The General's Christmas (3 page)

"The nearest settlement on
this side of the river is Bristol, but someone would have seen them
before they reached this far. See what you can find out,"
Washington told him.

Baylor nodded and left with the others.

The men told him that the
girls had approached camp from the east. The men walked eastward
toward the river and met the search party.

"We found no others," one of
the soldiers told him, "but it looks like the ladies came across
the river in this small rowboat. It wasn't here yesterday, I can
promise you that!"

Baylor followed him to the
edge of the river where a small wooden row boat was pushed up on
the icy shoreline. Baylor regarded the river and saw the path the
girls had taken through the broken ice slabs.

"Search along the river," he said.

The men nodded and split into two parties to
search north and south. Baylor returned to headquarters and
reported to Washington.

Washington told him, "Widow Harris says that
the first girl has regained consciousness. As soon as she is able,
we'll question her."

Twenty minutes later, Widow Harris appeared
at the foot of the stairs.

"She's rested now, and able to talk. Her
sister is alive, but unconscious," she announced with a worried
expression.

Washington and Baylor
climbed the stairway to the bedroom. They stood at the foot of the
girl's bed while Widow Harris held onto her hand. Corporal Baylor
was struck by the girl's youth and beauty. She had soft, light
brown hair and eyes the color of cornflowers. He couldn't take his
eyes from her.

"Who are you?" Washington
asked the girl.

"My name is Anna Clark. I
came with my sister, Elizabeth. Yesterday we were at our home, a
farm on the Bordentown Road, not far from Trenton. A group of
soldiers came and beat my father. I hid in the barn, but my sister,
Elizabeth, she-" the girl paused and squeezed her eyes shut. She
went on as her voice faltered, "She was attacked. The men took
everything, all our food, the horses, the wagon, everything! Then
they set fire to the house. They left us and took Papa with them. I
found Elizabeth and got her out of the house. We went to the river
where my father keeps a small rowboat tied up. I wanted to go to
Bordentown, but the current kept pushing us north. There was so
much ice I couldn't row. It just kept pushing us farther and
farther away. I was afraid we'd drift into Trenton where the
soldiers were, so I pushed the boat through the ice with a pole to
the other side of the river. I saw this house and hoped there would
be someone here to help us."

"You're safe now," Baylor told her, "Who were
the soldiers that attacked you?"

"I don't know. They spoke some other language
I didn't understand."

"Hessians!" Washington spouted angrily.

"How is Elizabeth?" Anna asked Widow
Harris.

"She's still unconscious, poor dear."

Anna turned to Baylor and pleaded, "Please
help us find Papa!"

Washington turned to Baylor.

"Let's leave now, Corporal. Thank you, Miss
Clark, for answering our questions. You'll be safe here with Widow
Harris, I promise you that. We'll talk again soon."

When the men returned
downstairs, Baylor swore angrily,

"Damn those Hessians! To leave two women in a
burning house--have they no conscience? No hearts? No fear of
God?"

"Their attacks on the settlers grow bolder
each day," Washington replied.

"Do you think their father is in Trenton?"
asked Baylor.

"He's probably being held prisoner there,"
Washington reasoned, "Let me see those maps."

For the next hour, Washington studied the
maps of Trenton and the surrounding area. He called in his scouts
to give him more details about the lay of the land. They described
the rolling countryside and ferry crossings along the river, now
choked with ice floes. Crossing the river would be difficult, they
told him. It was unlikely that the enemy would attempt to cross
it.

Washington dismissed them
and sat at the table pondering his next move. The British had hired
Hessians to supplement their own troops. More than anything he
wanted a victory at Trenton to drive out the Hessian and British
forces that had been raiding homes and farms in the countryside. No
one was safe from the enemy raiding parties, who had no qualms
about looting and pillaging. Washington believed the burning of
homes was their worst crime. To leave a family without food or
shelter in the dead of winter was cruelty beyond his comprehension.
Regardless of one's political beliefs, no one deserved such
abhorrent treatment from the very government that was supposed to
protect them. At all costs, he concluded, they must be
stopped.

Chapter 3

Campfires illuminated the
muddy roadway to the Merrick House, a short distance from the Widow
Harris' home. Lights from inside the house cast yellow shadows over
the snow. It was a two-story house made of field stone with a
chimney at each end. Inside, the house was unfinished and drafty,
but General Greene had a table prepared with candles and places set
for 12 people. As the men arrived, they greeted each other with
"Merry Christmas" and received a glass of sherry from a bottle that
had been a Christmas present to Greene from Thomas Paine. The
dinner fare was sparse, but hot. Their Christmas Eve dinner was
chicken stew containing very little chicken, an onion, two diced
carrots and potatoes, accompanied by a loaf of freshly baked
bread.

"It may snow again tonight," Colonel John
Cadwalader announced as they finished their meal.

"Let's pray that it doesn't," Washington
replied, and turned to Major General Sullivan.

"How go General Ewing's raids on Trenton?" he
asked.

Sullivan, a hearty son of an Irishman,
grinned triumphantly.

"Their last raid was the best of all! They
blackened their faces and sneaked across the river during the
night. They set fire to several empty houses along the river and
moved off again before the Hessians could get a shot off."

Washington nodded in satisfaction, "Good. We
must harass them as much as possible, day and night."

"With all our attacks, they must be at their
wits' ends."

"That's the plan. Keep at them until they
retreat."

Greene gave a wheezy cough and then filled
the general's glass, saying, "I hear you have two refugees at
headquarters, General."

Washington's face drew into a frown.

"Yes, two young women wandered into camp
today, nearly frozen to death. One had been beaten. They came by
boat across the river south of here. The Hessians attacked their
farm, looted and burned it, and took their father as prisoner."

General Sullivan's voice sounded angry, "At
least when we forage, we don't burn civilians out of their
homes."

Greene agreed,” It’s one thing to take
livestock to feed the army, but quite another to attack innocent
civilians."

"Which I intend to stop very soon,"
Washington said, looking at each of them across the table. He
waited until he had their full attention.

"I have given the situation some thought and
would like to hear your ideas on a plan to attack Trenton.
Corporal, bring the maps."

Baylor nodded and left the table. Washington
continued as the others listened intently.

"There are about 1,500 Hessians guarding the
town. If we attack them from three positions, we have a good chance
to succeed. As you know, many of our enlisted men will be leaving
us at the end of this month. If we can score a victory between now
and then, it might convince many of them to stay."

"We've commandeered about
forty boats of different sizes," Colonel Glover told them, "The
Durham Iron Works boats will hold about twenty-five men, but there
are no seats, so they'll have to stand. The horses and heavy
artillery can also be taken across the river on the boats. The
river current is very fast, and although the river is a little less
than eight feet deep at the ferry crossings, it's over 800 feet
across to the other side."

"Can it be done in the dark, just after
dusk?" asked Washington.

"Yes, if there isn't too much wind," Glover
assured him.

Washington proposed a three-prong attack and
asked the others what they thought. He saw their excitement in the
brightness of their eyes.

"I've no doubt we can accomplish it," Colonel
Knox said, "but it won't be easy."

"Nothing we've done this far has been easy,"
General Sullivan replied.

Washington looked at Knox and said, "You
brought 59 pieces of heavy artillery 300 miles over ice and snow
through the mountains last winter all the way from Fort Ticonderoga
to Boston. I have full confidence that you can bring our artillery
and horses across an 800 foot river at night."

Colonel Knox smiled and patted his round
stomach.

"Say the word, General, and it will be
done."

The night was cold and dark
as General Washington and Corporal Baylor made their way back to
headquarters. Rugged wooden army huts stood nearby, providing only
nominal shelter from the wind for some soldiers. Some of the men
were wrapped in blankets, sleeping on the ground next to the fires
while others sat, huddled against the cold. If only they hadn't
left their tents and equipment when they fled Fort Lee with the
British army at their heels, the men would have some protection
against the cold. Seeing his men deprived of even the basic need
for shelter made Washington even more determined to attack Trenton
and recoup some of their losses.

The sounds of musket fire echoed in the
distance.

"Is that coming from the west?" Washington
asked anxiously.

"It may be coming from
General Ewing's camp, sir. It's Christmas Eve."

Washington relaxed and remembered the old
custom of shooting in Christmas.

"We mustn't waste ammunition. Tell the
officers to discourage any holiday celebrations of that sort."

"Yes, sir," Corporal Baylor
nodded and rode ahead to spread the word. He returned in time to
find Washington seated next to the fire at the widow's house.Widow
Harris was sitting beside the fire when he entered, bringing in a
cold draft.

Baylor asked, "How are the young ladies?"

Widow Harris replied, "Both asleep. But the
younger one, poor dear, is a sight. Her face is turning black and
blue from the beating she took."

Washington shook his head, "Do whatever you
can for them, Mrs. Harris, and spare no expense."

The plump woman nodded, "Aye, but seeing
their father again would be the best medicine of all."

"We shall do our best to make that possible,"
Washington told her. He turned to Corporal Baylor.

"At dawn, would you please let the cooks know
that we will need three days' rations prepared for tomorrow's
march?"

"Yes, sir," Baylor nodded.
The widow bade them goodnight and gave them some blankets. Since
both of their beds were occupied by the girls, Baylor and his
General would be sleeping on the floor tonight.

On Christmas morning, the day dawned cold and
misty with a leaden sky. A cold front had come in during the night,
pushed by the wind. Trees swayed gently in the breeze and inside
the Harris home, drafty windows moaned with each gust. A thin layer
of snow frosted the ground, and the muddy, rutted roads had frozen
into rocky paths.

In the camp, preparations were being made for
the march on Trenton. The animals were fed and ammunition and
supplies were loaded onto wagons. Each man was issued fresh flints,
powder, and balls for their muskets, along with three days'
rations. At the prospect of doing some action, the men's spirits
had lifted and they set to their duties with a sense of
purpose.

It was Christmas Day, and as they prepared to
march, many wished each other greetings.

"I wonder where we're marching to next," said
one soldier to another.

"Who cares, as long as it's away from here!"
replied his friend.

Officers rode among the men, telling them to
be ready to march after the evening meal.

"Fill your bellies, men," one officer told
them, "We've got some hard work ahead of us tonight."

A scraggly, thin man with
sunken eyes that shifted from one side to another turned to the
soldiers and asked,

"Where we goin'?"

The young man next to him shook his head,
"I'm not sure, but I heard a rumor that we're marching to Trenton.
Where we go after that, God only knows."

"Anywhere it's warmer than
here is fine with me," a third man chimed in cheerfully.

A scraggly soldier, known only as Bates, spit
on the ground and searched the camp to see where the sentries were
posted along the river. He scratched his grey beard and drew his
jacket collar up over his neck. A few guards walked along the
banks, keeping watch on the river for any sign of the enemy.

Biting cold air had frozen
the river, but its strong current had broken the ice into large
slabs piled into large stacks. Bates looked out over the river. A
small wooden rowboat lay on the shore. He believed that he could
make it across the river in that rowboat long before the army could
make its march to the ferry crossings. He'd wait until dark and
slip away quietly across the river. The enemy would pay him to know
about the forthcoming attack, as they had on several other
occasions. It made no difference to him which side won as long as
he made money.

Later that afternoon, Corporal Baylor
inquired, "How is Miss Clark doing today?"