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come.

CHAPTER XXI.

BATTLE OF MONMOUTH-COURT-MARTIAL OF LEE

ENDING the negotiation of the commissioners, Clinton had very much. reduced his force in Philadelphia. A large detachment had gone to the West Indies for service against the French; another had been sent to Florida; a large number of troops had proceeded to New York by water, accompanying the stores and baggage, and somewhat less than ten thousand of the effective line remained. On the 17th of June, Washington called a council of war to consult as to the plan of operations to be adopted in con nection with the evacuation now evidently imminent. General Charles Lee had been exchanged by the British for General Prescott, and took part in the council. Washington was decidedly in favor of an attack upon Clinton. His own force was numerically greater than that of the British and he could not conceive that a better time for striking an effective blow would ever Lee was strongly opposed to any attack, holding that it was very unwise to run risk: of defeat, when the co-operation of France might soon be looked for. Greene, Wayne, and Cadwalader held with Washington, while Lafayette took a middle course, and advised a partial, but not a general; engagement. Early in the morning of the 18th, Clinton began the evacua tion, and by 10 o'clock his rear had crossed the Delaware, and was in New Jersey. Washington at once detached a force to annoy the enemy's rear, and another, under Arnold, to take possession of Philadelphia. Clinton's line of march lay directly up the Delaware to a point beyond Trenton, and Washington was obliged to make an extensive circuit, crossing the river at Coryell's ferry, in order to gain the high ground of New Jersey, where he might choose a policy of action or defense. On the 25th of June, the British army was moving toward Monmouth court house, and Washington deter mined to risk an engagement upon his own judgment. Detachments, amounting in the aggregate to about four thousand men, were already hanging upon. the flanks and rear of the enemy. These he reinforced with one thousand picked men under Wayne. The advance thus amounted to five thousand men. Washington decided to place it under the command of a major-general. The duty belonged of right to Lee, as the ranking major-general, but he, having opposed an action, was seized with a fit of the sulks, and volun

tarily resigned the command to Lafayette, much to the satisfaction of the commander in chief. Lafayette proceeded, with orders to join the advance, to give the enemy every practicable annoyance, and to attack his left flank and rear in force or by detachment, as seemed best. Scarcely had Lafayette set out, when Lee, seeing that there was to be serious duty, earnestly requested the command. Washington, desiring to do justice to Lee's claims, without hurting the feelings of Lafayette, ordered the former forward with a reinforcement of two brigades. His rank would of course give him command, but he was expressly instructed not to interfere with any plan which Lafayette might have already formed. In the meantime Washington moved his main body forward, that he might be ready to support the advance in the case of necessity. Night fell; the enemy encamped near Monmouth court house, and Lee five miles distant, at Engletown. Washington rode forward to reconnoitre, and, seeing that, if Clinton were given time to march but ten miles, he would be in a position to make an attack extremely difficult, gave distinct orders to Lee to attack him early in the morning. In the morning Washington learned that the enemy was in motion and repeated his former orders to Lee. Skirmishing began early, and Lee advanced to the support of the skirmishing parties, leading about four thousand men. Reaching Freehold, he saw what he took to be a British covering party, marching through the woods. He detailed Wayne to engage it, while he should made a circuit with the main body, and cut it off from the British column. He had made a mistake; it was not a covering party, but the whole rear division of the British army. Washington was moving along the road toward Freehold, when he was apprised, by the sound of cannonading, that the battle had begun, and immediately made disposition to support his advance.

Before making the attack, Lee had sent word to Washington that he was about to engage a covering party of the enemy. Judge, then, of the surprise of the latter, when he met terrified stragglers, then entire regiments, in full retreat. He was dumfounded, and, ordering the officers, as he passed, to rally their men, spurred on at the top of his speed. Arrived at a rising ground near Freehold, he met Lee, retreating, with the main body. Let Irving tell what ensued:

"What is the meaning of this, sir?" demanded he in the sternest, and even fiercest tone, as he rode up.

Lee, for a moment, was disconcerted and hesitated in making a reply, for Washington's aspect, according to Lafayette, was terrible.

"I desire to know the meaning of this disorder and confusion," was

again demanded, still more vehemently.

Lee, stung by the manner, more than the words of the demand, made an angry reply, which provoked still sharper expressions, that have been variously reported. He attempted a hurried explanation. His troops had

been thrown into disorder by contradictory intelligence; by disobedience of orders; by the meddling and blundering of individuals; and he had not felt disposed, he said, to beard the whole British army, with troops in such a situation.

"I have certain information," rejoined Washington, "that it was merely a strong covering party.”

"That may be, but it was stronger than mine, and I did not think proper to run such a risk."

"I am very sorry," replied Washington, "that you undertook the command unless you meant to fight the enemy."

"I did not think it prudent to bring on a general engagement.' "Whatever your opinion may have been," replied Washington, disdainfully, "I expected my orders would have been obeyed."

All this passed very quickly. The immediate and pressing necessity was to change the fortune of the day. The ground where Washington had met Lee was favorable for a stand, being elevated and capable of approach from in front, only over a narrow causeway. The troops were hastily formed upon the high ground, with batteries upon the height, and, masked by the woods, on the left, for their support. Lee expected to be relieved, but Washington ordered him to take command of this position, while he himself formed the main body upon the next elevation.

A warm cannonade held the enemy for a time, and Washington had formed his reserve in an advantageous position between woods and a morass, before Lee was directly assailed. The latter made a gallant resistance, and was himself the last to leave the ground, when obliged to give way; his troops retired in good order, across the causeway leading to the position of the American right, under command of Lord Stirling. The British advanced, but, finding themselves warmly opposed by the American front, changed their tactics and made an effort to turn the left, where General Greene was in command. Here again were they checked, Greene's artillery doing great execution upon them, and also enfilading the British force in front of the left. General Wayne, advancing with an infantry reserve, opened so hot and well directed a fire as to compel the enemy to withdraw to the ground from which they had driven Lee. Though this position was very strong, Washington determined to assail it, and advanced his artillery to the causeway, while he detached forces, on either hand, to attack the enemy's flanks. The battle was renewed on this ground with great spirit, and was continued until night fell, and left the Americans with the advantage upon their side. Two hours more of daylight would have been enough to make the result decisive. The American force slept on their arms, Washington himself lying, wrapped in a blanket, at the foot of a tree, with Lafayette beside him. During the night, however, the British, sending their deserted the field, and, as it was certain that they

wounded in advance,

must reach the strong ground about Middletown, before they could be overtaken, and the advantage would then be all on their side, it was deemed wise not to attempt a pursuit. The Americans lost in the battle eight officers and sixty-one privates, killed; and one hundred and sixty wounded. The burying parties found four British officers, and two hundred and forty-five non-commissioned officers and privates, dead on the field, and many fresh graves. About one hundred prisoners were also taken, most of whom were wounded. Lafayette says of the battle: "Never was General Washington greater in victory, than in this action. His presence stopped the retreat. His disposition fixed the victory. His fine appearance on horseback; his calm courage, roused by the animation produced by the vexation of the morning, gave him the air best calculated to excite enthusiasm."

The conduct of Lee had excited the most decided disapproval of Washington, yet it is more than likely that a frank explanation, on the part of the former, might have smoothed the matter over, for he certainly was outnumbered, and he afterward made the very plausible explanation that his intention in retreating was only to form upon more advantageous ground, and that the spot where he met Washington was that which he had selected for his stand. He did not, however, choose so wise a course, but, stung by his public rebuke, wrote the commander in chief a very impertinent letter, calling for an explanation of "the very singular expressions" used by the latter in their encounter. Washington answered in a dignified tone, when Lee replied in a still more objectionable manner, demanding an investigation, and indicating a preference for a court-martial, rather than a simple court of inquiry. Washington promised to gratify this desire, and, at the earliest moment caused the arrest of Lee, and preferred against him the following charges:

First. For disobedience of orders in not attacking the enemy on the 28th of June, agreeably to repeated instructions.

Secondly. For misbehavior before the enemy, on the same day, in making an unnecessary, disorderly, and shameful retreat.

Thirdly. For disrespect to the commander in chief, in two letters.

A court-martial was at once appointed, and sat from day to day, following the march of the army, from the 4th of July to the 12th of August. The testimony revealed extenuating circumstances, and, in the end, Lee was found guilty upon all the charges, the sole amendment being to strike out the word shameful from the second. He was sentenced to suspension for oneyear, subject to the approval of Congress, and, that body having somewhat reluctantly confirmed the judgment, the sentence went into effect. Though he had courted investigation, and had requested that it be by court-martial, he chose, from the moment of his arrest, to pose as a persecuted and injured man. He was loud and constant in his abuse of Washington, while the latter, so far as possible, avoided mentioning his name in public, and,