aised the spirit of the Continental army; and the murder of one
woman (Miss McCrea) by a half-dozen drunken Indians, did more harm
to the Royal cause than the loss of a battle or the destruction of
regiments.

Now, the Indian panic over, Madam Esmond's courage returned: and she
began to be seriously and not unjustly uneasy at the danger which I ran
myself, and which I brought upon others, by remaining in Virginia.

"What harm can they do me," says she, "a poor woman? If I have one son
a colonel without a regiment, I have another with a couple of hundred
Continentals behind him in Mr. Washington's camp. If the Royalists come,
they will let me off for your sake; if the rebels appear, I shall have
Harry's passport. I don't wish, sir, I don't like that your delicate
wife and this dear little baby should be here, and only increase the
risk of all of us! We must have them away to Boston or New York. Don't
talk about defending me! Who will think of hurting a poor, harmless,
old woman? If the rebels come, I shall shelter behind Mrs. Fanny's
petticoats, and shall be much safer without you in the house than in
it." This she said in part, perhaps, because 'twas reasonable; more so
because she would have me and my family out of the danger; and danger
or not, for her part felt that she was determined to remain in the land
where her father was buried, and she was born. She was living backwards,
so to speak. She had seen the new generation, and blessed them, and bade
them farewell. She belonged to the past, and old days and memories.

While we were debating about the Boston scheme, comes the news that
the British have evacuated that luckless city altogether, never having
ventured to attack Mr. Washington in his camp at Cambridge (though he
lay there for many months without powder at our mercy); but waiting
until he procured ammunition, and seized and fortified Dorchester
heights, which commanded the town, out of which the whole British army
and colony was obliged to beat a retreat. That the King's troops won the
battle at Bunker's Hill, there is no more doubt than that they beat the
French at Blenheim; but through the war their chiefs seem constantly to
have been afraid of assaulting entrenched Continentals afterwards; else
why, from July to March, hesitate to strike an almost defenceless enemy?
Why the hesitation at Long Island, when the Continental army was in our
hand? Why that astonishing timorousness--of Howe before Valley Forge