CHAPTER XIV.

PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

Emblems of Royalty burned-Lord Howe-Letters to Washington and Franklin - Franklin's Reply-Washington's Letter-Gen. Sullivan's Message-Committee appointed to confer with Howe - Battle at Trenton Battle of Princeton-Arrival of Lafayette-Defeat at Brandywine Removal of Congress - British in Philadelphia-They spare the Old Elm -Washington's Enemies -Commissioners from Great Britain - France acknowledges American Independence-Sir Henry Clinton succeeds Sir William Howe-British evacuate Philadelphia-Victory of MonmouthBenedict Arnold-Indian Warfare-Continental Money-Treaty of Peace.

THE

HE Declaration of Independence having been made, and a State constitution adopted by the people, to take the place of the Provincial charter from the king of Great Britain, and hostilities commenced, this is the proper place to record the part which Pennsylvania took in the American Revolution.

Four days after the Declaration of Independence, "The committee of safety and that of inspection in Philadephia marched in procession to the State House, where the declaration was read to the battalions of volunteers and a vast concourse of the inhabitants of the city and county; after which the emblems of royalty were taken down from the halls where justice had hitherto been administered in the king's name, and were burnt amidst the acclamations of the crowd, while merry chimes from the churches, and peals from the State House bell, proclaimed liberty throughout the land.”1

At this crisis, Lord Howe came forward with his commission for restoring peace. He appears to have been a brave man, possessed of much nautical skill, a good disciplinarian, of an ingenuous disposition, and sincerely desired to bring about

1 Bancroft, vol ix. p. 32.

peace and harmony between the Americans and Great Britain. So sanguine was he that he should accomplish this great event, that, on his arrival at Halifax, he told Admiral Arbuthnot, "that peace would be made before ten days." He seems to have misunderstood his commission, and thought he had power to conclude peace on almost any terms, whereas his commission authorized him only to pardon individuals on their return to the king's protection; nor could he grant amnesty to any rebellious communities, until they laid down their arms, and dissolved their governments. He soon discovered that the Americans were not disposed to make peace upon any such terms. He was very anxious to have intercourse with Washington, and, on the second day after his arrival, sent a flag of truce, with a letter addressed to Washington as a private man. Washington "acted with a dignity becoming his station," by declining to receive the letter. Lord Howe was grieved and disappointed at this rebuff. He sent a second letter to Washington, which was also rejected, because its address was ambiguous; but the British adjutant-general was allowed to enter the American camp for the purpose of coming to some terms about the American prisoners. It was agreed that the prisoners should have the rights of humanity; and he then asked that his visits might be accepted as the first overture of the commissioners towards making peace, and stated that they had great powers. To this Washington made the following reply, "From what appears, they have power only to grant pardons; having committed no fault, we need no pardon. We are only defending what we deem to be our indisputable rights."

To Franklin, whom Lord Howe had known in England, he stated, "the great objects of his ambition" were to promote lasting peace and union. Franklin consulted Congress, and then made this pertinent reply: "By a peace to be entered into between Britain and America as distinct states, your nation might recover the greatest part of our growing commerce, with that additional strength to be derived from a friendship with us; but I know too well her abounding pride and deficient wisdom. Her fondness for conquest, her lust of

dominion, and her thirst for a gainful monopoly, will join to hide her true interests from her eyes, and continually goad her on in ruinous distant expeditions, destructive both of lives and treasure.

"I have not the vanity, my lord, to think of intimidating by thus predicting the effects of this war; for I know it will, in England, have the fate of all my former predictions, — not to be believed till the event shall verify it.

"Long did I endeavor, with unfeigned and unwearied zeal, to preserve the British empire from breaking. Your lordship may remember the tears of joy that wet my cheek, when, in London, you once gave me expectations that a reconciliation might soon take place. I had the misfortune to find those expectations disappointed, and to be treated as the cause of the mischief I was laboring to prevent. My consolation under that groundless and malevolent treatment was, that I retained the friendship of many of the wise and good men in that country, and, among the rest, some share in the regard of Lord Howe.

"The well-founded esteem and affection which I shall always have for your lordship makes it painful to me to see you engaged in conducting a war, the great ground of which, as expressed in your letter is, the necessity of preventing the American trade from passing into foreign channels.' Retaining a trade is not an object for which men may justly spill each other's blood. The true means of securing commerce is the goodness and cheapness of commodities; and the profit of no trade can ever be equal to the expense of compelling it by fleets and armies.

"This war against us is both unjust and unwise: posterity will condemn to infamy those who advised it; and even success will not save from some degree of dishonor those who voluntarily engaged to conduct it. I know your great hope in coming hither was the hope of being instrumental in a conciliation; and I believe, that, when you find that impossible on any terms given you to propose, you will relinquish so odious a command." Lord Howe, upon the reception of this letter, was disappointed, vexed, and chagrined.

After the loss of the battle on Long Island, Washington, being somewhat disheartened from the defeat, the smallness of his troops, and the tardiness of Congress in raising more, wrote them a discouraging letter. Gen. Sullivan had been taken prisoner in this battle; and Lord Howe received him on board "The Eagle," treated him with great hospitality, approved his being immediately exchanged for Gen. Prescott (a British general who was then a prisoner at Philadelphia), stated how exceedingly difficult it still was for him to recognize Congress as a legal body, spoke of his strong desire to bring about peaceful relations in fine, such was his address, that Sullivan volunteered to act as a messenger between him and the American Congress. Soon after the troops passed over from Long Island, Sullivan followed on parole. He informed Washington what he was intending to do, who, though disapproving of his mission, did not prohibit it. Upon Sullivan's introduction to Congress, John Adams exclaimed "Oh the decoy duck! would that the first bullet of the enemy in the defeat on Long Island had passed through his brain!" The effect of Lord Howe's courtesy upon Sullivan was so great, that he affirmed to Congress, Howe asserted "He was ever against taxing us; that he was very sure America could not be conquered; that he would set aside the acts of parliament for taxing the colonies and changing the charter of Massachusetts."

As he had no written message from Lord Howe, but relied wholly on his memory, Congress directed that he should commit to writing what he had to say, which he accordingly did, and presented the following: "That, though Lord Howe could not at present treat with Congress as such, he was very desirous as a private gentleman to meet some of its members as private gentlemen; that he, in conjunction with Gen. Howe, had full powers to compromise the dispute between Great Britain and America; that he wished a compact might be settled at this time; that in case, upon conference, they should find any probable ground of an accommodation, the authority of Congress must be afterwards acknowledged."

Although some of the members of Congress considered this message as an insult, yet a majority adopted the following

"Resolve, that the Congress, being the representatives of the free and independent States of America, could not send their members to confer with him in their private characters; but, ever desirous of peace on reasonable terms, they would send a committee of their body to learn whether he had any authority to treat with persons authorized by them, what that authority was, and to hear his propositions."

Sullivan was deputed to take this resolution to Lord Howe; and Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge were appointed a committee to confer with him. Accordingly, Lord Howe sent his barge for them, received them with great courtesy, spread before them an excellent collation, and informed them that he could converse with them only as private citizens; to which John Adams replied, "Consider us in any light you please, except that of British subjects." Howe then said he trusted this interview would prepare the way for the return of the Colonies to the king; whereupon Rutledge stated what Sullivan had reported to Congress, "That he would set the acts of parliament aside, because parliament had no right to tax America, or meddle with her internal polity." To this he replied, "That Sullivan had extended his words much beyond their import; that while the king and ministry were willing that instructions and acts of parliament complained of should be revised, his commission in respect to them was confined to powers of consultation with private persons.' Franklin, the Sage of Pennsylvania, closed the interview by representing," That it was the duty of good men on both sides of the water to promote peace by an acknowledgment of American independence, and a treaty of friendship and alliance between the two countries."

The committee returned to Philadelphia, and reported to Congress, that Lord Howe had made no proposition of peace, except upon the return of the Colonies to their allegiance to Great Britain, and that his authority extended no farther than to grant pardons upon submission. Congress took no action upon this report; and thus Lord Howe's second attempt to promote reconciliation proved as abortive as his first.

"The close of the year 1776 was a gloomy period of the