washington and his comrades in arms-第6章

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led　the　double　position　of　captain　and　barber。　In　time；　however；　the　authority　of　military　rank　came　to　be　respected　throughout　the　whole　army。　An　amusing　contrast　with　earlier　conditions　is　found　in　1779　when　a　captain　was　tried　by　a　brigade　court…martial　and　dismissed　from　the　service　for　intimate　association　with　the　wagon…maker　of　the　brigade。

The　first　thing　to　do　at　Cambridge　was　to　get　rid　of　the　inefficient　and　the　corrupt。　Washington　had　never　any　belief　in　a　militia　army。　From　his　earliest　days　as　a　soldier　he　had　favored　conscription；　even　in　free　Virginia。　He　had　then　found　quite　ineffective　the　〃whooping；　holloing　gentlemen　soldiers〃　of　the　volunteer　force　of　the　colony　among　whom　〃every　individual　has　his　own　crude　notion　of　things　and　must　undertake　to　direct。　If　his　advice　is　neglected　he　thinks　himself　slighted；　abused；　and　injured　and；　to　redress　his　wrongs；　will　depart　for　his　home。〃　Washington　found　at　Cambridge　too　many　officers。　Then　as　later　in　the　American　army　there　were　swarms　of　colonels。　The　officers　from　Massachusetts；　conscious　that　they　had　seen　the　first　fighting　in　the　great　cause；　expected　special　consideration　from　a　stranger　serving　on　their　own　soil。　Soon　they　had　a　rude　awakening。　Washington　broke　a　Massachusetts　colonel　and　two　captains　because　they　had　proved　cowards　at　Bunker　Hill；　two　more　captains　for　fraud　in　drawing　pay　and　provisions　for　men　who　did　not　exist；　and　still　another　for　absence　from　his　post　when　he　was　needed。　He　put　in　jail　a　colonel；　a　major；　and　three　or　four　other　officers。　〃New　lords；　new　laws；〃　wrote　in　his　diary　Mr。　Emerson；　the　chaplain：　〃the　Generals　Washington　and　Lee　are　upon　the　lines　every　day。。。　great　distinction　is　made　between　officers　and　soldiers。〃

The　term　of　all　the　volunteers　in　Washington's　any　expired　by　the　end　of　1775；　so　that　he　had　to　create　a　new　army　during　the　siege　of　Boston。　He　spoke　scornfully　of　an　enemy　so　little　enterprising　as　to　remain　supine　during　the　process。　But　probably　the　British　were　wise　to　avoid　a　venture　inland　and　to　remain　in　touch　with　their　fleet。　Washington　made　them　uneasy　when　he　drove　away　the　cattle　from　the　neighborhood。　Soon　beef　was　selling　in　Boston　for　as　much　as　eighteen　pence　a　pound。　Food　might　reach　Boston　in　ships　but　supplies　even　by　sea　were　insecure；　for　the　Americans　soon　had　privateers　manned　by　seamen　familiar　with　New　England　waters　and　happy　in　expected　gains　from　prize　money。　The　British　were　anxious　about　the　elementary　problem　of　food。　They　might　have　made　Washington　more　uncomfortable　by　forays　and　alarms。　Only　reluctantly；　however；　did　Howe；　who　took　over　the　command　on　October　10；　1775；　admit　to　himself　that　this　was　a　real　war。　He　still　hoped　for　settlement　without　further　bloodshed。　Washington　was　glad　to　learn　that　the　British　were　laying　in　supplies　of　coal　for　the　winter。　It　meant　that　they　intended　to　stay　in　Boston；　where；　more　than　in　any　other　place；　he　could　make　trouble　for　them。

Washington　had　more　on　his　mind　than　the　creation　of　an　army　and　the　siege　of　Boston。　He　had　also　to　decide　the　strategy　of　the　war。　On　the　long　American　sea　front　Boston　alone　remained　in　British　hands。　New　York；　Philadelphia；　Charleston　and　other　ports　farther　south　were　all；　for　the　time；　on　the　side　of　the　Revolution。　Boston　was　not　a　good　naval　base　for　the　British；　since　it　commanded　no　great　waterway　leading　inland。　The　sprawling　colonies；　from　the　rock…bound　coast　of　New　England　to　the　swamps　and　forests　of　Georgia；　were　strong　in　their　incoherent　vastness。　There　were　a　thousand　miles　of　seacoast。　Only　rarely　were　considerable　settlements　to　be　found　more　than　a　hundred　miles　distant　from　salt　water。　An　army　marching　to　the　interior　would　have　increasing　difficulties　from　transport　and　supplies。　Wherever　water　routes　could　be　used　the　naval　power　of　the　British　gave　them　an　advantage。　One　such　route　was　the　Hudson；　less　a　river　than　a　navigable　arm　of　the　sea；　leading　to　the　heart　of　the　colony　of　New　York；　its　upper　waters　almost　touching　Lake　George　and　Lake　Champlain；　which　in　turn　led　to　the　St。　Lawrence　in　Canada　and　thence　to　the　sea。　Canada　was　held　by　the　British；　and　it　was　clear　that；　if　they　should　take　the　city　of　New　York；　they　might　command　the　whole　line　from　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson　to　the　St。　Lawrence；　and　so　cut　off　New　England　from　the　other　colonies　and　overcome　a　divided　enemy。　To　foil　this　policy　Washington　planned　to　hold　New　York　and　to　capture　Canada。　With　Canada　in　line　the　union　of　the　colonies　would　be　indeed　continental；　and；　if　the　British　were　driven　from　Boston；　they　would　have　no　secure　foothold　in　North　America。

The　danger　from　Canada　had　always　been　a　source　of　anxiety　to　the　English　colonies。　The　French　had　made　Canada　a　base　for　attempts　to　drive　the　English　from　North　America。　During　many　decades　war　had　raged　along　the　Canadian　frontier。　With　the　cession　of　Canada　to　Britain　in　1763　this　danger　had　vanished。　The　old　habit　endured；　however；　of　fear　of　Canada。　When；　in　1774；　the　British　Parliament　passed　the　bill　for　the　government　of　Canada　known　as　the　Quebec　Act；　there　was　violent　clamor。　The　measure　was　assumed　to　be　a　calculated　threat　against　colonial　liberty。　The　Quebec　Act　continued　in　Canada　the　French　civil　law　and　the　ancient　privileges　of　the　Roman　Catholic　Church。　It　guaranteed　order　in　the　wild　western　region　north　of　the　Ohio；　taken　recently　from　France；　by　placing　it　under　the　authority　long　exercised　there　of　the　Governor　of　Quebec。　Only　a　vivid　imagination　would　conceive　that　to　allow　to　the　French　in　Canada　their　old　loved　customs　and　laws　involved　designs　against　the　freedom　under　English　law　in　the　other　colonies；　or　that　to　let　the　Canadians　retain　in　respect　to　religion　what　they　had　always　possessed　meant　a　sinister　plot　against　the　Protestantism　of　the　English　colonies。　Yet　Alexander　Hamilton；　perhaps　the　greatest　mind　in　the　American　Revolution；　had　frantic　suspicions。　French　laws　in　Canada　involved；　he　said；　the　extension　of　French　despotism　in　the　English　colonies。　The　privileges　continued　to　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　in　Canada　would　be　followed　in　due　course　by　the　Inquisition；　the　burning　of　heretics　at　the　stake　in　Boston　and　New　York；　and　the　bringing　from　Europe　of　Roman　Catholic　settlers　who　would　prove　tools　for　the　destruction　of　religious　liberty。　Military　rule　at　Quebec　meant；　sooner　or　later；　despotism　everywhere　in　America。　We　may　smile　now　at　the　youthful　Hamilton's　picture　of　〃dark　designs〃　and　〃deceitful　wiles〃　on　the　part　of　that　fierce　Protestant　George　III　to　establish　Roman　Catholic　despotism；　but　the　colonies　regarded　the　danger　as　serious。　The　quick　remedy　would　be　simply　to　take　Canada；　as　Washington　now　planned。

To　this　end　something　had　been　done　before　Washington　assumed　the　command。　The　British　Fort　Ticonderoga；　on　the　neck　of　land　separating　Lake　Champlain　from　Lake　George；　commanded　the　route　from　New　York　to　Canada。　The　fight　at　Lexington　in　April　had　been　quickly　followed　by　aggressive　action　against　this　British　stronghold。　No　news　of　Lexington　had　reached　the　fort　when　early　in　May　Colonel　Ethan　Allen；　with　Benedict　Arnold　serving　as　a　volunteer　in　his　force　of　eighty…three　men；　arrived　in　friendly　guise。　The　fort　was　held　by　only　forty…eight　British；　with　the　menace　from　France　at　last　ended　they　felt　secure；　discipline　was　slack；　for　there　was　nothing　to　do。　The　incompetent　commander　testified　that　he　lent　Allen　twenty　men　for　some　rough　work　on　the　lake。　By　evening　Allen　had　them　all　drunk　and　then　it　was　easy；　without　firing　a　shot；　to　capture　the　fort　with　a　rush。　The　door　to　Canada　was　open。　Great　stores　of　ammunition　and　a　hundred　and　twenty　guns；　which　in　due　course　were　used　against　the　British　at　Boston；　fell　into　American　hands。

About　Canada　Washington　was　ill…informed。　He　thought　of　the　Canadians　as　if　they　were　Virginians　or　New　Yorkers。　They　had　been　recently　conquered　by　Britain；　their　new　king　was　a　tyrant；　they　would　desire　liberty　and　would　welcome　an　American　army。　So　reasoned　Washington；　but　without　knowledge。　The　Canadians　were　a　conquered　people；　but　they　had　found　the　British　king　no　tyrant　and　they　had　experienced　the　paradox　of　being　freer　under　the　conqueror　than　t