That same
day Washington's army, free from its long exile at Valley Forge,
occupied the capital. Clinton set out on his long march by land
and Howe worked his laden ships down the difficult river to its
mouth and, after delay by winds, put to sea on the 28th of June.
By a stroke of good fortune he sailed the two hundred miles to
New York in two days and missed the great fleet of d'Estaing,
carrying an army of four thousand men. On the 8th of July
d'Estaing anchored at the mouth of the Delaware. Had not his
passage been unusually delayed and Howe's unusually quick, as
Washington noted, the British fleet and the transports in the
Delaware would probably have been taken and Clinton and his army
would have shared the fate of Burgoyne.
As it was, though Howe's fleet was clear away, Clinton's army had
a bad time in the march across New Jersey. Its baggage train was
no less than twelve miles long and, winding along roads leading
sometimes through forests, was peculiarly vulnerable to flank
attack. In this type of warfare Washington excelled. He had
fought over this country and he knew it well. The tragedy of
Valley Forge was past. His army was now well trained and well
supplied. He had about the same number of men as the
British--perhaps sixteen thousand--and he was not encumbered by a
long baggage train.
Pages:
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201