Elsie and Her Namesakes, Page 2

  CHAPTER II

  The next day Grandma Elsie, true to her promise, remained with thechildren at Woodburn, while the younger ladies went on their shoppingexpedition to the city. Ned had been carried down to the library,and lay there on a sofa, his pale face bright with expectation; forhe dearly loved grandma's stories, especially now when it seemed toogreat an exertion to hold a book and read for himself; his sister Elsiewas there, too, and so were several of the young cousins from Ion andFairview, who had come riding in on their bicycles, full of joyfulexpectation, for grandma's stories were to them a great delight.

  They gathered about her, and she began.

  "I am going to tell you of our Washington and some of his deeds andexperiences. He has been called the Father of his Country. Some oneonce gave the toast, 'Washington: Providence left him childless thathis country might call him father.'"

  "Had he never any children at all, grandma?" asked Ned.

  "None of his very own; only some step-children. He married a widow whohad some by a former husband.

  "Washington was very young when he left school and began life as asurveyor. At sixteen he was public surveyor of Culpeper County, and hecontinued there at that work for three years. Then, at nineteen, hewas made adjutant-general, with the rank of major, in one of the fourmilitary districts into which Virginia was divided.

  "In 1753 Great Britain instructed her governors of the Americancolonies to serve notice on the French that their forts built onwestern lands claimed by the English were an encroachment on hercolonies; and if the French resisted, they were instructed to use forceto drive them away.

  "Washington was then twenty-one--a tall, grave, handsome young man,and one with the talents and information required; he had courage,experience in the woods, knowledge about forts and tact with savages.The governor offered the dangerous and difficult mission to him, and heaccepted it.

  "This was in the summer. In October the governor resolved to enlargehis army to ten companies of one hundred men each, and no officer inthat Virginia regiment was to rank higher than captain. Indignant atthat, Washington resigned and left the army.

  "The next February Braddock came from England with two regiments oftroops, supplies and artillery. He landed in Virginia, and Washingtonsent him a congratulatory letter. Shortly afterward Braddockinvited him to become his aide-de-camp, and he willingly acceptedthe invitation. He joined Braddock at Frederickstown, feeling muchdispleased that the army should pass through Maryland instead ofVirginia.

  "Braddock--proud Englishman--despised all colonials except Franklin andWashington, but from the beginning he was pleased with them."

  "Colonial, grandma?" said Ned, inquiringly.

  "Yes, dear; you must remember that at that time there were no UnitedStates of America; instead, just thirteen colonies subject to GreatBritain, and all on or near the Atlantic coast. Our country has grownvery much since then."

  "And in more ways than one, hasn't it, grandma?" remarked Elsie Raymondwith a look of joy and pride.

  "Yes, dear; it is many times as large, as wealthy and full of comfortsand conveniences. Indeed, I think we may safely say that we are therichest and most powerful nation in the world. God has been wonderfullygood to us, and to Him be all the glory and the praise.

  "In the days I am telling you of there were no railroads, and therough mountain roads would be very difficult to cross with the heavyartillery and baggage. Therefore, Washington urged a forward movementwith a small but chosen band and only such artillery and light storesas were absolutely necessary.

  "Washington went with the rear division, riding in a covered wagon,for he had been quite sick with fever and pains in his head, and wasnot yet able to sit a horse. He overtook the advance division at themouth of the Youghiogheny River, fifteen miles from Fort Duquesne, andthe next morning, though still very weak in body, attended Braddockon horseback. The ground was very steep on the north side of theMonongahela, which made it necessary to ford the river twice and marcha part of the way on the south side. About noon they were within tenmiles of Fort Duquesne. It was here they crossed to the north side,and their road lay through a level plain, at the north end of whicha gradual ascent began, leading to hills of some height, and thenthrough an uneven country covered with trees. Three hundred men, underColonel Gage, marched first, then came another party of two hundred,then Braddock with the main body, artillery and baggage.

  "All had crossed the river, and the advance body was going cheerfullyup the hill, on each side of which was a ravine eight or ten feet deep,covered with trees and long grass. General Braddock had not employedany scouts. He despised Indians, colonists and their irregular kindof warfare. A hundred friendly Indians had joined him on the march,but he treated them so coldly, in spite of all Washington could say intheir favor, that they had all gone away. They came again on the verynight before this dress parade between the ravines, and again offeredtheir assistance; but in spite of all Washington could say in favor ofemploying them, the general refused to do so."

  "And were the French and their Indians hiding in those ravines,grandma?" asked Ned.

  "Yes," she replied; "that was just what they were doing, and afterthe first British division had got well into the field between theravines, without seeing or hearing an enemy, they suddenly received avolley of musket-balls in their faces. As one of the soldiers afterwardsaid, they could only tell where the enemy were by the smoke of theirmuskets. But the British at once returned a fire that killed the Frenchcommander, and was so heavy that the Indians thought it came fromartillery, and were about to retreat when Dumas, who was in command nowthat his superior officer was killed, rallied them and sent them, underFrench officers, to attack the right flank while he held the front.

  "The British now received another rain of bullets, and the wood rangwith the savage yells of the Indians, but they could see only smoke,except when now and then an Indian ventured from behind a tree to takea scalp. The Virginians, used to the Indian's way of fighting, droppedon the ground or rushed behind trees, and the British regulars triedto imitate them. Braddock, just then reaching the scene, was furiousat that. Riding about the field, he forced his men, both British andVirginians, back into the ranks, just where the enemy could get fullsight of them and shoot them down the more readily."

  "Why, grandma, what did he do that for?" asked Ned.

  "It seems he wanted them to keep rank just because he considered thatthe regular thing to do."

  "Stupid old fellow!" exclaimed one of the other young listeners.

  "Yes; he does not seem to have been very bright in that particularline," assented Mrs. Travilla, "but he was very brave; four horseswere shot under him, and he mounted a fifth. All his aides were shotdown but one--our Washington; though hardly well enough to sit in hissaddle, he rode about the field delivering Braddock's orders to thetroops, so making himself a conspicuous target for the enemy, who firedat him again and again, but could not kill him--did not even succeed inwounding him, though two horses were shot under him, and he sprang upona third and went fearlessly on with his work."

  "But he was not wounded. I remember reading that," said Elsie. "Surely,grandma, God took care of him, that he might after a while become theFather of his Country."

  "Yes, God protected him, and that made it impossible for the foe todestroy him."

  "But they killed Braddock, didn't they?" asked Ned.

  "I don't know," replied Mrs. Travilla, "that Braddock was fatallywounded at that time, but I have seen an account of his fatal wounding,which may or not be true. It is thought that among the Americans whowere in the fight were two of the name of Fausett--brothers--Thomasand Joseph. Thomas is said to have been a man of gigantic frame andof uncivilized, half savage propensities. It is said that he spentmost of his life in the mountains, living as a hermit on the gamethat he killed. In the battle we are talking of he saw his brotherbehind a tree, saw Braddock ride up to him in a passion and strike himdown with his sword. Tom Fausett drew up his rifle instantly and shotBraddock th
rough the lungs, partly in revenge for the outrage upon hisbrother and partly, as he always declared, to get the general out ofthe way that he might sacrifice no more of the lives of the British andAmericans."

  "Why, grandma, did he want his own men killed?" asked Ned.

  "No; but he was foolish, obstinate and determined to have his own way.Those who appointed him commander of that force made a great mistake.He was a good tactician, but proud, prejudiced and conceited. Talkingwith Benjamin Franklin, who was then postmaster-general, he said,'After taking Fort Duquesne, I am to proceed to Niagara, and havingtaken that, to Frontenac, if the season will allow time, and I supposeit will, for Duquesne can hardly detain me above three or four days;and then I can see nothing that can obstruct my march to Niagara.'Franklin thought the plan excellent if he could take his fine troopssafely to Fort Duquesne, but told him there might be danger from Indianambuscades; the savages, shooting unexpectedly from their places ofconcealment in the woods, might destroy his army in detail. Braddockthought that an absurd idea, and replied that the Indians might beformidable enemies to raw American troops, but it was impossible theyshould make an impression upon the King's regular and disciplinedtroops. And, as I have already told you, that was the idea he actedupon in the fight, which is always spoken of as 'Braddock's defeat.' Heinsisted that his men should be formed in regular platoons; they firedby platoons--at the rocks, into the bushes and ravines, and so killednot enemies only, but many Americans--as many as fifty by one volley."

  "Oh, how dreadful!" cried Elsie; "killing their own comrades instead ofthe enemies they were fighting."

  "Grandma, did Tom Fausett's shot kill Braddock at once?" asked Ned.

  "No; it was on the 9th of July he was shot, and he died on the eveningof the 13th. It was on that day the remnant of his army went intocamp at the Great Meadows. In the evening, after the fight, Braddockexclaimed, 'Who would have thought it?'

  "Then he remained silent until a few minutes before he died, when hesaid, 'We should better know how to deal with them another time.' Theyburied him before daybreak in the road and levelled his grave withthe ground, lest the Indians should find and mutilate his body. Thechaplain had been wounded, and Washington read the burial service."

  "At the Great Meadows, grandma?" asked Elsie.

  "About a mile from Fort Necessity," replied Mrs. Travilla. "I have readthat on the 17th the sick and wounded reached Fort Cumberland, and thenext day Washington wrote to a friend that since his arrival there hehad heard a circumstantial account of his own death and dying speech,and now he was taking the earliest opportunity of contradicting thefirst, and of giving the assurance that he had not yet composed thelatter."

  "Well, I hope he got the praise he deserved from somebody," said Elsie.

  "Yes, he did," replied her grandma. "An eloquent and accomplishedpreacher, Rev. Samuel Davies, who a few years later became president ofPrinceton College, in a sermon to one of the companies organized afterBraddock's defeat, after praising the zeal and courage of the Virginiatroops, added: 'As a remarkable instance of this, I may point out tothe public that heroic youth, Colonel Washington, whom I cannot buthope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a manner for someimportant service to his country.'"

  "And doesn't it seem that that was what God preserved him for,grandma?" exclaimed Elsie, her eyes shining with pleasure.

  "It does, indeed; God was very good to us in giving us such a leaderfor such a time as that of our hard struggle for the freedom which hasmade us the great and powerful nation that we now are."

  "And we are not the only people that think very highly of Washington,"remarked one of the cousins in a tone which was half assertive, halfinquiring.

  "No, indeed," replied Mrs. Travilla; "one English historian has saidthat Washington's place in the history of mankind is without a fellow,and Lord Brougham said more than once, 'It will be the duty of thehistorian in all ages to let no occasion pass of commemorating thisillustrious man; and until time shall be no more will a test of theprogress which our race has made in wisdom and virtue be derived fromthe veneration paid to the immortal name of Washington.'"

  "That's high praise, grandma, isn't it?" said Eric Leland; "and I thinkour Washington deserved every word of it."

  "As I do," she replied; "he was just, generous, disinterested--spendingso many of the best years of his life in fighting for the freedom ofhis country, and that without a cent of pay--wise, fearless, heroic,self-sacrificing; he feared God, believed in Christ, was a man ofprayer, fully acknowledging divine aid and direction in all that heattempted and all he accomplished. He was a wonderful man, a God-givenleader to us in a time when such an one was sorely needed."

  "When was the war quite over, grandma?" asked Ned.

  "The treaty of peace was signed in Paris on the 20th of January, 1783,"replied Mrs. Travilla. "News did not then fly nearly so fast as itdoes now, and it was not till the 17th of the following April thatWashington received the proclamation of peace by our Congress. On the19th of April, the anniversary of the shedding of the first blood ofthe war, at Lexington, eight years before, the cessation was proclaimedat the head of every regiment of the army. That was by Washington'sgeneral orders, in which he added, 'The chaplains of the severalbrigades will render thanks to Almighty God for all His mercies,particularly for His overruling the wrath of man to His own glory, andcausing the rage of war to cease among the nations.'"