July 26, 2025 • 17 mins
Dive into the inspiring life story of George Washington, a man whose personal journey is intricately linked with the history of the nation he helped shape. This book offers not just a look into the American Revolutionary History but also an intimate portrayal of the Father of his Country. Carefully crafted to engage young readers, the book seeks to offer a clear and compelling picture of Washingtons exceptional character and invaluable contributions to the nation. Discover how he became an enduring symbol of American values and leadership in a story that unfolds within a childs comprehension.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter nine, The Life of George Washington in Words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of one syllable by
(00:20):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter nine, Commander in Chief. The deeds done
ere this by the King's troops had made a great
stir throughout the land. The chief men of each state
met in Philadelphia and sought out ways and means to
help those who were in arms as foes of King George.
And a large force of men from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and
(00:42):
Virginia were soon on hand to march and join the
troops near Boston. But who was to lead them? The
choice at once fell on George Washington, but he held back.
He thought that Massachusetts troops might not care to be
led by a man from the South, and two General Ward,
who was then at their head, had the first right,
(01:03):
for Washington's rank was not so high as his. There
was much talk on this score, and in the midst
of it, a Massachusetts man, John Adams rose and said
that the man he thought fit to lead our troops
was in that room, and he came from Virginia. All
knew who he meant, And as Washington heard his own name,
he rose from his seat and left the room. Then
(01:24):
votes were cast, and all were for Washington, and he
felt that he could not say no to such a call.
He spoke his thanks in a few words, and said
that he would do the best that he could and
serve without pay. He set out from Philadelphia June twenty first,
seventeen seventy five. With him were General Lee and General Schuyler,
(01:47):
and a troop of light horse, which went all the
way to New York. As soon as it was known
that Washington was on the road, crowds ran out to
meet him and to show their pride in him. When
he reached New York, he heard of the fight at
Bunker Hill and made haste to join the troops in
their camp at Cambridge. He reached there July second. The
(02:07):
next day, all the troops were drawn out in line,
and Washington rode out at the head of his staff
till he came to a large elm tree. Here he
wheeled his horse and drew his sword and took charge
of all our troops as their commander in chief. He
found much to do and much to bear, from his
own men, as well as from the Red Coats. It
(02:28):
came to his ears that our men who fell into
the hands of the Red Coats at Bunker's Hill were
not well used, and he rode at once to Gage
and asked him to be less harsh. Gage, who had
fought by his side in seventeen fifty three when both
were young men, wrote back that he thought he should
have praise and not blame, since he had saved the
(02:49):
lives of those who were doomed to be hung. Washington
at first thought he would do as he was done by,
but his heart failed him, and those of the Red
Coats that were in the hands of our troops were
set free if they gave their word they would not
fight for King George. By such acts, Washington sought to
show that Americans are as merciful as they are brave.
(03:11):
The camps in which Washington found his troops were as
odd as the men themselves. Some of the tents were
made of boards, some of sailcloth, or bits of both,
while here and there were those made of stone and turf,
brick and brushwood. Some were thrown up in haste and
bore no marks of care, while a few were wrought
(03:32):
with wreaths and twigs and spoke well for the taste
of those who made them. The best camp of all
was that of the Rhode Island men in charge of
General Nathaniel Greene. Here were found as good tents as
the Redcoats had, and the men were well drilled and
well dressed. Green was brought up on a farm. His
father was a blacksmith, and at times his son worked
(03:54):
with the plow or took his place at the forge.
At the first note of war, Green left the farm
and in the month of May seventeen seventy five was
in charge of all the troops of his own small state.
He went to Boston and took notes while thereof all
that the Red Coats did, and in this way he
learned much that he could put to good use. His
(04:15):
troops had fought at Bunker Hill, and there were none
in the whole force that bore themselves so well or
made so fine a show. Green was six feet tall
and not quite two score years of age. He was
strong and well built, and his frank Way won the
heart of Washington, and the two were warm friends from
that time. Wash ing Ton now set to work to
(04:36):
add strength to the weak parts of his line and
to throw up fresh works round the main forts. All
the live stock had to be kept off the coast
so they would not fall into the hands of the foe.
He sought to draw the Red Coats out of Boston,
but they would not stir. When wash ing Ton took
charge of his troops, he thought he could go back
to his home when the cold days came on and
(04:57):
spend some time there with his wife. But there was
no chance for him to leave, so he wrote to
Missus Washington to join him in the camp. She came
and stayed with him till the next spring, and this
was her course all through the war. She came in
her own coach and four with her son and his wife.
The black footmen were dressed in red and white, and
(05:19):
the whole turnout was in the style in use in
Virginia at that day. Washington had his rooms in the
craighouse in Cambridge, and here Missus Washington took charge and
gave the place more of a home like air. At
that time, the camp of Cambridge was filled with all
sorts of troops. Some had spent most of their lives
in boats, some were brought up on farms, some came
(05:42):
from the woods. And each group wore the dress that
pleased them best, and laughed at those who were not
dressed the same. This made sport for some time, and
jokes flew thick and fast. One day some men came
into camp dressed in an odd garb, such as was
worn to hunt in. The suit was made of deer skin,
and the long shirt had a deep fringe all round.
(06:04):
This dress was the cause of much mirth to men
who came from the seashore and were used to short
coats and rough plain clothes. There was snow on the ground,
and when the jokes gave out, snowballs took their place.
For a war of words is quite sure to end
in blows. Men came up to the aid of both sides.
Fists were used, and all took part in the hand
(06:26):
to hand fight, and there was a great stir in
the camp. While the fight was at its height, Washington
rode up. None of his aides were with him. He
threw the reins of his own horse into the hands
of the black men who rode near sprang from his
seat and rushed into the thick of the fray. Then
he seized two of the tall stout huntsmen by the
throat and talked to them and shook them while he
(06:48):
held them at arm's length. This put an end to
the brawl at once, and the rest of the crowd
slunk off in haste, and left but three men on
the ground, Washington and the two he held in his grasp.
As the cold days and nights came on, the men
grew homesick and longed to be by their own firesides.
It was right that some of them should go, for
(07:10):
they had served out their time, and this made the
rest lonesome and sad. Songs would not cheer them, and
they paid no heed to the words of those who
sought to rouse them from the depths of woe. Washington
was full of fears, which were shared by all those
who were near him in rank. Yet he did not
lose hope. General Greene wrote, they seemed to be so
(07:31):
sick of this way of life, and so homesick, that
I fear a large part of our troops will soon
go home. Still his heart did not lose hope all
would come right in time, and his words of cheer
were a great help to Washington at this time. The
year seventeen seventy five had been a dark one for
our land, and there was no ray of hope to
(07:52):
light the dawn of seventeen seventy six. There were but
ten thousand troops to take the field. There was a
lack of arms alike, of clothes, and a lack of food,
and these things made camp life hard to bear, and
were a great grief to the heart of the chief.
He could not sleep. Had the foe known of their plight,
(08:12):
they would have borne down on them and swept them
out of sight. But God took care of them. In
the first month of the year, there was a stir
on the Boston wharves. A large fleet of boats lay
in the stream, on board of which the Red Coats swarmed,
and there were two sloops of war filled with guns
and warlike stores. All were in charge of General Howe,
(08:33):
and Washington guessed what his plans were and felt that
the time had come for him to strive to wrest
Boston from the King's troops. The outlook was bright. More
troops had come to his aid, and he made up
his mind to place part of his force on Dorchester Heights,
and if he could draw out the foe, to fight
at that place. At a sign, the troops on the
(08:53):
heights and at Nook's Hill were to fire at the
same time and rake the town with balls. And at
the same time boats full of troops were to start
from the mouth of the Charles River and act in
the rear of the Red coats. It was thought that
these moves on the part of our troops would bring
on such a fight as they had on Breed's Hill.
(09:15):
On the night of March fourth, our men made their
way to the heights, and at dawn of the next
day strong forts loomed up, and seemed as if they
must have been brought there at the touch of a
Wand how gazed on them and said, the rebels have
done more work in one night than my whole army
would have done in a month. He must drive them
(09:35):
from the heights or leave Boston. While pride urged him on,
fear held him back, for he knew that his loss
would be great. But he must make a move of
some sort. So he made up his mind to send
boats out that night with a force of troops in
charge of Lord Percy. But a storm came up from
the east. The surf beat high on the shore where
the boats were to have land, and the scheme was
(09:57):
put off till the next day. But it sto just
as hard. The next day. The rain came down in sheets,
and the boats stayed where they were. In the meantime,
our men kept at work on the hills on the
north side and south side, and when the storm ceased,
General Howe saw that the forts were now so strong
there would be no chance to take them, nor was
it safe for him to stay in Boston. Yet, the
(10:19):
Admiral said that if How's troops did not seize the heights,
the ships of war should not stay near Boston. So
his lordship would have to leave with what grace he could,
such as it might wound his pride. When word went
forth that the troops were to leave, strange sights were
seen in Boston Town and Bay. For some days the
Red coats went this way, and that in great haste
(10:41):
more than three score and ten boats were cast loose
for sea, with at least twelve thousand men on board
of them. While this stir took place, not a shot
was sent from the heights, and it was well that
this was so, as the Red Coats had laid plans
to set the town in a blaze if our troops
fired one gun. The Red Coats left Boston March seventeenth,
(11:02):
and our troops in charge of Old Putt, as the
Brave Putnam was called, marched into town in fine style.
For some days the fleet lay off the coast of
Rhode Island, and it was feared for a while that
they meant to strike a blow and win back what
they had lost. But no such thing took place, and
ere long the fleet sailed out of sight. Where they
(11:22):
are bound, wrote wash ing Ton, and where they next
will pitch their tents I know not. He thought they
were on their way to New York, but such was
not the case. They had steered for Halifax to wait
there for more troops and for the large fleet that
was to come from England. A vote of thanks and
a large gold coin with his face on one side
of it were sent to Washington by the chief men
(11:45):
of the Land as part of his due for what
he had so far done to save America from King
George's rule. Wash ing Ton, who thought the next move
of the Red Coats would be on New York. Set
out for that place and reached there April thirteenth. He
went to work at once to build forts, and to
send out troops, and to make the place as strong
(12:05):
as it ought to be. He did not know the
plans of the foe, nor from what point they would
hurl the bolts of war. All was guesswork, but still
in the midst of doubt, it would not do to
be slack. The town was put in charge of the troops,
and the rules were quite strict. Those who went in
or out had to give the password. We all live here,
(12:26):
shut up like nuns, wrote one who was fond of
a gay life. There's no one in town that we
can go to sea, and none to come see us.
Good times in New York were at an end. Our
troops had been forced to leave Canada, and it was
known that the Redcoats would push their way to New York.
Forts were built on high banks up the Hudson and
(12:47):
on the aisles at its mouth, and all done that
could be done to check them in their march. In
the meantime, it had been thought a good plan to
set a day in which it might be shown throughout
the land that America was, of a right ought to
be a free land. So in July an Act was
drawn up and signed by the wise men who met
(13:07):
in Philadelphia to frame the laws for the New States.
And there was great joy, for it was a great day.
Bells were rung, shouts and cheers rent the air, fires blazed,
and the hearts burned, and men knelt to prey and
give thanks to God. John Adams said the fourth of
July ought to be kept up with great pomp throughout America,
(13:28):
with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, and bonfires till the
end of time. The news did not reach New York
till July ninth, and at six o'clock that night Washington
read the Act to his troops. New York was wild
with joy and felt that more must be done than
just to ring bells and light fires. In Bowling Green,
(13:49):
in front of the fort there stood a cast of
George third made of lead. This a mob of men
pulled down and broke up, that the lead might be
run into small shot and be used in the cause
for which they fought. This did not please Washington, and
he told his troops they must not take part in
such deeds. The joy did not last long, for on
(14:09):
July twelfth, the ships of war in the bay sent
out a broadside, and it was thought they would at
once fire. The town. Crowds were on the streets, the
troops flocked their posts. Fear was in each heart, and
New York was in a great stir. But two ships,
the Phoenix and the Rows, left the fleet and shaped
their course up the Hudson. Then the guns were still,
(14:31):
and fear died out for a while. That night there
was a fresh scare. Guns boomed, and clouds of smoke
were seen near the ships of war down the bay.
Men on the lookout told that a ship of the
Line had come in from sea, and each man of
war gave her a round of guns as she passed by.
At her foretop mast head she bore the flag of
Saint George. No need to tell more, Lord, how is come? Lord?
(14:56):
How is come? Was the cry that went from mouth
to mouth, and the the words soon flew through the town,
and all felt that the hour of doom was close
at hand. Lord Howe sought peace and not bloodshed, and
hoped by the terms he would make to bring not
a few hearts back to their king, but he came
too late. The king's troops did not think much of
(15:18):
the rank that was borne by our men, who they
felt had no right to put on the airs they
did and call themselves grand names. In a few days,
Lord Howe sent one of his men on shore with
a flag of truce to seek speech with wash ing Ton.
The man's name was Brown. His boat was met half
way by a barge which had on board one of
(15:39):
our troops named Reed, to whom Brown said he had
a note for mister wash ing Ton. Reed said he
knew no man of that name. Brown held out to
him the note he had in his hand, which bore
on its face George wash ing Ton esquire. Reid said
that he could not take the note. He knew what
(16:00):
was due to his chief. So there was naught for
Brown to do but to take to his oars. He
had not gone far when he came back to ask
what style shall he used to pleasej Here he caught
himself and said mister Washington. Reid told him that Washington's
rank was well known, and Lord how could be at
no loss as to the right style. In a day
(16:23):
or two, the aide de camp came with a flag
from Lord Howe and asked if Colonel Patterson might have
speech with General Washington. Reid, who met the aid, was
prompt to grant this, and pledged himself that no harm
should come to him who came in the King's name.
So the next day Patterson came, and when he stood
(16:43):
face to face with Washington, bowed and said, your excellency.
Washington met him with such form and state. He was
not a vain man, but was proud of the rank
he held, and thought that no man were he a king,
had a right to look down on America or show
the least slight to her commander in chief. When he
(17:04):
came to hear the terms on which Lord Howe sought
to make peace, he found they were not such as
he could take. So the war went on. End of
Chapter nine
Chapter nine, The Life of George Washington in Words of
one syllable by Josephine Pollard. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Life of George Washington in Words of one syllable by
(00:20):
Josephine Pollard, Chapter nine, Commander in Chief. The deeds done
ere this by the King's troops had made a great
stir throughout the land. The chief men of each state
met in Philadelphia and sought out ways and means to
help those who were in arms as foes of King George.
And a large force of men from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and
(00:42):
Virginia were soon on hand to march and join the
troops near Boston. But who was to lead them? The
choice at once fell on George Washington, but he held back.
He thought that Massachusetts troops might not care to be
led by a man from the South, and two General Ward,
who was then at their head, had the first right,
(01:03):
for Washington's rank was not so high as his. There
was much talk on this score, and in the midst
of it, a Massachusetts man, John Adams rose and said
that the man he thought fit to lead our troops
was in that room, and he came from Virginia. All
knew who he meant, And as Washington heard his own name,
he rose from his seat and left the room. Then
(01:24):
votes were cast, and all were for Washington, and he
felt that he could not say no to such a call.
He spoke his thanks in a few words, and said
that he would do the best that he could and
serve without pay. He set out from Philadelphia June twenty first,
seventeen seventy five. With him were General Lee and General Schuyler,
(01:47):
and a troop of light horse, which went all the
way to New York. As soon as it was known
that Washington was on the road, crowds ran out to
meet him and to show their pride in him. When
he reached New York, he heard of the fight at
Bunker Hill and made haste to join the troops in
their camp at Cambridge. He reached there July second. The
(02:07):
next day, all the troops were drawn out in line,
and Washington rode out at the head of his staff
till he came to a large elm tree. Here he
wheeled his horse and drew his sword and took charge
of all our troops as their commander in chief. He
found much to do and much to bear, from his
own men, as well as from the Red Coats. It
(02:28):
came to his ears that our men who fell into
the hands of the Red Coats at Bunker's Hill were
not well used, and he rode at once to Gage
and asked him to be less harsh. Gage, who had
fought by his side in seventeen fifty three when both
were young men, wrote back that he thought he should
have praise and not blame, since he had saved the
(02:49):
lives of those who were doomed to be hung. Washington
at first thought he would do as he was done by,
but his heart failed him, and those of the Red
Coats that were in the hands of our troops were
set free if they gave their word they would not
fight for King George. By such acts, Washington sought to
show that Americans are as merciful as they are brave.
(03:11):
The camps in which Washington found his troops were as
odd as the men themselves. Some of the tents were
made of boards, some of sailcloth, or bits of both,
while here and there were those made of stone and turf,
brick and brushwood. Some were thrown up in haste and
bore no marks of care, while a few were wrought
(03:32):
with wreaths and twigs and spoke well for the taste
of those who made them. The best camp of all
was that of the Rhode Island men in charge of
General Nathaniel Greene. Here were found as good tents as
the Redcoats had, and the men were well drilled and
well dressed. Green was brought up on a farm. His
father was a blacksmith, and at times his son worked
(03:54):
with the plow or took his place at the forge.
At the first note of war, Green left the farm
and in the month of May seventeen seventy five was
in charge of all the troops of his own small state.
He went to Boston and took notes while thereof all
that the Red Coats did, and in this way he
learned much that he could put to good use. His
(04:15):
troops had fought at Bunker Hill, and there were none
in the whole force that bore themselves so well or
made so fine a show. Green was six feet tall
and not quite two score years of age. He was
strong and well built, and his frank Way won the
heart of Washington, and the two were warm friends from
that time. Wash ing Ton now set to work to
(04:36):
add strength to the weak parts of his line and
to throw up fresh works round the main forts. All
the live stock had to be kept off the coast
so they would not fall into the hands of the foe.
He sought to draw the Red Coats out of Boston,
but they would not stir. When wash ing Ton took
charge of his troops, he thought he could go back
to his home when the cold days came on and
(04:57):
spend some time there with his wife. But there was
no chance for him to leave, so he wrote to
Missus Washington to join him in the camp. She came
and stayed with him till the next spring, and this
was her course all through the war. She came in
her own coach and four with her son and his wife.
The black footmen were dressed in red and white, and
(05:19):
the whole turnout was in the style in use in
Virginia at that day. Washington had his rooms in the
craighouse in Cambridge, and here Missus Washington took charge and
gave the place more of a home like air. At
that time, the camp of Cambridge was filled with all
sorts of troops. Some had spent most of their lives
in boats, some were brought up on farms, some came
(05:42):
from the woods. And each group wore the dress that
pleased them best, and laughed at those who were not
dressed the same. This made sport for some time, and
jokes flew thick and fast. One day some men came
into camp dressed in an odd garb, such as was
worn to hunt in. The suit was made of deer skin,
and the long shirt had a deep fringe all round.
(06:04):
This dress was the cause of much mirth to men
who came from the seashore and were used to short
coats and rough plain clothes. There was snow on the ground,
and when the jokes gave out, snowballs took their place.
For a war of words is quite sure to end
in blows. Men came up to the aid of both sides.
Fists were used, and all took part in the hand
(06:26):
to hand fight, and there was a great stir in
the camp. While the fight was at its height, Washington
rode up. None of his aides were with him. He
threw the reins of his own horse into the hands
of the black men who rode near sprang from his
seat and rushed into the thick of the fray. Then
he seized two of the tall stout huntsmen by the
throat and talked to them and shook them while he
(06:48):
held them at arm's length. This put an end to
the brawl at once, and the rest of the crowd
slunk off in haste, and left but three men on
the ground, Washington and the two he held in his grasp.
As the cold days and nights came on, the men
grew homesick and longed to be by their own firesides.
It was right that some of them should go, for
(07:10):
they had served out their time, and this made the
rest lonesome and sad. Songs would not cheer them, and
they paid no heed to the words of those who
sought to rouse them from the depths of woe. Washington
was full of fears, which were shared by all those
who were near him in rank. Yet he did not
lose hope. General Greene wrote, they seemed to be so
(07:31):
sick of this way of life, and so homesick, that
I fear a large part of our troops will soon
go home. Still his heart did not lose hope all
would come right in time, and his words of cheer
were a great help to Washington at this time. The
year seventeen seventy five had been a dark one for
our land, and there was no ray of hope to
(07:52):
light the dawn of seventeen seventy six. There were but
ten thousand troops to take the field. There was a
lack of arms alike, of clothes, and a lack of food,
and these things made camp life hard to bear, and
were a great grief to the heart of the chief.
He could not sleep. Had the foe known of their plight,
(08:12):
they would have borne down on them and swept them
out of sight. But God took care of them. In
the first month of the year, there was a stir
on the Boston wharves. A large fleet of boats lay
in the stream, on board of which the Red Coats swarmed,
and there were two sloops of war filled with guns
and warlike stores. All were in charge of General Howe,
(08:33):
and Washington guessed what his plans were and felt that
the time had come for him to strive to wrest
Boston from the King's troops. The outlook was bright. More
troops had come to his aid, and he made up
his mind to place part of his force on Dorchester Heights,
and if he could draw out the foe, to fight
at that place. At a sign, the troops on the
(08:53):
heights and at Nook's Hill were to fire at the
same time and rake the town with balls. And at
the same time boats full of troops were to start
from the mouth of the Charles River and act in
the rear of the Red coats. It was thought that
these moves on the part of our troops would bring
on such a fight as they had on Breed's Hill.
(09:15):
On the night of March fourth, our men made their
way to the heights, and at dawn of the next
day strong forts loomed up, and seemed as if they
must have been brought there at the touch of a
Wand how gazed on them and said, the rebels have
done more work in one night than my whole army
would have done in a month. He must drive them
(09:35):
from the heights or leave Boston. While pride urged him on,
fear held him back, for he knew that his loss
would be great. But he must make a move of
some sort. So he made up his mind to send
boats out that night with a force of troops in
charge of Lord Percy. But a storm came up from
the east. The surf beat high on the shore where
the boats were to have land, and the scheme was
(09:57):
put off till the next day. But it sto just
as hard. The next day. The rain came down in sheets,
and the boats stayed where they were. In the meantime,
our men kept at work on the hills on the
north side and south side, and when the storm ceased,
General Howe saw that the forts were now so strong
there would be no chance to take them, nor was
it safe for him to stay in Boston. Yet, the
(10:19):
Admiral said that if How's troops did not seize the heights,
the ships of war should not stay near Boston. So
his lordship would have to leave with what grace he could,
such as it might wound his pride. When word went
forth that the troops were to leave, strange sights were
seen in Boston Town and Bay. For some days the
Red coats went this way, and that in great haste
(10:41):
more than three score and ten boats were cast loose
for sea, with at least twelve thousand men on board
of them. While this stir took place, not a shot
was sent from the heights, and it was well that
this was so, as the Red Coats had laid plans
to set the town in a blaze if our troops
fired one gun. The Red Coats left Boston March seventeenth,
(11:02):
and our troops in charge of Old Putt, as the
Brave Putnam was called, marched into town in fine style.
For some days the fleet lay off the coast of
Rhode Island, and it was feared for a while that
they meant to strike a blow and win back what
they had lost. But no such thing took place, and
ere long the fleet sailed out of sight. Where they
(11:22):
are bound, wrote wash ing Ton, and where they next
will pitch their tents I know not. He thought they
were on their way to New York, but such was
not the case. They had steered for Halifax to wait
there for more troops and for the large fleet that
was to come from England. A vote of thanks and
a large gold coin with his face on one side
of it were sent to Washington by the chief men
(11:45):
of the Land as part of his due for what
he had so far done to save America from King
George's rule. Wash ing Ton, who thought the next move
of the Red Coats would be on New York. Set
out for that place and reached there April thirteenth. He
went to work at once to build forts, and to
send out troops, and to make the place as strong
(12:05):
as it ought to be. He did not know the
plans of the foe, nor from what point they would
hurl the bolts of war. All was guesswork, but still
in the midst of doubt, it would not do to
be slack. The town was put in charge of the troops,
and the rules were quite strict. Those who went in
or out had to give the password. We all live here,
(12:26):
shut up like nuns, wrote one who was fond of
a gay life. There's no one in town that we
can go to sea, and none to come see us.
Good times in New York were at an end. Our
troops had been forced to leave Canada, and it was
known that the Redcoats would push their way to New York.
Forts were built on high banks up the Hudson and
(12:47):
on the aisles at its mouth, and all done that
could be done to check them in their march. In
the meantime, it had been thought a good plan to
set a day in which it might be shown throughout
the land that America was, of a right ought to
be a free land. So in July an Act was
drawn up and signed by the wise men who met
(13:07):
in Philadelphia to frame the laws for the New States.
And there was great joy, for it was a great day.
Bells were rung, shouts and cheers rent the air, fires blazed,
and the hearts burned, and men knelt to prey and
give thanks to God. John Adams said the fourth of
July ought to be kept up with great pomp throughout America,
(13:28):
with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, and bonfires till the
end of time. The news did not reach New York
till July ninth, and at six o'clock that night Washington
read the Act to his troops. New York was wild
with joy and felt that more must be done than
just to ring bells and light fires. In Bowling Green,
(13:49):
in front of the fort there stood a cast of
George third made of lead. This a mob of men
pulled down and broke up, that the lead might be
run into small shot and be used in the cause
for which they fought. This did not please Washington, and
he told his troops they must not take part in
such deeds. The joy did not last long, for on
(14:09):
July twelfth, the ships of war in the bay sent
out a broadside, and it was thought they would at
once fire. The town. Crowds were on the streets, the
troops flocked their posts. Fear was in each heart, and
New York was in a great stir. But two ships,
the Phoenix and the Rows, left the fleet and shaped
their course up the Hudson. Then the guns were still,
(14:31):
and fear died out for a while. That night there
was a fresh scare. Guns boomed, and clouds of smoke
were seen near the ships of war down the bay.
Men on the lookout told that a ship of the
Line had come in from sea, and each man of
war gave her a round of guns as she passed by.
At her foretop mast head she bore the flag of
Saint George. No need to tell more, Lord, how is come? Lord?
(14:56):
How is come? Was the cry that went from mouth
to mouth, and the the words soon flew through the town,
and all felt that the hour of doom was close
at hand. Lord Howe sought peace and not bloodshed, and
hoped by the terms he would make to bring not
a few hearts back to their king, but he came
too late. The king's troops did not think much of
(15:18):
the rank that was borne by our men, who they
felt had no right to put on the airs they
did and call themselves grand names. In a few days,
Lord Howe sent one of his men on shore with
a flag of truce to seek speech with wash ing Ton.
The man's name was Brown. His boat was met half
way by a barge which had on board one of
(15:39):
our troops named Reed, to whom Brown said he had
a note for mister wash ing Ton. Reed said he
knew no man of that name. Brown held out to
him the note he had in his hand, which bore
on its face George wash ing Ton esquire. Reid said
that he could not take the note. He knew what
(16:00):
was due to his chief. So there was naught for
Brown to do but to take to his oars. He
had not gone far when he came back to ask
what style shall he used to pleasej Here he caught
himself and said mister Washington. Reid told him that Washington's
rank was well known, and Lord how could be at
no loss as to the right style. In a day
(16:23):
or two, the aide de camp came with a flag
from Lord Howe and asked if Colonel Patterson might have
speech with General Washington. Reid, who met the aid, was
prompt to grant this, and pledged himself that no harm
should come to him who came in the King's name.
So the next day Patterson came, and when he stood
(16:43):
face to face with Washington, bowed and said, your excellency.
Washington met him with such form and state. He was
not a vain man, but was proud of the rank
he held, and thought that no man were he a king,
had a right to look down on America or show
the least slight to her commander in chief. When he
(17:04):
came to hear the terms on which Lord Howe sought
to make peace, he found they were not such as
he could take. So the war went on. End of
Chapter nine
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