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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Stories of Later American History, by Wilbur
+F. Gordy
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Stories of Later American History
+
+
+Author: Wilbur F. Gordy
+
+
+
+Release Date: June 19, 2006  [eBook #18618]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES OF LATER AMERICAN
+HISTORY***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, and the Project Gutenberg
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 18618-h.htm or 18618-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/6/1/18618/18618-h/18618-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/6/1/18618/18618-h.zip)
+
+
+Transcriber's note
+
+      There are a few phonetic descriptions:
+      ' is a stress mark,
+      [=e] is an e-with-macron
+      and [=a] is an a-with-macron.
+
+
+
+
+
+STORIES OF LATER AMERICAN HISTORY
+
+by
+
+WILBUR F. GORDY
+
+Formerly Superintendent of Schools, Springfield, Mass.; Author of "A
+History of the United States for Schools," "Elementary History of the
+United States," "American Leaders and Heroes," "American Beginnings in
+Europe," "Stories of American Explorers," "Colonial Days," and "Stories
+of Early American History"
+
+With Maps and Illustrations
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Pioneers on the Overland Route, Westward.]
+
+
+
+
+Charles Scribner's Sons
+New York      Chicago         Boston
+Copyright, 1915, by Charles Scribner's Sons
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+This book, like "Stories of Early American History," follows somewhat
+closely the course of study prepared by the Committee of Eight, the
+present volume covering the topics outlined for Grade V, while the earlier
+one includes the material suggested for Grade IV.
+
+It was the plan of that committee to take up in these grades, largely in a
+biographical way, a great part of the essential facts of American history;
+and with this plan the author, who was a member of that committee, was in
+hearty accord. This method, it is believed, serves a double purpose. In
+the first place, it is the best possible way of laying the foundation for
+the later and more detailed study of United States history in the higher
+grammar grades by those pupils who are to continue in school; and in the
+second, it gives to that large number of pupils who will leave school
+before the end of the sixth grade--which is at least half of all the boys
+and girls in the schools of the country--some acquaintance with the
+leading men and prominent events of American history.
+
+It is without doubt a great mistake to allow half of the pupils to go out
+from our public schools with almost no knowledge of the moral and material
+forces which have made this nation what it is to-day. It is an injustice
+to the young people themselves; it is also an injury to their country, the
+vigor of whose life will depend much upon their intelligent and patriotic
+support.
+
+With this conviction, it has been the author's desire to make the story of
+the events concrete, dramatic, and lifelike by centring them about
+leaders, heroes, and other representative men, in such a way as to appeal
+to the imagination and to influence the ideals of the child. In so doing,
+he has made no attempt to write organized history--tracing out its
+intricate relations of cause and effect. At the same time, however, he has
+aimed to select his facts and events so carefully that the spirit of our
+national life and institutions, as well as many of the typical events of
+American history, may be presented.
+
+It is confidently hoped that the fine illustrations and the attractive
+typographical features of the book will help to bring vividly before the
+mind of the child the events narrated in the text.
+
+Another aid in making the stories vivid will, it is intended, be found in
+"Some Things to Think About." These and many similar questions, which the
+teacher can easily frame to fit the needs of her class, will help the
+pupil to make real the life of days gone by as well as to connect it with
+the present time and with his own life.
+
+In conclusion, I wish to acknowledge my deep obligations to Mr. Forrest
+Morgan, of the Watkinson Library, Hartford, and to Miss Elizabeth P. Peck,
+of the Hartford Public High School, both of whom have read the manuscript
+and have made many valuable criticisms and suggestions.
+
+                                                     WILBUR F. GORDY.
+
+HARTFORD, CONN.,
+April 15, 1915.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER
+
+     I. PATRICK HENRY
+    II. SAMUEL ADAMS
+   III. THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON
+    IV. GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION
+     V. NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES IN THE SOUTH
+    VI. JOHN PAUL JONES
+   VII. DANIEL BOONE
+  VIII. JAMES ROBERTSON
+    IX. JOHN SEVIER
+     X. GEORGE ROGERS CLARK
+    XI. THE NEW REPUBLIC
+   XII. INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
+  XIII. INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
+   XIV. THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER
+    XV. THREE GREAT STATESMEN
+   XVI. THE CIVIL WAR
+  XVII. FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES
+        INDEX
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+  Pioneers on the Overland Route, Westward
+  George III
+  Patrick Henry
+  Patrick Henry Delivering His Speech in the Virginia House of
+          Burgesses
+  William Pitt
+  St. John's Church, Richmond
+  Samuel Adams
+  Patriots in New York Destroying Stamps Intended for Use in
+          Connecticut
+  Faneuil Hall, Boston
+  Old South Church, Boston
+  The "Boston Tea Party"
+  Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia
+  John Hancock
+  John Hancock's Home, Boston
+  A Minuteman
+  Old North Church
+  Paul Revere's Ride
+  Monument on Lexington Common Marking the Line of the Minutemen
+  Concord Bridge
+  President Langdon, the President of Harvard College, Praying for the
+          Bunker Hill Entrenching Party on Cambridge Common Just
+          Before Their Departure
+  Prescott at Bunker Hill
+  Bunker Hill Monument
+  George Washington
+  Washington, Henry, and Pendleton on the Way to Congress at
+          Philadelphia
+  The Washington Elm at Cambridge, under which Washington took Command
+          of the Army
+  Sir William Howe
+  Thomas Jefferson Looking Over the Rough Draught of the Declaration
+          of Independence
+  The Retreat from Long Island
+  Nathan Hale
+  British and Hessian Soldiers
+  Powder-Horn, Bullet-Flask, and Buckshot-Pouch Used in the Revolution
+  General Burgoyne Surrendering to General Gates
+  Marquis de Lafayette
+  Lafayette Offering His Services to Franklin
+  Winter at Valley Forge
+  Nathanael Greene
+  The Meeting of Greene and Gates upon Greene's Assuming Command
+  Daniel Morgan
+  Francis Marion
+  Marion Surprising a British Wagon-Train
+  John Paul Jones
+  Battle Between the Ranger and the Drake
+  The Fight Between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis
+  Daniel Boone
+  Boone's Escape from the Indians
+  Boonesborough
+  Boone Throwing Tobacco into the Eyes of the Indians Who Had Come to
+          Capture Him
+  James Robertson
+  Living-Room of the Early Settler
+  Grinding Indian Corn
+  A Kentucky Pioneer's Cabin
+  John Sevier
+  A Barbecue of 1780
+  Battle of King's Mountain
+  George Rogers Clark
+  Clark on the Way to Kaskaskia
+  Clark's Surprise at Kaskaskia
+  Wampum Peace Belt
+  Clark's Advance on Vincennes
+  George Washington
+  Washington's Home, Mount Vernon
+  Tribute Rendered to Washington at Trenton
+  Washington Taking the Oath of Office as First President, at Federal
+          Hall, New York City
+  Washington's Inaugural Chair
+  Eli Whitney
+  Whitney's Cotton-Gin
+  A Colonial Planter
+  A Slave Settlement
+  Thomas Jefferson
+  "Monticello," the Home of Jefferson
+  A Rice-Field in Louisiana
+  A Flatboat on the Ohio River
+  House in New Orleans Where Louis Philippe Stopped in 1798
+  A Public Building in New Orleans Built in 1794
+  Meriwether Lewis
+  William Clark
+  Buffalo Hunted by Indians
+  The Lewis and Clark Expedition Working Its Way Westward
+  Andrew Jackson
+  "The Hermitage," the Home of Andrew Jackson
+  Fighting the Seminole Indians, under Jackson
+  Robert Fulton
+  Fulton's First Experiment with Paddle-Wheels
+  The "Clermont" in Duplicate at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 1909
+  The Opening of the Erie Canal in 1825
+  The Ceremony Called "The Marriage of the Waters"
+  Erie Canal on the Right and Aqueduct over the Mohawk River, New York
+  "Tom Thumb," Peter Cooper's Locomotive Working Model, First Used
+          near Baltimore in 1830
+  Railroad Poster of 1843
+  Comparison of "DeWitt Clinton" Locomotive and Train, the First Train
+          Operated in New York, with a Modern Locomotive of the New
+          York Central R.R.
+  S.F.B. Morse
+  The First Telegraph Instrument
+  Modern Telegraph Office
+  The Operation of the Modern Railroad is Dependent upon the Telegraph
+  Sam Houston
+  Flag of the Republic of Texas
+  David Crockett
+  The Fight at the Alamo
+  John C. Fremont
+  Fremont's Expedition Crossing the Rocky Mountains
+  Kit Carson
+  Sutter's Mill
+  Placer-Mining in the Days of the California Gold Rush
+  John C. Calhoun
+  Calhoun's Office and Library
+  Henry Clay
+  The Birthplace of Henry Clay, near Richmond
+  The Schoolhouse in "the Slashes"
+  Daniel Webster
+  The Home of Daniel Webster, Marshfield, Mass.
+  Henry Clay Addressing the United States Senate in 1850
+  Abraham Lincoln
+  Lincoln's Birthplace
+  Lincoln Studying by Firelight
+  Lincoln Splitting Rails
+  Lincoln as a Boatman
+  Lincoln Visiting Wounded Soldiers
+  Robert E. Lee
+  Lee's Home at Arlington, Virginia
+  Jefferson Davis
+  Thomas J. Jackson
+  A Confederate Flag
+  J.E.B. Stuart
+  Confederate Soldiers
+  Union Soldiers
+  Ulysses S. Grant
+  Grant's Birthplace, Point Pleasant, Ohio
+  General and Mrs. Grant with Their Son at City Point, Virginia
+  William Tecumseh Sherman
+  Sherman's March to the Sea
+  Philip H. Sheridan
+  Sheridan Rallying His Troops
+  The McLean House Where Lee Surrendered
+  General Lee on His Horse, Traveller
+  Cotton-Field in Blossom
+  A Wheat-Field
+  Grain-Elevators at Buffalo
+  Cattle on the Western Plains
+  Iron Smelters
+  Iron Ore Ready for Shipment
+
+
+
+
+MAPS
+
+
+  Boston and Vicinity
+  The War in the Middle States
+  The War in the South
+  Early Settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee
+  George Rogers Clark in the Northwest
+  The United States in 1803, after the Louisiana Purchase (Colored)
+  Jackson's Campaign
+  Scene of Houston's Campaign
+  Fremont's Western Explorations
+  Map of the United States Showing First and Second Secession
+    Areas (Colored)
+  Route of Sherman's March to the Sea
+  The Country Around Washington and Richmond
+
+
+
+
+STORIES OF LATER AMERICAN HISTORY
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+PATRICK HENRY
+
+
+The Last French War had cost England so much that at its close she was
+heavily in debt.
+
+"As England must now send to America a standing army of at least ten
+thousand men to protect the colonies against the Indians and other
+enemies," the King, George III, reasoned, "it is only fair that the
+colonists should pay a part of the cost of supporting it."
+
+The English Parliament, being largely made up of the King's friends, was
+quite ready to carry out his wishes, and passed a law taxing the
+colonists. This law was called the Stamp Act. It provided that
+stamps--very much like our postage-stamps, but costing all the way from
+one cent to fifty dollars each--should be put upon all the newspapers and
+almanacs used by the colonies, and upon all such legal papers as wills,
+deeds, and the notes which men give promising to pay back borrowed money.
+
+[Illustration: George III.]
+
+When news of this act reached the colonists they were angry. "It is
+unjust," they said. "Parliament is trying to make slaves of us by forcing
+us to pay money without our consent. The charters which the English King
+granted to our forefathers when they came to America make us free men just
+as much as if we were living in England.
+
+"In England it is the law that no free man shall pay taxes unless they are
+levied by his representatives in Parliament. We have no one to speak for
+us in Parliament, and so we will not pay any taxes which Parliament votes.
+The only taxes we will pay are those voted by our representatives in our
+own colonial assemblies."
+
+They were all the more ready to take this stand because for many years
+they had bitterly disliked other English laws which were unfair to them.
+One of these forbade selling their products to any country but England.
+And, of course, if they could sell to no one else, they would have to sell
+for what the English merchants chose to pay.
+
+Another law said that the colonists should buy the goods they needed from
+no other country than England, and that these goods should be brought over
+in English vessels. So in buying as well as in selling they were at the
+mercy of the English merchants and the English ship owners, who could set
+their own prices.
+
+But even more unjust seemed the law forbidding the manufacture in America
+of anything which was manufactured in England. For instance, iron from
+American mines had to be sent to England to be made into useful articles,
+and then brought back over the sea in English vessels and sold to the
+colonists by English merchants at their own price.
+
+Do you wonder that the colonists felt that England was taking an unfair
+advantage? You need not be told that these laws were strongly opposed. In
+fact, the colonists, thinking them unjust, did not hesitate to break them.
+Some, in spite of the laws, shipped their products to other countries and
+smuggled the goods they received in exchange; and some dared make articles
+of iron, wool, or other raw material, both for their own use and to sell
+to others.
+
+"We will not be used as tools for England to make out of us all the profit
+she possibly can," they declared. "We are not slaves but free-born
+Englishmen, and we refuse to obey laws which shackle us and rob us of our
+rights."
+
+So when to these harsh trade laws the Stamp Act was added, great
+indignation was aroused. Among those most earnest in opposing the act was
+Patrick Henry.
+
+Let us take a look at the early life of this powerful man. He was born in
+1736, in Hanover County, Virginia. His father was an able lawyer, and his
+mother belonged to a fine old Welsh family.
+
+But Patrick, as a boy, took little interest in anything that seemed to his
+older friends worth while. He did not like to study nor to work on his
+father's farm. His delight was to wander through the woods, gun in hand,
+hunting for game, or to sit on the bank of some stream fishing by the
+hour. When not enjoying himself out-of-doors he might be heard playing his
+violin.
+
+Of course the neighbors said, "A boy so idle and shiftless will never
+amount to anything," and his parents did not know what to do with him.
+They put him, when fifteen years old, as clerk into a little country
+store. Here he remained for a year, and then opened a store of his own.
+But he was still too lazy to attend to business, and soon failed.
+
+[Illustration: Patrick Henry.]
+
+When he was only eighteen years old, he married. The parents of the young
+couple, anxious that they should do well, gave them a small farm and a few
+slaves. But it was the same old story. The young farmer would not take the
+trouble to look after his affairs, and let things drift. So before long
+the farm had to be sold to pay debts. Once more Patrick turned to
+storekeeping, but after a few years he failed again.
+
+He was now twenty-three years old, with no settled occupation, and with a
+wife and family to support. No doubt he seemed to his friends a
+ne'er-do-well.
+
+About this time he decided to become a lawyer. He borrowed some law-books,
+and after studying for six months, he applied for permission to practise
+law. Although he passed but a poor examination, he at last was started on
+the right road.
+
+He succeeded well in his law practice, and in a few years had so much
+business that people in his part of Virginia began to take notice of him.
+In 1765, soon after the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament, he
+was elected a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, a body not unlike
+our State Legislature.
+
+
+PATRICK HENRY'S FIERY SPEECH AGAINST THE STAMP ACT
+
+History gives us a vivid picture of the young lawyer at this time as he
+rides on horseback along the country road toward Williamsburg, then the
+capital of Virginia. He is wearing a faded coat, leather knee-breeches,
+and yarn stockings, and carries his law papers in his saddle-bag. Although
+but twenty-nine, his tall, thin figure stoops as if bent with age. He does
+not look the important man he is soon to become.
+
+When he reaches the little town of Williamsburg, he finds great
+excitement. Men gather in small groups on the street, talking in anxious
+tones. Serious questions are being discussed: "What shall we do about the
+Stamp Act?" they say. "Shall we submit and say nothing? Shall we send a
+petition to King George asking him for justice? Shall we beg Parliament to
+repeal the act, or shall we take a bold stand and declare that we will not
+obey it?"
+
+Not only on the street, but also in the House of Burgesses was great
+excitement. Most of the members were wealthy planters who lived on great
+estates. So much weight and dignity had they that the affairs of the
+colony were largely under their control. Most of them were loyal to the
+"mother country," as they liked to call England, and they wished to obey
+the English laws as long as these were just.
+
+[Illustration: Patrick Henry Delivering His Speech in the Virginia House
+of Burgesses.]
+
+So they counselled: "Let us move slowly. Let nothing be done in a passion.
+Let us petition the King to modify the laws which appear to us unjust, and
+then, if he will not listen, it will be time to refuse to obey. We must
+not be rash."
+
+Patrick Henry, the new member, listened earnestly. But he could not see
+things as these older men of affairs saw them. To him delay seemed
+dangerous. He was eager for prompt, decisive action. Tearing a blank leaf
+from a law-book, he hastily wrote some resolutions, and, rising to his
+feet, he read them to the assembly.
+
+We can easily picture the scene. This plainly dressed rustic with his bent
+shoulders is in striking contrast to the prosperous plantation owners,
+with their powdered hair, ruffled shirts, knee-breeches, and silver
+shoe-buckles. They give but a listless attention as Henry begins in quiet
+tones to read his resolutions. "Who cares what this country fellow
+thinks?" is their attitude. "Who is he anyway? We never heard his voice
+before."
+
+It is but natural that these men, whose judgment has been looked up to for
+years, should regard as an upstart this young, unknown member, who
+presumes to think his opinion worth listening to in a time of great crisis
+like this.
+
+But while they sit in scornful wrath, the young orator's eyes begin to
+glow, his stooping figure becomes erect, and his voice rings out with
+fiery eloquence. "The General Assembly of Virginia, _and only_ the General
+Assembly of Virginia," he exclaims, "has the right and the power of laying
+taxes upon the people of this colony."
+
+These are stirring words, and they fall amid a hushed silence. Then the
+debate grows hot, as members rise to speak in opposition to his burning
+eloquence.
+
+[Illustration: William Pitt.]
+
+But our hero is more than a match for all the distinguished men who
+disagree with him. Like a torrent, his arguments pour forth and sweep all
+before them. The bold resolutions he presents are passed by the assembly.
+
+It was a great triumph for the young orator. On that day Patrick Henry
+made his name. "Stick to us, old fellow, or we're gone," said one of the
+plain people, giving him a slap on the shoulder as he passed out at the
+close of the stormy session. The unpromising youth had suddenly become a
+leader in the affairs of the colony.
+
+Not only in Virginia, but also in other colonies, his fiery words acted
+like magic in stirring up the people against the Stamp Act. He had proved
+himself a bold leader, willing to risk any danger for the cause of justice
+and freedom.
+
+You would expect that in the colonies there would be strong and deep
+feeling against the Stamp Act. But perhaps you will be surprised to learn
+that even in England many leading men opposed it. They thought that George
+III was making a great mistake in trying to tax the colonies without their
+consent. William Pitt, a leader in the House of Commons, made a great
+speech, in which he said: "I _rejoice_ that America has resisted." He went
+on to say that if the Americans had meekly submitted, they would have
+acted like slaves.
+
+Burke and Fox, other great statesmen, also befriended us. And the English
+merchants and ship owners, who were losing heavily because the Americans
+refused to buy any English goods as long as the Stamp Act was in force,
+joined in begging Parliament that the act be repealed. This was done the
+next year.
+
+Other unjust measures followed, but before we take them up, let us catch
+another glimpse of Patrick Henry, ten years after his great speech at
+Williamsburg.
+
+
+ANOTHER GREAT SPEECH BY PATRICK HENRY
+
+The people of Virginia are again greatly aroused. King George has caused
+Parliament to send English soldiers to Boston to force the unruly people
+of Massachusetts to obey some of his commands, against which they had
+rebelled. Virginia has stood by her sister colony, and now the royal
+governor of Virginia, to punish her, has prevented the House of Burgesses
+from meeting at Williamsburg.
+
+But the Virginians are not so easily kept from doing their duty. With a
+grim determination to defend their rights as free men, they elect some of
+their leaders to act for them at this trying time.
+
+These meet in Richmond at old St. John's Church, which is still standing.
+Great is the excitement, and thoughtful people are very serious, for the
+shadows of the war-cloud grow blacker hour by hour.
+
+The Virginians have already begun to make ready to fight if they must. But
+many still hope that all disagreements may yet be settled peaceably, and
+therefore advise acting with caution.
+
+[Illustration: St. John's Church, Richmond.]
+
+Patrick Henry is not one of these. He believes that the time has come when
+talking should give place to prompt, decisive action. The war is at hand.
+It cannot be avoided. The colonists must fight or slavishly submit.
+
+So intense is his belief that he offers in this meeting a resolution that
+Virginia should at once prepare to defend herself. Many of the leading men
+stoutly oppose this resolution as rash and unwise.
+
+At length Patrick Henry rises to his feet, his face pale, and his voice
+trembling with deep emotion. Again we see the bent shoulders straighten
+and the eyes flash. His voice rings out like a trumpet. As he goes on with
+increasing power, men lean forward in breathless interest. Listen to his
+ringing words:
+
+"We must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to
+the God of Hosts is all that is left us! They tell us, sir, that we are
+weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be
+stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we
+are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every
+house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we
+acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs
+and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have
+bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of
+the means which the God of nature hath placed in our hands.... There is no
+retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their
+clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and
+let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come!
+
+"... Gentlemen may cry peace, peace--but there is no peace. The war is
+actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our
+ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field!
+Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they
+have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price
+of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course
+others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"
+
+What wonder that the audience sways to his belief!
+
+He was a true prophet, for in less than four weeks the first gun of the
+Revolution was fired in the quiet town of Lexington, Massachusetts.
+Undoubtedly Patrick Henry's fiery spirit had done much to kindle the flame
+which then burst forth.
+
+Not long after this, he was made commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces
+(1775), and the next year was elected governor of Virginia.
+
+When the war--in the declaring of which he had taken so active a part--was
+over, Patrick Henry retired at the age of fifty-eight (1794), to an estate
+in Charlotte County called "Red Hill," where he lived a simple and
+beautiful life. He died in 1799.
+
+Without doubt he was one of the most eloquent orators our country has ever
+produced, and we should be grateful to him because he used his great gift
+in helping to secure the freedom we now enjoy.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What was the Stamp Act? Why did Parliament pass it, and why did the
+colonists object to it?
+
+2. What did Patrick Henry mean by saying that the General Assembly of
+Virginia, _and only_ the General Assembly of Virginia had the right and
+the power of laying taxes upon the people of that colony?
+
+3. Have you in your mind a picture of young Patrick Henry as he rode on
+horseback along the country road toward Williamsburg? Describe this
+picture as clearly as you can.
+
+4. What did William Pitt think of the Stamp Act? Why did Parliament repeal
+it?
+
+5. Can you explain Patrick Henry's power as an orator? When did he make a
+great speech in St. John's Church, Richmond?
+
+6. What do you admire in Patrick Henry?
+
+7. Do not fail to locate every event upon your map.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+SAMUEL ADAMS
+
+
+While Patrick Henry was leading the people of Virginia in their defiance
+of the Stamp Act, exciting events were taking place in Massachusetts under
+another colonial leader. This was Samuel Adams. Even before Virginia took
+any action, he had introduced in the Massachusetts Assembly resolutions
+opposing the Stamp Act, and they were passed.
+
+This man, who did more than any one else to arouse the love of liberty in
+his colony, was born in Boston in 1722. His boyhood was quite different
+from that of Patrick Henry. He liked to go to school and to learn from
+books, and he cared little for outdoor life or sport of any kind.
+
+[Illustration: Samuel Adams.]
+
+As he grew up, his father wished him to become a clergyman, but Samuel
+preferred to study law. His mother opposing this, however, he entered upon
+business life. This perhaps was a mistake, for he did not take to
+business, and, like Patrick Henry, he soon failed, even losing most of the
+property his father had left him.
+
+
+SAMUEL ADAMS AN INSPIRING LEADER
+
+But although not skilful in managing his own affairs, he was a most loyal
+and successful worker for the interests of the colony. In fact, before
+long, he gave up most of his private business and spent his time and
+strength for the public welfare.
+
+His whole income was the very small salary which he received as clerk of
+the Assembly of Massachusetts. This was hardly sufficient to pay for the
+food needed in his household. But his wife was so thrifty and cheerful,
+and his friends so glad to help him out because of the time he gave to
+public affairs, that his home life, though plain, was comfortable, and his
+children were well brought up.
+
+Poor as he was, no man could be more upright. The British, fearing his
+influence, tried at different times to bribe him with office under the
+King and to buy him with gold. But he scorned any such attempts to turn
+him aside from the path of duty.
+
+The great purpose of his life seemed to be to encourage the colonists to
+stand up for their rights as freemen, and to defeat the plans of King
+George and Parliament in trying to force the colonists to pay taxes. In
+this he was busy night and day. In the assembly and in the town meeting
+all looked to him as an able leader; and in the workshops, on the streets,
+or in the shipyards men listened eagerly while he made clear the aims of
+the English King, and urged them to defend their rights as free-born
+Englishmen.
+
+Even at the close of a busy day, this earnest, liberty-loving man gave
+himself little rest. Sometimes he was writing articles for the newspapers,
+and sometimes urgent letters to the various leaders in Massachusetts and
+in the other colonies. Long after midnight, those who passed his dimly
+lighted windows could see "Sam Adams hard at work writing against the
+Tories."
+
+[Illustration: Patriots in New York Destroying Stamps Intended for Use in
+Connecticut.]
+
+Had you seen him at this time, you would never have thought of him as a
+remarkable man. He was of medium size, with keen gray eyes, and hair
+already fast turning white. His head and hands trembled as if with age,
+though he was only forty-two years old and in good health.
+
+He was a great power in the colony. Not only did he rouse the people
+against the Stamp Act, but he helped to organize, in opposition to it,
+societies of patriots called "Sons of Liberty," who refused to use the
+stamps and often destroyed them. In Massachusetts, as in Virginia and
+elsewhere, the people refused to buy any English goods until this hateful
+act was repealed.
+
+At the close of a year, before it had really been put into operation, the
+act was repealed, as we have already seen. But this did not happen until
+many resolutions had been passed, many appeals made to the King, and after
+much excitement. Then great was the rejoicing! In every town in the
+country bonfires were lighted, and every colonial assembly sent thanks to
+the King.
+
+But the obstinate, power-loving George III was not happy about this
+repeal. In fact, he had given in very much against his will. He wanted to
+rule England in his own way, and how could he do so if he allowed his
+stubborn colonists in America thus to get the better of him?
+
+So he made up his mind to insist upon some sort of a tax. In 1767,
+therefore, only one year after the repeal of the Stamp Act, he asked
+Parliament to pass a law taxing glass, lead, paper, tea, and a few other
+articles imported into the colonies.
+
+This new tax was laid, but again the colonists said: "We had no part in
+levying it, and if we pay it, we shall be giving up our rights as freemen.
+But how can we help ourselves?"
+
+Samuel Adams and other leaders answered: "We can resist it just as we did
+the Stamp Act--by refusing to buy any goods whatever from England." To
+this the merchants agreed. While the unjust tax was in force, they
+promised to import no English goods, and the people promised not to ask
+for such goods.
+
+Then many wealthy people agreed to wear homespun instead of English
+cloths, and to stop eating mutton in order to have more sheep to produce
+wool for this homespun, thus showing a willingness to give up for the
+cause some of the luxuries which they had learned to enjoy.
+
+Of course, this stand taken by the colonists angered the King. He called
+them rebels and sent soldiers to Boston to help enforce the laws (1768).
+
+From the first the people of Boston felt insulted at having these soldiers
+in their midst, and it was not long before trouble broke out. In a street
+fight at night the troops fired upon the crowd, killing and wounding a
+number of men.
+
+This caused great excitement. The next day, under the leadership of Samuel
+Adams, the citizens of Boston demanded that all the soldiers should be
+removed. Fearing more serious trouble if the demand was disregarded, the
+officers withdrew the soldiers to an island in the harbor.
+
+Still the feeling did not die down. The new taxes were a constant
+irritation. "Only slaves would submit to such an injustice," said Samuel
+Adams, and his listeners agreed. In Massachusetts and in other colonies
+the English goods were refused, and, as in the case of the Stamp Act, the
+English merchants felt the pinch of heavy losses, and begged that the new
+tax laws be repealed.
+
+
+SAMUEL ADAMS AND THE "BOSTON TEA PARTY"
+
+Feeling grew stronger and matters grew worse until at length, after
+something like three years, Parliament took off all the new taxes except
+the one on tea. "They must pay one tax to know we keep the right to tax,"
+said the King. It was as if the King's followers had winked slyly at one
+another and said: "We shall see--we shall see! Those colonists must have
+their tea to drink, and a little matter of threepence a pound they will
+overlook."
+
+It would have been much better for England if she had taken off all the
+taxes and made friends with the colonists. Many leaders in that country
+said so, but the stubborn King was bent upon having his own way. "I will
+be King," he said. "They shall do as I say."
+
+Then he and his followers worked up what seemed to them a clever scheme
+for hoodwinking the colonists. "We will make the tea cheaper in America
+than in England," they said. "Such a bargain! How can the simple colonists
+resist it?" Great faith was put in this foolish plan.
+
+But they were soon to find out that those simple colonists were only
+Englishmen across the sea, that they too had strong wills, and that they
+did not care half so much about buying cheap tea as they did about giving
+up a principle and paying a tax, however small, which they had no part in
+levying.
+
+King George went straight ahead to carry out his plan. It was arranged
+that the East India Company should ship cargoes of tea to Boston, New
+York, Philadelphia, and Charleston.
+
+In due time the tea arrived. Then the King's eyes were opened. What did he
+find out about the spirit of these colonists? That they simply would _not_
+use this tea. The people in New York and Philadelphia refused to let it
+land, and in Charleston they stored it in damp cellars, where it spoiled.
+
+But the most exciting time was in Boston, where the Tory governor,
+Hutchinson, was determined to carry out the King's wishes. Hence occurred
+the famous "Boston Tea Party,"--a strange tea-party, where no cups were
+used, no guests invited, and no tea drunk! Did you ever hear of such a
+party? Let us see what really happened.
+
+It was on a quiet Sunday, the 28th of November, 1773, when the Dartmouth,
+the first of the three tea ships bound for Boston, sailed into the harbor.
+The people were attending service in the various churches when the cry,
+"The Dartmouth is in!" spread like wild-fire. Soon the streets were alive
+with people. That was a strange Sunday in Puritan Boston.
+
+The leaders quickly sought out Benjamin Rotch, the owner of the Dartmouth,
+and obtained his promise that the tea should not be landed before Tuesday.
+Then they called a mass meeting for Monday morning, in Fanueil Hall,
+afterward known as the "Cradle of Liberty."
+
+[Illustration: Fanueil Hall, Boston.]
+
+The crowd was so great that they adjourned to the Old South Church, and
+there they overflowed into the street. There were five thousand in all,
+some of them from near-by towns. Samuel Adams presided. In addressing the
+meeting, he asked: "Is it the firm resolution of this body not only that
+the tea shall be sent back, but that no duty shall be paid thereon?"
+"Yes!" came the prompt and united answer from these brave men.
+
+So the patriots of Boston and the surrounding towns, with Samuel Adams at
+their head, were determined that the tea should not be landed. Governor
+Hutchinson was equally determined that it should be. A stubborn fight,
+therefore, was on hand.
+
+The Boston patriots appointed men, armed with muskets and bayonets, to
+watch the tea ships, some by day, others by night. Six post-riders were
+appointed, who should keep their horses saddled and bridled, ready to
+speed into the country to give the alarm if a landing should be attempted.
+Sentinels were stationed in the church belfries to ring the bells, and
+beacon-fires were made ready for lighting on the surrounding hilltops.
+
+Tuesday, December 16, dawned. It was a critical day. If the tea should
+remain in the harbor until the morrow--the twentieth day after
+arrival--the revenue officer would be empowered by law to land it
+forcibly.
+
+[Illustration: Old South Church, Boston.]
+
+Men, talking angrily and shaking their fists with excitement, were
+thronging into the streets of Boston from the surrounding towns. By ten
+o'clock over seven thousand had assembled in the Old South Church and in
+the streets outside. They were waiting for the coming of Benjamin Rotch,
+who had gone to see if the collector would give him a "clearance," or
+permission to sail out of the port of Boston with the tea.
+
+Rotch came in and told the angry crowd that the collector refused to give
+the clearance. The people told him that he must get a pass from the
+governor. Then the meeting adjourned for the morning.
+
+At three o'clock in the afternoon a great throng of eager men again
+crowded the Old South Church and the streets outside to wait for the
+return of Rotch. It was an anxious moment. "If the governor refuses to
+give the pass, shall the revenue officer be allowed to seize the tea and
+land it to-morrow morning?" Many anxious faces showed that men were asking
+themselves this momentous question.
+
+[Illustration: The "Boston Tea Party."]
+
+But while, in deep suspense, the meeting waited for Rotch to come they
+discussed the situation, and suddenly John Rowe asked: "Who knows how tea
+will mingle with salt water?" At once a whirlwind of applause swept
+through the assembly and the masses outside. A plan was soon formed.
+
+The afternoon light of the short winter day faded, and darkness deepened;
+the lights of candles sprang up here and there in the windows. It was past
+six o'clock when Benjamin Rotch entered the church and, with pale face,
+said: "The governor refuses to give a pass."
+
+An angry murmur arose, but the crowd soon became silent as Samuel Adams
+stood up. He said quietly: "This meeting can do nothing more to save the
+country."
+
+These words were plainly a signal. In an instant a war-whoop sounded
+outside, and forty or fifty "Mohawks," or men dressed as Indians, who had
+been waiting, dashed past the door and down Milk Street toward Griffin's
+Wharf, where the tea ships were lying at anchor.
+
+It was then bright moonlight, and everything could be plainly seen. Many
+men stood on shore and watched the "Mohawks" as they broke open three
+hundred and forty-two chests, and poured the tea into the harbor. There
+was no confusion. All was done in perfect order. But what a strange "tea
+party" it was! Certainly no other ever used so much tea or so much water.
+
+Soon waiting messengers were speeding to outlying towns with the news, and
+Paul Revere, "booted and spurred," mounted a swift horse and carried the
+glorious message through the colonies as far as Philadelphia.
+
+
+SOME RESULTS OF THE "BOSTON TEA PARTY"
+
+The Boston Tea Party was not a festivity which pleased the King. In fact,
+it made him very furious. He promptly decided to punish the rebellious
+colony. Parliament therefore passed the "Boston Port Bill," by which the
+port of Boston was to be closed to trade until the people paid for the
+tea. But this they had no mind to do. They stubbornly refused.
+
+Not Boston alone came under the displeasure of King George and Parliament.
+They put Massachusetts under military rule, with General Gage as governor,
+and sent more soldiers. The new governor gave orders that the colonial
+assembly should hold no more meetings. He said that the people should no
+longer make their own laws, nor levy their own taxes. This punishment was
+indeed severe.
+
+With no vessels allowed to enter or leave the harbor and trade entirely
+cut off, the people of Boston soon began to suffer. But the brave men and
+women would not give in. They said: "We will not pay for the tea, nor will
+we tell the King we are sorry for what we have done."
+
+When the people of the other colonies heard of the suffering in Boston,
+they sent wheat, cows, sheep, fish, sugar, and other kinds of food to help
+out. The King thought that by punishing Boston he would frighten the other
+colonies. But he was mistaken, for they said: "We will help the people of
+our sister colony. Her cause is our cause. We must all pull together in
+our resistance to King George and the English Parliament." So his action
+really united the colonies.
+
+In order to work together to better advantage, the colonies agreed that
+each should send to a great meeting some of their strongest men to talk
+over their troubles and work out some plan of united action. This meeting,
+which was called the First Continental Congress, was held at Carpenters'
+Hall, Philadelphia (1774).
+
+Samuel Adams and his cousin, John Adams, were two of the four men that
+Massachusetts sent. They began their journey from Boston in a coach drawn
+by four horses. In front rode two white servants, well mounted and bearing
+arms; while behind were four black servants in livery, two on horseback
+and two as footmen. Such was the manner of colonial gentlemen.
+
+[Illustration: Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia.]
+
+As they journeyed through the country the people honored them in many
+ways. From some of the larger towns officials and citizens rode out on
+horseback and in carriages to meet them and act as escort; and on reaching
+a town they were feasted at banquets and greeted by gleaming bonfires, the
+ringing of bells, and the firing of cannon. These celebrations showed
+honor not to the men alone but to the cause.
+
+The First Continental Congress, to which these messengers were travelling,
+urged the people to stand together in resisting the attempt of King George
+and Parliament to force them to pay taxes which they had had no share in
+laying. They added: "We have the right not only to tax ourselves, but also
+to govern ourselves."
+
+With all these movements Samuel Adams was in sympathy. He went even
+further, for at this time he was almost or quite alone in his desire for
+independence, and he has well been called the "Father of the Revolution."
+Perhaps we think of him especially in connection with the Boston Tea
+Party, but his influence for the good of his country lasted far beyond
+that time.
+
+Till the close of his life he was an earnest and sincere patriot. He died
+in 1803, at the age of eighty-one years. Not an orator like Patrick Henry,
+but a man of action like Washington, he had great power in dealing with
+men. Truly his life was one of great and heroic service to his country.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. In what respects were Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry unlike as boys?
+
+2. Tell why Samuel Adams had great power over men.
+
+3. What kind of man was George III? Why did he so strongly desire that the
+colonists should be compelled to pay a tax to England?
+
+4. What was the tax law of 1767, and why did the colonists object to
+paying the new taxes?
+
+5. What led up to the "Boston Tea Party"? Imagine yourself one of the
+party, and tell what you did.
+
+6. In what way did George III and Parliament punish Boston for throwing
+the tea overboard? How did the colonies help the people of Boston at this
+time?
+
+7. What was the First Continental Congress, and what did it do?
+
+8. What do you admire in Samuel Adams?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE WAR BEGINS NEAR BOSTON
+
+
+When Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill, the King believed that such
+severe punishment would not only put a stop to further rebellious acts,
+but would cause the colonists to feel sorry for what they had done and
+incline them once more to obey him. Imagine his surprise and indignation
+at what followed!
+
+As soon as General Gage ordered that the Massachusetts Assembly should
+hold no more meetings, the colonists made up their minds they would not be
+put down in this manner. They said: "The King has broken up the assembly.
+Very well. We will form a new governing body and give it a new name, the
+Provincial Congress."
+
+[Illustration: John Hancock.]
+
+And what do you suppose the chief business of this Congress was? To make
+ready for war! An army was called for, and provision made that a certain
+number of the men enlisted should be prepared to leave their homes at a
+minute's notice. These men were called "minute-men."
+
+Even while the patriots, for so the rebellious subjects of King George
+called themselves, were making these preparations, General Gage, who was
+in command of the British troops in Boston, had received orders from
+England to seize as traitors Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were the
+most active leaders.
+
+[Illustration: John Hancock's Home, Boston.]
+
+Of Samuel Adams you already know. John Hancock was president of the newly
+made Provincial Congress.
+
+General Gage knew that Adams and Hancock were staying for a while with a
+friend in Lexington. He had learned also through spies that minutemen had
+collected some cannon and military stores in Concord, twenty miles from
+Boston, and only eight miles beyond Lexington.
+
+The British general planned, therefore, to send a body of troops to arrest
+the two leaders at Lexington, and then to push on and capture or destroy
+the stores at Concord.
+
+[Illustration: A Minuteman.]
+
+Although he acted with the greatest secrecy, he was unable to keep his
+plans from the watchful minutemen. We shall see how one of these, Paul
+Revere, outwitted him. Perhaps you have read Longfellow's poem which tells
+the story of the famous "midnight ride" taken by this fearless young man.
+
+Paul Revere had taken an active part in the "Boston Tea Party," and the
+following year, with about thirty other young patriots, he had formed a
+society to spy out the British plans. I fancy that the daring and courage
+called for in this business appealed to the high spirits and love of
+adventure of these young men. Always on the watch, they were quick to
+notice any strange movement and report to such leaders as Samuel Adams,
+John Hancock, and Doctor Joseph Warren.
+
+On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and his friends brought word
+to Doctor Warren that they believed General Gage was about to carry out
+his plan, already reported to the patriots, of capturing Adams and
+Hancock, and of taking or destroying the military stores at Concord.
+
+Doctor Warren quickly decided that Paul Revere and William Dawes should go
+on horseback to Lexington and Concord and give the alarm. He sent them by
+different routes, hoping that one at least might escape the British
+patrols with whom Gage had carefully guarded all the roads leading from
+Boston.
+
+Soon Dawes was galloping across Boston Neck, and Paul Revere was getting
+ready for a long night ride.
+
+[Illustration: Old North Church.]
+
+After arranging with a friend for a lantern signal to be hung in the
+belfry of the Old North Church to show by which route the British forces
+were advancing, "one if by land and two if by sea," he stepped into a
+light skiff with two friends who rowed him from Boston across the Charles
+River to Charlestown.
+
+Upon reaching the other side of the river, he obtained a fleet horse and
+stood ready, bridle in hand, straining his eyes in the darkness to catch
+sight of the signal-lights. The horse waits obedient to his master's
+touch, and the master stands eagerly watching the spot where the signal is
+to appear.
+
+[Illustration: Paul Revere's Ride.]
+
+At eleven o'clock a light flashes forth. Exciting moment! Then another
+light! "Two if by sea!" The British troops are crossing the Charles River
+to march through Cambridge!
+
+No time to lose! Springing into his saddle and spurring his horse, he
+speeds like the wind toward Lexington.
+
+Suddenly two British officers are about to capture him. He turns quickly
+and, dashing into a side-path, with spurs in horse he is soon far from his
+pursuers.
+
+Then, in his swift flight along the road he pauses at every house to
+shout: "Up and arm! Up and arm! The regulars are out! The regulars are
+out!"
+
+Families are roused. Lights gleam from the windows. Doors open and close.
+Minutemen are mustering.
+
+When Lexington is reached, it is just midnight. Eight minutemen are
+guarding the house where Adams and Hancock are sleeping. "Make less noise!
+Don't disturb the people inside," they warn the lusty rider. "Noise!"
+cries Paul Revere. "You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are
+out!"
+
+Soon William Dawes arrived and joined Revere. Hastily refreshing
+themselves with a light meal, they rode off together toward Concord, in
+company with Samuel Prescott, a prominent Son of Liberty whose home was in
+that town. About half-way there, they were surprised by mounted British
+officers, who called: "Halt."
+
+Prescott managed to escape by making his horse leap a stone wall, and rode
+in hot haste to Concord, which he reached in safety; but Paul Revere and
+William Dawes both fell into the hands of the British.
+
+
+THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
+
+Meantime, the British troops numbering eight hundred men, under
+Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, were on their way to Lexington. But before they
+had gone far they were made aware, by the ringing of church-bells, the
+firing of signal-guns, the beating of drums, and the gleaming of
+beacon-fires from the surrounding hilltops, that their secret was out, and
+that the minutemen knew what was going on.
+
+[Illustration: Monument on Lexington Common Marking the Line of the
+Minutemen.]
+
+Surprised and disturbed by these signs that the colonists were on the
+alert, Colonel Smith sent Major Pitcairn ahead with a picked body of
+troops, in the hope that they might reach Lexington before the town could
+be completely aroused. He also sent back to Boston for more men.
+
+The British commander would have been still more disturbed if he had known
+all that was happening, for the alarm-signals were calling to arms
+thousands of patriots ready to die for their rights. Hastily wakened from
+sleep, men snatched their old muskets from over the door, and bidding a
+hurried good-by to wife and children, started for the meeting-places long
+before agreed upon.
+
+Just as the sun was rising, Major Pitcairn marched into Lexington, where
+he found forty or fifty minutemen ready to dispute his advance.
+
+"Disperse, ye rebels; disperse!" he cried, riding up. But they did not
+disperse. Pitcairn ordered his men to fire, and eighteen minutemen fell to
+the ground.
+
+Before the arrival of Pitcairn the British officers who had captured
+Revere and Dawes returned with them to Lexington, where, commanding Revere
+to dismount, they let him go. Running off at full speed to the house where
+Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying, he told them what had
+happened, and then guided them across the fields to a place of safety.
+
+Leaving the shocked and dazed villagers to collect their dead and wounded,
+Colonel Smith hastened to Concord. He arrived about seven in the morning,
+six hours after Doctor Prescott had given the alarm.
+
+There had been time to hide the military stores, so the British could not
+get at those. But they cut down the liberty-pole, set fire to the
+court-house, spiked a few cannon, and emptied some barrels of flour.
+
+About two hundred of them stood guard at the North Bridge, while a body of
+minutemen gathered on a hill on the opposite side. When the minutemen had
+increased to four hundred, they advanced to the bridge and brought on a
+fight which resulted in loss of life on both sides. Then, pushing on
+across the bridge, they forced the British to withdraw into the town.
+
+[Illustration: Map: Boston and Vicinity.]
+
+The affair had become more serious than the British had expected. Even in
+the town they could not rest, for an ever-increasing body of minutemen
+kept swarming into Concord from every direction.
+
+By noon Colonel Smith could see that it would be unwise to delay the
+return to Boston. So, although his men had marched twenty miles, and had
+had little or no food for fourteen hours, he gave the order for the return
+march.
+
+But when they started back, the minutemen kept after them and began a
+deadly attack. It was an unequal fight. The minutemen, trained to woodland
+warfare, slipped from tree to tree, shot down the worn and helpless
+British soldiers, and then retreated only to return and repeat the
+harassing attack.
+
+[Illustration: Concord Bridge.]
+
+The wooded country through which they were passing favored this kind of
+fighting. But even in the open country every stone wall and hill, every
+house and barn seemed to the exhausted British troops to bristle with the
+guns of minutemen. The retreating army dragged wearily forward, fighting
+as bravely as possible, but on the verge of confusion and panic.
+
+They reached Lexington Common at two o'clock, quite overcome with fatigue.
+There they were met by one thousand two hundred fresh troops, under Lord
+Percy, whose timely arrival saved the entire force from capture. Lord
+Percy's men formed a square for the protection of the retreating soldiers,
+and into it they staggered, falling upon the ground, "with their tongues
+hanging out of their mouths like those of dogs after a chase."
+
+After resting for an hour, the British again took up their march to
+Boston. The minutemen, increasing in numbers every moment, kept up the
+same kind of running attack that they had made between Concord and
+Lexington until, late in the day, the redcoats came under the protection
+of the guns of the war vessels in Boston Harbor.
+
+The British had failed. There was no denying that. They had been driven
+back, almost in a panic, to Boston, with a loss of nearly three hundred
+men. The Americans had not lost one hundred.
+
+But the King was not aroused to the situation. He had a vision of his
+superb regiments in their brilliant uniforms overriding all before them.
+
+And how did the Provincials, as the British called the Americans, regard
+the situation? They saw clearly and without glamour the deadly nature of
+the struggle upon which they had entered and the strength of the opposing
+army against which they must measure their own strength.
+
+The people of Massachusetts for miles around Boston were now in a state of
+great excitement. Farmers, mechanics, men in all walks of life flocked to
+the army, and within a few days the Americans, sixteen thousand strong,
+were surrounding the British in Boston.
+
+While the people of Massachusetts were in the midst of these stirring
+scenes, an event of deep meaning to all the colonies was taking place in
+Philadelphia. Here the Continental Congress, coming together for the
+second time, was making plans for carrying on the war by voting money for
+war purposes and by making George Washington commander-in-chief of the
+Continental army, of which the troops around Boston were the beginning.
+Thus did the colonies recognize that war had come and that they must stand
+together in the fight.
+
+[Illustration: President Langdon, the President of Harvard College,
+Praying for the Bunker Hill Entrenching Party on Cambridge Common Just
+Before Their Departure.]
+
+Meantime more British troops, under the command of General Howe, arrived
+in Boston, making an army of ten thousand men. Believing they could be
+forced to leave the town by cannon planted on Bunker Hill, the Americans
+decided to occupy it.
+
+On the night of June 16, therefore, shortly before midnight, twelve
+hundred Americans marched quietly from Cambridge and, advancing to Breed's
+Hill, which was nearer Boston than Bunker Hill, began to throw up
+breastworks.
+
+[Illustration: Prescott at Bunker Hill.]
+
+They worked hard all night, and by early morning had made good headway.
+The British, on awaking, were greatly surprised to see what had been done.
+They turned the fire of their war vessels upon the Americans, who,
+however, kept right on with their work.
+
+General Howe, now in command of the British army, thought it would be easy
+enough to drive off the "rebels." So about three o'clock in the afternoon
+he made an assault upon their works.
+
+The British soldiers, burdened with heavy knapsacks, and suffering from
+the heat of a summer sun, had to march through tall grass reaching above
+their knees and to climb many fences.
+
+Behind their breastworks the Americans watched the scarlet ranks coming
+nearer and nearer. Powder was low, and must not be wasted. Colonel William
+Prescott, who was in command, told his men not to fire too soon. "Wait
+till you see the whites of their eyes," he said.
+
+Twice the British soldiers, in their scarlet uniforms, climb the slope of
+the hill and charge the breastworks. Twice the Americans drive them back,
+ploughing great gaps in their ranks.
+
+[Illustration: Bunker Hill Monument.]
+
+A third time they advance. But now the Americans do not answer the charge.
+There is good reason--the powder has given out! A great rush--and the
+redcoats have climbed over. But it is no easy victory even now, and there
+is no lack of bravery on the part of the Americans. With clubbed muskets
+they meet the invaders.
+
+The British won the victory, but with great loss. "Many such," said one
+critic, "would have cost them their army."
+
+On the other hand, the Americans had fought like heroes, and news of the
+battle brought joy to every loyal heart. Washington heard of it when on
+his way to take command of the army.
+
+"Did the Americans stand fire?" was his first question.
+
+"Yes," was the answer.
+
+"Then," said he, "the liberties of the country are safe."
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. Impersonating Paul Revere, tell the story of his famous ride. What do
+you think of him?
+
+2. Why did the British troops march out to Lexington and Concord?
+
+3. Imagine yourself at Concord on the morning of the battle, and tell what
+happened.
+
+4. Why did the Americans fortify Breed's Hill? What were the results of
+the Battle of Bunker Hill?
+
+5. What did Washington say when he heard that the Americans had stood
+their ground in face of the British assault?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION
+
+
+In electing George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental army,
+the Continental Congress probably made the very wisest choice possible. Of
+course, this was not so clear then. For even leaders like Samuel Adams and
+John Adams and Patrick Henry did not know Washington's ability as we have
+come to know it now. But they had learned enough about his wonderful power
+over men and his great skill as a leader in time of war to believe that he
+was the man to whom they might trust the great work of directing the army
+in this momentous crisis.
+
+[Illustration: George Washington.]
+
+We have already learned, in a previous book, something of Washington's
+boyhood, so simple and free and full of activity. We recall him, as he
+grew up, first as a youthful surveyor, then as the trusted messenger of
+his colony, Virginia, to the commander of the French forts west of the
+Alleghanies, and afterward as an aide of General Braddock when the war
+with the French broke out.
+
+In the discharge of all these duties and in all his relations with men,
+whether above him in office or under his command, he had shown himself
+trustworthy and efficient, a man of clear mind and decisive action--one
+who commanded men's respect, obedience, and even love.
+
+After the last battle of the Last French War Washington had returned to
+his home at Mount Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac, and very soon
+(1759) married Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow whom he had met at a
+friend's house while he was on the way to Williamsburg the year before.
+With the addition of his wife's property to his own, he became a man of
+much wealth and at one time was one of the largest landholders in America.
+
+But with all his wealth and experience Washington had the modesty which
+always goes with true greatness. In the Virginia House of Burgesses, to
+which he was elected after the Last French War, he was given a vote of
+thanks for his brave services in that war. Rising to reply, Washington,
+still a young man, stood blushing and stammering, unable to say a word.
+The speaker, liking him none the less for this embarrassment, said, with
+much grace: "Sit down, Mr. Washington. Your modesty equals your valor, and
+that surpasses the power of any language I possess."
+
+Some years rolled by and the home-loving young planter lived the busy but
+quiet life of a high-bred Virginia gentleman. Meanwhile the exciting
+events of which we have been speaking were crowding upon one another and
+leading up to the Revolution; and in this interval of quiet country life
+Washington was unconsciously preparing for the greater task for which he
+was soon to be chosen.
+
+[Illustration: Washington, Henry, and Pendleton on the Way to Congress at
+Philadelphia.]
+
+In the events of these days Washington took his own part. He was one of
+the representatives of Virginia at the first meeting of the Continental
+Congress, in 1774, going to Philadelphia in company with Patrick Henry and
+others. He was also a delegate to the second meeting of the Continental
+Congress, in May, 1775.
+
+He filled well each place of trust; and what more natural than that the
+Congress should choose as commander-in-chief of the American army this
+gentleman, young, able, and already tried and proven? He was chosen
+unanimously.
+
+On being elected, Washington rose and thanked Congress for the honor,
+adding modestly: "I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored
+with." No doubt in the dark days of war to follow he often felt in this
+way, but as the task had fallen to him, he determined to do his best and
+trust in a higher power for the outcome.
+
+[Illustration: The Washington Elm at Cambridge, under which Washington
+took Command of the Army.]
+
+He refused to accept any salary for his services, but said he would keep
+an account of his expenses. The idea of gain for himself in the time of
+his country's need was far removed from this great man's heart!
+
+On the 21st of June, Washington set out on horseback from Philadelphia, in
+company with a small body of horsemen, to take command of the American
+army around Boston. This journey, which can now be made by train in a few
+hours, took several days.
+
+Soon after starting, Washington was much encouraged, as we have seen in a
+preceding chapter, by the news of the brave stand the provincials had made
+at the battle of Bunker Hill.
+
+After three days, he reached New York, about four o'clock on Sunday
+afternoon, and was given a royal welcome. Nine companies of soldiers on
+foot escorted him as he passed through the streets in an open carriage
+drawn by two white horses. All along the route the streets were lined with
+people who greeted him with cheers.
+
+Continuing his journey, on July 2 he reached the camp in Cambridge, and
+there officers and soldiers received him with enthusiasm.
+
+
+WASHINGTON IN COMMAND OF THE ARMY
+
+Next day under the famous elm still standing near Harvard University,
+Washington drew his sword and took command of the American army.
+
+He was then forty-three years old, tall and manly in form, noble and
+dignified in bearing. His soldiers looked upon him with pride as he sat
+upon his horse, a superb picture of strength and dignity. He wore a
+three-cornered hat with the cockade of liberty upon it, and across his
+breast a broad band of blue silk. The impression he made was most
+pleasing, his courteous and kindly manner winning friends immediately.
+
+Washington at once began the labor of getting his troops ready to fight,
+as his army was one only in name. For although the men were brave and
+willing, they had never been trained for war, and were not even supplied
+with muskets or powder.
+
+Fortunately, the British did not know how badly off the American army was,
+and were taking their ease inside their own defenses. The autumn and the
+winter slipped by before Washington could make the attempt to drive the
+British out of Boston.
+
+At last, by the first of March, some cannon and other supplies arrived in
+camp. Many of them had been dragged over the snow from Ticonderoga on
+sledges drawn by oxen. This gave Washington his opportunity to strike.
+
+One night, while the cannon of the American army, which was just outside
+of Boston, were firing upon the British for the purpose of concealing
+Washington's plan, he sent troops to seize and fortify Dorchester Heights,
+overlooking Boston on the south.
+
+Next morning when the astonished British commander, Howe, realized what
+the Americans had done, he saw clearly that he must drive them from the
+Heights or else leave Boston himself. But before he could send a force
+across the bay, a violent storm came up and delayed the attack.
+
+In the meantime the Americans had made their earthworks so strong that
+Howe decided not to molest them. He remembered too well the Bunker Hill
+affair. So with all his army he sailed away to Halifax, leaving behind
+much powder and many cannon, which you may be sure the Americans lost no
+time in seizing.
+
+Washington believed that after leaving Boston the British would try to
+take New York in order to get control of the Hudson River and the middle
+colonies. To outwit them his men must get to New York first. This they
+did.
+
+[Illustration: Sir William Howe.]
+
+He had not gone far in putting up defenses there when an event of profound
+importance took place in Philadelphia. This was the signing of the
+Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. Up to the summer
+of 1776, it was for their rights as free-born Englishmen that the
+colonists had been fighting. But now that King George was sending
+thousands of soldiers to force them to give up these rights, which were as
+dear to them as their own lives, they said: "We will cut ourselves off
+from England. We will make our own laws; we will levy our own taxes; we
+will manage our affairs in our own way. We will declare our independence."
+
+So they appointed a committee, two of whom were Thomas Jefferson and
+Benjamin Franklin, to draw up the Declaration of Independence. This was
+signed July 4, 1776.
+
+[Illustration: Thomas Jefferson Looking Over the Rough Draught of the
+Declaration of Independence.]
+
+It was a great day in American history, and worthy of celebration. After
+that, the thirteen colonies became States, and each organized its own
+government.
+
+This act, no doubt, gave Washington good heart for the difficult work he
+had in hand, but the task itself was no easier. While he was waiting at
+New York for the enemy's attack, he had only an ill-assorted army of about
+eighteen thousand men to meet them. General Howe, who soon arrived, had
+thirty thousand men and a large fleet as well. Yet Washington pluckily
+made plans to defend the city.
+
+When Brooklyn Heights, on Long Island, had been fortified, he sent General
+Putnam with half the army across East River to occupy them.
+
+On August 27 General Howe, with something like twenty thousand men,
+attacked a part of these forces and defeated them. If he had attacked the
+remainder at once, he might have captured the full half of the army under
+Putnam's command--and even Washington himself, who, during the heat of the
+battle, had crossed over from New York. But, as we have seen, the British
+were apt to "put off till to-morrow." And very fortunate it was for the
+Americans.
+
+Possibly General Howe could have ended the war at this time if he had
+continued his attack. But of course he did not know that the Americans
+were going to escape, any more than he had known that they were going to
+capture Boston. His men had fought hard at the end of a long night march
+and needed rest. Besides, he felt so sure of making an easy capture of the
+remainder of the army that there was no need of haste. For how could the
+Americans get away? Did not the British fleet have them so close under its
+nose that it could easily get between them and New York and make escape
+impossible?
+
+[Illustration: The Retreat from Long Island.]
+
+This all seemed so clear to the easy-going General Howe that with good
+conscience he gave his tired men a rest after the battle on the 27th. On
+the 28th a heavy rain fell, and on the 29th a dense fog covered the
+island.
+
+But before midday of the 29th, some American officers riding down toward
+the shore noticed an unusual stir in the British fleet. Boats were going
+to and fro as if carrying orders.
+
+"It looks as if the English vessels may soon sail up between New York and
+Long Island and cut off our retreat," said these officers to Washington.
+The situation was perilous. At once Washington gave orders to secure all
+the boats possible, in order to attempt escape during the night.
+
+It was a desperate undertaking. There were ten thousand men to be taken
+across, and the width of the river at the point of crossing was nearly a
+mile. It would hardly seem possible that such a movement could be made in
+a single night without being discovered by the British troops, who were
+lying in camp within gunshot of the retreating Americans.
+
+But that which seemed impossible was done, for the army was transferred in
+safety.
+
+The night must have been a long and anxious one for Washington, who stayed
+at his post of duty on the Long Island shore until the last boat-load had
+pushed off. The retreat was as brilliant as it was daring, and it saved
+the American cause.
+
+But even after he had saved his army from capture and once more outwitted
+the British, the situation was still one of great danger. No sooner had
+the Americans made their perilous escape from Long Island than the British
+seized Brooklyn Heights. So just across the river from New York were the
+British troops, and just below them in the harbor lay the British fleet.
+
+
+THE HEROIC NATHAN HALE
+
+With forces so unequal, a single unwise movement might bring disaster. If
+only Washington could learn the plans of the British! The only way to do
+this was to send a spy over into their camp. He called for a volunteer to
+go inside the enemy's line and get information. Now, you know that spying
+is dangerous business, for if captured the man will be hanged; and none
+but a brave man will undertake it.
+
+Probably many of you boys and girls know the name of the hero whom
+Washington selected for this delicate and dangerous task. It was Nathan
+Hale.
+
+Perhaps you ask why he was chosen, and why he was willing to go.
+
+We can answer those questions best by finding out something about his
+life.
+
+Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, a little town in Connecticut, in 1755.
+His parents, who were very religious people, had taught him to be always
+honest, brave, and loyal.
+
+Nathan was bright in school and fond of books. He was also fond of play.
+Although he was not very strong as a small boy, he grew sturdy and healthy
+by joining in the sports of the other boys. They liked him, because, like
+George Washington, he always played fair.
+
+Later he went to Yale College, where he studied hard but yet had time for
+fun. He became a fine athlete, tall, and well-built. He sang well, and his
+gentlemanly manner and thoughtfulness of others made him beloved by all
+who knew him.
+
+After he left college, he taught school with much success, being respected
+and loved by his pupils. He was teaching in New London, Connecticut, when
+the Revolutionary War broke out.
+
+He felt sorry to leave his school, but believing his country needed the
+service of every patriotic man, he joined the army and was made a captain.
+
+When he learned that his commander needed a spy, he said: "I am ready to
+go. Send me."
+
+He was only twenty-one, hardly more than a boy, yet he knew the danger.
+And although life was very dear to him he loved his country more than his
+own life.
+
+[Illustration: Nathan Hale.]
+
+His noble bearing and grace of manner might easily permit him to pass as a
+Loyalist, that is, an American who sympathized with England--there were
+many such in the British camp--and Washington accepted him for the
+mission.
+
+He dressed himself like a schoolmaster, so that the British would not
+suspect that he was an American soldier.
+
+Then, entering the enemy's lines, he visited all the camps, took notes,
+and made sketches of the fortifications, hiding the papers in the soles of
+his shoes. He was just about returning when he was captured. The papers
+being found upon him, he was condemned to be hanged as a spy before
+sunrise the next morning.
+
+The marshal who guarded him that night was a cruel man. He would not allow
+his prisoner to have a Bible, and even tore in pieces before his eyes the
+farewell letters which the young spy had written to his mother and
+friends.
+
+But Nathan Hale was not afraid to die, and held himself calm and steady to
+the end. Looking down upon the few soldiers who were standing near by as
+he went to his death, he said: "I only regret that I have but one life to
+lose for my country." All honor to this brave and true young patriot!
+
+
+A TIME OF TRIAL FOR WASHINGTON
+
+But the death of Nathan Hale was only one of the hard things Washington
+had to bear in this trying year of 1776. We have seen that when the
+Americans left the Long Island shore, the British promptly occupied it. On
+Brooklyn Heights they planted their cannon, commanding New York. So
+Washington had to withdraw, and he retreated northward to White Plains,
+stubbornly contesting every inch of ground.
+
+In the fighting of the next two months the Americans lost heavily. Two
+forts on the Hudson River with three thousand men were captured by the
+British. The outlook was gloomy enough, and it was well for the Americans
+that they could not foresee the even more trying events that were to
+follow.
+
+[Illustration: The War in the Middle States.]
+
+In order to save himself and his men from the enemy, Washington had to
+retreat once more, this time across New Jersey toward Philadelphia. With
+the British army, in every way stronger than his own, close upon him, it
+was a race for life. Sometimes there was only a burning bridge, which the
+rear-guard of the Americans had set on fire, between the fleeing forces
+and the pursuing army.
+
+To make things worse, Washington saw his own army becoming smaller every
+day, because the men whose term of enlistment had expired were leaving to
+go to their homes. When he reached the Delaware River he had barely three
+thousand men left.
+
+Here again Washington showed a master-stroke of genius. Having collected
+boats for seventy miles along the river, he succeeded in getting his army
+safely across at a place a little above Trenton. As the British had no
+boats, they had to come to a halt. In their usual easy way, they decided
+to wait until the river should freeze, when--as they thought--they would
+cross in triumph and make a speedy capture of Philadelphia.
+
+To most people in England and in America alike, the early downfall of the
+American cause seemed certain. General Cornwallis was so sure that the war
+would soon come to an end that he had already packed some of his luggage
+and sent it to the ship in which he expected to return to England.
+
+But Washington had no thought of giving up the struggle. Others might say:
+"It's of no use to fight against such heavy odds." General Washington was
+not that kind of man. He faced the dark outlook with all his courage and
+energy. Full of faith in the cause for which he was willing to die, he
+watched eagerly for the opportunity to turn suddenly upon his
+overconfident enemy and strike a heavy blow.
+
+
+THE VICTORY AT TRENTON
+
+Such an opportunity came soon. A body of British troops, made up of
+Hessians (or Germans mainly from Hesse-Cassel, hired as soldiers by King
+George), was stationed at Trenton, and Washington planned to surprise them
+on Christmas night, when, as he knew, it was their custom to hold a feast
+and revel.
+
+With two thousand four hundred picked men he prepared to cross the
+Delaware River at a point nine miles above Trenton. The ground was white
+with snow, and the weather was bitterly cold. As the soldiers marched to
+the place of crossing, some of them whose feet were almost bare left
+bloody footprints along the route.
+
+[Illustration: British and Hessian Soldiers.]
+
+At sunset the troops began to cross. It was a terrible night. Angry gusts
+of wind, and great blocks of ice swept along by the swift current,
+threatened every moment to dash in pieces the frail boats.
+
+From the Trenton side of the river, General Knox, who had been sent ahead
+by Washington, loudly shouted to let the struggling boatmen know where to
+land. For ten hours boat-load after boat-load of men made the dangerous
+crossing. A long, long night this must have been to Washington, as he
+stood in the midst of the wild storm, anxious, yet hopeful that the next
+day would bring him victory.
+
+It was not until four in the morning that the already weary men were in
+line to march. Trenton was nine miles away, and a fearful storm of snow
+and sleet beat fiercely upon them as they advanced. Yet they pushed
+forward. Surely such courage and hardihood deserved its reward!
+
+The Hessians, sleeping heavily after their night's feasting, were quite
+unaware of the approaching army. About sunrise they were surprised and
+most of them easily captured after a brief struggle.
+
+Like a gleam of light in the darkness, news of this victory shot through
+the colonies. It brought hope to every patriot heart. The British were
+amazed at the daring feat, and Cornwallis decided not to leave America for
+a time. Instead, he advanced with a large force upon Trenton, hoping to
+capture Washington's army there.
+
+At nightfall, January 2, 1777, he took his stand on the farther side of a
+small creek, near Trenton, and thought he had Washington in a trap. "At
+last," said Cornwallis, "we have run down the old fox, and we will bag him
+in the morning." In the morning again!
+
+But Washington was too sly a fox for Cornwallis to bag. During the night
+he led his army around Cornwallis's camp and, pushing on to Princeton,
+defeated the rear-guard, which had not yet joined the main body. He then
+retired in safety to his winter quarters among the hills about Morristown.
+
+During this fateful campaign Washington had handled his army in a masterly
+way. He had begun with bitter defeat; he had ended with glorious victory.
+The Americans now felt that their cause was by no means hopeless. It was
+well that they had this encouragement, for the year that began with the
+battle of Princeton (1777) was to test their courage and loyalty to the
+uttermost.
+
+[Illustration: Powder-Horn, Bullet-Flask, and Buckshot-Pouch Used in the
+Revolution.]
+
+
+BURGOYNE'S INVASION
+
+It had become plain to the British that if they could get control of the
+Hudson River, thus cutting off New England from the other States, they
+could so weaken the Americans as to make their defeat easy. So they
+adopted this plan: Burgoyne with nearly eight thousand men was to march
+from Canada, by way of Lake Champlain and Fort Edward, to Albany, where he
+was to meet a small force of British, who also were to come from Canada by
+way of the Mohawk Valley. The main army of eighteen thousand men, under
+General Howe, was expected to sail up the Hudson from New York. They
+believed that this plan could be easily carried out and would soon bring
+the war to a close.
+
+And their plan might have succeeded if General Howe had done his part. Let
+us see what happened.
+
+Howe thought that before going up the river to meet and help Burgoyne, he
+would just march across New Jersey and capture Philadelphia. This,
+however, was not so easy as he had expected it to be. Washington's army
+was in his pathway, and, not caring to fight his way across, he returned
+to New York and tried another route, sailing with his army to Chesapeake
+Bay. The voyage took two months, much longer than he expected.
+
+When at length he landed and advanced toward Philadelphia, he was again
+thwarted. Washington's army grimly fronted him at Brandywine Creek, and a
+battle had to be fought. The Americans were defeated, it is true, but
+Washington handled his army with such skill that it took Howe two weeks to
+reach Philadelphia, which was only twenty-six miles away from the field of
+battle.
+
+Howe was thus kept busy by Washington until it was too late for him to
+send help to Burgoyne.
+
+Moreover, Burgoyne was disappointed also in the help which he had expected
+from the Mohawk Valley, for the army which was to come from that direction
+had been forced to retreat to Canada almost before reaching the valley at
+all.
+
+[Illustration: General Burgoyne Surrendering to General Gates.]
+
+Burgoyne was now in a hard place. The Americans were in front of him,
+blocking his way, and also behind him, preventing him from retreating or
+from getting powder and other greatly needed supplies from Canada. He
+could move in neither direction.
+
+Thus left in the lurch by those from whom he expected aid and penned in by
+the Americans, there was nothing for him to do but fight or give up.
+
+Like a good soldier, he fought, and the result was two battles near
+Saratoga and the defeat of the British. In the end Burgoyne had to
+surrender his entire army of six thousand regular troops (October 17,
+1777).
+
+Such was the way in which the British plan worked out. Of course the
+result was a great blow to England.
+
+On the other hand, the victory was a great cause of joy to the Americans.
+It made hope stronger at home; it won confidence abroad. France had been
+watching closely to see whether the Americans were likely to win in their
+struggle, before aiding them openly. Now she was ready to do so, and was
+quite willing to make a treaty with them, even though such a course should
+lead to war with England.
+
+To bring about this treaty with France, Benjamin Franklin did more than
+any other man. After signing the Declaration of Independence--and you will
+remember that he was a member of the committee appointed to draft that
+great state paper--he went to France to secure aid for the American cause.
+He must have been a quaint figure at the French court, his plain hair and
+plain cloth coat contrasting strangely with the fashion and elegance about
+him. Yet this simple-hearted man was welcomed by the French people, who
+gave feasts and parades in his honor and displayed his picture in public
+places. By his personal influence he did very much to secure the aid which
+France gave us.
+
+
+LAFAYETTE JOINS THE AMERICAN ARMY
+
+Even before an open treaty was signed France had secretly helped the cause
+of the Americans. She had sent them money and army supplies and, besides
+this, able Frenchmen had come across the Atlantic to join the American
+army. The most noted of these was the Marquis de Lafayette.
+
+The circumstances under which he came were quite romantic. Lafayette was
+but nineteen when he heard for the first time at a dinner-party the story
+of the American people fighting for their liberty. It interested and
+deeply moved him. For in his own land a desire for freedom had been
+growing, and he had been in sympathy with it. Now he made it his business
+to find out more about this war, and then he quickly decided to help all
+he could.
+
+[Illustration: Marquis de Lafayette.]
+
+He belonged to one of the noblest families of France, and was very
+wealthy. He had a young wife and a baby, whom he regretted to leave. But
+he believed that his duty called him to join the cause of freedom. His
+wife was proud of the lofty purpose of her noble husband, and encouraged
+him to carry out his plan.
+
+But Lafayette found it very hard to get away, for his family was one of
+influence. His relatives and also the men in power were very angry when he
+made known his purpose, and they tried to prevent his going.
+
+[Illustration: Lafayette Offering His Services to Franklin.]
+
+But he bought a ship with his own money and loaded it with army supplies.
+Then, disguising himself as a postboy, he arrived at the coast without
+being found out.
+
+After a long, tiresome voyage he reached the United States and went to
+Philadelphia.
+
+There Congress gave him the rank of major-general, but in accepting it
+Lafayette asked that he might serve without pay.
+
+A warm friendship at once sprang up between Washington and the young
+Frenchman, and a feeling of confidence as between father and son. The
+older man made the young major-general a member of his military family,
+and Lafayette was always proud to serve his chief. He spent his money
+freely and risked his life to help the cause of American liberty. We can
+never forget his unselfish service.
+
+At the close of the year 1777 Washington took his army to a strong
+position among the hills at Valley Forge, about twenty miles northwest of
+Philadelphia, there to spend the winter.
+
+It was a period of intense suffering. Sometimes the soldiers went for days
+without bread. "For some days past," wrote Washington, "there has been
+little less than famine in the camp." Most of the soldiers were in rags,
+only a few had bed clothing. Many had to sit by the fire all night to keep
+warm, and some of the sick soldiers were without beds or even loose straw
+to lie upon. Nearly three thousand of the men were barefoot in this severe
+winter weather, and many had frozen feet because of the lack of shoes. It
+makes one heart-sick to read about what these brave men passed through
+during that wretched winter.
+
+Yet, in spite of bitter trials and distressing times, Washington never
+lost faith that in the end the American cause would triumph. A beautiful
+story is told showing the faith of this courageous man while in the midst
+of these pitiful scenes at Valley Forge.
+
+[Illustration: Winter at Valley Forge.]
+
+One day, when "Friend Potts," a good Quaker farmer, was near the camp, he
+saw Washington on his knees, his cheeks wet with tears, praying for help
+and guidance. When the farmer returned to his home, he said to his wife:
+"George Washington will succeed! George Washington will succeed! The
+Americans will secure their independence."
+
+"What makes thee think so, Isaac?" inquired his wife.
+
+"I have heard him pray, Hannah, out in the woods to-day, and the Lord will
+surely hear his prayer. He will, Hannah; thee may rest assured He will."
+
+Many events happened between this winter at Valley Forge and the surrender
+of Cornwallis with all his army at Yorktown, but these we shall take up in
+a later chapter. Washington had led his army through the valley of
+despair, and never again while the war lasted was the sky so dark.
+
+At the close of the war Washington was glad to return to Mount Vernon and
+become a Virginia planter once more. But, as we shall learn further on, he
+was not permitted to spend the remainder of his days in the quiet rural
+life which he liked so well. For his countrymen had come to honor and
+trust him as their leader, and the time was not far away when they would
+again seek his firm and wise guidance.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What kind of army did Washington have when he took command at
+Cambridge?
+
+2. What was the Declaration of Independence, and when was it signed?
+
+3. How did Washington show his ability as a general at New York? What
+great mistake did General Howe make at that time?
+
+4. What did Nathan Hale do? What do you think of him?
+
+5. Imagine yourself with Washington in the attack upon Trenton, and tell
+what happened.
+
+6. What were the results of the capture of Burgoyne?
+
+7. Who was Lafayette, and what did he do for the American cause?
+
+8. Describe as well as you can the sufferings of the Americans at Valley
+Forge.
+
+9. Are you making frequent use of the map?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+NATHANAEL GREENE AND OTHER HEROES IN THE SOUTH
+
+
+We have given a rapid glance at the part which Washington took in the
+Revolution. He, as commander-in-chief, stands first. But he would have
+been quick to say that much of the credit for the success in that uneven
+struggle was due to the able generals who carried out his plans. Standing
+next to Washington himself as a military leader was Nathanael Greene.
+
+[Illustration: Nathanael Greene.]
+
+As you remember, the first fighting of the Revolution was in New England
+near Boston. Failing there, the British tried hard to get control of the
+Hudson River and the Middle States, as we have just seen. Again they were
+baffled by Washington.
+
+One course remained, and that was to gain control of the southern States.
+Beginning in Georgia, they captured Savannah. Two years later in May
+(1780), they captured General Lincoln and all his force at Charleston, and
+in the following August badly defeated General Gates, at Camden, South
+Carolina, where with a new army he was now commanding in General Lincoln's
+place.
+
+The outlook for the patriot cause was discouraging. One thing was certain.
+A skilful general must take charge of the American forces in the south, or
+the British would soon have everything in their own hands. Washington had
+great faith in General Greene, and did not hesitate to appoint him for
+this hard task. Let us see what led the commander-in-chief to choose this
+New England man for duty in a post so far away.
+
+Nathanael Greene was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, in 1742. His father,
+who on week-days was a blacksmith and miller, on Sundays was a Quaker
+preacher. Nathanael was trained to work at the forge and in the mill and
+in the fields as well. He was robust and active and, like young George
+Washington, a leader in outdoor sports. But with all his other activities
+he was also, like young Samuel Adams, a good student of books.
+
+We like to think of these colonial boys going to school and playing at
+games just as boys do now, quite unaware of the great things waiting for
+them to do in the world. Had they known of their future, they could have
+prepared in no better way than by taking their faithful part in the work
+and honest sport of each day as it came.
+
+Greene, being ten years younger than Washington, was about thirty-two
+years old when the Boston Tea Party and those other exciting events of
+that time occurred.
+
+[Illustration: The War in the South.]
+
+Although news did not travel so rapidly then as now, Greene was soon aware
+that war was likely to break out at any time, and he took an active part
+in preparing for it. He helped to organize a company of soldiers who
+should be ready to fight for the American cause, and made the trip from
+Rhode Island to Boston to get a musket for himself. In Boston he watched
+with much interest the British regulars taking their drill, and brought
+back with him not only a musket, hidden under some straw in his wagon, but
+also a runaway British soldier, who was to drill his company.
+
+When news of the battle of Bunker Hill passed swiftly over the country,
+proving that the war had actually begun, Rhode Island raised three
+regiments of troops and placed Greene at their head as general. He marched
+at once to Boston, and when Washington arrived to take command of the
+American troops, it was General Greene who had the honor of welcoming him
+in the name of the army.
+
+
+GENERAL GREENE IN THE SOUTH
+
+At this time Greene was a man of stalwart appearance, six feet tall,
+strong and vigorous in body, and with a frank, intelligent face. At once
+he won the friendship and confidence of Washington, who always trusted him
+with positions calling for courage, ability, and skill. It was not long
+before he was Washington's right-hand man. So you can easily see why
+Washington chose him in 1780 as commander of the American army in the
+south.
+
+When General Greene reached the Carolinas, it was December, and he found
+the army in a pitiable condition. There was but a single blanket for the
+use of every three soldiers, and there was not food enough in camp to last
+three days. The soldiers had lost heart because of defeat, they were angry
+because they had not been paid, and many were sick because they had not
+enough to eat. They camped in rude huts made of fence rails, corn-stalks,
+and brushwood.
+
+A weak man would have said: "What can I do with an army like this? The
+task is impossible. To remain here is to fail, so I will resign."
+
+But General Greene said nothing of the kind. He set to work with a will,
+for he believed that the right was on his side. By wise planning, skilful
+handling of the army, and hard labor, he managed, with the forces at hand,
+to ward off the enemy, get food supplies, and put new spirit into his men.
+
+[Illustration: The Meeting of Greene and Gates upon Greene's Assuming
+Command.]
+
+Soon he won the confidence and love of both officers and soldiers. A story
+is told that shows us the sympathy he had for his men and their faith in
+him. On one occasion Greene said to a barefoot sentinel: "How you must
+suffer from cold!" Not knowing that he spoke to his general, the soldier
+replied: "I do not complain. I know I should have what I need if our
+general could get supplies."
+
+
+DANIEL MORGAN, THE GREAT RIFLEMAN
+
+It was indeed fortunate for General Greene that in this time of need his
+men were so loyal to him. Among them was one who later became noted for
+his brilliant, daring exploits. This was Daniel Morgan, the great
+rifleman. You will be interested to hear of some of his thrilling
+experiences.
+
+When about nineteen years old, Morgan began his military career as a
+teamster in Braddock's army, and at the time of Braddock's defeat he did
+good service by bringing wounded men off the battle-field. It was about
+this time that he became known to Washington, who liked and trusted him.
+The young man was so dependable and brave that he was steadily promoted.
+
+When he was twenty-three, he had an exciting adventure which brought him
+the only wound he ever received. It was during the Last French War. With
+two other men, he was sent to carry a message to the commanding officer at
+Winchester. They had still about a mile to ride when a party of French and
+Indians who were hiding in the woods near the roadside fired upon them.
+Morgan's comrade fell dead instantly. He himself was so severely wounded
+in the neck by a musket-ball that he came near fainting and believed he
+was going to die. But he managed to cling to his horse's neck and spurred
+him along the forest trail.
+
+One Indian, hoping to get Morgan's scalp, ran for a time beside the horse.
+But when he saw that the animal was outstripping him, he gave up the
+chase, hurling his tomahawk with an angry yell at the fleeing man. Morgan
+was soon safe in the hands of friends.
+
+[Illustration: Daniel Morgan.]
+
+During the Revolution his services were, in more than one critical
+situation, of great value to the American cause. In the campaign which
+ended with Burgoyne's defeat, for instance, his riflemen fought like
+heroes. General Burgoyne, after his surrender, exclaimed to Morgan: "Sir,
+you command the finest regiment in the world."
+
+Indeed, it was regarded at that time as the best regiment in the American
+army, and this was largely due to Morgan's skill in handling his men. He
+made them feel as if they were one family. He was always thoughtful for
+their health and comfort, and he appealed to their pride but never to
+their fear.
+
+He was a very tall and strong man, with handsome features and a remarkable
+power to endure. His manner was quiet and refined, and his noble bearing
+indicated a high sense of honor. He was liked by his companions because he
+was always good-natured and ready for the most daring adventure.
+
+General Greene made good use of this true patriot, and not long after
+taking command of the army he sent Morgan with nine hundred picked men to
+the westward to threaten the British outposts. General Cornwallis, in
+command of the British army in the south, ordered Colonel Tarleton to lead
+a body of soldiers against Morgan.
+
+Early in the morning of January 17, 1781, after a hard night march,
+Tarleton, overconfident of success, attacked Morgan at Cowpens, in the
+northern part of South Carolina. The Americans stood up bravely against
+the attack and won a brilliant victory. The British lost almost their
+entire force, including six hundred prisoners.
+
+Cornwallis was bitterly disappointed, for his plan, undertaken in such
+confidence, had ended in a crushing defeat. However, gathering his forces
+together, he set out to march rapidly across country in pursuit of Morgan,
+hoping to overwhelm him and recapture the six hundred British prisoners
+before he could join Greene's army.
+
+But Morgan was too wary to be caught napping, and, suspecting that this
+would be Cornwallis's game, he retreated rapidly in a northeasterly
+direction toward that part of the army under Greene.
+
+Meantime Greene had heard the glorious news of the American victory at
+Cowpens, and he too realized that there was great danger of Morgan's
+falling into the hands of Cornwallis. To prevent this, and at the same
+time draw Cornwallis far away from his supplies at Wilmington, he decided
+to go to Morgan's relief.
+
+Sending his army by an easier, roundabout route, he himself with a small
+guard rode swiftly a distance of one hundred and fifty miles across the
+rough country and joined Morgan on the last day of January.
+
+Morgan was cleverly retreating with Cornwallis in hot pursuit. For ten
+days the race for life continued, with the chances in favor of Cornwallis,
+for his army was larger, besides being trained and disciplined.
+
+This was a famous retreat. It covered a distance of two hundred miles
+through the Carolinas, across three rivers whose waters, swollen by recent
+rains, rose rapidly after the Americans had crossed, and checked the
+British in their pursuit. When the last river, the Dan, was forded, the
+chase was so close that the rear of the retreating army had a skirmish
+with the van of the pursuers. Yet Greene was so alert and skilful that he
+escaped every danger and saved his army.
+
+In this trying campaign valuable aid was given by "partisans" in the
+south. These were private companies, not part of the regular army. Such
+companies had been formed in the south by both sides, and that is why they
+were called "partisans."
+
+
+MARION, THE "SWAMP FOX"
+
+Perhaps the most noted partisan leader was Francis Marion, of South
+Carolina. He was born in Georgetown, South Carolina, in 1732, and was
+therefore the same age as Washington. Although as a child he was very
+frail, he became strong as he grew older. As a man he was short and slight
+of frame, but strong and hardy in constitution.
+
+[Illustration: Francis Marion.]
+
+When the British began to swarm into South Carolina, Marion raised and
+drilled a company of neighbors and friends, known as "Marion's Brigade."
+These men were without uniforms or tents, and they served without pay.
+They did not look much like soldiers on parade, but were among the bravest
+and best fighters of the Revolution. Their swords were beaten out of old
+mill-saws at the country forge, and their bullets were made largely from
+pewter mugs and other pewter utensils. Their rations were very scant and
+simple. Marion, their leader, as a rule, ate hominy and potatoes and drank
+water flavored with a little vinegar.
+
+The story is told that one day a British officer came to the camp with a
+flag of truce. After the officers had talked, Marion, with his usual
+delicate courtesy, invited the visitor to dinner. We can imagine the
+Englishman's surprise when, on a log which made the camp table, there was
+served a dinner consisting only of roasted sweet potatoes passed on pieces
+of bark! The officer was still more amazed to learn that even potatoes
+were something of a luxury.
+
+Marion's brigade of farmers and hunters seldom numbered more than seventy,
+and often less than twenty. But with this very small force he annoyed the
+British beyond measure by rescuing prisoners, and by capturing
+supply-trains and outposts.
+
+[Illustration: Marion Surprising a British Wagon-Train.]
+
+One day a scout brought in the report that a party of ninety British with
+two hundred prisoners were on the march for Charleston. Waiting for the
+darkness to conceal his movements, Marion with thirty men sallied out,
+swooped down upon the British camp, capturing the entire force and
+rescuing all the American prisoners.
+
+It was the custom of Marion's men, when hard pressed by a superior force,
+to scatter, each man looking out for himself. Often they would dash
+headlong into a dense, dark swamp, to meet again at some place agreed
+upon. Even while they were still in hiding, they would sometimes dart out
+just as suddenly as they had vanished, and surprise another squad of
+British which might be near at hand. "Swamp Fox" was the name the British
+gave to Marion.
+
+With the aid of such partisan bands, and with skilful handling of his
+army, Greene was more than a match for Cornwallis. He was not strong
+enough just yet for a pitched battle, but he kept Cornwallis chasing
+without losing his own army. That was about all he could hope to do for a
+while.
+
+But when he received recruits from Virginia, he thought it wise to strike
+a blow, even though he could not win a victory. Turning, therefore, upon
+his enemy, he fought a battle at Guilford Court House, North Carolina
+(March, 1781).
+
+He was defeated, but came off as well as he expected, and so crippled the
+British army that Cornwallis had to retreat. He went to the coast to get
+supplies for his half-starved men. Like the battle of Bunker Hill, it was
+a dearly bought victory for the British.
+
+Cornwallis now saw clearly that he could not hope longer for success in
+the south, and having taken on fresh supplies, he marched northward to try
+his luck at Yorktown, Virginia.
+
+Washington, with an army of French and American troops, was at the time in
+camp on the Hudson River, waiting for the coming of the French fleet to
+New York. That city was still in the hands of the British. As soon as this
+fleet should arrive, Washington expected to attack the British army in New
+York by land, while the fleet attacked it by sea.
+
+But the French fleet was well on its way to the Chesapeake instead of to
+New York as expected. When this information came to Washington, he worked
+out a bold and brilliant scheme. It was to march his army as quickly and
+as secretly as possible to Yorktown, a distance of four hundred miles,
+there join the American army under Lafayette, and, combining with the
+French fleet on its arrival, capture the British under Cornwallis.
+
+This daring scheme succeeded so well that Cornwallis surrendered his
+entire army of eight thousand men on October 19, 1781. This important
+event, which practically ended the war, we shall speak of again.
+
+The surrender at Yorktown ended the fighting, although the treaty of peace
+was not signed until 1783. By that treaty the Americans won their
+independence from England. The country which they could now call their own
+extended from Canada to Florida, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the
+Mississippi River.
+
+After the treaty of peace was signed, and the army disbanded, General
+Greene went home. In 1785 he moved with his family to a plantation which
+the State of Georgia had given him. Here he lived in quiet and happiness,
+but only a short time, for he died of sunstroke at the age of forty-four.
+His comrade Anthony Wayne, voiced the feeling of his countrymen when he
+said: "I have seen a great and good man die."
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. Tell what you can about General Greene's early life.
+
+2. What was the condition of his army when he took command in the South?
+How did he prove his strength at that time?
+
+3. What kind of man was Daniel Morgan, and what do you think of him?
+
+4. Tell all you can about Marion, the "Swamp Fox," and his ways of making
+trouble for the British.
+
+5. When did the Revolution begin? When did it end? What did the Americans
+win by the treaty? What was the extent of our country at that time?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+JOHN PAUL JONES
+
+
+While the Revolution was being fought out on the land, important battles
+were taking place also at sea. Until this war began, the Americans had had
+no need of a navy because the mother country had protected them. But when
+unfriendly feeling arose, Congress ordered war vessels to be built. These
+were very useful in capturing British vessels, many of which were loaded
+with arms and ammunition intended for British soldiers. Powder, as you
+will remember, was sorely needed by Washington's army.
+
+[Illustration: John Paul Jones.]
+
+Among the men who commanded the American war vessels were some noted
+sea-captains, the most famous of whom was John Paul Jones.
+
+He was of Scottish birth. His father, John Paul, was a gardener, who lived
+on the southwestern coast of Scotland. The cottage in which our hero spent
+his early boyhood days stood near the beautiful bay called Solway Firth,
+which made a safe harbor for ships in time of storm.
+
+Here little John Paul heard many sailors tell thrilling stories of
+adventure at sea and in far-away lands. Here, also, to the inlets along
+the shore, the active lad and his playmates took their tiny boats and made
+believe they were sailors, John Paul always acting as captain. Sometimes
+when he was tired and all alone, he would sit by the hour watching the big
+waves rolling in, and dreaming perhaps of the day when he would become a
+great sea-captain.
+
+When he was only twelve, he wished to begin his life as a real sailor. So
+his father apprenticed him to a merchant at Whitehaven who owned a vessel
+and traded in goods brought from other lands. Soon afterward John Paul
+went on a voyage to Virginia, where the vessel was to be loaded with
+tobacco. While there he visited an older brother, who owned a plantation
+at Fredericksburg.
+
+For six years John Paul remained with the Whitehaven merchant, and during
+this time he learned much about good seamanship. After the merchant failed
+in business, John Paul still continued to follow a seafaring life, and in
+a short time became a captain. But when his brother in Virginia died, John
+Paul went to Fredericksburg to manage the plantation his brother had left.
+
+It was now his intention to spend the rest of his life here, but, like
+Patrick Henry, he failed as a farmer. In fact, it would seem that he was
+born to be a sailor.
+
+In the meantime he had come to be a loyal American, and when the
+Revolution broke out he determined to offer his services to Congress. When
+he did so, he changed his name to John Paul Jones. Just why, we do not
+know.
+
+[Illustration: Battle Between the Ranger and the Drake.]
+
+Congress accepted his services by appointing him first lieutenant. He
+proved himself so able that in the second year of the war he was put in
+command of two vessels, with which he captured sixteen prizes in six
+weeks.
+
+In the following year he was appointed captain of the Ranger and sent to
+France with letters to Benjamin Franklin, who was then American
+commissioner at the French court, trying to secure aid for the American
+cause.
+
+At that time English vessels were annoying American coasts by burning and
+destroying property. Jones got permission from Franklin to attack British
+coasts in the same way, and he was allowed to sail from France in his
+vessel with that purpose in view.
+
+His plan was to sail along the western coast of England and set fire to
+the large shipping-yards at Whitehaven, with which harbor, you remember,
+he had become familiar in boyhood. He meant to burn all the three hundred
+vessels lying at anchor there. Although he succeeded in setting fire to
+only one large ship, he alarmed the people all along the coast. The
+warning was carried from town to town: "Beware of Paul Jones, the pirate!"
+
+An English war vessel, the Drake, was sent out to capture the Ranger. As
+the Drake carried two more guns and a crew better drilled for fighting, it
+was thought she would make short work of the American ship in a fight. But
+it was just the other way, for after a battle of a single hour the English
+vessel surrendered, having lost many men. The American loss was only two
+men killed and six wounded.
+
+After this brilliant victory the young captain put back to France. There
+he found great rejoicing among the people, whose good-will was more with
+America than with England. And as war had already broken out between
+France and England, the French King was quite willing to furnish Jones
+with a considerable naval force.
+
+
+A DESPERATE SEA DUEL
+
+Accordingly, in August, 1779, Captain Jones put to sea once more, this
+time with a fleet of four vessels. He named his flag-ship Bon Homme
+Richard (bo-nom'-r[=e]-shaer'), after the Richard of _Poor Richard's
+Almanac_, which you will remember Benjamin Franklin had written.
+
+In this ship, which was old, he set out to cruise along the western coast
+of Ireland, in order to capture English merchant vessels. After reaching
+the southern point of Ireland, he cruised northward around Scotland and
+down its eastern coast. Then he sailed up and down the eastern coast of
+England, looking for merchant vessels.
+
+At noon on the 23d of September Jones sighted a fleet of forty-two
+merchantmen, guarded by two English ships of war, all sailing from the
+north. He at once decided to make an attack. This took place early in the
+evening, the action being mainly between the Richard and the English
+man-of-war Serapis, which was a large ship, new and swift, and very much
+better than the Richard.
+
+During the first hour the American vessel got the worst of the fight and
+"was leaking like a basket." The English captain, feeling sure of victory,
+called out: "Has your ship struck?" Our hero, Paul Jones, shouted back: "I
+have not yet begun to fight!"
+
+As the British vessel came alongside his own for a more deadly struggle,
+Jones with his own hands lashed the two together. Soon both were badly
+leaking, but the fighting went on as fiercely as ever. Presently both
+caught fire.
+
+[Illustration: The Fight Between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis.]
+
+Then Jones turned his cannon upon the mainmast of the Serapis, and when it
+threatened to fall the English captain surrendered. So after all it was
+the English ship and not the American that "struck" the flag. But the
+Richard could not have held out much longer, for even before the surrender
+she had begun to sink.
+
+When the English captain gave up his sword to John Paul Jones, he said:
+"It is very hard to surrender to a man who has fought with a halter around
+his neck." You see, Captain Jones would have been hanged as a pirate, if
+taken. Jones replied: "Sir, you have fought like a hero. I hope your King
+will reward you."
+
+This was a desperate sea duel, and it lasted from half past seven in the
+evening until ten o'clock. It was important also in its results, for it
+won much needed respect for our flag and gave a wonderful uplift to the
+American cause. The victor, John Paul Jones, who was loaded with honors,
+from that day took rank with the great sea-captains of the world.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. Tell all you can about the early life of John Paul Jones.
+
+2. Why did the English call him a pirate when he was sailing along the
+British coasts in order to destroy property?
+
+3. What was the outcome of the desperate sea duel between the Bon Homme
+Richard and the Serapis?
+
+4. What do you admire about John Paul Jones?
+
+5. Do not fail to locate every event upon the map.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+DANIEL BOONE
+
+
+You remember that when the Last French War began, in 1756, the English
+colonists lived almost entirely east of the Alleghany Mountains. If you
+will look at your map, you will see how small a part of our present great
+country they occupied.
+
+Even up to the beginning of the Revolution the Americans had few settlers
+west of the Alleghanies, and had done very little there to make good their
+claims to land.
+
+Yet at the close of the war we find that their western boundary-line had
+been pushed back as far as the Mississippi River. How this was done we
+shall see if we turn our attention to those early hunters and backwoodsmen
+who did great service to our country as pioneers in opening up new lands.
+
+One of the most famous of these was Daniel Boone. He was born in
+Pennsylvania, and, like many of the heroes of the Revolution, he was born
+in the "thirties" (1735).
+
+As a boy, Daniel liked to wander in the woods with musket and fishing-rod,
+and was never so happy as when alone in the wild forest. The story is told
+that while a mere lad he wandered one day into the woods some distance
+from home and built himself a rough shelter of logs, where he would spend
+days at a time, with only his rifle for company.
+
+[Illustration: Daniel Boone.]
+
+As he was a "good shot," we may be sure he never went hungry for lack of
+food. The game which his rifle brought down he would cook over a pile of
+burning sticks. If you have done outdoor camp cooking, you can almost
+taste its woodland flavor. Then at night as he lay under the star-lit sky
+on a bed of leaves, with the skin of a wild animal for covering, a prince
+might have envied his dreamless slumber.
+
+This free, wild life made him thoroughly at home in the forests, and
+trained him for the work he was to do later as a fearless hunter and
+woodsman.
+
+When Daniel was about thirteen years old his father removed to North
+Carolina and settled on the Yadkin River. There the boy grew to manhood.
+After his marriage, at twenty, he built himself a hut far out in the
+lonely forest, beyond the homes of the other settlers.
+
+But he was a restless man and looked with longing toward the rugged
+mountains on the west. Along the foothills other pioneer settlers and
+hunters had taken up their abode. And young Boone's imagination leaped to
+the country beyond the mountains, where the forest stretched for miles
+upon miles, no one knew how far, to the Mississippi River. It was an
+immense wilderness teeming with game, and he wanted to hunt and explore in
+it.
+
+He was twenty-five when he made the first "long hunt" we know about. At
+this time he went as far as what is now Boone's Creek, in eastern
+Tennessee.
+
+Other trips doubtless he made which increased his love for wandering; and
+in 1769, nine years after his first trip, having heard from a stray Indian
+of a wonderful hunting-ground far to the west, he started out with this
+Indian and four other men to wander through the wilderness of Kentucky.
+
+For five weeks these bold hunters threaded their way through lonely and
+pathless mountain forests, facing many dangers from wild beasts and
+Indians.
+
+
+BOONE GOES TO KENTUCKY
+
+But when, in June, they reached the blue-grass region of Kentucky, a
+beautiful land of stretching prairies, lofty forests, and running streams,
+they felt well repaid for all the hardships of their long journey. It was
+indeed as the Indian had said, alive with game. Buffaloes, wolves, bears,
+elk, deer, and wild beasts of many kinds abounded, making truly a hunter's
+paradise.
+
+They at once put up a log shelter, and for six months they hunted to their
+hearts' content. Then one day two of the party, Boone himself and a man
+named Stewart, while off on a hunting expedition, were captured by an
+Indian band. For several days the dusky warriors carefully guarded the two
+white captives. But on the seventh night, having eaten greedily of game
+they had killed during the day, they fell into a sound sleep.
+
+[Illustration: Boone's Escape from the Indians.]
+
+Then Boone, who had been watching for this chance, arose quietly from his
+place among the sleeping Indians and gently wakened Stewart. The two crept
+stealthily away until out of hearing of the Indians, when, rising to their
+feet, they bounded off like deer through the dark woods to their own camp.
+But they found no one there, for the rest of the party had fled back home.
+
+However, Boone and Stewart stayed on, and some weeks later they were
+pleasantly surprised when Daniel's brother, Squire Boone, also a woodsman,
+unexpectedly arrived with another man and joined the camp. The four were
+quite contented, living and hunting together, until one day Stewart was
+shot by an Indian and killed. His death so frightened the man who had come
+over the mountains with Squire Boone, that the woods lost their charm for
+the poor fellow and he went back home.
+
+So only the two brothers were left. They remained together three months
+longer in a little cabin in the forest. Then, as their powder and lead
+were getting low, Squire Boone returned to North Carolina for a fresh
+supply, leaving his brother to hold the hunting-ground.
+
+Now Boone was left all alone. His life was continually in danger from the
+Indians. For fear of being surprised, he dared not sleep in camp, but hid
+himself at night in the cane-brake or thick underbrush, not even kindling
+a fire lest he should attract the Indians.
+
+During these weeks of waiting for his brother, he led a very lonely life.
+In all that time he did not speak to a single human being, nor had he even
+a dog, cat, or horse for company. Without salt, sugar, or flour, his sole
+food was the game he shot or caught in traps.
+
+How gladly he must have welcomed his brother, who returned at the end of
+two months, bringing the needed supplies! Other hunters also came from
+time to time, and Boone joined one party of them for a while.
+
+After two years of his life in the woods he returned to his home on the
+Yadkin to bring out his wife and children.
+
+By September, 1773, he had sold his farm and was ready with his family to
+go and settle in Kentucky. He had praised the new land so much that many
+others wished to go with him. So when he started there were, besides his
+wife and children, five families and forty men driving their horses and
+cattle before them. This group was the first to attempt settlement far out
+in the wilderness, away from the other settlers.
+
+But while still on its way, the little company was set upon by a band of
+Indians near a narrow and difficult pass in the mountains. Six men were
+killed, among them Boone's eldest son, and the cattle were scattered. This
+misfortune brought such gloom upon the party that all turned back for a
+time to a settlement on the Clinch River.
+
+But Daniel Boone was one of those who would not give up. He said of
+himself that he was "ordained of God to settle the wilderness," and in the
+end he carried out his unflinching purpose to make his home in the
+beautiful Kentucky region.
+
+This region had already become well known by report east of the mountains.
+The Indians called it "a dark and bloody ground," for, as an old chief
+told Boone, many tribes hunted and fought there, and the Indians had
+roamed over it for hundreds of years.
+
+But none of the tribes really owned the land. So it was not possible to
+buy any part of it outright. Yet, to avoid strife, a friend of Boone's,
+Richard Henderson, and a few others made treaties with the most powerful
+tribe, the Cherokees, who said that they might settle there.
+
+As soon as it became certain that the Indians would not make trouble,
+Henderson sent Boone, in charge of thirty men, to open a pathway from the
+Holston River through Cumberland Gap to the Kentucky River.
+
+With their axes the men chopped out a path through the dense undergrowth
+and cane-brakes broad enough for a pack-horse. You will be interested to
+know that this bridle-path was the beginning of the famous "Wilderness
+Road," as it is still called. Later the narrow trail was widened into a
+highway for wagons, and it was along this way, rightly called a
+"wilderness road," that in later years so many thousand settlers led their
+pack-trains over the mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee.
+
+But that is taking a long look ahead! Just now we are thinking about the
+very first of these settlers, Daniel Boone and his company.
+
+
+THE KENTUCKY SETTLERS AT BOONESBOROUGH
+
+When they reached the Kentucky River, Boone and his followers built a fort
+on the left bank of the stream and called it Boonesborough. Its four walls
+consisted in part of the outer sides of log cabins, and in part of a
+stockade, some twelve feet high, made by setting deep into the ground
+stout posts with pointed tops. In all the cabins there were loopholes
+through which to shoot, and at each corner of the fort stood a loophole
+blockhouse. There were also two strong wooden gates on opposite sides of
+the fort.
+
+[Illustration: Boonesborough.]
+
+After the fort was built, Boone went back to the Clinch River and brought
+on his wife and children. When they settled, it was springtime, and
+Kentucky was at its best. Trees were in leaf, the beautiful dogwood was in
+flower, and the woods were fragrant with the blossoms of May. Do you
+wonder that they loved their new home?
+
+At first the cattle and horses were always driven into the fort at night.
+Later, however, every settler had a cabin in his own clearing, where he
+lived with his family and took care of his own stock. But even then in
+time of great danger all went to the fort, driving their animals inside
+its walls. This fort, with the outlying cabins, made the first permanent
+settlement in Kentucky.
+
+Boone was a man you would have liked to know. Even the Indians admired
+him. He was tall and slender, with muscles of iron, and so healthy and
+strong that he could endure great hardship. Though quiet and serious, his
+courage never shrank in the face of danger, and men believed in him
+because he believed in himself, while at the same time his kind heart and
+tender sympathy won him lasting friendships. These vigorous and sterling
+qualities commanded respect everywhere.
+
+As a rule he wore the Indian garb of fur cap, fringed hunting-shirt,
+moccasins and leggings, all made from the skins of wild animals he had
+taken. This dress best suited the wilderness life.
+
+Of course, this life in a new country would not be without its exciting
+adventures. One day, some months after Boone's family had come to
+Boonesborough, Boone's daughter, with two girl friends, was on the river
+floating in a boat near the bank. Suddenly five Indians darted out of the
+woods, seized the three girls, and hurried away with them. In their flight
+the Indians observed the eldest of the girls breaking twigs and dropping
+them in their trail. They threatened to tomahawk her unless she stopped
+it. But, watching her chance, from time to time she tore off strips of her
+dress and dropped them as a clew for those she knew would come to rescue
+them.
+
+When the capture became known, Boone, accompanied by the three lovers of
+the captured maidens and four other men from the fort, started upon the
+trail and kept up the pursuit until, early on the second morning, they
+discovered the Indians sitting around a fire cooking breakfast. Suddenly
+the white men fired a volley, killing two of the Indians and frightening
+the others so badly that they beat a hasty retreat without harming the
+girls.
+
+Another exciting experience, which nearly caused the settlement to lose
+its leader, came about through the settlers' need of salt. We can get salt
+so easily that it is hard to imagine the difficulty which those settlers,
+living far back from the ocean, had in obtaining this necessary part of
+their food. They had to go to "salt-licks," as they called the grounds
+about the salt-water springs. The men would get the salt water from the
+springs and boil it until all the water evaporated and left the salt
+behind.
+
+Boone with twenty-nine other men had gone, early in 1778, to the Blue
+Licks to make salt for the settlement. They were so successful that in a
+few weeks they were able to send back a load so large that it took three
+men to carry it. Hardly had they started, however, when the men remaining,
+including Boone, were surprised by eighty or ninety Indians, captured, and
+carried off to the English at Detroit.
+
+For we must not forget that all this time, while we have been following
+Boone's fortunes west of the Alleghanies, on the east side of those
+mountains the Revolution was being fought, and the Indians west of the
+Alleghanies were fighting on the English side. They received a sum of
+money for handing over to the English at Detroit any Americans they might
+capture, and that is why the Indians took Boone and his companions to that
+place.
+
+But, strangely enough, the Indians decided not to give Boone up, although
+the English, realizing that he was a prize, offered five hundred dollars
+for him. The Indians admired him because he was a mighty hunter, and they
+liked him because he was cheerful. So they adopted him into the tribe and
+took him to their home.
+
+Boone remained with them two months, making the best of the life he had to
+lead. But when he overheard the Indians planning to make an attack upon
+Boonesborough, he made up his mind to escape if possible and give his
+friends warning.
+
+His own words tell the brave story in a simple way: "On the 16th of June,
+before sunrise, I departed in the most secret manner, and arrived in
+Boonesborough on the 20th, after a journey of one hundred and sixty miles,
+during which I had but one meal." He could not get any food, for he dared
+not use his gun nor build a fire for fear his foes might find out where he
+was. He reached the fort in safety, and was of great service in beating
+off the attacking party. This is only one of the many narrow escapes of
+this fearless backwoodsman.
+
+Another incident illustrates his quick wit. One day, while he was in a
+shed looking after some tobacco, four Indians with loaded guns appeared at
+the door. They said: "Now, Boone, we got you. You no get away any more.
+You no cheat us any more." While they were speaking Boone had gathered up
+in his arms a number of dry tobacco leaves. Rubbing them to dust, he
+suddenly flung it into the faces of the Indians, filling their eyes and
+nostrils. Then, while they were coughing, sneezing, and rubbing their
+eyes, he escaped.
+
+[Illustration: Boone Throwing Tobacco into the Eyes of the Indians Who Had
+Come to Capture Him.]
+
+These are but a few of Boone's dangerous adventures. From them all he came
+out safe and for years continued to be the able leader of the settlers at
+Boonesborough.
+
+There he remained until after Kentucky was admitted as a State into the
+Union (1791). Four years later he moved still farther west, led on by love
+for the wild, lonely life of the forest, a life which never lost its charm
+for him, even down to his last days.
+
+He died in 1820, eighty-five years old, his long life covering a period of
+very great change in the growth of our country. By that time we had become
+a nation with broadly expanded boundaries.
+
+It has been said that but for Daniel Boone the settlement of Kentucky
+could not have been made for several years. However this may be, we know
+that he was one of those fearless and daring men whose courage helped to
+establish that part of our country long known as "the West."
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What kind of boyhood had Daniel Boone?
+
+2. Imagine yourself to have been in his place during the weeks when he was
+alone in the Kentucky forests; give an account of what happened.
+
+3. Tell about his second capture by the Indians and his escape. Why did
+they admire him?
+
+4. What did he do for Kentucky? What kind of man was he?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+JAMES ROBERTSON
+
+
+Another pioneer who lived in Boone's day was James Robertson. Like Boone,
+he came from North Carolina, and he led the way for the settling of
+Tennessee very much as Boone did for Kentucky. The story of those days
+shows that he was one of the most forceful and successful of the early
+English pioneers who led out settlements west of the Alleghanies.
+
+[Illustration: James Robertson.]
+
+Born in 1742, Robertson was ten years younger than Washington. But this
+boy's early life was very different from young George Washington's, for
+little James was born in a backwoods cabin, and his father and mother were
+too poor to send him to school. So he grew up to manhood without being
+able to read and write.
+
+But he wanted to study, and was persevering and brave enough to learn the
+letters of the alphabet and how to spell and to write after he had grown
+to manhood. We can be sure, therefore, that James was the right sort of
+boy, and that he would have mastered books if he had been given the
+chance, just as he mastered the wilderness in later life. But it is as a
+backwoodsman that we first come to know Robertson and learn why he was
+trusted and followed so willingly.
+
+Although not tall, he was vigorous and robust, having fair complexion,
+dark hair, and honest blue eyes that met one's glance squarely. His frank,
+serious face, his quiet manner, and his coolness and daring in the midst
+of danger gave him a mastery over others such as it is given but few men
+to have.
+
+Like Boone, he was noted as a successful hunter; but hunting and exploring
+were not with him the chief motives for going into the wilderness. He was
+first of all a pioneer settler who was seeking rich farming lands with
+near-by springs, where he could make a good home for his family and give
+his children advantages which he himself had never enjoyed.
+
+Led by this motive, he left his home in North Carolina to seek his fortune
+among the forest-clad mountains, whose summits he could see far-away to
+the west. With no companion but his horse and no protection but his rifle,
+he slowly and patiently made his way through the trackless woods, crossing
+mountain range after mountain range, until he came to the region where the
+rivers flowing westward had their beginning.
+
+Much to his surprise, he found here on the Watauga River some settlers
+from Virginia, who gave him a kindly welcome. He stayed long enough to
+plant a crop of corn and see it grow up and ripen.
+
+Then, late in the autumn, having decided that this was a good place for
+his family, he started back home. His faithful horse was his only
+companion. Some corn in his leather wallet was all the food he carried. He
+trusted his rifle for the rest.
+
+[Illustration: Early Settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee.]
+
+All went well for a time, but in the depth of the pathless forest he
+missed his way, and the mountains became so steep and rough that his horse
+could not get across. Imagine his sorrow when, to save his own life, he
+had to part from his dumb friend and start on alone.
+
+Other misfortunes befell him. The little store of corn that he had brought
+with him gave out, and his powder became so wet that it was useless for
+shooting game. So almost his only food for fourteen days was such nuts and
+berries as he could gather in his desperate search.
+
+He was near death by starvation when he chanced to meet two hunters. They
+gave him food and asked him to join them. Then, allowing him to take turns
+in riding their horses, they helped him to reach home in safety.
+
+You might think that this bitter experience would have made Robertson
+unwilling to risk another journey back through the wilderness. But, as we
+have said, he was not easily thwarted, and the thought of what lay beyond
+the mountains made him hold the cost light.
+
+He gave such glowing accounts of the wonderful country he had seen that by
+spring sixteen families were ready to go with him to make their home
+there.
+
+
+HOW THE BACKWOODSMEN LIVED
+
+Let us in imagination join this group of travellers as it starts out to
+cross the mountains. Each family has its pack-horse--perhaps a few
+families have two--carrying household goods. These are not so bulky as
+ours to-day, for pioneer life is simple, and the people have at most only
+what they need. There are, of course, some rolls of bedding and clothing,
+a few cooking utensils, a few packages of salt and seed corn, and a flask
+or two of medicine. The pack-horse carries also the mother and perhaps a
+very small child or two. The boys who are old enough to shoulder rifles
+march in front with their father, ready to shoot game for food or to stand
+guard against Indians. Some of the older children drive the cows which the
+settlers are taking along with them.
+
+After reaching the place selected for their settlement, the younger
+children are set to clearing away the brush and piling it up in heaps
+ready for burning. The father and the elder sons, who are big enough to
+wield an axe, lose no time in cutting down trees and making a clearing for
+the log cabin. All work with a will, and soon the cabin is ready.
+
+[Illustration: Living-Room of the Early Settler.]
+
+The furniture, like the cabin itself, is rude and simple. A bedstead is
+set up in a corner, a washstand is placed near by, and a few three-legged
+stools are put here and there; and of course there is a table to eat at.
+Places are quickly found for the water bucket, used to bring water from
+the stream, the gourd dipper with which to fill it, and other small
+utensils; while pegs driven into the wall in convenient places hold
+clothes, rifles, skins, and the like.
+
+[Illustration: Grinding Indian Corn.]
+
+If our pioneers are well-to-do, there may be tucked away in some pack a
+wool blanket, but usually the chief covering on the bed is the dried skin
+of some animal: deer, bear, or perhaps buffalo.
+
+There is plenty of food, though of course it is plain and simple,
+consisting mostly of game. Instead of the pork and beef which are largely
+eaten in the east, we shall find these settlers making their meal of
+bear's meat or venison.
+
+For flour corn-meal is used. Each family has a mill for grinding the
+kernels into meal, while for beating it into hominy they use a crude
+mortar, made perhaps by burning a hole in the top of a block of wood.
+
+Bread-making is a simpler matter with them than with us, for a dough of
+corn-meal is mixed on a wooden trencher and then either baked in the ashes
+and called ash-cake or before the fire on a board and called johnny-cake.
+Corn-meal is also made into mush, or hasty pudding; and when the settler
+has cows, mush-and-milk is a common dish, especially for supper.
+
+For butter the settlers use the fat of bear's meat or the gravy of the
+goose. Instead of coffee, they make a drink of parched rye and beans, and
+for tea they boil sassafras root.
+
+Every backwoodsman must be able to use the rifle to good effect, for he
+has to provide his own meat and protect himself and his family from
+attack. He must be skilful also in hiding, in moving noiselessly through
+the forests, and in imitating the notes and calls of different beasts and
+birds. Sharp eyes and ears must tell him where to look for his game, and
+his aim must be swift and sure.
+
+But most important of all, he must be able to endure hardship and
+exposure. Sometimes he lives for months in the woods with no food but meat
+and no shelter but a lean-to of brush or even the trunk of a hollow tree
+into which he may crawl.
+
+Deer and bear are the most plentiful game; but now and then there is an
+exciting combat with wolves, panthers, or cougars, while prowling Indians
+keep him ever on his guard. The pioneer must be strong, alert, and brave.
+
+Each family depends upon itself for most of the necessaries of life. Each
+member has his own work. The father is the protector and provider; the
+mother is the housekeeper, the cook, the weaver, and the tailor. Father
+and sons work out-of-doors with axe, hoe, and sickle; while indoors the
+hum of the spinning-wheel or the clatter of the loom shows that mother and
+daughters are busily doing their part.
+
+There are some articles, however, like salt and iron, which the settlers
+cannot always get in the backwoods. These they must obtain by barter. So
+each family collects all the furs it can, and once a year, after the
+harvest is gathered, loads them on pack-horses, which are driven across
+the mountains to some large trading town on the seacoast. There the skins
+are traded for the needed iron or salt.
+
+Often many neighbors plan to go together on such a journey. Sometimes they
+drive before them their steers and hogs to find a market in the east.
+
+A bushel of salt costs in these early days a good cow and calf. Now, that
+is a great deal to pay; and furthermore, as each small and poorly fed
+pack-animal can carry but two bushels, salt is a highly prized article.
+Since it is so expensive and hard to get, it has to be used sparingly by
+the mountaineers. Therefore the housewife, instead of salting or pickling
+her meat, preserves or "jerks" it by drying it in the sun or smoking it
+over the fire.
+
+The Tennessee settler, like Boone's followers in Kentucky, dresses very
+much like the Indians, for that is the easiest and most fitting way in
+which to clothe himself for the forest life he leads. And very fine do
+many stalwart figures appear in the fur cap and moccasins, the loose
+trousers, or simply leggings of buckskin, and the fringed hunting-shirt
+reaching nearly to the knees. It is held in by a broad belt having a
+tomahawk in one side and a knife in the other.
+
+[Illustration: A Kentucky Pioneer's Cabin.]
+
+While this free outdoor life develops strong and vigorous bodies, there is
+not much schooling in these backwoods settlements. Most boys and girls
+learn very little except reading and writing and very simple ciphering, or
+arithmetic. If there are any schoolhouses at all, they are log huts, dimly
+lighted and furnished very scantily and rudely.
+
+The schoolmaster, as a rule, does not know much of books, and is quite
+untrained as a teacher. His discipline, though severe, is very poor. And
+he is paid in a way that may seem strange to you. He receives very little
+in cash, and for the rest of his wages he "boards around" with the
+families of the children he teaches, making his stay longer or shorter
+according to the number of children in school.
+
+In many ways, as you see, the life of the pioneer child, while it was
+active and full of interest, was very different from yours. He learned,
+like his elders, to imitate bird calls, to set traps, to shoot a rifle,
+and at twelve the little lad became a foot soldier. He knew from just
+which loophole he was to shoot if the Indians attacked the fort, and he
+took pride in becoming a good marksman. He was carefully trained, too, to
+follow an Indian trail and to conceal his own when on the war-path--for
+such knowledge would be very useful to him as a hunter and fighter in the
+forests.
+
+
+ROBERTSON A BRAVE LEADER
+
+Such was the life of these early woodsmen and their families, and to this
+life Robertson and those who went out with him soon became accustomed. On
+their arrival at the Watauga River the newcomers mingled readily with the
+Virginians already on the ground.
+
+Robertson soon became one of the leading men. His cabin of logs stood on
+an island in the river, and is said to have been the largest in the
+settlement. It had a log veranda in front, several rooms, a loft, and best
+of all, a huge fireplace made of sticks and stones laid in clay, in which
+a pile of blazing logs roared on cold days, making it a centre of good
+cheer as well as of heat. To us it would have been a most inviting spot
+for a summer holiday.
+
+Robertson was very prosperous and successful at Watauga; but in 1799,
+after ten years of leadership at this settlement, a restless craving for
+change and adventure stole over him, and he went forth once more into the
+wilderness to seek a new home still deeper in the forest.
+
+The place he chose was the beautiful country lying along the great bend of
+the Cumberland River, where Nashville now stands. Many bold settlers were
+ready and even eager to join Robertson in the new venture, for he was a
+born leader.
+
+A small party went ahead early in the spring to plant corn, so that the
+settlers might have food when they arrived in the autumn. Robertson and
+eight other men, who made up the party, left the Watauga by the Wilderness
+Road through Cumberland Gap, crossing the Cumberland River. Then,
+following the trail of wild animals in a southwesterly direction, they
+came to a suitable place.
+
+Here they put up cabins and planted corn, and then, leaving three men to
+keep the buffaloes from eating the corn when it came up, the other six
+returned to Watauga.
+
+In the autumn two parties started out for the new settlement. One of
+these, made up mostly of women and children, went by water in flatboats,
+dugouts, and canoes, a route supposed to be easier though much the longer
+of the two. Whether it was easier, we shall see. The other party,
+including Robertson himself, went by land, hoping thus to reach the place
+of settlement in time to make ready for those coming by water.
+
+Robertson and his men arrived about Christmas. Then began a tedious four
+months of waiting for the others. It was springtime again, April 24, when
+they at last arrived. Their roundabout route had taken them down the
+Tennessee River, then up the Ohio, and lastly up the Cumberland. The
+Indians in ambush on the river banks had attacked them many times during
+their long and toilsome journey, and the boats were so slow and clumsy
+that it was impossible for them to escape the flights of arrows.
+
+But when they arrived, past troubles were soon forgotten, and with good
+heart, now that all were together, the settlers took up the work of making
+homes.
+
+However, difficulties with the Indians were not over. The first company of
+settlers that arrived had been left quite unmolested. But now, as spring
+opened, bands of Indian hunters and warriors began to make life wretched
+for them all. There is no doubt that the red men did not like to have the
+settlers kill the game, or scare it off by clearing up the land; but the
+principal motive for the attacks was the desire for scalps and plunder,
+just as it was in assailing other Indian tribes.
+
+The Indians became a constant terror. They killed the settlers while
+working in the clearings, hunting game, or getting salt at the licks. They
+loved to lure on the unwary by imitating the gobbling of a turkey or the
+call of some wild beast, and then pounce upon their human prey.
+
+As the corn crop, so carefully planned, had been destroyed by heavy
+freshets in the autumn, the settlers had to scour the woods for food,
+living on nuts and game. By the time winter had set in, they had used up
+so much of their powder and bullets that Robertson resolved to go to
+Kentucky for more.
+
+
+ROBERTSON SAVES THE SETTLEMENT
+
+He went safely, though quite alone, and returned on the evening of January
+15 (1780) with a good supply of ammunition. You may be sure he had a
+hearty welcome in the fort, where all were gathered. There was much to
+talk about, and they sat up till late into the night. All went to bed,
+tired and sleepy, without any fear. For at that season of the year the red
+men seldom molested them; and no sentinels were left on guard.
+
+Soon all were in deep slumber except Robertson, whose sense of lurking
+danger would not let him sleep. He kept feeling that enemies might be
+near. And he was right. For just outside the fort, prowling in the thick
+underbrush and hidden by the great trees, there lay in ambush a band of
+painted warriors, hungry for plunder, eager for scalps.
+
+They creep forward to their attack. They are very cautious, for a bright
+moon lights up the blockhouses and the palisaded fort.
+
+Suddenly a moving shadow falls upon the moonlit clearing outside the fort.
+An Indian is stealthily crossing from the dark woods to the wall. There he
+crouches close, to be out of sight of the inmates of the fort. Another
+crouching figure, and another. One by one every feathered warrior crosses
+and keeps close to the palisade.
+
+The next move is to slide cautiously the strong bar and undo the chain
+which fastens the gate. It is done skilfully enough, but the chain clanks
+or the hinges creak. The wakeful Robertson springs quickly to his feet.
+His keen eyes catch sight of the swift, dark figures, moving stealthily
+into the fort.
+
+"Indians!" he shouts, and off goes his rifle. Instantly every settler has
+snatched the gun lying at his side. In a second the shots ring out; and
+the Indians flee through the gate to disappear into the leafy woods. But
+they have lost one man, whom Robertson has shot, and have killed or
+wounded three or four of the settlers. Robertson, by keen watchfulness,
+has saved the fort from capture and his comrades from probable torture or
+death.
+
+This was only one of many occasions in which Robertson's leadership saved
+the day. After the Revolution ended (1783) the Indians were not so
+unfriendly, for the English were no longer paying them for scalps. People,
+therefore, became less timid about crossing the mountains, and a large
+number migrated from Virginia and North Carolina to the Tennessee
+settlement and made their homes at Nashville. As numbers grew larger,
+dangers became less.
+
+By this time Robertson had become well known through the successful
+planting of his two settlements, and for the wisdom and bravery with which
+he managed them. As a reward for his valuable services, Washington later
+on (1790) made him a general in the army. In 1814 he died.
+
+He is the kind of man we like to think of as a pioneer in the making of
+our history. Sturdy and self-reliant, strong and fearless, he cheerfully
+faced the unending struggle with the hard conditions of those early days.
+Though his life was narrow, it cut deep in its loyalty to friends and
+country.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What can you tell of Robertson's boyhood?
+
+2. Imagine yourself as one of a group of travellers on the way to Kentucky
+or Tennessee, and tell all you can about the journey.
+
+3. Tell all you can about the food, clothing, shelter, and other
+conditions of life in these backwoods settlements.
+
+4. What sort of training did the pioneer boy receive in school and at
+home?
+
+5. Why did Robertson plant a settlement at the place where Nashville now
+stands?
+
+6. How did he save this settlement from the Indians? What do you admire
+about him?
+
+7. Are you making frequent use of the map?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+JOHN SEVIER
+
+
+Another daring leader who did much to build up the settlements in
+Tennessee was John Sevier.
+
+[Illustration: John Sevier.]
+
+Born in 1745, Sevier was but three years younger than Robertson, and was
+closely associated with him in later life. Sevier's birthplace was in the
+western part of Virginia, but while he was still a young boy, the family
+was driven from their home by the Indians and went to Fredericksburg,
+Virginia. There he went to the same school which George Washington had
+attended not many years before.
+
+John's mother had taught him to read, and at school he learned some useful
+things; still he was not fond of books, and learned most from people and
+what was going on about him.
+
+He left school when he was sixteen and married before he was seventeen.
+About six miles from his father's house he put up a building which was
+dwelling, storehouse, and fort all in one. Here on the frontier he carried
+on a thriving trade with settlers and Indians, and was so successful that
+by the time he was twenty-six he was looked upon as a rich man.
+
+He was attractive in appearance, being tall, slender, and erect, with
+frank blue eyes, fair skin, and brown hair. He was a man of commanding
+presence, and his athletic figure seemed well suited to the fringed
+hunting-suit which every pioneer wore.
+
+His merry disposition and great charm of manner easily won many friends;
+and these he kept by his natural kindness and courtesy. He was never
+happier than when entertaining generously those who came to his home. Yet
+these gentle and lovable qualities did not prevent him from being a brave
+and skilful warrior, who could carry terror to the hearts of his foes.
+
+It was while he was engaged in his trading business that Sevier heard of
+Robertson's settlement in the west, and became interested in it as a
+possible home for himself and his family. In 1772 he decided to ride
+through the forests to the Watauga settlement and find out what kind of
+place it was.
+
+Alone over the mountains and through the woods he made the journey. At the
+journey's end, when he met Robertson, they became friends at once, for in
+spirit and aims they were much alike. Both were brave and fearless, and
+both were seeking better homes for their families.
+
+Sevier decided to join the settlement on the Watauga, and went back to
+bring his wife and two children. Returning with them, he entered heartily
+into the common life of the frontier, with its many hardships and
+pleasures, and soon became a prominent man in the little colony.
+
+For a time after their arrival the settlement was not much troubled by the
+Indians. The Cherokees had given their consent to have the land taken up,
+and all went well for a period.
+
+But, as we have already seen in the case of Boone, the breaking out of the
+Revolution, and the action of the British in arming the Indians with guns
+and rewarding them for bringing in captives, disturbed this peace and
+stirred up the tribes against the backwoodsmen.
+
+The Cherokees then broke their agreement with the settlers and in large
+numbers made bold and murderous attacks upon the many back-country
+settlements in southwestern Virginia, the eastern Carolinas, northwestern
+Georgia, and what is now eastern Tennessee.
+
+As Watauga was the nearest settlement to the Cherokee towns and villages,
+it was likely to suffer most from the attack. Robertson commanded the
+fort, with Sevier as his lieutenant. Only forty or fifty men were in the
+fort when it was attacked, although it was crowded with women and
+children. But these few men were resolute, well armed, and on their guard.
+
+It was in the gray light of the early morning that the Indians stole up
+for the attack. But a friendly squaw had given warning of danger, and the
+settlers were ready. The loopholes opened upon the Indians and they were
+at once beaten back with loss. This was the beginning of a long, dreary
+siege. As the stockade was too strong to be taken by an assault, the
+Indians tried to starve the colonists out. For about three weeks they
+lurked about so that the people within the fort dared not go outside for
+food, and had to live mostly on parched corn.
+
+It was a weary time. As you may imagine, all became very tired of that
+diet and very impatient at being kept shut up within the palisades for so
+long, and from time to time some one would venture out, heedless of
+warning and of danger. In running this risk, three or four men were shot
+by the Indians, and one boy was carried off to an Indian village and
+burned at the stake. A woman also was captured.
+
+You will be interested in the thrilling experience of another woman. Her
+name was Kate Sherrill. She was tall and beautiful, graceful and gentle in
+manner, and, as we shall see, not lacking courage.
+
+One day, taking a pitcher to get water from the river, she had ventured
+some distance from the fort, when Indians dashed out of the forest and
+sprang toward her. Seeing her danger, she darted swiftly back, with her
+bloodthirsty foes close at her heels.
+
+It was a race for life, and she knew it. There was not time to reach the
+gate; so she ran the shortest way to the fort, caught hold of the top of
+the pickets, and, by an almost superhuman effort sprung over to the other
+side. She did not fall to the ground as she expected, but into the arms of
+John Sevier, for he was standing at a loophole close by, and caught her.
+He had witnessed her danger and helped her to escape by shooting the
+Indian closest in the chase. A romance is connected with this, for we are
+told that John Sevier, who was then a young widower of thirty-one, married
+Kate Sherrill during the siege.
+
+Although the Indian braves were eager for the scalps of the Watauga
+settlers, they failed to capture the fort and finally went away, just as
+they did from the neighboring settlements. For a while, but only for a
+while, the pioneers were left free from Indian ravages.
+
+
+SEVIER A HERO AMONG THE TENNESSEE SETTLERS
+
+In spite of the danger, however, daring men kept coming to join the
+pioneers at the Watauga settlements. Sevier continued to be a leading man
+in that backwoods region, and when, some years later, Robertson, as you
+remember, left Watauga to go to the Cumberland valley, Sevier became the
+most prominent man in the colony.
+
+He was so prosperous that he could surround himself with much comfort. He
+built a rambling, one-story house on the Nolichucky Creek, a branch of the
+French Broad River. It was the largest in the settlement and was noted for
+the lavish entertainments given there, for Sevier was the same generous
+host as of old. His house consisted of two groups of rooms connected by a
+covered porch. Sevier with his family lived in one of the groups, and
+housed his guests in the other. There were large verandas and huge
+fireplaces, in which, during cold weather, cheerful wood-fires blazed.
+
+[Illustration: A Barbecue of 1780.]
+
+Here to all, rich and poor alike, and especially to the men who had
+followed him in the many battles against the Indians, Sevier gave a hearty
+welcome. Rarely was his hospitable home without guests, and the table was
+heaped with such plain and wholesome food as woods and fields afforded.
+
+It was Sevier's delight at weddings or special merrymakings to feast all
+the backwoods people of the neighborhood at a barbecue, where an ox was
+roasted whole over the fire, and where, in fair weather, board tables were
+set under the trees. These were loaded with wild fowl, bear's meat,
+venison, beef, johnny-cakes, ash-cakes, hominy, and applejack. Should you
+not like to have been one of the guests?
+
+During one of these merrymaking feasts (1780) news was brought that Major
+Ferguson, one of the ablest officers in Cornwallis's army, was threatening
+to make an attack on the back-country settlements. At once Sevier, along
+with Isaac Shelby and others, set out to raise an army of frontiersmen to
+march against Ferguson. Soon a thousand men were riding through the
+forests to find the British force, of which every man except the commander
+was an American Tory.
+
+They came upon it in a strong position on King's Mountain. Without delay
+the Americans made a furious attack. They fought with great heroism,
+charging up the steep mountainside with reckless bravery.
+
+They were divided into three bodies, one on the right of the British, one
+on the left, and another in front. Sevier commanded the division on the
+left. At just the right moment he led his men in a resistless rush up the
+mountainside and made victory certain for the Americans. The British
+raised the white flag of surrender. All of Ferguson's soldiers who had not
+been killed or wounded were made prisoners.
+
+By this victory the backwoods hunters greatly weakened the British cause
+in the south and made easier General Greene's victory over Cornwallis, of
+which we have already learned. Thus they took their part in winning the
+nation's liberty.
+
+[Illustration: Battle of King's Mountain.]
+
+On returning from King's Mountain to their homes, these pioneer warriors
+had to meet the Cherokees again in stubborn warfare. In his usual way
+Sevier struck a swift, crushing blow by marching to the mountain homes of
+his savage foes, where he burned a thousand of their cabins and destroyed
+fifty thousand bushels of their corn.
+
+In spite of this defeat, however, the Indians kept on fighting. So Sevier
+determined to strike another blow. At the head of one hundred and fifty
+picked horsemen, he rode for one hundred and fifty miles through the
+mountain wilds and completely surprised the Indians, who did not think it
+possible for an enemy to reach them. After taking the main town, burning
+two other towns and three villages, capturing two hundred horses,
+destroying a large quantity of provisions, and doing other damage, he
+withdrew and returned home in safety. He had made the Indians afraid, and
+they were quiet for a time.
+
+These glimpses into the life of John Sevier must help you to understand
+why he became a hero among all the people of the frontier. They admired
+him for his brilliant leadership; they were grateful for his protection;
+and they loved him as a friend. They fondly called him "Nolichucky Jack";
+and when, later, the settlements became the State of Tennessee, again and
+again they elected him governor, and sent him to Congress.
+
+Without doubt few men of his day were his equal as a fighter against the
+Indians. It is said that in all his warfare with them he won thirty-five
+victories and never lost a battle. As we have seen, he moved with great
+swiftness in attacking his foes. Through his able scouts he learned the
+strength and weakness of his enemies and, before they realized what was
+going on, with a wild shout he and his bold followers swept down upon them
+like a hurricane, striking terror to the hearts of even the bravest.
+
+Sevier was active in public interests even to the last years of his long
+life. When eighty years old, he was at the head of a body of men who were
+marking the border line between Georgia and the lands of the Indians. The
+labor proved too great for his bodily strength, and the aged man died
+(1815), in his tent, with only a few soldiers and Indians around him.
+
+He was buried where he died, and a simple slab, with the two words, "John
+Sevier," inscribed upon it, indicates the spot where his body rests.
+
+In the homes of eastern Tennessee stories of his brave deeds are still
+told to eager, listening children, for his memory is held dear in the
+hearts of old and young alike. Tennessee owes much to this brave, loyal,
+and high-minded man, who played a large part in shaping her destiny.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. Why did Sevier go with his family to the Watauga settlement?
+
+2. Imagine yourself in the Watauga Fort when the Cherokees were trying to
+capture it, and give an account of what happened.
+
+3. Describe Sevier's hospitable home, and tell something about the kind of
+feast he prepared for a wedding there.
+
+4. What kind of Indian fighter was Sevier?
+
+5. Tell all you can about his personal appearance. What do you admire
+about him?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+GEORGE ROGERS CLARK
+
+
+Among the foremost of those who promoted the westward growth of our
+country stands George Rogers Clark. He was born near Monticello, Virginia,
+November 19, 1752. He came of a good family and he received fairly good
+training in school. But he learned much more from life than from books.
+
+[Illustration: George Rogers Clark.]
+
+When twenty years old he was already a woodsman and surveyor on the Upper
+Ohio, and did something also at farming. About two years later, with
+measuring rod and axe, he moved on to Kentucky, where he continued his
+work as a surveyor.
+
+A deadly struggle was going on here, you remember, with the Indians, who
+had been roused by the British against the backwoodsmen, and in this
+struggle Clark became a leader.
+
+Why it was that in hardly more than a year's time this young man of
+twenty-four rose to a position of leadership among the settlers, and was
+chosen one of their lawmakers, we shall understand when we come to see
+more of his sterling qualities.
+
+Nature had given him a pleasing face which men trusted. His forehead was
+high and broad under a shock of sandy hair, and honest blue eyes peered
+out from under heavy, shaggy eyebrows. His strong body could endure almost
+any hardship, and his splendid health was matched by his adventurous
+spirit. His fearless courage was equal to any danger, and his resolute
+purpose would not give way in the face of almost insurmountable
+difficulties.
+
+His great task would have been impossible except as he possessed these
+qualities, and we know that one does not come by them suddenly. They grow
+by bravely conquering the fears of every-day life and not giving in to
+difficulties. It was in this way that the fearless hunters of Kentucky
+quickly recognized in him a master spirit.
+
+Clark, as you may imagine, was not content to remain in Kentucky merely as
+a skilful hunter and bold leader of war parties sent out to punish Indian
+bands. His keen mind had worked out a brilliant plan, which he was eager
+to carry through. It was nothing less than to conquer for his country the
+vast stretch of land lying north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi,
+now included in the present Great Lake States.
+
+In this vast region of forest and prairie the only settlements were the
+scattered French hamlets, begun in the early days of exploration, when the
+French occupied the land and traded with the Indians for fur. These
+hamlets had passed into the hands of the English after the Last French War
+and were made the centres of English power, from which, as we have seen,
+the English commanders aroused the Indians against the backwoodsmen remote
+from their home settlements.
+
+These few villages or trading-posts, which were defended by forts, were
+scattered here and there at convenient places along the river courses, the
+three strongest forts being at Vincennes, on the Wabash, at Kaskaskia, and
+at Detroit.
+
+Over all the rest of the wild territory roamed hostile Indian tribes,
+hunting and fighting against one another as well as against the
+frontiersmen.
+
+Clark saw that if this region should be conquered the spreading prairies
+could be opened up for settlement.
+
+As the first step in carrying out his plan, he needed to secure aid from
+Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia. Early in October, 1777, he
+started out on horseback from Harrodsburg, one of the Kentucky
+settlements, to ride through the forests and over the mountains to
+Williamsburg, then the capital of the State. So urgent was his haste that
+he stopped on the way but a single day at his father's house, the home of
+his childhood, and then pressed on to Williamsburg. It took a whole month
+to make this journey of six hundred and twenty miles.
+
+Patrick Henry at once fell in with Clark's plan. He arranged that the
+government should furnish six thousand dollars. But as it was needful that
+the utmost secrecy should be preserved, nothing was said about the matter
+to the Virginia Assembly. Clark was to raise his own company among the
+frontiersmen. The whole burden of making the necessary preparations rested
+upon him.
+
+
+CLARK STARTS ON HIS LONG JOURNEY
+
+With good heart he shouldered it, and in May, 1778, was ready with one
+hundred and fifty-three men to start from the Redstone Settlements, on the
+Monongahela River. He stopped at both Pittsburg and Wheeling for needed
+supplies. Then his flatboats, manned by tall backwoodsmen in their
+picturesque dress, rowed or floated cautiously down the Ohio River.
+
+They did not know on how great a journey they had entered, for even to his
+followers Clark could not tell his plan.
+
+Toward the last of the month, on reaching the falls of the Ohio, near the
+present site of Louisville, they landed on an island, where Clark built a
+fort and drilled his men. Some of the families that had come with him, and
+were on their way to Kentucky, remained there until autumn, planting some
+corn and naming the island Corn Island.
+
+When about to leave, Clark said to the men: "We are going to the
+Mississippi." Some were faint-hearted and wished to turn back. "You may
+go," said Clark, for he wanted no discontented men among his number. From
+those remaining he carefully picked out the ones who seemed robust enough
+to endure the extreme hardships which he knew awaited them.
+
+[Illustration: George Rogers Clark in the Northwest.]
+
+As the success of the enterprise depended upon surprising the enemy, it
+was extremely important that he press forward as secretly and as speedily
+as possible. Accordingly, the men rowed hard, night and day, until they
+came to an island off the mouth of the Tennessee River. Here it was their
+good fortune to meet with a small party of hunters who had been at the
+French settlements not long before. These men cheerfully joined Clark's
+party, agreeing to act as guides to Kaskaskia.
+
+"If you go by the water-route of the Mississippi," said these hunters,
+"the French commander at Kaskaskia will get news of your coming, through
+boatmen and hunters along the river, and will be ready to defend the fort
+against you. The fort is strong and the garrison well trained, and if the
+commander knows of your approach he will put up a good fight."
+
+[Illustration: Clark on the Way to Kaskaskia.]
+
+So it was decided to go by land. At one time the guide lost his way, and
+Clark was angry, for he feared treachery. But after two hours they found
+the right course again.
+
+On the evening of July 4 the Kaskaskia was reached. The fort was only
+three miles away, but it was across the stream. Remaining in the woods
+until dusk, they rested; then, as night fell, they pushed on to a little
+farmhouse only a mile from the fort. Here Clark obtained boats and
+silently, in the darkness, conveyed his men across the stream.
+
+After two hours all was ready for the attack. Clark divided the men into
+two bodies: one to surround the town and prevent the escape of the
+fugitives, and the other, led by himself, to advance to the walls of the
+fort.
+
+[Illustration: Clark's Surprise at Kaskaskia.]
+
+A postern gate on the side facing the river had been pointed out by a
+captive, and Clark stationed his men so as to guard it. Then he went
+inside along to the entrance of the large hall where public gatherings
+were held.
+
+It was brilliantly lighted, and floating through the windows came the
+music of violins. The officers of the fort were giving a dance, and young
+creole men and maidens were spending a merry evening. Even the sentinels
+had left their posts in order to enjoy the festal occasion.
+
+Alone, Clark passed through the doorway and stood with folded arms, in
+grim silence, coolly watching the mirthful dancers. Lying upon the floor
+just inside the door was an Indian brave. As he raised his eyes to the
+face of the strange backwoodsman standing out clearly in the light of the
+torches, he sprang to his feet with a piercing war-whoop. The music broke
+off suddenly; a hush fell. Then the women screamed, and there was a wild
+rush for the door.
+
+Without stirring from the place where he stood, Clark quietly said: "Go on
+with your dance; but remember that you now dance under Virginia, and not
+under Great Britain." Scarcely had he uttered these words when his men,
+seeing the confusion, rushed into the forts and seized the officers, among
+whom was the French commander.
+
+Then Clark sent runners throughout the town to order the people to remain
+within their houses. The simple-hearted Frenchmen were in a panic of fear.
+
+The next morning some of their chief men, appearing before Clark, begged
+for their lives. "We will gladly become slaves," they cried, "if by so
+doing we may save our families." "We do not wish to enslave you," Clark
+answered, "and if you will solemnly promise to become loyal American
+citizens you shall be welcome to all the privileges of Americans."
+
+On hearing these words the French people were so carried away with joy
+that they danced and sang and scattered flowers along the street. By his
+kind way of dealing with them, Clark made the people of the town his
+friends instead of his enemies.
+
+A little later the people of Vincennes also solemnly promised to be loyal
+citizens, and, taking down the English flag, they raised the American
+stars and stripes over their fort.
+
+
+LIFE IN THE OLD FRENCH VILLAGES
+
+You will enjoy a glimpse of the life in these old French villages, for it
+is quite different from that of the settlements we have visited. There are
+many little hamlets, like Kaskaskia and Vincennes, on the western
+frontier. They have been in existence for years, but have not increased
+much in strength or size.
+
+The French people living there have never mingled with the American
+backwoodsmen. They have kept by themselves, remaining for the most part
+half-homesick emigrants. Many of them are engaged in the fur trade; some
+are adventure-loving wood rovers and hunters, but the most of them are
+farmers on a small scale.
+
+Their little villages, composed of hovels or small log cottages, are
+guarded by rough earthworks. A few roomy buildings serve as storehouses
+and strongholds in times of danger. There are also little wine-shops, as
+in the old country, which the French love, and in which they are always
+entertained by the music of violins.
+
+There is much gay color on the streets of these hamlets, for the Frenchmen
+are dressed in bright-colored suits, made of Indian blankets. And lounging
+about in cheap paint or soiled finery are lazy Indians, begging at times
+and at times idly watching the boats rowing up and down the river.
+
+We see, too, now and then, the familiar red-and-buff uniforms of the
+British army officers, which are regarded with awe whenever they appear.
+For you must remember that after 1763 all the French hamlets were in
+British hands, and the English officers were the great men of this country
+north of the Ohio.
+
+
+CLARK'S HARD TASK
+
+Although the life was gayer and easier in these French villages than in
+the frontier settlements, and although the taking of Kaskaskia and
+Vincennes had been easy, Clark still had a hard task before him. His small
+force was made up of men who were in the habit of doing as they pleased,
+and over them he had no control except through their personal liking for
+him.
+
+Furthermore, he was so many hundred miles from Virginia that he could not
+hope to get any advice or help from the government for months, or perhaps
+for an entire year. He must rely entirely upon himself. And we shall see
+that he was equal to the situation.
+
+Outside the villages, roaming over the great region he was hoping to
+conquer, were thousands of Indians. They were hostile, bloodthirsty, and
+ready to slaughter without pity. When they heard what Clark and his
+backwoodsmen had done, they crowded to Kaskaskia to see for themselves.
+Lurking back of their gloomy faces were wicked thoughts. Clark was in
+great danger from these Indians.
+
+But he proved himself their master also. Though carefully on his guard in
+any dealings he might have with them, he always appeared to them quite
+unafraid and confident that he could take care of himself. His boldness
+and firmness, even when surrounded by red warriors greatly outnumbering
+his own small force, had a profound effect upon them.
+
+[Illustration: Wampum Peace Belt.]
+
+Once he told them that he could appeal to the Thirteen
+Council-Fires--meaning, of course, the thirteen States--and that they
+could send him men enough to darken the land. The Indians began to fear
+him and to look upon him as a mighty warrior, and when he held up to them
+the red wampum belt of war and the white of peace for them to choose which
+they would have, they chose peace and left the settlement.
+
+But there was still another very serious difficulty which Clark had to
+face. It caused even greater anxiety than the danger from the Indians, for
+it was within his own company. You remember that when his men started out
+they did not know that they were to go so far away from home. Now, when
+their time of service was up, they threatened to leave him and return to
+their homes. By means of presents and promises Clark persuaded about a
+hundred to stay eight months longer. The others left for home.
+
+A weaker man might have been quite helpless if left with so small a force.
+Not so Clark. He had wonderful power over people, and soon the creoles of
+the French villages had become so loyal that their young men took the
+places of the woodsmen who went away. Clark thoroughly drilled them all
+until they were finely trained for any service he might ask.
+
+It was well he did so. For Colonel Hamilton, the British commander at
+Detroit, who had charge of the British forces throughout the vast region
+which Clark was trying to conquer, was a man of great energy. Soon after
+getting news of what Clark had done at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, he began
+preparing for an expedition against the latter place.
+
+Early in October (1779) he set out from Detroit with one hundred and
+seventy-seven soldiers and sixty Indians. By the time he had reached
+Vincennes so many other Indians had joined him that his entire force
+numbered about five hundred. The fort at Vincennes, as you remember,
+contained only a handful of men, and it easily fell into Hamilton's hands
+(December 17, 1779).
+
+If Hamilton had at once marched on to Kaskaskia, he might have captured
+Clark or driven him out of the northwest. But that same tendency to "put
+off," which had already cost the British many a victory, here again saved
+the day for the Americans. Because the weather was so cold, the route so
+long, and the other difficulties in his way so great, Hamilton resolved to
+wait until spring before going farther.
+
+And not expecting to need his soldiers before spring, he sent back to
+Detroit the greater part of his force. He kept with him about eighty of
+the white soldiers and about the same number of Indian allies.
+
+About six weeks later Clark learned from an Indian trader how small the
+garrison was at Vincennes. You may be sure that he did not wait for
+seasons to change. Quick to realize that this was his chance, he gathered
+a force of one hundred and seventy men--nearly half of them creoles--and
+in seven days he was on his way to Vincennes.
+
+
+CLARK CAPTURES VINCENNES
+
+The route, two hundred and forty miles in length, led eastward across what
+is now Illinois. As often happens at this season, the weather had grown so
+mild that the ice and snow had thawed, causing the rivers to overflow, and
+the meadows and lowlands which lay along a large part of the route were
+under water from three to five foot deep.
+
+When we remember that there were no houses for shelter, no roads, and no
+bridges across the swollen streams, we can imagine something of the
+hardships of this midwinter journey. Only very strong men could endure
+such exposure.
+
+Knowing that cheerfulness would help greatly in keeping his men well and
+willing, Clark encouraged feasting and merrymaking as all were gathered at
+night around the blazing logs. There the game killed during the day was
+cooked and eaten, and while some sang and danced, according to creole
+custom, others sat before the huge fires and told exciting stories about
+hunting and Indian warfare. Then, warmed and fed, all lay down by the fire
+for the night's rest.
+
+As long as this lasted the journey was by no means hard; but by the end of
+a week conditions had changed, for they had reached the drowned lands of
+the Wabash.
+
+Coming first to the two branches of the Little Wabash, they found the
+floods so high that the land between the two streams was entirely under
+water, and they were facing a mighty river five miles wide and at no point
+less than three feet deep, while, of course, in the river beds it was much
+deeper.
+
+But Clark was resourceful. He at once had his men build a pirogue, or
+dugout canoe. In this he rowed across the first branch of the river, and
+on the edge of the water-covered plain put up a scaffold. Then the men and
+the baggage were ferried across in the pirogue, and the baggage was placed
+on the scaffold. Last of all, the pack-horses swam the channel, and
+standing by the scaffold in water above their knees, received again their
+load of baggage.
+
+[Illustration: Clark's Advance on Vincennes.]
+
+All then proceeded to the second channel, which was crossed in the same
+way. It took three days to build the pirogue and cross the two branches of
+the river.
+
+During this time hunger was added to the other sufferings of the men, for
+the flood had driven all the wild animals away, so that there was no
+longer any game to shoot. Advance was slow and extremely tiresome, for the
+men had to march from morning till night up to their waists in mud and
+water. They were nearing the Great Wabash River.
+
+On February 20 the men were quite exhausted. There had been nothing to eat
+for nearly two days. Many of the creoles were so downcast that they began
+to talk of going home. Clark, putting on a brave face, laughed and said:
+"Go out and kill a deer."
+
+But meanwhile his men, acting under orders, had built three canoes, and on
+the morning of the 22d the entire force was ferried across the Wabash.
+
+Once on the side of the river where Vincennes stood, they began to feel
+more cheerful, for by night they expected to be at the fort.
+
+It was well that they did not know what awaited them, for they had yet a
+bitter experience to pass through. Almost all the way was under water, and
+as they went slowly on they often stepped into hollows where the water
+came up to their chins. But, guided by their bold leader, they pressed
+forward until they reached a hillock, where they spent the night.
+
+During the long hours of this trying day Clark had kept up the spirits of
+his men in every way he could. In telling about it later, he said: "I
+received much help from a little antic drummer, a boy with such a
+fun-loving spirit that he made the men laugh, in spite of their weariness,
+at his pranks and jokes."
+
+On starting out again the next morning some were so weak and famished that
+they had to be taken in the canoes. Those who were strong enough to wade
+came to water too deep to walk through, and, painfully struggling, began
+to huddle together as if all hope had fled.
+
+Then Clark had to do something to rouse them. Suddenly he blackened his
+face with gunpowder and, sounding the war-whoop like an Indian brave,
+fearlessly sprang forward. His men plunged in after him without a word.
+
+By dusk they were still six miles from Vincennes. Their clothing was
+drenched, their muscles ached with weariness, and they were well-nigh
+exhausted from lack of food. To make matters worse, the weather that day
+was bitterly cold. Yet the worst experience of the whole trying march was
+to come.
+
+For before them stretched a shallow lake, four miles in extent. With
+something like a score of the strongest men just behind him, Clark plunged
+into the ice-cold water, breast-deep. When they had gone about half-way
+across some of them were so cold and weak that they could not take another
+step. So the canoes were kept busy rescuing them and getting them to land.
+
+Those who, though weak, were still able to keep their feet, clung to the
+strong and plodded forward. When they had finally reached the woods
+bordering the farther side of the lake, they had not strength enough to
+pull themselves out, but clung desperately to the bushes and logs on the
+shore until the canoes could pick them up.
+
+On reaching land some were so exhausted that they fell upon the ground
+with their faces half buried in the water. But the stronger ones built
+fires and fed them broth made from some venison they had taken from squaws
+in an Indian canoe which happened along. With food and warmth courage
+returned.
+
+In the afternoon they set out again. After crossing a narrow lake in the
+canoes and marching a short distance, they reached a tree-covered spot
+from which they could see the town and the fort. There they made a stop
+and, hidden by the trees, made ready for the attack.
+
+There was some fighting that night, and it was continued the next day.
+Then Clark demanded the surrender of the fort. Hamilton at first refused,
+but, as he had only a small number of men, he had to give up both fort and
+garrison. He himself was sent a prisoner to Virginia.
+
+Clark's capture of Vincennes was the finishing stroke of his conquest. He
+had succeeded in one of the boldest enterprises ever undertaken in
+America. All the vast region he had set out to conquer remained under
+American control until the end of the Revolution, when, by treaty, it
+formally became a part of our country.
+
+In carrying out his plans Clark had not only risked his health and life,
+but he had used up all his property. In spite of the great service he had
+done his country, his last years were spent in poverty. For a while he
+lived alone in a rude dwelling on Corn Island, but later his sister took
+him to her home near Louisville. Here, in 1818, came to an end the life of
+this heroic soldier and loyal American.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What was Clark's brilliant plan?
+
+2. Imagine yourself with him on the evening when he captured the fort at
+Kaskaskia, and tell as fully as you can what happened. Tell something of
+his hard task in the days that followed.
+
+3. Can you explain how it was that he had such a powerful influence over
+men?
+
+4. In imagination go with Clark on his wonderful march from Kaskaskia to
+Vincennes and give an account of your trials and sufferings.
+
+5. How do you account for Clark's remarkable success? What do you admire
+about him?
+
+6. Are you making frequent use of the map?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE NEW REPUBLIC
+
+
+At the end of the Revolution Washington, as we have already noted,
+returned to his beautiful home, Mount Vernon, overlooking the Potomac.
+Here he again took up the many-sided duties which his large plantation
+made necessary for him. His busy day began when he arose at four o'clock
+in the morning and ended when he went to bed at nine o'clock in the
+evening. But his life was not so quiet as we might think. For he had so
+many visitors that at the end of two years he wrote in his diary one day:
+"Dined with only Mrs. Washington, which I believe is the first instance of
+it since my retirement from public life."
+
+[Illustration: George Washington.]
+
+When the States, after securing their independence, united under the
+Constitution to form the nation called the United States of America, they
+needed a President. It was but natural that again all eyes should turn to
+George Washington, and he was elected without opposition.
+
+In his modesty he felt himself unfit to lead the American people in times
+of peace. In fact, this new service was for him perhaps the hardest that
+he had ever tried to render his country. Yet, as he believed with all his
+heart in the new government, he decided to accept the office. He was
+willing to give up his own comfort for the sake of trying to bring new
+life and prosperity to his countrymen.
+
+[Illustration: Washington's Home, Mount Vernon.]
+
+On April 16, 1789, two days after being informed of his election, he said
+good-by to Mount Vernon and started out as a plain citizen in a private
+carriage on a seven days' journey to New York, which was then the capital
+city of the United States.
+
+He wished to travel as quietly as possible, but the people were so eager
+to show their love for him and their trust in him that they thronged to
+meet and welcome him at every stage of the journey. When he passed through
+Philadelphia, under an escort of city troops, he rode a prancing white
+steed, and a civic crown of laurel rested upon his head.
+
+[Illustration: Tribute Rendered to Washington at Trenton.]
+
+But the most touching tribute of all he received at Trenton. On the bridge
+spanning the little creek which he had crossed more than once when
+thirteen years before he was battling for his country's freedom was a
+floral arch. Under this a party of matrons and young girls carrying
+baskets of flowers took their stand. As Washington passed beneath the arch
+the girls sang a song of welcome and strewed flowers in the road before
+him. On the arch was the motto: "The Hero Who Defended the Mothers Will
+Protect the Daughters."
+
+When he arrived on the New Jersey side of the North River he was met by a
+committee of both houses of Congress. They escorted him to a handsomely
+equipped barge, manned by thirteen pilots, all dressed in white uniforms.
+Landing on the New York side, he rode through the streets amid throngs of
+shouting people, with salutes thundering from war-ships and from cannon on
+the Battery, and bells joyfully ringing from church-steeples, to give him
+a welcome.
+
+The inauguration took place on April 30. A little after noon Washington
+left his house, and under a large military escort made his way to Federal
+Hall, which was the Senate Chamber.
+
+From there he was escorted out to the balcony overlooking a large space in
+the streets below, which were thronged with people. He took his seat by
+the side of a crimson-covered table, on which lay a Bible.
+
+As Washington stood up face to face with the chancellor of New York State,
+who was to give the oath, a deep hush fell on the multitude below. "Do you
+solemnly swear," asked Chancellor Livingston, "that you will faithfully
+execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the
+best of your ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of
+the United States?"
+
+[Illustration: Washington Taking the Oath of Office as First President, at
+Federal Hall, New York City.]
+
+"I do solemnly swear," said Washington, "that I will faithfully execute
+the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my
+ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United
+States."
+
+Then with deep earnestness he bent and kissed the Bible held before him,
+with the whispered prayer: "So help me God!"
+
+"Long live George Washington, President of the United States!" exclaimed
+Livingston, and the excited throng took up the cry, shouting with wild
+enthusiasm. Thus was inaugurated our first President.
+
+Returning to the Senate Chamber, Washington there delivered a short
+address. He was very much agitated, for he had a deep sense of the
+responsibility which had been put upon him. After he had given his address
+he attended service in St. Paul's Church, and then went to his new home in
+New York City.
+
+His life as President was one of dignity and elegance. It was his custom
+to pay no calls and accept no invitations, but between three and four
+o'clock on every Tuesday afternoon he held a public reception. On such
+occasions he appeared in court dress, with powdered hair, yellow gloves in
+his hands, a long sword in a scabbard of white polished leather at his
+side, and a cocked hat under his arm. Standing before the fireplace, with
+his right hand behind him, he bowed formally as each guest was presented
+to him.
+
+[Illustration: Washington's Inaugural Chair.]
+
+The visitors formed a circle about the room. At a quarter past three the
+door was closed, and Washington went around the circle, speaking to each
+person. Then he returned to his first position by the fireplace, where
+each visitor approached him, bowed, and retired.
+
+One of his first public duties was the choosing of strong men to form his
+cabinet and help him in his new tasks as President. Thomas Jefferson was
+made Secretary of State; Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury;
+Henry Knox, Secretary of War; and Edmund Randolph, Attorney-General. John
+Jay was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
+
+The new government had to settle more than one important question. One of
+these related to the method of paying the State debts which had been the
+outcome of the Revolutionary War. The northern States were in favor of
+having the National Government take care of these debts. Washington
+himself wished in this way to unite the interests of all the States as
+well as have them feel that they had a share in the new government. The
+southern States, however, were bitterly opposed to this plan, but they, in
+their turn, were eager to have the national capital located on the Potomac
+River.
+
+Alexander Hamilton, by a clever arrangement, persuaded the opposing
+interests to adopt a compromise, or an agreement by which each side got a
+part of what it wished. The northern States were to vote for a southern
+capital if the southern States would vote that the National Government
+should look after the State debts.
+
+This plan was carried out; and so it was decided that the capital of the
+United States should be located in the District of Columbia, on the
+Potomac River, and should be called Washington, after George Washington.
+
+In 1789, the seat of government was in New York; from 1790 to 1800, it was
+in Philadelphia; and in 1800 it was transferred to Washington, where it
+has ever since remained.
+
+
+THE COTTON-GIN AND SLAVERY
+
+One of the most noteworthy events which occurred during Washington's
+administration was the invention of the cotton-gin by Eli Whitney. Whitney
+was born in Massachusetts. While yet a boy he was employed in making nails
+by hand, for there was no machine for making them in those days. Later,
+when he entered Yale College, his skilful use of tools helped him to pay
+his college expenses.
+
+[Illustration: Eli Whitney.]
+
+After being graduated from Yale he went south, where he became a tutor in
+the family of General Greene's widow, then living on the Savannah River,
+in the home which, you remember, Georgia gave her husband. While he was in
+Mrs. Greene's home he invented for her an embroidery-frame which she
+greatly valued.
+
+One day, while she was entertaining some planters, they began to talk
+about the raising of cotton. One of her guests said that it did not pay
+well because so much time was needed to separate the seeds from the fibre.
+He added that if a way could be found to do this more quickly the profits
+would be far greater.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Mrs. Greene, "tell this to my young friend, Mr. Whitney.
+Verily, I believe he can make anything." As a result of this conversation,
+in two or three months Eli Whitney had invented the cotton-gin (1793),
+although in so doing he had to make all his own tools.
+
+The cotton-gin brought about great changes. Before its invention it took a
+slave a whole day to separate the seed from five or six pounds of cotton
+fibre. But by the use of the cotton-gin he could separate the seed from a
+thousand pounds in a single day.
+
+[Illustration: Whitney's Cotton-Gin.]
+
+This, of course, meant that cotton could be sold for very much less than
+before, and hence there arose a much greater demand for it. It meant,
+also, that the labor of slaves was of more value than before, and hence
+there was a greater demand for slaves.
+
+As slavery now became such an important feature of southern life, let us
+pause for a glimpse of a southern plantation where slaves are at work. If
+we are to see such life in its pleasantest aspects, we may well go back to
+Virginia in the old days before the Civil War. There the slaves led a
+freer and easier life than they did farther south among the rice-fields of
+South Carolina or the cotton-fields of Georgia.
+
+If we could visit one of these old Virginia plantations as it used to be,
+where wheat and tobacco were grown, we should see first a family mansion,
+often situated on a hilltop amid a grove of oaks. The mansion is a
+two-story house, perhaps made of wood, and painted white. With its
+vine-clad porch in front, and its wide hallway inside, it has a very
+comfortable look.
+
+Not far away is a group of small log cabins. This cluster of simple
+dwellings, known as "the quarters," is the home of the slaves, who do the
+work in the house and fields.
+
+On the large plantations of the far south, there were sometimes several
+slave settlements on one plantation, each being a little village, with the
+cabins set in rows on each side of a wide street. Each cabin housed two
+families; belonging to each was a small garden.
+
+The log cabins contained large fireplaces, and it was not unusual for the
+master's children to gather about them when the weather was cold enough
+for fires, to hear the negroes tell quaint tales and sing weird songs. The
+old colored "mammies" were very fond of "Massa's chillun" and liked to pet
+them and tell them stories.
+
+Sometimes the cooking for the master's family was done in the kitchen of
+the "big house," but more often in a cabin outside, from which a negro
+waitress carried the food to the dining-room. The slaves had regular
+allowances of food, most of which they preferred to cook in their own
+cabins. Their common food was corn bread and ham or bacon.
+
+Some of the slaves were employed as servants in the master's house, but
+the greater part of them worked in the fields. They went out to work very
+early in the morning. It often happened that their breakfast and dinner
+were carried to them in the fields, and during the short rest which they
+had while eating their meals they would often sing together.
+
+[Illustration: A Colonial Planter.]
+
+The slaves had their holidays, one of them being at the time of
+hog-killing, which was an annual festival. In some parts of the south, in
+November or December, corn-husking bees were held, just as the white
+people held them on the frontier. When the corn was harvested, it was
+piled up in mounds fifty or sixty feet high. Then the slaves from
+neighboring plantations were invited to come and help husk the corn. One
+negro would leap up on the mound and lead the chorus, all joining lustily
+in the singing.
+
+[Illustration: A Slave Settlement.]
+
+Other holidays were given the slaves on the Fourth of July and at
+Christmas time. One negro tells us about the barbecue which his master
+gave to him and the other slaves. "Yes, honey, dat he did gib us Fourth of
+July--a plenty o' holiday--a beef kilt, a mutton, hogs, salt, pepper, an'
+eberyting. He hab a gre't trench dug, and a whole load of wood put in it
+an' burned down to coals. Den dey put wooden spits across, an' dey had
+spoons an' basted de meat. An' we 'vite all de culled people aroun', an'
+dey come, an' we had fine times."
+
+The life of the slaves was sometimes hard and bitter, especially when they
+were in charge of a cruel overseer on a large plantation. But it was not
+always so. For it is pleasant to think that when they had good masters,
+there were many things to cheer and brighten their lives. We know that
+household slaves often lived in the most friendly relations with their
+owners.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We must pass over many of the events which took place while Washington was
+President, but you will very likely take them up in your later study.
+After serving with marked success for two terms, he again returned (1797)
+to private life at Mount Vernon. Here, on December 14, 1799, he died at
+the age of sixty-seven, loved and honored by the American people.
+
+Let us always remember with grateful hearts the noble life of the great
+man who has rightly been called the "Father of his Country."
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. How did the people express their feeling for Washington when he was on
+his way to New York to be inaugurated as President?
+
+2. Describe one of his public receptions.
+
+3. Who were the men Washington chose to help him in his new task as
+President?
+
+4. What effects did the invention of the cotton-gin have upon slavery?
+
+5. In imagination visit some old plantations and tell what you can about
+slave life there.
+
+6. Why has Washington been called the "Father of his Country"?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE NEW REPUBLIC
+
+
+As with reverent thought we turn from the closing days of George
+Washington's life, our interest is drawn to the career of another national
+hero, with whom we associate the most remarkable expansion in the area of
+our country.
+
+[Illustration: Thomas Jefferson.]
+
+Already through the achievements of early pioneers and settlers, such as
+Daniel Boone in Kentucky, John Sevier and James Robertson in Tennessee,
+and George Rogers Clark in the region of the Great Lakes, the country
+lying between the Alleghany Mountains and the Mississippi River had come
+to be a part of the United States.
+
+But now in a very different and much easier way the territory lying beyond
+the Mississippi and stretching westward to the Rocky Mountains was added
+to the national domain. This we obtained, not by exploration or
+settlement, but by purchase; and the man who had most to do with our
+getting it was Thomas Jefferson.
+
+The story of the purchase is most interesting, but hardly more so than the
+story of Thomas Jefferson himself.
+
+He was born in 1743 near Charlottesville, Virginia, on a plantation of
+nearly two thousand acres. As a boy he lived an out-of-door life, hunting,
+fishing, swimming, or paddling his boat in the river near his home, and
+sometimes riding his father's horses. He was a skilful and daring rider,
+and remained to the end of his long life fond of a fine horse.
+
+[Illustration: "Monticello," the Home of Jefferson.]
+
+He was a most promising lad. At five he entered school, and even at that
+early age began his lifelong habit of careful reading and studying. While
+still but a boy he was known among his playmates for his industry and the
+thorough way in which he did his work.
+
+At seventeen he entered William and Mary College at Williamsburg,
+Virginia. Here he worked hard, sometimes studying fifteen hours a day. But
+for his sound body and strong health he must have broken down under such a
+severe strain.
+
+Yet this hard-working student was no mere bookworm. He was cheerful and
+full of life, and was very much liked by his fellow students. Among other
+friends made during his college days was the fun-loving Patrick Henry, who
+with his jokes and stories kept every one about him in good humor. In time
+their friendship became so intimate that when Patrick Henry came to
+Williamsburg as a member of the House of Burgesses, he shared Jefferson's
+rooms. Both were fond of music, and spent many a pleasant hour playing
+their violins together.
+
+We have a description of Jefferson as he appeared at this time. He was
+over six feet tall, slender in body, but with large hands and feet. His
+freckled face was topped by a mass of sandy hair, from beneath which
+looked out keen, friendly gray eyes. He stood erect, straight as an arrow,
+a fine picture of health and strong young manhood.
+
+Thus we may imagine him as he stood one day while a law student at
+Williamsburg, in the doorway of the courthouse, earnestly listening to his
+friend Patrick Henry as he delivered his famous speech against the Stamp
+Act. The fiery words of the eloquent speaker made a deep impression upon
+young Jefferson's quick, warm nature.
+
+Both young men were earnest patriots, but they served their country in
+different ways. To Patrick Henry it was given to speak with the silver
+tongue of the orator; while Jefferson, who was a poor speaker, wrote with
+such grace and strength that he has rightly been called "The Pen of the
+Revolution."
+
+Before taking up his public life, it will be of interest to us to see how
+he helped his countrymen in other ways. Two valuable and lasting
+improvements have come down from him. The first of these was the system of
+decimal currency, which replaced the clumsy system of pounds, shillings,
+and pence used in colonial days. When you are called upon to work out
+examples in English currency, be grateful to Thomas Jefferson that we have
+instead the much simpler system of dollars and cents.
+
+The second improvement--which was for the benefit of agriculture, in which
+Jefferson always felt a deep interest--had, perhaps, even greater
+importance, for it was not merely a convenience but a means of increasing
+wealth. It was a new form of plough, which, sinking deeper into the soil,
+vastly increased its productive power, and has been of untold value to the
+people not only of our country but of the whole world.
+
+Jefferson showed his interest in the work of the farm in another way.
+While he was in France as American minister to the King he found that,
+although the French ate a great deal of rice, especially during Lent, very
+little of it came from the United States, because rice raised here was
+thought to be of an inferior quality. The best rice came from Italy.
+
+[Illustration: A Rice-Field in Louisiana.]
+
+Wishing to help American rice-growers, Jefferson, therefore, went to Italy
+to study the Italian method of growing it. He found that in both countries
+the hulling and cleaning machine was the same. "Then," thought he, "the
+seed of the Italian rice must be better."
+
+So, doing up some small packages of the best seed rice he could find, he
+sent them to Charleston. The seeds were carefully distributed among the
+planters, who made good use of them, and from those seeds as a beginning
+some of the finest rice in the world is now produced in our own States.
+
+
+JEFFERSON'S GREATEST WORK AS A STATESMAN
+
+But valuable as these services were to his countrymen, Jefferson's great
+work in the world was that of a statesman. He first came into prominence
+in the Second Continental Congress, when, you recall, the brave men
+representing the several colonies decided that the time had come for the
+American people to declare themselves free and independent of England.
+Here Jefferson's ability as a writer did good service; for of the
+committee of five appointed to draw up the Declaration of Independence
+Jefferson was a member, and it fell to him to write the first draft of
+that great state paper.
+
+Congress spent a few days in going over this draft and making some slight
+changes in it. In the main, however, it stands as Jefferson wrote it.
+
+After filling many of the high offices in the country, in 1801 Jefferson
+became the third President of the United States. In this lofty position
+history gives us another striking picture of the man. It shows that he was
+simple in his tastes, and that he liked best those plain ways of living
+which are most familiar to the common people.
+
+On the day of his inauguration he went on foot to the Capitol, dressed in
+his every-day clothes and attended only by a few friends. It became his
+custom later, when going up to the Capitol on official business, to go on
+horseback, tying his horse with his own hands to a near-by fence before
+entering the building. He declined to hold weekly receptions, as had been
+the custom when Washington and Adams were Presidents, but instead he
+opened his house to all on the Fourth of July, and on New Year's Day. In
+these ways he was acting out his belief that the President should be
+simple in dress and manner.
+
+Many things which Jefferson did proved that he was an able statesman, but
+the one act which stands out above all others as the greatest and wisest
+of his administration, was the "Louisiana Purchase."
+
+Let us see how this purchase came to be made. Before Jefferson became
+President many pioneers, we know, had already settled west of the
+Alleghany Mountains. Most of them lived along the Ohio and the streams
+flowing into it from the north and the south. In the upland valleys of the
+Kentucky and Tennessee Rivers settlers were especially numerous.
+
+These lands were so fertile that the people living there became very
+prosperous. As their harvests were abundant, they needed a market in which
+to sell what they could not use.
+
+We have seen how in the autumn it was their custom to load the furs on
+pack-horses, and driving the cattle before them along the forest trail, to
+make the long journey over the mountains to cities and towns along the
+Atlantic coast.
+
+[Illustration: A Flatboat on the Ohio River.]
+
+But to send their bulky products by this route was too expensive. Water
+transportation cost much less. Such produce as corn-meal, flour, pork, and
+lumber had to go on rafts or flatboats down the Ohio and Mississippi
+Rivers to New Orleans. Here the cargo and the boat were sold, or the cargo
+sold and loaded on ocean vessels, which in time reached the eastern market
+by a cheaper though longer route than that by land. Thus the Mississippi
+River, being the only outlet for this heavy produce, was very necessary to
+the prosperity of the west.
+
+But Spain at this time owned New Orleans and all the land about the mouth
+of the Mississippi River; and as the river became more and more used for
+traffic Spanish officers at New Orleans began to make trouble. They even
+went so far as to threaten to prevent the sending of produce to that port.
+
+This threat greatly troubled and angered the western farmers. They
+proposed wild plans to force an outlet for their trade. But before
+anything was done, news came that Napoleon, who was then at the head of
+affairs in France, had compelled Spain to give up Louisiana to France.
+
+Then the westerners grew still more alarmed about their trade. It was bad
+enough to have a weak country like Spain in control of Louisiana. But it
+might be far worse to have France, the greatest military power in the
+world at that time, own it. All this was very plain to Jefferson, and he
+knew that Napoleon was planning to establish garrisons and colonies in
+Louisiana.
+
+In view of the possible dangers, he sent James Monroe to France to aid our
+minister there in securing New Orleans and a definite stretch of territory
+in Louisiana lying on the east side of the Mississippi River. If he could
+get that territory, the Americans would then own the entire east bank of
+the river and could control their own trade.
+
+When Monroe reached France, he found that Napoleon not only was willing to
+sell what Jefferson wanted, but wished him to buy much more. For as
+Napoleon was about to engage in war with England, he had great need of
+money. Besides, he was afraid that the English might even invade and
+capture Louisiana, and in that case he would get nothing for it. He was
+satisfied, therefore, to sell the whole of the Louisiana territory for
+fifteen million dollars.
+
+This purchase was a big event in American history, for you must remember
+that what was then called Louisiana was a very large stretch of country.
+It included all the region between the Mississippi River and the Rocky
+Mountains, from Canada down to what is now Texas. Look at your map and you
+will see that it was larger than all the rest of the territory which up to
+that time had been called the United States.
+
+[Illustration: THE UNITED STATES IN 1803, AFTER THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE.]
+
+
+NEW ORLEANS IN 1803
+
+The people of that day did not realize the importance of their purchase.
+For the most part the territory was a wild region, uninhabited except for
+scattered Indian tribes, and almost unexplored. The place most alive was
+New Orleans, which would have interested you keenly had you been a pioneer
+boy or girl. New Orleans has been called a Franco-Spanish-American city,
+for it has belonged to all three nations in turn and been under French
+control twice. You remember that the French settled it. Let us imagine
+ourselves pioneers of 1803, and that we have just brought a cargo down the
+river.
+
+[Illustration: House in New Orleans Where Louis Philippe Stopped in 1798.]
+
+We find New Orleans to be one of the chief seaports of America. We see
+shipping of all sorts about the town--barges and flatboats along the river
+bank, merchant vessels in the harbor, and farther down some war-ships.
+
+There are buildings still standing which are unchanged parts of the
+earlier French town--for instance, the government house, the barracks, the
+hospital, and the convent of the Ursulines. We notice that the walls and
+fortifications, built partly by the French and partly by the Spaniards,
+are but a mere ring of grass-grown ruins about the city.
+
+[Illustration: A Public Building in New Orleans Built in 1794.]
+
+But the city is very picturesque with its tropical vegetation, always
+green, and its quaint houses, many of them raised several feet above the
+ground on pillars. The more pretentious mansions are surrounded by broad
+verandas and fine gardens, and scattered here and there among the houses
+of the better class are those of the poor people.
+
+The streets are straight and fairly wide, but dirty and ill-kept. The
+sidewalks are of wood, and at night we need to take our steps carefully,
+for only a few dim lights break the darkness. Beyond the walls of the city
+we see suburbs already springing up.
+
+Three-fourths of the inhabitants are creoles--that is, natives of French
+and Spanish descent, who speak in the French tongue. We do not understand
+them any more than if we were in a really foreign city. They seem a
+handsome, well-knit race. But they are idle and lacking in ambition, and
+for that reason are being crowded out of business by the active, thrifty
+American merchants, to whom, we observe, they are not quite friendly.
+
+Such was the New Orleans of 1803, a human oasis in a waste of forest,
+which made up the greater part of the new territory. There were, to be
+sure, in this trackless wilderness a few French villages near the mouth of
+the Missouri River. Traders from the British camps in the north had found
+their way as far south as these villages, but the great prairies had not
+been explored, and the Rocky Mountains were yet unknown.
+
+
+LEWIS AND CLARK'S EXPEDITION
+
+Before the purchase was made Jefferson had planned an expedition to
+explore this region, and Congress had voted money to carry out his plan.
+Two officers of the United States army, Captain Meriwether Lewis and
+Captain William Clark, brother of George Rogers Clark, were put in command
+of the expedition.
+
+They were to ascend the Missouri River to its head and then find the
+nearest waterway to the Pacific coast. They were directed also to draw
+maps of the region and to report on the nature of the country and the
+people, plants, animals, and other matters of interest in the new lands.
+
+[Illustration: Meriwether Lewis.]
+
+In May, 1804, the little company of forty-five men left St. Louis and
+started up the Missouri River, passing the scattered settlements of French
+creoles. After eleven days they reached the home of Daniel Boone, the last
+settlement they passed on the Missouri. Leaving that, they found no more
+white settlers and very few Indians. But the woods were alive with game,
+so there was no lack of food.
+
+[Illustration: William Clark.]
+
+Late in October they arrived at a village of Mandan Indians situated at
+the great bend of the Missouri River, in what is now known as North
+Dakota. Deciding to winter here, they built huts and a stockade, calling
+the camp Fort Mandan. The Mandans were used to white men, as the village
+had been visited often by traders from both north and south.
+
+Although the Indians gave them no trouble, the explorers suffered greatly
+from cold and hunger, game being scarce and poor in the winter season.
+
+When spring came the party, now numbering thirty-two, again took up the
+westward journey. All before them was new country. They met few Indians
+and found themselves in one of the finest hunting-grounds in the world.
+Sage-fowl and prairie-fowl, ducks of all sorts, swans, and wild cranes
+were plentiful, while huge, flapping geese nested in the tops of the
+cottonwood-trees.
+
+[Illustration: Buffalo Hunted by Indians.]
+
+Big game, such as buffalo, elk, antelope, whitetail and blacktail deer,
+and big-horned sheep, was also abundant. It happened more than once that
+the party was detained for an hour or more while a great herd of buffalo
+ploughed their way down the bank of a river in a huge column.
+
+Many of the animals in this region were very tame, for they had not
+learned to fear men. Yet among them the explorers found some dangerous
+enemies. One was the grizzly bear, and another the rattlesnake. But the
+greatest scourges of all were the tiny, buzzing mosquitoes, which beset
+them in great swarms.
+
+The second autumn was almost upon them when they arrived at the headwaters
+of the Missouri, and their hardest task was yet to be accomplished. Before
+them rose the mountains. These, they knew, must be crossed before they
+could hope to find any waterway to the coast. The boats in which they had
+come thus far, now being useless, were left behind, and horses were
+procured from a band of wandering Indians.
+
+Then they set out again on their journey, which presently became most
+difficult. For nearly a month they painfully made their way through dense
+forests, over steep mountains, and across raging torrents, whose icy water
+chilled both man and beast. Sometimes storms of sleet and snow beat
+pitilessly down upon them, and again they were almost overcome by
+oppressive heat.
+
+Game was so scarce that the men often went hungry, and were even driven to
+kill some of their horses for food.
+
+But brighter days were bound to come, and at last they reached a river
+which flowed toward the west. They called it Lewis, and it proved to be a
+branch of the Columbia, which led to the sea. With fresh courage they
+built five canoes, in which the ragged, travel-worn but now triumphant men
+made their way down-stream. The Indians whom they met were for the most
+part friendly, welcoming them and providing them with food, though a few
+tribes were troublesome.
+
+Before the cold of the second winter had set in they had reached the
+forests on the Pacific coast, and here they stayed until spring, enduring
+much hunger and cold, but learning many things about the habits of the
+Indians.
+
+[Illustration: The Lewis and Clark Expedition Working Its Way Westward.]
+
+The next March, as soon as travel was safe, they gladly turned their faces
+homeward, and after a fatiguing journey of about three months, reached the
+Great Plains.
+
+Then the party separated for a time into two companies, Clark following
+the course of the Yellowstone River, and Lewis the Missouri, planning to
+meet where the two rivers united.
+
+This they succeeded in doing, though both parties were troubled somewhat
+by Indians. The Crow Indians stole horses from Clark's party, and eight
+Blackfoot warriors attacked Lewis and three of his men. But Lewis got the
+better of them and captured four of their horses.
+
+The explorers suffered no further injury, and in September, 1806, about
+two years and four months after starting out, they were back in St. Louis,
+with their precious maps and notes. They had successfully carried out a
+magnificent undertaking, and you may be sure they received a joyful
+welcome from their friends. I wonder if any of you can tell which of our
+world's fairs commemorated the leaders of this expedition.
+
+Through the efforts of these explorers the highway across the continent
+became an established fact. When you think of the great trunk lines of
+railroad, over which fast trains carry hundreds of passengers daily, stop
+a moment and remember that it was little more than a hundred years ago
+that we first began to know much about this region!
+
+
+ANDREW JACKSON
+
+The next addition made to our expanding nation was in the extreme
+southeast, and with it we associate the name of another of our Presidents,
+Andrew Jackson. The story of how Florida came to be a part of the United
+States will be more interesting if we know something of the career of the
+picturesque hero who brought about its purchase.
+
+Andrew Jackson was born in Union County, North Carolina, in 1767, of poor
+Scotch-Irish parents, who about two years before had come from Ireland. In
+a little clearing in the woods they had built a rude log hut and settled
+down to hard work.
+
+But Andrew's father soon died, and his mother went with her children to
+live in her brother's home, where she spun flax to earn money. She was
+very fond of little Andrew and hoped some day to make a minister of him.
+
+[Illustration: Andrew Jackson.]
+
+With this in view, she sent him to school, where he learned reading,
+writing, and a little ciphering. But the little fellow loved nature better
+than books and did not make great progress with lessons. You must
+remember, however, that he was far from idle and that he did many hard and
+brave tasks, worth being put into books for other boys to read.
+
+"Mischievous Andy," as he was called, was a barefooted, freckle-faced lad,
+slender in body, with bright blue eyes and reddish hair, and was full of
+life and fun. Although not robust, he was wiry and energetic, and excelled
+in running, jumping, and all rough-and-tumble sports. If, when wrestling,
+a stronger boy threw him to the ground, he was so agile that he always
+managed to regain his feet.
+
+While he was yet a lad the Revolution broke out, and there was severe
+fighting between the Americans and the British near his home. He was only
+thirteen when he was made a prisoner of war.
+
+One day, soon after his capture, a British officer gave him a pair of
+muddy boots to clean. The fiery youth flashed back: "Sir, I am not your
+slave. I am your prisoner, and as such I refuse to do the work of a
+slave." Angered by this reply, the brutal officer struck the boy a cruel
+blow with his sword, inflicting two severe wounds.
+
+Andrew was kept in a prison pen about the Camden jail. As he was without
+shelter and almost without food, the wounds refused to heal, and in his
+weak and half-starved condition he fell a victim to smallpox. His mother,
+hearing of her boy's wretched plight, secured his release and took him
+home. He was ill for months, and before he entirely recovered his mother
+died, leaving him quite alone in the world.
+
+In time, however, these early hardships passed, and some years later we
+see Andrew, a young man of twenty-one, now become a lawyer. He is over six
+feet tall, slender, straight, and graceful, with a long, slim face, and
+thick hair falling over his forehead and shading his piercing blue eyes.
+He has crossed the mountains with an emigrant party into the backwoods
+region of Tennessee.
+
+The party arrived at Nashville, where their life was very much like that
+of Daniel Boone in Kentucky.
+
+Young Jackson passed through many dangers without harm, and by his
+industry and business ability became a successful lawyer and in time a
+wealthy landowner.
+
+After his marriage he built, on a plantation of one thousand one hundred
+acres, about ten miles from Nashville, a house which he called "The
+Hermitage." Here he and his wife kept open house for visitors, treating
+rich and poor with like hospitality. His warm heart and generous nature
+were especially shown in his own household, where he was kind to all,
+including his slaves.
+
+[Illustration: "The Hermitage," the Home of Andrew Jackson.]
+
+To the end of his life he had a childlike simplicity of nature. But we
+must not think of him as a faultless man, for he was often rough in manner
+and speech, and his violent temper got him into serious troubles. Among
+them were some foolish duels.
+
+[Illustration: Fighting the Seminole Indians, under Jackson.]
+
+Yet, with all his faults, he was brave and patriotic and did splendid
+service as a fighter in Indian wars. After one of his duels, with a ball
+in his shoulder and his left arm in a sling, he went to lead an army of
+two thousand five hundred men in an attack on the Creek Indians, who had
+risen against the whites in Alabama. Although weak from a long illness,
+Jackson marched with vigor against the Creeks, and after a campaign of
+much hardship, badly defeated them at Horseshoe Bend, in eastern Alabama.
+He thus broke for all time the power of the Indians south of the Ohio
+River.
+
+Some three years later (1817) General Jackson, as he was now called, was
+sent with a body of troops down to southern Georgia, to protect the people
+there from the Seminole Indians, who lived in Florida. At this time
+Florida belonged to Spain. Its vast swamps and dense forests made a place
+of refuge from which outlaws, runaway negroes, and Indians all made a
+practice of sallying forth in bands across the border into southern
+Georgia. There they would drive off cattle, burn houses, and murder men,
+women, and children without mercy.
+
+[Illustration: Jackson's Campaign.]
+
+When Jackson pursued these thieves and murderers, they retreated to their
+hiding-places beyond the boundaries of Florida. But it was more than
+Jackson could endure to see his enemy escape him so easily. And, although
+he was exceeding his orders, he followed them across the border, burned
+some of their villages, and hanged some of the Indian chiefs. He did not
+stop until he had all of Florida under his control.
+
+This was a high-handed proceeding, for that territory belonged to Spain.
+However, serious trouble was avoided by our buying Florida (1819). This
+purchase added territory of fifty-nine thousand two hundred and
+sixty-eight square miles to the United States. It was only six thousand
+square miles less than the whole area of New England.
+
+By studying your map you can easily see how much the area of the United
+States was extended by the purchase of Louisiana and of Florida. The
+adding of these two large territories made America one of the great
+nations of the world in landed estate.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. Tell all you can about Jefferson's boyhood. What kind of student was he
+in college?
+
+2. How did he help his countrymen before taking up his public life?
+
+3. Why did the Westerners wish the Mississippi to be open to their trade?
+
+4. Why was Napoleon willing to sell us the whole of Louisiana? Use your
+map in making clear to yourself just what the Louisiana Purchase included.
+
+5. Why did Jefferson send Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition? What
+were the results of this expedition?
+
+6. What kind of boy was Andrew Jackson? What kind of man?
+
+7. What part did he take in the events leading up to the purchase of
+Florida?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
+
+
+After the purchase of Louisiana and the explorations of Lewis and Clark,
+the number of settlers who went from the eastern part of the country to
+find new homes in the West kept on increasing as it had been doing since
+Boone, Robertson, and Sevier had pushed their way across the mountains
+into Kentucky and Tennessee, twenty-five or thirty years earlier.
+
+These pioneers, if they went westward by land, had to load their goods on
+pack-horses and follow the Indian trail. Later the trail was widened into
+a roadway, and wagons could be used. But travel by land was slow and, hard
+under any conditions.
+
+Going by water, while cheaper, was inconvenient, for the travellers must
+use the flatboat, which was clumsy and slow and, worst of all, of little
+use except when going down stream.
+
+The great need both for travel and for trade, then, was a boat which would
+not be dependent upon wind or current, but could be propelled by steam.
+Many men had tried to work out such an invention. Among them was John
+Rumsey, of Maryland, who built a steamboat in 1774, and John Fitch, of
+Connecticut, who completed his first model of a steamboat in 1785.
+
+In the next four years Fitch built three steamboats, the last of which
+made regular trips on the Delaware River, between Philadelphia and
+Burlington, during the summer of 1786. It was used as a passenger boat,
+and it made a speed of eight miles an hour; but Fitch was not able to
+secure enough aid from men of capital and influence to make his boats
+permanently successful.
+
+The first man to construct a steamboat which continued to give successful
+service was Robert Fulton. Robert Fulton was born of poor parents in
+Little Britain, Pennsylvania, in 1765, the year of the famous Stamp Act.
+When the boy was only three years old his father died, and so Robert was
+brought up by his mother. She taught him at home until he was eight, and
+then sent him to school. Here he showed an unusual liking for drawing.
+
+[Illustration: Robert Fulton.]
+
+Outside of school hours his special delight was to visit the shops of
+mechanics, who humored the boy and let him work out his clever ideas with
+his own hands.
+
+A story is told of how Robert came into school late one morning and gave
+as his excuse that he had been at a shop beating a piece of lead into a
+pencil. At the same time he took the pencil from his pocket, and showing
+it to his teacher, said: "It is the best one I have ever used." Upon
+carefully looking at the pencil, the schoolmaster was so well pleased that
+he praised Robert's efforts, and in a short time nearly all the pupils
+were using that kind of pencil.
+
+[Illustration: Fulton's First Experiment with Paddle-Wheels.]
+
+Another example of Robert's inventive gift belongs to his boyhood days. He
+and one of his playmates from time to time went fishing in a flatboat,
+which they propelled with long poles. It was hard work and slow, and
+presently Robert thought out an easier way. He made two crude
+paddle-wheels, attached one to each side of the boat, and connected them
+with a sort of double crank. By turning this, the boys made the wheels
+revolve, and these carried the boat through the water easily. We may be
+sure that Robert's boat became very popular, and that turning the crank
+was a privilege in which each boy eagerly took his turn.
+
+While still young, Robert began to paint pictures also. By the time he was
+seventeen he had become skilful in the use of his brush and went to
+Philadelphia to devote his time to painting portraits and miniatures.
+Being a tireless worker, he earned enough here to support himself and send
+something to his mother.
+
+At the age of twenty-one his interest in art led him to go to London,
+where he studied for several years under Benjamin West. This famous master
+took young Fulton into his household and was very friendly to him.
+
+After leaving West's studio Fulton still remained in England, and although
+continuing to paint he gave much thought also to the development of canal
+systems. His love for invention was getting the better of his love for art
+and was leading him on to the work which made him famous. He was about
+thirty when he finally gave up painting altogether and turned his whole
+attention to inventing.
+
+He went from England to Paris, where he lived in the family of Joel
+Barlow, an American poet and public man. Here he made successful
+experiments with a diving boat which he had designed to carry cases of
+gunpowder under water. This was one of the stages in the development of
+our modern torpedo-boat.
+
+Although this invention alone would give Fulton a place in history, it was
+not one which would affect so many people as the later one, the steamboat,
+with which his name is more often associated.
+
+Even before he had begun to experiment with the torpedo-boat Fulton had
+been deeply interested in steam navigation, and while in Paris he
+constructed a steamboat. In this undertaking he was greatly aided by
+Robert R. Livingston, American minister at the French court, who had
+himself done some experimenting in that line. Livingston, therefore, was
+glad to furnish the money which Fulton needed in order to build the boat.
+
+It was finished by the spring of 1803. But just as they were getting ready
+for a trial trip, early one morning the boat broke in two parts and sank
+to the bottom of the River Seine. The frame had been too weak to support
+the weight of the heavy machinery.
+
+Having discovered just what was wrong in this first attempt, Fulton built
+another steamboat soon after his return to America, in 1806. This boat was
+one hundred and thirty feet long, eighteen feet wide, with mast and sail,
+and had on each side a wheel fifteen feet across.
+
+On the morning of the day in August, 1807, set for the trial of the
+Clermont--as Fulton called his boat--an expectant throng of curious
+onlookers gathered on the banks of the North, or Hudson, River, at New
+York. Everybody was looking for failure. For though Fitch's boats had made
+trips in the Delaware only some twenty years earlier, the fact did not
+seem to be generally known. People had all along spoken of Fulton as a
+half-crazy dreamer and had called his boat "Fulton's Folly." "Of course,
+the thing will not move," said one scoffer. "That any man with common
+sense well knows," another replied. And yet they all stood watching for
+Fulton's signal to start the boat.
+
+[Illustration: The "Clermont" in Duplicate at the Hudson-Fulton
+Celebration, 1909.]
+
+The signal is given. A slight tremor of motion and the boat is still.
+"There! What did I say?" cried one. "I told you so!" exclaimed another. "I
+knew the boat would not go," said yet another. But they spoke too soon,
+for after a little delay the wheels of the Clermont began to revolve,
+slowly and hesitatingly at first, but soon with more speed, and the boat
+steamed proudly off up the Hudson.
+
+As she moved forward, all along the river people who had come from far and
+near stood watching the strange sight. When boatmen and sailors on the
+Hudson heard the harsh clanking of machinery and saw the huge sparks and
+dense black smoke rising out of her funnel, they thought that the Clermont
+was a sea-monster. In fact, they were so frightened that some of them went
+ashore, some jumped into the river to get away, and some fell on their
+knees in fear, believing that their last day had come. It is said that one
+old Dutchman exclaimed to his wife: "I have seen the devil coming up the
+river on a raft!"
+
+The men who were working the boat had no such foolish fears. They set
+themselves to their task and made the trip from New York to Albany, a
+distance of one hundred and fifty miles, in thirty-two hours. Success had
+at last come to the quiet, modest, persevering Fulton. After this trial
+trip the Clermont was used as a regular passenger boat between New York
+and Albany.
+
+The steamboat was Fulton's great gift to the world and his last work of
+public interest. He died in 1815.
+
+But the Clermont was only the beginning of steam-driven craft on the
+rivers and lakes of our country. Four years afterward (1811), the first
+steamboat west of the Alleghany Mountains began its route from Pittsburg
+down the Ohio, and a few years later similar craft were in use on the
+Great Lakes.
+
+
+THE NATIONAL ROAD AND THE ERIE CANAL
+
+But while steamboats made the rivers and lakes easy routes for travel and
+traffic, something was needed to make journeys by land less difficult. To
+meet this need, new highways had to be supplied, and this great work of
+building public roads was taken up by the United States Government. Many
+roads were built, but the most important was the one known as the National
+Road.
+
+[Illustration: _From the painting by C.Y. Turner in the DeWitt Clinton
+High School, New York._
+
+The Opening of the Erie Canal in 1825.]
+
+It ran from Cumberland, on the Potomac, through Maryland and Pennsylvania
+to Wheeling, West Virginia, on the Ohio River. From there it was extended
+to Indiana and Illinois, ending at Vandalia, which at that time was the
+capital of Illinois. It was seven hundred miles long, and cost seven
+million dollars.
+
+This smooth and solid roadway was eighty feet wide; it was paved with
+stone and covered with gravel. Transportation became not only much easier
+but also much cheaper. The road filled a long-felt need and a flood of
+travel and traffic immediately swept over it.
+
+[Illustration: _From the painting by C.Y. Turner in the DeWitt Clinton
+High School, New York._
+
+The Ceremony Called "The Marriage of the Waters."]
+
+Another kind of highway which proved to be of untold value to both the
+East and the West, was the canal, or artificial waterway connecting two
+bodies of water.
+
+The most important was the Erie Canal, connecting the Hudson River and
+Lake Erie, begun in 1817. This new idea received the same scornful
+attention from the unthinking as "Fulton's Folly." By many it was called
+"Clinton's Ditch," after Governor DeWitt Clinton, to whose foresight we
+are indebted for the building of this much-used waterway. The scoffers
+shook their heads and said: "Clinton will bankrupt the State"; "The canal
+is a great extravagance"; and so on.
+
+But he did not stop because of criticism, and in 1825 the canal was
+finished. The undertaking had been pushed through in eight years. It was a
+great triumph for Clinton and a proud day for the State.
+
+When the work was completed the news was signalled from Buffalo to New
+York in a novel way. As you know, there was neither telephone nor
+telegraph then. But at intervals of five miles all along the route cannon
+were stationed. When the report from the first cannon was heard, the
+second was fired, and thus the news went booming eastward till, in an hour
+and a half, it reached New York.
+
+Clinton himself journeyed to New York in the canal-boat Seneca Chief. This
+was drawn by four gray horses, which went along the tow-path beside the
+canal. As the boat passed quietly along, people thronged the banks to do
+honor to the occasion.
+
+When the Seneca Chief reached New York City, Governor Clinton, standing on
+deck, lifted a gilded keg filled with water from Lake Erie and poured it
+into the harbor. As he did so, he prayed that "the God of the heaven and
+the earth" would smile upon the work just completed and make it useful to
+the human race. Thus was dedicated this great waterway, whose usefulness
+has more than fulfilled the hope of its chief promoter.
+
+[Illustration: Erie Canal on the Right and Aqueduct over the Mohawk River,
+New York.]
+
+Trade between the East and the West began to grow rapidly. Vast quantities
+of manufactured goods were moved easily from the East to the West, and
+supplies of food were shipped in the opposite direction. Prices began to
+fall because the cost of carrying goods was so much less. It cost ten
+dollars before the canal was dug to carry a barrel of flour from Buffalo
+to Albany; now it costs thirty cents.
+
+The region through which the canal ran was at that time mostly wilderness,
+and for some years packets carrying passengers as well as freight were
+drawn through the canal by horses travelling the tow-path along the bank.
+
+When travelling was so easy and safe, the number of people moving westward
+to this region grew larger rapidly. Land was in demand and became more
+valuable. Farm products sold at higher prices. Villages sprang up,
+factories were built, and the older towns grew rapidly in size. The great
+cities of New York State--and this is especially true of New York
+City--owe much of their growth to the Erie Canal.
+
+
+THE RAILROAD
+
+The steamboat, the national highways, and the canals were all great aids
+to men in travel and in carrying goods. The next great improvement was the
+use of steam-power to transport people and goods overland. It was brought
+about by the railroad and the locomotive.
+
+[Illustration: "Tom Thumb," Peter Cooper's Locomotive Working Model. First
+Used Near Baltimore in 1830.]
+
+In this country, the first laying of rails to make a level surface for
+wheels to roll upon was at Quincy, Massachusetts. This railroad was three
+miles long, extending from the quarry to the seacoast. The cars were drawn
+by horses.
+
+Our first passenger railroad was begun in 1828. It was called the
+Baltimore and Ohio and was the beginning of the railroad as we know it
+to-day. But those early roads would seem very strange now. The rails were
+of wood, covered with a thin strip of iron to protect the wood from wear.
+Even as late as the Civil War rails of this kind were in use in some
+places. The first cross-ties were of stone instead of wood, and the
+locomotives and cars of early days were very crude.
+
+[Illustration: From an Old Time-table (furnished by the "A B C Pathfinder
+Railway Guide"). Railroad Poster of 1843.]
+
+In 1833, people who were coming from the West to attend President
+Jackson's second inauguration travelled part of the way by railroad. They
+came over the National Road as far as Frederick, Maryland, and there left
+it to enter a train of six cars, each accommodating sixteen persons. The
+train was drawn by horses. In this manner they continued their journey to
+Baltimore.
+
+In the autumn of that year a railroad was opened between New York and
+Philadelphia. At first horses were used to draw the train, but by the end
+of the year locomotives, which ran at the rate of fifteen miles an hour,
+were introduced. This was a tremendous stride in the progress of railroad
+traffic.
+
+[Illustration: Comparison of "DeWitt Clinton" Locomotive and Train, the
+First Train Operated in New York, with a Modern Locomotive of the New York
+Central R.R.]
+
+To be sure, the locomotives were small, but two or more started off
+together, each drawing its own little train of cars. Behind the locomotive
+was a car which was a mere platform with a row of benches, seating perhaps
+forty passengers, inside of an open railing. Then followed four or five
+cars looking very much like stage-coaches, each having three compartments,
+with doors on each side. The last car was a high, open-railed van, in
+which the baggage of the whole train was heaped up and covered with
+oilcloth. How strange a train of this sort would look beside one of our
+modern express-trains, with its huge engine, and its sleeping, dining, and
+parlor cars!
+
+You will be surprised that any objection was raised to the railroad. Its
+earliest use had been in England, and when there was talk of introducing
+it in this country some people said: "If those who now travel by stage
+take the railroad coaches, then stage-drivers will be thrown out of work!"
+Little could they foresee what a huge army of men would find work on the
+modern railroad.
+
+In spite of all obstacles and objections, the railroads, once begun, grew
+rapidly in favor. In 1833 there were scarcely three hundred and eighty
+miles of railroad in the United States; now there are more than two
+hundred and forty thousand miles.
+
+
+MORSE AND THE TELEGRAPH
+
+The next stride which Progress made seemed even more wonderful. Having
+contrived an easier and a quicker way to move men and their belongings
+from one place to another, what should she do but whisper in the ear of a
+thinking man: "You can make thought travel many times faster." The man
+whose inventive genius made it possible for men to flash their thoughts
+thousands of miles in a few seconds of time was Samuel Finley Breese
+Morse.
+
+He was born in 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. His father was a
+learned minister, who "was always thinking, always writing, always
+talking, always acting"; and his mother was a woman of noble character,
+who inspired her son with lofty purpose.
+
+When he was seven he went to Andover, Massachusetts, to school, and still
+later entered Phillips Academy in the same town. At fourteen he entered
+Yale College, where from the first he was a good, faithful student.
+
+[Illustration: S.F.B. Morse.]
+
+As his father was poor, Finley had to help himself along, and was able to
+do it by painting, on ivory, likenesses of his classmates and professors,
+for which he received from one dollar to five dollars each. In this way he
+made considerable money.
+
+At the end of his college course he made painting his chosen profession
+and went to London, where he studied four years under Benjamin West.
+Though for some years he divided his time and effort between painting and
+invention, he at last decided to devote himself wholly to invention. This
+change in his life-work was the outcome of an incident which took place on
+a second voyage home from Europe, where he had been spending another
+period in study.
+
+On the ocean steamer the conversation at dinner one day was about some
+experiments with electricity. One of the men present said that so far as
+had been learned from experiment electricity passes through any length of
+wire in a second of time.
+
+"Then," said Morse, "thought can be transmitted hundreds of miles in a
+moment by means of electricity; for, if electricity will go ten miles
+without stopping, I can make it go around the globe."
+
+[Illustration: The First Telegraph Instrument.]
+
+When once he began to think about this great possibility, the thought held
+him in its grip. In fact, it shut out all others. Through busy days and
+sleepless nights he turned it over and over. And often, while engaged in
+other duties, he would snatch his notebook from his pocket in order to
+outline the new instrument he had in mind and jot down the signs he would
+use in sending messages.
+
+It was not long before he had worked out on paper the whole scheme of
+transmitting thought over long distances by means of electricity.
+
+And now began twelve toilsome years of struggle to plan and work out
+machinery for his invention. All these years he had to earn money for the
+support of his three motherless children. So he gave up to painting much
+time that he would otherwise have spent upon his invention. His progress,
+therefore, was slow and painful, but he pressed forward. He was not the
+kind of man to give up.
+
+In a room on the fifth floor of a building in New York City he toiled at
+his experiments day and night, with little food, and that of the simplest
+kind. Indeed so meagre was his fare, mainly crackers and tea, that he
+bought provisions at night in order to keep his friends from finding out
+how great his need was.
+
+[Illustration: Modern Telegraph Office.]
+
+During this time of hardship all that kept starvation from his door was
+lessons in painting to a few pupils. On a certain occasion Morse said to
+one of them, who owed him for a few months' teaching: "Well, Strothers, my
+boy, how are we off for money?"
+
+"Professor," said the young fellow, "I am sorry to say I have been
+disappointed, but I expect the money next week."
+
+"Next week!" cried his needy teacher; "I shall be dead by next week."
+
+"Dead, sir?" was the shocked response of Strothers.
+
+"Yes, dead by starvation!" was the emphatic answer.
+
+"Would ten dollars be of any service?" asked the pupil, now seeing that
+the situation was serious.
+
+"Ten dollars would save my life," was the reply of the poor man, who had
+been without food for twenty-four hours. You may be sure that Strothers
+promptly handed him the money.
+
+But in spite of heavy trials and many discouragements, he had by 1837
+finished a machine which he exhibited in New York, although he did not
+secure a patent until 1840.
+
+[Illustration: The Operation of the Modern Railroad is Dependent upon the
+Telegraph.]
+
+Then followed a tedious effort to induce the government at Washington to
+vote money for his great enterprise. Finally, after much delay, the House
+of Representatives passed a bill "appropriating thirty thousand dollars
+for a trial of the telegraph."
+
+As you may know, a bill cannot become a law unless the Senate also passes
+it. But the Senate did not seem friendly to this one. Many believed that
+the whole idea of the telegraph was rank folly. They thought of Morse and
+the telegraph very much as people had thought of Fulton and the steamboat,
+and made fun of him as a crazy-brained fellow.
+
+Up to the evening of the last day of the session the bill had not been
+taken up by the Senate. Morse sat anxiously waiting in the Senate Chamber
+until nearly midnight, when, believing there was no longer any hope, he
+left the room and went home with a heavy heart.
+
+Imagine his surprise the next morning, when a young woman, Miss Ellsworth,
+congratulated him at breakfast upon the passage of his bill. At first he
+could scarcely believe the good news, but when he found that she was
+telling him the truth his joy was unbounded, and he promised her that she
+should choose the first message.
+
+By the next year (1844) a telegraph-line, extending from Baltimore to
+Washington, was ready for use. On the day appointed for trial Morse met a
+party of friends in the chambers of the Supreme Court at the Washington
+end of the line and, sitting at the instrument which he had himself placed
+for trial, the happy inventor sent the message selected by Miss Ellsworth:
+"What hath God wrought!"
+
+The telegraph was a great and brilliant achievement, and brought to its
+inventor well-earned fame. Now that success had come, honors were showered
+upon him by many countries. At the suggestion of the French Emperor,
+representatives from many countries in Europe met in Paris to decide upon
+some suitable testimonial to Morse as one who had done so much for the
+world. These delegates voted him a sum amounting to eighty thousand
+dollars as a token of appreciation for his great invention.
+
+In 1872 this noble inventor, at the ripe age of eighty-one, breathed his
+last. The grief of the people all over the land was strong proof of the
+place he held in the hearts of his countrymen.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. Tell all you can about John Fitch's steamboats.
+
+2. Give examples which indicate young Fulton's inventive gifts. Imagine
+yourself on the banks of the North River on the day set for the trial of
+the Clermont, and tell what happened.
+
+3. What and where was the National Road?
+
+4. In what ways was the Erie Canal useful to the people?
+
+5. Describe the first railroads and the first trains.
+
+6. Tell what you can about Morse's twelve toilsome years of struggle while
+he was working out his great invention. How is the telegraph useful to
+men?
+
+7. What do you admire about Morse?
+
+8. Are you making frequent use of your map?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE REPUBLIC GROWS LARGER
+
+
+SAM HOUSTON
+
+In a preceding chapter you learned how the great territories of Louisiana
+and Florida came to belong to America. We are now to learn of still other
+additions, namely, the great regions of Texas and California.
+
+The most prominent man in the events connected with our getting Texas was
+Sam Houston.
+
+[Illustration: Sam Houston.]
+
+He was born, of Irish descent, in 1793, in a farmhouse in Virginia. When
+he was thirteen years old the family removed to a place in Tennessee, near
+the home of the Cherokee Indians. The boy received but little schooling
+out in that new country. In fact, he cared far less about school than he
+did for the active, free life of his Indian neighbors.
+
+So when his family decided to have him learn a trade he ran away from home
+and joined the Cherokees. There he made friends, and one of the chiefs
+adopted him as a son. We may think of him as enjoying the sports and
+games, the hunting and fishing, which took up so much of the time of the
+Indian boys.
+
+On returning to his home, at the age of eighteen, he went to school for a
+term at Marysville Academy. In the War of 1812 he became a soldier and
+served under Andrew Jackson in the campaign against the Creek Indians. In
+the battle of Horseshoe Bend he fought with reckless bravery. During that
+fearful struggle he received a wound in the thigh. His commander, Jackson,
+then ordered him to stop fighting, but Houston refused to obey and was
+leading a desperate charge against the enemy when his right arm was
+shattered. It was a long time before he was well and strong again, but he
+had made a firm friend in Andrew Jackson.
+
+Later Houston studied law and began a successful practice. He became so
+popular in Tennessee that the people elected him to many positions of
+honor and trust, the last of which was that of governor. About that time
+he was married, but a few weeks later he and his wife separated. Then,
+suddenly and without giving any reason for his strange conduct, he left
+his home and his State and went far up the Arkansas River to the home of
+his early friends the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees had been removed to
+that distant country, beyond the Mississippi, by the United States
+Government.
+
+About a year later Houston, wearing the garb of his adopted tribe, went in
+company with some of them to Washington. His stated purpose was to secure
+a contract for furnishing rations to the Cherokees.
+
+But another purpose was in his mind. He had set his heart on winning Texas
+for the United States. Perhaps he talked over the scheme with his friend,
+President Jackson. However that may be, we know that some three years
+afterward Houston again left his Cherokee friends and went to Texas to
+live. His desire to secure this region for his country was as strong as
+ever.
+
+[Illustration: Scene of Houston's Campaign.]
+
+At that time Texas was a part of Mexico. Already before Houston went down
+to that far-away land many people from the United States had begun to
+settle there. At first they were welcomed. But when the Mexicans saw the
+Americans rapidly growing in numbers they began to oppress them. The
+Mexican Government went so far as to require them to give up their private
+arms, which would leave them defenseless against the Indians as well as
+bad men. Then it passed a law which said, in effect, that no more settlers
+should come to Texas from the United States, so that the few thousand
+Americans could not be strengthened in numbers.
+
+[Illustration: Flag of the Republic of Texas.]
+
+Of course, the Texans were indignant, and they rebelled against Mexico,
+declaring Texas to be an independent republic. At the same time they
+elected Houston commander-in-chief of all the Texan troops. This began a
+bitter war. The Mexican dictator, Santa Anna, with an army four or five
+thousand strong, marched into Texas to force the people to submit to the
+government.
+
+The first important event of this struggle was the capture of the Alamo,
+an old Texan fortress at San Antonio. Although the garrison numbered only
+one hundred and forty, they were men of reckless daring, without fear, and
+they determined to fight to the last.
+
+
+DAVID CROCKETT
+
+Among these hardy fighters was David Crockett, a pioneer and adventurer
+who had led a wild, roving life. He was a famous hunter and marksman and,
+like some of our other frontiersmen, was never happier than when he was
+alone in the deep, dark forests.
+
+Born in eastern Tennessee, in 1786, he received no schooling, but he was a
+man of good understanding. His amusing stories and his skill with the
+rifle had made him many friends, who chose him to represent their district
+in the Tennessee Legislature and later in Congress.
+
+[Illustration: David Crockett.]
+
+Like Sam Houston, he had served under Andrew Jackson in the war with the
+Creek Indians, and when the struggle with Mexico broke out he was one of
+the many brave backwoodsmen who left their homes and went down to help the
+Texans.
+
+After a long journey from Tennessee, in which more than once he came near
+being killed by the Indians or wild beasts, he at last reached the
+fortress of the Alamo. He knew he was taking great risks in joining the
+small garrison there, but that did not hold him back. In fact, he liked
+danger.
+
+The Mexican army, upon reaching San Antonio, began firing upon the Alamo.
+Their cannon riddled the fort, making wide breaches in the weak outer
+walls through which from every side thousands of Mexicans thronged into
+it. The Americans emptied their muskets and then fought with knives and
+revolvers. They fought with desperate bravery until only five of the
+soldiers were left.
+
+[Illustration: The Fight at the Alamo.]
+
+One of these was David Crockett. He had turned his musket about and was
+using it as a club in his desperate struggle with the scores of men who
+sought his life. There he stood, his back against the wall, with the
+bodies of the Mexicans he had slain lying in a semicircle about him. His
+foes dared not rush upon him, but some of them held him at bay with their
+lances, while others, having loaded their muskets, riddled his body with
+bullets. Thus fell brave David Crockett, a martyr to his country's cause.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A few weeks after the tragedy of the Alamo, Santa Anna's army massacred a
+force of five hundred Texans at Goliad. The outlook for the Texan cause
+was now dark enough. But Sam Houston, who commanded something like seven
+hundred Texans, would not give up. He retreated eastward for some two
+hundred and fifty miles. But when he learned that Santa Anna had broken up
+his army into three divisions and was approaching with only about one
+thousand six hundred men Houston halted his troops and waited for them to
+come up. On their approach he stood ready for attack in a well-chosen spot
+near the San Jacinto River, where he defeated Santa Anna and took him
+prisoner.
+
+The Texans now organized a separate government, and in the following
+autumn elected Houston as the first President of the Republic of Texas. He
+did all he could to bring about the annexation of Texas to the United
+States and at last succeeded, for Texas entered our Union in 1845. It was
+to be expected that the people of Mexico would not like this. They were
+very angry, and the outcome was the Mexican War which lasted nearly two
+years.
+
+In 1846 Texas sent Houston to the United States Senate, where he served
+his State for fourteen years. When the Civil War broke out he was governor
+of Texas and, although his State seceded, Houston remained firm for the
+Union. On his refusal to resign, he was forced to give up his office. He
+died in 1863.
+
+
+JOHN C. FREMONT THE PATHFINDER
+
+Still another man who acted as agent in this transfer of land from Mexico
+was John C. Fremont. He helped in securing California.
+
+He was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1813. His father died when he was a
+young child, and his mother went to Charleston, South Carolina, to live,
+and there gave her son a good education. After graduating from Charleston
+College he was employed by the government as assistant engineer in making
+surveys for a railroad between Charleston and Cincinnati, and also in
+exploring the mountain passes between North Carolina and Tennessee.
+
+[Illustration: John C. Fremont]
+
+He enjoyed this work so much that he was eager to explore the regions of
+the far western part of our country, which were still largely unknown.
+Accordingly, he made several expeditions beyond the Rocky Mountains, three
+of which are of special importance in our story.
+
+His first expedition was made in 1842, when he was sent out by the War
+Department to explore the Rocky Mountains, especially the South Pass,
+which is in the State of Wyoming. He made his way up the Kansas River,
+crossed over to the Platte, which he ascended, and then pushed on to the
+South Pass. Four months after starting he had explored this pass and, with
+four of his men, had gone up to the top of Fremont's Peak, where he
+unfurled to the breeze the beautiful stars and stripes.
+
+The excellent report he made of the expedition was examined with much
+interest by men of science in our own country and in foreign lands.
+
+In this and also in his second expedition Fremont received much help from
+a follower, Kit Carson. Kit Carson was one of the famous scouts and
+hunters of the West, who felt smothered by the civilization of a town or
+city, and loved the free, roaming life of the woodsman.
+
+[Illustration: Fremont's Expedition Crossing the Rocky Mountains.]
+
+Before joining Fremont, Kit Carson had travelled over nearly all of the
+Rocky Mountain country. Up to 1834 he was a trapper, and had wandered back
+and forth among the mountains until they had become very familiar to him.
+During the next eight years, in which he served as hunter for Bent's Fort,
+on the Arkansas River, he learned to know the great plains. He was,
+therefore, very useful to Fremont as a guide.
+
+He was also well acquainted with many Indian tribes. He knew their
+customs, he understood their methods of warfare, and was well liked by the
+Indians themselves. He spoke their chief languages as well as he did his
+mother tongue.
+
+After returning from his first expedition, Fremont made up his mind to
+explore the region between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific. He
+succeeded in getting orders from the government to do this, and set out on
+his second expedition in May, 1843, with thirty-nine men, Kit Carson again
+acting as guide.
+
+[Illustration: Kit Carson.]
+
+The party left the little town of Kansas City in May and, in September,
+after travelling for one thousand seven hundred miles, they reached a vast
+expanse of water which excited great interest. It was much larger than the
+whole State of Delaware, and its waters were salt. It was, therefore,
+given the name of Great Salt Lake.
+
+Passing on, Fremont reached the upper branch of the Columbia River. Then
+pushing forward down the valley of this river, he went as far as Fort
+Vancouver, near its mouth. Having reached the coast, he remained only a
+few days and then set out on his return (November 10).
+
+His plan was to make his way around the Great Basin, a vast, deep valley
+lying east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But it was not long before
+heavy snow on the mountains forced him to go down into this basin. He soon
+found that he was in a wild desert region in the depths of winter, facing
+death from cold and starvation. The situation was desperate.
+
+Fremont judged that they were about as far south as San Francisco Bay. If
+this was true, he knew that the distance to that place was only about
+seventy miles. But to reach San Francisco Bay it was necessary to cross
+the mountains, and the Indians refused to act as guides, telling him that
+men could not possibly cross the steep, rugged heights in winter. This did
+not stop Fremont. He said: "We'll go, guides or no guides!" And go they
+did.
+
+It was a terrible journey. Sometimes they came to places where the snow
+was one hundred feet deep or more. But they pushed forward for nearly six
+weeks. Finally, after suffering from intense cold and from lack of food,
+they made their way down the western side of the mountains, men and horses
+alike being in such a starved condition that they were almost walking
+skeletons.
+
+At last they reached Sutter's Fort, now the city of Sacramento, where they
+enjoyed the hospitality of Captain Sutter. After remaining there for a
+short time, Fremont recrossed the mountains, five hundred miles farther
+south, and continued to Utah Lake, which is twenty-eight miles south of
+Great Salt Lake. He had travelled entirely around the Great Basin.
+
+From Utah Lake he hastened across the country to Washington, with the
+account of his journey and of the discoveries he had made.
+
+In 1845 Captain Fremont--for he had now been promoted to the rank of
+captain by the government--started out on his third expedition, with the
+purpose of exploring the Great Basin and then proceeding to the coast of
+what is now California and upward to Oregon.
+
+[Illustration: Fremont's Western Explorations.]
+
+Having explored the basin, he was on his way to Oregon, when he learned
+that the Mexicans were plotting to kill all the Americans in the valley of
+the Sacramento River. He therefore turned back to northern California, and
+with a force made up in part of American settlers gathered from the
+country round about, he took possession of that region, marched as fast as
+possible to Monterey, and captured that place also. Within about two
+months he had conquered practically all of California for the United
+States.
+
+Fremont then made his home in California. On the 4th of the following July
+he was elected governor of the territory by the settlers then living
+there. Eleven years later the Republican party of the United States
+nominated him for President, but failed to elect him. He died in 1890. He
+has well been called "the Pathfinder."
+
+Fremont's conquest of California was, in effect, a part of the Mexican
+War, which began in 1846. After nearly two years of fighting a treaty of
+peace was signed, by which Mexico ceded to the United States not only
+California but also much of the vast region now included in Nevada, Utah,
+Arizona, and New Mexico.
+
+This region, which is called the Mexican Cession, contained five hundred
+and forty-five thousand seven hundred and eighty-three square miles, while
+Texas included five hundred and seventy-six thousand one hundred and
+thirty-three square miles. These two areas together were, like Louisiana,
+much larger than the whole of the United States at the end of the
+Revolution. With the addition of Louisiana in 1803, of Florida in 1819, of
+Texas in 1845, and of this region in 1848, the United States had
+enormously increased her territory.
+
+
+THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD
+
+On the same day on which the treaty of peace was signed with Mexico
+(February 2, 1848), gold was discovered in California.
+
+Captain Sutter, a Swiss pioneer living near the site of the present city
+of Sacramento--at Sutter's Fort, where Fremont stopped on his second
+expedition--was having a water-power sawmill built up the river at some
+distance from his home. One day one of the workmen, while walking along
+the mill-race, discovered some bright yellow particles, the largest of
+which were about the size of grains of wheat. On testing them, Captain
+Sutter found that they were gold.
+
+[Illustration: Sutter's Mill.]
+
+He tried to keep the discovery a secret, but it was impossible to prevent
+the news from spreading. "_Gold! Gold! Gold!_" seemed to ring through
+the air. From all the neighboring country men started in a mad rush for
+the gold-fields. Houses were left half built, fields half ploughed. "To
+the diggings!" was the watchword. From the mountains to the coast, from
+San Francisco to Los Angeles, settlements were abandoned. Even vessels
+that came into the harbor of San Francisco were deserted by their crews,
+sailors and captains alike being wild in their desire to dig for gold.
+
+Within four months of the first discovery four thousand men were living in
+the neighborhood of Sacramento. The sudden coming together of so many
+people made it difficult to get supplies, and they rose in value. Tools of
+many kinds sold for large prices. Pickaxes, crowbars, and spades cost from
+ten dollars to fifty dollars apiece. Bowls, trays, dishes, and even
+warming-pans were eagerly sought, because they could be used in washing
+gold.
+
+It was late in the year before people in the East learned of the
+discovery, for news still travelled slowly. But when it arrived, men of
+every class--farmers, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, and even
+ministers--started West.
+
+The journey might be made in three ways. One was by sailing-vessels around
+Cape Horn. This route took from five to seven months. Another way was to
+sail from some Eastern port to the Isthmus of Panama, and crossing this,
+to take ship to San Francisco. The third route was overland, from what is
+now St. Joseph, Missouri, and required three or four months. This could
+not be taken until spring, and some who were unwilling to wait started at
+once by the water-routes.
+
+Men were so eager to go that often several joined together to buy an
+outfit of oxen, mules, wagons, and provisions. They made the journey in
+covered wagons called "prairie-schooners," while their goods followed in
+peddlers' carts. It often happened that out on the plains they missed
+their way, for there was no travelled road, and a compass was as necessary
+as if they had been on the ocean.
+
+[Illustration: Placer-Mining in the days of the California Gold Rush.]
+
+Journeying thus by day, and camping by night, they suffered many hardships
+while on the way. Disease laid hold of them. Four thousand died from
+cholera during the first year, and many more for lack of suitable food. In
+some cases they had to kill and eat their mules, and at times they lived
+on rattlesnakes. The scattered bones of men and beasts marked the trail;
+for in the frantic desire to reach the diggings the wayfarers would not
+always stop to bury their dead.
+
+When the gold region was reached, tents, wigwams, bark huts, and brush
+arbors served as shelter. The men did their own cooking, washing, and
+mending, and food soared to famine prices. A woman or a child was a rare
+sight in all that eager throng, for men in their haste had left their
+families behind.
+
+It was a time of great excitement. Perhaps you have a grandparent who can
+tell you something of those stirring days. The gold craze of '49 is a
+never-to-be-forgotten event in our history. As the search for nuggets and
+gold-dust became less fruitful, many of the men turned homeward, some
+enriched and some--alas!--having lost all they possessed.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What kind of boy was Houston? What kind of man? What did he do for
+Texas?
+
+2. Tell about David Crockett's heroism at the Alamo.
+
+3. When reading about Fremont's explorations look up on the map every one
+of them. What do you think of him?
+
+4. Who was Kit Carson, and how did he help Fremont?
+
+5. Locate on your map every acquisition of territory from the end of the
+Revolution to 1848.
+
+6. Imagine yourself going to California across the plains and mountains in
+1849, and give an account of your experiences.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THREE GREAT STATESMEN
+
+
+JOHN C. CALHOUN
+
+The territory which we obtained from Mexico added much to the vastness of
+our country. But it led to a bitter dispute between the North and the
+South over slavery. For the North said: "All this territory shall be
+free." The South said: "It must all be open to slavery."
+
+[Illustration: John C. Calhoun.]
+
+The trouble over slavery was no new thing. It had begun to be really
+serious and dangerous many years before the Mexican War. To understand
+why, a year or two after the close of this war, there should be such deep
+and violent feeling over the question of making the territory free or
+opening it to slavery, we must go back to some earlier events in the
+history of the Union.
+
+In doing so, we shall find it simpler to follow the careers of three great
+statesmen, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster, who took each
+a prominent part in the events.
+
+John C. Calhoun, born in South Carolina in 1782, was the youngest but one
+of a family of five children. His father died when he was only thirteen,
+and until he was eighteen he remained on the farm, living a quiet, simple
+out-of-door life, ploughing, hunting, riding, and fishing.
+
+Then his brother, who had observed John's quickness of mind, persuaded him
+to get an education. After studying two years and a quarter in an academy,
+he entered the junior class at Yale College. Graduating in 1804, he at
+once took a course in the law school at Litchfield, Connecticut, and then
+returned home to complete his studies for the bar.
+
+[Illustration: Calhoun's Office and Library.]
+
+Calhoun's conduct in school was above reproach, and as a man he was always
+steady and serious-minded. During the early years of his public life he
+won much praise for his close attention to work, his stately speeches, and
+his courteous manners. His slender and erect form, his dignified bearing,
+and his piercing dark eyes made him an impressive figure; while, as a
+speaker, his powerful voice and winning manner were sure to command
+attention.
+
+In 1808 he entered the South Carolina Legislature. This was the beginning
+of his long public career of more than forty years. During this time he
+served his country as a representative in Congress, Secretary of War,
+Vice-President of the United States, Secretary of State, and United States
+senator.
+
+In all these many years he was a prominent leader, especially in those
+events which concerned the slave-holding Southern planter. This we shall
+see later, after we have made the acquaintance of the second of the
+powerful trio of great statesmen, Henry Clay.
+
+
+HENRY CLAY
+
+Henry Clay was born near Richmond, Virginia, in 1777, in a low, level
+region called "the Slashes." He was one of seven children. His father was
+a Baptist clergyman, of fine voice and pleasing manner of speaking. He
+died when little Henry was four years old, leaving but a small sum for his
+family to live upon.
+
+Henry went, like the other boys of "the Slashes," to a tiny log school
+without windows or floor. The schoolmaster, who knew very little himself,
+taught the boys to read, write, and cipher. But that was all.
+
+Outside of school hours Henry shared in the farm work. He helped with the
+ploughing and often rode the family pony to the mill, using a rope for a
+bridle and a bag of corn, wheat, meal, or flour for a saddle. For this
+reason he has been called "the Mill Boy of the Slashes."
+
+[Illustration: Henry Clay.]
+
+When fourteen years old he was given a place as clerk in a Richmond drug
+store. But he was not to stay there long, for about this time his mother
+married again, and his stepfather became interested in him. Realizing that
+Henry was a boy of unusual ability, he secured for him a place as copying
+clerk in the office of the Court of Chancery at Richmond.
+
+[Illustration: The Birthplace of Henry Clay, near Richmond.]
+
+Henry was fifteen years old, tall, thin, and homely, when he entered this
+office. The other clerks were inclined to jeer at his awkwardness and his
+plain, home-made, ill-fitting clothes. But Henry's sharp retorts quickly
+silenced them, and they soon grew to respect and like him. He was an
+earnest student. He stayed indoors and read in the evenings, while the
+other young fellows were idling about the town. He was eager to do
+something in the world. His opportunity soon came in the ordinary course
+of his daily work. His fine handwriting attracted the notice of the
+chancellor, a very able lawyer. This man was wise and kindly and had a
+deep influence on his young friend.
+
+[Illustration: The Schoolhouse in "the Slashes."]
+
+Clay joined the Richmond Debating Society and soon became the star
+speaker. He improved his speaking by studying daily some passage in a book
+of history or science, and then going out into a quiet place and
+declaiming what he had learned.
+
+The chancellor knew about this, and it pleased him. He advised Henry Clay
+to study law, and within a year after his studies began, when he was only
+twenty-one years old, he was admitted to the bar.
+
+To begin his law practice, he went to Lexington, Kentucky, which was then
+a small place of not more than fifty houses; but Clay very soon built up a
+good practice. Although he had arrived with scarcely a penny, within a
+year and a half he had been so successful that he was able to marry the
+daughter of a leading family. He soon owned a beautiful estate near
+Lexington, which he called "Ashland," and with it several slaves.
+
+He became a great favorite among the people of the State, largely because
+he was absolutely truthful and honest in all his dealings. He was also
+talented, good-natured, and friendly to all. It is said that no man has
+ever had such power to influence a Kentucky jury as Clay.
+
+Twice he was sent to the United States Senate to fill seats left vacant by
+resignation, and here his power as a speaker was so marked that when it
+was known that he would address the Senate the galleries were always full.
+
+Such was the beginning of his life as a statesman. It lasted some forty
+years, and during this long period he was a prominent leader in the great
+events having to do with the country's future.
+
+He filled various national offices. He was Speaker of the House of
+Representatives for many years, was four years Secretary of State, and
+during much more than half of the time between 1831 and 1852 he was in the
+United States Senate. Three times he was a candidate for President, but
+each time he failed of election.
+
+He would not swerve by a hair's breadth from what he considered his duty,
+even for party ends. "I would rather be right than be President," he said,
+and men knew that he was sincere.
+
+Living in a Southern State, he would naturally have the interests of the
+South at heart. But he did not always take her part. While Calhoun was apt
+to see but one side of a question, Clay was inclined to see something of
+both sides and to present his views in such a way as to bring about a
+settlement. Therefore he was called "the Great Peacemaker."
+
+His most important work as a peacemaker had to do with the Missouri
+Compromise (1820), the compromise tariff (1833), and the Compromise of
+1850--all of which we look into a little farther on, after we come to know
+something about the last and perhaps the greatest of our three statesmen,
+Daniel Webster. For all three were interested in the same great movement.
+
+
+DANIEL WEBSTER
+
+Daniel Webster was born among the hills of New Hampshire, in 1782, the son
+of a poor farmer, and the ninth of ten children. As he was a frail child,
+not able to work much on the farm, his parents permitted him to spend much
+of his time fishing, hunting, and roaming at will over the hills. Thus he
+came into close touch with nature and absorbed a kind of knowledge which
+was very useful to him in later years.
+
+He was always learning things, sometimes in most unusual ways, as is shown
+by an incident which took place when he was only eight years old. Having
+seen in a store near his home a small cotton handkerchief with the
+Constitution of the United States printed upon it, he gathered up his
+small earnings to the amount of twenty-five cents and eagerly secured the
+treasure. From this unusual copy he learned the Constitution, word for
+word, so that he could repeat it from beginning to end.
+
+[Illustration: Daniel Webster.]
+
+Of course, this was a most remarkable thing for an eight-year-old boy to
+do, but the boy was himself remarkable. He spent much of his time poring
+over books. They were few in number but of good quality, and he read them
+over and over again until they became a part of himself. It gave him keen
+pleasure to memorize fine poems and also noble selections from the Bible,
+for he learned easily and remembered well what he learned. In this way he
+stored his mind with the highest kind of truth.
+
+When he was fourteen his father sent him to Phillips Exeter Academy. The
+boys he met there were mostly from homes of wealth and culture. Some of
+them were rude and laughed at Daniel's plain dress and country manners. Of
+course, the poor boy, whose health was not robust and who was by nature
+shy and independent, found such treatment hard to bear. But he studied
+well and soon commanded respect because of his good work.
+
+After leaving this school he studied for six months under a private tutor,
+and at the age of fifteen he was prepared to enter Dartmouth College.
+Although he proved himself to be a youth of unusual mental power, he did
+not take high rank in scholarship. But he continued to read widely and
+thoughtfully and stored up much valuable knowledge, which later he used
+with clearness and force in conversation and debate.
+
+After being graduated from college Daniel taught for a year and earned
+money enough to help pay his brother's college expenses. The following
+year he studied law and in due time was admitted to the bar. As a lawyer
+he was very successful, his income sometimes amounting to twenty thousand
+dollars in a single year. In those days that was a very large sum.
+
+But he could not manage his money affairs well and, no matter how large
+his income, he was always in debt. This unfortunate state of affairs was
+owing to a reckless extravagance, which he displayed in many ways.
+
+Indeed, Webster was a man of such large ideas that of necessity he did all
+things on a large scale. It was vastness that appealed to him. And this
+ruling force in his nature explains his eagerness to keep the Union whole
+and supreme over the States. This we shall soon clearly see.
+
+
+SLAVERY AND THE TARIFF
+
+Having taken this glimpse of our three heroes, let us see how the great
+events of their time were largely moulded by their influence. All of these
+events, as we are soon to learn, had a direct bearing on slavery, and that
+was the great question of the day.
+
+Up to the Revolution there was slavery in all the thirteen colonies. Some
+of them wished to get rid of it; but England, the mother country, would
+not allow them to do so, because she profited by the trade in slaves.
+After the Revolution, however, when the States were free to do as they
+pleased about slavery, some put an end to it on their own soil, and in
+time Pennsylvania and the States to the north and east of it became free
+States.
+
+Many people then believed that slavery would by degrees die out of the
+land, and perhaps this would have happened if the growing of cotton had
+not been made profitable by Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton-gin.
+
+After that invention came into use, instead of slavery's dying out, it
+took a much stronger hold upon the planters of the South than it had ever
+done before.
+
+This fact became very evident when Missouri applied for admission into the
+Union. The South, of course, wished it to come into the Union as a slave
+State; the North, fearing the extension of slavery into the Louisiana
+Purchase, was equally set upon its coming in as a free State.
+
+The struggle over the question was a long and bitter one, but finally both
+the North and the South agreed to give up a part of what they wanted; that
+is, they agreed upon a compromise. It was this: Missouri was to enter the
+Union as a slave State, but slavery was not to be allowed in any part of
+the Louisiana Purchase which lay north or west of Missouri. This was
+called the Missouri Compromise (1820).
+
+It was brought about largely through the eloquence and power of Henry
+Clay, and because of his part in it he was called "the Great Peacemaker."
+But Calhoun was one of the men who did not think the Missouri Compromise
+was a good thing for the country. He therefore strongly opposed it.
+
+The next clash between the free States and the slave States was caused by
+the question of the tariff, or tax upon goods brought from foreign
+countries. Not long after the Missouri Compromise was agreed upon,
+Northern manufacturers were urging Congress to pass a high-tariff law.
+They said that, inasmuch as factory labor in England was so much cheaper
+than in this country, goods made in England could be sold for less money
+here than our own factory-made goods, unless a law was passed requiring a
+tax, or duty, to be paid upon the goods brought over. Such a tax was
+called a protective tariff.
+
+Calhoun, who voiced the feeling of the Southern planters, said: "This high
+tariff is unfair, for, while it protects the Northern man, it makes us of
+the South poorer, because we have to pay so high for the things we do not
+make."
+
+You understand, there were no factories in the South, for the people were
+mostly planters. With the cheap slave labor, a Southern man could make
+more money by raising rice, cotton, sugar, or tobacco than he could by
+manufacturing. Also, it was thought that the soil and climate of the South
+made that section better fitted for agriculture than for anything else.
+
+"So the South should be allowed," said Calhoun, "to buy the manufactured
+goods--such as cheap clothing for her slaves, and household tools and
+farming implements--where she can buy them at the lowest prices."
+
+[Illustration: The Home of Daniel Webster, Marshfield, Mass.]
+
+But in spite of this bitter opposition in the South, Congress passed the
+high-tariff law in 1828, and another in 1832.
+
+The people of South Carolina were indignant. So, under the guidance of
+Calhoun, some of the leading men there met in convention and declared: "We
+here and now nullify the tariff laws." By these words they meant that the
+laws should not be carried out in South Carolina. Then they added: "If the
+United States Government tries to enforce these laws on our soil, South
+Carolina will go out of the Union and form a separate nation."
+
+Andrew Jackson was at that time President of the United States. Although
+he himself did not favor a high tariff, he was firm in his purpose that
+whatever law Congress might pass should be enforced in every State in the
+Union. When the news came to him of what South Carolina had done, he was
+quietly smoking his corn-cob pipe. In a flash of anger he declared: "The
+Union! It must and shall be preserved! Send for General Scott!" General
+Scott was commander of the United States army, and "Old Hickory," as
+President Jackson was proudly called by many of his admirers, was ready to
+use the army and the navy, if necessary, to force any State to obey the
+law.
+
+In this bitter controversy Daniel Webster, then senator from
+Massachusetts, had taken a bold stand for the Union. He said: "Congress
+passed the tariff law for the whole country. If the Supreme Court decides
+that Congress has the power, according to the Constitution, to pass such a
+law, that settles the matter. South Carolina and every other State must
+submit to this and every other law which Congress sees fit to make."
+
+This shows clearly that Daniel Webster's belief was that the Union stood
+first and the State second. His deep love for the Union breathes all
+through his masterly speeches, the most famous of which is his "Reply to
+Hayne." Hayne, a senator from South Carolina, was on the side of the South
+and set forth its views in a public debate. He had declared that the State
+was first and the Union second, and so powerful seemed his arguments that
+many doubted whether even Daniel Webster could answer them.
+
+But he did answer them. In a remarkable speech of four hours he held his
+listeners spellbound, while he argued, with wonderful eloquence and power,
+that the Union was supreme over the States.
+
+Again the great peacemaker, Henry Clay, brought forward a plan of settling
+the trouble between the two sections. By this compromise the duties were
+to be gradually lowered. This plan was adopted by Congress (1833), and
+again there was peace for a time.
+
+
+THE COMPROMISE OF 1850
+
+The next dangerous outbreak between the North and the South came at the
+end of the Mexican War. Then arose the burning question: "Shall the
+territory we have acquired from Mexico be free or open to slavery?" Of
+course, the North wanted it to be free; the South wanted it to be open to
+slavery.
+
+Henry Clay tried again, as he had tried twice before--in 1820 and in
+1833--to pour oil upon the troubled waters. Although he was now an old man
+of seventy-two and in poor health, he spoke seventy times in his powerful,
+persuasive way, to bring about the Compromise of 1850, which he hoped
+would establish harmony between the North and the South and save the
+Union.
+
+On one occasion when he was to speak he had to enter the Capitol leaning
+upon the arm of a friend, because he was too weak to climb the steps
+alone. After entering the Senate Chamber that day, the great speech he
+made was so long that his friends, fearing fatal results, urged him to
+stop. But he refused. Later he said that he did not dare to stop for fear
+he should never be able to begin again.
+
+[Illustration: Henry Clay Addressing the United States Senate in 1850.]
+
+Calhoun was no less ready to do all he could. Early in March, 1850, the
+white-haired man, now in his sixty-eighth year and, like Clay, struggling
+with illness, went to the Senate Chamber, swathed in flannels, to make his
+last appeal in behalf of the slaveholders. The powerful speech he made,
+which was intended as a warning to the North, expressed the deep and
+sincere conviction of the aged statesman that the break-up of the Union
+was at hand. He made a strong plea that the agitation against slavery
+should stop, and that the South, which, he said, was the weaker section,
+should be treated fairly by her stronger antagonist, the North.
+
+Having made this last supreme effort in defense of the section which he
+loved as he loved his own life, the pro-slavery veteran, supported by two
+of his friends, passed out of the Senate Chamber.
+
+But in spite of Calhoun's opposition, the Compromise of 1850 passed. "Let
+California come in as a free State," it said. This pleased the North. "Let
+the people in all the rest of the territory which we got from Mexico
+decide for themselves whether they shall have slavery or freedom." This
+pleased the South. It also adopted the Fugitive Slave Law, which said:
+"When slaves run away from the South into the Northern States, they shall
+be returned to their masters; and when Northern people are called upon to
+help to capture them, they shall do so."
+
+A month after his speech on this compromise Calhoun died. The last twenty
+years of his life had been largely devoted to trying to secure what he
+regarded as the rights of the slaveholders and of the whole South. He was
+honest in his views. He was also sincere in his convictions that the South
+was not receiving fair treatment from the North.
+
+Henry Clay also died in 1852. Some of the qualities that gave him his rare
+power over men were his magical voice, which was so deep and melodious
+that many people of his time said it was the finest musical instrument
+they had ever heard; his cheerful nature, which made him keenly enjoy life
+and delight to see others enjoy it; and above all else his never-swerving
+sincerity and honesty, which commanded the respect and confidence of all
+who knew him. Men believed that Henry Clay was a true man. His popularity
+grew in strength as he grew in years. His many followers proudly called
+him "Gallant Harry of the West."
+
+Webster's power as an orator was still more remarkable. His voice was
+wonderful, his style was forceful, and his language was simple and direct.
+But after all, it was his striking personal appearance which made the
+deepest impression upon the men and women who heard him speak. It is told
+that one day when he was walking through a street of Liverpool, a navvy
+said of him: "That must be a king!" On another occasion Sydney Smith
+exclaimed: "Good heavens, he is a small cathedral by himself!" He was
+nearly six feet tall. He had a massive head, a broad, deep brow, and
+great, coal-black eyes, which once seen could never be forgotten.
+
+He, too, was faithful in his devotion to his country. To the day of his
+death he showed his deep affection for the flag, the emblem of that Union
+which had inspired his noblest efforts. During the last two weeks of his
+life he was troubled much with sleeplessness. While through his open
+window he gazed at the starlit sky, his eyes would sometimes fall upon a
+small boat belonging to him, which floated near the shore not far away. By
+his direction a ship lantern had been so placed that its light would fall
+upon the stars and stripes flying there. At six in the evening the flag
+was raised and was kept flying until six in the morning up to the day of
+Webster's death.
+
+He died in September, 1852, only a few weeks after his great compeer,
+Henry Clay. His was a master spirit, and the sorrow of his passing was
+well expressed by the stranger who said, when he looked at the face of the
+dead: "Daniel Webster, the world without you will be lonesome."
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What can you tell about the early life of John C. Calhoun? Of Henry
+Clay? Of Daniel Webster?
+
+2. Why was Clay called "the Great Peacemaker"?
+
+3. Why were the people of South Carolina opposed to the high tariff laws
+of 1828 and 1832?
+
+4. What was Webster's idea of the Union, and in what way did it differ
+from Hayne's?
+
+5. What was the Missouri Compromise? What was the Compromise of 1850?
+
+6. What do you admire about each of the three great statesmen?
+
+7. Are you making frequent use of your maps?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE CIVIL WAR
+
+
+ABRAHAM LINCOLN
+
+It was thought by many that the Compromise of 1850 would put an end to the
+bitter and violent feeling over the spread of slavery, but it did not. For
+in the North the opposition to its extension into new States became so
+powerful that in five years there had grown up a great political
+party--the Republican party--whose main purpose was to oppose the spread
+of slavery.
+
+[Illustration: Abraham Lincoln.]
+
+One of its ablest and most inspiring leaders was Abraham Lincoln. He was
+born in a rough cabin in Kentucky, February 12, 1809. When he was seven
+years old, the family moved to Indiana, and settled about eighteen miles
+north of the Ohio River. The journey to their new home was very tedious
+and lonely, for in some places they had to cut a roadway through the
+forest. It took them three days to travel the last eighteen miles.
+
+Having arrived safely in November, all set vigorously to work to provide a
+shelter against the winter. The seven-year old boy was healthy, rugged,
+and active, and from early morning till late evening he worked with his
+father, chopping trees and cutting poles and boughs for their "camp," the
+rude shelter in which they were to live until spring.
+
+This "camp" was a mere shed, only fourteen feet square and open on one
+side. It was built of poles lying one upon another and had a thatched roof
+of boughs and leaves. As there was no chimney, there could be no fire
+within the enclosure, and it was necessary to keep one burning all the
+time just in front of the open side.
+
+[Illustration: Lincoln's Birthplace.]
+
+During this first winter in the wild woods of Indiana the little boy must
+have lived a very busy life. There was much to do in building the cabin
+which was to take the place of the "camp," and in cutting down trees and
+making a clearing for the corn-planting of the coming spring.
+
+After spending the winter in the "camp," the Lincoln family, in the
+following spring, moved into the newly built log cabin. This had no
+windows, and no floor except the bare earth. There was an opening on one
+side, which was used as a doorway, but there was no door, nor was there so
+much as an animal's skin to keep out the rain or the snow or to protect
+the family from the cold wind.
+
+In this rough abode the rude and simple furniture was very much like what
+we have already seen in the cabins of the Tennessee settlers. For chairs
+there was the same kind of three-legged stools, made by smoothing the flat
+side of a split log and putting sticks into auger holes underneath. The
+tables were as simply made, except that they stood on four legs instead of
+three. The crude bedsteads in the corners of the cabin were made by
+sticking poles in between the logs at right angles to the wall, the
+outside corner where the poles met being supported by a crotched stick
+driven into the ground. Ropes were then stretched from side to side,
+making a framework upon which shucks and leaves were heaped for bedding,
+and over all were thrown the skins of wild animals for a covering. Pegs
+driven into the wall served as a stairway to the loft, where there was
+another bed of leaves. Here little Abe slept.
+
+Abraham Lincoln's schooling was brief--not more than a year in all, and
+the schools he attended were like those we became acquainted with in the
+early settlements of Kentucky and Tennessee. During his last school-days
+he had to go daily a distance of four and one-half miles from his home,
+with probably no roadway except the deer path through the forest. His
+midday lunch was a corn dodger, which he carried in his pocket.
+
+In spite of this meagre schooling however, the boy, by his self-reliance,
+resolute purpose, and good reading habits, acquired the very best sort of
+training for his future life. He had no books at his home, and, of course,
+there were but few to be had in that wild country from other homes. But
+among those he read over and over again, while a boy, were the Bible,
+"AEsop's Fables," "Robinson Crusoe," "Pilgrim's Progress," "A History of
+the United States," and Weems's "Life of Washington," all books of the
+right kind.
+
+[Illustration: Lincoln Studying by Firelight.]
+
+His stepmother said of him: "He read everything he could lay his hands on,
+and when he came across a passage that struck him, he would write it down
+on boards, if he had no paper, and keep it before him until he could get
+paper. Then he would copy it, look at it, commit it to memory, and repeat
+it."
+
+When night came he would find a seat in the corner by the fireside, or
+stretch out at length on the floor in front of it, and by the firelight
+write, or work sums in arithmetic, on a wooden shovel, using a charred
+stick for a pencil. After covering the shovel, he would shave it off and
+use the surface over again.
+
+The way in which he came to own a "Life of Washington" is interesting.
+Having borrowed the book, he took it to bed with him in the loft and read
+until his candle gave out. Then, before going to sleep, he tucked the book
+into a crevice of the logs in order that he might have it at hand as soon
+as daylight would permit him to read the next morning. But during the
+night a storm came up, and the rain beat in upon the book, wetting it
+through and through. With heavy heart Lincoln took it back to its owner,
+who gave it to him on condition that he would work three days to pay for
+it. Eagerly agreeing to do this, the boy carried his new possession home
+in triumph. This book had a marked influence over his future.
+
+But his time for reading was limited, for until he was twenty his father
+hired him out to do all sorts of work, at which he sometimes earned six
+dollars a month and sometimes thirty-one cents a day. Money was always
+sorely needed in that household, the poor farm yielding only a small
+return for much hard work. For this reason, just before Abraham Lincoln
+came of age, his family, with all their possessions packed in a cart drawn
+by four oxen, moved again toward the West. For two weeks they travelled
+across the country into Illinois, and finally made a new home on the banks
+of the Sangamon River.
+
+[Illustration: Lincoln Splitting Rails.]
+
+On reaching the end of the journey (in the spring of 1830), Abraham helped
+to build a log cabin and to clear ten acres of land for planting. This was
+the last work he did for his father, as he was now some months over
+twenty-one and was quite ready to go out into the world and work for
+himself. When he left his father's house he had nothing, not even a good
+suit of clothes, and one of the first things he did was to split rails for
+enough brown jeans to make him a pair of trousers. As he was six feet four
+inches tall, three and one-half yards were needed! For these he split 1400
+rails.
+
+At times throughout life he was subject to deep depression, which made his
+face unspeakably sad. But as a rule he was cheerful and merry, and on
+account of his good stories, which he told with rare skill, he was in
+great demand in social gatherings and at the crossroads grocery store. He
+was a giant in strength and a skilful wrestler. This helped to make him
+popular.
+
+[Illustration: Lincoln as a Boatman.]
+
+For some months after leaving his father's home Lincoln worked in the
+neighborhood, most of the time as a farmhand and rail-splitter. But he
+desired something different. From time to time he had watched the boats
+carrying freight up and down the river and had wondered where the vessels
+were going. Eager to learn about the life outside his narrow world, he
+determined to become a boatman. As soon as he could, therefore, he found
+employment on a flatboat that carried corn, hogs, hay, and other farm
+produce down to New Orleans.
+
+But tiring at length of the long journeys, he became clerk in a village
+store at New Salem, Illinois. Many stories are told of Lincoln's honesty
+in his dealings with the people in this village store. It is said that on
+one occasion a woman, in making change, overpaid him the trifling sum of
+six cents. When Lincoln found out the mistake he walked three miles and
+back that night to give the woman her money.
+
+In less than a year the closing of this village store left him without
+employment, and after this he had a varied experience, first in a grocery
+store of his own, next as postmaster in New Salem, and then as a surveyor.
+
+
+ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND SLAVERY
+
+After many trials at various occupations, he decided at last to become a
+lawyer, and after being admitted to the bar, he opened an office at
+Springfield, Illinois. He succeeded well in his chosen profession, and
+also took a keen interest in the larger affairs of his community and
+State.
+
+In this wider field of action certain qualities of mind and heart greatly
+aided him. For, in spite of scant learning, he was a good public speaker
+and skilful debater, because he thought clearly and convinced those who
+heard him of his honesty and high purpose. Such a man is certain to win
+his way in the world. In due time he was elected to Congress, where his
+interest in various public questions, especially that of slavery, became
+much quickened.
+
+On this question his clear head and warm heart united in forming strong
+convictions that had great weight with the people. He continued to grow in
+political favor and, in 1858, received the nomination of the Republican
+party for the United States Senate. His opponent was Stephen A. Douglas,
+known as the "Little Giant," on account of his short stature and powerful
+eloquence as an orator.
+
+The debates between the two men, preceding the election, were followed
+with keen interest all over the country. Lincoln argued with great power
+against the spread of slavery into the new States, and although he lost
+the election, he won such favorable notice that two years later a greater
+honor came to him. In 1860, the Republican National Convention, which met
+at Chicago, nominated him as its candidate for President, and a few months
+later he was elected to that office.
+
+The agitation over slavery was growing more and more bitter, and when
+Lincoln was elected some of the Southern States threatened to go out of
+the Union. They claimed that it was their right to decide for themselves
+whether they should secede. On the other hand, the North declared that no
+State could secede without the consent of the other States.
+
+Before Lincoln was inaugurated seven of the Southern States had carried
+out their threat to secede, calling themselves the Confederate States of
+America.[A] The excitement everywhere was intense. Many people regretted
+that a man of larger experience than Lincoln had not been chosen to be at
+the head of the government. They were anxious lest this plain man of the
+people, this awkward backwoodsman, should not be able to lead the nation
+in those dark and troubled days. But, little as they trusted him, he was
+well fitted for the work that lay before him.
+
+    [A] Jefferson Davis was chosen president and Alexander H. Stephens
+        vice-president. The seven cotton States hoped that they would
+        be joined by the other eight slave States, but only four of
+        these eight seceded. Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and
+        Missouri remained loyal to the Union.
+
+His inauguration was but a few weeks over when the Civil War began. We
+cannot here pause for full accounts of all Lincoln's trials and
+difficulties in this fearful struggle. During those four fateful years,
+1861-1865, his burdens were almost overwhelming. But, like Washington, he
+believed that "right makes might" and must prevail, and this belief
+sustained him.
+
+Although his whole nature revolted against slavery, he had no power to do
+away with it in the States where it existed, for by his office he was
+sworn to defend the Constitution. "My great purpose," he said, "is to save
+the Union, and not to destroy slavery."
+
+But as the war went on he became certain that the slaves, by remaining on
+the plantations and producing food for the Southern soldiers, were aiding
+the Southern cause. He therefore determined to set the slaves free in all
+the territory where people were fighting to break up the Union, just as
+far as it was conquered by Union troops. "As commander-in-chief of the
+Union armies," he reasoned, "I have a right to do this as a war measure."
+The famous state paper in which Lincoln declared that such slaves were
+free was called the Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863).
+
+This freeing of a part of the slaves not only hastened the end of the war
+but led, after its close, to the final emancipation of all the slaves. We
+should remember that the man who did most to bring about this result was
+Abraham Lincoln, whose name has gone down in history as the great
+emancipator.
+
+[Illustration: Lincoln Visiting Wounded Soldiers.]
+
+Passing over the events of the war, which we shall consider later in
+connection with its great generals, let us look ahead two years.
+
+On April 9, 1865, General Lee, as we shall see a little later, surrendered
+his army to General Grant at Appomattox Court House. By this act the war
+was brought to a close, and there was great rejoicing everywhere.
+
+But suddenly the universal joy was changed into universal sorrow, for a
+shocking thing happened. Five days after Lee's surrender, Lincoln went
+with his wife and friends to see a play at Ford's Theatre, in Washington.
+In the midst of the play, a Southern actor, John Wilkes Booth, who was
+familiar with the theatre, entered the President's box, shot him in the
+back of the head, jumped to the stage, and rushed through the wings to the
+street. There he mounted a horse in waiting for him and escaped, soon,
+however, to be hunted down and killed in a barn where he lay in hiding.
+
+The martyr President lingered during the long hours of the sad night,
+tenderly watched by his family and a few friends. When, on the following
+morning, he breathed his last, Secretary Stanton said with truth: "Now he
+belongs to the ages."
+
+The people deeply mourned the loss of him who had wisely and bravely led
+them through four years of heavy trial and anxiety. We are all richer
+because of the life of Abraham Lincoln, our countryman, our teacher, our
+guide, and our friend. And the loss to the South was even greater than to
+the North. For he was not only just but also kind and sympathetic; and
+only he could have saved the South from its calamities for years
+afterward.
+
+
+ROBERT E. LEE
+
+Having followed a few of the leading events in the remarkable career of
+our martyr President, let us turn our thoughts to the Civil War, through
+which it was Lincoln's great work to guide us, as a nation. It was a
+struggle that tested the manhood, quite as much as the resources, of the
+warring sections, and each side might well be proud of the bravery and
+skill of its officers and soldiers. Certainly each side had among its
+generals some of the greatest military leaders of all time.
+
+[Illustration: MAP OF THE UNITED STATES SHOWING FIRST AND SECOND SECESSION
+AREAS]
+
+One of the ablest generals commanding the Confederate troops was Robert E.
+Lee. He was born in Virginia, January 19, 1807, his father being the
+Revolutionary general known as "Light-Horse Harry." Although the records
+of his boyhood days are scanty, we know that when little Robert was about
+four years old the Lees removed from Stratford to Alexandria, in order to
+educate their children. Here the boy was prepared for West Point Academy,
+which he entered when he was eighteen. At this military school he made
+such a good record as a student that he was graduated second in his class.
+
+[Illustration: Robert E. Lee.]
+
+Two years later he married Miss Custis, who was a great-granddaughter of
+Mrs. George Washington, and through this marriage he shared with his wife
+the control of large property, which included plantations and a number of
+slaves.
+
+Immediately after leaving West Point, he entered the army as an engineer,
+and during the Mexican War distinguished himself for his skill and
+bravery. A few years later (1852), he was appointed superintendent of West
+Point Academy, where he remained three years.
+
+At the outbreak of the Civil War he was so highly esteemed as an officer
+in the United States army, that he would have been appointed commander of
+the Union armies if he had been willing to accept the position. He loved
+the Union, and was opposed to secession, but when Virginia, his native
+State, seceded he felt that it was his duty to go with her.
+
+[Illustration: Lee's Home at Arlington, Virginia.]
+
+His struggle in making the decision was a painful one, as was made plain
+in a letter he wrote to a sister, then living in Baltimore. "With all my
+devotion to the Union," he said, "and the feeling of loyalty and duty of
+an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my
+hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I know you will blame me,
+but you must think as kindly of me as you can, and believe that I have
+endeavored to do what I thought right."
+
+Soon after he decided that he must go with Virginia in the great struggle
+which was to follow, he accepted the command of the Virginia State forces,
+and within a year from that time became military adviser of Jefferson
+Davis, who was President of the Confederacy.
+
+[Illustration: Jefferson Davis.]
+
+In 1862, the second year of the war, Lee took command of the leading
+Confederate army in Virginia. General McClellan, who commanded a large
+Union army, had been trying to capture Richmond, the capital of the
+Confederate States. After fighting a series of battles, he approached so
+close to Richmond that his soldiers could see the spires of the churches.
+But as the city was strongly fortified he retreated to the James River.
+During this retreat, which lasted a week, were fought what were known as
+the "Seven Days' Battles."
+
+Having thus saved Richmond from capture, Lee marched north into Maryland,
+expecting the people to rise and join his forces. But they were loyal to
+the Union and refused. The terrible battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg was
+fought (September, 1862), and Lee was obliged to retreat to Virginia.
+
+A few months later (December, 1862), Lee repulsed an attack of the Union
+army at Fredericksburg with fearful slaughter, and in the following May he
+won a victory at Chancellorsville.
+
+
+"STONEWALL" JACKSON
+
+[Illustration: Thomas J. Jackson.]
+
+In all these battles Lee's most effective helper was General Thomas J.
+Jackson, "Stonewall" Jackson, as he was called. Jackson won his nickname
+at the battle of Bull Run. One of the Confederate generals, who was trying
+to hearten his retreating men, cried out to them: "See, there is Jackson,
+standing like a stone wall! Rally round the Virginians!" From that hour of
+heroism he was known as Stonewall Jackson, and for his bravery in this
+battle he was made a major-general. He was such a stubborn fighter, and so
+furious in his enthusiasm that "his soldiers marched to death when he bade
+them. What was even harder, they marched at the double-quick through
+Virginia mud, without shoes, without food, without sleep." They cheerfully
+did his bidding because they loved him. The sight of his old uniform and
+scrawny sorrel horse always stirred the hearts of his followers.
+
+[Illustration: A Confederate Flag.]
+
+Jackson was a deeply religious man. In spirit he was so much of a Puritan
+that it caused him great regret to march or to fight on a Sunday.
+
+He was devoted to Lee and placed the greatest confidence in him. "He is
+the only man I would follow blindfold," he said, and on his death-bed he
+exclaimed: "Better that ten Jacksons should fall than one Lee!"
+
+Stonewall Jackson was shot at the battle of Chancellorsville, but not by
+the enemy. He and his escort had ridden out beyond his line of battle,
+when, being mistaken for the enemy, they were fired upon by some of their
+own soldiers, and Jackson was mortally wounded. His death was a great loss
+to the Southern army.
+
+
+J.E.B. STUART
+
+Another of General Lee's very able helpers was General Stuart. He wrote
+his name J.E.B. Stuart. So his admirers called him "Jeb."
+
+[Illustration: J.E.B. Stuart.]
+
+He was absolutely fearless. "He would attack anything anywhere," and he
+inspired his men with the same zeal. He was noted for falling into
+dangerous situations and then cleverly getting himself out. His men were
+used to this. They trusted him completely and without question. They loved
+him, too, for his good comradeship. For although he preserved the
+strictest discipline, he frolicked with his officers like a boy, playing
+at snowballs, or marbles, or whatever they chose, and enjoying it all
+heartily.
+
+He was so fond of gay, martial music that he kept his banjo-player,
+Sweeney, always with him, and worked in his tent to the cheerful
+accompaniment of his favorite songs, now and then leaning back to laugh
+and join in the choruses.
+
+[Illustration: Confederate Soldiers.]
+
+His gay spirit found expression also in the clothes he wore. Listen to
+this description of him: "His fighting jacket shone with dazzling buttons
+and was covered with gold braid; his hat was looped up with a golden star
+and decorated with a black ostrich plume; his fine buff gauntlets reached
+to the elbow; around his waist was tied a splendid yellow sash, and his
+spurs were pure gold." These spurs, of which he was immensely proud, were
+a gift from Baltimore women. His battle-flag was a gorgeous red one, which
+he insisted upon keeping with him, although it often drew the enemy's
+fire.
+
+Stuart was very proud of his men and their pluck. He knew by name every
+man in the first brigade.
+
+It was his strong desire that he might meet his death while leading a
+cavalry charge, and he had his wish. For he was struck down near Richmond,
+in 1864, while he was leading an attack against Sheridan.
+
+He died when he was only thirty-one, deeply mourned by all his men.
+
+
+GETTYSBURG
+
+But to return to General Lee. After winning the two important battles of
+Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, he decided that he would again invade
+the North (1863). He believed that a great victory north of the Potomac
+River might lead to the capture of Philadelphia and Washington and thus
+end the war.
+
+Having marched boldly into Pennsylvania, he met the Union army, under
+General Meade, at the little town of Gettysburg, not far from the southern
+border of the State. There for three days the most terrible battle of the
+war, and in its results, one of the greatest battles of all history, took
+place. After three days of fighting, in which the loss on both sides was
+fearful, Lee was defeated and forced to retreat to Virginia.
+
+The defeat of Lee's army at Gettysburg was a crushing blow to the hopes of
+the South. Lee himself felt this to be true. And, grieving over the heavy
+loss of his men in the famous Pickett's Charge, he said to one of his
+generals: "All this has been my fault. It is I that have lost this fight,
+and you must help me out of it the best you can."
+
+But even in the face of this defeat his officers and soldiers still
+trusted their commander. They said: "Uncle Robert will get us into
+Washington yet."
+
+[Illustration: Union Soldiers.]
+
+But the surrender of another division of the army, fighting far away on
+the Mississippi River, added defeat to defeat. For the day following the
+battle of Gettysburg, General Grant captured Vicksburg, the greatest
+Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. The South could no longer
+hope for victory.
+
+
+ULYSSES S. GRANT
+
+Before going on with the story of the war, let us pause for a little in
+order to catch a glimpse of Ulysses S. Grant, the remarkable man who was
+the greatest general that the North produced throughout the war.
+
+He was born in a humble dwelling at Point Pleasant, Ohio, in April, 1822.
+The year following his birth the family removed to Georgetown, Ohio, where
+they lived many years.
+
+The father of Ulysses was a farmer and manufacturer of leather. The boy
+did not like the leather business, but he did like work on the farm. When
+only seven years old, he hauled all the wood which was needed in the home
+and at the leather factory from the forest, a mile from the village.
+
+[Illustration: Ulysses S. Grant.]
+
+From the age of eleven to seventeen, according to his own story as told in
+his "Personal Memoirs," he ploughed the soil, cultivated the growing corn
+and potatoes, sawed fire-wood, and did any other work a farmer boy might
+be expected to do. He had his good times also, fishing, swimming in the
+creek not far from his home, driving about the country, and skating with
+other boys.
+
+He liked horses, and early became a skilful rider. A story is told of him
+which indicates not only that he was a good horseman, but that he had
+"bulldog grit" as well. One day when he was at a circus, the manager
+offered a silver dollar to any one who could ride a certain mule around
+the ring. Several persons, one after the other, mounted the animal, only
+to be thrown over its head. Young Ulysses was among those who offered to
+ride, but, like the others, he failed. Then, pulling off his coat, he got
+on the animal again. Putting his legs firmly around the mule's body and
+seizing it by the tail, Ulysses rode in triumph around the ring amid the
+cheers of the crowd.
+
+[Illustration: Grant's Birthplace, Point Pleasant, Ohio.]
+
+Although he cared little for study, his father wished to give him all the
+advantages of a good education and secured for him an appointment to West
+Point. After graduating, he wished to leave the army and become an
+instructor in mathematics at his alma mater. But, as the Mexican War broke
+out about that time, he entered active service. Soon he gave striking
+evidence of that fearless bravery for which he was later to become noted
+on the battle-fields of the Civil War.
+
+At the close of the Mexican War, Grant resigned from the army and engaged
+in farming and business until the outbreak of the Civil War.
+
+With the news that the Southern troops had fired on the flag at Fort
+Sumter, Grant's patriotism was aroused. Without delay he rejoined the army
+and at once took an active part in getting ready for the war. First as
+colonel, and then as brigadier-general, he led his troops, and his powers
+as a leader quickly developed.
+
+The first of his achievements was the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson,
+in Tennessee, the centre of a strong Confederate line of defense. At Fort
+Donelson he received the surrender of nearly fifteen thousand prisoners,
+and by his great victory compelled the Confederates to abandon two of
+their important strongholds, Columbus and Nashville.
+
+After the loss of Fort Donelson the Confederates fell back to a second
+line of defense and took position at Corinth. General Grant's army was at
+Pittsburg Landing, eighteen miles away; not far off was the village of
+Shiloh, from which the battle is now generally named. Here, early on
+Sunday morning (April 6, 1862), Grant was attacked by Johnston, and his
+men were driven back a mile and a half toward the river.
+
+It was a fearful battle, lasting until nearly dark. Not until after
+midnight was Grant able to rest, and then, sitting in the rain, with his
+back against the foot of a tree, he slept a few hours before the renewal
+of battle on Monday morning. With reinforcements he was able on the second
+day to drive the enemy off the field and win a signal victory.
+
+By this battle Grant broke the Confederates' second line of defense.
+Although they fought bravely and well to prevent the Union troops from
+getting control of the Mississippi River, by the close of 1862 the South
+had lost every stronghold on the river except Port Hudson and Vicksburg.
+
+[Illustration: General and Mrs. Grant with Their Son at City Point,
+Virginia.]
+
+Vicksburg was so strongly defended that the Confederates believed that it
+could not be taken. A resolute effort to capture it was made by General
+Grant in 1863. After a brilliant campaign of strategy, by which he got
+around the defenses, he laid siege to the city itself. For seven weeks the
+Confederate army held out. During that time the people of Vicksburg sought
+refuge from the enemy's shells in caves and cellars, their only food at
+times consisting of rats and mule flesh. But on July 4, 1863, the day
+after General Lee's defeat at Gettysburg, Vicksburg surrendered to General
+Grant. Four days later Port Hudson, some distance below, was captured, and
+thus the last stronghold of the Mississippi came under control of the
+North.
+
+General Grant had become the hero of the Northern army. His success was in
+no small measure due to his dogged perseverance. While his army was laying
+siege to Vicksburg, a Confederate woman, at whose door he stopped to ask
+for a drink of water, inquired whether he expected ever to capture
+Vicksburg. "Certainly," he replied. "But when?" was the next question.
+Quickly came the answer: "I cannot tell exactly when I shall take the
+town, but _I mean to stay here till I do, if it takes me thirty years_."
+
+General Grant having by his capture of Vicksburg won the confidence of the
+people, President Lincoln, in 1864, put him in command of all the Union
+armies of the East and the West. In presenting the new commission, Lincoln
+addressed him in these words: "As the country herein trusts you, so, under
+God, it will sustain you."
+
+
+WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN
+
+In the spring of that year the Confederates had two large armies in the
+field. One of them, under General Lee, was defending Richmond. The other,
+under General Joseph E. Johnston, was in Tennessee, defending the
+Confederate cause in that region. General Grant's plan was to send General
+Sherman, in whom he had great confidence, against General Johnston, with
+orders to capture Atlanta, which was now the workshop and storehouse of
+the Confederacy. Grant himself was to march against Lee and capture
+Richmond. The two great watchwords were: "On to Atlanta!" and "On to
+Richmond!"
+
+[Illustration: William Tecumseh Sherman.]
+
+Early in May both Grant and Sherman began their campaigns. Starting from
+Chattanooga, in Tennessee, Sherman began to crowd Johnston toward Atlanta.
+In order to keep his line of supplies open from Nashville Sherman kept his
+army close to the railroad, and to hinder him as much as possible, the
+Confederates sent back bodies of troops to the rear of the Union army to
+tear up the railroads. But so quickly were they rebuilt by Sherman's men
+that the Confederates used to say: "Sherman must carry a railroad on his
+back." His advance was slow but steady, and on September 2 he captured
+Atlanta.
+
+A little later Sherman started on his famous march "From Atlanta to the
+Sea," with the purpose of weakening the Confederate armies by destroying
+their supplies and their railroads in Southern Georgia. His army marched
+in four columns, covering a belt of territory sixty miles wide. Four days
+before Christmas he captured Savannah and sent to President Lincoln the
+famous telegram: "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of
+Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition; also
+about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton." Sherman's "March to the Sea"
+was a wonderful achievement.
+
+[Illustration: Sherman's March to the Sea.]
+
+Let us make the acquaintance of this remarkable man. He was at this time
+forty-four. Standing six feet high, with muscles of iron and a military
+bearing, he gave the impression of having great physical endurance. And no
+matter whether he was exposed to drenching rain, bitter cold, or burning
+heat, he never gave signs of fatigue. Many nights he slept only three or
+four hours, but he was able to fall asleep easily almost anywhere he
+happened to be, whether lying upon the wet ground or on a hard floor, or
+even amid the din and roar of muskets and cannon.
+
+In battle he could not sit calmly smoking and looking on, like General
+Grant. He was too much excited to sit still, and his face reflected his
+thoughts. Yet his mind was clear and his decisions were rapid.
+
+[Illustration: Route of Sherman's March to the Sea.]
+
+His soldiers admired him and gave him their unbounded confidence. One of
+his staff said of him while they were on the "March to the Sea": "The army
+has such an abiding faith in its leader that it will go wherever he
+leads." At Savannah the soldiers would proudly remark as their general
+rode by: "There goes the old man. All's right."
+
+During the trying experience of this famous march, Sherman's face grew
+anxious and care-worn. But behind the care-worn face there were kind and
+tender feelings, especially for the young. Little children would show
+their trust in him by clasping him about his knees or by nestling in his
+arms. While he was in Savannah, large groups of children made a playground
+of the general's headquarters and private room, the doors of which were
+never closed to them.
+
+While General Sherman, in Georgia, was pushing his army "On to Atlanta"
+and "On to the Sea," Grant was trying to defeat Lee and capture Richmond.
+With these aims in view, Grant crossed the Rapidan River and entered the
+wilderness in direct line for Richmond. Here fighting was stern business.
+The woods were so gloomy and the underbrush was so thick that the men
+could not see one another twenty feet away.
+
+Lee's army furiously contested every foot of the advance. In the terrible
+battles that followed Grant lost heavily, but he pressed doggedly on,
+writing to President Lincoln his stubborn resolve: "I propose to fight it
+out on this line if it takes all summer."
+
+It did take all summer and longer. Moreover, Grant found that he could not
+possibly capture Richmond from the north. So he crossed the James River
+and attacked the city from the south. Yet when autumn ended Lee was still
+holding out, and Grant's army settled down for the winter.
+
+
+PHILIP H. SHERIDAN
+
+At this time one of Grant's most skilful generals and ablest helpers was
+Philip H. Sheridan, who was a brilliant cavalry leader. As a boy he had a
+strong liking for books, and especially those which told of war and the
+lives of daring men. When he read of their brave deeds perhaps he dreamed
+of the days when he might be a great soldier.
+
+At the time when he came into most prominent notice--in the summer and
+autumn of 1864--he was only thirty-three years old. He was short, and as
+he weighed but one hundred and fifteen pounds, he was not at all
+impressive in appearance, except in the heat of battle, when his
+personality was commanding and inspiring.
+
+[Illustration: Philip H. Sheridan.]
+
+No matter how trying the situation might be, he never lost self-control
+and was always kind and friendly toward those working with him. But
+perhaps his finest quality was a stern devotion to duty. He said, in
+effect: "In all the various positions I have held, my sole aim has ever
+been to be the best officer I could and let the future take care of
+itself." Such a man, whether civilian or soldier, is a true patriot.
+
+It was early in August, 1864, that General Grant placed Sheridan in
+command of the Union army in the Shenandoah valley, with orders to drive
+the enemy out and destroy their food supplies.
+
+Sheridan entered the valley from the north, destroyed large quantities of
+supplies, and after some fighting went into camp on the north side of
+Cedar Creek, in October. A few days later he was called to Washington.
+Returning on the eighteenth, he stayed overnight at Winchester, about
+fourteen miles from Cedar Creek.
+
+About six o'clock the next morning, a picket on duty reported to him
+before he was up that cannon were being fired in the direction of Cedar
+Creek. At first Sheridan paid little attention. Then he began to be
+disturbed. He writes: "I tried to go to sleep again, but grew so restless
+that I could not and soon got up and dressed myself." Eating a hurried
+breakfast, he mounted his splendid coal-black steed, Rienzi, and started
+for the battle-field of Cedar Creek, where his army was. This was the ride
+that afterward became famous as "Sheridan's Ride."
+
+[Illustration: Sheridan Rallying His Troops.]
+
+As he rode forward he could hear the booming of cannon. Then he saw a part
+of his army in full retreat, and fugitives told him that a battle had been
+fought against General Early's Confederates and everything lost.
+
+With two aides and twenty men the gallant Sheridan dashed forward to the
+front as fast as his foaming steed could carry him. On meeting a
+retreating officer who said, "The army is whipped," Sheridan replied: "You
+are, but the army isn't."
+
+As he pushed ahead he said to his soldiers: "If I had been with you this
+morning this disaster would not have happened. We must face the other way.
+We must go back and recover our camp."
+
+As soon as his troops caught sight of "Little Phil," as they liked to call
+him, they threw their hats into the air and, with enthusiastic cheers,
+shouldered their muskets and faced about. Sheridan brought order out of
+confusion and in the battle that followed drove Early's army from the
+field in utter rout.
+
+Great was the rejoicing in the North over this victory, and Sheridan
+himself was raised to the rank of major-general.
+
+This victory was largely due to Sheridan's magnetic influence over his
+men. The following incident illustrates this remarkable power of "Little
+Phil": At the battle of Five Forks, which took place near Richmond the
+next spring (1865), a wounded soldier in the line of battle near Sheridan
+stumbled and was falling behind his regiment. But when Sheridan cried out,
+"Never mind, my man; there's no harm done!" the soldier, although with a
+bullet in his brain, went forward with his fighting comrades till he fell
+dead.
+
+
+TWO GREAT GENERALS
+
+Let us now return to Grant. After remaining near Petersburg all winter, in
+the spring of 1865 he pressed so hard upon the Confederate army that Lee
+had to leave Richmond and move rapidly westward in order to escape
+capture. For a week Grant closely followed Lee's troops, who were almost
+starving; all they had to eat was parched corn and green shoots of trees,
+and the outlook was so dark that many had deserted and started for home.
+
+[Illustration: The McLean House, Where Lee Surrendered.]
+
+There was but one thing left for Lee to do. That was to give up the
+struggle, for he knew the Southern cause was hopeless. An interview,
+therefore, was arranged with Grant. It was held on Sunday morning, April
+9, in a house standing in the little village of Appomattox Court House.
+
+Grant writes in his "Personal Memoirs": "I was without a sword, as I
+usually was when on horse-back on the field, and wore a soldier's blouse
+for a coat, with the shoulder-straps of my rank to indicate to the army
+who I was.... General Lee was dressed in a full uniform, which was
+entirely new, and was wearing a sword of considerable value--very likely
+the sword which had been presented by the State of Virginia.... In my
+rough travelling suit, the uniform of a private with the straps of a
+lieutenant-general, I must have contrasted very strangely with a man so
+handsomely dressed, six feet tall, and of faultless form."
+
+[Illustration: The Country Around Washington and Richmond.]
+
+The result of the interview was the surrender of General Lee and his army.
+When this took place General Grant showed clearly his great kindness of
+heart and his delicate feeling. He issued orders that all the Confederates
+who owned horses and mules should be allowed to take them home. "They will
+need them for the spring ploughing," he said. He also had abundant food at
+once sent to the hungry Confederate soldiers. Never did General Grant
+appear more truly great than on the occasion of Lee's surrender.
+
+He was indeed a remarkable man in many ways. While in the army he seemed
+to have wonderful powers of endurance. He said of himself: "Whether I
+slept on the ground or in a tent, whether I slept one hour or ten in the
+twenty-four, whether I had one meal or three, or none, made no difference.
+I would lie down and sleep in the rain without caring." This, as you
+remember, he did at Pittsburg Landing.
+
+Yet his appearance did not indicate robust health. He was only five feet
+eight inches tall, round-shouldered, and not at all military in bearing or
+walk. But his brown hair, blue eyes, and musical voice gave a pleasing
+impression. He was of a sunny disposition and of singularly pure mind.
+Never in his life was he known to speak an unclean word or tell an
+objectionable story. In manner he was quiet and simple, and yet he was
+always ready for the severest ordeal he might have to face.
+
+While the two great commanders, Grant and Lee, were much unlike in
+personal appearance, they had certain qualities in common, for they were
+both simple-hearted and frank and men of deep and tender feelings.
+
+April 9 was a sad day for General Lee. As he stepped out of the door of
+the house where the terms of surrender had been agreed upon and stood in
+silence, waiting for his horse to be brought to him, he clasped his hands
+together as if in deep pain and looked far away into the distance. Then,
+mounting his steed, he rode back to the Confederate camp, where his
+officers and men awaited his coming.
+
+[Illustration: General Lee on His Horse, Traveller.]
+
+On his approach they crowded about their beloved chief in their eagerness
+to touch him, or even his horse. Looking upon his veteran soldiers for the
+last time, Lee said, with saddened voice: "We have fought through the war
+together; I have done the best I could for you. My heart is too full to
+say more." Then he silently rode off to his tent.
+
+These simple, heartfelt words to his "children," as he called his
+soldiers, were like the man who spoke them. For during the entire war he
+was always simple in his habits. Rarely did he leave his tent to sleep in
+a house, and often his diet consisted of salted cabbage only. He thought
+it a luxury to have sweet potatoes and buttermilk.
+
+The gentleness and kindness of General Lee was seen also in his fondness
+for animals. When the war was over his iron-gray horse, Traveller, which
+had been his faithful companion throughout the struggle, was very dear to
+him. Often, when entering the gate on returning to his house, he would
+turn aside to stroke the noble creature, and often the two wandered forth
+into the mountains, companions to the last.
+
+Within a year after the close of the war General Lee was elected President
+of Washington College, at Lexington, Virginia--now called Washington and
+Lee University. There he remained until his death, in 1870. His
+countrymen, in all sections of the Union, think of him as a distinguished
+general and a high-minded gentleman.
+
+Three years after the close of the war (1868) General Grant was elected
+President of the United States and served two terms. Upon retiring from
+the presidency, he made a tour around the world, a more unusual thing in
+those days than now. He was everywhere received, by rulers and people
+alike, with marked honor and distinction.
+
+His last days were full of suffering from an illness which proved a worse
+enemy than ever he had found on the field of battle. After nine months of
+brave struggle, he died on July 23, 1885. Undoubtedly he was one of the
+ablest generals of history.
+
+The war, in which these two distinguished commanders had led opposing
+sides, had cost the nation not only thousands of men, the vast majority in
+the prime of their young manhood, but millions of dollars. But it had two
+striking results: it preserved the Union, for it was now clear that no
+State could secede at will; and it put an end to slavery. The Emancipation
+Proclamation had set free only those slaves in the States and parts of
+States which were under the control of Union armies; but after the war the
+Thirteenth Amendment set free all the slaves in all the States in the
+Union for all time. These were the benefits purchased by the terrible
+sacrifice of life.
+
+If we count those who were slain on the field of battle and those who died
+from wounds, disease, and suffering in wretched prisons, the loss of men
+was equal to seven hundred a day during the four long years of the war.
+
+When it was over, a wave of intense relief swept over the country. In many
+homes were glad reunions; in others, saddened memories. But at least a
+united nation was cause for a new hope, and a patriotism which in time was
+to bind all sections into closer union.
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. Tell what you can about Lincoln's early life. What kind of boy was he?
+
+2. What was the Emancipation Proclamation? Why did not Lincoln set the
+slaves free when he became President? What do you admire about him?
+
+3. Why did Lee go with Virginia when this State seceded?
+
+4. Tell as much as you can about Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Sherman, and
+Sheridan.
+
+5. What kind of boy was Grant? What kind of man? What do you admire about
+him?
+
+6. What were some of the important results of the Civil War?
+
+7. When did this war begin, and when did it end?
+
+8. Are you locating every event upon the map?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+FOUR GREAT INDUSTRIES
+
+
+COTTON
+
+Thus far we have been considering mainly the men engaged in exploration,
+in invention, or in the great national struggles through which our country
+has passed. But while only a small fraction of the people, as a rule, take
+an active and prominent part in the stirring events of history, many more
+work hard and faithfully to furnish all with food, clothing, and other
+things needful in every-day living. What these many laborers accomplish in
+the fields of industry, therefore, has a most important bearing upon the
+life and work of men, leaders and followers alike, in other fields of
+action. With this thought in mind, let us take a brief glance at a few of
+our great industries.
+
+First, go with me in thought to the South, where the cotton, from which we
+make much of our clothing, is raised. Owing to the favorable climate of
+the Southern States, it being warm and moist, the United States produces
+more cotton and cotton of a better quality than any other country in the
+world.
+
+No crop, it is said, is so beautiful as growing cotton. The plants are
+low, with dark-green leaves, the flowers, which are yellow at first,
+changing by degrees to white, and then to deep pink. The cotton-fields
+look like great flower-gardens.
+
+As the blossoms die they are replaced by the young bolls, or pods, which
+contain the seeds. From the seeds grow long vegetable hairs, which form
+white locks in the pods. These fibres are the cotton. When the pods become
+ripe and open, the cotton bursts out and covers them with a puff of soft,
+white down.
+
+[Illustration: Cotton-Field in Blossom.]
+
+The height of the picking season is in October. As no satisfactory machine
+for picking cotton has been invented, it is usually done by hand, and
+negroes for the most part are employed. Lines of pickers pass between the
+rows, gathering the down and crowding it into wide-mouthed sacks hanging
+from their shoulders or waists. At the ends of the rows are great baskets,
+into which the sacks are emptied, and then the cotton is loaded into
+wagons which carry it to the gin-house.
+
+If damp, the cotton is dried in the sun. The saw-teeth of the cotton-gin,
+as we have seen, separate the cotton fibre from the seeds. Then the cotton
+is pressed down by machine presses and packed into bales, each usually
+containing five hundred pounds, after which it is sent to the factory.
+
+Various processes are employed to free the cotton from dirt and to loosen
+the lumps. When it is cleaned, it is rolled out into thin sheets and taken
+to the carding-machine. This, with other machines, prepares the cotton to
+be spun into yarn, which is wound off on large reels. The yarn is then
+ready to be either twisted into thread or woven into cloth on the great
+looms.
+
+The United States produces an average of eleven million bales of cotton
+every year, and this is nearly sixty-seven per cent of the production of
+the whole world. Cotton is now the second crop in the United States, the
+first being Indian corn.
+
+
+WHEAT
+
+Another great industry is the growing of wheat, which is the foundation of
+much of our food. Wheat is a very important grain and is extensively
+cultivated.
+
+There are a great many varieties, the two main kinds found in the United
+States being the large-kernel winter wheat, grown in the East, and the
+hard spring wheat, the best for flour-making, which is grown in the West.
+
+Minnesota is the largest wheat-producing State, and I will ask you to go
+in thought with me to that Middle-West region. The farms there are very
+level, and also highly productive. The big "bonanza" farms, as they are
+called, range in size from two thousand to ten thousand acres. Some of
+these are so large that even on level ground one cannot look entirely
+across them--so large, indeed, that laborers working at opposite ends do
+not see one another for months at a time.
+
+[Illustration: A Wheat-Field.]
+
+During the planting and harvesting seasons temporary laborers come from
+all over the country. They are well housed and well fed. The farms are
+divided into sections, and each section has its own lodging-house,
+dining-hall, barns, and so on. Even then, dinner is carried to the workers
+in the field, because they are often a mile or two from the dining-hall.
+The height of the harvest season is at the end of July.
+
+In the autumn, after the wheat has been harvested, the straw is burned and
+the land is ploughed. In the following April when the soil is dry enough
+to harrow, the seeds, after being carefully selected and thoroughly
+cleaned, are planted. For the harvesting a great deal of new machinery is
+purchased every year. One of these huge machines can cut and stack in one
+day the grain from a hundred acres of land. Then the grain is threshed at
+once in the field, before the rain can do it harm.
+
+[Illustration: Grain-Elevators at Buffalo.]
+
+Through the spout of the thresher the grain falls into the box wagon,
+which carries it to the grain-elevator, or building for storing grain.
+Here it remains until it is loaded automatically into the cars, which take
+it to the great elevator centres. The wheat is not touched by hands from
+the time it passes into the thresher until it reaches private kitchens in
+the form of flour.
+
+The great elevator centres are Duluth, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chicago, and
+Buffalo. Some elevators in these centres can store as much as a million or
+more bushels each. They are built of steel and equipped with steam-power
+or electricity. The wheat is taken from grain-laden vessels or cars,
+carried up into the elevator, and deposited in various bins, according to
+its grade. On the opposite side of the elevator the wheat is reloaded into
+cars or canal-boats.
+
+In 1914 the United States produced nine hundred and thirty million
+bushels, or between one-fourth and one-fifth of all the wheat produced in
+the world.
+
+
+CATTLE-RAISING
+
+The third great industry is that of cattle-raising. To find the ranches we
+will go a little farther west, perhaps to Kansas. A wide belt stretching
+westward from the one-hundredth meridian to the foot-hills of the Rocky
+Mountains is arid land. It includes parts of Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, the
+Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Although the rainfall here is
+mostly too light to grow corn and wheat without irrigation, these dry
+plains have sufficient growth to support great herds of sheep and cattle,
+and supply us with a large part of our beef. Cattle by the hundred
+thousand feed on these vast unfenced regions.
+
+On the great ranches of this belt, which, we are told, are fast
+disappearing, there are two important round-ups of the cattle every year.
+Between times they roam free over vast areas of land. In the spring they
+are driven slowly toward a central point. Then the calves are branded, or
+marked by a hot iron, with the owner's special brand. These brands are
+registered and are recognized by law. This is done in order that each
+owner may be certain of his own cattle. In July or August the cattle are
+rounded up again, and this time the mature and fatted animals are selected
+that they may be driven to the shipping-station on the railroad and loaded
+on the cars.
+
+[Illustration: Cattle on the Western Plains.]
+
+The journey to the stock-yards often requires from four to seven days.
+Once in about thirty hours the cattle are released from the cars in order
+to be fed and watered. Then the journey begins again.
+
+At the stock-yards the cattle are unloaded and driven into pens. From
+there the fat steers and cows are sent directly to market. The lean ones
+go to farmers in the Middle West who make a specialty of fattening them
+for market, doing it in a few weeks.
+
+In the year 1910 there were ninety-six million six hundred and fifty-eight
+thousand cattle in the United States. This means that there was one for
+every human being in the whole country. But the number of beef-cattle is
+decreasing, as the larger ranches where they graze are disappearing, as we
+have said, and are being divided into small farms.
+
+
+COAL
+
+By means of these three industries--cotton, wheat, and cattle--we are
+provided with food and clothing. But besides these necessaries, we must
+have fuel. We need it both for heat in our households and for running most
+of our engines in factories and on trains. Our chief fuel is coal.
+
+To see coal-mining, western Pennsylvania is a good place for us to visit.
+Were you to go into a mine there you might easily imagine yourself in a
+different world. In descending the shaft you suddenly become aware that
+you are cut off from beautiful sunlight and fresh air. You find that to
+supply these every-day benefits, which you have come to accept as
+commonplace, there are ventilating machines working to bring down the
+fresh air from above, and portable lamps, which will not cause explosion,
+to supply light, and that, where there is water, provision has been made
+for drainage.
+
+The walls of the mine, also, have to be strongly supported, in order that
+they may not fall and crush the workers or fill up the shaft. In
+deep-shaft mines, coal is carried to the surface by cages hoisted through
+the shaft. It is sorted and cleaned above ground.
+
+One of the largest uses of coal is found in the factories where numerous
+articles of iron and steel are made. The world of industry depends so much
+upon iron that it is called the metal of civilization.
+
+[Illustration: Iron Smelters.]
+
+The iron and coal industries are closely related, for coal is used to make
+iron into steel. If you stay in Pennsylvania you may catch a glimpse of
+the process by which iron is made usable.
+
+As it comes from the mine it is not pure, but is mixed with ore from which
+it must be separated. In the regions of iron-mines you will see towering
+aloft here and there huge chimneys, or blast-furnaces, at times sending
+forth great clouds of black smoke and at times lighting the sky with the
+lurid glow of flames. In these big blast-furnaces, the iron ore and coal
+are piled in layers. Then a very hot fire is made, so hot that the iron
+melts and runs down into moulds of sand, where it is collected. This
+process is called smelting.
+
+The iron thus obtained, though pure, is not hard enough for most purposes.
+It must be made into steel. Steel, you understand, is iron which has again
+been melted and combined with a small amount of carbon to harden it.
+
+At first this was an expensive process, but during the last century ways
+of making steel were discovered which greatly lowered its cost. As a
+result, steel took the place of iron in many ways, the most important
+being in the manufacture of rails for our railroad systems. Since steel
+rails are stronger than iron, they make it possible to use larger
+locomotives and heavier trains, and permit a much higher rate of speed and
+more bulky traffic. All this means, as you can easily see, cheaper and
+more rapid transportation, which is so important in all our industrial
+life.
+
+Steel has an extensive use, also, in the structure of bridges, of large
+buildings, of steamships and war vessels, as well as in the making of
+heating equipment, tools, household utensils, and hundreds of other
+articles which we are constantly using in our daily life. If you should
+write down all the uses for this metal which you can think of, you would
+be surprised at the length of your list.
+
+These four great industries give us a little idea of how men make use of
+the products of the farm, the mine, and the factory in supplying human
+needs. Each fulfils its place, and we are dependent upon all. That means
+that we are all dependent upon one another. There would be little in life
+for any one if he were to do without all that others have done for him.
+
+[Illustration: Iron Ore Ready for Shipment.]
+
+There is something which each member of a community can do to make life
+better for others. If he does this willingly and well, he co-operates with
+his fellow men and assists in the great upbuilding of the nation. And the
+amount of _service_ the man or woman, boy or girl can render those about
+him is the measure of his worth to his neighborhood, his State, or his
+country.
+
+It is good for us to ask ourselves this question: How can I be helpful in
+the community where I live, which has done so much for me? If we try to
+give faithful service, working cheerfully with others, we are truly
+patriotic. Are you a patriot?
+
+
+SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
+
+1. What are the four great industries taken up in this chapter? Can you
+tell in what ways each of these is of special value to us?
+
+2. Use your map in locating the cotton region; the wheat-growing region;
+the cattle-raising region.
+
+3. In what ways are coal, iron, and steel especially useful?
+
+4. How are we all dependent upon one another? How may we be truly
+patriotic?
+
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+INDEX
+
+  Adams, John
+  Adams, Samuel
+  Alamo
+  Anna, Santa
+  Antietam, battle of
+  Appomattox Court House, Lee's surrender at
+  Atlanta, capture of
+
+  Backwoodsmen, life among
+  Barlow, Joel
+  Bon Homme Richard (bo-nom'-re-shar')
+  Boone, Daniel
+  Boone, Squire
+  "Boston Tea Party"
+  Brandywine Creek
+  Bull Run, battle of
+  Bunker Hill, battle of
+  Burgoyne (ber-goin'), General, his invasion
+
+  Cabinet, the President's
+  Calhoun, John C.
+  Camden, battle of
+  Carson, Kit
+  Cattle-raising
+  Cedar Creek, battle of
+  Cherokee Indians
+  Civil War
+  Clark, George Rogers
+  Clark, William
+  Clay, Henry
+  Clermont
+  Clinton, DeWitt
+  Coal
+  Colonies become States
+  Compromise, Missouri
+  Compromise of 1850
+  Concord, battle of
+  Confederate States of America, organization of
+  Congress, Continental, first meeting of
+    second meeting of
+  Congress, United States
+  Continental Army
+  Cornwallis, General
+  Cotton
+  Cotton-gin, invention of
+  Cowpens, battle of
+  Creek Indians
+  Custis, Mrs. Martha
+
+  Davis, Jefferson
+  Dawes, William
+  Declaration of Independence
+  Donelson, Fort
+  Dorchester Heights
+  Douglas, Stephen A.
+
+  Early, General, at Cedar Creek
+  Emancipation Proclamation
+  Erie Canal
+
+  Ferguson, Major
+  Fitch, John
+  Flatboat
+  Florida, purchase of
+  France aids the Americans
+  Franklin, Benjamin
+  Fremont, John C.
+  French villages, old, life in
+  Fulton, Robert
+
+  Gage, General
+  Gates, General
+  George III
+  Gettysburg, battle of
+  Gold, discovery of, in California
+  Grant, Ulysses
+  Greene, Nathanael
+  Guilford Court House, battle of
+
+  Hale, Nathan
+  Hamilton, Alexander
+  Hamilton, Colonel
+  Hancock, John
+  Hayne, Senator
+  Henderson, Richard
+  Henry, Fort
+  Henry, Patrick
+  Hessians
+  Houston, Sam
+  Howe, General
+  Hutchinson, Governor
+
+  Independence of the United States
+  Iron
+
+  Jackson, Andrew
+  Jackson, Thomas J. ("Stonewall")
+  Jay, John
+  Jefferson, Thomas
+  Johnston, Albert Sydney
+  Johnston, Joseph E.
+  Jones, John Paul
+
+  Kaskaskia (Kas-kas'-ki-a)
+  Kentucky
+  King's Mountain, battle of
+  Knox, Henry
+
+  La Fayette (Lae f[=a]-yet)
+  Lee, Robert E.
+  Lewis and Clark's Expedition
+  Lewis, Meriwether
+  Lexington, battle of
+  Lincoln, Abraham;
+    and slavery;
+    and the Emancipation Proclamation;
+    assassinated
+  Lincoln, General
+  Livingston, Chancellor
+  Livingston, Robert R.
+  Long Island, battle of
+  Louisiana Purchase
+
+  McClellan, General
+  Mandan Indians
+  Marion, Francis
+  Meade, General
+  Mexican Cession
+  Mexican War
+  Minutemen
+  Missouri Compromise
+  Mohawk Valley
+  Monroe, James
+  Morgan, Daniel
+  Morse, Samuel F.B.
+
+  Napoleon I
+  National Road
+  Negroes
+  New Orleans in 1803
+  Nullification
+
+  Old North Church
+  Old South Church
+
+  Pack-horse
+  Partisan warfare in the South
+  Pitcairn, Major
+  Pitt, William
+  Pittsburg Landing, battle of
+  Prescott, Samuel
+  Prescott, William
+  Protective tariff
+  Provincial Congress
+  Putnam, General
+
+  Railroad
+  Randolph, Edmund
+  Republican Party
+  Revere, Paul
+  Revolution, causes of
+  Robertson, James
+  Rotch, Benjamin
+  Rowe, John
+  Rumsey, John
+
+  Scott, General
+  Secession of South Carolina and ten more slave States
+  Seminole Indians
+  Serapis (se-ra-pis)
+  Sevier, John
+  Shelby, Isaac
+  Shenandoah Valley, Sheridan in
+  Sheridan, Philip H.
+  Sherman, William Tecumseh
+  Sherrill, Kate
+  Shiloh, battle of
+  Slavery
+  Smith, Colonel
+  Sons of Liberty
+  South Carolina
+  Stamp Act
+  Steamboat
+  Steel
+  Stephens, Alexander H.
+  Stuart, J.E.B.
+  Sutter, Captain
+
+  Tariff
+  Taxation of the Colonies
+  Tea, tax on
+  Telegraph
+  Tennessee
+  Texas
+  Tories
+  Treaty at close of Revolution
+  Trenton, victory at
+
+  Valley Forge, sufferings at
+  Vicksburg, capture of
+  Vincennes
+
+  Warren, Joseph
+  Washington, D.C., made the national capital
+  Washington, George, in the Revolution
+    as President
+  Watauga
+  Webster, Daniel
+  West, Benjamin
+  Wheat
+  Whitney, Eli
+  Wilderness Road
+
+  Yorktown, Cornwallis's surrender at
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES OF LATER AMERICAN HISTORY***
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