The Home and State (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 6, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 1, 1906 Page: 7 of 24
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7
THE HOME AND STATE
April 1906
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another man? No, I'll give him an-
other chance.”
Seymour picked up the book the
general had been reading. It was the
Bible, and open at the twenty-second
chapter of the Book of Joshua. His
eye feel full upon the twenty-second
verse, which was marked. “The Lord
God of gods, the Lord God of gods,
he knoweth, and Israel he shall
know; if it be in rebellion, or if in
transgression against the Lord, (save
us not this day.)”
Just then the little daughter of
Keith, the owner of the farmhouse at
which they were staying, entered the
room. As the little miss came up
fearlessly to the general, he stopped
and smiled down at her.
“Father and mother wish to know
if you will want supper tonight, sir?”
“No, my little maid,” he replied;
“not here, at any rate. And which
do you like the better now, the Red-
coats or the Continentals?”
“The Redcoats, sir, they have such
pretty clothes,” said the nascent wo-
man.
“Ah, my dear,” he replied blithely,
catching her up in his arms and kis-
sing her the while, “they look better,
but they don’t fight. The ragged fel-
lows are the boys for fighting.”
“Singular man!” mused Seymour,
contrasting the outbreak of wrath at
the recalcitrant officer, the open Bible
he had been reading, and the last
merry, tender greeting to the child.
But his musings were interrupted by
the general himself, speaking.
“General Greene, you would better
ride over to the landing and place
the different brigades; take Hamilton
with you, and perhaps General Knox
will go also to look out for the artil-
lery. The brigades were to start at
three o’clock for McConkey’s Ford,
and the nearest of them should be
there now. We shall move in two di-
visions after we leave Birmingham on
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winter. The sky was cloudless, how-
ever, and there was a bright moon.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Lieutenant Martin’s Lesson.
As they rode along slowly, the
general explained his plans. General
Howe had pursued him relentlessly
through the Jerseys, until he had
crossed into Pennsylvania, only es-
caping further pursuit and certain
defeat because he had had the fore-
thought to seize every boat upon the
Delaware and its tributaries for
miles in every direction, and bring
them with his army to the west bank
of the river, so that Howe was un-
able to cross. The English general
had threatened, however, to wait un-
til the river was frozen and then
cross on the ice, and after brushing
aside the miserable remains of Wash-
ington’s army, march on to Phila-
delphia and establish himself in the
rebel capital. Making that most ser-
ious of mistakes for a military man
of dispising his opponents, Howe had
scattered his army, for convenience
in quartering, in various small de-
tachments along the river. The small
American army, supplemented by the
Pennsylvania militia, had been plac-
ed opposite the different fords from
Yardley to New Hope, to hold the
enemy in check in case an attempt
should be made to force a crossing.
The fortunes of the country were
at the lowest ebb. Bur there was to
be a speedy reversal of conditions,
and the world was to learn how dan-
gerous a man was leading the Con-
tinental troops. Washington, to whom
a retreat was as hateful as it had
been necessary, had long meditated
an attack whenever any chance what-
ever of success might present itself.
The necessity for a change was ap-
parent, not merely for the material
result which would flow from a vic-
Continued on Page 15
)4
42,)
the other side. I wish you to com-
mand the first one, which will com-
prise the brigades of Sterling, Mer-
cer, and De Fermoy, with Hand’s
riflemen and Hausegger’s Germans
and Forest’s battery. I shall accom-
pany your column. General Sullivan
will take the second division, with
Sargeant’s and St. Clair’s brigades,
and Glover’s Marblehead men, and
Stark’s New Hampshire riflemen.
The two columns will divide at Birm-
ingham. You will take the east, or
inland road, and Sullivan that by the
river. Have you that order I spoke
of for the troops, Mr. Hamilton? If
so, you will give a copy of it to Gen-
eral Greene, who will publish it to
the troops as soon as they arrive.
Captain Morris, I think you would
better go also. You will muster your
troop; the men will have returned
from carrying my orders to the differ-
ent brigades, and can be assembled
once more. I desire you to attend
my person tonight as our only cav-
alry. Talbot, you would better go
with General Greene; you also mar-
quis, so that you can be with your
friend Captain Hamilton. The rest
of us will follow you shortly.”
The officers designated bowed, and
in a few moments were on the road.
The officers left at the headquarters
were speedily busy with their neces-
sary duties, and Seymour and his two
companions, one of whom, the boat-
swain, was most unfamiliar witn and
uncomfortable upon a horse, were
able to get a couple of hours of need-
ed rest before starting out upon what
they felt would be an arduous journ-
ey. About half after six o’clock the
signal to mount was given, and the
whole party, led by the general him-
self, and followed by the ragged
guard, was soon upon the road.
It was intensely cold, and the night
bade fair to be the severest of the
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and her lading, and the sinking of the
Juno and the wreck of the English
frigate; it will hearten the men for
our enterprise tonight. As for you,
Mr. Seymour, I shall use what little
influence I may be able to exert to
get you a ship at once; meantime, as
we contemplate attacking the enemy
at last, I shall be glad to offer you a
position as volunteer on my staff for
a few days, if your duties will permit.
And to you, Philip, let me be a father
indeed—my poor boy! As for you,
boatswain, what can I do for you?”
“Nothing, your honor, nothing, sir.
You have shaken me by the hand, and
that’s enough.” The old man hesitat-
ed, and then, seeing only kindness in
the general’s face, for the old sailor
attracted and pleased him, he went
on softly: “Ay, love’s a mighty thing,
your honor; we knows it, we old men.
And love of woman’s strong, they say,
but these boys have shown us that
something else is stronger.”
“And what is that, pray, my
friend?”
“Love of country, sir,” said Bentley,
in the silence.
CHAPTER XXII.
Washington—a Man With Human
Passions.
Half an hour later, after the four
travellers had taken some refresh-
ments, hasty steps were heard out-
side the door, followed by the sentry’s
hail.
“Ah!” said the general, looking up
eagerly from the book he had been
reading, “perhaps that is Mr. Martin
with news from the enemy.” Then
laying aside his book, he rose to his
feet to meet the new-comer, who
proved to be the man he had expect-
ed. The young man stood at atten-
tion and' saluted, while the general
addressed him sharply,—
“Well, sir, what have you learned?”
The young officer appeared ex-
fact is, sir, nothing at all,” he stam-
mered.
“Nothing!” said the general, loud-
ly, with rising heat, “nothing, sir!
Did you not cross the river as I di-
rected you?”
“No, sir. That is, I tried to, but
there was so much floating ice, and
it was so difficult to manage a boat
that I thought it would be hardly
worth while to attempt it, sir. In
fact, the crossing is impracticable for
troops,” he went on more confident-
ly; but his face changed as he look-
ed up at his infuriated superior. The
general was a picture of wrath; the
lines in his forehead standing out
plainly, his mouth shut more tightly
and grimly than ever. It was evi-
dent that he was furiously angry,
and his face had in it something ter-
rible from his rage. The young offi-
cer stood before him now, white and
frightened to death.
“I saw him this way at Kip’s Land-
ing,” whispered Hamilton to Sey-
mour. “Look! he has lost control of
himself completely, there will be an
explosion sure.”
The general struggled for a mom-
ent, and then broke away.
“Impracticable, sir! impracticable!”
he roared out in a voice of thunder.
“How dare you say what this army
can or can not do! And what do you
mean by not crossing the river and
ascertaining the facts I desire to
konw!” The next moment he step-
ped forward and, seizing a heavy
leaden inkstand from the table near
him, threw it with all his force full
at the man, crying fiercely,—
“Damnation, sir! Be off and send
me a man.”
The officer dodged the missile,
which struck the wall with a crash,
saluted, and ran out of the door as
if his life depended on it; feeling in
his heart that he would face any
danger rather than brave another
storm of wrath like that he had just
sustained. The general continued to
pace up and down the room restless-
ly for a few moments, until he recov-
ered his composure.
“I depended upon that information,
and I must have it,” he soliloquized.
“If that man does not bring it back
to us before we cross the river, I’ll
have him cashiered. Shall I send
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Rankin, George C. The Home and State (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 6, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 1, 1906, periodical, April 1, 1906; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1569407/m1/7/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Library and Archives Commission.