprise. Gen. 
 Charles Lee, who had charge of the American 
 land forces, had advised Moultrie to abandon 
 the fort when the British approached, but the 
 brave officer would not desert it, and his victory 
 was so complete that the ladies of Charleston 
 presented him with an elegant stand of colors, 
 and the fort was named " Fort Moultrie." 
 
 107. What memorable act of bravery oc- 
 curred during the fight ? 
 
 Ans. On one bastion of the fort was displayed 
 the Union flag (the equivalent of our present 
 Federal colors), and on the opposite bastion 
 was hoisted the flag of South Carolina blue 
 with a white crescent, on which was emblazoned 
 " Liberty." Early in the action the staff of the 
 latter was shot away, and the colors fell on the 
 beach, outside of the works. William Jasper, 
 a Sergeant, discovering the loss, leaped through
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 45 
 
 an embrazure, braving the thickest of the fire, 
 took up the flag, returned with it safely, and 
 fastening it to a sponge-staff (used for cleaning 
 cannon), he planted it on the summit next the 
 enemy. 
 
 1 08. What were the dying words of the 
 patriot officer, Macdaniel, during the conflict ? 
 
 Am. "I am dying; but don't let the cause 
 of liberty expire with me ! " 
 
 109. When Washington reached New York 
 from Boston, what were his first measures of 
 defence ? 
 
 Ans. He proceeded at once to fortify the 
 town and the Hudson Highlands. His force 
 was only about 7,000 men. 
 
 no. Where was the British General Howe at 
 this time ? 
 
 Ans. At Halifax, where he went when driven 
 from Boston. 
 
 in. When did he leave Halifax ? 
 
 Ans. On June n, 1776, when he sailed for 
 New York, reaching Sandy Hook on the apth. 
 
 1 1 2. Where did he land ? 
 
 Ans. On Staten Island, on July ad. 
 
 113. What accessions did he receive at this 
 point ? 
 
 Ans. He was here joined by Sir Henry Clin- 
 ton, who had come up from the South after
 
 46 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 his defeat at Fort Moultrie, and by his brother, 
 Admiral Howe, with a fleet and large land force 
 from England. 
 
 114. How large a British force was thus gath- 
 ering ? 
 
 Ans. Including vessels, which were now ar- 
 riving with hired Hessian troops, 30,000 sol- 
 diers, many of them veterans, were ready to 
 meet the American army, on August i, 1776. 
 
 115. What was Washington's force ? 
 
 Ans. About 17,000 men were intrenched in 
 and around New York, but many of them were 
 unfit for duty. 
 
 1 1 6. What other adverse influence, besides 
 disparity of troops, had Washington to contend 
 with? 
 
 Ans. When General Howe arrived at Staten 
 Island, the inhabitants received him with open 
 arms. The Tories flocked to his standard, or- 
 ganized themselves into companies and bat- 
 talions, or scattered themselves over the coun- 
 try, and served as spies, to give information, or, 
 as opportunity afforded, harass the people. 
 
 117. What was Howe's first move? 
 
 Ans. To land on Long Island, which he did 
 without opposition. 
 
 1 1 8. What was the date of his landing on 
 Long Island ?
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 47 
 
 Ans. August 22, 1776, and during the day 
 10,000 effective British soldiers were landed 
 between Fort Hamilton and Gravesend Village. 
 
 119. How had Washington prepared for this 
 encroachment of the British ? 
 
 Ans. He had disposed his main army on Man- 
 hattan Island, as a guard to the city of New 
 York, but had sent out detachments to the most 
 exposed points in the vicinity. The largest de- 
 tachment was sent to Brooklyn, under General 
 Sullivan, who occupied a fortified camp opposite 
 New York. Generals Putnam and Stirling 
 were also in command of forces on the island. 
 
 120. By whom were the British forces on the 
 island led ? 
 
 Ans. By Sir Heury Clinton, Gen. James 
 Grant, Lord Percy, Lord Cornwallis, and the 
 Hessian commander, De Heister. 
 
 121. When did the fighting begin ? 
 
 Ans. Before dawn on the morning of August 
 27, 1776. 
 
 122. What was the result ? 
 
 Ans. The Americans were defeated at all 
 points. They were opposed by veterans and a 
 much superior force, and it was like leading a 
 forlorn hope. At noon the victory for the 
 British was complete. 
 
 123. What loss was sustained by the British ?
 
 48 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans Abcmt five hunderd in killed, wounded 
 and prisoners. 
 
 124 What was the loss of the Americans ? 
 
 Ans. Five hundred killed and wounded and 
 eleven hundred made prisoners. Many of the 
 captives were consigned to the Sugar House on 
 Liberty street and the prison ships in Wall- 
 about Bay. The hard lot of these prisoners 
 made the fate of those who perished in battle an 
 enviable one. 
 
 125. What occurred on the night of August 29? 
 
 Ans. While Howe and his troops were resting, 
 secure of their prey as they thought, under 
 cover of a heavy fog Washington silently with- 
 drew his shattered army, and as the sunlight 
 fell upon the river, the last boat-load of patriots 
 had reached New York. While the Long 
 Island defeat was a distressing one, and on 
 many accounts the most so of any during the 
 war, Washington's masterful retreat was one 
 of the greatest achievements of the seven years' 
 struggle. Aided by the sea-fog, which came 
 rolling in from the ocean, shrouding the British 
 camp, hanging over the East River and hiding 
 Brooklyn (without enveloping New York). 
 Washington remained standing on the ferry 
 stair and would not enter his boat till all were 
 embarked.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 49 
 
 126. What was the date of this landing in 
 New York ? 
 
 Ans. August 30, 1776. At seven o'clock in 
 the morning Washington stepped on shore, 
 having before him nearly 9,000 men with their 
 provisions, military stores, field artillery and 
 ordnance. 
 
 127. What was the effect of this retreat upon 
 Howe ? 
 
 Ans. He was greatly chagrined, and prepared 
 to make an attack on New York before the 
 Americans should be reinforced or escape. 
 
 128. What was Washington's next move ? 
 Ans. Seeing a disposition on the part of Howe 
 
 to hem him in by sending land forces, by way 
 of the East river to the upper part of the 
 Island, and also feeling sure that the English 
 fleet in New York harbor would render his 
 position untenable, he decided on the i2th of 
 September to remove military stores to a secure 
 place, at Dobbs Ferry, on the Hudson, and 
 retreat to and fortify Harlem Heights. 
 
 129. When did the British take possession of 
 New York ? 
 
 Ans. On September 15, 1776. 
 
 130. When was the next encounter between 
 the two forces ? 
 
 Ans. On September i6th, at Harlem Heights.
 
 50 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 This was a severe skirmish in which the Ameri- 
 cans were victorious; but it cost the lives of 
 two brave American officers, Colonel Knowlton 
 of Connecticut, and Major Leitch of Virginia. 
 
 131. What was Howe's next manoeuvre ? 
 Ans. Leaving a strong force in possession of 
 
 New York on September zoth, he sent three 
 armed vessels up the Hudson to cut off the 
 Americans from communication with the west- 
 ern shore, and fresh troops from England made 
 their way to a point in Westchester County, be- 
 yond the Harlem. 
 
 132. What was Howe's apparent purpose ? 
 Ans. To form a connection with the large 
 
 body of troops in Canada, who would secure the 
 Hudson and its Highlands, and with his com- 
 mand around New York, prevent the Ameri- 
 cans' escape through New Jersey, and oblige 
 them to surrender. 
 
 133. What means did Washington employ to 
 gain an exact knowledge of the plans of the 
 British at this time ? 
 
 Ans. He called for a volunteer to enter the 
 British camp, and accepted the services of 
 young Capt. Nathan Hale. Captain Hale be- 
 longed to Colonel Knowlton's Connecticut 
 troops. He was only 2 1 years of age, a grad 
 uate of Yale College and an ardent patriot.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 51 
 
 134. What was the result of Hale's attempt? 
 Ans. On September 22nd, while in the above 
 
 service, he was caught within the British lines, 
 avowed his name and his purpose, and was 
 executed in what is now New York City, as a 
 spy. His last words were: " I only regret that 
 *I have but one life to lose for my country." A 
 monument has been erected to his memory in 
 City Hall Park, New York. 
 
 135. What battles occurred in October, 1776, 
 in the North ? 
 
 Ans. On the nth and i3th the British, under 
 Carleton, met Colonel Arnold, with his com- 
 mand, who had been stationed at Fort Ticon- 
 deroga and Crown Point during the summer. 
 A naval encounter on Lake Champlain ensued, 
 and the Americans were obliged to burn their 
 fleet and retire. Carleton, however, though at 
 the gateway to the Hudson, did not follow up 
 his success by taking Ticonderoga, but returned 
 to winter quarters in Canada, reserving that 
 conquest for a glorious opening of his next 
 campaign, and awaiting tidings from Howe. 
 
 136. How did Washington meet the strategy 
 of the enemy ? 
 
 Ans. Perceiving their designs to shut him in, 
 he placed a garrison of nearly 3,000 men at 
 Fort Washington and withdrew the remainder
 
 52 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 of his army to White Plains. There, on Octo- 
 ber 28, 1776, there was a severe engagement. 
 The Americans were driven from their position, 
 but formed a strong camp at North Castle, about 
 five miles above. 
 
 137. What was the effect of the battle of 
 White Plains on the British ? 
 
 Am. Howe decided not to risk an attack upon 
 Washington in his present stronghold, and on 
 November 4th he returned to New York by way 
 of Dobbs Ferry. 
 
 138. What investigations of the Hudson and 
 its approaches near the Highlands did Washing- 
 ton now make ? 
 
 Ans. On November nth and i2th he went 
 with Generals Heath, Stirling, Mifflin, and 
 James and George Clinton to make an examin- 
 ation of this vicinity. 
 
 139. What were his instructions in regard to 
 the Highlands? 
 
 Ans. He gave Heath the command of the 
 posts on both sides of the river, with 3,000 men 
 from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York 
 to secure them. 
 
 140. Where did Washington then go ? 
 
 Ans. Having already sent about five thou- 
 sand men into New Jersey under General 
 Putnam, he crossed the river, and took up his
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 53 
 
 position at Hackensack, six miles from Fort 
 Lee, on November 14, 1776. 
 
 141. What was the fate of Fort Washington ? 
 Ans. On November i6th, it was taken by the 
 
 Hessians under Rahl and Knyphausen. The 
 American's loss in killed and wounded was not 
 very large ; but besides the loss of much valu- 
 able artillery and military stores, 2,600 were 
 taken prisoners, many of them well-trained 
 soldiers, and, like the captives taken on Long 
 Island, they were consigned to the prison ships. 
 
 142. What was the next loss by the Ameri~ 
 cans? 
 
 Ans. On the approach of a large force of 
 English and Hessians, Fort Lee, on the Jersey 
 shore, opposite Fort Washington, was evacu- 
 ated November 20, 1776. 
 
 143. What were some of the facts of interest 
 in this evacuation ? 
 
 Ans. Washington, still in Hackensack, re- 
 ceived word that the British had crossed the 
 Hudson at Closter Landing, and that Corn- 
 wallis was on his way to Fort Lee. Mounting 
 his charger, in three-quarters of an hour Wash- 
 ington reached the fort, took the command of 
 the troops stationed there, and led them down 
 the hill, and through the valley of the Hacken- 
 sack river, and over "New Bridge" in safety.
 
 54 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Less than three hours afterward, a detachment 
 from Cornwallis's command came up to the 
 river, but the Americans had burned the bridge 
 behind them, and the English forces retired. 
 
 144. What was the danger to the army in 
 Hackensack ? 
 
 Ans. The possibility of being hemmed in be- 
 tween the Passaic and Hackensack rivers. 
 
 145. How did Washington prevent this ? 
 Ans. He moved his army to Newark, beyond 
 
 the Passaic, on November 2ist. 
 
 146. What difficulty did Washington en- 
 counter in his command ? 
 
 Ans. The insubordination of Gen. Charles 
 Lee, who, with one-half of Washington's force 
 under him, was never ready to obey the com- 
 mand of his superior. 
 
 147. What threatened Washington in the 
 rear ? 
 
 Ans. Cornwallis was still advancing, and 
 reached Newark on November 28th, as the 
 Americans left the town. 
 
 148. Where did Washington go from Newark ? 
 Ans. Directly to New Brunswick ; but after 
 
 a short rest he moved on across the Raritan, 
 breaking down the bridge as he retreated. 
 Cornwallis again was just too late, though a 
 sharp cannonading took place across the river.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 55 
 
 149. Where did the army rest on December 
 2, 1776 ? 
 
 Ans. At Princeton, where Washington left 
 Stirling with 1,200 men, and then moved down 
 to Trenton From there, transferring his 
 baggage and stores across the Delaware, he 
 faced about, with such troops as were fit for 
 duty, to resist the progress of the enemy. 
 
 150. On his way to Princeton, what occurred ? 
 Ans. He met Stirling retreating before a 
 
 large force, and! he also returned and crossed 
 the Delaware on December 8th. 
 
 151. What did the British do when the 
 Americans retreated ? 
 
 Ans. They remained at Princeton for several 
 hours, and then taking up the march for 
 Trenton they arrived just in time to see the 
 last boat of the patriots safely pass the river. 
 
 152. Why did not the British immediately 
 follow ? 
 
 Ans. For lack of transportation. Washing- 
 ton had secured or destroyed every boat on the 
 river for miles. 
 
 153. Where did the British main force lie ? 
 Ans. On the east side of the Delaware, where 
 
 Howe held a strong reserve at New Brunswick, 
 with detachments at Pennington, Trenton, 
 Princeton, Bordentown and Burlington.
 
 56 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 154. For what is December 13, 1776, memor- 
 able ? 
 
 Ans. The capture of Gen. Charles Lee, who, 
 though second in command, had continually 
 acted in direct opposition to Washington, criti- 
 cising all the movements of the Commander-in- 
 Chief. He was taken in New Jersey by a 
 scouting party of the British, and sent to New 
 York as prisoner. He was exchanged in 1777, 
 but acted the traitor till his death in Phila- 
 delphia in 1782. 
 
 155. What reinforcement now came to Wash- 
 ington ? 
 
 Ans. Retaining his position on the west bank 
 of the Delaware, he was strengthened by Lee's 
 command, now under Sullivan, and three regi- 
 ments from Ticonderoga under General Stark. 
 
 156. What was now Washington's plan ? 
 Ans. To re-cross the Delaware and attack the 
 
 enemy in their separate detachments. 
 
 157. What time was set for this movement, 
 and against whom was it to be first directed ? 
 
 Ans. The night of December 25, 1776. The 
 Hessians, now at Trenton under Rahl (who had 
 been prominent in the affairs at White Plains 
 and Fort Washington), were to be the first 
 object of attack. 
 
 158. What were the main features of this 
 movement ?
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 57 
 
 Ans. At dusk, on Christmas night, 1776, the 
 troops selected for this purpose (2,400 men and 
 twenty pieces of artillery), began to cross the 
 Delaware, at " McKonkey's Ferry," nine miles 
 above Trenton. Imagination can hardly depict 
 the scene. The cold was intense. A storm of 
 snow and hail was raging, and floating ice ren- 
 dered the river well-nigh impassable. Though 
 the Delaware at this point was only 600 feet 
 wide, its passage by heavily laden flat-boats was 
 difficult in the extreme, and it was four o'clock 
 on the morning of the 26th, when the troops 
 were mustered on the Jersey shore. Fortu- 
 nately the storm kept every one within doors, 
 concealing the approach of troops, with artil- 
 lery, over the frozen grounds. The Hessians, 
 (as Washington foresaw), had spent Christmas 
 day and night in sports and festivities, and Rahl 
 was indulging in wine and cards up to the 
 moment of the attack. The surprise was com- 
 plete. Between forty and fifty Hessians were 
 killed, and more than one thousand prisoners 
 were taken. Rahl, who received his death- 
 blow, was held up by his men for the act of 
 surrender. Of the Americans, two were frozen 
 to death and two killed. The military stores 
 taken were also large. 
 
 159. What was the effect of this victory on 
 the English ?
 
 58 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. The contempt of the British forces for 
 the "rebels " was changed to respect and fear. 
 Cornwallis, who was about to embark for Eng- 
 land, was ordered by Howe to return to New 
 Jersey and prepare for a winter's campaign. 
 
 160. How did the year 1777 open in the 
 American army ? 
 
 Ans. Washington's achievement had given 
 life and spirit to the whole body of troops. He 
 crossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania again, 
 immediately after the success of December 26th, 
 taking with him more than one thousand pris- 
 oners; but he was not yet ready to give up New 
 Jersey to the British and their minions. There- 
 fore he recrossed the river again and took up 
 post at Trenton, on the ist and 26. of January, 
 1777; and here with an army of less than five 
 thousand he awaited Cornwallis, who came on 
 the ad with the flower of the British army to 
 encounter him. 
 
 161. What was the result of this encounter ? 
 Ans. Washington was obliged to retreat from 
 
 the town, but the enemy were harassed by mus- 
 ketry from houses and barns, and night coming 
 on they decided to put off the fight till morning. 
 
 162. While the British reposed, what was 
 done in the camp of the Americans ? 
 
 Ans. Leaving his camp fires burning, and a
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 59 
 
 working party busily and noisily at work till 
 daybreak, Washington swept around the British 
 by country roads, fell upon the troops 
 near Princeton, routed them, took over 200 
 prisoners, and by rapid marches reached Morris- 
 town Heights on January 4, 1777. 
 
 163. How was Cornwallis apprised of this 
 defeat ? 
 
 Ans. By the report of a cannon in the 
 direction of Princeton, on the morning of 
 January 3d. Having waited at Trenton for 
 morning, to make the attack on the Americans, 
 he then discovered that Washington had out- 
 generaled him. 
 
 164. What was the effect of these battles at 
 Trenton and Princeton on the States ? 
 
 Ans. These surprising successes were hailed 
 with thrilling emotions by a disheartened 
 Nation, and with these victories originated the 
 expression, " Great news from the Jerseys." 
 
 165. What was accomplished during the 
 remaining months of the winter of 177 6-' 77 ? 
 
 Ans. Washington remained in Morristown, 
 and establishing cantonments at different points 
 from Princeton to the Hudson Highlands, he 
 sent out detachments to harass the perplexed 
 British. These expeditions were conducted 
 with so much skill and spirit that on the ist of
 
 60 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 March, 1777, not a British or Hessian soldier 
 could be found in New Jersey except at New 
 Brunswick and Amboy. 
 
 1 66. Where was Howe during this time ? 
 
 Ans. In New York City, asking for rein- 
 forcements, with which he would " finish the 
 war in a year." 
 
 167. What occurred in Connecticut on April 
 
 25, 1777? 
 
 Ans. Tryon, at the head of 2,000 Hessians 
 and British, went up Long Island Sound to 
 Connecticut, marched to Danbury, pillaged and 
 burned the town, and cruelly treated the inhab- 
 itants. Ridgefield was also raided at this time. 
 
 1 68. What did a band of Connecticut patriots 
 accomplish on May 22, 1777 ? 
 
 Ans. Colonel Meigs crossed the Sound from 
 Guilford with 170 men, and on the 23d attacked 
 a British provision post at Sag Harbor, burned 
 the storehouse and contents and a dozen vessels, 
 and secured ninety prisoners, without losing a 
 man. 
 
 169. What action did Howe take in June ? 
 Ans. He passed over from New York to New 
 
 Brunswick with his main body of troops, and 
 essayed to draw Washington (who was now 
 strongly posted at Middlebrook) into an en- 
 gagement. Not succeeding, he suddenly re-
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 6 1 
 
 treated on June igth, sending some troops to 
 Staten Island. Then suddenly changing front, 
 he attempted to gain Washington's rear; but 
 after Stirling's brigade had maintained a severe 
 skirmish with Cornwallis, the Americans re- 
 gained their camp, and five days afterward, on 
 June 3oth, the whole British army crossed over 
 to Staten Island, leaving New Jersey in com- 
 plete possession of the patriots. 
 
 170. How was the 4th of July, 1777, cele- 
 brated in Philadelphia ? 
 
 Ans. This first anniversary of the ' ' Declara- 
 tion of Independence " was hailed with a feel- 
 ing of security and triumph. Bells rang all 
 the day and evening. Ships floated the new 
 flag of the nation, and fireworks, bonfires and 
 a general illumination showed the joy of the 
 people. 
 
 171. What was the next movement in the 
 North ? 
 
 Ans. On July 5, 1777, Burgoyne compelled 
 the Americans to evacuate Fort Ticonderoga, 
 and two days later a detachment of his army de- 
 feated them in a severe battle at Hubbardtown. 
 Fort Anne and Fort Edward were also aban- 
 doned the latter on July 226.. 
 
 172. What was the object of this movement 
 of the British in the North ?
 
 62 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. To form a union with the British forces 
 around New York by way of the Hudson. 
 
 173. At the same time, what diverting move 
 did Howe make toward the South ? 
 
 Ans. Leaving Gen. Henry Clinton in com- 
 mand in New York, he embarked with a fleet of 
 18,000 troops for the South early in July, 1777. 
 
 174. How did this affect Washington's move- 
 ments ? 
 
 Ans. Leaving a strong force on the Hudson, 
 Washington went with his main body to Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 175. What French ally met him there ? 
 
 Ans. General Lafayette, a wealthy French 
 nobleman, who having heard of the American 
 struggle and read the Declaration of Indepen- 
 dence, was fired with inspirations to give aid 
 to the patriots. Lafayette had already offered 
 his services to the Continental Congress, and 
 he received the commission of Major-General 
 on July 31, 1777. He was introduced to 
 Washington at a public dinner, on August 3d, 
 and in less than forty days was gallantly 
 fighting for freedom in America. 
 
 176. What important battles occurred early 
 in August, 1777 ? 
 
 Ans. A British force under Colonel Barry 
 and Lieutenant Leger ascended the St. Law-
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 63 
 
 rence and landing- at Oswego laid seige to Fort 
 Stanwix (now Fort Schuyler) on August 3d. 
 On the 6th7 a force of 800 militia led by General 
 Herkimer, when marching to relieve Fort 
 Stanwix, fell into an ambush near Oriskany, 
 where one of the fiercest battles of the whole 
 Revolutionary War was fought. Both sides 
 claimed a victory. Herkimer, mortally wound- 
 ed, drove the enemy away, but was obliged to 
 retreat. 
 
 177. What was the result at Fort Stanwix ? 
 Ans. Overtures from the British commandant 
 
 were made with much threatening language to 
 which Colonel Willett replied in words of such 
 spirit and bravery, as left no doubt in the minds 
 of the enemy, and on August 226., when rein- 
 forcements were ready to do battle at the Fort, 
 the British suddenly broke camp and fled in 
 such haste and confusion as to leave their tents, 
 a great part of their artillery, camp equipage 
 and baggage. 
 
 178. While the seige of Fort Stanwix was in 
 progress, what was done by Burgoyne ? 
 
 Ans. While in possession of Fort Edward, he 
 learned that stores of provisions and military 
 supplies had been collected by the patriots at 
 Bennington, and hoping to secure them for his 
 own command, he sent an expedition with ver-
 
 64 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 bal orders to march directly to Bennington, 
 take these supplies and then march at once to 
 Albany. In compliance with this order a force 
 of about two thousand moved on towards Ben- 
 nington; but before reaching there, they were 
 entrapped by Col. John Stark, when 700 pris- 
 oners were taken, and more than 200 left dead 
 on the field, with the loss of many officers. A 
 large number of cannon were taken as trophies 
 of victory. This "battle of Bennington" oc- 
 curred on August 1 6, 1777. The Americans' 
 loss was 14 killed and 42 wounded. 
 
 179. What was a sequel to this brilliant vic- 
 tory ? 
 
 Ans. It enabled the Americans to send a 
 force in Burgoyne's rear, and cut him off from 
 Lake Champlain. 
 
 1 80. What encounter occurred in Virginia on 
 September i, 1777 ? 
 
 Ans. The Battle of Fort Henry, where 
 Wheeling, W. Va. , now stands. This fort was 
 named for Patrick Henry, then Governor of 
 Virginia. Great Britain had left no stone un- 
 turned to secure the favor of the Indians, and 
 on September ist this fort was assailed by 350 
 of the Wyandotte and other tribes, who had 
 been supplied with provisions, arms and am- 
 munition by Hamilton, the British Governor at
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 65 
 
 Detroit. - Supposing the Indians to be few in 
 number, a detachment of fourteen men was 
 sent out to meet the invaders, but they were 
 driven in with almost an entire loss. After- 
 wards, preceded by a drum and fife and a Brit- 
 ish flag, the enemy approached, displaying the 
 scalps which had just been torn from their hap- 
 less victims. On the morning of the zd help 
 from other forts arrived, and at last what 
 seemed a defeat was turned into victory. The 
 feats of daring in that encounter were among 
 the most remarkable in the history of the Revo- 
 lution. 
 
 181. What was Howe's destination on leaving 
 New York in July, 1777 ? 
 
 Ans. After waiting in New York Harbor, 
 with his 300 sail, till near August, he moved to 
 the South, and entering the Chesapeake he dis- 
 embarked at the head of the Bay on August 
 25th. 
 
 182. How did Washington respond to this 
 move of Howe ? 
 
 Ans. Surmising that Howe intended to go to 
 Philadelphia, he crossed the Delaware, and 
 marched to oppose him. With 11,000 men he 
 met him at Brandywine Creek, with double that 
 force, on September nth. In the encounter, 
 Washington was obliged to retire from the
 
 66 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 field, but in various skirmishes he detained 
 Howe two weeks on his march of twenty-six 
 miles to Philadelphia. The British entered 
 that city on September 26th, making their en- 
 campment at Germantown, four miles away. 
 
 183. What was being done in September, 
 1777, near Albany ? 
 
 Ans. On the i3th Burgoyne crossed the Hud- 
 son, and without the aid from Sir Henry Clin- 
 ton, which he had expected, he was engaged 
 from September ipth to October 7th at Bemis 
 Heights, Stillwater, and Saratoga, in encoun- 
 ters with the patriots, ending in his surrender 
 on October i7th. Burgoyne's surrender is 
 ranked by military critics as the turning point 
 of the Revolution, and Sir Edward Creasy 
 ranks Saratoga as one of the fifteen decisive 
 battles of the world. 
 
 184. What battle occurred on October 4, 
 1777, in Pennsylvania, and what was the re- 
 sult? 
 
 Ans. The battle of Germantown. The 
 Americans had nearly become victorious, when, 
 a fog arising, one American battalion fired into 
 another, causing a sudden panic, and hence a 
 defeat. 
 
 185. What was accomplished in October, 
 1777, by the British on the Hudson ?
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 67 
 
 Ans. Sir Henry Clinton, who had superseded 
 Howe in command at New York, went with a 
 strong force to the Highlands, and on October 
 i3th captured Forts Clinton and Montgomery. 
 Marauding parties went above this point, in 
 hope of drawing off some of the patriot forces 
 around Saratoga. They burned Kingston, but, 
 hearing of the surrender of Burgoyne, they 
 hastily retreated, and Clinton and his army 
 returned to New York. 
 
 1 86. What was threatening the British in 
 Philadelphia ? 
 
 Ans. Fort Mifflin in Pennsylvania and Fort 
 Mercer in New Jersey, both on the Delaware, 
 near Philadelphia, shut the army off from sup- 
 plies, and there was danger of starvation. After 
 severe and prolonged assaults, the forts were 
 taken on November 19, 1777. 
 
 187. What attempt to vanquish the Ameri- 
 cans did Howe make before going into winter 
 quarters at Philadelphia ? 
 
 Ans. He announced to his government that 
 he should make a forward movement on the 
 "rebels, "and on the night of December 4, 
 1777, he marched out with 14,000 men to attack 
 the American lines. Washington, whose keen- 
 ness of sight had been developed by his early 
 forest life, had selected strong ground for en-
 
 68 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 campment in the woods of White Marsh, four- 
 teen miles from Philadelphia. At night the 
 British force rested on their arms about three 
 miles from the Americans, and the fires of the 
 two armies illuminated the country for miles 
 around. Though Washington had but 7,000 
 effective men he desired an engagement, but 
 Howe instead marched back on the 5th to Ger- 
 mantown. Returning on the 6th, as if intend- 
 ing a surprise, he reconnoitered all day. Noth- 
 ing occurred, however, except a sharp action on 
 Edge Hill, when the British lost eighty-nine, 
 and the Americans lost the brave Major Morris 
 of New Jersey and twenty-seven soldiers. Howe 
 returned to Philadelphia, and passed the winter 
 behind his entrenchments, and thus, on Decem- 
 ber 8th, the campaign closed, Washington hav- 
 ing no choice but to seek winter quarters for his 
 suffering army. 
 
 1 88. Where were these winter quarters found ? 
 Ans. At Valley Forge on the Schuylkill, 
 
 twenty-one miles from Philadelphia. 
 
 189. What was there to recommend this loca- 
 tion for an encampment ? 
 
 Ans. The ground lay between two ridges of 
 hilts, and was covered with forest trees. Wash- 
 ington saw in these trees a town of log cabins 
 affording shelter, to save the army from dis-
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 69 
 
 persion, and on December igth it was encamped 
 at Valley Forge, within a day's march, of 
 Howe's forces, but with no covering till they 
 could build their own houses. Without tents, 
 blankeis, clothing or shoes, the work of the 
 Christmas holidays changed the forest into huts, 
 thatched with boughs, in the order of a regular 
 encampment. Washington's vigilance securing 
 against surprise, love of country, and attach- 
 ment to their commander, sustained the patriots 
 during their distressing hardships. 
 
 190. What assistance did Washington receive 
 in preparing his troops for future action ? 
 
 Ans. Baron Steuben, a Prussian officer, had 
 adopted America for his country, and on Feb- 
 ruary 23, 1778, he was welcomed at Valley 
 Forge, where he wrought a reform in the use 
 of Ihe musket and in manoeuvring of troops. 
 
 191. What assistance came from France ? 
 
 Ans. Through the efforts of Benjamin Frank- 
 lin a French alliance was formed, and a treaty 
 was signed on February 6, 1778, by which the 
 Americans bound themselves to accept no terms 
 of peace till Great Britain should recognize the 
 independence of the United States. 
 
 192. When did news of the French alliance 
 reach Washington's army ? 
 
 Ans. On May 6, 1778, and the patriots at
 
 70 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Valley Forge celebrated the event with fitting 
 ceremonies. 
 
 193. How had the British in Philadelphia 
 passed the winter ? 
 
 Ans. The soldiers had been well provided 
 for, the officers being quartered on the inhabit- 
 ants. The days were spent in pastime and the 
 nights in entertainments. 
 
 194. What were some of the means used to 
 obtain supplies for the British ? 
 
 Ans. Detachments were sent out into New 
 Jersey and the country round, and by inhuman 
 assaults on forts and villages they returned to 
 Germantown laden with spoils. 
 
 195. What was the first movement of the 
 French government in compliance with its 
 treaty with the United States ? 
 
 Ans. A squadron was dispatched to blockade 
 the British fleet in the Delaware. 
 
 196. What was the effect of the French 
 movement upon the British ? 
 
 Ans. Sir Henry Clinton, now in command, 
 withdrew his whole army from Philadelphia 
 on June 18, 1778. 
 
 197. How was Clinton's plan in a measure 
 frustrated ? 
 
 Ans. He intended to go to New York by way 
 of Amboy. He had with him 11,000 men, and 
 a large baggage and provision train. Washing-
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE-. 71 
 
 ton immediately broke camp at Valley Forge, 
 and pursued Clinton with more than an equal 
 force. Clinton was compelled to change his 
 course, in the direction of Sandy Hook, and he 
 was harassed in flank and rear by the New Jer- 
 sey militia. 
 
 198. What celebrated battle occurred at this 
 time ? 
 
 Ans. The Battle of Monmouth, on June 26,1778. 
 
 199. What was the result ? 
 
 Ans. A terrible contest raged all day, and 
 when night came, both armies were glad of a 
 cessation of hostilities. The Americans rested 
 on their arms, intending to renew the fight at 
 dawn ; but when dawn came the British camp 
 was found to be deserted. 
 
 200. Where did Clinton go ? 
 
 Ans. His shattered forces boarded the British 
 fleet lying at Sandy Hook, and he went with 
 them to New York, which was British head- 
 quarters until the war ended. 
 
 201. Where did Washington then go ? 
 
 Ans. To New Brunswick, N. J., and thence 
 across the Hudson to White Plains, which he 
 reached on July 20, 1778, and where he remained 
 till late autumn. 
 
 202. With what terrible massacre did July, 
 1778, open ?
 
 72 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. A party of British rangers and Indians, 
 under Col. John Butler (a most brutal Tory), 
 went down the Tioga river, and in the Wyom- 
 ing valley murdered with ruthless cruelty men, 
 women and children. The strong men who 
 might have protected this region, were on duty 
 in distant parts, and the destruction of homes 
 was complete. The British leader boasted that 
 he had burned a thousand houses and every 
 mill. This is called the ' ' Massacre of Wyom- 
 ing." 
 
 203. What other encounter occurred with the 
 British, who had still the Indians and Tories for 
 allies ? 
 
 Ans. George Rogers Clark, a young Virgin- 
 ian, learning that Hamilton, the British com- 
 mandant at Detroit, had made a plan to induce 
 all the Western tribes to. make war upon the 
 frontier, undertook to carry the war into the 
 enemy's country. By a masterly movement, 
 begun in July, 1778, he defeated and captured 
 Hamilton, and ended (in February, 1779) by 
 holding the whole country north of the Ohio, 
 from the Alleghanies to the Mississippi. 
 
 204. What was the situation in Rhode Island 
 in July and August, 1778 ? 
 
 Ans. On July 2pth the French fleet, arriving 
 off Newport, forced the English to destroy ten
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 73 
 
 of their war vessels. On August i oth a British 
 fleet of thirty-four sail appearing before New- 
 port, the French fleet gave chase, but the Eng- 
 lish got away without a fight. 
 
 205. What other engagements occurred in 
 August, 1778, in Rhode Island? 
 
 Ans. The land forces of the patriots were de- 
 feated at Quaker Hill and Newport Island. 
 
 206. What notable massacre by the British 
 with assistance from the Tories took place 
 September 27, 1778? 
 
 Ans. A force of patriots was quartered in the 
 village of New Tappan, Rockland County, 
 N. Y., and another command was at Old 
 Tappan or Harrington near the Hackensack 
 river. Cornwallis, on a foraging expedition 
 on the west bank of the Hudson, finding these 
 troops comparatively defenseless, came upon 
 them at evening and every one of the force 
 was bayoneted without quarter. 
 
 207. What were some of the outrages com- 
 mitted in October, 1778 ? 
 
 Ans. The British, still depending on the Tory 
 allies, spread themselves over New Jersey, 
 destroying the shipping at Little Egg Harbor, 
 burning towns and villages and laying waste 
 the surrounding lands. On the night of 
 October isth, they surprised the infantry under
 
 74 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 command of Pulaski (the Polish nobleman, who 
 had been made Brigadier General) but, instead 
 of cumbering themselves with prisoners, killed 
 all they could. 
 
 208. When did the Cherry Valley massacre 
 occur ? 
 
 Ans. On November n, 1778. The fort was 
 found to be too strong to take, but the band of 
 Indians, Tories and regulars raided the town, 
 murdered and scalped the inhabitants, many of 
 them women and children. The story of these 
 massacres, repeated from village to village, 
 only strengthened the purpose of resistance. 
 
 209. What had been accomplished by the 
 two armies during the fall months of 1778 ? 
 
 Ans. Washington's force at White Plains had 
 been comparatively quiet, owing to the inac- 
 tivity of the British, who still had their head- 
 quarters on Manhattan Island. 
 
 210. What move did Washington make in 
 December, 1778 ? 
 
 Ans. Convinced that the enemy had no pres- 
 ent designs for operating in New England, he 
 prepared to put his army into favorable winter 
 quarters. Six brigades were cantoned on the 
 east of the Hudson and at West Point. One 
 brigade was placed in the rear of Haverstraw, 
 one at Elizabethtown, and seven at Middle-
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 75 
 
 . brook, where tie made his headquarters, as in 
 the previous year. 
 
 211. What plan of the British was developed 
 at the close of the year 1778? 
 
 Ans. To carry the war into the Southern 
 States. Sir Henry Clinton sent about 2,000 
 troops under Colonel Campbell to invade 
 Georgia, as being 1 the weakest member of the 
 confederacy, and on December 29, 1778, they 
 captured Savannah. They retained the city as 
 headquarters until 1782. 
 
 212. How did the year 1779 open? 
 
 Ans. Though the British had made no head- 
 way in conquering the Colonies, the year 
 opened gloomily for the patriots, for lack of 
 money with which to prosecute the war. 
 
 213. What plan did Congress make for the 
 campaign of 1779? 
 
 Ans. It resolved to act on the defensive, ex- 
 cept in retaliatory measures against the Indians 
 and Tories in the interior and on the frontier. 
 
 214. How were the British carrying out their 
 plan for separating the Southern Colonies from 
 the Northern ? 
 
 Ans. They had captured Savannah on De- 
 cember 29, 1778, and early in January, 1779, 
 Brigadier- General Prevost (who had been suc- 
 cessful in subduing Florida) marched as a con-
 
 76 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 queror across lower Georgia, capturing Fort 
 Sunbury, on the pth, on his way to Savannah. 
 Colonel Campbell, who had been sent from 
 New York to co-operate with Prevost, with 800 
 Hessians, took possession of Augusta. 
 
 215. Who was then commanding the south- 
 ern army of patriots ? 
 
 Ans. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, of Massachu- 
 setts. 
 
 216. Where was he located at the opening of 
 the 1779 campaign ? 
 
 Ans. On the South Carolina side of the Sa- 
 vannah river. 
 
 217. What was the first success by the patriots 
 in this campaign ? 
 
 Ans. On February 3, 1779, the enemy were 
 defeated at Beaufort, S. C. 
 
 218. What was the next American success ? 
 
 Ans. On February i4th Col. Andrew Pick- 
 ens defeated Colonel Boyd, and his large acces- 
 sion of Tories, at Kettle Creek, Ga. 
 
 219. What was an important effect of this 
 success ? 
 
 Ans. The Tories of the Carolinas never again 
 assembled except in small parties. 
 
 220. When did the last engagement in the 
 spring of 1779 occur in Georgia. 
 
 Ans. On March 3d, at Briar Creek, where, in
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 77 
 
 consequence of lack of precaution on the part 
 of General Ashe, the patriots were defeated, 
 After this success, General Prevost proclaimed 
 a sort of civil government in Georgia. 
 
 221. How was Sir Henry Clinton employing 
 his forces in the North ? 
 
 Ans. He was sending out marauding expedi- 
 tions, to plunder and harass the people on the 
 seacoast. On March 25th and 26th, they dis- 
 persed the Americans at Greenwich, Conn., 
 and General Putnam barely escaped capture by 
 some dragoons. He afterwards rallied his 
 troops and recaptured much of the plunder and 
 took thirty- eight prisoners. 
 
 222. What measures did Congress institute 
 in retaliation for the massacres of the summer 
 of 1778 ? 
 
 Ans. It directed Washington to protect the 
 inland frontier, and chastise the Indians who 
 had been engaged in these massacres. 
 
 223 What was the first movement against 
 the Indians in pursuance of these instruc- 
 tions ? 
 
 Ans. Before a great expedition was ready, 
 Colonel Van Schaick and Colonel Willett made 
 a swift move upon the Onondagas, on April 20, 
 1779, and destroyed their settlement without 
 the loss of a man.
 
 78 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 224. What engagement occurred in the South 
 on May n, 1779 ? 
 
 Ans. General Prevost attempted to take 
 Charleston, and approaching Charleston Neck 
 demanded a surrender, which was promptly 
 refused. A letter having been intercepted 
 from General Lincoln (commander of the 
 patriots in the South), which charged General 
 Moultrie not to give up the city, as he was 
 hastening to his relief, caused the British to 
 retreat in the night. 
 
 225. What other operations took place in the 
 South in May ? 
 
 Ans. The British entered Hampton Roads, 
 Va. , and, co-operating with land forces, spread 
 desolation on both sides of the Elizabeth River 
 from the Roads to Norfolk and Portsmouth. 
 After destroying avast amount of property, they 
 withdrew, and at the close of the month of May 
 were assisting Sir Henry Clinton on the Hudson. 
 
 226. What engagement occurred in South 
 Carolina in June, 1779 ? 
 
 Ans. On the 2oth at Stono Ferry, the patriots 
 drove the enemy with great precipitation into 
 their works. The hot season now coming on, 
 hostilities in the South were suspended. 
 
 227. What successful manoeuvre did Sir 
 Henry Clinton execute on June ist?
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 79 
 
 Ans. He moved on the Hudson Highlands 
 and took Stony Point and Verplanck's Point. 
 These points were the termini of King's Ferry, 
 which had been the crossing place for Washing- 
 ton between Connecticut and New Jersey. 
 
 228. Why did Clinton not continue his march 
 to the North ? 
 
 Ans. The rapid movement of General Wash- 
 ington and his forces prevented his going far- 
 ther. Therefore, leaving strong garrisons at 
 each of the above posts, he returned to New 
 York. 
 
 229. How did July, 1779, open ? 
 
 Ans. By a skirmish at Bedford and Pound 
 Ridge in Westchester County, N. Y., when 
 Colonel Tarleton was obliged to retire, though 
 he burned dwellings and churches in his re- 
 treat. 
 
 230. What invasions on the seacoast of Con- 
 necticut did the British make in July, 1779 ? 
 
 Ans. Try on, who had burned D anbury in the 
 previous year, landed at New Haven on July 
 5th, plundered the town, and laid Fairfield and 
 Norwalk in ashes. 
 
 231. What brilliant action occurred on July 
 16, 1779? 
 
 Ans. The recapture of Stony Point by ' ' Mad " 
 Anthony Wayne. It was retaken by a surprise
 
 8o AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 at night, and at two in the morning Wayne, 
 wounded in the head and supported by two 
 aids, wrote to Washington : "The fort and 
 garrison are ours." 
 
 232. Where was the next fight ? 
 
 Ans. On July igth Maj. Henry Lee surprised 
 a British garrison at Paulus Hook, (now Jersey 
 City,) and took the fort and 160 prisoners. 
 
 233. In carrying out the instructions of Con- 
 gress in regard to the frontier, what were some 
 of the engagements ? 
 
 Ans, An ancient settlement in the western 
 part of Orange County, New York, called Mini- 
 sink, met with unusual severity, by the Indians 
 and Tories. On July 22, 1779, a small band 
 under Colonel Hathorn, of the Warwick regi- 
 ment, attempted to rout the enemy, but the 
 latter were too strong for the patriots, who 
 were themselves routed. At Chemung (now 
 Elmira) a body of Indians and Tories, strongly 
 fortified, was dispersed, and in the course of a 
 few weeks forty Indian villages were destroyed. 
 These retaliations continued till the end of 
 September, 1779, but the beneficial effects on 
 the young Republic were questionable. 
 
 234. What naval exploit made the year 1779 
 famous ? 
 
 Ans. The capture of the British war vessel
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 8 1 
 
 ' ' Serapis " by the ' ' Bon Homme Richard, " com- 
 manded by John Paul Jones, on September 23d. 
 Jones, who was born in Scotland, came to Vir- 
 ginia in boyhood, entered the American naval 
 service in 1775, an ^ m J 779 ne was burning 
 shipping in British ports and threatening Edin- 
 burgh. His capture of two British war ships 
 off Flamborough Head (the "Serapis" and 
 "Countess of Scarborough"), after one of the 
 most desperate sea. fights on record, was one of 
 the most remarkable occurrences in the naval 
 annals of the war. 
 
 235. How was the summer campaign of 1779 
 brought to a close ? 
 
 Ans. By the defeat of the patriots who had 
 laid siege to Savannah on September 23d. Gen- 
 eral Lincoln, with the aid of the French fleet 
 under Count D'Estaing, was unsuccessful, and 
 the losses to the Americans were great. 
 Pulaski, the brave Pole, and Samuel Jasper, 
 who so bravely replaced the fallen flag at Fort 
 Moultrie in 1776, were sacrificed. 
 
 236. What was accomplished in October, 1779? 
 Ans. Very little, except the withdrawal of 
 
 the British troops from Rhode Island, which 
 was done, October 25. 
 
 237. What caused the British to evacuate 
 Rhode Island?
 
 82 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. Lafayette, who had been in France dur- 
 ing the summer, had induced the French to 
 send another powerful fleet and several thou- 
 sand troops to aid the Americans. Clinton, 
 having learned of this intended expedition, 
 called to New York all of his troops at the 
 North. 
 
 238. What occurred during the two remain- 
 ing months of 1779 ? 
 
 Ans. Clinton sailed for the South on Decem- 
 ber 25th with aboiit 5,000 troops to open a vig- 
 orous campaign in the Carolinas, and Washing- 
 ton went into winter quarters at Morristown. 
 
 239. What was the condition of the army of 
 patriots when the year 1780 came in ? 
 
 Ans. With headquarters at Morristown, N. J. , 
 the army was obliged to remain inactive for 
 lack of means to prosecute the war. The suf- 
 fering of the soldiers for want of blankets and 
 clothing, and often for lack of food, was nearly 
 as great as in that trying winter at Valley 
 Forge in 1778. The winter of 1779-1780 was 
 also unusually severe. It was remembered as 
 the coldest winter the Colonists had ever 
 known, and snow fell almost continuously from 
 early November, 1779, till March, 1780. New 
 York bay and the Hudson river were as firm as 
 land. People crossed Long Island Sound, from
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 83 
 
 Connecticut to Lloyd's Neck, a distance of 
 twelve miles, on the ice. The Raritan river in 
 New Jersey was frozen solid for months. The 
 soldiers were employed much of the time in 
 breaking roads for all their supplies, having the 
 co-operation of the inhabitants with their teams. 
 Sallies were occasionally made by both armies, 
 but nothing of moment occurred till spring 
 opened. In the latter part of March, 1780, 400 
 British Hessians from New York raided the 
 country in New Jersey as far as the northern 
 line, and westward to Hackensack. Their 
 brutality was long remembered. 
 
 240. When did Clinton open his campaign in 
 the vSouth ? 
 
 Ans. On April 10, 1780, Clinton, having 
 passed Fort Moultrie, summoned Charleston to 
 surrender. Escape by evacuation was no longer 
 possible for Lincoln, as he was surrounded by 
 many thousand troops, with Clinton, Arbuthnot 
 and Cornwallis in command, and he therefore 
 capitulated with his whole army on May i2th. 
 
 241. After this success, where did Clinton go ? 
 
 Ans. He returned to New York, leaving Corn- 
 wallis in command, and South Carolina was 
 soon overcome by the British. 
 
 242. What was the condition of the people in 
 South Carolina at this time ?
 
 84 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Ans. That of abject submission. Though 
 there were many at heart Tories, the mass of 
 the people were suffering from terror. Corn- 
 wallis was brutal in the extreme. Confiscation 
 and other punishments were inflicted on all 
 patriots, and massacres were common. 
 
 243. What was the first important battle after 
 that of Charleston ? 
 
 Ans. That of Camden, South Carolina. With 
 great exertion, a new American army was col- 
 lected in North Carolina, with additions from 
 Virginia, and the command was given to Gates. 
 He showed himself wholly incapable, and on 
 August 1 6, 1780, Cornwallis defeated him at 
 Camden, nearly destroying his army. 
 
 244. What was the result of the last two 
 battles ? 
 
 Ans. All organized resistance to Great Brit- 
 ain ceased in the South. 
 
 245. What noted patriot leaders now came to 
 the front ? 
 
 Ans. Marion, Sumter, Pickens and Henry 
 Lee, and through all discouragements they kept 
 the patriots in heart. 
 
 246. What was lending a ray of hope to the 
 Americans at the North ? 
 
 Ans. De Grasse and Rochambeau, with the 
 French fleet and several thousand soldiers, 
 landed at Newport on July 12, 1780.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 85 
 
 247. What infamous act of perfidy by an 
 American General was discovered in Septem- 
 ber, 1780 ? 
 
 Ans. The treason of Benedict Arnold one of 
 the bravest and most brilliant American Gen- 
 erals in battle, but a man of weak moral char- 
 acter. 
 
 248. What was the nature of his treason ? 
 Ans. Hurt by alleged injustice to him in the 
 
 matter of promotions and smarting under a rep- 
 remand for mal-administration in Philadelphia, 
 he concerted with the enemy to betray the stra- 
 tegic line of the Hudson into their possession. 
 
 249. How did he obtain the desired oppor- 
 tunity ? 
 
 Ans. He asked for and obtained from Wash- 
 ington the command of the fortress at West 
 Point. 
 
 250. Before obtaining this command, what 
 preliminary treasonable measures had he taken ? 
 
 Ans. He had corresponded with Sir Henry 
 Clinton through Major Andre for several 
 months. In this correspondence through 
 Andre (Clinton's Adjutant-General), he bar- 
 gained to betray West Point and its dependen- 
 cies into the hands of the British. For this ser- 
 vice he was to receive a Brigadier's commission 
 and $50,000 in money.
 
 86 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 251. How did he proceed with these plans ? 
 Ans. He chose a time when Washington was 
 
 absent in Hartford, Conn., conferring with 
 Rochambeau, commander of the French fleet, 
 which had reached Newport on July loth. 
 Andre met Arnold by appointment on Septem- 
 ber 22, 1780, at Haverstraw, on the west side 
 of the Hudson. By their plans then concluded, 
 Clinton was to sail up the river with a strong 
 force, and after a show of resistance Arnold was 
 to surrender West Point. 
 
 252. What circumstance defeated their plan ? 
 Ans. The "Vulture," in which Andre went 
 
 up the river, was driven from her anchorage by 
 shots from the shore, fired by Lieut. James 
 Livingston, while Andre was in consultation with 
 Arnold, and Andre was obliged to cross the river 
 and make his way by land to New York. 
 
 253. What was his experience at Tarrytown ? 
 Ans. He was stopped and searched by three 
 
 young Militia-men, who finding papers con- 
 cealed in his boots, took him to the nearest 
 American post. 
 
 254. With what result ? 
 
 Ans. The papers thus found revealed the 
 plot. Arnold, the alarmed traitor, escaped and 
 found safety with the British in New York, and 
 Andre" was hanged as a spy, October 2, 1780.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 87 
 
 255. How did Congress show its appreciation 
 to the three Militia men who secured Andr ? 
 
 Ans. On November 3, 1780, it voted to each 
 a silver medal and a pension of $200 a year for 
 life. 
 
 256. What was a sign that the tide was turn- 
 ing in favor of the Americans ? 
 
 Ans. A decisive victory on October 7, 1780, 
 at King's Mountain, S. C. This was a signal 
 success inasmuch as it was effected by a people 
 who had been regarded as conquered and 
 powerless. It was a popular triumph by troops 
 who, in the most part, went into the fight with- 
 out the expectation or hope of reward, and it 
 was a beginning of a series of victories. 
 
 257. Where was Arnold found in 1781 ? 
 Ans. In the service of Sir Henry Clinton, 
 
 who sent him with 1,600 men to make a series 
 of depredations in lower Virginia. He burned 
 Richmond on January 5th, devastated the 
 the country to and around Petersburgh, and 
 returned to New York in April. 
 
 258. When, and under what leaders, did the 
 battle of Cowpens occur ? 
 
 Ans. On January 17, 1781. Gen. Nathaniel 
 Greene, having succeeded Gates in the southern 
 department, sent Gen. Daniel Morgan into 
 South Carolina. Near the northern boundary,
 
 88 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 at Cowpens, Tarleton, under Cornwallis, met 
 him, and a severe battle was fought, in which 
 the British were defeated, with great loss. In 
 Morgan's report, he attributed his success "to 
 the justice of our cause and gallantry of our 
 troops." 
 
 259. What was the next important engage- 
 ment ? 
 
 Ans. At Guilford Court-House, N. C., on 
 March 15, 1781. In this battle the patriots 
 under Greene met the enemy under Cornwallis. 
 The Americans were repulsed, but the British 
 were so much broken that Charles Fox, in the 
 British House of Commons, said: "Another 
 such victory will ruin the British army." 
 
 260. What was the last important action of 
 the war in Georgia ? 
 
 Ans. The siege of Augusta, which lasted 
 from April i6th to June 5, 1781. This siege 
 was concluded by a complete surrender. The 
 loss to the patriots was about 40 killed and 
 wounded, and that of the enemy much heavier, 
 in addition to 300 prisoners. Lieut. -Col. Henry 
 Lee was in command. 
 
 261. What were some of the minor engage- 
 ments in the South up to the time of the sur- 
 render of Augusta, June 5, 1781. 
 
 Ans. June 8th, at Charles City Court House,
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 89 
 
 Va. (an engagement was proposed by Arnold 
 after he had burned Richmond) ; on February 
 ist, at McCowan's Fort, N. C., and at Wil- 
 mington, N. C. ; on February 6th, at Shallow 
 Ford, N. C. ; on February i2th, at Bruce Cross 
 Roads, N. C. ; on February 25th, at Haw River, 
 N. C. ; on March ad, at Clapp's Mills, N. C. ; 
 on March 6th, at Wetzel's Mills, N. C. ; on 
 April 12, at Fort Balfour, S. C. ; from April 
 1 5th to the 23d, at Fort Watson, S. C. ; on April 
 25th, at Petersburgh, Va., and at Hillsborough, 
 N. C. ; on April 27, at Osborn's, S. C. ; on May 
 nth, at Orangeburgh, S. C. ; on the i2th, at 
 Fort Motte, S. C. ; the i4th, at Nelson's Ferry, 
 S. C. ; the isth, at Fort Granby, S. C., and on 
 the 2ist, at Silver Bluff, S. C., and Fort Galpin, 
 Ga. 
 
 262. What must we conclude by the above 
 showing ? 
 
 Ans. That the British were very unwilling to 
 give up their determination to separate the 
 Colonies in the South from those in the 
 North. 
 
 263. What was effected by the Americans 
 between April 25th and September 8, 1781 ? 
 
 Ans. Greene had chased the British out of 
 South Carolina, except in Charleston where 
 they were covered by their fleet.
 
 90 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 264. Where was Cornwallis at the beginning 
 of August, 1781 ? 
 
 Ans. He had transferred his 7,000 men to 
 Yorktown and vicinity. 
 
 265. What movement was made by the 
 allied patriotic forces in the latter part of 
 August ? 
 
 Ans. Washington, learning that the French 
 fleet could aid on the Virginia coast, at once 
 moved with 6,000 men (4,000 of them French- 
 men, under Count Rochambeau) from the 
 Hudson through- New Jersey to the head of the 
 Chesapeake bay. 
 
 266. How did he prevent Clinton from guess- 
 ing his destination ? 
 
 Ans. He wrote letters to General Greene and 
 sent them so as to be intercepted. These 
 letters convinced Clinton that Washington was 
 intending an attack on New York, and the 
 patriots were beyond Philadelphia before their 
 movement was understood. 
 
 267. What did Clinton then do, hoping to 
 change their course ? 
 
 Ans. He sent Arnold to the New England 
 coast. The marauders perpetrated a horrible 
 massacre at Fort Griswold on September 6, 
 1781, and burned New London. This occurred 
 almost in sight of Arnold's birthplace.
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 91 
 
 268. Of what avail was this wretched per- 
 formance of Arnold's ? 
 
 Ans. It only added infamy to infamy. With 
 this expedition, Arnold disappears from history. 
 
 269. When was the siege of Yorktown com- 
 menced by the Americans ? 
 
 Ans. On September 28, 1781. With 16,000 
 men in front, and the great French fleet under 
 De Grasse closing in behind, there was no 
 escape for the British, and Cornwallis capitu- 
 lated. 
 
 270. What was the date of Cornwallis's sur- 
 render, and what did it signify ? 
 
 Ans. Cornwallis surrendered October 19, 
 1781, and thus practically terminated the war 
 for American Independence. 
 
 271. What was the effect upon the country? 
 Ans. The news reached Philadelphia at dead 
 
 of night. The people were awakened by the 
 watchman's cry: "Past two o'clock, and Corn- 
 wallis is taken." The hardships of the past 
 were forgotten in the thought that America was 
 free. 
 
 272. How was the autumn passed by the 
 American army ? 
 
 Ans. Intelligence of the Yorktown surrender 
 reached General Greene, near Charleston, on 
 the 3oth of October, but he, with Wayne and
 
 92 AN AMERICAN S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 Marion, kept up their watchful guard of the 
 enemy, who were still entrenched in Savannah 
 and Charleston. Washington was still keeping 
 Clinton closely confined in New York. 
 
 273. What action did the House of Commons 
 take ? 
 
 Ans. On March 4, 1782, it ordered a cessa- 
 tion of hostilities. 
 
 274. How was this order met by the British 
 army ? 
 
 Ans. On July n, 1782, they evacuated Sa- 
 vannah, and on December i4th they also de- 
 parted from Charleston. 
 
 275. When did they evacuate New York ? 
 Ans. On November 25, 1783, soon after the 
 
 final negotiations for peace were concluded. 
 
 276. When and where was a definite treaty 
 signed ? 
 
 Ans. On September 3, 1783, at Paris. 
 
 277. Where was the American camp at this 
 time ? 
 
 Ans. At Newburgh-on-the- Hudson. On No- 
 vember 3, 1783, the army was disbanded, and 
 the patriots quietly returned to their homes to 
 enjoy the blessings of the Liberty they had won. 
 
 278. What acts of Washington followed the 
 disbanding of the army ? 
 
 Ans. He met his officers in Fraunces' Tavern,
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE. 
 
 93 
 
 New York, on December 4, 1783, and there 
 bade them farewell. On December 23, 1783, 
 he went to Annapolis and resigned the commis- 
 sion as Commander-in-Chief, which he had re- 
 ceived from Congress on June 16, 1775.
 
 94 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 WASHINGTON! 
 
 Our grandest conception of manhood is em- 
 bodied in this name. Whether we think of him 
 in his early frontier life, or as Commander-in- 
 Chief of the Continental Army, we find in him 
 the wisdom and courage that could turn seem- 
 ing defeat into victory. There were those 
 engaged with him who aspired to fill his place ; 
 but in the light of History he is so transcendent, 
 that we wonder at the audacity that essayed to 
 rob him of his laurels. During the more than 
 seven years of our struggle for freedom no one 
 discovered faint-heartedness in this sublime 
 leader; and because he was so sublime he was 
 able to give heart to his army, even in the dark- 
 est hours. When the Continental Congress 
 could only "promise to pay " for faithful ser- 
 vices, Washington was able to quell uprisings 
 of the soldiers which threatened to subvert the 
 end for which they had fought. From victories 
 in the field we follow him to Mount Vernon, 
 his much-loved home, where he is the grand 
 man still. In less than four years, when it 
 becomes apparent that something other than 
 the thirteen Articles of Confederation, framed
 
 WASHINGTON, 95 
 
 in 1774, is needed to hold the new States to- 
 gether, George Washington is called upon to 
 preside over that illustrious body of great men 
 who framed the Constitution. On the 4th of 
 March, 1789, the "Continental Congress" 
 closed its labors and the ' ' Federal Constitution " 
 became the law of the new Republic. A wise 
 hand was needed to guide the " ship of state " 
 out into the waters where waves and storms of 
 trouble would come, and instinctively all hearts 
 turned to Washington, " whose good judgment 
 and valor were only equalled by. his modesty. " 
 On April 6, 1789, he was chosen the first Presi- 
 dent of these United States. We see him in 
 imagination again leaving Mount Vernon, and 
 we involuntarily follow him all that long way 
 (which he takes on horseback) to New York 
 city, then temporarily the seat of Government. 
 There is a vivid picture in the mind, of the 
 scene on the street gallery of the old City Hall, 
 at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets, where 
 on April 30, 1789, thousands gathered to wit- 
 ness the Inauguration. No one more than 
 Washington realized the importance of the oc- 
 casion, and subsequent history has proved the 
 wisdom of the Nation's choice. One term of 
 four years having passed a second was pressed 
 upon him, and though longing for rest, such as.
 
 96 AN AMERICAN'S PATRIOTIC CATECHISM. 
 
 his home would give, he yielded to the urgency 
 of the times ; but when a third term was pro- 
 posed he was constrained to refuse utterly. His 
 Farewell Address to the American People, 
 which appeared on September 19, 1796, is one 
 that no intelligent lover of this country can 
 afford to leave unread, and his advice to the 
 Nation is wonderfully prophetic of the Nation's 
 need and danger. The necessity of a national 
 capital led to the purchase of a section of land 
 ten miles square, on the Potomac river, in 1790, 
 and Washington honored the place by laying 
 the corner-stone for the Capitol. Bearing the 
 name of Washington, in 1800, that city became 
 the seat of Government. Meantime, after a 
 short enjoyment of his home life, Washington 
 passed away on December 14, 1799, beloved 
 and honored by the country he loved so well. 
 
 ' ' So sleep the brave who sink to rest 
 With all their country's honors blest."
 
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