80 CHARLES LEE 



between himself and Washington, he now considered 

 himself invested with an independent command. But 

 for courage and fidelity Heath was a true bulldog. 

 Lee's letters to him grew more and more angry. " I 

 suppose you think," said Lee, "that if General Wash- 

 ington should remove to the Straits of Magellan, never- 

 theless the instructions he left with you are to be 

 followed in spite of what your superior officers might 

 say ; but I will have you to understand that I command 

 on this side of the river, and for the future I must and 

 will be obeyed." 1 Heath, however, was immovable; 

 and a letter from Washington, arriving the next day, 

 declared his own view of the case in such unequivocal 

 language that Lee did not deem it prudent to push his 

 Patagonian theory any farther. So he desisted, with 

 a very ill grace, and on the 2d of December, after a 

 fortnight's delay, he crossed the Hudson, with a force 

 diminished to four thousand men. On that same day 

 Washington in his swift retreat reached Princeton, 

 with his force diminished to three thousand men. 

 The terms of service of many of the soldiers had 

 expired, and the prospect was so dismal, that few were 

 willing to reenlist. It was the gloomiest moment in 

 the Revolutionary War and in Washington's career; 

 and the most alarming feature in the whole situation 

 was this outrageous insubordination on the part of 

 Lee. Washington had ordered him to keep well to 

 the westward, and had even indicated the particular 

 road and ferry by which he wished him to cross the 

 Delaware, near Alexandria, but in flat disregard of 

 these orders Lee marched slowly to Morristown. At 

 this moment Gates was approaching, on his way from 



1 Lee Papers, II. 313. 



