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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Chapter thirteen, 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 thirteen, The Hardships of War. We will
now go back to the place we left and see
where Washington was. At the close of the year seventeen
seventy seven, he had been forced to leave New Jersey
in the hands of the King's troops. His own troops
were worn down by long and hard toil and had
need of rest. They were in want of clothes, too,
(00:42):
and could not keep warm in the tents. So he
sought out a place where they could build huts and
screen themselves from the cold, winds and storms. He chose
Valley Forge, which was on the west bank of the
Schoolkill River and a score of miles from Philadelphia. Sad
was the march of the troops to Valley Forge. Food
was scant, their clothes were worn out, and a track
(01:03):
of blood marked the way They trod. They had fought
hard but did not win, and this made their hearts low.
On December seventeenth they reached Valley Forge and had to
freeze in their tents till they could cut down the
trees and build the huts they were to live in.
The walls were six feet and a half high and
were made of logs filled in with clay. The roofs
(01:24):
were made of logs split in half. No pen can
paint the hard lot of those poor men shut in
at Valley Forge. For some days they had no meat.
For three days they had no bread. Some of the
men had to sit up all night by the fires,
as there were no clothes for their beds, and they
could not sleep for the cold. Some of the men
(01:46):
were so scant of clothes that they could not leave
their huts. Wash ing Ton was kept short of funds
and of troops, Though he pled hard for both and
was sore pressed on all sides, he scarce knew what
to do. There was but one thing he could do,
and that was to wait while his troops were in
this sad plight, some of them sick unto death. The
(02:09):
Red Coats, who held Philadelphia in siege led a gay
sort of life, and were much at their ease. Near
the first of March, a German came to Washington's camp
to lend him his aid. His name was Baron Steuben.
He had fought for long years in the wars that
had been waged in Europe, and had been aide to
(02:30):
camp to Frederick the Great, and had won much fame
by his brave deeds. The French, who were friends to
our cause, knew that we had need of such a
man as Baron Steuben, and urged him to come to America,
and he was at once sent to join the troops
at Valley Forge. Our troops had had no chance to drill.
(02:50):
There was no one to teach them, and they had
fought with a rush and a dash, and in a
pell mell sort of way. Steuben went to work to
drill these men, the best of whom had much to learn,
and he found it a hard task at first, as
he could not speak our tongue. At last a man
was found who spoke French, and him Steuben made his
(03:13):
aid de camp and kept him close at hand. The
men were slow to learn, for the drills were new
to them, and Steuben would get wroth with them and
call them blockheads and all sorts of hard names. But
though he had a sharp tongue and was quick to
get in a rage, he had a kind, true heart
and soon won the love of the men. For eight
(03:34):
months the Redcoats had held Philadelphia. In the spring, General
Howe went home and left his troops in charge of
Sir Henry Clinton, who made up his mind to lead
the troops back to New York, but he did not
wish his plans to be known. In the meantime, Washington
knew that a scheme of some sort was on foot,
so he sent troops out to check the King's troops
(03:56):
should they move by land. The Red Coats left Philadelphia
on June eighteenth, and as there was but one road
for them to take, their train stretched out for twelve miles.
They made a halt at Allentown, and Clinton had not
quite made up his mind which way to go from
that place. He at first thought he would go as
(04:16):
far as the Reridan River and then ship his troops
to New York, But when he found that our troops
were not far off, he turned to the right and
took the road to Monmouth. His march was a slow one,
the heat was great, the rains made the roads bad,
and they had to stop to bridge the streams and
to build causeways so that they could cross the swamps. Washington,
(04:39):
in the meantime had gone on to Kingston, but as
soon as he learned Clinton's course, he moved his troops
so as to get in the rear of the Red Coats.
On the night of June twenty seventh, the Foe went
in camp on the high ground near Mammouth court House.
The vanguard of our troops was five miles off and
in charge of General Lee. At day break, the vanguard
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of the Redcoats set forth down the hill, while Clinton,
with his choice troops stayed in camp on the heights
of Freehold, to give the long train of carts and
pack mules a chance to get well on the way.
At eight o'clock all were in line of march to Middletown.
As soon as Lee heard that the Foe were on
the move, he set out to meet them, and was
(05:22):
joined by the troops in charge of Lafayette. As Lee
stood on one of the hills, he caught sight of
a band of Redcoats hid somewhat by the woods, which
he thought was part of the main force, so he
sent some of his troops to draw their fire and
check them in the rear, while he, with the rest
of his force, would take a short cut through the woods,
get in front of the core, and cut it off
(05:44):
from the main force. Washington was on his way with
his main force when the boom of big guns rang
out on the air. The sound caused him to change
his pace to a quick step, and when he drew
near Freehold Church, where the road forked, he sent Green
with part of his forced to the right, while he,
with the rest of the troops took the left hand road.
(06:05):
Washington stood on the ground with his arm thrown up
on the neck of his horse. When a man rode
up and said the Blue Coats were in flight. Washington
was vexed, for he was quite sure it was not true.
Then came one with fife in hand, quite out of
breath and in great fright. He was seized at once
(06:25):
so that he would not scare the troops then on
their way, and told that he would be flogged if
he dared to spread the tale he had brought. Washington
sprang on his horse and sent men out to learn
the truth while he spurred past the Freehold church. The
news seemed too strange to be true. He had heard
but a few guns and did not think there had
(06:46):
been much of a fight. Was Lee to blame for
this wrong move? He feared, so as he reached the
high ground, he saw Lee and his men in full flight,
and by this time he was in a fine rage.
What do you mean by this? He asked in a fierce,
stern tone, as Lee rode up to him. At sight
of Washington's face, Lee was struck dumb for a while,
(07:08):
but when he could speak, he tried to tell why
he thought it best to fall back. There was not
much time for a talk, as the foe was not
far off. The sight of their commander in chief put
a stop to the flight, and plans were at once
made to turn the luck. The place where they were
was good for a stand, as it was on high
ground which the foe could not reach but by a causeway.
(07:32):
Lee knew that Washington had lost faith in him, so
he held back and would give no aid to his chief.
Washington rode back to Lee in a calm mood and
said to him, will you keep command on this height
or not? If you will, I will go back to
the main force and have it formed on the next height.
Lee said it was all the same to him where
(07:53):
he was placed, that he would do just as Washington
said and not be the first to leave the ground. Soon,
when guns were heard on both sides, Lee and his men,
who were in the foreground made a brave stand, but
were at length forced to fall back. Lee brought off
his troops in good style, but the causeway that crossed
(08:13):
the swamps in front of our troops in charge of
Lord Stirling was the last to leave the ground. When
he had formed his men in line back of the swamp,
he rode up to Washington and said, here, sir, are
my troops. What do you wish me to do with them?
Washington saw that the men were worn out with long tramps,
hard fights, and the great heat, so he told Lee
(08:35):
to take them to the rear and call in all
those he might meet with who had fled from his ranks.
The foes sought to turn both our flanks, but were
checked by a sharp fire, and at length they gave
way and fell back to the ground where Lee had
been that morn. Here the woods and the swamps were
on their flanks, and their front could not be reached
(08:56):
but by the causeway. Great as was the risk, wash
Ington made up his mind to charge on the foe,
and this was his plan. General Poor was to move
round on their right, General Woodford on the left, while
the big guns shall gall them in front. But nights
set in ere they could act on this plan. Some
of the troops had sunk on the ground, and all
(09:19):
were in need of rest. Washington told them to lie
on their arms, just where they had chanced to be
when it grew dark, as he meant to go on
with the fight. At dawn of the next day, he
lay on his cloak at the foot of a tree,
and Lafayette lay near him. At daybreak, the beat of
drums roused them from their sleep, but the foe had
(09:39):
fled and had been so long on the way that
wash ing Ton could not hope to check them. Our
loss in the fight at Monmouth was sixty nine, while
two hundred fifty of the King's troops were left dead
on the field. Some of the troops on both sides
had died in the swamp, and some were found on
the edge of a stream that ran through it, where
worn out with their toils and weak from heat and thirst.
(10:03):
They had crawled to drink and die. Lee's pride had
been so hurt that he rode to wash ing Ton
in a way that he should not have done to
his commander in chief. And he was brought to court
by the Board of War and tried for his wrong deeds.
His guilt was proved, and he was told that he
could not serve for the next twelve months. He went
(10:24):
to his home in Virginia, where he led a queer
kind of life. His house was a mere shell and
had but one room, but lines were chalked on the floor,
and each space was used as if it was a
room by itself. Here was his bed, there were his books,
and in this space he kept all his horse gear.
(10:44):
And in that one he cooked and ate his meals.
With pen and with tongue. He strove to harm wash
ing Ton, whom his shafts failed to hurt, and who
spoke not an ill word of Lee. He liked him
as a friend, but did not think he was fit
to lead true to war. Lee died in the course
of four years, and on his death bed he thought
(11:05):
he was on the field of war, and his last
words were a call to his men to stand by
him for a year or two more. The strife was
kept up on the coast from Maine to Florida, and
both Red Coats and Red Skins took part in scenes
that chill the blood to read of. Houses were burnt
and land laid waste. Forts were stormed and seized from
(11:27):
our troops, whose force was too small to hold them.
Now and then there was a gain for our side.
But in spite of his ill luck, Washington held on
with a brave heart and would die at his post,
but would not yield. In the first part of the
year seventeen eighty, we find Washington in camp at Marristown,
with a lot of half fed and half clad troops.
(11:50):
No such cold had been known in this zone. The
Bay of New York froze so hard that the ships
of war that lay in it were ice bound. Food
was scant, and there was a lack of firewood. Washington
saw what a chance there was for a bold stroke,
but he had no funds with which to fit out
his troops or to move them to the coast. The
(12:12):
cost of war was great, and the gold was scarce.
He could not strike a big blow for New York
to wrest it from the hands of the foe, as
he might have done at this time had his troops
been well fed and well clad. But he would do
what he could in a small way. A bridge of
ice had formed TwixT New Jersey and Staten Island, so
(12:33):
Washington sent Lord Stirling with two thousand, five hundred men
to start up and seize a force of twelve hundred Redcoats.
His lordship crossed in the night, but was seen and
had to fall back to Elizabethtown. Some of his men
fell into the hands of the King's troops, and some
into the hands of Jack Frost. This raid gave a
(12:53):
start to the Foe, and they set out to tease
and veck our outposts, which they thought could be done
at small risk, as there was snow on the ground
and the troops could be borne on sleighs. Not far
from White Plains, and a score of miles from the
outpost of the Red Coats, three hundred of our men
had a post in a stone house known as Young's House,
(13:16):
and that was the name of the man who owned it.
It faced a road which ran north and south, down
through a rich plain, and so on to New York.
Our men kept a close watch on this road to
stop the Red Coats who might seek to pass with
food or live stock. The Red Coats made up their
mind to break up this nest of blue birds, and
(13:36):
the night of February second was set for the task.
The King's troops set out from King's Bridge, some in
sleighs and some on horseback. The snow was deep and
it was hard for the slaves to break their way through.
The troops at length left them and marched on foot.
They could not bring their field guns with them now
and then they would come to a place where the
(13:57):
snow was more than two feet deep, and they had
to take by ways and cross roads so as not
to get near our out guards. The sun rose while
they were yet six miles or more from Young's house.
This spoiled their plan, but still they kept on ere
they could reach the house. The news flew like wildfire
(14:17):
that the Red Coats were near, and men left their
farms and homes to aid those in Young's house. But
though they fought well, they had not strength to hold
the fort. Not a few were killed. The house was
sacked and set on fire, and the Red Coats made
haste to get back to their lines with those of
our men whom they had seized, and who were sent
(14:39):
to New York and put in the vile jails there.
In the year seventeen eighty France sent ships of war
and troops to aid our cause and to drive the
Red Coats from New York. The French troops were in
charge of Count de Rochambeau, who was told to do
just as wash Ington said, for he was commander in chief.
Washington's heart gave a throb of joy at this proof
(15:01):
of good will, and his grief was that he had
not more troops of his own to join with these,
that he might push for New York at once. He
must wait till the rest of the French troops, then
on their way, came to port. In the meantime, his
thoughts were turned to the south, where the Redcoats, led
by Cornwallis, waged a fierce war. Our troops there were
(15:23):
in charge of General Greene, who was full of cheer
and did his best to keep the foe at bay,
but with poor luck, as his force was small. But
Washington had faith in him. Yet such a large force
of the King's troops had been sent by sea to
aid Cornwallis that. Washington feared that green would not be safe,
so he wrote to Lafayette, who was on his way
(15:45):
to meet the French fleet that had been sent to
the Chesapeake Bay, to push on and join the troops
at the south. At this time, Washington was at a
place near West Point, and his whole force on the Hudson.
In May seventeen eighty one, not more than seven thousand,
half of whom were not fit to take the field. Here.
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Word came to him of feuds at the north, and
that the foe were in force on the north side
of Croton River. Colonel Delancey, who led this raid, held
the place that Andre had filled, and bore the same rank,
and Delancey's horsemen were the dread of all those who
dwelt in that part of the land. Our troops had
(16:25):
an outpost not far from Pines Bridge, in charge of
Colonel Greene of Rhode Island, who had served all through
the war. Delancey set out at night at the head
of a hundred men on horseback and two hundred on foot.
They crossed the Croton at daybreak just as the night
guard had been called off, and bore down on the outpost.
They first went to the farmhouse where Colonel green and
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Major Flags slept, and put a strong guard round it.
Major Flags sprang from his bed, threw up a sash,
and fired at the foe, but was shot through the
head and then hacked with sword cuts and thrusts. Then
they burst through the door of Greene's room. He was
a man of great strength, and for some time kept
the foes at bay with his sword, but at last
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he fell, for what could one man do in such
a fight. By the time the troops sent out by
Washington reached the post, Delancey's men had flown. They tried
to take green with them, but he died on the way,
and they left him at the edge of the woods.
Washington felt sad at heart when he had heard of
the death of his brave and true friend, Colonel Greene,
and the next day he had his corpse brought to
(17:31):
the west bank of the Hudson. Guns were fired to
tell that one who had fought well had gone to
his rest, and strong men shed tears as he was
laid in his grave, for his loss was a source
of great grief to all. End of Chapter thirteen,
Chapter thirteen, 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 thirteen, The Hardships of War. We will
now go back to the place we left and see
where Washington was. At the close of the year seventeen
seventy seven, he had been forced to leave New Jersey
in the hands of the King's troops. His own troops
were worn down by long and hard toil and had
need of rest. They were in want of clothes, too,
(00:42):
and could not keep warm in the tents. So he
sought out a place where they could build huts and
screen themselves from the cold, winds and storms. He chose
Valley Forge, which was on the west bank of the
Schoolkill River and a score of miles from Philadelphia. Sad
was the march of the troops to Valley Forge. Food
was scant, their clothes were worn out, and a track
(01:03):
of blood marked the way They trod. They had fought
hard but did not win, and this made their hearts low.
On December seventeenth they reached Valley Forge and had to
freeze in their tents till they could cut down the
trees and build the huts they were to live in.
The walls were six feet and a half high and
were made of logs filled in with clay. The roofs
(01:24):
were made of logs split in half. No pen can
paint the hard lot of those poor men shut in
at Valley Forge. For some days they had no meat.
For three days they had no bread. Some of the
men had to sit up all night by the fires,
as there were no clothes for their beds, and they
could not sleep for the cold. Some of the men
(01:46):
were so scant of clothes that they could not leave
their huts. Wash ing Ton was kept short of funds
and of troops, Though he pled hard for both and
was sore pressed on all sides, he scarce knew what
to do. There was but one thing he could do,
and that was to wait while his troops were in
this sad plight, some of them sick unto death. The
(02:09):
Red Coats, who held Philadelphia in siege led a gay
sort of life, and were much at their ease. Near
the first of March, a German came to Washington's camp
to lend him his aid. His name was Baron Steuben.
He had fought for long years in the wars that
had been waged in Europe, and had been aide to
(02:30):
camp to Frederick the Great, and had won much fame
by his brave deeds. The French, who were friends to
our cause, knew that we had need of such a
man as Baron Steuben, and urged him to come to America,
and he was at once sent to join the troops
at Valley Forge. Our troops had had no chance to drill.
(02:50):
There was no one to teach them, and they had
fought with a rush and a dash, and in a
pell mell sort of way. Steuben went to work to
drill these men, the best of whom had much to learn,
and he found it a hard task at first, as
he could not speak our tongue. At last a man
was found who spoke French, and him Steuben made his
(03:13):
aid de camp and kept him close at hand. The
men were slow to learn, for the drills were new
to them, and Steuben would get wroth with them and
call them blockheads and all sorts of hard names. But
though he had a sharp tongue and was quick to
get in a rage, he had a kind, true heart
and soon won the love of the men. For eight
(03:34):
months the Redcoats had held Philadelphia. In the spring, General
Howe went home and left his troops in charge of
Sir Henry Clinton, who made up his mind to lead
the troops back to New York, but he did not
wish his plans to be known. In the meantime, Washington
knew that a scheme of some sort was on foot,
so he sent troops out to check the King's troops
(03:56):
should they move by land. The Red Coats left Philadelphia
on June eighteenth, and as there was but one road
for them to take, their train stretched out for twelve miles.
They made a halt at Allentown, and Clinton had not
quite made up his mind which way to go from
that place. He at first thought he would go as
(04:16):
far as the Reridan River and then ship his troops
to New York, But when he found that our troops
were not far off, he turned to the right and
took the road to Monmouth. His march was a slow one,
the heat was great, the rains made the roads bad,
and they had to stop to bridge the streams and
to build causeways so that they could cross the swamps. Washington,
(04:39):
in the meantime had gone on to Kingston, but as
soon as he learned Clinton's course, he moved his troops
so as to get in the rear of the Red Coats.
On the night of June twenty seventh, the Foe went
in camp on the high ground near Mammouth court House.
The vanguard of our troops was five miles off and
in charge of General Lee. At day break, the vanguard
(05:01):
of the Redcoats set forth down the hill, while Clinton,
with his choice troops stayed in camp on the heights
of Freehold, to give the long train of carts and
pack mules a chance to get well on the way.
At eight o'clock all were in line of march to Middletown.
As soon as Lee heard that the Foe were on
the move, he set out to meet them, and was
(05:22):
joined by the troops in charge of Lafayette. As Lee
stood on one of the hills, he caught sight of
a band of Redcoats hid somewhat by the woods, which
he thought was part of the main force, so he
sent some of his troops to draw their fire and
check them in the rear, while he, with the rest
of his force, would take a short cut through the woods,
get in front of the core, and cut it off
(05:44):
from the main force. Washington was on his way with
his main force when the boom of big guns rang
out on the air. The sound caused him to change
his pace to a quick step, and when he drew
near Freehold Church, where the road forked, he sent Green
with part of his forced to the right, while he,
with the rest of the troops took the left hand road.
(06:05):
Washington stood on the ground with his arm thrown up
on the neck of his horse. When a man rode
up and said the Blue Coats were in flight. Washington
was vexed, for he was quite sure it was not true.
Then came one with fife in hand, quite out of
breath and in great fright. He was seized at once
(06:25):
so that he would not scare the troops then on
their way, and told that he would be flogged if
he dared to spread the tale he had brought. Washington
sprang on his horse and sent men out to learn
the truth while he spurred past the Freehold church. The
news seemed too strange to be true. He had heard
but a few guns and did not think there had
(06:46):
been much of a fight. Was Lee to blame for
this wrong move? He feared, so as he reached the
high ground, he saw Lee and his men in full flight,
and by this time he was in a fine rage.
What do you mean by this? He asked in a fierce,
stern tone, as Lee rode up to him. At sight
of Washington's face, Lee was struck dumb for a while,
(07:08):
but when he could speak, he tried to tell why
he thought it best to fall back. There was not
much time for a talk, as the foe was not
far off. The sight of their commander in chief put
a stop to the flight, and plans were at once
made to turn the luck. The place where they were
was good for a stand, as it was on high
ground which the foe could not reach but by a causeway.
(07:32):
Lee knew that Washington had lost faith in him, so
he held back and would give no aid to his chief.
Washington rode back to Lee in a calm mood and
said to him, will you keep command on this height
or not? If you will, I will go back to
the main force and have it formed on the next height.
Lee said it was all the same to him where
(07:53):
he was placed, that he would do just as Washington
said and not be the first to leave the ground. Soon,
when guns were heard on both sides, Lee and his men,
who were in the foreground made a brave stand, but
were at length forced to fall back. Lee brought off
his troops in good style, but the causeway that crossed
(08:13):
the swamps in front of our troops in charge of
Lord Stirling was the last to leave the ground. When
he had formed his men in line back of the swamp,
he rode up to Washington and said, here, sir, are
my troops. What do you wish me to do with them?
Washington saw that the men were worn out with long tramps,
hard fights, and the great heat, so he told Lee
(08:35):
to take them to the rear and call in all
those he might meet with who had fled from his ranks.
The foes sought to turn both our flanks, but were
checked by a sharp fire, and at length they gave
way and fell back to the ground where Lee had
been that morn. Here the woods and the swamps were
on their flanks, and their front could not be reached
(08:56):
but by the causeway. Great as was the risk, wash
Ington made up his mind to charge on the foe,
and this was his plan. General Poor was to move
round on their right, General Woodford on the left, while
the big guns shall gall them in front. But nights
set in ere they could act on this plan. Some
of the troops had sunk on the ground, and all
(09:19):
were in need of rest. Washington told them to lie
on their arms, just where they had chanced to be
when it grew dark, as he meant to go on
with the fight. At dawn of the next day, he
lay on his cloak at the foot of a tree,
and Lafayette lay near him. At daybreak, the beat of
drums roused them from their sleep, but the foe had
(09:39):
fled and had been so long on the way that
wash ing Ton could not hope to check them. Our
loss in the fight at Monmouth was sixty nine, while
two hundred fifty of the King's troops were left dead
on the field. Some of the troops on both sides
had died in the swamp, and some were found on
the edge of a stream that ran through it, where
worn out with their toils and weak from heat and thirst.
(10:03):
They had crawled to drink and die. Lee's pride had
been so hurt that he rode to wash ing Ton
in a way that he should not have done to
his commander in chief. And he was brought to court
by the Board of War and tried for his wrong deeds.
His guilt was proved, and he was told that he
could not serve for the next twelve months. He went
(10:24):
to his home in Virginia, where he led a queer
kind of life. His house was a mere shell and
had but one room, but lines were chalked on the floor,
and each space was used as if it was a
room by itself. Here was his bed, there were his books,
and in this space he kept all his horse gear.
(10:44):
And in that one he cooked and ate his meals.
With pen and with tongue. He strove to harm wash
ing Ton, whom his shafts failed to hurt, and who
spoke not an ill word of Lee. He liked him
as a friend, but did not think he was fit
to lead true to war. Lee died in the course
of four years, and on his death bed he thought
(11:05):
he was on the field of war, and his last
words were a call to his men to stand by
him for a year or two more. The strife was
kept up on the coast from Maine to Florida, and
both Red Coats and Red Skins took part in scenes
that chill the blood to read of. Houses were burnt
and land laid waste. Forts were stormed and seized from
(11:27):
our troops, whose force was too small to hold them.
Now and then there was a gain for our side.
But in spite of his ill luck, Washington held on
with a brave heart and would die at his post,
but would not yield. In the first part of the
year seventeen eighty, we find Washington in camp at Marristown,
with a lot of half fed and half clad troops.
(11:50):
No such cold had been known in this zone. The
Bay of New York froze so hard that the ships
of war that lay in it were ice bound. Food
was scant, and there was a lack of firewood. Washington
saw what a chance there was for a bold stroke,
but he had no funds with which to fit out
his troops or to move them to the coast. The
(12:12):
cost of war was great, and the gold was scarce.
He could not strike a big blow for New York
to wrest it from the hands of the foe, as
he might have done at this time had his troops
been well fed and well clad. But he would do
what he could in a small way. A bridge of
ice had formed TwixT New Jersey and Staten Island, so
(12:33):
Washington sent Lord Stirling with two thousand, five hundred men
to start up and seize a force of twelve hundred Redcoats.
His lordship crossed in the night, but was seen and
had to fall back to Elizabethtown. Some of his men
fell into the hands of the King's troops, and some
into the hands of Jack Frost. This raid gave a
(12:53):
start to the Foe, and they set out to tease
and veck our outposts, which they thought could be done
at small risk, as there was snow on the ground
and the troops could be borne on sleighs. Not far
from White Plains, and a score of miles from the
outpost of the Red Coats, three hundred of our men
had a post in a stone house known as Young's House,
(13:16):
and that was the name of the man who owned it.
It faced a road which ran north and south, down
through a rich plain, and so on to New York.
Our men kept a close watch on this road to
stop the Red Coats who might seek to pass with
food or live stock. The Red Coats made up their
mind to break up this nest of blue birds, and
(13:36):
the night of February second was set for the task.
The King's troops set out from King's Bridge, some in
sleighs and some on horseback. The snow was deep and
it was hard for the slaves to break their way through.
The troops at length left them and marched on foot.
They could not bring their field guns with them now
and then they would come to a place where the
(13:57):
snow was more than two feet deep, and they had
to take by ways and cross roads so as not
to get near our out guards. The sun rose while
they were yet six miles or more from Young's house.
This spoiled their plan, but still they kept on ere
they could reach the house. The news flew like wildfire
(14:17):
that the Red Coats were near, and men left their
farms and homes to aid those in Young's house. But
though they fought well, they had not strength to hold
the fort. Not a few were killed. The house was
sacked and set on fire, and the Red Coats made
haste to get back to their lines with those of
our men whom they had seized, and who were sent
(14:39):
to New York and put in the vile jails there.
In the year seventeen eighty France sent ships of war
and troops to aid our cause and to drive the
Red Coats from New York. The French troops were in
charge of Count de Rochambeau, who was told to do
just as wash Ington said, for he was commander in chief.
Washington's heart gave a throb of joy at this proof
(15:01):
of good will, and his grief was that he had
not more troops of his own to join with these,
that he might push for New York at once. He
must wait till the rest of the French troops, then
on their way, came to port. In the meantime, his
thoughts were turned to the south, where the Redcoats, led
by Cornwallis, waged a fierce war. Our troops there were
(15:23):
in charge of General Greene, who was full of cheer
and did his best to keep the foe at bay,
but with poor luck, as his force was small. But
Washington had faith in him. Yet such a large force
of the King's troops had been sent by sea to
aid Cornwallis that. Washington feared that green would not be safe,
so he wrote to Lafayette, who was on his way
(15:45):
to meet the French fleet that had been sent to
the Chesapeake Bay, to push on and join the troops
at the south. At this time, Washington was at a
place near West Point, and his whole force on the Hudson.
In May seventeen eighty one, not more than seven thousand,
half of whom were not fit to take the field. Here.
(16:05):
Word came to him of feuds at the north, and
that the foe were in force on the north side
of Croton River. Colonel Delancey, who led this raid, held
the place that Andre had filled, and bore the same rank,
and Delancey's horsemen were the dread of all those who
dwelt in that part of the land. Our troops had
(16:25):
an outpost not far from Pines Bridge, in charge of
Colonel Greene of Rhode Island, who had served all through
the war. Delancey set out at night at the head
of a hundred men on horseback and two hundred on foot.
They crossed the Croton at daybreak just as the night
guard had been called off, and bore down on the outpost.
They first went to the farmhouse where Colonel green and
(16:48):
Major Flags slept, and put a strong guard round it.
Major Flags sprang from his bed, threw up a sash,
and fired at the foe, but was shot through the
head and then hacked with sword cuts and thrusts. Then
they burst through the door of Greene's room. He was
a man of great strength, and for some time kept
the foes at bay with his sword, but at last
(17:09):
he fell, for what could one man do in such
a fight. By the time the troops sent out by
Washington reached the post, Delancey's men had flown. They tried
to take green with them, but he died on the way,
and they left him at the edge of the woods.
Washington felt sad at heart when he had heard of
the death of his brave and true friend, Colonel Greene,
and the next day he had his corpse brought to
(17:31):
the west bank of the Hudson. Guns were fired to
tell that one who had fought well had gone to
his rest, and strong men shed tears as he was
laid in his grave, for his loss was a source
of great grief to all. End of Chapter thirteen,
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