washington and his comrades in arms-第24章

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ingredients　for　making　powder；　but　it　remained　scarce。　Since　there　was　no　standard　firearm；　each　soldier　required　bullets　specially　suited　to　his　weapon。　The　men　melted　lead　and　cast　it　in　their　own　bullet…molds。　It　is　an　instance　of　the　minor　ironies　of　war　that　the　great　equestrian　statue　of　George　III；　which　had　been　erected　in　New　York　in　days　more　peaceful；　was　melted　into　bullets　for　killing　that　monarch's　soldiers。　Another　necessity　was　paper　for　cartridges　and　wads。　The　cartridge　of　that　day　was　a　paper　envelope　containing　the　charge　of　ball　and　powder。　This　served　also　as　a　wad；　after　being　emptied　of　its　contents；　and　was　pushed　home　with　a　ramrod。　A　store　of　German　Bibles　in　Pennsylvania　fell　into　the　hands　of　the　soldiers　at　a　moment　when　paper　was　a　crying　need；　and　the　pages　of　these　Bibles　were　used　for　wads。

The　artillery　of　the　time　seems　feeble　compared　with　the　monster　weapons　of　death　which　we　know　in　our　own　age。　Yet　it　was　an　important　factor　in　the　war。　It　is　probable　that　before　the　war　not　a　single　cannon　had　been　made　in　the　colonies。　From　the　outset　Washington　was　hampered　for　lack　of　artillery。　Neutrals；　especially　the　Dutch　in　the　West　Indies；　sold　guns　to　the　Americans；　and　France　was　a　chief　source　of　supply　during　long　periods　when　the　British　lost　the　command　of　the　sea。　There　was　always　difficulty　about　equipping　cavalry；　especially　in　the　North。　The　Virginian　was　at　home　on　horseback；　and　in　the　farther　South　bands　of　cavalry　did　service　during　the　later　years　of　the　war；　but　many　of　the　fighting　riders　of　today　might　tomorrow　be　guiding　their　horses　peacefully　behind　the　plough。

The　pay　of　the　soldiers　remained　to　Washington　a　baffling　problem。　When　the　war　ended　their　pay　was　still　heavily　in　arrears。　The　States　were　timid　about　imposing　taxation　and　few　if　any　paid　promptly　the　levies　made　upon　them。　Congress　bridged　the　chasm　in　finance　by　issuing　paper　money　which　so　declined　in　value　that；　as　Washington　said　grimly；　it　required　a　wagon…load　of　money　to　pay　for　a　wagon…load　of　supplies。　The　soldier　received　his　pay　in　this　money　at　its　face　value；　and　there　is　little　wonder　that　the　〃continental　dollar〃　is　still　in　the　United　States　a　symbol　of　worthlessness。　At　times　the　lack　of　pay　caused　mutiny　which　would　have　been　dangerous　but　for　Washington's　firm　and　tactful　management　in　the　time　of　crisis。　There　was　in　him　both　the　kindly　feeling　of　the　humane　man　and　the　rigor　of　the　army　leader。　He　sent　men　to　death　without　flinching；　but　he　was　at　one　with　his　men　in　their　sufferings；　and　no　problem　gave　him　greater　anxiety　than　that　of　pay；　affecting；　as　it　did；　the　health　and　spirits　of　men　who；　while　unpaid；　had　no　means　of　softening　the　daily　tale　of　hardship。

Desertion　was　always　hard　to　combat。　With　the　homesickness　which　led　sometimes　to　desertion　Washington　must　have　had　a　secret　sympathy；　for　his　letters　show　that　he　always　longed　for　that　pleasant　home　in　Virginia　which　he　did　not　allow　himself　to　revisit　until　nearly　the　end　of　the　war。　The　land　of　a　farmer　on　service　often　remained　untilled；　and　there　are　pathetic　cases　of　families　in　bitter　need　because　the　breadwinner　was　in　the　army。　In　frontier　settlements　his　absence　sometimes　meant　the　massacre　of　his　family　by　the　savages。　There　is　little　wonder　that　desertion　was　common；　so　common　that　after　a　reverse　the　men　went　away　by　hundreds。　As　they　usually　carried　with　them　their　rifles　and　other　equipment；　desertion　involved　a　double　loss。　On　one　occasion　some　soldiers　undertook　for　themselves　the　punishment　of　deserters。　Men　of　the　First　Pennsylvania　Regiment　who　had　recaptured　three　deserters；　beheaded　one　of　them　and　returned　to　their　camp　with　the　head　carried　on　a　pole。　More　than　once　it　happened　that　condemned　men　were　paraded　before　the　troops　for　execution　with　the　graves　dug　and　the　coffins　lying　ready。　The　death　sentence　would　be　read；　and　then；　as　the　firing　party　took　aim；　a　reprieve　would　be　announced。　The　reprieve　in　such　circumstances　was　omitted　often　enough　to　make　the　condemned　endure　the　real　agony　of　death。

Religion　offered　its　consolations　in　the　army　and　Washington　gave　much　thought　to　the　service　of　the　chaplains。　He　told　his　army　that　fine　as　it　was　to　be　a　patriot　it　was　finer　still　to　be　a　Christian。　It　is　an　odd　fact　that；　though　he　attended　the　Anglican　Communion　service　before　and　after　the　war；　he　did　not　partake　of　the　Communion　during　the　war。　What　was　in　his　mind　we　do　not　know。　He　was　disposed；　as　he　said　himself；　to　let　men　find　〃that　road　to　Heaven　which　to　them　shall　seem　the　most　direct；〃　and　he　was　without　Puritan　fervor；　but　he　had　deep　religious　feeling。　During　the　troubled　days　at　Valley　Forge　a　neighbor　came　upon　him　alone　in　the　bush　on　his　knees　praying　aloud；　and　stole　away　unobserved。　He　would　not　allow　in　the　army　a　favorite　Puritan　custom　of　burning　the　Pope　in　effigy；　and　the　prohibition　was　not　easily　enforced　among　men；　thousands　of　whom　bore　scriptural　names　from　ancestors　who　thought　the　Pope　anti…Christ。


Washington's　winter　quarters　at　Valley　Forge　were　only　twenty　miles　from　Philadelphia；　among　hills　easily　defended。　It　is　matter　for　wonder　that　Howe；　with　an　army　well　equipped；　did　not　make　some　attempt　to　destroy　the　army　of　Washington　which　passed　the　winter　so　near　and　in　acute　distress。　The　Pennsylvania　Loyalists；　with　dark　days　soon　to　come；　were　bitter　at　Howe's　inactivity；　full　of　tragic　meaning　for　themselves。　He　said　that　he　could　achieve　nothing　permanent　by　attack。　It　may　be　so；　but　it　is　a　sound　principle　in　warfare　to　destroy　the　enemy　when　this　is　possible。　There　was　a　time　when　in　Washington's　whole　force　not　more　than　two　thousand　men　were　in　a　condition　to　fight。　Congress　was　responsible　for　the　needs　of　the　army　but　was　now；　in　sordid　inefficiency；　cooped　up　in　the　little　town　of　York；　eighty　miles　west　of　Valley　Forge；　to　which　it　had　fled。　There　was　as　yet　no　real　federal　union。　The　seat　of　authority　was　in　the　State　Governments；　and　we　need　not　wonder　that；　with　the　passing　of　the　first　burst　of　devotion　which　united　the　colonies　in　a　common　cause；　Congress　declined　rapidly　in　public　esteem。　〃What　a　lot　of　damned　scoundrels　we　had　in　that　second　Congress〃　said；　at　a　later　date；　Gouverneur　Morris　of　Philadelphia　to　John　Jay　of　New　York；　and　Jay　answered　gravely；　〃Yes；　we　had。〃　The　body；　so　despised　in　the　retrospect；　had　no　real　executive　government；　no　organized　departments。　Already　before　Independence　was　proclaimed　there　had　been　talk　of　a　permanent　union；　but　the　members　of　Congress　had　shown　no　sense　of　urgency；　and　it　was　not　until　November　15；　1777；　when　the　British　were　in　Philadelphia　and　Congress　was　in　exile　at　York；　that　Articles　of　Confederation　were　adopted。　By　the　following　midsummer　many　of　the　States　had　ratified　these　articles；　but　Maryland；　the　last　to　assent；　did　not　accept　the　new　union　until　1781；　so　that　Congress　continued　to　act　for　the　States　without　constitutional　sanction　during　the　greater　part　of　the　war。

The　ineptitude　of　Congress　is　explained　when　we　recall　that　it　was　a　revolutionary　body　which　indeed　controlled　foreign　affairs　and　the　issues　of　war　and　peace；　coined　money；　and　put　forth　paper　money　but　had　no　general　powers。　Each　State　had　but　one　vote；　and　thus　a　small　and　sparsely　settled　State　counted　for　as　much　as　populous　Massachusetts　or　Virginia。　The　Congress　must　deal　with　each　State　only　as　a　unit；　it　could　not　coerce　a　State；　and　it　had　no　authority　to　tax　or　to　coerce　individuals。　The　utmost　it　could　do　was　to　appeal　to　good　feeling；　and　when　a　State　felt　that　it　had　a　grievance　such　an　appeal　was　likely　to　meet　with　a　flaming　retort。

Washington　maintained　towards　Congress　an　attitude　of　deference　and　courtesy　which　it　did　not　always　deserve。　The　ablest　men　in　the　individual　States　held　aloof　from　Congress。　They　felt　that　they　had　more　dignity　and　power　if　they　sat　in　their　own　legislatures。　The　assembly　which　in　the　first　days　had　as　members　men　of　the　type　of　Washington　and　Franklin　sank　into　a　gathering　of　second…rate　men　who　were　divided　into　fierce　factions。　They　debated　interminably　and　did　little。　Each　member　usually　felt　that　he　must　champion　the　interests　of　his　own　State　against　the　ho