Jersey shore, directly opposite. Fort Washington had a garrison of one thousand men commanded by Colonel McDougall.

The soldiers belonging to the regiment to which I belonged, being thinly clad in hunting shirts, became very sickly as the fall approached. As I was well and active, I was ordered over to Hackensack, in Jersey, in charge of all the invalids belonging to the regiment, and succeeded in securing good quarters in a large barn, belonging to a farmer close by; I took quarters myself in the family owning said farm, who treated me with great kindness during my sojourn. I had the misfortune to bury the most of my companions far from their own home, yet [I was] not dismayed. Before the army retired into winter quarters, and the Flying Camp discharged, myself and those who survived (our time being about to expire) wended our way back to our native homes much fatigued and discouraged. Reminiscences, in manuscript, of Cornelius Comegys, through courtesy of his greatgrandson, G. Albert Smyth.

How the Declaration Was Received in New York

Washington hailed the Declaration with jou true, it was but a formal recognition of a state of things It is which had long existed, but it put an end to all those temporizing hopes of reconciliation which had clogged the military action of the country.

On the 9th of July, he caused it to be read at six o'clock in the evening, at the head of each brigade of the army. "The general hopes," said he in his orders, "that this important event will serve as a fresh incentive to every officer and soldier, to act with fidelity and courage, as knowing that now the peace and safety of his country depend, under God, solely on the success of our arms; and that he is now in the service of a state, possessed of sufficient power t reward his merit, and advance him to the highest hono of a free country."

The excitable populace of New York were not content with the ringing of bells to proclaim their joy. There was a leaden statue of George III in the Bowling Green, in front of the fort. Since kingly rule is at an end, why retain its effigy? On the same evening, therefore, the statue was pulled down amid the shouts of the multitude, and broken up to be run into bullets "to be used in the cause of independence.

Some of the soldiery having been implicated in this popular effervescence, Washington censured it in general orders, as having much the appearance of a riot and a want of discipline, and the army was forbidden to indulge in any irregularities of the kind. It was his constant effort to inspire his countrymen in arms with his own elevated ideas of the cause in which they were engaged, and to make them feel that it was no ordinary warfare, admitting of vulgar passions and perturbations. "The general hopes and trusts," said he, "that every officer and man will endeavor so to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country." Life of George Washington, Washington Irving, Vol. II, p. 305.

Statue of George III Melted into Bullets

The New Yorkers, now that they knew something definite about their political status, made themselves entirely equal to the situation by such means as are usually employed by civilians on patriotic occasions; that is, they hurrahed, rang bells, and built bonfires.

But neither the resolution, the Declaration, the general order, nor the enthusiasm secured Washington the re-enforcements that he so greatly needed. The works in and opposite the city and at Fort Washington, on the upper end of Manhattan Island, did not prevent two warships from sailing up the Hudson, frightening the city nearly into hysterics as they passed, and making themselves at home in that wide portion of the river known as Haverstraw

Bay. This naval venture, however, had the good effects of stimulating activity on all the defenses along the Hudson and causing Washington to send George Clinton, a militia brigadier of great ability, to discipline the Tories up the river.

About this time the occupation of being a Tory was almost as uncomfortable as that of being commander-inchief; but this fact did not cause Washington to comport himself sympathetically towards the king's friends. The Tories meant well, at the start; their only fault was, that they were so loyal to the king that their hearts were too much for their heads. Had they remained neutral in word and act, they would have had no trouble; but as talk, all theories to the contrary notwithstanding, is the ruling passion of humanity, their tongues wagged incessantly, and, being compelled to play a double part in order to show their loyalty to one side and save their property from the other, they rapidly developed into the most accomplished and exasperating liars that the country had yet known.

George Washington, John Habberton, p. 102.

"The Times That Try Men's Souls"

Franklin's faith all through "the times that try men's souls" (as Thomas Paine wrote concerning this very crisis) was ever cheerful. During those days of poverty and disaster he never lost hope. When he heard bad news he exclaimed: "It will come all right in the end." He proved his sincerity by putting $15,000 (the amount awarded him by the Pennsylvania Assembly) into the cause of liberty-devoting the people's gift to their country's good.

When it was too late the English ministers began to see that they had blundered. Soon after the Declaration of Independence, Lord Howe wrote to Franklin advising a conference which should bring about a reconciliation between Mother England and her daughter in America. Franklin wrote back: