President Washington by Thomas Fleming

Author:Thomas Fleming [Thomas Fleming]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUVENILE NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiography / General
ISBN: 9781612305899
Publisher: New Word City, LLC
Published: 2013-01-06T16:00:00+00:00

Washington seldom missed an opportunity to needle the British for their emphasis on pompous ceremony. In the confused melee of the Battle of Germantown, General Howe's dog lost track of his master and deserted to the Americans. With the elaborate formalities of a flag of truce, Washington returned the wandering canine to his opponent. An exact transcript of the letter with Washington's corrections of the draft written by an aide shows he still remembered being addressed as "esquire" by that unlucky general. At the beginning of the note, Washington crossed out the word “Sir” and replace it with “General. At the end he deleted the words “His Excellency Sir William” before “General Howe.”

When misfortune befell an enemy general, Washington's instinctive generosity came to the fore. He interceded personally on behalf of "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne, captured at Saratoga, and persuaded Congress to permit him to go back to England on parole to defend himself against slanderous critics in Parliament. Washington wrote Burgoyne a letter, sympathizing "with your feelings as a soldier." Burgoyne read it before the British Parliament, and declared that though it came from an enemy, "it did credit to the human heart."

Nevertheless, Washington never forgot he was fighting for his life. No general ever learned the art of total war faster than he did during the crisis-filled winter of 1776 to 1777. What he could not win by strength he decided to win with guile - and forthwith became one of the most talented spy masters in history.

He had begun poorly in this department, too, sending amateur agent Nathan Hale to almost certain death by failing to maintain the slightest secrecy about his mission. As he retreated across the Delaware, Washington sent a rush messenger to Philadelphia for "hard money" to pay spies.

Within a matter of days he had recruited one of the cleverest agents of the war, John Honeyman, an ex-British soldier who had kept his American patriotism a secret from his neighbors. Washington ordered Honeyman to desert to the protection of the Hessian garrison at Trenton. To cover his tracks Washington issued a stern proclamation denouncing him and offering rewards for his arrest. Loyal Americans were warned, however, to take the traitor alive because General Washington wanted the pleasure of hanging him personally.

In Trenton, meanwhile, Honeyman became the personal steward and warm friend of Colonel Johann Rall, the Hessian commander. After absorbing with a soldier's trained eye every last detail of Trenton's defenses, Honeyman had himself captured by an American patrol. Washington, putting on a performance worthy of an award, sternly denounced the "traitor" to his face and then ordered the room cleared, vowing he wanted to see if he could persuade this "dirty fellow" to support the American cause.

In a half hour Honeyman told Washington all he needed to know about Trenton. Washington threw open the door of his office and ordered the guard to clap Honeyman in jail and prepare for a hanging at dawn.

Toward evening a mysterious fire broke out near Washington's headquarters. The guards rushed to extinguish it.

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