ndemned to death. He was brutally treated by the provost-marshal, who
refused him a light to read his Bible, and destroyed the letters he
wrote to his mother. He was hanged the morning after his capture, his
last words being: "My only regret is that I have but one life to give to
my country."

The months passed without any important movement on either side. Howe
made careful preparations and Washington closely watched him. The
Continental army was divided into four divisions, commanded respectively
by Generals Heath, Sullivan, Lincoln, and Lee (who had lately returned
from the South). At a council of war it was decided that Harlem Heights
could not be held against the enemy, but at the urgent request of
General Greene, a strong garrison was left in Fort Washington. It
numbered 3,000, and was under the command of Colonel Robert Magaw of
Philadelphia.

CONTINUED RETREAT OF THE AMERICANS.

In accordance with the plan agreed upon, Washington fell slowly back and
was attacked at White Plains. He inflicted severe loss on the enemy, but
continued to retreat, whereupon Howe turned back and assailed Fort
Washington with such an overwhelming force that Colonel Magaw
surrendered.

Washington's fear now was that the British would press a campaign
against Philadelphia, the capital. Accordingly, he crossed to New
Jersey, and, with General Greene, took position at Fort Lee. The enemy
threatened it with such a large force that it was abandoned and he began
his retreat through New Jersey, with Cornwallis, the ablest of the
British generals, in close pursuit. The two armies were frequently so
near each other that they exchanged shots.

THE DARK DAYS OF THE REVOLUTION.

The "dark days" of the Revolution had come. Winter was at hand, and
hundreds of the ragged Continentals, as they tramped over the frozen
roads, left the bloody prints of their bare feet on the ground. Many
lost heart, and the desertions were so numerous that it looked as if the
whole army would crumble to pieces.

The remark has often been made of Washington that he never won a battle,
but the wonder is that he did so well with the miserable force under his
command. His greatness, however, rests upon a much broader foundation.
He, far more than any other man, saw the end from the beginning, and
embodied within himself the spirit of the struggle for American
independence. He was the Revolution. Had he been killed, the struggle
would have stopped, for no one cou