n arms; but of that kind of
friendship there was no further manifestation. Gates was certainly of
great service, from his practical knowledge and military experience at
this juncture, when the whole army had in a manner to be organized;
but from the familiar intimacy of Washington he gradually estranged
himself. A contemporary has accounted for this by alleging that he was
secretly chagrined at not having received the appointment of
major-general, to which he considered himself well fitted by his
military knowledge and experience and which he thought Washington
might have obtained for him had he used his influence with Congress.

The hazardous position of the army from the great extent and weakness
of its lines, was what most pressed on the immediate attention of
Washington; and he summoned a council of war, to take the matter into
consideration. In this it was urged that, to abandon the line of
works, after the great labor and expense of their construction, would
be dispiriting to the troops and encouraging to the enemy, while it
would expose a wide extent of the surrounding country to maraud and
ravage. Beside, no safer position presented itself, on which to fall
back. This being generally admitted, it was determined to hold on to
the works, and defend them as long as possible; and, in the meantime,
to augment the army to at least twenty thousand men.

Washington now hastened to improve the defences of the camp,
strengthen the weak parts of the line, and throw up additional works
around the main forts. The army was distributed into three grand
divisions. One, forming the right wing, was stationed on the heights
of Roxbury. It was commanded by Major-general Ward, who had under him
Brigadier-generals Spencer and Thomas. Another, forming the left wing,
under Major-general Lee, having with him Brigadier-generals Sullivan
and Greene, was stationed on Winter and Prospect Hills; while the
centre, under Major-general Putnam and Brigadier-general Heath, was
stationed at Cambridge. At Washington's recommendation, Joseph
Trumbull, the eldest son of the governor, received on the 24th of July
the appointment of commissary-general of the continental army. He had
already officiated with talent in that capacity in the Connecticut
militia.

Nothing excited more gaze and wonder among the rustic visitors to the
camp than the arrival of several rifle companies, fourteen hundred men
in all, from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia; su