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veyor, selected in the woods of Whitemarsh strong CHAP. ground for an encampment, and there, within fourteen miles of Philadelphia, awaited the enemy, of 1777. whose movements he received exact and timely intelligence. On the severely cold night of the fourth of December, the British, fourteen thousand strong, marched out to attack the American lines. Before daybreak on the fifth, their advance party halted on a ridge beyond Chestnut hill, eleven miles from Philadelphia, and at seven their main body formed in one line, with a few regiments as reserves. The Americans occupied thickly wooded hills, with a morass and a brook in their front. Opposite the British left wing a breastwork defended the only point where the brook could be easily forded. About noon, General Irvine, who led some Pennsylvania militia into a skirmish, was wounded and taken prisoner, and his party were dispersed. At night the British force rested on their arms, and the hills far and wide blazed with the innumerable fires of the two armies. Washington passed the hours in strengthening his position; and though from sickness, fatigue, and want of clothing, he had at most but eleven thousand, according to Kalb, who was present, but seven thousand really effective men, he wished for an engagement. Near the end of another day Howe marched back to Germantown, and on the next, as if intending a surprise, suddenly returned upon the American left, which he made preparations to assail. Washington rode through every brigade, delivering in person his orders on the manner of receiving their enemy, exhorting to a reliance on the bayonet;

CHAP. and his words, and still more his example, inspired XXVII. them with his own fortitude. All day long, and until 1777. eight in the evening, Howe kept up his recon

Dec.

noitring, but found the American position everywhere strong by nature and by art. Nothing occurred during the day but a sharp action on Edge hill, between light troops under Gist and Morgan's riflemen and a British party led by General Grey. The latter lost eighty-nine in killed and wounded; the Americans twenty-seven, among them the brave Major Morris of New Jersey. On the eighth, just after noon, the British suddenly filed off, and marched by the shortest road to Philadelphia. Their loss in the expedition exceeded one hundred. Thus the campaign closed. Howe had gone out with superior numbers and the avowed intention of bringing on a battle, and had so respected his adversary that he would not engage him without some advantage of ground. Henceforward he passed the winter behind his intrenchments, making only excursions for food or forage; and Washington had no choice but to seek winter-quarters for his suffering soldiers.

Military affairs had thus far been superintended by congress, through a committee of its own members. After some prelude in July, 1777, it was settled in the following October to institute an executive board of war of five persons not members of congress.

Conway, a French officer of Irish descent, whom Greene and others describe as "worthless," had long been eager for higher rank. In a timely letter to Richard Henry Lee, a friend to Conway, Washing ton wrote: "His merits exist more in his own

"a

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imagination than in reality; it is a maxim with CHAP. him not to want anything which is to be obtained by importunity;" his promotion would be a real 1777. act of injustice," likely to "incur a train of irremediable evils. To sum up the whole, I have been a slave to the service; I have undergone more than most men are aware of to harmonize so many discordant parts; but it will be impossible for me to be of any further service, if such insuperable difficulties are thrown in my way." These words might be interpreted as a threat of resignation in the event of Conway's promotion. Conway breathed out his discontent to Gates, writing in substance: "Heaven has been determined to save your country, or a weak general and bad counsellors would have ruined it." The correspondents of Gates did not scruple in their letters to speak of the commander-in-chief with bitterness or contempt. "This army," wrote Reed, "notwithstanding the efforts of our amiable chief, has as yet gathered no laurels. I perfectly agree with that sentiment which leads to request your assistance." On the sixth of November, Wilkinson, the principal aid of Gates, a babbling and unsteady sycophant praised by his chief for military genius, was made a brigadier. On the seventh, Mifflin, leaving his office of quartermastergeneral, of which he had neglected the duties, yet retaining the rank of major-general, was elected to the board of war. The injurious words of Conway having through Wilkinson been reported to Washington, on the ninth he communicated his knowledge of them to Conway, and to him alone. Conway, in an interview, justified them, made no apology, and

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CHAP. after the interview reported his defiance of Washington to Mifflin. On the tenth, Sullivan, second 1777. in rank in the army, knowing the opinion of his brother-officers and of his chief, and that on a discussion at a council of war about appointing an inspector - general Conway's pretensions met with no favor, wrote to a member of congress: "No man can behave better in action than General Conway; his regulations in his brigade are much better than any in the army; his knowledge of military matters far exceeds any officer we have. If the office of inspector-general with the rank of major-general was given him, our army would soon cut a different figure from what they now do." On the same day Wayne expressed his purpose "to follow the line pointed out by the conduct of Lee, Gates, and Mifflin." On the eleventh, Conway, foreseeing that Gates was to preside at the board of war, offered to form for him a plan for the instruction of the army; and on the fifteenth, to advance his intrigue, he tendered his resignation to congress. On the seventeenth, Lovell of Massachusetts wrote to Gates threatening Washington "with the mighty torrent of public clamor and vengeance," and subjoined: "How different your conduct and your fortune; this army will be totally lost unless you come down and collect the virtuous band who wish to fight under your banner." On the twenty-first, Wayne, forgetting the disaster that had attended his own rash confidence, disparaged Washington as having more than once slighted the favors of fortune. On the twenty-fourth, congress received the resignation of Conway, and referred it

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to the board of war, of which Mifflin at that time CHAP. was the head. On the twenty-seventh, they filled the places in that board, and appointed Gates 1777. its president. On the same day Lovell wrote to Gates: "We want you in different places; we want you most most near Germantown. Good God,

what a situation we are in! how different from what might have been justly expected!" and he represented Washington as a general who collected astonishing numbers of men to wear out stockings, shoes, and breeches, and "Fabiused affairs into a very disagreeable posture." On the twentyeighth, congress declared themselves by a unanimous resolution in favor of carrying on a winter's campaign with vigor and success, and sent three of their members with Washington's concurrence to direct every measure which circumstances might require. On the same day, Mifflin, explaining to Gates how Conway had braved the commander-inchief, volunteered his own opinion that the extract from Conway's letter was a "collection of just sentiments." Gates, on receiving the letter, wrote to Conway: "You acted with all the dignity of a virtuous soldier." He wished "so very valuable and polite an officer might remain in the service." To congress he complained of the betrayal of his correspondence to Washington, with whom he came to an open rupture. On the thirteenth of December, congress, following Mifflin's report, appointed Conway inspector-general, promoted him to be a majorgeneral, made his office independent of the commander-in-chief, and referred him to the board of war for the regulations which he was to introduce.