Disclaimer: All previous disclaimers apply.
Chapter 29
"How many?" Washington asked.
"We've spotted eight," the rider replied. "And they look to be big with three decks at least and plenty of cannon!"
Pitcairn did a mental calculation to access how many soldiers they would be facing when the ships arrived. "I am assuming from your description that they are 1st rate ships of the line that carry 100 plus cannons and around 850 men per ship.* There will be more that are sailing a day or two behind, I am certain. I shall go and inform the men," Pitcairn said to Washington as he picked up his hat. /
Washington nodded. "I will send riders to Fort Washington and Fort Lee and also to General Gates and Major General Arnold to let them know to be on the lookout."
Pitcairn made his way down the path to Joseph's tent where Oliver was having lessons. He entered the tent and Joseph and Oliver looked up. "I am sorry to disturb your lesson, but we've just had a rider from General Mercer that eight British ships have been spotted by the watchers he posted. They appear to be "three decks with plenty of cannon" from what the rider described. They are most likely 1st rate ships of the line."
"That's probably a lot of soldiers isn't it?" Oliver asked his father. "They're much bigger than the ships we sailed over on."
Pitcairn nodded. "They can carry 850 men per ship."
"King George must be serious about us not retaining our independence," Joseph remarked.
"Indeed as England was getting a great deal of tax revenue from the colonies. However, General Howe may be a different story than General Gage was."
"You mean he might be more ruthless than Gage?"
Pitcairn shook his head, "No, quite the contrary. As General Gage's second-in-command I had overheard him urging the general to talk to the leaders of the rebellion to see if they could reach common ground and defuse the situation before it could turn into a full-fledged rebellion."
"It already was a full-fledged rebellion once we threw the East India tea into the harbor," Joseph replied grimly. "But will he still be of that frame of mind now that he's been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British forces?"
Pitcairn shrugged. "It is hard to say because should he still wish to talk peace it would only be one on Britain's terms and would not include independence I am certain."
Joseph turned to Oliver. "The next few days our lessons will be hands on; gathering herbs, drying them, and then brewing the medicines we'll need the most."
Oliver nodded and shut his book. "I'll get my bag." He picked up his books and left the tent, but was back in a few minutes wearing a large burlap bag crosswise across his body. He used it to put the gathered herbs in. "Maybe we could ask Mrs. Gage if she and Miss Addie would like to help us. It's a nice day and they might like being outside."
"That is a very good idea, Oliver," Joseph commended him.
"I will let you two get on with that and I shall go see Major Whiting," Pitcairn said. He nodded and walked quickly down to Marius' tent. "Major Whiting?" He called from outside of Marius' tent.
Marius came out of his tent. "Yes, Lieutenant Colonel? What do you need?"
"General Washington just got word from a rider sent by General Mercer that British warships have been sighted. They have a count of eight so far and sound, at the present time, to be 1st rate ships of the line."
Marius paled as he did a quick calculation in his head. "That is probably around 6800 Regulars."
"Yes, that is what I have figured also as we both know how many soldiers a 1st line warship can hold," Pitcairn said. "But our advantage is that we have both served under General Howe and are familiar with his tactics."
Marius chuckled. "Yes, I recall overhearing some of the commanders referring to him as "old lead bottom" because they felt he was far too cautious and slow moving."
"His cautiousness may work to our advantage however we must not forget that he does have an advantage of a high ranking brother in the Royal Navy who he can call on for help."
"Yes," Marius replied, nodding as they walked to the area where the solders tents were located.. "Admiral Viscount Richard Howe."
Pitcairn motioned to the fifers and drummers and then asked them to play assembly.** He watched as the men turned out of their tents, holding their muskets, and quickly lined up, shouldering their muskets as they had been taught.
Lafayette had been down with the men, supervising them in some individual training. Although the soldiers had problems understanding his broken English, they thought he was an amicable fellow in spite of it. He came up to stand beside Pitcairn and Whiting.
"Order arms," Pitcairn said and the men put their muskets down by their sides. He clasped his hands behind him. "Men, a rider from General Mercer arrived this morning with the news that more British warships have been sighted by the watchers that General Mercer has had on the New Jersey coast. Major Whiting and I have figured from what we know about the size of the warships that they carry somewhere around 6800 Regulars and we are certain there are probably more warships sailing a day or two behind them."
There was was a sudden wave of talking and inattention in the ranks. "Attention!" Pitcairn said loudly to redirect their attention back to him. The men straightened up immediately and returned their consideration back to Pitcairn and Major Whiting. "Can we win over that many men, Lieutenant Colonel?" One of the men in the front row asked.
Pitcairn walked back and forth in front of the first line of his men with his hands clasped behind him as was his habit. "Yes. I know that the number of men we will be facing is daunting, but you do have one major asset that they do not have; you know how to use the terrain to your advantage." He stopped and stared off into the distance for a few moments then shook his head as if to dispel the memories of Concord and looked back at his men. "If you have heard about the Battle of Concord then you know how we were completely beaten and routed by a relatively small group of Colonials who took advantage of the terrain around Bartlett's farm and we, at the time, had many more men than they did."
"Lieutenant Colonel Pitcairn and I do not know what General Howe's exact plans may be, of course, but we have both served under him and we know him to be cautious in committing his men to battle so he may not attack us first thing," Major Whiting explained. "He may want to access the situation and find out as much information as he can about General Washington first before he decides on a course of action."
"Are there any other questions?" Pitcairn asked and waited. When no questions came he said, "Starting tomorrow morning at six o'clock Major Whiting and I will be drilling you in formation and loading and firing your muskets. Dismissed!"
The men scattered, some going back to their tents and others to their assigned duties. Pitcairn and Major Whiting walked back up to the main tent where Washington was planning what the Continental Army would do when the British returned.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Abigail carried in the tray with the teapot, cups and saucers on it. Nabby carried in the plate of cookies her mother and grandmother had baked on Monday. Charles and Thomas were out in the backyard playing in their fort while Eleazar kept an eye on them and John Quincy was tucked away in his father's study reading. Felicity had retired to her room to rest. This would be her first tea with Hope in awhile. John had been home for a month, but had gone back to Philadelphia with Sam on Monday. Washington would need input from Congress in the battle that was currently threatening New York.
They heard a carriage pulling up in front of the house. Abigail went to the door to greet Hope and Charlotte. They came in and Abigail gave Hope a hug and then presented Charlotte with a cookie as was their now established custom. "Thank you," Charlotte said with a sweet smile at Abigail.
"You are most welcome, sweetheart," Abigail replied.
"Would you like to go outside, Charlotte?" Nabby asked.
Charlotte finished her cookie, nodded, and took Nabby's hand, They went outside into the backyard.
"Charlotte has grown," Abigail remarked as she poured their tea and offered Hope the plate of cookies.
"Yes, she has grown at least an inch more over the last month," Hope replied. "I cannot believe she will be starting school in another month." She sighed. "It seems only yesterday I was holding her in my arms after she was born."
Abigail nodded. "Thomas too, but I may be receiving some letters from the schoolmaster. Thomas can be irrepressible at times."
"He does appear to have a lot of energy."
"Yes and he annoys his older sister and brother with it many times too," Abigail laughed. "John was amazed at how much he has changed while he was away. The children were so delighted to have their father home again that I wished he could have stayed with us more than a month, but they do understand, as do I, that the country needs his and the other members of Congress' guidance."
"I do not envy him the path he must take," Hope replied. "There seems to be many different voices."
Abigail sighed and nodded. "Yes, and some of them were unfortunately made known to John at Sunday services."
"Yes I have heard many different questions at Christ Church also. Many are questions about how this Congress can possibly steer the path of this nation when few of them have had any ruling experience."
"I know and I don't doubt it will be a struggle either." She sighed again. "If only the king hadn't chosen to act so unfairly towards us; we wouldn't be facing this great uncertainty now."
"But to turn back now would be an insult to the ones who have so far died."
Abigail nodded. "It would ." She laughed. "Samuel of course is ever the optimist. He has no worries about how things will work out just a certainty that they willl."
"I admire his hopeful way of looking at things," Hope replied.
"I suspect he's going to need every bit of it in the next few years, not only for himself, but for John too." Abigail shook her head. "On top of everything else, some in Congress want to appoint a new commander of the Continental Army and, of course, they all have their particular favorite for the position."
Hope looked surprised. "Why would they want someone else? John speaks very highly of General Washington and I suspect you have got to work hard to earn his trust and admiration after his experiences with General Gage and General Clinton."
"Some of the delegates feel General Washington is not aggressive enough and that he should attack the British wherever they are entrenched no matter where that is."
"I have heard that small forces of the British have been attacking in the Carolina's. Do they really expect General Washington to leave New York, where the British are certain to attack when they return, defenseless?" Hope smiled slightly. "The Loyalist's gossip quite a bit especially about any setbacks the Continental Army is having. They have nothing but praise for General Cornwallis and Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton even though his Green Dragoon's is very brutal in its treatment of the people in North and South Carolina."
"Yes, I've heard John and Sam growling about him and them. They've heard a lot about them from the North Carolina and South Carolina delegations," Abigail said then changed the subject from the depressing topic of war. "Nabby is studying about plants with her tutor. I think she wants to be able to help Oliver brew his medicines after he becomes a doctor."
Hope laughed. "John is always writing me about your tincture. He says it never taste any better than the first time he took it, but he takes it faithfully every day as does Oliver, Major Whiting, and their soldiers."
Abigail laughed too. "I do think he would have spit it out that first time if he'd had the strength." She laughed again then remarked. "It does taste terrible, but it seems to keep away illnesses especially colds and the grippe."
Hope nodded. "Yes, John had told me of how he was laid up in the hospital his first winter in Boston because he did not take proper care of a cold he had caught. Perhaps I should start taking it and give it to Charlotte also."
"I can give you a bottle of it if you like," Abigail replied. "I grow the ingredients for it in my garden and brew it myself."
"Only if you will not be shorting yourself," Hope said.
"Oh no," Abigail assured her. "I get several bottles of tincture out of one batch of brewed ingredients." She got up and went into the kitchen to the cabinet where she kept all her medicinals and took a bottle of her tincture out. She came back into the room and gave it to Hope. "I usually give the children each a spoonful in the mornings and I take it then also."
"Thank you," Hope said, putting the bottle into her reticule.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Pitcairn stood beside his men as they aimed their Brown Bess muskets. "Now remember to aim lower, men, because the recoil will pull your muzzle up higher. Major?"
Marius swung his sword in a downward motion and the men fired.
General Washington had come down to the training ground and watched the men loading, aiming, and firing their muskets. Lafayette had followed him to watch. Pitcairn noticed he seemed happiest when he was involved in some way, even a small way, with helping to train the soldiers so he tried, whenever possible, to allow him to take the lead in drilling the men. They seemed to enjoy him and were spurred on by his youthful enthusiasm and open admiration for their fight for liberty.
After several rounds were fired, Pitcairn shouted, "Order arms." The men immediately put their muskets at their sides and stood at attention. "You did very well today and by the time the Regulars return we will be ready to send them back to England in a complete rout!" He nodded at the fifer and drummer who immediately played the signal for dismissal. Lafayette decided to stay with the soldiers.
"The soldiers appear to be doing very well," Washington said as they walked back to the main tent. "But I wish there was some way to cut down the reloading time."
"Yes, it is a long process and it would be a God send if someone were able to cut some of the steps, but at least the British have the same problem. They cannot load their Brown Bess' any faster than we can."
Later in the day Oliver came back into the tent to find his father loading and reloading a musket. "What are you doing?" He lifted the burlap bag he wore over his head and laid it on his cot.
Pitcairn sighed and carefully laid the musket down across the table. "I am trying to find a way to shorten the reloading process, but there does not seem to be such a way or if there is, I am unable to discover it."
"Well, the British are the same so it's not like they know something we don't," Oliver pointed out.
"Yes, that is true, but we would have a greater advantage if we did." He looked at Oliver. "Did you finish gathering your herbs?"
Oliver nodded. "Yeah, but we have to let them dry out now. We found a patch of wild onions, too, and Dr. Warren took some of them to Cook to add to the stew tonight."
"Yes, they always do makes the stew taste much better ...a bit more exotic."
"There's a lot of plants growing here that don't grow in England," Oliver pointed out.
Pitcairn nodded. "Yes, and you will likely find patches of vegetables growing where people had originally tried to settle, but found it too rough for them and returned to the city."
"Dr. Warren said that too. He said he found some carrots and potatoes one time." Oliver went over to his trunk, opened it, and took out a quill, a bottle of ink, and some parchment. "I'm gonna write Nabby about what we've been doing and what I've learned from Dr. Warren and General Knox."
"Yes, I need to write Mrs. Adams and the children, Mr. Shaw, and Reverend Byles."
"And Mrs. Worthington and Charlotte," Oliver reminded him.
Pitcairn smiled. "Yes, Mrs. Worthington and Charlotte also."
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
John sat down in frustration after arguing for half the day that the Continental Army was their first priority and they needed to fund it better. Many of the delegates were still grumbling about the Army sitting on their backsides in New York and not fighting even though Washington had sent Paul to let them know the British warships had been sighted.
John Penn from North Carolina stood up. "We are being attacked at home by General Cornwallis and that bastard Tarleton and his Green Dragoons! We need our money to go there not to an army that is not even fighting the war!"
General Clinton and his Marines had been sent ahead by General Howe to subdue and capture the Carolina's. General Cornwallis and Tarleton were parts of his army. The southern Loyalists were also helping them in anyway they could. Clinton had returned to New York, leaving Cornwallis and Tarleton in North Carolina.
Other southern delegates pounded on their tables with their fists and shouted, "Here! Here!"
Ben Franklin rose to his feet and said, "The British will attack New York first and if they succeed it will mean the trade between the southern and northern colonies will come to an abrupt halt. They will force us into chaos and starvation until we finally agree to renounce our independence."
"We are already suffering chaos and starvation in North Carolina," Penn replied. "We are unable to get our tobacco, or cotton from our plantations to the seaport and onto French ships because General Clinton controls the seaports."
Thomas Heyward of South Carolina stood up. "The same is true in South Carolina. We cannot get our rice or tobacco to the port in Charleston. We need relief!"
"Why can't some of the Northern Continental Army be sent to fight Clinton, Cornwallis, and Tarleton?" William Hooper who stood up next to his fellow delegate, Penn, demanded.
Again the other southern delegates pounded on their tables and shouted, "Hereǃ Hereǃ"
"Order," Hancock said loudly, hitting his gavel on the sound block. "Orderǃ"
John stood up. "Why don't we write a letter to General Washington and ask him if he can send some of his army to help you so you at least can get your goods to the harbor?"
Edward Rutledge stood up. "We agree to writing to Washington, but you might tell him also that funding for his army may depend on his willingness to help us against General Clinton, Cornwallis and that bastard Tarleton."
Sam shot to his feet and yelled, "That's blackmailǃ You'll get no help from him if you take that tone!"
"Orderǃ" Hancock said, pounding his gavel again. "Mr. Adams, you are out of order! Mr. Rutledge has the floor."
Sam sat down again with a disgusted look on his face. The southerners expected Washington to drop everything in New York and fight the British in the Carolina's and they wouldn't even free one slave in returnǃ
"It is agreed then that we will write Washington and inform him of the extreme emergency in North and South Carolina," John said smoothly, nodding at the southern delegates.
Hancock pounded his gavel and said, "We will adjourn for lunch and continue this discussion when we return."
John, Sam, Hancock, and Franklin went to City Tavern. "Those southern delegatesǃ"Sam snapped as he sat down. "They make all kinds of demands and won't give one damn thing in returnǃ"
"They're worried about their families, Sam," Hancock pointed out.
"You think the delegates from New York aren't worried about their families, but you don't hear them threatening blackmail if Washington doesn't fight specifically for them," Sam replied. "They think their damn plantations ..."
"Mr. Adams," Franklin said interrupting Sam's tirade. "Again your missing the point."
"Which is?" Sam demanded.
"If we are able to convince General Washington to send enough troops to give the patriots in North and South Carolina some relief, they will owe us a favor we might possibly have use for later on," Franklin replied sagely.
"What I believe they are most afraid of is that, in their absence, the British will tempt their slaves with freedom if they are willing to fight for the British," Hancock said.
"I fear you are right, John," Franklin said nodding.
"If the British do free their slaves I certainly won't vote for a militia to recapture them!" Sam said with burning eyes.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Paul came riding up to the main tent fresh back from his trip to Philadelphia. He dismounted from Brown Beauty and went into the main tent. He saluted Washington and handed him a letter. "From Congress, General."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Revere," Washington replied, taking the letter.
Paul left to take his horse to the stable, leaving Washington staring at the letter. "I don't know whether I should get a headache powder from Dr. Warren before I read this," he said to Pitcairn and Lafayette with an uneasy smile.
"'It is maybe good news," Lafayette ventured.
"It certainly cannot be any worse than some of the other missives you have gotten from them," Major General Knox who was also present, pointed out.
"Indeed," Pitcairn said.
"Perhaps you are both right, Henry," Washington replied, breaking the seal on the letter. The letter had been written by John Adams with the other delegates approval. He read it quickly then groaned aloud. "I believe I will need that headache powder from Dr. Warren after all," Washington said, laying the letter on the table and leaving the tent.
Knox snatched up the letter and read it. He groaned too.
"What does it say?" Pitcairn inquired, his eyebrows raised.
"Congress is requesting we send forces to help North and South Carolina fight the British and the their Loyalist allies."
"We cannot possibly send them any help. We are spread too thin as it is and we are facing the arrival of thousands of Regulars. We must hold New York," Pitcairn emphasized.
"They do not understand what is happening here?" Lafayette asked, his eyebrows raised.
"They know. I sympathize with their plight, but there's very little we can do to alleviate it," Knox replied.
Washington returned to the tent. "What do you gentleman think about Congress' latest request?"
"We cannot help them and save New York also," Pitcairn replied. "We simply do not have a big enough army and General Howe will throw everything at us that he possibly can."
"The best we can do is send them some officers to train the patriots in the Carolina's," Knox suggested.
Pitcairn thought for a moment then asked, "Could we possibly send three of our 32 gun warships to hold back the British ships so they are able to get their exports to the French ships and then accompany the French ships out of the harbor?"
In December of 1775, Congress had authorized the building of thirteen new warships rather than just refitting merchant ships. Five of them carried 32 guns, Five carried 28 guns and three carried 24 guns.***
"I realize they will be outgunned by the British ships, but their captains are clever and may be able to find a way around the British rather like the citizens of Boston did when they set up their underground market."
"Henry's idea and yours, Lieutenant Colonel, are excellent suggestions and may give the North and South Carolinian's some relief. I will write Mr. Adams and tell him what we've decided."
"I hope they will understand that as much as we'd like to help them, we're facing the fight of our lives up here," Knox said.
Lafayette shook his head. "At times I think the ruling classes understand little."
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
General Howe sat in his quarters on his brother's flag ship, surveying the map of the colonies on the table in front of him. It was not a recent one as he knew the colonies had grown tremendously since this map had been created. That was part of the problems. England had not kept up with them as they grew as far as creating new maps so he was not sure what he was going to be met with or where.
There was a knock on his door and he called, "Enter."
His brother, Admiral Viscount Richard Howe, came into the room. "We are passing the coast of the New Jersey colony and we have spotted watchers posted in many areas."
"Posted by Washington no doubt. I do not believe for a moment that he is the fool Thomas represented him as."
His brother looked over his shoulder and ran his finger down the coast. "We can keep sailing down the coast and come around Long Island here, but while we can sail up the Hudson River, we can only do it one ship at a time and we would leave ourselves open to fire as I am sure the rebels have occupied the forts we built along the banks of the river and they have possession of the cannons they took from Fort Ticonderoga."
"There are the four ship sailing three days behind us also," General Howe said. "That is additional men, but still I do not want to sacrifice them in battle, if we have no chance of winning, unlike what Thomas did at Bunker Hill. The amount of soldiers slaughtered there was a disgrace and Thomas should have been recalled immediately after that!"
His brother nodded, but continued with his thoughts. "In addition, it would be next to impossible to maneuver our ships to avoid the cannon fire. We would be a standing target as the river is not wide enough for us to reverse course."
"We shall remain at Long Island and also occupy Staten Island. The colonists who are still loyal to His Majesty will welcome us. I do not want to see our ships as badly damaged as they were previously. As you know His Majesty gave us the authority to extend amnesty and pardons if the colonials are willing to stop this rebellion and pay back the price of the East India tea that they threw into the harbor."
Viscount Sir Richard Howe shook his head. He doubted the King's generous terms would be accepted by the rebels now that they were bent on destruction of themselves and possibly the British empire.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Pitcairn and Major Whiting spent their days drilling the men until they felt they could handle themselves well in any given situation. General Washington came out several times to view the training. "You've done a good job with the men, Lieutenant Colonel, Major. They are much more confident than they were previously."
"I suspect if you were to ask them, they would probably say they did not like being cursed," Pitcairn joked, but then said seriously, "I agree that they are much more confident. The Marquis has also been a great help in instilling confidence in the men," he said, nodding at Lafayette.
"I believe that they now realize that listening to orders may save their lives," Major Whiting added
"Well, whenever General Howe and his soldiers decide to come ashore, we will be ready for them," Washington said.
Pitcairn returned to his tent after collecting mail from the postmaster. He saw he had a letter from Abigail and it no doubt contained a letter for Oliver from Miss Abigail. There was also a letter from Hope and letters from Mr. Shaw and Reverend Byles. He opened Abigail's letter first and laid aside Miss Abigail's letter to give to Oliver when he returned.
Dear John,
I hope you, Oliver, and Major Whiting all remain in good health and your men also. The children and I are fine and now that school has started and Thomas is in school, I find myself with time on my hands. As I told you in my last letter, John and Samuel were home for a month and I and the children were thrilled they could be here for that period of time. We missed them both when they had to return to Philadelphia, but we know that the country needs their and the others delegates guidance to get us through this war and shape this new nation.
Hope and I still have tea on Wednesday. Charlotte has started school also, but does not go to school with my children although I think she would like to. She is being privately tutored by someone chosen by Hope's parents. Nabby has chosen to no longer attend school and will be tutored exclusively by Miss Litchford.
I 've heard from John about the situation in North and South Carolina. I hope General Washington is able to find a way to give them some relief. Although I do not approve of their keeping men, women, and children in bondage, I do not want anyone, especially children, to suffer needlessly at the hands of General Cornwallis and Tarleton's Dragoons.
Since I no longer have a child at home who needs my attention, I am helping Hope and Reverend Byles with their society to make sure that the widows, their children, and our elders are getting enough to eat. Boston is slowly returning to normal and food is not as scarce as it once was. John and I decided that any extra food that's left over, from our farm in Braintree after the harvest, we will donate to Christ Church's to help make sure people who are in need of food are able to get it.
Mr. Beery is still obeying your order as is Thomas. John Quincy said to tell you not to give Thomas anymore field promotions until he understands that it's not a liberty to order others around. I did have a talk with him about treating his 'soldiers' properly.
Pitcairn chuckled as he read that.
Oliver came into the tent and laid his books down on the table. He looked at his father with raised eyebrows. Pitcairn chuckled again at Oliver's expression and pointed, "A letter from Mrs. Adams. There is also one for you from Miss Abigail." He handed the letter to Oliver.
Oliver smiled widely, took it, and then sat down to read it.
"We continue to pray every night for you, Oliver, Major Whiting, General Washington, and your soldiers as we do for John, Samuel and all the delegates in Philadelphia that they will guide our nation with care and wisdom. Please write whenever possible as the children and I look forward to your letters and enjoy hearing what you have to say.
Fondly,
Abigail
"What does Miss Abigail have to say?" Pitcairn asked.
"She wrote me she's no longer going to school and she's being taught only by Miss Litchford. She says she wants to concentrate on mathematics and on plants. She said her schoolmaster only taught the girls the most basic subjects and the other girls kept calling her as a 'bluestocking' for wanting to learn more."
Pitcairn frowned. "I dislike men who have such old world attitudes and assumptions that women are only capable of certain abilities."
"Nabby's smart and she ought to learn as much as she wants," Oliver declared.
Pitcairn smiled at his son's declaration and picked up his letters from Reverend Byles, Mr. Shaw, and Hope.
** Page Break ~**
Every day General Washington received more and more reports of British war ships from various riders sent by General Mercer. Pitcairn kept track of the number and types of war ships as described by the riders, trying to determine how many soldiers they would be facing.
"How, in God's name, many more ships is the king going to send?" Knox asked in dismay. "He's already sent 73 warships so far!"
General Howe's fleet had begun arriving in late June and, by this point, Pitcairn estimated he had somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 troops.
"I surmise the king is very serious about keeping possession and control of his largest colony. I suspect also that the king does not wish to face the other European rulers, particularly the French king, with the embarrassment of losing one of England's largest colonies."
"It would indeed be an embarrassment to face his ancient enemy after such a loss," Lafayette agreed.
The encampment became so used to hearing Pitcairn and Whiting drilling the soldiers, starting at five am, that they developed the ability to sleep through it and still rise refreshed. Lafayette rose early every morning also to watch the drilling. He was always happy when they allowed him to drill the soldiers. Although Washington kept a close eye on General Howe and received reports daily from the coastal watchers about the British warships arrivals, there was not even the slightest action from General Howe, other than they had heard he had sent out messages to the local leaders in Long Island, offering them amnesty if they would give up their revolt and pledge their loyalty to the king.
As it turned out, Admiral Howe attempted to reach out to General Washington twice, but he refused to accept the letters Howe wrote due to fact they were lacking his proper rank.
"That's a damn insult!" Henry Knox exclaimed angrily upon hearing the story.
"Admiral Howe is disregarding your rank because it was awarded by the Continental Congress which is an illegal authority in his eyes," Pitcairn replied. "In that respect he is no different than General Gage."
"We will wait and see how he takes my refusals," Washington said grimly. "I can't imagine he will have anything to say that I'd want to hear anyway."
Washington finally did agree to meet with one of Howe's adjutants, Colonel James Patterson, on July 20, but the meeting was short once Washington found out the extent of Howe's powers, that he could only issue pardons, but did not have the power to offer relief from the problems of taxation without representation or the Intolerable Acts. He wrote Howe, saying that the revolutionaries did not need pardons for they had done nothing wrong and moreover, they were the injured parties.
"The arrogance of this man and his king!" Washington fumed. "Thinking that an offering of pardons will cause us to willingly crawl back to the same conditions we broke away from!"
"They do act as if they really do not understand why this revolution is taking place!" Pitcairn replied, shaking his head. "And I well know General Howe does as it was he who had urged General Gage on several occasions to meet with rebels to try and find a solution to their mutual problems before the situation turned into a full revolt."
"He's apparently no longer of that state of mind," Washington replied.
After failing with Washington, Admiral Howe, attempted to reach out to Benjamin Franklin as the two had met in 1774 and 1775 and informally discussed colonial grievances. He sent a letter to Franklin, detailing the offer of a truce and pardons.
Franklin was angry when he read the letter from Admiral Howe. It indicated to him that Howe, despite their previous discussions, thought their grievances could be soothed by a truce and pardons like a balm on a child's skinned knee and completely ignored the main issues that had caused them to launch a rebellion in the first place. He read the letter to Congress on July 30, then wrote Howe back.
"Directing pardons to be offered to the colonies, who are the very parties injured, [...] can have no other effect than that of increasing our resentments. It is impossible we should think of submission to a government that has with the most wanton barbarity and cruelty burnt our defenseless town, [...excited the savages to massacre our peaceful farmers, and our slaves to murder their masters, and is even now bringing foreign mercenaries to deluge our settlements with blood." ****
Admiral Howe was taken shocked by Franklin's terse reply. His brother shook his head when the Admiral showed him Franklin's letter. "It appears their pride is more important to them than peace is."
"It would seem so."
The Battle of Long Island was fought on August 27 and 28th. Washington and Pitcairn stood on the highest bluff in the area, watching the battle with their telescopes, Washington sending off riders with messages to General Israel Putnam. General John Sullivan, and General William Alexander (Lord Stirling). There were 10,000 of the Continental Army facing 20,000 of General Howe's Regulars including Hessian auxiliaries.
Although Putnam had doctors available, they were overwhelmed by the number of wounded, so many of the less seriously wounded were being transported by wagons to the main camp for treatment by Dr. Warren, who with help from the local doctor, the barber, the midwife he'd found previously, and Oliver, was managing. Margaret and Addie were helping where they were able to, also.
At the end of the day on the 29th, the Continental Army had been defeated. There was a loss of 300 killed, 700 wounded and 1000 captured, Including General Sullivan and General Alexander. The British suffered the loss of 64 killed, 31 missing and 293 wounded. General Howe could have ended the Revolution right then, but failed to take the advantage, believing that the British could easily finish off the remains of the Continental Army in the morning.
In a dramatic move, Washington evacuated his entire army of 9,000 in a heavy downpour, on the night of August 29, without loss of supplies or lives to Manhattan. They were able to do this with the help of Colonel John Glover and his regiment from Marblehead, Massachusetts, many of whom were sailors and fishermen and got them across the river.
Pitcairn saw Oliver briefly and assured him they would be reunited in Manhattan. A dense fog in the morning aided in the retreat and the entire army was successfully withdrawn.
When the British returned in the morning once the fog had lifted, they were shocked to find the Continental Army had vanished. There was no trace of them anywhere. General Howe realized his mistake in not continuing the battle, he had lost his best chance of defeating the rebels in one mighty blow.
*wwwdotfifeanddrumdotarmydotmil/kids_fife_drumdothtml
**httpscolon/endotwikipediadotorg/wiki/Rating_system_of_the_Royal_Navy
***httpscolon/endotwikipediadotorg/wiki/Continental_Navy
****httpscolon/endotwikipediadotorg/wiki/Staten_Island_Peace_Conference
Thanks for reading! Please review.
