of the people were Tories; and close at
hand on the frontier, which was then in the Mohawk valley, were the most
formidable Indians on the continent. These Iroquois had long been under
the influence of the famous Sir William Johnson, of Johnson Hall, near
Schenectady, and his son Sir John Johnson. Their principal sachem,
Joseph Brant, or Thayendanegea, was connected by the closest bonds of
friendship with the Johnsons, and the latter were staunch Tories. It
might reasonably be expected that the entire force of these Indians
could be enlisted on the British side. The work for the regular army
seemed thus to be reduced to the single problem of capturing the city
of New York and obtaining full control of the Hudson river.

If this could be done, the United States would be cut in two. As the
Americans had no ships of war, they could not dispute the British
command of the water. There was no way in which the New England states
could hold communication with the South except across the southern part
of the state of New York. To gain this central position would thus be to
deal a fatal blow to the American cause, and it seemed to the British
government that, with the forces now in the field, this ought easily to
be accomplished. General Carleton was ready to come down from the north
by way of Lake Champlain, with 12,000 men, and General Schuyler could
scarcely muster half as many to oppose him. On Staten Island there were
more than 25,000 British troops ready to attack New York, while
Washington's utmost exertions had succeeded in getting together only
about 18,000 men for the defence of the city. The American army was as
yet very poor in organization and discipline, badly equipped, and
scantily fed; and it seemed very doubtful whether it could long keep the
field in the presence of superior forces.

[Sidenote: Washington's military genius.]

But in spite of all these circumstances, so favourable to the British,
there was one obstacle to their success upon which at first they did not
sufficiently reckon. That obstacle was furnished by the genius and
character of the wonderful man who commanded the American army. In
Washington were combined all the highest qualities of a general,--dogged
tenacity of purpose, endless fertility in resource, sleepless vigilance,
and unfailing courage. No enemy ever caught him unawares, and he never
let slip an opportunity of striking back. He had a rare geographical
instinct, always knew where