July 26, 2025 • 10 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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Chapter eleven, 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 eleven, A sad year. Christmas night was
the time set to cross the Delaware, and at sunset
the troops were on the move. It was a dark,
cold night. The wind was high, the tide strong, and
the stream full of cakes of ice, which drove the
boats out of their course. It seemed at times as
(00:41):
if the boats would be crushed to bits. Men who
were used to boats and had been brought up on
the sea and fought with fierce storms and wild gales,
found it hard work with all their skill to make
their way from shore to shore. Washington, who crossed with
the troops, stood on the east bank till all the
field go uns were brought to land, and it was
(01:02):
four o'clock ere the men took up their line of march.
Trenton was nine miles off and they could not reach
there till daylight, too late to take the King's troop
off their guard. Most of the troops at Trenton were
Hessians from Hesse, a small German state whose prince had
lent his troops to King George for hire. As I
(01:22):
have told you, they were in charge of Rale. Ral
thought more of his brass band than he did of
his men. Was full of good cheer and liked to
have a good time. He would sit up till a
late hour in the night, and then lie in bed
till nine o'clock the next day. The one who leads
troops to war should be like a watchdog, quick to
(01:43):
see and to hear all that goes on, and to
be on guard at all times. Each day he had
the guns drawn out and dragged through the town, just
to make a stir and have the band out. But
when the Major told him that he should have earthworks
thrown up on which to place the guns, he said, pooh, pooh.
Let the foe come on. We'll charge on them with
(02:05):
the bayonet. But here, colonel said the old major. It
costs not much, and if it does not help, it
will not harm. But Ral laughed as if he thought
it a good joke turned on his heel and went off,
and the works were not thrown up. On this night too,
there was a great stir in the camp at Trenton,
(02:25):
for the men did their best to keep Christmas, and
their thoughts were of home and the dear ones there.
They made what cheer they could, and did not dream
that the foe was so near. A storm of hail
and snow set in. As soon as our troops took
up their march. They could scarce see their way through
the sleet they had to face. The night was so
(02:46):
cold that two of the men froze to death. At
dawn of day, some of the men came to a
halt at a crossroad, where they did their best to
dry their guns, but some were past use, and word
was sent to wash Washington of the state of their arms.
They were in doubt what to do. Washington, in a
burst of rage, bade the men to go back to
(03:07):
his chief at once and tell him to push on
and charge if he could not fire. At eight o'clock,
Washington drew near the town at the head of his troops.
He went up to a man who had come out
to chop wood by the roadside and asked him where
the guard was who stood out. At eight o'clock, Washington
drew near the town at the head of his troops.
(03:29):
He went up to a man who had come out
to chop wood by the roadside, and asked him where
the guard was who stood at the outpost of Rall's camp.
The man said, in a harsh voice, I don't know.
You may tell him, said one of our men who
stood near, for that is General Washington. At once a
great change came over the men to whom Washington spoke.
(03:52):
He raised his hands and cried, God, bless you, God
bless you, and then showed where the guards could be found.
Soon was heard the cry from raw men, the foe,
the foe. Turn out, turn out, drums, beat to arms.
The whole place was in a stir. Washington came in
on the north, Sullivan on the west, and Stark at
(04:12):
the south end of the town. Rale Scarce knew how
to act. He rode to the front of his troops
and got them out of the town. Then he seemed
to feel that it was a shame to fly in
that way, for he was a brave man. So he
led his men back in a wild dash, out of
the woods and into the town to meet the foe.
(04:32):
In the midst of the fight, a shot struck him,
and he fell from his horse. The troops would heed
no voice but that of their chief, and fled up
the banks of a creek on the way to Princeton.
Washington saw the stir and thought they had wheeled to
form a new line. He was told that they had
laid down their arms, and his joy was great. The
(04:55):
day was ours. But for the wild flight of Werall's men,
it would have gone hard with our troops. Wash ing
Ton did not know it at the time, but he
found out that ewing and Putnam had tried to cross
the stream, but were kept back by the ice, and he,
with his raw troops, would, he was sure, have been
(05:16):
put to rout, had Ral and his men been on
their guard. The poor major, who had in vain urged
Ral to throw up breastworks, had a bad wound, of
which he died in Trenton, and Ral himself, to whom
the Red Coats owed their ill luck, was laid to
rest in a graveyard in that town. And where was
General Howe all this time in New York, where he
(05:39):
thought to take his ease till the Delaware froze so
that his troops could cross. He was much shocked at
the news that the Hessians who had been brought up
to war should have laid down their arms for a
troop of raw men in rags. He sent Lord Cornwallis
back to take Jersey, and as he said, to bag
(05:59):
the Fox. By the third of January, red coats with
Cornwallis at their head, were near At hand, wash ing
Ton was in a tight place with a small creek.
TwixT his few raw troops and the large force of
the foe. Back of him lay the Delaware, which it
was now not safe to cross. In this dark hour,
a gleam of hope came to his mind. He saw
(06:22):
a way out of the trap, and that was by
a quick night march to get at the rear of
the King's troops, dash on the camp at Princeton, seized
the stores that were left there, and push on to
New Brunswick. A thaw had set in which made the
roads deep with mire. But in the course of the
night the wind veered to the north, and in two
(06:43):
hours the roads were once more hard and frost bound.
That the Foe might not guess his plan wash ing
Ton bade some of his men to keep at work
with their spades on their pits near the bridge, go
the rounds, change guards at each bridge and ford, and
keep up camp fire till daybreak when they were to
join those on the way to Princeton. In the dead
(07:04):
of night, Washington drew his troops out of camp and
the march took place. The road which they had to
take was cut through woods, and the stumps of trees
made the march a slow one, so that it was
near sunrise when Washington came to the bridge at the Brook,
three miles from Princeton. As our troops left the woods,
they came face to face with a force of redcoats,
(07:27):
and a sharp fight took place, which did not last long.
Washington was in the midst of it. In the heat
of the fight, his aid de camp lost sight of him.
In the dusk and smoke. The young man dropped the
reins on the neck of his horse, drew down his
cap to hide the tears in his eyes, and gave
him up for lost. When he saw Washington come out
(07:48):
of the cloud with his hat raised and the foe
in flight, he spurred up to his side. Thank God,
you are safe, cried he away and bring up the troops,
said Washington. The day is our own. At daybreak, when
General Howe thought to bag his fox, he found the
prize has slipped from his grasp, and soon learned that
the King's troops had lost their hold on New Jersey.
(08:11):
The fame of Washington, and of the brave deeds of
those who fought to be free, went across the sea
and made friends for him and the cause. Not a
few came to their aid. One of these brave souls
was a pole whose name was Coscuco. The commander in
chief said to him, what do you seek here to
(08:33):
fight for the cause you have at heart? What can
you do? Try me? This style of speech and the
air of the man pleased Washington so well that he
had once made him an aid de camp. This was
in seventeen seventy seven. He served the cause well and
went back to his own land in seventeen eighty six
with the rank of brigadier general. In seventeen seventy seven,
(08:56):
Lafayette came from France to join the troops led by Washington.
He had wealth and high rank in his own land,
and had lived but a score of years, he left
his young wife and the gay court of France and
made his way to America to do what he could
to aid the foes of King George. He came, he
said to learn and not to teach, and would serve
(09:19):
without pay, And as one who came of his own
free will, he soon won his way to the heart
of Washington, and a strong bond of love grew up
TwixT the two, which naught but death could break. In
the meantime, the whole of our land south of the
Great Lakes was a scene of strife and bloodshed, and
it was hard work for our troops to keep the
(09:39):
Redskins and Red Coats at bay. I have not space
to tell you of all the fights that took place,
nor the ways in which Washington sought to vex the
King's troops. On the third of October of this year,
seventeen seventy seven, we find him at Germantown, where the
main force of the Redcoats were in camp. His plan
(09:59):
was to drive them out, but though his troops fought
with much skill, and in the midst of a dense fog,
they were forced back, and the day was lost. The
ships of war in the Delaware led Washington to think
that Lord Howe meant to turn his guns on Philadelphia,
and his mind was filled with doubts and fears. In
the same month, word came to him that Burgoyne, who
(10:22):
was at the head of the King's troops in the North,
had been forced to yield to General Gates at Fishkill.
This was such a blow to the King's cause that
the troops at West Point and elsewhere on the Hudson,
who were to have gone to the aid of Burgoyne,
left the forts and made their way to New York.
End of Chapter eleven.
Chapter eleven, 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 eleven, A sad year. Christmas night was
the time set to cross the Delaware, and at sunset
the troops were on the move. It was a dark,
cold night. The wind was high, the tide strong, and
the stream full of cakes of ice, which drove the
boats out of their course. It seemed at times as
(00:41):
if the boats would be crushed to bits. Men who
were used to boats and had been brought up on
the sea and fought with fierce storms and wild gales,
found it hard work with all their skill to make
their way from shore to shore. Washington, who crossed with
the troops, stood on the east bank till all the
field go uns were brought to land, and it was
(01:02):
four o'clock ere the men took up their line of march.
Trenton was nine miles off and they could not reach
there till daylight, too late to take the King's troop
off their guard. Most of the troops at Trenton were
Hessians from Hesse, a small German state whose prince had
lent his troops to King George for hire. As I
(01:22):
have told you, they were in charge of Rale. Ral
thought more of his brass band than he did of
his men. Was full of good cheer and liked to
have a good time. He would sit up till a
late hour in the night, and then lie in bed
till nine o'clock the next day. The one who leads
troops to war should be like a watchdog, quick to
(01:43):
see and to hear all that goes on, and to
be on guard at all times. Each day he had
the guns drawn out and dragged through the town, just
to make a stir and have the band out. But
when the Major told him that he should have earthworks
thrown up on which to place the guns, he said, pooh, pooh.
Let the foe come on. We'll charge on them with
(02:05):
the bayonet. But here, colonel said the old major. It
costs not much, and if it does not help, it
will not harm. But Ral laughed as if he thought
it a good joke turned on his heel and went off,
and the works were not thrown up. On this night too,
there was a great stir in the camp at Trenton,
(02:25):
for the men did their best to keep Christmas, and
their thoughts were of home and the dear ones there.
They made what cheer they could, and did not dream
that the foe was so near. A storm of hail
and snow set in. As soon as our troops took
up their march. They could scarce see their way through
the sleet they had to face. The night was so
(02:46):
cold that two of the men froze to death. At
dawn of day, some of the men came to a
halt at a crossroad, where they did their best to
dry their guns, but some were past use, and word
was sent to wash Washington of the state of their arms.
They were in doubt what to do. Washington, in a
burst of rage, bade the men to go back to
(03:07):
his chief at once and tell him to push on
and charge if he could not fire. At eight o'clock,
Washington drew near the town at the head of his troops.
He went up to a man who had come out
to chop wood by the roadside and asked him where
the guard was who stood out. At eight o'clock, Washington
drew near the town at the head of his troops.
(03:29):
He went up to a man who had come out
to chop wood by the roadside, and asked him where
the guard was who stood at the outpost of Rall's camp.
The man said, in a harsh voice, I don't know.
You may tell him, said one of our men who
stood near, for that is General Washington. At once a
great change came over the men to whom Washington spoke.
(03:52):
He raised his hands and cried, God, bless you, God
bless you, and then showed where the guards could be found.
Soon was heard the cry from raw men, the foe,
the foe. Turn out, turn out, drums, beat to arms.
The whole place was in a stir. Washington came in
on the north, Sullivan on the west, and Stark at
(04:12):
the south end of the town. Rale Scarce knew how
to act. He rode to the front of his troops
and got them out of the town. Then he seemed
to feel that it was a shame to fly in
that way, for he was a brave man. So he
led his men back in a wild dash, out of
the woods and into the town to meet the foe.
(04:32):
In the midst of the fight, a shot struck him,
and he fell from his horse. The troops would heed
no voice but that of their chief, and fled up
the banks of a creek on the way to Princeton.
Washington saw the stir and thought they had wheeled to
form a new line. He was told that they had
laid down their arms, and his joy was great. The
(04:55):
day was ours. But for the wild flight of Werall's men,
it would have gone hard with our troops. Wash ing
Ton did not know it at the time, but he
found out that ewing and Putnam had tried to cross
the stream, but were kept back by the ice, and he,
with his raw troops, would, he was sure, have been
(05:16):
put to rout, had Ral and his men been on
their guard. The poor major, who had in vain urged
Ral to throw up breastworks, had a bad wound, of
which he died in Trenton, and Ral himself, to whom
the Red Coats owed their ill luck, was laid to
rest in a graveyard in that town. And where was
General Howe all this time in New York, where he
(05:39):
thought to take his ease till the Delaware froze so
that his troops could cross. He was much shocked at
the news that the Hessians who had been brought up
to war should have laid down their arms for a
troop of raw men in rags. He sent Lord Cornwallis
back to take Jersey, and as he said, to bag
(05:59):
the Fox. By the third of January, red coats with
Cornwallis at their head, were near At hand, wash ing
Ton was in a tight place with a small creek.
TwixT his few raw troops and the large force of
the foe. Back of him lay the Delaware, which it
was now not safe to cross. In this dark hour,
a gleam of hope came to his mind. He saw
(06:22):
a way out of the trap, and that was by
a quick night march to get at the rear of
the King's troops, dash on the camp at Princeton, seized
the stores that were left there, and push on to
New Brunswick. A thaw had set in which made the
roads deep with mire. But in the course of the
night the wind veered to the north, and in two
(06:43):
hours the roads were once more hard and frost bound.
That the Foe might not guess his plan wash ing
Ton bade some of his men to keep at work
with their spades on their pits near the bridge, go
the rounds, change guards at each bridge and ford, and
keep up camp fire till daybreak when they were to
join those on the way to Princeton. In the dead
(07:04):
of night, Washington drew his troops out of camp and
the march took place. The road which they had to
take was cut through woods, and the stumps of trees
made the march a slow one, so that it was
near sunrise when Washington came to the bridge at the Brook,
three miles from Princeton. As our troops left the woods,
they came face to face with a force of redcoats,
(07:27):
and a sharp fight took place, which did not last long.
Washington was in the midst of it. In the heat
of the fight, his aid de camp lost sight of him.
In the dusk and smoke. The young man dropped the
reins on the neck of his horse, drew down his
cap to hide the tears in his eyes, and gave
him up for lost. When he saw Washington come out
(07:48):
of the cloud with his hat raised and the foe
in flight, he spurred up to his side. Thank God,
you are safe, cried he away and bring up the troops,
said Washington. The day is our own. At daybreak, when
General Howe thought to bag his fox, he found the
prize has slipped from his grasp, and soon learned that
the King's troops had lost their hold on New Jersey.
(08:11):
The fame of Washington, and of the brave deeds of
those who fought to be free, went across the sea
and made friends for him and the cause. Not a
few came to their aid. One of these brave souls
was a pole whose name was Coscuco. The commander in
chief said to him, what do you seek here to
(08:33):
fight for the cause you have at heart? What can
you do? Try me? This style of speech and the
air of the man pleased Washington so well that he
had once made him an aid de camp. This was
in seventeen seventy seven. He served the cause well and
went back to his own land in seventeen eighty six
with the rank of brigadier general. In seventeen seventy seven,
(08:56):
Lafayette came from France to join the troops led by Washington.
He had wealth and high rank in his own land,
and had lived but a score of years, he left
his young wife and the gay court of France and
made his way to America to do what he could
to aid the foes of King George. He came, he
said to learn and not to teach, and would serve
(09:19):
without pay, And as one who came of his own
free will, he soon won his way to the heart
of Washington, and a strong bond of love grew up
TwixT the two, which naught but death could break. In
the meantime, the whole of our land south of the
Great Lakes was a scene of strife and bloodshed, and
it was hard work for our troops to keep the
(09:39):
Redskins and Red Coats at bay. I have not space
to tell you of all the fights that took place,
nor the ways in which Washington sought to vex the
King's troops. On the third of October of this year,
seventeen seventy seven, we find him at Germantown, where the
main force of the Redcoats were in camp. His plan
(09:59):
was to drive them out, but though his troops fought
with much skill, and in the midst of a dense fog,
they were forced back, and the day was lost. The
ships of war in the Delaware led Washington to think
that Lord Howe meant to turn his guns on Philadelphia,
and his mind was filled with doubts and fears. In
the same month, word came to him that Burgoyne, who
(10:22):
was at the head of the King's troops in the North,
had been forced to yield to General Gates at Fishkill.
This was such a blow to the King's cause that
the troops at West Point and elsewhere on the Hudson,
who were to have gone to the aid of Burgoyne,
left the forts and made their way to New York.
End of Chapter eleven.
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