7. PART VII
IN CAMP
68. Kentucky Riflemen
FROM THE VIRGINIA GAZETTE (1775)
ON Friday evening last, arrived at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on
their way to the American camp, Captain Cresap's company of
riflemen, consisting of one hundred and thirty active, brave young
fellows; many of whom have been in the late expedition under Lord
Dunmore, against the
Indians.[185]
They bear in their bodies visible marks of their prowess, and
show scars and wounds which would do honor to Homer's Iliad. They
show you, to use the poet's words:—
"where the gor'd battle bled at every vein!"
One of these warriors, in particular, shows the cicatrices of four
bullet holes through his body. These men have been bred in the woods
to hardships and dangers from their infancy. They appear as if they
were entirely unacquainted with, and had never felt the passion of fear.
With their rifles in their hands, they assume a kind of omnipotence
over their enemies.
One cannot much wonder at this, when we mention a fact
which can be fully attested by several of the reputable persons who
were eye-witnesses of it. Two brothers in the company took a piece of
board five inches broad and seven inches long, with a bit of white
paper, about the size of a dollar, nailed in the centre; and while one of
them supported this board perpendicularly between his knees, the
other, at the distance of upwards of sixty yards, and without any kind
of rest, shot eight bullets through it successively, and spared a brother's
thigh!
Another of the company held a barrel stave perpendicularly in
his hands with one edge close to his side, while one of his comrades, at
the same distance, and in the manner before mentioned, shot several
bullets through it, without any apprehension of danger on either side.
The spectators appearing to be amazed at these feats, were told
that there were upwards of fifty persons in the same company who
could do the same thing; that there was not one who could not plug
nineteen bullets out of twenty, as they termed it, within an inch of the
head of a tenpenny nail. In short, to prove the confidence they
possessed in their dexterity at these kind of arms, some of them
proposed to stand with apples on their heads, while others at the same
distance, undertook to shoot them off; but the people who saw the other
experiments declined to be witnesses of this.
At night a great fire was kindled around a pole planted in the
Court House Square, where the company, with the captain at their
head, all naked to the waist, and painted like savages, (except the
captain, who was in an Indian shirt,) indulged a vast concourse
of people with a perfect exhibition of a war-dance, and all the
manoeuvres of Indians, holding council, going to war, circumventing
their enemies by defiles, ambuscades, attacking, scalping, &c.
It is said by those who are judges, that no representation could
possibly come nearer the original. The captain's expertness and agility,
in particular, in these experiments astonished every beholder. This
morning they will set out on their march for Cambridge.
[[185]]
These men came from Kentucky to aid in the
siege of Boston.
69. Winter Amusements in Canada
BY A GERMAN OFFICER (1777)
You ask, have we had plenty of amusement this winter? I answer,
right good! You see, there are a number of seigneurs and curés
in our neighborhood,[186] and with their
help and that of our officers in the vicinity we have been enabled to
have a convivial, sociable, happy, and at times a "high old time"! Our
seigneur at St. Anne is a passably rich man. The cures, also, are not to
be despised. They are good royalists, and, being the possessors of good
livings, are able to furnish dinners for twenty persons.
On Dec. 31st there was a great festival at Quebec; that day
being celebrated as the first anniversary of the deliverance of Quebec,
on which occasion the rebels lost their great leader, General
Montgomery. At 9 o'clock in the morning, a thanksgiving service was
held in the Cathedral, at which Monseigneur, the Bishop, officiated.
Eight unfortunate Canadians who had sided with the rebels
were present, with ropes about their necks,
and were forced to do penance before all in the church, and crave
pardon of their God, Church and King. At to o'clock, the civic and
military authorities, as well as all visiting and resident gentlemen,
whether Canadian or English, assembled at the Government House. All
the resident gentlemen of Quebec, in accordance with their rank as
officers of the militia, wore green suits with straw facings, waistcoats,
knee breeches, and silver epaulettes upon their shoulders.
In the evening, at six, the entire company started for the large
English hotel, where over ninety-four ladies and two hundred
gentlemen were already assembled in the great hall. The ladies were
seated on rows of raised benches. A concert was at once begun, during
which an English ode, written in honor of the festival, was sung.
During the music, tickets were distributed to those of both sexes who
desired to dance. Every gentleman received a ticket for a certain lady,
with whom he was obliged to dance the entire evening.
During these dances, some distinction is made between the
rank of the gentlemen and the ladies. Strangers, however, receive
preference. Every couple goes through the minuet alone, and the ladies
call off the name of the minuet to be danced. At large balls this custom
becomes very tiresome. English dances are performed with two
couples. All kinds of refreshments were served; and notwithstanding
that the place was somewhat confined, no spectator was incommoded.
The streets in front of the hotel were alive with people. At midnight a
regular supper was served at a number of tables. It is true that the
eatables were all cold; but delicacies and pastry could be had in
superabundance.
At 2 o'clock dancing was again renewed, and lasted until
broad daylight. All the English, and the French officers of militia at
Quebec gave these fetes, which must easily have cost five thousand
dollars.
On Jan. 20th, Major-General von Riedesel celebrated the
birthday of her Majesty the Queen at Three Rivers. We covered the
distance (7 English miles) in four hours, in a cariole, and dined at a
table laid for forty covers. Many healths were drunk, while in front of
the house, a small cannon was roaring!
A ball was given in the afternoon and evening, at which thirty-seven ladies were present. These remained to supper, and were waited
on by their cavaliers. The charms of Demoiselle Tonnancour were
greatly heightened by her jewels; still, poor Demoiselle Ruelle, in her
faded calico gown, was preferred by many, on account both of her
natural and sweet charms, and the beauty of her voice. Know, my dear
sir, that the Canadian beauties sing Italian and French songs.
On the 5th of February, seven couples were married in the
church at St. Anne. On this August occasion, Major von Ehrenkrook
led to the altar a squaw who was to marry an Indian. This post of honor
can only be filled when the intended brides have no fathers to give
them away—their escorts, in such a case, taking the place of the latter.
We dined with the cure, and were entertained at the houses of the
different brides.
As our musicians were in Quebec, and village musicians are
unknown here, we were obliged to dance to the humming of the tra-la-la of a Canadian minuet. We also had to endure the bawling of songs
sung from stentorian lungs.
On account of our services to the brides, in giving them away,
etc., we are considered by the good people of St. Anne as one of
themselves; for, from the old grandmamma of seventy to the young
maiden of fifteen to seventeen years, they all offer us their mouths to
be kissed whenever they meet us. This is the Canadian greeting
between relatives and intimate friends; more formal acquaintances
offer merely their hands. This custom prevails not only among the
well-to-do, but among the lower classes; and is one of the rights of
friendship.
I have not heard from you for so long a time that I think your
pen must be frozen. Therefore let me tell you something about
Canadian snow. One of the cursed disagreeable things to be met with in
Canada is the prevalence of fierce winds.
They rise generally every third day, and last about twelve
hours. They cause the snow to drift from place to place, and gradually
to fill up all the holes and pits until they are level with the rest of the
land. The effect of this is to make the surrounding country look very
pretty, but it is none the less dangerous to travel without taking proper
precautions; otherwise one may tumble into one of these holes and
break his limbs, or a horse and sleigh may fall into one and the horse
remain buried alive for several weeks.
In order to find the way, young pine-trees are stuck up on each
side of the road, twenty feet apart; and in this artificial alley one can
drive with safety. One can scarcely imagine how these roads are
changed, either by the weather or the force of circumstances; and each
time a road is shifted it is abounded and the trees pulled up.
The roads across the ice on the St. Lawrence River
are staked out in a similar manner; and whenever a traveller meets with
a weak spot in the ice, he is obliged to stop and mark the place. In fact,
travelling in Canada is peculiar; for to-day the road may lead over a
hill, and to-morrow over a river. Pedestrians, however, can skim over
the snow like hares by means of snow-shoes, which they bind under
their feet. In using them, one must take a long stride, at the same time
trailing his feet on a slant.
[[186]]
Seigneurs, lords of the land, whom the
peasantry served and obeyed; curés, parish priests.
70. Queer Cavalry
BY ALEXANDER GRAYDON (ABOUT 1778)
AMONG the military phenomena of this campaign, the
Connecticut light horse ought not to be forgotten. They consisted of a
considerable number of old-fashioned men, probably farmers and
heads of families, as they were generally middle-aged, and many of
them apparently beyond the meridian of life.
They were truly irregulars; and whether their clothing, their
equipments or caparisons were regarded, it would have been difficult to
have discovered any circumstance of uniformity; though in the features
derived from "local habitation," they were one and the same.
Instead of carbines and satires, they generally carried fowling
pieces; some of them very long, and such as in Pennsylvania are used
for shooting ducks. Here and there, one, "his youthful garments, well
saved," appeared in a dingy regimental of scarlet, with a triangular,
tarnished, laced hat.
In short, so little were they like modern soldiers, in
air or costume, that, dropping the necessary number of years, they
might have been supposed the identical men who had in part composed
Pepperil's army at the taking of
Louisbourg.
[187] Their order of march
corresponded with their other irregularities. It "spindled into longitude
immense," presenting in extended and ill-compacted flank, as though
they had disdained the advantage of concentration.
These singular dragoons were volunteers, who came to make a
tender of their services to the Commander-in-chief. But they stayed not
long at New York. As such a body of cavalry had not been counted
upon, there was in all probability a want of forage for their horses,
which, in spite of ancient knighthood, they absolutely refused to
descend from; and as the General had no use for cavaliers in his insular
operations, they were forthwith dismissed with suitable
acknowledgments for their truly chivalrous ardor.
An unlucky trooper of this school had by some means or
other, found his way to Long Island, and was taken by the enemy in the
battle of the 27th of August. The British officers made themselves very
merry at his expense, and obliged him to amble about for their
entertainment. On being asked, what had been his duty in the rebel
army, he answered, that it was to flank a little and carry tidings.
But notwithstanding the unwarlike guise of the troops from
New England there was no part of the continent perhaps, in which so
little impression could be made, or in which the enemy was so cautious
of advancing. Their numbers and zeal rendered them formidable when
fighting on their own ground; and the defence of Bunker's hill was
worthy of the bravest veterans.
71. The Amenities of Camp Life
BY SURGEON JAMES THACHER (1779)
February.—Having continued to live under cover of canvas tents
most of the winter, we have suffered extremely from exposure to cold
and storms.[188] Our soldiers have been
employed six or eight weeks in constructing log huts, which at length
are completed, and both officers and soldiers are now under
comfortable covering for the remainder of the winter.
Log houses are constructed with the trunks of trees, cut into
various lengths according to the size intended, and are firmly
connected by notches cut at their extremities in the manner of
dovetailing. The vacancies between the logs are filled in with plastering
consisting of mud and clay.
The roof is formed of similar pieces of timber, and covered
with hewn slabs. The chimney situated at one end of the house is made
of similar but smaller timber, and both the inner and the outer side are
covered with clay plaster, to defend the wood against the fire. The door
and windows are formed by sawing away a part of the logs of a proper
size, and move on wooden hinges.
In this manner have our soldiers, without nails, and almost
without tools, except the axe and saw, provided for their officers and
for themselves comfortable and convenient quarters, with little or no
expense to the public. The huts are arranged in straight lines forming a
regular uniform compact village.
The officers' huts are situated in front of the line, according to
their rank, the kitchens in the rear, and the whole is similar in form to a
tent encampment.
The ground for a considerable distance in front of the soldiers' line of
huts is cleared of wood, stumps, and rubbish, and is every morning
swept clean for the purpose of a parade ground and roll call for the
respective regiments.
The officers' huts are in general divided into two apartments,
and are occupied by three or four officers, who compose one mess.
Those for the soldiers have but one room, and contain ten or twelve
men, with their bunks placed one above another against the walls, and
filled with straw, and one blanket for each man. I now occupy a hut
with our field officers, Colonel Gibson, Lieutenant Colonel Brent, and
Major Meriweather.
4th.—A duel has lately been fought between a surgeon and an
adjutant in General Scott's brigade; the former received a bad wound,
and the latter escaped with honor. Who will hesitate, says one, to
exchange a few shot with a friend to obtain the appellation of a
gentleman of honor? If I kill my antagonist I have the satisfaction of
settling a point of honor? If I receive a ball through my own heart, I die
in the glorious cause of honor." You have offended me in a delicate
point," says an officer to his friend," and I now demand of you the
satisfaction of a gentleman, I have
settled my affairs, and prepared myself to die, if that shall be my fate,"--"then," replied the other, "we cannot fight on equal terms, for I have
not had time to do either."
His Excellency the Commander in
Chief[189] has long been in the practice of inviting a
certain number of officers to dine at his table every day. It is not to be
supposed that his Excellency can be made acquainted with every
officer by name, but the invitations are given through the medium of
general orders, in which is mentioned the brigade from which the
officer is expected.
Yesterday I accompanied Major Cavil to headquarters, and
had the honor of being numbered among the guests at the table of his
Excellency, with his lady, two young ladies from Virginia, and several
other officers.
It is natural to view with keen attention the countenance of an
illustrious man, with a secret hope of discovering in his features some
peculiar traces of excellence, which distinguishes him from and
elevates him above his fellow mortals. These expectations are realized
in a peculiar manner, in viewing the person of General Washington.
His tall and noble stature and just proportions, his fine,
cheerful open countenance, simple and modest deportment, are all
calculated to interest every beholder in his favor, and to command
veneration and respect. He is feared even when silent, and beloved
even while we are unconscious of the motive. The table was elegantly
furnished, and the provisions ample but not abounding in superfluities.
The civilities of the table were performed by Colonel
Hamilton[190] and the other gentlemen
of the
family, the General and wife being seated at the side of the table. In
conversation, his Excellency's
expressive countenance is peculiarly interesting and pleasing; a placid
smile is frequently observed
on his lips, but a loud laugh, it is said, seldom if ever escapes him. He
is polite and attentive to
each individual at table, and retires after the compliments of a few
glasses.
Mrs. Washington combines in an uncommon degree, great
dignity of manner with the
most pleasing affability, but possesses no striking marks of beauty. I
learn from the Virginia
officers that Mrs. Washington has ever been honored as a lady of
distinguished goodness,
possessing all the virtues which adorn her sex, amiable in her temper
and deportment, full of
benignity, benevolence and charity, seeking for objects of affliction
and poverty, that she may
extend to the sufferers the hand of kindness and relief. These surely are
the attributes which reveal
a heart replete with those virtues, which are so appropriate and
estimable in the female character.
April 20th. Five soldiers were conducted to the gallows
according to their sentence, for
the crimes of desertion and robbing the inhabitants. A detachment of
troops and a concourse of
people, formed a circle round the gallows, and the criminals were
brought in a cart, sitting on
their coffins, and halters about their necks.
While in this awful situation, trembling on the verge of
eternity, three of them received a
pardon from the Commander in Chief. They acknowledged the justice
of their sentence, and
expressed the warmest thankfulness and gratitude for their merciful
pardon.
The two others were obliged to submit to their fate; one of
them was accompanied to the
fatal spot by an affectionate and sympathising brother, which rendered
the scene uncommonly
distressing, and forced tears of compassion from the eyes of numerous
spectators.
They repeatedly embraced and kissed each other, with all the
fervor of brotherly love,
and would not be separated till the executioner was obliged to perform
his duty when, with a
flood of tears and mournful lamentations, they bade each other an
eternal adieu the criminal,
trembling under the horrors of an untimely and disgraceful death, and
the brother, overwhelmed
with sorrow and anguish, for one whom he held most dear.
May 14th. Our brigade was paraded for the pun pose of being
reviewed by General
Washington and a number of Indian chiefs. His Excellency, with his
usual dignity, followed by his
mulatto servant Bill, riding a beautiful grey steed, passed in front of the
line and received the
salute. He was accompanied by a singular group of savages, whose
appearance was beyond
description ludicrous.
Their horses were of the meanest kind, some of them destitute
of saddles, and old lines
were used for bridles. Their personal decorations were equally farcical,
having their faces painted
of various colors, jewels suspended from their ears and nose, their
heads without covering except
tufts of hair on the crown, and some of them wore dirty blankets over
their shoulders waving in
the wind.
In short, they exhibited a novel and truly disgusting spectacle.
But his Excellency deems
it good policy to pay some attention to this tribe of the
wilderness, and to convince them of the strength and discipline of our
army, that they may be encouraged, if disposed to be friendly, or
deterred from aggression, if they
should become hostile to our country.
[[188]]
This was at Valley Forge.
[[189]]
General Washington.
[[190]]
Alexander Hamilton, later Secretary of the
Treasury.
72. New Hampshire Men
BY MARQUIS DE CHASTELLUX
(1780)[191]
I PRESSED forward my horses, and hurried on to get the start of a
traveller on horseback,
who had joined me on the road, and who would have had the same
right with myself to the
lodgings, had we arrived together. I had the satisfaction, however, to
see him pursue his journey;
but soon learned, with concern, that the little inn where I proposed to
pass that night, was
occupied by thirteen farmers, and two hundred and fifty oxen coming
from New Hampshire. The
oxen were the least inconvenient part of the company, as they were left
to graze in a meadow
hard by, without even a dog to guard them; but the farmers, their-horses, and dogs, were in
possession of the inn. They were conveying to the army a part of the
contingent of provisions
furnished by New Hampshire. This contingent is a sort of tax divided
among all the inhabitants, on
some of whom the imposition amounts to one hundred and fifty, on
others to one hundred, or
eighty, pounds of meat, according to their abilities; so they agree
amongst themselves to furnish a
larger, or smaller sized ox, no matter which, as each animal is weighed.
Their conveyance to the
army is then entrusted to some farmers, and drovers. The farmers are
allowed about a dollar a
day; and
their expenses, as well as those of the cattle, are paid them on their
return, according to the
receipts which they are obliged to produce from the inn-keepers where
they have halted. The
usual price is from three-pence to five-pence English per night for each
ox, and in proportion at
noon.
I informed myself of these particulars while my people were
endeavoring to find me
lodgings; but all the rooms, and all the beds were occupied by these
farmers, and I was in the
greatest distress, when a tall, fat man, the principal person among them,
being informed who I
was, came to me, and assured me, that neither he, nor his companions
would ever suffer a French
general officer to want a bed, and that they would rather sleep on the
floor; adding, that they were
accustomed to it, and that it would be attended with no inconvenience.
In reply I told them, I was a military man, and as much
accustomed as themselves to
make the earth my bed. We had long debates on this point of
politeness; theirs was rustic, but
more cordial and affecting than the best turned compliments. The result
was, that I had a
two-bedded room for myself and my aides de camp.
Our new acquaintance did not terminate there: after parting
from each other, I to take
some repose, they to continue drinking their grog and cider, they came
into my room. I was then
employed in tracing my route by the map of the country; this map
excited their curiosity. They
saw there with surprise and satisfaction the places they had passed
through.
They asked me if they were known in Europe, and if it was
there I had bought my maps.
On my assuring them that we knew America as well as the countries
adjoining to us, they seemed much pleased; but their joy was without
bounds, when they saw
New Hampshire, their country, on the map. They called their
companions, who were in the next
room; and mine was soon filled with the strongest and most robust men
I had hitherto seen in
America.
On my appearing struck with their size and stature, they told
me that the inhabitants of
New Hampshire were strong and vigorous, for which there were many
reasons; that the air was
excellent, their sole occupation was agriculture, and above all that their
blood was unmixed: for
this country was inhabited by ancient families who had emigrated from
England.
We parted good friends, touching, or rather shaking hands in
the English fashion, and
they assured me that they were very happy to have an opportunity to
shake hands with a French
General.
[[191]]
Chastellux was a French officer who came
over with the fleet and army sent to help the armies in 1778.
73. At Washington's Headquarters
BY MARQUIS DE CHASTELLUX ( 1780)
AT length, after riding two miles along the right flank of the army,
and after passing thick
woods on the right, I found myself in a small plain, where I saw a
handsome farm; a small camp
which seemed to cover it, a large tent extended in the court, and several
wagons round it,
convinced me that this was his Excellency's quarter; for it is thus Mr.
Washington is called in the
army, and throughout America.
M. de Lafayette[192] was in
conversation with a tall man, five feet ten inches and a half high, of a
noble and mild countenance. It was the General himself. I
was soon off horseback, and near him. The compliments were short;
the sentiments with which
I was
animated, and the good wishes he testified for me were sincere.
He conducted me to his house, where I found the company
still at table, although the
dinner had been long over. He presented me to the Generals Knox,
Wayne, Howe, &c.; also to his
family, then composed of Colonels Hamilton and Tilghman, his
secretaries and his aides de camp,
and of Major Gibbs,
commander of his guards; for in England and Amer. ice, the aides de
camp, adjutants and other
officers attached to the general, form what is called his family.
A fresh dinner was prepared for me, and mine; and the
gathering was prolonged to keep
me company. A few glasses of claret and Madeira accelerated the
acquaintances I had to make,
and I soon felt myself at my ease near the greatest and the best of men.
The goodness and benevolence which characterise him, are
evident from every thing
about him; but the confidence he gives birth to never occasions
improper familiarity; for the
sentiment he inspires has the same origin in every individual, a
profound esteem for his virtues,
and a high opinion of his talents.
About nine o'clock the general officers withdrew to their
quarters, which were all at a
considerable distance; but as the General wished me to stay in his own
house, I remained some
time with him, after which he conducted me to the chamber prepared
for my aides de camp and
me.
This chamber occupied the fourth part of his lodgings; he
apologized to me for the little
room he had in his disposal, but always with a noble politeness, which
was neither too much nor
too little.
At nine the next morning they informed me that his
Excellency was come down into the
parlor. This room served at once as audience chamber, and dining-room. I immediately went to
wait on him, and found breakfast prepared.
While we were at breakfast horses were brought, and General
Washington gave orders
for the army to get under arms at the head of the camp. The
weather was very bad, and it had already begun raining; we waited half
an hour; but the General
seeing that it was more likely to increase than to diminish, determined
to get on horseback.
Two horses were brought him, which were a present from the
State of Virginia; he
mounted one himself, and gave me the other. Mr. Lynch and Mr. de
Montesquieu, had each of
them, also, a very handsome blood horse, such as we could not find at
Newport for any money.
We repaired to the artillery camp, where General Knox
received us: the artillery was
numerous, and the gunners, in very fine order, were formed in parade,
in the foreign manner, that
is, each gunner at his battery, and ready to fire. The General was so
good as to apologise to me
for the cannon not firing to salute me.
He said, that having put all the troops on the other side of the
river in motion, and
apprised them that he might himself march along the right bank, he was
afraid of giving the alarm,
and of deceiving the detachments that were out. We gained, at length,
the right of the army,
where we saw the Pennsylvania line: it was composed of two brigades,
each forming three
battalions, without reckoning the light infantry, which were detached
with the Marquis Lafayette.
General Wayne, who commanded it, was on horseback, as
well as the brigadiers and
colonels. They were all well mounted: the officers also had a very
military air; they were well
ranged, and saluted very gracefully. Each brigade had a band of music;
the march they were then
playing was the Huron.
I knew that this line, though in want of many
things, was the best clothed in the army; so that his Excellency asking
me whether I would
proceed, and see the whole army, or go by the shortest road to the
camp of the Marquis, I
accepted the latter proposal. The troops ought to thank me for it, for the
rain was falling with
redoubled force; they were dismissed, therefore, and we arrived very
wet at the Marquis de
Lafayette's quarters, where I warmed myself with great pleasure.
The rain appearing to cease, or inclining to cease for a
moment, we availed ourselves of
the opportunity to follow his Excellency to the camp of the Marquis:
we found all his troops in
order of battle on the heights to the left, and himself at their head
expressing, by his air and
countenance, that he was happier in receiving me there, than at his
estate in Auvergne.
The confidence and attachment of the troops, are for him
invaluable possessions, well
acquired riches, of which nobody can deprive him; but what, in my
opinion, is still more flattering
for a young man of his age, is the influence, the consideration he has
acquired amongst the
political, as well as the military order.
I do not fear contradiction when I say, that private letters from
him have frequently
produced more effect on some states than the strongest exhortations of
the Congress. On seeing
him, one is at a loss which most to admire, that so young a man as he
should have given such
great proofs of talents, or that a man so tried, should give hopes of so
long a career of glory.
Fortunate his country, if she knows how to avail herself of them; more
fortunate still should she
stand in no need of calling them into exertion!
The rain spared us no more at the camp of the Marquis, than at
that of the main army; so
that when our review was finished, I saw with pleasure General
Washington set off in a gallop to
regain his quarters. We reached them as soon as the badness of the
roads would permit us. At our
return we found a good dinner ready, and about twenty guests, among
whom were Generals
Howe and Sinclair. The repast was in the English fashion, consisting of
eight or ten large dishes of
butcher's meat, and poultry, with vegetables of several sorts, followed
by a second course of
pastry, comprised under the two denominations of pies and puddings.
When the cloth was taken off, apples and a great quantity of
nuts were served, which
General Washington usually continues eating for two hours, toasting
and conversing all the time.
These nuts are small and dry, and have so hard a shell that they can
only be broken by the
hammer; they are served half open, and the company are never done
picking and eating
them.[193] The conversation was calm
and agreeable; his Excellency was pleased to enter with me into the
particulars of some of the principal operations of the war, but always
with a modesty and conciseness, which proved that it was from pure
complaisance he mentioned it.
[[192]]
General Lafayette, the gallant young
Frenchman who did so much for the American cause.
74. Close Quarters for Washington
BY MARQUIS DE CHASTELLUX (1782)
WE passed the North River as night came on, and arrived at six
o'clock at Newburgh, where I
found Mr. and Mrs. Washington and escort. The head quarters at
Newburgh consist of a single
house, neither large nor commodious, which is built in the Dutch
fashion. The largest room in it
(which was the proprietor's parlor for his family, and which General
Washington has converted
into his dining-room) is in truth tolerably spacious, but it has seven
doors, and only one window.
The chimney, or rather the chimney back, is against the wall;
so that there is in fact but
one vent for the smoke, and the fire is in the room itself. I found the
company assembled in a
small room which served by way of parlor. At nine supper was served,
and when the hour of
bedtime came, I found that the chamber, to which the General
conducted me, was the very parlor
I speak of, wherein he had made them place a camp-bed.
We assembled at breakfast the next morning at ten, during
which interval my bed was
folded up, and my chamber became the sitting-room for the whole
afternoon; for American
manners do not admit of a bed in the room in which company is
received.
The smallness of the house, and the difficulty to which I saw
that Mr. and Mrs.
Washington had put themselves to receive me, made me apprehensive
lest Mr. Rochambeau, who
had set out the day after me' by travelling as fast, might arrive on the
day that I remained there. I
resolved therefore to send to Fishkill
to meet him, with a request that he would stay there that night.
Nor was my precaution superfluous, for my express found him
already at the landing,
where he slept, and did not join us till the next morning as I was setting
out. The day I remained
at head quarters was passed either at table or in conversation. On the
7th I took leave of General
Washington, nor is it difficult to imagine the pain this separation gave
me; but I have too much
pleasure in recollecting the real tenderness with which it affected him,
not to take a pride in
mentioning it.
75. Camp Fare
BY GEORGE WASHINGTON (1779)
WEST POINT, 16 August,
1779.
I HAVE asked Mrs. Cochran and Mrs. Livingston to dine with me
to-morrow; but am I not in
honor bound to apprise them of their fare? As I hate deception, even
where the imagination only
is concerned, I will. It is needless to premise, that my table is large
enough to hold the ladies. Of
this they had ocular proof yesterday. To say how it is usually covered,
is rather more essential;
and this shall be the purport of my letter.
Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a ham,
sometimes a shoulder of bacon,
to grace the head of the table; a piece of roast beef adorns the foot; and
a dish of beans, or greens,
almost imperceptible, decorates the centre. When the cook has a mind
to cut a figure, which I
presume will be the case to-morrow, we have two beef-steak pies, or
dishes of crabs, in addition,
one on each side of the centre dish, dividing the space and reducing the
distance between dish and
dish to about six feet, which without them would be near twelve feet
apart.
Of late he has had the surprising sagacity to discover, that
apples will make pies; and it
is a question, if, in the violence of his efforts, we do not get one of
apples, instead of having both
of beef-steaks. If the ladies can put up with such entertainment, and
will submit to partake of it on
plates, once tin but now iron (not become so by the labor of scouring),
I shall be happy to see
them;
and am, dear Doctor, yours, &c.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
76. A View of American Troops
BY A GERMAN OFFICER (1777)
WE passed the enemy's encampment, in front of which all their
regiments, as well as the
artillery, were standing under arms. Not a man of them was regularly
equipped. Each one had on
the clothes which he was accustomed to wear in the field, the tavern,
the church, and in everyday
life. No fault, however, could be found with their military appearance,
for they stood in an erect
and a soldierly attitude.
All their muskets had bayonets attached to them, and their
riflemen had rifles. They
remained so perfectly quiet that we were utterly astounded. Not one of
them made any attempt to
speak to the man at his side; and all the men who stood in array before
us were so slender,
fine-looking, and sinewy, that it was a pleasure to look at them.
Nor could we but wonder that Dame Nature had created such a
handsome race! As to
their height, dear brother, the men averaged from five feet six to five
feet seven inches, according
to Prussian measurement; and I assure you I am not telling an untruth
when I state that men five
feet eight to ten inches high were oftener to be seen than those of only
five feet five inches; and
men of larger height were to be found in all the companies.
I am perfectly serious when I state that the men of English
America are far ahead of
those in the greater portion of Europe both as respects their beauty and
stature. In regard to the
gentler sex, I will give you some details of them also when I arrive
at Kinderhook; and now for a space devoted to American WIGS!
Few of the officers in General Gates's army wore uniforms,
and those that were worn
were evidently of home manufacture and of all colors. For example,
brown coats with sea-green
facings, white linings, and silver dragons, and gray coats with yellow
buttons and straw-colored
facings, were to be seen in plenty.
The brigadiers and generals had, however, uniforms to
distinguish them from the rest of
the officers, and wore a band around the waist to designate their
respective rank. On the other
hand, most of the colonels and other officers wore their every-day
clothes. They carried their
muskets (to which a bayonet was attached) in their hands; their
pouches or powderhorns were
slung over their backs, and their left hand hung down by their side,
while the right foot was
slightly put forward.
In one place could be seen men with white wigs, from beneath
which long and thick hair
escaped thick lambs' tails hanging down from the back; in another, the
glistening black wig of an
abbé surmounting some red and copper-colored face; while in
still another, white and gray
clerical-looking wigs made of horse and goat hair, and piled up in
successive rolls.
In looking at a man thus adorned one would imagine that he
had an entire sheep under
his hat, with its tail dangling around his neck. A great deal of respect is
entertained for these wigs,
not only because they are supposed to give the wearer a learned
appearance, but because they are
worn by all the gentlemen composing the committees and those who
are renowned for wisdom.
The gentlemen who wear these different kind of wigs are
mostly between fifty and sixty
years of age; and having but recently begun to wear them, you can
imagine what a comical
appearance they cut as soldiers. The determination which caused them
to grasp a musket and
powder-horn can be seen in their faces, as well as the fact that they are
not to be fooled with,
especially in skirmishes in the woods.
Seriously speaking, this entire nation has great natural military
talent. There were many
regiments of Continentals in the enemy's army who had not been
properly equipped, owing to the
lack of time and scarcity of cloth. They have flags with all kinds of
emblems and mottoes.
It must also be said to the credit of the enemy's regiments, that
not a man among them
ridiculed or insulted us; and none of them evinced the least sign of hate
or malicious joy as we
marched by. On the contrary, it seemed rather as though they desired to
do us honor. As we filed
by the tent of General Gates, he invited the brigadiers and commanders
of our regiments to enter,
and when they had done so he placed all kinds of refreshments before
them.