251 255 My choicest darts against the hero's life, The driving ice jamm'd up his feeble raft, And plunged him in the deep? What else but this, 257. On that fam'd mission—“The exertions made by Mr. Washington on this occasion, the perseverance with which he surmounted the difficulties of the journey, and the judgment he displayed [though a very young man] in his conduct towards the Indians, raised him very much in the public opinion, as well as in that of the lieutenant-governor." The whole report of this arduous undertaking is given in the Life of Washington, vol. ii. p. 5; but the following extract (p. 25) will illustrate the meaning of the text; "Just after we (Mr. Washington and Mr. Gist) had passed a place called Murdering-town (where we intended to quit the path, and steer across the country at Shannapin's town) we fell in with a party of French Indians who had lain in wait for us. One of them fired at Mr. Gist or me, not fifteen steps off, but fortunately missed. We took this fellow into custody, and kept him till about nine o'clock at night; then let him go, and walked all the remaining part of the night without making any stop, that we might get the start so far as to be out of the reach of their pursuit the next day, since we were well assured that they would follow our track as soon as it was light." 260. And plunged him in the deep?"There was no way for getting over but on a raft, which we set about with one poor hatchet, and finished just after sun-setting. This was a whole day's work; we next got it launched; then went on board of it and set off; but before we were half way over, we were jammed in the ice in such a manner that we expected every moment our raft to sink and ourselves to perish. put out my setting-pole to try to stop the raft, that the ice might pass by; when the rapidity of the stream threw it with so 262 When glorious Braddock fell, and not one chief much violence against the pole, that it jerked me out into ten feet water. But I fortunately saved myself by catching hold on one of the raft logs. Notwithstanding all our efforts, we could not get to either shore; but were obliged, as we were near an island, to quit our raft and make to it." Ib. p. 25-6. 262. Save Washington alone-" General Braddock, who possessed personal courage in a very eminent degree, but who was without experience in that species of warfare in which he was engaged-exerted his utmost powers to form his broken troops, under an incessant and galling fire, on the very ground where they were first attacked. In his fruitless efforts to restore order, every officer on horseback, except Mr. Washington, was killed or wounded; and at length the general himself, after losing three horses, received a mortal wound, and his regulars fled in the utmost terror and confusion." Life of Washington, i. 458. 264. Not jealousy, nor envy, &c.-The Americans, the true and genuine offspring of British parents, have constantly entertained a constitutional and hereditary jealousy of a standing army: nor was Washington exempt from this feeling; he allowed its justice, though he felt acutely how much the cause of his country suffered from it. One of its evils, and not the least, was the opportunity which it gave to his rivals to indulge their own private envy under the semblance of publick patriotism. Hence arose a faction, headed by general Conway, whose chief design seems to have been to supplant Washington, and "exalt general Gates on his ruin.' Had this plan succeeded, the subjugation of America would have appeared inevitable. In a letter to Mr. Laurens, president of Congress, Washington thus expresses himself; Why should I expect to be exempt from censure, the unfailing lot of an elevated station? Merit and talents, which I cannot pretend to rival, have ever been subject to it. My heart tells me it has been my unremitted aim to do the best which circumstances would permit; yet I may have been very often mistaken in my judgment of the means, and may in many instances deserve the imputation of error." Upon this subject, and upon the dreadful distresses of the army, which he says in one place "must inev itably be reduced to one or other 66 Nor rancorous malice, nor unjust abuse, Famine, disease, and pestilence, and feuds, He'd stand unmov'd amid the wreck of worlds. 265 270 of these three things-to starve, dissolve, or disperse in order to obtain subsistence," see Life of W. iii. p. 351373; ii. 302. 334. 340. 612-3; iv. 253. 349. 97.468; Ramsay, ii. 222-3. 164. 186-9. Upon the calumnies he suffered upon other accounts, see Life of W. ii. 30-1. 74; Ramsay, i. 261. 306. 266. Nor internal foes,-In the earlier period of the revolution there were great numbers" who viewed the dissolution of their connection with Britain with anxious regret. -And it was also an unfortunate truth, that in the whole country between New England and the Potomac, which was now to become the great theatre of action, although the majority were in favour of independence, yet there existed a formidable minority, who not only refused to act with their countrymen, but were ready to give the enemy every aid in their power.-In the neighbourhood of New-York a plot to favour the enemy on their landing, and, as was understood, to seize and deliver up general Washington himself, had been formed, in which governor Tryon, through the agency of the mayor of New-York, was believed to be principally concerned." See Life of W. ii. 483.466-7. 353. 596; iii. 53-4. 272. He'd stand unmov'd-" Among the many valuable traits in the character of general Washington, was that unyielding firmness of mind, which resisted these accumulated circumstances of depression, and supported him under them. Undismayed by the dangers which surrounded him, he did not, for an instant, relax his exertions, nor omit any thing which could obstruct the progress of the enemy, or ameliorate his own condition. He did not appear to despair of the public safety, but struggled against adverse fortune, with the hope of yet vanquishing the difficulties which surrounded him; and constantly showed himself to his harassed and enfeebled army, with a serene unembarrassed counte And soon must fall, while speculators, thieves, -310 307. while speculators, &c.-" Nothing, in my judgment, (says Washington) can save us but a total reformation in our own conduct, or some decisive turn of affairs in Europe. The former, alas! to our shame be it spoken, is less likely to happen than the latter; as it is now consistent with the views of the speculators, various tribes of money-makers, and stock-jobbers of all denominations, to continue the war for their own private emolument, without considering that this avarice and thirst for gain must plunge every thing, including themselves, in one common ruin." Life of W. iv. 57; iii. 40, &c. See Ramsay, ii. 129. where speaking of the depreciation of the American paper, he says that at one period it was so low as "several hundreds for one." See ii. 135. 184. 187-8. 224. 310. For aid on Jefferson :-Washington in one of his letters writes thus ; "Where are our men of abilities? Why do they not come forth to save their country? Let this voice, my dear sir, call upon you, Jefferson, and others." Life of W. iv. 58. See 324. 310. the brave De Kalb-This brave German baron was killed at the battle of Camden (an. 1780), where he was second in command under Gates; and "the Congress resolved that a monument should be erected to his memory in "While Annapolis with a very honourable inscription." making a vigorous charge at the head of a regiment of infantry, he fell under eleven wounds." See Ramsay, ii. 168; and Life of W. iv. 233. 312. Of great Montgomery-This great and upright character, worthy of the best period of Spartan integrity, whom friends and foes have equally contributed to celebrate, whom both Minervas have claimed their own, died at an early period of the war in making one of the boldest attempts that history has ever recorded; the attempt to take Quebec by escalade, and that too with an inferiour number of troops. His fate is singular. "Cape Diamond, around which he was to make his way, presents a precipice, the foot of which Where are already sent the warriour souls is washed by the river, where enormous and rugged masses of ice had been piled on each other, so as to render the way almost impassable. Along the scanty path leading under the projecting rocks of the precipice, the Americans pressed forward in a narrow file, till they reached the blockhouse and picquet. Montgomery, who was himself in the front, assisted with his own hands to cut down or pull up the picquets, and open a passage for his troops; but the excessive roughness and difficulty of the way had so lengthened his line of march, that he found it absolutely necessary to halt a few minutes, in order to collect a force with which he might venture to proceed. Having re-assembled about 200 men, whom he encouraged alike by his voice and his example, he advanced boldly and rapidly at their head to force the barrier. One or two persons had now ventured to return to the battery, and seizing a slow match standing by one of the guns, discharged the piece, when the American front was within forty paces of it. Tois single and accidental fire was a fatal one. The general, and captains M'Pherson and Cheesman, two valuable young officers near his person, the first of whom was his aid, together with his orderly serjeant and a private, were killed on the spot."-Burke, Barrè, and Fox vied with each other in their eulogiums of him; and even lord North, who had censured this unqualified praise bestowed upon a rebel, “admitted indeed that he was brave, he was able, he was humane, he was generous; but still he was only a brave, able, humane, and generous rebel;" and said "that the verse of the tragedy of Cato might be applied to him; 999 'Curse on his virtues, they 've undone his country.' Fox upon this rose again, and said “the term of rebel, applied by the noble lord to that excellent person, was no certain mark of disgrace, and therefore he was the less earnest to clear him of the imputation; for that all the great assertors of liberty, the saviours of their country, the benefactors of mankind, in all ages had been called rebels; that they even owed the constitution, which enabled them to sit in that house, to a rebellion." "Richard Montgomery, whose short but splendid course was thus terminated, was a native of Ireland, and had served with reputation in the late war; after its conclusion he settled in New-York, where he married an American lady, and took a very strong and decided part (as did many of his oppressed countrymen) with the colonies in their contest with Great Britain." A monument was decreed him by Congress, C |