Gates was equally neglectful

inform

f

the disposition he intended to make of the ar under his command. He delayed even to Surward Morgan's rifle corps, though their services wer no longer needed in his camp, and were so IT required in the south. It was determined. * fore, in a council of war, that one of Wag tou's staff should be sent to Gates to a the critical state of affairs, and that a lar forcement from the Northern army wo probability, reduce General Howe to the am situation with Burgoyne, should be reman a Philadelphia, without being able to remove the obstructions in the Delaware, and open communication with his shipping.

Colonel Alexander Hamilton, tisy intelligent aide-de-camp, was ebarred

mission. He bore a letter from Wa

Gates, dated October 30th, of which the ing
is an extract.

ny conduct, ontempt of iful sensa

Congress the bearer which Dr. ", "I think

2

suspense, '; he was ..ous cirfter, ap

a cor

aracter General Darallel

ceding in it nting

fol

his

of the

"By this opportunity, I do myself the patie to congratulate you on the sign

army under your command, in compelling Get eral Burgoyne and his whole force to surrender themselves prisoners of war; an event that sus the highest honor to the American art, and which, I hope, will be attended with the most extensive and happy consequences. At the sape time, I cannot but regret that a matter of such magnitude, and so interesting to our general operations, should have reached me by report only 5

a weak general and bad counselors would have ruined it."'

66

“I am, sir, your humble servant,

"GEORGE WASHINGTON."

The brevity of this note rendered it the more astounding. It was a hand-grenade thrown into the midst of the cabal. The effect upon other members we shall show hereafter: it seems, at first, to have prostrated Conway. An epistle of his friend Mifflin to Gates intimates, that Conway endeavored to palliate to Washington the censorious expressions in his letter, by pleading the careless freedom of language indulged in familiar letter writing; no other record of such explanation remains, and that probably was not received as satisfactory. Certain it is, he immediately sent in his resignation. To some he alleged, as an excuse for resigning, the disparaging way in which he had been spoken of by some members of Congress; to others he observed, that the campaign was at an end, and there was a prospect of a French war. The real reason he kept to himself, and Washington suffered it to remain a secret. His resignation, however, was not accepted by Congress; on the contrary, he was supported by the cabal, and was advanced to further honors, which we shall specify here

after.

In de mean time, the cabal went on to make callous comparisons between the achievements of the 143 armies deeply derogatory to that ander Washington Publicly, he took no notice

APOLOGY FOR THE ARMY.

323

of them; but they drew from him the following apology for his army, in a noble and characteristic letter to his friend, the celebrated Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia. "The design of this," writes he, "is only to inform you, and with great truth I can do it, strange as it may seem, that the army which I have had under my immediate command, has not, at any one time, since General Howe's landing at the Head of Elk, been equal in point of numbers to his. In ascertaining this, I do not confine myself to continental troops, but comprehend militia. The disaffected and lukewarm in this State, in whom unhappily it too much abounds, taking advantage of the distraction in the government, prevented those vigorous exertions, which an invaded State ought to have yielded.

I was left to fight two battles, in order, if possible, to save Philadelphia, with less numbers than composed the army of my antagonist, whilst the world has given us at least double. This impression, though mortifying in some points of view, I have been obliged to encourage; because, next to being strong, it is best to be thought so by the enemy; and to this cause, principally, I think is to be attributed the slow movements of General Howe.

"How different the case in the Northern Department! There the States of New York and New England, resolving to crush Burgoyne, conEnued pouring in their troops, till the surrender f that army; at which time not less than fouren thousand militia, as I have been informed,

NGTON DEFENDED.

325

er capital." And Major-general ArmThe Pennsylvania militia, writes at the uncil of his State: "Be not deceived of General Washington's numbers; be r aid. Let the brave step forth, their the many. You all speak well of our ta distance; don't you want to see him, enerous, one martial visit, when kindly near the end of a long campaign? There selves the unremitting zeal and toils of the night, multiplied into years, without e of his own, without murmur or comand calls this arduous task the service of his God."