the western tribes to a concerted attack upon the frontier.
When the news of this reached Virginia, an expedition was sent out
under George Rogers Clark, a youth of twenty-four years, to carry the
war into the enemy's country. In an extremely interesting and romantic
series of movements, Clark took the posts of Kaskaskia and Cahokia, on
the Mississippi river, defeated and captured Colonel Hamilton at
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and ended by conquering the whole northwestern
territory for the state of Virginia.

[Sidenote: Storming of Stony Point, July 15, 1779.]

The year 1779 saw very little fighting in the northern states between
the regular armies. The British confined themselves chiefly to marauding
expeditions along the coast, from Martha's Vineyard down to the James
river. These incursions were marked by cruelties unknown in the earlier
part of the war. Their chief purpose would seem to have been to carry
out Lord George Germaine's idea of harassing the Americans as
vexatiously as possible. But in Connecticut, which perhaps suffered the
worst, there was a military purpose. In July, 1779, an attack was made
upon New Haven, and the towns of Fairfield and Norwalk were burned. The
object was to induce Washington to weaken his force on the Hudson river
by sending away troops to protect the Connecticut towns. Clinton now
held the river as far up as Stony Point, and he hoped by this diversion
to prepare for an attack upon Washington which, if successful, might end
in the fall of West Point. If the British could get possession of West
Point, it would go far toward retrieving the disaster which had befallen
them at Saratoga. Washington's retort was characteristic of him. He did,
as always, what the enemy did not expect. He called Anthony Wayne and
asked him if he thought he could carry Stony Point by storm. Wayne
replied that he could storm a very much hotter place than any known in
terrestrial geography, if Washington would plan the attack. Plan and
performance were equally good. At midnight of July 15 the fort was
surprised and carried in a superb assault with bayonets, without the
firing of a gun on the American side. It was one of the most brilliant
assaults in all military history. It instantly relieved Connecticut, but
Washington did not think it prudent to retain the fortress. The works
were all destroyed, and the garrison, with the cannon and stores,
withdrawn. The American army was as much as possible concentrat