washington and his comrades in arms-第31部分

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ill。　Washington　had　to　leave　the　greater　part　of　his　army　before　New　York；　and　his　meager　force　of　some　two　thousand　was　soon　over　the　river　in　spite　of　torrential　rains。　By　the　24th　of　August　the　French；　too；　had　crossed　with　some　four　thousand　men　and　with　their　heavy　equipment。　The　British　made　no　move。　Clinton　was；　however；　watching　these　operations　nervously。　The　united　armies　marched　down　the　right　bank　of　the　Hudson　so　rapidly　that　they　had　to　leave　useful　effects　behind　and　some　grumbled　at　the　privation。　Clinton　thought　his　enemy　might　still　attack　New　York　from　the　New　Jersey　shore。　He　knew　that　near　Staten　Island　the　Americans　were　building　great　bakeries　as　if　to　feed　an　army　besieging　New　York。　Suddenly　on　the　29th　of　August　the　armies　turned　away　from　New　York　southwestward　across　New　Jersey；　and　still　only　the　two　leaders　knew　whither　they　were　bound。

American　patriotism　has　liked　to　dwell　on　this　last　great　march　of　Washington。　To　him　this　was　familiar　country；　it　was　here　that　he　had　harassed　Clinton　on　the　march　from　Philadelphia　to　New　York　three　long　years　before。　The　French　marched　on　the　right　at　the　rate　of　about　fifteen　miles　a　day。　The　country　was　beautiful　and　the　roads　were　good。　Autumn　had　come　and　the　air　was　bracing。　The　peaches　hung　ripe　on　the　trees。　The　Dutch　farmers　who；　four　years　earlier；　had　been　plaintive　about　the　pillage　by　the　Hessians；　now　seemed　prosperous　enough　and　brought　abundance　of　provisions　to　the　army。　They　had　just　gathered　their　harvest。　The　armies　passed　through　Princeton；　with　its　fine　college；　numbering　as　many　as　fifty　students；　then　on　to　Trenton；　and　across　the　Delaware　to　Philadelphia；　which　the　vanguard　reached　on　the　3d　of　September。

There　were　gala　scenes　in　Philadelphia。　Twenty　thousand　people　witnessed　a　review　of　the　French　army。　To　one　of　the　French　officers　the　city　seemed　〃immense〃　with　its　seventy…two　streets　all　〃in　a　straight　line。〃　The　shops　appeared　to　be　equal　to　those　of　Paris　and　there　were　pretty　women　well　dressed　in　the　French　fashion。　The　Quaker　city　forgot　its　old　suspicion　of　the　French　and　their　Catholic　religion。　Luzerne；　the　French　Minister；　gave　a　great　banquet　on　the　evening　of　the　5th　of　September。　Eighty　guests　took　their　places　at　table　and　as　they　sat　down　good　news　arrived。　As　yet　few　knew　the　destination　of　the　army　but　now　Luzerne　read　momentous　tidings　and　the　secret　was　out：　twenty…eight　French　ships　of　the　line　had　arrived　in　Chesapeake　Bay；　an　army　of　three　thousand　men　had　already　disembarked　and　was　in　touch　with　the　army　of　La　Fayette；　Washington　and　Rochambeau　were　bound　for　Yorktown　to　attack　Cornwallis。　Great　was　the　joy；　in　the　streets　the　soldiers　and　the　people　shouted　and　sang　and　humorists；　mounted　on　chairs；　delivered　in　advance　mock　funeral　orations　on　Cornwallis。

It　was　planned　that　the　army　should　march　the　fifty　miles　to　Elkton；　at　the　head　of　Chesapeake　Bay；　and　there　take　boat　to　Yorktown；　two　hundred　miles　to　the　south　at　the　other　end　of　the　Bay。　But　there　were　not　ships　enough。　Washington　had　asked　the　people　of　influence　in　the　neighborhood　to　help　him　to　gather　transports　but　few　of　them　responded。　A　deadly　apathy　in　regard　to　the　war　seems　to　have　fallen　upon　many　parts　of　the　country。　The　Bay　now　in　control　of　the　French　fleet　was　quite　safe　for　unarmed　ships。　Half　the　Americans　and　some　of　the　French　embarked　and　the　rest　continued　on　foot。　There　was　need　of　haste；　and　the　troops　marched　on　to　Baltimore　and　beyond　at　the　rate　of　twenty　miles　a　day；　over　roads　often　bad　and　across　rivers　sometimes　unbridged。　At　Baltimore　some　further　regiments　were　taken　on　board　transports　and　most　of　them　made　the　final　stages　of　the　journey　by　water。　Some　there　were；　however；　and　among　them　the　Vicomte　de　Noailles；　brother…in…law　of　La　Fayette；　who　tramped　on　foot　the　whole　seven　hundred　and　fifty…six　miles　from　Newport　to　Yorktown。　Washington　himself　left　the　army　at　Elkton　and　rode　on　with　Rochambeau；　making　about　sixty　miles　a　day。　Mount　Vernon　lay　on　the　way　and　here　Washington　paused　for　two　or　three　days。　It　was　the　first　time　he　had　seen　it　since　he　set　out　on　May　4；　1775；　to　attend　the　Continental　Congress　at　Philadelphia；　little　dreaming　then　of　himself　as　chief　leader　in　a　long　war。　Now　he　pressed　on　to　join　La　Fayette。　By　the　end　of　the　month　an　army　of　sixteen　thousand　men；　of　whom　about　one…half　were　French；　was　besieging　Cornwallis　with　seven　thousand　men　in　Yorktown。

Heart…stirring　events　had　happened　while　the　armies　were　marching　to　the　South。　The　Comte　de　Grasse；　with　his　great　fleet；　arrived　at　the　entrance　to　the　Chesapeake　on　the　30th　of　August　while　the　British　fleet　under　Admiral　Graves　still　lay　at　New　York。　Grasse；　now　the　pivot　upon　which　everything　turned；　was　the　French　admiral　in　the　West　Indies。　Taking　advantage　of　a　lull　in　operations　he　had　slipped　away　with　his　whole　fleet；　to　make　his　stroke　and　be　back　again　before　his　absence　had　caused　great　loss。　It　was　a　risky　enterprise；　but　a　wise　leader　takes　risks。　He　intended　to　be　back　in　the　West　Indies　before　the　end　of　October。

It　was　not　easy　for　the　British　to　realize　that　they　could　be　outmatched　on　the　sea。　Rodney　had　sent　word　from　the　West　Indies　that　ten　ships　were　the　limit　of　Grasse's　numbers　and　that　even　fourteen　British　ships　would　be　adequate　to　meet　him。　A　British　fleet；　numbering　nineteen　ships　of　the　line；　commanded　by　Admiral　Graves；　left　New　York　on　the　31st　of　August　and　five　days　later　stood　off　the　entrance　to　Chesapeake　Bay。　On　the　mainland　across　the　Bay　lay　Yorktown；　the　one　point　now　held　by　the　British　on　that　great　stretch　of　coast。　When　Graves　arrived　he　had　an　unpleasant　surprise。　The　strength　of　the　French　had　been　well　concealed。　There　to　confront　him　lay　twenty…four　enemy　ships。　The　situation　was　even　worse；　for　the　French　fleet　from　Newport　was　on　its　way　to　join　Grasse。

On　the　afternoon　of　the　5th　of　September；　the　day　of　the　great　rejoicing　in　Philadelphia；　there　was　a　spectacle　of　surpassing　interest　off　Cape　Henry；　at　the　mouth　of　the　Bay。　The　two　great　fleets　joined　battle；　under　sail；　and　poured　their　fire　into　each　other。　When　night　came　the　British　had　about　three　hundred　and　fifty　casualties　and　the　French　about　two　hundred。　There　was　no　brilliant　leadership　on　either　side。　One　of　Graves's　largest　ships；　the　Terrible；　was　so　crippled　that　he　burnt　her；　and　several　others　were　badly　damaged。　Admiral　Hood；　one　of　Graves's　officers；　says　that　if　his　leader　had　turned　suddenly　and　anchored　his　ships　across　the　mouth　of　the　Bay；　the　French　Admiral　with　his　fleet　outside　would　probably　have　sailed　away　and　left　the　British　fleet　in　possession。　As　it　was　the　two　fleets　lay　at　sea　in　sight　of　each　other　for　four　days。　On　the　morning　of　the　tenth　the　squadron　from　Newport　under　Barras　arrived　and　increased　Grasse's　ships　to　thirty…six。　Against　such　odds　Graves　could　do　nothing。　He　lingered　near　the　mouth　of　the　Chesapeake　for　a　few　days　still　and　then　sailed　away　to　New　York　to　refit。　At　the　most　critical　hour　of　the　whole　war　a　British　fleet；　crippled　and　spiritless；　was　hurrying　to　a　protecting　port　and　the　fleurs…de…lis　waved　unchallenged　on　the　American　coast。　The　action　of　Graves　spelled　the　doom　of　Cornwallis。　The　most　potent　fleet　ever　gathered　in　those　waters　cut　him　off　from　rescue　by　sea。

Yorktown　fronted　on　the　York　River　with　a　deep　ravine　and　swamps　at　the　back　of　the　town。　From　the　land　it　could　on　the　west　side　be　approached　by　a　road　leading　over　marshes　and　easily　defended；　and　on　the　east　side　by　solid　ground　about　half　a　mile　wide　now　protected　by　redoubts　and　entrenchments　with　an　outer　and　an　inner　parallel。　Could　Cornwallis　hold　out？　At　New　York；　no　longer　in　any　danger；　there　was　still　a　keen　desire　to　rescue　him。　By　the　end　of　September　he　received　word　from　Clinton　that　reinforcements　had　arrived　from　England　and　that；　with　a　fleet　of　twenty…six　ships　of　the　line　carrying　five　thousand　troops；　he　hoped　to　sail　on　the　5th　of　October　to　the　rescue　of　Yorktown。　There　was　delay。　Later　Clinton　wrote　that　on　the　basis　of　assurances　from　Admiral　Graves　he　hoped　to　get　away　on　the　twelfth。　A　British　officer　in　New　York　describes　the　hopes　with　which　the　populace　watched　these　preparations。　The　fleet；　however；　did　not　sail　until　the　19th　of　October。　A　speaker　in　Congress　at　the　time　said　that　the　British　Admiral　should　certainly　hang　for　this　delay。

On　the　5th　of　October；　for　some　reason　unexplained；　Cornwallis　abandoned　the　outer　parallel　and　withdrew　behind　the　inner　one。　This　left　him　in　Yorktown　a　space　so　narrow　that　nearly　every　part　of　it　could　be　swept　by　enemy　artillery。　By　the　11th　of　October　shells　were　dropping　incessantly　from　a　distance　of　only　three　hundred　yards；　and　before　this　powerful　fire　the　earthworks　crumbled。　On　the　fourteenth　the　French　and　Americans　carried　by　storm　two　redoubts　on　the　second　parallel。　The　redoubtable　Tarleton　was　in　Yorktown；　and　he　says　that　day　and　night　there　was　acute　danger　to　any　one　showing　himself　and　that　every　gun　was　dismounted　as　soon　as　seen。　He　was　for　evacuating　the　place　and　marching　away；　whither　he　hardly　knew。　Cornwallis　still　held　Gloucester；　on　the　opposite　side　of　the　York　River；　and　he　now　planned　to　cross　to　that　place　with　his　best　troops；　leaving　behind　his　sick　and　wounded。　He　would　try　to　reach　Philadelphia　by　the　route　over　which　Washington　had　just　ridden。　The　feat　was　not　impossible。　Washington　would　have　had　a　stern　chase　in　following　Cornwallis；　who　might　have　been　able　to　live　off　the　country。　Clinton　could　help　by　attacking　Philadelphia；　which　was　almost　defenseless。

As　it　was；　a　storm　prevented　the　crossing　to　Gloucester。　The　defenses　of　Yorktown　were　weakening　and　in　face　of　this　new　discouragement　the　British　leader　made　up　his　mind　that　the　end　was　near。　Tarleton　and　other　officers　condemned　Cornwallis　sharply　for　not　persisting　in　the　effort　to　get　away。　Cornwallis　was　a　considerate　man。　〃I　thought　it　would　have　been　wanton　and　inhuman；〃　he　reported　later；　〃to　sacrifice　the　lives　of　this　small　body　of　gallant　soldiers。〃　He　had　already　written　to　Clinton　to　say　that　there　would　be　great　risk　in　trying　to　send　a　fleet　and　army　to　rescue　him。　On　the　19th　of　October　came　the　climax。　Cornwallis　surren