ormance on the 3d of January. He was attacked at Trenton
by Cornwallis, who is known in history for his justly celebrated
surrender. He waited till morning, having been repulsed at sundown.
Washington left his camp-fires burning, surrounded the British, captured
two hundred prisoners, and got away to Morristown Heights in safety. If
the ground had not frozen, General Washington could not have moved his
forty cannon; but, fortunately, the thermometer was again on his side,
and he never lost a gun.

September 11 the English got into the Chesapeake, and Washington
announced in the papers that he would now fight the battle of the
Brandywine, which he did.

[Illustration: THE COLONIAL SURPRISE-PARTY AT TRENTON.]

Marie Jean Paul Roch Yves Gilbert Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, fought
bravely with the Americans in this battle, twice having his name shot
from under him.

The patriots were routed, scoring a goose-egg and losing Philadelphia.

October 4, Washington attacked the enemy at Germantown, and was beaten
back just as victory was arranging to perch on his banner. Poor
Washington now retired to Valley Forge, where he put in about the
dullest winter of his life.

The English had not been so successful in the North. At first the
Americans could only delay Burgoyne by felling trees in the path of his
eight thousand men, which is a very unsatisfactory sort of warfare, but
at last Schuyler, who had borne the burden and heat of the day, was
succeeded by Gates, and good luck seemed to come slowly his way.

A foolish boy with bullet-holes cut in his clothes ran into St. Leger's
troops, and out of breath told them to turn back or they would fill a
drunkard's grave. Officers asked him about the numbers of the enemy, and
he pointed to the leaves of the trees, shrieked, and ran for his life.
He ran several days, and was barely able to keep ahead of St. Leger's
troops by a neck.

Burgoyne at another time sent a detachment under Colonel Baum to take
the stores at Bennington, Vermont. He was met by General Stark and the
militia. Stark said, "Here come the redcoats, and we must beat them
to-day, or Molly Stark is a widow." This neat little remark made an
instantaneous hit, and when they counted up their string of prisoners
at night they found they had six hundred souls and a Hessian.

Burgoyne now felt blue and unhappy. Besides, his troops were covered
with wood-ticks and had had no washing done for three weeks.

He moved sou