Washington immediately foresaw what was to be done. The attack on New York must be given up, and he must concentrate his forces in the south; joining the French army in Virginia, and striking a blow for the Southern States. He wrote to La Fayette, to tell him of his plans, and charged him to cut off any retreat which the enemy might attempt through Carolina.

At last the long game, which had been played with so many moves on both sides, was drawing to a close, and Washington saw his way to giving an embarrassing check to the enemy; though even he hardly dared to hope that it was "checkmate." He was determined to lead this expedition in person, and to take with him 2,000 troops, leaving the rest to guard West Point and the Hudson.

The whole plan was kept in the closest secrecy. When the army began to move, it did not know in which direction it was to be ultimately taken. It first arrived at King's Ferry, and crossed the Hudson; and the Americans marched towards Springfield, and the French towards Trenton. One who was with the army wrote, "Our destination has been for some time matter of perplexity, doubt, and uncertainty. Bets have run high on one side that we were to occupy the ground marked out on the Jersey shore, to aid in the siege of New York; and on the other, that we are stealing a march on the the enemy, and are actually destined to Virginia, in pursuit of the army under Cornwallis." Later, he observes, "Our destination can no longer be a secret; Cornwallis is, unquestionably, the object of our present expedition. His Excellency, General Washington, having succeeded in a masterly piece of generalship, has now the satisfaction of leaving his adversary, Sir Henry Clinton, to ruminate on his own mortifying situation, and to

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anticipate the perilous fate which awaits his friend, Lord Cornwallis, in a different quarter."

As soon as Sir Henry Clinton knew what was happening, he tried to draw off Washington's attention, by sending Arnold to make an attack in Connecticut on New London. Arnold was successful in his part of the mission; he left the town in flames-his last act in the American War-but Sir Henry Clinton's hope that Washington might be diverted from his purpose, failed of effect.

On the 2nd of September Washington and his troops passed through Philadelphia. The procession was two miles in length-way-worn men, covered with dust, and ragged in appearance. Next day the French passed through the city, looking very different; they stopped outside the gates, and brushed the summer dust off their gay uniforms, and appeared brilliant and gay enough to please the crowds which were watching from the windows to give them welcome.

Washington had news from La Fayette that Lord Cornwallis, by Sir Henry Clinton's orders, had concentrated his forces at York Town, a small place above the Chesapeake, "situated on a projecting bank on the south side of York River, opposite a promontory called Gloucester Point." Here Cornwallis had proceeded to fortify himself, waiting until Sir Henry Clinton should come, in October, to make his promised attack from the Chesapeake. Lord Cornwallis thought himself very secure, because he believed that La Fayette's troops were the only ones in that region, and he did not dream of having much to fear from them; he even offered to send Sir Henry Clinton some troops, if he needed them at New York. He guessed nothing of the manner in which the meshes of the enemy's net were being drawn in around him.

La Fayette wrote to Washington-not knowing that he was, at the head of the American army, so near him—saying, "I hope you will come yourself to Virginia; and that if the French army moves this way, I will have, at least, the satisfaction of beholding you myself at the head of the combined armies."

Washington, meanwhile, was getting anxious about Count de Grasse and the French troops, and it was a great relief to his mind when he heard that the French fleet was actually anchored in the Chesapeake, and that 3,000 troops had landed under Marquis St. Simon. The general instantly wrote to the Count de Grasse, telling him that the plan at present "was for the van of the two armies to embark and fall down the Chesapeake, form a junction with the troops under Marquis St. Simon and La Fayette, and co-operate in blocking up Cornwallis in York River, so as to prevent his retreat by land, or his getting any supplies from the country."

As there was a slight delay in the embarkation of the troops at the Head of Elk, Washington took advantage of it to get a peep at his old home, Mount Vernon. He had not been under its roof for six years, though he had kept up a weekly correspondence with his agent during all that time, "regulating all the affairs of his rural establishment with as much exactness as he did those of the army."

He arrived at Mount Vernon alone and late at night; but the next day he entertained the Count de Rochambeau and General de Chastellux there. On the 12th he tore himself away from this well-loved home; and, knowing that a desperate enterprise was before him, he must have wondered, as he took his last look at it, whether he should ever be there again, and live once more in the dream of

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peace which for fifteen years of his life that home had been to him.

In order to understand the desperate situation of Lord Cornwallis, it is necessary to know something of the situation of York Town. On the coast of Virginia, Chesapeake Bay forms a wide estuary, and into this bay there run from the mainland several large rivers, which are all so wide at the mouth that they form estuaries also. These large rivers are the Potomac and Rappahannock in the north, and York River and James River in the south. York Town was built on York River, where it was navigable for large ships; and Gloucester Point was a fort on the other side of York River, just opposite York Town.

Towards the end of August, Lord Cornwallis had news of the coming of the French fleet, and began to find out the danger which was surrounding him. He tried to make a retreat to the Carolinas; but when he examined all the places round him he found it was too late, for he was completely hemmed in. York River was full of French ships, Williamsburg, the nearest large town, Americans. Retreat was hopeless; there was nothing left to do but to strengthen York Town as much as possible, and to write urgently to Sir Henry Clinton for help.

so was James River. was a stronghold of

A sea-fight at the entrance of the Chesapeake, between the Count de Grasse and Admiral Graves, who commanded the British fleet, made a short delay in the movements of Washington's forces; but the British admiral found the French force stronger than he had supposed, and after the fight, on September 7th, steered again for New York.

On September 18th it was arranged that a conference should take place between Washington and the French

commanders, De Rochambeau and De Chastellux, with the French Admiral de Grasse, on board the admiral's ship, Ville de Paris. The admiral sent a little English ship called the Queen Charlotte, which he had captured between Charleston and New York, to bring the generals to him, and they sailed down James River and came to him at Cape Henry, at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, where the French fleet lay at anchor.

Washington and his companions were received by the admiral "with great ceremony and naval and military parade." They dined on board the Ville de Paris, and went back to their own little ship at sunset, when they were given a grand parting salute from the French guns. Owing to stormy weather, the generals did not get back to Williamsburg until the 22nd; and when they arrived there they were greeted with news which somewhat confused their new-made plans. They heard that another English force had arrived at New York, under Admiral Digby, which increased the numbers of English troops almost to that of their enemies. The Count de Grasse suggested that he would leave one or two of his vessels to guard York River, and go with the rest towards New York, either to meet the fleet if it had sailed for the south, or to blockade it in New York harbour. Washington, whose hopes seemed to be now all centred in the attack on York Town, begged him most earnestly to give up this scheme, as without the co-operation of the French fleet he feared that his well-laid plans might all be in vain. The count at length gave in to his persuasions, and ordered a large part of his fleet to York River.

Lord Cornwallis sent an urgent despatch to Sir Henry Clinton, from York Town. "This place is in no state of defence. If you cannot relieve me soon, you must expect