he　tone　of　that　leader。　Probably　it　was　in　these　days　that　Washington　first　brooded　over　the　contrasts　between　the　Englishman　and　the　Virginian。　With　obstinate　complacency　Braddock　had　disregarded　Washington's　counsels　of　prudence。　He　showed　arrogant　confidence　in　his　veteran　troops　and　contempt　for　the　amateur　soldiers　of　whom　Washington　was　one。　In　a　wild　country　where　rapid　movement　was　the　condition　of　success　Braddock　would　halt；　as　Washington　said；　〃to　level　every　mole　hill　and　to　erect　bridges　over　every　brook。〃　His　transport　was　poor　and　Washington；　a　lover　of　horses；　chafed　at　what　he　called　〃vile　management〃　of　the　horses　by　the　British　soldier。　When　anything　went　wrong　Braddock　blamed；　not　the　ineffective　work　of　his　own　men；　but　the　supineness　of　Virginia。　〃He　looks　upon　the　country；〃　Washington　wrote　in　wrath；　〃I　believe；　as　void　of　honour　and　honesty。〃　The　hour　of　trial　came　in　the　fight　of　July；　1755；　when　Braddock　was　defeated　and　killed　on　the　march　to　the　Ohio。　Washington　told　his　mother　that　in　the　fight　the　Virginian　troops　stood　their　ground　and　were　nearly　all　killed　but　the　boasted　regulars　〃were　struck　with　such　a　panic　that　they　behaved　with　more　cowardice　than　it　is　possible　to　conceive。〃　In　the　anger　and　resentment　of　this　comment　is　found　the　spirit　which　made　Washington　a　champion　of　the　colonial　cause　from　the　first　hour　of　disagreement。
  That　was　a　fatal　day　in　March；　1765；　when　the　British　Parliament　voted　that　it　was　just　and　necessary　that　a　revenue　be　raised　in　America。　Washington　was　uncompromising。　After　the　tax　on　tea　he　derided　〃our　lordly　masters　in　Great　Britain。〃　No　man；　he　said；　should　scruple　for　a　moment　to　take　up　arms　against　the　threatened　tyranny。　He　and　his　neighbors　of　Fairfax　County；　Virginia；　took　the　trouble　to　tell　the　world　by　formal　resolution　on　July　18；　1774；　that　they　were　descended　not　from　a　conquered　but　from　a　conquering　people；　that　they　claimed　full　equality　with　the　people　of　Great　Britain；　and　like　them　would　make　their　own　laws　and　impose　their　own　taxes。　They　were　not　democrats；　they　had　no　theories　of　equality；　but　as　〃gentlemen　and　men　of　fortune〃　they　would　show　to　others　the　right　path　in　the　crisis　which　had　arisen。　In　this　resolution　spoke　the　proud　spirit　of　Washington；　and；　as　he　brooded　over　what　was　happening；　anger　fortified　his　pride。　Of　the　Tories　in　Boston；　some　of　them　highly　educated　men；　who　with　sorrow　were　walking　in　what　was　to　them　the　hard　path　of　duty；　Washington　could　say　later　that　〃there　never　existed　a　more　miserable　set　of　beings　than　these　wretched　creatures。〃
  The　age　of　Washington　was　one　of　bitter　vehemence　in　political　thought。　In　England　the　good　Whig　was　taught　that　to　deny　Whig　doctrine　was　blasphemy；　that　there　was　no　truth　or　honesty　on　the　other　side；　and　that　no　one　should　trust　a　Tory；　and　usually　the　good　Whig　was　true　to　the　teaching　he　had　received。　In　America　there　had　hitherto　been　no　national　politics。　Issues　had　been　local　and　passions　thus　confined　exploded　all　the　more　fiercely。　Franklin　spoke　of　George　III　as　drinking　long　draughts　of　American　blood　and　of　the　British　people　as　so　depraved　and　barbarous　as　to　be　the　wickedest　nation　upon　earth；　inspired　by　bloody　and　insatiable　malice　and　wickedness。　To　Washington　George　III　was　a　tyrant；　his　ministers　were　scoundrels；　and　the　British　people　were　lost　to　every　sense　of　virtue。　The　evil　of　it　is　that；　for　a　posterity　which　listened　to　no　other　comment　on　the　issues　of　the　Revolution；　such　utterances；　instead　of　being　understood　as　passing　expressions　of　party　bitterness；　were　taken　as　the　calm　judgments　of　men　held　in　reverence　and　awe。　Posterity　has　agreed　that　there　is　nothing　to　be　said　for　the　coercing　of　the　colonies　so　resolutely　pressed　by　George　III　and　his　ministers。　Posterity　can　also；　however；　understand　that　the　struggle　was　not　between　undiluted　virtue　on　the　one　side　and　undiluted　vice　on　the　other。　Some　eighty　years　after　the　American　Revolution　the　Republic　created　by　the　Revolution　endured　the　horrors　of　civil　war　rather　than　accept　its　own　disruption。　In　1776　even　the　most　liberal　Englishmen　felt　a　similar　passion　for　the　continued　unity　of　the　British　Empire。　Time　has　reconciled　all　schools　of　thought　to　the　unity　lost　in　the　case　of　the　Empire　and　to　the　unity　preserved　in　the　case　of　the　Republic；　but　on　the　losing　side　in　each　case　good　men　fought　with　deep　conviction。
  CHAPTER　II。　BOSTON　AND　QUEBEC
  Washington　was　not　a　professional　soldier；　though　he　had　seen　the　realities　of　war　and　had　moved　in　military　society。　Perhaps　it　was　an　advantage　that　he　had　not　received　the　rigid　training　of　a　regular；　for　he　faced　conditions　which　required　an　elastic　mind。　The　force　besieging　Boston　consisted　at　first　chiefly　of　New　England　militia；　with　companies　of　minute…men；　so　called　because　of　their　supposed　readiness　to　fight　at　a　minute's　notice。　Washington　had　been　told　that　he　should　find　20；000　men　under　his　command；　he　found；　in　fact；　a　nominal　army　of　17；000；　with　probably　not　more　than　14；000　effective；　and　the　number　tended　to　decline　as　the　men　went　away　to　their　homes　after　the　first　vivid　interest　gave　way　to　the　humdrum　of　military　life。
  The　extensive　camp　before　Boston；　as　Washington　now　saw　it；　expressed　the　varied　character　of　his　strange　command。　Cambridge；　the　seat　of　Harvard　College；　was　still　only　a　village　with　a　few　large　houses　and　park…like　grounds　set　among　fields　of　grain；　now　trodden　down　by　the　soldiers。　Here　was　placed　in　haphazard　style　the　motley　housing　of　a　military　camp。　The　occupants　had　followed　their　own　taste　in　building。　One　could　see　structures　covered　with　turf；　looking　like　lumps　of　mother　earth；　tents　made　of　sail　cloth；　huts　of　bare　boards；　huts　of　brick　and　stone；　some　having　doors　and　windows　of　wattled　basketwork。　There　were　not　enough　huts　to　house　the　army　nor　camp…kettles　for　cooking。　Blankets　were　so　few　that　many　of　the　men　were　without　covering　at　night。　In　the　warm　summer　weather　this　did　not　much　matter　but　bleak　autumn　and　harsh　winter　would　bring　bitter　privation。　The　sick　in　particular　suffered　severely；　for　the　hospitals　were　badly　equipped。
  A　deep　conviction　inspired　many　of　the　volunteers。　They　regarded　as　brutal　tyranny　the　tax　on　tea；　considered　in　England　as　a　mild　expedient　for　raising　needed　revenue　for　defense　in　the　colonies。　The　men　of　Suffolk　County；　Massachusetts；　meeting　in　September；　1774；　had　declared　in　high…flown　terms　that　the　proposed　tax　came　from　a　parricide　who　held　a　dagger　at　their　bosoms　and　that　those　who　resisted　him　would　earn　praises　to　eternity。　From　nearly　every　colony　came　similar　utterances；　and　flaming　resentment　at　injustice　filled　the　volunteer　army。　Many　a　soldier　would　not　touch　a　cup　of　tea　because　tea　had　been　the　ruin　of　his　country。　Some　wore　pinned　to　their　hats　or　coats　the　words　〃Liberty　or　Death〃　and　talked　of　resisting　tyranny　until　〃time　shall　be　no　more。〃　It　was　a　dark　day　for　the　motherland　when　so　many　of　her　sons　believed　that　she　was　the　enemy　of　liberty。　The　iron　of　this　conviction　entered　into　the　soul　of　the　American　nation；　at　Gettysburg；　nearly　a　century　later；　Abraham　Lincoln；　in　a　noble　utterance　which　touched　the　heart　of　humanity；　could　appeal　to　the　days　of　the　Revolution；　when　〃our　fathers　brought　forth　on　this　continent　a　new　nation；　conceived　in　liberty。〃　The　colonists　believed　that　they　were　fighting　for　something　of　import　to　all　mankind；　and　the　nation　which　they　created　believes　it　still。
  An　age　of　war　furnishes；　however；　occasion　for　the　exercise　of　baser　impulses。　The　New　Englander　was　a　trader　by　instinct。　An　army　had　come　suddenly　together　and　there　was　golden　promise　of　contracts　for　supplies　at　fat　profits。　The　leader　from　Virginia；　untutored　in　such　things；　was　astounded　at　the　greedy　scramble。　Before　the　year　1775　ended　Washington　wrote　to　his　friend　Lee　that　he　prayed　God　he　might　never　again　have　to　witness　such　lack　of　public　spirit；　such　jobbing　and　self…seeking；　such　〃fertility　in　all　the　low　arts；〃　as　now　he　found　at　Cambridge。　He　declared　that　if　he　could　have　foreseen　all　this　nothing　would　have　induced　him　to　take　the　command。　Later；　the　young　La　Fayette；　who　had　left　behind　him　in　France　wealth　and　luxury　in　order　to　fight　a　hard　fight　in　America；　was　shocked　at　the　slackness　and　indifference　among　the　supposed　patriots　for　whose　cause　he　was　making　sacrifices　so　heavy。　In　the　backward　parts　of　the　colonies　the　population　was　densely　ignorant　and　had　little　grasp　of　the　deeper　meaning　of　the　patriot　cause。
  The　army　was；　as　Washington　himself　said；　〃a　mixed　multitude。〃　There　was　every　variety　of　dress。　Old　uniforms；　treasured　from　the　days　of　the　last　French　wars；　had　been　dug　out。　A　military　coat　or　a　cocked　hat　was　the　only　semblance　of　uniform　possessed　by　some　of　the　officers。　Rank　was　often　indicated　by　ribbons　of　different　colors　tied　on　the　arm。　Lads　from　the　farms　had　come　in　their　usual　dress；　a　good　many　of　these　were　hunters　from　the　frontier　wearing　the　buckskin　of　the　deer　they　had　slain。　Sometimes　there　was　clothing　of　grimmer　material。　Later　in　the　war　in　American　officer　recorded　that　his　men　had　skinned　two　dead　Indians　〃from　their　hips　down；　for　bootlegs；　one　pair　for　the　Majo