WITH THE ARMY AND IN THE BUSH
In January, 1777, Colonel Irons writes to his father from Morristown,
New Jersey, as follows:
"An army is a despotic machine. For that reason chiefly our men do not
like military service. It is hard to induce them to enlist for long
terms. They are released by expiration long before they have been
trained and seasoned for good service. So Washington has found it
difficult to fill his line with men of respectable fighting quality.
"Our great Commander lost his patience on the eve of our leaving New
York. Our troops, posted at Kip's Bay on the East River to defend the
landing, fled in a panic without firing a gun at the approach of Howe's
army. I happened to be in a company of Light Horse with General
Washington, who had gone up to survey the ground. Before his eyes two
brigades of New England troops ran away, leaving us exposed to capture.
"The great Virginian was hot with indignation. He threw his hat to the
ground and exclaimed:
"'Are these the kind of men with whom I am to defend America?'
"Next day our troops behaved better and succeeded in repulsing the
enemy. This put new spirit in them. Putnam got his forces out of New
York and well up the shore of the North River. For weeks we lay behind
our trenches on Harlem Heights, building up the fighting spirit of our
men and training them for hard service. The stables, cabins and sheds
of Harlem were full of our sick. Smallpox had got among them. Cold
weather was coming on and few were clothed to stand it. The
proclamation of Admiral Lord Howe and his brother, the General,
offering pardon and protection to all who remained loyal to the crown,
caused some to desert us, and many timid settlers in the outlying
country, with women and children to care for, were on the fence ready
to jump either way. Hundreds were driven by fear toward the British.
"In danger of being shut in, we crossed King's Bridge and retreated to
White Plains. How we toiled with our baggage on that journey, many of
us being yoked like oxen to the wagons! Every day troops, whose terms
of enlistment had expired, were leaving us. It seemed as if our whole
flying camp would soon be gone. But there were many like Solomon and
me who were willing to give up everything for the cause and follow our
beloved Commander into hell, if necessary. There were some four
thousand of us who streaked up the Hudson with him to King's Ferry, at
the foot of the Highlands, to get out of the way of the British ships.
There we crossed into Jersey and dodged about, capturing a thousand men
at Trenton and three hundred at Princeton, defeating the British
regiments who pursued us and killing many officers and men and cutting
off their army from its supplies. We have seized a goodly number of
cannon and valuable stores and reclaimed New Jersey and stiffened the
necks of our people. It has been, I think, a turning point in the war.
Our men have fought like Homeric heroes and endured great hardships in
the bitter cold with worn-out shoes and inadequate clothing. A number
have been frozen to death. I loaned my last extra pair of shoes to a
poor fellow whose feet had been badly cut and frozen. When I tell you
that coming into Morristown I saw many bloody footprints in the snow
behind the army, you will understand. We are a ragamuffin band, but we
have taught the British to respect us. Send all the shoes and clothing
you can scare up.
"I have seen incidents which have increased my love of Washington.
When we were marching through a village in good weather there was a
great crowd in the street. In the midst of it was a little girl crying
out because she could not see Washington. He stopped and called for
her. They brought the child and he lifted her to the saddle in front
of him and carried her a little way on his big white horse.
"At the first divine service here in Morristown he observed an elderly
woman, a rough clad farmer's wife, standing back in the edge of the
crowd. He arose and beckoned to her to come and take his seat. She
did so, and he stood through the service, save when he was kneeling.
Of course, many offered him their seats, but he refused to take one.
"We have been deeply impressed and inspirited by the address of a young
man of the name of Alexander Hamilton. He is scarcely twenty years of
age, they tell me, but he has wit and eloquence and a maturity of
understanding which astonished me. He is slender, a bit under middle
stature and has a handsome face and courtly manners. He will be one of
the tallest candles of our faith, or I am no prophet.
"Solomon has been a tower of strength in this campaign. I wish you
could have seen him lead the charge against Mercer's men and bring in
the British general, whom he had wounded. He and I are scouting around
the camp every day. Our men are billeted up and down the highways and
living in small huts around headquarters."
Washington had begun to show his great and singular gifts. One of
them, through which he secured rest and safety for his shattered
forces, shone out there in Morristown. There were only about three
thousand effective men in his army. To conceal their number, he had
sent them to many houses on the roads leading into the village. The
British in New York numbered at least nine thousand well seasoned
troops, and with good reason he feared an attack. The force at
Morristown was in great danger. One day a New York merchant was
brought into camp by the famous scout Solomon Binkus. The merchant had
been mistreated by the British. He had sold his business and crossed
the river by night and come through the lines on the wagon of a farmer
friend who was bringing supplies to the American army. He gave much
information as to plans and positions of the British, which was known
to be correct. He wished to enlist in the American army and do what he
could to help it. He was put to work in the ranks. A few days later
the farmer with whom he had arrived came again and, after selling his
wagon load, found the ex-merchant and conferred with him in private.
That evening, when the farmer had got a mile or so from camp, he was
stopped and searched by Colonel Irons. A letter was found in the
farmer's pocket which clearly indicated that the ex-merchant was a spy
and the farmer a Tory. Irons went at once to General Washington with
his report, urging that the spy be taken up and put in confinement.
The General sat thoughtfully looking into the fire, but made no answer.
"He is here to count our men and report our weakness," said the Colonel.
"The poor fellow has not found it an easy thing to do," the General
answered. "I shall see that he gets help."
They went together to the house where the Adjutant General had his home
and office. To this officer Washington said:
"General, you have seen a report from one Weatherly, a New York
merchant, who came with information from that city. Will you kindly do
him the honor of asking him to dine with you here alone to-morrow
evening? Question him as to the situation in New York in a friendly
manner and impart to him such items of misinformation as you may care
to give, but mainly look to this. Begin immediately to get signed
returns from the brigadiers showing that we have an effective force
here of twelve thousand men. These reports must be lying on your desk
while you are conferring with Weatherly. Treat the man with good food
and marked politeness and appreciation of the service he is likely to
render us. Soon after you have eaten, I shall send an orderly here.
He will deliver a message. You will ask the man to make himself at
home while you are gone for half an hour or so. You will see that the
window shades are drawn and the door closed and that no one disturbs
the man while he is copying those returns, which he will be sure to do.
Colonel Irons, I depend upon you to see to it that he has an
opportunity to escape safely with his budget. I warn you not to let
him fail. It is most important."
The next morning, Weatherly was ordered to report to Major Binkus for
training in scout duty, and the morning after that he was taken out
through the lines, mounted, with Colonel Irons and carefully lost in
the pine bush. He was seen no more in the American camp. The spy
delivered his report to the British and the little remnant of an army
at Morristown was safe for the winter. Cornwallis and Howe put such
confidence in this report that when Luce, another spy, came into their
camp with a count of Washington's forces, which was substantially
correct, they doubted the good faith of the man and threw him into
prison.
So the great Virginian had turned a British spy into one of his most
effective helpers.
Meanwhile good news had encouraged enlistment for long terms. Four
regiments of horse were put in training, ten frigates were built and
sent to sea and more were under construction. The whole fighting force
of America was being reorganized. Moreover, in this first year the
Yankee privateers had so wounded a leg of the British lion that he was
roaring with rage. Three hundred and fifty of his ships, well laden
from the West Indies, had been seized. Their cargoes were valued at a
million pounds. The fighting spirit of America was encouraged also by
events in France, where Franklin and Silas Deane were now at work.
France had become an ally. A loan of six hundred thousand dollars had
been secured in the French capital and expert officers from that
country had begun to arrive to join the army of Washington.