washington and his comrades in arms-第34章

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yalist　property。　Lists　of　Loyalist　names　were　sometimes　posted　and　then　the　persons　concerned　were　likely　to　be　the　victims　of　any　one　disposed　to　mischief。　Sometimes　a　suspected　Loyalist　would　find　an　effigy　hung　on　a　tree　before　his　own　door　with　a　hint　that　next　time　the　figure　might　be　himself。　A　musket　ball　might　come　whizzing　through　his　window。　Many　a　Loyalist　was　stripped；　plunged　in　a　barrel　of　tar；　and　then　rolled　in　feathers；　taken　sometimes　from　his　own　bed。

Punishment　for　loyalism　was　not；　however；　left　merely　to　chance。　Even　before　the　Declaration　of　Independence；　Congress；　sitting　itself　in　a　city　where　loyalism　was　strong；　urged　the　States　to　act　sternly　in　repressing　Loyalist　opinion。　They　did　not　obey　every　urging　of　Congress　as　eagerly　as　they　responded　to　this　one。　In　practically　every　State　Test　Acts　were　passed　and　no　one　was　safe　who　did　not　carry　a　certificate　that　he　was　free　of　any　suspicion　of　loyalty　to　King　George。　Magistrates　were　paid　a　fee　for　these　certificates　and　thus　had　a　golden　reason　for　insisting　that　Loyalists　should　possess　them。　To　secure　a　certificate　the　holder　must　forswear　allegiance　to　the　King　and　promise　support　to　the　State　at　war　with　him。　An　unguarded　word　even　about　the　value　in　gold　of　the　continental　dollar　might　lead　to　the　adding　of　the　speaker's　name　to　the　list　of　the　proscribed。　Legislatures　passed　bills　denouncing　Loyalists。　The　names　in　Massachusetts　read　like　a　list　of　the　leading　families　of　New　England。　The　〃Black　List〃　of　Pennsylvania　contained　four　hundred　and　ninety　names　of　Loyalists　charged　with　treason；　and　Philadelphia　had　the　grim　experience　of　seeing　two　Loyalists　led　to　the　scaffold　with　ropes　around　their　necks　and　hanged。　Most　of　the　persecuted　Loyalists　lost　all　their　property　and　remained　exiles　from　their　former　homes。　The　self…appointed　committees　took　in　hand　the　task　of　disciplining　those　who　did　not　fly；　and　the　rabble　often　pushed　matters　to　brutal　extremes。　When　we　remember　that　Washington　himself　regarded　Tories　as　the　vilest　of　mankind　and　unfit　to　live；　we　can　imagine　the　spirit　of　mobs；　which　had　sometimes　the　further　incentive　of　greed　for　Loyalist　property。　Loyalists　had　the　experience　of　what　we　now　call　boycotting　when　they　could　not　buy　or　sell　in　the　shops　and　were　forced　to　see　their　own　shops　plundered。　Mills　would　not　grind　their　corn。　Their　cattle　were　maimed　and　poisoned。　They　could　not　secure　payment　of　debts　due　to　them　or；　if　payment　was　made；　they　received　it　in　the　debased　continental　currency　at　its　face　value。　They　might　not　sue　in　a　court　of　law；　nor　sell　their　property；　nor　make　a　will。　It　was　a　felony　for　them　to　keep　arms。　No　Loyalist　might　hold　office；　or　practice　law　or　medicine；　or　keep　a　school。

Some　Loyalists　were　deported　to　the　wilderness　in　the　back　country。　Many　took　refuge　within　the　British　lines；　especially　at　New　York。　Many　Loyalists　created　homes　elsewhere。　Some　went　to　England　only　to　find　melancholy　disillusion　of　hope　that　a　grateful　motherland　would　understand　and　reward　their　sacrifices。　Large　numbers　found　their　way　to　Nova　Scotia　and　to　Canada；　north　of　the　Great　Lakes；　and　there　played　a　part　in　laying　the　foundation　of　the　Dominion　of　today。　The　city　of　Toronto　with　a　population　of　half　a　million　is　rooted　in　the　Loyalist　traditions　of　its　Tory　founders。　Simcoe；　the　first　Governor　of　Upper　Canada；　who　made　Toronto　his　capital；　was　one　of　the　most　enterprising　of　the　officers　who　served　with　Cornwallis　in　the　South　and　surrendered　with　him　at　Yorktown。

The　State　of　New　York　acquired　from　the　forfeited　lands　of　Loyalists　a　sum　approaching　four　million　dollars；　a　great　amount　in　those　days。　Other　States　profited　in　a　similar　way。　Every　Loyalist　whose　property　was　seized　had　a　direct　and　personal　grievance。　He　could　join　the　British　army　and　fight　against　his　oppressors；　and　this　he　did：　New　York　furnished　about　fifteen　thousand　men　to　fight　on　the　British　side。　Plundered　himself；　he　could　plunder　his　enemies；　and　this　too　he　did　both　by　land　and　sea。　In　the　autumn　of　1778　ships　manned　chiefly　by　Loyalist　refugees　were　terrorizing　the　coast　from　Massachusetts　to　New　Jersey。　They　plundered　Martha's　Vineyard；　burned　some　lesser　towns；　such　as　New　Bedford；　and　showed　no　quarter　to　small　parties　of　American　troops　whom　they　managed　to　intercept。

What　happened　on　the　coast　happened　also　in　the　interior。　At　Wyoming　in　the　northeastern　part　of　Pennsylvania；　in　July；　1778；　during　a　raid　of　Loyalists；　aided　by　Indians；　there　was　a　brutal　massacre；　the　horrors　of　which　long　served　to　inspire　hate　for　the　British。　A　little　later　in　the　same　year　similar　events　took　place　at　Cherry　Valley；　in　central　New　York。　Burning　houses；　the　dead　bodies　not　only　of　men　but　of　women　and　children　scalped　by　the　savage　allies　of　the　Loyalists；　desolation　and　ruin　in　scenes　once　peaceful　and　happy　such　horrors　American　patriotism　learned　to　associate　with　the　Loyalists。　These　in　their　turn　remembered　the　slow　martyrdom　of　their　lives　as　social　outcasts；　the　threats　and　plunder　which　in　the　end　forced　them　to　fly；　the　hardships；　starvation；　and　death　to　their　loved　ones　which　were　wont　to　follow。　The　conflict　is　perhaps　the　most　tragic　and　irreconcilable　in　the　whole　story　of　the　Revolution。



CHAPTER　X。　FRANCE　TO　THE　RESCUE

During　1778　and　1779　French　effort　had　failed。　Now　France　resolved　to　do　something　decisive。　She　never　sent　across　the　sea　the　eight　thousand　men　promised　to　La　Fayette　but　by　the　spring　of　1780　about　this　number　were　gathered　at　Brest　to　find　that　transport　was　inadequate。　The　leader　was　a　French　noble；　the　Comte　de　Rochambeau；　an　old　campaigner；　now　in　his　fifty…fifth　year；　who　had　fought　against　England　before　in　the　Seven　Years'　War　and　had　then　been　opposed　by　Clinton；　Cornwallis；　and　Lord　George　Germain。　He　was　a　sound　and　prudent　soldier　who　shares　with　La　Fayette　the　chief　glory　of　the　French　service　in　America。　Rochambeau　had　fought　at　the　second　battle　of　Minden；　where　the　father　of　La　Fayette　had　fallen；　and　he　had　for　the　ardent　young　Frenchman　the　amiable　regard　of　a　father　and　sometimes　rebuked　his　impulsiveness　in　that　spirit。　He　studied　the　problem　in　America　with　the　insight　of　a　trained　leader。　Before　he　left　France　he　made　the　pregnant　comment　on　the　outlook：　〃Nothing　without　naval　supremacy。〃　About　the　same　time　Washington　was　writing　to　La　Fayette　that　a　decisive　naval　supremacy　was　a　fundamental　need。

A　gallant　company　it　was　which　gathered　at　Brest。　Probably　no　other　land　than　France　could　have　sent　forth　on　a　crusade　for　democratic　liberty　a　band　of　aristocrats　who　had　little　thought　of　applying　to　their　own　land　the　principles　for　which　they　were　ready　to　fight　in　America。　Over　some　of　them　hung　the　shadow　of　the　guillotine；　others　were　to　ride　the　storm　of　the　French　Revolution　and　to　attain　fame　which　should　surpass　their　sanguine　dreams。　Rochambeau　himself；　though　he　narrowly　escaped　during　the　Reign　of　Terror；　lived　to　extreme　old　age　and　died　a　Marshal　of　France。　Berthier；　one　of　his　officers；　became　one　of　Napoleon's　marshals　and　died　just　when　Napoleon；　whom　he　had　deserted；　returned　from　Elba。　Dumas　became　another　of　Napoleon's　generals。　He　nearly　perished　in　the　retreat　from　Moscow　but　lived；　like　Rochambeau；　to　extreme　old　age。　One　of　the　gayest　of　the　company　was　the　Duc　de　Lauzun；　a　noted　libertine　in　France　but；　as　far　as　the　record　goes；　a　man　of　blameless　propriety　in　America。　He　died　on　the　scaffold　during　the　French　Revolution。　So；　too；　did　his　companion；　the　Prince　de　Broglie；　in　spite　of　the　protest　of　his　last　words　that　he　was　faithful　to　the　principles　of　the　Revolution；　some　of　which　he　had　learned　in　America。　Another　companion　was　the　Swedish　Count　Fersen；　later　the　devoted　friend　of　the　unfortunate　Queen　Marie　Antoinette；　the　driver　of　the　carriage　in　which　the　royal　family　made　the　famous　flight　to　Varennes　in　1791；　and　himself　destined　to　be　trampled　to　death　by　a　Swedish　mob　in　1810。　Other　old　and　famous　names　there　were：　Laval…Montmorency；　Mirabeau；　Talleyrand；　Saint…Simon。　It　has　been　said　that　the　names　of　the　French　officers　in　America　read　like　a　list　of　medieval　heroes　in　the　Chronicles　of　Froissart。

Only　half　of　the　expected　shi