er；　of　not　pressing　the　enemy　hard　enough；　party　passion　was　invoked。　The　Whigs　were　for　Keppel；　the　Tories　for　Palliser；　and　the　London　mob　was　Whig。　When　Keppel　was　acquitted　there　were　riotous　demonstrations；　the　house　of　Palliser　was　wrecked；　and　he　himself　barely　escaped　with　his　life。　Whig　naval　officers　declared　that　they　had　no　chance　of　fair　treatment　at　the　hands　of　a　Tory　Admiralty；　and　Lord　Howe；　among　others；　now　refused　to　serve。　For　a　time　British　supremacy　on　the　sea　disappeared　and　it　was　only　regained　in　April；　1782；　when　the　Tory　Admiral　Rodney　won　a　great　victory　in　the　West　Indies　against　the　French。
  A　spirit　of　violence　was　abroad　in　England。　The　disabilities　of　the　Roman　Catholics　were　a　gross　scandal。　They　might　not　vote　or　hold　public　office。　Yet　when；　in　1780；　Parliament　passed　a　bill　removing　some　of　their　burdens　dreadful　riots　broke　out　in　London。　A　fanatic；　Lord　George　Gordon；　led　a　mob　to　Westminster　and；　as　Dr。　Johnson　expressed　it；　〃insulted〃　both　Houses　of　Parliament。　The　cowed　ministry　did　nothing　to　check　the　disturbance。　The　mob　burned　Newgate　jail；　released　the　prisoners　from　this　and　other　prisons；　and　made　a　deliberate　attempt　to　destroy　London　by　fire。　Order　was　restored　under　the　personal　direction　of　the　King；　who；　with　all　his　faults；　was　no　coward。　At　the　same　time　the　Irish　Parliament；　under　Protestant　lead；　was　making　a　Declaration　of　Independence　which；　in　1782；　England　was　obliged　to　admit　by　formal　act　of　Parliament。　For　the　time　being；　though　the　two　monarchies　had　the　same　king；　Ireland；　in　name　at　least；　was　free　of　England。
  Washington's　enemy　thus　had　embarrassments　enough。　Yet　these　very　years；　1779　and　1780；　were　the　years　in　which　he　came　nearest　to　despair。　The　strain　of　a　great　movement　is　not　in　the　early　days　of　enthusiasm；　but　in　the　slow　years　when　idealism　is　tempered　by　the　strife　of　opinion　and　self…interest　which　brings　delay　and　disillusion。　As　the　war　went　on　recruiting　became　steadily　more　difficult。　The　alliance　with　France　actually　worked　to　discourage　it　since　it　was　felt　that　the　cause　was　safe　in　the　hands　of　this　powerful　ally。　Whatever　Great　Britain's　difficulties　about　finance　they　were　light　compared　with　Washington's。　In　time　the　〃continental　dollar〃　was　worth　only　two　cents。　Yet　soldiers　long　had　to　take　this　money　at　its　face　value　for　their　pay；　with　the　result　that　the　pay　for　three　months　would　scarcely　buy　a　pair　of　boots。　There　is　little　wonder　that　more　than　once　Washington　had　to　face　formidable　mutiny　among　his　troops。　The　only　ones　on　whom　he　could　rely　were　the　regulars　enlisted　by　Congress　and　carefully　trained。　The　worth　of　the　militia；　he　said；　〃depends　entirely　on　the　prospects　of　the　day；　if　favorable；　they　throng　to　you；　if　not；　they　will　not　move。〃　They　played　a　chief　part　in　the　prosperous　campaign　of　1777；　when　Burgoyne　was　beaten。　In　the　next　year；　before　Newport；　they　wholly　failed　General　Sullivan　and　deserted　shamelessly　to　their　homes。
  By　1779　the　fighting　had　shifted　to　the　South。　Washington　personally　remained　in　the　North　to　guard　the　Hudson　and　to　watch　the　British　in　New　York。　He　sent　La　Fayette　to　France　in　January；　1779；　there　to　urge　not　merely　naval　but　military　aid　on　a　great　scale。　La　Fayette　came　back　after　an　absence　of　a　little　over　a　year　and　in　the　end　France　promised　eight　thousand　men　who　should　be　under　Washington's　control　as　completely　as　if　they　were　American　soldiers。　The　older　nation　accepted　the　principle　that　the　officers　in　the　younger　nation　which　she　was　helping　should　rank　in　their　grade　before　her　own。　It　was　a　magnanimity　reciprocated　nearly　a　century　and　a　half　later　when　a　great　American　army　in　Europe　was　placed　under　the　supreme　command　of　a　Marshal　of　France。
  CHAPTER　IX。　THE　WAR　IN　THE　SOUTH
  After　1778　there　was　no　more　decisive　fighting　in　the　North。　The　British　plan　was　to　hold　New　York　and　keep　there　a　threatening　force；　but　to　make　the　South　henceforth　the　central　arena　of　the　war。　Accordingly；　in　1779；　they　evacuated　Rhode　Island　and　left　the　magnificent　harbor　of　Newport　to　be　the　chief　base　for　the　French　fleet　and　army　in　America。　They　also　drew　in　their　posts　on　the　Hudson　and　left　Washington　free　to　strengthen　West　Point　and　other　defenses　by　which　he　was　blocking　the　river。　Meanwhile　they　were　striking　staggering　blows　in　the　South。　On　December　29；　1778；　a　British　force　landed　two　miles　below　Savannah；　in　Georgia；　lying　near　the　mouth　of　the　important　Savannah　River；　and　by　nightfall；　after　some　sharp　fighting；　took　the　place　with　its　stores　and　shipping。　Augusta；　the　capital　of　Georgia；　lay　about　a　hundred　and　twenty…five　miles　up　the　river。　By　the　end　of　February；　1779；　the　British　not　only　held　Augusta　but　had　established　so　strong　a　line　of　posts　in　the　interior　that　Georgia　seemed　to　be　entirely　under　their　control。
  Then　followed　a　singular　chain　of　events。　Ever　since　hostilities　had　begun；　in　1775；　the　revolutionary　party　had　been　dominant　in　the　South。　Yet　now　again　in　1779　the　British　flag　floated　over　the　capital　of　Georgia。　Some　rejoiced　and　some　mourned。　Men　do　not　change　lightly　their　political　allegiance。　Probably　Boston　was　the　most　completely　revolutionary　of　American　towns。　Yet　even　in　Boston　there　had　been　a　sad　procession　of　exiles　who　would　not　turn　against　the　King。　The　South　had　been　more　evenly　divided。　Now　the　Loyalists　took　heart　and　began　to　assert　themselves。
  When　the　British　seemed　secure　in　Georgia　bands　of　Loyalists　marched　into　the　British　camp　in　furious　joy　that　now　their　day　was　come；　and　gave　no　gentle　advice　as　to　the　crushing　of　rebellion。　Many　a　patriot　farmhouse　was　now　destroyed　and　the　hapless　owner　either　killed　or　driven　to　the　mountains　to　live　as　best　he　could　by　hunting。　Sometimes　even　the　children　were　shot　down。　It　so　happened　that　a　company　of　militia　captured　a　large　band　of　Loyalists　marching　to　Augusta　to　support　the　British　cause。　Here　was　the　occasion　for　the　republican　patriots　to　assert　their　principles。　To　them　these　Loyalists　were　guilty　of　treason。　Accordingly　seventy　of　the　prisoners　were　tried　before　a　civil　court　and　five　of　them　were　hanged。　For　this　hanging　of　prisoners　the　Loyalists；　of　course；　retaliated　in　kind。　Both　the　British　and　American　regular　officers　tried　to　restrain　these　fierce　passions　but　the　spirit　of　the　war　in　the　South　was　ruthless。　To　this　day　many　a　tale　of　horror　is　repeated　and；　since　Loyalist　opinion　was　finally　destroyed；　no　one　survived　to　apportion　blame　to　their　enemies。　It　is　probable　that　each　side　matched　the　other　in　barbarity。
  The　British　hoped　to　sweep　rapidly　through　the　South；　to　master　it　up　to　the　borders　of　Virginia；　and　then　to　conquer　that　breeding　ground　of　revolution。　In　the　spring　of　1779　General　Prevost　marched　from　Georgia　into　South　Carolina。　On　the　12th　of　May　he　was　before　Charleston　demanding　surrender。　We　are　astonished　now　to　read　that；　in　response　to　Prevost's　demand；　a　proposal　was　made　that　South　Carolina　should　be　allowed　to　remain　neutral　and　that　at　the　end　of　the　war　it　should　join　the　victorious　side。　This　certainly　indicates　a　large　body　of　opinion　which　was　not　irreconcilable　with　Great　Britain　and　seems　to　justify　the　hope　of　the　British　that　the　beginnings　of　military　success　might　rally　the　mass　of　the　people　to　their　side。　For　the　moment；　however；　Charleston　did　not　surrender。　The　resistance　was　so　stiff　that　Prevost　had　to　raise　the　siege　and　go　back　to　Savannah。
  Suddenly；　early　in　September；　1779；　the　French　fleet　under　d'Estaing　appeared　before　Savannah。　It　had　come　from　the　West　Indies；　partly　to　avoid　the　dreaded　hurricane　season　of　the　autumn　in　those　waters。　The　British；　practically　without　any　naval　defense；　were　confronted　at　once　by　twenty…two　French　ships　of　the　line；　eleven　frigates；　and　many　transports　carrying　an　army。　The　great　flotilla　easily　got　rid　of　the　few　British　ships　lying　at　Savannah。　An　American　army；　under　General　Lincoln；　marched　to　join　d'Estaing。　The　French　landed　some　three　thousand　men；　and　the　combined　army　numbered　about　six　thousand。　A　siege　began　which；　it　seemed；　could　end　in　only　one　way。　Prevost；　however；　with　three　thousand　seven　hundred　men；　nearly　half　of　them　sick；　was　defiant；　and　on　the　9th　of　October　the　combined　French　and　American　armies　made　a　great　assault。　They　met　with　disaster。　D'Estaing　was　severely　wounded。　With　losses　of　some　nine　hundred　killed　and　wounded　in　the　bitter　fighting　the　assailants　drew　off　and　soon　raised　the　siege。　The　British　losses　were　only　fifty…four。　In　the　previous　year　French　and　Americans　fighting　together　had　utterly　failed。　Now　they　had　failed　again　and　there　was　bitter　recrimination　between　the　defeated　allies。　D'Estaing　sailed　away　and　soon　lost　some　of　his　ships　in　a　violent　storm。　Ill…fortune　pursued　him　to　the　end。　He　served　no　more　in　the　war　and　in　the　Reign　of　Terror　in　Paris；　in　1794；　he　perished　on　the　scaffold。
  At　Charleston　the　American　General　Lincoln　was　in　command　with　about　six　thousand　men。　The　place；　named　after　King　Charles　II；　had　been　a　center　of　British　influence　before　the　war。　That　critical　traveler；　Lord　Adam　Gordon；　thought　its　people　clever　in　business；　courteous；　and　hospitable。　Most　of　them；　he　says；　made　a　visit　to