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strong enough to attack this force, and at twilight on Christmas night he had about 2,000 men on the shore of the Delaware at McConkey's Ferry (afterwards Taylorsville), a few miles above Trenton, preparing to cross the river. He rightly believed that the Germans, after the usual carouse of the Christmas festival, would be peculiarly exposed to a surprise, and he prepared to fall upon them before day. light on the morning of the 26th.

With him were Generals Stirling, Greene, Sullivan, Mercer, Stephen, and

eral Lee, with wilful disobedience refused the duty, and turning his back on Washington, rode on towards Baltimore to intrigue among Congressmen against Gen. PHILIP SCHUYLER (q. v.). Ice was forming in the Delaware, and its surface was covered with floating pieces. The current was swift, the night was dark, and towards midnight a storm of snow and sleet set in. It was 4 A.M. before the troops in marching order stood on the New Jersey shore, boats having been hurriedly provided for their passage. The army moved in two

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Knox, commanding the artillery. columns-one, led by Sullivan, along a rangements were made for a similar move- road nearest the river; the other, led by ment against the cantonments below Tren- Washington and accompanied by the other ton, the command of which was assigned generals, along a road a little distance to to General Gates; but that officer, jealous the left. It was broad daylight when they of Washington, and in imitation of Gen- reached Trenton, but they were undis

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Rall was mortally wounded, and taken to graduated at Charleston College in 1840; his quarters, where he died. The main admitted to the bar in 1843; assistant body, attempting to escape by the Prince- Secretary of State from December, 1860, ton road, were intercepted by Colonel Hand till the secession of South Carolina; held and made prisoners. Some British light- a seat in the legislature of that State horse and infantry at Trenton escaped to in 1862-66; began the practice of law in Bordentown. The victory was complete. Washington in 1875; was a member of The spoils were about 1,000 prisoners, the commission of 1880 to revise the 1,200 small-arms, six brass field-pieces, treaty with China; special agent to the and all the German standards. The tri- belligerents of Peru, Chile, and Bolivia umphant army recrossed the Delaware in 1881, and during the same year reprewith their prisoners (who were sent to sented the government in the negotiaPhiladelphia), and went back to their tions concerning its rights in the Isthmus of Panama; appointed with General Grant in 1882 to effect a commercial treaty with Mexico. His publications include A Few Thoughts on the Foreign Policy of the United States; The Diplomacy of the Revolution; Diplomatic System of the United States; An American View of the Eastern Question; The Diplomatic History of the Administrations of Washington and Adams; Address before the South Carolina Historical Society, etc. He died in Pendleton, S. C., May 4, 1898.

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RALL'S HEADQUARTERS.

Trespass Act. Some of the States whose territory had been longest and most recently occupied by the British were inencampment. This bold stroke puzzled clined to enact new confiscation laws. and annoyed the British. Cornwallis did Such was the so-called trespass act of not sail for England, but was sent back New York, which authorized the owners into New Jersey. The Tories were of real estate in the city to recover rents alarmed, and the dread of the mercenary and damages against such persons as had Germans was dissipated. The faltering used their buildings under British aumilitia soon began to flock to the standard thority during the war. This act was of Washington, and many of the soldiers passed before the news arrived of the who were about to leave the American terms of the preliminary treaty of peace army re-enlisted.

Trescot, WILLIAM HENRY, diplomatist; born in Charleston, S. C., Nov. 10, 1822;

(see TREATIES, ANGLO-AMERICAN). In 1786 the Supreme Court of New York, by the efforts of Hamilton, declared the

trespass act void, as being in conflict Duane, Reynolds, Moore, and Cumwith the definitive treaty of Paris. See ming acquitted of seditious riot, PennsylTREATIES, FRANCO-AMERICAN.

Trials. The following is a list of the most notable trials in the United States: Anne Hutchinson; sedition and heresy (the Antinomian controversy); imprisoned and banished.... .1637

Trials of Quakers in Massachusetts

1656-61 Jacob Leisler, New York, convicted and executed for treason... ...May 16, 1691 Trials for witchcraft, Massachusetts

vania

.1799 Matthew Lyon convicted in Vermont, October, 1798, of writing for publication a letter calculated "to stir up sedition and to bring the President and the government into contempt"; confined four months in Vergennes jail; fine of $1,000 paid by friends, and Lyon released

Feb. 9, 1799 J. T. Callender, for libel of President Adams in a pamphlet, The Prospect Be1692 fore Us; tried at Richmond, Va., fined Thomas Maule, for slanderous publica- $200 and sentenced to nine months' imtions and blasphemy, Massachusetts..1696 prisonment... ...June 6, 1800 Nicholas Bayard, treason.........1702 Thomas Daniel, for opening letters of a John Peter Zenger, for printing and foreign minister.... ...1800 publishing libels on the colonial govern- Judge John Pickering impeached before ment, November, 1734, acquitted.....1735 the United States Senate, March 3, 1803, William Wemms, James Hartegan, for malfeasance in the New Hampshire William McCauley, and other British district court in October and November, soldiers, in Boston, Mass., for the murder 1802, in restoring ship Eliza, seized for of Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, Samuel smuggling, to its owners; Judge PickerMaverick, James Caldwell, and Patrick ing, though doubtless insane, is convicted Carr.... .March 5, 1770 and removed from office....March 4, 1804 Maj.-Gen. Charles Lee, court-martial Judge Samuel Chase impeached before after the battle of Monmouth; found the United States Senate, acquitted..1805 guilty of, first, disobedience of orders in Thomas O. Selfridge tried for murder of not attacking the enemy; second, unneces- Charles Austin on the public exchange in sary and disorderly retreat; third, dis- Boston.. ...Aug. 4, 1806 respect to the commander-in-chief; Aaron Burr, for treason, Virginia; acpended from command for one year, tried quitted..........March 27-Sept. 7, 1807

sus

July 4, 1778

John Hett Smith, for assisting Benedict Arnold, New York, not guilty...1780 Maj. John André, adjutant - general, British army, seized as a spy at Tappan, N. Y., Sept. 23, 1780, tried by military court and hanged.... ...Oct. 2, 1780 Stewart, Wright, Porter, Vigol, and Mitchell, Western insurgents, found guilty 1795 William Blount, United States Senate, impeached for misdemeanor.. ....1797 William Cobbett, for libelling the King of Spain and his ambassador, writing as "Peter Porcupine" in Porcupine's Gazette, July 17, before Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; acquitted.... ..1797

Thomas Cooper, of Northumberland, Pa., convicted under the sedition act of libel on the administration of President Adams in Reading Advertiser of Oct. 26, 1799, imprisonment for six months and $400 fine....

Col. Thomas H. Cushing, by court-martial at Baton Rouge, on charges of BrigGen. Wade Hampton.. ...1812

Patrick Byrne, for mutiny, by general court-martial at Fort Columbus; sentenced to death... May 22, 1813

Gen. W. Hull, commanding the northwestern army of the United States, for cowardice in surrender of Detroit, Aug. 16, etc.; by court-martial, held at Albany, sentenced to be shot; sentence approved by the President, but execution remitted Jan. 3, 1814 Dartmouth College case, defining the power of States over corporations

1817-18

Arbuthnot and Ambrister, by court-martial, April 26, 1818, for inciting Creek Indians to war against the United States; executed by order of General Jackson

April 30, 1818 Stephen and Jesse Boorn, at Manchester, .1799 Vt., Nov. 1819, for the murder of Louis

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