coming British, if one of
his officers had not seized the bridle of his horse and dragged him
away.

The main body of the American army soon assembled in a strong camp on
the rocky heights near King's Bridge, defended by Fort Washington. Here
they were attacked by the British (September, 1776), when the regular
Continental troops fought valiantly and proved victorious, wiping out
the disgrace of the retreat which put General Howe in possession of New
York. This success greatly strengthened the army.

The Americans had repulsed the British at King's Bridge, but Lord Howe
sent gunboats up the Hudson River to cut off Washington from his
supplies, which were stored in Connecticut. Washington thought he might
be forced to surrender if he remained, so he decided to leave a garrison
at Fort Washington and take the army into camp at White Plains (New
York). A great many of his men were sick or wounded, and the hospital
arrangements were poor and insufficient. The disabled men were lying in
crowded sheds, stables and any other places of shelter that could be
found. Washington did all he could to relieve their sufferings, and in a
letter to Congress, he begged for better pay for the men and better
supplies. He also urged that a call be made for men who would enlist for
the entire term of war, however long it might be. A British officer
wrote to a friend in London: "The rebel army is so wretched! I believe
no nation ever saw such a set of tatterdemalions (ragged fellows). There
are few coats among them but are out at the elbows and in a whole
regiment, there is hardly a sound pair of breeches. How they must be
pinched by the winter! We, who are warmly clothed, feel it severely."

The camp at White Plains was attacked by the British, with heavy loss on
both sides, and Washington again withdrew his men in the night and
entrenched himself at North Castle on the east side of the Hudson. The
British did not follow him, and this left Washington in doubt as to what
their next move would be. He left a part of the troops in camp,
stationed a strong force in the Highlands to defend the Hudson River,
and with the rest of his army, crossed into New Jersey, opposite Fort
Washington. From this point, he saw General Howe capture Fort
Washington and, without power to prevent it, beheld his brave men
bayoneted by the cruel German soldiers. The supplies and the survivors
of the garrison--about twenty-eight hundred men--fell into the hands of
the