washington and his comrades in arms-第26章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


even　in　secondary　fame。　Nathanael　Greene　was　of　Quaker　stock　from　Rhode　Island。　He　was　a　natural　student　and　when　trouble　with　the　mother　country　was　impending　in　1774　he　spent　the　leisure　which　he　could　spare　from　his　forges　in　the　study　of　military　history　and　in　organizing　the　local　militia。　Because　of　his　zeal　for　military　service　he　was　expelled　from　the　Society　of　Friends。　In　1775　when　war　broke　out　he　was　promptly　on　hand　with　a　contingent　from　Rhode　Island。　In　little　more　than　a　year　and　after　a　very　slender　military　experience　he　was　in　command　of　the　army　on　Long　Island。　On　the　Hudson　defeat　not　victory　was　his　lot。　He　had；　however；　as　much　stern　resolve　as　Washington。　He　shared　Washington's　success　in　the　attack　on　Trenton；　and　his　defeats　at　the　Brandywine　and　at　Germantown。　Now　he　was　at　Valley　Forge；　and　when；　on　March　2；　1778；　he　became　quartermaster　general；　the　outlook　for　food　and　supplies　steadily　improved。　Later；　in　the　South；　he　rendered　brilliant　service　which　made　possible　the　final　American　victory　at　Yorktown。

Henry　Knox；　a　Boston　bookseller；　had；　like　Greene；　only　slight　training　for　military　command。　It　shows　the　dearth　of　officers　to　fight　the　highly　disciplined　British　army　that　Knox；　at　the　age　of　twenty…five；　and　fresh　from　commercial　life；　was　placed　in　charge　of　the　meager　artillery　which　Washington　had　before　Boston。　It　was　Knox；　who；　with　heart…breaking　labor；　took　to　the　American　front　the　guns　captured　at　Ticonderoga。　Throughout　the　war　he　did　excellent　service　with　the　artillery；　and　Washington　placed　a　high　value　upon　his　services。　He　valued　too　those　of　Daniel　Morgan；　an　old　fighter　in　the　Indian　wars；　who　left　his　farm　in　Virginia　when　war　broke　out；　and　marched　his　company　of　riflemen　to　join　the　army　before　Boston。　He　served　with　Arnold　at　the　siege　of　Quebec；　and　was　there　taken　prisoner。　He　was　exchanged　and　had　his　due　revenge　when　he　took　part　in　the　capture　of　Burgoyne's　army。　He　was　now　at　Valley　Forge。　Later　he　had　a　command　under　Greene　in　the　South　and　there；　as　we　shall　see；　he　won　the　great　success　of　the　Battle　of　Cowpens　in　January；　1781。

It　was　the　peculiar　misfortune　of　Washington　that　the　three　men；　Arnold；　Lee；　and　Gates；　who　ought　to　have　rendered　him　the　greatest　service；　proved　unfaithful。　Benedict　Arnold；　next　to　Washington　himself；　was　probably　the　most　brilliant　and　resourceful　soldier　of　the　Revolution。　Washington　so　trusted　him　that；　when　the　dark　days　at　Valley　Forge　were　over；　he　placed　him　in　command　of　the　recaptured　federal　capital。　Today　the　name　of　Arnold　would　rank　high　in　the　memory　of　a　grateful　country　had　he　not　fallen　into　the　bottomless　pit　of　treason。　The　same　is　in　some　measure　true　of　Charles　Lee；　who　was　freed　by　the　British　in　an　exchange　of　prisoners　and　joined　Washington　at　Valley　Forge　late　in　the　spring　of　1778。　Lee　was　so　clever　with　his　pen　as　to　be　one　of　the　reputed　authors　of　the　Letters　of　Junius。　He　had　served　as　a　British　officer　in　the　conquest　of　Canada；　and　later　as　major　general　in　the　army　of　Poland。　He　had　a　jealous　and　venomous　temper　and　could　never　conceal　the　contempt　of　the　professional　soldier　for　civilian　generals。　He；　too；　fell　into　the　abyss　of　treason。　Horatio　Gates；　also　a　regular　soldier；　had　served　under　Braddock　and　was　thus　at　that　early　period　a　comrade　of　Washington。　Intriguer　he　was；　but　not　a　traitor。　It　was　incompetence　and　perhaps　cowardice　which　brought　his　final　ruin。

Europe　had　thousands　of　unemployed　officers　some　of　whom　had　had　experience　in　the　Seven　Years'　War　and　many　turned　eagerly　to　America　for　employment。　There　were　some　good　soldiers　among　these　fighting　adventurers。　Kosciuszko；　later　famous　as　a　Polish　patriot；　rose　by　his　merits　to　the　rank　of　brigadier　general　in　the　American　army；　De　Kalb；　son　of　a　German　peasant；　though　not　a　baron；　as　he　called　himself；　proved　worthy　of　the　rank　of　a　major　general。　There　was；　however；　a　flood　of　volunteers　of　another　type。　French　officers　fleeing　from　their　creditors　and　sometimes　under　false　names　and　titles；　made　their　way　to　America　as　best　they　could　and　came　to　Washington　with　pretentious　claims。　Germans　and　Poles　there　were；　too；　and　also　exiles　from　that　unhappy　island　which　remains　still　the　most　vexing　problem　of　British　politics。　Some　of　them　wrote　their　own　testimonials；　some；　too；　were　spies。　On　the　first　day；　Washington　wrote；　they　talked　only　of　serving　freely　a　noble　cause；　but　within　a　week　were　demanding　promotion　and　advance　of　money。　Sometimes　they　took　a　high　tone　with　members　of　Congress　who　had　not　courage　to　snub　what　Washington　called　impudence　and　vain　boasting。　〃I　am　haunted　and　teased　to　death　by　the　importunity　of　some　and　dissatisfaction　of　others〃　wrote　Washington　of　these　people。

One　foreign　officer　rendered　incalculable　service　to　the　American　cause。　It　was　not　only　on　the　British　side　that　Germans　served　in　the　American　Revolution。　The　Baron　yon　Steuben　was；　like　La　Fayette；　a　man　of　rank　in　his　own　country；　and　his　personal　service　to　the　Revolution　was　much　greater　than　that　of　La　Fayette。　Steuben　had　served　on　the　staff　of　Frederick　the　Great　and　was　distinguished　for　his　wit　and　his　polished　manners。　There　was　in　him　nothing　of　the　needy　adventurer。　The　sale　of　Hessian　and　other　troops　to　the　British　by　greedy　German　princes　was　met　in　some　circles　in　Germany　by　a　keen　desire　to　aid　the　cause　of　the　young　republic。　Steuben；　who　held　a　lucrative　post；　became　convinced；　while　on　a　visit　to　Paris；　that　he　could　render　service　in　training　the　Americans。　With　quick　sympathy　and　showing　no　reserve　in　his　generous　spirit　he　abandoned　his　country；　as　it　proved　forever；　took　ship　for　the　United　States；　and　arrived　in　November；　1777。　Washington　welcomed　him　at　Valley　Forge　in　the　following　March。　He　was　made　Inspector　General　and　at　once　took　in　hand　the　organization　of　the　army。　He　prepared　〃Regulations　for　the　Order　and　Discipline　of　the　Troops　of　the　United　States〃　later；　in　1779；　issued　as　a　book。　Under　this　German　influence　British　methods　were　discarded。　The　word　of　command　became　short　and　sharp。　The　British　practice　of　leaving　recruits　to　be　trained　by　sergeants；　often　ignorant；　coarse；　and　brutal；　was　discarded；　and　officers　themselves　did　this　work。　The　last　letter　which　Washington　wrote　before　he　resigned　his　command　at　the　end　of　the　war　was　to　thank　Steuben　for　his　invaluable　aid。　Charles　Lee　did　not　believe　that　American　recruits　could　be　quickly　trained　so　as　to　be　able　to　face　the　disciplined　British　battalions。　Steuben　was　to　prove　that　Lee　was　wrong　to　Lee's　own　entire　undoing　at　Monmouth　when　fighting　began　in　1778。


The　British　army　in　America　furnished　sharp　contrasts　to　that　of　Washington。　If　the　British　jeered　at　the　fighting　quality　of　citizens；　these　retorted　that　the　British　soldier　was　a　mere　slave。　There　were　two　great　stains　upon　the　British　system；　the　press…gang　and　flogging。　Press…gangs　might　seize　men　abroad　in　the　streets　of　a　town　and；　unless　they　could　prove　that　they　were　gentlemen　in　rank；　they　could　be　sent　in　the　fleet　to　serve　in　the　remotest　corners　of　the　earth。　In　both　navy　and　army　flogging　outraged　the　dignity　of　manhood。　The　liability　to　this　brutal　and　degrading　punishment　kept　all　but　the　dregs　of　the　populace　from　enlisting　in　the　British　army。　It　helped　to　fix　the　deep　gulf　between　officers　and　men。　Forty　years　later　Napoleon　Bonaparte；　despot　though　he　might　be；　was　struck　by　this　separation。　He　himself　went　freely　among　his　men；　warmed　himself　at　their　fire；　and　talked　to　them　familiarly　about　their　work；　and　he　thought　that　the　British　officer　was　too　aloof　in　his　demeanor。　In　the　British　army　serving　in　America　there　were　many　officers　of　aristocratic　birth　and　long　training　in　military　science。　When　they　found　that　American　officers　were　frequently　drawn　from　a　class　of　society　which　in　England　would　never　aspire　to　a　commission；　and　were　largely　self…taught；　not　unnaturally　they　jeered　at　an　army　so　constituted。　Another　fact　excited　British　disdain。　The　Americans　were　technically　rebels　against　their　lawful　ruler；　and　rebels　in　arms　have　no　rights　as　belligerents。　When　the　war　ended　more　than　a　thousand　American　prisoners　were　still　held　in　England　on　the　capi