section would
fight best on their own ground, but the fact is notorious that a most
bitter animosity had grown up between them.

[2] This movement is assigned to the 18th by Gordon and those who have
followed him. The 19th is the date given by Captain Harris, who was with
the expedition.

[3] An enumeration of these losses will be found in Gordon's _American
Revolution_, Vol. II., p. 360.

VI

THE RETREAT THROUGH THE JERSEYS

It was now the 20th of November. In a few weeks more, at farthest, the
season for active campaigning would be over. Thus far delay had been the
only thing that the Americans had gained; but at what a cost! Yet
Washington's last hopes were of necessity pinned to it, because the
respite it promised was the only means of bringing another army into the
field in season to renew the contest, if indeed it should be renewed at
all.

[Sidenote: Strength of the army.]

[Sidenote: State of public feeling.]

Losses in battle, by sickness or desertion, or other causes, had brought
his dismembered forces down to a total of 10,000 men, of whom 3,500 only
were now under his immediate command, the rest being with Lee and Heath.
And the work of disintegration was steadily going on. Always hopeful so
long as there was even a straw to cling to, Washington seems to have
expected that the people of New Jersey would have flown to arms, upon
hearing that the invader had actually set foot upon the soil of their
State. Vain hope! His appeal had fallen flat. The great and rich State
of Pennsylvania was nearly, if not quite, as unresponsive. Disguise it
as we may, the fire of '76 seemed all but extinct on its very earliest
altars, and in its stead only a few sickly embers glowed here and there
among its ashes. The futility of further resistance was being openly
discussed, and submission seemed only one step farther off.

In one of his desponding moments Washington turned to his old comrade,
Mercer, with the question, "What think you, if we should retreat to the
back parts of Pennsylvania, would the Pennsylvanians support us?"

Though himself a Pennsylvanian by adoption, Mercer's answer was given
with true soldierly frankness. "If the lower counties give up, the back
counties will do the same," was his discouraging reply.

"We must then retire to Augusta County in Virginia," said Washington,
with grave decision, "and if overpowered there, we must cross the
Alleghanies."

A volume would fail to give hal