WASHINGTON. 



883 



These taxes, \ve are informed, would have been 

 freely contributed by the Americans, provided they 

 had been granted the power of sending representa- 

 tives to Britain to sit in parliament ; but this pro- 

 posal being strenuously refused, through a fear of 

 its leading to further changes in the British legis- 

 lature, the result was, that the Americans refused 

 to pay any taxes whatever, and in a short time op- 

 posed their exaction by force. All men are now of 

 opinion that the British government at this period 

 acted with extreme impropriety ; nevertheless, the 

 nation at the time rushed heedlessly into a war 

 with the colonies, expecting speedily to quell all 

 opposition to the laws. As for the Americans, 

 they sagaciously prepared for the struggle. 



In constructing an army for the defence of the 

 provinces, the Americans bestowed the command 

 of the forces on George Washington, of whose mili- 

 tary talents and prudence they had already seen 

 many proofs. No man in any age or country ever 

 filled a more arduous station than that in which he 

 was now placed. He was called to defend an ex- 

 tensive country just beginning the perilous experi- 

 ment of self-government, altogether unpractised in 

 war on a great scale, and with no other resources 

 than her spirit, against a nation possessed of all the 

 means, and strong with all the sinews of war, and 

 able, by its command of the ocean, to carry its hos- 

 tilities against any part of that extensive coast, 

 which had drawn towards it the best part of the 

 wealth and industry of the country. For a consi- 

 derable period, his troops had no fire-arms but what 

 they provided themselves ; they had no tents, no 

 magazines, no cavalry.no artillery, and scarcely any 

 ammunition. So provided, or rather unprovided, 

 the best troops in the world would not have been 

 able to do much ; but when we consider the nature 

 and description of the American armies, we must 

 wonder that he was able to keep the field for a 

 single campaign against the well-trained forces of 

 Britain. 



The history of the war in America may be sum- 

 med up in a few words. Instead of transporting 

 large masses of men capable of crushing in an in- 

 stant the united force of the colonists, the British 

 ministry dispatched small detachments of troops, 

 who were invariably cut up in detail as they march- 

 ed through the country, and on some occasions 

 whole regiments had ignominiously to lay down 

 their arms. In this species of inglorious war, which 

 has afforded our American brethren some cause for 

 boasting, Washington was equally conspicuous for 

 his cool determination and courage in the heat of 

 conflict, and his mercy after victory, so as to win 

 the applause of both friend and foe. The situation 

 of the general was, moreover, one of peculiar diffi- 

 culty. He experienced languor, insubordination, 

 and desertion in his followers ; and it was only af- 

 ;er he had the address to induce his countrymen to 

 establish a standing army, on something like regu- 

 lar principles, that success crowned his exertions. 

 It is allowed by all parties that the services of 

 Washington in this grand struggle against oppres- 

 sion, were as great as ever were performed by any 

 man to any nation. History is full of far more 

 brilliant exploits ; but it must always be recollect- 

 ed that in Washington's situation, not to be de- 

 feated was victory. In the arrangements on the 

 day of battle, we should discover but a small por- 

 tion of those happy endowments which gave him j 

 an unrivalled ascendancy over the minds of his j 

 countrymen ; which enabled him to keep a power- ' 



ful enemy in awe with fluctuating levies, whose 

 defective constitution forbade the necessary seve- 

 rities of discipline ; which enabled him to awaken 

 I sentiments of.honour and patriotism in hearts divid- 

 ' ed by animosities and jealousies. In criticising his 

 [ military conduct, we must always keep in view his 

 means ; and if we cannot discover any single 

 achievement of peculiar brilliancy, we shall yet be 

 forced to admire a long series of arduous operations, 

 which display penetration and energy, combined 

 with uniform and unerring sagacity. Although it 

 was simply the redress of grievances relative to 

 taxation which prompted them to take up arms, as 

 they began to feel their strength, they aspired to 

 higher views. 



The war was commenced on the 14th of June 

 1774, and, with greater or less vigour, was carried 

 on for about eight years. Two years after its 

 breaking out, on the 4th of July 1776, the colonists 

 declared their independence of the British crown, 

 which was acknowledged by France in 1778, by 

 Holland in 1782, but not by the British parliament 

 till the 30th of November 1783. Yet, in thus se- 

 curing the blessing of national liberty, the colonists, 

 it seems, were by no means satisfied. They broke 

 out into parties ; disaffection spread on all sides ; 

 and had not the wisdom and patriotism of Wash- 

 ington suggested expedients to allay the ferment 

 and avert the danger, the Union of States would 

 have been dissolved, and national ruin and disgrace 

 the consequence. 



Having given liberty to his country, Washington 

 once more retired from public life to his paternal 

 roof, followed by the fervent admiration of his 

 countrymen. Unlike Cromwell, or Napoleon in 

 latter times, he bad no desire to take advantage of 

 his situation or popularity, and so secure the office, 

 for life, of emperor, king, or protector. He freely 

 renounced all official distinction, thereby offering 

 an example of moral virtue quite unparalleled 

 in the history of modern times, and retaining no 

 other reward for his extraordinary services than his 

 country's love. 



During his retirement, objects of public utility 

 still occupied his thoughts ; and it was not long 

 before he formed, with his characteristic sagacity, 

 a plan of improving the internal navigation of the 

 country. This plan was, to open as high as pos- 

 sible the great eastern rivers, and to connect them, 

 by means of intermediate streams with the Ohio : 

 and his object in this magnificent undertaking was 

 to draw the States beyond the Alleghany mountains 

 into a closer connexion with those upon the At- 

 lantic ; and thus, by multiplying their commercial 

 relations, to give stability and unity to those of a 

 political nature. These beneficent schemes of 

 Washington have been fully accomplished. He 

 was soon, however, called upon by a sense of duty 

 into more burdensome labours. The jealousies 

 prevailing among the States threatened again to 

 wreck the newly-formed republican government. 

 When at last it became evident to all that some 

 alteration of the general system was indispensable 

 to the preservation of its parts, a convention was 

 held under his auspices ; and the constitution which 

 it formed having been adopted by the greater part 

 of the States, he was, in April 1789, called to the 

 office of first president, by the unanimous voice of 

 the confederation. There is abundance of evidence 

 that he accepted this office of chief magistrate of 

 the United States with the greatest reluctance. 

 He had no ambition of high place ; and, free from 

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